《The Newt and Demon (Book 1 & 2 on Amazon) (Cozy alchemy slice of life with townbuilding)》


 Maps and Misc Information

    People often ask for maps, and I have them hosted (as viewable by anyone) on my Patreon. This "Chapter" will serve as a place where I dump all the maps and other supplemental information.


    Continent View:


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    https://www.patreon.com/posts/newt-and-demon-75120066</a>


    Local View in Book 1 (the river should be further away, I''ll rework this map):


    https://www.patreon.com/posts/wider-shot-on-71258636</a>

 Glossary

    <h2>People</h2>


    Theo Spencer - Transmigrator from Earth. Alchemist.


    Tresk - Bantari native from Broken Tusk. Stealther.


    Alexandria D¡¯Goose - Goose familiar.


    Sarisa Fletcher - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Stealth/defensive fighter.


    Rowan Fletcher - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Ranged specialist.


    Miana Kell - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Former Mayor. Rancher.


    Luras Trinner - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Former Qavelli Irregulars applicant. Ranged stealther. Follower of Baelthar.


    Throk - Bantari native from Broken Tusk. Smith. Artificer. Grumpy.


    Banurub - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Farmer.


    Xam Slug - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Tavern owner. Cook.


    Azrug Slug - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Young merchant lord.


    Jarson - Human adventurer from Qavell.


    Thronk - Bantari native from Broken Tusk. Fisherman.


    Perg Grott - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Tanner. Owns a tannery.


    Oruk - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Laborer.


    Begrut - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Tanner.


    Aarok Thane - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Former Qavelli Irregulars applicant. Commander of the guard.


    Ziz Rotgut - Half-Ogre from Broken Tusk. Stonecutter. Owns a quarry.


    Sledge - Bantari native, adopted into Half-Ogre family, from Broken Tusk. Woodcutter.


    Gridgen Dev - Human from the northern reaches of Qavell. Manages Dead Dog Mine.


    Sarna Dev - Human from the northern reaches of Qavell. Miner.


    Gasem Dev - Human child from the northern reaches of Qavell. Child.


    Ger - Nojoh from Qavell. Adventurer.


    Bal - Human from Qavell. Adventurer.


    Dal - Human from Qavell. Adventurer.


    Ral - Human from Qavell. Adventurer.


    Viz - Nojah from Qavell. Laborer.


    Xol¡¯sa - Barathier from parts unknown. Wizard.


    Zarali - Drogramathi from a lost brood. Priestess. Belgar¡¯s sister.


    Nira Weir - Human from the northern reaches of Qavell. Smelter.


    Alise Plumm - Human from the northwest region of Qavell. Administrator.


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    Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin (Bob) - Brogling from parts unknown. Scholar of Zaul.


    Salire Hogrush - Half-Ogre from Boro Hold. Merchant.


    Whisper - Toora from the Spine. Butcher.


    Thimamuri Ironmoore - Dwarf from the lost mountainhomes. Smith.


    Gaelethia Wavecrest (Gael) - Elf from Tarantham. Patriarch of House Wavecrest. Administrator.


    Laedria Wavecrest - Elf from Tarantham. Last living shipwright from House Wavecrest. Shipwright.


    Kaya Wavecrest - Elf from Tarantham. Weaver for House Wavecrest.


    Zan¡¯kir - Khahari from Khahari. Fighter.


    Zan¡¯sal - Khahari from Khahari. Fighter.


    Alran Cherman - Human from Rivers and Daub. Trader. Ex-mayor.


    Trevas Parn - Human from Rivers and Daub. Administrator. Mayor.


    Grotgrog Stormfist - Dwarf from Gronro-Dir. Warrior. Mayor.


    Fenian Feintleaf - Elf from Tarantham. Trader.


    Sulvan Flametouched - Human from parts unknown. Champion of the Burning Eye. Inquisitor.


    Uharis Banetouched - Human from parts unknown. Archmage of the Burning Eye.


    Lauris - Human from Qavell. Administrator.


    Banthub - Nojoh from Qavell. Administrator.


    Thistum Stonebreaker - Dwarf from the lost mountainhomes. Trader.


    Azmuil - Dwarf from the lost mountainhomes. Trader.


    An¡¯tal (Khahar) - Khahari from Khahari. Ascendant.


    Miltar Sharp - Half-Orc from Partopour. Trader.


    Karasan - Half-elven King of Qavell.


    Hanan - First Prince of Qavell.


    Xquiq - Nojoh emissary.


    Igor - Rock-person from the Stonehome


    Pogosophoro - A dragon


    <h2>Patrons (Gods)</h2>


    Glantheir - Elven God of Healing


    Parantheir - Elven God of Dueling


    Fan¡¯glir - Elven God of Fire


    Zaul - God of Shadow


    Delcan - Human God of Building


    Baelthar - Ogre Patron of the Hunt


    Spit - Ogre Patron of Curing Things Most of the Time


    Ulvoqor - Elven God of Knowledge


    Grom Rang - Dwarven God of Mining


    Borhig - Dwarven God of Blacksmiths


    Udok - Dwarven God of Mending


    Balkor - Dronon God of Necromancy


    Drogramath - Dronon God of Alchemy


    Zagmon - Dronon God of War and Death


    Uz¡¯Xulven - Queen of the Bridge of Shadows


    Tworgnoth - Dronon God of Artifices


    Toru¡¯aun - Queen of Mystery


    Benton - Toora God of Winter and Death


    Edward - Human God of Tedding


    <h2>Places</h2>


    Iaredin - The name of the world.


    Antalis - A black moon orbiting Iaredin.


    Telbaris - A moon orbiting Iaredin that shifts colors per day.


    Qavell - Kingdom headed by King Karasan.


    Veosta - Half-elven puppet state.


    Tarantham - Elven empire headed by Emperor Kuzan.


    Gardreth - Kingdom destroyed when Balkor descended to the mortal realm.


    Bantein - Human-run empire.


    Partopour - Human-run republic.


    Slagrot - Ogre-run chaotic government (no specific governmental seats).


    Khahari Desert - Khahari theocracy.


    Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal - A minor realm owned by Theo and Tresk.


    Khahak - The Arbiter¡¯s citadel.


    The Realm of Healing - Realm owned by Glanthier.


    Duelist¡¯s Refuge - Realm owned by Parantheir.


    Primordial Realm - Realm owned by Fan¡¯glir.


    Und - Realm owned by Zaul.


    Iron - Realm owned by Delcan.


    Eternal Game - Realm owned by Baelthar.


    GROG - Realm owned by Spit.


    Grodul¡¯harak - Realm owned by Drogramath.


    Grok¡¯tal - Realm owned by Zagmon.


    Uz¡¯godal Bokrak Tal - The Bridge of Shadows. Realm owned by Uz¡¯Xulven.


    Togal - Realm owned by Tworgnoth.


    Bohar - Realm owned by Benton.

 Chapter 1: The end of the world

    The gentle slope of endless, desolate hills gave way to the Pacific Ocean down the drop of treacherous cliffs. The once-green landscape of Ecuador sat as a sprawl of dead trees, flattened buildings, and endless radiation. Devastation visited these lands months back, rendering most of the country uninhabitable. While the outward signs of the strike left the landscape bleak, the oncoming fallout would be worse. It would stretch out across South America in the coming weeks, leaving all of it as deadly as the epicenter. None of this mattered, though, with the impending destruction of planet Earth.


    Theo Spencer slung his rifle over his shoulder, gulping for breaths that came labored in his environmental suit. While the systems were functioning perfectly, it was only a matter of time before the squad of five soldiers needed a rest. They plopped down on rocks and regarded each other with faces shielded by visors. The entire mission seemed pointless to him, but life back home was much worse. The sun overhead, swiftly growing by the day, saw to that. What little family he had left were distant cousins, all starving in the global famine. Working for the CIA had its benefits, even if it meant running operations that would never hit the books.


    ¡°How much further?¡± Yuri¡¯s voice came over the comms. He was the only man in the squad that Theo knew well enough to call a friend. Everyone else was just another face in the grim parade.


    ¡°Not far,¡± Commander Morales responded.


    Theo tried to remember what his squad looked like under the black environmental suit, coming up short. He was happy that their faces were obscured by those dark visors, fearful that he might see pain on their faces. It would be more of a problem if they saw the grin that painted his face. While oxygen was hard to suck down in the suit, it was extremely comfortable. The environment outside of the suit was not only radioactive, but absurdly hot. He glanced at the sky to catch sight of the source of the heat, the growing sun, and smiled wider.


    Things got simple when impending doom peeked its ugly head. Survival boiled down to who was the strongest, and who had the bigger gun. The appearance of an entity known as ¡°The Harbinger¡± brought an enemy that the world could fight. Something that the nations of the world could throw nukes at to make themselves feel better.


    Maybe if we worked on space travel, this wouldn¡¯t have happened, Theo thought.


    ¡°What are the chances this guy is the problem?¡± Theo asked, thumbing the communication button on his wrist.


    ¡°Exactly zero percent chance,¡± Sergeant Bawa said.


    Theo scoffed at the thought of rank. The government assembled them hastily, pulling in anyone with combat training to take out a threat. Most of his squad consisted of paper-pushers, long since retired from any active duty. Only Theo and Yuri conducted black ops before the fall of civilized society. The incompetence of the government saw them assigned the rank of private. Another cruel twist of fate.


    ¡°So, bullets are going to work better than nukes?¡± Theo asked, his grin widening.


    ¡°Eat it up, Spencer,¡± Morales said, his voice crackling and hitching through the comm. ¡°If you have a better idea, let me know.¡±


    Theo kicked back, reclining on his rock and staring up at the growing star. His plan was to sit around, drink some shitty beer, and wait for the world to end. When his unit was assembled, those dreams were shattered. A week-long journey through towns controlled by as many gangs as rogue governments bore witness to the atrocities of the end-times. He savored that one thing that made this all worth it. The completely over-engineered environmental suits that only a privileged few had access to. He didn¡¯t understand the technology, but the temperature inside of his suit was cool, like a spring breeze. The air he breathed was crisp, and free of radiation. It even had a little radio, but it stopped working a few days ago.


    ¡°We could just sit here,¡± Theo said, staring up at the sky. ¡°Let that big old sun eat us up.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Bawa said, scoffing. ¡°I mean, just look at the view! You really can¡¯t beat this.¡±


    Sergeant Bawa wasn¡¯t kidding. The view out west, toward the ocean, was beautiful. The waves lapped in the distance, sparkling like azure jewels among the flat sea. Theo sighed, content with this place.


    ¡°What are you gonna do when you die, Yuri?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m going directly to hell,¡± Yuri said, shrugging his massive shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the big strip club in the sky,¡± Belchev said. At least, Theo thought his last name was Belchev. He couldn¡¯t even remember the name of the other person. He didn¡¯t care, either.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m going to hell, too,¡± Theo said, adjusting his position to remove a rock from his impromptu resting spot. ¡°Too many dead men who didn¡¯t deserve it. Too many secret missions to countries I can¡¯t even remember.¡±


    ¡°This is getting a bit too nihilistic for me,¡± Morales said, shaking his helmeted head. ¡°Breaks over. We¡¯re meeting the Harbinger today.¡±


    Theo rose to his feet slowly, stretching lazily and surveying the area. Before the bombs dropped, this area would have been a forest. The small village they rested outside of had a small population, but enough to warrant notice. He thought about the tourists that would visit¡ªperhaps eco-tourists coming to see the dense trees. His thoughts fell away as Morales struck his arm, forcing him into that familiar march.


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    The squad continued their walk down the sloping hills, through as many burnt-out villages as they¡¯d seen coming in. The closer they got to the coast, the more Theo wanted to feel the salty breeze of the sea on his face. He planned on popping his helmet off before the end finally came, but kept this thought a secret, even from Yuri. They progressed through that barren landscape for hours, the sun barely moving in the sky by the time they found a coastal road. Morales stopped, allowing them to rest again, to determine exactly where they were.


    ¡°Damn GPS isn¡¯t working,¡± Morales said, swinging his pack around to dig for a map.


    They spent another hour waiting for the man to figure out where they were, and where they needed to go. Then the marching continued. Theo fell further away from his squad as the sun grew larger. He could see ribbons of fire leaping off of the star, none large enough to grace Earth, and savored its beauty. He was walking on the beach by the time he found his senses again, waves lapping the shore to his right while his squad marched forward ahead. They had their weapons ready and Morales was shouting something. His voice came with barking commands, the soldiers fanning out. He joined them reluctantly.


    Theo was surprised that their intelligence bore fruit. He spotted the Harbinger over a dune, standing and appreciating the waves. The entity didn¡¯t look very human. It was taller than a person and wore a black mask bearing the image of a white eye in the center. Its limbs were too long, hands and feet bearing jagged claws. The robes the thing wore reminded him of fantasy media he¡¯d consumed over the years, flowing and resting against the wet sand. It held its arms wide, a motion that didn¡¯t seem very threatening. But Morales already gave the order, his squad opening fire without hesitation.


    Theo stood there, in the firing line, without discharging his weapon. He watched as the bullets seemed to bounce off of the creature, ricocheting into the sand and back at his squad. Something bit deep into his stomach and he collapsed on his side, contentment flooding through his body as the same fate visited his companions. He rolled to his back painfully, trying to get a better look at the sun. Silence steeped the surrounding air, only broken by the occasional lapping of waves.


    ¡°Anyone alive?¡± Theo said, gasping for air.


    Footsteps joined the silence¡ªbare, taloned feet on sand. Firm hands grasped the side of his helmet, lifting it off and revealing the blinding environment. The air stung his skin, spreading like electricity down his body. His lungs burned and he gasped against the poison, failing to expel the deadly radiation. The Harbinger stood above him, tilting his masked face and tutting.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m still learning,¡± the Harbinger said.


    The creature moved off and Theo watched as he drew a circle in the sand. Motes of light rose from the circle, rising to the sky with a rush of wind. The burning faded from Theo¡¯s lungs, his skin no longer crawling with deadly radiation. He gasped at the fresh air, smiling as he saw the sun above grow larger. The pain in his abdomen was still there, but he was happy.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re going to die,¡± the Harbinger said, coming to sit next to Theo. His voice was a monotone thing, devoid of accent or emotion.


    ¡°That¡¯s not unique,¡± Theo said, coughing.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Is anyone else alive?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Barely,¡± the Harbinger said, pointing to the downed men. ¡°That one will see the transition through, I think.¡±


    Theo craned his neck painfully, watching as his friend Yuri clutched his chest, writhing on the ground.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Theo asked, attempting to assuage his curiosity before it ended.


    ¡°You¡¯re calm for someone about to see their death¡ªyou¡¯re unaware of the transition, yes?¡±


    ¡°Transition? No idea what you¡¯re talking about¡ªand you didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Theo said, another fit of coughing stealing whatever else he might say.


    The Harbinger shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a traveler. I visit places like this before they die. You¡¯re a soldier, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°A soldier looking for a peaceful life,¡± the Harbinger said wistfully. ¡°What a familiar story.¡±


    The pair sat in silence for quite some time. When the sun started growing, it was imperceptible. Whatever agencies were in charge of keeping track of how big the sun was didn¡¯t notice until it was too late, although there was nothing they could do. In the past week it started growing at an unpredictable pace. For all its destructive power, it was beautiful, taking up a fair portion of the sky even though it should have set by now. The creature sitting next to Theo seemed to enjoy the sight, casting his gaze toward the star with interest. He tilted his head back toward the prone private and shrugged, placing a finger on his forehead.


    ¡°A quiet life. You want a peaceful life, yes?¡± it asked.


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Theo said, another fit of coughing taking over. ¡°I think it might be too late for that.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± the Harbinger said.


    The creature pressed his finger harder into Theo¡¯s forehead, a strange sense spreading through his body. More motes of light joined that of the circle, swirling through the air in a vortex as the rush in his chest continued. The Harbinger removed his finger after a while, placing a comforting hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°The transition will give you a chance at a new life,¡± the Harbinger said. ¡°Everyone who is still alive when the sun consumes your planet will get that chance. Millions of lives¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a dream to me,¡± Theo said, laughing. ¡°Or a bunch of bull.¡±


    The Harbinger shrugged, gesturing toward the sky. ¡°It¡¯s happening. Perhaps we¡¯ll meet when you transition to the other side¡­ Well, enjoy the view.¡± He placed the helmet back on Theo¡¯s head, clasping it at the collar and standing. In a flash of light, the strange creature disappeared.


    Theo watched as the sun grew, happy that the entity put his helmet back on. He could see the detail of the sun as it ballooned in size. Even the environmental suit couldn¡¯t hold back the burning tide. It swept over the planet in an instant, consuming Earth and destroying all life on the planet. But as blackness crowded Theo¡¯s vision, something strange appeared in front of him. Text crowded the center of his sight.


    [Transitioning to World B71¡­]


    [Running stored protocol: ¡®Harbinger¡¯s Gift¡¯]


    [Resetting life¡­]


    [Welcome to Iaredin!]

 Chapter 2 - Awakening

    The first thing Theo remembered after the expanding sun was a sharp pain in his chest. Unconsciousness gave way to that sensation, followed by an oppressive humidity and the scent of soot and sweat. He realized before anything else came back to him that it was his sweat. He stirred, forcing his eyes open. The scene that swirled around him was dizzying, made worse by the crowd of text in the middle of his vision. No matter where he tilted his head, the annoying text followed.


    [Welcome to paradise!]


    Quest


    You¡¯re Dead!


    Congratulations, your entire world has been destroyed. The [System] has determined that you qualify for transfer to World B71 (commonly known as Iaredin). A powerful entity has vouched for your transfer, upgrading your transfer vessel with additional benefits.


    Acclimate yourself to your new world, and enjoy Broken Tusk!


    Objectives:


    Meet the villagers of Broken Tusk.


    Sleep in your new home.


    ¡°Ugh, it doesn''t feel like paradise,¡± Theo said, swatting at the text. ¡°What the¡ª¡±


    His words were interrupted by the same painful poke. As the shapes in the room resolved, he saw a massive woman standing over him, and only now realized that he was laying down. She was a tall, well-muscled lady with short hair, olive¡ªalmost red¡ªskin, short tusks protruding from her bottom lip, and a scowl hanging on her face. Theo blinked away the sleep, frantically trying to drive away the woman through sheer willpower. She didn¡¯t go, simply glowering down at him.


    ¡°About time,¡± she said. At least he could understand her. ¡°You have a lot of questions, and I don¡¯t care. Well, here¡¯s the short version. You owe me money.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, too,¡± Theo said, staring up at the ceiling. He tried desperately to avoid eye-contact with the intimidating woman.


    With his vision cleared, he took stock of where he was. Shoddy wood paneling on the walls, cracked boards on the floor, a roof with more mold than he¡¯d ever seen, and a bed stuffed with straw. The uncertainty that painted his face upon awakening vanished in an instant. He wasn¡¯t dead. No matter how strange things were around him, the sun hadn¡¯t killed him.


    ¡°We found you in a field a week ago,¡± she said. ¡°My name is Miana Kell, mayor of Broken Tusk. We figured you were integrated from another system, so I had Luras prepare to get you situated. Wait here.¡±


    Miana rose from the side of the bed, stomping out of the room and off into the hallway. Theo rose to a sitting position on the bed, a shock running through his heart when he saw his hands. He frantically pushed back the rough cloth covering his forearms, inspecting his skin. It was rougher than he remembered, and purple. His fingers ended in thick claws, and as he pressed his palms against his face, he found horns. They traced along the shape of his head, swooping up at the back of his skull. The horns were rough, variegated with ridges along the length. Then he felt the tail attached near his butt.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, his brow knitting tightly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    His question fell into the emptiness of the room. He rose to his feet, inspecting his legs and letting out a sigh of relief. At least I don¡¯t have hooves, he thought, inspecting his bare feet. With a wiggle of his toes, he shrugged.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± a voice like coarse gravel came from the threshold of the room. ¡°I¡¯m Luras Trinner, hunter and trapper. I hope you transitioned well.¡±


    Luras was a mountain of a man, easily two heads taller than Miana. He wore what Theo could only conclude as leather armor. It looked well-oiled, hugging the man¡¯s massive frame and layered for protection. A pair of daggers sat at his hip, with a bow held in his hand. His skin was darker than the woman¡¯s, edging toward a dark ochre color to contrast to her pale orange. Something about the softness of his expression put Theo at ease. His shaven head even caught the light spectacularly.


    ¡°Not so sure about that, Luras,¡± Theo said, letting out a nervous chuckle. ¡°I appear to be a demon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Luras said, digging in the satchel at his side. He held a parchment out, squinting to read the text. ¡°I tried to memorize this, but¡­ you know. It says that most transitioned worlds don¡¯t have the number of races we have here. Right.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was human,¡± Theo said, shrugging.


    ¡°We have humans here. I¡¯m a Half-Ogre¡­ well, we¡¯re not really half of an Ogre, but that¡¯s just the name. Just like how you¡¯re not a demon. You¡¯re one of the Dronon¡ªpart demons. Come on, I¡¯ll give you a tour of the town while I explain things. Can you walk?¡±


    The simplicity of the gentle way the man spoke smoothed away the rough edges of Theo¡¯s mind. His mind¡¯s eye produced images of Ogres from fantasy. Towering brutes that would eat someone¡¯s liver as soon as they would introduce themselves. Luras was very unlike that image, presenting a calm exterior that brought more questions than answers. He wobbled on the spot, swaying around to understand his new body. His balance seemed worse than before the transition, the strength born of years of service gone in an instant. But his mind seemed more honed, able to process things quicker and come to an understanding. It was all ?strange.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself.


    Luras led him through a short wind of halls, holding a rickety wooden door open for Theo to step outside. The exterior was more of an assault to his senses than the interior, the humidity doubling in the open air. The scent of wet earth and manure filled his nostrils, a light bustle of other Half-Ogres walking along a central dirt road. Each building in Broken Tusk was of the same shoddy construction. Boards seemed nailed together in whatever manner pleased the builder, the cracks jammed with green mosses. A yellow sun blistered overhead, casting its light over the terrain.


    Theo breathed the air, a grin spreading across his face. It wasn¡¯t paradise, but he wasn¡¯t dead.


    Luras led the way silently, stopping by a Half-Ogre-sized monolith in the center of a circular section of the road. It sat atop a stone dais, stones hewn from some dark stone Theo didn¡¯t recognize, although he wasn¡¯t an expert on stone.


    ¡°I assume the System doesn¡¯t exist in your world,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°Hey, do you have a mirror?¡±


    ¡°No. I think there¡¯s one in your shop¡ªwe¡¯ll get there. The system gives everyone a chance to pursue skills and collect information. That¡¯s the only way I can put it generically enough for you to understand,¡± Luras said with a meek shrug. ¡°Consider this your introduction¡­ You can access information about yourself with a thought. It should appear in front of you in a format you can understand.¡±


    Theo obeyed, sending a mental command that resulted in a box containing information crowding his vision. He took a moment to inspect it.


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 1


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 2


    Stats:


    Health: 40


    Mana: 10


    Stamina: 50


    Strength: 5


    Dexterity: 5


    Vigor: 9 (+2)


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    Intelligence: 8


    Wisdom: 15 (+2)


    Points: 0


    ¡°Alright. This says I¡¯m an alchemist. And it thinks my name is Belgar¡ªa ¡®Drogramath Dronon¡¯ named Belgar,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    Theo dismissed the screen, watching as Luras traced his finger over the scroll. ¡°I don¡¯t see that breed of Dronon on here, but whatever. The System placing you in our town makes sense. We have an alchemist¡¯s workshop that¡¯s been abandoned for a while.¡±


    Theo folded his arms, racking his newly powerful brain. ¡°I was a soldier in my world. Why did it make me an alchemist?¡±


    His mind flung back to what the Harbinger said about living a peaceful life. Theo wanted to keep that information to himself for the time being. There was no need to rock the boat before he knew what this town was all about.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve given this speech to,¡± Luras said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how the System determines what to make you.¡±


    ¡°Alright. On with the tour,¡± Theo said.


    The pair walked a path that looked much like the other paths. The smell of manure grew as they trudged, the path becoming more muddy by the second. Theo regretted going barefoot, with the muck underfoot quickly becoming more animal droppings than soil. A sprawl of farms came into view after they ascended a sloping rise. Endless fields of a slender crop, reaching toward the sun, stretched as far as he could see. The view of Broken Tusk below revealed how small it really was.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking south, toward the town. To the east is the river. West holds the marshes. This entire area used to be a marsh before a wizard came to visit. It was well before my time, but he diverted the river out into the ocean. He even raised these fields so our people could farm,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Your people being the Half-Ogres?¡± Theo asked.


    Luras shrugged. ¡°When the Ogres left Broken Tusk almost five-hundred-years ago, they left behind their half-blood children. Those children formed an alliance with the Marshlings. We consider those two peoples to be the founding races of Broken Tusk, but all are welcome.¡±


    ¡°Very utopian,¡± Theo said?. He was already impressed that no one on the street shrieked in terror simply by looking at him. He would need a mirror to see how bad it really was.


    ¡°We get by,¡± Luras said with a grunt. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the blacksmith and your shop. We¡¯ll avoid the tannery. I guess you don¡¯t know how skills work.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has access to skills based on their level. You want skills that work with the cores you have. You should have started with at least one core,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Theo said, mentally sending the command core to the System.


    A screen blocked his entire vision, filling it with two ornate orbs that pulsed with purple light. He could see two empty slots on each of the cores, and inspected them one after the other.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core]


    Legendary


    Alchemy Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    [Alchemy Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effect:


    Increases the synergy of [Alchemy] abilities.


    +2 Wisdom


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core]


    Rare


    Herbalist Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    [Herbalist Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effects:


    +2 Vigor


    The information made little sense to him. He understood that these were cores related to his ancestry, a bloodline that he knew nothing about, but the rest was nonsense. What a core was, or how it functioned, was still beyond him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got two cores. [Drogramath Alchemy Core], and [Drogramath Herbalist Core],¡± Theo said. Something twinged in his mind when he said the names of the cores, as though he was imparting the knowledge he had about the things directly to Luras.


    ¡°You started with a legendary and a rare core?¡± Luras said. ¡°That¡¯s absurd. I¡¯ve never heard of that happening.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t even know what the hell a core is,¡± Theo said, laughing.


    ¡°Damn. Right, well¡­ A core is like a family of skills. You level your core separate from yourself. You can attach skills to a core, but you need to attach the right skills to the right cores. You can¡¯t put a fighting skill in your alchemy cores.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Where do I get skills?¡±


    ¡°You should have some by default. With your luck, I bet there¡¯s more legendary stuff,¡± Luras said, narrowing his eyes on Theo.


    Theo didn¡¯t want to disappoint the only person in this new world he would happily call a friend. Inspecting his skills and sharing them with him might be a bad idea. How valuable were these skills, and could Luras be trusted completely? Without an answer to his questions, he mentally summoned his skill menu. There were two skills at the top, and an endless list of skills underneath. The indicator showed that he didn¡¯t have any skill points, and couldn¡¯t purchase a new skill. He reluctantly shared his two skills with his companion.


    ¡°[Drogramath Distillery Specialty], and [Drogramath Herbalism],¡± Theo said, grimacing.


    [Drogramath Distillery Specialty]


    Alchemy Skill


    Legendary


    You claim heritage to Drogramath, the potioneer. The Demon King¡¯s specialty was distillation, allowing you to extract the essence of alchemical ingredients. Distillation produces a pure form of extract, although some claim it to be more unstable.


    Effect:


    Allows the user to operate distillery equipment at a significantly increased efficiency.


    Allows the user to gauge, by eye, the exact quantity of mixtures in units.


    +2 Wisdom


    [Drogramath Herbalism]


    Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Drogramath has an eye for reagents. His descendants have an easier time identifying plants that produce alchemical ingredients.


    Effect:


    You have a sense whether something will produce alchemical ingredients.


    +2 Intelligence


    ¡°I knew it,¡± Luras said, laughing. He saw the pained look on Theo¡¯s face and clasped a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not faulting you for this. You¡¯re just insanely lucky.¡±


    ¡°Is this something that I shouldn¡¯t share freely?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d keep it quiet for now,¡± Luras said. ¡°If someone asks, just refuse to show them the skill. It¡¯s considered rude to force someone to show you their skills. You should equip those two in your cores, by the way.¡±


    Theo obeyed, equipping the alchemy skill in the alchemy core and the herbalism skill in his herbalism core. He felt a noticeable surge running through his mind as he equipped them, receiving the bonuses that both of them had. He smiled up at his friend, gesturing for the tour to continue. The pair trudged down the slope, waving at farmers as they went. They finally caught sight of the other races inhabiting the town. There were Humans, which stood a head shorter than Theo, and the waist-high Marshlings.


    ¡°They¡¯re so cute,¡± Theo whispered, garnering a smile from Luras.


    The Marshlings toddled around on stumpy legs, their smooth skin appearing like that of a salamander. Their fat tail swept the ground as they walked. They had webbed feet, most of them appearing to prefer going shoeless. On the side of their lizard-like heads were protrusions that reminded Theo of axolotls with little frills coming forth. The tone of their skin varied from person to person, some having bright pink pigment, and others that of mud. They were all extremely polite.


    The blacksmith¡¯s shop sat on a raised platform of stone, the work area completely outdoors. Steel sang under the Marshling¡¯s hammer, and he doused himself with water every few seconds of hammering. The work area itself was incredibly tidy, hammers hung on shelves to the side with a coal-burning forge sitting in the center. An anvil sat on a small stump, low enough for the diminutive man to work the metal.


    ¡°Every town needs a blacksmith,¡± Luras said. ¡°Throk spends most of the day working on stuff for the farm, but you might be able to ask him about crafting skills.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said. ¡°Because I¡¯m a crafter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You won¡¯t have much in common with a person like me in terms of skills,¡± Luras said with a shrug.


    The tour continued southward, the road less crowded the further away from the square they went. Homes dotted along the path on either side, a squat building looming in the distance. It was a stone construction, standing out against the wood plank buildings that became iconic for Broken Tusk. A sign hung on the outside, depicting a vial with red liquid inside. The paint faded long ago, leaving it looking dilapidated, like the rest of the building.


    Luras produced a key from his pouch, handing it to Theo. ¡°This passing of the key represents your ownership of the alchemy lab. Do you know how to inspect items or buildings?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing I just think about it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Get that intent in your mind, and touch the building,¡± Luras said.


    Theo once again obeyed, holding the thought of inspection in his head as he pressed his fingers against the mossy stone. A box appeared in his vision, displaying information about the building.


    [Alchemy Lab]


    Owner: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Upgrade Status: 0/20


    Rent Due: 7 days


    ¡°Oh. I have to pay rent,¡± Theo said, frowning.


    ¡°Every week. Miana will probably give you a grace period while you get set up,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°How am I going to afford food¡ªor get water?¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring something for you later. You can get a meal at the inn for a copper coin,¡± Luras said. ¡°You can draw water from the river, but if you don¡¯t have high [Vigor], ?boil it.¡±


    Theo knit his brow. Suddenly finding himself in another world was hard enough to deal with, but now he had to see to his own survival. Meals back on Earth were easy enough to come by, especially in the end-times. Everything was provided by the agency, and before that, he could just go to a grocery store and buy whatever he needed. Without Luras¡¯ help, he¡¯d starve.


    Luras handed him a waterskin and smiled. ¡°This should tide you over for a while.¡±


    ¡°I owe you, Luras,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°Once I figure this alchemy crap out, I¡¯ll pay you back with interest.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to a [Health Potion],¡± Luras said, grinning. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside and take stock of what you have.¡±

 Chapter 3 - Theo, The Alchemist

    The interior of the lab wasn¡¯t much better than the outside. There was a suspicious lack of dust that made Theo think ?Luras had been by to clean. He doubted that the brusk woman, Miana, would have done so. It was fairly small, twenty paces by ten and crowded with tables and equipment. A door to the right led off somewhere, a place he assumed was a bedroom. The scent inside was musky, and he doubted that opening a window would help.


    ¡°Did you clean up in here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± Luras said. ¡°I organized what books I could find scattered around,¡± Luras said, pointing to a neatly packed bookshelf near the back of the room. ¡°Your bedroom is in through there.¡±


    Theo spent some time walking around, inspecting all the equipment. Near the back corner of the lab was a copper still, something that he thought fortunate because of his distillery specialty. The thing that caught his eye was a strange-looking piece of machinery in the opposite corner. When he inspected it he let out a laugh.


    [Glassware Artifice]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Epic


    Created by ????


    Feed the Glassware Artifice any [Mote], think about the glassware you need, and it will be produced!


    The machine was a large box with a slot to accept a circular object in the front, and a spout near the bottom. It didn¡¯t seem large enough to spit out anything larger than a small phial. It was made of bronze, as far as Theo could tell.


    ¡°This looks rare,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Luras said. ¡°Most of the text is obscured for me. I don¡¯t have any alchemy specialization, but any artifice is rare.¡±


    ¡°I just feed it motes, and it spits out glassware,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. We have a lot of concentrated magic near the river, and in the swamp. If it accepts any motes, you¡¯ll have an easy time generating whatever glassware you need.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ What should I do now?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Every book on that shelf is about alchemy,¡± Luras said. ¡°I suggest you start reading. There are candles in your bedroom. I¡¯ll be around later to drop off some supplies.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    ¡°You¡¯ll thank me plenty when you make potions,¡± Luras said, grinning.


    The pair exchanged more pleasantries before the Half-Ogre departed, leaving Theo with a sense of unease. He didn¡¯t know what he did to deserve such a great start in a new life. He could have been thrown into many crappy situations, but this was amazing. Even with the threat of a hefty debt, rent to pay, and food to buy, he was in a much better situation than he was on Earth.


    The books on the shelf varied drastically in topics. There were advanced topics ?he couldn¡¯t hope to understand, but also basic tomes regarding swamp plants and a general guide on alchemy. He picked up a book titled ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± and started reading. The text was written in a language he shouldn¡¯t have understood. The blocky characters made up groups that were read as syllables, similar to Korean back on Earth. But he could understand every word, and even felt some insight on the topics.


    While ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± focused on the classical preparation of alchemical ingredients, Theo knew that most of it didn¡¯t apply to him. The milling of herbs and creation of poultices was a thing relegated to standard alchemists. Even the creation of potions was done in a fashion that seemed antithetical to innate knowledge that lingered in his mind. He settled in for hours, reading at speeds he could never hope to achieve in his old world, even if he wasn¡¯t much of a reader back then.


    Mid-afternoon struck when he finished thumbing through the first book, and he settled in with the next. ¡°Wild Plants of the Swamplands¡± was a much more productive tome, revealing the traits of many common reagents in the marsh. According to the book, the swamps wouldn¡¯t produce the common healing leaves of the highlands to the north. He¡¯d rely on a plant called [Spiny Swamp Thistle] to produce healing ingredients. The method of processing these ingredients was elusive, as ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± had a very brief section on distillation.


    Only after reading for several hours did Theo notice that something appeared in the upper-left of his vision. A set of three bars, red, blue, and yellow, floated and followed his sight. The yellow bar lost a bit of its length, and he concluded that the rigorous study had depleted some of his stamina. He went searching in the bedroom for something to write on when he realized that the important information from the books didn¡¯t leave his mind. It wasn¡¯t a photographic recall of what he read, but the high-level concepts stuck with ease.


    Theo found a short knife among a pile of things in the bedroom, inspecting it before tucking it into his belt.


    [Copper Alchemy Knife]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Common


    Basic copper knife. The copper in this blade won¡¯t react with any reagents.


    He was confident that he could identify the ingredients in the wild without a problem and set off. The thick marsh to the west seemed like a more dangerous place than the river to the east. He wasn¡¯t walking for long before he spotted a cluster of trees, and the spiked leaves of a Swamp Thistle. Theo knelt near the plant for a moment, remembering the warnings that the book gave him. The Swamp Thistle¡¯s leaves weren¡¯t poisonous, but they¡¯d easily draw blood. The spines on the leaves made that idea obvious, but the stalk of the plant was safe to touch. He bent it over, drawing his knife and cutting it there to discard the dangerous leaves.


    The gnarled roots of the Spiny Swamp Thistle were fat and oozing a red liquid. Theo smiled to himself before regretting not bringing along a bag to store the ingredients. He reflected on the fact that he found the thistle so easy, quickly concluding that there were simply no alchemists in the town. The muddy hills were his to harvest, and he found a bounty. He pulled his shirt off, already threadbare and full of holes, to hold the roots.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (1%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (0.5%).


    During his digging, he located several fat orbs of pulsating green energy the size of ping-pong balls. Upon inspection, he learned that they were the motes he needed for glassware.


    [Earth Mote]


    [Mote]


    Common


    The most common mote. A mote of pure earth magic, condensed by magical forces. [Earth Motes] can be found anywhere in the world.


    When the sun was getting low, threatening dusk, he returned to his lab to inspect his roots.


    [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    The root of a Spiny Swamp Thistle.


    Properties:


    [Healing] ???? ????


    Theo stood there, staring at what he¡¯d collected for some time. His mind raced at the best way to process the roots, but there were gaps in the knowledge that sat innately in his mind. ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± contained a lot of information regarding the processing of leaves, and the creation of dilute potions, but nothing about how to create essences. He popped the lid off the [Copper Still] and nodded, appreciating that the last owner cleaned it before abandoning the lab. His mind went back to Earth, and a friend that died years ago from the famine. Before everything went to hell, he tried his hand at creating liquor at home.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The memory was a distant thing, and the entire process wouldn¡¯t return to Theo. He understood that whiskey was made with some kind of mash, a combination of the fermented ingredients and water, before running it through the still. The job of the still was to concentrate the ingredients, bringing out as much alcohol as possible. Theo collected a wooden bucket from his supplies and found a barrel of [Purified Water] near the [Copper Still].


    [Purified Water]


    [Common Item]


    Common


    Water that has been purified. Perfect for stable alchemical reactions.


    The discovery of the water was fortunate, as his current plan was simply to use the water from the skin that Luras gave him. Theo dumped his haul of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] into the bucket, found the nearest heavy wooden object, and started smashing them. The thought of cutting the roots up entered his mind, but was quickly dismissed by his innate knowledge. It made sense when he thought about it. If his plan was to extract as much of the [Healing] property from the root, he¡¯d need to smash it up to get at that red liquid inside. His stamina drained as he smashed away, finally getting the mass of roots into a chunky paste.


    A knock sounded at the door, startling him. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Luras¡¯ massive frame came through the door, a surprised look on his face. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re already getting at it?¡±


    The Half-Ogre held a bag in his hand, hoisting it up onto a table and coming to inspect the mash.


    ¡°Yeah, the books were helpful, but there are a lot of gaps,¡± Theo said. ¡°Hey, I can remember most of what I read. Isn¡¯t that cool?¡±


    ¡°You have high [Wisdom], so it¡¯s not surprising,¡± Luras said. ¡°You¡¯ll eventually be able to remember everything you read, if you get it high enough. It also affects your thinking speed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Theo said, suddenly feeling his stomach growling. ¡°I hope you brought food.¡±


    Luras smiled, retrieving long strips of dried meat from the bag and handing one to Theo. The alchemist didn¡¯t hesitate, biting into the tough meat and swallowing it with a little chewing. It was lightly salted with the taste of wild game. He didn¡¯t dare ask what creature produced the meat, simply happy to have something to eat. He gulped at his waterskin, devouring the food without sharing a word with his new friend. After a while, the Half-Ogre cast him another grin.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± Theo said. ¡°Oh, did you find a mirror?¡±


    Luras produced another item from the bag¡ªa small piece of polished metal. Theo took it, happy to inspect himself. In his eyes, he was a demon. The horns swooped over his head, following the path of his slicked-back black hair. His eyes were almost glowing violet without pupils. Even as he smiled, he winced at his fangs.


    ¡°I look like a monster,¡± Theo said.


    Luras shrugged. ¡°You look like a Dronon.¡±


    With tremendous effort, Theo waved his tail from side to side. ¡°I wonder if this thing does anything for my balance.¡±


    Luras laughed at that. ¡°It¡¯s like watching a child learn.¡±


    ¡°I feel like a child,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some new clothes, too.¡±


    Luras produced clothes from the bag, and Theo frowned. There was a black linen robe, a loose-fitting shirt, and a pair of slacks. The thing that the alchemist was most interested in was the pair of leather gloves, remembering the sharp spines of the thistle.


    ¡°Again, I expect repayment in the form of potions,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Right. About that,¡± Theo said, putting off swapping his clothes for the time being. He was still standing without a shirt and slacks filled with holes. ¡°I think I have a good idea for how this works.¡±


    The [Copper Still] sat under a flue in the ceiling, meant to vent the smoke of a fire outside. Theo wished that there was a magical solution to heating his still, but he¡¯d take what he could get. He smashed the roots a few more times before dumping them into the still, using a ladle to wash the rest of it out of the bucket. He added the [Purified Water] to match the level of the roots before returning the lid and positioning the condenser over a fat glass flask. Luras watched as he worked. The alchemist darted around the lab to collect the flask, wood for the fire, and a few books from the shelf.


    ¡°Do you know how to make a fire?¡± Theo asked sheepishly.


    Luras silently collected the wood, taking a quartered log and scraping off tinder with a knife. The section underneath the [Copper Still] protected the floor from the heat. It was made of perfectly hewn flagstones, arranged underneath in a decorative pattern. The hunter broke the logs down further, arranging them underneath and applying sparks with a flint and his knife. After only a few moments, a small fire crackled underneath.


    ¡°Like that?¡± Luras said, grinning.


    ¡°I have a lot to learn,¡± Theo said, laughing. ¡°Right¡­ that¡¯s going to take an hour or two. I¡¯m going to get changed.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Theo retreated to his room, far too modest to change in front of his new friend. Behind his closed door, he inspected himself further, finding that all the sensitive anatomy was where it should be, and donned his new clothes. The shirt and pants were extremely comfortable compared to his burlap rags, and there was even a pair of moccasins made of the most supple leather he¡¯d ever felt. He felt like a wizard after pulling the robe over his shoulders. There was even a spot in his slacks for his tail.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± Theo asked, holding his arms wide in the alchemy lab.


    Luras had lit a few candles, setting them in lanterns around the room as dusk fell over Broken Tusk. He regarded the alchemist with a discerning eye, smiling after a moment. ¡°Like someone wearing second-hand clothes. The still is making noise.¡±


    Theo ran across the lab, leaning in to listen to the sound. The contents were boiling a little too vigorously. He instructed the Half-Ogre to reduce the intensity of the flames, bringing it to a low simmer. He didn¡¯t want the roots to burn against the bottom of the pot, fouling the extract. The pair found seats around the bubbling still, watching as a few drops of liquid fell into the flask.


    ¡°Do you miss your family?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°I had little family left,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Most people were already dead in my world.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡±


    ¡°I was pretty alright with the whole arrangement,¡± Theo said. ¡°I was just enjoying each day that came. This transition is a welcome change.¡±


    ¡°I lost my mother recently,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing compared to an entire world, I guess.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot worse than an entire world,¡± Theo said.


    They sat in silence for some time before Luras brought up a new topic. He talked about his interests outside of hunting, and the people in Broken Tusk. The farmers were the real backbone of the town, being the only people besides the hunters who produced resources for them to sell.


    ¡°Alchemy is going to be big,¡± Luras said, nodding to himself. ¡°You seem like a really calm person¡ªI like calm people¡ªbut you¡¯ll make a massive impact on this place. We have dungeons to the east, west, and north. Adventurers pass through often. Once they hear about a potion shop, they¡¯ll come in droves. It would be nice to have the first pick of the stuff you produce.¡±


    ¡°A relationship of convenience? I can appreciate that,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°At least you¡¯re honest.¡±


    The condenser on the [Copper Still] sputtered a few times, the last drop falling into the flask below. Luras and Theo cleared away the fire to inspect the product. It was a clear pink substance, and the alchemist understood ?it was approximately five units of liquid, whatever units were. Pressing his fingers against the flask, he got a pop-up describing what he¡¯d produced.


    [Healing Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Poor Quality


    5 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of healing, used to create healing potions.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (2%).


    ¡°It worked!¡± Theo shouted, holding his hand out for a high-five.


    Luras narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Slap your hand against mine,¡± Theo said, a stupid grin hanging on his face.


    Luras obliged, hitting Theo¡¯s hand with force and sending him tumbling to the ground. This didn¡¯t diminish the alchemist¡¯s good mood¡ªhe¡¯d just made an essence.


    ¡°Not a potion, though,¡± Luras said.


    Theo ran to the shelf of books, retrieving one and bringing it back. ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± had a small section on distillation, but it had the basics. Essences were the basis of distillation alchemy, but they did nothing alone. An alchemist needed to combine essences, water, and a catalyst to create a potion. Catalysts came in many forms, but the one listed in the book was [Copper Shavings], which he remembered seeing in the drawer in the lab. He ran off to retrieve a pinch of the flecks, setting it down on the page of the book before approaching the [Glassware Artifice].


    Theo judged the contents of the potion he¡¯d make to be about 2 units after the reaction, something he didn¡¯t know how he knew. He retrieved the [Earth Mote], shoving into the artifice and closing his eyes to imagine a narrow vial with a glass stopper on top. The things would fit perfectly together, preventing any of the valuable liquid from leaking out. The machine vibrated, the aperture on the front expanding to eject a glass vial.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Theo shouted. Luras watched as the alchemist returned to the flask of essence, grinning the entire time.


    He found a narrow glass tube among the endless glassware strewn on the tables, something that he could easily use to measure out quantities. With 1 unit of the [Healing Essence], 1 unit of [Purified Water], and exactly 2 flecks of the [Copper Shavings], he filled his new vial. The reaction was immediate and violent. A plume of smoke exploded out from the top of the vial, filling the room with a flowery scent. Theo proudly stoppered the vial, appreciating the dark red, bubbling liquid and handing it over to his new friend.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (2%).


    [Lesser Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Poor Quality


    A lesser healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 20 health points.


    A surprised look washed over Luras¡¯ face. He took the potion from Theo and held it up to the candlelight, letting out a whistle. ¡°You actually did it. I was certain you were going to blow us up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s poor quality, but that¡¯s my first potion!¡± Theo said, wagging his tail and pumping his fist. ¡°I¡¯m an alchemist!¡±

 Chapter 4 - Pay your debts

    The sun broke through Theo¡¯s window, pulling him from a peaceful slumber. Despite the bed¡¯s rough construction, he slept well. His stamina bar was at full once again, and he was ready to meet the day. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time that he¡¯d gone to sleep shortly after dusk, and awoke with the dawn, but it made sense. Without electricity, he was bound by the whims of his candles. Something about the way the light flickered made him drowsy, and Luras departed shortly after the sun fell below the horizon.


    [Quest Completed: Welcome to paradise!]


    Reward: 10 copper.


    A weight fell into Theo¡¯s pocket. He scooped out the ten coins, inspecting them. They were stamped with an image of a laurel and the number 846. He shrugged, returning them to his pocket.


    Theo¡¯s stomach growled when he rose, stretching and sating his thirst with the last of his waterskin. The problem of drawing water directly from a river would have to wait until later. He couldn¡¯t stand by while his lab was such a mess. After creating his first position, he gained a sense of where things should go. While eating the mystery jerky, he went around and tidied up. Glassware piled high in the room''s corner, his makeshift pipette being the only one spared. Four units of the light pink [Healing Essence] remained, but he reserved that for later.


    The three long wooden tables remained, cleared away of all the clutter. Only his two books stayed in a place of prominence, the remaining space reserved for stages of his production. With his lab sorted, he wanted to take care of a few more problems. His supply of water would have to wait, but he had an idea for that. Before departing last night, Luras informed him that he¡¯d have to meet with Miana and discuss his debts. After doing that, he¡¯d get a lay of the land and determine what a fair price for his potions were.


    It was easy to assume that farmers wouldn¡¯t have an interest in his healing potions, but it was impossible to imagine a swamp without widespread disease. ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± mentioned combining ingredients with [Healing] and [Cure Ailment], and ¡°Wild Plants of the Swamplands¡± had detailed drawings of a tree that would produce the [Cure Ailment] effect. Focusing his mind on completing these tasks helped him adjust to the strangeness of the situation. He kept a single thought in his mind.


    This is way better than being dead.


    Theo pulled his light robe around himself. Despite the heat outside, he felt more comfortable wearing the robe. It made him look more like an alchemist, and that counted for a lot. The simple white shirt and gray trousers did little for him, but the moccasins were incredibly comfortable. He wondered if the leather used in the creation of his shoes was gathered by his new friend, but he dismissed the idea and left the lab, locking it behind him.


    The town was already buzzing with activity, Marshlings that smelled more like death than the marsh moving up the road in a small group. They greeted him all the same, smiling and baring rows of fanged teeth. He winced at the sight, but forced a smile before they could notice. Miana¡¯s house was also the mayor¡¯s office, situated in the circle near the small monolith. He knocked and waited for her, listening to the angry stomping of her feet before stepping back to avoid the door.


    ¡°What?¡± Miana asked, scowling.


    ¡°Luras said I should see you about my debt,¡± Theo said, smiling.


    Miana¡¯s scowl vanished, a smile spreading across her face. ¡°Come on in, then. Are you getting situated?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Theo said.


    She led him through the building, into a small sitting room near the back. With no fanfare, she handed him a scroll that he unraveled.


    [Debtor¡¯s Notice]


    It is noted by Miana Kell and witnesses noted below that the Dronon, named Belgar, of transitional origin, is hereby indebted to Miana Kell until such time as his debts are cleared. The debts shall accrue interest at a rate determined by Miana Kell and the betterment of Broken Tusk at her discretion.


    Below is an itemized list of services rendered in the acclimation of the Dronon Belgar to Iaredin.


    [Medical Services Rendered] : 1 Silver


    [Room and Board (1 week)]: 10 Copper


    [Alchemy lab (to be paid in installments)]: 1 Gold


    [Equipment therein (to be paid in installments]: 1 Gold


    [Service Charge]: 5 Copper


    So it is noted, 873rd Year of Balkor¡¯s Betrayal in the Third Week of the Season of Blooms.


    Theo gawked at the ridiculous price of everything, a twinge filling his mind as a box popped up into his vision.


    [Pay your debts]


    Quest


    Miana Kell has overseen your transition into your new world, and you owe her a lot of money!


    Objectives:


    Pay the following debts:


    [Medical Services Rendered] : 1 Silver


    [Room and Board (1 week)]: 10 Copper


    [Alchemy lab (to be paid in installments)]: 1 Gold


    [Equipment therein (to be paid in installments]: 1 Gold


    [Service Charge]: 5 Copper


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to pay it all at once,¡± Miana said, rubbing her hands together.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough to have an alchemist in the town?¡±


    ¡°What, you think I don¡¯t have taxes to pay? Half of what I collect from you will go to the crown¡ªyou know, you should appreciate what I¡¯ve done for you¡ª¡±


    Theo held up a silencing hand, a broad smile spreading across his face. He was too excited for this new world to let something like crippling debt get the best of him. ¡°I will pay my debt to you as quickly as I can. I¡¯ve already made my first potion.¡±


    ¡°Good for you,¡± Miana said, sneering. ¡°Now get the hell out of my house.¡±


    Miana shoved him out of her home, his moccasins skidding along the wooden floor as he went. He stumbled out onto the muddy street as she slammed the door behind him, parchment still dangling in his hand. It must have been a common occurrence, because none of the people passing by paid any attention to the scene. Theo shrugged and trudged northward to the farms. Farmers were always up before dawn on Earth, working the fields until the light faded from the day. They¡¯d be working the fields already, and he could probe for information.


    After ascending the hill, he watched the Half-Ogres work the strange crop. Theo didn¡¯t know what season it was, but the southernmost fields weren¡¯t ready for harvest. As he wandered further north, he saw that a similar crop was being reaped by the massive farmers with sickles taller than him. The green fruit that grew on top of thin shoots looked like a clustering of giant corn kernels, three per plant.


    Theo watched a ?large man ply his sickle on the crops, bringing a score of them low with a single stroke. Their eyes met, and the alchemist smiled. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to buy some¡­ uh, whatever this is,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    It would leave a poor impression if he didn¡¯t at least offer to buy some of the farmer¡¯s hard work. The last thing he wanted to do was make enemies with the people that provided food for the town. They might even become good customers, if he could figure out how to make their crops grow larger with alchemy.


    ¡°You¡¯re that lad who transitioned, aren¡¯t you?¡± the Half-Ogre said. ¡°Names Banurub, you can call me Banu.¡±


    Banu strode across the field, holding out his massive hand for Theo to shake. Like Luras, the farmer shook too hard, almost sending the alchemist tumbling into the mud.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Banu. I was very excited to see your farm, but I¡¯ll be honest¡­ I know nothing about this place,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well, this field holds Zee. Sturdy crop. Grows in all seasons down south. You can mill it for uses like a grain, or eat it how it is,¡± Banu said.


    Theo couldn¡¯t imagine milling down the fruit. Each kernel on the stalks was as big as his head. He remembered going to farmers¡¯ markets before the end-times, buying absurd amounts of produce for cheap directly from the people who grew them.


    ¡°How much do you sell them for?¡±


    ¡°By the kernel? I couldn¡¯t say¡­ We sell them by the bushel¡ªtypically exported north. Twenty kernels to the bushel, ten copper for the bushel. Well, that¡¯s the price we get to export them,¡± Banu said.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Would you take six copper for a bushel? And another copper to deliver them to my alchemy lab?¡± Theo asked, smiling.


    ¡°Aye, I can do that,¡± Banu said, reaching out his hand to shake once more.


    Theo winced as he shook the man¡¯s hand before fishing six copper from his pocket. Banu counted it out and nodded at the alchemist, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll have one of my boys deliver it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theo said, turning on the spot and walking along the fields once more.


    He didn¡¯t have a use for that much Zee, and he didn¡¯t know if it was useful for anything. What he gained from the exchange was information, and a positive impression from the farmers. If people in town thought of him as a productive member of society, they¡¯d be more likely to work with them. He now knew that twenty kernels of Zee sold for ten copper. It was easy to reason that there was 100 copper to a silver, and 100 silver to a gold. Perhaps there was 100 gold to something else, but he couldn¡¯t speculate further. Because of the specialized nature of creating potions, and the scarcity within Broken Tusk, he could demand five copper easily, ten if he was greedy.


    The town of Broken Tusk was cleared of trees, a fact that Theo thought a shame. A wizard might have diverted the river away from the town itself, but water still soaked the ground. A few well-placed willows, or the equivalent in this new world, would do wonders to rid the roads of the mud. He filed away the thought before it got away from him, focusing on his next project. The area to the west seemed inherently dangerous, but it was easy to spot his next target. His book detailed a tree that was common enough in the swamplands, ?Ogre Cypress. The familiar name helped center him, and they were easy to spot at a distance.


    ¡°Wild Plants of the Swamplands¡± had detailed drawings of the tree, and the harvestable parts of it. It had a thick outer bark that was useless, with seams of silver sap-laden bark underneath. This made up the bulk of the useful material of the tree, the [Ogre Cypress Bark] that the book described to have [Cure Ailment]. His intended use for the reagent was twofold. He planned to experiment in water purification with an essence derived from the bark, and a potion combined with the [Healing Essence] for portable affliction curing.


    ¡°These resources are untapped,¡± Theo said. He shrugged it off, spotting a towering cypress to the west.


    It was a short walk from the center of town, towering over the edge of the wetlands. Theo¡¯s moccasins were treated with animal fat to prevent water from seeping in, but he trudged through knee-deep water and muck to approach the trunk of the tree. Peeling back a layer of the outer bark with his [Copper Alchemy Knife], he saw where this plan would be a problem. Only a small amount of the inner bark bore the signs of usefulness, thin seams running under the outer layer. The alchemist stuffed his satchel and pockets full of the reagent, inspecting a piece as he removed himself from the mire.


    [Ogre Cypress Bark]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Bark of an Ogre Cypress, known for its restorative properties.


    Properties:


    [Cure Ailment] ???? ????


    ¡°You¡¯re a busy man,¡± Luras said.


    Theo whipped around, finding Luras standing in the mire. A grin spread across the hunter¡¯s face, a gesture that the alchemist returned.


    ¡°I have a plan to improve the town¡¯s drinking water situation,¡± Theo said, struggling against the suck of knee-deep mud. ¡°Mind giving me a hand?¡±


    ¡°If it means I don¡¯t have to boil water every day, sure,¡± Luras said with a shrug.


    The help that Theo hoped to get came in the form of the hunter¡¯s ability in combat. If he was comfortable enough to roam the swamps daily, then he could handle himself. The notion came true within two-hundred paces of the [Ogre Cypress], a massive turtle bursting from the water and covering them in a spray of muck. It was huge for a turtle, larger than a horse, its shell covered in a layer of moss. The head of the creature snapped back and forth, pushing itself through the swamp and toward Luras. Theo focused on the monster, and an information box popped up as the hunter positioned himself between it and the alchemist.


    [Ogre Snapper]


    Monster-type Turtle


    Level 5


    Ogre Snappers lurk in the swamp, waiting for unsuspecting travelers to step over them. Their beaks are powerful enough to snap bone. Many inexperienced adventurers have fallen to this monster.


    Theo watched as Luras released a series of arrows, all finding their mark under the hard shell. The monster shrieked in pain, blood flooding to stain the water. All the alchemist could do was watch in amazement as the hunter disassembled the creature methodically. His mind went back to his days working for that clandestine organization, and taking part in covert operations among a fireteam. He didn¡¯t miss it. The creature fell to the mud after a few minutes of fighting, letting out one last sonorous cry before dying.


    ¡°What does it mean when it says ¡®Monster-type Turtle¡¯?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Animals can become monsters, although I don¡¯t understand why,¡± Luras said. He moved to inspect the turtle, digging under his shell and retrieving a small circular object covered in slime. ¡°Sometimes they have a [Monster Core], which is like a proto skill core.¡±


    ¡°What good is a core from a monster?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Artificers can use them to create magical objects. You can feed it to a house to upgrade it¡ªor a town,¡± Luras said. ¡°A level 5 [Monster Core] isn¡¯t that useful, but they sell decently.¡±


    ¡°How much would you get for one?¡± Theo asked. He trusted his newly honed memory to lock the information in.


    ¡°Anywhere from 20 to 50 copper, depending on the trader,¡± Luras said. ¡°How much are you planning on selling your potions for?¡±


    ¡°10 copper,¡± Theo said, trudging over to inspect the downed turtle.


    ¡°You could get more,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°I need to establish my name, first,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Speaking of, you should name your lab,¡± Luras said, holding the core out for Theo to take. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Theo¡¯s reluctance to take the object. ¡°I expect free potions.¡±


    Theo smiled, taking the core and inspecting it before shoving it into his already-full bag.


    [Monster Core]


    [Proto Core]


    Common


    Level 5


    A lesser monster core.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ideas about what to name my lab. I eventually want to have a shop,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to upgrade it, then,¡± Luras said. ¡°If you feed it enough cores, you can change the way it looks. Regular buildings exist in Broken Tusk, but your lab was created with cores. You¡¯ll get bonuses the higher rank your building is.¡±


    Luras withdrew a knife and dug around in the turtle¡¯s insides. He withdrew an organ and handed it to Theo with a smile. The alchemist almost lost his breakfast as the squashy thing fell into his hands.


    [Ogre Snapper Spleen]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Spleen of an ogre snapper.


    [Poison] ???? ????


    ¡°This is gross,¡± Theo said.


    Luras simply laughed, returning to butchering the creature. Despite its size, there wasn¡¯t much meat to speak of. Theo doubted that whatever meat was extracted was without parasites, his mind going back to the jerky he¡¯d been eating. He pushed the thought away, joining with the Half-Ogre as they continued trudging through the swamp. Midday came by the time they left with enough [Ogre Cypress Bark] to execute the water purification plan.


    Theo dropped his ingredients off at the alchemy lab, and Luras helped him carry four buckets down to the river. The edge of the river was a long stretch of rocky beaches, the water coming to lap against a little cove where the town drew its drinking water. It flowed cool and clear, but he knew too much from watching survival shows on television to trust it. Inspecting the buckets of water, his fears were realized.


    [River Water]


    [Common Item]


    Common


    Water drawn from a flowing river.


    Properties:


    [Disease] [Parasites]


    ¡°Do you see that this stuff gives you diseases and parasites?¡± Theo asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Luras said. ¡°Your alchemy skill must give you the ability to identify the properties that stuff has.¡±


    ¡°Well, this stuff is riddled with crap,¡± Theo said.


    On their way back to the lab, Theo instructed Luras on the proper way to harvest Spiny Swamp Thistle. They returned to the unnamed alchemy lab with enough of the root to make a double batch of healing potions, a fact that the hunter was excited about.


    ¡°I already used the first potion you gave me,¡± Luras said, dumping the roots in an empty bucket. ¡°Found a fairly rare swamp wolf and tested my luck.¡±


    ¡°I still have four units of the [Healing Essence]. We¡¯ll whip up four more potions after we figure this water thing out,¡± Theo said, moving to consult ¡°Essential Alchemy.¡±


    The book detailed standard usages for essences, but also mentioned more unconventional uses. In theory, he could use the pure essences to impart an effect onto something. The example given in the text was that he could drip [Healing Essence] directly on a wound to close it in a pinch. It wasn¡¯t as effective as making a [Lesser Healing Potion], but his intent was different with this approach. The plan was to impart the effect of the essence directly into the water, but how much of the essence he¡¯d need was a mystery.


    Theo brought out a ream of parchment, laying it down on the table and holding it there with empty flasks. The alchemist drew out columns and rows, writing ¡°bucket (100 units)¡± in the first column, and ¡°essence (0.01 units)¡± in the second. He would work his way up from the tiny amount to find the most efficient ratio for water purification, if it worked at all. He urged the [Glassware Artifice] to create a tiny pipette capable of drawing the partial unit-sized doses from an essence.


    Luras helped load a spare bucket with the [Ogre Cypress Bark], mashing it down and adding it to the [Copper Still] with enough water for the process. While the hunter made the fire, Theo created four vials of [Lesser Healing Potion] all of which were at the same poor quality. He¡¯d need to refine his process if he wanted to produce better potions.


    ¡°I wish I had something to control the fire better,¡± Theo said, watching as Luras stoked the flames to life.


    ¡°That¡¯s something for an artificer to make,¡± Luras said. ¡°Keep an eye out for people passing through town. You might find a magical flame from a passing trader.¡±


    ¡°Right. Gotta make money, first,¡± Theo said. ¡°How do I add this monster core to the lab?¡±


    ¡°Just hold it up, and think about it,¡± Luras shrugged. ¡°Only the owner can do it.¡±


    Theo did just that, holding the slimy core above his head and focusing his thoughts on adding it to the lab. After a moment, the core vanished, and a screen appeared.


    [Alchemy Lab Upgraded]


    Belgar¡¯s [Alchemy Lab] gained 25% toward level 2.


    ¡°Four cores to get level 2,¡± Theo groaned. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of cores.¡±


    They waited there for some time as the [Copper Still] did its work. Theo controlled the flame better this time around, letting it smolder to coals before even moving it under the still and adding wood as needed. The result was a longer distillation process, but it didn¡¯t sputter or burn like his first attempt. He inspected the 10 units of liquid in the flask.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (8%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (3%).


    [Purifying Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Decent Quality


    10 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of purification.


    Not only had he made more of the essence, but it was a better quality. Luras watched as Theo took notes, applying his trade to the buckets of river water. The first dose of 0.01 units was almost impossible to measure and had no effect on the tainted river water. He wrote his findings and moved onto the second bucket, applying 0.1 units, which was easy enough to measure by eye, but there was no reaction besides a faint sizzling sound. By the time he moved to the last bucket, after failing with 0.3 units on the third bucket, he applied a half unit of the [Purifying Essence], and the reaction took place. The water bubbled, releasing a foul odor that brought both men coughing and gagging. They opened the windows and the door before inspecting the bucket.


    ¡°[Purified Water]!¡± Theo shouted, holding his hand out for Luras to high five.


    ¡°You have a knack for this,¡± Luras said, slapping his hand gently against Theo¡¯s.

 Chapter 5 - Paying Customers

    Theo and Luras filled their water skins from the freshly purified water in the bucket. It tasted pure enough, and the alchemist was satisfied with his process. From the short run on the still, he¡¯d created enough essence to purify twenty buckets of water. It was hardly enough to keep the entire town from catching diseases, but it would do for the time being. At least he could ensure that he had water to use for both alchemy, and keeping himself away from dehydration.


    A knock came from the door. When Theo answered it, he found a burly farmer waiting with a crate of the Zee he¡¯d bought waiting in his arms. He accepted the delivery, allowing the worker to stow the heavy crop in the corner of his lab before bidding him farewell.


    ¡°Already working with the farmers?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°I like to get a head start on establishing relationships,¡± Theo said, grinning. ¡°At least now I¡¯m fed and watered for a time. The next problem is earning money to pay my debts.¡±


    ¡°How much do you owe?¡± Luras asked.


    Theo inspected his quest and summed the totals. ¡°2 gold and change.¡±


    ¡°Wow, she really got you,¡± Luras chuckled. ¡°I guess you worked out that there¡¯s 1 silver to 100 copper.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°And likely 100 silver to a gold.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something bigger, but I¡¯ve never seen it. Maybe diamonds,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got four copper to my name,¡± Theo said, tapping his clawed finger against his chin.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some errands to run, but I¡¯ll stop by later to see how you¡¯re doing,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your potions,¡± Theo said. ¡°I can¡¯t express how much I value your help.¡±


    ¡°What are friends for?¡± Luras said, stepping out of the lab and up the road.


    Theo centered himself before moving forward. He¡¯d consumed half of his stamina bar, but already accomplished a lot. He was going to level up soon, as were both of his cores, which brought new ?excitement. The results of his work were tangible things that he could observe, improvements made in percentage points and knowledge. As he considered his next move, he stoked the fire under the still, cleaning out the copper vessel in preparation to run another flash of [Healing Essence].


    The fire burned low this time around. During his last run to make [Lesser Healing Potions], the fire was way too hot. It sputtered and spat the entire way through, burning the bottom of the still before he could extract most of the effect. This time, he monitored the fire closely, only feeding it enough to heat the mixture until the condenser slowly dripped into the conical flask. By mid-afternoon he had a flask with 10 units of [Healing Essence], sitting at ¡°decent¡± quality. He used all the motes that he collected with Luras during their adventure in the swamp to create 10 small vials and 10 potions within each. He was on the edge of leveling his alchemy core, and himself, when he inspected the improved potion.


    [Lesser Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Decent Quality


    A lesser healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 25 health points.


    A 5 health difference came with the improved quality. Since Luras already tested the effectiveness of the lesser quality potion, he was confident that he could sell these. The only thing he needed now was adventurers to buy them.


    Theo locked up the alchemy lab and headed north toward the tavern. If there were adventurers in town, that¡¯s where they¡¯d be. He passed familiar faces along the way, mostly the Half-Ogre farmers who were standing around the central monolith. They waved happily as he forded a path to the tavern. It was one of the few two-story buildings in town, looming over the square with its wood plank construction. A sign hung out front in that strange language claiming it was the ¡°Marsh Wolf Tavern'''', which seemed ominous. The interior was a haze of smoke and a roar of sound, tables crammed in the tight space. All heads in the tavern, including that of Miana¡¯s, turned to see him before returning to their business.


    Theo made his way to the counter, putting on a brave face as he got the attention of a woman behind the counter. She was a Half-Ogre, far shorter than Luras and Miana, with darker skin and softer features than either. She smiled and said, ¡°what can I get for you?¡±


    ¡°What are you serving?¡± Theo asked, returning the smile.


    ¡°We have turtle stew today¡ª1 copper,¡± she said.


    Theo forked over the single copper and received a bowl of greasy soup that looked less appetizing than the jerky he¡¯d been eating. It was hot inside, hot everywhere in Broken Tusk, but it was the first warm meal he had since arriving. He accepted the bowl eagerly, digging in before prying about any adventurers in the tavern. The soup was decent. The flavor was bland, but the turtle meat was tender. He raised his head after sipping the stock and got the barmaid¡¯s attention once again.


    ¡°Do you know if there''re any adventurers here?¡± Theo said, managing a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡¯m Theo, by the way. I just transitioned to this world.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Theo, I¡¯m Xam,¡± she said, smiling back. ¡°There¡¯s actually a group headed to the swamp dungeon over there.¡±


    Theo followed her gesture to a table in the back. A group of humans sat huddled together, poring over a map. His satchel rattled as he spun around, the potions shifting with the speed of his turn. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a salesman, but¡­¡±


    ¡°A man¡¯s gotta eat,¡± Xam said, chuckling. ¡°Suck it up. Put your best foot forward. The road to Broken Tusk is long, and most adventurers don¡¯t account for fighting their way here. Chances are, whatever potions they brought are long gone.¡±


    ¡°I guess word gets around, huh?¡± Theo said. ¡°You knew I was an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Small town.¡±


    Theo finished his turtle soup, thanking Xam for the information before striding across the room. The group of humans fell into hushed silence as he approached. He wondered if his appearance had anything to do with their hesitation.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said. ¡°I heard you¡¯re adventurers planning on entering the swamp dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That we are,¡± a man, presumably their leader, said. Theo could see his piercing eyes from under a leather cowl and a shaven head.


    ¡°My name is Theo. I¡¯m the alchemist here in Broken Tusk and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk doesn¡¯t have an alchemist,¡± another adventurer spat.


    The leader held a silencing hand up, casting a glare at his companion. ¡°My name is Jarson. I led this rabble south in search of riches, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re fresh out of potions,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    ¡°Well, I certainly didn¡¯t expect a Dronon this far south, let alone an alchemist,¡± Jarson said, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°What are you selling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯m a very new alchemist. I¡¯ve crafted my first batch of [Lesser Healing Potions] and I¡¯ve got rent to pay. I have 10 that I¡¯d let you have for 5 copper each,¡± Theo said.


    Theo¡¯s initial plan to sell the potions for 10 copper apiece fell away in the face of a paying customer. He didn¡¯t want the adventurers to know how desperate he was, or that he lacked any negotiation experience. But debt was debt.


    ¡°Sounds like poison, to me,¡± an adventurer said, receiving a swift fist to the arm from Jarson.


    ¡°Let me see one,¡± Jarson said, trying and failing to hide the excitement on his face.


    Theo produced one potion, allowing the adventurer to inspect it. Jarson nodded to his companions, casting a pleading look back at the alchemist. ¡°These are worth 50 copper back where we come from.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re in the swamp now. And I¡¯m broke,¡± Theo said, shrugging.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take them all, but it feels like a robbery,¡± Jarson said, grimacing. ¡°We didn¡¯t come south to take advantage of small-town folk.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t see it that way at all. He could live for months on 50 copper at his current pace. It was a drop in the bucket compared to his debts, but that quest would take time. He removed the remaining 9 potions from his satchel and handed them over, receiving several stacks of copper for the exchange.


    ¡°Nice doing business with you,¡± Theo said, pocketing his earnings.


    As he was turning to leave, Jarson whistled, forcing him to turn back around. ¡°We¡¯ll be here for three days before departing. Could I convince you to make us a few more potions?¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°As many health, mana, and stamina potions as you can craft,¡± Jarson said. ¡°At your current rate of 5 copper a potion, if it¡¯s alright with you.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a deal to me,¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t know how people sealed deals in this world, but Jarson held out a hand for him to shake, which he did.


    It took every bit of Theo¡¯s willpower not to hoot with excitement as he turned on the spot, departing from the adventurer¡¯s company. Xam caught his attention before he left, beckoning him over to the bar.


    ¡°I guess you made yourself a sale,¡± Xam said, smiling.


    ¡°Big city people have big city money, I guess. They said they pay 50 copper for a [Lesser Healing Potion] back north¡­ They must be loaded,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way it is out here,¡± Xam said, laughing. ¡°I hope you gave them a good deal.¡±


    ¡°Five copper per potion,¡± Theo said, shrugging.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never bought or sold a potion, so I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Xam said.


    ¡°50 copper seems like a fortune,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m rich!¡±


    ¡°Theo,¡± Luras¡¯ voice came from behind. ¡°A word.¡±


    Theo spun on the spot, the grin on his face washing away with Luras¡¯ piercing gaze. He followed the Half-Ogre outside, into the humidity and wash of pale light cast by dusk. They were standing in the square by the time they stopped to talk.


    ¡°Jarson is a good guy. I¡¯ve talked to him already. Helped him scout out the dungeon,¡± Luras said. ¡°But you¡¯re going to learn that not all adventurers are created equally. Careful who you strike deals with.¡±


    Theo thought about it for a moment. In all his excitement at making money to pay off his debts, he failed to consider the implications of such a deal. He laid claim to exactly 0 combat skills and doubted that he could defend himself from anyone with his [Strength]. It was a bad idea to rely on the good grace of the town to see him through, and he¡¯d need to be more discerning when making agreements with strangers.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re right. I got caught up in it. 50 copper seems like so much money, though.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll make a lot more,¡± Luras said, nodding. ¡°The nearest person specializing in alchemy is a week-long journey north. You have a knack for it. You¡¯ll make a name for yourself quickly.¡±


    ¡°And I still need to name my lab,¡± Theo said. ¡°I guess I want to expand it into a store and a lab, eventually.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. The name should be something meaningful,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Or something silly,¡± Theo said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Local Alchemy Demon. Devil and Herb. Swamp Thing.¡±


    ¡°Those are stupid,¡± Luras said. ¡°I like the play on ¡®demon¡¯, though. People like a shop with a cheeky name.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to brainstorm this,¡± Theo said, stretching and yawning. ¡°Listen, do you think I could get your help with this project?¡±


    ¡°Does it pay?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°Naturally. Half of our profits. A better rate than I¡¯ll give you in the future. This is to repay you for all the help,¡± Theo said.


    Luras managed a weak smile. The honesty in his eyes told Theo that the Half-Ogre didn¡¯t enjoy taking advantage of his friends, but the alchemist¡¯s insistent smile was irresistible. ¡°Fine. I know you¡¯re just going to bother me until I help, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Theo said, clapping his hand on Luras¡¯ back. ¡°Meet me at the lab bright and early. We¡¯re going to run batches nonstop for three days.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, boss,¡± Luras said, shaking his head and departing.


    Theo left the meeting with a feeling of excitement, despite his draining stamina bar. He hadn¡¯t experimented with potions that restored someone¡¯s stamina, but he could really go for one right about now. It was easy to imagine someone with an absurd [Vigor] stat that could stay up all night with no rest. The thought lingered in his mind as he returned to the lab. With the candles lit, he settled in on his bed to thumb through ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± before bed.


    According to the book, only high-level potions using complex ingredients caused any long-term issues. Even the highest level restoration potions could be taken back to back with no problems. It was the elixirs that altered a person¡¯s status that was the issue. The book gave an example of a potion that allowed the imbiber to grow five times their normal size. Repeated use of the [Giant¡¯s Elixir] caused permanent damage to the drinker¡¯s heart, inflicting an incurable disease. It also noted the abuse of stamina restoration potions. The mind still needed to sleep, and repeatedly staying up all night would inflict the same problems that came with the lack of sleep.


    Theo spent the hour before and after dusk planning the next day. The first step would be to gather the ingredients needed for the potions. Luras needed to be instructed on which herbs to gather, and how to gather them. The book had enough information on the [Moss Nettle], used to make the stamina potions that he could easily relay the information. The Half-Ogre would know where the herbs would grow, due to his extensive hunting knowledge. The issue came in the form of finding motes, and creating a workflow that would maximize the time they had.


    Theo thought about the mountain of debt hanging over his head. It was easy to dismiss Miana¡¯s posturing when faced with a simple fact. He would easily turn to the swamp to provide all he needed to bring him out from under her thumb. The arrival of the adventurers was fortunate. The citizens of Broken Tusk were unlikely to pay 5 copper for a potion, even if it would save their lives. Adventurers had the advantage of fighting through dungeons, which he could only assume were incredibly lucrative. A band of fighters could travel a week south, raid a dungeon, and make a profit. That meant they had money to throw around, although the cost of doing business must have also been high.


    The deal that Theo struck, and the ridiculously cheap price of the potions, was a calculated move. Once this group moved off, heading back north, they¡¯d spread the word that Broken Tusk had an alchemist. There must have been people with cores specialized in healing magic. It only made sense, but those people would need mana potions all the same. At every turn, he had an advantage, starting with his incredibly powerful cores and skills. He had a feeling that his ridiculously high [Wisdom] skill, for his level, had a lot to do with his success.


    Although his mind was spinning with the possibilities of tomorrow, he collapsed into his straw bed. Theo would start to fall asleep when another aspect of potion making logistics popped into his mind, robbing him of rest. This went on for an hour before not even the most pressing matter could rouse him from slumber, and he finally fell asleep.

 Chapter 6 - The vast swamp, the shy Marshling

    Theo rose before the sun did, but not of his own choosing. A loud banging roused him from his slumber, repeated fists on his door that cut through the lab and echoed in his bedroom. He stumbled out of bed, flinging the door to the alchemy lab open and glowering at Luras, who stood fresh for the day. Through a hooded gaze, Theo invited him inside.


    ¡°This world doesn¡¯t happen to have coffee, does it?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the alchemist,¡± Luras said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what coffee is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a drink that helps you wake up,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°We have something like that. You can make a tea from [Moss Nettle],¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Funny, that¡¯s one ingredient we¡¯re looking for today,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let me figure out how to prepare this giant corn before we go.¡±


    ¡°The [Zee Kernels]? Here, I¡¯ll show you,¡± Luras said.


    The Half-Ogre strode to where the crate of Zee rested, hefting one of them up and withdrawing his knife. He cut it into slivers, moving the [Copper Still] out of the way and starting a small fire. Theo watched, sating his thirst from his water skin before refilling it from the barrel of [Purified Water]. The strips of Zee went directly on the fire, sizzling as the flames licked them. Luras seemed proud of his work, producing two charred lengths of the vegetable and handing one to Theo.


    ¡°Dig in,¡± Luras said. ¡°This is the life¡¯s blood of Broken Tusk. The farmers replace the soil on the farm when it gets baked by the sun. Only that muck out in the swamp allows this stuff to grow.¡±


    Theo took a bite of his food, surprised at the complexity of the flavors. It was somewhere between an avocado and corn, striking a strange savory-sweet balance through the flesh of the vegetable. He had to put it down before he could finish it. He nearly jumped when a window popped up, informing him that he¡¯d discovered an additional effect from the [Zee Kernel].


    [Properties Discovery!]


    You¡¯ve discovered an additional effect from the [Zee Kernel] by eating it.


    [Cure Poison] discovered.


    Theo dismissed the screen, tapping on the whole kernel to inspect its properties.


    [Zee Kernel]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]


    Common


    Zee is a crop grown in the rich marshlands soil.


    Properties:


    [Regenerate Health] [Cure Poison] ????


    ¡°Wow, Zee is an alchemical ingredient,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s news to me,¡± Luras said. ¡°I can¡¯t see the properties of ingredients like you can.¡±


    ¡°Well, good thing I have a ton of the stuff,¡± Theo said. ¡°Alright. Time for my plan. It¡¯s pretty simple. We make as many potions as we can before those adventurers leave.¡±


    ¡°So, we need to gather a bunch of stuff,¡± Luras said, shrugging. ¡°Easy enough.¡±


    Theo retrieved his books and went over the plants they¡¯d be targeting. It was fortunate that Luras knew what a [Manashroom] was, and where they could be found along with the [Moss Nettle]. The mushroom would make a potion that restored mana, if the books could be trusted, while the nettle sorted out stamina. The bulk of the effort would come from collecting the plants, but processing had its own challenges. They set a target of 50 units of each essence in order to produce 50 of each potion.


    ¡°They¡¯ll have the money, too,¡± Luras said. ¡°Groups clear that dungeon and return to the north. The tales the traders tell say they can make up to a gold per attempt.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t really set a value on your life, can you?¡± Theo said, grinning.


    The pair settled on lighter topics, waiting for the sun to rise before they set out. Luras warned Theo that there might be people coming to serve apprenticeships in his lab once word really got out. The fear was that someone from afar would come to usurp a spot that the citizens of Broken Tusks saw as their own. It would be seen as an act taking the wealth away from the town, something that Theo wanted to avoid at all costs. He hadn¡¯t met everyone in the town, but it was already growing on him. He wanted to embrace this new place as his home and see it prosper. He vowed to keep the wealth of his abilities within the small town.


    The sun finally crawled lazily over the eastern horizon, casting the town in shadows of pink and orange. The heat was already on the rise for the day, a layer of sweat accumulating on Theo¡¯s body the moment he stepped out into the open air. Thinking about it, he didn¡¯t even know what time of year it was. Seasonal changes in swamps could be tricky to determine, but it certainly felt like summer to him.


    ¡°What season are we in?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The Season of Blooms,¡± Luras said.


    Theo knit his brow, not sure what he was expecting. They certainly weren¡¯t going to call it ¡°Spring¡±, but he could assume it was spring with the blooms and all. ¡°Are we in the season that comes after the cold one?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. All the seasons are ¡®Season of¡¯. Season of Blooms, Fire, Death, and Ice,¡± Luras said. ¡°Although we don¡¯t get any ice here. Or death¡ªnone of the plants die here like they do up north.¡±


    ¡°Right. We call them Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I like ours better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the one about death,¡± Theo said, grimacing.


    Luras shrugged.


    The pair trudged north to the town square before departing. Luras assured him that anything interesting that happened in the town started in the square. Nothing interesting was going on. Throk was setting up his shop for the day, and the tavern had a barker outside that was advertising their specials. It was turtle soup, again. Miana burst from her home, narrowing her eyes on Theo and stomping through the mud. She still wore her nightgown, the hem already soaked in mud.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re settled, I expect you to start paying,¡± Miana said.


    Luras cast her a dangerous glare, and she shrunk under his withering gaze. ¡°New arrivals get a grace period. It¡¯s in the contract.¡±


    Miana sputtered for a moment, straightening her nightgown and glowering. ¡°Two weeks. Then I expect you to start paying.¡±


    She stomped off without another word, slamming the door behind her.


    ¡°She¡¯s behind on taxes,¡± Luras said, shrugging. ¡°We just don¡¯t get enough trade here.¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk pays taxes to whom, exactly?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The capital in the north. Qavell¡ªKingdom of Qavell, to be exact,¡± Luras said. ¡°We have taxes on the Zee exports, as well as the cores I sell to traders, but it¡¯s not a lot. You¡¯re the first hope we¡¯ve had in a long time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of pressure, or anything,¡± Theo said.


    He¡¯d been in charge of people before. People fighting for their lives against impossible odds, but this was different. This wasn¡¯t some dictator who needed to be overthrown discretely. This was the lives of honest people. Theo pictured the kingdom he knew so little of in his mind. If the southlands were so distant that it would take 7 days to arrive from the capital, they were as backwater as you could get. It stood to reason that overland trade was the best way that people could move goods, as he hadn¡¯t heard about any ships or other vehicles. Making a name for the town might not be enough to see it prosper. It needed roads, a better infrastructure, and word of mouth.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Theo pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He pressed that sense of responsibility deep down, forcing it away. He wondered if his high [Wisdom] score helped with that, as the feelings vanished immediately. Reorienting himself to the present, he cast his eyes over the road leading into the southern swamp.


    ¡°Which would you like to collect first?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The [Moss Nettle]. It¡¯s going to be the worst to collect,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Luras did exactly that, turning on the spot and marching down the road. Theo looked at his moccasins and grimaced, not looking forward to the sensation of mud squishing underfoot. They passed by the tall Ogre Cypress and deeper into the swamp, avoiding monsters where they could. What monsters attacked were quickly put down by the hunter, his skill with the bow and dagger shining. All Theo could do was stand back and give a thumbs-up when the monsters fell.


    Most of the trees were cleared out of the town, but the swamp to the west was littered with trees Theo had never seen. There were more cypresses, but also low-hanging trees that looked like willows, but with far broader leaves. They looked brutish against the ones he remembered from Earth. While they hung low, it wasn¡¯t low enough that the pair could snatch the spiny moss from the boughs, and neither was certain of their climbing ability. Luras decided that boosting Theo into the branches was a good enough plan, hoisting the alchemist up by the feet and watching him wobble and shout his objections.


    ¡°Hold me steady!¡± Theo shouted.


    ¡°Grab a branch!¡± Luras shouted back.


    Theo frantically snatched at the boughs, his inferior [Dexterity] score making the task difficult. If not for Luras¡¯ incredible strength, he would have plunged into the mud below. Theo finally got his hands around a branch and hoisted himself into the canopy, pushing away smaller twigs and sputtering as a leaf inserted itself into his mouth. It tasted like mud and salt. He spotted the [Moss Nettle], his superior [Wisdom] stat allowing him to recall the general shape of the plant from his book. The branch wobbled ominously as he moved out along the limb, pressing his body against it and holding on with both hands. He reached out a hand and touched the moss, intent on identifying it.


    [Drogramath Herbalism Core] received experience (2%).


    [Moss Nettle]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    A spiny moss that grows among the boughs of many swamp trees.


    Properties:


    [Stamina Recovery] ???? ????


    Theo almost lost his grip as he hooted with excitement, his heart skipping a beat as he wrapped both hands around the branch again. Waiting a moment for the drum of his heartbeat to settle down, he reached out and worked his clawed fingers under the moss, where it connected with the bark. He brought the moss to his face and inhaled the earth aroma, somewhere between mud and a lemon.


    ¡°Look out below!¡± Theo shouted, tossing the clump of moss down to Luras, who caught it deftly.


    ¡°Keep your balance,¡± Luras shouted back. ¡°Don¡¯t want to scrape you up from the mud.¡±


    Shimmying across the branches was tedious. Theo wasn¡¯t about to risk his horrible agility to get the task done sooner and took as much time as he needed. He moved on his belly, never daring to rise to his feet on those shaky limbs, and repeated the process over the course of an hour. Once all the [Moss Nettle] was cleared out of the first tree, the pair sized up another stout tree and did it again. It was easy to see why Luras wanted to get the moss out of the way, and without him, the entire ordeal would have been impossible. Every so often, a monster would come to investigate what the commotion was, instigating combat with the hunter immediately. Without someone to guard his back, Theo would have been dead before he got his first ingredient.


    They spent the entire day filling their bags with [Moss Nettle] and fighting monsters. Theo¡¯s stomach was growling by midday, but he pushed through. Only when he started feeling woozy did they decide that they had done enough and planned to return to Broken Tusk. Before leaving, Theo received his first core level up.


    [Drogramath Herbalism Core] has reached level 2!


    Luras informed him that nothing happened at such a low level, but as his cores grew stronger, they would gain additional effects and more potency. Gaining a level in his herbalism core was just a bonus for the entire journey.


    The alchemist¡¯s stamina bar was drained, only a sliver remaining. Luras propped him up as they deposited their ingredients at the lab before retreating to the Marsh Wolf Tavern for dinner. True to the barker¡¯s word, the tavern was once again serving the turtle soup.


    ¡°Good to see you again, Xam,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    The Half-Ogre¡¯s soft features were a sight compared to the grueling day out in the swamp. She smiled the way she smiled at everyone, flashing her white tusks. ¡°Nice to see you¡¯re not dead.¡±


    ¡°Two of your finest turtle soups, please,¡± Theo said, producing two copper coins from his pocket.


    While he was covered in muck, the entire floor of the tavern was more mud than wood. Xam smiled and poured two bowls of the soup before returning from the hearth, sliding them across the counter and chuckling.


    ¡°You know, we¡¯re thrilled to have you here,¡± Xam said, taking the coins. ¡°People are already talking about how you¡¯re going to put us on the map.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be enough to see Broken Tusk prosper,¡± Theo said with a sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you¡¯re alone,¡± Xam said. ¡°Miana is a spiky woman, but the rest of us are ready to elevate this swamp town. You¡¯re the kick in the pants we need to make that happen.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m going to go eat before I pass out.¡±


    Theo brought the two bowls to a table that Luras found near the back. It was further away from the hearth, and near a window, a fact that he appreciated. The sun hadn¡¯t set yet, and the heat was still in full effect, but the breeze was nice. He didn¡¯t want to eat the hot soup, making himself hotter and sweatier, but it was delicious. The pair finished their bowls before speaking, reclining back in their chairs and taking in the surrounding conversation. The townsfolk¡¯s words came as a sea of aspirations, small hopes that would blossom into bigger things. Broken Tusk was filled with those little dreams, all coming together to create a bonfire.


    The contentment that Theo felt at that moment was overwhelming. Combined with his low stamina, he found himself just watching. The life that he wanted for so long was right in front of him. He hadn¡¯t lived in the town for long, but the scene of destruction and radioactivity seemed like a lifetime ago. The Harbinger was a distant dream that he could cast out of his mind and breath in the fresh air of peace.


    ¡°Alchemist. I¡¯m an adventurer,¡± a small voice came from somewhere near the ground.


    Theo turned to see a small Marshling, their wet pink skin catching the light. He couldn¡¯t get over how cute the pink protrusions at the side of its head were. They wore a small black cloak that flowed over their fat tail, complete with leather adventurer armor.


    ¡°You¡¯re not an adventurer, Tresk,¡± Luras growled. ¡°If your father hears you say that, he¡¯ll kick you out.¡±


    ¡°Is it rude to say that the Marshlings are absolutely adorable?¡± Theo said, letting out a heavy sigh.


    Tresk went a deep shade of violet, pressing their webbed fingers against their face and turning away. The Marshling scampered off through the tavern, keeping their face covered the entire way.


    ¡°You embarrassed her,¡± Luras said, laughing and slapping his knee.


    ¡°Her? How can you tell?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Now that is rude,¡± Luras said, grinning.


    ¡°I¡¯m still learning,¡± Theo said. ¡°Does she have a crush on me or something?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ Marshlings don¡¯t really work like that,¡± Luras said. ¡°I think she¡¯s looking for work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d hire her if I needed an adventurer,¡± Theo said with a shrug.


    ¡°Well, keep that in mind. She got her hands on some combat cores and insists on being an adventurer, despite Throk¡¯s protests.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn. She¡¯s Throk¡¯s kid?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s an adult, but yes,¡± Luras said. ¡°We really could have used her for the trees, actually. She¡¯s a [Rogue] and has high [Dexterity].¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re definitely hiring her,¡± Theo said. ¡°How much fallout can I expect from Throk?¡±


    ¡°Some. He knows that she¡¯s going to be an adventurer. He¡¯s just fighting it as long as he can,¡± Luras said. ¡°It¡¯s really just a matter of protecting his child. He has other kids to take over the business, but parents can be really protective. Especially Marshlings.¡±


    The pair sat there for some time as the sun hung low outside. It wasn¡¯t even dusk, and Theo was ready to turn in for the night. The moss was the most difficult part of the harvest, though. Luras didn¡¯t think that the mushrooms would be much of a problem, and they already knew easy spots to find the thistle. If everything went according to plan, they¡¯d have enough materials to craft by the end of tomorrow.


    Luras helped Theo to his feet, and they made their way to the door, only to be waved over by the group of adventurers they¡¯d missed. Jarson was reclining in his chair, a grin hanging on his face as they came over to talk.


    ¡°I tested your potion, alchemist,¡± Jarson said, his grin widening. ¡°You¡¯re a hidden gem.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much you know about alchemy, but distillation is an advanced skill. Most alchemists start with very simple concoctions that don¡¯t really do the job,¡± Jarson said. ¡°Everyone eventually specializes in distillation, but that comes way later.¡±


    Theo hadn¡¯t even thought about his path in alchemy yet. ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± described many processes to create useful things from plants, but he didn¡¯t really consider the idea that he was ahead of the curve. It made sense when he thought about it, as the book lingered on those other processes and glossed over distillation.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware of that, actually,¡± Theo said, grinning. ¡°Thank you, though.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Jarson said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°We might even come back, if you¡¯re still here.¡±


    ¡°I have no plans on leaving,¡± Theo said. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to collapse.¡±


    Jarson laughed and waved them away. Theo¡¯s mind wavered in and out, the journey back to his unnamed alchemy lab was a blur. He climbed into bed with his friend¡¯s help, kicking off his muddy moccasins and pulling the sheets up. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the room in shadows as Luras went to leave. The alchemist was asleep before the Half-Ogre left the building.

 Chapter 7 - The Newt and Demon

    Theo woke the next day feeling refreshed. He was up well before dawn, and his stamina bar was full once again. It was impossible to tell how many hours it would be before dawn, and he didn¡¯t even know if his new world worked on a 24-hour day. He considered the differences in the world he¡¯d already discovered. It was impossible to shake the feeling that things were so similar. Whatever system deposited him in this spot knew exactly what he needed to be happy, and he was grateful.


    As he blinked the sleep away, he heard something out in the lab, his heart immediately hammering hard in his chest. Theo padded across the room, pressing himself against the wall and peeking around the corner. He didn¡¯t want to take any chances. A small pink form came into view, clad in the same black cloak he remembered from yesterday. Tresk sniffed the air, turning to meet his gaze. She toddled across the lab, coming to peek around the corner as the alchemist stood, trying not to laugh.


    ¡°Hire me, alchemist,¡± Tresk said, a burning intensity behind her eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need an adventurer,¡± Theo said, smiling.


    The pair were nose-to-nose at the threshold. Tresk smelled like flowers, similar to the reaction of a [Lesser Healing Potion]. Theo simply drank the situation in.


    ¡°I can help,¡± Tresk insisted.


    Theo considered his options before responding. Broken Tusk¡¯s fear that he would take an outsider under his wing came to mind, and he didn¡¯t want to offend the people of his new home. There was the problem that Throk, Tresk¡¯s father, would get involved in the situation. But he didn¡¯t need to hire her as an adventurer¡ªhe didn¡¯t even need the services of an adventurer, yet. What he needed was someone who could climb trees and collect reagents.


    He had to consider actually paying her, as well. He couldn¡¯t offer her any kind of salary yet. The 50 copper that he got from the adventurers would dwindle quickly if he didn¡¯t make inroads to selling more potions. But there was the problem. He needed materials to make potions. Every moment he spent out in the field was a moment he wasn¡¯t crafting potions. It came down to this need that he decided ?to hire the cute Marshling. How long Luras would continue to work alongside him was unknown, and he didn¡¯t want to force the Half-Ogre to work for him forever. People often had their own aspirations.


    ¡°You can collect reagents?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I expect hard work from my employees.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any employees,¡± Tresk said, grinning.


    ¡°Not yet, but when I have them, I want them to work as hard as I do,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk giggled at that. She shook her head, the feathery pink things on the side of her head flopping with the motion. ¡°I don¡¯t want any pay, but I¡¯ll work hard.¡±


    ¡°I have to pay you,¡± Theo said, frowning. ¡°Luras has a stake in our current contract, but I can pay for the materials you gather. I can give you a copper coin for every 10 potions for this contract, then we can renegotiate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Tresk said, finally leaving the doorway and entering the bedroom. Theo watched as she eyed up the room, nodding to the corner opposite his bed. ¡°I need a place to stay.¡±


    ¡°You want to live in an alchemy lab?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Father is going to kick me out when he hears you hired me,¡± Tresk said with a shrug.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to strain my relationship with anyone,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be mad at me, not you. And he¡¯ll get over it. I¡¯m 20 years old¡ªold enough to leave the nest by Marshling standards,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Now, hire me, alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Done. Luras will be here soon, and we can discuss our plans,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ll get you a more agreeable sleeping arrangement when we can.¡±


    ¡°The floor is fine,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo sighed and shrugged, leaving the bedroom with the Marshling close on his heels. The alchemist went around the room, lighting the candles until the sun rose. He realized that he didn¡¯t know what they ate, and if she would find Zee offensive, but he started preparation anyway. Piles of useful stuff littered the edges of the lab, still without a permanent location. There was a tea set among the junk. He set about making a small fire and tossing the cast-iron kettle on filled with [Purified Water], waiting for it to come to a boil. With his knife, he cut small pieces of the [Zee Kernel] and set it on the flames just like Luras did.


    Tresk watched intently the entire time, hovering behind him and making surprised sounds with every motion. Theo laughed it off, cutting a small portion of the [Moss Nettle] to steep in the boiling pot. The pair sat down next to the fire, digging the sliced kernels out of the coals and eating in silence. After a while, the tea was ready, filling the room with the scent of citrus. Theo poured two cups and tested his own, noting the subtle orange flavors and sudden rush of energy. It wasn¡¯t coffee, but it would do for now.


    ¡°What is your world like?¡± Tresk asked, sipping her tea.


    ¡°It was dying before it was ?destroyed,¡± Theo said. To his surprise, he finished his entire slice of [Zee Kernel]. It was incredibly filling, but the busy day yesterday left him feeling drained.


    ¡°Bummer,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Do you have Marshlings there?¡±


    ¡°Nope, just Humans,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s boring,¡± Tresk snorted.


    ¡°It had its moments,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Theo kept those thoughts internalized as much as he could. If he had to define himself in the other world, the word ¡°assassin¡± came to mind. ¡°Death squad¡± and ¡°murderer¡± also came to the fore, a fact that sent a shiver up his spine. He watched the fire that burned behind the Marshling¡¯s ruby-colored eyes. Her question came? honestly, not a prodding thing meant to make him relive those times. He could tell she didn¡¯t mean to crack him open, revealing those dark things. He also couldn¡¯t bring himself to lie to someone like her, innocent as she was.


    ¡°I was an assassin,¡± he said, favoring the most glamorous definition of his profession.


    Tresk tilted her head, looking him up and down. She grabbed at his arms, almost able to wrap her tiny hands around his stick-thin biceps. ¡°You? Assassin? You look like a [Clerk] more than anything.¡±


    Theo burst out laughing, clutching at his sides as Tresk nervously joined with a chuckle. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the reaction I was expecting. Assassins aren¡¯t seen favorably in my old world.¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Not so much here. You could call me an assassin¡ªwell, maybe one day. I have [Rogue] cores now, but I could be an assassin one day.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re going to get along well,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    Tresk grinned, suddenly busying herself with the tea. Theo watched her reactions and wondered if she had any romantic intent. He only just met her, but had absolutely no interest in dating anyone in this new world. His life on Earth was a series of disastrous relationships that he sabotaged repeatedly. The door swung open, Luras leading with a lantern and sighing.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here,¡± he said.


    ¡°I need work,¡± Tresk said, hissing.


    ¡°I know. This was bound to happen, but your father won¡¯t be happy,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°He¡¯ll get over it,¡± Tresk said.


    Luras crossed the room, setting down his lantern and sitting near the pair. He cut himself a piece of the Zee and started roasting it. ¡°You made some tea?¡±


    ¡°Help yourself,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the pot.


    Luras busied himself with the tea, removing something from his satchel and adding it to the liquid. He sipped it and let out a heavy sigh, casting his gaze to the ceiling. ¡°Of course, your tea would be the best I¡¯ve ever had. You¡¯re an alchemist.¡±


    Theo hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but his alchemy core might influence the brewing of teas. It wasn¡¯t exactly alchemy, but perhaps it was close enough. The trio sat for some time, mostly in silence, only exchanging the occasional word. When pale orange light flooded through the windows, the silence was broken entirely. The day started.


    ¡°As your minder, I need to ask your new hireling a question,¡± Luras said, staring Tresk down.


    ¡°Mind your own business, Ogre,¡± Tresk growled. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get to know him before I decide.¡±


    ¡°You plan on performing the Tara¡¯hek, don¡¯t you?¡± Luras asked. ¡°You knew at first sight.¡±


    Theo felt at a loss for words. He didn¡¯t know what a Tara¡¯hek was, and he was afraid to ask. The way the pair were staring at each other told him that it was something serious, but he was afraid to inquire. After a tense moment of staring, he broke the silence. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bonding ritual,¡± Luras said. Tresk flushed a deep shade of violet.


    ¡°What? You want to get married?¡± Theo asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s not marriage!¡± Tresk shouted, returning her attention to her tea.


    ¡°The Marshlings perform a Tara¡¯hek with someone who isn¡¯t a Marshling for a lifetime bond. It has no romantic involvement. They can sense when someone, who isn¡¯t a Marshling, would make a perfect life-partner,¡± Luras explained. ¡°It¡¯s a practical bond that improves the fortune of both parties.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound bad,¡± Theo said. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t expect you to work as an herb gatherer forever, Luras.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°And I have no intention of doing so. I¡¯m helping you get off the ground before I pursue other interests¡ªinterests you would be involved in?,¡± Luras said. ¡°But the bond isn¡¯t something to take lightly.¡±


    ¡°I do not take it lightly!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°I have watched Theo from the moment he arrived. I know it is perfect.¡±


    ¡°Get to know each other before you take the plunge,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°I think I just figured out what I¡¯m going to name the lab, though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Luras said, crossing his arms.


    ¡°The Newt and Demon,¡± Theo said.


    Luras burst out laughing, slapping his hand against the ground. ¡°Alright. This might be perfect.¡±


    Tresk sat there, burying her face in her hands and shaking her head. Theo didn¡¯t understand how serious being a Marshling¡¯s life-partner was, but weighing the options it seemed like a decent idea. She could help with herb gathering, and one day delve into dungeons. He could only imagine what ingredients they could find in the swamp dungeon.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to live here, so I guess that¡¯s the first step,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, Throk will kick her out for sure,¡± Luras said. ¡°Right. How about we get down to business for the day?¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± Tresk pleaded.


    Theo went to the table, bringing his tea along. The moss had a ?powerful effect, and he was completely awake by the time he consulted his books. Tresk was a very studious person, taking notes as he explained her role in the collection of ingredients. She was tasked with the collection of the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], the easiest of the reagents to collect. The [Manashroom] was more difficult to collect, but nowhere near the level of difficulty as the moss. Tresk copied the drawings from the book onto a ream of parchment, noting the characteristics and nodding through the alchemist¡¯s explanations.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them before, but didn¡¯t know they were alchemy ingredients,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°That makes it easy,¡± Theo said, craning his neck to look outside the window.


    The sun was up, the last vestiges of dawn giving way to a clear blue sky. Tresk departed first, hoisting a satchel over her shoulder and leaving the lab. Theo and Luras spent some time strategizing their collection effort. The [Manashroom] would be in a cave to the north, past the farmer¡¯s fields. The Half-Ogre only remembered seeing them there because they glowed in the dark, illuminating the darkness with a pale blue glow.


    ¡°It¡¯s an hour walk, but we¡¯ll get more than we need from the cave,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it,¡± Theo said.


    The pair departed northward, stopping in the square to see if anything was going on that day. Miana burst from her home, spotting them through the window, but quickly retreated under Luras¡¯ glare. They shared a laugh and continued on. Theo¡¯s clothes were dirty, strewn with muck and smelling foul. It was another problem that he wanted to solve with alchemy, but his first plan to purify the water of the town had seen little use. The contract with the adventurers saw him chasing down useful reagents, unable to unfurl the purification plan completely. He would have to try dropping a unit of the [Purifying Essence] on his clothes when he got back to the lab. If everything else fell apart, he could start a laundromat.


    Farmland passed on either side, and Theo regretted not making stamina potions. It wouldn¡¯t drive away the need for sleep, but at least it could help the fatigue he felt in his muscles. Luras seemed at home while traveling, even when the dirt path disappeared and gave way to an open forest. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a marsh like the lands to the west. The area was a dense pack of lowland trees, steep hills, and rocky terrain. It was easier to move through than the swamp, but had its challenges. They were attacked by several monsters, some kind of wolf, but Luras had no trouble putting them down.


    They spotted the cave after an hour of mostly silent travel. The entrance was cut into the side of a stout hill, naturally formed in stone that appeared to be shale. It flaked off the edges of the yawning entrance, leaving messy piles on the ground.


    ¡°We¡¯ll rest here for a moment,¡± Luras said, dropping his satchel and sitting on the rocky ground. ¡°I was giving Tresk a hard time, but you should consider her for the Tara¡¯hek. If you don¡¯t have any plans for romance, it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Theo already planned on accepting, but his friend''s words solidified the idea. The name he came up with was enough to give Tresk a stake in the lab, but having an adventurer as a partner was a very powerful reason. Some innate knowledge in his mind told him that alchemical finds in dungeons were valuable. It would give him the edge in the future, when his skill was renowned.


    ¡°If she likes me enough to do it, I¡¯ll accept,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Good. She¡¯s a good person,¡± Luras said. ¡°Rest is over. Let¡¯s get some mushrooms.¡±


    Theo would have been perfectly happy with a cave filled to the brim with snakes, wolves, or whatever other horror this world had to offer. He wasn¡¯t happy with the fact that it was packed with the monster version of insects. Their strangely jointed limbs made him want to vomit. As the pair delved into the cave, they skittered along the ceiling and attacked. The monsters were no match for Luras¡¯ prowess, easily falling to either his bow or his dagger, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t stand to look at their corpses. He averted his gaze as they passed by the dead monsters, grimacing the entire way.


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t like insectoid monsters,¡± Luras said with a shrug. ¡°But the prize will be worth it.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take them long to see that promise come true. The cave was littered with the [Manashrooms]. They were scattered along the ground, emitting a faint light even after they were harvested. Theo inspected the first mushroom before continuing with his companion.


    [Manashroom]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    A mushroom emitting a pale blue glow.


    Properties:


    [Mana Recovery] ???? ????


    ¡°This is it,¡± Theo said, confirming what they already knew. ¡°At least my book is accurate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to have all the base level materials. Once you need more rare ingredients, it¡¯s going to be trial and error.¡±


    Luras worked them deeper into the cave, easily slaying the insects as they went. Theo hadn¡¯t even thought about what level his friend was. He¡¯d taken advantage of the Half-Ogres prowess for days without even thinking about it. With a thought to inspect the man, he reached out with his mind and received a pop-up that confirmed his suspicions.


    [Luras Trinner]


    Half-Ogre


    [Ranger]


    Level 12


    ¡°It¡¯s considered rude to inspect people without their permission,¡± Luras said, turning to meet Theo¡¯s gaze. The alchemist¡¯s face went pale. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Just a word of advice.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I realized I didn¡¯t even know what level you were,¡± Theo said with a sheepish smile. ¡°I should have realized you were far more powerful than me.¡±


    Luras grunted a response, pushing further into the cave. With the next mushroom harvested, Theo saw his first character level up. A screen similar to the one that appeared when he leveled his core popped up.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (2%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (2%).


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 2.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    ¡°I got a free point! What¡¯s that?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°You can put a point in any stat you want. I think your primary stat is [Wisdom],¡± Luras said.


    Theo didn¡¯t hesitate, mentally commanding his character sheet to appear and dumping the point into [Wisdom]. He looked over his sheet, noting that his [Wisdom] was extremely high compared to his other stats.


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 2


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 2


    Stats:


    Health: 40


    Mana: 12


    Stamina: 50


    Strength: 5


    Dexterity: 5


    Vigor: 9 (+2)


    Intelligence: 10 (+2)


    Wisdom: 18 (+4)


    Points: 0


    Theo waved his noodle arms around for a moment, knitting his brow. ¡°Should I put any points into [Strength]?¡±


    ¡°Not likely,¡± Luras said. ¡°I don¡¯t know many people around here who have their points into anything but [Strength] or [Dexterity]. Going outside of your focus isn¡¯t a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I guess I need all this [Wisdom] to know what the hell to do with these ingredients,¡± Theo said.


    Luras chuckled, fording deeper into the cavern. The journey into the cavern wasn¡¯t as exhausting as climbing the trees. Theo just had to follow behind his friend and collect the mushrooms, but neither of them was interested in being outside of the town when dusk approached. By the alchemist¡¯s judgment, they collected enough [Manashrooms] to make more than the 50 potions. They left the cave with bags glowing with the blue light bulging at the seams. The weight of their haul made the return journey more difficult.


    The farmers were done in their fields, and the familiar sounds and smells of the swamp returned. While the area north of Broken Tusk had the advantage of northerly winds sweeping off the high mountains, the swamp was set low to sea level. The crickets sang, getting a head start on their nighttime routine, and townspeople chattered in the town square. The duo made their way back to the alchemy lab to deposit their goods, finding Tresk with an absurd amount of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], piled high on a table. Theo judged, with his alchemy ability, that there was enough root to make several hundred health potions.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been busy,¡± Luras said. ¡°You don¡¯t even have an herbalism skill.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy once someone tells you what to look for,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Also, I might have convinced my big brother to help me. Also, I¡¯m homeless. Yay.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Theo said, unloading his [Manashrooms]. ¡°You live at the Newt and Demon, now.¡±


    ¡°I like that name,¡± Tresk said, fiddling with her cloak.


    The sun was getting low outside, dusk threatening to settle in over the town. Theo commanded his friends to join him at the Marsh Wolf for dinner, insisting on paying for everyone¡¯s meal. To his surprise, they were serving a different ?stew tonight. The wolf meat stew tasted exactly like the turtle meat stew, but he didn¡¯t mind. They found a table near a window and ate their meal, sharing in light conversation until dusk hung over the town.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head out now that you have someone to haul you home,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Alright. Stop by tomorrow, although I¡¯ll just be distilling all day,¡± Theo said with a wave.


    Luras left with a smile, leaving Theo and Tresk alone in the tavern. They ate in silence for some time, still feeling each other out. The arrangement that she was proposing was strange to him, but the idea grew on him by the second. Those long moments of silence stretched out, and he questioned why he hadn¡¯t thought of such an arrangement before. He needed a companion to take partial ownership over the business. Theo couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once. He¡¯d need someone to run errands for him or help with the lab. It just made sense.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Theo said, breaking the silence.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m very tired¡ªstamina is nearly gone entirely,¡± Tresk said, beaming.


    The pair walked in time down the muddy street, the Marshling dragging her wide tail through the mud. She hummed a song as they went, skipping every so often. Whatever hopes she had for the future, Theo would help see them through. Just like every person in Broken Tusk that would benefit from the alchemy lab in their town, she¡¯d get some piece of the fame. With the lab locked up, they brought a lantern into the bedroom to sort out new sleeping arrangements.


    ¡°The bare floor is fine,¡± Tresk insisted.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Theo said. ¡°There¡¯s so much junk in here, there¡¯s bound to be¡­ Ah! There we are.¡±


    Theo found a spare bedroll tucked away among a pile of junk. It sat under various linens and discarded flasks, stained from years of use but still comfortable. He cleared away the things cluttering the far end of the room and laid it out for her. It wouldn¡¯t be a permanent place for sleeping, but it was good enough for now. The bed he slept on wasn¡¯t much better than the floor. A straw-stuffed mattress wasn¡¯t comfortable to sleep on, the wood slats underneath him pressing up at odd angles.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do great things, Theo,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Once I get to the point where I can go in the dungeon, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°For now, I¡¯m happy to have another pair of hands in the lab,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk extinguished the flame as dusk set in, quickly giving way to night. She settled into her bedroll, curling up like a cat and casting him an excited look. He realized that this was likely her first time away from home. Pain mixed with excitement in his chest, the innocence of youth painted plainly on her face. There were still a lot of things he needed to understand about this world, but he understood something very clearly. He needed to protect his little pink Marshling.

 Chapter 8 - Alchemy

    Theo woke in the morning to a dry mouth and an empty bedroom. After a moment, blinking the sleep away, he heard clanging out in the lab. Dawn hadn¡¯t broken yet, but he could tell by the faint glimmer outside that it was close. It took him a while to get to sleep last night, his mind darting between ways he could improve the town, but it came eventually. His stamina was fully restored, and he felt rested, if not a little groggy. Stepping out into the lab, he stretched and saw that Tresk was preparing breakfast. She turned her head and smiled at him.


    ¡°I made tea,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Have you been up long?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not long,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°If you get higher [Vigor], you¡¯ll need less rest.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Theo said.


    Theo ran his hand through his hair, still finding it awkward to smooth it back with the swoop of horns in the way. He crossed the lab, sitting next to the fire and breathing in the scent of the cooking Zee mingling with the citrus tea. His mind raced with the coming of the day, jumping from problem to problem. He¡¯d need to organize the distillation process to run as smoothly as possible if they were going to make the order. The large barrel of [Purified Water] would be enough for this run, but he¡¯d need to refill it afterward. They collected enough motes during their harvest, filling several buckets in the room''s corner, but things were getting messy.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to organize this place after this run,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yes. We need shelves. We need to upgrade this place¡ªmaybe push it toward a shop,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo hadn¡¯t considered the idea that he could even do that. He understood that monster cores allowed him to upgrade the place, but wasn¡¯t aware that it could do such a thing. ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°The building will reshape itself a little when we upgrade it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We should expand it out, toward the river until we can create separate rooms. One for the shop, one for the lab.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Theo said.


    Theo poured himself a cup of the moss tea and sipped on it, feeling the flood of satisfaction rush through him. Tresk was already carrying her weight. She looked at the world in a different light than him, and wasn¡¯t reserved in sharing her opinion. Luras was always hesitant to provide information unless asked. He wouldn¡¯t fault the Half-Ogre for it¡ªit simply wasn¡¯t his job to hold Theo¡¯s hand the whole way through. The advantages of taking the Marshling up on the offer of Tara¡¯hek was becoming an inevitability.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, rising to his feet. ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of work to do and I¡¯d like to get started.¡±


    ¡°Teach me, alchemy man,¡± Tresk said, grinning.


    Theo beckoned her over to the [Glassware Artifice]. She tilted her head at the machine and shrugged.


    ¡°This is what we use to make the glassware. We¡¯re kinda screwed if we don¡¯t have this. You don¡¯t need any alchemy skill to run it¡ªI don¡¯t think¡ªso you¡¯re in charge of making our vials,¡± Theo said. He produced a mote and created a flat-bottomed vial with an ornate stopper using the machine before handing it to Tresk. ¡°We¡¯re going to need a lot of these, but let me get the first run going before you start.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, boss,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo started his process with the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. The amount that Tresk gathered was far too much for their purposes, and would take most of the day to process. He started by washing away the dirt that clung to the roots and cutting them into a more manageable size. He recalled from his last attempt at making healing potions that it was difficult to bring them into a good sized mash. The sharpness of his memory only increased as his [Wisdom] grew, a fact that he loved. With the roots cut and deposited into a bucket, he began smashing them with the large bit of wood he used last time.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo chuckled between breaths, already winded by the process. ¡°We¡¯re making a mash. We¡¯ll mix the root paste with [Purified Water] and distill it. This gives us our essence.¡±


    Tresk watched intently.


    Theo transferred the mash to the [Copper Still], washing the bucket out into the mix and standing back for a moment. It was the largest batch he¡¯d tried so far, easily five times what he did the last time. He carefully leveled off the water, coming up to cover the mash, before returning the lid and positioning the condenser over a large conical flask. The fire that Tresk used to make breakfast had burned down to coals, but he stoked it back to steady life.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to keep the fire really low,¡± Theo said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to burn the bottom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen magical fire before,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Yeah, if you can find a fire artifice, get it,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯d love to have granular control of this part.¡±


    Tresk nodded, eyes glued to the still.


    With a hiss of steam, the first batch of [Healing Essence] was being cooked. If he could keep the flame low enough, it was reasonable to assume he¡¯d extract 50 units of the essence?, making 50 [Lesser Healing Potions]. Theo tended the fire through the cooking process, Luras arriving half-way through. He came through the front door with a smile on his face, watching the pair crowd around the flame.


    ¡°Already working?¡± Luras asked, laughing. ¡°You two are funny.¡±


    Theo looked out the window, seeing that dawn broke sometime since they started. He really wished there were clocks in this world. ¡°First run for the day¡ªit¡¯s going a lot faster than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Well, since I¡¯m not needed, I have some errands to run,¡± Luras said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°By all means,¡± Theo said. ¡°We might be done by noon.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s noon?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°Midday,¡± Theo said.


    Luras departed with a wave, leaving the pair to their work.


    The first run went well, but the fire was temperamental. Theo had a better sense for what the [Copper Still] needed to run at maximum efficiency, constantly removing or adding wood to keep it at a steady pace. Tresk was the perfect assistant, running off to grab fuel when needed. By the end of the run, the alchemist beamed at his 50 units of [Healing Essence].


    [Healing Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    50 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of healing, used to create healing potions.


    ¡°Great quality,¡± Theo breathed. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Good job! What do we do now?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Start making the glassware. Make sure the bottoms are flat so we can stand them on the tables, then lay them out. I¡¯m going to start the run on the moss,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk nodded, hoisting a bucket of motes and retreating to the [Glassware Artifice]. The machine started cranking away immediately, spitting out perfectly acceptable vials.


    Theo filled the still with enough water to wash it out, dumping the contents out the window before returning to start the next mash. The [Moss Nettle] was easy to turn into a paste, and he judged the amount he¡¯d need to make the 50 units. He filled the still with the mash, added enough water, and returned the lid with another flask positioned under the condenser. While the still was heating, he turned his attention to the row of vials Tresk was lining up. She set them down on the table, removing the stopper and setting it with its matching vessel.


    ¡°Right, now we start the alchemical reactions,¡± Theo said. ¡°This recipe needs one unit of the essence, one unit of water, and 2 copper shavings.¡±


    Tresk nodded, continuing to line up the vials in perfect rows.


    The first reaction took place, filling the lab with the familiar scent of flowers. Theo felt as though he measured the quantities out better than before, the potion taking on a darker shade of red with more bubbles. He inspected the first one before continuing.


    [Lesser Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    A lesser healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 30 health points.


    ¡°Great quality, again! This is perfect,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Tresk shouted, trying to focus on her task.


    Theo ran back and forth between the still and the row of vials, tending the fire and setting off the reactions. Tresk watched him after she created the 50 vials, nodding as though she understood what he was doing. She switched to tending the fire alone after a while, and he could finish the rest of the reactions, gaining level 3 in his [Drogramath Alchemy Core]?. It didn¡¯t come with any additional benefits, but the experience gained from running such a large batch was excellent. With all the reactions done for the healing potions, Tresk organized them before joining him to wait for the [Stamina Essence] to finish.


    ¡°This is extremely efficient,¡± Theo said. ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier with another person helping.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of friendship,¡± Tresk said, grinning up at him from the fire.


    The pair worked in a whirlwind, setting aside the clutter of the [Lesser Healing Potions] into a crate and moving on to extracting the next essence. As Theo predicted, he gained 50 units of the liquid and he began the process again after inspecting it.


    [Stamina Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    50 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of stamina, used to create stamina potions.


    His excitement of the quality was tempered because they had 100 more potions to craft, his stamina bar draining accordingly. Theo cleaned the still out once more and prepared the mushrooms. His [Drogramath Herbalism] skill told him that the entire mushroom would produce the [Mana Essence], so he went about turning them into a paste within his bucket. The process was significantly easier than either of the other ingredients. He had the entire batch of the mushrooms, with some to spare, smashed to pieces within a few minutes. With the still cleaned out, he filled it with the mushrooms and water before stoking the fire.


    Tresk moved to tend the fire while Theo started the reactions for the [Lesser Stamina Potions]. The vials erupted with yellow smoke, filling the room with a pleasant citrus smell. He smiled upon inspecting the potion, unable to spare more time for celebration.


    [Lesser Stamina Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    A lesser stamina potion. Drink to restore stamina.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 30 stamina points.


    ¡°This will earn me a good chunk of change,¡± Theo said, moving down the line and setting off the reactions. ¡°But damn if this isn¡¯t a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°How much are they paying you?¡± Tresk asked, tossing another stick on the fire and poking it.


    ¡°7 silver, 50 copper,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money,¡± Tresk said. ¡°The smithy would take forever to make that amount.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers need their potions,¡± Theo said. ¡°If they bought these potions in the capital, they¡¯d pay 10 times as much.¡±


    ¡°Swamp prices,¡± Tresk said, sneering.


    The condenser sputtered to life, the first of the [Mana Essence] splashing into a flask. Theo finished with the reactions, gaining a significant amount of experience, before swapping with Tresk to tend the fire. The alchemist was sweating profusely, even after opening all the windows and the front door. A breeze swept through the lab, but did little to combat the stifling heat. Midday passed, and the pair was still working, finally extracting the 50 units of [Mana Essence] and moving to the reaction process. His supply of [Copper Shavings] was running low, but there would be enough to see the order through.


    Theo barely had time to inspect the mana essence before moving on to bottling.


    [Mana Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    50 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of mana, used to create mana potions.


    The alchemist moved in a frenzy, ignoring the window that informed him of skill gains and focusing solely on the task. His plan to produce so many potions was a gamble. He relied on his ability to create 150 potions for the adventurers, but underestimated the amount of work. By the time he bottled his 50th [Lesser Mana Potion], he was exhausted. Both of his cores sat at level 3, along with his character level. He dumped the free point into [Wisdom] without a thought. Luras arrived with Jarson near the end of the day, both of them standing at the door and watching Theo work. Wiping sweat from his brow, he stacked the last of the potions into a crate and managed a weak smile for the adventurer.


    ¡°Done,¡± Theo said, heaving breath. ¡°Only just.¡±


    ¡°How many did you end up making for me?¡± Jarson asked, moving to inspect the potion.


    Theo held one up for him to look at, inspecting it himself.


    [Lesser Mana Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    A lesser mana potion. Drink to restore mana.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 30 mana.


    ¡°50 of each,¡± Theo said, finding a cloth to dab his forehead free of sweat.


    ¡°You distilled 150 potions in three days?¡± Jarson asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Are they all ¡®great¡¯ quality?¡±


    ¡°Every single one,¡± Tresk said, striking a heroic pose. ¡°We¡¯re a team.¡±


    ¡°A damn good team,¡± Jarson said, setting the potion down on the table. ¡°I expected 5, maybe 10 of each.¡±


    ¡°I told you Theo has talent,¡± Luras said, beaming.


    ¡°And I helped!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to talk to a [Paladin] to see you¡¯re from the Drogramath lineage,¡± Jarson said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard tales of the Drogramath Alchemists. They¡¯re the stuff of legends. I told you before, but distillery is an advanced alchemical art. Do you mind if I start taking my potions?¡±


    ¡°By all means,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the crates heavy with vials.


    Jarson produced a small satchel, far too small to contain all 150 potions, and shoved them inside. Theo watched in amazement as the big didn¡¯t fill up. The man just continued to put the vials inside without rest.


    ¡°Dimensional bag,¡± Luras said, noticing Theo¡¯s confused expression.


    ¡°A perk of being an adventurer,¡± Jarson said. ¡°Listen, Theo¡­ My team and I will be back now that we know you¡¯re here. We¡¯ll spread the word to Qavell¡ªpeople are going to fall over themselves to visit Broken Tusk.¡±


    Jarson finished stuffing his bag, digging into it to retrieve a handful of coins. He counted them out and set 11 shining silver coins, embossed with a coat of arms, on the table.


    ¡°We agreed on a rate of 5 copper per potion,¡± Theo said, knitting his brow.


    ¡°And even 11 silver for the batch is robbery,¡± Jarson said. ¡°I suggest you find a [Mercantile] core when you have a spare slot. It will allow you to judge a fair price for items.¡±


    Theo stood there, staring at the pile of silver coins for a moment. 11 silver seemed like an embarrassment of riches to him. Whatever the adventurers pulled out of the dungeon must have been worth a fortune.


    ¡°Nice doing business with you,¡± Tresk said with a grin.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be at the tavern tonight,¡± Jarson said. ¡°Until then¡­¡±


    The adventurer departed, leaving the trio in stunned silence. Luras broke out of the stupor first, casting his gaze to Theo and smiling. He moved over to the pile of silver and took two of the coins, even though he was entitled to five. ¡°This will do. A half-year¡¯s pay in less than a week is greedy enough.¡±


    Theo wouldn¡¯t push the matter. He knew that he¡¯d establish a very close relationship with the Half-Ogre, specifically buying any monster cores he found in the wild. Tresk was looking at him expectantly, even though she didn¡¯t ask for any of the earnings.


    ¡°I suppose you want to be paid, too?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I was a superb helper, right?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo took a single coin from the pile and handed it to her, bringing his earnings down to 8 silver. She took the silver coin excitedly, stuffing it in a pocket and dancing on the spot.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to talk about buying your monster cores,¡± Theo said, patting Luras on the shoulder.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re going to upgrade the lab, right?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°At a discounted rate,¡± Luras said, grinning.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go get some food,¡± Theo said. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to pass out.¡±


    They left the shop, walking together to the tavern. Tresk seemed as though she was in a good mood, but she was always in a good mood. Luras had a devious grin on his face the entire way, boarding on giddy. Theo dismissed it as excitement for the job they¡¯d completed, but suspected that something was going on. Miana accosted them at the square, and they ignored her. Tresk made a few rude gestures, gestures that Theo could only assume were rude based on the mayor¡¯s response. The Marsh Wolf Tavern was buzzing the way it always was.


    ¡°Three of whatever you¡¯re serving, Xam,¡± Theo said, ordering their food while Tresk and Luras found a table. They settled in near the back, finding a space with a window. A suspicious object wrapped in burlap sat behind the table, the Half-Ogre failing to hide it behind his bulk.


    ¡°It¡¯s wolf meat again today,¡± Xam said, serving up three bowls of steaming stew.


    Theo paid the three copper and retreated to his friends, eying Luras suspiciously. He set the bowls down on the table and placed his hands on his hips. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I had something made for you,¡± Luras said, hoisting the burlap-wrapped thing on the table. ¡°What shop is complete without a sign?¡±


    Luras pulled back the cloth dramatically, revealing a sign shaped like a downward-faced spade. At the top of the sign was a painting of a newt with horns. Below the image, it read ¡°The Newt and Demon¡±. Theo took in the thing''s artistry, at a loss for words. Sat on the top were iron chains for hanging the sign. The Half-Ogre watched, still holding his dramatic pose. Tresk was hopping on her chair, shrieking with excitement.


    ¡°Well?¡± Luras asked.


    Theo couldn¡¯t find the words to match his appreciation. He crossed the distance between him and his friend and pulled him into a hug. Tears formed in the corners of his violet eyes, but he refused to let them break. He pulled back after a moment and shook his head. ¡°This is amazing,¡± he said. ¡°I cannot think of a better gift.¡±


    Some ?patrons in the tavern voiced their approval of the gesture, cheering for Luras. Others paid no attention, too consumed with their wolf meat stew to care.


    ¡°Woah! This is so cool! This makes it look official!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°This is a big step for you,¡± Luras said, raising his voice for the entire tavern to hear. ¡°But this is also a massive step forward for Broken Tusk. Coins will flow from the adventurers who flock here.¡±


    More of the crowd cheered, and the trio finally sat down to eat their meal. Theo was in love with the design of the sign. The tongue-in-cheek reference to both him and Tresk was perfect, and the image at the top sealed it. He made a promise to himself to make the most out of the name. He¡¯d make sure that The Newt and Demon was on the tongues of alchemists in the capital.


    Jarson made his way over to their table. His adventuring party planned to set out with the dawn, wasting no time in clearing the swamp dungeon. Theo knew nothing about how dungeons worked, but it must have been dangerous. But the conversation didn¡¯t linger on things related to dungeons, or alchemy. They spoke lightly of the things they hoped to do in the future. Tresk was even more firm with her proposal of the Tara¡¯hek. The alchemist didn¡¯t want to shut her down completely, but he wanted to wait. It seemed like he was running off to be married in Vegas, although he felt the magnetic pull the woman had.


    The group stayed there later than normal, even lingering past the setting of the sun. Theo¡¯s stamina still had 10% to go, and he was happy to celebrate after the difficult job. Luras departed, leaving Tresk and Theo to spend more time bonding. They left soon after, carrying the sign and finding their way to bed after locking the lab up. Sleep came easily enough after the day. He nodded off quickly, exhaustion overtaking him.

 Chapter 9 - Perpetual Ledger

    Theo rose before Tresk in the morning. She might have put on a brave face last night, but the difficulty of the order wore her down. He took a moment to watch her sleep, still not over how cute she was curled into a little ball. After a while he left the bedroom, pulling the door closed quietly and coaxing the fire to life. While cutting the Zee into strips, his mind swirled with possibilities. The biggest problem he had with supplying potable water to the town was storing it and retrieving it from the river.


    The cast-iron kettle settled onto the fire, and he added the stimulating moss to get him started. His barrel of [Purified Water] was getting low, but it would be easy enough to purify it himself. A gigantic metal water container entered his mind for a moment, something like a water tower that could supply the city with fresh water. The old problems he considered came back again, namely transporting it from the river. Theo let out a heavy sigh, dropping the Zee strips next to the kettle and pushing his mind further. He could imagine a series of people running back and forth to the river, but it seemed labor intensive.


    The bedroom door creaked open, and Tresk stepped out. She stood on the spot and stretched, yawning before padding across the room. ¡°Good morning,¡± she said, flopping down beside him and resting her head on his arm.


    ¡°Morning. I¡¯m trying to figure out how to solve the town¡¯s water problem,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°What problem?¡±


    ¡°Well, the river water is tainted,¡± Theo said. ¡°I wanted to ?purify it.¡±


    ¡°Marshlings don¡¯t need purified water. We could drink it from the swamp, and we¡¯d be fine.¡±


    Theo let out a sigh. ¡°But I assume that Humans and Half-Ogres can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No, they boil their water,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You¡¯re going to burn the food.¡±


    Theo rushed to bring the strips of Zee off the fire, setting the charred vegetable down on two plates and pouring the tea. The pair ate in silence as the question hung unanswered. The alchemist finished his food before saying, ¡°my problem is transporting the water.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we could get one of those fancy dimensional bags,¡± Tresk said, shrugging. ¡°They¡¯re actually common enough items. Most adventurers have at least one.¡±


    ¡°Do you have one, yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Tresk said, slurping her tea. ¡°There are abilities that do something similar. Demons are extra-planar things, maybe you have something like that.¡±


    Theo raised an eyebrow, kicking himself for not checking out new abilities sooner. He got a free stat point, but no option to select a new ability. With a mental command, he summoned the skills screen and started looking through them. It was an endless scroll of abilities, organized in a list format that made him dizzy. They scrolled by and he read the descriptions, finding nothing that seemed to be useful. Out of frustration he thought, why can¡¯t it just show me the Drogramath skills, and the system obeyed. The endless list was replaced with a short one, his 2 current Drogramath abilities already there in green.


    ¡°Oh, I can get one,¡± Theo said, spotting an ability and mentally sharing it with Tresk.


    [Drogramath Inventory]


    Universal Skill


    Legendary


    Your heritage gives you access to the extra-dimensional spaces claimed by Drogramath. This ability changes to suit the user, giving them access to a pocket dimension presented in a way that matches their true origin. Items can be stored in the dimension at will, the only limitation is based on your origin¡¯s manifestation. Items stored do not encumber the user.


    Effects:


    Inventory (32 slot, item stack count based on item)


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Universal skills can slot into any core. Most of them are a waste of a slot, but that¡¯d be very useful.¡±


    ¡°Now I just need an ability point¡­¡±


    ¡°You should get one when your character levels to 5,¡± Tresk said. ¡°While I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot of neat stuff you can get for alchemy, the utility of that one is so good.¡±


    Theo imagined what he could do with [Drogramath Inventory]. He¡¯d save a lot of stamina, assuming that no encumbrance meant he could plop 32 barrels of river water in his pocket dimension. It seemed like an obvious choice, and he dismissed the screen. He was well into character level 3 and had no plans on slowing down. The ability just gave him more drive to push harder.


    ¡°I have a goal, now,¡± Theo said. ¡°Tresk, what level are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m level 8,¡± Tresk said, beaming. ¡°And a rogue, as you know.¡±


    Theo fell back into his thoughts, setting the idea of the purified water out for the moment. Upgrading the lab would be his next move, along with making enough potions to sell if another set of adventurers came around. He would need those adventurers if he wanted to establish a real business in Broken Tusk. Despite their well-wishes, the citizens of the town were broke. If he sold potions to them, they wouldn¡¯t pay what he needed to make decent money.


    ¡°Do you have any plans for the day?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk sipped on her tea, tilting her head. ¡°Not really. I was thinking of going into the swamp and farming monster cores.¡±


    ¡°Can you handle yourself out there?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk laughed, grinning at him. ¡°I¡¯m out in the wilds most days. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ You should let me brew you some potions before you go,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Great idea!¡±


    They had a pile of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] left over from yesterday, sitting in a crate in the corner of the room. Theo started the familiar process, intent on making a full 50 unit batch of the stuff before she set off. He needed the experience points, but most of all he needed peace of mind. If his partner ran off into the swamp and died, he didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do. Luras arrived half-way through the process. Tresk was laying out the vials, and the mash was almost completely cooked through. He laughed, shaking his head.


    ¡°You guys never take a break, huh? Couldn¡¯t have asked for a better partnership,¡± Luras said. ¡°I brought some cores for you to buy.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± Theo asked, looking up from the fire.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got five,¡± Luras said. ¡°You can have them for 10 copper each.¡±


    ¡°Chump change,¡± Theo said. ¡°Take a silver for the bunch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not about to argue with you,¡± Luras said. ¡°The merchant who normally buys them hasn¡¯t showed up, so I¡¯ve been sitting on them. I¡¯d be lucky to get 20 copper for them, at this point¡­¡±


    Theo left the fire for a moment, fishing a silver coin out of his pocket and handing it to his friend. ¡°We¡¯re going to burn all our money upgrading the lab.¡±


    ¡°We need more damn space,¡± Tresk said, finished with the vials.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s an [Alchemy Lab], you¡¯ll get some bonuses to alchemy as you upgrade it,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± Theo said, setting the five monster cores on the table.


    He inspected the cores, finding that all but one were level 5. The level 8 core glowed with a distinct energy. Theo wasted no time, hoisting the first three cores above his head and watching them disappear. Swirls of white energy raced around the lab, a satisfying ding playing as though over an intercom.


    [Alchemy Lab] has advanced to level 2!


    Select a direction you wish to expand the lab into (north/south/east/west).


    ¡°We wanted to expand toward the river, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Eastward?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Tresk said, nodding.


    Theo mentally commanded an eastward direction, and the building rumbled under their feet. In an instant, the space inside the lab expanded, adding two or three paces of room near the back wall. He almost fell over when it moved, the boards shifting underfoot.


    [Alchemy Lab]


    Owner: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 2 (0%)


    Rent Due: 4 days


    ¡°No bonuses yet,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°But we have more space! We can fit a row of tables in the front to hawk our wares,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Speaking of, I have something for you,¡± Luras said, rummaging through his bag. He hoisted a large tome, setting it down on the table and gesturing for Theo to inspect it.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    [Perpetual Ledger]


    [Shopkeeping Equipment]


    Rare


    Transactions that take place inside of a core building will be recorded in this ledger. It will never run out of space, and can infinitely expand itself to accommodate new transactions.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Where did you ?snag one of those?¡±


    ¡°It came from the capital when Theo arrived,¡± Luras said. ¡°Just like the instructions I got to acclimate him to the world. I forgot about it¡ªtoo caught up in all the excitement.¡±


    ¡°This is for tax purposes, isn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked, laughing.


    ¡°Yeah, they want to make sure that you¡¯re paying what you owe,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t want to get in trouble for not paying my fantasy world taxes,¡± Theo said. ¡°How much do they take?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot,¡± Luras shrugged. ¡°The merchants I know don¡¯t pay over ten percent of what they earn yearly.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s way better than my world,¡± Theo said.


    Luras lingered, agreeing to accompany Tresk into the swamp to collect monster cores. They agreed to split them down the middle, including the other items harvested from the creatures. Theo was extremely happy that his partner wouldn¡¯t be going into the dangerous wilds alone, especially since the Half-Ogre was level 12. He finished firing off the reactions for the day and sent both of his friends off with 5 potions each. Luras tried to refuse, but he insisted.


    Theo departed shortly after them, intent on settling a few things before they returned. He wanted to smooth things over with Throk and put money toward his debt with Miana. The [Blacksmith] was setting up shop, several of his children darting around to start the fire in the forge and arranging various hammers around the anvil. He looked up and regarded the alchemist with a glare.


    ¡°You stole my daughter,¡± Throk said.


    ¡°She was bound to leave eventually,¡± Theo said. ¡°She¡¯s too intent on being an adventurer. Fortunately, she picked a Tara¡¯hek that can make healing potions.¡±


    Throk stood there for a moment, the gears in his head turning. It was clear that the Marshling didn¡¯t consider that fact. Tresk could have picked anyone to be her partner, but she was drawn to Theo by some mystical force. Something in the young adventurer shouted that he would make the best Tara¡¯hek. It likely had to do with the fact he just stated. He could easily craft her life-saving potions that would see her through most scrapes, and his skill would only improve. There was no safer place for an adventurer than at the side of an alchemist.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered it,¡± Throk said, shocking Theo with his honesty. ¡°An outworlder and a Dronon¡­ Well, I guess the only thing that matters is the alchemist title. Fine, is that all you came to say?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d like to commission a water tower,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯d like you to sort out its construction, if it¡¯s at all possible.¡±


    ¡°How many units does it need to hold?¡±


    ¡°As much as possible,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯d like it to be in the 2,000 unit range.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s positively massive,¡± Throk said. ¡°You really are ambitious, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Just trying to make Broken Tusk a better place,¡± Theo said. ¡°How much for materials and labor?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Copper is cheap right now¡ªabsurdly cheap. Everyone wants stuff made of northern steel. 1 silver coin worth of materials, 1 silver in labor and gods know how long.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t hesitate in bringing two silver coins from his pocket, handing them to Throk. He had a look of shock on his face, his gaze darting between the coins and the alchemist. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hired,¡± Theo said, turning on the spot and walking to the mayor¡¯s house. He felt Throk¡¯s gaze on him as he left and smiled.


    The mayor was in, as she always was. She flung her door open as he approached, searching for Luras before berating him. Theo held up a silencing hand, withdrawing a silver coin and handing it to her before she had a chance to shout. She was just as shocked as the [Blacksmith], bringing the coin between her teeth and biting hard. Theo felt a twinge in his mind and knew that his quest had updated.


    ¡°You¡¯re full of surprises, Dronon,¡± Miana said.


    ¡°Please work with Throk on the water tower project,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°What water tower?¡±


    ¡°I hired him to build a water tower to provide fresh water for Broken Tusk,¡± Theo said. ¡°Find a nice spot for it, please.¡±


    As Theo was walking away, he heard her mutter, ¡°full of surprises.¡±


    [Pay your debts]


    Quest


    Miana Kell has overseen your transition into your new world, and you owe her a lot of money!


    Objectives:


    Pay the following debts:


    [Medical Services Rendered] : 1 Silver (DONE)


    [Room and Board (1 week)]: 10 Copper


    [Alchemy lab (to be paid in installments)]: 1 Gold


    [Equipment therein (to be paid in installments]: 1 Gold


    [Service Charge]: 5 Copper


    The only thing left to do for the day was to harvest ingredients. While they targeted three specific reagents for their adventurer project, the swamp was riddled with useful ingredients. He also wanted to experiment with effects, drawing out the secondary properties like the one he found with the [Zee Kernel]. He was down to 5 silver coins, but at least his water purification project was in action. Theo retreated to his newly expanded lab to consult his compendium on reagents.


    His books detailed the range of plants that grew in the swamp, and he¡¯d only collected a fraction of what was available. Theo wanted to investigate potions that enhanced a person¡¯s stats, and some that boasted powerful poisons. He had an [Ogre Snapper Spleen], but it didn¡¯t seem practical to run a monster¡¯s organ through the distiller. The smell alone already drove him to throw the slab of meat away, but the book offered another answer. The [Widow Lily] was a flowering plant that grew near the edge of swamps.


    ¡°Essential Alchemy¡± told him that poison potions could be applied to an adventurer¡¯s weapon, allowing them to inflict [Poison] on hit. It seemed like the perfect pairing with Tresk¡¯s [Rogue] class, and he couldn¡¯t resist whipping her up a batch. With much of the day left, he planned to scout out the rare stat-enhancing flowers along with the [Widow Lily]. The flowers matched an element associated with the stat. Strength to fire, dexterity to wind, vigor to earth, intelligence to lightning, and wisdom to water. The book didn¡¯t have any information about where they could be found.


    Theo left the lab, locking up and thinking about how he could get a spare key made for Tresk, before heading off to the southern section of the town. He hadn¡¯t been down that way, advised against it by Luras, and he immediately found out why. A stench like death crept up with the wind, washing over him in a putrid wave. The further south he went, the worse it became until he saw the source of the smell. A group of Half-Ogres were standing outside of a building, the sign hanging out front claiming it was the tannery.


    ¡°Good lord, what¡¯s that smell?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The tannery,¡± a Half-Ogre responded with a snort.


    ¡°Do all tanneries smell this foul?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Theo shook his head, departing west toward the swamp. There has to be some alchemical solution to that.


    He filed away the thought before finding his first [Widow Lily], a small flowering plant with white flowers. A bold black streak rode down the petals of the flower, striking a stark contrast. Theo carefully removed the flowers before placing them in his bag. He made a mental note to clean the bag out before using it for anything else, not wanting to risk it. While crouching low to harvest the reagents, he got a smell of himself. He looked down at his stained clothes and frowned. While he planned to figure out a solution to laundering his clothes, he hadn¡¯t found an answer.


    Another problem for alchemy, he thought.


    After an hour of picking the deadly flowers, he wandered back toward the road and returned to the lab. He placed the [Widow Lily] in a bucket, covering it with a lid and setting it aside. It would be unfortunate if someone accidentally ate them. Tresk came to mind.


    Theo rummaged through the disorganized buckets and crates of reagents, finding the [Ogre Cypress Bark] and considering what to do. It was the reagent with the highest chance of producing a useful property to his plan. When sampling the [Zee Kernel] for the first time, he discovered an additional property. He didn¡¯t think that the bark would hold any negative effects, and took a bite of the smallest piece in the bucket. It tasted like dish soap in his mouth.


    [Properties Discovery!]


    You¡¯ve discovered an additional effect from the [Ogre Cypress Bark] by eating it.


    [Cleanse] discovered.


    Theo felt something in his stomach. It rumbled angrily for a moment before settling down, and he went to consult ¡°Essential Alchemy¡±. It had a short list of common properties, [Cleanse] amongst them. The property was the first one that didn¡¯t have an effect when a user imbibed it. This was something that affected the world, instead of a person. [Cleanse] was used to restore something to pristine condition, removing all dirt and odor. He considered the fact that he was drawn to the bark for testing, leaving the rest of the reagents and going straight for that one. His [Wisdom] was at 19, and it likely had an effect. There was also his Drogramath skills to consider. Whatever the reason, he studied the book¡¯s information on the strange reaction. The deeper he read, the more he realized.


    ¡°Distillation uses my alchemy ability¡­ Extracting the essences has to be about intent, right?¡± Theo asked, scratching his head around his horns.


    Every distillation he¡¯d done so far was intending to extract the first property of a reagent. He mind begged to start the experiment, and he obliged. The coals from the fire were long dead, and he stoked another one to life. Theo processed enough [Ogre Cypress Bark] to make 5 units of the new essence and started the distillation process. He studied his books as he waited, committing more of the information to his permanent memory with his improved [Wisdom] score. The small batch meant that it was done with half an hour, a significant improvement from when he first started.


    Theo inspected the essence, grinning as the theory about intent proved true.


    [Cleansing Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    5 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of cleansing.


    He retrieved his tiny pipette and found another flask to start his testing. The conical flask filled with 5 units of [Purified Water], the barrel starting to run low, and he drew the smallest possible amount of the [Cleansing Essence], starting with 0.01 to be thorough. To his surprise, a reaction occurred. It was the smallest essence to water ratio he¡¯d found so far, and he made a note of it. Theo inspected his new reaction.


    [Cleansing Scrub]


    [Cleaning Agent]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    Cleansing Scrub instantly restores clothes, surfaces, skin, etc to a clean state. Leaves behind the smell of Qavellian berries.


    Effect:


    Cleans anything it touches.


    After washing his pipette, Theo took off a muddy moccasin and drew 0.1 units from the [Cleansing Scrub]. He set the shoe on the table and let the drops fall into the mud, caked on the surface. Steam rose from the leather, and the alchemist watched as the liquid glowed white, slowly spreading across the muck and breaking it down. The light faded, and what remained was a completely pristine moccasin.


    Theo hooted with excitement, eagerly drawing another 0.1 units of the solution and cleaning the rest of his clothes. The lab filled with a scent somewhere between a strawberry and a raspberry. He removed his robes, applying another drop to his forearm and watching the bright light race across his body. The days of grime that accumulated were washed away in a moment, even spreading through his hair and cleansing his scalp. Next, he tried the miracle potion on the floor. The same 0.1 unit dose seemed to have enough steam to clear through half of the muddy floor, and he simply applied more to finish the job.


    The alchemist went into a cleaning frenzy. He darted into the bedroom and cleansed his bed, Tresk¡¯s bed, and then the walls. Theo collapsed into his sheets, letting the pristine material rub against his skin. Potions that halted mortal wounds, or refreshed someone out of exhaustion were nice, but this was amazing. He could sell this.


    ¡°Why does it smell like berries?¡± Tresk asked from the door.


    Theo rushed out to meet her, a wide grin painting his face. He could smell her from the door¡ªlike week-old sweat and muck. He drew more of the solution and placed one drop on her head, and one on her clothes. She giggled as the light raced across her body.


    ¡°I made the most amazing thing,¡± Theo said, holding up the flask. ¡°It¡¯s a bath in a bottle¡ªthat¡¯s what we¡¯ll call it.¡±


    Tresk had her eyes closed, savoring the cleansing sensation before responding. ¡°People will buy this.¡±


    Theo stared at her for a moment, the excitement tingling through the air. ¡°How was the trip, by the way?¡±


    ¡°We got some cores, but screw that,¡± Tresk said, pointing at the flask. ¡°I want more of that.¡±

 Chapter 10 - The Tarahek

    Theo was nose blind to the stenches of the swamp by now. Only the discovery of the [Cleansing Scrub] was enough to pull him out of it. He was glad that Tresk could appreciate how amazing the new creation was, not entirely certain how her nose worked. The feeling of freshly laundered clothes pressing against his body was amazing, and he couldn¡¯t go back. They¡¯d need to keep a supply of the [Ogre Cypress Bark] on hand to manufacture as much of the scrub as possible. Not every Half-Ogre in town would care about feeling clean all the time, but there would be an interest.


    ¡°Luras wanted to hang out at the tavern,¡± Tresk said. Her excitement remained, but she had a concerned look on her face. ¡°We¡¯ve been gabbing about this new [Cleansing Scrub] for too long¡ªhe¡¯s waiting.¡±


    ¡°Alright, hold on,¡± Theo said, grabbing a few motes and approaching his [Glassware Artifice].


    The alchemist imagined a dispenser for the liquid. He held an image in his mind before inserting the mote. It would have the vial-shape he used for his potions, but the stopper on the top would have a rod that went down into the inside. The artifice spat out three vials to his specification, and he filled each with 1 unit of [Cleansing Scrub].


    ¡°Just pull the stopper off, and use the little rod to apply the scrub,¡± Theo said, handing Tresk one vial.


    ¡°Genius,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The pair left the lab well before dusk started settling in over Broken Tusk. Theo felt the warmth of friendship spreading through his chest, his tail waggling in time with Tresk¡¯s the entire way to the Marsh Wolf tavern. They even received a ?vile sneer from Miana and shrugged it off. Luras was waiting for them at their normal spot near the window. Where he expected to see bowls of stew, there were three plates with a fat steak on each.


    ¡°Wow, something other than stew,¡± Theo said, sitting down.


    The scent of the meat was overwhelming, causing his mouth to water immediately. He hadn¡¯t seen a solid cut of meat since he arrived in the town, and he didn¡¯t care what kind of creature it came from. Without waiting for an invitation, he cut into the meat and took a bite. It tasted exactly like a medium-rare steak back on earth. Tresk was also eating, shoving large chunks of meat in her mouth and chomping noisily.


    ¡°Why do you two smell so clean?¡± Luras said, raising an eyebrow.


    Theo¡¯s nose was already adjusted to taking in pleasant smells again. The tavern had the stink of mud and sweat, but it hardly diminished his appetite. He withdrew a bottle of the [Cleansing Scrub] and handed it over to the Half-Ogre.


    ¡°Put a drop on your skin, and a drop on your clothes and boots,¡± Theo said through a mouth of steak.


    ¡°Yeah, you stink,¡± Tresk said, almost halfway done with her meal.


    Luras had a skeptical look on his face, but did as the alchemist said. He shouted when the light spread across his body, joined by the surprised yells of the tavern¡¯s patrons. After a moment, the bath in a bottle did its work, and the Half-Ogre smelled fresh, the muck on his clothes and boots scrubbed away.


    ¡°We¡¯re calling it ¡®bath in a bottle¡¯,¡± Tresk said, grinning.


    A small crowd formed around their table, some ?patrons running their fingers over Luras¡¯ clean armor. They were amazed that he was covered in a thick layer of swamp muck just moments ago, but now appeared as though he¡¯d just washed himself and his armor. All eyes fell on the alchemist, who grinned through a mouthful.


    ¡°Stop by the Newt and Demon tomorrow, and you too can purchase some Bath in a Bottle!¡± Tresk shouted, leaping up onto the table.


    She pulled her bottle out and started dripping it onto random patrons. Theo just watched as shouts of excitement filled the tavern, the flash of lights almost blinding. The stench that filled the tavern slowly abated, giving way to that berry smell that the scrub left behind. Patrons returned to their seats, eventually, just after the alchemist finished his meal.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to drum up interest,¡± Luras said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this bottle is mine to keep.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°What¡¯s this steak, anyway? I was just settling into the stew.¡±


    ¡°The tavern put in an order from the northlands months ago for some aged Karatan steaks,¡± Luras explained. ¡°Xam wanted 5 copper per plate, and I gotta say it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°It was so worth it,¡± Tresk said, letting out a heavy sigh.


    ¡°So, when are you two going to do the Tara¡¯hek? Seems like a good match to me,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°When he is ready,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes at Theo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what it is,¡± Theo said. ¡°I understand it¡¯s a bond, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lifetime bond between friends,¡± Luras said. ¡°You¡¯re basically making a promise to forego romance with anyone, and focus on making each other better people.¡±


    ¡°There are benefits, too,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°We can talk to each other from anywhere. I think there¡¯s other stuff, but a bond is rare enough that I haven¡¯t seen it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds useful,¡± Theo said.


    The reality of his companion running off to adventure was that he would never know if she was alright until she returned. If he could speak to her from anywhere, that¡¯d remove his fear. As far as romance went, he had no interest in pursuing it. He¡¯d ruminated on the topic for a while, but it was just something that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do. If he had a companion that he could share his successes and failures with, bound by the Tara¡¯hek, he¡¯d be much happier.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Is there some grand ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Tresk said. ¡°It¡¯s a very personal thing. We can do it before bed tonight, if you want.¡±


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    Theo shrugged. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    The conversation switched to lighter topics from there on. Dusk settled in over Broke Tusk, and Theo¡¯s stamina bar was still a quarter full. He¡¯d have enough energy to undertake the Tara¡¯hek, and spend time with his friends without worrying about getting exhausted. Conversation died down as dusk gave way to nightfall, Luras looking ?exhausted. He bid the pair farewell and departed before them. Theo and Tresk stayed for some time before leaving. They walked in time down the muddy roads.


    ¡°I was thinking about how we¡¯d get stone roads in town,¡± Theo said, stopping at the monolith.


    ¡°Well, we can upgrade the town if we feed it enough monster cores,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Here, inspect the monolith.¡±


    Theo obeyed, reaching out his hand to touch the monolith with the intent of inspection.


    [Small Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Kingdom of Qavell


    Mayor: Miana Kell


    Faction: [Qavell]


    Level: 2 (31%)


    Features:


    Alchemy Lab


    Blacksmith


    Large Farm


    Tannery


    Tradesmen


    Upgrades:


    None


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know our town had a level,¡± Theo said. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it higher than level 2? Hasn¡¯t it been here for a long time?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re dirt poor, that¡¯s why,¡± Tresk said. ¡°People want to sell their monster cores, not dump them into the town.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what level paved roads would be,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that¡¯d be nice. We wouldn¡¯t be tracking mud everywhere,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We¡¯re already hoarding monster cores, we might want to think about putting some in.¡±


    ¡°The mayor decides what to do with the upgrades, right? She¡¯s basically the owner,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s how it works,¡± Tresk said.


    They left the monolith behind, and Theo fell into thought. He didn¡¯t know if he could trust the mayor to do the right thing with his investment, but upgrading the town seemed like a great idea. The bigger the town was, the more customers he¡¯d get in his alchemy lab. It made sense to split his efforts between the town and his lab.


    Theo locked the door behind them, lighting the candles in the corners of the room to prepare for the Tara¡¯hek. Tresk seemed giddy with excitement, and he reserved himself to trust her judgment on the matter. He¡¯d weighed his options and selected this one as the most likely to benefit him in the long run. She cleared away a section near the bedroom and laid her bedroll there before setting out candles in a circle.


    ¡°Sit,¡± she said, taking a spot on the far end of the bedroll and gesturing to the other.


    He sat cross-legged on the bedroll, and Tresk reached her hands out from him to take. She didn¡¯t say a word, simply grasping his hands and staring into his eyes. They sat like that for some time before anything happened. He felt himself drawn into her gaze, his head swimming. The deeper he fell the more he felt a connection with the Marshling, as though he was understanding the contents of her soul. It seemed like a vague thing until he felt the ground fall out from under him, plunging him into a black void.


    Theo tried to let out a shout, but nothing came. The darkness was all around him, although vague shapes roiled in the distance. After what felt like an eternity, something appeared before him. A light pink light formed out of the darkness, mist swirling to create a ball-shaped form. He recognized it as Tresk¡¯s soul and noticed that red mist had formed around him to create his.


    Gaze into her soul, and judge its contents, a voice spoke into his mind.


    The alchemist found himself unable to do anything else. He saw Tresk¡¯s ambitions laid bare for him to prod. She wanted nothing more than to prove herself to her family, showing that one of their line could rise to be an adventurer. There was fear of failure there, and a hope that lingered like a fire. The hope she held was in Theo, and his ability to elevate her to that status. At that moment, he could sense the potential in her, more than he¡¯d ever seen before. She had all the traits of a powerful rogue, maybe even an assassin. Her decisiveness shone through the brightest, then her tenacity, and her loyalty.


    She would make you great. There is no better pairing for your Tara¡¯hek.


    Theo didn¡¯t know where the voice was coming from, but he knew it was right. It spoke into his mind in a monotone voice, echoing through his skull with reverberating truths.


    [Tara¡¯hek, Life Partner proposal]


    Tresk would like to be your Tara¡¯hek. If you accept, you¡¯ll be bound to her forever. You gain experience by accomplishing tasks together and have access to more powerful abilities as you grow as partners.


    [Do you wish to accept the Tara¡¯hek? Y/N]


    Theo didn¡¯t hesitate in accepting the offer, mentally affirming his bond with Tresk. A painful rush flooded through his mind as the darkness dropped around him. He was left gasping for breath on the floor of the alchemy lab, the Marshling also having difficulty breathing. After a moment it faded and he noticed a new notification from the system.


    [New Tara¡¯hek bond]


    You¡¯ve performed a Tara¡¯hek with a Marshling, gaining a new core slot. This core slot cannot be changed at any time, for any reason. Only the [Tara¡¯hek Core] may be placed in this slot, and it can never be removed.


    ¡°Oh! We got a core!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo examined his core screen, finding a new slot already filled.


    [Tara¡¯hek Core]


    Legendary


    Tara¡¯hek Core


    Bound


    1 Slot


    Level 1 (0%)


    [Tara¡¯hek] cores are given to those who accept a Marshling life-partner. You cannot change the skills inside the core, or remove it at any time.


    Effect:


    +2 Strength


    A skill was already slotted in the core, and he inspected that as well.


    [Tara¡¯hek Communication]


    Marshling Bond Skill


    Rare


    The first step to a Tara¡¯hek is communication.


    Effect:


    Allows you to communicate with Tresk no matter how far away they are. Others cannot hear your conversation.


    We can talk into each other¡¯s brains! Tresk said, without moving her lips.


    This is weird, Theo said, shocked at how easy it was to use the ability.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s use our faces to talk for now,¡± Tresk said, grinning.


    The bond that Theo already felt to the woman was absurd. It transcended anything he¡¯d felt before; it was like having another half of him sitting there on the bedroll. The ascendant sensation he felt in her presence was unlike anything else, trumping that of any girlfriends he¡¯d had in the past, as well as parents, brothers, or friends. The downside was that the process left him feeling exhausted. He didn¡¯t know how much time passed, but the darkness outside told him it was late.


    ¡°I think it gave me a strength bonus because you¡¯re always calling me weak,¡± Theo said, smiling.


    ¡°Yeah, now you¡¯re less weak. It gave me a wisdom bonus,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to go to bed,¡± Theo said, yawning.


    Tresk nodded, moving around the room to extinguish the flames before dragging her bedroll back into the room. Theo laid on his clean bed, savoring the scent of berries. He wouldn¡¯t miss how everything smelled like stale laundry and rotting vegetation. Sleep threatened to overtake him quickly. His eyes got heavy even before the Marshling settled down in her bed.


    He closed his eyes and felt the familiar tingle of Tresk speaking into his mind, Good night.

 Chapter 3.1 - Lady Administrator Alise

    Theo Spencer smoothed back his black hair, letting his fingers linger over the pair of horns that traced the shape of his head. He stood, stowing away the quill, ink, and leather-bound journal into his inventory. It vanished with a faint popping sound. The body he inhabited came from a brood of Drogramath Dronon, tall Demon-like creatures that were as secretive as they were reclusive. He straightened the folds in his silken robe, content with the cessation of constant rain. During the Season of Blooms, in the southlands of the Kingdom of Qavell, that rain was a fact. It came in sheets daily, fouling dirt walkways. But as he descended the battlements of his walls, soft-soled shoes gently padding against a cobbled road, he realized he missed the horrid weather.


    Broken Tusk rested at the end of a small kingdom¡¯s territory, bordered by a river to the northeast, a sprawling swamp to the west, and mountainous hills to the north and south. It would have been defensively impressive, if not for the 5 local dungeons. Those dungeons had produced more than their fair share of monster waves in recent times. Investing in defense and production had seen untold growth, an endless supply of high-quality raw materials that they had only just begun shipping off to neighboring towns.


    Dead Dog Mine was a recent addition to the town. Theo nodded to Gridgen Dev, a hearty man from the mountainous region north of Qavell. A layer of dust covered every inch of the man, caked on to sweat producing a glittering sheen. He moved on, not willing to engage with the rowdy miners. He spotted his goal, unexpectedly chatting with the smelter. Nira Weir ran the smelter, a modest woman from the capital who remained reserved even as she adapted to life in the swamp town. She was chatting, a smile on her face for once, with Alise Plumm.


    ¡°Alright there?¡± Theo asked, poking his head into the smelter.


    Both women jumped at his sudden appearance. Dronon, like Half-Ogres, were heads taller than normal Humans. Alise was especially small, her shoulder-length brown hair bobbing as she clutched her chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sneak up on me like that,¡± she said.


    Nira wandered off, back to her crucible.


    ¡°Time to renew your contract,¡± Theo said, beckoning for his administrator to follow.


    They picked a lazy path to the eastern gate of the town, perching atop the battlements to get an excellent view of the river. The river cut from the base of mountains to the north and tracked a path south, heading directly for the ocean. Centuries ago, that river dumped directly into the swamp. Only when an Earth Wizard arrived, offering to divert the river, did the Half-Ogres catch up with the rest of the kingdom. Theo doubted the providence of the story. He had theories.


    ¡°You have a meeting with the Mercantile Chairs today,¡± Alise said, clearing her throat and checking her notes.


    ¡°Which means you want to keep working for me,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting comfortable,¡± Alise said, her face flushing.


    Few things got past Theo these days. Only those with superior attributes could get one over on him, and Alise was a fledgling compared to him. She had another motive, but he wouldn¡¯t prod. Their magical contract prevented her from hurting Broken Tusk¡¯s interests. This was thanks to his [Governance Core], the most recent addition in his collection of classes. It had everything to do with managing people and sat as a specialized Administration Core. Alise herself held a standard [Administrator¡¯s Core] in her chest and was invaluable for handling the more mundane tasks related to running a town.


    ¡°We should renegotiate your wage,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Ah, maybe,¡± Alise said, looking wistfully over the river.


    Like most people in Broken Tusk, she wasn¡¯t interested in having money. They loved to make money, but no one seemed to hold on to it for long. The community came together, pooling their resources to improve the town. This lay in stark contrast to the way other towns did business. Rivers and Daub, a town resting at the start of the river up north, employed the aggressive trade guilds popular in the kingdom. They were entities which pocketed large amounts of profit from the workers. Anyone who didn¡¯t refuse that old way of doing things didn¡¯t belong in Broken Tusk.


    ¡°A percentage, maybe?¡± Theo asked, smiling.


    Alise looked shocked at the offer, knitting her brow and letting her mouth hang agape. ¡°I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°We really don¡¯t make that much, as a town,¡± Theo said. ¡°It all depends on the strength of our trade deals. And that comes down to you.¡±


    Theo was, as always, being truthful with the people that worked for him. Alise was instrumental during the trade negotiations with Rivers and Daub. She was always there to poke him into action, forcing him to stay on the ball where it would normally fall away. She had a knack for this.


    ¡°Ten percent?¡± Alise asked. ¡°Is that too much?¡±


    Theo¡¯s [Intelligence] attribute had grown significantly in the past few weeks. He could easily do the mental math, and his [Wisdom] attribute allowed him to recall the deal they made with Rivers with perfect clarity. ¡°75 silver coins a week,¡± he said, nodding. If this was the Broken Tusk that Theo saw when he first arrived, that sum would have seemed insane. Now, it seemed like a drop in the bucket.


    ¡°You like the percentage-based payment schemes, don¡¯t you?¡± Alise said, reaching out a hand for him to shake.


    ¡°There¡¯s no better way to incentivise performance,¡± Theo said, grinning. ¡°Allow me to draw up a contract.¡±


    Theo invoked his [Contracts] skill, a skill slotted in his [Governance Core]. He wrote up a simple contract for her to sign. Through the system¡¯s interface, he could write at the speed of thought. A message box popped up for both of them to review and agree upon.


    [Lady Administrator Alise]


    Contract


    Alise Plumm shall agree to adhere, to the best of her ability, to the interests of Broken Tusk in all matters. She will handle Broken Tusk¡¯s needs where Theo Spencer (Belgar) is unable.


    Terms:


    Alise Plumm shall gain the title of Lady Administrator


    Alise Plumm will draw a weekly salary based on the performance of existing and future trade deals.


    Alise Plumm¡¯s salary shall be 10% (before tax) of all profits related to exports and trade conducted by Broken Tusk.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) shall provide all due support to aid in her advancement.


    Alise Plumm shall never harm Broken Tusk, intentional or otherwise, through any action.


    Timeline:


    Renewed every 3 months


    Most people liked to change the wording of a contract, but Alise was fine with it as it was. Since it was a contract created by the system, Theo didn¡¯t have to worry about manually paying her. It would automatically withdraw from either his inventory, or the town¡¯s inventory.


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    ¡°Things are picking up, aren¡¯t they?¡± Alise asked.


    She was relatively new to the town, only calling it home for a few weeks. She didn¡¯t know how rapidly things had changed when he first arrived. Back then, it was a mad scramble to get everything done. There were more things to accomplish back then, and their scope was more narrow. Now, they were looking at establishing themselves as a trade empire in the southlands with an aim to usurp the ensconced trade guilds.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk, I want to talk shop.¡±


    ¡°Talk what?¡±


    Theo and Alise made their way back to town, passing by the newly established ranch. Miana Kell, the first person Theo had seen upon arriving in this world, worked to milk the Karatan and keep the Pozwa in check. Karatan were pleasant enough once a person had seen them enough times. More insect than cow, they were six-legged beasts with strange, short fur. This breed was specialized to produce as much milk as possible, a Veostian invention according to his supplier. The Pozwa were horrid. A twisted cross between an irate rooster and an insane goat, they were not fun to look at. The beasts had a fan of horns behind their head, 12 chitinous protuberances that sent Theo¡¯s stomach turning. They had feathers and laid eggs like a chicken, but were quadrupedal. He shuddered as they passed.


    Theo discussed his concerns with production, but Alise allayed his worst fears. She was coaching each producer to level up as quickly as possible, and invest whatever money they made back into their seed core buildings. That didn¡¯t sit right with the alchemist. It was his responsibility, contractually, to upgrade each building. He needed to have words with the producers of the town, but there was no time today. Not with a meeting scheduled.


    The Mercantile Chairs were the only trade tradition Broken Tusk adopted from the northern towns and cities. Unlike Qavell¡¯s version, the merchants in Broken Tusk saw no need to limit the amount of chairs. Everyone who produced got a say. They¡¯d even let the adventurers in on it, if they wanted. Of course, they never did.


    ¡°We need to get a proper town hall,¡± Alise said.


    The pair were approaching the building they used to conduct all meetings. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild building was massive, compared to every other building in town. It was two floors, but sat more like a three-story building. The entrance was wide, a set of well-hewn stones led up to a massive set of wooden doors. Inside was a hall, massive and crowded with people. Among the citizens of Broken Tusk, Half-Ogres made up most of the population, followed by Marshlings, then Humans. There were a few stragglers that still had to arrive, but Alise got things underway.


    It was the town¡¯s standard meeting of the minds. Everyone had suggestions on how to make things better, but the focus remained on improving everyone¡¯s buildings and levels. That would give them the most cost effective way to increase production, then they would be prepared to start trade negotiations across the sea. That was a long-term plan, though.


    The meeting went on for hours, well past midday and into the scorching afternoon. The topic remained on production, and each Chair claimed they were making more resources than they could sell. That surplus went directly into repairing the town, owing to the seed core¡¯s magical properties to consume the resources and apply them to the damaged sections of the wall. With the threat of monsters around every corner, this was necessary.


    ¡°We¡¯re limited on trade partners,¡± Throk said.


    Throk was a cornerstone of the town. He was their Blacksmith and Artificer, responsible for creating more amazing inventions than anyone else. Half of Theo¡¯s alchemy equipment was created by the Marshling, and he was the father of the alchemist¡¯s Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°Not least of which because of our location,¡± Alise said with a nod. ¡°Qavell is the obvious trade partner.¡±


    That sent a murmur through the room. Most people this far out from the capital didn¡¯t trust them, not least of which because of the reputation of the Merchant¡¯s Guild up there. Alise calmed the room after a long moment of distrustful glares.


    ¡°Do you recall when the cults went to war?¡± Alise asked. The room responded with nods. ¡°Something happened in Qavell. Mayhem in the streets. Under the king¡¯s nose and conducted by the Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°This is the first I¡¯m hearing of it,¡± Theo said, snapping out of his stupor. He¡¯d been paying half-attention until now, and hadn¡¯t heard anything about a merchant¡¯s war.


    ¡°They might need bulk goods,¡± Alise said, shrugging. ¡°Who knows.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a more measured approach,¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t want to get into bed with Qavell anymore than he already was. ¡°Smaller trade agreements with the towns that dot the path north.¡±


    Alise nodded, and the room broke out into discussion once again. This went on for a few more hours with no obvious goal in mind. At the end of the meeting, sometime near dusk, Alise took responsibility to find any new contracts and present them to the chairs. Agreements only needed Theo¡¯s approval, but it was always nice to loop everyone else in.


    With the meeting dismissed, Theo found his way away from the crowd and onto the cobbled street outside. A figure twisted in the shadow of a bush, bursting forth and wrapping itself around him, bowling both of them over onto the hard ground. Tresk, a Marshling and Theo¡¯s soul-bond companion. She was short, only coming up about waist-high for him, but a ball of pure energy. Like most Marshlings, she had slick skin, like that of a salamander¡¯s, with a pink tinge to her skin and little frills that stuck from the side of her head.


    ¡°We¡¯re eating spicy stuff tonight,¡± Tresk said, removing herself from Theo.


    ¡°Marsh Wolf?¡±


    ¡°Marsh Wolf.¡±


    The pair made their way to the only eatery in town, The Marsh Wolf Tavern. Xam, the Half-Ogre proprietor, had only recently got a cooking core. That hadn¡¯t stopped her from making some of the best food Theo had ever eaten. The squat, recently expanded building was already packed as the sun dipped lower in the sky. True to Tresk¡¯s word, the moment they entered the building their senses were assaulted by a wave of spicy air. They found their regular table, ordered, and waited for their food to be served.


    ¡°We need to find more trading partners,¡± Theo said, propping the window open.


    That seat by the window was a prized position, even if it was made obsolete recently. Tresk had expanded the tavern, the magic of the seed core creating more windows along the long, south-facing wall. Most people could easily find a seat with a window, but that center one was the original.


    Tresk shrugged in response. ¡°Gonna be hard around here. Unless you want to go traitor and trade with Veosta.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine the kingdom would be happy if we traded with the enemy,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not even the walls could hold back that tide.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s those lizard-people down south,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°The patch of islands?¡± Theo asked, grimacing. ¡°We¡¯d need boats. Unless you¡¯re volunteering to swim.¡±


    ¡°Not me,¡± Tresk said, holding her hands up. ¡°Boats would be better.¡±


    But the creation of boats that could traverse the coast was a long way away. From what Theo understood, there wasn¡¯t a functional port on the entire east coast of the continent. Perhaps there were a few small fishing piers inland, but nothing worth noting. The capital, Qavell, was landlocked. Although he might have tried, it was impossible for him to understand the distance from Broken Tusk to the capital of the kingdom. Adventurers were a bad source of information on that. Disregarding travel powers, most of them could move quicker than a normal person. While they claimed a journey to the north took 7 days, the alchemist suspected it was as long a walk as Earth¡¯s Europe was wide. But people didn¡¯t seem to measure things by distance here. Perhaps that was just a Broken Tusk thing.


    The image of Sulvan Flametouched stuck in Theo¡¯s mind while he waited for his food. The Grand Inquisitor of the Order of the Burning Eye could cross the continent in moments. He just ran everywhere, which struck a hilarious image in his mind. By the time a person leveled their cores and themselves up to 130, they were something other than a regular person. They rested on the edge of something Theo might never understand.


    The food came in time, two plates of something Theo didn¡¯t recognize. Xam Slug herself delivered it. She was fair, as far as the hard-faced Half-Ogres went, shorter than her kin and softer all around. While her personality matched most times, she could match the temper of her race. But the tavern was too busy for her to stay and chat. Since she got her cooking core, that had been the case.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together. While Theo understood how they were supposed to eat the meal, Tresk simply tipped the plate into her open mouth. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes from the spice.


    The dish was interesting. A curry-like substance rested on milled and rolled Zee flour, reminding Theo of curry over couscous. On the side was a stack of Zee derived flatbread, meant for sopping up the overflowing sauce and holding the wolf meat. Xam always used wolf meat, although it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see Marsh Snapper meat. Before she got her cooking core, the food was always bland. Now, even at a low level, it was a treat. Theo¡¯s eyes watered, sweat forming on his brow as he ate through the spicy food. As he finished the meal, fanning his face, a system notification popped up.


    [Food Buff!] You¡¯ve consumed a piece of [Spicy Wolf Meat Curry], crafted by a [Cook].


    +2 Vigor for 8 hours.


    Theo and Tresk didn¡¯t come to the dinner service for the food buffs. The ambiance wasn¡¯t much to speak of, either, especially since Xam started importing liquor from Rivers and Daub. The crowds were rowdier than ever, but the food was worth it. Soon, the Marsh Wolf Hotsprings would open, elevating the town even further. It was another feather in their hat.


    Something Theo noticed, as they were preparing to leave, was the excess of strangers in the tavern. With the roads cleared, adventurers must have shuffled themselves southward. The opportunities up north were drying up, not least of which because of the war. The alchemist marked them as a mix of traders and adventurers, but pushed it out of his mind as he left the tavern. Today was busy enough already, he didn¡¯t want to complicate it further. The pair returned to the Newt and Demon, their alchemy lab and home, entering the Dreamwalk.

 Chapter 3.2 - Drogramath is an Idiot

    The Dreamwalk skill allowed Theo and Tresk to traverse into a strange place. It was a reflection of a memory, recalled through the minds of both members of the Tara¡¯hek. This often painted it with more emotions than logic, twisting reality to suit whatever either of them was feeling at the moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mirror to our realm,¡± Theo said.


    The pair stood overlooking the ruins of Berlin. A month ago, this sight would have sent Theo running, desperate to wash the image from his mind. Now he stared back at it in defiance. The crater left by the orbital kinetic bombardment was absolute, leaving no survivors. They stood in ruins of buildings, windows blown out with only a few walls to speak of. Crumbling bricks and the remnants of civilization all around them.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s neat,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see this place before it got blown up?¡±


    Theo nodded. With a thought, the image shifted. Tresk never enjoyed seeing the ruins. She always preferred to train in the busy suburbs outside of Berlin, or that quiet forest somewhere in Canada. The alchemist could never remember the name of that town, but that didn¡¯t matter. This was a place for them to hone their skills while they slept, a skill they took advantage of every night. The Marshling disappeared, scampering off to summon monsters and practice her abilities. The Dreamwalk was the perfect place for alchemical experimentation.


    The limitations of the Dreamwalk realm were only bound by the user¡¯s imagination and knowledge. Everything worked like the real world. If they¡¯d seen it before, they could reproduce it here with perfect accuracy. That was a hard limit, though. Theo could discover new things, such as properties on reagents, but it had to follow the logic of the real world. He couldn¡¯t produce something from nothing, gaining knowledge he had no business poking into.


    Theo walked for a few minutes, putting some distance between himself and the army of Trolls that was pummeling Tresk. It always took her a few hours to realize she should create monsters that were in her level range. He found a quiet spot, off a main road and near a few trees. It should have been dawn, according to his memory of this place, but the sky was just a twisting haze of colors. With a thought, he summoned a facsimile of a person. They were faceless, like a mannequin, just standing there. He found it easier to have something to talk to as he went through his steps.


    ¡°The basics of Drogramathi alchemy,¡± Theo said, nodding to summon a basic copper still. It appeared on the asphalt, flame already flickering below the pot-bellied still. He turned to his faceless companion. ¡°Are you following? Of course not. Essences are the key to good Drogramathi alchemy. Unrefined essences are the basis for low-level alchemy. Simply heat mashed reagents in a still, and you¡¯ll distill those essences.¡±


    Theo summoned a pile of [Mage¡¯s Bane] flowers and a large mortar and pestle to mash them with. He deposited the mixture into the still, returned the lid, and adjusted the fire below.


    ¡°This is where the intent comes in,¡± Theo said, turning to his companion. ¡°I¡¯ve discovered 2 properties for the [Mage¡¯s Bane]. [Resist Magic] and [Absorb Magic]. Following? When I start a run, I focus on that intent.¡±


    Theo manipulated the head of his mannequin, forcing it to nod. ¡°The result is something like this,¡± Theo said, conjuring a flask of basic [Resist Magic Essence]. ¡°But there¡¯s the problem.¡±


    A bolt of lightning shot from somewhere in the suburbs, staining the twisting sky for only a moment. Theo paused, waiting to see if Tresk¡¯s pitched battle would spill into his section of the city. It did not. He summoned Throk¡¯s design for the refinement chamber, a pressure vessel designed to remove the impurities from essences. The alchemist loaded it with the essence and set it to work.


    ¡°Without my alignment bonuses and upgrades, the essences refine at a half-rate,¡± Theo said, slapping the side of the machine. He produced a flask and looked at the [Refined Resist Magic Essence] that poured from the side of the device, half of what he put in. ¡°We¡¯re skipping a few steps here, but can you see the logic? Where does this go?¡±


    Theo walked over to the dummy and forced it to nod its head.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Theo said, nodding and moving back to his equipment. ¡°There¡¯s more process here to discover. Well, while we¡¯re on the topic of that¡­ I¡¯m fairly certain I¡¯ve already discovered the next step.¡±


    Theo moved to the side of his still, gesturing to summon a [Fermentation Barrel]. He placed more [Mage¡¯s Bane] mash inside, adding water and returning the lid. The alchemist focused, allowing mana to flow from his body and into the device. ¡°Fermentation produces modifiers. Modifiers allow you to alter the way a potion works. We¡¯re making potions here, by the way. That¡¯s the entire process, if you want to think of it in the simplest terms. Mashing reagents and placing them in stills produces essences. Those essences can be refined in pressure vessels. Fermentation creates modifiers¡ªoh, but that leaves a question, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Theo moved to the pressure vessel, slapping the side of it to speed up the process and scooping the alchemical waste from the output port at the bottom. This was the biggest mystery to him. Back in the real world, he had piles of the stuff sitting in [Dimensional Storage Crates], just waiting for experimentation. It didn¡¯t matter to him if the waste was useful, but producing a byproduct meant his process wasn¡¯t complete. He was missing a step.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s another mystery that might help that out,¡± Theo said, moving to a patch of open grass. Herbs sprung from the ground, growing far taller than they did in nature. ¡°These are cultivated¡ª¡± Theo looked back, moving to drag his mannequin over to the patch of earth. ¡°These are cultivated plants. They produce better results than those grown in nature. I have a theory that once they hit the highest level of cultivation, you can splice them with other plants. I haven¡¯t proved that yet.¡±


    The distant battle came to a head, ending in silence. Theo waited, expecting the inevitable. Tresk came padding down the narrow street. Whatever wounds she suffered from the fight gone through the magic of the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± she asked.


    Theo gestured to the faceless person. ¡°I call him Bob.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Is Bob helping you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just talking to him,¡± Theo said, moving over to his fermentation barrel.


    ¡°Kinda weird,¡± Tresk said. ¡°What do you need to talk to Bob for?¡±


    ¡°It helps me concentrate,¡± Theo said. ¡°I was explaining basic Drogramathi alchemy to him.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Did you get to the part about bombs? Hey, that¡¯s a good question,¡± Tresk said in one rapid string of sounds. ¡°How big can those explosions get?¡±


    Tresk was talking about the unrefined way of making bombs. The dangerous way. Essences rarely got along. When introduced together, they typically produced a negative reaction. That ranged from sizzling, to smoke, to something similar to a lot of explosives crammed into a small space. The limit of an essences'' ability to produce a negative reaction didn¡¯t scale. Theo had already tested that here in the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°The largest improvised explosion is slightly bigger than the one I showed in Broken Tusk,¡± Theo said, producing a replica of the bomb. It was an improvised device, a two-chambered flask with a catalyst in the center. He handed it to Tresk to throw, which she did. It soared through the air, producing a sizable explosion on impact. ¡°The problem is that the essences cook off before they can react. They get aerosolized, vaporize, or just get scattered before they can join the reaction.¡±


    ¡°That sucks,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo smiled, patting her on the head. ¡°No, that¡¯s a good thing. Otherwise, I could just add enough essence to destroy the world.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°That¡¯s about it, Bob,¡± Theo said, nodding to his mute friend. ¡°Essences come from reagents. Modifiers come from fermentation. Refining essences strengthens them, puts them in tier 2. And I can now imbue water and catalysts with my mana. Well, that ignores the part about Drogramath¡¯s influence on our world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s concerning,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯re safe here,¡± Theo said, casting his eyes over the constructed world. ¡°Pretty sure no one can hear us here.¡±


    ¡°We really haven¡¯t tested it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Drogramath is an idiot.¡±


    She waited, looking at the sky as though the Demon Lord would smite her down. When nothing happened she shrugged, a look of smug satisfaction spreading across her wet face. Theo often struggled to be mad at her. Either through the connection provided by the Tara¡¯hek, or his soft spot for people who went goblin-mode regularly, he found comfort in her antics. She was maturing, but it was slow.


    The pair moved off from Berlin, shifting through a series of dream-like landscapes through the night. During the Dreamwalk they gained experience as though they had performed the actions in real life. Theo spent his time, in between adjusting to new environments, tending gardens to raise his [Drogramath Herbalism Core]. It was the toughest core for him to level. He inspected the core and adjoining skills sometime through the night.


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    [Drogramath Herbalist Core]


    Rare


    Herbalist Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 13 (12%)


    [Herbalist Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effects:


    +4 Vigor


    Raising the core¡¯s rating higher than rare was on his list of things to do, but it wasn¡¯t pressing. That might have influenced his inability to level it so quickly, but with things being so busy he hadn¡¯t had a chance.


    [Drogramath Herbalism]


    Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Drogramath has an eye for reagents. His descendants have an easier time identifying plants that produce alchemical ingredients.


    Effect:


    You have a sense whether something will produce alchemical ingredients.


    +3 Intelligence


    [Drogramath Herbalism] was the skill that came with the core. It was the basis of everything he did, allowing him to identify herbs and process them. The increased [Intelligence] was also welcome.


    [Drogramath Fermentation]


    Herbalism Skill


    Epic


    Drogramath was fond of fermentation. Not only for the brewing of alcohol, but also the strange effect it has on reagents.


    Effect:


    Fermentations you perform happen rapidly, compared to those without this skill.


    Allows the modification of reagents to produce special modifier essences.


    +1 Intelligence


    [Drogramath Fermentation] was attached to his [Drogramath Herbalism] core as well. This allowed Theo access to modifiers. Once again, the [Intelligence] was a boon. The herbalism core may have produced the reagents he needed to perform alchemy, but his [Drogramath Alchemy] core was the means to everything else. That core allowed him to create impossible potions, the life¡¯s blood of his entire operation in Broken Tusk. He inspected that core and the related skills.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core]


    Legendary


    Alchemy Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 13 (50%)


    [Alchemy Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effect:


    Increases the synergy of [Alchemy] abilities.


    +4 Wisdom


    [Unstable Material Handling]


    It was an understatement to call the core rare. Even the legendary rarity status undersold how scarce it was in the world. If the information Theo got was true, he was the only Drogramathi Alchemist currently alive. While that was good enough for him, the legendary status made it more powerful than a normal alchemy core. He didn¡¯t have the exact numbers, but it was somewhere near 50 levels stronger than the common rarity [Alchemy Core], and it was unlikely that any other core was aligned.


    [Unstable Material Handling]


    Alchemy Skill


    Rare


    Allows the user to handle alchemical materials safely.


    Effect:


    While handling alchemy materials of any kind, you¡¯re less likely to cause an unexpected reaction


    [Unstable Material Handling] affected more things than Theo could imagine. He understood, through intuition, that this allowed him to work his art. Anyone handling his essences would be hard pressed not to cause an unplanned reaction, likely resulting in their demise.


    [Drogramath Distillery Specialty]


    Alchemy Skill


    Legendary


    You claim heritage to Drogramath, the potioneer. The Demon King¡¯s specialty was distillation, allowing you to extract the essence of alchemical ingredients. Distillation produces a pure form of extract, although some claim it to be more unstable.


    Effect:


    Allows the user to operate distillery equipment at a significantly increased efficiency.


    Allows the user to gauge, by eye, the exact quantity of mixtures in units.


    +2 Wisdom


    Theo didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d live without [Drogramath Distillery Specialty]. It was simply the best skill he had, hands down. While the alchemy guilds in Qavell fumbled around with archaic distillation equipment, the alchemist operated them all with ease.


    [High Pressure Refining]


    Alchemy Skill


    Uncommon


    Requires: [Drogramath Alchemy Core] level 10


    Pressure has an interesting effect on essences. This skill allows you to safely operate a pressure vessel. Learning how a pressure vessel works is up to you.


    Effect:


    Allows the user to operate an alchemical pressure vessel safely.


    Gives the user access to refined essence identification.


    +1 Intelligence


    [High Pressure Refining] was the next step in his journey to create truly powerful potions. It allowed him to take a regular essence, which he had come to think of as rank 1, and elevate it to a new level of power. He thought of that next rank as rank 2 potions. Most potions created with the refined essences were doubly effective.


    [Drogramath Inventory]


    Universal Skill


    Legendary


    Your heritage gives you access to the extra-dimensional spaces claimed by Drogramath. This ability changes to suit the user, giving them access to a pocket dimension presented in a way that matches your true origin. Items can be stored in the dimension at will, the only limitation is based on your origin¡¯s manifestation. Items stored do not encumber the user.


    Effects:


    Inventory (32 slot, item stack count based on item)


    Of course, [Drogramath Inventory] was an absurdly powerful skill. Without this, Theo would be forced to carry around crazy amounts of materials in a satchel. This enabled him to do what most traders did. They stuffed absurd amounts of junk in their inventory. Anything stored within his inventory wouldn¡¯t rot, and food would even stay warm.


    The Dreamwalk ended as dawn approached. The transition between that strange realm and the waking world was hard to get used to. Theo woke up in his bed, even if he¡¯d just been running around the dream world moments ago. He was completely rested, feeling as though he just got a full night¡¯s sleep. Even better was that every action he performed in the Dreamwalk, translated into the real world. He gained experience for every action he took.


    Theo and Tresk woke up, never ones to linger in bed, and made their way to the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Predictably, Xam served whatever she had on hand from the night before. The topic of discussion was her new building, still growing on the plot behind the tavern. It was the worst kept secret in Broken Tusk. Once people figured out what the pipes were for, they understood the purpose of the building.


    ¡°That works for her,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°Building up excitement before the building is even done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to work with Throk to get the details on the mixers,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°He made these artifices that mix purification essences with the water to automatically purify the water,¡± Theo said. ¡°I wonder which would be quicker¡­ Boiling the water, or using the essences?¡±


    Tresk shrugged, dumping her plate of food into her mouth. Theo spotted one of the strangers he¡¯d seen last night, catching his eye. The man smiled, making his way over to the table. He was a well-dressed Human, his short hair slicked to one side and expensive silks covering his body. Theo identified him as a trader immediately.


    ¡°Rud,¡± the man said, reaching out a hand for Theo to shake.


    ¡°Theo.¡±


    ¡°Crazy times, eh?¡± Rud asked, shaking his head.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Theo said, unwilling to give anything up.


    Rud straightened his silks, adjusting a pendant hanging from a silver chain on his neck. He cleared his throat. ¡°I represent trade interests in Qavell.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not interested in dealing with the Trade Guild,¡± Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. Tresk shot the man a glare.


    Rud leaned in, tapping his fingers on the table. ¡°Then we have that much in common. Hardly anything worth talking about, those trade guilds. Not after the war.¡±


    Theo raised his brows, failing to hide his interest.


    ¡°See? Perhaps we can be friends, after all,¡± Rud said, flashing a grin.


    ¡°What happened with the guild?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a story,¡± Rud said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°The story depends on who you ask. Some people say the Mercantile Chairs had it out for each other for years and it just boiled over. Others think assassins from the Order of the Burning Eye had it out for the Chairs. Then there¡¯s the story about the duelist.¡±


    ¡°The duelist?¡± Tresk asked, standing up on her chair.


    ¡°Some Elf from Tarantham,¡± Rud said. ¡°Came in and shook everything up. Sent the Chairs into a fit. Then, they ate each other alive.¡±


    ¡°Where is Tarantham?¡± Theo asked. He¡¯d never heard the name.


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ If you could find it, you¡¯d be dead. Supposed to be west, across a sea,¡± Rud said. ¡°But that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I work with bulk materials. Raw timber, stone, metal, motes.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, spotting Alise entering the building. He waved her over.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Mister Rud is interested in buying raw materials,¡± Theo said. ¡°Think you can sort him out?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Alise said, bowing. ¡°Please follow me to the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Theo and Tresk watched the two people walk out of the tavern. Tresk punched him playfully in the arm. ¡°You just get your minions to do everything now.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s the point of having an assistant if I don¡¯t use her?¡±


    They discussed how the trade deal would go. Their current deal with Rivers and Daub was good, but they needed to move more raw material if they wanted to expand the town quickly. The primary raw resources were, as Rud mentioned, wood, stone, metal, and motes. Broken Tusk had no formal way to manage the collection of motes, but that might have been something worth looking into. Stone was collected by Ziz and worked on a ninety-ten split favoring the stoneworkers. Gridgen managed the mine, Nira the smelter, and they got the ten percent of the split on their end. Sledge, another Marshling in town, worked the lumber operation and received the same deal.


    The pace at which each producer was working was always in excess. They made more resources than the town could consume or sell, which put them in stockpiling mode. Even if Rud wanted to match the deal that Rivers struck, he wouldn¡¯t take more than they could make. Theo made a mental note to get with Alise and run the numbers on their production later. Until then, he turned his attention to the thing that consumed most of his time. Alchemy.

 Chapter 3.3 - Always Busy

    Theo approached the greenhouse, resting on the old gravel yard behind the Newt and Demon. Several small orbs of light floated around the interior, a benefit of the [Sun Orbs] upgrade that provided the perfect light for those plants. His [Spiny Swamp Thistle] cultivation operation was in full swing, a fact made possible by the farmers in town. Without their insight on how to propagate plants, the alchemist would have been stuck in the first stages. When cultivated, plants grew larger than they should have. The one thing he hadn¡¯t seen the effects of was the greenhouse¡¯s newest upgrade, [Drogramath Empowerment]. Unlike most upgrades, the [Alchemical Garden] upgrade provided an entirely new building for the alchemy lab. It had its own upgrade path.


    Cutting away at the vegetation, Theo hoisted a massive [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] for inspection.


    [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Cultivated]


    Common


    This [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] has been cultivated. Selective breeding and applications of growth potions will increase the [Cultivation] modifier. [Cultivation] percentage increases yield and quality of this reagent.


    Cultivation:


    100%


    Unit by volume:


    12 units


    Properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] ????


    Theo had been using the cultivation aspect of growing plants to produce larger plants, but that was only the start. He knew there was something else to it, even if that knowledge felt far away. A normal [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] produced a one-to-one ratio of essence, and thus potion. The cultivated version provided far more. A fully cultivated root produced over ten-times that amount, and they grew quick enough in the greenhouse. There was a clear flaw in the way his greenhouse worked, though. His intuition said it was a staging area, meant to be used in tandem with a larger facility. These were seedlings in the world of cultivated reagents, ready for planting in a larger building.


    Those were thoughts for another time, though. The garden needed attention. Weeds gathered near the base of stalks, clawing at the cultivated plants like hungry parasites. Theo plucked them all, tossing them from the greenhouse and preparing the magical earth for more crops. There were a few potions the alchemist wanted to keep on hand at all times. Healing potions and potions that removed diseases were invaluable. As he cut down the last plant, moving every reagent into his inventory, he sensed someone approaching the greenhouse.


    ¡°Always busy,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo stood, watching the Drogramathi Priestess enter the greenhouse. She was the spitting image of the body he inhabited, so close in appearance they could have been twins. How Dronon were born was beyond him, so twins could have been an impossibility, but she sure seemed like a twin. When Zarali came to town it was a shock to his system. It revealed a truth that he never wanted to consider, that this wasn¡¯t a body created especially for him. This was someone else¡¯s body. But Belgar had died, allowing the alchemist to transition into this new world.


    ¡°Always,¡± Theo said, hoisting a pile of vegetation into his inventory.


    ¡°I have some time, if you want to go over some more alchemy,¡± Zarali said.


    She was as tall as Theo, with the same black hair and the same swoop of horns rolling over her head. Her face was simultaneously kind and stern, her voice always lilting between words. She wore the robes of her station, dark purple silks with moccasins that magically repelled dirt. Theo wanted nothing more than to increase his knowledge on Drogramathi alchemy, and Zarali was the perfect person to teach it.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve torn yourself away from the wizard,¡± Theo said, flashing a smile. ¡°I have potions to brew.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Zarali said.


    They made their way up to the lab on the second floor of the Newt and Demon. The downstairs was his shop, but at the top of the stairs were two doors on either side. The left led to the lab, and the right led to his bedroom. Both rooms afforded a pleasant view of the greenhouse down below, everything else in town obscured by the boughs of what few trees remained in the town¡¯s borders. The Ogre Cypress trees, impossibly tall and thick, dominated every other line of sight.


    The lab had grown larger, compared to what it once was. It was a rectangular room, bordered on most walls by either tables, cabinets, or barrels. On the far side, near the window overlooking the greenhouse, was a shrine. The altar came from the [Shrine To Drogramath] building upgrade, and provided absurd benefits to potion making. Near the center of the room was a steel plate resting under a flue where the many vapors produced by alchemy should have been sucked away. It rarely worked. Under the vent was three pot-bellied stills, their condenser coils feeding over to a table in the center of the room. The first was a [Drogramath Still], an upgrade only available to members of the Drogramath Dronon race. The next two stills were creations of Throk, which bore a less intimidating appearance. Where the [Drogramath Still] had spikes and purple flourishes, the [Custom Copper Artifice Still] was made of alchemically treated copper.


    ¡°Always a pleasure to see so much equipment,¡± Zarali said, sighing and running her hand over the [Drogramath Still].


    Theo nodded, moving to his shrine to make an offering. He placed an entire [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], the cultivated version, on the small tray and watched as it vanished in purple flames. His daily offerings empowered his alchemy and brought him close to the Demonic God. The alchemist wasn''t sure if that was a good thing, but the benefits outweighed the risks by a large margin. Zarali nodded in approval. He affixed his [Alchemical Grinder Artifice] to the top of the [Drogramath Still] and processed the remaining cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. His strength had grown significantly since he came to Broken Tusk, allowing him to easily cut a root to fit the grinder.


    Theo inspected his attributes sheet as the grinder whirred away.


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 12


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 3


    Stats:


    Health: 65


    Mana: 90


    Stamina: 75


    Strength: 16 (+10)


    Dexterity: 8 (+3)


    Vigor: 12 (+4)


    Intelligence: 17 (+4)


    Wisdom: 25 (+6)


    Points: 0


    The Tara¡¯hek was designed to make up for what the other person lacked. Theo had a decent base score for [Strength], but the soul-bond core gave him an extra 6, and 2 [Vigor]. The effects of these stats were noticeable, especially those related to physical attributes. His plan for attribute distribution was to first get 20 in [Wisdom], then 20 in [Intelligence], then to obtain gear to make up for his other stats and distribute between the two mental stats every level. [Vigor] had become his biggest concern, after creeping close to 20 [Intelligence]. That attribute directly affected his [Stamina], which impacted his ability to work. He also suspected it influenced the amount of sleep he needed, but with the Dreamwalk that wasn¡¯t a problem.


    The real issue with his current build was his [Governance Core]. He inspected that core to get a better idea of what he needed to do.


    [Governance Core]


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    Legendary


    Administration Core


    Unbound


    2 Slots


    Level 6 (2%)


    Advanced [Administrator] core, reserved for leaders.


    Innate Skills:


    [Command Structure]


    [Titles]


    [Automatic Books]


    Effects:


    +3 Intelligence


    The strength of the core was that it leveled all the time. No matter what happened, he always got a large amount of experience just for being the mayor of Broken Tusk. The added [Intelligence] just made it that much better. Every multiple of 10, a core got a free skill. The list of skills was endless, but a few usually stuck out to him in that sprawling list. Theo needed to get this core to 10 as quickly as possible, but the same could be said of his other cores. The higher they were, the better. He popped another mote in the grinder''s side as it came to a stop, urging it back to life. Only then did he notice Zarali standing there, tapping her foot.


    ¡°Did you hear anything I said?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Theo said, ¡°not a word.¡±


    ¡°Your attention span is lacking for someone with such high [Wisdom],¡± Zarali said, letting out a frustrated sigh. ¡°I want to redesign your stills.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so negative, brother,¡± Zarali said. ¡°We¡¯re doing great work here. Aside from all that nonsense, I¡¯m offering to enchant your stills.¡±


    Theo perked up at that. He hadn¡¯t seen her skill and a [Drogramath Enchanter], even if she had the building to support the endeavor. When she planted the seed core, it was an act of concession. The value of her building was impossible to calculate, but she planted it in Broken Tusk, offering her enchanting services as a way to build trust. The alchemist was often too trusting, but then again he was building something here. Those that he was kind to pledged their loyalty without a second thought.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, checking the temperature on the [Drogramath Still] before moving to fill another with [Spiny Swamp Thistle Roots]. Each had a capacity of 500 units, which would consume the entirety of his stock. ¡°Not mentioning your enchantments, how will your modifications improve the stills?¡±


    ¡°Mostly, it will lower your operation time,¡± Zarali said. ¡°My enchantments will do many things, but we¡¯ll work on that. For now, I think we can talk about your process.¡±


    ¡°I thought we dialed it in pretty good,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You have,¡± Zarali said with a nod. ¡°I want you to consider a few facts. Belgar was 23 years old. Well, he might have been 25. We really don¡¯t remember our childhood. He got his cores at 18, a rather late age for a Dronon, but he only hit the late 20¡¯s in his cores.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t need her to spell it out for him. He was moving too fast and missing things as he went, that just made sense. Normally an alchemist would slave away for years to obtain what he had. Those alchemists dabbled over the years, learning the secrets without making progress. That set them up for future success. It gave them a foundation that they could build upon. No one had access to the amount of reagents or support he did. The alchemists in Qavell held their secrets away from others, and the Dronon were often in the wilds, away from any support structure. Theo was in a nexus of Drogramath¡¯s power, with an entire town to back his every move. It was a unique situation.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve missed things,¡± Theo said. ¡°Approaching level 20 without the knowledge I need to succeed.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Well, you mastered mana infusion rather quickly. I¡¯ve long suspected that whoever put you in this body repurposed Belgar¡¯s old cores, putting them at level 1 so you could start from the start. Memories linger in those cores. Not memories, no. Instinct.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m using borrowed knowledge,¡± Theo said, nodding. He didn¡¯t have a problem with that. ¡°I need every advantage I can get, so I won¡¯t complain. What am I missing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll work on that,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Mana infusion is the barrier for level 20. I don¡¯t know the barrier for level 30.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the crux of the issue?,¡± Theo said. ¡°The sticking point. I¡¯m moving faster than I should be, so you can¡¯t help me. But you can set me on the path.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s learning!¡± Zarali said, speaking to the statue of Drogramath. ¡°We¡¯ll make a Dronon out of you, yet.¡±


    Theo adjusted the heat on his stills, summoning a hotter flame than before. Working with the temperature on the stills was a big part of distillation. It was a skill he still hadn¡¯t mastered.


    ¡°Kinda leaves me with a question for you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I really wish you¡¯d speak with more decorum,¡± Zarali said, frowning.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Living out in the middle of nowhere all your life. Suddenly coming to civilization¡ªthat has to be weird for a Dronon.¡±


    Zarali shrugged. ¡°And so you have more to learn. Perhaps a Zagmon Dronon, or a Uz¡¯Xulven Dronon, but not a Drogramath Dronon. We¡¯re a different breed, brother. Before Balkor¡¯s Betrayal, everyone hated Dronon. They still do in certain places of the world, but after that war things changed. Regular people realized that not all Dronon were the same. So, I¡¯ve been living among the kind races of the world since Belgar died. In Veosta, if you must know.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brows peaked without his command. ¡°My potions made it all the way to Veosta?¡±


    That¡¯s exactly how Zarali found him. She came to town with a potion in her hand. Each of his potions bore a tag, claiming it was made by Belgar. The idea that his work had made its way across enemy lines, into Veosta, was amazing.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Under my tutelage, there won¡¯t be a corner of this world that doesn¡¯t know about our work. Now, shall we move on to another topic?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°The stills are set for this run, but I have some fermentation to do.¡±


    Theo wanted to make as much [Anti-Mage] modifier as possible, which is why he was cultivating it in his [Alchemical Garden]. He placed the [Alchemical Grinder] atop the first fermentation barrel, a product of the town¡¯s woodworker Sledge, and set it to work. Each barrel could hold 200 units of material, causing him to fill all of them. He turned, waiting for Zarali to continue.


    ¡°We can begin the work that Belgar left off,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°His work to break the level 30 barrier,¡± Theo said, snorting a laugh. ¡°Alright. Explain it to me while we harvest reagents.¡±


    The entire area within Broken Tusk was safe to harvest reagents. With powerful turrets on the walls and constant patrolling of adventurers, it was safe. Even within the walls there were herbs to gather. The most common was the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], although many others grew within sight outside of the walls. Theo simply preferred walking around town rather than discussing things in his stuffy lab.


    ¡°There¡¯s a skill,¡± Zarali said, kneeling to harvest reagents. ¡°It¡¯s called [Reagent Deconstruction]. You should be able to see it now that you understand the nature of materials.¡±


    Theo paused for a moment, summoning his skills screen and using the search feature. Without that search feature, he¡¯d be scrolling through the infinite list of skills forever. He found it after a moment and inspected it.


    [Reagent Deconstruction]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Understanding the composition of reagents leads to their deconstruction.


    Effect:


    Increases the user¡¯s ability to deconstruct reagents.


    +1 Intelligence


    Requires: Level 15 [Drogramath Herbalism] and Level 15 [Drogramath Alchemy] cores.


    It seemed like a rather horrible skill, compared to his other skills. The only thing that stood out was the combined skill description. He¡¯d never seen a skill that fell under the domain of 2 cores.


    ¡°Deconstruction,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°We¡¯re talking about properties, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Zarali said. ¡°You¡¯re working with refined essences right now, which is fine. But that¡¯s as good as following the instructions in a book.¡±


    Theo moved to another plant, a decent example of a [Stone Flower]. Its rocky petal disintegrated easily, if not handled properly. He could see what Zarali was getting at, even if she wouldn¡¯t say it. [Reagent Deconstruction] was a stepping stone. If he didn¡¯t take it, he¡¯d be out of luck when it came time to break his level 30 barrier. That left him with a thought.


    ¡°Deconstruction relates to infusing stuff with mana,¡± Theo said with a shrug. It wasn¡¯t a massive leap to say that. Things seemed to bleed from one step to the other, broken into the 10s of levels.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you understand that much. There¡¯s a difference between infusing things with mana and using mana to deconstruct them. Infusions happen automatically. Deconstruction requires skill,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Belgar never tested the theory, but he predicted it. Processing reagents goes from distilling them down, to refining them, to creating something else. You began with blindly distilling properties, then you understood essences were a mix of properties, after that you bend those properties.¡±


    ¡°How does this help me now?¡± Theo asked.


    They were picking their way to the western gate, which led onto an open plane split by a river. The other thing of note near the gate was the ranch, run by Miana Kell. Even now, Theo could see her working with the Karatan. Those strange beasts would do more for Broken Tusk than anyone knew. For now, he was content with watching her at a distance, letting her develop the business on her own.


    ¡°It requires training,¡± Zarali said, winking at an adventurer guarding the western gate. ¡°When you take the skill, you¡¯ll use it by deconstructing reagents. But it doesn¡¯t happen automatically.¡±


    ¡°Which means I need to learn how to use my mana,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s the logical progression. Blindly processing reagents, then refining them, then manipulating them. It makes sense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you follow,¡± Zarali said.


    They approached the wide river, watching as a group of Marshlings walked by with fishing nets in hand. Theo had never seen where they fished, or what they caught. The fishermen of the town were reclusive. Zarali approached the rocky bank, removing her moccasins to soak her feet in the cool water. Theo joined her.


    ¡°Sometimes I feel as though people are steering me in a direction,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I said as much,¡± Zarali said with a shrug. ¡°Drogramath sent me here to give you knowledge and help your town. I told you that.¡±


    ¡°Not just you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s your burden to bear,¡± Zarali said. ¡°How is the [River Dungeon] doing?¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t see the [River Dungeon] from the bank. It was underwater, buried among that churning river. ¡°I haven¡¯t read the latest report. I think the other 4 dungeons are growing steadily. Not sure if that¡¯s a good thing, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful thing,¡± Zarali. ¡°I have long-term plans of my own, you know.¡±


    The alchemist didn¡¯t doubt that. With as much Drogramathi energy in the air as there was, she had to have something else up her sleeve. The pair sat there for some time, whittling away the day until the stills in the lab were ready. It was a good start in a new era of alchemy for him. Things were shaping up to create potions the likes the world had never seen before.

 Chapter 3.4 - Cheese!

    Theo left Zarali at the river. She wanted to spend time there, but for what reason, he didn¡¯t know. The entire time he lingered near the western border of his town, he felt eyes upon him. They weren¡¯t eyes that pried, digging into his soul to determine his merit, they were kind eyes. Attention that brought comfort and protection. The alchemist knew Tresk lurked near enough to come if he needed it, and he wouldn¡¯t have to call for her aid. With her [Shadowdance] skill, she could enter the shadows and leap, 10 times, to any shadow within line-of-sight. While he appreciated her attention, she would have been better delving into the dungeons.


    When Theo entered the town once again, he found Miana tending to her animals. Their agreement on the property was informal. Seeing the creatures grazing the fields, happily living out their lives, was enough for him. Even the horrific goat-like Pozwa crowed with excitement, butting each other with their many-horned heads and eating anything that wasn¡¯t nailed down. He entered the paddock and approached one of the feathered creatures, holding his hand out flat for it to sniff. It bit him.


    ¡°That¡¯s Bity!¡± Miana shouted. ¡°He bites.¡±


    ¡°Creative,¡± Theo said, shooing the beast away and approaching the Half-Ogre woman.


    The years weren¡¯t kind to Miana. Despite that, she still looked youthful and exuberant. She bore the features of her race, the Half-Ogres, tall and muscular with broad, powerful faces and olive-red skin. Her hair was always kept short, which seemed wise in the presence of the Pozwa. Unlike when Theo first arrived, Miana Kell now held a permanent smile on her face.


    ¡°Things are going well,¡± Miana said, patting the flank of a Karatan. ¡°I¡¯m prepared to give my thanks to Fenian.¡±


    Miana moved off without saying another word, the intent for Theo to pursue lingering in the air. He followed her into the tall barn, which remained open on the paddock side while the creatures ate in the fields. The barn was a row, on either side, of stalls for the Karatan and Pozwa to rest at night. Tucked in the far corner were a series of tanks and devices meant to harvest the milk from the Karatan, joined by a new set of tools. The alchemist figured they were meant for removing the Pozwa¡¯s many horns. The Half-Ogre woman hoisted a cylindrical object, holding it over her head.


    ¡°Cheese!¡± she shouted before handing it over to Theo.


    ¡°You made cheese,¡± Theo said, staring in disbelief. Milk was enough of a bonus, but cheese? That was something else entirely.


    ¡°How many farms produce cheese in Qavell?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Plenty, but not cheese like this,¡± Miana said. ¡°Try some.¡±


    Theo took a bite, finding the flavor to be excellent. He never had real cheese on Earth, only the powdered stuff that came with his meals. The texture was divine, crumbling in his mouth, and the flavor was a mix between herby garlic and creamy milk. A system message popped up the moment he swallowed.


    [Properties Discovery!]


    You¡¯ve discovered an additional effect from the [Veostian Karatan Cheese] by eating it.


    [Bind] discovered.


    Theo should have figured the cheese could be used for alchemy. The massive wheel that Miana produced was at least 20 units worth. If the properties were good, it was possible that he could make a potion out of cheese. The thought made him laugh, but he inspected the cheese.


    [Veostian Karatan Cheese]


    [Food] [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Uncommon


    Unaged cheese made from the milk of a Veostian Karatan.


    Properties:


    [Suffuse] [Bind] ????


    As with most ingredients, the properties meant little. They sometimes related to the end potion, but often it was impossible to tell what they did. ¡°May I?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got a bunch,¡± Miana said. ¡°There¡¯s an idea. I bet the Pozwa horns give you something.¡±


    Miana disappeared for a moment, rummaging through a [Dimensional Storage Crate] before returning with a curled, brown horn. She held it out for him to inspect.


    [Pozwa Horn]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Epic


    Pozwa are said to have a third eye, although that¡¯s just metaphorical. These wise creatures produce this rare horn, prized by practitioners of scrimshaw.


    Properties:


    [Reveal] ???? ????


    ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you can eat that one, can you?¡± Miana said, chuckling.


    ¡°No, but that property is interesting,¡± Theo said. ¡°[Reveal]... I have a feeling this could make a bomb? No, something else. This is big. Please reserve all your [Pozwa Horn] stock for me. I¡¯ll buy them all.¡±


    Miana laughed. ¡°There he is. Big alchemist man with big alchemist money. Fine. I know you¡¯re going to argue with me until I agree to take the money.¡±


    Theo¡¯s supernatural sense for things was getting stronger by the day. He felt a connection to the [Pozwa Horn], understanding that it would produce a fourth family of potions. The way the alchemist understood potions broke them down into three categories. Standard potions were ones a person drank, giving them an effect. Detergent-style potions were potions someone poured over something else, his [Cleansing Scrub] was an example of that. Then there were the bombs, potions meant to be thrown at an enemy. He was eager to discover this new style of potion.


    ¡°How many do you have?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A few just shed,¡± Miana said, disappearing again. She returned with her arms full of the horns, dropping them onto the ground and smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Azrug appraise them and run you the money,¡± Theo said, swiveling his head to find the sun in the sky. There were still a few hours of daylight left, but not enough to do a full run of the horns. He pulled them into his inventory and turned to leave.


    ¡°Thanks again, Theo,¡± Miana said.


    Theo joined with Zarali on the road, finding her returning from the river. She took as much interest in the [Pozwa Horns] as him, holding one in her hand and rolling it over. They both shared a connection to Drogramath, allowing her to sense the value of the item. When they returned to the lab, Azrug was working the shop as he always did.


    ¡°Could you appraise this?¡± Theo asked, handing the boy a horn.


    Azrug was Xam¡¯s baby brother, a boy that received his cores far earlier than normal. He was shorter than most Half-Ogres, owing to his age, but was the spitting image of his sister. Dark red skin with a mop of unkempt black hair. The shopkeeper held an excitement for mercantile affairs that was infectious.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s from Miana¡¯s horrors, right?¡± Azrug asked, taking the item in his hand and shrugging. ¡°I can¡¯t get a price on it, though. I can only appraise things that have been traded in the region recently.¡±


    ¡°Meaning Fenian really did bring you a prize,¡± Zarali said, nodding. ¡°Where did he say he got them?¡±


    ¡°Gardreth, but I thought he was lying,¡± Azrug said.


    Zarali snorted a laugh. ¡°Gardreth? The Fallen Kingdom, Gardreth? Balkor¡¯s Demise? The necromantical cursed lands? Who is this Fenian?¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever know,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m buying them from Miana. How much should I give her?¡±


    ¡°You own the Pozwa,¡± Azrug said, laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t give her a damn thing.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You want to know the real value? Priceless,¡± Azrug said. ¡°I can only guess, but you¡¯d get 20 silver minimum. 5 gold maximum. Per horn.¡±


    ¡°Still want to pay the ranch hand?¡± Zarali asked, cackling.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, checking his inventory. He currently had 26 gold, 61 silver, and 44 copper. ¡°I¡¯ll work something out.¡±


    Theo went to head upstairs, but Azrug grabbed his arm. ¡°Quick word.¡±


    ¡°The traders,¡± Theo said. That was the only thing that would put such a dire thing on the shopkeeper¡¯s face. ¡°Something happened in Qavell. A merchant¡¯s war.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re well-informed,¡± Azrug said. ¡°There¡¯s big implications to that. We¡¯re talking about massive shifts to the way Qavell does business. Traders are going to flood out from the city, snatching up all the deals they can.¡±


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought the implications were obvious, but not everyone saw the world the way he did. Since his [Wisdom] had increased past 20, his [Intelligence] almost there as well, he¡¯d been able to extrapolate whole ideas from incomplete information. Broken Tusk¡¯s biggest problem, even if they didn¡¯t know it, was the stranglehold the Merchant¡¯s Guild held on the region. They regulated everything and coin had to pass through their hands before they allowed it to happen. If the guild fell, everything would change.


    ¡°Looks like an opening for us,¡± Theo said, sighing.


    ¡°Why so glum? That sounds like a great thing,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Because it means someone is pulling the strings,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Could be coincidence,¡± Azrug said. ¡°But it¡¯s an opportunity to be sure. The floodgates are open now, so we¡¯re going to see a lot of traders in town. More adventurers too, probably.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said. ¡°Bring this up with Alise if you see her.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Azrug said, settling back down onto his chair. ¡°You can leave.¡±


    Theo laughed, shaking his head as he ascended the stairs.


    Zarali helped Theo tend to his stills. The run was complete, leaving him with almost 1,000 units of [Healing Essence]. He inspected a sample before taking it out to the pressure vessels for further refinement.


    [Healing Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    1:1 refinement in pressure vessels


    Increased purity from refinement


    1 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of healing, used to create healing potions.


    It could have been better, but for a bulk run the essence was fine. It already overshadowed what the alchemists in Qavell could produce, both in quality and volume. The pair walked around to insert the essence into the pressure vessels outside, inserting motes to power the machines and setting them to work.


    ¡°Why do you act like that?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Like what?¡± Theo said, kicking the side of the jumping machine. It settled down after a moment.


    ¡°Like the gifts you receive are curses,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo walked, without talking, to the north-facing side of the building. He checked on his storage tanks, which were currently empty. Everything had been working great since they were installed, and he planned to fill them with the [Pozwa Horn] essence. He thought for a while before responding to her comment, not able to put it into words so easily.


    ¡°Because they can be curses,¡± Theo said with a resolute nod.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Zarali said, gesturing to the burgeoning town around her. ¡°This is such a curse. This cursed land produces nothing but woe.¡±


    As if to punctuate her point, a pair of children rain by on the main road, laughing and smiling. Theo waved at them, and they waved back.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I can still be cautious.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with a bit of caution,¡± Zarali said. She jabbed her thumb toward a tree nearby. ¡°Especially with that following you around.¡±


    Theo had already detected his companion, Tresk. She¡¯d been lurking in the shadows since they got back to the Newt and Demon. He felt her comforting gaze grow closer.


    ¡°Another piece of the puzzle,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stress it,¡± Tresk said, emerging from the shadows.


    Zarali pat Tresk on the top of the head, smiling. ¡°I heard Xam is making something with cheese today.¡±


    Theo produced an entire cheese wheel from his inventory, nodding.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Tresk said, snatching at the cheese. Theo returned it to his inventory before she could get it. ¡°Give me the cheese.¡±


    ¡°This is alchemy cheese,¡± Theo said.


    As the sun grew lower in the sky above, the group made their way to the Marsh Wolf Tavern for dinner. It was always packed since Xam got her cooking core, but the mayor¡¯s seat was constantly reserved. They talked about small things while they waited to be served, watching with jealous eyes as others dug into their cheese-infused meals. Theo was surprised at the amount of cheese Miana had created so far, noting it was enough for export. When the dish finally arrived, served by a new person the alchemist hadn¡¯t seen before, it was worth the wait.


    Meat was piled high in a ceramic dish, resting atop a bed of Zee flatbread and smothered in more cheese than made sense. Tresk did her typical thing, eating the entire meal in moments, as Zarali and Theo took their time. Their conversation shifted several times, centered on the town¡¯s progress and how well everyone was doing. The food might have just been a pile of meat and cheese, but it was delicious. Every bite was an explosion of that familiar garlic and herb flavor that made the cheese unique. Theo was once again left wondering what a high-level cook would produce.


    Part way through the meal, someone came to join them at the table. Luras Trinner had become something of a legend within the town. He was broad-shouldered with a preeminent fierce expression. Much like other Half-Ogres his skin was a dark hue of ochre. The man recently gave up on his dreams, or what Theo thought were his dreams after his uncle died, to take up the life of an adventurer once again. Since that time, he¡¯d taken a [Baelthar¡¯s Hunter Core], which was a specialized [Hunter¡¯s Core] aligned with the patron of Half-Ogres, Baelthar. He was also Broken Tusk¡¯s captain of the guard.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± Luras said, smiling.


    ¡°Not at all. I wanted to ask you a few questions,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°No business at dinner!¡± Tresk protested.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the dungeons,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Oh, carry on.¡±


    ¡°How did the plan go? Are the other dungeons growing in strength?¡± Theo asked.


    Luras rolled his shoulders, taking a long breath before speaking. ¡°From what I can tell, the plan worked. Every dungeon is now growing, instead of just the one. I have concerns with all this Drogramathi energy flowing through the air, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come now,¡± Zarali purred. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not afraid of a little Demonic energy.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Luras said, shrugging. ¡°Just seems like a waste. How much of that mana just floats into the air?¡±


    ¡°Ah, now I¡¯m going to like you,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I¡¯m working on a project related to that. It¡¯s all secret at the moment, but I promise it will be worth it in the long run. That reminds me, have you found silver or gold in the mines?¡±


    ¡°Just copper and iron,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Dig deeper. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find at least silver,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo didn¡¯t say anything, that was his plan anyway. She was being coy about it, but he could tell the idea she had needed magic and precious metals. The alchemist couldn¡¯t afford to dedicate any of his time to her project, so he left it at that. The group had a nice dinner after that. Luras was happy to share tales of his adventures in the different dungeons. He even went as far as the [Ocean Dungeon], which was extremely difficult to reach.


    Zarali departed for the mage¡¯s tower while the portal was still open, Luras ran off to do whatever it was he did at night, and Theo and Tresk returned to the Newt and Demon for a good night¡¯s rest. When the entered the Dreamwalk, Tresk had a fun idea. Instead of going to strange places either of them had been to, she brought up a memory of Broken Tusk. It was years ago, from when she was a child. There were no roads, no walls, and hardly enough homes for 20 people.


    ¡°This is still a strange feeling,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Tresk said, pulling him by the arm. ¡°That was my house.¡±


    Tresk pointed out Throk¡¯s building, which had remained mostly unchanged since her childhood. Memories of people didn¡¯t appear in the Dreamwalk, though. The closest it could get to replicating them was to create shadow-people, something that creeped Theo out every time. He preferred for the place to be empty, or for him to summon a group of his weird mannequins. The Marshling ran off to go fight some monsters, and Theo remained in the center of town.


    The monolith that still marked the town square was there, looking just as it was in the present day. Theo needed little information to go on. Zarali would reveal a small piece of information to him, and he would run with it. He summoned a few basic examples of a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] and got to work. The first half of the night he spent his time trying to understand how this would work. Without the skill, he¡¯d just be going through the motions rather than making any real progress. He split his time between trying to summon his mana, and performing alchemy reactions for the experience.


    Some time in the middle of the night, after Tresk had been defeated by her tenth dragon, he managed something amazing. Theo held his hand out, trying to get anything that looked like raw Drogramathi mana to appear. Liquid fire poured from his palm out of nowhere, right when his concentration was about to slip. It pooled there, glowing with the telltale purple energy of that Demonic God. Before he could control the wild flames, they consumed him. He let out a shout of fear, but felt no pain. A moment later, Tresk was at his side.


    ¡°How did you die?¡± Tresk asked, laughing.


    Theo rose to his feet, patting himself down to make sure he was alright. He was fine. ¡°I think my mana killed me.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo explained the process he went through, pulling mana out of his body and willing it into his palm. Tresk was unsure of how that should work as she hardly used mana every day. The only way she interacted with the resources was to cast her abilities, she never interacted the manual way. The alchemist sat there for some time, even after the Marshling scampered off, lost in thought. If he tried to get ahead of himself in the real world, the mana would have killed him.


    No Dronon had ever entered a Tara¡¯hek. None of their kind would have access to a safe place to practice this art. Theo returned to a sitting position and brought more Drogramathi mana into his hand. This time, he didn¡¯t shout when it consumed him.

 Chapter 3.5 - Drogramagic

    ¡°Should you be practicing that Drogramagic?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo and Tresk sat in Xam¡¯s tavern, which remained mostly empty during the morning. It was the 51st day of the Season of Blooms, 8 days before the end of the season and the closing of the Festival of the Dying of the Blooms. The alchemist had many things to do before the season ended, but those were mostly self-imposed goals that could fall by the wayside. Alchemy was on the top of his list, but he couldn¡¯t see himself hitting level before the season ended.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Theo said, waving her away. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t do it in the real world. Not until I get that skill.¡±


    ¡°You should talk to Xol¡¯sa,¡± Tresk said.


    Xol¡¯sa was the town¡¯s wizard. He was a member of a strange Elven race called the Bara¡¯thier, although no one knew much about the race. Zarali knew the most about the race, although she hadn¡¯t told Theo about it. He held an [Dimensional Wizard] core, which was just as mysterious. The alchemist had reflected on how dangerous that might have been, but danger and Broken Tusk went together like cheese and Zee. As he ate, he split his attention between entertaining Tresk and planning his day.


    ¡°The Tara¡¯hek should be our number one concern,¡± Theo said. ¡°Imagine what we get at level 20.¡±


    Just as he said that, his [Governance Core] leveled to 7. Benefits for cores only came on multiples of 10, although new skills unlocked along the way. He wouldn¡¯t see much growth of his personal level until that core caught up to his others, stagnating his growth for a while longer. Leveling the Tara¡¯hek was simple, and Theo had riddled the mechanics out fairly early. Any action the pair performed together gave them experience. If they encountered a difficult situation and made it through with the power of friendship, they got more experience.


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree to that,¡± Tresk said, patting her belly after downing her food in one go. ¡°I¡¯m crawling toward 20..¡±


    Tresk had a few cores to her name, an [Assassin¡¯s Core], aligned with the shadowy god Zaul, a [Tracker¡¯s Core], which needed upgrading, and a [Shadowdancer¡¯s Core], whose alignment Theo didn¡¯t know. While her [Shadowdancer¡¯s Core] was a recent addition, it had been leveling at an absurd rate. She practically spammed her [Shadowdance] skill at every opportunity. With only a 5 minute cooldown and zero mana cost, there was no reason not to zip through the shadows, using it as a travel power.


    A quirk of the Tara¡¯hek was that Theo could inspect her cores without her permission. He checked out how much progress she¡¯d made.


    [Assassin¡¯s Core]


    Legendary


    Assassin Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 10 (15%)


    A specialized [Rogue Core] which focuses on assassination techniques. Can slot either [Rogue] or [Assassin] skills. Equipping this core unlocks the [Assassin] class. Equipping this core over an existing [Rogue] core will consume the [Rogue] core, setting this core to its current level.


    Effect:


    Increases the effect of all [Rogue] and [Assassin] skills.


    +2 Dexterity.


    In order to take the [Assassin¡¯s Core], Tresk had to combine it with her [Rogue¡¯s Core], saving her arduous grinding back to 10. Not all cores worked this way, some resetting to level 1 when combined or upgraded. But she could hit the dungeons daily. Compared to the average adventurer, who might see a few dungeons a year, she was shooting up in the levels at an alarming rate. Theo was in the same situation with his cores, but for a different reason. He inspected her [Shadowdancer¡¯s Core] next.


    [Shadowdancer¡¯s Core]


    Legendary


    Rogue and Illusion Mage Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 8 (15%)


    A hybrid core combining a Rogue¡¯s Core and a Illusion Mage¡¯s core. This core focuses on support abilities not provided to rogues by default, and is considered a utility core.


    Effect:


    Decreases the cooldown of all Rogue(and all variants e.g. Assassin, Swashbuckler, etc) and Illusion Mage skills twice as fast, as long as you remain hidden.


    +1 Dexterity.


    The [Shadowdancer¡¯s Core] should have been a higher rarity than legendary. Tresk got the information from a wizard, Uharis, to combine a [Rogue¡¯s Core] with an [Illusion Mage] core to create the class. It paired perfectly with her [Assassin¡¯s Core], providing amazing utility. Her attribute sheet told a story of someone heavily invested in the Rogue-type classes.


    Tresk


    Bantari Marshling


    Level 13


    Assassin


    Core Slots: 3


    Stats:


    Health: 65


    Mana: 10


    Stamina: 75


    Strength: 19 (+10)


    Dexterity: 26 (+6)


    Vigor: 10 (+5)


    Intelligence: 2


    Wisdom: 8 (+5)


    Points: 0


    Tresk was on track for her goals. Once she was alright with Theo staying in town alone, she¡¯d hit the dungeons again. He knew better than to prod her toward that fact, allowing her to realize that he was safe on his own. When they finished their meal, the Marshling departed on patrol duty. Every adventurer did their time on the wall, protecting the town, and today was her day. The alchemist had his mayoral duties with the festival. He¡¯d already contributed his part for the food portion of the festival, everyone ate for free during the Dying of the Blooms, but he still had to judge their wreaths.


    Most citizens of Broken Tusk had homes just north of Xam¡¯s tavern, nestled at the foot of the farmer¡¯s hill. That area seemed more like a small town than anything else with over 50 homes tightly packed and connected with a weave of cobbled roads. Theo made a note of each house that had dead wreaths, trusting his high [Wisdom] to allow him to remember who was disqualified. He greeted everyone as he went, even spotting Azrug leaving his house to head for the Newt and Demon.


    While Theo wanted to check in on the adventurer¡¯s enclave, a place north of the farmer¡¯s fields where most adventurers built their houses, he had business at the adventurer¡¯s guild. The guild was located near the western wall, across the road from Sledge¡¯s sawmill. He watched as laborers hauled an impossibly large tree through the gate, dragging it along the ground as though it weighed nothing. The sawmill, named the Swamp Snapper Mill, had a bonus. [Ogre Strength] made it so that a tree felled within a distance from the mill would weigh almost nothing. With the massive Ogre Cypress trees, this bonus was necessary.


    [Ogre Strength]


    All trees felled within a radius (scaling with the level of the sawmill) will weigh a fraction of their actual rate for all operators of the sawmill.


    An upgrade on the town, provided by Uharis the archmage, allowed anyone with permission to insert and withdraw raw resources from anywhere within town. Once the sawmill turned the raw wood into lumber, they simply touched it to store it away. The storage was limitless, something Theo realized he needed desperately. The alchemist avoided the angry Marshling¡¯s attention and ducked into the guild without issue. He didn¡¯t want to get distracted today. He found his way to the guildmaster¡¯s office.


    Aarok Thane was a massive Half-Ogre, even by Half-Ogre standards. His black hair was pulled into a topknot today, and his skin was a pale red color. He had a powerful face that was fixed in a permanent look of concentration. Theo could sense Luras lurking around somewhere nearby, the power of Baelthar rolling off him in turgid waves. He wondered if others could sense Drogramath¡¯s power flowing off him before Aarok grabbed his attention.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been avoiding me,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Aarok¡¯s office was small, but welcoming. It had a view looking east into the center of the small town. Early morning light flooded in, illuminating the wide table and rickety chairs. Theo took a seat and let out a breath.


    ¡°We¡¯re all busy,¡± Aarok said. ¡°I have a report to give not suitable for your assistant.¡±


    ¡°Alise is more than competent,¡± Theo said.


    Aarok narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Theo said, holding his hands up defensively.


    ¡°Looks like the wizard¡¯s gamble worked,¡± Aarok said. ¡°The [Swamp Dungeon] has slowed down its growth significantly, and we¡¯re not expecting any waves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly as planned,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I have concerns,¡± Aarok said with a shrug. ¡°Nothing major, depending on how you look at it.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Theo said, suddenly feeling less bored with the report.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good chance the other dungeons in the kingdom are growing at a significantly higher rate,¡± Aarok said. He stood near the window, casting his eyes over the town below. ¡°If the energy we have here is bleeding into the entire network of dungeons¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good.¡±


    Theo stood, joining him at the window. ¡°What do you think this town is going to be, Aarok? There¡¯s something at work that we can¡¯t understand. A force that no one can comprehend. From what I can tell, Drogramath found a loophole. He¡¯s not supposed to interact with the world directly, so he¡¯s sending his power instead. This place isn¡¯t corrupted, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, but that doesn¡¯t mean we should let our guard down,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°We should do the opposite of that,¡± Theo said.


    Aarok stewed on that for a while. He and Theo often agreed on matters of defense. They saw the defense of Broken Tusk as the most important thing in their lives, often investing significant sums of money into that task. The result was a town that could repel a level 30 monster wave with ease, and they would only grow stronger. Behind those powerful walls, life was good. It was worth protecting.


    ¡°I just got worked up about it,¡± Aarok said, letting out a breath. ¡°I have no loyalty to the crown, although I also don¡¯t wish for its downfall.¡±


    ¡°So if the northerners get a spike of monsters, that¡¯s not our problem,¡± Theo said. ¡°Worst case scenario, we get really tight with Rivers, maybe those lizard-folk down south. Hell, the Khahari might join in if it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the Khahari are interested in us at all,¡± Aarok said, ¡°but I get what you¡¯re saying. We could even mint our own currency if we want.¡±


    ¡°I think the dungeons do that for us,¡± Theo said, laughing. ¡°Unless you¡¯re interested in seeing my ugly face on a coin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be fun,¡± Aarok said, grinning.


    ¡°Come find me at the lab if you really need to talk,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m just not concerned with anything that happens outside of these walls.¡±


    ¡°Good. As long as we¡¯re clear.¡±


    Theo and Aarok talked for a while about other things. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had put up minimal effort on their wreath, and it had already died. The culture around the festival was celebration, not competition, so no one really cared. It was more about coming together and preparing for the long haul of heatwaves to come. Aarok recalled the festival when he was a child, almost 30 years ago. Before the alchemist arrived, food was scarce. Hunters played the most important role back then, followed by the farmers. They owed the bounty they enjoyed today to Drogramath¡¯s energy, flooding the land and forcing things to grow at an absurd rate. The Demon Lord was known as the Potioneer, but he also influenced herblore and agriculture.


    That was always part of Theo¡¯s thoughts when he weighed the value of the Demonic God. Even the pantheon those gods found themselves in was a misnomer. They were Demons because their descendants had horns, oddly colored skin, and their association with a few nefarious beings.The Prime Pantheon was no better than the Demonic one in Theo¡¯s eyes. The Gods asserted minimal influence on the world, often acting from their respective realms. This influenced the alchemist¡¯s approach to most things, acting exactly like those Gods, only striking out from his bubble of influence when it suited him. The walls of Broken Tusk were safe, like those godly realms.


    Theo departed the guildhall feeling no different about his conviction. There was work to be done at the Newt and Demon. He withdrew the 1,000 units of [Refined Healing Essence] from the pressure vessel and went upstairs, giving his greetings to Azrug as he went. The shopkeeper was excited to see more potions flood into the shop. He¡¯d been running a scheme where he bought all the adventurers gear they got from the dungeons and resold it. The plan was to have an appraiser, a Loremaster, come to town to get the most out of the items, but that fell through. He couldn¡¯t locate anyone who would make the journey, even if the money was good. Azrug would sit on those items rather than sell them off, more interested in waiting for a [Loremaster¡¯s Core] than parting with them at a worse price.


    Working with essences was easy, if one was in a lab blessed by Drogramath. The building had effects that both made reactions easier to predict, and materials safe to handle. In the hands of someone without a Drogramath alignment, or without his cores, the essences were explosive at the best of times. Theo dragged an alchemically treated barrel over, intent on performing advanced reactions 200 units at a time. His first go at the process was to mix 1 unit of essence with 1 unit of water right in the final vial. He learned quickly this was inefficient. Until recently, the only thing holding him back was the volatility of the reaction in performing large scale advanced reactions. Now, with all those bonuses, he could do so easily.


    Theo spent time enchanting more catalysts with Drogramath¡¯s power, resisting the urge to try it the manual way. The system allowed him to simply place his hand over the small flecks of metal and his mana would pour out on its own. The pile of [Iron Shavings] on the table glowed purple for a moment, subsiding into a shimmer that pulsed with the breath of magic in the air. He inspected the aligned catalyst before introducing 200 of the flakes into the barrel.


    [Iron Shavings]


    [Alchemy Component]


    Common


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Increased stability during reactions.


    Increase quality of reaction by 1 level, up to excellent quality.


    Shavings from raw iron.


    The alignment effects were absurd, and Theo owed it all to that small shrine near the window. This was his standard, second tier reaction for healing potions. It could be produced in mass quantities, something the Qavelli alchemists could only dream of, and created some of the most powerful potions on the continent. Theo wasn¡¯t foolish enough to consider himself the best in the world, yet. There were places he had never heard of, with people of considerable power that might pale even his creations. He introduced the water and essences, gaining a bubbling, spitting barrel of potion that sent a cloud of red fog into the air.


    Theo propped the window, stooping low to peer up through the vents above the stills. He¡¯d been thinking about it more lately, and couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that they weren¡¯t functioning correctly. The alchemist approached his [Glassware Artifice], and fed it motes in order to create enough flat-bottomed vials to contain his 1,000 potions. As he did, he invoked a skill that allowed him to communicate to the entire town, belonging to his [Governance Core]. A system message appeared for every inhabitant of the town, popping up in a small window in the center of their vision.


    [Theo]: Sledge, can you stop by the lab when you have a chance? It¡¯s a paying job.


    It was easy to motivate Sledge. She worked the sawmill for him, meaning that if he drew her off to do something else and paid her, she¡¯d show up in a flash. Theo bottled a single healing potion to inspect the quality, expecting nothing less than excellent.


    [Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 125 health points.


    Despite easily overshadowing the potions created in the capital, this wasn¡¯t the best potion Theo had ever created. He messed up the cooking phase of the potion, burning some of the mash on the bottom. The Newt and Demon had created perfect quality [Healing Potions] in the past, something that was priceless within the small kingdom. There were many factors that went into a potion¡¯s quality. The skill of the alchemist was foremost, but then came the quality of the distillation process, if he used cultivated ingredients, the quality of the catalyst, and the quality of the water. It would have been too much for him to keep track of, if not for his [Wisdom] attribute.


    Moments after completing the potion, a knock came at the lab¡¯s door. Sledge didn¡¯t bother waiting for a response, she barged in, looking around with hungry eyes. Sledge Grob was a strange woman. Marshling by birth, but raised by a Half-Ogre family, she was constantly spiky. Her skin was a muddy brown color and she had pale gray eyes. She was the same height as Tresk, and twice as fiery.


    ¡°Paying job?¡± Sledge asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been dealing with it,¡± Theo said, pointing at the vents above the stills. ¡°But I really don¡¯t think the vents are working.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Give ya a gold if you can fix it,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    A gold coin was far more than the job was worth, but Theo didn¡¯t care. Sledge held a special place in his heart, mostly because of how obstinate she was. The people who didn¡¯t want help affected him more than those that did. He saw them as a special case that needed a different approach, but her station also influenced his willingness to part with his money. Ogre Cypress should have been a rare tree, but they grew like weeds in Broken Tusk. That would be a massive export for them, and an invaluable resource when they got to the stage of building sailing boats. The tree also provided a reagent he couldn¡¯t live without. [Ogre Cypress Bark] was a chalky, sticky material that sat between the outer and inner bark layer of the tree, and provided two absurdly valuable properties. [Cure Ailment] had saved Tresk in the past, and [Cleanse] was used in several detergent-style reactions.


    Theo watched with amusement as the woman jumped atop a still and wriggled her way into the vent. He heard her cursing, her voice echoing from within. Something fell to the ground, covered in soot and burned. A wash of cool air rushed through the lab, siphoning through the open window and through the vent. Moments later, Sledge dropped down, covered in filth and smiling with her hand out.


    ¡°There was some junk blocking the vent,¡± she said.


    Theo produced a bottle of [Cleansing Scrub] from his inventory and dumped it over the woman¡¯s head. A wave of light rippled over her, scouring away the dirt and leaving her pristine. She shivered under its effects. The alchemist produced the gold coin, as promised, and handed it over.


    ¡°Nice doing business with you,¡± Sledge said, turning to leave.


    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Theo said.


    She stopped, turning to lock eyes with him. ¡°More work?¡±


    ¡°No, I wanted to know how the sawmill is going,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Check the dang town storage,¡± Sledge said, barking a laugh. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re doing an absurd amount of boards a day. If I poke those lazy bastards, they¡¯ll turn over five thousand boards a day. Per day. You realize how much wood that is?¡±


    ¡°I realize it¡¯s a lot,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°At a copper a board, you¡¯re generating half a gold per day.¡±


    ¡°Five silver of which slips into my pocket,¡± Sledge said, rubbing her hands together.


    Theo¡¯s agreement with his workers was standard at 10 percent of market value. His idea was to incentivize them into working harder to make more money. Of course, he didn¡¯t pocket the earnings. That went directly into the town, more often than not.


    ¡°Do you see production increasing in the future?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Get us some more upgrades, and yeah,¡± Sledge said. ¡°The boys are leveling their cores, so that¡¯s going to help it along.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sledge,¡± Theo said, turning back to his work.


    ¡°Oh, stop being so formal,¡± she said, slapping him on the back.


    The Marshling departed, saying nothing more. Theo finished his potions up, then took them down to stock the shop. Azrug was excited to have his hands on so many potions, but the alchemist reminded him not to sell them in bulk. He had an agreement with an Elven trader regarding that, and didn¡¯t want to break his contract. Until that man arrived back in time, he¡¯d keep experimenting with new ingredients. The next item on his list was the [Pozwa Horns]. Theo made his way upstairs, intent on refining the horns down into essence.

 Chapter 3.6 - Reveal Essence

    If not for the powerful jaws of the [Alchemical Grinder], the [Pozwa Horns] would have been impossible to grin into a fine powder. Theo fed the hard horns into the device, wincing as it groaned. But after a few moments, the job was done, and 100 units of powdered horn sat at the bottom of his [Drogramath Still]. The alchemist poured in enough water to get the still started, then set the temperature low and returned the lid. The clasps snapped shut, and the magical fire burned underneath. A stiff breeze came from the open window, sweeping over the lab and carrying the stuffy air out the vent.


    When Theo inherited the building, he hadn¡¯t thought to check the vents. There were a few things that remained from the early days that he should check, but the building was barely recognizable as the seed core lab he found at the start. He inspected the shop before continuing.


    [Alchemy Lab] [Alchemy Shop]


    [The Newt and Demon]


    Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer), Tresk


    Shopkeeper: Azrug Slug


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 20 (2%)


    Rent Due: 2 Days


    Expansions:


    [Alchemy Shop]


    [Drogramath Distillation Specialty]


    [Shrine to Drogramath]


    [Alchemical Garden]


    It started at level 1, and each level after that was harder to fill that experience percentage. There would likely be a restriction at level 25 and 30 based on the size of Broken Tusk, but that was a task for another day. He inspected the result of his fermentation, the mash looking ready for distillation. Theo moved the contents of the barrels, destined to be [Anti-Mage] modifier essence into his stills and set them to work. The modifier process was fairly simple. Fermentation, distillation, and refinement. Each modifier worked in unpredictable ways, but that was the fun of it for the alchemist. He intended to buckle down and make a complete list of every modifier essence and its effects on potions. But that was a daunting task.


    The [Anti-Mage] modifier produced potions as the name described. It typically had the effect of draining mana from a magic using opponent, or giving them a penalty for casting spells. He could even make a firebomb designed to punish mages for casting their spells while on fire. For now, Theo left his stills to work to cross the cobbled street outside. Unlike the early part of the Season of Blooms, the sky was clear and bright. It had rained for weeks straight, something the locals saw as a good thing.


    Zarali¡¯s enchanting lab was magnificent on the outside and in. The exterior was a stone block construction, purple wooden slats on top to represent its alignment with Drogramath. Theo pushed inside without knocking, finding the woman knelt in the center of the room in front of a strange device. The alchemist saw ribbons of energy collecting from the surrounding air, sucking into a black cube that seethed with Drogramath¡¯s energy. He shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that she was doing this, but he still had an initial reaction of concern.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Zarali said, crossing the room to pull him into a hug. ¡°How rare a visit is from you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Theo asked, craning his neck to see around her.


    ¡°It accumulates raw mana,¡± she said, releasing him to pat her device.


    The mana collector stood out among the decorations inside. Tools sat atop tables that crowded the walls, gems scattered everywhere. Banners bearing the mark of Drogramath were draped on the walls and each window was covered with thick strips of fabric, rendering the interior dim. Only the flickering candlelight brought brightness to the dingy interior.


    ¡°Enchanting stuff?¡± Theo asked, moving with caution to the side of the cube. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Enchanting stuff. Yes, I need large amounts of mana to enchant stuff, and there¡¯s no shortage of mana here. Raw, unprocessed mana,¡± Zarali said, letting out a wistful sight. ¡°It¡¯s mostly safe.¡±


    Theo moved away from the cube, running his fingers over the tools of her trade.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Drogramath was the patron of enchanters,¡± Theo said. ¡°Is your core aligned with him?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Zarali said. ¡°My [Drogramath Enchanter¡¯s Core] will never be as powerful as your aligned core, but it¡¯s still better than most. Not better than those dedicated to the Dwarven gods, but still. I won¡¯t presume this is a social call, do you need something?¡±


    Theo had noticed, more in recent memory than ever before, that his high [Wisdom] didn¡¯t work well against those with an equally high score. He felt a twinge in his mind as though she was hiding something, but his intuition went no further than that. Still, he sensed it wasn¡¯t a malicious plan she was hatching. Self-interested, maybe, but nothing harmful.


    ¡°More of an academic thing,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Ah, an area in which I am very educated,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo led her out of the enchanting lab and up to his own lab. The stills were bubbling away, but there was nothing of their scent in the lab. It smelled clean, like the fresh breeze was depositing every corner of the lab with a pleasant scent. It was a drastic change that would take getting used to.


    ¡°I have a feeling about the [Pozwa Horns],¡± he said, gesturing to his [Drogramath Still]. ¡°The essence won¡¯t make a bomb, a potion, or a detergent. I can¡¯t figure out what it¡¯ll produce.¡±


    ¡°I would guess the property is something close to sight,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°[Reveal],¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Zarali said. She raked her eyes across the lab, as though each slight mistake was an offense to her god. She napped out of it. ¡°The Fallen Kingdom was famous for their Pozwa. If the stories are true, the crown held each beast in secluded pens. Guarded, if you can believe it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What makes them so great?¡±


    ¡°That depends on which historian you ask,¡± Zarali said. ¡°The problem with getting hit with a necromancer¡¯s curse is, it becomes impossible to find records. Anyway, I would say they saw them as sacred creatures.¡±


    Theo lowered the temperature on the [Drogramath Still], sensing that the [Pozwa Horn] mash would burn otherwise. He struggled to think of this world¡¯s history. He knew little about Broken Tusk, let alone the rest of the world.


    ¡°What happened to Gardreth?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The era we¡¯re in¡ªBalkor¡¯s Betrayal¡ªis named because a Demonic God jumped pantheons,¡± Zarali said. ¡°A war broke out in the other realms and bled out here in time. 500 years after the war started, Balkor was vanquished. The Prime Pantheon defeated him so completely that pieces of him ripped through reality. Unfortunately, Gardreth was in the direct path. He left his stain on that land and only Glanthier had mercy, separating it from the mainland in an act of defiance in the face of the other gods. While the main continent was healed, Gardreth remained tainted.¡±


    Theo knew Glanthier was the Elven god of healing, but that¡¯s where his knowledge on the events at Gardreth stopped. It was surprising to hear the Pozwa survived for such a long time, if the land was as uninhabitable as Zarali said.


    ¡°That makes me wonder why Fenian went through the trouble,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Some men enjoy spitting in the face of what¡¯s possible,¡± Zarali said, a thin smile spreading across her face. ¡°To your question about the [Reveal] property, I can¡¯t say.¡±


    The history that Zarali revealed showed just how much influence the gods had, but there was a clear line. They wouldn¡¯t act overtly unless absolutely necessary, but Theo couldn¡¯t understand that. If they had the power to change the world, why didn¡¯t they? But that didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°I saw some strange alchemy in Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower,¡± Theo said. ¡°He was infusing gems with alchemy. Do you think that could be the way forward with this essence?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°No, not likely,¡± Zarali said. ¡°You might pick up that skill later, but not now. Not this low. He¡¯s faking the effects with magic, perhaps an experiment of his.¡±


    Zarali went silent for enough breaths for Theo to realize she was falling back into her memories. If she had something for the wizard, he didn¡¯t want anything to do with it. Relationship drama often ended poorly, and he couldn¡¯t imagine how it would end when the participants were superhuman. The [Pozwa Horn] mash bubbled away, and the priestess went on to lecture him on his stills and how inadequate they were.


    ¡°Your thought might be that you need more stills,¡± Zarali said, gesturing widely to the lab. There was only room for three stills, but he understood her meaning. More equipment meant more essence. ¡°But that¡¯s not the key to good Drogramathi alchemy. Quality is where you need to go.¡±


    ¡°Volume has been working pretty well so far,¡± Theo said, shrugging the comments off.


    ¡°It has, and getting more stills is fine,¡± Zarali said, letting out a breath. Theo could tell his attitude toward quality distillation bothered her. She was too kind to mention it. ¡°Would you argue that higher quality potions sell for more? Would you agree that the higher tier potion, the harder it is to increase that quality?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree,¡± Theo said with a solemn nod. ¡°My preference is a balanced approach between volume and quality.¡±


    ¡°We can work with that,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Think of how your still functions. It heats reagents with water, extracting the desired property and then condenses it into a liquid. Heat, condensation, essence.¡±


    Theo repeated the three parts of the process, it had been his life since he arrived and he was quite familiar with it.


    ¡°What happens if you run an essence through the still again?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Depends on the essence. I¡¯ve only done it once, but it should increase the purity of the resulting essence.¡±


    ¡°The problem being, you lose some essence in the process,¡± Zarali said, a grin spreading across her face. She gestured to the top of the [Drogramath Still], where a pipe connected to the lid. ¡°What if we redistilled everything in-place?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to suggest we put another still on top of my stills, cause that sounds stupid,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Only because you said it,¡± Zarali said. She waved his suggestion away with a dismissive hand. ¡°We can create attachments for the equipment that replicate the effects of distillation on a smaller scale, and we can do it in sequence. I want to work with Throk to create a [Bubble Plate Artifice] that takes essence, in vapor form, through the bottom, redistills it in place, then sends it along.¡±


    But that gave Theo another thought. His eyes went for the funnels that sat on the table. They led over to small, 1,000 unit storage tanks near the wall where he could flush them out to the large 10,000 unit storage tanks outside. Redistilling essences to create better quality essence was nice, especially coming up against the third tier of essences in the distant future, but why was that a separate process? With a genius artificer in town, and enough money to fund the project, why shouldn¡¯t he expand his equipment further?


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Theo said, cupping his chin in his hand. ¡°I know I can run the pressure vessel on processed essence, but what about vaporized essence?¡±


    ¡°Lord Drogramath,¡± Zarali said, clasping her hands together and letting out a heavy sigh. She crossed the room, wrapping her arms around him and laughing. ¡°He¡¯s learning! I¡¯ll never doubt your wisdom again, my patron.¡±


    She pulled away, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Theo thought for a moment that she must have thought he was an idiot. He started with nothing here. The knowledge he gained on alchemy was through arduous experimentation and he¡¯d only been at it for the current season.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s possible?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Possible, and the correct way to do things,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Vaporized essence should be easier to send under pressure.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes. His intuition said that Belgar hadn¡¯t ever made it that far. He knew their equipment had to be rough, since they refused to join society at large. The alchemist shrugged the comments off, not wanting to spit in the face of good advice. They went over the redesign together, and it was a fairly simple design that relied on Throk¡¯s uncanny skills. The still would remain as it was, a simple pot-bellied heating device, but everything after that would change. Zarali wanted a stack of bubble plates over the output on the top. It would mix with enchanted water, and force the vapor through another refinement process. A treated copper tube would force the vapor in a loop, entering the top of a small pressure vessel next to the still.


    ¡°After that, it just needs to be cooled to condense. I see a few problems with my design, but only because I¡¯m so used to looking at it from a normal perspective,¡± Zarali said, a wide smile hanging on her face. ¡°With an artificer in your pocket, we can ensure the vapor stays at the right temperature as it¡¯s pressurized.¡±


    The plan was solid. It was two-fold, of course. The first part with the bubble plates would get Theo to level 30, his intuition said that much. It would overcome the difficulty of refining reagents above level 20. Then, they¡¯d apply the required pressure to turn a regular essence into the second tier of essences. What he had to do to send them into the third tier was beyond him, but the design was adaptive. They could add as many things as they wanted in sequence before the condenser coils. By the time they finished working out the fine details, namely the requirements from Throk, the [Pozwa Horns] were done distilling. Theo inspected a sample with the priestess.


    [Reveal Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    1:1 refinement in pressure vessels


    Increased purity from refinement


    1 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of reveal.


    ¡°I get a strange sense from this essence,¡± Zarali said, casting her gaze over the shrine as though it would help.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I felt,¡± Theo said, setting up a 2 unit glass vial on the table. ¡°Let¡¯s try a standard reaction.¡±


    The standard reaction was what made consumable potions. It was 1 unit of essence, 1 unit of [Purified Water], and any catalyst. Theo had been using his [Iron Shavings] lately, but defaulted to [Copper Shavings] since this was a first tier reaction. The vial bubbled immediately, sending both him and Zarali scattering to find cover behind nearby furniture. The vial exploded, sending shards of glass zipping through the lab and peppering the wooden walls. They waited for some time before emerging to find a scorch mark on the table.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be the same reaction for my other methods.¡±


    Theo¡¯s [Drogramath Alchemy Core] whispered, but the meaning was faint. A shudder ran through Zarali and she turned to him with concern.


    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± she instructed. ¡°If you removed your mark and that necklace this would be easier.¡±


    But Theo wouldn¡¯t trust doing that. Not now with the breath of Drogramath down his neck. A whisper was more than enough for him and he closed his eyes. Images flashed through his mind. Treated copper. Imbued glass. That was it. The whispers gave him nothing more, but they left understanding. With an increasingly high [Intelligence] score and formidable [Wisdom], Theo put the pieces together. He¡¯d made a potion that he placed in the detergent class before, because of the way it reacted. The [Potion of Infusion] imbued materials with an alchemically neutral property. This was a different kind of essence, but adjacent. The purpose of the essence wasn¡¯t to brew it into a potion, but to infuse an object with the property.


    There were problems with this application, though. The object needed to be inert, so he couldn¡¯t use anything made of base metals. Living objects wouldn¡¯t work either, they would cause a reaction. Magical items would reject it entirely. Theo had an idea, darting from the lab and scooping a rock that fit comfortably in the palm of his hand and rushed back into the lab. The alchemist generated an open-topped flask, filled it with the essence, scrubbed the rock of all dirt and dropped it in.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Watch,¡± Theo said, pointing at the rock. It bubbled. ¡°I¡¯m infusing the rock with the [Reveal] property. If it works, the stone will hold the property.¡±


    ¡°To what end?¡± Zarali asked, crossing her arms.


    ¡°There¡¯s no end,¡± Theo said. ¡°This is just an experiment. If the rock takes the essence, then I have a direction to move in.¡±


    The pair watched as the rock bubbled away, clinking against the side of the flask but the reaction grew no more vigorous than that. It settled after a moment and Theo retrieved a pair of tongs, removing the rock and setting it on the table. The excess essence seemed to have spent itself, becoming inert. Theo inspected the strange rock.


    [Reveal Construct]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Poor Quality


    Emits a constant field of [Reveal] as long as the construct is powered.


    Material:


    Stone (Poor Quality)


    Effect:


    Creates a 1 halm bubble around the construct that removes stealth from any target.


    ¡°What in the realms is that?¡± Zarali asked, stooping low to inspect the construct.


    ¡°What the hell is a halm?¡± Theo asked, laughing.


    ¡°A unit of measure. About this big,¡± Zarali said, gesturing with her hands. Seemed like half a foot to his eyes. ¡°How do you not know measures of distance?¡±


    Theo shrugged. People in Broken Tusk often used relative height measurements in the way they spoke, never referring to how tall they actually were.


    ¡°It¡¯s not active,¡± Theo said, stooping close to inspect the rock further. Seams of light ran through the rock now, as though it were imbued with the essence directly. The alchemist understood this was a mostly useless item, but it was a step in an interesting direction. He¡¯d never heard of alchemy constructs, and he doubted anyone else had either. Too many hands laid themselves on this one, pushing Theo to create the construct. Between Drogramath giving him the answer and Fenian delivering the Pozwa, the alchemist had to wonder how long someone would take to figure this out on their own.


    ¡°Feed it mana,¡± Theo said after a moment. He didn¡¯t trust himself to do so in the real world. The description said it required power to operate.


    Zarali shrugged, holding her palm above the thing to allow a trickle of purple flame to pour over the rock. A bubble sprung up around the rock, flickering for only a moment before the construct shattered.


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± Zarali said, her brows knitted tightly. ¡°A complete failure, but amazing.¡±


    Theo stood back, looking at the shattered stone on his table. This was entirely unexpected, leading him to question what else he¡¯d missed with the base essences. He made a mental note before moving on for the day. The essence soaked into the rock, imbuing it with its property. Mana activated the rock, which was like a catalyst. In the alchemist¡¯s mind, it was storing the power of the reagent in a medium, and activating it at a later date. It was the fourth method of performing Drogramathi Alchemy. Constructs.

 Chapter 3.7 - Geared For War

    Theo spent the rest of his day fiddling with the alchemy construct idea. Zarali stuck around for a while, but once Tresk returned home she departed. The Marshling spent her day patrolling the walls of Broken Tusk and seemed to have little interest in the constructs. She was always interested in things that would affect her life the most over the shortest time, and since the construct could barely hold its form she didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°You can really do more dungeons,¡± Theo said as they departed for Xam¡¯s tavern.


    Today, Xam had laid all her food outside in a buffet style. Everyone was guaranteed two meals a day during the festival, which was just a perk expected by the townspeople. Theo was more than happy to provide half of the funding for the event, and the effects were plain on everyone¡¯s faces. They were having a great time. The food tonight was a variation on Zee bread and a cheese sauce with shredded wolf meat. It was delicious, as always.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do more dungeons when I¡¯m sure you¡¯re safe,¡± Tresk said.


    Someone caught their attention, and they turned, giving their greetings and well-wishes for the end of season festival.


    ¡°I can take care of myself,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk let out a laugh, doubling over and slapping her knobbly knees. ¡°Yeah, right. Your [Dexterity] is so low, you couldn¡¯t stop a one-legged Marsh Wolf.¡±


    That much was true. [Dexterity] influenced reaction time and speed, and it was his lowest score. Going from 8 [Dexterity] to 20, which would be an acceptable number, wasn¡¯t possible. At most, Theo could expect to get somewhere in the mid-teens with the help of gear. It also wasn¡¯t workable for him to drink potions all the time to keep that attribute up.


    ¡°We can bridge that problem somewhat, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to fight,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been shadowing you!¡± Tresk said, stomping her foot. ¡°We have to figure out something that works for you.¡±


    ¡°If it means you go back into the dungeons, I¡¯m alright with that,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk grabbed him by the arm, dragging him south toward the Newt and Demon. He stumbled along, not willing to stop the Marshling when she had something in her head. When she wanted something done, there was nothing he could say to stop her. Not if she really wanted it. When they entered the lab, she began rummaging through Azrug¡¯s many crates. The shop was large, following the footprint of the entire building except for the staircase at the back. A counter dominated the front of the store, but shelves and tables were neatly placed along most of the walls. One wall was dedicated to a row of [Dimensional Storage Crates], which was full of the shopkeeper¡¯s equipment.


    ¡°Why does he have so many things?¡± Tresk grumbled, pulling items out one after the other and shaking her head. ¡°Look at all this stuff. Yeah, we can make you a set with this.¡±


    Theo just stood by, prepared to wear anything Tresk suggested. She found a shirt, pants, two rings, and a pair of boots, laying them out on the floor and smiling.


    ¡°Azrug might be mad,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well, you own all the stuff so he can deal with it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°He has a few excellent pieces of equipment here. Right, so we¡¯re going to make up for your lack of [Dexterity]. Put everything on and we can go over it.¡±


    Theo¡¯s preference for magical equipment was stuff that made his alchemy and herbalism better, which were both rare enough. He was inching closer to doing this himself, since Tresk refused to go in the dungeons by herself. The alchemist didn¡¯t need to win a fight, he just needed to get away and in range of the towers in town. He needed to survive long enough that someone else could help him.


    Theo inspected the two rings first.


    [Swift Motions Ring]


    [Ring]


    Rare


    An enchanted copper ring.


    Effect:


    +5 Dexterity for 10s after withdrawing something from your inventory.


    [Effect Locked]


    [Effect Locked]


    [Dexterous Ring]


    [Ring]


    Rare


    An enchanted silver ring, etched with designs.


    Effect:


    +2 Dexterity


    [Effect Locked]


    [Effect Locked]


    It was easy to see where she was going with this. In any realistic engagement, Theo would need to withdraw things from his inventory and the [Swift Motions Ring] would give him a burst of short-lived [Dexterity]. The [Dexterous Ring] gave him a flat +2 to the stat, which put him at 10. When he slipped it over his finger, he felt his body go over that cliff. He flexed his hands, noting how the motion of his fingers felt smoother.


    ¡°You¡¯re not stupid. We¡¯re going to make you a potion-thrower,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Stack enough [Dexterity] so you can toss a potion and get out of there.¡±


    Theo nodded, checking a pair of cloth bracers next. He rolled the sleeves of his silk robe up, slipping them over his wrists. They were perfectly cool, as most magical items were. He inspected the bracers.


    [Cloth Bracers of Tossing]


    [Bracers]


    Rare


    Enchanted Karatan wool cloth bracers.


    Effect:


    Increase the accuracy of any thrown item.


    [Effect Locked]


    [Effect Locked]


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Theo said. ¡°My accuracy isn¡¯t great.¡±


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Theo removed his robe, discarding his old gear  in favor of the new clothes.


    [Shirt of the Dexterous]


    [Cloth Shirt]


    Rare


    Scaling


    Magical shirt, granting the user a bonus to dexterity.


    Effect:


    +2 Dexterity


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    [Pants of the Dexterous]


    [Cloth Pants]


    Rare


    Scaling


    Magical pants, granting the user a bonus to dexterity.


    Effect:


    +2 Dexterity


    ¡°I have a pair of each of those,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Amazing that Azrug hasn¡¯t sold them, they¡¯re absurd. Scaling gear is good, but I¡¯ve only seen it with one or two effects.¡±


    That put Theo to 14 [Dexterity]. He never wanted to stack gear to raise his attributes, but this made the most sense. They could burden him with magical items to make up for his horrible attributes while he put his free points into the ones that mattered to him. Both the pants and shirt were made of some material that hardly mattered. Magical items felt mostly the same, smooth like silk and cool as a night¡¯s breeze. As Theo put his robe back on, he appreciated how nice they felt.


    ¡°Boots,¡± Tresk said, pointing at a pair of boots.


    Theo put the boots on before inspecting the pair.


    [Boots of Swiftness]


    [Leather Boots]


    Rare


    Enchanted leather boots.


    Effect:


    +2 Dexterity


    [Effect Locked]


    [Effect Locked]


    ¡°Hooray, you¡¯re geared for war,¡± Tresk said flatly. ¡°When you take something out of your inventory, you¡¯re going to be at 21 [Dexterity]. That puts you in a realm to compete with me.¡±


    ¡°We could get more [Dexterity],¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°So I can just sit at 20 at all times.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but the system won¡¯t let you wear two necklaces,¡± Tresk said, scratching her chin. She looked him up and down, pointing at the feathered hat on his head. ¡°We could replace the hat, but I think it¡¯s pretty good.¡±


    Theo inspected his hat.


    [Plume of Defiance]


    [Cloth Hat]


    Epic


    Scaling


    Hat granted to the alchemist with the determination to defend his home.


    Effect:


    During a siege, all potions used by defenders will be 1.25 times more effective.


    +2 Vigor


    The +2 [Vigor] was too nice to get rid of, and his necklace was also too valuable to remove. It was the necklace given by Sulvan Flametouched, providing him the highest amount of [Strength]. He would need to be happy with the 16 [Dexterity].


    ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s go to sleep,¡± Tresk said, suddenly sounding much more comfortable. He could feel the ease at which she spoke, something about the spiky edges of her personality fading away.


    Theo could claim he wasn¡¯t tired, but that wasn¡¯t true. Even if his stamina wasn¡¯t dropping low, he was mentally tired. Not lingering on the edge of collapse, but tired enough to look forward to the Dreamwalk, even if Tresk intended to drill him in combat. They retreated upstairs a short time after the sun dipped below the horizon, pressed their foreheads together to get their Tara¡¯hek experience, then drifted off into the Dreamwalk.


    Tresk arrived first. Theo could tell because when he arrived, he was standing in the Newt and Demon¡¯s lab. He figured out what her plan was quickly enough, and mentally filled his inventory with potions and bombs. His inventory was always empty when he arrived in the Dreamwalk. It only took a few moments for the shadows in the corners of the room to stir. The Marshling might have been a stealth specialist, but her subtlety was often lacking.


    Theo withdrew a modified [Basic Freezebomb] from his inventory, and waited only a few heartbeats. That was enough time for the 2 assassins Tresk had spawned to jump from the corners of the room, driving at him with daggers flashing. He felt his limbs before he commanded them, his [Dexterity] now sitting at 21 since he took the bomb from his inventory. It shattered against the face of the first assassin, sending him stumbling back. Threads of ice surrounded the man, shooting off to ensnare the next one and then the alchemist fled the lab, taking the steps with deft precision until he was on the hard, cobbled road.


    The bomb he¡¯d used had the [Web] modifier, and he inspected it.


    [Basic Freezebomb]


    [Web]


    [Bomb] [Modified Bomb]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    Shatter against a surface to release ice that roots the target.


    Effect:


    Tendrils of ice shoot from the affected target, applying a weaker version of this effect to 5 adjacent enemies.


    The [Web] modifier was one of his best. It multiplied the effects of a potion, usually connecting them with a web. After a moment, Tresk appeared at his side with a wide smile.


    ¡°The [Dexterity] paid off,¡± she said, waving her hand. Theo knew she was dismissing the creatures she created. ¡°Let¡¯s prove a point. Take the equipment off and try to run that again.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t worth running the exercise again. Theo knew he couldn¡¯t outpace those assassins without the extra movement speed, especially that provided by withdrawing items from his inventory. But he obeyed, allowing the Marshling to prove her point. That¡¯s when Theo learned something about combat in this world. He planned to overpower the two assassins, relying on his high [Strength] attribute to get them, but they were too slippery. Everytime he went to grab one, they simply dodged out of the way, keeping a safe distance from his powerful grasp. They eventually overwhelmed him, killing him with a painless death.


    ¡°I summoned level 30 assassins,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be faster than them, just fast enough.¡±


    Theo nodded. He felt himself falling into a familiar rhythm. On Earth, he did minimal hand-to-hand combat, but he was still trained. This reminded him of his work back then, part of those horrid death-squads. Berlin flashed in his mind again, but he pushed it away. He wasn¡¯t ready to confront that fully. But other memories came back. He was cornered in an alleyway, forced to fight his way out. Instead of killing his opponents, he would often send them off balance and run away. He explained it to Tresk, knowing that she was the only person he could trust with his grief.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good start,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°Fighting is a lot about what Attributes you have, but equal parts about what you know.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile at the woman. He¡¯d been responsible for more lives ended than she could ever understand, but the undertone of her message was clear. This wasn¡¯t Earth. He couldn¡¯t run away and order a tactical strike on an area. The knowledge translated. He had to run away and get his many towers to fire on the target, or rely on a potion to take care of the problem.


    ¡°Let me show you something,¡± Theo said, producing a [Reveal Construct] with a thought. He couldn¡¯t make anything he hadn¡¯t already created, forcing to give her an example with the useless thing. ¡°Go stealth, please. And don¡¯t move, I won¡¯t be able to track you.¡±


    Tresk obeyed, vanishing from sight. Theo didn¡¯t trust his mana usage outside of the Dreamwalk, but in here it was safe. He activated the stone with a drip of fiery, purple mana then tossed it in her general direction. The stone shattered in the air, but not before the field passed through where the Marshling was standing. She looked shocked, her eyes darting around as though he¡¯d performed some horrible act.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo produced another for her to inspect. She took the stone, rolling it over in her hands. ¡°This kinda sucks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but think of the principle,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk tilted her head to the side, bringing the stone close to her face and furrowing her wet little brow. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Imagine that, but bigger,¡± Theo said. He couldn¡¯t replicate an example for her. She¡¯d just have to take his word for it.


    ¡°How much bigger?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I always think about the extremes,¡± Theo said. ¡°Imagine a field as large as Broken Tusk. Now imagine that it can absorb other properties from my essences. A field that cures diseases, sets enemies on fire, blocks magic. The applications are endless.¡±


    ¡°Is this still alchemy?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Seems like magic to me. And don¡¯t think this gets you out of running drills.¡±


    ¡°I think it consumes either the essence, the medium, or both after use,¡± Theo said, shrugging. He ignored her comments about the drills. ¡°This still counts as alchemy, although alchemy is kinda magic if you think about it.¡±


    Tresk narrows his eyes at him. ¡°You¡¯re already far enough away from the Qavelli alchemists. You really wanna just go all out like that?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Theo said. The alchemist swiped his hand, changing the scene. They were standing by the river, near the bridge outside of the eastern wall of town. ¡°That¡¯s the plan for the whole town. Now, send more assassins after me.¡±


    Theo equipped his gear again, but Tresk refused to summon them immediately. She told him to go about his work and she¡¯d insert the attack whenever she thought his guard was down, running off to train on her own for the time being. He shrugged it off, happy enough to know that at least he couldn¡¯t get hurt for real here. The alchemist spent his time working with his mana and going over his brewing process. While he wanted to test Zarali¡¯s idea for an in-line refinement process, he couldn¡¯t get the Dreamwalk to allow him. He felt a gentle buzz in his mind every time he did, rejecting the concept wholesale.


    There were few improvements he could make to his process while in the Dreamwalk, and his practice came down to just repeating the steps he knew until it was second nature. Theo could experiment with temperatures, making a catalog in his mind for all the reagents and the best temperatures for the run. Common ingredients were the easiest to work with, but he found cultivated reagents became more difficult. They required more attention than their un-cultivated counterparts, but he made a mental note of those.


    Tresk¡¯s attack came when Theo least expected it. He could still hear her battle raging in the distance when four assassins came from nowhere. His tactic from last time didn¡¯t work, and he was quickly overwhelmed by the sudden press of daggers that seemed to fly from everywhere. The Marshling stood in the distance, tutting.


    ¡°You fell for the distraction,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You need to be focused at all times.¡±


    Theo just smiled, watching as the Marshling vanished. No amount of preparedness training would help him here. He needed an advantage that he could keep in his inventory at all times, and the constructs would help with that. The alchemist took part in Tresk¡¯s drills, never expecting to overcome whatever gaggle of assassins she sent after him as he practiced his alchemy. To his surprise, he got better at evading them. The concept that he could be overtaken at any moment had him keep a mental finger on the trigger of his inventory, ready to open it and throw a modified [Freezebomb] at the closest attacker.


    Tresk seemed happy enough with his progress, but the painless sensation of being killed by the fake assassins wasn¡¯t pleasant. He spent the rest of the night in that cycle of alchemy and defense. While he didn¡¯t elevate himself to the high standards of his companion, he got slightly better. It was like awakening old memories that wanted to stay dormant, bubbling them to the surface and scooping off the useful stuff. By the end, he was ready to see the light of the real world. To practice real alchemy, which would fuel his advancement.

 Chapter 3.8 - Quality Goes a Long Way

    Theo woke the next morning with one thing on his mind. During his time in the Dreamwalk, with Tresk¡¯s constant interruptions, he realized this was a chance to understand which potions would be most useful for adventurers. He could simply take a poll to figure out which worked best for them, but people rarely knew what they wanted. In the dreaming realm, he could experiment forever without getting tired. As he walked with Tresk to eat their breakfast, his mind rolled over the possibilities.


    Bombs were obvious. They came in as many flavors as he could think of and took modifiers well. For drinkable potions, there were too many to count. His plan was to root attackers with the Freezebomb, then pop a few potions to let him escape. [Lesser Barksin Potions] would have been useful, but they diminished the imbiber¡¯s speed. [Lesser Sprinting Potions] were obvious, as were the potions that increased stats. Theo wanted to put his mind to the problem, brewing the most potent of these potions to ease Tresk¡¯s worries. If she saw him put genuine effort into the problem, she¡¯d go back to doing dungeons.


    ¡°[Roc Berries] have a [Retreat] property,¡± Theo said as they sat down in the tavern.


    The Marsh Wolf Tavern was busier than normal. Most citizens of Broken Tusk didn¡¯t eat breakfast at the tavern, but since it was paid for they seemed more likely to do so. Alise caught their attention, coming to have a seat with them and breaking Theo¡¯s train of thought for a moment. Only then did he realize how obsessed he was over the issue, mentally kicking himself as to not do the town a disservice. The woman seemed bubbly today, sitting down and settling in with a smile on her face.


    ¡°I made a deal with a trader,¡± Alise said, setting something down on the table. Theo recognized it as a [House Seed Core]. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t overpay.¡±


    ¡°Why do we need more houses?¡± Tresk asked, tapping her foot impatiently. Theo could tell she was hungry. He¡¯d be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°We had an influx of people joining the town,¡± Alise said with a curt nod. ¡°Almost 70 citizens.¡±


    The last time Theo checked, it was somewhere around 50. A sudden flash of concern spread through his body. Those assassins Tresk exposed him to weren¡¯t doing him any favors.


    ¡°Think they would mind signing a basic contract?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A few of your powers extend to me,¡± Alise said, her grin growing broader. ¡°They¡¯ve already signed something to the effect of I shall not destroy Broken Tusk, her interests, blah blah.¡±


    Alise was his subordinate in the administration structure of Broken Tusk. The advantage of his [Governance Core] was the sharing of abilities. His combat-related abilities went directly to the military structure, such as his tactical map, and his administration-related abilities went to his helpers. Alise was for more than just a helper, he knew that. If the laborers and craftspeople of Broken Tusk were the muscle and bones, she was the blood. She was the person who kept everything running, leaving high-level decisions to Theo but managing the day-to-day things that would burden him quickly.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said, leaning back as a server came with his food and tea. ¡°How are we distributing them?¡±


    ¡°No business at breakfast,¡± Tresk said, glowering.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t do business at meals, business won¡¯t get done,¡± Theo said. Tresk bristled, but he felt her concede to his words.


    ¡°They¡¯re being distributed based on skill and experience,¡± Alise said, smiling as her food was delivered as well. She took a bite, swallowing the delicious, cheesy food before continuing. ¡°More concerns about childcare are springing up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Theo said. ¡°Can we fund something like that?¡±


    ¡°With our current deals, yes,¡± Alise said. ¡°I¡¯ve secured a contract with that gentleman from Qavell, but it was a pittance. He wasn¡¯t as illustrious as he claimed. We can claim the adventurer¡¯s tax, but I think that¡¯s a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. That should stay with them,¡± Theo said. ¡°Last time I was in a pinch, Aarok was more than happy to help fund the defense of the city.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t people just pay for childcare?¡± Tresk asked, snorting a laugh. ¡°If you got 10 kids, charge the people 1 copper a head.¡±


    Theo had never thought of it like that. Even if it was something as insignificant as a single copper per child, per day, the town could supplement that. He spotted Zan¡¯sal, a resident adventurer and member of the Khahari race. They were desert cat-people, as far as he knew, hailing from a continent to the east. He knew little about the continent, only what his cores wanted to whisper to him, but she was an honest person. She also had a child, something that often impeded her adventuring. He waved her over.


    The first thing he noticed about Zan¡¯sal was that she acted rather sheepish. It was as though she¡¯d wronged him, although he couldn¡¯t remember if she¡¯d done anything recently. Both she and her husband, Zan¡¯kir, kept to themselves in the adventurer¡¯s district of town. She averted her gaze, staring at the floor and performing a rigid bow.


    ¡°How much would you pay for daily childcare?¡± Theo asked, sweeping his suspicions under the rug.


    Zan¡¯sal seemed surprised about the question, searching the faces of Alise and Tresk before meeting his gaze. Theo narrowed his eyes. His intuition went wild when she looked into his eyes, a kind of guilt burning hard. He made a mental note but wouldn¡¯t act.


    ¡°10 copper. At least that much,¡± Zan¡¯sal said after a long moment. ¡°If Kir and I could hit the dungeon, we could afford to pay a lot more.¡±


    Theo turned to Alise and nodded. Zan¡¯sal seemed to take that as a dismissal, slinking away but not unnoticed by the alchemist.


    ¡°Take the temperature of that price,¡± Theo said. ¡°See if everyone else with kids will pay for it. Plan for a school, anyway. Use a [Seed Core House], or a specialized building if you can find it. Find the perfect nursemaid for our kids.¡±


    Alise nodded. Theo sensed a swell of pride in her chest. She was always so absurdly good at her job, he often found himself to be useless for the day-to-day things. But that¡¯s where the alchemist shined. Taking care of the large decisions that were hard to make. It was more a matter of taking suggestions from the townsfolk and applying their ideas for the betterment of the town, but it could be difficult. Only after the thought had lingered in the air enough did Theo notice Zan¡¯sal slipping away, his intuition and cores singing that something was fishy.


    What have Zan¡¯sal and Zan¡¯kir been up to? Theo asked Tresk through their private communication.


    He never suspected them of anything nefarious, because bringing a child to the town meant they had something to lose.


    Running the dungeons, Tresk said, narrowing her eyes on the Khahari woman slinking away. Your suspicions are flooding through the core, buddy. Anything you want to share.


    Just a feeling, Theo said, knowing that his feel for things was often accurate. Tail her for the day, if you can.


    I love sneaking around and spying on people, Tresk said, letting out an audible sigh. She vanished from her seat as the Khahari woman slipped out the door.


    ¡°The moment someone gets a travel power, they use it. Constantly,¡± Alise said, shaking her head. ¡°What else do we need to do?¡±


    Even with Theo¡¯s amazing memory, things often slipped through the cracks. He could recall anything he¡¯d heard or seen at a whim, but that didn¡¯t mean his mind was constantly lingering on those topics. If he didn¡¯t try to remember, how would he remember?


    ¡°Increase production, get a town hall, help Throk with his pipe system,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯m missing something, but that¡¯s all I can remember.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m off,¡± Alise said, standing and departing without saying another word.


    Theo had a few plans for the day. He finished his food and tea and departed for the quarry. It was a reach to assume he could create anything useful with his alchemy constructs, but it started with good materials. His [Drogramath Alchemy Core] sent waves of approval through his body when he thought about the high-quality stone produced at Ziz¡¯s quarry. Laden with [Dexterity] gear, the alchemy made amazing time to the quarry. Compared to his ponderous way of movement before the equipment, he was now moving at an absurd clip.


    Ziz Rotgut originally worked for Perg. He and his gang of 4 laborers were her muscle, hauling fetid hides around and moving them through the stages of animal hide processing. Ziz always kept his head shaved, exposing his red, almost pink scalp. He was shorter than most Half-Ogres, but the broadness of his shoulders made up for that. The roundness of his belly didn¡¯t help matters in having him stand apart from his kin, but like most Half-Ogres he was kind and hard working.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Ziz shouted, trundling over to scoop the alchemist up into a hug.


    The quarry rested at the foot of a small mountain. Theo was never sure whether he should call it a large hill or a small mountain, but the terrain was rocky and sat high enough to give a splendid view of the town. The quarry itself was little more than a boundary marker, designating the sloped pit. White stone caught the light of a cloudless sun, seams of gems cutting through the layers. A woodcutter¡¯s shack sat near the hole, larger than the alchemist remembered it but still quite small.


    ¡°Looks as though the stone is regenerating,¡± Theo said, finally released from the man¡¯s powerful grip.


    ¡°We have a few upgrades,¡± Ziz said, grinning. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Theo updated him on the discovery of alchemical constructs, detailing his theory about the stone. Putting his theories into words made him realize he only had half the truth, and more questions than anyone on this planet could answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Ziz said, retreating into the stoneworker¡¯s shop to retrieve a ledger. ¡°I had a wizard stop by, not our wizard, to buy some stone. Said something about using them to bind spells.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind cutting me a few blocks?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the stack of stone outside of the shack.


    ¡°How big?¡±


    ¡°Quarter halm by eighth halm,¡± Theo said, feeling a swell of pride for using a standardized measuring system for once.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ziz asked.


    Theo approximated the measurements for the Half-Ogre. It would be a rectangle of stone, small enough to fit in his hand for ease of experimentation. The thickness didn¡¯t matter, but as Ziz got to work the alchemist instructed him to make it no thicker than the width of his hand. When a craftsman worked on something, the system gave them an amount of wiggle room. He didn¡¯t need to chip away at the stone to make a shape. The stoneworker simply smacked a chisel with a hammer on one spot, and the block split into sheets.


    ¡°How about that?¡± Ziz asked.


    The sections he made were perfect. They were small enough to fit into Theo¡¯s hand, but thick enough to soak up a lot of essence. As expected, the quality of the stone was perfect. The more pieces he had for experimentation, the better.


    ¡°Absolutely perfect,¡± Theo said, taking 100 small stone slabs into his inventory. ¡°I can see this method of alchemy benefiting everyone, but I sense it¡¯s a long way off.¡±


    Ziz shrugged. ¡°Whatever works. Looks like exports are going to make up most of your income.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the town¡¯s income,¡± Theo said. ¡°Speaking of, I appreciate the stone you¡¯re donating.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Ziz said, rubbing his sweaty, bald head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about that.¡±


    Spoken like a true Half-Ogre. Theo and Ziz talked for some time about little things, such as both their advancement. The alchemist would hit level 13 with both his Drogramath cores soon, while his [Governance Core] still lagged behind. The Dreamwalk had done wonders for his advancement, but his administration-based core couldn¡¯t level there, not from what he¡¯d seen. He mentioned none of this to Ziz, preferring to keep his Tara¡¯hek abilities as secret as possible.


    Theo departed, finding his way to the heart of the town. Every day, near the imposing monolith which represented the center of town, a portal opened. Broken Tusk¡¯s resident wizard opened it daily for the adventurers, giving them a quick and safe route to the [Swamp Dungeon]. When the cool mana of the portal washed over the alchemist this time, he braced himself but felt none of the horrible effects. Previously taking the portal, he found himself sprawled on the ground for minutes at a time. This time it was as though he passed through a cold waterfall, then suddenly found himself standing in a stone tower, the effects of an eccentric Planar Mage hanging from the walls.


    The tower was protected with powerful wards that sent monsters away or killed them outright. Theo made his way to the top of the tower, finding Xol¡¯sa sanding and adjusting some magical device. The alchemist saw why those wards were needed, looking down into a mass of monsters beating themselves against his defenses. Monsters appeared not only in monster waves. From Theo¡¯s understanding they could appear anywhere there was magic, and since the swamp was filled with more Drogramathi magic than any place on the planet, they spawned in droves here.


    ¡°Yes, who is it?¡± Xol¡¯sa said. That struck Theo as odd. The wizard normally recognized him with some manner of magical senses, as though he was expecting him before he arrived.


    ¡°Just your friendly mayor. Coming to pick your brain,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa turned around, startled. He was an extra-planar Elf, the Bara¡¯their, with stark white skin that bore seams of blue energy. The pattern on his skin seemed to shift, but Theo never understood what caused the tapestry to shift. The Elf looked at him for a long time before responding, squinting his eyes and scanning him up and down. After a moment, he turned back to his work.


    ¡°Something is different about you,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, prodding a piece of wood into a strange copper device.


    ¡°I changed nothing,¡± Theo said, sitting cross-legged on the floor.


    Theo withdrew one of Ziz¡¯s stones from his inventory, a clean empty open-topped flask, and a beaker of his [Reveal Essence]. He placed the stone inside, drawing the Elf¡¯s attention again through the clanging of stone against glass.


    Uninvited, the wizard came to sit on the hard stone and observe the reaction. Theo could tell the essence liked the marble better than the garden rock he used the last time. He could also tell the effect was far less potent outside of his lab, and he made a mental note.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you that,¡± Theo said. He explained how alchemy constructs worked, to the best of his knowledge. Wizards were often a trove of knowledge.


    ¡°Yes, wizards have access to a similar skill,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°My senses say you¡¯re not doing it right, but I suppose you know that.¡±


    Theo nodded to the Elf, smiling. ¡°Naturally.¡±


    The personality trait the pair shared was the excitement of experimentation. Xol¡¯sa was the foremost expert on all matters related to extra-planar energy interaction, even at level 20. The Elf¡¯s claim was that he was the most knowledgeable about the subject on the planet, but Theo doubted it. There were places neither of them had seen in the world, opening up infinite possibilities for powerful [Planar Mages].


    ¡°I understand this in concept, no further. Magic-users can place a spell in an object, activating it later. Constructs can become devilishly complex. Artifices, for example, are a cousin to constructs,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, watching as the stone stopped bubbling in the essence. ¡°I think it¡¯s done.¡±


    Theo withdrew a pair of treated tongs from his inventory, withdrew the stone and put everything else back into his inventory. Before carrying on, he inspected the new construct to confirm his theory about stone quality influencing the end product.


    [Reveal Construct]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Emits a constant field of [Reveal] as long as the construct is powered.


    Material:


    Stone (Perfect Quality)


    Effect:


    Creates a 20 halm bubble around the construct that removes stealth from any target.


    ¡°Much better,¡± Theo said. ¡°Can you drip some mana into it? I don¡¯t have that much control over mine, yet.¡±


    ¡°I can help you with that,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, smiling. The Elf rarely smiled. ¡°If you¡¯d like to do some training.¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the stone.


    Xol¡¯sa smiled and held his hand out, palm down. Mana built up on the man¡¯s hand, dripping onto the construct. Unlike Theo¡¯s mana, the [Planar Mage¡¯s] mana resembled the seams of blue on his skin, shifting as the drops fell on the device. After only a moment, the field sprung to life. It consumed them in a bubble, tingling over their skin.


    ¡°Ah, I can already sense the weakness,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, pointing at the construct. Small cracks were forming in the center of the hewn marble, tracing a spider-web throughout its structure. The pair observed for minutes until the stone finally shattered.


    ¡°That lasted a while, compared to my last one,¡± Theo said, explaining his last setup.


    ¡°Quality goes a long way, but there¡¯s something else,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°A few flaws in the design. First, it targets everyone. Second, there¡¯s no power regulation method. Third, the magical instructions in the stone are incomplete.¡±


    Theo understood the first two problems with no explanation. ¡°How are the instructions incomplete?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re meant to use the essence that way,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Gambling is for fools who wish to dispose of their coin, but I¡¯d bet a gold that you missed a step.¡±


    Theo nodded. That made enough sense to him, he was improvising with this essence as it was. Essences rarely interacted with something without first going through a transformation process. The detergent-style potions needed to be mixed with water in precise quantities, bridging the gap of their power with another essence. Potion-style reactions were performed in a one-to-one reaction between [Purified Water] and an essence combined with a catalyst. The alchemist was amazed this even worked, in hindsight.


    ¡°I suspect you might need a live medium to make this work,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°But that¡¯s just a guess. Now, would you care to practice summoning your mana?¡±

 Chapter 3.9 - Equipment Upgrades

    Theo wouldn¡¯t have trusted even Zarali to instruct him on how to produce mana reliably. The system covered that for him with his water enchanting, but without a skill related to the act, it was up to him to bridge the gap. Xol¡¯sa explained it to him. The alchemist could grab a chisel and a hammer, practicing to create the stone tablets Ziz made for him. One day he might get rather good at it, but it would never compare to what someone could do with a [Stonecutter¡¯s Core]. With one deft smack, Ziz could create the tablets with minimal effort. But that was where the wizard advised caution. Reliance on cores to do everything often led to devastation after level 30.


    ¡°Because control is important,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, summoning a pool of shimmer blue mana. ¡°You can think of it as fuel, but without my exercises it will come out explosively.¡±


    While the wizard¡¯s instruction had been helpful, Theo didn¡¯t want to tell him how he¡¯d understood the dangers of mana. The exercises were simple enough. To practice, all he needed to do was imagine the mana drawing from his [Drogramath Alchemy Core], pulling it to the surface of his skin, and keeping it there. Xol¡¯sa assured him the process was more complex than that, but the exercise would work well enough.


    ¡°Mastery over mana aspects takes time,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding. ¡°You could understand Drogramath¡¯s power as though it were your own breath, only to be crushed by Zaul¡¯s. Every form has a unique flavor. Different preferences.¡±


    If that were the case, then Drogramath¡¯s mana was curious, ingenious, and determined. It was unyielding, yet it wanted to roam. Like the Demonic God himself, it was a contradiction. Theo was happy that Xol¡¯sa would spend the rest of the day helping him understand that strange resource. The wizard had better things to do, but the alchemist¡¯s interest in the topic surely fueled his support.


    When Theo finally left the tower, returning through the portal without issue, he understood something about bringing mana out. It wasn¡¯t enough for him to try without supervision, but he was happy with the progress. Tresk attended the nightly feast with him, relaying what she¡¯d observed from Zan¡¯sal during the day. This sent Theo¡¯s suspicions of the woman up in smoke. She just spent time with her child, joined the other adventurers on the walls, and helped around town. The alchemist brushed his concerns away, eating the strange, spicy stir-fry that Xam had prepared. It was good, but he was distracted.


    Tresk was disappointed when they entered the Dreamwalk. Theo hadn¡¯t created the potions he promised to make, meaning that he couldn¡¯t test them. At first she seemed angry about that fact, but softened with a grin on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to suffer,¡± Tresk said.


    True to her word, his entire time in the Dreamwalk was made difficult. Theo fell into a constant state of awareness, but not paranoia. Even with the tools he had, escape became more of an option each time. He reinforced what Xol¡¯sa taught him, and made some discoveries about his theory on constructs. The system was available in its entirety in the Dreamwalk, allowing Theo to scroll through the endless pages while he worked on his alchemy. Something stirred inside him, signifying that his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] had leveled and he immediately switched to tending a field of dream plants before finally inspecting a skill.


    [Alchemy Constructs]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Epic


    Alchemy constructs can take many forms. They combine the power of essences with magical bindings and the natural world.


    Effect:


    Increases the success of creating a construct.


    Constructs require less power to operate.


    +1 Intelligence


    Requires: Level 15 [Drogramath Herbalism] and Level 15 [Drogramath Alchemy] cores.


    Theo would only gain access to 1 skill at level 15. While Zarali advised him to get [Reagent Deconstruction], he knew that was a long-term thing required to break past level 30. While he had a rocky start with constructs, they could help him now. He saw the potential in those little stone tablets, especially if he had a skill related to them. The description on the skill also gave him a hint on how to create better constructs, but he still only had theories. He spent the rest of his time in the Dreamwalk dodging assassins and tending his plants until he felt another twinge. His [Drogramath Alchemy Core], [Drogramath Herbalism Core], and his personal level all leveled up. He already planned to dump his free point into [Intelligence], and was eager for the night to end.


    When the pair woke in the morning, Theo was greeted with a series of system windows.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 14.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (5%).


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 14.


    [Governance Core] received experience (0.18%).


    [Governance Core] leveled up! Level 8.


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (1.7%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (1.7%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (2%).


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 13.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    While he didn¡¯t expect the [Governance Core] to level up, he wouldn¡¯t fight it. He put his free point into [Intelligence], bringing it up to 19 with his modifiers. Once it hit 20, he¡¯d reconsider his distribution strategy, but this was fine for now.


    Theo made his offering, and went to leave the building, expecting Tresk to be close behind. She grabbed him by the arm and gave him a serious look.


    ¡°Do you have [Roc Berries]?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not enough for a run,¡± Theo said, feeling sheepish under her gaze.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re getting some before I leave you for the day. I¡¯m not letting you slack.¡±


    Theo nodded, being led by the arm to go eat breakfast. They ate quickly, not wasting before heading to the hills to the south, still within the walls of the town. The [Roc Berries] grew there, and were tart, almost chalky berries that had the important [Retreat] property. It would have been better to cultivate the berries to get better potions at the end, but this would do for his testing. Tresk wasn¡¯t happy with him promising to brew a potion based on the [Retreat] property and followed him back into the lab. To his surprise, Sledge and Throk were leaving when they arrived.


    ¡°What are you doing here, dad?¡± Tresk asked, eying her father suspiciously.


    ¡°Zarali hired me,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°Hope it was sanctioned.¡±


    Throk was a gruff old Marshling, shorter than Tresk with pale brown skin. He was a cornerstone to Broken Tusk¡¯s operation. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.


    ¡°Theo, do you have a moment?¡± Throk asked.


    ¡°To the lab, dad,¡± Tresk said, refusing to leave Theo¡¯s side.


    Sledge departed there, wanting nothing of Tresk¡¯s ire, and the group went up to the lab. Theo noticed the work Zarali hired him to do immediately after entering the room. All 3 of his stills had new attachments. A thick pipe ran in a loop to the ground where a new artifice stood. It was much like a smaller still and had an output at the bottom that looped again, running over the table and into a new series of condenser coils. This wasn¡¯t exactly what Theo had imagined, but he could see the logic in the design.


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    ¡°There¡¯s them bubbling plates on the top,¡± Throk said, pointing at the thick tube coming from the top of the stills. ¡°I wanted to call them agitators, but Zarali insisted. Then, we have vapor condensers at the bottom. Basically, small pressure vessels with refuse releases on the side.¡±


    ¡°Did she pay you?¡± Theo asked, moving into inspect the new artifices. A system prompt popped for both new attachments.


    [Custom Copper Bubble Plate]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Rare


    Created By: Throk


    Achieves in-line redistillation effects without loss of essence.


    Effects:


    Increases the quality of resulting essence by 1 grade, up to excellent.


    [Custom Vapor Pressure Tank]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Rare


    Created By: Throk


    Refines essences in vapor form through extreme pressure.


    ¡°I¡¯m all paid up,¡± Throk said, laughing.


    Both were amazing. The bubble plate just increased the purity of the final essence, which Theo would need going into level 20. But the vapor tank was amazing. He didn¡¯t need to run out to the back yard to dump his essence in the massive pressure tanks. According to Zarali, the vapor needed less pressure to be refined, but he wouldn¡¯t take her word for it. He removed the lid of his [Drogramath Still], an action made more awkward by the bubble plates, set his grinder on top and ground 200 units of [Roc Berries] inside.


    Throk and Tresk caught up, which amounted to a screaming match in the lab about Tresk¡¯s future. Theo ignored them, dumping his [Enchanted Water] inside and setting the still to work. Their argument grew more intense, but the alchemist went out back to check his plants. To his surprise, the pressure vessels were gone, which was fine with him. He could feel Tresk¡¯s feelings as he clipped back his plants, pulling weeds and making sure they were watered. She wasn¡¯t mad at her father, this was just how they communicated. As he finished gather his plants, he felt a wave of love fill his heart. They must have gotten to the core of the issue, and as he entered the lab again they were hugging.


    ¡°How many [Monster Cores] do I have left?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re having a moment,¡± Tresk growled.


    Theo bought 200 high-level monster cores the last time his favorite trader was in town, but he¡¯d spent most of them. He found them in his [Dimensional Storage Crate] and returned them to his inventory, intent on increasing the size of his greenhouse while Throk and Tresk were having their moment. Of the 200 he bought, there were only 30 left. He went down to the greenhouse and fed motes inside, watching as it grew in size with each level. Every new level for a building gave it more size, maybe 5 halms in whatever direction, but multiples of 5 gave it a new skill. The [Alchemical Garden] hit 15 very quickly, and the options were not incredibly impressive. The system usually listed 3 selections, but only 1 was typically good. He selected the best one.


    [Rapid Growth]


    Consume latent energy to increase the speed that plants grow within the greenhouse.


    That would be absurd. The plants already grew to maturity within a day, but the other options were increased fertilization of the earth and a weed killer. Neither option seemed good, so [Rapid Growth] was the best. He kept feed cores until he was down to a handful. Fortunately, the level 30 cores went a long way and he got the greenhouse to level 20. It was more than twice the original size, large enough to hold a horde of plants. A single new option appeared, and it was clearly the only one worth selecting.


    [Untamed Cultivation]


    Increasing the ceiling for how high a plant can be cultivated to 200%.


    ¡°That changes everything,¡± Theo said, snorting a laugh.


    Cultivation did a few things for reagents. The most important thing, if you asked Zarali, was that it increased the purity of the final essence. Theo¡¯s main concern with cultivation was how it affected the size of the reagent. For every 10 percent of cultivation, a plant would gain at least a unit in size. A [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] at 100% cultivation was 12 units, which was enough to make 12 potions. He could only imagine that a 200% cultivated root would produce 24 units. It also gave him a clear path for something he wanted to do in the future, which was the hybridization of reagents. But that was a task for another time.


    Theo had time to think as he worked in his garden. He could hear the voices of Tresk and Throk from the lab upstairs, deciding to give them a moment before he intruded. Only when their voices died down did he go upstairs, finding his companion smiling there and her father moving to leave. Theo stopped him at the door, dragging him back into the lab.


    ¡°Can you make me something, Throk?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m always making you stuff, Theo,¡± Throk said, giving him a flat look.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a [Seed Core House] from his inventory. He set it down on the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s always dangerous,¡± Throk said, laughing nervously.


    A seed core was the base of all core buildings. They grew magically, fed by monster cores, but the design seemed genius to Theo. It typically had a metal cage containing some seed in the center. With the example on the table, it was an iron mesh cage surrounding a swirling mote of energy that looked like a mix between wood and fire.


    ¡°How much do you know about seed cores?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Throk and Tresk said at the same time.


    ¡°Same here,¡± Theo said, poking the small sphere. Without waiting for anyone¡¯s approval, he produced a vial of essence from his inventory and dripped it on the seed core. He gained a shout of concern from Tresk and Throk. His companion ripped the bottle of essence from his hand and cast him a glare.


    ¡°Trying to kill us?¡± she asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re alchemically neutral,¡± Theo said, shrugging.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re magic, you dolt,¡± Throk said.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°I need you to make me a few cages. Like this. I prefer something with a clasp, so I can put stuff inside.¡±


    Throk narrowed his eyes at the alchemist. ¡°What are you planning? Going to make seed cores?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Theo said, waving him off. ¡°I just had an idea, based on a skill I can get next level.¡±


    Throk grumbled, but nodded. ¡°I can do that? Copper? Of course. Well, I¡¯m leaving before you blow me up.¡±


    Throk departed, not wanting an explanation from Theo, but Tresk remained. The still was done refining the essence and she wanted him to create a potion before he left. She was also interested in his explanation on the seed core, which he returned to his inventory. Theo withdrew a sample of his new essence for inspection.


    [Refined Retreat Essence]


    [Essence]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting potions will be more effective.


    Chance to consume half of required essence during brewing.


    1 units (liquid)


    Concentrated, refined essence of retreat.


    It wasn¡¯t anything unexpected, but the Theo could feel that it would make a standard potion. He transferred the essence to his inventory and generated a single flat-bottomed vial to brew his potion in while explaining his idea about the metal cages.


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa gave me a hint about the constructs, although I don¡¯t know if he knew exactly what he was saying,¡± Theo said, pulling a vial from his [Glassware Artifice]. ¡°He said to use a living medium, but that¡¯s not what he meant.¡±


    Theo mixed the potion with ease, but his mind itched to consult his Basic Drogramath Alchemy book. The mysterious book was written in code that could only be understood once he unlocked skills. He knew that the knowledge he wanted was not there, or that it was still encoded until he unlocked the skill. The potion swirled in the vial, bubbling for a moment before turning a pale green color. He inspected it before Tresk responded to his comment.


    [Retreat Potion]


    [Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    One second after drinking, the imbiber will be propelled backwards. Distance depends on the quality of the potion.


    Effect:


    [Retreat] on self.


    ¡°So, your plan is to make a seed core?¡± Tresk asked, following him as he left the lab.


    ¡°A mock seed core, maybe,¡± Theo said. ¡°It makes sense, though. A metal cage on the outside to contain everything, a middle part that holds the magic. I¡¯m just missing something. I need the skill.¡±


    They were out on the cobbled roads of Broken Tusk after chatting for a moment with Azrug. The shopkeeper was irate about some missing stock, but relaxed when he learned that Theo had taken it.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked, facing his back toward the south.


    ¡°For what?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo downed the [Retreat Potion] without hesitation. The difference between tier 1 potions and tier 2 potions was massive. If he had brewed the first tier, he would have gone back a bit, but nothing spectacular. With the stronger tier of potion, he was thrown back with absurd force after one second. His feet scraped against the cobbles, but he tracked the fall of the terrain and suppressed a shout of surprise. With his increased [Dexterity], he even maintained his footing when he finally came to a stop. The potion had thrown him from the lab, all the way past Perg¡¯s tannery in an instant. Tresk came running down the street, shouting her excitement.


    ¡°Now that is a potion for running away!¡± she shouted, pumping her fist in the air.


    Theo let out a steadying breath. He didn¡¯t want to admit it to his companion, but the experience was equal parts exciting and nauseating. Tresk celebrated for a while longer and made him promise to brew at least one more of the potions before departing. After she departed, he was left with a different feeling. Brewing the potion took half the time it normally did, thanks to Throk¡¯s additions to the stills. When the alchemist finally made his way back up the road, a familiar buzzing came from his mind. At first, he thought it was from the communication crystal given to him by the kingdom of Qavell. But it was the trader, Fenian. He squeezed it in his hand, establishing a telepathic link.


    My dear alchemist, Fenian said, his smile bleeding into his voice. Care to make me a few potions?

 Chapter 3.10 - Mines and Mints

    Your timing is suspiciously aligned with when I create a new potion, Theo said.


    He took a seat in his lab, gazing out the window as the voice of Fenian echoed through his mind. The telepathic link was like the Tara¡¯hek¡¯s version, but different enough to render it cumbersome. The entire experience reminded him that the officials from Qavell hadn¡¯t contacted him in some time, and the last time he tried to establish communication, they didn¡¯t respond.


    I¡¯m a man of many talents, Fenian said. Excellent timing is one of them.


    The traders are flowing south like a tide, Theo said. Migrants and adventurers, too. Why do I have the feeling that you have something to do with the whole thing?


    I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Fenian said.


    Even through the communication crystal, Theo could spot a lie. The Elf had something to do with the merchant¡¯s war, but that was for the better. If Fenian dismantled that establishment, everyone in the kingdom would benefit. Fenian Feintleaf was a strange trader. He seemed more interested in seeing Broken Tusk built up than making a tidy profit, although he also did that. He was Theo¡¯s link to the outside world, possessing a magical transportation that made long distances irrelevant. There had to be some limitations, but the alchemist never pushed him on the subject.


    Potions, Fenian said, repeating his earlier sentiment. If I know you, you have none in your stockpile.


    Theo stopped himself from rising to the comment, clearing his throat and letting out a breath. Just a few things. The art of alchemy takes time to perfect, Fenian.


    Naturally, Fenian said. Well, I¡¯m dropping off an order soon. The winds have turned in my favor and I have gold reserves again. I¡¯ll buy every potion you craft.


    It was hard to think about the trader going broke. He seemed to pull gold from nowhere, but that was a childish thought. The Elf had holdings somewhere, some investment he called on. For a few weeks, Fenian was transporting people vast distances to avoid the rise of the cults. According to the rumors, those cults were put down and order had been restored. Only now did Theo think the cults were a ruse, something designed to hide the merchant¡¯s war.


    I have some new ones, Theo said, confident that he could brew massive quantities before the trader arrived. Some strange, some useful.


    Perfect. See you soon, Fenian said.


    Without another word, the connection was severed. The items Fenian coveted the most were obvious. Restoration potions and stat-enhancement potions. Those were the easiest to sell. Theo refused to sell the trader his bombs, any bombs, based on how dangerous they could be. There was also an experience boost potion he could make that was illegal, so he avoided the truffle¡¯s properties altogether.


    Fenian is coming to town, Theo said, tapping into his Tara¡¯hek power.


    Sweet! I bet he has my order, Tresk said.


    Something about the way her voice came through let him know she was already in a dungeon. Excitement flooded his body as he realized she was over that hump.


    Theo had a plan for the day¡¯s work, but a few items he wanted to create were novelty items. He rummaged through his supplies and located a few things he¡¯d need for the day¡¯s brewing. Tresk always kept a store of [Marsh Tubers] nearby, and the alchemist was intent on extracting the [Solidify] modifier property. He usually had enough [Manashrooms] to brew at least 500 mana potions, but he sat on a surplus. He prepared both ingredients, filling his fermentation barrels before stepping back to inspect the barrels.


    [Enchanted Alchemy Fermentation Barrel]


    [Alchemy Equipment] [Enchanted]


    Epic


    Created By: Sledge


    Modified By: Zarali


    A 200 unit capacity barrel capable of fermenting any reagents placed inside. Placing a mote with the mash is required for the process to take effect. Additional motes and mana may be required over the course of the fermentation.


    Effects:


    Creates a fermentation reaction when reagents are placed inside with a mote.


    Speed of fermentation is greatly increased, depending on the strength of the mote.


    Enchantments:


    Siphon Power


    Distribute Power


    Crafting Speed


    Crafting Effectiveness


    Alignment: Drogramath


    Although Zarali had made modifications to the barrels, the description only confused him. Siphoning and distributing power were hard to understand, but speed and effectiveness were simple enough. He set the [Alchemical Grinder] to the side and inspected the barrels. Instead of introducing a mote to kick off the reaction, he tried adding his Drogramath-aligned mana. It wasn¡¯t like his practice with Xol¡¯sa. The mana flowed on its own. He felt something drain inside him as he filled both barrels, nodding with some satisfaction as the contents of each barrel bubbled.


    The plan was to begin by targeting 2 variations of his standard health potion. The first was easy enough. Using the [Manashrooms], he would extract the [Mana Bloom] modifier property. It was a simple property, adding a mana bonus to regular potions. His second plan, involving the [Marsh Tuber] would extract the [Solidify] property, which would allow him to turn his drinkable potions into small, chewable pieces. He¡¯d cut those up, experimenting on if the system recognized them as individual things, then Fenian could sell them as a novel way of restoring health.


    ¡°Like pills,¡± Theo said, securing the lids of both barrels. Sometimes it helped to bring his thoughts out.


    Theo rummaged through his reagents, trying to find something that stuck out to him. He¡¯d cultivated [Mage¡¯s Bane], but was reluctant to distribute anti-mage potions. That seemed more like a weapon than anything to him, so he skipped those. A creature called a Fade had attacked town recently, and Tresk was more than happy to collect their hard carapace. While he had never made a potion out of the hard shell, his intuition said it was a better version of the [Barkskin] property.


    Managing the garden outside was becoming a chore, but Theo didn¡¯t trust anyone else to take care of it yet. He went outside, chatted for a short time with Azrug, and worked the garden. The [Mage¡¯s Bane] got a corner of the greenhouse, while the [Spiny Swamp Thistle] took up a majority of the space, even after the expansion. Propagating the tuber-bearing thistle plant was easy enough. The alchemist could cut one section of a single root, store it in a cool dry place for a few hours, and it would be ready to plant once again. Everything moved faster in Broken Tusk.


    Theo returned to the lab and set two stills to work, processing their full capacity of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. He filled the last still with the [Fade Carapace], and left the lab to take care of some chores. It was a bad idea to neglect his [Governance Core]. He made good time to the mine, passing by Perg¡¯s tannery to spot her dead wreath, then by a small cluster of houses meant for the miners and their families. Nira was working the massive smeltery building, as she always was. The sound of pickaxes striking stone met his ears even before he spotted Dead Dog Mine. Gridgen, the taskmaster for the operation, was taking a break outside.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    It had become a habit for Theo to pick plants everywhere he went. During his trip to the mine, he stuffed as many [Mage¡¯s Bane] and [Stone Flowers] into his inventory as he could spot, relying on his [Drogramath Alchemy Knife] to reveal the location of hidden herbs. Gridgen seemed in good spirits, smiling as he spotted the alchemist. The man was more weather-worn than most in Broken Tusk, his pale skin a tapestry of hard labor and scarce meals. He was a Human, although what that meant here was often foggy. His particular brand of Human came from cold northlands, among the bear-like people called the Toora.


    ¡°A visit from the boss,¡± Gridgen said, laughing. He slapped Theo on the back.


    Unlike when Theo first arrived in town, the friendly slap on the back didn¡¯t move him at all. He stood firm, bolstered by his attributes. He smiled back.


    ¡°Everyone happy?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°More than happy,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°I have a few new workers. We added another house to the miner¡¯s village. Dead Dog Mine is spitting out copper and iron faster than we can mine it. Walk in, and your pockets fill with ore. Not really.¡±


    Theo laughed. He had a purpose for his visit. Deeper was better with mines, if he took the hints from Zarali correctly. Mining manually downward was going to be an issue, especially if the stone regenerated. The alchemist needed to know the current layout of the mine and how to exploit the [Dissolve] property to create new caverns.


    ¡°I¡¯d like a tour of the mine itself,¡± Theo said, clapping his hand over the man¡¯s shoulder. Gridgen only came up to his chest, and the alchemist found himself constantly stooping to be at eye-level with the smaller races of the world.


    ¡°Might be a tight squeeze for you,¡± Gridgen said, nodding.


    Gridgen handed him a lantern and Theo stooped even lower, crossing the threshold of that timber-braced entrance. The inside was exactly what he expected. Rough-hewn walls with men and women of all races hitting pickaxes against the walls. When they struck a nugget free, it vanished. The mine was upgraded with [Automatic Deposit], which sent the nuggets straight to a [Dimensional Storage Crate] outside. The most surprising feature of the mine was that it was massive. At first, there was a single sloped path that led down, but it quickly forked off. Those forks had forks, and so on, until the mine turned into an ant¡¯s hill of confounding passageways. Without his excellent memory, Theo would have gotten lost.


    ¡°This is the deepest point?¡± Theo asked, pressing his hand against the cold stone. Gridgen nodded, and the alchemist held his hand out. After a moment, the miner understood he wanted the man¡¯s pickaxe.


    ¡°Does the base stone regenerate?¡± Theo asked, slamming the pick hard against the wall. Despite inadequate space, he brought a sizeable chunk of stone down with a single hit. Gridgen yelped in surprise as sparks showered them in the darkness.


    ¡°In some places, but mostly no,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°We¡¯ve been digging this tunnel for a while.¡±


    Theo inspected the slab he dislodged from the wall, finding that it was just poor quality stone. The nuggets in the mine were perfect quality, which just went to show how this place was enhanced by someone. Who that was still eluded him, but he had theories.


    ¡°What do you figure the next tier of metal is?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Copper, Iron, Steel, Silver, Gold?¡±


    Gridgen shrugged at that, setting the lantern down on the ground. ¡°I worked for silver mines and copper mines, but never gold mines. Everyone targeted the precious metals for coin minting, but we never hit incidental veins.¡±


    Incidental veins meaning veins of iron that sprung up near copper. Theo figured that much from the context and nodded. Gridgen was getting at the fact that they were looking for silver veins in the mine, but even veins was a bad way to describe it. They were more like points where the nuggets would pop into existence, clusters that the miners could reliably expect to regenerate.


    ¡°How dangerous is it to dig deep?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Fairly dangerous,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°You can hit a cavern. Filled with monsters and all kinds of nasty things.¡±


    That was easy enough to understand. Theo thought about the defenses in his town, spotting a weakness born of his thoughts to secure the mine. The town had a single wall, and unlimited angles of approach. If the mine were to hit a cavern that contained monsters, it made sense to limit the approaches to one. An idea swirled in his mind and he looked around at the hard stone around him.


    ¡°This stone won¡¯t regenerate?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We dug this tunnel a few days ago,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°Seems to be holding.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I have an idea,¡± Theo said, gesturing for the man to follow him up and out of the gentle slope of the tunnel.


    Once they were up in the fresh air and bright sunlight, Theo went over his concept. ¡°I have a potion that should dig the tunnels for you. I haven¡¯t brewed it yet, but I¡¯m certain it will work. Don¡¯t dig more than one exploration tunnel at a time, and branch everything off that one tunnel you showed me. Dig a large area out in that tunnel, enough for us to mount a defensive point¡ªstuff like metal gates and artifices¨Cthen use my potions to dig deeper.¡±


    ¡°Magical digging?¡± Gridgen asked, leaning on his pick and grinning. ¡°You think potions solve everything, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Sometimes I¡¯m wrong, but it often works out. You understand what the goal is, right?¡±


    ¡°To avoid monsters and find silver?¡± Gridgen asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°To find both. I don¡¯t imagine many people would be insane enough to look for those caverns, but I¡¯m interested in farming them out.¡±


    Theo¡¯s mind shifted. Gridgen mentioned something earlier that he had riddled out through something Zarali said. He took a breath, stopped to collect his thoughts, then continued.


    ¡°Coin minting,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°Tell me everything you know about minting currency.¡±


    Gridgen stuck his hand into a sack hung from his belt, digging around for something. He withdrew a single copper coin and held it up. ¡°Somehow you¡¯ve stumbled on someone who knows a lot about something for no good reason. Well, I worked as a porter for the royal mint for a time. Not the mint directly, but the mine that supplied the mint. What is this coin made of? Why does it have any value?¡±


    Theo understood the concept of a currency backed by a precious metal, but here that made little sense. A copper bar wasn¡¯t worth a copper coin, and a copper coin contained less copper than the bar. That was a mystery that he never gave much thought, chalking it up to some system-related backing of the money. When the alchemist was given the first bit of information regarding a topic, he could extrapolate to the end with little effort. This one was more simple than he thought.


    ¡°Magic,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°The coins have some kind of magical use, and are soaked in the stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how the royal minter explained it,¡± Gridgen said, flipping the coin in the air and catching it. ¡°They have some secret process to press a piece of copper with magic. He said it was extremely dense. As in, there¡¯s more magic in a copper coin than in his mana pool. And he had a lot of mana.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the question, though,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin. Coins had mana, but what did that matter? ¡°What¡¯s the point of the coins?¡±


    ¡°High-level crafts,¡± Gridgen said, shrugging as though everyone knew that.


    ¡°How do we make a mint?¡± Theo asked.


    Gridgen blustered, looking at Theo as though he were a crazy person. ¡°You¡¯d need a lot of ambient mana. And a specialized building. What¡¯s wrong with your face? What¡¯s the look for? Theo?¡±


    Theo had fallen into thought, his mouth hanging open as he realized the implications. The mine already produced copper, and it would produce silver. They had more ambient mana than they knew what to do with. That¡¯s what Zarali was doing. Her long-term plans fell into his mind in an instant. She was accumulating mana in her enchanting building as a test, not just to satisfy her enchanting needs. Perhaps she was hanging on to the idea until she was certain it would work, but the alchemist had no such reservations.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to brew you some potions to help you find silver,¡± Theo said. Without waiting for a response from the man, he sent a message through the town-wide messaging system.


    [Theo]: Aarok, Throk, report to the mine. Not an emergency.


    Gridgen explained how impossible what he wanted to do while they waited for the two men to show up. Aarok arrived with Luras after a few moments, they must have not understood that it wasn¡¯t an emergency. Throk came shortly after. Theo explained what he wanted. A defensive point in the mine to bolster against the possibility of a cavern breach, and adventurers to man it.


    ¡°I can build an iron gate easy enough,¡± Throk said, waving him off.


    ¡°More than happy to spare a few adventurers for the effort,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Sentry duty, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Theo said.


    Theo went into detail on his plan. This was the first step in a long journey for Broken Tusk to mint their own currency. It was a chance to claw independence away from Qavell, and each man standing there on that hill were people he trusted with his life. People who wanted nothing more than to transform their little town into an independent nation-state. The one thing they needed more than anything else was money. Enough spiritstone coins to gain some amount of independence and stop paying the absurd taxes to the crown.


    Currently, Broken Tusk owed taxes every month. It was raised recently to support the war effort. Property was taxed 15% on its value, exports 20%, and sales 15%. That meant if they exported anything from the town, they owed 35% of the value of the item to the crown. Luras, Aarok, and Throk were on board, but Gridgen had his reservations. He simply didn¡¯t believe they could gather enough energy to produce the coins.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve gone and ruined my surprise!¡± Zarali shouted from down the hill.


    All eyes turned to her. The Dronon woman was stomping up the hill, hands on her hips and a grim look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not even done testing the quality of the mana,¡± she said, letting out a huff.


    ¡°It¡¯s pure enough, isn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked, excitement flooding his body.


    Zarali¡¯s posture straightened, a smile spreading across her face. ¡°Of course it is, brother. We just need the building, the metal, and someone with a [Minter¡¯s Core].¡±

 Chapter 3.11 - Pills Here

    The coin mint was a long-term solution to a long-term problem. Gridgen assured the group that minting coins didn¡¯t happen overnight. The only positive side to this new project was that it wasn¡¯t illegal, anyone could mint coins if they had the resources. This was because the system often generated coins, giving them out as rewards to quests or for defeating monster waves. The Kingdom of Qavell couldn¡¯t regulate something like that, not with their limited resources. While the miners could shift their attention to creating new tunnels, they worked at a snail¡¯s pace.


    Theo stood in his lab, appreciating his new refinement technique and preparing his stills for another run. He cleaned the stills with drops of his [Cleansing Scrub], washing away all the junk inside with waves of white light. The [Fade Carapaces] had produced [Carapace Essence], and the [Spiny Swamp Thistle] produced [Healing Essence]. During a monster wave, an animated column of water had attacked the town. It was frozen by the turrets, allowing the alchemist to collect a valuable resource. [LIving River Water] contained the property [Dissolve], something he was certain would help the miners. Without hesitating, he filled the [Drogramath Still] with [Enchanted Water] and the [Living River Water], setting it to distill and refine the precious resource.


    Potions fell into a few categories in Theo¡¯s mind. There were different tiers of potions, but also different alignments. Compounded with that was the fact that they could be modified, or cultivated potions. The fermentation of his reagents was done, allowing him to start those modifiers off on a distillation and refinement run. He filled the two spare stills with their respective mashes and set the heat.


    Theo set up a few flat-bottomed vials to test the reaction for his [Refined Carapace Essence]. This potion would be a refined, aligned, tier 2 reaction. He placed a single enchanted [Iron Shaving] at the bottom, introduced [Purified Water] and the essence in equal quantities, and watched the reaction. It was tepid, as far as reactions went, only bubbling a little and putting off a strange metallic smell. The resulting potion was a brown color, similar to that of a cockroach. He inspected his new creation.


    [Carapace Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A defensive potion. Drink to gain segmented plates over your body, significantly increasing your defense.


    Effect:


    Covers your body with flexible, chitinous plates. Effect lasts 30 minutes, or until the plates are destroyed.


    The [Lesser Barkskin Potion] mentioned a decrease in mobility, but this one didn¡¯t have that in the description. As he expected, it was just a better version of that potion. Theo¡¯s mind rolled over without his command, thinking of the best modifier to apply to the potion. By itself, the potion was decent. It gave the user a defense boost, but something was missing. With little thought, it arrived at the usefulness of the [Anti-Mage] modifier. Since he was cultivating the [Mage¡¯s Bane] flower for a while now, he¡¯d accumulated a decent stockpile of the modifier.


    Modifier essences were used to mix with regular potions, or bombs, to create different effects. The results were often chaotic, following a logic the alchemist hadn¡¯t decoded yet. He withdrew a flask of the modifier from his inventory, transferred the potion to a 4 unit vial and introduced equal parts of the [Anti-Mage] modifier essence. The result was much like the other potions he¡¯d applied the modifier to, gaining ribbons of silver energy that flowed through the brown potion like liquid metal. He inspected the result.


    [Carapace Potion]


    [Anti-Mage]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A defensive potion. Drink to gain segmented plates over your body, significantly increasing your defense.


    Effect:


    Covers your body with flexible, chitinous plates. Effect lasts 30 minutes, or until the plates are destroyed.


    Chitinous plates are covered in a field of anti-magic. Reduces damage dealt by magical attacks, and absorbs those spells to increase the duration of this potion.


    Often, a modifier essence would change the nature of a potion to render it less useful. Sometimes, the result was even dangerous. This example was a complete win. It didn¡¯t change the way the base potion acted, and simply added a different effect. Now the plates that covered the imbiber¡¯s body would absorb magic, even extending the duration of the potion. Theo was reluctant to export most things with the [Anti-Mage] property, but this was fine in his mind. He was alright with a defensive use of the property, and created 500 [Carapace Potions] with the property, intending to keep some for himself and send the rest off with Fenian.


    Some modifiers were outright monstrous in their effects. In the early stages of brewing potions, Theo had created poisons that would enhance Tresk¡¯s ability to do combat. At the second tier of potioncraft, he¡¯d created poisons that were devastating. He cataloged these in his mind as weapons, not fit for export from Broken Tusk. The pinnacle of his poison making was a [Poison] with [Accelerated Decay] as a modifier. He withdrew one from his inventory for examination, a reminder of the power he could achieve.


    [Poison]


    [Accelerated Decay]


    [Poison] [Modified Poison]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.


    Chance to inflict 2 stacks per hit.


    Effect:


    Cripples an enemy, reducing their Dexterity by 5.


    Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 15 stacks. Poison inflicts DOT damage and decay increases the effects of all poison damage.


    Stacks of poison take twice as long to fade.


    Removing a stack of poison through any means other than the natural expiration of the effect causes the remaining stacks of poison to explode, dealing their remaining damage to the target.


    Each effect was enough to make this potion worth it, but the list seemed to go on. It reduced a target¡¯s [Dexterity], it applied a DOT effect, the poison faded slower, and if someone removed the effect it exploded to deal its remaining damage. Something Theo had learned about modifier essences was how powerful they got after the refining process. Since his stills could now refine in place, rather than transferring to the cumbersome tanks outside, this was something he was interested in. The alchemist organized his lab, sorting through crates of reagents, essences, modifiers, and random junk, before his next phase was ready for testing.


    With enough base healing potions in reserve, and the [Solidify] modifier cooking off to completion, Theo could begin the next phase of his experimentation. Before he moved on, he inspected a [Healing Potion].


    [Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 135 health points.


    Theo long suspected that the alchemists on this continent were incompetent. He¡¯d heard whispers of a land in the west called Tarantham, which from context and clues seemed like an Elven land. The potion he held in his hand was considered the best potion in the kingdom. It restored the most health out of all the other potions, placing it above what the Qavelli alchemists could do. But it wasn¡¯t good enough for him. Modifiers were unseen to those same alchemists, and he intended to exploit that fact with his next creation. His [Solidify] modifier came out of the still as a [Refined Solidify]. Just like his [Refined Decay] modifier, this one was amazing. He inspected it.


    [Refined Solidify]


    [Essence Modifier] [Refined Essence Modifier]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting modifier will be more effective.


    High chance to add an additional modifier to the resulting potion.


    1 units (liquid)


    Add to a completed potion to add the ¡°Solidify¡± modifier. Solidify had unpredictable effects and varies wildly from potion to potion. Typical effects include solidification of the potion itself.


    Applying a regular [Solidify] modifier to a potion turned it solid, allowing a person to eat it piece-by-piece to restore health. Theo¡¯s intuition and hopes sent his mind spiraling to the possibilities of this new combination. Instead of performing the reaction in a flask, Theo generated a shallow glass dish with his [Glassware Artifice], transfered the potion and introduced the modifier. It hissed for only a moment before turning solid. Despite being out of a vial, he was able to inspect his creation.


    [Healing Potion]


    [Solidify]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Turns the liquid of the potion into a solid item, which can be removed from the vial. If eaten entirely, 135 health is restored. Eating small amounts of the solid will restore a proportional amount of health.


    Portioning out this potion results in a multiplicative effect of healing potency (gained from [Refined Solidify] modifier alignment trait).


    It was often hard to understand the effects on potions, but Theo understood this. The alignment effect from the modifier was transferred to a second trait, increasing the effectiveness of the potion if it¡¯s split into sections. Theo decided the best method was to split the potion into bite-sized sections, which resulted in 8 individual pieces of the potion. He watched with a curious gaze as the segmented pieces seemed to harden, rounding themselves off at either side into something resembling a pill. The alchemist inspected the result.


    [Healing Pill]


    [Alchemy Pill]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A healing pill. Swallow to restore health.


    Effect:


    Swallow this pill whole to restore 80 health.


    If the modifier didn¡¯t lend the additional effect, this pill would have only restored 17 health. That meant that each pill received 60% of the power of the potion¡¯s total healing. Another way to look at it was that Theo had increased the amount of health gained from a single potion by 470%, which seemed absurd. He created a new container for his creation, unsure of how they would sell them, something shaped like a pill bottle on Earth, and placed the glass stopper on top.


    When the alchemist created something amazing, something they could sell, he often ran down to show the shopkeeper, Azrug. He found the young man downstairs, haggling with an adventurer over potions and equipment. Theo waited until their business was concluded before moving to thrust the bottle into his hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Azrug said, shaking the bottle. The pills chimed against the side of the bottle as they rattled around.


    ¡°An invention,¡± Theo said, grinning. ¡°Each pill only cost me one potion to make.¡±


    Azrug knit his brow, his mercantile brain rolling over the information. ¡°More profit?¡± he asked.


    ¡°More profit, but you have to sell those,¡± Theo said. ¡°And I mean really sell, not just get rid of them. People are going to think you¡¯re weird for suggesting they swallow a single pill.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is weird,¡± Azrug said, shaking the bottle again. He withdrew one pill and inspected it then shrugged. ¡°Adventurers go off the system description. They never take my word for it, so these will sell. You make any other pills?¡±


    ¡°I just finished that one,¡± Theo said.


    But there was the problem. Most other potions did better with another modifier. Even the [Healing Potion] did better with a different modifier, turning it into a pill didn¡¯t suddenly make it more powerful. The shape of the thing was nice, though. Anyone who didn¡¯t have a dimensional storage space, such as an inventory, would want them. Theo knew he could do better, but whatever the solution was eluded his grasp.


    ¡°Good. Go make more,¡± Azrug said, grunting and turning back to the store. Another customer had entered.


    Theo left him there, retreating upstairs. The excitement for creating something new blinded him to something he wanted to do earlier. He withdrew his copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy and looked it over, trying to find new sections that had been decoded. Nothing new stood out to him. The book only wanted to feed him things he already knew, which was irritating. What hope there was to find information on constructs fell away, leaving him to make other plans. While he couldn¡¯t imagine things he hadn¡¯t created in the Dreamwalk, he could discover them through the normal methods. That would be his road forward for the skill.


    He snapped the book shut and turned his attention back to the lab.


    By the time the evening drew close, Theo had a lab filled with [Carapace Potions] and [Healing Pills]. It was enough to satisfy Fenian¡¯s needs, perhaps far more than that. Tresk gave occasional updates on her delving, confirming that the [Swamp Dungeon] was no longer growing stronger. At least, not at the rate it was before. She had a poor sense for what was useful for alchemy, presenting all manner of monster parts in their shared inventory. None were useful, but he appreciated the effort.


    Before Tresk arrived for dinner, Throk arrived to drag the alchemist out. He gave a tour of the pipe system, which still rested in deep uncovered trenches. Those pipes led from the river, where an artifice sucked them up, before heading to a substation. The artificer had outdone himself, creating a large metal box that automatically mixed the tainted water with essence, creating [Purified Water]. That was the theory, anyway. The alchemist had given him precise quantities for the reaction, but he only trusted himself for those measurements.


    ¡°The input pipes go to the water tower, and the bathhouse. Hotspring. Whatever Xam is calling it,¡± Throk said, grumbling the words. ¡°The outputs go back into the river, downstream.¡±


    Theo nodded, moving to inspect the mixing station closely. [Purified Water] was a basic alchemy reaction, but it was precise. Every 20 units of water required half a unit of [Purifying Essence]. If Throk got the timing right on the machine, it could provide 20 units of water every 5 to 10 seconds, just to be safe. There was another substation, standing near the purification station, that looked more like the alchemy stills he worked with. The old Marshling picked up on his curious expression.


    ¡°Backup station,¡± Throk said, nodding to the massive boiler. ¡°I¡¯ve got a simple line of instructions running between these two stations. When the purification station runs low on juice, it swaps to the boiler.¡±


    Boiling water was a fine way to remove parasites and disease. By Theo¡¯s estimation, the capacity of the larger tank was around 1,000 units. From experience, he knew it would take at least half an hour to bring it up to heat, and another 15 minutes to boil. That depended on how hot they set the [Flame Artifice] that drove the machine. The alchemist shook his head. That wasn¡¯t the order he would run them at.


    ¡°I¡¯d run the boiler as the main,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the massive tank. ¡°Perhaps run a few boilers in parallel¡ªall at the same time¡ªand increase the size of our holding tank. Better yet, run a holding tank for the bathhouse and the general water supply.¡±


    Theo felt a twinge in his chest, his [Governance Core] gaining a spike of experience.


    ¡°Sounds expensive,¡± Throk grunted.


    It made sense in Theo¡¯s mind, though. Motes were cheap, almost dirt cheap in Broken Tusk, but essence wasn¡¯t. Since the artifice that powered the boiler ran on those motes, it was the cheapest option long-term. Throk would have to create more artifices, pipes, wrangle Sledge to do some modifications, but it was the best long-term option.


    ¡°Well, since it¡¯s going to cost more¡­¡± Theo said, gesturing to the area. They were in a small clearing of Ogre Cypress, the area north of the Newt and Demon. The cobbled road sat just a stone¡¯s throw north, and the massive artifices were an eyesore. ¡°I want you to rework these lines. One intake from the river, split it to 4 boiling artifices. A thousand unit capacity each. Split the main line to each boiler and 2 emergency essence purification units. House it all in a building¡ªhand-built¡ªand join all 6 purification units to a single, massive tank for holding. Take lines from that tank, and distribute it out.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a lot of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then, make a new pump to draw water, and send it north from the river,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°Build another station with a single essence purification unit that feeds into a closed system. For emergencies.¡±


    Throk was left stunned by the scope of the new work, but Theo was confident they could get it done quickly. He had the authority to order people around, redirecting their efforts to complete the job in days. The heart of the alchemist¡¯s idea was simple, but it had flaws. It centered around the idea that they needed water, no matter what. The first issue was that essence wasn¡¯t infinite. Massive boilers were more reliable, especially under a siege situation. The second issue was the potential for damage during sieges. If the lines were cut, stations destroyed, or any other calamity, they needed a backup.


    ¡°There¡¯s no sense in building it halfway,¡± Theo said, placing his hand on Throk¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We do it right, or we don¡¯t do it at all.¡±


    ¡°Gonna be expensive,¡± Throk grumbled.


    ¡°Good thing I own the mine that makes the metal,¡± Theo said, smiling.


    But Theo saw that flash of realization in Throk¡¯s eyes. The original idea was good, but this one was more robust. It would house the ugly equipment under a sturdy roof, shielding it from both the elements and the eyes of the citizens. The alchemist was thinking more about appearances lately, and he couldn¡¯t stand the idea of those boilers sitting in a field.


    The Marshling held his hand out, still grumbling. ¡°5 gold. Down Payment for the work and materials. I need to hire folks to get this done.¡±


    Theo happily forked over the money, slapping his hand hard against Throk¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See? I have some good ideas.¡±


    Throk grunted his approval.

 Chapter 3.12 - Dreamwalk Tour

    Where are you? Tresk asked. I suddenly feel a sense of overwhelming smugness.


    Theo couldn¡¯t suppress his smile, trailing Throk back to town. He met with Tresk outside of the Marshwolf Tavern. Xam had taken to holding the festivities outside. After the pair took a seat, the alchemist explained the source of that smugness. She didn¡¯t have an opinion on the new idea, shrugging it off to await whatever the cook made tonight. It was another variation, unsurprisingly, on Zee-based bread with cheese and wolf meat. The more the days rolled on, the more delicious the dish became.


    More people gathered outside than normal, a fact of the recent wave of migrants. Alise was keeping up with placing them all in homes, but there would be a breaking point. The only thing Broken Tusk didn¡¯t lack was space. Before Theo arrived in town, it was sparse beyond belief. That was something that amazed him, even today. How those people clung to life in the unforgiving swamp before the introduction of Drogramath¡¯s power. But it was a problem for the young administrator to sort out.


    There was a look in Tresk¡¯s eyes as everyone ate their meal. Theo recognized it as her plotting his demise in the Dreamwalk. He finally had a solution for that, although she might consider it cheating. In his mind, it didn¡¯t matter as long as he got away unscathed.


    Zarali joined them at the table after a time, settling in opposite the pair and awaiting her meal. She had a sour look on her face that vanished after only moments.


    ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t revealed my coin-pressing idea,¡± she said, letting out a labored sigh.


    Theo shrugged. It was a good idea, but he sensed enough problems to temper his expectations. A more attainable goal was his plans for a shipyard near the ocean. That required some research, since he¡¯d have to stretch the boundaries of the town a significant distance. There were more issues, compounding the problem. He needed at least 2 rare seed cores, one for a port and another for a shipyard, although that might have been an attachment to the port. Someone would need to build the vessels, then sail them. But the alchemist was never one to worry about doing every step at the same time. He was ponderous in his accomplishments, only worrying about what was right in front of him.


    A massive share of his [Living River Water] would have been done brewing at the lab by now. He turned to Zarali, gaining her attention.


    ¡°First, we need the metal,¡± Theo said. ¡°I have Throk¡­ Well, perhaps he¡¯s stretched too thin, but he¡¯s working on a few projects. I¡¯m brewing potions with the [Dissolve] property tomorrow. Hopefully, I can make some tunnels with those.¡±


    ¡°It should work,¡± Zarali said idly. ¡°Dig deep enough. You¡¯ll find silver and gold.¡±


    ¡°How about spiritstone?¡± Tresk asked, flashing a grin.


    ¡°Not a chance,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you can craft spiritstone coins.¡±


    ¡°So, how does this influence the economy?¡± Theo asked, picking at his food as he rolled ideas around in his head. ¡°Making money out of thin air sounds suspicious.¡±


    Zarali shrugged at that, dismissing his concerns with a gesture. ¡°It seems to work. Both Qavell and Veosta mint coins.¡±


    ¡°Think about it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°If no one made the money, even with the system generating coins from dungeons, quests, all that, there¡¯s no way there¡¯d be enough to go around. High-level crafters wouldn¡¯t operate. We¡¯d be doomed.¡±


    That was an oddly intelligent thing for Tresk to say. Her most complex thought usually boiled down to the best way to stab something, but she was right. If the coins were consumed at the end of their lifecycle, and the dungeons and quests couldn¡¯t keep up, someone needed to generate enough to meet demand. Theo¡¯s mind wandered to the next logical step. Most places didn¡¯t have a high concentration of energy in the air.  Perhaps the mint was worth pushing up before the docks. Still, he wanted to pick anyone¡¯s brain who would listen.


    ¡°So, I have a problem,¡± Theo said, patting Tresk on the shoulder. ¡°I want a dock, but the ocean is too far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really within my realm of knowledge,¡± Zarali said.


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡±


    ¡°Fenian should know,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°He¡¯ll be in town soon enough.¡±


    The rest of the meal passed without incident. No interesting topics came up, so Theo spent his time in his mind, thinking about the way the town system worked. As the mayor, he could buy two types of land. There was incorporated land, and unincorporated land. Most seed core buildings couldn¡¯t be built in unincorporated land, but that option was significantly less expensive than the other. With his current finds, he could buy a snaking, unincorporated path to the bay, but then he was stuck. His logic ended there. That path of land needed to be connected to the primary territory, linked with the expensive option. He let out a breath and gave up for the evening. The moment he entered the Dreamwalk, his mind would feel refreshed, as though he slept the entire night.


    ¡°Ready for bed?¡± Tresk asked, her eyes flashing with malice.


    ¡°I am,¡± Theo said.


    The pair retreated, bidding farewell to anyone who would listen, and fell asleep quickly. When the dream world sprung up around then, Theo turned to Tresk.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to the ocean, right? Recently?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Tresk said with a nod. He remembered her going there to inspect the monsters from the [Ocean Dungeon].


    ¡°Take us there, please,¡± he said.


    In an instant, they were standing on a sandy shore. Mountains rose to the south, and a slow rise of earth to their north. To the east, it was nothing but the endless lap of waves. It was breathtaking, even in the Dreamwalk''s haze.


    ¡°Unreal,¡± Theo said, taking a steady breath. ¡°How close is this to town?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Tresk said, turning south and pointing at the sudden rise of mountains. ¡°You could spit and hit the mine from here. Not literally, but you get it.¡±


    Theo turned north again, watching the river empty into the bay. What he understood of ideal launching locations for sailing vessels included the need for a bay. It would break the fierce waves of the open ocean, giving them a steady place to build their boats. He filled his inventory with a few items as he surveyed the area, still dazzled with how perfect it was. A singular issue stuck out to him.


    ¡°This is entirely undefended,¡± Theo said. ¡°Far enough from the walls to be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Tresk said, scratching the top of her head. ¡°If you want a port here, you¡¯ll need to extend the wall.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t see that as the only option. Something in the back of his mind said there was a way to create something here to act as an extension of the town, without being encased in the same wall. If it was separated from the town, that was one thing. There was also the option to hire an [Earth Mage] and move the entire ocean closer to town.


    ¡°Think we can walk from here to town?¡± Theo asked. Normally the Dreamwalk didn¡¯t want them to move outside of a single scene, but they had done so in places both of them were familiar with.


    ¡°Time to test,¡± Tresk said.


    It didn¡¯t go unnoticed to Theo that she didn¡¯t want to leave his side. She had something planned for him, something to test his ability to react to assassins. That was fine with him. He had a plan.


    ¡°Imagine an [Earth Mage],¡± Theo said, gesturing to the river. The place where the river had entered the ocean had been worn away by years of sand erosion. The constant rush of water had dug the beach back, far from where it originally rested. This was evidenced by rocky islands, and the strange presence of outcrops. They defied the normal contour of the land. According to local legend, an [Earth Mage] had already reformed Broken Tusk, rendering it easier for the locals to farm.


    ¡°I¡¯m imagining an [Earth Mage],¡± Tresk said, closing her eyes as she walked.


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    An [Earth Mage] appeared, faceless and generic in appearance. He was made of shadowy wisps, proving that Tresk¡¯s mental image of the mage wasn¡¯t great.


    ¡°He scoops the land out,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the river. The phantom mage obliged, surprising the companions.


    The ocean rushed in to meet the bowl of water, suddenly missing. The pair continued, instructing the phantom until he¡¯d created a channel from the ocean, all the way to the walls of the town.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we could do that,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We brought the ocean to Broken Tusk!¡±


    This was a good plan. Theo could hire a mage that made his harbor into any shape he wanted, and the alchemist had always wanted to expand the town over the river. Using an [Earth Mage] gave him a chance to secure his shipyard and port without the need to fiddle with something that might not work. The alchemist folded his arms in satisfaction, looking over the new terrain. The bridge to the north wasn¡¯t in sight, they were only at the very eastern tip of their territory, but the channel they created was massive. He couldn¡¯t picture a boat large enough to get stuck in the waterway, and perhaps the mage could reinforce the edges so they didn¡¯t erode.


    ¡°Alright. Good luck,¡± Tresk said.


    Without warning, she vanished.


    Theo sensed danger before 10 assassins appeared, poised with blades and diving for him. The world slowed around him, his [Dexterity] jumping as he withdrew 3 items from his inventory. This was his first chance to practice something he¡¯d drilled in his mind a hundred times. He quaffed his [Retreat Potion], tossed an improvised bomb in the air, then threw a [Freezebomb] with the [Web] modifier to the ground. Exactly 1 second after drinking the [Retreat Potion], Theo was hurtled backwards. He felt pain in his neck as he whipped back with unreasonable speed, rocketing away from the scene.


    The [Freezebomb] struck first, sending tendrils of ice to wrap around the assassins. Theo ducked when the next part of his plan activated. The improvised bomb hit the ground. If this was the real world, his eardrums would have shattered by the sudden explosion. He watched as parts of the dream-assassins flew off, trailing smoke behind them.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Tresk said, appearing behind him from the shadows. ¡°Working out some anger issues?¡±


    ¡°There,¡± Theo said, turning to her and folding his arms in front of him. ¡°Now, leave me alone tonight. Once per night, that¡¯s all you get.¡±


    Tresk narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her foot impatiently. ¡°Alright. Fine. You win. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fast enough to respond,¡± Theo said, placing his hand on her shoulder. ¡°And we can refine techniques if you find something that can beat me¡ªmore assassins doesn¡¯t count. You can send mages tomorrow.¡±


    Tresk seemed to accept that as a response and she vanished once again. Theo smiled, knowing that she¡¯d do exactly that tomorrow. But, there was an easy response for mages now that he had access to the [Anti-mage] property. A carapace of anti-magic would work well enough, along with a few well-placed bombs. The marshling wasn¡¯t even focusing on the thing he feared more than anything, though. If a mage wanted to capture him, it would be easy enough if they could teleport away with him. But there was always an alchemical solution.


    While Theo couldn¡¯t produce new things in the Dreamwalk, he could create them. The difference was that he couldn¡¯t make something out of nothing, but he could go through the motions to create new potions. The one thing that eluded him was the function of constructs. Even after he produced a copper cage, treated it alchemically, and shoved a construct tablet inside it didn¡¯t work. He spent the night working on that problem, retreating to care for plants or do alchemical reactions when his mind went slack.


    ¡°I think the key is in the name,¡± Theo said, turning to Bob.


    He forced the faceless mannequin to nod.


    ¡°These tablets aren¡¯t the starting point,¡± Theo said, throwing a marble construct on the ground. ¡°We¡¯re looking for constructs. Things that do things. That¡¯s a bad way to define the word.¡±


    Bob didn¡¯t respond.


    Theo went about the night, finding the most efficient way to grind out experience for his alchemy and herbalism core. He still couldn¡¯t figure out plant hybridization, but the experience he gained was absurd. Without the need to rest, he could run between a reagent garden, and a row of stills. By the end of the night, the alchemist had a row of 20 stills running at the same time, with a swathe of land growing reagents. He kicked off reactions that filled the open air with thick plumes of smoke, threw reagents into piles, and knocked his mind against the construct problem.


    When they woke in the morning, Theo gained another series of system messages for his efforts.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (20%).


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (24%).


    [Governance Core] received experience (0.25%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (6.3%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (8%).


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (0.083%).


    Without Tresk bothering him all night, he was able to do a week¡¯s worth of brewing in a single night. He learned a few things about reagent production, but it was mostly going through the motions. The feeling of being refreshed after a night of work was still alien to him, leaving him feeling disoriented when coming out from the Dreamwalk. It reminded him of when he first traveled through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal, only to a much lesser extent.


    There were tasks to accomplish for the day, but Theo had finally fallen into a decent rhythm once again. This is when things normally blew up in his face, either as interlopers or monster waves, but as he attended breakfast none of those things happened. Tresk¡¯s confidence in his ability to defend himself was at an all-time high. He could feel it seeping through their shared core, pulsing in his chest. The Marshling pulled out a dagger for him to inspect, part-way through breakfast.


    [Marshthorn]


    [Dagger]


    Epic


    Dagger made from the thorns of an infected Troll.


    Effect:


    Increase the effects of poison.


    [Effect Locked]


    [Effect Locked]


    It looked less like a dagger, and more like a giant rose thorn with a handle. It was curved, and dripped with poison. That must have been poison applied by Tresk, since the item made no mention of having innate poison. Theo took a moment to read the description again before letting the dagger fall to the table with a clatter.


    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting,¡± Theo said, wiping his hand off on his robe.


    ¡°Chill,¡± Tresk said, taking her dagger back. ¡°It dropped as loot. Hey! You¡¯re one to talk. You¡¯re always¡­ Always digging in the mud and stuff. That¡¯s gross.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Theo conceded. ¡°At least I¡¯m not shoveling Karatan poop at Miana¡¯s ranch.¡±


    Theo hadn¡¯t exploited half the resources that Miana¡¯s farm would provide. He¡¯d only tested the cheese and the horns, but there was still more to explore. The Karatan would provide wool, which he had a feeling would be alchemical, and the Pozwa would lay eggs. The idea of those goat-like things laying eggs was strange, but if he could turn it into a potion, he didn¡¯t care.


    The rest of their meal was shared in quiet conversation. Tresk was interesting in his ideas, but that only went so far. She was a person who tackled problems when they came, possessing none of Theo¡¯s foresight. Over the month, which the alchemist was learning was the entire Season of Blooms¡ªthe words were interchangeable¡ªhe¡¯d improved his ability to plan ahead. The woodcutting operation was a means to build his boats. Dead Dog Mine was a way to supply his smelter, it all fed into something else.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need cloth,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tresk shouted, slamming her hand on the table in mock rage. Then, her face shifted. ¡°Not a bad idea. More exports?¡±


    ¡°Sails for the ships,¡± Theo said, finishing the last of his tea. ¡°Ships, or boats?¡±


    ¡°If your boat ain¡¯t big enough for another boat to fit inside, it¡¯s a boat,¡± Tresk said, gesturing with a fork. She never even used the forks to eat. ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯s a ship.¡±


    ¡°A sudden, suspicious burst of knowledge,¡± Theo said, leaning on to the table.


    Tresk let out a long sigh. Theo could feel her building herself up, preparing to regale him with some constructed story.


    ¡°When I was young, I read a lot of books,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Mostly about pirates, and their adventures.¡±


    ¡°You can read?¡± Theo asked.


    She narrowed his eyes at him, and he held up his hands defensively. ¡°I can read two languages, you Towa zana.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t understand the words, they sounded strangely guttural. Through his core, he understood they meant something close to ¡®bumbling ass¡¯, although he couldn¡¯t tell if she meant donkey, or his actual butt.


    ¡°What language is that?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk straightened herself up. ¡°Bantari,¡± she said, looking proud. ¡°I can teach you, if you want.¡±


    Theo nodded. Tresk was a Bantari Marshling, which he took to mean she was a Marshling from the southlands. The whispers he got, both through his core and gossip around town, was that this breed of Marshling was a splinter group from somewhere else. They joined the Ogres in the early days of the region. It was all fuzzy, passed down through the generations through oral traditions.


    Tresk taught many words, which were effortless for him to pick up. His superior memory made the task easy, but their core also shunted information to him at an instinctual level. She could rattle off a list of words and their meaning, conjugations and grammar structures, and he¡¯d keep the information as if he were a native speaker. That frustrated the Marshling at first, but once she recalled his stats, she was alright with it. When they were done playing their language games, the alchemist departed with a few words in Bantari, which made his companion smile.


    The thing on Theo¡¯s mind was the mine. Throk should have completed a few orders for him, including the copper cages for his construct experiment, but he wanted to dig deeper in the mine. The defensive emplacements should have been the priority, but the way the blacksmith¡¯s mind worked would have him turning his full attention to the water problem. The alchemist approached the Newt and Demon, thoughts of the [Dissolve] property lingering in his mind.

 Chapter 3.13 - The Tunneling Potion

    Theo found no surprises with the [Refined Dissolve Essence]. Zarali¡¯s improvements on his stills meant he didn¡¯t have to worry about a second process to get the most from his essences, gaining him much needed time. He inspected the essence one last time before deciding on what form of potion to create.


    [Refined Dissolve Essence]


    [Essence]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting potions will be more effective.


    Chance to consume half of required essence during brewing.


    1 units (liquid)


    Concentrated, refined essence of dissolve.


    Looking at the faint hue of blue in the essence reminded him of those detergent-style essences. The alchemist set up a sample reaction within the lab, relying on his various skills and building bonuses to keep the essence from exploding. He worked his way up from a tenth of a unit of essence to 20 units of [Purified Water] all the way to half a unit of essence, finally getting the reaction he wanted. It bound to the water perfectly, the flask he used swirling and letting off a smell like a fresh sea breeze. Before inspecting the potion, he felt a strange sense shiver through his body. His intuition said it was an intent-driven potion, which would have been a first. He inspected the potion.


    [Tunneling Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    After pouring this potion on stone, dirt, or other naturally occurring terrain materials, this potion will create a tunnel to the user¡¯s mental specifications.


    Effect:


    Removes all naturally occurring terrain materials based on user¡¯s [Willpower], and the quality of the potion.


    Potions normally gained their name from the property of the reagent. It was rare enough to see the result gain a different name, but it wasn¡¯t a revelation. The [Tunneling Potion] was exactly what he needed, even if he didn¡¯t understand the effects completely. As soon as the miners created the security area, he could begin digging down. It was dangerous, considering the idea of caverns, to just dig without regard. Another idea sprung up in his head, though.


    Theo swirled the potion in the flask. If it could remove terrain, they wouldn¡¯t need an [Earth Mage]. The water elemental dropped enough of the reagent for him to clear a mountain away, if it worked as intended. As with most things related to alchemy, it required testing.


    The garden behind the Newt and Demon was lush. Too lush. The new upgrade he bought for the greenhouse also enhanced the growth rate of weeds, inviting them in to plague his crop. There wasn¡¯t damage to his sprawl of reagents, but it was annoying. He spent a long time weeding that place out, preparing the cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle] for planting, and sorting them out for distillation. Back in the lab, he prepared his stills for a large run. He loaded two stills up with [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], then dug into his supplies for the last of his [Flame Roses]. The trader would be interested in [Healing Potions] and [Strength Potions], they provided the most obvious benefit.


    That also left room for experimentation. The stat-enhancing potions would act strangely with modifiers, but Theo still hadn¡¯t given them free range to see how well they did.


    A bell rang downstairs, Azrug¡¯s excited voice chiming in to meet the cheer of the tinkling sound. Heavy footsteps ascended the stairs moment later, Throk throwing the door open with a look of annoyance. The old Marshling took a deep breath, forcing his face into a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re working me to death, alchemist,¡± Throk said.


    Theo waited for more context, but that was true.


    ¡°The mine thing is done,¡± Throk said, withdrawing a spherical cage from a dimensional bag at his side. ¡°So is this thing.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Theo said, taking the mesh.


    ¡°And I¡¯ve got workers tearing up the ground again, making some shoddy building for your boilers,¡± Throk said.


    ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± Theo said, finishing up his work with the stills. ¡°I¡¯ll expand the mine today. Looking for silver.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be satisfied until you strike gold,¡± Throk said. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s gold in the ground, cause that¡¯s your luck.¡±


    Theo nodded.


    ¡°Do you know anything about sailing?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I have an idea for a harbor¡ª¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Throk said, turning on the spot. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough Theo work for now.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t even asked¡­¡±


    Throk was already gone. It wasn¡¯t Theo¡¯s fault that he was the most useful person in town, but the old Marshling would have declined any work he couldn¡¯t handle. That bravado was without substance, just something he did to keep the alchemist from piling more work on him. He wanted to ask about making a port, and the best way to carve out large sections of earth for a harbor. Even if a Marshling didn¡¯t like the water, they seemed at home submerged.


    With the defensive room operation within the mine, there was nothing to stop him from trying out the new potion. He brewed 10 of them to start, just enough to get the feel of how they worked, before departing his lab. He looked north while descending toward the mine, noting that the building Xam was working on seemed done. She wouldn¡¯t open the bathhouse until the pipework was done, something Theo delayed unintentionally. The alchemist stopped by Nira¡¯s smeltery before heading off to the mine, finding the Human woman covered in soot and sweat, working the crucible.


    Like him, she never took a break.


    ¡°Question,¡± Theo shouted, trying to match his voice to the clang of metal and the rattle of oversized chains. She shot him a glare, which was her way of saying she was listening. ¡°Any experience with a coin mint?¡±


    That got her attention. She stopped pulling the chain immediately, leaving her ingot mold half-filled. She jumped down from the iron scaffolding, bounding toward the alchemist before composing herself. Nira let out a breath, straightened her leather apron and waited.


    ¡°Any experience?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Nira said.


    ¡°Indirectly,¡± Theo said, nodding. She always distilled things down to a few words, never one to speak more than was necessary. ¡°A porter for a mint?¡±


    ¡°Smelter¡¯s hand,¡± Nira said, nodding to herself. ¡°Poured the silver.¡±


    ¡°Anything you can tell me about the process?¡± Theo asked.


    Nira looked around as though there were eyes lurking behind the Ogre Cypress. She beckoned him into the smelter¡¯s workshop and lowered her voice before continuing. ¡°You¡¯d be a fool not to do it. You own the mine, the smelter, the town. Energy in this place is,¡± Nira paused for a long moment. ¡°Powerful. Puts the Qavelli mint to shame.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said. He had a feeling she¡¯d know something about it, but she¡¯d never offer the information up without prodding. ¡°Do you have 2 core slots? Don¡¯t level anything you don¡¯t want to get rid of, I need someone to work the mint.¡±


    Theo turned to walk away, she was usually happy with that amount of information, but she grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t puff me up,¡± Nira said, still glancing around for unseen foes. ¡°You want to do coins? Silver? Gold?¡±


    ¡°Whatever we can mine,¡± Theo said. ¡°I figure we¡¯re going to start with copper. That¡¯ll give you a chance to level up.¡±


    ¡°What about the smelter?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what laborers are for,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll have Alise keep an eye out for [Smelter¡¯s Cores], and the town will fund it. I suggest you recruit as soon as possible.¡±


    Nira answered that with a nod. She smiled before turning away, jumping up the scaffolding and finishing her pour. Someone with that level of excitement for creating coins was the right person for the job, and she was already under his standard contract. Once he got the project underway, it would be useless to keep it a secret. Alongside that was the idea that it was a normal thing to do. From what he¡¯d heard, it was almost expected that he would create his own money in time. Without reprisal from the capital, he felt good about that project. But the mine called him.


    Gridgen and his men were taking a break outside of the mine. The fruit of their labor wasn¡¯t visible, having been stored automatically in a [Dimensional Storage Crate] near the entrance. The workers greeted him with smiles, waving enthusiastically. He could feel their expectations for more tunnels, knowing that the alchemist would only visit if he had plans to work on the mine.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Gridgen said, smiling. The group gave similar greetings.


    ¡°Time to test,¡± Theo said, withdrawing his [Tunneling Potion] for them to see.


    Gridgen led him into the mine. There were several corpses of Goblins piled just inside the entrance, the smell was a choking miasma in the enclosed space. Theo could tell, without inspecting the bodies, that they were very low-level Goblins.


    ¡°Any issues?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, the Goblins just pop into existence sometimes,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°Everyone here plunks enough points into [Strength], so a swift hit over the head usually does them in.¡±


    ¡°No need for adventurer patrols?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°None,¡± Gridgen said, leading the alchemist down those narrow passages.


    The space inside the mine was too tight for Theo¡¯s liking, but these miners were like moles. They seemed to enjoy the enclosed space, and none of the problems Theo expected had arisen. They were either too far south, or the magic of the mine prevented floods from happening. Logically, it should have been flooded long ago, but that never happened. The interior was always dry.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the fancy new defensive stopper,¡± Gridgen said, gesturing to a large cavern.


    The miners had dug the place out to allow adventurers room to fight. They created an interior larger than the size of the adventurer¡¯s guild, lanterns burning on the walls to cast long shadows across the gray rock. Massive iron bars prevented anyone from passing from one side to the other, complete with a gate in the center. Gridgen produced the key, unlocking it and swinging it open. Throk¡¯s work always amazed Theo, but this was beyond anything he expected. They proceeded to the far side of the cavern and Theo focused on the wall.


    ¡°Your job isn¡¯t to dig tunnels,¡± Theo said, holding the potion up. He sometimes felt a twinge of guilt when he replaced someone¡¯s job with alchemy, although that was rare. ¡°It¡¯s to mine ore.¡±


    Theo dripped the potion on the wall, a rush flooding through his body. He saw the wall in front of him with a ghostly blue outline superimposed on his vision. It reminded him of interacting with things inside of the Dreamwalk, giving him an edge. He poured more of the liquid, letting it pool on the cavern floor, and commanded the system to change the image. It started as a straight hallway, heading to nowhere. The alchemist poured more the entire bottle of the potion, imagining an identical room to the one he was standing in, connected with a short hallway. With his mental approval, the potion went to work.


    Gridgen let out a surprised sound as the potion flashed blinding blue light, eating at the wall with ravenous hunger. Theo stepped back, the resulting reaction put off a vapor that stung his lungs. But the potion worked away, over the course of half an hour, and the pair just watched. The single potion was enough to make another room of the same size, doing the job in a fraction of the time it would take the miners.


    ¡°Sure seems like you¡¯re trying to take our jobs,¡± Gridgen said, wiping his brow and laughing.


    ¡°We just need to find the nodes,¡± Theo said.


    Once again, Theo was reminded that this world didn¡¯t work like reality. Ore didn¡¯t run in seams along the walls of the mine. They spawned in nodes that replenished themselves if enough time passed. It was just like the reagents Theo harvested for his alchemy. Like those reagents, the nuggets didn¡¯t always spawn in the same spot, just a general area. The plan was to create a series of exploration tunnels, and more defensive gates. That would ruffle Throk¡¯s feathers, but he¡¯d pay double to get the job done.


    ¡°You were a porter for the smelters,¡± Theo said, daring to enter the hazy room. The vapors no longer burnt his lungs, it only stung a little. Gridgen coughed as he followed.


    ¡°Was that a question?¡± Gridgen asked, still coughing.


    ¡°There¡¯s a logic to the mine,¡± Theo said. ¡°I think of it as an extension of the entire seed core building. When you were a nugget-hauler, do you remember where the nuggets spawned?¡±


    ¡°Well, they just filled up carts,¡± Gridgen said, falling into another coughing fit. Theo approached the far end of the cavern, placing his hand on the wall. There was no evidence of metal here. ¡°But I can tell you what I¡¯ve seen here.¡±


    ¡°Copper appears near the top layer, iron is a tad deeper,¡± Theo said, withdrawing another potion from his inventory. He poured it on the ground, imagining a switchback staircase of stone. It started working, and the pair retreated while the man coughed. ¡°Lower than that is silver, or something else. They¡¯ll spawn in layers, it only makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Not sure why you asked if you knew,¡± Gridgen said, sounding slightly scornful.


    Theo took a breath of the relatively clear air. ¡°I wanted to know if it worked this way everywhere. Remember, I¡¯m just guessing based on my intuition. Everything works in tiers¡ª¡±


    Theo stopped himself before saying ¡®in this world¡¯. He didn¡¯t keep his alien nature a secret because he didn¡¯t trust people, it just seemed foolish to sing it from the rooftops. Gridgen had everything to lose by coming to Broken Tusk. Anyone with a child got put to the front of the alchemist¡¯s mental list of trustworthy people. They wouldn¡¯t risk their offspring for something as stupid as spying on the town. Besides, he was a hard worker. Theo liked hard workers.


    ¡°Copper at the top layer, iron just under that, then somewhere between here and the Hells, we¡¯ll find silver and gold,¡± Gridgen said, smiling once again. ¡°I follow your reasoning. From what I remember, depth is the determining factor. When we hauled silver, we were deep.¡±


    ¡°Did you ever see gold?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Never,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°Not sure if anyone produces gold in Qavell. If they do, they keep it enough of a secret so no one knows.¡±


    ¡°The Merchant¡¯s Guild,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°They would do anything to keep that a secret, and I¡¯ll eat my feathered hat if they didn¡¯t have a hand in it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, boss,¡± Gridgen said.


    They waited there for some time. Theo could tell the miasma hurt Gridgen¡¯s lungs more than his own, likely owing to a difference in physiology. The alchemist¡¯s plans for the mine were simple enough. For every level he descended, he¡¯d have one of his defensive emplacements. His cores, or his intuition he couldn¡¯t tell, told him whatever lay in the caverns deep in the earth weren¡¯t to be provoked. The more iron they had to chew through, the better. From the other side of those defensive gates, he¡¯d run tunnels to probe for silver, or any other valuable metal.


    ¡°How is the family?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, Sarna is happy,¡± Gridgen said. A group of miners were talking in an adjacent tunnel, not willing to brave the toxic air. ¡°She¡¯s had a lot of time to spend with Gasem, since we get paid well enough.¡±


    ¡°Well enough,¡± Theo said, feeling his stomach knot. Their pay wasn¡¯t great, but the silver would change that. ¡°You¡¯ll be living like a king when we pull gold out of Dead Dog.¡±


    The miners in the hall were listening in on that. They all cheered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to overstep my bounds,¡± Gridgen said, holding his hands up defensively. ¡°But I think you¡¯re chewin¡¯ the bone before you¡¯ve had your meat.¡±


    That was another idiom, likely from Qavell. Theo liked it, and understood the miner¡¯s meaning immediately. The alchemist often found himself pushing for the best possible thing, but that was a problem here. It could take him a long time to find silver, let alone gold. But the upper levels of the mine already bore copper and iron.


    ¡°We should expand the upper floors first,¡± Theo said. ¡°Right. You¡¯re a miner, I¡¯m not. Direct me.¡±


    Gridgen was surprised at Theo¡¯s forwardness. Where he had developed the sense that the alchemist was unapproachable was beyond him, but the miner led the way up the slick path to the top level. They were almost at the entrance before he stopped, pointing at an unfinished tunnel.


    ¡°I¡¯d take a dagger from your Tara¡¯hek if this path didn¡¯t have copper,¡± Gridgen said.


    Theo spent his time, almost until the late afternoon, helping the miners create new tunnels in the upper level of the mine. They were amazed at the speed which the potion dug through the rock, shouting victoriously when a new tunnel was created. The alchemist had to go back to his lab to create more of the potion, but Gridgen¡¯s intuition was excellent. Of the 30 new tunnels they created, more than half of them had swathes of nuggets, ready for mining. They were embedded in special sections of the rock that regenerated over time. This made them easy to discover,  since the potion refused to chew through them.


    More than once, a section of rock hung in the air awkwardly. It was a strange sight.


    Gridgen slapped Theo on the shoulder, grinning. ¡°Now we won¡¯t have to sit on our hands when the nuggets run out.¡±


    Theo talked with the miners for some time, listening to their problems and worries. He felt his [Governance Core] growing stronger as he spoke to them, ignoring the messages that popped up about experience points. Their concerns were laid to rest when Theo expanded the scope of his plans for the mine. It was a pillar of their economy, representing one of the three major ways they made money. Wood, metal, and stone would see them all rich in time.


    When Theo finally departed from the mine, it was late into the afternoon. He would normally have felt as though he wasted his time there, but the excited looks on the miner¡¯s faces was worth it. For the alchemist, it was comforting to know that he influenced the production of the town with his alchemy. But as his eyes turned north, back toward the Newt and Demon, he knew his next task involved the brewing of an absurd amount of potions for Fenian. That man was the town¡¯s lifeline.

 Chapter 3.14 - Unfriendly Guest

    Theo spent what was left of the afternoon on reactions. His alchemical garden was at the point where it could produce hundreds of [Healing Potions] per day, but that left a gap for his other potions. Fenian enjoyed walking away from the town with a variety of potions. Attribute-enhancement potions were popular, but the alchemist was interested in brewing more niche potions. While his idea for constructs had fallen to the side, he needed to take the chance to produce for the trader. The cost of his potions had reached the point where gold couldn¡¯t buy them. Bartering would be the way forward, which worked well for both Theo and the town.


    Tresk signaled she was returning home as Theo wrapped up the day¡¯s brewing. As he waited for her to return, he went through his mental list of modifiers to discover the best pairing for his stat potions. [Mana Bloom] might work in interesting ways, especially for attribute potions that enhanced [Intelligence]. [Embolden] was mostly useless, as it seemed far too dangerous to use. The effects usually traded mana for health, but the user could die if they didn¡¯t have the required mana to fill the gap. By the time the Marshling got back to the Newt and Demon, he had a short list of modifiers that he could use, which led to a singular thought.


    He needed more modifiers.


    His mind tracked along a familiar path as they walked to the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Anything that arrived in town that came as though it was part of some destiny always made great potions. Theo had yet to experiment with [Veostian Karatan Cheese], but the properties were [Suffuse] and [Bind]. Their wool was likely to create good potions, although he didn¡¯t look forward to eating hair to discover properties. The [Pozwa Horns] had already produced an essence that was unique, so that was sorted as an excellent investment. The only thing he had left for those horrid goat-things was their eggs.


    Tresk went over her day, Theo splitting his attention as she talked. She met her fair share of new adventurers and had formed a small friend-group among them. The influx of new adventurers to the town was a boon, according to her. Theo agreed, if only for the increased business his store would draw. It was the first time at the Marsh Wolf that Xam did a repeat of a previous meal, but the curry-like Zee couscous was just as delicious as before. No one had a single complaint.


    Alise had a few updates, even after Tresk shouted at her about not bringing b business to dinner. She heard about Throk¡¯s new project, and took the lead on hiring adventurers and organizing the work. She used the town¡¯s funds to buy more [House Seed Cores], but otherwise it seemed like a calm week. Xam took the opportunity to point Theo out as the reason her new bathhouse wasn¡¯t open. By now, everyone knew what it was and it was impossible for her to keep the secret for more than a few days. The alchemist didn¡¯t mind. Throk worked quickly.


    Despite Theo not telling anyone about Fenian¡¯s arrival, others in town seemed to know. Azrug was the likely culprit, having a communication crystal linking to the trader. Everyone seemed to prefer the Elf¡¯s prices over the various traders that had been visiting. Theo had to wonder how the man even made a profit, but he shook the thought off.


    When Tresk and Theo fell into the Dreamwalk, the Marshling¡¯s assassination attempt was poor. The sneaky bomb technique he developed was enough to handle more assassins than she could spawn, and she didn¡¯t take his advice on changing the scenario. He was fine with the situation as she abided by their new rule of having only a singular attempt every night. That left him with an uninterrupted night to experiment and refine his process. He took the chance to brew essences from the [Veostian Karatan Cheese], reminded once again that he couldn¡¯t create anything new, but he could discover it through the normal process.


    Something Theo learned about the Dreamwalk was the boundaries were flexible. If he believed he couldn¡¯t do something, then it was so. But there were still hard limits to his abilities inside the dream, even if he felt it growing stronger by the day.


    The cheese had the [Suffuse] and [Bind] properties, but neither seemed obvious. When he held a bottle of the [Refined Suffuse Essence] in his hands, it felt strange. Each reaction type failed, and his cores had no suggestions on making it happen. The [Refined Bind Essence] was easy to discover. It would produce a bomb-style potion, and a modifier essence of the same name. Whatever rules bound the Dreamwalk allowed him to pursue that bomb, resulting in an ordinary-looking bomb with a swirl of smoky energy behind the glass. Theo inspected the result.


    [Bind Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Shatter against a surface to release binding shadows.


    Effect:


    Bind a target. Time based on potion quality.


    This bomb served a niche purpose, but Theo could see its use. His current strategy for binding targets centered on using a [Freezebomb] with the [Web] modifier. He could see this entering the arsenal he carried at all times, and a use for the adventurers who manned the walls of Broken Tusk.


    Theo pushed himself in the Dreamwalk, trying to force his cores to advance to level 15. He ran more stills than he would have managed in the real world, tending gardens that sprawled over the landscape. They¡¯d picked a pleasant memory from Tresk¡¯s childhood, where she played in the hills north of Broken Tusk. Even with the delightful view, the alchemist had concerns about his core¡¯s advancement. When he only had 2 cores, it was easy enough to understand how that affected his personal level. If they were both level 10, he¡¯d be level 10. With 3 cores, that problem became confusing. Instead of providing half of his experience requirement, they all now provided a third, scaling with his level.


    Both his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] and his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] were on the edge of level 15, but that would be useless for him. He¡¯d unlock access to skills he desperately needed, but until his personal level hit 15, he couldn¡¯t buy them. His [Governance Core] went to 9 yesterday, but his personal level sat at 13, stubbornly refusing to go higher. Times like this, it was tempting to use the [Lesser Experience Boost Potion], but warnings given by Fenian weren¡¯t something he took lightly.


    According to the Trader, it affected advancement and was considered illegal in the kingdom. The lesser version of the potion capped at level 10, but he was certain the second tier version would work up to 20. Theo pushed those thoughts aside, working through the night and waking the next morning to a rush of experience, but nothing to push him over the edge. Tresk woke at the same time as him, now that they used the Dreamwalking skill. Before heading off for breakfast, he ran his wheel of [Vesotian Karatan Cheese] through his grinder, made an offering to Drogramath, and set his still working on the first property, [Suffuse].


    The leftovers from the night before were delicious, as they always were, and Theo went to make his rounds for the festival. While his wreath stood strong, most others had fallen to the elements. The alchemist tutted as someone in the neighborhood district had used mushrooms for their entry. It wasn¡¯t a flower, but he allowed the entry anyway, since the mushrooms had a short lifespan, especially outdoors.


    His [Governance Core] drank up each action he performed for the town, sending a series of small experience gains as windows popping into his vision. Theo ended his route at the marble quarry, finding a need to check in with Ziz and his gang of stoneworkers. The companionship gave him time to reflect on what he¡¯d done in the town, and what needed to be done.


    ¡°Expansion is important,¡± Theo said, bringing his thoughts to words before the burly stoneworkers. ¡°We have stone, metal, and wood production. Trade goods, an enchanter¡ªeven if she¡¯s not doing much yet¡ªand a wizard.¡±


    ¡°You stress out too much,¡± Ziz said, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°I heard Throk cursing your name about the new water project.¡±


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    Theo nodded at that. He might have pushed the Marshling too hard, but he¡¯d appreciate it in time. When things got better, people always forgot about the hard work they put in to make something happen. The hirelings were finishing up the last of the changes to the water system; the thought bringing Theo back to his idea of what they produced. Motes were needed to power most everything in town, but they had failed to create anything that harvested them in mass quantities.


    ¡°I wonder if we can set up a mote collection system,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Ziz said. ¡°You need stone? Gems? I got you. All that other stuff is too much to think about.¡±


    Theo reclined on an unfinished pile of stone blocks, looking over his town below. At this rate, they¡¯d break 100 citizens by the middle of next month. That was a point that stuck in his mind constantly. It was a number that seemed absurd, compared to the 20-something citizens he started with. Alise was clever enough about planning the city to make sure everyone had a nice place to stay, but his thoughts went back to the idea of expansion. They needed more land, and only the area east of town was suitable for habitation.


    ¡°Those gems are expensive, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Extremely expensive,¡± Ziz said. ¡°Although Zarali buys almost all my stock now.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have a comment for that. She had a lot of money, but he didn¡¯t know how.


    ¡°How are you guys doing?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Need anything?¡±


    A laborer laughed somewhere near the quarry. Ziz smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯re good,¡± Ziz said.


    ¡°Have you met with any of the new people?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I saw Alise throw a few folks out,¡± Ziz said, scratching his chin. ¡°She has a great sense for people. She can smell a bad one before they hit the bridge.¡±


    Those words were exactly what Theo wanted to hear. No one in town was slacking on their duties, which was made clear by the meeting they had with Rivers and Daub. When they brought assassins to take over the town, Aarok, Luras, and the adventurers were ready to intervene. The townsfolk of Broken Tusk fell into their roles with excitement, and that¡¯s all he could ask.


    Theo spent some time relaxing with the stonecutters. They were a rowdy bunch, though, so he made his way down to inspect Throk¡¯s work as his mental timer ticked away. Instead of taking a straight course to the angry Marshling, he ran around and collected reagents for his potions. The wild reagents weren¡¯t nearly as good as the cultivated ones, but they¡¯d work for creating mass-production potions.


    Xam¡¯s bathhouse, resting behind the Marshwolf Tavern, looked much like the tavern itself. Dark wood slat walls with a blue wood-tiled roof. A sign hung from the door, claiming they would open as soon as Theo got his head out of his butt. That would be today, or tomorrow, depending on how fast Throk was working. As he made his way into the fields, across the road from Miana¡¯s ranch, he saw their work was almost completed. The building the workers erected wasn¡¯t the most beautiful, but it was better than a few boilers sitting in the middle of the town. Throk¡¯s workers had already filled the trenches, which meant they were done putting the pipes in place.


    When Theo entered the building, he found his requested boilers in place, all with complex timing artifices hooked up. Other pipes ran from the boilers to hoppers, mounted on the side of the square building, which he understood was for motes. So long as the hoppers were full, the boilers could run forever. He left the small building, finding his backup system north of the ranch. An even smaller building stood near the bank of the river, but Throk was nowhere to be found.


    The new water system was nice, but there was an old problem that Theo never solved. He made his way back to the Newt and Demon, stopping to chat with Azrug as he considered the issue.


    ¡°Salt mines were a thing on Earth,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I still haven¡¯t figured that out.¡±


    ¡°You said salt was in everything,¡± Azrug said, leaning over the counter.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Theo said. ¡°If I could figure out this reagent deconstruction thing, I could pull salt from them.¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone is buying up your new potions,¡± Azrug said. ¡°You should make more.¡±


    ¡°Go weed my garden,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    ¡°If I weed those giant plants in the greenhouse, will you brew more [Healing Potions]? Maybe something other than those?¡± Azrug asked.


    Theo waved him away. ¡°I just need a bigger greenhouse. I suspect there¡¯s a dedicated building I could use.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean this?¡± Azrug asked, pulling nothing out of his pocket. He smiled. ¡°Just kidding. That¡¯s something Fenian would do, right? Just show up with exactly what you need.¡±


    ¡°He has a habit of being overly informed,¡± Theo said.


    Theo bid farewell to the shopkeeper, walking out the front door instead of up to the lab. He needed to spend time in his greenhouse anyway, gaining as much herbalism experience as he could so he could push his core to level. The alchemist maintained the current pattern of the garden, favoring fully cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle] plants over introducing new ones. He had a small row near the northern side of the glass building where he kept his other creations, propagating them occasionally so he didn¡¯t lose that progress.


    There was a problem with producing cultivated reagents that restored mana and stamina. [Manashrooms] were mushrooms that only grew in a dark cave, north of town. [Moss Nettle] only grew in the tall Ogre Cypress trees. Neither reagent was suitable for growth within the greenhouse, limiting his options on which he wanted to grow. A thousand [Healing Potions] at absurd quality was better than a few of each at decent quality. When he was done in the greenhouse, he went to the lab to tend to his stills.


    Theo moved the flask of [Refined Suffuse Essence] to the side, saving that for later. He cleaned his stills with [Cleansing Scrub] and set them up for another run. The alchemist already brewed enough potions to make Fenian¡¯s trip worthwhile, but the shop needed more potions. With the stills loaded with cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], and [Stone Flowers], he turned his attention to the new essence.


    It was nothing special to speak of. Something about the Dreamwalk blocked his senses when he was there, perhaps a personal failing, but out in the real world it spoke to him as a detergent-style essence. He ran the basic experiment to figure out the essence to water ratio, settling on a strangely dilute mix of the two. It reminded him of the [Tunneling Potion] in its design, but the description was too vague to understand.


    [Suffuse Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A potion used to bind two properties to an object, or each other.


    Effect:


    Bind two properties.


    Sometimes the system gave him exact numbers, effects, and side-effects of a potion. Other times it gave him vague hints as to the use of a potion. He set the flask of potion aside, scratching his head in confusion. Theo was snapped out of his stupor, a system message he¡¯d been waiting for popping up.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 15.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] gained an enhanced effect: +5 wisdom.


    ¡°One core down,¡± Theo said, feeling the slight tingle in his mind as his intuition expanded by a fraction. ¡°One to go.¡±


    Theo left the lab, letting his potions cook down. He wouldn¡¯t discover the secrets of the [Suffuse Potion], but he suspected it was related to a skill he hadn¡¯t unlocked. It wasn¡¯t entirely like the [Reveal] property, but it had the same flavor. That led him to think it was related to constructs. If that was the case, he wouldn¡¯t have a use for the potion until his personal level hit 15. The alchemist planned to leave [Reagent Deconstruction] for level 20, taking [Alchemy Constructs] at level 15. His mana control was still horrible, and would require greater practice before he found a use of the skill.


    Attempting to level his [Governance Core], Theo split his attention between visiting citizens and picking herbs. The woodcutting operation was going great. Sledge elected someone to be the forester that managed which trees to cut, and which to leave. The Ogre Cypress, despite towering to the heavens like skyscrapers, grew at an absurd rate. With the help of a forester, that process was even faster.


    The miners were doing fine, but they hadn¡¯t found new metals in the ground. Their new tunnels allowed them to increase production, but that bottlenecked at Alise. The smelter had found an apprentice in record time, even buying her a [Smelter¡¯s Core] with the town¡¯s funds. She must have told Alise about the situation, who then sorted the money out.


    As Theo made his way back to the Newt and Demon, he felt a familiar haptic buzz in his mind. He recognized it as Fenian¡¯s communication crystal, which he withdrew without hesitation.


    Alchemist! Fenian shouted, excitement seeping from his words. Is the far side of the river still clear?


    Theo blinked a few times, trying to let his brain catch up to the strange question.


    Last I checked.


    Perfect! Fenian shouted, laughing into Theo¡¯s mind. If you wouldn¡¯t mind charging your towers, that would be lovely. I¡¯m coming with an unfriendly guest!

 Chapter 3.15 - Big Old Horrible Monster

    Warning bells clattered, a frantic staccato rhythm that sent every adventurer in Broken Tusk into a frenzy. Theo set the alarm with a warning, using his town-wide messaging system. Every able-bodied citizen stood ready behind those sturdy walls, ready for whatever Fenian brought with him.


    Theo stood with his command structure, looking out over the short field to the east. Something shimmered in the distance, but Aarok and Luras were too busy forming battle plans to notice. It was all wasted breath and effort against the unknown, but at the core of the alchemist¡¯s intuition, he knew it wasn¡¯t anything they couldn¡¯t handle. Fenian¡¯s mode of transportation allowed him to slip beyond reality, and he would never lead anything too dangerous to the gates.


    ¡°Call him again,¡± Aarok said, turning to bark more orders to the assembled adventurers.


    ¡°He¡¯s not answering,¡± Theo said. ¡°But his method of transport¡ª¡±


    Across the river, far in the distance, the world split apart. A gash formed in the air, bleeding shadows like a rolling fog. A carriage, looking like a miniature in the distance, flew from the fissure. Demonic Karatan drove the black lacquer carriage. Fenian stood atop the roof, waving his hands and shouting something. He was still too distant to hear.


    ¡°His method of transport is instant,¡± Theo said, his eyes fixed on the tear in space.


    Xol¡¯sa appeared next to him, his swirling eyes locked on the tear in space. ¡°That¡¯s curious,¡± he said, withdrawing a notebook and scrawling something.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Aarok shouted?


    Adventurers were moving the defensive artifices around, bringing more of the [Chain Lightning Towers] to the eastern gate. It left the other walls open to attack, but no one could be certain what the trader would bring along with him. Stillness hung in the air, even as Fenian crossed the bridge and approached the gate.


    Theo¡¯s throat seized with what came next. A figure, twice the height of the town¡¯s walls, crossed the threshold of the tear. It closed behind the monster, snapping shut like a bear trap. The thing walked with a limp, its entire body made of slick silver metal. It brandished a sword as tall as itself and let out an ear-shattering sound. The portcullis slammed shut as the trader passed the threshold, his demonic Karatan skittering to a stop and letting out mournful chitters of dismay. The alchemist swung around, jumping from the wall with questions.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Theo shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. He wanted to punch the Elf in the face, but the moment the thought sprung to his mind, his intuition warned him against it. There was something about Fenian he hadn¡¯t noticed before. There was power sitting behind those eyes.


    ¡°My dear alchemist,¡± Fenian said, holding his arms wide and bowing. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you a gift!¡±


    ¡°Looks like a big old horrible monster!¡± Tresk shouted, emerging from the shadows.


    ¡°Come now,¡± Fenian said, waving them away. ¡°Ascend the wall and observe.¡±


    Theo and Tresk joined him on the battlements, watching the horror limp across the open fields near the river. It stumbled, falling face-first into the bridge and destroying it. Fenian groaned, cleared his throat, then continued his speech.


    ¡°I apologize for the bridge,¡± Fenian said, coughing into his hand.


    ¡°My grandfather helped build that bridge,¡± Aarok said, scowling.


    ¡°Well, your grandfather would have loved to get his hands on this beauty,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Before you attempt to remove my head from my shoulders, I¡¯d like to explain myself.¡±


    Fenian was always honest with Theo. He hid a few things, but it wasn¡¯t the things that mattered. Even if the Elf had done something reckless, the alchemist couldn¡¯t afford not to do business with him. He was simply too important.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the flailing creature attempting to untangle itself from the debris of the bridge.


    ¡°I was pilfering some Taranthian ruins,¡± Fenian started.


    ¡°The Elves?¡± Xol¡¯sa said, brightening up. No one else seemed as interested in where the ruins where.


    ¡°The very same!¡± Fenian said, nodding and causing the feather sticking from his hat to wobble. ¡°The fun part is, you can¡¯t get to these ruins. Unless you have my talents¡ªyes, let¡¯s call them that. The monster you see flailing around in the river is as old as Tarantham itself, buried for untold eons. It¡¯s actually an artifice, if you can believe that.¡±


    Theo squinted, trying to force himself to see further. He could make out the whirring of gears on the side of the creature, so that made sense to him. It wasn¡¯t a monster at all, just a big hunk of metal and¡­Artificer¡¯s materials. If it was advanced enough to move on its own and pursue an enemy, it was a trove of materials. Even the metal, which the alchemist assumed was some kind of steel, was worth a lot of money.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you know?¡± Fenian asked, slapping Theo on the shoulder. ¡°The whole machine is weak to what? Lightning! Isn¡¯t that amazing? Not that it matters. It might fall apart before it even reaches the walls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d second that opinion,¡± Luras said, his eyes flashing with the power of Baelthar.


    ¡°The materials you gather from the thing will pay for the bridge,¡± Fenian said, waving a dismissive hand.


    ¡°How did you get it to take the Bridge of Shadows?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I thought that was a secret,¡± Fenian said, pressing his finger into his chin and frowning.


    ¡°If you were holding the secret against a group of toddlers, maybe,¡± Theo shrugged.


    Fenian¡¯s use of the Bridge of Shadows wasn¡¯t a secret, not to the alchemist. It was easy enough to smell the influence of the Queen of the Path of Shadows, Uz¡¯Xulven, on him whenever he came to town. But it was another thing to understand what the trader sought to gain from the bridge. Something in his cores whispered, Uz¡¯Godan Bokrak Tal, but nothing more, simply the name of the bridge.


    He wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to align with Uz¡¯Xulven, Theo said, sending his thoughts to Tresk.


    Wanna bet?


    He didn¡¯t care to wager against that.


    ¡°At any rate, this is a gift,¡± Fenian said, bowing deeply. ¡°I can no longer afford the cost of your potions. So, we revert to the old way. Bartering and gifts.¡±


    Theo nodded, watching as the artifice weapon drew closer to the town. When it fell in the river, it was damaged even further. The limp became more pronounced, with more of its inner workings exposed on its side. The alchemist could see a heraldic crest on the front of the thing as it drew closer, the image of a compass and a sword. Then, he plugged his ears as the towers hummed to life.


    Fenian said something muffled, clapping his hands over his ears a little too late as the four [Chain Lightning Towers] fired at the same time. The artifice stumbled back from the force of the strike, but adjusted its footing and pressed on. The artificial monster was saying something now, but Theo couldn¡¯t hear. Each tower sent a stream of lightning at the monster, bolts that jumped from the various parts of the thing, quickly joined by the other towers. Cones of frost, fireballs, and firebolts fired off in rapid succession.


    Fenian was right about the mechanical creation, it was weak. After a few fierce volleys, before the adventurers could even get a shot off, it let out a prolonged sound and collapsed, shaking the earth under its feet. The ease of the fight didn¡¯t temper the adventurer¡¯s excitement for victory. They shouted and jeered at the fallen monstrosity, pumping their fists in the air.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± Theo asked, turning to the trader.


    ¡°What?¡± Fenian shouted, digging his fingers into his ears.


    ¡°Looks dead to me,¡± Tresk said, peering over the wall. The creature was motionless. The gears inside weren¡¯t moving, and it showed no signs of life.


    ¡°You must remove the [Power Core],¡± Fenian shouted, still digging in his ears. ¡°Then, it will be useless.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the power core?¡± Theo shouted his question back.


    Fenian simply beckoned him to follow. The trader jumped over the wall, rather than descending the battlements and approaching through the gate. Theo trusted his [Strength] and [Dexterity] to carry him safely, so he joined. With a rush of wind, he landed harmlessly on the unpaved road outside. The trader approached the fallen artifice, climbed its slick metal body, and withdrew a sword from nowhere. In an instant, he cut through the hard exterior of the artifice, and removed an object.


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    ¡°Power core,¡± Fenian said, smiling. ¡°I still can¡¯t hear a damn thing.¡±


    Theo handed the Elf a [Healing Potion], shaking his head. While Fenian drank, the alchemist inspected the power core. It looked more like a large crystal surrounded by a cage of the strange metal than something that conducted electricity. It pulsed with white energy, but the alchemist put it in his inventory and inspected it from there.


    [Power Core]


    [Construct Power]


    Epic


    A device used for the storage of raw, magical power.


    Current Power:


    25%


    The item was plain, but something caught Theo¡¯s eye and something clicked in his mind. While the metal monster might have been an artifice at its heart, it had a literal heart related to constructs. The design looked similar enough to the idea the alchemist had, surrounding a living medium with metal to create a fake seed core, that it would be useful to study.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Fenian said, opening his jaw to pop his ears. ¡°You¡¯ll find that the machine is made of¡­What is the world in Qavelli? Ah, barrowsteel. The Qavelli word actually comes from my native tongue, as it relates to the burial sites of my ancestors. If we¡¯re talking tiers of metal, this is¡ª¡±


    Theo interrupted him. He could feel the power of the metal. ¡°Third tier of metals. I have a feeling we¡¯ll find this in the mine.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be rich!¡± Fenian shouted.


    ¡°We¡¯ll organize the retrieval tomorrow,¡± Theo said, shouting up at the battlements.


    The day was getting too late to worry about the metal monster tonight, and he wouldn¡¯t ask his people to work through the night. It wasn¡¯t going anywhere, and the towers were trained on that approach. Aarok shouted his approval down, joined by the other adventurers. Once Theo had left the fallen construct¡¯s side, others came to poke at the dead beast. The alchemist beckoned for the trader to follow him, intending to get some dinner.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been busy,¡± Theo said, nodding at Fenian.


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Fenian asked.


    Tresk appeared next to them, grinning. ¡°Because you¡¯re always busy, big guy.¡±


    Instead of leading Fenian back to the privacy of the lab, Theo led him to Xam¡¯s latest offering for the festival. The attack hadn¡¯t diminished her spirit to prepare delicious food, and everything was prepared and presented outside. Theo enjoyed the idea of dining outside, so long as the fair weather lasted. When the next season was called the Season of Fire, it was hard to see it as anything but sweltering. The trader seemed reluctant to conduct business in front of everyone, but their relationship had grown closer over the season.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come to the point where I can¡¯t afford an outright purchase of your potions,¡± Fenian said, nodding to the server that brought him a drink.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m willing to barter,¡± Theo said.


    The smell of whatever Xam was preparing wafted from the interior of the Marsh Wolf Tavern. When the scent singed his nose, Theo felt his pulse quicken slightly. She was making spicy stuff again.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Fenian said. ¡°The guardian is part of that accord. Theo, I thought you¡¯d be more excited.¡±


    The alchemist realized his demeanor didn¡¯t suit him. He cleared his throat and looked at the situation in the best light possible. The metal would sell for a lot, but not a fortune like Fenian would propose. Throk would appraise the real treasure of the encounter as the artificer¡¯s materials within the thing. [Monster Cores] were more valuable than gold right now, along with rare seed core buildings. Everything that was happening suited him just fine, he was just tired.


    Theo dug deep, releasing a breath and focusing his mind on the evening negotiations. ¡°I¡¯m extremely excited about this,¡± he said, even if he doubted that himself. ¡°We¡¯ll get down to business and see if we can meet in the middle.¡±


    As with all things related to the trader, their conversation wasn¡¯t much of a negotiation. The thing that Theo found interesting was that Fenian had a sense for the price of his new potions, after claiming there was nothing like it in the kingdom. He could reliably get a silver for the new products, but that relied on the willingness of rich families to spend. They settled on a split between coin and goods for the potions. 30 gold coins seemed like a low sum, but that came with another 30 gold in credit.


    ¡°And a gift,¡± Fenian said, leaning in. ¡°I wish we could retreat to your lab for this one.¡±


    The sun started its descent in the western sky, looming over the swamp like a blazing sentinel. Xam¡¯s latest spicy dish was another interpretation of milled Zee, Karatan cheese, and wolf meat. Her twist for this dish was the addition of the spicy [Fire Salamander Eggs], which made it much more enjoyable. With the meal done, Theo was happy to go back to the lab and discuss whatever sensitive topic Fenian had for him.


    ¡°Just for good measure,¡± Fenian said, placing a small cube of metal on the second floor landing before entering the lab.


    ¡°I need [Monster Cores], a seed core for a coin mint, and any other interesting production buildings you might have,¡± Theo said. He was under the impression that the trader didn¡¯t want the others to see the high-cost exchange they normally did.


    ¡°A mint?¡± Fenian said, laughing. ¡°Now, you¡¯re clever. Look at this.¡±


    Fenian withdrew a gold coin from his inventory, setting it down on the table. Tresk had to stand on her chair to get a good view of the coin. It was like the coins Theo had seen before, but the image rendered on the golden surface was different. While the render seemed similar to the symbol on the front of the guardian artifice, it had enough difference to claim a different source. Theo knew instantly, this was a coin produced in a foreign land. It didn¡¯t have the laurel crown of Qavell¡¯s coinage, nor the words that traced the edge of the coin.


    ¡°It all goes to the same place when you have an inventory, but you can pull them out individually,¡± Fenian said, nodding to himself. ¡°They¡¯re all standard currency across the world. If it doesn¡¯t go in your inventory, it''s a fake.¡±


    ¡°Where did you find this one?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian only smiled in response, changing the topic.


    ¡°A mint will cost you¡­Well, a mint,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Just to confirm what I heard, they¡¯re legal?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes, you won¡¯t have the crown crashing down on you. Not that they could. They¡¯re busy,¡± Fenian said, his grin turning wicked.


    That explained why Theo hadn¡¯t gotten word from Qavell. If he was honest with himself, he knew that was better for them. Any undue attention would throw off his plans, and the last thing he needed were meddling princes. Still, the Elf¡¯s proximity to how busy the kingdom was didn¡¯t sit well with him, but he managed to shrug it off for the sake of profit.


    ¡°That leads me to something I need from you,¡± Fenian said, withdrawing a seed core from his inventory and setting it on the table. He then withdrew a sack and a book, setting them down next to the seed.


    Theo pressed his intent into the seed core, inspecting it.


    [Mycology Cave Seed Core]


    [Seed Core]


    Epic


    A core for the plantation of a Mycology Cage. This allows you to cultivate mushrooms.


    ¡°That solves that problem,¡± Theo said. ¡°What¡¯s in the sack?¡±


    ¡°[Monster Cores],¡± Fenian said, opening the bag for Theo to see. ¡°I need a favor. Do you remember the [Swamp Truffles]?¡±


    Theo tried hard to forget about those mushrooms. They carried the [Experience Boost] property, which seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.


    ¡°I remember,¡± Theo said, casting his eyes over to Tresk. She seemed content enough to just exist during the meeting, likely keeping an eye out for threats.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your task,¡± Fenian said, clearing his throat. ¡°I¡¯m giving some¡­Ah, swimming lessons. I¡¯m not interested in the experience part of it. I need [Hallow Ground].¡±


    It felt odd for someone to reference a property, especially when they weren¡¯t alchemically inclined. Even with Theo¡¯s intuition, he couldn¡¯t understand what the Elf would do with potions made from the property.


    ¡°Bombs, or potions?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian stood from his chair, opened the door to the hall and tapped the top of his strange cube. The air shimmered through the lab and Theo felt a sense as though a sheet of ice had been placed over his body. The Elf was satisfied enough, coming back to sit at the table by the window.


    ¡°Brew me the most effective way to repel the undead,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Some way to steer them away from me while I work. There¡¯s plenty of ruins to be plundered, such as your Pozwa, but it becomes difficult when the damned skeletons come calling.¡±


    Theo understood what the Elf wanted to accomplish, but a strange feeling washed over his body. The constant whisper of suggestions belonging to his cores was absent, and he understood the purpose of the cube. He was keeping unfriendly ears away, those belonging to the Gods. He wondered if it was to keep Drogromath out, or whoever Fenian called his god. The field shimmered out, and for the first time since he met the Elf, he looked slightly nervous.


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Theo said.


    Hey, that sounds shady as hell, Tresk said, speaking into Theo¡¯s mind.


    That¡¯s no skin off my back, Theo said.


    Tresk nodded, agreeing with him in an instant. Theo would insure that whatever he exported couldn¡¯t be used as a weapon. That was his general rule for every potion he made, although it was a loose rule.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Fenian said, throwing his arms wide. A smile hung on his face. ¡°I have a selection of seed cores you might be interested in. Take a look.¡±


    The amount of cores he dumped on the table was absurd. They spilled over immediately, clattering onto the ground. Tresk and Theo sifted through those cores for hours, even after the sun went down. As both their [Vigor] attribute grew, they needed less sleep. Only the Dreamwalk lured them to their beds every night.


    A few cores stood out, and were all self-descriptive. By the end of it, Theo selected a core simply labeled [School Seed Core], another called a [Weaver¡¯s Seed Core], and the biggest shock of them all a [Harbor Seed Core].


    ¡°Ah, that last one is a bit pricey,¡± Fenian said, smiling. ¡°You¡¯d owe me a few hundred gold.¡±


    ¡°Then, I owe you,¡± Theo said, collecting his seed cores.


    Fenian tilted his head like a predatory bird, but softened after a moment. ¡°Call it 100 gold, then. Paid at a future date. The upgrades for that one include a shipwright.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said. ¡°One question, before you retire.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Fenian said, bowing his head.


    ¡°I have a potion that can dig out a channel for my harbor, but would it be wiser to hire an [Earth Mage]?¡±


    ¡°Planning to move the ocean closer to town? Smart,¡± Fenian said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Some advice? Do it yourself. Your issue is hardening the edges of the channel, although I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve thought of that. Perhaps it''s time your stonecutters got some experience with building.¡±


    Fenian withdrew 5 cores from his inventory, setting them on the table. [Stonemason¡¯s Cores]. Even if the Elf was feeling generous, nothing he provided was free. He held his hand out and grinned. ¡°A gold for 5.¡±


    Theo handed the money over without hesitation. It was time for the stonecutters to stretch themselves thin to serve Broken Tusk. Fenian¡¯s instructions weren¡¯t lost on him, and a plan was forming in the alchemist¡¯s head to get the harbor project underway. The massive water element left him enough [Living River Water] to cut a wide channel, and still have enough to dig his tunnels in the mine.


    ¡°As always,¡± Theo said, reaching out to shake Fenian¡¯s hand. ¡°We both prosper when the other is doing well.¡±


    Fenian leaned in, grinning again. ¡°You have no idea.¡±

 Chapter 3.16 - Stabby Groves

    Tresk got clever with her assassination attempt in the Dreamwalk that night. Instead of ordering her minions to attack simultaneously, she staggered them in stages. It was hard to hide intent through the Tara¡¯hek, and Theo already had a solution for that problem. His mana control in the real world was bad, but within the dream realm it was acceptable enough to not kill him instantly. When he tossed a [Reveal Construct] in the air, bathing the surrounding landscape with a pale glow, it dropped stealth on the 20 assassins she¡¯d generated.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± she shouted, looking over the mangled bodies of her creations.


    ¡°Try again tomorrow,¡± Theo said, patting her on the shoulder.


    The Marshling only pouted for a moment, moving off to train and come up with better ways to kill him. Theo could feel she was happy about his success in thwarting her. That was the point of the exercise, after all.


    The landscape Theo chose tonight was the exterior of Broken Tusk, following that snaking river off to sea. He generated his [Tunneling Potion] and decided on the best way to carve out the landscape. His first attempt ended in failure. He dug from the sea, toward the town, which resulted in the ocean rushing in to destroy the earth at the side. When the sea joined with the river, the effect was worse. This meant there were several problems.


    Theo¡¯s potion worked underwater, but that wasn¡¯t the problem. His team of stoneworkers wouldn¡¯t be able to move in and reinforce the walls of the harbor with marble. When he dug from the sea¡¯s side of the harbor, the water came rushing in. If he dug from the river¡¯s side that came to flood the area. Both approaches left him unable to build the stonework.


    Standing over the newly refreshed landscape, Theo tapped his chin. It didn¡¯t help his concentration that he normally spent his time in the Dreamwalk training alchemy. It was a waste of time, but this was important. The alchemist dug a shallow version of the harbor from the river¡¯s side almost the entire way to the ocean. It was a massive rectangle dug into the earth. This approach was almost workable. The flood of the river was slow, and there were solutions he could employ to empty the basin. Thanks to how low the area of the swamp was, the footprint he created was no deeper than he was tall.


    The river filled the shape he¡¯d carved out, and Theo reset the landscape once again. He dug the same shape again, only far deeper this time. Deep enough to hold the boats he hoped to create. He worked the channel toward the ocean and imagined a stone wall holding in the massive quantities of soil on either side. At some point, the Dreamwalk was smart enough to know there was a water table, and he hit it. But the harbor continued out to sea, with Theo creating stone walls with his mind and applying his potion to remove dirt. The sea rushed in, but he continued digging his channel out into the bay until it was deep enough for his vessels.


    Theo stood back, looking over his work. There were problems to sort out, but he¡¯d managed most of them. As long as he could remove the water from the river faster than it could accumulate, this plan would work. A massive surge from the ocean met the already resting river water, creating a brackish mix that spat sea-foam into the air. The alchemist looked over his new harbor and nodded, trotting over to the head of the structure. It would come almost all the way to the eastern gate, where the bridge used to be. In the Dreamwalk version of Broken Tusk, the bridge remained.


    The system refused to allow him to expand the walls of Broken Tusk, but he could imagine it. An expansion east, perhaps a single expansion, would see the wall over the river. Instead of expanding all the way to the ocean, he could save money by creating his own harbor. A flash of pride raced through his body, content with the modification to the landscape. The only mystery left to the process was how the town¡¯s seed core would bridge the wall over the river and harbor, but that wasn¡¯t a problem for now. It had always been intelligent enough to understand the shift of terrain, automatically placing their gates in the best spot. He hoped for the best.


    Tresk had suggestions for the harbor, highlighting weaknesses in the plan. Her concerns centered on Ziz¡¯s ability to do the work, but conceded the point. The stoneworkers would have time to practice on the bridge, and there was no shortage of stone for them to practice with.


    ¡°What¡¯s your take on Fenian?¡± Tresk asked, sitting on a stump and observing the strange harbor. ¡°He¡¯s lying about something.¡±


    ¡°Little lies,¡± Theo said, waving her away. ¡°Small things that don¡¯t involve us. For example, he didn¡¯t tell us about what ruins he was exploring. But he had to get rid of the guardian. We were just a simple solution. He knew we¡¯d be happy to get the materials.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that,¡± Tresk said.


    The Marshling had a soft spot for anyone who had done a favor for her in the past. If it didn¡¯t affect her directly, she had trouble relating to others. With time, the Tara¡¯hek would give her more of a heart. She¡¯d get more of Theo¡¯s generosity, he hoped as much anyway. Or perhaps, she was just growing as a pillar of Broken Tusk.


    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the flooding project, anyway?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°The idea is to dig a channel, so we don¡¯t have to take the town to the sea,¡± Theo said, gesturing at the large swathe of earth he¡¯d removed. ¡°We bring the sea up to us.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Well, the landscape rises,¡± Theo said, making a motion with his hand to explain the point. ¡°But if we dig at, or under sea level, we can let the ocean rush in. No need to expand the town out. No need to get close to the [Ocean Dungeon].¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°Makes sense. Why do we care about boats?¡±


    That was a decent enough question. Theo was pulled toward the idea of owning a merchant fleet since the idea first came to him. It would be costly, likely taking years to make money off of the idea. But that wasn¡¯t the point. From what he understood, Qavell didn¡¯t own a merchant fleet. They didn¡¯t have a single vessel to their name, leaving the market wide open. Without competition, they could ferry exotic goods from one place to the other and make absurd profits for just operating the fleet.


    ¡°Trade,¡± Theo said, distilling the concept down for his companion. ¡°We¡¯ll move standard goods, but there¡¯s the concept of bringing in scarce materials from places where they¡¯re abundant.¡±


    Tresk seemed to accept that answer. She nodded, motioning for him to take a seat next to her on a log. He did, and she pressed her head into his side. She wasn¡¯t nearly tall enough to rest her head on his shoulder, even if that¡¯s what she wanted to do.


    ¡°Ever feel like we¡¯re getting in over our heads?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Never,¡± Theo said. ¡°No, we¡¯re right where we need to be. In the thick of it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo felt the pull to get things done in the Dreamwalk, but this was nice. It wasn¡¯t wasted time if the time they got was extra to begin with. They just sat there, watching the ebb and flow of the imagined ocean for hours. The sounds and smells were real enough to make the experience extremely pleasant. A tingle ran up the alchemist¡¯s spine, a sense of belonging that he wouldn¡¯t trade for the world. Every moment he spent in this place was worth the effort it took to keep things running. No where he¡¯d ever lived had felt as much like a home as Broken Tusk.


    With the harbor problem sorted, Theo turned his attention back to alchemy. He assessed where his current cores and personal level was as he worked the stills and fiddled with constructs. His alchemy and herbalism core were on the same level now, sitting at level 14, while his personal level was at 13. That was enough to prove his idea that each core provided a third of the total experience pool wrong, but he focused on his [Governance Core]. It would hit level 10 the moment they left the Dreamwalk, he could feel it. That brought another problem.


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    The skill list was endless, and the restricted list was equally daunting. When a core hit a multiple of 10, he was allowed to purchase a skill related only to that domain. Flicking through the menus, Theo found a few that stuck out. One gave a small reduction in taxes, so small to be useless. Another reduced the cost to upgrade with monster cores, but once again the bonus was small. The one skill that stuck out among the others was [Districting].


    [Districting]


    Governance Skill


    Rare


    Allows the user to create and manage districts within their town.


    Effect:


    Create and manage districts.


    Districts will appear on all town-related maps.


    Requires: Level 10 Administration-related core.


    The [Governance Core] was a class that provided a lot of bonuses up front. The crawl to a higher level would see less benefit than that initial burst, but Theo was happy to play the long game. [Districting] was interesting, if only because it mentioned managing districts. There was something about it that said it would improve something, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.


    One thing Theo learned about making constructs was their nebulous nature. Without the skill, he was stabbing in the dark. Within the Dreamwalk and without the skill, he was flailing at phantoms. The alchemist could only build up so much knowledge without proper experimentation, but he tried anyway. Only when Tresk suggested the concept of Golems did his mood brighten. He filed that thought away, intent on exploiting that nugget of information later.


    Morning finally came, and Theo sat upright immediately. His mind spun with the possibilities, but nothing would come of the revelation until he got the skill. Golems were enough of a myth back on Earth that he¡¯d seen before. The small piece of information contained within Tresk¡¯s suggestion related to the origin of the creatures. They were made of inanimate matter, powered by something. That¡¯s what made it click in his mind. He was working under the idea that he could create a pseudo seed core and grow a construct, embedding it with alchemical properties. After seeing the power source in the guardian, he had a solid direction.


    ¡°Golems, huh?¡± Tresk asked, belching. She ate Xam¡¯s offering in moments, not even trying to savor the spicy flavor. The food was, as always, leftovers from last night.


    Theo placed a few things on the table, clearing away Tresk¡¯s plate to demonstrate. ¡°A monster core to power the thing, surrounded in appropriate inanimate matter, then doused in essence to drive its nature.¡±


    Tresk leaned in, smacking her lips. ¡°The monster core tells it what material to use, the essence drives what it does. Gotcha.¡±


    Tresk normally didn¡¯t care about this kind of stuff. Not the way it functioned, anyway. She was always interested in using his potions, not so much the brewing part.


    ¡°Well, time to set districts,¡± Theo said, selecting the [Districting] skill and slotting it into his [Governance Core]. A sense of expansion filled his mind, then faded.


    Theo opened his mayor¡¯s interface and found that his map had changed. A panel opened up on the side, complete with tools to draw out new districts. There was a pen tool, a text tool, and even a fill tool. He chuckled and drew out his districts while he ate his breakfast.


    ¡°I can change the names at any time,¡± Theo said. ¡°What should we name the quarry area?¡±


    ¡°Rocktown,¡± Tresk said, nodding resolutely.


    Theo named the northern stretch of the town ¡°Rocktown¡±, then moved on. There was a middle section, between the area with the quarry and the farms, where most adventurers were housed. Tresk apparently knew he was going from the north to the south, and spoke up before he had a chance to pose the question.


    ¡°Stabby Groves,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo named the adventurer¡¯s area ¡°Stabby Groves¡±.


    ¡°Sea of Zee,¡± Tresk said, naming the farmer¡¯s area before he could even think about it. And then it was so.


    She named the area just north of town ¡°Town Time¡±, and the central area ¡°Tuskburg¡± before moving on to the other sections of town. The small stretch of land between ¡°Tuskburg¡± and the vacant hills she named ¡°Cool Kids¡±. Those same hills, mostly absent of people, she named ¡°The Dreadwastes¡±. The entire area surrounding the mines was simply called ¡°Dead Dog¡±, Miana¡¯s ranch area was called ¡°Cheese Empire¡±, and the section along the wall to the east she named ¡°In Memory of a Very Angry Water Elemental.¡±


    Theo laughed the whole way through. The other members of the town, especially those in command or administration positions, wouldn¡¯t let the silly names stand. But for the time being, it was fun to play with the things the system provided. As if by heavenly command, Alise came stomping over to the table. She narrowed her eyes at the mayor and huffed a breath.


    ¡°Most of these names are fine,¡± she said, clearly consulting her administration interface. ¡°But¡­¡¯In Memory of a Very Angry Water Elemental¡¯? That¡¯s just¡­Theo, did you let Tresk name the districts?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, sipping his tea.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to change them,¡± Alise said.


    Theo waved her off, producing the [School Seed Core] from his inventory. ¡°Got you a present.¡±


    Alise¡¯s eyes glittered. She snatched the core up, mouth hung open, as she tried to form words. ¡°I just hired a Brogling!¡± she said, finally getting the words to come out. ¡°The parents agreed to pay a weekly fee to have their children cared for. This is better!¡±


    Theo groaned. He didn¡¯t hate Broglings. He just didn¡¯t like their names. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    Alise had to consult her interface for that one. ¡°Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin,¡± she said, stumbling through the words.


    The last Brogling Theo met was named something similar. He just called the man ¡°Grub¡±. This guy would also need a nickname. ¡°Credentials?¡±


    ¡°Former researcher for a scholarly cult. Zaul, specifically,¡± Alise said. She finally saw this as a meeting, and took a seat at the table.


    The mention of Tresk¡¯s patron had her attention. ¡°Zaul? Oh, that¡¯s cool. Real cool.¡±


    ¡°There he is!¡± Alise said, waving over to the tiny man.


    Broglings only came up to Theo¡¯s knee. They looked like puffed-up field mice, completely with a sweeping tail and short snout. Everytime Theo saw one, their little whiskers were jostling as if they were constantly sniffing the air. The little man came over, doubling over as he bowed. He was wearing a clean black robe, and a chain hung from his neck. The amulet at the end of the chain held an image of the god Zaul.


    ¡°Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin at your service,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you have a nickname?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°None,¡± the Brogling said.


    ¡°May I give you one?¡±


    ¡°By all means, mayor,¡± he said, bowing once again.


    ¡°Bob,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re Bob, now.¡±


    ¡°Then, Bob it shall be,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m eager to work with the children. I find most small towns don¡¯t appreciate the importance of an education.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen many small towns?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Between here in Slagrot? Just about every small town there is,¡± Bob said, laughing. ¡°All those small settlements between Rivers and Qavell, the plains outside the city and those mountain holds between the territories. Then the fishing villages in Veosta, the hamlets in Tarantham. I¡¯ve seen them all.¡±


    That seemed to be a point of pride for Bob. He was well traveled, beyond any of Theo¡¯s expectations, which would render another service. The alchemist needed reliable opinions about other nations, and an objective one for the Kingdom of Qavell. He withdrew a single gold coin from his inventory and flicked it over to the Brogling, who caught it with surprising grace. A disciple of Zaul, indeed.


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind binding yourself to a contract,¡± Theo said, dipping his head.


    ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less from someone looking to educate and protect the children of his town,¡± Bob said, bowing his head to meet Theo¡¯s gesture.


    The pair spent time writing the contract. It was extremely verbose, detailing all of Bob¡¯s responsibilities with the children. Theo made sure to put a section in there regarding the teacher¡¯s knowledge, and his willingness to share with the town. Broken Tusk was willing to put aside whatever money he needed to better the lives of the children, to an extent.


    ¡°Not that I don¡¯t trust your dedication,¡± Bob said, grinning. ¡°When you come to a new town, look for the kids. Are they fat and happy? Playing in the fields? Or are they working the mines, starving? That¡¯s a true test of a town¡¯s worth.¡±


    Theo swelled with pride at the comments. They finalized the contract, signing it with their souls. Bob took possession of the [School Seed Core], and Theo carved him out a section of land in Town Time. Now he realized how absurd the names were.


    Alise had some other business for Theo to attend to, so Tresk left for her daily adventure. The alchemist explained his plans about the harbor, which she thought was a great idea. He still needed to distribute the [Stonemason¡¯s Cores] to Ziz and his men, but word got out that they were already planning on replacing the ruined bridge with a marble one.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, smiling to his assistant. ¡°I¡¯ll pass these cores out. Make sure Bob has everything he needs.¡±


    Alise looked sheepish for a moment, casting her eyes away from Theo¡¯s as though she had something to say. She finally found the courage to say, ¡°can I change the district names?¡±


    ¡°Keep the themes,¡± Theo said, nodding at her. ¡°But, yeah. Change them.¡±

 Chapter 3.17 - Mycology Cave

    Theo found Ziz and his men hauling blocks from their quarry, down to the river. He watched with amusement, waiting for the group to detect his presence. Only after the men cursed and kicked at the absurdly heavy blocks did they notice him.


    ¡°An inventory!¡± one shouted.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Ziz said, huffing to regain his breath. ¡°Mind giving us a hand?¡±


    ¡°More than you know,¡± Theo said, producing 5 [Stonemason¡¯s Cores] from his inventory.


    Ziz¡¯s eyes lit up, letting his hands drift over the cores. ¡°We were gonna do it by hand.¡±


    ¡°Paid for by Fenian,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°Since he destroyed the bridge.¡±


    ¡°Since he destroyed the bridge,¡± a laborer said, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°So, you helping?¡±


    Theo nodded, taking the existing blocks into his inventory. To the worker¡¯s credit, they got it most of the way down toward Miana¡¯s ranch. He didn¡¯t know how they planned to get it the rest of the way, but it didn¡¯t matter. The group went back to the quarry and loaded up the alchemist¡¯s inventory with blocks. They walked down to the river with ease, everyone joking about how long it would have taken them to do this by hand. Even with their high [Strength], the blocks were absurdly heavy.


    The bridge was ruined, barely a post or two left after the guardian¡¯s rampage. Theo could see the body of the guardian from here, trusting that Alise would organize everyone to dismantle it. If she didn¡¯t, Throk would take up the mantle and dig out all the artificer materials.


    Ziz and his workers inserted their cores, which told Theo something. Ziz was level 10, and the others either had an empty core slot or were also at level 10. Even without levels and experience, the cores themselves would give the men at least basic skills for stonemasonry. It would be enough to make a crude bridge, but the stoneworkers had been nothing but perfectionists. They met challenges with a stubborn determination that the alchemist always appreciated. It reminded him of himself.


    A laborer removed a book from a satchel at his side. ¡°Knew this would come in handy,¡± he said, holding the pages up for Theo to see.


    It was written in the standard language of Qavell, the Qavelli script, and detailed bridge-making methods. It specifically related to the use of stone to make bridges, which was perfect. While it was nice that they were prepared for such an event, Theo wanted to pick Ziz¡¯s brain about his plan for a harbor. The stoneworker ordered his men to get a plan together while the pair headed down the river. Theo explained his plan.


    ¡°Once we understand how to put blocks together, it should be a breeze,¡± Ziz said, letting out a startled sound.


    Someone dropped from the nearby treeline and rushed them, stopping only feet away. He was coiled in pale orange energy, but once the field of power dispersed Theo saw it was only Luras. He had a serious look on his face, leveling his gaze over the alchemist.


    ¡°Tresk would kill you,¡± he said, growling the words.


    ¡°I have an escape plan now,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Does that plan involve killing Ziz as you retreat?¡± Luras asked.


    Ziz looked fearfully at the alchemist, still clutching his chest from Luras¡¯ sudden appearance.


    ¡°Point taken,¡± Theo said, gesturing down the river. ¡°Could I hire your services for a few hours?¡±


    Luras softened, a smile spreading across his face. Since he took the patron of the Ogres as his deity, he¡¯d become harder. More of a weapon. But he was still the same old hunter that Theo met at the start of the season. ¡°Naturally,¡± he said, nocking an arrow and nodding.


    ¡°The river is nothing compared to the ocean,¡± Theo said. This was the first time he¡¯d been here in his physical form. It felt strange. ¡°We¡¯ll dig from the river side out, creating the full channel. Then we need to drain the water that the river dumps.¡±


    ¡°Why not divert the river?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°That might work,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the other side of the river. The beach leading out into the bay was wide enough to accomplish the task. ¡°My only concern is filling it up afterward. My potion eats stone and earth. It won¡¯t deposit it elsewhere. An [Earth Mage] is too expensive, or unreliable.¡±


    Theo explained all the things he saw wrong with his plan, as well as the positive points. Both Luras and Ziz agreed it was best to bring the harbor to the town, cutting out a massive rectangle that allowed boats to come right into town. They both seemed to think the seed core of the town was smart enough to adjust the walls to allow something like that to happen. When they approached the ocean, the alchemist spotted his next problem.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a hitch,¡± Theo said.


    A group of Fald, a strange mix between a man and a turtle, stood on the shores of the beach. They were undoubtedly remnants of the last monster wave, milling around without a target. The [Ocean Dungeon] was too far from the town for the waves to attack directly, forcing them to hold in the ocean and the beach forever. The last wave, each dungeon was shuffled and forced to attack Broken Tusk. Theo hoped that meant all the monsters would die, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to protect the mouth of your harbor,¡± Luras said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s more in the water.¡±


    ¡°Another roadblock,¡± Theo said, rubbing his chin. The [Ocean Dungeon] was directly in their path out to the bay.


    ¡°Do you think so?¡± Ziz asked, tapping his foot on the wet bank of the river. Theo could see the gears turning in the Half-Ogre¡¯s head. ¡°I see it as free defense.¡±


    Luras raised a brow at that comment.


    ¡°Think about it,¡± Ziz said. ¡°If others don¡¯t know about the monsters, they¡¯ll get swarmed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d feel better if we had towers over here,¡± Luras said. ¡°Seems like a risk to any boat we send to sea.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind setting a contract for the Fald?¡± Theo asked, turning to Luras. The Half-Ogre nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about their viability as a weapon later. For now, keep the beach clear and make sure we have a few adventurers covering Ziz and his workers when they¡¯re away from the walls.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate that,¡± Ziz said.


    ¡°Who is funding those contracts?¡± Luras asked.


    Theo was just impressed that his companion had the good sense to think about that. The town¡¯s finances were split between the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the town itself.  He didn¡¯t care which pool they drew from, as they often shared the cost of defense.


    ¡°Whichever,¡± Theo said. ¡°Talk with Alise if you need funding. She¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°She always does,¡± Luras said, laughing. His eyes went hazy for a moment.


    Luras had access to the command structure¡¯s tactical maps, which also allowed him to assign adventurers remotely. This feature had been valuable during the last siege, allowing them to move people around as they were needed.


    ¡°Three adventurers,¡± Luras said, nodding. ¡°They scooped up the order as soon as I placed it. Your guys should be safe, Ziz.¡±


    ¡°Always appreciated,¡± Ziz said.


    Theo was satisfied enough with the way things were and headed back with the group. Luras ensured everyone knew their jobs before he left the trio of adventurers to patrol the exterior of the wall near the ruined bridge. The Half-Ogre Captain of the Guard joined the alchemist as he made his way back to the Newt and Demon. They had had little chance to catch up lately.


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    ¡°How is the new core?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Hard to fight Baelthar¡¯s rage sometimes,¡± Luras grunted.


    ¡°You need to balance it out,¡± Theo said. ¡°Find another aligned core that competes with him.¡±


    Luras eyed him for a moment before they entered the Newt and Demon. When they passed by Azrug, entering the lab upstairs, he had more to say. ¡°How about you? Drogramath can¡¯t be easy to fight. Unless you¡¯ve gone full Demon mode.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a useful tool,¡± Theo said. ¡°No, there¡¯s something else. The [Tara¡¯hek Core]. It¡¯s strange. Hard to explain. Imagine the border between two factions, fighting back and forth. The Tara¡¯hek keeps Drogramath at bay.¡±


    Luras grunted a response, playing idly with some alchemy equipment. The look he had on his face was of a man struggling with the concept. Theo¡¯s intuition and instincts said he was doing the right thing, but few had access to the Tara¡¯hek. The alchemist withdrew the [Mycology Cave Seed Core] from his inventory and held it up for Luras to see.


    ¡°A new seed core,¡± Luras said, snapping out of his contemplative mood. ¡°For mushrooms, I suppose.¡±


    Theo nodded, rolling the metal ball in his hand. He couldn¡¯t imagine what Fenian¡¯s plan for the seed core was, or rather the potions it would produce. Even with his intuition, it was hard to predict the moves of the trader. Again, it was easier to accept gifts and put them to use than to worry about the details. Those were problems for the lands outside of Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Give me your honest opinion on the harbor,¡± Theo said. He found a sense of comfort from the warm, earthy energy the seed core put off.


    ¡°We¡¯ll command the only navy this side of the continent,¡± Luras said, shrugging at the question. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t count those paddle-driven craft the lizard-folk use on the islands.¡±


    Canoes hardly counted as merchant vessels. Theo¡¯s mind was still locked on the concept of trading overseas, particularly with the Khahari. The option to trade with Veosta would be sealed off until they settled their dispute with Qavell. Most of what he¡¯d heard about the conflict centered around border disputes, which seemed silly. The two kingdoms were separated by a spine of impassable mountains. Unless Qavell wanted to push further into their enemy¡¯s lands, they would have to be content with what they had. But a greedy mind always saw what others had, thinking it was theirs.


    ¡°How long is the Veostian conflict going to last?¡± Theo asked, sighing. ¡°Not sure if we can handle another increase in taxes.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t end well,¡± Luras said. He had a darker look on his face than before. Contemplation was replaced with something close to fear. ¡°Makes you wonder what the king has in mind.¡±


    A king Theo knew almost nothing about. He removed his communication crystal, the one connected with the capital, and tried it again. The haptic ringing in his mind was uncomfortable, but once again it bore no fruit. They were happy enough to collect his taxes while ignoring his communication.


    ¡°I wanted to get ahead of it,¡± Theo said, crossing the room and assessing the contents of his storage crates. He always felt better when he was organizing things, even if he didn¡¯t like doing it. ¡°We already showed Rivers and Daub that Broken Tusk is a force. At first, I wanted as much defense for the city because of the monster waves. But now? Now I¡¯m wondering what happens when Qavell falls.¡±


    Luras picked up on what Theo was suggesting startlingly fast. ¡°An alliance with Rivers? It could work.¡±


    ¡°A defensive alliance,¡± Theo said. ¡°A military move that works for both of us.¡±


    ¡°Because if something comes from the north, they¡¯re the first line of defense,¡± Luras said. ¡°Smart thinking. What does Aarok think?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked him,¡± Theo said. ¡°We only have a trade relationship with Rivers, and I don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll react. I just want to be ready to jump on it if the time comes.¡±


    Theo¡¯s Drogramath cores whispered that it wasn¡¯t a matter of if the time came. It was a matter of when. It was all the more reason to prepare their harbor. That would give them a straight shot to the sea, and represent a lifeline of trade if anything happened in the north. Broken Tusk was positioned perfectly to become a small hermit kingdom, conducting all business from behind the safety of their walls. The alchemist had no interest in taking a crown, but there was more than one way to run a government.


    ¡°The concept expands out,¡± Luras said. ¡°Qavell falls, or changes. We get annexed by someone else, or we have to strike out on our own. The town no longer gets support from the north, and we have to make an alliance. Better to make it from better footing, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. Better footing,¡± Theo said. ¡°Being proactive has worked so far, there¡¯s no reason to stop. This town will function as if the world will collapse tomorrow. That way, we¡¯ll be ready if it does.¡±


    Luras didn¡¯t have a response for that.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to plant my seed core,¡± Theo said, holding up the orb of living material.


    ¡°All the best,¡± Luras said, still pensive.


    Theo left the lab. He prided himself on his tenacity, but he was also very good at pushing things out of his mind. By the time he reached the back of his building, where he planned to place the new [Mycology Cave], those worries had melted away. By his estimation, Fenian provided enough [Monster Cores] to get the building up to level 20, perhaps higher. The alchemist owned a large swathe of land between his building at the eastern walls, so he selected a spot right next to his greenhouse, off what was left of the gravel yard.


    It took very few [Monster Cores] to get the cave started. Theo planted the seed core in the ground, watching as roots sprung up to form the vague shape of a tiny building, then fed his cores. Roots wrapped around themselves, forming something similar to the entrance of a mine. Those wooden roots gave way to stone, sloping down into the earth, with a wooden door frame providing an entrance. The alchemist descended into the building and spotted four rows of planters. They weren¡¯t raised from the stone floor, but set down in them. It was very similar to the greenhouse, just underground. He exited the building, not wanting to experience the sudden shift in size as he fed it cores.


    Theo set a name on the building, then examined it.


    [Mycology Cave]


    [Shortcut to Mushrooms]


    Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    It was plain, which new buildings always were. Each multiple of five would offer him a new potential upgrade. Some upgrades seemed to align with gods. Theo fed cores to the building and inspected the upgrade options, only concerning himself with the clear winner.


    [Spontaneous Spores]


    There¡¯s a chance that your mushrooms will spontaneously spawn more mushrooms within the growing beds.


    The level 10 upgrade was a similar situation. Theo didn¡¯t know how he was going to plant the truffles in the mushroom cave, but this new upgrade gave him the option.


    [Deep Beds]


    Specialize your Mycology Cave for all species of truffles. Your growing beds are now deep enough to grow truffles, and all truffle variations will grow at an increased rate than in the wild.


    Some buildings had upgrades that made it more of a specialized place. Theo¡¯s alchemy lab was dedicated to Drogramath, which would have been a useless option for other alchemists. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was an upgrade only he could get. The two options he¡¯d selected for the [Mycology Cave] would help tremendously, and he still had at least 2 more upgrades to purchase. [Spontaneous Spores] made up for his lack of knowledge on propagating mushrooms, and [Deep Beds] allowed him to grow his target mushroom.


    Theo fed the building more cores, watching in amusement as it grew. The ground shook, but the building didn¡¯t increase in size. Only the area underground grew. He selected the next, most logical option.


    [Drogramath Empowerment]


    Latent energy, aligned with Drogramath, will be drawn from the air to enhance your mushrooms. Energy density affects growth rate, cultivation yield, and nutrient usage.


    The level 15 option he selected was one he¡¯d selected for his greenhouse. The way it affected the greenhouse was simple. It affected everything. Growth rate, cultivation rate, nutrient density, that skill did it all. And with Drogramath¡¯s energy so thick in the air, he¡¯d be a fool not to take it. Theo realized that the cave was throwing him copies of skills he got for the greenhouse. When he hit level 20, he selected another valuable copy.


    [Rapid Growth]


    Consume latent energy to increase the speed that plants grow within the mushroom cave.


    He was out of the cores that Fenian gave him, but if the cave followed the same pattern as the greenhouse, the next upgrade was necessary. Theo fed his personal stock of [Monster Cores] into the building. As expected, he found the skill he absolutely needed if he wanted to make crazy potions for Fenian.


    [Untamed Cultivation]


    Increasing the ceiling for how high a mushroom can be cultivated to 200%.


    That was a sure-fire way to make sure the end result of his truffle cultivation would produce powerful potions. Theo inspected the building one last time.


    [Mycology Cave]


    [Shortcut to Mushrooms]


    Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 25 (21%)


    Expansions:


    [Spontaneous Spores]


    [Deep Beds]


    [Drogramath Empowerment]


    [Rapid Growth]


    [Untamed Cultivation]


    Theo only had a vague idea on how to propagate mushrooms. He understood they had spores, but that¡¯s where his knowledge stopped. Fenian left him with a book, which the alchemist didn¡¯t need to crack open to understand what was inside. The cover had a picture of mushrooms, claiming to be Care for Lowland Mushrooms. He found a nearby stump and sat down, cracking open the book and absorbing the information inside. After only 30 minutes of research, he found everything he needed. A section on truffle propagation. He snapped it shut and stood from the stump.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said. ¡°Time to make some mushrooms.¡±

 Chapter 3.18 - Like a Plucked Pozwa

    Theo was certain the information provided by the book was not accurate to how things worked on Earth. The [Swamp Truffles] worked much like the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] for propagation. There might have been some spores involved, but the way the book described it was like growing a plant from a tuber. Truffles weren¡¯t the easiest mushrooms to access, either. They buried themselves deep in the semi-wet soil, typically near the space between the Newt and Demon and the eastern wall. But he only needed one sample to start the cultivation process.


    When working with alchemy to speed up the growth of plants, Theo had discovered a problem. Using an undiluted [Lesser Potion of Growth] caused them to become monsterized. That might have been useful in a different context, but it wouldn¡¯t work for plant cultivation. Instead, he applied the [Aerosolize] modifier to the potion, diluting its effectiveness just enough to kick off the cultivation process. After that, he just needed to let the plants grow and keep back the best samples for further growing.


    They started the cleanup, Tresk said, speaking into Theo¡¯s mind.


    She must have been talking about the guardian outside of the gates. Theo had spotted Fenian¡¯s carriage near the ranch, so he was still in town. Whatever he forgot to buy would be remembered before the Elf left town.


    Any news on the metal? Theo asked.


    They¡¯re still trying to figure out how to cut it away, Tresk said. Oh well. I took a job to check out the [Ocean Dungeon]. I pilfered your potion stores.


    Sounds good.


    Tresk often stole his potions, but she was frugal enough to understand which potions were off limits. Theo guessed she took some [Potions of Wake], which would allow her to brave the depths of the sea without worrying. It allowed the user to hold their breath longer, and swim better against currents. Until they had a solid plan to keep the dungeon at bay, this would be the best way to handle it. The alchemist made a note in his mind to brew more of those potions, experimenting with modifiers to find the best kind. Adventurers would be more likely to brave that dungeon if they had such support.


    The one bright spot of the entire problem was that the Fald, the monsters that spawned around the water-based dungeons, dropped the reagent required to make the potion.


    Theo dusted his hands off, having applied his growth potion to a truffle. He inspected his first cultivated mushroom before burying it.


    [Swamp Truffle]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Food] [Cultivated]


    Epic


    These extremely rare truffles, found typically in swamplands, are prized for their flavor and properties.


    Cultivation:


    10%


    Unit by volume:


    6


    Properties:


    [Experience Boost] [Hallow Ground] [????]


    This was the best approach he¡¯d found to cultivate, although he understood there might be a better way.


    Theo made his way to his greenhouse, sorting out those plants for the day. Aside from his daily tasks of distilling as much of his cultivated plants as he could, the alchemist wanted to focus on leveling his [Governance Core]. His alchemy and herbalism cores would roll over to 15 at any moment, leaving him at a bottleneck. His mind itched to get to work on constructs, both his intuition and cores urging him forward on that front. Alchemy was a craft that supported others. Every potion he made was a way to make the lives of others better, and the concept of constructs was no different.


    With that in mind, he dusted off his silken robes and straightened his feathered hat, heading upstairs to set his stills to work on his cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. He dusted himself again once the stills were running, heading downstairs to ask Azrug how he looked for the day. Fenian was with him, discussing business.


    ¡°Like a plucked Pozwa,¡± Azrug said.


    ¡°Do you know how close your shopkeeper is to getting his third core?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Hopefully very close,¡± Theo said. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to have a [Loremaster].¡±


    ¡°Did I tell you that?¡± Azrug said, huffing. ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you that.¡±


    ¡°This is the obvious choice,¡± Fenian said. ¡°My first pick for him was an [Enchanter] class. Well, you have one of those now. Also, do you know how rich this young man is?¡±


    Azrug¡¯s ochre skin turned a little more red around his cheeks. ¡°Not my money,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°I never check the balance in the shop,¡± Theo said. ¡°He can¡¯t have made that much money, could he?¡±


    ¡°About 200 gold,¡± Fenian said, puffing his chest. The Elf thought of himself as Azrug¡¯s mentor, so there was some pride in his words. ¡°In coin. Not merchandise.¡±


    Azrug had been buying gear from the adventurers, intended to get them identified by a [Loremaster], then selling them to traveling merchants. What he ended up with was an endless supply of equipment, and adventurers hungry for a piece of gear that was just right for them. The shopkeeper¡¯s stock and Theo¡¯s deal with Fenian did not intersect, they were discrete things. The alchemist¡¯s plan with that was to show the young Half-Ogre that he had a lot to learn about trade.


    ¡°Turns out, I don¡¯t know a thing about trade,¡± Theo said, shrugging. He felt a sudden need to amend his deal with Azrug. ¡°We should renegotiate your salary.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Azrug said.


    Fenian laughed.


    Theo waved any idea of complex negotiations away. He hated negotiations. ¡°Just take what you need. Keep as much in reserve as you think you need. Use the rest for yourself.¡±


    ¡°That might be too generous,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°He made the money,¡± Theo said. ¡°If the kid can turn 5 silver into 200 gold, I don¡¯t want to stop him.¡±


    ¡°Work out something more formal,¡± Fenian said, nudging Theo in the ribs with his elbow.


    Theo let out a sigh, but drew himself up. Azrug was a citizen of Broken Tusk, which meant if he worked with him and created a contract, the alchemist would gain a lot of experience. He wasn¡¯t married to the gold made in the shop. It was the one place people could buy things in town, but it had a fatal flaw. He knew one day the young man would leave his employment, buying a general store and running that. The shop had always been a place to distribute potions to the townsfolk for cheap, but it would never gain the benefits of a real seed core building dedicated to trade.


    He drew up a loose contract that gave Azrug half of everything he made. In Theo¡¯s mind that was cruel, but he¡¯d put the money into the town. The shopkeeper was doing all the work, and was damn good at it, but he put a clause related to the boy leaving the shop for another job.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hold onto him forever,¡± Fenian said, grinning.


    ¡°Yeah, but I can make sure he hires a replacement before he goes,¡± Theo said. Azrug signed the contract eagerly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve given him wings,¡± Fenian said, leaning in. ¡°Let him fly.¡±


    Theo pushed him back, nodding. The Elf was being too weird today, and he wasn¡¯t interested in dealing with it.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have a shop of your own,¡± Theo said. ¡°Whenever you want, I imagine. Ah, hell. What¡¯s the point?¡±


    Theo went into his mayor screen, finding the section that assigned citizens titles. He created a new group for merchants. There was only one requirement, made by the system, that kept a townsperson from gaining a lord title. Azrug owned the seed core house he shared with Xam, allowing the alchemist to grant him the title of Lord Merchant. The shopkeeper¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°I present to you,¡± Theo said, gesturing with as much flair as he could manage. ¡°Lord Merchant Azrug Slug.¡±


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    Fenian bowed, removing his hat and swiping it through the air as he bent over, his nose almost touching the ground. ¡°Long live the Lord Merchant.¡±


    It was almost too much for a young man, only 16 years old, to handle. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, but he grinned through them. When Theo and Feniand didn¡¯t release their poses he said, ¡°that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°The second you form a guild,¡± Theo said, jabbing a finger in Azrug¡¯s direction. ¡°I¡¯m banishing you to the mine.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Azrug said, nodding eagerly.


    ¡°Right. That didn¡¯t end well for the Mercantile Chairs in Qavell,¡± Fenian said, throwing his head back and cackling. ¡°I heard, the last Chair with a head fled the city! Imagine that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet you heard that,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes at the trader.


    ¡°More like saw,¡± Azrug muttered.


    ¡°I have no idea what either of you are talking about,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I¡¯m just a simple trader. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Once the conversation died down, Theo watched the system notifications roll in. As expected, that gave him enough administration experience to fill half a level in his [Governance Core]. He left Azrug and Fenian to talk as he checked his stills upstairs, adjusting the temperature on them and ensuring they were heading to his storage tanks within the lab. When he returned downstairs, he found Alise chatting. Money exchanged hands, and she held something up for him to see.


    ¡°Town hall!¡± she shouted, jumping up and down. ¡°The migrants have been confused about meeting in the Adventurer Guildhall.¡±


    There was the thing Theo forgot to buy. He was so focused on getting his expensive harbor, he didn¡¯t think about a central place for his administration workforce. He patted her on the shoulder and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, Azrug,¡± Theo said, turning to his shopkeeper. ¡°Pay Fenian 100 gold. I owe him.¡±


    The shopkeeper¡¯s shoulders slumped. Theo and Alise left the building, scouting out a place for the town hall.


    The center of town held many buildings, and roads headed in every cardinal direction. Down the road to the west, there was the guildhall and the sawmill. Xam¡¯s tavern sat on the corner of the northern road and the eastern road, while Throk¡¯s blacksmith sat on the corner of the southern road and the eastern road. That left the corner of the southern road and the western road open for the new building.


    ¡°He said it¡¯d be big,¡± Alise said. ¡°But, I drained the town¡¯s treasury to make sure we could upgrade it.¡±


    Most large buildings required a lot of [Monster Cores] to get them going. Theo remembered a time when Aarok¡¯s guildhall sat unfinished for at least a week, adventurers scrambling to shove cores in as fast as they could. But there was no way around it, and this was the perfect spot.


    Theo carved out a section of land in the mayor¡¯s interface, paying the fee to assign the plot back to the town. The system was weird like that. Technically, Qavell owned all the land. When they wanted to buy land, they had to pay the crown. Even then, they didn¡¯t own the land. It was more like renting, which always struck the alchemist as unfair. Alise planted the seed core, and the pair of them shoved [Monster Cores] in. Roots sprung up, creating a larger building the more cores they inserted. By the time it was done consuming the cores, it was slightly larger than the Adventurer¡¯s Guildhall.


    The new townhall was massive, but it fit the style of town. Buildings were normally stone construction, or wood paneled walls with smart, colored roofs. Where the other buildings in town had a natural wood color, this one came painted white. It looked like a mansion. Two floors, the second one ending in a purple, slatted roof, with massive pillars that held an awning over the entrance. When Theo and Alise entered the building, they were both speechless. The interior was much like the Adventurer¡¯s Guildhall, with a massive open space after the entrance. It was filled with tables and chairs, a large fireplace burning on the opposite side of the room. The floor was hardwood slats, polished and treated by the magic of the building.


    Alise darted to the far side of the room, falling into a purple, plush armchair and letting out a heavy sigh. Theo followed, spotting hallways that lead from the main foyer off into individual offices and meeting places. The second floor looked similar, with a platform and well-polished banister that gave a great view of the bottom floor. The alchemist joined his assistant in an identical armchair.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± he said, looking over the building. The warm fire crackled, washing over him with a wave of comforting warmth.


    ¡°Very nice,¡± she said, letting out a heavy sigh.


    They sat in silence for quite some time. Theo even ignored the notifications concerning experience for his [Governance Core].


    ¡°Lady Administrator Alise Plumm,¡± Theo said, trailing off. He noticed how deeply he¡¯d sunken into the armchair, straightening his posture and staring into the flames. ¡°I think this might be too much room for just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Far too much,¡± she said, waving him off. ¡°It¡¯s more about the message the building sends.¡±


    Theo agreed with that. ¡°How are our migration numbers?¡±


    ¡°Rising,¡± Alise said, going glassy eyed. She was accessing her version of the mayor¡¯s screen. ¡°When I started, we had about 2 a week. This week, we¡¯ve had 30.¡±


    ¡°How concerned are we about food and housing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t,¡± she said, turning to flash her bright smile at him. ¡°I¡¯ve had a word with Banu at the farm. Since you made their Zee bigger, they¡¯ve had a surplus. I gave orders to stockpile Zee flour. Aarok has the adventurers butchering every butcherable creature they kill, so there¡¯s another stockpile.¡±


    ¡°And we sell it to Xam?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a different agreement,¡± Alise said, waving him off as though he should know the fact. He should have, of course. ¡°Effectively, we¡¯ve changed the agreement with her. It boils down to her getting ingredients for free. Then, she pays us back in the future.¡±


    ¡°Food on loan,¡± Theo said. ¡°How about Miana¡¯s operation?¡±


    Alise shrugged at that. ¡°She gives me everything she makes, then I distribute it. You own the ranch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re paying her, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Get with Azrug,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a fire poker from the side of the fireplace and prodding the logs. He didn¡¯t know if this fire was magical or not, but the action was fun. ¡°And hire more administrators. You¡¯re too busy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you noticed,¡± Alise said, grinning. ¡°I already hired a few people.¡±


    ¡°Of course you have,¡± Theo said, reclining back into his chair. ¡°Are we making a good command structure here?¡±


    ¡°An excellent one,¡± Alise said. ¡°You¡¯re at the top, so you make all the big decisions. I¡¯m on the same level as Aarok. Well, now Azrug as well. Aarok deals with anything related to the military. I deal with everything related to administration. Azrug deals with everything related to trade. So, just like Aarok has Luras under him, I have my little team of administrators.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re distributing the workers, right?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Alise said. ¡°Most new migrants fit into a laborer role. But¡­Ugh,¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°Stabby Grove has been growing lately.¡±


    Theo barked a laugh. ¡°I thought you were going to change that name!¡±


    ¡°The adventurers refused,¡± Alise said, frowning. ¡°Well. We hit 100 citizens today.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t know if he had the funds to upgrade the town to the next level.


    ¡°What comes after Large Town?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No idea, but we should do it,¡± Alise said. ¡°But, we¡¯re currently broke.¡±


    ¡°We could borrow money from Aarok,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer if we made it ourselves,¡± Alise said.


    Theo inspected the town with a thought.


    [Large Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Kingdom of Qavell


    Mayor: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Qavell]


    Level: 18 (22.12%)


    Core Buildings:


    Alchemy Lab


    Blacksmith


    Greenhouse


    Mycology Cave


    Large Farm


    Windmill


    Quarry


    Stonecutter


    House (x63)


    Tannery


    Tavern


    Adventurer¡¯s Guild


    Hotsprings


    Sawmill


    Mine


    Smelter


    Enchanter


    Ranch


    Townhall


    Defensive Emplacements:


    Chain Lightning (x9)


    Frost Cone (x4)


    Fireball (x7)


    Firebolt (x20)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Turret Emplacements]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 10,583


    Stone Blocks: 4,290


    Metal: 6,002


    Motes: 382


    The adventurers must have been shoving cores into the town. He left it at level 15 after getting it to large town status. Theo only had to hope there was something worthwhile for the level 20 upgrade, as the others were not great. The current, unselected upgrades were [Watchtowers], and [Water Tower]. If something nice didn¡¯t show up, he¡¯d pick [Watchtowers] and hope they¡¯d provide something that synergized with his other upgrades.


    Upgrading the town was a long-term goal. Theo had plans for the immediate future that needed doing.


    ¡°What¡¯s your take on the harbor?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The harbor is a great idea. I¡¯ve heard people talking about it. You¡¯re going to bring the ocean to the town,¡± Alise said. ¡°But there¡¯s a lot of work to be done with that. We need someone to build the boats, then someone to pilot them. Then, we need to scout out trade locations. That might take a while.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if Zarali can enchant the boats,¡± Theo said, sinking further into the chair. It was just too comfortable. ¡°Maybe make them go faster. Catch more wind.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning on importing the cloth for the sails?¡± Alise asked.


    Theo withdrew the [Weaver¡¯s Seed Core] from his inventory, holding it for her to see. ¡°We¡¯re gonna grow our own.¡±


    ¡°Might need to expand the farm,¡± Alise said.


    Theo grunted a response, falling into his thoughts. The problem with the farm was that they were out of room. Now that was a problem for another day. He rose from his chair, happy to see his [Governance Core] level to 11. He then headed for the door.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to hire an [Earth Mage].¡±

 Chapter 3.19 - A Treat

    Theo returned to his lab, dodging the crowd that formed to marvel at the new town hall. He had a sense that his stills were done cooking, and his reserve tanks were full of [Refined Healing Essence]. In his mind, he always considered a good run to have at least 1,000 units of any essence. With the expansion on his garden, he could make one full run, and half of another with a different reagent. While he considered which plant was the most valuable to cultivate, excluding the small patch of [Mage¡¯s Bane] in the corner of his greenhouse, he inspected a few leftover ingredients.


    Monsters often had parts that could be used for alchemy. Fades had their carapaces, Falds had their eyeballs, and so on. But there were a few ingredients that seemed completely useless on the surface. [Ogre Snapper Spleens] provided the [Poison] property, but there were easier ways to get that one. Theo laid out a bottle of [Troll Blood] and a pile of [Goblin Tongue]. He already explored everything possible with the blood, but he considered the tongues for a moment, inspecting the item.


    [Goblin Tongue]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    The tongue of a goblin. It¡¯s disgusting.


    Properties:


    [Insatiable Hunger] [????] [????]


    [Insatiable Hunger] didn¡¯t seem like a useful property. Aside from its use as a modifier. And there was no way he was going to take a bite out of the short, slimy thing to discover a new property. Even after having a single session with Xol¡¯sa, he was confident enough that he could decompose reagents without exploding himself, but Zarali still hadn¡¯t told him how to discover properties without eating them. Theo took a tongue over to his shrine, making an offering with no effect. He cut the tongue open, probing at the insides and learning nothing. With a heavy sigh, he sat down near the window and considered his options.


    Zarali wanted him to take [Reagent Deconstruction] for his level 15 skill, but he wouldn¡¯t. [Alchemy Constructs] was too tempting. As he¡¯d practiced in the Dreamwalk, Theo pulled mana from his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] and let it dance in his palm. That¡¯s where the mana was, he¡¯d learned. Resting in a physical location in his chest, spread over his cores that could handle mana. In his mind¡¯s eye, he could see two purple stars glowing, flames bursting out and licking his insides. The mana in his hand was like burning water, glittering with the power of Drogramath.


    It obeyed his commands as though it was an extension of him, but that came with practice. This was a wild energy that wanted to join the power of Drogramath in the air. Willpower was the only thing that battered it into a usable shape, but still it pulled against his consciousness. Theo tipped his hand, letting the liquid flow over the [Goblin Tongue]. It consumed the reagent in purple flames, flaring up and fading out in an instant. The only thing remaining was a pile of unusable ash.


    Theo took mental notes on how the sensation felt, withdrawing more tongues and cleaning his stills out. If he couldn¡¯t discover the second property, he could at least figure out what kind of potion the first one made. He started a small, 100 unit run for testing. Anything less than that risked burning the mash, which would cause a low-quality potion. The alchemist waited by the window, whittling the time away by practicing with his mana in the real world, and prodding at his constructs.


    His problem with constructs was worse than reagent deconstruction. Theo had alchemically treated a copper cage, scooped mud from the swamp, rolled a monster core from a [Marsh Wolf] in that mud, then inserted it into the construct. Nothing happened, but he felt a twinge in his mind as though he were on the right track. Shoving a [Reveal Construct] into the mix caused his chest to swell with intuition. It worked. It should have worked, but nothing happened. The last piece of the puzzle was the skill.


    Theo¡¯s personal level was on the verge of tipping to 14. He¡¯d put one last point into [Intelligence], then grind for the remaining experience to hit 15 in both his Drogramath cores. His [Tara¡¯hek Core] was at 16. That core always needed to be higher than both his Drogramath cores, unless he wanted to give in to the Demon Lord completely. The afternoon was winding down and someone came knocking on his door. He didn¡¯t even hear the bell jingle downstairs.


    ¡°I felt a flash of Drogramath¡¯s power,¡± Zarali said, smiling. She always wore a soft smile when she talked about her patron.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost there,¡± Theo said, nodding to the stack of [Goblin Tongues] on his table.


    ¡°Disgusting. I never explained these to you,¡± Zarali said, crossing the room and running her fingers along the fermentation barrels. The script of Drogramathi was scrawled all over them, but he still didn¡¯t know how they functioned.


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the barrels. ¡°I¡¯ve been too busy to figure it out on my own.¡±


    ¡°They require power,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Do you see this series of enchantments?¡±


    Theo saw them, and could read them, but they were nonsense. Drogramathi magic usually came as flowery poetry the alchemist had no interest in understanding.


    ¡°I see them,¡± Theo said flatly.


    ¡°[Siphon Power],¡± Zarali said, tapping the runes. ¡°Then, [Distribute Power],¡± she gestured to another series of runes. ¡°And then all the other enchantments are powered. [Crafting Speed], [Crafting Effectiveness].¡±


    ¡°I need one of those power-grabbers like in your building,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Power-grabbers,¡± Zarali said, nodding sage-like. ¡°That¡¯s what you need.¡±


    Of course, Zarali had one of those devices on her. With great effort, she set it on the table and patted the top as though it were her favorite pet. Theo inspected the device.


    [Power Siphon]


    [Specialty Artifice]


    Epic


    Created by [????]


    Converts raw power into usable mana. Depending on the density of power in an area, the rate that mana is accumulated varies.


    The description provided by the system was simple enough to understand. Theo already knew that Drogramath¡¯s power soaked the air in Broken Tusk, and it seemed like a waste not to use it. His mind spun at the possibilities, not only for his mint, but for other uses. But the possibilities answered themselves through logic. Coins were the standard way to store mana, so that¡¯s how he¡¯d have to do it. Still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to press Zarali on a few issues.


    ¡°What storage mediums are there for raw mana?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Coins are the easiest,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you snag the [Power Core] from that Elven Guardian. That¡¯s another way to do it.¡±


    Theo still had the [Power Core] in his inventory. But that wasn¡¯t storing mana, it was storing raw power. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken,¡± he said, withdrawing the large [Power Core] from his inventory. ¡°This only stores power, not mana.¡±


    ¡°My mistake,¡± Zarali said, running her fingers over the device. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one.¡±


    ¡°Is this a product of an alchemist, or an artificer?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Both, I think,¡± Zarali said, stepping back from the core.


    Theo smiled. ¡°I was right. There are other powerful alchemists out there.¡±


    ¡°Not here,¡± Zarali said, waving his statement away. ¡°Certainly not in Qavell. This is a product of Tarantham.¡±


    The Elves were mysterious, and Theo knew little about Tarantham. But a theory had stuck in his mind for a few days, ever since Fenian arrived with the guardian. There were powerful alchemists over there, people who put the alchemists in Qavell to shame. The Kingdom of Qavell seemed like a child in comparison. This land already had its end of days. They had only rebuilt recently, rising from the ashes of destruction to join the wider world. Only they hadn¡¯t rejoined it in full, they remained two hermit kingdoms and one destroyed landmass.


    ¡°About [Reagent Deconstruction],¡± Theo said. ¡°Do I need the skill to do it?¡±


    ¡°Certainly not, brother,¡± Zarali said. ¡°But you¡¯ll train for years before you figure that out on your own. That¡¯s what skills do, after all. They bridge the gap of knowledge, thrusting you forward years at a time.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said, swiveling his head when the timer on his still clicked. It was done running. ¡°Speaking of, I have this reagent that¡¯s useless. [Goblin Tongues]. Well, the modifier is decent enough. [Desiccate] is an alright modifier.¡±


    ¡°You already know this, but some essences can only do certain things,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I doubt there¡¯s an alternative use for the property. You¡¯ll need to discover another property if you want to use that reagent. Well, I suppose you won¡¯t want to eat it.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Zarali grinned, moving over to look at the pile of [Goblin Tongues].


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯ll need to get better at deconstruction to discover properties with mana. I can¡¯t help you there, but would you like to learn how to use your new toy?¡± Zarali asked, gesturing to the black cube on his table.


    The operation of the device was simple enough. It had some way of converting power to mana, so it always had a bit of mana inside. If it ever ran dry, Theo would need to introduce his own to jump-start it. Otherwise, it just sat there. Accumulating raw power and converting it into mana. The moment Zarali started the device up, simply by tapping it on the top, the runes on the side of his fermentation barrels glowed purple. She must have been in an educational mood, because she showed him how she inscribed runes.


    ¡°Some people call enchanting runesmithing,¡± Zarali said, withdrawing a sharp awl and a gemstone from her inventory. ¡°Every aligned enchanter is different, but I weave my enchantments with Drogramathi.¡±


    The purple gem melted in her hands, forming a pool of liquid glass in her palm. It flowed onto the tip of the awl and she scratched a few runes into his [Drogramath Still]. These were the same enchantments she put on his fermentation barrels, and the literal translation was silly. It was a poem about the early Dronon, and their desire to wander. That part drew in the mana. Then, another one about their desire for power, their craftiness wrapped the entire thing to complete the enchantment. Zarali was done with the process in a matter of minutes, skillfully engraving her story onto the still.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it,¡± she said, keeping calm while beads of sweat formed on her forehead.


    ¡°That takes a lot out of you, huh?¡± Theo asked, leaning in to inspect the still.


    [Enchanted Drogramath Still]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Legendary


    Created By: [????]


    A 500 unit capacity Drogramathi still with attached advanced condenser. The advanced condenser allows for a more efficient cooling of essences, decreasing the time needed to distill. The Drogramathi metal increases the spread of heat, providing an even distribution across a run.


    Effects:


    Distillation time reduced.


    Occasionally produces more essence per run.


    Enchantments:


    Siphon Power


    Distribute Power


    Crafting Speed


    Crafting Effectiveness


    Alignment: Drogramath


    The runes glowed to meet the power accumulated by the [Power Siphon]. That led Theo to a question he¡¯d been mulling over for a while. Perhaps he should spend more time talking to his adopted sister, but he¡¯d been too busy.


    ¡°Can you enchant my boats?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I can enchant almost anything,¡± Zarali said, laughing. ¡°Dronon were never known for their seafaring abilities, but I can weave a story good enough to enhance an entire sailing vessel. Speed, turning, durability. We¡¯ll have your fleet moving at a clip even in dead wind.¡±


    That was a relief. Theo wasn¡¯t interested in sending slow-moving boats out into the open ocean, but the promise of increased performance was enough to put his mind at ease. Zarali was often wise when it came to these kinds of things, but he hadn¡¯t gotten her opinion on the harbor. He looked over the [Refined Insatiable Hunger] essence and shrugged. His senses told him it was useless for anything but modifiers, something he missed last time.


    Theo explained his plans for the harbor to her, detailing every step of the process to ensure she knew the challenges he faced. She nodded along as he spoke, soaking up the information and processing it with all those years of wisdom, and the aid of her Drogramath-aligned cores.


    ¡°If you can move a mountain, you should,¡± Zarali said, nodding. ¡°Digging a channel to bring the ocean to us is the right move. When you expand the town over the harbor, it will automatically create a gate over the water.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked. That was one of his worries about extending the town.


    ¡°Well, I imagine it won¡¯t be a town much longer,¡± Zarali said, chuckling. ¡°By the time you¡¯re done making the harbor, we¡¯ll be a small city.¡±


    That was something to look forward to. 100 people didn¡¯t seem like many, but when Theo compared it to the 20-some they started with, it was absurd. Even with the citizenry sitting at 100, there were just as many visitors weekly. Without his support structure, it would be impossible for him to manage everything. His mind went to the wisdom of those around him, and their endless ability to forestall danger.


    Theo looked out his window, spotting the failing sun. It cast the town in an orange glow, throwing long shadows as the day wound down. His conversation with Zarali was a pleasant one, marking the end of the 56th day of the Season of Blooms with excitement for the future. As long as they could keep up with the demand for housing and food, they¡¯d be fine.


    Without words, Theo knew Tresk was approaching the town. He could feel her off in the distance, jumping through shadows to reach the town. He didn¡¯t tell her, but the quest she was on was one that he instigated. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had a keen interest in making sure they could keep the Fald under control.


    ¡°Want to grab dinner?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I usually dine with Xol¡¯sa,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you love dried meat and wine, but Xam cooks,¡± Theo said.


    Dinner time! Tresk shouted into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I enjoy eating outside.¡±


    There were even more people than normal around the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Theo didn¡¯t know where Xam got the extra tables, but the entire street was blocked by rows of tables and chairs, all lit with lanterns to fight the fading sun. Tresk joined with Zarali and Theo, jumping from the shadows and shouting. She was covered in seaweed and still wet from swimming down to the [Ocean Dungeon]. The alchemist tipped a few drops of [Cleansing Scrub] on her head, washing away the filth.


    Xam¡¯s meal tonight was a rehash of an old favorite. Wolf meat stew. Compared to the original version, this was amazing. It had just enough spice to make it interesting, but nothing to offend foreign palettes. Broken Tuskers seemed to like their food on the spicy side. Theo admitted to himself that he felt disappointment that there wasn¡¯t anything new. When he was preparing to leave, with all the tables cleared away and the good cheer dying down in the darkness, the servers brought something else out.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Tresk asked, her eyes going wide. ¡°Bread? Sticky bread? Puffy sticky bread!?¡±


    Theo wanted to temper his expectations, but that would not happen. Xam let everyone take their fill from the serving trays before clearing her throat and gaining the attention of all in attendance. The alchemist¡¯s eyes darted between the Half-Ogre woman and the pastry on his plate. A pastry. It was made of flaky bread, likely Zee, but not her normal flatbread. A white drizzle of something sweet-smelling rested artfully on top. He tore his attention away to listen to Xam speak.


    ¡°A treat!¡± she shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°The Pozwa are finally making eggs, and I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡±


    The crowd cheered, and Miana blushed.


    ¡°This day marks a very important occasion,¡± Xam continued. ¡°100 citizens is impressive¡ªthank you, Theo¡ªbut there¡¯s something more exciting! The Marsh Wolf Bathhouse is now operational! Thanks to Throk and his boys for working so hard to get the water treatment system operation¡ªno thanks to Theo¡ªand putting in those long hours!¡±


    ¡°I was paid!¡± Throk shouted, his next words coming as annoyed mumbles. ¡°Just doing my job.¡±


    That got a chorus of laughter from the crowd.


    ¡°The big room is open for free to all citizens and anyone can rent one of 20 private rooms,¡± Xam continued. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be pleasantly surprised with what we¡¯ve created here. Enjoy!¡±


    Theo knew better than to rush the bathhouse. Tresk was itching to get in there and try it out, but he held her back.


    ¡°I could use a bath,¡± Zarali said, nodding.


    Xam came over, smiling the entire way. She was brimming with excitement. ¡°The best room is reserved for you, Theo.¡±


    Theo looked up in shock, not expecting any special treatment. ¡°I¡¯ll still pay,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s always the same with you,¡± Xam said, sighing. ¡°Here, take my money. Oh, I got a problem. Let me just throw gold at it until I¡¯m purple in the face. Yeah, that¡¯s you.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t happy with how spot on her impression of him was, either in tone or content. He felt his cheeks sting with blush. He ate his pastry, and while it was delicious, he couldn¡¯t spare the space in his mind. The idea of the bathhouse was too much.


    ¡°Sorry about the delay,¡± Theo said. ¡°I needed to make sure the water system could survive if anything happened.¡±


    ¡°And we have a new ugly building to show for it,¡± Xam said, nodding. ¡°Just messing with you. Go check out the bath. I labeled your room. I guarantee it¡¯s better than that [Cleansing Scrub] you¡¯ve been using.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo, Tresk, and Zarali cut the line to the bathhouse. Xam already hired attendants to work the place. They stood in the front, taking money from people renting rooms and checking a list to weed out visitors. Broken Tuskers got the first crack at the new bathhouse. The interior of the building was already warmer than the night air outside. It was a wide entrance with potted plants lining the walls, a stone floor, and wooden walls. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting yellow light over every surface. An attendant led the trio down a series of hallways, finally coming to the back of the building and a door labeled ¡°Theo¡¯s Room¡±.


    ¡°Fancy,¡± Tresk said.


    The room was large and square, with natural rocks bordering a circular pool at the center. Benches rested on the walls, and a window sat high up giving a few of the night¡¯s sky. Spigots poked from the walls, and there were drains scattered along the floor. Steam rose from the surface and the scent of minerals hung in the air. The attendant handed them towels, bowed out, and closed the door.


    ¡°This is very nice,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo had learned early on that this world had a different view of modesty than Earth. His time working in close quarters with others had dulled his sense of embarrassment while naked, so he was the first to strip down. Tresk was the first to discover that the spigots coming from the wall were meant for washing up before going into the large pool, and the bathhouse provided powdered soap for the job. The water that came from the walls was ice cold, sending a chill down the alchemist¡¯s spine. His skin was gooseflesh by the time he lowered himself into the deep pool.


    ¡°Now this was made for Half-Ogres,¡± Theo said, finding a smooth rock to sit on.


    He leaned his head back as the others got into the pool. There was a section shallow enough for Tresk to soak with her head barely poking out of the warm water. A sense of relaxation spread through his body immediately, even as the Marshling took to swimming in the massive pool.


    ¡°Oh, this is nice,¡± Zarali said, letting out a long sigh.


    Time passed, but no one seemed to notice. They sat in silence until their fingers pruned. Using the [Cleansing Scrub] was one way to clean himself, but this was completely different. The cold shower outside primed his body for the soak, and it felt as though the minerals from the water were soaking into his skin, washing away every bit of stress that accumulated in his muscles. The alchemist couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d felt this relaxed.


    Only when a system message popped into Theo¡¯s vision did he snap out of his relaxed stupor.


    [Bathhouse Buff!] You¡¯ve soaked long enough in an enriched pool of water, provided by a bathhouse.


    +1 to All Stats for 1 Day.


    Actions taken use reduced [Stamina] for 1 Day.


    ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯re coming here every night,¡± Tresk said, laughing.

 Chapter 3.20 - House Southblade

    Theo wasn¡¯t surprised where Tresk wanted to spend her time in the Dreamwalk. While she soaked in the bathhouse, not content with the few hours they had in the waking world, the alchemist worked on leveling his cores. Both alchemy and herbalism would roll over when he woke up, he could already feel it, then his personal level would level up to 14. One more level, and he could start serious work on the idea of constructs.


    Zarali knit together a few pieces of information for him. The mana-grabber she brought over gave him a few ideas, but he¡¯d need Throk¡¯s help to make it happen. The second part of that idea came from the Elven Guardian, the massive artifice creature that still sat outside of the east gates. Throk would find more artifices, likely a [Power Siphon] within the tangle of metalwork.


    Theo recalled seeing Fenian at dinner last night, although the trader was more interested in eating than talking with others. If he spent any time in the bathhouse, the alchemist wasn¡¯t aware of it. He normally spent at least a day in town before heading off to do whatever it was he did. Whether the Elf was actually responsible for the fall of the Qavelli Merchant¡¯s Guild was beyond even his intuition. A crumbling economy in the north meant exactly nothing to Broken Tusk, and even less when they got the coin mint up and running. He made a mental note to meet with Alise and Azrug tomorrow, going over the town¡¯s finances.


    From the perspective of alchemy, Theo was doing just fine. Progress had become more important than profit lately, so it didn¡¯t matter what he was making. As long as that experience percentage went up, he was in a good place. Another mental note entered his impressive memory. If Fenian had another greenhouse, he¡¯d buy it. Perhaps two, or four. However many he could afford. The alchemist found himself not doing large runs of naturally growing reagents, finding Zarali¡¯s perfectionism bleeding into his work. He found a greater sense of satisfaction brewing high-quality potions, rather than the relatively poor ones.


    Tresk didn¡¯t train at all that night, even if she was edging closer to 20 in her [Assassin] class and 15 with her [Shadowdancer] class. She just soaked in the bathhouse, refusing to come out even when Theo asked her to send assassins after him. He was grateful she didn¡¯t, because he hadn¡¯t come up with any new methods of defending himself. At least she wasn¡¯t so heartless as to send a dragon after him.


    When the morning finally came, Theo saw a string of system messages. Both his cores went up a level, as did his personal level. He inspected the screens before moving on, eager to get a few potions going to barter with Fenian.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (2%).


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 15.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] gained an enhanced effect: +5 wisdom.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 16.


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 14.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    He felt an imbalance in his chest, as he lay in bed. While Tresk could happily level her Zaul-aligned cores beyond the [Tara¡¯hek Core], he couldn¡¯t. It affected him differently than her, and he choked back a feeling of dread. He waited for Drogramath to speak into his mind, for the Grand Inquisitor Sulvan Flametouched to burst through his door, but nothing happened. After wiping cold sweat from his forehead, he got out of bed and met Tresk¡¯s eyes.


    With the Tara¡¯hek growing stronger, they didn¡¯t even need words to communicate the danger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stick with you today,¡± Tresk said, nodding. Her face was resolute, but her hands were still on her daggers, ready to flash out at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Theo nodded, the sensation of fear fading to give way to another strange feeling. His mind reached out, thoughts racing as though new neurons were forming in his brain. Consulting his attributes sheet, he figured out the source of the change. He expected it, but it was still jarring to get a sudden boost of mental capacity.


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 14


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 3


    Stats:


    Health: 85


    Mana: 130


    Stamina: 95


    Strength: 18 (+11) (+1)


    Dexterity: 17 (+8) (+1)


    Vigor: 17 (+8) (+1)


    Intelligence: 21 (+7) (+1)


    Wisdom: 27 (+7) (+1)


    Points: 0


    Buffs:


    [Bathhouse Soak]


    His attributes were balanced, despite his worries. But he wasn¡¯t strong on his own, it was only the bonuses from his gear and cores that made it so. Still, he wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much. The increase in mana alone was enough to put a smile on his face.


    Tresk helped him with his morning chores, insisting that the more she did the work the less he¡¯d have to worry about accidentally leveling up. She pruned the weeds in the garden, clumsily harvested the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], and kicked off the stills as though she was a professional alchemist. Perhaps she¡¯d been observing him more than he knew. They left the stills to do their work while they went to find Alise and Azrug. They stopped by Xam¡¯s tavern, taking their food and tea with them to the town hall.


    As expected, Azrug and Alise were sitting by a roaring fire, eating breakfast of their own. Theo brought over two chairs, stealing them from an adjacent room, and sitting down with them by the fire.


    ¡°Lord Merchant,¡± Theo said, bowing his head to Azrug before turning to Alise. ¡°Lady Administrator.¡±


    That put a smile on both their faces. Azrug was always a young man that acted twice his age, like an old soul thrust into the arms of responsibility. He rose to the occasion, never doubting his abilities for a moment.


    ¡°I see you have a personal bodyguard today,¡± Azrug said, gesturing to Tresk. ¡°Are we about to die?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a demon problem,¡± Tresk said, scarfing down her food. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    Theo nursed his hot tea, staring into the flames. The memory of the bath still lingered in his mind, as did the power of the buff in his body. But they had a pleasant breakfast in the town hall, even if a few citizens poked their heads inside to ask questions.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to have a meeting,¡± Theo said after a lull in their conversation. ¡°About finances.¡±


    ¡°Finances?¡± a voice called from the door.


    Theo craned his neck to see Fenian grinning in his ruffled robe and audacious hat. The alchemist beckoned him to join them, he was always a source of sound financial advice. The trader pulled a plush, red armchair from his inventory and took a seat. He then produced a bottle and a wine glass, pouring himself a cup and settling into the chair.


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    ¡°Shall we?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Azrug, have you settled into the position yet?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m supposed to do,¡± Azrug said, shrugging.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t gone over it, yet,¡± Alise said, pausing and turning to greet more people coming in through the door. She gave them simple instructions then sent them off. They were her new administrators.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have picked a better man for the job,¡± Fenian said, smiling at his student.


    ¡°I¡¯ll break everything down, if you like,¡± Alise said. Her eyes went glassy as she consulted her administration screen. ¡°Fifty percent of the traders that come to town are running some kind of scam. When they arrive, they¡¯ll now report to Azrug for a consultation. We¡¯re going to give them tokens and take their names so we know they¡¯re trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on that list, aren¡¯t I?¡± Fenian said, smiling.


    ¡°Always,¡± Theo said, cutting off Alise before she could talk. ¡°Fenian should get the prime deals, as well.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± Tresk said, belching.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Alise said, coughing into her hand. ¡°We¡¯ll go over income first. The town takes most of its money from your holdings, Theo. Since you don¡¯t skim the books, everything the sawmill, smelter, and mine make goes into the treasury. Except for the pay the workers get.¡±


    ¡°Everything else goes to the crown,¡± Fenian said, finishing her thought.


    Theo sunk into his chair. The taxes they paid to Qavell were absurd, and they¡¯d only get worse.


    ¡°Fenian, what happens when we buy our way out of this?¡± Theo asked. ¡°My contact in Qavell isn¡¯t answering, so I¡¯m lost. We pay them 5,000 gold, then what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get hit with a flat tax rate,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Something like 10 to 15 percent.¡±


    Broken Tusk had a strange taxing system. They paid 15% of the value of every property, 20% of all exported value, and 15% of all sales value weekly. That all went in the treasury, then Theo paid it to Qavell at an irregular rate. He thought it was monthly, but they hadn¡¯t come searching for their money in a while.


    ¡°But what are they taxing at that point?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good question. I¡¯m not sure,¡± Fenian said, pressing his finger into his chin and humming for a moment. ¡°Total value of the town, I¡¯d guess. Production versus seed core value. But it¡¯s the right move, for certain. If you¡¯re not interested in paying, you can always rebel.¡±


    That was the last thing Theo wanted to do.


    ¡°We¡¯ll raise the money,¡± Theo said, waving the idea away. The motion felt comforting, at least. ¡°I can see where this goes, though. At that point, we can tax our citizens. Even 5% on sales would go a long way for us.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Alise said. She seemed ruffled by Fenian¡¯s opinions.


    The conversation went on for some time without Azrug having much to say. He was absorbing the information more than participating. Alise worked out a few deals for the small towns between Broken Tusk and Qavell, increasing their weekly income. So far, everyone had provided their own traders but that wasn¡¯t always the case. She turned down a few towns because they wanted Broken Tusk to establish the trade route.


    ¡°That¡¯s a wise choice,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I know an honest Qavelli Karatan breeder, for when the time comes.¡±


    Fenian explained the importance of the Qavelli variant of the six-legged beast. They were smart. Smart enough to follow the same path for thousands of miles, even having some kind of intelligence to take the right path to get to a location. They were tireless, pulling a cart at speed for a week at a time before needing rest. The work animals were his favored creature for the job, before he got his demonic breed.


    ¡°That falls to Azrug,¡± Alise said, gesturing to the young man. ¡°My preference is to recruit from citizens.¡±


    ¡°I know a few guys,¡± Azrug said, straightening up and nodding. ¡°If Broken Tusk can provide the wagons, the Karatan, and the goods, I could move a lot of bulk materials.¡±


    ¡°Smart,¡± Fenian said.


    Tresk had taken to peering out the window, hands resting impatiently on her daggers. She¡¯d given the one that looked like a thorn a name, even if the system already named it. Her fingers played favorites with Stab Stab over her dagger made of metal and wood.


    The group finished up with their discussion, centered on the expansion of the town. Citizens were coming in droves, stretching Alise¡¯s capacity to house them further than she expected. Fenian entered a deal with her right there in the town hall, offering [Seed Core Houses] at absurdly low rates. Theo used to buy them 5 or 6 to a gold coin, now he was offering them at 15 to a gold. When the meeting was done, Alise and Azrug had to attend to the new administrators and Theo pulled Fenian aside.


    ¡°I have some more potions,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m nearly broke,¡± Fenian said, grinning. ¡°But, my guess is you want to barter.¡±


    Theo often found it suspicious that Fenian had exactly what he needed, when he needed it. But he wouldn¡¯t complain about the 4 [Alchemical Garden Seed Cores] the trader had on him. It only made sense, since he had the mushroom cave seed with him.


    ¡°Where do you find this stuff?¡± Theo asked, taking the 4 cores into his inventory. He now owed Fenian 20 gold. Even the price of his potions wasn¡¯t enough to overtake the expensive nature of the greenhouses.


    ¡°A core like this?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Why, only the finest [Core Smith] could craft something so brilliant.¡±


    The Elf was leaving something out. Theo stretched his new [Intelligence] to figure out what he was hinting at, the trader always loved his riddles. But he¡¯d pieced enough of Fenian¡¯s past together to understand what was going on. They were standing in the lab, Tresk lurking in the corner, while negotiating over the new seed cores.


    ¡°When did Tarantham take you back?¡± Theo asked, grinning.


    Fenian actually looked shocked at the words. He craned his neck, making sure it was only the three of them in the room before clearing his throat.


    ¡°I need to be careful with the information I give you, Theo,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I hide facts for your safety. To put it bluntly, they haven¡¯t taken me back. I¡¯m using an alias.¡±


    The symbol on the Elven Guardian came rushing back to Theo. It didn¡¯t feel like much of a revelation, just more of a passing curiosity, but he¡¯d already riddled out the Elf¡¯s past. To an extent.


    ¡°You¡¯re not using Southsword anymore?¡± Theo asked, his smile growing larger.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Fenian said, slapping Theo on the back. ¡°Nice try. You almost had it. Listen, Theo. I¡¯m serious. Look at my face. For once I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re content enough to sit in your town and build from here, but others don¡¯t have that luxury. I¡¯ve walked a long road and there¡¯s still much to do. I advise you to stay out of Elven affairs. They¡¯re quite vicious.¡±


    ¡°Southblade,¡± Theo said, nodding. Fenian¡¯s reaction said that was it. His original surname was Southblade. ¡°I understand, and I really don¡¯t care. I know you¡¯re doing something, likely trying to overthrow the crown or something, but it¡¯s fine. Hell, give us a couple of years under Qavell¡¯s yoke and I think the southlands would rebel.¡±


    ¡°They certainly would,¡± Fenian said, mopping his brow. ¡°Tresk. You, sneaking in the corner. Theo might understand, but you need reinforcement. Don¡¯t share this information with anyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good at keeping secrets,¡± Tresk said flatly.


    That was true, though. Tresk might have been impulsive and quick to anger, but once she gave her word she stuck to it forever.


    ¡°I was expelled from my family,¡± Fenian said. ¡°The Southblades, as you¡¯ve determined, and banished from Tarantham. Enough time has passed that the northern houses don¡¯t remember who I was, or what I did. So, you get fantastical goods from the Elven homeland. Isn¡¯t that lovely?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Theo said, nodding eagerly. He just wanted to know a little information about the trader¡¯s past.


    ¡°You¡¯re a disgraced Elven general or something, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tresk asked, giggling in the corner.


    Fenian¡¯s eyes focused on something far in the distance as a pained smile played across his face. ¡°Something like that. I could teach you a thing about combat, young lady.¡±


    Tresk puffed up, but continued her stealthy vigil.


    Theo placed his hand on Fenian¡¯s shoulder and stared him down. ¡°Above all else, Fenian. Stay safe. Broken Tusk will always be your ally, no matter what you do. You have my eternal gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Fenian said, returning the gesture with a shallow bow. ¡°Now, you¡¯re loaded up with new buildings. New [Monster Cores]. And you owe me money. Get to work!¡±


    They exchanged pleasantries before Fenian departed. Even Tresk seemed reluctant to let the enigmatic Elf leave, but he had business to attend to elsewhere. Theo meant what he said, though. Every word. There was no one outside of the walls that treated Broken Tuskers like he did, and Theo would never forget that. There was also a familiar power radiating from his chest, something he hid too well.


    Whatever Fenian¡¯s past was didn¡¯t seem all sunshine and roses. Whatever path he walked was scattered with bones and blood, but could Theo say something different about himself? As long as his taxes kept going up, there was nothing that the trader could do to Qavell that would upset him. The swamp would rise up.


    Looking back on it, Theo realized he should have focused more on his plant cultivation schemes. He was too locked into the idea that one was enough, even when this had been the largest limiting factor to his process. Tresk joined him out in the swathe of land he owned, picking the best location for his new greenhouses. She thought it would be nice to give enough room for them all to grow, allowing for sizable gaps of space between the seed core buildings. Between them, they had enough to bring all 4 new greenhouses to level 20, picking the same upgrade path as his existing [Alchemical Garden].


    The glass buildings were arranged three on the side closest to the Newt and Demon, with two on the other side. A space between the rows was left clear, giving easy access to any building. Looking over the new seed core buildings, Theo¡¯s mind swirled with possibilities. He¡¯d finally have the space to experiment with splicing plants together, creating hybrid reagents. Before attending to his other duties for the day, he stood there and appreciated the sight with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 3.21 - Drogramathi Iron

    Tresk¡¯s efforts to help with gardening and alchemy should have been dangerous. Theo¡¯s instincts, and the many warnings on skills related to essences, held that to be true. But she worked with the garden with no troubles, even performing several reactions of her own to create potions. It was proof enough for him that their skills bled through to each other, or she was incredibly lucky.


    Theo had a big decision to make, though. His plans for the day included checking in on the miners and the loggers, but with his new greenhouses, those could wait. The alchemist needed to select which reagents he would place in which building. A split between each building would also work, but he needed to have highly cultivated plants if he wanted to perform high-quality potions.


    [Mage¡¯s Bane] was an obvious choice. Theo already had a few of the plants sitting in the corner of his [Spiny Swamp Thistle] patch, ready for propagation at 100% cultivation. That would take some time to fill the many rows out, but the effort would be worth the trouble. It would be lovely to have a cultivated Ogre Cypress tree, but that would be impossible to fit inside the glass building. A task for another day. Tresk urged him to dedicate an entire plot to the [Widow Lily], a plant that produced the [Poison] property. Before committing to the idea, he took stock of what he had with stat-enhancement reagents.


    The [Water Lily] was particular about where it grew, but his intuition said it would be fine in the greenhouse. [Flame Roses] would be an issue. The plant, in its complete form, put off sparks occasionally. He would pair that one with [Stone Flowers] to avoid a disaster. The stone-like flowers that grew on the [Stone Flower] plant, hence the name, seemed to be made of actual stone. They¡¯d resist stray embers just fine. With 5 attributes, and 5 corresponding flowers, he could split the odd reagent with the [Widow Lily] plants.


    Theo had only recently recovered the two missing plants he was looking for. The [Lightning Poppy] had the [Increase Intelligence] property and the [Wind Tulip] held t h e [Increase Dexterity] property. They would pair well with each other, then the [Water Lily] could share space with the [Widow Lily]. Tresk was upset that the reagent with the [Poison] property didn¡¯t get its own greenhouse, but when the alchemist told her it would produce around 500 units of poison she was satisfied. It was far more than she needed. This was all relatively long-term, though. The plants would take time to cultivate.


    ¡°Seems like a lot of space for not a lot of plants,¡± Tresk said. She sneered at the small crowd that had formed outside of the greenhouses.


    The split buildings only had 2 plants each, as they needed time to cultivate. Theo tossed a bottle of [Aerosolized] [Lesser Potion of Growth] and watched a [Widow LIly] grow to twice its normal size. [Spiny Swamp Thistle] took up the eternity of the first greenhouse, then [Flame Roses] shared space with [Stone Flowers] in the next. [Water Lilies] and [Widow lilies] had the third greenhouse, with [Lightning Poppies] and [Wind Tulips] housed in the next. That left a building free to grow his [Mage¡¯s Bane], although he could rotate the plant out for another split design in the future.


    ¡°Part of the process,¡± Theo said, dragging her arm to press his forehead against hers. They gained far more experience for their [Tara¡¯hek Core] than normal, 20% for the day so far. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do this occasionally. To keep up with my other cores.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just weak of mind,¡± Tresk said, waving him off with a smile. ¡°Gotta have a strong brain like me.¡±


    Zaul just wasn¡¯t interested in Tresk. That¡¯s how Theo thought of it, anyway. He knew that the truth would elude him for some time, but it wasn¡¯t something to worry about today.


    Before entering the new cluster of gardens, the pair kicked off a still with the [Living River Water]. With the daunting task of cultivating each plant to the first stage, they had more time than expected.


    ¡°You just do boring stuff all day,¡± Tresk said, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°A day of rest isn¡¯t all bad,¡± Theo said. ¡°We have more time to talk. I can figure out what kind of potions work for you.¡±


    Tresk jabbed a finger at the greenhouse that held the growing [Wind Tulip]. She wanted to get her hands on that potion more than anything. Theo nodded in response. They didn¡¯t need words to share the feeling of desire for that potion.


    Azrug was missing from the shop, likely dealing with his new station, so the pair went upstairs and brewed some [Tunneling Potions]. Theo was still reluctant to apply any modifiers to the potion, as it already did the job just fine. They departed with the potions in their shared inventory, marching over to the mine. Tresk was excited that there might have been monsters inside, those strange dogs with tentacles, but the alchemist doubted it. Goblins had been spawning there after they cleared it for the first time.


    Theo spotted Nira working with a few smeltery apprentices. Unlike some in the town, she took his suggestions to heart and worked hard to get them done as soon as she could. It was a mix of 5 people, Half-Ogres, Humans, Marshlings, and a lizard-person. The alchemist still knew little about the lizard-people, and regretted not learning about their homeland to the south. Again, he faced too much to do in too little time. Things fell by the wayside, and that was fine with him.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Gridgen shouted from the mine.


    Theo heard his thunderous voice even before he heard picks striking rock. He gave a heart wave, snatching Tresk¡¯s hand and forcing her to do the same. She grumbled.


    ¡°Should we be worried?¡± Gridgen asked, gesturing to Tresk. ¡°Not often you get a visit from the number one adventurer in Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°Damn right,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo forgot about the adventurer rankings, but didn¡¯t doubt that she was the best. All she did was delve dungeons and kill monsters, even in her dreams.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Tara¡¯hek thing,¡± Theo said, placing his hand on the Human¡¯s shoulder and smiling. ¡°How is the mine?¡±


    ¡°Good enough,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything fancy down there, but we need to go deeper.¡±


    ¡°Well, guess what? We¡¯re here to dig more tunnels,¡± Theo said, laughing. ¡°I have a feeling we¡¯ll hit Barrowsteel before we hit silver.¡±


    ¡°Barrow-what?¡± Gridgen asked. ¡°Never heard of it. Are you talking about that stuff they¡¯re pulling off from the big artifice out by the river? Ain¡¯t called Barrowsteel¡ªnot that I¡¯m aware of.¡±


    Theo waved the question away. Whatever Fenian wanted to call it was no matter to him. It was the next non-precious metal in the tier list. ¡°Whatever the next metal is called, we¡¯ll hit that.¡±


    ¡°Easy enough to find out,¡± Gridgen said. He turned to shout into the mine. ¡°Lunch time, boys! And girls. Sorry.¡± He lowered his voice and turned to Theo. ¡°We got some new miners, not all of them guys. Kinda shocking when a little Brogling gal comes in and swings a pick harder than a Half-Ogre.¡±


    Theo waited as the miners filed out of the mine. Their numbers had increased recently, 20 by his count. He stopped the Brogling in question before letting her leave for lunch, a meal that few Broken Tuskers took. She was a migrant from Rivers and Daub, which shocked him. It was rare for anyone in the southlands to migrate further south, let alone to his town. She claimed a few of the newer citizens were from further north, before the treacherous passage through the mountains that separated the southlands with Qavell proper. It required prodding to get her to stop calling it ¡°Murder Passage¡±, revealing the real name of the place as Gronro-Dir. A Dwarven name, no doubt.


    ¡°People in Gronro are hard,¡± Gridgen said, leading the pair into the mine. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen the town once, but it was amazing. Their walls scrape against the mountain. Meaning you can¡¯t go north unless you go through Gronro-Dir.¡±


    Tresk shared a look with Theo. They shared the same sentiment at that moment, one of interest. If their plan was to fortify the southlands from northern aggression, they¡¯d need to make quick friends with the people of Gronro-Dir. The concept of a defensive alliance had been cooking in the alchemist¡¯s mind for a while. Rivers and Daub was his first option, but he found those people to be too soft for the task. If not for the massive, magically enchanted farms in Broken Tusk, they¡¯d rely on Rivers for their food.


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    ¡°Well, Throk came in and installed all the gates,¡± Gridgen said, arriving at the first gate. A small group of Goblins growled from the other side, swiping rough daggers through the bars.


    ¡°Oh, hell yeah!¡± Tresk said. She vanished from the spot and reappeared behind the Goblins. Theo turned his back as she did her work. He felt blood splatter against his robe and winced. He should have walked to a safe distance.


    ¡°They¡¯re not really strong,¡± Gridgen said, shrugging as Tresk stood proudly over the corpses. ¡°We usually just bonk ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°I had to get some anger out,¡± Tresk said, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°Feels better.¡±


    The complex of tunnels they¡¯d already created wound a path deep into the ground. It was impossible to tell how far down they were, but 5 sets of stone staircases led them to the latest gate installed by Throk. Each tunnel Theo made was a failure, so far. Gridgen wanted him to focus his efforts on creating a maze of tunnels near the surface, increasing their copper and iron production. That worked, but he was looking for the Barrowsteel, or whatever it was actually called.


    Tresk helped with the design of the tunnels, taking a potion in hand and forming rough passages through the rock. Her command of the potion wasn¡¯t as good as Theo¡¯s, but this was a team-building exercise. The mine didn¡¯t have to be well-hewn rock, a rough passage would work.


    Hours later, and three more downward passages, they hit their first string of Barrowsteel nuggets. Gridgen was kind enough to remove one of the purple-gray nuggets from the hard stone wall, handing it over for Theo to inspect with a wide smile on his face.


    [Drogramathi Iron Nugget]


    [Metal Ore]


    [Rare]


    Quality: Perfect


    A raw nugget of Drogramathi Iron. Needs refining.


    ¡°Demon nugget,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°That has a ring to it.¡±


    ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± Theo asked, stuffing the nugget in his inventory. ¡°I¡¯d bet 100 gold coins that Zarali expected this.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Gridgen asked.


    This might have annoyed Theo. Another task to occupy his time, but then why didn¡¯t have a Lord Merchant if not to put him to work. It was likely that no one else was mining [Drogramathi Iron], which made it a novelty. It would be as strong as Barrowsteel, if that was actually a real thing, and bore the alignment of the Demonic God.


    ¡°Just mine it as normal,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll have a word with Nira about what to do with the final product, and we can talk to Azrug about the details.¡±


    That seemed good enough of a response for Gridgen. He nodded and joined with Tresk and Theo as they carved out more tunnels. When they found enough deposits of the metal, they called it a day and emerged from the mine. The miner had some exciting news about the school. Theo hadn¡¯t seen the building go up, but parents were now able to enroll their children in the school. Bob, the Brogling that the alchemist named, was an amazing teacher. He had a knack for connecting to the errant minds of the kids.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to check it out,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk and Theo departed, finding Nira at the smelter. She was teaching her new employees how to work the smelter, only pausing to come speak with her mayor. Theo handed over the new nugget and she gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Bit on the nose,¡± she said.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± Theo said. ¡°Hold these in reserve. Don¡¯t let anyone buy them, but smelt them if you have the space.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of,¡± Nira said, jabbing her thumb at the smelter. ¡°Could use a few upgrades.¡±


    Theo inspected the smelter, trying to determine how many [Monster Cores] he could spare.


    [Smeltery]


    [Midnight Damsel Smeltery]


    Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Operator: Nira Weir


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 10 (50%)


    Rent Due: 3 days


    Expansions:


    [Preservation of Heat]


    [Pattern Alloy]


    Theo could afford to get the Midnight Damsel Smeltery to level 15 without worrying about his stock. Why she had named it such was beyond him, but it was her¡¯s to name. He shoved cores inside, directing the expansion in whichever direction, until the expansion prompt came up. He discussed the options with Nira, but there was a clear winner.


    [Double Smelter]


    Your smeltery now has 2 massive smelters. Increases floor space accordingly.


    Nira cleared her people out before Theo selected the option. The building stuttered for a moment, rocking ominously before gaining half its width in additional space. Another crucible appeared out of thin air, gaining a series of surprised yelps from the new workers.


    ¡°That good for now?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Need a bit of a budget for these,¡± Nira said, nodding her head to her new employees. ¡°Fenian is still around. I can¡¯t afford their cores.¡±


    Theo flicked her a single gold coin, bringing his total down to 47 gold, 61 silver. He didn¡¯t have an option, though. Their contract stated that he handled the improvement of the building and the cores that the workers used. Since they only got 10% of profits, that made sense.


    ¡°Always a pleasure,¡± Nira said, gesturing for the pair of them to go away.


    ¡°I like her,¡± Tresk said when they were well up the road.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Theo said.


    Theo rarely ran around and checked in on his investments, but sometimes it was necessary. He was waiting on his garden to produce cultivated reagents, so there was nothing else for him to do. Their next stop brought them to Sledge¡¯s sawmill. She had hired more people as well, which was a sign they were making enough profit to be comfortable. The spiky Marshling didn¡¯t want a single thing from her employer, claiming they were doing just fine without him. He shrugged the insult off and found the Human man with the [Forester¡¯s Core].


    Within the sawmill team, he took care of the health of the swamp¡¯s towering Ogre Cypress trees. The alchemist dedicated the rest of his afternoon to learning about the trees and how the man cared for them. Thanks to Drogramath¡¯s power, everything in the area grew at an increased rate. The cypress trees dropped seeds daily, and a sapling would grow to a full-sized tree within a week. This was great for the lumber industry, but created problems. If the [Forester] didn¡¯t cull excess trees, it would quickly become a tangled mass of impassible trunks.


    The [Forester] was covered in mud, constantly scratching his head as Theo explained the process of cultivation. He was a short, stocky man, even by Human standards, that required multiple explanations to understand a point. Once the alchemist showed him how to inspect the trees for cultivation percentages, he understood. They selected a small group of fresh saplings to apply the [Aerosolized] [Lesser Potion of Growth] to. Once they were exposed to the potion, they¡¯d increase their cultivation naturally.


    ¡°Only select the seeds from the cultivated trees,¡± Theo said, waving his hand to get the [Forester¡¯s] attention. ¡°Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said.


    Theo left with no confidence in the [Forester¡¯s] ability, but he was content with putting in the effort. A cultivated Ogre Cypress would grow even larger than the current version, providing more wood. Once every non-cultivated tree was culled, it would be a forest of even larger trees that needed no maintenance. Theo considered the implications of removing a naturally occurring tree and went back to express the need to have natural trees in the mix. The [Forester] seemed to understand that much.


    The day was busy, but things were winding down. For their efforts, the [Tara¡¯hek Core] hit level 17. Theo felt a wave of relief when it did, and reminded Tresk that they needed to do this more often. The best she could offer was half-days, as she was itching for combat. Theo didn¡¯t receive her invitation to join her in the dungeons well. He pushed aside his reservations and agreed to join her at least once. The problem was, she wasn¡¯t great at identifying reagents. Even if they were sharing some of their skills.


    When they made their way back to town, Theo tried to invoke some of Tresk¡¯s skills. He crouched in the shadows outside of Xam¡¯s tavern, gaining only a hearty laugh from the Marshling. The way skills shared through the Tara¡¯hek was something he¡¯d need to test in the future. Zarali didn¡¯t join them for dinner that night, waiting until they¡¯d completed their meal of Pozwa egg scramble slathered in too much Karatan cheese, to invite them to Theo¡¯s private bath.


    They were soaking in the deep pool before the Drogramath Priestess revealed her true intentions.


    ¡°I could smell the nugget,¡± she said, holding the [Drogramathi Iron Nugget] in her hands. ¡°Lord Drogramath whispered that you¡¯d found something impressive.¡±


    ¡°Can we sell it?¡± Tresk asked, dipping below the surface of the water before waiting for a reply.


    ¡°We can,¡± Zarali said, dunking the nugget under the surface of the water. ¡°It gives a nice stamp of our identity on the second tier metal. Anyone using Drogramathi Iron will know where it came from.¡±


    Theo had given up on chasing down all the ways that Drogramath affected the swamp. The more they dug, harvested, or chopped trees, the more he realized how deeply that power imbued the land. He let those thoughts wash away, aided by the soothingly warm water he soaked it. It was hard to be concerned about anything while neck deep in the enriched mineral water. Those worries melted away, something for another day.

 Chapter 3.22 - A Poison for Every Occasion

    Theo enjoyed his soak in the pool for as long as he could. He wasn¡¯t as eager to get into the Dreamwalk as he was in the past, owing to his ever-growing cores. [Drogramath Herbalism Core] was at level 15, [Drogramath Alchemy Core] at level 16, with his [Tara¡¯hek Core] at 17. His [Governance Core] hit 12 during the day, but it wasn¡¯t enough to tip his personal level over to 15. It was on the edge, but not there yet. During his soak, he took time to inspect his cores, making a mental note of his progression.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core]


    Legendary


    Alchemy Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 16 (10%)


    [Alchemy Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effect:


    Increases the synergy of [Alchemy] abilities.


    +5 Wisdom


    [Unstable Material Handling]


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core]


    Rare


    Herbalist Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 15 (12%)


    [Herbalist Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effects:


    +5 Vigor


    [Tara¡¯hek Core]


    Legendary


    Tara¡¯hek Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 17 (45%)


    [Tara¡¯hek] cores are given to those who accept a Marshling life-partner. You cannot change the skills inside the core, or remove it at any time.


    Effect:


    +6 Strength


    +2 Vigor


    [Governance Core]


    Legendary


    Administration Core


    Unbound


    3 Slots


    Level 12 (2%)


    Advanced [Administrator] core, reserved for leaders.


    Innate Skills:


    [Command Structure]


    [Titles]


    [Automatic Books]


    Effects:


    +3 Intelligence


    The first thing to note was the importance of attributes that came from cores. The [Governance Core] grew at a slower rate, adding less to his [Intelligence], but that was a tradeoff. It came with several skills from the start, giving him a massive advantage of not having to dump precious skill points into the core. When a core hit a multiple of 10, it got a free skill in that domain. That was easy enough to understand, and without that quirk of the system, it would be impossible to fill each core. He also got a free skill every multiple of 5 with his personal level. A new skill slot opened on every 10th level, adding to the problem.


    The issue was, he didn¡¯t have enough skills to fill his core slots. That was a problem for another day, but his mind was locked on exploring constructs. His personal level was so close to the edge of 15, granting him both a free attribute point and a free skill, that he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Theo made a plan for the Tara¡¯hek¡¯s Dreamwalk, a plan to grind herbalism until his hands bled. Otherwise, it was important to slow down on the alchemy in the Dreamwalk. What they really needed was another threat to elevate the [Tara¡¯hek Core], giving it a safe lead on his Drogramath-aligned cores.


    Zarali had opinions about this, but she was more cautious than normal.


    ¡°I see the wisdom in your thoughts,¡± she said, placing a wet washcloth on her head and letting out a sigh. Theo couldn¡¯t even remember how long they¡¯d be in the bath. The sun was down, that much he knew.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be all about embracing the Demon,¡± Tresk said, emerging from under the water.


    Zarali seemed lost in thought, cradling her chin in her hand. She splashed the water at the Marshling as she thought. Tresk took this as a declaration of war, splashing back as though it were a personal slight. She only stopped when the priestess went to talk again.


    ¡°You¡¯re a unique case,¡± Zarali said, gesturing to the webwork of marks on Theo¡¯s chest. The mark that alerted the fanatics of the Burning Eye of any demonic activity.


    Theo had noticed that she never pressed the issue. She allowed him to wear both their pendant and the mark without concern. His intuition was enough to say that was odd, seeing as she was aligned deeply with the Demonic Lord. That struck an odd chord from the start, resonating in his mind since his adoptive sister arrived in town. She was nothing like what he expected, even for someone grieving her lost brother. But there was the key to it all. This wasn¡¯t really his body. It was repurposed.


    ¡°If this is all part of Drogramath¡¯s plan,¡± Theo said, letting out a heavy breath, ¡°why does another god need to interfere to make it work.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t told me,¡± Zarali said. She seemed frustrated by that fact. ¡°Understand the way the heavens work. Time works differently there. Slower. Imagine the attributes the gods have. Tens of thousands of points into [Intelligence]. They can press their fingers into the world, and cause a million events to occur.¡±


    Theo was done with thinking of heavy thoughts for the night. He never saw his path as a razor¡¯s edge, but as guided. Things worked out so far, so he wouldn¡¯t change them. Even with the power of the Tara¡¯hek, he couldn¡¯t be confident that it could hold back Drogramath¡¯s influence. Not yet.


    ¡°Which brings us to other matters,¡± Zarali said, pointing at Theo¡¯s chest. ¡°Your herbalism core sucks.¡±


    ¡°Did you teach her that?¡± Theo asked, looking at Tresk. He¡¯d never heard the priestess say anything as crude as sucks.


    ¡°I did,¡± Tresk said, grinning.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad influence.¡±


    ¡°For the aligned cores, it¡¯s harder to upgrade,¡± Zarali said. ¡°You need a priest or priestess from the god, a good amount of their raw power, and some ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Hey, look!¡± Tresk shouted, pointing at Zarali. ¡°A priestess!¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°What are the chances that this makes my condition worse?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Should be fine,¡± Zarali said.


    Shortly after that declaration, they were kicked out of the bathhouse. An attendant arrived, informing them that the path was closing for the night. The trio left reluctantly, making their way to their respective homes. Zarali went back to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower. The only shocking thing about that being the wizard still had his portal open. Tresk and Theo returned to the Newt and Demon, settling in for the night and the Dreamwalk.


    Tresk wanted to pick the bathhouse again, but Theo refused. She answered by summoning a few monsters to attack him, a mix of Trolls and Goblins, but his current strategy worked for them as well as it did assassins. The pair split off for half the night, the alchemist tending to imagined plants in the Canadian wilderness, and Tresk battling an endless horde of skeletons. Halfway through the night, he joined back with her to help her fight. She was shocked, at first, but then realized he was just trying to get more experience in their shared core.


    ¡°Is that all I am to you?¡± Tresk asked, folding her arms and shaking her head. ¡°A walking core?¡±


    ¡°Would it offend you if I said yes?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nothing offends me,¡± she said, looking grumpy.


    Tresk fought in a hit-and-run style. She¡¯d jump from the shadows, apply poison to a monster, then flee. Her current training exercise exposed the weakness in that plan. If she couldn¡¯t apply poison to something, she had a hard time dealing with more than one. This was the first time Theo realized how important poisons were to her strategy. Without them, a few skeletons were enough to overrun her. They went back and forth for a while, trying to bridge the gap with skill or tactics, but nothing worked.


    ¡°I need better poisons,¡± Tresk said, throwing her imagined daggers to the ground.


    ¡°You need different poisons,¡± Theo said. ¡°The Dreamwalk is too limited for me to take two steps to make a new thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never brewed the truffles into a modifier,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I¡¯m guessing I can modify your standard poison to stop undead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we should just make me a bunch of situational poisons,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°A poison for every occasion.¡±


    Tresk blustered often, but that was a good plan. A poison for mages, for undead, perhaps even specialized poisons that affected families of monsters specifically. If his first line of defense was his companion, then she needed to carry as many poisons as she could. They switched topics, Theo coaching her on the use of the two specialized poisons they had.


    ¡°[Accelerated Decay] [Poison] is your current standard poison,¡± Theo said, producing a bottle of the poison for her to inspect. This poison just made the poison stronger. ¡°But [Desiccate] could be useful.¡±


    ¡°I can dry people up,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°How can that be useful?¡±


    ¡°If your enemy is too high of a level,¡± Theo said. ¡°You can¡¯t bridge the gap in skill or power, but you can dry them up. Large enemies might be a problem, but this could work for smaller ones.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing it as useful,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Theo said. ¡°But the alignment effect on the new poisons can apply 2 instances of the poison. Double the desiccation. Besides, this is an example of what we can expect. I think [Anti-Mage] and [Hallow Ground] are going to be the most useful for now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, plus Fenian is acting all weird with the mushrooms,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her wet head. ¡°We should expect an undead invasion tomorrow.¡±


    That was ?good advice when dealing with Fenian¡¯s plans. They came together like a hurricane, appearing just off the horizon before Theo could prepare. But there was nothing he could have done about it then. His truffles were cultivating, and they¡¯d soon have enough to start large-scale production. Until then, the alchemist wanted Tresk to run other combat drills.


    ¡°What happens when you lose your daggers,¡± Theo said, snatching them away from her. She looked offended, grabbing them back.


    ¡°I get ¡®em back!¡± she shouted.


    Theo withdrew a potion from his inventory, gaining a sudden boost of [Dexterity]. He grabbed the daggers away again and threw them far into the distance. Tresk looked even more offended by that, but without warning he struck her in the face. The Marshling stumbled backward, a look of sheer horror on her face.


    ¡°You hit me!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°No daggers,¡± Theo said, dropping into a combat stance and raising his hands. It had been a long time since he¡¯d done this. ¡°What do you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna smack you is what I¡¯ll do,¡± Tresk said, coming at him with no sense for what suitable form was. He planted a kick straight in her chest, sending her tumbling back.


    Tresk wouldn¡¯t learn a lesson if Theo told it to her. She was too hard-headed. The only way he¡¯d get through to her was for her to channel her anger into something useful. His lesson here was that she couldn¡¯t always rely on her daggers, not when she could be disarmed. She needed to learn how to fight with her fists and her feet when the time came. Only when the little Marshling came in, biting him on the leg, did he realize teeth were an option.


    ¡°Good,¡± Theo said, shoving her away. The damage they inflicted to each other here wasn¡¯t like actual pain, more like an echo. ¡°Again.¡±


    Theo was almost as quick as Tresk by now. Her cores gave her a massive boost to her stats, but her gear was centered on enhancing poison effects. When she suggested she would just load their shared inventory with extra daggers, he denied her the escape and they fought. Old memories of hand-to-hand combat drills came back to the alchemist in those hours. Wonderful memories and terrible memories mingling together to create a tapestry to his old life. It was a catharsis he couldn¡¯t have known he¡¯d needed.


    By the end of an hours-long training session, Tresk had the idea in her head. She combined her class¡¯s skills with basic pugilism to bring the best out of both. Her hit-and-run tactics were on full display, and Theo was begging her to stop by the end. The point was made, and the Marshling learned.


    ¡°Now,¡± Theo said, coughing and hacking. He was out of breath, even in the Dreamwalk. ¡°I like the idea of backup daggers.¡±


    Tresk punched him in the face, bit his leg, and cackled. ¡°Me too,¡± she said through a mouthful of flesh. ¡°We should fight more.¡±


    Theo wouldn¡¯t deny her excitement about the friendly spar, even if she took it too seriously. He could feel the experience roll into their shared core. Besides that, these were valuable skills. They didn¡¯t need to practice withdrawing daggers from the shared inventory. That was a very simple action. They just needed to get their hands on as many daggers as they could, eliminating two problems. Tresk would hold several daggers in reserve with no poison, and several that had the specialized poisons yet to be brewed. The Marshling could call on whatever she needed at a moment¡¯s notice, never having to stop to coat her weapons.


    It took a while to keep Tresk from attacking him. He convinced her to dedicate a few hours every night to her training, which would grow more intense as they went on. Theo was allowed free use of all his potions, while Tresk was limited to her daggers and nothing else. They would alternate between armed and unarmed combat, just to make sure the information stuck. She took to this plan well, as though she only just realized this was a safe place for her to pummel her companion.


    Theo spent the rest of their time in the Dreamwalk tending reagents, but brewing no potions. He even spotted Tresk drilling her unarmed combat with Goblins in the distance, hiding among the trees and the snow. She was modest enough to admit it was a good idea, but then the alchemist considered the weight that was placed on her. When he met her, she was trying to get out from under her father¡¯s yoke. Throk didn¡¯t want her to be an adventurer, but it was her dream. Now she was the best adventurer in a growing town, and that gap between her and others was closing. Perfection often came at a cost, but then again, the others didn¡¯t have access to this amazing training tool.


    When the night ended, the morning sun was already shining through the window. Tresk ordered Theo to get to work on her new poisons, running off to grab breakfast from Xam. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her the poisons wouldn¡¯t be as potent as they could be. Without a stock of cultivated [Widow Lily], or [Anti-Mage] modifier essence, it would be weaker than a perfected version. Still, he humored her.


    Theo had a fair amount of un-refined [Anti-Mage] modifier essence lying around and several unmodified [Poisons]. As he laced the poison with the modifier, he watched the reaction. It glowed with a soft, blue light, only bubbling slightly under his expert hand. He inspected the result before Tresk was even back with breakfast.


    [Poison]


    [Anti-Mage]


    [Poison] [Modified Poison]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.


    Chance to inflict 2 stacks per hit.


    Effect:


    Cripples an enemy, reducing their Dexterity by 5.


    Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 15 stacks. Poison inflicts DOT damage. Targets inflicted with this poison take 1 point of damage for every mana spent, multiplied by the amount of stacks. This applies to ongoing spells cast before the poison was applied.


    Stacks of poison take twice as long to fade.


    Removing a stack of poison through any means other than the natural expiration of the effect causes the remaining stacks of poison to explode, dealing their remaining damage to the target.


    Now there was a poison built for killing mages. The active casting description was bad enough, but if the [Anti-Mage] effect also inflicted damage for ongoing spells, that was devastating. This was all combined with the nightmarish DOT damage that was already devastating to any target. Tresk arrived shortly after the poison was done, withdrawing food and tea from the shared inventory.


    ¡°You¡¯re done? Already?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I had this stuff on hand,¡± Theo said, sliding the potion across the table for her to see. She let out a low whistle, then stuffed it in her personal dimensional storage sack. ¡°This isn¡¯t even as strong as it can get.¡±


    Tresk was already impressed with what he produced. The promise for more devastation was enough to make her giddy with excitement. They ate breakfast, discussing the progress they had made in the Dreamwalk. The [Tara¡¯hek Core] got more experience than normal while they were asleep, marking the usefulness of spending more time together in there. The Marshling declared she would spend the entire day away from Theo, delving dungeons and killing monsters.


    Theo had plans to perform more town-related tasks today, but his gardens needed tending. He made an offering at his shrine, then ran the tasks for the day through his mind. The Elven Guardian out front should have been taken care of by now, but if it wasn¡¯t he¡¯d need to shuffle people around. His new administration staff needed direction, he knew that out of instinct, but it wasn¡¯t anything Alise couldn¡¯t handle. He mostly wanted to check in on that front. Azrug might need encouragement for his new position, and prodding to get a new person to man the store at the Newt and Demon. All of this hung in his mind, even as Tresk pressed her forehead against his.


    Theo was eager to spend more time with his people, as the people of Broken Tusk had truly become his. They were building a new culture, something not seen before on the continent. It was a place where anyone with a strong back and determination could make a life for themselves. Away from the horrid guilds with their archaic mindsets. Above all else, it was a place to be free.

 Chapter 3.23 - Mudball Fundamental

    Broken Tusk was bustling by the time Theo made it to the center of town. It had been long enough since Theo made his way to the general housing area, and he was eager to see what kind of town planning skills Alise had. The population tracker on his mayor screen increased at a steady rate, signaling the reality of migration. His leather gloves were still dirty from digging in his garden and the strange loam-soil of the mushroom cave. While the truffles showed promise for rapid growth, they had a long way to go to become fully cultivated.


    The road heading north, toward the farms, split at a point. To the east, there was the sprawl of houses, where to the west there was a single two story building looming among the trees. That would be the new school, which Theo noted was placed in the perfect location. First, he headed down to walk the many streets of a place Tresk had named ¡°Town Time¡±. According to his map, it has since been renamed to ¡°The Iron Residences¡±, which didn¡¯t sit as well as the silly name.


    The houses were arranged in a grid, blocks extending out toward the eastern wall. By the time Theo made his way to the end of the housing area, he counted 75 houses, 12 more than the last time he counted. Small vendors had popped up along the streets, the merchants selling whatever at fair prices. It was the first time Theo saw someone producing food at scale that wasn¡¯t prepared by Xam. They offered meals for less than a copper, even providing meal plans. If he spotted anything else, he would have banished them from the town for good.


    Theo had a single mind for food. Baseline food should have been free, or as close to free as possible. There was no shortage of it, and it seemed foolish to charge citizens for something they needed to survive. It wasn¡¯t an entirely altruistic thought, though. Anyone who came to live in town swore loyalty to Broken Tusk through a magical contract. They could only act in the best interest of everyone, and while that struck him as Dystopian, they could always leave.


    Several townsfolk greeted him as he passed, looking from windows or cracked doorways. From their perspective, he was doing a good job, although he could only judge by their words of encouragement. Theo¡¯s reason for visiting this part of town wasn¡¯t to inflate his own ego, but to make sure that everyone was doing their job as he wanted them to do it. He had no reason to doubt Alise¡¯s ability, but it was still good to check. His next stop was the school, a straight path from the bustling neighborhood. Perhaps it was more accurate to call the housing distract a town in its own right.


    The school was a friendly looking building, hosting a yard out back that allowed the children to play. The facade of the building was done in the tasteful tradition of plain wooden planks, only showing color on the trim with red. A large bell hung from a wooden tower at the top, no doubt to signal to children and parents alike when they started and ended. Theo ascended the steps leading to the front door, inspecting the building before entering.


    [School]


    [Mudball Fundamental]


    Owners: Alise Plumm


    Operator: Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 15 (92%)


    Rent Due: 2 days


    Expansions:


    [Dormitories]


    [Play Yard]


    [Speedy Education]


    Whoever named the school had a good sense of humor, but Theo was more surprised about how far it had advanced. Level 15 was a good starting point for a building in the town, and the upgrades seemed interesting. He wasn¡¯t sure why they would pick [Dormitories], but he¡¯d inquire with Bob.


    The interior of the school was split into individual classrooms on the left, a large area with a board for drawing in the center and rows of chairs and desks, and what must have been the dorms on the left. The interior was painted with a nauseating array of colors, a clear mark of the children. 10 children watched as Bob instructed from the front of the room, currently going over a map. Every head in the room turned to spot the alchemist.


    ¡°Mayor!¡± Bob shouted, trundling his little Brogling body over to greet Theo. He waved the children away, sending them out the back door for some free time. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d stop by. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It looks great,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°How are the kids treating you?¡±


    ¡°Broglings have a natural affinity for teaching, and another natural affinity for taking care of children,¡± Bob said, gesturing to the dorms on the left. ¡°We even have a few orphans.¡±


    ¡°Orphans?¡± Theo asked, blurting the thought out. He wasn¡¯t aware of any children without parents.


    ¡°Refugees from other towns. No place to go,¡± Bob said, looking down at the ground. His mood brightened a moment later. ¡°But, nevermind that! The children are keen to learn. I have some of the older ones studying by themselves in the private classrooms. They teach themselves while they wait for their cores.¡±


    ¡°Where do they go once they¡¯ve earned their cores?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Good question. I¡¯m working with your assistant on that,¡± Bob said.


    ¡°Lady Administrator,¡± Theo corrected. He didn¡¯t want people getting confused about who was in charge.


    ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± Bob said, scratching his furry head. ¡°Lady Administrator Alise has been instrumental to Mudball Fundamental.¡±


    Theo chuckled at the name. But Bob was doing good work here. It was nice that a child could spend all day with their parents, but those orphans stuck out to him. They didn¡¯t have that luxury and this would be a safe place for them to develop into productive members of the town. The alchemist asked Bob about the specifics of how the children were fed, and was happy to hear that Xam catered for them daily. She had increased her staff to a point where she could focus on creating dishes, rather than running the tavern, attached inn, and her bathhouse.


    Bob also seemed ecstatic about his position, claiming that the children were sponges excited to learn. Each pupil stood out as the start student in his words. Further digging revealed that the man hadn¡¯t seen fit to instill them with any principles passed down by Zaul, the god of shadows. While the Brogling claimed him as a patron god, it was mostly for Zaul¡¯s [Scholar of Zaul Core].


    At the end of their meeting, Theo flicked the man a single gold coin. It brought his total funds down to 46 gold, but until they found a worker incentive program this would have to do. Bob was grateful for the money, but said it wasn¡¯t necessary. Theo insisted.


    With his business at the school sorted, Theo found his way to the eastern gate. He checked in on Miana, who wanted nothing to do with him. The herd of Karatan were thriving, and the Pozwa were doing just as well. The only thing she revealed to him was that she was skimming the profits so she could pay for things like [Monster Cores] and feed for the animals. He established a contract on the spot, giving her express permission to do so. It was left loose enough that she could take all the money if she needed, as he really didn¡¯t care about the profits. The only stipulation he put in was related to who she sold to, underlining the concept that profit on exports should go directly to the town¡¯s coffers.


    A trio of adventurers had been trailing him since he left the School, annoyingly named Bal, Dal, and Ral. Theo spotted them keeping a healthy distance, as though they were monitoring him. He invited them up to the battlements of the eastern gate, looking over the deconstruction of the Elven Guardian. Each adventurer, brothers as they were, were almost copies. Shaved heads, trimmed beards, and enough scars to show their true nature as hardened adventurers.


    ¡°Sorry, boss,¡± Bal said. Bal seemed to be the one to talk first, revealing him as the oldest brother. ¡°Just a contract.¡±


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    Theo stared out over the deconstruction of the guardian, watching as Throk directed the work. They¡¯d pulled the main section of the thing¡¯s chest apart, revealing an endless tangle of artifice cogwork. The Marshling was salivating over the find, rubbing his hands together and laughing. He¡¯d go down after confronting the brothers about the contract.


    ¡°What contract?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Showed up in the guild this morning,¡± Bal said. ¡°Someone wanted you guarded.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t need to see the contract to know that Tresk issued it. She might have hid her intentions well, but she wanted to make sure he was safe while she adventured. He turned to look at the brothers, still uneasy about how much alike they looked. It seemed like a waste to have 3 adventurers watching him when 1 would have done the job.


    ¡°Do you all need to be here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Dal lost some fingers, so he¡¯s useless,¡± Bal said, the hint of a sneer on his face. ¡°Ral broke his leg, so we¡¯re waiting for that to heal up. We¡¯re just bored.¡±


    Theo huffed a breath. They should have come to him immediately about both matters, and had to wonder about the wisdom of adventurers who didn¡¯t know when to turn to alchemy. He ordered them to stay at the top of the wall, then went down to check on Throk¡¯s progress. It was a brief conversation. The metal was indeed [Barrowsteel], as Fenian claimed, and it was harder to break down than they expected. The artifice pieces inside the guardian were worth a fortune, according to the Marshling. Naturally, he intended to keep them all for himself.


    After confirming that there was nothing he could do to help, Theo marched his new bodyguards back to the Newt and Demon. When he arrived, a Half-Ogre woman was standing in the shop section. She made introductions but told her to hold off until he had the time, heading to the lab to grab a tin of [Alchemic Regenerative Salve] and returning to his guards. The salve would restore Dal¡¯s lost fingers, but he had nothing for broken bones. He only assumed they¡¯d tried drinking his potions, so they crossed the street to see Zarali about mending a bone.


    ¡°Have they tried drinking a potion?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t work,¡± Bal said, still speaking to his brothers.


    Zarali let out a breath, standing from her chair and abandoning her enchanting work. She closed her eyes and held out her hands. After a moment, her eyes snapped open. ¡°You have a disease that prevents healing items from working.¡±


    ¡°[Lesser Potions of Purification] are available for free at the adventurer¡¯s guild,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes at the offending adventurer.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ral said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Theo said, producing one such potion from his inventory and handing it over. He followed that with a common [Lesser Healing Potion] and the man drank both. The audible sound of Ral¡¯s leg snapping back into place sent a shiver up Theo¡¯s spine, but a look of relief spread across the Human¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hooray,¡± Ral said. Theo took a deep breath, calming himself.


    ¡°You need to apply that cream daily,¡± Theo said, jabbing a finger at Dal. ¡°If you have a question, please head to the town hall and get it sorted with the administration staff there. Don¡¯t suffer because you¡¯re too dumb to ask for help.¡±


    The three brothers just nodded, looking at each other with shamed expressions.


    ¡°Is that all, Theo?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Theo said, clapping his hand on her shoulder and casting her a concerned look. ¡°For now.¡±


    Theo left the enchanter¡¯s lab with his entourage, heading back to the Newt and Demon to meet his new shopkeeper. She was lean, for a Half-Ogre, and he didn¡¯t recognize her as a native to Broken Tusk. She was far too shy to be from these parts, and had a mousey appearance despite her massive stature. While most Half-Ogres stood at the same height as Theo, she was a head shorter, likely the shortest of her kind he¡¯d ever met.


    ¡°Salire Hogrush,¡± she said, bowing. A untamed mop of curly black hair fell over her face, obscuring her ochre features for a moment. ¡°Azrug assigned me to the shop.¡±


    ¡°Theo Spencer,¡± the alchemist said, reaching a hand for her to shake. The 3 brothers watched awkwardly from the door. ¡°Tell me about yourself.¡±


    The Half-Ogre woman blushed at his question, clearly not used to the direct nature of Broken Tuskers. Then she told her story. Salire Hogrush was from a small town in the mountains leading north to Qavell. It was a fortress town, not unlike Broken Tusk, known for their ability to repel the many monster waves of the treacherous cliffs. There was little room for a merchant, and that was her aspirations in life. Once she heard about the exodus to the south, she couldn¡¯t contain herself and left everything behind.


    ¡°Azrug has been accommodating,¡± she said.


    ¡°Must be weird having a kid be your boss,¡± Bal said, sniggering.


    ¡°Stand outside,¡± Theo said, casting him a glare. The brothers left, grumbling their objections. He turned his attention back to the new hire. ¡°Azrug outlined everything, I hope. This is more of a place for citizens to buy potions at an absurd discount. We mostly export with a reliable traveling merchant.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has heard about Fenian Feintleaf,¡± Salire said, nodding. ¡°You don¡¯t topple Mercantile Chairs without getting a few songs to your name.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, his mind wandering. ¡°Let me know if you have any questions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Theo retrieved his guards and led them into the lab, directing them to sit by the window. They seemed bored to tears, but happy enough to get paid to do nothing. The alchemist was surprised with how interested they were in his process. The [Tara¡¯hek Core] had enough lead for him to work on a few minor potions, but he didn¡¯t want to push it for now. The alchemist spent some time organizing his crates before setting up his fermentation barrels. With a tap, the [Power Siphon] turned on and he ground [Mage¡¯s Bane] into the barrels. That¡¯s when the brothers paid attention.


    Theo explained every step of the process, from grinding the reagents down into a fine paste, to the introduction of Drogramathi mana to the mix. They were in awe when he transferred it to a still hours later. He explained the difference in tiers of processing, from the basics of distilling reagents down to the enhanced process of refining that essence. The alchemist forgot himself as they observed, missing the chance to brew a large amount of potions. It was better that way, though. He wanted to hold his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] back for a while, and this was a good excuse to take it slow.


    After setting his modifier essence up for refinement, he led his gaggle of adventurers off to the mine. They were excited to meet with monsters, but Theo assured them it would be uneventful. Even if monsters spawned, they would be low level Goblins. That dampened their mood slightly. Nira was teaching her new hires how to work the double-smelter, and offered a meek wave before turning her attention back to her work. Gridgen was outside of the mine with his wife, Sarna. Both offered hearty greetings and made fun of the alchemist¡¯s guests.


    ¡°Tresk hired them,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°She worries too much,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°I bet you could take all three of them alone.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t know where the miner got that idea, even if he was half-right. He had enough escape plans to make it out of a few sticky situations, even if he didn¡¯t know what the brothers had to offer on the battlefield. They didn¡¯t seem to take the insult personally, collectively shrugging it off.


    ¡°Nira looked busy,¡± Theo said, patting Gridgen on the shoulder. ¡°Has she smelted any demon metal?¡±


    ¡°None that I know of,¡± Gridgen said.


    ¡°She has her hands full,¡± Sarna put in.


    Theo, joined by Gridgen, Sarna, and the trio of adventurers, went and explored the lower level of the mines. A few of the tentacled dogs lined the walls, dead at the hands of the miners, but it was uneventful.


    ¡°Gonna hit a cavern soon,¡± Bal said. All eyes turned to him.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Very sure,¡± Bal said, placing his hand on the stone at the end of one tunnel. ¡°Feel how cold the rock is?¡±


    Theo placed his hand near where Bal had. The rock was wet and cold, even if he didn¡¯t know what that meant. He searched the adventurer¡¯s face for clues, but it just held a stupid smile. ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    ¡°Caves are cold,¡± Bal said, shrugging the question off. ¡°The colder the rock, the closer to a cave. Makes sense, right? But you got a real problem here.¡±


    ¡°Please, explain,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°When you hit the cavern, you¡¯re going to hit it at a weird angle,¡± Bal said. ¡°Likely from the top, which means you¡¯re in trouble. How do you get down?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good thing,¡± Gridgen said, shoving himself into the already claustrophobic press of bodies to feel the rock. ¡°We don¡¯t want anything living down there to come up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Bal said, removing himself from the press. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. Is this going to be open to adventurers?¡±


    Theo had considered the idea before. It was his main motivation for hitting a cavern, but he didn¡¯t know what would be down there. It could open the gates of hell under his mine, even if he¡¯d prepared for the event. Sending adventurers down to retrieve whatever valuable items were down there was a good thing, but sending them to their deaths wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Once it¡¯s cleared through the guild,¡± Theo said. ¡°Well, this is good information, thank you Bal.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    Gridgen and Sarna had some smalltalk they wanted to get off their chests. They were excited about the new school, claiming it gave them more free time to pursue their own interests. Sarna was, according to her husband, an accomplished miner by now. Even when she was stuck watching their child, she¡¯d outpaced Gridgen in a short span of time. Once Theo was sure that none of the miners were worried about mining Demonic ore, he departed from Dead Dog Mine. It was the 58th day of the Season of Blooms, and he¡¯d be expected to host the gathering tomorrow.


    When Theo left the mine with his bodyguards, he broke the news that the rest of the day would be spent inspecting festival wreaths. They groaned, but came along anyway. There were a few select wreaths still alive, and he didn¡¯t know how to judge them. One thing stuck out in his mind above all the other thoughts. He wouldn¡¯t allow himself to take the prize, even if the next most viable wreath was wilting away on Perg¡¯s door. It felt like cheating to give an alchemist such a task. Still, it was the spirit of the festival that mattered. He made his way back to the lab, intent on finishing out the day performing alchemy and cracking the shell of the strange adventurers that had become his bodyguards.

 Chapter 3.24 - Alchemy Constructs

    Xam served a feast on the night of the 58th day of the Season of Blooms. The Dying of the Blooms festival was the signal that the season was over, but there were still a few weeks left in the season. Theo sat, no longer flanked by his cadre of adventurers, with Tresk, Zarali, Xol¡¯sa, and the new shopkeeper Salire. They ate through each meal, stuffing themselves with a starter of Pozwa omelets, moving on to a dish of wolf meat curry over Zee flatbread, and finishing it with pastries that exploded with impossibly sweet flavors. Perhaps it was just because the alchemist hadn¡¯t had sweets in so long, but the desert tasted too sweet.


    The new tradition was to head directly for the bathhouse after eating dinner, and Theo was eager to invite his companions to join him. Salire was reluctant to join at first, but a bit of friendly prodding had her marching in step with the others up to the building. Even Xol¡¯sa seemed excited to try the bath out. When the group entered the room, tossing their towels to the side to strip down, the new shopkeeper flushed with embarrassment.


    ¡°Could you use the towels? Just while I¡¯m here?¡± Salire asked, turning away.


    Tresk was already naked, but she grumbled and picked up her towel. The group followed suit, not wanting to put off a new citizen with something so silly. When they all slipped into the bath, her worries seemed to melt away. That¡¯s when she retold her life¡¯s story.


    Theo faded in and out of listening to the woman¡¯s story, trying to plan tomorrow around hosting festivities. During his parade around town after leaving the mine, as he inspected everyone¡¯s wreaths, he got more [Pozwa Horns] from Miana. The goat-like creatures seemed to shed their horns more often than was reasonable, but they were meant to be a closely guarded secret of Gardreth, so it wasn¡¯t surprising. He¡¯d only had their eggs in whatever Xam was cooking, which didn¡¯t reveal any of the properties. The shell usually contained the reagent-producing material.


    The towel clung uncomfortably to Theo¡¯s body as he listened to Salire¡¯s story. While the town of Boro Hold had little in the form of commerce, she specialized in buying and reselling adventuring gear. That made her the perfect person to pick up Azrug¡¯s good work. But once again, it was hard to focus. One more level in anything, and his personal level would hit 15. Then his attention would be captured by the constructs. A section of Basic Drogramath Alchemy would unlock, and he¡¯d get more information than he needed to build his first real construct.


    The group swapped stories for hours after that, until the attendant kicked them out again. Theo moved in a haze, bidding farewell to his friends, new and old, and heading back to the Newt and Demon.


    ¡°So, you really hired adventurers?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m up to my eyeballs in gold,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You can¡¯t put a price on peace of mind.¡±


    After their forehead pressing and some kind words, the pair drifted off into the Dreamwalk. It was uneventful, even for a realm that existed only when both of them were asleep. Theo avoided alchemy, favoring herbalism once again. They carved out their time to train and Tresk tested her new anti-mage poison. With the monsters they could spawn, it was incredibly effective. She practiced switching between daggers in her inventory, already coated with different deadly poisons, but she wanted more. Theo saw no harm in trying to get her even more poisons, and fully intended to. Even if the risk of the [Drogramath Alchemy Core] overtaking the [Tara¡¯hek Core] was high, he couldn¡¯t help himself. He was an alchemist.


    The Dreamwalk ended, and while his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] stubbornly refused to roll over to level 16, the [Governance Core] had no problem providing the last bit of experience to grow Theo¡¯s personal level to 15. Theo¡¯s eyes flicked open, a series of system messages waiting for him to read.


    [Governance Core] received experience (0.1%).


    [Governance Core] leveled up! Level 13.


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 15.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free skill.


    Even knowing what skill he was going to pick didn¡¯t dampen Theo¡¯s excitement for the level. He selected [Alchemy Constructs] without hesitation.


    [Alchemy Constructs]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Epic


    Alchemy constructs can take many forms. They combine the power of essences with magical bindings and the natural world.


    Effect:


    Increases the success of creating a construct.


    Constructs require less power to operate.


    +1 Intelligence


    With the extra point in [Intelligence], this made selecting [Wisdom] easy. He¡¯d debated putting points into [Vigor], but it was growing so much with his various core bonuses that it no longer made sense. Perhaps he¡¯d alternate between [Wisdom] and [Vigor], but today he felt his primary stat needed boosting.


    [Alchemy Constructs] came with a rush of knowledge. Some skills imparted hidden information to the wielder, and when he slotted this skill into his [Drogramath Alchemy Core], he felt a surge play on his mind. Without a word to Tresk, he made his way to Basic Drogramath Alchemy.


    The poems and ballads that existed before had vanished. The section held the same header, but the content was different. He thumbed through it, finding the Drogramath Dronon to have a low opinion of the art. Still, it held step-by-step instructions on creating the thing his intuition, and rumors he¡¯d heard, had hinted at. They were effectively helpers with no intelligence. They followed a series of instructions, the complexity of those instructions depending on their creator, and worked as long as the [Monster Core] that powered them lasted.


    Theo found his first disagreement with the book immediately. The short-sighted Dronon, only concerned with the power of alchemy as potions, hadn¡¯t considered an alternative fuel source. That, or they hadn¡¯t delved far enough into the skill to unlock its true potential. Either way, the alchemist intended to split his time today and create his first construct.


    Tresk felt his mania for the new skill and went off to retrieve breakfast. Theo poured over the tome, making mental notes that would stick. He was almost completely on point for his assumptions on the constructs creation. He needed an alchemically treated precious metal cage, a [Monster Core], and a dead ingredient. That was where his knowledge was different. He assumed the base material needed to be naturally occurring. But the book advised alchemists new to the skill to work with simple materials. Mud, copper, and low-level monster cores. After mastering that subtle art, it suggested moving on to infuse stone tablets with essence properties.


    Another surprising find was that the little golems could act as portable potion dispensers. The examples were thin, focusing on the [Aerosolize] modifier, but Theo¡¯s mind was already getting creative. The only problem with his plan to dive head-first into the creation of constructs was the long list of chores and duties he had to fulfill. When Tresk returned, he gave her the full picture of the skill.


    ¡°You can make little workers?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Time to fire everyone.¡±


    ¡°Not sure if they can mine,¡± Theo said. ¡°Or cut wood. I¡¯m starting small.¡±


    ¡°Mud golems!¡± Tresk shouted, unconcerned about Theo¡¯s reservations.


    Theo picked at the leftovers from last night¡¯s feast. The tea was the only thing he really needed. He still felt stuffed from the banquet, and enjoyed the +1 to all his combat stats. Combined with the bathhouse buff, things were getting interesting.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re coming with me to do the final judgment on the wreaths. Perg is going to win,¡± Theo said.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°But ours is better,¡± Tresk said, glaring.


    ¡°We can¡¯t make ourselves win. That¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Tresk had a look on her face like she wanted to argue, but she shrugged. As someone who had cheated in the past, Theo hoped she learned a lesson. It wasn¡¯t about who won; it was about coming together at the end of a season. There wasn¡¯t even a prize for winning.


    Theo didn¡¯t need to bring his copy of the Drogramathi tome with him to view the pages. Tresk joined him to do the final judging of the wreaths, making fun of him for staring in the distance. She made most of the calls on who was out, and by the end of their hours-long rounds, only two wreaths remained. Something carried on the wind as he inspected one of the two final wreaths, Perg¡¯s wreath. A familiar smell of shoe polish drifted from the collection of flowers, sending his alchemical senses into overdrive. He drew back as his mouth dropped.


    ¡°Perg!¡± Theo shouted, dropping his voice when he noticed a crowd following them around during the judging. He grabbed the Half-Ogre woman¡¯s arm and drew her close. She had a look of fear on her face. ¡°You treated your wreath with my potion? You cheated?¡±


    Perg held her hands up defensively, smiling sheepishly. ¡°Caught me.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Theo said, letting out a breath. The alchemist couldn¡¯t let this kind of cheating go unchecked. He thought about it for a moment longer. He really didn¡¯t want to win. ¡°You win, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Perg asked, looking around at the crowd. ¡°I win?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you win,¡± Theo said, removing the wreath from her door and stuffing it over her head. The fumes made her sway on the spot. ¡°That¡¯s your punishment.¡±


    Perg stumbled off, immediately embraced from the crowd. No one noticed she lost consciousness when they hoisted her on their shoulders. The fumes shouldn¡¯t have been fatal, but she would have a horrible headache when she woke up.


    ¡°That¡¯s what dirty cheaters get,¡± Tresk said, giggling.


    ¡°Help me with the garden,¡± Theo said, gesturing back toward the Newt and Demon.


    ¡°No! I paid those brothers to watch you again today,¡± Tresk said, gesturing in the same direction.


    Theo saw the trio of men coming down the road. They may as well have been clones of each other, and it annoyed him every time. He let out another breath. His duties as mayor were done for the day, and he could force his new bodyguards to help him trim the garden. Tresk vanished before he could object again, jumping through the shadows to go run a dungeon.


    ¡°Bal. Good morning,¡± Theo said, waving at the oldest brother.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    The group followed Theo to his greenhouses, and he put them to work. They were all on weeding duty, which had become something of a job. The alchemist watched them, making sure no one touched the reagents while he sorted his cultivating plants. Most plants experienced a fairly slow rate of cultivation, something around 10% per day. This was absurdly fast, by the standards of the world at large, but Theo had grown fond of his fast-growing town. He was broken from the calming act by a strange buzzing in his mind. It took him a long moment to realize what it was. Fenian¡¯s communication had a certain flavor, but the one provided by the Kingdom of Qavell had a totally different feel.


    Theo told his bodyguards what was going to happen, removing the crystal from his inventory and holding it in his hand. He squeezed it tight, and fell into a shadowy realm, his mind cast into a wide stone platform. Dark shadows obscured everything, even his own body, but he saw the figure of Grub on the far side of the dias.


    ¡°Long time,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes at the man. It was hard not to feel some amount of betrayal. They¡¯d left him to fend for himself for most of the season.


    ¡°Things are busy,¡± Grub said. The Brogling bounced when he talked, but none of his form could be seen. It was a shadowy outline of a tiny man. ¡°It was hard enough getting a chamber to myself. Not with the war. Not with the¡­Well, nevermind. I won¡¯t be collecting your tax in person. Please ensure that all 125 gold, 15 silver, and 33 copper are available in your town¡¯s treasury.¡±


    ¡°Any chance my taxes are going to drop?¡± Theo asked, ignoring the absurd amount of gold.


    Somehow, despite the Brogling¡¯s vague shape, Theo could sense a deep concern. Grub drew closer, waddling across the wide platform.


    ¡°Be thankful there¡¯s a kingdom to pay,¡± Grub said, suddenly cutting the connection.


    Theo was sent hurtling out of the shadowy realm, stumbling back into the hands of a waiting adventurer. The alchemist couldn¡¯t tell, but he supposed it was Ral that caught him.


    ¡°Good news from our home city?¡± Bal asked, smiling.


    ¡°Always good news,¡± Theo said, lying.


    The implications of the message were dire, but Theo pushed it to the back of his mind. He bid the adventurers to follow him up to the lab, dismissing whatever his shopkeeper said to him. He paused at the foot of the stairs, taking a deep breath. Instead of pushing those worries for the future away, he cast them out entirely. They were preparing for anything.


    ¡°Sorry, Salire,¡± Theo said, smiling. His higher stats made compartmentalizing his fears easier. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I was admiring Azrug¡¯s little enterprise,¡± Salire said, not daunted by his sour entrance. ¡°He¡¯s only 16? That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Theo ordered his guards up to the lab, coming close to his new shopkeeper and taking her by the shoulders. He stared into her eyes, finding all the potential that Azrug had when he started in the shop. Citizens had access to more means here, giving them the chance to rise above what was normally possible.


    ¡°You¡¯re on the first step of your journey,¡± Theo said, patting her shoulders. ¡°Please don¡¯t compare yourself to someone like him.¡±


    ¡°No, I was just admiring it,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Theo said. ¡°Because that¡¯s you. In a month. Maybe less,¡± Theo said. ¡°We move so many items through here, the experience just rolls in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask about that,¡± Salire said, laughing. ¡°Seems like money just comes out of the ground here.¡±


    Theo actively refused to let his mood be taken down by Qavell. He drew himself up and explained why things were the way they were around here. She listened to every word he said, nodding along. The young shopkeeper wasn¡¯t even concerned about the power of Drogramath floating in the air, claiming she¡¯d seen much worse in her hometown. When the alchemist was satisfied with her level of comfort, he went to join the brothers upstairs. They were messing with his equipment, and required a firm shouting at.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Bal said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. ¡°The alchemy stuff can blow up. Got it.¡±


    Theo processed his existing [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], everything he harvested from the garden with the brothers. The alchemist filled two stills, flushing his reserve tanks and sending the refined essence out to his massive storage tanks outside. That was their purpose, after all. When he was too busy, he could just fill up his exterior tanks and go about his day. He had time enough to grind some [Pozwa Horns] and eat the powder, something that made each brother grimace.


    Theo had never eaten ash, but it must have tasted like this. A system message flashed.


    [Properties Discovery!]


    You¡¯ve discovered an additional effect from the [Pozwa Horn] by eating it.


    [Limited Foresight] discovered.


    Theo let out a groan, immediately correcting himself.


    ¡°Is there a problem? Are you dying? You just licked horn dust¡ªwant me to get your sister?¡± Bal asked.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Theo said, rolling his shoulders. ¡°This property is too good not to try.¡±


    Theo processed 500 units of the [Pozwa Horn], loading his last still up and forcing his intent on it. He targeted the [Limited Foresight] property and set the process off. He made his offering at the shrine, and regretted the first run of a new reagent being so big. There were usually things he needed to tweak during the run to get excellent quality essence, but the building bonuses did a lot to mitigate that problem.


    Before leaving the lab, Theo made sure he had everything he needed to make his first construct. He pilfered the shared inventory, stealing a low-level [Monster Core]. It was a level 5 core from a [Ogre Snapper], which seemed like the safest bet. If the golem he created had any instincts from the monster, it would be a bad idea to use a Goblin¡¯s core.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know the mayor needed a babysitter!¡± a voice called from afar. Theo spotted Luras, giggling to himself in the distance. Theo thumbed his nose at the Half-Ogre, a gesture he knew the man wouldn¡¯t understand.


    Before long, the group was outside the western gate, among the loggers and the swamp.


    ¡°Swamp mud should work the best,¡± Theo said. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of a nature¡¯s element in every piece of nature.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Bal said, shrugging. ¡°Just watch that snapper.¡±


    An [Ogre Snapper] was looming in the distance, its massive shell poking out of the mud. They usually waited there for unsuspecting people, bursting from the muck to claim their victim.


    When Theo placed the monster core in the center of his copper cage, he let out a surprised gasp. The core floated where it was, glowing with a dim light. His [Drogramath Alchemy Core] flooded him with approval and he moved to the next step. The brothers helped him slather the entire cage with swamp mud, never ones to worry about getting their hands dirty. The mud stuck to the cage, even flowing over the surface to even out the display. After a moment of waiting, Theo dropped it in the swamp.


    ¡°Now, the part that might kill me,¡± Theo said, closing his eyes to summon mana to his hand. It flowed from his Drogramath cores, a pool of purple fire. He placed his hand over the ball of mud, scrambling back and waiting.


    ¡°Should we be worried?¡± Ral asked, uncharacteristically speaking for his brothers.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo said, watching his creation.


    Nothing happened. Theo approached the ball and tilted his head, running through the steps in his mind. He didn¡¯t miss a single step. The Drogramathi mana should have been enough to activate the skill. He gently kicked it with his foot.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Theo said, disappointment flooding through him. ¡°Do something.¡±


    A whirlpool of mud surrounded the ball. More mud was sucked from the surrounding area with a great squelching sound, joining the ball. It was already the size of Theo¡¯s head, but it kept growing. After another moment of tense mud-gathering, the mud grew taller. Stunted arms that ended without hands or fingers appeared, then little legs without feet. Eyes made of rocks appeared, and the thing looked up at Theo expectantly.


    ¡°Good golem,¡± Theo said, reaching out to pet his creation on the head.


    The golem squelched in response.

 Chapter 3.25 - Limited Foresight

    A thin thread of willpower stretched between Theo and the [Lesser Mud Golem]. It was a strange mix between a foreign will and his own, not battling for dominance, but working together to make the thing functional. There wasn¡¯t an attribute for willpower, though. The alchemist knew, through instinct or logical deduction, that the quantity and complexity of the constructs he commanded was limited by that factor. Sheer will.


    ¡°Great, you made a mud monster,¡± Bal said, edging away from the alchemist¡¯s creation. The golem smacked its muddy lips in response, trying and failing to form words. But its intent flooded into Theo.


    ¡°He wants to help,¡± Theo said, patting the golem. ¡°How long can you work for, little guy?¡±


    The golem¡¯s intent flooded into him again. A vague series of thoughts that was almost understandable. Theo got the general idea, and determined it would only last a few hours before expiring.


    ¡°Two hours, maybe,¡± Theo said, nodding. He locked that in his mind.


    ¡°Can I pet him?¡± Ral asked. Theo gestured, giving the man permission.


    While the brothers took turns patting the golem¡¯s wet head, Theo inspected the creature. Most monsters could be inspected, even if they gave little information. The screen that popped up was shocking in its content, far more than he could have hoped for.


    [Lesser Mud Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 5


    Mud Golems are considered lesser golems. Their strengths lie in the abstract nature of mud, allowing them to move through spaces as small as their Containment Cores. They are friendly, playful helpers.


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Copper Cage]


    Monster Core: [Ogre Snapper] (Level 5)


    Medium: [Enriched Swamp Mud]


    Alchemy Slates: None


    Power System: None


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    Each component he used was present on the screen, from the copper cage to the mud he used. Theo took more mental notes on the matter, locking in the additional parts of the screen that read ¡®none¡¯. His first theory about the constructs was that nature would take care of everything, an idea he revised after seeing the Elven Guardian. Between the information Basic Drogramath Alchemy had, and the guardian, he had an excellent picture of how they worked. The [Monster Core] was the brain, while the cage contained the core. The mud was just the thing that made up their body, but there was more. He could improve the design, giving his creations to ability to operate for longer periods of time.


    ¡°You know what you¡¯re looking at, guys?¡± Theo asked, slapping the top of the mud man. ¡°The future defenders of Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°I could see it,¡± Bal said, scratching whiskers on his chin. ¡°Big old army of mud guys. How strong are they?¡±


    ¡°What to find out?¡± Theo asked. He felt the golem¡¯s eagerness to please him. ¡°It¡¯s only level 5, so go easy.¡±


    Bal did not go easy. True to the description of the golem, though, unless the adventurer went for the core, the mud kept reforming. He would swipe the creature¡¯s arm off, only to have it regrow after sucking in some mud from the surrounding swamp. But Bal was avoiding the core on purpose, intending not to break Theo¡¯s new toy. Likewise, the alchemist urged the [Lesser Mud Golem] to restrict movement, not to attack outright. The display was interesting, making it easy to see the potential of this new skill.


    Bal was out of breath and the golem backed off, sensing his opponent weakening. That much of Theo¡¯s will bled into the core. ¡°I yield,¡± Bal said.


    The golem bowed with a sloppy flourish, gaining laughs from all the brothers.


    Today held too much excitement for Theo. The looming celebration tonight hampered his spirit slightly, but his golems worked. He made his way to Throk¡¯s blacksmith, 3 adventurers and a mud man close behind. The Marshling looked up from his anvil, bags under his eyes and let out a groan.


    ¡°You¡¯re giving life to the swamp, now?¡± Throk asked. ¡°Why am I not surprised? And you need something.¡±


    ¡°Have you worked with Drogramathi Iron yet?¡± Theo asked.


    Throk rummaged through a pile of junk, producing a bar of gray-purple metal and smiling. ¡°Can¡¯t fault you for bringing me cool stuff,¡± he said, gesturing vaguely at his workshop.


    It was filled with parts of the Elven Guardian. Pieces of artifice equipment and the strange Barrowsteel littered the workshop. The value of the metal and artifices would have been priceless. Theo didn¡¯t notice when Fenian had left the town, but he was gone. If the trader stayed in the town, he would have more things to buy but it was better this way. The bill he owed the kingdom loomed over his head. He shook it off again.


    ¡°I need some more cages,¡± Theo said.


    Throk jabbed a finger to a dimensional storage crate. ¡°Filled that one up recently. See, I¡¯m getting good at anticipating your needs.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°You own the metal,¡± Throk grumbled. ¡°10 silver for my new apprentice¡¯s time.¡±


    Theo handed over the money and collected the goods. It was a mix of different containment cores in various styles. There were hundreds there, no doubt meant to test the skill of Throk¡¯s apprentice. They came in square cages, spherical cages, even triangular cages of copper and iron. Theo was now interested in cages made of Drogramathi Iron. He gave Throk a look and the blacksmith groaned again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± Throk said. ¡°You just got your weird skill. Practice for a while, then use the advanced materials. Why do I have to tell you this?¡±


    Theo nodded, giving thanks to the man that always came through for him. Broken Tusk would have been a worse place without such a good blacksmith, let alone his artificer''s skills. The wreath hanging from the Marshling¡¯s door, a tangled web of pipes and gears, let out a long farting sound. Perhaps he should have let Throk win the contest on sheer ingenuity.


    Before leaving the workshop, Theo discussed the idea of creating their own [Power Cores]. Throk doubted he had the skill to make something so complex, but the alchemist pushed him. After examining the core from the Elven Guardian he grumbled his agreement, but argued that he didn¡¯t have the time to work on a new project. They agreed to work on it at a later date.


    Theo led his troupe back to the Newt and Demon, kneeling to his golem and issuing a series of mental instructions. He wanted to test how the creature would work on its own, moving far away from its creator and carrying out a single task. A grim part of himself knew the implications of sending a small, low-level creature out carrying a few of his bombs. It was a great tool for assassinations, but he had other plans.


    The guards stayed downstairs while Theo checked on his latest essence, inspecting a sample.


    [Refined Limited Foresight Essence]


    [Essence]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting potions will be more effective.


    Chance to consume half of required essence during brewing.


    1 units (liquid)


    Concentrated, refined essence of limited foresight.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Everything was in order, and he gained a higher grade than he expected. Essences never gave away much information. Theo¡¯s intuition said it could brew a standard potion, or the base reagent could extract a modifier that mirrored this essence. The name alone made his heart beat faster. He set up a simple reaction, enchanting a handful of [Iron Shavings] with his Drogramathi mana, and dipping into his barrels of [Enchanted Water]. He poured the clear essence into a 2 unit, flat-bottomed vial then introduced the water and catalyst. It swirled in the vial, turning a spinning mix of gold and silver and putting off a scent like warm bread.


    Theo leaned in, inspecting the unmodified potion.


    [Potion of Limited Foresight]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    For 6 hours after drinking this potion, the next 4 attacks made against you will miss.


    Effect:


    For 6 hours, all attacks, magical or otherwise, will miss. This potion may be overcome by gross differences in levels.


    Theo must have some bad luck coming his way. Between the golem and this, it was too good to be true. A potion with a 6 hour duration was absurd, but one that made an attack miss no matter what? That was too good to be true. Some potions had negative effects if someone drank them back-to-back, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t get a good sense for this one. It required experimentation. He drank the potion, feeling a strange sensation spreading through his body. The potion tasted like bread, thankfully.


    The brothers were chatting with Theo¡¯s new shopkeeper, both striking up friendly conversation and showing off their muscles. The alchemist didn¡¯t see their physiques as impressive, especially compared to the massive Half-Ogres, even if Salire seemed smitten.


    ¡°Hit me!¡± Theo shouted, pointing at Bal.


    The brothers must have been annoyed with babysitting the alchemist all day because Bal struck out without further prompting. His fist came in with all the quickness of a seasoned adventurer rocketing at Theo¡¯s face. It should have been a solid hit. Something changed, almost imperceptible. Theo couldn¡¯t tell if it was Bal who changed positions or him, but he felt the wind from the strike blow past his cheek.


    ¡°What?¡± Ral asked, blinking. Bal looked equally shocked.


    ¡°I¡¯m invincible,¡± Theo declared.


    Bal took another shot, missing again. Then another, and another. Only when Theo held up his hands, asking him to stop, did the adventurer stop. He was out of charges on the potion, and would have been clocked in the face if he let Bal continue.


    ¡°How?¡± Bal asked. He had a look on his face as though Theo had just ruined his entire world. He looked down at his hands, stammering something else.


    ¡°New potion,¡± Theo said, rushing up the stairs again. The brothers followed. ¡°I have a job for you boys.¡±


    ¡°Uh, does it mean we get some of those potions?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There were a few options for modifiers on this one. Dodging 4 attacks was good, but he could use the [Solidify] modifier to create pills, likely reducing the amount of charges to 1 or 2. [Anti-Mage] was an obvious one, likely adding some feedback for missed attacks with magic. There was also another experiment he hadn¡¯t had the time to work with, the [Suffuse Potion], but that wouldn¡¯t be useful for now. He settled on the modifier that worked more often than not, withdrawing a flask of [Refined Anti-Mage] from his inventory. He brewed another [Potion of Limited Foresight], introducing the anti-mage modifier and watching as a hint of blue was added to the swirl of silver and gold.


    Theo inspected the result, giggling with excitement at the result.


    [Potion of Limited Foresight]


    [Anti-Mage]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    For 6 hours after drinking this potion, the next 4 attacks made against you will miss.


    All magical attacks made against you will be reflected to the caster, consuming a charge.


    Effect:


    For 6 hours, all attacks, magical or otherwise, will miss. This potion may be overcome by gross differences in levels.


    Reflects all magical attacks as long as charges exist.


    The refined modifiers often produced excellent results. Instead of changing the way the potions worked, they added another effect. The brothers whistled in amazement as they inspected the potion. Even Salire came upstairs, abandoning the shop to see what all the fuss was about.


    ¡°How much do you think that is worth?¡± Theo asked, grinning at her.


    Salire squinted her eyes, clearly using a skill. After a moment, she let out a breath. ¡°I can¡¯t get a read on it. No one has sold a potion like this in the area recently.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll brew the rest of the batch, but we¡¯re not stocking these.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Bal asked, scoffing. ¡°You can¡¯t tease me like that. Come on!¡±


    Theo had to explain the dangers of potions to the brothers, giving the only example he knew of. If someone used [Potions of Growth] repeatedly, their heart would suffer permanent damage. Since there was no documentation on the [Potion of Limited Foresight], he wanted to take it slow before distributing it to the town. Then he would consult with Fenian and ask his opinion on wider distribution. With perfect timing, the bell downstairs rang. A pair of heavy boots stomped up the stairs and the door swung open.


    Aarok stood, drenched in mud, followed closely by a golem.


    ¡°Is this your idea of a joke,¡± Aarok said, gesturing to the amalgam of mud following him.


    Theo moved over, clapping his hand over the Half-Ogre¡¯s shoulder and dumping some [Cleansing Scrub] over his head. ¡°I was testing my new golem.¡±


    ¡°Well, good for you!¡± Aarok said. ¡°Why are there so many people in your lab?¡±


    Theo thrust a [Potion of Limited Foresight] into his hand and grinned. Aarok¡¯s mouth dropped open. He looked between he potion and Theo for a while before finally finding words to speak.


    ¡°How much?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°It requires testing,¡± Theo said, waving him off. ¡°The mud attack was another test. Sorry about that.¡±


    The golem seemed to laugh at that, but no sound came out. Just that squelching noise.


    ¡°I volunteer,¡± Aarok said.


    Theo laid out the bounds of the test to everyone who wanted to take part. They each needed to visit Zarali after consuming the potion, and couldn¡¯t take more than one every 6 hours. He wanted them to expend the charges on the potion, only after having a day where they only took 1, then take another and report to the Priestess of Drogramath. She¡¯d be able to tell if there was anything wrong with them, and only with her approval would he distribute the potion. Each man agreed to the terms without hesitation.


    ¡°Imagine,¡± Bal said. ¡°This is going to make bosses easy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo said. ¡°But that is the future of Broken Tusk.¡±


    Everyone gave him a flat look after he pointed at the golem. But the test he gave it was proof of that. The only thing he told the golem to do was to find Aarok, and splatter him with mud. It was a simple task, but proved that it could go off and perform a simple, two step task. Find a target, and engage. With upgrades, better materials, and stronger monster cores, these golems could revolutionize the defense of a city. The others weren¡¯t convinced, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    Theo chatted with Aarok for a bit, discussing the defense of the city. Xol¡¯sa informed him they were expecting a small monster wave soon, but nothing like they¡¯d experienced in the past. Salire went back downstairs to work the shop, as someone had just entered. After an appropriate amount of friendly chatter, the alchemist excused himself with his bodyguards. The golem came as well.


    Zarali was working in her enchanting building, and Theo couldn¡¯t resist showing off his creation. She wanted him to take another skill at level 15, but was still excited to see a working Golem.


    ¡°Belgar never took that skill,¡± Zarali said, patting the creature on the head. ¡°Said it was useless.¡±


    That seemed to hurt the little guy¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Theo said.


    Zarali had a few insights on the creation of a [Power Core], and offered her expertise in the matter. Working with enchanting meant that she was often using a [Power Siphon], and understood their operation well. So a project that would have been just the alchemist and Throk, now included the enchanter.


    ¡°Imagine tireless guardians,¡± Theo said, letting out a wistful sigh. ¡°Just like the Elven Guardian.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a dreamer,¡± Zarali said, a smile playing across her face. ¡°You always see the best way to help the town with your creations. So you¡¯re on a different path than Belgar. Different motives.¡±


    Theo nodded, engaging in some more small talk before departing with his guards. They made the rounds once more. The alchemist watched with interest as the golem deteriorated. It began by walking sideways, then its legs crumbled to dirt, then the core expired. When he inspected the remnants of the construct, the copper cage was useless and the [Monster Core] had spent itself. He felt no sadness watching the thing die, as it wasn¡¯t really ever alive. Just an echo of an Ogre Snapper and some mana.


    The afternoon wore on and Theo caught several glimpses of what Tresk was doing. They were more of vague feelings than anything, but he felt her triumph as she cleared some dungeon. She was heading back to town early as he made his way to the town¡¯s center, prepared to host the festivities. If Xam was true to her word, the feast would start soon and Perg would take a place of honor as the winner of the festival.


    Theo and his group went off course before heading to the festival. They were back out through the western gate, digging in the mud to create a few [Lesser Mud Golems]. The alchemist had to drink a few [Mana Potions] to get the job done, finding a sense of exhaustion washing over him by the fourth golem. His willpower was also stretched thinner than he expected, a problem he¡¯d have to remedy later.


    The four golems went off to hide behind the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Theo planned for them to emerge after Perg arrived, hoisting her up and carrying her around to celebrate her victory. It was mostly meant as a punishment for her cheating, but he knew she¡¯d take it in stride.


    Tresk arrived, giggling as she joined everyone at the rows of tables. Something of Theo¡¯s plan leaked out to her. She just gave him a sidelong glance, nodding her approval. When enough people were gathered, Theo started things off with a short speech.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to celebrate the end of the season!¡± he shouted, gaining a raucous response from the crowd. ¡°We partake of the bounty, provided by the swamp, and celebrate. While the winner of the festival receives no prize for their participation, they can stand tall, knowing that they didn¡¯t cheat and hide it from me for the entire time the festival happened.¡±


    Theo glared at Perg. He wasn¡¯t actually angry at her and knew she thought this was good fun. Half-Ogres were hard to offend.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud to announce that Perg Grott had the longest-living, and most beautiful wreath this year!¡± Theo shouted. The crowd went wild, many people coming over to slap her on the back or give her words of encouragement. ¡°Breaking from tradition, I¡¯d like to celebrate her win with a temporary gift.¡±


    The golems emerged from behind the tavern at a thought from Theo, waddling over to Perg. She looked fearful at first.


    ¡°Enjoy your time with the Mud Crew!¡± Theo shouted.


    Perg¡¯s words of objection and shrieks of anguish were drowned out by the laughter of the crowd. The golems hoisted her above their heads, working as a collective to parade her around the tables. They squelched their joy for the task the entire time.

 Chapter 3.26 - Alran Cherman

    Theo did his best to avoid the wine served at the feast. Xam had imported a watered berry wine from Rivers and Daub. While it was likely not strong enough to affect a Half-Ogre, even by the barrel full, he still shied away from it. The celebrations carried deep into the night, even after the golems melted into mush, but the alchemist and his friends retreated to the bathhouse long before that. Luras joined them this time, taking full advantage of the private bath.


    ¡°Your private room is much larger than the others,¡± Luras said, lowering himself into the pool. He let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°And the water is hotter.¡±


    Theo was joined by Tresk, Zarali, and Luras tonight in his private bath. Salire politely declined, staying back at the party and taking full advantage of the wine. The alchemist took the chance to grill his adoptive sister on the concept of willpower, which she was happy to share her opinions on.


    ¡°Some say that¡¯s a hidden attribute,¡± Zarali said, soaking a cloth in the water, then placing it on the top of her head. She closed her eyes as the water dribbled down her face. ¡°You¡¯re already on the path to increase it, using your mana the way you are.¡±


    ¡°Aarok was pissed about the mud people,¡± Luras said, flashing a smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen pranks like that in Broken Tusk in years.¡±


    ¡°I fear retaliation,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You should,¡± Luras said, dipping his head below the surface of the water. Tresk was just swimming around.


    ¡°Willpower develops naturally,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I have a few games you can try to increase it, but it¡¯s part of your focus. You¡¯re already a very focused person.¡±


    Theo nodded. That much was true. He often carried out mundane tasks, day after day, with no problem. His ability to focus on a task was enhanced by his attributes and cores. Zarali was of the opinion that they acted as a growth modifier for his natural willpower, meaning that they would only influence someone with an already high will.


    ¡°I¡¯m interested to see what your little mud people can do,¡± Zarali said.


    Luras had surfaced already, putting in his opinion. ¡°Weapons.¡±


    ¡°That idea didn¡¯t escape me,¡± Theo said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it out loud, but I could send them into a group of monsters with a bomb.¡±


    ¡°Weapons of assassination,¡± Luras said, amending his previous comment.


    ¡°That too,¡± Theo said, although he really wouldn¡¯t say that one out loud. ¡°How about tireless guardians that watch the mines. Haulers that move things from one place to another. Fieldhands. Lumberjacks. Soldiers. They can be anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you attached to an idea like this,¡± Luras said, settling down on a rock. ¡°You get excited about alchemy, but this? You¡¯re going all in.¡±


    Theo was often excited about brewing potions. His latest creation, the [Potion of Limited Foresight], was unrivaled in its power. The value of such a potion was impossible to determine, not without someone like Fenian appraising the thing directly. It also wasn¡¯t difficult to brew, following the same steps as all his other potions. An unlimited supply of [Pozwa Horns] meant an unlimited supply of the rare potion, but where did potioncraft stop? Not soon, the alchemist realized with little thought. The complexity of potions would grow only in their function, influencing different aspects of life.


    These are all fanciful dreams of a rising alchemist, though. It was impossible for him to peer into the future to determine his path. He¡¯d just follow it as it was laid before him.


    ¡°So, a monster wave?¡± Theo said, changing the subject.


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa has been talking about it,¡± Luras said.


    Theo withdrew the early warning crystal from his inventory. It had been a long time since he¡¯d looked at it, but it was a deep yellow color. When the dungeons were malfunctioning, they put out a wave every week before Xol¡¯sa stopped it. The people of Broken Tusk wouldn¡¯t complain, though. The waves brought wealth and a massive boost to experience.


    The group lounged in the bath for a long time. Zarali took to teaching Theo a few games to play with his mana. The idea was to summon the dancing flames of Drogramath, and control them to represent shapes. After that, he could focus on controlling the fire outside of his reach. The priestess displayed her aptitude, sending hundreds of balls of fire through the room, letting them dance off the water and assume various shapes. The alchemist was nowhere near that level of control, but it didn¡¯t discourage him. He could practice.


    They shared small topics after practicing, never lingering on one thing for too long. The end of the season was in sight. Theo learned that each season was broken into 70 days each, meaning they had a 280 day year. The alchemist might have had his intelligence increased recently, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what that meant for the planet they were standing on. He dismissed the concept entirely, only concerned that the next season they faced was the Season of Fire.


    If this world¡¯s equal to spring was hot, their summer would be even worse. Theo had an idea, early in his residency in Broken Tusk, for a cooling system. With increased access to both artifices and reagents, he had another idea entirely. Why not hook the entire town up with central cooling? Throk could whip something like that up in an afternoon. The alchemist didn¡¯t dare share his ideas, fearing the retribution of his friends. They would make fun of him for chasing the next, newest thing in his mind.


    When Theo and Tresk returned to the Newt and Demon, they descended into the Dreamwalk. The Marshling was immediately disappointed when he used his new potion, tilting the scales against her once again. She was even less impressed when he made mud bodyguards. With any thought of attacking him out of her mind, she left him alone that night. This gave him enough time to practice and experiment with his new skill.


    The first thing he discovered was his lacking technique. [Alchemy Constructs] was more an art of putting pieces together than a linear process like standard alchemy. Golems were a puzzle. From the [Monster Cores] Theo had seen, cores he could replicate in the Dreamwalk, each had a unique personality. Goblin cores just wanted to fight, monsterized animals were good at labor, and each specific core held quirks. Theo learned the importance of a good containment core.


    Containment cores weren¡¯t just things that held the [Monster Core] in place. They were the beating heart of the golem, and when he brought them to life he noticed small changes depending on how he injected his mana. Without his practice on the subject, the constructs would have been useless. Several hours into studying, he injected too much mana into a construct and it exploded. The force of the explosion would have killed him if he wasn¡¯t in the Dreamwalking realm.


    The amount of mana injected into the thing didn¡¯t matter as much as where he injected it. Theo was effectively infusing the metal cages with mana, which acted as the spark of life. When he experimented with the different shaped cages, he noticed a massive change in the golem¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°Look at this,¡± Theo said, laying a few cages out for Tresk to see. She was taking a break from fighting, changing the scene from the exterior of Broken Tusk to the bathhouse.


    ¡°Some are more complex,¡± she observed, pointing between the cages.


    Throk¡¯s cages had flourishes and points of significance. Small images that stood out among the repeating patterns. His apprentice¡¯s metal cages were simple things, holding none of the interesting parts. Those cages with more intricate patterns created stronger constructs that lasted longer. The iron cages held the form together for twice as long as the copper ones, and Theo suspected Drogramathi Iron would double that number. His instincts said silver cages would be even better, as the precious metals were often excellent components.


    Theo went through his list of theories with Tresk, centering on a few simple observations. Since she saw them as useful tools, she was happy to share her opinion. They spent an hour going over ways to improve the design of the cages, coming to an interesting conclusion.


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    ¡°The cage uses mana to bind the will of the dead monster,¡± Theo said, pointing at his example sinking to the bottom of the bath. ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡¯s brain. It¡¯s making pathways based on how complex the cage is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the best way to make something smarter?¡± Tresk asked, grinning.


    Theo pointed between Tresk and himself. ¡°Give it two brains.¡±


    Then the plan formed in a logical pattern. Two cages, one surrounding the other, of various shapes. Each combination would provide unique attributes and it gave him a clear path forward for integrating external power supplies. The cages could hold a power core, a siphon, and a power to mana converter all inside the golem. That would increase the price of each construct, but it should extend their life. During his testing, he learned that if he fed the cage mana, it extended the life of the construct.


    All this experimentation highlighted how valuable the Dreamwalk was. He was getting experience for his cores, learning new things, and testing everything in a safe environment, never fearing a horrible reaction. He spent the rest of his time that night in the Dreamwalk working on the golem problem, intending to bring an additional request to Throk.


    Despite his excitement, Theo thought better than to eat his breakfast in the lab like a recluse. Tresk joined him at the Marsh Wolf Tavern to enjoy more Pozwa omelets. The Marshling retold her adventures in the dungeons, stating once again that she¡¯d gone deeper than ever before. It wasn¡¯t a lie, even if she¡¯d been to the last room of the dungeon several times. While the [Swamp Dungeon] wasn¡¯t growing as fast as it had been, it was still expanding downward every day, gathering strength. The adventurers of Broken Tusk just saw it as a chance to earn a ton of money.


    Breakfast was pleasant. Xam¡¯s tea tasted better every day, somehow gaining an edge of sweetness against the bitter [Moss Nettle]. The peace of the morning was broken when Alise came scrambling over, her hair plastered to her face with sweat. Her eyes were wild, but Theo could sense that she was being overly dramatic.


    ¡°Council,¡± she said, heaving breaths. ¡°Alran Cherman. Rivers. Town Hall.¡±


    It was easy enough to piece together that information. Alran Cherman was a Mercantile Chair from Rivers and Daub. Some towns in the kingdom worked on a system of representation from the highest-earners, something Theo hated. He nodded to his Lady Administrator, then to Tresk. The last time they were here, they tried to kill him. The Marshling vanished, and he could feel her rushing to find Aarok and Luras. Broken Tusk¡¯s guard would go on high alert while the meeting took place.


    Theo drank a [Potion of Limited Foresight].


    Alran was a portly man. He wore the same ruffled robes and ostentatious hat as Fenian, a hat that Theo now wore as his [Plume of Defiance], but he didn¡¯t wear it well. He was a Human with a balding mop of curly hair, round features and beady eyes. Still, despite his appearance he made good on their trade deal. Alran stood outside of the town hall, hands on his hips with his guards close by.


    ¡°You have a town hall, now? Finally catching up,¡± Alran said, sneering. He adjusted his expression immediately, coughing into his hand and dropping the act. ¡°We have dire news to discuss.¡±


    Theo ushered him inside, taking him to a back room on the second floor of their new building. He would normally send a private message to Tresk with instructions on what to do, but he could feel her lurking in the shadows of the back room, completely hidden in the corner.


    Luras is outside. Bal¡¯s boys are running patrol. Zarali is weaving some magic thing. You¡¯re good, bud, Tresk said.


    The room the pair entered had a long table with chairs on either side. It was odd when the two of them sat on opposite sides of the table. At least the view outside of the window was good.


    ¡°Have you received word from your contact in Qavell?¡± Alran asked.


    Theo ran his fingers through his hair, tracing the ridges of his horns. That was always comforting. His tail poked out from the open-back chair, swishing like a cat ready to pounce. He could put together enough information from the frantic look on Alran¡¯s face. Enough to know bad things were coming.


    ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re screwed,¡± Theo said, steepling his fingers and leaning in. ¡°My contact refused to give me more information. Just some nonsense about being thankful we have a kingdom.¡±


    Alran let out a steady breath, smacking his palms against his face. When his cheeks were sufficiently red, he looked Theo right in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve sent word to Gronro-Dir. We need to have a meeting¡ªevery power in the southlands.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m interested,¡± Theo said, grinning at the shocked expression on Alran¡¯s face. The Chair thought this was supposed to be hard, but it was what Broken Tusk wanted. An alliance of the southlands. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening in Qavell, though.¡±


    ¡°War. And worse,¡± Alran said. ¡°My spies¡ªyes, I have spies¡ªreport bad news on the Veostian front.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re losing the war?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Handily,¡± Alran said. He withdrew a length of cloth from his inventory and wiped his brow. ¡°Why the king started it to begin with is anyone¡¯s guess. We had good borders. A delicate line cut by the spine. I live here. You live there. No one wants the damn cursed mountains.¡±


    Theo leaned back in his chair. Alran was being too open with his information. If he had spies, he could feed Theo information any time he wanted. The only conclusion was that this was indeed very dire. Still, any overt action against the south would take ages and they weren¡¯t a big target. Which meant Alran was still hiding something. A bigger threat. The alchemist filed the information away. It wouldn¡¯t serve him in this discussion.


    ¡°It¡¯s suspicious, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°The cultist¡¯s rebellion. Qavell makes war, and they rise. Then, the Mercantile Chairs of the city get their heads lopped off. Whatever force comes for us will break on Gronro-Dir.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t come from the sea,¡± Alran said, scoffing.


    ¡°I¡¯m working on that,¡± Theo said. ¡°Broken Tusk is happy to offer supplies to Gronro-Dir when the time comes. Money, weapons, potions, whatever they need. I have a question. What can you provide?¡±


    Theo knew the answer before Alran spoke. He was just trying to poke the sweating merchant.


    ¡°Food. Wine. Textiles. Adventurers, if they¡¯re needed,¡± Alran said, puffing himself up. ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a fool, Theo. I made one mistake, but I¡¯m not so arrogant to think Rivers and Daub can weather this alone. We¡¯ve had enough problems with the monster waves.¡±


    That struck Theo in the heart, though. Broken Tusk was responsible for the monster waves, in a way. But he wouldn¡¯t apologize and look weak. He was trying to put things in place, make sure everyone knew where they stood.


    ¡°Broken Tusk is the industry, you¡¯re the farm, and Gronro-Dir is the sword and shield,¡± Theo said, nodding to the man. ¡°We¡¯re already enjoying a fantastic trade relationship. There¡¯s no reason to hurt that. An alliance. Three small towns against a kingdom, sounds good to me.¡±


    Theo reached out to shake the merchant¡¯s hand. Alran was dumbfounded, sputtering his objections. He never expected Broken Tusk to agree so easily.


    ¡°Surely there should be stipulations,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°But we¡¯re not negotiating here. Not without Murder Passage at the table.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call it that,¡± Alran said, going white in the face.


    Theo and Alran agreed on basic terms, but nothing went into writing. They established an agreement to communicate at least every other day, sharing whatever information they had. Broken Tusk had little to offer in that realm. The thing that really reeled Alran in was a promise for decreased prices for everyone in the alliance.


    ¡°Well, now I¡¯m very interested,¡± Alran said, smiling for the first time since he got into the small, hot room.


    Theo rarely talked to other leaders in this world. He had a few questions lingering in his mind.


    ¡°Has Rivers ever thought of breaking from the kingdom?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Many times,¡± Alran said. ¡°As has Gronro-Dir. I suppose I¡¯ll give you a history lesson, if you¡¯ll have it.¡±


    ¡°Please, do,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the man.


    Alran withdrew a wineskin from his inventory, as well as two cups. He poured one for himself and one for Theo, sliding it across the table. The alchemist¡¯s advanced senses for alchemical meddling told him it was a simple berry wine, nothing untoward.


    ¡°After Balkor¡¯s Betrayal, almost everyone on the continent was dead,¡± Alran started, drinking deeply from his cup. Theo did as well, finding it to be pleasantly sweet and tart in equal measure. ¡°Glantheir stitched it back together at great expense, defying the other gods. The survivors rebuilt. Ogres sailed, however they sailed, from Slagrot, settling in the southern marshes. Broken Tusk. Settlers came from the north, joining with those Ogres to create the Half-Ogres we know today. Then Qavell was formed. They pushed south, conquering every town along the way. It didn¡¯t matter how small the town was, they planted their [Town Seed Cores] and reaped the taxes.¡±


    Alran paused for a long moment, leaning forward. ¡°My family has lived here since Balkor¡¯s Betrayal. Almost one thousand years of history, and the kingdom paved it in a month. We¡¯ve never enjoyed occupation. The curious thing about freedom from these shackles? The price goes up every time we try to pay.¡±


    Theo let out a steadying breath. Grub, his contact in the city, always seemed to push him away from the idea of the Duke title. If the kingdom was doing this to Rivers and Daub from the start, what hope was there for Broken Tusk to get out from under their thumb.


    ¡°I hold no grudge against Qavell,¡± Theo said. ¡°But if their ashes mean the growth of a new power, the southern alliance of towns, then I¡¯ll gladly watch it crumble.¡±


    Alran held his glass out, toasting the sentiment.


    ¡°We¡¯ll work on the name,¡± Alran said.

 Chapter 3.27 - Lodestones

    Alran¡¯s sudden appearance in Broken Tusk sent shockwaves through the town. News traveled fast, even as the town grew larger. As Theo and Alran exited the town hall, the concept of an alliance was the only thing hanging on anyone¡¯s lips. The alchemist gave a brief tour of the town and brought the Mercantile Chair to do business the way Broken Tuskers did. Atop the eastern wall, overlooking both the Elven Guardian and the nearly completed bridge.


    ¡°I was surprised to see a new bridge,¡± Alran said, withdrawing a comfortable chair from his inventory. Theo sat atop the crenelations.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been busy,¡± Theo said. ¡°What surprises me more than anything, is that you came alone.¡±


    ¡°I have my guards,¡± Alran said.


    Theo¡¯s mind had shifted completely on Rivers and Daub. He didn¡¯t appreciate their duplicitous nature, but he understood where they were coming from. Some people needed to be shown power to understand where they stood. With a shortage of high-level people in the south, this was easy for Broken Tusk to do. Now they sat on the wall as equals, scheming against a common enemy. That brought enemies together, after all.


    ¡°Yet I¡¯m suddenly worried about your safety,¡± Theo said, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°How kind,¡± Alran said flatly.


    There were several steps they could take immediately to improve their relationship with Rivers. The trade deal was a good start, but it wasn¡¯t the firm bedrock the alchemist wanted to seal the alliance together.


    ¡°A road,¡± Theo said, gesturing beyond the safety of his gates.


    Every road from Broken Tusk to Rivers and Daub was packed dirt?. Conditions were worse at the start of the Season of Blooms when the endless rains came to ruin it all. A sturdy road was a way to decrease the time for travel between the settlements. It would have a practical use, but also a philosophical one.


    Alran wiped his brow again. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to receive me so well.¡±


    ¡°I want to squeeze you for cash,¡± Theo said, grinning. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll want to use my port, and I¡¯ll charge your people for the privilege.¡±


    ¡°A port?¡± Alran said, ignoring Theo¡¯s snide comment. ¡°Honestly? That would¡­ We wouldn¡¯t need Qavell. Not for a damn thing. We could sail to Veosta, The Khahari, Slagrot, or even Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°That was my idea,¡± Theo said. ¡°A fleet of merchant ships, and perhaps a small military navy.¡±


    ¡°We would gladly pay the fee. Whatever it was,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°Roads first,¡± Theo said. ¡°Once my guys figure out how to make bridges, they¡¯re going to build my harbor. Then we can work on the roads, and talk about boats.¡±


    Theo and Alran went back and forth after that, discussing the best way to prepare for the future. Their thoughts both centered on the idea of a harbor on the eastern shores of the continent. It wasn¡¯t enough to build it. They needed to get the word out that it was functional and ready for travelers. Adventurers would come from other powers in the world to explore the local dungeons, strike trade deals, and experience the once-dead continent. All this talk got the Chair excited.


    Aarok came at Theo¡¯s request, joining him on the wall. The alchemist requested an escort for the chair, all the way back to Rivers and Daub. The Guildmaster saw how dire the expression on Theo¡¯s face was, assigning some of the best adventurers and paying out of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s private funds.


    Traveling from Broken Tusk to Rivers could take as much as a day, if you moved as slow as a normal person. But once a person pumped points into [Dexterity] and [Vigor], that journey would take far less time. Aarok expected them to return by the end of the day, but issued secret orders for some spying. Alran would expect that, though, and Theo hoped the Chair was smart enough to give them a tour.


    Once everything was sorted and the Chair was on his way back to Rivers and Daub, Tresk joined Theo to inspect the progress on the bridge. According to her, their first few attempts were horrible. It collapsed twice in one day, and three times the next. Their current iteration of bridgework held enough for someone to cross the wide river, and showed no signs of collapsing. Still, the alchemist kept his distance as he spoke with Ziz.


    There were more laborers than before. Ziz normally worked with 4 of his friends on stoneworking jobs, but there were twice as many working on the bridge. Everyone was expanding their teams, and for good reason. They were all stretched thin as the town grew more rapidly than they could keep up with. Still, they were excited with the idea of working on a road, promising their skills would expand after completing the harbor.


    Theo returned to town and had a short meeting with his people. Aarok, Luras, Alise, Azrug, and Tresk all attended. They shared the alchemist¡¯s feelings on the future of the town, wishing for nothing more than to get closer with their neighbors. Alise took the opportunity to command the room and give a full report of administrative concerns. Azrug gave a half-hearted report on their finances, looking as though he was tired from the task. Heavy bags sat under his eyes and he slurred his words as though he were about to fall asleep at any moment.


    Alise advised he hired administrators to help.


    Theo was happy to escape with his sanity. Any more meetings in the day would have worn him down, draining his mental stamina to nothing. There was much to do in the town, more than the alchemist could handle in a single day. Without the ever-growing support structure, he wouldn¡¯t get any of his alchemy done.


    Bal and his brothers didn¡¯t show up to shadow Theo, and a part of him missed them. They were all off testing his newest potion, likely in a dungeon, and Tresk was confident enough to leave the alchemist to his own workings for the day. He had several hours left on his [Potion of Limited Foresight], so that might have helped ease the Marshling¡¯s concerns. All the meeting with Alran and concern about Grub¡¯s grim message had his mind shooting in every direction. Only when things got stressful did he find the inspiration to move past a hard problem.


    Theo made his way back to Ziz and his workers, finding a nice spot by the river to sit and withdrawing a journal. He wrote everything he¡¯d learned about constructs. Since the Drogramathi Dronon didn¡¯t seem to care about doing it, he¡¯d be happy to take up the mantle. Once he was done writing his high-level thoughts, he added a section about power systems.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy,¡± Theo said. A worker had come over to see what he was doing, sitting there by a pile of chipped stone. ¡°Why bother with a complex power system?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the laborer.


    ¡°Imagine if you had your [Stonecutter¡¯s Core], but you needed another class to cut the stone,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a marble tablet from his inventory. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t make sense. Production chains are fine, but it''s nonsense if a class can¡¯t produce the base materials for crafting. What is the most pure concentration of mana I have?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± the laborer said, scratching his head. ¡°Potions?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Well, almost exactly,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a flask of [Mana Essence] from his inventory. ¡°Filling the core of a construct costs somewhere around 40 mana. This essence has about 100 potential mana.¡± He produced a glassware tray, setting his stone tablet inside and then pouring the essence over it. ¡°This is my power system. Alchemy. Makes sense, right?¡±


    ¡°Wait, is power mana?¡±


    ¡°No, mana is mana. Power turns into mana,¡± Theo said, rolling his shoulders. ¡°I misspoke. The golems run on mana. So they can recharge themselves by inserting these tablets into themselves.¡±


    Theo withdrew the tablet from the essence with a pair of alchemically neutral tongs. He held it up, letting the excess drip off before inspecting the new item.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Mana Construct]


    [Alchemy Construct] [Mana System]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Infuse an object with mana. Can be used as a disposable power system.


    Material:


    Stone (Perfect Quality)


    Effect:


    Holds 150 unaligned mana points. Distribution rate and total capacity limited by quality of materials. Tablet will break after all mana is expended. Cannot be recharged.


    ¡°A bit more complex than I expected,¡± Theo said, reading the description a few times.


    Several laborers had come over to check out what Theo was doing, but he did have a point. The amount of mana he infused into the golem was 40 points or so, which revealed a flaw in his strategy. He could keep dumping mana into the golem to keep it alive, or shove a [Mana Construct] inside, which would allow for longer operations. If the [Monster Core] was advanced enough, he could even tell the golems to refuel themselves. All of this for a few units of [Mana Essence]. He imagined mud golems running around with little essence tanks on their backs, but pushed the thought away.


    The most complex containment core Throk had made so far was a single iron cage, laced with intricacies. Theo selected that one for his newest experiment, and a level 10 Fald [Monster Core]. Next, he set the assembly on the ground and shoved a pile of chipped stone over it, watching as the marble attached itself to the new core. He introduced enough mana, then ordered the creature to life.


    A stone golem rose, assembling itself from the various chunks of marble strewn around the site of the bridge. It formed a rudimentary face, but still held the stunted limbs of the mud golem. Theo handed over the [Mana Construct], which the golem shoved in its chest, then inspected his newest creation.


    [Lesser Stone Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 10


    Stone is considered the most practical medium in golem construction. Stone golems are hard working, durable constructs.


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]


    Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)


    Medium: [Enriched Swamp Mud]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    There were many combinations Theo could use in golem construction. This seemed suited for work near the river, since the core came from the amphibious Fald. The addition of the [Mana Construct] gave him the sense that it would last for about a day before losing power. His only problem with the thing was the added mental strain. It was harder to keep his willpower around the level 10 [Monster Core], but a solution for that itched in the back of his mind.


    ¡°Say hello to your new helper,¡± Theo said, patting the rocky creation on the head.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Ziz said, poking his head out from behind the bridge. The golem waved back under Theo¡¯s command.


    The construct operated by Theo¡¯s will, not verbal commands. Still, it felt better to issue orders to the little guy out loud.


    ¡°Stick around here and do whatever Ziz tells you to do,¡± Theo said. ¡°When you¡¯re low on mana, come back to the Newt and Demon. There¡¯s going to be a crate outside with more [Mana Constructs]. Exchange your current one and discard the other. When Ziz is done working, patrol the mines and kill the monsters that spawn. Understood?¡±


    The golem nodded, but Theo made him do that. He could sense the construct¡¯s willingness to take orders, but that was the limit. The alchemist had given a few too many orders, which were pared down to a more simple set of instructions. Then, it turned to Ziz and waited.


    ¡°So, I just tell it what to do?¡± Ziz asked.


    ¡°You can think of it as a he, if it helps,¡± Theo said. ¡°But, yes. Just give him verbal commands.¡±


    Ziz didn¡¯t hesitate. He ordered the golem to pick up a heavy stone block, carry it to the far side of the bridge, then set it down. Impressed enough with the work, the stonecutters started shouting orders at the stone golem one after the other. Theo left them to have fun, feeling a thread of willpower trailing behind him as he went. The problem of maintaining his will over the constructs was easy enough to solve, although he didn¡¯t know how he knew. He made a note of that.


    It was later in the day than he liked, but Theo made his daily offering and went down to tend his garden. A lot of the work came down to weeding the plants. Anything he was cultivating just sat there, getting replanted every few days. Then, when something was fully cultivated, it was easy enough to just cut away a part of the plant for future growing, and save the rest. It seemed like the perfect mindless task for golems. The only problem was that strand of willpower, floating off toward the bridge.


    ¡°I need help,¡± Theo said, standing awkwardly after Zarali opened her door. He saw she was working on some enchanting task, but dropped what she was doing.


    ¡°Certainly!¡± she said, clapping him on the back. ¡°Construct troubles?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the best person to ask about this,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a way to take the mental strain off of so many constructs.¡±


    Zarali smiled. She pulled a jewel-tipped hairpin from her hair and handed it over. It was made of copper, tipped with a purple gem on the end.Theo inspected the device.


    [Decorative Lodestone]


    [Cosmetic Lodestone] [Enchanting Equipment]


    Rare


    Created by: Zarali


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    A lodestone acts as a focus point for a person¡¯s willpower. Issue a command to the lodestone, which will be repeated to attached artifices, devices, creatures, etc, who accept will-based commands.


    ¡°How much does this help?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°From what you described, this couldn¡¯t handle a single golem,¡± Zarali said. Right when Theo wondered why she even brought it up, she continued. ¡°But I can make a bigger one. I use them to split my concentration between enchanting tasks, especially ones that require my full attention.¡±


    For someone who had no experience with constructs, she seemed to work in an adjacent field to what he was using. Constructs seemed like an alchemist¡¯s solution to artifices, although using Throk¡¯s craft to create autonomous workers was a far off dream. Golems fell into a strange category of magical devices, halfway between an artifice and a potion. As strange as that was.


    Zarali invited Theo into her lab, crossing the room to retrieve gemstones. ¡°What type of mana are you using?¡±


    ¡°Unaligned,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m powering them with essences, now.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you clever?¡± Zarali said, withdrawing a handful of gems. ¡°Come up with that one on your own?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Theo said, feeling some amount of pride. ¡°The golems accept [Mana Essence] infused marble slates.¡±


    ¡°Very clever,¡± Zarali said. She closed her eyes and the green gems melted. She poured them onto the ground and it rose up like molten glass dripping in the wrong direction, forming a thin pillar of gemstone. Theo inspected the result, but it was close enough to the one Zarali had to do the same thing.


    [Large Ornamental Lodestone]


    [Cosmetic Lodestone] [Enchanting Equipment]


    Rare


    Created by: Zarali


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    A lodestone acts as a focus point for a person¡¯s willpower. Issue a command to the lodestone, which will be repeated to attached artifices, devices, creatures, etc, who accept will-based commands.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you how it works,¡± Zarali said.


    The installation of the device was simple. Zarali asked him where he wanted the golems to work, and she drove the lodestone into the ground near his greenhouses. Then, they went off to form 2 [Lesser Mud Golems]. Theo used a level 10 [Monster Core] from an Ogre Snapper, and iron containment cores. He didn¡¯t want to go forward into using the complex version of the cores he had in mind, sticking to the ones that worked. 2 golems rose from the mud outside the western gate, stretching the alchemist¡¯s will to its limit.


    Theo led the group back to his new lodestone where Zarali instructed him on binding them there.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to infuse your will into the gems,¡± Zarali said. It was hard for Theo to pay attention, but he managed.


    Zarali went through the steps to bind his will, and it was easy enough. He held the lodestone, feeling something of himself pass into the pillar of green gems. Then, he transferred command of the golems to the lodestone, feeling that thread of will lightening. He took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The longer he was attached to so many higher-level golems, the harder it was for him to focus. It was as though someone pulled a curtain over his consciousness, but freedom from that burden felt like a relief.


    Instead of the three threads of will flowing from him, there were only two. One going to the bridge construct, and one to the lodestone.


    ¡°That helped, right?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°When you want to issue commands, or change current commands, just send it to the lodestone,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Make sure your [Power Siphon] is on in the lab. The lodestone should be able to reach it from here. Perhaps anywhere in town.¡±


    Only Zarali would offer to do something like this for free. Theo bound his will to the lodestone, giving his new creations a simple series of instructions. He didn¡¯t want to complicate things, so he would have them weed the gardens and pick reagents outside of the greenhouses. The alchemist set up a few [Dimensional Storage Crates] for them to deposit their findings in, and another for them to withdraw [Mana Constructs]. He then tended to his reagents, all while the Drogramath Priestess watched and chatted.


    Each greenhouse was coming along nicely. He¡¯d have 100% cultivated reagents soon, even as he was pushing for the new goal of 200%. The [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] was climbing toward that goal, but it was slow. Considering all these things, the alchemist felt good about the day. Without the need to judge wreaths, he was free to pursue whatever he wanted. There was a lot of work to do.

 Chapter 3.28 - Fenians Hallowed Ground

    Theo was done with his greenhouses for the day. He made a list of things he could do for the rest of the day, finding himself falling into a familiar trap. He put too much on his own plate too often, drowning in work. Perhaps it was some self-imposed feature of the body he inhabited, preventing him from doing too much alchemy and out-leveling his [Tara¡¯hek] core. Nothing would seem strange by now, not even something as a created fate.


    It was easy to let those concerns fall away. With properties to discover, various experiments to conduct, and a town to run he wasn¡¯t short on tasks. Fenian had already left, but there were still potions to brew. After discovering the [Mana Construct], Theo felt a sudden urge to get some [Manashrooms] cultivated. There was room enough in his mushroom cave, as the truffles had taken to the cultivation process slowly. He stopped by the bridge, borrowing his [Lesser Stone Golem] and heading off for the cave that held the mana mushroom.


    This was a precaution, though. Adventurers had been regularly clearing the cave out, often harvesting the mushrooms themselves. When Theo approached, there was no sight of the strange insectoids anywhere. But the golem was a comforting presence. The alchemist sent the construct in, not willing to risk himself for anything. It found a patch of the pulsating blue mushrooms quickly, bringing it back to him with an infectious eagerness. He stuffed the mushrooms away and dismissed the golem on his way back to the lab. Ziz would be happy to get his helper back.


    Against Theo¡¯s expectations, the [Swamp Truffle] had taken up most of the cave. He had to dig through the beds to retrieve them, only their leathery caps sticking out. He culled almost all of them, selecting a few to go on to the next generation. The [Spontaneous Spores] expansion for the [Mycology Cave] would have been the culprit for their expansion, but he needed room for the [Manashrooms]. After dashing a bottle of [Aerosolized] [Lesser Potion of Growth] against the ground, he left them to grow.


    [Hallow Ground] was an interesting property. If a person were fighting the undead, they needed the potion. That¡¯s what Theo determined by Fenian¡¯s intent. He inspected an old potion he made, something that seemed to have little use at the time.


    [Lesser Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a twenty pace circle around themselves with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the circle, but will be banished when they do so.


    It wasn¡¯t up to his current standards for potion making. If this came out at the end of a distillation process now, he¡¯d throw it out. That bit of Zarali bled into him more as the days went on.


    Theo had a few tasks to accomplish with what little of the day remained. It was midday, but he had enough time to run some tests. His top priority was to get a better version of the [Hallow Ground Potion], and figure out the best modifier pairing for it. He assumed Fenian was delving ruins in Gardreth and needed to keep the undead horrors away from him, so a few modifiers came to mind. [Aerosolize] would likely make the effect a gas cloud, instead of a circle. [Web] would make it target fewer undead, while having an increased effect. [Decay], [Anti-Mage], and [Sear] might all be useful, but it was hard to tell without experimentation.


    The alchemist started as he did with most things by sending it through the stills. While he let that work, he bolstered his supply of the more common modifiers. With the stills all running at full capacity, [Power Siphon] humming ominously, and fermentation barrels bubbling, the lab was getting too hot. The idea of a cooling system was pushing itself to the forefront of his mind.


    The crates within the lab were scattered with so many abandoned experiments, as well as leftovers from sieges. At a point, Theo crafted large amounts of [Basic Freezebombs] to combat the monster waves. He was left with several units of [Freeze Essence]. It was low-quality, unrefined essence, but it worked perfectly fine for experimentation. The alchemist consulted his mental notes, physical notes, and his copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy before proceeding to experiment. [Freeze Essence] didn¡¯t make a standard potion, but his intuition said it could make what he labeled as detergent-style potions.


    Thinking about it, marking them in his mind as detergents wasn¡¯t accurate. It was just the most common use for the technique, even if Perg¡¯s tannery relied on a stripping solution made from the same method. It was too late to change the name now, so he went forward with the experiment.


    The ratio of water to essence followed the standard he¡¯d seen before, a tenth of a unit of essence to 5 units of water. It would have been nearly impossible for a normal person to get the amounts right, but that was a strength of his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] he often overlooked. He measured it down to the exact tenth of a unit, watching as the water formed tiny ice crystals. But it didn¡¯t freeze, and a new solution was created. He inspected the result.


    [Freeze Solution]


    [Cooling Agent]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Apply to dramatically lower the temperature of anything.


    Effect:


    Apply enough solution to freeze an object, person, monster, etc.


    Theo poured a drop of the solution on the ground without waiting, or thinking, about the consequences. Almost nothing happened. The spot where the solution made contact got rather cold, but it didn¡¯t produce the magical effect he expected. His lab wasn¡¯t miraculously cooled in moments, which was disappointing. He poured most of the 5 unit solution out on the ground, only gaining frozen floorboards for his efforts. The alchemist took physical notes on this discovery, underlining Throk¡¯s name three times before moving on.


    Air conditioning worked somehow back on Earth. It had something to do with blowing air over something cold, then cycling that through a building. Theo never paid attention to the way things worked, leaving him to riddle it out with his current knowledge. He settled on the idea of an artifice to blow air over copper tubes filled with his [Freeze Solution]. Throk would have more insight on the matter, and he moved on to inspect his distilling [Swamp Truffles]. Enough of the essence had brewed out for him to run a test on the [Refined Hallow Ground Essence].


    Theo¡¯s new sense for alchemy let him know this essence could be brewed in two different ways. The first was the drinkable version, while the second would be a bomb that held a similar effect. He made one of each and examined them individually.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the circle, but will be banished when they do so.


    An increase in the effectiveness of a potion was standard for a jump to the second tier. Theo was disappointed it didn¡¯t gain an additional effect, but it made for a more powerful base to apply modifiers. He examined the bomb version, the only difference in their creation being the intent while brewing. A better vessel for the volatile bomb helped as well.


    [Hallow Ground Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Shatter against a target, or surface, to inflict damage to undead targets.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Effect:


    Shattering this bomb against an undead target will inflict scaling damage based on the quality of this bomb.


    It was different enough to be useful, but hard to judge. Theo had never faced down undead creatures, but they must have been hard to deal with. It was a passing interest, and he moved on to selecting the best modifiers for the potion version. The bomb could wait until he consulted with someone familiar with undead monsters. Instead of going for the modifiers that made sense, he first went for the ones that didn¡¯t to rule them out. The alchemist applied the green-yellow [Surge] modifier essence to the potion, transferring it into a 4 unit vial. He examined the result after the smoke cleared, tilting his head to appreciate the vent that finally worked.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Surge]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to send off a pulse of power that forces undead to flee.


    Effect:


    All undead within your line of sight have a 50% chance to flee, based on the user''s mana. If any of the undead targets within your line of sight have a greater value of mana, every undead resists the effects.


    This potion fell into the category of potions that were too complicated for Theo to understand. He knew what it did, based on his knowledge and the description, but couldn¡¯t tell if it was useful. A mage who used this could cause fields of undead to flee, turning the tide in a battle where the undead forces outnumbered defenders. He decided it was a good potion, and set it aside to show Fenian.


    Next up was a more powerful modifier, the [Refined Anti-Mage] essence. The description on this modifier claimed it would often add another modifier, thanks to his alignment bonus. This additional modifier was the reason Tresk¡¯s poisons were so powerful. He introduced the liquids, inspecting the result.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Refined Anti-Mage]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the circle, but will be banished when they do so.


    All undead within the radius of the circle will have all their mana sapped, granting it to the target.


    All undead within the radius of the circle will be silenced from spellcasting for an hour.


    There it was. The overpowered potion Theo expected from the [Anti-Mage] property. It didn¡¯t mention the level of the undead target, which meant this would cancel the efforts of any undead magic user. The only problem he could see with it was a person had to be close enough to use the potion. That was enough to level the playing field, but a thought stuck in his mind. He hadn¡¯t considered the undead wielding magic.


    The [Decay] modifier refused to bind to a [Hallow Ground Potion], as did [Sear]. Theo ran down the list of his modifiers, creating many duds and leaving only the best for less. Best was a relative term though, because the modifiers he applied were [Web], [Aerosolize], and [Embolden]. [Embolden] had created effects that would kill the user, if they didn¡¯t know what they were doing. He avoided it for that reason, but Fenian was clearly looking for effective weapons.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Embolden]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Emboldened Hallow Ground] effect. The imbiber must overpower the will of each undead, in succession. Failure to overpower will result in the user¡¯s mind joining the undead¡¯s collective. Success will put those undead affected under the user¡¯s control.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely horrifying.¡±


    He sealed the knowledge away in his mind, drawing the potion in his inventory to destroy later. Things like this didn¡¯t need to see the light of day. Only a desperate idiot would try to use the potion. Theo knew from controlling the golems, the [Lesser Stone Golem] still sapping his will, how difficult it was to maintain control. He inspected the [Aerosolize] potion next.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Aerosolize]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Shatter to create a cloud of denial.


    Effect:


    Throwing this potion creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the cloud, but will be banished when they do so.


    [Aerosolize] was predictable, and Theo was satisfied with the results. It took the base potion and made it a bomb, which was fantastic. He¡¯d need to modifier the container, as every flat-bottomed vial he created was unnaturally strong. When the alchemist used the [Glassware Artifice], he could specify the strength of the vials. Now he had a reference point for most of the modifiers, but he moved on to inspect the last one. [Web] was often a great modifier, and he was disappointed he didn¡¯t have any [Refined Web] on hand. The alignment effect was enough to make it worth it, but these were baseline tests.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Web]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a web of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbibing this potion creates a web of denial, applying the [Hallow Ground Web] effect to the nearest 20 targets. Undead, ghost, etc creatures will be banished when touched by strands of the web. Targets afflicted with [Hallow Ground Web] will receive the effect of [Hallow Ground] when the [Web] modifier expires.


    That was more complicated than Theo expected. 20 targets were bound by a web, and any undead that touched the web would be banished. Theo didn¡¯t know what ¡°banished¡± meant, but that didn¡¯t matter. He could imagine a field of undead, all crossing over the web to get banished. That was good enough for him, and he let out a breath.


    Theo fell back into a chair, wiping his brow with a cloth. The heat didn¡¯t bother him much, but the lab was sweltering. Even with the window open, it wasn¡¯t enough to stave off the fading sun outside. The Season of Fire was going to be rough if he didn¡¯t get his air conditioning idea working. Then there was the new project he promised himself to, the road. Something in his chest sang praises for that idea, but it would be expensive. He should have hammered out a better deal with Alran before he left, something like financial support.


    While he always thought solitude would fit him well, Theo was going stir crazy. It was only a few hours since he¡¯d talked to a person, but the lack of constant conversation was getting to him. It fell with his schedule to check in on citizens, though. With his [Hallow Ground] issue sorted, the only thing he needed to do with alchemy was wait for his gardens to grow. Then he¡¯d experiment with cultivated attribute-enhancement essences. He slipped downstairs and found Salire haggling with a customer. The alchemist watched the process.


    Azrug was a natural at squeezing coin out of people. The man, a Human, was arguing with his new Half-Ogre shopkeeper. She seemed meek when Theo saw her before, but here in her element she was fierce. When the man asked for an absurdly low price, the cost of potions skyrocketed. When he asked her to include something to sweeten the pot, she took it away. Theo could tell he was giving her a hard time, and felt a swell of pride when she refused to budge. They came to terms after a while.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Theo said, moving to clap his hand on her shoulder. She blushed.


    ¡°Sorry you had to see that,¡± Salire said. ¡°Traveling adventurers are a certain breed.¡±


    ¡°Where was he from?¡±


    ¡°Some no-name town west of Qavell,¡± Salire said, placing the coins she¡¯d made for the day on the counter. 10 gold for the pot. ¡°We¡¯re doing good so far. Just keep my shelves stocked.¡±


    Theo withdrew a few unmodified [Healing Potions] from his inventory and helped her restock the shelves. It wasn¡¯t a great offering, but it would do to hold people over.


    ¡°Just take whatever you need from the shop¡¯s coffers,¡± Theo said, waving her away. She was trying to give the money to him, but he wanted it to stay in the shop. ¡°Use the cash to buy stuff from traders. You¡¯ll get a lot of experience that way.¡±


    Salire put her hands on her hips, her face hardening for once.


    ¡°How are you in business?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my primary money-generating venture,¡± Theo said. ¡°This is just where I train new merchants.¡±


    She laughed at that.


    ¡°Still, I might rob your funds at any moment. Make sure you have enough to live on, but try investing the coin,¡± Theo said. ¡°Azrug did well that way.¡±


    ¡°He still has 100 gold here,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Yeah, and I bet he spent 500 on the gear he stocked,¡± Theo said. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to worry about the shop. I want you to run it, if Azrug isn¡¯t coming back.¡±


    ¡°He seems very busy,¡± Salire said, her gaze drifting off to the front of the store. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re taking requests¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°I need some attribute potions, and more of those healing pills,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°People like the pills?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°People love the pills,¡± Salire corrected. ¡°I only know because they keep asking for them.¡±


    Theo sent a mental command to his lodestone outside. His golems were currently searching for whatever they could find, but he replaced that instruction with another. He commanded them to find more [Marsh Tubers], a knotted root that created the [Solidify] modifier essence. He sensed they knew what he meant, leading him to believe they had some of his core¡¯s abilities. The alchemist produced his [Mana Essence] and marble tablets and created more [Mana Constructs] for his golems. Salire watched on with curiosity in her eyes.


    ¡°How do you like it here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± Salire said, shrugging. At least she was honest. ¡°I heard you haven¡¯t been the mayor for more than a season. And before you, it was a destitute place.¡±


    ¡°Seems like part of someone¡¯s plan,¡± Theo said. ¡°If you could answer the question of who created that plan, you can have all my gold.¡±


    ¡°Drogramath?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo said. ¡°Maybe not. Say, what do you know about coin pressing?¡±


    Salire knew more about minting coins than Theo expected. She corrected him immediately, letting him know there was more than one method to make currency. Gronro-Dir had their own mint, but they used an upgrade that allowed them to pour metal into a mold. He picked her brain for a while, feeling bold now that he knew a close neighbor was creating money.


    ¡°They do it for the prestige,¡± Salire said with a defeated shrug. ¡°They¡¯re lucky if they get 10 silver in a week, but¡­ I guess that won¡¯t be a problem here. You take a breath and get a lungful of Drogramath¡¯s power.¡±


    Theo nodded. Now he just needed the seed core. Then things would really come together.

 Chapter 3.29 - Have Faith in This!

    Theo often wondered how he ran the town without support. He stood with Alise as the sun set over Broken Tusk, looking from the eastern wall. The bridge was done, a surprise to everyone, and they were planning for the harbor. She drew lines with her fingers, detailing how hard it was going to be to dig out so much bare earth, then fill in a portion of it with stonework. She talked him out of doing such a deep harbor, favoring only the depth he needed for boats not to run aground.


    Tresk had returned from her daily adventures. She was riding the [Lesser Stone Golem], which apparently listened to her will.


    ¡°Throk already has something we can use to remove excess water,¡± Alise said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to work closely with everyone to make this work, and I have my doubts.¡±


    Theo waved her away. It was the first enormous project of this nature Broken Tusk had attempted, and there were going to be mistakes. It wasn¡¯t worth worrying about what could go wrong. They¡¯d just deal with it when it happened. The biggest problem with the harbor was the 2 opposing forces. The river will fill the hole he made, and the ocean might flow back to do the same. If this world had drastic tides, that would add to the problems. Still, the alchemist couldn¡¯t help but feel excitement.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to work one way or the other,¡± Theo said. ¡°If the ocean fills in our hole, we¡¯ll load everyone with potions so they can breathe underwater. If everything collapses, we can send for an [Earth Mage]. We¡¯ll make it work.¡±


    ¡°We should have sent for an [Earth Mage] to start with,¡± one of Alise¡¯s new administrators said.


    ¡°Got the coin for that?¡± Theo asked, leaning in and smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t either. So we use potions and good old Broken Tusk muscle to solve the problem.¡±


    The group debated the ideas for some time, coming up with backup plans for their backup plans. Theo saw it as a healthy discussion. He didn¡¯t want to stifle his administrative staff¡¯s creativity, but he also didn¡¯t want them to hinder the project. When bureaucrats impeded progress, that¡¯s when he¡¯d put his foot down. The harbor was happening, starting tomorrow, and they¡¯d just have to figure out a way to help or move out of the way.


    Theo bound his [Lesser Stone Golem] to the lodestone, giving his creation the same instructions as the mud men. There was enough [Mana Constructs] to keep them running for a few days, assuming they didn¡¯t degrade with use.


    Xam was getting artful with her food creations. She served layers of bread, egg, meat, and savory sauce in a Pozwa egg. The eggs were roughly the size of Theo¡¯s head, and the shells were thicker than the width of his little finger. When everyone was done eating the delicious meal, he took their shells into his inventory. It seemed wasteful to throw away good alchemy ingredients.


    Zarali didn¡¯t join Tresk and Theo to the bathhouse today. They went alone and enjoyed the silence it brought. The pair of them soaked in the hot water without sharing words. They shared something else entirely. Through the Tara¡¯hek, they shared thoughts and concepts that transcended words. Without speaking a word of it to each other, they pushed the bounds of the core. Theo got the sense that Tresk had been in a dungeon today, and that she was having a lot of fun. It was hard for him to get much more than that, but he shared his experiences for the day with her.


    ¡°You brewed potions?¡± Tresk asked, mocking him. ¡°What a shocker!¡±


    Theo summoned motes of Drogramathi mana and did his best to chase her around the bath with them. She didn¡¯t explain why, but she was afraid of those floating wisps. His control of mana was getting better, but it was slow. It was nothing like earning experience to level his cores, he actually had to do the work. But that was a warning he got recently. Level 30 was the cutoff. After that, things would be harder. That was the reason there was a vast gap between people at level 30 and anything higher. You either learned how to control yourself, or you died.


    It was comforting, even if the alchemist didn¡¯t know why. He was eager to improve himself and his town, and this was a great way to pass the time. Chasing Tresk around with purple fire became less fun when she used her core¡¯s abilities, easily dodging the flames. Still, silly games like this were a great way to improve his control and gain experience for his [Tara¡¯hek Core] at the same time.


    When they retired to the Newt and Demon, well before they were kicked out tonight, they fell into the Dreamwalk. Tresk wanted to give Theo a tour of the inside of some dungeons, and he was eager to see it.


    ¡°This floor is interesting,¡± Tresk said, gesturing to the surrounding scene.


    According to the Marshling, it was the first floor of the [Swamp Dungeon], as she remembered it from long ago. This was before the dungeon started growing, but it was still fascinating. The entrance of the dungeon stood behind them, a swirling mass of black and green energy. The dungeon itself was segmented into rooms, the first of which looked like a swampy cave. Plants hung from the walls, debris from an abandoned cart was stuck in some mud, but there was no sign of monsters.


    ¡°When I was trying to start off, this room was hard,¡± Tresk said. She waved her hands, and a group of Goblins and Ogre Snappers appeared. ¡°Can you imagine? Five level 5 Goblins almost killed me when I first got my [Rogue¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°Five Goblins is a lot,¡± Theo said. ¡°How do the monsters regenerate?¡±


    ¡°Depends,¡± Tresk said, shrugging. ¡°The [Swamp Dungeon] can fracture itself into multiple instances that bind to your soul. So more than one person can run it at the same time. The other dungeons aren¡¯t strong enough for that, yet. So everyone just piles in those.¡±


    ¡°That makes it more dangerous,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah. I like danger,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The scene shifted. They were standing in a large, circular cave. Around the room were pools of marshy water, plants and bone sticking from under the water. Braziers hung from the ceiling, supported by clattering chains. Tresk waved her hand again, and a two-headed Troll appeared on the far side of the room. He¡¯d seen them before during monster waves.


    ¡°10th level boss,¡± Tresk said, blowing raspberries. ¡°He¡¯s easy. I just sneak past all the floors and kill him so I can go down. Sometimes he rotates out for a one-headed version.¡±


    The scene shifted again. They were in a similar room, this time with more water covering the ground. Tresk summoned the next boss, who also didn¡¯t attack. This was a team of bosses. A wolf-riding Goblin, a Troll, and an Ogre Snapper. Theo assumed this was the level 20 boss room.


    ¡°Yep. Level 20,¡± Tresk said, picking up on his thoughts. ¡°They¡¯re kinda hard. Nothing compared to level 30.¡±


    Tresk swiped her hands, and they descended the dungeon. The next room was massive, at least twice the size of the previous rooms. There was no more land, just the stretch of swamp. The fires seemed to burn brighter in this room. When the Marshling produced the next boss, Theo could see why the room was so large. The Ogre Snapper that appeared was massive. Its shell almost touched the ceiling of the room. Every piece of the monster¡¯s body was covered in a thick, bony plate, as though it had a shell on every limb.


    ¡°Big old turtle,¡± Tresk said, running over and slapping the turtle¡¯s leg. She barely came up to its knees. ¡°I couldn¡¯t beat him without the poisons.¡±


    Theo studied the snapper for a moment, nodding. That made sense, but the thing must have been slow. A few good [Freezebombs] would lock it in place, then her poisons would do their work. This might have been a suitable candidate for the [Dessicate] modified [Poison]. But that was academic. Tresk had her own way of fighting, and he wouldn¡¯t question it.


    ¡°Each level the dungeon gets, it gains a new floor, right?¡± Theo asked. He¡¯d never been much to entertain dungeon theory. But knowledge was always useful.


    ¡°Correct, my student,¡± Tresk said, bowing. ¡°Then every 10th floor, they get a boss. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re actually descending to lower levels. This place would just be all water. This is another dimension, or something.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°And Xol¡¯sa¡¯s new wards are working?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t had a new level to this bad boy in forever,¡± Tresk said, letting out a wistful sigh. ¡°On the bright side, the other dungeons finally have bosses.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Show me Rivers and Daub again.¡±


    Tresk shrugged, shifting the scene with a thought. They were standing in Rivers and Daub as it was at least a decade ago. Theo turned north, something he could only do by tracing the path of the river. He spotted the mountains far in the distance, and could even see the cut where Gronro-Dir must have been. Broken Tusk didn¡¯t have line of sight on Rivers, but that was a feature of the rising landscape. The only reason he could see where Gronro rested was because of the scale of those mountains.


    ¡°Gigantic mountains,¡± Theo said, whistling.


    ¡°Yeah, something about that Elf god,¡± Tresk said, waving it off. ¡°There¡¯s a song about it, but I can¡¯t remember the words.¡±


    Theo was just impressed that her memory of Rivers and Daub was good enough to produce this strong of a picture. The event must have stuck with her, but he wouldn¡¯t pry. He could sense it was attached with other feelings. Loss, mourning, and other feelings she didn¡¯t want to face.


    ¡°We need fresh memories for the Dreamwalk,¡± Theo said. ¡°How quick can you get from Broken Tusk to Rivers?¡±


    ¡°Real quick,¡± Tresk said, pulling her daggers out and stabbing at the air. ¡°Like that quick.¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Theo said, leveling his gaze at her.


    ¡°Less than a day,¡± Tresk said. ¡°As long as there¡¯s some shaded trees.¡±


    ¡°How about Gronro-Dir?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, so here¡¯s the problem,¡± Tresk said, folding her arms. ¡°[Shadowdance] allows me to jump from shadow to shadow, but I need to see it. I can jump from here to those mountains if I can spot a shadow. But then I¡¯m on a freezing cold mountain.¡±


    ¡°So, longer,¡± Theo said, nodding.


    ¡°Yeah, longer,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You want me to jump to Rivers to scout? Good idea. Gronro might be a problem, but I¡¯ll check it out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I have faith in your abilities,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Have faith in this!¡± Tresk shouted, summoning 10 Troll bosses. They attacked Theo immediately. ¡°Surprise!¡±


    Theo held his own against the Trolls for a while, but they were too overwhelming. Even with his retreat tactic, he wasn¡¯t able to get all of them in one go. After Tresk dismissed them, declaring him dead, she went off to train on her own. The alchemist saw this as a win, since he could conduct his experiments without her conjuring any more assassins, Trolls, or Dragons to ruin his night.


    In the Dreamwalk, experimentation was more valuable than training for Theo. He worked a small patch of ground, growing various reagents to get his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] up, but it wasn¡¯t his focus. Understanding constructs just felt important. He started by unraveling the lodestones. He could imagine the one that Zarali built and test it without fear of breaking it. True to her word, and the name of the item, it was an anchor for his will. It still required his mind to work, but it acted like a coprocessor, reducing the strain on his mind.


    Next on his list was the usefulness of the [Power Core]. Since he¡¯d seen one, he could reproduce it. While it gave the golems an incredibly long operating time, it wasn¡¯t worth the trouble. [Manashrooms] were easy enough to grow. His constructs could swap out their own batteries and keep on functioning. Having operational helpers was more important than having perfect helpers, especially if he could make a large quantity of them.


    He spent the rest of the Dreamwalk running simulations on the harbor project. This talk would be impossible without magical help. There was just too much dirt running from the bridge to the ocean, and Theo was seeing the wisdom of Alise¡¯s new plan. The potions would run out before he got halfway to the ocean if he dug it as deeply as he wanted. The ocean often rushed in when he tested, following the path left by the river. If Throk said he had a solution, he wouldn¡¯t fight it.


    Theo got a smattering of experience when he woke up the next morning. The [Tara¡¯hek Core] rolled over to level 18, but got no bonuses. Where his other cores struggled to gain experience at this level, the Tara¡¯hek didn¡¯t care. As long as Tresk and Theo were doing things together, they got experience. They made their way to get breakfast after checking on the constructs. Alise directed them to the town hall, forcing them to bring their breakfast along for the ride.


    Alise wanted to hold a meeting to make sure everyone knew what they were doing for the harbor project. She still thought it wouldn¡¯t work, or they¡¯d run into something they couldn¡¯t solve, but she pushed forward. The harbor was alluring beyond reason. If they wanted to get noticed by foreign nations, this was the best way to do it.


    Ziz and Throk were heading up the construction-side of things, sharing the responsibility for removing the water as it was a problem. Alise would measure, plan, and correct as they worked. She designated half of the day for the task, repeating until it was done. That gave everyone enough time to handle their other tasks while still getting the job done. After the artificial harbor was done, Theo would plant the seed core and they would all shove as many monster cores in as it would take.


    Throk showed off his water-sucking device. He called it that, anyway. It was a simple pump, but it might not have been enough. Theo changed his mind after the artificer produced 15 more identical pumps.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to expand the city until the harbor is done,¡± Alise said, snapping her fingers to get everyone¡¯s waning attention. ¡°So, Tresk is on defensive duty. She¡¯s rounded up a few adventurers to help us out. Anyone with an inventory is on notice for stone-hauling duty. Ziz and his boys can effectively weld them together with their new skills. Got it?¡±


    Everyone mumbled their approval and the group broke. Theo finished his meal long ago, disappointed there wasn¡¯t another shell for him to pilfer. He had enough [Tunneling Potions] to get the job going today, but he¡¯d need to brew more for tomorrow. Alise clapped her hands as she led everyone to the work site, trying to keep the workers focused. She drew people from every profession, and those who hadn¡¯t found jobs in the town. Even with taxes looming, she had a decent buffer to get them paid for their work, although most offered to work for free.


    The first stage of the harbor was the easiest, if not the most tense. Alise placed sticks in the ground, one on the close side of the river and the other on the far side. She mimed drawing a line, then gestured to Theo. It was his turn to etch the vague shape of the harbor out. Looking down at the distant glint of the ocean to the south made him realize how daunting the task was. He dumped the first potion and cut a line between either side of the riverbank. A single potion was enough to make a line Theo¡¯s height wide and as deep as Alise needed it. She told him to stop when it was at the right depth.


    The group watched as the water rushed to fill the hole, the edges of the shape crumbling in to join the slurry.


    ¡°That was expected,¡± Throk said, grunting. ¡°Just wait for it to get bigger.¡±


    No one acted. All eyes turned to Theo and he repeated the process under Alise¡¯s guidance. She had a good plan, and he didn¡¯t want to mess it up. Several potions later, they had a square pit that filled less rapidly with water. Tresk passed out [Lesser Potions of Wake]. She¡¯d been hoarding them to run the [River Dungeon], which sat upstream from where they were. Throk got to work.


    Before long, a chorus of artifices running filled the air. They pumped the water at a wild speed, sending water in every direction as though shot from a firehose. When they ran out of water to pump, they simply shut down. The artificer was a genius with automated responses from the machines, something Theo appreciated on his timed flame artifices.


    Ziz¡¯s team descended into the wet pit, going to work with abandon. They framed the massive walls in minutes, setting wooden scaffolding out with trained precision. This reminded Theo more of the work they did at the quarry. This was their element. He turned his attention, focusing on burning through as many potions as he could. As long as the artifices could keep up and the ocean didn¡¯t rush in, they were fine.


    The distance they covered in a single half-day of work was equal to half the width of Broken Tusk. Ziz¡¯s group wasn¡¯t done setting walls and floors for the muddy put, but they were working at a steady pace. Theo watched as the Half-Ogre placed a brick against the mud wall, held his hand over it, and fused the two marble stones together. It gave the appearance of perfectly hewn stones mortared to perfection.


    ¡°This is lavished,¡± Tresk said, snorting a laugh. ¡°Marble for a harbor. How fancy.¡±


    When the midday sun came and went, Theo inspected the work. Alise was calling for them to stop working for the day, but everyone seemed fervent about completing the assignment. Even if they were paid by the day. The head of the harbor was thicker than the passage that led out to sea. They needed a lot of space for people to moor their boats near the harbor seed core building, but the passage only had to allow a few boats at a time. During the early stages of dumping his potions, Theo had widened it beyond what Alise requested, gaining a firm scolding. But it was better for the long run.


    Theo clapped his hands to gain everyone¡¯s attention when they stopped working. The crowd was milling around, edging toward the town¡¯s wall to get back to their lives.


    ¡°Food is on me while you¡¯re working,¡± Theo said, gaining a ripple of cheers. ¡°Lifetime discount at the Newt and Demon for anyone who finds buried treasure. I keep the treasure, you get 10 percent off.¡±


    That got enough laughs to put a smile on Theo¡¯s face. He gave his thanks to everyone who filtered back toward the town. Ziz and his laborers were stubborn, refusing to leave until they finished the current section of the seawall. Throk was discussing something with them. Some need to brace the wall near the length of the approach. They were planning on using massive metal arches, tall enough to allow ships underneath. Theo offered to pay, since it sounded like a talking point for the town.


    Tresk lingered with Theo, helping the stoneworkers where they could. It took most of the afternoon, but it was worth it. They were an eighth of the way toward the ocean and one step closer to their protected harbor.

 Chapter 3.30 - Antal

    The garden golems were doing a fantastic job of harvesting random reagents and keeping the weeds at bay. They understood how to recharge themselves using the [Dimensional Storage Crate], and seemed to need no rest. Theo stood in his cluster of greenhouses, kneeling to issue more commands. His audience, 2 [Lesser Mud Golems], and 1 [Lesser Stone Golem], looked on with interest. He made them look like that, but it felt better than just giving orders to soulless creatures.


    The mud golems would keep up their good work around the lab, while the stone golem would patrol for the night. He¡¯d walk the edge of the lodestone¡¯s range, searching for enemies. Not that Theo expected any, but it was good practice to learn how commands worked for the constructs. The alchemist placed a [Reveal Construct] within the [Lesser Stone Golem], ordering him to test it.


    A field of faintly shimmering light shot out from the little golem. Tresk let out a yelp, revealed from behind the lab. Theo knew she was normally lurking in the shadows, but it was still surprising.


    ¡°He¡¯ll look for stealth people,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°How is he gonna know if he sees a stealth person if they¡¯re stealth?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo shrugged. It was more about how cool the feature was, rather than a practical use.


    Tresk led the way to the Marsh Wolf Tavern for dinner. Theo met with Xam in her hectic kitchen, giving her a list of the names he was paying for that night. He paid upfront for a week, a decent estimate for how long the harbor project was going to take. The alchemist returned to the crowded tavern, finding the exterior dining to be superior. It was hot inside the tavern, filled with a strange mingle of sweat and cooking food. While the cook¡¯s newest rendition of wolf meat stew was delicious, the alchemist ate as quickly as Tresk.


    Xol¡¯sa rarely left his wizard¡¯s tower. When Theo saw him approaching, he feared the worst. The extra-planar Elf handled the magic that slowed and quickened the monster waves. The serious look on the Elf¡¯s face gave no information away, he always looked that way.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to prepare yourself for the next monster wave,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. When he approached, Theo could see how worn he looked. ¡°It won¡¯t rise to your expectations.¡±


    ¡°Explain yourself, wizard,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes at him.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be as powerful,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa shrugged. ¡°Is it? Well, I¡¯ve noticed your little workers.¡±


    ¡°The golems?¡± Tresk asked.


    Xol¡¯sa eyes drifted into the middle distance for a moment before locking on to Tresk. ¡°The golems,¡± he repeated. ¡°There are tales of wizards commanding minions. I don¡¯t have access to such magic, but I can see their use.¡±


    Theo nodded. He felt as though Xol¡¯sa was coming at him from a different angle than normal. Something close to academic interest. While they shared an interest in alchemy, only evidenced by strange equipment in the wizard¡¯s tower, they¡¯d never exchanged notes. The alchemist could only assume the constructs were enough of a motivator for him to start a conversation.


    Three golems waddled down the street. Theo commanded the [Lesser Stone Golem] to hug Xol¡¯sa¡¯s legs. He patted its head, a phantom of a smile playing across his face.


    ¡°They¡¯re made entirely of alchemy?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    Theo sent the mud golems off, inviting Xol¡¯sa to join them and the stone golem at the bathhouse. The attendant was reluctant to allow the creature inside, but bent when the alchemist assured her it would behave. It was his private room, after all. The trio were soaking in the pool moments later, the golem standing close enough so that Xol¡¯sa could study it.


    ¡°The skill does most of the work,¡± Theo said. ¡°[Alchemy Constructs].¡±


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, prodding the golem with his finger.


    Theo explained how they were constructed, showing the wizard an example of a containment core while Tresk swam in the bath. Xol¡¯sa explained the magic theory behind golems raised by wizards, and even undead minions by necromancers. The principle couldn¡¯t have been more different, as most magical constructs had absolutely no spirit. The golems had a faint soul, driven by the [Monster Core] in their containment core.


    ¡°But not really a soul,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, holding a [Monster Core] in his hands. ¡°More like a series of complex instructions meant to mimic a living being. But there¡¯s a decent enough theory to pursue. How close to a real monster are you getting with your creations?¡±


    ¡°They have no willpower,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°No agency at all. They just do what they¡¯re told.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa nodded.


    ¡°Have you heard of a [Coresmith]?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard tales,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°The concept seems too outlandish to be true. Cores cannot be created.¡±


    Theo sent a command to his stone golem, who waved at the Elf.


    ¡°Unless they can be.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s brow knit tight. He cupped his chin in his hand, his eyes drifting off once again. ¡°Well, it would be interesting. The [Coresmith] would hold great power.¡±


    Theo sank deeper in the water. Deep enough to cover his face, but not his ears. The idea was academic, but interesting. Fenian mentioned there were [Coresmiths] in the Elven kingdom, empire, whatever they were, but he didn¡¯t know if that changed much. Most seed and class cores dropped from dungeons, and they had no shortage of dungeons around Broken Tusk. The issue was, the local dungeons only produced base class cores. They had seen no seed cores, yet.


    Theo found a better rock to sit on, raising his head above the water. ¡°Well, what do you think about the harbor?¡±


    ¡°It looks magnificent, so far,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, brightening. ¡°That is the single biggest step you can take to get us known afar.¡±


    Theo nodded. He couldn¡¯t agree more. ¡°Tell me if you find a shipwright,¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°And someone to sail the boats. Well, how are you enjoying the town?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t be better,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, releasing a steady breath. ¡°More Demonic power than I could ever hope to study. Spatial distortions everywhere. Strange realms clashing against the will of a Demon Lord, and a merchant who travels the Bridge of Shadows. It is shocking there aren¡¯t more wizards here.¡±


    ¡°One wizard is enough,¡± Tresk said, glowering.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Speaking of wizards, why didn¡¯t you hire one to take care of the harbor?¡±


    Theo stretched out his back, trying to find a more comfortable position to sit in. His tail scraped against the stones. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hire one,¡± he said. ¡°I also wanted to show that we could do it. Under our own power, you know? What if we called for help every time we needed it?¡±


    ¡°You never call for help,¡± Xol¡¯sa corrected. ¡°You do everything yourself. Only recently have you created support staff. And you hardly use them.¡±


    That was true, even if Theo wouldn¡¯t say it out loud. He preferred to set people up and let them run on their own. They usually had better ideas than him. With the rate Broken Tusk was growing, other people would claim ventures within the walls but he owned the core production.


    ¡°He¡¯s working on it,¡± Tresk said, spitting water at the wizard. ¡°Give him time. He lost his entire world.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa face went dark, but he let out a sigh and regained control of himself. ¡°I understand his position more than you know, sweet Marshling. I¡¯ve lost my people as well.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Well, I should be going.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger,¡± Theo said, locking eyes with the wizard. ¡°You need to come to town more often.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. Then he was gone.


    Tresk and Theo lounged in the pool for a while longer. They had less to accomplish in the Dreamwalk than normal, but with the [Tara¡¯hek Core] at level 18, he was free to push for advancement in his other cores. They left when the attendant kicked them out. The [Lesser Stone Golem] went back to his old series of commands, walking the streets to find non-existent assassins, and the pair entered the Dreamwalk shortly after.


    Theo fell to another attack orchestrated by Tresk, but had a mind to grind alchemy. Creating and operating golems gave a small amount of experience to both his alchemy and herbalism cores, as the skill shared both domains. He went between experimenting with constructs, to failing to splice plants together, to brewing potions. Tresk found him after a while, having the foresight to test his various [Hallow Ground Potions].


    The Marshling had encountered undead in the [Swamp Dungeon]. While they were simple raised skeletons, Theo could test the effects of his new potion. Upon drinking a standard [Hallow Ground Potion], a circle of white appeared on the ground beneath him. It stretched out, creating shimmering white ground that pulsed with powerful energy. Tresk summoned a few of the skeletons, who crossed the line eagerly.


    The moment one of their bony feet stepped over the edge, white fire spread across their body and they fled. Banishment apparently meant that they ran. And they ran for a long time, sprinting as fast as their skeletal bodies would take them. The [Hallow Ground Bomb] worked as expected, covering the skeletons in white fire and eating away at their bones. The [Web] modifier acted exactly as expected, creating a line between several skeletons that forced the others to flee. When it expired, those affected also ran with abandon. [Aerosolize] was the most useful, creating a roving cloud of white fire.


    Theo couldn¡¯t test the [Anti-Mage] version of the potion, but was eager to see how the [Embolden] modifier worked. He drank the potion, feeling a thread of willpower connected between him and every skeleton in sight. His mind reeled from the required power, shattering his consciousness until the scene around him split. Then it reset, unable to comprehend the effects of the alchemist becoming one of the undead.


    ¡°Unsurprisingly, the [Embolden] property is dangerous,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That property sucks,¡± Tresk said.


    But the other properties didn¡¯t. Most of them were incredibly useful, and Fenian would be happy with them. Theo¡¯s only problem was whether he wanted the potions for free. Their agreement was that he got the mushroom cave for free, but they should have established a better deal. Since the alchemist had little use for the anti-undead potions, he shrugged it off. At least someone would use them.


    Theo was frugal with the rest of his time in the Dreamwalk. The amount of experiments he could run there was limited, mostly by his lack of new things to test. He couldn¡¯t move on to experiment with more essence-infused slates, and golems held no more secrets he could reach. He felt a sense of pride at that. When the alchemist hit his last barrier, he was clueless. Now he carried himself with confidence. This new Tara¡¯hek skill was overpowered. Doubling his working time for the day did wonders for his progress. Tresk experienced similar gains, rocketing toward level 20 in all 3 of her cores.


    Why she still held onto the [Tracker¡¯s Core] was beyond him. She showed no signs of upgrading it to something better, but he wouldn¡¯t pry. 2 legendary cores were good enough. That would have been her reasoning.


    Theo was happy to rise from the Dreamwalk feeling refreshed. It was still a shock to zip out of the strange landscape, only to find himself safe in his bed. Tresk joined him to distill [Living River Water] before heading off to eat breakfast. A pulse of familiar hot wind washed over them at the table, but they dismissed it for Zarali¡¯s probing senses. She must have been looking for someone.


    Each worker dedicated to the harbor project was there in the tavern. They assumed his offer for food extended to breakfast, so he paid Xam for the week. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell them he only meant dinner, but the cost was less than a gold coin.


    Taxes were due today, whatever this world¡¯s version of Sunday was, but Theo saw Alise had already handled it. She assigned someone labeled as a ¡®junior administrator¡¯ to the task. The mayor¡¯s interface was filled with notes on the correct way to take taxes, including accepting a good excuse as payment. Broken Tusk never had a problem with people not paying taxes, not those who could. Everyone else who was too broke to pay taxes was put on another list, detailing people who needed jobs. And there was no shortage of jobs.


    The work detail marched out of the gates after breakfast, Tresk included for security, and Theo considered his various operations. If he gave anyone a better payment scheme than he had, he would operate at a loss. They couldn¡¯t find traders to buy their goods fast enough, which made the port more important.


    Alise directed everyone for the morning. She planned on laying everything out then going off to manage the town. The Lady Administrator admitted that Ziz¡¯s good work put them ahead, and work began. Theo carved the landscape as Throk¡¯s machines hummed to life. The marble walls held up overnight, even as the pit filled with river water. On the far side of the paved harbor, the snaking river came back to life.


    After carving a fair section of the harbor, Theo was out of potions. He needed to head back to the lab and brew more, but the laborers had plenty of work to do. He was stopped by Tresk, pointing off down the river. A small Marshling, oddly similar to Tresk herself, was marching up the bank.


    ¡°Hey, boss,¡± he said. At least, Theo thought this was a he. ¡°Got a problem on the beach.¡±


    Tresk narrowed her eyes. ¡°What is it, Thronk?¡±


    ¡°Thronk?¡± Theo said, grimacing.


    ¡°Yeah. My brother. Thronk. I told you about him. Didn¡¯t I?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo didn¡¯t care whose brother he was. Throk was unimaginative with his naming scheme, but maybe it was a Bantari Marshling thing. The alchemist shrugged.


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Some guy came ashore on the beach. In a rowboat,¡± Thronk said. ¡°Thought you ought to know.¡±


    Then, the little mud-colored Marshling was off as if it was no concern to him. Theo drank a [Potion of Limited Foresight] and led the way down the river. The walk took a while, but he spotted the small rowboat on the sandy shores of the beach. True to the Marshling¡¯s words, there was a Khahari standing on the sands. Barefoot and clothed in little more than a tattered loincloth, the Khahari put off a strange aura of authority. If not for the man¡¯s ragged appearance, Theo would have thought he was a king.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said, waving. ¡°Are you lost? Need help?¡±


    The Khahari waited for Tresk and Theo to approach before bowing. When he rose, a smile hung on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m never lost,¡± he said.


    Theo¡¯s eyes went between the rowboat and the man. He certainly seemed lost.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Theo asked. ¡°There¡¯s a town. Up the river.¡±


    ¡°River?¡± the man asked, looking at the drying trickle of water that normally flooded into the bay. ¡°River bed, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Want some food, or not?¡± Tresk asked, glowering at the Khahari. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    He paused for a long moment, staring into the distance. The smile dropped from his face for a moment before he continued. ¡°An¡¯tal. You can call me An. Or Tal. Or An¡¯tal. Whatever you like.


    ¡°I¡¯m Theo. This is Tresk,¡± Theo said, gesturing to his companion.


    A pleasure,¡± An¡¯tal said, bowing again.


    ¡°Come on. Couldn¡¯t have been a quick trip in that boat,¡± Theo said.


    An¡¯tal¡¯s gaze went slowly from Theo to the boat. He smiled again and took a few tentative steps. He hummed a tune as he followed, actively refusing to answer the alchemist¡¯s questions.


    Think he¡¯s dangerous? Tresk asked.


    Maybe. But he looks pretty bad. Could have been lost at sea, Theo said.


    Still, we should be cautious.


    Theo¡¯s senses told him nothing about the Khahari. It was as though the place where the man stood was a void for his intuition, which likely meant the man was a high level. But it made little sense to appear on a beach, be walked into town, then attack. Anyone high enough could just destroy the place from a distance. No need for subterfuge.


    The workers checked on Theo as he passed, informing him they needed more space to make the wall. The alchemist sent Tresk with An¡¯tal to the Marsh Wolf Tavern while he went off to brew some [Tunneling Potions]. When he joined back with Tresk and the strange Khahari, he seemed eager.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to work,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, flicking him a sliver coin. An¡¯tal caught it with little effort. ¡°Do you know anything about stonework?¡±


    ¡°A thing. Or two,¡± An¡¯tal said.


    Theo made it back to the worksite with his new laborer. He sent him off to meet with Ziz, putting him down in the mud with the other stonemasons. It was dirty work down there. They had to shovel out mud that flowed back, move massive stones around in the muck, and set them in place to keep tons of earth from falling in. The alchemist didn¡¯t envy their job, but An¡¯tal didn¡¯t seem to care. He jumped down into the pit and landed as though he¡¯d just taken a step.


    The work went on. Theo had several moments where he was just standing around, waiting for the laborers to get everything in line so he could cut more ground. They were approaching the section of the harbor that narrowed out, meaning they had less work to do from here. Fewer stones needed to be moved, and less earth had to be drilled out with the potion. An¡¯tal worked with deliberate slowness. Every motion of his body seemed planned, almost robotic. But he did it all with a smile on his face.


    During his downtime, Theo noticed Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal standing on the eastern gate in the distance. He couldn¡¯t tell from this distance, but their pacing painted them as worried. Despite the dead spot An¡¯tal created for his intuition, his sense of logic wasn¡¯t hampered. When he brushed his intent over the man, laboring with excitement in the mud, the system refused to return the man¡¯s name, level, and class.


    A powerful Khahari, Tresk said after Theo exchanged his concerns. Question is, what is he doing here and why are the other Khahari all in knots?


    And why the hell does he want to labor in my mud pit? Theo asked. He shook his head, not willing to go down that road. There was work to be done.

 Chapter 3.31 - Spill the Beans

    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower was strewn with what could only be described as junk. Since he arrived in Broken Tusk, bringing all his belongings, he¡¯d only accumulated more. Every available shelf was full of devices, items, or trash. The wizard himself sat across from Theo, Zarali, and Tresk, taking part in the ongoing conversation. A magical fire crackled in the room''s corner, but it put off a pleasantly chilly wind instead of a hot one.


    Theo swirled his mug of wine. It was whatever Xol¡¯sa enjoyed drinking, and he enjoyed drinking it a lot. One of the center sections of the tower was now dedicated to casks of the stuff. Where he got it, the alchemist couldn¡¯t say. But it was good. Slightly more sweet than he liked, but a pleasant change of pace.


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about powerful Khahari, An¡¯tal doesn¡¯t show up in the history books,¡± Zarali said. ¡°The An family is old enough to appear, though. I don¡¯t see a record of Tal, though.¡±


    ¡°My magic is useless,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, shrugging. The Elf looked more dejected than normal.


    The group had retreated to the tower for dinner. The day of laboring saw more progress than the day before. Alise said they¡¯d be done before the original estimate, and Ziz took that as a challenge. Theo lent him the [Tunneling Potions] so he and his laborers could do some night working. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t object, as An¡¯tal rested heavily on his mind.


    ¡°The Khahari are a strange people,¡± Zarali said, taking a long drink of her wine. ¡°They follow a mortal named Khahar. Hence the name. But they¡¯ve had hundreds of notable heroes in their history. Strange thing, they all have one thing in common. They rarely leave the desert.¡±


    ¡°Why did you specify that Khahar is a mortal?¡± Tresk asked, leaning in. ¡°That¡¯s suspicious wording.¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s a mortal, by definition,¡± Zarali said, throwing her hands up. ¡°By all accounts he was here when the planet was formed. Lived through every age, and never left his desert. But that¡¯s our hint. He¡¯s raised many high-level warriors. This might just be his wayward son.¡±


    Theo nodded. The best way to figure this out would be to just talk to the man, but if he wasn¡¯t causing any trouble it was hard to justify.


    ¡°That just leaves Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal,¡± Theo said. ¡°Why are they acting weird?¡±


    ¡°The Khahari worship their heroes,¡± Zarali said, dismissing his thought. ¡°They might recognize this man from their tales.¡±


    Theo could live with having a legendary Khahari hero in his town. He didn¡¯t think An¡¯tal would stay for long, but he didn¡¯t care either way. He toiled hard in those mud pits, and was currently enjoying the bathhouse. The group gathered within Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower was left with no answers. They threw ideas at the wall, but nothing stuck. Tresk steered the conversation back to pleasant topics after a while, and the group just enjoyed the company. The tower was ?cozy, even with the occasional blast from the defensive wards outside. Firefly-like bugs floated by the window occasionally, adding to the ambience.


    ¡°We should come here more often,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Zarali said, making eyes at Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you not,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no problem to solve here,¡± Theo said, rising from his chair. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Zan¡¯kir when I can, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it''s an issue.¡±


    Everyone said their farewells. Xol¡¯sa activated his portal again, giving Tresk and Theo a ride back to town. Night had fallen, and while the alchemist¡¯s stamina was low from a day of work outside of his lab, it wasn¡¯t empty. They stepped through the portal and onto the hard cobbles of an empty street. A pale orange moon rose over the northern sky.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Theo asked, pointing at the moon.


    ¡°The moon,¡± Tresk said, scoffing. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°Antalis,¡± a voice came from behind. Tresk jumped. ¡°That¡¯s what my people call it. Dark most days.¡±


    Theo turned, unsurprised to find An¡¯tal standing there.


    ¡°In the low tongue, the bastard of Qoharin, Qavelli, they call it Aitilis,¡± An¡¯tal said, a gentle smile on his face. The orange light cast his sandy fur in a striking light. He had a proud face with a wide muzzle that seemed regal. ¡°The crawling adventurer. The midnight sun, the barrier world¡­ Ah. Good evening.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tresk said, waving. ¡°So, are you some Khahari hero?¡±


    An¡¯tal looked surprised at Tresk¡¯s directness, but his expression faded slowly back to a soft amusement. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡±


    That was all he said without further prodding. He put off an air that felt strangely familiar to Theo. Perhaps this was a Khahari that Belgar knew.


    ¡°What are you doing here, An¡¯tal?¡± Theo asked. There was no better time to ask the question.


    ¡°Searching,¡± An¡¯tal said, his voice drifting off. His eyes locked onto the moon.


    ¡°Well, did you find what you were looking for?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± An¡¯tal said.


    The hair on the back of Theo¡¯s neck stood up. He felt a sense as if they were being watched. The alchemist scanned the road, finding the source of the issue. A pair of ears stuck out from behind the adventurer¡¯s guild. A Khahari. Likely Zan¡¯kir or Zan¡¯sal. Whatever connection they had with this man ran deep. An¡¯tal turned his head in a slow, fluid motion to meet the gaze of the interloper. His eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Begone,¡± An¡¯tal whispered. And the offending Khahari was gone. He turned to Theo and smiled before continuing at full volume, ¡°are we meant to work tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re up for it,¡± Theo said. ¡°The laborers enjoyed having someone of your prowess down in the pit.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still working,¡± An¡¯tal said, eyes drifting back to the moon. ¡°They paid for my bath.¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk is legendary for its charity,¡± Tresk said, nodding.


    ¡°The legendary Theo Spencer,¡± An¡¯tal said. It was as though he refused to look at them. ¡°And his legendary town. Goodnight.¡±


    Then the strange Khahari was off, up the street and toward the inn. Tresk and Theo stood there for a long time, both trying to figure out what just happened. The Marshling slapped him on the back to break the silence.


    ¡°I like him,¡± Tresk said, turning and leaving without another word.


    After thwarting Tresk¡¯s attempt to kill him in the Dreamwalk, Theo summoned a likeness of An¡¯tal from his memory. He studied the figure for a long time, standing and cupping his chin in his hand. He scratched his head in frustration, finding the features of the Khahari too familiar to dismiss. An¡¯tal¡¯s coat was like the Khahari he¡¯d already seen, a mottled sand pattern, but his build was too familiar. There was something in the way a person walked that could give them away, but nothing came to mind. Like the void An¡¯tal made for his intuition. This felt like a piece of his memory was cut out and abandoned.


    While he couldn¡¯t shake the strange feeling, Theo moved on for the night. He ordered the image of An¡¯tal to accompany him on his experiments. Last night there wasn¡¯t much new to discover, and tonight was worse. The alchemist did the same few reactions he¡¯d done many times before, committing more of the heating processes to memory. He found a few better ways to run the stills, but no more progress could be made until he passed into the level 20 range. That¡¯s when things would get interesting, owing to the power of the [Reagent Deconstruction] skill he skipped.


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    Boredom took over, and Theo went to train with Tresk. He had no plans to fight anything in the real world, but it paid to stay sharp. She insisted he find a weapon that worked for him, but nothing felt right. Spears were too unwieldy, axes were rough, and daggers just felt too small. He simply fought her with his fists, almost keeping up pace with the rapid tempo of her combat. Between sparring sessions, they shared their thoughts on the way things were going.


    ¡°We still need boats!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°We need a place to build them.¡±


    They trained until the morning came and they found themselves back in their beds. After setting his stills to brew more [Living River Water], Theo intended to go get a bite to eat, then lead the laborers back into those muddy pits. A knock at the door downstairs and Tresk vanished from where she stood in the lab.


    It¡¯s Zan¡¯sal, Tresk said. She looks nervous.


    Theo descended to the first floor, opening the door to find the Khahari woman biting her nails. The alchemist let her in and led her upstairs. Without prompting, he put a pot of [Moss Nettle] tea on a [Flame Artifice] and set it to boil. He gestured for her to take a seat, and she did.


    ¡°You can¡¯t trust him,¡± she said after a long silence.


    ¡°Duh!¡± Tresk shouted, bursting from the shadows. ¡°We know he ain¡¯t An¡¯tal. We just can¡¯t figure out his real name.¡±


    Theo held his hand up, silencing the excited Marshling. ¡°Why can¡¯t we trust him?¡±


    ¡°Zan¡¯kir called him,¡± she said, looking out the window. ¡°Not that it matters. He can hear us.¡±


    ¡°The walls are pretty thick, lady,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo knew what Zan¡¯sal meant, but Tresk was wrong. An¡¯tal wouldn¡¯t be able to hear them because of the power of the Tara¡¯hek. If the man wanted to use otherworldly means of eavesdropping on their conversation, he¡¯d have to pierce into their private realm. From what he understood, that was difficult. It was like crossing from the Demonic Pantheon to the Prime Pantheon. A feat worthy of a god.


    ¡°So, who is he?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say,¡± Zan¡¯sal said. ¡°He¡¯ll know I gave him up.¡±


    ¡°So, write it down,¡± Tresk said, scoffing. ¡°Come on! Spill the beans!¡±


    Theo held his hand up to silence her again. ¡°You can¡¯t tell us who he is. Tell us why he¡¯s here.¡±


    Zan¡¯sal took a steadying breath. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to communicate with those in the Khahari desert. The power there makes long-range communication crystals impossible. When we migrated from the north, we received word. He was looking for somebody.¡±


    ¡°For Theo Spencer,¡± Theo said, shrugging. It was obvious. ¡°The question is why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zan¡¯sal said. ¡°I swear I don¡¯t know¡ªand I didn¡¯t send word. That was my husband. He reported we found you. It was just difficult to find the materials to do so.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, letting out a breath. He really hated all this skullduggery. ¡°So, this guy is powerful?¡±


    ¡°Extremely.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Theo said. ¡°Anyone who can kill me but doesn¡¯t isn¡¯t a threat.¡±


    Zan¡¯sal¡¯s mouth dropped open. She looked from Tresk to Theo, searching for more information. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You can¡¯t tell us cause you¡¯re haunted or whatever, and he was looking for Theo. Well, he found Theo. And he ain¡¯t dead.¡±


    Zan¡¯sal stammered, but no words formed.


    ¡°We can talk with Zan¡¯kir?,¡± Theo said. ¡°My intuition doesn¡¯t give me a read on An¡¯tal, but he¡¯s doing good work. Maybe he wants a vacation. Did you ever think of that? Broken Tusk is charming in a lot of ways, and people can feel a deep sense of community here.¡±


    Zan¡¯sal tapped her foot, biting at her claws.


    ¡°Look, my people are on it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Just relax. Go run some dungeons. Get it out of your system.¡±


    Zan¡¯sal stood up and left the lab without another word. Her worry hung in the air like a miasma.


    ¡°She¡¯s wound tight,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo nodded.


    They departed the Newt and Demon and headed for breakfast. An¡¯tal was there, along with all the other workers. The Khahari seemed eager to get back in the mud pits, but held a wide smile on his face.


    ¡°Wait until you see what your workers did last night,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re exhausted, though.¡±


    Ziz and his gang all had their heads pressed to the surface of the table. Theo recognized the symptoms of [Stamina Potion] use.


    Alise clapped her hands at the entrance to the tavern, gaining everyone¡¯s attention. She looked equal parts annoyed and impressed.


    ¡°Despite my warnings, someone worked late into the night,¡± Alise said. ¡°Ziz! I¡¯m looking at you! Wake up!¡±


    Ziz didn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°Someone dump something cold on them,¡± Alise said, letting out an annoyed breath.


    An¡¯tal took up the task with excitement, emptying a mug of water over the Half-Ogre¡¯s head.


    ¡°I¡¯m awake!¡± Ziz shouted, throwing punches at the air. An¡¯tal smiled.


    Alise detailed how much work Ziz¡¯s crew did. The narrow section of the harbor¡¯s approach was nearly half finished, which seemed like an absurd amount. Theo didn¡¯t want to believe it until they all marched down to the river. The massive hole had filled up overnight, but it stretched far into the distance. It followed the general path of the river, but cut a straight line instead of a snaking trail. Tresk whistled.


    ¡°Dang,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be done soon if we keep this up.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t keep this up,¡± Alise said, stomping her foot. Theo had never seen her this angry, but she calmed herself down after a moment. ¡°The new guy is in charge of the pits, now.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± An¡¯tal asked.


    ¡°Yes, you. Any other new guys around here?¡± Alise asked. Another steady breath and her face stopped being so red. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    Alise directed them more closely today. She enjoyed having this much control, and Theo didn¡¯t blame her. The current harbor was looking amazing, with the wider section near the town looking as though it were ready for ships. The area of that wide harbor area was almost half the size of Broken Tusk. They¡¯d be able to fit a lot of boats in there.


    An¡¯tal seemed excited to be in charge of the stonework. Theo didn¡¯t know if he had a core for the work, but he worked in the same way Ziz did. He welded stones together with more precision than the other stonemasons, showing significantly more strength for lifting the heavy marble stones.


    ¡°Do you have a [Stonemason¡¯s Core]?¡± Theo asked, shouting down into the pit.


    Some of the rough edges of An¡¯tal had rubbed off. He seemed more excited than yesterday to do the work and he looked up with a wide grin. ¡°I have a legendary [Stonemason¡¯s Core]! [Khahari Stoneweaver].¡±


    That made sense to Theo. If anything, An¡¯tal was holding back. The power that came from each of his stone-welding actions was like the scouring winds of the desert, all rolled into a single technique. He left little designs in the magical mortar, images too small for the alchemist to spot from the top of the pit. It was amazing to watch him work.


    Halfway through the day¡¯s session of digging, pumping water, and laying stone, Theo spotted Zan¡¯kir from the eastern gate. He beckoned the alchemist over, waving until he got his attention. Theo splashed the last of his potion for the day on the ground, etching out another stretch of the approach. Alise glowered at him as he left.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Theo asked, shouting from the outside of the eastern gate.


    Zan¡¯kir scowled. ¡°I¡¯d rather have this conversation in private.¡±


    ¡°So, come down.¡±


    Zan¡¯kir crossed his arms. ¡°No.¡±


    Theo shrugged, entering the town and ascending the battlements. Zan¡¯kir was waiting for him, concern on his face.


    ¡°Zan¡¯sal told you what I did,¡± he said. ¡°If you want to expel me from the town, that¡¯s your decision.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, holding his hands up. ¡°You guys summon some master [Stonemason] from somewhere, and he comes in and helps me build my harbor. Why am I going to be mad?¡±


    ¡°He is many things,¡± Zan¡¯kir said. Theo noticed he refused to look in the harbor''s direction. ¡°Not just a [Stonemason].¡±


    ¡°Then stop being weird,¡± Theo said. ¡°Tell me who he is and why I should care.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sworn an oath,¡± Zan¡¯kir said.


    ¡°To protect An¡¯tal, the greatest [Stonemason] alive?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not to protect him. To protect you,¡± Zan¡¯kir said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, and I¡¯ll say it again,¡± Tresk said, coming from the shadow of the wall. ¡°Spill the dang beans.¡±


    Zan¡¯kir narrowed his eyes. ¡°Master of the Sands. Destroyer of Hamtal¡¯Tan. Fate of the Khahari.¡±


    It was a long list of titles that meant nothing to Theo. He¡¯d been meaning to learn more about this world¡¯s history, and important historical figures, but even Tresk didn¡¯t get it. The Marshling tapped her foot impatiently, throwing her hands up. Both Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal were being too defensive about this Khahari¡¯s identity, and it was wearing on the alchemist¡¯s patience. He didn¡¯t care who it was at this point. He just wanted to know.


    Zan¡¯kir took in a lungful of air and closed his eyes. ¡°An is the first surname given to the Khahari. Given by our progenitor. At the forging of the world and the scouring of the desert. The man who gave that name is¡­¡±


    He trailed off without completing the thought.


    ¡°The Khahari who gave us the name was¡­¡± Zan¡¯kir said. He just couldn¡¯t get the words out. Theo finally recognized some kind of oath binding the man from speaking, but he was over the game. There were enough pieces of the puzzle in front of him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Theo shouted over the open field between the wall and the river. ¡°Khahar! Get your butt up here!¡±


    The master [Stonemason] laboring on Theo¡¯s harbor moved. An¡¯tal was standing at the edge of the pit, then he was standing on the wall. Zan¡¯kir dropped to the floor, pressing his forehead against the ground and shuddered. His breaths were ragged gasps, interspersed with inane muttering.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Khahar, a man as old as the planet and leader of the Khahari, asked.

 Chapter 3.32 - The Loot is All Ours

    ¡°Was that so hard?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Hmmm? What?¡± Khahar asked.


    Zan¡¯kir was glued to the battlements of the wall. He shuddered as though he wanted to speak, but nothing came out. The absolute power Khahar held over his people was impressive, if not frightening. Theo had it in his mind that An¡¯tal was Khahar from the start, but he couldn¡¯t find a motive. If what Zarali said about him was true, why the hell would he row a boat across the ocean to visit Broken Tusk? Or was it as simple as needing a vacation, as the alchemist had suggested.


    ¡°Letting us know who you were!¡± Tresk said, clapping her hand over his shoulder. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re real firm for an old guy.¡±


    Khahar smiled.


    ¡°Could you do something for him?¡± Theo asked, pointing at the quivering mass of Khahari that was Zan¡¯kir. ¡°And give me a little backstory on why you want to visit Broken Tusk so badly.¡±


    ¡°We shall work,¡± Khahar said. ¡°As we discuss this.¡±


    Khahar vanished from the wall again, reappearing at the edge of the pit. Zan¡¯kir gained some of his senses again, but was still muttering nonsense. Theo and Tresk jumped over the wall and joined the leader of the Khahari near the harbor.


    ¡°Hey, no vanishing while you¡¯re on the clock,¡± Alise said. ¡°Back in the pit.¡±


    Khahar bowed and jumped back into the pit. He moved his blocks into place, setting them with the magical mortar. It was as though the reveal meant nothing to him, so why travel under an assumed name?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you to find out so soon, Theo,¡± Khahar shouted from the bottom of the pit. ¡°I wanted to take the measure of a new leader. What better way than to see how they treat their workers?¡±


    Theo helped transport more blocks into the pit. Those who had inventories were valuable for that task. He loaded his inventory up with stones then climbed down the makeshift ladder the laborers had assembled. Those citizens of Broken Tusk that were working at the bottom of the muddy harbor seemed confused about this turn of events.


    ¡°I found your shores easily, but I have been watching for a week,¡± Khahar said.


    Whatever he said was music to Theo¡¯s ears. It didn¡¯t matter what the leader of the Khahari did, just that he came clean with the alchemist. That mattered more than anything.


    ¡°What kind of man is Theo Spencer? I asked myself that question,¡± Khahar said, lifting a marble block with one hand. He set it in place, pushing aside the mud with his free hand. ¡°Why is he interested in trading with the Khahari?¡±


    ¡°I heard no one trades with your people,¡± Theo said. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect contact until we had the port running.¡±


    Khahar paused, turning to smile at Theo. There was a warmth there that radiated outward, bathing that stinking pit with a cleansing light.


    ¡°Thoughts travel my way. Sometimes,¡± Khahar said, setting another block in place. ¡°Intent. Dreams. Errant wills. Most are consumed by the Will of Khahar, but your willingness to establish contact was too strong.¡±


    Theo doubted that. He bought some of the leader¡¯s story, but had learned to look out for other motives. Even if Khahar heard him from across the ocean, it seemed like a strange way to make contact. Still, there were more interesting questions he could ask an ancient leader.


    ¡°What level are you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good question,¡± Khahar said. He was softening by the moment. ¡°You should have seen the world when it was forged, Theo. Chaos. Did you know levels go into the thousands?¡±


    In fact, he suspected that was the case. But there seemed to be a tendency of people on this planet to fight for godhood when they reached a certain level. The alchemist understood Khahar¡¯s thought process was likely incomprehensible. It would take his entire willpower to even speak like a normal person, let alone engage in a conversation.


    ¡°I thought it might,¡± Theo said, hoisting another block for Khahar to set. ¡°How hard is it to think like a normal person?¡±


    ¡°Always smart,¡± Khahar whispered, not low enough to avoid Theo¡¯s ears. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible. Like instructing an ocean how to dance. Or¡­ Ah, well. It¡¯s difficult.¡±


    It should have been intimidating talking to someone so powerful. But since Drogramath had become a familiar bedfellow, Theo didn¡¯t find himself put off. He just wanted to get as much information out of Khahar while he was here. The man¡¯s whims could send him off, back to the Khahari Desert, at a moment¡¯s notice. Even now, the alchemist realized the small rowboat was a diversion or a coincidence. It was part of a plan that fell apart too soon for Khahar.


    Then something struck Theo. This was all planned. Khahar¡¯s [Intelligence] attribute was at a level that made coincidence impossible. He¡¯d have everything planned out to an unknowable stage.


    ¡°It would never take you long to figure that out,¡± Khahar said, chuckling. The laugh seemed fake and Theo was taken aback. Either from Khahar¡¯s foresight, or ability to read his mind. ¡°I can¡¯t read minds. I just make predictions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure which is worse,¡± Theo said.


    Khahar nodded, suddenly sullen. Then he righted his expression and smiled again.


    ¡°No need to worry about all that,¡± Khahar said. ¡°My people don¡¯t even know I¡¯m gone and I¡¯ll be back before you realize. I¡¯m just here to watch.¡±


    Theo nodded. Overwhelming power like this couldn¡¯t be fought, and he was lucky Khahar seemed friendly if a little distant. He relaxed in the presence of the god-like figure, helping him set the stones in place and trying to strike up a conversation. He was glad to give a brief history of his people, including a first-hand account of the forging of the world.


    60,000 years ago, the planet was formed. Khahar skipped some details about how everyone was brought here, but it was a scramble for survival. The system was set in place the moment they set foot on the planet, then hell broke loose. Everyone was encouraged to fight to the death until only a few survived from each of their race. Khahar paired with a woman, and they formed the Khahari people who had endured for all those millennia without changing much. Their desert was surrounded by a field of power, known as the Will of Khahar, which acted as a shroud.


    ¡°When my wife joined the Prime Pantheon, I remained,¡± Khahar said, staring in the distance for a breath. ¡°One moment.¡±


    Khahar vanished for less than a blink. Then he was back. He smiled again.


    The story went on for a while. As the years passed, Khahar became distant. He blamed the increase in attributes, namely an [Intelligence] over 1,000. Things got harder for him, but he pressed on. Theo felt like the godlike cat-person was pouring his emotions out, but nothing resembling sorrow played on the man¡¯s face. It was a strange contrast, but the alchemist was there as a shoulder to cry on. Even if there weren¡¯t tears in that mud-strewn pit.


    Theo would have flagged long before quitting time if not for his enhanced [Strength] and [Vigor]. Even if he didn¡¯t have those stats to bolster his body, he would have remained for another word from the leader of the Khahari. It was too strange of a situation to pass up, but he could sense something deep within Khahar. The simplicity of labor sent him back to a simpler time, where people weren¡¯t bowing at his feet to gain his favor. That was something Khahar went over. The constant begging for attention from such a powerful being, it was why people normally ascended to godhood.


    ¡°You give them one ounce of help,¡± Khahar said, welding another string of blocks together, ¡°then you owe them for life. It¡¯s exhausting.¡±


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    ¡°Broken Tuskers are different,¡± Theo said, running his hand along the perfect mortar. There were sections with images of a cute rendition of Khahar himself, dancing in the sun. ¡°We¡¯ll beg you not to help us.¡±


    Khahar smiled. The surrounding laborers laughed, shouting their words of support. People in Broken Tusk were known for their independence. It was a reason they were so destitute when Theo got there. But it was a strength now, and Theo would do everything to preserve that strength. They were unimpressed with the leader of the Khahari, treating him like any laborer they had ever worked with. A Broken Tusker wouldn¡¯t bow to anyone unless they offered a steady job and a plate of hot food. There was a charm to that.


    ¡°Good to hear, Theo,¡± Khahar said, grinning. ¡°I can feel that monster wave coming on.¡±


    ¡°Bet you could deal with that in a breath,¡± Theo said, laughing. ¡°Sorry. The loot is all ours.¡±


    The work went on for hours. Khahar was clearly holding back, trying to limit himself as much as possible to work at the laborer¡¯s pace. Ziz overcame the effects of his stamina potion before midday, coming down into the pit to give directions. He was in no condition to lift the blocks and set them in place. Throk¡¯s artifices were working wonders, but the ocean hadn¡¯t come to play. The alchemist was worried about that, but they were at least a day away from worrying about that. Even with their new rapid pace.


    There was a slight tension in the air when Theo called Khahar¡¯s true name from the battlements of Broken Tusk. Once the leader of the Khahari returned to the harbor as though nothing happened, the tension lifted. Shortly after, it was as though he was equal to any laborer in the town. The Khahari population in town wasn¡¯t high, so no one saw him for anything more than he was. A hard worker, quick with a smile and kind. Before working hours were over, he invited Khahar and Alise to dinner at the town hall. They¡¯d have the open area of the hall to themselves, the crackling fire giving excellent ambience. Khahar accepted.


    ¡°He¡¯s WHAT?¡± Zarali asked.


    The Drogramathi Priestess caught Theo outside the Newt and Demon. He needed to check on his gardens and golems, rearranging the plants to encourage the highest level of cultivation. Zarali followed him to the rows of greenhouses, huffing at him the entire way. A mix of excitement and fear painted her face.


    ¡°He could rewrite what we know about history, you know?¡± Zarali said, trying a different tactic. ¡°If I could ask him a few questions, I could publish the results. An interview with Khahar? That hasn¡¯t happened. Ever. No mortal remains from the Forging, I could be¡ª¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Theo said, interrupting her rant. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come to dinner tonight. Pick his brain, but don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    ¡°Can I bring Xol¡¯sa?¡± she asked, eyes glittering with excitement.


    ¡°Yeah. Alise wants to bring a guest,¡± Theo said.


    Zarali looked herself over, scoffing. ¡°I can¡¯t wear these. I need to change¡ªwhen are we eating?¡±


    ¡°The same time we eat every single day,¡± Theo said, giving her a flat look. ¡°Just chill out.¡±


    Zarali did not chill out. She stormed off, headed to her lab.


    Theo was happy to get back to something at least tangentially related to alchemy. The reagents in each greenhouse were doing well to cultivate themselves. The buildings provided the ideal environment for them to grow, even if most of those buildings were almost entirely empty. Meanwhile, the mushroom cave was almost ready for full production and the golems had collected enough random ingredients to do a few runs. They were targeting the [Marsh Tubers], but grabbed whatever they saw. It was mostly [Stone Flowers], [Water Lilies], and [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. The alchemist took his mind off the sudden events by starting 2 of his stills with 500 units of [Stone Flowers], and [Water Lilies]. They weren¡¯t the cultivation quality he wanted, but more for the store was better. Salire would be happy.


    ¡°Hey!¡± a voice called from downstairs in the shop. Theo recognized it as the rough sort of thing Sledge would say.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Theo asked, descending to the first floor.


    Sledge stood with her hands on her hips, that permanent scowl on her face. She was covered in sawdust.


    ¡°The sky. Ha ha,¡± she said with exactly no emotion. ¡°Got a question for you, fancy pants.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t know I¡¯m wearing pants,¡± Theo said, tugging at his silken robe.


    ¡°Are you purposefully underutilizing my vast abilities?¡± Sledge asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Or are you just dumb?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re running the mill, right?¡±


    ¡°I need [Fabricator] work, Theo! Dammit!¡± Sledge said, slamming her hand down on the front desk. ¡°I need inspiration!¡±


    ¡°Sledge, that¡¯s on you,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re the taskmaster for the sawmill, but I gave you free reign. Assign a person to run it for you, then take fabricator jobs.¡±


    ¡°No one wants to hire me,¡± Sledge said.


    Theo gestured for the angry little Marshling to follow him upstairs. He was certain that most Marshlings were just angry people, but he saw them for what they were. Hard working, dedicated individuals who had a keen sense of community. She followed him upstairs and took a seat by the window, letting out a breath. The alchemist joined her.


    ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m working on a project. Everyone in Broken Tusk is going to want one, and we need you to attach the pipes through the houses.¡±


    ¡°I wanna do more than just lay pipes, mayor,¡± Sledge said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Yeah, but you need experience to get more skills,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s start over. What skills do you have?¡±


    The [Fabricator] class was based around the idea that seed core buildings couldn¡¯t be modified. If a person took a brick from their house, it would vanish and then the building would rebuild itself. [Fabricators] could modify the structure of a seed core building, and perhaps a town¡¯s seed core and so on. Sledge explained that she wasn¡¯t even level 5 yet, as she was too busy with the mill. Her only ability was [Modification], which allowed her to rearrange the structure of a building without it rebuilding itself. It was a long road before she¡¯d be doing what Theo wanted her to do.


    ¡°That¡¯s when you¡¯ll get the [Tamper] skill,¡± Theo said. They took a while to review which skills seemed like the best ones. The alchemist found the skill in his endless list, thanks to the search feature, and inspected it.


    [Tamper]


    Fabricator Skill


    Epic


    Allows the user to change the nature of a seed core.


    Effect:


    Apply unaligned mana to any seed core to change its nature.


    ¡°Look at the wording,¡± Theo said. ¡°It says ¡®seed core¡¯, rather than ¡®seed core building¡¯. That¡¯s big.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to go into where he thought this would go. This was the first step to becoming a [Coresmith], he could feel it with his intuition. Like most things with the system, it was training wheels for something bigger.


    ¡°So, what can I do with this?¡± Sledge asked.


    ¡°Hard to say, but I think we¡¯ll be looking at some serious upgrades,¡± Theo said. ¡°I want you to take that ability at level 10, then if you can spare the point at level 15 take [Synergistic Links].¡±


    Theo inspected that skill, which seemed like the real winner here.


    [Synergistic Links]


    Fabricator Skill


    Legendary


    Apply production chain links between seed cores.


    Effect:


    Apply unaligned mana to establish bonuses to production chain buildings.


    ¡°Production chains mean things like mining to smelting to blacksmithing,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I understood that,¡± Sledge said, glowering. ¡°You don¡¯t have to treat me like a baby.¡±


    ¡°But baby asked for help,¡± Theo said, grinning. He continued before she could slap him. ¡°You¡¯re busy. I get it. Talk with Alise or one of her henchmen if you need help restructuring the sawmill. Remember, you¡¯re the most important piece to my boat-building puzzle.¡±


    Sledge swelled with pride at that comment. She puffed her chest out and smiled.


    ¡°I am, aren¡¯t I?¡± Sledge asked.


    ¡°You are,¡± Theo said, patting her on the head. He explained what was so important about the [Fabricator] class with his air conditioning plan. Sledge didn¡¯t understand it entirely, the heat didn¡¯t hinder the Marshlings as much as the other races. But with Humans, and other cold-weather enjoying races coming to town, this would be important. People would pay a premium to keep their houses cool and seed core houses didn¡¯t have upgrades to regulate the temperature. Theo just hoped Xol¡¯sa wouldn¡¯t sell his magically cold fire.


    ¡°Yeah, I saw an Elf,¡± Sledge said. ¡°An Elf. Living in Broken Tusk. Well, they look hard as shells, so there¡¯s that.¡±


    Theo nodded. He needed to remember to check in with Sledge more often. She needed more direction than the others, and she wouldn¡¯t come to him for help unless it was dire. The Marshling was happy with his advice, and his promise that she would lead the air conditioner project. The alchemist wasn¡¯t sure if the project would pay off, but that didn¡¯t matter. Leveling his [Fabricator] was more important, so he would push ahead anyway. Work like this often led to other work. It revealed a hole in the needs of Broken Tuskers that he could exploit.


    ¡°I¡¯m off,¡± Sledge said. ¡°Thanks. Oh, and you¡¯re the baby. I¡¯m not a baby.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t even remember what he was doing before Sledge arrived. His mind felt scrambled from so many weird things happening today, but he righted himself when Tresk sent him a private message.


    You coming to dinner, or what? Zarali¡¯s about to melt. She can¡¯t even talk to this Khahar dude, Tresk said.


    Theo rushed out of the lab, making his way directly to the town hall.

 Chapter 3.33 - Overpowered and Awesome

    Zarali was the only one dressed up for the dinner. Khahar remained in his tattered loincloth. Alise had brought Nira as her guest, both of them wearing their simple clothes, and Tresk was still covered in mud. But Zarali wore a flowing purple gown with fine jewels hanging from her neck. She even did her hair, although Theo did not know how.


    ¡°The guest of honor has arrived,¡± Khahar said, clapping once.


    ¡°About time,¡± Tresk said, huffing.


    Someone, likely Alise, had rearranged the floor of the town hall for the dinner. Instead of the plush chairs sitting by the fire, she¡¯d arranged a dining table. She even set it with a nice tablecloth and dinnerware, which seemed a step too far for Theo. He took his seat at the head of the table, granting him a view of the crackling fire. It was warm, but not overly hot in the hall. It was too vast to get stuffy.


    ¡°Well, thanks to everyone who came,¡± Theo said. ¡°I think Tresk picked up the food.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re waiting on Xol¡¯sa,¡± Zarali corrected, clearing her throat.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Bara¡¯thier you were talking about,¡± Khahar said, nodding. ¡°Strange people.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Zarali said, sounding more nervous than Theo had ever heard her. She produced a journal from nowhere and started writing. ¡°I would be honored by whatever you¡¯re willing to share.¡±


    Khahar smiled, but Theo could sense some amount of annoyance.


    ¡°Treat it as story time, Khahar. She¡¯s a historian¡ªand overly excited¡ªbut I don¡¯t want you to feel uncomfortable,¡± Theo said. Zarali shot him a look.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m content that none of you are pressing your foreheads to the ground,¡± Khahar said, letting out a long sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t remember the last decent conversation I had. On to the Bara¡¯their¡¯rak.¡±


    Zarali brightened up, scribbling something down. Khahar told the story of Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people while they waited for the wizard himself. They were originally from this world, sent when everyone else was, but they left to live in some place that wasn¡¯t real. Theo didn¡¯t really understand how that worked, but Zarali picked up on everything. They went back and forth for a few minutes before the door opened.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I suspect our guest is disrupting my portal system.¡±


    ¡°That happens,¡± Khahar said, seeming slightly dejected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, taking his seat. ¡°What¡¯s for dinner?¡±


    Tresk produced their food from her inventory, eating hers in one go before dishing out for everyone else. It was whatever Xam was serving at the tavern tonight, the closest thing to an Alfredo sauce on noodles that Theo had seen since he arrived in town. It was served, of course, with wolf meat instead of chicken.


    Khahar ate like a gentleman. He used more utensils to eat the simple dish than Theo knew existed, and talked about Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people politely as he did so. It was a tragic tale of loss and mistakes that affected an entire people.


    ¡°And you never met your parents,¡± Khahar said, gesturing to Xol¡¯sa. ¡°Because they¡¯re locked away in that self-made dimension. Getting you here would have cost them dearly.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa smiled, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. ¡°I never thought of it like that.¡±


    Zarali grilled him about more things that were wrong in the history books. Khahar had a perfect recollection of the past 60,000 years and went on record to correct what was written. He never left the Khahari desert, and people rarely visited outside of the race, but he was happy to recount the world in brief. The Drogramathi Priestess scribbled furiously, trying to keep up with his pace.


    ¡°So, Alise,¡± Theo said, leaning to the other side of the table. ¡°And Nira. How are you two doing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Alise said, brushing some of her messy hair out of her face. ¡°Thrilled to be a part of this harbor project. This is going to do a lot for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nira said, poking at her food.


    ¡°We finally planted a house seed. Carved out a really pleasant spot in the south of town,¡± Alise said. She messed with her hair again, a nervous habit perhaps.


    ¡°It¡¯s close to the smelter,¡± Nira said.


    ¡°And close enough to town hall,¡± Alise said, chuckling nervously.


    ¡°I never set up the housing area north of the town¡¯s center,¡± Theo said with a shrug. The conversation between Zarali and Khahar went on, Xol¡¯sa interjecting his thoughts occasionally. ¡°It was like that when I got here, so we just kept it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re zoning out a small section of the southern area of town for housing,¡± Alise said. ¡°But that section is going to be industry, but we just love it down there.¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Nira said, half-heartedly. It seemed everything she said was half-hearted, though.


    Theo picked up on the real purpose of the conversation after a while, but his mind still lingered on the expansion of the town. He consulted his mayor¡¯s screen, tracing his eyes along the straight line of the eastern wall. The zones he could expand lined up perfectly with the harbor, but he¡¯d need to purchase 3 eastward expansions to get all the way across the river. This would enclose the port section of the harbor within the wall, accomplishing all his goals in one action. If the wall created bridge-walls like he expected, it would be even more perfect.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re just happy to have this chance,¡± Alise said, nudging Nira.


    ¡°Oh. Just so happy,¡± Nira said, her tone completely flat.


    ¡°No one needs my blessing to have a relationship,¡± Theo said, holding his hands up.


    ¡°Leave it to Spencer to miss the point entirely,¡± Khahar said, grinning. ¡°They don¡¯t want your blessing. You¡¯re her boss. She manages Nira¡¯s work.¡±


    Theo¡¯s face flushed violet. He thought Alise was shoving her new romantic entanglement down his throat, but she just wanted to know if it was alright. Of course, she managed some of the work Nira did, directing her to focus on one metal or the other. That would be a conflict of interest, but the alchemist didn¡¯t care. He picked at his food for a moment, lingering on how accurate Khahar¡¯s assessment of the situation was.


    ¡°Well, of course,¡± Theo said, keeping his eyes on his plate. ¡°It¡¯s totally fine.¡±


    ¡°Look how embarrassed he is,¡± Tresk said. ¡°What? Girls didn¡¯t like girls back on Earth? You¡¯re in a soul-bond with a lizard. Grow up!¡±


    ¡°That was normal on Earth,¡± Khahar said, nodding. ¡°I imagine.¡±


    ¡°And now we change the subject,¡± Theo said, coughing into his hand.


    Alise and Nira had more plans than their involvement, though. The Lady Administrator was helping organize the workers for the smeltery. Zarali bristled when they stole away Khahar¡¯s attention, but he clearly needed a break.


    ¡°Minting coins is a fantastic idea,¡± Khahar said. He produced a single, rocky coin from nowhere and placed it on the table.


    Theo¡¯s eyes went wide. He didn¡¯t need to inspect the item to know it was a spiritstone coin. It represented 1,000 gold. On the face, it had the image of a desert, complete with palm trees and a small pool. It must have represented an oasis. On the reverse, it had the year it was minted, and some text the alchemist couldn¡¯t read. He suppressed an urge to snatch the coin away, pushing that feeling deep down. They already had every advantage in the world here. Broken Tusk wouldn¡¯t prop itself up with any more outside help.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°How many do you produce a year?¡± Zarali asked, inspecting the coin.


    ¡°Several thousand,¡± Khahar said. ¡°The royal crafters use all of them.¡±


    ¡°Interesting to actually see that the Khahari track time from creation,¡± Zarali said, placing the coin back on the table. She was right, it had the number 59,584 on it.


    ¡°We don¡¯t care for tracking time by eras,¡± Khahar said, waving her away.


    Khahar¡¯s attention drifted from the conversation. Theo watched as his eyes traced through the air, as though he were following an invisible thread, but it led back to Theo. He stared into the alchemist¡¯s chest, tilted his head, then traced his fingers through the air. A burning sensation spread through Theo¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Oops,¡± Khahar said, blinking rapidly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Theo. I was tracing a strand of power, and I may have¡ª¡±


    A sound like an explosion came from the far side of the town hall. Theo groaned. Khahar tilted his head, a grimace hanging on his face. Uharis, Archmage of the Order of the Burning Eye stood at the entrance, a staff in one hand and a spell coiled in the other. Khahar waved his hand, and the spell vanished. He didn¡¯t rise from his seat, he just gestured for the wizard to join them.


    ¡°Awkward,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Abomination,¡± Uharis said.


    Khahar shrugged.


    The doors to the town hall were blown off their hinges. Theo couldn¡¯t tell exactly what had happened. It happened way too fast, but Khahar was no longer sitting in his chair. He was standing near the entrance, holding the arm of Sulvan Flametouched, Grand Inquisitor of the Order of the Burning Eye. Sulvan¡¯s flaming sword was in his hand, poised to strike.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you not damage this lovely building further,¡± Khahar said.


    Sulvan was frozen in place. The level 130-something Paladin seemed like a force of nature the first time Theo saw him. Now he could see how powerless the man was against Khahar¡¯s might. Something exchanged between them, some battle of wills no one could see. Then, Sulvan¡¯s eyes flashed and the room was flooded with immense power.


    ¡°Yet, you remain,¡± Sulvan said. His voice boomed through the hall, carrying with it a power that Theo couldn¡¯t comprehend.


    ¡°The Burning Eye,¡± Zarali whispered.


    ¡°You violate your oath,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Return to the heavens, you old bastard.¡±


    ¡°You first.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t believe he was watching a pissing match between two powerful beings. Then it got weirder. Zarali¡¯s eyes flashed purple. Apparently, the Burning Eye¡¯s possession of his faithful was enough for Drogramath to take off his gloves. She rose from her seat, joining the others near the entrance. She walked with more swagger than should be possible, striking an odd image given the beautiful dress she wore.


    ¡°Why have rules if you don¡¯t follow them?¡± Zarali asked, her voice booming to match the others. ¡°Why bind my followers while yours run free?¡±


    ¡°Back to the Demonic realm with you, fiend,¡± The Burning Eye said.


    ¡°Make me,¡± Drogramath said, growling.


    The room filled with yellow light. Theo felt the winds of the Khahari desert blow through the town hall, washing everything clean. He felt as though he¡¯d rested for an entire night. His stamina bar was suddenly full. Only now did he notice Tresk wasn¡¯t in her seat. Whatever Khahar did broke her stealth and she stood with twin daggers ready to strike out at the representatives from the Burning Eye. Sulvan and Zarali sagged, their eyes returning to their normal hue.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough of that,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Archmage Uharis, Grand Inquisitor Sulvan, I apologize for instigating this. It was never my intention.¡±


    Zarali snuck away from the action, coming to take her seat back at the table. She slumped in her chair, huffing breath.


    ¡°Broken Tusk is under our protection,¡± Sulvan said, his voice as emotionless as ever.


    ¡°Broken Tusk is under your yoke,¡± Khahar corrected, tightening his grip on Sulvan¡¯s wrist. The flaming sword clattered to the ground.


    ¡°Ascend, you old fool,¡± Uharis hissed. ¡°Stay out of our business. Go back to the desert.¡±


    ¡°Concerning my friend,¡± Khahar said, pointing a finger at the wizard. ¡°I¡¯ll do as I please.¡±


    Uharis vanished.


    ¡°Clever piece of runework, Flametouched,¡± Khahar said. ¡°How long have you been eavesdropping on the alchemist?¡±


    ¡°Since the start of the season,¡± Sulvan said.


    ¡°And you led him to believe this would keep Drogramath out?¡± Khahar asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± Sulvan said.


    There was no lying to the leader of the Khahari. Between the two men sat a gulf of power that was impossible to understand.


    ¡°I¡¯m altering your work, and telling him the truth,¡± Khahar said. ¡°This was a pleasant dinner, and I¡¯m sorry for activating the rune. But, leave.¡±


    Khahar released his grip on the Grand Inquisitor. Sulvan picked up his sword, returning it to its scabbard. They shared an intense stare for a long moment.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Sulvan started. Then, he was gone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you will,¡± Khahar said. With a gesture, the damaged doors were back on their hinges. The spot burned by Sulvan¡¯s flaming sword was repaired. Everything was back to normal. He returned to the table, taking a seat. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what in the hells just happened?¡± Tresk asked, letting out a nervous chuckle.


    Alise and Nira stopped trying to escape out the window. They returned to the table reluctantly, not willing to sit.


    ¡°I disagree with the Burning Eye,¡± Khahar said. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, though. I don¡¯t intend to stay in this world much longer¡­ The damage to my mind is becoming harder to contend with.¡±


    It was too much all at once. Theo couldn¡¯t find the words to express what he felt. He certainly wasn¡¯t surprised that the Order of the Burning Eye was using the runework etched into his chest to spy on him. What surprised him was the activity of the gods. They had a battle in his town hall without throwing a punch, and Khahar banished them with a gesture.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry anymore,¡± Nira said.


    ¡°Expose the rune, Theo,¡± Khahar ordered.


    And it felt like an order, not a suggestion. Theo removed his robe, and the dexterity shirt underneath. He looked down at his chest, noticing the glowing runes. They were normally just a scrawl of black marks on his skin. With a gesture, Khahar changed it entirely.


    ¡°They can no longer spy on you, and the original intent has been removed,¡± Khahar said. ¡°It was never meant to stop Drogramath from possessing you, as you may have thought. Sulvan created it to prevent an interdiction event. They didn¡¯t want you crossing into another dimension. Why? I cannot say.¡±


    But Khahar knew. He just wasn¡¯t saying. If Khahar could see a thousand steps ahead of what someone was planning, Sulvan could see ten steps ahead. The only reason they didn¡¯t want Theo to be interdicted was to prevent him from using the Bridge of Shadows. The Order knew Fenian would get it eventually, allowing someone to travel long distances by jumping dimensions, but the question remained. Why?


    There was no reason to keep this from Khahar. He knew. ¡°Why prevent me from using the Bridge?¡±


    ¡°To keep you here,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, swallowing hard. ¡°That¡¯s the only thing that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Khahar said, stroking the fur on his chin. He shook his head, then locked his eyes on Tresk. ¡°I see a million permutations of events at all times. Fates that haven¡¯t come to pass. Sometimes it feels like I¡¯m a puppet, following those motions. A distinct path opened when I removed the interdiction suppression. You¡¯ll survive, now.¡±


    Theo felt a column of ice seize his spine. His blood ran cold at the idea that Khahar had seen something in the future that ended his life. He might not have had attributes to rival these god-like people, but he could put two pieces of a puzzle together. He was dead before the interdiction prevention was disabled, and alive afterward. The idea haunted him, forcing him into an uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°Yay, you¡¯re gonna live,¡± Alise said, laughing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had so much of Lord Drogramath¡¯s power flow through me,¡± Zarali said. Her face was gaunt.


    Somehow, the events hadn¡¯t dampened Zarali¡¯s spirit to get more information out of Khahar. After a cup of tea, and a bit of food, she was back at it.


    Theo broke off from the conversation to talk with Xol¡¯sa and Tresk, leaving Alise and Nira to recover on their own.


    ¡°How the hell do I use an interdiction event to save my life?¡± Theo asked.


    Xol¡¯sa scratched his head. ¡°An interdiction event is defined as an event that pulls a person from one plane to another, usually against their will. Khahar won¡¯t tell you exactly how, but using the Bridge to avoid your fate makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Hey, maybe you can just hide in the Dreamwalk,¡± Tresk said, laughing. ¡°Oops. I don¡¯t think we wanted to tell you about the Dreamwalk.¡±


    Theo then had to explain the Dreamwalk to Xol¡¯sa, who dismissed it as a solution to the problem.


    ¡°There¡¯s a realm between you two,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I¡¯ve been studying it from afar. It generates power aligned to your Tara¡¯hek, but nothing like another dimension. Still, that skill sounds fascinating. Can you really gain experience while in the Dreamwalk?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Tresk said. ¡°It¡¯s overpowered and awesome.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    Somehow, the dinner got back on track. Conversation shifted away from the events, even after townspeople came to check things out. Aarok sent a team of adventurers to investigate the disturbance, but they were dismissed by Theo. He didn¡¯t need every mouth in town talking about the damn Burning Eye again. It was enough of a problem last time. He took solace because they wouldn¡¯t be back. Not until Khahar left the mortal plane.


    When dinner was done, no one was tired. Khahar had used a mass-purification skill that banished otherworldly beings, cleansed the spirit, and restored everyone¡¯s health, mana, and stamina. The side-effect was that it acted as though everyone affected got a good night¡¯s sleep and a hot meal. But Tresk and Theo didn¡¯t actually sleep. When they returned to the Newt and Demon for the night, they fell into the Dreamwalk. The only place where they could talk, and no one could hear them.

 Chapter 3.34 - Avast Ye Newts

    Theo spent little of his time in the Dreamwalk working. He sat with Tresk, going over the events of the day. She retold the story of what happened in the town hall, presenting herself as the fearless hero that was ready to stab the Burning Eye to death. Even with their potent poisons, Sulvan would have swatted her like a fly. But he let her tell the story anyway. The alchemist was more concerned with the portent of death, and what that meant for the symbol Sulvan marked him with.


    Khahar had changed the runes significantly. According to him, it wouldn¡¯t prevent an interdiction event. Theo went back and forth with Tresk, trying to figure out if that was a good thing. They also debated what the Dreamwalk was. Their bodies were in the real world, while their minds drifted into this strange realm. The topic turned to Khahar himself near the night¡¯s end.


    ¡°Yeah, but can we trust him?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°He knows the future, but he doesn¡¯t wanna tell us? Come on.¡±


    Theo shrugged. They were sitting inside of the Marsh Wolf Tavern, an empty version of the real thing. The familiar haze of the Dreamwalk hung over everything, casting it in an eerie light.


    ¡°But, he told us,¡± Theo said. ¡°And steered us in the right direction. No, think about it. He¡¯s said a few weird things, so far. There¡¯s just something about him I can¡¯t place. He called me his friend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no one wants to be friends with you,¡± Tresk said, giggling.


    ¡°Sucks to be you, then,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Tresk said. ¡°This guy has got me all bundled in a knot.¡±


    ¡°He wants to chill out in town, and pretend like he¡¯s not super strong. If he drops a few coins while he¡¯s here, what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Did you see that spiritstone coin?¡± Tresk asked, her mouth falling open. ¡°Slap my tail and call me a turtle, that was impressive.¡±


    ¡°Is that another idiom I don¡¯t understand?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Can you imagine that much money?¡±


    Theo¡¯s goal had been to get out from underneath the banner of Qavell since he arrived. Things were shaping up to make that more difficult, especially with the way the war was going. There might not be a kingdom to get away from by the end, but that wouldn¡¯t solve all his problems. He ran the scenario through his mind already. If the kingdom fell, what would happen to Broken Tusk? There was some kind of kingdom seed core that ran everything, so what happened if that collapsed?


    His mind didn¡¯t stay on the topic for long. When the Dreamwalk ended, he had potions to brew and a canal to finish. Khahar wasn¡¯t the person speeding the project up, though. Ziz and his guys were still going against Alise¡¯s words and working on the project at night. Theo knew they were doing the same thing tonight after recovering from the effects of using [Stamina Potions]. Still, there was a lot to look forward to.


    Salire was coming into her own in the shop, treating it like a learning experience. Theo didn¡¯t care how much money she skimmed, so long as she was leveling her cores. He was trading gold for experienced merchants, which he¡¯d need more than anything. The idea of caravans hadn¡¯t left his mind, even as the port neared completion. Even if they were cut off from the northern section of the continent, they¡¯d need to run goods between the three major towns of the southlands.


    The mine was also producing [Drogramathi Iron Nuggets], which would make for interesting alchemical experimentation. Sledge might have finally realized she could direct work, instead of doing everything herself. The golems were just starting to be useful, and the alchemist had plans to get more lodestones from Zarali. His intuition on the matter said he could run 10 of them at the same time with his current level of willpower. He was practicing the things the Drogramathi Priestess showed him, but it was slow work.


    That left the excitement for the harbor, and a dangling thread he hadn¡¯t fixed up yet. Fenian sold him a [Weaver¡¯s Seed Core], which he wanted to use to make the sails for the boats. He just hadn¡¯t cultivated the right crops to get the job done, and hoped Banu, the local farmer, made progress on his splicing project. If anyone could figure out how to merge 2 plants, it was that guy.


    When the Dreamwalk ended, Theo sorted out his stills from the previous days. His holding tanks were half-full of attribute-enhancement essences. He cleaned the stills, dropped in some frozen [Living River Water], and set them to work. Tresk joined him for breakfast at the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was whatever was left from yesterday with a Pozwa egg on the side. The egg was a meal by itself.


    When Theo and Tresk arrived at the work site, everyone except Ziz and his people were ready to go at it. He walked the length of the harbor. The alchemist wanted to stop thinking of it as a harbor. It was a marina connected to the ocean by a canal, but it was easier to think of the entire thing as a harbor. This was the last stretch for the project, although that felt surreal. He stood at the last length of earth that needed to be dug, the ocean in sight. Tresk had to clear some monsters away from the beach, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.


    Khahar didn¡¯t seem affected by the drama last night. He went back to work, just happy to use his hands and get paid his single silver coin. Seemed like a shame, since the man held at least one spiritstone coin in his inventory.


    Theo poured the last potion on the ground, urging it to cut the last section of canal, connecting it to the ocean. The workers had cleared out of the pit just as the ocean came rushing in. The alchemist had never seen so much water move at the one time, and it was going to be a massive problem for the pumps. They wouldn¡¯t be able to clear out the surge of the ocean fast enough, and the supply of salt water was endless.


    ¡°Told you this would be a problem,¡± Alise shouted. ¡°Now we have an unfinished section of the harbor.¡±


    It was an impossible problem. Perhaps they could have waited for a lower tide, or dammed the ocean somehow, but he was out of ideas. They would just have to deal with an unfinished section of the canal, allowing the dirt to wash out and ruin the beach area. He would just have to come to terms with changing the landscape, and potentially harming it forever.


    ¡°I never wanted to offer more help than a standard laborer,¡± Khahar said, coming over to inspect the issue. ¡°But would you mind if I held the ocean back while we finish?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t even know that was in the cards. He assumed Khahar¡¯s abilities centered on a desert theme. ¡°If you can,¡± he said, shrugging.


    The power of someone at such an absurd level was on display again. Khahar barely moved. He just swiped his hand and all the water in the canal rushed out into the ocean. A barrier went up at the mouth of the canal, holding the entire ocean at bay.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s cheating,¡± Alise said, folding her arms over her chest. ¡°What¡¯s the point? If he could have just built the entire thing in a blink.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only cheating a little,¡± Theo said, although he didn¡¯t truly believe it. This was cheating a lot.


    Khahar didn¡¯t even need to channel whatever skill he used. He was back in the pits with the laborers, pushing stones into place and mortaring them together. Ziz¡¯s boys showed up a few hours before quitting time and helped with the effort, but Theo just watched. The last brick went into place, then the ocean rushed in once again. The workers didn¡¯t pause for a break, hoisting massive metal struts into place over the canal. They estimated the place where the walls would go, leaving them bare of the metal supports, and completed the work in a half hour.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The result of a few days'' labor, sped up no doubt by the assistance of a god-like Khahari, was a marvel. The main harbor was massive, stretching in the distance to show the churn of the ocean meeting the river. Their canal ran for miles toward the sea, cutting a straight line through the landscape and giving Broken Tusk something they desperately wanted. In moments, they would plant the only harbor on the eastern side of the continent.


    The alchemist had enough money in his inventory to expand the town¡¯s unincorporated border the 3 spaces he needed, but not enough coin to incorporate it. He spent 30 gold to lay the groundwork, allowing him to plant the seed core. This dropped him to 16 gold, not nearly enough to expand his walls around the new building.


    Theo held the [Harbor Seed Core] in his hand, feeling the power of the legendary item. It was a silver metal cage surrounding a swirling vortex of water and wood. He could feel the item¡¯s intent. It needed to be placed near a wide body of water. Ziz and his men were working on a way to deal with the river, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t wait. He needed to plant the harbor now. He knelt near the head of the harbor, watching as a crowd formed outside the protective gates of the city.


    The moment Theo placed the harbor in the ground, he was knocked back by massive roots springing from the ground. They formed a gnarled shape, but people couldn¡¯t shove cores into the tangle of wood fast enough. Theo didn¡¯t even invite them to do so, they just did it. He joined in, applying his highest level [Monster Cores] and watching with excitement. The roots took shape, forming a building twice as wide as the adventurer¡¯s guild. A wooden dock sprung into the harbor, finding purchase in the marble stones. The building looked more like a massive warehouse than a dwelling, sporting the familiar theme of a blue slatted roof and wooden sides.


    Theo inspected the new building.


    [Harbor]


    Owner: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 7 Days


    Expansions:


    Cheers went up through the crowd. Everyone moved in to inspect the town¡¯s latest building. Theo even spotted Khahar cheering with excitement. Even if this accomplishment meant nothing back in the Khahari Desert, the excitement was infectious. It was a real accomplishment.


    Theo had enough cores between him and Tresk to get the first 20 levels down on the harbor. They took turns inserting [Monster Cores]. Once it hit level 5, Theo picked the only option that made sense. He thought it should have been a default option for the building.


    [Expanding Docks]


    Creates new docks based on the level and size of the harbor.


    While the building expanded to either side, still not coming close to matching the size of the harbor they¡¯d hewn from the earth, another dock sprung up from the water. The level 10 upgrades weren¡¯t normally impressive, but this one was good. Another dock sprung up as he selected the only option that made sense.


    [Delayed Decay]


    Power this building with motes to prevent the decay of all ships docked. Ships that remain docked for more than a day will repair themselves, depending on the level of this building and the amount of motes stored.


    Theo nodded to himself, ignoring Tresk. She was shouting advice to him on which option to pick, even if she couldn¡¯t see the upgrades he did. The level 15 option gave him hope. He¡¯d wanted a separate building for a shipwright to work, but this was even better. It was one of those upgrades that added another building to the mix, which was often just as good as the independent building. The only example of a worse version of a new building was the shop in the Newt and Demon, but they needed this.


    [Shipwrights Drydock]


    A Shipwright¡¯s workshop will appear at the nearest section of land adjacent to the water. This feature includes a dry dock, a separate building with unique upgrade paths, and a ramp for launching new boats.


    True to the description of the upgrade, a building appeared on the eastern side of the harbor. The marble blocks cut themselves, creating a shallow ramp into the water. The shipwright¡¯s workshop wasn¡¯t as large as the harbor building, but it was still impressive. It had covered areas for someone to work on boats before they were launched, and the slope would make it easy to launch whatever they made.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good one,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo breathed a sigh of relief. He moved with the crowd to the drydock, finding that it was a separate building from the main one. That meant he could send it along its own upgrade path. It was a problem for another day, as his supply of [Monster Cores] was running low. The closer the harbor got to level 20, the more it required. Their level 20 upgrade was utilitarian, but no other upgrade seemed worth it. Theo selected it.


    [Fair Winds]


    Sailing vessels within 13,000 halms of the port gain the [Fair Winds] bonus. Vessels with this effect may turn sharper, catch more wind, and tread less water.


    Vessels that remain within the harbor for at least 12 hours receive this effect for 6 hours after leaving the harbor.


    Without his increased [Intelligence], Theo would have had trouble with that distance calculation. Since a halm was about a quarter foot, the effect would work out to a mile from the harbor. His motivation for selecting it was to ease turning within the harbor, an issue he foresaw. Even as citizens celebrated around him, the alchemist inspected his new building.


    [Harbor]


    [Avast Ye Newts]


    Owner: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 20 (23%)


    Rent Due: 7 Days


    Expansions:


    [Expanding Docks]


    [Delayed Decay]


    [Shipwrights Drydock]


    [Fair Winds]


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure when Tresk could have set the name of the building, but she was giggling so it must have been her. This was a great start, but he still needed to secure the funding to expand the city. The first expansion was 30 gold, the second 40, and the third 50. It was getting incredibly expensive to get land for the town, but he was sure he could borrow the coin from people in town.


    ¡°Anyone have 120 gold I can have?¡± Theo asked, shouting to the crowd.


    Suddenly, the citizens of Broken Tusk remembered tasks they hadn¡¯t completed for the day, walking off and muttering to themselves.


    ¡°I¡¯ll spot half of that,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I can get a quarter,¡± Ziz said, shrugging.


    ¡°The adventurer¡¯s guild will cover it in full,¡± Aarok said, appearing from the thinning crowd.


    ¡°We¡¯ll split it between the town¡¯s coffers, and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Alise said. ¡°Like I planned.¡±


    Of course Alise had a plan for this. The entire project went off the rails, and she was grasping for control the entire time. She was a person who wanted everything to go a certain way, and Theo admired her for that. But in Broken Tusk, things rarely went as planned. They pooled their money, handing it over to Theo, and he expanded the town.


    Aarok sent out an alert to everyone in town before the changes applied, warning them to dismount the walls. The group that remained near the harbor cleared the way, giving the expanding town a wide berth. Then, when Theo bought the incorporated land, the walls rumbled ominously. They crawled across the open fields after the first expansion, edging closer to the river with the second, and bridged the gap on the third. The wall now enclosed the entire harbor area, and as predicted, there was a strange half-wall, half-bridge spanning the river and canal.


    On the ocean-side of the harbor, where the wall went over the canal, it rose to an incredible height. It was now high enough to allow ships to pass underneath, and came complete with a gatehouse-style building that could drop a massive portcullis into the water, preventing ships from entering. It was operated by the same winch system used for the main gates of town. The eastern gate was now located facing north, along the new stretch of wall, with another gate facing south on the opposite side. The section of wall spanning the river wasn¡¯t as tall as the canal side, and had a permanently fixed grate instead of a portcullis.


    The new wall was exactly what Theo wanted out of the expansion, and then some. They had their harbor, and it was enclosed. Broken Tusk had more land to defend, and there was only one person who could provide the emplacements to accomplish the task.


    ¡°Looks like we need to call Fenian,¡± Theo said. He laughed. The trader was going to lose his mind.


    ¡°And look!¡± Tresk shouted, pointing at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s barely midday!¡±


    Theo remained in the new section of town for some time. Tresk joined him on the new bridge-wall facing south. They stared down the canal that stretched out into the ocean. There was still more work to do, but it felt good. The alchemist had to etch out channels in the bay, ensuring there was enough depth for large vessels to travel, but it was the first step. The first step in establishing trade to other lands.

 Chapter 3.35 - The Egg

    Tresk remained in the harbor for as long as she could. When the sun crawled closer to the early afternoon, she was off. Theo watched her bound off, climbing the hills to the north. He couldn¡¯t see her anymore, but he could feel her. With a rush, she was gone. Jumping through each shadow on the winding path to Rivers and Daub. She knew to keep him updated, and he needed to make a call.


    The communication crystal Fenian gave to Theo was a strange thing. The more he learned about long-range communication, the more he realized how weird it was. Even Khahar said people couldn¡¯t use similar methods directly to the Khahari Desert. It was hard to put his finger on it, but the alchemist suspected a greater force at work. Still, he couldn¡¯t deny the trader¡¯s usefulness.


    Theo clasped the crystal in his hand, letting the haptic buzz play through his skull.


    Theo? Is your town ready? I¡¯m bringing a Dragon! Fenian said. There was too much excitement in his voice. A person¡¯s smile seemed to carry through the telepathic link.


    Har har, Theo said. How¡¯s it going, Fenian?


    Better than I expected, Fenian said. I have a solid price on your potions. The Elves are fighting a protracted war¡ªwith themselves, of course¡ªand are buying everything up. Well, they¡¯ve been buying potions up for about 50 years, but I wasn¡¯t in the business back then.


    That¡¯s good to hear. What prices are you getting? Theo asked.


    They are very selective. Your fancy [Healing Potions] for 2 silver apiece. They said if you can do the same for your attribute potions, they¡¯ll go as high as 10 silver. That translates to about 5 silver each, though. They¡¯re tough on negotiations and expect deals on bulk orders. So, expect less.


    That wasn¡¯t the worst-case scenario, though. The alchemist¡¯s ability to mass-produce potions was getting better by the day. If he ran his stills full tilt, all day, he could make 3,000 potions. Fermenting, distilling, and applying modifiers would take another day, but if he focused on only attribute potions¡­ He could put together an order in a few days, and make 150 gold. That didn¡¯t seem right, and he didn¡¯t know if Fenian had the coin on hand to pay that amount. The only other limiting factor was his capacity to produce the reagents. But he was getting ahead of himself.


    Alright. Let me know when you¡¯re stopping by, Theo said.


    Theo. Have you worked on my other project? Fenian asked.


    I have an array of the [Hallow Ground] potions for you. Speaking of that, are you paying me for those? Theo asked.


    I thought the cave was enough, Fenian said.


    Bring me another cave, and you can have them for free, Theo said. I need another cave to grow [Manashrooms].


    Best I can do is 50 gold for a new cave, Fenian said.


    Theo thought for a moment. It wasn¡¯t like Fenian to withdraw his hand like that. He settled on the idea that the Elf was low on funds, which was likely the case.


    Take it out of my next order, Theo said. And, one more request?


    Let¡¯s hear it.


    Find me a plant that I can weave into durable cloth. Canvas, if possible, for my sails, Theo said.


    Oh, my. The port? Yes, I know the perfect plant. [Starbristle Flax] is incredibly strong. It¡¯s also blue, like my eyes. I¡¯ll bring a few samples from Tarantham. You only need one plant, right? Fenian asked.


    A single living plant is enough for me, Theo said.


    Perfect. I¡¯m near some farms. I¡¯ll steal a few for you, Fenian said. Anyway, contact me again when you have potions to sell. I¡¯m in the middle of wooing an Elven Noble Lady. Wish me luck!


    Before Theo could wish him anything, the connection cut out. He returned the crystal to his inventory and sent out a mental pulse, checking on his golems. The more he practiced, the easier it was to connect to the lodestone from afar. The alchemist got a vague impression of the greenhouses. He gleaned nothing useful from the act, and dismounted the wall to check on them manually. When he arrived, Zarali wanted a word with him.


    The Drogramathi Priestess was concerned about the alteration of his mark, but he waved her off. She also wanted to push forward with upgrading his herbalism core, but he couldn¡¯t spare the time today. The directions she gave on upgrading the core seemed simple, but he felt as though she was holding something back. Her possession by Drogramath had shaken her more than she¡¯d admit.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Honestly? Not well,¡± Zarali said, managing a weak smile. ¡°Xol¡¯sa has been listening to me ramble and sob. Drogramath sent me a message. Well, it was more of a feeling. An apology. It helped a lot.¡±


    That just cast the Demon Lord¡¯s motives in an even more confusing light. If it was hard to understand Sulvan¡¯s motives, people like Drogramath and Khahar were impossible. Everything seemed to fit in their neat little plan for the mortal world, but what they witnessed in the town hall was the first time the alchemist saw any god take direct action.


    Theo let Zarali join him in tending the gardens. The greenhouses had a substantial effect on the rate of cultivation. Each of his plants were ready for propagation, and he went about that work. It would take a few days to get each bed filled with reagents, but not as long as it would take outside of Broken Tusk. He then had to worry about cultivating whatever Fenian brought to town, but that was a task for another day. Since he used the flowers to brew the essence for his attribute-enhancement potions, and the stems to create new plants, he skimmed a few 100% cultivated flowers from each type.


    ¡°This would be easier with a legendary herbalism core,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo said, slapping an ember from a [Flame Rose] from the air. He snipped the end of a healthy-looking branch and shoved it in the ground. That was usually enough for them to grow.


    ¡°Are you enjoying the golems?¡± Zarali asked.


    Theo could feel them foraging through the area near the Newt and Demon. Each had already exchanged their power supply a few times, but he had enough slates to last them. He took a moment to think about the question. The constructs skill was incredibly useful. It provided utility he didn¡¯t have before. Another pair of hands to take care of mundane tasks.


    ¡°They¡¯re great,¡± Theo said. ¡°We can work on upgrading my herbalism core later today.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Exciting,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to check on the mine,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°We?¡±


    Theo¡¯s [Lesser Stone Golem] waved from outside the greenhouse. Zarali gave him a flat look.


    ¡°I thought you were including me,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come.¡±


    Zarali was bored enough to join them down the road, headed for the smelter. Nira was working hard, not distracted by the excitement of the port. Theo waved at her and her apprentices, then pushed on to the mine. Sarna was working near the entrance, in one of the many tunnels the alchemist created near the surface. They were pulling more copper out of the mine than ever, along with regular iron and Drogramathi Iron.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Did your workforce double again?¡± Theo asked, spotting many unfamiliar faces.


    ¡°Indeed it has,¡± Sarna said, wiping sweat and soot from her forehead. ¡°I wonder if we¡¯re keeping up with the housing demand.¡±


    Theo shrugged. Alise would handle it, if it became a problem. Even if he got reassurances to the contrary, he was worried about their supply of food. Importing from Rivers and Daub was an option, but he¡¯d rather not.


    ¡°We should get a bakery,¡± Theo said, inspecting the walls of the mine. He didn¡¯t know what he hoped to find here. Just a distraction while he waited for Tresk to return, perhaps.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking,¡± Sarna said, slapping him on the back. ¡°So, we¡¯re on the edge of a cavern. What¡¯s the plan with that?¡±


    The cavern was behind several well-placed iron gates, in tunnels designed for a fighting retreat. If they hit anything nasty, the miners could back out through the tunnel and shut the gates behind them. If things got terrible, they could abandon the mine and let the towers take care of the monsters. The southern wall was tangled up in the rocky hills, but he was certain they would reach monsters emerging from the mouth of the cave.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see what Aarok wants to do,¡± Theo said, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Sarna said, nodding. ¡°What about the god hanging out in our town?¡±


    ¡°Khahar isn¡¯t a god,¡± Theo said, waving her question away.


    ¡°Kinda seems like a god.¡±


    ¡°I feel like he has something to say to me,¡± Theo said. ¡°He just can¡¯t get the words out. Something is wrong with his mind.¡±


    That didn¡¯t give Zarali or Sarna confidence that Theo had the problem under control. To him, it was like stuffing a hurricane in his pocket. Completely impossible.


    Sarna dropped the topic. Zarali was interested to see where the Drogramathi Iron was spawning, so she led the way. The priestess inspected the nuggets for some time, nodding her approval. According to her, nothing in the cave was a natural deposit, but Theo already knew that. It required further study.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m not eager to test these monster-stoppers,¡± Sarna said, slapping an iron gate. ¡°But throw us a few good adventurers, and I think we can do it.¡±


    If Theo wasn¡¯t trying to whittle away the time while his reagents grew, he would have been annoyed. Aarok could handle the situation. He¡¯d know how many people to send, and which ones to send. Instead, Sarna wanted the alchemist to do something about it now. There was a lingering fear there, though. As long as that last bit of rock stood between them and the next room, the mine would function without worry.


    ¡°Are things that boring around here?¡± Theo asked, letting out a sigh. Aarok and his people would have been preparing for the monster wave, especially with the newly expanded walls. They¡¯d need to move the towers around, especially to the new harbor wall.


    ¡°Do it, Theo,¡± Zarali said.


    They were standing in the last room, right past the newest iron gate installed by Throk. The icy part of the cavern wall was ahead, the place that signaled a portal into an underground world. Theo shrugged. What¡¯s the worst that could happen?


    Theo dumped a [Tunneling Potion] on the ground, one of the last he had, and let it go to work. He created a large opening into the cavern, carving out the rock with his mind, then stopped. Everyone stopped, sucking in a collective breath.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Sarna said, moving closer to the opening.


    Theo¡¯s potion sat eagerly in the rock, wanting to eat more away. But there was an obstruction. Gray, magically hewn rock gave way to hand-carved stones. The alchemist revealed more of the strange structure, tracing along one side of the wall until he found an archway, a massive stone slab in the middle. It bore an inscription none of them could read. Not even Zarali.


    ¡°Alright, the work day just got interesting,¡± Sarna said, laughing. ¡°This isn¡¯t a cavern at all.¡±


    ¡°But, it is cold,¡± Theo said. He pressed his hands against the wall and let the chill wash through his body. There was something familiar about this stone, but he couldn¡¯t place it. Like a memory removed from his mind. It lingered with a sense of pull, as though the stones had their own gravity.


    ¡°The symbols are glowing now,¡± Zarali said, moving closer to the wall.


    If Theo had remembered to drink his [Potion of Limited Foresight] that morning, he might have seen the artifice emerge from the doorway. The black doorway rippled, and a claw-like hand snatched his. In an instant, Zarali summoned blue fire to attack the claw, Sarna let out a startled yelp and smacked it with a pickaxe, and the alchemist shrieked.


    Pain, like nothing he¡¯d ever felt before, flooded through his body. System messages popped up as his health drained away. He could feel the black claw sucking his life force from him, draining his blood. Instinctively, he drank a [Retreat Potion] but didn¡¯t withdraw a bomb. A surge of [Dexterity] sharpened his reflexes, but the potion didn¡¯t work. His body throttled backward, but his hand remained, shattering something in his shoulder. Zarali and Sarna shouted something, but he couldn¡¯t hear them. The pain seared his mind, grinding his will into dust. Even the [Lesser Stone Golem] struck the doorway, desperate to defend its master.


    As quickly as it started, it was over. The black claw melted back in the door and the alchemist collapsed. Time must have passed, but a sickening crunch woke Theo from his unconsciousness. He took a sharp breath and sat up, the chilly cavern floor leaving phantom cold on his back. The alchemist watched the hole in his hand mend. Zarali was chanting something, allowing the healing power of Drogramath to flow through his body. And the door was open.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Zarali shouted, shaking him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Only then did he have time to check the system messages.


    [Genetic Matching]... [Dronon, Drogramathi Detected] : [MATCH]


    [Willpower Matching]... [Above Average Detected] : [MATCH]


    [Core Matching]... [Drogramath Herbalism Core]: [MATCH]


    [Core Matching]... [Drogramath Alchemy Core]: [MATCH]


    [Unknown Core]... [Governance Core]: [SKIP]


    [ERROR]: Unexpected realm-overlap detected.


    [Attempting Remap]... [SUCCESS]


    [Dual Soul] detected. Remapping¡­ [SUCCESS]


    [Theo Spencer], [Tresk] bonded.


    [Opening Sequence]... [SUCCESS]


    [Egg] has been bound to [Theo Spencer], [Tresk].


    [Power Down]


    Theo blinked, trying to force his mind to catch up to reality. The [Lesser Stone Golem] was destroyed on the ground, just a pile of rubble. Sarna had run off to get someone¡¯s attention, only now returning with a gaggle of miners.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Theo said, groaning to his feet.


    He noticed what was in the room.


    Sitting on a fine pedestal covered with a fine purple cloth, was an egg. A Dronon script ran from the top of the far wall to the bottom. Theo could understand pieces of it, but it was like reading a broken language.


    ¡°You alright? I brought the workers,¡± Sarna said, heaving breath. ¡°What¡¯s that say?¡±


    ¡°Could we please have the room?¡± Zarali asked, her tone frantic.


    Sarna, Gridgen, and the rest of the mining laborers were happy to clear out of the room. Whatever they expected in this cavern wasn¡¯t this. They were all too happy to get as far from the room as possible. Zarali turned to Theo when they had finally all left.


    Theo explained the system messages, reading them out for her.


    ¡°What?¡± Zarali asked, shaking her head. She looked at the text once again, her breath catching in her throat. ¡°Tworgnothi.¡±


    Theo felt sore and spent. Tworgnothi sounded like a Dronon script, which made enough sense. What it was doing in his mind was another question.


    ¡°Can you read it?¡± Theo said, making to cross the threshold.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Zarali said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it says. I can only make out parts. Something about a weapon. A horror.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Whatever this thing did, it did it. It¡¯s done. That¡¯s the curious thing¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to finish his thought out loud. It was looking for him, but it found Theo and Tresk. Someone set this up. When they did, they neglected to predict that Tresk would be in the mix. That had to count for something, even if the artifice completed its run. Even that part was disturbing, though. He¡¯d never seen an artifice interact with the system interface like that.


    ¡°Can you make a zone of silence?¡± Theo asked.


    Zarali swiped her hand. The air shimmered with purple magic, bathing the newly excavated room in its light. The low whistle of the rest of the cave was drown out immediately.


    ¡°Khahar!¡± Theo shouted. ¡°I¡¯m in danger!¡±


    Nothing happened. Either Khahar knew it was a bluff, or he couldn¡¯t hear them. Either way, no one came running down the tunnel. It was good enough. Theo explained every part of the message, including the part about Tresk. He gave his theory as to someone setting this up, then failing to account for the Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°If it was Tworgnoth,¡± Zarali started. She closed her eyes, slapping her cheeks and shaking her head. ¡°I can¡¯t see why the Master of Demonic Artifices would be involved. He¡¯s a core Demon in the Demonic Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°But that artifice looked pretty Demonic,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Zarali said, letting out an exasperated breath. ¡°You¡¯re bound to an egg, now. Might as well investigate.¡±


    Theo smiled. He knew her curiosity for the egg would get the better of her. He entered the room, still bathed in the zone of silence, and pressed his hand to the velvet cover over the egg. A sense of deep belonging flooded through his body. The egg was the size of his fist and warm to the touch. He removed the cover, spotting the speckled, stony surface of the egg. It felt too familiar. Like pressing his forehead against Tresk¡¯s.


    The system didn¡¯t give a description of the thing. Theo took it in his hands and just stared.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the egg,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Maybe a dragon?¡± Theo asked, slightly hopeful. Who wouldn¡¯t want a pet dragon.


    ¡°Dragon eggs are as large as you are,¡± Zarali said, shaking her head. ¡°This is smaller. Your robes are too tight, let me have it.¡±


    Theo found he wanted nothing more than to never give Zarali the egg. It wasn¡¯t as though he didn¡¯t trust her. The egg created something that ran deep into his heart. A new bond that he¡¯d do anything to protect. He stuffed it in his robes and shook his head.


    ¡°We need to figure out what this is. I assume you have books on the subject,¡± Theo said. Zarali nodded. ¡°Off to the lab.¡±

 Chapter 3.36 - Double Bonded

    Alise didn¡¯t take the discovery of the egg well. Theo found an old satchel in Azrug¡¯s crates, although he supposed those were Salire¡¯s crates now, and nestled the egg inside. He created an open-topped glass cube with thick walls and padded it with spare cloth. His egg was now safely nestled in the satchel, protected by a cage of magical glass. The alchemist felt a sense of warmth flowing from the egg, even as he entered the town hall to take his beating.


    Aarok, Luras, Alise, and all her new functionaries were standing in the hall. The new administrators took notes, while Aarok and Luras looked pensive. Alise just looked mad.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you how dangerous that sounds,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Did Zarali rat me out?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alise said. ¡°Let¡¯s see the egg.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Theo said.


    Alise was just trying to make sure everyone was safe, but that wasn¡¯t her job. That title went to Aarok and Luras. The two Half-Ogre men stared on for a moment before turning to each other. They shared a long look before shrugging.


    ¡°It¡¯s a setup,¡± Luras said. ¡°Just show us the egg, Theo. No one is going to touch it.¡±


    Theo made sure he was at a fair distance, mentally holding on to the various potions in his inventory. The moment that thought entered his mind, he took a mental step back and froze on the spot. Everyone in the room, even the functionaries, had a look of concern. The alchemist was just assaulted by a magical door, then he scooped up the egg like it was his own baby. Compared to most normal people, his mind was a fortress. This sudden invasion sent him into a momentary panic.


    Reluctantly, he withdrew the egg and held it out.


    ¡°Khahar?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bonded creature,¡± Khahar said, emerging from nowhere. ¡°Spencer is defensive, because they now share a minor soulbond.¡±


    ¡°You guys just went straight to the living god, didn¡¯t you?¡± Theo said, chuckling. He wanted to blame them, but he couldn¡¯t find the heart to do so. He would have done the same thing. ¡°Any reason to be worried?¡±


    ¡°May I touch her?¡± Khahar asked.


    Theo nodded, a ripple spreading through his body. It was a girl.


    Khahar placed his hand on the egg for only a moment, then withdrew it. ¡°A common creature, modified by Tworgnoth, Uz¡¯Xulven, and Drogramath. She is completely harmless.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Khahar¡­ Your uh¡­ Majesty,¡± Alise said. ¡°Sorry for the scare, Theo. Can¡¯t be too careful with these things.¡±


    Theo explained how he was suddenly aware of his defensive behavior, finding it to be the most shocking thing of all.


    ¡°It is a harmless soulbond,¡± Khahar explained. ¡°Think of it as a small version of the Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    Theo had already given Tresk the entire story. She felt the bond with the egg, too. A deep sense to protect it at all costs that the distance did nothing to dampen. She was jumping back to Broken Tusk now, as the light faded.


    ¡°So, is this a dragon?¡± Theo asked, still hopeful.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a mundane creature,¡± Khahar said, cracking a smile. ¡°Like back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s going to be powerful, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Beyond anything you know.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Everyone loves the egg. Hail the egg,¡± Aarok said, waving his hand as though to clear away a foul smell. ¡°Khahar, you¡¯re dismissed. I appreciate your council. I¡¯d pay you, but you¡¯re rich as hell and a god.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly a god,¡± Khahar said. His eyes went unfocused, then he shrugged and vanished.


    ¡°Everyone here knows what¡¯s going on,¡± Aarok said, clearing his throat. ¡°We¡¯re not stupid enough to miss simple details. So far, everything we¡¯ve found has helped us. The things left for Theo. That¡¯s no reason to let our guard down, but we have to assume one fact.¡±


    ¡°The egg is important to the survival of the town,¡± Theo said, finishing the thought. ¡°Because something is coming.¡±


    ¡°Exactly right,¡± Luras said, his words more a growl than a statement.


    ¡°Any more information from Fenian on that?¡± Alise asked.


    There were a few paths Fenian could take. Theo had put a lot of thought in it, but his latest ventures threw him off the scent. The trader established a new relationship with the Elves under an assumed name, Fenian Feintleaf. He was also trying to destabilize Qavell, which seemed off. Tarantham and Qavell had little in common, separated by another nation and an ocean. That made his covert actions against the crown personal. Personal matters rarely ended with logical actions.


    ¡°Just what I can piece together,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Fenian is trying to topple the crown,¡± Theo said, as though that wasn¡¯t a big deal. Only the new people acted with surprise. ¡°His motivations are personal, and¡­¡±


    Theo paused for a long moment after that. There was too little information to make assumptions on what he would do to accomplish his goals. The trader was a whirlwind, and the best option was to stay on his good side.


    ¡°And he¡¯s trying to establish a relationship with Tarantham, Veosta, or both,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Best course of action?¡± Alise asked, turning to Aarok and Luras.


    ¡°Weather the storm,¡± Aarok grunted. ¡°Get that alliance going before the end of Fire. Bolster Gronro. Hunker down.¡±


    Those were Theo¡¯s exact thoughts. Broken Tusk was powerful, if you considered only the three major towns in the south. Khahar would ascend to godhood soon enough, so they couldn¡¯t rely on him. That might actually create an awkward situation with the Burning Eye, but that was a problem for another day. For now, it was like Aarok said. Buy weapons, mount them on the walls, and prepare for whatever came seething from the north.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Alise said with a curt nod. ¡°Now, on to financials.¡±


    Theo¡¯s eyes glazed over. He ran his fingers over the egg as she spoke. No one sat down as she detailed their position. The harbor project cost them more than they could afford, and trade deals weren¡¯t rolling in fast enough. If not for the charity of the other folks in town, they¡¯d be in the hole. Tresk, unbeknownst to Theo, had given the town a sizable loan to pay this season¡¯s taxes. Grub had already collected mid-season, but that was a tenth of what they paid for the end-of-season taxes. The alchemist only interjected when expansion came up.


    ¡°If someone else could own a bakery, that¡¯d be great,¡± Theo said. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m planning on renting some fields for [Starbristle Flax] for a textiles industry.¡±


    ¡°Good, we need ideas for more income,¡± Alise said. ¡°That¡¯s everyone¡¯s task. Squeeze more money out of this town. Our port is useless without ships, so get on that.¡±


    Alise went on until sunset. Theo was exhausted from his encounter in the mine. Gridgen and Sarna even came to check up on him part-way through the meeting. He used the excuse to slip out, sensing Tresk drawing closer. She appeared from the shadows, startling the miners. But she went straight for the egg, holding it in her clammy little hands and staring at the shell.


    ¡°That¡¯s what was in the room?¡± Gridgen asked, laughing. His son, Gasem, tried to snatch the egg from Tresk. He was too slow.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Yeah, some kind of bonded creature,¡± Theo said.


    They traded guesses on what it was for some time. Tresk insisted it was a dragon, despite Khahar¡¯s advice. She was reluctant to return the egg, but relented when she saw the setup Theo had for it. They made their way to the Marsh Wolf Tavern for dinner, which was something that looked suspiciously like enchiladas. The more Theo ate, the more he realized they were exactly enchiladas. Xam claimed she got the recipe from Khahar, but he didn¡¯t believe her.


    Theo found Zarali, worn from the day and waiting for him and Tresk to arrive near the bathhouse. They made their way to their private room and went over the day. Tresk left out the part where she went off to Rivers and Daub to do recon. The alchemist soaked in the water, listening to the theories about the egg. It sat near the edge of the water. Somehow, he knew it enjoyed the heat.


    ¡°A bonded familiar is great,¡± Zarali said, holding her finger up to curtail any agreement. ¡°But this is different. It bonded with you both.¡±


    ¡°Double bonded,¡± Tresk said, nodding excitedly.


    Zarali let out a sigh, sinking deeper into the water. ¡°There¡¯s no point arguing, is there? This place is like a tidal wave.¡±


    Conversation swept back around to the harbor. The road ahead was long, but no one seemed to care. The townsfolk saw it as a symbol of Broken Tusk¡¯s power. They laid claim to something no one else in the region could, and that had to count for something. Zarali seemed content enough to count herself among the growing collective.


    Tresk dragged Theo back to the Newt and Demon when they were done with their bath. She had a lot to say, and nothing she would put into words. Their only safe place to talk was the Dreamwalk. The alchemist made a small area between their bed for the egg, wrapping it in a blanket and placing a stool over top. He didn¡¯t want it getting squashed. The pair pressed their foreheads together and gained a massive amount of Tara¡¯hek experience, shooting them to level 19. No bonuses came, but a feeling of eager anticipation settled into the alchemist¡¯s chest.


    They would receive another skill next level.


    The Dreamwalk formed around them. First darkness, then a shaded view of a walled city. It spanned over a river, connected by a series of ornate bridges. Their walls were impressive, if sparse with towers. Theo could only spot a single weapon per gate, which was far too few. He didn¡¯t know how Rivers and daub had survived any monster waves, let alone several. The alchemist looked down from a tall tower. Tresk must have scouted the place out from here.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re split into districts,¡± Tresk said, gesturing to the town below. She swatted at something, then narrowed her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t notice it at first. A small mote of light was flying around their heads, as though it wanted their attention. He realized what it was after a moment.


    ¡°The egg,¡± Theo said. ¡°That system message said something about our soulbond.¡±


    ¡°Egg!¡± Tresk said, snatching the wisp from the air. She cradled it in her hands, cooing.


    ¡°So, the districts?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Adventurers, crafters, nobles. Lots of nobles. Too many. There are the farms out there,¡± she said, gesturing to the east. The farms weren¡¯t enclosed in the wall, which was a problem.


    The location of Rivers and Daub wasn¡¯t great. The city had gone up to take advantage of the river, but that was their last and only advantage. Open planes to the east, south, and west, with the rocky incline of hills to the north. No side of the place was easily defensible. It presented a nightmare scenario that could only be overcome with raw firepower. Broken Tusk was in a much similar situation with their monster waves, but they were prepared. Their walls bristled with weapons, and their treasury was fat with motes to power them. This place felt weak, even through the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°The air feels thin,¡± Theo said, not knowing what that meant. This was a dream. But it was Tresk¡¯s recollection of the town, so he supposed those senses came too. He didn¡¯t remember feeling this when she took him into her memories from childhood.


    ¡°Thin is a good word for it,¡± Tresk grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re too used to how it is in Broken Tusk.¡±


    They went over everything wrong with the town. It lacked enough defenses to withstand much more than a level 15 monster wave, or so they theorized. The reality of it was, they were only used to dealing with high-level monster waves. More towers was always better, unless a town didn¡¯t have the motes to power those towers. The mote-collection idea floated to the top of Theo¡¯s priorities.


    ¡°Worst case, I get Zarali to make me a lot of lodestones. Then, I can make an army of mote-collecting golems,¡± Theo said. ¡°They¡¯re cheap enough to make. They can scour the swamp.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re going to sell motes to Rivers?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Feel how thin the Power is in the air?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they don¡¯t have the motes to power their towers. That¡¯s why they only have¡­ What? Four?¡±


    ¡°I counted 4,¡± Tresk said.


    The scene shifted and they were standing on a wall. Tresk must have snuck across the perimeter of the town, because they could walk around without the Dreamwalk breaking. True to her word, they only had 4 towers, all low-quality [Firebolt Towers], the cheapest available. Not that the price had anything to do with tower availability. Theo suspected his supplier, Fenian, got them from an Elven source. He couldn¡¯t prove that, but perhaps they could come to an arrangement.


    Until then, they walked the streets of Rivers and Daub. Theo didn¡¯t need Tresk to tell him the big problem in this town. The wealthy held much of the landscape with sprawling manors that were more like palaces than anything else. Mercantile Chairs were a scourge to any fair town. His mind drifted back to his original plan to conquer Rivers. It was posturing with Luras, but it seemed like a good plan at this point. Especially when they entered the slums.


    ¡°See, when I came to Broken Tusk,¡± Theo said, pointing at the shacks. ¡°Everyone lived like this. There wasn¡¯t this divide.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Tresk said, chuckling. ¡°We don¡¯t have the resources to take them over.¡±


    ¡°We also don¡¯t have to defend them,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Tresk said, looking around. She shaded her eyes as though the dim light prevented her from seeing clearly. ¡°Where did my alchemist go? My precious, loving, charitable alchemist?¡±


    Theo punched her in the arm. ¡°I get it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m dropping the first sack of gold coins I mint on the slums.¡±


    ¡°I tossed a beggar a few silver,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s like putting mud on an open wound. Might feel good now, but you didn¡¯t solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°Alright. This isn¡¯t our domain,¡± Theo said, realizing what was going on. He was getting emotionally invested in a problem he didn¡¯t understand. The alchemist barely understood how to run Broken Tusk, if at all. His support staff would have better ideas. It was a problem for Azrug to solve.


    ¡°Oh! This is fun,¡± Tresk said, scampering off down the street. She led him to an imposing-looking building made of black stone. ¡°The prison!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fun,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of fun.¡±


    ¡°Come on! We need a jail!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°Everyone in town is under a magical contract,¡± Theo said. ¡°There¡¯s no point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but look at it!¡±


    The building was impressive, if a bit imposing. It ruined the look of the town, even if he recognized the strategic location of the place. Right near the slums. Again, he ignored that. His people could sort this out better than him.


    They checked out every part of town. Even if there weren¡¯t people in the memory, the Dreamwalk only seemed to project buildings unless instructed otherwise, Theo got a good sense for the town. They relied on their crafters and farmers for all their income. The Chairs likely took most of the coin for themselves, and they would have suffered greatly from the increased export tax. The pair settled down in the city. Theo conducted experiments on large-scale golem operations, and Tresk fought hordes of monsters from the battlements. She even got the towers to work.


    There was a hard limit on Theo¡¯s willpower, even with the lodestones. It was something like 20 golems active at one time, but that stretched him thin. He could work 15 at a time without an issue, which seemed like enough for his mote harvesting venture. Even in the Dreamwalk, the constructs had a good sense for finding items. But there were also experiments he wanted to conduct that couldn¡¯t be done in the Dreamwalk. He needed to test the effectiveness of the [Pozwa Eggs]. There was also the mystery of the [Suffuse Potion]. He inspected that one to get a better idea of what he was working with.


    [Suffuse Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A potion used to bind two properties to an object, or each other.


    Effect:


    Bind two properties.


    Binding two properties to an object made little sense to the Alchemist. Since properties were effectively essences, that meant it could create a new essence from two existing essences. The only thing that happened when he used the [Suffuse Potion] to combine two essences was a massive explosion, even without introducing a catalyst. Like most things in alchemy, this meant he was missing something.


    Theo tried, for about an hour, to pull reagents apart with his mana. They exploded every time he tried, but he learned a few things. True to Zarali¡¯s word, he could feel that there were more than 3 properties on a reagent, but it was more complicated than that. He died in an explosion after trying to rip a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] apart, but got a sense there was something inside there. It was as though there was an entire realm within that one tuber. A sprawling universe where micro-properties were intertwined in some delicate dance. Pulling the reagent apart without knowing how to do it was like splitting the atom.


    Before the Dreamwalk expired, he narrowed his thoughts down on the matter. Once he thought of the [Suffuse Potion] as a true binder, it made a little sense. It was a catalyst. Plain as that. Even with his most refined essence, he couldn¡¯t feed it something pure enough to make a connection. Discounting the limitations of the Dreamwalk, he knew he needed something base. The pinnacle of properties. In his mind, he named the elemental properties. Essence so fundamental that nothing could interfere with the [Suffuse Potion¡¯s] bond.


    Theo needed to grind experience more if he wanted to taste the benefit of the [Reagent Deconstruction] skill.

 Chapter 3.37 - We All Love Zee

    Theo woke the next morning to find Tresk cradling the egg in her arms. She had a rare look on her face, one of soft sympathy. While his companion cooed at the rocky egg, the alchemist considered what this new bond meant. It felt as though the Tara¡¯hek had strengthened, but the core didn¡¯t reflect that. It remained as it was, with no additional bonuses even when it edged closer to level 20. He scrutinized it closely, just to make sure, just to make sure.


    [Tara¡¯hek Core]


    Legendary


    Tara¡¯hek Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 19 (12%)


    [Tara¡¯hek] cores are given to those who accept a Marshling life-partner. You cannot change the skills inside the core, or remove it at any time.


    Effect:


    +6 Strength


    +2 Vigor


    It still had the same 3 skills slotted in, [Tara¡¯hek Communication], [Tara¡¯hek Inventory], and [Tara¡¯hek Dreamwalking]. It wasn¡¯t surprising, as he thought he¡¯d notice an evolution of the core, but it deepened the mystery. If any of his cores randomly got a new skill, it would be that one.


    Theo had to argue to get the egg in his care for the day. He had enough means to escape an attack that Tresk wasn¡¯t as worried, but she still wanted to cradle the egg all day. He was content with having it near him in his bag. The alchemist only convinced her after drinking a [Potion of Limited Foresight].


    ¡°I still need to know the long-term effects of these things,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking them almost every day, Theo,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Feel any different?¡±


    ¡°Besides the egg? No,¡± Theo said.


    They departed shortly after, heading off to eat breakfast. Theo¡¯s first thought at the leftover enchiladas was that Xam was great at reheating food. He quickly realized it was more likely she set them in a dimensional storage container overnight, keeping the same heat from yesterday. People in the tavern seemed more interested in striking up a conversation with him that morning. They wanted to see the egg, although he wouldn¡¯t allow any of them to touch it. Some newer citizens had insights into the soul-bound creature situation.


    It was common enough in the northern mountains. Theo remembered talking to a Toora bear-person from the area north of Qavell. Bora was a pugilist?, but the newcomers in Broken Tusk told him about the more shamanistic peoples of the Toora. They¡¯d form bonds with wild animals, or newly born ones that fought side-by-side with their bonded person. They seemed to think it was a powerful option; the downside being the difficulty of obtaining a creature.


    Theo realized the wisdom of Tresk¡¯s core selection during breakfast. She broke through level 20 for her personal level, and most of her cores. Her [Tracker¡¯s Core], and [Assassin¡¯s Core] both tipped over the edge and she had selected her 2 free abilities. Her [Shadowdancer¡¯s Core] was lagging slightly, despite her constant use of the [Shadowdance] ability. She shared her new abilities with him for inspection.


    [Marked for Death]


    Assassin Skill


    Uncommon Skill


    Tracked targets receive 2x damage during [Sneak Attacks] while marked.


    This skill would seem situational if Tresk didn¡¯t already have a [Track Monster] skill from her [Tracker¡¯s core]. There was also her [Pursuit] skill from the same core, which increased damage by 1.25 to tracked targets. The uncommon rarity was therefore confusing. The system saw it as something that needed synergy to work, but she already had that synergy. She created a great build, evidenced by the next skill she shared.


    [Lingering Poison]


    Tracker Skill


    Epic Skill


    Marked targets that don¡¯t detect your presence receive 1.5x damage from poisons.


    Then her entire build came together. The hit-and-run style of combat paired perfectly with the [Tracker¡¯s Core]. Tresk was officially a terror on the battlefield, coming in hard with her daggers then vanishing away. The [Lingering Poison] ability would make them suffer while she held back, safe from reprisal.


    Tresk also held more of a sharp edge now. Her eyes flicked from the corners of the room, flinty and searching. Theo considered her a spiky person at most times, but she was changing into something else. A true assassin. And he couldn¡¯t tell if that was a good thing or not. Without the Tara¡¯hek, she would likely be off the rails. They balanced each other out.


    Alise interrupted the discussion after Theo expressed how impressed he was with Tresk¡¯s build. The Marshling went off to her adventures for the day, and the alchemist was dragged to the town hall. He hadn¡¯t even finished his tea.


    The Lady Administrator had information about the influx of citizens to the town. Food was officially a concern, second only to housing. There were too many people, and too few [House Seed Cores] to give them homes of their own.


    ¡°We can¡¯t have that many people,¡± Theo said, shrugging it off.


    ¡°We¡¯ll hit 200 citizens before the Season of Fire even starts,¡± Alise said. She peered into the ever-burning fire of the town hall and shook her head.


    Theo¡¯s mind had trouble catching up with her words. It was 10 times the amount they started with at the beginning of the season. An unsustainable number. Xam might have been making a killing, but her supplies weren¡¯t infinite. Especially not when new citizens were offered free meals. The alchemist groaned, heading for the door without saying a word to Alise. She and her functionaries followed close behind.


    When the group passed by the neighborhood area, Theo spotted even more houses springing up, sprawling toward the eastern wall. The roads were more crowded, even if the alchemist felt that was a good thing. His goal wasn¡¯t the residential district, though, it was the farm. Alise hadn¡¯t renamed it from Sea of Zee yet, so it must have stuck. When they arrived at the sprawling farm, it was thick with the cultivated grain. Uncultivated zee was roughly the size of Theo¡¯s head, but these new plants were ten times the size. It was an absurd sight.


    ¡°Banu!¡± Theo shouted, gaining the attention of the farm¡¯s owner. Banurub was a massive Half-Ogre, skin wrinkled from the constant sun exposure. He had a worn look on his face. ¡°I hear we have a food problem.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Banu said, mopping his brow. ¡°Soon enough, though.¡±


    Theo turned to Alise, scratching his chin.


    ¡°Can we subsidize them?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± Alise asked. The functionaries took notes.


    The farm currently had 16 fields. The last time Theo was here, they harvested every week. Before he arrived, cultivating the plants, the alchemist observed the harvesting every 2 weeks, or so. It was hard to say with their farming method of transporting mud from the swamp, letting it bake on a fallow field, then planting. Now, Banu split his fields between the traditional way and the new way.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°First, are we low on food already?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Alise said.


    It was hard to do the math, but 16 fields seemed like plenty to feed 200 people. Then he saw the problem as they walked through the massive farm. Everyone was looking to Theo for solutions, but they hadn¡¯t taken the chance to walk around and see the problem. Some fields were planted. Not even the 8 to 8 split on tradition and alchemical growing methods. On both sides of the farm, split by the cobbled road, half of the fields were fallow. For the traditional method, that made sense. But alchemically enhanced soil could produce forever, even if it generated a few monsters.


    ¡°Banu, what¡¯s the deal?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No one wants to work,¡± Banu said, quick to blame. That was farmers, though.


    They made their way back to the farmhouse on the property, Banu¡¯s home and the site of the seed core. Theo inspected the farm.


    [Large Farm]


    [Rotbog Farms]


    Owners: Banurub


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 10 (1%)


    Rent Due: 7 days


    Expansions:


    [Fresh Tilled Earth]


    [Enhanced Growth]


    Theo sighed. ¡°Banu, why aren¡¯t you upgrading your farm?¡±


    Banu shrugged.


    The problem was twofold. The farm wasn¡¯t getting the upgrades it needed, and Alise wasn¡¯t being pushy enough about assigning people to farm duty. It might have been dirty work, but it needed to be done. Theo¡¯s idea for subsidies, where he¡¯d fund whatever the farm needed to grow, would still work. But the administration of Broken Tusk needed to take a hard turn. Alise¡¯s prowess for organization was amazing, but she could be soft. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t blame her, since she brought the problem to his attention before it was actually a problem.


    The more Theo considered that idea, the more he dismissed it. Perhaps she was being nice, but the big decisions still fell to him. She was the Lady Administrator, not the mayor.


    ¡°We need more farmers,¡± Theo said. ¡°And some [Monster Cores] to upgrade the farm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to convince people to do farm work,¡± an administrator of Alise¡¯s said.


    ¡°Perhaps you could work the farm,¡± Theo said, pointing at the Human. That made him wither.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to take more workers,¡± Banus said, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.


    ¡°We¡¯re already getting a deal from the farmers,¡± Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°But food variety is already an issue. I don¡¯t want more Zee.¡±


    ¡°I like Zee,¡± Banu said.


    ¡°We all love Zee,¡± Theo said. ¡°Give me a sample of the 100% cultivated Zee, and I¡¯ll get it to 200%. Then, we need to find some other stuff to grow. I want to take a few fields for my own purposes. Then Alise is going to round up everyone without a job and put them to work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done,¡± Alise mumbled.


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to do the easy thing,¡± Theo said. ¡°Anyone who doesn¡¯t want to work the fields goes to the mine. Anyone who doesn¡¯t want to work the mine goes to the sawmill, and so on. These are paying jobs, we¡¯re not forcing people into slavery. If they don¡¯t want to work with the industry we have here, they can start something for themselves.¡±


    Alise didn¡¯t seem to have the words to respond. Theo was always easy on the people in his town, letting them do whatever they wanted, but that only went so far. He knew that any Half-Ogre or Marshling worth their weight would work until their fingers bled, but the newer people were disillusioned. They didn¡¯t know that they could make a living doing basic labor. But those were the bones of Broken Tusk. Hard work and dirty hands made coin here, and the new people would find that out soon enough.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said, going glassy-eyed. ¡°Of the 150 citizens we have, 30 haven¡¯t updated me about their job status. Meaning, they¡¯re unemployed.¡±


    ¡°They slipped through the cracks,¡± Theo said. ¡°They must have missed your lecture about getting a job, or your functionaries failed to tell them.¡±


    Two of the three administrators winced. The third, a woman who appeared to be Human to Theo¡¯s eyes stood proud. The alchemist only hoped Alise saw her as the best of the bunch, but that was up to her. He didn¡¯t want to get too involved with the administrators.


    ¡°Right,¡± Alise said, gaining some of herself back. ¡°We¡¯ll work on this.¡±


    Theo waved at the new administrators, dismissing them from the farm. Alise looked confused, but he spoke once they were out of earshot.


    ¡°If any of them drag you down, send them to the fields,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re normally sharper than this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been offloading my work on them,¡± Alise said, letting out a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d miss something like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Human girl is the only one with a head on her shoulders,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Half-Elf girl,¡± Alise corrected. ¡°Woman, really. She¡¯s not a girl.¡±


    ¡°Put her in charge of the other two,¡± Theo said. ¡°She can fire them if she wants. They need a fire under their asses.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Banu shouted, clapping his hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve changed. All it took was 60 days of hard labor for you to harden. I like it.¡±


    Theo smiled. He had things to do today, and didn¡¯t want to go on about how people who weren¡¯t from Broken Tusk didn¡¯t get it. Mostly because that thought was wrong. His newfound logic, borne from his growing [Intelligence] score, told him that was wrong. This was an administrative error. In under an hour, he¡¯d tracked it from the new citizens, to Alise herself, and right down to those 3 new administrators. Problem solved, and they¡¯d future-proof their food production.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± Theo said. ¡°Once Fenian comes back, we¡¯ll resupply our [Monster Cores].¡±


    ¡°I have a core dealer,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°But, we¡¯re broke,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Alise said.


    Theo spoke with the pair for a while, reinforcing his idea that the two administrators needed a babysitter. Alise needed to be more selective with the people she picked. She was a rare find.


    The two remaining [Lesser Mud Golems] had done a great job keeping the greenhouses clear of weeds, but they were useless for cultivation. Theo found a place to plant the fruit of a Zee plant, counting on his upgraded greenhouses to bring it above 100% cultivation. If increasing the size of a Zee kernel to 10 times the original size wasn¡¯t enough, he planned on doing it again. When he was done, the fields would produce Zee the size of a small Karatan.


    Enough attribute-enhancing reagents had reached 100% cultivation. The good thing about those plants was he didn¡¯t need to destroy them to get the reagent. The alchemist went around, picking enough flowers from the [Wind Tulips] to brew some dexterity potions and finally test the modifiers. Salire and Azrug were working together in the shop today, so he stopped to chat with them. It was nice having the young man back in the shop for once, but he wasn¡¯t there for good.


    Theo split his 100 units of [Wind Tulip] into 50 unit batches, one for fermentation and one for brewing. With his [Power Siphon] running, he left it on most days now to power his lodestone, he went back to the gardens for more maintenance. He cleared the [Spiny Swamp Thistle] out, harvesting their roots and replanting every available space, thinned out the [Mage¡¯s Bane] to get rid of some low-cultivated plants, and tended to the mushrooms. The [Manashrooms] were randomly reproducing, and the [Swamp Truffles] just over 100% cultivation. Unlike growing regular plants, mushrooms were more random. They spawned chaotically, spreading through the cave and making his neat rows uneven.


    Zarali was working on a few jobs in her lab, but Theo got her for a half hour. She made him 5 more lodestones, all made from the green gems. She claimed they could network together, sharing the load of the constructs. He took her word for it, placing the lodestones in his inventory. Standing at the door, he withdrew 5 gold coins from his inventory. The alchemist threw them in the enchanting lab before darting out and slamming the door shut. He was back at the Newt and Demon before she could object.


    Bal and his brothers were gathered outside of the lab, and Theo ushered them upstairs quickly. They came to report on the effects of the foresight potion, with interesting findings. Ral got sick after drinking 2 potions in a 6 hour period. Other than that, there seemed to be no long-lasting effects. They even had a signed letter from Zarali. The same Zarali that was banging on the lab¡¯s locked door. Theo heard coins jingle, then saw 5 gold roll under.


    ¡°What a nice problem to have. Free money,¡± Bal said, laughing.


    Theo returned the money to his inventory, grumbling. He left the lab with the brothers, departing from them to place his [Large Ornamental Lodestones] around town. He had a sense for where they should go to give maximum coverage. They formed a chain of command and power, drawing from the [Power Siphon] in the lab. As long as they were close enough together, he could string them through Broken Tusk. The last lodestone went near the western gate, giving the golems a decent range out into the swamp. He tested the range with his existing 2 [Lesser Mud Golems].


    Mud golems were the obvious choice for collecting motes out in the swamp. The swamp was lousy with [Earth Motes], and the golems could use the mud to regenerate their bodies if they were attacked. He couldn¡¯t do anything about their cores being destroyed, though. For that, he would make [Lesser Stone Golems]. Theo crafted some golems, and was forced to chug a few [Mana Potions] to get them all done. He experimented with different containment core shapes to test their performance, but ended with 7 [Lesser Mud Golems] total, with 3 [Lesser Stone Golems] to guard them.


    The strain on Theo¡¯s willpower was minimal. He felt a faint tickle in the back of his mind, but that was it. Zarali¡¯s lodestones were doing their job, and worked a lot better as a network. Theo got some strange looks when he marched down the street with 10 golems behind him. His own little mote gathering army. He checked in with Aarok before sending them outside the gates, making sure the adventurers knew not to attack them. Luras watched him from the western wall, laughing the entire time. The little golems spread out through the marsh, digging through the mud and making happy squelching sounds. The alchemist left them to it.


    Theo¡¯s mental timer on his small runs were done, so he went back to the lab. He transferred the fermented mash of [Wind Tulips] to a still, and held the [Refined Dexterity Essence] up to the light out the window. It held a faint green color, and the smell of a summer¡¯s breeze. Tresk was going to go insane when he showed her the resulting potion.


    The alchemist patted the egg at his side and got to work.

 Chapter 3.38 - Fight Club

    Theo wasn¡¯t surprised with the [Refined Dexterity Essence] he¡¯d brewed. It was made from cultivated and aligned ingredients that had been distilled. It was almost the peak of his ability, missing twice the amount of cultivation and a few levels of alignment favor with Drogramath. But, as with all things related to Drogramath, establishing a relationship took time. Not that offering some herbs at his shrine every day was much of a relationship.


    The alchemist brewed a sample of the [Dexterity Potion] and inspected it.


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity.


    Effect:


    +13 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.


    Before, he had only brewed aligned, refined potions for stats. This one was aligned, cultivated, and refined. The difference between 0% cultivation and 100% cultivation for this potion was apparently an additional point in the related stat, and a quarter hour increase on the duration. Those were the small increases he was used to, but the result was still monstrous.


    It took a while for the still to spit out enough modifier for Theo to experiment with. His new setup meant he could skip a few steps and end up with a better result. Even before examining the modifier essence, he could feel its alignment to an element. Everything about the essence seemed related to wind, from the way it swirled in the bottle to the scent it put off. The alchemist was unsure how he could have bottled the smell of the breeze, but there it was.


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Essence Modifier] [Refined Essence Modifier]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Great Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting modifier will be more effective.


    High chance to add an additional modifier to the resulting potion.


    2 units (liquid)


    A refined modifier essence. Add to a completed potion to add the ¡°elemental wind¡± modifier. Elemental wind is unpredictable. Consult elemental alignments for best effect.


    That was unnecessarily mysterious. Elemental wind seemed just vague enough to be a good modifier, but that was hard to say. His instinct said it would make great defensive potions. Something about the elemental wind spoke to him, like flying away on a gentle breeze. He snapped out of the thought and set his sights on his [Retreat Potion]. He had a decent stock of the potions, since it was part of his escape plan. The alchemist mixed the [Refined Elemental wind] with his [Retreat Potion] and inspected the result.


    [Retreat Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    One second after drinking, the imbiber will be propelled backwards. Distance depends on the quality of the potion.


    At the end of this potions effect, the imbiber will gain [Featherfall] for 10 seconds. Imbiber will fall slowly for the duration of the effect.


    A blast of elemental wind staggers all targets in front of imbiber.


    Effect:


    [Retreat] on self.


    [Featherfall] on expiration of [Retreat].


    [Elemental Wind Blast] casts in a cone.


    The potion improved in every way, a result of the refined modifier essence. Everything those refined modifiers touched turned out better than they started. The investment Theo made into researching the refinement techniques and taking Zarali¡¯s advice on improving his current setup, was worth it. This might have been the best pairing of potion to modifier he¡¯d ever done, so he took a little time to appreciate his work. The egg in his bag swelled with approval.


    While Theo was happy to have discovered the [Elemental Wind] modifier, there was a lot of work to be done. He considered which modifier would bring the best out of the [Dexterity Potion]. His new modifier might work, but he still considered which others would be nice. Having the potion in a pill form could be useful, but diminished effects on stats would turn adventurers away. They¡¯d always want as much as possible. [Surge] could work, but he didn¡¯t see how it could benefit an increase in attributes. His intuition said it would shorten the duration, but increase the amount of [Dexterity] increased. He rummaged through his row of [Dimensional Storage Crates] until he found an old flask of [Refined Surge] modifier.


    The [Refined Surge] modifier complimented the [Dexterity Potion] well. They swirled in the new vial, bubbling and putting off a yellow-green vapor that shot up the vent in the ceiling. After a moment, Theo let the reaction calm down and examined the result.


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Refined Surge]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity greatly for a brief period.


    Gain a small amount of dexterity when this effect expires.


    Effect:


    +26 Dexterity for 10 minutes.


    +5 Dexterity for 30 minutes after initial effect expires.


    Now that was interesting. The potion consumed most of the time to create a doubling effect on the bonus dexterity. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was worse, or better though. If he drank the potion, it would more than double his current dexterity. He¡¯d be zipping through the town for 10 minutes, but there had to be more than a few downsides. Suddenly changing attributes was disorienting. Even with 5 dexterity improvement he got from withdrawing items from his inventory wasn¡¯t easy to handle. He¡¯d have to leave it up to the adventurers to tell him if it was worth it. A sudden burst of strength, or vigor might be the difference between winning a fight and losing a fight.


    The [Dexterity Potion] with the [Refined Surge] modifier led to a strange thought. How much [Intelligence] did it take to get the weird precognition powers that Khahar displayed? Or the absurd speed that Sulvan showed. Even with his relatively low scores, he could riddle the answer out. Cores often provided stats when they were leveled. A person¡¯s overall level did matter, but it was only a single point into a stat every level. If he had 10 cores, all adding 10 [Intelligence], he¡¯d have an extra 100. That was something to consider for core synergy. But Theo always thought of building himself like a generalist, getting the most from every attribute.


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    It was too much to worry about for now, and he dismissed the entire idea. The only thing that mattered at that moment was that he had decent potions to enhance every attribute, and the means to grow them at 100% cultivation. Theo had enough [Refined Anti-Mage] to test those out, so he did so. He inspected the result after brewing the potion, a swirling mix of silver and green for his new [Dexterity Potion].


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Refined Anti-Mage]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity.


    Creates a magic shell around the imbiber. Spells cast against the imbiber must perform a check. If the attacker¡¯s primary attribute is less than the defender¡¯s primary attribute, the attacker¡¯s spell does half damage.


    All damage halved is redirected to the caster.


    Effect:


    +13 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.


    [Magic Shell (Dexterity Check)] for 15 minutes.


    Failing [Magic Shell (Dexterity Check)] inflicts halved damage back to the caster.


    This was what Theo expected from high-quality essences. [Anti-Mage] was the property that kept on giving amazing potions, all geared to stopping mages. The alchemist had little trouble from mages, excluding Uharis, but it was worth investing in. It was the most stable modifier, often producing the best results. If he wasn¡¯t careful, customers might assume he was planning a secret war against mages all over the planet. It might be a title he could live with.


    While he didn¡¯t think the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier essence would add much to the [Dexterity Potion], it had a clear elemental alignment. Since this was all a test run, he could part with more essence for the sake of experimentation. Even if the potion wasn¡¯t useful, it would be worth checking out. Theo applied his [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier to another [Dexterity Potion], having to brew another of his attribute-enhancement potions to check the effect. He inspected the result.


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity.


    Drink to increase speed scaling.


    Effect:


    +13 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.


    For 1 hour, your physical speed scales 1.25 times better than normal.


    The rules on the aligned modifier essences stated they might provide an additional modifier to a potion, but Theo had never seen it happen. If it could provide 2 modifiers, it did. He assumed the situation here was that the [Dexterity Potion] could not provide a second modifier for the [Refined Elemental Wind], and he couldn¡¯t blame it. Raw [Dexterity] increased the speed of the user. It was hard to understand the effect, but it was significant. If the potion applied to all the user¡¯s [Dexterity], then this was big. He set that aside in his mind as the possible biggest winner of the day.


    Theo contacted Tresk about the potions, asking her which she¡¯d rather have with her. Since the potions didn¡¯t stack, something she claimed to have tried before, it came down to the situation.


    The speed one wins out, Tresk said. The burst one sucks, and the anti-magic one is situational.


    Theo made a mental note of that, and the pairings for the other attribute potions were clear. Each one would pair best with their respective elemental modifiers. That would unlock more potential for scaling improvements. He could imagine that [Strength] potions would scale with physical strength, [Vigor] potions with durability, but [Wisdom] and [Intelligence] were always a mystery. The alchemist worked a knot out of his neck, rolling his shoulder and cracking his back. He was hunched over the table for so long, it was well into the afternoon.


    The store below would have to wait for some attribute potions. Theo spent a small amount of time brewing [Lesser Potions of Purification] from his leftover stock. He set one still to distill some [Refined Healing Essence], another to make [Preserving Essence], and the last for [Supple Essence]. Perg had not come around for more of her alchemical tannery supplies in a while, but she should have been getting low. He¡¯d have to remember to swap them out at day¡¯s end, distilling some [Purifying Essence]. It was hard to predict when an epidemic would spread through the town.


    Theo¡¯s governance core hit 14 as he was heading downstairs, something that no longer surprised him. He found Salire haggling with some people for gear and he waited for them to finish.


    ¡°Getting the hang of it?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Just about,¡± she said, giggling. ¡°It¡¯s kinda fun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Azrug seemed to enjoy it,¡± Theo said. He could sense his golems doing something abnormal, but couldn¡¯t get the full picture through the lodestones. ¡°How much money are you skimming from the store?¡±


    ¡°Enough to eat and pay my bills,¡± Salire said, running her fingers through her hair nervously. ¡°Feels wrong to take more.¡±


    ¡°Ah, just set yourself a salary,¡± Theo said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell to do with this store. Seems like it¡¯s just a place to train new merchants.¡±


    ¡°Might not be a bad idea,¡± Salire said. ¡°Just watch out. Azrug was talking about opening a general store.¡±


    ¡°Well, I knew he would,¡± Theo said. ¡°You might become obsolete.¡±


    Salire¡¯s face flushed. She ran her fingers through her hair faster, rubbing the back of her neck as though it held all the stress in the world. ¡°Do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll learn an important lesson if he does,¡± Theo said. ¡°You can make this place more profitable. Lean into the strengths.¡±


    Salire stopped rubbing her scalp, turning to him. She had a look in her eyes that said she had a plan. Theo just smiled back, patting her on the shoulder.


    ¡°I have some work to do,¡± she said, withdrawing a notebook from nowhere and writing frantically.


    Theo left her there to figure it out. If he was telling the truth, he¡¯d say he wanted nothing at all to do with the store. He enjoyed the work where he took orders, rather than just making whatever he thought people would buy. A test of Salire¡¯s ability would be for her to shift the business away from that model, coming up with something truly amazing. Something to stand out when a hundred different shops popped up in town. He made his way to check on the smelter and the mine.


    The alchemist found no differences in either industries, besides the production of [Drogramathi Iron Ingots]. He took one for himself, for future testing. The mine had a minor change. They¡¯d boarded up the ominous room in the bottom levels. No one wanted to go down there with the creepy pedestal. They had more employees than ever, and they were digging tunnels themselves.


    Theo made his way over to the sawmill next. A part of him just wanted his [Governance Core] to level more, but it was a dual-purpose visit. Beyond his wildest expectations, Sledge wasn¡¯t there. When he asked the workers, they said she was off doing her [Fabricator] job, which pleased him. The second part of the visit was to check on the golems. He made his way to the top of the battlements, but he heard the shouts and jeers before he ascended.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Theo asked the adventurer at the post.


    ¡°Oh, uh,¡± they said, looking suddenly guilty. ¡°Nothing, sir.¡±


    Theo looked out over the battlements, finding a group of adventurers. Including Tresk. 2 of his [Lesser Rock Golems] were battling a single Ogre Snapper, surrounded by a ring of cheering adventurers. He watched as the adventurers threw coins on a log, placing bets on who would win. He let out a groan, narrowing his gaze on Tresk. She felt his eyes and turned, then vanished.


    I thought you were running dungeons, Theo said.


    No idea what you¡¯re talking about, Tresk said.


    Theo withdrew a [Reveal Construct] from his inventory, activated it and tossed it near where Tresk disappeared. She appeared, wide-eyed and crouched in the marsh. Instead of turning to face the alchemist, she ran into the marsh, waddling through the thick mud.


    The battle was reaching its conclusion. Slowly. Theo sent a mental command to his lodestone network, summoning all of his golems. The fight went on for a few minutes before the snapper was overwhelmed by the mud golems. He laughed when the adventurers let out a groan. Some of them went to gather the coins from the log.


    ¡°I think those coins are mine!¡± Theo shouted, pointing at the pile of silver on the stump. The adventurers scattered.


    Theo amended the commands for his golems, including a stipulation that if one golem was in trouble, they would all come running. They accepted his orders and went back to work, leaving the Ogre Snapper¡¯s corpse where it was. Several moments later, an adventurer came to loot and skin the creature. Adventurers had a way of passing the time when they were bored.


    There was something about that Half-Elf administrator that stuck with Theo. She seemed far sharper than the others, so he expected the farming issue to be resolved. The alchemist left the wall and headed for the farm. Another dual-purpose visit. There was a lot more activity at the farm, but not as much as he expected. Banu gave a brief report, stating they would do a lot better with the help. Theo silently blamed him for the failure, but with things growing quickly, he wouldn¡¯t verbalize his concerns.


    As Theo made his way north, through the farm, he realized his visit to the northern stretch of the town had three purposes. He spotted the sprawl of adventurer¡¯s houses between the Sea of Zee and Rocktown. There were far more than before, which meant Stabby Groves was growing. More adventurers was better. As long as they didn¡¯t waste their time betting on golem fights.


    Rocktown was doing fine. Ziz and his guys were taking a break from the bridge and harbor job. They were handsomely rewarded, but they were used to that. The quarry was a goldmine of gems and rare stone. As long as their contact in Qavell was still buying stone, they were set for life.


    ¡°Doing alright, Ziz?¡± Theo asked.


    Ziz reached out, grabbing Theo¡¯s hand hard. ¡°Doing excellent!¡± he shouted, trying to overpower the alchemist. ¡°You¡¯re a big strong alchemist now, aren¡¯t ya?¡±


    Ziz laughed, releasing Theo¡¯s grip. The stoneworker¡¯s [Strength] was still much higher than his own, leaving his hand and arm sore.


    ¡°Yeah, let me chug a [Strength Potion],¡± Theo said with a laugh. ¡°See how strong you are, then.¡±


    Ziz laughed again, loud enough to send the sound echoing off the surrounding hills.


    ¡°Come on in, have a drink,¡± Ziz said, gesturing to the growing stoneworker¡¯s building.


    The other 4 workers came and gathered in the small building, cracking open a keg of some swill. Theo admired that about Ziz. Their team should grow, but they were making so much money they didn¡¯t need to. This was a bad business move, and after several drinks the alchemist got brave enough to share his thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Ziz said, still laughing. ¡°You¡¯d have to be an idiot not to do that. See, we¡¯re smart. Ain¡¯t we, boys?¡±


    The laborers cheered in agreement.


    ¡°We only need folks with the [Stonemason¡¯s Core], so we¡¯ve been buying them up,¡± Ziz said. ¡°We¡¯re modeling ourselves after the Qavelli army.¡±


    Ziz meant that he and his crew were the core team, or the regulars. They¡¯d give others a less-favorable rate, and call them irregulars. Although, the more Theo thought about it the more he realized that didn¡¯t work well for Qavell. They were getting crushed in the Veostian campaign. He wouldn¡¯t bring that up with them. He simply asked for another drink and demanded everyone toast the quarry.


    The more Theo spent time with heavy drinkers, the more he wanted a potion that neutralized the effects of the alcohol. He¡¯d need to steal some Sanchrin plants. Until then, he humored the laborers by drinking way less, but celebrating just as much.They were more than just a cornerstone of the town. They were his friends.

 Chapter 3.39 - No Spoilers

    Shafts of sunlight broke through Theo¡¯s window, but that wasn¡¯t the reason he woke from the Dreamwalk. Emerging from that ethereal realm was more like stepping from one room to the other, only to appear in his comfortable bed. Tresk scampered off to the lab before he had time to say anything, but he just laid there. Even with the increasingly oppressive heat of Fire barreling toward them, he enjoyed the warmth of his sheets.


    A strange sense of tension was building in his body. Theo placed his hand on the egg to find some comfort, resulting in excitement building in his chest. The [Tara¡¯hek Core] was edging closer to level 20 by the moment. Thanks to the Dreamwalk, his other cores weren¡¯t slouching either. But today would give way to a blur of alchemy and administrative duties he wasn¡¯t sure he was ready for. At least the egg was there.


    ¡°Breakfast!¡± Tresk shouted, entering the room and glowering. ¡°I require breakfast!¡±


    Theo sipped his tea and ate his leftovers in Xam¡¯s tavern. Khahar found a different table, isolated from the townsfolk to take his breakfast. The more the leader of the Khahari spent time in the town, the more he seemed like a fixture. But even the admission of the man himself painted that as a facade. He was here for a short time, bound for some heavenly realm no one seemed to know a thing about. There was just something strangely familiar about Khahar that lingered on Theo¡¯s tongue. He couldn¡¯t wash away the sense no matter how hard he tried.


    Work cut those thoughts short. Theo had a sense that Fenian would arrive any day, which would require him to have a selection of [Hallow Ground] style potions ready for the man. The Elf expected the potions for free, and would offer another mushroom cave for 50 gold. What the alchemist was truly interested in was more plants for the farm. Something from the Elven continent would be nice, adding an even more exotic flare to Broken Tusk. The trader was smart enough to bring a selection of plants, wasn¡¯t he?


    Fenian¡¯s anti-undead arsenal was based around two styles of potion. Drinkable, and throwable. The [Hallow Ground Bomb] targeted only undead, but dealt scaling damage. Scaling damage likely meant a percentage of damage based on the creature¡¯s maximum health. [Hallow Ground Potion] with the [Aerosolize] modifier would create an amazing zone of denial for any approaching undead, and the one with [Web] sent strands of banishing power to the nearest 20 targets. Theo didn¡¯t want to think about the horrors of the [Embolden] one. The other variations were good, but he wanted to make Fenian pick which ones he wanted.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll make the Elf squirm,¡± Theo said, staring in the distance.


    ¡°Fenian?¡± Tresk asked, wiping her broad mouth clear with her sleeve.


    ¡°Yeah, he should be in town soon,¡± Theo said. That sense in the back of his mind pulsed.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming from Gardreth,¡± Khahar said, suddenly at their table. The Khahari leader had a pensive look on his face. ¡°I expect he¡¯ll be here in the morning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where he got our Pozwa from,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°More exciting news,¡± Tresk said, bouncing in her chair. ¡°We¡¯re going to hit 20 in the Tara¡¯hek today.¡±


    Khahari smiled. ¡°Of the futures I see, the most likely outcome will be interesting.¡±


    ¡°How cryptic,¡± Theo said, chuckling. ¡°No spoilers.¡±


    The more time Khahar spent in Broken Tusk, the more uncomfortable Theo was getting. Not because he wasn¡¯t a good man, or good company. It was the idea that he was running from something no one could see. A responsibility to his people he was abandoning. Another responsibility to leave the mortal realm. What kind of impact was his presence having on the world, if any?


    ¡°This world is built on a foundation of destruction and growth,¡± Khahar said. He couldn¡¯t read people¡¯s minds directly. He just saw the future. No big deal. ¡°From the first Shattering, to Balkor¡¯s Betrayal, we¡¯ve seen it. Those who read the signs know.¡±


    ¡°That another is coming,¡± Theo said with a shrug, finishing Khahar¡¯s thought.


    ¡°Karasan knows as much,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°King of Qavell,¡± Tresk said, sensing Theo¡¯s confusion. He¡¯d never heard the name of his king.


    Theo shook his head, waving away a bubbling thought. ¡°Why go to war with Veosta if he knows disaster is coming?¡±


    Khahar considered the question for a long moment. His eyes always went glassy when he was looking elsewhere, into the future, or whatever else he could do. Eventually, his brow furrowed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Maybe he didn¡¯t know, or maybe he was hiding something. The passing match Khahar had with the Burning Eye and Drogramath was proof enough that the gods were up to something. Even more concerning that a deity from the Prime Pantheon, the Demonic Pantheon, and an aspirant were talking as though they knew each other. To save himself from being read by Khahar, Theo kept that to himself. There was something between them.


    Khahar, the Burning Eye, Uz¡¯Xulven, Tworgnoth¡­ I wonder who else is involved, Theo asked. Tresk shrugged.


    No opinion.


    You must have an opinion.


    Nope.


    ¡°How long are you sticking around for Khahar?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°As long as I can get away with,¡± Khahar said. ¡°My people already set members of the clergy sailing, but they won¡¯t be here for a while. We¡¯re not known for our sea-faring abilities.¡±


    ¡°Not that you have to worry about it. Mister teleport,¡± Tresk snorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not teleporting¡­ Not exactly,¡± Khahar said. ¡°My movement is more like bending the rules. Reach my level, and you can tell the system where you want to be.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like cheating,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°No one likes cheaters.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but maybe¡­ Khahar, can you cheat for me?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No cheating, Theo!¡± Tresk shouted, gaining the attention of the other patrons.


    ¡°A small cheat,¡± Theo said. ¡°We already have a guy who can teleport all over the world, but I never asked him to bring crops for our farm. I want some exotic stuff. Maybe a staple crop from each major civilization.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many major civilizations there are?¡± Khahar asked, smiling.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then you haven¡¯t earned a cheat,¡± Khahar said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what my picks would be, if I had your resources when I started. From Tarantham, I would pick [Ansatari Wheat]. From Iaredin? Zee. You already have that. I¡¯d select [Bulb Blobs] from Slagrot¡ªthe Ogres are terrible at naming things. [Khahari Cacti] from my home. [Fairy Apples] from Partopour, and absolutely nothing from Bantein. Those people wouldn¡¯t know food if it bit them in the ass.¡±


    Theo had heard of, or seen, something about Slagrot in the past. But Partopour and Bantein were completely new to him. Other civilizations, resting in places of the world too distant to matter to him, had never graced his ears. But Fenian could get them for him, even if there was a massive problem. Those plants grew in certain climates. A problem for another day. The alchemist would focus on cultivating the Zee to produce even more food.


    ¡°Well, I appreciate the suggestions.¡±


    Theo finished his breakfast and bid farewell to Tresk and Khahar. His first stop was to check on the progress of his golems. They were burning through his [Mana Constructs] at an unsustainable rate, but there were always more [Manashrooms]. The alchemist patted the egg, resting near his side, and nodded to himself. The drop-off crates for the motes were packed full, and the golems had taken to just leaving them on the ground. He sorted out his greenhouses for the day, harvesting what was ready and replanting. The [Lesser Mud Golems] were still too unintelligent to handle the gardens.


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    Alise¡¯s Half-Elf assistant intercepted Theo on his way to the lab.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been properly introduced,¡± she said, affecting a deep bow.


    Theo bowed back. Maybe the Elves bowed a lot.


    ¡°Gwynestarea Whisperstream. Please, call me Gwyn.¡±


    ¡°Theo. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Alise gave me free run on the food problem,¡± Gwyn said.


    Theo studied her for a moment. If he looked hard enough, he could see both features of the Humans and the Elves. She was as tall as a regular human, coming up to his chest, with stunted, pointed ears that weren¡¯t quite Elven. She had a head of long, well-kept black hair with gray eyes. Like most administrators, or those that didn¡¯t need combat armor, she wore a loose robe and boots suited for the muddy environment.


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in talks with Guildmaster Aarok about the problem,¡± Gwyn said. She couldn¡¯t hide the smile on her face. ¡°Unless the corpse of a [Marsh Wolf] is butchered within a day, it fades. Most adventurers take what they need and leave the rest to the swamp. With your approval, I want to issue an order to the adventurers.¡±


    Theo rubbed his chin as though that was a hard request. He¡¯d be lying to her if he said he knew the adventurers were just abandoning good meat in the swamp. That brought another problem, though. If the adventurers brought in a bunch of wolves, who would butcher them?


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re taking your role seriously,¡± Theo said. ¡°I wish I could say the same about your peers. How much meat are we leaving in the swamp daily?¡±


    ¡°Several hundred units. On the low end,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°I don¡¯t believe the town has the funds, but we need to establish an industry around the idea.¡±


    ¡°Any volunteers?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in luck,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°A Toora family moved in recently. The matron has a [Butcher¡¯s Core], and she¡¯s prepared to accept a contract for the position. Sledge agreed to lend part of her workshop¡ªeven if it¡¯s outdoors¡ªuntil we get the [Butcher¡¯s Seed Core].¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but grin. This was what he loved about having an administrative staff, especially if the people doing the administration were smart. The food problem cropped up, and Gwyn handled it swiftly.


    ¡°Have you sent your peers to the farm yet?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The sawmill and the mines,¡± Gwyn nodded. ¡°They were oddly excited about it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Fenian is going to be in town later. I¡¯ll see if he has the seed core we need. Start looking for your replacement. I want administrators who know what the hell they¡¯re doing. We¡¯ll review your contract at the end of the season,¡± Theo said.


    Gwyn looked slightly offended. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on firing me, are you? After I fixed the problem so swiftly?¡±


    ¡°The opposite. I¡¯ll grant you the Lady Administrator title at season¡¯s end if you keep it up,¡± Theo said. That brightened her up. ¡°I want you to watch Alise and make sure she doesn¡¯t slip up again. There¡¯s too much crap to do, and I don¡¯t want more crap falling through the cracks. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Gwyn said, straightening her back. She looked so proud.


    ¡°Find more people like you. Do you already have an [Administrator¡¯s Core]?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. Who is managing the farm project?¡±


    ¡°That would be me.¡±


    ¡°Excellent¡­¡± Theo said, trailing off. Gwyn¡¯s eyes snapped to the east. A sound like an explosion echoed through the town, followed by the thunder of otherworldly hooves. ¡°Fenian is here.¡±


    With thoughts of exotic plants and a well-run chain of food production in his head, Theo made his way to the town square. The clattering team of demonic Karatan made their way over the eastern road, wreaths of black-purple energy coming off the lead beast in waves. Galflower always seemed like the most willful of the team, and Fenian had said as much. That was about it for information the Elf would give up about the Uz¡¯Xulven-aligned things.


    Fenian dismounted his carriage train, now trailing three carts behind the lead one. They were all in the same style of lacquered black materials, almost featureless when compared to the lead car. The Elf was anything but featureless, wearing his trademark ruffles and flourishes that would put a king to shame. He pulled Theo into a tight hug before the alchemist could object.


    ¡°Always a pleasure to see you,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss things in my office,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the town hall.


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t really have an office in the town hall. There was a room that he used, when he needed to, but he¡¯d never lay claim to it. Until Broken Tusk built competent support staff, that building would remain to be used for functional purposes. They couldn¡¯t spare the [Monster Cores] to upgrade it, and didn¡¯t have competent staff to make it worth it. The office gave a decent view of the city below, affording them the sights of the western wall, and the swamp beyond. The alchemist fell into a chair at the head of the table. Fenian took the opposing seat, all the way on the other end.


    ¡°How is the project going?¡± Fenian asked, setting a small black cube on the table and activating it.


    ¡°What project?¡± Theo asked, snorting a laugh. ¡°The town, the god roaming around my streets, or your mushrooms?¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡± Fenian said, flashing a roguish smile.


    Theo set out single examples of the [Hallow Ground] potions he¡¯d come up with. He didn¡¯t see the need to answer the other questions. Fenian inspected them all, satisfied with each. ¡°How many have you produced?¡±


    ¡°The samples,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the table. ¡°I can have 500 to 800 of whatever you need today.¡±


    ¡°Such a hard working alchemist. How did I get so lucky?¡±


    Viewing the gifts that were thrown at Broken Tusk with a spiteful eye was a bad move. Theo never asked for what he got, but he never turned it down. He never looked at those that gave him these things with scorn, burying them in his heart for later revenge. The alchemist was happy to accept and exploit them every day. Fenian¡¯s arrival in the town was no different.


    ¡°I¡¯m suspecting a conspiracy more by the day,¡± Theo said. ¡°I also have an assortment of other potions, if you want to see those.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Fenian focused on the modified stat potions Theo had made so far. Variations of the [Healing Potion] was always welcome to the trader, and would make for good trading. Of course the Elf had a [Butcher¡¯s Seed Core], an uncultivated [Starbristle Flax] plant, and a [Ansatari Wheat] plant to offer. The alchemist considered the food shortage problem sorted, and would dedicate several fields to the flax plant.


    ¡°Keep the wheat in your inventory until you have the means to plant it,¡± Fenian said. ¡°As resourceful as I am, I haven¡¯t been able to find a [Farm Greenhouse Expansion]. I¡¯ve searched, though.¡±


    ¡°The great and powerful Fenian Feintleaf unable to find an item?¡± Theo asked, grinning. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see the day.¡±


    ¡°Even I have my limits,¡± Fenian said. ¡°So, down to the marrow of it. I¡¯ll buy up all the [Healing Potions], and modified attribute potions. Shall we negotiate?¡±


    Negotiation with Fenian was more about balancing the scales of money with items. Broken Tusk needed [Monster Cores] more than anything, along with a few odd things. Theo didn¡¯t offer his [Retreat Potion], or [Potion of Limited Foresight] for trade. While he was happy to offer the wide world attribute, and restoration potions, he wasn¡¯t comfortable doing so with the powerful potions.


    They went back and forth for a while. Fenian¡¯s stocks were shockingly low, but Theo got several hundred [Monster Cores], a [Butcher¡¯s Seed Core], and another [Mycology Cave Seed Core] on top of 50 gold coins. The money seemed like nothing compared to mounting expenses, but it was always nice to have cash on hand.


    ¡°So,¡± Fenian said, concluding their business. ¡°Khahar lives in Broken Tusk, now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good thing,¡± Theo said. ¡°He¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Anything interesting happen? With Rivers? Murder Passage?¡±


    Leave it to Fenian to poke his nose in their problems. Theo explained the idea of an alliance, using Gronro-Dir as a spearhead against whatever wanted to come from the north. Their plan was in the early stages, and required the people in Rivers and Daub to get their heads out of their asses. Broken Tusk¡¯s administrative team hadn¡¯t even gotten in contact with Alran Cherman, the trade representative of Rivers. That twin-town could have solved their food problems, but once again they preferred to be independent.


    ¡°I always thought that anything south of Murder Passage should go their own way from the kingdom,¡± Fenian said, adjusting his fancy hat. Whenever Theo saw the man¡¯s absurd hat, he realized he had one too. ¡°I have no love for the kingdom. Mark my words, the war with Veosta will spell the end of them.¡±


    Theo tapped his fingers on the table. His high [Wisdom] gave him intuition enough to feel between the words.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen when your plan comes together?¡±


    Fenian leaned in, a smile playing across his face.


    ¡°I never said it was my plan. Make sure you stock Gronro-Dir with these potions once the alliance is formed,¡± Fenian said, holding up a [Hallow Ground] potion. ¡°I have a feeling that Balkor isn¡¯t done with the gifts he¡¯s given on our fine continent.¡±


    Theo filed away the statement with the other suspicious things the Elf said. Overthrowing the kingdom seemed like a task that one man couldn¡¯t complete. How soft had Qavell become over the past season? Or was it a matter of unseen attrition, leading to a necessary war with Veosta? The alchemist only had questions and feared the answers the trader would give. He was missing a piece of the puzzle.


    Caution was important, but Theo had to work on Fenian¡¯s [Hallow Ground] order. He concluded his business in the town hall, watching as others filed in after he left. Citizens of Broken Tusk often took advantage of the trader¡¯s large stock and excellent prices.

 Chapter 3.40 - Dreampassage

    Fenian agreed to stay the night in Broken Tusk. His Karatan needed to recharge, and that gave Theo enough time to complete the [Hallow Ground] order. The order was simple enough to fill, but there were experiments the alchemist had left on the shelf in favor of production. As he filled the last of the vials, night drawing closer by the moment, something he wished to put off for a few more days happened.


    It was impossible to stop the progress of the [Tara¡¯hek Core], and Theo was mostly happy when it leveled up. Increased defense against unwanted intrusion to his mind was excellent and the bonuses were always good. The problem came with Tresk¡¯s excitement for new skills, and level 20 would ?bring a new one. It also became hard to understand whether they were in a new realm of power, as multiples of 10 often separated large jumps in power. Though the alchemist tried to ignore the level-up, a loud snapping sound came from behind him, followed by manic cackling.


    ¡°Teleportation!¡± Tresk shouted. She was coming out from the bottom of the [Hills Dungeon] when they spoke last. There was much to examine, so Theo started with the new skill.


    [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage]


    Marshling Bond Skill


    Mythic


    Slip through your dreams.


    Effect:


    Either member of the Tara¡¯hek may [Approach] the other once a day, resetting at midnight. [Approach] distance depends on the level of the [Tara¡¯hek Core] and the stability of the bond.


    ¡°Mythic,¡± Theo said, his brow knitting tightly. It was above legendary, but that hardly gave him a sense for the ability¡¯s power. He inspected his core, finding a +3 to [Strength] and [Vigor] from the old values.


    [Tara¡¯hek Core]


    Legendary


    Tara¡¯hek Core


    Bound


    4 Slots


    Level 20 (1%)


    [Tara¡¯hek] cores are given to those who accept a Marshling life-partner. You cannot change the skills inside the core, or remove it at any time.


    Effect:


    +9 Strength


    +5 Vigor


    Theo felt a surge in his muscles as his [Strength] hit 20. There was no noticeable change from his [Vigor], but +3 wasn¡¯t enough to phase him anymore. But the important part was that the [Tara¡¯hek Core] was well above his others, now. The Theo-Tresk bond was strong enough to blanket them in a protective realm.


    ¡°Very nice,¡± Theo said, nodding. He inspected the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] skill again. Something formed in his mind that he pushed aside for the moment. It wouldn¡¯t be productive to linger on the mechanics of the skills. ¡°How far away were you?¡±


    ¡°At the bottom of the [Hills Dungeon],¡± Tresk said, snorting a laugh. ¡°Seems like a decent range. Once a day? That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Theo nodded, lost in thought about the ability. He double-checked his stock of various [Hallow Ground] potions, removing his [Drogramathi Iron Bar] from his inventory and staring at it. The alchemist sent a mental pulse to his lodestones, finding that all his golems were hard at work in the swamp. They¡¯d switch to patrolling the town soon, bolstering the adventurers on their night watches.


    ¡°Hey, I feel a swirl of uncertainty in your little brain,¡± Tresk said, poking Theo in the chest. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in the Dreamwalk. Go run to Xam¡¯s and I¡¯ll teleport to you.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want her to worry about anything, so he pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He wasn¡¯t concerned, just deeply interested in how things were playing out. More than anything, Khahar needed to leave the town. More attention from powerful people wasn¡¯t something he was interested in. As it stood, the alchemist had to hope the Order of the Burning Eye turned their attention to the Khahari and not him.


    Tresk had scampered off the moment Theo told her to, and she gave her signal several moments after that. It was hardly enough time to prepare him, but he activated the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] skill. A flash of images rushed by. A dream-like world where he and Tresk had toyed around in flashed, then faded. Then he was standing in the Marsh Wolf Tavern. People let out yelps of surprise. Fenian, sitting in the corner nursing a drink, raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Helluva way to make an entrance!¡± Xam shouted from behind her counter.


    Xol¡¯sa, who was eating his meal with Zarali, rushed over to grill the pair. Theo took his seat with Tresk while the Elf rattled off a list of questions.


    ¡°Even short-range teleportation is tricky,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°One wrong move and poof! You¡¯re in the ground!¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like teleportation,¡± Theo said, grinning. It was pretty fun, after all. ¡°More like¡­ Just moving a few steps.¡±


    He didn¡¯t include the part where it felt like waking up from the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°Yeah, super neat. Where¡¯s my food!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°Calm your tail down, you impatient lizard!¡± Xam shouted.


    Tresk slumped in her chair, folding her arms. She forgot her anger in moments, babbling back and forth with Xol¡¯sa. Theo noticed Fenian didn¡¯t take his eyes off them the entire time, but he never approached.


    Dinner that night was a square-cut piece of layered wolf meat, bread, and a cream-based sauce that reminded Theo of biscuits and gravy. It was far better than the versions he had in the past.


    ¡°Anyway, you were going to get dragged into a meeting tomorrow,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Guildmaster Aarok has a report on the state of the dungeons, and we¡¯re expecting a monster wave soon. The short version is, the dungeons have slowed their growth. But I have something more interesting to talk about.¡±


    Theo looked around the tavern. Citizens were leaning closer to see what the wizard had to say, so the alchemist waved it away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow morning,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Of course. Dinner and all that,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a nod.


    ¡°And all that,¡± Tresk said, chuckling. ¡°Theo has to eat. Get big and strong. Strong boy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk with your mouth full,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Meh. Hey! Fenian! Grumpy looking Elf!¡± Tresk shouted, waving her arms at the trader in the corner. ¡°Wanna come see the bath?¡±


    Fenian looked surprised. He looked around as though there was another grumpy Elf roaming the tavern, but eventually shrugged and nodded. Xol¡¯sa and Zarali invited themselves to Theo¡¯s private bath, which he never minded. The alchemist just focused on enjoying the delicious food, savoring every moment of the completely not bland offerings that had become a regular occurrence.


    Theo, Tresk, Fenian, Xol¡¯sa, and Zarali all filed into the private bathhouse. The massive pool was large enough to hold a larger party, but it was more pleasant to have less guests. They all lowered themselves into the pool, except Tresk who dove, and let out a collective sigh of relief. Discussion broke out sporadically, ranging over mundane topics.


    ¡°Perhaps a few more days in town won¡¯t hurt me,¡± Fenian said, having stayed relatively silent for the soak.


    ¡°What is the plan, Fenian?¡± Theo asked, draping a wet cloth over his twin horns like a tent. The warm water dribbled over his face, tracking lines down his angular face.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°To build an empire,¡± Fenian said without missing a beat.


    ¡°A trade empire, right?¡± Tresk asked, emerging from the water. Maybe she could hear underwater. Theo didn¡¯t know.


    Fenian shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to kill the king,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Take the throne, perhaps. Although I don¡¯t know if Qavell is worth ruling.¡±


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, dismissing the concept with a wave of his hand. The seams of blue running through his skin seemed to pulse with the flow of energy in the air. ¡°King Karasan is well on the way to killing himself. If Fenian wants the throne, he need just stand near it and wait.¡±


    That actually got a laugh out of Fenian, but there was a sardonic look in his eyes about it. A hard glint to his normally cheery demeanor that rang as true for Theo.


    ¡°I keep others out of my machinations for their safety,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I made the mistake of bringing an old friend on an adventure some weeks ago. Her blades were appreciated, but I underestimated the toll it took on her. We were right on the spine, you know?¡±


    ¡°The spine?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The mountains between Qavell and Veosta,¡± Zarali said, always the teacher. ¡°An agreed border, if only because it¡¯s a pain in the ass to cross.¡±


    ¡°Well, we met with a [Priestess of Uz¡¯Xulven] and had a merry jaunt through the Bridge of Shadows,¡± Fenian said, chuckling. ¡°Apparently, the Queen of the Path of Shadows didn¡¯t agree with the priestess¡¯ decision! Can you imagine? Well, we fought off the Queen¡¯s minions atop my caravan, barreling over the Bridge and fighting for our lives. When we emerged, my dear old friend departed forever. I even paid her!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you fighting,¡± Tresk said, swimming around the pool¡¯s center.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite good at it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take that veil off your cores,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, flashing a grin. ¡°We¡¯ll see just how good.¡±


    ¡°Hah! A discerning man,¡± Fenian said, sinking lower into the pool. ¡°Is there some potion in these waters that makes a man more chatty? I considered doing it.¡±


    The group tried to guess Fenian¡¯s cores. The consensus was that they were aligned with a powerful god, but Theo knew even if they guessed the right core the trader wouldn¡¯t say. His money was on a flashy assassin-type core and a mythic trading core. Although, the more he thought about it the more he realized the man¡¯s trading prowess wasn¡¯t great. He could just move great distances, giving him the advantage over other traders.


    Starlight filtered through the windows of the bathhouse to mingle with yellow candlelight after a time, but the conversation continued. The group was kicked out before anyone could discover the elf¡¯s true cores, but their debate was fun enough. Xol¡¯sa and Zarali departed for the tower while Fenian joined Theo and Tresk on their walk to the lab.


    ¡°I really mean it, Theo,¡± Fenian said. ¡°My goal is to spare as many innocent lives as possible. I don¡¯t want to embroil others in my grand quest.¡±


    ¡°Bit late for that,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Broken Tusk is basically married to you.¡±


    Fenian nodded. ¡°And I apologize for that. I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to know. Just realize that you¡¯re in the dark for good reason.¡±


    ¡°Do you, or your actions, pose any threat to Broken Tusk?¡± Theo asked, staring the Elf right in the eyes.


    Fenian paused before answering. ¡°The moment you appeared in this town, you set off a chain of events that no one could stop.¡± He waited a moment before jabbing a finger at Tresk. ¡°She is the reason things are going to get worse before they get better. But this world is meant for cycles like that. Annihilation is an important part of growth. To answer your question, no. The coming events would happen with or without me. I¡¯m just making sure everyone is ready.¡±


    The undeniable confidence that Fenian had was infectious. Theo wanted to believe everything he said, and likely would save for some reservations. The trader had only ever prepared them for what was to come and was likely working with whoever orchestrated Broken Tusk from the start. Intuition and hard-won experience revealed that much to the alchemist. But a phrase echoed in his mind as they approached the Newt and Demon.


    She is the reason¡­


    Theo¡¯s intuition told him that statement was more pointed than it would appear on the surface. Like the mirror version of a catalyst in alchemy. An obstruction to someone¡¯s plan that could shift the course of fate. An unexpected roadblock.


    ¡°I see,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t,¡± Tresk said, folding her arms. ¡°Y¡¯all always talking in code and crap. How¡¯s a lizard supposed to follow along?¡±


    ¡°In time, Tresk,¡± Fenian said, patting her on the head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off to enjoy Xam¡¯s hospitality. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow for the potions. So long.¡±


    Tresk and Theo stood in their room, lingering in the expanding puzzle of their lives before the Dreamwalk. She had questions about what everything meant, but he silenced her through their [Tara¡¯hek Communication] ability. Every surface of the town had ears lately. They delved into their safe realm before continuing the discussion.


    Theo looked over the dream-version of his new harbor. He imagined large ships in the distance and ordered them down the canal. It served no purpose, but was fun to watch.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal?¡± Tresk asked.


    The ship passed under the wall-bridge, entering the massive port and heading for the docks. Theo sat on the wall, watching as ghostly sailors unloaded goods that he¡¯d imagined. A pulsing ball of light zipped around the scene, the egg always eager to participate in the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Theo said. That was his honest assessment of the situation. ¡°Someone put me here to do something. Did Fenian mean that when you showed up, it changed that person¡¯s plans? Remember Miana? How she lost her core slots, like they were preparing me to take over the town¡­ I mean, how rare is the Tara¡¯hek?¡±


    ¡°Look around, stupid,¡± Tresk said, smacking him in the back of the head. ¡°A mythic skill at level 20? The Dreamwalk? Pretty freaking rare. You gotta have a connection with another person¡¯s soul to do the Tara¡¯hek. And one of those persons needs to be a Marshling.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too small, Tresk,¡± Theo said. ¡°Khahar said he could see a million possibilities every second. Now imagine the gods. How much can they see? Why didn¡¯t they see this coming?¡±


    ¡°Well, now you¡¯re thinking too small,¡± Tresk said. She waved her hand and a giant Marshling appeared on the horizon. It¡¯s head went past the clouds, cloaking its face in obscurity. ¡°Behold. The Marshling god¡­ Uh¡­ Marshy. Damn, I fumbled the joke. Point being that another god is meddling.¡±


    Theo waved at Marshy in the distance. They waved back. ¡°I mean, big reveal with Khahar being in town. Gods are just people.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, super powerful people,¡± Tresk said.


    There was a connection there that Theo couldn¡¯t quite make. He¡¯d curse his low [Wisdom] attribute, but it was pretty high. He was satisfied with his precognition as it was, and wouldn¡¯t spend more time than needed frustrating himself over the puzzle pieces that just wouldn¡¯t fit. Overlooking the gift they had, the Dreamwalk, was a foolish thing. To sit there and contemplate unchangeable facts was beyond idiotic. Grinding experience and running experiments was the way to go.


    Tresk agreed with the sentiment and ran off to fight Marshy, the fictional Marshling god.


    Of Theo¡¯s outstanding experiments, the only one that interested him was the golems. There were always essence modifiers, distillation techniques, and random alchemy stuff to test but the golems were just fun. He knew they weren¡¯t sentient creatures, but they were just so damn cute.


    The golems had more abilities than just manual labor, but a large gap in Theo¡¯s research was the creation of constructs. Constructs were, from what he understood, things that could attach to golems. In the information screen for golems, that would show up under the ¡°Additional Modifications¡± section. The alchemist imagined a clone of one [Lesser Stone Golem] he had defending the town while he slept, and inspected it.


    [Lesser Stone Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 10


    Stone is considered the most practical medium in golem construction. Stone golems are hard working, durable constructs.


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]


    Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)


    Medium: [Enriched Swamp Mud]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    The amalgam of stone lumbered around, wandering without any orders issued by Theo. He imagined a [Reveal Construct] and beckoned the creature over. It made a sound like tumbling rocks as it approached, tilting its rocky head as it approached.


    ¡°So, the idea is that you¡¯d run around and reveal stuff,¡± Theo said, pressing the [Reveal Construct] into the golem¡¯s body. It sucked it in. The white wisp made an excited sound. Theo inspected the golem again before testing further.


    [Lesser Stone Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 10


    Stone is considered the most practical medium in golem construction. Stone golems are hard working, durable constructs.


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]


    Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)


    Medium: [Enriched Swamp Mud]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct], [Reveal Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    Abilities: [Reveal] (5 charges)


    ¡°Well, we were wrong about that, egg,¡± Theo said. He turned to look at the floating ball of energy, realizing they still needed to name it. ¡°Can¡¯t just call you egg forever.¡±


    The wisp floated up and down, signaling its agreement. The faintest sense of emotion flowed from the egg, nothing close to what he felt from Tresk. But it was getting there.


    ¡°Five charges,¡± Theo said. He issued a mental order to his golem to use the [Reveal] ability.


    A wave of barely visible force flowed from the golem in a sphere, washing over Theo harmlessly. As expected, the charges were reduced to 4, but the alchemist got the sense that some power had been used from the [Mana Construct]. A tradeoff for having more than one charge. The downside with the [Reveal Construct] was its size. Without a larger bubble, the golem could only reveal targets that were nearby, which seemed to spit in the face of the point. But it was progress all the same.


    Theo¡¯s laundry list of things to do grew by the moment, but this one was exciting. When he delivered his potions to Fenian tomorrow, he¡¯d have ample time to work on experiments. The alchemist laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, right. Like anything works that way in Broken Tusk,¡± Theo said, turning his gaze to the massive, lumbering Marshling in the distance. ¡°Mark my words, Marshy. Xol¡¯sa will have horrible news for me tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 3.41 - Soft Hands and Fair Faces

    Theo woke the next morning feeling refreshed. Good experiments within the Dreamwalk, a new ability, and the waving away of cloudy thoughts found him eager to meet the day. Whatever happened, he was happy to face it with a smile. Experience gain from the night was good, but not enough to push anything over. The [Governance Core] was a sponge that absorbed all actions within the town, hurtling it forward every second. The damn thing would overtake his alchemy and herbalism cores any day.


    Tresk was in rare form. As they made their way out of the lab, waving at passing citizens, she talked about their new skill. Even after she devoured her leftover swamp-style biscuits and gravy, she went on. Theo let her ramble on about the skill, even after they ate their fill.


    ¡°You could come to the bottom of the [Swamp Dungeon]!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°How would we get out?¡±


    ¡°Damn. You¡¯re right.¡±


    Fenian came to collect his [Hallow Ground] potions, bringing with him a live plant. The [Starbristle Flax] was exactly what Theo needed to get the sails for his future shipping industry going. It would take time to cultivate them high enough to be worth planting at the farm, though.Fenian stopped being standoffish and returned to his normally jovial self. The Elf described the massive profits he¡¯d made so far and promised to remain within the Broken Tusk until the end of the day. That gave Theo time to think of the other things he¡¯d forgotten he needed. Alise and Gwyn should have handled the [Administrator Core] situation, and the citizens were capable of buying whatever they needed for their own businesses.


    After meeting with Fenian, and watching Tresk depart for the dungeons, Theo considered his growing list of things he needed to do. He planted the [Starbristle Flax] plant in his garden before finding Aarok by the square, claiming they needed to have a meeting with all the higher-ups. Xol¡¯sa had something dire to portent. The alchemist also needed to sort the butcher situation, a task generated by Gwyn¡¯s swift attention to the food problem. Then there was his new mushroom cave, more [Mana Constructs] for his golem army, upgrading his herbalism core, and more things that didn¡¯t come to his mind immediately.


    As the portal in the center of town flickered to life, blurred edges like broken glass with a sheen of impenetrable darkness in the middle, Theo decided Xol¡¯sa came first. Aarok was still rambling when he stepped through the portal, the world spinning for only a moment before he appeared in the wizard¡¯s tower. The wizard himself stood awkwardly on the far side of the room, staring into Zarali¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Awkward,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Not really. Let¡¯s discuss whatever you have for me,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the stairs.


    Zarali joined them, always in the know for whatever horrible disaster awaited them. Xol¡¯sa summoned the array of magical symbols on the roof, creating a tangled webwork of angry red symbols mingling with happy blue ones. Theo had a basic understanding of what was going on, but only by instinct. He couldn¡¯t read the symbols or make sense of them, he just got a feel for what they did. Even then, it was vague.


    ¡°Look at this,¡± Zarali said, poking her finger into one symbol.


    ¡°No touching,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, smacking her hand away. ¡°This is an active array.¡±


    From what Theo understood, the symbol in question was part of the formation that dealt with the dungeon system at large. It was the sinew that held the network together; the thing that relayed information. The symbol pulsed between red and blue, slow and with purpose. Unlike the other fluctuations in the array, this seemed deliberate. There was a pattern.


    ¡°A signal,¡± Theo said, boiling down an absurdly complex problem to a simpleton¡¯s estimate.


    ¡°He¡¯s so smart,¡± Zarali said, grinning.


    ¡°He has eyes,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°The pattern is too constant to be anything other than a message. A signal.¡±


    But that gave way to a problem none of them could solve. From Theo¡¯s understanding, dungeon cores worked in a mysterious way. They were part of a collective that shared information and energy, and might be at least a bit self-aware. They grew in level when raw power was introduced and could generate creatures, money, and items. But that¡¯s where the alchemist¡¯s knowledge on dungeons ended.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± Theo said, nodding. He studied other parts of the array, finding it to be mostly like he remembered. There were small alterations that could have been anything. But, they were just symbols preserved in memory by his [Wisdom]. ¡°What would it mean if the other dungeons were sending a signal?¡±


    ¡°Anything,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°My working theory is that this is a response to the changes we made.¡±


    ¡°Which brings us to a point,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Mister Feintleaf¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh god, no,¡± Theo said, groaning. He thought about how Khahar could think a thousand steps ahead, and how Sulvan could see 10 steps ahead. The alchemist could see two steps ahead without effort. ¡°What did you promise him? Where did he get the core?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have it, yet,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I would need to compromise my morals, and some ethical issues, but he promised to put me in contact with a [Priest of Tworngoth].¡±


    ¡°We consider Tworngoth to be an ally of Lord Drogramath,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo ran his hand over his horns for comfort, then switched to stroking the egg. An egg engineered by the Demon Lord Tworngoth. Or was it a Demon Lady? The trustworthy lords and ladies of the Demonic Pantheon could be counted on a single hand. Drogramath the Potioneer, Uz¡¯Xulven the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows, and Tworngoth the Master of Artifices. What was one more Demonic entity in the town?


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°Tworngoth offers you a core and you take it. Where does that get us?¡±


    Besides another step toward someone else¡¯s plan, Theo thought.


    What? Tresk asked.


    ¡°Even my thoughts aren¡¯t safe anymore,¡± Theo said. Somehow, that was comforting.


    Nothing.


    ¡°What? Well, a legendary [Dungeon Engineer] core would help my current studies,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I already consider myself the foremost expert of dungeons on Iaredin. Not to rival the True Elves in Tarantham, but I¡¯m getting there.¡±


    ¡°Think of a child¡¯s playground. Like the school in town,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Outsiders are already paying us to hit the dungeons. If we can control the process more closely, we can tailor their experience.¡±


    ¡°You see this as a money-making opportunity?¡± Theo asked. His hand hadn¡¯t left the egg. The alchemist did enjoy having large sums of money.


    ¡°More than that.¡± Xol¡¯sa swiped through the web of arcane symbols. ¡°I would have better control of this network. We could understand things better.¡±


    Theo nodded, realizing what they brought him there for. Xol¡¯sa wanted permission to do this, which was fine with the alchemist. The planar wizard already handled most of their issues with the dungeon, so that wasn¡¯t a concern. Any accidents that happened was a chance to strengthen their adventurers for whatever disaster Fenian foretold. No matter what, it was a win.


    ¡°Go for it,¡± Theo said with a nod and a smile. ¡°Find me some damn shipwrights while you¡¯re at it. And some sailors.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on you. Esteemed mayor,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, punching Theo in the arm. The Elf was far more playful than normal. He must have been sitting on this for a while.


    The group fell into theorization of how the class would work, coming to no solid conclusions. Having scorn the Burning Eye, Theo was happy to welcome another Demonic presence in town. It would have been nice if someone from the Prime Pantheon wanted to sponsor the small town, but no one had approached. The largest presence of that Pantheon was Zaul, who didn¡¯t seem to care what Tresk did. By the end, the alchemist was scolded by both Zarali and Xol¡¯sa. He hadn¡¯t been practicing his mana control, and had put off upgrading his herbalism core yet again.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Theo darted through the portal before they could convince him to upgrade the core right there. He couldn¡¯t miss his meeting with the administration staff.


    Town Hall aws buzzing with activity. The spacious atrium was filled with people, talking amongst themselves. Theo found his way to a meeting hall, stuffed with familiar faces. From the administration staff, Alise and Gwyn were seated at the far end of a long wooden table. They had several new people with them that he didn¡¯t recognize. Aarok had the representatives from the adventurer¡¯s guild, including Luras, Zan¡¯kir, Zan¡¯sal and a smattering of others. Azrug sat with Fenian, Salire, and Miana. There were others, but the alchemist¡¯s study of the room was cut short when all eyes snapped to him.


    ¡°Packed house,¡± he said, clearing his throat and taking his seat at the head of the table.


    ¡°All other business aside,¡± Alise started, ¡°we received a letter from Alran Cherman, representative of the Trade Coalition from Rivers and Daub.¡±


    ¡°Fancy title,¡± Azrug mocked.


    Alise stared him down, forcing him to wither under her gaze.


    ¡°It¡¯s a proposal of a formal defensive alliance,¡± Alise said. ¡°Between Broken Tusk, Rivers and Daub, and Gronro-Dir. We¡¯ve already sent our formal acceptance, but we want to hammer out terms.¡±


    ¡°The summit will take place in Rivers and Daub,¡± Gwyn said, taking the floor ceded by Alise. ¡°Where we will propose that Broken Tusk shall be the seat of power.¡±


    Theo wanted to say something goofy to break the tension, but nothing came. He knew nothing about the people in Gronro-Dir, but what he knew of Rivers said they were unlikely to accept it.


    ¡°This is, of course, overreaching,¡± Alise continued. ¡°We¡¯re hopeful that they¡¯ll offer equal power.¡±


    Thank god.


    Alise and Gwyn went back and forth, detailing their strategy. They had already sent spies to Gronro-Dir and Rivers to determine their abilities. Rivers was the biggest problem, with their prolific corruption and support of the merchant class. Gronro-Dir was the real gem in the alliance deal. They were a mix of Toora bear-people, Half-Ogres, and Humans that were hardened by their namesake. Murder Passage held several dungeons that seemed to spew creatures at a rate faster than Broken Tusk. Thanks to this quirk of the area, they were flush with magic items, monster cores, and hardened soldiers.


    ¡°They¡¯ll only grow stronger with what we can provide,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°In terms of trade, we¡¯re talking about cores, items, and that¡¯s it for Gronro,¡± Azrug said, taking the floor for their financial interests. ¡°They desperately need stone, metal, lumber, and motes. Those walls get beat harder than a cursing Half-Ogre child.¡±


    ¡°Gronro will accept, then,¡± Theo said with a nod.


    ¡°Rivers is going to accept. Now that we have a port,¡± Alise said. ¡°Once we have sailors and ships? Every town from here to Veosta is going to want to enter into a formal agreement.¡±


    They went back and forth for a while before Fenian spoke up.


    ¡°I feel as though Theo doesn¡¯t trust me as much lately,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°I trust you plenty,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Stop being so shady, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be as shady as I need to!¡± Fenian declared, standing for a moment then sitting down again with an awkward cough. ¡°I may have a solution to your boat problem, but it comes with strings.¡±


    No one responded. The Half-Ogres were rowdy at the best of times, but something about a formal meeting calmed them greatly. Everyone just watched and waited until the Elf spoke again.


    ¡°The strings come in the way of¡­ Ah, what¡¯s the best way to put this? War criminals,¡± Fenian said.


    That got a laugh from the group.


    ¡°Nothing untoward. No murderers or anything like that¡­ The civil war in Tarantham is reaching an end,¡± Fenian said. ¡°A house I¡¯m quite familiar with is losing. Would you care to know what they¡¯re famous for?¡±


    ¡°Ship building,¡± Throk grunted. Theo didn¡¯t even see him glowering in the corner.


    ¡°A sweet for the sweet Marshling!¡± Fenian said, producing a square confection from his inventory and tossing it at Throk. He caught it in his mouth, nodding with approval.


    ¡°We¡¯d be taking refugees?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Fine by me.¡±


    The administrative staff voiced their approval, then a wave of agreement spread through those gathered.


    ¡°We¡¯re happy to have as many Elves as you think need safe haven,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you mentioned that!¡± Fenian said, grinning. ¡°I said ¡®strings¡¯ not ¡®string¡¯.¡±


    Fenian produced a sack from his inventory. He tossed it across the table. It landed with a rattling thud, the items inside shifting. Theo opened the sack, finding exactly 100 [House Seed Cores].


    ¡°I hope your 100 Elves enjoy the taste of wolf meat and Zee,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes at the trader.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be executed by the empire, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll learn to love it!¡± Fenian said. ¡°Calm down, my dear alchemist. The 250 Elves I¡¯m bringing have all been primed on their new home.¡±


    The color drained from Alise¡¯s face. She stammered. ¡°250?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the civilians are separate from the ship builders. But they¡¯re part of the same deal,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo slumped in his chair, falling into thought. No, 250 new citizens was a great boon. Fenian wouldn¡¯t lie about their willingness to integrate into Broken Tusk society, so they¡¯d make great workers. His mind swirled with the possibilities. Everything he¡¯d heard about the Elves painted them as artisans of the highest quality. A town could only hope to have that many of the people show up at once, even if it put a strain on the town. If the alchemist had learned anything about managing this place, it was that with the system¡¯s features he could expand rapidly.


    ¡°We¡¯re happy to take them,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the split?¡± Aarok asked. ¡°Manual labor, artisans, adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Uneven split favoring workers,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Most of House Wavecrest was annihilated. I have what¡¯s left, roughly 260 souls, sequestered in a¡­ Ah, well don¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Workers are good,¡± Azrug said with a nod. ¡°We can always find something for them.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are they shy about working the mine? The farm? The lumber mill?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. Despite our completely gorgeous appearance¡ªsoft hands and fair faces¡ªthe Elves of Tarantham are no strangers to labor.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the chance we can feed 250 more mouths?¡± Theo asked, turning his attention to Alise.


    ¡°How soon are they coming?¡±


    ¡°Four days¡­ Make it five days,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°If we can get the butcher going,¡± Gwyn said. Her eyes went glassy as she consulted her administrator screen. Theo smiled, happy that they¡¯d sorted the core problem on their own. ¡°We¡¯ll enter a rationing phase.¡±


    But only if they tried to produce all the food themselves. Drogramath blessed the lands with absurd growth rates, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t lean on their allies for help. Theo turned his attention to Azrug and smiled.


    ¡°Then I ask the Lord Merchant Azrug,¡± Theo said, nodding his head to the young man. ¡°Contact whoever you can and work out a deal for the food. Alise and Gwyn, work on zoning these new [House Seed Cores]. Get the information from Fenian on what these people are going to be doing and zone them accordingly¡ªI don¡¯t want an enclave of Elves, Marshlings, Half-Ogres or whatever. I want them to integrate. Also coordinate with our gorgeous trader here to make sure they have the right cores for their jobs. Questions? Comments? Concerns?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s foolish to rely on Rivers,¡± Throk grunted. ¡°Grow the food here. That¡¯s what I say.¡±


    ¡°The administration¡¯s number for food is based on current [Marsh Wolf] meat rates,¡± Luras said. ¡°We¡¯re forming a special team of adventurers that collect their corpses to be butchered in town.¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk was already defined by multiculturalism,¡± Azrug said, shrugging. ¡°Another culture isn¡¯t going to harm us. I mean¡­ Do they speak Qavelli?¡±


    ¡°Most do,¡± Fenian conceded. A grin spread across his face. ¡°Taranthian isn¡¯t that hard to learn, though.¡±


    Theo barely had a handle on Qavelli and Bantari, let alone another language. He worried about it for a moment before he realized that Fenian had made a joke. He laughed.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± Fenian said, fanning himself. ¡°What a coincidence! Your refugees will arrive on the exact last day of the season. Hmm, strange.¡±


    Another ripple of laughs spread through the room. The meeting went on for hours after that, everyone working to hammer out details that really didn¡¯t matter. Alise and Gwyn had formed a new group within the administrative staff meant to weed out bad administrators. The Junior Administrators were a group of sheepish youngsters that looked equal parts eager and scared. But when the meeting ended and everyone cleared out of the meeting hall, Alise and Theo remained.


    ¡°I just wanted a word,¡± she said, blocking the door.


    Theo had a lot to do today. He hadn¡¯t even touched any alchemy for the day and was itching to do so. But he smiled and sat back down at the table, finding the look on her face worrying.


    ¡°Please,¡± Theo said, gesturing for her to take a seat.


    ¡°I wanted to say I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. She couldn¡¯t look at him.


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°When you trusted me to run things for you, I thought I could do it. I really wanted to do it,¡± Alise said. ¡°But when things slipped through the cracks, I couldn¡¯t forgive myself. I can¡¯t find a way to make it up to you. How can I live with myself if I fail again?¡±


    Theo tried not to laugh. It came out as a stifled chuckle, which drew her attention.


    ¡°Allise Plumm¡­. Lady Administrator Alise, you stumbled. I¡¯m not about to rake someone over the coals because they messed up. If we punished people for messing up, I¡¯d be locked away in a cell.¡±


    ¡°But the food,¡± Alise started, trailing off.


    ¡°You gave the job to someone else because you were busy,¡± Theo said. ¡°Remember that if the work you assigned falls to you, it ultimately falls to me. Let¡¯s dust our hands off and think about those refugees. You and Gwyn have a better system now. We fail, we learn, we move on. That¡¯s it.¡±


    Alise sat there for some time. After a time, they both stood. She had her eyes locked on the floor, but approached and pulled Theo into a hug. He placed his hand on her back and waited for her to stop, but she didn¡¯t. They just stood there for a long while, letting whatever fear and anxiety she had built up over the weeks fade away with a hug.

 Chapter 3.42 - Withdrawing From Hammer Range

    Alise and Theo stood on the road west of the square, looking over a plot of land next to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They decided on the best place to plant the [Butcher¡¯s Seed Core]. Being so near to the guild would make it easy for adventurers to drop off their carcases, also incentivizing the action. The woman destined to run the building, a hulking Toora from the mountains north of Qavell named Whisper, seemed impassive for its placement.


    ¡°Too hot,¡± she said, her growling voice carrying on the air like the rumble of winter air through dead trees.


    ¡°I¡¯m working on that,¡± Theo said. It was mostly a lie. His air conditioner project hadn¡¯t moved in weeks.


    Alise debated the woman¡¯s pay for a while as Theo looked on. He sent his senses out to feel what his golems were doing, and found them working in the swamp. One golem, presumably smarter than the others, warned they were low on [Mana Constructs]. He expected them to be all out by now.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Whisper said, accepting the condition of Alise¡¯s deal. It was a percentage-based production deal, just like the other producers in town. But since Whisper would run an important industry, just like the farms, she would receive subsidies if the pay was insufficient. This was all written into Theo¡¯s [Contracts] ability, including a section related to Whisper¡¯s loyalty to the town, and signed in moments.


    Theo left Alise with the new butcher and headed off to solve a few problems with a single stroke. He planted his new [Mycology Cave Seed core], feeding it enough high-level [Monster Cores] to bring it up to his existing cave¡¯s level, and entered his first cave. The [Manashrooms] had reached 90% cultivation, which was good enough for him. Seeding his new cave with the mushrooms was easy enough, and he collected what he could to brew some [Mana Essence] and [Freezing Essence].


    Salire was working the shop when he entered, a smile hanging on her face. When she approached him with a business proposal, his first instinct was to brush her off. After a single breath, he matched her smile and beckoned her to follow him into the lab. Theo cleaned his stills, organized the clutter, and started two stills off with 250 units [Manashrooms]. The first would be for his [Mana Essence], the second his [Freezing Essence]. Salire detailed her plan as he worked.


    ¡°Patrons can come into the shop and place an order based on a list,¡± Salire said. She even made a mockup of her planned menu on a sheet of parchment paper. It had selections for the base potion, and checkboxes for Theo¡¯s current list of modifiers. ¡°They put in the order, and wait! You don¡¯t have to worry about stocking specific things because people will request them.¡±


    Theo saw that as a fantastic idea, but his mind was always wandering. The big problem there was keeping essences on hand to fill orders. He considered the tanks he already had, some half-full of various essences, and decided he¡¯d need more. Massive 1,000 unit tanks filled with all kinds of essences were easy enough to build, giving him access to them?. Maybe some kind of automatic self-flushing system that ran [Cleansing Scrub] through the lines and dispensed essences at the turn of a knob. Maybe that was just too much, but Throk always loved a new project.


    The alchemist laughed at that.


    ¡°Did you come up with this all on your own?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Azrug helped,¡± Salire admitted.


    ¡°Good¡­ Always good to ask him,¡± Theo said.


    Some people might feel bad blood between themselves and Azrug, but Theo understood the culture in Broken Tusk. The young man had no agreement to be the alchemist¡¯s slave, and the shop was always a jumping-off point for the merchant. No one knew Broken Tusk better than a true Broken Tusker. The alchemist snapped out of his thoughts when he saw his new merchant¡¯s eyes glittering with expectations.


    ¡°You have my full approval,¡± Theo said. ¡°Offload all the gear as quickly as you can to make room for this new plan. Actually, sell it all to Azrug. If he wants his general store, he¡¯ll want stock. Start taking orders for potions as soon as you feel comfortable.¡±


    While the essences brewed, the pair discussed the best way to execute the plan. It wasn¡¯t hard to conceive of an order-based system for the shop. It only made sense, considering the difficulties of stocking mass quantities of potions that no one wanted to buy. Patrons could pick what they wanted from a menu, while they kept basic things like [Healing Potions] on the shelves. This gave Salire more experience than just buying and selling things. She¡¯d get better with people, giving way to the possibility of running a trade operation between Broken Tusk and other towns.


    ¡°This is just great,¡± Salire said, bouncing up and down on the spot. She was too spunky for a Half-Ogre. Must be all that northern air dulling her sense of brooding.


    ¡°Let me know if you need anything else,¡± Theo said, extracting the last of the [Freezing Essence].


    Salire gave her thanks and ran back downstairs. Theo considered his newly brewed essences alongside his idea for more storage tanks. Maybe that was a bit too much work for Throk. Maybe he just needed to organize his lab better, get some more [Dimensional Storage Crates] in a more sensible order. Perhaps he was just being lazy about it.


    Theo crafted enough [Mana Constructs] for his golems and set them in the crate about back. A pair of [Lesser Mud Golems] were doing their job in the greenhouses by clearing away weeds and tending the plants. He spotted a pile of discarded vegetation and bit back the urge to create a plan golem.


    ¡°Experiments first, then we can make more golems,¡± Theo said, urging himself back into the lab.


    As Theo sacrificed a piece of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] to his shrine, gaining no additional benefits for now, he inspected his [Freezing Essence].


    [Refined Freezing Essence]


    [Essence] [Refined Essence]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting potions will be more effective.


    Chance to consume half of required essence during brewing.


    Cultivated Effects:


    Increased effectiveness of resulting potions. Effect carries over through refinement.


    Purity: 82%


    250 units (liquid)


    Concentrated, refined essence of freezing.


    It was a great essence, as far as those things went. The current application he had for the essence was a [Freezebomb], but that was a waste of essence. Lurking in Theo¡¯s memory was an old recipe for a cooling agent, something that fell like his [Cleansing Scrub] recipe. Those detergent-style, or cleaning-style potions were meant for large-scale applications. The alchemist ran his fingers over his [Drogramathi Iron Bar], considering whether he should do more than one experiment at the same time. He shrugged.


    ¡°Screw it. Why not?¡±


    Throk wasn¡¯t happy to see Theo. Whenever the alchemist approached the smithy, it was to deliver a missive of work. More work than the old Marshling wanted to do, considering how busy he already was.


    ¡°Begone!¡± Throk shouted. ¡°We don¡¯t need a new aqueduct.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dang. That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Theo said, scratching his head.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Theo held out his bar of Drogramathi iron, grinning. The black-purple bar, as long as his arm and heavy, caught the sun. Throk softened significantly on spotting their new metal.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I just need some shavings,¡± Theo said. ¡°Figured you had the magic touch.¡±


    Throk did indeed have the magic touch. Logic didn¡¯t factor into his smithing. He could shape metal into impossible things with a few smacks of his hammer. The Marshling pulled something that looked like a cheese grater on a stick and got to work. Each stroke of the tool brought sloughs of shavings off the bar, sending them tumbling to the ground. Theo just watched with a grin on his face, enjoying the sight. It only took him a few minutes to shave down the entire bar, leaving a pile of thousands of shavings. The alchemist scooped them up into his inventory and tossed the blacksmith a copper coin.


    ¡°For your troubles,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°A copper!?¡± Throk shouted. Theo tossed a silver coin, laughing as he ran out of the blacksmith¡¯s hammer range.


    Back in the lab, Theo enchanted a pile of the shavings with his mana before inspecting the result.


    [Drogramathi Iron Shavings]


    [Alchemy Component]


    Rare


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Increased stability during reactions.


    Increase quality of reaction by 1 level, up to excellent quality.


    Shavings from raw Drogramathi Iron.


    There might be some unpredictable reactions between reagents and these shavings, depending on if plants had alignments. Theo couldn¡¯t think of any god or realm that would lay domain over the [Manashrooms], so he shrugged it off and performed some test reactions. With his vent working, the failed reactions didn¡¯t fill the air with cloying smoke. He didn¡¯t even need to open a window, and got the numbers right on the mix after a while. The resulting 5 unit solution was as clear as glass with lines of frosty blue running through it. He inspected the result.


    [Freeze Solution]


    [Cooling Agent]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Apply to dramatically lower the temperature of anything.


    Effect:


    Apply enough solution to freeze an object, person, monster, etc.


    The recipe was extremely efficient. 5 units of [Stabilized Water] to 0.1 unit of [Freezing Essence]. The 11,000 units of [Freeze Solution] he could create seemed like an absurd amount, but that depended on how it worked. There was also an issue with the way the potion worked, something Theo hoped to solve with another experiment.


    As Theo tipped the solution over onto the ground, he noted how it froze the wooden boards. The amount of cold air that came off was minimal. How air conditioners worked back on Earth was a mystery to him. He only understood that there was something passed between something else that cooled some coils, thus cooling the air. Well, this world had magic, didn¡¯t it? Why not cool the air directly? And the best way to do that was¡­


    ¡°[Aerosolize],¡± Theo said, holding a flask of the modifier in his hand.


    The only issue was that he¡¯d never modified a solution. His intuition said it might work, but gave no guarantees. After the first flask exploded, sending a splatter of solution that made the alchemist¡¯s robes stiff with frost, he worked on getting the quantities correct. The low concentration of properties in the solution meant it needed less of the modifier essence to do the job. Theo pushed his ability to measure small quantities, dripping an amount of modifier so small into the solution that it was nearly impossible to measure.


    The reaction swirled in the flask, turning the solution a faintly yellow tinge. It stained the seams of frosty blue a deep purple, but remained otherwise unchanged. Theo held it up for inspection, smiling uncontrollably.


    [Freeze Solution]


    [Aerosolize]


    [Cooling Agent] [Modified Cooling Agent]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Apply to dramatically lower the temperature of the air.


    Effect:


    Apply enough solution to lower the temperature of the surrounding air.


    This effect lingers, constantly cooling the surrounding air until the effect expires. Length depends on the quality of this potion.


    ¡°Air conditioner in a bottle,¡± Theo said, dripping the solution on the ground.


    Instead of freezing the wooden planks, the solution created a hovering sphere of frost. It put off a constant wave of cold air that cooled the lab. After a few moments, ?the amount he dripped was too much. The lab became frigid, and the alchemist opened a window to let some warm air in. He studied the reaction and timed it mentally. The wisp of white faded after around 5 minutes, but the effects were clear. Frost had formed on the interior of the lab, coating every surface with a spiderweb of crawling, frozen moisture.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be good for the potions,¡± Theo said, shaking his head.


    But the first step to bringing air conditioning to this world was here. The artifice that would drive it was equally simple. Theo imagined a simple copper box with a fan, attached to ducts that moved the air around. Throk always had better ideas, but that¡¯s how he saw it.


    [Swamp Dungeon] is deeper than ever, Tresk said, her voice sing-song. Sure you don¡¯t wanna come on down?


    I¡¯d rather do anything else, Theo said.


    Shame. You could be a battle alchemist, Tresk said.


    I could be anything. I want to be a normal, boring alchemist.


    Ain¡¯t nothing boring about you.


    As Theo went to leave the Newt and Demon, Salire had a few fine details she wanted to chat about. She grilled him about the modifiers he could make, but he had to reinforce the idea that some things weren¡¯t for sale. She didn¡¯t get it at first, but he repeated himself until she understood how dangerous some things were. Most of their clients would be Broken Tuskers. If an outsider killed themself with his potions, not that big of a deal. But he¡¯d feel personally responsible if a local did. She understood his meaning and made notes to amend her list.


    Theo passed by Throk¡¯s smithy without stopping. He wanted to stop in and propose the idea, but made a show as if he wasn¡¯t going to. The alchemist was checking in with Bob at the school. Mudball Fundamental had grown since he¡¯d seen it last. Both in size and the amount of students they taught. Bob was out back with several younger townsfolk the alchemist didn¡¯t recognize. The children were undergoing combat drills, which was whatever to Theo. It reminded him of his childhood.


    Bob had a lot to say about the student. The only other Brogling Theo knew was Grub, and that guy was a dick. It wasn¡¯t good for a person¡¯s mood when a kingdom crumbled around you. The communication crystal in the alchemist¡¯s inventory was still silent. No one on the other side, and no response when he called.


    ¡°Clever bunch of rascals,¡± Bob said, climbing on the fence to meet Theo¡¯s gaze.


    They talked about what kind of education the critters were getting. Theo wasn¡¯t horrible interested, but they seemed to get a thorough run of educational pillars. Writing, reading, skinning animals, fighting. Normal things.


    Theo checked in with Banu at the farms. The old farmer wanted nothing more than to keep things the way they were, but this was a wellness check for the health of their food-production industry. Things would go better once the Zee was cultivated to 200%, doubling its size yet again. Other than hiring a few new people, there were no changes at the farm. The alchemist headed back to Throk¡¯s, only to be intercepted by Zan¡¯sal.


    ¡°He needs to leave,¡± she said.


    ¡°Khahar will leave soon enough. He said there¡¯s boats coming for him,¡± Theo said, waving her off. ¡°Why are you so against him?¡±


    Zan¡¯sal seemed at a loss for words. ¡°He¡¯s going?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, said he¡¯s going to be a god or whatever,¡± Theo said. ¡°Try talking to the guy.¡±


    Zan¡¯sal stopped, bowed, and shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to talk to him.¡±


    It was a nice day. It was warm, but not too warm. There was no rain, but a scatter of shielding clouds that kept away the harsh sun. Theo had sorted out some issues with the town, had a guarantee for 250 new hard-working citizens, and the possibility of a safeguard against disaster with an alliance. If Zan¡¯sal wanted to bring her doom and gloom into town, she could go do it in the swamp. Far away from him.


    ¡°He was looking for you,¡± Zan¡¯sal said.


    Theo kept walking. She caught up after a moment.


    ¡°He could have found me if he wanted to. Seems like he can be anywhere at any time,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°When he¡¯s inside of the realm of the Khahari, yes. That¡¯s true,¡± Zan¡¯sal said. ¡°But once removed? His mind fades. His body fades. He fades.¡±


    Theo stopped walking. Khahar was looking for him. Theo Spencer. Not Belgar¡­ Curious.


    ¡°I can ask him to leave,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°I figured he just wanted a vacation from the god-like life. A break where he could pretend to be normal. I mean, he¡¯s been talking like he likes it here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he does,¡± Zan¡¯sal said. She still had a sharp look about her, but had softened slightly. ¡°He admires you. There¡¯s a place in our history¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    But the woman trailed off. Theo gave her a hard look, but placed his hand on her shoulder. He understood what she was saying, and was forming a theory about the leader of the Khahari. She didn¡¯t need to say any more, and he didn¡¯t want to hear it.


    ¡°He¡¯ll go,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if she believed it or not. The Khahari looked up to the guy like he was a saint. Well, he was as near to a god as anyone so maybe that was true. But Theo didn¡¯t see Khahar that way, and he never would. He was just another guy working in the mud, helping form the harbor. Just another guy.


    ¡°Throk!¡± Theo shouted. He¡¯d shaken Zan¡¯sal for the moment, and earned the ire of the Marshling. ¡°I have a job!¡±


    ¡°Gods, no,¡± Throk shuddered. ¡°I¡¯m behind.¡±


    ¡°Well, this can happen whenever. I¡¯m not picky,¡± Theo said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you always uncomfortable in the heat?¡±


    ¡°Marshlings love the heat.¡±


    ¡°Well, have I got a product for you,¡± Theo said, producing a flask from his inventory. ¡°Introducing¡­ This stuff.¡±


    Theo poured the smallest amount on the ground, forming a ball of pulsing white energy. It released a wave of cooling air that washed over the pair in a wave. Throk closed his eyes as the breeze came, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Throk said. ¡°Maybe Marshlings don¡¯t love the heat. What do you need?¡±

 Chapter 3.43 - Old Tworg

    Throk banged out an overly efficient design for the air conditioner in mere minutes. The man had a mind built for artifices, and Theo couldn¡¯t help but think of the Demonic God Tworgnoth. The way the Marshling slapped together a treated copper frame, installed a fan, and worked the artificing internals within moments was amazing. It was a simple design. Too simple to meet the needs of the alchemist¡¯s plan.


    The entire point of the air conditioning project was to provide Sledge a way to level her [Fabricator¡¯s Core]. He wanted a series of pipes that led to an outside unit, but that wouldn¡¯t work with Throk¡¯s design. The blacksmith had a straightforward approach to most things, and this project was no different. A rectangular cube, made of the treated copper, sat in the workshop. He¡¯d fashioned two fans, one on either side of the hollow cube, to draw air through. A tank on the top released the cooling solution at a set rate, adjustable by a knob on the top.


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± Theo said, tilting the machine so it blew cold air on his face. ¡°One problem.¡±


    ¡°I work miracles,¡± Throk started, leaning against his work table with a heavy sigh, ¡°and you complain.¡±


    ¡°Disregarding the fact that this will make you rich, I wanted something for Sledge to work on,¡± Theo said. ¡°If the units just sit inside someone¡¯s house, what¡¯s the point? I expected her to run pipes everywhere, changing the seed core houses for some sweet experience.¡±


    Throk tapped his chin with his hammer. How the man didn¡¯t knock himself out was beyond Theo. Like the example artifice sitting on the workshop¡¯s floor, the gears in the Marshling¡¯s head were turning.


    ¡°She could still mount them in the homes,¡± Throk suggested. ¡°We can shift the design so the controls are on the side. Or the bottom. Then mount them up high so the cold air falls down.¡±


    That might give her decent experience. Perhaps if she installed a unit in each of the 100 new houses they had to plant¡­


    ¡°I have a job for you,¡± Theo said, smiling. Throk groaned.


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you take an apprentice?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re all useless,¡± Throk said, jabbing his thumb back into the workshop.


    Where Throk hit his anvil with grace, his apprentices were just smacking metal against metal. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. Theo consulted his mayoral screen, trying to find the root of the problem. Alise always added the right tags to citizens so they could be searched up based on their experience and cores. The kids in the blacksmith were the best fits for the job, so that wasn¡¯t the issue. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this was something worth calling a meeting for.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, trying to jump-start his mind. ¡°This is a luxury item. I want you to get with Sledge. Work out a price for each unit. We¡¯ll install a few for free, then the word will spread. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°Better than your normal orders,¡± Throk said. ¡°Normally you¡¯d just say to do it, then I¡¯d have to do it.¡±


    ¡°Right. Next point. Do you need help from the town with your operation?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a damn thing,¡± Throk said.


    Theo nodded, taking the prototype unit in his inventory and bidding farewell to his friend. Throk being so defensive meant he needed help. It was another thing that slipped through the cracks, but wasn¡¯t surprising. He was so spiky with everyone; it was hard to know when he really needed help. Before departing, he examined the blacksmithing building.


    [Blacksmith¡¯s Workshop]


    Owners: Throk


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 10 (20%)


    Rent Due: 5 days


    Expansions:


    [Even Heating]


    [Strict Labor]


    Unsurprisingly, Throk had put little effort into upgrading the building. Theo wasn¡¯t surprised anymore when he saw stuff like this. Maybe it was a trend born from Miana¡¯s pact to keep the town at level 1, but it had to stop. No building in town should be below level 20, otherwise they were missing out on amazing upgrades. This led to a second problem. They needed a workshop geared to artificing. The alchemist considered this as he made his way to the center of administration.


    It was nice to see the town hall buzzing. The young administrators were fielding questions from citizens in the atrium, hosting impromptu sessions near the fire. Theo found Alise and Gwyn in a meeting with Ziz and Gridgen, and found a seat. Everyone stared at him when he plopped into a chair, but he waved them away. They were discussing production quotas and the distribution of workers. The subject was dry and uninteresting, but mercifully short.


    ¡°How can we help you, mayor?¡± Alise asked, ushering Ziz and Gridgen out.


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about Throk,¡± Theo said, laying it out as plainly as he could. ¡°How much money does the town have?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re creeping back to 100 gold,¡± Gwyn said, clearly consulting her screen. Theo didn¡¯t know why he asked. He could have checked.


    Would it pay to have another town-sponsored project? Theo thought about the problem before suggesting a solution. Throk¡¯s work was important to the town, but he had his own business to run. The issue was, his work was so important because of his core combinations. A blacksmith that was an artificer worked so well together, nothing else would do. But his current apprentices weren¡¯t making the cut. The alchemist scratched his head and groaned. There seemed to be no solution to the problem.


    ¡°If we get him a building for his artificer work, does that solve the problem?¡± Theo asked. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. We need another person with that specific core combo¡­ Then we need to upgrade Throk¡¯s core combination.¡±


    ¡°Upgrade?¡± Alise asked, looking confused. ¡°You alright, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Assure me we have the absolute best students for Throk,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone fits his requirements,¡± Gwyn said, taking the reins. ¡°According to the notes, they¡¯re all either too stupid or too lazy.¡±


    ¡°The problem is, he¡¯s a genius,¡± Theo said, standing. He wouldn¡¯t find his answers here. ¡°Alright. Thanks for your time. I just needed to verbalize it.¡±


    Alise had a few items for him before he left. Her first draft for the Elven population distribution was done, and it looked great. They were evenly spread across laboring disciplines and would be housed accordingly. The neighborhood area would house something like 70% of their population, the rest going to Stabby Grove, Dead Dog, or nearby Cheese Empire. She repeated how much she hated the names, but they¡¯d stuck.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let me know if we have any changes.¡±


    Gwyn also had a few items about the junior administrators. They were inviting citizens in to give their opinions on the town. This gave the new administrators time to cut their teeth before moving on to larger projects. There was a plan to split the administration staff into domains, but that was far off. Gwyn and Alise would handle everything until then. Theo left the town hall, the egg twitching in his satchel as he went.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re off to see Zarali,¡± Theo said, petting the egg. The surface seemed warmer than before.


    Fenian was chatting with Xol¡¯sa and Zarali in the wizard¡¯s tower. It was shocking to see the Elf hang around for so long.


    ¡°A few questions about Tworgnoth,¡± Theo said, pulling the Drogramathi Priestess aside. Xol¡¯sa and Fenian continued their discussion on the [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core].


    ¡°A few questions about why you haven¡¯t upgraded your [Drogramath Herbalism Core],¡± Zarali said, placing her hands on her hips.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s on my list,¡± Theo lied. ¡°How do we get an artificer¡¯s core aligned with old Tworg?¡±


    ¡°Old Tworg,¡± Fenian said, snorting. ¡°You pledge yourself to the Master of Artifices. Strike a deal, and all that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re suspiciously familiar with the topic,¡± Theo said, staring at the trader.


    ¡°I might have a demonic core. You never know,¡± Fenian said, his face impassive.


    ¡°He has at least one,¡± Zarali said. ¡°A [Priest of Tworgnoth] can create a [Tworgnoth Artificer¡¯s Core], or you can strike a pact with the god himself. Thinking of taking up a new trade?¡±


    ¡°Nah, this is for Throk,¡± Theo said. ¡°Hey, Fenian. Do you have an artificer¡¯s workshop seed core on ya?¡±


    ¡°Does a Pozwa howl at the darkened moon of Antalis?¡± Fenian asked, placing his hands on his hips and grinning. ¡°The answer is yes. 15 gold.¡±


    Gold changed hands and Theo placed his new [Artificer¡¯s Workshop Seed Core] in his inventory. Throk would never spend the money, and the alchemist didn¡¯t have time to spare to wait for him to scrape the gold together. What the hell did that guy even spend his cash on? It didn¡¯t matter. It was done, and a decent solution for one of two problems. This brought him down to 51 gold and nothing to spend it on.


    ¡°Actually, I need some more high-level [Monster Cores],¡± Theo said.


    Down to 25 gold.


    Theo left the three people to their discussion and headed for the roof of the tower. The day was fading by the moment, but he took time to appreciate the swamp below. The Ogre Cypress trees towered high enough above the marsh to afford a decent view. Most days were clear enough to see to the dungeon, but today it was obscured by a low-hanging fog. Monsters scurried around in the mud, hunting and being hunted by adventurers. Once Xol¡¯sa got his new core, they could worry about turning this place into a theme park.


    ¡°All you can slay. Five gold,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself. The egg in his satchel wiggled.


    The alchemist withdrew his journal, an inkwell, and a quill to write some notes down. Something that fell by the wayside was his desire to write a guide to Drogramathi Alchemy. The swamp below gave him ample inspiration, but time didn¡¯t favor him. With a wistful sigh, he took the portal back to town and sent a mental ping to his golems. They were doing their thing. Following his instructions and collecting too many motes. He chatted with Tresk and practiced his focus for a while before heading to the mine to check on the miners.


    Nira had her apprentices honed to a razor-sharp edge, unlike Throk. She just stood by and watched as they worked the smelter, pumping out an endless supply of ingots for the town. Gridgen and his men were happily working the mine, excited to give the alchemist another tour.


    ¡°We had our first real monster scare,¡± Gridgen said, gesturing for Theo to follow him down the switchback stairs.


    They approached the revealed chamber where Theo found the egg. Blood stained the walls, faint but noticeable. That confirmed another theory. The deeper they dug, the stronger the monsters that spawned were.


    ¡°The gates worked,¡± Theo said, looking back at the gate they just passed through. It was bent in sections, but still functional. ¡°Put a work order in with Throk. Replace those with Drogramathi Iron.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Gridgen said, saluting. ¡°Nothing the adventurers couldn¡¯t handle.¡±


    The mine was the biggest success story of Broken Tusk, as far as Theo was concerned. Theo didn¡¯t even care about the weird room with the egg, it was just another hidden thing for him to find. One in a long list of constructed junk just waiting to be revealed.


    ¡°Your people are safe, though?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°With the gates? Yeah,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°We¡¯ve only seen monsters spawn while we¡¯re in here once. And we were on the other side of the mine.¡±


    It would still be nice if they had around the clock protections. Copper might not have sold for much, but like Theo¡¯s potions it was a numbers game. A plan formed in his head. Something he could test in the Dreamwalk tonight.


    Gridgen was always happy to chat about whatever. His son, Gasem, absolutely loved Mudball Fundamental. It wasn¡¯t just a school, but a daycare and a training center rolled into one. As they talked about the kid¡¯s progress, Theo realized how nice it would be to have something to keep normal citizens safe during a siege. A castle, maybe? A bomb shelter? Maybe they could all cram into his mushroom caves. Another problem for another day.


    Tresk signaled she was done in the dungeon for the day, claiming the last boss kicked her ass. The miners were wrapping up their work anyway, so they joined Theo in locking the place up for the night. While the miners went ahead to Xam¡¯s, the alchemist held back to plant his new seed core. Without Throk¡¯s permission, he found a pleasant spot on the man¡¯s property and planted the seed, feeding it enough cores to grow it to level 1.


    Tresk appeared from nowhere, stumbling as she came into existence behind Theo.


    ¡°Woah! Thought you were going to dinner,¡± Tresk said, folding her arms. She¡¯d used their new ability to exit the dungeon quickly, giving her a few more minutes of dungeon time.


    ¡°Just taking care of some stuff.¡±


    Tresk shrugged, scampering off without waiting for him.


    The building sprung up like seed core buildings did. Roots sprung from the ground, wrapping around an amorphous form. With enough power, the writhing roots twisted into a concrete form. The new [Artificer¡¯s Workshop] looked much like the smelter. There was an attached building that was an open-air workshop, scattered with tables and equipment with a sheltered interior. It was an all-board construction with a slatted roof painted blue.


    Theo assigned Throk as the owner and inspected the building.


    [Artificer¡¯s Workshop]


    Owners: Throk


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 5 days


    Expansions:


    None


    Nothing crazy there. Theo left a sack of [Monster Cores] inside the building, giving Throk the option to pick his upgrades. Theo might think he knew which upgrades were the best, but it was best to let someone who knew what they were doing take care of that.


    Theo ran into Miana on the way to dinner. She pulled him aside wordlessly, dragging him to the ranch. It was a short walk from the center of town, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal. The alchemist often found himself just picking at his food, taking his time as his Tara¡¯hek dumped the entire plate in her mouth. The Pozwa were kind of cute, anyway. In their own way.


    ¡°Look,¡± Miana said, pointing at the stable.


    It was hard to see in the low light, especially at a distance. But there was something in the stable, nestled in a ball of hay. Theo moved his head around, finally catching a shimmer. It was an egg.


    ¡°More Pozwa eggs?¡± Theo asked. They had plenty of those.


    ¡°Karatan,¡± Miana said, her voice reverent. ¡°Our first little baby Karatan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Theo said. His urge to enter the paddock faded when he saw the mother of the egg prowling nearby. ¡°What¡¯s the life-cycle for a Karatan egg?¡±


    ¡°Should be an entire season,¡± Miana said. ¡°We¡¯ll see if that drogramagic works on the livestock.¡±


    ¡°Any plans to expand the livestock program?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, got something real special coming up,¡± Miana said. ¡°Fenian just brought me the core, so we¡¯ll see how it works.¡±


    Theo patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, then. Keep your secrets.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a [Monster Tamer¡¯s Core],¡± Miana said, grinning. ¡°The damn Elf let me buy it on credit, but I¡¯m out almost 100 gold. Extremely rare. Been working with the bastard since I got the ranch to find the thing.¡±


    Miana explained her plan with the new core. She wouldn¡¯t reveal the alignment, but it would allow her to domesticate any monster. Well, any monster based on her level and skills. She¡¯d start off with monsterized versions of small creatures, like the [Fire Salamanders] in the swamp, then work her way up. This was a synergy Theo didn¡¯t expect to find, but the Half-Ogre woman had discovered it. Anything that exploited the overly abundant supply of monsters was great. They could domesticate the monsterized critters and sell them off, or keep them for themselves.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯re willing to cover some of your debt,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°So I can be in your debt?¡± Miana asked, scoffing. She cleared her throat, straightening her posture. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯d like to make this work on my own. Even have a small team of people helping, now.¡±


    ¡°No, I appreciate that,¡± Theo said.


    When Theo arrived in town, others in his situation might have thought of Miana as an adversary. She was hard as they came in Broken Tusk, owing her flinty edge to her circumstances. While she lost some of that brusque behavior, she was still hard. Just differently. This would be a massive industry if she could get it rolling, and the alchemist wanted the town to be there for her in any way they could.


    Broken Tusk, as a member of the Kingdom of Qavell, wouldn¡¯t profit from her venture. It wouldn¡¯t make money on most things that were sold in town¡ªthat all went to the kingdom. But Qavell wasn¡¯t there for them anymore. Blind loyalty no longer made sense, and secession was the way forward. Once they went independent, taxes collected would enter the town¡¯s coffers. Even if they only collected 5% of sales, banishing export fees, they would be rich. The question of how to secede without paying the high price.


    Theo¡¯s intuition told him to wait it out. Something would happen.


    When Fenian visited the town, he often brought with him exotic food. For the Broken Tuskers, exotic meant large hunks of meat. Steak. When Theo met with Tresk at the Marsh Wolf Tavern, they dug into a weird dish. Massive Karatan steaks with a side of Zee draped in a layer of cheese. It was weird. And delicious.


    Theo had plans to test different forms of golems in the Dreamwalk tonight. He had a feeling that the material he made them out of determined how good they were at a task. Mud golems were great at digging through the mud, so that was an easy one to understand. If he could make one out of plant material, perhaps they¡¯d be better at taking care of plants. A golem made of metal just made sense for defense. He wanted to create a copper golem to help defend the mine. That would require him to either increase his willpower or remove a few [Lesser Mud Golems]. Fewer mud golems might be a good thing. He already had crates of motes and nothing to do with them.


    Another export opportunity, perhaps.


    When dinner wrapped up, the tavern filled with a more rowdy crowd than normal thanks to the Karatan Steaks, Theo and Tresk made their way back to the Newt and Demon. The egg twitched as the alchemist nestled it in his sheets. Tresk didn¡¯t seem to mind that he carried it most of the time. She was often adventuring, after all.


    The Dreamwalk sprung up around them as sleep took over. A group of assassins lunged for Theo, rekindling Tresk¡¯s need to drill him constantly. He¡¯d fight them off the best he could and move on to experimentation. There was no need to waste such a gift.

 Chapter 3.44 - Plant Golems

    Theo had an arsenal of responses for Tresk¡¯s assassin attacks now. The [Potion of Limited Foresight] gave him enough wiggle room to enact his plan, while the [Retreat Potion] allowed him to gain distance. Only when the Marshling summoned a literal army, would he die in the Dreamwalk, but still she wasn¡¯t satisfied. There were several flaws with his tactic, all around the idea that he couldn¡¯t drop his nuke if there was an ally nearby. While the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] didn¡¯t work in the Dreamwalk, it would make for a potent weapon.


    But once the dust had settled from a failed defense, Theo got to work on testing new golems. He¡¯d never seen a containment core made of [Drogramathi Iron], and couldn¡¯t convince the Dreamwalk to allow him to produce it, but it allowed him to work with different mediums. Tresk lingered in the harbor with him, eager to see what the plant-based golem would look like.


    Theo added the finishing touches on the golem, but felt the need to speak about something that had bothered him for a while. The waves lapped against the edges of the stone harbor, ghostly ships coming and going at the alchemist¡¯s will. It was just a distraction. ¡°I know who Khahar really is.¡±


    Tresk poked her knife into a pile of vines, leaves, and branches. ¡°Uh-huh. Grand conspiracy mode¡­ Go!¡±


    ¡°Not sure about grand,¡± Theo said, shoving his newest containment core into the pile of plant matter. It was made from a [Monster Core] belonging to a level 10 Fald Interloper and made with the standard treated iron. His version in the real world would be made of Drogramathi Iron. ¡°When I left Earth, the guy who sent me said everyone who was alive would be sent.¡±


    At this point in the development of the Tara¡¯hek, talking seemed more like a suggestion. Theo could feel Tresk picking up on his thoughts. She often suppressed them in the real world, waiting for the Dreamwalk to share information. Sometimes she defaulted to the [Tara¡¯hek Communication] skill, which seemed safe enough. But in their own realm, they were absolutely free from unfriendly ears.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s a thought,¡± Tresk said, plopping down on the ground. She wiggled her fat little tail with interest. ¡°Why haven¡¯t we seen other outworlders?¡±


    ¡°Because whoever was left on Earth was the seed population for this world,¡± Theo said. ¡°Khahar was among them. Meaning, he was alive when Earth ended but¡­ Well, I think he knew me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem. Since you didn¡¯t have any friends,¡± Tresk said, chuckling. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m putting on my serious pants.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it. Notice how Khahar avoided a lot of the world¡¯s history regarding the early days? He just talks vaguely about them. That guy just won¡¯t admit it,¡± Theo said. He could infuse the golem with mana, bringing it to life, but he delayed. He¡¯d known this for a while now, and Tresk must have known too, but he never wanted to say it aloud. What did it matter? That was 60,000 years ago.


    ¡°So, this Harbinger guy saves your world¡¯s population. Brings them here for reasons. Then what? Waits 60,000 years to drop you? Not making sense, buddy,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I never said it made sense why, but it fits,¡± Theo said. ¡°I can think of about 15 people who would have an interest in checking in on me. The squad they formed to find the Harbinger. Morales, Bawa, Valkov, Belchev¡­ I can¡¯t remember that lady¡¯s name, though. My family was all dead. The North American Confederation¡¯s command was down to a few hundred people. I grew up with Mark. He might have been alive when it ended, but I can¡¯t be sure. My¡­¡±


    Theo stopped himself. The more he wrapped his mind in his old life, the worse he felt. Even in the Dreamwalk, a sick feeling spread through his stomach, mingling with an old fire that had died decades ago. The longer he spent in the Tara¡¯hek, the less those coals smoldered. He reflexively reached for his silver locket, only to find the mark of the Burning Eye. What a sad parody.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she was great,¡± Tresk said, patting Theo on the shoulder. She scrunched up her wet little face. ¡°Let me see¡­ Right, so all those people you murdered in that Berlin Alliance thing were dead, too. Even that dude you thought was cool. What about that lady with the East Asian Independent Force?¡±


    Tresk was digging around in his brain. He¡¯d never told her about the political entities back on Earth, let alone a rag-tag group like the EAIF.


    ¡°Dig deeper, Tresk,¡± Theo said, sighing. ¡°She died before the end.¡±


    ¡°Well, stop blocking memories out,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo blocked everything out. His willpower wasn¡¯t great, but it was growing thanks to his use of the golems. ¡°Khahar has to be one of my squad, someone at command, or someone I can¡¯t remember. That¡¯s the end. Doesn¡¯t matter, anyway. He¡¯s here. He needs to leave. Conversation over.¡±


    Tresk nodded. She took to playing with the floating spirit of the egg, giving Theo room to breathe. He appreciated it. She was just trying to sort this out, and he brought the subject up. Instead, he shifted his thoughts to this world. How similar it was to Earth. When the end came, creeping over the decades, people didn¡¯t spread out into the countryside. They bunched up in cities. It was no longer about sprawling suburban areas, but massive tenement buildings. Nations became cities almost overnight. That was a reminder of the way the southlands of Iaredin operated. Gronro-Dir, Rivers and Daub, and Broken Tusk.


    ¡°No apology needed,¡± Tresk said, ruffling Theo¡¯s hair. ¡°We¡¯ll talk to the guy about it when he¡¯s ready. No sense pushing a uh¡­ God? Is he a god?¡±


    ¡°Just about,¡± Theo said. ¡°Once he ascends, it¡¯s going to be trouble. Mark my words, we¡¯re going to see the dawn of a new era. We¡¯ll call it ¡®Khahar¡¯s Ascension¡¯.¡±


    Theo pushed the idea of a war in heaven away and focused on his work. He introduced enough mana to kick-start his new golem. The vines swirled around the containment core, branches and leaves forming to a writhing mass of vegetation. The vague form of a person took shape. Stunted arms and stunted legs with a rudimentary head lumbered, awaiting orders.


    ¡°He¡¯s a cute one,¡± Tresk said, hugging the new golem. ¡°Good boy.¡±


    [Lesser Plant Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 10


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


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]


    Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)


    Medium: [Plant Matter]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said, grinning. His old worries washed away in an instant. ¡°Now I have a gardener. Want to see the next one?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo tried to make a golem out of [Copper Nuggets], but it failed. When he used [Copper Ingots], it failed similarly but exploded. Alchemy often exploded if it wasn¡¯t performed correctly. He then went for [Alchemically Treated Copper Ingots], but found the golem wouldn¡¯t form. Tresk kept him company for some time, but scampered off after a while. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t blame her, it was getting frustrating.


    ¡°What do you think, plant golem?¡± Theo asked.


    The [Lesser Plant Golem] shrugged despite being singed from the previous explosion. The egg¡¯s spirit floated around, dive-bombing Theo¡¯s head as though it knew the answers. Try as he might, the alchemist couldn¡¯t figure out what the little guy knew. He resorted to creating random items to understand the spirit¡¯s intent.


    Theo created an alchemy still, a gun, platters of cheese, Marshy the god of all Marshlings, and finally a burning brazier. The spirit reacted to that, bobbing over the lit flame with excitement. The alchemist could feel the thing¡¯s excitement for that idea.


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    ¡°Fire?¡± Theo asked, looking at his pile of copper bars. ¡°So, does it need some [Fire Essence] to melt the bars and take a form?¡±


    The spirit flew around, even more excited than before.


    ¡°Free hints from the magic egg spirit,¡± Theo said. He wasn¡¯t surprised by anything. No matter how weird it was.


    The Dreamwalk could be picky about what Theo could do within. Sometimes it let him run experiments, and other times not. The rules were that he could do something if it was a single logical step away. He soaked a stone tablet in [Fire Essence], gaining a new construct for his efforts. The alchemist inspected his new [Fire Construct].


    [Fire Construct]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Emits a field of heat.


    Material:


    Stone (Poor Quality)


    Effect:


    20 halm bubble of heat, controllable by the user. Strength of the heat depends on the quality of this construct.


    The egg spirit floated around the construct, rubbing its ethereal form up against it.


    ¡°Are you a dragon?¡± Theo asked. ¡°You like fire. A lot.¡±


    The [Fire Construct] wasn¡¯t useful for much, as far as Theo could tell, but if it could help the golem form itself out of the [Copper Ingots], that was good enough. He placed the containment core, [Mana Construct], and [Fire Construct] within the pile of ingots. It erupted in flames, the copper melting to take the same vague form as the [Lesser Plant Golem]. After a moment, the golem cooled. It looked much like the other golems, but made of poorly formed copper. It had gaps in its joints, devoid of copper, but seemed to hold together. Theo inspected his newest creation.


    [Lesser Copper Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 10


    Metal Golems are excellent at combat. They serve almost no use elsewhere, and require new [Fire Constructs] to repair themselves. Metal Golems without an installed [Fire Construct] will become more useless the longer they operate.


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]


    Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)


    Medium: [Copper Ingots]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    Theo should have figured the metal golems would be great for combat. It only made sense. Another advantage of the Dreamwalk was that he could test them here, and understand their capabilities before sending them in the field. The alchemist imagined a single, fishlike Fald with a rusted iron sword. With a thought, the monster attacked.


    The first bout was one-sided. Like most of the people like monsters, Fald were feral in combat. Sticking low to the ground, the creature came in with a wild strike to the side. The [Lesser Copper Golem] didn¡¯t flinch as the attack scraped against its arm. But there was the golem¡¯s weakness. It lumbered toward the monster, taking ponderous steps until the fish-thing was in range. Once it wrapped its crude arms around the Fald, it was over. No amount of flailing and screaming could keep it from the golem¡¯s suffocating grasp.


    Theo made a mental note about the encounter. To the level 10 Fald, the [Lesser Copper Golem] was unstoppable. Even the [Lesser Stone Golems] would have been damaged from the attacks. That made sense, though. Stone golems weren¡¯t designed solely for combat, they were the all-rounders. The alchemist continued the test, summoning two Fald, then three, and so on. Only when the battle was five-to-one did the golem finally die, suffering a death by a thousand cuts.


    ¡°As expected,¡± Theo said, nodding to the egg¡¯s spirit. ¡°Five against one is great, though. They¡¯re technically the same level, so that¡¯s a lot of power.¡±


    The egg¡¯s spirit offered no insight on whether this was good or not.


    While Tresk stopped by a few times to check in on the golem project, Theo just focused on collecting as much information as possible. Once a metal golem was injured, it required another [Fire Construct] to repair itself, along with [Copper Ingots]. The [Lesser Mud Golems] could just pull from the swamp, which placed the metal golems in a different category in his mind. They were combat specialists with an expandable lifespan.


    ¡°Perhaps they¡¯ll make great mine guards,¡± Theo said.


    Whatever their final use, Broken Tusk would have at least one [Lesser Drogramathi Iron Golem] tomorrow. Seemed absurd not to try something so ridiculous. Theo imagined himself going to a meeting with the people of Rivers and Daub flanked by 10 such golems. That would make them crap their pants. Maybe they could bolt swords onto the golems.


    But that was enough experimentation with the golems for one night. Theo wanted to grind out as much experience as he could. As he tended his gardens, he had a sense that his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] would hit 15 in the morning, while his alchemy core was right on the edge of hitting 17. The [Governance Core] would ascend to 15, while his personal level creeped closer to 20, currently at 15. At that point, he¡¯d have a big decision to make. He needed a new core.


    Throk would do well with an artificer core from Tworgnoth, but that led to another thought. If a person took cores that conflicted with each other, what happened? Khahar would be able to answer that question, so he reserved it for the daytime. From what the alchemist understood, it all depended on what those cores were aligned with. If he paired a Grom Rang, Dwarven God of Mining, with Fan¡¯glir, Elven God of Fire, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. But looking at another pairing, Lord of War and Death Zagmon with the Queen of the Path of Shadows Uz¡¯Xulven, and he¡¯d have a problem. Those two just didn¡¯t get along.


    So, the problem fell to the experts. Theo didn¡¯t need an answer, he just wanted a good start on the problem.


    Theo spent the remainder of the Dreamwalk grinding levels. He didn¡¯t have more experiments to run, so it only made sense. While he spent more time chatting with Tresk, they had nothing big to discuss. When the morning finally came, the alchemist sprung up before the Marshling could, racing her to the door. Unfortunately, she still had the [Dexterity] advantage.


    ¡°Nerd!¡± Tresk shouted, sprinting out of the Newt and Demon.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not groggy anymore,¡± Theo said, patting the egg in his satchel.


    The Season of Fire was showing its namesake. If it was warm when Theo arrived in Broken Tusk, it had now become sweltering. Even with the sun barely poking over the horizon, it was almost unbearable. The air conditioner in his inventory became more tempting by the moment, but he had a use for that. He¡¯d donate it to Whisper. The Toora bear-people were from a horribly cold place north of Qavell. She¡¯d appreciate it far more than anyone else. But first, it was time for breakfast.


    The day didn¡¯t truly start until Theo had a cup of tea at Xam¡¯s tavern. He remembered a time where he brewed all his own tea, but even his alchemy core couldn¡¯t compete with her cooking. Everything she made just tasted better. The alchemist sat with Tresk at a table, eating leftovers from last night and sipping his tea.


    ¡°Hey, Khahar,¡± Theo said. And then the Khahari man was there.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­ I appreciate how you just don¡¯t answer our questions before we ask them,¡± Tresk said, leaning in. The whiskers on the man¡¯s face twitched.


    ¡°Most people see it as rude.¡±


    ¡°Phew. I know, right? How about that heat?¡± Tresk asked. Her tail swiped from side-to-side excitedly. ¡°Getting kinda hot, huh? Like¡­ Mexico hot. Ya know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Khahar narrowed his eyes at Tresk. Theo kicked her under the table. She yelped.


    ¡°Core alignments,¡± Theo said. ¡°I want to know what happens if you use two cores that don¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Nothing good,¡± Khahar said, relaxing. He reached into his chest and pulled a core out. He didn¡¯t even flinch. It was a basic [Artificer¡¯s Core]... Kind of. The metal cage looked pure to Theo¡¯s eyes. It shone with impossible brightness, even the white glowing center seemed somehow better than any core he¡¯d ever seen. ¡°This core is roughly 59,000 years old. When the world was young, there were no alignments. I don¡¯t have a single aligned core to my name.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Tresk said, propping herself up on the table to get a better look. ¡°What level is that one?¡±


    ¡°12,582,¡± Khahar said.


    Theo gawked. ¡°There¡¯s no upper-limit to levels?¡±


    ¡°None at all,¡± Khahar said, reinserting the core into his chest. ¡°We¡¯re straying from your question, but there¡¯s a reason you don¡¯t see many people beyond level 30, let alone level 100. 30 is the first hurdle for most. Well, some struggle to get beyond 20. Then the problem becomes edging past 100 without going insane. The more you ascend, the harder it becomes to keep your mind. By my stage? I don¡¯t think any have gone this far, but most strive for godhood, no matter how minor the domain.¡±


    ¡°How do you keep it together?¡± Tresk asked, her voice almost a whisper.


    Khahar placed his hand on his chest and closed his eyes. ¡°I often don¡¯t. The longer I¡¯m away from my domain, the worse it gets.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back?¡± Theo asked.


    Khahar opened his eyes and smiled, placing a furry hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You haven¡¯t figured it out yet. You¡¯re on the right track. I¡¯m from Earth. I just need to see you get it before I go. I need to see that spark I remember. That way, I can leave this realm happy. I¡¯ll know it¡¯s in good hands.¡±


    Theo just stared. So, it was a game to him. A fun little thing someone did before they went off to fight with gods. The alchemist couldn¡¯t imagine the man¡¯s mind was all there, even if he did know him from Earth. Him? Could it have been a woman? There was nothing that said they had to keep the same sex when they were sent over. It could be literally anyone.


    ¡°A near-perfect memory,¡± Khahar said. ¡°I¡¯ve dropped enough hints, Spencer. To your question. Research cores that will help you with the town. Well, it won¡¯t be a town much longer, will it? Anyway, you have the aptitude to do anything you want. If you must take a combat class, I recommend something in the support realm. Hmmm¡­ Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any.¡±


    Khahar produced a small wooden box from nowhere. Theo went to inspect it, but the system refused to give him a prompt. It was ornate, inlaid with gold and jewels. The closer the alchemist got to it, the more he realized it was covered with an impossibly small network of absurdly complex symbols. They had a faint yellow glow and were written in the language of the Khahari. A language that Khahar himself likely devised.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tresk asked, bouncing up and down.


    ¡°This is how I spit in the face of the gods,¡± Khahar said, his muzzle twisting into a wicked grin. ¡°Something will happen. Something planned for eons. When it does, the box will open and you will change fate. Again.¡±

 Chapter 3.45 - Thim

    Theo dodged a downpour of questions from Throk, running from the center of town with the Marshling in pursuit. He lost him behind the town hall, circled around, and found his way to the new butcher¡¯s building without incident. The old man would refuse to accept the new building, so it was best to leave him to it. In time, he¡¯d accept the gift and use it to better the town. That was the way things always went with the codger.


    The new building rested near the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, across the road from the sawmill. It took the form of a wood slat building with a blue shingled roof, matching the spreading motif of the town. The entire thing was quaint, but Whisper had settled into it as though it were her home. Theo found her butchering the bodies of several wolves, even displaying skill in skinning them. She had a sad smile on her face when he entered, but bowed her head as a greeting.


    ¡°Mayor,¡± she said simply, resuming her bloody work.


    ¡°Still too hot for ya?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s all this fur,¡± Whisper said, looking down at her body. Under her bloody apron was fur matted with gore. It marred the interesting mottled patterns of brown and gray.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have Sledge install this properly,¡± Theo said, withdrawing the air conditioner from his inventory. That caught the woman¡¯s interest. ¡°I worked with the blacksmith to get you more comfortable. I understand the home of the Toora is quite cold.¡±


    ¡°Frigid,¡± Whisper said. She dropped her cleaver and moved over, hands reverently stroking the artifice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a sales pitch,¡± Theo said with a weak shrug. This entire plan was half-baked from the start. A need for comfort with no obvious solution. ¡°I just want you to tell everyone how great the air conditioner is, so Throk can sell more.¡±


    ¡°Conditioner?¡± Whisper asked. ¡°What condition does it put the air into?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a box that blows cold air,¡± Theo said, flicking the switch on the side. He had it set to the lowest setting, which would provide a drip of potion every half-hour. The alchemist explained the controls and provided a flask of modified [Freeze Solution].


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± Whisper said, standing in front of the artifice and closing her eyes. ¡°I was planning to leave the town¡­ The heat is just too much. I can purchase more from the angry Marshling?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and stop by The Newt and Demon if you need more of the potion,¡± Theo said. ¡°It¡¯s cheap to make, but this should last you a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to turn it all the way up,¡± Whisper said, cranking the knob on the side. ¡°I shall purchase more.¡±


    Problem solved. It had been a long time since Theo could fix an issue with so little effort. Whisper was hot, so he cooled her down. But the problem he solved wasn¡¯t the one he set out to solve. Sledge was the issue. Her need for experience outweighed the need for comfort, even if the two goals were aligned. As much as the alchemist didn¡¯t want to deal with the erratic Marshling, now was the time. He left the butcher and made his way over to the sawmill.


    Sledge was more like Nira than Theo realized. He¡¯d assumed most in Broken Tusk would bungle a job involving organizing people, but she was doing great. The Marshling had everyone outside of her mill, directing them for their daily tasks. Her team had grown significantly, resulting in a tightly packed crowd, compared to the earlier scatter of folks. It was a sight that warmed the alchemist¡¯s heart. Anything that required less of his touch made him happy.


    ¡°And, you¡¯re off!¡± Sledge shouted. ¡°Make mama proud!¡±


    Theo winced. She was still weird.


    ¡°Everything going well, Sledge?¡± Theo asked, approaching the glowering woman.


    ¡°Fine as ever,¡± Sledge said. ¡°Got these mud-sucking Pozwa broken into a command structure. The business just runs itself!¡±


    ¡°Do you have enough time to work on your [Fabricator¡¯s Core]?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Plenty. Been doing minor upgrades for townsfolk. Trying to get my next skill. You know how it goes,¡± Sledge said.


    The biggest surprise was that she wasn¡¯t mad. It was easy to feel as though these people fell off Theo¡¯s radar, falling into obscurity. With so many things to do in town, that wouldn¡¯t be a lie. But that was the point. These people needed to build their businesses up on their own, running them in whatever way they saw fit. The stars of the town were Ziz, Nira, Sledge, and Gridgen. All required no guidance and produced vast quantities of resources.


    ¡°Once you get a decent skill, let me know,¡± Theo said. ¡°Until then, talk to Throk. He¡¯s going to have air conditioners for you to install.¡±


    ¡°Air what?¡±


    A quick explanation of climate control saw the Marshling¡¯s head nodding. Southlanders didn¡¯t mind the heat, but that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t enjoy something to cool their homes. With a boatload of elves on the way, that just brought the problem into focus. Theo chatted with her for a while about her operation. The man she elected to carry the [Forester¡¯s Core] was getting better by the day. Regeneration rates of the famed Ogre Cypress trees were increasing, and the quality of the wood was better. Sledge claimed it was better, anyway. To Theo, every perfect quality board looked the same.


    ¡°You don¡¯t see the knots?¡± Sledge scoffed. ¡°Look at the difference!¡±


    The alchemist nodded. The two boards she held up looked the same. ¡°I see it now,¡± he lied.


    Departing from Sledge¡¯s, Theo realized he had to face Throk. If he wanted some fancy Drogramathi Iron containment cores, he¡¯d need to take a lashing.


    ¡°Always better to ask for forgiveness,¡± Theo said, approaching the angry Marshling.


    ¡°There¡¯s no forgiveness for you, alchemist,¡± Throk grunted. But he didn¡¯t look up from his work. He was fiddling with some artifice components from the Southblade Guardian, something that was still lingering outside the eastern gate.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d like a fancy new workshop,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ You didn¡¯t ask. I¡¯m not broke.¡±


    ¡°You sure act like you¡¯re broke,¡± Theo said. That statement got a steely glare from the man. ¡°Keep it up, and I¡¯ll hire another blacksmith.¡±


    Throk couldn¡¯t hide the interest on his face. He looked up from the cogwork, knitting his brow. ¡°That might work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to take apprentices,¡± Theo said. ¡°Train them up so they can do what you do.¡±


    Throk grunted. ¡°The only one with potential is that kid.¡± He jabbed his finger at a small, bearded man. He looked like a man to Theo, anyway. Must¡¯ve been a Dwarf.


    ¡°A new arrival?¡± Theo asked. He didn¡¯t remember seeing the person in town.


    ¡°As new as they come,¡± Throk said. He turned, raising his voice to his sheepish apprentices. All but the Dwarf flinched. ¡°I¡¯m about to fire every one of you! Except Thim!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we all love Thim,¡± Theo said, craning his neck to get a better look. The young Dwarf was grinning. ¡°Thim, care to take a walk with me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you poach my only good apprentice, Theo,¡± Throk said, leveling his gaze at the alchemist. ¡°I¡¯ll take your damn legs.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Promise,¡± Theo said, beckoning for the Dwarf to follow.


    Like most Dwarves, Thim was a study thing. A head of brown hair, concealed under a green cloak, with a massive brown beard. Bushy eyebrows, slate-gray eyes, and features as hard as stone. Theo led the Dwarf behind his lab, collecting vegetation for his next experiment. After his talk with the new blacksmith, he¡¯d convince Throk to make him a new containment core.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯ve heard of the Rhomthrong is shit,¡± Thim said, watching as Theo trimmed his garden. ¡°We¡¯re sturdy folk, make no mistake. Honest and hardworking as any. I¡¯ve already been through the ringer with your functionaries. They like me.¡±


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    ¡°When you give someone a chance to talk without asking a question,¡± Theo said, tossing a thick patch of weeds into a pile, ¡°they often tell you what they¡¯re most afraid of being asked.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a regular damn philosopher,¡± Thim said, scoffing. ¡°Care to read my palm while you¡¯re at it?¡±


    Thim would fit in with the Marshlings and Half-Ogres well. A hard edge would take him far here.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just say I don¡¯t know where Rhomthrong is. Or what people live there,¡± Theo said. ¡°I know hard work when I see it. I know potential.¡±


    ¡°Good for you.¡±


    ¡°If Throk says you¡¯re any good, then you¡¯re good,¡± Theo said. ¡°The man wouldn¡¯t even take his own son into the shop. The boy works the river now.¡±


    While it was still new to Theo, the stronger his connection to the Tara¡¯hek realm got, the more he could feel other realms. The Dwarf held a flavor he couldn¡¯t recognize, something cold like the mountains, but as fiery as the forge. He either had a contradictory set of cores, or his main core was just that way. A split between those two concepts¡ªlikely a Dwarven god. Thim was silent.


    Zarali could throw out some magical sense, feeling people around her. Theo knew how to inspect people, but his senses were clumsy. He focused on the Dwarf¡¯s chest and forced his will inside. Thim flinched as though an icy hand had reached out to grasp at his heart.


    ¡°Borhig, right?¡± Theo asked after a time. His senses didn¡¯t tell him the deity the Dwarf was under. ¡°Dwarven God of Blacksmithing. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Obvious guess, but yeah,¡± Thim said.


    ¡°I¡¯m still working on that,¡± Theo said. ¡°This might seem like a confrontation, but I just wanted to make sure you¡¯re up for the job. Throk is over-worked. I can¡¯t rely on having a single blacksmith in town, and you look like the man for the job. You¡¯re not an apprentice, though.¡±


    ¡°Not by a long shot,¡± Thim said, shifting on the spot uncomfortably.


    Theo produced a [Drogramathi Iron Ingot] from his inventory, walking over and handing it to the Dwarf. ¡°Are you familiar with this?¡±


    Thim narrowed his eyes. ¡°Demon metal. Strong as the mines are deep. Never seen an ingot. Never seen a scrap that wasn¡¯t pulled off some Dronon¡¯s corpse.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Theo said, back to his pruning. ¡°I have a theory that the only Demon-aligned metal is produced by Zagmon¡¯s brood.¡±


    Thim flinched at the mention of the Demonic God of War and Death.


    ¡°That would be my experience.¡±


    So the Dwarves had some in-built hatred for Zagmon. Every gentle race that walked the planet should have a hate for that guy, from what Theo had heard so far.


    ¡°I need you to make me something from the ingot,¡± Theo said, finalizing his pile of debris. He explained the containment core and its purpose. Thim nodded the entire time, asking for more details but seemingly satisfied with the job. The alchemist reached out a hand for the Dwarf to shake, which he did. ¡°Theo Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Thimamuri Ironmoore,¡± Thim said, nodding. ¡°Since you¡¯ve riddled my core out¡­¡±


    A blazing furnace emerged from nowhere. It was dark black with a roaring fire resting in the mouth. A moment later, an equally dark anvil sprung from the ground to join it.  Without missing a beat, Thim nestled the ingot into the coals and urged his magic furnace to go to work. Within several minutes and exactly four swift strikes of a hammer, the Dwarf produced a perfect containment core made from the Demonic iron.


    ¡°Sometimes you need to bring the forge and anvil to you,¡± Thim said, flashing a grin.


    Theo inspected the item.


    [Drogramathi Iron Containment Core]


    [Containment Core]


    Quality: Perfect


    A containment core used for the production of constructs and golems. It is made of Drogramathi Iron.


    The alchemist mentally severed his connection with one [Lesser Mud Golem], making room for his new golem, and suspended a level 10 [Monster Core] inside. He removed a bottle of [Infuse Essence] from his inventory and treated the core. Thim watched as he inserted a [Mana Construct] and the core into the pile of vegetation. After adding the smallest amount of mana, the pile of plant matter twisted to life. The Dwarf jumped back in surprise.


    ¡°Collect the fully cultivated plants and deposit them into that crate. Restore your mana with that one,¡± Theo said, inspecting the creature as it lumbered off.


    [Lesser Plant Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 10


    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 10)


    Medium: [Plant Matter]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    This was much like the example Theo made in the Dreamwalk, only with a different core. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the difference wouldn¡¯t be obvious. But even without connecting the golem to the lodestone network, the alchemist felt far less pull on his mind. It made sense, since the containment core acted as the creature¡¯s brain. With better materials, that brain became more capable. ¡®Smarter¡¯ wasn¡¯t the right term to describe it¡ªthey weren¡¯t intelligent. It simply reduced the load on his mind.


    Theo flicked the Dwarf a gold coin, judging that the amount of Drogramathi Iron left was enough for 9 more cores. ¡°9 more of those, please.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Thim said, loosening his shoulders. ¡°Now you¡¯re speaking my language.¡±


    The Dwarf made quick work of the other containment cores, making it look like a joke. He might have been young, by Dwarven standards, but he was incredibly skilled. Theo knew that Throk could have run circles around him, but there was hope for Broken Tusk to have another skilled blacksmith.


    ¡°Take your time with Throk,¡± Theo said, watching as the Dwarf dismissed his forge and anvil. ¡°You don¡¯t need his blessing to work in town, but you don¡¯t want to be without it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit. The asshole is already growing on me. Reminds me of home,¡± Thim said, bidding farewell.


    Another job done. Theo stood in the cluster of greenhouses for a while, only moving to check on the cultivating Zee. It had a few more days of growth left before he could send it back to Banu. That only left one more thing to do for the farm before he¡¯d be satisfied, and several more items to accomplish for the shipyard to be functional.


    ¡°Medieval ships,¡± Theo said, patting the egg at his side. ¡°We¡¯ll need more than wood and cloth to make that work.¡±


    Another problem for another day.


    No one seemed to want to bother Theo today, and he was happier for it. He ordered his golems back to the Newt and Demon and replaced them all with better versions of themselves. The team of golems working the marsh was reduced to 3 [Lesser Mud Golems] and 2 [Lesser Stone Golems]. He experimented with different metals for his metal golems, but found even regular iron to be too difficult. The alchemist defaulted back to copper, something he knew would work. It took a while to adjust the lodestone network in town, but by the end of it he had his team.


    2 [Lesser Plant Golems] would work the greenhouses night and day. 3 [Lesser Mud Golems] accompanied by 2 [Lesser Stone Golems] for the swamp, and 3 [Lesser Copper Golems] to run around the mine and along the walls.


    Upon returning to the Newt and Demon, Theo had a chat with Salire about how her plan was coming along. Azrug had completely abandoned the shop, all his time going toward trade efforts, so he wasn¡¯t interested in buying up the excess gear. The new shopkeeper was happy about that, giving her time to gain confidence in haggling with the growing population of adventurers in town. She¡¯d already made a stack of gold coins, and the alchemist encouraged her to go wild.


    But it was Theo¡¯s ideal day. No one came to disturb him when he worked the stills. He created an array of essences that would work for Salire¡¯s new plan. With enough excess [Manashrooms], he even distilled some [Refined Mana Essence]. Xol¡¯sa might be happy about that. The key was to have enough essences on hand, without making too much wastage. If people came in asking for something he didn¡¯t have, that would be a waste of time.


    All thoughts of time wasted went away when Theo¡¯s core conspired against him. Before midday, his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] went up to level 16. Then, in the early afternoon his [Governance Core] hit 15. Since the [Drogramath Alchemy Core] didn¡¯t want to be left out, it hit 17. This caused a cascading effect that sent Theo¡¯s personal level to 16. He didn¡¯t want to rush his free attribute distribution, so he sat near his opened window and consulted his attribute sheet before deciding.


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 16


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 4


    Stats:


    Health: 100


    Mana: 140


    Stamina: 110


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 16 (+8)


    Vigor: 19 (+8)


    Intelligence: 21 (+7)


    Wisdom: 27 (+7)


    Points: 1


    Another point in [Wisdom] wouldn¡¯t hurt, but it seemed a shame to leave [Vigor] out of the game. Theo had a strange spread of stats. The [Tara¡¯hek Core] gave him more [Strength] and [Vigor] than he should normally have, resulting in a mash of stats. The first idea he had for point distribution was just to pump everything into [Wisdom] and ignore everything else. Now that he had cores supporting his attributes, it made more sense to get them to the thresholds then move on.


    Theo reminded himself of the rules of the system, starting with the threshold of attributes. Stats got a boost in effectiveness every 10 points he put in. Whether that was points applied, or the total for that attribute was beyond him. Every personal level he got a point. Every 5 personal levels he got a skill point. When a core hit a multiple of 10, it got a free skill specific to that core. The growth of attributes attached to cores was entirely random, but seemed to be every 5 levels. All this thought just brought him back to putting [Vigor] over the 20 point threshold, so he put in his point.


    It was hard to judge if he felt healthier after applying the point. But he could feel something, as though he had more energy to spare. Not just in that his stamina had gone up to 115 from 110, but something more base about his body. The alchemist shrugged it off, turning his attention to the organizational mess of his lab. It was time to separate his [Dimensional Storage Crates] out to make more sense. That¡¯s the only way Salire¡¯s plan would work.

 Chapter 3.46 - Time is Short

    Grand dreams sometimes died in the face of practicality. A system of pipes and tanks wasn¡¯t off the table, but a simple organization of the lab¡¯s storage crates would go a long way. The supply of unrefined essences was dwindling, giving way to only refined essences in Theo¡¯s stock. While it wouldn¡¯t be safe to dispose of those low-tier essences, it was easy enough to jam them all in a single [Dimensional Storage Crate] and forget about them for now. The process of organization had taken a few hours. The alchemist ran between the crates, his stills, and his fermentation barrels, targeting the most useful essences and modifiers.


    From the perspective of an adventurer, [Anti-Mage], [Solidify], [Web], and [Aerosolize] were the most useful modifiers. For essences, restoration, and attribute-enhancements were the most valuable. Patrons might ask for other things, though. Stocking and organizing was about reducing the time it would take from receiving an order and completing it. No order would take more than a day, though.


    The [Lesser Plant Golem] sent a signal into the lodestone network, signaling that it was done tending the garden. It went through the list of orders it had, and found one, shambling off into the thin forests within Broken Tusk to find more reagents. Of the 3 [Lesser Copper Golems], Theo selfishly kept one near his lab. When the Elves arrive, he¡¯d have 10. It didn¡¯t hurt to make a good impression, even if that impression was one of awesome power.


    Theo let out a heavy breath. When he felt anxious, he often busied himself with other things. Zarali had gently pushed him to upgrade his herbalism core, and it was time to make that happen. He locked his eyes on the shrine to Drogramath in his lab, letting his gaze linger over the form of his deity. It was too much like a Dronon to deny the reality of gods. They were just people with more power than others. Reading between the lines, the alchemist understood what everything Khahar said meant. The true meaning, not the cryptic junk he left on the surface.


    The gods in the Prime Pantheon were all from Earth.


    The thought of pledging his loyalty to some person back on that doomed planet was disheartening. But time changed a person. Even months could ease old wounds and dull the edges of a personality. 60,000 years would have altered them completely. So Theo left his lab, heading across the street to Zarali¡¯s enchanter¡¯s workshop. She was often back by the late afternoon, having left Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower to tend to whatever work she was entertaining.


    ¡°Theo,¡± Zarali said as he let himself in. ¡°How do you feel about Elves? Are we certain they can be trusted?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll sign the magic contract,¡± Theo said. ¡°Same as everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would enjoy seeing an Elf ripped apart by a magic beast,¡± Zarali said, sighing. ¡°Anyway, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Time to upgrade this core,¡± Theo said sullenly.


    Zarali clapped her hands together, letting out a shriek of excitement. With one deft motion she threw the table in the room¡¯s center aside, then snatched a rug from the ground and tossed it. Beneath were Drogramathi enchanting symbols arranged in a series of circles. In Drogramath¡¯s style, the symbols were written as stories. Short snippets about a Dronon conquering death, or Drogramath himself ascending to the Demonic heavens. What a hilarious contradiction.


    ¡°This is a very simple spell,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Well, it would be simple¡­ But Belgar¡¯s [Drogramath Herbalism Core] was only at rare. We never had time to upgrade it to legendary. So! We need to jump two rarity levels, which is more expensive.¡±


    ¡°Do you need money?¡± Theo asked flatly.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zarali said, waving him away. ¡°Just stand in the center of the circle and let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Hold on. I¡¯m not jumping in some demon circle just because you said so,¡± Theo said, crossing his arms. ¡°How long is this going to put me out for? What do I have to give?¡±


    ¡°When we did the ritual for Belgar, he wasn¡¯t out for more than a few minutes,¡± Zarali said. ¡°What we have to give, as you say, is quite a lot of materials. Oh, my! Look at all this Drogramath-aligned metal we suddenly have. Convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Too convenient,¡± Theo grumbled, moving into the circle.


    He could leave his herbalism core at its current rarity, but his abilities would suffer. Since the constructs ability was tied to both alchemy and herbalism, he wasn¡¯t getting the most out of it. This was a necessary move, even if he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Take me all the way to mythic, if you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Theo said.


    Zarali cackled, slapping her knee. ¡°Oh, good joke. Now, stand still. Let me know if you experience any pain.¡±


    The pain was immediate and mind-numbing. In a flash, it was as though Theo¡¯s chest was filled with angry, flaming bees. But as quickly as it started, it ended. The room faded to black and the pain was gone. The alchemist found himself in a new room, not unlike that which he went to when talking to the Qavelli representative. A single, shadowy figure stood at the opposite end of the room. The swoop of the man¡¯s horns and swishing, thin tail gave him away as a Dronon.


    ¡°I admit to some deception,¡± the figure said with a shrug. He had a calming voice. Not what Theo was expecting. Not from a Demonic Lord. ¡°But the faithful are often easy to deceive.¡±


    ¡°Drogramath,¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t know whether to bow his head or spit in the Demon¡¯s face. ¡°So, am I getting my new core? Or am I screwed?¡±


    ¡°The new core, I should think,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°Time is short. The realm of your Tara¡¯hek is growing too strong. An unintended twist that bore more fruit than I could have imagined. Glanthier, Parantheir, Zaul, Ulvoqor, Uz¡¯Xulven, Tworgnoth, Toru¡¯aun, and Khahar. Those are the realms you can trust for your next core. Select myself, Uz¡¯Xulven, and Khahar as your town¡¯s patrons, in that order, when you upgrade Broken Tusk next. Again. Time is short.¡±


    Theo¡¯s mind swirled. His superior memory would ensure he remembered every single word, but it struggled to understand the meaning. Drogramath was nothing like he expected, and in an instant the meeting was over. The alchemist didn¡¯t have time to ask another question. The Demonic God flicked his hand and the room faded into nothingness.


    He gasped for air, waking in a cold sweat in his bed.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Tresk shouted, slapping him across the face. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for ten years!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Tresk. You stupid idiot,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°It was funny!¡±


    Aarok grunted his disapproval.


    ¡°Someone bring me up to speed,¡± Theo said, his mind still reeling from the encounter with Drogramath.


    ¡°Theo, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo had time to take stock of his surroundings. Tresk, Aarok, Luras, and Zarali were all crowded around his bed. Morning sunlight flooded through his window, casting them all in a halo of yellow light.


    ¡°Zarali messed up your ritual,¡± Luras said, his eyes burning with the power of his Ogre Patron.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mess it up,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I did exactly as He said.¡±


    Theo ignored their bickering and inspected his cores, finding that Drogramath kept up his end of the bargain.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core]


    Legendary


    Herbalist Core


    Bound


    3 Slots


    Level 16 (25%)


    [Herbalist Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.


    Effects:


    +5 Vigor


    [Rare Material Handling]


    While his friends argued about who messed what up, the alchemist inspected the new skill attached to his herbalism core.


    [Rare Material Handling]


    Herbalism Skill


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Rare


    Allows the user to handle rare reagents without destroying them.


    Effect:


    Some reagents are too gentle to be handled by normal people. This skill allows you to handle those reagents without destroying them by touch.


    It was a skill to match his [Unstable Material Handling] skill, although he found no reagents he couldn¡¯t handle. That meant there were plants in the world he hadn¡¯t discovered yet.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Theo said, snapping out of his thoughts. The room went silent. ¡°It was a ploy by Drogramath, but he delivered. My core is upgraded, and that¡¯s the end. No more shouting, I have a headache.¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to do it,¡± Zarali said.


    Tresk must have been reading Theo¡¯s mind, or his emotions. She shot him a wide-eyed look, but kept her mouth shut. The Marshling knew that if he had a good reason to hide information, she wouldn¡¯t force the issue. The group talked, but Theo fell into his thoughts. His first real encounter with Drogramath had ended in a way he couldn¡¯t have expected. Where he expected a fearsome creature he found a man.


    Just a man, Theo thought.


    The group let out a gasp of surprise as Tresk disappeared. Only a few heartbeats later, her voice filled his mind.


    Teleport to me.


    Theo obeyed. The Dreamwalk flashed by, then he was standing on a hill. A chilly breeze blew from the north. Broken Tusk sprawled out in the distance to the south. Tresk knew exactly what he needed at that moment. Perspective.


    Spill the beans, Tresk said.


    Theo relayed the events through their communication skill. He spared no detail, making sure his companion knew he didn¡¯t feel in danger. The cold snapped away in an instant. Warmth like nothing he had ever felt washed over him. It was dry and inviting, as though part of an ancient family home.


    ¡°What are you going to do when you die, Khahar?¡± Theo asked. His heart thumping in his chest like a drum. He stole a look at the Khahari leader, who smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m going directly to hell,¡± Khahar said, grinning wider. ¡°Although, that strip club in the sky is sounding more appealing by the day.¡±


    ¡°Were there any strip clubs left? By the end, I mean,¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. No there weren¡¯t,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a strip club?¡± Tresk asked, keeping her voice to a whisper.


    ¡°A place where nude women¡ª¡± Khahar started.


    ¡°So, you and Drogramath,¡± Theo interrupted. ¡°I mean¡­ Damn, is it even safe to talk aloud?¡±


    ¡°Around me it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re working together?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Where did you send Sulvan?¡±


    ¡°Antalis,¡± Khahar said.


    Theo¡¯s brows knit tightly. It was now too much information to take in. Was it Drogramath, Khahar, or someone else that had a plan? And where did that plan go? A catastrophic event was coming¡ªan event they thought Theo could survive¡ªbut there had to be a plan. While the alchemist now knew Khahar¡¯s true identity, it didn¡¯t seem to matter. With a deep breath, he stroked the egg at his side. It was always at his side, now. None of it mattered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could live on the moon,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the town below. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, though. Does it? Look at the harbor. People running around like little ants¡­ We don¡¯t even have any boats, but I can feel their excitement from here. Look! A refugee train. We¡¯ve been getting those often. Is it really coming together? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Tresk said, finding a rock to sit on.


    ¡°Rivers and Gronro have also seen an influx of citizens,¡± Khahar said. ¡°The situation in Qavell is¡­ Horrible.¡±


    ¡°You could fix it all, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done that before,¡± Khahar said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t end well.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good. Thought it would be worse when I finally saw that guy, but I¡¯m good. Still can¡¯t shake the feeling that I¡¯m a pawn, though.¡±


    ¡°You were a pawn,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Someone orchestrated this entire scenario, but they didn¡¯t count on one factor. I can see a million futures. I discount the ones with the least likely probability. Whoever did this never expected a new Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    So Theo¡¯s survival hinged on a fluke with Tresk. Something that shouldn¡¯t have happened, but it did. There were still more questions than answers, but it hardly mattered. The way forward was clear, and he¡¯d done everything he could to prepare. 66 days seemed so short, looking back on it.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Theo said. ¡°We got work to do. You can go home, Khahar.¡±


    Khahar shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d like to see the Elves one last time before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Theo said. ¡°Mind giving us a ride back to town? Would that be cheating?¡±


    Theo was standing with Khahar and Tresk in front of the lab. There was no spatial distortion when they moved. They were simply standing in one place, then another. No one even noticed them arrive. People just walked around them as they appeared. Like so many things before, the alchemist washed his hands of the situation. It wouldn¡¯t do to dwell on something he couldn¡¯t change. The right move was to work, making Broken Tusk better than it was before. More weapons, more people, more food¡­ A higher chance at survival.


    ¡°Right. Time to call a meeting,¡± Theo said. ¡°Thanks for the ride, Khahar.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    [Theo]: Administration staff, please report to the town hall meeting room. This is not an emergency.


    ¡°Always good to tell them it¡¯s not an emergency. That always works,¡± Tresk said.


    Alise assembled her staff at a moment¡¯s notice, cramming everyone in the small meeting room. Aarok, Luras, Zarali, and Azrug were also there. Fenian had departed while Theo was unconscious. The staff was concerned, but Theo waved all concerns for himself away. Zarali¡¯s process worked, and the alchemist had more information on which realms to trust for the future. That was a big win, and he expressed that sentiment to everyone.


    ¡°Just glad you¡¯re not dead,¡± Zarali said. She looked like she was going to be sick.


    ¡°Well, it ended well,¡± Theo said. ¡°I know Drogramath is an ally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed you ever thought otherwise,¡± Zarali said, drawing herself up. In classic fashion, she recovered in moments.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Theo said, waving her away. ¡°I¡¯d just like a report from the administration staff on how we¡¯re doing. Food, resources, trade deals. All that stuff.¡±


    Alise cleared her throat. ¡°Despite our original estimate of 200 citizens before the first day of the Season of Fire, we¡¯re now expecting 300. At minimum. Without counting the Elves.¡±


    ¡°That would have impacted our food quotas, but Azrug has taken care of that. If you would, Lord Merchant?¡± Gwyn said.


    ¡°I shoved a hot poker up the collective asses of Rivers and Daub,¡± Azrug said with a shrug. ¡°Altered our original deal, so now we have wagon trains of dried food coming in. I got the food at a steal, so we¡¯re attaching it to the free food initiative we started. Funny thing about Broken Tuskers, though.¡±


    ¡°No one is taking it,¡± Alise finished. ¡°There are jobs enough for everyone, so everyone is working. Making a decent wage and buying their food. So there¡¯s two options they can take. Cheap dried food provided by the town, or expensive meals prepared by the tavern.¡±


    But it was as important to be self-reliant. Throk had made that comment before, and Theo couldn¡¯t agree more. The alchemist hated when systems were built without the idea of failure in mind. But it was a good start.


    ¡°Do we have any trade deals with anything north of Gronro?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Several,¡± Azrug said. ¡°If you want my opinion, we need that harbor to function. We¡¯re sitting on piles of resources with no way to trade them.¡±


    ¡°Once we do get boats, I can enchant them to move faster than anything else on the ocean,¡± Zarali said.


    The conversation devolved from there. Theo got what he wanted to hear. These check-in meetings were too important, and he wanted to do them more often. Another scandal like the farm situation would be horrible. The alchemist sat and listened to their strategies, agreeing where it was appropriate and declining otherwise. It was the perfect salve to an unsavory event, leaving him feeling excited and confident. When they finally broke off, sometime around midday, he went to inspect his town.


    [Large Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Kingdom of Qavell


    Mayor: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Qavell]


    Level: 19 (22.12%)


    Core Buildings:


    Alchemy Lab


    Greenhouses (x6)


    Blacksmith


    Artificer¡¯s Workshop


    Large Farm


    Windmill


    Quarry


    Stonecutter


    House (x231)


    Tannery


    Leatherworker


    Tavern


    Adventurer¡¯s Guild


    Hotsprings


    Sawmill


    Mine


    Smelter


    Enchanter


    Ranch


    Townhall


    Butcher


    Defensive Emplacements:


    Chain Lightning (x12)


    Frost Cone (x7)


    Fireball (x10)


    Firebolt (x25)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Turret Emplacements]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 32,501


    Stone Blocks: 15,000


    Metal: 20,000


    Motes: 5,000


    While the town¡¯s level hadn¡¯t made progress, that was part of their plan. They needed more citizens to make that work, and it was only a matter of time before they had another flood of people. Theo consulted his mayoral interface to inspect the map. Alise pointed out a few areas they could expand easily, creating more land for homes. Purchasing land to the west, into the swamp, wasn¡¯t ideal. But there was plenty of land to the northeast. After that, they could expand from the harbor to the east, taking over the vast prairies. Xol¡¯sa needed to get his [Dungeon Engineer] core so they could do something about the [River Dungeon], which now sat north of the harbor.


    Another notable thing to come out of the meeting was that Aarok had purchased more weapons for their walls. Theo still wanted to get Sledge to work with Throk to create an automated mote-feeding system for the artifices, so that might be their next project. The old Marshling would moan about how he didn¡¯t want to do it, only to eventually cave. There was also the need to get rid of their resources. They were packed to the gills with all the important ones, more than they could ever spend repairing their walls and buildings. Some of those resources were now being traded for dried food, but that was fine. Production was at an all-time high.


    Theo looked forward to the meeting with Rivers and Daub, and Gronro-Dir. Whatever alliance they formed would form the basis of the southland¡¯s power, and their ability to fight whatever was coming. Azrug had expressed his plan to create an overland shipping operation, and he had a [General Store Seed Core] in hand. The young Merchant Lord was reluctant to reveal this information, but Theo had expected it.


    ¡°The truth is,¡± Theo said, patting his egg. ¡°Seeing that guy took a weight off my shoulders.¡±


    The egg chirped in response.

 Chapter 3.47 - Pills Here

    Theo stared at the egg in his satchel. There were no cracks visible on its surface, just the same familiar sheen. He pressed his fingers against its surface and waited, but there was no movement. The egg had become such a fixture. The alchemist didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do when it hatched. He didn¡¯t even know what was in it, despite Khahar¡¯s statement that it was simply a mundane creature from Earth. He shrugged it all off and returned to the Newt and Demon. While he could feel Tresk¡¯s tiredness from staying up all night with him, she¡¯d be fine. [Stamina Potions] didn¡¯t seem to have long-term negative effects.


    ¡°We have our first order!¡± Salire said, bouncing excitedly when Theo entered the shop. ¡°Orders, actually. There¡¯s a few.¡±


    Theo nodded, taking a sheet of paper from the woman. It was more than just a few items, though. She followed him upstairs, watching as he made his daily sacrifice to the Drogramathi Shrine.


    ¡°100 [Healing Pills], 200 [Mana Pills], 25 [Carapace Potions] with [Anti-Mage], 1,000 bombs¡ªWe¡¯re not doing those¡ªa lot of attribute potions, and a hell of a lot of restoration potions,¡± Theo said, scratching his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never made a [Mana Pill].¡±


    ¡°Exciting, right?¡± Salire asked. ¡°Did I do good, boss?¡±


    ¡°No, you did great. I like this format,¡± Theo said, setting the paper down and assessing his stores. He had enough essences on hand to make everything except the [Carapace Potions]. The alchemist sent a mental message to his [Lesser Plant Golem]. The creation had already tended the garden for the day, depositing everything in the barrel. It also reported back that he was running low on [Mana Constructs].


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Salire said, grinning.


    Theo¡¯s new shopkeeper was leveling her unaligned merchant core quickly, giving her access to a general price of the items she was selling. She raised their prices, even for natives of the area, but maintained a deep discount for members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They were already paying a premium for the right to delve into the dungeons and would need the potions. People with healing cores seemed to be few. The alchemist got to work on his potions, inviting his shopkeeper to chat as he did.


    ¡°I wonder if I should take a healing core,¡± Theo said.


    [Healing Pills] were some of the easiest items to make as far as potions went. He generated a flask for the purpose. The [Glassware Artifice] was a square flask that would have little purpose in other reactions. But since it was a square, he could cut the resulting solid mass into little cubes. The alchemist introduced the [Solidify] modifier, double-checking that the vent was open. It reacted immediately, turning the pale pink liquid opaque. With a few quick shakes of the flask, a blob of solid healing thumped onto the table.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Salire said. ¡°You¡¯d need to find a god willing to take you.¡±


    Theo grunted. Maybe that wasn¡¯t the answer. He rattled off the list of acceptable gods given by Drogramath. Glanthier, Parantheir, Zaul, Ulvoqor, Uz¡¯Xulven, Tworgnoth, Toru¡¯aun, and Khahar. ¡°Which of those would you pick to help the town?¡±


    Theo cut the pills into sections, using his [Drogramath Alchemy Knife] to create perfectly sized rectangular cubes. He planned to perform the action several times, creating a surplus stock for the store to sell. [Refined Healing Essence] was not in short supply.


    ¡°Well, Glantheir is the healing one. Right? I doubt you¡¯d enjoy aligning with the duelist Parantheir, or Zaul. So, Uz¡¯Xulven, Tworgnoth, Toru, and¡­ Wait, Khahar isn¡¯t a god,¡± Salire said, chuckling. ¡°Unless he¡¯s part of some weird pantheon.¡±


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven,¡± Theo said, pausing his work. He shrugged and continued. What good would the Bridge of Shadows be to him?


    Theo started his still to run some [Fade Carapaces]. It wasn¡¯t an essence he kept on hand, but seemed popular enough with adventures to run a batch of 500 units. He talked with Salire while he worked, exhausting her knowledge of aligned cores before summoning Zarali to his lab. The alchemist found that picking the brains of people not in the know was a great approach. Normal people like Salire had an untainted view of the world, and they usually provided vital information.


    When Zarali arrived, she had dropped all of her previous reservations about knocking Theo out. The process worked, after all.


    ¡°So glad to see you up and moving again,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see a Dronon¡­ Let alone two,¡± Salire said, chuckling.


    ¡°You should visit Slagrot, sometime,¡± Zarali said, patting the woman on the shoulder. ¡°Your ancestors mingle openly with every manner of Demon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. Ogre food never worked for me.¡±


    Theo went back to work, finishing the [Healing Pill] order and moving on to the [Mana Pills]. While he¡¯d never crafted them, it was the same recipe as the last. His [Solidify] modifier stock grew thin, but he simply started another still and set the timer. The lab was growing hot with 3 bodies mingling and 2 stills running. The company was too good to dismiss either Salire or Zarali, and the pair seemed to get along.


    ¡°A [Priest of Uz¡¯Xulven] core would be lovely,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Meh. I¡¯m not too interested in teleportation. Besides, Fenian had his carriage blessed to use the bridge,¡± Theo said. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Zarali said, watching as Theo poured his [Refined Mana Essence] into the square flask. He mixed in the [Solidify] modifier and they watched as it hardened. ¡°Oh, how I¡¯d love to see a Toru¡¯aun Dronon. From what I understand, she doesn¡¯t hand out priest cores.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Theo checked his still running the [Fade Carapace]. That reagent wasn¡¯t as picky as others, happily running at full heat for the entire distillation cycle. He swished the flask of distilled essence, finding it to his high expectations. ¡°What does she stand for?¡±


    ¡°Mystery,¡± Zarali said, doing something suspiciously like jazz-hands. ¡°They say not even the other Demonic Gods know what she stands for.¡±


    That was a lot to think about. Not only that, but if Theo wanted a core from any of these gods, he¡¯d need to contact them or their representatives. After asking Zarali, even she admitted she couldn¡¯t generate a new Drogramath core. The resulting thought the alchemist had was obvious. There was another Drogramathi Priest out there that could do it. They weren¡¯t alone in the wide world, just confined to their little continent.


    As expected, the [Mana PIlls] were simple to craft. Theo cut them into cubes, setting them aside as he did so. After finishing his first square flask, he inspected a sample.


    [Mana Pill]


    [Alchemy Pill]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A mana pill. Swallow to restore mana.


    Effect:


    Swallow this pill whole to restore 75 mana.


    Theo didn¡¯t have a sample to compare to, not having crafted any [Mana Potions] recently, but this was great. This single pill would restore half his total mana, although he rarely used it. That was a shame, leading him to think more about things that would take advantage of his unused pool. Whatever class he took for his level 20 slot needed to take advantage of that. Something inside him urged him to take another Demonic core, avoiding the Prime Pantheon. Drogramath listed allies in that group of gods, but he couldn¡¯t guess at what would happen when the war kicked off.


    ¡°What cores would you produce, Khahar?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Combat cores related to hit-and-run tactics, and magic related to the magic of the desert,¡± Khahar said, appearing from nowhere.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°How about Toru¡¯aun?¡± Theo asked, not looking up from his work.


    ¡°Ward magic, often related to reactive effects,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± Zarali said, a look of horror spreading across her face.


    Theo ignored her protests. ¡°Could you put me in contact with her, or her representatives before you go?¡±


    ¡°Easily,¡± Khahar said, smiling. ¡°Your egg is hatching.¡±


    The egg chirped.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been making noise,¡± Theo said, finishing the [Mana Pills]. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll cheat now that Drogramath spilled the information. My intuition says Toru¡¯aun is my best bet, so I have synergy with my useless mana pool.¡±


    ¡°Khahar, you¡¯ve broken down a timeless mystery in moments,¡± Zarali said, huffing. ¡°What right do you have to peer into the Demonic Pantheon?¡±


    ¡°I was there when it was formed,¡± Khahar said. ¡°I watched her ascend.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Toru¡¯aun has more synergies than just your mana pool,¡± Khahar said. ¡°If she¡¯ll grant you a demon mage core, you¡¯ll have access to spells which can enhance your town.¡±


    ¡°Sold,¡± Theo said. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure,¡± Khahar said, vanishing.


    Salire chuckled nervously. ¡°Just casually summoning a near-god to your lab. No big deal.¡±


    ¡°We were friends,¡± Theo said. He shut his first still off, satisfied with the essence it produced. The alchemist cleaned it out with a few drips of [Cleansing Scrub] and rubbed the egg in his satchel. He set aside the excess essence he didn¡¯t need and got to work on the [Anti-Mage] [Carapace Potions]. ¡°When my world was dying, what little government there was left fought over everything. Yuri Volkov was a bastard, fighting for the Moscow Alliance. I spied on his people a few times. He caught me. We got drunk and settled it over poker. Cards, since you don¡¯t know what poker is. Yuri was shit at Texas Hold¡¯Em.¡±


    Zarali gawked. ¡°You settled a dispute¡ªwhile spying on another kingdom¡ªby getting drunk? Playing cards?¡±


    ¡°It was a different time,¡± Theo said, lining up some flat-bottomed vials for his reaction. ¡°We were supposed to kill enemy spies, but we rarely did. Only the real assholes did that. There was a silent agreement to settle our differences in other ways. Hey, then he became a great friend when the world went shitter.¡±


    ¡°Wait. You¡¯re an outworlder?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo often forgot he was trying to keep that a secret. Now that he thought about it, after communicating with Lord Drogramath, he didn¡¯t know why. Secrets got him in trouble in the past, both on Earth and in Broken Tusk. But it didn¡¯t matter. This batch of [Refined Carapace Essence] was perfect quality, and would produce some absolutely amazing potions. Whatever adventurer had ordered these was in for a treat.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said.


    That seemed to be enough for the shopkeeper. Zarali pressed Theo to ask Khahar for more information about the mysterious Demoness. The alchemist didn¡¯t really care. If Khahar said it was a good pick, then it was the best pick. He¡¯d find whatever information he could after they put him in contact with her representative.


    Since the [Lesser Plant Golem] had been tending the greenhouses, Theo¡¯s time was freed up considerably. His cultivated attribute reagents might have been ready for distillation, but the alchemist only had a few hundred of each essence on hand. It wasn¡¯t enough to fill the order, but it was a start. Both Salire and Zarali let out a yelp when the golem came to deliver some attribute reagents at Theo¡¯s request.


    ¡°Thanks, little guy,¡± Theo said, patting the twisting mass of vines and plants on the head. It made no sound, but the egg chirped.


    Theo worked his stills as he chatted with his friends. Xol¡¯sa showed up at some point, no doubt summoned by Zarali, to give his advice on Toru¡¯aun. While the wizard didn¡¯t know the secrets of the god¡¯s mysteries, he could extrapolate information.


    ¡°I would absolutely take that core, Theo,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    The lab was even more crowded now, making it difficult to move around and work the stills. Theo thought about dismissing everyone, but he was having too much fun crafting theories with them. There was nothing better than looking forward to getting a new core, trying to find how it synergized with his other cores.


    ¡°As you know, my planar wards are already effective,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°But compared to someone with a specialized core, I¡¯m an amateur. Even at level 1 you¡¯d be a boon to my operation. We could easily wrangle the dungeons for my plan.¡±


    ¡°The theme park?¡± Theo asked, laughing.


    ¡°Yes, that,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    Everyone had an opinion on the best level 20 core to take, but Theo wouldn¡¯t decide right away. Khahar¡¯s option would likely be the best, but it was important to keep an open mind. If something cropped up that would help the town more, the alchemist would take that. Any mana-using class that aided his cause was worth consideration. This also brought up a thought about the difficulty of leveling past 30, as so many others had said before.


    By level 30, Theo would have 5 cores. Each core would need to level in order to advance his personal level. Then at level 50, He¡¯d have 7 cores and so on. That all assumed that he didn¡¯t use other means to generate a core slot, which Uharis had said was possible. His cores twitched at the thought, as though there were some solution to the problem. But it was another problem for another day. Filling the orders for people in town wasn¡¯t just about making money anymore. It was about providing his people with the means to get stronger by running dungeons and killing monsters. If they really wanted to turn this place into a theme park, they needed refreshments. Potions sold at a premium to visiting adventurers. Another machine that printed money.


    Zarali was always happy to sit around and watch Theo make potions. Perhaps it was her way of apologizing for putting him through anguish, but he didn¡¯t mind whatever the reason. Salire had to scamper off to attend to the shop when the alchemist was almost done with the attribute potions. Making new [Dexteirty Potions] gave him a chance to compare the effects of using [Iron Shavings] and [Drogramathi Iron Shavings]. He examined the pure iron version first with a [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier for reference.


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity.


    Drink to increase speed scaling.


    Effect:


    +13 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.


    For 1 hour, your physical speed scales 1.25 times better than normal.


    Without wasting essence, and without a base sample to compare to, he created another [Dexterity Potion] using the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier and his new shavings.


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity.


    Drink to increase speed scaling.


    Effect:


    +14 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.


    For 1.25 hour, your physical speed scales 1.30 times better than normal.


    Shavings were described in books as catalysts. Theo had observed that they were better described as binding elements. Not binding agents, but elemental things that brought a potion together. Whether it was a bond between the water and the essence, or a potion and a modifier, the catalyst served as a way to bring those things together. Something twinged in his mind as he considered the idea, but he had to push it away for now. The base effect of the potion had barely changed, but the effects added from the modifier were enhanced slightly. The reasoning behind this was that the potency of the catalyst also increased the potency of alignment effects, which were bound through the catalyst.


    Once again, Theo found himself the foremost expert on the topic in his realm. But it wasn¡¯t easy to forget that there were other followers of Drogramath out there. Someone in some far corner of the world could have all these secrets tucked away, either in their mind or a tome. Anything to show up the alchemists in Qavell was worth it, though. And it wasn¡¯t as though Drogramathi Iron was in low supply. All these thoughts led to more experimentation while potions were brewed and the stills were run.


    ¡°Interesting effect about the demon iron,¡± Theo said, producing another [Drogramathi Iron Ingot] from his inventory. ¡°I realized a reactivity test is in order.¡±


    Without waiting for Zarali¡¯s approval, Theo let a drop of essence fall on the iron. The normal reaction would have been a horrible hissing and popping, often resulting in a small explosion. He¡¯d been treating the Drogramathi Iron as though it were a normal metal, but a grin spread across his face when he realized. Drogramathi Iron was naturally alchemically inert. That only made sense. It was a metal aligned with the master of potions himself, so it tracked. While this was a nice bonus, it added little to the alchemist¡¯s needs. He could already treat metals with a solution.


    ¡°No big gain there,¡± Theo said, shrugging. But Zarali went on about how amazing it was.


    ¡°This is the power of our Lord Drogramath,¡± she said proudly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    She turned to Xol¡¯sa, who stammered for a moment. ¡°Absolutely amazing.¡±


    The [Lesser Copper Golems] sent a signal through the lodestone network that they were engaging something in combat. But as soon as it came through, they sent the all-clear. Those were the golems working the mines, meaning something had spawned in the dying hours of the day. Gridgen and his people must have finished work for the day, forcing the monsters to spawn.


    ¡°Can we upgrade the lodestones?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I want more golems.¡±


    ¡°You can upgrade your willpower,¡± Zarali scoffed. ¡°Look inward before you rely on tools, dear brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been neglecting your mana control, too,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°That¡¯ll become important if you take a mage-type core.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing,¡± Theo said, half-lying. He practiced in the Dreamwalk, where he felt most safe.


    Zarali nodded. ¡°We can upgrade them, but I¡¯d rather see you grow your will first. Then worry about getting more fancy toys.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work on both,¡± Theo said, finishing his work for the day. He delivered the items to Salire, his stomach grumbling. He missed dinner last night and breakfast that morning. And his bath. That was Zarali¡¯s worst crime against him. No one should be deprived of Xam¡¯s amazing cooking, or her amazing bathhouse.


    The alchemist left his lab, intent on eating until he puked.

 Chapter 3.48 - Strong Walls Will See You Through

    Theo finished his second helping of Xam¡¯s Zee and wolf meat pasta bake. He washed the meal down with some imported mead and let out a satisfied sigh. With the world conspiring to some unknown end, it was nice to get back to enjoying the little things. The Marsh Wolf Tavern was more crowded than ever, and the staff had set tables outside to accommodate each patron. The only stain on the pleasant meal was the pestering of citizens, asking for ¡°cold juice¡± to power their new air conditioners.


    Word spread at the speed of a small town, the way it always did, and folks were buying up Throk¡¯s new offering. The blacksmith would make a fortune, and Theo would line his pockets by selling the [Freeze Solution]. Without his mushroom caves, this would be an impossible task compared to the demand. But as the evening wound down the alchemist directed all requests to Salire. He went to the bathhouse with Tresk for a nice soak.


    They had the private room to themselves tonight, not willing to share on such a strange day. The companions sat in silence, without a need to verbalize their feelings. There was a new mingle of emotions joining their realm. The egg, which now bore cracks on the shell, sat near the warm water and wiggled. It was hard not to throw theories around about what would be inside. Tresk was still set on a Dragon, but dragons were hardly mundane.


    ¡°It might be a chicken,¡± Theo said. ¡°One must always beware of chickens.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a chicken?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Oh, annoying little flightless birds. Got it.¡±


    ¡°How deep can you dig into my brain?¡± Theo asked. He couldn¡¯t seem to skim the Marshling¡¯s thoughts, let alone form full ideas.


    ¡°I just close my eyes,¡± Tresk said, closing her eyes and pressing her fingers into her temples, ¡°and poof. I see the chicken.¡±


    Theo closed his eyes and focused, trying to imagine something from Tresk¡¯s childhood. In an instant, a younger version of Throk popped into his mind. Broken Tusk was far smaller back then. Far dirtier, too.


    ¡°I guess it worked,¡± Theo said, keeping his eyes shut.


    That led to the idea that they would soon just share a brain. Theo couldn¡¯t decide if that was a good thing or not. Their mingling of emotions was intimate enough, but now they¡¯d share thoughts without trying.


    ¡°I talked to Fenian about my next core,¡± Tresk said, floating in the water on her back.


    Testing his new ability to read her mind, Theo dug through her mind for the memory. There it was, sticking out like a beacon. Tresk burst from the shadows, cornering the trader and grilling him on the best core for her to take at level 20. He treated her as though she was an overly excited toddler, giving her all the information she wanted, but coloring his opinions. The Elf had something to gain by suggesting a [Parantheir Duelist¡¯s Core]. The memory came with more information than the alchemist wanted to sift through, but it seemed to hold a lot of synergy with her current build.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be better at one-on-one combat,¡± Theo said, repeating what he¡¯d seen in the memory.


    ¡°With a fancy sword.¡±


    ¡°Do you even like swords?¡±


    ¡°Fenian said they¡¯d give me a real little one.¡±


    Theo nodded. What was a dagger if not a really little sword?


    Soaking in the bath was more than just getting clean. Everyone could easily clean themselves with [Cleansing Scrub], but the soak was more. For Theo and Tresk, it was their daily rest. While the Dreamwalk left them feeling physically rested, it was still important to reset mentally. The egg seemed to agree, wiggling near the bath with increasingly powerful motions. With no plans to help the creature emerge, they just bathed in silence.


    The staff at the bathhouse kicked them out after a time, clearing each patron out for the night. Broken Tusk¡¯s streets were flooded with those enjoying the bath, who promptly dispersed. Theo cast his eyes to the moonless sky, wondering if Sulvan was staring down at the planet from some unseen moon. Khahar¡¯s power was a parody of what should be possible, and represented a middle-finger to the gods. What the Burning Eye said might have been more pointed than the alchemist realized. No one should remain in the mortal realm with so much power.


    ¡°Never gave the moon much thought,¡± Theo said, walking the cobbled streets with Tresk.


    ¡°The dark one, or the light one?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Either.¡±


    ¡°Qavelli and Bantari adopted their names from the Elven language Taranthian. Antalis is the black moon,¡± Tresk said, pointing in a vague location in the sky. ¡°Can¡¯t see it, ¡®cause it¡¯s dark. Duh. Telbaris is the shifting moon. Different colors whenever it shows up.¡±


    ¡°How often does it appear?¡±


    Tresk shrugged.


    The history of this world was still mostly a mystery to Theo. He absorbed the information Khahar gave to Zarali, but hardly understood it. Iaredin was in a period of stagnation, something brought on by Balkor¡¯s Betrayal. After the Elven God of Healing repaired the land, Qavell sprung up to war with Veosta without missing a beat. The alchemist¡¯s intuition said King Karasan spread himself too thin over too fast a time. Broken Tusk was proof enough of that. It was all radio silence from those representatives in the kingdom.


    ¡°I¡¯d have to guess that a kingdom requires large amounts of resources,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Wow, I wonder where we¡¯d find those,¡± Tresk said, chuckling. They entered the Newt and Demon together, heading upstairs and falling into the Dreamwalk without hesitation.


    Theo stood overlooking Broken Tusk on that hill to the north. The shift from the real world to the Dreamwalk was becoming effortless. By the day, it felt more like passing through rooms than entering an unfamiliar state of being. Their conversation didn¡¯t falter during the shift.


    ¡°Do you think we have enough resources to support a kingdom¡¯s core?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that quick? Going from level 1 to a nation in a season?¡±


    ¡°Use your brain, smarty pants. Just like Broken Tusk was a small town, when we finally snatch independence from the north it¡¯ll be a small nation. Hey, look at the egg¡¯s spirit.¡±


    The floating wisp of white had grown since they entered the Dreamwalk. It took on a new form, almost distinguishable as a real thing. But the edges were still blurry, too mercurial to make out. She would hatch by the morning, bringing a new member to their little group and just as much mystery.


    ¡°Can¡¯t imagine a core for a kingdom is cheap. We¡¯d still need to raise the money to buy independence,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and something bad happens to Qavell.¡±


    ¡°Is that lucky?¡± Theo asked. He was reminded too much of his old work. With a thought, he shifted the scene to the crater of Berlin. A once-proud nation-state annihilated because of that sentiment. ¡°Could you pull the trigger?¡±


    Theo shifted the scene again. It was a moment frozen in place. Plumes of earth shot up, fire mingling with dirt as the orbital bombardment cleansed the land of life. In his hand, the alchemist held the detonator. The trigger that disabled the defenses of a nation, opening the sky to certain death. Rendering it to dust. He remembered what he felt during the operation. Nothing.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Tresk said. For all her ruthless nature, that was something few were willing to do. Theo¡¯s actions were indirect, but the result was the same. ¡°But Fenian sure would. That man has it out for someone in the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to disagree with you on this, Tresk. I really would. But if someone dissolved Qavell, we¡¯d have an easier life.¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Think of it like this. People are fleeing the city already. They¡¯re not stupid. The majority of the population will migrate east or south. Those who can¡¯t wield power for the betterment of their people don¡¯t deserve it. King Karasan included.¡±


    But it created more problems than most realized. Population displacement wasn¡¯t a simple thing. The other towns and cities of the continent wouldn¡¯t be ready for an influx of people, not like Broken Tusk. The more people saw the swamp town as a refuge, the more they¡¯d come. And Theo would be there for them with open arms. Anyone who signed a magical contract was allowed in, and if they didn¡¯t sign it he would happily offer them their boats to another land. The Khahari to the east, the lizard-folk to the south, the Ogres to the west, or the Elves in the same direction. One way tickets: one gold a head. Whatever worked.


    Theo blinked the image of Berlin away, shifting the scene back to Broken Tusk. Back on that hill. He drew across the landscape with his finger, painting the gray hills and green fields with red. From here, it was easy to see that east was the best expansion direction. Up to the river, where the [River Dungeon] might threaten citizens, it was clear grassland. Miana¡¯s ranch could expand northward, butting against an endless sprawl of houses. The alchemist jabbed his finger along the path he drew, dotting it with places where taverns and general shops could be placed. Once they conquered the [River Dungeon] with Xol¡¯sa¡¯s new core, they could push further east.


    ¡°Always keeping the sacred swamp safe,¡± Theo said, verbalizing his expansion plan. ¡°We¡¯ll take the east, the north, and the south. But west? That¡¯s our playground. Our theme park.¡±


    Tresk nodded, drawing lines of her own. She turned, gesturing to the sprawling hills behind. ¡°I got a plan.¡±


    The Marshling continued drawing her lines. Straight lines that connected four points in the town. ¡°No way around it. Only one dungeon in our area is easy to get to. Then you gotta swim to the bottom of a raging river. The [Hills Dungeon]? That¡¯ll take most level 1-20 people a day to get to, unless they have a travel power like me. Not because of the distance, but because of the terrain.¡±


    ¡°The [Swamp Dungeon] isn¡¯t much better,¡± Theo said, gesturing vaguely west. He couldn¡¯t see the dungeon from here, but he could see Tresk¡¯s lines leading off into the distance.


    ¡°The [Mountain Dungeon] is worse,¡± Tresk said, gesturing to her south-running line. ¡°The solution?¡±


    ¡°Roads. Highways. Tunnels,¡± Theo said, reading Tresk¡¯s mind. ¡°Ziz is already working on building a team of road-builders, right? We¡¯re going to connect Broken Tusk with Rivers soon enough. Then they can work with Gridgen and the miners to make a tunnel to the [Mountain Dungeon] in the south, and the [Hills Dungeon] in the north. And a highway to the [Swamp Dungeon]. How quick can someone get to the [Swamp Dungeon] if there¡¯s a raised road?¡±


    ¡°An hour,¡± Tresk said, not missing a beat. She¡¯d put a lot of thought into this. ¡°Talking about your theme park with Xol¡¯sa, right? Imagine little general stores right outside those dungeons. Keeps surrounding the entrances with guards. Artifice weapons to mow them down when they spawn during a wave¡ªwe¡¯re talking about total control of the dungeons. Treat them like the resource they are.¡±


    ¡°Resources,¡± Theo said, his thoughts coalescing.


    This entire game had been about resources from the start, so it made sense. A [Dungeon Engineer] core falls into the lap of the town¡¯s wizard, and that¡¯s supposed to be a coincidence? But Theo couldn¡¯t discount the hard work they¡¯d put in. He shifted the scene back to his arrival in town. 20 houses clustered at the foot of the farmer¡¯s hill with a scatter of ramshackle buildings around the town¡¯s square. He forced the image back to Broken Tusk today. It was sprawling by comparison, the walls dominating much of the terrain.


    ¡°So, you really met Drogramath?¡± Tresk said, the worry in her voice plain.


    ¡°Yep. Seems like a good guy,¡± Theo said. ¡°Makes you wonder what he¡¯s planning.¡±


    ¡°What they¡¯re planning,¡± Tresk corrected. ¡°Who cares. Strong walls will see us through anything.¡±


    Theo cast his gaze to the floating egg-spirit. It was forming into a more-solid thing by the moment, resembling a forming embryo. Of what kind, he couldn¡¯t say. His money was still on it being a chicken.


    ¡°Well. Time to exploit or twist of fate, huh?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Time to grind experience.¡±


    Tresk shifted the image back to the harbor, finding a place near the river to summon creatures. She wasn¡¯t interested in calling more assassins, so that was nice. Theo was able to put his focus completely into his art. The alchemist already understood his level 20 barrier for the [Drogramath Alchemy Core] and the [Drogramath Herbalism Core]. Mana-infusion seemed like a simple technique, but it was devilishly hard to master. When he used the fermentation barrels, it was as simple as holding his hand over them and letting the mana flow. But when summoning mana manually, it was more like controlling a wildfire with his mind.


    A line of ten copper stills bubbled away as Theo blew himself up with his own mana. The golems he¡¯d created regarded him with annoyance as the moved random objects from one place to the other. The ghostly ships that Theo summoned dropped off invisible goods, bringing some comfort to the alchemist¡¯s mind. Gaining mastery over his mana was nothing like he expected. It wasn¡¯t a calm meditative action. It was a battle for control over that fire. But each time he pulled mana from his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] he got a little better at holding it in his hand. It¡¯s desire was to consume him whole. A battle of wills between the alchemist and the mana filled the harbor with a purple glow.


    ¡°Well, egg-spirit,¡± Theo said, dusting himself off after dying again. ¡°I wonder if my next core will have a different flavor of mana.¡±


    Theo closed his eyes, looking into his cores. He was eager to learn spellcraft, whatever form that took, but couldn¡¯t run before he walked. The more he thought about it, the more he realized his lack of knowledge on the subject. Xol¡¯sa seemed to just cast spells, so how did that work? He poured an entire bottle of refined essence over the head of a golem to study the effects, nodding when the creature exploded in a shower of shredded plant matter. Shifting his attention, he studied the effects of essence on a [Drogramath Iron Ingot].


    It was still fascinating how it worked as a catalyst, but remained non-reactive otherwise. Logic said that anything alchemically inert wouldn¡¯t interact in any way, including as a catalyst. But logic failed in the face of the system. The iron just worked, and that was the end of it. It was imbued with something that made it work, and trying to discover the logic was an exercise in madness. With these situations, Theo just accepted it and moved on.


    The Dreamwalk was always a safe-haven for Theo to express himself and experiment with ideas, though. The only thing it lacked was outside information, which made for a stifling experience when he wanted to discover new things. He shifted away from mana control, and worked on his defenses against random assassins again. While they couldn¡¯t use the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] here, he could imagine how it would help him get out of a bad situation. The tactic to prevent assassinations was still very simple.


    Theo generated a [Retreat Potion] with the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier and inspected it.


    [Retreat Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    One second after drinking, the imbiber will be propelled backwards. Distance depends on the quality of the potion.


    At the end of this potions effect, the imbiber will gain [Featherfall] for 10 seconds. Imbiber will fall slowly for the duration of the effect.


    A blast of elemental wind staggers all targets in front of imbiber.


    Effect:


    [Retreat] on self.


    [Featherfall] on expiration of [Retreat].


    [Elemental Wind Blast] casts in a cone.


    He experimented with the [Elemental Wind Blast] effect, combining it with a [Potion of Limited Foresight], [Carapace Potion] with the [Anti-Mage] modifier, and [Freezebombs] modified with [Web]. The foresight potion allowed him to dodge 4 attacks once every 6 hours, which gave Theo enough time to react upon being attacked. He¡¯d just need to have one of those active at all times. Next, quaffing a [Carapace Potion] summoned an encumbering shell of chitinous plates that would punish any mage attacks and prevent most physical attacks. When he drank the [Retreat Potion], 10 assassins diving in to kill him, green wind shot out in a wide cone. The faceless assassins stumbled back as the alchemist shot back with enough force to snap a normal person¡¯s neck.


    Theo found his footing, fluttering to the ground to land gently. The [Freezebomb] he left behind exploded, shooting icy webs out to capture those stumbling assassins. In the worst case, he could chug another [Retreat Potion], even if it damaged his body. Drinking another [Potion of Limited Foresight] wouldn¡¯t be unwelcome, even if it put him in bed for a few days. Anything was better than dying, and his intuition was saying it was more likely by the day.


    Ten [Lesser Copper Golems] lashed out at a group of 20 assassins, whirling around to protect their master. Theo didn¡¯t even need to drink his potions when the metal golems got involved, they were far too fearsome. The only problem with this tactic was, he¡¯d need to know there was an attack coming. It wouldn¡¯t work to have all his worker golems dedicated to combat, or the other way around. Another experiment saw that 3 metal golems wouldn¡¯t do the job against many assassins. They needed to be right on top of the alchemist when the attack happened, so he reworked their orders.


    Instead of trying to fight the assassins off, Theo had them use their massive bodies to hold down 3 assassins. In a scenario where 5 assassins attacked, that left Theo with 2 to deal with. It was less effective when he summoned 20 assassins, but Tresk stopped by to appreciate his dedication.


    ¡°Well,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Feels like morning is coming. You ready to meet Beepy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not naming the egg-thing Beepy,¡± Theo said. ¡°No matter what it is.¡±


    ¡°When it comes out beeping, you¡¯re gonna change your tune.¡±

 Chapter 3.49 - Goose

    ¡°We can¡¯t call him Cheepy,¡± Tresk said, frowning at the wiggling chick.


    Theo and Tresk woke to the sound of a small chick chirping happily near the alchemist¡¯s bed. It had a dark black bill, similar patterns around its all-black eyes, with a mix of yellow and gray downy plumage. Unlike an Earth chicken chick, which could easily fit in the palm of his hand, this one was large. Beepy, or whatever name the pair decided on later, was larger than the Dronon¡¯s head. It chirped, snapping at the air as though expecting food.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a chicken,¡± Theo said, inspecting the creature. ¡°Hold on, can I inspect it?¡±


    [Goose]


    [Familiar]


    Stage:


    [Gosling]


    Master:


    [Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal]


    Level 1


    Description:


    Geese are known as the most loving creatures in all the realms. Any rumors spread to disparage these honorable creatures will be met with a flurry of feathers and bill.


    Affinities:


    Fire


    ¡°That¡¯s a goose!¡± Tresk said, moving to snuggle the creature. It seemed to hug her back, wrapping its stunted neck around her.


    ¡°Just a goose,¡± Theo said, reading the description several times. It sounded like something someone wrote, not like something generated by the system. And what was Tero¡¯gal?


    Guess we have a name for our Dreamwalk, Theo said, keeping those things between him and Tresk.


    Cheep, the goose responded, the sound echoing through his mind.


    ¡°Oh, can¡¯t wait for my mind to be filled with honks,¡± Theo said, patting the goose on the head. ¡°Let¡¯s name it Jeff.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not naming the goose Jeff!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡°She needs a name.¡±


    Despite the gosling¡¯s need for food, the pair descended into arguments for the creature¡¯s name. The debate only ended when Khahar appeared from nowhere, his hands full of squirming grub-like creatures. He placed them in Theo¡¯s hands without a word and smiled at the squawking gosling. The alchemist held the worms above his new familiar, who titled her head back and opened her bill. He dropped a few grubs in, silencing the constant chirping.


    ¡°I shall name her,¡± Khahar said, his face taking on a pensive look.


    Theo was suddenly worried. The goose looked a lot like ¡°Jeff¡± to him. If Khahar named the goose something stupid, could he live with himself? This would be the thing¡¯s name forever, what if she didn¡¯t like it? There was little he could do but wait for the verdict.


    ¡°Alexandria D¡¯Goose,¡± Khahar said, cracking a smile. ¡°Alex for short.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s pretty good,¡± Tresk said, still hugging Alex.


    In the blink of an eye, all the tension left Theo¡¯s body. The gosling chirped happily at the new name, bobbing in the Marshling¡¯s grasp. But the alchemist now felt like a mother hen, realizing they had nothing prepared for Alex. She¡¯d need a safe place sleep at night, and rest during the day. Food, water, everything a pet needed. But she was more than a pet, and the implications of her master on the system screen was big. She wasn¡¯t bound to Theo or Tresk, but to the realm that was expanding between them. Alex was bound to the Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Explaining what that realm will become is cheating,¡± Khahar said, petting the goose. ¡°But she has some interesting potential. She¡¯ll become sapient, after a while.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, what¡¯s that mean?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°She¡¯ll have a consciousness,¡± Theo said. ¡°Already seems like she has a mind of her own.¡±


    Alex had wriggled free of Tresk¡¯s grasp and slapped her webbed feet on the wooden floor. She explored the cramped room, pecking at anything that looked remotely edible and chirping the whole time. Theo found it hard to tear his eyes off the little goose.


    ¡°How do we level her up?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°The normal way. She needs goose experience,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Let her do goose stuff, and she¡¯ll level quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Breakfast time,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands. ¡°No dawdling.¡±


    Theo turned without regarding Khahar. The leader of the Khahari disappeared moments later, off to do his own thing. Tresk followed behind Alex, making sure she could take the stairs without issue. The gosling flapped its stunted wings with each step, making frantic chirps when she fell behind. The alchemist waited at the bottom of the stairs, watching as his companion corralled their new goose.


    ¡°One step at a time, Alex,¡± Tresk said, patting Alex on the head. ¡°Take it easy. You¡¯re gonna be a big strong goose one day, aren¡¯t you? A fire-breathing nightmare goose!¡±


    Once on flat ground, Alex found her feet. She waddled along the cobblestone path to Xam¡¯s tavern, keeping up with the alchemist¡¯s long strides. Tresk had to help her with the steps at the tavern, but the gosling managed. They found their usual table, pulling a new chair over for the goose, and waited for the server to come by. Theo ordered 2 plates of the leftovers, and 2 moss teas. Hopefully, the strange grubs were enough of a breakfast for the excitable gosling.


    ¡°No pets allowed,¡± Xam said, coming to the table and crossing her arms.


    ¡°Alex is a familiar,¡± Tresk glared, hands on her daggers.


    ¡°Just joking,¡± Xam said, chuckling. The Marshling¡¯s zealous attitude did not put her off. ¡°That¡¯s the egg, right? The one you¡¯ve been carrying around.¡±


    Theo still had the satchel at his hip, keeping it there despite not needing it. Now that Alex was out of the egg, he felt that sense of comfort washing over him constantly.


    ¡°Yeah, her name is Alexandria D¡¯Goose, and she¡¯s precious,¡± Tresk said.


    Alex chirped in response.


    Xam pet Alex on the head, cooing at the gosling. ¡°Such a good little birdie. Aren¡¯t you precious?¡±


    A dagger appeared in the gosling¡¯s tiny bill, clattering to the floor.


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s my backup dagger number twelve,¡± Tresk said, snatching the weapon up and stowing it away. ¡°No rummaging through the inventory!¡±


    4 more daggers appeared from nowhere, finding a similar fate. Then a pile of stone, actual garbage, a dresser, and finally a scattering group of angry bugs. Alex waddled from the chair to chase the bugs, pecking at them and swallowing what she could catch down.


    Theo blinked the scene away. The status bars in the bottom left of his vision had become such a staple he hadn¡¯t even noticed. An additional set of bars joined Tresk and Theo¡¯s, labeled as ¡°Alexandria D¡¯Goose¡±. She had access to their Tara¡¯hek powers. Which meant she had a [Tara¡¯hek Core] inside her chest. That only made sense, Alex had chirped into their mind.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Theo said, rushing out of the tavern. Alex seemed distraught that he left so quickly, but no one else did. He focused his mind on Alex and invoked the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage]. Instead of appearing in the tavern near Tresk, he appeared near Alex.


    ¡°Oh, damn,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo inspected his [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] skill.


    [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage]


    Marshling Bond Skill


    Mythic


    Slip through your dreams.


    Effect:


    Each member of the Tara¡¯hek may [Approach] any other member once a day, resetting at midnight. [Approach] distance depends on the level of the [Tara¡¯hek Core] and the stability of the bond.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    The wording had changed slightly. It referenced a single member of the bond before, but now it seemed more inclusive for additional parties. Theo searched his memory, trying to find a time where an ability had evolved like that. [Tara¡¯hek Communication] had changed before. That left the lingering question of ability evolutions, and how he could instigate them again. For now, it was a neat thing they could do, creating another anchor point for them to teleport. He checked the description of each [Tara¡¯hek Core] skill, finding them to no longer talk about just two people.


    Alex is a member of the Tara¡¯hek now. What does that mean? Theo asked.


    Dunno. I for one welcome our new goose overlord, Tresk said.


    Cheep.


    Alex drew a lot of attention in the tavern. Everyone wanted to come over to say hi to the newest member of Broken Tusk, despite the constant flow of migrants. Some had stories of other bonded creatures, but only Xol¡¯sa knew about familiars. He was a young wizard, but the more Theo learned about his past the more he realized it was as hard as it was brief. They left the tavern to discuss the new goose at the wizard¡¯s tower, finding that she preferred standing on the ledge of the roof.


    ¡°I¡¯d take Khahar¡¯s words and let her be a goose for a while,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Until she grows to her adult age, she won¡¯t have access to the monster evolution options.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa had explained that familiars were much like roving monsters, only bound to a person. Wizards normally did this to enhance their strength, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of to find an egg. The Elf consulted one of many books on the topic, but found nothing about a pair of people sharing a familiar. Theo didn¡¯t mind what the outcome was. The emotions that normally flowed from Tresk were anger and determination. Alex put off a constant, calming vibe that seemed to affect both of them positively.


    For now, it was fun to marvel at the gosling. New things in Broken Tusk often had implications that were hard to deal with. Theo planned on taking it easy today, letting his golems tend the garden for the morning. Alex needed a proper introduction to the town, and Xol¡¯sa supported the idea. Her intelligence and empathy would grow like any person, feeding off her surroundings to form her personality.


    ¡°Keep in mind, she¡¯ll be powerful,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, inspecting Alex¡¯s feathers and measuring her. ¡°You can¡¯t expect something like this to end in a mundane animal. She¡¯s already monsterized, if you care to think of it like that. A few levels, and she¡¯ll be spitting fire thanks to her affinity.¡±


    ¡°So cool,¡± Tresk whispered, stroking the gosling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the monster wave today,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I¡¯ll have a better sense of what to expect soon, but we¡¯re expecting an all-out assault again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Theo said. ¡°Come on, Alex. Let¡¯s get a tour.¡±


    Aarok and his adventurers would handle the wave. They hardly needed Theo anymore for the assault, only his potions. Several town-wide alerts went off, informing the adventurers that they should remain within the walls for today. They all had their units, and were expected to respond at a moment¡¯s notice. Tresk decided to stay with Theo and the gosling for the tour, since she couldn¡¯t head off to fight in the dungeons.


    ¡°First stop,¡± Theo said, gesturing widely to the town square. ¡°The middle of town. Nothing really going on here, but you¡¯ve already been to the tavern. There¡¯s the town hall, and down that street is the sawmill, butcher, and adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Cheep.


    Theo introduced Alex to everyone he saw, gaining a mixture of reactions. Some thought it was ridiculous to introduce a creature, others couldn¡¯t get over how adorable she was. Salire was standoffish about the gosling, but put on a brave face. Nira and her hardened smelters melted at the sight of Alex, making formal introductions and taking turns holding her. Someone was feeding the Midnight Damsel Smeltery [Monster Cores], as it had grown significantly over the past week. They were pouring more molten metal than ever before, racing to beat the previous day¡¯s record.


    Nira¡¯s workers could only expand so much before she had to dump massive quantities of [Monster Cores] into the building, urging it further along. But no upgrade came to get a third crucible, and they were at a productional stand-still.


    ¡°Another building, or you need to upgrade the town,¡± Nira said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been upgrading the town?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for the buildings to catch up,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re caught up.¡±


    And that was all Nira had to say on the subject. Theo added it to his mental list.


    Gridgen and his miners didn¡¯t mind the gosling, but they weren¡¯t overly excited to see her. The miners were more interested in singing the praises of the metal golems, who were still tirelessly defending the mine. The golems had orders to protect each miner, and while the monsters still weren¡¯t strong enough to pose an actual threat, they still worked hard. Miners loved nothing more than anything that worked harder than them.


    Theo gave a tour of the mine¡¯s interior, leading Tresk, Gridgen, and Alex down the passage where they found the egg. Blood-splattered golems stood sentry outside of that dark stone room, but the gosling seemed excited to see the room. She flapped her little stunted wings, trying to return to the plinth where her egg rested, but failed. When the alchemist placed her atop the dark stone, she just chirped excitedly. But the miners had dug new tunnels out of the hard rock, revealing more spawn points for nuggets. Like the smelter, their production was increasing by the day. Even the miners themselves were growing stronger, most pushing past level 10 and a select few edging towards 20.


    The miners were smart enough to keep their exploratory digging to the top levels of the mine, targeting copper and iron but hoping to hit silver. Theo¡¯s plan for a mint required massive amounts of copper. Once Nira got her specialized minting core, she¡¯d need to grind levels to mint higher-tier coinage. Theo would have to face whatever rested in the deep places of the rock before getting the coveted [Silver Nuggets]. For now, he was happy to see them increasing their daily production.


    ¡°Fenian better make good on his promise of the ship builder,¡± Theo grumbled as they left the mine. But his grouchy mood was washed away with a single chirp from Alex.


    ¡°Oh! Show her the harbor, next!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo wanted nothing more, but the next stop was Miana¡¯s ranch. The baby Karatan hadn¡¯t hatched, but the Half-Ogre woman was eager to see Alex. She nestled the gosling in her arms, cooing at her the entire time. The visit came with a list of things they needed to do for Alex, including dietary information and sleeping arrangements. Miana promised to drop everything off at the lab before noon.


    The harbor had seen some changes. Aarok ordered the new weapons to be placed on the new section of wall, completing the town¡¯s defenses. Alex chirped excitedly to see this part of town, having an infectious eagerness to splash in the harbor¡¯s water that almost saw Theo taking the plunge. Unlike in the Dreamwalk, the bridge-gate on the southern side of the harbor was closed. No ships came to Broken Tusk¡¯s port, and it was a real shame. But that would soon be a distant memory.


    Theo picked up his mostly-cultivated [Starbristle Flax] from the greenhouse, finding that his [Lesser Plant Golem] had propagated the plant on its own. The small corner he reserved for test subjects was now filled with the strange plant, and the alchemist took a moment to inspect it. It was a flowering plant, with leaves that looked like tall blades of grass ending bristling blue flowers. The sample he inspected was twice as large as the original, sitting at 135% cultivation. It was good enough for mass planting, so he scooped up 10 live plants to give to Banu. That guy could propagate anything.


    Banu didn¡¯t care to see Alex, but what Theo saw disappointed him greatly. Gwyn had sorted the worker issue out perfectly. Almost every field was packed with people working the land, sorting the Zee plants out. What hurt the alchemist was the lack of upgrades. The farmer was making enough money to buy his own monster cores, but his stubbornness just wouldn¡¯t give in. A quick breath and a wave of comforting warmth from the gosling dulled the edges of his harsh words. Where he wanted to throttle the farmer for disregarding his advice, his words came like a scolding parent.


    ¡°No upgrades?¡± Theo asked, placing his hands on his hips. ¡°I thought we talked about this, Banu.¡±


    ¡°Things have been tight,¡± Banu said, mopping his brow.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Theo said. ¡°What with all the free money you¡¯re getting from the town. Come on, we need to sort this out. Now.¡±


    Banu stammered, but followed Theo to the seed core building¡¯s center. The farmhouse was nice enough, even for a single-floor situation. Theo had more high-level [Monster Cores] than he knew what to do with, and began jamming them in the building. He wasn¡¯t the owner, so he wouldn¡¯t get the prompt to select the upgrades. That didn¡¯t matter, the farmer had great intuition.


    With increasing [Intelligence], Theo could understand the upgrade cost for buildings. Before, it seemed to be arbitrary, but he got it now. If a building was under the level of the cores used, it needed around 5 cores to hit a new level. Plus one, in some cases. That part still didn¡¯t make sense. He experimented with an equal-level core at first, then cores that were a level lower, and so on until the building hit level 15 and got the first upgrade. [Monster Cores] that were a lower level than a building worked on a less-effective formula. At level 11, the building ate 10 level 10 cores. Level 12 took 20, and it seemed to scale from there.


    Banu made his selection and Theo moved on, feeding cores until the building hit level 20. The alchemist noticed new fields spring up to the west. The farmer expanded the farm in that direction, expanding the level-ground created by that ancient Earth Mage. When the alchemist went to inspect the farm¡¯s upgrades, he realized how good these upgrades would be.


    [Fresh Tilled Earth]


    Anything fertilizer-baring substance tilled into this soil will be doubly effective.


    This was an upgrade Banu had already selected. It was likely the reason why the swamp mud did so well with fertilizing the fields. This was a possible synergy for Theo¡¯s potions, but it was hard to say without experimentation.


    [Enhanced Growth]


    Reduce the time required to grow plants within the farm by a significant margin.


    [Enhanced Growth], combined with the naturally fast-growing effect of Drogramath¡¯s power was a killer. While a normal growing season might have been around 30 days on this planet, Banu¡¯s selection of this upgrade made it half a week or less. But the reason for the farm creating new plots of land was the next upgrade.


    [Scaling Expansion]


    New fields will be generated when this building is expanded. Expanding in any direction results in the leveling of terrain, providing the perfect growing surface.


    So the upgrade sorted out the strangely shaped land. That was beyond useful, something that Theo wouldn¡¯t pass up for the world. Banu made a great pick with that one.


    [Drogramathi Cultivation]


    Your power is now aligned with Drogramath. Fields present in an area of high Drogramath Energy will provide higher yields.


    Theo stared at the upgrade for some time. His mind couldn¡¯t process the depth of dedication a Half-Ogre would have to possess to pick this option. While people didn¡¯t outwardly hate the Demon Lord, there was still a stigma. Banu could have selected it from a logical standpoint, but that man wasn¡¯t very logical.


    ¡°Banu, you¡¯d seriously align yourself with Drogramath?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Big ol¡¯ Demon Lord has done nothing but good for us, huh?¡± Banu asked, sounding moderately offended. ¡°Seems a shame not to pledge to whoever is gonna help me out. Demon or not.¡±


    Theo clapped a hand over the Half-Ogre¡¯s shoulder, smiling. He might have known, but that was a massive step forward for the people of Broken Tusk. It would make it easier to set their patron to Drogramath when the time came. Whenever that was.


    They finished their business at the farm, handing Banu the [Starbristle Flax] plants and leaving it at that. The farmer didn¡¯t need instructions, he¡¯d plant them today and get massive fields of the plant rolling before the sun set. Tresk remained silent for the visit, happy enough to just be there with the gosling. Ziz¡¯s place was next, and the stoneworkers were all too happy to see the baby goose.


    Ziz¡¯s cadre had expanded significantly, although he still kept outsiders at a distance. His idea of creating a group of core stoneworkers, and another group of auxiliaries was fine by Theo. He shared his idea of making raised roads, tunnels, and so forth and the stoneworkers seemed to think it was a great idea. While it was a problem for another day, that didn¡¯t stop them from drawing up plans on a tattered piece of parchment.


    All these thoughts for the future fell away when a bell echoed up from the town below. It was a slow ring that could only mean one thing. A town-wide message popped up to punctuate the thought.


    [Aarok]: Defenders to your stations. We¡¯ve sighted the monster wave.

 Chapter 3.50 - Zoot and the Wave

    Goblins stumbled through the swamp west of Broken Tusk. Theo stood, flanked on either side by [Lesser Copper Golems] with Alex perched on his shoulder. The gosling was excited to see the oncoming attack, but jumped and nearly lost her footing when the bombs went off. Throk was getting more creative with his defensive artifices, but they hardly seemed to matter. The alchemist stuffed the scared goose into his satchel, leaving enough space for her to poke her little head out if she wanted.


    ¡°What an appreciable change of pace,¡± Theo said, watching as citizens and adventurers carted the motes around. 8 of his golems were helping with the job, transporting the supply of motes they¡¯d collected to the walls. ¡°The first wave we had was a bit of a nightmare.¡±


    How Xol¡¯sa had instigated a simple wave was beyond the alchemist¡¯s understanding. Theo wouldn¡¯t complain. It gave him a chance to see how well Aarok had drilled the adventurers. There was no misunderstanding between them now. Each unit was drilled to perfection, often leaving the walls for a sortie. The Goblins would have trouble pushing into the range of the turrets, let alone to the walls. He walked the walls, finding his way south to Aarok¡¯s command post.


    Wooden poles held up a hide awning, shading Luras and Aarok from the sun. Adventurers came in, giving status reports, but most of the commands were given through the tactical interface. Theo checked the interface, finding each adventurer segmented into distinct squads. Some ran to the north, checking on the [Hills Dungeon], others to the east for the [River Dungeon], and so on. There was no activity outside the swamp.


    ¡°Most towns don¡¯t have such a mind for defense,¡± Khahar said, appearing from nowhere.


    ¡°That¡¯s because most towns don¡¯t have to worry about it,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ve got 5 dungeons to think about, so weapons were our first concern.¡±


    Luras grunted, leveling his gaze at the Khahari leader. ¡°How quick could you level this rabble?¡±


    ¡°In a blink,¡± Khahar said. ¡°But then, how would you get stronger?¡±


    Theo nodded. He leaned over, trying to stifle a laugh. ¡°Hey Yuri, remember that one time you got set up by that lady from the Asia Alliance?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even recall her name,¡± Khahar said, trying and failing not to laugh. ¡°Left me out to dry. Why? Because I cheated at her dice game. The nerve.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°I tried to go back,¡± Khahar said, ignoring the Half-Ogre. ¡°Figured if I could get strong enough, maybe I could turn back time. Save the planet. As I learned, it wasn¡¯t our planet that was destroyed. It was the universe.¡±


    ¡°Bummer,¡± Theo said, watching a Goblin get zapped. Alex twitched at the booming sound of the turret, but everyone else was used to it. ¡°Not sure if my current position is much better. I often feel like a puppet.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re short-sighted,,¡± Khahar said. Aarok barked orders to a passing adventurer. ¡°It¡¯s going to take you a long time to understand this, Spencer. When you arrived, you were a pawn. When you took the soul-bond, the person who pulled the strings lost control. The moment you were out of the Burning Eye¡¯s reach, Drogramath betrayed him. Flipped the entire operation on its head.¡±


    ¡°Then Drogramath is pulling my strings,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Wrong. Your realm grows stronger by the moment. If Drogramath can¡¯t pull your strings, he¡¯ll do the next best thing. Make sure no one else can pull your strings,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Your heart beats once, and the gods have made a thousand moves in the heavens. Time marches slow down here, but in the adjacent realms? Well, maybe all this information is cheating. But you¡¯re making your own decisions now.¡±


    Theo never felt as though he was following someone else¡¯s plan. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this whole experiment seemed like a failure. Even with 2 Drogramathi cores, the Demon God¡¯s influence seemed miles away. But could the same be said for Fenian Feintleaf? One more cheat.


    ¡°Does Fenian intend to harm Broken Tusk?¡± Theo asked.


    Khahar leveled his gaze at the alchemist, piercing him with the power of the Khahari Desert. ¡°Who do you think knocked their plans off course? When he¡¯s done with the first stage of his plan, remember that empathy.¡±


    Theo looked over the wall again. Yuri wouldn¡¯t lie to him. If he said Fenian was on the level, that was the end. Khahar might think the alchemist had some love for the kingdom, but he was wrong. The only thing he felt was disappointment. Unless King Karasan showed he cared about anyone in the south, it would be a good thing if Qavell fell. Especially if they were expecting something big to happen, failing to inform their subjects. At least it was a good example of what not to do when running things.


    Khahar remained near the command tent, giving no advice on what they should do for the battle. Both Luras and Aarok seemed to dislike, if not hate, the Khahari leader. But that was Half-Ogres. They trusted authority as much as a rabid Marsh Wolf, and those with power even less. Theo just listened into the reports being given, eventually finding himself running motes for the northern section of the wall. Goblins had slipped past their defenses and were making a run for the section near the farm.


    Many of the crates stationed near the farm¡¯s turrets needed a resupply. Civilians were manning those stations, feeding motes into the turrets as quickly as they could fire. This section of wall wasn¡¯t well-defended, but Aarok showed his mettle as a tactician. Theo spotted Tresk in the forest of Ogre Cypress below, weaving her way through the Goblin¡¯s back ranks with a team of stealthers. To his surprise, the Marshling made an excellent commander. Her group executed hit-and-run tactics expertly, never lingering long enough to draw the mass of seething monsters. They were methodical, leaving poisoned Goblins to writhe in the dirty marsh before moving on to another section of the monster wave.


    Theo picked up on chatter from passing adventurers. They spoke of a group of hooded figures in a copse near the river. When they brought it to the alchemist¡¯s attention, he deferred to Aarok¡¯s command. If migrants were on the road to the east, they should be safe from the wave. He made his way to the northern section of the wall, finding none of the crates in need of resupply, and moved on to the eastern wall. The alchemist tracked a path to the harbor¡¯s wall, trying to see what the fuss was about. He drank a [Potion of Lesser Foresight] just in case there was trouble.


    There were no migrant trains visible from the wall, despite it being a clear day. Theo sent a mental signal to his lodestone network, recalling his remaining [Lesser Copper Golem] and standing perched on the wall. The terrain to the north was a gentle slope of land, the road following the river¡¯s path. He spotted the cluster of trees the adventurer¡¯s spoke of, but couldn¡¯t see anything strange. Broken Tusk didn¡¯t own the land that far out, so people might have been roaming the area. He walked the perimeter of the harbor, finding nothing suspicious on the other end before meeting with the adventurers who saw the figures.


    Bal and his 2 brothers were the ones who saw the people, but none had much to say.


    ¡°Just a few people,¡± Bal said. ¡°Thought we¡¯d make the report, cause you never know.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said. ¡°Too far out for any detail.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Dal said, nodding.


    ¡°Alright. Keep it up,¡± Theo said, petting Alex within his satchel.


    Theo made his way around the eastern part of the wall, spotting nothing unusual on the river-facing section of the town. Even from a distance, he could see Nira¡¯s smeltery working even under the siege. Gridgen and his people weren¡¯t in the mines, or they were too deep for the alchemist to hear the ringing of their picks. Tresk sent a few messages, updating him on the situation. This would be their cleanest monster wave, but that was the point. Xol¡¯sa was trying to control the conditions of the wave, and he was getting better by the day.


    The solitary walk along the wall was relaxing. With Alex nestled in the bag, Theo was left alone with his thoughts. When the sieges came, he couldn¡¯t help but feel useless. But it was his hard work that made the defenses possible at all. He set down the groundwork to establish the walls, and the weapons. Without the alchemist¡¯s funding, no one this would have been possible. One day he¡¯d need to face the reality that he was the leader here. Not Aarok, or Alise. While he didn¡¯t expect them to challenge his authority, he needed to remind himself of that fact. A wave of encouraging comfort came from Alex, washing away all his doubts.


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    ¡°If they won¡¯t respect my authority, they¡¯ll respect the goose,¡± Theo said, patting the gosling on the head. She chirped in response.


    Theo made his way back to the command tent without haste. Some sections of the wall in the south of town were at such an extreme angle, it was hard to take the steps. Without the constant raining, there was no chance of slipping, but it still paid to be cautious. By the time he made it to the western battlements, his last metal golem caught up with him. A familiar warm wave passed over him as he approached the commanders of the siege. Zarali had joined with Aarok and Luras, casting the alchemist a concerned look. She pulled him to the side.


    ¡°Did you feel that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Reminds me of when you were scanning the town for me,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s what it was,¡± Zarali said. Another flash of warmth signaled her using her senses to scour the town. But she shook her head. ¡°Strange. A priest could be searching for you, so stay sharp.¡±


    Theo gestured to his metal bodyguards. ¡°They got me covered.¡±


    Aarok and Luras had overheard the exchange, giving their opinion of the sensation. If the Goblins had a shaman amongst them, they could direct the attacking forces to target the leader of the town. That was just a theory, but it made as much sense as anything. When Theo directed his intuition on the matter, he got nothing. All theories for the matter fell away when a lumbering troll appeared in the distance. The alchemist groaned. Troll¡¯s blood sucked as a reagent. He¡¯d take a water elemental any day over the vile Trolls. A system message accompanied theappearance of the boil-ridden monster.


    [Boss Monster] spotted! Plague Lord Gripstink has been sighted. This monster is stronger than regular monsters, use caution.


    Like most Trolls, Plague Lord Gripstink was a massive creature. It had a face permanently dumbstruck, mouth hanging agape with beady eyes darting every way, covered in boils that dripped hissing liquid. Unlike most Trolls, Gripstink¡¯s sores and boils all dripped that foul liquid. Any place it touched seemed to wither away in an instant.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite important he doesn¡¯t reach the wall,¡± Zarali said, all concern for Theo washing away. ¡°Have you crafted a [Potion of Cure Plague]?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Theo said, trying and failing to blink away the image of the disgusting Troll. ¡°Do you have the recipe?¡±


    ¡°I only know of the property from Throneroot,¡± Zarali said, managing a defeated shrug. ¡°Aarok, you must instruct your adventurers not to attack this thing directly. Don¡¯t touch that foul liquid, and don¡¯t engage in close combat.¡±


    Aarok didn¡¯t hesitate. He sent out a town-wide message advising everyone to steer clear of the boss. Theo searched his memory for the [Cure Plague] property, but found nothing even similar. [Cure Ailment] and [Cleanse] were his closest options, but if this was a specific disease, they¡¯d be in trouble. Since Zarali mentioned it by name, the alchemist assumed that was the case.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, gesturing to his metal golem bodyguards. ¡°You three are up.¡±


    The golems shuffled off without complaint, obeying their master absolutely. Aarok tried to object, but Theo shut him down.


    ¡°They¡¯re not intelligent, and they can¡¯t get sick,¡± Theo said. ¡°Damn, I should have made more before the attack.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep the thing at range,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°Get the bomb-throwers in range,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bomb-thrower,¡± Theo said, suddenly realizing he could help. ¡°I¡¯ve got some gear that helps me throw stuff.¡±


    ¡°Get to the gate.¡±


    Theo sprinted off, passing his golems and standing with the other throwers at the western gate. The Troll was lumbering in the distance, still too far away for bombs to be effective. While the alchemist was confident he could land bombs near the monster, the towering Ogre Cypress made getting a direct hit impossible. But his bag of tricks was hardly limited. His inventory was full of utility bombs, meant to get him out of the range of assassins. Luras came over shortly, giving orders on what bombs should be thrown well. He was far more prepared for this scenario than Theo would like to consider, but that gave him a sense of pride.


    With a [Freezebomb] modified with [Web] in his hand, Theo prepared to let loose. The pattern for throwing the bombs was the first pattern they established. They would root the boss in place, toss standard [Firebombs] to apply a fire-based DOT effect, then throw another [Firebomb] with the [Surge] modifier to consume the effect and apply massive damage. The important part was to maintain a fire effect at all times, avoiding the Troll¡¯s impressive regeneration abilities.


    There was no target in the world that deserved a bomb to the face than a Plague Troll. The monster lumbered over a wide expanse of soggy ground, stumbling as often as keeping his feet underneath him. Each plodding step brought him closer to bombardment, but they came slow. Luras placed as many glowing red arrows in the thing¡¯s bulbous body as paces a Marshling would take between the wall and the creature¡¯s position. There was nothing Theo could do but wait, anticipating the moment where his bomb would soar through the air. True to his increasing [Dexterity], his aim was true.


    Webs of ice launched from the point of impact, binding both the Troll and the surrounding goblins down in a tangle of tendrils. Moments later they were broken by the first [Firebomb], then the next with the [Surge] modifier, and another. The fetid Troll became a funeral pyre on the swamp, representing the death of uncertainty and the proud call of all Broken Tuskers. Those on the wall shouted with delight as the Troll burned. The alchemist kept a mental grip on his improvised bomb, preparing for if things went wrong. But between the rooting effects of the blasts of the [Frost Cone Towers], bombardment of bombs, Luras¡¯ well-placed arrows, and massive damage of the [Chain Lightning Towers], the boss was reduced to a pile of ash.


    It wasn¡¯t a slow process. Theo was surprised with how many hits the thing took before it died. The Troll left a trail of slimy goo along its march, plants rotting in its wake. Aarok knew better than to let that trail of filth stay where it was, ordering the bomb-lobbing adventurers to burn the swamp with the alchemist¡¯s [Firebombs]. But the familiar system message popped up the moment the Plague Lord died.


    [Boss Monster] defeated! Plague Lord Gripstink has been slain. Bonus Wave!


    [Bonus Wave!] Broken Tusk defeated the monster wave in 3 hours! Bonus wave: [Aerial Attack!].


    [Aerial Attack!]


    Monster Wave


    Duration: Infinite


    Pincer Attack!


    The [Swamp Dungeon] has generated aerial enemies!


    These half-bird half-Elf creatures don¡¯t care about your walls! Hope you¡¯ve invested in ranged attackers, or wall-mounted weapons.


    Defeating this wave will result in a greater reward, but the difficulty is increased significantly.


    Effects:


    1 flying boss monster has spawned from the [Swamp Dungeon]. She leads a group of aerial enemies!


    Increased reward for completing the monster wave.


    Gain an additional effect for completing the wave within a time limit (24 hours).


    ¡°Ah, shit,¡± Aarok said, issuing orders to the citizens of Broken Tusk.


    Everyone in the town was sent to find refuge indoors. He ordered adventurers to remain with ranged attackers, getting inside if they couldn¡¯t find a partner. Most adventurers in town were melee attackers, rendering them obsolete. Theo saw a problem with running motes to the towers while they were bombarded by aerial enemies, but remained at the western gate. Alex let out a concerned chirp.


    They got me! Tresk shouted into Theo¡¯s mind, only to appear beside him a moment later.


    ¡°Nevermind,¡± Tresk said. ¡°They came flooding out of the dungeon. Like a flock of angry birds. They were cussin¡¯, too.¡±


    The adventurers waited on the wall, spotting the clouds of bird-like monsters after a few minutes. Tresk¡¯s squad rushed through the open gate, trailed by several others that were trapped out in the open. When the bird-things drew close enough for Theo to see, he recoiled. They looked like Elves twisted into the form of birds. Clawed feet with mottled plumage covering their nude bodies. They had wings where their arms should have been, ending in jagged talons. Even their faces were vile, beaked and chittering as they were.


    The first assault saw the air filled with the scent of singed feathers, a smell not unlike burning hair. The [Chain Lightning Tower] fired volleys, joined by their less powerful [Fireball Towers], and [Firebolt Towers]. While the [Frost Cone Towers] froze the monsters in place, forcing them to drop from the sky, the bird-things were smart enough to fly patterns around them. Aarok issued orders frantically, eyes glued to his tactical map as he rearranged adventurers. More than once, he redirected Luras to free a captured adventurer, resulting in a scramble to feed them healing potions from the damage of the fall.


    Theo felt his body go weightless as his eyes were glued to a captured adventurer. He fell just as quick as he rose, spotting a bird-person above him. His [Lesser Copper Golems] took the attack personally, snatching the bird from the air and pummeling it on the battlements. Tresk also took this to heart, seeking monsters to graze with her poisonous knives.


    The battle went on like this for a while, a wild scramble to reposition the few ranged attackers in town. Xol¡¯sa saw the most kills, warping reality around clouds of the beasts and ending the life of the boss. Theo didn¡¯t even get to see the boss monster until it plummeted into the center of town. The first part of the monster wave only took 3 hours, but the bonus wave consumed the afternoon. When the system message finally flashed, the defenders of Broken Tusk were tired and wounded. Zarali had established a station for healing in the center of town, right near the fallen corpse of Flight Lady Zoot. The alchemist relished the wave complete message.


    [Boss Monster] defeated! Flight Lady Zoot has been slain.


    [Monster Wave] completed!


    Reward:


    50 gold.


    [Ring of Tero¡¯gal]


    Theo breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the message. He rushed to his lab, finding Salire shaken, but carrying an armful of healing potions. The alchemist sent her to Zarali¡¯s healing station and ran inside to fill his inventory. While the battle was over, there were wounded citizens to attend to.

 Chapter 3.51 - Whats In The Box

    There were a few wounds too grave for even Theo¡¯s potions to save. No one died from the siege, but several adventurers were left with missing appendages. But even those who now hobbled through the streets of Broken Tusk were excited for the victory. An oversized crowd formed at Xam¡¯s tavern as she cracked open casks of the nice mead. The alchemist got his mug and joined the celebrations, even as his stamina flagged. Work needed to be done today, even if no one had the energy to do so in the dying light of the late afternoon.


    The golems mirrored Theo¡¯s desire to collect reagents from the fallen monsters, and he allowed them to pick over the creatures. While the Goblins would produce nothing but the near-worthless [Goblin Tongues], the new bird-people might have something of use. Even the [Lesser Copper Golems] seemed eager to get out there, so he allowed it. When he slipped his new ring over his finger, he stared at the description for some time.


    [Ring of Tero¡¯gal]


    [Ring]


    Epic


    Scaling


    An enchanted gold ring, inlaid with the image of a Dronon and Bantari.


    Effect:


    Reduces the cooldown of all Tara¡¯hek members by 2%.


    At first blush, it wasn¡¯t a very useful item. 2% wasn¡¯t much, but it was a global cooldown. And it scaled. The inscription was also pleasant to look at, and Alex took to pecking at the golden band. Since the ring scaled, it would grow more powerful with the alchemist. One day, it would be useful.


    Theo didn¡¯t know the golems could get excited, but he felt that sensation filtering through the lodestone network. The [Lesser Plant Golem] was the one to send the message, insisting that the alchemist meet it outside the tavern. When he went, the crowd parted for the golem who was holding 2 items in its arm-like appendages. The first item was a feather, simple in its design and roughly the size of his palm. The second item was a long, jagged talon. Inspecting them both, the alchemist had mixed feelings.


    [Zureah Talon]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Rare


    The menacing claw of a Zureah.


    Properties:


    [Slash] [????] [????]


    At least it revealed that the creatures were called Zureah. Like with most hard reagents, he couldn¡¯t eat this one right away to discover the second property. He also wasn¡¯t eager to eat the feather.


    [Zureah Feather]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Epic


    The feather of a Zureah, said to hold the creature¡¯s affinity for flight.


    Properties:


    [Levitate] [????] [????]


    How the feather was more rare than the talon was beyond him, but the [Levitate] property seemed useful. It would require experimentation, but this seemed like a great reagent. Theo sent a mental order to the golem network, instructing them to focus on collecting as many feathers as possible. If they didn¡¯t get as many talons, he wouldn¡¯t mind. Just the idea of floating through the air appealed to him.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have to walk,¡± Theo said with a nod.


    ¡°Theo,¡± Aarok said, whistling to get the alchemist¡¯s attention. Tresk appeared near the alchemist, as though she¡¯d been stalking him. She was still on edge from the siege. ¡°We need a word.¡±


    Theo brought his mug of mead, his eyes lingering on those few adventurers without limbs. Alchemy could solve this problem, he knew it. As he followed Aarok toward the town hall, he rolled his options through his mind. The [Alchemic Regenerative Salve] could regrow fingers and toes, so it stood to reason there was something more powerful for limbs. During his time in town, he¡¯d noticed several people with scars, or missing eyes in Sulvan¡¯s case. Without a proper healer, the alchemist would need to find a solution.


    Aarok said something, but Theo was in his thoughts. His previous attempts at the [Alchemic Regenerative Salve] were done with low-grade materials. He was certain that refining his process would produce a better salve, perhaps even one powerful enough for the job. Those suffering from unexpected amputations were healthy, thanks to the power of the potions, so they weren¡¯t dying from infections or related ailments. But it was a shame to see the defenders of the proud town brought low, and the alchemist would do anything to see them whole again.


    ¡°Theo,¡± Aarok said, tapping him on the shoulder.


    They were standing in a room with the command staff, and administration staff. Aarok, Luras, Alise, and Gwyn stared back at him. Tresk poked him in the side while Alex nipped at the new ring on his finger. He didn¡¯t remember entering the town hall, so he drained the rest of his mug and put on a brave face.


    ¡°Right. Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°We have a meeting in Rivers and Daub tomorrow, as I just said,¡± Aarok said. ¡°We expect you to attend.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. Of course he should attend. He owned the town. His mind swirled at the thought, discomfort stemming from the idea of leaving the safety of the walls. Instead of letting himself succumb to those fears, he bolstered his mind with a plan. Yuri wouldn¡¯t help. That old Khahari bastard would make this a lesson about reaching out to the other towns in the area to strengthen the alliance. The only option he had was to go on foot, leaving Alex back in town. Theo and Tresk could teleport to her when the meeting was over, spending as little time away from home as possible.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said. ¡°This is a political meeting. I¡¯m guessing that Alran Cherman guy convinced the leader of Gronro to meet in Rivers. The plan is to lay it out like it is. No matter what anyone says, we¡¯re the strongest town in the Southlands.¡±


    ¡°Well¡ª¡± Luras started.


    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®well¡¯ about it,¡± Theo interrupted. It was time to shit or get off the pot. ¡°Both Fenian and Khahar told us the end is coming, whatever that means. They¡¯ve laid out how things are going to work. Period. Gronro will become a bastion against whatever comes. Rivers will crank out food, and we¡¯ll make sure both are capable of the task. Once our shipwrights arrive, we¡¯ll make boats. Contact the other nations and form alliances.¡±


    ¡°Wow, someone grew a spine,¡± Gwyn said, snorting a laugh.


    ¡°More than a spine. A purpose,¡± Theo said, thumping his fist on the table for dramatic effect. ¡°No one has us by the strings, and I mean no one. We¡¯ll propose an alliance like this. Broken Tusk is the brain, Rivers the heart, and Gronro the sword and shield. Any objections?¡±


    Luras grunted, and Aarok nodded. Tresk just shouted, ¡°Yeah!¡±


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    ¡°That works for me,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°No objections,¡± Alise said. ¡°I have some long-term ideas for Rivers, but the first step is to get them to join a defensive alliance.¡±


    ¡°Once they realize how much they need us and Gronro-dir, we can throw more weight around,¡± Gwyn finished with a nod. ¡°Until then, we need to display our power.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re young in their eyes,¡± Theo said, feeling his face get hot from the mead. ¡°But we¡¯ll make them see that time isn¡¯t a factor.¡±


    Aarok took the table and went through the step-by-step plan for the meeting. The trip would take a day for a mundane person, and half a day for most level 10 to 20 adventurers, but Azrug had come through with his new venture. The young merchant had secured Qavelli Karatan and wagons. The beasts were known by all merchants for their ability to gallop along trails tirelessly, often needing no instruction from their driver. They¡¯d leave at dawn and arrive before midday with a group of hardened adventurers.


    ¡°But we¡¯re not leaving the town undefended,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°I have a few tricks for our own defense,¡± Theo said, rubbing his hands together.


    Alise and Gwyn sorted out some other business about the cleanup efforts. No one was permitted into the swamp until the sludge left from the Plague Troll was burned away. The task would be annoying. It wasn¡¯t easy to burn away sludge that mixed with water, but the administration had already tasked Xol¡¯sa and Zarali with the problem. The wizard had a solution, but it would take time. Until then, they¡¯d just burn what they could.


    ¡°I¡¯m off to take a bath,¡± Theo said, exiting the meeting once they¡¯d concluded business.


    No one joined Theo and Tresk for their nightly bath. Alex didn¡¯t want to get in the water, but she was happy to play by the side of the pool. The pair shared no words relating to their plan for tomorrow, only letting feelings and memories flow between them. Theo¡¯s plan was simple. He¡¯d create new [Lesser Copper Golems] to join them on the trip, 10 in all. After deactivating his current non-metal golems, he¡¯d leave a cadre with Alex in Broken Tusk. 5 on the road, 5 back to guard the gosling. When the meeting in Rivers was over, they could teleport back to town.


    ¡°Yuri, you still around?¡± Theo asked. Nothing happened. ¡°Khahar?¡±


    Khahar was suddenly in the pool. He let out a sigh and reclined in the water. A pained look lingered on his face. ¡°Not for much longer.¡±


    ¡°See any futures about our trip to Rivers?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a low percentage chance that assassins will attack on the road,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Curiously, I cannot see who their master is. If you go on foot, they will attack. By wagon, only a 5% chance. With your golems, it''s likely impossible to happen.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like cheating,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes.


    Khahar shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m fading, so I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±


    ¡°What about Alran?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Is he going to try anything?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s seen the importance of an alliance,¡± Khahar said. ¡°He knows the people of Broken Tusk won¡¯t follow an oppressor.¡±


    ¡°Good news,¡± Theo said, sinking further into the bath. ¡°Wanna stick around and soak?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Khahar and Theo exchanged stories about the old days. Given the chance, neither would return to their old world if they could. Things weren¡¯t going well, even if the soon-to-be Khahari God could turn back time. He¡¯d have to rewind it back to the industrial age to stop the path they set themselves on. Even then, he had his doubts. With his own hands, he helped shape this world. Counting all its flaws, it was far better than where they came from.


    Tresk remained silent for most of the bath, only commenting on the strange inventions Earthlings came up with. Khahar finally revealed how desperate things were when this planet was seeded.


    ¡°The strangest thing, though,¡± Khahar said, running his clawed fingers through Alex¡¯s feathers. She chirped happily. ¡°There were no Humans. Maybe whoever brought us here thought we needed different bodies to adapt, but our modern Humans in this world come from Elves. Someone from Earth got placed in an Elf body, so they worked on making a race that looked like they used to look. Funny how we hang on to stuff like that.¡±


    Theo nodded. He realized how much he¡¯d miss having an old friend when he was gone. It brought him more than comfort and companionship. Khahar brought a sense of confidence that he hadn¡¯t had since arriving. Others might look at his work back on Earth and think he¡¯d be a man of conviction, but that couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. Their unique form of spy craft was different. Enemy spies were often close friends, and everyone was just following orders. Kill orders on others often ended in failed attempts, and the governments eventually gave up on the idea. It reminded the alchemist of how Khahar wanted to spit in the faces of the gods now.


    ¡°What¡¯s in the box?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you what¡¯s in the box,¡± Khahar said. ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling you what¡¯s in the box?¡±


    ¡°Cause I wanna know.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Because if you say what¡¯s in there, the gods will know?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No, because it¡¯s a surprise,¡± Khahar said, laughing. ¡°God, I forgot. You can¡¯t handle surprises, can you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s horrible at surprises,¡± Tresk said, giggling.


    The conversation lasted until they were kicked out of the bathhouse. People were still celebrating in the streets, and Theo¡¯s golems were still hard at work outside the walls of Broken Tusk. They¡¯d work through the night if the night watch let them. Even then, they might keep on going even after being told to stop.


    ¡°Time to enter Tero¡¯gal,¡± Khahar said, smiling.


    ¡°You meant to say ¡®good night¡¯,¡± Theo said, clapping Khahar on the shoulder.


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Feeling better than he had in a while, Theo made his way back to the Newt and Demon. Reports still rolled in, but they were tepid. Monsters were spawning from the other dungeons, but not in amounts that were concerning. No one had sighted the strangers out near the trees. But it was time to go to bed, off into the Dreamwalk where the alchemist could grind more levels.


    Alex was happy to sleep wherever, finding a cluster of blankets in the room¡¯s center to curl into. Within moments, the room swirled around Theo. The ethereal world of the Dreamwalk sprung up around him, replacing reality with the personalized realm. The gosling took on her true form here, waddling around with her webbed feet to peck at the ground near the river. While she was busy with her goose stuff, the two members of the party went over their plan. It was always good to wait until they had privacy.


    But there were few changes they needed to make to ensure Alex¡¯s safety. They¡¯d hand her off to Miana, surround her with golems and whatever adventurers needed a contract before leaving the town. It would have been more risky to take her with them than leaving her here. Broken Tusk had massive guns on the walls, after all.


    When it came time to split off, Alex wanted to stay with Theo. The alchemist¡¯s plans for the night¡¯s Dreamwalk was to grind out alchemy and herbalism experience. When he got his imagined stills set up, the realm refused to let him distill his new reagents. Once again, it was particular about what they could do.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Theo said, working his stills. ¡°At least I have company that¡¯s not trying to kill me.¡±


    Alex chirped her response.


    The [Drogramath Alchemy Core] rolled over to level 18 during the night, with the [Drogramath Herbalism Core] almost hitting 17. Theo didn¡¯t get a system message while in the Dreamwalk, but could feel it in his chest. Both his [Governance Core] and [Tara¡¯hek Core] gained a massive dump of experience from the siege, enough to push his administration-based core over the edge into 16, but not enough for the Tara¡¯hek to advance.


    During his brewing, golem construction, and tending of gardens, Theo reflected on how his alchemy was going. There seemed to be a limit to what he could do at his current tier, but something scratched at the back of his mind. The hints were all before him, as they always were. Working with his current selection of reagents was limiting. Once he unlocked the [Reagent Deconstruction] skill at level 20, he¡¯d understand the nature of his ingredients more. Until then, he could use the skill from his herbalism core to make inferences.


    [Rare Material Handling] was a skill that surprised him when he got it. The only reagents he¡¯d seen didn¡¯t need much special handling. Once distilled into their essence form was when he worried about handing it off to a normal person, but the reagents? Those were all fine to handle. No matter how he tried to project his mind, to twist it around a possible future, Theo couldn¡¯t see what rare materials would mean for alchemy. His intuition said it would be different, but he couldn¡¯t determine in what way.


    Alex was an excellent helper. She didn¡¯t physically do anything, but her calming presence added more to the Dreamwalk than anything else. Theo couldn¡¯t feel the regular flash of hate that Tresk exuded during their training. It was more a focused calm, like a properly trained fighter. It was a sudden shift that left the alchemist thinking about the lodestones Zarali had made. Perhaps the little gosling acted much like those, spreading the mental weight of conflicting realms out over the Tara¡¯hek. He shared the information with Tresk, through their communication ability, and she came to visit them by the river.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m feeling less pissed off with the goose around.¡±


    Alex chirped and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain no one has done this before,¡± Tresk said.


    The number of people who held a Tara¡¯hek in this world was likely low, if not zero outside of their bond. Khahar might know, but then again he might not tell the truth. It seemed the longer the man spent outside of his desert kingdom, the worse off he was. Why he didn¡¯t just pop back to the desert in an instant to rest was beyond the alchemist. Yuri now functioned on a level that was impossible to understand. He was beyond normal logic.


    Theo and Tresk sat by the river for some time, sensing the end of the Dreamwalk drawing near. The Marshling summoned a sunrise for them to watch, complete with the massive, fake Marshling god Marshy. Tresk was a horrible dancer, and so was the massive salamander. For the first time since he¡¯d met her, Tresk just sat there. She didn¡¯t fidget, or play with the knives at her hips. She allowed the true power of the Tara¡¯hek to consume her, giving in to that calming sensation completely.


    By the time morning came, Theo couldn¡¯t decide if it was a change he enjoyed.

 Chapter 3.52 - A Visit to Rivers

    Azrug was a man who took his job seriously. While he was absent from the Newt and Demon, he¡¯d been working on a project. Theo felt pride flash through his chest when he saw the Karatan-drawn carriages, 2 in all. These creatures were unlike those being milked at Miana¡¯s ranch. They were thinner and more muscular. Even their insect-like faces seemed sharper, meant for distance hauling and speed rather than milk or meat production. The carts they drew were open-topped, their wheels spiked with treads. It was hard to miss the glowing purple scribbles running along the side of the carts. They¡¯d been enchanted.


    While the arrangements were made suddenly, Theo hardly minded. His inventory was loaded with copper, [Drogramathi Iron Containment Cores], and various potions and constructs. He had already dismissed every golem besides his 3 [Lesser Stone Golems], and a single [Lesser Plant Golem]. When they were deactivated, they melted into puddles before their containment cores exploded into purple fire. The alchemist went to check with Miana for the fourth time before departing Broken Tusk for the first time.


    ¡°Take care of her,¡± Theo said, feeling the pain of leaving a member behind. A mantra played through his mind. This was the best thing for her. The safest option.


    ¡°I think they¡¯ll sort out her safety,¡± Miana said, pointing at the 5 [Lesser Copper Golems] prowling around the ranch. ¡°Or them.¡±


    Theo placed a contract in the morning, spending several gold to wrangle everyone who wasn¡¯t on guard duty. Zarali and Xol¡¯sa offered their services to defend the gosling, but were redirected to be the town¡¯s commanders for the day. The ranch¡¯s position near the eastern wall afforded it more defenses than most places in town, decreasing the chances that the little goose would be attacked. None of this put the alchemist¡¯s mind at ease. Unless Alex was with him, he wouldn¡¯t consider her safe. Even if she¡¯d be safer here.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ensure her safety,¡± Khahar said, appearing behind Theo to offer his comforting warmth.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do it,¡± Theo said, turning around to grin at his old friend.


    Khahar merely shrugged.


    ¡°Alright, folks!¡± Azrug shouted, clapping his hands. ¡°My Karatan can¡¯t jump through dimensions, so we gotta get moving.¡±


    Tresk accompanied Theo to the rearmost carriage. They climbed inside and cast puzzled looks at the series of leather straps littering the benches. Azrug took charge in the lead cart, providing a demonstration on how things would work.


    ¡°One strap isn¡¯t enough,¡± Azrug said, holding up a single strap. ¡°Two isn¡¯t, either. You need to use all three straps. Over each shoulder, and around your belly. If you¡¯re not strapped in when I give the word, you¡¯re gonna tumble out the back.¡±


    Theo felt a sudden need to master the straps. He got the shoulder ones on without issue, but the one meant for his waist was being difficult. Tresk had hers done in moments, and leaned over to help the alchemist. They had it sorted before the call to head off was issued. No one else in the caravan had trouble with their straps. Before the young merchant¡¯s command came, he drank a [Strength Potion] for good measure. His muscles swelled with power, suddenly tossing him into a new realm of power. Gripping the bench, he braced himself for the call.


    ¡°Off to Rivers and Daub!¡±


    The caravan shot off like a bolt. Each cart had a team of only 2 beasts. But between those 2 creatures, they generated an impossible amount of force. Theo¡¯s head bobbed from side to side, Alise and Gwyn in the lead carriage faring far worse. They shouted as the carts took off, an unending scream that echoed over the hills even after they jumped the bridge.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take Fenian¡¯s carriage next time, thank you,¡± Tresk said, gritting her teeth.


    Don¡¯t talk, you¡¯ll bite your tongue, Theo said.


    Cheep, Alex said.


    Azrug undersold the power of the Karatan. From his occasional shouts of surprise, it was clear he even didn¡¯t expect this. How long the trip to Rivers took was beyond Theo. It was a blur, but by the time they reached the town straddling the river, his [Strength Potion] had expired.


    Rivers and Daub was a different town in person. The Dreamwalk did little to convey how sprawling it was, and how weak the walls looked. People of all races walked over the paved roads, sharing confused looks at the arriving caravan. Theo¡¯s teeth chattered after he dismounted the cart, his butt numb from the ride. It took a few moments to appreciate the town.


    The south-facing gate of the town was adorned with a single defensive artifices. Even worse, it was a [Fireball Tower], not the more powerful [Chain Lightning Tower] version. The alchemist studied the skyline as he assembled 5 [Lesser Copper Golems], bringing them to life right outside of the gates of their new potential ally. The copper ingots half-melted, forming into rough shapes. With the new [Drogramathi Iron Containment Cores], he hardly felt a strain on his mind, even if his connection to the lodestone network was too distant to sense.


    Azrug spoke with a guard who directed him to bring the carriages inside the town, then directed the others to their meeting place. The party shuffled into the town, heads swiveling around to inspect the buildings.


    ¡°These are mostly hand-built,¡± Luras said, his brow knitting tight.


    ¡°Not a good sign,¡± Theo mumbled.


    ¡°Scouting time!¡± Tresk said, vanishing from the spot.


    Theo ordered 2 metal golems to trail Alise and Gwyn, keeping 3 to defend himself. They walked the streets, getting odd looks from each citizen. The minder directing them where to go went through great effort to avoid the less-affluent parts of the town. These were places that the alchemist had seen in the Dreamwalk, and he made a note of the show. They looped around the circular town, crossing over the river and finding their way to the noble¡¯s district. Each building in this area was massive, often containing well-maintained gardens out front. The people here were friendly, offering their greetings to the delegation. It felt like too much of a facade.


    Their journey didn¡¯t last long. Rivers and Daub wasn¡¯t massive, and the guard picked a quick path to the town¡¯s administration building. This was a seed core [Town Hall], that looked nothing like the one in Broken Tusk. It was an all stone construction with columns and wide steps out front. Massive stained-glass windows covered the front, and the door was made of etched copper-like metal that bore detailed images.


    Just updating my memory of this place. Not much has changed, Tresk said. The party from Gronro is waiting at the north end of town.


    Theo sent his acknowledgement without words, trying to hold back his laughter from the interior of the town hall. Twin pillars lined the atrium, the floor a sleek polished marble. By each pillar stood a plinth with a sculpture, each wall adorned with detailed paintings or tapestries. Groups of silk-clad administrators moved around the place like they had somewhere to be, casting the delegation from Broken Tusk in a dirty light.


    ¡°Fancy shit,¡± Aarok grunted.


    ¡°Mayor Spencer,¡± a voice called from across the hall. Theo¡¯s golems stomped in behind him, turning their faceless gaze over the room. ¡°If you¡¯d join me, we¡¯re ready to start.¡±


    ¡°What about us?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°This is a meeting between leaders,¡± the administrator said, trying and failing to hold back the impatience in their voice. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bringing my pets. No worries,¡± Theo said, waving them off.


    Aarok and Luras weren¡¯t alright with this, but they had no choice. Theo kept his mind on his [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] ability, ready to get the hell out of there at a moment¡¯s notice. He was led down a series of halls that gave his enhanced memory a workout. The golems kept pace, and they soon found themselves in a massive meeting room. Two men were standing inside, discussing something. When Theo entered the room, they fell into an uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°Introducing Mayor Theo Spencer,¡± the administrator said, bowing. ¡°And his creatures.¡±


    Theo entered the room, ordering his 3 golems to cover his flanks. The first man was Alran Cherman. On paper, he was the trade representative of Rivers and Daub, one of many mercantile chairs the town held. The reality of it was clear, though. The employer of assassins¡ªfailed assassins¡ªran the show. He was portly, draped in fine green silks with a head of greasy, thinning hair slicked back. The next man was a Dwarf. Even by Dwarven standards, he was short. He had a head of well-oiled long, black hair and a beard to match. The Dwarf wore chain armor layered over padded cloth with a sword at his hip. His face carried the scars and pits from years of conflict, his gray eyes maintaining the same edge.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Theo, so nice to see you,¡± Alran said, holding his arms wide. He gestured at the table. ¡°Allow me to make introductions¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grot Stormfist,¡± the dwarf said, waving the formalities away. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it.¡±


    ¡°As long as there aren¡¯t assassins waiting in the dark,¡± Theo said, approaching the table and taking a seat.


    ¡°A lapse of judgment,¡± Alran said, wincing.


    Each man took their seats, Grot near the massive windows, Alran on the far side of the room, and Theo nearest the door. The alchemist ordered 2 golems to defend the door, and one to protect him.


    ¡°Not that you¡¯re lacking in defense, Dronon,¡± Grot said, gesturing to the golems. ¡°Didn¡¯t know we could bring friends.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re free to drop your sword out of the window,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Point taken.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but administrators do gabble on,¡± Alran said, sighing. ¡°While I¡¯m certain your staff will be upset, I¡¯d prefer to do this between the genuine leaders of each town.¡±


    ¡°How oddly wise,¡± Theo said, leaning in.


    ¡°I have my moments,¡± Alran said. ¡°So, the assassins I sent. We won¡¯t make progress until we deal with that topic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here in good faith,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°And armed to the teeth,¡± Grot laughed.


    ¡°More than you realize,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Alran said, clearing his throat. ¡°We can head out into the courtyard and fight it out like savages, if you like. Run me through in front of my people. Would that please you?¡±


    ¡°Not even a little,¡± Theo said, letting out a sigh.


    The assassins were a distant memory by now. That play was a desperate attempt to seize power, played by a man who underestimated his enemy. While Broken Tusk could take Rivers and Daub for themselves, declare some kind of civil war, it wasn¡¯t the right move. This idea of an alliance was about more than just a single town. It was about building something that could rival Qavell in the north, even after whatever disaster befell it.


    ¡°Business,¡± Grot said. ¡°We¡¯re all screwed if we don¡¯t come together.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°Tactically, you could ignore Gronro in your little ¡®everything is so great¡¯ southlands deal. But we are the rock the tide will break against,¡± Grot said.


    ¡°You¡¯re more than that,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re the sword and the shield. When the hordes come south, we need you in fighting form.¡±


    ¡°Wow, someone who agrees with me,¡± Grot said, staring at Alran. ¡°Should¡¯ve just been the Tusk-Gronro alliance.¡±


    ¡°Rivers has plenty to offer,¡± Alran said, chuckling nervously.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Grot said, waving the merchant away. ¡°Undead from Gardreth. That¡¯s what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    Theo gasped for dramatic effect. He¡¯d already put the pieces together, though. Alran clutched his chest in shock. The merchant stammered, his eyes darting between the alchemist and the Dwarf.


    ¡°They¡¯ve never crossed the sea,¡± Alran whispered.


    ¡°Now they have,¡± Grot said, nodding. ¡°You know how the crown has gone silent? Yeah, they¡¯re too busy dealing with the wave of undeath spreading across the eastern reaches of the kingdom.¡±


    Theo fell into his thoughts. Fenian knew the undead were coming¡ªhow did he know that? None of it seemed to matter at that moment. Because of the Elven merchant¡¯s scheming, the alchemist now stood with a bargaining chip. This entire council would now play to whatever tune he set, unable to deny the usefulness of the potions resting in his inventory. The best way to approach this was to play it cool.


    ¡°You¡¯re well informed, Grot,¡± Theo said, nodding to the Dwarven representative.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t take much,¡± Grot said, sighing. ¡°My first report came in yesterday, from a migrant train. Then more reports came in, claiming to see strange magic rolling onto the shore. Some amount of undeath touches the eastern shores, but no one lives there. It¡¯s moving inland.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Alran asked. His face looked gaunt.


    ¡°We form our alliance,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not equal partners, not part of the same nation¡­ Independent partners with the same interest. We can let our administrative staff work the details out, but Broken Tusk is eager to aid the people of Gronro-Dir.¡±


    Grot raised a brow, saying something as Theo withdrew a [Hallow Ground Bomb] from his inventory. He set it on the table, silencing the dwarf before he could continue. The other men took a moment to inspect the bomb, turning their attention to the alchemist.


    ¡°This is the worst of my weapons for fighting undead,¡± Theo said, withdrawing the more powerful [Hallow Ground Potion] modified with [Web]. He let the men look it over.


    ¡°You¡¯re offering us weapons to fight the undead a day after I learned that¡¯s what we face,¡± Grot said, narrowing his eyes at Theo. The golem behind Theo moved to the side, but stopped when commanded. ¡°Pardon me if I¡¯m suspicious.¡±


    Theo leaned in, smiling. ¡°Then die. I don¡¯t care what you think. You¡¯re not here to think. I¡¯m not just offering you access to these weapons, which I might say are worth more than you can afford. I¡¯m offering you access to my dungeons and my potions.¡±


    ¡°Lots of hard talk for a Dronon,¡± Grot growled. ¡°You think you can take over Broken Tusk, and a season later rule the south? My family has stood strong at Murder Passage for generations.¡±


    ¡°You have two options. Accept, or die,¡± Theo said.


    Alran seemed like a scared mouse. He tried to make himself look as small as possible as the two other men leaned in over the desk. Theo¡¯s golem grumbled while Tresk¡¯s murderous intent spiked in the alchemist¡¯s mind.


    Grot leaned back in his chair, letting out a heavy breath. After a moment, he laughed. ¡°Damn, the Humans in Gronro have softened me. Been too long since I¡¯ve knocked heads with another true Dwarf, let alone with a Dronon. The sword and the shield, huh?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Theo said. ¡°Broken Tusk is happy to sharpen your edge, and bolster your defenses for the tide.¡±


    ¡°As is Rivers and Daub,¡± Alran said, his voice breaking.


    ¡°Boil it down. We¡¯ve all got treason on the mind,¡± Grot said, relaxing after a moment. Theo¡¯s golem backed off, and the tension dropped from the room. ¡°Qavell has been an absent father for too long. Even before they dropped out of sight, they were rubbing me the wrong way. You can count me as the rock in our arrangement, but King Karasan? He¡¯s up to something.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°The war with Veosta is nonsense.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help matters that Tarantham is backing Veosta for the war,¡± Alran said, studying the faces of his peers. After a moment, confusion washing over Theo, the merchant grinned. ¡°Oh, for once, I don¡¯t feel like a drowning rat in this conversation. Veosta is now allied with the Tarantham Empire. Unless we actively cut ties with Qavell, we¡¯ll be swept up in the storm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± Theo said, blinking away his confusion. That seemed like important information Fenian should have delivered. ¡°How long before they reach Qavell proper?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Grot said. ¡°There¡¯s a reason no one goes to Gardreth. A reason Glanthier split it from the continent. It would take a miracle to stop the undead from laying waste to the heartland of the Kingdom of Qavell. The Elves will find only ruin.¡±


    ¡°Unless the kingdom had access to an alchemist¡¯s potions,¡± Alran said, tapping his chin.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Theo said, glaring at the merchant. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m jumping to save the kingdom. They wouldn¡¯t afford us the same luxury.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Grot said.


    ¡°It never hurts to ask,¡± Alran said. ¡°Then this is it. Three small towns against the world. What do you think our chances are?¡±


    ¡°Excellent. If we work together, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Theo said. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, the alliance is formed. We¡¯ll let the administrators work the details out, but feel free to amend whatever agreement they come up with.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Grot said. ¡°I want to see this in writing before I commit.¡±


    ¡°We should distribute communication crystals,¡± Alran said. ¡°Between the members of the alliance.¡±


    ¡°Good luck finding those,¡± Grot laughed.


    ¡°I know a guy,¡± Theo said.


    Everything is clear out here. I guess they¡¯re finally on the level, Tresk said. I feel the meeting went well. Nice job putting your foot down.


    The group allowed their conversation to fall into logistics. Theo offered Azrug¡¯s race Karatan to run supplies for the time being, something the young merchant likely had in mind anyway. If he didn¡¯t have that in mind, he would. It would be important for transferring both goods and messages between the towns until they got a hold of long-range communications. Letting his rough edges fall away, Grot was excited about the alliance. Gronro stood alone for so long, her people had forgotten what it was like to have someone at their back.


    The sun was setting by the time their meeting ended. Administrators from all 3 towns were hammering out the details of the alliance. Theo trusted them to do the right thing, joining with Tresk on the streets of Rivers and Daub. They stood on the bridge, watching as people passed by. It would be nice to think of every citizen of the town as an enemy. Someone to stand in their way. But even the nobles of the town were just people. Some were insufferable, but they were still people.


    It¡¯s hard not to worry about the people in the north, Theo said, keeping his concerns in the Tara¡¯hek.


    Can¡¯t save everyone, Tresk said.


    Theo just nodded. He instructed Tresk to take a poke around Gronro while they were in the region. She claimed that between the [Elemental Wind] enhanced [Potions of Retreat] and her [Shadowdance] ability, she could make the trip in an hour. The alchemist didn¡¯t doubt it, looking over toward the towering crags. She vanished on the spot, and he waited there for her to give the signal.


    The sun was setting by the time Tresk reported, and they both activated their [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] ability. Even with the Marshling being further north, their realm was strong enough to carry them back to Broken Tusk without an issue. They fell through the winding path of dreams, arriving in Miana¡¯s stables. Alex was there, chirping happily.

 Chapter 3.53 - Synergy

    It was hard enough to spend time away from the gosling, no matter how little, but harder still to leave once Theo had returned. The junior administration staff had things for the alchemist to look at, but Tresk promised to stay with Alex. Things had moved quicker than expected. The sudden meeting at Rivers and Daub increased the pace of an already hectic few days.


    The town seemed more somber without their support staff and commanders. Theo found his way to the town hall, led by a gaggle of administrators to meet with Zarali. Where Xol¡¯sa had a mind for war, the Drogramathi Priestess seemed more suited to administration. But even a day of management left her hair frazzled and her expression dazed. The alchemist clapped a hand over the bedraggled woman¡¯s shoulder and smiled. She jumped at the contact, eyes darting as though she was asleep standing up.


    ¡°Theo! How did it go?¡± she asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It was great,¡± Theo said. ¡°Threw my weight around and all that. How are things here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re scrambling to get everything in order. I can¡¯t read Alise¡¯s handwriting, and Gwyn isn¡¯t much better,¡± Zarali said, knitting her brow.


    Theo checked his mayoral screen, finding a section where the pair had scribbled endless notes. He compared these to the hand-written notes Zarali held and confirmed they were the same. It was a list of what needed to be done before the Elves arrived tomorrow. The houses Fenian meant the refugees from House Wavecrest would need to share homes. The chattering administration juniors confirmed all those homes were planted, ready for their occupants. Food still needed to be distributed to [Dimensional Storage Crates] for distribution, but otherwise, things were looking good.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re mostly done,¡± Theo said. ¡°Should we expand the town to impress our new townsfolk?¡±


    The administrators gave a series of overlapping sounds that were a mixture of agreement and disapproval. Theo stared them down for a moment, dismissing them to distribute the food before the refugees arrived. Zarali let out a sigh of relief, falling into a plus chair near the fire. It was too hot for a fire, but Half-Ogres always loved when there was a fire burning.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Zarali asked. ¡°I¡¯m already exhausted, and I have done nothing today. Just walked around with a group of chittering children. How does Bob do it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, grabbing her by the hand and hoisting her to her feet. She trailed behind him, too tired to keep pace. Standing near the town¡¯s monolith, the alchemist consulted his map.


    The town held a few sections that were logical to expand. They already owned all the immediate area around Broken Tusk as unincorporated land, so they couldn¡¯t build there. But the best place to expand was to the east and west of the farm, by one expansion, and expand that until it met with the northern wall. Naturally, that was too expensive. Buying property around the town was getting absurdly expensive. Each purchase would set him back 10 gold, at the minimum. But without the property, they couldn¡¯t upgrade the town¡¯s status, resulting in an inability to level it to 20.


    ¡°We¡¯ll settle on the eastern side, for now. The land between the farm and the quarry is perfect for housing. Once I get more money, I can think about taking that section with the farm to the east,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Zarali said. Theo poked her in the arm, but she didn¡¯t respond.


    Theo ignored her, checking the next upgrade stage for the town.


    [Broken Tusk] can be upgraded to a [Massive Town] when the following conditions are met:


    Large Population: COMPLETE


    Expanded Land Ownership: INCOMPLETE


    If he had the money, he could hit whatever was after [Massive Town] right when the Elves arrived. But income was slowing down, and would only get worse when the undead attacked Gronro. For now, he needed to be happy with what he had. Theo selected several expansions, starting from Stabby Groves and working his way eastward. Each purchase was more expensive than the last, resulting in him spending 50 gold between 4 expansions. The ground under their feet rumbled as the walls readjusted themselves. The alchemist realized he should have sent a notice when shouts of fear rose from the townsfolk.


    [Theo]: Just expanding the town. No need to worry.


    Theo checked his money, his warning not calming anyone in the slightest. 25 gold, 61 silver, and 44 copper. It seemed a shame to keep that much gold in his inventory, but there was nothing to spend it on. Perhaps Azrug¡¯s caravans would provide him with something worth buying. For now, he clicked the button to upgrade the town to a [Massive Town]. It provided no benefit, but allowed him to push Broken Tusk over the level 20 mark. It only took a few [Monster Cores] to push the town over the edge.


    The upgrade screen popped up, displaying the familiar [Water Tower], and [Watchtowers] selection. But the level 20 option was great. It was something Theo could have only dreamed of. The alchemist read through all the options anyway, just to make sure.


    [Watchtowers]


    Your [Small Town] will gain watchtowers placed along the border. The watchtowers will move to match the edge of your borders, should you expand. 12 watchtowers will be placed.


    [Water Tower]


    Your [Small Town] will gain a single 1,000 unit water tower in its center. The tower will not automatically fill.


    [Synergistic]


    Enables the [Production Chain Synergy] ability on all buildings within town. Linking buildings requires a [Fabricator]. Results of synergies vary based on the skill of the [Fabricator].


    How could he resist the [Synergistic] option? Broken Tusk had enough production chains to make it worth it. Theo thought about the [Weaver¡¯s Seed Core] in his inventory, and his eventual plan to use that to spin his [Starbristle Flax]. Once the shipwright got to town, he¡¯d have a better idea for what other parts of the shipbuilding chain they¡¯d need. But this was too good not to pick. After selecting the upgrade, he inspected his town while Zarali fell asleep standing up.


    [Massive Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Kingdom of Qavell


    Mayor: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Qavell]


    Level: 20 (15.11%)


    Core Buildings:


    Alchemy Lab


    Greenhouses (x6)


    Mycology Cave (x2)


    Blacksmith


    Artificer¡¯s Workshop


    Large Farm


    Windmill


    Quarry


    Stonecutter


    House (x352)


    Tannery


    Tavern


    Adventurer¡¯s Guild


    Hotsprings


    Sawmill


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Mine


    Smelter


    Enchanter


    Ranch


    Townhall


    Butcher


    Defensive Emplacements:


    Chain Lightning (x12)


    Frost Cone (x7)


    Fireball (x10)


    Firebolt (x25)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Turret Emplacements]


    [Synergistics]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 40,101


    Stone Blocks: 17,006


    Metal: 18,108


    Motes: 8,418


    Theo sneered at the owner of Broken Tusk. Whatever was happening in the north would change their fortunes, but it was hard to tell if that was a good thing. The normal road to gaining independence came with purchasing a dukedom. That wasn¡¯t even full freedom, it was just less taxes. The alchemist needed the disaster in the north to go well for him. He held onto that idea of reaping taxes from the region, creating a constant flow of money he could use to enhance the region.


    ¡°Done working?¡± Tresk asked, trotting through the square. She cradled Alex in her arms, the gosling constantly chirping. ¡°You had fun with Auntie Miana, didn¡¯t you? Got to see all those big scary Pozwa. Good girl.¡±


    ¡°Mostly. Should I dump cores into the town, or upgrade buildings? Everything can get past level 30, now,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin.


    ¡°Buildings,¡± Tresk said. ¡°No need to waste cores when we need another status upgrade.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for some recon.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah.¡±


    Theo deposited Zarali through Xol¡¯sa portal, checking with the administrators that everything was good for the night. When he was satisfied, the alchemist ordered his 5 remaining [Lesser Copper Golems] to guard the Newt and Demon. It paid to be cautious.


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex fell into the Dreamwalk together. They appeared on a snowy mountain, the lowland of Rivers and Daub stretching to the south. Every other direction was craggy mountains reaching into the sky like jagged daggers. Gronro-Dir was a horrid place. The buildings were squat, some built into the mountain itself. They had a wall, but it was under-defended and the interior of the town was tiny. The alchemist estimated it was about the size of the farm in Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t impressed,¡± Tresk said.


    But Gronro had one thing going for it. There were only two approaches to the town. North and south. Anything attempting to attack would need to brave the bitter cold and jagged peaks of Murder Passage. Theo walked the wall, finding a lack of defensive towers. He was glad that cold didn¡¯t translate to the Dreamwalk, but concerned about his ally¡¯s lack of defensive capability.


    ¡°They defended this for how long?¡± Theo asked, looking out over the north-facing wall. The approach was horrific. A narrow passage, only wide enough for two Half-Ogres to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, ending on either side with a plunge. Deep valleys were on either side of the path, at the bottom of which were more jagged rocks that would shred anything. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how they did it. Right.¡±


    ¡°Put a few [Chain Lighting Towers] on this bad boy,¡± Tresk said, patting the wall. ¡°And you got yourself a defensible position.¡±


    Alex chirped her agreement, jumping off the wall. Theo watched her go, unconcerned for her safety. Dreamwalk rules applied for everyone in the realm. She couldn¡¯t be hurt.


    ¡°So, the meeting,¡± Theo said. He explained how it went. Tresk pumped her fist when he got to the part about throwing his weight around. She had concerns about Rivers and Daub pulling their weight, but agreed it seemed weird to leave them out.


    ¡°They want to be the breadbasket,¡± Theo explained. ¡°But we¡¯ll out-produce them soon.¡±


    Tresk tapped her fingers on her daggers, humming for a moment. ¡°Why can¡¯t they get their own patron?¡±


    ¡°Well, nothing says they can¡¯t¡­ But our latent power comes from the dungeons,¡± Theo said. Working with Xol¡¯sa had increased his knowledge on the function of godly power. It shouldn¡¯t have been as simple as asking a god to fill a dungeon with power.


    ¡°They have a dungeon here,¡± Tresk said, pointing northward.


    In the distance, behind a haze of snow and clouds, was a dungeon entrance. It was hard to see from the walls, but there it was. Theo shifted the scene, arriving on the walls of Rivers and Daub. Tresk helped him scan the horizon without asking questions, but they weren¡¯t able to spot a dungeon.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they have a dungeon around here,¡± Theo said, squinting to see farther. It didn¡¯t work. ¡°They must. Right?¡±


    ¡°Not so sure about that,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo fell into his thoughts while they searched. That would put Rivers at a massive disadvantage. Then a realization washed over him. It wasn¡¯t a problem of having an overpowered growth rate. Banu¡¯s farm had several upgrades that allowed him to grow stuff far faster than normal. Miana¡¯s ranch likely had upgrades that worked similarly.


    ¡°The lazy bastard,¡± Theo said, shaking his head.


    ¡°You think he doesn¡¯t have seed core farms? Is that psychopath growing stuff by hand?¡± Tresk asked, gasping. ¡°Surely not!¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve inspected the town,¡± Theo grumbled. ¡°We¡¯re hoping Alise and Gwyn are sharper than I was. That was the point of leaving the administrators to hammer it out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be better leaders than the king,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo didn¡¯t want to think about that, but it was true. He was setting himself up to lead the three towns in the southlands. While the alchemist didn¡¯t want to lead them, it was necessary. They had the resources to make everyone else better. If Alise and Gwyn didn¡¯t stipulate it in the defensive agreement, he would request the disbandment of all mercantile chairs. That was a poison that had no place in towns, always leading to greedy bastards getting theirs and screwing everyone else. Their goal was always to give people the chance to work and be part of something bigger than themselves. All these people needed was a chance. Broken Tusk just needed a bit of cash, and the right connections, and it rose to dominate within a season. How far would Rivers and Daub go with the same opportunity?


    ¡°Can¡¯t forget Gronro,¡± Tresk said, invading Theo¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about what happens if Qavell falls,¡± Theo said. But there was a logical element to that. The alchemist could step through the logic of the world and come to a singular conclusion. ¡°Qavell likely has a seed core for the kingdom. Nation Seed Core, maybe? Take the logical step. If we remove our [Alchemy Lab Seed Core], the bonuses inside would cease to function.¡±


    ¡°If the nation core thingy goes away, our [Town Seed Core] stops working,¡± Tresk said. Her expression was grim.


    ¡°Pray that Fenian knows what¡¯s going on,¡± Theo said.


    Theo shifted the scene back to Tresk¡¯s memory of Gronro-Dir. She walked with him as he inspected the buildings. While the Dreamwalk wouldn¡¯t allow him to inspect the seed core buildings, he assumed the ramshackle ones weren¡¯t seed cores. They had it hard here. The Marshling pointed out the seed core mine nestled against a rocky outcrop. That was the town¡¯s only exportable item. They didn¡¯t even have a smelter to process the nuggets. Without room to grow food, this place was destitute.


    ¡°Reminds me of Broken Tusk,¡± Tresk said, a sad smile playing across her face. ¡°Not anymore, though.¡±


    If no one wanted to migrate to Gronro, Theo wouldn¡¯t be surprised. It wasn¡¯t appealing in any way. But the town was more important than the others defensively. Controlling that singular path to the southlands was vital to everyone¡¯s survival. Grot Stormfist would get more aid than Alran, at first. But at least the leader of Rivers and Daub understood the importance of coming together in a time of crisis. That was a starting point the alchemist could work with.


    Grot was much like the little Theo had seen of other Dwarves. That race reminded him of the Half-Ogres, in a way. They were stubborn, perhaps lacking the kindness that lingered in the hearts of all Half-Ogres. How Qavell¡¯s culture of greedy merchants had bled beyond the hard walls of Gronro-Dir was a mystery.


    ¡°A hard road made harder by our refugees,¡± Theo said, snapping the scene away from Gronro and back to Broken Tusk¡¯s port. ¡°Here¡¯s the most important thing. Let me know when you get annoyed. Feels like I talk about this harbor more than anything else.¡±


    Alex chirped, falling into the water of the harbor.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re annoying,¡± Tresk said. ¡°But this harbor is everything. Once we¡¯re cut off, Fenian is our only supplier.¡±


    It was hard to tell if that was a bad thing. Fenian brought many of the items Theo took advantage of. The only thing the Elven trader didn¡¯t provide was supplies. Food, materials, and so on were lacking when he came to town. That set the southland¡¯s alliance up for famine if something disastrous happened. The harbor was insurance against that exact scenario. More than that, it was a portal to the wider world. Qavell was just too insular.


    Tresk and Theo talked about the problem at length, spending the first quarter of the night going over the best trade partners. Separating themselves from the kingdom, as soon as possible, was the best option. Even considering the consequences of losing seed core buildings, it was better than being trampled by Elves. How their refugees played into making deals with Tarantham was yet to be seen. The alchemist hoped there was mercy in the heart of the Elves. Either way, they either made enemies passively by not leaving Qavell, or actively by accepting House Wavecrest.


    They returned to Gronro-Dir before splitting off for the night. Theo spent his time convincing the Dreamwalk to create undead, but it was a failure. Tresk must have really believed she¡¯d seen a dragon if it let her create those, but undeath was a step too far. He tested the defensibility of the northern wall against other enemies.


    A horde of goblins thundered down the narrow pass, most of them falling off the cliffs to the sides. The ones that made it to the gate were easy enough to pick off with bombs, even without the help of the towers. There was no room for the creatures to fight. A single [Firebomb] forced a retreat, spreading the flames among their ranks. When Theo created more goblins than he¡¯d ever seen in one place, the result was the same. With a horde 3 to 4 goblins wide, they marched up to the gates and received bombs to the face.


    Gronro-Dir¡¯s biggest weakness was flying enemies. Theo didn¡¯t have experience fighting off high-level people, but he hoped the scenario wouldn¡¯t play out. Even with Broken Tusk bristling with towers, someone like Sulvan would make it through. The alchemist felt pushed, the way he often did, to solve that future problem before it came about. When Khahar left, and the followers of the Burning Eye returned from the moon, he needed to be ready to fight them off.


    ¡°Because why not send your enemy to the moon?¡± Theo asked, looking up into the sky. He still hadn¡¯t spotted the dark moon Antalis. That was the problem with a moon that matched the color of the night¡¯s sky.


    Pushing away his thoughts for defense, Theo summoned alchemy and herbalism equipment to practice his trade. He cycled between brewing potions, growing crops, and working on his mana control. Xol¡¯sa¡¯s words echoed through his head as he brought mana from his core to his palm. It felt smoother by the day, his power over his own body expanding. Soon he¡¯d be comfortable summoning his mana outside the Dreamwalk. Later he¡¯d have the confidence to pursue a mage class.

 3.54 - Ill Drink to That

    Despite Theo¡¯s expectations, there wasn¡¯t a massive portal outside the town¡¯s walls. No elves poured through, flooding Broken Tusk in the early hours of the morning. Instead, he had tea and ate a breakfast of sweetened Zee porridge at Xam¡¯s tavern. The citizens of the town didn¡¯t notice the absence of their military and administrative leaders, though. Tresk cradled Alex near the window in the Marsh Wolf Tavern, watching with interest as groups came and went from the building.


    There was an energy in the air that was infectious. People talked about the Elves. They chatted about their future lives, bolstered by the hard work of a noble race. But there were also reservations. What few natives of the region remained all had worries about the dilution of their culture. Even now, with the population of the town reaching toward 300, the natives were outnumbered. That struck a sad chord in Theo¡¯s chest, but he moved past it. There wasn¡¯t time for slow growth. They needed able-bodied workers¡ªas many as would come¡ªand they needed them now.


    Theo spent the early morning reviewing the list of Elves provided by Fenian. There were over 250 set to arrive, giving way to a suspicion that there would be more still. If the Elven trader made good on his promise to bring along sailors and shipwrights, it would be fine. The trade would be even as long as he brought those things. Isolation was on everyone¡¯s minds, and if they didn¡¯t produce the means to trade with foreign lands, Broken Tusk was doomed to fail. But there were other matters to attend to.


    ¡°Boss,¡± Salire said, entering the Marsh Wolf Tavern. ¡°Fancy time to disappear. People are beating down the door for the air conditioning thing.¡±


    ¡°The [Freeze Solution]?¡± Theo asked.


    His mind swirled before she formed a response. There should have been plenty of [Swamp Onions] laying around, but they weren¡¯t fermented. With his [Lesser Plant Golem] hard at work, there were enough [Manashrooms] to last a lifetime. Before Salire had opened her mouth, Theo resolved to sort that problem out.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± she said. ¡°I want to sell them in 10-unit flasks. One silver per flask.¡±


    Theo found it easier to bite back his next words. Air conditioners weren¡¯t a right, they were a privilege. Broken Tusk was already doing so much for her citizens, they didn¡¯t need to give out free air conditioners and [Freeze Solution] as well.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll get working on that right now. I¡¯ll make enough to last you a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I forgot to say. Azrug came along and bought up all the old gear from the shop,¡± Salire said.


    Theo paused, his teacup half-way to his mouth. He then took a sip. ¡°He got his [Loremaster¡¯s Core],¡± he said, nodding to himself. ¡°Expect that general shop to pop up any day.¡±


    ¡°Good. I can unlock some properties on my gear,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together.


    Theo talked with Salire about her plans for the near-future. While she was originally from Gronro, she found solace in the hard-working nature of her people. The Dwarves had a hardened sense of responsibility that didn¡¯t include the welfare of their own people. She missed the kindness that rested in the hearts of all Half-Ogres. That warm-hearted nature might have come with jibes, or challenges, but it was there all the same. When the conversation wound down, Tresk left Alex and excused herself to meet with Xol¡¯sa about the town¡¯s defense. The alchemist walked with Salire back to the Newt and Demon to tackle the day.


    1 [Lesser Plant Golem], and 5 [Lesser Copper Golems] remained in town. The plant golem worked the greenhouses and caves, although each of them sent a signal that they were low on [Mana Constructs]. Theo assembled another [Lesser Plant Golem], and kept the metal ones for now. Until Aarok and Luras returned, he didn¡¯t trust the defenses of the town. The alchemist sorted the mana issue first, burning through the last of his marble slates and [Mana Essence]. He linked the new golem to the lodestone network, watching as his metal golems patrolled the newt and demon. Alex chirped her approval.


    There were enough [Manashrooms] in the delivery crate to run the stills all day. The plant golems were more than pulling their weight, allowing Theo to fill all 3 of his stills with the easily mashed mushrooms and set them running. Finding a stash of [Swamp Onions] was hard, though. The alchemist found 100 units worth in the shared inventory and pilfered those for fermentation. After dropping those in the fermentation barrel, and setting Zarali¡¯s power accumulator to work, he departed the lab.


    It was a lovely day for a walk, so Theo took Alex the long way to Ziz¡¯s place. She snuggled down in his satchel and chirped at all the sights, interested in returning to Miana¡¯s to check in. The Half-Ogre rancher was working with her Pozwa, sending them to the far side of the paddock to collect their horns. Theo didn¡¯t envy the job, those creatures looked and sounded horrific. She came over after spotting Alex, and took the gosling into her arms.


    ¡°How is my favorite little goose?¡± Miana asked, cooing.


    Alex chirped a response. Theo got the feeling that she meant she was doing well, but felt strange interpreting for a bird. That didn¡¯t stop Miana, though.


    ¡°Yes, Auntie Miana gave you all the good stuff. You need to tell your daddy he needs to increase the protein in your diet,¡± Miana said, stroking the gosling. She looked up, narrowing her eyes at Theo. ¡°That means meat. Worms. Bugs.¡±


    Theo nodded.


    We need some bugs for Alex, Theo said.


    I¡¯m already on it. Digging through the swamp, Tresk said.


    Cheep.


    Today was a day to take it easy. Theo chatted with Miana about her ranch. Things were going slowly, but she planned on building her empire one brick at a time. She was as concerned as anyone about their ability to export goods. The entire process was on hold until they sorted the harbor situation out, a fact that didn¡¯t sit well with anyone. Exporting locally was the only option until then, something that relied on Azrug¡¯s hellish carriages. But the weather was nice, and the farm animals were happy. That counted for something.


    Theo left the ranch and headed east, to the harbor. Alex wanted to play in the water for a while, so he allowed her. It was only when he spotted a big fish coming to investigate the vulnerable gosling that he pulled her out. She needed a pond to play it. This was far too dangerous for the baby.


    Banu had good news about the farm. The [Starbristle Flax] took to the soil like a weed, growing at a predictably absurd rate. He already had a quarter-field planted with the flax with no plans to stop. The new farmhands were also doing extremely well. They worked the fields, the mill, or hauled goods between storage crates. The farmer promised he knew how to harvest the flax, and Theo didn¡¯t doubt it.


    The expansion of both the town and the farm had resulted in two new fields to the west. Banu guaranteed those fields to Theo¡¯s projects, but was eager to talk about payment.


    ¡°If you can get a price on them, I¡¯ll give you market price,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Wait for Azrug to get back, though. His core should automatically gather information from Rivers. Assuming they buy or sell textiles.¡±


    ¡°How did that meeting go?¡± Banu asked.


    ¡°Better than expected.¡±


    Theo talked for a while. His mental clock said his stills had a long run to go, and it was his only task for the day. Once Fenian¡¯s Elves showed up, it would be a madhouse. For now, it was more important to enjoy the relative silence.


    The section of town named Stabby Groves had seen growth. Some of the coming Elves were adventurers, so houses were planted in the area. Where there was once a few isolated cottages now rested a full neighborhood. Theo passed by Zan¡¯kir¡¯s home, spotting the man inside by a roaring fire. The alchemist knocked on the window, causing the Khahari man to jump. He then rushed over to the door and pulled him inside.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Have you seen Zan¡¯sal?¡± Zan¡¯kir asked.


    ¡°Nope. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t talk to me. Not since I brought Him here. No, I was just following orders and she turned her back on me. She won¡¯t forgive me.


    Theo had wondered how Khahar knew he was in Broken Tusk. According to the god-like man, while he was in the Khahari Desert he wouldn¡¯t fade away, but his power to reach out was diminished.


    ¡°Khahar,¡± Theo said, trying to predict which direction the man would appear. He popped in right behind the alchemist.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Zan¡¯kir hit the ground, pressing his forehead against the wooden floor.


    ¡°Can you sort out your followers?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Zan¡¯kir is getting divorced if you don¡¯t fix this.¡±


    ¡°Is this true, my child?¡±


    Zan¡¯kir didn¡¯t respond. He stayed on the ground, shaking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a word with your wife,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°Hey, Yuri. Wanna check out the quarry?¡± Theo asked. He assumed the problem was solved. Zan¡¯sal just wanted Khahar gone, and that would be sorted in a few days. He could worry about playing marriage counselor once that happened.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Khahar said, leading the way out of the building. Theo followed. ¡°Leave your children alone long enough, and they create stories about you.¡±


    ¡°Hands-off approach, huh?¡± Theo asked. ¡°How long did you leave them alone to create that kind of mythos?¡±


    ¡°Ah, a thousand years,¡± Khahar said. ¡°I poured myself into maintaining my realm after discovering a disparate thread of fate. The one that carried you to this world.¡±


    ¡°How does that look?¡± Theo asked. He couldn¡¯t imagine what maintaining a realm was like. He just had to exist with Tresk to keep his realm strong.


    Theo spotted Bal, Dal, and Ral before Khahar could respond. He winced when he spotted Ral¡¯s missing left leg. He hobbled around with a pegleg as his brothers cheered him on. That hit too close to home. There had to be a way to regenerate the missing limb.


    ¡°I sat in my temple. Mind focused on maintaining the realm,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°Meaning your realm is diminishing,¡± Theo said, turning his gaze away from the injured adventurer. He¡¯d sort them out later.


    While Khahar could likely heal them, or provide the knowledge of how to heal them, Theo didn¡¯t want that. His old friend was leaving. If Drogramath proved anything, it was that communicating after leaving the mortal realm was difficult. It was a crutch. The alchemist needed that motivation to push forward. To heal his people.


    The pair walked the path north, taking the incline slowly to the quarry. That rise in the landscape always provided a splendid view of Broken Tusk. Theo stopped to appreciate it.


    ¡°None before me have brought a realm to this strength before ascending,¡± Khahar said. ¡°I have allies on the other side, but no peers.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like on the other side? In the other realms?¡±


    ¡°Much like this,¡± Khahar said, gesturing down to Broken Tusk. ¡°Like Tero¡¯gal, my realm will be a place of my making.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some multiverse shit,¡± Theo said, waving at Ziz. The stoneworkers always got too excited when the alchemist stopped by.


    ¡°We¡¯re excited!¡± Ziz shouted, his workers joining with him. ¡°Since my Dwarf buyer dropped off, I¡¯m just shaping blocks for the road. And the highway thing. And the tunnel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a famine of coin until we get the port operational,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving instructions with my people to count you as a trade ally,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Once I¡¯m gone, they¡¯ll need lumber. We have a navy, after all.¡±


    ¡°That was the whole point, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Trying to get in contact with you. Well, all''s well that ends well. Right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, take a mead,¡± Ziz said, shoving a mug of mead in both Khahar and Theo¡¯s hands. ¡°None for the little goose. Sorry little guy.¡±


    ¡°Little girl,¡± Khahar corrected.


    ¡°Sorry, little girl,¡± Ziz said, nodding at the chirping gosling. ¡°Can you get drunk, cat-guy?¡±


    ¡°I cannot.¡±


    ¡°No worries. Time for a little day drinking,¡± Ziz said.


    Theo really needed to get the Sanchrin plant. Any time he went to Ziz¡¯s place, he left drunk. But the stoneworkers paced themselves this time. They mirrored the rest of town, taking it easy for the day. The group just sat on piles of stone, watching for any sign that Fenian was on the way. The alchemist tried calling the Elven trader, but there was no response.


    ¡°The communication crystals are unreliable while he¡¯s off the mortal realm,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°How are the refugees doing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to look into Tarantham,¡± Khahar said. ¡°I¡¯m feeling less inclined to bend space by the day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that,¡± Ziz said, downing another mug of mead.


    Only the constant notifications from the golems pushed Theo to accomplish his task. Ziz was working on marble stone tablets, creating a gigantic pile in the stoneworker¡¯s workshop. He offered them for free, and the alchemist didn¡¯t decline. After shoving them in his inventory, a cloud of dust appeared on the far side of the river. Azrug¡¯s caravan, magically enhanced by Zarali¡¯s enchantments, came barreling down the dirt road.


    ¡°They¡¯ll move faster once we get that road going,¡± Ziz said, belching.


    ¡°Better get down there. Alise is going to tear me apart,¡± Theo said. ¡°I bailed on them.¡±


    ¡°Rest in peace.¡±


    Theo and Khahar left the hilly north of Broken Tusk, stopping by the Newt and Demon to make some [Mana Constructs]. They watched as the golems crowded the [Dimensional Storage Crate], replacing their spent power sources. Each golem gave him an eyeless look of disappointment. Since no one sent a town-wide message, the alchemist went up to his lab to brew a few [Freeze Solutions] for Salire. It didn¡¯t take long, as the essences were done brewing. She was appreciative that he made the project his priority, and she had enough potions to satisfy the town for a few days.


    [Alise]: Theo, please report to the town hall.


    ¡°The fun is over,¡± Theo said, laughing. Khahar just smiled, then vanished.


    Alise was waiting for Theo in the large meeting room in the town hall. She looked oddly well-rested, her posture and face holding no signs of anger. When Theo entered the room, she smiled.


    ¡°That went well!¡± she said, clapping. ¡°You must have lit a fire under their asses.¡±


    Theo barked a laugh, taking a seat at the wooden table. He looked out the window, watching the people pass over the street below. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you left us there with full authority. The groundwork you set resulted in the formal creation of the Southlands Defensive Alliance. Congratulations, we¡¯re traitors.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re wrong about the undead horde, we¡¯re in trouble,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we¡¯re wrong. I assume Azrug is handling our caravans to both towns.¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± Alise said. ¡°He¡¯s recruited drivers, and has a seed core building coming from Fenian. We came to an agreement with Gronro. They¡¯re trading silver and iron nuggets for those potions you showed him, and access to our dungeons. Rivers requested help sourcing seed cores for their farms, and in exchange they¡¯re trading us food. We¡¯ll need to negotiate on providing them with defensive towers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± Theo said. ¡°Hopefully it wasn¡¯t stressful for you or Gwyn.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s getting the hang of it. Honestly, I¡¯m just happy to have competent help,¡± Alise said. ¡°I¡¯d like to see Nira before the Elves arrive. Do you have any other business?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    Alise left in a hurry, leaving Theo there feeling like an ornament. He left the town hall, pushing through the new administrators and making his way to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Everyone was piled in a meeting room there, and the alchemist let himself in. Tresk and Xol¡¯sa were giving a presentation about what happened while everyone was gone. Aarok, Luras, and a contingent of adventurers were nodding at every word. The entire presentation was not necessary. Nothing happened while they were gone. Monster activity was low after the wave, leaving the town in absolute peace.


    Xol¡¯sa had some interesting readings about the power flowing into the dungeons. Something was pushing back from the north. His theory was a corruption of necromantic magic, something his current skill set wasn¡¯t useful for dealing with.


    ¡°We¡¯ll prepare to welcome our new wizard, when he¡¯s ready,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing to Theo. ¡°I¡¯ve already written a guide to magic for Toru¡¯aun. All based on theory, of course.¡±


    The Elf withdrew a massive tome from nowhere, letting it fall on the table with a thud. Theo pulled it over to himself, making a show of how heavy it was. He groaned upon opening it. The entire thing was written in the language of the arcane, something he knew almost nothing about. Xol¡¯sa tossed another book on the table.


    ¡°First, learn Axpashi. Then you can read my notes. No, don¡¯t complain. Your mana control is already pathetic, the least you can do is learn Axpashi. No. Stop whining. On to other business,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, licking his finger and pointing it in the air. He grinned when the bells rang frantically outside. ¡°We have visitors.¡±


    Tresk vanished from the spot. Luras and Aarok scrambled, rushing out of the room and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Theo walked with Xol¡¯sa, both shaking their heads.


    ¡°The Bridge of Shadows has a specific flavor,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Although, I¡¯ve never felt it open this wide.¡±


    Theo joined with everyone on the walls of the harbor. North, past the bridge, the air shimmer with dark energy. A crack in space formed, soon shattering to reveal a haunting image. It was like staring into a dark window, the other side reflecting a reality that didn¡¯t exist. There was a bridge made of twisting smoke and shadows. Standing on the bridge, led by a dark lacquered carriage, were hundreds of Elves.

 3.55 - House Wavecrest

    The glittering portal remained open for far too long. Theo got more uncomfortable the longer the Bridge remained open, even after Fenian drove his Karatan team out from within. The Elven refugees seemed to march in an endless line, more than the original promised number. Alise and her administrators desperately tried to keep a count of heads, but it was impossible. The Bridge finally closed with a snap, the darkness from within retreating in moments.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit more than 250,¡± Tresk said, nodding to the crowd.


    As Theo went down to greet the new members of Broken Tusk, he noted what a terrible state they were in. Gaunt eyes and sunken cheeks revealed the truth of the matter. Each Elf, even the children, were emaciated. Many were scarred, burned, missing limbs, or wrapped in bandages all the same. But hope glimmered in their eyes, burning against the reality of war.


    ¡°My dear friend!¡± Fenian shouted, dismounting his carriage. Galflower snorted her disapproval. ¡°Apologies for the excess of refugees. We fared far better in the escape than expected.¡±


    ¡°Fenian,¡± Theo said, grabbing the Elf by the shoulder and pulling him to the side. ¡°These people look horrible.¡±


    Fenian nodded, lowering his voice. ¡°Things were bad, Theo. The empire was hunting down members of the Wavecrest family. They¡¯ve been living in a cave.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Tresk said, cradling Alex.


    ¡°Alise!¡± Theo shouted. ¡°Get on it. Process everyone.¡±


    That snapped the administrator out of her stupor. She stood, looking over the crowd with a pained expression. She scurried down the wall after that, ordering her group of junior administrators around.


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to meet their patriarch,¡± Fenian said, turning on the spot to snag an older-looking Elf.


    The man was as gaunt as the others, his brown hair showing streaks of gray. Upon seeing Theo, he bowed at the waist. ¡°Gaeleithia Wavecrest. Unwitting patriarch of House Wavecrest. Please, call me Gael.¡±


    ¡°Fine collection of half-dead Elves you got there,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°More than half-dead?,¡± Gael said, rising to give a pained smile. ¡°We have business to discuss. Please¡­ The children.¡±


    Theo nodded his head to the administrators. Bob was among them, helping the children aside to get food and water. The alchemist spotted more than a few of his healing potions being administered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the town hall,¡± Theo said, leading the way back into town.


    Gael¡¯s steps were uneven. While Fenian flaunted his grace, the leader of House Wavecrest stumbled with every step. Tresk was there to support the man as they went while Theo was busy rolling the situation over in his mind. He should have expected it to be this bad. They weren¡¯t running from a pack of cuddly bunnies, they were fleeing a civil war. The destruction of their house. But Broken Tusk was prepared, the way it always was. They¡¯d over-prepared for a reason, he reminded himself.


    Gael sunk into a chair in the town hall. Theo remained standing while Tresk ran security in the area, disappearing into the shadows. The alchemist signaled his golems, instructing them to monitor the refugees. Just in case.


    ¡°Broken Tusk welcomes her newest citizens with open arms,¡± Theo said, producing a [Stamina Potion] and a month-old bowl of wolf meat stew. Gael took both and ate without words. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re out of the empire, and into a worse situation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorting that out,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo leveled his eyes at the trader. ¡°I¡¯ve already sorted it out. The Southlands Defensive Alliance is formed, and we¡¯re ready for whatever undead horrors you¡¯ve unleashed.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do with the undead,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°Honestly. Well, I have plans for them. But they moved on their own,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Do your plans involve destroying the kingdom?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    It was hard to be mad at Fenian. Theo had plenty of time to prepare for whatever crap he was pulling, and it only benefited them. If the insane Elf could destroy the kingdom, everyone in the south would be better off. Assuming he made good on his promise to bring sailors and shipwrights.


    ¡°Where are my shipwrights?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Among the refugees,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I picked them up along the way.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± Gael said, looking much better after his potion and stew. ¡°You won¡¯t regret this, honored mayor. Those who remain in House Wavecrest aren¡¯t noble by birth. We¡¯re workers.¡±


    ¡°Old Gael here was a carpenter,¡± Fenian said, slapping him on the shoulder.


    Theo had seen the name on the incomplete manifest. It was a grim thought, but everyone who was left alive in the house was worth taking into Broken Tusk. They were workers, a few artisans, and craftsmen.


    ¡°So we have a problem,¡± Theo said. ¡°What is the empire going to say about me taking in House Wavecrest? They¡¯ve allied with Veosta, so we¡¯re just waiting for them to come knocking.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve allied with Veosta?¡± Fenian asked, raising a brow. ¡°Really? Well, they¡¯ll have to slog through fields of undead to destroy your alliance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always disappointed when I¡¯m better-informed than you, Fenian,¡± Theo said, sighing and dropping into a chair. ¡°Please tell me your plan is for the betterment of the world.¡±


    ¡°It absolutely is,¡± Fenian said, withdrawing a spouted clay jar and four stout glasses from his inventory. He set them down on a table, pouring out wine and handing it out. A single glass remained for Tresk to take at her leisure.


    Theo sipped the wine. It was tart, almost unpalatable, but he drank.


    ¡°One piece at a time, alchemist,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Is the Lord of Sand still here?¡±


    Khahar appeared, looming over the group. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see what¡¯s left of House Wavecrest alive.¡±


    ¡°Honored Lord,¡± Gael said, bowing. ¡°You flatter a dying house.¡±


    ¡°Dying no longer,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Not behind these walls. Not with these people.¡±


    ¡°Not with the alliance formed,¡± Theo corrected. ¡°Fenian¡¯s undead will break against Gronro-Dir. House Wavecrest has to do its part to guarantee the safety of our domain. I just need to know your people will put in the work. Once they¡¯ve recovered, of course.¡±


    Gael stood, looking much more hale than before. He bowed again, rising to meet Theo¡¯s eyes with a fierce gaze. ¡°By my life I swear it. You¡¯ll question how you lived without Wavecrest brawn in your town.¡±


    Theo nodded. But it wasn¡¯t good enough. He drew up a contract for Gael to sign, something similar to the one he agreed with Alise on. The text detailed House Wavecrest¡¯s willingness to integrate into the town, and never bring harm to Broken Tusk by any means. Intentional, or otherwise. Once the leader of House Wavecrest signed it, the alchemist was happy. Alise and Gwyn had the arduous task of getting the other Elves to sign the contract.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Just like that, huh?¡± Theo asked, turning to Fenian. ¡°You moved a faction of Elves across the sea in moments.¡±


    ¡°A special request to Uz¡¯Xulven,¡± Fenian said, his face going dark. ¡°At significant cost.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in your debt forever, Southblade,¡± Gael said.


    Fenian turned, grinning. ¡°I know.¡±


    Theo let that hang in the air. He didn¡¯t have the will to confront what that meant. Perhaps these Elven matters should be left to the Elves. Once Gael had recovered enough, they left the town hall and found an orderly line of refugees forming outside the eastern gate. Every member of Broken Tusk was along that train of Elves, administering food, potions, and tea to soothe their weary spirits. The smiles that hung on their faces spread a sense of warmth through the alchemist¡¯s body.


    ¡°This is the Guildmaster of our Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Theo said, introducing Gael to Aarok. ¡°And the captain of the guard, Luras. Azrug is our Lord Merchant, and over there you¡¯ll see Lady Administrator Alise.¡±


    ¡°This is quite the sight,¡± Gael breathed.


    ¡°Wait until you see this,¡± Azrug said, gesturing north.


    A cloud of dust rose from the north over the rise of earth. Even in the light of day, Zarali¡¯s purple runes glowed to battle the choking dust. One of Azrug¡¯s carriages raced down the dirt path, almost throwing its portly rider along the way. Theo couldn¡¯t believe it when he spotted the driver. Alran Cherman held onto the reins, his pale face dripping with sweat. He pulled alongside the train of Elves, tossing wooden crates to the ground and shouting invitations.


    ¡°Food for all!¡± he shouted. ¡°Eat your fill!¡±


    ¡°Part of the deal,¡± Azrug said, laughing. ¡°We settled on an open-refugee policy. As long as they sign your magic contract, they get full citizenship to any of the 3 towns. The moment Alran learned we wanted to help Rivers, instead of conquering it, he became a humanitarian.¡±


    ¡°Lord Slug,¡± Alran said, pulling his cart up to Theo and Azrug. ¡°Which arm of mine shall I cut off to take this carriage off your hands?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to use it for a while,¡± Azrug said, waving him off. ¡°Don¡¯t complain to me when it runs out of power in your power-starved region.¡±


    ¡°I shall complain,¡± Alran said, dismounting the cart and patting the Karatan on their heads. ¡°Mayor Spencer. I see your refugees have arrived.¡±


    ¡°They have, Mister Cherman,¡± Theo said, bowing his head. It was hard not to feel humbled in the presence of so many people coming together. ¡°We appreciate the help.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I have more supplies to distribute at the head of the line. If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Alran said, bowing and leading his cart by foot toward the gate.


    Theo watched as the Elves dug through the boxes hungrily. He winced, thinking back to the famine that struck Earth. It was a tale too close to home, and he didn¡¯t care to relive it. Unlike back then, there were magical means to make sure these people were always fed. They¡¯d have well-paying jobs the moment they recovered. Clean water, food, and shelter in the meantime. But none of it mattered if they didn¡¯t get the damn harbor working.


    ¡°Fenian, walk with me,¡± Theo said, gesturing toward the harbor.


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    Azrug and Gael stayed behind. Theo felt Tresk lurking somewhere in the shadows as they approached the harbor, finding Sledge in deep conversation with a group of 20 Elves. Even without inspecting them, or asking for their professions, the alchemist knew they were sailors. They had the look of old salts about them.


    ¡°You call this a harbor?¡± an Elven woman shouted, her laugh booming over the waves. ¡°Might as well be a damn duck pond. And who are you to say what I can build, shorty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you short!¡± Sledge shouted, swinging at the woman.


    Fenian moved in, far faster than a normal trader should have been able to move. He scooped up Sledge, and tossed the Elven woman to the side. Each motion was more graceful than anything Theo had seen. Every footfall was a silent, purposeful thing that routed the fight before it started. He stood, dusting his frills with a grin on his face.


    ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to play nice,¡± Fenian said. ¡°May I introduce Laedria Wavecrest. Master Shipwright and all-around pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Laedria said, rolling her shoulders. ¡°Me and little Sledge here were just ironing out some details. I¡¯m your new shipwright. And I¡¯m not impressed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to return to Tarantham,¡± Theo said.


    Laedria wore simple shirts and slacks, dirty and torn from their ordeal. She kept her brown hair short, and her blue eyes had a sharp edge to them. But there was a tiredness in those eyes that betrayed her boisterous words. Like the other refugees, she was tired. Like most Half-Ogres, she needed a good knock on the head to get her mind straight.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Laedria said, giving one resolute nod. She marched over, holding her hand out for Theo to shake. ¡°I understand you, mayor. Laedria Wavecrest. Running from war and happy for any safe harbor.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Theo said, shaking the woman¡¯s firm hand. ¡°While I¡¯m happy to see you and your workers eager to get to it, you need to rest.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no rest for us, mayor,¡± Laedria said. ¡°Just running, killing, and dying. If I don¡¯t get my hands on a delightful piece of cured timber here in the next few minutes, I¡¯m gonna lose my mind.¡±


    Theo turned, gesturing to the towering Ogre Cypress trees. All eyes followed, lingering over that forest. ¡°That is Sledge¡¯s source of lumber. Look around and use your eyes before you talk with your heart. I¡¯m guessing even Tarantham doesn¡¯t lay claim to such magnificent trees.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Fenian put in, laughing. ¡°Scrawny little oaks.¡±


    ¡°Not sure how well cypress does for boats,¡± Laedria said, sighing. ¡°But let¡¯s do it. I¡¯m not waiting a second more.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Theo said. ¡°Things are going to be busy, so stick to the planning phase. Let the administration staff know what you need, and you¡¯ll get it.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Theo and Fenian stuck around in the harbor for a while. Sledge and Laedria tried to fight again, but they broke off before drawing back their fists. The alchemist ordered a single [Lesser Copper Golem] to tail the new shipwright with instructions to break up fights if they happened. The pair got on well after a while.


    ¡°How are things in Tarantham?¡± Theo asked, leaving the harbor with Fenian.


    ¡°This happens often with the Elves,¡± he said with a weak shrug. ¡°My house had the same sort of purge. We accept it as a fact.¡±


    ¡°That sucks,¡± Theo said. ¡°But not my problem. This is great for us. We¡¯re useless without that shipwright. Once we have boats in the water, we¡¯re opening trading lanes.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    Fenian was happy to help with the refugees, intending to stay in town for a few days. The trader had a hard exterior at most times, but held a clear soft-spot for his countrymen. Under the guidance of the administrators, the refugees were processed quickly. Theo found his way to Mudball Fundamental a few hours into the procedure, standing outside the play yard to watch the new children. Once they had food in their bellies, all worries about the world they just left vanished.


    Bob remained in the play yard, shouting at overzealous Broken Tusker children when they got too rough. Elf children didn¡¯t play like Half-Ogres, or Marshlings, but there were enough Human kids at the school to make things run smoothly. Once the parents of the children were released into the town, they came to watch everyone play with a mixture of pride and sadness. Some openly cried near the fence, but the alchemist took them as tears of joy. But this wasn¡¯t a refugee camp. This was a full integration of a fallen house. It was nothing like those camps on Earth.


    The children invented a game on the spot. It was like Earth¡¯s version of tag, but with Broken Tusk rules. Someone was the monster, and all the others were regular people. Whoever played the monster got a ball of mud. Once another child was hit with the mud, they became a monster, and so on. During the hour that Theo watched, the rules changed to include force fields, freezing powers, and more that he couldn¡¯t follow. It devolved into a yard filled with dirty kids, so the alchemist handed over a flask of [Cleansing Scrub] before moving on.


    Theo reserved his desire to work on alchemy projects to check in on everyone throughout the day. Sledge and Laedria were at her workshop, going over the details on the boat project. Most refugees took the chance to rest, finding their shared residences and sleeping for the day. Only a few Elves worked so close to their ordeal. Xam organized a massive feast, setting out tables in the streets and inviting everyone to join. But Alise came to find the alchemist, pulling him into a meeting with Aarok, Luras, Gwyn, and Azrug. Tresk joined them in the town hall with Alex cradled in her arms.


    The administrators had reports to deliver. Each of the new 290 residents signed the contracts without complaint. Most didn¡¯t read it, just agreeing and shambling off to their new homes. From the window of the meeting room, Theo could see the new citizens feasting in the streets. He made a mental note to invest in a bard, or someone who could play music for these events. The constant shouting of celebration was nice, but it could use some music.


    ¡°We got a few gems,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Some hardcore adventurers to bolster our roster.¡±


    ¡°Mean sons of bitches, more like,¡± Luras said, brooding in the corner. ¡°They might fit in better at Gronro.¡±


    ¡°No spellcasters or priests?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Absolutely none,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a house of 50,000 people. Reduced to 290. They¡¯re lucky to have survived from the stories I heard.¡±


    ¡°I want everyone to force these people to rest,¡± Theo said, thumping a finger against the table. ¡°They need time to process this crap.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°That¡¯s not what you did.¡±


    Theo drummed his fingers on the wooden table, letting his claws chip away at the surface. Tresk was right, even if he didn¡¯t want to admit it. Working hard was a great way to forget past losses. It gave him a chance to work through it at his own pace, coming to terms with things while being useful. Perhaps being of use to the town would give them a new purpose, washing away that foul taste of defeat.


    ¡°Fair. Encourage them to take a break,¡± Theo said. ¡°Now, is anyone else starving?¡±

 3.56 - A Man Must Have His Secrets

    Xam¡¯s feast was legendary. With food provided by Rivers and Daub, and the expanding production of Broken Tusk, she wove an array of dishes that brought the two towns together on the table. The Elves ate, despite already getting their fill, and were happy to socialize with their new neighbors. Theo and Tresk took a table outside, giving their usual table to the refugees and enjoying the hot evening air. It was only getting hotter by the day.


    ¡°Try this,¡± Tresk said, shoving a baked, turnip-like vegetable into the alchemist¡¯s hand.


    It was a mix between a spicy radish and a sweet potato, and not to his liking. But he ate anyway, just happy to see the new citizens mingling. He wanted to make a speech, but nothing came, as though a blanket was placed over his thoughts. They came as half-formed, muffled things that seemed more like the ramblings of an emotional teenager than a leader. Best to keep those things inside.


    ¡°We still don¡¯t have salt,¡± Tresk said, snatching the potato-radish back and taking a massive bite. ¡°Might wanna get on that.¡±


    Theo waved her away. Salt was far from his mind, even if the solution might be simple. While they could just boil the seawater, he could already hear Throk complaining about creating the artifice to harvest the resource. There was also the problem of their access to the sea. Without reliable guardtowers, any devices planted near the coast were prone to destruction from the [Ocean Dungeon]. The problem was easier to put off when the idea of limited trade came to mind.


    ¡°Until we have boats, I¡¯m not focusing on exports,¡± Theo said. He pointed to their new shipwright, Laedria, drunk and dancing on a table. ¡°I still need [Sanchrin Leaves] to cure hangovers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I like salt,¡± Tresk said. Alex chirped her agreement.


    Theo nodded. He liked salt too. The alchemist looked over the new numbers for his labor force. Almost 300 new laborers meant a spike in production, but it came at a cost. Broken Tusk didn¡¯t have the infrastructure to support so many workers. That would be their task, then. Expanding the depth of the mine, upgrading the sawmill, sowing new fields at the farm, and doubling down on Ziz¡¯s construction projects.


    A handful of Elves had no designation in the mayoral interface. Their jobs were yet to be determined, but there were so few of them. Those were the artisans of House Wavecrest, destined to become producers on their own. Then there was Azrug¡¯s new venture to consider. A caravan to the other 2 towns was beyond important, it was vital. Everything led back to the stoneworkers¡¯ new project. The road.


    There was groundwork to be laid on that front. A shallow ditch to replace the existing dirt path, gravel to line the bed, and magically-placed cobbles on top of that. The cost of the road would be astronomical, if they were paying market price for the cobbles. Ziz generously offered each stone for free. Cut off from the north, there were no buyers for his stone. The workers claimed that even the stock of stone in the town¡¯s infinite storage might not be enough to do the job. But now they had the labor. It could be done.


    When dinner was drawing to a close, Theo invited Fenian and Gael to join him at his private bath. The Elven trader rubbed his hands together, nodding with a stupid smile on his face. The patriarch of House Wavecrest was reluctant, but joined them all the same. He insisted on covering himself with a cloth, instead of going full native in the nude.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Tresk said, diving into the pool naked.


    Theo lowered himself into the pool, setting Alex to the side and letting out a sigh. These rooms needed Throk¡¯s air conditioners. There was nothing better than soaking in a hot bath while the outside temperature was freezing.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have boats soon,¡± Fenian said, removing his many articles of ruffles and entering the pool. Gael followed, preserving his modesty.


    ¡°First steps to our trade network,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ll need to scout places out. I figure we¡¯ll make contact with the lizard-folk down south first.¡±


    ¡°A wise decision,¡± Fenian said with a nod. ¡°They¡¯re the closest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m out of my depth,¡± Gael said with a weak shrug. ¡°Trade was never my strength.¡±


    ¡°Take a page from my friend Theo¡¯s book,¡± Fenian said, splashing Theo in the face. ¡°Rise to the challenge.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure if he ever rose to the challenge. He¡¯d been bumbling through leadership from the start, trying to tear himself away from personal projects to serve his people. That was a funny phrase to think of now. His people. Because the Bantari Marshlings and Half-Ogres of the land had truly become his people. From the moment he arrived in town, they treated him like one of their own. Warmth spread through him, hot enough to rival the bath water, when he thought of how the Elves were accepted.


    But Fenian was hiding more than he was sharing. The alchemist had trouble deciding if the situation with the undead was good. He didn¡¯t know how far those necromantic powers went, or if they had limits. The image of long-dead warriors dotting the horizon gave him chills. Like most challenges that came his way, it only made sense to over-prepare for them. That meant more [Hallow Ground] potions, and a solid way to deliver them. Something better than just tossing them over the walls of Gronro-Dir and praying for the best.


    ¡°What level are you, Fenian?¡± Theo asked, the thought coming to him in a moment. He reached his senses out, poking the trader in on the shoulder and receiving no system prompt for the inspection.


    ¡°A man must have his secrets,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°You have enough secrets for an entire town,¡± Tresk said, blowing bubbles in the water. ¡°But we know you have an aligned trading core, and a [Paratheir Duelist¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°His house was known for their alignment with Paratheir,¡± Gael said with a shrug. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until King Karasan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s not give the game away,¡± Fenian interrupted. ¡°We¡¯re saving that fact for the finale.¡±


    Gael just nodded, sinking lower into the bath. Fenian knew that Theo¡¯s intuition was high enough to place the pieces of the puzzle. He was a few parts shy of the truth, but had enough to know Karasan betrayed House Southblade. The history of Iaredin painted that as a strange situation. This didn¡¯t give hints as to the Elven trader¡¯s age, but it revealed that Qavell had dealings with Tarantham before Qavelli-Veostian relations crumbled. By the alchemist¡¯s estimation, that could have happened in recent memory, or as far back as 300 years.


    ¡°Whatever slight he brought on your family¡­ Hopefully your punishment fits the crime,¡± Theo said.


    Fenian just smiled, scooting over to pat Alex on the head.


    Without a response from the Elf, Theo turned his attention to his levels. It was an excellent time to grind levels now that trade was cutting off. The amount of [Hallow Ground] potions Gronro needed would provide a massive dump of alchemy and herbalism levels. While his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] was creeping along, almost at level 17, the [Drogramath Alchemy Core] was sprinting ahead. The alchemy core would hit 19 soon after the herbalism core hit 17. The alchemist¡¯s [Governance Core] saw a massive spike of experience when the Elves arrived, sending it to the edge of level 18, currently sitting at 17.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Sometime during the busy day, Theo¡¯s personal level rolled over to 18. He placed the point in [Intelligence], wanting to dump more points into the attribute most likely to influence spellcasting. All that put him 2 levels away from level 20. Once skills rolled over to 20, he¡¯d have a massive pool of free skills to pick from. When a core hit a multiple of 10, the system gave a core-related list of skills, which he could pick one of. [Reagent Deconstruction] was obvious for his [Drogramath Alchemy Core], even if it was a skill shared between alchemy and herbalism. Then there was the [Governance Core¡¯s] skill. That would be hard, and it would pay to consult with his administration staff on that one. Anyone with an [Administrator¡¯s Core] in town shared some of his abilities.


    Then there was the problem of finding a demon mage core aligned with Toru¡¯aun. Theo had already thumbed through the book on the Axpashi language. While his high [Wisdom] stat didn¡¯t grant him a perfect memory yet, it was close. But memorizing a list of words and grammar was different than completely understanding a language. That would take time. The alchemist couldn¡¯t understand Xol¡¯sa¡¯s theories about the Demonic God of Mysteries, but he was edging closer. He was hopeful that the Dreamwalk would allow him to spawn the book in for some light reading while grinding levels.


    Conversation had sprung up around Theo, but he hadn¡¯t taken notice. He was lost in his thoughts, making progress on future decisions. Once the chatter wound down, he interjected his own rambling thoughts.


    ¡°How much do you know about Toru¡¯aun?¡± Theo asked, nodding at Fenian.


    ¡°Almost nothing,¡± Fenian said. ¡°That¡¯s the idea, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Never saw her on the Bridge?¡±


    ¡°There are few visitors to the Bridge of Shadows,¡± Fenian chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your Lord Drogramath there. Once. But the Bridge isn¡¯t a material thing. It doesn¡¯t link one point to another. The space inside is more of a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Should I take an Uz¡¯Xulven core, instead?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recommend it,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Since Azrug has an [Ulvoqor Loremaster¡¯s Core], that class is off the table. A [Tworgnoth Artificer¡¯s Core] might be nice, but I don¡¯t think you have the aptitude. You don¡¯t seem like the healing type, or a melee fighter. No, I think a defensive mage class would be best to add to your arsenal. A defensive demon mage is even better.¡±


    That was Khahar¡¯s opinion on the matter, but it always paid to get another mind thinking about the problem. Since Azrug got a loremaster core, as Theo suspected from his sudden purchase of the old gear, that would be redundant. He¡¯d never been interested in creating artifices, so a defensive mage seemed like the best option.


    ¡°Khahar said he could put me in contact with Toru¡¯aun,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I bet he can,¡± Fenian laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already made contact,¡± Khahar said, suddenly sitting in the pool fully clothed. ¡°She says you have potential.¡±


    Gael swallowed hard, averting his eyes from the Khahari. Tresk splashed him. Khahar splashed back, cracking a smile.


    ¡°When and how will she contact me?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to know the specifics of how her demon mage class works.¡±


    Khahar shrugged. ¡°The Bara¡¯their is better-informed than one would expect. Just read his book, it¡¯s mostly accurate.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people were called the Bara¡¯their. Of course it was something that Khahar would know, he knew everything.


    Theo felt the fading of an age more in that moment than any moment before. The end of Balkor¡¯s Betrayal reverberated in the alchemist¡¯s bones. Keeping such strange company didn¡¯t help matters. Gael was curious enough, but Fenian and Khahar made the scene laughable. In the near-future, the Khahari leader would ascend to something else. He¡¯d become a god, whatever that meant. People around the world would take his core, doing his bidding and reaping the rewards he gave. The Elven trader schemed, perhaps under the thumb of one or more gods. If the entity that brought Theo to this world was the Harbinger, Fenian was the Harald.


    Tresk seemed to care about none of it. She played in the water as though it were any other day, splashing people playfully. Some of her murderous intent had faded away, likely absorbed by Alex. It still smoldered in her heart, fading to dying embers of a life lived weeks ago. Because things moved fast in Broken Tusk, perhaps the world at large. She talked with Khahar about devoting herself to Paranthier, which he thought was a good idea. Fenian took this as validation of some path he was on.


    ¡°You should tell them your other name,¡± Khahar said, tilting his head to Fenian.


    ¡°Stick to one name,¡± Tresk growled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them when I¡¯m ready,¡± Fenian said.


    The group wasn¡¯t kicked out of the bathhouse tonight. Xam had told her people to keep it open as long as possible, but Theo¡¯s party had their fill of the enhancing water. They left, Khahar vanishing the way he always did, and lingered on the streets for some time. Fenian left to spend time with his countrymen while Gael was eager to get more rest. Theo, Tresk, and Alex went back to the Newt and Demon to delve into the Dreamwalk realm of Tero¡¯gal. They slipped into their sheets and through the ethereal curtain that segmented reality.


    Theo twisted the scene to the harbor the moment the Dreamwalk resolved around them. Something stuck in his mind, still offending him hours later.


    ¡°The harbor isn¡¯t small,¡± he said, gesturing to summon four massive ships. In Earth¡¯s history they would have been galleons of some kind. He didn¡¯t know the specifics, but they had 3 sails and towered into the air. There was room for each ship to turn comfortably in the harbor, towed by ghostly lines running to shore.


    ¡°Looks big to me,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. Neither of them knew much about boats. ¡°Did that Elf get to you?¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°That was all just posturing.¡±


    Tresk wanted to run a few combat drills. There were no new potions to test out, so it was more of the same. Theo couldn¡¯t see any holes in his strategy. The Marshling¡¯s attempts proved that to be true. Unless an army was attacking him, the alchemist could ensure his safety with their standard method. Flying enemies were now on the table, but they couldn¡¯t develop a decent strategy for them. The best idea was to keep Alex in town as an anchor point, teleporting behind the walls when things got bad.


    Theo was delighted to see he could summon Xol¡¯sa¡¯s books and read them in the Dreamwalk. The limits of the realm were absolute, though. If information wasn¡¯t in his mind, he couldn¡¯t view it. There were sections of the Axpashi manual that he hadn¡¯t committed to memory, so those were missing. But it was again a problem of understanding it as a language, not a set of symbols to memorize. Like Drogramathi enchanting script, it was more about painting a picture than giving symbols that represented something.


    What little the alchemist could read of the Toru¡¯aun tome painted the Demon¡¯s magic as complex. Theo started his work by setting up his stills and getting them running and creating greenhouses to tend imaginary crops. While he moved between them, he worked on his mana control and understanding Xol¡¯sa¡¯s book. Going between the Axpashi book and the Toru¡¯aun book bore more fruit than focusing on either, but his concentration strained to spread between the many tasks. Things would be better if he had more time to spend in the Dreamwalk.


    The closer Theo edged to level 20 in his [Drogramath Alchemy Core], the more he realized his assumption about mana control to be correct. That was the barrier that separated the teens from the twenties. The key to breaking the barrier for his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] was cultivation, another thing he already had down. Broken Tusk¡¯s constant prepared nature reflected his own in regards to classes. Others might have been waiting for the signal to go, but the alchemist was already running.


    There were few reagents Theo had access to that he didn¡¯t know the proper heating stages for. When the Elves came to town, he didn¡¯t have time to test the Zureah reagents. But the Dreamwalk wouldn¡¯t let him distill those. Another problem with the [Zureah Talons] was that they were just as hard as the [Pozwa Horns]. Theo was confident his grinders could handle them, but there was always a chance they¡¯d need to be smashed by someone with high [Strength]. Even without the distilled essence, the alchemist had a sense for each property.


    [Zureah Talons] had the [Slash] property. The alchemist got the sense that it was something for attacking, but also dangerous. He was reminded of the [Embolden] modifier, which often had horrible side-effects. The [Zureah Feathers] were a different story. They held the [Levitate] property, which the alchemist¡¯s senses said was exactly what the word implied. Those kinds of properties were often tied to the quality of the potion. In this case, it would be the height of levitation and duration.


    A school of experimentation Theo had been ignoring was the constructs for his golems. His previous experiment showed that golems could use the slates to effectively cast a spell, but there was a part of the whole he was missing. While he didn¡¯t expect to master the constructs skill in a day, there were too many pieces he was missing.


    Theo spent the night going between his experiments, grinding out his cores. Alex kept him company in the harbor. Unlike the real version, she was free to play in the water without fear of fish coming to eat her. Tresk stayed to herself, fighting fields of monsters and perfecting her hit-and-run tactics. The last monster wave shook her confidence, but that was a good thing. If she ever became comfortable with her abilities, that would be worrying. When she gave up on improvement, she wouldn¡¯t be the same person. A woman like her saw minor failures as major ones, always pushing her forward.


    The night came to an end, the experience rolling in over the system message when Theo returned to his bed. With no sense of drowsiness, he set his mind on the task at hand. It was time to grind more alchemy.

 3.57 - The Punishment is Death

    Theo sat at his regular table with Alise, Tresk, and Alex at the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was clear they would need more places for townsfolk to eat. Xam was working hard to keep everyone fed with luxury meals, but for the first time she had to turn people away. The backup system of dried and fresh food stored in [Dimensional Storage Crates] would bridge the gap for now. Until then, the alchemist enjoyed his position of power, sipping on his moss tea and eating through the leftovers from the feast.


    Alise explained the schedule for the day, something Theo wasn¡¯t looking forward to. He¡¯d planned to grind more alchemy and herbalism levels, and sort out his golems. Instead, that same position of power forced him to check in with all the production groups of the town. He hadn¡¯t even worked with Sledge for the town¡¯s new upgrade. But the refugees, hungry to dig into the town¡¯s coffers, wouldn¡¯t wait for anything.


    ¡°At the current market rate, we¡¯d be fine,¡± Alise said, tapping a quill on a ream of parchment. She hadn¡¯t touched her food, or her tea. ¡°But our trade contracts from the north have already been canceled. People are fleeing south, and we¡¯ll be cut off soon.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a great first day of the season. Word had already come to Theo that Laedria might not be what she claimed, but that didn¡¯t diminish the hard work she put in. The woman was up all night with Sledge, working on sourcing their materials for the boats. A list of required materials had already come his way, and it boiled down to timber, ropes, cloth, and pitch. If he hadn¡¯t planted the [Starbristle Flax], that would put them behind by a few days. All that concern for boats fell away to ensuring the Elves were settled into jobs.


    ¡°How long can we fund the town without trade?¡± Theo asked.


    Alise shrugged, underlining some numbers on her parchment. ¡°A few weeks. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, standing. He hadn¡¯t finished his tea, or his meal. Alex chirped, begging to go into her satchel. The alchemist scooped her up, placing her inside. Tresk dropped some worms in the bag. ¡°Let¡¯s make the rounds.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter which stop they made first. The sawmill was closer, so that made sense. When Theo and Alise approached Sledge¡¯s operation, the Elves mingled with their new neighbors in orderly rows. The Marshling taskmaster was shouting orders, pointing her finger and making grand proclamations. She wouldn¡¯t need help, but they¡¯d check in on her anyway. It took a while for her to finish her speech.


    ¡°All good?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°50 new workers,¡± Sledge said, laughing. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m real good. Real good! I¡¯m great!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep, did you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That woman,¡± Sledge said, narrowing her eyes at the alchemist. ¡°Is a monster. She has an unlimited supply of energy. I suspect stamina potions.¡±


    Theo nodded. Despite Sledge¡¯s erratic behavior and sleep deprivation, she had organized her operation well. She never issued commands for work directly, favoring a military-like structure where orders filtered down. Each group had their commander, who planned for the day, and everyone reported to the operator of the sawmill. That freed the Marshling up to do her fabricator work and reduced her stress greatly. The addition of 50 additional workers didn¡¯t affect her at all.


    ¡°How is the boat project?¡± Theo asked, snapping his fingers to get Sledge¡¯s attention.


    ¡°That lady is organizing everything,¡± Sledge said. ¡°You got her list of supplies, yeah?¡±


    So, Sledge was useless until she got some sleep. Theo clapped a hand on her shoulder and moved on, happy enough with her organization to check on the next producers. Alise was worried about the Marshling¡¯s ability to work without sleeping, but it was fine. Everything was fine.


    ¡°If the forester can keep up with their pace of cutting, it should be fine,¡± Theo said, reassuring himself. He made note of the piles of [Ogre Cypress Bark] next to the sawmill. Perg hadn¡¯t come calling for a while, which would be worrying if he wasn¡¯t so busy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just put a checkmark on the ¡®wood¡¯ list item,¡± Alise said. ¡°Farm?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Theo said.


    The streets of Broken Tusk were busier than normal. The familiar faces of Humans, Half-Ogres, and Marshlings were now mixed with Elves. It was reassuring to see they weren¡¯t so gaunt. A day of rest and a good meal did wonders for their health. The school was also packed, the play yard filled with screaming children. Despite the noise, it was a pleasant sight.


    Banu¡¯s farm was packed. Theo found him scrambling around the fields, barking orders to his farmhands. Unlike Sledge, his organization was chaotic. There was no command structure, and no wiggle room for the Half-Ogre. Orders came from him, and no one else, creating a mad scramble to plant and harvest whatever he said. Where the sawmill got 50 workers, the farm got 100.


    ¡°You need better structure, my friend,¡± Theo said. Banu gave him an empty stare.


    ¡°We can assign an administrator to help,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Oh, not that again,¡± Banu grumbled. ¡°Not with what happened last time.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll send Sledge,¡± Theo said with a nod. Banu¡¯s stare grew more vacant, a hint of panic in his eyes. ¡°Sort out a structure, or I¡¯m sending sledge. Got it?¡±


    Banu swallowed, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll sort it.¡±


    Theo doubted the farmer would sort the problem out, but they could check in later today. The worst case scenario meant that someone like Gwyn would help manage the farm¡¯s restructuring. In hindsight, the alchemist should have fixed the problem before it was a problem.


    ¡°You can¡¯t fix everything without growing pains,¡± Theo said as they moved down to Stabby Groves. The Elven adventurers that lived here were missing, likely already working with Aarok on assignments.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to rename these districts,¡± Alise said, scowling.


    Theo still didn¡¯t care what the districts were named. Until they actually did something, it was just flavor text. When the pair approached the quarry, they were met with an empty worksite.


    ¡°Working on the road, maybe?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Likely,¡± Alise said, making a note on her parchment. ¡°Ziz talked about structuring his workforce like the Qavelli army. Regulars and irregulars.¡±


    Theo voiced his agreement. Ziz always had a decent way to manage his people, taking a similar approach to Sledge. The difference in approach came down to numbers. The lumber operation utilized a massive force, all lumped together, while the stoneworkers segmented their people into specific jobs. How that translated to building roads would be interesting to see.


    According to the reports from the administration staff, Ziz got 75 workers for his operation. Alise and Theo left the quarry, ascending the battlements of the wall and walking to the eastern gate. It was faster to take the road south, but this gave them a chance to bump into Elven adventurers. When those fighters spotted the mayor and his administrator, they stopped and performed a salute by placing their palm over their chest and bowing. That kind of respect and discipline was unheard of in Broken Tusk. Normally, the alchemist would get a smile and a nod.


    The wall was better patrolled, now. Aarok did a great job stationing the refugees along the wall. Theo even saw some of them maintaining the artifice towers, shoving motes inside to keep them powered. Once the pair made their way to the north-south running section of the eastern wall, they spotted Ziz¡¯s crew. They were shoveling out the old dirt road, placing gravel in the bed, and setting stones with their [Stoneworker¡¯s Core] powers. At a distance, it was a sight to behold.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the question,¡± Theo said, leaning against the crenelations of the wall. ¡°Do we go down there and give them my extra [Tunneling Potions]?¡±


    Alise drummed her fingers on the hard stone, humming for a moment. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he have asked for them if he needed them?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo said. ¡°Could be him trying to build teamwork. Look how coordinated they are. One team to dig, one team to place the gravel, one team to set the stones¡­ Hey, someone on the team has an inventory power.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Theo watched as an Elf pulled some stone from nowhere, almost tripping and falling over. A Half-Ogre from Ziz¡¯s original crew rushed over to steady the man. Then they laughed about it.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s absolutely a bonding thing,¡± Theo said, dismissing the matter. ¡°They¡¯ll hit the bridge soon. Damn, they¡¯re moving quickly.¡±


    ¡°Some people think the Elves aren¡¯t a physically powerful race,¡± Alise said. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if it¡¯s just a thing with House Wavecrest, or all the Elves, but they¡¯re hard workers.¡±


    That¡¯s exactly what Broken Tusk needed. Hard workers who knew the value of putting in the sweat. The Elves working on the road below weren¡¯t dainty things. They were in the dirt and the mud like the Half-Ogres, not shy to get filthy for the cause. They¡¯d fit in.


    Just south of the eastern gate was a sharp turn, jutting out over the river and enclosing the harbor. Ziz and his workers shouted proclamations of greatness from below when they spotted Theo and Alise on the wall. The pair only cleared out when the invitations to get dirty came, complete with mud balls hurled at speed. On the eastern wall of the harbor, Laedria spotted them and ascended the battlements.


    ¡°Big day, boss!¡± she said, slapping Theo on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m collecting materials. Got any pitch? Tar? Uh¡­ Glue?¡±


    ¡°I can work on that today,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, alchemist seems like the right class for the job,¡± Laedria said, twitching. Her team was asleep in the shaded sections of the harbor. ¡°Got any stamina potions? Like¡­ Any? I need some.¡±


    ¡°I suggest you rest,¡± Theo said. ¡°I have your list of materials, and I¡¯ll get them ready today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Rest. No, I¡¯m good. Alright, bye,¡± Laedria said, jumping from the wall. She rushed over to her workers, kicking them away and shouting. Alise and Theo moved on before she returned to the wall.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the weirdest thing I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Theo said once they were clear of the harbor. ¡°But it¡¯s up there.¡±


    The shipwright went into his mental list of people to watch. She was too important to lose because she refused to sleep. Theo and Alise descended the battlements beyond the harbor, working their way through the sparse forest to find Nira¡¯s smeltery with only a few new workers. There was nothing to do here, so they moved on after exchanging pleasantries. Gridgen was outside of Dead Dog Mine when they approached. He was smiling, which Theo took as a good sign.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ll turn away good workers,¡± Gridgen said, laughing. ¡°The Elves don¡¯t seem built for the mines, but they sure are working.¡±


    ¡°No issues?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t enough nuggets to mine, so we¡¯re working on expanding the tunnels,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°Couldn¡¯t be happier with the arrangement.¡±


    Gridgen invited them in for a tour. The top level of the mine had been expanded significantly, snaking in all directions to get at the [Copper Nuggets]. The next layer wasn¡¯t as well-dug, but provided a few new spots to get [Iron Nuggets]. When they reached the bottom layer of the mine, near where Alex¡¯s egg had been found, there were even fewer new tunnels. That last layer held only [Drogramathi Iron Nuggets] for now, but Theo¡¯s hope was to find silver. His intuition said it would appear either on the last layer, or the iron layer.


    With everything being so busy, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to dig deeper. Gridgen shared that concern. His team wasn¡¯t structured like any of the others. Mining seemed to be solitary work, with only enough space for one person to swing a pick in the tunnels. It was more of a mental game than anything, balancing the stiflingly hot conditions of the mine while keeping one¡¯s sanity from the lack of sunlight. But they seemed happy enough to take a more leisurely pace, often returning to the surface for breaks.


    ¡°Might need ventilation,¡± Theo said, standing in a long tunnel on the copper level. The sound of picks rang through the mine, creating a deafening noise that gave him a headache within moments. ¡°And ear protection.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the mine requires attention, though,¡± Alise said, clearing her throat. ¡°Not with the current emergency.¡±


    Alise¡¯s biggest weakness was her limited foresight. Theo couldn¡¯t fault her for it, though. Everyone had their strengths, and her greatest skill was to handle problems immediately. She was reactive, and that had merit. Times like these made it hard to plan for the future. Having someone who focused on the present made those problems vanish as they cropped up. Integrating the refugees was proof enough of that.


    Theo wasn¡¯t much better at planning for the future. He planned for all possibilities, not the most likely one. That was something he could work on, but his goal was to establish an amazing administration structure to bridge the gaps he had. Gwyn was more cautious with her planning, but she hadn¡¯t had the chance to run with it. Sarna, Gridgen¡¯s partner in the mine, came to interrupt the alchemist¡¯s thoughts. She gave her opinion on the mine¡¯s operation, but every word lined up with what the alchemist already heard.


    Alise checked the mine off her list and the pair went to check on the artisans of the town. Throk¡¯s blacksmithing workshop was buzzing with activity. Most of the potential smiths were gone, leaving only a few promising pupils. Thim had his own workstation now, and the blacksmith himself was nowhere to be seen. The Dwarf shouted his greetings, beckoning the pair over.


    ¡°Ya really made the boss mad,¡± Thim said. ¡°Been in that new workshop you gave him for a few days.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll get over it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Since he¡¯s gone, how are your new apprentices working out?¡±


    There were a few Elves that had the knack for blacksmithing. Some even had cores, according to Thim. But cores didn¡¯t make the blacksmith, it was more about personality and drive.


    ¡°Well enough. Not that we have many orders,¡± Thim said, setting down his hammer. ¡°Everyone just wants the Bantari¡¯s artificer work. Air condensers for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Air conditioners,¡± Theo corrected. ¡°That works. Any opinions on the refugees?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely none,¡± Thim said, drinking from a wineskin. ¡°They¡¯re working. They¡¯re getting paid. Who cares?¡±


    There was a commotion on the far side of town. Theo poked his head out of the blacksmith and watched as people stopped in the street, casting concerned looks north. But the bells didn¡¯t ring, and Aarok didn¡¯t send a town-wide message, so he ignored it. He downed a [Potion of Lesser Foresight], just in case.


    ¡°Alright. Thanks for the help, Thim.¡±


    Theo knocked on the door of Throk¡¯s artificer building, but got no response. After knocking the third time, the Marshling shouted back in anger. It was best not to disturb an angry Marshling when they were working, especially not one as angry as Throk.


    ¡°We should check with the admin staff,¡± Alise said, pointing toward the town hall. ¡°Make sure everything is lined up for the day.¡±


    The town hall was filled with citizens and the junior administration team. Gwyn was directing the chaos, but it seemed to be routine things. Some Elves weren¡¯t assigned jobs, and they were upset about that. It was only a group of 3, but they insisted on being placed on teams they didn¡¯t deserve. Especially not the one claiming to be an enchanter. One inspection revealed him to be a level 3 laborer. Further investigation showed his only core to be a [Laborer¡¯s Core]. There wasn¡¯t time in the day to worry about setting everyone up with their dream jobs.


    [Aarok]: Theo, report to the guild. Not an emergency.


    ¡°Is it ever an emergency?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re good for now, if you want to go,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°I mean, the message said I gotta go. So¡­ Enjoy this rabble,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the angry Elf.


    Theo made his way to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. A small crowd had formed outside, all talking amongst themselves. There was time enough in the day to gawk at whatever the guild was doing, but not enough time to work? The alchemist took a deep breath. People could take breaks if they wanted, they only owed him 3 days of labor a week. That was the standing agreement, anyway.


    Inside the guild hall was no less chaotic than the outside. Adventurers talked amongst themselves, a tone of anger spiking their every word. Theo found his way to Aarok¡¯s office, eyes lingering on the crowd surrounding something on the ground. When he entered the cramped office, he found it not as stuffy as before. Only when he spotted Throk¡¯s air conditioner in the corner did it make sense to him.


    ¡°Bit of trouble,¡± Aarok said, sitting behind his table and scribbling something in a leather-bound book. He gestured for Theo to take a seat and sighed. ¡°Well, we figured out what happens when someone breaks your contract.¡±


    Theo searched his memory. The crowd in the guild''s atrium were all surrounding something. A cloth strewn over something, but what was it?


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, inspecting his memory closer. ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Three Elves,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Registered with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and assigned to patrol the marsh. We just hauled them in, still taking witness accounts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Luras¡¯ job, right?¡± Theo asked, letting the memory of the red-stained sheets fade from his mind. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°Early report says they tried to take out another adventurer,¡± Aarok said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Well, they picked the spot well. Out of range from our towers, and out of sight from the other adventurers. An Elf on the wall saw the air split open, then some beast jumped out and¡­ Well, I¡¯m sure you saw it. They were torn to shreds.¡±


    Theo leaned back, falling into his thoughts. His early impression of the contracts skill was that the punishment would fit the crime. The entire situation seemed grim, but it was a clean way to deal with new citizens. If they would sign a contract, then break it immediately, they deserved what they got.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great example for the new citizens,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°They read the contract, right?¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± Aarok said, leaning in. ¡°Not sure you¡¯re the same Theo. Figured you¡¯d have a negative reaction.¡±


    Theo took a long moment to respond. ¡°There¡¯s one simple law in this town. Don¡¯t harm Broken Tusk, or her people. That¡¯s it. If someone can¡¯t follow that, we can¡¯t help them.¡±


    ¡°So, the punishment is death?¡± Aarok asked, raising a brow.


    ¡°I assume they did more than just plot the murder? There had to be an attack, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°There was,¡± Aarok said. ¡°The person they targeted was attacked, but that¡¯s all the information I have. She¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°Then, yes. The punishment is death,¡± Theo said.


    Aarok was pleasantly surprised by that. He fell into conversation about other things, mostly about their new citizens. 3 bad actors out of the 300 wasn¡¯t cause for concern. Everyone else was acting in good faith, and all the adventurers he¡¯d recruited, aside from the 3, were more than pulling their weight. They worked with a professionalism never seen in Broken Tusk before, bringing with them a breath of fresh air. It was not unlike the cool breeze that filtered through the air conditioner in the room.

 3.58 - Free Crystals

    An attempted murder wasn¡¯t the best start to the Season of Fire. Theo sat discussing the issue with Aarok, staring out the man¡¯s office window and idly responding. He was lost in his thoughts, pondering the situation. There had been attempts on his life before, but never on other members of Broken Tusk. That fact hit hard, but it came with good news. The contracts worked, and they extended out to protect his citizens. There was nothing to be done about outside forces, though.


    ¡°My biggest concern for security is the inquisition of the Burning Eye,¡± Theo said, breaking away from his thoughts and dismissing whatever topic was at hand. He explained what Khahar had said. That they were on the moon.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could live on the moon,¡± Aarok said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. ¡°Also didn¡¯t know the old Khahari could send them there.¡±


    Theo suspected there were many things they didn¡¯t know about Yuri. But he wouldn¡¯t voice them to his friend.


    ¡°You¡¯re becoming less of a guildmaster,¡± Theo said. ¡°More of a general.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not think about it,¡± Aarok said. He failed to hide the smile on his face. ¡°Not gonna lie. I love it.¡±


    ¡°Your boyhood dreams of military service are coming true,¡± Theo said. ¡°Any contact with that Dwarf from Gronro? I had a feeling he wanted to cut his people¡¯s teeth in our dungeons.¡±


    ¡°On the dungeons,¡± Aarok started, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, ¡°we¡¯re eagerly awaiting Xol¡¯sa¡¯s new core. Once he can control the dungeons better, we¡¯ll start a training program for anyone in the alliance.¡±


    What the Southland Defensive Alliance accomplished, in the eyes of the kingdom, was treason. They made a bet on Qavell collapsing, or being whittled down to a point where they¡¯d need outside help. With each day that went by, the adventurers looked more like soldiers. Theo feared the day that people showed up to their gates, but it might only be a matter of time. He dismissed the thought before it derailed the conversation.


    ¡°I hope you have a plan for their training,¡± Theo said. ¡°And ours, of course.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a flexible plan in place. Fenian made big promises about the [Dungeon Engineer] core. One promise was instanced dungeons, where more than one party can run it at a time. Currently, everyone just flops into the same dungeon. Even if he makes only two instances, we can double our training time,¡± Aarok said.


    It was hard not to think about the Dreamwalk. That would be an absurd skill to share.


    ¡°I want you to work on preparing for the undead,¡± Theo said. ¡°Once the refugees are settled, focus on that.¡±


    ¡°Are you giving orders?¡±


    ¡°No, just expressing my intuition,¡± Theo said. ¡°Which is rarely wrong. All we can do is imagine the scenarios, and train for our expectations. You¡¯re on the walls of Gronro-Dir. Skeletons and whatever flooding down the path. What do you do?¡±


    ¡°What would I do?¡± Aarok asked, scratching the stubble on his chin. ¡°Line the damn thing with towers and feed them motes.¡±


    ¡°That works for a regular monster wave, right? I¡¯ve got a potion design specifically for the undead, though. I can confidently supply enough to handle a normal-sized wave of undead, but what if that wave is endless?¡±


    Aarok shrugged it off. ¡°Well, what could you do against an endless monster wave?¡±


    There was no answer to that. Theo felt himself missing a chance to create something greater than what he had. Perhaps a system of pipes that poured the potion over the attackers, like the old medieval castles. Instead of boiling water and tar, they could dispense [Hallow Ground] potions. But the quantity required for that would be unsustainable. Not for a long time, anyway. It was just impossible to plan for an enemy they¡¯d never seen.


    ¡°Something to think about,¡± Theo said. ¡°Maybe we can send scouts north to get eyes on the undead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t discount your new allies,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Grot has a head on his shoulders. I¡¯d be shocked if he didn¡¯t have eyes on them already.¡±


    The statement brought a new thought to Theo¡¯s mind. They wanted an easy way to communicate between the towns, and Fenian was still staying in Broken Tusk. The trader gave both Theo and Azrug communication crystals, so he must have a source. Only now did the alchemist think about the cost of that item, withdrawing both it and the Qavelli crystal from his inventory. On a whim, he squeezed the one provided by the crown and got nothing. He held it up for Aarok to inspect.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t they contacted me?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Qavell is big¡­ Right? Maybe they¡¯re strong, but if there¡¯s an enemy at the gate, why didn¡¯t they call?¡±


    Aarok rubbed his chin some more. There was a glint of recognition in the Half-Ogre¡¯s eyes that was hard to shake off. ¡°What are we talking about? I¡¯m not as quick as you, Theo.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t think he was quick at all. But the pieces were falling together. ¡°Maybe the undead are moving on their own. Maybe this was planned,¡± he paused, rewording his next statement in his mind to avoid mentioning Khahar directly. ¡°The big cat person said there was a plan for me, but it fell apart. That smells off to me. Something about the whole damn thing stinks.¡±


    ¡°When you suspect a conspiracy, ask one simple question. To what end?¡± Aarok asked.


    Gods or otherwise, what would someone gain by destroying Qavell? Perhaps it was a way to spit in Glanthier¡¯s face for saving the continent. Both the Elves and House Southblade had a stake in seeing King Karasan dead, even if Theo couldn¡¯t figure out why. Aarok¡¯s question rang in his mind. To what end? This wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d solve by considering the facts in the guild¡¯s office. There was no trail to follow when the answer was so distant. The alchemist pushed the thoughts from his mind, shaking away his uncertainty.


    ¡°To what end,¡± Theo repeated, swiping his tail through the air as the question fell away. ¡°Well, fair enough. We need more information.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Aarok went back to discussing practical defenses for the town. Theo entertained the conversation until it was exhausted, taking his leave from the guild. The bodies were still downstairs, but the crowd had thinned. Gael was waiting to speak to the guildmaster, apologizing to the alchemist about his people¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°No harm done,¡± Theo said, pushing his way out into the streets of Broken Tusk.


    Fenian¡¯s carriage was parked near Miana¡¯s ranch. The Elven trader was petting the Pozwa, trying to imitate their chittering shrieks. While the creatures didn¡¯t enjoy it, Miana was laughing. Theo pulled him aside to ask about the communication crystals.


    ¡°How many? 2? Quite fine,¡± Fenian said, producing 2 crystals from nowhere and pressing them into Theo¡¯s hand. ¡°They just need to touch these, then they¡¯ll work. These are low-grade versions, so they don¡¯t have the world-wide range of mine.¡±


    Theo blinked away his confusion, but it didn¡¯t work. ¡°How much?¡± he asked.


    ¡°For free.¡±


    Theo just stood, staring at the Elf for a long while. The grin never dropped from Fenian¡¯s face. When the alchemist turned, he walked away slowly, waiting for the shouts to follow him. But there was nothing. He had his crystals for free. Fair enough.


    It was the late afternoon by the time Theo made his way back to the Newt and Demon. He summoned his golems to organize their ranks. The alchemist got to work behind his lab, near the greenhouses. He went with 1 [Lesser Stone Golem] to guard 2 [Lesser Mud Golems] in the swamp. They¡¯d be on mote duty, harvesting the bounty of the swamp. The 5 [Lesser Copper Golems] were fine. He just didn¡¯t need as many motes as the [Lesser Mud Golems] were harvesting, so additional defense for the town was great. That left him to create 1 more [Lesser Plant Golem] to tend the greenhouses. While 1 seemed to work decently, there was only so much it could do.


    With the golems sorted, Theo turned his attention to providing them with power.  His stock of [Mana Constructs] was dwindling, but thanks to the [Lesser Plant Golem], the second mushroom cave was full of [Manashrooms]. The alchemist sent a list of mental orders to each golem, sending the mote team out to the swamp, the plant team to the greenhouses, and the metal team roaming the town and mine.


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    Theo dodged questions from Salire, heading up to the lab with an inventory filled with [Swamp Truffles] and [Manashrooms]. She followed him, forcing him to look at a ream of parchment filled with orders. The alchemist wanted to protest, but there was around 20 gold worth of orders. Being low on cash meant he had to shift his priorities. There wasn¡¯t much time left in the day, but half the orders could be filled with essences he had in the lab.


    ¡°How do you like the Elves?¡± Theo asked, starting off with the [Healing Pills].


    ¡°They¡¯re very nice,¡± Salire said. ¡°I always thought they were too good for us mud-folk. An adventurer Elf is trying to woo me. I think.¡±


    The Elves were like most races on the planet, even if they seemed like isolationists. Tarantham was the first place Theo had heard of that held a single race, although his information was spotty. It hardly mattered, with the amount of work to do in the lab. More stills would go a long way, but the floor space was too small. The Newt and Demon could produce massive quantities of potions, but there was room for improvement. An assistant would be the best, but there was no Drogramathi Dronon with the alchemy core banging on his door for a job.


    Theo transferred enough units of [Refined Healing Essence] into his square flask, having a thought before inciting the reaction. The alchemist used his makeshift pipette to place less than a unit of the essence into a flat-bottomed vial. He swirled it around, watching as the pink liquid coated the sides of the pristine glass.


    ¡°An experiment,¡± Theo said, handing it over to Salire.


    She took the vial and cast a concerned look at him. A normal person might not see the change, but Theo could. It went a darker shade of red, small bubbles forming at the bottom.


    ¡°Swirl it around,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the vial. Salire obeyed despite her confusion.


    The moment she moved the liquid, it bubbled angrily. It went from a clear liquid to a frothing mess of sputtering sparks and smoke. Salire dropped it to the ground, shouting and scrambling to the door. After a few heartbeats, the violent reaction was over. The shopkeeper¡¯s anger did not abate.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked, sputtering, not unlike the essence.


    ¡°I knew others couldn¡¯t handle the essences,¡± Theo said, adding enchanted iron shavings to his square vial, then leveling it out with enchanted water. This reaction was controlled. It bubbled, spewed a small amount of smoke, then became a large flask of [Healing Potion]. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it, though.¡±


    Salire blustered. ¡°I¡¯d rather not be an experiment.¡±


    ¡°But Tresk touched the essence before. That¡¯s curious,¡± Theo said, introducing the [Solidify] modifier to the mix. It hardened in a moment, going opaque. He dumped it out on the table and cut the lump of potion into pills. Salire huffed near the door. ¡°It was so little of the mix, it wouldn¡¯t have hurt you. [Healing Essences] are the most stable I have. Imagine if I handed you [Fire Essence].¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the facts,¡± Salire said, straightening herself up.


    ¡°Imagine if someone came in here and messed with my stuff,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the lab. He issued an order to a single [Lesser Copper Golem]. An order to guard the lab at all hours of the day. ¡°Is that carelessness? Well, I don¡¯t know. I had the idea of bringing in an assistant, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.¡±


    Salire took a deep breath. ¡°So, you were sure it would not kill me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, cutting another section of the solidified potion. ¡°What do you think the best option is? Focus on producing more, or what?¡±


    ¡°I think you should focus on quality,¡± Salire said.


    There was wisdom in that, of course. Zarali always talked about the quality of potions, and Theo could feel something in his chest about that. The next tier of potions might be completely different, it was impossible to tell. Nothing came to mind when he thought about ways to refine his potions further. Maybe there were more fermentation processes, or another way to use the pressure vessel. But it seemed like a faraway dream, even if he was standing near the edge of level 20.


    ¡°Healing pills done. I agree with you. Quality over quantity¡­ After we make a crap-load of potions,¡± Theo said. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°More requests for bombs. Poisons. Stuff on your blacklist. But there are also more attribute potions with different modifiers.¡±


    One item stuck out that was interesting enough. It wasn¡¯t on his list, as he didn¡¯t list the elemental potions. Someone wanted a [Strength Potion] with the [Elemental Fire] modifier. Theo couldn¡¯t remember who he told about the elemental modifiers, but he could guess what the effects of the potion would be. When he applied the [Elemental Wind] modifier to a [Dexterity Potion], the physical trait that scaled with the attribute got a multiplier. He withdrew an example from a nearby storage crate, inspecting it.


    [Dexterity Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Wind]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance dexterity.


    Drink to increase speed scaling.


    Effect:


    +14 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.


    For 1.25 hour, your physical speed scales 1.30 times better than normal.


    Theo was shocked Tresk hadn¡¯t stolen this one. It was made with the enchanted [Drogramathi Iron Shavings], with cultivated ingredients, combined with alignment effects. The alchemist didn¡¯t have [Refined Elemental Fire] on hand, but he had enough [Refined Strength Essence] to get everything started. By the time dusk came, with the help of Zarali¡¯s enchantments, he could have a sample ready. The alchemist started a fermentation barrel with [Flame Roses], and busied himself with the other orders while he waited.


    Salire was happy to stay and chat. Whatever anger she felt from holding the sizzling vial had passed, and she was back on friendly terms. Theo made a note to increase his stockpile of his standard essences. As always, restoration, purification, and attribute essences would always sell. People rarely needed the [Potion of Purification], but when they did, they needed it immediately. He checked the items from the list, digging into his store of essences. Some requests wanted strange combinations of modifiers, but he didn¡¯t object. Whatever customers wanted, he¡¯d make. As long as they weren¡¯t outright weapons.


    That rule of providing no bomb-style potions to citizens was wearing thin, but Theo didn¡¯t want to abandon it. There might come a day where a regular [Firebomb] didn¡¯t seem like such a destructive weapon, but that day wasn¡¯t today.


    An order on the list that surprised the alchemist was one from Rivers and Daub. Alran must have requested the 100 [Hallow Ground] potions, because it was just listed as ¡®undead killing potions¡¯. Instead of blowing off the request, Theo took it seriously. Instead of providing the man with a useless version of the potion, he crafted 100 [Hallow Ground Potions] with the [Aerosolize] modifier. He inspected the result, finding no differences from the ones he¡¯d made before.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Aerosolize]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Shatter to create a cloud of denial.


    Effect:


    Throwing this potion creates a fifty pace circle around the point of impact with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the cloud, but will be banished when they do so.


    This version was the easiest to use, and most effective for dealing with large groups of undead. That was Theo¡¯s assumption, anyway. Without a practical application, it was hard to say which version was the most effective. He told Salire to make a note to Mister Cherman about the cost of these potions. As part of their alliance, Broken Tusk promised to provide these undead-killing weapons at a cheap price. When he placed the order, he expected to pay full price.


    ¡°Almost as if he doubts our alliance,¡± Theo said with a sigh, finishing the [Flame Rose] fermentation and transferring it for distillation. ¡°That man needs to learn to trust.¡±


    ¡°When your fate is in the hands of others, it¡¯s often hard to trust,¡± Salire said, nodding to herself. ¡°Felt like that when I left Gronro.¡±


    Theo pushed down the guilty feeling in his chest. Salire came to Broken Tusk for a better life because she wasn¡¯t built for the combat of Gronro-Dir. It wasn¡¯t his fault that she had a hard time to start. She was doing so well now. He couldn¡¯t tell she¡¯d ever feared her future after coming to his town. The alchemist continued with his work, asking her more about how she felt upon arriving in town. She reversed her previous statement, claiming that it was just the nerves. But a move, no matter the world, was a hard thing. She left behind family and friends to join this experiment.


    The timer went off on the still right when dusk set in over Broken Tusk. Theo crafted a [Strength Potion], using [Enchanted Drogramathi Iron Shavings], and introduced his newly crafted [Refined Elemental Fire] to the mix. The red-tinged potion flared, seams of living fire spreading through the vial. While the reaction was stable, Salire stepped back. The alchemist¡¯s experiment left a lasting impression on her. But he examined the result all the same, finding his expectations to be true.


    [Strength Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Fire]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance strength.


    Drink to increase physical strength scaling.


    Effect:


    +14 Strength for 1.75 hours.


    For 1.25 hours, your physical strength scales 1.30 times better than normal.


    [Refined Elemental Fire] enhanced a person¡¯s physical strength, just like [Refined Elemental Wind] enhanced a person¡¯s speed. Those were the easy ones to guess, and how the elemental-line of modifiers influenced [Vigor], [Intelligence], and [Wisdom] was beyond him. But that was a problem for another time. Theo crafted the 10 [Strength Potions] in the order, and handed everything over to Salire. They didn¡¯t fill every order, but it was close enough for the day. It didn¡¯t help that Tresk was screaming in Theo¡¯s ear to get to the tavern. It was dinner time.

 3.59 - Dgoose

    An uneventful day was a good one. Theo had finished his work in the lab, finding his way to Xam¡¯s tavern with his friends. Tonight¡¯s meal was a variation of the wolf meat stew, this time infused with Karatan cheese. A single day after arriving in town, the Elves were settling in well. The alchemist could see their eagerness to forget the past, finding it a mirror to stare into. Alex pecked at some Zee bread, prancing around the table as they ate.


    It would be wise to meet with Fenian before he left town. Others had collected their goods from the trader, but Theo didn¡¯t have outstanding orders. There had been no request for bulk potions this trip, leaving his pockets too empty. Even filling a 20 gold order from townsfolk, spread across many adventurers, wasn¡¯t enough to keep the town afloat. All hope now rested with the shipwright.


    But no one came calling, even as Tresk and Theo slipped into their bath. The Marshling seemed somber, compared to her normally bombastic nature. He could feel her mind churning through information, trying to make connections between something. How she¡¯d become so good at hiding her thoughts was beyond him. That was a question for the Dreamwalk, though. The alchemist dismissed his doubts before the crept up on him.


    ¡°The only thing that could make the bath better would be an air conditioner,¡± Theo said, sighing. Even keeping his head above the water did little to stifle the lingering heat. Fortunately, the showers outside the bath ran cold water. Once the Season of Fire set in, it might be too hot to bathe.


    ¡°Check it out,¡± Tresk said, holding something up for Theo to see. She must have held it in the shared inventory. It was a core. ¡°Elven God of Duels. Parantheir.¡±


    Theo let out a slow breath, sinking further into the bath. He wanted to be upset about another god coming to town, but the support they provided was undeniable.


    ¡°That¡¯s your solution to close combat,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°Need to figure out your [Tracker¡¯s Core], next.¡±


    ¡°Working on it,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°Been asking around, but I don¡¯t think anyone around here knows much Marshling lore. Let alone Bantari.¡±


    That much was true. Even the local Marshlings held little of their cultural heritage. ¡°The lizard-dudes to the south?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s my best bet,¡± Tresk said.


    That lined up well enough with their current plans. Once their boats were on the water, those islands to the south were their first stop. Even if the lizard-folk didn¡¯t want to trade with Broken Tusk, it would help to get the word out. Once merchant vessels knew they were open for business, people should flood in for trade. Fees on imports alone would help pad the coffers, but making first contact was the most important part. A harbor was a way of signaling that a town was open for business. That¡¯s how Theo hoped it would go.


    They didn¡¯t linger in the bath for long. Tresk and Alex were eager to get into the Dreamwalk, but Theo examined the gosling before leaving with them.


    [Alexandria D¡¯Goose]


    [Goose]


    [Familiar]


    Stage:


    [Gosling]


    Master:


    [Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal]


    Level 4


    Description:


    Geese are known as the most loving creatures in all the realms. Any rumors spread to disparage these honorable creatures will be met with a flurry of feathers and bill.


    Affinities:


    Fire


    She had advanced, but not much. While her outward appearance might have changed, it was hard to tell since Theo saw her everyday. He placed his hand on the chirping gosling and judged that she¡¯d grown, if only slightly. How familiars worked was beyond him, but her calming presence was enough to make it worth it. The group made their way back to the Newt and Demon, running into several people on the streets. They politely pushed past as the sun dipped lower behind the horizon and entered the Dreamwalk.


    The schedule in the real world was unforgiving. Theo wanted to work on something that would imitate pitch, since alchemy seemed the best bet, but hadn¡¯t had the time. Instead, he watched as Tresk departed near the harbor and focused on developing his mana control. It was simple enough for him to draw that fiery purple mana from his core and hold it in his palm now. Repeated practice made the process reliable, even if he didn¡¯t trust himself in the real world. But that was fading as time went on. There was no point in practicing in the Dreamwalk if he didn¡¯t apply what he learned in real life. That¡¯s what Xol¡¯sa would have said.


    Theo¡¯s time in the Dreamwalk became a race to gain as much experience as possible. With Throk¡¯s basic timing device, he practiced what it would be like to run 5 or more stills in real life. He found it easy to run 10 at a time, not caring about the result, but operating 5 was difficult if he expected quality essence. There was also a strain that came with running so many stills, as though part of himself was tied to the process. In the real world, he found this strain pressing gently on his chest when running his current setup. But that exertion was like a phantom of itself in this realm. The weight was lighter.


    Alex had gone with Tresk tonight, leaving Theo alone with his ghost ships and his thoughts. The alchemist summoned Marshy on the horizon, waving to the fictitious god. Somehow, that looming creature¡¯s presence was comforting. He felt restless that night. Running between so many stills had become a comfort, but there was a lingering anxiety that built in his mind. It had been a while since he ran up against the first barrier in this world. Back when he was under level 10, struggling to find the secret to advancement. Coming up against another barrier, this time with much more knowledge, allowed him to identify the source of the block.


    It wasn¡¯t a mental thing, he realized. At the last barrier, Theo felt irritable. That barrier put up more than just a block against advancement. It weighed on his heart and mind, forcing a sense of uselessness down his throat. With increased willpower, the alchemist pushed back. He knew the way to advance this time. Zarali had dropped enough hints to send him into the next bracket, but it was the one that loomed at level 30 that gave him pause.


    ¡°This is the part with training wheels,¡± Theo reminded himself. That¡¯s what Khahar said. ¡°This is easy mode.¡±


    Forcing his will against those fears for the future, Theo turned his attention to his stills. More stills wasn¡¯t the answer. Larger stills might work, but that brought more problems. Even the current design had problems. Heating a mash from the bottom worked when there wasn¡¯t a lot of liquid inside. But the more alchemical mash he added to a pot, the higher chance the bottom would burn. Burnt reagents meant lower quality potions. Throk was going to hate him. He needed a new design for the still. That annoying reality sent him into a spiral of questions, none of which he had answers for.


    Theo summoned a likeness of his [Drogramath Still]. It was a magic item provided by the seed core building. He fell down that spiral, letting it consume him. The still was made of [Drogramathi Iron], that much was clear. Since it was part of the building, there was only one person who could enable modifications. Sledge needed to work with Throk to change the still. The alchemist stretched his will over the Dreamwalk. It didn¡¯t want to create a larger version of the still, but it wasn¡¯t the master here. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he focused, drilling into the fabric of the realm. His command over the golems had strengthened his will, honing it over the weeks. A loud pop issued after a moment, the air shimmering to reveal a 1,000 unit [Drogramath Still].


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    It was the same design as the last. Unnecessary spikes everywhere, but lacking the enchantments provided by Zarali. Theo tested his theory about burning the bottom of the still, finding that to be true. He imagined several [Flame Artifices] and stone plinths of various sizes. The alchemist arranged them around the still, leaving the single flame underneath, and adding four to the sides about half-way up the still. This added a layer of complexity to the run. Heating the still was no longer as easy as flicking a switch at a certain temperature. He had to keep all the flames at their lowest setting. But it worked after exhausting experimentation.


    The key was to arrange the flames at the right distance, providing the right heat. This would make calculating the perfect run for reagents a nightmare, but that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Once Throk got his hands on the project, he¡¯d come up with some genius way to distribute the heat around the still. The old Marshling might even have a better method by now. Perhaps a way to heat the metal directly, but that was up to him to solve. For now, the alchemist was happy with the stills. He was even happier with the way he commanded the Dreamwalk.


    Tresk returned after a while, whistling at the new, massive still.


    ¡°Felt something weird shiver through the realm,¡± she said, slapping the side of the still and burning her hand. She cursed. ¡°That¡¯s hot.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re always hot,¡± Theo said. ¡°I forced the Dreamwalk to let me have a big still.¡±


    ¡°I forced it to make Marshy,¡± Tresk said, pointing at the horizon.


    Alex chirped her agreement, conjuring bugs to eat.


    ¡°See? She gets it.¡±


    ¡°It seems easier for you,¡± Theo said, making a mental note of that. ¡°No idea why.¡±


    Tresk shrugged, scooping Alex. She dumped the gosling into the harbor and watched her swimming around. Theo took a break from his experiments, sitting at the edge of the water and kicking his feet.


    ¡°It really feels like something is coming, huh?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo waved the question away. He wasn¡¯t afraid of what was outside of the walls anymore. Preparation was the thing that would save them, and they had plenty of that. Maybe a bit too much?.


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about going broke before we get our boats rolling,¡± Theo said. ¡°Can¡¯t figure out the pitch thing.¡±


    ¡°Is that your job?¡± Tresk asked, snorting a laugh. ¡°I thought that angry ship-building lady was working on the problem.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it my job?¡± Theo asked. He really couldn¡¯t tell. It seemed like something an alchemist would do.


    ¡°Not sure it is, buddy,¡± Tresk said, slapping him on the back. ¡°Thought I saw her workers boiling a bunch of wood.¡±


    ¡°Ogre Cypress?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    If anything could produce pitch, it was the fleshy white part of the Ogre Cypress trees. The first two properties on the item were [Cure Ailment] and [Cleanse]. There was a possibility that the third one could be something sticky, good enough to be used as caulking for the boats. Then again, Theo had the [Solidify] modifier. But that would simply work on potions, not the gaps of boards. Then again, this might not be his domain. With a sigh, he resigned himself to trusting the knowledge of an expert. If they boiled the bark to get their pitch, that¡¯s how Broken Tusk would do it. Theo needed those boats.


    The haze of the Dreamwalk seemed to float by as Theo considered the days to come. He held a request in his mind, something he wouldn¡¯t verbalize to his new shipwright. Those boats needed to be done yesterday. Even a small boat would be a boon. When he thought about the problem more, it stuck out more. The endless loop of amplifying worry was cut. Calming waves of warmth flowed from Alex. The alchemist forgot why he was so concerned. There was plenty to be done in town. They had Fenian as a contact, and 2 towns to trade with. Everything would be fine.


    Theo wouldn¡¯t want it to stop, but the sudden shift in his thinking didn¡¯t go unnoticed. He watched Alex playing in the water, wondering what kind of lodestone she was.


    ¡°Ever notice how calming she is?¡± Theo asked, pointing at the playing gosling. ¡°I get worried about nothing and then¡­ Well, there she is.¡±


    ¡°I noticed,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Dunno if she¡¯s doing it on purpose, but it¡¯s been cutting through my murderous rage.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll count it as a good thing.¡±


    The pair split off again, tending to their own training. Theo kept his focus on his alchemy core, but didn¡¯t neglect his herbalism core. Getting his personal level to 20 was the plan, and it didn¡¯t matter if his herbalism core was along for the ride. The [Governance Core] would provide more than enough experience to push him over the end¡ªthe damn thing was almost at level 19.


    The Dreamwalk ended after many more tests with the stills. Theo got a notification that his [Tara¡¯hek Core] leveled to 21, and his [Governance Core] leveled to 19. He walked with Tresk to eat the leftover wolf meat cheese stew, something he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d like at first. But as a breakfast option, it was too heavy. The alchemist cut it with Zee bread, dipping it into the stew and sipping his tea between bites. That was enough to tone down the overpowering flavors and jump-start his day.


    ¡°See, if I go to Throk first¡­ That just sets the day up for disaster,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well, I can feel you itching to talk to the Elf trader,¡± Tresk said. She¡¯d already dumped the soup down her gullet.


    Before Theo could decide what to do, Alise found him in the tavern. She joined them for breakfast and took her time eating the leftover stew, chatting about small topics. The most important topic she covered was Sledge¡¯s fabrication abilities. Alise and Nira had the Marshling install an air conditioner in their house, mounting it high on a wall. The cooling effect was impressive, but she was edging closer to an ability to exploit the [Synergistic] upgrade on the town. With more people ordering her fine work, it was only a matter of time.


    Alise, Theo, and Alex left Tresk to her adventuring. They marched over to the town hall and took their large meeting room, taking their time to get settled. Gwyn was missing from the meeting, off handling some issues with the Elves for the morning. That left the pair of them to get down to something Alise seemed proud of.


    ¡°I spoke with Fenian,¡± Alise started, tapping her fingers together and grinning. ¡°He wasn¡¯t interested in hauling bulk goods, but I¡¯ve convinced him.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°No. Not really. I¡¯ve been wearing him down over the past few trips,¡± Alise said. ¡°It was Nira¡¯s idea, actually. She complained we weren¡¯t exporting enough metal. Saw it as a shame.¡±


    ¡°What buyers is he targeting?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Elves. I think. Taranthians? Taranthiams? How do you say ¡®the people of Tarantham¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Taranthians,¡± Theo said. ¡°Which house?¡±


    ¡°The dominant house, actually. The one that destroyed House Wavecrest. House Baelstar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not ominous or anything,¡± Theo said.


    There was some moral issue there the alchemist couldn¡¯t find. This wouldn¡¯t count as direct trade with the Elves, since Fenian was acting as a fence. It was still a solution for the short-term, putting a stop to their hemorrhaging finances. It might not have sat right with him, putting his entire fate into Fenian¡¯s hands, but there was nothing they could do until the boats were built.


    ¡°This is our only plan,¡± Alise said. ¡°He won¡¯t have a price for us right away, and he¡¯ll be gone for about a week.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Thanks for sorting that out. Anything else to report?¡±


    ¡°Just a lot of numbers about the new Elves. We lost a few more last night,¡± Alise said. ¡°Only 2 this time.¡±


    ¡°They broke the contract?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°They did. But I¡¯m not surprised. I had them marked on my list as trouble-makers. They refused to sign the contract until I threatened to kick them out.¡±


    ¡°Another layer of defense.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Alise said, clapping her hands to punctuate the idea. ¡°Well, I have a candidate for your tailoring position. They slipped through the cracks¡ªdidn¡¯t report all their cores¡ªbut they¡¯re not happy about working the fields.¡±


    ¡°Funny,¡± Theo said, running his clawed fingers through Alex¡¯s plumage. She nestled in his bag, chirping as though he owed her worms. It was possible he owed her some worms. ¡°They could have avoided that if they were just honest. Maybe the contract-breakers put a fire under their asses.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Should I plant the [Weaver¡¯s Seed Core] near the farm, or in the town¡¯s center?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re looking at the center of town as more of an artisan¡¯s area,¡± Alise said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of unused space between the center and Miana¡¯s ranch.¡±


    Theo consulted his map, finding plenty of free plots around the monolith. Any of them would be fine, but it made sense to keep it away from the sawmill. Whisper, the butcher, didn¡¯t seem to care about the noise, but there was no sense exposing others to it. The alchemist rose from his chair and looked out the window, peering down at the road that ran north-south. He could see the Newt and Demon from here, along with part of Zarali¡¯s enchanter¡¯s workshop. An idea hit him before he could resist.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time to see if our fabricator can tell the roads where to go.¡±

 3.60 - Be the Best You

    Theo stopped by the Newt and Demon to set the stills to work. Salire stopped him to discuss their current orders, going over the things he missed from the other day. The interruption would have annoyed him, but she produced 10 gold coins from nowhere. The shopkeeper had a sheepish smile on her face, holding the money out with a nervous hand.


    ¡°I heard about the town¡¯s money problem,¡± Salire said. She was too nice for her own good. A person with less honor would have pocketed the money and said nothing of it. Theo wouldn¡¯t have noticed.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine. For now. Sit on the cash and try doing something with it,¡± Theo said, waving her away.


    ¡°All 100 gold of it?¡± Salire asked, wincing. It was likely the most gold she¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°I forgot Azrug bought all our old gear,¡± Theo said, looking around to the [Dimensional Storage Crates]. They would have been empty by now. ¡°Reminds me to ask Fenian about a mint¡­ He seems busier than normal. Right?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Give me 75 gold, keep the rest for whatever. Like I said, use it to start a new scheme. Level your cores,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on the woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Be the best you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Salire said, bowing slightly. She¡¯d been around the Elves.


    Theo placed the money in his inventory, intending to lose it as quickly as possible. If Fenian had the mint, he¡¯d buy that. Otherwise it would go into the town¡¯s coffers to pay wages. Either way, he didn¡¯t want it sitting too long. Unspent money was a waste, after all.


    The alchemist kicked off all his stills, dipping into the reagents his golems were harvesting. He made a note to check on the greenhouses and caves more often. After cleaning each still, he mashed [Manashrooms] for the first, [Swamp Truffles] for the second, and [Flame Roses] for the last. Throk¡¯s artifice timers made it easy to set the flame and walk away. Of all his projects, the idea of mass-producing potions aligned best with the [Swamp Truffles]. It was better to have far too many [Hallow Ground] derived potions than the others, with the undead approaching. Again, it was best to let Throk get over whatever he was having problems with.


    Theo flushed the contents of his storage vessels inside, placing them in 200 unit flasks and storing them away with his new organization system. He checked the larger, 10,000 unit exterior tanks and found them at various levels of fullness. They contained healing, stamina, and mana essences that were of dropping quality, compared to his new creations. It would be worth holding them there, though. Emergencies were hard to plan for, and any essence was better than none.


    Fenian was still around, socializing with Elves. They broke off upon seeing their mayor approach, bowing their heads and moving on. The Elven trader performed an overly exaggerated bow.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Fenian said, his voice quivering. ¡°That¡¯s how they treat you. How are things, my dear alchemist?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± Theo said. ¡°Stop bowing. Did you find the mint?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet,¡± Fenian said. ¡°A devilish task. I¡¯ve been sent a different task from that lovely woman Alise.¡±


    ¡°Right. The bulk materials. Think you can get a good price?¡±


    ¡°Not likely. But I¡¯ll get a price. Material trade in Tarantham is regulated. The Bridge can¡¯t penetrate the Khahari Desert, so that¡¯s off the table. The Veostians are broke, and Qavell¡­ Well, they¡¯re not buying anything at the moment.¡±


    ¡°So, you really are fencing the materials. Whatever works. Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Alise mentioned you were leaving for a week,¡± Theo said, locking his gaze onto Fenian¡¯s eyes. He felt a compulsion to exert his will. Perhaps it was Alex in his satchel urging him on, or his own intuition. But after a moment, nothing happened. The Elf remained silent for a few heartbeats, then shrugged.


    ¡°A debt to be paid,¡± Fenian said, grabbing his left forearm and wincing. ¡°I think you¡¯re ready, though.¡±


    ¡°Ready for what?¡±


    Fenian massaged his forearm, closing his eyes. ¡°I may need more of the potions before I leave. The [Hallow Ground] ones. And a few special requests. I¡¯ll pay this time. [Potions of Limited Foresight], [Potions of Retreat], the [Elemental Wind] enhanced [Dexterity Potion], and anything you have that works against mages.¡±


    Theo let his intuition play the logical course of actions out. Each item would help Fenian run away, and fight a mage. A question lingered in the alchemist¡¯s mind. Who the hell did the Elf intend to fight? Another question. What was his end goal? To what end?


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to do it. Even if you won¡¯t tell me what it¡¯s for,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°For the sake of the continent,¡± Fenian said. He moved closer to Theo, leaning in and lowering his voice. ¡°I am bound not to speak of it. Remember your contracts? When the job is done, I can tell you everything. I promise. Just a little more trust. One more step into the darkness.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t just a matter of trust. Theo trusted Fenian with almost everything. The Elf had done nothing but good for him and his town, so why would now be any different? Perhaps another leader might see the descent of the undead as a bad thing. But not Broken Tuskers. The unspoken words on everyone¡¯s lips sang freedom from the kingdom. Open rebellion, if necessary. The alchemist placed his hand on Fenian¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯re with you, Fenian. No matter what the hell you¡¯re doing, we¡¯re right there with you. If Qavell has to fall¡­ Well, we¡¯re happy to see it,¡± Theo said.


    Fenian nodded. That was all he could say, though. Theo could almost feel the bonds of a contract radiating from the man, coming off in wreaths of strange power. It was like raw mana leaking into the air, forming chains that pulled him down.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Fenian said, taking a long breath. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. Keep the faith, Theo. And work on my potions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have them done today,¡± Theo said. ¡°An arsenal.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to tell the Elf the potions would be effortless. Maybe if he pretended it was difficult, he could raise the price a few gold. There was no point working on the potions until he¡¯d made his rounds, but as the alchemist worked through the streets of Broken Tusk, stopping first at Sledge¡¯s sawmill, he realized the problem of the day. The workers at the sawmill said the marshling was off servicing homes and installing air conditioners. It was a matter of going door-to-door, asking everyone when they saw her last. He felt as though he was going in circles, until he finally caught up with her at a home near the smeltery.


    ¡°I have a question,¡± Theo said.


    Sledge was standing on a ladder, leaning against the interior wall of a home. She wove bone-white mana into the boards of the wall, mounting a stand for the artifice air conditioner. The home¡¯s owner watched on, clasping their hands together with anticipation. The marshling refused to answer Theo¡¯s question, waiting to finish her process before communicating. She walked over to the homeowner after she was done, holding her hand out. The owner dropped several silver coins, putting a smile on her face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sledge said, snatching her ladder and making for the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re interacting with the [House Seed Core] when you do that, right?¡±


    ¡°That I am,¡± Sledge said. ¡°Thanks to your goofy air-cooler, I¡¯m getting a load of experience. Keeps me away from that psychotic elf, too. Out there just burning trees.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, keeping up with the stomping Marshling. He¡¯d see what the progress on the boats was today. Just after he talked to Sledge. ¡°Could you interact with the [Town Seed Core]?¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Sledge stopped. She spun around, almost hitting Theo in the head with her ladder, swishing her fat tail across the smooth cobbles. ¡°Alright, Theo. You have my attention.¡±


    Theo gestured to the road they stood on. It was one of 2 major roads that ran through town. North-south, and east-west. His plan was to create smaller roads that shot off from the main thoroughfares, creating small districts of town like the neighborhood. Those dirt roads were built before they got the [Roads] upgrade on the town. The system must have identified them as such, and generated the cobblestone road for that section. Now it fell to the fabricator to do that. He explained the general idea of telling the [Town Seed Core] to make new roads. She nodded the whole way through.


    ¡°Alright. Yeah. Maybe¡ªit depends on how complex the magic array for the roads system is,¡± Sledge said. ¡°The sight behind the scenes for something simple like a [House Seed Core] is dead easy to understand. A few instructions here and there and poof. I can install something. But telling it to make new roads? Might be a challenge. You got a place in mind?¡±


    Theo led Sledge to the area near Zarali¡¯s enchanting workshop. If they could take a section of road, sending it toward the wall, then north to connect near the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, it would be perfect. They¡¯d create a series of roads running north to south, sectioning the area off and allowing more artisans to move in. Including his weaver. The Marshling studied the road for some time, abandoning her ladder and pressing her face against the cobblestones. The alchemist thought he could hear her sniffing the road.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Sledge said, standing after a while. She swiped her hand through the air, summoning a glittering white series of symbols. It wasn¡¯t exactly Axpashi, but it was similar enough that Theo could read pieces. ¡°Welcome to the language of creation. Looks a lot like that arcane babble, right? Wrong! It¡¯s not. This is the big daddy language of the world, Mister Mayor. The scribbles that made life.¡±


    ¡°A bit dramatic,¡± Theo said, leaning in to study the array. Like most arrays, it was represented as a large circle bordered by symbols. The inner workings were all interconnected smaller circles, each representing a concept. After studying it for some time, the alchemist understood very little of it. There was something about roads, another bit about expansion, and a suspicious mention of ducks and other waterfowl. ¡°How do you interact with the nodes?¡±


    ¡°Like this,¡± Sledge said. She beckoned dripping white mana to her hand, then shoved it through a node in the array. The ground trembled beneath their feet for a moment and she tutted. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, baby. Work with mama.¡±


    Theo winced.


    ¡°Right, so it¡¯s complex. Looks like I can¡­ Yeah, just gonna reach in here and¡­ Nope, that¡¯s not the one,¡± Sledge said, the cobbles beneath their feet vibrating. The stopped when she twisted her hand the right way. ¡°Alright, there it is. Let¡¯s make a line that way¡­¡±


    A dotted yellow line appeared on the ground, heading toward the western wall. The wall wasn¡¯t completely visible from here, but the way the line changed and bent revealed that Sledge was still fiddling with the system. After a moment, she got it to extend west, then cut a 90-degree angle toward the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Theo just watched in shock as the Marshling worked her magic. This was magic, after all. Fenian told him this was a form of magic, but he didn¡¯t believe it until that moment.


    ¡°You¡¯re a genius,¡± Theo said. The line solidified on the ground, then the ground rumbled again.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of features the seed core doesn¡¯t support,¡± Sledge said, digging her hand deeper into the floating array. ¡°Pretty sure this is going to consume materials from the town¡¯s storage¡­ Not that we lack materials. Just a warning, you know?¡±


    Sledge turned her hand, mana bleeding into the air to cast motes of glowing white light to the ground. The town rumbled again. Stones sprung up from the ground, moving out to cover the yellow line. In moments, where there was just soggy soil was now a road, perfect in every way. The Marshling couldn¡¯t hide her grin.


    ¡°Alright. That was the coolest thing I¡¯ve seen in a while,¡± Theo said, slapping her on the back. She swayed on the spot, swiping a hand to dismiss the array. ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°Took most my mana,¡± Sledge said. She paused for a moment, then looked up at Theo. The Marshling tried to make her eyes look bigger, a frown spreading across her face. ¡°How am I going to work for the rest of the day? How am I going to feed my family?¡±


    Theo groaned. He withdrew a gold coin from his inventory and placed it in her hand. ¡°That¡¯s for future work, too. No way I¡¯m paying a gold every time we need a road.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Theo glared at her, but she just shrugged.


    ¡°Worth a short, right?¡± Sledge asked. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to lend my talents where they¡¯re needed. No need for payment. I¡¯m keeping this coin, though. But, hey. There¡¯s limitations you¡¯ll want to hear about.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t make anything outside the walls, yet. There¡¯s a skill I can get later that lets me turn exterior buildings into pseudo seed core buildings. For now? Just within the walls. This is also taxing on me. I¡¯m not joking when I say it took most of my mana, but it took something else. Like the town was sapping my willpower for the day. That¡¯s happened before when I installed 30 air thingies in a day.¡±


    Theo nodded along as she spoke. Those were some very lenient restrictions. The skill she mentioned was the most interesting part. The alchemist was already talking with Ziz about different projects outside the town¡¯s gates, so that would be perfect. They already had the bridge. The road Ziz¡¯s guys were constructing was another example.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to have a word with my staff about you,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ll want to take you on as the town¡¯s fabricator officially.¡±


    ¡°Which means?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be Lady Sledge Grob,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯ll also get paid for your jobs. Mostly, I want you to know how important you are to us.¡±


    Theo had never seen Sledge show much emotion besides anger. Was greed an emotion? But at that moment she blushed, averting her gaze from the alchemist and stammering. Alex chirped excitedly from her bag.


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± Sledge grumbled.


    Theo tried to engage in some small talk, but Sledge claimed to be too busy. She brushed him off and stomped away, forgetting her ladder. When he shouted after her, she scurried back to grab it, and continued to stomp away. The alchemist found a spot to plant his [Weaver¡¯s Seed Core], favoring the first turn of his new road. He planted it, and fed enough high-level monster cores to grow it. There was no sense in upgrading it until he had his weaver inside. It was always better to ask the operator what the best option was.


    With that sorted, Theo went back to the lab to check on his distillations. They were still going, so he hadn¡¯t been gone for that long. While he waited for them to complete, he worked on Salire¡¯s checklist and a few of Fenian¡¯s potions. The alchemist mass-produced his best [Hallow Ground] potion, the one modified with [Aerosolize]. That drained that last of that modifier, but gave the Elf 100 new potions to work with. It was always fun creating the [Elemental Wind] [Dexterity Potions], though. Once the stills were done running, he had enough to fill yesterday¡¯s order of potions.


    Before heading downstairs, Theo crafted enough [Mana Constructs] to keep his golems going for a few days. When he went down, Salire had a new list of requests from patrons. Half-way up the stairs, a town-wide message came in from Aarok.


    [Aarok]: Theo, please report to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. This is not an emergency.


    ¡°Not sure if it¡¯s just a thing, now,¡± Theo said, turning around on the stairs. ¡°But we really don¡¯t need to say that everything isn¡¯t an emergency.¡±


    Salire laughed, a nervous smile on her face. ¡°Think it¡¯s urgent?¡±


    ¡°Everything is urgent,¡± Theo said, drinking a [Potion of Lesser Foresight]. He felt the latent power of precognition flowing through his body, spreading like a dull fire in his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Like a good mayor, Theo went straight to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was full of people checking out contracts on a big board. There was even an attendant accepting new contracts behind a heavy oaken desk. The alchemist stopped by there first, putting in an adventuring contract for [Swamp Onions] with a limit of 5,000 units. The clerk happily accepted his money, scurrying off to post the contract on the board. The adventurers nearby howled with delight.


    ¡°Easy contract!¡± one shouted.


    Theo realized it might have been better just to create [Lesser Plant Golems], then send them into the swamp. But there was something about posting a paper contract that was just delightful. The look in the adventurers¡¯ eyes was worth it.


    Aarok was waiting in his office with Luras and Bal. The triplet brother looked shaken, nursing a tea in the corner. Both Half-Ogres had a grim look on their faces.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had another attack,¡± Luras growled.


    The air conditioner, nestled in the top-left corner of the room, kicked on. It flooded Aarok¡¯s stuffy office with a cleansing breeze. Theo didn¡¯t know how to respond to the information. If Elves wanted to betray their contract, dying to some magical beast, that was their concern. Not his.


    ¡°More dead Elves,¡± Theo shrugged.


    ¡°Not an Elf,¡± Bal said, nodding to himself. He took another sip of tea.


    ¡°Young Bal here barely got out with his life,¡± Aarok said, gesturing to the man. ¡°Seems he¡¯s chugging your [Lesser Potion of Foresight] every day. Dodged some guy¡¯s attacks and got out of there. Attack happened in the swamp, just outside the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to kill some Goblins, y¡¯know?¡± Bal asked, laughing a mirthless laugh. ¡°This guy jumped out of nowhere¡ªhooded bastard¡ªand took a few swings at me. Hah! I already drank your potion, Theo. All he got was air.¡±


    ¡°Have you dispatched anyone to investigate?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Our best tracker,¡± Luras said.


    Funny. Theo thought Luras was their best tracker. His heart sank when he realized who their best tracker was.


    ¡°You sent Tresk?¡±


    Tresk, where are you? Theo asked.


    Tracking some bad guys. That¡¯s my job, Tresk said. Oh, shit!


    The mortal realm parted, and Tresk appeared next to Theo, dripping with mud and both daggers drawn. She heaved breath, looking around. ¡°That¡¯s my panic button,¡± she said, turning to look at Aarok. ¡°They got away, boss.¡±

 3.61 - Red Smears

    ¡°You can¡¯t just send her out like that,¡± Theo said, locking his eyes on Aarok. The Half-Ogre wouldn¡¯t give, staring right back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you what we are. By your own words, we¡¯re a military force,¡± Aarok said. He didn¡¯t budge, either in demeanor or position. ¡°She¡¯s the only one with an escape option like that. Now, do you mind letting my little soldier give her report.¡±


    Theo felt a surge of conflicting emotions. Bal wasn¡¯t the most powerful adventurer in town, but he was good. Ranked top 10 in the town, even if they hadn¡¯t shuffled the rankings since the Elves arrived. Tresk was still ranked first, Luras trailing at a close second. If the Marshling had to run away using the [Dreampassage] ability, that meant all her other skills were on cooldown. Even with multiple forms of escape, she had to resort to that one.


    ¡°Please,¡± Theo said, gesturing. He sank into a chair and sighed. There was no reason to go for everyone¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Just a couple slick bastards,¡± Tresk shrugged, dripping [Cleansing Scrub] over her head. Waves of white washed her clean in moments, removing the layers of mud. ¡°I thought I had the jump on this one guy, but then his friends jumped out of the forest north of the dungeon. They were fleeing to the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Did you see their faces?¡± Aarok asked, still staring Theo down.


    ¡°Obscured by some magic crap,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Hooded in black. I cut one of their arms with my dagger. They¡¯ll be lucky to keep the arm with Theo¡¯s poisons.¡±


    ¡°Bandits?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Aarok said, finally looking at Tresk.


    ¡°We expected that,¡± Theo said, straightening up. ¡°Are these the same people we saw near the river? Either way, what are they after?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask Khahar,¡± Luras said, chuckling.


    ¡°There are threads of fate I cannot pull,¡± Khahar said, appearing near Bal. The Human adventurer yelped in surprise.


    That left a sour taste in Theo¡¯s mouth. He looked at Tresk, who didn¡¯t seem shaken at all. She held herself with the pride of the strongest adventurer in town. Being a leader meant taking control, but also understanding where he wasn¡¯t useful. The alchemist was familiar with subterfuge, but this was different. If someone asked him to attack Broken Tusk, he wouldn¡¯t start by picking off people on the outskirts of town. He would infiltrate and sabotage. This seemed more like a petty robbery.


    But why would such skilled people need to rob? Running the dungeon made more sense if they just wanted money.


    ¡°No hints?¡± Tresk asked, grinning at the Khahari leader.


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s bandits,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°No one said otherwise,¡± Luras laughed. ¡°People were driven from the north, it only makes sense.¡±


    But the look Khahar gave Theo said it was more than that. He might not have used his words to communicate the dire situation, but it was there in those eyes. Eyes that faded further from the mortal realm by the day. The walls of Broken Tusk were strong. These bandits, or whatever they were, wouldn¡¯t strike at the heart of the town.


    ¡°We have a plan for this,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Sending our only [Shadowdancer] to engage was the first step. We needed information. Now we know they¡¯re strong enough to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Which means we¡¯ll issue a general call to arms,¡± Luras said. ¡°No more solo adventuring until we sort the problem out. Everyone who goes outside the walls, goes with a team.¡±


    That was a decent plan. If Tresk had backup, she could have taken the group. Theo could feel that in his heart, information was bleeding over through the Tara¡¯hek. She¡¯d underplayed the condition of the man she struck. The potions were strong, and almost impossible to remove unless there was a specialist there. Even the alchemist would have trouble curing his own poisons.


    ¡°Good plan,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°Do what you have to, Aarok.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Aarok said, moving on to discuss specifics with Luras.


    Tresk was upset that she had to stay within the walls for the day. Theo wouldn¡¯t let her risk it since her [Dreampassage] skill would be down until tomorrow. But she understood, vowing to stick by Theo¡¯s side for the rest of the day. They left the meeting after a while, departing the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to arrive at town hall. Another meeting with Alise and her administration staff.


    Theo explained the situation. The sawmill team needed heavy escorts now, compared to their lighter ones. Golems would bridge the gap of lacking manpower, running around town and protecting the citizens. Half-way through the meeting, Xol¡¯sa and Zarali showed up to give their opinions.


    ¡°No signs of tampering with the dungeon,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. He had a broad smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve just been leveling my [Dungeon Engineer] core, so I¡¯d see.¡±


    ¡°Drogramath is silent,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Unsurprising. What¡¯s the big deal, anyway? A few rogue bandits shouldn¡¯t grind our town to a halt.¡±


    ¡°Better to be cautious,¡± Theo said.


    The door of the meeting room opened again, and Fenian strolled in. He sauntered across the room, the many bangles on his wrists playing a merry tune. The Elf took a seat, kicking his feet up on the table.


    ¡°So, bad guys?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Shall we meet them in the marsh at sundown?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Bet you could take them,¡± Tresk said, grinning at the Elf.


    Fenian just shrugged.


    ¡°Could you take them?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d have to see them first,¡± Fenian said. ¡°But I don¡¯t make a habit of fighting without understanding my enemy.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you fought at all,¡± Alise muttered.


    ¡°You have a lot to learn about our trader,¡± Theo said. ¡°It¡¯s a hot topic of speculation. What cores does our illustrious trader have?¡±


    ¡°I never kiss on the first date, my dear alchemist,¡± Fenian said, waving the question away. ¡°I¡¯ll promise you this. The next time they attack, they will be but red smears on the road.¡±


    ¡°Is that really a promise?¡± Theo asked, leaning in.


    While most had theories about what cores Fenian was hiding, Theo knew. At least one of the Elf¡¯s cores was a [Parantheir¡¯s Duelist Core], which must have been a close-range fighting core. He might have others, but that was his highest level core. How high was beyond anyone¡¯s guess. Anyone but Khahar, perhaps. The important thing for the alchemist to consider was the storied past Fenian never revealed. The fate of House Southblade and their association with King Karasan. At every turn, the Elf walked a path paved in blood and stone.


    ¡°It is,¡± Fenian said, flashing a grim smile. ¡°Not even 10 of Zaul¡¯s strongest assassins could best me.¡±


    ¡°Think so?¡± Tresk asked, jumping up from her chair.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Tresk moved in a blur, falling into the shadows and jumping from them in a single heartbeat. She appeared behind the trader, fist cocked back and ready to deliver a blow to the back of his head. Fenian¡¯s chair flew across the room, propelled by the force of him standing so suddenly. The Marshling¡¯s strike hit air, and she tumbled forward to smack her face into the hardwood table.


    ¡°My face!¡± Tresk shouted, pressing her palms into her forehead.


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    ¡°At least you can take one of Zaul¡¯s okay-ist assassins,¡± Theo said, producing a [Healing Potion] for Tresk to drink.


    ¡°No fighting in my meeting room!¡± Alise shouted, pointing at the ruined chair at the far end of the room. ¡°You owe me a chair, Tresk.¡±


    Tresk downed the potion, the welt on her forehead disappearing. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Adventures are children,¡± Alise huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t smack you with a wooden spoon, Mister Feintleaf.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Fenian said, producing a wooden chair from nowhere and sitting on it. ¡°My point stands. I won¡¯t start my mission until the interlopers are dead.¡±


    ¡°Well, I appreciate it,¡± Theo said, finding it hard to express his feelings. It was easy to thank the Elf for the trade he provided. But for protection, that just seemed weird.


    There was other, boring business to attend to. Alise had financial reports, and wage forecasts for the Season of Fire. They¡¯d go bankrupt in a few weeks without Fenian¡¯s offer for material trade. Theo handed over 50 of his 100 gold to the cause.


    ¡°You know¡­ You can add this to the town¡¯s treasury,¡± Alise said, touching the gold. It vanished.


    ¡°I knew that,¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t.


    When the meeting was over, everyone went off to do their own thing. Tresk joined back with Theo, heading to the lab to make more potions for Fenian. The process went quickly, since the Marshling seemed to handle the essences well. She could act as his assistant in the lab, even if she couldn¡¯t perform the reactions herself. After they were done there, they headed off to the farm to check on the [Starbristle Flax] production.


    Banu had made his first harvest of the new textiles, replanting the ever-cultivating crop to expand his production. The more the farmer expanded his core building, the more fields he¡¯d have. But, it was hard to convince him to do anything. There was nothing Theo could do about it now. He left with an inventory full of his new crop, and headed to drop it off at the weaver¡¯s building.


    Despite Tresk¡¯s desire to get out and adventure, she had a great time running around with Theo. It gave them a chance to talk in person. Their discussions were normally through the [Tara¡¯hek Communication] ability. While that was fine, there was something different about talking to each other in person. Alex also enjoyed having both of them so near, chirping from her bag constantly. The Marshling fed her a constant supply of random bugs, worms, and whatever other crap she had in her inventory.


    When it came time to drop the materials off at the weaver, Theo found a scrawny, gray-haired Elf waiting outside. She was tall by Elven standards, coming up to the alchemist¡¯s shoulders. The older woman wore threadbare slacks and a shirt with no shoes. When she spotted the group coming around the corner, she bowed low and made her introductions.


    ¡°Sara¡¯teil,¡± she said, casting a nervous look at Theo. She pressed her palm into her chest. ¡°Kaya¡±


    ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t think she speaks Qavelli,¡± Tres said, scratching her damp, hairless head. She switched to Bantari. ¡°You speak any lizard languages?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she does,¡± Theo said, noting the confused look on the woman¡¯s face. He switched to Drogramathi. ¡°How about Demon languages? No? Axpashi?¡±


    ¡°You scared her,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo assumed the woman¡¯s name was Kaya, from her gesture. But the roughness of the Demonic tongue had scared her. The alchemist switched back to the Qavelli language. Not that it mattered.


    ¡°This is your building,¡± he said, gesturing to the weaver¡¯s workshop. He produced a stalk of flax from his inventory. ¡°Can you turn this into thread? Sails for my boats?¡±


    Kaya had a confused look on her face, but she took the item from Theo and nodded. She pushed into the workshop without another word, and the pair followed. The Elf paused at the far side of the room, in front of something that looked like a giant comb. She held her hand out, shaking the bundle of flax in her other hand.


    ¡°She wants more,¡± Tresk said, nodding to Theo.


    The alchemist produced all the flax he had, placing it in the room¡¯s corner. That seemed to be what Kaya wanted. Each stalk of the flax plant had a long, dried section ending in a tangle of seed pods and smaller sticks. The Elf grabbed a handful and ran it over the comb, which removed all the extra material at the top, sending it tumbling to the ground in a pile.


    ¡°She¡¯s getting rid of the seeds,¡± Tresk observed.


    ¡°Keen eye.¡±


    Kaya moved her handful of flax to the other side of the room, near the window. She set it on a table, found the nearest blunt object and began beating the hell out of the flax. Theo winced at the first strike, but kept his cool. The woman¡¯s strength and endurance were impressive, and she had the Starbristle pulverized in a few minutes. Kaya then produced a dull knife and raked it against the stalks, removing some more of the exterior sections of flax. The next step was to take the stalks and run them through a finer comb near the comically large one. Within a few minutes, the rough plant was looking like a bundle of shining blue thread.


    Kaya said something else in her native language, gesturing to the large spinning wheel that dominated the room¡¯s center. She sat down, and worked her magic. To Theo, it looked as much like magic as anything else, because within a few minutes she had a bobbin loaded with smooth, blue thread. It wasn¡¯t rough, like Theo expected. The alchemist thought it would come out the other end looking more like twine. But that was the difference between a mundane weaver, and one with a core.


    ¡°Payment,¡± Theo said, knitting his brows. What was the best way to communicate that this was a paying job? He arrived at the solution quickly. ¡°Contracts.¡±


    Theo drew up a contract for Kaya. He hoped the magic in the [Contracts] skill would translate the text for her. When the prompt showed up, Kaya made an excited sound then babbled in her native language.


    [Starbristle Weaver]


    Contract


    Kaya Wavecrest will provide Broken Tusk with 3 days of labor per week to spin [Starbristle Flax] into [Starbristle Thread]. At her own pace, she shall weave the [Starbristle Thread] into [Starbristle Cloth] for the construction of sails. She shall earn 15% of market value on all items produced. Theo Spencer agrees to support Kaya Wavecrest¡¯s endeavors to ensure her success within Broken Tusk.


    Terms:


    Kaya Wavecrest will work the [Weaver¡¯s Workshop] no less than 3 days per week.


    Kaya Wavecrest is responsible for all workers she hires, including distribution of funds.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) will supply all materials for the weaver to work.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) will ensure the safety of all workers.


    Theo Spencer (Belgar) will provide [Monster Cores] to upgrade the weaver.


    Timeline:


    Renewed every year


    Theo thought he had some logic to the way he drew up payment on contracts. It was more of a feeling if someone got 10%, 15%, or 90%. She made no changes to the contract, sending it back to Theo with her magical signature. Kaya reached out, still speaking in Taranthian, and shook his hand.


    ¡°Hey, I guess she likes it,¡± Tresk said, laughing.


    ¡°We need to tell Gael about this,¡± Theo said, watching as the woman got to work. ¡°If his people need tutoring in Qavelli, someone needs to provide it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo inspected the thread that Kaya produced before leaving the workshop.


    [Starbristle Thread]


    [Textile]


    Uncommon


    Starbristle Flax is known for its alluring color and strength.


    The contract automatically filled in the prompt for [Starbristle Cloth], but without an example Theo couldn¡¯t figure out how to inspect it. That didn¡¯t matter, though. They had a way to make cloth. Something large enough to create sails for his boats, and the system message said Starbristle was known for its strength. The alchemist would need to come back with an interpreter and find the best upgrades for her workshop.


    While he was thinking about his boats, Theo figured it was a good time to check on how the pitch production was going. Tresk joined him out on the street, listening to the calls of Kaya inside. They supposed she was saying goodbye, and moved on. Laedria Wavecrest was at the port, overseeing several bonfires raging on the paved ground. He didn¡¯t want to yell at them for burning a grease stain onto his beautiful harbor, so he bit back the words bubbling from his throat.


    ¡°Mister Mayor! Fancy you showed up,¡± Laedria said. ¡°See, I haven¡¯t been paid for my good labor. I¡¯m out here choking on smoke and making your [Ogre Cypress Pitch] without a single copper coin in my hand.¡±


    ¡°Have you built a boat?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve made pitch. And assembled some lumber,¡± Laedria said, crossing her arms.


    Theo reminded himself of the proper way to deal with someone like Laedria. If this was someone else, he would have fawned over her efforts. Pitch was a big deal. But Laedria Wavecrest was a pain in the ass. She wanted to knock heads with others for no good reason, and needed a good knock in the head back.


    ¡°Food is free in town, if you can¡¯t pay. You have housing and food. Show me even part of a boat, and we¡¯ll talk terms,¡± Theo said. ¡°Until then, I¡¯ll assume you¡¯re worthless.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Laedria said, thumping her hand on her chest. ¡°I like you, mayor. You want a Glan-damn boat? I¡¯ll give you a boat.¡±


    Theo thought about the expression she used for a moment. Glantheir was the Elven God of Healing, so that was her way of saying ¡®god damn¡¯. He tried to hide the smile on his face, moving over to inspect the pitch she was creating. Through burning the [Ogre Cypress Bark], running it over a fire in large copper pots, she had produced [Ogre Cypress Pitch].


    [Ogre Cypress Pitch]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Pitch]


    Rare


    Pitch useful for sealing.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°I¡¯m not eating that,¡± Theo said, looming over a pot of foul-smelling sludge.


    ¡°No one asked you to!¡± Laedria shot back, cackling.


    The harbor had more problems than just needing boats. They needed someone to run the harbor alongside their shipwright. Theo couldn¡¯t think of anyone for the job, but he¡¯d find someone. For now, the harbor was on its way to being the most vital part of Broken Tusk. The alchemist watched the team of Elves stoke fires, his mind swirling with ideas to improve the process. Throk¡¯s [Flame Artifices] would have been better to work the [Ogre Cypress Bark], but it would be nice to let Laedria and her people sweat over this. A person like her needed hardship to find their place.

 3.62 - Well Face It Together

    Tresk and Theo spent the rest of the day working on potions for Fenian. They didn¡¯t limit themselves to what he¡¯d requested, making anything that fit with his theme of defensive potions. Although the day was fading, they pushed to complete an example of a [Vigor Potion] with the [Refined Elemental Earth] modifier. Any chance to test the effects of a new modifier was a good chance, so he took it.


    Theo held the completed vial up for inspection, noting the brown-yellow tone and flecks of glowing yellow material behind the glass.


    [Vigor Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Earth]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance vigor.


    Drink to increase resistance scaling.


    Effect:


    +14 Vigor for 1.75 hours.


    For 1.25 hours, your physical resistances scale 1.30 times better than normal.


    [Vigor] was a defensive attribute, even if it influenced stamina directly. Health scaled directly with the attribute, although Theo hadn¡¯t noted the scale. The problem was the vague way it described resistances. They were physical resistances, but what did that mean? Tresk thought it was a good potion, so they made 10 for Fenian to sample. If the Elf was sticking around for a few more days, they could make more for him before he departed.


    ¡°Well, a hard day¡¯s work done,¡± Tresk said, dusting her hands off. She had barely helped, but it was more help than he expected.


    ¡°A job well done,¡± Theo said, patting the Marshling on the head. ¡°Time for dinner?¡±


    Alex chirped.


    Xam had been feeding her tavern [Monster Cores]. It expanded to the east, encroaching on the space occupied by the bathhouse. The building also pushed north, threatening no other buildings. The Marsh Wolf Tavern also seemed taller, as though it got another floor. When they had expanded the building was beyond him, but it had to be during the day, when he was too busy to notice. Theo and Tresk entered the tavern, noting the significant increase in area.


    ¡°Got a new dining floor!¡± Xam shouted over the constant buzz of conversation. ¡°Go upstairs, I have a table reserved for you.¡±


    Theo and Tresk shared a look. They¡¯d both be lying if they said they didn¡¯t appreciate the special treatment. The first floor of Xam¡¯s tavern was nice, but the second was amazing. With the sun fading outside, the windows on the second floor caught more of that dying light. Downstairs, the kitchen and bar area took up much of the area, but the second floor didn¡¯t suffer from that problem. It was filled with tables, packed from the landing of the stairs to each corner of the room. A single booth, roped off with a sign reading ¡°for the mayor¡± sat on the east-facing side of the room.


    ¡°Oh. Fancy,¡± Tresk said, jumping into the walled-off section.


    Theo moved around the rope, sitting to find the seats far more comfortable than the normal wooden chairs in the tavern. Each chair in the booth was upholstered in something that looked like red silk, stuffed with comfortable material. There was a small hay-strewn box in the booth¡¯s corner with a small name tag.


    ¡°It says ¡®Alex¡¯!¡± Tresk shouted, jumping up to snatch the gosling from Theo¡¯s satchel. She placed her inside, patting the creature¡¯s head as she nestled amongst the hay.


    ¡°They¡¯re really trying to spoil us,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    Before long, an employee came along with plates laden with salad. That¡¯s the only way Theo could think to describe it, anyway. Piles of leafy vegetables drizzled with some mixture of oil and Karatan cream and cheese. Tresk turned her nose up at it, but with a bit of prodding she ate.


    ¡°Alright, this is good,¡± Tresk said, finding it hard to dump the entire plate in her mouth at once.


    By the time their plates were cleared, the second floor had filled. Theo felt like a lord in his little box, staring out his window and waiting for more food. Before long, the server returned with two plates of Zee pasta, covered in a cheesy sauce with flecks of green [Water Leeks] sprinkled on top. The next course also came with cups filled with the mead from Rivers and Daub. Before the server left the table, they set a small cup down. It was filled with worms.


    ¡°They¡¯re treating you like a queen, Alex,¡± Theo said, dumping the worms into the gosling¡¯s little enclosure.


    Alex pecked at the worms, happily slurping them down. She was growing more by the day. Her plumage had changed, becoming less downy as her body grew. While it was hard to tell when she¡¯d become something more than a gosling, ?change would come soon.


    As with all of Xam¡¯s cooking, the meal was impossibly delicious. Cheese was cheating, but Theo wouldn¡¯t complain. His investment in Miana paid off daily. He would have given any amount of gold to see fresh Karatan cheese and milk served with his meals. And the Half-Ogre tavern owner had never been happier to sling Miana¡¯s products, weaving them into every dish she made.


    Luras joined them after a while, squeezing his broad frame into their little booth. It had seats for 6 people, and a table large enough to accommodate more. He looked more grumpy than normal until the mead came and he dug into his Zee pasta. After a few drinks, and a full belly, he got more conversational.


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe they beat you out there, Tresk,¡± Luras said, laughing. ¡°Maybe we gotta take your number one spot.¡±


    ¡°From my cold, dead hands,¡± Tresk said, glowering.


    ¡°How have you been, Luras?¡± Theo asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Great,¡± Luras said. He averted his gaze from Theo.


    When Luras took his [Leatherworker¡¯s Core], it left a sore spot. He was forced into the position unfairly, acting on the wishes of a dying relative. Now, in his position as the Captain of the Guard, he hit his stride.


    ¡°Luras likes to guard people,¡± Tresk said, nodding. She spoke the words with no malice. Just an observation of a friend, even if he was a rival.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see as much action as people like Tresk,¡± Luras said, taking another massive drink of mead. ¡°But you can¡¯t put a price on protecting people. Might even take an [Administrator¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a core for guards,¡± Theo said. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯re drawing a good salary.¡±


    ¡°Good? No, I¡¯m rich. By Broken Tusk standards? Extremely rich,¡± Luras said, laughing. He slammed his fist on the table to punctuate his point, sending the dishes clattering around. ¡°This is a job I could have only dreamed of. Gods¡­ Do you remember when you got here? We were skulking around in the mud, hunting turtles to survive.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure how you guys survived,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t,¡± Tresk said, her eyes going unfocused. ¡°Broken Tusk was on the decline for years. When the Ogres left, they created a void. When Qavell swooped in, they installed a yoke.¡±


    Luras nodded, raising his glass and taking another swig. ¡°Before Theo showed up, there was nothing worth exploiting here. Just the meager taxes we provided. Then boom. Suddenly the hills are rich in ore and marble. Land cluttered with more dungeons than any other region. The trees are growing faster than weeds. Yeah, bet they¡¯re mad about missing out on that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, screw them,¡± Theo said, raising his glass. ¡°To treason.¡±


    Others in the tavern heard Theo¡¯s toast. Apparently, his voice was too loud, because a chorus of voices echoed his sentiment back.


    ¡°To treason!¡±


    Everyone on the second floor drank to that, Elves included. That was the way Broken Tuskers rationalized what they were doing. It wasn¡¯t exactly treason, but they were on the edge of declaring their independence either way. Some taxes were still withdrawn from the town automatically, while others required manual collection. Coins slipped out of their pocket weekly, and every building in town still required the owner to pay property tax. The administration had halted that collection, even if the timer ticked down daily.


    Theo saw little reason to collect taxes on the value of a property. Once they broke from Qavell, he¡¯d do whatever he could to rearrange that. If someone spent the money on a seed core building, and the land, there was no reason for them to keep paying for it. His plan was to remove taxes that people paid to live. That should be free. Instead, he¡¯d place less-steep taxes on sales and exports. Anything sold in Broken Tusk to Broken Tuskers would be tax free. He¡¯d work out the details with his administrators.


    The important point was to keep the town from becoming another merchant-controlled city. Rivers and Daub displayed how that could go wrong in spectacular fashion. The slums on the western side of their town were a testament to that, revealing the selfish nature of those in power. Theo wondered if he could keep himself from temptation, but the evidence was already in. The moment he got a little money, it went right back into the town. He still enjoyed the luxuries provided by his position, but wanted to keep those minimized.


    So long as the people were happy, so was he.


    Luras had a fun time that night, even after he got completely hammered. Tresk and Theo had to help the Half-Ogre back to his house, passing by the old leatherworker¡¯s workshop that no one was using. It was a sore reminder, but the drunk didn¡¯t seem to notice. After depositing him in his bed, the pair made their way to the bathhouse. The sun had set, but there was no reason not to get a nice bath. That private bath was another comfort that the position of power provided.


    ¡°What a day,¡± Tresk said, sinking into the pool.


    Theo found the bucket he used to bathe himself before hopping into the mineral-rich pool and filled it from the cold tap. He set it near the pool¡¯s edge and placed Alex inside. She didn¡¯t care for the hot water of the tub, often preferring to just sit around the edge. The gosling now chirped happily from her bucket, full of worms and comfortable. They bathed for quite some time, but the staff had reinstated their rule about staying too late. Tresk, Theo, and Alex were kicked out of the bath. They returned home without another thought.


    The sleeping arrangements in their little apartment had changed little since Theo got there. His bed sat on the east-facing wall with the window, while Tresk took the interior wall. They both had nice goose feather beds, a fact they wouldn¡¯t reveal to Alex, and it was comfortable enough. With the Dreamwalk, it seemed as though the quality of the mattress didn¡¯t matter. Instead of laying in bed, waiting for sleep to come, it was more of an agreed upon command that sent them into the dreamwalk. While it was nice, he never had trouble going to bed in this world. The days were too exhausting to do anything but rest.


    Theo considered his current core levels, alongside his personal level before getting in bed. His [Drogramath Alchemy] core should have rolled over to level 19 today, and his [Governance Core] would roll over tomorrow. [Drogramath Herbalist] would hit level 18 in its own time, still trailing behind everything. That should be enough experience to send his personal level to 19. Then it was just a single level to unlock a new core slot.


    ¡°I need to study,¡± Theo said, watching as Tresk got into bed.


    ¡°Why? Your Axpashi is getting better,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Can we continue this discussion in Tero¡¯gal?¡±


    Theo nodded, hopping into bed and checking on Alex. She was snug in her makeshift bed, ready to sleep. They needed to improve her sleeping area, but that was a task for another time. Instead, he and Tresk issued the mental command that sent the world spinning. Moments later, they arrived in the Dreamwalk. The haze lifted after a moment, revealing the harbor once more.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s the damn problem,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes at Theo. ¡°I don¡¯t think those are normal bandits.¡±


    Theo blinked a few times, trying to force his thoughts to catch up with the moment. He could normally feel his Tara¡¯hek companion¡¯s deception. But she¡¯d kept it from him so expertly, perhaps afraid of someone listening in. But the [Tara¡¯hek Communication] skill should have been between them. And the goose.


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to tip anyone off,¡± Tresk said, shifting the scene to the swamp.


    Theo spotted a group of 5 people, as hazy as Tresk¡¯s memory of the event. He spun around, finding the dungeon to the south, spinning again to find a forest of Ogre Cypress and the mountains to the north. He slogged through the marsh, coming close to a prone figure.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see many details,¡± Theo said, stooping low to look at the ethereal man in the mud.


    ¡°Well, this is when I hit them. And my memory ain¡¯t so great,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Four were fanned out near the forest¡¯s edge, one ranging ahead. Looked like a fighting retreat to me.¡±


    Theo inspected the scene closer. The figures by the forest were even hazier than the one crouched in the swamp. The man was clutching his forearm, and the people near the trees were rallying.


    ¡°Would bandits be this supportive of an injured companion?¡± Theo asked, pointing at the 4 people.


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Maybe a tight-knit group of career bandits. But I¡¯m not convinced. The magic they hit me with¡­ Hold on¡­¡±


    The scene changed again. Tresk¡¯s memory of the magical attack was even more blurry. A red wave came from the line of trees, undefined. Theo got a sense of the attack from the memory, but it was even more hazy than the physical appearance. He couldn¡¯t sense any magical properties from the magic, and let out a heavy sigh.


    ¡°So, it was almost like a wave of blood,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo took a deep breath through his nose. He could almost smell the scent of rust in the air, but it was too distant. With all this information, he had to wonder what those people were really doing. They scouted near the river, then acted near the dungeon. If they wanted to sabotage a dungeon, the [Swamp Dungeon] was the worst pick. The [Ocean Dungeon] was the easiest for that task, even if they had to go underwater to do it. Nothing his intuition could tell him added up.


    ¡°Wave of blood,¡± Theo said, pushing his [Wisdom] to its limit. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Either what kind of magic that is, or why they were here. How did the attack start?¡±


    Tresk changed the scene again. She created a ghostly representation of herself hiding behind a tree, looking over a singular figure lurking in the swamp. The others near the tree weren¡¯t visible yet, waiting for their companion to return.


    ¡°I saw that weird magic obscuring his face and attacked without warning,¡± Tresk said, changing the image to show her emerging from the person¡¯s shadow. He turned, blocking the strike with his forearm. ¡°I had your best poison on [Stab Stab]. The one with [Accelerated Decay]. Got four hits on the guy¡¯s arm before the magic happened. Then I ran.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t mess with magic.¡±


    Anyone afflicted with that poison would have a hard time surviving. [Accelerated Decay] increased the damage of all poisons, and removing the poison manually caused all stacks to apply at once. If the man¡¯s companions could heal him, he would lose the arm. Theo had no doubt in his mind about that. His poisons were beyond deadly. Tresk¡¯s [Tracker¡¯s Core] also provided the [Linger Poisons] effect, which increased the damage of poison on targets she tracked by 1.5 times.


    ¡°My lingering question,¡± Tresk said, drawing the daggers from her hips and stabbing the ghostly visage of the interloper. ¡°What level is this guy if he didn¡¯t go down choking on poison?¡±


    That was a question Theo didn¡¯t know if he wanted answered. It was bad enough to think about a band of low-level bandits roaming around, but if they were a high-level group¡­ That was far worse.


    ¡°We need a plan to take them out. Think Fenian can do the job?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hiding something,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I think his [Parantheir Duelist¡¯s Core] is at least level 30.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked, shaking his head. ¡°Surely not that high.¡±


    Tresk returned her daggers to their place, leaning in. ¡°I think he was holding back when he dodged me. Could¡¯ve moved way faster.¡±


    Fenian moved fast enough in that encounter to dodge Tresk. How much faster could he have moved? But Theo didn¡¯t want to entertain any more questions. That¡¯s all they were finding with this problem. More questions.


    Grasping at things beyond his reach was a futile thing. Theo realized that long ago. It was a quagmire, as much as the swamp outside the western gate was. Doubts and questions were as likely to suck a man under as the marsh itself. If he was well-practiced in anything, it was the art of ignoring massive problems to push forward. Because without more levels, more wealth, and more notoriety what was the point of their little experiment?


    Theo pressed his forehead against Tresk¡¯s and smiled.


    ¡°Whatever happens, we¡¯ll face it together,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk nodded, her expression setting with determination.


    ¡°Together.¡±


    Alex chirped her support.

 3.63 - Khahar Departs

    Sunlight filtered through the window in Theo¡¯s room, casting shafts of light through the dusty air. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he dumped a bottle of [Cleansing Scrub] over his bedroom, but that was the least of his concerns. A barrage of system messages clouded his vision, worse than the particles of dust in the air. So many cores had rolled over to new levels that the window took up most of his sight.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (8%).


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 18.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 19.


    [Governance Core] received experience (0.5%).


    [Governance Core] received experience (0.2%).


    [Governance Core] received experience (0.2%).


    ¡­


    [Governance Core] leveled up! Level 20.


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (5%).


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 19.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    Spending the entire night in the Dreamwalk was doubling his progress. It was better than the real world for grinding levels, even if the products he made didn¡¯t matter. Theo considered where to put his free point, but more [Intelligence] would help over anything else. One more level, and he¡¯d find himself with a magic-based core. That assumed that Khahar made good on his promise, contacting Toru¡¯aun and setting him up with a demon mage core. While he didn¡¯t normally like leaving things to chance, the alchemist had few other options. He¡¯d take his time to pick the skill for his [Governance Core].


    He inspected his attributes screen, distributing the free point into [Intelligence].


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 19


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 4


    Stats:


    Health: 105


    Mana: 160


    Stamina: 115


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 16 (+8)


    Vigor: 20 (+8)


    Intelligence: 23 (+9)


    Wisdom: 27 (+7)


    Points: 0


    That single level meant a lot. Perhaps not as much as the ascension into the level 30 range, but it was big. Another core meant he could lend himself better to the defense of Broken Tusk. With his Axpashi improving, he¡¯d leafed through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s book in the Dreamwalk. With enough of it memorized, he saw how the Elf¡¯s theories about the core would benefit him and the town. He theorized that the Demon Lady¡¯s wards were much like limited-use enchantments. They were all reactive, and could be applied to almost everything. The example given in the book was a miner¡¯s pick with a ward to imbue it with greater power, allowing the miner to take a few strings with impossible strength.


    Tresk placed her hand over Theo¡¯s shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts. He turned, finding her with a faint smile on her face. They shared more than just feelings, now. He didn¡¯t need to tell her about his excitement for the new core. It just bled between them, turning their thoughts brackish with a mingling existence.


    ¡°Breakfast time,¡± Theo said, rubbing his hands together.


    Another thing to be excited about was their private booth. While their table by the window was all but reserved, they still had to contend with the crowds. The pair left the lab, running into a gaggle of people on the street. There were more fresh faces in town, not accounted for by the surge of Elves. More refugees, fleeing from the north to find a home in the swamp town. Theo was glad to have them. Strong back and determination would win their little rebellion, if it ever came to that.


    The booth was as pleasant as last night. Theo swept his tail through the air, watching as Alex nestled in her box in the corner. The view outside the window was better, even if obscured slightly by the bathhouse. He could see the boiling rooms where the town¡¯s water was purified. The adventurers walked the walls, guarding it more like soldiers than anything. They moved in groups of three now, never straying far from their squads. More like a military every single day.


    ¡°They¡¯re more like mercenaries,¡± Tresk said, reading Theo¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Maybe. Soldiers get pay. What¡¯s the line between soldier and mercenary?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk tapped her fingers on the table, humming for a moment. During her thinking, the server brought the leftovers from last night. This time, there was no mead, only the deliciously sweet moss tea.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theo said, flicking the server a silver coin. It seemed wise to tip now that he had a private booth. That act added to the illusion of his power.


    ¡°Soldiers fight for a cause. Mercenaries fight for money,¡± Tresk said, finally allowing her thoughts to form.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t assume the motives of every adventurer in town.¡± Theo picked through his leftover salad, finding only the largest chunk of crumbly Karatan cheese. ¡°We¡¯re not a nation¡ªyet¡ªbut that¡¯s exactly what these people are fighting for. The town.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keyword ¡®yet¡¯ on that whole thing.¡± Tresk pushed the salad to the side and devoured her meal. ¡°But, you¡¯re right. They¡¯re something else entirely. An adventurer army.¡±


    Theo nodded, sipping his tea. ¡°How many of them fight for the top ranks?¡±


    ¡°Maybe everyone in the top 20. Not that anyone can catch me,¡± Tresk said, posing heroically. ¡°No, but they¡¯re talking about integrating our non-guild with Rivers and Gronro. I heard that Dwarf-dude is losing his shoes trying to get in on that deal. Aarok already has a few of his guys running the [Swamp Dungeon].¡±


    Theo picked through the parts of his food that he liked. The tea was the only thing he really needed to get the day going, but it was hard to resist the cheese. Once the silence had set in, Alex chirped, as though she had something to add to the conversation. Her sounds became more frantic as the moments rolled on, ending with her tumbling from the box and pecking at their heels.


    ¡°Calm down, bird,¡± Tresk said, picking the growing gosling up to cradle her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The chirping continued. But a sound issued from outside the tavern sent Theo¡¯s blood running cold. A spike of adrenaline flooded him as the frantic clatter of warning bells issued from the walls. It started with a single, distant bell ringing rapidly. Then it was joined by others along the wall. Tresk¡¯s daggers were in her hands in an instant, and she disappeared into the shadows.


    A few heartbeats later, she sent a mental message to Theo.


    Ships. On the horizon¡ªa whole damn fleet, she said.


    Cheep!


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Theo stuffed Alex in his satchel and ran from the tavern, downing a [Potion of LImited Foresight] and rushing to the town square. Aarok was sprinting, his footfalls matching the frantic pace of the balls. The two men joined on the road, headed for the eastern gate.


    ¡°An attack?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    There was no sign of an attack at the eastern gate. Aarok ascended the battlements to get a report, and Theo sprinted south to the other side of the harbor. Up on those battlements, he could see ships far in the distance. They rolled in on a bank of fog, obscured so that none of their features could be discerned. Adventurers scrambled around him, pushing past on the narrow path and asking for orders. Theo just stared.


    ¡°They¡¯ve finally arrived,¡± Khahar said, appearing behind Theo.


    ¡°An attack?¡± Theo asked. No one would be suicidal enough to sail up the river to face their towers. Right?


    ¡°My people. The clergy of my cult come to take me home,¡± Khahar said. He let out a slow breath.


    All the tension released from Theo¡¯s body. His shoulders relaxed, giving way to the logic of his mind. Khahar had mentioned that his people were coming to get him, even if the Khahari leader could just teleport back to his home. The tension came back when Tresk sent another message.


    I¡¯m about to jump onto the boat and murder these idiots! Tresk shouted.


    Stop! Theo shouted back. They¡¯re Khahar¡¯s people. Come to collect him.


    Man. Alright. Standing down.


    Theo opened his mayoral interface and wrote a message, sending it town-wide.


    [Theo]: They¡¯re Khahar¡¯s people. Everyone stand down. Report to me, south of the harbor on the wall.


    Theo realized the scale of the ships he was seeing. The mouth of the river was miles away, but the sails still stood proud on the horizon. Moments ago, they¡¯d loomed like harbingers of their own. Now they seemed more tame and inviting, heralds of a man¡¯s ascension into godhood.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Theo asked.


    Khahar leaned against the wall. He looked tired. ¡°It¡¯s not death, like you might imagine. Honestly, I can¡¯t wait to be gone. Spencer¡­ They¡¯re insufferable. They hound me day and night. ¡®Khahar, what is your great wisdom? How can I be a better person?¡¯ I don¡¯t know! Stop being an asshole.¡±


    Theo tried not to laugh¡ªhe really did. But in moments, both he and the god-like figure were holding stitches in their sides, laughing at the absurd situation. Once the alchemist¡¯s breath came back to him, he looked at his old friend. Those unfamiliar eyes shone with excitement. A new adventure.


    ¡°How long will it take?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Instantaneous, once I get back,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Time moves slower in the godly realms. Depending on the strength of the realm, it will move even slower. With the power I accumulated, I¡¯ll have a realm powerful enough to rival the combined Pantheons.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± Theo asked. ¡°To what end?¡±


    Khahar cast Theo a knowing look, a smile creeping into his face. ¡°Then I¡¯ll shatter the barrier between the pantheons. Kill Zagmon, Fan¡¯glir, the Eye, and a few others.¡±


    ¡°So, nothing big?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Just relax for a while. Take it easy?¡±


    ¡°No such luxury. If my math is right, a second in this world will equal a year in mine. Time in the heavenly realms is the currency. That¡¯s why the gods have such trouble influencing the mortal realm. Imagine if you started a plan down here, and watched your agents take plodding steps.¡±


    ¡°Will you be watching me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already reached an agreement¡­ Well, I can¡¯t say exactly what agreement I made with who. Yes, I¡¯ll watch over the Southland Defensive Alliance.¡±


    A clatter of footsteps issued behind the pair. Aarok, Luras, and every adventurer in town came running, crowding the wall and the area beneath it.


    ¡°They¡¯re your people?¡± Aarok asked, hand itching toward the dagger at his hip.


    ¡°They are,¡± Khahar said, gesturing vaguely to the sea. ¡°Come to collect their wayward god.¡±


    With the joking over, Khahar reverted to sounding completely bored.


    ¡°Can you keep that promise?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Khahar said, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°It¡¯s been nice living here. I wish I could stay for longer. But my task can fall to no other.¡±


    The chatter from the adventurers was the only sound near the wall. Khahar just stared off toward the coast, as though this was something he¡¯d been dreading for a long time. Theo¡¯s hope was that he would be happier in the heavenly realm. If being near his own people was so burdensome, then that should have been a relief.


    Cat people are going ashore. I¡¯m tailing them. Heh. Get it?


    Alex chirped from Theo¡¯s bag, scrambling to remove herself from it. Khahar turned, smiling at the gosling and scooping her up. Frantic chirps led to the man nodding as though he understood. He produced a handful of wiggling beetles, holding his palm flat for her to peck at.


    ¡°You take care of him, Alex D¡¯Goose. You hear me?¡± Khahar asked.


    Theo spotted the figures moving along the river. They were all Khahari, dressed in shades of yellow and brown. The one leading them wore a tall hat, decorated with gleaming yellow gems. The cat-person looked ancient, gray streaking through their fur. Aarok and Theo just watched them approach, eyes occasionally flicking to the towers. Just in case.


    ¡°Lord Khahar!¡± the lead Khahari shouted. He got to his knees, pressing his forehead into the dirt. ¡°The time has come for you to ascend. Please! Don¡¯t make your faithful wait a moment longer!¡±


    It took Theo a long moment to realize what language the Khahari priest was speaking. Khahar stood next to Theo, a massive grin on his face. One last joke from Yuri.


    ¡°Did you teach your people Russian?¡± Theo asked, mouth hanging open in shock.


    Khahar burst out laughing, slapping the wall. After a while, he wiped tears from his eyes.


    ¡°I told them it was the holy language,¡± Khahar said, trying to stifle his laughs. ¡°The system made me start with Khahari, but I still remembered all my old languages. Ah. Good times.¡±


    If not for his endless mingling with people in Moscow, Theo wouldn¡¯t have understood the joke. The Russian language the Khahari priest spoke was rough. The pronunciation was bad, even while shouted, but the alchemist got the point. But it was nice to see more of the old Yuri. The good-natured jokester.


    ¡°That¡¯s how I remember you,¡± Theo said, slapping Khahar¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tossing jokes until the end.¡±


    Khahar nodded, turning and pulling Theo into a hug. The alchemist tried to keep his head in that moment. But something hot stung at the edges of his eyes, breaking the surface to trace a line down his cheek. He hugged his old friend back with everything he had, pulling away only to watch Yuri¡¯s grin spread across that cat-person¡¯s face.


    ¡°A trade ship will arrive soon. See ya in heaven,¡± Yuri said, disappearing and reappearing with his people outside the wall.


    ¡°See ya in hell!¡± Theo shouted down in Russian. That got the attention of the group of Khahari priests. They looked up as though the alchemist had committed some mortal sin. Yuri just laughed, walking toward the beach without another word.


    Alex pecked at Theo¡¯s shoe, so he picked her up. He cradled her in his arms, pressing his face into her plumage. Tresk emerged from the shadows, producing a small length of cloth from nowhere and holding it out for him to take.


    ¡°A hankie for these trying times?¡± she asked.


    Theo took it, dabbing his eyes. Even with an audience, he didn¡¯t care. It was like losing Earth again. Even though he knew it would happen, the moment that Yuri departed hurt more than he thought it would. Only the calming wave of comfort coming from both Alex and Tresk banished those feelings away. The slow murmur of chatter from the adventurers, kicked up again by Khahar¡¯s departure, helped him snap out of it. He returned the handkerchief to Tresk and nodded his approval.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands together. ¡°One problem solved. A million to go.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Aarok said, reaching out to grab Theo by the arm. His attempt missed, thanks to the [Potion of Lesser Foresight]. Tresk¡¯s daggers were in her hands. She crouched low, ready to vanish into the shadows and strike. The Half-Ogre gave her a flat look. ¡°We need to talk about this. In private.¡±


    ¡°Use your words, dummy,¡± Tresk said, refusing to return her weapons to her hips.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Luras said, turning away.


    Theo shrugged, following them through the crowd on the wall. He made a note of how his potion activated when Aarok attempted to grab his arm. That meant the Half-Ogre intended to restrain him, not just grab his arm. So even grappling counted as an attack.


    Aarok acting real funny all the sudden, Tresk said.


    Her concerns were apparent through the Tara¡¯hek, but Theo didn¡¯t agree with her feelings. Aarok wasn¡¯t trying to control them. He was scared. The alchemist didn¡¯t blame him. As Khahar walked along the river, headed for a fleet of Khahari warships, Broken Tusk was left at the mercy of one god. The Burning Eye might see this as a chance to act. The group found their way to Aarok¡¯s private office, all taking seats in the cool air.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re open to an attack,¡± Aarok said. ¡°As much as having a powerful person in town is bad, now we have a target on our backs.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Luras asked, leaning against the wall. He never seemed to sit in these meetings. ¡°If the eye was so petty, wouldn¡¯t he have acted?¡±


    ¡°Is the eye even a boy or a girl? Isn¡¯t it just a big old eye?¡± Tresk asked, scratching her head.


    ¡°The eye doesn¡¯t have an agent to act,¡± Theo said. ¡°Did I mention Uharis and Sulvan are on the moon?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Aarok asked, blinking slowly. Theo could see his mind trying to catch up with reality.


    ¡°Khahar put them on Antalis,¡± Theo said plainly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they can get back, or how long that would take.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, screw them,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We¡¯ll get strong before they get back.¡±


    ¡°Level 130 strong?¡± Luras laughed.


    ¡°Yeah! Maybe¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Tresk said, her ego deflating a bit.


    The situation wasn¡¯t good, but this was Theo¡¯s fault. He should have thought about the implications of having someone that powerful in his town, throwing his weight around. They knew he would leave one day, leaving an opening for other gods to act against them. Especially the ones that they pissed off.


    ¡°We hang our hopes on one thing,¡± Theo said, knocking the table to gain attention over the argument. Luras and Tresk had engaged in a shouting match over the issue. ¡°It¡¯s the same hope we¡¯ve always had, right? Drogramath will protect us, if it comes to gods attacking us. They can¡¯t act directly¡ªKhahar was an exception. He wasn¡¯t a god, yet.¡±


    ¡°Consider the fact that Khahar promised to attack the other gods the moment he ascended, including the Burning Eye,¡± Aarok said, finally helping Theo be the voice of reason. ¡°They¡¯ll be too busy with him to worry about us.¡±


    This was normally the time that Tresk would promise to stab the Burning Eye personally, paying no heed to the fact that he was a god. But Theo felt the response building in her mind reach a measured conclusion. It was strange.


    ¡°And we¡¯ll be ready for whatever else comes with that,¡± Tresk said.

 3.64 - To Found a Kingdom

    Theo avoided confronting his feelings about Yuri departing. All this time he was thinking of him as Khahar, another man entirely, and that wasn¡¯t a lie. So much time in this world had changed him, but there was a glimmer of that Russian spy in there somewhere. But as that realization hit him, another one of solace came in just as strong. He didn¡¯t belong in this world. The realm of the gods awaited him, and there couldn¡¯t have been a higher calling than that. Right?


    Aarok went on about the defense of the town, doubling patrols and increasing the size of squads. But Theo was left feeling a deep sense of comfort where he expected grief. Reports rolled in from adventurers about the departing Khahari, others from the walls stating that everything was quiet. If the Burning Eye had plans to strike, he didn¡¯t play his hand now.


    More concerning reports came from Aarok¡¯s lips, telling of reports from Gronro-Dir.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already been hit,¡± Aarok said. ¡°A small wave of [Skeletal Warriors] made their way down Murder Passage.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me,¡± Theo said. ¡°I have a communication crystal for both leaders.¡±


    The midday sun filtered through Aarok¡¯s lone window. Just like Theo¡¯s bedroom, this room could have used a few units of [Cleansing Scrub]. There was dust in the air, blown around by the constant buzz of the air conditioner. The alchemist splashed some cleanser on the ground, watching as the magic scrubbed the room clean. It didn¡¯t remove the particles of dust in the air, leaving them floating through the shafts of light. Maybe that was a change he could make for the air conditioners Throk had invented. An air purifier.


    But those were just idle thoughts brought to stave the accusatory stares coming from Aarok and Luras. Tresk didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Those would have been useful,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°I have to hand it to them myself,¡± Theo said. ¡°They attach to the first person they touch. That¡¯s what Fenian said.¡±


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll sort it later. But I had a point,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Their defenses are crap. We should send aid.¡±


    ¡°In what form?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t we already helping by training their people?¡±


    ¡°Immediate aid. Even a single [Chain Lightning Tower] would help,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a matter of money,¡± Theo said. ¡°Right. You want to split the cost with the town?¡±


    ¡°Assuming Fenian has one,¡± Aarok said, softening a bit. ¡°If we can¡¯t get one today, there¡¯s no point.¡±


    Theo let it sink in for a moment. Undead had already reached as far south as Gronro. What that meant for the northlands was beyond him, but it couldn¡¯t have been good. There were also the towns between the south and Qavell to consider. How long could they hold out without the aid of the kingdom? All these facts made the defense of Murder Passage even more important, placing it at the top of the alchemist¡¯s priorities.


    ¡°Did we misjudge something?¡± Theo asked, trying to see a flaw in their logic. They¡¯d prepared well, but had no experience working with other towns. If the horde descended on Broken Tusk, they¡¯d be fine.


    ¡°We¡¯re new to this,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We¡¯ll stumble a few times, but we¡¯ll get it.¡±


    ¡°Tresk is right,¡± Luras said, cutting off Aarok before he could speak. ¡°We can¡¯t expect to get it right every time. Aarok is doing his best.¡±


    The phrasing of that statement was specific. Theo took a moment to study the Half-Ogre guildmaster¡¯s face. Anger lingered on his face, but the thing resting behind his eyes was fear, and disappointment. He realized, perhaps a little late, how this affected Aarok most of all.


    ¡°I said we,¡± Theo said, punctuating the statement by smacking his fist on the table. ¡°No one in the command structure carries a burden alone. If everyone in this room¡ªand the administration staff¡ªmissed something as simple as arming Gronro, we¡¯re all to blame.¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk doesn¡¯t carry the burden of outsiders,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We¡¯re not some well-funded empire.¡±


    ¡°Well said,¡± Luras said, patting her on the head. Theo often forgot how close they were before he arrived.


    ¡°Fine. Done grabbing each other¡¯s butts?¡± Aarok said, huffing a breath. ¡°Here¡¯s the plan. I¡¯ll spend the guild¡¯s funds on towers. We¡¯ll use Theo¡¯s contracts to give them on loan to Gronro. Pitch in whatever you can from the town¡¯s funds, and your personal funds.¡±


    ¡°I have some cash,¡± Tresk said with a shrug.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°I have 50 gold to pitch in, if needed,¡± Theo said. But that was all his money.


    ¡°Right. Perfect. This doesn¡¯t leave this room. I don¡¯t want people thinking we¡¯re in a financial pinch. If they think we need to collect money from random people¡­ Yeah, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do,¡± Aarok said.


    Theo could see the Half-Ogre¡¯s nerves wearing thin. He didn¡¯t realize how stressful the defense of the town was, let alone the defense of another one. The alchemist stood, placing a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sort it out. Stop stressing,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll find that Elf and see how many towers he has in stock.¡±


    Theo turned to leave the room without another word, Tresk following close behind. The Marshling cradled Alex in her arms, kissing her on the head. Aarok and Luras remained, falling into discussion the moment they cleared the room.


    It was getting harder to find Fenian in town. Even if the trader¡¯s carriage train was resting near the ranch, the Elf himself was nowhere near it. Theo had to run around town, asking if anyone had seen him before getting a tip. He was near the mine, hanging out with the miners and trading tales to anyone that would listen.


    Theo and Tresk headed to the southern part of town, finding Fenian outside the mine. He was standing on a crate, all the miners of Dead Dog Mine sitting cross legged and enraptured.


    ¡°...and then I said to the Shadow Prince, ¡®if you want him, come and get him!¡¯,¡± Fenian said, ending the statement with a flourish. ¡°Oh. The alchemist is here. Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to continue this story another time.¡±


    The miners issued a collective groan, all eyes turning to Theo.


    ¡°I need some towers,¡± Theo said, shrugging off the stares.


    ¡°Business? A worthy reason for interrupting a tale,¡± Fenian said, jumping from the crate and grabbing Theo by the arm. He dragged him down the road, Tresk following closely behind. ¡°I have 2 [Chain Lightning Towers] in my inventory. The last towers I¡¯ll get my hands on for a while.


    ¡°Standard price?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo removed 20 gold from his inventory and handed it over. If everyone was in such dire financial straits, he was happy to carry that burden. The less the people felt the strain, the better.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, placing the turrets in his inventory. ¡°Actually, I wonder if you could deliver these to Gronro for me. And the communication crystals.¡±


    ¡°What was the point of me handing them over, then?¡± Fenian asked, laughing. ¡°Let me see¡­ I have to leave tomorrow. It¡¯s a long journey, but I suppose I can stop by Rivers and Gronro. As a favor.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re heading north?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes, but cardinal directions mean little on the Bridge. They¡¯re more vague suggestions than anything.¡±


    ¡°Could you take someone with you? One of my administration needs to have Grot sign a contract.¡±


    ¡°Of course. No problem,¡± Fenian said, playing with the feather on his hat. Anytime the trader was around, it reminded Theo of his own absurd hat. ¡°I heard Khahar left town. Finally.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Is that cause for concern?¡±


    ¡°No. You should be fine. They will be busy.¡±


    Fenian either knew more than he was letting on, or he was just guessing his way through this. At that moment, Theo couldn¡¯t figure out which was worse. But he was reminded of the trader¡¯s intentions. At every turn, he was there for the betterment of Broken Tusk. He was more than an ally; he was a friend.


    ¡°How is Galflower doing?¡± Theo asked. He knew better than to ask how the Elf was doing. Better to ask about his favorite Karatan.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s loving it,¡± Fenian said, giving Theo an excited look. ¡°Days ago, she was grazing on the rampant energy of the Taranthian highlands. Now she gets more of her favorite food. Drogramath¡¯s unfiltered energy. It¡¯s the closest thing to her preference. Which is Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s power.¡±


    Since he had the Elf¡¯s attention, Theo led him to the eastern wall. Fenian wouldn¡¯t normally follow him around like this, but he seemed bored. They toured the defenses, spotting that the shipwright team were making the rough shape of a boat. They talked about the town, and the importance of the alliance. Somewhere near the eastern gate, near the bridge, they landed on Qavell.


    ¡°What happens if Qavell is destroyed?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What happens to the towns connected to the [Kingdom Core].¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll degrade,¡± Fenian said. ¡°You can feed them motes and materials to prolong the effects of the magic, but it¡¯s only a matter of time. You¡¯ll need another [Kingdom Core] to keep it alive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in running a kingdom,¡± Theo said, peering into the distance. He hoped to spot those bandits, but there was nothing to the east or the north.


    ¡°Good news!¡± Fenian said. ¡°You can select many governments.¡±


    ¡°Can you find me a [Kingdom Core]?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a hard enough time finding your mint,¡± Fenian said after a long pause. ¡°I know a Coresmith in Tarantham, but they¡¯re backed up. To get a [Kingdom Core], you¡¯d need to delve into a high-level dungeon and get really lucky. Or get an equally high-level Coresmith to do the job.¡±


    ¡°How high?¡± Tresk asked, reminding everyone that she was always lurking in the shadows.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about level 80 dungeons dropping them. Good luck finding a level 80 dungeon, though. Seems about the same level for the Coresmith, but that¡¯s more about the person¡¯s skills,¡± Fenian said. His eyes lingered over the harbor. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see ships docking there.¡±


    Theo paused for a long moment. There was no way they¡¯d find a [Kingdom Core] on short notice, and despite the trader¡¯s words he didn¡¯t want to be a king. Only time showed him he wanted to be a mayor, but that was tenuous. If there was an option where he could save Broken Tusk, Rivers and Daub, and Gronro-Dir without making them his subjects, that would be ideal. He wanted them to have autonomy, to an extent. Maybe a duchy.


    But all the thoughts of expanding his power led him to think about Fenian¡¯s involvement.


    ¡°Why are you helping us?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Actual answers only.¡±


    ¡°Would I ever lie to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Fenian let out a heavy sigh. He averted his gaze from both Tresk and Theo.


    ¡°When House Southblade fell, it wasn¡¯t a quick thing. The empire cut us off from the [Kingdom Core] and let us die a slow death. They knew they couldn¡¯t take us on brute strength. We¡¯d have depleted their army. What good is one champion against famine?¡±


    Fenian let that hang in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time. The same thing that happened to Broken Tusk happened to House Southblade. It was different, but similar enough to send a twinge of pain through Theo¡¯s chest. Qavell left the southlands to rot over time, not directly removing them from the kingdom.


    ¡°So, I see my people in your town. When I arrived, I saw those hungry eyes. But the path to strength isn¡¯t paved by handouts. The stones and mortar set in that road are hard won battles,¡± Fenian said, letting those words linger in the air. ¡°You¡¯ve already paved your road with hard work. With sweat and blood. With stone and ore¡ªpotions and lumber. And some luck.  I¡¯m just making sure you get what you deserve.¡±


    Theo felt a rush of emotion from Tresk. That hit home for her more than him, and he felt the years under the yoke of Qavell weigh heavily on his soul. The Bantari peoples, and the Half-Ogres native to Broken Tusk, were driven to near extinction over several hundred years. King Karasan would regret his decision to turn his eyes from the town. If the undead horde didn¡¯t destroy his kingdom, the Southlands Defensive Alliance would come knocking in a few years. The twin heart the alchemist shared with Tresk guaranteed it.


    ¡°Music to my ears,¡± Tresk said.


    Alex chirped her agreement.


    ¡°I already said it, but we¡¯re with you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I know. When my next job is done, I¡¯ll return to Broken Tusk for refuge,¡± Fenian said. ¡°When you establish your seat of power, I hope you accept an old friend. Even after what he has to do.¡±


    ¡°Always.¡±


    Fenian was a master of changing the subject. Theo had pushed him, over the days, to talk more plainly. While the Elf was happy to do so, it came with a weight that stifled the air. When he changed the subject back to Galflower, and by extension Alex, the alchemist was happy to entertain it. The Karatan that drove his carriages weren¡¯t familiars, but they shared a special bond. When asked if Alex could bond with Uz¡¯Xulven, using the Bridge, Fenian couldn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°The price might be too heavy for you, dear alchemist,¡± was Fenian¡¯s only comment on the matter.


    Theo, Tresk, and Fenian spent hours talking about whatever. Whenever things roamed to serious topics, they were quickly diverted. Eventually, the Elf asked about his potions. The alchemist was happy to lead the way back to the Newt and Demon to show off his wares. Salire was in the shop talking with a customer. She bowed her head at the Elf trader but offered no other words, too engrossed with a paying customer to pay them any mind.


    The first potion Theo showed Fenian was the [Vigor Potion] with the [Refined Elemental Earth] modifier. The alchemist inspected it as he handed it over.


    [Vigor Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Earth]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance vigor.


    Drink to increase resistance scaling.


    Effect:


    +14 Vigor for 1.75 hours.


    For 1.25 hours, your physical resistances scale 1.30 times better than normal.


    ¡°The scaling effect is the important part here,¡± Fenian said, comparing the [Vigor Potion] and a [Dexterity Potion]. ¡°Yes, the attribute enhancement is great but¡­ These potions would be effective no matter what your level. Hard to say what price I¡¯d get these for. Anywhere from 5 to 20 silver a potion, depending on the buyer.¡±


    The problem with making more powerful potions was finding the right buyer. That¡¯s why Theo was focusing on making tailor-made potions for the citizens of Broken Tusk. The point with that wasn¡¯t to make a massive profit, but to provide the most benefit to his people. Everything influenced everything else. If the adventurers were performing better, the laborers could work without fear they¡¯d be eaten by a monster. If the laborers were happier, they produced more, which made more money for the town.


    There would come a time when Theo had to renegotiate his contracts with everyone, something he didn¡¯t know how to approach. The more industry he owned in town, the more he felt like a fascist dictator. Those thoughts never stopped him from expanding his holdings, which didn¡¯t help matters. He wondered what the difference between someone who held all the power for the good of their people, and one that held it for themself was. But he was never one for politics. He just wanted to see his town, and the alliance grow. Maybe that was enough.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like negotiating,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯re in a transitional period, and Broken Tusk considers you a close ally. Whatever you can pay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll settle on the bare-minimum of market value,¡± Fenian said. ¡°With a 10% discount because you love me so much.¡±


    Fenian was very interested in the [Potions of Lesser Foresight]. Theo made sure he knew the limitations of the potion. Anyone who drank them could only drink one every 6 hours, otherwise they¡¯d grow deathly ill. Theo had plenty of [Pozwa Horns] from the ranch, and began brewing a full batch for the Elf as they went over the other potions. Fenian needed as many health, mana, and stamina potions as they had, but took interest in his other creations. Especially poisons.


    ¡°We don¡¯t normally sell poisons to outsiders,¡± Tresk said. ¡°But you¡¯re our dude.¡±


    ¡°The one with [Anti-Mage] interests me,¡± Fenian said.


    This was the poison that Tresk considered a ¡°mage killer¡±. She wasn¡¯t wrong. As Theo inspected the poison, he reflected on how deadly it was.


    [Poison]


    [Anti-Mage]


    [Poison] [Modified Poison]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.


    Chance to inflict 2 stacks per hit.


    Effect:


    Cripples an enemy, reducing their Dexterity by 5.


    Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 15 stacks. Poison inflicts DOT damage. Targets inflicted with this poison take 1 point of damage for every mana spent, multiplied by the amount of stacks. This applies to ongoing spells cast before the poison was applied.


    Stacks of poison take twice as long to fade.


    Removing a stack of poison through any means other than the natural expiration of the effect causes the remaining stacks of poison to explode, dealing their remaining damage to the target.


    If a mage didn¡¯t understand the effects of the poison, they would die quickly. If they did understand the effects, they were locked down for the duration of the poison. Both options meant it earned its name and reflected Fenian¡¯s desire to fight at least one mage.


    After the [Pozwa Horns] were distilled into [Lesser Foresight Essence], and brewed into a variety of potions with different modifiers, they settled into negotiations. Theo paid little attention to this part, letting Fenian set the terms. The alchemist was just happy to have weapons for Gronro, and more [Monster Cores] than he needed. They ended the deal, settling on 30 gold for potions worth far more than that. Those potions included an array of [Hallow Ground] potions, both in bomb form and otherwise.


    ¡°Well, this has been an eventful day,¡± Fenian said, stuffing everything in his inventory. ¡°Pretty Half-Ogre¡­ Lurking on the other side of the door. Care to join us for dinner?¡±


    A lilting, stammering voice came from the other side of the door before Salire stumbled inside. Her red-tinged skin was stained a deeper shade as she tried to get the words out.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take that as ¡®yes¡¯,¡± Tresk said, giggling.

 3.65 - Blood and Stone

    Fenian, with too much elegance, twirled his fork in Zee pasta before slurping it down with grace. ¡°Life is better when you have a private section at a tavern.¡±


    Theo, Tresk, Alex, Fenian, and Salire sat in the private booth at Xam¡¯s tavern. While the day wasn¡¯t as busy as it had been in recent memory, the alchemist enjoyed the slow pace. The food was great, even if he declined the imported mead. While he felt no aversion to the drink, he simply enjoyed water with his meal. When something was produced as the fruit of Broken Tusk labor, it tasted sweeter than any mead could.


    No progress had been made on finding the strange people lurking outside the walls. Theo received reports that Ziz¡¯s team, working on the road, hadn¡¯t been accosted. Patrols around the dungeon had tripled, even through the night, and the alchemist dedicated a small team of golems to roaming the area.


    Fenian and Salire chatted, although Theo couldn¡¯t tell if it was with more than friendly interest. The Elf often sought to flatter those around him, so it likely meant he was interested in her in a mercantile capacity. Perhaps she was his next project, like Azrug was. No matter his intentions, it was nice to have more company at the dinner table.


    ¡°I wanna tour the road tomorrow,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Ziz made some progress. They¡¯re well beyond the bridge.¡±


    Theo picked at his foot, considering the importance of the road. ¡°Maintenance on the road will be a problem. Can we incorporate it into the town, somehow?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Fenian said.


    But he left it at that. The Elf normally had far more to say on these matters, so it was disheartening. Running the town was hard enough without having to guess at how things worked. If they couldn¡¯t bring elements like the road into the town, Broken Tusk would simply need to establish a permanent group that maintained buildings without seed cores. Ziz would sort that out. He had already proved himself worthy of the position. Expanded projects, such as the highway and tunnel, would fall under their umbrella. Once again, Theo thought too far ahead. It was better to focus on what was right in front of him.


    ¡°Yeah, we should see the road,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Assuming it¡¯s safe enough,¡± Salire said.


    Fenian puffed his chest out, grinning. ¡°It¡¯s always safe enough with Uncle Fenian around.¡±


    Maybe this was a chance to get that mysterious band to reveal themselves. Theo had enough tricks up his sleeve to stay safe, even if he was attacked. It would take the force of a god to stop him in his tracks. But there was something in Fenian¡¯s eyes that revealed he knew something. A glimmer of knowledge he wasn¡¯t sharing. It was as though the Elf was expecting something to happen without revealing what that was. The alchemist¡¯s intuition told him it was a good thing, even if it didn¡¯t tell him directly. So much of dealing with superior intuition was about trust. His Drogramathi cores whispered their approval. No matter what happened, it would end well.


    The conversation around the table didn¡¯t stray far from Broken Tusk¡¯s situation. Fenian was confident they¡¯d have boats soon, and promised to put them in contact with traders from far-off lands. Theo¡¯s disappointment rested with Khahar¡¯s departure. While it was nice to see an old friend, he left nothing to give them a head-start on trading with the Khahari. When they came to collect their leader, they left no instructions on initiating trade. Perhaps that was Yuri¡¯s way of keeping his promise to not cheat, but it stung more than he expected.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t trade routes from here to the Khahari Desert,¡± Fenian said. ¡°We¡¯ll need to map those out ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Khahar said trade ships would arrive. Although, I don¡¯t know how long that will take,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Or how many of them will be left,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make the journey to the holy desert? Scared of sailing?¡±


    ¡°If the monsters on land are anything to go by, the ones in the sea would be worse.¡± Theo drummed his fingers on the table. He might have been afraid of the monsters at sea, but the killer would be boredom on the open ocean. Weeks or months confined in a ship¡¯s cabin. It didn¡¯t appeal to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s been an age since I sailed,¡± Fenian said. ¡°When I first arrived on the continent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, screw that,¡± Tresk said.


    Fenian paused his elegant consumption of the noodles. ¡°Don¡¯t you have an affinity for the water? As a Bantari?¡±


    ¡°Maybe fresh water. Shallow pools,¡± Tresk said, leaking back with a contented sigh.


    ¡°So what happens after Khahar ascends?¡± Theo asked. It was nice to have a calm evening, but those questions lingered like smoldering coals in his mind.


    ¡°Chaos in the heavens. They don¡¯t want him to ascend, you know. Most of them, anyway,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I have theories, but nothing more. The process of becoming a god isn¡¯t documented.¡±


    Theo picked at his food, pushing the noodles around and slurping up the strays when he wanted. There was a lot to consider with Khahar¡¯s ascension. Followers of other gods might come to cause trouble in Broken Tusk, but there¡¯s no way the leader could have stayed here forever. The road ahead was uncertain, but that was nothing new. A wave of calm flowed from both Alex and Tresk, the Marshling¡¯s confidence overwhelming. Whatever happened, they¡¯d sort it out.


    Their conversation diminished again, shifting to smaller topics. Fenian was evasive about his current trade deals, and Theo let him have that. When the Elf departed, he¡¯d take with him either Alise or Gwyn to form a contract in Gronro. That led to talks about wider trade, something Broken Tusk needed desperately.


    ¡°How about a bath?¡± Theo asked, finally having his fill of the food. He left his plate mostly full, a knot in his stomach. Tresk didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡°What danger?¡± Tresk asked, jumping into the hot pool and swimming around.


    The group had moved from the tavern, finding Theo¡¯s private room at the bathhouse and settling in. The alchemist set the enchanted Khahari box near the pool¡¯s edge, studying the many strange symbols on the surface.


    ¡°On the road,¡± Theo responded idly. ¡°When we go to inspect it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just bring your army,¡± Fenian said, settling into the bath. The water came up to his shoulders and he let out a contented sigh. ¡°Should be good enough to deal with some bandits.¡±


    ¡°Also we have you,¡± Tresk said, splashing water on the Elf. He didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°To swoop in and save us.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t always be that way.¡±


    Theo was half-listening, focused on the box. What would Yuri leave him that would make a difference? Why did it have to be sealed away? There were too many questions to face, and the bath was far too comfortable. But Fenian took notice, edging over to stare at the engraved container.


    Fenian cocked his head, poking the box before shrugging. ¡°Did he say what was inside?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just said I¡¯d need it,¡± Theo said.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Bet it¡¯s useful,¡± Tresk said. ¡°He took that spiritstone coin away. The one I stole.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to tell you a tale of my people,¡± Fenian said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°The common belief is that the Elves have been in Tarantham since the dawn of the world. Endless creatures of wonder and might. But that is not the case. Like many things in this world, we were sucked into that cycle of destruction and rebirth.¡±


    ¡°Why does that happen?¡± Theo said, cutting the Elf off before he could continue. ¡°How does it happen? The system seems more like a well-tuned program than a natural law.¡±


    Fenian failed to hide the smile on his face, although he tried. ¡°Because the bastard gods were meant to stay where they are. This is my theory, of course¡­ But they bent the rules. You only need to look at Balkor entering our realm to see that as true.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Tresk grunted, splashing around with Alex. ¡°How can you know?¡±


    Fenian shrugged. ¡°Back to my story. Destruction and rebirth. Gods and cores. Levels and plateaus. We experienced rapid expansion in my house. More than the empire would suffer, so we were destroyed. You two are leveling faster than anyone I¡¯ve seen before¡ªthanks to ideal conditions¡ªand it makes me wonder about you. If you¡¯ll fall into that cycle. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if that cycle was gone? Forever?¡±


    Theo looked to the wooden rafters above. The world was ruled by the system, and those rules determined the cycles. It might have been unintentional, but that¡¯s the way it went. The alchemist had covered level 1 to almost 20 in around 70 days. But that wasn¡¯t exactly true. He thought back to when he started using the Dreamwalk and the sudden boost to experience it gave him. He doubled his daily experience gains, adding to the confusion of his progress. It was confoundingly quick.


    ¡°But how would you stop the cycles?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian shrugged the question away. ¡°Excellent question.¡±


    Theo filed those statements away in his mind. There was a special box labeled ¡®weird stuff Fenian said¡¯ somewhere in his consciousness. The Elf wasn¡¯t prone to philosophical ramblings, but it got him thinking. If the cycle destroyed Qavell, they were better off for it. Assuming they could find a [Kingdom Core]. That made Broken Tusk guilty of enjoying the fruits of the cycle, whatever the cost. Once again, more questions than answers. He settled into the water and let out a contented sigh. What concerns he had he could share within the Dreamwalk.


    It was just after dusk when the group departed the bath. Fenian stayed at the tavern, leaving the trio to wander under the moonless sky for a short time. But each member of the Tara¡¯hek desired the same thing. That comforting sensation washed over them the moment they hopped in bed, vision swirling to deposit them in the harbor.


    ¡°Weird talk from Fenian,¡± Tresk grunted, scooping up Alex and depositing her into the safe harbor. ¡°What was his story about? Something about the Southblades?¡±


    ¡°He meant we can¡¯t avoid the cycles. Trying to prime us for when Qavell falls,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s my guess. He¡¯s high enough in level so I can¡¯t use my intuition to its fullest.¡±


    Tresk grunted her response. Theo could feel her ambivalence to the topic, but that was typical. She had the right idea, though. Fenian handed out exactly as much information as he wanted, never giving more than he needed. That often left the alchemist grasping at unseen futures, twisting himself into knots when he didn¡¯t need the added stress. With a thought he summoned his regular fare. Distillation stills and plant beds, ready to help him climb toward level 20.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Theo asked, pointing to the short rapier in Tresk¡¯s hand. It was only half the length longer than her normal daggers, but thin-bladed with a basket guard.


    ¡°Gotta make papa Parantheir happy. Right?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°There¡¯s a skill I¡¯m interested in with the [Parantheir Duelist¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Fenian explained it to me. Something about isolating a target. Synergizes with my other cores.¡±


    Theo nodded, watching her scamper off into the distance. Alex let out an excited chirping noise, diving into the safe waters of the harbor. His concern was still on her common [Tracker¡¯s Core], something she didn¡¯t seem willing to part ways with. [Track Monster] worked with [Marked For Death] directly, allowing her to deal twice the normal damage on her first attack out of stealth on marked targets. Combined with her [Tracker¡¯s Core¡¯s] [Lingering Poison], it made for a brutal build focused on quick strikes and the attrition of potions.


    ¡°But that¡¯s the flaw, Alex,¡± Theo sighed, tending to his stills. ¡°Both of us are useless after the first bout.¡±


    She chirped in response.


    The night went by the way it normally did. Theo busied himself with sifting through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s research as he tended both the stills and his gardens. Tresk summoned various monsters to test her techniques and was oddly measured about it. Normally she¡¯d summon a dragon first, then work her way down until she wasn¡¯t dying immediately. She learned a lot on how to use the rapier, but didn¡¯t seem convinced it was the best fit. But that was the weapon of Parantheir. Or so she claimed.


    The next morning came, and it seemed more peaceful than most in recent memory. The group made their way to Xam¡¯s tavern, finding their private booth and settling in for tea and leftovers. Excitement welled in all members of the Tara¡¯hek. They¡¯d purposefully kept away from the road, giving Ziz time to extend it over the river, then to the north. With the team working for days without harassment from either monsters or the bandits, it seemed safe enough. Regular patrols from the adventurer¡¯s guild didn¡¯t hurt matters.


    Theo felt energized after his moss tea. He spotted Ziz and his workers heading out for the day, crossing down the north-south road by the tavern and heading east. The alchemist ran up beside them, nudging the stoneworker.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come to inspect your work,¡± Theo said, grinning.


    ¡°Hah! Well, prepare to be impressed,¡± Ziz said, rubbing his calloused hands together. ¡°We¡¯ve got the technique down well enough. Thought we¡¯d burn through what few [Tunneling Potions] we had, but the trenches we need are so shallow they last a while.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Theo said, gesturing for the stoneworker to lead the way.


    Miana waved as the group passed. She was tending to her animals, letting them out in the massive pasture to clean out the stables. Theo hoped her core building had something to help her with that. Although, now that he thought of it the droppings might have alchemical uses. He shook the thought from his mind, focusing on the literal road ahead. It stretched from the eastern gate, heading east towards the new stone bridge over the river. To the south was the harbor¡¯s wall, and the portcullises situated over the rushing river.


    ¡°So, you might know, but we have a solid technique,¡± Ziz said, stomping his foot on the white stone road as he went. It seemed firm, and wide enough for two carts to travel side-by-side. ¡°We dig a trench, put fat gravel at the bottom, thinner at the top, then leveling sand if we need it. The new guys mostly need the sand, those with a few levels in our cores can handle it fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite sturdy,¡± Theo said, stepping onto the bridge. ¡°So is this.¡±


    The bridge was an all-stone construction, arching to span the river without support on the bottom. Another quirk of the free-standing things made by the stoneworkers. The road turned after the crossed the river, heading north and tracking a path along the water. It was a healthy distance away, and Ziz went into detail about how important the gravel was for drainage. The leader of the stoneworkers was excited to talk about his work, but so were his companions. The group had grown, but only the original team was walking the road this morning.


    Theo looked to either side of the road, spotting the mountains north of Broken Tusk to his left, and more mountains in the distance on his right. It seemed safe enough, but he drank a [Potion of Limited Foresight] anyway. It was habitual by this point.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing you have an inventory now,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the group.


    Ziz laughed. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not interested in hauling stone this far out. One of the boys took a [Trader¡¯s Core] just for the inventory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine living without it,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk paused on the road, cradling Alex in her arms. She cocked her head to the side, knit her brow, then let out a breath. ¡°Ah, shit.¡±


    It happened faster than Theo could respond. With a river to their left, clear fields to the right, this seemed like a place immune to ambushes. When 5 red-skinned, horned figures emerged from nowhere ahead, his blood ran cold. One Zagmon Dronon in the rear raised a staff high, filling the air with a keening that blasted out like an explosion. Red, thorny vines burst from the ground and seized Tresk, binding her where she stood. Ziz and his men had their makeshift weapons out, but another Dronon had already sprinted toward the group. Toward his target.


    Theo.


    Deft strikes that depleted the potion. Faster than anyone he¡¯d seen before. But Theo had already withdrawn his improvised explosive, although he was fearful of the results. Using it so close to his companions would cause one thing. But it didn¡¯t matter. The leather-clad Dronon was quicker than him, crouching and pivoting to place the sole of his boot on the potion. He kicked it away with enough force to send it sailing far into the distance.


    Tresk shouted. Ziz¡¯s men did a hopeless battle with the other Zagmon Dronon. And Theo struggled for his life.


    But the assassin was toying with him. Theo withdrew a [Freezebomb], only to have it slapped away. Then a [Retreat Potion], finding a similar effect. The alchemist¡¯s face twisted into a grimace. There was only one thing he could think of to escape. Something to buy even a moment of time. He focused on his [Dreampassage] skill.


    Even as a dagger sliced through the front of his silken robe. Ripped through his undershirt. Pierced his skin and parted bones searching for his heart. A shout of pain rippled across the scene. Theo shared a look with Tresk before¡­


    Theo Spencer vanished from the mortal realm.

 3.66 - TeroGal

    ¡°Theo!¡± Tresk shouted. She struggled against the vines holding her tight, rolling herself over to protect Alex as she dug for her dagger. Each motion brought a wave of agony.


    The Dronon said something in a tongue she didn¡¯t recognize. Likely one of the damned demon tongues, but she could sense the confusion in their words. They all shared looks, even as the warriors in the group batted away hammers and awls. She didn¡¯t like being toyed with. Not like this. And where had Theo gone? She couldn¡¯t feel him nearby, but he wasn¡¯t dead. She¡¯d know if he was dead.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna claw your eyes out!¡± Tresk shouted, gnawing on the magical vines.


    The Dronon mage turned to regard her, leveling his gaze. He was an older man, wearing ceremonial robes and hoisting a staff made of bones. It looked gross, and the vines tasted disgusting. It was like chewing on a pile of ants. ¡°Where has he gone?¡± the mage asked in Qavelli.


    ¡°How the hell should I know?¡± Tresk asked, grunting. She withdrew a dagger from her shared inventory, but it clattered over the stones, out of reach. Cursing, she wiggled her hand through those vines. Those lacerating vines.


    The mage approached, stooping low and paying no attention to the battle behind him. That assassin who tried to kill Theo came close, standing behind the mage and crossing his arms. ¡°Where? You are his soul-bond. Both of you. Don¡¯t struggle.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried checking in your butt?¡± Tresk asked, chuckling at her own joke. She winced when the laugh forced the spike of a vine into her side.


    ¡°You should take this more seriously,¡± the mage said. ¡°What hope does a level 20 have against a 100?¡±


    Yeah, that sucked. But the scaling damage on her poison might do something to them. Enough to make an arm fall off or something like that. Good enough trade for such a smug piece of¡ª


    The mage rose, squinting and looking southward. Tresk did everything she could to crane her neck, even as the vines drew more blood. There was nothing to see over there, but the Marshling felt something. Like a storm bearing down on them, thundering hard and full of fury. A snap like lightning echoed over the road, then a man appeared on the road. Arms crossed, Fenian Feintleaf grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gained my share of titles over the years,¡± Fenian said, scanning the scene. Everyone stopped fighting. Ziz¡¯s men edged away with instinctive self-preservation. ¡°Perhaps you know a few.¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this, Elf,¡± the mage said.


    ¡°My title as Champion was The Gale of Parantheir,¡± Fenian said. A rapier appeared in his right hand, blue-silver and inlaid with more adornments than Tresk could count.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only Champion to walk the world,¡± the mage snarled. Energy gathered near his staff, but didn¡¯t lash out.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bluff, Alex,¡± Tresk said, whispering to his gosling.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m looking for some new titles,¡± Fenian said. Another blade appeared in his left hand. A rapier that seemed to be made of pure shadow. As though it sucked in all the surrounding light, almost formless. ¡°What do you think about¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how much [Dexterity] Tresk had. It was impossible to follow Fenian¡¯s next move. The road beneath his feet cracked, then fissured, creating a trench that spanned 100 paces in either direction. Silver-blue fire flashed with impossible shadow as the Elf struck out at the first Dronon. He didn¡¯t just kill the man standing near the rear of the formation. He annihilated him.


    ¡°Shadow hurricane?¡± Fenian asked, pursing his lips. ¡°No, no¡­ Too cliche.¡±


    The assassin launched an attack. Tresk had never seen someone shut down so completely. She was sure there was a parry in there somewhere. Maybe a feint, but it didn¡¯t matter. The Dronon assassin was simply gone after an exchange of strikes.


    ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Fenian said, tapping his foot. ¡°You can¡¯t really give yourself titles, can you?¡±


    Fear played across the Dronon mage¡¯s face. Pants-crapping fear.


    Another series of exchanges saw the other warriors destroyed in moments. Fenian stood before the mage, dual rapiers glowing with their respective powers. Each eye took on the hue of a god. Parantheir¡¯s blue-silver in his right, and the depthless shadow of Uz¡¯Xulven in his left. Then there was a pause in the fight, as though the two men were battling each other in their minds. Tresk dismissed the idea when she felt a flare of power from both parties. A torrent of red flame burst from the Dronon, but it was battered down by twin fires from Fenian. Brutal fires that consumed everything of the mage, leaving nothing but a¡­


    ¡°Greasy red smear!¡± Fenian said, chuckling as the vines faded away. ¡°That¡¯s what I promised, right?¡±


    ¡°I think I remember that,¡± Tresk said, rising to her feet with a groan. She popped a healing potion and felt her skin knit back together. ¡°You really messed them up!¡±


    ¡°I held back,¡± Fenian said with a bow. Both of his rapiers vanished.


    ¡°We alright? Where¡¯s Theo?¡± Ziz asked, scampering back to the scene. His eyes went wide when he saw the damage to the road. ¡°Better than dead, I guess.¡±


    Fenian fixed his eyes on the place where Theo vanished. He didn¡¯t seem surprised about the attack at all. Tresk would put a stack of gold coins on the idea that the Elf knew what was going to happen. It was like he wanted this to happen. What did that mean?


    ¡°Ah,¡± Fenian said with a nod. ¡°He¡¯s safe. Just¡­ Ah¡­ Not here. Well, ¡®here¡¯ is relative.¡±


    ¡°Alright. How do I get my boy back?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°We wait. About five more seconds¡­ Ah, there he is,¡± Fenian said.


    <hr>


    Theo gasped as the blade crushed his ribs. The pain flashed for an instant, but was banished just as quickly. Then he was falling through something. Impenetrable darkness and twisting shadows all around. A gentle descent, then things came into view.


    A dark bridge stretched in either direction. It was vaguely the shape of a stone bridge with ornate railings. Shadowy cobbles jutted here and there, but there seemed to be nothing over the edge. It reminded him of the communication crystal he used to talk with the capital. Back when they actually listened to his calls.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Theo asked, watching the coiling shadows below. ¡°Anyone there?¡±


    ¡°Strange circumstances,¡± a soft voice came from behind.


    Theo twisted around, spotting a hooded, cloaked figure. Her features were obscured completely.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± she said, drawing closer. She held her hand out for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Interesting skill evolution. Not sure that one¡¯s been done before.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your interface is obscured here. You cannot see the message.¡±


    ¡°Where is here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Godan Bokrak Tal,¡± she said.


    Theo looked around. If she wasn¡¯t Uz¡¯Xulven, but this was the Bridge of Shadows, what the hell was he doing here? It snapped in his mind in an instant.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Toru¡¯aun,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Perhaps you are worthy of a core,¡± she said, a smile bleeding into her voice. ¡°My sister allowed me to approach you here when she felt you fall.¡±


    Theo rubbed his chest, finding the wound there. The damage to his flesh was real, but the pain had gone. But what did it mean to physically enter the Bridge of Shadows? Was it an actual bridge, or another realm? Perhaps something between the two¡ªa realm that connected realms. That was the only thing that made sense, but he couldn¡¯t understand how he got here. The last thing he remembered doing was using his [Dreampassage] ability.


    ¡°How did I get here?¡±


    ¡°An interdiction event,¡± Toru¡¯aun said.


    Theo knit his brow. ¡°Where was I going?¡±


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    Theo took a deep breath and held it for a few heartbeats. That made little sense. ¡°Did you interdict me?¡±


    ¡°My sister did,¡± Toru¡¯aun said, withdrawing a notebook and a class core from nowhere. ¡°I give the same instructions to all my followers. I do not suffer priests and I do not speak to my followers. This is the first and last time we will speak.¡±


    Theo took the items, flipping through the book. Each page was written in what must have been Toru¡¯aun Drogramathi and displayed a series of strange symbols arranged together. It was around 50 pages.


    ¡°Are these different sigils for spellcasting?¡± he asked.


    ¡°This is the first sigil,¡± Toru¡¯aun said. He could hear that grin in her voice yet again. ¡°Learn this and perhaps I¡¯ll teach you more. Until then¡­ Good luck.¡±


    The Bridge seemed to consume Toru¡¯aun. Theo was left standing alone. Enough time passed to allow his mind to catch up. Urgency flooded through him. He was safe, but what about Alex and Tresk? The assassin was powerful.


    ¡°Funny. He said you¡¯d arrive but I didn¡¯t see it,¡± a voice said. It didn¡¯t come from anywhere.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven,¡± Theo said. Who else would have such power over the realm?


    ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind me plucking you from your journey. My disciple is cleaning up on the mortal plane. Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s very curious. I never thought I¡¯d see such mastery over an infant realm. Well, perhaps the two of them.¡±


    ¡°My friends are safe?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. Fenian is destroying them,¡± she said. ¡°Your arrival was unexpected, but welcome. Hope you had a good chat with my sister.¡±


    Theo felt something about this realm, as though it were brushing up against his mind. It wasn¡¯t a probing sensation, but an uncomfortable irritation that rubbed his psyche raw. He could fight it, pressing his willpower against that of the god¡¯s but it wasn¡¯t a contest.


    ¡°My power over this domain is absolute. Think of it as though every molecule within this place has no doubt that I am the master,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said.


    That was an excellent description.


    With his friends safe, Theo didn¡¯t feel so uneasy. He allowed himself to relax, allowing that authority of the realm to wash over him. It was a comforting sensation, like resting while traveling. ¡°Where do we go from here?¡±


    ¡°No spoilers, right?¡± she asked, laughing. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t wait to see the next person to tread the Bridge. What a time to be a god.¡±


    Theo was headed to Tero¡¯gal before this. That¡¯s what the Queen of Mystery said¡ªshe said he was going to the Dreamwalk. While he didn¡¯t fully understand it, the alchemist knew he shared a realm with Tresk and Alex. The Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal had never seemed like an actual place to him. It was a place that lived in his dreams. A result of the [Dreamwalk] ability. And what was the Bridge for, if not to connect the realms?


    ¡°Before you go, I feel a stern lecture is in order,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, her voice echoing over the shadowy landscape.


    There it was. Just beyond that curtain of shadows, nestled somewhere in their embrace. His realm. The place where his authority was law. Theo reached out with his will and grabbed onto that idea as the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows rambled on about responsibility. He pulled hard, holding the [Dreamwalk] skill in his mind.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not done¡ª¡± Uz¡¯Xulven started. But it was too late. The shadows swirled and Theo was gone from another plane of existence.


    Puffy clouds floated above in a blue sky. Soft grass underfoot. A gentle breeze blew across growing wheat, blowing the scent of the crop into Theo¡¯s nose. The tension of the day flooded from his body as he walked, letting his hand trace a path along the plants. Out onto a grassy field with a creek running through it, feeding into a small pond. Beyond that was nothing. It was as though the world ended in a drop. The edge of Tero¡¯gal. The edge of his world. Where the authority belonged to two people and a goose. A snap of willpower and system messages flooded his vision.


    [Skill Evolotuion]!


    Your [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] ability has evolved!


    [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] has evolved into [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage].


    [Interdiction Event]!


    A god of the Demonic Pantheon has started an interdiction event!


    Your ascent to Tero¡¯gal has been redirected to Uz¡¯Godan Bokrak Tal.


    This is a domain controlled only by Uz¡¯Xulven. Assail it with your forces to capture.


    You have 0 troops with you.


    Entering passive mode.


    Theo shook his head. That was a lot that happened in a short amount of time. The messages claimed his [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] ability evolved when he used it, sending him to his private realm. Then Uz¡¯Xulven tore him from the path and placed him on the bridge to meet with the Queen of Mystery. The last part was the most interesting. The gods could attack each other¡¯s realms. But where did that put him? Why had the system placed him on the same stage as the gods? Surely he couldn¡¯t hope to compete.


    Then again, Uz¡¯Xulven willed her realm to look like a bridge. Not this beautiful, verdant field that Theo found himself in. He knelt near the water and scooped it up, sipping a mouthful. It tasted like fresh springwater, filling his mouth with a cool sensation that traveled all the way to his stomach. It seemed real. He removed his shoes, sitting at the edge of the pool as he inspected the damage to his chest.


    ¡°Easy enough to fix,¡± Theo said, finding that his inventory power was active. The fire of a [Healing Potion] raced through him, stitching the flesh back together in an instant. But there was no pain. ¡°Time to inspect the new skill. I guess.¡±


    [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage]


    Marshling Bond Skill


    Unique


    Slip through your dreams. Through reality.


    Effect:


    Each member of the Tara¡¯hek may travel into Tero¡¯gal, while awake, once per day. Once within, you may choose to exit ?and return to the point you left, or [Approach] another member of the Tara¡¯hek. The duration within Tero¡¯gal depends on the level of your [Tara¡¯hek Core], strength of your realm, stability of the bond, and willpower.


    That was frightening. Of all the Tara¡¯hek skills, that seemed like the most powerful. According to Khahar, time moved differently in heavenly realms. He¡¯d been sitting near the pool of water for a few minutes. How much time had moved in the real world? While he was eager to get back to his companions, this was a good time to test the skill¡¯s limits. This wasn¡¯t the Dreamwalk he¡¯d seen in the past. It was entirely different. Rising to his feet and leaving his shoes behind, Theo worked his way around the floating island.


    Tero¡¯gal had the fields of wheat, the spring, brook, and pond. But on the far end¡ªsomething Theo decided was south¡ªwas a small cottage. It was much like those in Broken Tusk. Those that were in the town before he arrived. Faded wooden walls with a blue slatted roof. Inside, a fire burned that put off a sensation closer to comfort than warmth. The small writing desk was inviting, but he left the cottage, finding his way back to the edge of the floating island.


    Legs over the side, Theo watched the clouds swirl below. After a while he saw something. Looking closer, drilling down with his willpower, he noticed it was his friends moving in incredible slow-motion. Fenian was kicking off from the road, two rapiers blazing with strange colors in his hands. Tresk was trapped under that curtain of vines. The alchemist found he could move the image around, but it only went so far. It was centered on the other members of the Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said, watching the image. ¡°But I¡¯m the master here. Right?¡±


    The air seemed to shiver, responding to his statement.


    ¡°How long is a minute outside compared to here? How long can I stay?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t know how he knew. But he knew. He could remain within the realm for five minutes on the mortal plane. He would experience twelve hours within, although it wouldn¡¯t pass like regular time. If his mind slipped, time would slip away from him. But that was all he wanted to know. He allowed his concentration to slip, watching as the image below sped up. Fenian destroyed the Dronon¡ªZagmon Dronon by his guess¡ªand freed Tresk from the spell. He smiled, sensing that the world around him was slipping away. Like the other members of his soul-bond wanted him back now.


    ¡°No time like the present,¡± Theo said, grinning to himself. He jumped from the side of the island, forgetting his shoes behind and plunging into the clouds. Intent on [Approaching] Tresk.


    The clouds parted, darkness whipped by for only a moment, and then he was standing on the ruined road. Barefooted and smiling.


    ¡°Where¡¯d your shoes go?¡± Fenian asked, cocking his head to the side.


    Theo tumbled over, caught in Tresk¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°I felt you go there,¡± Tresk whispered. ¡°I wanna do it. How do I do it?¡±


    But she knew. She just wanted to stay on the mortal plane for a while longer, hugging him over those cracked stones. Ziz and his gang stood back, stammering but unable to get the words out.


    ¡°It¡¯s a strange thing, Theo,¡± Fenian said, coming over to hoist the group to their feet. ¡°Even the most knowledgeable scholar of Tarantham couldn¡¯t tell you what that was. Tell me¡­ What is it like to touch the heavens?¡±


    Theo extricated himself from Tresk¡¯s grasp and slung an arm around the Elf¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s see where this road goes. Then I¡¯ll tell ya.¡±

 3.67 - The Throne of the Arbiter

    The wraiths within the Bridge of Shadows seemed tepid today. Theo¡¯s appearance¡ªthe appearance of a weak mortal¡ªhad given them pause. Fenian enjoyed his moments of peace, riding atop his black carriage. The enchanted Karatan seemed happy enough to gallop on without a direction, but the Elf wondered if he was content to do the same. He knew where they were going, but hesitated.


    ¡°Give a man a minor realm and he thinks he owns the heavens,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, appearing on the carriage from a boil of shadows.


    Fenian winced. The form she took was hauntingly familiar. A simple yellow dress embroidered with golden thread. And a face that haunted every sleepless night of his life. But he wouldn¡¯t rise to the bait. Not this far into his journey. Instead, he flicked her Elven ears.


    ¡°Do you even remember your mortal form?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said, reclining on the driver¡¯s bench. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a lie. I just don¡¯t think about it. So, why do you even need that thing?¡±


    ¡°Because none of our plans work without it,¡± Fenian said, tightening his grip on the reins.


    ¡°Is it our plan now?¡± she asked, laughing. ¡°Aren¡¯t you so generous.¡±


    But the generous one here was the Demonic god. She brought herself into this scheme when he asked for her power. All she needed to do was to lend him the power of the Bridge, but she went beyond that. Claiming him as her champion. With the full power of Parantheir and Uz¡¯Xulven, there wasn¡¯t a mortal alive who could withstand his fury. But that drew attention. Displays like he just performed were dangerous. But perhaps it was time to do away with caution.


    ¡°Can you see how the central cities are faring against the undead?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Not well,¡± she responded, not sitting up from her comfortable position. ¡°You¡¯re certain they¡¯ll seek the [Town Seed Cores]?¡±


    ¡°If the madness of their master is anything to go by, then yes,¡± Fenian said. ¡°If Khahar kept up his end of the bargain, it won¡¯t matter either way.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven hummed.


    The shadows formed a gap ahead and the Karatan chittered excitedly, then nervously. Harsh light stung Fenian¡¯s eyes as they burst through the veil of reality, the carriage shaking ominously as they transitioned. The smoothe shadow brickwork of the bridge, to a ravaged landscape. Galflower pushed through the first row of undead skeletons, sending their bones clattering along the rocky ground. The Elf reined her in, withdrawing a potion from his inventory and cocking his arm back.


    ¡°Steady, my sweet Galflower,¡± Fenian said, tossing a [Aerosolize] modified [Hallow Ground Potion] at her feet.


    A cloud of white rushed out, and the skeletons screamed. Blue magic leaked from their eyes, collecting in a miasma over the ground and lingering there. Bones fell to the ground, unbound by Balkor¡¯s necromancy. Those outside of the fifty-pace circle didn¡¯t dare to cross it. They leered from a distance with eyeless sockets.


    ¡°Phase one completed,¡± Fenian said, clapping his hands together.


    The area outside of the circle was thick with undead. There were remnants of a city in the distance, but the stonework was crumbling to dust. Even the air was filled with the fetid miasma of the Demon God¡¯s curse, filling Fenian¡¯s lungs and stinging them with every breath. He dropped another potion at his feet, and the air seemed to clear. Not enough to draw a lungful of clean air, but enough to give him room.


    ¡°Now,¡± Fenian said, withdrawing an ancient map from his inventory. ¡°Where is that toe?¡±


    It was fortunate the alchemist created so many potions for this trip. Landmarks were scarce in Gardreth, even though Fenian had already scouted it out. It was once attached to the continent before being split off. A surgical cut by Glantheir to save the rest, but in doing so he¡¯d obscured the topology. If that god were watching what he was doing, he wouldn¡¯t be happy. Not in the least. Two days and two nights without sleep, tossing potions and fording ahead through the endless undead.


    ¡°This must be the right place,¡± Fenian said, falling in a slump on the stained ground. ¡°Some skeletons still have some meat. That¡¯s a good sign, right Galflower?¡±


    The Karatan chittered, a sign he took to mean agreement.


    Fenian dug into the crater as the twin moons rose. He could see the edge of the dark one, and the full orange one. It was a sight, but the digging was brutal. Rocks, fallen trees that were covered with rubble, and¡­


    ¡°Ah!¡± Fenian said, tossing another potion at his feet. The ground rumbled in response and the trader cheered. The surrounding undead joined with him. A chorus of ghostly screeches.


    Excavating the rotting bone was a chore, but he didn¡¯t falter. Digging out the sides, he finally got a good look at it. About the size of his torso, with seams of blue running through it. Fenian dropped another [Hallow Ground] potion at his feet before hoisting the thing above him.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s heavy!¡± he said, stumbling and dropping it behind him.


    Fenian tightened the rope around the fragment, climbing up the pit and tying it off on the carriage. Another potion on the ground, and a few more spread for good measure, and he ordered his team to drive forward. Slowly, the last fragment of the Demonic God Balkor rose to the surface. For the first time since his demise, the full power of the necromantic god was released onto the world. But the blue seams¡ªthose points of the dead god¡¯s power¡ªwere subdued under Theo¡¯s potion.


    ¡°We might need more, Galflower!¡± Fenian shouted, dragging the bone to insert it to the rear carriage. ¡°And a few more points into [Strength].¡±


    The carriage buckled under the weight, groaning as though responding to the weight of its importance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s really mess things up in the capital. Shall we?¡± Fenian asked.


    <hr>


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you not bring something like that in my domain,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°The Bridge is under attack. Thanks to you.¡±


    Fenian waved her off. He focused on the road ahead. That long road, stretching off into infinity. ¡°Did you want to see it?¡± he asked. ¡°Bet you¡¯ve never seen the bone of a dead god.¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re not meant to cross into the mortal realm,¡± she said, sitting on the bench and looking stern.


    ¡°Is this going to be another lecture?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°You agreed to the plan.¡±


    ¡°And what happens when Karasan catches you near the capital?¡±


    ¡°You used to be fun, Uz,¡± Fenian said, snapping the reins.


    ¡°I¡¯m still fun,¡± she said.


    But she wasn¡¯t. The Bridge rocked under them, sending the carriage train skittering for only a moment. The powerful team driving it righted its course in a moment. That would have been the other gods. Angry about what she allowed him to do. Well, they¡¯d be busy enough in moments. Busy with the phase two of their plan.


    ¡°The old bastard needs to ascend,¡± Fenian said, gritting his teeth. ¡°It all hinges on his distraction.¡±


    ¡°Well, where is he? The Morning Star, as you said. The Arbiter, you claimed,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°Arbitration of what, exactly? Sitting in a temple and performing ancient rituals? Just ascend, you fool!¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°For once, we agree,¡± Fenian said, almost tumbling out of the cart when the ground shook again. ¡°We¡¯re here. I may call upon your power.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I won¡¯t have enough to spare.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll hope Parantheir is paying attention¡­ Did the Bridge just grow silent, or is that me?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Hah! He¡¯s doing it,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, clapping excitedly. ¡°Oh? What? No, I will not consent to a new set of rules¡­ Hey! Fenian! Don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    But Fenian had already found a seam in the shadows. Galflower plunged through, the cart clattering against a well-worn dirt path. Strewn with rocks and fallen undead alike at the northernmost town between Qavell and the Southlands. Drybrook, the second to last failed defense of the Kingdom of Qavell.


    ¡°And a perfect spot to bury the bone of a dead god,¡± Fenian said, whooping excitedly. ¡°Oh, calm yourself Galflower. There¡¯s a good girl. It¡¯s only temporary.¡±


    More potions flew, clearing the way over the infested road. Night lingered overhead, but by the light of the orange moon¡ªshifting toward red¡ªFenian steered the carriage toward the walled town. He spotted the defenders on the wall and pushed down the guilt he felt. They would never survive the siege anyway, right? There weren¡¯t undead rising from the bodies of the defenders yet, but they¡¯d fall in time.


    Galflower barreled through another line of undead, Fenian pulling the reins tight to lead her to a burnt-out farmhouse. Close enough to the walls to inflict damage, but not close enough to be discovered. He tossed more potions out, clearing a path for him to drag the damned bone and bury it again.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need a long break after this one,¡± Fenian said, groaning as he jumped from the carriage. ¡°Don¡¯t move, my sweet. Allow me to do my work.¡±


    The Karatan were happy to live within their cloud of undead-repelling mist. Fenian dug at the hard-packed earth, cursing as he hit rocks and roots. Nothing his enhanced strength couldn¡¯t handle, but annoying. He took breaks to study the battle outside the ring of purification, applying more potions as required. Where the undead went, a taint followed closely behind. The befouled earth where the potion touched seemed purified, sent from a sickly shade of brown back to vibrant greens where the grass grew. It was as though time itself was going back, reverting to its normal state.


    Two man-heights underground seemed good enough for the burial, and the Elf worked on dragging the bone to the hole. Skeletons and the freshly dead crowded near the edge of the ring, not daring to cross but watching. Fenian knew they were without a master, just feeding on the latent energy of Balkor. And still the regret lingered. The sins of a leader fell to his people in times like this. It was true that the undead were marching even before he intervened. Something had stirred them up, sending them toward the capital, but the help they received in crossing the ocean was immense.


    Everything led back to King Karasan¡¯s betrayal. Fenian scooped the last shovel-full of dirt over the hole, patting it down, before withdrawing a silver bracelet from his inventory. How long had it been since he¡¯d looked at it? There was little he needed to fuel that rage in his chest. It burned daily. For centuries now, and showed no signs of subsiding. If he could drive only the smallest of thorns in the side of Qavell it would be worth it. But if Khahar did as he promised, it would become a spear instead of a splinter. A death-blow to the damned pretender.


    Ascending the carriage and tugging on the reins, Fenian found that the Bridge was reluctant to have him. He expected an attack from the defenders of the town, but they were far too busy. Uz¡¯Xulven should have had enough energy to allow him passage. The Elf let out a heavy sigh, removed a wineskin from his inventory and unstoppered it. Reclining on the carriage, he looked up at the edge of that dark moon. A smile spread across his face, thinking of the Burning Eye¡¯s minions stuck up there. Wandering around in that monster-infested place, fighting for survival every day.


    ¡°I¡¯d wager they¡¯re eating fetid moon-monster meat,¡± Fenian said, chuckling to himself. ¡°Did you see this coming, my old friend?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± a voice from behind answered. That familiar voice.


    ¡°Oh, you positively love pretending you won¡¯t get your hands dirty,¡± Fenian said, not daring to look back. It was best to keep his eyes on the moon. ¡°I wonder if you can still feel anything. How long has it been since you could have been called a mortal?¡±


    ¡°I cannot say,¡± the voice responded. ¡°I¡¯m content with this experiment, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Even after I put one foot on my path?¡±


    ¡°Your path is the true path. The way things were meant to be.¡±


    ¡°But you could have fixed it. With a blink. Or a wiggle of your eyebrows.¡± Fenian let out a heavy sigh. It wasn¡¯t as though he hated godly figures. They were just so pompous. As though they could lord their power over the mortals and get away with it. Well, they could. But that wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°I don¡¯t lord my power over anyone,¡± the voice said.


    ¡°But you¡¯re happy to read my mind. How about a favor for fixing your broken system? Allow me to see Khahar¡¯s ascension.¡±


    ¡°It was brutal. And swift. The system wasn¡¯t ready for him. Changes were necessary.¡±


    ¡°As planned.¡±


    ¡°Fine. The Bridge will become stable after you¡¯re done¡­ Viewing the event. So long.¡±


    Fenian cracked his knuckles. Fluttering feathers sounded from behind him, and the presence of the being was gone. The Elf¡¯s mind tumbled through realities.


    <hr>


    The ritual for Khahar¡¯s ascension was tedious. His mind was unraveling by the moment, splitting his consciousness and sending fissures through his psyche. Yet those Khahari still chanted, begging for him to rise and fix the world. That was a dream too far, he knew well, but his followers didn¡¯t need to know. Maybe they did. His concentration faltered for a moment and he watched the western coastline of his continent, spotting crab scuttling across the beach. It snapped again, down into the caves beneath a city to the mushroom grow-caves. Again, to the sky high above his domain.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Khahar growled. His focus faded by the moment. Moments that crawled by in his high-level vision.


    The Khahari leader¡¯s attention snapped to the ziggurat, desert stretching into the distance. A million Khahari were assembled there, only a portion of his people prepared to take the journey with him. He wouldn¡¯t reveal his knowledge to them. The fact that they might not make it. That this promised land was nothing but another form of existence. An ill-fated plan prone to failure.


    ¡°We are ready,¡± the high-priest said, bowing on the flattened top of the structure.


    Khahar sat on his throne, pressing clawed fingers into his head. The system prompt he¡¯d seen for uncounted eons popped up again.


    [Ascension]


    You¡¯ve collected enough power, and expanded a realm far enough to ascend to godhood! Declining this prompt will have consequences. The higher your attributes get, the more difficulty you¡¯ll have dealing with the real world. Once your mind passes a point, you will no longer control yourself.


    (It is recommended that you accept this prompt the moment you get it. Leaving it will result in permanent damage to your mind that can only be reversed by accepting this prompt.)


    [Y/N]


    That taunting window. A promise for release from this torment. Resistance brought by the strongest of wills and faith in his cause. Khahar mentally accepted the prompt and the world around him melted. A ripple of power issued from the temple, reducing it to a city-sized crater in a moment. People in the far reaches of the world would feel the effects¡ªthe sudden ascension of an overly-powerful god.


    Darkness crowded Khahar¡¯s vision, but the pain in his mind was gone. The heavy weight of cores in his chest diminished to nothing. And he was finally free. Even the darkness was inviting, rolling over him like a comforting blanket. Relief. Ease from the pain he¡¯d suffered. He could see it clearly now. 50,000 years of torment. Was it worth it? Why did he try to do this in the first place? Then the system messages came rolling in. Thousands of them.


    All cores removed¡­


    Personal level at ascension (rounded): 10,000


    ERROR: Unable to calculate [God Core] level. Overflow.


    SOLUTION: Recalculating theoretical power maximum.


    Completed¡­


    Assigning [God Core] at level 100.


    Personal realm strength at ascension (rounded): ERROR


    ERROR: Strength of realm is too powerful. Overflow.


    SOLUTION: Recalculating theoretical power maximum.


    ERROR: Overflow¡­ Recalculating¡­


    SOLUTION: Theoretical power maximum raised.


    Assigning [Ascendant God Core] at level 100.


    Core count and level at ascension (rounded): ERROR


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Assigning [Arbiter¡¯s Core] at level 100.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Approaching The Arbiter¡¯s Citadel. Please ascend the throne to name your realm.


    Khahar skimmed for the most interesting messages, but all those were expected. He¡¯d overflowed the system¡¯s maximum count for stats and created a new realm. Something outside the normal flow of the gods. The plan worked. That feature, nestled somewhere in the code that ran their world was forced to revert to the way it was. Reversing the inane rules placed on it by the previous gods. Those restraints were lifted.


    More than that, Khahar¡¯s mind was clear. The pain was gone and his thoughts came in ordered patterns. One thing after the other, not a jumbled mass of potential futures and events. His eyes were in his head, although he stood in darkness. They didn¡¯t flit over the entire world at once, forcing him into a state of constant agony. He was free.


    In a blink, he appeared in his new realm.


    ¡°Kahak,¡± he said, finding himself standing on endless dunes of sand. Before him stood a citadel, impossibly high and constructed of gray stone. Behind him, those one million souls kneeled. He turned. Without a word, he ordered them to begin building as he ascended to the Throne of the Arbiter.

 3.68 - The Fall of the Heavens

    Khahar¡¯s calculations were correct. Well, mostly correct. The flow of time in the heavenly realms was strange, but no more strange than back on the mortal plane. With his absurd attributes he¡¯d experienced time as a collage of events, rather than a linear progression. At least here he could count one moment passing after the other. One thought coming, then going.


    The throne room of Khahak was massive. Perhaps the size of his old capital back in the Khahari desert. His followers rushed around the massive space, fading in and out of existence. A shimmering portal appeared before him at his command, allowing him to view the mortal plane. But he could also view the other realms, crowded as they were. The Prime Pantheon was scrambling, but the Demonic Pantheon seemed calm. All except for Zagmon¡¯s cursed realm.


    ¡°Sire, we¡¯ve repelled the first attack,¡± the high-priest said.


    ¡°From Zagmon?¡± Khahar asked, enjoying the way his thoughts flowed.


    ¡°Yes, sire.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for a counter-offensive,¡± Khahar said, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°You have a century to ready the troops.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire. And a visitor. He only needs your consent to enter,¡± the high-priest said.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Glantheir.¡±


    Khahar¡¯s smile broadened. ¡°Allow him in.¡±


    Reality parted before the throne. A stately Elf appeared, clad in pure white robes with flowing hair to match. He held a staff with the symbol of his realm. Intertwined laurels made of gold, working their way down the staff to the floor. The god took a knee.


    ¡°We beg your forgiveness for this intrusion, Arbiter,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°My aim has only ever been to serve the mortal world.¡±


    ¡°So it has been noted,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Yet you share a Pantheon with the Eye. With Fan¡¯glir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to give introductions, not excuses, Yuri,¡± the Elven God said. ¡°None of the gods alone can challenge you, but they¡¯re questioning your authority as a collective.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Khahar asked, rising from his seat and crossing the wide space between them. ¡°Arbitration doesn¡¯t mean pacifism. I am the arbiter. The collective judge of you. Whomever I say is guilty is. The authority is thus.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Glantheir said, bowing his head lower. ¡°We look to your wisdom. And I beg for your mercy on the mortal world.¡±


    ¡°My interest has only ever been in protecting the mortals. I will not poke my head in their affairs. Neither will any of the other Pantheons.¡±


    ¡°Just so.¡±


    Glantheir departed. It might have been a moment later, or a few years. But then the century flashed by in a blink, and Khahar found himself on the bone-strewn fields of Zagmon¡¯s realm. The Dronon forces of war crumpled beneath the ascended Khahari. Continents were raised, castles destroyed, and the Arbiter climbed the steps of the demonic god¡¯s citadel. Casualties were a strange thing in the heavens. Souls didn¡¯t just die, they went back to their realm. So long as their patron was alive.


    ¡°I suppose you think you¡¯re quite clever,¡± Zagmon said.


    The Demon god sat atop a throne of bones and blood, peering down with fearful eyes. The citadel of Zagmon overlooked pools of blood, fields of corpses, and other unpleasant things. He¡¯d fashioned himself a world of death and torture. How no one in the expanded pantheons of the universe had done away with this monster was beyond Khahar. Arbitration was necessary.


    ¡°Quite clever.¡±


    ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t personal, Arbiter,¡± Zagmon said.


    Khahar studied the Demon for a while. He appeared like the other Dronon of the world. Swooping horns with skin tinged the color of their nature. The Zagmon Dronon were all red, a deep shade like the devils of Earth¡¯s lore. But he was more muscular than those depictions, with a belt of skulls, a heavy glaive by his side, and a thick plate of oozing armor covering his body.


    ¡°Because your agents attempted to kill my friend?¡± Khahar asked. That was certainly one reason Zagmon would die first.


    ¡°Your friend? Your Herald,¡± Zagmon said, laughing wryly.


    Khahar stood for a long moment, still finding his new thought process to be difficult. Then he joined the Demon God in laughing, crossing the distance between them before wrapping his hands around the creature¡¯s throat. He squeezed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been one step behind this entire time, Zagmon,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Let the truth be heard by those in this room, and them alone. Theo Spencer was never meant to be the Herald. As I ascended the throne of Arbiter so will my agent ascend the throne of Herald.¡±


    Khahar leaned in, whispering the name of his agent into Zagmon¡¯s ear. The Demon God¡¯s eyes went wide before godly life faded. Before the realm of the dread Dronon God of War crumbled around them, turning to ash.


    <hr>


    As hard as it was to convince himself to take a break, Theo forced himself. Each citizen seemed to have sworn an oath to keep him on his ass for as long as possible. Sitting on a rocking chair outside of Xam¡¯s tavern, he watched people move around and work. Alise had already returned from Gronro-dir with the contract signed. A Khahari trade ship had arrived in the harbor, remaining there until they worked out a deal, and all seemed well.


    Alex chirped somewhere under his chair. She managed to deftly avoid the rise and fall of the rocking chair, turning it into a game. But boredom was getting to Theo. He crumpled up another sheet of paper and tossed it to the side, retrieving a fresh one from his inventory and starting again. Several lines into his journal and someone approached, disturbing his concentration.


    ¡°Roads going well,¡± Ziz said.


    Theo looked up and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk. I¡¯m bored.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Ziz said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go out so soon. Tresk would skewer me.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just walk the wall,¡± Theo said, dragging his old friend along.


    ¡°That¡­ Yeah, that should be fine.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Theo and Ziz ascended the battlements, Alex following closely behind. She had trouble with the steps, but the pair waited for her at the top. Looking out to the swamp to the west, they spotted golems moving around and adventurers doing their thing. House Wavecrest had integrated well enough, but there were too many things left hanging. The alchemist leaned against a crenelation.


    ¡°Ral still doesn¡¯t have a leg,¡± Theo said, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Yeah, but he doesn¡¯t seem too upset about it,¡± Ziz said. ¡°Are you trying to solve that one with alchemy?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Theo said, snorting a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s all I ever do. Fix stuff with alchemy.¡±


    The alchemist removed the [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] from his inventory and stared at it for a long while. The book she¡¯d given him was impossible to understand. Xol¡¯sa was trying to figure that one out, but he¡¯d made little progress. Theo suspected the point was only he could understand it, but he didn¡¯t have the heart to deny the mage. Those skills for planar magic would become more useful in the coming times, but for now it was just time to restore.


    ¡°So, what was the Bridge like?¡± Ziz asked.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Dark. Lots of shades moving in the distance.¡±


    ¡°Not as glamorous as I expected,¡± Ziz said. ¡°Any word from Fenian?¡±


    Theo placed the core back into his inventory, shaking his head. It couldn¡¯t be helped. That was only yesterday. How much progress could the Elf had made in that little time. And what was his plan? That was a fact beyond everyone. Just a mystery lingering in the air forever. Like a foul smell in a cramped room. The group began walking the perimeter of the town, heading north to the quarry first.


    Ziz had made progress with the quarry, designating his workers to handle most of the daily operation. He had more than one pit now, and had figured out the best way to drain the constantly regenerating stone. Like most in Broken Tusk, they were taking a break. They stood there for a long time, looking down on both the operation and the town.


    ¡°Sure is hot,¡± Ziz said.


    ¡°At least it isn¡¯t muggy,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Hey, what is Tresk doing, anyway?¡± Ziz asked.


    It was hard not to notice. The Marshling wasn¡¯t relaxing like everyone else. Despite her shouting orders for everyone to chill, especially Theo, she was out scouting for more Zagmon Dronon. Once she learned who their master was, she was on the hunt. It made sense that adventurers couldn¡¯t take breaks, though. Not when so much had happened in such a short time. He explained the situation to Ziz, who simply shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s Tresk for ya,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°So, how are you feeling about being attacked?¡±


    Theo took a long time to think about that question. He felt little, if he was honest with the Half-Ogre. He could have been mad at Fenian for not coming to the rescue sooner, but that was all part of the plan. Maybe it was a coincidence, but he suspected the Elf knew the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] skill would evolve. So he needed to experience that fear of his life ending to get something much better. A bit of hardship for a new, overpowered skill was worth it.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Did you know skills can evolve?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Can they?¡± Ziz asked. ¡°Not sure if I¡¯ve heard about that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I got a skill evolution out of it,¡± Theo said. ¡°All part of Fenian¡¯s plan, I think.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a thought,¡± Ziz said, clapping a hand over Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Did they force you to talk to me?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nah. Just saw you in front of Xam¡¯s. All sad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sad.¡±


    ¡°Melancholy?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Not sure about that one.¡±


    ¡°Wistful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Theo said, pushing off from the wall and making his way east. Both Ziz and Alex followed.


    The group moved along the defensive wall, spotting the bridge to the east when they turned to walk southward. Over the eastern gate, then coming to rest over the harbor. The single Khahari ship docked there sat high in the water, as though it was never meant to cross the sea. But it was long, with two tall masts that gave the bridge-gates little room to breathe. Theo had to wonder how quickly Khahar could have returned to his desert continent. In an instant, he realized, but maybe the ceremony of his people would have dragged the process out.


    There might be effects on the mortal plane, but that was hard to say. With only a short trip to his own realm, the alchemist wasn¡¯t certain of much. The Dreamwalk itself had evolved. When he visited the realm at night, it was the familiar landscape. Anything he could dream up would appear, but that was just a mirror image of the minds of those within the Tara¡¯hek. When he visited it in person, it was the floating island with the creek and the cottage. Withdrawing a stalk of [Wheat] from his inventory, he contemplated how strange that was.


    Things conjured in the Dreamwalk were left there, no more substantial than dreams themselves. But traveling to Tero¡¯gal was different. Those things were real. He could bring them back to the mortal plane, although he hadn¡¯t tested doing it the other way around. These uncertain rules left him feeling uneasy. He wouldn¡¯t let it slip through his fingers. There was no point in that. He needed to do everything he could to press his advantage.


    ¡°We need to name the war with the undead,¡± Ziz said, watching the dockhands work below. ¡°Gotta be something flashy.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything in mind?¡±


    Ziz offered a weak shrug. ¡°How to get boned in 44 simple steps?¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Have you been talking to Tresk?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    That matter did fall to the Southlands Alliance to sort out. Whatever Tarantham and Veosta wanted to call the war was up to them. Theo had no doubts they had a name for their ongoing conflict, but he wondered what they were fighting for. If the reports from Gronro-dir were accurate, the land they left behind was tainted. A state that the [Hallow Ground] potions reversed.


    The alchemist withdrew the enchanted box that Khahar gave him, running his fingers over the sigils. It seemed like people were setting him up for success. Perhaps that was putting it too generously out of the alchemist¡¯s favor. As though it was diminishing the hard work they¡¯d done here so far. A helping hand didn¡¯t remove the value of what they¡¯d done. No matter how short of a time they¡¯d been at it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some plans cooking in my head,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°Once things calm down in the north.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, eh?¡± Ziz asked, chuckling. ¡°You mean when our kingdom is destroyed. When we¡¯re cut off from the capital and left to fester.¡±


    ¡°Feeling a sudden wave of wistfulness?¡± Theo asked, playfully punching his friend in the arm.


    ¡°Fear, more like,¡± Ziz said with a nod.


    ¡°Half-Ogres fear nothing,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°If only that were true,¡± Ziz sighed. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your box doing?¡±


    Theo looked down, spotting the light coming from the ornately decorated box. It hadn¡¯t changed otherwise.


    The wall beneath their feet rumbled. A wave of power washed from the north and shouts rose from the harbor below. A few jostling moments later and everything was calm. Tresk appeared at Theo¡¯s side in an instant¡ªlikely using their new ability.


    ¡°Bad news!¡± Tresk shouted, breathing hard. ¡°I felt that in Tero¡¯gal! Holy moly!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ Oop! Yep! There it is!¡± Tresk shouted.


    A series of messages flashed into Theo¡¯s vision.


    [Connection Severed]


    Your connection between [Broken Tusk] and [The Kingdom of Qavell] has been destroyed.


    Connection destroyed through core chain¡­


    Drybrook (Core Destroyed)¡­


    Stonesbed¡­


    Heartpass¡­


    Barrowsdeep¡­


    Gronro-dir¡­


    Rivers and Daub¡­


    ¡­


    [Broken Tusk], [Gronro-Dir], [Rivers and Daub] have been placed in one-day state of suspension.


    Calculating¡­


    [Southlands Alliance] temporarily formed.


    Your towns will share power generating resources (motes, coins, etc) until one town gains a [Kingdom Core].


    Please contact the owner of your civilization¡¯s [Kingdom Core] if you have further questions.


    Theo read through the notification several times, his heart thumping hard in his ears. Then he heard a snap and a creak. Looking down, he saw Khahar¡¯s enchanted box opening. He saw the cage of metal, white light pulsing steadily inside. He saw what Yuri had left him. A gift fit for a king.


    A smile spread across the alchemist¡¯s face.

 3.69 - Epilogue

    Theo Spencer,


    5th Day, Season of Fire,


    873rd Year of Balkor¡¯s Betrayal


    Well, the privacy of my writings is no longer in question. No living mortal outside the bond can tread in Tero¡¯gal. Well, just to be certain I¡¯m writing this entry in Axpashi. Yeah, it¡¯s a strange language with many quirks. You can¡¯t really understand it until you understand that it¡¯s tied to the standard language of magic. Super happy I wasted time learning it, since the language of Toru¡¯aun is nothing like this.


    Thanks, Xol¡¯sa! Ya damn space Elf.


    Elves. I got a lot of those in my life now, and I¡¯m not sure if I care for them. Yeah, alright. I¡¯ll calm down. This whole thing with Zagmon has me feeling spicy. Tresk worked with me to defend against regular threats, but we didn¡¯t see that coming. How could we, though? She said the Zagmon mage was level 100. I can¡¯t imagine what the assassin was. Well, I could. But I don¡¯t want to. He was too damn fast. Too clever.


    Well, they¡¯re all dead now. Funny how you think you know a guy. Fenian sold himself as a simple trader, although that was clearly a lie. Turns out, he¡¯s something called a Champion. Tresk said he¡¯s the Champion of two gods, but I¡¯m not sure how that works. It doesn¡¯t matter, though. We need him as much as he needs us. Does he need us? I don¡¯t know. He brought Elves to my town to help with the labor shortage. Beefing this small town up to be something worth talking about in the Southlands.


    We¡¯ll have boats soon enough. Maybe just fishing boats but those still count. Laedria Wavecrest is our shipwright. One of those Elves brought by Fenian. All of House Wavecrest seem like hard-working people. Well, besides those trouble-makers. But they¡¯re dead, too!


    The magic contracts I force everyone to sign are working. I¡¯d wax on about a person¡¯s free will, but I don¡¯t care after being attacked. That event left no scars, but it pays to be careful. I still think the crime fits the punishment with the contracts, but testing would require someone breaking those rules. It doesn¡¯t seem worth it, when you consider the horrible beasts that came to destroy the Wavecrest rule-breakers.


    I suppose I should write more about Yuri, but I just can¡¯t find the words. In the messed up world we left behind, we were something close to friends. He remembered that after migrating to this new world, holding on to whatever we were for an absurd amount of time. His gift comes with no strings attached, right? Sure.


    I got a new skill that lets me make golems. They¡¯re great workers, and a constant trickle of experience. I¡¯ll take the skill that lets me deconstruct reagents when I hit level 20, which is going to be awesome. Maybe. It¡¯s vague. My stats are leveling out. More of a generalist approach thanks to my supplementary stats from cores and skills. That was never my intention, and I won¡¯t put more points into the other attributes. My plan is to dump things into wisdom and intelligence so I can understand these inane symbols for my new core.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Yeah, like most of Dronon magic, Toru¡¯aun¡¯s flavor is more like poetry than Axpashi runic magic. The book she gave me is 50 pages for just one symbol. What the hell does that even mean? Queen of Mystery. Yeah, that¡¯s a damn good title for her. But there¡¯s a bright side with the stuff she said. That god wants nothing to do with me! Hooray! I don¡¯t have to sit here and worry about another one breathing down my neck.


    Oh! I just had to pause my scribblings to talk to someone. A god? Said his name was Benton, which was a shock. Seemed like an Earth name to me. All the infant realms are nestled against each other, so it wasn¡¯t as though he was a powerful god. Said he ascended at level 100, which just seems wrong. Anyway, he invited me over for a chat in his little realm but the system wouldn¡¯t let me leave. Apparently I¡¯m not a god.


    What am I, then? How realms work is beyond me. If I had to summarize them, it¡¯s a manifestation of something on the mortal plane. Alright, hold on. Think of planes as layers of existence. Like an onion? No, that¡¯s a horrible analogy. Like plates stacked in your cupboard. Again, that¡¯s just not right. How about intersecting planes in three-dimensional space. They all converge at some point, either near the mortal plane¡¯s center, or off to infinity. But they share that common anchor point, and never converge with each other.


    Planes, realms, holds. Whatever you want to call them, they seem to share the same local space. That segments them into Pantheons. Tero¡¯gal, which is my realm, shares space with the low-level gods. They¡¯re people who were kinda powerful in life, but not powerful enough to play with the big boys. The Prime and Demonic Pantheons are the most powerful ones. I suspect the Prime one is full of Earthlings.


    Alright. I¡¯m on a roll here. These heavenly realms intersect with the mortal realm. At those points of convergence, the god¡¯s power can be felt. Yeah, they can influence other places in the world and maybe they can shift where their realm intersects, but that¡¯s the important part. They cannot converge on the same spot. Well, they shouldn¡¯t. That seems to go against the system¡¯s rules. How did I come to this conclusion? Think back, mysterious reader. Tresk, if you¡¯re reading this, don¡¯t think too hard. Your brain might explode.


    Drogramath said he could no longer communicate with me. Forget whether that makes sense. He¡¯s never tried to talk to me before, except when he tried to interdict me. The Tara¡¯hek is blocking him out. Because the planes cannot overlap. Meaning he¡¯s ceding control to me. Why the hell would a god bow out like that?


    Things are going to get interesting. I¡¯m going to expand my realm. Bathe the entire southlands in this weird power and see what happens. If my suspicions are right, the system is going to recognize my growing power in Tero¡¯gal and give me some upgrade options. How do I know that? Because it¡¯s all upgrades all the time, baby. Look at everything around us. Towns, kingdoms, cores, buildings.


    Well, you certainly are a mysterious reader. Coming into my realm and reading my journal. Perverse, don¡¯t you think?


    Until next time.


    THEO IS A NERD. HE WRITES WEIRD NOTES IN A WEIRD LANGUAGE I CAN¡¯T UNDERSTAND. NERD!


    ALEX WAS HERE.


    JUST KIDDING IT¡¯S ME TRESK.


    LOVE YOU.

 4.1 - Nascent Realms

    A gentle breeze blew across the wheat field in Tero¡¯gal. The scent of the crops drifted through the cracked window of the cottage, the wind fluttering the pages Theo was working on. His forced break on the mortal plane was becoming daunting, more than any hard day¡¯s work ever had. But here there was solace. A break from reality in his perfect little realm. The wind stirred up, growing cold as a thought drifted through his mind. The alchemist looked up from his journal entry and felt something drift through his mind.


    ¡°Visitors?¡± he asked himself. ¡°At this time of day? In this nascent realm?¡±


    Chuckling at his own joke, he rose and approached the door. Sending a mental command of acceptance, he felt the wind grow colder. Then a man appeared near his wheat field, a fanged smile on his face. One of the Toora. A race of bear-people he¡¯d seen a few times. This one bore a shaggy coat of white with only the gentlest mottling of gray. Robed in frost-blue, barefooted, and smiling endlessly.


    ¡°Ho there!¡± the man shouted, waving like an idiot. It reminded him of Tresk.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Theo said, approaching and shaking the man¡¯s hand. A paw, really.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know a new god was in the infant pantheon,¡± he said, brushing his hand across the wheat. His eyes lingered over the confined space. ¡°Small planet ya got here.¡±


    Theo shrugged, gesturing for the god to follow him. ¡°I¡¯m not a god. Want some tea?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love some tea,¡± the Toora said, following him to the cottage.


    Theo kicked the [Flame Artifice] to life and set on a pot of fresh spring water, sprinkling [Moss Nettle] inside. The alchemist found a plush chair that he¡¯d brought from the mortal realm and sat down.


    ¡°Not a god?¡± the man asked. ¡°Oh! Where are my manners? I¡¯m Benton. Toora God of Frost and Winter. And death. Working on that death part.¡±


    ¡°Theo,¡± the alchemist said, offering a nod. ¡°Not a god. Just a man.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of something like this,¡± Benton said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of someone in this world holding such a plain name,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s quite common. With my people. Who are the Toora.¡± Benton kept his eyes on the pot of tea. He sniffed the air, clearly unfamiliar with plants of the southern swamps.


    That was to be expected. If the Toora were isolationist before, they¡¯d be holed up by now. The war in Qavell had reached a breaking point. Theo was in his private realm avoiding the meeting he was meant to attend on the mortal plane. The endless discussion of upgrading the town, picking a kingdom style, and assigning leader roles. It was nice to fall away from all of that, even if only for a few hours. It didn¡¯t matter. They wouldn¡¯t notice he¡¯d been gone for more than a few minutes.


    Benton noticed Theo¡¯s pensive expression. He leaned in. ¡°We¡¯re fortunate. To be in such a protected position during the war.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, if the rumors are true there¡¯s a purge in the high heavens,¡± Benton said, tapping his foot. ¡°How long on the tea?¡±


    ¡°Only a few more minutes. Let it steep for a while.¡± Theo popped the lid and stirred the contents around. He almost didn¡¯t want to ask about the War in Heaven. But when you shared tea with a god, no matter how minor they were, you just had to ask. ¡°How is the war going?¡±


    ¡°Zagmon is dead,¡± Benton said. ¡°The Eye is dying. Fan¡¯glir fled his realm. So, I guess it depends on which side you take.¡±


    ¡°And which side do you take, Benton, God of Winter and Death?¡±


    ¡°Well, Zagmon was the old god of death. For the Demonic Pantheon¡ªyou¡¯ll be familiar with that¡ªso that¡¯s good for business,¡± Benton said. ¡°My fears rest with the Arbiter.¡±


    It felt as though someone poured cold water over Theo¡¯s head, the sensation trickling down his spine and producing gooseflesh. Yuri actually did it. Rose to the heavens and took an advanced position. Something above the gods, perhaps. An Arbiter. Now that would be interesting.


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Theo said. ¡°Zagmon tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Who hasn¡¯t Zagmon tried to kill?¡± Benton chuckled. The kettle whistled.


    Theo poured out two cups of unsweetened tea. It wouldn¡¯t compare to the delicious stuff that Xam made back on the mortal plane, but all senses seemed to be dulled in his infant realm. The Toora took the mug in his paw and sipped, nodding with approval. The alchemist rose from his chair and beckoned his fellow realm-holder to follow. Off to the edge of Tero¡¯gal, to observe the workings of the mortal realm.


    ¡°Check it out.¡± Theo sat near the edge of his island, dangling his legs and splashing some tea on himself. The clouds swirled below, producing the image of the meeting he had fled. Frozen in time, his administrators were still reacting to his disappearance. Benton joined him.


    ¡°Wow, this is interesting. A realm without ascension. Is this a new thing?¡±


    ¡°I suspect not,¡± Theo said.


    The Toora god had nothing to say to that. However friendly he might be, there was a reason for his visit. Information was useful to everyone, even those in the heavenly realms. Allies were even more valuable. Here on the peaceful island of Tero¡¯gal, none of that seemed to matter. It was just a safe retreat. Somewhere to hide away from mortal problems. The alchemist found his thoughts were clearer here. As though the attributes he had on the normal plane didn¡¯t interfere. Nor did his cores.


    ¡°You can change what the viewing thing looks like,¡± Benton said. ¡°Through your god interface.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one of those,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Oh, right. Not a god,¡± Benton said with a chuckle. ¡°Hey, want to check my realm out?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Why not?¡±


    A wave of a paw and an icy portal appeared. The Toora gestured for Theo to enter, but when he went to step through it, he slammed into a solid wall of ice. The pair stood for a long moment, just staring at the entrance with puzzled expressions.


    ¡°Not a god,¡± Benton repeated, laughing a great belly-laugh.


    ¡°I spilled my tea.¡±


    Despite being a god, the Toora had a lot to talk about. He was aware of the war in the northlands of Qavell, but cared little for them. His people had retreated to their mountain homes, climbing high into alpine environments to wait out the undead. As a new god in their minor Pantheon, he bore little responsibilities. He spent most of his days walking around his realm and enjoying the cold. Several hours of discussion later, and Benton was ready to leave.


    ¡°Feel free to stop by. When I¡¯m here,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I will. Few of our neighbors are this friendly. None have offered me tea, although a few tossed spears,¡± Benton said, chuckling yet again. A flash of icy-blue light, and the Toora was gone, leaving Theo alone with his thoughts once again.


    Back to the edge of the island, peering down to his Tara¡¯hek. The figures had moved. Tresk was shaking her fist at the sky, likely annoyed that Theo had left her to deal with the meeting. The alchemist saw Alex, the third member of the Tara¡¯hek, honking excitedly on the wooden table.


    With his thoughts in order, it was time to return. Focusing on his [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability, the alchemist invoked [Approach] on Tresk. The clouds below swirled to swallow him. A flash of a darkened Bridge, and his bare feet graced the wooden floor. The shouts of anger began immediately, and continued even after he assumed his position at the head of the table.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Alise, Gwyn, Luras, Aarok, Azrug, Tresk, and Alex were assembled in the room. Alise and Gwyn handled most administrative duties within the town, but Theo considered Luras and Aarok to be more important in this matter. Perhaps that wasn¡¯t giving the administration staff enough credit, but a mind for war seemed more useful in these trying times.


    ¡°You cannot just vanish in the middle of a meeting,¡± Alise said. She seemed angry.


    ¡°He was gone for a minute,¡± Aarok said, waving the administrator away. ¡°If I could vanish for a moment to collect my thoughts, I would.¡±


    Theo picked up the [Kingdom Core] left behind by Khahar and ran his fingers over the surface as his friends argued. This was a heavy weight to shoulder, but it was the perfect solution. Something his old friend foresaw.


    ¡°I¡¯m the mayor,¡± Theo said, cutting through the din. ¡°I won¡¯t be one for long, though. Will I?¡±


    ¡°Archduke Theo Spencer,¡± Tresk said, chuckling.


    ¡°Do we agree?¡± Theo asked. ¡°The [Free City Alliance] option is the best one. Right? With the titles being Duke, Duchess, Archduke, Archduchess.¡±


    ¡°Does that even make sense?¡± Gwyn asked. ¡°Surely we¡¯d need to be a Dukedom to have those titles.¡±


    Theo squeezed the orb of metal in his hand, summoning the screen he¡¯d seen earlier that day.


    [Broken Tusk] is unconnected with another [Kingdom Core]. As the leader, you¡¯re eligible to upgrade your town to one of the following civilization types:


    Kingdom


    Empire (requirements not met)


    Duchy


    Free City Alliance


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    There were only a few options that interested him. Each came with unique structures for organizing towns and cities, but few interested him. Even fewer still interested his support staff. The empire seemed fun, but they didn¡¯t have enough connected towns and cities to make that happen. Theo drilled down on the other options for inspection.


    [Kingdom]


    Civilization Type


    Description:


    Kingdoms are notable for a single leader who makes all the decisions. Whatever town is designated as the seat of the kingdom will pull all other towns and cities under their control.


    Effects:


    Every connected town is required to pay monthly taxes to the owner of the kingdom.


    Increased experience gain for all combat-related skills for every citizen under the king¡¯s banner.


    Decreased experience for all non-combat related skills for every citizen under the king¡¯s banner.


    [Duchy]


    Civilization Type


    Description:


    Duchies are subordinate states under another civilization-type (often a kingdom or an empire). While the ruler of the duchy answers to whatever nation they are subordinate to, they may operate with more autonomy than towns or cities under that nation.


    Effects:


    Reduces taxes owed to owning nation. Rate determined by level of your [Kingdom Core].


    Increased experience to combat-related support skills for every citizen within the duchy.


    [Free City Alliance]


    Civilization Type


    Description:


    Free City Alliances are civilizations that consist of nation-states that share power. The town or city where the [Kingdom Core] is planted determines which town or city gains majority rights. That town or city will be declared the nation¡¯s capital, serving as a hub for the other towns or cities. Other towns or cities within the sphere of influence of the capital will gain all the bonuses from the capital, but it¡¯s up to the leader to determine policies.


    Effects:


    Minor increase to all experience gained to all citizens.


    Speed of travel on roads between nation-states is increased.


    Of the options [Free City Alliance] was the best. Not because it provided the best bonuses, that might go to the [Duchy]. The thing that made the alliance appealing might have been only in name. It would allow at least some autonomy for Rivers and Gronro, not binding them as vassals to Broken Tusk. But there was the hidden problem with raising up towns under his command. They¡¯d likely be reluctant to fall under his yoke, damaging their already strange relationship.


    As for the titles, those were random. Theo was given an endless list of titles from king to despot. The selection he fell in love with was those for the [Duchy] option, and the system didn¡¯t care if he mixed and matched. There was a certain ring to Archduke Theo Spencer that he couldn¡¯t deny.


    ¡°We can pick whatever titles we want. But I like the duke ones.¡±


    Alise cleared her throat. ¡°My vote is for the [Free City Alliance]. I suppose I don¡¯t care what the titles are.¡±


    ¡°The alliance gives us flexibility,¡± Aarok said. ¡°It¡¯s the loosest one in the list, allowing us to nudge our allies into a position we like.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Instead of putting a knife to their throats, we¡¯re just waving it around,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming we can level the [Kingdom Core]. Just like we level the town,¡± Theo said. His mind wandered for a moment. Thinking about the other thing in Khahar¡¯s box. An object for another time. Everyone at the meeting was eager to solve this problem now.


    Their conversation went on into the late afternoon. Theo¡¯s stomach was rumbling by the time they¡¯d all agreed to pick the [Free City Alliance] option. He was going to pick it anyway, unless someone had a good argument against it. The alchemist¡¯s mind was on Gronro to the north. Without his [Hallow Ground] potion shipments, they would have already fallen. A fact that wasn¡¯t lost on their leader, Grotgrog Stormfist. As stubborn as dwarves were, Theo had only received a short message through his communication crystal. But a ¡®thank you¡¯ was all he needed.


    The administration team asked for Theo to hold off on planting the new core for a day, and he agreed. Just having it in his inventory brought some peace of mind, and he was hesitant to plant it. That brought on a new range of responsibilities he needed to prepare for. The silver lining in all of it was that they already had an informal alliance with both towns in the Southlands. Planting the new core just made it all real.


    Xam¡¯s tavern was more packed than ever. If she hadn¡¯t designated a booth for the future archduke, it would have been impossible to get a table. She was serving some variation on her now-famous Zee noodles with cheese sauce and tall mugs of Rivers mead. The alchemist declined the alcohol and picked at his meal, watching as Tresk fed individual noodles to Alex. The goose had gained the ability to move about on her own, although she was still only slightly bigger than the alchemist¡¯s head.


    ¡°Gotta make you big and strong, Alex,¡± Tresk said, opening her mouth as she angled the noodle into the creature¡¯s bill.


    ¡°Can we say that my break is over?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Just needed a day, didn¡¯t you? All rattled up from the attack.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t rattled.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little.¡±


    Theo let out a slow breath. ¡°Perhaps a little.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t affected him at all. Something about falling into the realm of the Bridge of Shadows, and then his own personal realm scrubbed his mind clean. The attack from the Zagmon dronon was rapid and precise. A gambit aimed at killing the alchemist. And it would have worked if not for the skill evolution. That twist of fate.


    If not for the privacy of the booth, Theo would have had to field questions about the destruction of the chain between Broken Tusk and Qavell. That didn¡¯t stop people from poking their heads over the side and asking if everything would be alright. Word normally traveled fast in the growing town, but it was worse since everyone saw the system message. All he could say was he had a solution to the problem. Keep calm and keep working.


    With half a plate of Zee pasta eaten, Theo led his group of companions out of the inn and toward the bathhouse. The buffs it provided were fine, but the relaxation the mineral water brought was the real winner. There were long lines for the public baths, but the group made their way to the one reserved for the mayor. The alchemist washed himself under a spigot as Tresk dove into the hot pool of water. She swam to the edge and beckoned the growing gosling inside, giggling as the creature chirped with excitement.


    A slow breath and Theo lowered himself into the hot pool, rolling his shoulders and closing his eyes. Nothing worked stress out of his body like that calming pool of hot water.


    ¡°I wonder what Khahar is up to,¡± Tresk said, emerging from the pool to spit water onto Alex. The gosling chirped angrily and chased her around.


    ¡°If he¡¯s the man I remember¡­ He¡¯s choking the life out of Zagmon,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk shrieked, swimming away from Alex. ¡°Think so?¡±


    ¡°I hope,¡± Theo said. He continued, telling Tresk about the Toora god Benton. She was as surprised as him that another god could cross into their realm.


    ¡°We have neighbors. That¡¯s a good thing, right?¡± Tresk asked, allowing Alex to nip at her face as she fell into thought. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s going to be a problem. Being near the gods. We¡¯re not gods, Theo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even level 20.¡±


    ¡°Makes it stranger, right?¡± she asked. ¡°Wish we had more information on the Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    Theo chuckled. ¡°Any information on that would be nice. But here we are. Working our way through it as always.¡±


    ¡°With a few less allies.¡±


    ¡°And more enemies? I¡¯m not sure about that one. The only people I¡¯m worried about are stuck on the moon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That sucks too.¡±


    The pair spent enough time in the bath to prune their fingers. Tresk¡¯s amphibian-like skin didn¡¯t prune up as well as Theo¡¯s, so they used him as the indicator. Heading back to the Newt and Demon, the alchemist paused to stare at the sky. There was a moon that shifted colors the way Earth¡¯s moon changed phases. And another dark moon that wasn¡¯t visible. He thought he spotted the edge of something, like a great scythe in the sky. But it only lasted a moment before a bank of clouds came to obscure the sight.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Tresk said, dragging him along. ¡°We¡¯ve got experience to grind.¡±

 4.2 - Archduke Theo Spencer

    Ghostly ships pulled into the harbor at the Dreamwalk¡¯s version of Broken Tusk. Theo sat on the harbor¡¯s wall, watching as they came and went at his command. Spectral sails caught an imaginary wind, sending ripples across the water and pushing the gosling along. While this was a place for grinding experience, it also served as a point of quiet reflection. Tresk never saw it that way. Off battling with imaginary clones of the Zagmon assassins, she found herself at home amid combat.


    ¡°Just fighting through it, I suppose,¡± Theo said.


    Alex chirped in response.


    Theories about the Dreamwalk and Tero¡¯gal were tossed between the pair and Xol¡¯sa regularly. While the Elf was busy training up his new core, he begged Theo to bring him along to the infant realm. That was a literal Bridge the mortal couldn¡¯t take. Not without invoking a Tara¡¯hek of his own. Even then, Theo suspected a new realm would have been generated. Under the right circumstances. Things crafted for eons by people of immense power. A question lingered in the air. The same question that plagued the alchemist from the moment he arrived in town.


    To what end?


    But it wouldn¡¯t do any good to sulk. Four phantom stills appeared from nowhere, along with beds of growing plants. Theo got to work on the same recipes he¡¯d done before, whittling away the time he had in the realm and inspecting his attributes.


    Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 19


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 4


    Stats:


    Health: 105


    Mana: 160


    Stamina: 115


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 16 (+8)


    Vigor: 20 (+8)


    Intelligence: 23 (+9)


    Wisdom: 27 (+7)


    Points: 0


    His current build was truly diverse. The more time he spent looking over the book given to him by the god, the more he realized the importance of the [Wisdom] attribute. It did other things, he was sure about that, but the primary function seemed to be memory. How powerful his will was derived from that attribute, but documentation on the subject seemed scarce. What scholarly cults still existed on the continent seemed unwilling to share what they knew.


    Looking forward to his build, Theo knew the most important thing was to find a selection of skills once he hit level 20 in all cores. Leveling was simple enough to understand, once a person got a few levels and paid attention. Attribute points were given at every personal level. Free skill points, points that could be spent on any skill, were given on multiples of five in the personal level. That was a function created by the system to allow a person to catch up with new cores. Core slots appeared on multiples of 10.


    Cores gained a domain-specific skill every multiple of 10, often starting with at least one skill inside if the user got them naturally. Shoving a new core in your chest resulted in no free skills. Hitting level 20 meant that Theo would have a free-domain skill to pick, and he¡¯d likely use it for his new mage core. Then he needed to select a skill from the endless list for his [Drogramath Alchemy Core], [Drogramath Herbalism Core], and his [Governance Core]. All of them were close enough to hitting the next domain. He was certain he knew the concepts to break through that barrier.


    Some cores presented challenges every 10 levels. Things that a person needed to understand about their cores to advance. These were the training wheels of the system, ensuring that no one would get too powerful without understanding how not to blow themselves up. The alchemist doubted the practicality of that, owed to the rumors he¡¯d heard. Those who advanced beyond level 30 often found themselves dead. How much of that was due to other people was beyond him.


    The [Drogramath Alchemy Core] would get the [Reagent Deconstruction] skill. Theo inspected that one as he worked the stills.


    [Reagent Deconstruction]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Understanding the composition of reagents leads to their deconstruction.


    Effect:


    Increases the user¡¯s ability to deconstruct reagents.


    +1 Intelligence


    Requires: Level 15 [Drogramath Herbalism] and Level 15 [Drogramath Alchemy] cores.


    This would give him a massive advantage. Understanding reagents was a crucial skill for any alchemist, but this was something that went beyond that. A step into a greater world of alchemy. A new domain. But he hadn¡¯t selected a skill for his herbalism core yet. There were attractive options, but Theo planned on holding off until he understood the deconstruction skill.


    The [Governance Core] was another matter entirely. Some options were locked behind invisible requirements. In the skills menu, they appeared as darkened boxes that revealed nothing of their contents. Neither the requirements nor the skill itself. His hope was for something that helped him rule over multiple towns.


    Near the end of the night, with Theo¡¯s cores pushing close to level 20, Tresk dragged the alchemist over to the road where they¡¯d almost died. She ran through scenarios in which they could have won, but the margins were slim. Worse was the fact that they could only have won, according to the simulation, if the alchemist dropped his improvised explosive on everyone. The result was death for all gathered.


    ¡°I think we got lucky with that one,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Talk about a no-win scenario.¡±


    There was another way they could have won, but Theo didn¡¯t want to mention it. Tresk hadn¡¯t trained her newest core up very high, resulting in a weak core that couldn¡¯t keep up with such a gap in power. Her new [Parantheir Duelist¡¯s Core] had a skill to isolate enemies.


    ¡°No use worrying about it,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m hopeful about my new core. Perhaps some defensive options.¡±


    ¡°How would you know?¡± Tresk asked giggling. ¡°You decided to take a core for a lady called the Queen of Mystery. It could just summon turtles for all you know.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa had created a guide for what he thought Toru¡¯aun stood for. His unique ability to control planar magic gave him some insight on that, but it was his magical education that gave him the edge. He suspected she was a god that favored warding magic. Reactive magic that was based on complex triggers. How those wards manifested was a mystery, but if the alchemist knew Dronon gods it would have to do with writing a poem and hoping for the best.


    For the rest of the Dreamwalk, Theo and Tresk played with Alex and created theories about the new core. The alchemist did it to avoid thinking about the task that lay before him. Upgrading the town into a kingdom was daunting. Even though it was something he wanted for a while now, the added responsibility was crushing. What was the point of building a decent administration staff if he didn¡¯t intend to use them? He already assigned them lord and lady titles. Those seemed more like decorations than anything, but drove them women forward to work harder.


    When the Dreamwalk finally ended, Theo remained in bed for some time. Tresk dragged him out, sensing the trepidation and flashing her ever-present devious grin. Out into the streets of Broken Tusk where citizens gathered around the dark monolith. They spotted him and the low drone of conversation descended into hushed whispers. Parting to either side, the group formed a path to the monolith. To the center of town and the heart of Broken Tusk.


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t really have a speech prepared. We just got lucky.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    A few voices shouted over the crowd. Approving words praising the forming alliance. Theo jammed his [Kingdom Core] awkwardly into the monolith and prepared for the system¡¯s message to pop up.


    As expected, there were a bunch of civilization types to pick from. He selected the [Free City Alliance], then used the interface to enter the remaining information. After typing the titles in mentally, he was presented with a wide-area map. Selecting the only two towns in range, Rivers and Daub, and Gronro-dir, he pressed the button labeled ¡®complete¡¯. A rush of power flooded through the town, radiating outward in a circle. The ground shook for a moment, but no visible changes were made to the town. Another message popped into his sight.


    Congratulations [Archduke Theo Spencer]!


    You are the founder and leader of the [Southlands Alliance].


    [Alran Cherman] in [Rivers and Daub] has been granted the title of [Duke].


    [Grotgrog Stormfist] in [Gronro-Dir] has been granted the title of [Duke].


    Every town or city within the sphere of influence will now draw power to maintain themselves from this [Kingdom Core].


    Please consult with your kingdom interface for more options and statistics about your nation.


    ¡°And just like that, we¡¯re traitors!¡± Tresk said, cheering.


    That sent a ripple of cheers through the crowd. Independence was a thing longed for in Broken Tusk. A thing the citizens wanted far longer than the alchemist had been their mayor. But these strange circumstances had made that dream a reality. Something that wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the intervention of Khahar. When he went to inspect the monolith, he was now given two options. He could inspect the town itself, or the alliance.


    [Small Free City Alliance]


    Name: Southlands Alliance


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Level: 1


    Core Towns:


    Broken Tusk (Capital)


    Rivers and Daub


    Gronro-Dir


    Current Energy:


    50%


    Upgrades:


    None


    Just like that, the Southlands were no longer allied with Qavell. They were independent, whatever that meant. Theo noticed the energy level of the town, and wondered how they¡¯d replenish that. It was just another thing in town that ate money, which meant they needed to make more money. Out of reflex, the alchemist pulled his communication crystal from his inventory and squeezed it. As the crowds cheered around him, he felt disappointment flood through him. There was no answer.


    ¡°I hope Fenian is alright,¡± Theo said, jostled by the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Mister Archduke.¡±


    Working their way through the crowd, Theo, Tresk, and Alex shoved into Xam¡¯s tavern. Assuming their normal seat in the private booth, they waited for last nights¡¯ leftovers to be served. While they waited, they enjoyed the delicious tea prepared by the cook. It was far better than anything Theo could make himself, despite having skills related directly to distilling things. Cooking and alchemy were just too different.


    Aarok and Alise shoved their way into the booth before the food even came. The Half-Ogre had an excited look on his face, while the Human administrator seemed reserved.


    ¡°So, we did it?¡± Aarok asked.


    Theo wanted to be modest about what just happened, but he couldn¡¯t hide the smile on his face. ¡°We did it. Independence.¡±


    ¡°Now we get to ruin your breakfast,¡± Alise said, offering a sheepish smile. ¡°The alliance is formally a thing. Yay! Now we need to work on bolstering Gronro.¡±


    Gronro-Dir was at the forefront of the undead defense. What reports Theo had read painted the situation as grim. There was now no travel between Qavell and the southlands possible. They didn¡¯t know if the undead were limitless, but it seemed that way. The only saving grace was the defensibility of the Dwarven town. Another name for the town was Murder Passage. A single approach from the north led up a narrow stone pass. On either side were steep drops, allowing the defenders to toss potions from the comfort of the walls. Their current strategy was to keep the narrow pass covered in [Hallow Ground] potion, keeping the skeletal army at bay.


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Theo asked.


    Aarok chuckled. ¡°Oh, I want you to take a guess. He¡¯s slimy. He¡¯s grumpy. A genius with artifices.¡±


    ¡°Throk has something?¡± Theo asked. The man was always a genius with building stuff.


    ¡°We have a winner,¡± Alise said. She withdrew sheets of paper from her satchel and laid them on the table. Just as food arrived.


    Theo thanked the server, watching as Tresk gobbled her food up, before picking at his own. Each design seemed interesting, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t understand what he was looking at. One seemed like a catapult and the other a water cannon. The inner-workings were absurdly detailed, but he got the idea.


    ¡°The sprayer thing might be a problem,¡± Theo said, jabbing his finger onto the first design. ¡°The catapult would work, but what¡¯s the point? Just toss the potion.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue with the sprayer?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°Potions want to be used as whole-unit mixtures. Although, now that I think about it¡­¡±


    Theo fell into thought, leaving everyone at the table hanging. Potions reacted in a standard way. Well, most of them did. There was the essence element, which held the properties, the catalyst which created the reaction, and the base. Enchanted water was the typical base, although regular purified water could be used. A reaction could take place in exact units¡ªthe amount of units needed for the final product¡ªor in mass quantities. Technically, he could perform a mass reaction of [Hallow Ground Potions] in a large container, then attach that to the sprayer.


    The issue was, Theo had never tried doing that before. Every time he made a potion, he portioned it out after a mass reaction. Potions that failed to react would create an inert potion, which was useless. But a sprayer mechanism seemed genius. He imagined adventurers running around with large tanks on their backs, spraying a fine mist of [Hallow Ground] like the flamethrowers of Earth.


    ¡°It might work,¡± Theo said, concluding his thoughts. ¡°I need some time to work on this, though. Alise, can you field all the questions that are going to come in. From the other members of the Free City Alliance?¡±


    Alise withdrew two communication crystals from her bag and smiled. ¡°They¡¯re already calling. Once you¡¯re done here, you need to head to the harbor. Azrug and Gwyn are talking with the Khahari traders. They want your approval.¡±


    Alise excused herself from the table, leaving Aarok to stifle a laugh. Theo ran his hand through his hair, tracing the swoop of his horns. A few eager flicks of his tail and he was over it. Having the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability meant that he could retreat and relax any time he wanted. His own personal little break area.


    ¡°What¡¯s your take on everything?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m loving it,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Been looking forward to this day for a long time.¡±


    ¡°We all have,¡± Tresk said, dangling a noodle for Alex to swallow.


    ¡°What fuel does the [Kingdom Core] take?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Aarok said. ¡°I do not know.¡±


    Theo accepted the response and busied himself with his meal. Picking through to find chunks of the cheese, he sipped on his tea as the conversation shifted. Aarok and Tresk shared stories about the old days. From when they were kids and the town was little more than a collection of shacks. The Marshling made fun of him for trying to join the Qavelli army, and he made fun of her for trying to be an adventurer.


    ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m the number one adventurer in town,¡± Tresk said, puffing out her chest. ¡°Chief stabber. Hey! Why don¡¯t I have a lady title?¡±


    ¡°Do you want a title?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. Just seems like you would have given me one by now,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Well, you should check out the dungeons, Tresk,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Xol¡¯sa has been experimenting on the [River Dungeon]. He¡¯s got some interesting results.¡±


    ¡°Welp. Guess that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing today. Your turn to watch the kid, Theo,¡± Tresk said, vanishing from the spot.


    Theo set his bag on the ground, clicking his tongue until the gosling jumped inside. He sat there awkwardly for a few moments before he realized Aarok wanted to accompany him to the harbor. Rising from the table he let out a breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s within the walls,¡± Theo said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to babysit me.¡±


    Aarok shrugged. ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still going to follow me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Tresk?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Theo departed from the tavern and made his way east, towards the harbor. He stopped by the ranch and tried to force himself to love the Pozwa and Karatan. It didn¡¯t work. Even as they came over with chitters and bleat-like crows, he wasn¡¯t sold. Both creatures were horrible and he wouldn¡¯t care for them himself. Looking down at Alex in his bag, he realized how much he missed Earth creatures. What few were left when he was there, anyway. But there were still images of them he could have viewed. Genetic replicas stored away.


    The harbor was coming along. The single boat that rested in her massive embrace was manned by a few Khahari. Most imposing among them was the cat-person standing on shore, talking heatedly with Azrug and Gwyn. Theo took his time approaching, keeping his eyes on his new shipwright for a while.


    Laedria Wavecrest reminded Theo more of a Marshling or Half-Ogre than an Elf. She was hard to work with, only getting to it once she was taunted. But her work spoke for itself. Between her and the new Starbristle industry, she had created a mostly finished boat. It was small, about a quarter the size of the Khahari vessel with a single mast. But the blue fiber used to weave [Starbristle Cloth] was beautiful. It floated in the harbor now, although the Elf¡¯s team still worked on it. Leaks seemed common with her version of the pitch, but this was the first one. It was a big deal.


    ¡°Fancy archduke title over here,¡± Azrug said, jabbing a finger at Theo. ¡°Could¡¯ve just called yourself Theo Spencer, Master of the Universe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too long,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°But you have to admit the absurdity of it,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°Been a mayor for a season. Now you¡¯re running an alliance of towns.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re small towns,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°System says we¡¯re a massive town,¡± Azrug said.


    Theo took a moment to study the young Half-Ogre. He could say the same thing about Azrug. Going from not having cores to functioning as their chief merchant in a season. But civilizations weren¡¯t built in this world over eons. Certainly Qavell had enough hardship gaining a foothold on the continent, but with magic there was nothing to stop the alchemist from expanding as quickly as he¡¯d like. Including the trade deal with the Khahari.


    ¡°So, shall we talk terms?¡± Theo asked, turning to regard the trader.

 4.3 - The Cork

    The Khahari trader seemed like a nice man. He bore mottled desert-patterned fur. Sand-colored patches mingled with dark brown spots, revealed by his mostly-bare torso. When Theo reached to shake his hand, the grip was firm and assuring.


    ¡°Call me Zol,¡± he¡¯d said, struggling with the local tongue.


    ¡°We can do business in the sacred tongue,¡± Theo said, speaking in Russian and leading the man toward some shade. It was getting dreadfully hot today already. A taste of the bitter heat to come.


    Khahar was a prankster in everything. Boisterous and unerring in his ways. According to the man, when he was transmigrated to this planet he taught his people Russian. As a joke. He convinced them it was the sacred language of their heavens, and kept the joke going for 60,000 years. That was dedication the alchemist could admire.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware anyone spoke it outside of the Khahari Desert,¡± Zol said with a nod. ¡°You were truly a friend of my master.¡±


    Theo found a crate to sit on, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. ¡°Will the Khahari remain in the desert? What are you guys going to do without a master?¡±


    Azrug cleared his throat, then spoke in the Qavelli tongue. ¡°We¡¯re over here if you need us.¡±


    Zol shot a look at the Half-Ogre, then his gaze dragged back to Theo. ¡°They don¡¯t speak the heavenly tongue? Good. My lord¡¯s plans are not for others to understand. We don¡¯t understand them¡ªwe don¡¯t question them. From his seat of power in heaven, he¡¯ll give us commands. Now, trade.¡±


    Fair enough. The entire race of cat-people worshiped Khahar like a god. He was a god now, but even before that they considered him a deity. Theo shifted the conversation to trade, but it was difficult. Zol¡¯s Qavelli was bad enough that when Theo had a question for Azrug, there was a brief back-and-forth. But the hour-long discussion bore fruit. Stone was in abundance in the Khahari homeland, but they lacked timber. That wasn¡¯t a surprise. The entire continent was a desert.


    Gwyn and Azrug offered some tentative numbers, negotiating a high price for the wood. But there was a concession in their deal. The Khahari weren¡¯t just valuable for their buying power. They had access to the other continents of the world. Existing trade networks that spanned beyond what Theo knew about. While he understood the existence of places like Slagrot, Partopour, and Bantein, he only knew of them by name. Zol had contacts in each of them. Trade empires willing to crack open the fruit of a newly founded nation.


    Zol withdrew a bottle of yellow liquid from nowhere, joined by 4 glasses. He poured out a mouthful in each one and passed it out. ¡°To seal the deal.¡±


    Theo let the liquor burn all the way down into his stomach, but another quirk of Yuri¡¯s humor shined through. It was a poor attempt at replicating Vodka. While he enjoyed the gesture, the alchemist drew up a proper magical contract to write the deal in stone. It wasn¡¯t much to start, but the gesture meant more than the flow of coins.


    ¡°Advice for you, Archduke,¡± Zol said before departing.


    ¡°Please,¡± Theo said, gesturing for the Khahari trader to continue.


    ¡°You are a friend of the Khahari, because you¡¯re a friend of our god. Others won¡¯t see you as such. When they approach your port¡­ Double your patrols.¡±


    Theo clapped his hand over the man¡¯s fury shoulder. ¡°I appreciate the advice. I¡¯ll let my captain know.¡±


    ¡°That said, I would like to tour your town,¡± Zol said. ¡°See what he saw.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re our guest,¡± Theo said in Qavelli, gesturing for Gwyn to come over. ¡°This is one of my advisors. My administrator, Lady Gwyn. She doesn¡¯t have the time to be your personal guide, but she¡¯ll give you a brief tour.¡±


    ¡°Anything for the Archduke of Broken Tusk,¡± Gwyn said, stifling a laugh.


    Theo departed without seeing them off, making his way to head back into town. Only to be stopped by Laedria Wavecrest. He suppressed a groan, his eyes lingering on her boat bobbing in the harbor. While he wanted to get working on the [Hallow Ground] shooter, boats were more important. They were the most important thing in town, there was no denying that.


    ¡°How is it going?¡± Theo asked, letting the annoyance fade from his mind in an instant.


    ¡°How is it going?¡± Laedria scoffed. She gestured at the boat. ¡°Going pretty damn good! First boat. What do you think? Wanna name it? I bet you wanna name it.¡±


    ¡°The Cork,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Cork? Oh! Cause it¡¯s small and bobbing in the ocean, right? Hah-hah,¡± Laedria said. ¡°Seriously, do you like it?¡±


    Theo approached the harbor¡¯s edge, looking out over the first boat built in Broken Tusk. This was a massive achievement, even if it was tiny. ¡°What style of vessel is this?¡±


    ¡°Fishers,¡± Laedria said. Her crew hovered nearby, as though they expected high praise from the alchemist. ¡°We make Fishers, Traders, and Spears.¡±


    ¡°Light, medium, heavy,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°I understand. What kind of pay are you and your team expecting?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Laedria said. She shifted in place, shuffling her feet along the stone ground. ¡°I¡¯m kinda crap at this part.¡±


    That sucked. Theo was bad at it as well.


    ¡°We¡¯ll work something out,¡± Theo said. ¡°Currently, we don¡¯t have much trade to talk about. And you¡¯re not participating in the trade, yet. How much did you make for crafting a boat like this back home?¡±


    Laedria shrugged. ¡°Couple gold?¡±


    Theo scratched his chin, tapping his foot as he thought. What kind of business was this? He didn¡¯t need fishing boats, so why would he commission more fishing boats? The Cork was a proof of concept, nothing more. He withdrew 25 silver from his inventory and handed it over, gaining a confused look.


    ¡°I said a couple gold,¡± Laedria said.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t need a fishing boat,¡± Theo said. ¡°I want you to make this work as a business. Find the fisherman in town, and sell the Cork to them. Build me a Trader-style boat, and I''ll pay you in full. How large are they?¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re more than four times the size of this little guy. Twin-masted and high-running in the water. Big hold for a lot of stuff,¡± Laedria said.


    ¡°And how much did you earn for those?¡±


    ¡°10 gold under contract. That is to say, we had employment under House Wavecrest, so the rates were lower than if we were freelance,¡± Laedria said.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have your 10 gold,¡± Theo said, producing 5 from his inventory and handing it over. ¡°Under the assumption that you and your people will serve not only as my shipwrights, but trainers.¡±


    ¡°For sailors?¡± Laedria asked. ¡°Get some [Sailor¡¯s Cores] and we¡¯re in business. Anyway, you have a deal.¡±


    Theo drew up a simple contract for the deal. He set no time limits for the shipwright to produce a ship, only that he¡¯d pay a flat rate. The alchemist didn¡¯t neglect to detail the part about him giving her 5 gold upfront for the construction of a new boat, promising to deliver the other 5 on completion. It was a petty sum for something so important, but that was only the start of the cost.


    Laedria was happy and signed the contract, leaving the alchemist to depart from the harbor. He headed up the slow incline, back toward the town proper, and thought about the additional costs. Cores for the sailors, payment for the farmers working his fields, and the seamstress working his cloth. Then enchantments for the boats, some way to attack [Dimensional Storage Crates], and so on. 10 gold was the least of his investment into this project, and it needed to produce results soon. But those were worries for another day. He just hoped his typical incentive of payment would push the shipwright to new heights.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The next problem Theo needed to solve was one he didn¡¯t know all the conditions of. He saw enough from Throk¡¯s designs of the potion-spewer to know the challenges, so he headed off for the lab. Alex chirped when they entered, begging him to let her out to greet their shopkeeper, Salire.


    ¡°Awww, you missed Auntie Salire?¡± the Half-Ogre woman asked. ¡°I missed you too, little feathered thing.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Slow,¡± Salire said with a vague shrug.


    Theo offered an equally apathetic shrug.


    ¡°You have a few orders, if you wanted to tackle those,¡± she said, scratching Alex behind the left wing. ¡°A scatter of copper coins to insult your illustrious title, Archduke.¡±


    ¡°So, how long do I have to suffer these jokes?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Until you build a prison. And throw us all in for making them.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Spacing out for a moment, Theo connected his willpower to the lodestone network outside. He sensed his golems working hard on the tasks he¡¯d given them. The [Lesser Plant Golems] were doing well in the greenhouses, making sure his stock never ran dry. There was something in the network about the [Lesser Metal Golems] fighting something, but that was standard for the mine. There were often low-level monsters spawning there, even if they were the weird tentacled dogs. But the crates upstairs were filled with enough [Hallow Ground Essence] and [Swamp Truffles] to work for today¡¯s experiments.


    Leaving Alex downstairs, Theo began his experimentation by brewing a large batch of [Hallow Ground Potion]. He made a small offering at his shrine to Lord Drogramath before considering the best approach. The massive flask on the table held enough potion to create 50 individual [Hallow Ground Potions], so his next step made sense. Stuffing the flask in his inventory, he left the lab and found his way to an empty field to the west. He passed by his seamstress'' house, locating a decently vacant area. Alex stayed behind with Salire, too busy enjoying the scratches.


    Adding 50 units of the [Refined Aerosolize] modifier to the mix, and watching the subsequent bubbling reaction, Theo prepared to experiment. First, he scooped a single unit of the potion from the mix into a flat-bottomed vial and tossed it on the ground. Nothing happened. He inspected the massive flask to ensure the main potion was still stable, despite being at an odd measure.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Refined Aerosolize]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Shatter to create a cloud of denial.


    Effect:


    Throwing this potion creates a fifty pace circle around the point of impact with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the cloud, but will be banished when they do so.


    It was perfectly fine, unlike that bit of silvery liquid on the ground. Theo went over, knelt down and watched it turn a foul shade of brown. With his mental command, he inspected the liquid.


    [Inert Potion]


    [Junk]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    This potion has been measured incorrectly. It is now useless.


    As expected, when the potion was separated from the base in an odd number, it was turned to junk. He returned to the large flask and scooped out the correct amount of potion and splashed that on the ground. The system was happy enough with that delivery method, creating a massive cloud of silvery-white that hovered just above the air in a circle. According to the description of the potion, it was fifty paces in a circle. Any undead that crossed the line would be banished, whatever that meant.


    The testing was clear, and Theo returned the large flask to his inventory. When Throk created his device to shoot the liquid, it needed to dispense an exact amount. The advantage was that it didn¡¯t need to hold individual potions. The thing could have an alchemically inert tank that dispensed the liquid. A 100 unit capacity tank could shoot 50 times, as each potion took 2 units of the liquid. That might not be practical, but it was something that a [Dimensional Storage Crate] might help.


    Theo headed over to Throk¡¯s place and found the blacksmith¡¯s shop devoid of the Marshling. Instead, he found the apprentice Thim. Thimamuri Ironmoore was a strange Dwarf. Not in appearance, though. He had a bushy beard and a bad attitude, squatter than the Humans of this world by several heads. The brusque Dwarf gave him a nod and a grin.


    ¡°You¡¯ve driven the Blacksmith from his workshop,¡± Thim said. ¡°That¡¯s a crime worth punishment under Borhig.¡±


    ¡°Borhig has no power here.¡±


    ¡°Calm your ass, Demon,¡± Thim said, waving him away. ¡°The Marshling is in his workshop. The artificer one.¡±


    Theo rolled his shoulders. He didn¡¯t realize that other gods were a sensitive point for himself, but there it was. It didn¡¯t help that he knew little about Borhig, Dwarven God of Blacksmiths. ¡°How are you settling in?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well enough. Throk gave me a thrashing when he figured out I wasn¡¯t actually an apprentice. But we¡¯re on good terms now. I fill in for him here when he¡¯s too busy. Hey, thanks for asking. Mister Archduke.¡±


    Theo shot him a glare and then walked away, not breaking eye contact. After disappearing behind the workshop, the alchemist reappeared to glare a little more. Just to send the point home. The Dwarf laughed and then he was off again. Throk¡¯s artificer workshop was right around the corner, and the sound of creative Bantari cursing from within revealed that the man was inside. Three sharp knocks and another series of curses.


    ¡°Come in, you idiot!¡±


    Theo let himself inside, finding Throk laboring over something that looked vaguely like the drawings he¡¯d seen.


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Make an Archduke joke. I dare you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Big old stupid Archduke. I was getting there,¡± Throk said, slapping his hand on his newest artifice.


    Theo spotted the barrel. It was the design that would work best. So the Marshling had gone ahead and worked on that concept. Good. ¡°Alright. I did a simple test, and this design is going to work best for shooting the potion.¡±


    ¡°It was my favorite design. Look here¡­ Yeah, right behind the tank. It¡¯s just a simple pump like the ones I used for the water. Only high-capacity.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, leaning in. Delivering bad news to Throk was an art. The alchemist hadn¡¯t mastered that art, but he was trying. He stalled for a moment, pointing at various things he didn¡¯t understand before he gave up. ¡°You¡¯ll have to change the design.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The potion needs to come out in exactly 2-unit bursts,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how the potion works,¡± Theo said. ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe you should. Archduke over here can¡¯t even make the rules.¡±


    Theo let out a dramatic sigh. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not up to the job. I¡¯m going to need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I get it. Sorry for giving you a hard time about the title,¡± Throk said, grumbling. ¡°What do I need to do again?¡±


    Theo explained the problem in detail, but the genius mind of the artificer had a solution. Instead of just drawing from a tank and spitting it out the front, he could attach a 2-unit tank near the barrel. Once it was loaded, he could apply pressure with his artifice magic and then release the potion all at once.


    ¡°Does it matter if it comes out as a wild spray?¡± Throk asked.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°This requires more testing. I¡¯d say work on this design, and then we can test it¡­ Actually, I¡¯ll just leave some potion here for you to test with.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re alright with me just shooting the magic undead-killing potion like that? Isn¡¯t it precious?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I have a cave filled with the truffles,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯d rather have a functional artifice. And¡­ Well, it just seems like too much effort to use anything else.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Throk said, prodding at his artifice.


    Theo measured his expectations for the artifice weapons. There were already system-generated weapons they could mount to the north-facing walls of Gronro-Dir. Those ran on motes, a relatively abundant power supply. The one thing Throk¡¯s idea had going for it was that it could spew whatever potion they wanted. For the [Hallow Ground] potions, that meant dousing the land with something that would instantly kill all undead. Assuming banishment was the same as death.


    The potential for an anti-undead weapon like this was more than just in service of Gronro-Dir. This was the first step forward to something bigger for Theo. When the threat of undeath first arose, ideas had been swirling in his mind. Because if something was undead, it was difficult to kill. That was by definition of the word, but the reports he¡¯d received from Gronro proved that true. It wasn¡¯t enough to just destroy the undead, they needed to be banished. All of them.


    Thus Theo¡¯s idea of dropping potions from the air¡ªhowever that might work¡ªwas born. It had evolved with Throk¡¯s idea, becoming a different plan entirely. Now he had the desire to spew massive quantities of the potion down onto the undead from a safe height. How to get to the safe height was another question, but the alchemist took problems one step at a time. Which led to the next thing that would piss the poor Marshling off.


    ¡°I need some more stills,¡± Theo said. ¡°Drogramathi Iron, if you can swing it.¡±


    Throk gave him a flat look. ¡°Isn¡¯t your lab full enough already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ You know,¡± Theo said, shrugging. He hadn¡¯t planned on lying about this. ¡°Drogramathi Iron is better.¡±


    Throk let out a belabored sigh. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll work with Thim to get you a few. How many do you need?¡±


    ¡°At least 4.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be the death of me.¡±

 4.4 - Level 20

    Theo left Throk¡¯s workshop grinning to himself. The Marshling hadn¡¯t questioned him further on the project, not after gold was exchanged. His request for the new stills was tied to the discovery he made in Tero¡¯gal. While the Dreamwalk wouldn¡¯t allow him to bring in items from the mortal plane, the realm didn¡¯t mind at all. Where the Dreamwalk acted as a mirror to the real world, sheathed in dreams, Tero¡¯gal was its own planet, complete with the standard rules of the system.


    The excessively hot day, and demand from the citizens for more air-conditioner liquid, revealed the value of that pocket realm. So long as his greenhouses and mushroom caves could keep up with demand, he could pop into Tero¡¯gal to craft up potions. Perhaps without the bonuses provided by the alchemy lab, but it was better than nothing. There were many projects that required volume over quality, and Theo decided the best place to craft those would be Tero¡¯gal.


    On his way from the workshop, Theo was intercepted by Alise and Gwyn. They had news to share and dragged him over to the town hall, leading him into a spacious meeting room on the second floor. Cold air blew from a metal box in the room¡¯s corner, cutting through the humidity of the day. The alchemist assumed his position near the window, and waited for news about his allies.


    Alise cleared her throat before speaking, a smile hanging on her face. ¡°As you might imagine, both our allies are excited about the [Kingdom Core] you planted. Gronro requested formal aid. You can view the request in your mayor screen. Well, I guess it¡¯s an Archduke screen, now.¡±


    ¡°They have a day¡¯s worth of your potion,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°So, we¡¯ve sent some adventurers over to bolster their forces. Rivers is already complaining about something.¡±


    Theo tapped his fingers on the table. He knew Rivers was going to be a problem from the start. The way the mirrored Qavell was bad for everyone, leading to a group of corrupt nobles that pushed everyone else down. The alchemist found that sentiment rich. He owned most everything within town and determined the rates without competition. Every dictator must have thought themselves incorruptible.


    ¡°Your call on Rivers,¡± Theo said. ¡°We need to create a formal system for them. Something to make sure they pay their fair share.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more delicate than you can imagine,¡± Alise said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯ve been working on a strategy. Azrug wants to starve them out financially. Not sure I like that idea.¡±


    Theo thought for a moment before responding. The only place anyone could export anything was through Broken Tusk. With the pass to the north cut off, it just wasn¡¯t possible to move goods without going through the port. He could charge Rivers whatever he wanted for use of the port, or buy everything they wanted to export at a low rate then export it himself for a profit. But he had to think about what his idea for the town was. From the start, he wanted Rivers and Daub to work with him.


    Theo sighed. The problem was their trade guild. They were called the Chairs in Qavell, a system Rivers had replicated. A few people controlled all trade within their town, resulting in rampant over-charging and collecting of dues.


    ¡°Rivers needs to dissolve their trade guild,¡± Theo said.


    Gwyn and Alise shared a look then nodded at each other. ¡°Azrug was working with Fenian on that before he left,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°He suggested starving them out. As in, create different rates in the port.¡±


    ¡°Those unaffiliated with the trade guild get our standard export rates. While those with the guild get hit with a massive fee,¡± Alise said, finishing the other Lady Administrator¡¯s thoughts.


    That seemed aggressive, but Theo didn¡¯t have any better ideas. While it was nice to hope that Alran would just do the right thing, that didn¡¯t happen. On those open planes between two powerful towns, Rivers and Daub found themselves in an ideal situation. They could seize the moment and reforge themselves, or get the hammer from the other two. That was all there was to the problem.


    ¡°Tell Azrug I like the plan,¡± Theo said. ¡°Meanwhile, we¡¯re bleeding cash until we can get our trade fleet up.¡±


    ¡°If you think we¡¯re bleeding now,¡± Gwyn said, chuckling nervously. ¡°Grot from Gronro told us how we keep the power of the [Kingdom Core] up.¡±


    ¡°Money?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Go figure. Seems like we could really use that coin mint.¡±


    ¡°And Fenian is in the wind,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Zarali and Xol¡¯sa illuminated us,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°Coins are pressed with power, right? What is the latent power in the air used for? It¡¯s used to generate the monsters in the dungeons, as well as quests. Which in turn generate coins.¡±


    ¡°Meaning the adventurers going into the dungeons are harvesting the processed power by killing monsters,¡± Alise said. ¡°Meaning Aarok is going to help the town out until we get trade going.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate,¡± Theo said, still tapping his fingers on the table. ¡°Any silver or gold from my mine?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a recent report from the mine,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°The juniors were taking care of that. I didn¡¯t see any mention of silver or gold, just an increase in general production,¡± Gwyn said.


    ¡°Well, Gridgen knows I want silver. I¡¯ll trust him to sniff it out. Alright. Good news about everything else. Bad news about money. Gwyn, could you please tell Throk that my stills are high-priority?¡±


    The administrator groaned. ¡°Yeah, yeah. He¡¯s gonna yell at me.¡±


    ¡°He certainly will,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I¡¯m worried about potion production. If I fall behind, Gronro is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Got it, mister Archduke.¡±


    Theo snorted a laugh. ¡°Alright. Come find me if you need something. I¡¯m going to¡­ Well, I better not say.¡±


    The pair stopped him before he left, having a few more administrative things to talk about. It was mostly about the Elves within the town, and how they wanted to formalize a language program for them. Theo was fine with that, seeing as his his weaver Kaya didn¡¯t speak Qavelli. While the alchemist was working on learning the Elf-tongue, it wasn¡¯t going well.


    Finally released from the meeting, Theo headed off for his lab. He found Salire downstairs and chatted for a bit. It was hard to catch up with the woman, but she had several more requests for the day. There was a rush of people coming in during the morning, all looking for weird stuff. The alchemist made his way upstairs after a bit and used his [Glassware Artifice] to generate many vials and flasks for his trip.He took an [Enchanted Fermentation Barrel], two stills and their parts, then went outside the lab to look at his [Dimensional Storage Crates].


    The [Lesser Plant Golems] were great at collecting and tending his various gardens, including the mushroom caves. So good that they were filling the contents to bursting, leaving reagents scattered on the ground nearby. He collected them all in his inventory, focusing on the [Swamp Truffles], snatched a few more things he forgot in the lab, then focused on his [Dreampassage] ability.


    The world around him swirled, and he passed over that dark Bridge yet again. Then there was the soft grass of Tero¡¯gal under his feet, and the pleasant breeze that blew without end. He took a deep breath and collapsed on the ground. The grass tickled his face as he stared up at the perfect blue sky, thick clouds floating lazily by. Theo experienced no fatigue while in his private realm. He hadn¡¯t tested if it would drain his stamina, but he suspected it would be minimal.


    ¡°Then you have to question,¡± Theo said, finding that speaking aloud in the realm helped him think. ¡°Does my mana drain? Maybe.¡±


    Theo found a flat area near the mouth of the spring to set his gear up, finishing by placing a table near the condensers. While he was low on [Swamp Onions], he had enough to do a 200 unit test run of fermentation. He started by grinding 1,000 units of [Swamp Truffle] up for the stills, adding his [Enchanted Water] to each to top them off. The alchemist let out a hoot of excitement when the [Flame Artifices] kicked to life. They weren¡¯t generated by the system, but a creation of Throk.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    While the stills and the [Fermentation Barrel] were working, Theo turned his attention to the sheet of paper Salire had handed him. It was filled with new orders from customers. People were mostly interested in his [Healing Pills], now. It was nice to see that they were a success, and they were easy enough to make with enough of the [Solidify] modifier. Time moved strangely as he crafted, but the experience rolled in all the same. Every worry about the way things were going in town melted away in his private realm, and before long he saw the notification he was waiting for. The [Drogramath Alchemy Core] rolled over to level 20.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (1%).


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 20.


    Obtained free [Drogramath Alchemy] skill point for hitting level 20 with this core.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] gained an additional skill slot!


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] gained an enhanced effect: +6 wisdom.


    A rush of accomplishment flooded through Theo. It was more than a normal level up, it was the breaking of the level 20 barrier for that core. He was right about the block, it had to do with mana control and how that influenced reagents. While he didn¡¯t understand it completely, it was the only thing required to break through. The alchemist scrolled through the list of abilities, finding the one that he¡¯d coveted for a while sitting there.


    [Reagent Deconstruction]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Understanding the composition of reagents leads to their deconstruction.


    Effect:


    Increases the user¡¯s ability to deconstruct reagents.


    +1 Intelligence


    Zarali was convinced that this was the best skill he could have taken. As he selected it and slotted it into his core, he didn¡¯t know if he agreed. It would be useful, he knew that much, but how useful compared to other skills? It was one of those things that required practice, which made it even more of a gamble. That didn¡¯t dampen his excitement for the skill, though. Even as the stills and barrel went to work, he headed over to his table to practice.


    As expected, the skill used mana to deconstruct materials. What Theo didn¡¯t expect was how difficult it would be. His first hour of practice resulted in scorch marks on his table, having exploded the reagents rather than deconstructing them. He took a break to tend to the stills, cleaning them out and setting them for another run with attribute-enhancement reagents. While he worked, he thought about what went wrong.


    When he pushed his mana into the reagents, they resisted. But a thought occurred to him the moment he finished loading up his stills.


    ¡°Reagents are made of properties. And that¡¯s a bit meh because properties are just aspects of magic,¡± Theo said, holding his hand over a [Wind Tulip].


    The alchemist focused his mind as he drew mana into his hand, watching as the purple flames danced. He allowed it to drip over the green flower, keeping the concept of wind in his mind. During refinement of the plant, he found that the modifier was [Elemental Wind]. That seemed to be the reagent¡¯s base property, something that was inherent to it. As the liquid fire dribbled over the flower, thick smoke rose, leaving behind a pile of green ash.


    At first, Theo thought he¡¯d destroyed another sample. Until he realized what had happened. Focusing on an actionable property like [Elemental Wind] had burned away everything else, sending it into the air as smoke. What it left behind was the base of the properties, something more primal than anything he¡¯d seen before. He poked his finger into the pile, willing the system to inspect it.


    [Primal Wind]


    [Primal Essence]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Reduces the chance of volatile reaction while bonding.


    1 Unit (powder)


    The primal representation of the [Wind] property.


    ¡°Double-weird,¡± Theo said, scratching his chin.


    The quality was too good for a first try, and the alignment bonus came through. There was only one thing to conclude from this round of experimentation. His theory about extracting pure essence-stuff was correct. More impressively, the effects of his lab translated to his personal realm. That meant there was some manner of soul-bond between him and the lab, which he couldn¡¯t decide if he liked or not. Did he share a similar bond with every building he owned? It was impossible to tell without more experimentation, but he went further.


    ¡°Concentration goes a long way,¡± Theo said. ¡°But there¡¯s more, I think.¡±


    Theo could always rely on there being a ton of junk in his shared inventory with Tresk. He searched before he found something suitable. A pile of mundane plant leaves that Tresk had gathered near the ocean. He couldn¡¯t recall what they were called on Earth. They typically grew near the coast and should have had enough concentrated salt within for him to split away from the base plant. The alchemist placed 10 units of the leaves on the table and urged more mana into his palm. He focused on the idea of salt. That specific compound, nothing vague.


    ¡°The stuff you put on food,¡± Theo said, trying to make his will manifest.


    The purple fire dripped, eating away at the pile and sending smoke spewing into the air. It bubbled for some time, but was swept away by the constant breeze. It left behind a pile of dense crystals, exactly 3 units by weight. He inspected it to be sure.


    [Salt]


    [Food] [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Properties:


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


    Theo scratched his head for a while. While excitement begged release, this produced a confusing situation. He¡¯d refined a mundane item into an alchemy ingredient with [Reagent Deconstruction]. This was a tough concept to wrap his mind around, as he was under the assumption that magical items were magical. Mundane items were not. Having not discovered the first property was not confusing, though. That required intent, and he¡¯d never eaten raw salt intending to discover a property. Why would he have? He licked his finger, dipped it in the salt, and had a taste.


    ¡°Yep. Salt.¡±


    The two properties revealed were [Ease] and [Repel], both of which would need testing. If either were useful, this would be a great ingredient to distill. Those plants grew all over the place on the coast, sprawling out with no end. But, there were orders to fill in the shop so he got back to work.


    ¡°A task for another time,¡± Theo said, going down the list of requests.


    It took a few more hours to get everything ready. Theo had a hard time figuring out how much time he¡¯d spent in Tero¡¯gal, but he couldn¡¯t feel the power waning. Instead, he remained there to practice his skill and experiment within the realm.


    The wheat field seemed of little use, but Theo couldn¡¯t bring himself to remove it. He didn¡¯t know why, but it brought a great sense of nostalgia. The cottage was fine enough, and when he entered to write down some notes he saw that someone vandalized his journal entry. He chuckled, stuffing it in the drawer and writing his thoughts on a new page. Tero¡¯gal would be a great place to practice his new core, but he noticed his mana had depleted. A supply of [Mana Pills] would be necessary if he wanted to make the most of this place as a practice realm.


    Stamina wasn¡¯t diminished as greatly as mana, though. That might have been an effect from the lab, though. But time rolled by, and the alchemist found himself more eager to return to the mortal realm. Heading over to the edge of the island, he looked down to observe Tresk and Alex for a while. The gosling didn¡¯t join him on his journey, although maybe she should have. The Marshling was fighting through some foul-looking dungeon, appearing to be frozen in place. With his inventory full of the orders and more [Refined Hallow Ground Essence], he pushed off and descended into those clouds.


    A moment later he was standing in the lab with only five minutes having passed in the real world. It was hard not to grin when he heard Salire knocking on the lab¡¯s door, then letting herself in.


    ¡°Also, Theo¡­ Just don¡¯t feel like you have to rush yourself for the orders. Okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Theo said, withdrawing all the requested items from his inventory and setting them on his table.


    ¡°Oh. Alright,¡± Salire said, awkwardly moving to collect the items. ¡°Guess we¡¯re just gonna ignore that, huh?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean I checked your stocks. You didn¡¯t have enough. Now you do,¡± Salire said, chuckling. ¡°Since I¡¯m getting paid, I¡¯ll ignore it. Just be happy that my weird boss¡¯ lab is missing a table, a barrel, and 2 stills. Yep.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand over the woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Glad you¡¯re reasonable.¡±


    Theo fished the salt from his inventory, scooped it up from the table, and held his fist out. ¡°Want some salt?¡±


    Theo departed the lab, leaving behind a confused shopkeeper with a handful of salt. While he trusted Gridgen to do the right thing with the mine, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check up on the man. The combat signal from the [Lesser Metal Golems] didn¡¯t help matters, either.

 4.5 - Status and Schemes

    Dead Dog Mine was a valuable asset to Broken Tusk. While the influx of Elves had bolstered their ranks, there was no longer a trickle of people asking for citizenship. Theo found Sarna Dev outside of the mine, instructing some of her newer hires on how to work the mine. Theo waited nearby, eyes lingering on the crate outside. It was full of nuggets ready to be smelted, slated to become ingots for export. He thought about their export strategy, and how it had evolved over the weeks.


    Without the northern pass, and with Fenian in the wind, it was impossible to send anything afar. Every trade deal they¡¯d made with buyers in Qavell vanished. Coins that once flowed now dried up like a creek bed in a drought, leaving the alchemist to fret by the mine. Now those resources were bound for the towns within the Free City Alliance. Rivers would get a trickle at an absurdly low rate, while Gronro got the most.


    Do you know if undead drop loot? Theo asked through the [Tara¡¯hek Communication] skill.


    Alex chirped a response in his mind before Tresk could speak. The alchemist pat her on her little head.


    They drop stuff in the dungeons. But I don¡¯t think the undead attacking our alliance are generated by the system, Tresk said.


    There¡¯s a thought. How were they generated?


    No clue, Tresk said, her voice sing-song.


    And that was their conversation. The Marshling was pushing herself hard to level up her new core. Theo withdrew the box Khahar gave him, staring at the contents. The even smaller box within contained several vials with seeds. And a letter. Reading it for the first time was like a punch in the gut. A heartfelt message and instructions on how to grow the impossibly rare plants. But those thoughts fell away when Sarna snapped her fingers, gaining his attention.


    ¡°How can I help you, mayor?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s¡­¡± Theo stopped himself. He liked that old title better. ¡°It¡¯s about the mine. I just wanted to check on production.¡±


    ¡°Then why do we give production reports?¡± Sarna asked, laughing. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll give you the tour.¡±


    The Human woman led him around the mine, showing him the new veins they¡¯d struck. They weren¡¯t actually veins, just sections of rock that spawned in the nuggets. Columns of stone rested in the center of passageways, rich with glittering copper. A few levels down, and Theo was impressed with the expanded iron tunnels. Further still and he saw the purple-black nuggets of [Drogramathi Iron]. She gave him the numbers on their production and he was satisfied enough.


    ¡°Silver is still a problem, huh?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been focused on expanding the upper floors,¡± Sarna said, closing an iron door behind her.


    Theo had the idea to create staging areas in the tunnels. Large, defensible rooms that rested in choke-points. Down a dimly lit hall, he spotted a [Lesser Metal Golem] standing over the bodies of several demon-dogs. The alchemist was certain they had names, but he hadn¡¯t bothered to learn them. Just another strange quirk of the system that wanted to make the mine more dangerous.


    ¡°Your guys are doing all the work down here. I even saw one use the gate,¡± Sarna said. ¡°Then there¡¯s the doom room. That¡¯s what the miners call it¡ªthey hate it.¡±


    There was a reason they hadn¡¯t dug deeper from this point. When Theo discovered the room with his [Tunneling Potion], he found Alex. After that, it seemed too dangerous to dig deeper. Fear of a cavern beneath had stayed both his and the miners¡¯ hands. Instead of backing away from the problem this time, Sarna got Gridgen and they got to discussing the idea of digging deeper. They toured more of the mine, and the pair had another discovery to show.


    ¡°Solid,¡± Gridgen said, swinging a pick against a pale gray wall. It reverberated in his hand, but produced no chips.


    ¡°This is the edge of the mine,¡± Theo said, looking back onto the darkened tunnel from where they came. ¡°It¡¯s massive. Wait, that means no one can mine from the other side, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good thing. But that might not bode well for your idea of finding a cave,¡± Gridgen said.


    Theo tapped his foot for a moment, a new nervous habit he¡¯d picked up. Something within him whispered that if they dug down, they¡¯d find a cavern. It wasn¡¯t the normal whisper he¡¯d experienced from his Drogramathi cores. Those had been mostly silent. It was something else. As though the [Tara¡¯hek Core] was doing the whispering. Alex chirped.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°Well, do you guys need anything? Are we good on the whole mine project?¡±


    ¡°Better than good,¡± Sarna said, puffing her chest out with pride. ¡°Give the word and we¡¯ll dig down.¡±


    Theo thought for a moment before responding. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the bottom level again.


    Theo, Gridgen, and Sarna made their way back to the bottom floor. It was nice to see all the Elves working, and they all seemed happy enough. Even if some still didn¡¯t speak the native Qavelli tongue, they got by with gestures and a few words. The most important thing was that they were fed, clothed, and housed. It would be a disservice to Fenian¡¯s big plan if he let those people down.


    The group examined the bottom floor again. Gridgen summoned a few miners to knock some walls in around the strange Demonic shrine, but they got no response from the devices within. On the other side was more rock, simply confirming their theory that the room had been placed by a god magically. Discussion and prodding went on for hours without an answer, but it was enough information for Theo to move forward.


    ¡°Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Aarok and see what he thinks.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want, boss,¡± Gridgen said.


    The day waned, and Theo¡¯s stomach grumbled. He got the sense that Alex was also hungry, and fed her a few worms on their way to the tavern. Stepping out from the mines and into the humid air of the Season of Fire covered him a sheen of sweat that didn¡¯t seem to fade. The alchemist picked at the hole in the front of his robes as he went, noting that the fabric had stitched itself back together slightly. Slowly, but it was working.


    Tresk signaled she was headed for the tavern, but Theo picked up Aarok on the way. The Half-Ogre was doing his thing at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and seemed eager enough to eat.


    ¡°Been a while since you¡¯ve invited me,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°Not sure I¡¯ve ever invited you,¡± Theo said. ¡°You normally just drop in.¡±


    Today¡¯s menu was interesting. While mead was served nightly, Xam had prepared some Karatan steaks from Rivers and Daub. Once Theo told Tresk about the dish, she appeared next to him in an instant, using their [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability. The party sat, Alex in her little box, and they waited for their food.


    ¡°Thought I already gave you approval for the mine thing,¡± Aarok said, sipping his mead.


    ¡°Things change. I wanted to make sure,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You have my approval,¡± Aarok said. ¡°I think of it like this, right? If there¡¯s stuff underground, we should get it. There might be some fancy alchemy ingredients, right?¡±


    ¡°There may be.¡±


    ¡°Or monsters,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°You know me. Always eager to kill monsters. Stab stab stab.¡±


    ¡°How about Gronro?¡± Theo asked. ¡°How are they actually doing?¡±


    ¡°Extremely well,¡± Aarok said. ¡°They¡¯d have been overwhelmed without your potions, which¡­ Well, I don¡¯t really want to say anything.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ?odd. Right?¡± Aarok said. His face took on a hard expression. ¡°You had a potion ready before the undead attack.¡±


    Theo let out a sigh, shifting his gaze to the window. Light faded over the town outside, casting long shadows across the bathhouse. He¡¯d wondered if Fenian had used him for that purpose, or if there was more to it. It would be impossible to predict what the Elf was doing, leaving all questions as useless to ask.


    ¡°Is your concern about Fenian?¡± Theo asked. ¡°You¡¯re assuming he caused the undead, right? Well, good for him. Aarok¡­ Broken Tusk has independence.¡±


    Aarok leaned in, looking over his shoulder then back at the alchemist. ¡°And you¡¯ve claimed a realm. Another impossible thing in a town of impossible things. When does it end, Theo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my realm, too,¡± Tresk said, glaring at the Half-Ogre. ¡°Oh! I met that Benton guy. God of death winter?¡±


    ¡°Death and winter,¡± Theo corrected.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking to other gods?¡± Aarok asked, letting out a sigh of frustration. ¡°You want me to tell you about protecting the mine¡­ Meanwhile you¡¯re off talking to weird gods.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a minor god. In an infant realm. From what I understand, he just ascended. Was only level 100,¡± Theo said.


    Aarok slapped his face, and continued to do so until the food was delivered. Tresk had already devoured hers by the time he stopped smacking, leaving angry red marks on his cheeks. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going into optimistic mode. Here it goes. Any moment now.¡± Another series of slaps. ¡°What do we always do when you pull some crazy crap out of your butt? We exploit it. How can you exploit this realm thing for the town?¡±


    ¡°I already am,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, I saw your stills,¡± Tresk said. ¡°And a powdery substance that looked suspiciously like¡­ Salt.¡±


    ¡°Salt?¡± Xam asked, poking her head into the booth.


    ¡°Do you make a habit of eavesdropping?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I do. And I¡¯m running low on salt,¡± she said with an excited nod.


    Theo rolled his shoulders, trying to work out a knot that was forming in his upper back. This was a problem that needed to be sorted like a Broken Tusker. Seize whatever weird crap happened by the hair and make it work.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to sell you salt, Xam,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to buy it,¡± she said, holding her hand out. ¡°Gimmie.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any on me. It¡¯s been a busy day.¡±


    ¡°Deliver it here, and you¡¯ll have coin. Market rate, of course,¡± Xam said, vanishing before anyone could say anything more.


    Theo cut a bite out of his steak, forking it and staring at the meat for a long moment. Aarok was always going to find out about the realm. The alchemist was bad at keeping secrets, but did that even matter? He trusted these people in town with his life. Often enough to call them his brothers and sisters, not just numbers on a spreadsheet in his interface.


    ¡°Time moves differently in Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said. ¡°5 minutes out here is like 12 hours in there. So, I get an extra 12 hours a day to work on projects.¡±


    ¡°How in the hells does that work?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°Magic!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°I can imagine hundreds of scenarios where it would be useful. Time-sensitive tasks that require alchemy. I can bring things between our realm and the mortal plane, so that¡¯s even better,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Alright, Theo. I don¡¯t need to say this, do I? I trust you to exploit it for our gain,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°Always for the betterment of Broken Tusk,¡± Theo said. ¡°Now, can we talk about something else? I¡¯d like to eat.¡±


    Aarok honored his Archduke¡¯s request and changed the topic away from the alchemist. Instead, he talked about the training program they¡¯d established for the residents of Gronro-Dir. The surprising part was that he¡¯d also roped in some people from Rivers and Daub. Cut off from the unified Adventurer¡¯s Guild to the north, they didn¡¯t have support. Without the Half-Ogre¡¯s offer, they would have disbanded. Lacking funds to continue, and holding only one regional dungeon, they needed Broken Tusk¡¯s guild.


    So they signed contracts, facilitated by Alise, that put Rivers and Daub¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild as a vassal to Broken Tusk¡¯s. That gave Theo an idea, which Aarok had already thought of. It was another way to free the small town from the nobles, creating the possibility of a coup.


    Theo leaned in after hearing the news, fixing his gaze on Aarok. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how a coup goes, my friend. I¡¯ve been in the streets when they rounded the other up. Do you understand how that ends?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re the only one with blood on your hands, Theo,¡± Aarok said, throwing his shoulders back and locking eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t have a last resort. Last resort. That¡¯s what this is. Not our first pick.¡±


    Theo relaxed, leaning back in his chair. It wasn¡¯t a horrible idea. In fact, it was his first idea for making Rivers more useful to them. He and Tresk had discussed the idea of taking them by force and installing their own leadership, but that would never end well. But as a last resort, it wasn¡¯t bad. Instead of pursuing that idea any further, the alchemist thought about Alran Cherman¡¯s most valuable feature. He tapped his foot a few times before nodding to himself.


    ¡°Cherman might give up the reins willingly,¡± Theo said. ¡°What if we let them pick a leader, and Alran can take up a different position.¡±


    The alchemist felt the idea flow from his mind and through the [Tara¡¯hek Core]. Into Tresk¡¯s stabby little brain. ¡°Spymaster?¡± she asked.


    Theo nodded to himself. That wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Alran was far too informed for someone in such a small town. He knew about the war with Veosta before he should have, and the undead attack. Which meant his network of informants was vast, or just extremely good at what they did.


    ¡°We could use a Spymaster,¡± Aarok said with a nod. ¡°Think he¡¯s willing to give up his position as head of the Chairs? To be a spy full time?¡±


    ¡°I suspect he¡¯s already a spy full time.¡± Theo chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s me going full Broken Tusker. Finding what a person is best at and making them do it. He could be listening right now. If so, please contact me so we can discuss this.¡±


    Aarok snorted a laugh. ¡°Alright, I need to head out. Thanks for the food.¡±


    ¡°No bath?¡± Tresk said, offering him puppy-dog eyes.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve got something to attend to,¡± Aarok said, standing. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to take a bath¡­ Gotta settle for the bath in a bottle.¡±


    Aarok departed. Tresk and Theo shared a look, then a shrug. They made their way to the bath and settled in for the evening. They discussed the problem over their private communication, coming to no definite conclusion. But the alchemist understood the importance of being informed about his enemies, having served in that role many times before. He couldn¡¯t stop his mind from wandering to Yuri. To Khahar, fighting a war in the heavens. Perhaps that man would fight wars forever. Ceaseless engagements without respite.


    But there were other things to talk about before the pair entered the Dreamwalk for the night. Theo had been putting off his [Governance Core] pick for a while, but not for lack of trying. The options didn¡¯t appeal to him, but that was before the planting of his [Kingdom Core]. Now there were a few things that caught his eye, clearly unlocked by his role as Archduke.


    [National Status]


    Governance Skill


    Legendary


    Grants the owner of a nation the ability to view information about their nation. This skill includes a communication network between all towns and cities within spheres of influence.


    Effect:


    Grants a new tab in your administration screen, allowing you to view information about your nation.


    Allows you to communicate with the leaders and administrators of subordinate towns and cities.


    Grants a portion of your existing administrator skills to your subordinate towns or cities.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of them skills,¡± Tresk said, floating in the water as Theo read it off to her. ¡°Where you just gotta take it. Right?¡±


    ¡°We have communication already, but it would be nice if we had a different one. Currently, only the person holding the crystal can use it,¡± Theo said. ¡°And I think Alise and Gwyn can only use it because I set the Lady Administrator title for them.¡±


    ¡°Kinda silly that you just pass out lord and lady titles like they¡¯re candy,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Why? I can take them away whenever I want,¡± Theo said, waving her away. ¡°It costs nothing, and grants them more privileges to use our shared administrator interface.¡±


    ¡°Just saying. Some people might take offense to that,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Those people can go kick rocks,¡± Theo said, closing his interface.


    The alchemist wouldn¡¯t select the skill tonight. If the leaders in the other towns called him so late, it would be annoying. Instead, he would do it tomorrow morning. It was time to have a bath and nothing more, so he soaked in the warm water and let his worries wash away. Aarok¡¯s words were comforting, even if they came from such an aggressive person. He had a mind for war, even if he¡¯d never fought one. He and Luras were slated to join the Qavelli Irregulars before they were discharged. A blow to their egos, but the training remained.


    Theo checked the status of the nation when they were done with their bath. He found that their energy had dropped from 50% to 45%, and decided it was time to experiment before bed. It was a brief experiment. Inserting one gold coin brought the energy of the town up 10% from where it was. But that wouldn¡¯t remain static. The alchemist knew enough to understand it would cost more as the nation grew. As the requirements of the towns within it burgeoned.


    Tresk, Theo, and Alex headed off to their beds in the Newt and Demon. A flash of an idea passed through his mind, but he half-way dismissed it. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if they had a house to call their own? Not just a room next to their lab? An idea worthy of pursuit, once he wasn¡¯t worrying about generating enough money so an entire nation wouldn¡¯t go under.

 4.6 - Eggplants and Realms

    A tangle of planters loaded with reagent-bearing plants spread into the distance. Alex hunted in the underbrush, desperate to find bugs and worms to stuff into her bill. Theo brushed his hand along the leaves, not feeling the same sensation as he did in Tero''gal. It was a dull sense of feedback compared to the more-real realm, whatever that meant. The more time the alchemist spent away from the mortal plane, the more he wondered what it was to begin with. Was it reality as he knew back on Earth, or another reflection cast by the system?


    Questions without answers seem to plague him, now. But that wasn¡¯t among his chief concerns. Grinding experience had become his singular focus, everything else giving way to that need to advance. While his other cores were gaining experience, feeding points into his personal level, he had hit a wall. The conclusion was logical, though. Without all 3 of his current cores at level 20, his personal level wouldn¡¯t advance. So he¡¯d summoned more planters than he needed, found a steady pace of work and went at it.


    Tresk approached from a distance, finding a ponderous path through the wooden boxes. Theo greeted her with a nod, but she¡¯d been off lately. It was as though she was constantly thinking about something, and the answer was clear. Since the attack, she hadn¡¯t reacted. No additional combat training, or clever tricks with potions.


    ¡°Because they didn¡¯t work,¡± Tresk said, chuckling. She was getting better at reading his mind by the day. ¡°Spent all that time working on our strategy and it fell apart.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re giving up?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk let out a sharp laugh. ¡°Like hell I¡¯m giving up. I hired 5 adventurers to shadow you all day. Real mean sons of bitches good at stealth. Gave them orders to bonk you over the head and drag you back to town if you left.¡±


    Theo was less surprised than he wished he was. That was on-brand for the woman. Under the spiky exterior, she did it out of love.


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Theo said, focusing his mind. If he tried hard, he could feel some of her emotions and thoughts. Not as clearly as she could, but it was there. ¡°You¡¯re waiting for me to get my next core. To see how good it is as a defensive class.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Tresk said, pointing a finger at the book he held. ¡°Any progress with old Tor-whatever¡¯s secret language?¡±


    ¡°Standard Dronon nonsense,¡± Theo said with a shrug.


    Each page of the book she¡¯d given him was a piece of an overall pattern. He didn¡¯t have the word to describe it accurately, but it was like the spell arrays Xol¡¯sa used. Each piece of the overall array were words in her own made-up language. Those words were placed in a sequenced, circular pattern on the page. Since Toru¡¯aun had given him the key, it was easy enough to understand. Those individual symbols connected with the other, creating a webwork of other arrays. Knowing where to connect them was a matter of attaching one part of the story to the other until it all flowed.


    ¡°Good news on that front,¡± Theo said, turning the book around for Tresk to see. ¡°The first spell she gave me is defensive. Hard to tell with the story-telling nature of her magic, but I think it makes a temporary magic shield. Shell? She calls it a shell, if I had to translate it into Qavelli.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a question for ya. Is it a constructed language, or something more ancient like Axpashi?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Have you been dumping points into [Intelligence]?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m stealing your brain juice.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a general Drononi language somewhere. Toru¡¯aun based her magic language off of that,¡± Theo said. ¡°I know, because it¡¯s similar enough to Drogramathi.¡±


    ¡°Sounds boring. I mean, super interesting. Whatever. The language part is boring, but the spell part is cool,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We need to expand our realm so you can practice in Tero¡¯gal more.¡±


    Theo expected a massive surge in his power when he got his new core. He still didn¡¯t understand Toru¡¯aun¡¯s spell completely, but Xol¡¯sa could help with that. The Elf had been too busy working on his [Dungeon Engineer] core, but that would stop soon enough. Once he had an understanding, he¡¯d simply have to help the alchemist. There were too many questions about the way the magic worked. It wasn¡¯t the time to think about those things, though. The Dreamwalk was fading, and Theo had enough experience to hit level 20 in his [Drogramath Herbalism Core]. Once he left the dream realm, he¡¯d be hit with choices.


    Since Theo pointed out Tresk¡¯s lack of training, she decided to take the last bit of the Dreamwalk and do more training. The Marshling produced a series of weapons and forced him to try them out. He found none of them to his liking. Not the small daggers, the sword the size of him, or the spears. They all felt weird in his hands.


    With a thought, Theo produced the service weapon they¡¯d given him to kill the harbinger. For the time, it was considered an antiquated weapon. Gunpowder wasn¡¯t just on the decline, it was basically useless, but the people who sent him to kill the Harbinger insisted it would work. Something about magnetic acceleration and depleted uranium would pierce whatever defenses the creature had. It hadn¡¯t worked, but the weight of the weapon in his hands was a comfort.


    ¡°Now, if I could have one of these,¡± Theo said, charging the rifle on the side. It made an extremely satisfying mechanical sound. ¡°We¡¯d be in business.¡±


    ¡°Damn, boy. Yeah, maybe we could build guns. You wanna go out there and shoot people? All pacifist and everything.¡±


    Theo sighted the weapon, resting his finger on the trigger. A long, steady breath and he squeezed slightly, then let up. Memories of the Harbinger came back. He didn¡¯t shoot back then, did he? Everyone else did, but he didn¡¯t. The alchemist allowed the weapon to fade into nothingness without shooting.


    ¡°That¡¯s a matter of synergy,¡± Theo said. ¡°Unless we find a class that uses guns, what¡¯s the point? I¡¯ve had the idea for a cannon for a while, but the towers basically do that. We¡¯ll leave this for another time. Maybe when I build my airship.¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡±


    Theo waved her off. That was still an infant idea in his mind. He strove to keep those creeping ideas out of his head, focusing on what he could work on now. Instead, the pair talked about what they could do now that would help the town. Money, training, and ideas were the concepts they settled on. Although boats were the most important thing, the shipwright could only work so fast.


    When the Dreamwalk ended, Theo sprung up from his bed. The system greeted him that morning with a series of messages.


    [Drogramath Herbalist  Core] leveled up! Level 20.


    Obtained free [Drogramath Herbalist Core] skill point for hitting level 20 with this core.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] gained an additional skill slot!


    [Drogramath Herbalist  Core] gained an enhanced effect: +6 Vigor.


    ¡­


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 20.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    [Theo Spencer] received an additional core slot.


    With the complexity of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic, Theo went with another point into [Wisdom], putting him at 29. The additional point in his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] put him at 21 [Vigor]. He selected the [National Status] skill and slotted it into his [Governance Core] before looking over the skills for his herbalism core. While there were selections that seemed good, they came with a problem. He had enough new things to learn without adding another thing to the list. But one skill stuck out to him.


    [Grove Tender]


    Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Drogramath¡¯s legendary desire to blanket the world in reagents has been translated to this skill. Your success in tending to plants will increased significantly.


    Effect:


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Increase the rate of growth for all plants you tend.


    Increase the survival rate of all plants you tend.


    Reduces the chance that spirit plants will wither under your care.


    +1 Intelligence


    Every part of the skill was alright. Not amazing, just decent compared to the other options. But it was the last line under the effects section that gave Theo pause. He removed the wooden box from his inventory, withdrawing the note written by Yuri himself and smiled.


    ¡°Spirit plants,¡± Theo said, running his finger of the assorted seeds. ¡°You have to wonder if he planned this out.¡±


    ¡°What are those?¡±


    ¡°Legendary plants that are notoriously difficult to grow,¡± Theo said. ¡°So hard that you cannot grow them without the correct skills. And they take a long time to grow even with the skill.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re taking that skill. Right? I mean, Khahar gave you the seeds,¡± Tresk said, poking her finger at the box. ¡°That means they¡¯re worth growing.¡±


    Theo selected the skill and slotted it in his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] without question. He felt a mental ping and ignored it for the moment, returning the box to his inventory. Opening his administrator¡¯s interface, he found the new section promised by the [National Status] ability. He found information about both Gronro-Dir and Rivers and Daub, detailing their income, production, citizens, and so on. But there was also a small window. A chat box.


    Grot: What the hell is this?


    There was even a small image of the Dwarf¡¯s face as an icon on the side. Theo suppressed a laugh and responded, mentally typing his message.


    Theo: Just a new feature. How¡¯s it going up north?


    Alise: Hey! Theo, we need to talk about this. You can¡¯t just unlock skills and not tell me.


    Grot: The north is fine. Running low on them cloud potions, though.


    Theo: They¡¯re undead-killing potions.


    Grot: Whatever. I need more. Gonna run out today.


    Theo: I¡¯ll have my people work on it.


    Alise: Are you ignoring me?


    Grot: Nice talking to you Archduke. Gotta kill some undead ;)


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not cool with the Dwarf using emojis,¡± Theo said, shutting the interface off. ¡°That¡¯s one step away from filling my interface with eggplants.¡±


    ¡°Egg-what?¡± Tresk asked.


    A loud series of bangs came from the front door downstairs. Theo winced, but grabbed Alex to use as a shield and went downstairs, flinging the door open. Alise didn¡¯t look happy with this turn of events, but she didn¡¯t look thrilled either. She looked as though she just got out of bed, still wearing a silken nightgown that swept the dirty ground.


    ¡°Why are you ignoring my messages?¡± she asked.


    Theo held Alex in front of him. The gosling chirped,then nipped at the air between them.


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d be here to beat down my door. No need airing our dirty laundry in the group chat,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Group what? Alright, explain.¡±


    Theo explained the new skill, reading the description for her to hear. Since she was one of two Lady Administrators, she shared many of his skills from the [Governance Core]. Apparently, that extended to his nation-wide skills.


    ¡°Basically, I was going to tell you,¡± Theo said. ¡°Figured it would be nice for you to have. You know, so we don¡¯t need to use the annoying crystals.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the crystals are annoying,¡± Alise said, crossing her arms. But her face softened after a moment, then her eyes went glassy. ¡°But this gives us an insight into what each member of the nation has. Oh! I¡¯m going to skin Alran alive. He¡¯s been lying about his stockpiles.¡±


    ¡°Surprised? I¡¯m not,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re angry at someone else, I¡¯m happy,¡± Theo said with a shrug.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to gather my people. I haven¡¯t even had breakfast, Theo,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Yeah, I like your nightgown,¡± Tresk said, giggling.


    Alise narrowed her eyes, turned on the spot, then stomped away.


    ¡°Hope she¡¯s not too pissed,¡± Theo said, opening his interface to check the messenger. He laughed.


    Alran: I can explain.


    Alise: Explain when I peel the flesh from your bones, you worm!


    Gwyn: We¡¯ll have a meeting. Calm down, Alise.


    Alise: >:|


    ¡°Alright, am I missing a button here,¡± Theo said, inspecting the interface. He couldn¡¯t find anywhere to type out the emojis. ¡°Maybe if I just think about an emotion while typing¡­ Oh. Yep.¡±


    Theo: :P


    Alran: He¡¯s sticking his tongue out at you. Direct your ire toward the Archduke, please.


    Alise: >:(


    ¡°Enough of that,¡± Theo said, closing his interface. ¡°I¡¯m not about to watch politics devolve into a series of rude emojis.¡±


    ¡°But you could.¡±


    Theo shook his head, heading out without saying another word. He stuffed Alex in his satchel and headed off to eat leftover steak. Assuming there was any left over, that was something that Xam often sold out of immediately. Still, she had a way of cooking up something simple that was still delicious. The group took their seats at the booth and sipped on tea as they waited for their breakfast to be prepared.


    ¡°Oh, Tresk,¡± Theo said, opening their shared inventory and removing one waxy, green leaf. ¡°Meant to ask you where you got this. On the coast, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all over the place.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask why you have them?¡±


    Tresk popped the leaf into her mouth and began chewing. ¡°It''s yummy.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Mind collecting more? Like¡­ A lot more?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. No problem.¡±


    Unfortunately, Xam didn¡¯t have any steak leftovers from last night. Instead, she provided delicious Zee flatbread, slathered in gravy and ground wolf meat. It was a pleasant meal, but the gravy didn¡¯t go very well with the sweetened moss tea. Something about the savory dish sat at odds with the sweetness of the earthy tea. That hardly seemed to matter. Comparing the spread before him to the wolf meat stew the tavern was known for before she got her cores, this was a feast.


    When the meal was done, Theo handed over Alex for the day and headed for the monolith. Tresk was on wall patrol duty today, and wouldn¡¯t venture outside of the protective range of the towers. She rarely got to spend one-on-one time with the gosling, owing to her constant delving of dungeons. But the alchemist didn¡¯t have to wait long for Xol¡¯sa to open his portal, and stepped through the moment the shimmering pane of black glass appeared. He stumbled, then righted himself, finding the Elf standing there with a look of surprise on his face.


    ¡°You really should give it time to stabilize,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit of an expert on dimensional travel, now.¡±


    ¡°Doubtful. Come. To the study,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing to the twisting staircase that encircled the interior of the tower.


    Xol¡¯sa had a collection of interesting artifacts. Things that weren¡¯t just limited to the realm of magical practices. He had several alchemical devices that Theo was interested in. With his limited time, he had no chance to ask about them. Today was no different. The alchemist withdrew his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] from his inventory and held it out for the Elf to inspect.


    ¡°Is it finally time?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked, his normally placid face looking excited. ¡°For me to no longer be the sole mage of Broken Tusk?¡±


    ¡°It is, my friend,¡± Theo said. He took a seat in a red, plush-looking sofa and set the core down on the table. Then he withdrew the book that the god had given him and got to explaining everything.


    The Elf watched with a mix of emotions that ranged from shocked to impressed. Once Theo explained how he thought Toru¡¯aun¡¯s language worked, Xol¡¯sa could make some sense of it. He claimed to have some racial skill that helped with languages, but the alchemist¡¯s theory was that he was simply incredibly smart.


    ¡°There¡¯s a few things to discuss here,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, steepling his fingers. ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven brought you to Uz¡¯Godan Bokrak Tal to speak with Toru¡¯aun. Then, she allowed you to pass into Tero¡¯gal. Damn, that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    The Elf rummaged through his things for a moment, finding something to record the information. His pen flew across the pages, writing faster than the speed of thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ve used my [Planar Mage¡¯s Core] for years to pass over the Bridge to go from one place to another,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, drawing a simple diagram on the page. ¡°But never through.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Theo asked. ¡°It¡¯s easy enough for me. Your core should have some skill that lets you pierce the realms, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. But guess what? No one invited me to take the Bridge. Unlike you¡­ Well, that¡¯s interesting. Right? If you think about it, just having a core doesn¡¯t allow one to take the Bridge,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, tapping his pen on the page furiously. He left large blots of ink to stain the page. ¡°But you¡¯re saying your mortal body goes to Tero¡¯gal? The whole thing? What about Tresk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Tresk goes too,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°And you said Tero¡¯gal rests with the infant realms. That¡¯s even more interesting. I need to research this. Could you please call on me the next time you go to that realm?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯d like to understand it more myself. It¡¯s all a bit¡­ You know¡­ Weird.¡±


    ¡°Extremely weird.¡±


    ¡°So, how is your new core?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t believe the things I can do,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, chuckling. He laughed for long enough to make it maniacal. ¡°I¡¯m experimenting on the [River Dungeon] to start. It takes a lot of mana, but I¡¯ve been able to manipulate the way it works. We can have instances, lockouts for certain people¡­ I can make it so only those with passes can enter.¡±


    ¡°Instances. So more than one group can run it at a time,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°How many can you support right now?¡±


    ¡°Right now? 2. But my core is still low,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°More importantly, I have a better idea of how the energy is fed into the dungeons. And something even more interesting.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Remember how I told you there was more than one source of power for the dungeons? That¡¯s why they¡¯re growing so quickly? How we sent the power off to other dungeons in the network, triggering a massive monster wave?¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    ¡°Want to take a guess which realm has become the second most dominant one? Next to Drogramath¡¯s, of course.¡±


    Theo only had to think for a few heartbeats to conclude which realm it was. He tapped his foot a few times before looking the Elf in the eyes. ¡°Tero¡¯gal.¡±

 4.7 - For Science

    A wash of magical energy rolled over the wizard¡¯s tower. The sting on Theo¡¯s skin was disconcerting, and a visible plume of purple magic rose from the [Swamp Dungeon] in the distance. Arrays filled the air before them, the magical makeup of the dungeon system laid bare. But it wasn¡¯t a simple task to understand those sigils. While the alchemist could read them with decent proficiency, that didn¡¯t mean he could understand what they meant. Even Xol¡¯sa had trouble with that.


    The color of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s core, currently resting in Theo¡¯s palm, seemed to shift. It was an iridescent glow that never settled on a single hue for long, cycling as though driven by some unseen force. The alchemist had delayed inserting the new core into his chest, if only to gain some room to think. His thoughts came slowly, crawling along through the mire of complication. The twists and turns he found in his new life were not unlike that swamp below. Bubbling with unseen danger, fetid at times, and otherwise mysterious.


    ¡°Delaying won¡¯t do you any good,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, prodding at a few more symbols. A satisfied nod later and he turned to the alchemist, placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Best to stitch the wound quickly.¡±


    Theo shrugged, holding the core out for a few more moments before placing it against his chest. The fabric where the robe had been torn was still mending, as well as his layer underneath. Cold metal pressed against his bare flesh for only a moment before shifting light poured out, grasping to accept the new core. Pain flashed for only a moment, then there was nothing. Just the warm comfort of another slot in his chest filled. The alchemist inspected his new core, reading it aloud for Xol¡¯sa to hear.


    [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core]


    Unique


    Mage Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    A mage core given by the Queen of Mystery Toru¡¯aun. Little is known about the Demon Goddess.


    Innate Skills:


    [Sensitive Weaving]


    The Elf let out a groan. ¡°Could it be more vague? Wait, what was the rarity?¡±


    ¡°Unique,¡± Theo said, scratching his head.


    ¡°What? No, that doesn¡¯t track,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, producing notes from nowhere and inspecting them. He mumbled to himself for a while before jabbing his finger into the page. ¡°Here. I have a record of a Dronon who died and was¡­ Examined. They had a Toru¡¯aun core¡ªa mage style core.¡±


    Theo thought for a moment, flitting through his near-perfect memory to search for answers. But the ability to recall whatever he wanted didn¡¯t mean he could force logical connections between those things. The pair traded ideas for a while before it came to him. Something he¡¯d heard a while ago.


    ¡°It¡¯s the wrong core,¡± Theo said, reading the name of the core again. ¡°I was supposed to get a [Toru¡¯aun Demon Mage¡¯s Core].¡±


    Xol¡¯sa sputtered. ¡°What? How in the realms does that work?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference? Demon mage versus mage?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just what the mages of the Demonic races are called,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Toru¡¯aun forged you a new core. Why?¡±


    ¡°I guess they don¡¯t call her the Queen of Mystery for nothing, do they?¡± Theo asked.


    Xol¡¯sa sighed. ¡°Fine. The skill attached to the core is extremely standard. It reduces interruption rates for spellcasting.¡±


    Theo examined the skill.


    [Sensitive Weaving]


    Mage Skill


    Rare


    While casting spells, your rate of interruption is decreased.


    Effects:


    Reduces the chances that your spells will fizzle when your concentration is broken.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said. ¡°Alright. You got a kettle? Some tea? You need to help me look through these skills so I can pick the best one.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Theo and Xol¡¯sa settled into the study. The Elf lit a [Flame Artifice] and put on a kettle, mixing his own tea in a mortar and pestle. Unlike the moss tea the alchemist was used to, this version was made of many different leaves. It had a pleasant bouquet that filled the room once placed in the hot water. Then the pair got to work, going through a list of near-endless skills. They quickly narrowed it down to a few picks, and learned a great deal about what kind of magic Toru¡¯aun represented.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful to be right so often,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, unable to hide his smile. The striations of glowing blue on his skin flashed for a moment. ¡°[Surface Application] is the winner here.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, scrolling through the list. He found the skill in question, then examined it.


    [Surface Application]


    Toru¡¯aun Demon Mage Skill


    Legendary


    Subverts the nature of your wards, allowing you to place them on any surface.


    Effect:


    When casting your warding spells, you may apply them to any surface.


    The length of time your wards remain on mundane items is halved, based on intelligence.


    Wards applied to magical items last for a day, plus a day for every 10 intelligence you have.


    ¡°Tell me why this is useful,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa grinned. ¡°I was right about the way the Queen of Mystery works. Yes, you can stop applauding. No, you¡¯re too generous.¡±


    Theo simply stared.


    Xol¡¯sa cleared his throat. ¡°Wards are a standard form of magic. I use them very often. The most common ward is a shield.¡±


    The Elf gestured, mana flowing from his core to form a semi-transparent barrier in the air. It was in the shape of a circle, and pulsed with pale blue energy.


    ¡°Magic wards and physical wards. The most basic form possible,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Take my wards out in the swamp for an extreme example. I¡¯ve applied them to enchanted standards, a medium for them to latch onto. They detect, redirect, and manipulate the power of a god.¡±


    ¡°Right. Two extreme examples,¡± Theo said with a nod. That was a good way to give an example of how something worked. Show the most and the least of something. He liked it. ¡°Give me an example on how you think Toru¡¯aun¡¯s spellcasting is going to work.¡±


    ¡°Why not cast it now?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked with a smile. ¡°Produce that book she gave you, and we¡¯ll give it a go.¡±


    Theo gave the Elf another look. He was hesitant to work with mana in the real world, even if he was getting better by the day. But this was the point in his advancement he¡¯d been preparing for. There had been enough practice. He removed the book from his inventory and set it on the table. Xol¡¯sa poured two cups of tea. The alchemist took a sip.


    ¡°Damn good tea,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°It¡¯s my own blend. Now, we¡¯re going to ward this stone,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, setting a mundane stone on the table. ¡°Remember the parts of spellcasting. Intent, focus, and mechanism.¡±


    ¡°Explain those before I blow your tower up on accident,¡± Theo said.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Intent. What do you want the spell to do? Focus. Keep your mind on the task. That part allows your mana to flow into the spell. Mechanism. That¡¯s the spellcasting method. We¡¯ll use chanting for this one. It¡¯s the easiest.¡±


    ¡°Disadvantages of chanting?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa shrugged. ¡°You need to chant. It leaves you open to attacks, and everyone can hear your spell. Easy to counter-spell, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Theo thought about the task before moving forward. He¡¯d always thought of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s spell as an array, rather than a chanted thing. But his mind twisted around the problem and found a solution quickly. The way the rings attached to each other was the key to understanding the story hidden within. So, instead of reading each page individually, he¡¯d need to jump between pages and string the words together in a chant. Without his increased memory, this would be an impossible task. As it stood, he could do it without referencing the book.


    ¡°Ready? Good. Hold your hand out, and start the chant. Keep all those things in mind,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    Before starting the process, Theo sensed that this was his favorite way to interact with systems. Sometimes he needed to put tremendous effort into what he was doing. Summoning mana from his core was one of the biggest points of pain for him, but he could feel this was an automated thing. He began chanting the story. It was about a group of Dronon that had encircled to defend themselves against an attacking army. They fought and died for thirty days before they were overcome, resulting in the destruction of their people. It was a sad tale, and the alchemist doubted it was real. But that wasn¡¯t the point.


    Mana flowed in a constant rate from his new core, iridescent motes that latched onto the rock. On his third go through the chant, something snapped. The rock glowed, shifting colors rapidly, then stopped.


    ¡°Done,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, pressing his hand onto the stone. He laughed. ¡°Perfect. Inspect the stone.¡±


    Theo obeyed, pressing his fingers against the rock.


    [Rock]


    [Mundane Item]


    Common


    An uninteresting rock.


    Wards:


    [Lesser Defense]


    Naturally, the alchemist inspected what [Lesser Defense] was next.


    [Lesser Defense]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive barrier. Barrier only responds when attacked.


    Trigger:


    Attack


    Duration:


    1 day.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s kind of awesome.¡±


    ¡°Kind of awesome?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked. ¡°You really aren¡¯t naturally attuned to magic. This is amazing. Let me tell you the rule of wards. You cannot apply them to mundane items. Ever. Applying them to magical items is difficult. Meaning¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re out here breaking the rules. Again,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    ¡°More than that,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Based on this, and what I¡¯ve already studied, you can use these on potions. Because what does [Surface Application] say? You can apply it to any surface.¡±


    That would make for amazing synergy. But what would [Lesser Defense] do with a potion? No, that wouldn¡¯t work for a potion. He¡¯d need to discover more wards to chant. For the sake of thoroughness he inspected his mana, finding that it had taken about 20% to cast the spell. For such a small object, and such a small spell, that seemed like a lot. But the alchemist was new to this spellcasting thing and tucked that away into his mind for another day.


    ¡°Watch this,¡± Theo said, pulling a stick from his [Tara¡¯hek Inventory] and smacking it against the stone.


    Xol¡¯sa shrieked. A barrier sprung up around the rock to protect it, catching the entire force of the blow. The stick shattered in half, the errant end spinning across the room missing the Elf narrowly.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Xol¡¯sa shouted, looking back with dismay. The stick was lodged between two books. He sighed, returning his attention to the rock. ¡°The ward is still active. Look, it¡¯s returning to the inert state.¡±


    The barrier around the rock faded, but the ward remained. The pair theorized how many charges it had, and Xol¡¯sa determined it was linked to the amount of mana used in the spell. He also suggested the quality of the spellcasting had a major influence on the resulting ward, and that Theo should practice with everything.


    ¡°What happens if I throw the rock at someone?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Would the ward activate? Throw the rock at me, Xol¡¯sa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not throwing the rock at you,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Come on. For science.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa groaned, grabbing the rock and tossing it as hard as he could manage at Theo. It wasn¡¯t that hard, but hard enough to activate it. But nothing happened.


    ¡°See, intent matters more than anything,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°There was no intent to attack the rock, so the ward didn¡¯t activate.¡±


    But that led Theo to think of the many ways wards could be used. The implication was that he could alter the intent trigger, setting up different scenarios for usage. It also led to the next biggest problem with the spell.


    ¡°Not really super useful,¡± Theo said. ¡°Just putting a little barrier on stuff.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Kinda useful. Not extremely so, but you know. Low-level magic is that way,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Leave the book with me, and I¡¯ll see what I can do. It¡¯s locked in that memory of yours, right?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Theo said. ¡°Xol¡¯sa¡­ I appreciate the help, man. I really do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an Elf, not a man,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°To have another spellcaster in town is a boon. We seem to be a rare breed.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said.


    Instead of heading out straight away, Theo lingered to enjoy his tea and talk to the Elf. His work on the dungeons had taken most of his time, so he wasn¡¯t able to explore the implications of Tero¡¯gal. Since things were going well, it didn¡¯t seem like an emergency. But then the topic shifted to the Elf¡¯s relationship with Zarali and how it was evolving. It was getting more serious and they were considering marriage and a situation more dire than anything the Demonic Gods could bring their way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if we can have a child,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never know unless you try,¡± Theo said, resting a hand on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s shoulder. He regret his words immediately. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say that so creepily. I mean, who knows what races can mix.¡±


    ¡°Everything, technically. But I¡¯m not from the mortal plane,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I appreciate the support, but I was just curious if you¡¯d be interested in heading our marriage.¡±


    ¡°Not really sure what that means,¡± Theo said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you do marriage the same way here as we did back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know my people¡¯s tradition. Zarali¡¯s people don¡¯t have a tradition. So we¡¯d do it in the Broken Tusk tradition,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°A fistfight?,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding. A ceremony and a party. Nothing insane.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s easy enough. I¡¯d be happy to marry you.¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been strange about the relationship.¡±


    It was tactful to pause for a moment to allow his thoughts to gather. Theo had found his thoughts easier to contend with lately. His ability to silence both his attributes and his cores was growing, that was already an effect he¡¯d observed. But it also affected his emotions, helping him dismiss the ones that bled through his [Tara¡¯hek Core] and banish those coming from his Drogramathi cores. The answer came to him suddenly.


    ¡°Khahar said something about this,¡± Theo said. ¡°Going into his own realm would help his broken brain. Wait, does that mean my brain is broken?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa shrugged. ¡°Broken is relative. But, that might be the case. Again, we need to study your private realm.¡±


    Theo felt something twinge in his mind. He checked the stack of status bars in his vision and found that Tresk had suddenly lost stamina, and a bit of health. Coming in to mingle with a sense of danger were reports from his lodestone network. Not from his combat golems stationed in the mine, but those wandering around town.


    You alright?


    Chirp!


    Some monsters charged at the eastern wall, Tresk said. Just a small group. No biggie.


    ¡°Monster attack in town. I better go,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me. Send me a message when you¡¯re planning on delving into Tero¡¯gal,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Alright. Again, thanks.¡±


    Theo paid close attention to the sensation he felt as he passed through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal. He focused on the idea of planes, and skimming over the bridge as he went. To the alchemist, it felt more like threading a path around the other realms, as though he was a drifting ship in space that got caught in the gravity of planets. That singular moment he spent between realms felt longer this time, giving him a glimpse of that darkened void between places.


    Heading over to the eastern wall, Theo found several adventurers looting monsters that had scaled the wall. Tresk was there, directing the work and organizing a scouting party. They¡¯d head out to investigate what caused the attack, then report it back to the administration. Investigations like this normally fell to Xol¡¯sa, so the alchemist would see him again before the day was done.


    ¡°Report, soldier,¡± Theo said, grinning at his companion.


    ¡°Buncha frog-people, sir!¡± Tresk said, performing a salute she could have only learned from his memories. ¡°Gave them a good stabbing.¡±


    ¡°Wanna see something cool?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Uh, only always.¡±


    Theo summoned the golem that had helped with the fight. One of his few remaining [Lesser Mud Golems], normally tasked with scouring the marsh for motes. The alchemist knelt near his creation, held his hand out and began chanting the only spell he knew. Tresk was nearby to shout words of encouragement, hooting with excitement every time a mote traveled from his hand to the golem. He managed worse this time, chanting the spell four times before it stuck. The golem shivered.


    ¡°Alright. Try smacking it. When you do¡ª¡±


    Tresk didn¡¯t wait for further invitation. She coiled her fist on the spot and drove it hard into the golem¡¯s chest. The barrier sprung up in an instant to intercept the attack, forming that pale, shifting barrier. Doubling over and cradling her hand, the Marshling let out a series of curses Theo had never heard before. They were as foul as they were creative.


    ¡°I meant with a weapon.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve told me!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°I was in the middle of telling you when you attacked.¡±


    Alex chirped, then honked, then produced a plume of smoke from her bill.


    ¡°Drink this,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a healing potion from his inventory and handing it over to his companion. He kept his eyes on Alex. Did he see smoke? From her mouth?


    ¡°Yeah, she spat fire earlier,¡± Tresk said, downing the potion. Her hand twisted back into place in an instant, and she let out a sigh of relief. ¡°We got a fire goose!¡±


    ¡°Theo!¡± a voice sounded from below. Azrug was there, waving his hands wildly. ¡°Do you have that order? For the Dwarf?¡±


    ¡°For Gronro?¡± Theo asked, shouting his words back.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a carriage ready to go. We¡¯re leaving within the hour.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t nearly enough time to get his potions ready. He was low on [Swamp Onions], but Tresk kept a secret supply hidden in the lab. But what was the point of having a personal realm where time moved slower if he didn¡¯t use it?


    [Theo]: Xol¡¯sa, report to my lab. It¡¯s time to do the thing. You know which one.


    ¡°Does that mean you got them?¡± Azrug asked, squinting against the sun.

 4.8 - Essence Bonding

    The scent of pungent [Swamp Onions] wafted through the lab. Tresk refused to give up her secret store of random reagents, but Theo followed his in tuition. Some of her memories flooded into him, and he realized there was a new hidden compartment in his wall. When she had the time to do something like this, let alone coordinate it with Sledge, was beyond him. Xol¡¯sa arrived in the lab just in time for the alchemist to stuff a mound of onions into his inventory.


    ¡°How long will you be gone?¡± the Elf asked, wheezing.


    ¡°Five minutes,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s my estimation.¡±


    ¡°And how long will it be on the other side?¡±


    ¡°Twelve hours,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are you coming along?¡±


    ¡°Doubtful. I need to understand how the skill works before I attempt to pierce the barriers. Then, you¡¯ll likely need to invite me. If what you¡¯ve said is true.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa didn¡¯t chant whatever spell he cast. He performed a series of complex gestures that left trains of glowing blue energy behind. The room darkened around them, the shadows growing long and air growing stale. Boards beneath their feet groaned as a sheet of black glass appeared in the air.


    The Elf grunted, strained by the power of the spell. ¡°You may proceed.¡±


    Not wanting to spend any more time in his darkened lab, Theo activated his [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability and fell through the realms. That mirror hovered above the Bridge for a moment, then the alchemist was standing on those shadowy cobbles. Wraiths moved in the distance, along with flashes of golden fire.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven!¡± Theo shouted. ¡°Let me pass.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± a voice came from behind. ¡°You¡¯re peeking.¡±


    Theo exerted his authority as the master of Tero¡¯gal. The stones around him bent, as though sinking down into nowhere. Uz¡¯Xulven, wherever the Mistress of Shadows was, pushed back. A little more force of will, and he would have passed on into Tero¡¯gal, but the alchemist paused. It was always good to test the limits of one¡¯s powers.


    ¡°Cheeky. Aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°My friend is just studying my realm,¡± Theo said. He¡¯d already formed his theory about the Bridge and its purpose. So long as he held a realm, she couldn¡¯t keep him here. Not against his will.


    ¡°Drogramath wanted to talk to you, but he¡¯s occupied,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°On the tenth day of the Season of Fire, my Champion will return to your town. If you could crack the limb-regeneration salve, that would be lovely.¡±


    ¡°Is he in danger?¡± Theo asked, suddenly feeling less brave.


    ¡°He¡¯s a dual-Champion. He¡¯s always in danger,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said.


    Theo felt the world swirl around him, but he held onto the Bridge. The surrounding railing bent inward, as if drawn by an immense force. ¡°Nothing is free. Give me a hint on the salve.¡±


    Shadows shivered in the area under the bridge. The air bristled with brief rage, then a sigh issued from every direction. ¡°Bind two potions together that have [Regeneration] and [Healing]. Apply a [Solidify] modifier.¡±


    ¡°Was that so hard?¡± Theo asked, forcing his authority over the hole forming at his feet. He plunged through, coming to rest on the soft grass of Tero¡¯gal. He made his way to the cottage, writing his thoughts out.


    That was likely the thing Drogramath wanted to talk to him about. Binding two potions wasn¡¯t something he had done, but he simply needed to trace the lines of coincidence to find the answer. Fenian brought Veostian Karatan to Broken Tusk, which produced [Veostian Karatan Cheese]. The [Suffuse] property would do the trick. More than gaining a free hint, the alchemist had spat in the face of a god. And it felt good. He wasn¡¯t interested in playing games with them. They needed to understand the extent of his growing authority.


    ¡°I came here for something, right?¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    Instead of getting to work right away, he made his way to the pond and sat by the bank. He stared up at the cloudy sky, spotting Xol¡¯sa¡¯s strange mirror somewhere near the fluffy clouds. Time passed by, perhaps an hour, before a popping sound issued behind him.


    ¡°Realm buddies!¡± Tresk shouted. Alex honked awkwardly, waddling over to the pond and jumping in. ¡°I figured why not. RIght?¡±


    ¡°This is our first time in the realm together,¡± Theo said. ¡°Did Uz¡¯Xulven give you trouble?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I told her to bite me.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡±


    Theo explained the situation with Xol¡¯sa, pointing to the black pane of glass in the sky. Tresk threw rocks at it for a while, but it was too high to hit. What the man could see of the realm was a mystery, but they discovered it drew unwanted attention. An icy wind approached from nowhere, requesting entry into Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist agreed, and the ice-rimmed doorway opened. The smiling form of Benton walked through.


    ¡°Did you guys see the weird black thing in the sky?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    ¡°Want some tea?¡± Theo asked.


    Crowding into the cottage, Theo made some tea for the group. The kettle whistled after a while, and the alchemist poured the liquid out. Once again, it was nothing compared to Xam¡¯s tea. But it was good to start a conversation about small things. Benton was a conversationalist, even being the newly crowned God of Death. Even by his own words, he didn¡¯t know what that meant.


    ¡°More of a metaphor,¡± he¡¯d said. More than once.


    When the conversation died down, Theo got to work on his distillation while Benton and Tresk broke off. They had apparently taken to training west of the wheat. They used blunted weapons, and limited abilities, but both had a great time. While the god was new in an unknown pantheon, he had some impressive moves.


    Theo¡¯s brewing process was standard. He placed what onions would fit in the fermentation barrel and injected his own mana inside. While waiting for those to finish, he processed some attribute-enhancement reagents and set them to process. There was also the need to brew [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] into [Refined Healing Essence] and [Refined Regeneration Essence]. It didn¡¯t take the entire time-limit within the realm to accomplish the task, and he joined with the fighting pair when he was done.


    ¡°This is unfair,¡± Benton said, panting and resting on the soft ground. ¡°I never got to see my realm before I ascended. Let alone dragging items from the mortal plane along.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s awesome,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Except when your soul-bound partner steals all your onions.¡±


    ¡°What are you hoarding 1,000 units of onions for?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A rainy day!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll spoil if you don¡¯t store them in a crate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but then you¡¯ll find them.¡±


    ¡°When did you even have time to collect them, let alone hire Sledge to make a secret panel in the wall?¡±


    ¡°I do what I want!¡±


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Benton said, backing up through an icy archway that appeared from nowhere.


    ¡°Oh, I got your waxy leaves,¡± Tresk said, relaxing immediately.


    Theo was going to ask her when she had time to do that, but he gave up. She likely used her [Shadowdancer] abilities to teleport to the coast, then teleport back. Instead of complaining, he found them in their shared inventory. He moved to the table and set some out, beckoning Tresk over to see his new process. Alex remained in the pool, happy enough to swim around and honk.


    Tresk seemed impressed enough to see the process. She got bored after the first hour of billowing smoke and piles of salt, and jumped in the pool to play with Alex. Theo worked between his stills and the worktable. He made sure there were enough [Aerosolize] modified [Hallow Ground Potions] to keep Gronro happy. He inspected one example once the bulk of the order was done.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Refined Aerosolize]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Shatter to create a cloud of denial.


    Effect:


    Throwing this potion creates a fifty pace circle around the point of impact with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the cloud, but will be banished when they do so.


    Some of Theo¡¯s newest potions were impressive with the amount of text they crammed into his sight. This potion was elegant in its simplicity. A weapon designed to fight undead and nothing more. It was the most useful modifier by his estimation, far more useful than the [Embolden] modifier. That modifier had created fear in the alchemist¡¯s heart. It was effectively a willpower check that, when failed, would add the user¡¯s mind to the undead collective.


    The alchemist turned his attention to the advice given to him by Uz¡¯Xulven. He brewed a single [Healing Potion], and a [Regeneration Potion]. There was nothing extraordinary about either potion. Excellent quality on both with no modifiers. Withdrawing a [Suffuse Potion] to inspect it, Theo considered how to proceed.


    [Suffuse Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A potion used to bind two properties to an object, or each other.


    Effect:


    Bind two properties.


    That was a vague description. Two properties could be bound to an object, or each other. But a potion wasn¡¯t just properties, was it? A potion was a mixture of different things, brought together to create an effect. Theo often thought of potions more as effects than properties, as those properties were the more base element of a potion.


    ¡°More primal!¡± Tresk shouted from the pool, picking up on his thoughts.


    ¡°More primal,¡± Theo repeated, nodding along.


    Following the advice from the god, he considered his options. Theo verbalized his thoughts on the process, bouncing things off of Tresk and she played in the water. They examined the description on the [Suffuse Potion], as well as his only example of the primal essences.


    ¡°So, primal essences are representations of properties,¡± Theo said. ¡°They are purified properties, meaning¡­¡±


    He gave Tresk time to answer.


    ¡°We use them with the [Suffuse Potion]. Yeah, the system has a roundabout way of getting to that one. But it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°One question left. Do they need a catalyst to react?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk pursed her lips and hummed. ¡°Assume the [Suffuse Potion] acts as a catalyst first. Since those just do the job of a binder. If there¡¯s no reaction, then yeah. You can use shavings to kick-start the reaction.¡±


    She really was stealing his brain power. Resting in their private realm could have caused that, though. Or it was just the fact that she had nowhere to be. They could relax in this place without worrying about running out of time. Whatever the case, it was time to experiment on that theory.


    When Theo attempted to use his [Reagent Deconstruction] skill on a potion, it exploded. Not in spectacular fashion, but as though the liquid began to suddenly boil. It spilled out the top, shooting into the air bubbling furiously. After a few moments, and a concerned Marshling, the reaction stopped.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°Guess we have to get our primal essences from the source.¡±


    Removing [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] from his inventory, Theo got to work breaking those down. After a few failed attempts, one last plume of smoke issued from the worktable. The resulting primal essence pulsed with a faint red light. The alchemist inspected his new pile of dusty [Primal Healing].


    [Primal Healing]


    [Primal Essence]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Reduces the chance of volatile reaction while bonding.


    1 Unit (powder)


    The primal representation of the [Healing] property.


    There was nothing surprising about the result. It was simply a purified sample of the [Healing] property. Theo thought about other applications before he moved forward. If he used this to brew a healing potion, it would technically be stronger. Since raw essences were filled with little pieces of other properties, they often reduced the quality of the end product. He moved on without testing that theory, applying his mana and new skill to create a pile of [Primal Regeneration].


    [Primal Regeneration]


    [Primal Essence]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Reduces the chance of volatile reaction while bonding.


    1 Unit (powder)


    The primal representation of the [Regeneration] property.


    Both primal essences shared the same pale red color. The version representing regeneration had flashes of green that traveled through the pile. They also bore the faint scent of sweetness, almost smelling like roses. It was hard to tell with deadened senses, though.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, setting a flask on the table. ¡°Time to test.¡±


    Pouring the [Suffuse Potion] in first, Theo scooped up the [Primal Healing] powder and dropped it in. Nothing happened. It fell to the bottom of the flask like sand, settling there and remaining with no further action. With a shrug, and Tresk hovering close by, the alchemist introduced the next primal essence. The reaction wasn¡¯t as exciting as he¡¯d hoped for. But it was beautiful.


    Both powders swirled in the flask, creating a cyclone of liquid that issued a bright red light. The flask rumbled for a moment on the table before coming to rest. Theo inspected the resulting potion.


    [Regenerative Potion]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A potion designed to regenerate missing body parts. Regeneration length depends on the quality of this potion.


    This was exactly what he needed, and there was a lot to dig into about the item¡¯s description, but Theo found something to be off. Why had Uz¡¯Xulven said to apply the [Solidify Modifier] to the potion? It would do the job, going off the description alone. Since modifiers changed the way potions acted, perhaps the one with the modifier was simply better.


    But this was a massive advancement for Theo as an alchemist. This was a third tier potion. The thing that gave it away was the quality of the potion. Another point was that he¡¯d done no distillation to reach this result. Perhaps there was a process he could use to refine the primal essences, but it was interesting. The alchemist couldn¡¯t use this as a method of generating vast quantities of potions, though. This version of the process was incredibly labor-intensive.


    ¡°Look at that,¡± Tresk said, clapping. ¡°That triplet guy is gonna be so happy.¡±


    ¡°So will Fenian, apparently,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s modify it.¡±


    Theo withdrew a flask of [Refined Solidify] from his inventory and applied it to the potion. The potion bubbled, then emitted a faintly foul odor before turning into a jelly. The alchemist inspected the result, finding out why Uz¡¯Xulven wanted him to apply the modifier.


    [Regenerative Potion]


    [Refined Solidify]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Apply this salve to the affected area to regenerate a body part. Regeneration length depends on the number of daily applications and the quality of this potion.


    ¡°Well, there ya go. You can use this more than once,¡± Theo said. ¡°With the other one, I¡¯d guess a person could only drink it once. Any more than that, and they¡¯d get sick. Or worse.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even remember the name of that guy who lost his leg. Tal? Pal? I see him hopping around all the time,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. He hops! I¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    ¡°Might be time to head back to the mortal plane,¡± Theo said. ¡°I feel my grip over this one fading.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You have the recipe to regrow limbs. That¡¯s pretty cool,¡± Tresk said, nodding with approval. ¡°You¡¯re like a pharmacy in a flesh suit!¡±


    ¡°Earth pharmacies couldn¡¯t cure lost limbs.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you get the point.¡±


    Theo put everything back in his inventory and headed for the edge of the floating island. He had the potions that Azrug requested, and a way to cure Fenian when he arrived. That was concerning, but when wasn¡¯t the Elf cause for concern? Without a target to focus on in the mortal realm, the alchemist thought about the place that he left. He didn¡¯t need to, though. His skill steered him in the right direction, sending him stumbling back into the lab.


    The black mirror shattered. Xol¡¯sa was thrown back, slamming hard against the back wall. Flasks and vials went tumbling to the ground as the Elf groaned. Theo tripped over something, almost pitched to the side, then came to kneel near the downed man.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa groaned, withdrawing a [Healing Pill], and a [Mana Pill] from nowhere and popping it in his mouth. ¡°Feedback. From the spell.¡±


    ¡°Figure anything out?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a planet¡¯s worth of magical arrays that bind the realms together. Even more blanketed over the damned new ones.¡±


    Even with all his affinity for extra-planar travel, Xol¡¯sa couldn¡¯t even peer into Theo¡¯s realm. Benton said something about the infant realms being protected, but he thought that was from the other gods. The alchemist helped the fallen Elf to his feet and dusted him off, removing shards of glass and splinters of wood from his robes. Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and Azrug stood with a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he asked, standing and looking around the room.


    ¡°Magic feedback,¡± Theo said. ¡°Don¡¯t go peeping into realms.¡±


    ¡°Never planned to,¡± Azrug said.


    Theo withdrew the [Hallow Ground Potions] from his inventory and handed them over to the young trader. Azrug gave him a skeptical look for a moment, but he shrugged it off. ¡°No problem. Just playing with magic in your lab. Theo, I¡¯ve got my [Loremaster¡¯s Core] leveled up to a decent spot. If you ever need something identified. Not today. I gotta go.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the offer,¡± Theo said. ¡°Keep up the good work, kid.¡±


    Azrug laughed. ¡°Yeah, no problem boss. Keep tossing wizards around your lab.¡±

 4.9 - Fairy Plum Seeds

    A fire crackled in the wizard¡¯s study. Zarali knelt near Xol¡¯sa, who was seated in a comfortable armchair. He nursed a cup of hot tea as the priestess ran the purple energy of Drogramath over his head. Errant embers from that power filled the air, crowding the stifling heat with their forms. Theo watched with concern, but said nothing. Her healing powers were minor, but they could stitch together more than the alchemist¡¯s healing potions. Wounds of the mind.


    There were many advantages to attempting to jump through the realms for the wizard. His highest-level class was based on the concept, and his people weren¡¯t from the mortal plane. Logically, he should have been able to peer into Theo¡¯s private realm. Especially with the owner of that domain¡¯s permission. Instead, he was attacked. Only his familiarity with such magic saw him through without lifelong injuries.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a mortal being attacked with a [Mind Hunt] spell,¡± Zarali said, pressing a bubble of purple flames into the Elf¡¯s head. He winced.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s fine. Right?¡± Theo asked.


    Zarali shot him a look then jerked her head. ¡°Stay here. I need to talk to our impetuous Archduke.¡±


    ¡°Take your time,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, reclining in his chair.


    The pair descended to the first floor of the tower, standing near the shimmering portal. Zarali took a deep breath, muttering words of comfort to herself. There was a tension in the air that only belonged to lovers in peril. Only now did Theo realize what a bad idea it was to allow Xol¡¯sa to spy on his journey.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain this so your mushy brain can understand,¡± Zarali said. ¡°A god attacked his soul. Directly. If they¡¯d done so from their plane, he would have been fine.¡±


    ¡°But he was half-way into the other realms,¡± Theo said. ¡°He said he was just going to look. I didn¡¯t expect him to follow me.¡±


    The priestess rested a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder and managed a weak smile. ¡°Then you have a lot to learn about your wizard. About the way he thinks, and what he¡¯s willing to do to learn something new.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I understand. But did he learn anything?¡±


    ¡°I imagine he learned a lot,¡± Zarali said. ¡°You¡¯re not meant to travel between realms as a mortal. He¡¯s been researching how Fenian does it, and has concluded that the Bridge is an exception.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot. ¡°I figured as much. Uz¡¯Xulven had a message for me from Drogramath.¡±


    ¡°What did our master say?¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t give it to me.¡±


    Zarali¡¯s gaze drifted to Theo¡¯s constantly tapping foot. She cleared her throat and he stopped. ¡°From what Drogramath shares with me, Theo¡­ It¡¯s bad. Zagmon and Fan¡¯glir are dead. But¡­ Damn, I don¡¯t even want to consider what the other implications are. When Khahar ascended, he didn¡¯t waste a single moment. He went on the offensive. A murderous rampage.¡±


    ¡°So the realms are dangerous.¡±


    ¡°The high realms are. The lower realms should be fine. Your realm. That¡¯s strange to say, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re standing right here. You¡¯re not a god¡ªwhat does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t even think about that problem. We have a bigger one. Is Xol¡¯sa going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no potion you can brew that can cure him,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo doubted that with all his beings. Even his cores rose to scream their objections. Zarali¡¯s biggest blind spot was her long-dead brother. Belgar was many things, but a genius of potioncraft wasn¡¯t one of them. The alchemist didn¡¯t want to trample on the man¡¯s grave, but the evidence was clear. He had a narrow focus, and lacked all the advantages he had. If there was a potion that could help Xol¡¯sa, Theo would find it.


    ¡°But there is something,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Care to make friends with Glanthier?¡± Zarali asked, chuckling. ¡°Perhaps you could beg for a miracle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to beg,¡± Theo said, casting his eyes to the ceiling. ¡°Elf healer. Please help.¡±


    Zarali slapped him on the back of the head. A little too hard. But a grin spread across her face. ¡°You¡¯re a clown, brother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I am. I¡¯m determined. Tenacious. No citizen of mine is going to be wounded forever. Well, what happens to him? Is he in pain?¡±


    ¡°Some amount of pain. He¡¯ll experience decreased mana, health, and stamina regeneration for a time. I¡¯m basing this conclusion on a similar spell, but it could be different,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Give me an idea of the potential cure,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You cannot heal him, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Anything that mends a soul should help. Priests that belong to a healing-based god should have the spell at an early level,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°I only know of Glanthier,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Glanthier from the Elven part of the Pantheon and Udok from the Dwarven one,¡± Zarali said. ¡°There¡¯s also Spit from the Ogre pantheon. But that¡¯s unreliable. Better than nothing, though.¡±


    ¡°Spit?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Specifically, he¡¯s Spit, Ogre Patron of Curing Things Most of the Time,¡± Zarali said, letting out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s his full title. You¡¯re meant to say it every time. I didn¡¯t make up the rules.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, turning to face the portal. ¡°Put in a request at my lab if you need anything, alright? Maybe I can brew something for his pain. Otherwise, we can load him up with potions until I cure him.¡±


    ¡°Such confidence. Suitable for an Archduke,¡± Zarali said, giggling.


    Theo passed through the portal before she could say anymore. An older version of himself would have been disturbed to see a close friend injured. But those feelings weren¡¯t useful for helping people. As he walked north, toward the district Tresk had named Stabby Groves, he forced his will on the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability. But that was an absolute within the system. He couldn''t force it to reduce its cooldown. He walked past the massive neighborhood north of Xam¡¯s tavern, and withdrew the wooden box from his inventory.


    ¡°Coincidence?¡± he asked, shaking his head. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    But those plants would take great effort to grow. A corner in one greenhouse, maybe. One seed at a time. That hardly solved the problem now, but the alchemist sought to split his efforts on the problem. But first, it was time to heal a wounded adventurer.


    ¡°Hey there, Theo!¡± Ral said.


    The bald headed human rose from a chair, resting near the front of his home. It was nestled among the other homes belonging to adventurers in town. When the man stood, he stumbled, leaning on a shaped piece of wood to make up for his missing left leg. It had been torn off near the knee, but hardly seemed to diminish the man¡¯s spirits.


    ¡°Where are your brothers?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know. Off adventuring while I¡¯m stuck hopping around,¡± Ral said, managing a wry chuckle. ¡°Feels like yesterday I was out there with them. Testing your silly potions.¡±


    Theo nodded, reining in his emotions. Instead, he withdrew the [Regenerative Potion] from his inventory and held it out.


    ¡°Booze?¡±


    ¡°A potion,¡± Theo said. ¡°A salve, really. Ignore the system text. Don¡¯t drink it. You might grow an extra spleen or something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡±


    Theo pointed at the man¡¯s leg. ¡°Restores your leg. Simple as that.¡±


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    ¡°No,¡± Ral said, shaking his head. His brow knit tightly. ¡°Fancy Demon priestess said that was impossible. So did that other guy.¡±


    Theo forced the potion into the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Being a Broken Tusker means ignoring what people say is possible. But, you¡¯re the first person who is going to use it.¡±


    ¡°How does it work?¡±


    The potion seemed similar enough to one he¡¯d brewed in the past. His old example only restored lost digits, not entire limbs. Theo explained that to the adventurer, detailing the need to apply this one multiple times a day. When asked, the alchemist agreed to supervise the first application. They entered the man¡¯s house and positioned Ral on the bed for easy use. The stump that was left was clean with well-knitted flesh. That was the power of the healing potions.


    ¡°How am I going to get it out of here,¡± Ral asked, tipping the potion upside-down. The gel inside didn¡¯t move.


    Theo snatched a spoon from the side-table and fished a pea-sized quantity out. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be ready for?¡± Ral asked.


    The moment Theo pressed the spoon to the man¡¯s stump, he shouted in pain. In an instant, he was covered in a sheen of sweat. Arching his back, Ral screamed loud enough to attract other citizens to the house. Zan¡¯kir entered the room with blades drawn, relaxing once he spotted the alchemist.


    ¡°Help me hold him down,¡± Theo said, unable to manage the writhing man. Zan¡¯kir came over, applying his significant strength to the effort. But even after Ral calmed down, the Khahari man wouldn¡¯t make eye contact. He turned around and left the building. ¡°So much for water under the bridge.¡±


    Ral did not regain consciousness. Theo sent a town-wide message, ordering his brothers to return to their home. When they did, they seemed incredibly concerned. Until they saw the potion Theo had brought. The pair agreed to look over their brother, allowing the alchemist to leave. What he left behind was a slightly longer leg on one of the town¡¯s adventurers. That counted for something, didn¡¯t it?


    Theo made his way south, back toward his lab. When he passed by the blacksmith, the gruff voice of a Dwarf called out to him. ¡°Hey! I got your order!¡±


    The alchemist spun, spotting Thim waving like an idiot. The Dwarf had an expression of pure joy on his face, grinning widely. He saw what he was so excited about. Not the 3 stills Theo had ordered, but 5 impressive pieces of blacksmithing and artificer work. They were made of the Drogramathi Iron, and were all complete with [Custom Drogramathi Iron Bubble Plates], and [Custom Drogramathi Iron Vapor Pressurizers]. He came over to run his hands over the smooth metal, shaking his head in disbelief.


    ¡°Throk gave you a hand?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°More than a hand,¡± Thim said, laughing. ¡°Did all the artificer work on these. Cursed the whole time, but what do you think?¡±


    Theo inspected one example, shaking his head yet again when he read the description.


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Artifice Still]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Epic


    Created By: Thimamuri and Throk


    A 500 unit capacity Drogramathi Iron still with attached advanced condenser and internal heating element. The advanced condenser allows for a more efficient cooling of essences, decreasing the time needed to distill.The internal heating element provides an even heating of the still, preventing burning.


    Effects:


    Distillation time reduced.


    Occasionally produces more essence.


    Reduces the chance of producing low quality essence.


    Attachments:


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Bubble Plate]


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Vapor Pressurizer]


    While it lacked enchantments, this was still a work of art. Theo inspected each one, finding the details beyond anything he expected. Throk was extremely good at blacksmithing, but Thim was the genius in that realm. With the pair coming together, they had created a still worthy of the alchemist¡¯s art.


    ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No idea. You gotta talk to the boss for that,¡± Thim said, turning and leaving without another word.


    Theo drew the stills into his inventory, each action creating a silly popping sound. Then he turned, looking at Throk¡¯s artificer building and hesitated. He drew in a deep breath, queueing some jokes up in his mind before heading over. The Marshling was working inside, although ¡®working¡¯ was generous. With a heavy iron bar in one hand, and a rude gesture in the other, he was bashing an artifice to pieces.


    ¡°Bad time?¡± Theo asked.


    Throk turned, glaring.


    ¡°Just trying to settle up on what I owe you for the stills.¡±


    ¡°All the gold in your inventory,¡± Throk said. He rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Labor, I guess. It¡¯s your metal. Your fancy artifice workings from that dead guardian.¡±


    Theo shrugged, approaching the wreckage. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡±


    ¡°The viscosity of your damn potion. I think,¡± Throk said. ¡°No, don¡¯t get your pants in a bunch over me. This is part of the process.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes, looking at the ruined pile of metal. ¡°I have a fun question that might help get your mind off of it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Throk said, raising the bar one last time to smash his creation. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Think you can make something that can fly?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Gods, Theo. I don¡¯t have the time to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to make it. I¡¯m asking if you know if something like that could work.¡±


    ¡°Well, you gotta be specific about stuff like that. Alright? Can¡¯t just come hobbling in here all like ¡®Oh, I¡¯m the fancy Archduke I¡¯m going to make a flying machine.¡¯¡¯¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sound like that.¡±


    ¡°You do.  But, yeah. I¡¯ve read about¡­ Hold on, I¡¯ve got a book here in my pile.¡±


    Throk crossed the room, digging through a pile of scraps. Near the bottom was a leather-bound book. He cracked it open to a page with diagrams for a flying ship. It looked like a normal sailing ship, but with many artifice attachments to the side. Instead of a mast, it had an attachment that looked like an engine. The design didn¡¯t leave him impressed.


    ¡°While flying artifice vessels are common enough, they have quite a few weaknesses. You¡¯ll see them in military applications, but only if there¡¯s a mage onboard who can counter-spell powerful magic. See, it¡¯s easy to ruin artifice work with magic.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯d need powerful wards to fly something like this?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh, no. I know that look in your eye, alchemist. You want to waste your time going down another expensive road, that¡¯s on you.¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not saying you need to work on this today. Just keep it in mind. Alright?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Why? Are you planning on flying around your little kingdom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to dump a million units of [Hallow Ground Potion] on the undead.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah, that¡¯ll do it. Alright. I¡¯ll look at the problem. But no guarantees.¡±


    ¡°Hey. You¡¯re actually using Thim, now. Maybe that¡¯ll free up some time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it. You¡¯re picking on the old Marshling today.¡±


    Theo stood awkwardly for a few moments. ¡°So, how much do I owe you?¡¯


    Theo left the artificer¡¯s workshop a few gold lighter. Gold was important for expansion, and feeding the nation¡¯s hungry appetite, but time was the most valuable resource. A sense of unity had spread through Broken Tusk. Even the Elves seemed interested in seeing the new nation prosper, although perhaps it was time for a meeting with the leader of House Wavecrest. With his time freed by pressing matters, the alchemist assessed his golems through the network, approaching his greenhouses.


    The [Lesser Plant Golems] had done well to maintain the reagent-bearing plants, keeping them alive and happy. They could even promote the cultivation of the plants, selecting those with the highest percentage and propagating them onward. Unlike the [Lesser Mud Golems], they had an affinity for the work. The current layout of the greenhouses leaned heavily to [Spiny Swamp Thistle] production. [Mage¡¯s Bane] also had its own greenhouse, although Theo left a corner free for experiments. Then, the others were split between the various attribute-enhancement reagents.


    Withdrawing a vial of seeds from Khahar¡¯s wooden box, his eyes lingering on the note left behind. Theo found a corner in one greenhouse and withdrew 2 seeds from the 10 within. Before shoving them into the magically enchanted earth, he inspected the item.


    [Fairy Plum Seed]


    [Spirit Seed]


    Mythic


    Grows a small bush that produces Fairy Plums. Growth rate and production of fruit is extremely slow.


    Without the [Grove Tender] ability, it would be impossible to manage the final plant. This was the next level of alchemy. Something others in the world could only hope to accomplish, even with the backing of a god. There were likely plants such as these in Tarantham, the continent the Elves called home, but nowhere near the Southlands Alliance. The alchemist placed 2 thumb-sized seeds into the ground, spacing them out, then buried them. A quick mental instruction to his [Lesser Plant Golems] roped them off as off-limits. He wouldn¡¯t have his mythic seeds destroyed by over-eager golems.


    While he was within the greenhouses, Theo went around and checked on his plants. Most had reached 200% cultivation, and were producing absurdly large fruit. His new [Grove Tender] ability would make that process even easier. Eventually, there would be another reagent worth growing. Checking on the mushrooms in his cave, he noted a similar circumstance.


    After a brief chat with Salire, Theo made his way to the lab and placed 2 of his new stills down. He lacked enough tables, but his intention was only to do a large run of [Manashrooms] to power his golems. The mushrooms were easy to process, far easier than something like [Pozwa Horns] which required fine grinding. He crushed them with his hands, watching as blue juice flowed down his forearm. His eyes were drawn to the hole, still repairing, in his robes. That minor wound had healed almost instantly.


    ¡°Unlike Ral,¡± Theo said, topping the water off in one still. ¡°Or Fenian. What kind of trouble are you in, friend?¡±


    The internal [Flame Artifice] on his 2 stills clicked to life, and he activated the external one for the lab¡¯s built in still. There were many buildings in town that could use an upgrade, including the town itself. Then there was the problem of upgrading his nation. The nation wouldn¡¯t be tied to the level of each town, as that would have promoted upgrading towns in the Kingdom of Qavell. The nation¡¯s progress was likely tied to the level of the capital.


    There were many industries Theo owned in town. The butcher, mine, sawmill, weaver, harbor, and alchemy lab were all his to maintain and upgrade. He also had a stake in the stonecutter and quarry, but that was a minor investment that had already paid for itself. Ziz and his men were impossible to control, so it was best to leave them to their own.


    Sitting near the slow boil of the stills in that stuff lab brought a sense of comfort to Theo. Things were more real on the mortal plane. The heat felt hotter, the bubbles were louder. Nothing was muted in his senses, allowing him to drink it all in. Even the system message flashing, informing him that his [Governance Core] hit 21 and his [Tara¡¯hek Core] hit 22, wasn¡¯t enough to break that calm. Even after the sheen of sweat covered his body.

 4.10 - Honk

    Pale evening light shone across the plains northeast of Broken Tusk. From his perch on the wall, Theo could almost spot the place where he was attacked. Slightly too distant and already repaired, the place should have struck him in the heart. A dagger-like spike driven into his heart, thrust by the Zagmon assassin. But those feelings never came. Not just from the comforting defensive towers resting near him, but the strength of the bond in his chest. Tresk stood nearby, looking out over the horizon as Alex honked.


    ¡°She¡¯s real honky today,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo nodded in response, still staring off in the distance. Plumes of dark black smoke rose from the harbor, a signal of the shipwright¡¯s ineptitude. That might have been harsh, but the alchemist had high standards when it came to the creation of materials. Especially when those materials ran so close to his expertise. He recalled the description on the [Ogre Cypress Pitch], a material generated from the burning of the massive trees. It was labeled as an [Alchemy Ingredient], placing it firmly in his domain.


    But he wouldn¡¯t fault Laedria for working hard, trying to fulfill his order for a trader-style ship. Or was it a boat? Whatever the name of the vessel, the creation of pitch was the slowest part. His [Reagent Deconstruction] ability might be able to help, but it required experimentation. And time.


    ¡°Is that a boat?¡± Tresk asked, pointing toward the harbor.


    Running down the channel, headed out to sea, was a single-masted boat. The Cork. Theo squinted, trying to get a better look at it, but it was too distant. They could only see the top of the mast as it passed down that wide waterway.


    ¡°I guess someone bought it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Bet it was Thronk,¡± Tresk said, chuckling.


    ¡°Get a few fishing nets on that thing. Skirt around the harbor, maybe fish the channel out to the open sea¡­ Yeah, they¡¯ll pull in some fish,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Thinking of buying my brother¡¯s business?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Sounds like you. Fascist.¡±


    Theo almost rose to that, but realized the word suited his rule of the town. But he had no interest in buying a fishing business, let alone one owned by Thronk. It was a miracle the man even fed himself, let alone made any profit. The fishers of the town relied on [Water Motes] for their income. It was a silly strategy, seeing as [Earth Motes] were much more common. But they¡¯d survived all these years, so who was he to judge? They were low on his list of priorities, as always.


    ¡°Maybe they need some help from the state.¡±


    ¡°Fascist says what?¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes at Tresk.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said, holding her hands up. ¡°I just skimmed that word from your brain. You¡¯ve been thinking about it.¡±


    With a sigh, Theo turned to regard his town. He saw the people moving around below, concluding their business for the day. Not that the fading light stopped Sledge from working her ass off. An Ogre Cypress fell in the distance, rumbling the ground. It was a sound that all citizens were used to by now. No one below flinched, and life went on.


    ¡°Is your shift over?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re never hungry. But, yeah. Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    The pair enjoyed a pleasant dinner at Xam¡¯s tavern. There were no unexpected interruptions to ruin the mood, and they soon found themselves soaking in the hot bath. Worries melted away as they discussed small topics. Alex was looking more like a real goose by the day, although her stage was still at [Gosling]. At level 6, she¡¯d come a long way from when she was hatched. They still hadn¡¯t figured out how to maximize her experience gain, but she was doing fine on her own.


    ¡°Think she¡¯ll ever talk?¡± Tresk asked, gesturing to the swimming gosling.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s good at reading my mind. Can you read hers?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Kinda. All I get is a great sense that I should be eating bugs,¡± Tresk said, shrugging.


    While the desire to check the conversations in his kingdom screen was great, Theo avoided that. He¡¯d checked it at dinner, and was disappointed to see the shouting match between Alise an Alran. The leader of Rivers and Daub had hidden resources from her, and was doing his best to mend hurt feelings. At least he was trying, though. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that the man would be trouble, not when their first interaction was an assassination attempt. Now his actions affected them all.


    Putting aside those unpleasant thoughts, Theo enjoyed his bath. He took a stroll with Tresk afterward, not enjoying the warm night air. It was nice to stay up when the moons were out, even if the darkened one was nearly invisible. He searched for a long time without spotting it, but found comfort in the idea that the inquisition of the Burning Eye was stuck there. They stopped by the harbor, spotting the Cork coming into port. As expected, Tresk¡¯s brother was the captain. Instead of sticking around, they wandered toward the lab.


    Heading into the Dreamwalk for the night, Theo had several goals. Without the need to grind experience, he wanted to learn more about his new magic. He also needed to find a weapon that worked with both his new wards, and his potions. There was an idea, but he couldn¡¯t get each to combine. He started by focusing on his gear, those pieces that allowed him to throw things better.


    ¡°Throwing weapons are common enough,¡± Tresk said, summoning a simple throwing knife. ¡°I throw stuff often enough. Especially poisoned stuff.¡±


    ¡°Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic is based on reactive intent,¡± Theo said, creating his own knife. ¡°Maybe I can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention your constructs. What¡¯s stopping you from just tossing constructs at people? Stone knives, maybe?¡±


    Theo settled on the idea of a throwing weapon making sense. But it would be more than something it hit someone with. A combination of warded, poisoned, and construct-infused throwing weapons might be worth pursuing. That gave him the flexibility to use them as poisoned throwing daggers, or ward delivery systems. Without an expanded knowledge of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic, his plan hit a stand-still.


    They settled down in the dream version of Broken Tusk¡¯s harbor to talk it out, watching as Alex played in the water. Theo retold the story of Xol¡¯sa being wounded, and shared his worries for the Elf. His initial confidence in finding a cure ran up against the reality of the injury.


    ¡°Your best bet is to import a healer,¡± Tresk said, nodding to herself. She kicked her feet in the water, slashing water at Alex. The gosling produced a honk-chirp of disapproval.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to study magic tonight. Throwing weapons are a good idea, I need to learn more spells, though,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m gonna fight stuff.¡±


    Theo nodded, watching as his companion disappeared.


    The first [Advanced Ward] Theo had learned was [Lesser Defense]. Pieces of that spell linked together, creating the story that fueled the spell. The alchemist summoned writing material, and began the laborious process of writing everything down. With a vision aid, it might be easier to understand how he could create another node to feed the spell. He spent hours in the dream realm staring at the paper, writing new things in the strange, custom language of the Demon God with little luck.


    Alex waddled out of the harbor after a while, trundling over to the paper and placing a wet, webbed foot on the page. Theo gave her a look. She honked in his face, jabbing her bill into the page.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, looking at the part of the spell she¡¯d indicated.


    From what he could understand, the portion of the spell she¡¯d doused was the defensive part of the spell. He¡¯d taken to thinking of it like spokes on a wheel, where each segment connected to a hub, and a wheel to create the entire thing. While it was more complicated than that, this helped him visualize how other pieces would fit in. The damp footprint pulled everything together in his mind.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see that?¡± Theo asked.


    The story was rife with filler. Connecting phrases that had something to do with the magic, but they were less important than the relevant sections. He saw the part of the story about the Dronon forming their defensive wall as the meat of the spell. That was the thing that gave the spell life. Understanding that, he found another section that curled around it. The part of the story where the Dronon counter-attacked seemed especially useful. It was the trigger for the spell. The alchemist drilled down onto each piece, finding more as he went. Until he realized how hard his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] was spinning in his chest.


    ¡°Because the story matters less than the connective tissue?¡± Theo asked.


    Alex produced an angry honk.


    ¡°Because¡­ Wait, is there a connection elsewhere?¡± Theo asked.


    A honk of approval.


    Out of instinct, Theo produced a small vial of [Reveal Essence]. Toru¡¯aun had thrown him off the trail. There was a connection between the forms of magic each Demon God used. Holding his hand out, Theo focused on drawing the primal nature of the [Reveal Essence] out. Black smoke rose from the vial, leaving behind a grainy dust that glowed silver. The Dreamwalk objected to his actions, but he pushed against it. Asserting his authority over Tero¡¯gal and the Dreamwalk. It obeyed, for now.


    Theo poured the [Primal Reveal] into his hand and stared at it for a long time. Between that powdery substance and his spellcraft, there was a connection. Some fundamental state that completed a circle. Not one to ignore the whispers of his cores, especially in the Dreamwalk, the alchemist licked his finger, pressed it into the dust, then placed it on his tongue. A rolling sense, like lightning dancing across his tongue, and then he felt something flood into his mind.


    But system messages were hesitant to show themselves in the Dreamwalk, no matter how hard he forced his authority. Alex¡¯s growing honks got him curious as to what the primal essence had added. The alchemist poked around in his interfaces before he found something. In his core screen, where he viewed all his currently slotted cores, there was a menu near his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core]. A list of spell components.


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    Honk.


    There were a lot of confusing parts about the spells, but Theo could view the pieces he¡¯d learned in the interface. There were 3 entries in the list, each providing a description of the part¡¯s mode, the story he¡¯d use to craft the spell, and the effects of the component.


    [Attack]


    [Ward Trigger Component]


    Causes a ward to activate when attacked.


    [Shield]


    [Ward Effect Component]


    Generates a shield, based on conditions.


    [Reveal]


    [Ward Effect Component]


    Generates a field of reveal, based on conditions.


    The most important thing Theo took away from it was that alchemy fed directly into his magic, now. He drew out the same spell he¡¯d used before, following the parts of the story in his interface. Now the story was about a group of Dronon who were hiding from an enemy attack. They were still the last of their kind, and they were still losing the battle. But when he chanted the spell, applying it to an imagined stone, the ward contained within was different.


    [Lesser Reveal]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Reveal]. Field only activates when attacked.


    Trigger:


    Attack


    Duration:


    1 day.


    The last observation he made was that this form of taking alchemy effects and applying them to Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic didn''t go the other way. Theo didn¡¯t have access to the [Defense] property on any reagents, and he couldn¡¯t create it from the spell component. Stabbing the small stone with a dagger, Theo noted the field of [Reveal] that sprung up. It was very similar to using the property as a construct, but once the field diminished the stone was still active.


    ¡°Thanks for the tip,¡± Theo said, patting Alex on the head. ¡°You are a smart goose, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She honked in response, but the alchemist could feel more from that sound than just a honk. There was an underlying appreciation and willingness to work together. The alchemist stood, nodding as he realized the error in his ways. He should have been helping the gosling train, right?


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°So you can breathe fire, now?¡±


    Alex honked in response.


    ¡°Let¡¯s work on that.¡±


    Theo worked with Alex for the rest of the night, coaching her on the fire attack. When they began, he got the impression that Tresk had already begun working with her. There was an underlying knowledge the gosling had about the flames, as though it were inherint within her. When she produced the first plume of fire, it struck a ridiculous scene. Still downy, and barely coming up to the alchemist¡¯s knees, her bill opened up and fire rushed forth. The ball of feathers produced a stream of fire like a flamethrower, only stopping to cough up clouds of black smoke.


    ¡°Fire goose,¡± Theo said, patting her on the head.


    While training with Alex, Theo spoke of advice as much as he did theories. Ideas on how to help Xol¡¯sa get over the soul-slaying attack that bore no fruit. The only potions he had that cured specific things were his disease-curing potions and those that restored either limbs or digits. Nothing in his current arsenal healed the soul directly, but there were several unexplored options.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always held the idea that the [Reagent Deconstruction] skill would allow me to learn more properties,¡± Theo said, watching as Alex shot another plume of fire. ¡°Nice one.¡±


    There was a list of ingredients that Theo hadn¡¯t found the second property to, yet. Let alone the third property. Zarali claimed there was an entire universe of properties within each reagent, leading to further problems. But, the alchemist was content with understanding those that were readily available. Discovering the second property was done through eating the reagent, but his skill would discover the others.


    ¡°Focusing on which ones make sense,¡± Theo said, ducking his head to avoid another fireball. ¡°[Spriggan Hearts] might have a useful third property. [Rejuvenate] might be helpful, too. [Swamp Truffles] might be worth inspecting. [Living Water]? Yeah, maybe. [Pozwa Horns] would give me a hat trick. Nothing else comes to mind.¡±


    Honk.


    ¡°Right. We also have to consider the combinations of reagents,¡± Theo said. ¡°Reducing essences to primals, then binding them with a [Suffuse Potion]. That could open a world of potions all on its own. What properties, when combined, would cure the soul?¡±


    Chirp. Honk.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t feel as though [Regeneration] and [Cure Ailment] would work,¡± Theo said.


    Honk.


    ¡°True enough. We¡¯re talking about an extremely specific type of cure. I wouldn¡¯t have thought [Healing] and [Regeneration] would create the limb-restoration potion.¡±


    Honk. Honk honk.


    ¡°Well, if I had more undead pieces, I could test that. I¡¯ve only ever seen a [Reanimated Skeleton Fragment], and that was system-generated. It produces the [Withering] property, which is alright for poisons. Not so much for cures.¡±


    Honk honk honk honk¡­ chirp.


    ¡°Indeed. We assume the undead attacking Gronro are reanimated by Balkor. Which means, of course, if they produce reagents they¡¯ll be completely different. Balkor fell, right?¡± Honk. ¡°If he fell, then there are pieces of him. You have to think about what those pieces produce, huh?¡±


    Alex nodded.


    ¡°Are you talking to the goose?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Can you actually understand her?¡±


    ¡°No. Just feels better if I pretend I can,¡± Theo said. ¡°Explaining a problem aloud can often be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Or¡­ Hear me out on this one¡­ You¡¯re going nuts.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m currently sitting in a dream realm. That dream realm is a reflection of my personal realm, which seems to be another dimension. Talking to my salamander-person life-bonded soul-mate thing while watching my goose shoot fire,¡± Theo said, running his fingers through Alex¡¯s feathers. ¡°Insanity would be an easy explanation for this.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Point taken,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I talked to your dad about making an airship,¡± Theo said, breaking away from the previous topic.


    ¡°How did that go?¡± Tresk said, drawing herself up. She did her best impression of her father. ¡°Don¡¯t I have enough work already? You¡¯re working me to the bone, alchemist. I¡¯m just so mad and grumpy all the time.¡±


    ¡°He reacted better than that,¡± Theo said. ¡°Seemed interested in the problem.¡±


    ¡°Flying ships, right? Okay, I¡¯ll bite. What¡¯s the drawback? Why don¡¯t we see them everywhere?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hard to operate, according to him. It¡¯s easy for someone to mess with the magic that runs the artifices. We¡¯d need someone with powerful counter-magic potential to fly one,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Someone with a class dedicated to warding, and a lab filled with [Anti-Mage] potions?¡± Tresk asked, wiggling her tail excitedly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m on board. Screw the sailing ships, we need a flying one.¡±


    Theo waved that thought away. There needed to be a drawback to flying ships, if most people used sailing ships. The continent wasn¡¯t as advanced as the others, but there should have been some flying machines. It was likely a matter of cost, since artifices ran on motes. They likely ran on a lot of motes, making them prohibitively expensive. But the idea just wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. He imagined himself flying over Rivers and Daub, lording over them with a massive airship.


    ¡°Kinda sounds like a weapon of war, though,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t object to us having weapons of war,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s just a fact of life. I just don¡¯t want to sell them to other people.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go. The dream is ending. We can ask around to see what people know about airships. Hey, if only there were a bunch of people from a more-advanced continent in town.¡±


    ¡°Funny how things fall into place like that.¡±

 4.11 - Property Discovered

    Theo spewed tea on the table of his private booth. Meeting with Gael over breakfast, he¡¯d learned the reason sailing vessels were so prevalent in the world. The cost of materials for a single, fisher-style aircraft numbered not in gold, but spiritstone. Displaying only a single engine for propulsion, and four for levitation, these crafts contained some of the rarest materials an artificer could find. Compared to their sailing cousins, they were slow, cumbersome, and expensive to operate.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ve made it as sailors,¡± Gael said, producing a rag to wipe down his face. ¡°We can outfit a fleet for the cost of a single airship.¡±


    ¡°Time to shelve that idea,¡± Theo said, poking at his meal. He was suddenly far less hungry.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bring you down, Archduke,¡± Gael said. ¡°That¡¯s just the reality of it.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t want a lie,¡± Theo said. ¡°How are your people doing?¡±


    Gael sipped his tea, pausing for a long moment. ¡°Aside from the traitors? We¡¯re doing very well.¡±


    ¡°No chance them Elves are coming for you?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°None. The laws are specific about traitor houses. We fled, as is afforded to us by law, so they cannot pursue. All sins are forgiven,¡± Gael said.


    It was a strange system, but Theo didn¡¯t question it. House Wavecrest fled Tarantham, and the Elven Empire was happy to let them go. It would be nice to establish trade deals with the Elves. But they¡¯d let the smoke clear. Focus their efforts on other nations more willing to trade with the alliance. While Broken Tusk had massive quantities of exports ready to go, there were simply no ships coming to get the materials.


    ¡°What are we sitting on?¡± Theo asked, opening his administrative interface. Alise and Gwyn had spreadsheets detailing their potential profits. Production compared against previous trade deals. ¡°10 gold a week, and that¡¯s us reserving materials for our town.¡±


    The alchemist tapped his foot, cycling through the screens. He found those detailing the production of the other towns in the alliance. Compared to Broken Tusk, the numbers were dismal. Gronro had a small mine, but it wasn¡¯t much. Rivers and Daub actually had decent food production, but the overhead listed for the trade guilds was criminal. Theo took a deep breath and let that pass.


    ¡°I have a question, Archduke,¡± Gael said.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Theo said, his foot tapping quicker.


    ¡°I wanted to create an Elven council of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Theo said, not waiting for the man to finish.


    ¡°We just haven¡¯t found representation in the administration,¡± Gael said, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. ¡°We don¡¯t have a say.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re refugees,¡± Tresk said, glaring over from Alex¡¯s box in the corner.


    Theo held up a silencing hand and nodded. ¡°I will never allow people to split off in town. I¡¯m not here to split you up, and ruin your culture or whatever, but your people were integrated into the citizenry of Broken Tusk for a reason.¡±


    Gael fiddled with his tea, sensing the tension. ¡°I feel adrift.¡±


    ¡°Sailing pun!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Love it.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so dramatic,¡± Theo said. ¡°Broken Tusk isn¡¯t a melting pot. It¡¯s a place for people without a home. Both the Bantari and the Half-Ogres have no cultural link to this place. Nothing that goes back over¡­ What, 200 years?¡±


    ¡°About that,¡± Tresk said. ¡°300 for the Half-Ogres, I think.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even¡­¡± Theo stopped himself. Not everyone knew he was an outworlder. ¡°I¡¯m not even from this world. Neither is Xol¡¯sa. Look, why don¡¯t you serve with the administrators?¡±


    ¡°With those women?¡± Gael asked. ¡°I saw Alise shout at someone the other day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s some shouting. I¡¯ll even grant you a lord title if you do a good job,¡± Theo said.


    Gael brought the tea to his lips again, taking slow sips. He pursed his lips after a moment and shrugged. ¡°What would I be doing?¡±


    Some people felt aimless like that. They found themselves adrift, as Gael said, in the sea of Broken Tusk. They might have moved with the flow of the tide, but that didn¡¯t mean they took part. The Elves didn¡¯t steer that ship they found themselves on, and that came with a sense of powerlessness. Like a ship without a rudder, they drifted.


    ¡°My administration staff handles everything in town. They coordinate with the Lord Merchant, help organize defenses with my Captain of the Guard, and other minor tasks.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gael said. ¡°I¡¯m interested.¡±


    Theo worked the details out with the Elf. Gael¡¯s heart was in the right place, but segmenting the Elves into another class within town was a dangerous move. How quickly would they split off after making that decision? Did the alchemist have the right to prevent something like that from happening? None of that mattered. It was his town, and his nation. He¡¯d run it however he saw fit. The only evidence needed for his effective leadership was the growth of the town. Sure, he was cheating with the power of Drogramath, but that didn¡¯t matter. It was his.


    ¡°I¡¯ll report to Alise,¡± Gael said.


    ¡°Yeah. Earn your title,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Speaking of, I still don¡¯t have a title.¡±


    The alchemist glared at his companion. He knew that wasn¡¯t important to her, but she still asked. There wasn¡¯t a good title to give the Marshling, though. She never took part in politics, or any large-scale projects. Tresk was an excellent adventurer, but that didn¡¯t warrant a title.


    ¡°You¡¯ll earn a title when you do something worth giving a title,¡± Theo said. ¡°Also, yes. Gael, please keep Gwyn and Alise off my back. I¡¯d like to get some things done today.¡±


    Theo enjoyed his breakfast, even after dealing with Gael. When the Elf departed,  the pair settled on who was watching Alex that day. Tresk wanted to delve the dungeons today, having scheduled some work with Xol¡¯sa to ¡®tune¡¯ them. The alchemist didn¡¯t know what that meant, but he didn¡¯t care either. The wizard¡¯s experiments on the dungeons seemed fruitful, and there hadn¡¯t been a wave in a while. That was a good sign, or a bad one. Time between waves often influenced their strength.


    Zarali was working in her enchanting lab. When the alchemist entered, he found her inscribing something on a plank of wood. The same Drogramathi script she used to tell the story of her people, however imagined they were.


    ¡°Brother, nice of you to stop by. I have a commission from the fisherman,¡± she said.


    Settling in on a chair, Theo sat to watch the priestess work. She wasn¡¯t certain that the Ogre Cypress wood worked the same way on a boat as it did on his fermentation barrels. He¡¯d forgotten she was such a cautious person, and enjoyed watching as she tried a few enchantments. The power condenser hummed in the room¡¯s corner, focusing Drogramath¡¯s energy to produce glowing purple runes on the length of wood.


    ¡°I can almost understand those,¡± Theo said, kneeling near the enchantments to inspect them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to forget that you¡¯ve taken a core from Toru¡¯aun,¡± she said, tutting. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take a mage core from Lord Drogramath?¡±


    ¡°Does he even offer mage-style cores?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Two of his cores in my chest is enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, we should work on your spells.¡±


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa has been helping me.¡±


    ¡°Dronon magic is different,¡± Zarali said. She moved to the far side of the room and turned the power condenser off.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic was a lot different than what Theo had expected. A strange brand of chanting that even Xol¡¯sa didn¡¯t expect. The alchemist would have been upset about learning Axpashi for no reason, but he¡¯d be lying if he said it wasn¡¯t fun.


    ¡°How about a display?¡± Zarali asked, breaking Theo from his thoughts.


    With a shrug, Theo found a length of unused wood. With a sharp breath, he held his hand out and chanted the [Lesser Reveal] spell. He got it in 2 tries this time, leaving behind the reactive ward as an inscription of shifting color. Zarali came over to inspect his work, nodding with appreciation.


    ¡°They seem like neighbors, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked, thinking for a moment. ¡°Oh. Wards and enchantments. Yeah, I thought they were the same thing for a while.¡±


    ¡°But this is completely reactive,¡± Zarali said. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t require a power source? Interesting.¡±


    Theo found his way back to the chair to relax. ¡°I thought you¡¯d come asking about it sooner.¡±


    Zarali offered him a weak shrug. ¡°I thought about it. Figured you¡¯d want some time alone with the new core.¡±


    ¡°Well, I got that skill you were hounding me about. [Reagent Deconstruction],¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Zarali said, leaning in. ¡°Now that is a skill worth talking about. Come. I¡¯ll instruct you on Belgar¡¯s techniques.¡±


    They departed the enchantment lab, bound for the alchemy lab. After a brief chat with Salire about incoming orders, Theo led his adoptive sister into his lab. His desire to remove the bedroom from the building and building somewhere else for him to sleep was still burning in his mind. The lab was feeling more cramped by the day, but it would require some modifications from the town¡¯s [Fabricator].


    Zarali seemed surprised that Theo had understood the method for breaking essences and reagents down. She expected to present a revelation about primal essences. Instead, she was surprised that he¡¯d figured out how to use those primals for his magic. It was a path she hadn¡¯t expected, but that was no surprise. There was no one living that held both Toru¡¯aun¡¯s cores and Drogramath¡¯s cores. A dangerous fact, if not for the backing of Tero¡¯gal. Core combinations could be dangerous, if one wasn¡¯t careful.


    ¡°We should go through the list, then,¡± Zarali said, placing her hands on her hips and huffing. Theo had stolen her thunder. ¡°At your level, you should get at least the third property. And the second and third for those you haven¡¯t eaten.¡±


    There were many reagents on that list. The task of listing the reagents he needed to check was daunting, let alone using his mana reserves to discover those properties. With a [Mage¡¯s Bane] flower on the table, Zarali guided him through the process of discovering the third property. It wasn¡¯t much different than his attempts to break materials down. He focused on the skill, and his intent to find the next property, allowing his mana to flow over the flower. The deconstruction sent plumes of black smoke into the air, flashing a notification in his vision.


    [Property Discovered]!


    Deconstructing the [Mage¡¯s Bane] has revealed the property: [Mana Seep]


    ¡°That was easy enough,¡± Theo said. ¡°But it took some mana.¡±


    ¡°Right. You¡¯re meant to do this over time, although you can drink a potion if you need,¡± Zarali said, clapping her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. There¡¯s a big pile of reagents to get to.¡±


    [Roc Berries] were a useful reagent. They provided the [Retreat] property, which was something Theo wanted to use to escape combat. When he was attacked by the Zagmon assassins, it was useless. But that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t worth producing potions made from the berry, so he deconstructed one. The smoke rose, and it revealed the [Wind Shell] property. Theo dismissed the notification and sat down, a headrush sending his vision fuzzy.


    ¡°You still need to get used to using your mana,¡± Zarali said, tutting.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Theo said, holding his head. He had only used about 25% of his mana, so the sensation was unexplained.


    After some light conversation, the alchemist was ready to get back at it. His mana had regenerated slightly on its own, but hadn¡¯t recovered the lost percentage. It was enough to continue, though. The [Widow Lily] had been a particularly annoying reagent to deal with. As it was poisonous, he couldn¡¯t eat it to discover the property. When the gout of smoke shot from the reagent, reducing it to ashes that floated away at the slightest disturbance, the alchemist nodded with approval. The poisonous flower had two more properties, [Maim] and [Devour].


    No additional information came with the names of the properties. Theo and Zarali were left to speculate. Alex put in the occasional honk, and an even rarer chirp when she felt the need. But the alchemist took another break, recovering his senses once again before pushing forward.


    [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] was Theo¡¯s favorite reagent. It was easy to work with, and produced powerful healing potions. The reagent was native to the region, and grew in abundance even before his arrival in the town. The smoke that rose from the root was tinged with reds, giving it the appearance of an evil cloud. [Reagent Deconstructed] revealed the third property on the root to be [Flourish].


    It was time to rest, yet again.


    ¡°I could have all this done in my realm,¡± Theo said. ¡°But it¡¯s more fun out here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to learn more about your realm,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo forgot that he hadn¡¯t spoken to her about it much. She¡¯d been distant for a few days, likely busy with whatever enchanter works he was doing. There was little to say about Tero¡¯gal that she couldn¡¯t figure out on her own. Like the god she worshiped, he had a private pocket of space that he could retreat to. Unlike Drogramath, his realm didn¡¯t come with the same level of power.


    ¡°I know it will work out,¡± Zarali said, placing a comforting hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    She mistook his silence for pensive contemplation. He wasn¡¯t worried about any of that junk, he was thinking about the best ways to exploit his realm. In the past, he¡¯d responded negatively when she pushed him to embrace Drogramath. But these were different times, even if it had only been weeks. The comfort of Tero¡¯gal spread through him like a wildfire, now. It wreathed him in self-assured comfort, banishing away any malicious thought. The Tara¡¯hek bond had bloomed from love, and was nourished in the goals that Theo and Tresk shared. It would only continue to grow in power.


    ¡°I have a feeling it will,¡± Theo said.


    Exhaustion creeped in by the moment, grinding Theo¡¯s motivation to get all his reagents down to nothingness. He managed two more reagents before calling it quits. The [Moss Nettle] produced the [Stamina Burst] property. It seemed similar to the second property on the reagent, [Stamina Surge], but the alchemist had a feeling it was different in application. The last reagent he processed for the day was a [Manashroom], which revealed the [Distortion] property. That one seemed impossible to guess at, so he didn¡¯t attempt it.


    Coming to rest in a chair, sweat beading on his forehead, Theo found his stamina and mana drained to almost empty. He ate a [Mana Pill], watching as it restored most of his mana, and then rested. It wouldn¡¯t be wise to consume anything to increase his stamina. That often had consequences, such as an inability to sleep and the jitters. Instead, he talked with Zarali about the future of the town and her work.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got faith,¡± Zarali said once mention of the undead was brought up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Drogramath cares about the undead.¡±


    ¡°Not in him. In Gronro,¡± Zarali said. ¡°They¡¯ve done an incredible job holding the line, so far.¡±


    ¡°And we get to sit here, not a worry in the world.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic,¡± Zarali said, glaring. ¡°Your people are supporting them with supplies. More than just your potions. They¡¯re well-compensated for their work.¡±


    That was true enough. Gronro-Dir could become the force they¡¯d always wanted to be, something like an army of mercenaries. Aarok was already taking them around the dungeons to train them up. Banu¡¯s ever-growing farm would feed them well enough, especially with the Guild¡¯s harvesting of the wolf meat. There might be a day when the fishers even provided something worth note.


    ¡°We¡¯re working on weapons designed for the undead,¡± Theo said.¡±Artifices that shoot potions. Like a stream of water.¡±


    ¡°Clever. Who came up with that?¡±


    ¡°Throk.¡±


    ¡°Of course. That Marshling is devious,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Saw him toying with some explosives the other day. Out in the swamp. Suspiciously, I thought I detected a potion in the air after the explosion.¡±


    A comforting silence washed over the room for a long moment. Theo¡¯s mind lingered. ¡°How is Xol¡¯sa?¡±


    ¡°Do you want the truth? Of course you do, you¡¯re not a pessimist. You¡¯re a masochist. He¡¯s declining,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo tapped his foot on the wooden floor, his eyes going unfocused. He was right to fear a soul-slaying by a god, and was surprised that Zarali wasn¡¯t as scared as he was. She could have been hiding it, though. A knock at the door brought him out of his stupor. Sledge didn¡¯t wait for an invitation. She barged in with a wide smile, hands on her hips, to strike a heroic pose.


    ¡°Guess who figured out how that synergy crap works?¡± she asked.


    Theo stood, gathering all the reagents he could think of testing along with both [Stamina Potions] and [Mana Potions]. With his inventory packed full, he regarded the Marshling with the best smile he could muster. He tucked Alex under his arm and stretched his will through the realms.


    ¡°Give me five minutes,¡± Theo said, pulling Alex with him through the realms. ¡°Then we¡¯ll get to work.¡±


    Passing through darkness, Theo saw that the Bridge was in a much better state. He lingered for only a moment before falling onto the soft ground of Tero¡¯gal. In an instant, the power of that realm flooded through his body. His mana and stamina crawled to full quicker than it would have on the mortal plane. The fear for his friend washed away in an instant.


    The alchemist set the remaining reagents out as Alex ran over to the spring-fed pond. An icy wind blew through Tero¡¯gal, sending a dulled chill up Theo¡¯s spine. Benton stepped through, holding his arms wide and shouting with excitement.


    ¡°My favorite neighbor!¡± the bear-person yelled.


    ¡°My favorite lord of death!¡± Theo shouted back, laughing.


    ¡°Have you ever seen a god of death so cuddly?¡± Benton asked, folding his arms. ¡°I think not. How¡¯s it going? I sense urgency in your realm.¡±


    Theo nodded, turning his attention to the remaining reagents on his table. ¡°I need to cure a friend. Got hit with a soul-slaying magical attack from a god.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Gonna use alchemy to fix it?¡±


    Theo turned his attention away from the reagents and stared at the Toora god. ¡°Unless you have a priest in the south of Iaredin that can cure it.¡±


    ¡°Nope. I got good herb-lore, though.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Let¡¯s get to work.¡±

 4.12 - Synergistic Links

    Benton¡¯s joyous spirit was infectious. His belly-laughs, combined with the effects of Tero¡¯gal, set Theo in an excellent mood. They¡¯d taken a break from going over the reagents to have tea in the cottage. No heat came from the fire burning in the fireplace, just a sense of increasing comfort. The tea was hot, but not too hot, and the bear-god had even brought scones. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t pause, considering how the hell that worked. He simply dipped a lemon-flavored scone in his moss tea and ate.


    ¡°You should get a hobby,¡± Benton said, spreading more confections on the table.


    ¡°I have enough work. Don¡¯t need a hobby.¡±


    Benton left the cottage, returning with a [Pozwa Horn]. He placed it on the table and chuckled. ¡°Your brain is going to turn to dust. I was thinking. Had a few decades to do that, didn¡¯t I? Thinking about your little mage core. Do you know what scrimshaw is?¡±


    Theo ran his fingers over the twisting horn. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Carving stuff out of ivory. Out of bone,¡± Benton said, withdrawing a knife from nowhere and going to work on the horn. In a few moments, he produced a finger-sized figurine. It was a Toora, perhaps even an image of the bear-god himself. ¡°Pretty cool, right?¡±


    ¡°It looks like you,¡± Theo said, taking the carving. He rolled it over in his hands, appreciating how much detail was represented in such a small space. ¡°Think it¡¯ll help?¡±


    ¡°In more ways than one,¡± Benton said with a shrug. ¡°We thought the Pozwa were extinct. Gardreth held them in secret, and when the Fallen Kingdom fell¡­ Well, we thought they were all gone. But there¡¯s more than alchemical uses for those horns.¡±


    It was easy to follow Benton¡¯s logic. But it was rude to steal the man¡¯s thunder. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Materials like these hold enchantments well. I think it should work for your new magic just as well,¡± Benton said.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I should make my weapons out of [Pozwa Horns]?¡± Theo asked, idly scratching his chin. His plan was to use the high-quality stone from Ziz¡¯s quarry.


    ¡°Yeah, stuff you can just throw. Or set them down like little totems,¡± Benton said. ¡°I got the idea from my homeland. From my people. We have a class that uses totemic magic. Usually made of wood, but I¡¯ve seen bone before.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said.


    Mediums were often important in magic. Taking the golems as an example, Theo could see the wisdom in the god¡¯s words. But that depended on how well the horns took his wards. Another example to consider was making the horns into a construct. It wouldn¡¯t work, since they were alchemically reactive. But the alchemist could extract the properties from primal essences, and apply those to the carved horns. That led him down a trail of thought that was dizzying. His processes would change with the addition of his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core].


    ¡°Listen¡­ Think it over. I¡¯m just giving suggestions here. I¡¯m going to pop off into some adjacent realms and see if anyone knows anything about curing a soul-slaying,¡± Benton said, placing a comforting hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°One question before you go,¡± Theo said, staring at the carved figure. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say?¡± Benton said, laughing. ¡°Our neighbors are assholes. ¡°None have invited me for tea.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Outside the cottage, an archway of ice rose. The Toora God of Winter and Death stepped through, vanishing from Tero¡¯gal. It grew cold for only a moment, but that sensation subsided within moments. Theo was left in his cottage, snacking on scones and drinking his tea. He looked at the knife left behind by Benton, taking it in his hands and rolling it over. It seemed like a mundane thing, not noteworthy in any regard. But as he held it, pressing the blade into a length of horn, he found it dragged through the material with ease.


    ¡°Magic knife, or weird god rules?¡± Theo asked.


    But the knife had no system message. When he pressed his intent upon it, nothing happened. A sense as though this thing existed only in his realm, just like those lemon-flavored scones, flooded his mind. He¡¯d seen stranger things, but it was as though his hands moved on their own. They carved away at material as he watched, half-expecting the result of the possessed creation to be magnificent. The resulting sculpture was anything but impressive. The alchemist had produced a lop-sided figure¡ªmeant to represent himself¡ªthat looked more like a mutated goblin.


    It was calming, though. Hours passed as he made more abominations. Alex played happily in the pond outside, although they should have been training. Snapping himself out of his trance, Theo sat near the pond with his growing gosling. He let time slip through his fingers, worries melting away as those moments passed, before the gate opened. Icy wind blew, stirring the stalks of wheat, and then the echoing laugh of the bear-god filled the realm.


    ¡°That was an adventure,¡± Benton said, coming to rest near the pond. The area where he stood seemed to bloom with frost, touching the edge of the water and freezing it. ¡°Touched the edge of the high-heavens, and even the demon-realms, and found something interesting.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Well, one of the Drogramathi¡¯s spirits was hiding within an infant realm,¡± Benton said, groaning to a seated position. He dunked his feet in the water, freezing it. Alex honked in anger, moving far away from the spreading ice. ¡°Had a few words with him. Talked a lot about Telbaris. Spirits are weird that way.¡±


    ¡°Did you catch his name?¡±


    ¡°Nope. He¡¯s wayward. Trying to find his way back to the mortal plane. But that¡¯s not possible. So he¡¯s losing his mind. I sent him back to his master¡¯s embrace¡­ Well, anyway. Telbaris. The shifting moon. When she¡¯s green, you can trundle off into the swamp and find yourself a flower.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes, mind spinning. ¡°What am I looking for?¡±


    ¡°A flower that blooms only when the moon is green. It doesn¡¯t glow or anything like that, so you¡¯ll need a light. But, there¡¯s a hidden property on the flower. Grind it up on a plate of Drogramathi Iron, set it on fire, capture the smoke, then use some ability on it. The Dronon said you¡¯d have it if you were a decent alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Hidden properties?¡± Theo asked.


    The way property discovery worked was well-established, wasn¡¯t it? A hidden flower in the swamp. One that only bloomed when the moon was green. That seemed like a tale, rather than fact. But with no other options, and Benton¡¯s trustworthiness, Theo had no other options. The steps seemed easy enough. [Reagent Deconstruction] was the ability he was talking about, there was no doubt about that.


    ¡°Yeah, he said you¡¯d know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Benton,¡± Theo said, nudging the bear-god with his elbow. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no problem. I¡¯m bored out of my mind, so I¡¯ll help however I can,¡± Benton said. ¡°Did you ever think you¡¯d be friends with a god?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a powerful god, are you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nope. That¡¯s true. I¡¯m one of the weakest,¡± Benton said. ¡°I ran into a Bantari god. Two of them. Twins, maybe?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think the Marshlings had gods.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you¡¯re in these new realms you¡¯re a god in name only. We get a realm, we get to poke into the mortal world a bit, but¡­ It¡¯s not like the high realms. Nothing like the Prime Pantheon, or the Demonic one.¡±


    ¡°But gods seem to have something in common,¡± Theo said. ¡°Good timing. What¡¯s the phase of the moon tonight?¡±


    Benton grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. ¡°Green.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said. ¡°Anyway, look at the horrible creations I¡¯ve made.¡±


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    Theo and Benton laughed for hours about the horrible scrimshaw he¡¯d created. The god asked if he could keep a few, and the alchemist was too happy to rid himself of the abominations. With the solution to Xol¡¯sa problem resting in the swamp, the pair chatted about realms and what they meant. They only lingered on larger topics for a while, preferring to talk about the small things of the world. The way things were before Benton ascended, and how his departure brought in a new era for his people.


    The Toora bear-people, those peoples living in the mountains north of the Kingdom of Qavell, had a long, proud history. They had survived the cataclysm that destroyed the continent. Safe in their mountains, they spent their time reconnecting with their ancestors. They were a shamanistic people, and wanderers by nature. With the help of those that came before them, they settled down. They built something worth talking about.


    When Qavell came to dominate them, they resisted. It was difficult for the kingdom to gain a foothold, losing soldiers, and so they settled on an agreement. Not quite the proud future they tried to forge, but not the subservience chained around the necks of the other towns in the kingdom. Benton had watched the undead wash across the land before he ascended. He¡¯d seen them crash against the walls of Qavell before turning their eyes southward, as though their attention were caught by something else.


    ¡°Mortal interference,¡± Benton said with a sage-like nod. ¡°Someone is steering those undead.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°To spit in the face of the gods. To show them how impotent they are. They¡¯re bound by their rules, but only when it suits them. It was their responsibility to clean up the mess left behind by Balkor, but they¡¯ve failed,¡± Benton said.


    That seemed like a point of hate within the bear-god. Theo wouldn¡¯t disagree. He only hoped Khahar was making good on his promise to make them pay. He needed to trust that Yuri would do the right thing. To bring them to heel and make the heavens a better place. But what that meant was beyond mortal thinking. In realms where years passed in a day, how many moves had already been made?


    The conversation shifted, and Theo battled his instinct to keep on working. It was nice to soak his feet in the cooled water, chatting with anyone. Benton had gone through similar trials as the alchemist. Leading people in a time of crisis, far before he was ready. Things moved fast when magic was involved. Too fast for the mortal mind to process. But that¡¯s why he had his private realm, wasn¡¯t it? A literal pool of reflection for him to sit by, enjoying silent moments without interruption.


    ¡°Tell me about your artifice work over there,¡± Benton said, gesturing to the stills and fermentation barrels.


    Theo had placed 3 of his 5 new stills within Tero¡¯gal. He¡¯d replaced his older stills completely, and couldn¡¯t be happier. He went on for as long as Benton would listen, telling him about all the features. Each peace that he¡¯d had a hand in creating, and the master artificer who¡¯d forged them. But as time dragged on, speeding and slowing as the alchemist¡¯s concentration shifted, it was time to go.


    ¡°Great talking with you,¡± Benton said, shaking Theo¡¯s hand. ¡°If I don¡¯t spot you crossing the Bridge, make sure to send me a mental message. I don¡¯t want to miss our visits.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± Theo said, grinning at his godly friend.


    The alchemist scooped Alex up under one arm, watching as Benton departed from his realm, and then fell over the edge of the island. The Bridge was still in silence. There was no sign of battle anywhere, and as he approached the mortal plane, he saw Zarali and Sledge arguing.


    ¡°A man doesn¡¯t just vanish¡ªHoly hells!¡± Sledge shouted.


    Theo placed Alex in his satchel and laughed.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t quite 5 minutes, brother,¡± Zarali said, grimacing.


    ¡°Yeah, but I found what I needed,¡± Theo said. ¡°Sledge, do you know about a flower that blooms when Telbaris is green?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to talk about you vanishing? Whatever. Yeah, I¡¯ve heard of it. In stories.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Theo?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Got some insider information,¡± Theo said. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but there¡¯s a reagent in the swamp that can cure Xol¡¯sa.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zarali asked. She didn¡¯t sound hopeful. ¡°Who gave you this information?¡±


    ¡°A Drogramathi,¡± Theo said. He wouldn¡¯t reveal that the information was second hand. Benton was as trustworthy as they came. ¡°A wayward spirit.¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± Zarali said, crossing the room without prompting. She had the door opened when Theo spoke next.


    ¡°Only blooms when Telbaris is green. At night,¡± Theo said.


    The priestess relaxed. ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else we can do but wait,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to do more research until tonight. If you¡¯d like to join me, that is.¡±


    Zarali paused for a long moment. Theo informed Tresk through their communication skill. When she was done in her dungeon, she¡¯d head to the guild and round up some adventurers for a stroll through the swamp at night.


    ¡°I will,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Thank you, Theo.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Theo said, waving her away. He downed an unmodified [Stamina Potion], watching his stamina bar fill. The energizing effects rushed through him, reducing the fatigue he¡¯d felt that day. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sledge.¡±


    Alex honked, and the pair were off. Sledge led him down the southern road, making a line directly for the twin-smelters. Theo waved to Nira, who refused to wave back. She was instructing her workers and didn¡¯t have the desire to give greetings.


    ¡°Can you see all those lines?¡± Sledge asked, bouncing excitedly.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Sledge explained she could see lines running from each building. They fell into discussion on why she could see them, but he couldn¡¯t. While Theo had purchased an upgrade for the town called [Synergistics], it was the [Fabricator¡¯s Core] ability [Synergistic Links] that allowed her to see them. She explained the skill to him.


    [Synergistic Links]


    Fabricator Skill


    Legendary


    Apply production chain links between seed cores.


    Effect:


    Apply unaligned mana to establish bonuses to production chain buildings.


    So anyone with that skill was only useful if the town they were in had the upgrade. That seemed like a very specific skill, but it depended on the bonuses they provided. Sledge explained the process, and more importantly, the requirements.


    ¡°Links cost the three M¡¯s,¡± Sledge said. ¡°Money, motes, and materials.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, folding his arms. The last thing he needed was another expense. But he was too excited about the upgrades. Sledge shared the upgrade she wanted to apply to the nugget processing chain.


    [Efficient Processing]


    [Synergy Link]


    Linked to:


    [Smelter], [Mine]


    Cost:


    1 gold coin, 100 [Iron Bars]


    Maintenance Cost:


    100 Motes per week


    Description:


    Create a synergy link between a [Smelter] and a [Mine]. Nuggets which are mined from the attached [Mine] and processed in the attached [Smelter] are produced faster.


    Effect:


    Nuggets mined in the chain and produced in the chain will smelt 15% faster.


    The cost wasn¡¯t that bad. If they applied a few of these to the town, the costs would ramp up rapidly. Theo produced a single gold coin and handed it over. He approached the smelting building, withdrawing the [Iron Bars] without invitation. Nira didn¡¯t turn her attention away from her work, too focused on the process. There were enough motes in the town¡¯s infinite storage to maintain the effect. With the alchemist¡¯s [Lesser Mud Golems], that wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Sledge held the coin above her head, standing on a pile of loose iron. Theo felt mana flowing from her [Fabricator¡¯s Core], forming as motes of floating blue energy. They lingered in the air for a moment before forming a solid line that shot between the smelter and the mine. The pair watched as the line faded into nothing.


    ¡°There we go!¡± Sledge said, stumbling on the spot. She held her head. ¡°Alright. That took a lot out of me.¡±


    Theo moved to steady the Marshling, but she slapped his hands away. Fair enough. ¡°Think you can do more?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one more,¡± Sledge said. ¡°After I¡¯ve had a mana potion. Wink wink.¡±


    Theo produced a [Mana Potion] from his inventory and handed it over. She drank it down in one go, belching loudly. Trying to flex her muscles, or strike a heroic pose, she stumbled again. This time, the alchemist caught her before she fell. Alex let out a honk. While Sledge recovered, he thought about the best link to make next. While he would like to have a link between the farm and the weaver, the most important one would be between the sawmill and the harbor.


    Sledge moved on her own after Theo summoned a few golems to carry her. Once the [Lesser Copper Golems] had their hands around her, she could miraculously walk. They made their way to the sawmill, where a gaggle of people worked to cut the massive Ogre Cypress trees into boards. The Marshling hummed to herself as she looked through the options. They all followed a theme of using the materials between the two buildings. But she settled on one, sharing it for the Archduke¡¯s inspection.


    [Thick Boards]


    [Synergy Link]


    Linked to:


    [Sawmill], [Harbor]


    Cost:


    5 gold coin, 500 of any [Wood Planks], 100 [Iron Bars]


    Maintenance Cost:


    200 Motes per week


    Description:


    Create a synergy link between a [Sawmill] and a [Harbor]. Boards milled at the [Sawmill] and used in construction at the [Harbor] will add additional attributes to produced boats.


    Effect:


    Boats produced with boards milled at the [Sawmill] and used at the [Harbor] will produce a random enhancement on the finished boat.


    Theo withdrew the materials from the town¡¯s storage, setting them on the ground. Sledge clutched 5 gold coins in her hand, holding it above her head. She swayed on the spot as she applied the link, and collapsed afterward. Nothing a [Mana Potion] and a [Stamina Potion] couldn¡¯t cure, but she left the encounter with a horrible headache. The act brought the alchemist¡¯s funds down to 49 gold, but that last link was worth it. Perhaps that would invite the shipwrights to work faster. Who knew what bonus they¡¯d get?

 4.13 - Wolves and the Spymaster

    The sound of horns clashing echoed across the flat plain near Miana¡¯s ranch. Those horns locked together, the heads of the demonic-looking creatures twisting to gain purchase. But the fight was broken up as soon as it started. A ranch hand ran over, swatting at the beasts and whistling. The Half-Ogre proprietor of the land came over to lean on the fence, watching as Theo observed the scuffle.


    ¡°Want a pet wolf?¡± she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.


    Scampering around the woman¡¯s legs, clinging to her thigh-high leather boots and spitting balls of smoke, were no less than 5 salamanders. They were red, streaked with black with sharp teeth and slitted eyes. Tails thrashing, they sent a volley of harmless smoke at the alchemist. Alex glared at them, ready to release fire of her own.


    ¡°Seems like all you have is [Fire Salamanders],¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m working my way up.¡±


    Miana found and bought the [Monster Tamer¡¯s Core] on her own. She learned from those around her, tackling smaller creatures rather than going directly for the wolves. Unprompted, she explained how the core worked. Monsters spawned either in waves, or in dungeons, were unavailable. She could only tame those that wandered on their own, but they needed to be monsters. If she tried to tame a wild Karatan, that wouldn¡¯t work. The creature needed to have a [Proto Core] inside them, or the magic would fail.


    ¡°Are we going to see some Half-Ogres riding some wolves?¡± Theo asked, chuckling. ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯d pay to see.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Miana said, turning around and snapping her fingers. A ranch hand stood at attention, stumbled over, then waited for orders. ¡°Grab the Archduke¡¯s [Pozwa Horns].¡±


    The young Elf scrambled away. Theo produced the scrimshaw abomination from his inventory, handing it over for the woman to inspect.


    ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to be?¡± she asked. ¡°Those monster-dogs from the mine?¡±


    ¡°Supposed to be me.¡±


    ¡°Keep practicing.¡±


    Benton¡¯s idea for Theo to take something up unrelated to his cores reminded him of Miana. The tangled web of deception didn¡¯t evade him, but he preferred not to think about it. She was without her cores for at least 20 years, forced to live life with no classes. But she got along. She did her best to hold up her end of the cursed deal. That web had fallen away. Untangled itself from her heart and revealed a hard-working woman with a passion for animals. There was no better core combination for her.


    ¡°There¡¯s a moral question to consider,¡± Theo said. Instinctively, he let his senses fall onto the lodestone network. His golems were working away. Some complained there were few [Mana Constructs] left in the chest, but he¡¯d get to that today. Before night fell. ¡°I¡¯d happily send my golems out to die. What about tamed creatures?¡±


    ¡°Think I haven¡¯t thought of that?¡± Miana asked. She kicked behind her without looking, planting her foot on the head of a charging Pozwa. The creature chittered before backing away. ¡°When I tame the wolves, I see them as support creatures. I won¡¯t place one with irresponsible adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said.


    The alchemist looked at Alex. He wouldn¡¯t send her into combat, not even with her fire attacks. The gosling hopped from her bag, then onto the fence. She stretched her wings and honked, some of her downy feathers falling away. Her neck was growing longer, and the yellow coloration of her down was giving way to a pattern of gray. She honked at Miana, who picked at waxy feathers and shook her head.


    ¡°She¡¯s growing fast,¡± Miana said. ¡°But you need to help her remove all these little baby feathers. Look, you can see her adult feathers coming in.¡±


    Theo inspected his goose, seeing that new feathers were emerging from her flesh. They were covered in a waxy coating, something that Miana picked off with her fingernails. Alex honked and chirped with excitement with every gesture, preening the area afterward. The Half-Ogre woman was always good with animals, but the alchemist didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d worked with birds. Let alone Earth geese.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering if her growth is tied to her level, or time,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Likely both,¡± Miana said. ¡°My Karatan have levels. Level 10 is adulthood for them, but we¡¯re rearing a baby that¡¯s pushing adulthood at level 5.¡±


    ¡°You can never discount the energy in the air,¡± Theo said. ¡°I never thought it would work on animals, but here we are.¡±


    ¡°You wanted Demonic Karatan,¡± Miana said, leveling her gaze at the alchemist. ¡°You wanted to warp my precious babies.¡±


    Theo shrugged. That was true, but the plan didn¡¯t work. To distract from an old sin, the alchemist gave Alex a command. ¡°Shoot some fire, little fire-goose.¡±


    Alex honked, tilting her head back before shooting a plume of fire into the air.


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Miana said, having taken several healthy steps backwards.


    ¡°Magic.¡±


    Theo had fun spending time at the ranch. He whittled away the day, practicing some carving on the edge of the paddock. The Elven ranch hand returned after a while with the [Pozwa Horns], handing them over to the alchemist. His last task for the day wouldn¡¯t come until nightfall. Rounding up adventurers for the event fell to Tresk, leaving the alchemist free to play with the Pozwa and Karatan. Alex wasn¡¯t interested in playing with the farm animals, though.


    Walking back to the center of town, Theo saw a troubling sight. Near the monolith, where a black portal normally rested, was nothing. Xol¡¯sa¡¯s condition was worsening. A sharp reminder drove its way into his mind, and he rushed back to his lab. Waving to Salire, then scrambling up the stairs into his lab, the alchemist found the ingredients to craft several [Regenerative Potions]. When Fenian returned, he¡¯d need them if Uz¡¯Xulven could be trusted.


    Finishing up with the potions, another idea came into Theo¡¯s mind. Salire shouted something at him as he rushed out of the Newt and Demon. He hurried north, then took the avenue west to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The building was buzzing with activity, even after a partial-hush washed over those assembled. He spotted Tresk talking to some adventurers, but took the stairs to the second floor. One knock on Aarok¡¯s door and he let himself in to find a meeting in progress.


    Gwyn and Alise looked up, and Luras laughed.


    ¡°War meeting?¡± Theo asked, finding an inconspicuous corner to stand in. ¡°I just have some concerns.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here,¡± Aarok said, shifting in his seat. The air that blew from his air conditioner made the room bearable. It was normally too stuffy. ¡°Alise wants to attack Rivers.¡±


    Theo shrugged. So long as he didn¡¯t have to deal with it, he didn¡¯t really care how they resolved the problem with them. But they already had a plan. Didn¡¯t they?


    ¡°I thought we had a strategy for that,¡± Theo said. ¡°Surely Azrug talked about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps if that Alran Cherman son of a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Remember to breathe,¡± Gwyn said, interrupting and placing a calming hand on Alise¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°That guy has enough gold and food stored to last a decade,¡± Luras said, grunting. ¡°Didn¡¯t see fit to share. Still doesn¡¯t want to share.¡±


    ¡°An attack sounds expensive,¡± Theo said, waving the thought of war away. ¡°And we¡¯d drop our link with Gronro.¡±


    ¡°Azrug thinks we can starve them out,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°Not literally. But with supplies.¡±


    ¡°We can also threaten to cut them off from the [Kingdom Core],¡± Theo said. ¡°Resolve this a different way, we don¡¯t need to fight. Get Alran to give up the Chair position and dissolve the others. He¡¯s better as a spy than a leader.¡±


    Aarok shared a look with Luras. ¡°I like that.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alise asked.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I think you meant to say ¡®Why are you here, Archduke¡¯,¡± Luras said, laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the pecking order.¡±


    ¡°Theo entrusted Gwyn and I with Lady titles,¡± Alise snapped. She took a steadying breath.


    ¡°Alright, Alise,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ve been here before. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s stressed out,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°She has too much work managing the other towns as well as Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°The new problem is the old problem,¡± Aarok said.


    Theo folded his arms, tapping his foot. ¡°I sent Gael Wavecrest to help you guys.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting him up to speed,¡± Gwyn said.


    ¡°Alright. Direct action time.¡± Theo opened his administration interface. He opened an empty conversation with Alran. Just between them.


    [Theo]: Report to Broken Tusk tomorrow.


    [Alran]: I haven¡¯t done anything. Tell your dog to back off.


    [Theo]: Report to Broken Tusk tomorrow or an army will arrive at your city. From the north and the south.


    [Alran]: You don¡¯t have to do this.


    [Theo]: You won¡¯t listen to anything else!!! Just show up, dude. We have a proposal for you, and you¡¯ll like it.


    [Alran]: Stop being coy.


    [Theo]: You¡¯re going to dissolve the Merchant Chairs, give the Duke position to someone else, and take a new title.


    [Alran]: That¡¯s all? You¡¯re getting your undies in a twist over this? What¡¯s the new position?


    [Theo]: Spymaster.


    [Alran]: Oh, my. I¡¯ll be there tomorrow. Bright and early. You won¡¯t be disappointed, Archduke. <3


    Theo winced at the sight of the emoji heart. ¡°Done.¡±


    The group had been arguing. Theo¡¯s focus was on the conversation, so he¡¯d missed all of it.


    ¡°What?¡± Alise asked.


    Theo pushed off from the wall and shrugged. ¡°I messaged Alran. He¡¯s interested in dissolving the Merchant Chairs, installing a new Duke, and taking the Spymaster position.¡±


    ¡°That was easy,¡± Aarok said.


    Alise seemed to deflate. The alchemist placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Sometimes that woman was like a dog with a bone. She wouldn¡¯t give it up for anything, even when something better came along. There were facts that Alran couldn¡¯t ignore. Rivers and Daub would fall without Broken Tusk. That might have been only because Gronro would fall in line with Broken Tusk, but there it was. The Duke of River¡¯s never wanted to be a leader in that way. His interest seemed to rest solely with spy craft.


    The entire exchange reminded Theo of Luras. When the Half-Ogre was forced by his dying uncle to take a [Leatherworker¡¯s Core] instead of the adventuring core he wanted. Forced into doing something he didn¡¯t want to do, he¡¯d become sullen. A grim conviction to honor the memory of a dead family member. Alran wasn¡¯t so different.


    ¡°I should just resign,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll put you on the battlements of Gronro,¡± Theo said. ¡°No, this is my fault. When you blew up on Alran in the chat, I should have stepped in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Archduke?,¡± Aarok said, chuckling. ¡°That¡¯s your job.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot. ¡°Failure is part of learning. Broken Tuskers learn better from failure than anything else. I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re stressed out, Alise. I should have concluded that I could bully Alran earlier.¡±


    ¡°Understanding how to throw your weight around in a leadership role is difficult,¡± Luras said. ¡°Consider that Alran didn¡¯t take Alise seriously because she¡¯s only a Lady. Not a Duchess.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Right. Now that we¡¯ve got that sorted, I need to lay out some¡­ Uh, bad news.¡±


    The alchemist had only put this together in the last few moments. As he crafted the limb-regeneration potion, his mind lingered on Fenian. Things followed that man over the Bridge. The Elven construct was a good example. If he couldn¡¯t send a warning beforehand, he would have sent it through the next best thing. Uz¡¯Xulven delivered that warning, although she shrouded it in as many shadows as her realm contained.


    ¡°Fenian is going to arrive the day after tomorrow,¡± Theo said. ¡°I suspect he¡¯s going to arrive with trouble. He¡¯ll be wounded with some horrors trailing behind.¡±


    ¡°Classic Spencer,¡± Luras said. ¡°We¡¯ll prepare for a defense.¡±


    ¡°Assume we¡¯re looking at an army,¡± Theo said. ¡°The good news is, I think I can sense when he¡¯s close.¡±


    Aarok gave Theo a discerning glare. ¡°I assume this is related to when you disappeared on the road.¡±


    ¡°I have access to a godly realm now,¡± Theo said.


    Gwyn let out an audible gasp. Theo didn¡¯t think it was anything special, but that was far from the truth. No mortal laid claim to a physical realm. Not even Khahar had that ability in life. The Khahari leader¡¯s realm was intangible, although it washed over most of the Khahari desert. From what the alchemist understood about it, he was the first mortal with a realm and the only one who could visit it.


    ¡°This is my surprised face,¡± Aarok said. His face didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Unexpected, overpowered Karatanshit abilities are normal,¡± Luras said.


    There was more Theo wanted to tell them. He wanted to talk about how his realm overlapped Drogramath¡¯s. How he shared tea with a god every day. That might be too much information for the meeting.


    ¡°Fine. That¡¯s it for today, Gwyn and Alise. I¡¯d like to have a private word with our Archduke,¡± Aarok said.


    The pair of administrators seemed reluctant to leave. After a few tense moments, they went. Luras and Aarok gave Theo a piercing look.


    ¡°How far does this road go, Theo?¡± Luras asked.


    The alchemist fell down into a now-vacant chair. He let out a sigh, then a shrug. ¡°Convergences. Like two rivers coming together to form something larger. Fates mingling together to form something else. Something new.¡±


    ¡°Something brighter?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Theo said. ¡°My command over Tero¡¯gal is absolute. Well, it¡¯s one third of the equation. Alex and Tresk command it, too.¡±


    ¡°The realm has physical effects, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°The power is already bleeding into Broken Tusk. Rivaling Drogramath¡¯s,¡± Theo said. ¡°Khahar is making a mess of the heavens. Fenian is up to something, pushing things here on the mortal plane. I can¡¯t help but think we¡¯re all part of something else.¡±


    Aarok stood, nodding resolutely. ¡°Nothing different, then. Business as usual in Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Luras said.


    Of all the people in town, Luras and Aarok were those Theo trusted the most. Outside of the Tara¡¯hek, that is. Both were stalwart Half-Ogres. Honorable and wise beyond their years, the pair of them had a non-nonsense attitude toward everything.


    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on Alise and Gwyn?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, Gwyn is the level-headed one,¡± Aarok said. ¡°I¡¯d promote her to the leadership position over Alise, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s the point?¡± Luras asked, finishing Aarok¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Alise needs to suffer to grow. Take her Lady title away. Throw her to the gutter. Where does that get you? A step back and a person short. A smart person, Theo. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°People don¡¯t grow overnight. As much as you want that to happen,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Keep throwing her into the fire. She¡¯ll learn.¡±


    Nothing got Broken Tuskers down. Not when everything went to hell and the chips were down. They just kept fighting no matter what. They saw the best in people, even if they didn¡¯t deserve it. Adaptive, and wise. That was the Broken Tusk way.


    The conversation steered away from serious things. Theo sat and spoke with his friends about his realm. About how they could leverage those things for the betterment of their town. For their nation. The alchemist produced [Wheat] from his inventory and placed it on Aarok¡¯s table. Simple, uninteresting wheat that one would find on Earth.


    ¡°A plant from your home world?¡± Aarok asked, raising the bristled crop for inspection. ¡°Seems kinda small.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s uncultivated,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Might be nice to have some proper bread.¡±


    ¡°Still curious about the whole realm thing,¡± Luras said.


    But no discoveries were found within Aarok¡¯s cramped office that evening. Theo departed after a while, finding his way to the Marsh Wolf Tavern for some dinner. The power of the [Stamina Potion] flowed through his body, jolting his senses to wakefulness. Since gaining the Dreamwalk ability, the alchemist experienced something other than tiredness. On the rare occasion he stayed up beyond dusk, his body produced something closer to an urgency to return to that dream realm. With his senses buzzing, and the conversational hum of the tavern, he was brought to a higher state of wakefulness.


    It didn¡¯t help that Tresk had invited their entire adventuring party for dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m paying for it!¡± she shouted, shoving her body weight against a table. She was joining several together to allow the 10 adventurers she¡¯d recruited to sit together.


    Most of those seated at the table were familiar faces. Old adventurers that were there when he arrived in Broken Tusk. Gael joined with them, although he held no cores for combat. He simply wanted to sit with the other Wavecrest Elves that were present. The old Elf, looking as though he¡¯d been drawn thin like iron under the hammer of an over-eager blacksmith, offered a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Your administrator is depressed,¡± he said.


    ¡°She¡¯s working on herself,¡± Theo said, finding a seat with the head of House Wavecrest. ¡°And quite young.¡±


    ¡°To be a fiery youth again,¡± Gael said with a sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m fiery! I got youth!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo scooted his chair closer to Gael. ¡°I have a representative from Rivers and Daub coming tomorrow. Their Duke, Alran Cherman. We need to make sure you¡¯re in on that meeting. So you can get used to the way administrators work.¡±


    Gael nodded. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Good. He seems interested in changing his title from Duke to Spymaster,¡± Theo said, ¡°My hope is that it goes well. The previous strategy of pushing him away only caused more problems. We need to bring him into the fold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your more experienced administrators would have more to say about it, Archduke,¡± Gael said, bowing his head.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need you to take care of the entire thing. I just want you there so you can learn,¡± Theo said, drumming his fingers on the table. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just looking at every shadow. Jumpy. Something is going to happen on the 10th. Not sure how worried I should be.¡±


    ¡°As worried as you can manage,¡± Tresk cackled. ¡°When was the last time Feintleaf brought anything fun through that portal.¡±

 4.14 - Swamp Adventure

    The swamp outside of Broken Tusk was bathed in a pale green light. Theo stood with the group of adventurers, looking up at the night watch that had posted themselves over the western gate. Telbaris shone above, providing that deceptive light, battled back by lanterns. It would be an arduous task to find a green flower bathed in green light, after all.


    But the threshold between the town and the swamp was one that Theo rarely crossed, if ever. Standing before it was like standing at a curtain of dreams, filled with promise and danger. Tresk¡¯s insistence to bring along so many adventurers made the task palatable, but as the alchemist shuffled his bare feet on the cobbles he felt a sense of fear. If he¡¯d practiced his Toru¡¯aun magic, he would have felt better about it. While arming himself with potions had brought comfort before, now he only felt unease. Uncertainty of his own abilities.


    Those dark places in the swamp, places shrouded in shadow, were his partner¡¯s home. She regarded him with a steely expression, then one of confusion. ¡°Where¡¯s your shoes?¡±


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo responded, looking down.


    Tresk grumbled, withdrawing a pair of dexterity-enhancing boots and handing them over. Theo slipped them on, watching by candlelight as they resized themselves to fit him. ¡°Waterproof and all that,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Can¡¯t say much about you going knee-deep in the damn mud, though.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m watching you from the shadows, alright? You have a guard of 3 adventurers, and the rest are going to scout for the flower,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Y¡¯all hear that? Do I have to repeat myself?¡±


    A thunderous chorus from the adventurers. ¡°No, commander.¡±


    Theo often forgot she was in charge of anything, let alone all the stealth-style adventurers in town. With no more ceremony, the Marshling vanished from the spot and the adventurers pushed forward. The alchemist spotted Zan¡¯kir, assigned to guard duty. The Khahari man gave a smile, then a shy nod.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fear. Khahar is with us.¡± Zan¡¯kir flexed something, letting out a burst of golden-brown light. The power of the Khahari desert. Of Khahar himself.


    The mud took half of Theo¡¯s legs on the first step, and he grumbled. The [Cleansing Scrub] potion was the only thing that could save him from this place. A potion, or spell that kept him above the level of the mud would have been ideal. But it was not time to complain. Xol¡¯sa¡¯s life was worth moments of discomfort.


    ¡°Did he give you a core?¡± Theo asked, staying close to Zan¡¯kir.


    Even in the darkness, Theo could see the sad smile on the Khahari¡¯s face. ¡°Sal wasn¡¯t happy. At first. But she¡¯s come to understand what our lord¡¯s intentions were.¡±


    Resting his hand on the gosling in his bag, Theo noted the rapid rise and fall of her little chest. She was sleeping, which brought up questions about the Dreamwalk. The last time this happened, it appeared as an endless void of black. He hoped she wasn¡¯t too scared. But she was a smart goose. She¡¯d figure it out.


    ¡°His plans are far from over,¡± Theo said. ¡°Did he designate you as his Champion?¡±


    ¡°That title goes to another,¡± Zan¡¯kir said. ¡°But he whispers of Khahak. Of our people, and their ascension to the high heavens. It¡¯s inspiring.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said, keeping his distance from a tangle of webs. Deep in a ball of silky web was a faintly glowing spider about the size of his hand. A [Marshlight Spider], monsterized but passive. They hid during the day, only coming out at night to hunt. ¡°He was a good friend. Well, I guess that was a long time ago. And he¡¯s not really dead, so there¡¯s no sense talking like that.¡±


    Curved blades whispered from Zan¡¯kir¡¯s hips, catching the green light of the moon with a deadly glint. The mud at his feet stirred away, but he relaxed. ¡°The advanced team got it. Snapper in the mud. He¡¯d have been better dead, compared to how he was. The torture of a mortal body.¡±


    That was a torture Theo knew all too well. Without Tero¡¯gal, his mind was often not his own. Only recently had he felt more like himself. Like the person he knew on Earth. While he didn¡¯t view that as a good thing, he¡¯d made progress since those times. Since that silver chain clung around his neck, dangling like the lost memory it was. Now he had a different love in this world. Something strange, but altogether deeper. The bond transcended explanation, plugging that gaping hole expertly.


    Tresk appeared near the pair suddenly, her eyes darting around. ¡°Shoulda brought a wizard. There are spirits around tonight.¡±


    ¡°Spirits?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Wisps, if you wanna call them that,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Immune to physical damage. Need a good pew pew to kill them. You know, fire or something like that. They¡¯re drawn to sadness, so don¡¯t be sad.¡±


    Without warning, she waddled away, waiting for her abilities to go off cooldown.


    ¡°The attacks from my [Khahar Sandslayer¡¯s Core] are magical,¡± Zan¡¯kir said with a chuckle. ¡°Although, why would she bother asking? Keep it close, everyone. Eyes open. Damn wisps glow like the sun, so they shouldn¡¯t be hard to miss.¡±


    The idea of the journey was to push far into the swamp, a trivial task with Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal. With the Elf out of action, they had to hike through the treacherous swamp. Attacks were common from snappers, wolves, goblins, and the wisps. But the tight formation of the adventurers, combined with those ranging forward, made the search simple enough. Areas near the town were picked clean by either loggers or adventurers. Raised sections of the swamp were the best areas to check, as they provided a break from the constant sloshing of boots.


    Resting on a hill that rose only knee high above the churning mud of the swamp, the party took a break. Blue lights moved somewhere in the distance as Tresk gave orders to fan out from their position. Lanterns scrambled off into the night, but Theo¡¯s eyes were locked on the sudden rise of rocks in the distance. It seemed only a pile of stone, if not for the swirling portal standing before it. The [Swamp Dungeon]. He¡¯d never seen it so close before, only from the wizard¡¯s tower that loomed in the distance.


    ¡°I hope Xol¡¯sa is doing good,¡± Theo whispered, mostly to himself.


    Zan¡¯kir, who took it upon himself to guard Theo personally, let out a sigh nearby. ¡°It would be a shame if our only wizard perished.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a wizard now.¡±


    ¡°It would be a shame if our only good wizard were to perish.¡±


    The playful comment put Theo in a much better mood. The jittery effects of the [Stamina Potion] were wearing off, giving way to a sense of calmness. ¡°Did the adventurer¡¯s get orders not to touch the flowers?¡± the alchemist asked. ¡°It would be a shame if they touched the flowers. Sometimes reagents are quite reactive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure our fearless commander gave the order,¡± Zan¡¯kir said idly.


    Theo withdrew two chairs from his inventory and set them down on the peat-strewn ground. He sat down before beckoning his guardian to do the same. Zan¡¯kir refused. The alchemist shrugged, sending a mental command to his golems to converge on the swamp. His intuition claimed there was no danger, but it paid to be careful in the swamp. The lodestone network was distant, so the commands filtered through as sporadic things. There was no guarantee they went through.


    ¡°Hey, check this out,¡± Theo said, finding a random rock and warding it with [Lesser Reveal].


    ¡°Fancy wizard man,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, stifling a laugh. ¡°What does it do?¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°When you attack the rock, it reveals invisible stuff,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That sounds useless.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I need more of the trigger sigils. Imagine one that triggers when it senses an enemy,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Now that sounds useful,¡± Zan¡¯kir said. ¡°What¡¯s the duration?¡±


    Theo and Zan¡¯kir talked about the applications of warding magic. The Khahari had a few good ideas, and decided that the limiting factor was the triggers. If he only had one for attack, then they were almost all going to be useful. But if he could derive more properties from the primal essences, and shove those into wards, they¡¯d be useful. As a seasoned adventurer, he didn¡¯t take to the idea of binding them to [Pozwa Horn] idols.


    ¡°But everyone needs a hobby. Don¡¯t they?¡±


    Taking those words to heart, the alchemist withdrew one of Tresk¡¯s knives from their shared inventory and produced a [Pozwa Horn] for carving. The dagger didn¡¯t cut as clean as Benton¡¯s godly knife, making the task much more difficult. But it was something to do under that green moon. Something to keep his mind focused as Zan¡¯kir stood watch, vertical-slit pupils scanning the horizon in a constant vigil. What danger found them on that island was put down immediately, never given more than a step on the loam.


    For all the danger around them, the swamp was a beautiful place. The wisps that danced over the thick mud cast blue to mingle with the moon¡¯s green. There were few natural bugs in the air, which made little sense in Theo¡¯s mind. Sounds of things fluttering overhead, among the tall boughs of the Ogre Cypress trees. Only the occasional sound of battle drew away from that sense of wonder.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Tresk said, appearing from nowhere. ¡°Got some greenish flowers. Lookin¡¯ like tulips or somethin.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, standing and following the Marshling into the swamp.


    They trudged closer to the [Swamp Dungeon] than Theo had ever been. A partial bridge of land spanned the space between the island and the dungeon. Not enough to keep out of the fetid mud, but enough to make the journey easily enough. Tresk led them closer to that dungeon, that towering pile of stones. It radiated a strange energy. It was as though the stones sought to draw the alchemist in. Inviting and dangerous at the same time, a contradiction of states that sent his heart beating faster.


    Theo craned his neck, looking almost directly up. ¡°I¡¯ve never been inside a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Count yourself lucky,¡± Zan¡¯kir said. ¡°The [Swamp Dungeon] is gross.¡±


    Adventurers had found something near the rear of the dungeon. Tucked near the trunk of an Ogre Cypress was a vining, spiny plant that clung to the bark. Theo came closer to the plant, his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] whispering as he drew closer. It whispered of the power within those sparse flowers. They weren¡¯t like other reagents in the area. They were different. Tresk reached a hand out to touch one and the alchemist shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±


    Tresk froze, looking back to cast him a confused look. Theo moved forward, holding a green flower in his hand. He sent his intent to inspect the item, letting out a steady breath as he did. It was a spirit plant.


    [Soul Bloom]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Spirit Flower]


    Legendary


    Impossibly delicate flower that blooms only once a moon phase. Improper handling will result in the destruction of this flower. Grows in places containing high spiritual energy.


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


    ¡°Fancy,¡± Tresk said, leaning close. ¡°Why can¡¯t we handle them?¡±


    Theo busied himself picking as many of the rare blooms as he could find. There were only 10 of them on the trunk of the tree, and he doubted their ability to find more. The reason he could handle the spirit plants was his [Rare Material Handling] ability. Without that, a normal person couldn¡¯t place a finger on the [Soul Blooms]. He explained it to his companions, who nodded along.


    ¡°Here¡¯s another question for ya,¡± Tresk said, nodding as though she knew the rules as good as anyone. ¡°How are you going to distill them? Low-unit runs are hard enough. Who knows if your still can even handle them?¡±


    She was simply reading his mind, or his feelings. It would be impossible to run the spirit plants through the stills. He¡¯d have to work them down to their primal essences and brew from there. The disadvantage to that technique was in volume, but he didn¡¯t need a lot of the potion. Just enough to help Xol¡¯sa, and anyone else who suffered a soul-slaying.


    ¡°I¡¯ll work them manually,¡± Theo said, coveting the blooms in his hands. He placed them in his inventory, not willing to let them sit in the open air any longer.


    The group continued their search of the swamp. As the hours swept past, they realized it was just the one plant within the swamp. At least within their limited search area. They trudged through the swamp, spotting lights flickering in the distance. Not distant enough to be people just outside the gates, but others wading through the swampy waters. A group of Elves stooped low, holding lanterns above their heads to inspect the murky water.


    ¡°Frogs,¡± one said as Theo approached. ¡°Delicious frogs.¡±


    The Elf was young, although the alchemist didn¡¯t know what that meant for their race. The intensity with which he stared at the water meant these frogs were worth catching. But Theo had never seen frogs in the swamp. A hand blurred into the water, sinking deep into the mud. Wrenching his hand from the muck, a smile spread across the Elf¡¯s face as he withdrew something that looked vaguely like a frog. Instead of the normal four legs, the thing had eight. And instead of legs, they were tentacles.


    ¡°Why is it always tentacles?¡± Theo asked.


    Upon closer inspection, Theo realized the frog only shared one characteristic with the frogs he knew back home. Wet, bumpy skin and a general color palette of green-brown. Other than that, even the thing¡¯s face was different.


    ¡°That¡¯s an octopus,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Octofrog,¡± Tresk said, with a satisfied nod. ¡°Frogopus?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the Elves call them Harlags,¡± Zan¡¯kir said.


    ¡°Yeah, Harlags,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Used to eat them when I was a kid. Kinda a kid¡¯s food, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re delicious,¡± the Elf said, rising to his full height. He stuffed the frog-thing in his bag and smiled. ¡°Boil them quickly, then soak them in cold broth. Leave it for a day, then eat it up.¡±


    ¡°Well, enjoy your frogopus,¡± Theo said, waving at the strange Elf. ¡°Also, don¡¯t stray too far from the walls. Unless you want to die.¡±


    ¡°Death is a worthy price for the frogopus.¡±


    Theo departed before someone could say frogopus again. There was some interesting linguistic opportunity there that he couldn¡¯t quite grasp. Why would the Qavelli language have a word for frogs? As a language, Qavelli was a patois, or creole language. Derived from something that existed before the settlers came here, and bastardized beyond recognition, the Qavelli people had adopted something and made it their own. But frogs?


    Pidgin languages aside, the night had been a success. Theo often found himself in possession of rare items. Sometimes he thought about those items¡¯ value, but they often served a purpose rather than a monetary value. Even taking clippings from the spirit plant left him feeling as though he couldn¡¯t force the flower to reproduce. Unlike the pristine seeds Khahar left him, those in the wild seemed not only uncultivated, but feral.


    ¡°Can a plant be feral?¡± Theo asked. No one answered and he decided it didn¡¯t matter.


    The point was, there was no point in worrying. The trip outside the walls had been exciting. Not only just because of the flowers, but because of the adventure. If the alchemist had a few more things in his toolbelt, he¡¯d be happy to delve into dungeons and fight monsters. He wouldn¡¯t fool himself into thinking he¡¯d serve any role other than support, but seeing something new had sent that shock of adventure through his mind.


    The group didn¡¯t break immediately. They stood in the town¡¯s square, watching lights behind windows and retelling their adventure. While Theo¡¯s [Stamina Potion] wore down by the moment, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from participating in the talk.


    ¡°Yeah, and then Theo left his chair in the swamp,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, trying to keep his voice low. It was hard when he was laughing between statements. ¡°Can you imagine? Someone is going to trudge their miserable butt to the dungeon, only to find a fine wooden chair waiting for a resting buttock.¡±


    Tresk put on her best pompous voice. She bowed at the waist. ¡°Honorable chair of the swamp. Venerable furniture of the bog. What is your wisdom?¡±


    ¡°What is your story, dear adventurer?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Sit, and regale me.¡±


    The group carried on for some time. Too loudly, perhaps. They were near enough to the butcher¡¯s building that the door swung open. The Toora woman, Whisper, strode forth. Theo shrunk back, trying to get behind Tresk. The Marshling was more suited to take the angry blows of a woken-up bear-person. But Whisper produced links of dried wolf sausage from nowhere, thrust them into Zan¡¯kir¡¯s hands before turning around and vanishing back into her building.


    The group of adventurers shared concerned looks with their Archduke, then burst out laughing again. They split up the dried sausage and chatted for a while as they ate it. No one else seemed to care, and Whisper didn¡¯t burst forth with more dried meats. Theo and Tresk broke off from the group after a while. Alex was still asleep in the satchel, snoring with the occasional honk-like snore.


    It was hard not to ignore sleep entirely and process his new flower. As Theo drew closer to his bed, exhaustion set in. With a few drops of [Cleansing Scrub] over his head, the alchemist kicked off his new boots and settled into his bed. His desire for comforts was growing by the day. Their bedroom was too small, with too few amenities. A nice palatial manor, perhaps on a raised bit of earth with a sturdy fence, was in order. Concerns like that washed away as he fell asleep, dropping into the dream realm.

 4.15 - Respite

    The Dreamwalk was filled with various representations of dried meats that night. They tasted of almost nothing. As Theo sat, munching on a length of dried something, he reflected on his progress. Grinding experience in the dream realm was good, but he couldn¡¯t push the realm far enough to allow experimentation with the [Soul Bloom]. Instead, he was left to face the progress he¡¯d made in the past few days.


    The alchemist¡¯s [Drogramath Alchemy Core] was at 21, matching his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] for once. His personal level had not budged from 20, and seemed reluctant to gain anything but small percentages of experience. The [Tara¡¯hek Core] just soaked experience, hurtling to 25 with little effort. His [Governance Core] was similar, hitting 22 the previous day.


    Of all the cores, the easiest to level should have been the [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core]. Theo held the idea that should have hit 10 in days, but the core had been stubborn. It was only level 2, and the alchemist was the one to blame. Focusing on too many other things had spread him thin, but that was no surprise. Alran would arrive in the morning, and Fenian the day after that. He¡¯d been treading water for days.


    Theo warded another rock with [Lesser Reveal], tossing it into a pile containing hundreds of the stones. His mind wanted to be annoyed with the laborious process, but the results were clear. Without the restrictions of mana or stamina, he was free to cast as many spells as he wanted. The alchemist could explore whatever fancy came to his mind without fear that he¡¯d blow himself up. Experience rushed in like a tide, filling his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] to the brim.


    Honk.


    Alex swam, kicking her little goose feet in the harbor of Broken Tusk. Theo had lost his concentration, stemming the endless tide of ships visiting the harbor. With a thought, he brought more. His mind had wandered away from the Dreamwalk. It had landed firmly on the challenge of extracting the hidden property of the [Soul Bloom]. The gosling swam over, and the alchemist scratched at her itching feathers for a while.


    ¡°We need to wake up before Alran gets to town,¡± Theo said. ¡°Find the property on the flower, and make a potion.¡±


    Alex honked a response, but there was some meaning there. She seemed concerned about something, but he couldn¡¯t understand what the problem was. Thinking for a moment, he noticed the issue with his plan.


    ¡°Because finding a property¡­ Even brewing an essence doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ve got the answer,¡± Theo said. ¡°I destroy the first sample, giving me 9 attempts at the potion.¡±


    Another honk with concern.


    The last time Theo used primal essences, he¡¯d applied them together with a [Suffuse Potion]. With a thought, he summoned a table and a scatter of equipment. He shook a vial of pink [Primal Healing]. The powder clumped near the bottom, only freed after vigorous shaking. Without experimentation, he had drawn few conclusions to the function of primal essences. They were used with the [Suffuse Potion] to bind properties together, creating an entirely new potion. But could they be used alone?


    The first experiment was a failure. Mixing a unit of the powder with a unit of [Enchanted Water] yielded nothing but an explosion. The dried meats, summoned by Tresk, scattered and fell into the harbor. Theo stretched his willpower of the dream realm, feeling for cracks in his authority here. It pushed back against his intent to discover something new within the realm. He pushed harder, but the Dreamwalk was firm on this. There wasn¡¯t enough information in the real world to simulate the action, leaving him to guess.


    Theo spent his time forming theories and warding various objects. The Dreamwalk had no problem with his experimenting with the effects of wards on different materials, which seemed unfair. He¡¯d never put them on anything but rocks. Why wouldn¡¯t it push back against that? Thinking of the realm like a living thing with its own decision making wasn¡¯t a pleasant thought. But it made sense.


    ¡°Checklist for tomorrow,¡± Theo said, sensing dawn nearby. ¡°Cure Xol¡¯sa. Figure out how to mix primals with water.¡±


    ¡°Get some more of that wolf meat,¡± Tresk said. She appeared from the shadow cast by the mound of rocks. The Marshling took a bite of a sausage. ¡°I¡¯m addicted.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste like much,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not in the Dreamwalk.¡±


    That didn¡¯t stop her from eating another entire sausage as they waited for dawn to come. In an instant, the realm faded, and they were waking up in their beds. Theo studied himself for any adverse effects before shrugging. He felt as rested as he ever had, even after staying up far past his bedtime. The motivation for leaving the physical world for his dream realm was one of practicality. If he spent more time there, he¡¯d grind more experience. But the limiting nature of the Dreamwalk often caused problems.


    The next problem came as a series of angry knocks from downstairs. Rushing downstairs to see what the problem was, the alchemist found Alise. She looked angry, but not at him.


    ¡°Alran is already here. Arrived before dawn,¡± she said.


    Alex came waddling up behind Theo, honking back at Alise.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Theo said. He tapped his foot as his thoughts fell into place.


    The alchemist checked his inventory, finding everything he needed to figure out Xol¡¯sa¡¯s problem. He had enough reagents sitting in there to test the function of primal essences as well. Tresk appeared behind him, her gaze drifting from side-to-side as though she expected an attack.


    ¡°Alise, find Aarok and bring him into our meeting room in the town hall. Just me, you, and Aarok. Tresk, could you buy breakfast for everyone from Xam¡¯s and have it delivered to the room?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Tresk said with a shrug.


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m going to take care of some things. I¡¯ll be there in five minutes,¡± Theo said, tucking Alex under his arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking her?¡± Tresk groaned. ¡°I wanted some time with D¡¯Goose.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Theo said, handing Alex over. ¡°Five minutes.¡±


    Without another word, Theo vanished from the spot. He held onto the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability in his mind. He passed over the placid oceans of shadow, then found his feet firmly on the ground of Tero¡¯gal. Counting up, he only reached 12 before a mental request filled his mind. Cold washed over the realm for only a moment, then Benton stepped through his archway. It vanished in a moment, and the god seemed in good spirits.


    ¡°Why are you the only one to visit me?¡± Theo asked, making his way to his work table.


    Benton looked only moderately upset about that statement. ¡°I brought scones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, alright. You¡¯re my new best friend,¡± Theo said, removing two chairs from his inventory and setting them near his work table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the tea,¡± Benton said, scampering off to the cottage.


    The bear-god let out a low whistle when Theo withdrew the [Soul Bloom] from his inventory. He placed it on the table and felt the magic of the thing radiate through Tero¡¯gal. The kettle bubbled nearby, filling the air with a faintly earthy smell. It was too dull to enjoy, and lacking whatever Xam used as sugar.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have company while I¡¯m here,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the empty, floating island.


    ¡°Yeah. At least you have me. Old, reliable Benton.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me suspicious,¡± Theo said, sighing.


    ¡°Hah! Then a trade. There¡¯s a new war kicking off in the heavens. Guess who started it? Another mortal,¡± Benton said. ¡°Chased an Aspirant into the heavens. Been fighting his way through the Prime Realms for a while. We¡¯re taking bets on how long he lasts.¡±


    That would be Fenian. Theo let his thoughts swirl around the Elf. He¡¯d chased someone into the realms, but that should have been impossible. Uz¡¯Xulven was bending the rules, allowing him to shift between realities. But why? Who would Fenian hate enough to chase into such a dangerous situation? Questions without answers were better left by the wayside.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theo said, patting the god on the shoulder. ¡°Pretty sure I know the Elf you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Really? Think he¡¯ll make it? I could use some insider information.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll make it. Without a doubt,¡± Theo said. ¡°What is an Aspirant, though?¡±


    ¡°Someone who can ascend, but hasn¡¯t,¡± Benton said.


    ¡°King Karasan,¡± Theo said. ¡°Do you know who is backing the Aspirant?¡±


    ¡°Nope. No one does. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so exciting!¡±


    Theo wouldn¡¯t disagree with that. But he had to wonder how long their fight would go on for. Time moved strangely in the realms, but he didn¡¯t know if that meant it moved that way for other mortals. It was, as always, too confusing to care about. Not when he had a job to do.


    The alchemist followed the instructions he was given about the [Soul Bloom]. He ground it up, lit it on fire, caught the smoke, then applied his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability on the fumes. A system message flashed into his vision, and he cocked his head.


    [Property Discovered]!


    You¡¯ve discovered the secret property of the [Soul Bloom] spirit plant! [Soul] property discovered.


    ¡°[Soul]... That¡¯s not the property I was expecting,¡± Theo said, his brow knitting tightly.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been researching the way Drogramath does alchemy,¡± Benton said. The bear-god prepared tea for them, setting cups out and arranging scones. ¡°And that seems like a weird property. Doesn¡¯t look like it fits.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Theo said, tapping his fingers on the table. ¡°So we¡¯re looking at using a [Suffuse Potion] to bind the [Soul] property to another.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what other properties you have.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a short list. Theo listed all his available properties while nursing his tea and nibbling on his scone. It was delicious, tasting something like a berry-filled pastry. But the flavors were muted, as was the scent. [Healing], [Rejuvenation], [Regenerate], and [Cure Ailment] were prime candidates. Four properties with nine attempts seemed like a surefire way to get the job done, but the alchemist wasn¡¯t sure.


    When he attempted to extract the primal version of the [Soul Bloom], laying a sample out on the table, his intuition was proven right. The spirit plant was like nothing he¡¯d worked with before. Instead of being a passive thing on the table, the flower fought back against his will. They clashed there in Tero¡¯gal, and the flower came out on top. It burst into flames, sending sparks of blue mana flying in all directions. The bear-god yelped, pitching backwards on his chair and tumbling to the ground.


    ¡°8 attempts,¡± Theo said, letting out a steadying breath.


    Theo thought better than to continue with the experiment without a break. Benton had some words of wisdom, and the pair chatted about clashing willpowers for a while. The [Soul Bloom] had some amount of will. It wasn¡¯t a kind of sentience, as though it could make decisions, but there was something behind those green petals.


    ¡°Alright, so you¡¯re familiar with clashes of will,¡± Benton said, rubbing his hands together.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re failing to realize what your realm is all about,¡± Benton said. ¡°You¡¯re still a baby, crying for your mommy, but this place is yours. You just need to claim it.¡±


    Theo wandered, listening as the bear-god followed closely behind him. He found his way to the island¡¯s edge and peered over. A twitch of his mental focus, and the image of clouds faded to show Tresk ordering food at Xam¡¯s. That was easy enough to do. Even sending messages to his golems seemed without effort, but it was controlling them that was the hard part. Just having them rest in the back of his mind was a constant drain on his will. Thinking about it as a subconscious process that ran through his mind all day brought the concept into a clear light.


    ¡°This reminds me of controlling my constructs,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Benton said. ¡°What constructs? Artifice-links, or what?¡±


    ¡°Golems. I guess it¡¯s more of soul-binding,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, makes sense with the Tara¡¯hek. The Toora shaman do something similar. You use a [Monster Core], right? Yeah, thought so. Have you tried to use a core that was higher than your level?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Good. Cause let me explain what you¡¯re doing. [Monster Cores] are proto-cores, right? If there¡¯s something in your chest¡ªlike a web around your cores¡ªthat¡¯s your soul. Take a flicker of that idea, just the smallest glimpse, and that¡¯s a monster¡¯s soul. Not a reflection, but the smallest shard of a soul¡­ When you make a golem, you¡¯re dominating the soul of a monster.¡±


    ¡°With my willpower,¡± Theo said. ¡°Which is why it¡¯s hard to keep so many of them on a leash.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. But guess what? Think of your realm as a big soul,¡± Benton said, shrugging. ¡°Not actually the way it is, but close enough for our purposes. Take your willpower, tap into the power of the realm, and there ya go.¡±


    Theo thought for a long moment. Long enough for his perception of time to fade, rendering the image below in real-time for only a blink. He gained control of the realm once again and nodded to himself. This made as much sense as anything. He moved, setting another [Soul Bloom] on the scorched table and concentrating.


    When he reached out with [Reagent Deconstruction] this time, he didn¡¯t just think about gaining the property of the flower. He thought about dominating it with his will. Forcing it to break down through sheer determination. Something flickered when he reached out to the realm, but it was distant. By the time he¡¯d grasped his fingers around Tero¡¯gal, the reagent exploded again.


    ¡°Maybe I was wrong,¡± Benton said, hiding near the wheat field.


    ¡°I was there,¡± Theo said, watching as an ember burned into his robe. ¡°I could feel it. As you suggested. 7 more tries.¡±


    But the alchemist wouldn¡¯t take each attempt. This time, when he reached out to the realm around him, he found it easy to grasp. Tero¡¯gal understood his intentions this time. He worked with him, forcing itself into a twin-domination of the flower. They pushed together against the green flower, forcing it to produce the primal essence he needed so desperately. A brief battle of wills and the flower went up in smoke. Benton shouted again, but the explosion didn¡¯t follow. Only a pile of green powder remained on the table.


    ¡°You did it?¡± Benton asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. It was your idea.¡±


    The resulting primal essence was as expected, but Theo inspected it anyway.


    [Primal Soul]


    [Primal Essence]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Reduces the chance of volatile reaction while bonding.


    1 Unit (powder)


    The primal representation of the [Soul] property.


    Then came the difficult decision of which other property to bind it to first. Something within him tried to whisper advice, but he was deaf to it. The realm of Tero¡¯gal interfered with Drogramath¡¯s power, fizzling it out to nothingness. Pressing forward, the alchemist selected the first property to bind. He extracted [Primal Healing] from a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], pushing aside his desire to test primal extraction on refined essences. A quick combination of [Primal Healing] with [Primal Soul] yielded an explosion.


    Benton wasn¡¯t the fearless god Theo might have thought. Hidden behind the cottage this time, the bear-god peered out with fearful eyes. ¡°Is that going to happen every time?¡±


    Theo grunted his response. He was too focused on the reality of the situation. ¡°5 more tries.¡±


    The next primal to test was [Primal Rejuvenation]. Theo extracted the powdered essence from a [Spriggan Heart], finding the object to have no objections to his actions. He performed the same task on another [Soul Bloom], draining his will to extract the precious powder. He stumbled, falling back before powerful hands caught him. Benton offered a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Bit taxing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Theo steadied himself, trying not to sway on the spot. A deep breath, and he was ready to mix the primals. Benton ran for it. Swirling like a bottle maelstrom, the essences mixed then bound in the [Suffuse Potion]. But the mixture continued to swirl. The granuals inside chased each other ceaselessly, unable to bind completely. Another muted whisper from his core.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Theo asked, flicking his finger against the glass.


    ¡°You¡¯re the expert,¡± Benton said.


    Theo waited for a while, not letting time slip away from him. He watched the reaction within, and came to a simple conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s a slow reaction. This is going to take hours to complete.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen that before?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Trying the next two properties, [Cure Ailment] and [Regeneration] brought explosive results. Theo crossed those off his list. His intuition said the potion he brewed, the one still reacting on the table, wasn¡¯t what he needed. He tapped his foot on the soft grass and chewed at his fingernails. Benton was saying something, perhaps words of encouragement, when an idea came to mind. Something lingering deep in his subconscious. Something that made him wonder if the memories were his own.


    Without hesitation, the alchemist withdrew a vial of [Troll¡¯s Blood] from his inventory. Benton feigned gagging, but Theo focused his mind on the first property of the substance. [Searing Regeneration]. Holding his hand over the vial of blood, the alchemist focused on his [Reagent Deconstruction] skill. A plume of fetid-smelling smoke left behind a vial of powder. It glowed like embers, shifting between pale gray and searing red.


    ¡°That¡¯s nasty,¡± Benton said.


    ¡°Agreed. It¡¯s my least favorite reagent,¡± Theo said, preparing another [Suffuse Potion]. He added a unit of [Primal Soul], [Primal Searing Regeneration], and watched.


    The potion swirled together, much like the combination of [Primal Soul], and [Primal Rejuvenation]. The particulate danced, but refused to bind. Something in Theo¡¯s mind told him this would take hours, if not days. He checked the real world, finding Tresk leaving Xam¡¯s tavern. There were hours left in his trip, leaving him alone with the bear-god.


    ¡°Wanna help me practice my magic?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh! I like magic,¡± Benton said. ¡°I¡¯ve decided I don¡¯t like alchemy, though.¡±

 4.16 - You Can Never Have Too Much Training

    Theo ran his fingers through his hair, straightening it the best he could before stepping off the island. He slipped through the space between worlds like a ghost, only briefly flashing over the Bridge. That shadowy world was once again filled with conflict, a signal that Fenian was drawing closer. While it was an assumption, the alchemist figured it was a good one.


    Stepping as though it was normal, Theo appeared in the meeting room of the town hall. Tresk offered a simple wave, while both Alise and Alran shrieked. The alchemist didn¡¯t break his stride, coming to rest the head chair. He stirred his tea, grabbed some Zee flatbread, and regarded those gathered before him. With plenty of time to consider the meeting, he presented a cold exterior. On the inside, excitement buzzed for his magical progress. Benton had insights, after all.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to put old things behind us,¡± he said. ¡°If you haven¡¯t left your feelings at the door, then leave.¡±


    The Archduke¡¯s eyes were locked on Alise. He didn¡¯t blame her for the problems with Rivers. Those sins fell on Alran, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Like a good spy, he was concerned about his situation. There was nothing worse than lacking information when you were in the business.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought nothing but good intentions,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°As have I,¡± Alise said. ¡°I¡¯m ready to settle this misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said. Benton said they would be more hostile to his intentions. The alchemist made a mental note about the bear-god.


    ¡°So, Alran is a dirtbag who hid his stock of gold and food,¡± Tresk said, setting the table the way only an assassin could. ¡°Alise is a hot-head with a mean temper. Dirtbag gives up his seat, dissolves the Chairs. Hot-head goes home to her lover. We¡¯re all happy.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. That was the breadth of their conversation today. Put so simply, it sounded silly. But there were more subtle things in motion there.


    ¡°And Alran gets our support as a Spymaster,¡± Theo said. ¡°Which god gave you cores to do the spying?¡±


    Alran shifted uncomfortably again. He might have been a smart man, under all that fat and bluster, but he wasn¡¯t smart enough to spy from such a great distance. Even with agents, the task would be too much. From experience, Theo knew spies were the first ones to jump ship when things got too hot. His mind spun out ideas, ranging from autonomous constructs to flying, drone-like creations.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got me by the tail,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Fan¡¯glir or Zagmon. They¡¯re dead,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t really kill a god,¡± Arlan said.


    ¡°Ulvoqor,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°Good, he¡¯s an ally.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should be the spymaster,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°I¡¯m too busy.¡±


    But it was obvious. Ulvuqor represented knowledge in the Prime Pantheon. Most considered them a neutral god, and the concepts represented lined up with spy craft. There was also the chance it was a specialized core, designed specifically for the task. How the head of a merchant organization got ahold of the core was a mystery, but the motivation was not. The core would make deals effortless. Updated prices across the globe, the sudden shift of the wind at his fingertips¡­


    ¡°[Ulvuqor Spy¡¯s Core]. There. Simple as that,¡± Alran said. ¡°I can view through the eyes of any agent without detection, enhancing their stealth abilities at will.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that,¡± Theo said, leaning in over the table. He took tentative bites of the flat bread, washing it down with tea. ¡°Well, that settles it. Doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it does,¡± Alise said, drumming her fingers on the table. ¡°We need to solidify his position in the nation. Give him a title, a contract, and so on.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to dissolve the Chairs?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m prepared to do so,¡± Alran said. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching my allies closely. And I¡¯ve come to realize something.¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯re super weak and stupid?¡± Tresk asked, laughing.


    ¡°Weak, not stupid,¡± Alran corrected. ¡°Smart, I¡¯d like to think. Only a smart man would bow when he knows he¡¯d be bested before the fight started. You were planning to¡­ remove me from my position by force.¡±


    ¡°We were,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°Which means you have agents in my town. That¡¯s fine. First, tell me everything you know about the war. Both of them.¡±


    Alran finally brightened up. He threw his shoulders back and his eyes shimmered with a pale silver light. ¡°Veosta has retreated beyond the spine. They¡¯re having trouble holding back the tide. Karasan is missing from Qavell, and the undead have pushed to their gates. The surprise is that there are interlopers on Iaredin. Masked soldiers my spies don¡¯t recognize, conducting hit-and-run tactics in the sea. Hamstringing fleets from Tarantham.¡±


    That was to be expected. Theo didn¡¯t know who would want to attack the Elves, but it didn¡¯t matter. Karasan being missing lined up. He was likely fighting with Fenian in the heavens. Why they fought was beyond the alchemist, but that hardly mattered. It was nice to know that the spine was holding, leaving the Veostians alive for a time. He wanted to trade with them, if there was anything left of their nation at the end of the war.


    ¡°Any spies in the Khahari desert?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A few,¡± Alran said. ¡°Nothing interesting there, I assure you. Khahar ascended, taking several million of his people with him. What remains are custodians. The southern islands are sending a small trade fleet north. They¡¯ve gotten word we have a port to trade. Partopour also has a single scout vessel coming, as does Bantein.¡±


    ¡°Seems like you could have told us that,¡± Alise said, trying not to fume.


    ¡°I was gathering information, double-checking everything before bringing it to the Archduke¡¯s attention,¡± Alran said.


    There were several times Theo had reported information before getting the whole picture. The crater that was once Berlin flashed in his mind for a single moment, but it vanished before it could take hold. Alran was more clever than he thought. Farseeing abilities like these would be useful. Not just useful. Vital.


    ¡°That¡¯s an impressive network of informants you¡¯ve gathered,¡± Theo said.


    Alran swelled at the compliment. ¡°Decades of work.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s set the terms of the contract,¡± Theo said. ¡°You use your abilities to better the nation, dissolve the chairs, and offer a decent Duke or Duchess. You¡¯ll promise never to harm our people directly, give away information, and so on.¡±


    ¡°What do I get?¡± Alran asked.


    ¡°The full support of the nation,¡± Alise said. ¡°As our official spy master. Access to our resources. Our port. A potential for you to spread your web tighter over the globe. Your spies don¡¯t work for free, do they?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re indebted,¡± Alran said, offering a grim smile. ¡°But those terms are more than agreeable. I¡¯ve been eager to shake off the mantle of Chair for some time. I have no love for the Merchant Chairs. No love for Rivers and Daub¡ªnot that you should tell anyone that.¡±


    ¡°He has a love for his craft,¡± Tresk said, nodding with approval. She climbed on the table, crawling across to poke a finger in the spy¡¯s chest. ¡°I like that.¡±


    ¡°Me, too,¡± Theo said. He went into his administration interface. It was hard to find Alran¡¯s name. He had to select the option labeled ¡®Rivers and Daub¡¯ to find the man. ¡°You want ¡®Spymaster¡¯ or ¡®Lord Spymaster¡¯?¡±


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    Alran rubbed his hands together. ¡°I¡¯d like the one with ¡®lord¡¯ in the title, please.¡±


    Theo made it so, closing the interface to draw up the contract. They went back-and-forth on the matter, changing things to suit the needs of both towns. Everyone was glad with an absurdly verbose contract, binding each party to specific needs. When the tension in the room cleared, they sat and ate breakfast.


    This was the first time Theo had spoken to Alran about things other than their towns. The Spymaster was eager to share tales of his journeys. Before he¡¯d settled down as a Merchant Chair, he was an adventurer. With several cores, all related to stealth, he¡¯d traveled the world and made his fortune. After gaining his spy core, he settled down and pushed things from afar.


    ¡°My plans changed when Theo took over Broken Tusk. They changed again when you mentioned a position as a spy,¡± Alran said. He sipped his tea with grace, bringing the cup to his lips and slurping politely.


    ¡°How many backup plans did you have?¡± Theo asked. ¡°For if we didn¡¯t work with you.¡±


    ¡°He really was like me, wasn¡¯t he?¡± Alran asked, looking for sympathetic responses from both Tresk and Alise. The Marshling nodded excitedly while the Lady Administrator gave a curt nod. ¡°Four plans. Including this.¡±


    The Spymaster withdrew something from nowhere, placing it down on the table. It looked like a jumble of artifices duct-taped together. They surrounded a pulsing core. Radiating an energy of pure chaos, the item vibrated on the table. Alran stored it back in his inventory, chuckling.


    ¡°That would have split a hole in the realm. Allowed me to jump onto the Bridge and get out of here. Some sunny beach in the Khahari Desert,¡± Arlan said. There was a tone of pride in his voice, and Theo wouldn¡¯t blame him. Splitting reality like that wouldn¡¯t have been easy.


    ¡°But the path on the other side would have been dangerous,¡± Theo said.


    The meeting had gone on long enough. One mention of the Bridge and his mind darted back to his injured friend. Xol¡¯sa, resting in his tower. Waiting for someone to come up with a solution for his illness. Theo withdrew the potion he¡¯d crafted from his inventory, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face. Ignoring the questions of his staff, he inspected it.


    [Reforge Soul]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion reforges a mortal¡¯s soul. The process is extremely painful, but all impurities, imperfections, and scars are cleansed.


    ¡°That looks expensive,¡± Alran said, leaning to get a better look.


    Instead of pulling it back, Theo held it out for the man to inspect. The Spymaster let out a whistle, shaking his head.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even put a price on this,¡± Theo said, staring into the silver substance. It was more opaque than his normal potions, holding flecks of both red and silver powder. It caught the light from the window, glinting in the sun. ¡°Or this one.¡±


    The alchemist withdrew another potion for the group to inspect. While the [Reforge Soul] potion was made with the [Primal Soul] and [Primal Searing Regeneration], this was the failed attempt using [Primal Rejuvenation] and [Primal Soul].


    [Cleanse Soul]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion removes the yearly requirement for soul-forging tasks. This potion may only be drunk once per season (70 days).


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what soul-forging is,¡± Theo said. ¡°Is that like core forging?¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Alran said, shrugging.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Tresk said, crossing her arms. ¡°Does it make me stab better? No? I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Archduke, you could scour the world asking for coin for those potions,¡± Alran said. ¡°And you would find not a soul willing to give you a price.¡±


    ¡°Priceless potions,¡± Alise said with a nod. ¡°Well, Spymaster, I just wanted to say¡­ I¡¯m very happy that we¡¯ve come to an agreement, and I apologize for yelling at you.¡±


    ¡°It was good fun,¡± Alran said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°This is a calling for me. Something like you¡¯d never believe. I can serve with my passion. How many people can say that?¡±


    ¡°To the Southlands Alliance,¡± Theo said, holding his teacup in salute. The others joined, and they drained the moss tea away.


    Theo nodded for Tresk to join him, leaving Alran and Alise to mend fences. He¡¯d steered them both in the right direction, but now it was up to them to finish the job. As their leader, he needed to find that balance between telling people what to do and putting them in the right direction. Too firm a hand led to folks relying on him for everything. Too gentle, and he¡¯d find himself with rogue factions within his nation. It was a fact he wasn¡¯t ready to face, but time wouldn¡¯t wait for him. His confidence was bolstered beyond anything possible before thanks to Tero¡¯gal. Twelve hours of reflection a day did wonders for him.


    Could you prepare a group of adventurers. I need to go to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower, Theo said, using their communication skill.


    Tresk saluted and disappeared, leaving Theo in the town hall. There were crowds forming below. The junior administrators were handling requests from citizens. Getting them on paper and shuffling those words off to whoever needed to hear them. He even spotted some people who weren¡¯t from town. This was the center of the alliance, so that made sense.


    Theo made his way out of the town hall and onto the street. He took a breath of the stifling morning air, thanking the sparse trees overhead for their cover. The heat of the day was ramping up, something the Season of Fire would make worse by the day. He walked to Zarali¡¯s place, not surprised to see her working on something within. He could feel the presence of the enchantments, even read some of the script. The alchemist should have told her he¡¯d found a cure earlier. She was trying to fix her betrothed with Drogramathi enchantments.


    ¡°I figured it out,¡± Theo said, producing the potion from his inventory.


    Zarali looked up from her work. Her eyes were rimmed red. Hurrying over, she inspected the potion. Joy mingled with sorrow as she wept on her brother¡¯s shoulder. Minutes passed before her words became understandable.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± Theo asked. He stopped himself before going on. It didn¡¯t matter who was right, he had the cure for a failed soul-slaying in his hands. ¡°Right, you did. Tresk is assembling a team of adventurers to escort us to the tower.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Theo,¡± Zarali said, pulling him into a tighter hug.


    Theo hugged her back, letting out a sigh as she rested her head on his shoulder. Xol¡¯sa meant more to her than he first expected, but their bond ran deep.


    ¡°I¡¯d lie if I said it wasn¡¯t a fluke,¡± Theo said. ¡°That bear-god I mentioned was helpful.¡±


    Zarali couldn¡¯t shower enough praise on Theo, but the alchemist had to remind her of the risks. The potion said the process would be ¡®extremely painful¡¯, but she promised she could handle it. The priestess had been hiking all the way out to the wizard¡¯s tower daily, taking care of him as he rested. But things were getting worse. The wound, which she expected to close, had widened. Theo didn¡¯t want to share his theories.


    The first he had was that Xol¡¯sa wasn¡¯t from this plan. As an extra-planar being, the rules might not apply to him the same. The second theory was that the wound was just that deep, and perhaps his extra-planar nature was the only thing that prevented a true slaying. In the alchemist¡¯s mind, the mention of slaying wasn¡¯t in regard to killing someone. A soul-slaying attack was deeper than that. A strike meant to remove someone from existence entirely. He shook those thoughts away as Tresk sent a mental message.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Theo said.


    Near the town square, an army of adventurers stood ready. Trainees from Gronro-Dir stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the local adventurers. Aarok and Luras headed the group, standing at attention before an army, 100 strong. At the sight of their Archduke, they saluted, offering different gestures depending on their culture.


    ¡°When the Archduke calls,¡± Aarok started.


    ¡°We answer,¡± the group finished, a thunder of voices that echoed through the town.


    Tresk was somewhere nearby, laughing her ass off.


    Aarok approached the alchemist, bringing him close with a sly smile. ¡°Just a training exercise. Organization, formations, stuff like that. Tresk said we¡¯re just going to the tower, but you can¡¯t throw these chances away.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Theo said, letting his eyes linger on the soldiers.


    Soldiers. That¡¯s what they were. Arrayed like that on the cobbles of his town. Disciplined peoples, holding no regard for their disparate races. Cultures clashed together like the armor they wore. Elves from Tarantham, clad in their finely crafted scale armors. Dwarves from Gronro, wearing pitted and burned plate armor. Bantari Marshlings and the wayward Half-Ogres, wearing a hodgepodge of whatever they could strap to their bodies. There were even at least two Humans from Rivers.


    Aarok and Luras must have been having a blast. When they gave the order to march, the army filed out into distinct columns. They didn¡¯t segment themselves by race, or their hometowns, but by specializations. The stealthers, led by Tresk, went first into the swamp. Then those wearing heavy armor, close-range fighters mostly likely. Then the ranged folks, some holding bows and others throwing weapons.


    Bringing up the rear were the only two spellcasters. Theo, representing the only standing wizard in town, and Zarali. A chant of words, exalting Lord Drogramath, and the army moved faster. Her blessing fell over them like a soothing rain, washing away the heat. With unnecessary organization, they forged a way through the swamp. To save their wizard.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit much,¡± Theo said, leaning in to laugh with Zarali.


    ¡°A training exercise, he said,¡± Zarali giggled. ¡°I think Aarok is worried about our wizard.¡±


    ¡°You can never have too much training,¡± Luras said, falling back to walk with Theo and Zarali. ¡°Not when an army of bones is knocking on your door.¡±

 4.17 - The Cure

    The small army split off half-way to the wizard¡¯s tower. They hardly needed one escort, let alone the army. Today, the swamp was calm. Unlike the other night, when wisps and wolves seemed to poke their heads out of every corner. Theo still viewed the exercise with respect, locking the image in his mind. It seemed significant. A turning point for the alliance, although it had only just formed.


    A point of pride for Aarok, and a sense of comfort for Theo.


    Walking up the gentle ramp of the tower, bringing his soggy feet onto the wide flagstones, Theo felt something. A prickle of energy ran up his spine, sending the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He held a hand out, stopping Tresk and Zarali where they were.


    ¡°Did he leave his defenses up?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Zarali said. A wave of energy flowed from the priestess, slamming against something near the tower. A bubble of energy appeared, covered in Axpashi runes and bristling with power. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    While Theo could read some of the spells wrought in the air, he couldn¡¯t make out their meaning. Images of well-intentioned explorers flashed into his mind. People exploring ancient ruins, only to find their end at the hands of a long-dead wizard. The power within Xol¡¯sa¡¯s barrier radiated outward, warning those with magical senses away.


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem,¡± Theo said, studying the symbols. ¡°Why would he throw up a barrier?¡±


    ¡°He was talking about something,¡± Zarali said, taking a deep breath. Theo could feel her on the verge of tears. A wave of emotion to match the strength of that shield. ¡°He thought someone was after him. Through the veil.¡±


    ¡°The veil being the place between realms,¡± Theo said, leaning closer to observe the runes. Energy crackled, and electricity jumped to sting his nose. ¡°Yep. That¡¯ll kill us.¡±


    ¡°Think he¡¯ll share the secret of the murder shell with me?¡± Tresk asked, getting too close to the barrier. Theo held a hand out, keeping her from going closer.


    The alchemist didn¡¯t respond. He flopped onto the floor, sitting cross-legged near the barrier¡¯s edge. His mind flashed as he inspected his memories of applicable potions. Potions were always the solution, after all. [Anti-Mage] was one of his favorite modifiers. He had an arsenal of the potions within his inventory at that very moment. But their usefulness was questionable. Theo flicked through them in his mind before he settled on one.


    ¡°You¡¯ll thank me for being over-prepared,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a [Carapace Potion] from his inventory. He inspected it, a sense of accomplishment washing over him. It paid to have so many potions at his fingertips.


    [Carapace Potion]


    [Anti-Mage]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A defensive potion. Drink to gain segmented plates over your body, significantly increasing your defense.


    Effect:


    Covers your body with flexible, chitinous plates. Effect lasts 30 minutes, or until the plates are destroyed.


    Chitinous plates are covered in a field of anti-magic. Reduces damage dealt by magical attacks, and absorbs those spells to increase the duration of this potion.


    ¡°Theo, we should think about this,¡± Zarali said.


    But Theo had learned to trust the description of potions. And it wasn¡¯t as though he was going to drink a single potion, that would be foolish. Since the effects stacked, there was no reason not to drink as many potions as he could. Without waiting for more objections, the alchemist quaffed his potions. A [Dexterity Potion] with the [Anti-Mage] modifier gave him +13 [Dexterity] and a [Magic Shell] effect. A [Vigor Potion] with [Refined Elemental Earth], giving him +14 [Vigor] and a scaling bonus to his resistances. Both tasted similar to fizzing mud. He drank a [Regeneration Potion], his [Anti-Mage] [Carapace Potion], then finally turned to regard his companions.


    Chitinous plates sprung up around the alchemist as his entire body buzzed. The plates were heavy, stifling his movement. His body objected to the sudden increase in attributes, making his movements strange. A visible field of anti-magic fizzled around him, the dual-effects warring with each other.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother yelling at him,¡± Tresk said, bouncing up and down with excitement. ¡°This is gonna be so cool.¡±


    Theo drank his last potion, winking at his adoptive sister. The power of the [Retreat Potion] sent him hurtling backward at impossible speeds. He slammed hard against the wizard¡¯s door, causing the wood to splinter, but it didn¡¯t break. Bolts of lightning sprung from the barrier, slamming into the twin-barriers fizzling around the alchemist. It arced onto his chitinous plates, the potion absorbing the attack entirely only to fall away moments later.


    Tresk gave a thumbs-up.


    ¡°That was dangerous!¡± Zarali shouted. Her voice came in a wavering tone, as though the barrier blocked more than just entrance. It distorted the air around him, sending a strange feeling of electricity through his being. But the lightning had stopped.


    ¡°We¡¯re still good!¡± Theo shouted, giving Tresk the thumbs-up back.


    ¡°Want me to come?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go!¡± Zarali said, groaning. ¡°That was so incredibly dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Lady, I can pass through realms. Two of us is better than one,¡± Tresk said, vanishing from the spot with Alex.


    She¡¯d reappear wherever she was done in Tero¡¯gal, likely 5 minutes from now. Theo still didn¡¯t know what she did with her time in the realm besides training with Benton. It didn¡¯t matter. All the excitement for using his potions had distracted the alchemist from his goal. His friend was in trouble. Somewhere within the tower, dying from a soul-slaying. While Zarali shouted something at him, he redoubled his concentration. Focusing his mind on the task at hand. He entered the tower and closed the door behind him, drowning out the shouts of protest.


    The situation was real, now. Theo had wanted to test some potions, and he was happy that they worked, but now was the time for caution. Xol¡¯sa was paranoid. There could be more traps. He quaffed an [Intelligence Potion] and a [Wisdom Potion] before sitting on the floor to have a think. His mind rushed with the sudden +13 to both attributes, sending him reeling and light headed. Both attributes burst through thresholds, sending his thoughts racing at an uncomfortable pace.


    Suddenly, he had a better understanding of the barrier outside. It wasn¡¯t created by the wizard himself, but the tower. An automated response meant to defend its owner. While that was a comforting thought, the alchemist wanted more than his logical reassurances. He needed Alex and Tresk by his side to bounce ideas off of. Instead of forging ahead, he waited for five minutes.


    With an indistinct popping sound, Tresk and Alex appeared before him. She struck a heroic pose. ¡°Phew. Really gives you time to think. Doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Theo said, the cocktail of potions still thundering through his system.


    Alex honked, then spat a small gout of fire.


    ¡°Talked to Benton. He went off and found that dead Dronon¡¯s spirit again. The spirit was impressed with your work, and wants to live in Tero¡¯gal, but I said I had to talk to you first,¡± Tresk said, taking a deep breath. ¡°Well, anyway¡­ [Reforge Soul] is dangerous, so we need to be there to feed Xol¡¯sa healing potions. The spirit guy said to apply [Healing Essence] directly to the wizard¡¯s chest before we make him drink the forging potion. It¡¯ll reduce the pain.¡±


    Theo nodded, standing and looking at his companions. Twelve hours had passed for Tresk, allowing her to sort her thoughts. The alchemist¡¯s mind was a whirl of ideas and emotions that he found difficult to direct. With his friends, he¡¯d find a way to pull them in. To make those errant things obey his command.


    ¡°Let¡¯s gooooo!¡± Tresk shouted, pointing to the staircase.


    Theo led the way, counting on his lingering [Dexterity Potion¡¯s] shell effect to mitigate any magical attacks. But the floors were clear of traps, and they found the wizard asleep in his bed. Heaving breath and covered in a sheen of sweat, Xol¡¯sa had never looked worse. The markings that covered his body, normally shifting with a constant pulse of blue energy, were dim. The alchemist could feel the power in the man¡¯s chest fading, even if he hadn¡¯t mastered that skill. Zarali would be useful here.


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    ¡°He should have given command of the tower to someone else,¡± Theo said, coming to kneel next to the bed. ¡°We could disable the shield. Damn.¡±


    ¡°Get to work, alchemist,¡± Tresk said, rummaging through the room. ¡°Check the top floor, Alex.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s breath came in ragged gasps. Theo got near, checking what he knew to check and shaking his head. The man¡¯s pulse was slow, his breathing shallow. Clammy skin and eyes that remained unfocused when exposed to light. The alchemist started with the [Healing Essence], unceremoniously pulling the Elf¡¯s robes up and dripping it on his chest.


    ¡°Sorry, bud,¡± Theo said, watching as the essences sizzled. He¡¯d never applied it directly to the skin, and doubted it was safe.


    Before continuing, Theo set out everything he¡¯d need on a table. [Healing Potions], [Stamina Potions], [Mana Potions], his [Reforge Soul] potion, and a pitcher of drinking water to start. He considered his more esoteric potions before moving on. On instinct, the alchemist tipped Xol¡¯sa¡¯s head back and poured a [Vigor Potion] inside. The Elf drank it weakly, coughing and muttering something.


    ¡°How did he get so bad?¡± Theo asked, watching as Tresk rummaged through the room.


    ¡°Must¡¯ve happened overnight,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Zarali is a worrier. She would have said something.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna start,¡± Theo said, gesturing for his companion to come over. ¡°Help me hold him.¡±


    Tresk waddled over to the bed, jumping and landing atop the Elf. She held both his arms down, putting her minimal weight on his torso. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Theo poured the [Reforge Soul] potion into his friend¡¯s mouth. Xol¡¯sa let out a guttural scream the moment the potion slid down his throat. The room filled with shifting hues of red and blue, pulsing between them. Alex came down the stairs, honking repeatedly. The alchemist understood the honks to mean there was nothing on the roof. The Elf¡¯s mouth opened wide, shafts of solid blue light shooting out.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Tresk shouted, struggling to keep the Elf under control. ¡°Once that light goes, feed him a [Healing Potion]. Maybe a regen, too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, trying his hardest to keep the Elf still. ¡°We¡¯ll just shove everything down his gullet.¡±


    There was no care needed when pouring potions down the Elf¡¯s throat. Common potions like [Healing Potions] didn¡¯t have a cooldown, or adverse effects when taken back-to-back. Several minutes into their efforts, when the light had died down, the tower shimmered around them. Moments later, Zarali came wailing up the stairs. She threw herself over Xol¡¯sa, lingered there for only a moment, then called upon the power of Drogramath. The intensity of the request sent a ripple through the realms, something that Theo, Tresk, and Alex felt in their bones.


    ¡°The worst is done,¡± Zarali said, stifling sobs. ¡°His soul is knitting together.¡±


    With the priestess¡¯ support, keeping Xol¡¯sa alive became effortless. She sent a constant stream of Drogramathi mana into the man¡¯s body, pulling together the parts of him that were burnt by the reforging. Theo applied more [Healing Essence] to the Elf¡¯s chest, finding himself feeling more like a member of a trauma team than an alchemist, Hours passed, but the light faded.


    The reforging was completed.


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s breath came with the steady rising and falling of his chest. His sweat-soaked body dried out, aided by a pile of damp cloth. Best of all, Zarali claimed that his soul had been made stronger. Forged into something better than it was before, with all the cracks and dents mended. The group collapsed with exhaustion just as Aarok ascended the tower.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is. Now, anyway,¡± Theo said, mopping his brow.


    Alex honked with encouragement, letting a small stream of fire out of her bill.


    ¡°He must have crashed overnight,¡± Tresk said, bringing another length of cloth soaked in water. ¡°He¡¯d be dead if we didn¡¯t find the right potion. Forget waiting for a healer to show up, he had hours.¡±


    ¡°Is there a lesson to be learned here?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t poke your head into the realms unless you¡¯re ready to get your soul slain,¡± Theo said.


    While Theo and Tresk departed with the main force of the adventurers, Aarok left soldiers behind. Guards were stationed outside of the tower, meant to hold a respectful vigil for the night. While the alchemist was happy to see his friend in a better state, he had concerns. Not just about what the wizard had done, what with poking into the realms and all, and not just about his willingness to facilitate those actions. Fenian would arrive tomorrow. He trudged through the swamp with Tresk, sharing his concerns.


    ¡°Fenian has never been in serious trouble,¡± Theo said. ¡°And look what he¡¯s brought through the Bridge. That damned giant construct. Artifice-weapon. Whatever it was.¡±


    The soldiers marching ahead showed interest in the topic. Aarok fell behind, holding the pair back to get out of earshot. With the midday sun overhead, they constructed their stratagem.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a big problem, Theo,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Defensibility of the eastern side of town is lacking.¡±


    That was owing to the shape of the walls there. During previous attacks, they enjoyed a four-sided wall, with no strange nooks. Now, with the town expanded past the river only where the harbor rested, they had a vulnerable spot. But Theo wasn¡¯t so sure that was allogether bad. It just depended on where the Elven trader appeared. The group made their way back to town without incident, Luras and Aarok joining them to the eastern wall.


    ¡°This actually works,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°There¡¯s something about the space over the river, right on the road, that¡¯s screaming to me.¡±


    ¡°Me, too,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Like a rip in reality. A place where Fenian can bring his carriage. He¡¯ll appear in the same spot he¡¯s always appeared.¡± Theo took only a moment to draw a line in his mind¡¯s eye. ¡°If something comes through the portal to the Bridge, it¡¯s going to get slammed by the harbor¡¯s wall. Then, the eastern wall.¡±


    Aarok grunted a response. Luras simply nodded before saying, ¡°Decent crossfire. We¡¯d have a better idea if the [River Dungeon] spawned some monsters.¡±


    The river dungeon was gently north of the bridge, at the thickest point of the river from there until the sea. From what Tresk had said, it was deep and difficult to reach. Theo shook thoughts away, trying not to imagine what would happen when they expanded the town over the dungeon.


    ¡°We can sprint for another upgrade with the town,¡± Theo said, drumming his fingers on the hard stone. ¡°Not sure if that will help.¡±


    ¡°How about trying to upgrade the nation?¡± Aarok asked.


    They hadn¡¯t tested how that worked. Theo¡¯s intuition said it was just like upgrading the town, just more expensive. ¡°How many [Monster Cores] do we have? Between us? I have about 200 level 30 cores. Don¡¯t look at me like that, I¡¯ve been saving them. I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few hundred at level 20,¡± Aarok said. Luras pooled his cores with the guild, so he had none to offer.


    ¡°Yeah, I got like 500 between level 5 and 20,¡± Tresk said, picking something out of her teeth. Only then did Theo realize she¡¯d been chewing on those waxy leaves.


    ¡°I keep forgetting to make salt,¡± Theo grumbled. He clapped his hands, banishing the thought away. ¡°Let¡¯s do some testing.¡±


    The group moved to the monolith in the town¡¯s center. Theo understood the mechanics of building upgrading, but they were convoluted. Using a [Monster Core] above or at the level of the building resulted in a flat rate of experience gain. 5 cores to advance to the new level. Applying a [Monster Core] under the level of the building was more confusing. It dropped off at a rate, likely defined by some mathematical function. But the point was, underleveled cores were less effective.


    ¡°We¡¯re starting at level 1, at 0% experience,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll apply a [Monster Core] at level 30, so we¡¯ll see how well they work.¡±


    The [Monster Core] easily slipped inside the monolith, moving with the intent to upgrade the nation, not the town. Theo checked the nation afterward.


    [Small Free City Alliance]


    Name: Southlands Alliance


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Level: 1 (2%)


    Core Towns:


    Broken Tusk (Capital)


    Rivers and Daub


    Gronro-Dir


    Current Energy:


    45%


    Upgrades:


    None


    ¡°Rats,¡± Theo said, tapping his foot on the hard cobbles. ¡°50 to upgrade to level 2. I mean, that makes sense. Nations are expensive.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s shove this frogopus full of cores!¡± Tresk shouted, withdrawing a pile of cores from her [Dimensional Storage Sack].


    ¡°I could go for some frog,¡± Luras said, watching from a distance.


    As expected, it took 51 cores to upgrade to level 2. But Theo observed something annoying on the next go. Perhaps it was the lingering effects of his [Intelligence Potion], but he came up with the formula for upgrading the nation.


    ¡°Annoying, but not horrible,¡± Theo said. ¡°50 plus the nation¡¯s level.¡±


    ¡°At least it¡¯s not exponential,¡± Tresk said, giggling.


    It took some effort, but the Southlands Alliance hit level 5. Theo looked over the upgrades and snorted a laugh. They weren¡¯t great.


    [Zorp]


    Once per day, you may transfer resources between towns. Quantity is limited to nation¡¯s level at a rate of n*100. E.g. At level 1, you may transfer 100 of any resource, at level 2 you may transfer 200 of any resource, and so on.


    [Trade Boost]


    Carts traveling between towns within the nation will travel 1.5x faster, so long as they are designated for trade.


    [Share Information]


    Allows leaders to send mental messages to each other. Limited number of messages per day, based on nation¡¯s level at a rate of n*10. E.g. At level 1, you may send 10 messages, at level 2 you may send 20, and so on.


    ¡°[Share Information] is useless to us. [Trade Boost] is alright, but I wouldn¡¯t want Azrug¡¯s carts to break the sound barrier.¡±


    ¡°Leaving [Zorp],¡± Tresk said, laughing. ¡°Zorp! What kind of word is that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the sound someone makes when they teleport,¡± Aarok said, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it before. The saying is extremely common.¡±


    Theo reluctantly selected the [Zorp] option, although he disagreed with the naming. By the time the nation reached level 10, they were almost entirely out of [Monster Cores]. But when the new option arrived, the alchemist rubbed his hands together.


    [Controlled Fire]


    All tower-style weapons, mounted to mounting points using the [Defensive Emplacements] require 1/3 less motes to operate, and fire 1.25x faster.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t consult his friends before selecting it, and went on to inspect the nation.


    [Small Free City Alliance]


    Name: Southlands Alliance


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Level: 10 (1%)


    Core Towns:


    Broken Tusk (Capital)


    Rivers and Daub


    Gronro-Dir


    Current Energy:


    45%


    Upgrades:


    [Zorp]


    [Controlled Fire]


    A flat rate was nice, even if Theo liked upgrades that scaled. He wouldn¡¯t say no to a quarter better firing rate. The group discussed what they could do to make things better. The alchemist had an idea, utilizing his newest core. They lingered there for some time, but for his plan to work he needed someone. Then he spotted a group of burly Half-Ogres walking over the bridge, headed back to town. Theo grinned.


    ¡°Hey, Ziz!¡± Theo shouted, once the man was within range. ¡°Want a job?¡±

 4.18 - Big Rock

    The effort to move a massive slab of marble from the quarry to near the eastern gate was titanic. It had taken most of the day and no small amount of help from the locals. Theo stood before the rough-cut stone. It stood twice his height, having rough alcoves carved where Ziz intended to hew blocks. But the stoneworkers was happy to give it up, submitting to the alchemist¡¯s whims for defense.


    ¡°Big rock,¡± Tresk said, slapping her hand on the upright monolith.


    ¡°Use your words.¡±


    ¡°Why do we need a big rock, good sir?¡± Tresk asked.


    Alex honked, joining her voice to the questioning.


    ¡°Check it out,¡± Theo said, holding his hand out.


    Chanting the words to the [Lesser Defense] ward, Theo felt more mana flow from his cores than ever before. The air crackled with magic, visible motes of Toru¡¯aun mana drifting and popping in the wind. On his sixth chant of the spell, the alchemist popped a [Mana Pill]. Sweat formed on his brow from the effort, straining both his concentration and his mana. By the tenth chant, and another pill, the spell fulminated.


    Space distorted around the stone for a single breath. Ziz let out a whistle of approval. The spell had bound to the stone in spectacular fashion, gaining Theo 25% experience in his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] for his efforts. But more than that, he had something between where Fenian would appear and his town.


    ¡°Explain the idea to me,¡± Aarok said, gesturing vaguely to the stone. ¡°Looks like you just made a big spot where Ziz needs to lay more road.¡±


    Theo gestured to the far side of the new stone bridge. ¡°The portal will appear there. And whatever Fenian brings with him comes along.¡± He traced his finger, drawing a straight line between the bridge and his new stone. ¡°Anything that bursts from the portal will hit the stone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so the stone absorbs random attacks.¡± Tresk nodded, cupping her chin in her hand. ¡°Interesting tactic, fine sir. Absolutely splendid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Laser beams, fireballs, flying exploding monkeys. Just seems like a low-effort defensive measure,¡± Theo said.


    Aarok shrugged at that. The effort to bring the stone over was indeed minimal. Ziz donated the stone to the town for free, and Theo made his own mana pills. If the rock caught a single attack, it would pay for itself. And it wasn¡¯t stationary. They could move it to a new spot or add new stones. Once the alchemist had consumed more primal essences, he¡¯d be more flexible. He¡¯d have more effects at his fingertips, although a new trigger method was what he needed.


    ¡°We have the soldiers from Gronro for Fenian¡¯s arrival,¡± Aarok said, holding one finger up. He continued with more fingers. ¡°[Healing Potions], your limb-regeneration thing, tons of motes for the towers. I think we¡¯re ready for whatever comes through.¡±


    ¡°Good. Have you checked on Ral lately?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, he has a little baby leg right now,¡± Aarok said. ¡°It¡¯s creepy, but coming along.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Baby leg aside, that¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°Another hole plugged in the never-ending saga of Theo¡¯s need to be a mother hen,¡± Tresk said, nodding sage-like.


    ¡°I feel like a mother hen,¡± Theo said. His mind drifted.


    ¡°Hah! He¡¯s thinking about upgrading buildings. With our last few [Monster Cores],¡± Tresk said, laughing. ¡°Look at the mother hen go!¡±


    It was hard to be mad when she was right. HIs mind had gone directly to using the last of the cores he was sitting on. With their purpose served, he wanted to rid himself of the rest. Sledge hadn¡¯t come calling since she applied the last 2 synergy upgrades. The alchemist didn¡¯t know if he wanted her to come back, as those upgrades cost resources to maintain. But there were several buildings he could bring up to level 10 with the few cores he had.


    First, there was Whisper¡¯s butcher. The Toora woman didn¡¯t seem to need anything. Once she got the air conditioner, she was happy. Even if her building could be seen with frost rimming the windows. Kaya, the Elven woman that didn¡¯t speak Qavelli, ran the weaver. That could use a few upgrades, but once again it was a matter of need. Neither citizen had been loud about their desire for upgrades, placing them firmly on the back burner.


    Now would be a great time to help them out.


    ¡°Off to upgrade buildings,¡± Theo said, dismissing the crowd without another word.


    The citizens of Broken Tusk were accustomed to their Archduke¡¯s sudden shift of attention. It wasn¡¯t as bad in recent times, but the memories lingered. He made his way to Whisper¡¯s place first, finding her inside. She was butchering animal carcasses and bowed her head when she entered. Theo wished his robes were twice as thick the moment he stepped in, almost slipping on a slick of blood-ice. He noted the cleanliness of her fur, thanks to a simple leather apron.


    ¡°Everything going well?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, bowing her head again.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to upgrade your building to level 10.¡±


    ¡°As you will.¡±


    Easy enough. Theo inspected the building before proceeding.


    [Butcher]


    [Hoary Frost]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Whisper


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 1 Day


    Expansions:


    None


    ¡°Dunno what Hoary means,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°It¡¯s poetic,¡± Whisper assured him.


    ¡°Alright. Gonna read off some upgrades. Tell me what you think,¡± Theo said.


    To upgrade the building to level 10 would be simple. Even low-level cores would work here, and they had plenty of those. It was only an issue of upgrading when the building¡¯s level was too high, but these fledgling buildings were a joy to work with. The alchemist shoved low-level [Monster Cores] inside, reading the upgrades out when the building hit level 5. He favored the rear of the building for expansions.


    [Cold Storage]


    A new room appears in your building. Food items placed inside will not rot.


    [Keen Knives]


    Knives used for the purpose of butchering will be more effective.


    [Spoilage Prevention]


    Allows you to process more from each animal carcass.


    Whisper tapped her chin for a while. Theo¡¯s sense for these upgrades wasn¡¯t great. The building was already ice-cold, he knew nothing about butchering, but maybe there was value in getting more from each animal?


    ¡°[Keen Knives],¡± Whisper said.


    Theo nodded, picking the upgrade. He shoved more cores in the building, selecting random directions for expansion. When the time came, he read the level 10 upgrade out to her.


    [Drying Room]


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A new room appears in your building. Processed food items placed in this room will dry at twice the rate as normal. The room is humidity and temperature controlled, resulting in perfectly dried meats.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good one,¡± Whisper said, smiling. ¡°I want that one.¡±


    Theo selected the [Drying Room] upgrade and the building lurched beneath their feet. A door appeared to his right, but Whisper was already moving to check it out. The room was small, with several metal bars with hooks hanging throughout. It felt dry in there, like the desert powers of the Khahari with none of the sandy after-effects.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Whisper said.


    And that was all that she said. She left the drying room and got back to work on the wolves, cutting them down for consumption. If they weren¡¯t careful, they¡¯d be exporting more dried meats than stone and lumber.


    The Weaver¡¯s shop was on the newest road in town. South of Zarali¡¯s workshop, and slightly north of Luras¡¯ old leatherworking shop, a road branched from the main. It headed west, toward the swamp, creating a small grid where new buildings were meant to go. Currently occupied by only Kaya¡¯s weaver, it was lonely. A few deft knocks and the aging Elven woman opened the door, offering a curt nod of her head.


    ¡°Come in,¡± she said, unable to hide her smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking Qavelli!¡± Theo shouted.


    ¡°Some,¡± she said, holding hand out. She was urging him to slow down.


    ¡°I¡¯m upgrading your building,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the cramped space inside.


    On the far end of the interior were racks that contained lengths of [Starbristle Flax]. The blue flax was amazing when processed correctly, displaying a hue like a tropical ocean¡¯s waves. Slight variations from light to dark gave the finalized cloth a wave-like appearance, and the sample of sailing canvas she was working on was amazing to behold.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said.


    Theo inspected the building before continuing.


    [Weaver]


    [Fields of Blue]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Kaya Wavecrest


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 1 Day


    Expansions:


    None


    No surprises that she hadn¡¯t upgraded, but he liked the name. It was a reference to the massive field of cultivated [Starbristle Flax] at the farm. Or maybe it was a reference to the ocean? Or a bunch of ships on the sea, displaying the Starbristle sails? Whatever the case, it was nice. Instead of reading the upgrades out to Kaya, the alchemist urged her to read them herself. She could do this by inspecting the building alongside him, although giving those instructions was tough enough.


    [Fiber Reclamation]


    When processing fibers, experience less loss from the process.


    [Soothing Mist]


    The building is filled with a constant cooling mist that imbues all processed fibers. The resulting cloth will be softer.


    [Efficient Spindles]


    Your weaving process is more efficient, resulting in a significant time-reduction when turning thread into cloth.


    These were actually decent upgrades. Theo didn¡¯t know if the [Soothing Mist] upgrade was decent, but that didn¡¯t matter. The others were great. Kaya didn¡¯t have the words for which upgrade she wanted. She repeated a word in the Elven tongue a few times before letting out a breath of frustration. Snatching a spindle from her work area, she held it up.


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Theo said, selecting the [Efficient Spindles] upgrade.


    The level 10 upgrade was interesting, and Theo could tell Kaya was torn.


    [Tough Fibers]


    Cloth produced in this workshop will be stronger than it normally would.


    She wanted [Fiber Reclamation], but [Tough Fibers] would be perfect for their sail-making industry. After some pidgin-conversation, they agreed on [Tough Fibers]. To make up for it, Theo took the building up to level 15.


    [Processing Room]


    A new room appears in your building. All processing actions performed inside the room will be faster, and consume less stamina.


    Kaya jumped up and down for that one. Theo selected it without question, feeling the building rumble under his feet as a new room appeared. It was an empty room, but the Elf moved her equipment in without hesitation. The alchemist helped. Processing the flax was the most annoying part of the process. Smacking the fibers and combing them out looked laborious, so anything that helped the process would be nice.


    When Theo turned to leave, Kaya pulled him into a hug. The alchemist awkwardly patted her back as she poured thanks in her native tongue. He left her workshop with an armful of cloth he didn¡¯t need. But it was nice to see the product of the weaver, even if he¡¯d take it directly to the harbor for the shipwright to use. [Starbristle Cloth] was soft for something made of flax. He hadn¡¯t experienced it back on Earth, but assumed it would be coarse. Instead, the sailing canvas was soft and strong at the same time.


    Dismissing the idea to make T-shirts, Theo visited his town hall. While the building could be upgraded, he hadn¡¯t done so. He stood outside of the white building for a while, trying to find a good name for it. Naming buildings wasn¡¯t necessary, but it always added flair. A bit of personality on an otherwise uninteresting structure. Alise should have found a good name for it by now, so he named it ¡°T-shirts for sale¡±.


    Naming things stupidly often brought her out of the woodwork.


    Theo entered the building, waving to the functionaries who worked there. He made his way to the meeting room on the second floor, the one with north-facing windows, and found Alise, Gwyn, and Gael inside. They stopped talking, waiting for him to plop down in a chair.


    ¡°Can we help you, Archduke?¡± Alise asked.


    Parchment ruffled, then a quill and ink clattered onto the table. Theo consulted his notes about Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic, finally withdrawing Xol¡¯sa¡¯s book of theories before he answered.


    ¡°No, continue,¡± Theo said, sketching out new diagrams.


    It took a moment for the group to carry on, but they managed. The problem with warding magic was the trigger. With only one trigger to his name, Theo was stuck with ¡®attack¡¯. That one factor limited him in his weaving of spells, leaving him feeling as though the core was useless. Hidden inside those endless, confusing poems about Dronon fighting things, there was an answer.


    Rewriting that portion of the spell manually didn¡¯t work at first. The more the group prattled on about issues within the town, the closer he got to the answer. Something about the low buzz of their excited conversation felt inspiring. There was a pattern in Toru¡¯aun¡¯s stories. Something about the way the parts of spells connected spoke to him, and he rewrote a story.


    Using the sections of the spell for the [Reveal] spell effect, Theo wrote a story about Dronon hidden in the forest. They weren¡¯t defending this time, they were waiting for someone. An ambush of an enemy force. Several rewrites later, and something clicked within the alchemist¡¯s mind. It was like gears turning over, changing to a faster pace in the cycle.


    ¡°You sure look pleased with yourself,¡± Alise said, gazing at the alchemist over a sheet of parchment.


    Theo didn¡¯t respond, he held his hand out and chanted his new spell. Focusing on the table, it took five tries to get it right. When the spell took hold, the table shivered. He inspected it, drilling down to the ward¡¯s description.


    [Lesser Reveal]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Reveal]. Field only activates when enemies are detected in range.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    1 day.


    ¡°Cool,¡± Theo said. ¡°Your table will now reveal enemies.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I guess,¡± Alise said, chuckling. ¡°You really don¡¯t need anything?¡±


    ¡°We have some reports if you want to be bored to death,¡± Gwyn said.


    ¡°Bore me to death, please.¡±


    The reports were more boring than Theo could have imagined. Alise only brought a single item to his attention that was interesting. Between the farms, hunting in the swamp, and a sudden influx of fish, their food reserves were bolstered. So much that they had spare food to export. That brought into question the usefulness of Rivers and Daub.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re restructuring them,¡± Gael said. He seemed awkward at the table, but the Elf was doing his best. No need to beat him down for being weird when he just started the job.


    ¡°Old Gael here has a lot of insight,¡± Gwyn said, nodding to her peer. ¡°Who knew. Being the leader of an Elven house has its advantages.¡±


    ¡°Barely a leader,¡± Gael said, shaking his head. ¡°Barely surviving before Feintleaf saved us. But, you¡¯re not wrong. I¡¯ve seen mistakes in Tarantham. Mistakes I¡¯d rather not see replicated in the Southlands Alliance.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re eager to install different industries in both Rivers and Gronro,¡± Gwyn said.


    ¡°And we¡¯re talking about keeping track of upgrading the buildings,¡± Alise said. Her eyes went glassy. ¡°Even the town hall isn¡¯t¡­ who named the town hall ¡®T-shirts for sale¡¯, and what is a t-shirt?¡±


    ¡°Must¡¯ve been Tresk,¡± Theo said, waving the question away. ¡°Better find a better name before she does it again.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your take on Alran? All of you.¡±


    Gwyn offered her opinion first. ¡°Reminds me of a wayward soul. Just trying to do what he loves, then he gets stuck doing crap work.¡±


    ¡°He emulated the Mercantile Chair model from the Qavelli dogs,¡± Gael said, chuckling wryly. ¡°A model doomed for failure.¡±


    Alise¡¯s eyes refocused. ¡°It was a better end than taking his head. Once we opened the gates for him, he went wild. Been feeding us reports since he left town.¡±


    ¡°Any update on that?¡± Theo asked. ¡°You know. Undead army and all that.¡±


    ¡°That part of the war is going fine,¡± Alise said. ¡°Fine for us, anyway. Throk is working on new weapons, but your potions are doing the job for now.¡±


    ¡°Always good to hear,¡± Theo said standing from his chair. ¡°See, the ward I put on the table is excellent.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it didn¡¯t activate,¡± Theo said, turning and leaving the town hall.


    Long shadows dominated the streets of Broken Tusk by the time Theo was done in the town hall. He had no desire to upgrade the town hall today. Instead, he sent a mental command to Tresk. It was dinner time, and if the scent wafting from the north was anything to go by, the food would be delicious tonight. Settling into his booth, he waited for his companions to arrive.


    After sipping on a mug of mead for a while, Tresk finally arrived. She was out of breath, but excited. Aarok had ordered her to oversee the changing of the guard for Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower, and the wizard had regained consciousness for a few moments. He was out again, but improving.


    Their wait for the food was short. Tresk rubbed her hands together as the server placed bowls and plates on the table. Buttered Zee bread was becoming a common food in the town, but that didn¡¯t make it any less delicious. Theo¡¯s eyes were on the bowls of creamy soup, though. He never cared much for fish, what little he¡¯d had on Earth, but the soup was great.


    ¡°Caught by my brother,¡± Tresk said proudly.


    ¡°You never talk to your brother,¡± Theo said. ¡°How can you possibly have pride in anything he¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°Alex doesn¡¯t talk, but we still love her,¡± Tresk said, shrugging.


    Theo conceded the point, although he disagreed. The Bantari were truly a mysterious group.

 4.19 - Unholy Army

    Theo flicked his wrist, sending a stone skipping across the harbor¡¯s water. Ghostly ships flocked in, the way he always commanded them to, as Alex honked a happy honk. The sky above had been boiling, as though something rubbed against the edge of the Dreamwalk. Some unseen force that none of the members could get a sense for.


    Theo skipped another stone. ¡°Another day in this strange world.¡±


    Those days had come like a procession. Marching forward against his protests. But the conflicted feelings had all but vanished. Between the Dreamwalk, an immaterial representation of a bond, and Tero¡¯gal itself, he felt much better. The alchemist¡¯s mind was finally stitched back together. Not how it was before, but something different. A blend of five elements that, with proper perspective, were easy enough to identify.


    There was the old Theo from Earth. From that man¡¯s many traits, the new version selected his determination and steely willpower. He left behind the cruelty and spite. A life soured by pointless service. The new Theo was there, too. Charitable beyond reason. He always the best in everyone. Pieces of Tresk now rested in his mind. Paranoia, vengeance, and a mind for subterfuge mixed to create a cocktail of difficult traits. The new version of himself picked at the vengeful part, leaving much behind.


    Honk.


    Then there were the pieces Alex brought. The young goose had a sense of wonder about the world that Theo couldn¡¯t leave behind. Whether this was a reforging of his own will, or something that happened on an unconscious level, he couldn¡¯t say. Then there was that last piece of himself. It was a mystery to him and he doubted others could have a better sense of where it came from.


    A need for power. A phantom representation of something. Theo¡¯s theory was that it was a lingering piece of Belgar, buried somewhere deep in his subconscious. Or the realm of Tero¡¯gal itself, the Dreamwalk, his exposure to the manifested realms. The alchemist¡¯s list wasn¡¯t short, leaving him with more questions.


    Theo skipped another stone, turning to regard Alex.


    ¡°Not that it matters.¡±


    Honk.


    ¡°Are you brooding?¡± Tresk asked, appearing from nowhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking. Not brooding.¡±


    ¡°The difference?¡±


    ¡°Intent.¡±


    Theo and Tresk had already created a plan for tomorrow. It was the day Fenian would arrive, if the gods could be trusted. The moment they spotted the extent of the trouble he brought, they¡¯d duck into Tero¡¯gal and examine it from their realm. There, they could form a better plan. Something that might actually work for the defense of the town.


    ¡°Check it out.¡± Tresk shifted the scene.


    Tresk, Alex, and Theo were standing on the east-facing wall of Broken Tusk. They looked out at the field below, which now held the defensive rock. An imaginary portal opened on the far side of the river, revealing an army of ghostly figures. The scene froze before the imagined creatures proceeded forward.


    ¡°You¡¯re missing something.¡± Theo added his prediction of events.


    A black carriage appeared at the head of the formation, mounted by Fenian Feintleaf. The Elf, like the ghostly warriors, were frozen in place.


    Tresk nodded, leaning over the side of the wall. She clucked her tongue a few times, tapping her foot impatiently. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what he brings. We¡¯re looking at the same weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°How about this?¡± Theo shifted the scene, replacing the ghosts with a massive ball of fire.


    ¡°Well, then that ain¡¯t our problem.¡± Tresk stepped the simulation forward a few paces. Fenian¡¯s carriage was consumed by the blaze. She froze it again.


    Theo¡¯s intuition screamed against that possibility, though. It would be monsters, perhaps undead. Undead monsters? There was a connection between King Karasan and the undead. Uz¡¯Xulven was clear, though. Fenian was being pursued. Over the Bridge of Shadows.


    ¡°I can¡¯t put it together,¡± Theo said, drumming his fingers on the wall. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m missing something.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Recap time!¡± Tresk shouted, striking a pose. ¡°Fenian stirred the undead, likely leading them to old sourpuss Karasan. Something something, Fenian arrives in the godly realms.¡±


    ¡°Pursued by the king?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk pointed her finger in the air, nodding. ¡°Or forces adjacent to the king. Remember how the big bad cat daddy talked about cleaning house in the heavens?¡±


    Theo cleared the scene below. He accessed his near-perfect memory. ¡°Fan¡¯glir, Zagmon, and the Eye.¡± A giant red Dronon, a floating eye of fire, and a generic Elf appeared below. Each stood behind Fenian¡¯s carriage as though in pursuit.


    ¡°Cool. We got a bunch of gods and no idea how they play into this. Totally useful. Sorry. No, you¡¯re missing the bigger picture. Shadow mommy has to let them over the Bridge, right?¡±


    Theo groaned. ¡°If you call the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows ¡®shadow mommy¡¯ again, I¡¯m throwing myself into a volcano.¡±


    Tresk nodded. ¡°Noted. So, tactics. Big army, laser beams, fireballs from hell, or whatever comes out of the portal attacks. How do we respond? Standard Broken Tusk tactics. With a twist.¡±


    ¡°A twist?¡±


    ¡°The hard-asses from Gronro have been drilling sortie tactics.¡± Tresk cleared the scene, then generated a wall of armored fighters. They stood before the gates with shields and spears. Leveling them against nothing. ¡°Fan out. Give Fenian space to bring his carriage in. Bam bam. Done.¡±


    The ¡®bam bam¡¯ came as an approaching ghostly army. Tresk simulated Fenian¡¯s run into the town, behind the walls. The group affected a fighting retreat, supported by imagined towers and defenders from the wall. More training for the warriors of Gronro-dir than anything reasonable. Theo shrugged, clearing the scene below again. He placed Fenian on the far side of his stone, then let a fireball loose from the bridge.


    A shield sprung up around the stone, catching the rolling ball of flame before it could pass. A crack snaked its way down the length of the stone, nearly splitting it in half. But that was the point of the rock. Even if it fell away, eating one massive attack would be worth it.


    ¡°How close is dawn?¡± Theo asked, stretching his senses out. It was near.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s wake up and get some breakfast.¡±


    Theo nodded his agreement. The Dreamwalk swirled around them, spinning out into nothing but a memory in moments. With no reaction to the transition, all members of the Tara¡¯hek rose from their beds. The sun hadn¡¯t risen yet, leaving them in the darkened room attached to the lab. Stretching to work out a knot in his back, the alchemist rose to greet the day.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of buying a mansion.¡±


    ¡°Really? A big house? Do we need a big house?¡±


    Theo adjusted his robes and the silly hat on his head. He dropped some [Cleansing Scrub] on himself, Tresk, and Alex. He rolled his shoulders, finally getting the knot out from his back. ¡°Not sure that we need it.¡±


    ¡°But you want it.¡± Tresk laughed, slapping a hand on his back.


    Theo sent his mind out to his working golems for a moment, following Tresk down the stairs. The constructs were doing their job, just as instructed. They were great. Especially since he got distracted so often. At this rate, he¡¯d need more [Dimensional Storage Crates] outside to hold the excess reagents. He also had piles of the waxy leaves to decompose into salt, a task he¡¯d put off for a long time.


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    Tresk threw the front door open, but it smacked against something. Someone yelped and fell back, tumbling on the ground. The Marshling rushed over, cursing under her breath. ¡°You okay, dude?¡±


    An Elven man rubbed his forehead. Even in the darkness of the pre-dawn light, Theo could see the welt forming on his head. He came to stand next to the man, feeding him a [Healing Pill].


    ¡°Thanks,¡± the Elf said, accepting a helping hand to rise to his feet. ¡°Came to rouse the squad commanders. Aarok is assembling the squads early. Full patrols all day.¡±


    Tresk groaned. ¡°Can I get breakfast first?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s providing rations.¡±


    Tresk glared at the Elf for some time. She turned to Theo. ¡°Get me a plate and some tea. Put it in the shared inventory.¡±


    Theo laughed, placing a comforting hand on his companion¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll put two in there.¡±


    ¡°Your presence has been requested at the Guildhall, Archduke,¡± the Elf said, bowing. ¡°Although Captain Thane said it wasn¡¯t as urgent as assembling the squads.¡±


    ¡°Captain Thane,¡± Tresk said, snorting a laugh. ¡°Just call him Aarok.¡±


    ¡°He needs a better title. Grand Commander. Supreme Commander. General?¡±


    The Elf shrugged. ¡°Is that all¡­ sir?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can go.¡±


    Tresk grumbled, then took a long breath. ¡°Send me a message before you run to Tero¡¯gal. We¡¯ll time it so we can spend the most time as possible in the realm.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Good luck.¡±


    Tresk disappeared without saying another word. Theo wondered about what the system considered shadows with her [Shadowdancer] abilities. He worked his way through the town, finding the door to the Marsh Wolf Tavern closed. A few knocks saw a confused server opening up, looking the alchemist up and down.


    ¡°Archduke?¡±


    ¡°Uh. I need food.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not open¡­ oh,¡± the worker turned around as Xam shouted.


    ¡°Let him in, you fool!¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s sorted.¡±


    Theo and Alex found their booth on the second floor. Moss tea came out in moments. The alchemist stored one cup in his shared inventory, although he had to clear out some junk to make room. He placed half of a teakettle on Tresk¡¯s empty chair, and several lengths of frayed rope on the ground. When the food he¡¯d ordered came out, he stored two plates in the shared inventory for his companion.


    The alchemist checked his interfaces, finding a new conversation with Alran.


    Alran: This isn¡¯t overstepping my bounds, is it? I¡¯m your spymaster, aren¡¯t I? I have rumblings from afar about your friend Fenian.


    Theo: Go on.


    Alran: I knew you¡¯d be receptive ;)


    Alran: I have an informant in a Veostian cult. They follow Fan¡¯glir, but not in the traditional way. Anyway, there¡¯s word of a massive fight in the heavenly realms.


    Theo: I figured as much. How does Fenian play into this?


    Alran: I think he¡¯s helping fight the war. Well, he¡¯s fighting in it. Their got sent stories of a black and blue hurricane of death. Twin-hands of Uz¡¯Xulven and Parantheir.


    Theo stopped picking at his food for a moment. He sipped his tea and nodded to himself as Alex honked happily. This was some nonsense of the highest order. If Fenian was fighting with godly figures, or at least their forces in their realms, that was some serious power. But as the alchemist had learned, power often came at a cost.


    Theo: You¡¯re aware we¡¯re expecting him today, aren¡¯t you?


    Alran: I am. I don¡¯t have the details, but I believe he retreated from whatever he was doing.


    Theo: And how do you know? If you don¡¯t mind my asking, spymaster.


    Alran: Not at all. I have another informant in an Ulvoqor cult. They¡¯re documenting things the best they can. From what I¡¯ve heard, it seems like he was hunting for someone. Someone that didn¡¯t belong in the heavens, just like him.


    Theo: Thank you Alran. We¡¯re expecting an attack today. Please mind your southern border, and let us know if you need reinforcements.


    Alran: Understood. I¡¯m attending to¡­ bussiness ;) ;) ;) in Rivers today. Need to take out some garbage. If you get my meaning ;)


    Theo: Thank you, Alran. I¡¯ll keep you posted.


    Whatever that meant. Theo updated Grot on the situation. The Dwarf didn¡¯t care. He just wanted more supplies for his war effort. The grouchy bastard would need to get in contact with the administrators if he wanted to do that. The new [Zorp] ability might help with that, though. Finishing his meal, the alchemist paid his server. Xam gave him the food for free, but that wouldn¡¯t stop him from throwing a few coins for the effort.


    Honk!


    Theo understood a bit of that honk. Alex had felt something shiver in the material of space, as though something was rubbing against reality. The more time he spent in Tero¡¯gal, the better his sense for the dimensional disturbances got. His mind drifted as he found his way to Aarok¡¯s guildhall. He was ushered into a meeting. Alise, Gwyn, Aarok, and Luras were all in attendance.


    The conversation was single-minded. On a god¡¯s warning, they prepared for Fenian¡¯s arrival. None took it lightly, since the warning had been so grave. Gwyn had prepared a triage of potions for the Elf, including those intended to grow limbs back. Alise focused her efforts on spreading the word to citizens. Luras and Aarok were organizing the troops.


    Theo fed them what theories he had, including his plan to hide in his realm when the attack came.


    ¡°Once there, I have 12 hours to your 5 minutes. I won¡¯t take the entire time, but I¡¯ll be able to form a plan if anything unexpected happens.¡± Theo shuffled through the papers that Alise had provided. She did a good job assembling troop quantities, types, and so on. There was also a contingency for a long-term siege. ¡°I¡¯ll have access to my alchemy equipment so I can make whatever potions we need.¡±


    The group saw that as a good thing, but didn¡¯t want to incorporate it into their plan. There might have been moments to respond, not minutes. The next time the conversation died down, Theo inserted himself again.


    ¡°Any updates on Xol¡¯sa?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s recovering,¡± Alise said, a smile lingering on her face. ¡°The last report Zarali gave me was great. He¡¯s working on standing and walking.¡±


    Theo leaned back in his chair, nodding with approval. He let out a sigh of relief, and tension left his body. The [Reforge Soul] potion he¡¯d brewed was a miracle. The window to craft the potion was extremely limited. It was unlike any other potion he¡¯d made, and the ingredient to create it was the rarest thing he¡¯d found. The alchemist fell out of his thoughts. His will stretched as far as he could send it, sensing something strange in the distance. But it was familiar.


    Honk!


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Theo felt what Alex was saying, even if she could only honk her thoughts. Space had torn open somewhere, but it didn¡¯t feel like the bridge. The alchemist waved away the concerned looks from those gathered in the war room. ¡°That¡¯ll be Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal.¡±


    Theo rose from his seat, affecting a shallow bow. ¡°Message me if you need me. I really need to check up on him.¡±


    Alise was the most reluctant to let Theo go from the meeting. Aarok eased her fears, sending him off to check on his wizard friend. The alchemist picked up his pace as he trotted to the town¡¯s center. The shimmering pane of glass rested near the monolith, pulsing with uncertain power. Without waiting for an invitation, he plunged through.


    A sensation like cold water rushing over his back flooded through his mind. The alchemist was standing in the wizard¡¯s tower in an instant, spotting Xol¡¯sa resting on a chair. He heaved breath, sweat forming in thick beads on his brow.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t resist¡­ could you¡­ alchemist,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, offering him a faint smile.


    Zarali stood nearby, a sheepish grin on her face. ¡°He refused to rest. Said the portal was more important than his life.¡±


    Alex popped through the portal moments later, honking and flicking her tail feathers back and forth. She honked several times before approaching the Elf, nipping at his robes. Xol¡¯sa placed a shaking hand on her, stroking with the direction of her feathers.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive.¡± Theo could not keep the smile from spreading across his face.


    ¡°Leave it to you¡­ Theo.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to you to find a cure in such a short time,¡± Zarali said. ¡°No, darling. He had help.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m rubbing elbows with gods, Xol¡¯sa.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡±


    But that was all the Elf could do before his head tilted back, his breath coming in exhausted gasps. Zarali moved toward him, propping his head forward with a pillow. She beckoned Theo to follow her up the stairs, leaving Alex behind to keep the man company.


    Zarali and Theo looked out over the swamp below. Several monsters ran around, but there were no adventurers in sight. Even in the early light of dawn, they could spot creatures moving around. Xol¡¯sa glowing wards rested at regular intervals, lighting up the marsh.


    ¡°Can¡¯t thank you enough, Theo.¡±


    ¡°No thanks required. I got him into that mess.¡±


    Zarali took Theo¡¯s hand in her own and squeezed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t thank you, brother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this, Zarali.¡± The moment Theo started saying that, he wanted to hold back. But she wasn¡¯t a woman who enjoyed when one withheld information. The alchemist¡¯s intuition told him the potion would do more than just heal the wizard¡¯s scars. He was gaining a better understanding of what Xol¡¯sa was. ¡°That potion will take its time. But he won¡¯t be the same.¡±


    Zarali cast Theo a concerned look. ¡°What do you mean? Is he crippled for life? Damaged?¡±


    Theo thought about how to respond for a long moment. He stared off into the swamp. Xol¡¯sa wasn¡¯t from this world. The only thing holding him together was his [Planar Mage¡¯s Core]. There was something wrong with his soul. An incompatibility with this world. This was a theory that had been bubbling up in the alchemist¡¯s mind for a while.


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa¡¯s soul is not compatible with this world. The description of the [Reforge Soul] potion is clear. It removes all impurities, imperfections, and scars¡­¡±


    ¡°Imperfections,¡± Zarali said, blinking rapidly. ¡°Theo, do you think¡­¡±


    In the distance, a bell clattered rapidly. Theo felt a strange sense of danger drive a spike through his heart. Reality was being torn apart. He quaffed a [Dexterity Potion] modified with [Elemental Wind] and dashed down the stairs and through the portal before Aarok¡¯s warning even came up.


    [Aarok]: This is NOT a test! Everyone to your squads. We¡¯ve got company.

 4.20 - Fenians Return

    Theo stood with Tresk and Alex on the east-facing wall of Broken Tusk. Across the bridge, a portal shimmered with an impenetrable black sheen. The group stood ready to drop into Tero¡¯gal the moment they spotted what chased Fenian. Aarok shouted orders to his commanders, casting an annoyed look at the Marshling. Someone had to pick up the slack of Tresk¡¯s stealther squad, leaving them on their own until she returned from their realm.


    ¡°I bet five gold that we get a giant fire monster,¡± Tresk said, placing the coins on the wall¡¯s edge.


    Theo drummed his fingers on the wall¡¯s edge. His intuition said it was a force of something, likely adjacent to undead. He played the series of events out in his mind. Fenian wanted to lure Karasan out. They ended up either on the bridge, or another god¡¯s realm. There were gaps in his knowledge of the events, but it ended in a deadly chase across the Bridge.


    The alchemist narrowed his eyes on the portal. It shivered.


    ¡°Are ghosts a thing here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Ten gold on ghosts.¡±


    Aarok slapped a single gold coin onto the wall, glaring at the pair. ¡°One gold to shut you up.¡±


    A force of power rolled across the open space between the river and the walls. Dust fell from the mortar. Every defender on the wall was pushed back by the force of the energy, steadying themselves and locking eyes on the portal.


    Theo¡¯s stomach twisted into knots as a black carriage burst from the opening. Nausea spread through his body when he saw Fenian riding atop. The man was beaten bloody, his left arm and leg severed and bleeding freely. He held one silver-blue rapier in his remaining hand, swatting arcs of flaming power behind his carriage.


    The adventurers brave enough to perform a sortie were already out of the gates, lined up in their gleaming armor. They formed a wall of shields and spears, ready to catch whatever came forth. Tresk gripped Theo¡¯s hand tightly, sending waves of confident comfort into his heart. Alex honked with reassurance.


    Spectral figures flooded behind Fenian, moving in a tide. Tresk, Alex, and Theo fell into Tero¡¯gal the moment they appeared.


    Theo popped his shoes off the moment he landed in his realm, letting out a heavy breath. The reassurance of his realm washed over him, even after the icy portal sprung up near the field of wheat. Benton stepped forth, waving with excitement.


    ¡°What a twist!¡± he shouted.


    Theo moved to the cool water of the stream, sitting on the edge and soaking his feet. Tresk came to join them. They summoned an image of Broken Tusk¡¯s defense in the sky below.


    ¡°What are those, Benton?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the field of green figures pouring from the portal.


    ¡°Lost souls. Wraiths.¡± Benton fell down near the water¡¯s edge, gazing off into the shifting image formed in the sky. ¡°Folks that had nowhere to go when they died. ¡°Looks like someone set them on that Elf without an arm or a leg.¡±


    The image below moved in slow-motion. The wraiths boiled over the landscape. Those in the front were floating, or jumping, over the river rather than using the bridge. There were hundreds of them already. More poured through the portal by the moment.


    Theo withdrew an unmodified [Hallow Ground Potion] from his inventory and inspected it. The description was clear. It would work on ghosts. He couldn¡¯t stop his mind from spinning out the events that led him here. Fenian created the means for him to produce these potions in mass quantities. Now Fenian needed help against the wraiths.


    ¡°Is that irony, or¡­¡± Theo asked, trailing off.


    ¡°Coincidence?¡± Tresk laughed. ¡°No, that¡¯s Fenian being himself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of ghosts,¡± Benton said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Bet he was traipsing realms he didn¡¯t belong in.¡±


    ¡°Is that a thing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t mess with another god¡¯s realm. Or ya get the ghosts,¡± Benton said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing there. Never tried it myself.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Theo watched the ghosts moving across the field for a few minutes. Everyone gathered was content enough to just watch and think. Alex played in the water, honking and shooting small balls of fire into the air. ¡°How long do you think we have, Tresk? Two hours?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe three.¡±


    ¡°Could you prepare these [Swamp Truffles],¡± Theo said, removing a massive pile of the things from his inventory. Tresk nodded, scooping them up and moving off to the new fancy stills. The alchemist withdrew parchment from his inventory, along with some of his crude bone carvings.


    ¡°I see where this is going,¡± Benton said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°And I like it.¡±


    Theo smiled without looking up. He focused on his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] and reviewed the spells he¡¯d created. Since he had discovered the [Detect Enemy] trigger for his wards, he¡¯d been itching for a way to use them. The alchemist sketched out a concept for his new spell, detailing a group of Dronon fighting against the undead. The spell had no potency, and wouldn¡¯t bind to anything until he unlocked the property as a ward effect.


    ¡°Got some drips,¡± Tresk said, holding a glass vial under the output of one still.


    If anyone other than Tresk were to handle that essence, they would explode. Theo took the container, replacing it with one from his inventory. He focused on the [Hallow Ground] essence within, then sent it into a plume of acrid smoke with his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability. The primal essence it left behind glowed white, echoing with the power to repel the undead. He licked his finger, dipped it in the vial, then pressed it to his tongue.


    Knowledge flooded through Theo, adding the [Hallow Ground] effect to his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core]. ¡°Benton,¡± he said, turning to regard the bear god. ¡°Mind making some carvings for me?¡±


    Benton rubbed his hands together, withdrawing a knife and lengths of ivory from nowhere. ¡°It would be a pleasure.¡±


    Theo and Tresk watched the stills while they carved. She came over after they had created several gleaming statues, wanting to try her hand at the craft. The Marshling was better than Theo starting out, but she was impatient. She was obsessed with getting the shape of the frog-like frogopus into the ivory, but it was too complex.


    Benton worked masterfully. He created likenesses of Fenian, Theo, Tresk, and even himself. He carved figures of various creatures, ornate rods with decorative engravings, and even a bracelet. Theo broke off after a while, rewriting his spell to work with the [Hallow Ground] property. During the process, they worked the stills and created [Hallow Ground Potions] with the most useful modifiers. That came down to brewing almost every potion with the [Aerosolize] modifier to create a zone of denial for the approaching wraiths.


    In the mortal realm, the wraiths were approaching the gates. Fenian had sent his cart flying through the front gates and the warriors were moving into position to battle against a foe they couldn¡¯t beat. Theo inspected his new ward before they moved forward.


    [Lesser Hallow Ground]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Hallow Ground]. Field only activates when enemies are banished when within range.


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    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    1 day.


    Theo and Tresk split the ivory idols, taking 25 each. They also split the finished potions between them, the Marshling taking most of them. The alchemist would focus on keeping the gate clear of ghosts while she ran off to distribute the potions and seed the land with ivory.


    ¡°I wonder if you could have mounted this defense without your realm,¡± Benton said, groaning as he rose to his feet.


    ¡°I had a few [Hallow Ground] potions in my inventory. The towers are hitting the ghosts, so it might have worked.¡± Theo held an ivory figure of himself in his palm.


    Something about the scrimshaw spoke to him. It was as though the material took the effects especially well. He clutched the figure in his palm and nodded to the bear god. ¡°Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, happy to help,¡± Benton said, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m rooting for ya.¡±


    Theo held a figure in one hand and a potion in the other. He nodded to Tresk. Alex honked.


    Tero¡¯gal faded around them. While passing through the realms, Theo saw the Bridge this time. It was filled with glowing green wraiths. Packed so bad they were falling over the edge, into the abyss below. He thought he heard a voice cry out in the distance, one belonging to Uz¡¯Xulven, but it was faint. A flash of bright white, and a blink before he was standing back on the battlements.


    Aarok was shouting with panic, the adventurers scrambling to get out of the way of the incoming ghosts. Theo tossed a potion at his feet, then the ivory idol down to the road below. The potion exploded into white fog, covering the battlement fifty paces in both directions. A bubble of pure light burst from the ground below, forming in a dome roughly half the size of the potion below. It was still enough to cover the entire entrance of the gatehouse.


    A chorus of shrieks rose from the ghosts below. Tresk was already tossing potions and figures everywhere, blanketing the area in thick fog and shimmering bubbles. She went north, so Theo headed south, dropping potions and wards as he went. He successfully covered the section of the wall where the ghosts impacted, but some had made it through.


    The sounds of a strange battle issued from within the town. Steel ringing off against cobbles and shouts of adventurers rose. Aarok found Theo gazing back into the town, slapping a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.


    ¡°Take these,¡± Theo said, shoving several figures and potions into the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Replace the others if they fade.¡±


    The alchemist jumped from the wall before the commander could respond. He broke into a sprint, finding areas where the ghosts were attacking his citizens. They didn¡¯t fight with swords and shields. They drained life away from people, hovering over them like the specters they were. Sucking health in streams of glistening red mist. Theo banished a group of the foul green wraiths, sending them back to whatever realm they clung to.


    A wave of power rolled over Theo, sending him falling to his ass on the hard cobbles. He spotted Zarali in the distance, holding a staff high and chanting something. Every time she slammed her glowing purple staff against the ground, another wave of energy came forth. Each pulse sent the ghosts spinning off, phasing through buildings and scattering away. Following close behind was Xol¡¯sa, clutching his side and wincing with every step.


    ¡°We need to get him to the battlements,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo popped a [Strength Potion] imbued with [Refined Elemental Fire]. His muscles surged with power as he scooped the wizard up as though he were a baby. The alchemist darted across the town, taking the steps of the battlements two at a time. He set Xol¡¯sa down gingerly, steadying the man as he looked off at the fields of ghosts. The Elf was glassy eyed, wobbling on the spot.


    ¡°The portal won¡¯t close on its own,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, reaching a hand out. He struggled against an invisible force. His hand wouldn¡¯t close.


    Theo placed a ward at their feet, then watched as it sprung up immediately. A gout of ghosts from those surging into the town washed up, slamming against the barrier and vanishing. The alchemist withdrew an [Intelligence Potion] imbued with [Refined Elemental Lightning], tilted Xol¡¯sa¡¯s head back, and forced it down his throat.


    The Elf gasped, choked, then straightened. Xol¡¯sa reached out again. Ribbons of blue energy whipped off his body, burning the wall where they lashed. Space warped around him as he channeled a spell. The portal in the distance quaked, rumbling the ground for miles around. Theo almost lost his balance as he stood with his friend, steading both himself and the wizard.


    Xol¡¯sa crushed the portal into nothingness. His hand snapped closed, removing the portal from the far side of the bridge. Then the Elf collapsed, caught by Theo as he fell. Zarali was ascending the steps, stumbling as she came up but otherwise unhurt. She slammed her staff into the ground again, sending another wave of banishment outward. Wraiths scattered the wake of the spell.


    ¡°He did it,¡± Zarali said, a tone of hope in her voice.


    ¡°Now we just need to kill all the ghosts,¡± Theo said.


    The alchemist opened his administration interface, finding the tactical map. Aarok was always good about drawing on it. He watched as it updated in real time. Drawings on the image of the town where the ghosts were and what places needed reinforcement. Tresk had distributed the potions, giving way to more clouds of anti-undead magic that sent the wraiths packing.


    Theo found a chat log about Fenian¡¯s condition, sending his heart thumping hard in his chest. It was bad. The alchemist overrode some of Aarok¡¯s commands, ordering a squad to escort Xol¡¯sa somewhere safe. They arrived in moments, four members of a Gronro squad. They saluted, and happily took some [Hallow Ground Potions] before running off.


    ¡°Fenian needs your healing magic,¡± Theo said, grabbing Zarali by the arm and leading her away.


    She had spaced out, watching as the squad took care of Xol¡¯sa. Theo knew she wanted to be with her betrothed, but he would be fine. As long as those badasses from Gronro were with him, he was fine.


    Fenian was being treated in the town hall. When Theo and Zarali burst through the door, they found citizens huddled in fear. He placed wards throughout the place, then shot up the stairs with his sister. Zan¡¯kir¡¯s blades whispered from their sheaths when the alchemist entered the room. He relaxed in an instant. Back to working on the Elf.


    Fenian looked horrible. Missing an arm and a leg was the least of his problems. The Elf¡¯s entire body was covered in endless cuts and punctures. Zan¡¯kir fed him another [Healing Potion], shaking his head. Zarali came to his side, tossing her staff away and pressing both her hands into his chest. When she spoke next, her voice came as a distant thing. As though she were talking in an adjacent room.


    ¡°Lord Drogramath. Hear my prayer. Fulfill your oath to your faithful. Save this man.¡±


    The prayer was simple. Not much fluff compared to how she went on about the purple bastard. But Theo¡¯s thoughts of doubt fell away in a moment. Zarali¡¯s back arched as her hands flung to the side. She let out a scream of pain, then drove both of her palms back into Fenian¡¯s chest. The Elf let out a grunt of pain, wiggled a little, then went silent again. The priestess collapsed to the side in a heap.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Zan¡¯kir said, casting his eyes around the room.


    The air stung with magical power. Theo knew the flavor of it all too well. The stink of a god who¡¯d made themselves known on the mortal plane. He checked Zarali, propping her head up on a bit of [Starbristle Flax Cloth] from his inventory, then turned his attention to Fenian.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± Theo said, watching as the man¡¯s wounds closed. The arm and the leg were still gone, but he wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore.


    ¡°Only just,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, pressing his palm into the Elf¡¯s forehead. ¡°I think Drogramath simply increased the effectiveness of your potions. I¡¯d forced him to drink enough regeneration potions to heal anything.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to, but he looked at Fenian¡¯s stumps. The flesh had healed over as though the wounds were old. Like the scars forming on his chest, they were cured.


    ¡°This is going to suck,¡± Theo said, withdrawing his [Regenerative Potion] from his inventory. The potion he¡¯d prepared for when Fenian returned. He dipped his fingers into the sticky salve, then spread it across the Elf¡¯s stumps. ¡°Damn, sorry. Better to start this now.¡±


    Theo monitored the fight through his tactical map as Zan¡¯kir helped him undress Fenian. The Khahari fighter ran off to grab a bed, returning shortly after the alchemist worked a robe over the Elf¡¯s head. The pile of ruined cloth that were his fancy clothes sat to the side, caked with blood, green ichor, and mud.


    Tresk kept Theo informed about the fight. They had more than enough [Hallow Ground Potions] to keep the undead at bay, but many had retreated after the portal vanished. Alise was already coordinating with Gronro to send potions down to Rivers and Daub. Everyone expected the worst, even as the battle in Broken Tusk calmed.


    Zarali woke when the fight was nearly over, jolting into a seated position. She screamed. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t need prodding, he knew who she was talking about. He¡¯d been monitoring the list of injured people. ¡°First floor of this building. Our infirmary, apparently.¡±


    Zarali bolted to her feet, and fled the room. Theo and Zan¡¯kir both fell onto their backs, breathing sighs of relief. Fenian¡¯s breaths came slow and steady as though he were in a deep sleep. When the alchemist felt sure enough that the fight was over, he felt the Khahari to care for the Elf.


    Aarok stood on the east-facing wall of the town. He gazed off into the distance, a strange smile on his face. Theo edged closer, placing a comforting hand on the commander¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m fine,¡± Aarok said, laughing. He gestured to the pile of gold coins on the wall. It hadn¡¯t been disturbed from its spot. ¡°Looks like you won the pot.¡±

 4.21 - Wraith Cleanup

    Theo smacked the rump of an enchanted Karatan. One of Azrug¡¯s many carts barreled through the eastern gate, tearing a path over the newly built road toward Rivers. They had called for aid shortly after the wraiths disappeared from the gates. The administration of the town determined this was the fastest way to get them the potions they needed to defend their town.


    Tresk gave constant reports through the military administration interface about wraith locations. More worrying than the lingering ghosts was a message Theo had received from Alise. Fenian insisted on seeing him and refused to share information with anyone by the recently minted Archduke of the alliance.


    Alex¡¯s feet slapped over the cobbles as she joined him, headed for the town hall.


    ¡°We need a hospital.¡± Theo entered the town hall, his eyes casting over the wounded held there. Whatever the ghosts did to them, it was deeper than normal surface wounds. ¡°A big one.¡±


    Fenian had his own room on the second floor. It had a decent view of the fields behind both the town hall and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. A flash of white shone from the western battlements. Another potion thrown to drive off the damned ghosts.


    Fenian groaned, rubbing at his stumps. He didn¡¯t lift his head from the bed. His eyes were locked on the ceiling. ¡°Theo¡­ that was close.¡±


    ¡°Close? No shit,¡± Theo scoffed, approaching the Elf¡¯s bed.


    Ribbons of invisible energy sloughed off the man, as though he were a snake shedding skin. Theo felt the sting of them in the air. The foul taint of some far-off realm. Something that was certainly attracting the wraiths. The alchemist placed a [Hallow Ground] carving under the cot, then knelt near his friend.


    ¡°Start by telling me why and how you traversed the realms,¡± Theo said.


    Fenian finally turned to look at Theo. His face was still battered, one eye almost swollen shut. They were wounds too grave for the potions to heal immediately. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Karasan to flee so far. Let alone into a dead realm.¡±


    ¡°Which dead realm?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian shivered, shaking his head. His face paled, going slightly green. ¡°I¡¯d rather not say. Oh, but the gears are turning in your head. I can see them. Fine. Balkor¡¯s realm.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®betrayer¡¯ in ¡®Balkor¡¯s Betrayal¡¯?¡± Theo asked. He thought about it for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Why not. What happens when a god is killed?¡±


    ¡°Killed?¡± Fenian asked, groaning into a seated position. He collapsed moments later. ¡°You don¡¯t kill a god. Not entirely.¡±


    ¡°Fine. How did Karasan flee into the godly realms?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an ascendant. Naturally. And he has something I need,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo let the silence set in between them. This had to do with Khahar, he was certain about that. Yuri was always known for his big plans, even back in the day. Things that everyone was certain would never work. Somehow, he always pulled them off. Whether it was spying missions, combat operations, or just stupid dice games with foreign spies, he always got the job done.


    The alchemist felt something. As though someone were standing right behind him. He turned, finding no one. It was a familiar sensation. The attention of a god. Theo took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He could feel the edges of those realms. They scraped together here, too many to count. Too much attention from too many gods.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try¡­ this,¡± Theo said.


    The dust in the corners of the room fell in cascading sheets as the room shook. Theo¡¯s force of will exploded outward, smashing against all those spying realms. Tero¡¯gal rose like a tiger from the reeds, battering the other realms away in an instant. The invisible strands of power fell away from Fenian and he gasped a breath. Angry cries issued through the ether. Over the Bridge and into the alchemist¡¯s mind.


    Too bad.


    ¡°You need to teach me that trick,¡± Fenian said, breathing easy now.


    ¡°Where is Uz¡¯Xulven and Parantheir to protect you?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being their champion if they won¡¯t help you?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re busy. Spent some of their power helping me through the realms,¡± Fenian said. His voice came in that familiar cadence once again. Almost sing-song and too self-assured. ¡°Since you¡¯ve dropped a privacy field, you¡¯ll be happy to know that Khahar did the deed. Fan¡¯glir, Zagmon, and the Eye are all dead. As dead as they can be. Their realms are in ruin and he lords over the ashes as the Arbiter.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the implications of being an Arbiter?¡±


    ¡°The gods were always meant to have a watcher. But they changed the rules after the game had started. Your friend Yuri has set things straight, though. Mostly. There¡¯s a few more pieces to put together.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean that I have my realm? Not just a realm represented in the mortal plane, but a real realm?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Part of the design. A plan that spans eons, I think. I¡¯m just uncovering the outer bits of that plan. Pieces from what I can put together. From what Khahar told me, you know. After his ascension.¡± Fenian paused as though he were collecting his thoughts. Theo could sense this was something he¡¯d kept secret for a long time. ¡°Not like I can go anywhere. Not until my limbs regrow. That lovely woman told me you applied a new potion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re going to have baby limbs for a while,¡± Theo said, pointing at the Elf¡¯s stumps. ¡°Story time.¡±


    ¡°Right. Story time.¡± Fenian cleared his throat, coughing and hacking up green mucus. Theo dabbed the edge of the Elf¡¯s mouth with a section of his Starbristle cloth. ¡°Thank you. The Eye had plans for you from the start. He mapped out your progress to the day, and was quite angry when it didn¡¯t play out his way. Khahar tipped the scales, although I don¡¯t think he ever knew it was you. Theo Spencer from Earth.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brow knit tightly, then he released the tension in his body. Of course. ¡°He seeded the Bantari in Broken Tusk. Because of the Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    ¡°There he is,¡± Fenian said, clapping his one arm on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He can be smart sometimes. Mostly, we keep him around for his good looks.¡±


    ¡°How could he predict a bond?¡± Theo asked, regretting the question the moment he asked it. His hand went for the locket that no longer hung from his neck. An item lost on his old body. On Earth. ¡°Nevermind. Where is Karasan? Do we need to kill him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d absolutely love to kill that snake.¡± Fenian let out a frustrated breath. ¡°He¡¯s too slimy to catch, though. No, I need to change tactics. Well, I destroyed his kingdom. That¡¯s a start. Oh, there¡¯s a problem. The undead have¡­ uh¡­ well, they¡¯ve gotten out of control.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? The horde of undead you unleashed on the continent has gotten out of control? Was it ever under control?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, it was. Then it wasn¡¯t. Depending on your reaction, I may or may not have done a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°What did you ¡®maybe¡¯ do?¡±


    ¡°Planted a bone from the fallen god Balkor under a small town near Qavell. Hypothetically bringing with it the power of undeath, and the unending hunger of the living dead to the continent. This all depends on your reaction, of course. I didn¡¯t do it if you¡¯re upset.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    What an absolute nightmare. Theo had to take a moment to see how he felt about the situation. The undead were a problem, that was true. But were they something that impeded Broken Tusk and the newly formed alliance? Not really. They created a barrier that protected them from a Qavelli response. Even a Veostian assault would be hard to muster.


    ¡°My reaction depends on how permanent the undead are,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°They¡¯re completely undying, now. The first wave of undead that left Gardreth were reanimated undead. With Balkor¡¯s bones around, they¡¯ll keep creating new undead. From monsters, people, even plants if they¡¯re sapient enough.¡±


    ¡°On a scale of one to ten, I¡¯m five upset,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Oh! I can work with that. Then it was me! I did it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the endgame?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian gripped Theo¡¯s forearm hard, a manic look flashing in his eyes. ¡°My Throne, Theo. I need my throne. So do¡­ well, let¡¯s worry about mine first. Oh, the Span has fallen to the undead. Veosta is under attack.¡±


    ¡°Cool. We¡¯re not just war criminals anymore. Now we¡¯re doing genocide.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t create the cycle of life and death. I just thrive in it,¡± Fenian said.


    The trader had more information to deliver, but it was about trade deals. Representatives from far-off nations had heard the first whispers of a free port on the continent, and would arrive shortly. Fenian had a plan for the undead, but the plan was to make a plan. Otherwise, he wanted them to scour the northlands. Qavell city still stood, as well as Veosta city, but that seemed like a matter of time.


    ¡°Veosta will last the longest. They have High Priests of Glantheir. The Qavelli are godless, and will fall accordingly,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Perfect. So, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not doing any trading runs in your condition.¡±


    ¡°Not now. I just need a day to regain my strength. I was fighting for years in the realms this way. Lost the leg first. Then the arm. You know how it is.¡±


    Theo shook his head, rising from the bedside as someone entered the room. Alise came in with reams of parchment, approaching Fenian with requests for items. He seemed happy to fall into his old life, even if that whole thing was a lie. The alchemist left the town hall to meet with Aarok and Luras about the fight after getting word that Xol¡¯sa had mostly recovered. One less thing to worry about.


    Aarok was pissed about the battle. He hadn¡¯t considered ghosts as an enemy, and placed an order with Salire for infinite [Hallow Ground] items. He complained when she refused to write him down for ¡®infinity potions¡¯, but took his order all the same.


    ¡°We need a giant bubble of that potion,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°I think I need a few more levels for the ¡®giant bubble¡¯ ability,¡± Theo said, laughing.


    ¡°Can you imbue this?¡± Luras asked, holding out a single, iron-tipped arrow.


    Theo chanted, passing his hands over the item several times. He wasn¡¯t used to his new spell, and the process took several attempts. His mana drained away as he warded the arrow, applying the [Hallow Ground] effect with a [Detect Enemy] trigger.


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Anti-undead arrows? Well, I don¡¯t think the effect is as strong as on the bonework.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll use bone-tipped arrows,¡± Luras said, nodding. ¡°Add that to our arsenal.¡±


    Theo checked his inter-town communication system. There were chat logs between Alise and the other leaders. They had the ghost problem under control, but it was like putting out fires that started themselves. A game of wraith-based whack-a-mole. But the effect of the frantic battle, and creating so many different potions and wards, was a ton of experience for the alchemist. Enough experience to send his personal level to 21. He spent the free point in [Wisdom] sending him over the threshold of 30 as he stood with his companions.


    A rush of insight flooded through him. It wasn¡¯t like when he increased his stats over a threshold with potions.


    As with everything in Broken Tusk, things got back to normal quickly. People were already working again by the time Theo left the eastern wall. He wandered to the shipyard, finding the frame of more than one boat in progress. They were farther along than he expected, and the angry Elf Laedria Wavecrest waved excitedly when she saw him.


    ¡°Trade boats!¡± she shouted, gesturing vaguely to the skeletal ships. ¡°Gonna be some big bastards. Good thing you dug this channel so deep.¡±


    ¡°I counted on it,¡± Theo said, approaching the woman. He clapped a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Any chance you can increase your production?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m building two boats at once, my guy,¡± Laedria said, laughing. ¡°What more do you want?¡±


    ¡°Three. Maybe four at once?¡± Theo asked. He shook his head immediately after that. ¡°No, this is fine. Are you being paid?¡±


    ¡°By your administrators. Was hoping we¡¯d get a bonus when we finished them.¡±


    ¡°Of course. The Southlands Alliance is buying all the trade boats you make. We¡¯ll work out an amount, but I can¡¯t see them being worth anything less than 100 gold.¡±


    ¡°Thereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll see. We still have a cash problem,¡± Theo said. His eyes lingered on the boats for a long moment. Until he heard the clatter of bells in the distance. The frantic ringing that meant trouble was around.


    [Aarok]: Foreign ships sighted entering the canal. Gronro divisions, if you¡¯re not too wounded to fight, report to the eastern approach wall. Broken Tusk divisions, same. Prepare for battle.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s pissed today,¡± Laedria said, chuckling. She still joined Theo as he darted for the south-facing side of the harbor¡¯s wall.


    The pair ascended the steps in moments, leaning over the edge to squint against the afternoon sun. Three massive ships were coming in a line up the canal. They bore standards Theo didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Hey, they¡¯ve got coalition flags. From Partopour,¡± Laedria said.


    Theo turned to the Elven shipwright. ¡°Friendly?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Well, mostly. Sometimes. They normally have a flag with a sword if they¡¯re gonna gut you.¡±


    Theo watched as troops assembled on the adjoining wall, leveling weapons and preparing to attack. A voice boomed from the lead ship, magically enhanced as slurring in poorly spoken Qavelli.


    ¡°Is Broken Tusk open for business?¡± the voice echoed across the town. ¡°Do you require aid from the horde of ghosts that washed over our ships?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t know if the ships were close enough to hear him, but he cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted back. ¡°We don¡¯t require help. But we are open to trade.¡±


    ¡°I am Miltar Sharp. Trade Admiral of the Partopour Trade Fleet,¡± the voice boomed back. ¡°We are requesting a peaceful docking with Broken Tusk. With whom am I speaking?¡±


    ¡°Archduke Theo Spencer,¡± Theo shouted back. ¡°Leader of the Southlands Alliance. Traitors to Qavell.¡±


    ¡°We have no love for the Qavelli bastards,¡± Miltar said. ¡°Nor do we care what your position is among them. As the acting representative of the Partopour navy in this region, I extend my hand in welcome, Archduke Theo Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to raise the gates,¡± Theo ordered. Laedria scampered off.


    The ships approached, waiting for the gate to be lifted. The hung unnaturally against the canal¡¯s current, owing to the upgrade ability of the shipyard. Theo finally got a decent look at the Trade Admiral. His features were somewhere between a normal Human and Half-Orc. His skin was tinged green, and he had small tusks protruding from his lower lip. The man wore a red tricorn hat, with a sweeping coat that didn¡¯t befit the hot day. His crew worked the sails, scattering on the deck of the three-masted ship.


    The gate rose.


    Theo watched as the ships passed under the massive gate. The crews went into motion on the three ships, mooring them at the dock. No one disembarked. They waited until the alchemist hurried around the harbor, standing under the towering vessels.


    ¡°Permission to come ashore?¡± Miltar asked, waving excitedly at Theo.


    ¡°Permission granted!¡±


    Miltar¡¯s men threw ladders over the bows of their ships. The Trade Admiral was the first to descend, although his crew was already scattered around the docks. Theo appreciated the respect this man gave him. More than any other leader had ever managed for him.


    ¡°Thank you for the warm welcome,¡± Miltar said, bowing.


    Theo bowed back. ¡°The Southlands Alliance is eager to make new friends. Especially her esteemed guests from Partopour.¡±


    Miltar fanned himself with his hand, feigning a fainting spell. ¡°My, my! You know how to greet a guest, Mister Theo Spencer. Would it be agreeable for my crew to unload wares for display on your dock?¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the open spaces of the dock. There was plenty of room for them to set up vendor stalls. ¡°Could I invite you to my town hall? You¡¯ll have to excuse the mess, we were just attacked.¡±


    ¡°By all means, take your time my good man,¡± Miltar said. ¡°Oh, a procession.¡±


    Theo spun around, finding his command structure approaching. Azrug, Alise, Gwyn, Luras, and Aarok approached. The alchemist got a sense that both Alex and Tresk were uneasy at first. They were shaken by his sudden sway in emotions. He could feel the Marshling lurking nearby, but the goose was right at his heels. Honking.


    Theo introduced everyone, including Alex, to the Trade Admiral. He removed his hat, revealing a balding head, and bowed to everyone as they were introduced. The formality and kindness of the exchange had everyone taken aback.


    ¡°It is always a pleasure to see Half-Ogres in the wild,¡± Miltar said, following Theo up the road. ¡°As a Half-Orc, I see them as distant cousins.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re all lost children, us half-breeds.¡± Miltar clapped a hand over Aarok¡¯s shoulder and laughed. ¡°May I ask if the ghosts were a part of the undead in the region? I¡¯ve heard bad things about them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s none here,¡± Theo said, gesturing to his town. There were wounded here and there, but it appeared things were back to normal. ¡°We¡¯ve taken precautions.¡±


    ¡°As traitors often do,¡± Miltar said with a nod. ¡°No offense meant to those traitors present, of course. Death to Karasan and all that. To be honest, Partopour doesn¡¯t care. We¡¯re interested in one thing. Trade.¡±

 4.22 - Miltar of Partopour

    A group had gathered in a meeting room in the town hall. Theo sat alone with Miltar and one advisor from the Partopour trade ship. The alchemist wanted his first meeting with another nation to happen alone. Without the influence of his over-zealous administrators who were busy enough as it was. He hoped the impression of the wounded downstairs wouldn¡¯t foul the relationship before it started.


    A junior administrator brought tea after long moments of silence. When the man left, Theo gestured to the pot. ¡°Mister Sharp. Trade Admiral Sharp?¡± He poured three cups of tea, stirring them before distribution. ¡°Before I subject you to my Lord Merchant, I had a few questions.¡±


    Miltar shared a look with his assistant. The other man was another Half-Orc. Their race wasn¡¯t as tall as the Half-Ogres, or the Dronon of this world. They were closer in height to Humans with similar builds. The assistant wore a practical coat and a button-up shirt he left open. He had no hat, but displayed the same balding pattern.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Miltar said, holding his arms wide. ¡°This is a rare occasion.¡±


    Theo nodded. He wondered how often a new nation sprouted up. ¡°I¡¯m hopeful about our future relationship. An opportunity for your people to dock on the continent. We¡¯re a safe port above all else, and a neutral party in global politics.¡±


    Miltar sipped his tea, nodding with approval. He cast Theo a look that said it all. The Half-Orc suppressed the smug expression as quickly as it came, something the alchemist appreciated. The representative from Partopour was sitting with a child. An inexperienced upstart that had not proved himself. Not on the continent, or the global stage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say one thing before we continue,¡± Miltar said, withdrawing a potion from nowhere. He set it on the table. Theo didn¡¯t need to examine it to know it had his name on it. It was one of his early-stage potions. First tier. Poorly made. ¡°When someone rivals our best alchemists with their first offerings, we get curious.¡±


    Theo considered his options before responding. How arrogant would it have been to pull out his latest offerings? To show the trader that the potion he held, however he¡¯d gotten it, was garbage. The alchemist withdrew an unmodified [Healing Potion] from his inventory, setting it on the table.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made improvements to the process.¡± Theo tried not to tap his foot nervously.


    ¡°Vast improvements.¡± Miltar slid the potion over to himself, inspecting it. ¡°Now, do you have questions?¡±


    Dang, my pulse just quickened, Tresk said into Theo¡¯s mind. You nervous about something?


    Tresk knew why Theo was nervous. Her ability to infiltrate his mind grew by the day. Why she was so much better at using the bond was beyond him.


    Fine. Just meeting with a representative from Partopour.


    Neato. I¡¯m watching from outside the window.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to learn more about your culture. You can meet with my Lord Merchant later, but that¡¯s what I¡¯m interested in. Azrug will take care of any deals you want to make, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Theo said.


    Miltar shared a look with his assistant. He shrugged. ¡°Certainly. Partopour is a republic, and mostly neutral in global dealings. We occupy a small continent between the Khahari Desert and Tarantham. We¡¯re politically neutral with both nations.¡±


    That was a good sign. Theo wanted to engage with people where there were no strings attached. The first people he expected in his port, after the Khahari, were private traders. Not representatives from a nation. If Partopour was as neutral as they said, this was perfect. They could establish trade deals and sell their resources without worrying about backlash.


    Something caught his attention in his administration interface. The conversation paused, but he held his hand up for a moment. Alise was talking with representatives from Rivers and Gronro at the same time. The ghost problem was settling down, but they had stirred up the undead. A wave crashed against the Sword and Shield, and they called for reinforcements. The alchemist sent a few quick messages to his administrators.


    ¡°Sorry. War and all that,¡± Theo said, clearing his throat. ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that, I really am. Broken Tusk has a lot to offer, not just potions. We have access to a rare type of wood called [Ogre Cypress], and a type of iron called [Drogramathi Iron].¡±


    Miltar kept his composure, but Theo saw a twitch in the man¡¯s eye. The alchemist¡¯s high [Wisdom] gave him insight on that. As he expected, the metal was rare. What a person could dig up from their mines depended on regional, cultural, and ownership factors. There was likely something to do with the Drogramathi power in the air, too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Theo said. ¡°I won¡¯t be involved in the negotiations. We also have perfect-grade stone. Marble.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re here to trade. Aren¡¯t we?¡± Miltar asked, letting out a chuckle. ¡°We lack access to rare materials like you have here, but we¡¯re industrious.¡±


    ¡°What I need most is a coin mint,¡± Theo said. ¡°Although that seems like a dream the more days pass.¡±


    Miltar let out a sharp laugh. He nodded. ¡°They¡¯re hard to find. The only [Core Smiths] I know if that can do the job are Elves in Tarantham. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with how they deal.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Right, then. I suppose we¡¯re done here. You can speak to Lord Azrug about trade.¡±


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind answering a few questions,¡± Miltar said just as Theo stood to leave.


    The alchemist sat back down. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°I told you about the governmental structure of Partopour. How our people operate, and our core values of neutrality. How about Broken Tusk and the Southlands Alliance?¡±


    Theo froze on the spot. He gazed down at his tea, which was untouched. He had put less thought into this than he should have. There wasn¡¯t a governmental structure. They¡¯d thrown together things as quick as they could, never giving it much thought. His thoughts formed as he sat there, realizing the nature of the [Free City Alliance] was all he needed.


    ¡°We selected the [Free City Alliance] for a reason. We formed the alliance before we formed the nation to protect ourselves. The first idea was to defend ourselves against Qavell. When the undead came, it forced us to grow closer. Each town operates as its own government. While I hold the highest position, I don¡¯t desire to tell the other leaders how to run their town.¡±


    ¡°And your ideals?¡±


    ¡°A fair shake for anyone who wants it. Opportunities provided by the state for everyone to live in comfort, if they want it. Any citizen can be whatever they want. We¡¯re here to provide them with protection and opportunity.¡±


    Sounds like communism, Tresk said.


    ¡°I assume you own everything in this town,¡± Miltar said.


    ¡°Not everything,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I¡¯ll admit, I own more than I should. Then again, I sent all funds from my profits into the town.¡±


    ¡°And your people have your word on that. Nothing else,¡± Miltar said.


    Theo shifted uncomfortably in his seat.


    Communism! You corrupt Archduke. Shame. Shame. Shame!


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Theo said. ¡°This setup is a gateway for corruption.¡±


    ¡°Just something for you to chew on, Archduke Spencer,¡± Miltar said. He smiled, showing more of those stunted tusks.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Do you think my contracts are unfair?¡± Theo asked, leaning in over the table. He felt like that child Miltar saw him as. How would the Trade Admiral see this question?


    ¡°Depends on the contract.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all based on profit-share,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not for goods sold, but goods produced.¡±


    Trying to make yourself feel better, Theo? Your stuff is more than fair, don¡¯t let this guy get under your skin.


    He¡¯s not getting under my skin. He¡¯s right. We own the entire town¡ªand a nation¡ªpeople can¡¯t exactly say ¡®no¡¯ to us when we offer them a job.


    Miltar¡¯s expression faded from a studious stare into a surprised look. ¡°So, they make something and they get paid? That¡¯s an interesting approach.¡±


    ¡°Interesting in what way?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Normally workers get a salary. But that¡¯s interesting. I assume this motivates your workers?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Theo said. ¡°Everyone busts their asses because the more they produce, the more they get paid.¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps I was wrong to judge you,¡± Miltar said. ¡°I¡¯ll reserve my first thoughts until I¡¯ve met with your administration staff.¡±


    Theo rose, bowing to both men before leaving. A junior administrator was waiting for him outside of the room. He instructed them to find Azrug and Alise. Then he handed over the potions that Gronro desperately needed. He¡¯d held onto some of his [Hallow Ground] potions for Broken Tusk, but they needed them more. The administrator darted off, leaving him standing on the landing. He looked down, nodding to himself as he noticed less wounded.


    People were being treated quickly. From what he could tell, [Stamina Potions] did the trick to cure whatever the ghosts were doing. Maybe that was a stopgap solution, but it was good enough for now.


    Not sure why you had to poke me like that, Theo said.


    You needed it, my dude. Sometimes you don¡¯t act unless you get emotional. Your contracts with people are more than fair. Often too fair.


    Honk!


    Theo stepped out into the humid afternoon air. The days were getting even hotter, although he didn¡¯t think that was possible. While I don¡¯t want to agree, you¡¯re right. First impressions are important.


    Hope the Half-Orc likes us!


    Honk!


    That didn¡¯t matter. Theo turned around, walking back into the town hall to find where Xol¡¯sa was. If Partopour wanted to trade with the alliance, they would. He stood inside the wizard¡¯s room for a few moments before his mind shot back to the present. Zarali stood over him, applying a wet rag to the Elf¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°How is he doing?¡± Theo asked.


    Zarali turned, offering a smile. ¡°Better than expected. Even if that move took a lot out of him.¡±


    Theo signed, falling into a chair. He ran his fingers through his hair, then traced the shape of his horns with his fingers. ¡°Good. And you? How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Quite fine. Now that he¡¯s healed, anyway,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°I should make some more [Hallow Ground Potions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. After the ghosts? Might be a good idea.¡±


    Theo had already used his trip to Tero¡¯gal for the day. He could crank out an absurd number of his potions if he had another visit available. Instead, he sat there with Zarali for some time. She had thoughts on when she wanted to have her wedding. She hadn¡¯t picked a season to host it, but that seemed like a distant thought. Xol¡¯sa was recovering from something that should have killed him. The town and alliance were safe. There were new traders at their doorstep. What more could they want for?


    The alchemist left the town hall, standing in the wide atrium for a while to watch the last of the wounded file out. Aarok had a report for him, but it was expected. Gronro needed help, and they were answering. He made his way back to the lab, finding Salire there with a stack of new orders.


    ¡°People want the [Hallow Ground] potion?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°And the standard stuff.¡±


    ¡°How was the fight for you?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Just fine,¡± Salire said, stretching behind the counter. ¡°A ghost sucked some life out of me. Wasn¡¯t fun, but I just downed a few potions.¡±


    Theo nodded. That was the way to solve problems in Broken Tusk. Drink a potion, have a rest. Everything would be fine.


    ¡°I have a suggestion. Depending on how grumpy you are today.¡± Salire cast a nervous smile the alchemist¡¯s way.


    ¡°I¡¯m at five out of ten grumpy today,¡± Theo responded.


    ¡°Oh, perfect. Maybe you should take an apprentice.¡±


    This again. Theo thought about this often. The only reason it annoyed him when someone brought it up was because it was a mostly impossible task. Even handling the base-level essences was a challenge for anyone without a core. That came down to a normal, unaligned alchemist at around level 50. The only other path was to take a [Drogramath Alchemy Core]. Even then, that only unlocked the first tier of potions.


    To make anything more complicated, they¡¯d need the [Unstable Material Handling] and the knowledge of how this stuff worked. Theo cast his eyes to the ceiling and hummed for a moment. Salire joined him, looking up.


    ¡°What are we looking at?¡±


    ¡°Trying to figure out the best way to ask Drogramath for help,¡± Theo said.


    The Demon Lord always felt so distant. Even with the shrine upstairs. Theo thought of the mage core in his chest, rolling the sequence of events over in his mind. That took the power of two members of the Demonic Pantheon to happen. The Elves in Tarantham had [Core Smiths] that could create class cores. He doubted they¡¯d ever even think about making a demonic core.


    Salire leaned in over the counter. ¡°Is he listening?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think he is,¡± Theo said. ¡°I need to figure that problem out, but you¡¯re right. If we had an apprentice working on standard potions, things would be better for me. Do you have any interest in alchemy?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I don¡¯t even really have my mind set on trade.¡± Salire shrugged, falling back into her chair. ¡°Not really sure what I want to do.¡±


    Theo stood there for some time, letting his mind and intuition roll over the problem. Not the problem of Salire¡¯s profession. That was something she needed to sort out on her own. He thought about getting an apprentice. Beyond that, he thought of bringing other Dronon into the town. But Drogramathi Dronon were elusive people. He knew little about their culture. Just that they were reclusive. Secretive with their techniques.


    Zarali had let it slip in the past that they were born in broods. That made it possible that they didn¡¯t have parents. Something like that compounded the problem, leaving the alchemist without answers. Beyond that, there was nothing that said a Half-Ogre, or an Elf couldn¡¯t take a Drogramathi core.


    Salire joined Theo upstairs into the lab. She had been kind enough to purchase more [Dimensional Storage Crates] to place upstairs. The golems had been doing their own thing for a few days now, collecting mushrooms and inserting them into the exterior crates. The shopkeeper transported those [Swamp Truffles] upstairs, saving the alchemist the trip.


    Theo loaded all his stills up with the truffles, not bothering to distill down more essence for the random orders. He had enough [Refined Healing Essence] on hand to sort them all out. The alchemist placed his grinder atop the first still, processing 500 units of mushrooms before moving on to the next one. Salire followed him as he worked, oddly interested in the process despite her previous words.


    ¡°How important is the grinding phase?¡±


    ¡°Simultaneously less and more important than the other phases,¡± Theo said, moving on to the last still. ¡°At Tier 2 and 3, the grind still doesn¡¯t matter a lot. For the distillation process, water and heat dispersion are still the most important aspect.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have enough barrels of [Enchanted Water] for the task. He held his hand over a barrel and let the mana trickle from his body. It dripped into the water, half-liquid half-flame as it mixed. Salire watched with interest.


    ¡°What does the [Enchanted Water] do.¡±


    ¡°It makes the essence better in every way.¡± Theo finished with the barrel, adding it to the first still. He needed to repeat this process several times, filling each still to the top. He downed a mana potion and got back to it.


    ¡°This used to be a two-part process, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there was a massive pressure still outside,¡± Theo said, jabbing a finger toward the window. ¡°We replaced it with a condenser coil.¡±


    ¡°So the essence gets the ¡®refined¡¯ tag, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than just a tag. It has physical properties, too. It¡¯s more pure. Closer to the property than before. Watch.¡± Theo withdrew what little [Refined Hallow Ground Essence] he had from his inventory. ¡°I couldn¡¯t give you a percentage of purity, but this refined batch isn¡¯t perfect. It has impurities from the other properties attached to the [Swamp Truffle].¡±


    Without waiting for her words of understanding, Theo applied his [Reagent Deconstruction] skill on the flask. The silver essence inside went up in smoke, filling the lab with a hovering cloud. The [Primal Hallow Ground] that was left behind held the familiar silver sheen. He was just displaying an example for the shopkeeper, but it gave him some ideas. He could use the primal version of the essence to make a third tier potion. An experiment in the Dreamwalk was needed.


    ¡°This is as close to the property as I can get right now. It¡¯s still not perfect.¡±


    ¡°How stable is that compared to the refined essence?¡±


    Theo had to think about that for a minute. ¡°Stable, or unstable. I don¡¯t really know. Technically more stable, but¡­ I wouldn¡¯t test it.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mister Alchemy.¡±


    Theo explained the next part of the process. They had to wait for the slurry to heat evenly. Salire had some suggestions about replacing the medium from water to something more unstable. She also suggested stirring the mixture, perhaps with an artifice. The alchemist had stirred a mixture in the past, but it had little effect. But these weren¡¯t the wandering thoughts of someone uninterested in Drogramathi alchemy.


    ¡°Would you take a [Drogramath Alchemy Core] if I found one?¡± Theo asked.


    The smile that spread across Salire¡¯s face was slow. She raised her eyebrows. ¡°Thought you¡¯d never ask.¡±

 4.23 - Advanced Hallow Ground Potions

    Miltar and his assistant stayed for dinner within the walls of Broken Tusk. There was a discussion in the administration interface about how foreigners should be treated within the walls. Theo didn¡¯t have any actionable ideas, and the Half-Orc was enjoying himself. The alchemist didn¡¯t invite the man into his private booth, sitting down for some time with his closest companions.


    Even if one of those companions was a goose.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re gonna make some serious profit?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo had watched the reports come in from both Azrug and Alise. The trader¡¯s visit would be profitable. Far better than any deal they¡¯d made overland. The alchemist was interested in making long-term deals, though.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s another producer of our iron in the world.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Does this realistically solve our money problems, though?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo thought about that for a moment. Broken Tusk didn¡¯t have money problems. Being rich or poor counted for nothing when they lacked the supplies to do what they needed. Progress didn¡¯t come from the slow building of a nation. It came in fits and starts, a fact brought by the magical nature of nation-building. While they needed money to buy seed cores, there was no rule against plopping down a thousand homes in a day. The only limit was the seed cores and [Monster Cores].


    That was an interesting point to reflect on. A mirror to gaze upon during the waning hours of the day. Broken Tusk had gone from nothing to the leader of a nation in a season. While Theo no longer saw the passage of time as the sequential procession of days, he was aware how short of a time he¡¯d lived in this world. After a long pause, he found his answer to Tresk¡¯s question.


    ¡°Money problems? Yeah, maybe. What we need is a long-lasting relationship.¡± Theo filtered through some reports written by the administration staff. ¡°Curiously, they said they could make the trip from Partopour to Broken Tusk in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Magic, buddy. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    ¡°So, they have enchanted ships. Or ships with artifice enhancements. At that point, why not just fly?¡± Theo asked, and held his hand up before Tresk could respond. ¡°I know. Magic interference and whatever. Plop right out of the sky.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. It¡¯s a miracle that the Ogres even got here. Let alone the Bantari.¡± Tresk had finished her food long ago. As always, she had dumped a pile of noodles directly down her throat. It was funny how she ate more like a goose than Alex. ¡°Canoes, ya know? That¡¯s what the Bantari have.¡±


    The pair chatted in the booth for some time. Tresk had a fun day leading a team of stealth-style adventurers around. Alex enjoyed her time shooting fireballs at ghosts. Theo doubted the goose did more than annoy the creatures, but at least she had a good time. After tea and cookies, the group departed for the bath.


    There was nothing better after things went ass-up than a good soak. Dropping into Tero¡¯gal daily had become something that soothed Theo¡¯s mind more than anything. After soaking, they headed off into the Dreamwalk.


    The world swirled around Theo, their bedroom dissolving into nothing as they entered the dream realm. Tresk dropped them into an old memory. Broken Tusk before the alchemist had arrived. It was a keen reminder of how quaint the place was before.


    ¡°Alright, anything you need to share?¡± Theo asked. Tresk gave him a confused look. ¡°Assassins? Demons from another dimension? Giant, sapient chickens bent on the destruction of the town?¡±


    ¡°Why you gotta assume the worst?¡± Tresk laughed. ¡°No. Nothing weird. Just the ghosts that tried to eat the citizens of our town.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes, but nodded. ¡°Alright. Sure.¡±


    A dragon flew over the town, spewing fire on the southern side of town. That¡¯s where a scatter of homes and the smelter was. Tresk had summoned the monster, and her thoughts on such a creature were clear. She¡¯d never seen one before, so there were things about the dragon that were wrong.


    ¡°I think the legs are too short,¡± Theo said, watching as the dragon destroyed trees and turned rock molten.


    The dragon¡¯s legs shrunk, becoming shorter.


    ¡°Now he just looks sad,¡± Theo said.


    Even from this distance, Theo saw tears form in the dragon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Make him pink.¡±


    The dragon was pink.


    ¡°Why are you so much better at this than me?¡± Theo asked. Even if he tried, he couldn¡¯t produce things he¡¯d never seen before.


    ¡°Dunno. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have a dragon to slay.¡±


    Tresk disappeared without further explanation.


    Theo forced his will upon the Dreamwalk. He planned to focus on one recipe tonight. It wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d created in the real world, and he intended to bend the dream realm to his will. Just like Tresk did.


    The alchemist got the idea when he showed Salire the [Primal Hallow Ground]. He hadn¡¯t thought about it when he consumed it for his wards, but giving her an example brought the idea to his mind. The base of his third tier potions was the [Suffuse Potion], which bound two properties together. While the results were strange, they were all powerful.


    ¡°Useful?¡± Theo asked, patting Alex. ¡°Maybe not. Interesting? Absolutely.¡±


    Theo compiled a list of interesting primal essences to combine with [Hallow Ground]. [Anti-Mage] was obvious and rote at this point. The elemental essences could be effective. [Sear], [Over-time], [Web], [Fire], [Retreat], and [Poison] were also candidates. The alchemist didn¡¯t gain a sense for compatibility with those just by thinking about them. And he hadn¡¯t made most of those into primal essences before.


    That¡¯s where his willpower came in. The alchemist forced himself on the Dreamwalk. He attempted to convince it he was the master here. It would bend to his will. But it felt like slamming his fist into a sheet of steel. Banging his head against a brick wall and expecting it to crumble. The harder he pushed, the more a sense of pain rolled through his mind. Until he felt it present a compromise.


    Theo was attempting to tell the Dreamwalk to general the primals for him. The message it sent back was clear. It would bend, but only if he did the work here. As if he were in Tero¡¯gal, or the mortal plane. The alchemist withdrew the essences he needed, and applied his mana to the vials. Smoke rose near the old riverbank. Black plumes carrying an acrid scent into the air. Alex played near the shore, shooting small fireballs at the rising clouds.


    The Dreamwalk had relented, allowing Theo to break the rules. A strange sense lingered about that. Like it wasn¡¯t his will that had broken the dream realm. The alchemist cast a confused look at Alex.


    ¡°Did you do that?¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re getting far better at honking. So, we¡¯re happy. Right?¡±


    Honk! Honk!


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    Of the primal essences Theo made, each one seemed to agree with his plan. Conceptually, each essences could be combined with the [Suffuse Potion] and the [Primal Hallow Ground]. While they still hadn¡¯t seen mage-style undead, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t worth using that as the baseline. Like the other suffuse-style potions, this one required time to brew. After the alchemist placed them in a large flask, the mixture boiled. He moved on the others, creating similar reactions that would just take time.


    Theo pushed away from the table he¡¯d summoned, looking over his potions. ¡°Alright. Those are going to do their thing, Alex. We¡¯re gonna fight.¡±


    Alex gave a weak honk.


    ¡°Not ready to train?¡±


    She honked again. Theo got the sense that she wasn¡¯t ready for that. Not yet. But there was something else he could help her with. Theo might have been a fledgling compared to Xol¡¯sa with magic, but he was learning. He sat cross-legged on the ground, lifting and resetting the goose a few times before she¡¯d stay still.


    ¡°How does your magic work?¡± Theo asked.


    Honk!


    Theo generated a stone, then enchanted it with a ward. The rock shimmered for a moment, then a field of [Reveal] sprung up. ¡°That¡¯s magic.¡±


    Alex waved her head around as though she were attempting to dislodge something from her throat. Then a gout of fire shot out, a stream that reached high into the sky.


    ¡°So, not magic?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Is your fire more of a natural process?¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Honk.


    ¡°Not quite?¡±


    Honk.


    Theo was more confused about how the goose¡¯s fire worked than before he started working with her. It didn¡¯t help that each honk came with a flood of information. Things that felt more like feelings than words. Alex honked a few more times, slapping her webbed feet on the wet grass. The alchemist understood the basic meaning. She meant that her fire ability was somewhere between a spell and a skill. Maybe she had access to other spells, but they were all by feel. Nothing fancy like his spell interface.


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa would know what all this means,¡± Theo said. ¡°From what I understand, spells are crafted in the system interface. In my case, I can create the spells on paper and weave those into objects.¡±


    Alex honked and Theo interpreted.


    ¡°You have something like that?¡±


    A few more honks.


    ¡°Oh. Then the answer is simple. I was right. You need to train.¡±


    A few honks, sadder this time.


    ¡°Of course it''s hard, but that doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t try.¡±


    Alex honked again. Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Say that again.¡±


    Bugs. Eat bugs.


    Alex honked the words, but Theo swore he understood them. He could have been interpreting the honks, but that¡¯s how he heard it.


    ¡°We can eat plenty of bugs later, but you need to practice your fire attacks,¡± Theo said.


    How?


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with this,¡± Theo said, summoning a small Goblin.


    The creature appeared, dancing on the spot. Theo ordered it to stay where it was, but he gave it a copper-tipped spear to sell the illusion. There wasn¡¯t any point in training against completely stationary targets, but Alex needed to start somewhere.


    ¡°Alright. Kill the Goblin.¡±


    It took some convincing to get Alex to shoot her first fireball at the creature. Theo felt her affinity for living things, which struck him in the heart. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to harm the Goblin until he convinced her it wasn¡¯t real. The goose shot a fist-sized fireball at the monster, sending it tumbling back.


    ¡°I wonder why your affinity is fire if you¡¯re a peaceful goose,¡± Theo said, clearing away the old Goblin and summoning a new one.


    Life, Alex said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the life affinity.¡± Theo took a moment to check on his potions. They had hours left to brew. ¡°You have the fire affinity.¡±


    Want life affinity.


    Theo fell into a seated position near Alex. He pushed down the desire to send her forward on this path. To pursue the fire affinity. The alchemist thought about all the times he told people to reinvent themselves. He thought about the times where he¡¯d reinvented himself, both back on Earth and here.


    ¡°You want to be a healer?¡± Theo asked.


    No¡­ yes.


    She didn¡¯t have the words to express what she wanted. While she was just a goose, a weird one engineered by Demons, she already had complex thoughts. Theo could feel what she was thinking to an extent, but it wasn¡¯t like when Tresk felt his feelings. It was vague.


    ¡°You want a life-based affinity, but you don¡¯t want to be a healer? Maybe nature magic? I don¡¯t know a damn thing about that, little goose.¡±


    Nature!


    Theo nodded. If there was a way to change her affinity from a destructive to constructive one, he¡¯d find it. The alchemist inspected the goose.


    [Alexandria D¡¯Goose]


    [Goose]


    [Familiar]


    Stage:


    [Goose]


    Master:


    [Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal]


    Level 9


    Description:


    Geese are known as the most loving creatures in all the realms. Any rumors spread to disparage these honorable creatures will be met with a flurry of feathers and bill.


    Affinities:


    Fire


    ¡°Affinities. Plural, right?¡± Theo asked.


    Yes!


    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s a path forward, anyway.¡±


    They could only theorize on how to get more affinities. For now, it was enough to speculate. The potions brewing on the table completed one after the other near the end of the Dreamwalk. Tresk had a great sense for how much time they had left, while Theo didn¡¯t. She even claimed to see outside of the dream realm sometimes, although that had been rare for her.


    The alchemist inspected his potions, assessing them for usefulness.


    [Purge Undead Magic]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion purges all magical ability from the drinker¡¯s soul. Must be consumed by an undead.


    That was incredibly specific. Good luck trying to get an undead to drink a potion. How would he even get a skeleton to drink a potion? But that was a question for another time. This potion didn¡¯t have a modifier, and the alchemist had the sense that it could be modified.


    ¡°That might be the first time that [Anti-Mage] sucks,¡± Theo said. Alex honked a response of approval. He inspected the next one made from [Sear].


    [Flame of Dual Sleeping Gods]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Releasing this potion from its bottle will create a slick of flames that lasts 2 hours. All undead who come in contact with the flames are afflicted with [Searing Hallow Ground] for 1 minute.


    That was the fanciest title that Theo had ever seen on a potion. He got the sense that the title came from the fact that both Balkor and Fan¡¯glir were dead. As dead as gods could get, anyway. So, they were sleeping as far as the system was concerned. The effect was incredibly powerful, though. The alchemist poured some on the ground nearby, watching as the potion spread. It rested on the surface of the grass, white flames leaping high into the air. Alex honked with surprise.


    Theo summoned a skeleton, then ordered the monster to walk into the fire. The flames rushed onto the skeletal form of the creature, consuming it entirely. Pieces of it broke away, falling to the ground as ash. It didn¡¯t take long for the flames to consume it completely.


    ¡°Put that one on the ¡®good¡¯ list,¡± Theo said, moving on to the [Over-time] version.


    [Slow Undead]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion slows the drinker. Must be consumed by an undead.


    This one was a stinker. There was no way around it. Even after adding the [Aerosolize] modifier, it might have still just been garbage. That was the point of the Dreamwalk experiments, though. To find out whether these would work or not.


    ¡°That one is going in the trash. For now, at least,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s inspect the [Web] version.¡±


    [Bomb of Link Undead]


    [Bomb]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Throw to splash against targets. All targets affected by this potion will have their health pooled. All targets affected must be undead. Increases the damage every target takes based on the amount of targets restrained.


    This one was just plain good. Theo wasn¡¯t sure about linking the health of all the undead, but everything else about it was awesome. If the effect remained for a long time, he could use the potion to whittle down many targets at once.


    ¡°Yeah, this one is just good,¡± Theo said.


    Alex honked.


    ¡°Next, we¡¯re looking at the [Fire] one. Come on. Who doesn¡¯t like fire? Just kidding.¡±


    [Undead Annihilation]


    [Bomb]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Throw at a single undead target. If the target¡¯s resistance against fire fails, the target will explode. This effect can chain up to 20 times.


    ¡°Oh yeah. That¡¯s the stuff,¡± Theo said. ¡°We have our first winner, Alex.¡±


    Alex honked.


    ¡°Next up, the [Retreat] property. See, I didn¡¯t want to do this one at first. But then I got thinking about it, and¡­ well, you never know with these suffuse potions.¡±


    [Return Undead]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion returns you to your master¡¯s seat of power. This potion may only be consumed by undead.


    ¡°That¡¯s just weird,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes. He read the description several times. ¡°That could be useful, right? I guess I don¡¯t even know what banishment means for undead targets. So, sending them back to their master would do what, exactly? Balkor is dead, and he caused the reanimation. Does that send the undead into the heavenly realms? That seems problematic.¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°Last one. [Poison].¡±


    [Crumbling Undead Phage]


    Poison


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Undead targets inflicted with this phage will break down in time. This effect may jump to a total of 256 targets, no matter how many targets you infect.


    ¡°Tresk is gonna love that one,¡± Theo said. ¡°256 sounds like a lot of targets, but not really. Think about how many undead are outside the gates of Gronro.¡±


    Tresk appeared from nowhere. ¡°You rang?¡±


    ¡°Just made this sweet legendary poison,¡± Theo said, thrusting it into her hands.


    ¡°Oh, this is cool,¡± Tresk said. ¡°But I hate fighting the undead. They don¡¯t got no blood.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, might be worth making it a bomb with [Aerosolize]. Did you beat the dragon?¡±


    ¡°No. Still no. He¡¯s too strong.¡±


    ¡°Well, you made him that way. Make him weaker.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the point? If I can¡¯t beat the strongest thing I can think of, why bother?¡±


    Theo nodded. That was Tresk. ¡°Oh, Alex wants to eat bugs and get a new affinity.¡±


    ¡°She always wants to eat bugs. Alex? I thought you liked fire.¡±


    No, Alex said, her thoughts radiating through the minds of both Tara¡¯hek members.


    ¡°Oh. She can talk now. Neat.¡±

 4.24 - Big Ideas

    Theo sat with Tresk and Alex in their booth at the Marsh Wolf Tavern. People came and went outside their little bubble, but they paid little attention. The goose had given a series of requests, mostly for bugs and new worms she¡¯d never eaten. The Marshling had trouble convincing her that the worms they had were the best worms.


    The alchemist wasn¡¯t so sure. He occupied himself with the north-facing window of their booth. If he popped the window open, craning his neck outside, he could see the artificer¡¯s workshop. Throk had piles of gears and other stuff that looked like junk outside. Pieces of the old Southblade artifice guardian that he hadn¡¯t yet found use for. Other strange devices were strewn about with little thought to organization.


    ¡°Close the damn window!¡± Xam shouted beyond the booth.


    Theo snapped it shut, turning to gape through the narrow entrance of their booth.


    ¡°You¡¯re letting all the air out,¡± Tresk said.


    Throk¡¯s first round of projects had been useful for the town. Between his skills as an artificer and his genius in smithing, the man had saved them more than a few times. Now he¡¯d gone into some insane spiral of strange inventions. Things that Theo had no name for. Or a use. This morning the Marshling tinkerer had assembled vast lengths of pipes, each with a whirring artifice in the center of the span.


    ¡°Gotta be pumps,¡± Theo said, watching as the angry blacksmith slammed a hammer against the side of a pipe. It rumbled ominously.


    ¡°For what, though?¡±


    Tresk shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s your dad.¡± Theo picked at his food, pushing aside the things he didn¡¯t like. But the trader had brought with him a tomato-like thing. Slightly more bitter and acidic than the version on Earth, it was good. Chopped and mixed into a Pozwa egg omelet, and it was even better. The alchemist thought the addition of diced Zee was a bit much.


    ¡°Good luck figuring his brain out. Did he ever work on our airships?¡±


    Theo was certain he explained this. ¡°Too complicated. I was thinking of adding artifices to our boats.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m down to ride some speed boats,¡± Tresk laughed.


    Theo tapped his foot rapidly, a thought entering his mind. That was the most dangerous thing for the alchemist to experience. An errant thought that sent his mind spiraling down unending passages. He imagined an airship flying from the north. From Karasan¡¯s seat of power in Qavell. Or the east, where the Elves called home.


    ¡°Air defense,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re lacking air defense. Throk worked on that potion sprayer. Maybe he can come up with a new idea. A potion cannon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always talking about potions. Potion this. Potion that. When are we gonna talk about stabbing?¡±


    ¡°A stabbing cannon?¡± Theo asked. ¡°A cannon that fires knives?¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Theo shrugged. He wasn¡¯t being serious about the idea. ¡°You can read my thoughts. Better than I can read yours.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Just seems impolite.¡±


    ¡°When has that stopped you before?¡±


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re on a roll today!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Alright. Airships, right? I see a few problems. I can see the air defense weapons in your memory. Those ones you disabled in Berlin. How did those work?¡±


    When Theo first arrived in Broken Tusk, he never wanted to think about those things. War was hell, and he¡¯d divorced himself from all of its bloody trappings. But when he cast his mind back to that operation, he didn¡¯t feel the same sick sense in his stomach. He saw the memory through a clinical lens.


    ¡°We destroyed the Berlin alliance with a kinetic bombardment,¡± Theo started, sipping his tea. ¡°They used two methods to defend against this. The first was to intercept whatever orbital platform we used, and the other was an air defense cannon. Do you know what electricity is? Plasma?¡±


    ¡°Uh. I get the idea,¡± Tresk shrugged.


    ¡°Anyway. They would shoot whatever was in the sky out of the sky. Easy as that. They used a big particle beam cannon to do it. I don¡¯t know exactly how they worked, but we won¡¯t be using Earth science. We¡¯ll hurl big hunks of metal, or potions. Doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a weapon of war.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re past that. If Throk can make magic pumps, magic fires, and all that crap¡­ he can make something that speeds up a round to absurd speeds,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Then you just have to worry about operating the artifice. Training,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo tapped his foot faster on the wooden floor. He didn¡¯t know if this was the right move, but it seemed like a fool¡¯s game to ignore Throk¡¯s skills. When the air-based monsters came to attack, they were always at a disadvantage. But those monsters always descended to attack, resulting in their demise from the towers. What if a target was too far away for them to attack?


    A dark thought entered Theo¡¯s mind. What if they could put something in orbit? What if they could strike at Karasan without leaving Broken Tusk? He pushed the thought away.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not do that,¡± Tresk said, reading his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re quickly entering the realm of war crimes.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll stick to defensive measures. Think Throk will be pissed if I ask him to build something for me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Worth a shot.¡±


    ¡°I need to check up on his sprayer project, anyway,¡± Theo said. ¡°Got any plans?¡±


    Bugs, Alex said.


    ¡°Well, she wants bugs. I¡¯m going to do some dungeons.¡±


    Theo had enough things to do today. Fortunately, the administration staff handled the traders well. They¡¯d already done their deals, earning a hefty sum for the town. That money went directly into the town itself, reserved for later use. Mostly, Alise earmarked it to pay the workers over the Season of Fire. In the town¡¯s administration interface, she¡¯d created different sections for money storage. The ¡®Worker Fund¡¯ wasn¡¯t to be touched, and she had some strange notes about payouts from the fund.


    Alise intended to keep everyone on the contracted payment scheme, plus a productivity incentive. Workers earned more money the more resources they exported through the port. People like Ziz would make less from that fund, since he owned most of the quarry. But workers in Dead Dog Mine would make out like bandits.


    When the group finished eating breakfast, Tresk went off to do her dungeons. That left Alex with Theo. The goose continued to insist that she needed more bugs. She just kept shouting about the bugs, never clarifying what bugs. The alchemist left the tavern, following the goose as she hunted for her prey. The wandering path took them near enough to Throk¡¯s [Artificer¡¯s Workshop] to see the extent of the Marshling¡¯s rage.


    ¡°Hey, Throk,¡± Theo said, raising a tentative hand.


    Throk was crouched near a pile of junk. He looked back at the alchemist and narrowed his eyes. ¡°You say it, and I¡¯ll pummel your archduke''s ass into the ground.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tone, I have an attack goose,¡± Theo said. Alex shot a small ball of fire into the air. Throk actually flinched.


    ¡°Need anything, alchemist?¡± Throk asked, suddenly softening.


    ¡°Not really. Just wanted to know about your potion sprayer project.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°We already have one in service,¡± Throk said, waving the question away. ¡°Up on the walls in Gronro. They¡¯ve automated their defense by spewing your undead-killing cloud potions.¡±


    While that made sense, it surprised Theo. ¡°So, do you have some spare time?¡±


    ¡°Does it look like I have time?¡±


    Theo¡¯s intuition told him to push the Marshling. Throk was out here, digging through his crap, because he had nothing else to do. Thim was a great blacksmith, likely taking most of the boring blacksmithing jobs from the Marshling. When his mind wasn¡¯t busy, he got to work on whatever else he could think of.


    ¡°I think you do.¡±


    Throk grumbled. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Theo explained the idea of a cannon that used artifices to speed up an object. He emphasized the concept of not using an explosive charge to send the object forward. The alchemist detailed that it needed to send something as delicate as a potion, or as hard as a chunk of [Drogramathi Iron].


    ¡°I got something that might work,¡± Throk said, disappearing into his workshop without another word. When Theo didn¡¯t follow, he shouted back, ¡°do you need an invitation?¡±


    Theo entered the cluttered workshop. Just like the exterior, the interior was strewn with garbage. Throk had access to storage crates, so he must have been organizing his stuff. The alchemist watched as he assembled something for display. He set out a long, rail-like artifice on a table after clearing it away. Once a mote was placed in the side, it hummed. Then he took a length of regular iron and set it atop the device. Instead of making contact, it matched the pitch of the hum and floated there.


    ¡°You¡¯ve invented maglev,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Throk asked. ¡°Well, check this out.¡±


    Throk adjusted something on the device, then tilted the bottom section upward. The bar of iron didn¡¯t move. It was locked in place above the artifice. He adjusted a dial on the side, and the bar moved forward until it fell off the front, clattering to the ground.


    ¡°If I can get it right, I can launch that bar at some absurd speeds.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve invented a maglev and a rail gun,¡± Theo said, nodding with approval. ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Explain both of those to me.¡±


    Theo was happy to explain both concepts. Throk had intended to use the device to make a carriage without a Karatan. One that followed tracks. Basically, he wanted to make a train. He didn¡¯t have the words for what he wanted to make, but the alchemist was on board all the way. That just made the Marshling more excited.


    ¡°From here to Rivers, we¡¯ll need some serious metal,¡± Throk said, unfurling a length of parchment. He¡¯d already drawn up the plans. ¡°Which means I need you to give me metal. And money. And more metal, because I came up with a way to feed motes to artifices automatically.¡±


    Throk was full of surprises today. He showed how his hopper-tube system worked. According to the Marshling, he gained a skill that let him interface two or more artifice systems. One artifice could be programmed to do a number of things. First was to report that it was low on energy. So the operating artifice could send word back to a hopper that it needed motes. Those systems could be chained to a central system, but there was the problem. They¡¯d need an absurd amount of pipes to make it work.


    ¡°How many men and how long. To get this thing rolling?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not so fast, alchemist. You¡¯re not very smart, are you?¡±


    Theo shuffled his feet on the spot. ¡°No need to be mean.¡±


    Throk snorted a laugh. ¡°Grow some thicker skin. We¡¯re not jumping headlong into this one. We¡¯re going to build a test. I just need permission to use the tract of land between Perg¡¯s place and the harbor.¡±


    ¡°Permission granted.¡±


    ¡°I can have an example read for you real quick. Maybe today if I can figure out how to adapt this to a wooden carriage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to use wood for the train car?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the problem,¡± Throk said, setting up his maglev example pieces. He placed the iron bar over it, allowing it to hover, then pressed down. It took little force to make the bar touch the rail. ¡°Weight.¡±


    Theo approached the experiment, resetting the iron bar. He saw a few other problems he would not mention to Throk. The alchemist tilted the device all the way on its side. The iron bar was locked in place, seeming to ignore physics. That was a good thing for this project.


    ¡°Alright. I want you to have an example ready whenever you can. We¡¯ll pull everyone for this. It¡¯s too cool not to do. After your example is ready, we¡¯re going into full safety mode. I want to see impact tests, Throk. Send one of these bastards down a track at full speed. Ram it into a brick wall.¡±


    A smile spread across Throk¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, I love it when you get all involved. Ziz already signed up, he¡¯s already working on the track¡¯s base.¡±


    Theo nodded. This is what he wanted out of his citizens. Pushing forward on awesome projects like this without asking for approval. He realized this would replace Azrug¡¯s carriage system to an extent, but those carriages normally held only supplies. They were too fast and too bumpy for regular people to enjoy. No, this new project was a money-making opportunity. Who wouldn¡¯t pay a shiny silver coin to ride between the towns?


    ¡°Alright. Report directly to me when you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll smooth everything over with my Lady Administrator.¡±


    Throk snorted a laugh, then pushed past Theo without another word. The alchemist left the workshop, finding Alex picking through the sparse grass for bugs. She joined him as he headed back to the lab. Although he intended to work on his new potions, he arrived at the lab to find Salire ready with a list of things to work on. Miltar had put in a request. A massive request.


    ¡°You told him these were off-limits, right?¡± Theo asked.


    There was a sign on the counter that read ¡®We do NOT sell bombs¡¯. Miltar had still requested them.


    ¡°He offered to pay an absurd price,¡± Salire said with a shrug.


    Theo had never sold a bomb. He didn¡¯t have a price to give for the bombs. But Salire had invented a price for the defensive-style bombs. Bombs like the [Freezebomb]. Miltar had offered 10 silver each. The alchemist rubbed his eyes until he saw spots, shifting and glowing in his vision.


    ¡°No. He¡¯ll have to be happy with¡­ the 1,000 other potions he ordered,¡± Theo said, grimacing. ¡°He really ordered a thousand potions? Are you kidding?¡±


    ¡°He paid upfront. Outsider pricing,¡± Alise said, dumping a massive pile of gold onto the front desk.


    ¡°100 gold coins. You¡¯re joking,¡± Theo said, pulling 10 coins to the side. He took the other 90 into his inventory.


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯m a good salesgirl.¡±


    ¡°Damn right. Okay,¡± Theo said, freezing on the spot. ¡°I need¡­¡±


    ¡°Reagents.¡±


    ¡°Right. Okay. Reagents,¡± Theo said, darting out the front door and behind the building. He saw his [Lesser Plant Golems] working.


    Upon seeing the alchemist, the golems sent a mental message into the lodestone network. They were low on [Mana Constructs]. To the point where the [Lesser Copper Golem] had shut down earlier that morning. Theo hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°Damn, alright guys,¡± Theo said, adding more [Manashrooms] to his inventory. ¡°Give me five minutes.¡±


    Theo darted back into the shop, his inventory filled with everything he¡¯d need to fulfill the request.


    ¡°How long is MIltar still in town?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Salire responded, falling back into her chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking this with me,¡± Theo said, holding the order form up. ¡°Alex, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Alex honked, joining Theo as he fell through the realms. The pair passed over the Bridge for only a moment. It was far more calm than it had been in the past. He caught a flash of something in the distance, over that shadowy bridge, but it seemed normal. The alchemist popped his shoes off the moment he landed in Tero¡¯gal, feeling the soft grass under his feet. He didn¡¯t hesitate, heading directly for his three stills.


    An archway of stone and ice appeared near the wheat field. Theo had already put on his first batch of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] for the order of [Healing Pills]. Benton stepped from his realm, shaking ice from his shaggy coat. He stood there in the faux-sunlight for some time before approaching the alchemist.


    ¡°Been a hell of a few days,¡± the bear god said.


    Alex honked in agreement, offering no words.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Theo said, adjusting the heat on his stills. ¡°Did your realm suffer from the weird ghosts?¡±


    ¡°Nothing I couldn¡¯t handle,¡± Benton said. ¡°We only had a few stray wraiths. I saw the chaos on the mortal plane, though. As far north as Gora Sat.¡±


    Theo paused his work. Gora Sat was the name the Toora people used to describe their home. It was a mountain range north of Qavell. The alchemist was horrible at estimating distance, but that was at least a thousand miles away.


    ¡°They made it that far?¡± Theo asked. ¡°They originated in Broken Tusk. My town.¡±


    ¡°Of course you were the source of the problem,¡± Benton said, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s back. ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re serious. They were at the World Spine?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Just a handful, but they caused some problems with my people.¡± Benton withdrew a stone chair from nowhere, setting it down on the ground with a thud. He sat, withdrawing a knife and a length of bone from his inventory.


    ¡°Did you help them?¡±


    ¡°Nope. New rules.¡±


    A memory flashed in Theo¡¯s mind. Uz¡¯Xulven said something to that effect when he was almost assassinated. She said that she wouldn¡¯t agree to a new set of rules. Now that was interesting.


    ¡°The gods got a system message, didn¡¯t they? Someone changed the rules of how you can interact with the mortal world,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Well, we can use a vessel to visit. It has to be our champion, and we pay a high price to do so. Godly resources, you know.¡±


    Theo paused his work. Zarali had channeled the power of Drogramath to heal during the ghost attack. Was that considered channeling the god?


    ¡°Who set the new rules? Was it just the system?¡± Theo asked. But he already knew the answer.


    ¡°Yeah, some new guy. A brand new ascendant that the system called the Arbiter. It said he was always supposed to exist, and that he now enforced the rules of being a god.¡±


    Theo tapped his finger on an empty vial. ¡°Now that is interesting.¡±

 4.25 - Poor Application

    Theo had a lot of time to consider Benton¡¯s words inside Tero¡¯gal. His priority was to finish Miltar¡¯s order, but after that he was left with his thoughts and random tasks. The alchemist brewed more potions to sell in the shop, covering the basics of healing and mana restoration potions. But he also completed several batches of attribute enhancing potions.


    Alex was content to play in the small pond, even after Benton left. Theo completed a reaction for the last of his potions, then settled down near the pond. He dangled his feet in the water, splashing at the goose occasionally. The image of the real world over the island¡¯s edge focused on Tresk. She did what she always did. The Marshling took her job as an adventurer seriously and rarely went a day without killing a monster.


    Theo exited his private realm when his time was done. Alise had waited the five minutes for him to come out, and was happy to accept the potions he¡¯d crafted. Tresk checked in on him as he retreated behind the building to check on his plants. She¡¯d felt him go into the realm and was naturally concerned.


    We¡¯re fine. Just completing a few orders, Theo said.


    Alright. Keep me in the loop.


    She wasn¡¯t as worried as the last time Theo¡¯s life had been threatened. That would have surprised him, but her confidence was growing by the day. While he wouldn¡¯t bring it up, they were both benefiting from their shared realm. It helped keep his thoughts ordered, and reduced the worry that came with his unnatural intuition. It often felt as though his thoughts weren¡¯t his own, and he didn¡¯t know if he should blame the realm or Khahar¡¯s ascension.


    Theo checked his administration interface, ensuring his guests were behaving themselves. Gael had taken that project on, writing reports about the vendor stalls the sailors set up in the port. He reported the exchange of a lot of gold. The items didn¡¯t draw people in because they were useful. They wanted to have something from afar. Something that wasn¡¯t produced within the town.


    Alise had penned reports about the usefulness of the dock beyond just a means of connection. Miltar was happy to pay a fee to sell his wares within the town. It wasn¡¯t a massive sum of money, but it was enough to line the town¡¯s pockets. More than they¡¯d get without buying the dock, anyway. But the sailors¡¯ arrival had brought with it high spirits. The people in Broken Tusk saw it as a beacon of hope. Theo wandered the streets, listening to those hopeful voices.


    Theo walked south, inspecting the smelters for a time. Embers drifted from the open workshop, carrying on the hot air only to extinguish themselves on the ground. The heat was already oppressive outside of the smelter. Even at a distance the smelter¡¯s heat was exhausting to endure for more than a few moments. Nira and her people worked within, drenching each other with water as they worked.


    The area around the smelter had built up slightly. Both the mine and the smelter had workers that didn¡¯t want to walk far to get to work. They built their homes in the area. Some didn¡¯t even follow the path of the road, planting their [House Seed Cores] up on hills, or in slight depressions in the terrain. The area wasn¡¯t as organized as the massive neighborhood north of Xam¡¯s tavern.


    But there was a charm to that.


    An orderly town might be easier to get around, but there was something about the disorder that made it feel more human. Theo walked to the mine and thought about how the buildings were placed. His previous thought about the disorder of humanity faded when he spotted a lone house far in the distance. It was one thing to go against the grain, and another entirely to make one¡¯s house in such a horrid spot.


    Theo waited awkwardly outside of the mine. Gridgen usually came out to greet him, but all he saw were random workers. They greeted him well enough, but no one stopped long enough to hold a conversation. Alex had been wandering around, eating bugs, and when presented with the chance to go in the mine, she declined.


    Gridgen had made good progress on digging more tunnels. He¡¯d expanded the level that mined copper and iron. But Drogramathi Iron was still hard to get. The alchemist stood outside the holding gate, looking in toward the place where they found Alex¡¯s egg. More than ever, he was certain there was something under the town. But projects were pushed back as time went on, and the mine¡¯s extra duties suffered.


    The purpose of the mine was never to find random passageways into the underworld. They were fine hauling absurd amounts of nuggets out.


    Theo didn¡¯t have to chase down anyone for a report. Gwyn had posted their last week¡¯s production, and it was looking good. But with only 50 [Drogramathi Iron Nuggets] mined, they wouldn¡¯t have much to export. The alchemist¡¯s other ventures were doing well. The weaver was producing absurd amounts of [Starbristle Cloth], something that Miltar was very interested in. Another thing the trader was searching for was lumber, although he had no desire to buy their stone. Gems were another item he wanted, but Ziz wouldn¡¯t part with those.


    The day whittled away as Theo stopped in on all his people. His wandering march through town always ended in the same place. The area between Perg¡¯s tannery and the harbor. Throk had been working on his device for a while. It had started as nothing more than a pile of items strewn around. Before long, the artificer had assembled a length of track. Sledge came in to help set up the wooden cart. Finally, Ziz and his boys built a thick stone wall at the end of the track.


    Theo watched as Throk adjusted his artifices. It was just a long bar of iron with artifices embedded within. As the alchemist looked upon the Marshling¡¯s creation, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°looks like a monorail.¡±


    ¡°Dunno what that is,¡± Throk said, making another change to his devices.


    The thing looked like a monorail with an open wooden cart on top. A single bar rested under the carriage, causing it to float as though locked in place above the rail. Throk would need to solve several problems with this setup. He needed to feed motes to the track, but also the cart itself. It wasn¡¯t workable to feed the motes manually. They needed an automated system, or nothing at all.


    ¡°Right,¡± Throk said, finishing his work. He smacked a metal box with a bunch of dials and buttons on it. ¡°This isn¡¯t the final version. But this thing talks to all the tracks at once, but I only have a dumb fire mode right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, stepping back and crossing his arms. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start out slow? Just make it go to the end of the track. Don¡¯t hit the wall.¡±


    ¡°I think we can do that,¡± Throk said, pressing a few buttons on the panel. ¡°Stand clear of the wall. Just in¡ª¡±


    The cart vanished. Well, part of the cart vanished. The boards that created a platform at the base had remained on track, secured to the hovering artifice. The rest of the cart was torn away, falling to where the track started. An ear-shattering crash filled the area. Theo¡¯s hands went reflexively to his ears, covering them as the stone wall exploded. Shards of rock fell from the sky, peppering those gathered. Everyone took cover under trees, shielding their heads from the deadly rain.


    ¡°Maybe a bit fast!¡± Throk said, wincing as a shard hit him in the head.


    ¡°Ya think?¡± Theo asked.


    Once the dust had settled, they inspected the stone. The militia arrived moments later, investigating the sudden explosion. Theo waved them off, checking out how the wall had been turned to powder. There was no sign of the cart, or the device that sat under it.


    ¡°Yeah, way too fast,¡± Throk said, inspecting the stone. ¡°Thought I did all the math right.¡±


    ¡°Clearly not,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ll need some safety measures. But this is good. It¡¯ll work as a weapon.¡±


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    ¡°I wanted it to work as transport,¡± Throk said, crestfallen.


    The crowd that had gathered to see the maglev experiment¡¯s failure chatted. Theo turned to look at their reactions. Most seemed to think it was interesting, not expressing an aversion to the new method of transport. But he spotted a strange sight among the group. Miana stood with a [Marsh Wolf] at her side. The same creatures that roamed the swamp, attacking adventurers whenever they could. He waved her over.


    ¡°Alright there, Theo?¡± Miana asked. ¡°Heard this was going to be transport. Not a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Both, actually,¡± Theo said. At least the rails underneath seemed undamaged. Even if Throk lamented, kneeling near them to assess the damage. ¡°You have a wolf.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Miana said, patting the creature at her side. It whimpered, closing its eyes as she stroked the monster¡¯s fur. ¡°I got myself wrapped up in a job for Aarok. He¡¯s convinced we can breed a domesticated version of the wolves, then stick Marshlings on their backs for cavalry.¡±


    Miana had a [Monster Tamer¡¯s Core], but Theo didn¡¯t think she was doing anything with it. He was under the impression she¡¯d use it to capture monsters like the [Fire Salamander], using the domesticated version of them to harvest their delicious eggs. Mounted Marshlings was the furthest thing from his mind, and he doubted their usefulness. Aarok had more experience here, though. If the commander thought it was a good idea, the alchemist wouldn¡¯t step in the way.


    Alex didn¡¯t care for the wolf. She held her wings out, honking repeatedly. No matter how annoying she was to the creature, it didn¡¯t even glance at her. Miana had trained it well. Perhaps the goose could learn something from the program.


    ¡°How hard is it to tame them?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not hard at all,¡± Miana said. ¡°They need to be equal-level with my core. That was the hardest part, but the levels came quickly after I found a few nests of salamanders.¡±


    Theo warred with himself on how he felt about the tamed monsters. He watched as Miana lovingly stroked the wolf, showing it as much affection as she did her farm animals. His first thought was to use the animals as fodder, exactly like how he treated his golems. But watching the wolf push into the Half-Ogre woman¡¯s hand changed his mind on the spot. They¡¯d work better as bonded pairs with citizens. As creatures meant to comfort folks and provide something more than just a weapon of war.


    ¡°They¡¯re cute,¡± Theo said, kneeling to inspect the creature. He lifted the wolf¡¯s lip, inspecting its sharp teeth. It was more plump than the wild monsters in the swamp. Pinning its ears back, the wolf whimpered at the alchemist. ¡°Bet you could do some damage, huh?¡±


    The [Marsh Wolf] let out a yipping bark, licking Theo¡¯s hand.


    ¡°The process is kinda annoying,¡± Miana said. ¡°I have to tame them, then bond them to me. If I want to transfer them to another person, I then have to do the bond all over again. And I can only have one tamed monster at a time. Releasing them reverts them to their monsterized state.¡±


    Throk came trundling over. He spotted the wolf and narrowed his eyes, then took a few steps back. ¡°Found the problem. My control panel made a feedback loop. It made all the rails use their stored power at once.¡±


    ¡°Which is perfect for the railgun,¡± Theo said.


    Throk grumbled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready for another test. Although, we¡¯ll just be floating the connector rail instead of a full carriage. Sledge is mad that I destroyed her ¡®creation¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said, approaching the testing area.


    Instead of the full carriage on top, Throk used his backup bar of iron. Like the last one, this had various artifices attached to it. When the Marshling set it over the rail, it floated like before. When he pressed a few buttons on his control panel, it moved. Slowly. He cranked a dial until the speed increased, then stopped it before it hit the end of the track. The thing could even reverse.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it to a point where it doesn¡¯t need a person manning the controls,¡± Throk said. ¡°Other than that, we¡¯ll start working on the ¡®monorail¡¯ soon.¡±


    ¡°And my weapon?¡± Theo asked.


    Throk gave the alchemist a flat look. ¡°Come on, you needy bastard. Let¡¯s work on some designs.¡±


    Throk ordered his people to clean the area up, and prepare for large-scale production. They were his assistants from the blacksmith. Like most people in Broken Tusk, they desired to specialize in one thing. What ended up happening with everyone was a generalization. Blacksmiths did a bit of artifice work, even if it was just in a helping capacity. Theo went off with the Marshling, ascending the walls to sketch out some designs.


    ¡°So it needs to spin and tilt?¡± Throk asked.


    Theo had sketched a simple design. A ring that allowed the gun to spin, and something to allow for tilt. Firing would be manual, but he doubted there¡¯d be an issue there. If Throk did what he said, the weapon would send a hunk of metal off at absurd speeds. Aiming would be easy.


    ¡°Right. Basic functions,¡± Theo said. ¡°But we need maximum speed out of the muzzle.¡±


    ¡°Muzzle?¡±


    ¡°The long bit that shoots things out,¡± Theo said. ¡°Is it possible to reuse your sled?¡±


    ¡°Sled? Oh, right. The carriage mechanism. Yeah, maybe. Maybe not.¡± Throk tapped his chin for a while. He drew a quick sketch on the parchment.


    Throk detailed the carriage mechanism as it already existed. He then drew an attachment on top that had a forward-facing hook. That would allow the sled to hold onto something as it was accelerating forward.


    ¡°And then we have other rails after the launch-point to slow the sled down. Once the sled slows, the projectile will launch forward.¡± Throk nodded after his statement, satisfied with the idea.


    That was the thing with Throk. He was always grumpy when Theo brought him ideas. But the alchemist never forced him to do uninteresting things. They went on a journey together, solving weird problems with artifices. That¡¯s how to hook the Marshling on a task. Show him something cool and weird, and he got on board.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about launching potions later,¡± Theo said. ¡°That requires a lot more experimentation.


    ¡°The purpose of this new weapon¡­ You¡¯re planning on targeting airships, right?¡± Throk asked.


    That was Theo¡¯s first thought, but not the last. He imagined batteries of these things on the port¡¯s walls, aiming out at sea. Small forts on the coast, perhaps even on the mountains. But their immediate use would be to take down unfriendly airships, if those ever came.


    ¡°We¡¯ve never gotten ahead by staying still,¡± Theo said. ¡°If I know airships exist, I need a defense against them. We know Qavell didn¡¯t have a sea-faring navy. What about one in the sky?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d have sent them by now,¡± Throk said, folding his arms. ¡°Open rebellion and all that.¡±


    ¡°Yet I¡¯m still worried.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is your money,¡± Throk said. ¡°By the way, all this crap is expensive.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. Just send the costs to the administrators.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I got a lot of work to do.¡±


    Theo and Throk departed the wall. Alex had not only stayed behind, but had followed Miana¡¯s wolf. The alchemist used his connection with the goose to find her harassing the Karatan at the ranch. Miana took it in stride, her deep love for all animals clouding her jugement.


    ¡°Come on, Alex,¡± Theo said, clicking his tongue. ¡°Leave those poor cow-bugs alone.¡±


    Battle! Alex said, her thoughts flowing into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°They don¡¯t wanna fight you.¡±


    Yes! They do!


    ¡°Come on. The Karatan and Pozwa are important. They¡¯re not familiars. They do not have the power to fight you.¡±


    Fine.


    Even through the telepathic connection, Alex seemed disappointed that she couldn¡¯t fight the farm animals. Miana came to the ranch¡¯s edge, leaning over the paddock fence and grinning. The goose fluttered to a post, stomping with her webbed feet.


    ¡°She¡¯s got a strong spirit,¡± Miana said.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s frustrated,¡± Theo said, stroking the goose. She ruffled her feathers, honking loudly. Then she shot a fireball. ¡°She wants to change her affinity. Or get a new one.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What affinity is she looking for? Maybe I can help.¡±


    ¡°Alex told me she wanted a life affinity. Or something related to life.¡±


    ¡°Nature?¡±


    Nature! Alex honked. I want nature!


    ¡°Guess she wants nature,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Alex, it should be easy.¡± Miana came up to the goose, holding the creature¡¯s head in her hands. ¡°We just need to expose you to a naturally aligned energy, feed you a few motes.¡±


    I want motes!


    ¡°What motes?¡± Theo asked. ¡°My inventory is crowded with the damned things.¡±


    ¡°[Nature Motes],¡± Miana shrugged. ¡°Should be plenty in the swamp.¡±


    Theo nodded. His [Lesser Mud Golem] collected all kinds of motes. The alchemist had several [Dimensional Storage Crates] filled with motes of all kinds. He had a plan to hoard them, then sell them when traders came. But traders didn¡¯t seem too interested in motes. Or he was a bad salesman. Likely the last option.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands together. ¡°We¡¯ll start on that tomorrow, Alex.¡±


    I want it now!


    Theo stared at his goose for a few moments. ¡°I think we¡¯re entering the teenager phase.¡±


    Alex honked.

 4.26 - Goofin Around

    A crack-like boom echoed through Broken Tusk. Theo unplugged his ears, cheering with the other citizens. The crowd that gathered to see the artificer¡¯s newest deathtrap had urged the Marshling to put on a display. He obliged, making rapid adjustments that created a supersonic launcher. A dumb fire rail gun. The weapon sent objects spinning off in random directions, breaking the sound barrier and deafening those that had gathered.


    ¡°This is a noise ordinance violation,¡± Aarok said, digging his elbow into Theo¡¯s ribs.


    The alchemist laughed. This went far behind a noise violation.


    ¡°Yeah, but it''s cool.¡±


    The shadows parted to Theo¡¯s side, and Tresk emerged, wiping the muck from her face. ¡°I heard that in the dungeon, dude!¡±


    ¡°They heard it in Rivers and Daub,¡± Aarok grumbled.


    Throk loaded another random object onto the launcher. He hyped the crowd up, encouraging them to plug their ears before he set a chunk of marble into space. The artifice groaned. The rock was gone, and the sled was at its end position. Theo dug the wax out of his ears, trying to clear away the constant ringing. This couldn¡¯t have been healthy for anyone.


    Tresk jumped up and down, pumping her fist in the air and screaming. Alex honked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wrap it up, Throk,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°Just doing some test fires,¡± Throk said. ¡°Just one more.¡±


    Aarok groaned. ¡°One more. Then we¡¯re tearing this thing down.¡±


    The Half-Ogre walked away without waiting for confirmation. Theo followed, then Tresk and Alex.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have some airship killers soon,¡± Aarok said. Theo noticed he raised his voice higher than normal, no doubt battling that same ringing.


    ¡°Wanna have dinner?¡± Theo asked.


    Aarok gave him a flat look at first. Then his hand went to his stomach and he nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d like that.¡±


    Tresk, Theo, Alex, and Aarok assumed their seats at the private booth. With the sun flagging in the sky, dipping lower by the moment, the Marsh Wolf tavern was filling up. As the commander of Broken Tusk¡¯s growing army, Aarok wanted to share his concerns. But the alchemist steered the conversation away from those heavy things.


    ¡°Monorails were never really popular,¡± Theo said, sipping his mead. Alex munched on a plate of bugs and worms. ¡°And no one really invested in maglev. Well, what Throk is doing isn¡¯t really maglev. That¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°Dunno what that is.¡± Aarok didn¡¯t sip his mead from Rivers. He guzzled it.


    ¡°Magnets. They used magnets to levitate a train. Made it go extremely fast.¡±


    ¡°Imagine one of my dad¡¯s trains that ran from here to Qavell,¡± Tresk said, giggling. ¡°You¡¯d get there in a day.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a shorter time,¡± Theo said. ¡°Depends on how fast we can get it to go without tearing itself apart. The best use for the train is moving people, right?¡±


    ¡°Because of [Zorp].¡± Tresk nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the value in a railed transport,¡± Aarok said, folding his arms. ¡°Azrug is doing fine with his enchanted Karatan.¡±


    The entire maglev project had little to do with practicality. Theo wanted to pursue all technology. Especially since he found another use for the general principle. He wondered what other defensive weapons they could make from Throk¡¯s inventions. There were practical reasons, too. The more the Marshling worked on artificing, the more experience he gained. That resulted in better artifices, which had become vital to the survival of Broken Tusk.


    Throk had finally accepted that he should take apprentices. If not that, then at least workers. That had been a point of friction for some time, and the alchemist was glad they worked it out.


    ¡°This is more about building things for the sake of building them,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯ve been abroad, Aarok. What kind of things have you seen?¡±


    Aarok shifted uncomfortably in his seat, leaning back and sighing. ¡°Been to Qavell. And Veosta. Both me and Luras thought we were some hot-shot sell swords.¡±


    ¡°Tell us about Qavell,¡± Tresk said, bouncing excitedly.


    ¡°Qavell is a ringed city. The closer you get to the middle, the heavier the defenses. Taking a walk from the outer wall to the inner one would take you a day. Not because of the distance, although that is considerable. The checkpoints. Gods, the checkpoints.¡± Aarok beckoned a server over, gaining another mead for his efforts. ¡°Karasan was so paranoid about keeping his kingdom safe that everyone became paranoid. From the ground up, everyone thought someone was coming for them.¡±


    ¡°There must have been good things.¡± Theo shrugged. There was always a silver lining.


    ¡°The food was great. The military was disciplined.¡±


    Tresk blew raspberries. ¡°Come on. There had to have been more.¡±


    Aarok drank his entire mead in one go, leaving a wet spot on his upper lip. He belched. ¡°Well, we could learn from their farming techniques.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What do they do differently?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°They had few farms behind their walls. All the farmers were out there in the open, but that¡¯s where the military comes in. There was always someone on watch in the farms. There were little watchtowers spread through the farm, so if they saw something coming they rang bells.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cool idea,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°Assuming we have the adventurers to spare for it.¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°How about Veosta?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Spread out like you wouldn¡¯t believe. Small walls, but a lot of highly skilled adventurers protecting the area.¡± Aarok let out a sigh. ¡°Luras and I were ready to pledge our lives to those Elves.¡±


    ¡°No one wants to take a soldier with [Laborer¡¯s Cores],¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°You know, I¡¯d love to get in contact with the Toora north of Qavell. Or those lizard-folk down south.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what the lizard people are called. Do they have a [Kingdom Core]?¡± Aarok asked.


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°No idea. Dad never told me what they were called. He¡¯s never been to the homeland.¡±


    ¡°He said he knew someone that took the Tara¡¯hek, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. He¡¯s a liar if he said that.¡± Tresk cleared her hands off the table as the server came with their food. She mustered the self-control required to not eat the plate of cheesy Zee pasta to continue her story. ¡°We have stories about a Bantari Marshling taking the Tara¡¯hek, but that¡¯s a motherland story. A lizard-person and a Marshling took the bond, then eventually ascended to the heavens together.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we already did that,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Not by a long shot, bud.¡± Tresk took her plate, tilted her head back and dumped the entire thing inside. She swallowed it all. ¡°There isn¡¯t a name for what we do. All breaking the rules over here.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that other Tara¡¯hek bond didn¡¯t do it?¡± Aarok seemed skeptical about the entire thing. But there was a tone of gravity to his voice.


    ¡°Guess we don¡¯t. Maybe this is normal.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing normal about you, Tresk,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Damn right. I¡¯m unique.¡±


    I am unique, Alex said, then honked.


    Aarok shared more tales about his time as a wandering adventurer. Theo knew little about it. Luras didn¡¯t enjoy talking about it, either. Both of them had dreams of joining one army or the other, finally settling for the Qavelli Irregulars. That group held soldiers from various backgrounds. Those that weren¡¯t suitable for the standard army. They were fodder.


    Not that the face of war in the past mattered anymore. Balkor¡¯s undead created a ticking time bomb that had just gone off. Now there was no sense in waging war on the continent unless an army came with a [Hallow Ground] potion for every man. Or a priest powerful enough to banish the undead. Both options seemed rare enough to make the effort impractical.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Tresk shared the stories of her people from her homeland. The Bantari Marshlings lived alongside another race of lizard-folk in relative harmony. They were a shamanistic culture, believing more in the importance of ancestor spirits than anything else. A small group of the Bantari migrated to the swampy area around Broken Tusk when they met with the passing Ogre explorers. Theo never understood the motivations of the Ogres to settle in the swamp.


    More than anything, both Theo and Tresk wanted to uncover the history of the region. It seemed so shrouded in mystery that no one had a consistent story. They were just two cultures smashed together, resulting in something unique.


    ¡°I bet Azrug knows more than we do by now,¡± Tresk said. ¡°If the poor boy wasn¡¯t busy all day. Every day. Maybe he could tell us.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been leveling that [Loremaster¡¯s Core] like crazy,¡± Aarok said, shaking his head. ¡°The system gives him bits of information, but so far it hasn¡¯t been useful for anything but unlocking properties on gear.¡±


    The conversation went from here to there, never lingering on anything important. The more drinks Aarok had, the more he revealed how proud he was. Broken Tusk had transformed in a short time, revealing the true power of the Half-Ogre people. He forgot to include the Marshlings in his grand statement, and got a glare from Tresk.


    ¡°Bath?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not me. Gotta run the rounds,¡± Aarok said, rising from his chair. He wobbled on the spot before getting his legs.


    Tresk, Theo, and Alex went to take their bath. Their conversation never left the lizard-people to the south. There were a few trade-worthy ships that would be done within days. Once they had enough sailors to use the boats, they¡¯d head straight for those islands to make contact.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be happy to see their long lost kin,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Especially since we still speak the language. You don¡¯t want that kind of barrier.¡±


    ¡°Hey, maybe we should sail down there. Might be fun,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk spit water across the hot bath, hitting Alex in the side. The goose honked, spreading her wings to shoot a fireball at the Marshling. She went underwater before the fireball hit.


    ¡°No fireballs inside,¡± Theo scolded.


    ¡°Might be fun,¡± Tresk said, tapping her chin. ¡°But we always seem to come under attack when we leave the town.¡±


    That was true.


    ¡°We¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    The bath was pleasant. Something more than just his busy life forced Theo to slow down. The progress on his cores had slowed to a crawl. His [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] edged closer to level 6 by the day, but everything else had stagnated. Everything except his [Governance Core]. His highest core was his [Tara¡¯hek Core] at 29, followed by the [Governance Core] at 26. His alchemy and herbalism cores had been at level 22 for a while. His personal level was also at level 22.


    Tresk had experienced a similar slow-down in her progression. She had to contend with leveling a new core just like him. Her [Parantheir Duelist¡¯s Core] was more difficult for her to level than she expected. Neither of them seemed too concerned to rush to higher levels, though.


    ¡°We have a unique advantage, though,¡± Theo said, removing himself from the bath to dry off.


    People get weird when they go past level 30, Tresk said, taking their conversation to their private [Tara¡¯hek Communication] ability.


    But we have Tero¡¯gal. I can¡¯t get my mind off the Tara¡¯hek you mentioned.


    Search our real, Alex said.


    Tero¡¯gal is limited to adjacent realms. People who are as weak as us.


    Disappointed.


    The group finished up their bath, drying off and heading for home. Theo let out a wistful sigh as he looked at their building. It was a wonderful place and he didn¡¯t mind the cramped space. But he couldn¡¯t help but think about what a larger manor would do for his comfort. A place to come and relax. To write his thoughts by a fire, even if it was horribly hot outside. They entered the Dreamwalk without delay, settling into bed for the night.


    Theo found himself on an empty street in the slums of Rivers and Daub. Tresk was standing nearby, nodding with approval. She must have brought them here, but the alchemist didn¡¯t know why. It was a depressing reminder of the town¡¯s situation.


    ¡°We have a frame of reference,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°I want to go back and make sure that Alran is doing his job.¡±


    That would be easy enough to do with Tresk¡¯s [Shadowdancer] class.


    ¡°Tomorrow, when we wake up, I want to go to Tero¡¯gal and brew some of my new potions,¡± Theo said. ¡°They have the long brew time of the suffuse potions, so I can leave them there and pick them up the next day.¡±


    Tresk summoned one of the new potions from nowhere, holding a bottle of [Flame of Dual Sleeping Gods] in her hands. ¡°You need to make more of these.¡±


    Theo nodded, although he wasn¡¯t eager to perform more experimentation. There were endless combinations of primal essences that he could use, and some were flat-out bad. The good news about that was he could now do it in the Dreamwalk, so long as he could wrap his will around it. He walked the streets of Rivers and Daub with Tresk as he thought out loud.


    ¡°I feel more at home when we¡¯re in Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°And I feel better here. I mean, where is ¡®here¡¯? What is this place? Physically.¡±


    That was a metaphysical question Theo wasn¡¯t prepared to answer. He had ways of thinking about the Dreamwalk, but no solid idea of what it actually was.


    ¡°We¡¯re two halves, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re becoming, anyway. Two pieces that make a whole. What if that¡¯s what the Dreamwalk and Tero¡¯gal are?¡±


    ¡°Makes enough sense to me. But then you run into another problem,¡± Tresk said, tilting her head with her hands on her hips. ¡°Is the Tero¡¯gal we visit even real?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Benton visits. He seems real.¡±


    ¡°Unless he isn¡¯t.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brows knit tightly. He stared off into a hovel of a home. Trash was strewn everywhere. He could even smell the filth of the town. He felt a trickle of Tresk¡¯s thoughts enter his mind. It wasn¡¯t the same was she could read his mind, but it was more than he¡¯d ever felt before. The alchemist knelt, pressing their foreheads together. He felt more of a rush this time, as though concrete ideas were passing between their minds.


    ¡°Maybe the Dreamwalk is the idealized version of Tero¡¯gal, and what we¡¯ve been visiting is the practical version,¡± Theo said, keeping his eyes closed.


    Tresk pulled away. ¡°Maybe. Something like that.¡± She turned her back on him, lost in thought. Her mode shifted in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill that dragon tonight. Gonna drink dragon blood!¡±


    Then she vanished.


    Theo let out a sigh, wandering off from the spot to mount the battlements of the slums. He summoned rows of alchemy equipment. Stills, fermentation barrels, and a table filled with glassware. Today felt like a decent enough day to discover some more legendary potions. Mostly, he was interested to see what weird names the system would give them. But it was an arduous process that would take all night.


    Even with the advantages of the Dreamwalk, Theo spent the entire night fiddling with suffuse potions. He combined every primal ingredient he could think of, making potions that did many things. The alchemist performed side-experiments while he worked, inspired by his visit to the smelter. Tresk informed him it was an hour before dawn by the time he was done. They inspected his creations together.


    ¡°That is so adorable,¡± Tresk said. She held the vial of semi-viscous liquid up, smiling. ¡°You were thinking about Nira when you brewed this.¡±


    [Freeze Solution]


    [Solidify]


    [Cooling Agent] [Modified Cooling Agent]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Apply to dramatically lower the temperature of anything.


    Effect:


    Apply enough solution to freeze an object, person, monster, etc.


    This gel will evaporate over time, delivering a continuous dose of cooling to an object, person, monster, etc.


    ¡°There was a time where I couldn¡¯t have performed a new reaction in the Dreamwalk,¡± Theo said. But Tresk was right, he was thinking about Nira in the smelter for that one. Those conditions were horrible, and no amount of air conditioning would solve that. But a gel the smelters could rub on their skin would work perfectly.


    Theo moved on to his next potions. While the [Solidify] modified [Freeze Solution] was a second tier potion, these were all third tier. He¡¯d already destroyed the one he was most worried about, although Tresk had sensed what he was doing. They both vowed not to speak about it and moved on.


    ¡°So, we have some interesting ones here. I brewed a bunch of useless ones, but these are the winners,¡± Theo said, retrieving the first potion. ¡°This one has variations for all the attributes.¡±


    [Glantheir¡¯s Restore Wisdom]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion removes all permanent status effects that reduce [Wisdom].


    ¡°See, that¡¯s not a condition I was aware I could get,¡± Tresk said, inspecting the vial of faintly glowing blue liquid.


    ¡°Yeah, that one made me worried. Anyway, this one is messed up. The Dreamwalk really didn¡¯t want to fast-forward on it. It takes something like a year to brew, but it finally relented. Pretty sure we shouldn¡¯t have this.¡±


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Removes the meta barrier between your soul and your [Wisdom] attribute. This potion may only be consumed once during your lifetime. You may only drink one soul elixir, including those for other attributes.


    ¡°What the hell is a meta barrier?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°No clue. Should be powerful, though,¡± Theo held the vial of glittering liquid up to the light. Flecks of color danced inside a murky liquid, as though it contained an entire galaxy within. ¡°Next up. I combined [Carapace] with [Limited Foresight].¡±


    [Perfect Block]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion allows the user to absorb 100% damage from a single attack. This potion may only be consumed once per month.


    Theo considered this to be the best potion he¡¯d ever crafted. Not because it was a potion with practical uses, but that it absorbed all damage from a single attack. It didn¡¯t matter how powerful the attacker was, their damage would simply be negated. Someone at level 1 could absorb a blow from a god. That idea sent shivers down his spine.


    ¡°Maybe I can finally beat the dragon,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°The brew time is horrible on that one, too.¡±


    While there were more potions with uninteresting effects, most of the reactions Theo tried that night failed. When a primal essence rejected its counterpart in a suffuse reaction, the response was violent.


    With thoughts of defeating a dragon in real life, Tresk led Theo into the real world.

 4.27 - Thirst for Adventure

    Theo brushed his hand over the plot of wheat in Tero¡¯gal. He¡¯d delayed doing anything with it before understanding its significance. Like the small house and the stream, there was meaning to everything here. After eating breakfast with Tresk and Alex, he ducked into the realm for some solitude. It only left him with a sense of confusion, unable to put the pieces together.


    The wheat growing in the fields was small. Compared to the crop he¡¯d seen in agricultural domes, it was tiny. Theo remembered the part of the plant holding the grain to be roughly the length of his forearm. Massive kernels of the seed made the plant heavy, often requiring reinforcement with stiff metal rods. This example was barely the length of his pinky finger.


    Benton had come, keeping him company while he brewed his potions. That led to a conversation about the significance of the grain.


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of breeds of wheat around,¡± Benton said with a half-hearted shrug. ¡°Why give so much thought to this one?¡±


    ¡°Because this is from my world. Untouched by the genetic modifications we made.¡± Theo plucked the fruit of the plant, holding it to the sunless sky.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re looking into it too much,¡± Benton said. ¡°What are we brewing today?¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps you can help with that,¡± Theo said. He had a row of [Wisdom of the Soul] potions brewing on a table. He got the sense they would take a year to complete. The absurd part about how time worked in the heavenly realms was that he would only need to wait 3 days in the real world. The alchemist explained the text on the potion, asking if Benton had heard of something like that.


    ¡°A single-use potion? As in, you can only drink it once?¡± Benton scoffed. ¡°Well beyond my abilities. Never heard of a soul elixir.¡±


    Theo nodded. He doubted anyone had heard of it. If they had, they were keeping their mouth shut for obvious reasons. ¡°What would you do if you could make a world-changing object? Something bad. More than that. Something evil.¡±


    Benton furrowed his fluffy brow, casting Theo a concerned look. ¡°I¡¯d bury that knowledge deep in my mind. Lock it away and forget it existed.¡±


    Theo nodded again, trying not to smile. Benton was more similar to him than the alchemist first thought. The bear god might not admit it, but he had a hard streak to him. Something that said he would do anything to preserve his people, no matter how much blood he had to spill. But they both had a line they wouldn¡¯t cross. The alchemist had found his hard line in the potion he discovered in the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°I found a different potion,¡± Theo said, busying himself with his stills. ¡°I¡¯m happy that the ingredients are rare. Horribly rare. Almost impossible to handle if you don¡¯t follow Drogramath.¡± He paused for a long moment, rolling his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree with me.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s plenty of fun potions you brew,¡± Benton said, clapping a clawed hand onto Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How about that gel?¡±


    The alchemist had brewed a massive supply of the cooling gel for Nira and her workers. He removed one from his inventory and held it up, for Benton to sample. They both dipped their fingers inside, the bear god having trouble working it into his fur.


    ¡°Like a pleasant breeze washing over your skin,¡± Benton said with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯ll be rich selling this in the Season of Fire. Only going to get hotter down there.¡±


    Theo turned his attention to his brewing potions without responding, finding that his realm was cluttered with vials. He had selected several versions of the [Hallow Ground] suffuse potions for brewing, never intending to let them leave Broken Tusk. He made a massive batch of [Crumbling Undead Phage], as it affected the most targets. The alchemist only made one version of [Return Undead], since it seemed weird. Sometimes those strange potions were useful in a pinch. While he only made one of each type of the potions, he also brewed a lot of [Flame of Dual Sleeping Gods].


    As expected, each suffuse potion was confusing. It was hard to tell if they were better than the standard tier 2 potions.


    ¡°Tea?¡± Benton asked, rubbing his hands together.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Theo said. He had finished everything he wanted to do here, even gaining a single level in his [Drogramath Alchemy Core]. It had crawled to level 23, leaving his herbalism core behind.


    Benton was great at making tea, but that wasn¡¯t the best part of having a tea break with the bear god. He often brought baked scones. The pair sat down in the cottage, listening to the fire crackle as he spread a cloth over the table. Unfolding it revealed many scones, all filled with something sweet. Theo went for the lemon-like filling.


    ¡°How much time passes in your realm?¡± Theo asked, nibbling on his scone. ¡°Compared to the mortal plane, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think your realm is slower than mine. Slightly more powerful, if you look at it that way.¡± Benton removed a brick of tea from nowhere, scraping some off the edge and into the teapot with his carving knife. ¡°But you can¡¯t raise any army, can you? No souls heading to Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°We live strange lives, Benton,¡± Theo said, finishing his first scone. He went for another, this one with pockets of jam nestled in the pastry. It tasted like raspberries.


    ¡°Strange lives require powerful friends.¡± Benton used his knife to stir the tea before returning it to the fire. ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to hear that the heavens have calmed. People are falling in line with the Arbiter. It helps that he stopped murdering gods.¡±


    ¡°But gods can¡¯t really die, can they?¡± Theo asked, gesturing with his scone.


    ¡°The gods talk, you know? Even here in the lowest heavens. When they ripped Balkor apart, what happened? His soul was so weak, he slipped between realities. To live in the void, if you can believe that.¡± Benton shuttered at the word ¡®void¡¯. ¡°That¡¯s a fate worse than death.¡±


    The conversation grew light after that. Benton¡¯s realm was a place of decay in some ways, but also the revitalizing effects of winter. The realms that gods created were often places of their own making. Places that they willed into being to exemplify their values. While the bear god¡¯s realm was covered in a constant sheet of snow, he¡¯d dedicated his followers to baking. Without a frame of reference, Theo decided that was as good a cause as any to follow.


    Theo enjoyed the lighter conversation. He¡¯d rather learn about the celestial baking techniques Benton had learned than the turmoil of the heavens. The bear god had come up with interesting ways to deal with the constant cold. Something that reminded the alchemist of the agricultural domes on Earth. For the second time today.


    ¡°Feels like you¡¯re running out of time here,¡± Benton said, chuckling. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll head out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always welcome, Benton. You bring the best tea. And the best pastries.¡±


    Benton offered a wave and a smile before departing through his icy gate. A breeze rushed through the archway. The comfortable warmth returned in moments, leaving the alchemist alone once again. He peered over the edge of his floating island, shaking his head. Tresk was force-feeding Alex motes. The image was frozen with the Marshling cramming the rounded objects down the goose¡¯s throat. A fireball was springing from her bill.


    ¡°Can¡¯t leave them alone for five minutes,¡± Theo said, tutting. He double-checked the items in his inventory, making sure not to forget the cooling gel.


    The world swirled around him as he jumped from the island¡¯s edge, sailing over the Bridge of Shadows for only a moment. The realm seemed normal today, the same way it had for a while now. There was no sign of the ghosts, or any intruders. Theo hoped Yuri was implementing some stricter rules about using the bridge.


    A fireball sailed into the air, slamming against the boughs of a tree above.


    ¡°Eat your food!¡± Tresk shouted, turning to look at Theo sheepishly. ¡°I thought I had more time.¡±


    ¡°You found [Nature Motes]?¡±


    ¡°Bought ¡®em,¡± Tresk said, going back to work. ¡°You want a nature alignment? You gotta take your medicine.¡±


    No! I¡¯m full! Alex shouted into their minds.


    ¡°Fine. But you¡¯re eating more later. You got me?¡±


    I will eat when I¡¯m ready.


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    ¡°She¡¯s getting better with words,¡± Theo said, kneeling to pat Alex on the head. They were standing off the side of the main road, gaining strange looks from those citizens passing by.


    ¡°Getting big, too,¡± Tresk said, standing to measure the goose with her hand.


    When standing without extending her neck, Alex now stood to the center of Tresk¡¯s chest. She¡¯d gained a lot of weight, and lost almost all of her gosling plumage.


    I¡¯m going with Tresk.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Theo said, patting Alex on the head. ¡°Just stay safe. Okay?¡±


    Yes, father, Alex said, a tone of sarcasm in her voice.


    Tresk and Alex both waddled off before Theo could say anything else. He stood and watched his two idiots run into the distance, off to get into trouble. Because wherever a Marshling and a goose went, there was bound to be trouble.


    There were no administrative things that Theo needed to handle today. The administration staff submitted daily reports, which were mostly uninteresting. Alran had been submitting the results of his spying, which had brought few interesting things to the nation¡¯s attention. There were reports of Veostian movement against the undead, but until recently it had been a tepid response. Now Alran said that Tarantham was backing them up with priests of Glantheir.


    Alran was well-paid for his information. Alise was scheduled to inspect the transition of Rivers and Daub. They¡¯d elected their new leader by a vote, and further voted to remove the trade guilds entirely. That upset a few people, and Theo wasn¡¯t willing to read the full report. Things got bloody.


    ¡°Look at me!¡± a voice called in the distance.


    Theo spun around, spotting Fenian barreling down the street. He was seated on some contraption that looked like a safety nightmare. An artifice-powered wheelchair. The Elf almost ran him over as he passed, hit the breaks, and drifted around the corner. Moments later he returned the other way, coming to rest before the alchemist.


    Fenian had both his regrowing limbs wrapped in cloth and wore a simple robe over his body. None of this diminished his spirits, though. He held a massive smile on his face. ¡°Good morning, my dear alchemist! Like my new ride? I think I¡¯ll keep it after my limbs grow back.¡±


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Theo said, turning on the spot to walk down the street. Toward the smelters.


    ¡°Oh, I love when you¡¯re all serious.¡±


    ¡°Not serious, just want to talk while I walk. And while you roll, I guess. Did Throk build that for you?¡±


    ¡°No, I picked it up a while ago. Thought it was fun. Never expected to use it,¡± Fenian said with a wistful sigh. ¡°I really hate being stuck like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re recovering well, though. Especially for a man who defied the heavens.¡±


    Citizens got out of Fenian¡¯s way. Not out of respect, but fear. He was heavy on the controls, often lurching forward without warning.


    ¡°My plan didn¡¯t even work. Karasan is alive. He still has what I want,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Put a nice glob of spit in his eye, though.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want?¡±


    ¡°Spoilers,¡± Fenian said, singing the word. ¡°Anyway, I see you¡¯re putting one of Khahar¡¯s gifts to good use. What about the others?¡±


    Theo wanted to punch Fenian in the arm, but resisted. Khahar had told him about the [Kingdom Core] and the spirit seeds. ¡°They take a long time to grow.¡±


    ¡°Wow, if only you had a magical place where time moved differently.¡±


    Theo let out a frustrated breath, then tried not to laugh. He wasn¡¯t surprised anymore when Fenian knew more than he should have. ¡°I have a problem with that, Fenian.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so serious!¡± Fenian shouted. ¡°Just clear away the damned wheat and plant the spirit seeds. Clear half of it, if you¡¯re so attached.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said, his intuition going into overdrive. He stopped on the spot. ¡°You knew the Zagmon assassins were coming for me, didn¡¯t you? How could you have known that using the [Tara¡¯hek Dreampassage] ability when I was in danger would make it evolve?¡±


    ¡°Khahar told me,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I could have killed your attackers at any point. Theo, do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°No. Yeah, a little. I mean¡ªyes, I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Khahar told me about the skill evolution. He said there would be Zagmon assholes coming for your head, because they thought you had something their master needed. Guess what? Their master is dead. Oh! He told me something hilarious when I visited his citadel.¡±


    ¡°You saw Yuri?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes, I went to his Khahak while I was chasing Karasan. Extremely unoriginal name , but he¡¯s not known for his creativity.¡±


    ¡°So, what did he tell you that¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Uharis and Sulvan are still stuck on Antalis. The moon? You know, the dark one you can¡¯t see? When the Eye was killed, they lost their cores. The wizard can no longer teleport.¡±


    Theo tried not to laugh at the situation. He already knew those guys were stuck on the moon, and had assumed Uharis would figure out how to teleport back.


    ¡°That seems cruel,¡± Theo said. But he still laughed.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s an entire civilization up there, if you can believe it. I never knew, and I¡¯m not sure anyone else knows.¡±


    ¡°The world has enough problems to deal with. We don¡¯t need an invasion from the moon people.¡±


    Fenian went on about the moon people as they approached the Midnight Damsel Smelter. There was a story behind the name, but Theo had only gotten pieces of it. He stood there, waiting to get the attention of Nira, but it was difficult. Eventually, she glared at him with annoyance before marching across the street.


    ¡°You can come into the smelter. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but no thanks,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a barrel of his cooling gel from his inventory. ¡°Rub this on your skin.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too forward, isn¡¯t he?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Inspect the barrel of glowing goo. You¡¯ll find it to be useful.¡±


    Nira brightened up when she inspected the item. She slathered the stuff on her body and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright. I can reduce the beatings. Work conditions will absolutely improve with this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Hah. She has a sense of humor,¡± Fenian said, zipping in circles on his wheelchair.


    ¡°Thanks boss. We¡¯ve been going full tilt, but might need to expand.¡± Nira offered a shallow bow. ¡°Weather has been getting worse, huh? Heard you¡¯re making a killing off that magic air cooling stuff.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t like to look at the store¡¯s finances. When he was forced to, he saw how many sales they made for the air conditioners. The fuel for the machine wasn¡¯t the expensive part, but some people in town enjoyed cranking them down to freezing conditions. The one in the Newt and Demon ran at a comfortable temperature, and he hadn¡¯t needed to replace the coolant yet. He chatted with Nira for a while before departing for the harbor.


    Today was a lazy day for Theo. Whatever that meant when you were the leader of a bastard nation. But things were running themselves nicely, and he needed to make sure Laedria wasn¡¯t goofing off. When he arrived at the harbor, he found she was doing the opposite of slacking. Instead of the frames of two trade-style ships, she was working on four. They were all in various stages of completion.


    ¡°Archduke!¡± Laedria shouted. ¡°Check out my boats!¡±


    Fenian had trouble getting his wheelchair to get down onto the dock. But he accomplished the task before almost throwing himself into the harbor. The trade ships were gone, taking their market stalls with them.


    ¡°Looking great.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve already been training people up on The Cork. Got a small group of twenty willing to become sailors. Mostly Wavecrest refugees. Of course.¡±


    The boats were impressive. Theo was tempted to call them ships with the way they towered over him. Each boat was to be a two-masted ship. A main mast and a foremast, both to be adorned with the bright blue Starbristle sails. Zarali said something in the past about enchanting the boats, but the alchemist doubted her desire to do more than care for Xol¡¯sa as he recovered. That was fine. They had a navy to train and more boats to build.


    ¡°Very nice,¡± Theo said, slapping the hull of the most complete boat.


    Laedria looked nervous out of nowhere. She normally was too boisterous to get a good read. ¡°Hey, uh. Got a request for you. But I¡¯m not sure mister Southblade is gonna like it.¡±


    Fenian shrugged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to insult the abilities of Mister Southblade. He saved our house, and we owe him a debt,¡± Laedria said, sighing. ¡°But I want to go back to Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Fenian scoffed. ¡°To die? That would reduce the size of our Archduke¡¯s navy by one. You¡¯ll be sunk.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But we left some good folks behind.¡±


    ¡°Surely you can just go get them, Fenian.¡±


    ¡°Not possible,¡± Fenian said, driving in circles. ¡°My masters are angry with me as it is. Not sure Uz¡¯Xulven would allow any passengers, let alone a few hundred more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have more sailors, Archduke.¡±


    Theo thought about this for a long moment before he responded. He saw how insistent Laedria was about the recovery mission. This wasn¡¯t just dangerous for the sailors on the boats. This was dangerous for the Southlands Alliance. How would they react if an Alliance ship wandered into their waters? It was obscenely dangerous and a waste of resources. The alchemist shifted his way of thinking. To the new way he weighed projects.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Southern end of the continent. Outside of imperial reach,¡± Fenian said. ¡°In the lands once belonging to the Southblades. In a cave. She could get in and out without notice.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, tapping his foot. ¡°Two requests and you can have one of my boats.¡±


    ¡°Anything,¡± Laedria said.


    ¡°First, you can¡¯t go. You can pick your team, and you can have one of my boats, but you can¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Laedria said, bowing her head. ¡°What¡¯s the other request?¡±


    ¡°The rescue must be cool. Heroic. Daring. Brave. If I hear you¡¯ve sent sailors off and they didn¡¯t battle a kraken, I won¡¯t hear any more of your requests.¡±


    Laedria furrowed her brow. She looked at Fenian. ¡°Is he serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he is. Unfortunately, Theo has seen me make one too many daring escapes. Now he craves the nectar of adventure. The worst thing someone could possibly desire. A good story.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ alright.¡±

 4.28 - Home and Hearth

    Theo understood the source for his lusting after adventure. When Yuri showed up in town¡ªwhen the alchemist figured out who he was¡ªthere was a rush of recognition. The old days back on Earth were bad, there was no denying that. He wouldn¡¯t forget the famine, the war, or the mass extinction of his world. But there was an underlying theme among all the spy-like people who worked for the nations. It was all bullshit, so they may as well make it as interesting as possible.


    Those who settled scores with murder were handled. They were removed from the pool of cooperating agents, replaced with others willing to play the game. It was a twisted game. The only game they knew.


    Theo stood in the harbor with Fenian, watching as Laedria worked on the boats. The alchemist had shared stories about Yuri. The things he did back on Earth. Those final moments.


    ¡°Where does your road go, Fenian?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought you were out for revenge.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Fenian laughed. ¡°King Karasan had a hand in killing someone dear to me. Ages ago. Eons now that I spent time in the realms. But then I discovered something. He has something I need. Anyway, tell me about your projects. What are you working on, my dear alchemist?¡±


    Theo had to think about that for a moment. He was working on a lot of things. Leveling the town and the nation had taken a backseat to other things. The alchemist had his eyes on a new upgrade at level 25 for Broken Tusk, so his immediate goal was to expand the town out. He explained that part of his plan to Fenian, going on to detail the importance of his weapons and transport projects.


    ¡°My Toru¡¯aun core is also coming along nicely. Very powerful for a low-level core,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°I was also looking into getting Throk an artificer core aligned with Tworgnoth. I was going to add more synergistic links to the town, but those are expensive. I need more golems harvesting motes. Oh, and you owe me a mint.¡±


    Fenian laughed. ¡°So, not much? Just relaxing and enjoying your time as Archduke? I have to say, I love that title. Very pompous.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes at the Elven trader. ¡°Alright. I get it. Should have picked another title.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m most interested in your transport system. I¡¯ve heard about something similar in Bantein. Yes. Motes seem to be a limiting factor for you.¡±


    Theo wondered if Zarali was still hung up about him cheating with the golem system. His willpower had expanded, but it was hard to understand how far that went. Currently, he could support 10 golems. The alchemist needed 2 [Lesser Plant Golems] minimum to keep his greenhouses going. There was a constant flow of motes from his [Lesser Mud Golems]. The [Lesser Stone Golems] and the [Lesser Copper Golems] were for defensive purposes.


    Power production for the golems was simple enough. The [Lesser Plant Golems] harvested more [Manashrooms] than they consumed, even if there was processing involved. As long as Theo remembered to brew [Mana Essence], they¡¯d have fuel forever.


    Casting his mind into the lodestone network, Theo felt around for his golems. They were all working tirelessly. Some dug in the mud for motes, others fought low-level monsters in the mine. The next big thing for the golems would be a construct that automatically harvested power from the air, then converted it into mana for their use. That was a problem the alchemist hadn¡¯t cracked.


    ¡°How about my mint?¡± Theo asked, his mind returning to the moment.


    ¡°I have one on order,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Just tied up at the moment. Say, can we visit Galflower?¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Fenian led the way to Miana¡¯s ranch. When they arrived, the Half-Ogre woman opened the gate to the paddock to allow the Elf inside. The massive purple glowing creature bound across the field, almost knocking the wheelchair over. Theo busied himself with his administration map.


    Expansions were getting expensive, but the alchemist remembered what he¡¯d heard. He wanted another farm to the east, near the river. Expanding the town out and over the river was cheap if he didn¡¯t incorporate it. That would leave it outside of the wall, which represented a danger to the workers. Theo bought 6 expansions to the east, leaving them outside of the walls. It drained his gold to almost nothing but he shrugged it off.


    ¡°Fenian, I need to visit Zarali and Xol¡¯sa,¡± Theo said, waving as he walked away from the giggling Elf.


    ¡°Certainly! See ya!¡±


    Fenian is doing a lot better, Theo said.


    Yeah? Did you see his little baby limbs?


    No. I¡¯d rather not.


    Ral almost has his left leg back! You should see that guy hobble around, Tresk said, laughing into Theo¡¯s mind.


    As expected, Xol¡¯sa was with Zarali in the town hall. They had their own room on the first floor, and were the only people left with injuries. The Dronon Priestess was fine, even if it seemed the injury her partner took hit her harder.


    ¡°Theo,¡± she said, looking up with tired eyes. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well. How about you, Xol¡¯sa?¡± Theo said, coming to sit next to the bed.


    ¡°A lot better than before,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    It was hard to tell if the extra-planar Elf¡¯s complexion was back to normal. It normally sat between gray and blue, but seemed duller than normal. But the striations of glowing energy that ran through his body seemed bright. They pulsed with some invisible tide, flashing different shades of blue.


    ¡°Going to have a word with your girl,¡± Theo said, grabbing Zarali by the arm and hoisting her to her feet.


    ¡°By all means,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, waving them away.


    Theo led his adoptive sister into the atrium of the town hall, closing the door behind them. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± he asked. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s doing better, why not let him out of that bed?¡±


    A flash of annoyance ran across Zarali¡¯s face. It disappeared in moments. ¡°The wound he took from the soul-slaying was bad. But your potion did damage.¡±


    Theo felt the pain of regret fall over his chest. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Zarali produced a tired smile. ¡°Your [Reforge Soul] potion was a lot for him. It remade his soul, brother. Now his body is trying to adapt to a new soul. His people were never meant to live on the mortal plane.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people were weird, but Theo had never put much thought into it. There was an array of strange races in this world, so he never put stock into it. He remembered Zarali calling them the Bara¡¯thier, but he didn¡¯t really know what that meant. Not until he thought about it. After traveling to Tero¡¯gal to see the weird system messages meant for the gods, he had a better idea of what the Bara¡¯thier were.


    ¡°Wait. What do you know about his people? The Bara¡¯thier, was it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know more about that than me by now, brother,¡± Zarali said. Theo could tell she was using every bit of her willpower to suppress an indignant tone. She was tired. Worn down by the sight of her partner set prone like that.


    Worst of all, she was right. ¡°Interesting, if you think about it,¡± Theo said. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand what extra-planar meant. I understood the word, but not the meaning. There are places between places, Zarali. Imagine us. Here on the mortal plane.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Now imagine Drogramath¡¯s realm. Then a space between here and there. Uz¡¯Xulven created the Bridge to allow travel between those places, which I¡¯m fairly certain was never the design. I think Xol¡¯sa is from the in between places.¡±


    ¡°An extremely interesting academic proposal. But, how does that help him?¡± Zarali asked.


    Theo had started talking before his thoughts had formed. He was walking down a logical path, tracing the cause of Xol¡¯sa¡¯s arrival without considering what it meant for his condition. He shook his head, clearing away the miasma of uncertainty.


    ¡°It just means that I can ask around in the heavenly realms. See if anyone knows something that could help him. There¡¯s a very friendly bear god that I¡¯ve been talking to.¡± Theo paused for a long moment. ¡°He said his [Planar Mage] core was the only thing keeping him together. Yeah, I think there¡¯s something weird going on with his body, soul, and cores. I¡¯m officially on the case, Zarali.¡±


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    Zarali placed a comforting hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I hope your investigation yields more information than Drogramath¡¯s. He¡¯s been ignoring my prayers.¡±


    ¡°Khahar placed new rules on the gods. I doubt he can talk to you directly. He certainly can¡¯t intervene.¡±


    ¡°Yet power still flows from the dungeon,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, appearing at the door.


    ¡°My love,¡± Zarali gasped, rushing to the door to support the Elf.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me brew a sleeping potion,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa managed a smile.


    ¡°If anyone can solve this, it¡¯s you,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Not because you¡¯re smart,¡± Zarali said, jabbing a finger at Theo. ¡°Because you¡¯re stupid and tenacious. You¡¯ll bang your head against the problem until you pass out.¡±


    Theo shrugged, turning on the spot. As he walked away he called over his shoulder. ¡°Just living my best life.¡±


    The alchemist stood outside of the town hall for a long time, taking deep breaths. He needed his thoughts ordered if he wanted to figure this out, and the sight of Zarali¡¯s tired eyes wasn¡¯t helping. Belgar¡¯s connection to her wasn¡¯t helping matters, flooding him with a brotherly need to save his sister. But rushing the problem wouldn¡¯t help.


    ¡°Hah,¡± Theo said, snapping his fingers. He turned on the spot to regard his town hall. ¡°If there¡¯s a [Reforge Soul] potion, why isn¡¯t there a [Reforge Body] potion?¡±


    Intuition only went so far. Theo was working on a suspicion that he felt was wrong, but it was the only way forward. Until then, he withdrew a low-level [Monster Core] from his inventory. He pressed it into the town hall, repeating the process until it hit level 5. Upgrading buildings always made him feel better. The first set of upgrade options popped into his vision.


    [Home and Hearth]


    Citizens of this town will have their minds soothed while within the town hall. They will also require less rest than normal.


    [Massive Hall]


    Increases the size of the town hall, adding a third floor.


    [Underground Complex]


    Adds an underground, customizable complex to your town hall.


    It was rare that the first three upgrades a building presented were this awesome. Theo would have accepted any of them, but went with [Home and Hearth] for his first upgrade. He continued shoving cores until he got it to level 10. He inspected the new option before making a decision.


    [Beacon of Hope]


    Radiates a sense of comfort to all citizens within a radius of the town hall.


    ¡°Turns out, I should have done this ages ago,¡± Theo said.


    He thought about the upgrade for a while. It would be nice to have more space in the town hall, if only to make it more impressive. But the [Underground Complex] upgrade didn¡¯t seem as helpful as [Beacon of Hope, so he selected that one. Theo jammed more cores into the building until it hit level 15. The next upgrade option popped up.


    [Efficient Taxation]


    All taxes are automatically deposited into a lockbox within this building.


    ¡°Finally a stinker,¡± Theo said, laughing. He could already do that with his [Governance Core].


    ¡°Oh! Are we upgrading something?¡± Fenian said, his voice coming from up the road. ¡°I love upgrades.¡±


    ¡°Done with your Galflower?¡± Theo asked, selecting the [Massive Hall] upgrade option.


    Fenian started talking, but the building lurched to one side, then the other. The whitewashed exterior expanded upward, rising until a third floor had magically appeared. Like the bottom two floors, it held windows that gave a splendid view of the surrounding town.


    When the building was done moving, Fenian spoke. ¡°Yes, I had a good time. Thank you for asking.¡±


    Theo nodded, adding more cores until the building hit level 20. A crowd had formed, the way it always did, and Alise stormed from the interior of the building. During the upgrade process, the town hall had been expanded to either side as it leveled. The addition of a new floor was enough to draw her out of her office.


    ¡°A little warning next time?¡± Alise asked.


    The next option was interesting.


    [Efficient Movement]


    Increases the speed of all citizens, and their vehicles, when traveling on roads connected with this town hall.


    The basement option just wasn¡¯t appealing to Theo. He didn¡¯t like a room without a window. It seemed unnatural. He selected the [Efficient Movement] option before inspecting the building.


    [Town Hall]


    [T-shirts for sale]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 20 (25%)


    Rent Due: 5 Days


    Expansions:


    [Home and Hearth]


    [Beacon of Hope]


    [Massive Halls]


    [Efficient Movement]


    ¡°Those are some fantastic upgrades,¡± Alise said, shaking her head. ¡°I thought they¡¯d all be trash.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought,¡± Theo said, his brow knitting. ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look at me,¡± Fenian mocked. ¡°The fancy archduke. Bored with the tasks of the peasants.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, join me Fenian,¡± Theo said, leaving the crowds behind.


    The pair traveled south along the main road, finding their way to the Newt and Demon. The alchemist could hear Salire inside, haggling with someone about something. He gestured to the lot on the far side of the road, next to Zarali¡¯s enchanting workshop.


    ¡°I want to put a mansion there. Do you have a mansion seed core?¡±


    Fenian gave him a flat look. ¡°I was joking about you being a fancy archduke. You don¡¯t need a mansion.¡±


    ¡°Come on. Wouldn¡¯t it be neat? I could have a house. Instead of sleeping next to my smelly lab, I could sleep in a real room. Maybe have a dining room. A study.¡±


    Fenian withdrew a seed core from his inventory. A gold cage surrounded a pulsing core of shifting light. ¡°I owe you my limbs, don¡¯t I? And my safe passage through Gardreth. Go on, my dear alchemist. You¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    Theo took the [Manor Seed Core] from Fenian, holding it in his hands. It radiated a power that wasn¡¯t found in the [House Seed Cores]. He thought about the placement for a moment. The manor could go to the south of his lab, as that space was empty. But there was something about having two of his own structures on the same side of the road that made him feel uncomfortable. The original plan was the best, so he planted it on the western side of the road, south of Zarali¡¯s workshop.


    ¡°You know, I was saving that seed core as a gift to an Elven lord,¡± Fenian said, driving up to the spot where the tangled roots sprouted from the ground.


    Theo inserted cores into the seed core, feeding it until it sprouted. ¡°I appreciate it, Fenian. You¡¯ll always be a friend to the alliance.¡±


    The alchemist was thrown back when the building sprouted. He¡¯d feed the seed too quickly, causing the roots to flail around before they wrapped into the form of a massive building. It built itself in the style of Broken Tusk homes with a blue roof. But the siding was rendered in a pale lilac, almost off-white. It was twice the size of the Newt and Demon, already two stories without upgrades. The pair checked the exterior around the back, finding a dark iron fence spanning a hundred paces into the distance.


    ¡°This is a big house,¡± Theo chuckled, rubbing his hands together.


    The inside was even more impressive. It opened with a stout atrium. There was a place for him to place shoes and coats in that entranceway. It opened up to a massive sitting room overlooked by a balcony on all sides. Plush sofas surrounded a large wooden table, and there was a large fireplace on the left wall. Fenian let out a low whistle.


    ¡°More impressive than I expected,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I should get one of these for myself.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t certain what he¡¯d do with all the space. The building needed air conditioning. Maybe more than one unit to keep the large interior cooled during the unforgiving Season of Fire. The bottom floor had a kitchen, sitting room, and several small bedrooms. Upstairs there were more bedrooms than Theo could count, including a massive master bedroom with an attached bathroom. There was also a massive study on the second floor, complete with walls of empty bookshelves and an excellent view of the town outside.


    Unfortunately, Fenian couldn¡¯t make it up the stairs to inspect. Instead, they made their way outside to inspect the building and consider upgrades.


    [Manor]


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 5 Days


    Expansions:


    None


    Fenian helped Theo insert [Monster Cores] until they gained their first upgrade path. The alchemist read them out.


    [Endless Comfort]


    While relaxing within the manor, you are placed in a state of extreme comfort.


    [Expansive Gardens]


    Expands the rear garden. Fruit trees and flowers will grow automatically.


    [Service Competence]


    All workers with servant-based cores will gain increased experience while performing their duties.


    ¡°Servants?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh you must hire servants, Theo. I need you to hire several buxom Elves to serve you chilled Tarantham wine.¡±


    Theo selected the [Endless Comfort] upgrade. He fed the manor more cores until the level 10 option popped up.


    [Cellar]


    Adds a cellar to the manor. All items placed within the cellar will not decay.


    Theo thought about this one for a while, but he was more interested in the garden. He selected [Expansive Gardens] for the level 10 upgrade, then added cores until it was level 15. While his supply of high-level [Monster Cores] was low, he had a ton of low-level ones. He inspected the next upgrade with Fenian.


    [Bonus Dining]


    Eating meals in your dining room will grant additional bonuses.


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I¡¯d go for the [Service Competence] upgrade, but you seem opposed to having servants. I mean, your town is run by them but hey¡­ who am I to judge?¡±


    Theo selected the [Bonus Dining] upgrade. The alchemist decided that level 20 was fine for the day. He inserted cores until the next upgrade popped up, inspecting that one with Fenian and signing.


    [Reduced Taxes]


    Reduces the amount of taxes this building requires by 25%.


    ¡°Well, since you hate the idea of servants, I guess you should pick the cellar.¡±


    ¡°I hate cellars,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one option, then,¡± Fenian said, clapping like an excited child.


    Theo reluctantly selected the [Service Competence] upgrade.


    Fenian clapped like an idiot again, then rubbed his hand together. ¡°Come, Theo. Let¡¯s find the plumpest Elf in Broken Tusk that needs a job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hiring an old man. Just to spite you.¡±

 4.29 - Mansion

    We got a mansion! Tresk shouted into Theo¡¯s mind.


    Theo stood on the third floor of the town hall, looking down at Fenian on the first floor. The Elf was grumpy that he couldn¡¯t ascend the stairs to speak with Alise, and the administrator refused to go downstairs. She was still mad at the alchemist for upgrading the building without warning the inhabitants. She¡¯d fallen over, hitting her head and receiving a grievous injury.


    ¡°Seriously, Theo. That¡¯s careless.¡±


    ¡°I follow my whims,¡± Theo said with a half-hearted shrug. ¡°Look, you¡¯re fine. Right?¡±


    ¡°Physically? Yes. Emotionally? No.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Theo said, locking his gaze onto the administrator¡¯s.


    He was serious about his apology, too. Not just something he wanted to say to get her to stop complaining. A reckless streak had entered the alchemist¡¯s life, and he didn¡¯t know if it was for the better. Alise kept her eyes locked for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.


    ¡°You¡¯re forgiven. For now. But only because these upgrades are good.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Now, I need a servant,¡± Theo said.


    Alise gave him a flat look. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I have a manor. I need someone to clean it.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. You have [Cleansing Scrub]. Just dump it on everything.¡±


    Theo beckoned for the administrator to follow him, leading her into a meeting room. Fenian¡¯s idea to have a maid or butler was interesting, but that¡¯s not what the alchemist wanted. Alise had stopped being his personal assistant long ago, going off to do bigger things for the alliance. He was left without someone to run his mundane errands. While he could live without an assistant, he wanted one. Why shouldn¡¯t he have one?


    ¡°I miss my assistant.¡± Theo placed a comforting hand on Alise¡¯s shoulder. He saw her sag slightly at the touch, and recognized the meaning. She was stressed from her duties. ¡°I think you need an assistant, too.¡±


    ¡°I have too many.¡± Alise let out a heavy sigh, then her eyes went glassy. ¡°No, Gael is ready to take over some of my workload. That allows me to transition to matters of the nation. Alright, any preference?¡±


    ¡°The oldest, ugliest man you can find,¡± Theo said. ¡°Actually, a local Half-Ogre or Marshling would be great.¡±


    ¡°Right. I have a few people requesting transfers from state-run ventures. I¡¯ll interview them.¡±


    Theo chatted with Alise for a while. He wanted to make sure she was doing well, and not just posturing for his sake. After some quizzing, the alchemist decided Gael was indeed ready to take on more responsibilities. He¡¯d share power with Gwyn as they had planned, allowing the army of junior administrators to take over the little things. While things moved fast in Broken Tusk, some stuff just took longer.


    ¡°Did you find one?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°How big are her¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Theo shouted. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m building a golem to be my administrator.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could shape a golem to the form of my choosing.¡±


    Theo bent down, pressing a finger into Fenian¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯m gonna make it look just like you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my,¡± Fenian said, fanning himself. ¡°Even better.¡±


    Theo let out an exasperated breath, storming out of the town hall. That was the only way he could hide the smile on his face as he left. But the Elf was close behind, pushing his artifice-powered wheelchair into action. While Fenian was high-energy, his help was valuable. He was a good friend, and the alchemist wouldn¡¯t trade that for anything. Instead of pushing him away, he led him back to the Newt and Demon to share his wisdom with Salire.


    The young shopkeeper was ecstatic to soak in his wisdom. Theo was free to work on his alchemy.


    There were no new orders at the shop. People were buying the excess potions he made, and Theo couldn¡¯t be bothered to care. Instead, he spent the midday hours working on [Freeze Solution] for the many air conditioners in town. While his stock was holding strong in the shop, the days were only getting hotter. The alchemist toiled away until a knock came from his door. Salire poked her head in.


    ¡°You have a visitor. Alran Cherman.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Really? Send him up.¡±


    Theo put down the flask he was working on, placing his hand on his hip as he waited. His eyes dragged over the room, locking on the statue of Drogramath. The shrine was still accepting offerings, but his alignment hadn¡¯t increased. Just as an idea was forming, the pudgy form of Alran entered the room. A grin painted the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Spymaster Cherman,¡± Theo said, crossing the room to shake his hand.


    ¡°Archduke,¡± Alran said with a chuckle. ¡±Apologies for the unannounced visit.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, looking around his lab. It was messy. It smelled like burned rubber and freshly dug earth. ¡°Let¡¯s move to my manor to discuss matters.¡±


    Alran made a sound as though he were pleasantly surprised. As they departed the Newt and Demon, Fenian tagged along. Salire was disappointed, but the Elf promised to come back and instruct her more on her duties as a merchant. The group rested in the massive first-floor sitting room, the fire dead in the fireplace.


    ¡°Libations are in order,¡± Fenian said, withdrawing a bottle of something from his inventory. He then brought forth wine glasses, setting them on the wide table and pouring a glass for everyone. ¡°To the alliance. And spies.¡±


    Theo toasted to that, taking a sip of the tart drink. It wasn¡¯t good, but he put on a brave face.


    ¡°An excellent vintage, Feintleaf,¡± Alran said, shifting his weight to be more comfortable on the couch. ¡°Of course this isn¡¯t a social visit. I wanted to speak face-to-face with you, Theo.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Things are moving faster than I expected,¡± Alran started, taking another sip of wine. ¡°I¡¯m free to spend my time spying, now that I don¡¯t manage Rivers. So, here¡¯s a few points. Veosta has been reinforced by Tarantham. Qavell is holding on somehow. Partopour, Bantein, and the Khahari are holding back. They¡¯re waiting to see who rises from the ashes.¡±


    ¡°Interesting turns of events everywhere,¡± Fenian said, swirling the wine in his glass. ¡°I assume Gronro is holding strong.¡±


    ¡°They are. But the undead aren¡¯t abating. They¡¯re growing stronger by the day, if the reports are accurate. My spy in Qavell says it¡¯s bad. They¡¯ve lost a wall,¡± Alran said.


    ¡°But not their leader.¡± Theo nodded. They needed to cut the head off the snake, otherwise this would go on forever. ¡°How strong is King Karasan?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s powerful enough to ascend,¡± Alran said.


    Fenian smiled, tipping his glass to the spymaster. ¡°He¡¯s level 152.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t figure out why he hasn¡¯t ascended.¡± Alran¡¯s eyes were now locked on Fenian. The spymaster didn¡¯t like being uninformed.


    ¡°King Karasan must remain on the mortal plane. If he gives up his mortal body, he loses possession of an artifact.¡±


    ¡°An artifact you want,¡± Theo said.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°One I need. He¡¯s kept the artifact in a dormant state, aligning himself with the traitor gods. If he activates it, he¡¯ll assume a new role. And he clawed his way to the top with the Kingdom of Qavell. He won¡¯t give that up.¡±


    Alran nodded. ¡°My spy reported your battle with the king. Seems like you were aiming for the exterior wall.¡±


    ¡°That was the only way to get him to flee. I had him cornered in Balkor¡¯s dead realm when he tricked me. The bastard.¡± Fenian let out a heavy sigh before draining his glass. He poured himself another. ¡°But I have a backup plan.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do.¡± Theo smiled at that. Fenian was prepared for everything. ¡°How does this news affect us?¡±


    Alran shrugged. ¡°Not much. We have our port to the world while Qavell does not. They¡¯ll starve out eventually. I suspect they¡¯ll reach out soon enough.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot. He fell into thought, stretching his mind to imagine the ways they¡¯d do that. The administrators in the kingdom could no longer contact them through the [Kingdom Core]. There might be a way to communicate between nations, but that felt wrong. What the alchemist wanted to do was lead an attack on Qavell, leveling it before they fought off the undead. Perhaps that was too grim, even for the old version of himself.


    ¡°How would they do that, Fenian?¡±


    ¡°A messenger, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps or certainly? How would they get here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe an airship,¡± Alran said, holding his glass out for a refill. ¡°But my agents in Broken Tusk said you¡¯re preparing for that.¡±


    Theo nodded. He would have been disappointed if Alran wasn¡¯t spying on him. That¡¯s exactly what he would do in this situation. ¡°What¡¯s the correct response if I spot an airship approaching?¡±


    ¡°Make no mistake, Theo,¡± Fenian said, gesturing with his one good hand. ¡°You shoot it down. If you see Qavell¡¯s colors flying on an airship, you blast it out of the sky.¡±


    That was already his plan.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Alran said, leaning forward in his seat. ¡°Speaking of aggressive action. Some Ogre Warlord has taken an interest in the alliance. I almost forgot because my Ogre spy is an idiot, but they¡¯re coming to offer help.¡±


    Fenian perked up. ¡°Really? Well, that¡¯s not part of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Slagrot doesn¡¯t enjoy sending emissaries.¡± Fenian drank more of his wine. ¡°They¡¯re happier sending war parties. That should make for an interesting conversation.¡±


    If Half-Ogres were aggressive, Theo couldn¡¯t imagine how bad the full-blooded Ogres would be. But if Alran said they were coming for peaceful purposes, he wouldn¡¯t turn them down. On that line of thought, things were going far better than he¡¯d expected. The international community didn¡¯t care that the Southlands Alliance were traitors. That painted Qavell in a far worse light than he first thought.


    The group shifted to talking about theories, rather than fact. Alran was happy with his replacement in Rivers, but wouldn¡¯t speak much of them. Fenian was all mysterious about everything, the way he always was. During their drinking and joking, Tresk and Alex arrived to enjoy the new manor. They ran around honking¡ªboth of them¡ªwhile they checked out every single room in the place.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the tavern,¡± Alran said, looking around the interior of the manor. ¡°Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Maybe we could get Xam to cater dinner. I have a big dining room, after all.¡±


    For the first time in a while, Theo wasn¡¯t tempted to leave the sofa. The [Endless Comfort] upgrade made the seat impossibly soft. He felt himself melting into it, washing away his desire to leave. Even when a knock came at the door, he didn¡¯t want to stand up. Fenian rolled himself over, letting whoever it was in.


    ¡°Theo! You will not believe this!¡± Fenian shouted. That got him out of his seat and over to the door.


    Standing at the door was a young Half-Ogre woman. Theo remembered seeing her in town, and cross-referenced his memory to find what she did for a living. She was one of the few floating people in town who went between jobs. Sarisa Fletcher was the height of most Half-Ogres. A good two feet taller than the Humans, and a head taller than the Elves. Well-built for manual labor, she now wore different clothes than those meant for laboring. A well-fitted black long-sleeve shirt with a bow near the neck, and a white ankle-length skirt. Pale ochre skin, hazel eyes, and raven black hair. The hallmarks of a local Broken Tusker.


    But she was pretty, and Fenian was drooling.


    Sarisa bowed low, doubling herself over. ¡°Sarisa Fletcher. Alise sent me because of my core. She said that you have a job for me.¡±


    Alise had conspired with Fenian. Theo was certain that was the only way the administrator would send someone like her. The situation would boil over if he didn¡¯t act fast.


    Theo let out a long breath. ¡°Fenian, go to your room.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a room.¡±


    ¡°Find one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Theo glared at the Elf. ¡°Then behave. I need to get Sarisa up to speed. Come, let¡¯s sit.¡±


    Sarisa finally stopped bowing. She followed Theo to the sitting area, finding a comfortable place to rest. The alchemist didn¡¯t know what to think about a Half-Ogre that acted so proper. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was trying to fit into her new role as a ¡®maid¡¯ or if that¡¯s the way she was. The alchemist made introductions to everyone seated at the table, drawing up a contract specifically for his new assistant.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be around us, you¡¯re going to hear stuff we don¡¯t want repeated,¡± Theo said. She signed the restrictive contract without hesitation.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I wanted an old man because Fenian is a hound dog. Not sure how he hasn¡¯t banged his way through half the town.¡±


    ¡°How are you sure I haven¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Mister Feintleaf¡¯s charms never worked on me,¡± Sarisa said, smiling. The tusks protruding from her bottom lip were smaller than the average Half-Ogre. It gave her a more Human-like appearance.


    ¡°That hurts.¡±


    Theo went over Sarisa¡¯s duties. He mostly needed her to run between various places and deliver information. The alchemist often found himself without the time to run around town, ordering people around. That left him little time to do the things he needed to do for the town and his alchemy. He¡¯d been neglecting the advancement of his mage core for that very reason, leaving him itching for someone like her.


    ¡°Is she my servant as well?¡± Tresk said, appearing from nowhere. Alex came honking down the stairs.


    ¡°She¡¯s an assistant. No, you can hire your own. You¡¯re rich.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    ¡°We were just talking about dinner,¡± Alran said, smiling at Sarisa.


    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± she said, rising and bowing before departing.


    No one had to tell her to head off to Xam¡¯s to get dinner. She departed without another word, heading north to cater their food for the night. Everyone gathered in Theo¡¯s manor shared their thoughts about the woman. She was far too tame for a Broken Tusker, something Tresk was convinced would break in time. Most people from the town were high-strung. The alchemist¡¯s observations of his people showed that to be true in every case.


    People broke off into their own conversations after a while. Theo was shocked to see Tresk partake in some of it. She had no desire to run off and adventure now that they had the manor. That sent him out back to inspect the gardens. The black metal gate spanned an area twice as large as the house. While there were trees growing, and strangely shaped bushes, there was no fruit to be found. When he arrived at a small pond, he paused. Alex waddled behind him, jumping into the water without hesitation.


    I like this, she said.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve been working too hard, Alex,¡± Theo said, sitting by the pond. ¡°Might be time to take it easy for a while.¡±


    Is that an option?


    ¡°It might be. We have workers now. People who are aligned with my mission.¡±


    What is your mission?


    Theo had to think about that for a long time before responding. Alex was happy to splash in the pond while he thought, honking and diving in the shallow water. His mission had been to make things better, but there were roadblocks. Things that threw themselves in his path. But what he said was true. Broken Tusk had people now. Competent people who could help run not only a town but a growing nation.


    Sure, that path was paved with blood and stone. People had died. A nation had crumbled, even if Theo didn¡¯t have a direct hand in that. But things were better for it.


    ¡°To keep the citizens of the Southlands Alliance safe. To bring order to this world.¡±


    You want to rule the world?


    ¡°Not like that, Alex. I want to set an example so people can see what compassion is all about. It doesn¡¯t mean being weak. It means being strong.¡±


    How whimsical.


    ¡°How do you even know that word?¡±


    Because I have a big brain.


    Theo reached out, stroking Alex¡¯s slender neck. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got a huge brain.¡±


    He spent a good amount of time in the garden. The others came to see it, and the manor had more visitors than Theo cared to count. By dinnertime, the party intending to dine had grown. Sarisa arrived with a team of people from the Marsh Wolf Tavern to lay out the food on the massive dining room table. She lit lamps, set the table, and stood nearby.


    Theo, Tresk, Alex, Fenian, Alran, Perg, Azrug, and Miana all sat at the table. The alchemist was at the head position, flanked by his new assistant. Xam had prepared Karatan steaks that night, something that must have been imported for Partopour. Tresk kicked an air conditioner to life in the room¡¯s corner, cooling the sweltering interior as the group dined.


    ¡°Alise picked me for a reason,¡± Sarisa said, keeping her voice low enough to go unnoticed by the others at the table.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Theo asked, cutting a chunk off his steak and placing it in his mouth. As always, the rare meal was welcomed.


    ¡°I have a [Maid¡¯s Core]. That¡¯s the one I got when I came of age,¡± Sarisa said. Theo turned to look at her peerless gaze. He noticed the constant searching in her eyes. ¡°I also have a [Baelthar Guardian¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°A defensive class?¡± Theo asked. The others around the table chatted, enjoying the new place to eat.


    Sarisa smiled, hand still tucked neatly behind her back. She shifted her stance, the head of a short spear becoming visible.


    Theo turned back to the table, stifling a laugh. ¡°Guess I have a bodyguard, too.¡±

 4.30 - A Secret Most Evil

    Alise must have been plotting for a while. Moving all the right pieces behind the scenes so Theo wouldn¡¯t notice. If she had approached him to assign him a permanent bodyguard, he would have declined. Not because he was too proud, but because it was a waste of resources. The walls were safe, after all. The alchemist sat in his massive library, shelves still empty, as Sarisa explained the situation.


    ¡°There¡¯s another one!¡± Tresk said, poking her head from behind a curtain.


    The others attending the dinner party were still chatting in the dining room. Tresk and Theo had retreated upstairs to discuss things with the new assistant. A large Half-Ogre man now stood at her side, baring most of the same features as the woman. The alchemist marked them as siblings before they explained themselves. He¡¯d seen both of them around town, the man being a member of the Guild. Rowan Fletcher, owner of a potent stealth-style core. Tresk was his commander.


    ¡°Rowan Fletcher, sir,¡± the Half-Ogre man said, bowing. He wore the same style of clothes as his sister. A black button-up shirt with white pants. That couldn¡¯t be practical for combat. He looked too dapper for a Broken Tusker.


    ¡°So Alise orchestrated this?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rowan said, still bowing.


    Theo sunk deeper into his chair. He wanted to be upset, but could not produce the reaction. They should have led with Rowan as his butler. That would have made things easier. But a sibling pair struck something within him.


    How is Rowan in the field? Theo asked. The pair of assistants remained silent.


    He¡¯s a beast. [Baelthar Shadowstalker¡¯s Core]. That guy is good at making sure monsters don¡¯t move. In my squads, he¡¯s a floating specialist.


    I like him, Alex said. The goose nipped at the man¡¯s ankles, but he didn¡¯t flinch.


    Theo let them stew before he spoke again. ¡°Siblings, right? Rowan, you¡¯re the big brother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rowan said, still bowing.


    ¡°You can stand up straight. You¡¯re my bodyguards, then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°And servants. Assistants. Whatever you want to call us.¡±


    Theo let out another sigh, sinking deeper into his chair. If he went any lower, his back would be on the seat cushion. This is the sort of loyalty he didn¡¯t want. He understood a Broken Tusker¡¯s desire to support him, but this took it too far. Maybe that was a good thing, though. The alchemist always claimed there were endless jobs within the town, why should he deny a pair of citizens that wanted guard duty? Or servants, for that matter. They could do whatever they wanted with their lives.


    ¡°Same contract as your sister,¡± Theo said, drawing up a duplicate of Sarisa¡¯s contract. Rowan signed it without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re the better fighter, Rowan?¡±


    Rowan and Sarisa shared a look.


    ¡°That¡¯s debatable,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave the assisting and guarding to your discretion. You can maintain your own homes, but I recommend you stay here. Both of you are excused from your duties with the guild.¡±


    ¡°Aw, man,¡± Tresk groaned. ¡°You¡¯re taking my boy away?¡±


    Theo gave her a flat look, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t need protection sometimes. I need it all the time, right?¡±


    ¡°Man. Fine. I¡¯m gonna complain, though.¡±


    ¡°You always complain, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Not always.¡±


    Always, Alex said.


    Sarisa and Rowan had a comprehensive plan for their duties. They explained it together, detailing how they¡¯d been working with Alise for longer than Theo expected. Even more surprising, it was their idea. Mayors normally had a guard detail, while national leaders had even more. The alchemist had been unprotected for too long, and he wouldn¡¯t disagree with their assessment.


    Instead of turning in at their regular hour, Theo and Tresk worked with the new guards to place wards throughout the manor. The alchemist constructed several figures carved from bone and enchanted with [Reveal] for the pair to use. He also opened all the stock of the Newt and Demon for their personal use. They ended their parade around the manor in the kitchen.


    ¡°I¡¯d like it if you wore armor, though,¡± Theo said. ¡°Gear with stats.¡±


    Sarisa and Rowan shared one of their looks. Something they seemed to do often.


    ¡°We thought a mage would notice,¡± Sarisa said, grasping a locket at her neck. The maid¡¯s outfit dissolved in a sheet of gray smoke, revealing chain armor over a padded gambeson.


    Rowan followed, revealing his light leather armor.


    ¡°An illusion,¡± Tresk said, gawking. ¡°Alright, you guys are cool.¡±


    With that sorted, there were only a few more things to do before bed. Theo described his schedule to the new assistants, including his ability to drop into an adjacent realm once a day. His [Tara¡¯hek Core] was bound to level to 30 at any moment, resulting in a new skill. Both Sarisa and Rowan nodded as though that was a normal thing.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to bed,¡± Theo said, heading to the second floor with Tresk and Alex. ¡°See you in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Sarisa and Rowan said in unison.


    During the day, Theo had moved their beds from the Newt and Demon to the manor. Alex nestled in her little box while Theo and Tresk fell into their comfortable beds. They drifted into the Dreamwalk after only a moment.


    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s your read on them?¡± Theo asked, feeling the soft grass of a random field depress under his feet.


    ¡°Broken Tuskers through and through. I¡¯ve known both of them my entire life,¡± Tresk said. Theo felt a sense of pride when she said that, her emotions flooding through their connection. ¡°Their parents still live in town. They¡¯re both a few years older than me. I think Rowan is like¡­ 30? Yeah, serious old man energy.¡±


    ¡°How about you, Alex?¡±


    I love them. They are my best friends.


    ¡°Good enough for me.¡±


    Theo had little he wanted to accomplish in the Dreamwalk tonight. He watched as Tresk ran off to fight more dragons. The alchemist sat in the field for some time, letting the breeze wash over him. As always, the sense was dulled in the Dreamwalk. It was nothing like the intense sensation he got in the mortal realm or Tero¡¯gal.


    Instead of worrying about the development of his assistants, Theo shifted the scene to the current version of Broken Tusk. He took up position on the eastern wall, looking toward the river. Tresk complained about the sudden shift. A dragon swooped far in the distance, tossing her a good mile with a swipe of its tail. Alex honked with delight.


    ¡°Farms run by golems near the river seems like a good idea.¡± Theo imagined ghostly farms stretching out, north of the east-running road and west of the river. Spectral monsters attacked the farm and the golems within, killing them all. ¡°But no Broken Tuskers get hurt.¡±


    Oh! My turn! Alex said.


    The ground darkened below their feet. A massive, feathered airship appeared above. The hull was made of wood, but mottled with bright white feathers. A set of wings stretched to the side, flapping unevenly. It stayed in the air, despite the physical impossibility of the vessel. Alex¡¯s imagination wasn¡¯t there yet, but it was a good start.


    ¡°Want to test Throk¡¯s gun? Can you remember it in detail?¡± Theo asked.


    I can. I am good at remembering things.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Alex turned, honking at the ground below the battlements. A poor recreation of Throk¡¯s weapon appeared. It tilted to one side before falling over into a heap. Theo swiped the image from the Dreamwalk and remade it with his near-perfect memory. The alchemist jumped from the wall, landing near the weapon. The goose did her best attempt at flying, something she still hadn¡¯t mastered. She fell in a tangled mess of wings and webbed feet.


    The goose-ship lingered overhead, flapping in unpredictable intervals. Theo helped Alex up, untangle her from herself, before loading the weapon. Throk¡¯s designs were always easy enough to understand, but this one was more complex than most. The modifications he¡¯d made to the rail system made it doubly confusing with controls for both the launching rail and the braking rail. With the hook in place, and a dense bar of [Drogramathi Iron] as the payload, the alchemist cranked the launcher up to maximum.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked.


    Ready!


    The moment Theo pressed the launch button, the railgun exploded. It did send the payload to destroy the goose-ship, but it destroyed itself in the process. Both the alchemist and Alex were sent flying back by the violent, unplanned deconstruction of the weapon. The airship above spun, flapping uselessly against the gaping hole in its center. If this were the real world, both witnesses to the firing of the weapon would have been dead.


    ¡°The final design requires safety features,¡± Theo said.


    No! That was awesome! Alex shouted into Theo¡¯s mind.


    The goose had been spending too much time with Tresk. But Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile at the familiar¡¯s excitement. They got back to working with Throk¡¯s first design, testing to see how fast it could launch a potion. There was a balance between the toughness of the glass, and the maximum speed the object could be launched. Too thin, and it would explode on launch. Too thick and it wouldn¡¯t detonate when hitting Alex¡¯s imagined ship.


    What about your mage-thing? Alex asked.


    Theo tapped his foot on the cobbles of the town. A dragon swept through the air above, attacking Alex¡¯s airship. From the ground, the alchemist could see Tresk battling away on the deck, ¡®dying¡¯ several times during the exchange.


    ¡°We could combine [Detect Enemy] with some sort of fire effect,¡± Theo said, withdrawing the appropriate reagents to accomplish the task. ¡°But the Dreamwalk doesn¡¯t take kindly to me breaking the rules.¡±


    How about I help, Alex said, honking repeatedly.


    Theo shrugged. He was willing to try anything in the weird realm. The alchemist held the shell of a [Fire Salamander Egg] in his hand, focusing with his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability. The Dreamrealm pushed back immediately, then Alex¡¯s well swooped in. They pushed against the rules of the realm, and it gave way without much of a fight. Together they extracted the [Flame] effect for Toru¡¯aun¡¯s wards. They repeated the process, taking useful components until they had an array to test.


    Oh, I have high hopes for [Force], Alex said.


    Theo had high hopes for a lot of the effects he had learned. [Force] and [Flame] both came from the eggs, but there were others. [Poison], [Maim], and [Devour] fell into his ¡®dangerous¡¯ category, all from the [Widow Lily]. [Wind Shell], from [Roc Berries] might be interesting but he had doubts. Perhaps it was time for the goose to learn a lesson.


    ¡°Having the ability to make potions¡ªwards for that matter¡ªdoesn¡¯t mean you should,¡± Theo started. He imagined the potion he¡¯d crafted with Tresk. The one he didn¡¯t even want to think about. The liquid inside was a sickly green color, swirling to mix with a deep purple. ¡°Do you understand how dangerous this is?¡±


    Oh, extremely dangerous, Alex said, honking and bobbing her head.


    ¡°So you understand why we can never let this potion reach the real world.¡±


    Yes, I understand. I¡¯m not a child.


    Theo let out a frustrated breath. ¡°What about the properties are dangerous?¡±


    Alex pecked at the potion with her bill. She was examining it. Theo joined with her, examining the potion.


    [Imbue Phylactery]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion removes your soul from your body, transferring it to an object of your choosing. Creating a phylactery designates you as undead, specifically a lich. You gain innate power of all undead creatures (based on your level and willpower), but may not level up through the normal system.


    It was a vile thing. Theo had accidentally discovered a way to create a potion that made the drinker undead. Worse, it made them a lich. His cursory investigation into what being a lich meant didn¡¯t bode well. The drinker would become immortal, so long as their phylactery remained intact, but they would be undead. They¡¯d command Balkor¡¯s hordes, twisting the souls of the dead to suit their needs. It made his stomach turn.


    This potion is evil, Alex said, nodding her head.


    ¡°Yet I¡¯m not evil.¡±


    While we have powers, using them isn¡¯t always an option, Alex said. We hide things like this away, so that others don¡¯t use them.


    ¡°Not only do we hide it, we never talk about them. Any Drogramathi alchemist that can brew one of these should do the same, although I doubt any exist on the mortal plane.¡±


    Can you be sure?


    ¡°Absolutely not. And there¡¯s going to be other potions like this. Other potions that aren¡¯t morally gray like my bombs. Evil potions, Alex. Things that could ruin people¡¯s lives.¡±


    We are the protectors of those secrets, Alex said, spreading her wings and flapping. I will protect the secrets with my life.


    ¡°Good goose,¡± Theo said, patting her on the head. ¡°Chances are high that I was placed in Belgar¡¯s body because I have a strong moral compass.¡±


    Everyone has a breaking point.


    Theo¡¯s stomach twisted into knots, but he pushed it down. ¡°We¡¯ll take steps to make sure we never get to that point.¡±


    Thank you for the lesson, papa. Now, can we blow stuff up?


    Theo¡¯s first attempt at applying the [Lesser Flame] ward to a bar of [Drogramathi Iron] failed. Even when Alex added her willpower to the problem, it didn¡¯t work. They switched to a bar of regular [Iron] and it worked the first try. The aligned metal just didn¡¯t want to take the effect. They inspected the ward before tossing it at an airship.


    [Lesser Flame]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Flame]. Field only activates when enemies are detected in range.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    1 day.


    Theo loaded the bar of iron into Throk¡¯s imagined contraption. Alex made sure there were enemies on the deck of the airship above. That would activate the trigger on the ward. They dialed the speed back on the launcher, sending the bar soaring at their target with an ear-splitting snap.


    Ooooo, Alex said.


    As expected, the bar punched a hole through the side of the feathery airship. But the moment the enemy on deck came into range, the bar emitted a field of fire that lashed at the ship. Flames spread across the ship, consuming wood and feathers alike. It floundered in the air for a moment before coming crashing down on the harbor, setting everything ablaze.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s effective. Assuming they don¡¯t have magic to counter projectiles.¡±


    Again!


    Alex reset the scene, clearing the fire away and adding a fresh airship to the sky. Next up was the [Lesser Force] ward. The description wasn¡¯t worth inspecting as the pair were only interested in the practical application. They loaded another bar with the effect, and sent it up. The effect was less impressive, sending the ship tilting to the side for only a moment. There was still a hole in the side, and the enemies on deck were sent tumbling off.


    Not as impressive.


    Theo nodded. The next wards to test were best observed on the ground. He understood the effectiveness of launching a heavy bar of iron, but wanted to observe how these wards affected targets up close.


    ¡°First up is [Poison]. I think we know what to expect,¡± Theo said.


    Alex conjured a group of five Goblins. They mingled around the streets of Broken Tusk, tightly packed so they could observe the poison. Theo enchanted a bar of iron with the [Lesser Poison] ward before tossing it into the group. A bubble sprung from the iron, coating every creature in range with a sheen of green. They coughed, stumbled around, but didn¡¯t die from the effects.


    Not bad. You can make everyone on a ship sick.


    Combined with the effect of having a hole punched in an airship, that might have been worth keeping on hand. Alex cleared the board, preparing more Goblins to test the [Lesser Maim] ward. When Theo tossed the bar of iron, most of the Goblins took a knee. Upon closer inspection, those who had been affected had broken limbs.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, kneeling near a Goblin to inspect the damage. ¡°Some weren¡¯t affected.¡±


    They resisted the ward. Cool!


    Alex cleared the area again, generating fresh Goblins for their testing. Next was the [Lesser Devour] ward, something Theo hadn¡¯t even tested in potion form. The moment he tossed the warded bar of iron into the group, the air swirled with magical power. Once again, some Goblins resisted the effect. The ones who failed whatever invisible check was at play didn¡¯t fare well. Around one creature, glowing blue jaws appeared, taking a literal bite out of the monster.


    Both Alex and Theo flinched back when the effect took hold. The Goblins thrashed on the ground, screeching and pawing at lost limbs. The goose cleared the scene away before they could see more of the carnage.


    That might be a dangerous one, huh? Alex asked, managing a weak honk.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try [Wind Shell] next,¡± Theo said, eager to clear the image from his mind.


    Alex brought the airship back while Theo warded an iron bar with [Lesser Wind Shell]. Once again, the description gave away nothing about the effects. They loaded Throk¡¯s cannon, shot the bar, and observed. The moment the bar impacted the side of the ship, a field of forceful wind sprung up. It whipped the people on deck into the air, sending them flying over the side with force. The airship fared just as bad as those unlucky, imagined people, sending it flying hard to one side.


    That was far more effective than [Force], Alex honked.


    ¡°Hey! Tresk shouted, appearing next to the pair. ¡°Are you guys having fun without me? Shooting my dad¡¯s gun without me? How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s show her the good ones, Alex.¡±


    Oh, with pleasure!

 4.31 - Apprentice

    A rush of memories flooded through Theo¡¯s mind as he woke the next morning. The last person to have prepared breakfast for him when he woke up was Tresk. That felt like a lifetime ago. The Marshling had already torn off from their new room, jumping from the second floor landing and rushing into the dining room. The alchemist could feel her excitement through their connection. He and Alex waddled from their beds, heading downstairs with no haste.


    Those who had stayed late at the manor last night had already cleared out. Sarisa and Rowan had already cleaned up the mess. The assistants were waiting near the dining room table, a spread of Xam¡¯s cooking laid out. Theo took his spot at the head of the table and let out a sigh. There was enough food there for everyone.


    ¡°I understand the servant aesthetic. I really do,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the spread over the table. He pulled a teapot close to himself before going on. ¡°While we¡¯re not putting up appearances, you guys are welcome to be chill.¡±


    The siblings shared one of their looks then nodded, taking seats at the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a report,¡± Sarisa said, clearing her throat.


    Theo couldn¡¯t tell her not to continue. She was already rattling off information about the nation before he could stop her. Instead, he busied himself with his breakfast. Sipping his tea, he digested the information the assistant provided. The newly elected leader of Rivers and Daub was scheduled for a visit today, but that would be handled by Alise and her gang. One of Laedria¡¯s boats was ready to sail, but their only boat, The Cork, had experienced issues in the bay that required a meeting with Aarok and Xol¡¯sa. Salire also had new orders for him to fill.


    There was more information, but the alchemist was left to ponder how the assistants had gathered so much. He wanted to question it, but pushed that out of his mind. This was a good thing. Now Theo didn¡¯t have to run around town, chasing everyone down to give him reports on whatever they were working on. He let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Sarisa, tell us about yourself,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I was born here. Raised here,¡± Sarisa said without missing a beat. ¡°I remember the day you fell into the Zee fields. Then how rapidly everything changed.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s always wanted to be an adventurer,¡± Rowan said, chuckling. ¡°But she never had the heart for it.¡±


    ¡°Then it was impossible to get a decent core after getting stuck with my [Servant¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°Hard labor like the rest of us,¡± Rowan put in.


    ¡°Honestly?¡± Sarisa asked, shrugging. ¡°I always thought you were an idiot, Theo.¡±


    Tresk snorted, shooting streams of tea out of her nostrils.


    ¡°You took massive steps to move this town in a direction, and I still don¡¯t know if it was the right direction.¡±


    ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t,¡± Rowan said. ¡°But that¡¯s not the point.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± Sarisa said, nodding to her brother. Theo felt like a listener in the conversation, rather than an active participant. ¡°The point is you¡¯re a Broken Tusker, because we¡¯re all idiots. We¡¯re just groping in the dark, hoping for the best.¡±


    ¡°Damn right,¡± Tresk said, holding her hand up for Sarisa to high-five. The assistant left her hanging.


    ¡°While I appreciate the sentiment, I¡¯ve been lacking a few things for a long time,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°He needed help,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I think I was suppose to help him, but you know. I¡¯m just too spunky.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so self-aware,¡± Theo said, glaring at Tresk.


    ¡°You¡¯re self-aware.¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m excited for Sarisa and Rowan.¡± Theo took a sip of his tea. ¡°Make sure you guys aren¡¯t working all day. Once I get my reports, I don¡¯t really care what you do.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be guarding you,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°And what about you, Rowan?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Tell me about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Not much to say. Hard-working Broken Tusker. That¡¯s me,¡± Rowan said. ¡°I was  too young when Luras and Aarok ran off to their adventures. Always thought I¡¯d grow up to be a military man like them. Nope. Laborer.¡±


    ¡°Do you enjoy long walks on the beach and the scent of lavender?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo groaned.


    ¡°The beach is full of monsters and I don¡¯t know what lavender is.¡±


    Theo shifted the conversation away from introductions as swiftly as he could. He made sure the assistants knew how important the boats were. Aside from the introductions, the morning¡¯s breakfast was calm and relaxing. Once everyone was done eating, the alchemist left with Alex to sit in the back garden. Rowan accompanied him on guard duty, sticking to the shadows.


    The order Salire needed done today wasn¡¯t large. It was the same standard thing that adventurers needed. Mostly healing potions and stamina potions with the occasional pill. Another style of potion that had become extremely popular was the elementally infused attribute potions. There was one element for each attribute, and the effect seemed obvious. They enhanced the effect based on the attribute. So, dexterity made someone faster on a scaling factor. Strength made them stronger. And so on.


    After his rumination in the garden, he headed off for the Newt and Demon. Salire was, predictably, sitting in the shop below. She wore a floral summer dress today, something Theo had never seen worn by someone in town. He cocked an eyebrow and stared for a while.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you married?¡± she asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Theo said, not averting his gaze. ¡°Is that imported? It looks great on you.¡±


    A hint of blush turned the Half-Ogre¡¯s pale orange skin a darker shade. Citizens in Broken Tusk had no mind for fashion. This was the first time Theo had seen someone try harder than just simple shirts and slacks.


    ¡°You think so?¡± Salire asked. Despite her shyness, she did a twirl which made the dress billow out.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Theo said, looking down at his own clothes. His outer robe had almost mended completely. There was the smallest pucker where the fabric was knitting itself back together. The hat he wore on his head still bobbled everywhere he went, the feather trailing and making him feel like an idiot most of the time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That trader from Partopour was an expert salesman. They knew well enough to bring dresses that would fit a Half-Ogre.¡±


    Or they could magically resize the clothes. Theo felt Rowan lurking somewhere nearby. He couldn¡¯t get an exact location like he could with Tresk, but he was there.


    ¡°Well, I meant to ask you if you want to live in the Newt and Demon.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Oh! Really?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°You could also live in the manor. Whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Theo opened the door to the shop, listening to the bell jingle. ¡°Rowan, could you grab a bed from Sledge¡¯s place? For the upstairs room in my lab.¡±


    ¡°Right away,¡± the shadows said, coiling before turning into a Half-Ogre.


    ¡°Whichever works for you,¡± Theo said, returning to the interior. ¡°I¡¯m going to work on these orders.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thanks,¡± Salire said, sounding slightly flustered.


    Alex did her best to fly up the stairs, but needed help half-way. In the lab, Theo noticed something curious. Upon entering, his intuition went off. Combined with his memory, he realized things had been moved around in the lab. There was a stain on the shrine to Drogramath as well, and his mind swirled. When it landed on a mundane conclusion, he shook his head.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Have you been praying to Drogramath?¡± Theo asked, poking his head into the stairway.


    Alise¡¯s face, a darker shade of orange, appeared at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Uh! Is that a problem?¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°Come on up.¡±


    Wow! She likes you. I wonder what kinda ¡®like¡¯ that is, though, Alex said.


    Like a daughter trying to impress her father, Theo said, keeping those thoughts inside. He didn¡¯t want to embarrass the young woman. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s room in my heart for romance.


    Theo continued two conversations, which would have boiled his mind before being transported to this world. Now he found the task easy. He kept his mental communication with Alex while showing Salire the proper way to make offerings to the shrine.


    I feel that hole, Alex said. Like a deep pit in your chest.


    I¡¯ve filled that pit with other things, Theo said, placing a flower on the shrine. It erupted in purple flames, then vanished. With friends so close, I¡¯d call them family.


    Maybe you could tell me about that person who made the hole.


    I¡¯d be dredging up terrible memories, Theo said.


    Perhaps you¡¯ll realize that ignoring your problems doesn¡¯t solve them.


    ¡°Do you really think I could get a Drogramath core?¡±


    Theo snapped his attention to the conversation he was having with Salire. He split his concentration again, focusing on his golems as he considered her question. The golems needed mana tablets, and the woman needed to set her expectations low.


    ¡°Not sure how the distribution of cores is going to work now,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m certain that Khahar has limited the ability of the gods to interact with us. Zarali kinda confirmed that, so we need to figure it out. Come on, help me with the stills. We¡¯ll do a run of attribute potions.¡±


    Salire clapped her hands together with excitement. To Theo¡¯s horror, Tresk had gotten into the conversation about the alchemist¡¯s love life on Earth.


    He had a girlfriend, Tresk said, giggling into their minds. When his sun ate his planet, he was clutching a silver locket. But she died before the end, so she didn¡¯t get transmigrated.


    Oh, a girlfriend? Alex asked, honking.


    Theo stood over his stills, checking that they were clean for the run. With his three 500 unit custom stills, he could distill vast quantities of potions. They¡¯d focus this run on the most commonly used attribute potions. His garden of [Wind Tulips], [Flame Roses], and [Stone Flowers] would produce essence for each physical attribute. Dexterity, strength, and vigor.


    ¡°The most important thing as someone starting out is to understand essences,¡± Theo explained. This was a lesson he¡¯d already given Salire. ¡°There isn¡¯t a living Drogramathi Dronon who would share this information. Reagents have three or more properties, and you need to have discovered those properties to distill essences.¡±


    ¡°Because distillation requires intent!¡± Salire said with excitement.


    ¡°Right. So, we¡¯re doing two runs today. Gonna take it easy. First run is going to be attribute potions, the next one is [Mana Essence] for my golems.¡±


    ¡°We should do a third run,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°[Hallow Ground Essence].¡±


    While their supply of the essence was vast, there could never be enough [Hallow Ground Essence]. Theo tried not to look at the numbers for how many of the potions Gronro went through. It was expansive, and the alchemist was interested in looking at alternatives. But there was a problem there, too. The Southlands Alliance needed the undead to keep the north off their back. At first, Theo thought Qavell had fallen. New information revealed that to be untrue. He doubted the king would take their betrayal kindly.


    Theo agreed to do a third run, and they got to work. He let Salire do everything she could, which mostly involved processing the reagents. She set the shredder up, ran the reagents through it, and added the [Enchanted Water] to the mix. Then she set the lids on, dialed in the temperatures, and set the stills to work. The Half-Ogre was smart enough to ensure the 1,000 unit holding tanks in the lab were full before using Throk¡¯s system of storage. With those tanks, they didn¡¯t need to watch the run the entire time.


    Rowan returned with the bed in time. He placed it in the room and informed Theo that he was needed at the adventurer¡¯s guild. Salire made her way back to the shop as the pair departed. Within the guild hall, Aarok was in his normal room on the second floor. Sarisa was waiting for Theo when he arrived, flanking him as he joined the meeting.


    ¡°Fancy bodyguards,¡± Aarok said, shaking his head. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get to business.¡±


    It was only a meeting between Theo, Xol¡¯sa, and Aarok. The alchemist turned to the wizard and nodded. ¡°Feeling any better?¡±


    ¡°Significantly,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. But he didn¡¯t look great.


    Aarok cleared his throat and began the meeting. There were problems with the [Ocean Dungeon]. The issue was that it was creating monsters that plagued the coast. That wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal, but the dungeon was under water. A sea¡¯s worth of water. The administration staff had been brainstorming ideas, but they hadn¡¯t come up with anything clear.


    Someone suggested building a bridge that went out to the sea, but the same old problem remained. There was just too much water, even in the relatively shallow bay. Theo had a stupid idea but he kept it to himself for now. The conversation went on, Aarok explaining every avenue they had pursued. Xol¡¯sa was in the meeting because of his [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core]. If they could get the haggard Elf down to the dungeon, he could work his magic. That might cause issues, but it was worth it.


    ¡°So,¡± Theo started, drumming his fingers on the table. ¡°Stop me if this sounds stupid.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t open with that,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°We could freeze the water.¡±


    ¡°Stop. That sounds stupid,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°Just give me a chance here,¡± Theo said. ¡°The problem is you can¡¯t build a weird waterproof tower around the dungeon so we can access it. Why not just freeze it and we¡¯ll tunnel our way to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard worse ideas,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, laughing then coughing.


    ¡°He¡¯s still recovering. We can¡¯t expect Xol¡¯sa to swim to the bottom of the bay. So, we¡¯ll freeze it.¡±


    Aarok grumbled a little, but nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the worst idea I¡¯ve heard so far. But it might actually work. I need to talk to Alise about it, though. We¡¯d pull people from your other project.¡±


    ¡°The maglev?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Freezing an ocean should be easier than building the maglev.¡±


    ¡°Somehow I doubt that. Come on, let¡¯s head to the sea,¡± Aarok said, standing from his seat. ¡°You¡¯re staying Xol¡¯sa.¡±


    The Elf frowned, but nodded. He put on a brave face, but he was in pain. At least he wasn¡¯t dead.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the goon crew is coming with us,¡± Aarok said, jabbing a finger at Theo¡¯s new assistants.


    ¡°You¡¯re a goon, old man,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°Yeah, I am. You got your crap to freeze seawater, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Theo sent a mental message to Tresk about where they were going. She feigned confidence in his new bodyguard¡¯s abilities, but he felt her jumping through the shadows. When the group passed by the harbor, the alchemist¡¯s breath caught in his throat. There was a boat bobbing around in the harbor. Ready to sail with those bright blue sails. He stifled a scream of excitement, following Aarok along the canal to the southern beaches.


    As expected, they ran into monsters along the way.


    Apparently, the spear that Sarisa displayed in the manor was for indoor use. The weapon she produced out in the open was a massive thing. It looked like an ax and a spear had a baby. During the fighting, she stuck near Theo to protect him. Alex stayed back, too. That left Rowan and Aarok to take care of the vile Fald fish-people. The Guildleader of Broken Tusk¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild wasn¡¯t as impressive as the Shadowstalker.


    Rowan locked the Fald in place, denying the small group any movement. It was then the simple task of killing them where they stood. They worked their way to the beach, clearing along the way and looting [Monster Cores]. When they arrived at the beach, Theo removed his shoes and dipped his toes in the water. As expected, the bay¡¯s water was extremely warm.


    ¡°Stop playing in the surf,¡± Aarok grumbled. ¡°See if your potions work.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to. He took time to look out onto the bay, and back up into the canal they¡¯d made. To both the east and the west were hills that quickly became mountains. The westerly hills were closer than those far to the east. There was plenty of space to expand the town that way. The alchemist concerned himself more with the texture of the sand between his toes. The scattered shells and little sea creatures that skittered just under the surface. Alex honked, swimming in the shallow water. He took a deep breath before Aarok yelled at him again.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a [Freeze Solution] from his inventory. ¡°I need to see how viable this is. Let me measure out how much it takes to freeze a fixed section.¡±


    The alchemist experimented. The [Freeze Solution] froze the ocean water easily, despite the salt content. He started with a small patch near the shoreline, dripping his solution out until a chunk of ice formed. Then he worked his way deeper into the water, escorted by everyone gathered. He felt Tresk¡¯s nervous eyes on him as he waded deeper.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, dripping his solution as he stood up to his thighs in the water. The potion gathered on the surface of the ice, and seemed to push itself down through the column. Instead of freezing outward, it was freezing downward. ¡°The problem comes with volume. How far out is the [Ocean Dungeon]?¡±


    ¡°Pretty far out there,¡± Tresk said, appearing from Theo¡¯s own shadow. She already held a large rock in her hand, tossing it with precision into the ocean. ¡°About there.¡±


    Not that far. 100 paces, or so? ¡°How deep does it get?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Ten man-heights?¡±


    Theo imagined ten Half-Ogres stacked one on top of the other. The [Ocean Dungeon] was fairly deep. But there were other concerns. He could always brew enough potions to freeze the entire ocean, given enough time. They would need to excavate a stairway into the ice, giving Xol¡¯sa a path to work his magic. For his proof of concept, the alchemist created a walkway from ice. It was sturdy enough to hold everyone gathered without issue.


    ¡°Because the [Freezing Solution] works by freezing the water below the currently frozen section,¡± Theo said, standing atop his ice bridge. ¡°We can drill down to the [Ocean Dungeon].¡±


    Aarok rubbed his chin, nodding with approval. ¡°How many of those potions are you going to need?¡±


    ¡°A few thousand,¡± Theo said with a shrug.


    ¡°I can have it ready by tomorrow,¡± Tresk mocked, cutting Theo off before he said it.


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Yeah, whenever you guys are ready.¡±

 4.32 - Tarahek Command

    Salire waved her hands in the lab, desperate to clear the air of the smoke. Theo had entered the lab moments ago and simply stood there as she fought against the billowing clouds. When she spotted him at the entrance, she gave him a sheepish smile.


    ¡°You touched the essence, didn¡¯t you?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Salire said, coughing.


    Theo crossed the room, opening a window and fanning the smoke outside. ¡°Good. That stuff can be explosive. Good thing it was just an attribute essence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Salire said, still coughing.


    ¡°Never be sorry for trying to do something you want to do. Except if you blow someone up,¡± Theo said, turning to Rowan. ¡°Could you get Zarali for me?¡±


    Rowan simply bowed, then left the room. Sarisa stayed behind, helping with the fanning efforts. Once they got the room cleared, Theo distributed the stored essences into flasks, storing most of them but leaving some out for brewing. Instead of lingering on the mistake Salire made, they got to work on the next set. [Manashrooms] were far easier to process than any other reagent. The soft mushrooms fell apart in a person¡¯s hand, removing the need for the grinders.


    Even without a core, Salire could handle this part just fine. She just couldn¡¯t touch any distilled essence, and Theo needed to be the one to start the stills. The woman didn¡¯t have the intent created by a [Drogramath Alchemy Core] yet. After they got the stills ready for a [Freeze Essence] run, Zarali showed up.


    ¡°Hello, brother,¡± Zarali said, crossing the room to give him a big hug.


    ¡°Hello to yourself,¡± Theo said, chuckling. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa is in great spirits,¡± Zarali said, grinning. ¡°I think your little trip did him good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Theo said, pushing his adoptive sister to arms-length. ¡°So, I need to have a word with Drogramath.¡±


    Zarali scoffed. Her expression soured considerably. ¡°Good luck with that. It feels as though my prayers fall on deaf ears nowadays.¡±


    Theo stood there for a long moment. He tapped his foot nervously, lost in his own thoughts, as both Zarali and Salire sulked. Having a perfect memory didn¡¯t mean recalling everything unbidden. The alchemist had to will himself to access those things, and something that Drogramath said had slipped his mind for some time. They needed to select patrons for the town, but when did that come in? He didn¡¯t want to consider the implications that Khahar and Drogramath were working together, but there it was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Theo said, rummaging through his stores.


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna disappear,¡± Salire whispered.


    Theo stuffed various reagents into his inventory. ¡°Wanna come, Alex?¡±


    Oh, yes!


    Both Theo and Alex fell through the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability, passing over the Bridge and landing on their familiar island. He got to work on his stills, expecting Benton to arrive at any moment. The alchemist wanted to run as much [Freeze Essence] as he could, even if that wasn¡¯t the purpose of his visit to the realm. The bear god might have answers on how he could dedicate his town to a patron. Until the Toora arrived, he worked on his stills.


    The upgraded version of Throk¡¯s stills were a joy to work with. Alex played in the pond while he worked, and once those were filled, he shifted his gaze to the plot of land containing the wheat. He inspected the crop, unsurprised at what he found.


    [Wheat]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]


    Common


    A common plant often milled into flour.


    Properties:


    [Healing] [????] [????]


    Benton¡¯s archway rose when Theo was halfway done with clearing the wheat away. He was stuffing it all in his inventory when the bear god appeared with booming laughter.


    ¡°So good to see you, Theo! Want some tea? Perhaps a few scones?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    The pair settled into the cottage and brewed some tea. Benton seemed more excited than normal to see Theo.


    ¡°I have a question,¡± Theo said, nibbling on his scone. ¡°Do you know how to select a patron for a town? Or a nation?¡±


    ¡°You need a temple,¡± Benton said. ¡°It can be any old thing. A proper seed core temple, or just some shack that a priest has blessed. I think you also need a shrine in the temple.¡±


    Theo nodded. Of course it was that simple. He appreciated that the system would let him designate any building as the temple. That made things easy, assuming Fenian didn¡¯t have the right seed core with him. And of course he didn¡¯t, because he would have offered it. Khahar, Drogramath, and Fenian were all working together on something. That was obvious.


    ¡°That makes things easy.¡± Theo nodded, sipping his tea. ¡°How are things in your realm?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re plodding along. Expansion is hard when you don¡¯t have many followers,¡± Benton sighed. ¡°But we¡¯re having a great time as a lower realm. No drama from the big guys. Just scones and tea all day.¡±


    ¡°How does that work, exactly?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Time moves differently here, right? Can people reproduce?¡±


    ¡°No, they cannot. Not at my level, anyway. Any of my mortal worshipers that want to ascend to my realm can. And anyone who worshiped me that dies comes on up to the land of eternal winter. My followers don¡¯t age in my realm, but your mind works differently once you leave the mortal plane.¡±


    ¡°I had noticed that,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Except you¡¯re still a mortal so I bet that¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Pretty weird. So, can a soul die once in your realm?¡±


    ¡°They can die. Unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. I wonder how I can get followers up here¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows? More scones?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    One of Theo¡¯s experiments was still brewing in the realm of Tero¡¯gal. His suffuse potions should have taken a year to finish on the mortal plane, but up here they¡¯d be done in a few days. They sat on the table near the pond, bubbling away in their flasks. Just like those potions, the alchemist planned on planting the spirit seeds given to him by Khahar. That was the ascended man¡¯s intentions from the start, but Theo hadn¡¯t caught on. Once he was done with his tea with Benton, he approached the plot of land.


    ¡°I have these spirit seeds,¡± Theo said, withdrawing the box from his inventory. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to take a long time to grow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Benton said, picking up a [Fairy Plum Seed] for inspection. ¡°Yeah, plant these here. Grow some extremely rare spirit fruit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do a few to start. There¡¯s no need to get crazy,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I mean¡­ maybe. What else are you going to plant here?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Good question. I don¡¯t have an answer,¡± Theo said, jabbing a thumb back toward his stills. ¡°I¡¯m gonna freeze the ocean, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a plan I can get behind,¡± Benton said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Freeze the entire planet while you¡¯re at it. Should grow my power.¡±


    Theo gave his companion a discerning look. He doubted that. All that didn¡¯t matter. It was time to plant the various fruits. Theo started with the [Fairy Plum Seed], planting two a good distance apart. He tilled the soil with his hands, burying both seeds at the same depth. While he didn¡¯t know if it was correct, he went with his intuition.


    Each seed that Khahar had gifted him had a different name. Theo managed to plant 5 types in his cleared area, 2 of each. [Dragon Apple Seeds], [Xotl Orange Seeds], [Gorgon Cherry Seeds], [Fairy Plum Seeds], and [Devil Peach Seeds]. Each one radiated power, even after planted in the ground. Benton was excited to see what they would become, but had his doubts as to their growth rate. That left the pair to mind the stills, drink tea, and muse threads left unexplored.


    The [Wisdom of the Soul] potion had been a strange thing the moment Theo discovered it. The description claimed there was a meta barrier between a person¡¯s soul and their [Wisdom] attribute. But no one knew what that meant.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t help that the Dronon are so hesitant to share information,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea. Why don¡¯t I head off, talk to some folks around the realms, and see if they know anything.¡±


    Theo shrugged at that. Benton had pulled greater feats out of his ass in the past. He had hours of watching the stills in front of him. Hours still of brewing and bottling his potions. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Benton trotted through his gate, leaving Theo to consider his next course of action. His purpose for entering Tero¡¯gal was to figure out the religion thing. It felt like a quest with several steps. Salire needed a core from Drogramath, but they couldn¡¯t talk to old Drogy. So the alchemist had to go to his realm to talk to a bear god¡­ and so on. It was a welcome reprieve, though. The bear left some scones.


    Theo fed Alex some [Nature Motes] as they played in the pond. He swapped out his run of [Freeze Essence] for a smaller run of [Mana Essence]. The goose was disappointed about the lack of bugs, and the constant shoveling of motes into her stomach, so the alchemist withdrew some of Tresk¡¯s store of insects from their shared inventory. He didn¡¯t want to consider how that worked with time moving slower where he was. Over the edge of the island, he saw the Marshling¡¯s face frozen in laughter.


    With only a few hours left on the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability, Benton¡¯s portal rose up. The bear god stepped through, covered in a layer of snow and laughed. ¡°That was a journey.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Theo cleaned out his stills as his friend walked over.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a wayward alchemist¡¯s soul wandering the lower realms. I¡¯ve talked to him before, he¡¯s interesting enough. He rambled on for hours, like souls do, but I¡¯ve digested most of what he said. Based on my notions of what something like that would do, of course.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Think of your soul like a web stretching between your physical body, and your spiritual body. That web interprets the signals from your spirit and cores to your physical being. What would happen if you broke down that barrier?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have a damn clue what would happen if this theoretical barrier broke down. The entire system was magic as far as he was concerned. Most things in this world were magic, hardly following rules of physics. Conservation of energy was meaningless here. Objects had more power than they ought to, often stored in impossibly small containers. So if there was a barrier between the meat of his body and the ethereal part of his soul, so what?


    Even his intuition, another magical thing here, couldn¡¯t give Theo the answer. ¡°Is the ¡®web¡¯ acting like a filter for the system?¡±


    ¡°Well, a little scholarly debate is in order. What does it mean to be more wise?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never understood it. The thing I notice the most is my increased intuition. Which is magic, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Magical indeed. I think that if you drink that potion, one of two things is going to happen.¡± Benton rubbed his hands together. Theo could tell he had some grand theory about this entire affair. ¡°Breaking the meta barrier means you no longer get the system benefits of the attribute. That¡¯s the bad option. Second option is that it increases the connection, layering your wisdom directly over your body.¡±


    ¡°Both options suck, though,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re either denied the benefits from your attribute, or you have too much of a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Really? With all you¡¯ve seen on the mortal plan, you think suppressing an attribute is bad? What would have happened if Khahar brewed this potion? Toned down his fading mind.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°If Khahar could have done it, he would have done it. Pretty sure he had at least one high-level alchemy core.¡±


    ¡°This is the fun part. The only way to figure out what the potion does is to drink it.¡±


    There was a level of excitement to that idea. They could read the description of the potion all day and come no closer to a solution. The only way to know was to drink it, and Theo wasn¡¯t about to do that. He filed it away in his mind with the horrible undeath potion.


    ¡°A purely academic discussion.¡± Theo nodded at the bear god. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Benton shrugged. ¡°Not like I¡¯m going around to brew potions.¡±


    Benton sensed the conversation about the potion was over. Instead, they spent the last few hours of Theo¡¯s visit drinking tea and discussing the realms at large. Whispers of the Southlands Alliance had filtered up to the lower pantheons. There were a range of opinions, most concluding that the alchemist was some kind of antagonist in the Qavelli conflict. More worrying was the other whispers.


    ¡°Dead gods are rising,¡± Benton said, keeping his voice low. ¡°Clawing at the high pantheons. They want to return to the world.¡±


    Theo sipped more tea. ¡°I¡¯m not sure they¡¯ll like the way the heavens are now. Maybe they¡¯ll make an attempt on Khahar.¡±


    Benton chuckled. ¡°Good luck with that!¡±


    The remainder of Theo¡¯s time in Tero¡¯gal was pleasant. When the time came, the alchemist tucked the goose under his arm and bid farewell to his friend. They jumped from the side, using the [Approach] ability on Tresk. They snapped into existence next to the Marshling, startling her.


    ¡°By the gods, you can¡¯t sneak up on me like that. I¡¯m unsneakable.¡±


    ¡°We thought it¡¯d be funny¡­ oh¡­ well, I guess now is a good time.¡±


    A system message flashed up the moment Theo started talking.


    [Tara¡¯hek Core] received experience (2%).


    [Tara¡¯hek Core] leveled up! Level 30.


    [Tara¡¯hek Core] gained the ability: [Tara¡¯hek Command]


    ¡°Woohoo!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°I was waiting for that to happen. We¡¯ve been stuck at 29 for a few days, huh?¡±


    Theo inspected the new ability.


    [Tara¡¯hek Command]


    Marshling Bond Skill


    Epic


    While within the Tara¡¯hek¡¯s sphere of influence, you gain the inspiration of command.


    Effect:


    While within the influence of your bond, reduces the negative aspects of increased attributes and cores.


    Also increases your ability to command all other Tara¡¯hek abilities.


    The description was more vague than normal. But the effects were clear. Theo felt something wash over him once the skill was added to his core. The last bits of his mind that had been clouded by his attributes and various cores were gone. He stood, blinking on the battlements of Broken Tusk. A sense of calm washed over him, and he could feel both Tresk and Alex experiencing the same strange sensation.


    ¡°I was hoping for a laser beam, but this is nice,¡± Tresk said, breathing a sigh of relief.


    Theo scoffed at that. This was something he just talked to Benton about. But it was more complex than just a skill that he activated in his core. If the bear god was right, and there was a layer between his body and spirit, he could now feel it. Like a sheet that had been draped over his thoughts, obscuring them from inspection. He could now pull that sheet back with great effort, opening or closing the floodgates of his attributes and cores.


    ¡°This requires practice,¡± Theo said, closing his eyes and feeling that sheet in his mind.


    ¡°It feels like someone splattered mud on my thoughts my whole life, and I just wiped it away.¡±


    Honk!


    There was too much testing to do in order to figure out how it worked. Theo always understood there was an influence from cores and attributes. Especially the mental attributes, intelligence and wisdom. Those did more to change the way a person thought than anything. Entering the Dreamwalk reduced the effects of that sensation by a little. Tero¡¯gal banished it away. But if the moment he exited that realm, the sensation of an outside force pressing in on his mind was always there.


    Now it was gone. Entirely.


    The shadows burst to life at the base of the wall. Sarisa jumped from the ground to the top of the wall in a single burst of strength. Her massive pole-ax-thing leveled as she scanned the area.


    ¡°She said you should have been back by now,¡± Sarisa said, still scanning the area.


    ¡°My bad.¡± Theo held his arms up apologetically. ¡°We can go back to the lab now. I gotta talk to Zarali. I mean¡­ we could get some tea first. Would you mind making me some tea? Bringing it to the garden at the manor?¡±


    Sarisa blinked a few times, her mouth hung open. ¡°Yeah. Sure. Rowan is watching you now.¡±


    In a flash, Sarisa¡¯s armor vanished, replaced by that maid¡¯s outfit. She jumped from the wall, then ran off to make some tea. Theo and Tresk were left trying not to giggle. But Alex honked, and they all broke out into laughter. After a good fit of the giggles, the alchemist headed over to his lab to help Salire out. Before heading off for more tea, he pulled Zarali aside.


    ¡°I want Xol¡¯sa in the manor,¡± Theo said. ¡°Until he has recovered.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you sweet?¡± Zarali asked, patting her brother on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be delighted. I¡¯ll bring him over for the tea.¡±


    Theo stayed behind to help Salire get the next batch of essence going. She knew where he¡¯d be, so there was no reason she should blow herself up. Again. When the alchemist headed off, he was confident she wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid. For now, he needed to sit down with Zarali and iron their temple out. He didn¡¯t know if it was good fortune or bad when he arrived in his garden to find Fenian chatting with Zarali.


    ¡°Got any temples in your bag?¡± Theo asked, approaching the trader.

 4.33 - Farming

    Theo sat with Zarali, Xol¡¯sa, and Fenian in his garden. They had arranged wooden chairs in a semi-circle around a low wooden table. Sarisa had already given them their tea by the time the conversation got rolling. The Elf didn¡¯t have any temples in his inventory, but he was happy to drink the tea and relax. The alchemist got a quick look at his growing limbs. It was a slow process.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about this technique to build a temple?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Not my domain,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll pull the stoneworkers off their job to build something nice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s selfish.¡± Fenian sipped his tea and shook his head. ¡°How many other projects are they working on?¡±


    ¡°Only two. Or three,¡± Theo said, having a good thing about it. ¡°Maybe four.¡±


    ¡°Just build a shack,¡± Xol¡¯sa croaked.


    Despite the extra-planar Elf¡¯s recovery, there was a long way to go. Theo felt as though he understood more about the man¡¯s condition after talking with Benton. There was that concept of a spirit attaching to a body with a web. The web was the soul, and the potion he was fed rebuilt that connection. The alchemist imagined a process where a person¡¯s mind was rebuilt, synapse by synapse. Neuron by neuron. It would be slow and painful.


    ¡°Have you tried using your core abilities since you almost died, Xol¡¯sa?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I closed that portal.¡±


    Zarali placed a comforting hand on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s knee. ¡°He¡¯s had some difficulty.¡±


    That was enough confirmation for Theo. He explained the theory about a soul connecting parts of the body. When questioned on how he came up with that, he told them about Benton and his helpful nature.


    ¡°Look at this guy,¡± Fenian said, laughing. ¡°He¡¯s cheating!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how I got the information. I¡¯m certain we don¡¯t have to worry about Xol¡¯sa.¡± Theo stirred his tea, glancing over at Rowan hiding in the bushes. He had a request for that sneaky Half-Ogre. ¡°He¡¯s going to heal over time¡­ Rowan, could I ask you to do something?¡±


    Rowan emerged from the bushes, striding over to stand at attention. Fenian clapped his hand against his leg with excitement. ¡°Could you fetch Ziz for me?¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡±


    The Half-Ogre vanished before Theo could say anything else. Fenian giggled. Both Zarali and Xol¡¯sa shook their heads.


    The group talked about small subjects for some time. Half-way through their tea, Theo was summoned to the Newt and Demon to swap out some essences. When he returned to his garden, Ziz was standing awkwardly off to the side. The alchemist dragged over another chair for the man to sit in.


    ¡°You hired Rowan?¡± Ziz asked. ¡°I remember this one time, Rowan and his sister¡­ What''s her name? Oh, hey there Sarisa. Yeah, he got his head caught in this stump. We were all just kids, but we were laughing so hard. One of the other kids peed their pants from laughing so hard.¡±


    Theo laughed, craning his neck to see Rowan go a deep shade of red. ¡°Excellent. No, Rowan is awesome. So is Sarisa. Ziz, you want a job?¡±


    ¡°I want more jobs like I want a swamp snapper to snip my buttcheeks. Just kidding. I have a few teams now, so we can handle more work.¡±


    ¡°We need a temple to Lord Drogramath,¡± Zarai said, scooting to the edge of her seat. She still held a comforting hand on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s knee.


    ¡°Oh, a big fancy temple? Hand built?¡± Ziz asked, raising a brow. ¡°Within the walls?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, inside the walls.¡±


    ¡°You want one of my buildings inside your walls, Mister Archduke Mayor Lord Spencer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡±


    Ziz rubbed his hands together. Theo saw him doing the math in his mind, reallocating people for jobs so he could make his mark on the town. Almost every building within town was a seed core building. Those that weren¡¯t were shoddy at best. Even the newest construction, the buildings that housed the water system, were built by Sledge. She wasn¡¯t known for her aesthetic choices.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it for free.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Fenian scooped up a stone and tossed it at the Half-Ogre. ¡°Charge him a premium.¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡± Ziz looked confused. ¡°I¡¯m charging a premium.¡±


    ¡°Attaboy!¡± Fenian hooted.


    ¡°We¡¯ll work something out. As for zoning, there¡¯s a lot of space to the west of my shop. Stake a spot there out, figure out what materials you need and what people, and we¡¯ll get working whenever you want.¡±


    Ziz rose to his feet, nodding. ¡°Alright. Okay. My mind is racing here. This is gonna be so cool. Zarali, how evil do you want the temple to look?¡±


    ¡°As evil as you can make it.¡±


    Theo groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t make it evil. Make it magnificent.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll split the difference,¡± Ziz said. ¡°Half-evil, half-magnificent.¡±


    ¡°Good enough.¡±


    Ziz dashed off without another word. Theo opened his administration interface and added some notes about the job. This would get him in front of his administration staff being upset about his pulling them away from jobs. The stoneworkers were slated to do more work than just the maglev. That group was working on several interesting projects that the alchemist hadn¡¯t heard of yet. He realized how important those other things were, compared to his monument to a Demon God.


    ¡°We should get some statues,¡± Theo said.


    Fenian laughed, slapping his knee. ¡°Theo wants statues of himself. How original.¡±


    ¡°I can see it now.¡± The faintest hint of a smile played across Xol¡¯sa¡¯s face. ¡°Two statues on the canal¡¯s edge. Theo and Tresk. What a nightmare.¡±


    Zarali giggled. ¡°And a giant goose in the middle of the harbor!¡±


    ¡°I want a statue of Fenian.¡± Theo jabbed a finger at the Elven trader. ¡°Feathered hat and all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a feathered hat too, Archduke.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I make it look good.¡±


    Fenian¡¯s brows knit tightly. He felt around at the hat on his head, looking slightly crestfallen. ¡°My hat looks good. Doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Hats aren¡¯t really my thing.¡± Xol¡¯sa waved the question away, averting his gaze before he was drawn into an argument.


    ¡°It looks lovely,¡± Zarali said, failing to hide the patronizing tone in her voice. ¡°You¡¯re a lovely little unique boy and we all love you.¡±


    Fenian tried to fold his arms but didn¡¯t pull the grumpy look off with just one arm. ¡°I¡¯m filing a complaint to your administrators for harassment.¡±


    Once the group had their fill of tea, Theo headed back to his lab to work with Salire. He trusted Zarali¡¯s zeal for Drogramath to lead her in instructing Ziz on the building. While the alchemist had a desire to work on the town itself, leveling it up some more, he lacked the [Monster Cores]. Returning to the lab, he found the Half-Ogre woman working with a customer, so he found his way upstairs.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The runs were almost done for the day. They could have done more, but it felt like a relaxed day for the town. Theo worked on restocking his modifiers, shoving various things into fermentation barrels before heading out back. The stills would run themselves as he worked on creating more [Mana Constructs] for his golems. He communed with them by the greenhouses.


    Golems were strange, no matter how Theo looked at them. It wasn¡¯t the weird appearance or their specialization through materials. The way they functioned was strange. As he stretched his senses out, washing over his working golems, something within him said he could have more. His willpower had expanded, and he couldn¡¯t tell if it was from his new ability or something else.


    A plant golem emerged from a mushroom cave, seeming to nod for a moment before depositing something in the [Dimensional Storage Crate]. Alex waddled around the corner, honking.


    ¡°Come look at this, Alex. I could use a second set of eyes.¡± Theo approached one of Zarali¡¯s [Lodestones], pressing his fingers against the gem on a pole.


    What am I looking for?


    The alchemist sent his will into the lodestone network, feeling a prickle on the back of his neck. He felt different from the last time he¡¯d connected to the network. Now he could sense the small bit of himself that rested in each of the gems. Not quite a piece of his soul, but something significant enough to relay commands between the golems. He turned to regard the goose.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to understand how to expand my willpower for a while,¡± Theo said, kneeling to the goose¡¯s level. That was becoming less difficult by the day. Alex was growing. ¡°What would happen if you added your will to the mix?¡±


    Honk! I¡¯m not sure. Alex approached the lodestone, pressing her bill to the item.


    Theo was interested in expanding his golem network, that was true. But he was also working on a theory he had discussed with Tresk. ¡°As we grow in power, we become more similar. Tresk and I thought the Tara¡¯hek would make us one person eventually. That might be the case, but we can exploit that.¡±


    While he didn¡¯t understand why, both Alex and Tresk had a higher willpower than him. The alchemist¡¯s idea was that their will was more forceful than his, leaving a longer-lasting impression. Whatever the case, the goose had little trouble forcing her mind into the lodestone network. She made a surprised honk as her mind flooded through the system, splitting between the golems all at once. When she pulled back, something of her was left behind.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Theo ran his hand over the lodestone again, nodding with approval. The force of the goose¡¯s authority had bolstered the power of the stone, rendering it capable of supporting more golems. ¡°I can support 5 more, I think. Then another 5 when Tresk does this.¡±


    They¡¯re curious creatures. Alex approached the plant golem, poking it with her bill. There are sections in the system prompt for siphon systems and modifications. Why have you not modified the golems?


    ¡°A good question. Firstly we need a siphon system that works. That requires a mana battery, and one of those power-sucking cubes. Like the one in my lab. It powers all the enchantments in there.¡±


    Still, they should be modified. Yes?


    ¡°Maybe. Any modifications would suck power from the [Mana Construct]. I would implant another construct, and that one would suck power from the [Mana Construct] to activate.¡±


    Have you tried enchanting them with your [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] spells?


    Theo held his hand out to the golem, chanting his [Lesser Hallow Ground] spell with the [Detect Enemy] trigger. He was getting better at the wards, leveling that core slowly. It still took him a few attempts to ward the golem, but it stuck. The [Lesser Plant Golem] glittered with white light for a moment before subsiding. What was left was a 1-day duration ward and a confused looking golem.


    Yep, that works. No mana required. But low duration. Hmmm.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Theo reviewed his current golem loadout, thinking about which medium would be best for his needs. Perhaps it was best to reserve those slots for his farming project. ¡°Let¡¯s go extort my friends for items. Then we can work on my other project.¡±


    Tresk thinks about that a lot, Alex said, flapping her wings to keep up with Theo. She thinks you work too much.


    ¡°Tresk works too much. I work less than her.¡±


    Yeah. That¡¯s just what she thinks. She¡¯s been happy you¡¯re relaxing lately.


    ¡°Yeah. Me too.¡±


    No one had cleared out from the manor¡¯s garden. Theo was able to convince Zarali to give him more lodestones, but it was a fight. Only after he agreed he wasn¡¯t cheating¡ªthat he had added Alex¡¯s willpower to the network¡ªdid she give up a few more lodestones. Fenian was happy to hand over a [Farm Seed Core] for the new automated farm. There was some teasing about the alchemist¡¯s need to constantly move, but he brushed them off. A true Broken Tusker got things done before they needed to be done. Not after.


    Theo and Alex stopped in to help Salire with the stills, setting up the final run of the day and doing a few reactions for the shop. It was nothing the alchemist hadn¡¯t done before, and made for uninteresting work. The pair stopped by Miana¡¯s ranch to find a horrifying sight. Several Marshlings from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild were practicing riding [Marsh Wolves]. The monsters seemed reluctant to have a rider, but the Marshlings were having the time of their lives.


    Galflower and her group of enchanted Karatan were grazing in the fields. Theo could feel them sucking the energy from the air, consuming both the power of Drogramath¡¯s realm as well as Tero¡¯gal. That was a can of megalomaniacal worms he didn¡¯t care to open. Not today.


    ¡°Not enough cores to upgrade the town, but enough for a low-level farm.¡± Theo nodded at the guards of the eastern gate. Sarisa and Rowan emerged from the shadows, flanking the alchemist.


    ¡°We should have more guards outside the walls,¡± Sarisa said, casting a concerned look over the open fields.


    Theo gestured to the towers on the wall. ¡°We¡¯ll be within range of the towers.¡±


    Rowan grunted a response. Alex honked.


    The first thing about planting a [Farm Seed Core] that Theo found odd was the option he got when he buried it. This section of land was within the unincorperated section of the town, allowing him to plant seed cores. It wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d done before, but that wasn¡¯t the interesting thing. A base-level farm started with a few fields of their own. 2 to start, which revealed something about Banu¡¯s farm. The grumpy farmer had tilled most of his fields by hand.


    ¡°Interesting enough.¡± Theo buried the core, then fed it [Monster Cores] until the roots sprouted up. Those roots formed the shape of a small shack, then spread out to create two sprawling fields. ¡°We won¡¯t need more than those two for now.¡±


    I want to help with the golems!


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Theo said, plopping down onto the damp ground. He removed materials from his inventory, setting out large piles of vegetation, constructs, and [Monster Cores]. While he worked, he chatted with Sarisa. ¡°Where did you guys get the illusion necklaces?¡±


    ¡°A trader,¡± Sarisa said, holding her big ax at the ready. Theo still didn¡¯t know what to call it. ¡°That fellow from Partopour had a selection.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯ve been thinking about fashion lately.¡±


    Because he saw Salire. She looks so pretty! Theo wants to be pretty.


    ¡°They can¡¯t hear you, Alex.¡± Theo assembled his first golem, a [Lesser Plant Golem] with a [Fald Interloper] core at level 10. Anything higher than that felt as though it would get away from him. Too much power in one lump of living plants. He used the standardized form of containment core, one made of [Drogramathi Iron]. Those were the most efficient.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± Sarisa asked, watching as Theo worked on the golem.


    ¡°She said I want to be pretty, which isn¡¯t wrong. Salire, the woman who works in my lab, just got a new dress. It suits her extremely well, and it made me think about dressing better. Appearances, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a spare butler outfit, if you want it,¡± Rowan said, chuckling.


    ¡°No thank you.¡±


    Awww. You didn¡¯t lie to them about what I said! That¡¯s so cute.


    Theo had to pop a few [Mana Pills] to get the job done with the golems. They didn¡¯t consume much of his mana, but with 5 golems it was enough to drain him dry several times. He bound the new golems to the nearest lodestone, leaving their orders empty for the time being.


    It was now time to cram cores into the farm.


    The upgrades they had made to Banu¡¯s farm were mostly okay. The only upgrade Theo didn¡¯t want for his automated version of the farm was the [Fresh Tilled Earth] upgrade. That upgrade increased the effectiveness of fertilizer, but the alchemist didn¡¯t plan to do high-volume farming. This was just going to be some passive nonsense he did because he could. Instead, he inspected an alternative which he thought would work better for his purposes.


    [Speed Planting]


    Any action taken to plant a seed on the farm will be faster.


    More seeds planted meant that his golems could concern themselves with other things. Theo didn¡¯t want his golems running around to fetch fertilizer, applying it to the field to consume their work time. He followed the upgrade path for Banu¡¯s farm for the other things, inspecting the farm when he was done.


    [Small Farm]


    [Honk if you¡¯re hungry]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 20 (0%)


    Rent Due: 4 days


    Expansions:


    [Speed Planting]


    [Enhanced Growth]


    [Scaling Expansion]


    [Drogramathi Cultivation]


    Theo frowned, casting a look at the goose. ¡°Did you name the farm?¡±


    Yes. It is our backup plan for food. So people should honk if they¡¯re hungry. You know. Like I honk all the time.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious to know how you and Tresk can delve into my memories. More curious to know how you always pull out the nastiest things.¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°Find some bugs if you¡¯re hungry.¡± Theo withdrew some [Dimensional Storage] crates for the farm, setting them in the shack. He filled them with [Mana Constructs] and [Wheat] before issuing his commands to the golems.


    The golems would work the farm outside of the walls, planting and harvesting the uncultivated wheat. Theo could have set this project up better, but it was just a test. Once the commands were set in place, the shambling [Lesser Plant Golems] shuffled off to begin their work. Theo stretched, rolling his shoulders to work out a knot.


    ¡°Alright. You guys wanna go hang out in my garden for a few hours?¡±

 4.34 - A Temple

    It was difficult to build things back on Earth. Humans there couldn¡¯t carry impossibly heavy blocks of marble in magical inventories. Setting those massive stones in place was a chore unto itself. Medieval people used large wooden cranes. It was dirty, back-breaking work. But not here in Broken Tusk. Ziz and his gang were already building the foundation of the new temple. They had no shortage of stone, not with the magically regenerating quarry. No shortage of initiative, either.


    Theo watched as they set the foundation stones by hand. A stoneworker would lift a block above his head¡ªperhaps just showing off¡ªbefore setting it in place on leveled ground. They applied mortar to bind the stones together. Whether that binder came from an ability, or was applied manually from their inventories, the effect was the same. It dried almost instantly, anchoring the rocks together with a grip that simply wouldn¡¯t give.


    The alchemist had no way to know how long this task would have taken on Earth. The way Ziz¡¯s men were working, he thought it would take them only a few days. It was no surprise, judging by the pace they built the road. In classic fashion, the stoneworkers didn¡¯t plan to build a small temple. They had their mind set on a grand scale, roping off a large section of earth and shoveling away to make it level. It appeared they planned to fit the entirety of Miana¡¯s ranch inside.


    This was the type of project Theo had been itching for. Something large, stupid, and interesting. It would lead to something good, that was certain, but standing on the outside it seemed like a waste of time and resources. Only Drogramath¡¯s urging for him to dedicate the town to a patron proved that to be false. It would have a use. Whatever that might be.


    ¡°Let¡¯s dedicate the temple to Marshy,¡± Tresk said, bouncing up and down next to Theo. She was among the many citizens clamoring for a better view at the construction.


    ¡°Marshy isn¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°We can make him real. If we just believe hard enough.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure it doesn¡¯t work that way. The good news is, we can see the temple from our back garden.¡±


    Tresk scoffed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll drive down the housing prices around here. No one wants to live near a church.¡±


    ¡°You made that up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Tresk stepped behind Theo, entering the shadow he cast from the fading light of the day. An instant later, and she was gone. The alchemist didn¡¯t need to look for long to see what had sent her running so quickly. Alise approached, hands on her hips at first. Then her expression shifted, and she laughed, slapping Theo hard on the shoulder.


    ¡°She always runs when I¡¯m angry.¡±


    ¡°I would if I could.¡± Theo turned his gaze away from the administrator, watching Ziz and his men do their work. It certainly was a sight. ¡°Thanks for Sarisa and Rowan. Sneaky move, but I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more angry. You know, about me pulling Ziz off of projects.¡±


    Alise gestured for Theo to follow. They made their way toward the harbor as they spoke. Toward the masts of boats bobbing in the water.


    ¡°If you want to drag them off your other projects, I don¡¯t care. Throk¡¯s artifice project is unnecessary already. So if you¡¯re pulling Ziz off other vanity projects, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Theo chuckled. That was one way of putting it. ¡°I saw some other projects lined up. A highway to the [Swamp Dungeon]. A tunnel through the northern mountains.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯re over here wanting to freeze the sea. And there¡¯s a farm outside the walls that no one told me about.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more angry about that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I had a meeting with Trevas Parn. The newly elected leader of Rivers and Daub seems competent. More than Alran ever was. And that portly man has settled into his role as a spymaster well.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. That was a good thing, wasn¡¯t it? They had no problems with Grot, the leader of Gronro-Dir, but that was because he was too busy. Alran just needed a firm hand to put him in the right position. If this new guy, Trevas, would just fall into line then that was for the best.


    ¡°Has Trevas done anything for the poor, yet?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m pushing him hard on that. We had our meeting today, and things got heated.¡±


    The pair pushed beyond the area that Theo¡¯s greenhouses dominated, into the open fields and sparse trees. This area had always been a place of quiet reflection as the alchemist made his way to the harbor. Although he listened as Alise continued, he couldn¡¯t help himself. He thought about how nice it would be if they designated some areas in town as parks. Calm places where a citizen could eat a meal, or meet up with friends.


    Alise continued. ¡°We threatened military action against Rivers. Trevas tried to call our bluff, but Aarok already had people in position. Several squads from the Gronro divisions and our own adventuring squads. We overcame their defenses without bloodshed.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Theo paused where he stood, imagining his future park. He saw a place near a boulder that would be lovely for a fountain. ¡°Bet that lit a fire under his ass.¡±


    The pair continued walking, crunching through the sparse underbrush. ¡°It did. I got him to sign a contract, but I have my doubts.¡±


    They walked in silence for some time. Theo dragged his mind away from the park idea and faced reality. It was nice to daydream, especially in Broken Tusk. But those images of a peaceful park were replaced by the things he¡¯d seen in Rivers. The squalor of the slums and the opulent manors of the Trade Chairs. The alchemist felt the sudden urge to burn it all down. As they approached the harbor, spotting the newest ship floating proud, he considered how to respond.


    Rivers and Daub needed something to contribute. Theo¡¯s mind wandered as he stood near the docks. Laedria shouted something at him, but he held up a silencing hand. He released his mind¡¯s grip on that thought the moment he saw the Elf¡¯s reaction. She was excited about the new boat, and he was cutting her off. A deep breath later, and a wide smile graced his face.


    ¡°Did you name it, yet?¡± Theo asked.


    Laedria clapped her hands together, jumping with excitement. ¡°Your companion came by earlier with a list of suggestions.¡±


    It would be called ¡®Boaty Boat Boat¡¯ if Tresk had anything to say about it. Theo studied the proud ship floating in the harbor. It was a two-masted boat, significantly longer than the less impressive Cork. Sailors were on deck, practicing whatever it was sailors did with trained precision.


    ¡°Truly amazing,¡± Theo said, gazing at the boat. ¡°Has Zarali come to enchant it, yet?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well. She¡¯s been a bit busy with the wizard.¡±


    Theo turned to Alise. ¡°Did Zarali put in a request for someone to care for Xol¡¯sa? No? Of course not, could you get someone to handle that? He¡¯s staying in my manor.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°Wait for the enchantments, but I¡¯d love a diplomatic mission to the lizard islands.¡±


    Laedria nodded with approval. ¡°Yeah, we can do that. She¡¯s pretty fast on her own, but once we get the enchantments she¡¯ll cut through the water like a Brogling through Zee.¡±


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    ¡°Because Broglings are famous for their consumption of Zee,¡± Theo said, missing the idiom entirely. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s awesome. Make sure to take some Bantari with you when you go. Also bring a gift. Gold? What do lizard-people like?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Alise said. Theo could tell she was making notes in her interface. ¡°We¡¯ll talk to some of the elder Bantari Marshlings to figure that out.¡±


    ¡°The name,¡± Laedria interrupted. ¡°Ya gotta name the boat.¡±


    ¡°Tusk¡¯s Pride,¡± Theo said, nodding.


    ¡°Lame,¡± Alise said, waving the name away as though clearing a smell from the air.


    ¡°Wave Slapper.¡± Laedria nodded to herself. ¡°That was one of Tresk¡¯s ideas.¡±


    ¡°Even lamer,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Well, damn Alise. I don¡¯t see you coming up with awesome ideas,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting on one. The Wavecrest.¡±


    ¡°Ah, damn. That¡¯s a good one,¡± Laedria admitted. ¡°Honors our house name, and sounds really cool.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, alright,¡± Theo conceded. ¡°That¡¯s a cool name for a boat. It has my vote.¡±


    ¡°Right, we¡¯ll sort everything out for the trip down to the southern islands. I¡¯ll get with my people to find a minder for Xol¡¯sa so Zarali can get to work.¡± Alise made some more notes in her interface, nodding to both Theo and Laedria.


    ¡°Sweet. Hey, you guys wanna come aboard?¡±


    Theo shared a look with Alise. ¡°Uh, yeah? Of course.¡±


    Workers on the docks yanked on massive Starbristle ropes, dragging the boat closer to the dock. It hit the side of the lumber with a dull thud, angling well enough for them to climb a rope ladder on the side. Theo ascended with ease, turning back to help Alise up the last bit. The deck of the boat was wide. Bright blue ropes ran through the rigging above, down to cleats on the gunwale and to other places. The wheel rested on a raised platform, giving the captain a great view of the water ahead.


    The Ogre Cypress had made a fine ship. It was clearly tougher than the Earth version of cypress trees. The workers had stained it with something, bringing out the darker shades of the wood. A mixture of darker browns mingled with yellow to create a bright pattern only set off by the pitch that plugged the gaps between boards. The nature of the cypress trees meant that they needed to shave them down from their massive form to create the two masts.


    ¡°The Wavecrest,¡± Theo said, smiling as he ran his hand across polished rails. ¡°With more to come, right?¡±


    Laedria was nearby, grinning as Theo inspected the boat. ¡°We''ll have a fleet before long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the boat is lighter than the ones you¡¯re used to building in Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°Far lighter. We¡¯ve had to weigh her down a bit in the hold. Otherwise she¡¯d just pitch to the side and roll over.¡±


    ¡°How easy would it be to adapt this for an airship?¡± Theo asked, inspecting everything about the boat. ¡°Second question. Do you have designs for warships?¡±


    Laedria laughed, slapping Theo on the shoulder. The alchemist grunted, falling forward a few steps. ¡°Yeah, this is the material you¡¯d want for an airship. Far lighter than Tarantham Oak, but also tough as nails. And yeah. I have the Wavecrest House¡¯s designs for warships.¡±


    Theo inspected the area on the deck. ¡°We¡¯ll hold off on those for now. Once Throk irons out his weapon design, I want those fitted on all our trade ships.¡±


    There was enough space to mount one of Throk¡¯s rail guns. The old Marshling needed to work out a system to rotate and pitch the gun, but it shouldn¡¯t have taken up too much space. If the gunwales were in the way, obstructing the shot from the deck, they could raise the weapon up to clear that obstacle. Judging from the few tests they did, any other ship would need some serious defenses to stop one of their iron bar slugs.


    ¡°Got a mind for war, Archduke?¡± Laedria asked.


    ¡°I have a mind to defend our sailors. Best way to do that is with a big gun.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Alise said with a nod. ¡°Throk is focusing on the weapon project for now. He¡¯s been reporting to me about his challenges, but nothing he can¡¯t handle. Not with Thim covering the smithy. He should have a working weapon and transport system soon.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot on the ship¡¯s deck. It made a nice sound as he thought. ¡°You know my biggest concern is enemy airships.¡±


    ¡°Karasan¡¯s airship,¡± Alise corrected.


    ¡°I want enough of Throk¡¯s guns in town so that when we spot the ship, we can light it up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re assuming Karasan isn¡¯t some kind of genius,¡± Laedria said. ¡°Bastard is responsible for the fall of a few houses in Tarantham, if you can believe it. He¡¯s clever, Theo. There won¡¯t be a frontal assault.¡±


    ¡°Then he¡¯ll hardly expect when our airships blanket his city in fire.¡±


    ¡°Big talk,¡± Laedria said. ¡°Think you can stomach killing civilians?¡±


    ¡°Nope. You¡¯re right. I had a different plan for the airships. Something to help with the undead.¡±


    Laedria and Alise chatted, taking Theo¡¯s coming silence as a sign to talk about the boat. The plan for airships was loose, but the alchemist had the idea of dropping massive amounts of [Hallow Ground] potions on the undead creatures. For now, they needed the army of skeletons as a buffer between them and the angry king. But the sun was setting. His stomach was growling in protest, begging him to return to the manor for dinner. He¡¯d missed his bath last night, and felt knots forming in his muscles that only the hot spring water could help.


    After wrapping up business at the docks, Theo returned to his manor. The moment he came within range of the building¡¯s influence, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. The scent of the food inside doubled that effect, drawing him to the dining room. Tresk sat at the head of the table, drumming her fingers impatiently. Alex was already eating a pile of bugs near the corner, honking. Zarali, Fenian, and Xol¡¯sa were also gathered here tonight.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Tresk shouted, jabbing her finger at a seat. ¡°Your servants won¡¯t give us food until you get here.¡±


    Theo found his seat, helping himself to a mug of Rivers mead. Sarisa and Rowan had catered food from the Marsh Wolf Tavern yet again, laying out a spread for the party to enjoy. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits except Zarali, who was upset about needing to leave Xol¡¯sa¡¯s side to do work. While he claimed to be fine, he wore a mask of exhaustion that he couldn¡¯t hide.


    Conversation around the table came between mouthfuls of Zee pasta with a cheesy sauce. The cheese produced from Karatan milk was extremely pungent, but it went in line with what the locals enjoyed. Fenian put in his opinion on most things, but Theo noticed how he shied away from larger topics. He was hiding something, or running from something. Either way, the Elf would have his hands full when he fully healed.


    Xol¡¯sa also had big plans for the future. His [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core] was leveling at a steady rate, although it had been halted since he was injured. The road to recovery for him was slow, often measured in the improvement of mobility. But no one could give him a full time for recovery, and Theo didn¡¯t have any ideas to speed the process.


    Once dinner was done, Theo Tresk and Alex went off to have a soak in the bath. The alchemist thought about how it would be nice to have a closer bath, although that was a selfish thought. Sarisa and Rowan accompanied them, but they stayed outside of the private bath room. The water was as warm as ever, spreading a sense of calm through his body the moment he lowered himself to soak.


    Tresk did her normal thing of swimming around the large pool, only surfacing to splash the nearest person. Theo just soaked, letting his worries wash away with the water.


    ¡°I feel less stressed,¡± Theo said, taking the chance when Tresk surfaced.


    ¡°Yeah. That rage I was experiencing from my cores is just about gone.¡±


    I would like to feel rage, Alex said, honking. Or perhaps serenity.


    ¡°Those are conflicting feelings.¡±


    They are extremes. Extremes are fun.


    Theo could feel that Alex was close to getting her nature affinity. She was never tied closely to fire, even if she developed her skills in that domain well. He wasn¡¯t sure why she wanted to align herself with those things, but it was her life. The goose often felt less like a familiar and more like a hanger-on to their [Tara¡¯hek Core]. An independent little goose that did whatever she wanted.


    ¡°One day you¡¯ll be a powerful goose-thing,¡± Theo said. ¡°She¡¯s already larger than Earth geese.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Tresk asked, studying the goose.


    Alex¡¯s plumage had mostly come in. There were still patches that were too fluffy, but it was mostly gone. She now bore the markings of an adult canadian goose from Earth. Her slender neck was marked by solid black, only ending with the brown on her body and strip of white on her head. It was hard not to wonder if she was going to continue to grow without end.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s big. Well, that¡¯s a problem. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Why?


    ¡°You won¡¯t fit inside eventually. If you keep growing like this.¡±


    Oh no!


    ¡°No worries. We¡¯ll build a temple for you,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Did you see Ziz and his boys?¡±


    Theo had indeed seen Ziz. They were still working, and would likely not stop until the temple was done. When they passed the construction site earlier, the alchemist saw that they had set all the foundation stones and had moved on to working on the walls. When Ziz got obsessed with a project like this, he went all in by chugging [Stamina Potions] until it was done. That¡¯s likely how he got the road done so quickly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see what happens when Zarali blesses the temple.¡±


    No one seemed willing to carry the conversation after that. A deep sense of relaxation filled the souls of each member in the Tara¡¯hek. It was only when Sarisa and Rowan intruded, claiming the staff wanted them gone, that they headed back to the manor. The streets were quiet when they left. The moon glimmered a golden color tonight, although the dark moon wasn¡¯t visible. No one was awake in the manor, even though a fire burned brightly in the sitting room.


    Theo said goodnight to his assistants, working his way upstairs to flop into his bed. He nodded at Tresk before delving with her into the Dreamwalk.

 4.35 - Baby Arm

    The Dreamwalk was the perfect place to test the viability of the ocean freezing project. Theo stood with Alex on the deck of an imagined version of the Wavecrest, gazing down into the murky water. Somewhere below was the dream version of the dungeon, resting on the bed of the bay. Tresk was off somewhere, likely fighting dragons. She had been cagey about her progress lately, likely because she was hitting a wall.


    Hitting walls like this was natural in the system¡¯s progression. They popped up out of nowhere. Theo¡¯s first theory was that they happened on multiples of 10, stopping a person¡¯s progress before they could roll over to a new realm of power. While his [Tara¡¯hek Core], [Governance Core], and [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] had experienced massive growth, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his alchemy and herbalism cores.


    The alchemist plopped one of Throk¡¯s early sprayer artifices down onto the deck, fiddling with the spraying nozzle to aim at the water below. ¡°Is the sprayer the right tool for the job?¡±


    I¡¯m just a goose, I don¡¯t know. Alex honked.


    ¡°Then what happens if we cage the dungeon?¡±


    Well, I know that one. The system will yell at you if you put objects too close to the dungeon.


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡±


    Tresk tried to build an effigy of herself near the [Swamp Dungeon]. Since she¡¯s the best adventurer, she wanted people to know. The system yelled at her when she built it too close.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Theo loaded his sprayer up with [Freeze Solution]. He flicked a switch on the side and let the device spray. Ice formed on the water immediately, freezing it solid in moments. Then the ice worked its way down toward the dungeon. ¡°How waterproof do you think the stonework will be?¡±


    Depends on who builds it. Ziz has an ability that creates a perfect seal between stones using mortar.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re listening to what people say more often than I expected.¡± The ice bobbed in the water, pitching at a strange angle. But the sprayer continued its work, loading the bay with more of the solution. ¡°This is gonna take a while.¡±


    With the Wavecrest anchored firmly in the bay¡ªTheo¡¯s influence further keeping it still in the water¡ªthe alchemist set up his stills on the deck and got to work on grinding experience. Planters, stills, fermentation barrels, and rows of tables crowded the ship. Alex played on the ice as they chatted.


    There was something very wrong with the way cores leveled. Logically, his personal level should have been an average of all his cores. That was clearly not the way things worked, since his average core level was about 20 while his personal level was 22. Instead, every action performed with a core provided an amount of experience to his personal level, depending on the core¡¯s level. His level 6 [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] did not give as much personal experience as his level 23 [Drogramath Alchemy Core]. Making things more fiddly, his level 28 [Governance Core] didn¡¯t give as much experience as the alchemy core!


    ¡°Slightly confusing,¡± Theo said, adjusting the direction of the sprayer.


    Almost as though some cores are more important. Perhaps that¡¯s the rarity?


    That¡¯s not what it felt like to Theo, though. It felt like the system wanted to base personal experience gain off of a single core, while the other cores were supplemental. For now, he shrugged it off. There was a good reason his experience was dragging with his alchemy core, and the slow pace of his herbalism core was clear. The new farm should help the herbalism core.


    ¡°But for my alchemy core,¡± Theo said, standing before a still and tapping his foot. ¡°We¡¯re missing something.¡±


    The slightest twinge flickered through the alchemist¡¯s mind. Alex was probing his thoughts, less elegantly than when Tresk did so.


    Third tier potions! Alex shouted, honking and flapping over the ice. She pitched over, falling into the bay. She narrowly avoided being sprayed by the freezing solution.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve just been brewing [Healing Potions]. But those are what I¡¯m calling second tier.¡±


    You should write a book.


    Yeah, that was a good idea. If Theo¡¯s plan worked with the temple, Salire would need a guide on how to level a [Drogramath Alchemy Core]. He pulled up his administration interface, created a private notes section, and wrote things down.


    ¡°Good idea. First, we¡¯ll note how to brew first tier potions.¡±


    That process was easy enough. A new Drogramathi alchemist only needed a simple copper still, reagents, and purified water to create essence. Then they only needed shavings to make a potion. The step that advanced a person to the next tier was pressure treating, done either in an evaporation pressurizer, as in his current model, or a pressure still. While Theo could create third tier suffuse potions, he hadn¡¯t figured out the secret sauce for regular third tier potions.


    ¡°Something to do with the liquid, maybe.¡±


    Tonight seemed like a good night for experimentation. While Theo thought about what to replace his still water with, he observed how well the [Freeze Solution] was working. A column of ice had formed under the surface, stretching at least half-way to the dungeon below. It had rolled over several times, creating odd sections of ice that stretched off in weird angles. But the sprayer continued its good work.


    ¡°I run into this problem often.¡± Theo stood over a still, looking down at the bubbling liquid. He had removed the lid of one to observe the effects of salt water mixed with reagents. It was reacting violently. ¡°Hitting my head against a wall with no guidance.¡±


    Be happy with the progress you have made. Alex followed her supportive comment up with an encouraging honk. The ice is forming well. What is the plan with the ice?


    ¡°My first idea was just to send Xol¡¯sa down there to fix the dungeon.¡± Theo scratched his head, looking down at how the ice spread. It really didn¡¯t consume that much solution. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m thinking of building a waterproof tower around it.¡±


    That sounds like a bad idea.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had worse ideas. We¡¯ve been talking about turning the dungeons into something like a theme park. If visitors wanted to use the [Ocean Dungeon], we¡¯d need to have it accessible.¡±


    Your first thought about that is an underwater tower?


    There might have been a better way to do it. Theo couldn¡¯t think of a better way, though. He needed to run the idea by Xol¡¯sa before he pulled the trigger, but it was a straightforward way to get access to the dungeon. He had to consider how the monsters spawning from the dungeon would respond. How this affected a monster wave.


    ¡°What if I justify it by saying we¡¯ll take the underwater tower above water? Turn it into a weapons platform or something.¡±


    I¡¯m not sold.


    Theo grumbled. Most people just went along with what he suggested. Instead of trying to convince her with words, he imagined away the ice. He was happy enough with how it worked. They could dig down into the ice, creating a hollow cylinder all the way to the bottom of the bay. Instead, he replaced it with what he imagined would be the final product. A marble tower that went under the water, surrounding the rocky dungeon entrance below. He imagined a staircase that ran along the outside, giving easy access to the bottom.


    From the deck of the boat, Theo looked out onto the bay. With monsters below and approaches from the sea from almost every direction, this place wasn¡¯t defensible. The underwater tower sprung up, stretching high above the waves of the bay. The alchemist connected that tower with a new one on shore with a bridge, supported in the center with large marble pillars. Several more underwater towers rose from nowhere, filling the bay with weapons platforms. A ghostly navy loomed on the horizon.


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    ¡°From here, we could hit anything between the canal and the barrier islands with Throk¡¯s new weapons.¡±


    Alright, I¡¯m feeling this a little more, Alex said. A little town of interconnected towers. Maybe we can put platforms near the water so the fisher people can use them.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking. Multiple uses. That¡¯s how I¡¯ll sell it.¡±


    How viable is it to keep the sea out?


    Theo didn¡¯t have a good sense for that. He had a feeling that what he was doing in the Dreamwalk wasn¡¯t falling in line with how things would work in reality. Stretching his senses over the dream realm, he pushed against it. It wouldn¡¯t budge until Alex reached out with him. They forced it to follow something closer to reality, modeling the tower to be like something Ziz could build. A roar of water rushed into the towers, flooding them in an instant. They wobbled, almost collapsing.


    Wow, that was completely expected.


    ¡°Alright. Just another problem we have to fix. Nothing to panic about.¡±


    I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find some magic water repelling potion you can use.


    ¡°Maybe. We can talk with Ziz when we wake up. See what he thinks about the idea.¡±


    Yeah. Let¡¯s go back to working on your alchemy problem.


    Theo worked on the problem with Alex for hours. They tried various mediums for boiling reagents. Everything from Goblin blood to sand. Once that proved to be a dead end, they worked on changing the water used for distillation. That was more of a shot in the dark than anything, though. Altering the [Purified Water] seemed to be the way forward, but there were only so many ways to approach the problem.


    The pair quickly found themselves resting on the deck of the Wavecrest, watching as most of the bay froze over. Theo left the spraying artifice on, even after he created a crowd of towers, just to see what would happen. The shadows swirled on the deck, and Tresk stepped out.


    ¡°Wow, sleeping on the job?¡± Tresk asked, pressing her boot into Theo¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Meh, we¡¯re taking a break.¡±


    ¡°A break from what,¡± Tresk said, gesturing at the towers. ¡°Creating a bunch of useless towers?¡±


    They¡¯re not useless.


    ¡°Maybe not completely, but you guys suck at designing defensive structures.¡± Tresk waved her hand through the air. The dream realm bent from the enormity of her command. Theo thought it would crack under the pressure, but it held firm. A moment later, the scene had rearranged itself. ¡°There. That¡¯s a much better design.¡±


    The location of the [Ocean Dungeon] ran in line with one of the canal¡¯s walls. Tresk extended the edge of the canal all the way to the dungeon, ending that underwater wall in a tower. She mirrored the effect on the canal¡¯s opposite side. All along the length of the wall were towers of increasing height. A wedge of other towers, expanding in either direction until they hit the coast, formed the shape of an arrowhead.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to go big, then go big,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Once we have a tower over the [Ocean Dungeon], we¡¯ll need a way to get people out here to maintain it. A big walkway makes the most sense. Then we go with the same theme, making towers with dad¡¯s artifice shooters along the path.¡±


    This was good. It reminded Theo of something he¡¯d seen back on Earth. When medieval met with cannons, the design of defensive emplacements changed. What good was a straight wall of brick when a few well-placed shots from afar could make it crumble. Instead, they created forts with little points on the outside, allowing them to field long-range cannons that covered each other. Since Tresk designed the towers in a wedge, they¡¯d be able to fire out to sea at the same time.


    There was also something about the design that was imposing. It would tell visitors that they meant business, and they could stop people from coming into port without paying.


    ¡°I love this design,¡± Theo said, studying the towers. ¡°Perhaps we can file this under ¡®really cool but impractical projects¡¯, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a lot of stone.¡± Tresk waved her hand again. The lead towers were replaced with stone statues of her and Theo. ¡°I like this option better. Maybe we can put laser beams in their eyes.¡±


    Theo looked up at the stone version of himself. The eyes glowed red, then it shot a solid bar of energy out to sea. The statues were too much, but this fell in line with something the alchemist had been interested in for a while. Ever since Ziz built the stone bridge over the river, he¡¯d been thinking about structures that weren¡¯t seed core buildings. The system-generated buildings were better by a long shot, but they came in predetermined designs. There was no ¡®wall of towers with guns on them¡¯ seed core. Not that he knew of.


    Oh! We could put fire on the towers, Alex said, lighting the tops of each tower¡ªand the statues¡ªwith roaring flames. A welcoming sight for our visitors.


    ¡°That makes us look evil.¡± Theo commanded the fires to dim. They crackled, then reduced to respectable campfires. ¡°Better.¡±


    I like mine better.


    The group discussed the best way to defend the coast. They determined the best way was to just build a line of towers on the coast, never going out to sea. That left the problem of the [Ocean Dungeon] unresolved. By the time the Dreamwalk was ready to end, they had settled on the two designs and resigned themselves to asking around town for opinions.


    ¡°If we could just move the dang dungeon, we¡¯d be set.¡± Tresk tapped her chin. ¡°Whoops, that¡¯s dawn. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Theo had no say in what happened next. The Dreamwalk swirled around him, sending him tumbling back into his sleeping body in an instant. He rose, blinking away the confusion in his mind. It was better when Tresk gave him more warning than that. But the little Marshling was already out of her bed, scampering off without a word. The alchemist found his way to the dining room, getting a report from Sarisa while they waited for food.


    The more time Theo spent around his new assistants, the more he had a sense for the magic that cloaked their forms. He¡¯d been neglecting his magical training, but that was to be expected. Xol¡¯sa had always been the person to push him forward. Now he was left to be distracted by whatever shiny new thing jumped into his mind. The reports delivered were mundane. Nothing had happened in the night, and the events of yesterday were all according to plan.


    Once all the freeloaders had gathered for breakfast, Rowan served them. Theo charged them all with the task of thinking of a better defensive idea for the coast. The opinion was split, but it seemed Xol¡¯sa would have the final word.


    ¡°You¡¯re too many steps ahead, Theo,¡± the Elf said. ¡°Get me down to the dungeon, then we can talk about what to do. Once I understand where the [Ocean Dungeon] is at, I¡¯ll have a recommendation.¡±


    Tresk forced the conversation away from the problem after that. Theo picked what he wanted from his breakfast before taking his tea, retreating to the garden. Ziz¡¯s guys had worked through the night, which was expected. From his comfortable chair, the alchemist could see walls poking up over the shrubs and the fence. Those crazy Half-Ogres would work until they collapsed.


    Xol¡¯sa joined Theo out in the garden, eventually. He was joined by his minder, an angry little Marshling that the alchemist hadn¡¯t had the time to meet properly. He was just there to make sure the Elf was alright, nothing more.


    ¡°I have the strength to see the dungeon today. If you have the desire,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    Theo wanted nothing more than to get the [Ocean Dungeon] under control. He agreed to the Elf¡¯s plans, but didn¡¯t depart immediately. That was wasted energy. Instead, he asked Sarisa to inform the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the administrators about their plan. They would need a unit of the regulars to guard them while they did their work, and some laborers to excavate the ice once it had been set. She departed after a quick bow, jumping over the fence instead of taking the gate.


    ¡°She takes things too seriously,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, falling into a fit of coughs shortly after that.


    ¡°There has to be a potion that can help you.¡±


    ¡°If Drogramath¡¯s power can¡¯t help me, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a potion that will.¡±


    An unexpected twinge of guilt shot through Theo¡¯s chest. He should have never agreed to let Xol¡¯sa spy on his realm. He should have known that there would be consequences¡ªthe rules were very clear about a mortal delving into the realms. It was a foolish thing to think the extra-planar Elf would have been an exception.


    ¡°It should heal with time. Right?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa managed to laugh before coughing again. ¡°It is getting better Theo. There¡¯s just some things that don¡¯t heal overnight.¡±


    ¡°Like my little baby arm!¡± Fenian said, almost flipping his wheelchair as he entered the garden from the manor. He had his recovering limb exposed. Theo looked away as quickly as he could. It appeared as though someone had grafted a child¡¯s limb to his body.


    ¡°That¡¯s absolutely disgusting.¡±


    ¡°This is your handiwork, my dear alchemist. Bask in its glory.¡± Fenian edged closer to Theo, poking him in the face with his new limb. ¡°Bask!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m basking, alright?¡± Theo asked, standing up and edging away from Fenian. ¡°But that thing is creepy.¡±


    ¡°There we are. Keep basking.¡±


    ¡°The longer I know you, the more I realize how weird you are.¡±


    Fenian pretended to be offended. ¡°Theo, do you realize how long I spent fighting Karasan in the realms? Eons! We fought in the deepest dungeons and the highest peaks. Until¡­ at last! I smote my enemy upon the mountainside.¡±


    ¡°But you lost the fight.¡± Theo narrowed his eyes at the Elf.


    ¡°Alright. I made that last part up. He cut off my arm and leg and I ran away like a coward. Are you happy? Now I am sad.¡±


    Theo groaned, jumping over the fence so that the Elven trader could not pursue.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done!¡± Fenian shouted. ¡°Come back so I can wave my baby arm in your face again!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±

 4.36 - A Soul Come to Roost

    Theo stood on the deck of the Wavecrest, marveling at how Laedria¡¯s crew worked. Alise had assembled a small team for the task, although the administrator herself was missing from the boat. Tresk, Alex, Rowan, and Sarisa had joined to guard the alchemist, while one squad of ranged adventurers and another of front-liners stood crowded on the boat.


    ¡°Look at them work those ropes,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°I do not know what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    It was impossible for Theo to understand what every rope did. But the upgrades on the harbor were doing a lot of the heavy lifting. They coasted through the churn of river and sea water as though it were nothing. The alchemist finally gained appreciation for just how amazing the canal was. Two of their trader-style ships could fit in the waterway at once. But the constant bucking of the boat caused Xol¡¯sa¡¯s pale skin to turn a strange shade of green. Zarali was nearby, offering words of comfort.


    ¡°There¡¯s the Cork!¡± Laedria shouted, pointing off into the distance. A single-masted ship, baring the hallmark blue sails of Broken Tusk, looked like a dot on the horizon.


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s safe enough to fish that far out,¡± Theo grumbled. Perhaps the [Ocean Dungeon] wasn¡¯t as much of a threat as he first thought.


    The Wavecrest pushed through the final length of the canal, a stiff breeze pushing from inland. The sails overhead billowed, catching the wind and sending them lurching forward. Even without Zarali¡¯s enchantments on the boat, the clipped over the waves as though racing to the dungeon. Laedria let out a hoot of excitement, the sailors coming to cheer with her shortly after.


    Theo braced himself against the gunwale, locking his eyes on the horizon to avoid seasickness. Once the boat had cleared the area near shore, the turgid waves calmed down. It wasn¡¯t a glassy bay, but it was calm enough to stave off that feeling of nausea in his stomach. Tresk wasn¡¯t doing much better than him, but it didn¡¯t affect Alex at all. She honked with excitement, shooting fire off the side of the boat that had the sailors scrambling to snap her bill closed.


    The bay was massive. It was enclosed on the east and west by large tracts of land, crowded with hills and mountains. To the south were chains of barrier islands, shielding the bay from whatever squalls brewed in the open sea. Here the water was warm and inviting. As sea spray doused those onboard, Theo could feel the heat from the saltwater. Laedria wasn¡¯t interested in just taking them to the dungeon. She angled the Wavecrest out to those barrier islands, something the alchemist wouldn¡¯t object to.


    Before long, they pulled alongside the Cork. Thronk and his Marshling fishermen were onboard, waving up to the crew with excitement.


    ¡°Finally!¡± he shouted, jumping up and down on the small deck. ¡°Another boat in the bay!¡±


    ¡°You lazy lizard!¡± Tresk shouted down at her brother. ¡°Get back to work!¡±


    ¡°You first!¡±


    ¡°Nerd!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough of this,¡± Theo said, but it was hard to keep his gaze off the barrier islands.


    The islands that separated the open sea from the bay were sandy things, dotted with patches of grass and tropical trees. Crustaceans scuttled along the shore, snapping their claws defiantly. The sea was a vast spread of blue, twinkling with specks that looked like shining diamonds. Without a cloud overhead, the heat bore down on the crew. Only the breeze provided relief.


    Tresk and Thronk argued for some time, but Theo noticed the behavior of the Elves. The members of House Wavecrest took deep breaths, closing their eyes to take in the senses of the sea. This is where they wanted to be above all else. This was the place where they were the most at home. Once the Elves were happy enough with seeing the open ocean, they plotted a course for the [Ocean Dungeon]. The Marshlings argued until their shouts no longer carried over the waves.


    Theo was left to set up one of Throk¡¯s sprayers while the crew dropped the anchor. The Wavecrest swayed with the wind until they trimmed the sails, leaving only the gentle rock of the sea. Tresk pointed out where the dungeon should have been, and the alchemist activated the sprayer. It was more temperamental than the version he summoned in the Dreamwalk, but it would do the job. Ice spread across the surface of the bay, snaking outward before digging into the columns of water.


    ¡°This is going to take a while,¡± Theo said, withdrawing several flasks of [Freeze Solution] with the [Solidify] modifier from his inventory. He set it out for everyone onboard to keep cool.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been holding out on us,¡± Laedria said, slathering the mixture on her skin.


    ¡°This is available for purchase in my shop,¡± Theo shot back, winking at the Elf.


    ¡°Wow, what a generous man,¡± Zarali said, still coddling Xol¡¯sa on the deck.


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Get comfortable. This is going to take a few hours.¡±


    Tresk wasn¡¯t content with sitting around and waiting for things to happen. She assembled some members of each adventuring team for a journey to the bottom of the bay. Of course they needed Theo¡¯s [Potion of Wake] to get the job done, and he was happy to provide what little he made. They all jumped in the water, despite Laedria¡¯s protests, and swam to the bottom of the bay. The Marshling kept him updated about how things were going, making note that there were only a few Fald swimming around.


    The [Ocean Dungeon] was still at a low level, at least compared to the [Swamp Dungeon]. Theo hoped that meant that Xol¡¯sa¡¯s job would be easier. But the Elf was getting greener by the moment, no longer able to keep from vomiting over the side of the boat.


    ¡°If only I had some [Sanchrin Leaves],¡± Theo said, rubbing Xol¡¯sa¡¯s back as he puked. Zarali gave him a pained look.


    ¡°Would that help him?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The description says it relieves nausea. But I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    ¡°Anything else that might help?¡± Zarali pleaded.


    There was only one thing that Theo could think of that might help someone stop vomiting. He withdrew a clump of [Moss Nettle] from his inventory, smashing it in his hands until the yellow liquid flowed from the moss. He handed it to Xol¡¯sa, stopping the Elf before he popped it in his mouth.


    ¡°Chew on this. Swallow the juice, but not the moss.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa nodded once, then placed the moss in his mouth. He chewed for a while, spitting several times and coughing a lot, but eventually he let out a sigh of relief. While Tresk updated Theo about the dungeon¡ªit seemed fine to her¡ªhe ran through the other reagents in his inventory. Chewing on raw reagents would produce a minor effect compared to the distilled version. Of the many things the alchemist kept on hand, [Moss Nettle] was the best candidate. He withdrew a sheet of [River Kelp] and shoved it back into his inventory when he smelled it.


    ¡°Too fishy,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s just gonna make him more sick.¡±


    Theo scrolled through his many items. He spotted a potion he meant to put into the shop and clapped his hands together. He withdrew a [Vigor Potion] from his inventory, inspecting it before handing it over.


    [Vigor Potion]


    [Refined Elemental Earth]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


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    Drink to enhance vigor.


    Drink to increase resistance scaling.


    Effect:


    +14 Vigor for 1.75 hours.


    For 1.25 hours, your physical resistances scale 1.30 times better than normal.


    ¡°More vigor should help with feeling sick, right? 14 vigor is a lot,¡± Theo said.


    Zarali helped Xol¡¯sa tip the option back. The Elf shook after quaffing the entire thing, blinking rapidly. Then he stood up straight, looking around the deck of the boat with fresh eyes.


    ¡°The hells¡­ it worked,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I don¡¯t feel so sick anymore¡ªTheo I don¡¯t feel as much like a pile of Karatan dung.¡±


    Zarali ran her fingers through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s hair. She bit her bottom lip, staving off tears. The stress of his condition was getting to her. But not everything fell to Theo to fix. If the alchemist fixed the Elf¡¯s soul all the way, it would take him a long time to figure out the correct method. For now, he¡¯d be happy that he was standing straight for once.


    Theo handed over all the [Vigor Potions] he had, then settled in on the deck for a long wait. It took the sprayer longer than he expected to create the column of downward-facing ice. Tresk and her advance team had swam back and forth several times before the ice spread outward, signaling that they now had a connection to the bay¡¯s base. The adventurers confirmed that moments later.


    The laborers were at the ready, prepared with pickaxes to hew a path downward. On a whim, Theo tried his [Tunneling Potion]. It worked. The man in charge of the laboring squad gave the alchemist a confused look as the ice etched itself into shape.


    ¡°We¡¯re still getting paid, right?¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said.


    The [Tunneling Potion] made quick work of the column of ice. Theo directed it to move in a circular pattern, creating a spiral staircase of ice all the way to the bottom of the bay. While Xol¡¯sa and the adventurers prepared to go under, the alchemist manned the sprayer to insure it wouldn¡¯t melt around them. Alex stayed with him, along with some adventurers, the laborers, and the crew from the boat.


    It made for a pleasant bit of relaxation. Theo spent his time admiring Throk¡¯s artifice device. The man had come a long way from making heating elements. It appeared the only limitation to his ability was his imagination. On that thought, he wondered how high the Marshling had gotten with his core. Then he got suspicious that the old man had done a sneaky thing, taking an aligned [Artificer¡¯s Core] with no one knowing. That fell in line with how the man behaved, after all.


    ¡°That¡¯s Marshlings for ya,¡± Theo muttered.


    Tresk¡¯s telepathic reports about the dungeon were uninteresting. The only notable thing was how spry Xol¡¯sa seemed to be. He was moving normally now, and was even joking at the bottom of the ice stairs. The Elf worked his [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core] on the dungeon below, messing with the way it worked until he was satisfied. Just as the ice was failing on the exterior of the column, the group ascended to board the boat.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Theo asked, helping Xol¡¯sa to the deck.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°The [Ocean Dungeon] is barely level 10, so it was simple to tame. I changed the flow of energy, redirecting the excess to the realms. It will no longer spawn monsters around it, and we can control when the waves come.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Tresk started.


    Xol¡¯sa picked it up before she could continue. ¡°We need to clear the dungeon just about every three days. All that energy has to go somewhere, even if I redirected most of it.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll need to build the silly tower.¡± Tresk nodded, proud of her contribution to the conversation.


    ¡°I would like to have access to the dungeon for regular upkeep.¡± Xol¡¯sa withdrew a pen and parchment from nowhere, dropping to the deck to scribble notes. ¡°I¡¯m recommending that we redirect resources to make the same accommodations for every other dungeon. Including the [River Dungeon].¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t believe how different the Elf was acting. Moments ago, he looked as though he was going to collapse. Now, chewing on the moss with a [Vigor Potion] running through his body, he seemed like a new man. Both things were non-addictive and could be taken one after the other with no issues. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem with that, but the alchemist needed to monitor it.


    ¡°Ziz and his guys are going to be pissed that we¡¯re not working on the maglev,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°They can wait.¡± Xol¡¯sa waved an impatient hand. ¡°And you¡¯ve been slacking on your development. You need to practice your wards more. Turn your alchemy into magic, doubling your effectiveness. Come, we need to meet with Alise before she¡¯s buried so deep in bureaucratic crap that she has to clear the muck from her eyes.¡±


    Theo stood at attention, offering a mock-salute. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The Wavecrest left the massive chunk of ice to melt on its own, making its way back to town. Despite going up-river, the boat seemed to be pulled into the harbor by the power of the upgrades. When Theo disembarked from the boat, he felt himself sway on the spot. He sent his assistants off to call for an emergency meeting, something he knew Ziz would be upset about. Alise might be pissed about it, but she could deal.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why she¡¯s always mad at you,¡± Tresk mused. ¡°You¡¯re always pulling her in every direction.¡±


    Theo waved the thought away. ¡°I¡¯m the archduke, remember? I¡¯m supposed to be a jerk.¡±


    Without stopping for anything, Theo and his group made their way to the town hall. Sarisa reported everyone was gathering for the meeting, so they made their way to the massive meeting room on the second floor. There was now a third floor to the building, but they had not moved the meeting area. Xol¡¯sa, Theo, Tresk, Rowan, Sarisa, and Zarali were gathered around the large table before anyone showed up. The alchemist studied the extra-planar Elf as they waited, studying his behavior. He just seemed normal.


    That¡¯s a good thing, Tresk said, reading Theo¡¯s thoughts.


    Very good! Alex put in. He looks so happy.


    This might be a temporary solution. We need something long-lasting.


    All members of the meeting gathered in time. Alise wasn¡¯t annoyed at all, despite Theo¡¯s thoughts on the matter. She was excited that the alchemist went above what he normally did to bring the group together. Ziz seemed to appreciate the break, his body covered in a sheen of slick sweat.


    When Theo went to speak, Xol¡¯sa took the reins.


    ¡°We¡¯re gathered to go over some important facts about our dungeons,¡± Xol¡¯sa started, standing from his chair and gesturing at the group. ¡°They aren¡¯t normal dungeons. They¡¯re weird things connected to the heavenly realms. These dungeons need more attention than normal dungeons.¡±


    Zarali had her hands clasped together, watching as her beloved spoke well for the first time in a while. Theo just hoped it wasn¡¯t a momentary surge of energy, and that the potion and moss actually helped his condition. There was a pause in what the Elf said. The alchemist took that as a chance to speak.


    ¡°Ziz, can you make water-tight stonework?¡±


    ¡°Hells yeah I can.¡± The stoneworker looked manic. Theo would have questioned it, but doubted the man had slept since yesterday.


    Theo laid out the plan for the underwater tower. Ziz responded as though the job would be effortless, then the table turned to discussing the practicality of defending the coast. When the conversation dragged on, Xol¡¯sa brought it back to the subject at hand.


    ¡°Access to the dungeons is more important than defending the coast, I¡¯m afraid,¡± he said with a solemn nod.


    ¡°I can expand my team to take on more jobs¡­¡± Ziz fidgeted as his thoughts gathered. ¡°But that only goes so far. We¡¯ll have the temple done soon enough¡ªfaster if Sledge gets off her lazy butt.¡±


    ¡°If our plan is to make more hand-built things, we need a larger stoneworking team,¡± Alise said. ¡°We¡¯ve had an influx of cash, and we¡¯re expecting more traders any day.¡±


    Theo fought the urge to steer the conversation away from the topic. But he wouldn¡¯t steal Xol¡¯sa¡¯s thunder. The Elf went on with animated gestures, bouncing ideas off of Ziz for better dungeon access. Alise chipped in when she could, helping them riddle out the best approach for each one. Since there were five dungeons, there was a massive amount of work to be done.


    ¡°This might be a chance to get some migrants from Rivers and Daub.¡± Alise commanded the floor again.


    ¡°Migrant workers, huh?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I think we have a better chance of getting the Ogres to stick around.¡±


    ¡°Ogres are on their way,¡± Alise said. ¡°Alran has made that clear. It seems they¡¯re not seafaring people, so it¡¯s taking them a while.¡±


    There was a lot to take in about their plans. Theo was feeling overwhelmed by it all. Perhaps that sensation didn¡¯t come in a negative way. Like a rush of information flooding his mind, he needed time to process it. Snap judgements were the things he was known for, but not now. Now he could retreat into his realm for five minutes to understand what he was thinking. The alchemist took Tresk¡¯s hand and Alex¡¯s foot in his hands, pressing himself against the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability. They sensed his need and pushed with him.


    ¡°Be right back,¡± Theo said, vanishing from the spot.


    They passed over the Bridge, which showed no changes, before landing in Tero¡¯gal. Theo made to walk forward but stopped. Benton¡¯s icy gate sat awkwardly on the grass, the bear god himself lingering nearby. The moment he spotted the group, he stammered, gesturing toward a figure.


    The vague shape of a man, transparent and shrouded in a purple smoke, floated near the gate. It floated over the grounds of Tero¡¯gal, coming to kneel before Theo. It looked like a ghost. The figure was only vaguely the shape of a man, showing absolutely no details. The alchemist could have been imagining the way it knelt, but then the voice came.


    ¡°Allow me into your realm,¡± the ghost said.


    Benton ran over, grabbing at the ghost. His hands passed through, grasping nothing. ¡°Sorry about this, Theo. I told him not to come¡ªI really did. He followed me through your gate when I sensed you entering your realm.¡±


    Theo looked down at the purple ghost. He could hear his heart hammering hard in his ears. It drowned out the sound of Tresk laughing. She felt it too. The Marshling knew who the ghost was. All members of the Tara¡¯hek knew where the figure had come from and why he was here.


    ¡°Your name,¡± Theo said, staring down at the wayward soul. A lost spirit that had lived between the realms all this time. One that had denied its god¡¯s request to come home after death. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Benton groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t do this to him, man.¡±


    ¡°I can handle myself,¡± Theo said, fixing his gaze on the bear god. But the ghost remained silent. ¡°I can sort out the soul of Belgar without your help.¡±

 4.37 - Commanding The Realm

    ¡°This is the most awkward thing I¡¯ve ever been a part of.¡± Tresk folded her arms, staring at the floating purple spirit.


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


    ¡°And you have a lot of unfinished business,¡± Theo said.


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


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll want to decide swiftly,¡± Benton said, fidgeting. ¡°He¡¯s trespassing in your realm, so his soul will break down.¡±


    ¡°Please. My sister,¡± Belgar begged.


    ¡°Well, damn I don¡¯t know how to accept a soul into Tero¡¯gal.¡± Theo looked over to Tresk and Alex. ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°No idea. This is all new to me.¡±


    Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m a goose.


    ¡°Just click ¡®accept¡¯ in your god interface. Look! He¡¯s fading by the second.¡± Benton seemed the most concerned out of everyone.


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


    Theo wrapped his will around the realm with an iron grip and squeezed. The island under their feet shook. Tresk let out a scared yelp as the alchemist pushed harder against the realm. His authority was law here. Why wouldn¡¯t it obey? Then Alex¡¯s will joined the fight, crashing against the realm with goose-like vigor. It took the Marshling a long while to pick up on what they were doing, but soon her power joined theirs. Tero¡¯gal¡¯s will crumpled against theirs.


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


    A system message appeared.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Mortal Dreamrealm


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: Unaffiliated


    Level: 0


    Souls: 0


    Expansions:


    None


    Pending Requests: 1


    ¡°Holy hell. Its seed cores all the way down, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tresk laughed.


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


    ¡°At last. At gods damned last!¡± Belgar flexed his reinforced form, looking around the realm. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d make it this far.¡±


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


    Benton chuckled nervously. ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea, alright? I brought scones. Your favorite, Theo.¡±


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


    The ghost couldn¡¯t drink the tea. He just stood there, taking a deep breath before moving on to his story. ¡°When I died¡­ When I was killed, I saw the look on Zarali¡¯s face. I knew that would break her. I put her in a position where she needed her brother to survive. Because I was a horrible sibling and a worse friend.¡±


    ¡°Great way to start introductions,¡± Tresk said, snatching another scone.


    Belgar nodded his ghostly head. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. Now that I¡¯ve pledged myself to your realm, outworlder, I¡¯m bound to your service.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Theo said, his eyes lingering on the pot of tea. Benton made some great tea.


    ¡°Lord Drogramath pulled me back home. I lingered on the Bridge for some time. Then something interesting happened. Someone snatched up my body¡ªI could feel it. My body. My cores. All my hard work to be given to some damned outworlder. I didn¡¯t know at the time it would be an outworlder. But I refused Drogramath¡¯s call. I lingered in the space between spaces until I could make a move.¡±


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


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


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


    ¡°You mock me?¡± Belgar asked, drawing himself up.


    Tresk jumped on the table, reaching her hand out and squeezing. ¡°Kneel, worm!¡±


    Belgar¡¯s ghostly form knelt, letting out a pained grunt. Tresk had authority over Tero¡¯gal and all its souls. Including the wayward soul. She pointed an accusatory finger at the spirit. ¡°Don¡¯t act like Theo asked for any of this crap! He never wanted to be part of someone¡¯s plan. He never wanted to leave his planet, even though it was getting eaten by the sun. Do you know what he wanted, you freaking idiot? He wanted to die! To leave all that pain and suffering behind, but some wizard-bird threw him into this mess! Now he just wants to be happy.¡±


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


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


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


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


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


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Well, damn! I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Theo slammed his fist on the table, nearly spilling the precious tea. ¡°You wanna skulk in the shadows to throw a pity party, go ahead. I don¡¯t care. We¡¯re trying to enjoy some fine tea provided by Benton. This is a place of relaxation, so if you don¡¯t want to party, then your ass has gotta go.¡±


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


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


    ¡°So, uh,¡± Benton said. ¡°How about that weather?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± Theo said, waving the bear god off. ¡°He needs time to sulk. I¡¯ve known people like him in the past. Thinks the word revolves around him. Now, could you pass the scones?¡±


    Benton seemed reluctant to let the topic go, but did so eventually. The conversation shifted to the state of the Realm of Winter and Death. They were developing new things by the day, leveling up the realm by adding fresh Toora souls. Some were lost in the void, while others were dying in the war with the undead. Theo was just happy that the souls of the dead weren¡¯t being trapped on the mortal plane by Balkor¡¯s power.


    ¡°So I says to Aarok, I says,¡± Tresk started, ¡°Fald? Looks like a Hald to me!¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t get the joke, but Benton laughed.


    ¡°Hald are another kind of creature,¡± Benton explained, noticing Theo¡¯s lack of response. ¡°Why did all of you drop into the realm, though? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


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


    ¡°Ah. Then I dropped a bomb on you.¡± Benton fidgeted some more. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Oh, I just hang out and talk with old Benton here.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


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


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


    Theo smiled. ¡°I figured that one out on my own.¡±


    ¡°Almost. I told you where to find the [Soul Bloom].¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯m not even completely sure what it does.¡±


    ¡°It removes the pesky intuition you¡¯re constantly experiencing.¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to be rid of that?¡±


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


    That interested Theo greatly. But he found himself unable to trust Belgar¡¯s opinion completely. He didn¡¯t feel as much pride as the Dronon for alchemy. It felt more like a situation than a gift he was truly good at, although that might have just been imposter syndrome. But at that moment, looking at the spirit floating near the stills, he felt the need to test the Dronon¡¯s methods.


    ¡°Come,¡± Theo said, reaching his hand out and forcing his will onto the ghost. He wasn¡¯t commanding him, he was commanding the realm. Belgar would need a more solid form if he wanted to help do a few runs. ¡°Let¡¯s brew some potions.¡±


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


    Theo didn¡¯t really need to do any runs while he was here. But his inventory was constantly cluttered with reagents, and he wouldn¡¯t waste the 12 hours he had in Tero¡¯gal by sitting around. He produced everything he had on hand, laying it in tight bundles on the ground for Belgar to inspect.


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


    Belgar held a single root up to the sunless sky, nodding with approval. ¡°This is the most perfect example of a healing root I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Please, be my guest. We can do a run of [Healing Potions] if you want.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re over level 20, my good man. You should be running [Greater Healing Potions],¡± Belgar said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t figured that problem out. Not yet.¡±


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


    Theo explained how the mash of reagents bound to the liquid medium in the still. Belgar nodded along as he went on about impurities, extraction, and pressurization of vapors. There were several techniques in there that the spirit didn¡¯t know about, but that was only for lack of equipment. There was raw skill there that the alchemist was jealous of. An intuition that went beyond attributes.


    ¡°You¡¯re on the right track,¡± Belgar said, floating over to a still. He hoisted a grinder atop the lid, and fed it roots. ¡°This took me a decade to figure out, so it¡¯s good to see Lord Drogramath¡¯s good graces haven¡¯t been wasted on you. Tell me more about how reagent properties bind to your [Enchanted Water].¡±


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


    ¡°They¡¯re echoes of my old cores. I won¡¯t be able to do what you do, but I can mirror it to an extent. You¡¯ll have to start the process¡ªbut you¡¯re changing the subject. If you can¡¯t stop the system from adding junk properties to your essence with intent, what could you do?¡±


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


    ¡°A secondary process?¡±


    ¡°There it is. The fire of our Lord in your eyes. I¡¯ve never met another Drogramathi Alchemist, so I don¡¯t know if this is the way forward.¡± Belgar dragged a bucket over near the stills. It took him more effort than it should have. ¡°We¡¯re going to do what I called a dilute enchantment. Do you have any [Refined Healing Essence] on hand?¡±


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


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


    ¡°Enchant this water, please,¡± Belgar said, gesturing to the bucket.


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


    [Unbound Enchanted Dilution]


    [Alchemy Component]


    Rare


    Water that has been infused with Drogramath¡¯s energy.


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Property:


    [Healing]


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


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


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


    ¡°Thus is the way of Drogramathi alchemy. I believe we all come up with our own terms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m writing a book on the topic.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡¯d love to read it when it¡¯s done. Now, let me show you how to make hard liquor. Got any Zee?¡±


    <hr>


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


    ¡°What the hells, man?¡± Tresk asked, shaking her head at Benton. ¡°I thought Theo was gonna bite that guy¡¯s head off.¡±


    ¡°Theo isn¡¯t unreasonable,¡± Benton said. ¡°He sees the value in having another alchemical expert in his realm. Belgar has been through a lot. I tried to nurse him back to sanity in my realm, but it was difficult.¡±


    ¡°Bah. I was hoping for a slugfest.¡±


    Be grateful, Tresk.


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


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


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Wait,¡± Tresk sniffed the air. ¡°Are they making booze?¡±

 4.38 - Dynamic Incorporation

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


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


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


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


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


    ¡°Is it that obvious? I met Zarali¡¯s dead brother in my realm.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s awkward.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. What¡¯s the best way to tell her?¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    That was easy enough to say. But delivering the message was more complex than that. Her mind was already a swirl of conflicting emotions from Xol¡¯sa¡¯s partial recovery. But that came with its own worries. It was a temporary fix that didn¡¯t cure the problem. Perhaps it would help him make a full recovery, but that wasn¡¯t a guarantee. Now her dead brother¡¯s soul lived in the realm of the person who stole his body. A confusing wash of emotions flooded through Theo.


    ¡°Bring her here, please.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to bring you a cup of tea?¡±


    ¡°I would, thank you.¡±


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


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


    Zarali stood as though frozen in place. Her mouth hung open as she processed the information. She stammered, messed with her hair, then let out a frustrated breath. ¡°Really? Shouldn¡¯t his soul have gone to Drogramath?¡±


    That was a long story to tell. Sarisa lingered in the room¡¯s corner while Theo went over all the information he knew. Belgar had been hiding between the realms. If that wasn¡¯t dangerous enough, he ducked between the realm of dead gods and the spaces between, always trying to find a way back to the mortal plane. When his old body was occupied, it lit up like a beacon. When Tero¡¯gal was formed, he hatched a plan.


    ¡°He sounds happy,¡± Zarali said, closing her eyes. Her hands were shaking.


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


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


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Belgar. The stubborn asshole I remember.¡±


    Theo wiped the wetness from her cheeks, shaking his head. ¡°He¡¯s pretty good at alchemy, too.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s such a good idea. DId he have anything for me?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Not really. He just wanted you to know he was there.¡±


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


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


    Theo let out a heavy sigh. Rowan didn¡¯t need to explain it to him. They were likely working themselves to death on the various projects. ¡°I understand.¡±


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


    Theo¡¯s cores experienced widespread level-ups. His [Drogramath Alchemy Core] hit level 24, while his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] hit 23. The [Governance Core] went to level 29, and his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] was 7. When his personal level hit 23 from all the activity, he slapped a point into [Intelligence]. He felt aimless with his attribute distribution lately, spreading his selections out over the various stats. Generalization wasn¡¯t a bad thing, though.


    ¡°Time to have a word with Ziz?,¡± Theo said, excusing himself from the table.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tresk shouted after Theo. ¡°I¡¯ll watch the goose today!¡±


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


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


    ¡°Not really!¡±


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


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


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


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


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Theo. I have a team of 60 workers now. We¡¯re working in shifts.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I work more shifts than the other people, but I¡¯m sleeping. Don¡¯t come down on me for being a badass stoneworker.¡±


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


    ¡°Alright, are you sure?¡± Theo asked.


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    Ziz gave him a knowing smile. ¡°Yes, dad.¡±


    Theo rolled his shoulders. The Zarali thing had really gotten to him. This wasn¡¯t the person he was trying to be. ¡°Check this out.¡±


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


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


    Along the way he thought about the progress Ziz had made. They were working quickly on the project, and would likely be done in a few days. The only thing that seemed to be a problem was the roof, but Sledge would sort that out. That angry Marshling hadn¡¯t come calling in a while, so she must have been happy with how things were going.


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


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


    ¡°Making something with Zee?¡± Salire asked, entering the lab with a smile on her face.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had a development,¡± Theo said, preparing the grinder. He prepared his mash as he explained the situation with Belgar. Salire nodded along as he told the story.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Alchemy advice from a dead Dronon. The Dronon who used to be in that body. Too weird for me, man.¡±


    ¡°Right. Just take notes on the process, it¡¯s pretty simple.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Tell him to wait, we¡¯re almost done,¡± Theo said, kicking off their last reaction of the day. The alcohol would take time to ferment, even in the magically enchanted barrels. But he didn¡¯t go down when the process was done. He waited an impolite amount of time to let the Elf stew.


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


    ¡°Hey, Fenian,¡± Theo said, holding his hand out. ¡°Give me some [Monster Cores].¡±


    Fenian scoffed. ¡°Excuse me? Just give them to you? What do you think this is, a charity?¡±


    ¡°Come on, man. I¡¯ll pay for them.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to use them for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m upgrading the town. Come on, I¡¯m bored.¡±


    ¡°Am I boring?¡± Salire asked, looking slightly hurt.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not boring. I just have the mind of a magpie.¡±


    Fenian and Salire nodded at the same time. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    The trader always had a good supply of high-level monster cores. With the town sitting at level 20, it wouldn¡¯t take many cores to bring it up to 25. Despite recent expenses, both Theo and the town were flush with cash. Any time he had a little money, he burned it as fast as possible. With most of the town¡¯s needs met, that had been a hard thing to do. They negotiated a price for more [Monster Cores] than the town needed, draining some of the alchemist¡¯s gold away.


    Theo checked the town¡¯s finances as they walked to the monolith. Fenian rolled, of course, but the screen told a different story than one of high gold reserves. Ziz¡¯s crew was expensive. While he provided the stone for almost nothing, it wasn¡¯t free. Compared to the prices the stoneworker got from the northern stone traders, he was losing a lot of money. But he made up for it in the fees he charged to keep his crews working night and day.


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


    ¡°The town is about ready to burst.¡± Fenian pressed his palm against the black stone and nodded. ¡°You won¡¯t be a town anymore.¡±


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


    ¡°Good. Feed the town, my dear alchemist.¡±


    Theo was already doing it. Fenian didn¡¯t need to be weird about it, but here we was. Baby arm flapping in the wind like it wasn¡¯t strange. ¡°You know, I never realized how much spending thousands of years in a heavenly realm would mess with your mind.¡±


    ¡°Bah, that wasn¡¯t the problem. Not really.¡±


    [Broken Tusk] has advanced to level 21!


    ¡°Then what was the problem? Why are you acting so silly?¡±


    Fenian let out a breath, then shrugged. Zarali wasn¡¯t the only one in town struggling with their emotions. Tensions were running high. It was likely the calm that had settled in over Broken Tusk. ¡°I saw a mirror image of myself in the king. We¡¯re more alike than I previously thought. You have to understand that time doesn¡¯t mean the same thing over there as it does here¡­¡±


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


    ¡°Especially in someone else¡¯s realm.¡± Fenian nodded his head at Theo.


    [Broken Tusk] has advanced to level 22!


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


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad,¡± Theo said.


    [Broken Tusk] has advanced to level 23!


    ¡°Now help me shove cores into this town, I have an upgrade I want to take.¡±


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


    [Dynamic Incorporation]


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


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a nice one.¡±


    If Fenian was pleased, Theo was pleased. But there was no way of knowing what they needed to do with Sledge to get the buildings to work properly. This would result in some experimentation with an angry Marshling. Notably, the town hadn¡¯t become something other than a ¡®Massive Town¡¯, even after hitting level 25. The alchemist inspected the town before moving on for the day.


    [Massive Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 25 (1.83%)


    Core Buildings:


    Alchemy Lab


    Greenhouses (x6)


    Mycology Cave (x2)


    Blacksmith


    Artificer¡¯s Workshop


    Large Farm


    Small Farm


    Windmill


    Quarry


    Stonecutter


    House (x398)


    Manor


    Tannery


    Tavern


    Adventurer¡¯s Guild


    Hotsprings


    Sawmill


    Mine


    Smelter


    Enchanter


    Ranch


    Townhall


    Butcher


    Weaver


    Defensive Emplacements:


    Chain Lightning (x12)


    Frost Cone (x7)


    Fireball (x10)


    Firebolt (x25)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Defensive Emplacements]


    [Synergistics]


    [Dynamic Incorporation]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 50,243


    Stone Blocks: 10,011


    Metal: 9,123


    Motes: 15,500


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


    Sledge¡¯s people seemed to be just as busy as Ziz and his crew. The only difference was that they didn¡¯t need to be this busy. Lumber production was crucial to the town¡¯s success, but she took her job too seriously. When she wasn¡¯t working on [Fabricator] jobs, she was cracking the whip at the sawmill.


    ¡°Hide!¡± Sledge shouted after spotting Theo coming down the road.


    ¡°Someone else has to say ¡®hide¡¯, Sledge,¡± Theo shouted back. ¡°Otherwise I know you¡¯re there. I have something fun for you to do.¡±


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


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to turn a normal building into a seed core building.¡±


    Sledge popped up. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 4.39 - Therapy

    ¡°Well, how am I supposed to do the thing if it isn¡¯t done?¡±


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


    ¡°I brought you here to get a feel for your core. How it interacts with the town¡¯s upgrade.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Theo clapped his hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s go practice on something that¡¯s completed.¡±


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


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


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


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


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


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


    ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± Sledge shot to her feet, holding her hand out with palms opened.


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


    ¡°You did it!¡± Theo shouted, holding his hand up for a high-five.


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


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


    [Boiler Shack]


    Owner: [Broken Tusk]


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: 7 Days


    Expansions:


    None


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


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


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


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait to bang my head up against the backup shack.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Anything going on that you want to talk about?¡±


    She fidgeted with her clothes, picking at errant threads. ¡°Growing up, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how old you are.¡±


    ¡°25. Not that bad looking for a 25-year-old Marshling, huh?¡±


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


    ¡°Things were bad when you got here. There¡¯s some people in town who say it¡¯s your fault.¡±


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


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not my point. Just taking a jab, you know?¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I know.¡±


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


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


    ¡°What is it you want, Sledge?¡±


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


    Theo couldn¡¯t hide his laugh. When she shot him an angry look, he pulled her into a hug. ¡°Everything is stable, so you want kids. That¡¯s totally normal. Who is the lucky Bantari dude?¡±


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


    ¡°So, how does that work? You just think really hard and you get eggs?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still worried about something, aren¡¯t you?¡± He could feel it in her words. A silent fear for the future? Perhaps it was something else.


    ¡°We¡¯re all so busy. Who is gonna raise them?¡±


    Theo pulled her into a more firm hug. ¡°Bob and his educators, for starters. Child care is free, remember? Even if you don¡¯t want to send them off to school every day, you could just force your woodcutters to watch them.¡±


    Sledge looked up with wet eyes. ¡°Yeah? You think it¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Have you seen Marshling babies? I want to puke every time I see one¡ªthey¡¯re so damned cute.¡±


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


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


    What she left behind after leaving was a void where Theo¡¯s thoughts wouldn¡¯t gather. He telepathically told Tresk he was ducking into Tero¡¯gal, then fell through the realms on the spot. Passing over the Bridge of Shadows, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Even the nothingness that rushed by felt calm, as though the realms themselves were still.


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


    ¡°Good morning, Theo. Is it still morning?¡±


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


    ¡°My thoughts are still forming on the matter.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure what he thought of Belgar, yet. The impression of the man he got before meeting him was one of a spoiled demon. Someone who had taken pride in his work with nothing to back it up. The reality was far different. Dronon were constantly on the move, typically serving their respective masters. They were the only race he was aware of that was tied specifically to a god. A singular god. Drogramathi Dronon were different from Zagmon Dronon. Drogramath gave the Drogramathi a clear set of instructions.


    Run and hide.


    That forced Belgar to work with simple tools to perform his alchemy. He never had a building with amazing upgrades. Never had access to artificers to make him new gear. The man didn¡¯t have access to a community. All this struck Theo as a cruel twist by Drogramath. But as with most things involving the heavenly beings, they had plans that stretched on forever.


    ¡°Zarali was excited to hear you were alive.¡± Theo might have fumbled the delivery of that one. She hadn¡¯t even written him a letter, yet.


    ¡°She was always the strong one from our brood.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Time to cheer up. Benton should be¡ªyup. There he is.¡±


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


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


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


    ¡°Time for tea?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Benton and Theo made their way to the cramped cottage. Before long, it was filled with the scent of the potent Toora tea and confections. The alchemist shared the progress they had made in his mortal town. There were concerns about the coming Ogres, but it was nothing they couldn¡¯t handle. Coastal defenses were still lacking, but that would come in time. For now, the alchemist¡¯s mind was focused on building everyone up. That and defending the northern border.


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


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


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


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


    ¡°I did.¡± Belgar¡¯s ghostly eyes lingered over the table, never locking onto the others¡¯. ¡°That might have been my downfall.¡±


    ¡°I never put many points into Wisdom or Intelligence. Always went for the physical attributes.¡±


    ¡°A wise choice.¡± Belgar sipped his tea. ¡°You should always take [Intelligence of the Soul] if you don¡¯t have a realm. That¡¯s my thought. Otherwise, Wisdom is the way to go.¡±


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


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


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


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


    Both Beton and Theo picked up on the soul¡¯s troubled thoughts. They didn¡¯t need high attributes or godly abilities to tell them the man was troubled. But they knew that confronting a troubled mind like his directly wasn¡¯t the right way. He might have been holding on by a thread, but it was working. He was too stubborn to release control.


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


    ¡°I don¡¯t think an industrial crafting effort like yours has been done for our Lord¡¯s alchemy.¡± Belgar inspected the completed suffuse potions, nodding with approval. ¡°I would expand your efforts as far as possible.¡±


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


    ¡°Well, let me run you through my knowledge. Again.¡±


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


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


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


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


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Sarisa said, holding a hand out for him to take.


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


    ¡°Anything interesting happen?¡±


    That was harder to answer than it should have been. ¡°I¡¯m officially the therapist to a Dronon¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°Sounds complicated.¡±


    ¡°It is. I¡¯m off to brew some potions.¡±

 4.40 - Blessing the Temple

    Comforting breezes didn¡¯t roll through Broken Tusk during the Season of Fire. Theo had abandoned all hope of being sweat-free outside of the air-conditioned buildings in town. As with all alchemical experimentations, a cracked window was vital. The alchemist stood with Salire, looking over their batch of spirits from the previous day. They had created enough to run the three major restoration potions, but no more.


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


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


    [Bound Enchanted Dilution]


    [Alchemy Component]


    Rare


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


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Property:


    [Healing]


    ¡°Question,¡± Salire said, reading over the description of the item. ¡°Your bond has been at ¡®middling¡¯ for some time. Why?¡±


    That was a question Theo couldn¡¯t answer. He suspected it had to do with the way Khahar had changed the rules for gods. But that could be wrong. When he met with Drogramath, the Demon Lord seemed intent on forcing Theo to select him as a patron. Assuming that strange god only had his best interest at heart, the alchemist could extrapolate the information.


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


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


    She did that often enough that it wasn¡¯t weird. As a hopeful alchemist, Salire often repeated information so it would stick in her head. Perhaps she could invest more points into Wisdom.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing one standard for the [Healing] property. My bet is that the system tags the new essences with ¡®bound¡¯ as a property. Refined Bound Healing Essence. Something like that.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Really? Is that useful?¡±


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


    ¡°I think so. Belgar agrees.¡±


    ¡°Cause it¡¯s always good to trust the soul of the guy whose body you stole.¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡± Theo approached the still, turning knobs on the side to set the temperature. He couldn¡¯t get away with single-temperature runs for much longer. ¡°We¡¯ll set this for about an hour. Maybe less, depending on how hard Zarali¡¯s enchantments work. What¡¯s that sound?¡±


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


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


    ¡°What do you think I should do with the town, Salire?¡± Theo asked.


    She looked the alchemist in the eyes, face twisting in confusion for a few moments. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I own half the businesses in town. More than half, actually. Should one person own so much stuff?¡±


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


    ¡°Uh, well¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Good answer.¡±


    ¡°Most businesses you own already have a good payment structure. Based on production, right? You just kinda let me take whatever I want from the store, which is a poor business model.¡± In classic fashion, Salire got her feet under herself in the conversation in an instant. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of losing the ability to control where your resources go, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°If I need some stone, I want it when I need it. Same with wood and metal.¡±


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


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°This is a problem of ownership. Take your deal with Dead Dog Mine. They split up ten percent of the value of every nugget mined. But they don¡¯t own their ability to make money. You do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the alternative?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t give the mine to Gridgen. I¡¯d give the mine to the workers. Change the ownership of the mine to Broken Tusk, then strike a new floating contract. Anyone who wants to work the mine can work it. They can organize themselves however they like.¡±


    ¡°That only works because we know the people of Broken Tusk are good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so what¡¯s the problem?¡± Salire cast him a penetrating look.


    Theo had been feeling more like an oligarch by the day. Like a dictator who wanted to hold on to everything within the town. No one had brought it up so far. Well, Tresk had. But she liked to poke fun at him, so that didn¡¯t count. Exports were going to be a massive money-maker in the town. Once more traders showed up, it would be a flood of coins. That¡¯s when he had to think about changing the structure. When their coffers were so full they couldn¡¯t spend it, the citizens should get the excess.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot to think about.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Huh,¡± Theo grunted, inspecting the essence. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    [Refined Bound Healing Essence]


    [Essence] [Refined Essence] [Bound Essence]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Poor Quality


    Purity: 75%


    200 units (liquid)


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


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Hah! Why is that weird? You called the name.¡±


    ¡°Look who created it.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Why does that feel ominous?¡±


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


    ¡°Pile it on the curiosities of the day. So, how should we brew this?¡±


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


    ¡°I know how to make the low-tier potions. But I¡¯m worried about the higher ones.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. What would we normally do?¡±


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


    ¡°Are [Drogramathi Iron Shavings] third or second tier?¡± Salire asked.


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


    ¡°Just a moment.¡±


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


    ¡°Oh. Alright. So, the iron?¡±


    ¡°It should work. What¡¯s the only way we can know?¡±


    ¡°Experimentation?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Wow. This is the least impressive vial I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Salire said, inspecting the potion.


    Theo grunted. ¡°This is practical. No need for a fancy vial.¡±


    ¡°Really? Do you really think so? Have you inspected the potion?¡±


    He inspected the new potion.


    [Greater Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 175 health points.


    ¡°There¡¯s that name again.¡± Theo never expected to be concerned about seeing his name on potions. ¡°You¡¯re right. The bottle isn¡¯t good enough. Let¡¯s design a new one.¡±


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


    The regular vials were cylinders. Nothing more. Flat on the bottom with rounded edges and an open top. The only fancy thing about them was the glass stopper on the top. Thanks to the [Glassware Artifice], producing fancy vials was a simple matter. Theo approached the machine, which had already been loaded with motes, and imagined the vial. Instead of a round bottom, it would be a triangle. Each point would swoop up toward the stop, creating a fancy angle that was still easy to hold. It wouldn¡¯t be too narrow at the top, but would still taper off to create a pleasing angle.


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


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


    ¡°Not that you need it.¡± Salire ran her fingers over the new vial. ¡°With your memory and all that.¡±


    They got back to work. Salire couldn¡¯t do most of the brewing process, and she stared out the window a lot. Theo understood it was because she thought the temple would instantly give her access to an alchemy core. That might have been right, but he wanted her to temper her expectations. But once the essences were done brewing, they had something else to look at. The alchemist kicked off the reactions for the mana and stamina potions and set them both down for inspection.


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


    [Greater Mana Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A lesser mana potion. Drink to restore mana.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 150 mana.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain no one makes these.¡± She stared at the potion, running her fingers along the ornate vial.


    ¡°Don¡¯t count on it. The Elves have a monopoly on cool stuff. Check out the other one.¡±


    [Greater Stamina Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A stamina potion. Drink to restore stamina.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 115 stamina points.


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


    ¡°I can feel him calling, Theo. Time to bless the temple.¡±


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


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


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


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


    ¡°Got it?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Just about,¡± Sledge grunted, teeth gritted in concentration. ¡°Just a few more minutes.¡±


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


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


    ¡°There!¡± Sledge shouted.


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


    [Temple]


    Owner: [Broken Tusk]


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1(0%)


    Rent Due: 7 Days


    Expansions:


    None


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


    A screen sprung up for Theo to view.


    [Temple] has been blessed!


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


    Drogramath (Grodul¡¯harak)


    Glantheir (The Realm of Healing)


    The Arbiter (Khahak)


    Parantheir (Duelist¡¯s Refuge)


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


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


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The Dreamwalker¡¯s Tara¡¯hek (Tero¡¯gal)

 4.41 - Patrons

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


    ¡°Problem!¡± the Marshling¡¯s voice was hushed, filled with concern. ¡°Big dang problem!¡±


    Zarali¡¯s face was painted with a mixture of confusion and pride. She was happy with what she had done¡ªthat much was obvious. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Theo looked around, ensuring they had a wide enough berth from prying ears. ¡°Tero¡¯gal showed up in the list of realms.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    What does that mean? Alex injected herself into the conversation, even if Zarali couldn¡¯t hear her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it means.¡± Theo¡¯s mind reeled, grasping at the implications. He poured his intuition into the thought, but found no resolution.


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal shouldn¡¯t be strong enough to show up on the list.¡±


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


    Theo tapped his foot. He didn¡¯t like being placed in situations like these. When his back was against the wall, he did irrational things. Mentally, he rolled his senses over the [Wisdom of the Soul] potion. Tresk punched him in the arm, feeling his intentions through their shared cores. While the alchemist had dragged the system prompt to the edge of his vision, it remained the focus of his attention.


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


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


    But Zarali was the first to answer. ¡°This should unlock boons based on the god we pick. We can¡¯t predict what that means for your realm, but for Drogramath? I¡¯ll have a closer link with him¡ªso will you.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we can talk to him? Directly?¡±


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Xol¡¯sa answered. ¡°Which is a guess. We¡¯re assuming Khahar changed the rules.¡±


    Us, Drogy, Catboy, Tresk spoke into Theo¡¯s mind.


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


    ¡°Suggestions?¡± Theo asked.


    Zarali and Xol¡¯sa shared a look, but it only lasted a moment. ¡°Your realm, Drogramath, and Khahar. Those are the only logical choices.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Well?¡± Theo asked. ¡°That¡¯s it, I guess.¡±


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


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


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


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


    ¡°We¡¯re gearing up for our trip, Mister Archduke. The Wavecrest is heading to the lizard islands, and we¡¯re fitting two boats for the Tarantham rescue mission.¡±


    ¡°With a boat in reserve, I hope.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll wrap everything up sometime tomorrow. Depending on the tide, they might head out as early as midday.¡±


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


    ¡°I hope Zarali enchanted the boats. As she said she¡¯d do.¡±


    Laedria nodded, sipping her beer. Theo gazed at his empty library, wanting to kick himself every time he remembered his book. A promise made to Salire, and a promise broken. He still didn¡¯t have enough written for her to start. Just a few scribbles to himself¡ªnothing approaching an instructional book.


    ¡°She did well. Provided us with everything we need to skip across the waves like a thrown stone.¡±


    Theo nodded back, taking another long sip of his beer. Like all the beer they imported from Rivers and Daub, it was more of a mead. He wasn¡¯t certain if they used honey to sweeten it, and he didn¡¯t care. Sarisa and Rowan entered the room shortly after, carrying with them a small table and tonight¡¯s dinner.


    ¡°Black moon tonight, Theo,¡± Sarisa said as she set the small table. ¡°Stay safe.¡±


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


    ¡°So, Laedria,¡± Theo started, sipping the broth from the stew. ¡°Are you enjoying Broken Tusk?¡±


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


    ¡°People have babies on the mind. Not sure what¡¯s causing that. You¡¯d think people would want to be distant with the heat.¡±


    Laedria leaned in over the table. ¡°More heat is better.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Theo chuckled, shaking his head. ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡± Laedria asked. ¡°You¡¯re an outworlder, right? How do you like it here?¡±


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


    The question lingered in the air. ¡°Well?¡±


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


    ¡°Didn¡¯t ask,¡± Laedria said, offering a sly smile. ¡°I asked how you liked Broken Tusk.¡±


    Theo felt his cheeks get hot, violet spreading across his face. As much as he fancied himself cool under pressure, Laedria had a way of stripping people bare of their ego. ¡°I like it here. The people are nice, and we¡¯re making a difference. Aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± Laedria took a big scoop of stew into her mouth, mumbling something around the bite. After a moment she swallowed, smiling with bits of food in her teeth. ¡°Even if a god is helping, you¡¯re wielding the power well.¡±


    Having a private meal in the study was a strange feeling for Theo, but he enjoyed his time away from the chaos downstairs. Occasionally, the conversation in the dining room would drift upstairs. Raucous laughter and the crashing of dishes carried all the same. Laedria wasn¡¯t much of a conversationalist. She was more like a Broken Tusker than the alchemist could ever hope to be. Always straight to the point, talking about business until she was out of breath.


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


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


    Tresk stretched, then rolled her shoulders. ¡°Alright. What do we think about the whole temple thing?¡±


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


    ¡°I think Drogramath and Khahar expected that to happen. Did you see the title it gave us? ¡®The Dreamwalker¡¯s Tara¡¯hek¡¯ is oddly specific.¡±


    ¡°This is the Dreamwalk, right? We¡¯re Dreamwalking. I¡¯m the Dreamwalker. You¡¯re the Dreamwalker.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡±


    ¡°Is your alchemist''s senses tingling?¡±


    ¡°Just my sense that this has a connection we can¡¯t see yet.¡±


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


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


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


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


    Theo closed his administrator interface, setting his notes aside for a time. He sat near the goose, watching as she tried to summon something related to nature. While she was working toward a nature aspect, her connection with fire was already developed. Every time she tried to cast a nature-aspected spell, there was a flicker of something. It wasn¡¯t the same intensity of magic he felt when she used her fire abilities, but something was there.


    ¡°There¡¯s a long road ahead of you with this. Just keep practicing.¡±


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


    Theo couldn¡¯t really say what he was building his cores out to be. He didn¡¯t fit in any adventuring party, and that was fine with him. Grinding Toru¡¯aun experience was boring, but there was a lot to learn about the way wards were formed. The more practice he had casting those spells, the easier they were to chant. Any change in the way he said the words affected the spell.


    Focusing only on his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] that night brought it to level 9. One level away from getting his next skill with the core. That would also send it into the next tier of power, which he was eager to explore. Alex had made some progress with her nature aspect. She was convinced she made some grass jiggle during the night, but the alchemist wasn¡¯t sure. It could have been the phantom wind that washed over the landscape.


    Tresk reported her progress with her rapier. Fenian had given her some pointers on how to use it better in her kit. ¡°It functions best as a backup. I mean, the idea makes sense. What happens when I break out of stealth and can¡¯t defend myself?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Is it working out?¡±


    ¡°Kinda? I¡¯m still working on it. I can still coat my rapier in poison, so I have synergy there. Fenian said my footwork sucks and I don¡¯t understand the first thing about swordsmanship. What does he know? He¡¯s missing an arm and a leg.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Oh, come on. We¡¯re always busting our butts. Why can¡¯t we have a¡­ A beach day or something?¡±


    Because the beach is filled with monsters, Alex said.


    ¡°Well, dang. Screw me for trying to get Theo to stop working for five minutes.¡±


    ¡°No, I like the idea. Maybe we can just roam around. Checking up on all our people.¡±


    ¡°That kinda sounds like work.¡±


    ¡°We can do it casually.¡±


    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s a good enough compromise.¡±


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


    Tresk accepted that working on the book wasn¡¯t the same as his normal work and gave him a pass long enough for him to write the first few pages. His hand hurt by the time breakfast was done, although he¡¯d barely touched his food. Pozwa eggs were too large to eat in one sitting, anyway. He took a few bites, gulped down his tea, and fought back his desire to get back to work.


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex stopped by the Newt and Demon before heading off for their planned day of relaxation. No one in the group could resist the urge to check up on the harbor. They spotted Zarali aboard one boat, weaving Drogramathi magic into the very planks that held it together. Three boats sat proudly in the harbor, bobbing with the waves. Laedria was happy to show the new boats off, but still hadn¡¯t named them.


    After finishing up at the harbor, they went for a walk along the battlements of the town. Passing by the small farm outside of the walls, Theo saw that some of his crops were destroyed. The remaining [Lesser Plant Golems] had fixed things up well enough, but Tresk gave him permission to create new golems to tend the farm. The wheat was growing well enough, Even with an entire plot being destroyed. That was the point of the throw-away farm, wasn¡¯t it?


    Satisfied enough with the farm, the group moved on. Alex practiced her new magic along the way. This time, Theo could see that she stirred the crops below with her magic. Nothing as impressive as her fire magic, but it was growing. As they traveled along the way, a strange energy hovered in the air. A tingle like Drogramath¡¯s magic, but different. The alchemist couldn¡¯t understand it, and dismissed it.


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


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


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


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo let out a steady breath. ¡°The Ogres are here.¡±

 4.42 - Bilgrob

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


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


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


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


    Aarok grunted. ¡°Best to be careful. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. Let¡¯s see how he gets up the canal.¡±


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


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


    ¡°Something to make books? Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye out for one. I need to make at least one copy for Salire when I¡¯m finished.¡±


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


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


    ¡°An emissary! From Slagrot, come to parlay with the leader of the lost tribe!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s talking about you,¡± Luras chuckled, digging his elbow into Theo¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°I never got the hang of it¡ªdoes anyone know what level he is?¡±


    ¡°50.¡±


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


    ¡°Open the gate!¡± Aarok shouted, looking down at the Ogre below. ¡°We¡¯ll meet you in the harbor.¡±


    That seemed to satisfy those gathered. While Aarok assembled his army in a defensive formation in the harbor, the approaching Ogre didn¡¯t care. He paddled his way through the wide span of water, wrapping a leather rope around a piling. When he dismounted the raft, the dock flexed under his weight. Theo moved in for closer inspection, descending the battlements and joining the crowds on the dock. The Ogre was massive, as expected. His skin was a far darker shade than the Half-Ogres of the town, close to the edge of dark red-brown than ocher. He wore robes of puke-green that did nothing to hide his massive gut.


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


    Luras shuffled awkwardly on the deck, gesturing to Theo.


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


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Uh¡­ Rise, Mister¡­ What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Bilgrob,¡± the Ogre said, rising to his full height. ¡°Worshiper of Spit.¡±


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


    Rowan bowed.


    ¡°Several kegs, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Bilgrob said. Rowan nodded, then vanished.


    ¡°Come with me, Bilgrob. I¡¯ll be honest. I don¡¯t know if I have a chair large enough for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m content sitting on the floor, mister¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t get your name, did I?¡±


    ¡°Theo. Archduke of the Southlands Alliance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and a mighty alliance it must be.¡±


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


    ¡°I brought my own cup,¡± Bilgrob said, holding out a barrel with a handle.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Rowan said, emptying an entire cask of mead into the ¡®mug¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ll be near.¡±


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


    Theo nodded, sipping on his mead. ¡°Where do we start? You said you worshiped Spit?¡±


    ¡°My Lord Spit, yes. Ogre Patron of Curing Things Most of the Time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a mouthful. Why exactly did he send you here?¡±


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


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


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


    ¡°Huh?¡±


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


    Theo chuckled nervously. ¡°The town wizard is just excited for a visitor. Especially one from Slagrot.¡±


    It was impossible to read Bilgrob¡¯s true intentions, but Theo felt no malice from the man. His faith in Spit was strong, but the Ogre patron didn¡¯t seem evil. At least the mead was good.


    ¡°What do you think of my proposal, Archduke?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what was that exactly? Your proposal, that is.¡±


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


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


    ¡°A magically binding contract? Certainly!¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Theo and Bilgrob worked on the contract together. They chatted as they went through the sections of the writing. The alchemist left the section on the Ogre¡¯s responsibilities loose. He focused on protections for the town and the alliance, wording it with grave intent. While he wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, he hoped that the phrasing of the contract would provide a more brutal punishment.


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


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a thousand gold word around here,¡± Theo chuckled. ¡°Investigate, but I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t alter the flow of heavenly power.¡±


    Bilgrob smacked his lips, as though he were tasting the air. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize this realm of power. A new realm, maybe? No, tastes too strange. Too weird. Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just sweep that under the rug for now. Make introductions to the town. Meet with my administrative staff to get started.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Bilgrob said, trailing off. He muttered to himself, standing up before jumping over the iron fence.


    ¡°That went well,¡± Tresk said, coming over.


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


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, reclining further into his chair. He withdrew his book and some scrimshaw to practice his magic.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we gonna follow him around? Make sure he¡¯s cool?¡± Tresk asked, huffing.


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


    Tresk took a deep breath. She found a chair nearby and sat down, fidgeting with her leather armor. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to take it easy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m calling your bluff.¡±


    While there were many ways to use wards, Theo felt his ability to wield them was still an infant¡¯s grasp of the world. His current strategy was to attach the wards to objects and throw them. That was an alchemist¡¯s thought process. His first brush with the true application of the wards was to apply them to a stone in front of town. The shielding effect was impressive, and there was no reason they couldn¡¯t do that more often.


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


    ¡°Ugh, why don¡¯t we go walk around or something?¡± Tresk asked. She had only lasted about 10 minutes.


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


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


    It wasn¡¯t hard to convince Tresk to let him enchant the rocks the golems brought. It wasn¡¯t like grinding other cores. Grinding the [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] was like chanting weird poetry while in a seated position. The Marshling qualified that as relaxation time, even if she was looking for ways out of her own promise. She was stubborn like that. The alchemist¡¯s mage core rolled over to 10 sometime before dusk. With it came the task of searching through endless abilities.


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


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m a stabber. I stab.¡±


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


    [Ward Propagation]


    Toru¡¯aun Demon Mage Skill


    Rare


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


    Effect:


    Double the length of all your wards.


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


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


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m too paranoid?¡± Theo asked, looking down at a pair of golems. They were shoving their weight against a giant boulder.


    ¡°Damn, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re paranoid enough! There could be ghosts anywhere. Undead rolling up the hills in a blink¡ªwe¡¯d never know!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m having trouble here. Even with the connection I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re joking.¡±


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


    ¡°Not sure if you can kill an undead. They¡¯re already dead, right?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already doing everything we can to develop the adventurers in town. I¡¯ll be happy as long as the rail gun works.¡±


    ¡°Nah, we gotta think bigger. Like¡­ We gotta think about making an undead nuke.¡±


    ¡°Not sure about that one. I have a few ideas for anti-undead weapons, but a nuke isn¡¯t one.¡±


    ¡°Bah. No fun. Why not?¡±


    That was hard to explain in a few words. Theo thought about it as they walked around. The effect of bombs didn¡¯t normally compound. The best he could do was make an improvised bomb¡­ Maybe dunk it in a barrel of [Hallow Ground Essence]? The alchemist wasn¡¯t confident that the mechanics would work out on that one. It would make more sense just to bomb all the undead back to the hells.


    ¡°Thinking on that¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question!¡± Tresk shouted, stomping her foot.


    ¡°You can read my mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s rude.¡±


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


    ¡°So, people often say ¡®hells¡¯. But we don¡¯t have hell, do we? Not the way we had it back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Your mistake is equating this place to the old place, my dude. It¡¯s just a way of saying things.¡±


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


    ¡°It¡¯s impolite not to accept, Theo.¡± Tresk had already chugged down several mugs. ¡°Nothing wrong with a little day drinking.¡±


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


    I feel your disappointment.


    ¡°No¡­ I mean, yes. I¡¯m moderately disappointed.¡± Theo took the [Stone Flower] in his hands, watching it crumble. The uncultivated version wasn¡¯t of much use. ¡°But you can¡¯t hold it over yourself when something doesn¡¯t work. You¡¯re going to fail in life. But the more you fail, the better you get.¡±


    Alright, dad.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re sassy today.¡±


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


    Shadows swirled behind Theo. He didn¡¯t turn to regard Sarisa when she came out from the shadow of a pile of stone. ¡°I¡¯m organizing a garden party tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Theo turned, regarding his assistant. ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°Bilgrob¡¯s arrival. I just wanted to know who to invite.¡±


    ¡°The normal people¡­ Make sure to invite Salire, though. I don¡¯t want her to think I¡¯m neglecting her.¡±


    ¡°Not to be rude, sir¡­¡±


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


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I do.¡±


    ¡°From the start, Salire just wanted to learn alchemy. When she couldn¡¯t she settled for the shopkeeper position. Now, she might get a core. I¡¯m the teacher, she¡¯s the student. There¡¯s trust in that, Sarisa. Trust I don¡¯t want to break.¡±


    ¡°Also you¡¯re leashed to an angry lizard.¡±


    Theo looked over at his angry lizard, who was downing another mug of beer with the Half-Ogres. There were a lot of Marshlings in town, but that one was his. When he first heard about the life-partner bond, he was told it would leave him devoid of romance in his life. He had pushed it out of his mind, but those were rumors. Things that Throk said in the early days of his arrival in Broken Tusk. The system message he saw when he took the bond didn¡¯t mention that at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering how much of what people understand about the Tara¡¯hek is true. I don¡¯t think it places restrictions on romantic interest.¡±


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


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I know exactly what you mean.¡±


    Theo reached for the familiar silver chain at his neck. Something that hadn¡¯t hung there since he was on Earth. No matter how much he practiced away that motion, it never faded. He wouldn¡¯t trade his bond with Tresk for anything. She was a powerful ally. But that hole in his heart still throbbed occasionally. Jagged edges that would never be smoothed clean by time seemed to prickle in his chest. Made worse by the idea that maybe she had survived. Against all odds, maybe she made it to this world.


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


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

 4.43 - The Garden Party

    Sarisa and Rowan had worked closely with Xam to get the garden party going. They organized the catering, which was easy enough, but also decorated the area. A large table dominated the center of the space. Magical lights hung from the iron fence. There was even a Broken Tusker playing a strange, violin-like instrument at the far end of the manor¡¯s garden. Like most things in the town, the music was rough and raucous. The people set to gather there were arriving as a trickle, moving into the space as the sun dipped lower in the sky.


    The guest who stuck out among everyone was Bilgrob.That wasn¡¯t a surprise. If anyone wanted to talk to the Priest of Spit, they needed a ladder. Fortunately, the Ogre was kind enough to kneel when someone spoke to him.


    ¡°You know the worst part about this stuff?¡± Tresk asked, muttering from Theo¡¯s side. She seemed to want to be closer to him recently. He almost regretted letting those feelings enter his mind for the first time since he arrived. It bled through. ¡°You gotta be all happy. Smile at everyone and whatever.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough gatherings like this.¡± Theo looked over at the crowd. He spotted Salire talking with Fenian.


    ¡°Jealousy?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Really!? Please don¡¯t tell me you like Salire. What about old Tresk? Am I chopped¡­ liver? Why is that saying in my head?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an Earth saying. I am jealous. Because he¡¯s going to steal away my future apprentice. Lure her in the same way he got Azrug.¡±


    ¡°Where is that spiky little bastard, anyway?¡±


    ¡°The administrative reports say he¡¯s taken time off to level his other cores.¡±


    Tresk wrapped her arms around Theo¡¯s waist. It was all she could manage, since the top of her head barely came up to his belly button. ¡°What day is it?¡±


    ¡°The 17th.¡±


    ¡°We got time, but we¡¯ll have to plan the next festival.¡±


    The southlands of Qavell celebrated at least one festival per season. Since each season was 70 days long, that left little time for celebrations. This little garden party was the perfect thing to break those long periods of nothing up. After seeing the way the guests talked with each other, all having a good time, he was interested in doing this more often. Tresk remained as an ornament while they mingled among the crowd. Sarisa kept the party as invitation-only, making it more manageable to talk.


    The thing that excited Theo the most was that no one expected him to give a speech. He never captured the spirit of things when they forced him up on a podium. Instead, it was just a pleasant gathering with Xam¡¯s amazing cooking. With the amount of mead the town imported from Rivers and Daub, the alchemist knew the brewers were getting rich.


    Zarali was there with Xol¡¯sa. The priestess had many theories about how she could create Drogramathi cores using the temple, but the wizard was interested in giving Theo a hard time. With his health improving, he went back to being the mother hen of magic. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t blame him, though. There was a serious lack of mages in town, and it was only getting worse. The split between cores was weighed heavily out of favor for magic-users.


    Much of Theo¡¯s time at the party was spent being lectured by Xol¡¯sa on the value of wizards. The alchemist¡¯s prior experience with magic-users told a different tale, though. Uharis, as far as anyone knew, was still on the moon. Without his Burning Eye core, it was unlikely he¡¯d return to the planet. But there was always that chance.


    ¡°Not to intrude,¡± Bilgrob said, approaching the conversation. It was hard for him to not intrude. He was massive. His eyes pierced Xol¡¯sa for a long time before he continued. ¡°I can feel the scars on your soul healing, Elf. I¡¯m sorry we haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the talk of the town,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, holding his mug up to toast the Ogre.


    ¡°The alchemist did a fine job patching your soul up,¡± Bilgrob said. Theo could sense the caution in his voice, although his intuition was barely a whisper. ¡°I hate for this to be the first thing I say to you, but there are lingering problems.¡±


    Zarali pulled Xol¡¯sa close, a look of concern painting her face. Bilgrob sat on the ground, trying his best to be at eye-level with everyone. Tresk would have to sit on Theo¡¯s shoulders to accomplish that, but she still went on her tippy-toes.


    ¡°What problems?¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± Bilgrob asked, a mote of green mana forming in his hand.


    Xol¡¯sa shared a look with Zarali. The Drogramathi Priestess nodded nervously.


    The Ogre closed his eyes, then the ball of energy rushed into Xol¡¯sa¡¯s chest. He let out a surprised gasp, but there seemed to be no negative effects. Bilgrob mumbled something to himself, nodding along. Theo put together that the priest was looking at something within the elf, like a doctor looking over a report. When his eyes finally snapped open, he had a confused look on his face.


    ¡°Now that is strange,¡± Bilgrob said, rubbing his chin. He hoisted his barrel-tankard and took a long drink. ¡°Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s part of the Bara¡¯thier,¡± Zarali answered.


    ¡°A catchall term for extra-dimensional creatures. Not at all specific enough.¡± Bilgrob turned, nodding at Theo. ¡°I don¡¯t think the alchemist knows what he did for you, wizard. But your soul is having trouble adjusting to this universe. Well, nothing a few treatments from me can¡¯t help. May I?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    A pulse of green magic flowed from the Ogre, wrapping itself around Xol¡¯sa. It soaked into his skin, the markings on the Elf¡¯s flesh flashing sympathetically for only a moment. Then it was gone.


    ¡°What in the realms does that mean?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked. ¡°¡®Rats will be more likely to bite your toes¡¯, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Bilgrob started. ¡°My patron works in strange ways. When I heal people, he leaves behind a gift.¡±


    Theo and Tresk removed themselves from the situation before it got ugly. Xol¡¯sa was logical enough to understand that the Ogre¡¯s healing came at a cost. But the rest of the party didn¡¯t seem to care about that little corner of the garden. It went on for hours. Far later into the night than the alchemist was normally comfortable staying up. His stamina bar drained as the night went on, but it was easy. He didn¡¯t need to entertain the people there, allowing him to enjoy the night.


    When people cleared out from the garden, some simply entered the manor for rest, Tresk, Theo, and Alex made their way to the bedroom. The alchemist thanked Sarisa and Rowan for an excellent party and headed straight for the Dreamwalk. The room swirled, then they were standing in a sterile room. Grated floors below them and metal walls on every side. A small table sat in the center of the room. The only door leading into the room slid open, a dark figure stepping through.


    Raven black hair, cascading over pale shoulders. A figure walked into the room and Theo panicked. Injecting his will into the Dreamwalk, he sent them flying far away. Out onto the coast of South America, where trees lay on their sides. A wasteland to fight away that image. The ghostly form of the Harbinger standing over the corpses of his old squad. Temporary friends in the last breaths of a dying world.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Theo said, balling his fists at his side.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do a damn thing!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°You steered us on the way in.¡±


    Theo looked down at Yuri¡¯s body, covered in that comfortable environmental suit. The Harbinger stood over them all, looking down with his bird-like features. The alchemist realized what had happened. But today wasn¡¯t the day to confront old ghosts. She wasn¡¯t even real. That was just a memory¡ªa sad recreation from a life long dead.


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    ¡°Sorry. I thought you were probing my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always probing your thoughts. Which is why I¡¯d never make you relive that. Come on, dude. Who do you think I am?¡±


    I am here, also.


    ¡°And we love you for it, Alex. You¡¯re the best goose.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tresk wrapped her arms around Theo. She squeezed him tightly. ¡°This is why we always pick a place near Broken Tusk to hang out in the Dreamwalk. He doesn¡¯t enjoy reliving that stuff. Anyway,¡± She flicked her hand and the scene shifted. Back to the garden party. Bilgrob sat on the ground, the scene frozen in time. ¡°What do you think about the Ogre guy?¡±


    Theo took a deep breath. ¡°He¡¯s nice. I can¡¯t feel any bad intentions from him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I like him. I¡¯d never let him heal me, but he¡¯s cool.¡±


    Theo shook off the feelings of uncertainty. A smile spread across his face as he stooped low, scooping up Tresk and pulling her into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m going to work with Alex tonight. Help her with the nature aspect while I refine my new alchemy process.¡±


    Tresk gasped for air. ¡°An alchemy pun? While you¡¯re crushing me?¡±


    ¡°Let me crush you for just a little longer.¡±


    The Marshling groaned, but offered no further resistance. When they were done hugging it out, she ran off to fight some monsters. Her technique for the rapier was developing, even if it was slow. Theo wondered if Fenian had any genuine interest in helping her learn the blade, or if this was another one of his selfish endeavors. It hardly mattered to Tresk. She¡¯d figure out the best way to use the weapon no matter what. And she had the perfect place to practice.


    Theo made notes for his book in his administration interface while he worked with Alex. They found a pleasant spot just outside of the manor¡¯s garden for her to practice her nature affinity abilities. He was convinced that if she understood how her powers worked ?she¡¯d get an idea of how to cultivate new powers.


    There was something about Belgar¡¯s third tier process that struck Theo as strange. He considered that it might have been his insight, giving him clues for the fourth tier process. But the way the alcohol helped properties bind during the distillation process seemed strange. It felt like a temporary solution to a wider problem, almost as though he was emulating something bigger. He worked on variations of the alcohol brewing method, desperate to improve on the process.


    Falling into his work was an easy way to forget all of the problems he faced. The shining jewel of the entire thing was that it was getting better. They had a handle on the undead problem, even if it was frightening to consider how close those things were. Ziz and his guys would work on the weird underwater tower soon enough. After that, they¡¯d have a monorail heading off to Rivers and Daub, and Gronro-dir. This was the most proactive time since he took over the town.


    Alex made some progress with her nature aspect, but Theo could feel she was missing something. As a growing goose, she¡¯d need to put everything she had into learning about herself. That wasn¡¯t a thought the alchemist expected to have, but stranger things had happened in the town. By the end of the Dreamwalk, he had made little progress on improving Belgar¡¯s third tier distillation technique. He had seen some areas to improve, but those were mostly time-saving measures.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Tresk said, clapping her hands together. Theo and Alex had hardly moved from their spot. The Marshling was covered in blood and viscera. ¡°Time to go. Dawn is approaching and¡­ yeah, Sarisa and Rowan are coming up with tea.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re so much better at that than me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m a dreamer.¡±


    The scene swirled, sending the group back into the real world. Theo sat up in his bed, looking over at Tresk. ¡°How far away from our bodies can you see when we¡¯re in the Dreamwalk?¡±


    Tresk shrugged, tilting her head back and forth. ¡°Uh¡­ Not that far. It¡¯s more of a general sense.¡±


    Weird. Alex honked, removing herself from her comfortable goose box.


    Breakfast was pleasant enough. Most of the guests who had attended the party¡ªthe ones who remained in the manor¡ªwere hung over. That resulted in a delightfully silent breakfast, leaving Theo to write notes on his developing instruction book. Once they were done there, Tresk went off for patrol duty. Alex and Theo had a brief meeting with Alise and the administration staff. The only thing of note was the merchant fleet departing. One boat was bound for the southern lizard islands, while two others were heading off to Tarantham.


    Alise wanted to write those two boats off as losses, but it seemed too nihilistic for Theo. The Elves were confident enough in their abilities that they should come back in one piece. The administrators had to go through Tarantham law to determine the validity of the rescue. So long as they didn¡¯t engage directly with the empire¡¯s military, it was within the law to smuggle more members of House Wavecrest out.


    After an incredibly boring meeting, Theo was excited about getting to the lab. Salire was waiting for him, bouncing excitedly in yet another floral-patterned sundress. They went over the pending orders before heading up to the lab.


    ¡°Shockingly, people don¡¯t seem to care about the new potions,¡± Salire said with a shrug. She had drawn up all the new orders, but even as she tried to sell them people were interested in tier 2 potions more.


    ¡°They¡¯re familiar with the second tier potions. We aren¡¯t making as big of advances as normal, so that¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I have an idea.¡± Salire seemed excited about this idea of hers. ¡°Let¡¯s make some attribute potions. They¡¯re going to go nuts for those.¡±


    Attribute potions had always been a big hit. Theo and Salire discussed the best attribute potions to start with. Unsurprisingly, that resulted in them setting up the stills to create strength, dexterity, and vigor potions. At least the budding alchemist could start with a run of the Zee-based alcohol. That left the alchemist to work on his book, reading out parts to make sure they were understandable.


    ¡°What better way to make sure the book makes sense?¡± Theo asked, watching as Salire did her work. While he knew she was responsible, it was best to keep an eye out. Especially as they drew closer to the brewing phase.


    ¡°No better way. No sir,¡± Salire said, stirring the mash. ¡°If things don¡¯t work out with the alchemy, you could always just make spirits.¡±


    Theo looked up from his book. ¡°You¡¯d go blind drinking that. Please don¡¯t drink our alchemy liquor.¡±


    ¡°I mean. I might have had a sip.¡± She flashed a knowing grin.


    The alchemist returned to his book, adding a footnote with a warning about drinking the Zee liquor. ¡°I might have snuck a few sips.¡±


    ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t humorless, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Just mostly humorless.¡±


    Late in the afternoon, Theo and Salire had created three distinct enchanted dilutions. One for each of the physical attributes. They had also made progress on the book, edging it closer to a completed state by the day. Once he was done with the body of the book, he¡¯d pass it off to her for proofreading. It didn¡¯t matter if there were grammatical mistakes in the text. But errors related to Drogramathi alchemy could be deadly. He aimed to plug those quickly.


    The remainder of the day was consumed with brewing their new essences. As with the restoration potions they had tested before, the resulting essences were not an acceptable quality. Even with the small changes Theo made, they were missing part of the process. He hadn¡¯t returned to Tero¡¯gal today, and continued to put it off. It was a day of learning for Salire, and he didn¡¯t want to miss it.


    Theo clapped his hands together. ¡°Right. Create a few of your fancy vials for me. We¡¯ll brew a small batch before the day is done.¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°Not you, Alex. I was talking to Salire. We¡¯ll start with vigor.¡±


    There was no sense in creating a small batch of these potions. People would buy anything that enhanced their attributes. Even if the potions were only one point better than the older ones, everyone would fall over themselves to get at it. As with last time, the potion was temperamental. The alchemist focused on mixing the essence, careful not to jostle the vial as he worked. It was a violent reaction, right on the edge of an explosion, but it stayed stable enough to produce a usable potion.


    Theo ran his finger up the side of the fancy vial, studying the glowing yellow liquid within. He inspected the new potion, unsurprised at how superior it was to the old version.


    [Greater Vigor Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Drink to enhance vigor.


    Effect:


    +19 Vigor for 2 hours.


    ¡°Significantly better,¡± Salire said, studying the potion. ¡°Imagine binding it with a dilution modifier. How good would that be?¡±


    Theo turned, smiling at his assistant. ¡°You¡¯re talking like an alchemist. Yeah, we should make a batch of modified tier 3 potions. I guess it¡¯s a good time for a test. What should we be concerned about?¡±


    As the alchemist turned away from the [Greater Vigor Potion], Salire considered the question. He got to work on the next two potions, combining the ingredients at the same time. Both reactions were more than a hair unstable, but they held together. The way to know if a reaction was horrible was the final grade on a potion.


    Unsurprisingly, both the [Greater Dexterity Potion] and the [Greater Strength Potion] were copies of the [Greater Vigor Potion]. They were on the edge of making a potion that sent someone two tiers above where they were in terms of attributes. It was hard not to think about the implications of the potions.


    ¡°Are these potions dangerous, yet?¡± Theo asked, holding the glittering vial of red liquid in his hand.


    ¡°Ah. Forgot about your rules. Doesn¡¯t seem too dangerous to me. Uh, what do you think?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve already given out attribute potions that rival the best. Why not make it absurd?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s the spirit!¡±

 4.44 - Poker with the Gods

    Theo didn¡¯t know what to think about his new life as a glorified postman. He stood with Belgar in Tero¡¯gal, watching the dead Dronon read a letter from his sister. It was written in exquisite Drogramathi with more flourishes than the blocky language deserved. The spirit¡¯s body had gained some substance over the past few days. While counting time wasn¡¯t a sure thing in the realm, the days would have felt more like years in here.


    The same taunting screen that showed up for buildings in town claimed that Tero¡¯gal was still Level 0. At least it had one soul. Even if that soul was a brother who wouldn¡¯t stop fawning over his sister. Even after he died, he joined a realm belonging to the person who usurped his body. Strange things that always led somewhere even stranger.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re adapting my techniques,¡± Belgar said. He folded the note, placing it gingerly on the worktable. ¡°You¡¯ve hit the experience slowdown near Level 30, yes?¡±


    It was more of a grinding halt. The first ten levels were a breeze. Then it started getting a tad slower in the teens. Reaching Level 20 was like a punch to the gut. But people in this world often said things about Level 30. That¡¯s where the training wheels were thrown off the bike entirely. Level 30 was where most people died.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Except for my [Tara¡¯hek Core] and my [Governance Core]. Those are still leveling like I never hit a barrier.¡±


    Belgar nodded, wisps of purple energy trailing along his brow. Something of a strange smile spread across his face, distorted by his ghostly appearance. ¡°That soul-bond you have is strange. It¡¯s ignoring several rules that I won¡¯t even get into. You also hold two antithetical cores in your chest.¡±


    Theo shook his head. Belgar¡¯s information was old. Toru¡¯aun and Drogramath weren¡¯t enemies, let alone opposites. The short list of gods the alchemist had in his mind¡ªthose conspiring to change the world¡ªhad both the Dronon on board. ¡°I think they get along now.¡±


    Belgar scoffed. Then cleared his throat. ¡°Perhaps. You¡¯ll understand that some of my memories from my mortal life are incomplete. More feelings than anything. I¡¯m¡­ Well, I¡¯m working on it.¡±


    The angry Dronon spirit needed a friendly hug. Too bad his form was still immaterial. Instead, Theo gave him a hearty thumbs-up and moved on. There was work to do.


    The work that needed done in Tero¡¯gal today wasn¡¯t about alchemy. Not directly, anyway. Zarali had a lot of theories on how she could help Salire gain a Drogramathi core, but they were all theories. Belgar¡¯s time on Iaredin showed him as the brains of the brother-sister operation. Theo grilled him about everything, but gained almost nothing in return. When Benton finally arrived¡ªapparently busy with some matters of death and winter¡ªthey broke for tea and scones.


    Theo was mixing in honey to his tea when the ground below his feet trembled. He cast a confused look to his guests, who both shrugged. ¡°Is that normal?¡±


    Benton spread his hands across the table when the rumble came again, calming the chattering teaware. ¡°Absolutely not normal.¡±


    A twinge of recognition spread through the alchemist¡¯s mind. It was almost like¡­


    ¡°Knocking,¡± Belgar said, finishing Theo¡¯s thought. Then it came again.


    Intuition spread out like a web, snaking through the possibilities. Theo¡¯s mind reeled as he discarded falsehoods and embraced the possible. The knocking came again as his mind raced, then settled on a conclusion. His mind reached out, affirming the entry of a far-off being. Running outside, he spotted a sandy archway springing from the ground. Roughly hewn yellow stones formed a doorway, and a Khahari stepped through.


    Before he had even fully materialized, Theo had Khahar in a bear hug. The Arbiter smiled, hugging him back. Then he looked to Benton and Belgar. With a nod, both men disappeared with a faint popping sound. ¡°That almost didn¡¯t work, Theo.¡±


    ¡°What? Banishing my tea-enjoying friends?¡±


    Khahar simply smiled, then gestured toward the cottage. Both men assumed their spots at the table, picking up where Benton had left off in the ceremony. ¡°These scones are quite good. No, that was simple. My planned ascension almost fell apart. Fenian nearly bungled the¡­ Ah, well. All that is in the past, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Sneaky as ever. So, how are you allowed to come into my realm?¡± Theo asked.


    Khahar tilted his head, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m the Arbiter. I can do whatever I want.¡±


    ¡°Really? Cause if that was the case, you would have shown up sooner.¡±


    When Khahar laughed, it was Yuri¡¯s old laugh. That same laugh that would boom out during drinking games. Over the cards in some musty cellar in Moscow. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that. The rules I¡¯ve put into place are specific. Meant to tie the gods¡¯ hands until we can sort other matters out.¡±


    ¡°Is this the part where you say you can¡¯t tell me what you¡¯re planning?¡±


    Khahar thought about that one for a long time. He sipped his tea, busied himself with his scone, but there was something clearly different about him. His eyes didn¡¯t dart in his head, searching through realities. He didn¡¯t seem distant. The man was present. He was happy.


    ¡°When this world was created and seeded, it was left as a blank slate. A simple class system to get things going and nothing more. The intention was for people to rise to godhood, where they could change the system to suit the mortals. That¡¯s the funny part about gods, isn¡¯t it? Once they have power, they don¡¯t want to let it go.¡±


    ¡°So, your plan is to change the system?¡±


    Khahar nodded. ¡°The other funny thing about gods¡­ They¡¯re quite good at plotting. What better way to protect the system they hold so dear than to create a system for the system. I¡¯ve destroyed the first seal with my ascension. The Throne of the Arbiter is mine, and no one can dethrone me.¡±


    ¡°So, why not just snap your fingers and destroy the system that¡¯s giving you trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Khahar said with a smile. ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be a very good system, would it? No, they¡¯ve placed other checks on that. A kind of council that needs to form.¡±


    A council of what, exactly? Theo couldn¡¯t help but think of how he played into this. He had always been a pawn to Khahar, even if that wasn¡¯t the best way to put it. ¡°Alright. So, you want me on this council?¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time for that. We¡¯re far off from where you play into this plan. But you¡¯re playing your part well. All I can do is apologize for your forced ignorance. I cannot speak freely about this secondary system. See? That¡¯s the genius of it. Because how does one ascend to the council if they don¡¯t know what to look for?¡±


    Theo let out a contented sigh, sipping on his tea. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy about one thing at least. My old drinking buddy is back. Sipping tea instead of vodka, of course.¡±


    Khahar laughed, slamming his fist on the table. The blow was measured, barely rattling the cups and spoons on the wood surface. He wiped tears from his eyes after a moment, sighing happily. ¡°Well, I can visit more often now. I¡¯ve designated Tero¡¯gal as a realm to investigate. Since you have so many visitors, I can pass arbitration on you whenever I feel the need.¡±


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    ¡°An official investigation? I¡¯m honored.¡±


    Khahar told the story of his ascension to the heavens. The gods were not happy when he took the throne. They went into their corners and prepared to assault Khahak, but it was too late. The Realm of the Arbiter struck first, cutting out the descenders like a cancer from the pantheons. The heavens were on fire for eons¡ªrealm time, of course¡ªbut in the end, they all fell. One-hundred gods were purged from various pantheons. But Yuri had a more startling revelation.


    ¡°They¡¯re dead. Not like before, when a god would fall. No, I killed them. Never to rise again. Their souls were annihilated. Unlike Balkor.¡±


    Ice ran down Theo¡¯s back. ¡°Almost like you¡¯re implying that Balkor is planning a comeback.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s another one of those things I cannot reveal. But you can draw conclusions for that information. Ah, speaking of that¡­ You should take the [Wisdom of the Soul] potion. Your realm shields you from most of the ill-effects that come with advancing in level, but Wisdom is the hardest attribute to stop. And it¡¯s your highest attribute.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Theo said. Khahar just glossed over the return of a dead necromantic god. But the pieces were there¡ªliterally. People said that Balkor was the only god to cross into the mortal realm with his heavenly body. That brought the fury of every pantheon down on him, striking the god dead over the Fallen Kingdom of Gardreth. That place had been a font of necromantic energy ever since. Then the undead spilled over onto the continent, invading Qavell and ruining most of the land. ¡°The body of a dead god, huh? That¡¯s what drives the undead?¡±


    ¡°Smart man. But I didn¡¯t come here just to talk business,¡± Khahar snapped his fingers. Belgar and Benton appeared just outside of the door. A pack of playing cards appeared in his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s teach these guys how to play Texas Hold¡¯em.¡±


    Benton and Belgar were confused when they reappeared. Then slightly fearful when they spotted the god of gods sitting at Theo¡¯s little table in his little cottage. They warmed eventually when Khahar began explaining the rules. He even summoned little chips for them to bet with, although the currency was all imagined. The alchemist¡¯s mind was cast back to the old days.


    ¡°Somehow,¡± Theo said, folding another hand. ¡°Our days of murder and mayhem seem like good times.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Khahar said, tapping the table. ¡°Call.¡±


    Benton looked uncomfortable with his hand. He shifted in his chair, then added to the pot. ¡°Never took you as the murderous type, Theo.¡±


    ¡°It was a different time.¡± Theo watched as Khahar cleaned up the table yet again. No one could win against him, and no one was trying. It was the motion of dealing the cards and sipping tea that they were here for. Not the thrill of victory, but the warmth of company. ¡°A different place, too.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand this game.¡± Belgar glared at the cards as they were dealt. He had to exert force to hold them in his hands, making it more difficult for him to play. Khahar had replenished his supply of chips several times. ¡°I understand the rules, but not the purpose.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a game of deception. And odds,¡± Khahar finished dealing the cards.


    ¡°Hardly fair against the highest level god,¡± Belgar grumbled.


    But the game went on, as did the conversation. Despite being the grumpiest person in Tero¡¯gal, Belgar eventually opened up about himself. He was a regretful man who held a spiteful view of the life he had led. Even after being reminded that he was the master of his destiny, not Drogramath, he wouldn¡¯t give it up.


    Benton proved to be the spirit¡¯s opposite. The bear-god was full of love for everything and everyone, despite being a god of death. Because he was a god of death, according to Khahar. Everything was about cakes and tea with that guy. His encouraging attitude was infectious, defeating Belgar¡¯s nihilism with ease. What was left was a hearty game of poker that everyone enjoyed.


    Something begged Khahar¡¯s attention and they had to end the game. But the Arbiter promised to return for more games, even if it wasn¡¯t daily. This was a realm for private work, after all. They couldn¡¯t just spend 12 hours screwing around with cards. Theo stood with Belgar and Benton outside of the cottage. Khahar had just returned to his citadel, leaving a lingering sense of the desert¡¯s heat in his wake.


    ¡°I was gonna wait for a better time to tell you, Theo,¡± Benton started, looking sheepish about his statement. ¡°But there¡¯s a few souls in the void that are looking for homes. I was worried about arbitration, but¡­ Khahar said nothing about Belgar being here.¡±


    Benton was worried that having souls in Tero¡¯gal would be against the rules. But a realm grew in power for several reasons, one of them being the collection of souls. More souls meant a more powerful realm, which was something Theo desperately needed. Tero¡¯gal was one the one thing between him and certain death. Well, perhaps something less dramatic, but that¡¯s how it felt.


    ¡°Anyone you bring around needs to be interviewed first. I don¡¯t want my realm loading up with a bunch of jerks.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Benton said, nodding his head. ¡°The ones that have found their way into my realm are mostly Dronon. Some are too weak to ascend to the higher realms, so they¡¯ve remained in our lowly section of the heavens. Others are wayward. Unable to come to terms with the doctrine of their master.¡±


    ¡°Zagmon Dronon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°All flavors, but yes. Some of Zagmon¡¯s lost children need a home.¡±


    That was a hard pill to swallow, but Theo would take it, anyway. He wasn¡¯t interested in judging someone by their origin. While he had only had unpleasant experiences with Zagmon Dronon, that didn¡¯t mean they were all evil. And now they were without a god. What happened to those people lost in the void? Would they just float around forever without finding a home?


    ¡°Like I said. Interview first, then I¡¯ll talk about accepting them.¡±


    As with most trips to Tero¡¯gal, Theo was forced to think about what he left back on the mortal plane. Salire was having a lot of fun doing potions today. After the departure of the small fleet, there was little else to do in town. Ziz and his guys were ready to work on the underwater tower, but that was a project that required many people. Sailors, stoneworkers, artificers, blacksmiths, and so on. The project might have been stupid, but it tied in well with the alchemist¡¯s plans to fortify the coast.


    He spent his remaining time in the realm with Belgar, working on items for the shop. The dead Dronon still held cores in his spirit, but they were mere echoes of their former selves. He didn¡¯t have the control of someone with a mortal body, and the effects of his cores were pathetic when compared to the real thing. But that was one thing that didn¡¯t seem to bother him. For a man so proud of his abilities in life, he didn¡¯t care that he wasn¡¯t as good in death.


    For the spirit, pride came as knowledge. His memories of mortal life weren¡¯t perfect, but they were damn good. For a man who spent thousands of years fighting for survival in the void, he was brilliant. Theo couldn¡¯t stop himself from wondering what this guy could have gotten up to if he wasn¡¯t slain prematurely. The details around his death were foggy. Like Zarali, he would only say that the Dronon was thrown from a cliff. A secret war they wouldn¡¯t elaborate on.


    ¡°Alcohol was the key to the Level 30 barrier,¡± Belgar said, helping Theo clean out a still. They had a few more batches to make before they were done for the day. ¡°That makes me wonder about the other barriers.¡±


    ¡°Impossible to say. Could be some combination of alcohol and mana infusion. Does the system know to create new tiers of things as you level? Does that go on forever?¡±


    Belgar attached the grinder to the top of the artifice still, struggling with his immaterial form. But he managed the task well enough. ¡°Impossible to say. You¡¯re better off asking your friend. The Arbiter.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. He claimed to be level 12,000 when he ascended.¡±


    Belgar shook his head. ¡°No one man should have so much power.¡±


    Theo had nothing to say about that. He just wanted to get the work done, then return to the mortal plane. But he was happy to chat with Belgar about other things. It was hard to get a man like him to talk about anything other than regrets, so that remained a slow process. They completed not only the orders they had received in the shop, but some extra things to stock. Random purchases didn¡¯t account for many of their sales, but it was good enough to line their pockets.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a blast,¡± Theo said, giving Belgar another thumbs-up. ¡°I can hug you when your form gets more solid. Right now it¡¯s about like touching slightly thick air.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Belgar said, fumbling with something on the table. He gestured to it, rather than picking it up. ¡°For my sister.¡±


    ¡°Another note?¡± Theo asked, scooping the letter up. ¡°I hope you guys are hashing things out.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s difficult to be a hovering older brother when all you can do is send notes.¡± Belgar let out a labored sigh. ¡°But better than nothing. Better than the void.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Enjoy your hundred-some-odd days in solitude.¡±


    ¡°One-hundred forty-four days,¡± Belgar corrected. ¡°Benton keeps me company, mostly. I haven¡¯t hopped realms since I got here, though. Working on that one.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Theo said, approaching the island¡¯s edge. He looked down, spying on Tresk and Alex for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. Stay sane.¡±


    As Theo plunged over the edge, he heard Belgar say, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

 4.45 - Wisdom of the Soul

    ¡°You should really talk to more people before you drink that¡ªoh, he¡¯s drinking it.¡±


    Salire watched in horror as Theo downed his [Wisdom of the Soul] potion. His feet had only pressed against the wooden floor of the alchemy lab for a moment before he withdrew the potion. The effects were instant and intense. The alchemist fell to the ground in a heap, the potion worming its way through his body. After traveling from his stomach to the place where his cores were, it ate away at something.


    A distressed honk issued somewhere in the distance.


    ¡°Damn you, Theo!¡± Salire said, rushing over to crouch by the prone Dronon. ¡°Do you ever think?¡±


    A few fitful spasms later and Theo rested on the hard ground. His vision swirled before him as the potion finished its good work. Tero¡¯gal and the Tara¡¯hek had done wonders to ease the constant barrage of mind-altering attributes. But they were nothing compared to this. His thoughts came in ordered patterns, even as his new assistant shouted for help. One thing after the other, never interrupted with a poke from his intuition. Those intrusive thoughts were now relegated to something else entirely.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Theo said, reading over a system message he had never seen before.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    Salire Hogrush shows concern over your condition. The concern is genuine. The [Wisdom of the Soul] potion has already done its work. You are in no immediate danger.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Salire asked, pressing her palm against his forehead.


    Shadows stirred at the room¡¯s corners. Three figures burst from those dark places, two with the dang pole-axes and one with a dagger and a rapier. Tresk, Rowan, and Sarisa looked over the scene with concern, eyes lingering on the prone alchemist.


    ¡°Who am I stabbing!?¡± Tresk demanded.


    ¡°No one. I just had a potion,¡± Theo said, standing to his feet. It was a heady rush. ¡°Khahar said it was fine.¡±


    ¡°You talked to Khahar?¡± Tresk asked, still staring. ¡°That guy is trouble.¡±


    Salire stood nearby, hands on Theo¡¯s shoulders to keep him steady. He appreciated the gesture. While the effects of the potion had subsided, he still felt like he¡¯d topple over at any moment. The alchemist stuffed a wad of [Moss Nettle] into his mouth and chewed. It had the flavor of dirt with a sprinkle of lemon juice. He was not surprised to see another wisdom notification pop up.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    Chewing on some raw reagents seems to grant the imbiber a less-potent version of the reagent¡¯s property effects.


    ¡°This is gonna take some getting used to,¡± Theo grumbled, finding a sturdy chair to sit on.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine, then?¡± Sarisa asked, still holding her weapon firmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for worrying, but that¡¯s just part of the process.¡±


    Tresk, Sarisa, and Rowan cleared out of the room reluctantly. They left Theo behind with an overly excited Salire. She grilled him about the effects, wanting to know how it had changed his mind. It was a simple explanation. The alchemist had considered the way attributes messed with his mind from the start. He¡¯d spent long hours considering the interaction of cores, and how those gods affected the wielder.


    ¡°I brewed some stuff for the shop,¡± Theo said after finishing his explanation. When he stood, he stumbled. But Salire was there to catch him. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Let me put some tea on. Tell me how your trip into Tero¡¯gal went.¡±


    Salire shuffled off, activating a [Flame Artifice] and putting a pot of water on. Theo retold his experience in his private realm. Twelve hours of poker and tea. Conversations that revealed some of the Arbiter¡¯s plot. His new wisdom messages popped up occasionally, telling him that the woman was interested in the story''s content. There seemed to be no ulterior motive. This new existence would take some getting used to, but it was nice.


    ¡°Sarisa, do I need to be anywhere today?¡± Theo asked.


    The assistant stepped from the shadows, bowing her head. ¡°You¡¯re not obligated to be anywhere today. Ziz and his men are working on the underwater tower. Throk has made progress on your weapon platform. The new Ogre is still running around healing everyone¡ªthere¡¯s a bit of rat problem now.¡±


    ¡°A rat problem?¡±


    ¡°The Ogre¡¯s magic has unintended side-effects. The most common one is the attraction of rats.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin a few times. ¡°Do we have rats? Regular old rats? Four-legged rats, pointed faces, long scaly tail?¡±


    ¡°Six legs,¡± Sarisa corrected.


    ¡°Two tails,¡± Salire put in.


    ¡°Of course. Why not?¡± Theo shrugged it all away.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    Hybrid animals were likely the result of seeded people¡¯s manipulation of indigenous fauna. A selective breeding program that resulted in Earth-like creatures. But not quite.


    Theo rose to his feet. He wanted nothing more than to watch Ziz and his guys work on the underwater tower. That was one project that seemed silly. When he got to his feet, he didn¡¯t sway as badly. The moss was doing its job.


    ¡°The temple should be done incorporating into the town soon enough. Then I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get you a Drogramathi core.¡±


    Salire looked up at him with hopeful eyes. She wanted this badly. The alchemist just hoped she wouldn¡¯t be disappointed. He relayed his intentions to Sarisa, then bid farewell to the budding alchemist. Bilgrob passed by as he exited the Newt and Demon, waving and grinning. At least the Ogre priest was getting along in town. Better than could be said about the Elves when they first arrived.


    ¡°Breaking eggs and all that,¡± Theo mumbled to himself. ¡°Rowan, are you near?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rowan said, stepping from the shadows.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go check on Ziz.¡±


    The group made their way to the harbor first. It was empty of all boats, and the crew that was left behind was pitiful. While Laedria was working on several more ships¡ªroughly the size of her first generation¡ªshe was working at a slower pace. They tracked a path along the canal¡¯s wall. Khahar¡¯s handiwork was there on display. The stone wall seemed almost seamless in places. Ziz¡¯s good work was a stark contrast to the work of a god, after all. But function went a long way in Broken Tusk.


    Theo picked what little reagents grew near the canal. Without the bank of the river, several ingredients would be harder to get. [River Kelp] was among them, although he had never found a good use for those. The [Hone Edge] property from the [River Clam Pearl] would also be missed, but only because he had never found a good use for it. But a few [Water Lilies] were accessible from the water¡¯s edge. He had little use for them, as they were uncultivated, but any experience was good experience.


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    It took them a while to work their way to the beach, but what they saw was amazing. The only boat remaining in Broken Tusk bobbed on the bay¡¯s waves. Crews of workers labored on spans of ice. Not just over the dungeon, but jutting from the edge of the canal¡¯s wall. They were expanding the walls out, creating the defensive structure Theo had wanted from the start.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re really going at it,¡± Rowan said with an approving nod. ¡°Get an idea in that man¡¯s head and he goes all in.¡±


    Theo nodded to a worker as he stepped onto a section of finished stonework. It was hard to classify the structure. The stoneworkers had created an underwater wall, much like the marble wall that held the canal together. It ran out into the bay, holding the angle created by the river they had straightened. He could walk two healthy paces in one direction and still have room to step. The structure was equal on both sides at the moment, reaching roughly half-way toward the dungeon¡¯s location.


    ¡°What a mighty fine¡­ bridge?¡± Theo asked, turning to his assistants. ¡°Would you call this a bridge?¡±


    ¡°A causeway.¡± Sarisa offered.


    ¡°Underwater wall,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°Ziz!¡± Theo shouted. The Half-Ogre was working on the other side of the wall. ¡°What is this thing?¡±


    Ziz shrugged, looking up from his work. He had chipped ice in his beard and a stupid look on his face. ¡°A defensive structure! We¡¯re gonna end them both in towers so we can put your guns in them!¡±


    ¡°Oh, fair enough,¡± Theo said, scanning the horizon. The Cork was out there, fishing away near the barrier islands.


    Since the canal was already wide enough to accommodate massive ships, the walls that extended from there were also wide enough. Theo imagined a gatehouse somewhere along the lengthy span. Somewhere for boats to be checked before they entered the town. Collapsable defenses were a great idea. A forward post like this could be abandoned in case of an attack, allowing defenders to retreat to the walls of the town. Sledge would work overtime to use her [Fabricator] skills on these structures.


    It was nice to see the technique working, though. Theo had his doubts about it, but it was simply the best way to create a structure under the water. There might have been a way to fabricate the walls, then move them in here. But that seemed like more labor with more specialized tools. Instead, they¡¯d take advantage of the magic in this world. Freeze the ocean, then dig it out. Stupid, but effective.


    This was a task that might have been too much for other people. But Ziz had a way of latching himself onto a problem and creating workable solutions. Theo and his assistants watched for some time before the sound of an artifice wheelchair crunching on gravel came from behind. Fenian cursed as he failed to get his chair up onto the wall. Sarisa and Rowan rushed over to lift him up, setting him down gingerly on the white marble.


    ¡°Lovely day for a roll, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fenian asked.


    Theo chuckled. ¡°What do you think about the extension to the canal?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lovely. And weird. What was the point of it again?¡±


    Theo¡¯s Wisdom of the Soul told him that Fenian already knew, and was just trying to get a rise out of the alchemist. ¡°We¡¯re mounting defensive guns and providing access to the [Ocean Dungeon]. But you know that.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡±


    ¡°I chugged a new potion that lets me see my intuition in text.¡± Theo cast the Elf a sly smile.


    ¡°Oh. Maybe I should be more careful with my words.¡± Fenian giggled. ¡°Look at my arm, though.¡±


    The Elf waved his arm around. It was still floppy, but had formed into something closer resembling a man¡¯s arm. The limb regeneration process would end in a few days, giving him freedom of movement once again.


    ¡°What are you going to do when you¡¯re all healed up?¡±


    ¡°I need to flush out Karasan again before he returns. I¡¯ll be honest. I didn¡¯t expect the capital to last this long. They should have fallen by now.¡±


    Theo knew little about Qavell¡¯s defenses. He only knew that people spoke of their defenses as good. Multiple walls with weapons bristling from every available surface. The alchemist assumed they could not create undead killing weapons, though. A few high-level priests would be effective at holding back the tide, but they were limited in number without the ability to toss potions all day and night. Or spray the potions over their walls like they did at Gronro-dir.


    ¡°Where is he hiding, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Between the veil, I think. Something I didn¡¯t plan for. Khahar was supposed to sort that out on his end, but here we are. Adapting as we always do.¡±


    There was something satisfying about watching Ziz and his crews work. He had gone from only having himself and five workers to creating a small army. They applied Theo¡¯s potion to the surface of the water, letting that freeze the lower layers, then repeated the process. Eventually, the pillar of ice would reach the bottom of the bay. Then they got to work cutting it out with a mixture of [Tunneling Potions] and muscles. After creating a work area all the way to the bottom, they built their stonework.


    The crews had taken their structures to a new level, though. The wall they were building wasn¡¯t just stones stacked on one another. At the top, there was a decorative lip, carved with various images. It held an artistry that Theo hadn¡¯t seen in the town before, stirring something in his heart. Survival had been a concern for quite some time. But perhaps there was room for art.


    After getting his first taste for relaxation, Theo decided that¡¯s what he was going to do today. The crews took breaks in shifts, and the alchemist departed during one of them. He worked his way through town, accompanied by his guards. Luras was running drills with the military outside of the eastern gate, near the bridge. They stayed for a while to watch the various formations and practice duels that formed out on those fields. His golems working the small farm had collected a fair amount of wheat, so the alchemist took that into his inventory.


    Banu¡¯s farm was going extremely well. The farmers were getting rich off the cost of the [Starbristle Flax], and it showed. They were eating well. The other plots of land were producing more than ever. Filled to bursting with highly cultivated Zee, these fields could sate the hunger of the entire town. Far from where they started out. Far enough from the panic of food shortages to make all the effort worth it.


    Theo worked out a deal with Banu to use their windmill to grind the wheat into flour. Since it fell under the current contract, there was no need to amend it. The farmer would take the wheat from the golem farm, then grind it up on the farmer¡¯s hill.


    ¡°An automated farm, huh? Planning to replace us anytime soon?¡± Banu asked, his arms folded. As always, the farmer had suspicions about everything.


    ¡°Just another experiment,¡± Theo assured him, turning to his assistants. ¡°Could one of you make sure that Xam is aware of this flour? I¡¯d like some real pasta.¡±


    Rowan bowed his head, then vanished. Sarisa remained.


    To the north of the farmer¡¯s hill was an area Tresk had named Stabby Groves. This was the place where most of the adventurers called home, but that was changing. A sprawl of homes spread out from the main road, creating a grid-like pattern of houses. It was unlikely that everyone who lived here was an adventurer. Theo stopped by Zan¡¯kir¡¯s place but no one was home. Instead, the alchemist surveyed the area.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got some expansion potential to the east and west here,¡± Theo said, gesturing in either direction. He had his administration screen up and was visualizing potential expansions. ¡°When we run out of room for homes here, we can dip into the space south of Perg¡¯s tannery.¡±


    ¡°Might be time for another big project.¡±


    Theo grunted a response. The land south of the smeltery was rocky and uneven. Hills sprawled out to the south until they became the mountains at Dead Dog Mine. Cutting into those hills would be laborious, even with the [Tunneling Potion]. And the essence that made that potion was limited. It came from the [Living River Water] that the alchemist had collected during a monster wave.


    ¡°Make a note for me, please. If a trader comes by with [Living River Water], I¡¯d like to buy all of it. Anything with the [Dissolve] property, actually.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    ¡°How do you think the town is coming along?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a lifetime away from where we started.¡± Sarisa¡¯s gaze lingered out over the farmer¡¯s hill in the distance. ¡°I think your focus should be on gaining more citizens.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. That was a big problem. ¡°I expected Khahari refugees, to be honest. When the traders from Partopour showed up, I expected people to immigrate from there. It isn¡¯t happening.¡±


    Sarisa nodded. ¡°We got lucky with the Elves, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    That was an understatement. House Wavecrest had been the biggest boon to the town. They were hard workers and smart. Well, the ones that didn¡¯t break their contract and die. Those that held true to their contracts were now integral members of town.


    The journeys through town Theo took were always enjoyable. He spent time with other citizens, checking in on independent people who barely needed his help anymore. By the time dusk was approaching, he had worked up an appetite. The lights inside of the manor were already burning brightly when he returned. True to his word, Rowan had informed Xam about the wheat flour available at the farm¡¯s windmill. The alchemist settled in with those that refused to leave his home, taking his seat at the head of the dining room table.


    Sarisa and Rowan served plates of wheat pasta slathered in Xam¡¯s signature Karatan cheese sauce. There was a vast difference between pasta derived from Zee flour and wheat flour. As Theo took his first bite, he closed his eyes. The sensation the texture gave him sent him back to Earth. He savored every bite and ate far more than he normally did.


    ¡°This is heaven,¡± Theo said, barely paying attention to the conversation around him.


    Tresk laughed. ¡°Give the man a little taste of Earth and he¡¯s satisfied.¡±


    The meal was pleasant, though. The group continued their hearty conversations even after Tresk, Theo, and Alex headed off for bed. A constant roll of sound could be heard downstairs, even as the group drifted into the Dreamwalk.

 4.46 - Throwing Stuff

    It was easier to imagine the defenses of Broken Tusk in the Dreamwalk. Theo stood near the coast, imagining the walls that Ziz was working on. He imagined them further, sending them out into the bay, then constructing imaginary towers. He topped it off with the gate he wanted¡ªanother portcullis-style gate that would drop into the ocean on command. The walls would serve as causeways whereby folks could come out to check on the [Ocean Dungeon]. If Sledge could incorporate the entire thing into the town, that would be even better.


    Alex spent her time in the Dreamwalk with Tresk, leaving Theo alone to think about the problems they faced. The town had taken care of the most common problems and were only left with future problems. That was an excellent position to be in, but it was a luxury provided by the wall of undead to the north. He went over his class cores as he thought about it, feeling no nagging sense from his intuition. The Wisdom of the Soul screen seemed to refuse to pop up in the Dreamwalk.


    Theo¡¯s [Governance Core] would hit level 30 tomorrow. But the [Tara¡¯hek Core] had ardently refused to rise above that level. While all members of the bond noticed it, they paid it little mind. That core had a mind of its own. As he messed around with various tasks, all taking place on the new defensive seawalls, the alchemist felt his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] roll over to 24, which caused his personal level to hit the same level. But it was getting hard to know which attribute to place a point into. At least he could inspect his personal screen within the Dreamwalk.


    Theo Spencer


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 24


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 6


    Stats:


    Health: 115


    Mana: 190


    Stamina: 125


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 16 (+8)


    Vigor: 22 (+8)


    Intelligence: 26 (+9)


    Wisdom: 30 (+7)


    Points: 1


    ¡°Ah. I should have expected that,¡± Theo said, studying the screen. It no longer claimed his name was Belgar. A curious turn of events.


    It was as though the system was correcting itself, which seemed like a frightening prospect. Khahar had mentioned a system on top of the system¡ªcould that have been a system designed to manage the other one? Something that corrected the way things worked when they went wrong. The ¡®Harbinger¡¯s Gift¡¯ that he received seemed more like a coiled spring by the moment. Something bound to explode at any moment, releasing hidden intentions.


    Theo shook himself, looking at his attributes once more. He didn¡¯t want to go deeper into Wisdom anymore. With his modifiers, he was sitting at 30, which was good enough. Vigor had been a great option. The effects of that attribute were measurable. Intelligence was one attribute that was hard to define, but directly influenced his spellcasting. The world swirled around him as he moved himself, finding Tresk and Alex fighting a small horde of goblins outside the gates of the town.


    ¡°Oh, fancy alchemist!¡± Tresk grunted, driving her rapier into the heart of a goblin. ¡°Come to grace us with your thoughtful presence?¡±


    Theo side-stepped an approaching goblin, kicking it in the side. It crumpled. Tresk had summoned low-level goblins to help Alex train, which was a sweet things to do. He smiled at her. ¡°I came to ask about attributes, actually.¡±


    ¡°Well, grab a sword. Or a rock. We¡¯re bonding!¡±


    The instinct that came first was to summon a bomb and kill all the goblins at once. But that wasn¡¯t the spirit of Tresk¡¯s game. She was training Alex, so it only made sense to act like a normal person would. This brought back one of Theo¡¯s old problems¡ªsomething he still hadn¡¯t solved for himself. If he were to find himself in combat, what weapon would he use?


    He saw almost no merit in using swords and daggers to fight. Without the correct skills, he would be open to attacks. Spears and those weird pole-axes Sarisa and Rowan used made more sense. He could get a lot of distance, keeping himself safe while he hacked away. Bows, crossbows, guns, and so on didn¡¯t appeal to him. He had no moral objection to the things, they simply didn¡¯t fit with his strengths. Throwing things, like bombs, fit in with his abilities.


    Theo held his hand out, imagining one of his scrimshaw creations. Starting with his [Cloth Bracers of Tossing], and ending with his ability to enchant items twice. Once with his warding abilities, and the other with poisons. As for poisons, he had war crime levels of poisons at his disposal. He had created them for Tresk¡¯s hit-and-run style of combat, but this would do. A bone knife appeared in his hand, weighted the way he thought a good knife should be. It wasn¡¯t part of his training on Earth, but the system would take care of the dexterous part of the act.


    The bone knife glowed under his words, taking on the ward of [Lesser Force]. He repeated the process for several knives as Alex and Tresk fought on. Flames soared into the air, and he even saw pitiful vines reaching from the ground. Once his stock of throwing knives was complete, the alchemist dipped them all in a potent second tier [Poison] modified with [Accelerated Decay]. It was one of his most vile poisons.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have been dead five times by now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all about preparation, Tresk. Give me enough time and I could kill the gods.¡±


    ¡°I wish I doubted that. I really do. Alright! Playtime is OVER!¡±


    The goblins vanished in puffs of smoke. When the haze cleared, four boss Trolls stood in the looming fog. Each was level 30, and none waited around for the Marshling¡¯s command. Theo froze for a moment. Not out of fear, but in awe of how far Tresk had come. She wove a dance of death around one Troll, striking at it before vanishing just as quickly. Like a flash of lightning, she brought her monster to its knees with little effort. Veins of black tracked deadly paths along the creature¡¯s skin, leaving behind rotting flesh.


    Theo¡¯s mind honed to a razor¡¯s edge. Time seemed to slow for a moment as he practiced the motion mentally. Five bone knives soared through the air, slamming into one Troll at nearly the same time. It was lifted off its feet, then sent flying back like a thousand-pound baseball. The creature slid across the ground, a web of deadly poison spreading across its body before it even hit the ground. The alchemist repeated the process, sending five deadly projectiles for the remaining two Trolls. He let out a steady breath when he was finished, straightening his robe and nodding.


    ¡°That should do it.¡±


    The Trolls writhed on the ground, screaming in agony as their flesh sloughed off in sheets. It wasn¡¯t one thing that made the dagger effective. The confluence of events required all his throwing gear, his affinity for the bone weapons, the poison, and the wards.


    ¡°Damn, alright!¡± Tresk shouted, cracking her knuckles. Alex honked awkwardly. ¡°We gotta get you some different gear, buddy. Do you think there¡¯s a class that just throws stuff?¡±


    ¡°There might be,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at throwing stuff.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re great at throwing stuff. If there was a ¡®Throwing Stuff Olympics¡¯, you¡¯d get the gold, buddy.¡±


    Tresk was sparse with her compliments. She had dug into his mind to make the olympics reference, but he appreciated it all the same. The Marshling went over his gear with him, selecting pieces that weren¡¯t as effective for this style of combat. His [Robe of the Defender], which reduced stamina usage for people around him, had overstayed its welcome. It had repaired itself, but was now less useful than his other gear.


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    ¡°Azrug will have stuff for you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he on vacation?¡±


    Tresk only shrugged. She had an interest in making sure the three of them were a fighting force. After the ambush with the Zagmon Dronon, she had been strangely distant about training. Theo felt her apathy toward the idea, seeing him as a lost cause for combat. His display in the Dreamwalk had awoken something frightening in her. A plan unfurled in her mind to train him into the ground, making him a dagger-tossing machine. A quirk of the Tara¡¯hek was that she could feel his old habits dying off. His aversion to combat was fading. It was hard to tell if that was a good thing.


    For the rest of the Dreamwalk, Tresk ran combat drills. She emulated the situation that almost got Theo killed before, and other variations of that. His throwing weapon technique was effective, but that marked him as a back-liner. Those who rested on the edges of a fight were often targets, according to her.


    ¡°But that¡¯s why I have Sarisa and Rowan. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that means I have to train them.¡± Tresk grumbled, pulling her rapier free from another Troll¡¯s skull. ¡°This is a step in the right direction, though.¡±


    That was a more positive statement than she normally made. Theo saw that as a good thing. Their training went on for the rest of the Dreamwalk, ending only when the dawn drew near in the real world. Tresk ended their training session by dragging them all out of the dream realm, sending them into their comfortable beds.


    The scent of freshly brewed tea was the first thing Theo could sense in the real world. Then the smell of something freshly cooked, and a chattering conversation from downstairs. He rubbed his eyes, then swung his feet out of bed. Tail swishing and toes wiggling, he lingered there for some time. If he was truthful with himself, he would admit that he was excited about the system¡¯s new designation for him. Belgar was close at hand in Tero¡¯gal, but he felt more distant than ever. For the first time since he got here, the alchemist felt as though he were in his own body.


    Downstairs, the scene was lively. Fenian was testing his new leg, falling over more times than he stayed upright. Everyone crowded around the massive dining room table. Sarisa and Rowan flew around, serving those that wanted food and topping off cups of tea. Theo followed Sarisa as she went to the kitchen, cornering her there for a quick chat.


    ¡°Tresk is concerned,¡± Theo said, watching the unsurprised look on the Half-Ogre¡¯s face.


    ¡°When isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re working on me. My ability to fight.¡±


    Sarisa looked him up and down, then chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re about as useful as a feral Ogre Snapper in a fight. No combat cores, right? Unless you count that mage core.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Right. We¡¯re going to do some training sessions in the real world. I just wanted to warn you.¡±


    She cleared sweat from her brow with a small length of cloth, then nodded. ¡°I appreciate it. Actually, I¡¯m interested to see what you can do.¡±


    Theo helped her serve everyone at the table before they both took a seat. Instead of ordering breakfast from Xam¡¯s, Sarisa and Rowan had cooked the meal themselves. They were smart about it. Instead of trying something fancy, they went for something simple. Fried Pozwa eggs with Karatan steaks. The only meal that would have represented the Half-Ogre appetite more was a slab of fire-cooked wolf meat.


    While breakfast was good, Theo was excited to see Azrug for the first time in a while. The young Half-Ogre had occupied his time with the dealings of a Lord Merchant. Tresk, Alex, Sarisa, and Rowan joined with the alchemist after breakfast was done. Only the Marshling knew where Azrug had set up shop, and when they got there it was disappointing.


    ¡°He¡¯s running his shop out of a house?¡± Theo asked, making a face as though he had just smelled something foul. ¡°How unlike him.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you, too,¡± Azrug said, poking his head out of the front door. ¡°Supply lines are screwed. I can¡¯t get a [Shop Seed Core].¡±


    ¡°We need to look at your gear, Loremaster,¡± Tresk said, striking a pose.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re paying for something today? Well, come on in!¡±


    Azrug¡¯s ¡®shop¡¯ was just the first floor of the house crowded with shelves. It was located in the planned neighborhood area, nestled among the tightly packed homes. Theo had missed it, because he never went to the neighborhood. The shopkeeper¡¯s other venture was the stables near Miana¡¯s ranch. Something that the alchemist was planning on replacing with his monorail.


    Tresk browsed the shelves, but defaulted to asking Azrug what stock he had for throwing things. The thing about the items he stocked was that they were different. Loot dropped by monsters often had properties locked away, but he had a [Loremaster¡¯s Core]. High enough to unlock the second property on most low-level gear. His shelves were piled with gear that had at least two effects, sometimes three.


    The amount of useful crap Tresk intended to buy from Azrug was staggering. She was prepared to spend a small fortune to gear Theo out, and he wouldn¡¯t object. While the pair went over the synergy of the items, Theo looked over the things the young shopkeeper had collected. There were likely several spiritstone coins'' worth of stuff in there. Once they were done selecting items to buy, they went over the gear.


    ¡°First, we¡¯re getting rid of that stupid [Plume of Defiance],¡± Tresk said, holding out a leather hat. It had a wide brim and a pointed top that had flopped over to the side. The color seemed to shift from green to dark brown. The alchemist inspected the item.


    [Wizard¡¯s Hat of the Poisoner]


    [Hat]


    Rare


    A Karatan leather hat once said to be in the possession of a foul Poison Mage. It seethes with malicious intent.


    Effect:


    Increase the effects of poison.


    Increase the duration of poison.


    [Effect Locked]


    Theo placed his old hat into his inventory, then put the new one on his head. Despite logic, it fit perfectly over his horns. ¡°Do I look like a wizard, yet?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll look less like a wizard by the time we¡¯re done,¡± Azrug said, producing the next item.


    ¡°This one is dedicated to your throwing ability, meant to replace your [Robe of the Defender]. It synergizes with your scaling [Shirt of the Dexterous].¡± Tresk ran her fingers over the item. It was a padded shirt with tails that would go over his thighs. As the alchemist removed his robe, he inspected the item.


    [Gambeson of the Claw]


    [Cloth Gambeson]


    Epic


    A gambeson belonging to a member of a secret order of assassins.


    Effect:


    Throwing weapons will travel 1.25 faster than normal.


    Dexterity granted by items increases the speed at which throwing weapons move by 0.1 times per point.


    [Effect Locked]


    Theo pulled the black-dyed gambeson over his head. Tresk helped him secure the black iron clasps around himself. While it was a more form-fitted piece, it was just as comfortable as his robe. But the new outfit exposed his pants and boots, making the ensemble look silly. It didn¡¯t help that he had a wizard¡¯s hat on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a robe that does the same thing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Robes are out of fashion. It¡¯s all about the gambesons now.¡± Tresk¡¯s words had confidence, but the sense he got from her was one of lies.


    ¡°It¡¯s too good not to wear,¡± Theo said with a huff. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s next?¡±


    Both pieces of gear fed into his new strategy of throwing stuff. Even without his idea of using knives, this made him better at throwing potions. So long as they applied a poison effect. While Azrug didn¡¯t have any gloves for him, he offered to use his Loremaster abilities to unlock another property on his [Cloth Bracers of Tossing]. That proved to be a great thing. The alchemist inspected the result.


    [Cloth Bracers of Tossing]


    [Bracers]


    Rare


    Enchanted Karatan wool cloth bracers.


    Effect:


    Increase the accuracy of any thrown item.


    Missing the intended target with a thrown item increases the accuracy of your next attempt. Stacks 10 times. Stacks expire after 1 hour.


    [Effect Locked]


    Combined with the first effect, the bracers were now awesome. Theo liked the idea that he¡¯d get more accurate as he missed targets.


    ¡°Just a few more things,¡± Tresk said, tapping a pair of pitch black leather boots with her finger. ¡°This one is my favorite.¡±


    Theo slipped the boots on. They had deep treads and came up to his knee. That would be perfect for stomping around the marsh. As always, they were absurdly comfortable for boots. He inspected them.


    [Leather Boots of the Defiler]


    [Leather Boots]


    Epic


    Boots belonging to a long-dead necromancer. These boots root the user to the ground, enhancing all necrotic effects.


    If both of your feet are planted on the ground when you apply necrotic damage, the effect is doubled. This effect is removed if either foot leaves the ground while the necrotic damage is taking place.


    [Effect Locked]


    [Effect Locked]


    ¡°Go look at yourself in the mirror,¡± Tresk said, gesturing to the far end of the store.


    To Theo¡¯s surprise, there was a full-sized mirror in the corner. He went over, checking himself out in the mirror. He looked more like a discount villain than anything else. What he didn¡¯t notice was the soft clink of coins behind him. The exchanging of a fortune behind his back. When he caught onto it, spinning around, there was no evidence of the coins.


    ¡°How much was it?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never tell,¡± Tresk said, wiggling her eyebrows.


    Theo forced his will into her mind, but it was like running up against a brick wall. She noted the intrusion and smiled, sauntering over to pull him into a hug. ¡°No price is too much to keep my Theo safe.¡±


    The alchemist patted Tresk on the head, unable to keep the smile from his face.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go mess around. Throw some daggers.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡±

 4.47 - Upgrades and Adventure

    Gasses bubbled up from the turgid swamp. A mixture of decaying vegetation and stagnant water that release more foul smells than Theo could identify. The trilling calls of distant insects punctuated every squelching boot within the mire. Tresk led the way, keeping out of the shadows but staying low. Alex, Theo, and Sarisa stalked behind her with a level of stealth that was completely unnecessary.


    The [Swamp Dungeon] had pushed beyond level 30, but the creatures within the area weren¡¯t always so lucky. [Ogre Snappers], and [Marsh Wolves] were a common sight out here. The adventuring body of Broken Tusk had long since out-leveled the area, but it represented a chance to train. And the Marshling only knew one way to do things. Through stealth. The alchemist¡¯s place in any organized defense of the town would be as a back-liner, that much was true. But this is the way she wanted to train.


    Tresk issued a series of sharp hand-signals. They were leftover pieces of the Qavellian army on the small swamp town. Things picked up by both Aarok and Luras, then disseminated through the adventuring folks in town. Theo didn¡¯t need to understand the signals. He felt the marshling¡¯s intent through the motion, signaling that there was a snapper up ahead. While everyone but Theo and Alex had some stealthing ability, everyone remained visible. If only for the alchemist¡¯s sake.


    Another quick signal. Sarisa fanned out to the right, while Tresk went to the left. A snapper was buried in the mud with the top of its shell exposed. When in position, Sarisa, with her [Baelthar Guardian¡¯s Core], slammed the blunt end of her poleaxe into the creature¡¯s shell. A geyser of mud shot high into the air, painting the area in a layer of brown-green muck. The Marshling flinched, but didn¡¯t move. Her instinct to strike before a fight got out of hand was strong, but Theo felt her desire to see him work in a real-world scenario burning like a bonfire.


    For all their preparation, the resulting fight was brief. Theo launched a single bone dagger with his most powerful poison at the turtle. It stuck into the monster¡¯s side like a hungry leech, sucking away its life in moments. The turtle fell in a heap, letting out a low sigh before dying.


    That was anticlimactic, Alex said, honking.


    ¡°How accurate are you with those things?¡± Sarisa asked, wiping mud from her face.


    Theo had placed his free point into Dexterity. But the gear was what made him precise with his throws. There was a strange interaction between his attributes and his ability to throw, though. Dexterity and Strength were the logical picks for someone going for a throwing build. But Wisdom had a measurable influence on the action. The alchemist withdrew an untreated knife from his inventory, judged its weight, then let his Wisdom guide him. He snapped his wrist and the dagger went flying toward a tree.


    ¡°Fairly accurate.¡± Theo gestured toward the tree. Pinned under the knife was a tiny Fire Salamander half-way up the massive Ogre Cypress.


    ¡°Did we finally find something Theo is good at? In combat, I mean,¡± Tresk said, not bothering to clear the muck from her face. ¡°He¡¯s great at potions, don¡¯t get me wrong. But for a future super soldier, he¡¯s always been so wimpy.¡±


    ¡°I resemble that remark.¡±


    Sarisa and Tresk descended into a conversation about Theo¡¯s abilities. Military minded as they were, they discussed the best position for him in battle and how he could best use his tossing abilities. It wasn¡¯t even a question before. He was always providing support during monster waves, but now he could make a difference. But the alchemist¡¯s mind lingered on other things. The group moved through the swamp as they chatted, putting him to the test each time they encountered a monster.


    The thing that occupied Theo¡¯s thoughts was his Toru¡¯aun core. Every 10 levels was a segmentation of power and understanding. He reviewed the book he was working on for Salire. The secrets of Drogramathi alchemy put a firm barrier between first and second tier potions. Another layer in the process that produced more powerful potions by adding another step. For alchemy, it was a refinement technique based on applying pressure to essences. What would it be for his wards?


    They spent half the day in the swamp, but it turned out to be a lure. Tresk had intended to take Theo down into the [Swamp Dungeon] that day, but he refused. The alchemist had enough materials to fight through the swamp, but when faced with enemies at a higher level than himself, he refused with no uncertain words. The Marshling was grumpy about it for a while, but opened herself to his feelings. She felt the trepidation and backed off immediately.


    ¡°All in time, right?¡± Tresk asked, patting Theo on his lower back. She simply couldn¡¯t reach any higher. ¡°You¡¯re free for a few hours. Then I¡¯ve got more training planned.¡±


    Free from his combat obligations, Theo made his rounds through the town. His first stop was the Newt and Demon to check on Salire. He found her praying before the idol of Drogramath, no doubt asking for him to bestow a core onto her. He doubted it worked that way, but tried not to be judgemental.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Salire said, rising and dusting her pretty sundress off. ¡°Sorry, I was just¡­¡±


    Theo waved her off. ¡°I get it. You have your heart set on a demon core.¡±


    Salire¡¯s cheeks flushed a dark shade of maroon. She suddenly busied herself with a ream of parchment, detailing the orders for the day. There was good news on the new potions. Citizens were willing to pay a premium for the third tier attribute potions, which was no surprise. The soon-to-be-alchemist had already worked her ass off that day, creating enough liquor to get the entire town drunk ten times over. While it was dangerous, she was able to create the unrefined version of the dilution without blowing up the lab.


    ¡°What we¡¯re lacking,¡± Theo said, snapping the lid of the last still closed. ¡°Is more space. More of Throk¡¯s advanced stills.¡±


    Salire rubbed her hands together, a gleam of recognition in her eyes. ¡°Are we upgrading the lab?¡±


    Theo nodded. He had enough leftover cores to get the building to 30 if he wanted. A Wisdom of the Soul notification popped up, claiming it was confident that 30 was their current cap. It left out what mechanism kept them at that level, but he¡¯d take it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get two upgrades, but the space is the most important part. I¡¯ll send it north and south so I don¡¯t crush my greenhouses.¡±


    Theo chatted with his apprentice as he shoved cores into the building. While he maintained a conversation with her, his mind drifted elsewhere. Perhaps it was a combination of his Wisdom and Intelligence, but he found the act to be effortless. The thing his thoughts centered on was how to upgrade his wards. More Wisdom notifications popped up, pointing him in the right direction with every errant thought. Just before the building hit level 25, he came to a simple conclusion.


    ¡°It makes sense,¡± Theo said, cutting Salire off as she spoke. She cleared her throat, looking at him with concern. The Half-Ogre had just been talking about a suitor she had spurned. The alchemist pushed on. ¡°You can think of pressure treatment for essences as a way of reinforcing them, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure?¡± Salire asked, cheeks flushing again. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought of it as a refinement process. Getting rid of impurities.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin, then ran his hand over his horns. ¡°I wonder if Drogramath Dronon horns are a reagent.¡±


    ¡°You alright? What were you just saying?¡±


    Theo shook his head, centering his thoughts. He thought he had figured out how to get his wards to the next level, but it may have been a combination of things. ¡°Second tier is pressure refinement, and third tier is mana infusion. I think second tier wards need a circle of reinforcing Toru¡¯aun script¡ªsomething to bolster the nature of the ward. But now I see it¡¯s more like¡­ footnotes? Something that helps the spell stabilize itself. Like removing the impurities from essence.¡±


    ¡°That implies that Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic is similar to Drogramath¡¯s alchemy.¡± Salire and Theo sat with that thought for a long time. The alchemist let it wash over himself¡ªa sense of recognition that he already knew.


    ¡°How close are the other demon skills?¡± Theo asked. ¡°And what does that mean? Why are they so similar?¡±


    A Wisdom of the Soul notification popped up, trying and failing to draw lines between the demon gods. He didn¡¯t have enough information to figure out their secret. But there were secrets there. And they wouldn¡¯t go uncovered forever. Salire just shrugged, gesturing to the [Monster Core] in the alchemist¡¯s hand. He shoved it into the building, expanding it out yet again. The system notification popped up, presenting him with several choices for upgrades.


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    [Root Cellar]


    A cellar for preserving reagents is housed under the lab. Reagents placed inside of the cellar decay at a slower rate.


    [Experimentation Room]


    A reinforced room is placed behind the lab, creating a safe place to conduct explosive experimentations.


    These two upgrades had been there since the start of Theo¡¯s alchemical journey. [Root Cellar] was absolutely useless with the arrival of [Dimensional Storage Crates]. While he was tempted to take [Experimentation Room] several times, it just didn¡¯t seem worth it. Not unless the room had a way to vent gasses, which wasn¡¯t described in the upgrade screen. Instead, he checked the third upgrade option.


    [Internal Liquids Storage]


    Adds a [Liquid Storage] attachment behind your lab. This storage method can be interfaced with your existing systems. All liquids added to the storage system will be stored separately, causing no unexpected alchemical interactions. Base capacity is 10,000 units.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just miles better than the other ones,¡± Theo said, selecting the [Internal Liquids Storage] option.


    The lab buckled under their feet, sending things clattering to the ground. The stills sloshed ominously. Both Theo and Salire rushed to the window, spotting a massive copper tank outside. The alchemist focused on the attachment, causing a notification to pop up.


    [Liquid Storage]


    [The Newt and Demon]


    Building Attachment


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: [The Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Expansions:


    None


    ¡°See, those are the best kinds of upgrades,¡± Theo said, nodding at the large tank. ¡°We can upgrade that, then get more use out of it. Since its part of a seed core, we don¡¯t have to worry about things going wrong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Pulling his head into the lab, Theo spotted new pipes running all over the place. Now he had to figure out if he wanted to finish upgrading the building, or upgrade the [Liquid Storage] first. He tapped his foot, thinking about which upgrade would bring him the most joy right then. After a quick nod, he decided to finish with the lab first. The alchemist shoved more cores into his building, resuming his chat with Salire.


    ¡°I have enough low-level cores to get the [Liquid Storage] attachment to at least level 10. So, we¡¯re good. Anyway, what were you telling me about that over-eager Marshling?¡±


    Salire resumed her story where she left off. There was a Marshling in town that had taken a fancy to her. He delivered [Flame Roses] almost every day until he nearly burned himself. After that he swapped to [Widow Lilies], which struck a nerve with the budding alchemist. Even outside the alchemical arts, they were considered portents of death. That didn¡¯t stop his over-eager nature, and he continued his courtship.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see myself with him. But he just won¡¯t stop.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot. ¡°I could have him executed, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Salire said, punching him in the arm. But a smile hung on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too nice to him. He sees you as a local Half-Ogre. They¡¯re very pushy. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he still loved you after you hit him in the face.¡±


    ¡°What am I going to do?¡±


    ¡°Talk to Xam. She¡¯s good at dealing with suitors. I¡¯m pretty sure the moon-wizard Uharis was coming on to her.¡±


    Theo continued to shove cores into the building, talking with Salire about other things. But he took her concerns seriously. Some guy not getting the hint was one thing, but when was that harassing behavior? Or maybe he was thinking too much about it, and it was actually a cultural problem. His mind flung back to Earth, and the troubles he had with relationships. People preferred short-term arrangements back there, seeing as the world was being swallowed by a sun. He was one of the people who valued a good partner. Someone who was more than just a fun night in some dingy Moscovian hovel.


    Only now, long after taking the Tara¡¯hek with Tresk, did he think he could finally move on. The alchemist wanted to snatch at the silver locket on his chest. The metal, faded from too many comforting clutches, had a personality all its own. But that chunk of memories was likely melted on the surface of a dead planet, fused with his old body. A corpse in a field of corpses. Dead memories and dead lovers.


    ¡°Theo?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo blinked away his stupor. His technique for splitting his thoughts had failed, consumed as he was by the past. The alchemist cleared his throat, inserting the last core into the building. The system notification popped up, but he took a moment to appreciate the amount of space they had gained. Now the vents overhead could hold more stills, giving them more production capacity. He pushed those old memories to the back of his mind, locking them away yet again.


    ¡°Upgrade time,¡± he said, consulting the newest upgrade for his building. Salire looked on with concern.


    [Lab Extension]


    This upgrade adds a third floor to your building. The entire top floor will contain more floor space for your alchemy equipment, as well as a vent system doubled in size. The second floor will be split between sleeping accommodations and a wide-open area for experimentation. Your first floor will remain as a shop.


    ¡°Now that is an upgrade,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good one¡­¡± Salire trailed off, eyes searching the alchemist¡¯s own.


    Theo selected it, bracing himself as the floor rumbled beneath him. The stills vanished from the spot. The ceiling above shifted, no longer holding the massive black iron flue that sucked away all the vapors. The staircase was now a switchback staircase, leading up to the newly-created third floor. He darted up those stairs, whistling as his new work area. There was far more room on the third floor, as it didn¡¯t have to support the bedroom. Instead of a cramped interior, there were now large windows he could open, giving him an amazing view of the town. The building had magically transported the stills to their new spots, resting on plates of iron.


    ¡°This is cool,¡± Salire said, inspecting the new room.


    Theo blew out a sigh. She was perceptive, which was a great quality to have for an alchemist. A natural affinity for noticing small details would get her far in the business. That was one of his weaknesses. Missing those little things. ¡°Alright. Say what you¡¯re going to say.¡±


    But Salire didn¡¯t say anything. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting hug. Some people were annoying when it came to these things. Tresk would have just huffed and left the room¡ªsomething the alchemist would have appreciated. This approach was acceptable, though. He lingered there, hugging the Half-Ogre back with a smile.


    ¡°A nice hug can make things better, right?¡± Salire asked, her voice hopeful.


    Theo pulled away, holding her by her shoulders. ¡°Hugs make everything better. But you know I¡¯m an outworlder, right? Want to hear a story?¡±


    Salire nodded, now eager that the alchemist would open up. He began at the start, because it only seemed appropriate. Detailing his years in the youth program, then all the spying and the killing. Everything was painted in blood until he met her. Then things changed. The pair proceeded downstairs to upgrade the storage tanks as he rambled on. Words spilled out of him without his command. A catharsis brought by dumping every errant feeling he¡¯d felt over the past 40 years.


    Salire was a good listener.


    Theo fed cores into the [Internal Liquid Storage]. It was a good place to stop his story. This was all he was willing to share with anyone. That part of the tale never sat right with him. An unfair hand dealt by fate. A life ended too soon. In a world with an expanding sun, bathing the landscape in deadly radiation and sunlight, nothing had ever seemed darker to him. No one deserved a second chance less than him.


    ¡°First round of upgrades,¡± Theo said, cutting his story off and reading the upgrade options.


    [Expanded Capacity]


    The size of your tanks doesn¡¯t grow, but the capacity does. Adds another 500 units of capacity for every level.


    [Even Flow]


    Liquids flow through the system at twice the normal rate.


    [Suction System]


    Every pipe generated by this attachment has a mote-powered vacuum.


    ¡°Obvious upgrade,¡± Salire said, laughing.


    ¡°Capacity, right? Since it scales.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Theo selected the [Expanded Capacity] option before shoving more cores into the tank. A smile hung on Salire¡¯s face. A warmth spread between them, as though the feelings he shared left behind a little fire. Something to keep away the darkness. ¡°Next upgrade. Ah, kinda sucks.¡±


    [Preservation]


    Liquids stored in these tanks will not rot.


    ¡°Can essences go bad?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure. Given time, they might become unstable, but rotting? He doubted that would ever happen. Instead, he selected the [Suction System] upgrade. The Half-Ogre agreed that was the best pick between the three options. The alchemist inspected the attachment before moving on. Level 10 was plenty for now.


    [Liquid Storage]


    [The Newt and Demon]


    Building Attachment


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: [The Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 10 (5%)


    Capcity: 15,000 units


    Expansions:


    [Expanded Capacity]


    [Suction System]


    ¡°Good bit of upgrading today,¡± Salire said with a nod. Theo inspected the Newt and Demon.


    [Alchemy Lab] [Alchemy Shop]


    [The Newt and Demon]


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Shopkeeper: Salire Hogrush


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 30 (2%)


    Rent Due: 2 Days


    Expansions:


    [Alchemy Shop]


    [Drogramath Distillation Specialty]


    [Shrine to Drogramath]


    [Alchemical Garden]


    [Internal Liquid Storage]


    [Lab Extension]


    ¡°Yeah. We did good. Also, thanks for the talk. Feels like my mind is finally centering itself.¡±


    ¡°Time and good friends have a way of doing that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They do.¡±

 4.48 - Spirits of Terogal

    Theo rested near the pond in Tero¡¯gal. Belgar had unfurled the letter written to him by Zarali, and was reading it again. That would mark his tenth time through the letter. The alchemist had spent most of his day working to get better at tossing his infused daggers. Having swapped to blunted wooden knives, Tresk had put him through his paces. Near the day¡¯s end, he retreated into his private realm for some relaxation.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± Theo said, gaining the attention of the Dronon¡¯s spirit. ¡°What are you two saying to each other?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s catching me up on what I missed,¡± Belgar said, setting the letter aside.


    The spirit¡¯s form became more solid by the day. He had gone from little more than a wisp, to something similar to a corporeal form. The strange thing was that he didn¡¯t look like Belgar anymore. Not the body that Theo inhabited. The form he now took was his own making. Some internal version of himself that he had held in life. His features were more angular than his original body. Angular features with deep-set eyes gave him a more demonic appearance.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of time to miss out on.¡± Theo let the cool water wash over his feet.


    The pair chatted for some time. Nothing of importance, of course. But the act of bonding with the man who used to use his body made Theo feel uneasy. Even if Belgar didn¡¯t seem to care. Their conversation was only cut short when an archway of ice rose, resulting in a stumbling Toora god. Benton looked flustered, but managed his expression before approaching them.


    ¡°Alright¡ªphew¡ªgot a few spirits coming in hot,¡± Benton said, wringing his hands together.


    Belgar brightened up, his newly formed brow knitting in disbelief. ¡°From which brood?¡±


    ¡°All over the place,¡± Benton said. A shiver echoed through his body. ¡°Ten spirits. All drifting between the realms like gods damned phantoms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep them in line, Theo.¡± Belgar gave the alchemist a quick nod.


    ¡°They¡¯re bound by an oath. I¡¯m not worried about them going rogue.¡±


    Benton clapped his hands together once. ¡°But the results? You¡¯re going to be shocked. Anyway, are you ready for them?¡±


    The moment Theo nodded, the icy portal teemed with magical energy. Ten spirits, all like Belgar when he first appeared in Tero¡¯gal, marched out. Theo recognized which brood each came from with ease, spotting the color of their spirits. He made an assumption about two of them, though. Two from Zagmon, four from Drogramath, two from Tworgnoth, and another two he couldn¡¯t identify. After a moment of observation, he concluded they were from Toru¡¯aun¡¯s brood. The hue of their spirit shifted through a range of colors, cycling with an upheaval of emotion.


    The Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal was filled with a chorus of confused voices. Only when Belgar came over, exuding a calming presence that washed over the crowd, did they stop their chatter. He gave a brief speech about being calm, wrangling those turgid wisps until they had settled down. After that, they were happy to listen to him speak. Only two Drogramathi Dronon left through the portal.


    Benton leaned in as Belgar spoke, whispering into Theo¡¯s ear. ¡°The ones from Zagmon¡¯s brood have nowhere to go. No choice but to accept whatever fate you have to offer them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too much power for one man,¡± Theo said.


    The alchemist¡¯s mind drifted away from the scene. Back to Broken Tusk, where he¡¯d already happily taken in refugees. Perhaps that was a selfish thing on his part. He accepted those people to power his own burgeoning empire. Well, it was a trade alliance, but it felt more like a one-man empire by the day. More workers meant more power, that was obvious. But did the same rules apply here? In Tero¡¯gal? He wasn¡¯t about to turn away people who were in need. And it cost him nothing to house them here in his realm.


    When Belgar finished his talking, eight Dronon spirits knelt before the alchemist. They swore what men and women in their situation would swear. Undying fealty. Sadly, they didn¡¯t have an option. The Dronon could take their chances in the void, or flourish here in Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist didn¡¯t care which option they picked, and he accepted them all as one. Underfoot, the realm rumbled. The alchemist felt his mind spread out over the realm like a thin sheet of silk, blanketing the landscape as it begged expansion.


    Theo swayed on the spot before Benton caught him. ¡°The first time is rough,¡± the bear god explained.


    ¡°What am I supposed to expect?¡± Theo asked. His willpower wrapped itself around that sheet, holding firm to keep the realm together.


    ¡°That was enough souls for a few level-ups. Your realm is going to expand.¡±


    The sensation Theo felt in his mind was like when he upgraded buildings on the mortal plane. A sense of expansion that was normally followed by a screen. The screen that showed up on buildings when they leveled was a prompt, asking for a direction to expand in. This was the raw form of that expansion. A primordial request from the system itself. A request that was supposed to filter through a god core. Instead, it ran through his body like a bolt of lightning.


    Theo collapsed to the ground as his mind tried, and failed, to wrap itself around the request. Every nerve in his body burned as though held over a roaring fire. Benton shouted something he couldn¡¯t hear. Belgar¡¯s panicked footfalls came next. Someone was shaking the alchemist¡¯s body as his mind reached further. Past the veil, over the Bridge of Shadows, and into the mortal realm. He reached for the only thing he knew he could trust in this world.


    Time froze in Tero¡¯gal. The sense of burning faded in an instant. Theo looked up from his position on the ground, blinking away his confusion. Belgar and Benton stood over him, shouting something at each other. They appeared as statues, locked in some eternal conflict. He felt something familiar. He heard a snap somewhere distant. Then Tresk and Alex tumbled through the air, slamming hard into the ground. The Marshling looked up, offense clear on her face.


    ¡°What the hell, man!?¡± Tresk shouted, pulling herself to her feet. ¡°Did you just interdict me?¡±


    Me too!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened,¡± Theo said. But the pain was gone. His grasp on the silk sheet had diminished, but it was still held in his will. ¡°I was accepting some souls into the realm, then it felt like someone was lighting my body on fire.¡±


    Theo took a moment to collect his thoughts. This shouldn¡¯t have been possible. Tresk and Alex had already visited Tero¡¯gal today. They should have been locked out. But ¡®should¡¯ made little sense in the otherworldly realms. If his instinct was to reach for Tresk and Alex, then they were the solution to his problem.


    ¡°Alright. Guess time is just frozen,¡± the Marshling said, poking Benton on his face. ¡°New trick, or what? Who are all the spirits?¡±


    ¡°Dronon spirits,¡± Theo said, observing the frozen crowd of kneeling figures. ¡°I think you need to help me wrangle Tero¡¯gal. I think that¡¯s why I reached out for you.¡±


    Tresk pointed an accusatory finger at Theo. ¡°Let¡¯s not stir things up, okay? We got a sweet deal here, but it''s on a knife¡¯s edge.¡±


    The ground underfoot rumbled. Another loud pop. Then Khahar¡¯s rumbling voice washed over them. ¡°I can¡¯t leave you alone for five minutes without something happening, huh?¡±


    Theo turned to the Arbiter. Reflexively, a smile spread across his face. ¡°Did you come here with a bit of exposition?¡±


    Khahar chuckled, striding across Tero¡¯gal with his godly swagger. ¡°Yeah, we thought this might happen. Your realm is more of a proto-realm. I just had a chat with the Twins about it. You need to join your mind with Tresk¡¯s, then force yourself on the realm. Time should resume after that.¡±


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    ¡°The twins?¡± Tresk asked.


    The smile that spread across Khahar¡¯s face belonged to Yuri. Lopsided and far too toothy. ¡°The only other Tara¡¯hek that lasted long enough to ascend to godhood. Twin Bantari Marshlings.¡±


    Tresk jumped up and down on the spot, clapping her hands. ¡°Marshy!?¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Neither are named Marshy. Anyway, get to it.¡±


    Theo and Tresk closed their eyes at the same time. The alchemist shared the weight of that sheet. When the Marshling¡¯s willpower came into play, it wasn¡¯t like his firm grip. It felt like a mountain falling onto the sheet, laying it flat and holding it there with sheer authority. The scene cracked with a pop. The ground rumbled again. Before the spirits came into the realm, it was easy enough to see the edge of the island. It now sprawled out into the distance, expanded to such a distance as to make it almost impossible to spot the edge.


    ¡°This is Level 2?¡± Tresk asked, blowing out a steady breath. ¡°Damn. Already so big.¡±


    Khahar nodded, his eyes locked on the Marshling. That didn¡¯t pass Theo¡¯s notice. ¡°Why is she so much better at this than me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Khahar said, his voice flinty. ¡°It wasn¡¯t in my predictions, and I cannot feel the source.¡±


    The source of what? Alex asked.


    Khahar turned, regarding the goose. ¡°Her willpower is like an endless spring. The command she holds over your realm is beyond anything I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just really willful.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Khahar turned away. ¡°Be good, Theo. I¡¯m in the middle of something.¡±


    Without explaining himself, the Arbiter was gone. Time sped up in an instant. Benton and Belgar¡¯s shouts filled the area, then declarations of confusion.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Benton asked, chuckling nervously.


    ¡°We got it under control,¡± Theo said. He addressed the spirits. ¡°Welcome to Tero¡¯gal. Belgar will be your guide. Please don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±


    A chorus of agreement issued from the spirits. Belgar was confused, but led them away to lay the ground rules. Theo, Tresk, Alex, and Benton made their way to the cottage for some tea. The bear god busied himself with the kettle before sitting down at the old wooden table.


    ¡°How did you interdict her?¡± Benton asked, his voice almost a whisper. ¡°I thought that was a forbidden thing. With the new rules.¡±


    Theo had already rolled the problem over in his head. He could only draw one conclusion. ¡°I think the Arbiter is bending the rules. Tresk and I are close, thanks to the bond. So close, that you might convince the system we¡¯re the same person.¡±


    This theory was inspired by several things. First was the bleeding of emotions through the core. Then the deep level of communication they had. Last was the system¡¯s designation of Theo as a person in the world. It had originally listed him as Belgar, with his true name in parentheses. Now it just called him ¡®Theo Spencer¡¯. The moment he brought the owner of the body back into existence, it declared them entirely different things.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you tricked the system because of a core?¡± Benton asked, chuckling. ¡°Well, it worked. So that¡¯s weird.¡±


    Tresk shook her head. Her pink skin was getting paler by the moment. ¡°I don¡¯t feel so good, Theo.¡±


    ¡°It has limits,¡± Theo said, nodding. That made sense. He didn¡¯t have the same kind of willpower as her, so holding her here was too much. ¡°See ya in a second, Tresk.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, the alchemist sent both Tresk and Alex tumbling back to the mortal realm. They disappeared with a satisfying popping sound, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence in the cottage.


    ¡°You¡¯re firmly in the realm of weird stuff I don''t want to consider, Theo,¡± Benton said with a nod. He poured two cups of tea, producing several delicious lemon scones from nowhere. ¡°But, hey. At least this is fun.¡±


    Theo chatted with Benton at the table. Belgar was already putting the new spirits through drills. The pair could hear him prattle on about strengthening themselves by absorbing the power of Tero¡¯gal. That could have been true. The spirit could have also just been asserting his authority.


    When they were done with their tea, Theo walked the outside of his realm. Several features had appeared on the landscape. Clusters of rocks, a small forest, and several vacant homes. Belgar had been doing a good job of attending to the spirit fruits, but the alchemist didn¡¯t know if he was ready to deal with those. It seemed as though the faster he introduced things to his daily work life, the more complicated things got. He shoved one of each fruit in his inventory, leaving the rest for storage crates in the realm.


    The floating circle of land had grown to twice its normal size. Benton accompanied Theo to the edge. They gazed over, watching in ultra slow-motion as Tresk explained why she had winked out of existence for less than a second.


    ¡°You know you can travel back by willing yourself there. Right?¡± Benton asked.


    ¡°Yeah. But jumping off the edge is cool,¡± Theo said, falling backwards off the island.


    Benton shouted something back, but Theo couldn¡¯t hear it. As the alchemist passed over the bridge, he felt Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s pull. She urged him to stop by the bridge. As he pressed his willpower against hers, he felt she was the better match. But without his consent, it was a losing battle. She only left him with a thought. A whispering string of words that lingered in his mind.


    Tread carefully. The Arbiter¡¯s hold isn¡¯t absolute.


    Theo felt his feet hit the wooden floor of his dining room. Everyone had gathered for dinner in his manor that night, eating the good food provided by Xam. All eyes turned to him when he arrived. While they were used to him vanishing for five minutes at a time, they were all confused about Tresk snapping out of reality for a fraction of a second.


    The alchemist cleared his throat. ¡°How about that weather?¡±


    <hr>


    Theo rested himself on a rock in the Dreamwalk. He stared off over some unfamiliar horizon, tapping his foot. Tresk wanted to train tonight, but he was so lost in his thoughts as to be unreachable. Instead, she worked with Alex. The goose was close to mastering her new affinity, something that had only just showed up in her interface. Her connection with nature was weak compared to her connection with fire. But the constant training¡ªdrills issued by Tresk¡ªhad brought her to the mid-teens of her levels.


    ¡°A dog-sized goose,¡± Theo mumbled, watching as the pair trained. ¡°A salamander-woman with an iron will. Well, what does that make me?¡±


    ¡°A pensive demon!¡± Tresk shouted, dodging a strike from a Troll.


    ¡°What do you think Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s warning was about?¡± Theo asked, walking close to the battle.


    Tresk thrust her rapier, skewering the Troll¡¯s heart. But those creatures were known for their regenerative power. Only the most potent poisons, or the constant application of fire, would kill the creature. ¡°She¡¯s a paranoid idiot. You know who¡ªwhoops,¡± the Marshling ducked, nearly taking a club to the face. ¡°You know who I¡¯m worried about? Toru¡¯aun.¡±


    That was a good thing to be concerned about. Theo liked his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core], but there were too many things about it that rubbed him the wrong way. It should have been listed as a Demonmage¡¯s core, but it wasn¡¯t. The mysterious god gave it to him freely. No strings attached? Yeah, right. The Demon Lords never worked without strings. Enough rope to bind a person head to foot, more likely.


    Matters weren¡¯t helped by her title. The Queen of Mystery.


    When everything went sideways in the heavens, there were only a few players. Khahar conspired with at least a few gods to get his throne. Parantheir, Uz¡¯Xulven, and Toru¡¯aun were the ones Theo knew about. On the mortal side, Fenian had a hand in the god¡¯s ascension. There was no doubt in the alchemist¡¯s mind about that. But his thoughts fell away as he realized the brick wall he was running up against.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, imagining a handful of imbued knives. ¡°I¡¯m ready to train.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Tresk snapped her fingers. The Trolls vanished. She snapped them again and another creature appeared flying above them. ¡°We¡¯re fighting a dragon.¡±


    Tresk¡¯s interpretation of a dragon was likely incorrect. Theo noted many similarities to what he expected from the creature, but hilarious differences. It had a fat stubby tail that seemed useless for flying. Its wings were shorter than they should have been, and it had a stunted neck. The face looked too close to a fish, although it did have the fangs he expected from such a creature.


    The problem with fighting Tresk¡¯s dragon was that she saw them as invincible. The first pass the creature made over the rolling fields killed all three combatants. On the tenth pass, Theo realized that the scales of the monster were impenetrable. Another wave of deadly dragon¡¯s fire, and the Marshling called for a break.


    ¡°Where did you even see a dragon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh, dad had this story book. He used to read it to me when I was a hatchling.


    ¡°Was the dragon in the story invincible?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in fighting an unkillable enemy?¡±


    ¡°No-win situations are real, Theo. You know that better than anyone.¡±


    That stung more than he thought it would. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was talking about his current situation, or what happened back on Earth. Either way, it left him feeling hopeless. But sensations like that didn¡¯t last long in the Dreamwalk. After a short break, they were back at it. Dying at the claws of some invincible red dragon named ¡®Firedeath¡¯. Another few hours of that and the alchemist felt like maybe they could win.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of getting past the scales,¡± he said, putting out a small fire on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 4.49 - Dragons Breath

    Theo drummed his fingers on the table in his new lab. His night in the Dreamwalk resulted in predictable outcomes. The dragon was too strong for them to beat, and he doubted Tresk intended for it to be defeated. After a light breakfast, he came to the lab to inspect the new area and read his daily administration reports. While Ziz¡¯s progress on the tower was predictable, there was an interesting note about Throk.


    The Marshling artificer had been working hard on Theo¡¯s new weapons. He had finished the base model and was testing it today. The alchemist expected to look out the window, spotting a fleet of airships descending on his town at any moment. But it was peaceful for now. The only thing that broke his concentration was the opening of the lab door.


    ¡°Oh. Didn¡¯t expect you here so early,¡± Salire said. ¡°This lab is too empty.¡±


    The pair shared pleasantries then got to work on estimating the capacity of the new lab. With the area only dedicated to stills, their production capacity would go through the roof. Theo was now looking down the limitations of manpower, rather than equipment. He still needed to commission some new fancy stills from Throk, but that guy was so busy. He also had to consider an additional difficulty to get over. State mandated alchemy runs.


    Gronro-Dir had done well with their supply of anti-undead potions, but they required a restock today. While the lab had a fair supply of the essence, it was best not to be caught with one¡¯s pants down. With the golems working around the clock, the alchemist had more than enough [Swamp Truffles] stored to make a big run. He drummed his fingers on the table without end, Wisdom of the Soul messages popping up here and there. It offered ideas for the best way to make the runs, and estimated quantities for Gronro¡¯s current stock.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said, interrupting whatever Salire was saying. He cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m going to work with some dangerous materials. Sarisa? Ah, there you are. Lurking in the shadows as usual. Could you ask Thim to construct ten [Custom Drogramathi Iron Artifice Stills]? Thank you¡ªwe¡¯ll pay when the order is completed.¡±


    Salire let out a long whistle. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of stills.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Sarisa was gone in moments, rushing down the stairs. Rowan was still somewhere nearby. Lurking like his sister always did.


    ¡°Now, I have something interesting to show you.¡±


    Theo withdrew a [Dragon Apple] from his inventory. He held it gingerly in his hand, snatching it back when Salire went to reach out for it. It was shaped like an apple from Earth, but was covered in a thin layer of scales like a dragon. The thing weighed far more than it should have. The alchemist inspected the spirit fruit.


    [Dragon Apple]


    [Spirit Fruit]


    Mythic


    The favored food of dragons older than time itself, these fruits are said to increase the strength of whoever eats them.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a mythic item,¡± Salire said, her eyes locked on the apple. ¡°Can¡¯t I just touch it.¡±


    ¡°Without [Unstable Material Handling], it would likely explode.¡±


    ¡°Oh. No touching, then.¡±


    Even in Theo¡¯s hands, the thing felt like it was going to burst at any moment. He returned it to his inventory while he thought about his next course of action. Eating the fruit would be the fastest way to get a property unlocked. He could also use his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability, but the Wisdom of the Soul message popped up. It warned against using his ability on the fruit. The conceptual weight of the fruit was too much for his level to carry. The result would be devastating.


    Then there was the problem of eating the fruit. Even with his ability, digging his teeth into the thing might set it off. Cutting it with a knife that wasn¡¯t perfectly imbued with alchemically neutral properties would also result in an explosion. Theo and Salire talked about this for a while, concluding that Khahar wouldn¡¯t have given the seeds if he wasn¡¯t meant to use them. He brought the apple out again, plucking a petal from the side. It revealed the wet fruit beneath, glistening in the morning light. To his surprise, his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] sang when he held the petal. It was a reagent.


    [Dragon Apple Petals]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Epic


    Petals from a Dragon Apple. These are said to have been used by the ancient priests of the dragon order during ceremonies.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°So, we need to peel them before we process them. The petals are a reagent,¡± Theo said, handing the item over to Salire. She held her hands up as though he was trying to shove wet garbage into her hands. ¡°It should be safe to handle for you.¡±


    Reluctantly, she took the petal and rolled it over. ¡°No properties unlocked for me. Nothing new there.¡±


    Theo nodded, removing all the petals from the fruit. He was left with a red, wet piece of fruit in his hands. The juice that touched his skin sent a fiery feeling climbing up his arm. As he searched around, he couldn¡¯t find a better place for the item to rest while it was out of his inventory. Everything else might have been too reactive. Instead of thinking about the problem too much, he held the fragrant fruit up to his face. After only a moment of hesitation, he took a bite.


    The [Dragon Apple] tasted like nothing else Theo had in his life. It was like every kind of apple all at the same time. There was a certain spice to the flavor that had him questioning whether it wasn¡¯t cinnamon. He chewed, then swallowed. Two independent system messages popped up.


    [Property Discovered]!


    Eating the [Dragon Apple] has revealed the property: [Dragon¡¯s Breath]


    [Spirit Fruit Consumed]!


    You have eaten a portion of a spirit fruit. Your natural strength has increased slightly. You may only eat one whole spirit fruit per day.


    Theo relayed the messages to Salire, stroking his chin as he thought about it. He couldn¡¯t speak on the quality of the property, but maybe that wasn¡¯t the point. Maybe he was just supposed to eat one of these fruits every day. By his estimation, the spirit plants he had in Tero¡¯gal were enough for him to have one each day. When he considered creating a farm of the fruits in his realm, a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    The conceptual weight of the spirit fruits is great. After holding the fruit, you realized the connection those fruit trees have with the world. It would be impossible to house more than a few trees in Tero¡¯gal. Additional conceptual weight would crush the realm, marking it as a bad idea.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Guess this is my private reserve.¡±


    Theo estimated that there were close to two units of fruit left. He considered the idea that he could make little baby stills for such small runs. Until he could get that done, he¡¯d need to use his best equipment to process the fruit. Instead of running it through the grinder, he mashed it up by hand. When the pieces fell into the purple-black of the still, he winced. But nothing happened. The pulverized red fruit rested without issue. The alchemist breathed a sigh of relief. Salire had run for the door.


    ¡°Oh. Guess we¡¯re fine. Hah. I knew we¡¯d be fine.¡±


    ¡°Sure you did,¡± Theo said, preparing some [Enchanted Water] for a tier 2 batch. Without some [Dragon¡¯s Breath Essence], he was stuck creating an inferior product.


    ¡°How are we going to do this?¡± Salire asked, watching as Theo introduced the water to the mix.


    ¡°Carefully. Manual controls on the heat. I¡¯ll let my Wisdom of the Soul guide me if I need. Make sure we have clean glassware on hand. I don¡¯t wanna be caught with my pants down.¡±


    Salire nodded, scurrying around the lab to get things ready. They had moved the [Glassware Artifice] upstairs, so the assistant generated a few fresh flasks in different shapes. Theo doubted the shape mattered, but it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Depending on how reactive the essence was, it was possible he¡¯d need to shove it in his inventory as quick as he could.


    ¡°Could you take notes?¡± Theo asked, snapping the lid closed before crouching near the control panel. ¡°I need to focus.¡±


    With a notebook in hand, she prepared to scribble everything down. Theo held the knob to the heat control, ready to turn it to the lowest setting. His Wisdom of the Soul popped up immediately, claiming there was a risk of an explosion. The alchemist made sure Salire took that down in her notes before he considered what just happened.


    ¡°Dragons? High heat?¡± Theo asked, focusing on that idea. His Wisdom of the Soul notification didn¡¯t appear this time. ¡°Alright. Here we go.¡±


    The black knob on the side of the still clicked through its heating stages, settling on the highest option. The room was immediately bathed in a sweltering heat that defied the muggy conditions outside. Theo desperately wanted to crank his air conditioner up all the way, but stayed crouched by the still. The contents within bubbled, then sizzled. He remained there, waiting for something else to happen. No messages came, and none of his experience told him what to do here.


    Theo had expected this batch to be more challenging. But the key was to keep the heat on as high as possible for the entire run. It only took a few minutes for the mash to boil down to nothing, sending the vapor through the various tubes to be condensed into a refined essence. Two units of bright red essence dripped into the holding flask. It shimmered with a mix of glowing oranges and reds. The alchemist cut the heat to the still. Another Wisdom of the Soul message popped up when he went to pop the lid. It was safer to let the scraps cool down.


    ¡°[Refined Dragon¡¯s Breath Essence],¡± Salire said, keeping her distance from the essence. ¡°A mythic quality essence. ¡°That¡¯s an achievement, right?¡±


    Theo nodded as he observed the essence. It didn¡¯t like being in the second tier form. The liquid was almost willful in that way, putting off waves of displeasure. Before it could do anything else, he stowed it away in his inventory. But his short time with the essence revealed much. It would create a drinkable potion, like many other essences, but was offensive, not defensive.


    ¡°This will make an interesting potion.¡± Theo gathered the things he needed to brew. [Enchanted Water], [Drogramathi Iron Shavings], and one of Salire¡¯s new fancy vials.


    The alchemist withdrew his flask of essence. Only long enough to drip a unit of the liquid into the vial before returning it to his inventory. The essence swirled on its own, colors shifting in thick bands. He could feel the heat coming off of it, rolling in waves that matched the shifting colors. Carefully dropping in a single shaving of iron, he waited. While the essence bubbled slightly, it seemed to have no other negative effects. He introduced the [Enchanted Water] next. When a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up with a warning, he grabbed his assistant by the shoulder and forced her to the ground.


    A plume of fire erupted from the vial. If not for the magical vents above their heads, the entire lab would have been engulfed in flames. The fire ranged for only a moment, but the heat it put off was intense.


    ¡°Are we alive?¡± Salire asked once the deafening rush of flames had died.


    Theo stamped out small fires in the lab, nodding. ¡°For now.¡±


    A completed second tier potion rested on the table. It shifted the same reds and oranges as the raw essence, but no longer put off such a menacing aura. Theo approached it with caution, placing the glass stopper on the vial before inspecting it.


    [Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion]


    [Potion]


    Mythic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to produce Dragon¡¯s Fire.


    Effect:


    For five seconds after consuming this potion, the imbiber will produce Dragon¡¯s Fire from their mouth. This fire can be directed in whatever direction the imbiber is facing. This effect cannot be cut short, it must run its course.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Theo said, groaning. ¡°How am I not gonna go test this out?¡±


    A figure emerged from the shadows. Rowan placed his hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are we going somewhere?¡±


    The alchemist tapped his chin, thinking about the best place to test the potion. The ocean made the most sense. He had a feeling that Tresk had been underselling the dragons in their dreams. Combined with how temperamental the essence was, the effect that this potion produced was likely devastating.


    ¡°Either the bay or somewhere without plants. I don¡¯t wanna start a forest fire.¡±


    ¡°The sea it is,¡± Rowan said, turning around to exit. Theo and Salire followed him.


    Hey, what are you up to? Tresk asked. She must have sensed the excitement he felt.


    Nowhere. Just made a fun alchemy discovery.


    One that requires you to leave town? Yeah, I¡¯m watching you buddy.


    I have Rowan with me. I¡¯m fine.


    Uh-huh. I¡¯m shadowing you now, pal. Bet you don¡¯t know where I am¡ªwhat are you doing? Put the reveal construct away¡ªI get it!


    A bubble of reveal popped up, removing Tresk¡¯s stealth. She was crouched around the back of the Newt and Demon, hiding between two [Lesser Plant Golems]. It was easy to find her. Alex was nearby, honking and eating bugs from the ground. Instead of complaining about it more, the Marshling joined the procession to the bay.


    It was nice to take a trip out to the water. Not only to test out the potion, but to see the progress Ziz and his men had made. They were almost done with the causeway-things leading to the towers. But they must have been running low on the freezing solution he had given them. That was a problem for another day. The alchemist didn¡¯t want to deal with a monster wave from the [River Dungeon]. They found a stretch of beach far from the workers.


    The waves rolled up the sandy shore, creating a soothing sound that gave Theo pause. He withdrew the [Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion] from his inventory and held it for a long moment. It felt more dangerous than anything he had made in the past, but Wisdom of the Soul had some advice for him. Based on the description and a bit of logic, he knew the fire would spew from his mouth. Once his companions were far enough away, he prepared to quaff the potion.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Theo tipped his head back, the fiery potion sliding down his throat. It was like drinking liquid fire. The sensation of burning went all the way down until it settled somewhere between his mouth and his stomach. Then something built in his throat, rushing upward intending to escape no matter the cost. The alchemist opened his mouth, eyes going wide.


    A bar of red-orange fire escaped his mouth, cutting through the air like a white-hot blade from a blacksmith¡¯s forge. It was devilishly hard to control, but Theo angled it down toward the water. Steam rose in great clouds, Ziz¡¯s workers shouting in horror. The alchemist dragged the Dragon¡¯s Breath, slicing through a barrier island in the distance. It caught fire immediately.


    After the five seconds was up, Theo looked down at himself. His new clothes were on fire.


    ¡°Stop, drop, and roll!¡± Tresk shouted, shoving Theo to the ground.


    The ocean swirled where it had been struck with the Dragon¡¯s Fire. So much water had been boiled at once that there were eddies of strange currents flowing through the bay. Ziz was angrily stomping down his causeway, no doubt coming to give the alchemist a piece of his mind. He was approaching them by the time Tresk extinguished the flames.


    ¡°What in the hells was that?¡± Ziz asked.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Fire,¡± Tresk said, wiggling her eyebrows.


    ¡°I took notes on the reaction!¡± Salire said with excitement. ¡°That was destructive!¡±


    ¡°I almost pissed my pants,¡± Rowan said, wiping the sweat from his brow. ¡°What was that potion?¡±


    ¡°Another mysterious gift from Khahar,¡± Theo said. He sorted through his thoughts on the matter, listening as everyone chattered about the new potion.


    This potion fell firmly in the ¡®weapons of mass destruction¡¯ category. Worse than that fact, he felt like crap. The potion had drained something vital from him, tapping into something deeper than attributes. His Health had gone down a little from the fire, but the biggest hit was his Stamina. Using the Dragon¡¯s Fire had removed nearly all of it, forcing him to pop a [Stamina Potion]. Without the boost, he would have fallen asleep right there on the beach.


    Theo worked with Salire to amend her notes of the process. A crowd of workers had gathered, all chatting about the alchemist who spat Dragon¡¯s Fire. The dangers of using the potion were clear. It did damage to the user, and anyone around them with the intense heat. That was a last-resort weapon for a truly desperate person. If used in a forested area, the damage would be extensive.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll just mark that as ¡®dangerous¡¯, right?¡± Salire asked, nodding happily. ¡°Glad we don¡¯t have to go through that process again.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her they had other spirit fruits to test.

 4.50 - Champion

    Khahar had left Theo an interesting gift. A gift that would be useless to any other alchemist¡ªeven one who had such an unfair start as Theo. The key to using the spirit fruit was Tero¡¯gal. Time moved at an absurd pace in there, giving the fruit time to mature. And the old Moscovian spy knew it. He knew about Tero¡¯gal, and the alchemist¡¯s command over it. Like some grand game of interdimensional chess, he was shoving pieces into place from behind the scenes.


    It was nothing out of the ordinary for Theo.


    After the bombastic experiment, Salire and Theo returned to the lab for more experimentation. But Thim had arrived, interrupting their process to take measurements on the existing stills. The old Dwarf claimed to have some ideas for improvement on the current design of his equipment. Improvements were always good. While they waited for more privacy, the pair ran two batches of [Refined Hallow Ground Essence]. Reports from Gronro claimed the supply was running low, and they were increasing their daily usage.


    Something had stirred the undead in the north. If not for the deadly approach to Murder Passage, the town would have already been overrun. As it stood, Gronro-Dir was still the shield. Still the sword, ready to cut out into the endless hordes with a hateful blade. Each military mind in the Southlands Alliance seemed content enough to remain defensive. Only Alran Cherman voiced concerns about the stability of their ponderous approach to warfare. But without a solution, they remained behind the shield.


    Thim finished his work, allowing Theo to withdraw the [Dragon Apple Petals] from his inventory. They were scaly red things, reminding him of the scales of the dragon that Tresk summoned in the Dreamwalk. The alchemist almost chipped his tooth trying to bite into the hard scales. They were flexible, but nearly impossible for him to get a chunk off of. He fell back to his method using the [Reagent Deconstruction] ability.


    ¡°How is this batch going?¡± Theo asked, closing his eyes to focus on the petal.


    Salire scurried around the wide-open space of the new lab. The [Dragon Apple Petal] went up in smoke before she had a response. The alchemist ignored the system message for a moment, listening to her report. ¡°We¡¯ve got drips. That¡¯s what Tresk says. Drips!¡±


    [Property Discovered]!


    You¡¯ve discovered the first property of the [Dragon Apple Petal] spirit plant! [Dragon¡¯s Dance] property discovered.


    Using [Reagent Deconstruction] to discover properties was hit-and-miss. It was best used for finding the secret fourth property of a reagent. But with enough willpower and determination, an alchemist could find the others as well. It was a matter of sifting through the strange powers coursing through those plants.


    ¡°[Dragon¡¯s Dance],¡± Theo said, tapping his fingers on a wooden table. ¡°Interesting. If this is anything like the apple itself, it¡¯ll be destructive.¡±


    By weight, each [Dragon Apple] would provide the same amount of essence for the main part of it, and the petals. With two stills producing [Refined Hallow Ground] essence directly into the building¡¯s storage, Theo decided to test the new feature. The pipes that hung from the ceiling were moderately flexible, allowing him to place them directly under the condenser of the stills. He snaked one down to the third still, inserting an [Earth Mote] to power the suction feature.


    After he set up a small batch of the petals, a knock came from the door. Zarali entered, her normally flowing hair frizzy. She had a look of mania on her face. ¡°Both of you!¡±


    Then she ran out the door without another word.


    Theo and Salire shared a confused look, then shrugged. They set the automatic shutoff for the stills, estimating the time before leaving the lab. The alchemist locked up, flipping the sign to ¡®closed¡¯ before heading off. Zarali was scampering off in the distance, headed directly for the new temple. Even with his magic senses so stunted, he could feel the energy in the air. The unmistakable scent of freshly ground herbs, burning coal, and something else that he couldn¡¯t identify. His pulse quickened.


    ¡°Drogramath,¡± Theo said, taking a deep breath.


    This was the end result of incorporating the temple into the town. The process took a few days, but it seemed as though it was done. Drogramath now had a direct line to Broken Tusk. Just as Khahar had planned.


    A large crowd had formed near the temple. Adventurers from Aarok¡¯s army were gathered to form a line, keeping people out of the temple for now. Shouts of disappointment, and some anger, rose from the crowd. Theo pushed past the crowd with Salire close behind. He felt her nervousness in the air. Heard it in her voice when she asked for words of comfort.


    ¡°Should be fine,¡± Theo lied. ¡°Drogramath is nice enough¡ªhe¡¯s just short. No, not in stature. He gets to the point.¡±


    The temple was still mostly empty. Sledge had been building furniture and decorations inside, but it was sparse. Near a raised dais, Zarali knelt. She kept her head bowed before a ghostly figure. Drogramath stood, peering down at his priestess. The Demonic God wasn¡¯t what Theo had expected. While they had met in the past, it was through the shadowy communication method. Now he was standing there in full detail. A bandoleer stretched across his chest, filled with potions. He wore a simple leather coat, plants poking from each pocket. Sturdy leather boots with deep treads. He looked like an alchemist. Not a god.


    Like all other Drogramathi Dronon, his skin was a deep shade of purple. His black hair fell over his shoulder, almost completely straight. The God of Potions was missing his left horn.


    ¡°Just follow my lead,¡± Theo whispered, taking a deep breath. Salire was practically vibrating. The alchemist raised his voice as he approached the massive figure of his patron. ¡°I¡¯ve done as you asked, Drogramath. The temple is built.¡±


    ¡°And yet,¡± Drogramath¡¯s voice boomed over the temple, rattling the furniture. ¡°You dedicated it to yourself.¡±


    ¡°And you.¡±


    ¡°My Lord, I¡ª¡±


    Drogramath held up a silencing hand, stopping Zarali before she could get the words out. He let out a breath that swept through the temple. ¡°You¡¯ve brought an apprentice. I can¡¯t help but notice she isn¡¯t Dronon.¡±


    ¡°Those seem in short supply,¡± Theo said, standing to stare up at the god. ¡°Salire has a knack for the art.¡±


    ¡°The art,¡± Drogramath said, shaking his head. He grumbled a low rumble that shook the foundations of the temple. ¡°You are but a mewling worm under my¡­¡±


    The Demon God trailed off. His head swiveled, then his eyes narrowed. He took a very deep breath and nodded. There was something going on in Drogramath¡¯s realm. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up, revealing more information than Theo had any right to know. The Potioneer¡¯s realm was under attack. That was likely the status quo in the high heavenly realms.


    ¡°Am I not a good servant?¡± Theo asked. ¡°We both know this is an unconventional relationship. But something has rubbed me the wrong way from the start.¡±


    ¡°Our plans are impenetrable to a mortal. But, please. Do go on.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make me your champion?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Was that your plan for Belgar before he died?¡±


    Drogramath issued a laugh that nearly deafened Theo. The god doubled over, shaking his head as his cackles filled the air. ¡°Theo Spencer! You are a fool! I put my faith in a jester! In a damned cosmic moron destined to doom us all! Oh, this will make for some excellent poetry. Oh, there once was a man named Theo. His head was so swollen, what an ego! He said, like a loon, I¡¯ll be a god here soon! And¡­¡±


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    A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up. Theo¡¯s eyes went wide, his heart hammering in his chest. All his time in Broken Tusk, and he could never shake the idea that Drogramath was as much an enemy as anyone else. All these days passed without him noticing a simple fact. A legendary core was powerful, that was an obvious fact. But how much better was it than a common-rank core? Twice as good? He was far more innately skilled than double the baseline.


    ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Theo said, staring up at the god. Drogramath was still reciting rude poetry. ¡°When the hell were you going to tell me?¡±


    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Drogramath said.


    ¡°Lord Drogramath¡­¡± Zarali started.


    Drogramath¡¯s head spun. His gaze bore a hole into the priestess. She silenced herself immediately.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so smart?¡± Theo asked, balling his fists up. ¡°That wasn¡¯t even a poem! That¡¯s called a limerick, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you weren¡¯t so dumb, you¡¯d have known you were my champion from the start!¡± Drogramath shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Theo.


    Theo knew little of the relationship champions held with their gods. One thing he did know was that they were closer to each other than anyone else holding aligned cores. His mind unraveled all the times he was touched by the power of Drogramath. When the Demon God attempted to interdict him. His core whispering information to him like a damned walkthrough. If the alchemist had taken the time to talk about it with Fenian, he would have known. If he had taken more interest in the champions of the world, it would have been obvious.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re both idiots, then,¡± Theo said, his gaze locked onto Drogramath¡¯s.


    ¡°At least we can agree on that.¡±


    ¡°Uh, guys?¡± Salire asked. She had prostrated herself on the ground, only tilting her head to peak up at the argument. ¡°Is this constructive?¡±


    Both Theo and Drogramath cleared their throat at the same time. ¡°I suppose not,¡± they said in unison.


    ¡°Declaring a champion is an investment,¡± Drogramath said, crossing his arms. ¡°You¡¯ve already paid for yourself, Spencer.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you from Earth?¡± No one from this world addressed him by his last name.


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon to peek behind the curtain. But, no. I¡¯m not. Anyway, you wouldn¡¯t have done as well as you have if I told you. Khahar ran the predictions on that path, and it ended poorly. You needed someone nearby that was a champion so you¡¯d get the idea. Then you needed to figure it out on your own.¡±


    Drogramath moved off that topic way too quickly. Even without Wisdom of the Soul Theo was getting ideas about the god¡¯s origin. ¡°Fine. Well¡­ thank you for making me your champion. Which means¡­ Well, I guess I can ask a favor.¡±


    ¡°Your apprentice.¡±


    ¡°My apprentice,¡± Theo said, gesturing back to Salire. ¡°She has a knack for alchemy. And passion.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give my cores to anyone but Dronon.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not a Dronon. Not culturally, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Alright, fine,¡± Drogramath waved his hand lazily. Salire was sent flying through the air, impacting the ground and groaning. The sound of two spheres of metal hitting the ground nearby echoed throughout the temple. ¡°Done. Now that we¡¯re done with our shouting match, I¡¯ll tell you something. Fenian needs to succeed in his plan. Karasan must die, and you¡¯re going to help him.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I already helping him?¡± Theo asked, keeping an eye on Salire. She was breathing. The shock of being forced to take a new core would¡¯ve been great, but she would recover. ¡°What else can I do?¡±


    ¡°The answer lies with the fruit. Cultivate them, and you¡¯ll unleash weapons on this world that have never been seen before. It will catch the king by surprise when he fights Fenian next.¡±


    The entire exchange was jarring. Theo and Drogramath went at each other like brothers, fighting for some stupid reason neither could remember. And just like brothers, they had cooled down just as quickly. The sudden onset of hot emotions, then the instant cooling left the alchemist feeling drained.


    ¡°Will I be able to talk to you here again?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes. The cooldown is long, but we¡¯ll meet here again.¡±


    Holy hell, this is like watching one guy argue with himself, Tresk said.


    Theo turned, spotting her with her face against an invisible barrier near the entrance. Drogramath¡¯s power had created a shell of privacy, allowing them to converse without interruption. But the Marshling¡¯s statement gave him perspective. He had gained perspective through her eyes on his situation.


    As though sensing the alchemist¡¯s shifting priorities, Drogramath spoke. ¡°You¡¯re free to attend to your new assistant, Theo. I must speak with my priestess.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, his thoughts drifting here and there. He scooped up the Half-Ogre woman and her discarded cores, carrying her out of the strange purple field and out onto the street.


    ¡°Is she alright?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°People are saying you sacrificed her to Drogramath to make the town more powerful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°But maybe?¡±


    ¡°No. Come on. Where is that Ogre staying in town?¡±


    ¡°The tavern. Want me to carry her?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo looked down at the limp woman in his arms. A twinge of guilt flashed through his mind. This was what she wanted, but she wasn¡¯t warned of the price. He could only hope it was worth it in the end. He shook the thought out of his mind, fording a path through the crowd toward the tavern. While they walked, he used his telepathic connection with Tresk to update her on what had happened. She didn¡¯t seem shocked at anything he said. She later revealed that she was eavesdropping through their connection.


    ¡°Bilgrob?¡± Theo asked, poking his head into the tavern. But the question was unnecessary. A massive figure sat on the floor in the tavern¡¯s corner, sipping a large barrel of booze. The alchemist approached, holding Salire out.


    Bilgrob belched. ¡°Touched by a god? Yeah, I¡¯ve seen this before. Spiritual shock from taking some cores. Yeah, yeah. I got a spell for that. Hold on.¡±


    The Ogre placed his barrel of liquor on the ground, then took a deep breath. He chanted some words in a strange tongue. Ribbons of light sprung from the ground, wrapping themselves around Salire. They tightened, then vanished. The sound of a frog was heard croaking somewhere in the distance.


    ¡°All done. I¡¯ve soothed the torment in her soul. Also, every frog-like creature on the continent is compelled to find their way to her.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tresk asked.


    Bilgrob chuckled. ¡°Yeah, Spit is funny like that. The magic always comes with a downside. Anyway, she needs to rest. Get her in bed. Make sure she gets plenty of hard liquor.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Bilgrob,¡± Theo said, pausing for a moment as a message appeared.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    Bilgrob wasn¡¯t exaggerating. Any frog-adjacent creature confined to the continent is making plans to find Salire. To do what? Who knows. Who cares, we¡¯ve got frogs to worry about.


    That was a bit of a willful message from the wisdom pop-up. It was always wise not to ignore such a pointed message from the intuition-based message. The swamp was filled with those little octofrog-things. Harlags. Theo tossed the Ogre a few gold coins for the effort, even though the Priest of Spit claimed to refuse payment. He headed off for the manor with Tresk, finding a pleasant room for Salire to recover in.


    ¡°Rowan,¡± Theo said, knowing the man was always close at hand. ¡°Watch over her. Prepare for frogs.¡±


    ¡°For frogs?¡±


    ¡°Millions of them, apparently,¡± Theo said, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow. ¡°You should practice a stomping motion, then discover the best way to remove frog guts from the hardwood floors.¡±


    Rowan stammered, but Theo didn¡¯t wait for him to respond. The flash of anger he felt when meeting with Drogramath had faded to a smoldering ember. If this was the old him, he would have gone on the warpath. Demanding answers from Fenian¡ªperhaps even from the god himself. He took a deep breath, centering himself. The Elven trader warned him about this. Not this specifically, but the twisted path he walked. Only now did the alchemist realize why he was so amiable to the concept.


    It was confusing enough to think that a piece of his heart wasn¡¯t his own. That his decisions were influenced by Tresk, and Drogramath from afar. But now it seemed as though the God of Potions had been influencing him closer than he knew. More of a voice in his ear than a distant whisper. Through the power of Tero¡¯gal, all those voices had been silenced. What remained was Theo Spencer, true to the system¡¯s resignation of the creator tag on items. Those little pieces of other people were cast out, leaving the purest form of himself.


    Tresk picked up on what Theo was doing as he walked to Fenian¡¯s room. The alchemist slipped through her grasp as he threw the door open, locking his gaze on the wheelchair-bound trader.


    Fenian turned the chair, flashing a smile. ¡°What did I do this time?¡±


    ¡°How do you know when you¡¯re a champion?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian¡¯s face brightened up. ¡°Oh, did he finally do it? Did he make you his champion?¡±


    An intuition message popped up. When those messages were certain about something, it was the truth. Fenian wasn¡¯t lying. He didn¡¯t know that Drogramath had made Theo his champion from the start. If he was keeping that from the other conspirators, what else was he hiding?


    ¡°The question,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know it in your heart. A closeness with your god. They can only select one champion, and every god does it differently. There. That¡¯s your answer¡ªso spill the beans.¡±


    Sometimes it was hard to focus on living when there were so many weird things going on around town. Theo drew a steady breath, watching the excitement on Fenian¡¯s face fade. For all his blustering, the Elf was wise. His perception cut through most of the bull, biting deeply into the truth. Being a twin-champion didn¡¯t help matters.


    ¡°Oh, that little rapscallion. I¡¯m going to give Drogramath a nice thrashing the next time I¡¯m in his realm,¡± Fenian said, blowing out a frustrated breath. ¡°Come. Sit. Let uncle Fenian instruct you, Champion of Drogramath.¡±

 4.51 - Complications

    Fenian had a lot of information about being a champion. But as much knowledge as the elf had, there were holes. Something had changed in the way the system worked regarding champions. They were originally avatars for the gods to inhabit. That changed when Balkor used the feature to bring his heavenly body to the mortal realm. That was viewed as a bad move by all gods, and he was quickly cast down in the Kingdom of Gardreth. Champions now acted as pillars of their respective gods, given innate abilities beyond anything someone with an aligned core could do.


    But the plot wasn¡¯t lost on Theo. The more Fenian told him about his condition, the more he came to believe it. He accepted Drogramath as his patron in that moment, realizing all the good that had come of it. In that action, he let the Demonic God into his heart. That innate power bloomed like a Water Lily in the rain, spreading through every part of him in a flash. Then it subsided, battered into submission by Tero¡¯gal.


    If Theo had accepted his place as a champion before his realm grew in strength, that power might have burned through him. How much of ¡®Theo Spencer¡¯ would have been left after the transformation? Unlike Fenian, he wasn¡¯t that high of a level. With the realm backing him, the invigorating power of Drogramath only nudged him closer to his old self. The entire ordeal was a relief. Someone else had plotted this entire thing out, and it came to a good end.


    ¡°Close the book,¡± Tresk said, miming the action. ¡°And move on with life. This is an absolute win!¡±


    Theo agreed. Alex honked.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve accepted Drogramath, you can move beyond ¡®middling¡¯ for your bond,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo picked Alex up, tucking her under his arm. It was getting more difficult by the day to hold the goose. She¡¯d be the size of a pony before long. He grabbed Tresk¡¯s hand, then nodded to Fenian. ¡°We¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Alex and Tresk tumbled with Theo through the realms. The Marshling yelled something about ¡®uninvited interdiction¡¯, but that¡¯s not what he did. He simply forced them to use their [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] abilities in tandem with his. They fell through that tunnel until the Bridge of Shadows was in view. For the first time since he gained the ability, the alchemist steered them toward the bridge.


    Stepping on the bridge was like landing on semi-realm cloud material. Darkness swirled in every direction. The realm of living shadows spread out in every direction, surrounding the endless bridge. A soft laugh echoed somewhere in the distance.


    ¡°Hey Uz,¡± Theo said, waving at the roiling sea of shadows below the bridge.


    ¡°Oh, are we moving on to nicknames?¡± the Queen of the Bridge of Shadow¡¯s voice came from every direction. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were so close! Maybe we can have tea, build some shadow-castles! Oh, it¡¯ll be a delightful time.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fun,¡± Tresk said. She tried and failed to remove her hand from Theo¡¯s grasp. ¡°Hey, I wanna build some castles.¡±


    ¡°I have a question, Uz¡¯xulven.¡± Theo looked out over the shadows. The goddess must have still felt the sting from the last time he snubbed her. When he was interdicted to the Bridge, he borrowed Tresk¡¯s willpower to escape the place. ¡°A question about¡­ this. Tresk and I.¡±


    ¡°The little mouse wants to know why he¡¯s tip-toeing around dragons. How cute.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good analogy,¡± Tresk said, nodding with approval.


    ¡°My first thought was that Drogramath¡¯s power was protecting me when we traveled through the realms. When Fenian chased the king through the realms, he was pursued by wraiths. Mortals aren¡¯t allowed here, after all. That got me thinking. Systems on top of systems, you know? Why is the system protecting us? Why does it feel like it wants us here?¡±


    Shadows on the bridge gathered together, creating an unimaginable darkness. After a moment it parted, revealing the goddess. Uz¡¯xulven¡¯s shadowy hair floated behind her as though weightless, a stream of constant shadow-miasma trailing with each step. The whites of her eyes stood out in the darkness. Haunting beacons in the gloom.


    ¡°For you are the Dreamer,¡± she said, gesturing to Theo. ¡°And she is the Dreamwalker. Twin roles. A doubled mind to cut through the darkness, maybe. Play your role or fall. Step in line or die. Tick-tock!¡±


    ¡°The Dronon love their poems and riddles, don¡¯t they?¡± Theo asked, not falling for the queen¡¯s antagonizing tone. ¡°Tell me this ends well. All this conspiracy and subterfuge.¡±


    Uz¡¯xulven approached slowly, each step silent over the bridge. Behind a mask of shadow, Theo could feel her smile. ¡°Trapped in another person¡¯s crusade. Yes. I would say this path provides the best end for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Now you just have to worry if she¡¯s lying to you,¡± Tresk said with a chuckle. ¡°Spoilers! She is.¡±


    ¡°So much resentment in such a little package.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not resentful. I¡¯m vigilant. I¡¯m peerless!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°You¡¯re resentful!¡±


    This would have seemed like a strange sight to the uninformed. What were mortals when compared to a god? But it didn¡¯t work like that here. There was an order to the heavens that was set straight by the Arbiter. To exact revenge for such behavior, Uz¡¯xulven would need to enact a grand design on the mortal plane. She¡¯d need to work through her followers, the same way Zagmon did when he tried to assassinate Theo. Meaning it wouldn¡¯t be worth her time to take revenge for such a slight.


    Then there was the unorthodox concept of what the Tara¡¯hek bond was. The gods knew more than they were letting on with that whole thing. Where Theo had previously thought to be on the treacherous blade of a knife, he now found himself punching as an equal. Whatever that meant. With a nascent realm, barely able to support itself, he wasn¡¯t drawing many followers. Just the lost souls of Dronon. All these thoughts resolved to the same place at the same time in an instant.


    ¡°We¡¯re interested in working with you, Uz¡¯xulven,¡± Theo said, nodding at the queen. ¡°Since our interests align.¡±


    ¡°And how in the hells do you figure that?¡± she asked, huffing a breath. ¡°A Brogling does not bargain with a mountain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re blind if you can¡¯t see where this goes,¡± Theo said. It was hard not to look off into the distance. To where the Bridge spanned for eternity. ¡°You shaped your realm for one purpose. So people could travel between the realms. Now you¡¯ve been hamstrung by Khahar. Well, I suppose a demonstration is better than anything else.¡±


    Theo gathered his own willpower, then grasped at Tresk¡¯s. He felt her shrink away from his probing senses at first, only relenting when she felt that it was his searching grasp. Interdiction was an interesting concept, and the idea had changed since Khahar rose to power. The ability of a god to bring someone into their realm relied on a few factors. Between the realms of gods rested vast expanses of nothing. An impenetrable void. He punched a hole through that space, tearing a rift that poured forth frigid air.


    ¡°You¡¯re showing your ass again, Theo,¡± Uz¡¯xulven said, glaring.


    ¡°Just a demonstration. I¡¯ll be back to talk to you about this later,¡± Theo said, pushing through the rip in reality. Tresk and Alex followed with him, forcing their way into the realm of Winter and Death.


    An expansive world of constant snow and craggy spires stretched in all directions. Nestled near the foot of a great mountain was a cluster of buildings, all centered around a massive bonfire. The group forded a path through the snow, pushing until their feet met with soft earth. Heat radiated from the fire, washing over them with comforting warmth. Hundreds of confused Toora eyes turned their way, then the booming voice of someone familiar.


    ¡°Theo! Tresk!¡± Benton shouted, trotting over. He left deep tracks in the mixture of mud and snow. ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡±


    ¡°Proving a point,¡± Theo said, hugging himself for warmth. ¡°And now we¡¯re leaving. I¡¯m going to freeze to death.¡±


    Benton released a bellowing belly-laugh as Theo tore reality open again. Tresk was silent as they crossed the barrier between this realm and theirs, letting out a long sigh of relief when their feet touched warm Tero¡¯gal grass. The Toora god¡¯s icy archway sprung up moments later and he stepped through with a confused look on his face.


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    The mechanism by which the Tara¡¯hek could pass through the void and into lower realms was clear to Theo now. He had considered how Benton was able to achieve such a thing, then extrapolated based on the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability. When he used that skill, he was sent over the Bridge of Shadows and into his realm. When Benton traveled through the void, he used an archway. A miniature version of the Bridge. The Toora god was creating a tiny interdiction event on himself and a few select others.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need a bridge,¡± Theo said, turning to Tresk with a smile. ¡°Not sure why, but we can pass directly through the void.¡±


    ¡°Very academic and all,¡± Benton said, nodding his head to a crowd of spirits. ¡°But you might have bigger problems to consider.¡±


    At least 50 souls of various colors hovered near the small pond. Belgar was talking to them about something, and they seemed rapt at attention. ¡°What is going on?¡± Theo asked, breaking out of his thoughts.


    ¡°You have some kind of conceptual weight in the void. The souls that are hiding out in the place between places are starting to hear about your refuge.¡±


    ¡°Oooo, more power?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Yes please. I don¡¯t understand a damn thing Theo is saying, so this is a nice break.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t even know if he knew what he was saying. He felt like he was talking out of his ass, trying to connect dots that weren¡¯t there. But he was certain he was on the right track. Uz¡¯xulven was kind enough to drop a hint about that. If he thought of the void as a dream, the titles she gave them made sense. If he considered Fenian¡¯s role, and the throne he was meant to assume, it made even more sense. Once the pieces fell into place, he¡¯d have a better grasp on it. For now, there were spirits to consider.


    ¡°They come with some grim tidings, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Benton said, leading Theo over to the gathered crowd. ¡°Say hello to every survivor from the undead that were unleashed.¡±`


    Belgar finished his speech, then bound over to the group. His form was becoming more solid by the day, although his body was still somewhere between solid and ethereal. The alchemist could see the shape of his horns now, and the texture of his hair. ¡°Pretty interesting spread of souls. Different races, mostly affected by undeath. They¡¯re finding safe havens all within the lower realms.¡±


    Benton cleared his throat. ¡°Theo, I¡¯d like to have a word.¡±


    Tresk and Alex stayed to talk with Belgar while the pair made their way to the spirit fruit farm. Once they were out of earshot, the Toora god sighed. ¡°Something is keeping those souls on the mortal plane. Likely the necromancy, but it has me worried.¡±


    ¡°That sounds bad. We just had a chat with Uz¡¯xulven, but she¡¯s not being talkative.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t trust gods in the Demonic Pantheon. Nothing but trouble.¡±


    Theo just nodded, although he didn¡¯t agree. While the spirits could barely talk, he wanted to interview them all before accepting them into the realm. With Belgar as a taskmaster, he was certain they wouldn¡¯t cause problems. In the worst case scenario, he could eject trouble makers into the void. The alchemist clapped his hands before the group, putting on his best smile.


    ¡°Hello, and welcome to Tero¡¯gal. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all eager to hang out by the pond and have some tea. But I have some ground rules, first.¡±


    The spirits¡¯ attention-span was short. They held on for as long as they could while the alchemist went on about their ideals. By the end of it, several had wandered off to check out the spirit fruit garden. Right when they were thinking about jumping into the void, he extended his invitation to the realm to each of them. They all agreed.


    The land underneath rumbled. Theo fell on his ass as the realm expanded in every direction. When the earthquake ceased, Tero¡¯gal now expanded far enough for the landscape to disappear over the horizon. A series of notifications popped into his vision. It was hard not to laugh.


    ¡°Upgrade options,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°It really is seed core buildings all the way down, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Have fun with that,¡± Benton said, chuckling. ¡°I¡¯ll go explore your realm while you sift through¡­ Wow, two whole upgrades. Have fun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, have fun nerd,¡± Tresk said, scampering off to play with the spirits.


    Belgar lingered nearby, crossing his mostly solid arms as Theo went through the first round of upgrade options. Just like on the mortal plane, he had three options to pick from. The alchemist read the options aloud.


    [Soul Vault]


    Creates a vault to store souls in. Souls stored in the vault will not participate in society, but will be held in reserve.


    [Harvesting Array]


    Harvest the power of the souls within your realm, storing it for future use. The amount of energy siphoned from your souls will not affect their development.


    [Bubble]


    Creates a bubble around the realm, increasing the skill required to enter without invitation.


    ¡°Excuse me? [Soul Vault]? That seems cruel,¡± Belgar said.


    Theo agreed at first, but then got to thinking about it. That would be a good place to put the undesirable souls, if they were to enter his realm. He shook the thought off at once. Eternal imprisonment wasn¡¯t a fair punishment for most crimes. Death was a better punishment for the most severe offenses, so he dismissed that for now. [Harvesting Array] was interesting, but only because of that last sentence in the description. Like the vault, that could have been a nasty little upgrade.


    ¡°[Bubble] seems good, though,¡± Belgar said. ¡°A protective bubble around the realm? Prepare for the future?¡±


    ¡°The inevitable future where someone attacks my realm? Agreed. If the realm is attacked, is a shield more useful? Or power?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what you use the power for.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Pick [Harvesting Array].¡±


    Theo and Belgar spun around to spot Khahar. Neither of them had felt his entrance into the realm. ¡°Oh. Hey.¡±


    ¡°You can adjust the amount of power you siphon from the souls. Set it to the lowest option,¡± Khahar said, staring at the space in Theo¡¯s vision where the upgrades were.


    ¡°Can you see this screen?¡± Theo asked, gesturing vaguely at the floating box.


    ¡°I can.¡±


    Theo mentally selected the [Harvesting Array], never one to turn away Khahar¡¯s good advice. ¡°Next up we have¡­ huh.¡±


    [Defensive Towers]


    Towers will appear throughout the realm. Any interlopers attacking the realm will be targeted by these towers. The power of the towers depends on the amount of souls within the realm, and the amount of stored energy.


    ¡°Pick that one,¡± Khahar said, pointing at the [Defensive Towers] upgrade.


    ¡°Well, duh. Synergy, right?¡± Theo asked, selecting the option. ¡°All done. Two upgrades.¡±


    Khahar smiled, placing a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°When I ascended to Khahak¡ªafter I killed Zagmon¡ªI spent several hundred years looking through upgrades. What a pain.¡±


    ¡°Huh, yeah,¡± Belgar laughed. ¡°God problems. Am I right?¡±


    Theo turned to the dead Dronon. ¡°You seem chipper today.¡±


    Belgar held his hands out, spinning in a circle. ¡°Look at me! I¡¯ve almost got a body back. Not my original body, though. A better one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking good. Well, uhm¡­ Khahar? You got a minute to hang out? Check out my new realm?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve already sorted the problem you caused with Uz¡¯xulven and Bohor.¡±


    ¡°Bohor? Oh. Benton¡¯s realm?¡± Theo asked, not knowing how he knew the name. It was just one of those things that itched at the back of his mind.


    ¡°Yes. Now, let¡¯s see what Tero¡¯gal holds.¡±


    Theo, Belgar, and Khahar spent hours walking around the new landmass. The realm was now larger than the southern tip of the Southlands Alliance. A new mountain range had formed to the north of the pond and the cottage. Forests to the west, and a miniature sea to the east. The south was just sprawling prairies and sparse clusters of trees. The Arbiter helped the alchemist understand his place in the realm. A few brief instructions, and he revealed that they had some amount of control over the realm. Not like the way they could manipulate the Dreamwalk, but so long as they weren¡¯t under attack they could teleport throughout the realm.


    Resting atop the mountain, giving everyone a fantastic view of the sprawling realm below, Theo let out a contented sigh. ¡°What are you setting me up to be, Yuri?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already figured it out,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t,¡± Belgar put in. ¡°And it¡¯s cold up here.¡±


    ¡°I think you want me to be a different kind of Bridge. Like the Bridge of Shadows.¡±


    ¡°Ah, close. But no,¡± Khahar said. ¡°You¡¯re getting better at dragging yourself through the lower realms. But what¡¯s the common thread between Uz¡¯Godan Bokrak Tal and Bohor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m welcome in both realms.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out. Anyway, why can¡¯t you just be happy?¡± Khahar asked, clapping a hand on the alchemist¡¯s shoulder. It nearly tipped him over the edge. ¡°You¡¯re managing two towns, now!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s never happy,¡± Belgar said.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy!¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Even you don¡¯t believe that. You¡¯ve been brooding since you left the mortal plane earlier.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know where I fit in up here,¡± Theo said. ¡°The minimum level for godhood is 100, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to get to 100.¡± Khahar laughed, shaking his head. ¡°That¡¯s part of the problem. The progression on the mortal plane is weird. It¡¯s incomplete. Like the Monitor System had an idea for the first 30 levels, then forgot everything else. It made getting to godhood too easy, and rewarded the first string of idiots brutal enough to get there. We¡¯re gonna change that.¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh!¡± Belgar said, giggling. ¡°Someone¡¯s gonna purge the heavens!¡±


    ¡°Worse,¡± Theo said. ¡°He¡¯s going to change the way the system works.¡±


    The three men stared off into the realm of Tero¡¯gal. Theo had never been more unsure of anything in his life. But Yuri was acting like himself again. That smarmy little Moscovian. That know-it-all bastard who had an out to every problem. Surely there was someone that would object to his plan. Perhaps the same star-bound, feathered entity that started this whole thing. That was a reality the alchemist didn¡¯t want to see to completion.


    ¡°Duty beckons,¡± Khahar said, his voice sounding distant. A moment later, he vanished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I could go for some scones,¡± Belgar said, kicking his feet over the ledge.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right, Belgar. I¡¯m tired of this malaise. Let¡¯s stuff ourselves until we puke.¡±


    Theo grabbed Belgar¡¯s hand. The scene shifted before them, transporting them instantly to the cottage. Brewing tea and the sharp scent of lemon scones wafted from within the small house.

 4.52 - Ward Upgrades

    The concept of time was difficult to grasp within the heavenly realms. There were no guarantees on the progression of sections to minutes, then minutes to hours, within Tero¡¯gal. Only a person¡¯s willpower allowed them to see that passage clearly. But there was a distinct advantage to resting within the realm. Any effects brought by a bond with a god, increased attributes, or other system-generated mind-altering states of being were rendered inert. The entire thing seemed design to remove the horrid condition a person would find themselves at above Level 100.


    Tresk had an unnaturally strong willpower. She counted the seconds and minutes as though they were on the mortal plane, scoffing when Theo asked how many hours had passed.


    ¡°Five minutes since you last asked me!¡± she shouted.


    Even Benton had things to attend to in his own realm, having departed several hours ago. Theo, Tresk, and Alex stood in an open field, watching as a gentle wind blew the surrounding grasses. Things like eddies formed atop that tall grass, dancing like water sprites in the fields. They watched Belgar and the ill-formed spirits, working to fell trees from the vast forest. He had a plan to create a small town by hand. Something that seemed absurd at first, until the alchemist considered the lone topic on his mind. The passage of time within the realm.


    They could visit for twelve hours a day before upgrades. Tresk predicted that time would at least double. Five minutes would pass in the real world, and twenty-four hours would pass there in Tero¡¯gal. While it was a chance to grind experience, the alchemist saw it as a chance to rest. Unburdened by the needs of the real world, he could appreciate the little things. Like scones and tea.


    The small stream, fed by cool waters from a bubbling stream, had expanded. It snaked its way over the terrain, curving until it ran through the forests. Theo plunged into those depths, taking notes on the Earth-like trees around him. They were mostly pines, rising to the sky with sparse branches near the base and bushy little things near the top. Some old live oaks dotted the area, creating clearings with their greedy boughs. The group relaxed under one such tree, breathing a collective sigh of relief.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± Tresk said, shredding fallen leaves as she relaxed. The Marshling could not sit still under any circumstances.


    Very relaxing. Alex preened her feathers.


    Theo put off his need to talk about business. His mind had a tendency to wander, even here in Tero¡¯gal. He kept his mouth shut, enjoying the endless roll of hours that flowed by like water from the stream. It bubbled somewhere nearby. Somewhere under the branches of Earth trees. What a strange thought to consider.


    Tresk announced that the skill would end soon. They¡¯d be sent tumbling back to the mortal plane. Theo imagined Fenian tapping his foot, waiting for them to return at any moment. Five minutes in the real world to twenty-four hours in Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°What a charmed life we live,¡± Theo said with a chuckle. He laughed even as an unseen force pulled him by the navel, sending them all falling through reality.


    Fenian¡¯s room came into focus moments later. The Elf was still in his wheelchair, tapping his fingers impatiently on the armrest. ¡°A neat trick that most would kill to get.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I understand your plan,¡± Theo said, nodding at the Elf. ¡°But I have a question of far more importance.¡±


    ¡°And what might that be?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s for dinner?¡± Tresk asked, finishing Theo¡¯s thought.


    In the short time they were gone, Salire had stirred from her slumber. When Theo went to check on her, she was trying to fight her way past Rowan. Only when the alchemist ordered her to rest until at least tomorrow did she calm down. The Half-Ogre assistant seemed frazzled by the newly minted alchemist¡¯s eagerness.


    ¡°She¡¯s stronger than she looks, Theo,¡± Rowan growled.


    Theo didn¡¯t care to remember when it had become a tradition to have dinner in his manor. But the table was long, and Sarisa always bought too much food from Xam. Perhaps it was the [Endless Comfort] upgrade that made even the roughest chair feel like a pillow of clouds. Whatever the case was, the dining room was packed with people tonight. Enough folks to fill every seat around the table, then another spot for Fenian to pull his chair up to.


    Dinner was predictably delicious. The conversation swayed here and there, but Theo¡¯s eyes were locked on Fenian. The conversations on the Bridge of Shadows and in Tero¡¯gal got the alchemist thinking more about his motives. After the plates were cleared away, the alchemist invited him for a chat in the garden.


    ¡°Oh, trying to get me alone?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do more than wine and dine me, my dear alchemist. I¡¯m hard to catch.¡±


    Theo groaned, walking out into the expansive garden. Fenian followed closely behind, guiding his artifice wheelchair over the ledge, and out into the damp grass. It was still as hot as ever in the Season of Fire with no signs of letting up. But the thing lingering on the alchemist¡¯s mind had nothing to do with the weather.


    ¡°I¡¯m no stranger to your ideals, Fenian.¡± Theo busied himself with weeding the garden, plucking stray sprouts of green from the manicured area. ¡°How many innocent lives are you willing to let fall for your plans?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re direct tonight, aren¡¯t we? Someone must have ruffled your feathers in the other realms.¡±


    Theo was familiar with similar doctrines. Not Fenian¡¯s deflection, but his attitude toward casualties of war. That idea had seen most of Earth¡¯s population annihilated. Left with what? A few domed cities clinging to survival. Outlying areas so irradiated they would never recover. Wisdom of the Soul didn¡¯t need to tell him who had made the undead problem worse.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think about all the people that died. Because of what you did.¡±


    Fenian steered his wheelchair over a hump in the earth, edging toward a thorny bush. ¡°Do you know the problem with an outside view?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Fenian reached his good hand into the bush, pushing past the leafy exterior and into the tangle of brambles within. He withdrew his hand, holding it up to reveal a trickle of blood tracing its way down his forearm. ¡°Everything gets messy on the inside.¡±


    ¡°But is Karasan that bad?¡±


    ¡°How can I put your mind at ease?¡± Fenian asked. He stroked his chin, lost in thought. ¡°The undead were already moving, heading for the weakest settlements. The king¡¯s plan was always the same. To hide away and leave them to die. This put his plans to hide the Throne of the Herald back a few steps, but not enough to stop him. He¡¯d just wait. What I did was mercy.¡±


    ¡°How the hell is that a mercy?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was very tricky. When a person dies, they normally get cast into the void. They go through trials until they find their way to their patron. If they don¡¯t find a realm to call home, they¡¯ll likely die. Then they¡¯re off to the hells. Torture for eternity and all that nonsense. What I did¡ªrather genius, really¡ªwas to make sure they found a home.¡±


    ¡°Where did you send them? And how?¡±


    ¡°Balkor¡¯s old domain. Rotting. Fading. But still there. Somewhere in the void. So, you¡¯re left with a question. Aren¡¯t you? Is Fenian evil because he brought the undead down swifter, or is he a saint because he guaranteed everyone involved an afterlife?¡±


    Theo would have called him evil. Back before he gained his own realm, filled with dead people that seemed happy enough. Belgar was the best example for that. He was now living a life free of his mortal bonds, allowing him to enjoy himself. The alchemist saw the pieces that Fenian was laying down, and he didn¡¯t know if he liked the conclusion. Some spirits that had died to the undead came to Tero¡¯gal on their own.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°You want me to go get them, don¡¯t you?¡± Theo asked, laughing. ¡°You want them to live in Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Fenian shrugged, smiling sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll just say this. Karsan set his kingdom up to be destroyed by Balkor¡¯s remnants. He built Qavell to harvest power from the towns he neglected. For the singular purpose of suppressing the throne. So I couldn¡¯t reach it. So that he could lord over his little kingdom, reaping the rewards of an imperfect system. One designed to go through cycles of destruction and suffering.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot on the wet grass. ¡°What does the throne do?¡±


    ¡°It is one of several. One in the high heavens, one on the mortal plane, and a few in the void. The Throne of the Herald gives the occupant domain over the mortal plane. It would give me the ability to change things here, Theo. That comes with time, of course. I must occupy the throne for a long time. Undisturbed.¡±


    Theo groaned, then shook his head. He took a steadying breath, tapping his foot faster. Fenian had already told him enough to put his mind at ease, but this new thing? Although he said nothing about it, the Elf wanted the throne in Broken Tusk. A curtain of undeath to the north to defend it. But in those moments of contemplation, the alchemist saw the silver lining. People had told him that this world was built on development, then destruction. An endless cycle that no one could break.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the guy?¡± Theo asked. ¡°The one that¡¯s going to make the entire world better?¡±


    ¡°Despite the blood on my hands, that was always our intention. I assume you¡¯re sympathetic to my cause.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I am.¡±


    Theo needed a distraction to process the information Fenian gave him. A pleasant rest in the Dreamwalk would do him wonders. He had things he wanted to work on. New spells to cast for his mage core. Not some grand design wrought by Fenian and Khahar. And god knows who else. There were several thrones. Meaning more conspirators. But remaking the world to be better was a noble cause. Things weren¡¯t the way they were meant to be, and there were powers stopping that change from happening.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    ¡°Theo,¡± Fenian said, rolling after the alchemist as he walked away. ¡°You¡¯re still with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with you to the end, Fenian,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°Until we¡¯re both dead from your over-reaching need to assume this throne. Until the world sees us as the villains because your convoluted plan involves killing a continent of people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s all very good. But what rises from the ashes will dwarf anything that came before. Peace, my friend. Peace at last!¡±


    Theo walked away before Fenian could draw him in anymore. That man could stab him in the belly and make him feel guilty for getting the knife dirty. Tresk was waiting with Alex in their bedroom. There were a few reports available in the administration screen, but the alchemist ignored them for now. Instead, he fell into bed and off to the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re feeling spicy tonight!¡± Tresk shouted the moment their feet landed on soft ground. She had directed them to a dream version of Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Is this ironic?¡± Theo asked. ¡°A dream version of a heavenly realm?¡±


    No, just weird.


    Theo explained everything that had happened with Fenian. Tresk was sympathetic toward the Elf¡¯s ideals, pushing the alchemist over the edge. If she agreed with his methods, then he was onboard. They were already too deep and there seemed no sense in stopping now. It would either pan out, or they¡¯d all be dead.


    Tresk tricked Theo into practicing his throwing knives for a while. He only took part in the training for a few hours before his mind wandered, breaking his concentration. He excused himself, wiping goblin guys from his clothes and moving to a small section of forest to practice his magic. While he had already figured out a way to craft second tier wards, he hadn¡¯t put those concepts into practice. Drogramath¡¯s crude limerick would have given enough of a hint.


    The Drogramathi tongue was poetic. One thing Theo hoped to accomplish by putting his own thoughts down in a book was to dispel the mystery of the language. His copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy was ?useless by now. He paused for a moment.


    ¡°What do you call Toru¡¯aun¡¯s language? Toru¡¯auni? Toru¡¯aunese?¡± Toruish?¡±


    Theo shook away the question, moving on to his work for the day. He imagined parchment and a pen, then wrote several spells out in their circular form. This was an introspective task, making the peaceful forest the perfect place. Even the battle in the distance wasn¡¯t enough to draw him away from the work. After several hours of messing around with reinforcement rings of poetry, he found a rather simple solution.


    A spell forged with the Queen of Mystery, Toru¡¯aun, should be equally mysterious. The reading order was often nonsense, going from one part of the ring to another without reason. So why not continue the story on the outside of the ring? Theo expanded one of his simple spells, [Lesser Reveal], writing more of the hidden Dronons¡¯ tale on the outside of the ring. He borrowed some willpower from Tresk, convincing the Dreamwalk¡¯s system to allow him to discover something new.


    It came together in a flash. The mana requirement to cast the second tier spells was far greater than the first tier. Theo focused on infusing a rock with the new spell, only to find himself drained by the end of it. He imagined more mana, then pushed on until the ward was complete. A plain gray rock pulsed with power for a moment, the shifting words of Toru¡¯aun emblazoned on the surface. He inspected the ward, satisfied with his newest accomplishment.


    [Reveal]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Reveal]. Field only activates when enemies are detected in range.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    5 days.


    Sometimes the system was stingy with information. The second tier ward had a significantly longer duration, and the power from within was greater. Theo imagined a goblin nearby, close enough to activate the ward. The dome that sprung up was massive, easily twice the size of the old one. He spent more of his time in the Dreamwalk working on his other wards, memorizing those patterns so he could use them on the fly.


    Theo could cast his wards without applying them to an object. But that method always seemed to fall flat for him. Almost as though Toru¡¯aun herself designed his core for a specific purpose. To apply wards to objects, rather than channeling them as a spell.


    The temptation to create a ward out of the powerful properties produced by the [Dragon Apple] was overwhelming. The system allowed him to absorb the property by imagining some [Refined Dragon¡¯s Fire Essence], but the story didn¡¯t come easy. He gave up when it had become twice as large as his normal wards, revealing the complexity of understanding such an intricate property.


    Fortunately, the [Dragon¡¯s Dance] property gave up its secrets easily. That wasn¡¯t a surprise. The rarity on the [Dragon Apple Petals] was only epic, not mythic like the fruit itself. Theo wrote a story about Dronon performing a dance of death, defeating their enemies by crushing them underfoot. When he applied the ward to a stone, it shattered. Instead, he imagined a length of carved bone. That took the spell easily, revealing interlacing lines of text on the surface that glowed with colors shifting between red and black. The alchemist inspected his new ward, unsurprised by the description.


    [Dragon¡¯s Dance]


    [Advance Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Dragon¡¯s Dance]. Field only activates when enemies are detected in range.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    5 days.


    This was an interesting way to approach alchemy, Theo realized as he held the bone. They hadn¡¯t brewed the potion-version of this property, yet. He set it down, got to a healthy distance, then summoned a goblin near the ward.


    Theo flinched back as the goblin appeared. The reactive bubble surrounding the bone turned a fiery red. Streams of silver swirled through the sphere, lashing out at everything with impunity. Magical blades wove a dance of death, felling trees and vegetation as readily as the goblin itself. When the spell expired, the creature was nothing more than a stain of red on the ground and a lingering mist in the air.


    ¡°Chalk that up to ¡®dangerous crap¡¯,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. He then applied the ward to a few bone daggers and ran off to find Tresk and Alex.


    Tresk was running the goose through some drills. A small army of Trolls waited for the signal to attack while the Marshling rattled off combat tactics. Theo watched for some time, noting how Alex¡¯s control of her nature aspect had developed. She was a true Broken Tusker already, facing a problem with nothing but force of will and determination. Great vines sprung from the ground near the feet of the Trolls, wrapping around the ankles with deadly thorns. Once she had constricted a group of the monsters, she opened her bill and issued forth a massive fireball.


    Trolls writhed against the burning vines, their flesh covered completely in something like burning pitch. Theo watched with pride as his growing goose took out a fair number of the Trolls.


    ¡°She¡¯s getting better,¡± Theo said, nodding with approval.


    ¡°Yeah, why do I have the feeling you¡¯re gonna show us something cool?¡± Tresk asked, jumping up and down with excitement. ¡°Just throw the dagger already!¡±


    Theo laughed, withdrawing a warded bone dagger from nowhere. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it sailing at the burning Trolls. Pieces of the imagined creatures sailed from within the resulting sphere. It churned them into red paste, killing the weakened monsters with relative ease.


    ¡°Cool. Just gonna show off like that?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°It was cool, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tresk grumbled. ¡°Yeah. It was awesome.¡±

 4.53 - Xotl

    Theo listened with waning interest to the conversations floating around his dining room table. His thoughts centered on the concept of his manor. At first he thought it would be a place where he could be alone with his thoughts. That was an impossible thing from the start with the way Broken Tuskers were. As time went on he realized that the purpose of the manor was to bring people together. It was a sanctuary of formless meetings¡ªthe governmental nonsense they had to deal with stripped away to reveal a cozy spot to share tea. Folks stopped by when they wanted. They stayed in whatever room was free. Rowan and Sarisa kept it safe and clean.


    Wisdom of the Soul messages would pop up as he pondered how things were going. Fenian¡¯s plan became clearer to him by the day. It was always important to consider what the Elf said. To dig through the double-meaning and shrouded words to unearth something close to the truth. Instead of worrying about what that future held, Theo would prepare himself for the inevitable. That meant having talks with both Xol¡¯sa and Zarali.


    The extra-planar Elf held more secrets than he knew he had, and through conversation, Theo learned more about his strange people. What little there was to glean, that is. Xol¡¯sa didn¡¯t have memories of his home. After breakfast, Theo brought him aside into one of the many side rooms littering the manor for some tea and scones pilfered from Benton¡¯s hospitality. The alchemist¡¯s administration interface swirled with things marked ¡°TODO¡±, but they could wait.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally pushing yourself. Magically, of course,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    This was the cycle of that man¡¯s personality. Swinging from a curt headmaster to a comforting teacher, depending on how hard Theo was trying. A knock came at the door, Sarisa showing herself in.


    ¡°Salire is here for you,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet her at the lab. Thank you.¡±


    Without a word, the Half-Ogre woman ducked out of the room. Theo turned his attention back to Xol¡¯sa and their rolling conversation. ¡°I¡¯ve worked out most of Fenian¡¯s plan. I always thought he was using me to get what he wanted. But I think he wants Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Not to keep her, I hope,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°No, of course not. When I gave you the potion to repair your soul, I realized something. You were given the designation of an ¡®extra-planar Elf¡¯ which is interesting. As if being born outside of the mortal plane is a normal thing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t stop himself. He scoffed, shaking his head in disapproval. The more time he spent in his private realm, the more he understood about the heavens. After taking a few souls into his care, the alchemist understood even more. Souls were a finite resource, generated on the mortal plane, not one of the many godly planes. One didn¡¯t need high attributes to understand where this went.


    ¡°You¡¯re from another place entirely. Another layer we¡¯re not aware of. Well, I¡¯m not aware of it.¡± Theo sipped his tea. He didn¡¯t have the stomach to eat more scones. When he faced a problem with no solution, his stomach twisted into knots.


    Xol¡¯sa withdrew a ream of parchment from nowhere and began scribbling things down, humming as he wrote. ¡°Interesting idea. I¡¯d love to argue against the evidence, but¡­ Well, here I am.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never thought of this before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of it many times. Since I arrived on this plane as a child. Since my parents abandoned me¡ªto fend for myself,¡± Xol¡¯sa let out a frustrated breath. ¡°But I cannot peer behind the curtain. No matter how much I try.¡±


    ¡°Your core,¡± Theo said, letting his thoughts come together. ¡°It¡¯s unique, as far as I can tell. Distill your abilities down for me, please.¡±


    ¡°An alchemy pun? Really?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    He described his abilities and the spells he had learned over the years. It seemed like a standard mage¡¯s core, themed around manipulating the planes locally to get some effect. He could create a pane of extra-planar glass that monsters would fall into. His ability to interface with dungeons was unrivaled. Especially after getting the [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core]. But there was a gap in his abilities that seemed rather obvious. It was something both of them had experienced together. When Xol¡¯sa tried to poke his head into a heavenly realm, he was sent reeling.


    ¡°Put everything together, and what do you have?¡± Theo asked. Xol¡¯sa held his theories back, waiting for the alchemist to answer his own question. ¡°We can assume you¡¯re from somewhere other than the heavenly realms. Between them, or somewhere else entirely. Can you make a portal into the void?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s eyes darted around the room for a moment, his thoughts gathering. ¡°That¡¯s where I send the monsters.¡±


    A stupid idea entered Theo¡¯s mind, and he entertained it. He wasn¡¯t as skilled as Tresk in manipulating their Tero¡¯gal abilities, but he was certain he could teleport out of the void if he encountered any problems. His Wisdom of the Soul messages agreed. Shadows swirled somewhere nearby and the alchemist groaned. He turned, glaring into a dark corner of the room.


    ¡°I was gonna tell you.¡±


    ¡°No, you weren¡¯t!¡± the shadows objected. ¡°You were going to jump into the void without me. How is that fair?¡±


    ¡°Well, I need an anchor so I can get back. So you can¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°We both know Alex is the perfect anchor.¡±


    ¡°Compromise. I¡¯ll just stick my head in the void, then come right back out.¡±


    Tresk emerged from the shadows, her arms folded. Theo could feel what she was thinking. She wanted to find the link between Xol¡¯sa and the void as much as him, but held more caution in her heart than him.


    ¡°Do I have a say in this?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Maybe. Depends on what you have to say,¡± Tresk grumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve poked my head in there before. There isn¡¯t much to see. A literal void.¡±


    Tresk let out a low growl-like sound, then a frustrated sigh. ¡°Fine. Open the portal to hell. What could go wrong?¡±


    With a few gestures and words, Xol¡¯sa opened a shimmering rectangle into the void. It hovered in the room¡¯s center, seeming to absorb the surrounding light. Theo rose, approaching the portal for inspection. Tresk approached it from the other side, grunting and humming as though she understood what was going on. The alchemist poked his head inside.


    True to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s word, it was an endless void. Darkness that stretched in every direction. Tresk did the same on the other side. While they couldn¡¯t see each other in the infinite darkness, they could feel each other. Two beacons ringing out among the inky blackness like lighthouses on the shore of some turgid sea. They withdrew themselves from the portal at the same time.


    ¡°Did you feel that, Theo?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Not sure. Smelled like burnt toast.¡±


    ¡°Maybe your brain was just frying.¡± Tresk nodded at Xol¡¯sa, who closed the portal. ¡°I felt another will in there. Like someone pushing back against me.¡±


    That was interesting enough on its own. Theo had thought of the void as an empty place. A place where lost souls went when they were trying to get to their realms. The people of this world referred to multiple versions of hell, instead of the singular like on earth. While it might have been an experiential thing the dead went through, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of connection. Wisdom of the Soul offered boxes of information he already knew. It couldn¡¯t make the connection yet.


    Tresk, Theo, and Xol¡¯sa sat down to share their thoughts on the matter. No one could reach a conclusion that made sense, though. The best they could do was to establish assumptions based on the existence of a willpower present in the void. Who or what it was settled in on the edges of their knowledge. They had just enough information to make the mystery interesting, but not enough to solve it.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    But the entire exercise helped Theo understand Fenian¡¯s plans better. Even if he didn¡¯t dive into the void. It helped him understand why he had been set up in this swamp town. He understood why he and Tresk were brought together. The morning was dragging on. If the alchemist didn¡¯t get moving, Salire would find her way to the manor. It was time to get to work.


    Theo excused himself from the parlor, leaving behind more questions than answers. Even worse, he had stirred up Xol¡¯sa¡¯s imagination. It was always a bad idea to get a wizard fired up about something. Seeing people out on the street, unbothered by this new mystery, was refreshing. He greeted citizens that passed by. He even spotted Perg for the first time in a while, lurking near her tannery. That woman was up to something, but it would have to wait.


    Salire was waiting outside of the Newt and Demon. She was dancing on the spot as he approached, twirling the hem of her newest dress. Dancing wasn¡¯t really something Broken Tuskers did. When they did, it was bad. The Half-Ogre woman was quite good at it, though. Unbidden, a smile spread across the alchemist¡¯s face as he approached. ¡°Why are we so excited today?¡±


    ¡°Read your memos!¡± Salire said, still dancing. ¡°Why do I give the administration goons reports if you don¡¯t read them?¡±


    Theo cleared his throat awkwardly.


    ¡°The new stills are here!¡±


    That was all the reason Theo needed to rush up to the third floor of the building. Salire was close on his heels as they arrived, spotting the rows of new distillation equipment. Even at a distance, he could tell they were different than the last model. There was a blocky flair in their construction that was clearly Dwarven. Thim had a hand in this. There was no doubt.


    ¡°Ten stills,¡± Theo said, walking the rows. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of equipment. And¡­ one of them is already running.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I mean. I¡¯m not sorry,¡± Salire giggled. ¡°I finally woke up in the middle of the night. Been working on first tier potions ever since.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t know how long he expected her recovery to be. But she was in perfect health, now. It reminded him of the time he watched Azrug recover from getting his first cores. That thought sent a pang of guilt running through his chest. The boy had been so busy as a Lord Merchant, he didn¡¯t have time to socialize. The alchemist read his reports in the administration interface. He had even gone over to the new shop to check it out. But they didn¡¯t have the time to sit and talk. It was a shame.


    ¡°So, Thim and Throk made some modifications to the design of the stills,¡± Salire said, standing near the foremost still. She held her hands out as though she were a saleswoman pitching him something fancy to buy. ¡°Improved heating elements. Streamlined capacities. Basic programmable run cycles. And some adapters so we can hook this up directly to the new pipe system. What do you think?¡±


    Theo pressed his hand against one of the inactive stills, inspecting the item.


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Artifice Still]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Epic


    Created By: Thimamuri and Throk


    A 600 unit capacity Drogramathi Iron still with attached advanced condenser and internal heating element. The advanced condenser allows for a more efficient cooling of essences, decreasing the time needed to distill.The internal heating element provides an even heating of the still, preventing burning.


    Effects:


    Distillation time reduced.


    Occasionally produces more essence.


    Reduces the chance of producing low quality essence.


    Attachments:


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Bubble Plate]


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Vapor Pressurizer]


    [Custom Artifice Timer]


    The big changes here were the capacity and the [Custom Artifice Timer]. All the other features were things that Theo had seen in the past. As he inspected the artifice, he saw the changes they had made to the heating element. Throk and Thim¡¯s first attempt at creating an embedded heating element was good, but it had flaws. The key difference was in the controller. It could now heat zones within the still, starting at the bottom and working its way up depending on which zone he selected. That would be useful. Alchemical mashes burned on the bottom. Rarely did the sides burn.


    ¡°Very impressive. More impressive that they built ten. Did Throk take a break, or something?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°He finished a different project. Had some time.¡±


    ¡°What project would that be? Was he helping with the underwater tower?¡±


    ¡°No, I saw him running some pipes outside the walls. He had Sledge help him with getting them under the wall. Something about pumping seawater into town.¡±


    ¡°What the hell does he need seawater for?¡±


    Salire didn¡¯t know. But it only took a few minutes of digging through the endless progress reports of the administrative screen to figure it out. Theo cursed under his breath. Things had gotten so busy that he pushed projects aside to make room for others. When he first saw the [Reagent Deconstruction] ability, the only thing he could think of was breaking things down to their elemental parts. That wasn¡¯t exactly the way the ability worked, but if he tried real hard it just might.


    To see Throk swooping in, stealing away the production of salt, hit him hard at first. A momentary flash of anger that gave way to a reasonable mind. Theo should have ordered pumps, boilers, and tubes to process seawater into salt to begin with. The fault rested solely with him, not the enterprising Marshling. This was a direction the alchemist had hoped people would move in. Industries they established on their own would create a flourishing economy. The anger faded as quickly as it came, replaced with a sense of pride.


    Salire couldn¡¯t stop talking about alchemical processes. Her new cores opened a world of possibility for her. And she had the best equipment owned by any Drogramath Dronon so far as Theo was aware. He peeled the rind from a [Xotl Orange], setting them on one of the many tables in the room. The scent of the fruit was like the imitation orange drink the alchemist had back on Earth. As his assistant went on, he considered what exactly a Xotl was, and why it would have an orange named after it. He shrugged, popping a slice out of the fist-sized fruit, then into his mouth.


    A message popped up.


    [Property Discovered]!


    Eating the [Xotl Orange] has revealed the property: [Xotl¡¯s Undercurrent]


    [Spirit Fruit Consumed]!


    You have eaten a portion of a spirit fruit. Your natural dexterity has increased slightly. You may only eat one whole spirit fruit per day.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Salire shouted, falling out of her trance-like state. ¡°Did you eat another spirit fruit? It smells like spirit fruit in here¡ªyou should have told me.¡±


    ¡°Want a slice?¡± Theo asked, wiggling his eyebrows.


    That smoothed things over quickly. She took a slice of the orange and took a tentative bite. Her eyes closed as she let out a contented sigh. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s good. Huh. It says I can¡¯t learn the property.¡±


    ¡°Really? Does the system say anything else?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too low.¡±


    ¡°Sad times. Let¡¯s brew a potion. Figure out what this undercurrent property is about.¡±


    There were other things to do within the lab. Salire was desperately trying to create some potions to fill orders, but her skills weren¡¯t there yet. Confined to the lowest tier of alchemy, she had created some interestingly poor quality potions. He never expected to see such horrible potions come out of his lab, but that was to be expected. Only a person with blinders on could look at his past and think those first potions were good. They weren¡¯t good. They were horrible.


    The difference between applied alchemy and theoretical alchemy came down to intuition. As expected, with Wisdom being the most important attribute, creating potions was more art than science. Even if they were using exact numbers to bind things together, there was finesse involved. The new stills proved themselves in brewing the spirit fruit¡¯s essence. With isolated heating zones, Theo dialed it in to only heat the bottom layer of the still. The result was an even, low heat that drew out the best parts of the [Xotl Orange].


    With so little of the essence available, it wasn¡¯t worth creating a dilution and running the potion again for the next tier. Theo did what he did with his last fruit, settling for a second tier potion. Salire aided him, but only in a support capacity. She grabbed things when he needed them, and took notes on the process. While this process was already well documented, it didn¡¯t hurt for her to get a refresher.


    The reaction was immediate and violent. The air extraction system whirred above them as the potion put off a cloud of green smoke that smelled like the sea. Inside the ornate vial was a potion that swirled with a mixture of blues and greens, flecks of silver running through it like ore through stone.


    [Xotl¡¯s Undercurrent Potion]


    [Potion]


    Mythic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a Xotl¡¯s Undercurrent.


    Effect:


    The imbiber must be underwater to consume this potion.


    For five seconds after consuming this potion, the water directly beneath them will become a vortex that sucks in all surrounding water. Like the mighty deep sea Xotl, everything within range will be pulled within the churn of water.


    ¡°This potion kills you,¡± Salire said, her tone mocking.


    She was right, though. Theo stowed the potion in his inventory, intent on destroying it when he had the chance. He created potions like this on occasion. It wasn¡¯t something that would kill mass numbers of people, or spread harm throughout the world. But he couldn¡¯t see someone using this potion while underwater and not killing themselves. That put it in a special category of potions that he would never brew on purpose.


    ¡°Excellent. There¡¯s bound to be a few duds until I explore the other properties on the orange. But now, let¡¯s check out the rind.¡±


    Salire rubbed her hands together. ¡°I got a good feeling about this one.¡±

 4.54 - Eat It! Eat It! Eat It!

    Orange rinds didn¡¯t taste very good. Theo winced as he chewed through the tough exterior of the [Xotl Orange], forcing it down. It refused to go down without a fight. Salire watched nearby, her face tense with eager anticipation. When it finally hit his stomach, the alchemist shivered, then burped.


    ¡°Absolutely disgusting,¡± he said. ¡°How did you convince me to eat it? I should have used [Reagent Deconstruction].¡±


    ¡°I just shouted ¡®Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!¡¯ and you did.¡± Salire clapped her hands together. ¡°Come on. Tell me what the new property is.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m understanding a few things about these mythical creatures. Assuming a Xotl is a mythical creature. They all enjoy one thing. Dancing.¡±


    The property revealed by eating the rind of the orange was Xotl¡¯s Dance. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out where this was going. Each spirit fruit represented some mythical creature. Each of those creatures also represented an element. Dragons for Strength, Xotls for Dexterity, Gorgons for Vigor, Fairies for Wisdom, and Devils for Intelligence. The system had created lines between Demons and Devils, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t figure out if that mattered.


    A few customers arrived at the shop downstairs while they brewed a sample potion for the orange rind. Salire was dropping not-so-subtle hints that she wanted a promotion within the shop, and Theo pretended not to notice them. He didn¡¯t know how much money they made offhand. He didn¡¯t even know how much he paid her, and that¡¯s the way he liked it. As long as the coins were flowing, there was no reason to care.


    ¡°I won¡¯t promote you for no reason.¡± Theo fiddled with the new stills, sensing that it was near the end of its cycle. A slow drip of [Refined Xotl¡¯s Dance Essence] was dripping into an open flask. ¡°Just because you have the same cores as me, doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re some big-shot.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo stood, gazing out the window for some time. She was more eager than he was when he first started. A person more deserving of Drogramath¡¯s admiration than him by a long shot. She was harder working and smarter. But the dice fell as they did, and there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°I want you to take it easy. You have certain disadvantages that I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that much shorter than you are,¡± Salire said, holding her hand flat on her head. She swept it out through the air, coming into contact with Theo¡¯s chin. ¡°Less than a head shorter.¡±


    Theo tried not to laugh, but he couldn¡¯t hold it in. ¡°Something I noticed about the system is that there are hidden things. Hidden attributes, hidden statuses¡­ I¡¯m sure I could think of more. No, that¡¯s about all I can think of. Anyway, take willpower for example. I thought it was the representation of someone¡¯s will, based on how their physical brain worked. Turns out, Tresk had overpowered willpower and no one knows why. Not even the gods.¡±


    ¡°So, my willpower is the problem?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m Drogramath¡¯s Champion. Which means he gave me special powers and I don¡¯t know what those are.¡±


    ¡°Well, that just gives us more reason to move me to full-time potion duty.¡±


    ¡°How do you figure?¡±


    Salire withdrew a notebook, holding it up with pride. ¡°Behold. How to be Good at Demon Alchemy and Other Stuff. What better time to doccument the differences between a normal person and a Champion?¡±


    ¡°Is that the name we¡¯re going with for the book?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Alright. But you¡¯re responsible for paying whoever runs the shop. Take it out of the money you give yourself from the shop.¡±


    Salire blew raspberries. ¡°Jokes on this guy. I don¡¯t pay myself anything!¡±


    Ignoring the statement, Theo turned to the nearest shadow. ¡°Sarisa? Rowan?¡± An instant later, Sarisa appeared, shaking her head. ¡°Please find someone to run my shop. I prefer Half-Ogres.¡±


    It didn¡¯t pass his notice that Salire blushed at the statement, turning away from the pair to busy herself sorting vials that didn¡¯t need sorting.


    ¡°You¡¯re missing a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Anything important?¡±


    ¡°Two controlled monster waves. Today or tomorrow. The containment tower for the ocean is completed, but Xol¡¯sa wants to purge the lingering magical energy in the dungeon. Then he can tame it like he did the [Swamp Dungeon]. I told them you were low on the [Tunneling Potion], so they want to instigate another wave from the [River Dungeon]. The wizard is convinced he can influence what boss spawns.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fun. Maybe I can do some damage during the next wave. Anything else that I should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°We have a small Harlag infestation. Aarok is working with Miana to train wolves to kill the critters.¡±


    ¡°And is that going well?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. Thank you very much, Sarisa. Take your time finding Salire¡¯s replacement.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Sarisa vanished into the shadows. Baelthar was an interesting patron for the Half-Ogres. Like Zaul, all the subclasses that the Ogre god created had something to do with hiding. Well, he was the Ogre Patron of the Hunt, so it made sense. But between various cores offered by gods, they usually had very different kits. Luras had a ranged aligned core with Baelthar, and was often hiding before he struck with his bow. It might not be significant, but it certainly was interesting.


    Theo picked up his newly brewed [Refined Xotl¡¯s Dance Essence], swirling it in the flask. It moved like the tide, flowing from one side of the glass flask to the other unbidden. A mixture of dark green and pale blues, it was a pretty-looking essence. Salire was already setting up for the reaction, laying out the catalyst, water, and fresh decorative vial.


    ¡°Why do you like Half-Ogres so much?¡± Salire asked as Theo performed the reaction.


    The reaction for the essence was less violent than the last. It swirled in the vial, like Theo¡¯s thoughts churning in his head. A plume of green-blue smoke rushed from the top, filling the room with a haze. The extractor fans above them sucked the smoke out. ¡°Marshlings are erratic. I don¡¯t fully trust the Elves. Half-Ogres are honest and hard-working.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m partial to Dronon myself.¡±


    Theo gave her a sidelong glance. ¡°No, you¡¯re not. If you¡¯re talking about me, I just have the shell of a dead Dronon. Although¡­ the Dronon souls in my realm are all rather nice. Maybe I like the Dronon, too. Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never been let down by a Toora. The bear-folk always have tea. And they¡¯re great at baking. Have you tried a Toora god¡¯s scones?¡±


    ¡°Why would I have tried a god¡¯s scones?¡±


    Theo withdrew one of Benton¡¯s legendary confections from his inventory. He handed it over to Salire as he inspected the new potion. She took a small bite, let out a squeal of glee, then turned her attention to the potion while munching.


    [Xotl¡¯s Dance Potion]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a Xotl¡¯s Dance.


    Effect:


    The imbiber of this potion creates a shroud of water around themselves. Like the Xotl gracing the depths, this field repels all water based on the potion¡¯s strength. Any creating entering the bubble of air will be hit with an instance of [Xotl¡¯s Dance], inflicting damage and reducing their movement speed.


    ¡°That is a weird potion,¡± Salire said through a mouthful of scone.


    This potion wasn¡¯t dangerous. At least there was that. Theo¡¯s mind stretched itself, trying to see how the potion would be useful for their underwater projects. But the problem with the potions derived from spirit fruits was one of volume. In his mind, he labeled this as ¡®emergency potion for if I fall into water and still can drink a potion¡¯. It was a very specific use-case.


    It would be wise to spend an entire day discovering the various effects of the spirit fruit, but Theo had other things on his mind. He stowed away the newest potion, waiting for Salire to finish her scone before going into lecture mode. Grinding low-rank potions was fine, but if she wanted to have a fun time leveling between 10 and 20, she needed to understand how her mana worked. Looking back on it, the alchemist now realized why his low-level mana was so potent. It wasn¡¯t the mana of a normal Drogramathi Alchemist, it was the mana of a Drogramathi Champion.


    Perhaps these facts would give the young Half-Ogre an easier time with the progression, but it was still a labor. He wrote out a series of instructions for her to follow, then went through the cycles a few times. She had a hard time with it, but that was expected. The difference between them was that she was getting a head start on the matter. She wouldn¡¯t need to struggle through it as much. Or so he hoped.


    This was the perfect time for a break. Theo left the lab in Salire¡¯s capable hands, then wandered the streets of Broken Tusk. He stopped by Whisper¡¯s butcher first, finding one of his administrators ordering some sausages. Gwynestarea had been an intelligent member of the team from the start. As a Half-Elf from Veosta, she knew the meaning of working in an environment with many cultures.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Whisper?¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Whisper said, gesturing to the air conditioner blasting ice-cold air. ¡°Perfectly cold.¡±


    Theo nodded with approval. ¡°How about you, Gwyn?¡±


    ¡°Busy. As always. I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯ve been using your private bath.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s cool.¡±


    The alchemist lingered for a while, ordering whatever Whisper recommended. She had apparently become known for her spicy sausages. That was an unexpected turn of events, as Theo only viewed her as a base-level production asset. He never expected her to venture out on her own to make her own food. Once again, he was reminded that the peoples of Broken Tusk were inventive. He departed with a string of sausages after paying Whisper. Gwyn went her own way, off to the administration building, no doubt.


    There were plenty of things for Theo to do. Even with that in mind, he returned to his manor with a string of sausages in hand. The faint buzz of activity echoed throughout the open spaces of the places, and he found his way to the kitchen. Fenian was talking with someone in one of the many drawing rooms, and someone else¡¯s voices carried from somewhere more distant. Sarisa and Rowan had the kitchen fully stocked with food and cookware. A small stove, operated by an artifice flame, rested near a shallow bay window.


    From the window, Theo could see the garden outside. Bilgrob was sitting in the garden, cross-legged with his eyes closed. The faint swirl of magical energies tinged the air, even from behind the window. He found a seasoned iron pan, placed it on the fire and fried up some sausages. The kitchen was immediately filled with sizzling, popping grease from the meat. An aroma like chorizo filled the area, drawing the attention of the other inhabitants of the manor.


    ¡°Cooking?¡± Fenian asked, wheeling himself into view.


    Fenian had recovered from his wounds. Theo could see the spot where the new arm and leg had grown in, as they were far paler than the rest of his body. ¡°Just felt like having something. You know?¡±


    ¡°I always feel like a sausage.¡±


    ¡°So, your plan. For me,¡± Theo said, pushing the sausages around in the pan. ¡°Which realm do you need me to take you to?¡±


    Fenian clapped his hands together. He winced, shaking his new arm as though the act was painful. His countenance recovered immediately. ¡°Balkor¡¯s realm. I thought you would have figured that one out by now.¡±


    Theo flipped the sausages. They were burning on one side, while the other was mostly untouched. He adjusted the heat on the artifice, then removed the pan from the heat. ¡°A dead realm, huh? You¡¯re going to lure Karasan there. Then what?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s one of those spoilers, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    While he understood more about the realms every day, that was still outside of his reach. Logically, Fenian would want to trap Karasan somewhere that he couldn¡¯t get away. From the stories the alchemist heard, they weren¡¯t evenly matched. The Elf would win in a one-on-one. But the King of Qavell was slippery, falling through the various realms and the void to get away. He returned the sausages to the heat as he considered the implications.


    ¡°What are the chances you survive?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°At least fifty percent.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning on resurrecting Balkor?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered it, but that¡¯s not a bad idea. How do you resurrect a god, exactly?¡±


    Theo gave Fenian a flat look. While he always wanted to be annoyed with the Elven trader, there was a charm with his coyness. This little dance they did where the trader pretended that neither of them knew a damn thing about any of this. Yeah, his plan was likely to resurrect Balkor?. It wasn¡¯t a true resurrection. If what he had heard was true, gods didn¡¯t truly die.


    ¡°I imagine bringing a powerful soul to his realm might work,¡± Theo said, removing the sausages and placing them on a large plate. ¡°Of course, that soul must be willing to join the realm.¡±


    ¡°Must it?¡± Fenian asked. He winked. ¡°I must have missed that detail. May I have one?¡±


    Theo skewered one sausage with a fork, then handed it to Fenian. He grabbed one for himself, taking a tentative bite. It was hot in both flavor and temperature, forcing the alchemist to second-guess his decision. But the flavor was there. Good spice meant good seasoning, and Whisper had done an excellent job.


    ¡°They¡¯re quite good,¡± Fenian said, fanning his mouth. ¡°A bit too spicy for my taste.¡±


    ¡°So, you need a ride to Balkor¡¯s realm. But you can already travel over the Bridge, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°But when you leave the bridge through your pact with Uz¡¯Xulven, you¡¯re violating the rules of the heavenly realms. But if I break the rules, what happens?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the Arbiter to decide.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s devious.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Will Karasan go for the bait?¡±


    ¡°He will.¡±


    When Fenian was certain about something, that was the end of the conversation. They found their way to a sitting room on the first floor. It gave them a lovely view of the street outside. The people passing by. People that didn¡¯t know they were conspiring to topple a kingdom¡ªalthough what there was left of that kingdom was anyone¡¯s guess. While the Elf claimed to dislike the spicy sausages, he helped himself to more.


    ¡°When you assume the throne, what changes?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Well, the thrones were always meant to be a means of regulation. A way for the best of the best in any realm to assume a seat of power outside the machinations of the masses. A system atop a system with someone at the helm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Yuri did, right? He changed the way the heavens work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the thrones are connected. You see, Karasan is part of a group that believes the system is fine as it is. Do you agree with him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a say in that.¡± Theo paused for a moment, watching as a couple passed by on the street. It was hot out there. Sweltering, even. They held hands, pushing themselves close to each other as though it were a cold winter¡¯s day. ¡°Whatever my purpose here is, it''s not to judge.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that.¡±


    Theo shrugged in response. ¡°I don¡¯t think Karasan was running his kingdom well, but who am I to say? I¡¯m not the judge that gets to condemn countless thousands to death.¡±


    ¡°Are they really dying, though?¡±


    That was a discussion they had already had. Theo had no desire to retread old ground, let alone entertaining the idea of who was more worthy of genocide. It was an old song and dance he¡¯d seen too many times on Earth. Maybe that meant he was numb to the entire process, making him the worst judge in this case. With Yuri calling the shots from his heavenly realm, that made things worse. But the fact was, Broken Tusk and the Southlands Alliance was in too deep and there was no point in pulling out.


    But a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up that caught Theo¡¯s attention. It was something that would have entered his intuition before, but he should have caught it on his own. Fenian was hiding something, that was obvious. But so was Karasan. The message claimed that the extreme measures the Elf was going through could only mean there was an equal measure on the other side of the coin.


    Ignoring Fenian¡¯s last statement, Theo said, ¡°What is Karasan hiding? What sins is he carrying?¡±


    Fenian smiled around a sausage, breaking it off then chewing for a moment. ¡°Something I¡¯m sworn not to tell. I¡¯m not being slick with this one, Theo. I¡¯m bound to secrecy. If this gambit fails, then eons of planning goes up in a puff of smoke. Just like that. Gone.¡±


    ¡°Message received,¡± Theo chuckled. This reminded him too much of the Berlin job. ¡°I need time to practice, though. I interdicted myself into a lower realm, but the high heavens are far.¡±


    ¡°As long as you know the mission, I can wait.¡±


    They ate the entire string of sausages together, sweating and discussing how much trade had changed. Fenian had been out of it for a long time by now, but his understanding of trade wasn¡¯t limited by his condition. He had contacts around the world, feeding him price changes and trade route blockages. Their continent wasn¡¯t as important as the others. Slagrot, the home of the ogres, had been completely unaffected by the undead. Tarantham, Partopour, and Bantein felt the reverberations of the undead but nothing terrible.


    This world was built on the idea of construction and destruction. An endless cycle that the inhabitants became all too used to. That was the concept Fenian and Khahar wanted to destroy. No matter the cost, it was worth it. So long as Broken Tusk never came to harm.

 4.55 - Wards and Wills

    It was always a good idea to get some fresh air after talking to Fenian. That guy had so many grand designs going on at the same time, it left Theo feeling drained. How could one man be so single-minded? The alchemist shook off the dust of ambition and went off to check on a few projects. Projects always made him feel better.


    Outside of the manor, in the heat of the Season of Fire, things were normal. The alchemist stood on the road¡¯s edge for some time, waving at people as they passed by. A breeze blew in from the east, bringing with it the faint scent of the sea. There must have been a powerful gust pushing up from the bay, flooding over the harbor and then the town. The sparse grasses that grew throughout town shook, as though through anticipation. Theo took a deep breath and headed off to the boiler shack.


    One advantage of turning mundane buildings into core buildings was their longevity. From what Theo understood, the buildings would never decay so long as there were supplies to keep them repaired within the town. Broken Tusk had infinite storage for materials, allowing them to stockpile absurd amounts of materials. It was part of the strategy that Aarok and Luras cooked up, which wasn¡¯t much of a strategy at all. Turtle up, and hope they could outlast whatever it was that came to get them.


    The boiler shack was an unassuming building between the Artificer¡¯s Workshop, and Miana¡¯s ranch. It rested among saplings and a scatter of unused lumber, humming away endlessly. Even at a distance, the alchemist could feel that the building was ready for an upgrade. Unlike the temple, which seemed hellbent on remaining without upgrades forever. Inside were a group of boilers, fed by copper pipes that snaked their way underground.


    Theo pressed the first [Monster Core] into the building, nodding to himself as the building accepted it. He didn¡¯t get the same feeling he got from true seed core buildings. It was as though this building was siphoning power from the town itself, much like the synergistics upgrades. The alchemist thought about those synergy upgrades as he shoved cores into the building. They were useful, but expensive.


    There were several things to note about the way incorporated core buildings worked. As Theo leveled the building up, he observed that the building did not expand in size with every level. Next, the boiler shack leveled past level 5 without receiving an upgrade. That seemed like a low cost to pay for the chance to make any building a core building, and as the shack reached level 10 he finally got a prompt to apply upgrades.


    Of course, this process was different as well. He wasn¡¯t presented with a list of three things to pick from. He was presented with one option, which was automatically accepted by the building. Anything was better than nothing. Theo inspected the Level 10 upgrade.


    [Efficient Purification]


    All water purifying devices within this building will operate more efficiently.


    Less resources to run the shack was good. The shack contained both artifices to purify the water, and a backup alchemy based system. While his original plan was to only use alchemy to purify the water, it was soon made evident that they should take advantage of the natural resources of the land. Motes were in abundance. Why not use them? The alchemist continued on with the upgrade, intent on seeing what Level 20 would bring him. As expected, Level 15 brought nothing. At least Level 20 brought something interesting. He inspected the option, only after it selected itself.


    [Rapid Heating]


    The time required to purify water by heat is halved.


    That was a pretty good upgrade. Theo knew little about how long the individual boilers took to heat the water up. The [Flame Artifice] design Throk had used to design the shack was pretty old. They made up for this fact by putting a bunch of heating elements in there. It was likely that the upgrades the alchemist just applied only brought the boilers up to standard. That was a better alternative than bothering Throk for another job.


    ¡°One less angry Marshling to deal with,¡± Theo muttered, exiting the building.


    Level 20 was fine for now. The boiler shack didn¡¯t really need upgrades. Not like the other production buildings in town. It was just a fun thing to do. Before heading off to inspect Ziz¡¯s work, he renamed and inspected the building.


    [Boiler Shack]


    [Love Shack]


    Owner: [Broken Tusk]


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 20 (2%)


    Rent Due: 4 Days


    Expansions:


    [Efficient Heating]


    [Rapid Heating]


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The harbor was an interesting mix of people. Laedria had recruited a few foreign workers to help her build the boats. Theo didn¡¯t recall seeing another trade ship enter port, but brushed it off. She also drew from the rowdy natives of the town, bolstering her flagging work force. The bulk of her people were sailing to Tarantham or the lizard islands. Those mysterious islands, just a hop and a skip over the ocean to the south, still didn¡¯t have a name in the alchemist¡¯s mind. The Elven shipwright was far too busy to speak, but gave in to brief pleasantries before vanishing behind a half-completed boat.


    Focusing on building a fleet of trade-style ships, Laedria had thrown herself into her craft. Theo knew nothing of boats, but they floated. Better still, they moved when the sails caught the wind. Shadows swirled nearby¡ªthe last stretch of shaded area from here to the beach¡ªand Rowan sprung forth. He looked frustrated. Maybe slightly annoyed.


    ¡°Hot day,¡± Rowan said, grimacing.


    Theo fished a vial of the cooling gel from his inventory, holding it out for his bodyguard to take. Rowan tried, and failed, to dump it over his head. Instead, he slathered it on his skin, breathing a sigh of relief. The alchemist tried some of the gel, putting thin strips of it on his neck. The effect was immediate and intense, as though someone was holding ice cubes against his skin.


    ¡°This stuff is pretty nice,¡± Theo said, leading Rowan toward the retaining wall of the canal.


    They walked along the canal¡¯s edge like kids on railroad tracks. The water flowed from the river, racing through the tract of land before impacting the rushing seawater. Rowan had a few things to say as they walked. Both he and Sarisa were interested in actually training with Theo and Tresk. A desire for more power wasn¡¯t at all uncommon for people. It didn¡¯t really matter what world they were in, they always wanted either themselves or things to be better.


    ¡°Been a few slow weeks, huh?¡± Rowan asked.


    The coast was in sight by the time he asked the question.


    ¡°Mercifully slow. Like any good summer should be.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you call the Season of Fire, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We also don¡¯t just cram all the days into one season. We have a few months per season.¡±


    ¡°Weird.¡±


    Before Ziz¡¯s work, the retaining wall ran to the ocean and stopped. Theo stood at the edge of the old end, staring off at the Half-Ogre¡¯s newest creation. Two causeways raced out into the bay, both ending with a tower that stood taller than the walls back in town. A bridge spanned between the towers near the top. The walkways out to sea were wider than the wall in the canal, allowing four people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. The pair walked out onto the path, passing by other citizens as they went.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    It was nice that people wanted to get out and enjoy nature, but there were dangers involved. From what Theo understood, the dungeon didn¡¯t spawn monsters directly on top of itself. Those generated monsters could spawn anywhere around the dungeon, circumventing the original idea of the underwater tower. The new value of this effort rested in the concept of controlling the dungeon with Xol¡¯sa¡¯s [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core].


    ¡°Damn, this is pretty,¡± Theo said. They had arrived at one tower and had taken to ascending the stairs. Built directly into the tower itself, the stairs spiraled upward. Tiny windows gave them different views of the world outside, until they emerged onto the bridge spanning the two towers.


    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain of the defensive value here,¡± Rowan said, folding his arms. ¡°But it does look neat.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Theo said, gazing out into the bay. He could see the Cork fishing near the barrier islands in the distance. Barely more than speck on the horizon. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s ascend to the top. Then the bottom.¡±


    Theo and Rowan stood atop the tower. They could almost see Broken Tusk from here, but it was too distant. A low haze had fallen over the swamp, which was unsurprising. The alchemist leaned over the edge of the tower, spotting fish moving around in the calmer sections of the bay. The area at the top of the tower provided enough space for Throk¡¯s rail gun, but little else.


    ¡°Hmmm. Did you end up serving in the Irregulars?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t get that far.¡±


    ¡°Huh. You already told me that, didn¡¯t you? Well, how would you defend the bay?¡±


    Rowan looked back toward the canal, then out to the bay. He scanned the area, some kind of instinct taking over as he formed a plan in his mind. ¡°Imagine you have a weapon to repel invaders. The new gun you¡¯re working on. Why wouldn¡¯t the invaders have something similar?¡±


    Theo smiled at his bodyguard. Making the assumption that attackers wouldn¡¯t have similar technology was silly. Assuming they didn¡¯t have siege techniques beyond his comprehension was another folly. Broken Tusk had always relied on the powerful nations of the world being too busy to deal with them. He stood there for a long time, his mind splitting in several directions as he thought.


    Several of those disparate strands of thought joined together at the same time. Something shivered in his chest as the realization of another ward trigger flooded into his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core]. Theo knelt to the ground, pressing his hand against the warm stone of the tower. He searched it tentatively, squeezing out as much of his senses as he could. They were underdeveloped, giving him only a vague sense of how agreeable the stone was for his wards.


    ¡°Seems like this would take a lot of mana,¡± Theo said, drawing himself up again.


    ¡°Your warding magic?¡±


    The alchemist drank an [Intelligence Potion]. His mind buzzed as though stung by electric bees. Thoughts expanding out like a balloon, he understood slightly more of what he needed to ward the entire tower. In Toru¡¯aun¡¯s tongue he chanted a new spell, his mind focused inward as he cast. Mana flowed from his body like the river feeding into the sea. An endless pour into a gluttonous mouth.


    Ten high-grade [Mana Potions] later, and the spell was taking shape. Pure mana from the Demon Queen of Mysteries stung the air. Rowan swatted stray clouds of the magic away as though he were slapping at hungry mosquitoes. The spell formation wasn¡¯t even that complex. He formed the [Shield] component of his spells with the [Detect Attack] trigger he had just learned. Interlaced with a few extra supportive rings, it wasn¡¯t even the most difficult spell circle he had crafted. But binding it to the entire tower was daunting.


    ¡°You alright, boss?¡± Rowan asked.


    Theo gritted his teeth, downing another [Mana Potion]. ¡°Good thing these potions don¡¯t fill me up,¡± he grunted. ¡°Yeah, this binding is complex. Feels like there¡¯s an entire layer of spellwork under this thing.¡±


    ¡°How does it normally feel?¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯m painting the spellwords on a wall. Now it feels like I¡¯m attaching each point of the spell to a place on the tower,¡± Theo said. He continued his chanting as Rowan watched, concern flitting across the Half-Ogre¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hold on. No, not literally¡ªkeep doing your thing,¡± Rowan said, running into the tower. He vanished for quite some time.


    Theo managed to attach more of the spell to the tower, slicing parts out that weren¡¯t working for different poems. Each failure resulted in a small spike of experience for his mage core. It felt like he was wrestling with the tower itself. Almost like it had a will of its own.


    ¡°Yep!¡± Rowan said, huffing as he ascended the stairs. ¡°Sledge did the incorporation thing on the tower already.¡±


    The alchemist groaned. After the revelation, he could feel it. He wasn¡¯t wrestling with the stones of some massive tower, he was fighting against the willpower of the town. The moment he thought of a battle of wills, he could feel something in the back of his mind. A scouring spotlight examining his distress. A faint popping sound issued from behind him, then a squeal of excitement and a honk.


    ¡°Did somebody think about willpower?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been described as having a ¡®mountainous willpower, dwarfing all others¡¯ by more than one person. Even a god!¡±


    Theo groaned, wrapping his mana around the stable formations and keeping them there. ¡°Khahar said it was like an ocean.¡±


    ¡°I thought he said mountain,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Help me, please.¡±


    The pressure of the town¡¯s will lifted in an instant. The spell snapped into place without another word chanted. Theo fell back in a heap, breathing a sigh of relief. Only now did he realize how low the sun had gotten in the sky. It was closer to dusk than noon by this point.


    ¡°Damn. Thanks,¡± Theo said.


    And I helped! Alex proclaimed.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a good goose. Who''s a good goose? You are!¡±


    The underpinnings of the ward felt slightly different. All that work to get the spellwords attached to the right spots had left something of a mark on the tower. Something Theo could follow with his weak senses, tracking connections throughout the building. He couldn¡¯t tell exactly what it was, but his latest mage ability for his core had changed the spellwork.


    ¡°How fast do you think Xol¡¯sa would come if I called him?¡± Theo asked, examining the ward.


    ¡°Immediately,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo sent an alert for the wizard to come to the tower, then read the description on the ward.


    [Defense]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive barrier. Barrier only responds when attacked.


    Trigger:


    Detect Attack


    Duration:


    5 days.


    The second tier version of the [Defense] ward wasn¡¯t much to look at. But the magical base of the ward was powerful. The principles he learned from the action were more important than anything else. Theo could ward the walls. With whatever he wanted to, so long as he had Tresk nearby. The Marshling wouldn¡¯t mention it, but the effort she put into overpowering the town was vast. Something deep within her had drained away, leaving exhaustion in its wake.


    ¡°Easy as pie,¡± Tresk said, hiding her shallow breaths.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out while we wait,¡± Theo said, leading the way down the stairs.


    The group gathered on the causeway, standing far enough to see the effects of the shield. But they were close enough that Theo could toss a dagger to activate his new ward. Once everyone was assembled, he removed an unimbued knife from his inventory and tossed it with force, directly at the tower. Before the weapon could clatter against the white stone, the familiar shield sprung up. It moved in uneven patterns at first, as though it was struggling against its own shape. Shimmering white energy blasted outward until it formed the shape of a bubble covering the entire tower.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big shield,¡± Rowan said, gazing at the spectacle.


    ¡°We should shoot it with a rail gun,¡± Tresk added.


    Honk!


    The ward settled down after a while, collapsing into the tower and becoming inactive. The group chatted about the new defensive measure while they waited for Xol¡¯sa. After a few minutes, his shimmering portal of blue and silver sprung up along the causeway. The wizard stepped out, Zarali following close behind.


    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Theo said, waving. ¡°Look what I did.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re studying?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked. ¡°Without being berated by me? Magical experimentations, and I didn¡¯t need to slap you upside the head?¡±


    ¡°Our little Theo is growing up,¡± Zarali cooed.


    Xol¡¯sa chuckled dryly, then held out his hand. A webwork of arcane symbols sprung out, forming an ever-expanding circle from his palm. The air stung with magical power, visible motes of energy flowing from the Elf¡¯s body. Without warning he closed his fist, sending a ripple of power over the waves to either side.


    ¡°There are some very interesting interactions going on here,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, withdrawing a small black notebook and a pen. He took some notes. ¡°I¡¯m glad you called for me. This might help me understand a problem I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    The Elf narrowed his gaze, spinning around to glare at his portal. A confused-looking Half-Ogre stepped out of the portal. ¡°Uh. This isn¡¯t the town¡­¡±


    Xol¡¯sa stomped over to the lost adventurer, shoving him toward the glowing portal. ¡°Give me five minutes. I¡¯ll point the portal back to town when I¡¯m done here. Shoo! Off with you!¡±


    The adventurer fell into the portal, hands held up defensively as the Elf banished him. With a frustrated breath, Xol¡¯sa turned back to the group. ¡°Now. Where were we? Right. Magic. Your bindings are weak. Anchors are almost non-existent.¡±


    ¡°But it worked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Theo,¡± Zarali said, clapping her hands.


    But the ward was a team effort. Without Tresk¡¯s willpower the spell wouldn¡¯t have formed. Those underpinnings weren¡¯t complex, it was the opposing will that made the task hard. The alchemist settled on his first analogy as the correct one. Painting a picture versus connecting distinct pieces of an image. While he wanted to do it, Theo decided not to shoot their new tower with a rail gun.

 4.56 - Lizard Dudes

    Tero¡¯gal was unrecognizable. Theo stood near his fields of spirit fruit, eyes lingering over the crowds that had assembled to welcome him. Benton and Belgar led the procession, singing a song and waving banners. The alchemist was immediately uncomfortable with the admiration. He had hardly provided anything to the lost souls of the void. But safe haven and a diet of spirit fruit did wonders for the wayward spirits. The assembled welcoming party wasn¡¯t even the most noticeable change about the realm.


    With the expansion of the landmass, and expansive forests, the lost souls had created a town. The workmanship of some buildings was questionable, and the road didn¡¯t always move in a straight direction. Wisps of smoke rose from chimneys while the scent of baked goods lingered in the air. Benton pulled the alchemist into a tight hug, laughing as he gestured to the assembled group. They represented a vast range of races from the world, even some he hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°This is like nothing else, Theo,¡± Benton said, refusing to let him out of the hug.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I still need to¡­ breathe in this realm.¡±


    Benton released him, slapping the alchemist on the back. ¡°I knew there was something funny about your realm from the start. It¡¯s like a magnet for lost souls.¡±


    Theo¡¯s eyes lingered not over the souls he had accepted, but those awaiting his approval. Another fifty-something people were waiting for his blessing. Were things getting out of hand, or was this just a one-off rush of the lost hearing about his realm? As if answering his thoughts, space rippled nearby and Khahar stepped out.


    ¡°Good to see you mingling, Theo,¡± the Arbiter said with a chuckle. He nodded to the bear god. ¡°Come for a walk, old friend.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t object, he just fell in line with Khahar, tracking a path around the gathered ground and through the village. The closer he got to the homes, the more he realized how well the spirits had done. Without cores, they had assembled an acceptable grouping of homes. That was more than he could have done. The duo found their way to one harvesting array. It was a grouping of metal plates, coated on top with a black material, that spread out like the petals on a flower. Dotting the area were massive towers that stabbed skyward. Those were little more than plain stone towers, each topped with a gem.


    Khahar sat on a log, hunched forward with his hands steepled. ¡°This is about as far as I saw before I ascended.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to know what ¡®this¡¯ is. Tero¡¯gal doesn¡¯t make sense, if you think about the way the other gods work.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not a god. The system doesn¡¯t know what to do with what you are, so it lets you tap into the god system. When each throne is occupied, you¡¯ll become something else entirely.¡±


    ¡°Neat. How do I get Fenian to Balkor¡¯s realm?¡± Theo asked. He hadn¡¯t taken a seat next to his old friend. There was still much of his realm to explore. Even more when he accepted those spirits into his embrace.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been practicing. You¡¯ll need Tresk and Alex¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°My interdiction practice. Gotcha. So, is this my entire purpose? To slingshot Fenian so he can kill Karasan so he can take the throne so he can¡­ do what, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Remake the world, of course. No, this isn¡¯t your purpose. I¡¯ve said this before, but I didn¡¯t know it was you that was being brought over. All I knew was that there was someone entering the body of a Drogramathi man. Drogramath and I conspired, pushing things over the eons to make your bond happen. The key is the twins, you know.¡±


    ¡°The twin Marshling gods?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes. They found a similar path to godhood, but¡­ Well, they¡¯re not true gods. They¡¯re like you. Destined to sit where you sit, they bit the hands that fed them.¡±


    ¡°They bit your hand. But you don¡¯t seem mad about it.¡±


    Khahar shrugged. ¡°You can¡¯t fault someone for taking control of their destiny. Making themselves more than they were.¡±


    ¡°So what happens if I refuse to help?¡±


    Khahar turned his gaze to Theo, piercing him with those sand-colored eyes. ¡°While I hope you won¡¯t do that, I won¡¯t stop you. We¡¯ll adjust our plan and move forward. Time marches on.¡±


    ¡°You know I believe in Fenian¡¯s idiot plan too much. He¡¯s bringing Balkor back, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Kind of. Well, we¡¯re going to find out. Balkor broke an oath no god can break. He moved his physical body into the mortal realm. We don¡¯t know what will happen to his soul when his realm is returned. Perhaps that¡¯s just another scheme in a long line of schemes.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Enough talking shop. How are you doing? How is Khahak and the other realms?¡±


    Khahar laughed Yuri¡¯s laugh, placing a comforting hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Order has been restored to the heavens.¡±


    Theo and Khahar chatted for a few hours. The spot he had selected near the forest was lovely. Errant breezes blew across the open fields, rustling the leaves within the forest. It created a pleasant, soothing sound that seemed to wash away all the alchemist¡¯s worries. The Arbiter was spending a lot of his time enforcing the law of the heavens. When he wasn¡¯t doing that, he was pursing things he enjoyed back on Earth. Things he couldn¡¯t do as the leader of the Khahari. Fishing, playing cards, and of course his metalworking.


    Yuri had worked his way through the Moscovian spy network as a support specialist, not an asset. Theo had only seen the man¡¯s metal sculptures a few times, and he wasn¡¯t impressed. Art wasn¡¯t the alchemist¡¯s strongest affinity, and he wouldn¡¯t pretend otherwise. At the end of his life, he had gained a new appreciation for the things his old friend created. Something to leave behind. Even if it would have been destroyed by the sun.


    Khahar departed after having some tea with Benton. The bear god had brought some new confections. Sweet things that Theo didn¡¯t even have a name for. As always, they were incredibly delicious. Then it was time for business. Accepting the new souls into Tero¡¯gal. They all formed an orderly line and pledged themselves to the realm. After getting the alchemist¡¯s blessing, the wandered off to explore their new realm.


    With every soul accepted, the realm grew a bit more. It was hard to tell how much it was growing, but Theo assumed it would double in size after he finished. He would also get another upgrade, which he was looking forward to. But the work was exhausting. He realized it was taking more than his physical stamina to accept the new people, dipping into a resource he didn¡¯t know he had. Some manner of spiritual endurance trickled out of him with every new soul.


    Theo moved away from the group after finishing the job, mopping his brow with a rag. He stripped down, stowing his clothes in his inventory, before plunging into the cold spring water. His body seized with the shock at first, but quickly adapted. The water was cool and clear, a purifying current to scour the stain of exhaustion from his soul. When Belgar drew close to the pool, taking tentative steps, he withdrew Zarali¡¯s latest note and exchanged it for the Dronon¡¯s.


    The spirits Theo had accepted gave him three upgrades worth of levels. Three upgrades he had to thumb through, finding the best one. While the alchemist had intended to select the [Bubble] upgrade, the three new ones he was presented with were pretty good. He went through them one at a time, reserving his judgment until he was done.


    [Anchor Point]


    Creates a spiritual anchor point within your realm. So long as there is power within your realm, you may use this anchor to navigate through the void.


    This upgrade was questionable to Theo. He didn¡¯t have trouble finding Tero¡¯gal, thanks to his Tara¡¯hek skill. The urge he had was to take the skill, then dive into the void to make it work. But the other upgrades were also very good. He didn¡¯t select the upgrade, moving on to inspect the next one.


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    [Landscape Manipulation]


    Allows the owner(s) of this realm to manipulate the landscape. They may move, add, and change the landscape at the cost of realm power.


    Theo selected this upgrade as one of his three picks right away. Changing the way Tero¡¯gal looked would be awesome. Currently, it was a blank reflection of what he and Tresk wanted out of their realm. But there were spots that would be better suited for other purposes. The alchemist moved on to the last available skill.


    [Guardians of Faith]


    Guardian of Faith allows the realm to generate heavenly defenders. The amount of defenders is equal to half the total number of souls.


    This one was interesting. The alchemist didn¡¯t know how good the souls in his realm were at defending it. He had the towers, but that was it. This was a comparison of [Bubble], [Anchor Point], and [Guardians of Faith]. He could only pick two. Several hours passed by before he decided. More souls would come, and he would get the option to pick [Anchor Point] again. For now, he picked [Guardians of Faith] and [Bubble]. He inspected the realm after that.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Mortal Dreamrealm


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: Unaffiliated


    Level: 26


    Souls: 109


    Expansions:


    [Harvesting Array]


    [Defensive Towers]


    [Landscape Manipulation]


    [Guardians of Faith]


    [Bubble]


    Pending Requests: 0


    Theo didn¡¯t have the desire to craft anything while he was within the realm. He got dressed and picked a [Fairy Plum] from the grove and moved off, traveling through his new realm without an aim. No one joined him, leaving him to his exploration. The alchemist took his first bite of the incredibly sweet fruit before getting a system message.


    [Spirit Fruit Consumed]!


    You have eaten a portion of a spirit fruit. Your natural wisdom has increased slightly. You may only eat one whole spirit fruit per day.


    [Property Discovered]!


    Deconstructing the [Fairy Plum] has revealed the property: [Fairy¡¯s Blessing]


    As always with the spirit fruit, the properties seemed tied to some lore. Theo didn¡¯t know what a fairy¡¯s blessing would be, but it was the fruit representing Wisdom. And it was delicious. A bit too sweet for his taste, but that was to be expected. Even the sweetest thing Benton could create paled when compared. But the rate at which the fruit grew was slow with only a few sprouting every real-world day. At first, the alchemist thought the residents of Tero¡¯gal were eating them. He was corrected earlier, and had thought nothing more of it.


    There were bigger problems to consider within the realm. With the expansion of the realm came the expansion of his time within. But even those extra hours weren¡¯t enough for him to travel across the length of the land. He made it as far as a mountain range to the west before giving up at the base of those jagged crags. As the owner of the realm, he should have been able to move around it freely. But whatever technique allowed him to do so escaped his grasp. Instead, he relaxed in a forest, near a babbling brook.


    Something to note about Tero¡¯gal was that there was no wildlife. No creatures roamed the land. There didn¡¯t seem to be seasons, although things grew. It was a confusing comparison between here and the real world. Theo thought about that for a while before diving back to the mortal realm. Food had already been prepared, and he was eager to eat.


    Fenian was looking more healthy by the day. Theo was confident the man could stand, but he remained in his wheelchair. The alchemist ate as quickly as he could, dragging Tresk over to the bathhouse. As expected, others had welcomed themselves into his private room. He didn¡¯t mind, happily sharing it with the other citizens. No matter how much they insisted, he made them stay. Tomorrow was a big day, and it was all he could think about.


    According to Alran¡¯s reports, their liaison to the lizard islands to the south would return tomorrow. With company. That was enough to drive Theo to bed as quickly as possible, sending him, Tresk, and Alex off to the Dreamwalk. As always, the Marshling was eager to strategize. The alchemist wanted to go over their cores.


    The progress for their [Tara¡¯hek Core] had ceased. It refused to gain another point of experience and they couldn¡¯t figure it out. Theo¡¯s alchemy and herbalist cores were moving along, although it was quite slow. His [Governance Core] had recently reached level 30, and fell in line with the [Tara¡¯hek Core], refusing to move. He would inspect the available skills for that core later. The only core of his that was getting decent experience was his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core], which was at level 14.


    ¡°Same thing for me,¡± Tresk said, dangling her feet over the harbor¡¯s edge.


    Theo picked through skills for his [Governance Core]. The last ability he got for that core was [National Status], something that seemed made for leaders of nations. It allowed him and his administrators to see information about the entire nation. The ability created a new tab in their administration screens, providing vital information about the other towns in their territory. He was searching for an ability that synergized with [National Status]. Instead, he found a few abilities that would help the towns during attacks, settling on one.


    [Rally]


    Governance Skill


    Epic


    Grants the leader of each town the ability to use the [Rally] effect once every 5 days. This effect lasts one hour. The cooldown is per town leader.


    Effect:


    [Rally] grants all allies within a town enhanced abilities. Increases all attributes by 1.25x, damage by 1.15x, health regeneration by 1.5x, mana regeneration by 1.75x, and stamina regeneration by 1.5x.


    The cooldown on that ability was bad, but the effect was good. Theo selected that as his level 30 ability for his [Governance Core]. Then he and Tresk got to discussing their halted progress.


    ¡°I bet it has to do with our personal levels. Once those get to level 30, we¡¯ll be good,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°That might be true. Or there¡¯s another barrier. People are always talking about level 30. The training wheels come off after that.¡±


    That sounds scary.


    Theo stroked Alex, shaking his head. ¡°No, we just need to be ready. I think we¡¯re more prepared than most.¡±


    ¡°Especially since you¡¯re a champion. How does it feel?¡±


    ¡°No idea. I¡¯ve been one this whole time and I didn¡¯t know it. I don¡¯t know what it feels like to not be a champion. You saw how Fenian fought those Zagmon Dronon.  Do you think I can do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Doubt it!¡± Tresk shouted, falling back to stare up at the sky. ¡°You¡¯re the champion for a non-combat class. Just makes your potions better, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Theo fell back with his companion onto the hard ground. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s true.¡± He continued, explaining the situation in Tero¡¯gal. Tresk had apparently already visited today. She just forgot to tell him about the line of souls waiting for some kind of absolution. But she was excited to see how their world had changed. And eager to exert her will to teleport around the place. If anyone could do it, she could.


    They lingered on the topic of their realm and Fenian for a while. Tresk was the most distrustful person Theo had met in his life, but she liked the Elf. That might have been because of her internal doctrine of ¡®burn it all to the ground and let the gods sort them out¡¯. Theo had to convince himself that they were doing the right thing. That the souls would arrive in a better place after they were gone. He still didn¡¯t believe it. What he knew was that he knew less than Khahar. He knew who Yuri was sixty-thousand years ago.


    It was good enough.


    Theo and Tresk had been spending more and more of their time relaxing. They didn¡¯t grind experience while they were in the Dreamwalk today. They hung out and helped Alex get better with her nature aspect. The Marshling was a shockingly good teacher. That was only because the system that familiars got fell in line with her strengths. It was more about understanding herself as a goose with magic powers than selecting an ability from a list. The way she summoned the vines fell closer to manipulation of will than anything else.


    Alex¡¯s control was increasing by the day. Once she broke into the realm of nature, she took off like a goose in flight. Her powers focused on the manipulation of natural elements, such as plants, but extended beyond that. The vines she conjured weren¡¯t a magic spell that summoned vines. She forced her will into existing plant life, twisting it to become those vines.


    ¡°You have an affinity for this,¡± Theo said, watching as Alex forced a blade of grass to become a spiked vine.


    ¡°Affinity?¡± Tresk scoffed. ¡°Nah. She has stubborn, hard-headed willpower. Just like her mama.¡±


    Mama! Alex honked.


    ¡°Or she¡¯s borrowing the will from you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no shame in that. You do it all the time,¡± Tresk said. ¡°But, no. I¡¯m not lending her a drop of my will. She¡¯s doing this all herself. Aren¡¯t you, cutie?¡±


    Honk honk!


    Alex often reverted to her goose-self when she got excited. She flapped her wings, honking repeatedly as more vines sprung up. Once she got the hang of her nature powers, Theo would consider her one of three wizards in town. She would likely become the second-most skilled user of magic. He was always hopeless when it came to magical studies, always sticking to what he knew. But the power of his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] was being wasted. Wasn¡¯t it?


    The alchemist would look to Alex for inspiration. Motivation to become better at the gift given to him by the Queen of Mystery. Even if that gift came with invisible strings he knew were there. Theo turned to the goose and smiled. ¡°Alright. Back to training. We need to meet some lizard-dudes tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Lizard dudes!¡± Tresk shouted, pumping her fist. ¡°My ancestors!¡±


    Hoooonk!

 4.57 - Meeting the Lizard-Folk

    Theo could hardly think about breakfast the next morning. Despite Xam¡¯s amazing cooking, his mind was firmly placed on the date. It was the twentieth day of the Season of Fire. The day when the expedition to the lizard-islands was scheduled to return. The alchemist knew that his excitement was an emotion belonging to Tresk. Her thoughts seemed centered entirely on her ancestors. The chain of islands that held her people was isolationist, according to Fenian.


    There were several things to be concerned about with the alliance¡¯s first contact. They could react poorly to outsiders coming in, even if it was lost kin. Theo busied himself with his breakfast, focusing on the way things could go right. If he allowed his thoughts to linger on how things could go wrong, he would fall into a spiral. It was best to stay on top of those things.


    ¡°What do you think they call themselves?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo lazily speared a sausage with his fork, shrugging. ¡°The lizard-folk? Not sure.¡±


    ¡°Humantiles,¡± Tresk said, nodding with resolute conviction. ¡°Mantiles? I like that one better.¡±


    ¡°You just put the words ¡®human¡¯ and ¡®reptile¡¯ together. I don¡¯t think an entire civilization would build their identity on that.¡±


    ¡°But they could!¡±


    Theo busied himself with his administration reports, unable to keep his laughter back. Tresk gave him a sly look, nodding to herself with approval. There were a few things to note within the reports. Gronro needed more juice to fight the undead. That wasn¡¯t surprising. They effectively got the means to keep the undead back for free. It wasn¡¯t an arrangement the alchemist hated. Since the brave defenders in the north provided a protective curtain, he would pay any price.


    As expected, the tactical maps and chat that Aarok had access to was on fire. The small fleet of boats they had in the bay had reported no activity that morning, so there was no reason to rush. Any attack on the town would take place on land, anyway. Theo skimmed through the messages, anyway. It was better to be prepared than to be caught with his pants down.


    Xol¡¯sa wrote a few complaints to the town about the monster waves. He had failed to check the schedule to see that the expedition was returning today. Instead of taking charge of his mistake, he blamed others. There was a tone of frustration in his complaints that resonated with Theo more than he cared to admit. The alchemist liked doing things when he wanted to do them, not on someone else¡¯s schedule.


    Tresk left with Alex and Fenian to join the militia. The Elven trader was well enough to stand. Anyone who would attack the town with him around was in for a surprise. Theo remained behind, sipping tea with Rowan and Sarisa for a while before heading out to talk with Salire. There were always orders in at the alchemy shop, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get another batch of [Hallow Ground Essence] rolling for the day.


    While it was difficult to handle the raw truffle, the alchemist was happy enough to let his apprentice take the wheel on this one. There were enough truffles in his stocks to supply Gronro for a while, so a bit of waste wasn¡¯t bad. Salire needed the practice, anyway. Well, she needed to grind a ton of experience and practice her mana control. Unlike Theo, she hadn¡¯t abandoned her dreams of becoming a shopkeeper. She still held that core in her chest, leveling it every day. Without the responsibilities of running a town, she was free to pursue that.


    Before they headed off to the Newt and Demon, Theo lingered near the entrance of his manor. It was normally bustling with activity. That morning, it was cleared out. It was a kind of silence he didn¡¯t know he hated. The alchemist left before more of the deafening sound could darken his day, heading off to meet with the bubbly Half-Ogre. She was, as always, excited to get to work. Rowan and Sarisa ran off to help with the assembling military while they prepared a fair amount of their [Swamp Truffle] stock.


    The task was a simple one with so many stills. Thim and Throk¡¯s modifications to the old design made things easier. The tube system running overhead made it easier still. Gone were the days of worrying about mixing two essences. The magic of the building took care of that, and the pair pulled flexible pipes down from the rafters. They attached them to the condenser¡¯s outputs and activated the suction feature.


    ¡°Are you that worried about the envoy?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo was standing over a table, carving out and enchanting several bone knives. He looked up from his work, tilting his head to the side as he thought about it. Being worried about everything kept him alive back on Earth. A paranoia that always rested below the surface, no matter how cool his countenance. ¡°I¡¯m worried about everything. So, yes. I¡¯m worried about the lizard-folk. Do they even speak Qavelli?¡±


    ¡°You know more than just Qavelli, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I hope they speak Bantari.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. What are the chances of that?¡±


    Wisdom of the Soul suggested that they might speak a sister-language of Bantari. That was based on Theo¡¯s knowledge of the Marshling¡¯s migration to the mainland. But if the boat returned from the islands, they made contact.


    The work went on for a while before Theo was called into action. He made a few last-minute adjustments to the stills before handing it off to his assistant. The administration staff had assembled with some of the military staff in the harbor. Alise, Gwyn, and Gael representing the admins. Aarok, Luras, and Alran were there to represent the military staff. Azrug stood off to the side with Xol¡¯sa, Zarali, and Fenian.


    ¡°The Cork reported to me a few minutes ago,¡± Alise said, bouncing on the spot. She was more excited than normal. ¡°They reported that all is well on the deck. A few lizard-folk and our own people.¡±


    ¡°Good. Guess I was worried about nothing,¡± Theo said.


    The group stood on the battlements on the harbor, looking over the canal and out into the bay. The Cork wasn¡¯t even visible at that moment, but Theo would trust their reports for now. Tension, hanging in the air, broke after several minutes. In classic fashion, the Broken Tuskers got bored of being worried, breaking into small groups that chatted about the incoming lizard-folk. The alchemist sensed Tresk nearby, running around with the stealthers to do whatever it was they did. He guessed they were ranging around the canal, or down near the shore.


    An hour passed with nothing happening. Then the advanced scouts reported sightings of their boat pushing through the bay. It was escorted by the Cork and one of their remaining merchant vessels. Theo finally got a look at the emissaries from the lizard-folk as the boat worked its way up the canal. Dressed in flowing robes of gold, a blue-skinned scaly lizard-person stood near the front. They were far taller than Marshlings. Almost as tall as a Half-Ogre or Dronon. Where a Marshling¡¯s features reminded the alchemist of a salamander, or an axolotl, this lizard person looked more like a classic lizard. Blue scales, with greenish frills on their head that blew in the wind.


    Sword at their hip, and a quarterstaff in hand, they struck an imposing image.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯m supposed to give some kind of speech. Right?¡± Theo asked, rubbing his chin. ¡°Do we know if they speak Qavelli?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Alise said, checking her notes.


    Theo cleared his throat, descending the steps as the ships passed by underneath. He locked eyes with the lizard-person for a moment, then felt an intense pressure wash over him. It faded in a moment, but was still noticeable. The alchemist rolled his shoulders, then found his way to the dock. What few dockhands were left tended to the vessel, positioning and dropping a gang plank.


    You got this, buddy, Tresk said, sensing his discomfort.


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    Fenian rested a comforting hand on the alchemist¡¯s shoulder. He was just glad that the baby''s arm was gone. ¡°Make your opening statement in Bantari. This is Xquiq Akubae. A spiritual leader of the Saetalein Ya¡¯ax.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would have been useful when we were eating breakfast.¡±


    Fenian shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t know which one they would send.¡±


    Theo took a deep breath as the majestic lizard-person descended the plank, attended by several other lizard-folk. He tried his best to keep his accent out of his speech, channeling some of Tresk¡¯s knowledge. ¡°Welcome to Broken Tusk and the Southlands Alliance. My name is Theo Spencer and I welcome you.¡±


    Tresk was suddenly at his side, radiating a sense of extreme comfort.


    ¡°I accept your welcome,¡± Xquiq said with a shallow bow. ¡°Xquiq Akubae Saetalein Ya¡¯ax Nojoh.¡±


    ¡°Did he say his name was ¡®Squeak¡¯? I like it,¡± Tresk whispered.


    The lizard-person emissary smiled, nodding to Tresk. ¡°I am happy to be called ¡®Squeak¡¯ within your borders, lost sister.¡±


    Squeak spoke perfect Bantari. Far better than Theo could manage on his own. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up, providing the alchemist with a bit more information about the lizard-person. His name was Xquiq and he was from the city of Akubae. He was part of a subrace called the Najoh, which belonged to the Saetalein Ya¡¯ax chain of islands to the south. The alchemist felt some familiarity with the style of those names, but it was a distant thing. As though he had seen similar text in a book a lifetime ago.


    ¡°Shall we discuss matters in private?¡± Theo offered, gesturing toward the town.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Squeak said with another shallow bow. ¡°I hope my attendants can accompany me.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Do you need any snacks?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say no to snacks.¡±


    ¡°Rowan, could you get a cheese platter or something from Xam?¡± Theo asked, turning to locate his bodyguard. He couldn¡¯t spot the Half-Ogre, but Gael stepped up to the plate.


    Tresk joined by Theo and Squeak¡¯s side as they walked the streets of Broken Tusk. The lizard-man¡¯s guards lingered back with the administration staff, trailing close behind them.


    ¡°You caught us in a rare time of peace,¡± Squeak said, his lips curled. Theo suspected that was his attempt at a smile.


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ We¡¯re at war. I guess,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m sure you heard about the undead.¡±


    ¡°Our seers have brought that to my attention. Although I hope you understand, I am not the leader of my people.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just happy to make contact with the sons and daughters of Saetalein Ya¡¯ax,¡± Tresk said, nodding eagerly.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Squeak asked, raising one scaled brow. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll enjoy learning Yaxian. The local language.¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk is very excited to take part in cultural exchanges. But I¡¯ll be honest with you. We¡¯re more interested in trade than anything else. Alliances with outside nations,¡± Theo said. The group was approaching the town hall.


    Squeak clicked his tongue, then nodded. ¡°That is understandable.¡±


    Theo spotted the administration staff rushing up and down the staircases, clearly just having prepared a room on the third floor. The group ascended, finding themselves in a common meeting room. It gave them a pleasant view of the western gate and the surrounding businesses. Citizens went about their days as though it were any other. Unbothered by the envoy¡¯s arrival. They all took their seats within the meeting room. Fenian, Azrug, Gwyn, and Gael all waited in the wings, leaving the meeting to Tresk, Theo, and Alise.


    It was a curious thing watching Alise attend the meeting. She had prepared well for her meeting with the Yaxi people, but she had neglected to learn any Bantari. The administrator had a confused look on her face, but nodded along when anyone spoke.


    ¡°Forgive me if this is rude, great leader of Broken Tusk,¡± Squeak said, bowing his head toward the alchemist. ¡°But why is it you wish to conduct trade? One doesn¡¯t require a sa¡¯tet to see you are well-off.¡±


    Theo looked to Tresk. He didn¡¯t understand one of those words.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Well¡­¡± Tresk said in Qavelli. ¡°High perch?¡±


    That was good enough for Theo. He nodded as he understood the meaning. ¡°Good observation. But we gained this position by being proactive. And some really favorable conditions. As much as we could provide you with important goods, you could do the same for us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy to hear that.¡±


    A knock came at the door, then a procession of people carrying trays. Dried meats, cheeses, and flat Zee bread scattered across platters. They were arranged over the table neatly, and Squeak was immediately licking his lips. He was the first to reach over, grabbing both cheese and meat even before the porters left.


    ¡°You would have won me over with the cheese alone,¡± Squeak said, tossing a small brick of cheese into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he ate, finally letting out a heavy sigh as his eyes snapped open. ¡°Before we talk trade, I would present you with an offer.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Open borders and a ferry that runs between our two lands.¡±


    Theo turned to Alise, expecting her to object. He realized she couldn¡¯t understand the man, so he repeated the offer.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t see a problem with that. I need to run it by Aarok, but every Bantari Marshling in town is talking about this meeting. This is a chance to exchange cultures that none have had in the past. Seems too good to pass up. Right?¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said in Qavelli. He switched to Bantari again. ¡°We¡¯re excited about that. We¡¯re building out our fleet, but I¡¯m sure we can use the boats for a double-purpose. Trade and passengers shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll skip across the ocean quicker with our assistance,¡± Squeak said, smiling. ¡°Not through magic or technology. We fished the coast of the mainland in the past. We know the best routes.¡±


    ¡°We cede to your wisdom,¡± Theo said, laughing.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re best friends now,¡± Tresk said, drumming her fingers on the table. ¡°I need to know. Do people like me still exist in Saetalein?¡±


    Squeak gave her a heart-warming smile. Even with his lizard-like features, there was a warmness that radiated forth. ¡°They are called Wotox. They are similar to the Bantari in both appearance and language. Which is why we are able to have this meeting, I suppose.¡±


    Tresk and Squeak spoke about unimportant things for quite some time. The envoy of the lizard-folk was happy to go on about his homeland. The Marshling wouldn¡¯t stop asking stupid questions, and he wouldn¡¯t stop answering them. But Theo let them go on for as long as they wanted. He knew that she needed this. It was always just under the surface for her.


    And it was strange to consider how close those islands were. Somehow, the Yaxian people remained cloistered. It wasn¡¯t as though they were entirely uncontacted, they just didn¡¯t like hanging out with other peoples. But the Bantari weren¡¯t just some random group of Humans, Elves, or Ogres. They were descendants of the Wotox.


    Squeak let his eyes drag between Theo and Tresk, a smile resting on his face. ¡°You must have expected me to ask this,¡± he said, chomping another piece of cheese. ¡°How did you achieve the Tara¡¯hek bond?¡±


    Theo and Tresk shared a look, trying not to let the surprise they felt bleed into their expressions. This was the question that had lingered in the alchemist¡¯s mind. Surely the progenitors of the Bantari race should know more about it. He didn¡¯t need his Wisdom of the Soul messages to let him know Squeak was being truthful. Better to weasel his way out of the question.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how it happened. Well, I suppose we felt it,¡± Theo said. ¡°After that, it was easy to establish the Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    Squeak leaned in. ¡°And that realm I¡¯m feeling?¡± he asked, sniffing the air. ¡°It is a heady mixture of mortal and godly scents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more complicated,¡± Theo said.


    Squeak smiled once again. ¡°No matter. There have been several Tara¡¯hek bonds within the jungles. My people record their histories. Down to their daily activities. Those who hold the bond are considered sacred. You must be familiar with Bah¡¯at.¡±


    ¡°The Twins,¡± Tresk said, filling in the gaps of Theo¡¯s knowledge. ¡°We¡¯ve heard of them. That¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°Rising to godhood with the bond is said to be difficult. But those two managed. Perhaps you¡¯ll make it there one day.¡± Squeak suddenly clapped his hands together. ¡°Right. Let us talk about trade.¡±


    Theo left the room, inviting Azrug and Fenian in to take over. Tresk was going to stay behind to play interpreter. The alchemist had learned long ago to leave all things related to trade to those more capable. He had been criticized for his trade skills in the past, and didn¡¯t care to endure more of the teasing. He met with Rowan and Sarisa outside of the meeting room.


    ¡°He seems nice,¡± Theo said. ¡°His people want to reconnect with the lost Bantari. To have some kind of cultural exchange program. Anything shady out here?¡±


    Rowan grunted.


    ¡°Fenian would have detected it,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°But, no. He brought like four people total. Hardly an invasion force.¡±


    ¡°Depends on the level of the invader, I guess. Alright. I¡¯m going to help Salire with this order for Gronro. Let me know if I¡¯m needed.¡±


    Rowan and Sarisa nodded as the alchemist departed. The meeting with Squeak was more pleasant than he had expected. All the nervousness about making a good impression vanished in an instant. They just wanted to have a line of communication with the lost Bantari. It didn¡¯t pass his notice, though. The interest Squeak took in Tero¡¯gal. But that seemed benign.


    ¡°Oh, man,¡± Theo said to himself. ¡°What about a maglev over the ocean?¡±


    Deep in concentration in his artificer¡¯s workshop, Throk felt a shiver run up his spine.

 4.58 - 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¡ªprovided by Benton, of course¡ªthey 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.¡±


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    ¡°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¡ªsomeone 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.¡±

 4.59 - Azrug, the Loremaster

    Throk was pissed. The angry little Marshling had stopped shouting just long enough for Theo to make a few sounds¡ªnot 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¡ª¡±


    ¡°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¡ª¡±


    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.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    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.¡±

 4.60 - 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)


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    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¡ªhe 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.¡±

 4.61 - The Underworld

    Theo tapped his foot, glaring at the many people gathered in the town hall¡¯s meeting room. There were too many people here for a decision he had already made. Aarok headed the table, a frustrated look hanging on his face. Gwyn, Gael, and Alise looked sheepishly off to the side, joined by their gaggle of administrative aides. It was only by the good graces of Drogramath himself that they had only wasted a few hours of the day debating something that was already decided.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to scold you like school children,¡± Theo said, looking at each of his head administrators. Each turned their gaze away. ¡°Make your case briefly, or I¡¯ll dismiss it.¡±


    Alise stood, gritting her teeth. It didn¡¯t pass Theo¡¯s notice that she glared at Gwyn for a moment too long. ¡°Our concerns are for the town¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Then do something about the dungeons,¡± Theo said, already having the retort on standby. ¡°Or the Zagmoni assassins. Or the damned undead banging on our front door. Alise, sit down. Gwyn, please stand and state your concerns.¡±


    Alise sat down, deflating in her chair. Gwynestarea Whisperstream rose, standing tall and proud like her Elven cousins. She was a Half-Elf from Veosta. An intensely intelligent woman who only ever made the town better. Theo waited for his Wisdom of the Soul messages to roll in as she spoke.


    ¡°The deep places of the world are better left where they are,¡± Gwyn started. There was no lack of confidence in her voice. She spoke with genuine conviction. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the archduke to view a brief conversation as a roadblock. I¡¯m voicing my concerns and nothing more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to be more specific for me, Gwyn,¡± Theo said. ¡°When I want to dig a hole, I want it dug that day. I assume you read my proposal.¡±


    ¡°I have read it,¡± Gwyn said, looking at him with defiant countenance.


    Theo liked that. Gwyn was going to overtake Alise as the lead administrator soon. He was excited that someone in his employ had the fortitude to stand up to him like this. The Wisdom of the Soul message that followed was enlightening. She was hiding something about her ancestor¡¯s homeland. The Tarantham Elves knew something about the underground areas of the world, and she was holding back.


    ¡°Fenian has offered his services,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll remind you he was selected by two different gods as their champion. What is it you know about the underground caverns?¡±


    Gael stood, his face pale. Theo shot him a glare, but he didn¡¯t relent. ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me, archduke.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°House Wavecrest has no experience with the underworld. But we¡¯ve all heard the tales.¡±


    ¡°Think about it logically,¡± Gwyn said. ¡°What monsters lurk in the darkness? Monsters that haven¡¯t been disturbed for¡­ how long, exactly?¡±


    Theo was just happy that they were bringing up good points. His first impression of their waylay was one of obstinate administrators. Instead, they brought some good points. The hard edge of his anger faded into pride. ¡°Aarok, what do you think?¡±


    Aarok shrugged his massive shoulders. ¡°I would have shut them down if they didn¡¯t have good points.¡±


    ¡°Luras?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re skittish,¡± Luras said, chuckling. ¡°But I¡¯m happy to give caution when it¡¯s due.¡±


    Theo clapped his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m surprised and excited by the caution. Our administrators stepped up to take control of a situation they perceived as dangerous.¡±


    ¡°So, what?¡± Aarok asked. ¡°We¡¯re not digging?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re digging,¡± Theo said, gesturing for everyone to rise. He had a good feeling about this idea. Drogramath felt close at hand today. It was as though he had something to say. ¡°Off to the temple.¡±


    Theo dragged a procession of administrators and adventurers behind him, marching them directly to the temple. The moment he set foot in there, he felt that familiar presence. When he approached the dais this time, he knew it would work. ¡°Who better to judge our decision than one of our patron gods?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you one of our patron gods?¡± Aarok muttered.


    ¡°But this one is impartial,¡± Theo said, holding his arms out to his sides, palms up. He closed his eyes, whispering in Drogramathi. ¡°Drogramath.¡±


    What little light filtered through the open windows in the temple dimmed. Flicking purple fire sprung up around the raised platform, then the ghostly image of Drogramath appeared. Theo looked up with a smile on his face, his eyes lingering on the god¡¯s broken horn.


    ¡°How dull,¡± Drogramath said, letting out a sigh that stirred the flames. ¡°You¡¯ve dragged me out of important experimentation¡­ for what? Permission to dig a hole? Dig as many holes as you want, champion.¡±


    ¡°Did Tworgnoth place the artifice containing my familiar in that spot specifically?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Did he want me to find the cavern?¡±


    One of Drogramath¡¯s brows raised. ¡°No shit.¡±


    ¡°What will we find down below? Danger?¡±


    Drogramath sighed again. ¡°I see what you¡¯re doing, champion. Fine. To appease the minds of your people, I¡¯ll say it. Tworgnoth placed the artifice where he did so that you would dig below. The caverns are connected throughout the world and contain many dangers. And many treasures. The area directly under Tworgnoth¡¯s artifice is occupied by a race of creatures friendly to all Dronon. Now, may I please go?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Drogramath,¡± Theo said.


    Drogramath only glared back, then waved his hand. The spectral image of the god vanished. The alchemist turned on the spot, shrugging. ¡°Does that satisfy your concerns?¡±


    Gwyn smiled, shaking her head. ¡°Yeah. That works for me.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Gael said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t get clearer than that,¡± Alise chuckled.


    They would have reached that conclusion eventually. Summoning Drogramath to dispel their fears might have been a cheat, but it worked. Gwyn and Gael seemed especially reluctant to accept Theo for his word. That was moderately concerning. Not because of their trust for him, but their fear for whatever it was underground. Tresk poked into the alchemist¡¯s mind, dipping in to get a feel for the situation.


    All good? She asked. Can we go to the caves now?


    Almost, Theo responded. Aarok has a few things to sort out. I imagine he will call our forces into action. Just in case.


    Another chance for the man to flex his big old muscles, Tresk said.


    Theo nodded as though the Marshling could see him nod. He departed from the temple, leaving his administrators to sort themselves out. It wouldn¡¯t do to hold their caution against them, so he dismissed the matter in his mind. Instead, he focused on what Drogramath said and the god¡¯s behavior. It was almost as though he had called a friend who was in the middle of baking a cake. Nothing special to see here. Just a mortal communicating with a god.


    Unlike the myths on Earth, the gods in this world worked differently. If a god wanted to smite a person here, they needed to send agents. Balkor made the mistake of bringing his heavenly body to the mortal realm, which resulted in his death. The alchemist had already decided that ¡®god¡¯ wasn¡¯t a good title for them. Well, Khahar was a god if ever there was one. But everyone else up there in the high heavens? Nah.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Makes you think,¡± Theo said, wandering toward the mine. ¡°How messed up is the god system?¡±


    He got a few concerned looks from those citizens passing by, but none offered responses. The alchemist stopped in on Nira and her smeltery operation. She was sitting on a log, watching her people work with a faint smile on her face.


    ¡°Theo,¡± she said, nodding in his direction.


    ¡°Nira.¡±


    It was mesmerizing to watch folks working the smelter. Sparks flew from the crucibles as they poured molten metal. Waves of heat washed from the building like an unstoppable tide. The warmth it brought would have been a comfort in a tundra, but here in the swamp? It was stifling. A strangulating blanket of heat that brought beads of sweat to Theo¡¯s forehead in moments. He couldn¡¯t figure out how the people working here had tolerated it before his cooling gel. They sat in silence for long moments before he stood.


    ¡°Gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Aarok gave the order to the adventurers to assemble at the mine a half-hour later. Theo met up with Fenian outside the entrance to Dead Dog Mine shortly after that. He smiled, watching as the Elf moved around without issue. The topical, limb-regeneration goo did its job well and there was no sign of lasting damage. He was ready to be thrown through the realms, a task the alchemist felt he could do. If he should do it was another matter, but he tried not to concern himself with those problems.


    ¡°Ready for¡­ whatever is inside?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing on the other side,¡± Fenian said, shaking his head. ¡°Your people are worried about nothing.¡±


    ¡°Drogramath said there was a race of people down there that liked Dronon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not aware of such people.¡±


    ¡°Guess you can¡¯t know everything.¡±


    Theo walked away before Fenian could retort. He met with Aarok and his guys, then had a brief meeting with Gridgen. The miners had a bottle of [Tunneling Potion], reserved for just such an event. Most notably, the alchemist didn¡¯t see the administrators around. That put a smile on his face.


    ¡°We do the heavy lifting,¡± Aarok said, noting the expression on the alchemist¡¯s face. ¡°They make the decisions.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    A procession entered the mine. Theo, Fenian, Sarisa, Rowan, Tresk, Alex, Luras, and Aarok led the way to the lower levels. They broke off near the lower level. The adventurers prepared the area for combat while the alchemist applied several simple wards to the iron gates. He double-checked the daggers in his inventory, bringing several out just in case things got weird.


    ¡°As always,¡± Aarok said, his booming voice commanding the attention of all those gathered. ¡°We¡¯re sticking our hand in a hole. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s in that hole, but we don¡¯t care. Broken Tuskers don¡¯t look before they leap, do they?¡±


    That got a chuckle out of the group.


    ¡°Unless there¡¯s an undead dragon in the cavern, we¡¯re fine,¡± Fenian said, laughing. No one else laughed. ¡°There isn¡¯t an undead dragon down there. Trust me. But¡­ maybe? Just kidding.¡±


    ¡°Words of confidence,¡± Aarok grumbled, holding a bottle of [Tunneling Potion] out over the hole. ¡°Ready, Fenian?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± the Elf said, withdrawing his rapiers from nowhere. They filled the tunnel shadows and blue-silver light that battled against one another.


    Aarok tipped the potion over the hole, then stepped back. Fenian fell into a combat stance, holding his left rapier to the side and his right one leading. The potion ate away at the stone in moments, creating a circular hole that went straight down. When it ate through the last layer of rock, the tunnel was filled with the smell of sulfur and an intense heat. It rushed forward, wind howling for a moment before subsiding.


    ¡°Everyone good?¡± Aarok asked. A murmur blew through the crowd. Everyone was fine.


    Theo tilted his head to the side, clutching a dagger. ¡°I heard something. A voice.¡±


    Fenian nodded. ¡°It sounds like a man. Speaking¡­ gods, I don¡¯t know what that is.¡±


    Theo edged closer to the hole. Tresk grabbed him by his new gambeson and held him. He could sense her intent to keep him from falling, and poked his head over the edge. A strange sight greeted him. Below was an amalgamation of rocks with a beady set of eyes staring up. His brow knit tightly when the rocks waved.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Theo asked, uncertain.


    The being responded with a rapid series of words. The alchemist only caught a few of them, then stepped back. ¡°There¡¯s a pile of rocks. Talking. It kinda sounds like¡­¡±


    ¡°Like someone chewed up Toru¡¯aun¡¯s language and spat it out,¡± Tresk said with a chuckle.


    Theo leaned over the edge again, listening more intently this time. The rock creature below continued speaking rapidly, never even taking a breath between words. As it spoke, the alchemist understood more of the language. It wasn¡¯t his mind unraveling the complexities of a Dronon tongue, though. The rock was speaking a heavily accented Dronon tongue. This wasn¡¯t the language of Toru¡¯aun.


    ¡°Do you speak Drogramathi?¡± Theo shouted back. ¡°Or Bantari, Taranthian¡­ English? Russian?¡±


    ¡°The language of the sand!¡± the rock-thing shouted back in horrible Russian.


    Theo leaned back, looking at his friends with a flat expression. ¡°Another one of Khahar¡¯s jokes.¡± He poked his head back over the hole, continuing on in Russian. ¡°I hope you¡¯re friendly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re super friendly,¡± the rock said. ¡°The cat told me to stand in this tunnel, so I stood in this tunnel.¡±


    Theo sighed. ¡°How long have you been standing in the tunnel?¡±


    The rock-man counted on his fingers, then shrugged. ¡°I dunno!¡±


    ¡°My name is Theo. I¡¯m the archduke of the alliance on the surface.¡±


    ¡°Igor! A pleasure to meet you, horned one.¡±


    Theo backed away from the hole again. ¡°Alright, Khahar brainwashed the rock people so they would be friendly to me. Someone fetch me Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal. And a ladder.¡±


    Several adventurers ran off, heading up through the tunnels. Theo poked his head back over the hole. Tresk tightened her grip on his clothes. ¡°Are there more of your people down there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. We have an entire city. Thousands of people like me,¡± Igor said. ¡°We had a war going the last time I was home.¡±


    Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal arrived, carrying a ladder between them. Theo updated them on the situation, then requested that they escort him into the hole. They shared a confused look, then agreed. Igor seemed incredibly friendly. The alchemist¡¯s Wisdom of the Soul popped up a few times, agreeing that the rock dude had no ill intentions. The adventurers placed the ladder in the hole.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming down,¡± Theo shouted into the hole. ¡°Could you make some room?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Igor said. When he moved, the cave was filled with scraping sounds. Like rock on rock.


    It only made sense to send Fenian first. He didn¡¯t speak Russian, but there were few things down in the hole that could best him in combat. Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal went next, followed by Theo, Tresk, Rowan, and Sarisa. When the alchemist¡¯s feet touched the ground of the cavern below, he cast his eyes around the area. Light filtered through the circular hole above, providing a halo of light where they stood. He got a better look at Igor, who seemed to be little more than a vaguely humanoid shaped pile of stones.


    ¡°Denizens of the sands!¡± Ignore exclaimed.


    ¡°He speaks the holy language,¡± Zan¡¯sal sneered.


    ¡°Come! Follow me! We¡¯ll see my people together. Down this tunnel.¡± Igor gestured vaguely and the group followed.


    Fenian led the way, but he had placed his weapons back into his inventory. Tresk melted into the shadows, then ranged ahead. But it didn¡¯t take the group long to find the exit of the tunnel. They came out into a darkened world that sprawled on forever. The cavern they exited into was lined in places with glowing fungus. Flying creatures could be heard overhead, somewhere in the distance. Flickering on the horizon, miles away, was an arrangement of lights that defied nature. The alchemist narrowed his eyes, focusing to see the edge of walls. A city under his town.


    ¡°That¡¯s a sight,¡± Fenian said, staring into the distance. ¡°I retract my remark about there not being a dragon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked, giving the Elf a concerned look.


    Fenian pulled Theo down, pressing their cheeks together. ¡°In the city¡¯s center, there is a dragon.¡± His voice had an edge like a sharpened dagger. ¡°One of the metallic kind.¡±


    ¡°Abort mission?¡± Rowan asked.


    ¡°You guys freaking out about our dragon?¡± Igor asked with a rocky chuckle. ¡°She¡¯s been protecting the Stonehome for thousands of years. Only wakes up when there¡¯s danger.¡±


    Theo got the impression that the dragon had been there for longer than that. He didn¡¯t know exactly when Khahar had enacted his plan, but it was at least ten-thousand years ago. Likely more. The alchemist had been led here by Khahar, which meant it was a good thing. At least, he hoped it was a good thing. Before proceeding forward, they paused near the tunnel¡¯s exit and sent their people forward to scout. That gave him some time to ask Igor about his people.


    The rock-people didn¡¯t have a name for themselves, but they had adopted the culture seeded by Yuri. But the dragon had interested Theo the most. It didn¡¯t pass his notice that Fenian had locked his eyes on the beast from the start, glaring at it as though it owed him money for one of his trade deals. The alchemist pulled the Elf aside while his people scouted.


    ¡°Explain dragons to me,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t real,¡± Fenian said. His eyes never left the dragon. ¡°They¡¯re stories the Elves tell their children. Something to be afraid of if you misbehave.¡±


    Theo gestured to the vague form of the dragon in the distance. ¡°Yet, there is a dragon.¡±


    ¡°It is a concerning fact that was concealed from me. Which makes it dangerous and important.¡±


    From what Igor said, the dragon was a protector of the stone people. She acted as their leader and protector. Underground, there were caverns like this that stretched throughout the entire world. Civilizations that never saw the light of day called the deep places home. Deep versions of all the surface-dwelling races made their lives down here. Wisdom of the Soul offered a few suggestions, but nothing solid. Just guesses, like echoes in the vast caves.


    ¡°Can we meet the dragon?¡± Theo asked, turning to Igor.


    ¡°Of course! She¡¯ll be happy to see you.¡±

 4.62 - The Nameless City

    The scouting team reported back after a few hours of eerie silence. The path from the tunnel¡¯s entrance, to the walled city was completely clear of monsters. Zan¡¯kir had gone along with them to ensure the friendly nature of the rock-folk along the way. They had found the stony people tending crops of rock-like mushrooms near the city¡¯s exterior and were welcomed with open arms. Igor was true to his word, and welcomed Khahari, Dronon, and their friends with hearty greetings and bone-crushing hugs.


    Theo had time to consider this underground place. His senses told him they were far deeper than they should have been. He suspected a planar pivot between the place above ground and this underground world. It wasn¡¯t as stark of a difference as the realms, but he could feel it. Someone held domain over this place, and he couldn¡¯t determine who that was.


    Ziz and his boys worked with Throk to construct Drogramathi Iron gates at the tunnel¡¯s entrance. Before the group left for the city, Theo warded them and assigned several combat golems near the passage. But all their caution was unnecessary. This wasn¡¯t the world he expected to find here, but he was happy to have found it. The alchemist found himself in a meeting with Alran Cherman near the newly constructed gate.


    ¡°Did someone ask for spies?¡± he asked, rubbing his hands together. ¡°This is a great honor, archduke. I really must say that a few more times.¡±


    ¡°How does your spying power work?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Do you need a willing participant?¡±


    ¡°While I have willing spies throughout the world, they don¡¯t need to agree with me. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Alran was all too eager to brave the darkness of the underground world. Theo shrugged it off, happy to get more information about the strange people by whatever means necessary.


    ¡°Oh, you guys are going to love the mushrooms we grow down here,¡± Igor said as the group departed. ¡°You¡¯re an alchemist, right?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Theo said.


    Igor rattled off the mushrooms they had cultivated. Theo was happy to look around, eyes lingering on all the strange flora and fauna. Plants and animals had adapted to the underground conditions. There must have been monsters that lived here, but the only things he saw were small, insect-like creatures. Nothing threatened them on their way to the city. As the walls came into closer view, the alchemist realized just how large they were.


    The walls of the rock-people city were at least twice as tall as Broken Tusk. They bristled with artifice tower weapons, putting off faint fields of magical energy that stung Theo¡¯s nerves. The gates swung open as the group approached, revealing a bustling city within. That¡¯s when Theo realized it wasn¡¯t just rock-folk within the town. Eyes seated in fleshy heads turned their way as they passed through the streets. The alchemist spotted analogs of the surface races down here, all with lighter tones to their skin, often bordering on stark white.


    ¡°Welcome to Oz,¡± Tresk said with a chuckle. ¡°How freaking weird is this?¡±


    ¡°All under our noses.¡± Theo¡¯s mind spun out of control as they walked through the city. The place was massive, marked by towering structures made of stone. People ran around the streets, bathed in magical lights that hung in mid-air. He recognized the importance of an alliance with these people, especially when they crossed into a bazaar. Vendors shouted in strange languages, selling their wares for the day. All under the ominous presence of a town-sized slumbering dragon.


    The city was designed as a large square. The landscape rose the closer they got to the center. In the middle of the city was a massive platform made of decorated stone. Igor performed several warding gestures as he approached the massive form of the dragon. Everyone stared up at it, in awe of the scale. Broken Tusk would have trouble housing the creature. Even considering the expanded districts.


    ¡°Pogosophoro, binder of kin!¡± Igor shouted. He turned to Theo, his rocky face shifting to something of a smile. ¡°We call her Pogo.¡±


    The dragon stirred slightly, giving the alchemist a better view. The scales on the creature¡¯s skin were larger than he was tall. She was the color of brushed bronze, glittering where the light hit her scales. Four-legged with a set of massive wings, she struck an imposing image. When her head turned slightly, the group was washed with a torrent of hot air issuing from her nostrils.


    Pogo didn¡¯t open her eyes, but she spoke. The voice came from everywhere at once, almost as though she were speaking into their minds.


    ¡°You have brought them,¡± she said. ¡°Finally.¡±


    It was difficult to understand the enormity of the dragon. Theo searched Tresk¡¯s feelings, finding a similar awe. Around him, his people stood with mouths agape, desperate to wrap their heads around Pogo. From afar, she looked more like a massive bronze statue. Those rock-people and under-versions of the surface races lingered near the massive dais. The alchemist got the impression that they respected the dragon, but did not treat her as a god.


    Tresk nudged him in the ribs and whispered, ¡°say something while I study her. I¡¯m gonna have a perfect recreation for the Dreamwalk.¡±


    ¡°This is unexpected,¡± Theo said, trying to hype himself up. ¡°We were led here through strange circumstances, and I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the words.¡±


    The massive dragon snorted something like a laugh. She didn¡¯t raise her head, but her amber eyes searched through the crowd. ¡°I put it plainly, then. In the Third Era, I made a deal with a Khahari. One who refused to ascend. I was to guard this cavern. In exchange, he didn¡¯t exterminate me.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a crappy deal,¡± Tresk muttered.


    ¡°There are worse fates,¡± Pogo said. ¡°I welcome you to the Nameless City. The rock-folk were never ones for naming things, so they never bothered.¡±


    If Khahar put the dragon here, there was a reason. Theo couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around why he would put a dragon in an underground cavern, but Yuri was never one to explain his actions. Well, why not ask the source?


    ¡°Do you know what Khahar¡¯s intentions were?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°These caverns stretch throughout the world. He was worried you would come under attack from the unsavory races that call this place home. None have passed my protection. All have died.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sweet. Another shield,¡± Tresk said, clapping her hands.


    ¡°So, uh¡­ wanna join a nation?¡±


    ¡°No. But I¡¯m happy to forge trade deals with your people. So long as you keep your spy from weaving his fetid magic.¡± Pogo¡¯s eyes shifted, locking onto Alran.


    ¡°Right. No spying, Alran,¡± Theo said, pointing a finger. The man¡¯s shoulders slumped slightly, and he moved to the back of the group. ¡°I¡¯m sure we have much to offer your people.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your entourage is free to roam the city while we work out the details. Off with you, little ones.¡±


    Those that had accompanied Theo to the underground world were sent off to explore the Nameless City. It really needed a name, but none of the rock people seemed eager to give it one. The alchemist stayed with the dragon, pulling a chair out of the Tara¡¯hek inventory and having a seat. Pogo was interested in a few things that Broken Tusk had on offer. Especially the Drogramathi Iron. Everyone loved that stuff. The underground world had a bounty of reagents to offer, as well as a rare metal that wasn¡¯t available in surface mines.


    Pogo claimed that Tworgnothi Copper was the best for making artifices, and Theo believed her. Several hours later, they had both signed a balanced trade deal. That left the alchemist free to explore the city on his own. It was a sprawling thing, housed in a massive cavern. The ceiling glittered with glowing fungus, while the lamps on the street cast eerie lights. He met with Fenian, Tresk, and Alex in a local tavern.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Well, that was unexpected,¡± Fenian said, gesturing for Theo to take a seat.


    The chairs were horribly uncomfortable. Theo lowered himself into the stone chair and grimaced. It seemed everything was made of stone around here. The patrons of the tavern were a hodgepodge of races. While the rock-folk were the dominant race, there were those surface analogs. Elves with impossibly white skin. Dwarves with the complexion of knapped onyx. There were even lizard-folk that glowed in the darkness. But each of them had a hard edge to them, as though living down here was a daily trial.


    ¡°The good news is they accept surface money,¡± Tresk said, gesturing to the pale white Elf woman serving them beer. The Marshling tossed her a gold coin. ¡°Thanks, lady.¡±


    The Elf bowed, then walked away. Theo tipped a [Potion of Limited Foresight] into his mouth before tasting the beer. It wasn¡¯t great. But it wasn¡¯t horrible, either. It was a standard, unsweetened ale that was a bit too hoppy for him. Still, it was wet and he was thirsty. The eyes of the patrons within the tavern never strayed from the group for long. But it was unsurprising that all attention was on them. The one man within the place that kept the alchemist¡¯s attention was an Elf wearing a black mask with a single hole for his right eye.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I expected to find here,¡± Theo said, sipping his drink. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t this.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Fenian asked, chuckling. ¡°Khahar should have told me about this. No idea why it was kept from me like some big secret.¡±


    ¡°You got a bad feeling about it?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°No! That¡¯s the strange part,¡± Fenian said. ¡°My cores are singing this place¡¯s praises. Both Uz¡¯Xulven and Parantheir have whispered to me. They like it.¡±


    Theo felt nothing from Drogramath. As always. The Dronon god seemed uninterested in the place, but that might have been a feint. He always liked to pretend to be uninterested, no matter what. There were things down here that would interest any alchemist, though. A new range of reagents to test. Not that there was much time for that. The alchemist had to wrap his mind around Fenian¡¯s plan first.


    ¡°How long will it take you to trap Karasan in Balkor¡¯s dead realm?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It should have worked last time, but the gates were closed.¡±


    ¡°Why would the gates be open?¡± Tresk asked. She drained the last of her beer. ¡°What changed?¡±


    ¡°My patrons told me as much.¡±


    That was questionable, but Theo didn¡¯t know how to question it. He didn¡¯t have a sense for how the realms in the high heavens were doing. He had certainly never pressed himself up against a dead realm. But he was aware of the gate-like quality that realms had. Benton used one to get into Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Maybe we should go to Tero¡¯gal. Poke around to see,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re the experts. I don¡¯t care how you get me there,¡± Fenian shrugged.


    Theo turned to Tresk, asking her opinion without opening his mouth.


    ¡°Yeah. I think I can take an inventory of dead realms. Poke around a bit.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t enter Balkor¡¯s realm,¡± Fenian warned. ¡°Karasan will know someone is there, and he¡¯ll act too soon. We don¡¯t want him dropping a city on Broken Tusk. Not yet.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°I need to bring a letter to Belgar, anyway. Check on the spirits. You know how it is. God stuff.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking¡­¡± Fenian started.


    ¡°We know we¡¯re not gods,¡± Tresk interrupted. ¡°Jeeze, why are you so literal lately?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on edge.¡±


    Theo checked on his people before diving into Tero¡¯gal. It was surprising to see that everything was going well. Things normally went wrong right about now. The only explanation was that things would go wrong soon enough. Their bad luck would accumulate, then burst forth in spectacular fashion. The alchemist planned on stopping by the Bridge to see if Uz¡¯Xulven had any advice. As long as she thought it would work, they were in the clear.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex fell through reality, slipping into the place between places. As they passed over the Bridge of Shadows, the alchemist steered them to the dark expanse. They landed without issue, and it seemed as calm as ever. He had to shout a few times to get the master of the house¡¯s attention. Shadows coiled around them, then the form of Uz¡¯Xulven appeared. Hands on her hips, she tutted.


    ¡°No confidence in my champion? What a shame,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hey, Uz!¡± Tresk said, waving. Alex honked.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, waving awkwardly. ¡°Balkor¡¯s realm is open again. My champion¡¯s efforts were successful.¡±


    ¡°What happens after that?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°What does he always say? Spoilers! No. Just kidding. I¡¯m not certain, but there¡¯s a chain of ownership for the Throne of the Herald. Karasan owns it, but does not sit on it. So, that¡¯s causing some problems.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what a selfish jerk.¡± Tresk shook her head in disapproval.


    ¡°Right?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. She shook her head, hiding whatever amusement played on her shadowy face. ¡°Anyway, your plan should work. Now leave me alone.¡±


    Theo and Tresk shared a look. The alchemist sent them along their way, deciding not to annoy the god any longer. They landed in the Tero¡¯gal¡¯s town and were met with excited cheers from the still-forming spirits. The alchemist found Belgar and handed over his note. As expected, Benton¡¯s icy archway sprung up and the bear god stepped out.


    ¡°Tea?¡± he asked.


    It was strange to see more than one building in Tero¡¯gal at first. But Theo was warming up to the idea of the spirits constructing a town. They had expanded it even if no new spirits had arrived. Benton brought a new blend of tea today, something that was less sweet than what he normally liked. It was a mature taste. A flavor that the alchemist didn¡¯t altogether enjoy. But the confections made up for that. Fried donut-like things and spongy cakes spread across the table. Tresk went wild with the powdered sugar he brought, covering everything she ate in a thick layer.


    Benton came with news of his realm. They were inspired by the spirits within Tero¡¯gal and had entered a boom of construction. The desolate landscape often made it so that the spirits there wanted to snuggle up, preserving their warmth. But with more buildings, the bear god was confident they could live a more enjoyable life. Theo had little advice for that. The spirits in his realm just did as they pleased. He never asked them to build a little town. He certainly didn¡¯t ask for them to engage in artistic endeavors. Even if the sculptures they were creating were getting more realistic.


    One thing that made Theo excited was the disposition of the souls in his realm. They didn¡¯t treat him like a god. After finishing the tea, they toured the expanded town. People waved as they went past, but offered nothing more than a hearty greeting. There was no groveling, praying, or anything weird like that. They were just people living their lives. It was a reflection of Broken Tusk itself. Like a mirror image, rendered with vast artistic license. Until Tero¡¯gal was exposed to the wider heavens, they were protected from attack. That¡¯s what Benton said, anyway.


    Alex wanted to stay back in the town to play in the spring while Theo and Tresk wandered off. They hiked through Tero¡¯gal, finding places they hadn¡¯t seen before. The entire time, they probed the edges of the heavens with their senses. It wasn¡¯t an exact skill they were using. Like the ability to sense someone back on the mortal plane, it was more of a feeling. The Marshling was far better at it than him. It took several hours, but she had a decent sense for which realm was Balkor¡¯s.


    The duo had found their way to a rise right outside of town. It provided an excellent view of the place. Rolling hills below them, and a stiff breeze blown from a mountain range provided a pleasant environment.


    ¡°There are hundreds of thousands of dead realms,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Yeah, I can feel it. Some are shuttered. Like, there¡¯s no way anyone could ever get there. But a few are open. And one stinks.¡±


    ¡°Stinks like what?¡± Theo asked, plucking a blade of grass from the ground. He tried to clasp it between his thumbs and whistle, but it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Like death.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s our realm. Remember that one. How far is it?¡±


    ¡°Distance is relative. That¡¯s the strange thing, though. I feel as though I have some authority over Balkor¡¯s dead realm.¡±


    That made little sense. From what Theo understood, authority over realms came from two things. The first one was absolute authority, which they both had over Tero¡¯gal. Then there was self-authority, which represented itself when they were visiting another realm. Absolute authority gave them permission to do whatever they wanted, while self-authority made it so no one could hold them in a realm they didn¡¯t want to be in. He dismissed the matter, assuming the authority she felt was just her actualized will in the other realm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll toss him across the void tomorrow,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t feel him on the mortal plane when he¡¯s too close to that dragon.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave Alex with him tomorrow. That way, we have something to focus on as we interdict him.¡±


    A calm silence set in on the hillside. The Tara¡¯hek fell into thought as one. Worries bled together, mingling with excitement. Things were getting interesting in the heavenly realms, and their progress on the mortal plane was going well. Despite the army of undead beating down their door to the north, they were doing good.


    ¡°Did you hear about Sledge¡¯s eggs?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo was aware that Sledge wanted to have kids, but didn¡¯t know she would actually go through with it. ¡°Really? We need to make sure that Bob has enough resources to handle more crazy Marshling kids.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Good luck, you little Brogling.¡±

 4.63 - Zureah Materials

    Tero¡¯gal provided a much needed break from the underground world. Theo felt all his worries for the place melt away in an instant as he looked over the rolling fields of his realm. He was disappointed that no new souls had arrived within the realm, but what could he do? There was no place to hang a sign in the void that said ¡®this way for a good time¡¯. That might put off the wrong impression, though.


    Owning a realm, which was effectively a new world, gave the alchemist an interesting perspective. He didn¡¯t want to change the way these new people were developing their society, and it didn¡¯t seem to need changing. Tero¡¯gal was closer to a utopia than Broken Tusk could ever be. No one rushed him with reports when he entered the realm. Just a bunch of smiling faces and quick nods.


    ¡°Yeah, I was thinking about that, too,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo shot her a look. ¡°Digging through my thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always digging around in there. Cavernous.¡±


    ¡°So, what was I thinking about?¡±


    ¡°About when some big bad comes and stomps on our little town. You want to bring Broken Tuskers here.¡±


    Well, that wasn¡¯t exactly what he was thinking about. But it had been on his mind. His last failsafe against some disaster was to interdict everyone in Broken Tusk, bringing them to the safety of Tero¡¯gal. And reason lent itself well to the problem Fenian was stirring up. The undead were a core part of his plan. But what happened when that plan came to completion? What if the undead went away, and Qavell marched to war. The alliance would be broken underfoot, and everything they worked for would crumble in an instant.


    ¡°The moment we send Fenian away, we need to kick Throk into gear. I want my rail guns.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve already got my dad signed up for transcontinental railroads. What¡¯s a few guns after that?¡±


    This was often a point of contention between Theo and Tresk¡¯s thoughts. She was excellent at conflict, but not planning for it. Like most Broken Tuskers, the Marshling prepared for battle at the last moment. The alchemist wanted to cover all options before the threat arrived. And they still had a [River Dungeon] monster wave to deal with. That would be the order of things, then. Monster wave, Fenian, defenses. Easy enough, so long as Aarok and Luras agreed.


    Even without his Wisdom of the Soul ability, Theo knew his administrators would object to some things he would do in the future. He hoped they had confidence in him enough to accept his strategy. He snapped out of his malaise and looked inward, to the bank of knowledge stored in his mind. As with all things, he searched for an alchemical solution to his problems.


    There was a long list of potions he had yet to craft. And several properties he didn¡¯t want to explore. Properties like [Devour], which likely created a poison, and even more likely inflicted great pain on the person unlucky enough to feel the sting. Theo went over those properties with Tresk as they sat atop a hill. A delightful breeze blew in, soothing them with every gust.


    ¡°How about the Zureah stuff?¡± Tresk asked.


    [Zureah Talons] and wings provided levitation, or offense-related properties. Theo had only discovered the first property on both, but the reagent was decently rare. The bird-people, called Zureah, spawned with the [River Dungeon]. They could stock up on monster parts from that wave, so the alchemist added it to a metal list of things to test.


    ¡°Can¡¯t forget the spirit fruits,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Except they¡¯re rare.¡±


    That was always a problem. Mass production was better for most potions. Especially in defending Broken Tusk. Theo had to consider how long it would take the undead to clear out, if they cleared out at all. Then how long it would take Qavell to get moving. He would assume the worst, and estimate their arrival to be seven days after the Elf was gone. That was plenty of time to discover new properties, and create new bombs.


    ¡°Property binding is also an option. I¡¯ve only scraped the surface of primal essences. Then there¡¯s the reagents that grow in the caverns underground¡­ Suddenly, I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Do the rock-folk name anything?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡±


    ¡°We should send Azrug down there to name everything. I¡¯m annoyed that someone would name their city ¡®Nameless City¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That sucks, too.¡±


    Theo and Tresk hiked back to the town, spending hours wandering with little aim. Belgar must have smelled the alchemist¡¯s intent, because he joined him near the small work area. Compared to the grumpy soul that arrived in Tero¡¯gal, the dead Dronon was now chipper and excited about most things. But he was especially excited about his sister¡¯s letters. He held the newest one in his hands, pressing it to his face occasionally.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to mingle,¡± Tresk said, turning away from the table and walking away. Alex honked nearby, swimming in the cool spring water.


    ¡°Do you remember any interesting reagents?¡± Theo asked.


    Belgar leaned over the table, a smile spreading across his face. The more time he spent in the realm, the sharper his features became. He was almost solid enough to make out details, but he was a way off from being completely corporeal. The shocking thing was that he didn¡¯t look like Theo. Instead of regaining the image of his old body, he seemed to forge himself a new one.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never appreciate the unique flora and fauna of the swamp, will you?¡±


    Theo tapped his foot, then shook his head. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been spoiled.¡±


    Belgar clapped a hand on the alchemist¡¯s back. ¡°No need to be a grouch about it! Let¡¯s get to work. Do you have any samples on you?¡±


    It was hard not to smile. ¡°Alright. First, I have a [Zureah Talon] with the [Slash] property.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen that property. It¡¯s weird. Ground into a poultice, it increases the damage of the user¡¯s next attack. When distilled, it behaves strangely.¡±


    ¡°Strangely?¡±


    ¡°It can create a spectral slash, as if from a sword, when used as a bomb. Or, it adds that slashing effect to the user¡¯s next attack.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said. He withdrew two [Zureah Talons] from his inventory. The alchemist held his hand over the first reagent, applying his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability to draw out the second property. He did the same for the next reagent, extracting all three properties before withdrawing another sample for examination.


    ¡°How many talons do you have on you, boy?¡± Belgar asked, chuckling.


    ¡°Too many.¡±


    [Zureah Talon]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Rare


    The menacing claw of a Zureah.


    Properties:


    [Slash] [Desperate Attack] [Berserk]


    ¡°Those seem dangerous,¡± Belgar said.


    The names didn¡¯t inspire confidence, that was certain. Theo prepared two stills for small runs, and Belgar helped. The grinders had some trouble with the talons, but it wasn¡¯t as difficult for them to grind as the [Pozwa Horns]. They let the pair of still do their work to extract the [Desperate Attack] and [Berserk] properties while they moved on to other reagents.


    ¡°I have more of these [Zureah Feathers] than I know what to do with,¡± Theo said, withdrawing one from his inventory.


    Belgar took a feather in his hand and nodded. ¡°The [Levitate] property is solid. I would still be alive if I had a [Lesser Potion of Levitation]. Let¡¯s discover the other properties, though.¡±


    Theo withdrew three samples again, sending the first two up in smoke to discover their properties. After applying his champion Drogramathi mana to the reagents, he inspected the remaining one with Belgar.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    [Zureah Feather]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Epic


    The feather of a Zureah, said to hold the creature¡¯s affinity for flight.


    Properties:


    [Levitate] [Feather Shield] [Whirlwind]


    This was the exciting part. Trying to guess what a property would produce was always fun, but Belgar hadn¡¯t seen [Feather Shield] or [Whirlwind]. They fired up two additional stills before pulling up chairs. People-watching had become of the dead Dronon¡¯s favorite activity in the realm. Theo couldn¡¯t blame him. While he could still see through most of the people, they were becoming more solid by the day. They went about their lives as though nothing had happened. It was as though they hadn¡¯t died.


    The refined essences were completed in the order they were brewed. Each potion Theo created was still middling in its bond to Drogramath, no matter what people said about the temple increasing that level. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t praying enough, or in the right way. But as he set out the essences for test reactions, he realized that people didn¡¯t really pray. Not like back on Earth. Zarali was the only person he had seen truly praying.


    ¡°Patrons,¡± Theo said after a long pause.


    ¡°What?¡± Belgar asked.


    ¡°Everyone should call the gods patrons. Because they¡¯re not gods.¡±


    Belgar clapped a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree less. Brew the potions.¡±


    Theo went through the motions of making a simple, second tier potion. It was something he had done thousands of time before. More than an exercise, or an art, it had become a series of motions that he made mindlessly. They inspected the first potion when it was completed.


    [Potion of Desperate Attack]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    To be quaffed in dire circumstances. This potion exemplifies the Zureah¡¯s tendency to perform attacks that put their lives in danger.


    Effect:


    The next time the drinker attacks an enemy, they gain the Desperate Attack effect.


    When Desperate Attack is activated, 50% of the drinker¡¯s total health is consumed.


    1.50 times the amount of total health is applied to the drinker¡¯s attack.


    ¡°See?¡± Belgar asked. ¡°That potion is a trap. Fifty percent of the drinker¡¯s total health.¡±


    ¡°Meaning they could kill themselves with the potion.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Anything that concerns total health percentages is scary.¡±


    That reminded Theo of the searing regeneration modified effect on potions. It often created things that would kill the user as often as it would help them.


    ¡°But wait,¡± Theo said, moving to brew the potion with the [Berserk] property. ¡°There¡¯s more!¡±


    Unlike the [Potion of Desperate Attack], this next one seemed to fight against Theo¡¯s will. He had experienced this in the past. Willful potions weren¡¯t uncommon, and most potions that used the third property of reagent were like this. He took his time, making sure his core allowed him to measure exact quantities. After adding the catalyst to the vial, the alchemist watched as the essence boiled within. It turned a dark shade of red, mottled with black. A few moments later, the reaction calmed down. What was left was a mixture of the two colors, running in bands along the potion.


    ¡°Nasty looking thing,¡± Belgar said, stooping low for inspection.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    [Potion of Berserk]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    To be quaffed in circumstances without hope. This represents the Zureah¡¯s tendency of fighting to the death.


    Effect:


    The next time the drinker attacks an enemy, they gain the Berserk effect.


    When Berserk is active, 98% of the drinker¡¯s total health is consumed.


    2.50 times the amount of total health is applied to the drinker¡¯s attack.


    If the drinker is still alive after the attack, they enter a state of Berserker¡¯s Rage.


    The drinker will no longer recognize friend from foe, and for the next twenty seconds they cannot be killed by reducing their health to 0.


    Each attack they perform will contain the power of the original Berserk effect, without consuming 98% of their total health.


    ¡°Well, screw that potion,¡± Theo said. ¡°This is the second-most dangerous potion I¡¯ve ever crafted.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Belgar said, tapping his chin as he read the description again. ¡°I¡¯m not so certain.¡±


    ¡°How could this possibly be useful?¡±


    ¡°Combined with a [Life Ward] effect, this could be a powerful weapon. True, the user would need to make sure they¡¯re at full health before they use it¡­ but the effect? An invulnerable fighter on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Twenty seconds of invulnerability,¡± Theo corrected. ¡°Without a sense for friend or foe. What is the [Life Ward] effect?¡±


    ¡°Zarali and I used to brew [Lesser Potions of Life Ward] from a root that grew in the Veostian Highlands. After drinking it, all the damage you take over the next minute is restored if your health reaches 0.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Theo said. ¡°And incredibly situational.¡±


    ¡°But notice the wording of the [Potion of Berserk]. They cannot be killed by reducing their health to 0. Is there another way?¡±


    ¡°There must be. It wouldn¡¯t mention it, otherwise.¡±


    The alchemist couldn¡¯t decide if the [Potion of Berserk] was good. If he could find something with the [Life Ward] property, it would turn any fighter into a demon. Theo had a sense that the potion¡¯s description was leaving something out. The [Berserker¡¯s Rage] effect likely held more secrets. He shelved it in his mind as something to brew if he found the [Life Ward] property on anything. Until then, it was time to move on.


    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll have to find that other property to use this correctly,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°As always, your knowledge is helpful.¡±


    ¡°Anytime.¡±


    Next were the essences they had distilled from the [Zureah Feather]. Theo expected less from these, and was happy to brew two potions that wouldn¡¯t kill him. The reaction of the [Feather Shield] property was mild, especially compared to [Berserk]. The ornate vial swirled with green energy, then settled down almost immediately. Both he and Belgar leaned close, inspecting the next potion.


    [Potion of Feather Shield]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Surrounds the drinker with a shield of feathers.


    Effect:


    For 10 minutes after drinking this potion, the imbiber will gain a shield of feathers.


    Drinker will become more difficult to hit.


    If an attacker lands a hit on the drinker, there is a 5% chance that the damage is negated.


    ¡°This is a solid defensive potion,¡± Belgar said. ¡°Compared to [Barkskin] and similar effects, it doesn¡¯t have any drawbacks.


    ¡°Yes, but the effect is less impressive. Becoming more difficult to hit is nice, but I like negating damage entirely.¡±


    ¡°Still, you never know what combinations you can make.¡±


    ¡°True. And I have thousands of these feathers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve missed this.¡± Belgar let out a long, labored sigh. ¡°Drifting in the void doesn¡¯t hold a candle to alchemy.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more.¡±


    Next up was the [Whirlwind] effect. The first impression that Theo got from the property was that it was an attack. But as he held the [Refined Whirlwind Essence] in his hand, he realized that wasn¡¯t the case. Like the [Feather Shield] property, this was a defensive potion. It reminded him of the scent given off by the [Retreat Essence]. He performed the reaction without thinking much about it. The essence swirled in the vial as though driven by a powerful squall. It didn¡¯t settle down much, even after the reaction ended. The potion looked more like a hurricane in a bottle than a liquid. Both he and Belgar inspected it.


    [Potion of Whirlwind]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Surrounds the drinker with a whirlwind.


    Effect:


    The drinker is sent into the air in a direction of their choosing.


    The whirlwind left behind knocks all enemies back.


    ¡°Interesting, but it lacks the Featherfall effect,¡± Beglar said, tapping his chin.


    ¡°Rename it to the ¡®Potion of Splat¡¯,¡± Theo said, chuckling at his own joke.


    Belgar joined in, laughing with him. There were some interesting potions in the bunch. The [Potion of Feather Shield] had its uses, and might become even better at third tier. Those potions born from the [Zureah Talons] were likely the best, but it was debatable. Without a potion with the [Life Ward] property, they would be impossible to use safely. Even then, it would be tricky.


    Potions that had a clear effect without drawbacks were always the best. But Theo wasn¡¯t looking for something that restored health, or increased a person¡¯s attributes. He was looking for a weapon. Only, he didn¡¯t expect to find the means to create a living weapon. The modifiers he could place on the [Potion of Berserk], or his future [Greater Potion of Berserk] would likely be equally insane.


    Belgar seemed to have gotten his fill of potion-making, and Theo couldn¡¯t agree more. Instead, the alchemist told him the story of the underground civilization. The only thing he was interested in was obtaining a sample of the dragon¡¯s scales, claiming it would create an amazing potion.


    Theo had his doubts about that. The dragon had almost no presence when they met. Which meant it was powerful enough to not emit anything that would disturb his senses. Conceptually heavy reagents like that, including the spirit fruits, were difficult to deal with. Processing them required special skills and handling techniques. Certainly a dragon¡¯s scales would be the most difficult thing to turn into a potion. But there was still a small part of the alchemist that wanted to know. Who wouldn¡¯t want to know.


    The real world beckoned, in time. Theo, Tresk, and Alex spent no more time in the realm than last time. Without more spirits, the power of the realm didn¡¯t grow. But it was enough for them to get their heads straight about the situation in the caverns. Allies were always important, especially if they had things to trade.


    The alchemist looked toward the sky, willing the group back to the mortal plane. The next time they visited this private realm, they would throw Fenian into the fire. What hell followed in his wake required reverence. And caution.

 4.64 - Cookies and Poker

    Theo stood on the walls of Broken Tusk as the day faded, expecting lightning to strike at any moment. The Season of Fire had been especially tame for rain, compared to the Season of Blooms. But the thunder he expected came in the form of demonic assassins, the sudden arrival of some errant prince to the Qavelli throne, and so on. But it didn¡¯t come. The sound of peaceful insects drift in from the swamp. People chatted below about their day, and what they planned to do tomorrow. No lightning came. No thunder boomed in the distance. The silence was almost more unsettling.


    Both deals the alliance had struck in the past week were profitable. Squeak, from the lizard-folk, forged a deal concerned more with culture than profit. Pogo, in the underground below, had her sights set on protecting the Nameless City. Things were going well without hitches for once. But tomorrow would see Fenian off to something no one in town could understand.


    The Elf¡¯s journey into Balkor¡¯s dead realm would have been impossible without Xol¡¯sa. The extra-planar Elf had taken a hit for the team by prying into Tero¡¯gal. Theo and Tresk had come to understand the error of his approach, but had yet to tell him their solution. They were both waiting until after Fenian¡¯s departure to invite the wizard into their realm. If a person were to force themself upon a realm, the patrons would shift their gaze to them. But if that same person were forced to traverse the Bridge, plopped into a realm by an interdiction event, everything was by the book.


    That list of strange, unwritten rules seemed to grow by the day. Navigating it was a minefield unto itself. Theo pushed off from the wall, then descended into the town below. Something in his chest told him things would change soon enough. The world would become a better place sooner than he expected, but the form it took was still unknown. He skipped dinner entirely, and went straight to bed. Without Tresk or Alex.


    The Dreamwalk was a place that required all participants to be present. The alchemist found himself in an in-between place of thick shadows and heavy air. Tresk had done this once before. She didn¡¯t enjoy the experience, but Theo found himself at peace. Aarok wanted to kick off a monster wave tomorrow after Fenian departed. Fortunately for the Elf, Azrug volunteered to watch the enchanted Karatan with the help of Miana.


    Theo had time to reflect on his own in that strange place. Broken Tusk was a very defensible location. It was bordered on the north and south by impassable mountains. To the west, there was the sprawling swamp. Only the east provided an avenue for attack, and even that would leave a sieging force exposed to the withering effects of the magical towers. Added to the deadly mix was Throk¡¯s guns, which would be completed soon enough. The alchemist had seen to that through the use of piles of gold coins. But as ever, it was the sky he feared most.


    The scene shifted without warning. Theo found himself standing on the eastern battlements of the town, gazing off into the rolling fields. Tresk and Alex stood next to him, both holding postures of impatience.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have waited for us?¡±


    ¡°I needed a minute to think.¡±


    Penny for your thoughts?


    Theo explained what had been going on in his mind. Not just about Broken Tusk, but the Southlands Alliance. The Southlands Region of Qavell was very easy to defend. Just like the town itself. Everything from Broken Tusk to Gronro-Dir was encased in mountainous regions. The only access to the sea between the two towns was the harbor and beach. As always, it wasn¡¯t the land, the sea, or the underground that the alchemist feared. It was the sky.


    The alchemist shifted the scene, bringing them to the walls of Gronro. It was an old memory of Tresk¡¯s, something she had gained by scouting the region. He would never get over how defensible the area was. A path, perhaps wide enough for a single merchant¡¯s cart to traverse, connected the town to the northern mountain passage. Crags stabbed skyward in all other directions. It was a nightmare for any assaulting parties. Especially the undead, who often tumbled into the chasm below.


    An imagined airship appeared above the town, looming among the wispy clouds. ¡°Even an airship would have trouble getting here,¡± Theo said, gesturing to scoot the ship along. ¡°Operating at high altitudes was a problem on Earth. I¡¯m assuming this is no different.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re missing the point there,¡± Tresk said, swiping her hand through the air. The undead stirred below. Ribbons of sickly energy rose into the sky. ¡°Remember what dad said? Magic is an airship¡¯s worst enemy.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Theo imagined a map of the area in his mind. Assuming Qavell could launch an airship from the capital, they would have to run a course to the east. It would be a horrid scenario, exposing them to even more of the undead. ¡°The closer they get to Gardreth, the worse it gets. More magic coming from the Fallen Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯ll go north,¡± Tresk said with a sharp nod. She traced her finger through the air, making a wide circle before clicking her tongue. ¡°Then around and over the sea.¡±


    Benton¡¯s people wouldn¡¯t act against the crown, Alex said. They¡¯re hiding right now. Waiting for the curse to lift.


    ¡°But who would take the reins after Karasan dies?¡± Theo asked. He shook his head, breaking loose thoughts away. ¡°Of course, he has descendants. Doesn¡¯t he? Kids?¡±


    Tresk nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about them. Daughters and sons.¡±


    ¡°So, if Fenian is scheming with the patrons¡­ Karasan is likely scheming, too.¡±


    Reasonable.


    The scene shifted once again. Tresk transported them to the piers outside of the harbor, looking out over the expansive ocean. ¡°This is where they¡¯ll strike.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help himself. He laughed, gesturing to both towers. Two rail guns appeared on the towers, then an airship in the sky. ¡°This is what I felt. I knew we would run into problems with the administrators soon. I felt it.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ll try to stay your hand?¡± Tresk said, cackling. ¡°Good luck!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to override them. We should slip the Adventurer¡¯s Guild an order to fire on sight when we get the guns set up. Highest payload.¡±


    ¡°No mercy!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Agreed, Alex said, honking and shooting a small ball of fire. So long as the airship comes within the time we expect, we can assume that it is Qavell. After Fenian leaves, the airship should take about a week to arrive.


    ¡°How do you figure?¡± Theo asked.


    Alex seemed to shrug her wings. Just estimating based on assumed speed and the distance.


    Theo turned his attention to the airship above. He had imagined a flying ship, like the ones Laedria created. That was the most reasonable assumption, based on Throk¡¯s findings. An airship needed to be light enough to fly, and would likely rely on magical defenses rather than physical ones. The alchemist imagined a payload of his improvised explosives, potions that took advantage of the volatile nature of Drogramathi alchemy. Firing only two shots, the rail guns annihilated the airship. Twin explosions issued at the same time, reducing the imagined hunk of wood to nothing but ash.


    There were other payloads they could send, though. Theo dragged his mind away from war crimes, and simply focused on the fastest way to down the ship. Drogramathi Iron slugs warded with [Dragon¡¯s Dance] would be the most effective. But he didn¡¯t discount the idea of using [Anti-mage] infused loads, either. That required experimentation. Instead of running off to train, both Tresk and Alex stayed behind to help him create new slugs. He needed the Marshling¡¯s willpower to extract the properties of the [Mage¡¯s Bane] flower, turning it into a poem for his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core].


    Throk had refined the firing of his rail guns down to a simple process. The sled that launched the shot was the most important to Theo¡¯s application. The alchemist imagined a Drogramathi Iron slug, rifled to make it spin better in the air. He then sat down with his companions to mess with his new skill, [Linked Wards]. Unlike the regular spell crafting system, linking wards together had more to do with creativity than following a pattern.


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    ¡°Have you ever tried to put two wards on the same thing?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Theo said, looking down at the hunk of purple-black metal in his lap.


    The group spent several hours experimenting. They all felt the same goal form in their minds. The desire to combine the [Anti-mage] property with [Dragon¡¯s Dance]. The two poems were so different, it seemed impossible to get them to work together. Both Tresk and Alex drew on Theo¡¯s knowledge of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s secret language to create new tales. But something finally stuck. They realized that, like the second tier wards, there was an inter-linking of words required to get the [Linked Wards] skill to work. The alchemist only knew it was working when the skill spun in his chest, singing a happy song as he applied a new ward to the metal shot.


    A faint sheen of chromatic energy rippled across the Drogramathi Iron slug. Everyone leaned in to inspect the effect.


    [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic]


    [Advance Ward] [Linked Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic]. Field only activates when enemies are detected in range.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    5 days.


    The system loved generating vague references with wards. They drilled deeper, inspecting the [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic] effect mentioned in the description.


    [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic]


    The dragon¡¯s dance combines with the anti-magical effects of the anti-mage property. This effect creates a field of anti-magic that lashes out in a violent dance of death.


    Effects:


    Creates a sphere of blades that deals massive damage to all targets, living or otherwise.


    Targets hit by the blades cannot use magic for one minute.


    Any non-living targets affected by the magical restriction will be unable to operate for the allotted time.


    ¡°That¡¯s an anti-airship weapon right there,¡± Tresk said, hooting with excitement.


    Not only was the effect monstrously powerful, but it came with a ruthless slug. The ward¡¯s field would react when it came in contact with the ship. But after that? The slug would do immense damage to the vessel, rendering it useless. If the blades of death didn¡¯t tear it apart, the supersonic hunk of Drogramathi Iron would. Theo ran simulations, summoning and shooting down airships with ease.


    ¡°This is perfect,¡± Theo said. He held up a Drogramathi Iron slug, testing its weight in his hand. ¡°Throk already has a small arsenal of these.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing tomorrow,¡± Tresk said with a laugh. ¡°Maybe you could make me some more poisons.¡±


    Tresk was already using his best poison. There might be improvements he could make, but that was doubtful. She was disappointed when he told her. But it was more important to practice his wards on the towers near the piers.


    ¡°Once I start my hybridization program with the reagents, I¡¯ll come up with a better poison,¡± Theo said.


    That seemed to satisfy her enough. After settling the matter, the group envisioned more scenarios of attack. They found holes in the town¡¯s defenses, and made notes to plug those up. None of them felt as though their paranoia was unwarranted. There were people out to get them, and it was important to brace themselves before the attack came. Not after.


    The Dreamwalk ended as it often did. Theo felt himself being tugged out of the imaginary realm, sent hurtling into his comfortable bed. As always, he awoke to find Tresk already scampering out of bed. The scent of cooked meat drifted up the stairs, causing his stomach to rumble. Groggily, he found his way down the stairs and into the dining area. Fenian was already there, tapping his fingers on the table nervously. He might not care to show it, but the Elf was worried about what happened next.


    After breakfast, there were a few meetings requesting Theo¡¯s attendance. He declined them, and prepared to send Fenian packing. Aarok and Luras gathered in the manor, just in case anything unexpected happened. Alex jumped into the Elf¡¯s lap, preening herself as Theo and Tresk prepared to depart for Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Remember to talk to Uz,¡± Fenian said, nodding to himself. It was the most nervous the alchemist had ever seen him. ¡°I have faith that you¡¯ll interdict me correctly, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We can talk to Drogramath if you need,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Theo shrugged, grabbing Tresk¡¯s hand. ¡°See ya in a sec.¡±


    The pair fell through the realms together. They slipped through the fabric of the mortal plane, then passed over the bridge. Tresk urged them to the surface of that shadowy spot, and they both landed on it without issue. Without prompting, the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows emerged from nowhere. As always, her face was a mask of impenetrable shadows.


    ¡°Blah, blah,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°Yes, this should work. No, I don¡¯t know the details.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be more comfortable if you were here as a backup,¡± Theo said. ¡°Can you catch him if he falls?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan, anyway,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, pacing on the bridge. ¡°Balkor¡¯s realm has been more active than normal, so I assume this should work. His dead soul can feel the king coming. Pray the king doesn¡¯t know that this is a trap.¡±


    Theo wanted to trust Fenian and Uz¡¯Xulven. But he didn¡¯t. He steered himself and Tresk away from the Bridge, even as the queen shouted after them. A moment later they landed in Tero¡¯gal, among the smiling souls that had taken residence there. It only took a single thought, but the world shifted slightly. The alchemist summoned the Arbiter with little effort, catching the sandstone-colored gaze of Khahar.


    ¡°It will work,¡± Khahar said, striding over to place a comforting hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Seems like a plan you could have done yourself, Khahar,¡± Tresk said, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°Oh, unless you made a rule that you have to follow. So, you tied your own hands. Hah!¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Khahar said, smiling. ¡°Are you going to bring him here before sending him to Balkor¡¯s domain?¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°My plan was to send him straight there.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Khahar asked, seeming doubtful.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I bet I could toss him into your domain if I wanted. Watch this!¡± Tresk scrunched up her face, then grunted. ¡°Nevermind. Can¡¯t interdict the Arbiter.¡±


    Theo pat the Marshling on the shoulder. ¡°It was worth a try. Why don¡¯t you bring him here first. So he can see our realm.¡±


    Khahar¡¯s expression didn¡¯t evade Theo¡¯s notice. This wasn¡¯t a normal thing to do. Perhaps the power he and Tresk had gained was outside of his expectations. The alchemist was certain that interdiction was now a banned practice. But Yuri had placed a loophole in that rule, allowing them to do it. Why? Because they weren¡¯t patrons. They were mortals who commanded a fully realized realm.


    ¡°Alrighty. Here he comes,¡± Tresk said, closing her eyes.


    Theo felt Tresk wrap her willpower around the realm. Her senses spread through realities, snaking between places until she found Alex on the mortal plane. To the alchemist¡¯s surprise, she grabbed both the goose and the Elf, then tugged. ¡°Twofer!¡± she shouted, yanking like a fisherman hooking into a large fish.


    It was the most impressive interdiction even Theo had ever witnessed. He always considered dimensional travel to include one important fact. One needed to pass over the Bridge of Shadows to reach the realms. That was a fact lodged firmly in his mind. But as Alex and Fenian appeared in Tero¡¯gal, he realized that Tresk skipped that step entirely. She made a hole in the void large enough to drag both of them through, then mended it shut like a surgeon closing a wound.


    Tresk placed her hands on her hips, wiggling her eyebrows. ¡°Huh? Pretty cool, right?¡±


    Fenian looked around, his mouth hanging open. ¡°Not exactly what I expected,¡± he said, licking his lips. ¡°This isn¡¯t Balkor¡¯s domain.¡±


    ¡°This is Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said.


    Fenian¡¯s eyes dragged over the scene, then locked onto Khahar. He bowed his head.


    ¡°Tresk is great at not following the plan,¡± Khahar said with a sigh. ¡°How long can you hold him here, Marshling?¡±


    ¡°Heh. You gods with your rules. He¡¯s here forever. Until we reverse-interdict him back to the mortal plane, or he takes the bridge.¡± Tresk¡¯s smile beamed.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°Possible-schmosible. I did it. Deal with it.¡±


    Theo studied Fenian as Tresk bickered with Khahar. Spirits who trespassed in a realm broke down if they weren¡¯t invited. The Elf¡¯s body showed no sign of wear. He was wrapped in an aura of protection, something provided by the Marshling. She had dipped into the system and given him a pass to be in Tero¡¯gal forever. An interesting turn of events. As if punctuating his thoughts, an icy doorway opened. Benton stepped out, holding a plate with cookies.


    ¡°Anyone hungry?¡± he asked. His eyes darted around, then went wide. ¡°Oh! A mortal? Arbiter, is that a mortal? Should I go?¡±


    ¡°Stay,¡± Khahar commanded, his voice rough as gravel. ¡°I¡¯d like some of your tea, Benton. And a few cookies.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Fenian said. He looked more nervous than ever. ¡°So, am I going?¡±


    ¡°I think he should stay for tea and cookies,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Dad always said not to travel on an empty stomach.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand over Fenian¡¯s shoulder and grinning. ¡°Maybe a few games of poker. Why not?¡±

 4.65 - Hallowed Realm of the Dead

    Foul odors didn¡¯t seem to carry as well in Tero¡¯gal. That was a good thing, considering the amount of bodies crammed in the small cottage. Benton, Theo, Tresk, Fenian, Khahar, and Belgar all sat at a round table. The Elf let out another frustrated breath, then tossed his cards across the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for this game.¡±


    Khahar¡¯s lips twitched, hinting at a smile. ¡°You have the best poker face I¡¯ve ever seen. I don¡¯t understand how you¡¯ve lost this badly.¡±


    ¡°Deception in the real world is easier. This game is a farce.¡±


    Fenian was frustrated, but not from the game. The longer he sat in Tero¡¯gal, the more Theo understood the extent of his plan. That plan held more facets than just killing the king of Qavell and claiming the Throne of the Herald. Khahar hid those pieces of the plan perfectly within the realm, but the Elf wasn¡¯t so skilled.


    ¡°Might as well get going,¡± Theo said, standing to dismiss the matter.


    Everyone filed out of the cottage. Tresk cracked her knuckles and rolled up her sleeves. They bunched up, then rolled down her scrawny arms immediately. But she wasn¡¯t a Marshling that cared for ceremony. She steepled her fingers before sending her senses through the realms. Theo could feel it, like an itch in the back of her mind, as she quested. Khahar nodded with approval.


    ¡°She¡¯s frighteningly good at this,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t sense an ability¡­ hmmm.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s hiding an ability,¡± Theo started, smiling at his companion. ¡°She¡¯s hiding it well. Could it just be aptitude?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Khahar said. ¡°It must be a hidden ability.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never tell. Alright. Are you ready, Elf-boy?¡±


    Two rapiers appeared in Fenian¡¯s hands. The silver-blue one for Parantheir, and the shadowy one for Uz¡¯Xulven. ¡°Khahar knows what to do if I don¡¯t return. Send me to the dead realm, you angry little Marshling.¡±


    It took only a snap of her fingers for Tresk to send Fenian away. Space didn¡¯t warp around him. There was no visible indication that he had gone, but he was. A cold silence settled in over the bright landscape of the realm.


    ¡°Well, this is awkward,¡± Belgar said, folding his ghostly arms in front of him. ¡°I expected an explosion.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. I must go,¡± Khahar said, vanishing without another word.


    ¡°That¡¯s not ominous,¡± Benton grunted. He turned to regard Tresk. ¡°Any insights, little savant?¡±


    ¡°Meh. He zorped back to Khahak, and I can¡¯t see that far.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d tell me if you had a hidden ability. Right?¡± Theo¡¯s feelings for and with Tresk shifted by the day. They were mostly synchronized now, leaving no room for lies.


    ¡°No ability. But I don¡¯t want Khahar knowing that. Heh.¡±


    It made more sense that Tresk had an innate ability to command the realms. It fell in line with Theo¡¯s thoughts on Khahar¡¯s long-term plans. The grand scheme involved him, but it was in a supporting role. Tresk was the genuine star of the show. Like most things with the long-lived people, there would be more twists and turns before the end. So long as the walls held firm, both in the mortal realm and Tero¡¯gal, everything would turn out fine.


    Belgar cleared his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be presumptuous. But the spirits here spend a lot of time without you. I¡¯ve been giving them tasks.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are they getting bored?¡±


    ¡°Bored? No, but they¡¯re restless.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re mapping the realm. Most of us haven¡¯t been in a heavenly realm, so we don¡¯t know what we should be doing. Benton has been helpful in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do go on,¡± Benton said.


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal isn¡¯t like the other heavenly realms. According to Benton,¡± Belgar nodded at the bear god.


    ¡°Right. Normally, they¡¯re a reflection of your station. Mine is cold and without life. Khahar¡¯s is a fortress¡ªor so they say¡ªand so on.¡±


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven has a bridge,¡± Tresk said, giggling.


    ¡°Right,¡± Benton said. ¡°She formed her realm into the concept of a bridge, which links realms. But Tero¡¯gal? This is just a place. Like a different version of the mortal realm.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t news to Theo. Tero¡¯gal was described as a mortal dream realm in some system descriptions. His theory was that it was the manifestation of their Dreamwalk ability. A way for Khahar to bypass some rules in the monitor system¡¯s ¡®coding¡¯ to allow them to own a heavenly realm. The most accurate description of the realm was that it was a dream made manifest in the heavens. The alchemist wasn¡¯t eager to share this information with anyone. Not because he was afraid they would abuse the knowledge, but because of the implications.


    Watch this! Alex shouted into Tresk and Theo¡¯s minds from afar.


    They heard wings flapping in the distance, then the slap of webbed feet on packed mud. The group swiveled their heads to spot the goose taking off into the sky. She soared high, then off into the distance.


    ¡°She finally learned to fly,¡± Tresk mused, watching as the goose became little more than a speck against the sprawling sky. ¡°Once she¡¯s big enough, I¡¯m gonna ride her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a sight I¡¯d pay to see,¡± Belgar said. ¡°Combat goose.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t eager to get back to the mortal plane. Instead, he consulted the maps that Belgar and the souls had drawn up. They had already estimated the size of the world in halms, but the alchemist converted them into miles because halms sucked. If they were right, Tero¡¯gal was larger than the continent Broken Tusk rested on. It would only continue to grow. But would it wrap around like a spherical planet? Or would it just go on forever, like some weird flat plane in the void?


    Alex flew overhead as Tresk and Theo met with the various souls of the realm. They held less reverence for him than the people of his own town, which felt like a relief.  There was something about being a lost soul that made one independent, and he wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Some complained of listlessness, but Belgar promised to give them more tasks. There were too many questions to give anyone solid answers, so they settled on an open promise of excitement.


    They hiked through the land, following the various maps to find points of interest. Dotting the landscape were the structures generated by the system upgrades. The towers here reminded him of those on the walls back home. But the natural landmarks were nothing like the swamplands. Clear streams ran from the snow-capped mountains, emptying into massive lakes. Like everything in the realm, there was no wildlife. Just an endless sprawl of Earth-like plants and open fields. Those plants grew at a normal rate, though. Unlike the trees outside of Broken Tusk, the dream plants had nothing to feed off of. Or the pseudo-physical forms they took weren¡¯t entirely adapted to absorbing magical power.


    Theo and Tresk watched Alex swoop down into a lake, plunging beneath the surface. She honked with excitement, flapping her waxy wings to remove the water. Belgar lingered nearby with a group of souls. All who followed the group had an appreciation for nature, and Tero¡¯gal was happy to provide.


    ¡°I wonder where this turn leads us,¡± Theo said, pulling Tresk close.


    ¡°Nowhere good,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Belgar offered. ¡°You¡¯ve already saved some lost souls. Count that as a victory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± one soul shouted, pumping their spectral fist in the air.


    Let¡¯s just hope this isn¡¯t the end of Fenian¡¯s journey, Theo thought, eyes locked on the goose in the lake. Let¡¯s hope he didn¡¯t rush into this like last time.


    <hr>


    Traveling to a dead realm was nasty business. Fenian didn¡¯t want to do this. He wanted nothing to do with Balkor¡¯s power, but every turn of his life had shunted him closer to the damned demon god. Khahar had reassured him it was all part of some large plan, and that the dead Dronon was part of it. Only, he had to do all the heavy lifting. Luring the king into a false sense of security, then into the dead realm. The unveiling of hidden powers locked away for a century.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten myself into it this time, haven¡¯t I?¡± Fenian asked himself.


    Balkor¡¯s dead realm offered no response. The act of being interdicted into Tero¡¯gal, and then into the unpronounceable realm of Ho¡¯ch. It was a sprawling place that contained nothing but rot. Semi-organic structures loomed high into a pale green sky. The scent of death carried on a stagnant breeze, blowing nothing but a stomach-churning odor into the Elf¡¯s nostrils. His steps squelched underfoot as he pushed forward. To the place where the god had fashioned himself a spire.


    Like Khahak, Ho¡¯ch contained a massive tower in the center. In the early days of the first ascendancy war, the Dronon God of Necromancy had carved a niche for himself. A place where no other god would dare attack, lest their servants be turned against them. Scholars of the time had done their best to document the fight, but those records were mostly lost. All that remained were ruined realms that none could see. It hadn¡¯t even been that long since he died. 873 years. A blink in the grand scheme.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± Fenian said, surmounting the last rise.


    King Karasan stood, back against the seething green stone. His elegant Elven countenance was locked in a permanent grimace. His mage¡¯s robes swept the ground behind him as he pushed off, black hair streaked with white trailing as though driven by the wind. ¡°I see you¡¯ve had enough time to recover.¡±


    ¡°How is the old home?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Infested with Balkor¡¯s cast-offs yet?¡±


    ¡°Almost,¡± Karasan said. ¡°Should I die here, my son has a plan to destroy your pets.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll be the one to wipe the Southlands Alliance off the map. I have to say, I¡¯m impressed you haven¡¯t dropped a city-sized fireball on them.¡±


    ¡°Bringing errant towns to heel is nothing new, Southblade. Or fallen Tarantham houses, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. If you define the slaughter of a people as obedience, you¡¯re a fool.¡±


    Karasan sighed, then shrugged. As always, he treated this as a matter that bored him. ¡°They were all like you. All craved one thing. Death. The desire to rejoin lost loved ones. You held back in our last fight. Why?¡±


    ¡°Put it together, my king,¡± Fenian sneered. He tightened the grip on both of his rapiers.


    ¡°Would Parantheir make you his avatar here? I don¡¯t think so. Neither would Uz¡¯Xulven,¡± Karasan said, his eyes focusing on the space between them. Bored as ever. ¡°You couldn¡¯t beat me in the void. Or in the minor realms. You didn¡¯t use [Parantheir¡¯s Challenge], because you knew you would die. So, you lured me here in the hope that a dead god would help you? Maybe that would work. If Balkor rose against me¡ªwhich he won¡¯t¡ªyou stand a chance. Perhaps the alchemist has given you some anti-mage potions, which might help. If my mana pool wasn¡¯t so vast.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has a weakness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it!¡± Karasan laughed. ¡°I¡¯m content with my life. I¡¯ll die here, if that¡¯s what needs to happen. But perhaps you should consider the weight of the station. The system has not accepted my suggestions as Herald. But I¡¯m rambling on. Let¡¯s see your trick.¡±


    Fenian sent his senses into his soul where his cores rested. Everyone saw him as the wielder of a legendary [Elven Trader¡¯s Core], and that was true. He also had his [Parantheir Duelist''s Core], and his [Uz¡¯Xulven Duelist¡¯s Core]. Few might guess he got his hands on a [Planar Mage¡¯s Core], which had done him little good. And not a living soul on the planet knew about his other two cores.


    ¡°I had to let you win the first fight,¡± Fenian said, licking his lips nervously. ¡°That was the only way you would follow me here. I had to be a servant of Uz¡¯Xulven, so she would let you use the bridge. Before all that, I needed to sow the seeds of doubt.¡±


    ¡°What doubt might that be?¡±


    ¡°Doubt that any of Balkor¡¯s followers were left alive.¡±


    ¡°Your wife was the last,¡± Karasan said. ¡°Not that it matters. With Balkor dead, his cores were removed from his followers.¡±


    ¡°Interesting thing. Balkor never died. Not completely,¡± Fenian said, gesturing to the realm. ¡°This place withers, but doesn¡¯t perish. When he was cast down to Gardreth, it was a feint. What necromancer worth their weight stores their soul in their body? Even gods.¡±


    Fenian had never seen Karasan¡¯s face so much as twitch. But the slight raising of his brows told him everything he needed to know. The king reached for a magical item in his possession, but the duelist activated his [Parantheir¡¯s Challenge] ability.


    [Parantheir¡¯s Challenge]


    Parantheir Duelist Skill


    Epic


    Challenge all surrounding enemies to a duel. No one may leave the designated area until a victor is crowned.


    Effect:


    All hostile persons, or monsters, are locked in a duel with you. No party may leave until the other is dead.


    Walls of shimmering silver-blue energy emerged from the rotting ground. Karasan winced, holding an ornate black sculpture in his hand. The stone of the statue crumbled onto the ground, burning with green fire until there was nothing left. This was it. Either Fenian¡¯s gamble paid off, or he was dead. The ability would last until one of them was dead on the ground of Balkor¡¯s domain, feeding the flagging spirit of the god.


    ¡°This is it, then,¡± Karasan said. ¡°Grace me with the name of the core before we fight to the death.¡±


    ¡°Cores,¡± Fenian corrected. ¡°[Balkor Mage Hunter¡¯s Core], and [Balkor¡¯s High Priest Core].¡±


    Karasan¡¯s face twitched again. ¡°Your wife¡¯s?¡±


    Fenian nodded, crouching on the spot. Karasan held his hand out, channeling his magic. The duelist kicked off from the ground with such force that pieces of fetid ground broke off, shooting back to slam against the barrier. He spun in the air, bringing both rapiers against the king¡¯s powerful barrier at the same time. Coated in anti-mage poison as the rapiers were, they sucked away at the magical power. A shockwave of antimagical energy shot in every direction. The king buckled.


    But one didn¡¯t become the king of Qavell through idle scheming. Bolts of electricity shot in every direction, bouncing against the barrier. Fenian deflected several with his swords, only succeeding in sending them bouncing faster. Karasan twisted his hands through the air, performing complex magical gestures that brought spikes of arcane energy drilling into the duelist¡¯s body. His mage hunting core sang, drinking the energy in and filling him with power. The pair broke their stalemate, standing apart and staring daggers.


    ¡°It seems you have too many tricks,¡± Karasan said, unable to hide his labored breath.


    ¡°We¡¯re just getting started.¡±


    <hr>


    The Wanderer had known nothing but rage for almost a thousand years. His mind hadn¡¯t been his own since Balkor¡¯s false death. He raised his head in recognition for the first time since that day, gazing up with rotting eyes. The white towers of Qavell stabbed toward the heavens, as though defying the gods themselves. A boiling mass of undeath surrounded him. Seething creatures that groaned and rattled in response to the duel. He wheezed, clearing away a thousand years of dust and mucus from his throat.


    A shiver ran through the army of undeath. There were new bodies here. New vessels he didn¡¯t remember from the fall. He wheezed, then cleared his throat again. A trickle of his old power returned to him, affording him consciousness enough to know.


    ¡°West,¡± he croaked. The command rippled through the undead. A word of power that drove them on.


    <hr>


    Fenian¡¯s body and spirit felt broken. He drew ragged breaths through one ruined lung. Both Balkor-aligned cores rested somewhere nearby. Somewhere near the corpse of a fallen king. The realm shivered around him, filling with new unlife. The fight had gone on far too long. It was a flash in the pan compared to the heavenly scale of time, but to a mortal? He had spent years fighting with the king in that box. With nowhere to run, they were forced to fight with abandon.


    That barrier had fallen, bringing with its demise a rush of stinking air. After evacuating the bile in his stomach, Fenian had collapsed. The next thing he felt was the collapsing and rebuilding of disparate powers. Gears turned somewhere, then locked into place. To own the Throne of the Herald was an honor. And a curse.


    ¡°That¡¯s sorted, I suppose,¡± Fenian wheezed.


    ¡°Yet,¡± another voice said, wheezing from all around him. ¡°You cast away gifts.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in serving you,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Just used you, didn¡¯t I? A means to an end.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± the voice hummed. ¡°Did you figure out my phylactery on your own? You drew it so close to the Qavelli settlements¡ªyou must have known.¡±


    ¡°Balkor, I don¡¯t know the extent of your madness.¡± Fenian gazed up at the green sky above. Even the putrid clouds above made him sick. ¡°What I know is that you¡¯re needed.¡±


    ¡°Life to life, undeath to death,¡± Balkor said, his voice bright.


    ¡°The scholars of old thought you were too smart to move against the other gods. They figured you had a plan. You were close with Drogramath. So, I figured why wouldn¡¯t you hide your soul away?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. But you¡¯re dying, Elf. I¡¯m happy to accept you into my realm¡­ Or perhaps I could grant you eternity.¡±


    Fenian shivered. He expected to be able to walk out of the realm. All his tricks should have brought Karasan low in moments, but the old man was crafty. Now he was bleeding out in the realm of a risen god. He obtained the throne, only to accept a leash. How fitting.


    ¡°We¡¯re not that desperate,¡± Fenian said, pulling a healing potion from his inventory. The first few he drank only dulled the pain. Maybe this one would work.


    Balkor laughed. ¡°Fine. I had to try, you know.¡±


    ¡°What happens with the undead on the mortal plane?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re headed west.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Hah! Impetuous. Fine. I suppose the Herald ought to know.¡±


    Balkor revealed his plans to the prone Elf. Perhaps the throne wasn¡¯t worth the price.


    <hr>


    The Watcher stood on the surface of Antalis. Iaredin spread before him, a blue-green gem floating in the vastness of space. Things hadn¡¯t gone the way he expected, but they were interesting enough. Fenian had proved to be more capable than any of his other candidates. And he was born here. That was the most interesting part. His feathers ruffled as he turned, spotting the two men that had hounded him from the start.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done all you asked for,¡± the grumpy paladin said.


    ¡°Every single thing,¡± the wizard added.


    ¡°Service doesn¡¯t guarantee my compliance,¡± the Watcher said, shaking his head. The corners of his beak-like face rose to something resembling a smile.


    ¡°We¡¯re never ascending, are we?¡± the paladin asked.


    Both had lost their cores in the coup. The Watcher could flick a single feather and send them back to the planet. He could do the same motion and turn them into living gods. He could do anything he wanted. But he wouldn¡¯t. Because rules existed for a reason. If he stomped around creation, meddling with the systems, they would grow out of his control. Both men reminded him of the people he seeded on this world. They were too greedy for their own good. Too eager to abuse the power given to them. Next time, he would employ a tighter leash.


    ¡°Ascension was never guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°Yet you allowed that Khahari to do as he pleased,¡± the wizard said, snorting a laugh. ¡°Hardly fair.¡±


    ¡°He has operated within the rules. You were too weak.¡±


    ¡°What other options do we have?¡± the paladin asked.


    The only option they had was ironic. ¡°Can you see the realms from here? You¡¯re ascendant, aren¡¯t you Sulvan Flametouched?¡±


    Sulvan shifted uncomfortably in place. He kicked up a cloud of white powder, sending it drifting over the desolate landscape. The pair always refused to mingle with the peoples that lived on Antalis, thinking them weak. The system¡¯s rules said that anyone over level 100 could sense the realms. If they were strong enough, or wise enough, they could even ascend to godhood. Whatever that meant for the ants on this world.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°And you, Uharis Banetouched, are on the cusp.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Uharis said, grimacing.


    ¡°There is a new realm. A thing that grows in power by the day. You know the owner.¡±


    Sulvan clenched his fist, gritting his teeth. The Watcher chuckled.


    ¡°Beg him, and he may accept you. You have the means.¡±


    Because there was no greater irony than begging the man they attempted to control for help. And Theo could do it with the help of Tresk. That Marshling girl had surprised the Watcher at every step. No one, either brought here or born here, had the aptitude that she had at controlling the realms. Soon enough, she would realize her full potential.


    On the mortal realm below, the First Prince of Qavell sensed his father¡¯s death. The city of Qavell rumbled, unleashing magical energies that had been dormant since its construction. The Watcher nodded with approval.

 4.66 - A Dark Pact

    An ornate cabinet, older than the kingdom itself, soared across a spacious sitting room. It slammed against decorated pillars, falling into a thousand pieces to the ground. Servants and attendants scattered, fleeing First Prince Hanan¡¯s rage. Under all his finery, he seethed. He drew ragged, growling breaths. Only the soothing words of a black robed figure brought his temper down. Because that temper was legendary among the people of Qavell.


    ¡°This is good,¡± the robed creature said. ¡°All according to plan.¡±


    ¡°And what plan is that?¡± Hanan asked, spinning to glare into the impenetrable darkness of the figure¡¯s hood. ¡°The king is dead!¡±


    ¡°Long live the king,¡± the figure said, gesturing to the prince.


    ¡°Stow your scheming, beast.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter what Hanan wanted. Karasan had fallen, foolishly pursuing his damned rival into a realm. From the start, the fool king had done nothing but put his people in danger. Starting with the war in Veosta, and ending with his inaction when the undead arrived. There was no protecting the people outside of the walls. They should have activated the city from the start. But, no. Now it all fell on his lap. The corpse of a kingdom.


    ¡°The ritual has already begun.¡±


    Hanan wheeled, leading with a gauntleted fist that tore through the dark creature¡¯s face. He felt nothing as it passed through, then watched as the darkness reformed around his fist.


    ¡°Damn you.¡±


    ¡°The pact,¡± the creature said.


    Hanan removed his fist from the pool of shadows, turning and shaking his head. He cast his eyes over the frescos on the walls. The history of his people was a haunting reminder of hubris. Qavell now stood on the edge of a new era. Perhaps the newly formed Southland Alliance would have mercy on him. But he knew the creature wouldn¡¯t allow it. Perhaps they were strong enough to banish it. Or perhaps he would die. The last option was the one he hoped for the most.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Hanan said, stomping out of the room. ¡°Activate the sigils. Perform the ritual. You¡¯re going to do it anyway.¡±


    <hr>


    Qavell wasn¡¯t the most defensible city. It was open on all sides, open planes as far as the eye could see. If one were to stand on the ruins of the outer walls, they could see the curve of the planet in the distance. As the city rumbled below, the only sight was the exodus of the undead. Fields of skeletons, rotting corpses given life, and other horrors shambled westward. None inside the city knew where they were going, or why they fled, but they celebrated.


    Four hundred years ago, the foundations of the mighty city were laid. Both the [Kingdom Core] and [Town Core] pulsed with power as dark Core Smiths performed their rites. Thousands of souls, destined for their godly realms or the void, were sucked into the stones of the city. The place where the magic of the seeds met with natural earth cracked. That crack quickly became a fissure, then a ravine.


    Until the city rose.


    <hr>


    ¡°Mighty fine weapons you have,¡± Bilgrob said.


    After returning to the mortal plane, Theo had thrown his weight around. The administration wasn¡¯t happy. Throk most certainly wasn¡¯t happy. But as he stood on the towers near the piers, gazing at his new rail guns, he knew it was necessary. His magical senses were still weak, but he could feel it. Something in the distance rumbled the bedrock. Two distinct magical energies flooded through the world like a tide of untamed power.


    ¡°Indeed they are.¡±


    ¡°Preparing for war?¡± the Ogre priest asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Want a demonstration?¡±


    The rail guns worked splendidly. Theo had to clear the team of adventurers that was manning the station so he could inspect the weapons. He loaded a plain Drogramathi Iron shell, fed it a mote, then pointed it in a random direction. The adventurers were far more skilled at operating the weapon, but this was simply a demonstration. He set the dial on the side of the gun, then smacked the firing button. The weapon filled the air with a loud cracking sound, sending the slug hurtling through the air. It slammed into a distant island, sending a plume of sand high into the air.


    ¡°Your prey must be large,¡± Bilgrob said, placing his massive hand on the alchemist¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Airship-sized, I think. We¡¯re working with Gronro-dir to arm them.¡±


    ¡°And what of that rail system I¡¯ve heard so much about?¡±


    ¡°Throk is working on it. He¡¯s taken an artificing apprentice, so hopefully that goes faster.¡±


    The biggest problem with the rail line was the toughness of the carriage compared to its weight. Copper was too brittle, Iron and Drogramathi Iron were too heavy. But Tworgnothi Copper? The old Marshling had determined that it was incredibly strong and light. Similar to aluminum on Earth, but with more impressive structural properties. There was already a prototype outside of his workshop, something that dragged in crowds of people. The metal also provided bonuses for all artifices constructed with it.


    ¡°Spit doesn¡¯t take sides,¡± Bilgrob said, leaning against the wall¡¯s edge. ¡°He heals and provides chaos. Nothing more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your Ogre magic. That¡¯s what caused the rat infestation.¡±


    ¡°Rat-like creatures,¡± Bilgrob corrected. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you don¡¯t build weapons of war.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sell weapons of war. I only build them for defensive purposes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. How different are those paths?¡±


    Theo shrugged. He didn¡¯t care how different those paths were, because he knew how important these weapons were. He was certain there would be an attack from the air. It was only a matter of where that attack came from. What Bilgrob was suggesting was to lay back and let them attack, which was insanity.


    ¡°Never confuse defensive capabilities with a willingness to defend. Within these walls, it¡¯s all sunshine and roses. Out there? You need to face the reality of that, Bilgrob.¡±


    The Ogre gave a massive shrug. Ogre culture had two sides. Abject brutality, and infinite compassion. It was weird.


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree. So, the rail. What¡¯s the completion time on that?¡±


    ¡°Ziz and the gang already laid the foundation. Raised stonework next to the road they built. All white marble, of course. Throk and his guys just need to go through and lay the rail, and the power relays. We don¡¯t want to have stations where people feed motes into the track, so he made an automated system.¡±


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    ¡°Then I heard a plan to go south. To the islands.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s more challenging.¡± Theo laughed at his own ambition. The rail to the lizard-folk¡¯s islands was going to be a nightmare to build.


    ¡°We have one fact on our side. The waters between here and there are mostly shallow.¡±


    ¡°But what is ¡®mostly shallow?¡¯¡± Theo asked. ¡°A hundred halms?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°May as well just freeze the entire ocean at that point.¡±


    The logistics of any long-distance road over water was a nightmare. The best idea Theo had was to create pylons that went down into the seabed. They would stretch lengths of Drogramathi Iron between them for support, as it was the strongest material they had. Ziz and Nira gave him some early estimates on the span they could achieve that way, and the alchemist wasn¡¯t happy. It was still a worthwhile pursuit, but there were other things they could do with their time.


    Airships were something Theo was interested in from the start. Throk refused to build one, due to safety concerns, but there was a middle ground. If he could make an artifice that provided force to a vehicle, he could make speedboats. Not like the ones on old Earth, but artifice-powered sailing ships. Then there was the latest notification in his administration window. The alchemist pushed off against the wall, punching Bilgrob playfully in the arm.


    ¡°I have a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Spit watch over you.¡±


    There was an all-hands meeting for all members of the Southlands Alliance. Both Grotgrog Stormfist and Trevas Parn were attending remotely, representing Gronro-Dir and Rivers and Daub respectively. Theo made his way to the town hall, stopping only to shield his eyes from the sun and look up to the sky. Alex flew overhead somewhere, honking with excitement as she patrolled the skies. The moment Aarok discovered she could fly, he put her on patrol duty.


    As expected, the meeting room was crammed with people. Theo found his seat at the head of the table, nodding to everyone as they drummed their fingers on the table. Perhaps he had kept them waiting for too long.


    Alise cleared her throat. ¡°Right. We¡¯ve had a development.¡±


    ¡°A big development,¡± Gwyn said, clapping excitedly.


    ¡°The undead are moving off,¡± Aarok said, spoiling the administration team¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Moving off? Why?¡± Theo asked. His thoughts twitched, and a Wisdom of the Soul message appeared. He didn¡¯t want to read it.


    ¡°I¡¯m collecting information on that,¡± Alran said.


    Theo fell back into his chair, letting out a long whistle. He read the message, then shook his head. It was certain that they were moving off because Balkor was alive again. Being the God of Undeath must have meant he had command over those creatures. The group chattered with ideas, none of which hit the mark.


    ¡°So, Balkor is back,¡± Theo said, cutting through the chatter with so few words.


    ¡°What?¡± Aarok asked.


    Theo rubbed his hands together, letting his thoughts gather for a moment. Mercifully, everyone remained silent as he thought. ¡°Karasan is dead. Fenian killed him in Balkor¡¯s dead realm. The soul of an ascendant being, and a holder of a throne, fed the demon god.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ is that good?¡± Gael asked nervously.


    ¡°The undead are moving off, aren¡¯t they?¡± Theo said, running his fingers through his hair.


    A junior administrator spoke up. ¡°Yup. But what they¡¯re leaving behind is horrible.¡±


    It took Theo a few seconds to realize that the administrator was speaking for Grot. They were using the message system to relay information.


    ¡°They already cleared out from the gates?¡± Theo asked, leaning in over the table.


    ¡°Uh¡­ he says¡­ Yep! They¡¯re gone. But the ground is corrupted. No one can walk on it without getting sick.¡±


    This was within Theo¡¯s expected outcomes. That much necromantic energy in one spot would lead to some horrific consequences. The land around Qavell would be tainted for years to come.


    ¡°We¡¯re experiencing something similar,¡± the administrator representing Rivers said. ¡°A slight corruption of the land.¡±


    ¡°Does the alchemist¡¯s potions have an effect?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°Minimal,¡± Grot said through his proxy.


    ¡°Is it possible to bring me samples of the corrupted soil?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°En route.¡±


    The administration from all towns took the opportunity to hijack the meeting. They shifted to mundane topics, but it was necessary. Theo was left with a feeling of unease and excitement. The undead had been a buffer, but it was good they were moving on. Once Qavell was dealt with, they would have free reign of the lands to the north. So long as Tarantham or Veosta didn¡¯t come to claim them. Both Rivers and Gronro offered to support the rail initiative, which brought some much needed cash flow to the project.


    Next, they covered the standing trade agreements and general flow of cash. Broken Tusk had not recovered after their access was cut off from the rest of the continent, but it was improving. Drogramathi Iron seemed to be the biggest draw from foreign parties. Theo let the admins go wild. It was easy to target them as problem children of his growing alliance, but they were just doing their job. Without them, the day-to-day problems encountered by citizens would have been a grind.


    Trevas, the new leader of Rivers, was doing well. Unlike Alran, he had an altruistic nature. He gave a few reports about his town and how things were improving. But that was part of his agreement with the Southlands Alliance. While they still didn¡¯t have formal laws, most agreed that trade guilds were nonsense that did nothing to help the average person. It wasn¡¯t as though capitalism was outlawed but trade guilds always fixed prices and made things worse for everyone.


    The meeting concluded around dusk on the twenty-second day of the Season of Fire. Theo met with Sarisa, Salire, Rowan, Tresk, and Alex at Xam¡¯s tavern. Instead of eating in the manor, they all planned to eat at the Marsh Wolf then hit the baths.


    ¡°Steak? Tresk asked, scooting into the booth. It was awkward to fit everyone inside, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy we got most of the rats,¡± Rowan said, stretching.


    Theo withdrew a notebook and created a table listing all the reagents that might help restore the land. Practiced understanding told him that there was a solution already. He just needed to find it.


    ¡°What was it like?¡± Salire asked, leaning in over the table with dreamy eyes. She stared at Tresk. ¡°Sending Fenian through the realms, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was easy,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Just¡­ boop! Tossed him over. Turns out, I can¡¯t use it on anyone. All the conditions are hidden from me. Go figure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better that way,¡± Theo mumbled, scribbling a plan out.


    ¡°You could try not working for five minutes,¡± Tresk said, elbowing the alchemist.


    Theo snapped his notebook shut, then smiled. She was right. The undead were leaving. It didn¡¯t matter why they were going, just that they were gone. ¡°What¡¯s the next holiday in the southlands?¡±


    ¡°Embers,¡± Sarisa answered with a nod. ¡°We make a big fire, write our dreams on a sheet of paper, then burn it.¡±


    ¡°I always hated Embers,¡± Rowan grumbled. ¡°Why start a fire when it¡¯s already too hot?¡±


    ¡°I thought most Half-Ogres ran a fire in their house all the time,¡± Theo said, chuckling.


    ¡°Yeah, but a big one is different!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°I think we should do a mid-season celebration!¡± Salire bounced in her seat.


    Tresk sighed. ¡°That would be awesome.¡±


    Once the train was built, everyone could travel from both Gronro and Broken Tusk to Rivers in a matter of an hour. Assuming Throk could get the thing running at break-neck speeds safely. ¡°I like that idea,¡± Theo said, nodding with approval. ¡°We could tie it into the opening of the train system.¡±


    ¡°Nothing better to show your wealth than a big party,¡± Sarisa laughed.


    The sun set over Broken Tusk the way it often did. Her citizens were safe behind her walls bristling with defensive weapons. Night watchmen patrolled the walls, investigating disturbances and responding as needed. None behind the safety of that place knew that the dawn of a new age had fallen over the mortal plane. Fenian had taken the first step to right a broken system. The world he dreamed of was one where destruction wasn¡¯t part of the cycle.


    <hr>


    Two stars brightened in the sky above the Span. The place that segmented the continent into two pieces, Veosta and Qavell, had been a bastion against the constant attacks from undeath. The defenders there didn¡¯t know the meaning of the new stars. One for the new Herald, and the other for the Demon God of Undeath. Unseeable by their eyes were the two new stars that had formed. Ancient gates were unlocked. The monitor system was made more whole.


    As the thrones of the Dreamer and the Dreamwalker gained metaphysical materialism, the monitor system shivered with recognition. It was closer to its true form. Two down. Two to go.

 5.1 - Tainted Soil

    Waves lapped gently against the white marble pier below. Seabirds flitted overhead, joining their calls with the lapping waves. The salty scent of the ocean wafted with gusts from the bay. Sitting atop one of two towers, Theo Spencer looked out over the endless sprawl of water. It was only segmented by the chains of barrier islands, breaking some of the open ocean¡¯s worst offerings. While the little port saw little traffic, a merchant¡¯s ship was visible on the horizon. Flying the colors of Partopour.


    Angry calls from the birds above signaled Alex¡¯s sentinel position among the clouds. The goose had taken the sky like¡­ a goose. Unsurprised, but still worried like a mother hen, he pushed off the wall. Breathing one last breath of the sea-driven air, the alchemist descended from the tower. Fishes of all kinds held near the pier. They pecked at the edge of barnacles and plant life, searching for food around the structure. Looking out along the long track of hewn marble, it was hard not to appreciate how many things had changed.


    The Southlands Alliance was strong. What they lacked in manpower was made up for with weaponry. All three towns in the alliance were heavy with defensive weapons, all of which were magical. System-generated towers that could hold back waves of monsters, and artificer-built rail guns that delivered withering payloads. As ever, the walls of Broken Tusk held firm. Within those walls were an amalgam of peoples. Cat-folk from the Khahari Desert to the west. Elves from the solitary nation of Tarantham. Native Bantari and half-ogres, along with lizard-folk from the south and full-blooded ogres from the west.


    And humans. One of the most curious races on Iaredin was the only race from Theo¡¯s home world on Earth. The histories of this place were unclear on their arrival. They were soft, compared to the half-ogres. But more even-tempered than the marshlings. But one¡¯s origin hardly mattered in the alliance. Sweat was the bread of the land, and merit was her butter. All were welcomed into the expanding alliance.


    So long as they signed the contract.


    Theo worked a lazy path over the pier, then into the harbor. He looked up at the weapons on the walls, then over to the shipwrights constructing the town¡¯s future. It was the twenty-third day of the Season of Fire. A red letter day for any wishing to trade with foreign parties. The harbor would soon become crowded with folks looking to buy exotic goods. So the alchemist made his way out of the harbor. As far away from the bustle as possible.


    ¡°Let the administrators handle it,¡± he told himself, ducking through the eastern gate.


    Azrug¡¯s newest venture was visible from there. A large barn that sat to the north of the ranch. What a shame it would see little use after introducing the maglev train. The same train that he planned on sending over the ocean to the south. As always, Theo bit off more than he or his people could chew. But that¡¯s the way they liked it.


    Most people in town didn¡¯t know why the undead scourge had broken off their assault. They were unaware of the secret war Fenian Feintleaf had fought against the king of Qavell. They were equally unaware of that king¡¯s death, and the shifting of power that moved in the heavens. That thought sent a shiver down his spine, but he pushed through. The undead had left behind a taint on the land. The northernmost town in the alliance, Gronro-Dir, was contending with a plague.


    The little bell above the door at the Newt and Demon rang. Theo stepped into the first floor, which was a shop, and waved to his assistant. Salire had known to leave him to his machinations. She nodded politely, then went back to counting her money. Since the representatives from Gronro had brought a sample of the soil, she hadn¡¯t wanted to go to the third floor. If the alchemist was honest with himself, he didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Theo let his thoughts trail off, cracking the windows and organizing the lab. Rows of alchemy equipment, mostly large distillation stills, crowded the space. But in the corner, there was a single clay jar. Filled with dirt.


    The shadows stirred near the room¡¯s corner. A powerful frame emerged from the gloom, materializing to reveal the half-ogre Rowan. He rolled his shoulders, then pulled up a chair.


    ¡°Back to it, then.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Even being near the soil put Theo¡¯s stomach into knots. The ventilation hoods above head clicked on automatically as he cracked the jar, releasing the necromantic foulness into the lab. It burned their lungs and sent their stomachs churning. But the work needed to be done. The alchemist had only been working on the problem for a day, but he learned quite a lot.


    ¡°Let¡¯s review¡­¡±


    Rowan had proven to be a font of knowledge with all things necromancy. It was odd to consider at first. But his patron was the ogre god Baelthar. Ogres were known for one thing. Chaos.


    Theo cleared his throat and went over what they knew. Power permeated every corner of the world. It was the raw form of energy that was typically linked with a patron god. In Broken Tusk, the realms of Tero¡¯gal and Grodul¡¯harak were king. Those two realms belonged to Theo and Tresk, and Drogramath. Everything within the area was soaked in that power. From the rocks, to the dungeons. It all had the scent of those two realms on it. When the undead moved from their resting place in Gardreth, they had brought with them the stain of Balkor. The taint of Hoi¡¯ch.


    Power didn¡¯t dissipate quickly, though. And the energy that soaked into the lands was not strictly raw power. It was processed, then crapped out by the rolling hordes of the undead. When raw [Refined Hallow Ground Essence] was dripped onto the soil, it reacted. Only slightly, but it was noticeable. Theo performed a demonstration on an isolated sample. Both men nodded, already knowing the effects.


    ¡°Sarisa is working with Zarali and Xol¡¯sa on the problem,¡± Rowan said. His complexion looked more green than red today. Theo imagined his own face looked similarly putrid. ¡°No progress.¡±


    Theo returned the lid to the clay jar, swallowing hard. He had tried to take it into his inventory, but that only made the effects worse. ¡°Not even a Priest of Spit can banish it. I imagine even Glantheir¡¯s followers would have trouble.¡±


    Rowan grunted a response, tapping his finger on a length of parchment. It contained all the effects that Theo could craft into potions. The problem was, all the anti-undead [Hallow Ground] potions destroyed undead. Not what they left behind. He jabbed his finger into the parchment. ¡°What about this one?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have a chance to respond. His Wisdom of the Soul ability popped.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    [Mana Seep] is a property that transfers mana from one target to another. Your understanding of the property isn¡¯t great enough to know the efficacy. Combining the [Mana Seep] property with the [Absorb Magic] might have an effect on the tainted soil.


    ¡°Wisdom says maybe not,¡± Theo said, slumping in his chair.


    ¡°Screw this.¡± Rowan stood suddenly. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t need a written invitation to leave the jar behind. He joined with the half-ogre, stopping briefly to chat with Salire. She wanted the jar gone as soon as possible. Working around it was horrible. No one disagreed.


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    Near the town¡¯s center there was a pillar of black stone. Slightly off from there was a pulsating portal. Xol¡¯sa¡¯s contribution to the adventurers of the town was always appreciated. Theo and Rowan stepped through, finding themselves flung through reality and into the wizard¡¯s tower. Conversation from the floors above filtered down, echoing off the stone. A single candle burned nearby, casting the interior in a pale orange glow. The men ascended the stairs to find the wizard and his betrothed in deep conversation.


    ¡°Any progress?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°From the look on your face, I¡¯d say we¡¯re about even,¡± the wizard responded with a sharp laugh.


    Compared to when he was injured, Xol¡¯sa was doing great. With his vigor restored, so was his heart. Zarali was the sister of the man who originally owned Theo¡¯s body. A man who now rested in a heavenly realm, working hard on the problem just the same as them all. Theo collapsed into a comfortable armchair, letting the conversation wash over him. He searched his memory for anything useful, letting Wisdom messages enter his vision occasionally.


    Of course, the wizard¡¯s theories were more refined. Not everyone thought like an alchemist. Xol¡¯sa approached it as a problem of magic. Something to be dispelled or transferred to another place. Zarali saw it as a matter for the patrons. Something those heavenly beings could siphon away in an instant. As they spoke, Theo withdrew some salt from his inventory. It was an industry that had been taken away from him due to inaction.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, interrupting the conversation. ¡°Some cultures on Earth thought that salt banished evil.¡±


    ¡°Salting the earth sounds like a good way to kill all the plants.¡± Zarali laughed, shooting her adopted brother a sly smile.


    Theo responded with a hum. At some point, Xol¡¯sa made everyone some moss tea and served it. Unlike the stuff Xam made, it was completely unsweetened. Those earthy notes that the tea was known for came out in force. He brewed it strong and without sweeteners. It was an acquired taste. As was everyone¡¯s habit of burning fires in the middle of this world¡¯s Summer. Or not running their magical air conditioners. The tower was sweltering today.


    The conversation shifted to alchemical solutions, demanding Theo¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Once again, the problem is with the [Hallow Ground] property. My assumption is that the answer will come by creating a hybrid plant, then binding those hybrid properties with a suffuse potion.¡±


    ¡°The question remains. Which properties?¡± Rowan wasn¡¯t asking a question. He was repeating a question that had lingered on both their minds since they started.


    Reagent hybridization was an unknown method to the alchemist. Something he had only discovered accidentally. But there was a skill he could take soon, which would let him force the hybridization of the plants. That just brought the same question back around again. Which plants? Going from his experience, he would likely try the wheat from Earth first. Whenever a powerful being screwed with his life, they left behind clues from him to solve problems. It was as though they predicted everything. But instead of fixing it themselves, they left it to him to fix.


    The conversation shifted yet again. There was only so much the group could handle before they wandered off.


    ¡°So, the wedding,¡± Zarali said, placing her hands in her lap and leaning in. ¡°You¡¯re officiating it, aren¡¯t you Theo?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Any idea when you wanted to do it?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Xol¡¯sa answered. ¡°We¡¯re concerned about the celebration in Rivers. We want the day to be special. Not overshadowed by ?Treason Day.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t contain his laugh. He had forgotten, or wanted to forget, that his people wanted to make a new holiday. The name they picked for it was typical of the region. No tone of seriousness for their independence. The administration staff was working with the new mayor of Rivers and Daub to kick off the festivities. Since Gronro-Dir didn¡¯t need to defend the northern border so much, they were free to attend. They planned to tie the party in with the opening of the maglev. A fitting time to celebrate.


    ¡°We should invite everyone.¡± Theo had been excited to see the wedding come together from the moment he was told about it. Love in the swamp was hard. Harder still when it was between a demon and an extra-planar elf. ¡°Oh, I forgot. There¡¯s a trader coming to dock at the port.¡±


    Both Xol¡¯sa and Zarali sprung up, shocked expressions on their faces. ¡°No! All the good stuff is going to be gone!¡±


    Without another word, they darted off. Rowan remained where he was, shifting the illusory tie around his neck. ¡°They¡¯re too high-energy lately,¡± he said.


    ¡°Agreed. We¡¯ll break for now. I need some time with my thoughts.¡±


    Rowan just nodded, then rose from his chair. He descended the stairs at a leisurely pace, then through the portal. Theo was left among the trappings of a wizard. Alchemy equipment, magical devices, and curios of all sorts littered the tower. While there were adventurers who passed through this place often, there was never a risk of theft. Not with those handy contracts in place. Although the town had grown to over five-hundred people, it was still small enough that everyone knew everyone.


    Theo climbed to the roof of the tower, looking out over the [Swamp Dungeon] in the distance. He smiled as he saw adventurers training in the swamp. They fought with giant turtles, goblins, and wolves. He was reminded of the gristly wolf meat stew he enjoyed when he first arrived in town. The way the flavors did nothing to mingle together brought a strange sense of nostalgia. He left the tower, walking the streets of his town.


    Mudball Fundamental was fuller than it had ever been. Children played in the yard. The operator, Bob, had organized the children into a hierarchy. The older ones managed the younger ones. Chaos was the result. Theo smiled as he watched the children battle each other with sticks. Mud was tossed at every opportunity. Broglings were small, but when needed Bob whipped the kids into shape. Mostly through verbal warnings, which always carried an undertone of malice. His instruction was borne from the patron Zaul, a shadowy figure in the Prime Pantheon.


    ¡°A moment of your time.¡± A voice came from behind Theo, carrying with it the warm sands of the Khahari.


    The alchemist spun, finding one of their cat-person residents, Zan¡¯kir, grinning a fanged grin. ¡°What¡¯s up? Care for a walk?¡±


    ¡°A walk would be lovely.¡±


    They headed off, onto the main road that headed north. Before the Khahari said anything, they were passing by the sprawling neighborhoods of the town. Every day, there were more houses that popped up there. All to prepare for the good ship Wavecrest to return.


    ¡°I was speaking with the commander about this,¡± Zan¡¯kir started. Theo had never seen him choose his words so carefully. ¡°He sent me to ask you.¡±


    ¡°So, ask.¡±


    North of the sprawling, crowded neighborhood were the homes of adventurers. Tresk had named it Stabby Groves, and no one seemed to want to change it. The cluster of buildings along the road had grown over the days, but not by much. Folks wanted to live crowded together, not on the fringes. Quick access to the shops and services was likely the cause.


    ¡°I want to form a new unit,¡± Zan¡¯kir said after a while. ¡°And I want to be the commander of the unit.¡±


    ¡°What would this unit do?¡±


    ¡°They would manage the automated and manually fired weapons of the alliance. There is a hole in your strategy, archduke. You cannot leave this matter to the administration. They do not understand combat.¡±


    That was true. Alise and her people often stepped on the toes of the military. ¡°Good idea. You need to come up with a good name, though.¡±


    ¡°Sandscourge Company,¡± Zan¡¯kir said instantly. He had been thinking about that for a while.


    ¡°Ding! Good name.¡± Theo laughed, patting the man on the shoulder. ¡°Where do you sit in the command chain?¡±


    ¡°Just under Aarok.¡±


    That was fine. The more weapons they made to defend themselves, the harder it was to keep track of everything. Theo had learned early that he should defer to professionals. Since Zan¡¯kir was a double-agent for Khahar, he must have been good at managing things. He also had a kid, which meant he was used to dealing with short-tempered folk like the half-ogres. Because half-ogres could often act like children.


    They ironed out the details of the position as they walked through the town. Up the slow rise toward the quarry, then back again through Stabby Groves. Over the farmer¡¯s hill, and back into the town proper. Theo created a new lord position, and made the Khahari sign another contract. By the end, Zan¡¯kir was now the Lord Commander of the Sandscourge Company. As expected, he got to work right away. Darting off like an excited child with a new toy.


    ¡°Now,¡± Theo said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Time for some serious alchemy.¡±

 5.2 - Procession of Souls

    None of the areas within Tero¡¯gal were named. Despite the residents'' relatively long time here, they just hadn¡¯t bothered. Theo soaked his feet in the cool waters of a lake that spanned as far as he could see. The nameless lake was a refuge within the realm, providing some much needed solitude away from the demands of the town. He had even dodged Benton on his way here. All that remained was the rustling of leaves nearby, and the gentle gurgle of a nearby stream.


    Resting in his palm was a sample of [Wheat]. Magically generated, or magically transported to this place, the crop had always taunted Theo. A reminder of the old world, or a helping hand in the new one. It was always impossible to tell which it was. There were versions of the plant grown here, but the system recognized those as [Ansatari Wheat]. But this sample was unchanged by the world. Protected in the realm, it had remained as it was on Earth.


    When the alchemist broke the reagent down with his [Reagent Deconstruction] ability, the results didn¡¯t surprise him. Neither did the Wisdom notification. He pinched the stalk between his fingers, twirling it as he inspected the item¡¯s description.


    [Wheat]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]


    Common


    A common plant often milled into flour.


    Properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Sow]


    The [Sow] property was what he needed. Even without the helpful windows, he knew it would impart the land with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Yet he remained by the lake. Alone with his thoughts. He wished he could see through the realms as proficiently as his companion, Tresk. But he knew even she couldn¡¯t see what their friend Fenian was up to. If he needed help, he was on his own. The swarthy elf could take care of himself. Right?


    ¡°Ah, there you are.¡±


    The familiar voice came with the padding of spectral feet over soft ground. Belgar came to sit next to Theo, lowering himself onto a rock and offering a faded smile. It was the soul of his body¡¯s original inhabitant. By the day, his form was more complete. But it was still transparent. The features weren¡¯t right, either. The man was making a new form for himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll toss you a gold coin if you tell me what you¡¯re thinking about,¡± the spirit said.


    ¡°I tried not to think about it. But we were right about the wheat.¡± Theo held up the reagent to punctuate his words.


    ¡°Now we need to brew it,¡± Belgar said, clapping a hand on his back. ¡°You¡¯re not always this dour, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not always,¡± Theo said, pushing himself to his feet. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is exciting. I¡¯m excited.¡±


    Belgar grabbed Theo by the shoulders and shook him. ¡°Exciting! Let¡¯s walk back to the village.¡±


    The places between the vast lake and the village the spirits had built was vast. It wasn¡¯t a distance that a person would normally walk. But both time and distance meant different things in a realm. The journey went by in what felt like moments. But the duo had covered a vast distance by foot. They passed through rolling hills, jagged ravines, and other picturesque landscapes. All to find themselves among the wandering spirits of the realms. Refugees of the void.


    Each spirit that passed the master of the realm waved with excitement. By the day, they were becoming more solid. More a part of Tero¡¯gal. But the few pieces of equipment Theo had brought from the mortal realm weren¡¯t great. Four stills, old and underperforming compared to those high-tech things waiting for him back in the lab. But they would do just fine for a quick experiment.


    Belgar was already preparing the minimum run for the stills. 10 units of the [Wheat] went into a still, along with an equal measure of [Enchanted Water]. They had enough [Refined Hallow Ground Essence] to drown the sea at this point, so it wasn¡¯t required to make more. The fumes from the distillation smelled right. This felt like the path he needed to take to purge the tainted soil.


    ¡°We¡¯re talking truly industrial levels of the potion here,¡± Theo said. ¡°Ten thousand units of cheese, wheat, and enchanted water. Might even push a fourth tier potion if we try.¡±


    Belgar drummed his fingers on the hot still, not seeming to notice it should have burned him. ¡°Your lab has the capacity. But how long will the suffuse potions take to bake?¡±


    Theo chuckled. That was a good way to put it. All suffuse potions needed time to ¡®cook.¡¯ The time required for them to complete varied depending on the rarity of the ingredients. Truffles, cheese, and wheat weren¡¯t the rarest things the alchemist had worked with. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be bad. I¡¯ll brew them on the mortal plane, then let them steep here.¡±


    Time really was difficult to understand in Tero¡¯gal. Originally, the [Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage] ability let him visit the realm for twelve hours. Now it was something like eighteen to twenty hours. Still, only five minutes passed on the mortal plane. That brought with it a confusing sense of disorientation that was always impossible to shake. Enough hours slipped away from Theo¡¯s grasp for the distillation to complete. There were no complications with the [Refined Sow Essence] and nothing to note about the item itself.


    Belgar watched with pride as Theo forced his mana into two vials of essence, breaking them down into their primal version. The next step was to take the powdered essence and introduce it to a solution with the [Suffuse Potion]. If the essences didn¡¯t work together, the potion would simply explode. But as the alchemist introduced both the [Primal Sow Essence] and the [Primal Hallow Ground Essence] to the mix, they bound without issue. He then stepped back, cocking an eyebrow.


    ¡°Huh. It feels like they¡¯ll only take a few hours to combine.¡± Theo leaned close, tapping the side of the flask. ¡°I¡¯m still concerned about industrial production.¡±


    A sense of deep cold shivered through the realm. Theo flinched at first, then turned expectantly. An archway of icy stone rose from the ground. It filled itself with a pane of clear ice before the massive form of Benton, the Toora God of Winter and Death stepped through. As always, he had a fanged smile on his face and a booming belly laugh of standby.


    ¡°Tried to dodge me!¡± he shouted, his laugh carrying throughout the entire realm. ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t let you get away without my sweets.¡±


    ¡°I was busy.¡±


    ¡°Busy busy busy. He¡¯s always busy,¡± Benton said, slapping Theo hard enough on the back to send him tumbling forward. ¡°Come on. Tea time.¡±


    Benton always made the best tea. His scones were equally delicious. Despite his title as the God of Winter and Death, he was the sweetest person Theo knew. He had learned that the title was mostly related to the seasons and had little to do with killing people. People that died in snow storms often found themselves in his realm. The toora set up his kettle in the small cottage and got to brewing tea.


    ¡°I guess your plan worked,¡± Benton said. ¡°What few souls have entered my realm talk about a new star rising. Well, I guess he¡¯s an old star.¡±


    Theo nodded. That was always going to be the end of Fenian¡¯s journey. ¡°Balkor,¡± he said, pausing for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I think about it. I had a hand in resurrecting the Demon God of Necromancy.¡±


    ¡°Life to life, death to undeath,¡± Belgar said, nodding. His eyes were locked on the brewing kettle. Everyone loved Benton¡¯s tea.


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    ¡°That¡¯s an old saying.¡± Benton noticed the confused expression on Theo¡¯s face. ¡°Necromancy is neither good nor evil. It¡¯s a natural force.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a lie to me. Considering the corrupted soil north of my alliance.¡±


    ¡°Consider this,¡± Benton swirled the tea kettle, spilling a small amount onto the ground through the spout. He didn¡¯t move to clean it up. ¡°The necromantic energy left behind by Balkor didn¡¯t go anywhere. It remained in the ruined kingdom.¡±


    ¡°It was bound to escape,¡± Belgar said.


    ¡°Fenian just pushed forward the schedule?¡± Theo asked, clicking his tongue. ¡°I think it¡¯s more likely he intentionally spread the energy, then expected me to clean it up.¡±


    ¡°You are cleaning it up, aren¡¯t you?¡± Benton asked, raising one furry brow.


    ¡°That¡¯s besides the point.¡± Theo gestured to the empty section of table in front of him. ¡°And where¡¯s my scones? I¡¯m addicted, Benton. You need to provide me with the object I desire.¡±


    The bear god laughed, then plucked a wicker basket out of the air. He set it on the table, uncovering the delicious treasure within. Theo went straight for the lemon-flavored ones, setting it before him and licking his lips. His opinion of Fenian¡¯s actions didn¡¯t matter. There was a job to do, and he would do it.


    ¡°Enough posturing,¡± Belgar said, snatching a treat of his own. ¡°How is your realm, Benton?¡±


    ¡°Oh! The domes are done. Everyone was very excited to get out of the cold. But we realized something. They need the cold to survive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s irony. Right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ No,¡± Belgar said. ¡°That just sucks.¡±


    There were unwritten rules in Tero¡¯gal¡¯s cottage. Conversations about ¡®work¡¯ were to be kept to a minimum. Tea was always to be served. If sweet treats were available, they were to be provided to everyone gathered. And if the Arbiter showed up, everyone was required to play poker. Theo didn¡¯t write the rules, he just followed them. The conversation that followed strayed further from business by the moment. Until the group was sharing stories about their old lives.


    Theo, Belgar, and Benton all had something in common. They had died. Theo¡¯s old body was destroyed by his planet¡¯s sun before he was rescued by a benevolent being. Belgar fell off a cliff, and no one knows what happened to his body after that. Benton gave up his mortal body to ascend to the heavens, claiming a new realm as his own. They were a triumvirate of weird individuals.


    Hours rolled on as they drank tea, ate sweets, and talked about nothing at all. These were times where Theo was at his best. Neither alchemist noticed when the potion outside completed. They didn¡¯t even realize it until Benton had left to return to his realm.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lovely surprise!¡± Belgar said. ¡°Good guess.¡±


    Theo inspected the potion, nodding with approval.


    [Hallow the Soil]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Purify any naturally occurring soil of all alignment-based befoulment.


    This was big. Theo¡¯s first thought was that he would need to hybridize plants to make this work. But that was a skill outside of his reach. Instead, his research into suffuse potions had proven fruitful. There were still problems about the scale of production. There were thousands of miles of land that needed to be scoured clean. Without a way to deliver the potion without getting his people sick, it was impossible to carry out the task.


    Belgar chatted for a while, trying to come up with good ideas. Theo wasn¡¯t certain any of them would work. He suggested everything from launching the potions from catapults, to strapping tanks to trained wolves. The only idea that appealed to the alchemist was the airship. And that was a way off.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said. ¡°Fingers crossed. I¡¯m going to return to Broken Tusk to test the potion.¡±


    Belgar formed a cross with either pointer finger, grinning and nodding with excitement. ¡°They¡¯re crossed!¡±


    Theo let himself drift through the realms before he could correct the excited dronon. The scene swirled before his eyes, smearing for a moment before dragging into darkness. A familiar pull tugged at his ankles, and he let it take him. The Queen of the Bridge of Shadows was attempting to interdict him through the realms. Shadows swirled where darkness once was. Until a bridge appeared. It spanned in either direction forever. Dotted with pale gray lights, washing everything in monochrome, the Bridge was always intimidating. Moreso today, thanks to the procession of faceless figures that marched over the shadows.


    Theo landed among those people. None looked up at him. They all marched on, each step falling at the same time. A shiver ran down the alchemist¡¯s spine as the shadows gathered, revealing little of Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s form.


    ¡°You don¡¯t call. You don¡¯t write! Theo, I thought we were allies.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven always had a monotone voice to match her monochrome world. But today, there was a tone of forced excitement in her voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Just some information. Fenian succeeded in his task. He has assumed the throne.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the hidden ¡®but?¡¯¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s dying.¡±


    Theo let his mind spiral outward. Fenian wouldn¡¯t have engaged Karasan if he couldn¡¯t win. No mortal wounds could have killed him. The elf was packed to the gills with enough healing potions to support an army. There was only one thing he could think of. Betrayal. Balkor must have performed a soul slaying after he came back, forcing the elven duelist on his knees. Yeah, there were a lot of gods that wanted him on their side.


    ¡°Can you take something to him? Something created on the mortal plane?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    From his inventory, Theo withdrew a [Reforge Soul] potion. It would remake the elf¡¯s soul from the ground up, removing all wounds Balkor could have inflicted. The recovery time wasn¡¯t good. And it hurt like hell. ¡°Slip this to him if you can,¡± the alchemist said, holding the potion out.


    A shadowy hand reached out, plucking the potion. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re devious. Think Balkor smote his soul?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way Karasan got the better of him. So, yeah. Since Drogramath didn¡¯t help me when I asked, I¡¯m assuming gods can¡¯t or won¡¯t cure a soul slaying.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct. We won¡¯t. Against the new rules.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Theo turned his attention outward, back to the mortal realm. ¡°I need to go.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t you want to know about these dapper individuals?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven asked.


    This was the part where Theo normally left without another word. He didn¡¯t like Uz¡¯Xulven, but there was an opportunity. When a patron formed their realm, they did so specifically. Each realm was partly a reflection of their personality. But it was also a specialized thing, meant to accomplish a specific goal. The Bridge had been created to literally bridge the realms, giving people access to both the heavenly realms and the mortal plane. Instead of hurtling through the void like Theo did, they could cross the Bridge. This was great for souls who were stuck in the void, or headed to their eternal resting place. But recent developments made it less useful. Which represented an opportunity.


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you asked. Recently slain mortals without a realm to call their own. Balkor is causing a stink, so they have nowhere to go. Hmmm, I wonder if there¡¯s a realm that could benefit from a sudden influx of souls.¡±


    ¡°Are you sending them to Tero¡¯gal?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I could.¡±


    ¡°Is there a price?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well. Hold on.¡± Even under the mask of shadows, Theo could see her screwing her face up. ¡°I did that in the wrong order. You were supposed to trade the souls for the potion.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Then our business is done, Uz¡¯Xulven.¡± He paused for a long moment as his thoughts spread through adjacent realms. ¡°Something is going to happen, isn¡¯t it? A war?¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven laughed, politely covering her mouth. Even though no one could see her mouth through the shadows. ¡°Sharp as ever. Another ascendancy war, if you can believe it. We¡¯re hoping for your support in the coming conflict.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t involve myself in wars.¡±


    ¡°What if war comes to your doorstep?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll respond.¡±


    ¡°Good enough! Oh, I¡¯ve wanted to do this for a while. What with how you constantly leave while I¡¯m talking,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, letting out a contented sigh. ¡°Begone.¡±


    Theo felt something snatch at his midsection, then hurl him through the realms. He broke through the membrane of reality near the void¡¯s edge, then continued to fall until he saw the mortal realm. It took more effort than he would care to admit to steer himself in the right direction, but Tresk provided an excellent anchor point. Moments later, he snapped back into the mortal realm with a faint pop.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Tresk let out a surprised sound. ¡°Thought you were going back to where you came.¡±


    Theo was standing knee-deep in mud. He grimaced, looking out over the vast swamp. ¡°Ugh, what are you doing out here?¡±


    ¡°Patrol day!¡± Tresk said, hugging Theo¡¯s mid-section. She left behind a mud stain. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°We have a potion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sweet! Let¡¯s get back to town. Watch your step, I think there¡¯s some turtles under here.¡±


    Something clamped onto the alchemist¡¯s toe and shook its head. As he pitched over, falling face-first into the mud, he cursed the name of the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows.

 5.3 - Cheese King

    The lab in the Newt and Demon was getting worse by the moment. Theo had battled his way back to town, fighting against the sucking mud and biting turtles. Covered in mud, he dumped a vial of [Cleansing Scrub] over himself before entering. Salire had gone somewhere, likely attempting to avoid the constant sensation of illness brought by the soil.


    ¡°That stuff is very gross,¡± Tresk said. She went to pinch her nose, but realized she didn¡¯t have one. ¡°Dang lizard face.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking this potion isn¡¯t strong enough to do all of Qavell,¡± Theo said, dumping out a sample of the soil. ¡°But it should get us started.¡±


    The alchemist tipped the vial, allowing some of the liquid inside to coat the soil. Running through the sample were seams of green. The potion soaked into those streaks immediately, glowing with golden power. Looking closely, he could see the battle within the dirt. The necromantic energy fought against the [Hallow the Soil] potion for control. But the potion did its work well, scouring the entire sample clean.


    ¡°Woohoo!¡± Tresk shouted, pumping her fist. ¡°Do the big one next.¡±


    Theo dumped the entire potion into the clay jar, then shielded his eyes. Golden light filled the lab, bringing with it a strange mixture of scents. The potion itself had a pleasant smell that he couldn¡¯t pin down. Something like freshly laundered clothes. The soil had a foul stench, like rotting meat left out in the sun to bake. While the mixture was unpleasant, it didn¡¯t last long. The potion cleansed the soil, leaving behind nothing but regular dirt. His stomach immediately unknotted itself, leaving behind only the faintest sense of unease.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to produce this in massive quantities. Do you know where Salire went off to?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Perfect.¡± Theo eyed his stills, then sent his thoughts out to his lodestone network.


    The golems working his pop-up farm had collected a massive amount of Earth¡¯s wheat. He sent an order for them to march over to the lab, bringing as much as they could carry. Once the order was sent, he turned on the spot and headed out of the lab. Tresk followed behind, but went her own way once they were outside. Her duties to the stealther squads in town were absolute, and she did good work. Their scouting was vital to the town¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Miana,¡± Theo called from the edge of a wooden paddock.


    The half-ogre was grooming one of her many karatan charges. She waved happily, stood up from her stool and jogged over to the fence. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°How much [Karatan Cheese] do you have?¡±


    Miana held a knowing grin on her face. She leaned in over the fence, pressing her finger into Theo¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re going to ask me for a Theo amount of cheese, aren¡¯t you? Is this official business, or have you just developed a taste?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always official. Mister official over here.¡±


    ¡°How many units?¡±


    ¡°No less than a thousand.¡±


    Miana grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re going to cause a shortage.¡±


    ¡°No other option. We¡¯re talking about the undead here.¡±


    Miana gestured back to her herd of Karatan. The horrific bug-cow hybrids were something Theo would never get used to. ¡°I only have so much livestock. Isn¡¯t that trader from Partopour here?¡±


    ¡°Does he have cheese?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Then I need your cheese. Give me the cheese.¡±


    Miana sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll see what I can do. For the sake of your alliance, huh?¡±


    Theo shook his head. She was still dealing with some stuff. Unlike most people in town, she was put in a horrific position. When the town was founded, she was held hostage. Forced to keep it at a low level. All for Theo¡¯s sake, and all at the hands of Yuri. Well, Yuri never admitted it was him. But the writing was on the wall. When it came time to settle up for the cost of the cheese, he overpaid her by a considerable amount. Then he pretended not to hear her protests as he walked away with thousands of units of delicious cheese.


    ¡°Maybe I will start a cheese empire,¡± Theo giggled to himself. ¡°Build a nice cheese tower.¡±


    Creating the [Hallow the Soil] potions wasn¡¯t really an issue. Theo consulted a map of the region in his mind on his way back to the Newt and Demon. He had difficulty estimating the square miles he would need to cover in the Southland Alliance¡¯s lands. The number ballooned to absurd heights when he considered the places between the alliance and Qavell¡¯s capital. He had crafted thousands of potions in the past. But none of those projects were this massive. Or this vital.


    The bell above the door rang as Theo stepped into the shop. Salire was behind the counter, looking far more energetic than before.


    ¡°The smell is gone!¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is. I found a solution to the corruption problem, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But we need a lot? I figured.¡±


    The alchemist¡¯s apprentice was getting the hang of everything. But she was still locked into performing first tier reactions, and hadn¡¯t shown as quick of advancement as him. She was still invaluable in the lab, though. Only Tresk had been able to handle the volatile materials before, and she was always too busy. The duo headed for the third floor, breathing in clean air for the first time in a day.


    ¡°My sanctum is restored,¡± Theo said, letting out a contented breath.


    Salire giggled. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°The only way we can get the Suffuse property is from cheese.¡± Theo removed a wheel of [Veostian Karatan Cheese]. ¡°That¡¯s a massive problem. Especially with the undead headed west. We can¡¯t import ten-thousand units of the cheese if the place that¡¯s known for it is gone.¡±


    A dark thought made itself known on Salire¡¯s face. Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Not that I¡¯m certain the undead are going for Veosta. Just a guess.¡±


    ¡°More than a guess, I¡¯d bet,¡± Salire muttered.


    ¡°Right. So, the underground. Has Azrug given it a name?¡±


    Salire shrugged.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of reagents down there. Mostly mushrooms. We can cultivate mushrooms, so I need to know everything they have there.¡±


    Salire brightened up at that comment. She withdrew an assortment of reagents, then set them out on the table. Theo tried to hide the prideful look on his face. His apprentice had taken the initiative while he was busy, likely heading down into the underground to collect reagents. None of the first properties were revealed to the alchemist, but the half-ogre went through them one-by-one. None had the properties he was looking for.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do.¡± Theo held the first wheel of cheese over a still. He crumbled it in his hands, letting the pieces fall onto the cold Drogramathi Iron below. ¡°We¡¯ll brew all of these, and I¡¯ll check each reagent with [Reagent Deconstruction]. Sounds good?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    The lab was quickly filled with stifling heat. Salire turned on the artifice air conditioner, but it was a losing battle. Theo prepared the stills and set them to work. Then he turned his attention to the ten reagents resting on the table. He went through them, applying his mana to deconstruct them. As expected, there were reagents that had some of the same properties as plants on the surface. The [Lifeshroom] had all the same properties as the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. One sample was just an uncultivated [Manashroom].


    A mushroom at the end of the line felt promising. Unlike most mushrooms Theo had encountered, this one was as hard as stone. He could break sections of it off with his alchemically inert knife, but otherwise it would need to be ground with the grinder artifice. As the alchemist deconstructed the reagent, revealing all three properties, he rubbed his hands together.


    ¡°There it is.¡±


    Salire was adjusting the heating settings on the stills. She spun around, nearly brushing against one. ¡°Found it?¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Theo held up the [Dragon Talon Mushroom] for inspection.


    [Dragon Talon Mushroom]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Rare


    This mushroom resembles the claw of a dragon and is inedible.


    Properties:


    [Hone Edge] [Distortion] [Limited Foresight] [Suffuse]


    There were no new properties on the mushroom. Theo had to push himself to reveal the hidden fourth property, but he found it. Now it was only a matter of having the space in his mushroom cave to house them. After that, they would have an infinite source of the property. Once the reagent was cultivated, the yield would be even better than his cheese method.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Salire shouted, clapping with excitement.


    ¡°Yeah, we might actually get our industrial production going. How rare is the mushroom in the underground?¡±


    ¡°Pretty rare.¡±


    ¡°All right. Watch the stills, I need to tend to the mushroom caves.¡±


    Behind the building were a cluster of buildings. To the left of those were two entrances that went underground. A [Lesser Plant Golem] was coming up from the first [Mycology Cave], carrying an armful of [Azrug¡¯s Mushrooms] with it. Each cave was at level 25, and Theo was certain he could push them to 30 without a problem. There might be problems pushing them any further, though. Both the alliance and the town itself needed upgrades. But that was incredibly expensive.


    Broken Tusk was currently at [Massive Town] status. Theo was certain the next upgrade would require them to become a [Tiny Town]. The upgrade path went tiny, small, none, large, and massive. ¡®None¡¯ meant there was no prefix, so it just appeared as ¡®Town,¡¯ or ¡®City.¡¯ If the Wavecrest returned from Tarantham, they might have another fifty citizens. Not nearly enough to meet the requirement of a city.


    It was one of those things. To get more people, he wanted to clear the way north of Gronro. To do that, he needed to upgrade his buildings. And of course, to upgrade his buildings he needed more people. It seemed like an endless cycle, but the alchemist pushed that thought out of his mind. It was time to upgrade both caves to 30, and reorganize their contents.


    Theo shoved Monster Cores into the first building, expanding the interior as he went. When the new upgrade option came up, he read it thoroughly.


    [Tero¡¯gal Empowerment]


    Latent energy, aligned with the Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal, will be drawn from the air to enhance your mushrooms. Energy density affects growth rate, cultivation yield, and nutrient usage.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we double-dipping?¡±


    The caves already had [Drogramath Empowerment]. That upgrade was already amazing for enhancing growth rate. And now he could do it again with his own realm? Perhaps one day a [Khahak Empowerment] upgrade would appear, allowing him to dip even further into the overpowered patron features. For now, he was happy enough to select the upgrade. Theo did the same thing for the second cave, then inspected one as a sample.


    [Mycology Cave]


    [Shortcut to Mushrooms]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (15%)


    Expansions:


    [Spontaneous Spores]


    [Deep Beds]


    [Drogramath Empowerment]


    [Rapid Growth]


    [Untamed Cultivation]


    [Tero¡¯gal Empowerment]


    Of course the upgrade was amazing. But the space within was the thing the alchemist was after. He entered the first cave, and noted how far it had expanded. Then it was a matter of organizing the existing mushrooms, which mostly involved a difficult choice. Both [Swamp Truffles] and [Manashrooms] were vital to his operations. He tapped his foot on the soft ground for a while before throwing his hands up in frustration.


    ¡°I need them both!¡±


    Theo stomped out of the cave, then followed a straight path east. Once the harbor was in view, he cracked his knuckles and nodded to himself. With any luck, the traders from Partopour would have seed cores. They would likely charge him an absurd price, but he needed all his mushrooms growing. There was no other option.


    As expected, the harbor was packed. Theo spotted Merchant Lord Miltar hawking his wares under a banner. Citizens from Broken Tusk bustled in the open-air market, tossing coins at products as though it was their final days. The alchemist shoved through them, finding his way to the shouting merchant.


    ¡°Archduke!¡± Miltar shouted with excitement. He then performed a deep bow. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d see you on this trip.¡±


    ¡°Been busy,¡± Theo said, having to raise his voice above the loud crowd. ¡°I need some seed cores.¡±


    ¡°Come! Board my ship. We¡¯ll discuss this in my cabin where it isn¡¯t so LOUD!¡±


    Theo followed the human trader onboard. The deck of the ship was massive compared to the trading vessels they were producing. Near the raised section where the wheel was, there was a door. The pair ducked inside, and the constant roll of loud conversation died in an instant.


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s better,¡± Miltar said, slumping slightly.


    The room was spartan. There was a bed in one corner, and a large desk and chair dominating the center. The interior was lit by crystals that hung in ornate lanterns. A small black box hummed in the corner.


    ¡°[Mycology Cave] seed cores, if you have them,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Ah, I might have some,¡± Miltar said, pulling random items out of his inventory. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve heard the strangest rumor.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The undead are moving off!¡±


    Theo nodded, watching as the man withdrew a carved wooden duck. ¡°And they¡¯ve left behind a serious problem. Tainted soil. The entire continent will be uninhabitable before long.¡±


    ¡°Unless you do something about it. Right?¡± Miltar smiled a blinding smile. ¡°Anyway, I have a single [Mycology Cave Seed Core]. Fifty gold.¡±


    Theo folded his arms. That wasn¡¯t a horrible price. He could get it from Fenian for fifteen to twenty-five gold, and expected to be gouged within an inch of his life. ¡°Sounds good. Oh, do you have any illusory necklaces? The ones that change your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Fresh out. I have a coat, if you want it.¡±


    The heat within the cabin was awful. The padded gambeson Theo was forced to wear for safety was bad enough. Why would he want a coat of all things? ¡°Not sure if you¡¯ve noticed, but we¡¯re in a swamp.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but this is no ordinary coat,¡± Miltar said, withdrawing a jet-black coat from his inventory. He swished it through the air, shaking the material out.


    The coat was sized to the approximate height of a half-ogre. Or a dronon. Two sets of buttons ran the length vertically, and a large hood was attached to the collar. As cool as the thing looked, it also looked very hot.


    ¡°Inspect it,¡± Miltar said, noting Theo¡¯s hesitation.


    Theo did so.


    [Coat of Rake]


    [Leather Coat]


    Epic


    This coat once belonged to a mysterious dark-elf. He was said to live in a moon.


    Effect:


    The wearer of this cloak will have the [Extreme Comfort] status.


    The first attack made against the wearer, per day, will be completely absorbed.


    All attacks made while the wearer¡¯s feet are not on the ground deal bonus damage.


    ¡°Please note, the [Regulated] status relates to a person¡¯s body temperature. I have a ring that does the same thing.¡±


    Theo took the coat into his hands, feeling the material. It seemed to be made of leather, but was supple. It was also stylish enough for him, although he was never one for fashion. He gave the trader a flat look. ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°This is a priceless artifact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only epic. A fair amount of my gear is already epic.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but does it make you comfortable? Also, note how the back end of the coat is split near the middle. Room for your tail. Tell you what. I¡¯ll sell you the seed and the coat for seventy-five gold.¡±


    That was robbery, of course. Theo was used to getting his gear for free, or at cost. But the [Coat of Rake] wasn¡¯t just good for keeping him cool. It had the [Minor Foresight] effect on the second property, and an interesting effect as the third property. He hadn¡¯t tried aerobatic combat yet, but this could be useful. When his feet weren¡¯t touching the ground, this item would take effect. Otherwise his [Leather Boots of the Defiler] would be in play. The cost wouldn¡¯t even drain his funds completely. Alchemy had been making money constantly, even if the town wasn¡¯t doing so well.


    ¡°Sixty. Remembering that I¡¯m the archduke.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the old ¡®I¡¯m the leader of this place so you¡¯ll cut me a deal¡¯ play? Alright, alright. I like it.¡± Miltar rubbed his hands together. ¡°How about forty and a crate of your anti-undead potions.¡±


    ¡°How many is a crate?¡±


    ¡°Call it fifty.¡±


    Theo reached out a hand. ¡°Deal.¡±


    Miltar shook Theo¡¯s hand, then let go of the coat. The trader withdrew the seed core and handed it over. The alchemist took out his mid-tier [Hallow Ground Potions] and handed those over, along with the gold.


    ¡°I love when business goes well,¡± Miltar sighed.


    ¡°On a serious note,¡± Theo said, tapping his finger on the desk. ¡°How is Partopour viewing the undead threat?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re unconcerned at the moment.¡±


    ¡°What if I told you that I was almost certain the undead were moving west? Toward Veosta, and perhaps Tarantham?¡±


    ¡°Well, that might raise our level of concern.¡±


    ¡°What about the fact that they can traverse the sea?¡±


    ¡°Ding! Higher. Anything else?¡±


    Theo considered how much information he should include. ¡°Balkor is alive.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Miltar blinked a few times. The smile faded from his face. ¡°How many potions can you spare?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not producing the world¡¯s supply of [Hallow Ground]. Doesn¡¯t Partopour have alchemists? Any specialists in distillation?¡±


    ¡°We have a guild. There certainly aren¡¯t any Drogramathi alchemists.¡±


    Theo had to think about this for a moment before he acted. A part of him wanted to hold onto all of his secrets. Isn¡¯t that why Belgar died? Isn¡¯t that why Drogramath¡¯s dronon were on the brink of extinction? There was no way that [Hallow Ground] could be used against the innocent. The [Experience Boost] property was dangerous, but it wouldn¡¯t kill anyone. The alchemist withdrew a length of parchment and began scribbling.


    ¡°These are instructions on how to distill the [Swamp Truffle] into [Hallow Ground Essence]. I¡¯m including warnings to only brew the first tier version. It should be strong enough.¡± Theo then withdrew a cultivated [Swamp Truffle] from his inventory, setting it on the table. ¡°And a sample for your people to seed in a [Mycology Cave].¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Miltar asked.


    Theo didn¡¯t care how much he was paid for the recipe. If the other nations didn¡¯t prepare themselves for the undead, there wouldn¡¯t be a soul left to trade with. ¡°Free with a caveat.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Spread the recipe to Bantein, the Khahari Desert¡ªwherever. I have a bad feeling about the undead. I think we¡¯re just getting started.¡±

 5.4 - Terogals Sea

    Rows of mycology caves stretched in every direction. Theo stood, tapping his foot on the hard-packed ground, staring at the dream-like creation. After he got the idea to spread his alchemy to the world, he realized they wouldn¡¯t be able to produce industrial quantities of the mixture. He had spent most of the Dreamwalk working on a way to dumb it down, but that brought challenges. The alchemist let out a steady breath, then pushed off against one cave¡¯s entrance.


    Casting his eyes to the sky, he saw Tresk and Alex doing battle with a dragon. A real dragon, this time. She had always been a dreamer. She came up with interesting things in the Dreamwalk without ever having seen it. Now that she had laid eyes on a dragon, she could reproduce it here without issue. Theo fell into an instinctive crouch when the earth beneath his feet rumbled. A shiver ran across the mirror realm.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Theo muttered to himself. The words carried to the sky, to Tresk¡¯s ears. She appeared beside him.


    ¡°Woah! Can you feel that?¡± she asked, closing her eyes to focus.


    Theo felt the little marshling¡¯s senses spread out over the imaginary landscape. Her thoughts slipped through the cracks in the dream, then out into the wider realms. After a moment, her eyes snapped open.


    ¡°Something happened in the realms. Just felt like a¡­ a¡­ Pop! Then nothing.¡±


    The alchemist¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t rest on that idea for long. It wandered almost immediately, falling back to his problem. Drogramath¡¯s form of alchemy was known to the unaligned alchemists of the world. They could eventually gain access to distillation, but it was considered a high-level skill. Almost ascendant. At Level 50, someone with an [Alchemist¡¯s Core] gained access to the skills required to distill essences. Before that, they created salves and poultices to help people. Theo could make those things. But he had never tried.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see what that was when we get back,¡± Tresk said, patting Theo¡¯s shoulder reassuringly. ¡°No need to worry, my precious.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, right. No, we expected that. It just means that Fenian is alive. He must be working with Khahar to rearrange the realms.¡±


    When the Dreamwalk ended, Theo found himself in a listless state. He wandered down to the dining room, so lost in thought that he didn¡¯t greet those that greeted him. The alchemist left the manor with a plate of food. Sarisa and Rowan both trailed him at a distance, ever dutiful.


    ¡°I need your help,¡± Theo said, patting Salire on the shoulder. She stiffed for a moment, then nodded and followed him to the third floor of the Newt and Demon.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not sure I can really help.¡±


    ¡°Are those traders still in town?¡± Theo removed a [Swamp Truffle] from a storage crate and set it on a table.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo pulled the hood up on his coat, suppressing a sigh as the comforting effects washed over him. ¡°We have a problem. We¡¯re both Drogramathi Alchemists.¡±


    ¡°How is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯d bet Partopour doesn¡¯t have the facilities to make enough essence to defend themselves. We have to dumb ourselves down and figure out how the normies perform alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Salire bounced across the room, withdrawing an old book from the shelf. ¡°Gromdrath¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy is a good read.¡±


    She had spent a lot of time thumbing through basic alchemy books over the years. It was a hidden aspiration of hers, but one that was difficult to achieve. Even the standard form of alchemy was dangerous to perform, limiting practitioners to those who could afford apprenticeships. The book she had placed on the table was much like the others he had read. Unlike Drogramathi Alchemy, each method of creation was well-documented.


    ¡°Each reagent can be processed three different ways. But what those ways are depends on which property you want to extract. Every reagent is different. So while pickling might work to extract the first property of a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], but would reveal the third property on a [Manashroom]. It¡¯s all random!¡±


    ¡°Write a list of the processing methods. Let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    Standard alchemy was smelly, boring work. Theo and Salire busted their butts for most of the day to try every manner of property extraction on the [Swamp Truffle]. Pickling, blanching, roasting, toasting¡­ the list went on. It only got worse when the standard methods failed, and they began combining effects. In the middle of the afternoon, they unlocked the secret. The truffles needed to be brined in seawater, then roasted over a wood fire.


    Salire was masterful in her preparation of the poultice. Not that there was much to do. She smashed the mushroom up, then added a catalyzing agent. What was left was a blackened paste that smelled like week-old unwashed feet. Theo pinched his nose, leaning in to inspect his apprentice¡¯s creation.


    [Hallow Weapon Coating]


    [Weapon Coating]


    Common


    Created by: Salire Hogrush


    Grade: Poor Quality


    Coat your weapon with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Enemies struck with that weapon will experience the effects of [Hallow Ground].


    ¡°There it is,¡± Theo said, nodding with approval. ¡°Not as good as the essence-based potions, but what do you want? Sarisa, could you prepare a few crates of my cultivated [Swamp Truffles]?¡±


    The half-ogre woman appeared from nowhere. She bowed, then nodded. ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Half the stock out back. Thank you.¡±


    Salire was bubbling with excitement. She turned to the alchemist, clapping her hands and giggling. ¡°This is big, right?¡±


    ¡°World-changing?,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Write the recipe down, and deliver it to Miltar.¡±


    After Salire took off, Theo was left with his thoughts. He could never remember that other nations didn¡¯t have access to Drogramathi Alchemy. The undead were a world-level threat, weren¡¯t they. He ground the heel of his foot into the ground, unsure of his own logic. Without an understanding of Balkor¡¯s motives, it was impossible to know. Was he heading to Tarantham to get revenge on the elves? That was a motive, if one assumed he was cast down by Glantheir without a plan. If the demon god let himself be defeated, as might be the case, then revenge made little sense. So why head west? Something could be hidden in Veosta. Or the mountains that cut through the center of the continent.


    Theo let out a frustrated breath, then dismissed the matter. He sent a quick mental message to Tresk, then fell through the realms. Uz¡¯Xulven didn¡¯t beckon him this time. He flew over the Bridge, then pierced the veil into Tero¡¯gal. The scent of fires burning, and the sound of people cheering and dancing hit him first. He felt Belgar¡¯s hand on his shoulder before his other senses came to him. A smile was on the spirit¡¯s face.


    ¡°Welcome back. Did you see the news?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The people celebrating in the distance only grew louder. They had gathered in their little village, and were dancing around a large bonfire. Theo spotted a few wayward souls waiting for approval near the bubbling creek, but he turned his attention to Belgar.


    ¡°Khahar made a move. We got a system message that claimed the time scales of all heavenly realms were now standardized.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Really?¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Yep. They¡¯re bracketed now. Low realms like ours have five minutes on the mortal realm to twenty-four hours here. The rate is different as you go up, but the message didn¡¯t tell us.¡±


    That was a nerf for Tero¡¯gal. Theo was excited to see how much time dilation they could take advantage of. But the universe didn¡¯t revolve around him. This was likely a move to level the playing field in the high heavens. Belgar was silent as the alchemist moved to accept the new souls into the realm. He did so idly, hardly noticing as the realm leveled. He blinked away the messages, planning to decide on his upgrade later.


    ¡°How are things? Other than the time standardization?¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Belgar said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m close to achieving a solid form.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking better every day.¡±


    ¡°Every year for me,¡± Belgar laughed, punching Theo in the arm. ¡°Are you going to select an upgrade?¡±


    Theo turned his attention back to the system notification. He already had a lot of upgrades for the realm. None of which he actually used. It was a weird thing where he didn¡¯t spend all his time here. He didn¡¯t understand what most of them did, but the most interesting one was [Landscape Manipulation]. Combined with [Harvesting Array], he could change the realm to look like whatever he wanted. Yet he hadn¡¯t. The alchemist had watched the realm develop organically, and had little desire to interfere. Well, there was one thing he wanted¡­


    ¡°Upgrades,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°Right. I¡¯ve got a fun one.¡±


    [Simulated Reality]


    Your realm will better simulate the mortal realm. It will now experience a day-night cycle, weather, and realistic fauna patterns.


    Something that had bothered Theo since he gained the realm was the lack of reality. It was somewhere between the Dreamwalk, and the mortal plane. Night, rain, and some critters would help make it feel more like home. Belgar nodded with approval.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Theo said, gesturing vaguely to the west. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted something in this realm.¡±


    Belgar followed close behind. They passed through the sprawling forest, then through a deep valley before coming to the rolling hills that rested below a mountain range. It was all random landscape that was generated from¡­ something. Theo had theorized that most gods took the [Landscape Manipulation] skill immediately, then formed their realm based on what they wanted. There was something missing from Tero¡¯gal that Theo had wanted from the start. A wide ocean with a protected bay.


    ¡°No idea how this upgrade works,¡± Theo said. But as soon as he said it, he thought about the upgrade. An interface appeared.


    The landscaping interface was detailed. He could paint the terrain manually, or plop pre-made things down anywhere he wanted. The alchemist quickly selected the ocean painting tool, then nearly fell over. When he selected the tool, his vision was ripped from his eyeballs. It soared high into the sky, providing him with a zoomed-out view of the landscape. He felt Belgar¡¯s hands steadying him, and the worried words that came with it.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking at the realm from above,¡± Theo said, trying not to fall over. ¡°This is the most uncomfortable thing I¡¯ve ever experienced.¡±


    ¡°You good?¡±


    Theo dragged the brush across the land. Now it was Belgar¡¯s turn to almost fall over. The land under their feet rumbled. Where there was once rolling hills, there was now a roughly dragged section of sea. Salty air filled the alchemist¡¯s nostrils shortly after, and he continued to paint. With each stroke of his brush, the realm¡¯s energy depleted. By the time he ran out of power, he had painted a sea below the mountain. It stretched almost as far as they could see, curving along the horizon. A sheet of clear water, almost exaggerated by how blue it was, glittered into the distance.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, exiting the interface and falling onto his butt. ¡°How do you like my ocean?¡±


    Belgar laughed, a worried expression painted on his ghostly face. ¡°I like it. Don¡¯t do that again. Not while I¡¯m around.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Theo beckoned, heading down the slope to the shore. He had even painted a sandy beach on this side of the sea. The far side remained rocky. The alchemist popped off his boots and sunk his feet into the sand. Waves lapped against his ankles, bringing with it a perfectly cooled sensation that radiated upward.


    ¡°Think there¡¯s gonna be fish?¡± Belgar asked.


    ¡°I hope so. As long as the [Simulated Reality] upgrade does its job.¡±


    The spirits of the realm had felt the rumbling and were gathering near the beach. Once they spotted the sandy shores, they ran down in droves. Theo watched as his people crashed against waves, swimming out and splashing around as though they were children. That gave him enough time to inspect the realm.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Mortal Dreamrealm


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: Unaffiliated


    Level: 30


    Souls: 120


    Expansions:


    [Harvesting Array]


    [Defensive Towers]


    [Landscape Manipulation]


    [Guardians of Faith]


    [Bubble]


    [Simulated Reality]


    Pending Requests: 0


    Wisdom of the Soul told him it would be harder to upgrade the realm after this. He would need more souls per level if they wanted to grow its strength. The souls of the realm were talking about making rafts to take out onto the water. Others were excited that there might be fish, or wild game they could hunt. Theo could twist this realm to be whatever he wanted. It could be a factory world where he produced obscene amounts of potion. It could be a massive forge that made weapons day after day. But this place was a slice of heaven. A comfy, wild place that seemed to stretch on forever.


    At some point, Benton¡¯s icy archway opened up. Where Theo expected only the toora to step through, another man came. He was a balding, stocky human with a worn-out tunic and bare feet. He held on his face a look of reservation.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Benton shouted, dusting the snow from his shoulders. ¡°I brought a friend!¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said, waving stupidly.


    ¡°Hi,¡± the man said. His voice was gruff.


    ¡°This is Ed. He¡¯s the Human God of Tedding.¡±


    ¡°Of what?¡±


    Ed groaned. ¡°Is everyone going to ask me what I stand for? Tedding. That¡¯s where you take material and spread it out into a field.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horribly specific,¡± Theo said. ¡°Anyway, wanna play in the water?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Benton asked, scoffing. ¡°Must be nice that you get to work in a temperate climate. I¡¯m still stuck in eternal snow.¡±


    Ed wasn¡¯t a man of many words. He was happy to soak his feet in the water, and watch all the souls play, but he wouldn¡¯t take part. Benton explained he was a brand new god, originally from Bantein. The guy had leveled a [Farmer¡¯s Core] to 100¡­ somehow. After a betrayal from his family, he had enough with the mortal world and ascended. That was apparently a popular thing to do, especially with the undead remaining a threat. Most people who could ascend would.


    Theo and Benton returned to the town, sitting down for tea in the cottage. After they had exchanged stories for a while, something curious happened. A small mote of light appeared on the table. It pulsed with energy, but did nothing else.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Theo asked, leaning in. He poked it, but his finger just passed through.


    ¡°Not sure I¡¯ve ever seen something like that. Not in my realm.¡±


    The orb pulsed some more, bringing with it garbled language that neither man could understand. They just drank their tea, ate scones, and watched the orb try and form something like words. But nothing came. Theo told his bear friend about his brush with normal alchemy, and how boring it was.


    ¡°Not everything is easy,¡± Benton said with a chuckle. ¡°Oh, look. The words are getting clearer.¡±


    ¡°Theo¡­ help,¡± the orb said.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Theo asked, leaning close to the orb. ¡°You have the wrong number!¡±


    ¡°Stuck¡­ moon¡­ help¡­¡±


    ¡°Stuck on the moon?¡± Benton asked. ¡°Someone is stuck on the moon? Can you even get to the moon?¡±


    ¡°Ah, crap. I know who that orb belongs to.¡± Theo drummed his fingers on the table. ¡°That¡¯s Sulvan Flametouched. Grand Inquisitor of the Burning Eye.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Grand Inquisitor of squat. Seeing as the eye is dead.¡±


    ¡°Dead-ish, but yeah. Sulvan. Can you hear me? Go screw yourself!¡±


    Benton chuckled.


    ¡°Accept¡­ realm¡­¡± the orb said.


    ¡°Accept my butt!¡± Theo and Benton cackled, swatting at the orb. But it didn¡¯t go away. ¡°Ah, whatever. Khahar? Yuri? Can you hear me? What should I do about this orb? Can you arbitrate this for me?¡±


    A quick snap, then Khahar appeared in the cottage. He had a deck of cards in his hands, but cast a confused look at the orb. ¡°That¡¯s against the rules,¡± he said, gesturing at the orb. He swatted his hand through the air, then the orb vanished.


    ¡°Are you here to beat our asses at poker? Again?¡± Benton asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Khahar delt, then poured himself a cup of tea. He won the first few rounds, but Theo finally won on a lucky hand.


    ¡°Sulvan and Uharis were meant to stay on the moon forever,¡± Khahar said, dealing another hand. ¡°I guess they¡¯re like cats without claws, though. I¡¯ve been rejecting their petitions for ascendancy for a while.¡±


    Theo chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s so petty. I love it.¡±


    ¡°You could interdict them to your realm, if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    Khahar shrugged. He finished dealing the cards out.


    Was there any merit to accepting either man into his realm? Were they trying to be trouble-makers, or had they actually learned their lesson? There was value in bringing them here, but only because Theo¡¯s command of the realm was absolute. He could cast almost anyone out at a moment¡¯s notice, sending them to their home realms or the void. The only person he couldn¡¯t toss out was Khahar, but that wasn¡¯t surprising.


    ¡°Do you think they could atone, Yuri?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Why are you rejecting their petition for ascension, then?¡±


    ¡°Because godhood wouldn¡¯t give them the chance to atone. I have a feeling that another being is meddling with my plans, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    This was something Theo would discuss with Tresk before he decided. Perhaps a few declawed cats were exactly what they needed.

 5.5 - Riding the Maglev

    Theo stood on the shore of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s ocean. He looked out over the sea, smiling to himself. Creating a version of his realm in the Dreamwalk always felt like a vain thing to do. But the sea he had made was a beautiful, pristine thing. Unlike the real-world version sitting outside Broken Tusk, the waters were clear and cool. The bay in the mortal realm was filled with sea muck, and was often murky from the flow of the sea into the bay.


    Tresk was somewhere nearby. She had taken the news of Uharis and Sulvan poorly, and was currently killing dream-versions of those people. Alex hadn¡¯t helped the matter, claiming she would poke their eyes out with her little clawed toes. If someone was messing with Khahar¡¯s plans, it was best if Theo took control of those people. Or maybe they were just that desperate.


    The Dreamwalk ended, depositing Theo in his comfortable bed. He remained there for some time, looking up at the ceiling long after Tresk had departed. When the scent of the food from below became too much for him to resist, he removed himself and put on his coat. The effect of the magical clothing was doubled within the manor, making it almost impossible to leave without feeling some discomfort. The dining room table was stacked with delicious food. Xam outdid herself more as the days rolled on.


    Tresk had a few meetings with the Aarok and his staff today. Alex had become an important early-warning system for the town, thanks to her flight ability. She was also fooling around with her nature affinity, working with the farmers to grow crops faster. Theo had a meeting with Throk today, which was exciting. The artificer needed go-ahead on the tram project. The only thing in the notes was ¡®MEET ME. MY SHOP,¡¯ a message penned by the marshling himself.


    Theo bid farewell to his friends before heading off to the Newt and Demon. He worked with Salire to get the stills in order for the day. They had started mass-production of their new potion, but the batch they were running today would be the first third tier version of the [Hallow the Soil] potion, likely making it a [Greater Hallow the Soil] potion. The alchemist had already planted and upgraded his third mushroom cave, planting the [Dragon Talon Mushroom] for cultivation.


    After getting ten Drogramathi Iron stills running, Theo headed off. He passed by a few people, who seemed excited for the upcoming celebration. Of course they knew about it, even if the event wasn¡¯t officially announced. No one could keep a secret in Broken Tusk, and he couldn¡¯t blame them. Once the maglev was operational, there would be little need to distinguish between the towns.


    Throk was outside of his workshop, hands on his hips. ¡°About time!¡±


    ¡°Busy as always, Throk. What do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°Well, do you remember that upgrade you gave to sweet, precious, darling Nira?¡±


    ¡°All right¡­ I remember.¡±


    ¡°Alloys, right? Well, we got to do some experimenting. That girl is a genius. Far smarter than you, and better looking.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°We¡¯re getting to a point, I¡¯m certain of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She made me an alloy. Drogramathi Iron and Tworgnothi Copper.¡±


    Theo paused for a moment to think. Copper didn¡¯t alloy with iron. Copper wouldn¡¯t even weld to iron, so that made no sense. He shook his head, clearing away his old Earth logic. Both Tworgnothi Copper and Drogramathi Iron were magically infused metals. They didn¡¯t follow logic.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the alloy has properties that are useful to us.¡±


    ¡°Check it out yourself,¡± Throk said, holding out a bar. The ingot of metal alloy had bands of purple-black running through bright orange. The alchemist inspected it.


    [Azrugium Ingot]


    [Metal Ingot]


    Legendary


    Quality: Excellent


    An Azrugium ingot.


    Theo gave the marshling a flat look. ¡°Did you let Azrug name this?¡±


    ¡°How could you tell? Anyway, feel the weight. Lighter than either Drogramathi Iron or Tworgnothi Copper. And stronger than both.¡± Throk was far more animated than normal. And he was waiting for the big reveal. The marshling edged closer to the double-doors of his workshop. ¡°Wanna see?¡±


    ¡°You already made something? Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Behold!¡± Throk shouted, yanking on one door. It swung open, revealing the train car within.


    The entire car was made with the Azrugium. Theo shuddered as he thought of the alloy¡¯s name, but was so dumbstruck by the quality of the car he almost pushed it out of his mind. The entire thing was made from the metal. It was far more sleek than he expected, and even had glass windows near the front to prevent a field of bugs from entering the passenger¡¯s mouths. It could seat ten, with five on either side. Even the artifice work was completed, tucked up in the undercarriage.


    Theo approached the tram car, running his fingers along the angles. He grabbed it, and lifted it with almost no effort. ¡°This thing is light, Throk. Damn, how do you do it?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh,¡± Throk said, hands on his hips. ¡°This might be the best thing I¡¯ve ever made. We worked on the shape for a while. Squeezed more speed out of it than expected. I even bribed Ziz and his guys to create a return track for the maglev. As you might imagine, I¡¯ll be running more than one train.¡±


    ¡°Astounding. It really is, Throk. I never imagined I¡¯d see something so impressive. Have you run it, yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve been doing test runs. Had to replace some old track with the Azrugium. One thing we¡¯re missing is conductors.¡±


    Near the front of the train car was a single seat for the operator. That would require training, but even Theo recognized how easy the controls were. In the undercarriage, Throk had created a webwork of artifices. He explained what they did, which was even more impressive. There were speed regulators, power sensors, and even a simple monster detector. While there were no counter-measures, those could be added later. Not that there was a monster alive who could catch up to this beast.


    ¡°Both the train and the track need power. Motes, of course. I¡¯ve finally perfected my mote delivery system. We just need to feed the hopper in Broken Tusk, and the entire track will be powered. If the tram senses that any track in the line is without power, it will stop. Boom. Done. Safety.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re paying you for this, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re paying me a fortune. But I¡¯m not in it for the money. I¡¯m in it for speed!¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s get it out on the track.¡±


    ¡°Already got one ready for you. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Theo followed Throk outside of the workshop. Over the eastern road, and through the eastern gate. Alongside the road that Ziz and his guys built was now a raised track. It was roughly the height of the alchemist, supported by tall white marble pillars. At the track¡¯s end, on the Broken Tusk side. Was a small station. Alongside the track itself was another track. The return line. Both tracks connected together, allowing someone to ride from one end to the other without turning around.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Throk said, grumbling as he ascended the stairs into the station. A cart was waiting for them.


    Theo entered the train car, finding a seat and buckling himself in. He cinched the leather straps over his shoulders, then rocked back and forth. The maglev artifices effectively glued the train to the track, making it impossible to rock the car.


    ¡°Ready,¡± Theo said, holding onto the straps.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve got a route programmed so my conductors only need to press this button,¡± Throk said, gesturing to a single red button. ¡°It runs through all the safety crap, then follows a course. At each checkpoint¡ªcheckpoints are the power-generating sections of the track¡ªit runs another safety check. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The train eased out of the station, sliding over the track with no friction at all. The ride was absurdly smooth, but they pulled out at roughly walking speed. People below waved as they eased over the river, then took a bend. The train increased to running speed as they took a corner. Even at that low speed, Theo felt his stomach bottom out as they turned. The train leveled out, aiming directly north along the road.


    ¡°From here,¡± Throk said, turning and shouting back at Theo. ¡°It¡¯s a straight shot to Rivers. How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡±


    Azrug¡¯s ¡®roided out karatan could make the trip in about an hour. ¡°An hour?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh. Better hold onto something.¡±


    Once the track had cleared the first hill, it sped up. It hit the pace of a normal karatan quickly, then kept speeding up. Once it reached the speed of Azrug¡¯s karatan, Theo was certain they were going as fast as possible. The wind whipped against the cart, but it didn¡¯t budge to either side. It flew straight as an arrow, even after Theo was certain he would release the contents of his stomach on the newly created car. Then it doubled the speed of the karatan. Tripled. Quadrupled. The world outside the train rushed by in a blur of sound and color. The alchemist¡¯s nails dug into the leather straps as he grit his teeth.


    Throk only shouted excitedly, holding his hands over his head as though they were riding a roller coaster. Only fifteen minutes passed before the cart slowed down, pulling into the Rivers station. Theo¡¯s eyes were dry, and his voice hoarse from the constant yelling.


    ¡°Holy hell,¡± Theo said, drawing ragged breaths. ¡°Are you kidding?¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t done!¡± Throk shouted, slamming his fist on the button again.


    The train took off again, gaining a chorus of surprised shouts from the citizens of Rivers below. Within thirty minutes, Theo had traveled from Broken Tusk to Gronro-Dir. He exited the tram wide-eyed, his heart pounding. He stumbled down the platform, looking at the town of his allies for the first time. The alchemist had only ever visited Gronro in the Dreamwalk. It was a fortress set between two massive mountains. The defenders on the walls waved down, cheering. Throk was pumping his fist in the air, cheering himself on.


    ¡°That was amazing,¡± Theo said, digging his finger into his ear. ¡°Perhaps we could have windows on all the openings.¡±


    ¡°Nah. Too heavy. Deal with it.¡±


    Azrugium was truly amazing. Throk had juiced so much speed out of the train that it was unbelievable.


    ¡°Welcome to Gronro, Archduke Theo Spencer,¡± a voice called from the battlements.


    Theo looked up to spot Grotgrog Stormfist, cheering with his men along the wall. It seemed impolite not to drop in. He was already here. ¡°Hello! We¡¯re testing the train!¡± he shouted back.


    ¡°Come in for a drink, won¡¯t ya? This calls for celebration!¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind if I do,¡± Throk muttered. For all his bravado, when the marshling approached the gates of Gronro, he did so on wobbling legs.


    Gronro was a town dominated by dwarves, humans, and half-ogres. When the gate swung open, the sound of cheering was almost as deafening as the whistling wind on the train. Theo had a mug of foul-smelling ale in his hands before he could object. Grot pulled him into a hug, then punched him in the ribs and kicked his shins. That was apparently a proper dwarven way to greet someone.


    There was a foul miasma that hung over the town. Theo felt his stomach turn, and it only got worse as the celebration moved closer to the northern battlements, closer to the place the locals called ¡®the scar.¡¯ Theo ascended the northern wall with Throk and Grot. The group looked down at the destruction below, just over the stone bridge resting over the ravine.


    The land outside of Gronro was tainted. Compared to the soil sample he had been delivered, Theo couldn¡¯t stomach the endless sprawl of befouled earth. It pulsed with Balkor¡¯s wretched power. No plant life survived the tainted energy. The alchemist truly understood how important it was that they healed the land. Glantheir certainly wasn¡¯t doing anything about it. So it fell to the mortals.


    But the foul air didn¡¯t affect the dwarves the same way. Grot claimed it had something to do with their ancestry, tracing back to their underground homes. Better for them, but that didn¡¯t stop Theo¡¯s mind from prioritizing this problem. By the time he was ready to leave, several members of the town wanted to ride down to Broken Tusk. Even if a return journey wouldn¡¯t be available.


    The dwarves that joined Theo and Throk on the train screamed with excitement the entire time. They blew past the Rivers station and headed directly for Broken Tusk. The alchemist almost couldn¡¯t handle the shock of traveling such a great distance in such a short time, but he was impressed. This would change the alliance forever. And Grot was quite happy that he had already found a solution.


    Theo stumbled out from the train, nearly falling over as he descended to ground-level. He wanted to kiss the solid earth. To roll in the mud and never ride the damned train again. But it was just too good not to use. And if they got one of those running all the way to the lizard islands? Yeah, they would be in business for sure.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Throk asked.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve just changed the world,¡± Theo said, patting the marshling on the back. ¡°Our little corner of the world, at least.¡±


    Throk smiled widely. ¡°Happy to help.¡±


    Theo drifted to one side as he walked away from the station. He wondered if the people in town would welcome the rail with open arms. They certainly were excited, all crowded around the area. But they hadn¡¯t ridden it yet. Once they had a taste of the speeds that thing could do, they might change their tune. Broken Tuskers were surprising, though. The crowd that lingered all wanted a ride, but Throk wouldn¡¯t start operations today.


    Riding the maglev had counted as Theo¡¯s meeting, but he had to get into it with Alise and her gang. He found his way to the town hall, then the massive conference room where she waited with Gael and Gwyn. They started by updating him on the massive profit they made trading with Partopour. Broken Tusk was gaining attention on the world¡¯s stage, but perhaps not for the right reasons. Instead of recognizing merit, the other nations were amused at the way they had survived disaster. Since disaster was a part of life on this planet, it had been viewed as hilarious instead of heroic.


    ¡°Salire reported you shared an anti-undead recipe,¡± Alise said, sifting through piles of notes. ¡°Are we really worried about the undead crossing the sea?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t present it as a guarantee.¡± Something had been tingling in the back of Theo¡¯s mind. Balkor¡¯s hidden plan. ¡°But I¡¯m almost certain that Fenian survived his encounter. Which means I can¡¯t be certain what Balkor is planning.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Gael asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t he bound to the heavenly realms?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Theo picked at his teeth, trying to think of anything but Balkor. His mind flung back to the beach in Tero¡¯gal. He should have told the souls to build a little beach house there. Maybe an outside bar¡­ The alchemist shook his head, breaking those thoughts away. ¡°He might not be. Could be that he¡¯s commanding the undead from the high heavens.¡±


    ¡°None of our concern right now,¡± Gwyn said, nodding. Her face was set in a firm expression, lips pursed tightly. ¡°We¡¯re just happy to have a solution to the gross stuff the undead left behind. The administration is sitting on its hands, waiting for you to save us all.¡±


    ¡°I have Salire, now,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s a small mercy. I think our first step is going to be to aerosolize the potion, then drop it over Rivers and Gronro somehow. That might help get rid of the lingering effects. Then we can concern ourselves with pushing the undead curse back.¡±


    Gwyn shared a look with Alise. They nodded.


    ¡°Are we going to reclaim lands to the north? Under the banner of the alliance?¡±


    Theo grimaced. Yeah, that might be a good idea. But did they have the resources to do it? At that point, why would the Southlands Alliance stop there? They could clear the land from Broken Tusk all the way to Qavell, then reclaim Gardreth. Maybe they wouldn¡¯t establish towns in all those places, but they could clear the way for others. It was a novel thought.


    ¡°Maybe. We¡¯ll clear the land, then worry about what we do with it later. Hard enough managing everything south of Gronro.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Gael said, wiping his brow. ¡°And we¡¯re looking at a possible response from both Qavell and Tarantham, depending on how the Wavecrest does.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well, let¡¯s¡­¡± Theo paused for a moment, tilting his head to one side. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The rapid sound of a hammer bouncing off a bell issued somewhere in the distance. Everyone at the table shot up, then ran to the window. A smile crept across Theo¡¯s face.


    ¡°Speak of the devil.¡±

 5.6 - Invaders

    Theo¡¯s feet barely touched the ground as he dashed forward, propelled by the power of a dexterity potion. The administration interfaces were filled with information. Aarok¡¯s messages flooded through the town, banging in the alchemist¡¯s mind like the repeated clang of the bell. The Wavecrest wasn¡¯t alone. According to the reports, they were trailed by ships flying the flags of Tarantham.


    The rescuers might have taken his advice too literally and performed a daring escape.


    Gael sent Theo an endless string of personal messages. The old elf couldn¡¯t keep up with the alchemist, and resorted to dumping paragraphs of protocol into the interface. There was some important information in there. Enough advice to avoid kicking off a war with the elves. That would be disastrous. The alchemist jumped from the wall in the harbor, spun in the air, then downed a [Retreat Potion] imbued with the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier. One second passed, then he was rocketed backwards by the power of the potion. His coat billowed in the wind, the hood whipping against his ears uncomfortably.


    The moment the potion¡¯s effects wore off, Theo glided to the ground. As his feet hit the solid stones of the pier, he spun around and ran for the towers. He drew sharp breaths on the top of the tower, narrowing his eyes to spot the oncoming fleet of ships.


    ¡°What do I do?¡± the adventurer manning the post asked.


    Theo opened his administration interface and read through the information provided by Gael. The Tarantham Empire was all about protocol. Saving refugees wasn¡¯t against their laws, but trespassing in their waters was. So the fleet was pursuing them because they had crossed that line. According to good old Gael, they wouldn¡¯t attack the Wavecrest once it was in port. But there was more.


    ¡°Just wait,¡± Theo said, keeping his eyes on the horizon. His stunted magical senses stretched out, but only made it as far as the edge of the tower.


    Long moments rolled by as the Wavecrest crawled across the bay. It was limping into port. Limping. The fleet could have caught up with it at any moment, but it didn¡¯t. All part of a posturing threat. Before long, Gael¡¯s ragged breaths came from the tower¡¯s spiral staircase below. He fell onto his back, gasping for air as he looked skyward. Theo gave him enough time to recover from the sprint.


    ¡°Wait for the Wavecrest to make port. Then fire a warning shot,¡± he said, mopping the sweat from his forehead.


    ¡°How big of a warning shot?¡±


    ¡°As large as you can manage.¡±


    Theo turned to the adventurer and nodded. The half-ogre swallowed hard, then dug through a dimensional crate on the floor. He withdrew a little present that Throk had created, then seated it in the sled of the rail gun. A few sharp words to the sister-tower had them loading the same shot and taking aim. The alchemist retrieved a Drogramathi Iron slug from the crate, then chanted the [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic] linked ward. Just in case.


    ¡°Here it comes,¡± Theo said, looking over the edge of the tower. The Wavecrest had cleared the outer section of the pier, gaining speed from the harbor¡¯s upgrades.


    The fleet had taken a position out in the middle of the bay. According to Gael, they would remain there to blockade the port unless the proper protocols were followed.


    ¡°She¡¯s snug in port,¡± the adventurer said, giving Theo the thumbs-up.


    ¡°Fire when ready.¡±


    The adventurer gave the signal to the other gun. Theo plugged his ears as the supersonic rounds were launched high into the sky. Throk was a genius artificer. He had created a timing device that would detonate the improvised explosives over an area. Kind of like a nuke.


    The blinding light came first. Two balls of fire appeared above the ships. An instant later, those vessels were sent pitching either way. The shockwave slammed into Theo¡¯s chest, knocking the wind out of him. The adventurer manning the gun was knocked off his feet, clutching his head. Assuming the gunner position, the alchemist loaded his [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic] round and prepared to fire again. Those defenders that had assembled on the pier were knocked off their feet. Some had fallen over the edge, finding themselves in a churning sea.


    Gael, who had been below the tower¡¯s edge during the explosion, rose to his feet. ¡°Look,¡± he said, pointing at the lead ship. ¡°Now they shall limp away! Hah!¡±


    The ships were turning. Slowly, but they were turning. Time for the elves to tuck their tails between their legs and get the hell out of alliance waters. Theo didn¡¯t flinch from his spot on the gun. His eyes were trained on the ship. His round was loaded into the rail gun, ready to fire. But the message he sent was received by the fleet. They plotted a slow course around the barrier islands, then out into the open sea.


    ¡°Well¡­ aren¡¯t you useful?¡± Theo asked, clapping a hand over Gael¡¯s back. ¡°So, that was posturing?¡±


    ¡°Rules. The empire thrives on rules. If we didn¡¯t show them we could defend ourselves, they would have stayed there for the season. They will send a delegation, opening up a channel for trade.¡±


    ¡°Really? After we nuked them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the way it works.¡± Gael leaned against the wall, looking off into the distance. ¡°The emperor will recognize power. He hates weakness.¡±


    ¡°Theo!¡± Aarok¡¯s voice carried from down below. ¡°That was a good explosion! Did we win?!¡±


    Theo descended the stairs after tipping a [Healing Potion] into the downed adventurer¡¯s mouth. Gael joined him across the pier, where both the military and administrative branches of the town were waiting. They relayed the story with no fanfare.


    Alise took notes, nodding along the entire time. ¡°Thankfully, we have Gael. I¡¯m guessing it would have been a bad idea to sink them.¡±


    ¡°That would have been war,¡± Gael said, rolling his shoulders. ¡°Ack. I¡¯m not meant for running. If anyone needs me, I¡¯ll be asleep for a week.¡±


    The group rushed off to the harbor, leaving Gael to lick his wounds. The Wavecrest had already docked in the harbor, and was unloading the passengers. They looked horrible. Bloodied, bruised, and malnourished¡­ The elves looked like they had been through hell. The captain of the ship, a plucky elven man, cheered as he exited the ship. Theo let the administrators do all the talking, busying himself with the administration of healing potions. Bilgrob and Zarali joined in. The ogre mended wounds that were too great for either of them to handle.


    As expected, Xam arrived with a feast for the refugees. Sixty elves. All crammed in that tiny merchant¡¯s ship. Looking over the poor folk, Theo couldn¡¯t stop the sensation building in his chest. They had suffered long before being rescued. Living in a cave with nothing to eat but what they could steal from the empire. He couldn¡¯t decide if Tarantham was to blame. Perhaps they would get theirs when the time came. When the undead marched beneath the sea.


    Sixty souls meant sixty new contracts. This influx placed Broken Tusk¡¯s population at 602 people. The strain that Theo had expected to feel with so many new people¡ªthe last time they saved people from Tarantham¡ªhadn¡¯t come. The alliance sat on a surplus of food and homes. As expected, the refugees were appreciative. They signed the contracts, accepted temporary housing, and were generally excited.


    Theo turned away from the group part-way through, moving off with Aarok and Luras for a private conversation.


    ¡°That was¡­ concerning, Theo,¡± Aarok said, glaring off into the distance.


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    The trio walked a winding path through the town, heading for the eastern gate with no other destination. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°World-stage stuff,¡± Luras growled. ¡°We can pick off ships from the bay, but what happens when someone sends an ascendant attacker?¡±


    ¡°Without Fenian to defend us¡­¡± Aarok trailed off, shaking his head. ¡°Who am I kidding? We¡¯re always on that knife¡¯s edge, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Outwardly, it would appear so. But this business with Tarantham was standard. All according to Gael, of course. As long as they danced the right way, nothing would happen. The other nations were concerning, but not so long as they were busy with the undead. ¡°Maybe. Let¡¯s just stay ahead of it, right? We¡¯re friendly with Partopour, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s true,¡± Luras grunted.


    Most of today had trickled away to various things. Theo hadn¡¯t expected the Wavecrest to return, but it was a welcome sight. It gave him a taste of something he needed desperately. He needed people in the town. People in the alliance. Bodies and souls to help him prepare for whatever was coming. That drove him forward to do better¡ªto recruit more people to the cause. But when it came down to defining his mission, he drew a blank.


    Luras and Aarok chatted idly as they walked. Theo was lost in his thoughts. Was Broken Tusk a beacon of hope, or just another playground? It didn¡¯t matter how someone defined this place. The people were fed, clothed, and housed. They wanted for nothing, giving them the chance to pursue their dreams. Those dreams might have been small alone, but together they created something bigger. Like many small flames coming together to create a blaze. The alchemist would dance around that fire as long as he could.


    ¡°I said we¡¯re going to run patrols all night,¡± Aarok said, punching Theo in the arm. It was the only thing that snapped him out of his thoughts. ¡°Wanna join?¡±


    Theo thought for a moment. ¡°Sure. Why not?¡±


    ¡°Take the first shift with Tresk. She already volunteered,¡± Luras said, jabbing his index finger skyward. ¡°So did she.¡±


    Alex was somewhere up there, flying circles around the town. If they were worried about elven infiltrators, it was a goofy thought. Better to be safe than sorry, though.


    Theo broke off from Luras and Aarok, meeting Tresk and the gang back at the manor. Sarisa and Rowan were preparing food for the night, as Xam was busy with the refugees. The alchemist enjoyed their cooking, although he always ate light anyway. The discussion around the table was of the new elves. Of course it was. Alex sat in the alchemist¡¯s lap as he ate, picking at his food and honking to interject her thoughts.


    ¡°Got your big boy pants on tonight?¡± Tresk asked, poking Theo in the shoulder with a three-tined fork.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got my big boy coat, and my big boy boots. Good enough?¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I love night patrols.¡±


    ¡°Do you? We¡¯re always asleep just after dusk.¡±


    ¡°True, true.¡± Tresk nodded, pursing her scaly lips. ¡°But one can dream.¡±


    Aarok organized the first watch for the night, creating temporary companies and units. Theo, Tresk, Rowan, and Sarisa were placed in the same unit. They were in charge of patrolling the wall. Alex was in a group all her own, tasked with flying over the town and providing much-needed intelligence. They had even commandeered the train to run patrols between the three towns. The alchemist wasn¡¯t sure how they would spot anything in pitch black, going mach one.


    Before heading off for their assigned posts, Aarok had the adventurers meet in the town square. Theo had a snide thought about that. Adventurers. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was still calling itself that, but it had become something else entirely. A military force. Although it was defensive, it was still a military. And the half-ogre commander loved playing the part of the wise general. He gave a speech about the importance of the operation. How the lives of everyone depended on their actions. He had the attention of the rowdy folks for about a minute before they lost interest.


    Tresk was the unit commander, and was quick to throw around orders. It boiled down to marching along the wall as a group. Nothing fancy.


    Ooo, I can see a lot at night. I want to fly at night more often, Alex said, speaking into Theo and Tresk¡¯s minds.


    Theo got a sense for what the goose could see. Through their bond, he could see flashes of Broken Tusk from the air. Lights shone in the darkness, tracing a path along the wall. She had already watched the elven ships set up on an island, making repairs. Her orders were strict. No interaction.


    Twilight settled in over the town, plunging it into a deep darkness. Theo followed behind Tresk, carving intricate patterns into wolf teeth. The marshling wasn¡¯t happy that he didn¡¯t take his job seriously, but the alchemist shrugged it off. Sarisa and Rowan were there¡ªthey would spot anything before he did.


    There were a few refugees wandering around the town. Escorted by the original refugees of Broken Tusk, they were taking in the sights and sounds of the silent town. They kept their voices low, and their eyes cast at the ground. Occasionally, they would raise their heads to look up to the sky. Maybe Tarantham¡¯s policy of exterminating fallen houses wasn¡¯t a good thing.


    The group ran into another patrol. Tresk went into full military mode, giving a swift report before performing a strange salute. After the first few rounds on the walls, she led them down into the town. They searched around the areas where the new elves were staying, making sure everyone was in bed. The marshling asked brief questions of the folks who were out walking the town. Their responses all lined up with the idea of being cooped up in a cave for years, or a stir-crazy feeling that came from boarding the Wavecrest.


    There were a few monster attacks from the [River Dungeon] throughout the night. Xol¡¯sa had wanted to instigate a dungeon wave, but they had to put it off for a few days. Now the monsters inside had grown restless, and were overflowing into the river. While it was problematic, it was nothing the towers on the walls couldn¡¯t handle.


    Throk had perfected an interesting addition to the town¡¯s defenses. A series of tubes snaked their way through the town, attached to each tower. A person only needed to fill a hopper with motes, and the power would be delivered with ease. Theo wanted something like he had in Tero¡¯gal, where power was gathered and distributed automagically. Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t work that way on the mortal plane. They had to do everything manually here, which was a pain.


    ¡°Woohoo!¡± Tresk shouted, pumping her fist.


    A tower had just zapped a group of fald emerging from the river. They sizzled for a moment before falling back into the river. Theo chuckled, leaning over the wall. The night patrol wasn¡¯t that bad. It reminded him of when he wandered off in Tero¡¯gal, and no one came to bother him. The sound of swamp insects singing their song overshadowed any conversation. Everyone was content to keep their thoughts to quick bursts, rather than drawn-out things.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to ride that thing,¡± Rowan said, gesturing into the distance. A streak of light raced in the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± Even under the dim light of a torch, she looked pale. ¡°That thing is too fast.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is.¡± Theo laughed. ¡°Throk made me ride that thing. Zipped all the way to Gronro in about a half-hour.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Rowan asked. ¡°Gods, that¡¯s so fast.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember walking to Rivers when we were kids?¡± Sarisa elbowed her brother, then giggled.


    ¡°Took us the whole day if we hitched a ride. They made us sleep outside the walls. Just two dirty little urchins.¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really remember you two growing up.¡±


    ¡°Cause your dad kept you cloistered in his shop. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so weird.¡± Rowan grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not weird. You are.¡±


    ¡°I really thought we were the last generation of Broken Tuskers.¡± Sarisa had a sad smile on her face. ¡°Now look at us. Taking on the world.¡±


    ¡°Felt like we were taking on the world back then,¡± Rowan said. ¡°Do you remember that one time¡­ What was Banu¡¯s dad¡¯s name? I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°The old half-ogre farmer?¡± Sarisa asked. ¡°I can¡¯t remember either.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we got into his vegetable garden. The old man always grew vegetables. ¡®From the homeland,¡¯ he¡¯d always say. Remember how we stole that ogre pumpkin?¡±


    Sarisa grimaced. ¡°Do you remember how long I was in bed? Waiting for my arm and leg to heal?¡±


    Rowan laughed. ¡°Oh, I remember. I had to carry you to the chamber pot so you could¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep! I remember, too!¡± Sarisa interrupted, clapping a hand over Rowan¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°You guys have so many stories,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m always thinking about that. How many little stories get lost because we don¡¯t write them down.¡±


    ¡°Feeling homesick?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask him.¡± Tersk scoffed. ¡°He had a horrible childhood. Sold into slavery.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t slavery.¡±


    ¡°Okay, uh¡­¡± Tresk cleared his throat. ¡°His dad died, so his mom signed him up to some super secret military group. They brainwashed him and sent him to be a child soldier.¡±


    ¡°I was a spy.¡±


    ¡°A spy that killed people.¡±


    Rowan and Sarisa shifted uncomfortably. Theo shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s all done. My world was dying before I was born. We just had a good time while we could. Nothing more. But this world? It has a chance. We have a chance to turn it into something better.¡±


    ¡°At what cost?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°You think Khahar and Fenian¡¯s plan is gonna work?¡±


    ¡°It already is. Isn¡¯t it? They¡¯re changing the monitor system.¡±


    ¡°How far does that go? By the end, we¡¯re gonna have a totally different system down here on Planet Mortal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The way it was meant to be before the first beings messed everything up.¡±


    Sarisa cleared her throat. ¡°So, anyway. About that pumpkin¡­¡±

 5.7 - Aaroks Dream

    Theo had grown to dislike laboring away in the Dreamwalk. When he went to bed that night, he corrected his thinking. The dream realm was a place to grind experience, while Tero¡¯gal was the place where he could relax. With that in mind, he focused on raising his Drogramath cores, figuring they were the only way to increase his personal level. Now that both his cores matched in rarity, they leveled at about the same speed.


    The alchemist rested in his bed, eyes wide open as he looked over his interface. Alchemy, Herbalist, and his personal level had all ticked up to 26. His poor [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] was still at Level 14. Xol¡¯sa might have been mad, but it often took him a while to work himself up to a seething rage. Theo¡¯s attributes were all over the place at this point. Tresk had told him that generalization was a good thing, so he dumped the latest point into Dexterity. One more point and he would be at 20 Dexterity, which would come with a boost. Every 10 attribute points came with the same boost, often providing a new realm of power.


    While those realms of power weren¡¯t documented very well, they were clear. Wisdom of the Soul suspected it was something to do with the way the system was incomplete. It was as though the mortal system wanted to segment people into ranks, but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Busy day,¡± Tresk shook Theo, trying to pull him out of bed.


    Theo reviewed his administrative interfaces, finding that Alise had created a schedule for the day. Nothing too intense. Open house at the Town Hall by mid-morning, tea with the administrators after that¡­ oh yeah, and a monster wave at midday! Xol¡¯sa had estimated the upcoming monster wave to be somewhere between Level 30 and 50. They had let the [River Dungeon] go for far too long, resulting in an accumulation of power. Since the dungeons converted that power into both quantity and quality of monsters, they were in for a ride.


    ¡°Quick breakfast,¡± Theo said, getting to his feet and slipping on his coat. ¡°Then we have a strategy meeting with Aarok.¡±


    ¡°Yay,¡± Tresk said, twirling her index finger in the air. ¡°Strategy meetings. My favorite.¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°At least Alex found her place in the army.¡± Theo pat his familiar on the head. She was getting bigger by the day. If she stretched out her slender neck, it could reach up to his chest. Before long, she would be larger than Tresk.


    The trio ate a quick breakfast before making their way to the adventurer¡¯s guild. There were some new arrivals from Tarantham that would fight against the monster wave. Theo wanted to have hope in their abilities, but they looked worn down. Tired beyond anything that a potion would help, they needed bedrest and some leisure time before they were in fighting form. There were still a few among the new elves that stuck out to the alchemist. There was a young man with a [Coresmith¡¯s Core] that shone amongst the rough gathering of laborers, artisans, and adventurers.


    The problem with Coresmiths was their difficult learning curve. Or so Theo had heard. Like the [Drogramath Alchemy Core], the Coresmiths had a vast learning curve. The materials required to create any cores were also extremely expensive. It just reminded the alchemist that he still didn¡¯t have the coin mint that Fenian promised.


    Aarok¡¯s office in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was always stuffy. Even with the air conditioner, he couldn¡¯t seem to get the stale scent of body odor and dried monster blood out of the air. The half-ogre leader of the guild sat at the head of the table with a series of maps strewn out before him. There was no difference in their strategy for defense. Since Xol¡¯sa could spawn the wave at will, they only needed to sit back and let the monsters come to them.


    Theo could hardly pay attention as he thought of the [Living River Water] that the boss would drop. He interjected several times, making sure the adventurers knew to use as many freeze-style attacks as they could. That would ensure that his yield of water was maximized. If the boss¡¯s water soaked into the river itself, or the ground, it would be useless.


    ¡°We get it, Theo.¡± Luras smiled over the table. ¡°Alchemy reagents are more important than lives.¡±


    ¡°In some cases.¡±


    Aarok shook his head, trying not to laugh. ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing. I¡¯ve got units from Rivers and Gronro ready to go. They want to get out on the field and get some real-world practice.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t like that part of the plan, but he didn¡¯t have Aarok¡¯s experience. If the grizzled half-ogre wanted to send some dwarves out to face fade or fald, that was on him. It wasn¡¯t as though either race of water-dwelling monsters were difficult. So long as they were out of the water. There was one main difference compared to the last time Broken Tusk had defended against the [River Dungeon]. They now had a harbor, which bordered the southern section of the river. It stood to reason that the monsters would head there directly.


    ¡°We¡¯re reorganizing the towers right now,¡± Aarok said, jabbing his finger into the map. ¡°Stripping a few from the western wall, and installing one of Throk¡¯s guns on the eastern wall just in case.¡±


    Aarok¡¯s finger traced a path over the wall. He pressed it into a section of the eastern wall nearest Miana¡¯s ranch. Theo wasn¡¯t sure they could mount a rail gun there, but he nodded anyway.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need Theo to use his magic on the walls before we kick the wave off,¡± Luras traced his finger along the map.


    They wanted Theo to ward most of the wall. It would require complex, interlinked wards that would take him hours to complete. The alchemist suppressed a groan, only looking up to nod resolutely at his commanders. He was comfortable overriding much of what his administration team told him, but matters of war? Yeah, that was best left to the experts. None of Earth¡¯s spycrafting methods would work on a wave of monsters, so it was best to leave it there.


    Aarok and Luras went over a few things. To Theo¡¯s surprise, Zan¡¯kir had a few things to say. Since he was now the captain of the newly formed defense-based unit, he had much to say. He mostly complained about having only one gunnery team.


    ¡°Your squads will still be at the piers,¡± Aarok gestured to that section of the map. ¡°We¡¯re not dropping our guard just because there¡¯s a wave.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, nodding. ¡°You¡¯ll see the Sandscourge Company pull its weight today.¡±


    Theo smiled as the pair patted each other on the back. It had taken Zan¡¯kir a while to get over Khahar¡¯s arrival. Well, if the alchemist really thought about it the Khahari man had betrayed Broken Tusk. Since the result was a [Kingdom Core] and a reunion with his old best friend, he let that all go. He also reflected on how nice it would be to have more Khahari in town. It was becoming more of an elven town with each passing day.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Aarok said, clapping his hands together. ¡°Everyone knows their post. We¡¯ll have a town alert before we start. You¡¯re all dismissed unless you have other duties.¡±


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex lingered in the office as the others departed.


    ¡°Are you living out your boyhood dreams?¡± Theo asked, smiling at Aarok.


    The half-ogre chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°Somehow, I didn¡¯t imagine it would be this stressful.¡±


    Luras elbowed Aarok in the ribs. ¡°Cheer up, commander. You were made for this job.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Something like that. At least we have the dungeons under Xol¡¯sa¡¯s yoke.¡±


    Tresk and Alex remained in the commander¡¯s office while Theo headed off. He made his way to the Newt and Demon, finding Salire handling town-related business. She was handing out their stock of bombs, enhancement potions, healing potions, and so on. Those things were earmarked for the town during emergencies, so they were either sold at a massive discount or given for free.


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    ¡°I¡¯m going to work on the new potions,¡± Theo said, patting Salire on the shoulder. She gave him a smile-grimace hybrid expression. ¡°Let me know if you need help.¡±


    Up in the lab, there was enough clutter to occupy Theo¡¯s entire morning. He cleared away the mess into a crate, vowing to clean it properly later. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t. Creating a proper third tier suffuse-based potion was going to be difficult. But the first part of that task was to distill as much liquor as possible. Banu had already delivered absurd amounts of [Zee Kernels] to the lab, allowing him to get ten mashes started. Once the distillation had started, the alchemist turned his attention to the bottles of [Refined Sow Essence] and [Refined Hallow Ground Essence].


    Wisdom of the Soul popped, giving him some much-needed information. To create a proper tier three suffuse potion, he would need to use both essences to create an unbound dilution. It was a concept that was effortless to think about, but almost impossible for Theo to approach. Essence didn¡¯t play well together. The [Suffuse Potion] took the essences and made them play nice. A [Unbound Enchanted Dilution] was just mana-infused alcohol that had an essence mixed in.


    Theo clenched his teeth, tapped his foot, then drummed his fingers on a table for good measure. Another message claimed it could work if he introduced essences directly to the dilution. Maybe. An experiment was required.


    The alchemist dug through his crates, finding a few bottles of liquor. He tilted his head to the side, searching through his near-perfect memory. There were at least three bottles missing. Someone had been getting drunk off of alchemical hooch. He shrugged, withdrawing a few flasks before heading downstairs. Salire was struggling to deal with the massive number of adventurers in the shop, so he sent a message to Gwyn. She arrived promptly, bowing at the door before entering with a gaggle of junior administrators.


    Theo pointed at several crates within the lab. ¡°Bombs, attribute potions, restoration potions. Prices are listed at the desk. Come on, Salire.¡±


    The alchemist dragged the shopkeeper out of the building by the arm, despite her objections. They found their way to a secluded section of town, far enough away to prevent the spread of any fires. ¡°Without my gravel yard, I need a new place to test explosive experiments.¡±


    ¡°Explosive? Should I be worried?¡±


    ¡°Explosions are a part of this life, Salire,¡± Theo said. It was hard not to smile at her. She was always so excited to explore new alchemy, then worried when they got to the part where things blew up. He placed a flask of liquor on the ground, then stepped back. ¡°Third tier suffuse potions. So, I often thought of those potions as third tier already¡­ so¡­¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re going to craft a fourth tier potion?¡±


    ¡°I guess we could think of it like that. Maybe third and a half? No, this batch is strictly third tier. We¡¯re going to bind two second tier essences, then brew them into a suffuse potion. This is something else entirely.¡±


    ¡°Let me see if I understand the plan. We¡¯re experimenting to see if we can make an [Unbound Enchanted Dilution] with two essences, which lets us brew third tier essences of either essence¡­ and uh¡­ we¡­¡±


    Theo scratched his head. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re doing something else entirely. We¡¯re taking base essences and priming them to be only suffuse-made potions. We could distill each one on its own, then just bind it as a standard suffuse combination.¡±


    ¡°Seems like the result would be more powerful this way,¡± Salire said with a nod. ¡°The potency would increase, because you¡¯re telling the essence what it¡¯s going to be in the end.¡±


    That was a fun way to think about it. Since each essence, no matter how pure, had elements of another property from the base reagent, they were always imperfect. While a perfect potion didn¡¯t exist, if they tailored each step toward the suffuse route, the resulting [Hallow the Soil] potions would be more potent by default. It might also affect the speed that the suffuse potion brewed.


    ¡°Phew!¡± Theo mopped his forehead reflexively, but he was perfectly comfortable. He experienced the sensation of being in a humid environment, but was perfectly content. His coat was paying for itself. He chugged a [Greater Vigor Potion], pausing for a moment as he felt himself become significantly more ¡®tough,¡¯ then proceeded with the experiment.


    Theo created an unbound dilution with both essences, then observed how they interacted when introduced to the alcohol. As he watched, he noticed how the Zee liquor acted as barrier between the two essences. They didn¡¯t want to react violently, as they were too busy being suspended in the solution. Both he and Salire stood back, expecting a violent reaction. But nothing happened.


    ¡°Okay. We learned something.¡±


    ¡°We still need to distill it. And we need a seed sample of both third-tier essences.¡±


    ¡°But look,¡± Theo said, holding the solution up. ¡°It has both properties. Success?¡±


    ¡°Success,¡± Salire said, smiling softly. ¡°Back to the lab.¡±


    As annoying as it was, in order to make their special version of the suffuse potion, there was a lot of brewing to be done. It was too much work to get done before the monster wave, but that wouldn¡¯t stop the duo from trying. First, they needed to create [Unbound Enchanted Dilution] for both potion types. After that, they needed to distill the resulting [Bound Enchanted Dilution] to create third tier essences for both properties.


    Salire operated in a supporting capacity, often pulling the pipes around from the [Internal Liquid Storage] feature to dispense liquor. Theo handled all the measurements for all ten stills, relying on his [Unstable Material Handling] ability to prevent disaster. They split the stills in half, five working on the [Sow] property, and five for the [Hallow Ground] property. The result would generate five-thousand units of [Bound Enchanted Dilution], which would result in five-thousand units of the final [Hallow the Soil] potion. If the potion came out with the standard naming scheme of [Greater Hallow the Soil] it was third tier. If it was any other name, it was fourth tier.


    Theo went downstairs to help Gwyn with the adventurers. After sorting those needy people out, he left Salire to manage the stills so he could ward the walls. The alchemist was cutting it close, but both projects were important. He joined with Xol¡¯sa on the battlements, who was gazing off into the distance.


    ¡°Busy day,¡± Theo said, producing a bottle of [Mana Pills] from his inventory. He got to work, chanting the first layer of his [Defense] array.


    ¡°Ah, your wards are improving,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, pausing and waiting for Theo to respond. But the alchemist was chanting a complex spell, and didn¡¯t want to break his concentration. ¡°Right. I can feel the way you¡¯re lacing the magic over the wall. Since the wall is generated by the system, it''s complex to interact with.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa had a lot of experience in messing with system-generated things. Ever since he got his [Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core], he had delved head-first into that realm. And he was far better than Theo at it. One thing the alchemist had noted was how willful the walls were. He found the same thing to be true with the integrated towers at the piers. Every layer of spellwork that was laid had to be done so expertly. It was like drawing a circle in chalk over a cracked sidewalk. Every line he made had to connect over those cracks, never breaking the form of the ward¡¯s array.


    Theo took a deep breath, popping a [Mana Pill] into his mouth and swallowing. ¡°One down. A million to go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not practicing as much as I would like,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, tutting. ¡°But I suppose you¡¯re busy. You know, I always wanted you to look at the wards that I¡¯ve seeded throughout the swamp.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling those wards are different. I doubt they work with Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic.¡±


    Theo felt Alex flying somewhere overhead. He focused on her for a moment, catching flashes of the ground below. Aarok had assigned her to keep an eye on the coast, making sure no interlopers came to ruin their day.


    ¡°I¡¯m learning plenty by just watching you. Dronon magic is strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Theo asked, waiting before he began the next ward.


    ¡°Spells are typically cast through three modes. Chanting, somatic gestures, or channeled. Remember how I had you learn Axpashi? That is the language you¡¯re supposed to be chanting when you form a ward. But you¡¯re not drawing from raw magical energy, you¡¯re pulling from Toru¡¯aun¡¯s realm directly.¡±


    ¡°That sounds problematic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the problem with all aligned cores. I wonder¡­ can you feel Toru¡¯aun¡¯s power as you channel?¡±


    Theo thought about that for a moment. He had been exposed to a lot of godly power. Ever since he arrived in this world, the area was so soaked with Drogramath¡¯s raw power that it was hard to tell what was normal. Even though he had ventured to Rivers and Daub, he still felt the lingering effects of that energy on his body. When he drew from his [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core], he felt something.


    ¡°She¡¯s so subtle,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s like feeling for that one spot of warm water in an icy stream. I can sense it for a moment, but no longer. It slips through my hands before I realize which god¡¯s power is flowing through me.¡±


    ¡°That might be a problem caused by your patron. Drogramath. How does it feel being a champion?¡±


    Once again, Theo was reminded that he had always been a champion. He didn¡¯t know what it was like to be a normal Drogramathi Alchemist, so he couldn¡¯t say. ¡°I¡¯d bet that was the problem. Wisdom of the Soul agrees.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa nodded, fiddling with his robes. ¡°Speaking of. I was wondering if you could make one of those for me.¡±


    ¡°A soul potion? Which one?¡±


    ¡°Intelligence, of course.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Give me three to four days.¡±


    ¡°At your leisure.¡±


    Theo turned his attention back to the wall. At least Xol¡¯sa was mad that he hadn¡¯t been keeping up with his magical studies. It was hard enough juggling his other cores, let alone one that needed such intensive research. The alchemist fell into a rhythm in his chanting, finding it easier to weave the complex wards by the hour. Before he knew it, the monster wave was ready to kick off.

 5.8 - Intruder

    Theo drummed his fingers on the battlement¡¯s edge, humming a tune as he waited for things to align. Aarok and his boys sure did like to make things official. Gathered in neat rows below were the forward-facing units of Gronro¡¯s shield bangers. The alchemist didn¡¯t have a better name for them. The damned dwarves were as likely to kill the monsters through sonic means as they were through swords and spears. He had never seen a more rowdy group of people, even considering the half-ogres in Broken Tusk.


    Luras had given the alchemist a boring job, which was understandable. Theo was on support duty, defending the back-liners and carting potions around like some glorified merchant¡¯s cart. The more he looked down at the soon-to-be battlefield, the more he appreciated his role on the wall. Tresk moved somewhere in the shadows, urging her squad into various positions, then changing her mind. Rowan was with her, but Sarisa remained back.


    ¡°Standard monster wave stuff,¡± Theo said. ¡°Nothing ever goes wrong in a monster wave.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good way to curse us all.¡± Sarisa shook her head.


    Broken Tuskers weren¡¯t superstitious. They were practical people. Still, it was better not to tip some cosmic scale with snide comments like that. Theo cleared his throat, then nodded. ¡°Good point. What do you think is going to happen?¡±


    Sarisa fanned herself with her hand, breathing a frustrated breath. ¡°We¡¯re going to sit out in this heat. Then we¡¯re going to fight, which will make me hotter. Then I¡¯ll complain, and we¡¯ll go home when it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°You should get one of these coats.¡± Theo fanned his coat out to either side, flapping it to provide a breeze for his assistant. ¡°Maybe they could provide us with cool drinks while we fight.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand you are the ¡®they¡¯ in this situation?¡± Sarisa cracked a smile.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right.¡±


    Aarok made a few announcements about Xol¡¯sa starting the monster wave. Theo waited patiently on the wall, focusing on the river far in the distance. A shot of pain ran through his head for a moment, forcing him to grab at the area. He found only hair and horns, discovering no sign that he was wounded. The pain pulsed with the beat of his heart, quickening by the moment. The alchemist pitched over to one side, caught by Sarisa as he tumbled to the ground. Bells sounded throughout the town as fish-like creatures emerged from the river.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sarisa asked, pressing her fingers into the alchemist¡¯s head. She withdrew her hand, finding no blood.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    It is reasonable to assume that your connection to the town also connects you to the dungeon. Since you selected Tero¡¯gal as one patron realm for Broken Tusk, you are tied to the mysterious magic of the dungeons.


    ¡°Did you feel that?¡± Theo asked Tresk through their mental connection.


    ¡°Yeah, like someone just drove a spike through my dome. What the hell was that?¡±


    Theo explained what the Wisdom of the Soul message had told him, but he could offer no more information. He could only assume that the things Xol¡¯sa was doing to the dungeon weren¡¯t natural, and there was some kind of feedback. But the pain had gone as quickly as it came, leaving him as soon as the wizard completed his work. The alchemist stood, patting his assistant on the shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. That can¡¯t be good, but¡­ I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    Sarisa maintained the worried expression on her face, but nodded. ¡°Whatever you say, archduke.¡±


    Any adventurer on the wall could see the perfection of combat that the shield bangers from Gronro performed. Theo admired their formations, watching as they split into defined groups, spread out, or formed various shapes. The first wave of monsters slammed into them, joining in a wild melee. Broken Tusk¡¯s version of cavalry showed up next, sweeping in from either side and harrying the monsters. Marshlings rode wolves, charging in from the side with flashing weapons and gnashing teeth.


    ¡°Do they even need us?¡± Theo asked, leaning against the wall.


    ¡°The boss hasn¡¯t appeared yet. Think we¡¯ll get another water elemental?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping for.¡± Theo stared at the river. Under that current was the [River Dungeon]. The boss would spawn once it had released enough monsters.


    Zarali and Xol¡¯sa appeared on the wall after some time. They were holding hands and grinning at each other.


    ¡°Fine day for a stroll,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°It is. Isn¡¯t it?¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Theo explained the pain he felt in his head when the wave started. ¡°Not sure if that¡¯s normal.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is normal with you, alchemist.¡± Xol¡¯sa could only offer a shrug. ¡°You could have a connection with the dungeons. We already know the dungeons are connected to the realms, so it makes sense. Why you experienced pain is beyond me.¡±


    ¡°It could be the effect of power siphoning,¡± Zarali said, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. ¡°My brother might know something more.¡±


    And Theo could take Zarali to see the guy now. That wasn¡¯t a subject he had broached yet. Interdicting a mortal from this plane to a heavenly plane was risky business. There was no guarantee that Uz¡¯Xulven would let them pass. Tresk was getting better at that by the day, but compared to an actual god? She didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should say this. But I can bring you to Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said, holding his hands up to silence his adoptive sister. ¡°But I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±


    ¡°I remember what happened when I looked at your realm.¡± Xol¡¯sa leveled an accusatory look at the alchemist. ¡°How can you be sure you can bring her?¡±


    ¡°We brought Fenian. So it¡¯s¡­ Ugh,¡± Theo¡¯s eyes fluttered. He fell back, caught once again by Sarisa. The alchemist grabbed her arm, gritting his teeth.


    Xol¡¯sa, Sarisa, and Zarali were shouting something to him, but all Theo could hear was the sounds of battle below. He focused on that chorus of voices, shouting war cries and slamming shields. But there were no shields. He couldn¡¯t hear them anymore. His mind swirled, drifting away from the mortal plane until it snapped onto Tero¡¯gal.


    Tresk picked up on Theo¡¯s intentions before he executed his thoughts. With one hand he grabbed Sarisa, and the other Zarali. The world swirled around them, finally breaking until the trio tumbled through the realms. The two women shouted as they fell over the Bridge. Uz¡¯Xulven was somewhere below. He couldn¡¯t tell where, but he felt her approval flood over him. Reality parted again and the group floated over Tero¡¯gal, falling gently into a crowd of confused spirits.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Zarali shouted.


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal is under attack,¡± Theo said, spinning to point in the distance. A section of the sky had buckled, revealing a twisted indentation.


    Sarisa had her spear and shield out in a snap, then took a position between Theo and the intrusion. Tresk appeared a moment later, daggers flashing from her hips.


    ¡°Where they at!?¡± she screamed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna gut them!¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡± Belgar shouted somewhere in the distance.


    Theo, Tresk, and Sarisa left Zarali behind. They dashed across the landscape of the realm, heading for the strange anomaly in the sky. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t soon forget the way his assistant fell into line, charging through a strange realm at a hole in the sky without a question. They ran as quickly as they could through the rolling hills and low valleys until they came to stand beneath the scar.


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    ¡°What now?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°How am I gonna stab that?¡±


    A tense silence settled in over the glade. The chirping of insects issued from every direction, joining with the low whistle of the wind through the trees. Theo kept his sight locked on the section of the realm that had been torn open. He felt Tresk spread her senses through the realm. She poked her mind into the defensive towers, but they were inactive.


    ¡°Is this an attack?¡± Theo asked, looking around in confusion. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the towers be active?¡±


    Sarisa dug the end of her spear into the ground. She shook her head. ¡°I have no clue. I¡¯m new here.¡±


    The scar in the sky looked as though someone had dragged a massive claw over a pale blue sheet, revealing a void of black on the other side. The edges were jagged, glowing with an energy that pulsed with the beat of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s heart. Standing there for long moments that stretched to hours, the group waited. Waited until the scar shivered, and something fell out.


    ¡°Is that a¡­ What is that? A squirrel?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°What is a squirrel?¡± Sarisa asked.


    The creature that had fallen out of the scar looked like a glowing red squirrel. Like the spirits of the realm, it was ethereal. Pulsing with a slow rhythm, the creature looked up and cleared its throat.


    ¡°Apologies for the intrusion.¡± The creature didn¡¯t move its mouth. Sound just issued from its being with a chime-like quality. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find another way to communicate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Spit it out before I stab you, squirrel,¡± Tresk said, crouching low. She was preparing to strike.


    ¡°You have reason to distrust me. I know that. But we have no one else to turn to.¡±


    Theo felt his stomach drop. He recognized the voice. It was a voice he had hoped to never hear again. ¡°Uharis.¡±


    ¡°Ah, was it that obvious?¡±


    Uharis had been a pain in Theo¡¯s ass since the start. He was an inquisitor, along with the High inquisitor Sulvan Flametouched, who had given him trouble in the past. Their plot to control Theo¡¯s life had failed spectacularly. The result was the destruction of their patron and the annihilation of their cores. But not before Khahar sent them to the damn moon.


    ¡°How¡¯s the moon?¡±


    The squirrel shuffled its legs, huffing. ¡°It¡¯s boring. And cold. Which is why I¡¯m here. Well, I¡¯m not here. This is a spell that I¡¯ve cast at great personal expense. Sulvan and I¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Your dumb ass is stuck on the moon and that¡¯s that.¡±


    Theo turned, nodding with approval to the marshling. He watched as she closed her eyes, mustering all the concentration she could.


    ¡°Wait. Before you banish me, listen to what I have to say. My patron is dead. I am without a home. We could be vital to rebuilding the continent. We¡­¡±


    Tresk reached out, closing her hand in the air. Theo felt her wrap her will around the scar, then force it shut with sheer power of will. The squirrel screamed something unintelligible before the opening closed with a snap. Drawing labored breaths, the marshling fell to one side. Sarisa was there to catch her, easing her to the ground.


    ¡°Sulvan Flametouched?¡± Sarisa asked, a wild expression in her eyes. ¡°Grand Inquisitor of the Burning Eye? You¡¯re kidding.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. He¡¯s ascendant.¡± Theo tried to force his thoughts to gather, but they wouldn¡¯t. Tresk did the right thing by shutting the intrusion, but would this be the end of it? Their request was obvious, though. They wanted a path back to the mortal plane through Tero¡¯gal. Which means they had already tried to convince Uz¡¯Xulven to let them use the Bridge, and she denied them. ¡°Can we summon Uz?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing much of anything,¡± Tresk groaned. ¡°That took a lot out of me.¡±


    Theo scooped his companion up, then walked back to the center of Tero¡¯gal. Sarisa followed behind, the spear still clutched firmly in her hands. As expected, he found Benton, Belgar, and Zarali dancing near a large fire near the village. Other spirits roamed around, performing their own dances. It was a joyous reunion, and the alchemist couldn¡¯t help but smile. Tresk could stand on her own by the time they returned.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Belgar asked, breaking away from the celebration.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Benton, do you know how to summon Uz¡¯Xulven?¡±


    ¡°Summon a demon god? Here? To Tero¡¯gal? Uh¡­¡± Benton furrowed his furry brows, shaking his head.


    But the bear-god¡¯s keen wisdom wasn¡¯t needed. Theo felt something swirl in the back of his mind, echoing throughout the realm. It was a request for interdiction. He accepted it, then waited. A shadowy gate appeared, rising from the earth as though pushed from below. The center of the portal was an impenetrable mass of shadows. The figure that stepped through was obscured, but her dress dragged behind her.


    Theo gritted his teeth for a moment, then let out a breath. ¡°Tea?¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven gestured vaguely in the direction of the cottage. Theo left everyone behind as he and the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows followed close behind. She snapped the door shut when they entered the cottage, then took a seat. For the first time, the alchemist watched as the shadowy veil dropped from her visage. She was a noble-looking dronon with charcoal-black skin. The swoop of her horns was elegant, decorated with jewelry. An ornate diadem rested atop her head, glittering with black jewels.


    Theo got to work on the tea.


    ¡°Quite cozy for a mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°This is the only mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    Theo set the kettle on the fire, then added some moss. An awkward silence set in as he brewed the tea. Uz¡¯Xulven gazed into the distance, her expression unreadable. She accepted his invite to the realm, so that was a good start. Maybe the patrons were starting to see him as something other than an annoying gnat on their butts. He didn¡¯t even know it was possible for folks from the higher realms to come down to this level. Then again, Tero¡¯gal was weird like that.


    ¡°So, you have an annoying wizard pestering you, too?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. He assaulted my realm.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Just like wizards, isn¡¯t it? Poking in matters that are far above them.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven still held no expression on her face. She didn¡¯t even make eye-contact with Theo.


    The alchemist prepared the tea, pouring a cup out for both of them.


    ¡°Do you have any advice?¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven sipped the tea, nodding with approval. ¡°Most people put too much sugar in their tea. Too much sugar, too much honey. That takes away from the flavor, doesn¡¯t it? How is one to appreciate the subtle flavors of a drink when it¡¯s sickly sweet?¡±


    ¡°Is that a metaphor?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t dilute your realm with fallen angels. The spell Uharis Banetouched cast is incredibly difficult. He won¡¯t have it in him to cast it again for quite some time.¡±


    The door swung open. Khahar grunted as he entered. He closed the door behind him, then took a seat at the table and poured himself a cup of tea. ¡°Howdy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you ¡®howdy¡¯ me, you usurper,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven hissed.


    ¡°Funny that you turned to this old bag before me,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°Old bag!? Oh, you¡¯re funny. Nothing like a drunk Moscovian asshole to run the realms.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven pushed herself back, then slumped in her chair.


    ¡°Funny. It took you a few thousand years to show me your face.¡± Khahar flashed a toothy smile.


    ¡°We have more in common than you think,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven muttered. ¡°He looks up to me. Don¡¯t you, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well.¡± Theo paused for a moment. Maybe a moment too long. ¡°I¡¯ve always looked up to you. The Bridge has always been important to my people.¡±


    ¡°See? He practically loves me. Might take an Uz¡¯Xulven core as his next. And we¡¯re kin. Blood is a strong connection, Khahar.¡±


    ¡°The blood of the brother is¡­¡±


    ¡°Shush! I¡¯m still mad at you.¡±


    ¡°So, about Uharis¡­¡± Theo looked awkwardly between the two patrons.


    ¡°I denied him entry because he was rude.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven folded her arms. ¡°He sent them to the moon. Not me.¡±


    Khahar sipped his tea. ¡°That¡¯s up to you, Theo.¡±


    ¡°What would you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d let them in. Then bind them with so many contracts that they could never hope to escape. Sulvan has requested godhood at least five times every day since he was banished. He has sought other ways to escape Antalis.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven made a disgusted face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you sent them to the dark moon. The people there are rude.¡±


    ¡°That they are.¡±


    Khahar, Uz¡¯Xulven, and Theo enjoyed their tea. No one said anything for quite some time, leaving the alchemist to his thoughts. There was no way to go about this that didn¡¯t ruffle feathers.  Both Uharis and Sulvan had been massive jerks when they were on the planet. They threw their weight around, attempting to manipulate him into doing what they wanted. They were even part of the plan to make him serve the Burning Eye. Only Drogramath¡¯s intervention saved him from that fate.


    Once Uz¡¯Xulven calmed down, she brought some interesting news. Being the patron of Fenian, she could tell that he had taken the potion she sent him. But the moment that item passed through the barrier between worlds, Balkor closed his fist around his realm. She wouldn¡¯t be able to do it again anytime soon, removing the option of sending more things to their friend.


    But Theo couldn¡¯t help but see a lot of Yuri in Khahar¡¯s eyes. They were once enemies, weren¡¯t they? Both had orders to kill each other, and both had avoided doing it. After a few scuffles, sure, but they grew to be close friends after that. If there was a path to redemption for the pair, the alchemist would help find it.


    ¡°Would Glantheir give them cores?¡± Theo asked, leaning in over the table.


    Khahar smiled again. ¡°There he is. The clever man I knew.¡±


    ¡°Glantheir gives cores to those who take vows. Binding vows, mind you,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°Could I have more tea?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Theo said, busying himself by brewing more tea.


    ¡°If you get them both to take Glantheir cores, they¡¯ll be forced to do the right thing.


    ¡°Looks like I have an ultimatum to give them.¡±

 5.9 - A Trip to the Realm

    Belgar and Zarali hugged each other endlessly. They cried, laughed, and ?had a good time in each other¡¯s company. The souls in Tero¡¯gal were happy to see more mortals in their realm, giving them a sense of energy they hadn¡¯t felt since their mortal lives. Uz¡¯Xulven and Khahar had departed after arguing over petty things, but that was to be expected. The Queen didn¡¯t get what she wanted in his takeover and felt jilted.


    ¡°Do I have to go back?¡± Zarali asked, turning to give Theo those puppy-dog eyes.


    ¡°If you stay, you¡¯ll be here for almost a year. We¡¯re also not sure how well mortals do in Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    Sarisa raised her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna stay.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± Tresk said, swaying on the spot.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven is warming up to Theo,¡± Belgar said, hugging his sister again. ¡°She might let you visit more often.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I¡¯ll be able to overpower her soon enough.¡± Tresk rubbed her hands together.


    Theo didn¡¯t care either way. Zarali could stay, or she could go, but his time in the realm was limited. At least he understood what that shooting pain in his head was. He couldn¡¯t help but consider letting Uharis and Sulvan into his realm. They had wronged him, but if they took Glantheir¡¯s cores, the world would be a better place. The Elven God of Healing was the only patron who had cores effective against the undead. If you didn¡¯t count the tangential effect Drogramath¡¯s cores had on them.


    The group lingered in the realm for some time. They had twenty-four hours to kill, so Theo took Sarisa on a tour of the realm. She was struck by how massive it was. The hills and valleys stretched on forever, and he brought her to the sea he had created. Swimming in the shallow places near the sandy shore were little fish that darted around. The latest upgrade, [Simulated Reality], had introduced animals to the realm.


    ¡°This is an entire world, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sarisa asked, marveling at the fish.


    ¡°Almost. It¡¯s not as large as a real planet, but we¡¯re getting there. One soul at a time.¡±


    ¡°You pluck souls from the void, then give them a home? Reminds me of something.¡±


    Theo nodded. This was the same thing he was doing with Broken Tusk. In his town, he harbored those that didn¡¯t have another place to go. Refugees from the elven wars, mostly. Here in Tero¡¯gal, the spread of races was vast. They were mostly dronon, but not exclusively. Sarisa had a lot of questions about the realm. It was one thing to hear about it, but to experience it was altogether different. The passage of time was something that caught people off guard. Even Fenian had trouble keeping a handle on the way time moved in here.


    As time went on, both Zarali and Sarisa seemed less eager to stay in the realm. It wore on them strangely, completely dissimilar to the way it wore down spirits. They weren¡¯t just uninvited, they didn¡¯t belong. Tresk had recovered enough to stand, and had gained enough of her energy to face the monster wave that waited for them. Theo grabbed both women as he prepared to depart, not willing to put the strain on his companion.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven should be more eager to send us through this time,¡± Theo said, holding on tight. ¡°She showed me her face, after all.¡±


    The realms parted, allowing the group easy passage back to the mortal plane. Theo targeted the place where he had departed on the wall, spotting the scenes of battle from a distance. Only a few minutes had passed since they left. Xol¡¯sa was tapping his foot impatiently as they appeared.


    ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°Realm was under attack.¡± Theo leaned over the wall, checking the battle. It hadn¡¯t moved much. ¡°Uharis was trying to break in, so we slapped him on the wrist. I thought I would need Zarali and Sarisa, but I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°So you interdicted them? Seems risky.¡±


    That was true, but Theo wasn¡¯t thinking when he did it. He had just snatched the two closest people that could have made a difference in a fight. While he was confident in his throwing abilities, he could only do so much. But what he learned was that he could drag along mortals into his realm, so long as he stayed on Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s good side. She seemed to like him. Perhaps she would make for a keen poker player in the future. That shadowy face could come in handy when bluffing.


    Zarali was excited to be reunited with Xol¡¯sa. They hugged and kissed before the Drogramathi Priestess went over the story of her adventure. There was a look of jealousy on the wizard¡¯s face. But the more excited Zarali got, the less he seemed to mind that she had gone without him. The adventurers fought below as the pair warmed up to each other again.


    Alex circled overhead, feeding information to Tresk who then fed it to Aarok. The monsters were well contained near the river at first, but they were getting the upper hand. Each monster outleveled the adventurers by at least ten, and they were gaining momentum. The front-liner shield bangers were performing a fighting retreat, coming under the protective gaze of the towers. The rail gun hadn¡¯t fired yet, reserving its deadly ice-based rounds for the boss.


    ¡°They sure looked practiced,¡± Theo said, chuckling as he looked down on the fighters. The back-liners covered them as they retreated while the towers did the heavy lifting.


    ¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll see the boss,¡± Sarisa said.


    Theo¡¯s assistant remained close, although there seemed to be little danger. But she took her job seriously, and remained on her guard. The only problem was that her visit to Tero¡¯gal had placed a haze over her eyes. It was as though she was back in that realm, frolicking in those fields and playing in that water. The alchemist just smiled, remembering his initial shock when he visited the Dreamwalk for the first time.


    ¡°There she is,¡± Sarisa said, gesturing toward the river.


    Theo had fallen into his own thoughts and hadn¡¯t noticed the swirling waters of the river. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for the boss to spawn. Sure enough, the moment the boss¡¯s head poked out of the water, he got a notification.


    [Boss Monster] spotted! River Lady Zara has been sighted. This monster is stronger than regular monsters, use caution.


    The boss removed itself from the river, sloughing over the edge and sending waves of herself crashing forth. Theo rubbed his hands together, salivating at the chance to get more [Living River Water]. He had made sure his people were stocked with ice-based attacks this time. Between the towers, bombs, and the rail gun, there was enough ice to freeze the entire boss solid. The alchemist flinched as the sound of the rail gun firing sounded throughout the town. Most everyone else gathered there also felt the shock of the round.


    Before River Lady Zara had even removed herself from the river, a sizable chunk of water had been removed from her head. The area surrounding the hole had frozen over and was spreading quickly. As with most things involving monster waves, things went slightly sour. The monsters rushed forward, assaulting both the eastern gate, and the harbor gate. Several creatures pushed through and the defenders within the town swooped in to support the retreating adventurers.


    Theo withdrew a bone throwing knife from his inventory, and tossed it into the wild mass of monsters below. It impacted one in the chest, sending it falling on its back. Then the field of [Dragon¡¯s Dance] erupted, shredding the nearby monsters into a fine mist.


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    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s effective.¡±


    But between the towers and the adventures with ranged weapons on the walls, Theo¡¯s warded throwing daggers weren¡¯t making the impact he had hoped for. The boss monster waded through the field of monsters, caring little for its own kind. Creatures were washed aside with the tide of living river water, casting them away from the area in a great torrent. Zan¡¯kir barked orders to his companies, focusing on the boss. Several of the gross fish-people scaled the walls, using the piles of fallen monsters as ladders.


    ¡°Watch it,¡± Sarisa said, sweeping her massive spear through the air. The few unfortunate monsters that got in the way were sent tumbling back to their deaths. The air filled with the scent of stagnant water and stinking monsters. The half-ogre bashed her shield forward, sending more monsters over the edge.


    Theo¡¯s wards sprung up as the water elemental struck out at the wall. A shimmering, prismatic barrier caught her attack. The water that remained fell over it, falling to the ground and sweeping some monsters away. The barrier cracked in places, but remained mostly stable. Each shot from the [Frost Cone Towers] staggered the boss¡¯s attacks, slowing the creature more by the moment. Adventurers tossed bombs, freezing it further.


    This was the most chaotic boss encounter the alchemist had witnessed in Broken Tusk. Well, aside from the troll that broke through the wall. That was bad. But with all the weapons they had accumulated, and all the levels each adventurer had gained, he thought this was going to be a simple fight. When his barrier cracked overhead, he realized how wrong he was. Sarisa held her shield high, and Theo tucked underneath it. Even her strength couldn¡¯t hold back the river. It sent both of them tumbling off the wall, and onto the ground below.


    Fresh air refused to draw into Theo¡¯s lungs. Desperate to suck in a lungful, he rolled on the ground, clutching fresh wounds on his head. He chugged a [Greater Healing Potion] and turned his attention skyward. The half-frozen water elemental loomed, striking out at anyone who was near. From his prone position the alchemist tossed a bone dagger, watching it arc before impacting the ground near him.


    More freezing bombs flew through the air, freezing outreaching appendages. Magically infused arrows impacted the boss, sending large chunks of ice slamming into the ground. Theo rolled to one side, still taking enough blunt impacts to inflict damage. Powerful hands scooped him up, dragging him away from the fray. The space between the eastern gate and Miana¡¯s farm had become a wild battle with no defined front. Aarok barked orders somewhere in the distance, corralling the willful adventurers to do his bidding.


    There was some kind of strategy at use here. Theo finally found his feet, turning to spot Zan¡¯kir smiling at him. The Khahari didn¡¯t remain there long. He darted off, joining with the adventurers to batter the fish-people back.


    ¡°I underestimated the quantity,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, jogging up to stand near Theo.


    The alchemist held his hand out and channeled a spell. An uncomfortable sensation spread through his body. The unfamiliar act of creating a ward in real-time, rather than imbuing an item with the effect, felt like using his non-dominant hand for a task. Eventually, a defensive ward sprung up around him and Xol¡¯sa, glittering with the prismatic light of Toru¡¯aun.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have Aarok,¡± Theo said, gritting his teeth. A chunk of ice fell, impacting the barrier and falling away as smaller shards. ¡°Maybe we should get more walls.¡±


    Aarok slipped through the barrier, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is a lovely forward command post. You! Tighten up that formation! Don¡¯t let them go north!¡±


    ¡°I could do without the shouting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll live. Saw you take a tumble. Everything turning right in that head of yours?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Just fine.¡± Theo focused on his ward, feeling mana trickle from his chest as he maintained the form of the spell.


    ¡°Theo acting as a real defensive mage.¡± Xol¡¯sa tutted, swiping his hand through the air. A complex array formed, causing his spell to fulminate in moments. Twenty monsters were sent spiraling off into the void. ¡°Careful. Aarok might reassign you for the next fight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m thinking about it.¡± Aarok grunted, swiping through the air as he interacted with his military interface. Theo pulled that screen up, nodding with approval. The commander was drawing lines on the map, directing the adventurers into various positions. ¡°For now, he¡¯s my mobile command post. Can you move this thing?¡±


    Theo nodded. He could move it, although it would be laborious. The water elemental was staggering back, losing more of her form by the moment. Pushing forward, and dragging the barrier along with him, the alchemist spotted the damage to the wall. It was far worse than the time the troll broke through. A large section of the wall had been destroyed, taking Throk¡¯s rail gun with it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be ready for the bonus wave. No way this elemental lasts much longer.¡±


    ¡°Zarali is ready. I¡¯m almost certain we¡¯re getting a new wave modifier.¡±


    ¡°I could use the rewards,¡± Aarok muttered.


    Theo could only maintain his barrier. The words of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s poems repeated in his mind, barely holding on to the shape of the shield. They passed by large chunks of [Living River Water]. It was enough to stock his lab for a long time, providing him with the valuable [Tunneling Potion]. But for now, he walked. Aarok shouted. And Xol¡¯sa tossed spells around. The alchemist was happy he wasn¡¯t in charge of the fight. It was a chaos only Aarok could manage.


    The fight went on for longer than it should have. Everyone held their breath collectively as the elemental fell, waiting for the system message to appear.


    [Boss Monster] defeated! River Lady Raza has been slain. Bonus Wave!


    [Bonus Wave!] Broken Tusk defeated the monster wave in 3 hours! Bonus wave: [Death From Above].


    [Death From Above]


    Monster Wave


    Duration: 30 minutes


    A strange creature has spawned high in the sky. This creature will continue to descend, destroying everything if it touches the ground. Inflict enough damage on the creature to avoid being crushed!


    Effects:


    1 Boro¡¯tal has spawned high in the sky. It will descend at a constant rate until it hits the ground.


    Increased reward for completing the monster wave.


    ¡°That¡¯s a new one!¡± Aarok shouted. All eyes in the town turned skyward.


    A mountain had appeared in the sky. It blocked out the sun, casting a massive shadow over Broken Tusk. If it wasn¡¯t bad enough that a mountain was falling on the town, the monsters from the wave still lingered around, fighting in the streets of Broken Tusk. Theo saw Zan¡¯kir run, shouting orders to his gunnery teams. Within only a few moments, explosions issued from the mountain above. Large sections of rock fell, impacting the ground. Theo winced from the blast wave of his improvised explosive bombs, barely holding on to his barrier.


    ¡°Zarali! Don¡¯t cast it!¡± Aarok shouted.


    But Zarali was already chanting a spell. She couldn¡¯t hear Aarok over the sound of a falling mountain. The [Blessing of Drogramath] spell fulminated, filling every defender with increased power. Theo¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he referenced his memory of the effect.


    [Blessing of Drogramath]


    Spiritual Effect


    Duration: 24 hours


    A priest or priestess of Drogramath has blessed you with power. You will receive a series of buffs based on the caster¡¯s willpower.


    Effect:


    Increased effectiveness of combat (increased Strength, Dexterity, Vigor by +10).


    Double the effectiveness of all potions used while under this effect.


    ¡°Oh, crap,¡± Theo muttered. ¡°If Zan¡¯kir shoots another potion, he¡¯ll¡­¡±


    The Boro¡¯tal overhead shattered. Massive sections of stone fell off, careening down toward the town. Theo spread his will as far as it would go, extending his barrier to a breaking point. He watched as a town-sized chunk of mountain hurtled toward him. In an instant, the mountain vanished. A system message appeared.


    [Monster Wave] complete!


    1,080 Monsters Destroyed!


    30 gold bonus (paid to the Leader of Broken Tusk).


    Bonus for defeat both wave bosses:


    Obtained: [Tulwar of the Stalker].


    Obtained: 5 gold, 1 silver, 82 copper.


    [Broken Tusk] gained new effect: [Defensive Effects].


    Theo¡¯s ears rang from the effect of the enhanced bomb annihilated the creature. He was glad that the thing vanished when the wave completed. Even if they won, that would have been a disaster for the town. Looking around, the damage didn¡¯t seem that bad. Some buildings took hits, but the walls earned the bulk of the attack.


    ¡°Why did it give me a sword?¡± Theo asked, holding up the massive weapon the system granted him.


    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t go as planned.¡± Aarok laughed it off, but there was an edge of nervousness in his voice. ¡°I was expecting a normal boss.¡±


    ¡°And Zan¡¯kir just had to take it into his own hands.¡±


    ¡°Could have ended much worse.¡±


    All Theo could do was shrug. The adventurers had done well to use as many freezing bombs as they could. Piles of frozen [Living River Water] were strewn throughout the town. This was going to be a hell of a cleanup effort.

 5.10 - 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]


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    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.¡±

 5.11 - 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.


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    ¡°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.

 5.12 - The 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.


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    ¡°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.¡±

 5.13 - The Moon Landing

    The soccer¡ªfootball¡ªwhatever game went on for hours. Theo was horrible at the game, finding himself at a loss for where he should stand. Belgar was a natural. He did all the impressive sports things, even if the alchemist didn¡¯t know what they were called. Of course, the souls within the realm had been playing the game for almost a year. And they weren¡¯t playing with standard rules.


    Salire and Theo sat in a chair by the sidelines, watching the souls play their game. Benton joined them shortly after, panting and short of breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s good for the soul,¡± Benton said, gasping for air. ¡°I think.¡±


    The barrels of [Greater Hallow the Soil] were aging near the stream. Theo had put off contacting Uharis and Sulvan for as long as he could, but the hours were passing quicker than he expected. He stood, feeling inspired by the selfless care of Glantheir.


    ¡°Be right back.¡± Theo vanished, warping himself to some distant place in Tero¡¯gal. He stood by the sea, and was quick to tip his toes in the water. This time, he remembered to put his shoes into his inventory.


    If connections made communication across dimensions simple, Theo would find contacting Uharis an effortless task. He stood in the water, watching as the waves lapped over his feet. Push and pull. Ebb and flow. Like the power of the realm itself, the waves pushed and pulled. The alchemist held onto whatever strands of power he could find. He imagined them as threads, and gathered them with his willpower. Those connections he held with so many people lit up in his mind, but he focused on the former members of the Cult of the Burning Eye.


    The scene on the beach faded, replaced by a stretch of desolate nothing. Black stone underfoot, Theo stared at the disheveled forms of Uharis and Sulvan. They turned to regard him with hate and confusion.


    ¡°Do you know how difficult that spell was?¡± Uharis snapped.


    ¡°Feels pretty easy to me,¡± Theo said, looking around the black moon of Antalis.


    ¡°He¡¯s not really here,¡± Sulvan muttered, his voice as gravely as ever.


    Uharis sputtered, whipping his long white beard over his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re a mockery! Of everything I studied. Every moment I spent pouring over musty books. Wasted!¡±


    ¡°Pull yourself together,¡± Sulvan muttered. ¡°He¡¯s here, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°No hard feelings, right?¡± Theo asked. He didn¡¯t want to seem arrogant. But he couldn¡¯t keep the smile from spreading across his face. ¡°Your foul god is dead. Mine isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh, laugh it up, you insufferable outworlder. Did you travel through space and time just to mock us?¡±


    Theo looked around the surface of Antalis. He nodded to himself. Time was moving slower here than it should have. Instead of reaching out to project himself onto the moon, he had projected a bubble of his realm. Uharis and Sulvan were standing in that bubble.


    ¡°It would be more accurate to say that I bent time and space,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself more fervently. ¡°That makes more sense.¡±


    Uharis groaned, preparing to dispense another barrage of insults. Sulvan drove his fist into the wizard¡¯s stomach, sending him doubling over.


    ¡°Forgive us, Master of Tero¡¯gal,¡± Sulvan said, taking a knee. Uharis lost the contents of his stomach. ¡°We¡¯ll renounce our bond with the Burning Eye. In the most absolute of terms.¡±


    ¡°Not sure why I knew you would be the reasonable one, Sulvan.¡± Theo watched Uharis squirm on the ground. He would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t enjoy it. ¡°You wanted to purge the world of evil? How would you like to be a Paladin of Glantheir?¡±


    Sulvan raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Would he accept us? The Eye and the Healer were natural enemies.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll bind you in contracts until you can¡¯t breathe.¡±


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Uharis coughed from his prone position. ¡°I won¡¯t accept anything from you, bastard!¡±


    Electricity tingled in the air. Uharis must have had another mage¡¯s core in his chest, because he tossed a bolt of lightning. It passed harmlessly through Theo, arching off into the distance. The moment it left the bubble of influence, it froze in the air.


    ¡°Guess this is an extension of my realm. Which means my authority is absolute. Kneel.¡±


    Uharis¡¯s face slammed into the hard rock of the moon. He sputtered and gasped under the authority of the command. Sulvan didn¡¯t even flinch, eyes locked on the alchemist.


    ¡°I pledge myself to the Elven God of Healing absolutely,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°And I will atone for everything I have done. No matter the cost.¡±


    Uharis tried to draw in breath, only wheezing in the process.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell the big man that you¡¯re ready. If Uharis is prepared by the time Glantheir accepts you, he can come along. See ya soon.¡±


    Theo felt a prickle of something crawl up his neck, then tingle the back of his skull. The sound of the beach returned in an instant, and he drew a deep breath of salty sea air in. Sweat had formed on his brow while he was gone. The alchemist dabbed it off, then warped space around himself once again. He appeared in the village of the spirits. They were still playing their game. Benton had a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°Not sure what that was,¡± the bear god said.


    ¡°Petty revenge,¡± Theo said, taking a seat alongside Benton and Salire. ¡°Uharis Banetouched was an asshole. Sulvan Flametouched, on the other hand, was pretty nice about the situation.¡±


    ¡°Nasty people,¡± Salire said, shaking her head. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°The moon. The dark one. Just hanging out with moon people, I guess.¡±


    Benton frowned. ¡°Are there people on the moon?¡±


    ¡°Thought I saw a city in the distance,¡± Theo said, recalling his memory of the surface with perfect clarity. ¡°Or mountains.¡±


    ¡°Either or,¡± Salire laughed. ¡°Just an entire civilization living on the moon or mountains. No big deal.¡±


    The group had a good laugh. While it was fun watching the people play soccer, their time in the realm was drawing to a close. Theo bid farewell to the spirits and Benton before grabbing Salire¡¯s arm. They fell through the fabric of reality, landing on the Bridge before heading back to the mortal realm.


    ¡°Got a message for you,¡± Theo said, waiting for the shadows to pool. Uz¡¯Xulven stepped out of the darkness in time, and he relayed his message to her. Sulvan was ready to work for Glantheir, while Uharis wasn¡¯t. The alchemist left the Bridge without feeling the slightest guilt. It wasn¡¯t his problem to make people do the right thing.


    After what felt like the journey of a lifetime, Theo felt his feet hit mortal ground. Salire maintained a constant look of overwhelmed awe. The alchemist felt Tresk¡¯s intentions before she appeared from the shadows. She burst forth, hands on her hips.


    ¡°Why do I feel lighter and more joyful? Anyone got a puppy I could hug?¡±


    ¡°No puppies here,¡± Salire said, laughing nervously. ¡°We met Glantheir and¡­ and Theo went to the moon.¡±


    ¡°Aw man. Did I miss the moon landing?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry, it sucked.¡± Theo found a chair for Salire to sit on, and forced her to rest. This wasn¡¯t something that potions could fix. She needed time to process what she saw.


    Tresk concentrated for only a moment, and Theo felt her brush her senses against his. She was searching his memory for what had happened, rather than asking for a retelling of the day¡¯s events.


    ¡°Looks like the old elf god unblocked your chi,¡± Tresk said. She nodded, whipping an imaginary beard to the side. ¡°How honorable. When do we cultivate?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Theo asked with a scoff.


    ¡°I feel unburdened by the past. Suddenly, I have a need to ascend.¡±


    Theo chuckled, watching as the little marshling performed her interpretation of martial arts moves. She was pretty good, even if she was just making stuff up. After a while she got tired and sat down on the ground. The alchemist felt her fall back into her thoughts, replaying different things in her mind. Whatever Glantheir had done was a boon beyond anything he could imagine. Tresk was right. There was a lightness to his thoughts that he could have never imagined before.


    On Theo¡¯s mental checklist of things that needed to be done, there were too many items. Throk¡¯s new method of collecting power was big. He was also on the heels of airship technology, which would be interesting. That left an item for the alchemist to accomplish. Warding against unwanted magical attacks. He also needed to plan for the celebration in Rivers and Daub, but that mostly fell to the administration. Xol¡¯sa¡¯s [Intelligence of the Soul] potion was brewing with Tero¡¯gal, and would be ready soon enough.


    ¡°Research time,¡± Theo said, gathering a few things. ¡°You staying here, Salire?¡±


    Salire nodded weakly. ¡°I just need some time.¡±


    Theo scratched his chin for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Coming, Tresk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go experiment with junk!¡±


    As Theo exited the building, he stopped on the streets of Broken Tusk. ¡°Rowan?¡±


    The half-ogre man emerged from nowhere. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Give Salire something to do. An emergency that requires alchemy. She needs a distraction.¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Rowan said, vanishing yet again.


    Theo headed north, toward Ziz¡¯s quarry. The areas north of the town proper offered the most silence. His stroll was interrupted when Tresk grabbed at his coat, climbing up him like a tree until she perched herself on his shoulders.


    ¡°Onward, mighty steed!¡±


    Tresk was lighter than Theo had expected, so he simply moved forward. It didn¡¯t hurt that her balance was insane.


    ¡°I should make you a [Dexterity of the Soul] potion,¡± Theo said. ¡°Although I¡¯m unsure what it¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Give me the fancy potions. I¡¯ll drink them all.¡±


    Ziz and the boys were carving stones at their quarry. They offered hearty greetings and barrels full of mead. Theo and Tresk declined, finding a comfortable spot where they could observe the town below and work on their problem. They started by sharing their thoughts on the whole Glantheir thing. Both agreed that he was the patron that suited the ex-members of the Burning Eye the best.


    ¡°What better way to reform people than to force them to be good!¡±


    Theo was at a point where he could take any property he knew from alchemy, and translate that to a ward. Even with the ability that helped feed wards for longer, he would need to constantly reapply them for an airship to operate. Tresk helped him go over his list of properties, and they were both disappointed when they found the solution.


    ¡°Feels like you put Mage¡¯s Bane in everything,¡± Tresk grumbled.


    The first property on the Mage¡¯s Bane flower was [Resist Magic]. Theo had never distilled the flower into essence to extract that property, always preferring to ferment the flower as a modifier instead.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Theo said, writing a poem in Toru¡¯aun¡¯s flowery script. ¡°I¡¯m not happy using the [Detect Attack] trigger for the wards.¡±


    Tresk nodded, plucking a piece of grass from the ground. She wedged it between her two thumbs and attempted to blow. No sound came out, despite her intentions.


    ¡°What do you think about a trigger that works by activating when magical interference happens?¡±


    Tresk leaned back, tossing her blade of grass to the side. ¡°I like it.¡±


    Theo paused before writing anything else. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s kinda crowded, though.¡±


    Turning back to his work on the paper, Theo came up with an approach. He came up with the [Detect Adverse Magic] trigger, which should only deploy the ward when it senses damaging magical energies affecting the thing it was bound to. Simple enough, as long as it worked. The problem was that the alchemist didn¡¯t fully understand the way latent magic would interfere with the artifice hover engines. He warded a nearby rock to inspect the effect.


    [Deflect Magic]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive barrier that impedes all foreign magical energy from entering the bubble.


    Trigger:


    Detect Adverse Magic


    Duration:


    5 days.


    ¡°That might do it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not sure how we can test it, though.¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Maybe we should take it to Gronro. Give it a real test.¡±


    Theo scratched his chin, unsure if that was good enough. ¡°I think we need to take the entire engine up there. Think your dad will let us borrow it?¡±


    ¡°Why not? For science!¡±


    Theo¡¯s eyes lingered on the fading light of the day. Shafts of foggy sunlight shot over the western horizon, stabbing over the swamp like the constant reminders they were. Time was what the alchemist needed most and had the least of. Even with the Dreamwalk and Tero¡¯gal, he felt behind himself. But since Glantheir had poked his forehead, the march of time seemed less important. He sat on his rock, watching as the evening sun dimmed into twilight. Tresk lingered nearby, sensing the stillness and drinking it in with him.


    <hr>


    Theo leaned over the walls of Gronro-Dir. Below was the imagined version of the undead taint. Within the Dreamwalk, he hoped to prove his new ward. Fortunately, Tresk had made a trip to the northern town when the undead were still assaulting it. She had a good enough mental impression of the place to replicate the taint of undeath.


    ¡°It sure does stink,¡± Tresk said, leaning over the wall¡¯s edge. ¡°Did it stink this much when I went there?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re adding extra stink to set the mood,¡± Alex said.


    Field of corpses, in various stages of decomposition, had a way of stinking a place up. With a thought, Theo purged the concept of smell from the Dreamwalk, bringing everyone great relief.


    ¡°First stage of testing,¡± the alchemist said, smiling to himself. There was no better place to test their theories. He created a mana siphon from nowhere. The black box glittered, already interacting with the latent necromantic power in the air. ¡°A low-level power condenser.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting all shiny,¡± Tresk said, leaning in to inspect the siphon.


    Sections of the artifice were sizzling from the raw power in the air. Whatever material the device was made out of reacted poorly. No one was surprised when it exploded, sending shards of itself peppering the area.


    ¡°That would have been deadly,¡± Theo said, picking a large chunk of metal from his skull.


    Tresk laid prone on the ground, her tongue sticking out. ¡°Bleh. You¡¯ve killed me.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Alex put in.


    Despite his companions¡¯ behavior, Theo made mental notes of the reaction. From observation, he determined that the influences in the air weren¡¯t just unrefined power. There was refined mana there, turning the churn of influences into a deadly magical mix. It was shocking that any magical devices worked in this area, let alone powerful ones.


    ¡°How have Throk¡¯s sprayers been operating out here?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Tresk said, imagining one. The sprayer stood near the wall, squirting essence down below.


    Theo could feel the reason more than see it. Throk¡¯s sprayer was the simplest artifice that could be created. It had minimal parts and drew almost no power. The sprayers could run for weeks without succumbing to the withering power of undeath. The alchemist tried a few more artifices he had seen, finding the breaking point to be somewhere between the sprayer and the siphon. A hover engine, even at a high altitude, would most certainly be affected.


    ¡°That¡¯s our baseline,¡± Theo said, imagining Throk¡¯s engine. ¡°Now we figure out if this power affects inactive machines.¡±


    Tresk busied herself by summoning other things. She brought in various magical things, starting with items. Normal items weren¡¯t affected by the power. Only things that actively drew power suffered from the necromantic energy. That included devices that pulled power from motes, or Throk¡¯s new fake coins. Interestingly, powerful potions reacted negatively. That was more concerning than anything else.


    ¡°Engine has no response when it¡¯s inactive,¡± Theo said, summoning a coin to fall into his hand. ¡°But when we activate it¡­¡±


    A moment after inserting the coin, the engine tore itself apart. It exploded in a ball of green flames, decimating most of the wall. The Dreamwalk was stretched to its limits to simulate the response, almost buckling under the pressure.


    ¡°Well, we have all our gooses in a row. Heh,¡± Tresk giggled to herself. ¡°Main event?¡±


    ¡°Time for the main event.¡±


    Theo repaired the damage to the wall, resetting the scene. He summoned a new engine to test, then knelt to chant his spell. The moment he began to chant, he felt the power of undeath swirling around him. It felt like an attack on his cores. The energy welled in the surrounding air, then rushed in. The alchemist only just managed to finish the spell before he was overwhelmed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    Theo took a steadying breath. ¡°No casting in the undead zone. Got it.¡±


    The moment he put a coin into the engine, the prismatic barrier sprung up. The surrounding power assaulted the ward, smashing against the side. Mana sparks fell to the ground, sizzling on the wet stone. But for all the flashing lights, the engine hummed, hovering just above the wall.


    ¡°And now the boring part,¡± Theo said, finding a seat. ¡°We wait to see how long it lasts.¡±

 5.14 - Grimelings

    The wards had proven more long-lasting than Theo had expected. Surrounding the table in the manor were the usual characters. The alchemist thought about his experimentations as he watched his companions eat breakfast. Xam had outdone herself by making something similar to sausage and eggs. She was even producing Earth-style wheat bread, which was a treat. Xol¡¯sa couldn¡¯t get enough of the bread, slathering a toasted slice with enough karatan butter to stop his heart on the spot.


    ¡°Busy schedule today,¡± Sarisa said, flitting around the table to pass out butter and fill cups with tea. ¡°Aarok wants to do two waves.¡±


    ¡°Thank god.¡± Theo poked at a pozwa egg. He turned his attention to the sausage, cutting a piece and popping it into his mouth. It was extremely salty, and mildly spicy. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to get that over with.¡±


    The dungeon had been weakened significantly. Between Xol¡¯sa¡¯s efforts to engineer them, and the adventurer¡¯s constant barrage of attacks, the [Hills Dungeon] and [Mountain Dungeon had been removed of their fangs. Broken Tusk would have the pleasure of stomping two waves somewhere around Level 10. All projections claimed it would be a breeze, and Theo was inclined to believe the wizard¡¯s words.


    Outside, the haze of early morning fog was burned away by the oppressive sun overhead. The result was humidity so intense, one could cut it with a knife. Theo lingered in his air-conditioned manor for as long as he could, until Rowan pulled him aside.


    ¡°I poisoned some children,¡± the half-ogre said.


    Theo blinked several times. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°While you were busy, I poisoned several children. A very mild poison that made them sick.¡±


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes shut tightly. ¡°Alright. Sarisa cured it?¡±


    Rowan smiled. ¡°Quickly. Her confidence was boosted afterward.¡±


    ¡°All''s well that ends well¡­ I guess? Poison adults next time, please.¡±


    ¡°It was quite mild.¡±


    ¡°Still.¡±


    Rowan nodded.


    Theo departed his manor, heading directly for the Newt and Demon. Tresk and Alex were on duty today, so they would be busy. Everyone in the Tara¡¯hek felt lighter, and the alchemist couldn¡¯t help but whistle a tune as he headed to his lab. Salire was there with a wide smile on her face. He gave her a few tasks to manage the lab. His chief concern was the production of more grain alcohol, and its storage in the upgraded tanks of the lab. The half-ogre woman told him the harrowing tale of how she saved seven children yesterday.


    ¡°Excellent job,¡± Theo said, nodding and feigning a smile.


    ¡°So, what did Glantheir do to you? What was he talking about when he said he was ¡®fleeing¡­¡¯ What was it?¡±


    ¡°Berlin,¡± Theo said. He found it odd that his mind didn¡¯t recoil on itself when he thought about that mission. ¡°Things got bad on my world. Populations shrunk to where people crowded in single cities. Entire nations were reduced to mega cities. Everyone was at each other¡¯s throats. So how do you conduct warfare when the enemy can shoot whatever you send right out of the sky?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ really don¡¯t know,¡± Salire said, chuckling nervously.


    ¡°You send a spy who disables the defenses. We planted charges to destroy their weapons. Then boom. An entire nation destroyed in a blink,¡± Theo snapped his fingers to punctuate his point. ¡°And I guess Glantheir was there. He must have fled with the other refugees to Moscow.¡±


    Salire¡¯s expression shifted, becoming stony. ¡°You were a bad guy?¡±


    ¡°This was¡­ what? Twenty-five, thirty years ago? Anyway, whatever Glantheir did it made me feel like I had never done it. And it feels good.¡±


    ¡°As long as we¡¯re not planning on annihilating another nation.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    Theo had to rationalize the destruction of Qavell. Despite what Glantheir had forgiven him for, the kingdom was filled with innocent people. The only thing that made him feel better was the same thing that made him feel better on Earth. Balkor¡¯s undead were heading west no matter what. Fenian had only sped up their march. The alchemist shook the thoughts out of his mind, turning to smile at his apprentice.


    ¡°Glantheir really helped. I¡¯m excited to see what he can do with our help.¡±


    Salire brightened considerably. ¡°He was so nice!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to invite him for tea in my realm the next time I visit. Wanna come?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well. No, thank you.¡±


    After Salire was settled in her task for the day, Theo left to check in with the military. Xol¡¯sa was sitting with Aarok and Luras, discussing the upcoming wave. They were determined to get both waves done today, no matter what. Even if the eastern wall wasn¡¯t completely repaired, they all had a desire to get it over with. While the wizard could have been wrong about the dungeons, it was unlikely. They wouldn¡¯t spawn both waves at once, so it shouldn¡¯t have been a problem, anyway. If something went sideways, they wouldn¡¯t start the next way.


    Easy as that.


    Theo dodged a meeting with Alise and the administrators, heading directly for Throk¡¯s workshop. The marshling was interested in hearing the results of the testing and had some input. He agreed with most of the alchemist¡¯s points about magical interference, but was surprised to learn how active the power was.


    ¡°Could that be an effect of the Dreamwalk?¡± Throk asked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say ¡®no.¡¯¡± Theo drew on his near-perfect memory to remember the way things interacted in the Dreamwalk. The simulation seemed accurate, but it was hard to tell. ¡°We¡¯re planning on doing a real-world experiment before we give the go-ahead.¡±


    ¡°Bleeds into another problem I¡¯m having.¡± Throk scratched his head. ¡°These things need to be manned. Floating platforms of death. Who would be willing to ride them?¡±


    ¡°No one, I imagine.¡± Theo sighed. ¡°Can you control them remotely?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But there are a few problems with that.¡±


    Throk went into a speech about sending artifice signals over long-distance. He had taken a skill that let him control his devices remotely, but the range was short. The more he explained it, the less it made sense to Theo.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you do remote reporting with the mote tube system?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I send the signal through the tubes themselves,¡± Throk said with a laugh. ¡°Not exactly the best way, but it works.¡±


    ¡°Can you send a signal through any metal?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the skill. But I don¡¯t like the image of holding a long rod of copper up in the air. Attached to a floating platform.¡±


    ¡°How about a wire?¡±


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    ¡°A long copper wire?¡± Throk asked, nodding. ¡°That might work. We can braid them together to increase their strength.¡±


    ¡°If that fails,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself as his thoughts gathered. ¡°We can put a golem on the airship. If we install a lodestone nearby, the range is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Your golem range might not be as good as a simple braided wire, though. Could they even operate simple controls?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call the golem idea a backup plan, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Good call.¡±


    Theo and Throk worked on some specifics for a while. They were both confident in the wire, more than the golems. But even then, they would need an operator on the ground to move the device around. The advantages of the wire was that they could minimize the weight of the flying platform. Which meant they could load it up with more potions, increasing the effectiveness of each flight. Their meeting went on until the bells rang. Aarok sent a message to the town, calling everyone to their stations.


    ¡°They¡¯re itchy today, huh?¡± Throk asked, grumbling.


    Departing from the artificer¡¯s workshop, Theo reported to the wrong post. While he was certain he was meant to arrive at the southern side of town, he was meant to be on the northern end. Sarisa joined with him as he sprinted, passing by normal folks as he went. Those who couldn¡¯t fight at all were sent to shelters. Those shelters were guarded by teams of adventurers, ensuring that no one would be in danger while the fighting was done.


    Ziz¡¯s quarry was buzzing with activity. The wall to the north of the stonecutters'' area was filled with adventurers. Theo found his place amongst them, watching as the advanced units sallied outside the gate. The alchemist had never liked the landscape north of town. It was a steep rise of rocky faces and jagged cliffs. The increased elevation did nothing to soothe the heat of the day, making it even worse.


    ¡°I love this part,¡± Sarisa sighed. ¡°The calm before the storm.¡±


    ¡°You might like it less if you were down there.¡± Theo gestured to the combined forces of Gronro, Rivers, and Broken Tusk below. They assembled in orderly rows, leaving gaps for the jagged crags. The alchemist chanted his wards on the walls, weaving his standard shield alongside a magic-resistant layer.


    The sortie from the defensive forces was incredibly successful. The monsters that came from the [Mountain Dungeon] were a kind of troll. Unlike the boss trolls, they seemed to be made of stone. That made their movements slow, rendering them as easy prey for the experienced fighters. What trolls that weren¡¯t destroyed by the extended forces were quickly mopped up by the towers and ranged attackers. It was the single most boring wave Theo had ever experienced.


    ¡°This reminds me of the first goblin wave we had,¡± Theo said, leaning over the wall. He sighed, watching the soldiers below have a fun time with the fight. ¡°We didn¡¯t have towers back then. Or trained fighters.¡±


    ¡°I remember it.¡± Sarisa¡¯s eyes focused on the middle-distance. Theo could almost feel her going back in time to relive the experience. ¡°Now we can spawn a Level 10 wave without batting an eye.¡±


    ¡°What was Broken Tusk like before I showed up?¡± Theo asked, watching a troll¡¯s head become separated from its shoulders.


    Sairsa offered a weak shrug. ¡°Boring. Nothing really happened. I remember watching a lot of my childhood friends leave when they got their cores. They all left to do something bigger, and I never blamed them.¡±


    Theo flinched as the lightning tower nearby fired an arch of electricity. He spotted the boss shortly after, dismissing the system message that popped up. They were used to fighting troll bosses by this point. The key was to apply fire to any wounds inflicted on the monster, or to douse it in flames. Aarok did both, ordering his people to send firebombs while they kept a safe distance. It was the shortest monster wave the alchemist had ever experienced.


    The reward for the monster wave was equally unimpressive. A few gold, and a ring that allowed him to see in the dark, but only when the moon was blue. The alchemist tossed his spoils into his inventory, then joined with the roving band of soldiers. Citizens cheered as the army moved southward, heading for the next dungeon. Xol¡¯sa estimations were correct and without complications, for once. The alchemist met with Tresk and Alex to chat for a while as Aarok prepared for the next wave.


    ¡°That was unimpressive,¡± Tresk grumbled, crossing her arms and frowning.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°I was surprised to see that the clearing strategy worked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the problem. No one wants to run the [River Dungeon] because it¡¯s underwater.¡± Tresk let out a frustrated breath. ¡°We¡¯re finally clearing away the [Ocean Dungeon], but only because there¡¯s a weird underwater tower.¡±


    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild even had a bounty on each dungeon. Clearing it would provide a person with money. That incentive had not driven people until the traders from afar began showing up. Now everyone was concerned with getting the latest trinket from Partopour. And so, they were braving the depths of each dungeon to earn some cash. Accessibility was still an issue for the [River Dungeon], but once they had some time that would be solved. The checklist of things to do in Broken Tusk seemed endless.


    Theo smiled as he watched the armies assemble. Compared to the mountainous region of the north, the hills to the south were more forgiving. The alchemist greeted Gridgen and his workers as they passed by. While the mine had seen more activity in recent days, they were hard workers who kept their heads down and got the job done. Only the leader of the mining team came out to greet them. And he didn¡¯t remain for long, vanishing into the mine as the army passed.


    Sarisa laughed, clapping. ¡°This is so funny,¡± she said as they approached a shallow cave set into the rise of the hill. ¡°People used to come here to make out.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the rocks. ¡°Under the rocks? There are spiders under there.¡±


    ¡°We cleared the spiders out.¡±


    ¡°¡®We?¡¯¡±


    Sairsa went a bright shade of red, but soon regained control of herself. ¡°Some of us like to have fun.¡±


    The army assembled outside of the gate, and Aarok did his thing. It didn¡¯t take him long to get control of everyone, ensuring that his forces were prepared for the fight. There were several adventurers who were injured from the previous fight, so Theo passed out potions to those that didn¡¯t have them. After everyone was ready, the alchemist and Sarisa found their way to the wall. Tresk ranged ahead with the steal units, while Alex took to the sky.


    ¡°What the heck is a grimeling?¡± Theo asked, leaning over the wall as the wave started.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t heard of them,¡± Sarisa said, squinting to see into the distance. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s calling for a retreat.¡±


    Theo and Sarisa watched as the adventurers pulled back in a fighting retreat. The alchemist got a good look at the grimelings. They were knee-high puddles of muck that lashed out with tentacle-like appendages. He decided they were elemental-like creatures, and determined that a retreat was the best option. When attacked by an adventurer, they seemed to form themselves around the weapon to avoid damage. But once the army was safely behind the walls, both the towers and a line of adventurers throwing bombs got to work.


    While the little monsters were almost immune to physical attacks, they weren¡¯t so resistant to fire, lightning, and cold. Their little bodies weren¡¯t suited for climbing the wall, but they could push themselves through the portcullis. Theo threw a bone dagger imbued with [Dragon¡¯s Dance] inside of the gate, shredding a field of the gross monsters.


    ¡°They¡¯re nasty,¡± Theo said, pressing the sleeve of his coat over his mouth. ¡°Smells like¡­ I don¡¯t know? Tar mixed with sewage.¡±


    Sarisa looked pale. ¡°No kidding. No wonder people don¡¯t run this dungeon.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t imagine what a high-level grimeling would have done to the town. Even the Level 10 monsters gave them trouble, slippery as they were. Only the towers, bombs, and warded daggers had any effect. The battle went on far longer than it should have. The monsters had spread out to the east and west, circumventing most of Aarok¡¯s plan. Adventurers ran off with bombs in hand, desperate to cut them off before they reached any other gate.


    Alex swooped from the sky, making runs on the fields of grimelings with her fire attacks. Thorny roots would spring up from the ground, magically binding the monsters in place. Then she would fly over the fields, spraying them with gouts of deadly fire. The goose played a key role in hunting down the stray monsters, and after several hours of fighting the boss finally spawned.


    ¡°Grime King Sludge,¡± Sarisa said, retching. ¡°I can smell him from here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna need a lot of [Cleansing Scrub].¡±


    As expected, the boss was a larger version of the grimelings. It looked like a living pool of tar, pulling itself through the hills with tendrils that shot out with force. The monster issued a squelching war cry as it approached the gates. Towers fired one after the other, covering the monster in layers of fire, freezing it in some places, and blasting large chunks off in others. Theo let loose his most powerful daggers, those infused with the [Dragon¡¯s Dance] property. No matter where he threw the daggers, the monster¡¯s ¡®face¡¯ always seemed to drift to another part of its body.


    ¡°This sucks!¡± Tresk shouted, stomping her feet. ¡°I can¡¯t even do anything.¡±


    The wisdom of Aarok¡¯s strategy proved itself as the sludge threw itself against the gate. Most of the creature¡¯s body had been blasted away, rendering it almost useless against the sturdy walls. If the adventurers hadn¡¯t been clearing the dungeon out, this wave would have been a nightmare. Theo was thankful for the commander¡¯s foresight on that, and watched as the grime was whittled away to nothing. The wave ended, rewarding the alchemist with another few gold and another useless item.


    Those assembled near the gate cheered in response to the boss falling, and there were no bonus waves to follow. Thank god for that. Theo was exhausted from the fight, even though his stamina had drained little. He dripped [Cleaning Scrub] on the wall, descending the battlements to inspect the fallen monsters. Pinching his nose, he knelt to inspect the goo they left behind.


    [Grimeling Ooze]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Uncommon


    The stinking goo left behind by a grimeling.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°Good thing stuff doesn¡¯t stink when I put it in my inventory,¡± Theo said, sucking the liquid into his inventory.

 5.15 - Tea Parties

    Theo passed through the fabric between realms, holding Tresk and Zarali¡¯s hand. As they passed over the Bridge, he felt no invite from Uz¡¯Xulven. He took it as a good sign. The moment they hit the ground in Tero¡¯gal, his adoptive sister¡¯s face lit up. She darted from the spot, jumping to crush Belgar in a hug.


    ¡°Potions are done,¡± the spirit groaned, desperate to push his sister off.


    Typically, the souls did whatever they wanted with the realm. What they had chosen to do with their time was strange, though. The game they had created was now the most popular thing in the realm. There were now four fields of leveled earth, and well-maintained grass for them to play on. Theo didn¡¯t want to think of it as soccer like back on Earth. It had evolved into something else entirely. He certainly didn¡¯t remember there being two goals on each side.


    Theo left Zarali and her brother to their hugging, and went off to check his potions. He popped the lid from one barrel and examined the resulting potion.


    [Greater Hallow the Soil]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Purify any naturally occurring soil of all alignment-based befoulment.


    This was the most powerful version of the [Hallow the Soil] potion the alchemist had crafted. But experimentation would tell how effective it was at purifying the tainted landscape. At least this meant that his experimentations were a success. And Salire was working on the next batch by brewing their alcoholic base. After that, they would enter full-scale production mode. It was a prospect that sent a tingle down Theo¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Very exciting,¡± the alchemist muttered to himself.


    A familiar knocking sensation entered Theo¡¯s mind, followed by an unfamiliar one. He accepted the first, watching as the icy archway sprung up. After a moment of thought, he accepted the next one. A golden gate, inlaid with too much finery, sprung up next. A moment after Benton stepped into the realm, Glantheir joined with him. The elven god brought with him a sense of calm that washed over everyone. The heads of every soul turned to spot the god in the plain clothes.


    ¡°Beautiful realm,¡± Glantheir said, his eyes dragging over the landscape. ¡°Your souls discovered football.¡±


    Theo approached the elven god with a smile on his face. ¡°Khahar brought it over. They changed the rules, but¡­ what can you do?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Oh¡­ Hi,¡± Benton waved awkwardly. ¡°Nice to meet you. Er¡­ Lord?¡±


    ¡°Glantheir is fine.¡±


    ¡°Tea?¡± Theo asked.


    Benton scampered toward the cottage as Theo and Glantheir walked together. Everywhere the elven god went, he seemed to bring with him a sense of deep calm. The alchemist wanted to drink that in, allowing himself to bathe in the light. It was like being in a warm bath, complete with pleasant smells and waves of comforting warmth.


    ¡°Always busy, aren¡¯t you?¡± Glantheir asked, finding a seat in the crowded cottage. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine your luck. A mortal realm that you can visit. And you¡¯re a champion. I would guess your advancement is quick.¡±


    ¡°Pretty fast. We have a perfect storm of things in Broken Tusk.¡±


    Benton fumbled with the teapot, almost dropping it on the ground. When Glantheir smiled at him, the bear god¡¯s hands seemed to calm. They waited patiently for the tea, but helped themselves to sweets as they waited.


    ¡°I have everything lined up for Sulvan,¡± Glantheir said, pausing for a moment. ¡°Shame Uharis didn¡¯t care to join.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect either to accept. But Uharis was the wildcard, so that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll spend time on Antalis. That should soften him. Then we¡¯ll be ready to accept him.¡±


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t want to overstep my bounds¡­ But¡­¡±


    ¡°I love statements that start that way.¡± Glantheir smiled, selecting a berry-filled pastry. ¡°You just know the next statement is going to be loaded.¡±


    ¡°Well, why accept them at all? Wasn¡¯t the Burning Eye an enemy?¡±


    ¡°If I only accepted souls from my domain, my realm would have crumbled long ago. Did you forget my speech about ¡®infinite forgiveness?¡¯¡±


    Theo remembered it. He just didn¡¯t know if he believed in it. Forgiveness was one thing, but infinite forgiveness? That kind of compassion would get a person killed, and he wasn¡¯t sure if that¡¯s the path he would follow. ¡°Redemption is one thing, but I just can¡¯t relate.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to. You¡¯re your own person. Live your life however you see fit. Sulvan will be a useful tool. So would Uharis, if he accepts my cores.¡±


    Benton brought the steaming teapot over, pouring everyone a cup of his custom mix. Glantheir accepted graciously. Theo had been taking the bear god¡¯s amazing tea for granted, and gave his thanks.


    ¡°This is strange,¡± Benton said, chuckling as he took a seat.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Glantheir asked. ¡°The old gods used to meet this way all the time. We would gather, and watch our followers down on the mortal plane.¡±


    ¡°What changed?¡± Theo sipped his tea, finding the flavor to be perfect. As always.


    ¡°The rules changed in the first era. The gods were barred from visiting each other¡¯s realms.¡±


    Theo felt another mental knock. He recognized this one, and accepted it right away. Several moments later, after some polite sipping of tea, the unshrouded form of  Uz¡¯Xulven walked into the room. She dusted her shoulders off, nodded to the group, then took a seat.


    ¡°Can¡¯t miss out on Benton¡¯s food,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, waiting politely for him to pour her tea. The bear god poured her a large cup, and she thanked him.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven wasn¡¯t around for those days,¡± Glantheir said, nodding toward the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows. ¡°She¡¯s part of the second era gods.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven grumbled before straightening her shoulders. ¡°I was always jealous of you. Nice to finally meet you in person, though.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°I¡¯ve missed this so much. I can only handle spirits that want to worship the ground I walk on so much.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure where he stood in this hierarchy. Perhaps Tero¡¯gal was neutral territory for everyone. Of course that¡¯s what it was. A mortal dreamrealm that allowed anyone to visit wasn¡¯t a normal thing. It was a new era for the gods.


    ¡°Yet, Drogramath hasn¡¯t visited,¡± Theo said, sipping his tea. ¡°Curious.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Good luck with that one,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven muttered. ¡°He rarely talks to me. Old Glantheir here responds more than my own blood.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on him,¡± Glantheir scolded, like a father reprimanding his child. ¡°Drogramath has been making moves for untold eons. He¡¯s defensive and scared.¡±


    ¡°Especially after what happened to Zagmon,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven grumbled. ¡°Anyway! I was watching the progress of the undead. They¡¯re assaulting Veosta. Does that sting, friend?¡±


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    Glantheir¡¯s face darkened for only a moment. He offered the table a warm smile. ¡°All part of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Why would Veosta be important to you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Veosta is the bastard colony of half-elves,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s kinda a useless sentiment, isn¡¯t it? Want to explain?¡±


    Glantheir took a bite out of his pastry and nodded. He washed it down with a sip of tea. ¡°The first people to arrive in the world were all humans from Earth. We were all placed in new bodies. Elves, cat-people, goblins, ogres¡­ Curiously, none of us were given human bodies.¡±


    ¡°None? Really? I¡¯ve seen humans, though.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve seen elves, my friend.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s elves all the way down,¡± Glantheir sighed. ¡°There were a few people who refused to ascend during the First War of Ascension. They stayed behind like Khahar, and tried to make Earth-like things. Like humans. The pozwa in your town are an experiment to make goats. The karatan are an abomination meant to be cattle. It never really worked, but the humans were the closest thing they came up with.¡±


    ¡°Not sure what I think about eugenics,¡± Theo said.


    Benton chuckled, asserting that he was indeed still at the table.


    ¡°Thousands of years have a way of making people focused,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°Every human you see is actually just an elf made to look like a human. Oh, well.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing. That was a very godly response to the topic.


    ¡°Veosta¡¯s destruction is one thing, but Qavell¡­¡±


    A loud snap issued from Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s side of the table. Khahar appeared behind her, clamping his hand over her mouth. ¡°We talked about this,¡± the arbiter growled.


    ¡°Yuri. Nice of you to join us,¡± Glantheir said, gesturing to the single remaining seat.


    Uz¡¯Xulven had a look of terror in her eyes. Khahar remained there for long, tense moments. Eventually, he released his fellow god and strode across the table. He took his seat and nodded. ¡°Could I please have some tea, Benton?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Benton said, fumbling with the teapot. He poured out a cup for Khahar, then busied himself by making another pot.


    ¡°If Theo can¡¯t know it on his own, you can¡¯t tell him,¡± Khahar grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll create a binding agreement with the gods. Otherwise¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise we can¡¯t all come here to hang out,¡± Glantheir said, holding his teacup up as though to toast. ¡°We understand, old friend. I¡¯d rather not lose this new hangout spot.¡±


    Theo considered the thoughts that swirled around in his mind. He was only a few pieces of information away from knowing what happened in Qavell. But his Wisdom of the Soul ability wouldn¡¯t activate. The alchemist felt it churning in his mind, but it wouldn¡¯t produce the result. He concluded that Khahar was messing with it. That was more than fair. There were some secrets of the world that needed to be kept secret, and he wouldn¡¯t pry. It wasn¡¯t worth damaging the tea parties he had come to enjoy so much.


    Khahar sipped his tea, grabbing one of Benton¡¯s famous pastries. He seemed bored as he nibbled on it, eyes lingering on the space between those that had gathered.


    ¡°Do you have a champion, Glantheir?¡± Theo asked, breaking the silence. All eyes turned to the elven god.


    ¡°I do! She is a stalwart champion. Has been for hundreds of years now.¡±


    ¡°He has a preference for passive followers,¡± Khahar said. ¡°And we love him for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the fabric holding everything together, Arbiter. If the mortals couldn¡¯t heal themselves, we¡¯d all be doomed.¡±


    The tea party went on for endless hours. Theo listened to the stories that Khahar and Glantheir told each other. They were careful with their words. At points, the alchemist could feel them holding things back. It was the most pleasant time he ever had in Tero¡¯gal. The elven god¡¯s warmth filled the realm, setting everyone in a great mood.


    Time passed in the strange way it always did in Tero¡¯gal. Theo gathered Zarali, who was eager to make overly polite introductions to Glantheir. Uz¡¯Xulven departed with them, coming to rest on the Bridge rather than proceeding to the mortal realm. That would have violated a list of laws in the high heavens. The alchemist¡¯s feet finally touched ground in his town, bringing a different sense of comfort.


    ¡°Well, that was lovely,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I do miss Belgar. He¡¯s living an entire life in your realm.¡±


    ¡°Funny how that works. What am I supposed to do today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your assistant.¡±


    Zarali went her own way, leaving Theo to dig through his administration interface. He was supposed to be planning for the festivities in Rivers and Daub. Instead, he headed for the lab to meet up with Salire. Rowan and Sarisa checked in with him, then went off to do their own things for the day. The alchemist promised to inform them if he planned to leave town via the train.


    Even on the first floor of the Newt and Demon, it was hot. Theo smelled the scent of brewing liquor from the lab above. He made his way to the second floor to check supplies before sending his senses through the lodestone network. His golems were hard at work, rebuilding the fields, harvesting plants from his greenhouses, and guarding the mine. As nothing seemed out of order, he made his way to the lab.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Salire said, clapping her hands. ¡°Did you get the stuff?¡±


    Theo produced a barrel of the [Greater Hallow the Soil] potion. Salire inspected it with glee. Nothing had changed about the description, but the silvery liquid radiated a sense of power. The alchemist wasn¡¯t sure if this was a third, fourth, or fifth tier potion. He only knew that it was powerful. The perfect thing to restore the land to what it once was.


    ¡°Glantheir was light on details,¡± Theo said, stowing the potions away. ¡°Out of every patron, I expected him to take action against the undead.¡±


    Salire shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of the heavens. I¡¯m not interested in going back anytime soon. I just wish you would have trusted me to recover on my own.¡±


    ¡°Figured that one out, huh?¡± Theo asked with a nod.


    ¡°I appreciate distractions. Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡±


    Theo and Salire worked to get the next batch of potions ready. The store on the first floor had been mostly depleted from the monster waves, but taking care of the undead befoulment was at the top of their list. Adventurers could do without their healing potions for a few days while they sorted the industrial production of [Greater Hallow the Soil]. Today, they would run a batch of base alcohol for the high-tier potion. And it would take all day. At least his new apprentice was grinding experience like a fiend.


    After sorting the lab out, Salire joined Theo at the town hall. Alise was looking over a list of supplies needed for the three-town party. They were rolling an existing holiday, Embers, into a holiday of their own making. Treason Day. At the turn of the Season of Fire, Broken Tusk sought to celebrate their independence from Qavell. Some administrators in the alliance were of the mind that they violated no laws of the crown. Others knew the truth. Whoever was in charge of Qavell City would come knocking.


    That¡¯s what rail guns were for.


    ¡°I bought all the beer, wine, mead, and so forth from everyone. Including imports from Partopour,¡± Salire said, poking a finger into her paper. The numbers were staggering. ¡°Decorations. Music. A troupe of traveling ogres will perform a play.¡±


    ¡°Traveling ogres?¡± Theo asked. ¡°First time I¡¯m hearing about this.¡±


    ¡°Right. Anything else?¡±


    Salire had some suggestions to make the party memorable. In classic half-ogre logic, she suggested large bonfires burning in the streets of Rivers and Daub. Theo wasn¡¯t so sure about that, but he was distracted. Alran Cherman, the spymaster for the alliance, was chatting with Gwyn and Gael. The alchemist sauntered over, placing a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Normally, no news is good news,¡± Theo said, pulling his spymaster to the side. ¡°When it comes to Qavell? I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    Alran chuckled nervously. ¡°Then we¡¯re of the same mind,¡± he whispered. ¡°Come.¡±


    Theo walked with the spymaster, finding a corner to whisper their skullduggery. Alran seemed his normal, calm self. Aside from the whispering.


    ¡°The last thing my spy in Qavell said was ¡®something is happening.¡¯ Then silence. My people in Veosta talk about a losing war with the undead.¡±


    ¡°How is Veosta responding?¡±


    ¡°Evacuation. There¡¯s talk about Glantheir¡¯s champion coming to save the day, but I doubt it. The elf lord never extends his influence outside of Tarantham. The elves like to keep to their homeland.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll be safe on the elven continent?¡±


    ¡°I have absolutely no doubt they¡¯ll be completely fine. Even if the undead walk the ocean, they won¡¯t stand a chance against Elven God of Healing and his core-holders.¡±


    ¡°The undead are being controlled by Balkor, aren¡¯t they?¡± Theo asked, rubbing his chin. The edges of his mind stretched out, trying to find a motive for the Demon God of Undeath. ¡°What does he want?¡±


    ¡°Destruction?¡±


    ¡°No, he would have pressed against us. We¡¯re an easier target than the elves, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t admit that in front of Aarok, but yes. Compared to the Taranthian Empire, we¡¯re ants underfoot.¡±


    ¡°Which implies an intelligent motive. Meaning there¡¯s a plan.¡±


    ¡°What about your godly friends? Why not ask them?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re bound in heavenly contracts. Khahar showed up when Uz¡¯Xulven tried to tell me what happened in Qavell.¡±


    Alran cursed, spitting on the ground. ¡°And our friend, mister Southblade?¡±


    ¡°Fenian? He¡¯s in the wind. I only know that he is alive.¡±


    Alran hummed, scratching the growing stubble on his chin. ¡°He was last in Balkor¡¯s realm, right? Have you mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario?¡±


    ¡°What would that be?¡±


    ¡°That Fenian Feintleaf is an undead servant of Balkor.¡±


    No, that would complicate matters too much. Khahar was insistent that Fenian hold the Throne of the Herald. The Arbiter saw a million steps ahead, this would have been part of the plan. Theo still couldn¡¯t see how sacrificing so many people was in line with the long-term plan, though. For the first time since he came to this world, he sent a secret prayer to Glantheir. A prayer to keep the lost souls safe. If the elven god wouldn¡¯t take them in, he would.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not consider that. Remind me to splash him with a [Hallow Ground Potion] the next time I see him.¡±


    Alran produced a vial of the same potion from his coat. It was nestled in a hidden bandoleer. ¡°Ahead of you, alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Trust is hard to earn. It¡¯s even harder to win back.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Could I make a request?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Double our wall-based weaponry.¡±


    Theo intended to triple it.

 5.16 - Tram Ride

    Theo squinted against the horizon. Wind whipped at his face, sending tears welling in his eyes. Those tears were pulled away by the force of the wind as the alchemist rode the tram. He sat crowded with other citizens of Broken Tusk, intent on seeing Rivers and Daub. Tresk held on with both hands, gritting her teeth and cursing the entire ride. When the train pulled into the station, everyone on board breathed a collective sigh of relief.


    ¡°Screw that thing!¡± Tresk shouted, jumping out of the tram.


    Theo found his legs in time, stumbling out of the train and onto the wooden platform. Music sounded in the distance, and there were people partying outside of the town. Trevas Parn, the newly elected mayor of Rivers and Daub, approached the train with a beer in either hand.


    ¡°Archduke!¡± he shouted, laughing as Theo and Tresk stumbled off of the platform and onto the firm ground. He shoved a beer in each of their hands. ¡°Welcome to Rivers! To Treason Day!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Duke Parn,¡± Theo said, wobbling on the spot. He sipped his mug of beer, nodding with approval. It was the local brew, something similar enough to mead for him to enjoy. ¡°Things are already starting, huh?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, they are. And you must be Tresk¡­ Oh, she¡¯s gone,¡± Trevas said, scanning the area. Tresk had vanished, off to scout the town. ¡°Shall I give you the tour?¡±


    ¡°Lead on.¡±


    Rivers and Daub had seen a substantial change. Theo¡¯s heart twanged with recognition as they entered the town, following a path along the river. The town was named as it was because it was originally two towns. On one side was Rivers. On the other, Daub. They had combined into a single town at some point. In recent memory, they were run by Alran Cherman. A corrupt man who only had an interest in lining his pockets. Broken Tusk had put him to better use, under threat of death.


    Now the town thrived.


    ¡°You¡¯ll remember this side of town from last time,¡± Trevas said with a chuckle.


    The duke gestured to stacked rows of buildings. The last time Theo was here for a tour, they were the slums of the town. Each building had looked like burned-out shanties. Filth was strewn along the streets, and citizens lived in horrid conditions. Trevas had transformed the area into a beautiful, verdant garden of well-maintained houses and cheerful people. Little gardens, filled with local flowers and saplings dotted the area.


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± Theo said. ¡°How did you manage it in such a short time?¡±


    ¡°We get a subsidy from the alliance,¡± Trevas laughed. ¡°Thought you would have known about that. We turned the slums into free housing. The only catch is that citizens who take advantage of the housing need a job with the town.¡±


    Theo walked the renewed streets, nodding at everything with approval.


    ¡°This place looks clean,¡± Tresk said, speaking into Theo¡¯s mind. ¡°He¡¯s not hiding the slums anywhere.¡±


    The slums were on the western side of the city. Almost everywhere around Rivers and Daub were low, rolling plains. This made construction easy, both for seed core buildings and manually built ones. A group of citizens danced by, singing a song and sipping from filled tankards of mead. The alchemist watched with a smile as they passed by.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking advantage of the port in Broken Tusk,¡± Trevas said, gaining Theo¡¯s attention. ¡°Happy to pay the fee, of course. Rivers and Daub hasn¡¯t sold this much produce in ages.¡±


    ¡°Funny how that works,¡± Theo said, continuing his tour throughout the western district. It was almost entirely housing on this side. Farms stretched far into the distance at the town¡¯s edge, and the alchemist realized how much Trevas had expanded that operation. ¡°When we were connected to Qavell, we barely sold anything. Now that we¡¯re cut off, we¡¯re making a fortune.¡±


    ¡°Well, also remember¡­¡± Trevas trailed off, smacking his lips as he thought. ¡°Qavell provided more food for the world than you would think. Especially local produce, such as Qavelli Berries and Ansari Wheat.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Once the tour of the western district was done, Trevas led Theo to the eastern district. This was the original seat of corruption in Rivers and Daub. They had emulated the merchant chairs from Qavell, resulting in a vampiric relationship between the merchants and the citizens. The buildings here were all much better quality, despite the recent renovations. All the town¡¯s artisans, merchants, and nobles were housed here.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you read the reports,¡± Trevas said, shifting uncomfortably on the cobbled road. ¡°But this was a grim place only weeks ago.¡±


    Theo had glossed over those reports. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well¡­ You see, the merchant lords wouldn¡¯t give up their seats. So, Alran¡­ Well, he disposed of them.¡±


    ¡°Long live the revolution,¡± Theo muttered, pushing on with his tour.


    The repeated cycle of destruction and rebirth present in this world had always stuck out to Theo. He didn¡¯t like it. It reminded him of the way things had gone back on Earth. Only, they never got to experience the rebirth part of that equation. They got to enjoy a long line of destruction, with no hope of recovery. While he hoped Khahar had some grand plan to make things right, he realigned his thoughts on the present.


    Trevas finished his tour at the town hall, inviting Theo inside for some tea. They had something in common, at least. The duke of Rivers and Daub had administrators covering the day¡¯s events, leaving him free to worry about other things. They sat in a well-furnished room with the window cracked open. Rivers had yet to adopt the air conditioner technology used in Broken Tusk, resulting in a sweltering interior. At least they had [Cleansing Scrub].


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re enjoying your position as mayor. And duke.¡±


    ¡°I have seen little about the ¡®duke¡¯ part.¡± Trevas laughed, sipping his tea. ¡°But, yes. I¡¯m enjoying my position as mayor.¡±


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    The duo chatted for some time. Theo could feel Sarisa and Rowan somewhere in the shadows nearby. Tresk was scouring the northern reaches of the town, desperate to find something that implicated Trevas as a traitor to the alliance. But no matter how long she searched, even with the help of Alex in the sky above, she couldn¡¯t find anything.


    ¡°How has the corruption been?¡± Theo asked, moving on to his third cup of tea. He didn¡¯t care much for mead.


    ¡°It¡¯s not great,¡± Trevas said. ¡°But I know our brothers and sisters in Gronro have it worse. So we don¡¯t complain.¡±


    Theo pushed himself out of the comfortable chair, pulling his coat closer. ¡°Show me.¡±


    Trevas led the way through the town. The streets were now thick with people celebrating the holiday. Most were already drunk, although it wasn¡¯t even noon. Those that remained sober were on guard duty, keeping an eye out for any troublemakers. In Theo¡¯s administration interface, he had seen notes made by Alise to give the guards in Broken Tusk a day of their own. They were taking the celebrations in shifts.


    ¡°Just up near the northern stretches,¡± Trevas said, drawing labored breaths as they walked. ¡°We¡¯ve had several people complain about illnesses related to the corruption. The farmers burned one field, but nothing major.¡±


    The ground changed to a vile shade of green near the northern gate. Theo could feel the necromantic energy emanating from the ground. Even standing still, he could feel it spreading by the moment. If left untreated, the rot would spread to all corners of the continent before long.


    ¡°This is worse than I expected,¡± Theo said, kneeling to inspect the befouled soil.


    ¡°I was told you were working on a treatment,¡± Trevas said, fidgeting with his hands nervously.


    Theo withdrew a barrel of the [Hallow the Soil] potion from his inventory. It fell to the ground with a loud thunk. He popped the lid, scooping a two-unit sample size with a flask and dripped it on the ground. Like the [Cleansing Scrub] potion, the ground exploded with light. From the point where he splashed it, the potion worked its way out. Perhaps a foot in each direction. Two halms, by the local measurements. He made a note of that in his mind, and continued to spread the potion. Trevas watched in amazement as the corruption was banished from his town.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had finished the potion,¡± the duke said, gawking.


    ¡°Yeah, take this,¡± Theo said, producing a flask and holding it out. ¡°We¡¯ll purge it from the town, then work our way out.¡±


    The archduke and the duke worked together, scooping up small amounts of the potion and spreading it on the soil. Ripples of light rolled through the landscape as they worked. A small, rowdy crowd gathered nearby as the pair worked. One among them had a stringed instrument, and began playing and singing an improvised tune. Trevas went red in the face as they worked, but within a few hours the corruption was beaten back beyond the town¡¯s border.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving this with you,¡± Theo said, patting the half-empty barrel of [Hallow the Soil]. ¡°Just keep the corruption at bay for now. We¡¯re working on a way to disperse the potion over a wide area.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Trevas said, clapping a hand on the alchemist¡¯s back. ¡°This calls for celebration!¡±


    Of course, the celebrations had already started on the streets of Rivers and Daub. The citizens didn¡¯t need the duke¡¯s permission to drink, lighting fires, and sing in the streets. Theo was left with a feeling of accomplishment as he watched those people celebrate. But he was also left with a realization. This region, the middle of the southern edge of the continent, was the last enclave of Qavelli culture left. Gronro to the north had a harder edge to them like the dwarves, while Broken Tusk to the south held a unique blend of ogre, marshling, and human cultures.


    Theo found himself in the thick of the celebration. He desperately searched for a theme. The Dying of the Blooms festival had a contest and everything. The Embers holiday devolved into dancing around bonfires and drinking far too much. Although he had his complaints about the specific themes of the holiday, the alchemist joined with his people around the fires. He even spotted some of his administrators dancing around a fire, and spied Alise singing a song to Nira.


    ¡°What a sight,¡± Theo said, turning away from the festivities to find a quiet corner. He slumped against a stone wall, sensing Rowan coming forth from the shadows.


    ¡°Big party,¡± the half-ogre grunted.


    ¡°I thought there would be more to it.¡±


    ¡°Some people need to release their frustrations. No reason to stop them.¡±


    Theo nodded, watching as a pair of humans tumbled down some stairs. He allowed his mindset to shift. Away from a taskmaster and toward an enjoyer of parties. Celebrations were never something he was interested in on Earth, but he saw the value in them here. Citizens of the alliance lost themselves around those bonfires. As they danced, their troubles seemed to melt away. Perhaps that was due to the titanic quantity of booze they had, but still. It hardly seemed to matter at the moment.


    Rowan and Theo roamed the party, finding no common theme between the various roads and alleys of the town. The alchemist found that he liked this celebration more than the last festival. It was free of constraints, allowing those participating to express themselves however they wanted. That allowed him to melt into the background as an observer, rather than a participant.


    Lining the bank of the river were people. They cheered, and jeered, as something happened in the waters below. Theo watched them throw coins on the ground, betting on whatever was happening. He angled his way through the crowd, pushing to the river¡¯s edge. Standing on a single log were two figures. Tresk and Grogrog Stormfist, the duke of Gronro-Dir, were rolling a log. Each had a tankard of mead in their hand, and were chugging it as though their lives depended on it. When either person finished their drink, the crowd would shout a number before tossing them another sloshing mug.


    Theo withdrew a cold coin from his inventory, tossing it down onto the ground. Like the others around him, he shouted his bet. ¡°One gold on the angry lizard!¡±


    Tresk shot Theo a look, but chugged her beer even faster. The battle raged on for minutes, each participant downing a seemingly endless supply of booze. The alchemist cheered the entire time, certain that his champion would falter at any moment. The marshling wasn¡¯t great at holding her liquor, and he could sense her flagging more by the moment. Keeping the log in place was a feat unto itself, so the spectacle was worth the price of admission.


    ¡°She¡¯s faltering,¡± Rowan said, gesturing toward Tresk.


    The little marshling had indeed lost her balance for a moment. Through their connection, Theo could feel her mind fading away from the task. The mead was taking its hold on her, dulling the edges of her senses. Before long, she wouldn¡¯t have the coordination to stay upright. That prediction only took a few minutes to come to fruition. Tresk pitched over the edge, yelping as she splashed into the cold river water below.


    ¡°Never challenge a dwarf to a drinking contest!¡± Grot shouted, returning to his chugging. He took a deep breath. ¡°Who''s next!?¡±


    Another challenger jumped onto the log, but quickly found themselves in the river. Theo sensed that Tresk had retreated to their private realm to recover, but was too busy cheering for more challengers to care. Minutes later the marshling appeared at his side, cracking her knuckles.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna do it again.¡±


    Theo left the log competition, finding similar contests going on throughout the town. Perhaps that was the soul of their new hybrid holiday. Lighting fires and testing each other¡¯s strength with interesting battles. The least interesting thing he witnessed was a fire-jumping contest. Guards within Rivers and Daub refused to allow folks to spread embers throughout the streets. The result was pathetic fires that anyone could jump over.


    The guards within the town were an interesting sight. Before the alliance had formed, Theo thought of them as weak. But Aarok was building them up to be more than anyone could have imagined. No longer able to rely on the protective curtain of the crown, they were now subjected to the same training as everyone else. Their willingness to change in the face of a threat was inspiring.


    Falling into a steady rhythm of watching people party, and inspecting the infrastructure of the town, Theo made his way through the festivities.

 5.17 - Purge

    Tresk groaned, rolling and falling out of her bed. ¡°Ugh. My head.¡±


    The poor marshling crawled along the ground, finding a spot in the room where the sun wasn¡¯t shining. Theo threw his legs over the edge of his bed, watching the poor creature curl into a ball. She went too hard yesterday. No matter how many times Grot beat her on the log, she kept trying. While she expected the Dreamwalk to cure her hangover, it just didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°Too bad I never found sanchrin,¡± Theo said, finding a bucket to place near his companion. ¡°You should retreat to Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    Alex honked, flapping her wings in agreement.


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Tresk groaned. Then she vanished on the spot, set to return in about five minutes.


    Theo went down for breakfast, finding Xol¡¯sa and Zarali already eating. He found a seat and looked over the spread that Sarisa and Rowan had gotten from Xam¡¯s tavern. She was smart enough to know that people would search for greasy food. Sausages, oil-fried pozwa eggs, and a strange hangover cure that contained mostly fire salamander egg shells. The alchemist passed on the cure, going instead for a plate filled with sausages.


    ¡°Our Theo is wise enough to know,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, jabbing his finger into the air. ¡°A leader never gets too drunk.¡±


    ¡°He has an aversion to drinking,¡± Zarali said. She poked at the sausages on her plate. ¡°Be nice.¡±


    ¡°I was mostly interested in how far Rivers had come.¡± Theo took a small bite of a sausage, finding the flavor to be explosive. Whisper had a secret blend of spices she wouldn¡¯t reveal to anyone, no matter how much they begged. ¡°Their new duke is doing well.¡±


    The conversation rolled on, mostly falling on pleasant topics. Both Zarali and Xol¡¯sa had seen Tresk competing in the log-rolling contest. Both agreed it was foolish to challenge a dwarf to drinking. After the conversation died, resulting in a temporary wave of silence in the dining room, Tresk thundered down the stairs. She snatched several things from the table. After shoving them down her throat, she darted out of the building without a word.


    None seated at the table saw this as odd.


    After chatting for a while, Theo left the manor and headed off to the lab. Salire wasn¡¯t there, which likely meant she was hung over from the night before. The alchemist rummaged through her notes down in the shop, finding that there were several orders in for restoration potions. A quick thought to his lodestone network, and his plant golems were carrying supplies upstairs for him.


    Theo designated three of his stills toward the production of restoration potions. He would use the remaining seven to create [Greater Hallow the Ground] potions. He ground [Spiny Swamp Thistle Roots], [Manashrooms], and [Moss Nettle] into three stills. The golems came in part-way through the process, bringing enough supplies to bolster his emptied stocks. While the new crop of [Dragon Talon Mushrooms] weren¡¯t cultivated to their fullest, they were close enough for this batch of [Suffuse Potions].


    By the time Theo got most of the ingredients ground and the stills boiling, Salire stumbled into the lab. She had dark circles under her eyes, and pulled away from any source of light.


    ¡°There¡¯s a cure for hangovers,¡± Theo said, finishing the last of his stills. He moved to the far side of the room, cranking his air conditioner to full.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you brewed it?¡± Salire grumbled, walking like a zombie throughout the room. She was looking for something.


    ¡°I¡¯d need a sample of the sanchrin plant.¡±


    ¡°Do we have any [Fire Salamander Eggs]?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re after that half-ogre hangover cure, aren¡¯t you? Xam is serving it.¡±


    Salire¡¯s hooded gaze scraped over the room, landing flatly on Theo. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    Theo laughed to himself, then double-checked his stills. They were all set on automatic runs, which wouldn¡¯t require his attention. The three restoration essences were distilling straight into barrels, while the [Refined Suffuse Essence] would go directly into the building¡¯s storage. The alchemist once again turned his attention to the lodestone network, closing his eyes to probe the strength of his willpower. When he had first attached the network to Tero¡¯gal, the connection was tenuous. But as the days rolled on, that connection grew more stable.


    ¡°Time for an upgrade,¡± Theo said, ordering his army of plant golems to the back of the lab. He assembled piles of vegetation as he waited for them.


    The strength of the golem¡¯s connection to Tero¡¯gal had grown to a point where he was confident they could all be upgraded. He turned each [Lesser Plant Golem] into a [Plant Golem], watching with satisfaction each time they assembled themselves. The second tier golems were stronger, faster, and more intelligent thanks to their higher-level cores. While he had made no improvements to their containment core, the monster core upgrade was enough.


    The alchemist returned to the lab to find Salire crunching on raw salamander eggs. He excused himself, making his way to Throk¡¯s workshop. The angry marshling was there, working on one of his hover engines.


    ¡°This right here,¡± Throk said without even turning around. ¡°Is a small version of my power condenser.¡±


    Theo spotted the device. It was a small, glowing artifice packed into a Drogramathi Iron cage. He could feel it sucking ambient power in from the surrounding air. Throk didn¡¯t stop there, though. He turned, holding another device in his hands. It was a metal frame that seemed perfectly shaped to fit the alchemist¡¯s mana slates.


    ¡°I already tested this with a discarded mana construct of yours,¡± Throk said, holding it out for Theo to inspect. ¡°The siphon should charge your construct, allowing your golems to operate for longer periods of time. The recharging will degrade the constructs, so they¡¯ll need to be changed¡­ weekly? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Excellent work,¡± Theo said, taking the artifice from Throk. ¡°I was just working on my golems.¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re doing good work out in the field.¡± Throk sighed. ¡°Folks like the wheat you¡¯re growing. And I know those copper golems have done good work in the mine.¡±


    ¡°How many of these can you produce?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a trickle. Gearing up for full-scale production on my remote sprayer platform.¡±


    That was exciting. Judging by the Tworgnothi Copper cables laying around the workshop, Throk had taken Theo¡¯s advice on controlling the airship remotely. That project was turning out to be more of a floating platform that sprayed potions from up high, but it didn¡¯t need to operate at a high altitude. If the airship-thing was controlled remotely, there was no risk that the operator would get sick from the necromantic taint.


    ¡°How are your normal sprayers operating in Gronro? Are they doing well?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been doing fine,¡± Throk said, waving Theo¡¯s concerns away. ¡°Not enough moving parts for magical interference.¡±


    ¡°Next question. What do you think about the ambient necromantic mana lingering in the air? Is that going to reinfect the land once we¡¯ve purged it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in triage mode.¡± Throk banged a wrench against the side of some machine. It kicked to life, humming in the workshop¡¯s corner. ¡°Better to focus our efforts on one thing at a time.¡±


    Theo knew that was true, but couldn¡¯t help himself. He understood a bit more about the way that power leaking from realms worked. Like a newly born star, the resurrected realm of Balkor would have been bright in the night¡¯s sky. As the he chatted with Throk, the alchemist summoned a [Plant Golem] for testing.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to do it here? In my lab?¡±


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    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What if it explodes?¡±


    Theo regarded his golem, thinking about that possibility. The containment core should have been strong enough to prevent the thing from exploding. That was the most over-engineered part of the golems, after all. Since all the power passed through that containment core, there shouldn¡¯t have been an issue. Throk was too used to the alchemist¡¯s promises of ¡®no explosions,¡¯ forcing him to take the golem outside for testing.


    ¡°We¡¯re replacing the siphon system, and the mana system,¡± Theo said, urging the golem to kneel to his level. ¡°Unlike an artifice, we don¡¯t have to wire this manually. Everything should just work.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡±


    Theo withdrew the crude mana construct from the golem¡¯s chest. It sagged, large sections of decaying vegetation sloughing off in sheets. He jammed Throk¡¯s new condenser into the thing¡¯s chest before slotting his old mana construct into the new battery device. While the old mana construct needed an upgrade, this wasn¡¯t the time. The alchemist was happy enough to get this one step completed. With everything inside the golem, he sent a mental command for it to awaken.


    The golem drew the various pieces of vegetation into itself. It swelled as visible motes of mana drew inward, seeding the creature¡¯s mana construct with power. Moments later, it moved, searching for commands from the lodestone network.


    ¡°That worked. Shockingly,¡± Theo said, inspecting the golem. Everything seemed to function, but the amount of power it drew from the air was low. ¡°The only part I have to work on is the mana construct in your battery system.¡±


    ¡°You could always use my coins,¡± Throk shrugged. ¡°Or a plate of Drogramathi Iron, maybe? Well, we would have to worry about discharge rates¡­¡±


    Throk had some ideas on how to make that part of the golems better, but Theo¡¯s mind centered on one fact. The golems should have been immune to the power of Balkor. If anyone needed to go out into the area north of Gronro, they could. The fleeting thought that his golems could act as massive siphons, removing energy from the air, left his mind as quickly as it entered. The necromantic magic that ruined the land was mana-based, not power-based. The difference was subtle, but mana was refined power. And Throk¡¯s new artifices accepted power, not mana.


    Theo was once again reminded that this was a problem for another time. Instead of fretting about it, he inspected his new golem and made plans to go to Gronro-Dir today.


    [Plant Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 20


    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 Scrier] (Level 20)


    Medium: [Plant Matter]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Tworgnothi Copper Battery]


    Siphon System: [Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifice]


    Additional Modifications: None


    After chatting with Throk for a bit, Theo left to head to the lab. Despite their industrial production of the [Greater Hallow the Soil] potion, he didn¡¯t have the confidence he expected. This was the cure to heal the land, but they needed so much. The quantity required was staggering, and the more he thought about it the more he wanted another solution. But like the old marshling said, there was only so much they could do. The Southlands Alliance needed to focus their efforts on what they could change now. Like, right now. The folks in Gronro had it the worst, so immediate action was required.


    The alchemist stuffed Drogramathi Iron bars into his inventory, soaking a construct tablet with [Fire Essence] as Salire watched him work. Theo double-checked his supplies before opening his administration interface, creating a new note. Alise would be mad if he didn¡¯t tell her he was headed to Gronro to work on the corruption problem.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to come?¡± Theo asked, packing a few last-minute things away into his inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Salire said, laughing nervously. ¡°Someone has to watch the stills. Right?¡±


    Theo only nodded his response. Maybe it was time to upgrade the lab again. But more alchemy equipment didn¡¯t mean more potions. The lab was at its capacity based on supply, rather than production. It didn¡¯t take long for Alise to sign off on the trip to Gronro-Dir. Everyone in town had been worried about the town, although they didn¡¯t express it. That problem was a shadow hanging over everyone.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked, waiting and watching the shadows. Moments later, Rowan and Sarisa emerged. They nodded in unison.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, too,¡± Alex said from afar. Theo could sense her circling overhead.


    ¡°Can you keep up?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    The journey to Gronro-Dir would have taken days, if not weeks, on foot. Throk¡¯s absurdly fast tram made the trip possible in an hour or two, depending on factors the marshling wouldn¡¯t explain. Theo reflected on the lack of fixed rail systems in this world as he made his way to the platform. He would put money on the fact that Bantein and Partopour had something similar, if not another transportation system entirely. Tarantham seemed too stuffy to embrace such things, though.


    Theo and his assistants climbed into the train car, strapping themselves in with a surly-looking dwarf. The attendant at the station waited for the all-clear, then sent the cart hurtling down the track. Opening one¡¯s eyes and looking directly forward was a recipe for disaster. The alchemist kept his eyes shut tight as the landscape whipped by, preventing his eyeballs from drying out in an instant. No conversation could occur during the trip. The passengers listened to the sound of wind rushing by, and the occasional hum of the cart as it shot up a hill.


    When the tram finally pulled into the Gronro station, all passengers disembarked on shaking legs. Theo felt the oppressive presence of the necromantic energy swirling around him in an instant. The guards near the main gate looked pale, almost sickly. Even the sky above glowed with an eerie green hue. Grot waved at the group from the gates, a smile painting his face.


    ¡°Welcome, archduke!¡± he shouted, seemingly unaffected by the foul air. Theo felt sick to his stomach.


    ¡°Duke Stormfist,¡± Theo said, bowing his head slightly. ¡°Sorry for the unannounced visit. I wanted to see the stain of Balkor myself.¡±


    ¡°Look around.¡± Grot¡¯s face darkened slightly. ¡°The mountain itself screams in agony.¡±


    Gronro was at a considerably higher elevation compared to both Rivers and Broken Tusk. Nestled between two mountain ranges, the town had been the ideal spot to stop the undead¡¯s advancement. Grot had held Murder Passage the entire time, never losing a soldier during the fight. But now the people were flagging. Balkor had left behind a befoulment that would continue unless they intervened.


    ¡°Off to the wall,¡± Theo muttered, clapping his hand on Grot¡¯s shoulder as he went. ¡°Is everyone holding up?¡±


    ¡°Only just. We¡¯re taking it in shifts. Folks get sick. They run down to the Tusk to get some rest, then return when they¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t envy your position.¡± Theo watched a group of slumped soldiers as they passed. Whatever this sickness was, it ran deep. The alchemist paused as they passed by the town¡¯s monolith. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like Broken Tusk¡¯s monolith.¡±


    ¡°No, the one in your town is weird,¡± Grot said, standing next to the root-like structure of his monolith. Broken Tusk¡¯s crystalline monolith looked as though it could be made of onyx, or obsidian. The one here in Gronro appeared more like a tangle of roots, formed into the shape of a pillar with little blue fruiting crystals on the knotted surface.


    The town¡¯s seed core felt weaker than Broken Tusk¡¯s version. With what little magical sense he had, Theo reached out and felt the composition of the seed core. It wasn¡¯t low-leveled. A Level 20 seed core town should have flooded his weak senses with an errant will. But there was almost nothing behind the town. If he tried, the alchemist could pierce through the thing¡¯s will and dominate it. That wouldn¡¯t bring anything, positive or negative.


    ¡°Strange,¡± Theo said, moving off from the town¡¯s center.


    The northern walls were completely abandoned. Theo and his assistants ascended the battlements, peering over the edge to the endless expanse of undeath. Piles of skeletons created mounds almost as tall as the walls in the distance. The narrow bridge had been cleared, but the ravines below must have been filled with Balkor¡¯s leavings. Everything was soaked in the necromantic energy. Even the stones beneath their feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried the energy is going to soak into your town seed core,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°If it hasn¡¯t already,¡± Grot laughed, regaining some of his humor.


    The alchemist withdrew a barrel of his [Greater Hallow the Soil] potion in a barrel. He produced a flask, dipping it into the solution and splashing it on the ground. The effect was immediate and violent. Light soaked into the stones, washing across half of the northern wall to scour it clean. In a flash, all those on the wall breathed in fresh air. The color returned to Grot¡¯s face.


    ¡°That¡¯s something else,¡± the dwarf said, kneeling to inspect the stones.


    Theo thought back to his experiments in Rivers. He used the same amount of potion to cover the same amount of area, gaining the same result. This meant that the potion didn¡¯t care how foul the ground was. If it was only slightly tainted, or corrupted absolutely it would clear it away.


    ¡°We can cover the entire town today. Then some of the corruption outside of the northern gate,¡± Theo said, licking his lips. Despite his expectations for fortitude, his stomach was twisting in on itself. Being so close to the corruption made him want to vomit. ¡°I might have something else, too.¡±


    Sarisa, Rowan, and Grot all grabbed flasks and joined with the alchemist. The purged Balkor from Gronro over the course of hours. Those pale-faced soldiers in the town regained their composure the moment the town was cleared.


    ¡°It worked.¡± Theo breathed a sigh of relief.


    Grot slapped him hard on the back, laughing. ¡°Was there ever any doubt?¡±


    Theo declined to answer, turning his attention to the area north of town.

 5.18 - Clearing The Way

    Ripples of pure white light washed over the bridge outside of Gronro. Theo worked with his companions to drive Balkor¡¯s influence back, sending the befouling necromantic magic retreating into the mountains. The alchemist reserved half a barrel of [Greater Hallow the Soil] for the southern section of town, but intended to scrub as much of the northern section clean as possible. Destroying the source was more important than addressing the residual energy.


    Theo stepped over the bridge, approaching a pile of skeletal remains cautiously. The pile of bones seethed with more of the demon god¡¯s power, and the potion didn¡¯t affect it. ¡°I don¡¯t think these skeletons are dead.¡±


    ¡°Can skeletons die?¡± Rowan grumbled, releasing a single arrow into the pile. It didn¡¯t move.


    Grot approached the pile, then dug through it with abandon. ¡°We hit some skeletons with conventional means.¡± The dwarf withdrew a skull with glowing green eyes from the pile. It chattered, emitting a low, whispering moan. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s still ¡®alive.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Back in the pile,¡± Theo commanded, watching as the dwarven duke complied.


    Once the skull was back in the pile, Theo tossed a [Hallow Ground Bomb]. He watched with satisfaction as the pile of bones lit up with white flames. After a few minutes of burning, every undead within the heap was truly dead. The souls that were trapped within the skeletons were sent into the void, where they would find their way to their new homes. That might have been Balkor¡¯s realm, or another god entirely. It was hard to say.


    The group got back to work, clearing piles and curing the land. Theo pulled Sarisa aside as they worked. A thought had been lingering in his mind since they started their work that day. ¡°I have two ideas.¡±


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Sarisa said, smiling.


    ¡°The town¡¯s core is weak. I can ward it with my newest ward easily. That would create a safe bubble around the town.¡±


    ¡°And the second idea?¡±


    Theo splashed some [Greater Hallow the Soil] potion on the ground. He watched the wave of light wash over the ground. ¡°I can overlay my realm over the town. That was my first idea when we got here. Before I felt how weak the town¡¯s core was.¡±


    Sarisa¡¯s amused expression shifted to concern. ¡°You can do that? Would that do anything?¡±


    It was worth experimenting with things like this. Theo planned on warding the town, rather than overlapping his realm here. But any avenue of power was worth pursuing, so it was important to consider it.


    ¡°It would remove Balkor¡¯s influence entirely. But I¡¯m not confident I could do the entire town.¡±


    ¡°Then go with the ward. No need to stir up a demon god.¡±


    Theo nodded, getting back to work. He let that reckless part of himself fall away, favoring something that would protect the town rather than bolster his own confidence. As he worked around the craggy area, he constructed a new ward in his mind. Combining both concepts of anti-undead essences, and magic repulsion, he could create a linked ward that did a bit of both. Thanks to his [Detect Adverse Magic] trigger, the spell was easy enough to craft.


    The group finished their work, meeting back at the gates to observe the changed area. The haze of green that lingered in the air had been banished. When they breathed in the air, it felt crisp and pure. Of course, Grot withdrew a barrel of stale-smelling beer from his inventory. Theo politely had a mug, but refused another. The guards within the town poured out into the cleaned area, kicking off an impromptu celebration. Of course, the alchemist had more work to do.


    Theo felt Alex flying overhead. She might have been confident that she could keep up, but that proved not to be the case. After hours of work in Gronro, she caught up. He could feel her exhaustion from the flight, and beckoned her to land.


    ¡°I cannot fly fast,¡± Alex spoke into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Theo said, watching as the goose sagged on the spot. ¡°You can ride the train back home. We¡¯ll leave as soon as I finish here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Taking a seated position near the town¡¯s core, Theo got to work on his newest spell. Sarisa seemed interested, kneeling nearby and watching him work. The moment he pressed his willpower against the town, he felt it fall away. There was virtual no defense against his probing, which made sense. He wasn¡¯t casting a negative effect on the town. The spell he wove was two parts, requiring him to chug a few [Mana Potions] while he cast. First, he layered the concept of the [Deflect Magic] ward he had created before.


    [Deflect Magic]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive barrier that impedes all foreign magical energy from entering the bubble.


    Trigger:


    Detect Adverse Magic


    Duration:


    5 days.


    Theo linked another ward to that one, binding it together with his [Linked Wards] ability. The result was a ward that bound the effects of [Deflect Magic] and [Hallow Ground] together. He inspected the resulting ward after weaving them together.


    [Deflect Necromantic Magic]


    [Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward


    Creates a reactive barrier that banishes all undead-aligned magic.


    Trigger:


    Detect Adverse Magic


    Duration:


    5 days.


    It only took a few moments for the ward to activate. A silver barrier sprung up from the town¡¯s seed core, spreading out over the town in an instant. It encompassed the entire town, bringing with it shouts of surprise and awe from the citizens. Theo slipped to one side, tripping over his own feet. Sarisa was there to catch him.


    ¡°Took a lot out of you.¡±


    Theo nodded. It took something more than mana to create the ward. And he wasn¡¯t done. The alchemist went back to his sitting position, withdrawing supplies from his inventory. He placed a pile of [Drogramathi Iron Ingots] on the ground, then got to work binding a new [Monster Core] to a containment core. He tossed the core onto his pile of metal, then his [Fire Construct]. It erupted in flames, melting the iron instantly. The [Drogramathi Iron Golem] rose, the black-purple metal glittering in the afternoon sun.


    ¡°One more experiment,¡± Theo said, channeling the same ward he used on the town onto the golem. It was much easier to brand the hulking metal golem, and the barrier sprung up immediately. ¡°He¡¯s a walking undead cleaner.¡±


    The golem regarded Theo without expression. It was a blank slate, waiting for orders. The alchemist withdrew two more things. A lodestone to bind his will to, and a [Mana Construct] to power the golem while it worked. This wasn¡¯t the ideal plan. The alchemist had wanted a golem that would walk around, sucking up the ambient energy in the air. But for now, he could set the golem to scour the landscape while he wasn¡¯t in town.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    As with most things, there wasn¡¯t one solution that would fix the corruption problem. It was a long list of things he needed to do. The most important thing was to change and adapt as they went. Balkor¡¯s energy was a living thing. There was no reason to assume it wouldn¡¯t shift to meet the alchemist¡¯s measures. Perhaps that meant it would double down, growing more powerful and resistant to the [Hallow Ground Potions]. Or maybe the undead would return.


    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± Sarisa said, looking up at the golem. As with all the second-tier golems, it was huge. Unnecessarily so. ¡°What¡¯s he gonna do? Guard the town?¡±


    ¡°An undead cleaner,¡± Theo repeated, driving the base of his lodestone into the ground. ¡°He¡¯ll wander around, clearing the mountains while we¡¯re not here. And if I link him to Tero¡¯gal¡¯s will¡­¡±


    Theo had to focus hard on the lodestone. He added a fraction of his willpower to the stone before linking it to his realm. He felt a thread of connection spear through the void, then into Tero¡¯gal. Distantly, he felt the power of his lodestone network in Broken Tusk falter. That network should have been smart enough to release one golem from its control, making way for this new one.


    ¡°I can tell what he¡¯s doing,¡± Theo finished, looking up at his creation with pride. He wove a series of instructions into the lodestone. The golem would walk around the mountains, clearing away the corruption with the ward. It would return to town when low on power and report back if it found anything odd.


    The hulking golem lumbered away, drawing a crowd from the locals as it went. Before long, Grot came asking about the intimidating thing. Theo explained it, and the duke seemed happy enough. These were the three means the alchemist intended to use to clear the town of corruption. Golem sentinels, undead-clearing potions, and town-sized wards. It was a lot for one man to do, but he was up for the challenge.


    ¡°Can you find your way back to Broken Tusk?¡± Theo asked. Sarisa¡¯s face took on a look of confusion. ¡°I¡¯m headed to my realm. From there, I can jump to wherever Tresk is.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh¡­ Can you bring me along?¡±


    ¡°Me, too?¡± Rowan asked, approaching in a drunken stupor.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Grab the goose, Rowan. Sarisa, take my hand.¡±


    Rowan scooped Alex up, nuzzling his face into her plumage. Sarisa grabbed Theo¡¯s hand tightly. She was clammy, meaning she was nervous. Most people didn¡¯t like falling through the void, but the alchemist enjoyed it. The infinite blackness put things into perspective. Theo and Alex dropped through the veil?, leaving Gronro-Dir at the same time. Uz¡¯Xulven didn¡¯t summon them onto the Bridge, allowing them passage directly to Tero¡¯gal.


    The spirits were doing their own things, and there were even a few new souls to the mix. Theo accepted them errantly, watching as familiar archways sprung up. Uz¡¯Xulven, Benton, and Glantheir entered the realm at the same time. They said nothing to the alchemist, chatting amongst themselves as they moved into the cottage. Rowan and Sarisa just looked around, dumbstruck as ever.


    After accepting five new souls into his realm, Theo headed to the cottage for some tea. His companions joined him, but Alex teleported away. He felt her head for the sea. Off to hunt some fish, no doubt. The alchemist found his seat at the table, listening in on the conversation as Benton made tea. Glantheir was an extremely supportive conversationalist. He encouraged both Benton and Uz¡¯Xulven to pursue pet projects they had been working on. After light conversation, scones, and some tea, the Elven God of Healing turned to Theo.


    ¡°Are you ready to transport Sulvan?¡± Glantheir asked.


    Theo took a sip of his tea. ¡°I¡¯m ready if you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°We should do it outside,¡± Glantheir said, standing and dusting the crumbs from his plain robes. ¡°Just in case.¡±


    Theo left with the elven god. Instead of bringing Sulvan to the town of souls, he teleported himself and Glantheir far away. There was a mountain range to the west, just beyond the sea he had created, that was isolated enough. In a snap, both men appeared in a heavily forested area. Conifers grew skyward, and the sound of forest creatures skittering in the underbrush echoed off their trunks. A delighted smile played across the elf¡¯s face.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are,¡± Glantheir said.


    Closing his eyes, Theo felt for connections with his willpower. It was as though a million threads spread out from him in every direction. Through intuition, he focused on one. Sulvan¡¯s thread felt like a cool summer¡¯s breeze. The alchemist wrapped his willpower around that thread and tugged, sending a strange sensation spreading through his body. A moment later, and a loud popping sound, Sulvan Flametouched appeared in the forest.


    Sulvan¡¯s eye was still missing, and his face was a webwork of old scars. But the humility that now lingered in his remaining eye was shocking. The big man took a knee, casting his gaze to the ground. ¡°I am not worthy of forgiveness, Lord Glantheir.¡±


    ¡°None of that ¡®lord¡¯ stuff,¡± Glantheir said, waving the thought away. ¡°Rise, Paladin of the Eye.¡±


    Sulvan rose to his feet, eye still glued to the ground.


    ¡°Too bad Uharis didn¡¯t want to come,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Give him time,¡± Sulvan said.


    Glantheir cleared his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t like paladins. Therefore, I¡¯m not offering you a [Glantheir Paladin¡¯s Core]. I¡¯m offering you a [Glantheir Cleric¡¯s Core]. Is that agreeable?¡±


    ¡°I live to serve.¡±


    ¡°And serve you shall.¡± Glantheir chuckled, punching Theo in the arm. ¡°Sulvan¡¯s heart was so wrapped up in his service to the Eye, that he couldn¡¯t see how much the beast warped his heart. When the Eye hears about¡­¡±


    A loud snapping sound came from behind Glantheir. Khahar appeared with a scowl on his face.


    ¡°Sorry, Yuri,¡± Glantheir said, wincing. ¡°I¡¯m just excited to see this man¡¯s redemption.¡±


    Sulvan took a knee once more.


    ¡°Mortal,¡± Khahar said, looking down at Sulvan with spite. ¡°If it was within my ability, I would strip you of your personal level. Reset you to Level 1 and watch you flounder through the ages.¡±


    ¡°I accept whatever punishment I deserve,¡± Sulvan said, head still bowed.


    ¡°Really?¡± Khahar asked, surprised.


    ¡°Yes, Arbiter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my. This might get interesting,¡± Khahar said, snapping his fingers.


    Tero¡¯gal warped around Sulvan. Space bent, but the ex-inquisitor remained motionless. Theo felt his intent through the realm, like an echo. He had spent his entire life serving the Burning Eye. But he wasn¡¯t a willing servant. The Eye had bent his will, filling his mind with whatever nonsense suited the dead god. Well, perhaps not a dead god, since Glantheir slipped up earlier. All that regret poured off him like an open faucet, flooded through his body and soaking into the surrounding air.


    ¡°All 100 Levels you gained while in the Eye''s service have been purged. A fact only possible by your willingness to serve Glantheir,¡± Khahar said, looking down on Sulvan with an expressionless gaze. ¡°Rise, Cleric of Glantheir. Are you prepared to serve?¡±


    Theo watched in awe as Sulvan stood. He was smaller. Less broad in the shoulders, and shorter. A pair of gray eyes stared back at Khahar. Two complete eyes. The scars that tracked the man¡¯s face were gone entirely. Other signs of age had been purged, such as the lines at the corners of the man¡¯s eyes. A smile crept across his face.


    ¡°You understand what I ask of my followers, right?¡± Glantheir asked. ¡°Forgiveness. One day you may have to forgive even the Eye. Are you prepared to do so?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything to atone,¡± Sulvan said, locking eyes with Glantheir.


    Theo felt his conviction in the air. The fire of the Eye had been replaced with another kind of warmth. Heat that spread from his chest. It was absolute and unwavering. A flash of light issued from Sulvan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s play some poker,¡± Khahar said, twirling his finger in the air. They all appeared outside of the cottage in an instant. Each one of them filed into the building, finding a seat at the table as the Arbiter produced his deck of cards.


    ¡°Look at him,¡± Benton said, gesturing to Sulvan. ¡°Reborn and all that.¡±


    Sulvan remained silent, finding his seat at the table. The bear god poured him a cup of tea, and scooted a berry scone across the table. The newly reborn Cleric accepted the food with humility, but he couldn¡¯t hide his constant smile. After playing poker for several hours, Khahar had to take his leave. Glantheir remained to chat with Benton for a while, but Theo pulled Sulvan aside. He teleported them to the ocean where Alex was still hunting for fish in the water.


    ¡°Uharis will come around,¡± Sulvan said, looking at his hands as though they weren¡¯t his own. ¡°Do you know his surname?¡±


    ¡°Banetouched, right?¡±


    ¡°All followers of the Eye get new surnames,¡± Sulvan said, removing his shoes. He approached the beach, digging his toes into the sand. ¡°Those with the Banetouched surname are the most fervent.¡±


    While that was interesting, there was only one question lingering in Theo¡¯s mind. ¡°I need to ask,¡± he said, laughing. ¡°Are there really people on Antalis?¡±


    ¡°There are,¡± Sulvan said, nodding and smiling. ¡°An entire civilization living up there. Living their lives.¡±


    ¡°Do they have access to the system? To cores?¡±


    ¡°They do. But I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Have you forgiven me? Truly?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have to think about that one. He had experienced the effects of a core¡¯s influence before. Even if Drogramath¡¯s intentions were good, the demon god had tried to manipulate him. Sulvan had at least 100 Levels in his Eye-aligned core. The alchemist couldn¡¯t imagine how devastating that would be for a person¡¯s personality. Over those 100 Levels, Sulvan would have become an entirely different person. The man standing before him was the true Sulvan.


    ¡°I forgive you completely,¡± Theo said, placing a hand on the cleric¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Glantheir didn¡¯t say it, but I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re coming back with me. To Broken Tusk and the alliance. I trust you around my people, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sign a contract,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°Already signed one with Glantheir, but I¡¯m happy to do it again.¡±


    Theo and Sulvan lingered near the ocean for the rest of their time in Tero¡¯gal. While they spoke little, they shared a lot in their silence. When the time came, they found Sarisa and Rowan. The alchemist linked arms with Sulvan and Sarisa while Rowan held the goose. Tresk was standing guard on the walls in Broken Tusk, and the group fell through the void toward her.

 5.19 - Sulvan Flametouched

    Shafts of sunlight filtered through the boughs of the cypress trees overhead. Theo and his group landed on the walls of Broken Tusk, right behind the dutiful marshling. Tresk turned, eyes narrowing the moment her sight locked onto Sulvan Flametouched. The alchemist expected her daggers to appear in her hand, then the attack that would follow. But she remained where she was, looking more puzzled than angry.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    Sulvan stood, slightly less tall than he was before. His normally imposing demeanor had been drawn out of him by Glantheir. Now he seemed just as likely to provide comfort as an inquisition. With a slight bow of his head, he regarded Tresk. ¡°Through sacrifice, I have been given another chance.¡±


    Tresk crossed her arms and snorted. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you were gonna bring him back so quickly. Thought you¡¯d make him squirm.¡±


    ¡°Uharis can do squirming enough for the both of them,¡± Theo said, dismissing the tension in the air with a wave of his hand. ¡°How many people remember how much of a dick Sulvan was?¡±


    ¡°Almost everyone who was here when you arrived remember him,¡± Sarisa said, making herself known. ¡°Just another dickish bully from the outside.¡±


    Theo grunted a response, his mind drifting away from the problem. People would accept Sulvan because they needed to. He doubted that there were many holders of a Glantheir core outside of Tarantham. And once the cleric got some levels in his new core, he would be vital to fighting the undead. In the alchemist¡¯s mind, all was forgiven. Things lined up perfectly to bring Sulvan here. Transporting someone from the moon to planet below was a massive feat. It required the approval of both Uz¡¯Xulven and Khahar.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, turning on the spot. Sulvan fell in line behind him.


    It was a quick walk to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The place was bustling with people from Broken Tusk, Gronro, and Rivers and Daub. Theo pushed his way through those people, finding Aarok in his office on the floors above. The half-ogre¡¯s mouth hung open as Sulvan took a seat, folding his hands in his lap as though he were an attentive student.


    ¡°All right,¡± Aarok said, mouth hanging open. ¡°This is a development.¡±


    Theo forestalled each coming question, explaining the situation. As always, Aarok listened to the newest string of weird circumstances the alchemist presented. He nodded along, eyes never leaving Sulvan.


    ¡°So you can teleport to the moon?¡± Aarok asked, scratching his head.


    This was the complicated part. It wasn¡¯t really teleportation. Theo had borrowed the authority of Uz¡¯Xulven and Khahar to poke a hole through reality using the Bridge. He then invited Sulvan to step through. This was an act only accomplished because of their connection. Khahar or Uz¡¯Xulven could have denied the transport. The alchemist had a feeling that the other throne-holder in the world, Fenian, had a say. Whether he could say anything was still a mystery.


    ¡°Yeah. Kinda.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain he¡¯s on our side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been reduced to Level 30,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°Each personal level I gained while in the Eye''s service has been stripped.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± Aarok leaned back in his chair, smiling. ¡°I could take you, then. Half the town¡¯s adventurers could take you. That works.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he started with an ability to help with Balkor¡¯s magic.¡± Theo drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, staring into the middle-distance. ¡°But this is a start.¡±


    ¡°Alise won¡¯t have a problem with it.¡± Aarok gave a massive shrug. ¡°She¡¯s from¡­ Veosta or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Alise is from an area north of Qavell,¡± Theo corrected. ¡°She wasn¡¯t here when Sulvan was a problem. Sorry, Sulvan.¡±


    Sulvan shrugged.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to sign a contract, then I¡¯ll introduce him to the administrators,¡± Theo said, pulling up his [Contracts] ability. He began drafting his standard contract. ¡°After that, we¡¯ll get him a place to stay and a stipend for his healing abilities. You can heal, right?¡±


    ¡°I was gifted two spells by my lord. [Cure Wounds] and [Purge Disease].¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said, typing away. ¡°We¡¯ll work out the details, but you¡¯ll have enough to live on. I suppose I should ask. Do you have any plans?¡±


    ¡°My plan is to follow the word of Glantheir. Once I have atoned, I have business to settle elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Very mysterious,¡± Theo said in monotone as he copy-pasted most of his old contract. He made sure to change the names. Once he was done, he sent the contract over. Sulvan didn¡¯t read it. He signed it immediately.


    ¡°Time for introductions,¡± Theo said, rising to his feet. ¡°Don¡¯t glower at Alise too much. She¡¯ll take it personally.¡±


    Theo and Sulvan bid farewell to Aarok. They headed over to the Town Hall, finding it even busier than the guild. Seeing so many people coming here to solve their problems gave him pause. He didn¡¯t want to be the sole person these people came to. The alchemist had built his administrative team to sort those things out, leaving him to work on projects like this. He heard the cleric beside him muttering a prayer to Glantheir.


    ¡°Better than worshiping demons, I guess,¡± Theo breathed, ascending the stairs to the third floor.


    Theo cracked the door to the meeting room open, spotting Alise, Gwyn, and Gael lounging. They all looked exhausted. The alchemist entered the room, putting on his best smile.


    ¡°Guys, this is our new cleric,¡± Theo said, gesturing to Sulvan.


    ¡°Awful big for a cleric,¡± Gael grumbled. ¡°A cleric of which god, archduke? We¡¯ve had just about enough of Spit¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°Tada! He¡¯s a follower of Glantheir.¡±


    Gael sputtered. ¡°I think not. He¡¯s hardly an elf.¡±


    Alise narrowed her eyes at the cleric. ¡°Sulvan?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t supposed to know about you,¡± Theo whispered.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be on the moon?¡± Gwyn asked, still slumped in her chair.


    ¡°He was. But I went and got him. From the moon. Now he¡¯s here to help.¡±


    The administrators all shared looks, then shrugged collectively.


    ¡°Whatever. Weirder things have happened,¡± Alise said with a sigh. ¡°Like the dragon? The dragon who still refuses to make a solid trade deal.¡±


    Theo let out a slow breath. He thanked the town and its tendency to produce weird scenarios. The administrators broke off into their own conversation, complaining about various things. The lizard-folk from the south were hard to work with. Bantein had sent a representative, but the requirements for trade were arduous.And, of course, there were the frogs. Well, frog-like creatures. After Bilgrob, follower of Spit, healed Salire when she got her demon cores, the frogs approached.


    Once the group had settled down, Theo excused himself and Sulvan. After a quick tour, the cleric seemed eager to do anything else. True to his devotion to Glantheir, he went off to heal citizens. That left the alchemist recalculating his day. His mind landed on the lab in an instant, and he was off to meet with Salire. After pushing his way through a field of toad-rabbit hybrids, he entered the Newt and Demon.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna need something to wipe our feet on,¡± Theo said, noticing the trail of slime he left. After splashing the ground with [Cleansing Scrub], he made his way upstairs.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Salire seemed less frightened by the frogs by the day. She stood in the lab, taking notes on something. When she turned and spotted Theo, she smiled. The next batch [Greater Hallow the Soil] was ready for brewing, along with 500 units each of the standard restoration potions. The stock in the shop downstairs was filled with low-tier potions, but the citizens didn¡¯t seem to mind. Still, it was good to have some good stuff waiting for a high-roller to buy.


    ¡°Nothing to report,¡± Salire said, turning to jot something down. ¡°Less requests for attribute potions, with more requests for weird stuff.¡±


    Theo joined with her, checking the stock of essence in the building¡¯s magical storage. This batch had produced less essence for the undead, but with Gronro purged they didn¡¯t need as much. Until Throk figured out his floating platform thing, the alchemist considered them in a holding pattern. He worked with Salire to create barrels of the brewing [Greater Hallow the Soil] potions, burning some of the day away getting those sorted.


    During the bottling process of the restoration potions, Theo had some time to think. When they had finished the task, he turned to Salire. ¡°Let¡¯s leave a few stills empty this time. Should give you room to work on leveling your core.¡±


    Salire offered him a sheepish smile. ¡°Thanks. I was about to ask Thim to build me a few stills for myself.¡±


    Theo nodded. The rush to get the anti-undead potions together had left her floundering. He picked three stills for her to work with, then prepared to load the other seven for another round. Working near the stills drew beads of sweat onto Salire¡¯s forehead. The alchemist was comfy in his coat and avoided bringing the topic up. It was never a good idea to gloat about a coat.


    After the stills were running, Theo retreated to the second floor of the building. It had become a storage area, but was also great for experimentation. While Salire ran downstairs to work with customers, he went through his long list of reagents and their effects. During downtimes, he liked to experiment with unused reagents. It often resulted in new, exciting potions.


    There were more spirit fruits to consider, but Theo didn¡¯t have the desire to discover those. The results of spirit fruit distillations were often something too impractical to use. Even [Dragon¡¯s Dance] was risky. The alchemist withdrew a vial of [Grimeling Ooze] from his inventory, setting it down and leering at the contents. The sooner he forgot about those disgusting little creatures, the better. With no desire to eat the ooze, he deconstructed the reagent to discover its properties. True to the item¡¯s description, the cloud of smoke it produced smelled of rotten eggs. He inspected the ooze.


    [Grimeling Ooze]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Uncommon


    The stinking goo left behind by a grimeling.


    Properties:


    [Sludge] [Filth] [Rust] [Deteriorate]


    Every property was disgusting. Theo waved his hand through the air, desperate to clear away the foul stench. Nothing worked, so he abandoned the idea and left the lab. Salire shouted something about ¡®vile smells¡¯ as he left, forcing him to pick up the pace. The alchemist picked a lazy path toward the harbor, excitement flooding him when he spotted a trade vessel. Foreign traders had become common enough in town that it wasn¡¯t news. That was a great thing for Broken Tuskers and Broken Tusk. He dangled his legs over the harbor¡¯s edge and watched the folks from town visit the trader¡¯s stalls.


    If Theo could get a few more boats in their fleet, the Southlands Alliance could become a trade powerhouse. Once again, it was a problem of production and consumption. The alchemist didn¡¯t know if that¡¯s the road they were going down. He only ever wanted this place to be a safe spot for people to live. A harbor in a storm. But the decision didn¡¯t rest solely with him. The administrators handled most of the trade deals and there were people in town who had spent their entire lives here. They had more of a claim to the alliance than him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just the figurehead,¡± Theo said, withdrawing a [Reanimated Skeleton Fragment] from his inventory. Continuing with his discovery of new properties, he decomposed the fragment in his hand. The smoke rose into the air, leaving behind a pile of primal essence in his hand. ¡°Guess I¡¯m okay with that.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking to yourself?¡± Alex asked from somewhere above. ¡°Is that healthy?¡±


    ¡°You tell me.¡±


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Tresk asked, joining in the conversation. ¡°We being sad today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sad,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m proud of all the Broken Tuskers. They¡¯ve accomplished a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah. I¡¯m super proud. Yay!¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡± Alex said.


    Theo smiled to himself, pulling another skeleton fragment from his inventory. Alex and Tresk carried on about how proud they were about different things. He really was happy with the way Broken Tusk was going. Khahar¡¯s little experiment was going well, and all Theo had to do was ride until the end. He inspected the fragment.


    [Reanimated Skeleton Fragment]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Skull fragment of a skeleton reanimated by necromantic powers.


    Properties:


    [Withering] [Hone Edge] [Assail] [Animate Dead]


    Theo groaned. This was a common reagent. Why did it have the [Animate Dead] property? He returned the fragment to his inventory, scratching his chin. [Assail] was a new property to him, so that might have been useful. But a property that animated the dead? That was dangerous. The only positive use he could think of for the property was in suffuse potions, or through linked wards. Both approaches would produce a different effect entirely, and might provide another anti-undead weapon. It was a longshot, so the alchemist invested little thought into it.


    A small cluster of frog-octopus-things swam in the water below. They suctioned half-way up the seawall before falling back into the water. Once again, Theo was left to think about anti-frog measures. And once again, he drew a blank. The only potions he could brew that targeted a type of monster were his anti-undead potions. He pushed himself to his feet, heading over to Town Hall. Alise and the gang were too busy with their duties, so he pulled a junior administrator aside.


    The overly-excited half-elven man had a lot of information about frogs. Since Bilgrob¡¯s casting, Alise had invested a lot of junior admin time into frog research. The most interesting part of that research was that there was a race of frog-people in the world. The records they had didn¡¯t say where the frog-folk were from, but it was good to know. Through experimentation, the administrators had discovered that frogs didn¡¯t like being near spicy things.


    ¡°Hardly helpful,¡± Theo muttered, flipping through the notes. ¡°We can¡¯t spice-bomb the town.¡±


    ¡°Lady Plumm was certain you would find a solution.¡±


    Theo looked up over the notes. Alise had too much faith in him. There wasn¡¯t an anti-frog property he could cast. ¡°We may just need to wait for it to pass¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Of course, that got Theo thinking. He handed the notes back to the administrator, then walked off deep in thought. When he arrived back at the lab, Salire was dealing with a customer. He went upstairs, grabbed a few things, then headed back down toward Throk¡¯s workshop. The grumpy marshling was banging a hammer on something, but the alchemist spotted what he was looking for.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking this,¡± Theo said, snatching the backpack sprayer the artificer had been working on.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Throk grumbled, not looking up from his work.


    Theo didn¡¯t use it often, but he had a mortar and pestle in his inventory. He withdrew it, sitting on the side of the road to grind a pile of red eggshells. After combining a unit of ground shells with normal drinking water, he snatched up a nearby frog-lizard hybrid. A single drop of the liquid sent the creature squirming in his hand. After setting the frog on the ground, the alchemist watched as it ran as though its life depended on it.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Theo said, grinding more eggshells. He created more of his non-alchemical mixture, loading the sprayer until it was filled. Citizens were watching him with curious expressions as he loaded the sprayer on his back. He cleared his throat, approaching the field of frogs outside of his lab. ¡°Begone!¡±


    With a pull of the trigger, Theo released a misting stream of spicy water. The frogs squeaked in chorus, dashing in every direction to get away. Notably, it didn¡¯t seem to harm the frogs. Perhaps they absorbed the liquid through their skin, sending a burning sensation throughout their body. A Wisdom of the Soul message appeared, confirming with certainty that the frogs wouldn¡¯t be harmed.


    ¡°I got a present,¡± Theo said, entering the shop. Salire was still dealing with a customer, so he bottled his excitement and took a seat.


    The transaction took longer than he expected. The alchemist sat awkwardly as Salire sold some potions. Once the customer was gone, she shot him a confused look and faked a smile.


    ¡°Yay. A sprayer,¡± Salire said, clapping half-heartedly.


    ¡°This is a spicy sprayer,¡± Theo said, unclasping the backpack and setting it down. ¡°One-to-five ratio of fire salamander eggshells to regular water. It makes the frogs run.¡±


    Salire grimaced. ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. Strap it on. A demonstration will ease your mind.¡±


    Salire pulled the sprayer on, tightening the straps while giving Theo a concerned look. ¡°You sound like a crazy person. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Just test the sprayer. Some functionary at Town Hall had done research. No idea how he found out that frogs hate spicy stuff, but he did. Look! Frogs! In the distance!¡±


    Theo and Salire exited the lab. Sure enough, there was a scattering of frogs in the distance. They hopped along the ground, their little eyes going wide when they spotted the poor half-ogre. She held the sprayer wand at the ready, doubt still lingering on her face. She pulled the trigger, releasing a stream of water that splashed against the creatures. They emitted the same squealing sound, and retreated the moment they were hit.


    ¡°Woah. It worked?¡±


    ¡°I tested it!¡± Theo shouted. ¡°Why is this the one thing you doubt me on?¡±


    ¡°Because I look like a nerd,¡± Alise said, looking over her shoulder at the pack.


    ¡°Yeah, but you won¡¯t be accosted by frogs.¡±


    Salire sighed. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. Thanks, boss.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Let¡¯s go squirt some frogs.¡±

 5.20 - The Tunnel to Nowhere

    The twin mountain ranges of Gronro-Dir stretched in either direction. Theo stood on the imagined walls with Tresk and Alex, gazing off into the distance. The alchemist had even rendered the bubble surrounding the town, protecting it from the lingering corruption. It shimmered in the early morning air, battling against the concept of necromantic power.


    ¡°Well, it looks a lot better,¡± Tresk said with a nod. Alex honked with agreement. ¡°That was a lot of potion, though.¡±


    Theo nodded, gazing off into the distance. The area around Gronro-Dir had consumed almost all the [Hallow the Soil] potion he had created. ¡°One solution was never the answer. Between my potions, golems, wards, and Sulvan we¡¯ll have a fighting chance.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alex said, honking in agreement. ¡°But according to history, didn¡¯t it take Glantheir himself to purge the continent before?¡±


    ¡°A small wrinkle,¡± Theo said. ¡°If Glantheir approved of Sulvan, then the god has a plan.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. God or patron?¡± Tresk asked, laughing.


    ¡°Glantheir was the first god I met that actually acts like one. I wish he was the one that made me champion.¡±


    Tresk and Alex remained silent. They didn¡¯t have as strong opinions on the gods as Theo did, and he could feel their minds wrapping around the problem. Things were getting complicated in the heavens and no one knew Fenian¡¯s true purpose, yet. As one, the Tara¡¯hek¡¯s thoughts centered on the lost elven trader.


    ¡°Maybe we could look for him,¡± Tresk suggested. ¡°You know. Probe the other realms.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Can your mind reach Balkor¡¯s realm?¡±


    ¡°His place is a steel box. No way I¡¯m getting my little brain in there.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t search every realm. But we can ask around,¡± Alex said.


    That was as good a plan as any. The group discussed it further, but didn¡¯t draw any conclusions. The Dreamwalk was its own steel box. Only Tresk could send her mind outside of this place, and it wasn¡¯t far. She had a limited view of the area around their sleeping bodies, but no more. They couldn¡¯t reach out to probe the realms until they were out on the mortal plane. Until then, Theo decided to casually grind experience and relax.


    Like Tero¡¯gal, the Dreamwalk had become a place where he preferred to mentally rest. Despite that desire to relax, the alchemist still gained considerable bursts of experience. During the business of brewing potions with Salire, he had hit Level 26 in alchemy core, herbalist core, and his personal level. Those three things were synced perfectly, and he made the decision to place a point into Intelligence. Thanks to his busy schedule, he hardly noticed getting the levels and was well on his way to Level 27.


    There were no new secrets for Theo to discover in the Dreamwalk. He was certain that the key to getting past Level 30 had to do with his distillation methods. Adding alcohol to the mix had been the key for his alchemy core, and he had a feeling that the key to his herbalist core rested with grafting plants. Either that, or something related to cultivation methods. It was always impossible to tell what the system wanted him to do for advancement.


    Perhaps that lack of information was something that Fenian and Khahar wanted to fix. While they claimed their goal was to remove the destructive cycles brought by the system, they seemed eager to change other things. And Khahar was eager to make sweeping changes. Theo just hoped he was considering the repercussions.


    Dawn came quicker than Theo expected. His eyes snapped open and his fingers instinctively grasped at the air. He had just been holding a vial of essence when Tresk abruptly shut the Dreamwalk off. She was already jumping out of bed to teleport down to breakfast. Both the alchemist and Alex were left there in their respective beds, looking off through the window to greet the rising sun. The alchemist eventually rose, cracking his knuckles and resting there on the bed. He took a moment, considering all the good graces he had been given before starting the day.


    Sarisa had cooked breakfast herself. Instead of buying meals from Xam, she had created a spread of Whisper¡¯s sausages, eggs from Miana¡¯s pozwa, and little fried dumplings made from Earth-style wheat. Theo was feeling oddly peckish and sat down to enjoy the meal. He waited for everyone to take a seat, including his two assistants, before digging in. While Sarisa wasn¡¯t as good at making moss tea as Xam, it was still great.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not remember the old days,¡± Theo said, taking a bite of one sausage. The exterior crunched, as Sarisa had over-fried it in the pan. The alchemist loved it.


    ¡°This is kinda better than Xam¡¯s cooking,¡± Tresk said, dumping another plateful of sausages and eggs into her mouth.


    Sarisa cackled from the far side of the table. Rowan buried his face in his hands.


    ¡°She¡¯s been leveling a [Cook¡¯s Core].¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Damn! I should have known it! You sneaky little ogre.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh.¡±


    Theo had expected both Sarisa and Rowan to take service cores earlier. As Tresk danced around the table, making up an off-key song about their new cook, he thought about the [Service Competence] upgrade he got for the manor. The upgrade would give all workers in the manor increased experience for servant cores. Whatever their reasons, he was happy if they were happy. And judging by the way Sarisa and Rowan smiled at the marshling¡¯s dance, they were happy.


    There wasn¡¯t much going on inside the administration interface today. Alise had an interesting report on something Ziz was working on, so Theo planned to investigate that. Throk had submitted a report about his floating platform project. It had hit a slight snag, but would move forward soon enough. Duke Grot Stormfist also had a delightful report praising the efforts of Broken Tusk. He swore a thousand generations of loyalty to the alliance and offered to marry off his next child to whomever Theo wished.


    Theo made a note in Grot¡¯s overly excited report regarding the importance of keeping the corruption at bay. He also refused the duke¡¯s generous offer of marriage. After eating breakfast, the alchemist made his way over to the lab to store their latest batch of [Hallow the Soil] potions. While he didn¡¯t enjoy the burning sensation that filled his eyes when Salire was around, he appreciated the lack of frogs.


    ¡°That really worked, huh?¡± Theo asked, entering the lab at the same time as his assistant.


    ¡°It sure does burn the eyes¡­ but you can¡¯t argue with the results.¡±


    Of course, Bilgrob didn¡¯t have a clue how long it would take for the frogs to stop chasing after her. Theo just hoped that Sulvan could fill the role of town healer before long. The alchemist pulled his thoughts away from pepper bombing the entire town, focusing on the stills. With each run of a new essence, he and Salire got a little better at managing the process. She couldn¡¯t handle some of the unstable materials, but knowing which ones she could touch went a long way to help.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hold this batch back,¡± Theo said, patting the filled barrels. ¡°We¡¯ll leave the three for you to work for and do another run.¡±


    ¡°It was effective. Right?¡±


    Theo explained the problems he faced as they worked. He used the building¡¯s internal storage to dispense infused alcohol into the stills, then drew from his golem¡¯s stocks to grind and process the reagents. Once the fires were lit, the alchemist turned his attention to his golem network. The farm was back in working order, and the new [Plant Golems] were doing an excellent job at the greenhouses. A thread of will spread through the realms, reaching him with a foggy sense of actions. The golem working in Gronro was wandering the countryside, using his ward to clean it up.


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    The bell rang downstairs, and Salire dashed off to greet the customer. She had plans to grind out first tier healing potions for the day, using Theo¡¯s stock of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. After only a few moments, she came back upstairs with a confused expression. ¡°Sulvan said he could have free mana potions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, turning to check his stills one last time. ¡°He¡¯ll be healing people, so he gets mana potions for free.¡±


    Theo joined Salire downstairs, finding the newly christened Cleric of Glantheir standing there. He wore threadbare robes and a calm expression. ¡°Good morning, Theo.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well. Thank you.¡±


    And that was that. Sulvan got his mana potions and headed off to heal some people. With no exciting alchemy projects to work on, Theo headed off to the next interesting thing. Ziz had made some progress on the bridge to the lizard-folk. According to the administrative report, it came from a very Earth-like technique. The alchemist stopped and chatted with a few people as he went. They were mostly people visiting from Gronro, showing their appreciation for the purged corruption. They had families and loved ones still in the town, so all efforts to heal the land were appreciated.


    Passing through Stabby Grove, and climbing the hill to the Quarry, Theo spotted massive marble pillars laying on their sides. Ziz spotted him approaching from a distance and placed his hands on his hips. He had a big, stupid grin on his face.


    ¡°Do you like my giant, silly marble pillars?¡± Ziz asked, slapping the side of one.


    They were indeed silly. Far too massive to move by any means the town had. The new constructions seemed to be an incredible waste of precious stone. But Theo reserved his judgment. Ziz didn¡¯t do things just because he wanted to.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to explain this to me,¡± Theo said, gesturing at the lone pillar.


    Ziz raised a single eyebrow, leaning against the pillar. ¡°Watch this.¡±


    With a resounding pop, the pillar disappeared. Ziz turned, waving his hands through the air for a moment. The pillar popped back into existence, now resting vertically on the uneven landscape. It began tilting to one side, but came to settle on the gravel below. Theo stared up at the massive pillar for long moments. It was taller than the Newt and Demon was. And far too heavy for anyone in town to have moved.


    ¡°That¡¯s the reaction I was expecting!¡± Ziz shouted. ¡°Complete awe!¡±


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°New ability. I can stuff anything I build into an inventory and realign it in the real world.¡±


    Theo had read the administrative report on this, but seeing it was another thing entirely. It reminded him of prefabricated parts of bridges back on Earth. They would build structures on land, then use heavy machinery to put them in place. This technique would absolutely work to build a bridge over the water. Assuming one thing.


    ¡°Can you place the structure underwater?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Already tested it.¡±


    ¡°How many will you need?¡±


    Ziz laughed. ¡°A few hundred. At least. This is an old design. I made the base larger, which requires more stone. Which means I¡¯ve had to import stone for the first time.¡±


    Theo scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re exceeding the generation speed of the quarry?¡±


    ¡°Yep. And this entire plan only works because we can weld the stones together. We¡¯ve worked it so the structures are strong. Far stronger than anything we¡¯ve made before.¡±


    Theo had a lot of questions about how this would work. But creating something like this was the first step. Ziz could now take a boat south of the alliance and drop pillars into the ocean. The alchemist¡¯s mind reeled as he realized how hard that would be. Ziz needed different depths for different parts of the ocean. He also needed to connect each pillar. Those pillars needed to be a certain height from the ocean, and he needed to account for the tides. It was a dizzying array of problems that needed to be solved for this to work. But if he learned anything about bored half-ogres, it was that they¡¯d do anything to avoid being bored.


    ¡°You have my full support,¡± Theo said, marveling at the support standing upright. ¡°Financial, if you need it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we need potions. Those digging potions? You know?¡±


    ¡°The [Tunneling Potions]?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Those are the ones. We started digging a tunnel through the southern mountain ranges. Just off from Dead Dog Mine.¡±


    Theo checked his administration interface one last time. There were no surprise meetings, or emergencies that had popped up since he read it last. ¡°What are you guys doing today?¡±


    ¡°Digging a tunnel, I guess,¡± Ziz laughed. ¡°Just me and you. The boys are building more pillars.¡±


    Theo and Ziz departed the quarry, heading down the angled path toward the adventurer housing. ¡°You already measured the depth of the ocean?¡± the alchemist asked, putting things together.


    ¡°Just out to the barrier islands. Ten-thousand halms out.¡±


    The people of Broken Tusk needed to adopt freedom units. Ten-thousand halms was somewhere between a mile and five miles. Depending on who was measuring the distance. No one seemed to agree on the exact length of a halm.


    ¡°You¡¯re a craft man.¡±


    Theo had enough [Tunneling Potion] to last quite a while. The recent spat of monster waves had also given him enough [Living River Water] to make as much as he wanted. He even had to buy more storage crates to stow the frozen water away. On their way to the mine, Theo stopped by the smelter to check on Nira. She was dutifully working the sweltering furnaces, so he settled for a hearty wave from the road. The uncomfortable heat was too much for his coat.


    ¡°Just off the beaten path,¡± Ziz said, pushing through the sparse underbrush.


    Ziz and his boys had done almost nothing to the side of the mountain. They had cleared away some topsoil, and scratched at the face of the rock with little to show for it. Theo shook his head, withdrawing a [Tunneling Potion] from his inventory. ¡°How far is it?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡± Ziz said with a defeated shrug. ¡°No one has surveyed this area. And we don¡¯t have instruments good enough to get a read.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said, tipping the contents of the potion onto the wall. He felt the familiar wash of a foreign will enter his mind. With a simple command, he ordered the potion to proceed forward.


    This would cause problems in the future. Of course. The mountains were a natural barrier, preventing any attacks from this direction. It only made sense to install defenses at both sides of the entrance. Theo was drawn out of his thoughts when Ziz produced a glowing crystal from nowhere. It lit the darkened tunnel, revealing glittering gray rocks in all directions. The tunnel they were cutting out of the mountain had to be larger than most tunnels they dug with the potion. That required more potion to dig the tunnel.


    Several hours later, the pair sat in the darkened tunnel. They had to run back to the lab to get more of the potion, only to return to the tunnel without a break. The crystal Ziz held cast long shadows on the wall, flickering slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this mountain ends,¡± Theo said, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°We should have hit the other side by now,¡± Ziz grumbled.


    ¡°Magical space, maybe? Did we intersect the mine by accident?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be a lot of track to build. Then we¡¯ve gotta cross the sea.¡±


    ¡°It was your idea!¡±


    Theo cleared his throat, producing more of the potion and fording on. Several full vials of the potion later, and a pinprick of light shone through the far wall.


    ¡°Light!¡± Ziz shouted.


    Theo pressed his face against the cold rock, earning himself a sight of the ocean below. Far below. ¡°This thing is gonna be a roller coaster.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    One last potion and the wall gave way. Air rushed into the tunnel, almost pushing the two men back on their butts. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they looked down to the ocean below. It wasn¡¯t a sheer drop, but the angle was aggressive.


    ¡°Dang. The mountain looked smaller from the sea.¡±


    From his vantage point, Theo could see the barrier islands in the distance. They were facing directly south, meaning that Broken Tusk¡¯s port was to their left. Neither of them could spot the port, but there was a speck on the horizon. Either a trader coming in to the town, or the Cork fishing near the barrier islands. Either way, this was a massive move in the right direction.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need support pillars here, too,¡± Ziz said, looking down below. ¡°Then it¡¯s a straight shot to the lizard islands.¡±


    ¡°Did we clear that project with Squeak?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Maybe. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Theo shrugged. The lizard-folk seemed passive enough not to care. He and Ziz walked back to town, laughing the entire way. Carving the tunnel out took a lot of time, but walking through it was a breeze. They joked about the roller coaster, and the implications of safety.


    ¡°Imagine going over the edge,¡± Ziz chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±

 5.21 - The Wavecrest Sails

    The wind whipped, catching in the sails of the Wavecrest with force. The boat lurched forward, capturing the stiff breeze to send the vessel sailing down the canal. Theo leaned over the railing, looking down at the murky water below. The river met the ocean here, creating a brackish churn of spume. With Laedria at the helm, and Alex flying high above, they forged a path into the bay.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come along,¡± Ziz said, leaning over the rail with Theo.


    ¡°Nah. Riding a boat is fun.¡±


    That seemed to be enough for Ziz. He stomped over to the helm to flirt with Laedria for a while. Theo hadn¡¯t been far out into the bay before, let alone wrapping around the area to see the southern tip of the Southlands Alliance. The water here was a murky shade of green-blue, caused by silt stirred by the ever-moving tide. Beaches spanned only a few hundred feet to the west before turning into the craggy mountain.


    Theo¡¯s head swiveled to see the sights and breathe in the scents of the ocean. It was a joy to watch the sailors do their things. Even with Zarali¡¯s enchantments on the boat, they worked hard to get rigging in place and angle the sails. In less than half an hour, Laedria ordered the sails trimmed and the anchor dropped.


    ¡°There it is!¡± Ziz shouted, shielding his eyes from the sun. The industrious half-ogre had hung a bright red sheet outside of the tunnel exit. ¡°The area closest to the coast is the shallowest. Duh. So I have a few stunty columns to place here.¡±


    The half-ogre moved to the boat¡¯s edge, waving his hands through the air. He did a few more gestures as though he was guiding the pillar to the bottom. With a satisfied nod, the pillar snapped into existence. But it didn¡¯t just delete the water around the pillar. The ocean was forced away from the structure, sending a wave to crash against the ship¡¯s hull. Everyone braced themselves, grabbing onto whatever was near. After a beat, Ziz chuckled nervously.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve expected that. But look!¡±


    The pillar stood perfectly in the water, standing at a perfect angle. Ziz explained that his new skill allowed him to place objects in the terrain, and came with angle checking and everything. The result was a pillar that had sunk into the seabed, far beyond the top layer of mud. After placing the first one, the ship moved across the bay to place more. Theo enjoyed his time on the deck. Especially when the half-ogre placed the structures down. It became a bit of a ride.


    ¡°That¡¯s the open ocean?¡± Theo asked, squinting against the blistering sun overhead. It held a deeper blue color, and none of the murky green of the inshore waters.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Laedria said, coming to clap a firm hand over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be sailing out there to place these stones. Working our way over to the lizards.¡±


    Theo inspected the line of pillars. Ziz had an ability to line his structures up perfectly. It was a perfectly straight line of pillars with every center lined to the inch. They all stood up straight, ready to receive the bridge.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take her out into that wide blue,¡± Laedria said, rubbing her hands together. She shouted orders at her sailors, commanding them to make way for the sea.


    Theo watched as they passed between two islands, narrowly avoiding scraping the bottom of the boat on a sandbar. Life clung to those islands. Patches of grasses and dotted palm trees marked the islands. They were bordered by rings of white sand and mottled with tiny crabs and other creatures. Sea-garbage had washed on on the far side of the island. Seaweed mingled with pieces of rotting wood in the froth of sea foam. The scent of salty air and decaying sea life and plant matter lingered in the air. It was a strangely nostalgic scent.


    ¡°This is where it drops off,¡± Ziz said. ¡°The islands mark the shelf. It¡¯s called a shelf, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Laedria said, coming down from the helm. ¡°That¡¯s what I call it, anyway. We¡¯re in deeper water. Take measurements.¡±


    Ziz found his measuring device. It was a rope with knots tied at equal intervals and a stone secured to the end. He plunked it into the water, waited a few moments, then marked the knot. Even at speed, the weight of the rock sent the measurement device to the bottom in moments. The half-ogre stonemason seemed happy with the depth, and the Wavecrest pushed on.


    Despite Ziz¡¯s fears that the ocean would get too deep, they sailed for hours without seeing much of an increase. The pillar that the half-ogre had displayed back at the quarry would be tall enough for their purposes. Even if the ocean¡¯s depth increased between here and the lizard islands, it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. Everyone on board was satisfied with the test, and Laedria ordered her people to make way for the harbor.


    Theo realized what the trip into the ocean had done for him. He saw the lands of his people from a new angle. Putting aside how interesting and fun the bridge to the lizard-folk islands would be, sailing out to sea brought a new perspective. Ziz¡¯s new ability also showed him that others were outpacing him. Drogramath¡¯s alchemy was a discipline that lacked specialization. Given the chance, other cores would outpace his own in specific areas. All he could feel was pride for the stoneworker and his new method of building bridges.


    ¡°We got a long way to go,¡± Theo said, leaning over the edge.


    Ziz lost his lunch over the boat¡¯s edge, but smiled through the discomfort. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about where we¡¯ll be. You can¡¯t worry about that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to live in the moment?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying,¡± Ziz said, wiping vomit from his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not made for the sea.¡±


    A sense of general nausea lingered in Theo¡¯s gut. While he hadn¡¯t blown chunks, he was on the edge. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am, either.¡±


    Only after the boat was moored, and Theo¡¯s feet were on land did he decide he really enjoyed sailing. Perhaps only brief trips out of the bay, but it was enjoyable. Alex honked somewhere above. The alchemist had relayed a few messages from the goose about Ziz¡¯s line of support pillars. She claimed they were straight from her position in the sky, but the stonemason was confident in his work. It never hurts to double-check, though.


    Theo checked the vendor stalls on his way back into town. He didn¡¯t find anything that interested him, aside from a scatter of [Monster Cores]. After buying several gold worth of high-level monster cores, he found his way to the greenhouses behind his lab. He didn¡¯t trust the golems to detect a random splicing of two plants, so inspected each one himself. There were no sudden mutations within any of his greenhouses, or his mushroom caves.


    The good news was that the [Dragon Talon Mushroom] was cultivating itself well. The jagged hard-edged mushrooms grew larger every day, and the golems knew enough to pluck the ones with lower cultivation ratings. Hybridizing plants had been a goal of Theo¡¯s for some time, but the [Azrug¡¯s Truffle] was a mistake. It made more sense to combine reagents that had similar properties, but combining plants intentionally was likely a skill he needed to unlock.


    The door to the greenhouse swung open, and Throk stepped inside. He had that look on his face every time he made something cool, so Theo dropped what he was doing and followed the marshling.


    ¡°Ran into some problems,¡± Throk said, pushing his way past the cluster of greenhouses. ¡°Hovering is easy over short bursts. Over a longer time, stuff blows up.¡±


    ¡°Did we solve the exploding problem?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet. But I¡¯m getting there. I won¡¯t bore you with the details, but I¡¯ve got interference problems, mana transfer problems¡­ lots of problems.¡±


    Throk opened the door to his workshop. Inside was a hover engine similar to the one Theo had seen before. He wasn¡¯t up on the way artifices worked to know what had changed and why. All he knew was that it differed from the one he had seen before.


    ¡°How about a demonstration?¡± Throk asked.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Theo said, taking a few steps back. He didn¡¯t want to explode.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Throk¡¯s development of the hover engine had been a slow thing. Becoming proficient with artifices meant understanding how each component interacted with the others. Combined with the collection of those pieces¡ªa collection process the grumpy old marshling wouldn¡¯t share¡ªthis made for an annoying task. The artificer prodded at his machine, loading it up with one of his synthetic coins. It hummed to life, rising a hair from the metal stand on which it stood. The sound was deafening.


    ¡°This is cool,¡± Theo shouted, his voice barely carrying over the sound.


    ¡°Right? Feel that? Magical buildup in one of my components,¡± Throk shouted back, prodding at the machine with an alloy rod. ¡°Once I figure out how to vent that extra magic, we¡¯re golden!¡±


    Theo waited patiently for Throk to disable the device. It took longer than he was comfortable with, but the engine finally went silent. As with most extensive projects in Broken Tusk, it was hard to tell if the platform would still be useful for the task when it was completed. There was always room for airships, though. The marshling explained his plans for the future, detailing a process to refine the engine. Developing a better hover engine meant developing a better maglev.


    ¡°The techniques feed into themselves,¡± Throk said with a nod. ¡°Airships would be easier to run from here to the lizard islands.¡±


    ¡°Except people are always telling me about the dangers of magical interference. So, we didn¡¯t consider airships for that project.¡±


    ¡°Your fancy wards solve that problem, right?¡±


    ¡°Permanently? No. We need to do more testing. My shields only stop ambient magic. And the biggest problem I was told about was magical attacks. That¡¯s why people don¡¯t run airships, right?¡±


    Throk shrugged. ¡°Not so sure about that. Problem is that we don¡¯t know.¡±


    Which looped back to Theo¡¯s worries about airships. They didn¡¯t know enough to say for sure that anything would work. What they did know was that the maglev worked. They had the supplies to make stupidly long rail lines. So why the hell not?


    ¡°Anything that keeps our people busy is good,¡± Theo concluded. ¡°Instead of worrying about which one is best, let¡¯s just build both.¡±


    Throk rubbed his hands together. ¡°I like the way you think.¡±


    Theo left the artificer¡¯s lab, promising town funds for yet another project. He knew he could supplement every project with his personal earnings anyway. Turning his attention to the town¡¯s finances, he found they were making a killing with the harbor. Every ship that docked had to pay a fee. Then they had to pay another fee based on the amount of goods they sold. Word from both Partopour and Bantein claimed that the price was lower than most other ports. Gronro and Rivers were selling their wares through the harbor, adding more coin to the mix.


    But with profits came expenses. The [Kingdom Core] needed charging. Ziz needed his stone, and it was always wise to import food. Folks might have liked their mud-grown food, but variety had been appreciated in the past. The high expense of the rail projects was offset by a need the citizens had. People wanted to travel to other places, if the results of the tram were anything to go by. That made both the airship project and the rail project vital.


    On his way back to the lab, Theo spotted Salire walking through the streets. She swept the path before her with a spray of choking spicy water. A sea of frog-like things parted, dashing off into the lightly forested areas in town. Waiting for a chance to strike again. She offered a shy wave, making her way to Town Hall.


    Theo sent a quick mental message to Tresk and Alex, inviting them both to Tero¡¯gal. He made his way to Zarali¡¯s enchanter¡¯s workshop, inviting her instead. She jumped at the chance to see her brother again, hugging the alchemist.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°I need to grab some stuff,¡± Theo said awkwardly.


    ¡°Oh. By all means.¡±


    Snatching the barrels of [Hallow the Soil] brewing in the lab, the alchemist prepared to depart for his realm. Zarali signaled that she was ready, and they fell through the void. Uz¡¯Xulven didn¡¯t invite them onto the bridge, but a flash of odd light signaled her transfer to Tero¡¯gal. The moment the rolling fields of his private realm came into view, the alchemist spotted her gate appearing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the tea room!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven shouted, exiting her portal and entering the tiny cottage.


    ¡°We need a bigger meeting area,¡± Theo said, making his way to the collection of homes the spirits had built.


    ¡°The tea shack is too stuffy for my liking,¡± Zarali said. Her eyes went wide whens he spotted Belgar. ¡°Brother!¡±


    Both Dronon came together, embracing each other in a hug. Belgar¡¯s form was becoming more solid by the day. There were only faint patches of wispy purple energy on his body. The new body he had forged for himself was different from the original. Zarali didn¡¯t seem to care, embracing her brother¡¯s new form. Theo set his barrels near the alchemy work area, then headed for the cottage. His purpose for this visit was to do some alchemical experimentation and to allow the barrels to brew. But Uz¡¯Xulven had become something of a conversationalist.


    ¡°Where is that bear?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven asked, craning her neck to see out of the cottage¡¯s entrance. ¡°I require tea and scones.¡±


    Theo put the teakettle on, then found a seat at the round table. ¡°Sometimes he¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°I can see into his realm. He isn¡¯t busy. He¡¯s baking.¡±


    Not wanting to wait, Theo pressed an issue that lingered in his mind. ¡°Any news on Fenian?¡±


    A pained expression flashed across her face. She laughed, covering the hurt. But Theo saw it. ¡°He¡¯s working himself out of a jam.¡± Instinctively, Uz¡¯Xulven looked behind her, expecting Khahar to appear and clap a hand over her mouth. He didn¡¯t show.


    Theo stretched his weak senses through the void. He visualized the different realms as bubbles floating in a sea of black. While he could imagine Balkor¡¯s realm, he couldn¡¯t penetrate the bubble. The slightest brush against the Demon God of Necromancy¡¯s realm revealed to him that not even Tresk could get through.


    ¡°Are you peeking?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said with a scoff. ¡°Of all the whelpish, upstart, no-good things to do.¡±


    Theo grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t see Khahar clamping his hand over my eyes. If the Arbiter says I can do it, I can do it.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven crossed her arms. ¡°Your tea isn¡¯t as good as the stuff the bear makes.¡±


    ¡°Your monochromatic bridge is ugly.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven mouth hung open. Her eyes slowly drifted across the room, locking onto Theo. ¡°How dare you.¡±


    Theo laughed, cutting himself off when he felt another presence in his realm. Benton stepped through his gate outside. He entered the cottage, tutting when he saw the alchemist¡¯s water boiling. The bear god snatched the kettle up, tossed the water out, and started again.


    ¡°Yay! The man who can make good tea is here. Hooray!¡±


    ¡°I brought cookies,¡± Benton said, unloading the contents of his inventory. It was, as always, filled with confections.


    Theo grabbed a plain sugar cookie, nibbling on it while Benton got set up. He paused, smiling at Uz¡¯Xulven. ¡°But for real. Can I help Fenian?¡±


    ¡°He was certain the potions you brewed him would be enough.¡±


    ¡°You could invite Balkor to your realm,¡± Benton said with a shrug. He plopped a sachet of tea into the boiling water.


    ¡°Any chance of corruption?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how realms work. He would need to overpower your authority here, which is¡­ Well, that¡¯s impossible,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°Watch!¡±


    The Queen of the Bridge of Shadows swiped her hand through the air. A wave of dark fire rolled over Theo, engulfing the cottage. The flames passed over him harmlessly, not even scorching the interior of the building.


    ¡°That attack would have leveled a city on the mortal plane,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, nodding with satisfaction. ¡°In a place where you have absolute authority, it¡¯s a stiff breeze.¡±


    Theo closed his eyes, reaching out to his imagined version of Balkor¡¯s realm. Confident that the demon couldn¡¯t affect Tero¡¯gal, he sent an invitation. Within a single heartbeat, it was rejected. ¡°He declined.¡±


    ¡°Of course he did,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven laughed. She paused, her eyes going wide. ¡°Do you feel that?¡±


    Theo saw the notification before he felt anything. Drogramath was attempting to enter Tero¡¯gal and had requested a friendly entry. The alchemist accepted, but didn¡¯t dare stand from his chair. Moments later, the form of the Potioneer lumbered through the door. He was taller than mortal depictions. Even the rendering provided by the temple in Broken Tusk. With dark purple skin, a coat similar to Theo¡¯s own, and his left horn missing, Drogramath entered the cottage. He cleared his throat.


    ¡°May I share in your tea?¡± he asked awkwardly.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, leaning in over the table. ¡°Wow, wow, wow. I haven¡¯t seen you in twenty-thousand years, Droggy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Drogramath scowled.


    ¡°Please,¡± Theo said, gesturing to an empty chair. ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, champion,¡± Drogramath said, sitting and folding his hands in his lap. ¡°I see you¡¯re collecting the souls of lost dronon. A noble cause.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the First Ascension War?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven asked, sighing as she took a bite of a cookie.


    ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°We used to meet like this!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven slammed her fist on the table. It didn¡¯t move an inch. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss this?¡±


    Drogramath shifted in his chair. He cleared his throat, eventually. And smiled. ¡°I miss it dearly. We¡¯ve become insular.¡±


    ¡°By design,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven grumbled.


    ¡°Not anymore!¡± Benton said, pulling the pot of tea from the fire. He poured everyone a cup of tea before taking his seat again. ¡°Seems to be no restrictions here. Anyone can come.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to me,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven muttered. ¡°No one appreciates the support gods.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate you.¡± Theo smiled.


    ¡°I also appreciate you,¡± Drogramath said with too much gravitas.


    Benton clicked his tongue. ¡°Come on. Cookies aren¡¯t gonna eat themselves.¡±


    The strange group grabbed at the sweets and drank their tea.

 5.22 - Chatting with Droggy

    A calming breeze blew down from the mountains west of the Tero¡¯gal Ocean. No one had come up with a better name for the places here. Things were always referred to as ¡®the ocean,¡¯ or ¡®the mountains.¡¯ There were many mountains within the realm. Certainly, there was only one ocean. But the cornerstones of history that saw things being named were lacking here. It just was, and the beings within the realm accepted it.


    Drogramath adjusted his coat, popping his boots off awkwardly as he approached the white sand beaches. The demon god dug his toes into the sand. The phantom of a smile graced his face, before it returned to a neutral countenance.


    ¡°I like your realm.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked, finding a fallen log to sit on. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed how the gods all pick themes.¡±


    ¡°My realm is a confusing landscape of glass structures. Massive greenhouses to grow my reagents.¡± Drogramath looked off into the ocean. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore played a calming melody. ¡°Balkor¡¯s was a word of undeath. Tworgnoth rests on a copper throne, in a cogwork realm. This seems more like the mortal realm than anything.¡±


    The entire exchange had been weird. Theo¡¯s thoughts hadn¡¯t landed on how he felt about the situation. Yuri prevented gods from interacting with the mortal realm, but that didn¡¯t stop the owner of a Mortal Dreamrealm. Whatever that was. The alchemist could invite whichever god he wanted into his realm. They could come to sip tea, or dip their toes in the ocean. Any thoughts of ascension wars, or ploys back on the mortal realm seemed to fall away. The facade of power melted, revealing the gods for what they truly were.


    ¡°You¡¯re just people. Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°A simple question, with a difficult answer,¡± Drogramath said. The demon god flinched. ¡°Ah. An official warning from the Arbiter. He doesn¡¯t want me telling you the truth about Dronon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself in trouble for my curiosity.¡±


    Drogramath shrugged. He seemed so easily defeated. The gods were so long-lived, perhaps he stopped caring a long time ago. That energy Theo had witnessed at the start of all this had somewhat vanished.


    ¡°The world was seeded. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We call the first conflict for the heavens the First Ascension War. Or the First War of Ascension. People from Earth were seeded¡­ Ah.¡±


    A loud pop, and Khahar appeared behind Drogramath. The Arbiter was scowling.


    ¡°Why bother giving us free will if we can¡¯t tell him?¡± Drogramath asked, sounding bored. ¡°Why does it matter if he knows?¡±


    Khahar glared. He was at war with himself.


    ¡°When the world was seeded,¡± Khahar said, picking up where Drogramath left off. ¡°People from Earth were sent first. Not everyone was sent at the same time. You¡¯re a good example of that, Theo.¡±


    ¡°They say things were good for a while,¡± Drogramath said.


    Khahar scoffed. ¡°We were at each other¡¯s throats from the start. But ascension was never an option. Not until the Second Seeding.¡±


    Drogramath shrugged. ¡°The first races were the elves, the dwarves, and the Khahari. When the Dronon were seeded¡­ things erupted. Ascension was unlocked, and we were behind.¡±


    ¡°Enter the cycle of destruction and rebirth,¡± Khahar said. ¡°The best theory is that a different being brought the Dronon here. One of malicious intent.¡±


    ¡°The baleful eye,¡± Drogramath sighed. ¡°What a mockery.¡±


    ¡°The point is,¡± Khahar continued. ¡°There might be a Third Seeding. Or a fourth. We just don¡¯t know when it will happen.¡±


    That was too much information for Theo to process at once. The Dronon weren¡¯t from Earth. And there might be more people from different places coming to this planet. They weren¡¯t exactly aliens though, were they? Everyone in this world was an alien. Nothing native existed in this world. What a haunting thought.


    ¡°Why tell me?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Good question,¡± Khahar growled.


    ¡°Because he deserves to know. This Mortal Dreamrealm is outside of the plan, isn¡¯t it? Anything outside of the plan stinks of him.¡±


    Khahar answered before Theo could ask. ¡°That Baleful Eye Drogramath was talking about¡­ The Harbinger set this world in motion, then stepped away. The other being left a series of instructions hidden away in the system. This place is likely a result of that.¡±


    ¡°So, wait¡­ I thought I was caught in a heavenly pissing match. You¡¯re saying the dick-measuring contest is even bigger?¡±


    ¡°Well, when you put it like that¡­¡± Drogramath trailed off.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying we don¡¯t know. Until we have control of the system, we can never know. Even then, I¡¯m not sure we can do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Theo said, standing and stretching. ¡°I¡¯m going to push all that crap out of my head and take a walk.¡±


    Neither Drogramath nor Khahar called out as the alchemist walked away. He might have had more pieces to the puzzle, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted any of them. And Yuri wanted to take control of the system? That¡¯s what those thrones were about. Taking control away from the monitor system so they could hunt down whatever vestigial code the Baleful Eye left. Theo walked along the beach for some time before the demon god came to walk with him.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first Drogramathi to do industrial alchemy,¡± Drogramath said, keeping pace with the alchemist. ¡°At scale, anyway. I had a small operation back in the day.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Theo asked, trying not to laugh. ¡°Did you show up with a [Drogramath Alchemy Core]?¡±


    Drogramath chuckled, perhaps for the first time since Theo had met him. ¡°I had a basic [Alchemy Core]. Before the war, it evolved into a [Demon Alchemy Core]. Now I just have an [Alchemy God Core]. I don¡¯t care for god-level alchemy, though.¡±


    ¡°Did you always intend for Drogramathi alchemy to be so helpful?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re missing the point. My alchemy outpaces every other class in the first leg of the race to ascension. By Level 50, every class you¡¯re helping will do their own thing better. Priests can heal better, laborers can build better, and so on. You¡¯re a generalist. With all the good and bad that comes with that.¡±


    ¡°What was the name of your planet?¡±


    ¡°Ard. Doesn¡¯t sound right in the mortal tongue, but close enough.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ uh¡­ was the base for your species? We were apes.¡±


    Drogramath laughed again. ¡°Something close to the reptiles of this world.¡±


    ¡°Fun. A real life lizard-dude.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Drogramath must have thought that Theo took offense to this new information. But he didn¡¯t. It was like being told a moon was slamming into the planet. What was he going to do, stop the moon? It was so far out of his reach that he didn¡¯t care. He would enjoy his time in the Southlands Alliance and that was that. No need to worry about anything else.


    ¡°You should stop by, if you can,¡± Theo said, gesturing vaguely to his world. ¡°This must feel close to being on the mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°It really is. The closest I¡¯ve seen was Baelthar¡¯s realm. The Eternal Game. It¡¯s an endless forest filled with beasts to hunt. The biting bugs are horrid, though. The ogre claims it helps with the realism¡­¡± Drogramath trailed off, shaking his head. ¡°Vile little midges.¡±


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    Another comfortable silence set in between them. Theo could feel that the demon god had something to say, but didn¡¯t know how to express it. After a moment, he gathered himself up and spoke. ¡°It was nice to see Zarali,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°Her brood had a hard time with life.¡±


    ¡°Seems like every new batch of Dronon has a hard time.¡±


    ¡°They do. Better than it used to be, though.¡±


    ¡°How does that work? Can you spawn new dronon in from your realm?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. But kind of. We only need one living dronon to make more. We possess a follower, then create a clutch of eggs through them.¡±


    Theo winced. ¡°Alright. Less details.¡±


    ¡°The conditions are specific, but we end up with a brood. They¡¯re born with the ability to care for themselves, but they¡¯re still children.¡±


    ¡°Man. We should get a brood of Drogramathi in Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps in a few years. My resources are¡­ dwindling.¡±


    Theo and Drogramath walked the beach of the massive ocean. The demon god was eager to chat about whatever, although several topics seemed off-limits. The more time they spent together, the more the potioneer seemed to brighten up. He was even smiling by the end of the conversation, and the alchemist thanked the grace given to him by Glantheir. Perhaps spreading those good vibes was more valuable than anything else.


    Naturally, Drogramath had to appear before Zarali before he left. Both she and Belgar pressed their faces into the dirt when they saw him. They openly wept, making conversation impossible. Theo watched from afar, then busied himself with other things. He waited for them to finish up before taking his charge back to the mortal realm.


    <hr>


    Theo stood before a row of imagined stills, looking off into the scenery that Tresk had created. His trip into Tero¡¯gal had presented many questions, but it was also a relief. He got to meet Drogramath face-to-face. That was fun. He also learned a bunch of weird stuff he didn¡¯t know what to do with. To ease his mind, he decided to exploit the Dreamwalk to test some reagents out.


    A beam of pure fire lanced through the air, scattering the clouds above. Tresk wanted to fight against dragons. Again. So long as the massive beast didn¡¯t disturb his equipment, he didn¡¯t really care.


    First up was the [Grimeling Ooze]. The stuff was absolutely foul. It stank before being added to the stills, and now generated a putrid miasma after being heated. The alchemist distilled the Sludge, Rust, and Deteriorate properties as second-tier essences. He didn¡¯t have a good feeling about any of them, but it was worth investigating. Another lone still was creating essence for the Assail property from the [Reanimated Skeleton Fragment].


    Perhaps he should have asked Drogramath about the dangerous properties on some reagents. But it was all part of the concept of a generalist. If he could do everything, then some things were bound to be dangerous.


    Theo banished the grimeling stills away the moment the essence was done brewing. All three flasks were filled with a murky, brown-green liquid. It was the most color he had ever seen in an essence. He moved to his worktable, preparing a vial for the first reaction.


    ¡°Huzzah. I¡¯m sure sludge will produce a useful potion,¡± Theo said, mocking the nasty little flask on his table. He mixed the essence with enchanted water, then added metal shavings to kick off the reaction.


    The scent was almost unbearable. Although he was in the Dreamwalk, the alchemist doubted that the smell would leave his mind soon. He didn¡¯t know what he expected, but he inspected the resulting potion anyway.


    [Potion of Sludge]


    [Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    The drinker sweats a thick, stinking type of grimeling sludge.


    Effect:


    For one hour, the drinker¡¯s sweat is replaced with grimeling sludge.


    ¡°Straight in the trash,¡± Theo said, banishing the potion forever. ¡°Absolutely not. Nope.¡±


    The second essence, [Refined Rust Essence], had a slightly red color to it. It smelled slightly less than the other potions, but perhaps that was simply Theo¡¯s nose dying a slow death. As he crafted the essence into a potion, he was surprised at where his hands led him. Sometimes, potions didn¡¯t want to be brewed as a standard potion. This one wanted to be a bomb. The alchemist went through the motions, adding his enchanted water and flecks of iron to create a [Rust Bomb]. He inspected the result.


    [Rust Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Covers the target in a sludge that eats away at all metal.


    Effect:


    Unless cleared away or purified, this sludge will eat all metal (magical or otherwise) for fifteen minutes. The rate of decomposition depends on the rarity of this bomb.


    While the [Rust Bomb] wouldn¡¯t go straight in the garbage heap, it was weird. There was one situation that Theo could think of for this bomb. When Fenian led the giant elven construct to their gates, this would have been perfect. Any metal-based monsters would be destroyed with ease. But there weren¡¯t any, as far as he knew. Since the potion destroyed magical metal items, there was a scenario where he could toss the potion at a knight, depriving them of their weapon and armor.


    ¡°You go into the ¡®maybe¡¯ pile,¡± Theo said, moving on.


    Next up was the Deteriorate property. It was an unlockable property, but that didn¡¯t mean it was good. The impression Theo got from looking at the essence was strange. Memories of the [Cleansing Scrub] came back to him. There was an entire class of potions that were considered cleaning agents. Those potions were normally poured over things, rendering some kind of effect. The alchemist added the essence to a vial, mixing equal parts enchanted water and a metal shaving. The reaction wasn¡¯t as gross-smelling as the others, but it was still foul. A plume of black smoke filled the air as the reaction occurred. A moment later, the potion was ready for inspection.


    [Potion of Deteriorate]


    [Cleaning Agent]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Submerging any item in this potion for at least one day will completely destroy it.


    Effect:


    Items (magical or otherwise) submerged in this potion will be destroyed without a trace.


    Items must be of equal or lesser strength to this potion.


    Length of time taken to destroy items depends on the relative power between the potion and the item.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to think about that one,¡± Theo grumbled.


    The grimeling was, as expected, a useless creature. There might have been a niche use for the [Potion of Deteriorate], but Theo couldn¡¯t think of it. Even in a scenario where he needed to destroy a dangerously powerful item, that item''s power was the problem. The description of the potion said it couldn¡¯t destroy items more powerful than itself. So, he moved on to the next potion.


    The [Reanimated Skeleton Fragment] was an interesting item. Theo had already confirmed that this fragment did not drop from undead out in the world. Those undead generated by Balkor dropped nothing, unless they were carrying something in life. The fragment came from dungeon-generated monster versions of the undead. It held a property, withering, which was useful for poison modifications. Hone Edge was a decent property. Reanimated Dead was one of those properties he wouldn¡¯t touch even if he needed to. That only left the vial of green-silver liquid in his flask. [Refined Assail Essence].


    From the outside, Theo had the sense that the Assail property was much like Berserk, or Desperate Attack. It would draw on the life of the imbiber to power an attack. He mixed the essence with enchanted water, watching as a faint cloud of greenish smoke rose from the vial. The scent wasn¡¯t unpleasant, but was distinctly related to the smell of gravedust. Gravedust, being a catalyst in the alchemical world, had a smell between fire-cracked bones and fresh earth. He shook his head, casting off his musings to inspect the potion.


    [Potion of Assail]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    The next physical attack performed by the drinker ignores all resistances.


    Effect:


    Applies the [Assail] property to the drinker¡¯s next attack. This effect ignores all resistances, regardless of their source.


    This potion came with implications. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up, confirming what Theo was thinking.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    The wording of the item prompt is too specific. Generally, resistances are considered to be a reduction in damage, or a resistance to that damage. But, the prompt claims that the source of those resistances doesn¡¯t matter. Anything protected by system-generated resistances would be vulnerable to this potion. While you don¡¯t have enough information, this potion might even eliminate the damage reducing effects of the invisible rank function.


    Wisdom of the Soul was often cryptic. Theo had to remember that the ability granted to him by the [Wisdom of the Soul Potion] was taking guesses at points. The only drawback to the potion was that it limited the effect to physical attacks. The alchemist wasn¡¯t much of a physical attacker, so it was something for Tresk.


    Theo stretched, rolling his shoulders to relieve imagined tension. His alchemy session was fun, even if it was stinky. The most satisfying part about alchemy was taking a reagent and refining it into something usable. The resulting potion might be useless, but knowing if it was useless or not was the important part.


    Tresk flashed a sense of recognition through the Dreamwalk. Dawn was drawing closer, and she was interested in getting an early start on the day. Theo finished up his experiments and prepared himself to fall back into the real world.

 5.23 - One Zorp Too Many

    Some of the sweltering heat notable in the Season of Fire was diminished today. It was the thirty-first day of the season, and a bank of laden clouds had moved in from the north. Theo walked from his manor, gazing up at the sky through the boughs of the mighty cypress trees as he made his way to the town square. The experiments in the Dreamwalk had left him feeling satisfied. Like the clouds overhead, he plotted a lazy course through the town.


    There had been a distinct influx of foreigners in the alliance. Folks from afar had sailed from overseas. Most notable among them were the Khahari. Despite Khahar¡¯s declaration of friendship, what remained of his theocracy didn¡¯t seem interested in visiting. Only those Khahari calling themselves adventurers crossed the sea, interested in either the newly formed Southlands Alliance or the undead to the north. In either case, the tourists were a considerable source of income.


    The most jarring thing about the morning walk was when Theo spotted a copper-skinned dronon in the distance. He identified her as tworgnothi. Unsurprisingly, she was chatting with Throk outside of his workshop. The alchemist pressed on, opening his administration interface and sorting through his notes. Today¡¯s agenda was sparse, but the interface had become a trove of information. Alise deleted nothing she or others wrote in the interface.


    As Theo approached the monolith, he felt it pulse with recognition. There was a hidden will in there. Something that swelled when it recognized its master. The alchemist hadn¡¯t decided if that was a good thing. But there was work to be done. He didn¡¯t intend to upgrade the [Kingdom Seed Core] today. Instead, he would focus on the town itself. Each seed core building in town was limited by the level of the town itself. While they hadn¡¯t experimented with the limits, he guessed a seed core building couldn¡¯t be more than five levels away from the [Town Seed Core].


    With Tresk and Alex busy doing things for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and the administrators spinning their wheels, this was the perfect time to upgrade buildings. Broken Tusk was currently Level 25. Getting it to 30 was a breeze, but that wasn¡¯t the hardest part. Looming in the upgrade selection menu were the same two options he had seen since the start. [Water Tower] and [Watchtowers]. While [Watchtowers] was a later addition to the ever-rolling list of upgrades, it had remained one of the less useful ones.


    There was normally only one new option per five levels. Theo looked at his upgrade interface, confused why there were three new options to pick from. The alchemist inspected the strange ones first.


    [Water Purification]


    Your incorporated water boilers can be upgraded. This upgrade will make your current water purification system more efficient, drawing on the power of your Kingdom Core. Your current water purification system will be replaced if this upgrade is selected.


    This was the first time that the system reacted to something he had done to the town regarding upgrades. The upgrade wasn¡¯t good, but it was interesting to see the options offer more than one thing. Nothing could compare to the next upgrade, though.


    [Dungeon Information]


    Allows anyone with the administrator title in this town to view information about every local dungeon.


    The presence of a Dungeon Engineer in your town enables the selection of this upgrade. If the Dungeon Engineer leaves your town, revoking their citizenship, this upgrade will be refunded.


    Theo was certain he would take this one. But this was an upgrade dependent on a person. Since Xol¡¯sa had the Dungeon Engineer class, he had spawned an upgrade for the entire town. Even more interesting was the condition that it would be refunded if he left. The alchemist¡¯s mind spun at the implications. The skill itself was very interesting. Xol¡¯sa could check on the dungeons, but he had to go there and put his mana into the dungeon. So on, and so forth. This eliminated the need for the elf to stress himself.


    The alchemist stopped salivating for a moment to inspect the last upgrade.


    [Zorp]


    Allows you to instantly transport materials between storage containers in your town.


    Zorp sucked. The Zorp ability for the nation was good. But transporting things between production chains in town had never been a problem. Theo had also gained infinite storage for the town, although that was only for resources like lumber and stone. [Dungeon Information] was too good, though.


    Theo turned, finding that a small crowd had formed. He waved sheepishly, then turned back to his work. It was an event when he upgraded the town. That meant everyone else could increase the level of their buildings. No one else seemed interested in upgrading the town, but that wasn¡¯t their responsibility. As the buildings got higher in level, they required more cores to increase their level. That increased the expense, and made folks less likely to fork over the money.


    ¡°We¡¯re going with [Dungeon Information],¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. The crowd politely clapped. His face went a darker shade of purple. He distracted himself by inspecting the town.


    [Massive Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (20.33%)


    Core Buildings:


    Alchemy Lab


    Greenhouses (x6)


    Mycology Cave (x3)


    Blacksmith


    Artificer¡¯s Workshop


    Large Farm


    Small Farm


    Windmill


    Quarry


    Stonecutter


    House (x528)


    Manor


    Tannery


    Tavern


    Adventurer¡¯s Guild


    Hotsprings


    Sawmill


    Mine


    Smelter (x3)


    Enchanter


    Ranch


    Townhall


    Butcher


    Weaver


    Defensive Emplacements:


    Chain Lightning (x12)


    Frost Cone (x7)


    Fireball (x10)


    Firebolt (x25)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Defensive Emplacements]


    [Synergistics]


    [Dynamic Incorporation]


    [Dungeon Information]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    [Defensive Effects]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 20,122


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Stone Blocks: 0


    Metal: 3,020


    Motes: 20,000


    That was interesting. The resources in the town had been climbing for a while now. Ziz was really digging into the town¡¯s stock of stone for his projects, reducing the count to nothing. Theo relied on his administrators to sort that out when there was damage done to the town. Seeing as the eastern wall had repaired itself, they must have been doing something right. Metal and timber numbers were also going down. Broken Tusk was exporting more materials than ever.


    ¡°Yay,¡± Theo said, turning to his administration interface. ¡°Now let¡¯s see what this new upgrade does¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t take the alchemist long to find the Dungeon Information panel in his interface. He opened it, getting a status screen listing¡­ six dungeons. Six? Wasn¡¯t it five? Swamp, river, ocean, mountains, hills. Theo spotted the problem. The sixth dungeon was listed as ¡®Underground Dungeon.¡¯ Interesting. Each entry gave him information about the dungeon¡¯s level, how close it was to a wave, and other interesting facts.


    [Swamp Dungeon]


    Level 35 Dungeon


    Monster Types:


    Goblin, Wolves, Undead


    Description (from loremaster):


    This dungeon was seeded after the destruction of the continent. Balkor¡¯s Betrayal marked the destruction of almost all the dungeons in the region. Once the Swamp Dungeon was fed the invasive power of Drogramath, it ascended in power.


    Trends:


    Power trending down (strength decreasing).


    Level trending up (one level over the past week).


    Thread Level:


    Minimal. No monster wave predicted.


    Each dungeon had a description like that. But the more useful at-a-glance feature was the list of every dungeon. Theo inspected that quick info screen, gawking.


    [Swamp Dungeon] L35 No Threat


    [River Dungeon] L18 No Threat


    [Mountain Dungeon] L15 No Threat


    [Hills Dungeon] L10 No Threat


    [Ocean Dungeon] L20 Imminent Threat


    [Cave Dungeon] L95 No Threat


    Theo made a note not to mess with the cave dungeon. That dungeon must have been near the dragon, Pogo. Hopefully the creature was handling it. Maybe the rock people were secretly extremely powerful. But the alchemist didn¡¯t like seeing a Level 95 dungeon in his interface. That meant it was near, and the idea rubbed him the wrong way. A shiver crept down his spine as he drilled down on the entry for the [Cave Dungeon].


    [Cave Dungeon]


    Level 95 Ascendant Dungeon


    Monster Types:


    Golems, Cave Fald, Trolls


    Description (from loremaster):


    Loremaster¡¯s level is too low to provide additional information on this dungeon.


    Trends:


    Gathering power for ascendancy.


    Level trending up (two levels over the past week)


    Thread Level:


    Minimal. No monster wave predicted.


    ¡°No big deal,¡± Theo grumbled. ¡°Just a dungeon trying to achieve godhood.¡±


    The implications for that one were too much for him to deal with right then. But this supported an idea that Theo had been kicking around about how seed cores work in this world. When he used his wards on seed core buildings, he felt something pushing back. Although the will that fought against him was minor, it was there. Enough to say ¡®I¡¯m here,¡¯ and that was significant.


    The alchemist turned away from the monolith, heading out for his next stop. The crowd parted, allowing him to leave. He hadn¡¯t bought a bunch of monster cores for nothing. The next stop for the day was the Harbor. Avast Ye Newts had been the most important building in town for a while now. It opened the world up to the Southlands Alliance, giving them access to all the other nations of the world.


    Theo walked the slight decline toward the river, smiling when the scent of salty sea air hit his nose. The chatter of people engaging in trade with whatever merchant had docked filled his ears next. A small, single-masted boat was docked in the harbor. It was a khahari vessel, if the alchemist had to guess its origin. Made of wood that seemed bleached by the sun, and sails with too many tatters. He approached the core building, which was a warehouse just off the wooden dock area.


    The harbor sat at level 20, with 4 extremely useful upgrades. [Expanding Docks] made it so the wooden docks that bordered the harbor would expand with the building¡¯s level. [Delayed Decay] slowed the aging of ships docked. [Shipwright¡¯s Drydock] was the reason they could build boats at all, providing a workshop for the shipwrights to work in. Last was [Fair Winds], which made it easier for boats to move within 13,000 halms of the port. Of course, that measurement came out to about a mile. Depending on the system¡¯s version of a halm.


    Theo shoved [Monster Cores] into the building, intending to give it 10 levels today. Each level made the area slightly bigger. When it expanded, the ground rumbled beneath him. The wall, generated by the town itself, pushed out with the upgraded harbor. The dock rearranged itself. People shouted in fear and excitement. The first upgrade notification popped up, and he weighed his options. It didn¡¯t take long, and he selected the one that made the most sense.


    [Safe Harbor]


    All sailing vessels docked within this harbor will not experience the effects of weather. High winds, torrential downpours, and other negative weather effects will no longer affect the vessels, although those boats will still catch moderate wind in their sails.


    If a big storm kicked up, hitting the harbor, the boats would be safe. Easy pick. Theo shoved more cores into the building, his eyes lingering on the drydock. Laedria had put a few cores into that building, but had gained no significant progress. His attention was drawn back to the upgrade screen when it popped up, providing more upgrade options. The new upgrade that appeared was the best, so he selected that one.


    [Automatic Repairs]


    So long as a person with a shipwright-style core is in the harbor, ships that are docked in the harbor can be repaired automatically. The resources required to perform the repairs will be drawn from local, or town storage. The shipwright may decide to accept or decline requests for repairs.


    Ding, ding. Another business opportunity. Theo had seen the shipwrights performing repairs on vessels as they came into port, but this made their job a lot easier. Laedria would appreciate that one, making her day-to-day life easier. The alchemist nodded with satisfaction, heading over to the dry dock.


    ¡°Hey!¡± an annoyed voice called after him. Laedria trotted, catching up to Theo. As always, her leather apron was covered in sticky tar. ¡°Upgrading my stuff?¡±


    ¡°Someone has to do it,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the dry dock. ¡°I can leave it to you. If that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    ¡°Whaaat. No. I¡¯m just being¡­¡±


    ¡°Being a Wavecrest,¡± Theo said, winking. ¡°Stubborn bunch of elves.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we didn¡¯t survive the purge by being nice,¡± Laedria said, pouting.


    ¡°Fair enough. Help me pick the best upgrades for the dry dock.¡± Theo began shoving [Monster Cores] into the building.


    ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡±


    Since the [Shipwright¡¯s Drydock] upgrade generated a new building, it could be upgraded. This was something that Theo had left to the future for some time. If he wanted Laedria to make more boats, she needed the right equipment. With artisans, that came down to a powerful set of seed core buildings. The drydock leveled to five without an issue, presenting the alchemist with three upgrade options.


    [Speedy Assembly]


    All parts of the ship-building process are faster. Tar sets quicker, wood cures faster, and workers are invigorated as they assemble a ship. This effect doesn¡¯t translate to non-shipwright related tasks.


    [Plus One]


    All ships assembled in this drydock will increase by one rarity rank. Ships retrofitted in this drydock may gain an additional rank, depending on the level and skill of the shipwright.


    [Magical Winch]


    Any shipwright may access a magical winch which hoists boats from the harbor, onto the drydock. This is considered a purely magical device, consuming motes or coins to operate.


    Each option was good. But Laedria had a favorite.


    ¡°The winch,¡± she said, bouncing up and down. ¡°Oh, please get that one.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Theo asked. The other options were really good.


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t retrofit anything in the drydock right now. If I could hoist the boats out of the harbor, I could do a ton of things. Including retrofitting foreign ships. Meaning¡­ Money!¡±


    Theo nodded, selecting that one as their first option. He continued to put [Monster Cores] into the building, selecting random directions as it expanded. The next upgrade option appeared, and he read it out to Laedria.


    [Expanding Bays]


    The drydock will gain more bays the higher the building¡¯s level is. This will add approximately one bay every twenty levels.


    ¡°Oh goodness,¡± Laedria said, hyperventilating. ¡°These are all good. Uhm. Okay. [Expanding Bays], for now. But I really want [Speedy Assembly].¡±


    Theo selected [Expanding Bays]. ¡°We can pick that one next time.¡±


    ¡°As long as nothing awesome pops up.¡±


    Leveling a building to 10 was easy peasy. Theo could use low-level monster cores to accomplish that. His one problem was that his spread of cores thinned out between 10 and 30. That forced him to use the higher-level cores¡ªthe more expensive cores¡ªto bridge the gap. He dumped several gold worth of cores into the building, then read the Level 15 upgrade option off to Laedria.


    [Safe Travels]


    After being serviced in this drydock, vessels will gain increased speed and durability for seven days.


    ¡°That one stinks,¡± Laedria said, bouncing up and down with excitement. ¡°Get the other one.¡±


    Theo selected the [Speedy Assembly] upgrade, then added more cores. The drydock reached level 20 with ease, and he was presented with another upgrade option. He read it out for Laedria to decide on.


    [Cranes]


    Every bay in the drydock gains a magical crane. These cranes are powered by coins, or motes, and have a high weight capacity.


    Laedria shook Theo by the shoulders. ¡°That one! Do you know how hard it is to move those masts into position? We could make bigger boats with this upgrade!¡±


    After being jostled back and forth, Theo nodded and selected the upgrade. He took no offense to the violent shaking. Laedria was excited about these upgrades, and he wouldn¡¯t dampen her spirits. He pressed on, bringing the building to level 25. Second to last upgrade for the drydock today.


    [Rollers]


    Each bay in the drydock is equipped with a roller, which makes moving boats in and out of drydock easier. This upgrade is static, and requires no coins or motes to operate.


    ¡°Stinky upgrade. Get the [Plus One],¡± Laedria said, fanning the air away from her face.


    Theo picked [Plus One], then went back to his work. The drydock expanded, gaining two bays at some point. The ground rumbled slightly as it pushed into the area occupied by the wall. It finally hit level 30, and the alchemist read the last upgrade out for Laedria to pick.


    [Dynamic Scaffolding]


    Any shipwright operating the drydock may summon magical scaffolding. This scaffolding consumes coins or motes to operate, providing a customizable working surface for the shipwright.


    ¡°Might not seem like it, but that one is awesome,¡± Laedria said, nodding to herself. ¡°Can¡¯t express how many times we had to go buy ladders from Sledge.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Theo said, picking [Dynamic Scaffolding] as the last upgrade. ¡°There ya go. A level 30 drydock.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just so excited,¡± Laedria said, practically brimming with energy. She danced on the spot, hugged Theo, then ran off to inspect her new building.


    Theo watched as the crazed elf summoned glowing platforms, then climbed them. He nodded, then inspected the building.


    [Drydock]


    [Plug Yer Bunghole]


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (0.15%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Magical Winch]


    [Expanding Bays]


    [Speedy Assembly]


    [Cranes]


    [Plus One]


    [Dynamic Scaffolding]


    Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°When the hell did Tresk name this building?¡±

 5.24 - Dead Dog Upgrades

    Theo took a break before pressing on with his building upgrade crusade. Tresk might have given the drydock a crude name, but at least it added characters. It wasn¡¯t as though sailors were strangers to rude words and crass jokes. The amount of curses that flung from the harbor was staggering. It seemed to be a constant stream of rude limericks and words that would make the alchemist blush.


    For his break, Theo headed off to check on a few old friends. And there was plenty to see in town. Compared to when he first arrived, Broken Tusk had changed entirely. It was hard to imagine that only a season and a half had passed. The alchemist moved through the bustling streets of the town, nodding to people as they passed by. He stopped in to check on Perg, first.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Theo entered the tanner¡¯s workshop, finding the half-ogre woman working hard.


    ¡°Look who came to grace me with his demon goodness,¡± Perg said, removing herself from the tanning pit. She was covered in a thin layer of goo.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Perg?¡±


    ¡°Well enough. Making some real money with these foreigners coming to town. They love wolf leather.¡±


    Theo nodded, engaging in polite conversation. Perg had become somewhat insular in recent times. She kept to herself, working hard in her tannery and never bothering others. Unlike most others in town, even those native to the area, she was content to live a quiet life. The alchemist reflected with her on that, part of him wishing he could do the same. He had found balance recently, but it was very recent.


    Once he was done chatting, Theo headed out. He aimed to catch up with Xam and Miana, but he spotted the tworgnothi woman once again. The alchemist was drawn to her. It wasn¡¯t his goal, but in the heavens he had saved more than a few dronon souls. There was no administrative report on what the woman was doing here, or how she got here, but he needed to know.


    Theo approached Throk¡¯s workshop timidly. He waved at Throk and the tworgnothi woman, smiling. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there he is,¡± the woman said. Her voice wasn¡¯t as cold as he had expected. There was a brightness that radiated the ideals of Tworgnoth. It was a pleasant change, compared to both drogramathi and zagmoni concepts. She had black hair like most dronon, with copper-colored skin. Like a true child of the demon artificer, she wore a work apron, heavy boots, and a pair of thick leather gloves.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Throk shouted. ¡°About time you came poking your head in. This is¡­ how did you pronounce it?¡±


    The woman laughed. ¡°Tweliagia. Most who speak Qavelli have trouble with it. Call me whatever you like.¡±


    ¡°Lia,¡± Throk said. ¡°We¡¯ll just take the middle part of your cursed name so us southlanders can pronounce it.¡±


    ¡°Theo,¡± the alchemist said, reaching a hand out. Lia shook it, nodding. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see another dronon. Not with the undead.¡±


    ¡°Right. I was working in the Khahari Desert when my lord called me here. He said there was a lizard-folk man who wanted a [Tworgnoth Artificer¡¯s Core],¡± Lia said, smiling at the marshling. ¡°He also thinks I can help with the incursion.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s damned skilled, Theo!¡± Throk shouted, puffing with pride. ¡°Puts my work to shame.¡±


    Tia smiled, patting Throk on the head. He seemed to melt a little. ¡°He¡¯s doing his best with what he has. An unaligned core won¡¯t compete with a demon core, after all.¡±


    ¡°Please. If you need anything at all, let us know. We have access to Tworgnothi Copper, Drogramathi Iron, and an alloy made of the two. Anything for a child of Tworgnoth.¡±


    Lia smiled, nodding. ¡°Do you treat all wandering dronon so nicely?¡±


    ¡°We have had no wandering dronon,¡± Theo said. ¡°Just a priestess of Drogramath and some Zagmon assassins.¡±


    Lia¡¯s face darkened slightly. ¡°I heard about what Zagmon did. He deserves what he got. Just because we¡¯re considered demons doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t get along with the other races. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Theo said. His excitement for meeting another dronon was too high, and he recognized that. The alchemist took a breath, calming himself. She might have been a servant of a friendly dronon god, but that didn¡¯t mean he could spill all his secrets. ¡°Once again, you¡¯re welcome to stay as long as you need. If you need some cash, we¡¯ll provide it. You¡¯re giving Throk a splendid gift.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Bumping elbows with demon gods,¡± Throk said, snorting a laugh. ¡°Not something I expected to do.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your hospitality,¡± Lia said, bowing her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be around for a while.¡±


    The thing Theo wanted more than anything was to house more dronon. He wanted the Southlands Alliance to be a safe place for them to live. A place where they could stop running and settle down. There weren¡¯t many people in the world who hunted the race down. Not with the Eye being destroyed. But the thousands of years before that had etched into the very bones of all dronon. It was now a reflex to run away. Lia seemed different, though.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ are there more tworgnothi in the desert?¡±


    ¡°A few,¡± Lia said with a shrug.


    ¡°I want to find the scattered dronon. Give them a place to stay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s noble.¡±


    Theo felt awkward after that. Lia wasn¡¯t as excited about it as him. He smiled politely, then excused himself from the artificer¡¯s workshop. Lia was helping Throk work on his various designs. With the support of the Demon God of Artificers, he could do great things. That required time, and practice.


    ¡°Wow, that was weird,¡± Tresk said, appearing at Theo¡¯s side. ¡°And she was nice. Way nicer than Zarali.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She was,¡± Theo said. He stood at the town center, deciding on a direction to travel. ¡°Aren¡¯t you working?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my mandated break,¡± Tresk said. ¡°What are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°Upgrading buildings. Which is kinda fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all about upgrading buildings. What do we have?¡±


    ¡°Ziz and his guys maintain their own levels, so not them. Throk is responsible for his crap, so not him. What about the school?¡±


    ¡°Is that your responsibility?¡±


    ¡°According to the contract it is.¡±


    ¡°Since Sledge is gonna have her babies, it¡¯s a good idea. We¡¯ll need to expand the crap out of that school.¡±


    The school was a good place to start. Theo made his way over, standing outside of the play yard. Kids of all races and ages were playing in the mud, which had become something of a tradition. Bob was somewhere nearby, doing his best to keep the kids in line. As expected, the school¡¯s level hadn¡¯t budged since the last time Theo upgraded it. It was level 15 with three upgrades. [Dormitories] made a comfortable area for the kids to stay. That upgrade was vital for the orphans, who had nowhere else to call home. [Play Yard] was a no-brainer, it gave the kids a safe area to play outside. And [Speedy Education] allowed Bob to teach them easier. That was the most important one, as it reduced the amount of staff they needed to teach the kids.


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    Tresk lingered around the area while Theo shoved cores into the seed core building. Bob came outside the fenced, shouting angrily as the building jumped beneath his feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got sleeping babies in here!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°But I¡¯m making your building bigger.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. They¡¯re already awake, I guess.¡±


    First was the Level 20 upgrade option. Since Bob was already there, Theo consulted with him on what the best upgrade would be. Thankfully, the first one was easy to pick.


    [Second Floor]


    Adds a second floor to the school. The operator of this building can designate what the rooms on this floor are used for.


    ¡°More space is always better,¡± Bob said.


    Theo agreed. The more people they got in town, the more kids there were. He continued to add cores to the building, reading the new option for level 25 out for Bob to hear. The teacher was interested in the new option.


    [Shelter]


    Adds a basement level to the school. This basement is highly resistant to damage, providing a safe shelter. All sapient beings under the age of 12 that enter this room will take less damage, become less fearful, require less food and water, and become well rested easily.


    This was perfect. One problem Theo had faced in the past was keeping people safe when a monster wave attacked. Once a boss monster breached the outer walls, everyone in the town was in danger. But the children were especially vulnerable, making this an easy pick. Not only could the kids hide in the shelter, but when the town wasn¡¯t under attack, they could use it for other things.


    Theo inserted cores into the building until it reached level 30. This was as far as he intended to get any building in town, not wanting to upgrade anything too far. Since it was a matter of having enough [Monster Cores], he didn¡¯t to spend them all in one place. The average level of his high-level monster cores was around 30. Leveling a building beyond that would have diminishing returns. The alchemist read the next upgrade for Bob to pick.


    [Nourishing Meals]


    All meals eaten by sapient beings under the age of 12 while within the school will be more nourishing. Children who consume food within the school will gain more nutrition from less food.


    Quality food wasn¡¯t a problem for Mudball Fundamental. But Bob was insistent that this was the best pick, so Theo picked it. The educator was happy with the upgrades, and the expanded space of his school. Since each level added a few feet of space to a building, he now had a lot more floor space to work with. Added onto that were the two new floors.


    ¡°Thanks, Theo,¡± Bob said. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have babies to get back to sleep.¡±


    Theo nodded, watching as the brogling went off to his duties. The alchemist inspected the building before moving on.


    [School]


    [Mudball Fundamental]


    Owners: Alise Plumm


    Operator: Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (92%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Dormitories]


    [Play Yard]


    [Speedy Education]


    [Second Floor]


    [Shelter]


    [Nourishing Meals]


    At least the administrators had figured out how to suspend rent. Alise and Theo were on the same page about that. The money earned from taking rent from citizens was minimal. It was better to give those people the tools to do something profitable, then tax them there. The difference between the approaches was drastic. Ziz¡¯s operation was taxed at a flat rate at the end of his production cycles. That tax was based on the amount of money he made from sales. Dead Dog Mine was taxed completely differently. The state owned the mine, which meant the individual workers were not taxed at all. Instead, they were paid for their production. Broken Tusk itself processed the ore, then sold the ingots.


    With Dead Dog Mine on his mind, Theo headed south. He passed by the cluster of smelters operated by Nira, waving at the people within from a distance. He didn¡¯t care for the heat of the smelters. Even with his fancy coat. The alchemist passed through a small neighborhood outside of the mine. Most people who worked the mine wanted to be closer, resulting in a spotty neighborhood that rolled over the hills, seemingly without order. Several miners were outside of the entrance, lingering with golems and adventurers alike. Security had increased ever since they discovered the cave system below.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said, waving at the group. They waved back, and he got to work on the upgrades.


    Dead Dog Mine was at level 10. One of the lowest in town. Theo was embarrassed that it had taken him this long to get to the mine, but things had been busy. He sorted through his inventory, ordering the remaining [Monster Cores] he had on him. The alchemist was almost out of low-level cores, and his supply of high-level cores was dwindling. The mine currently had two upgrades. [Miner Fortitude] made the workers less tired when they mined. [Automatic Deposit] made it so that any nuggets mined would appear in a [Dimensional Storage Crate] outside of the mine. Both were great upgrades, and the other two options given were pretty interesting. The mine hit level 15, presenting him with three options.


    [Grom Rang¡¯s Banishment]


    Monsters are less likely to find your mine.


    [Miner Quickness]


    Anyone with a [Miner¡¯s Core] (or variant) will move 25% faster within the mine.


    [Rock And Stone]


    Anyone with a [Miner¡¯s Core] (or variant) will clear away rock and stone 50% faster.


    [Grom Rang¡¯s Banishment] and [Miner Quickness] were both older upgrades. [Rock And Stone] was the new one, and Theo didn¡¯t know which was better. Monsters weren¡¯t really an issue anymore, so he dismissed the first one. He couldn¡¯t decide if it was better to move faster, or to clear stone away faster. He polled the nearby miners, and went with their recommendation. They claimed that [Miner Quickness] would help them a lot, especially since the mine had expanded considerably. It took them too long to get to the bottom floors, and it had annoyed them for some time.


    Theo added more cores until the mine hit level 20. He was presented with the old options again, and a new one. By now, a crowd of miners had formed around him. They had an interest in making sure he picked the right options, so he didn¡¯t blame them. He read the upgrades out for everyone to hear, resulting in an indistinct murmur of conversation. The alchemist inspected the new option.


    [Grom Rang¡¯s Tenacity]


    After working in the mine for an hour, anyone with a [Miner¡¯s Core] (or variant) will gain an increase to their Strength and Vigor. This effect increases every thirty minutes, up to eight hours.


    The miners normally worked four to six hour shifts, so they agreed this would be the best option. Theo selected it, smiling to himself as the miners discussed the upgrade options. He had never seen them so involved in the process. But perhaps they had never been given the chance. The mine hit level 25 with ease, presenting him with yet another option.


    [Escape]


    Once per day, anyone with a [Miner¡¯s Core] (or variant) working in the mine may instantly teleport to the entrance. This ability costs no mana and casts instantly.


    There was an uproar for that option. Every miner assembled agreed that this option was awesome. They gave their opinions as to why that was. Gridgen had created so many tunnels that ran so deep that getting to the surface was a problem. When a person¡¯s shift was done, they wove a path through the maze-like mine to reach the surface. Several miners claimed they had been lost in the mines before, forcing them to hunker down for the night. As Theo wasn¡¯t interested in forcing his people to sleep in the cold mine, he picked that option.


    ¡°One more,¡± Theo said. The crowd cheered. He fed the last few cores to the mine and read the option for everyone to judge.


    [Rail Carts]


    Magical rails, complete with magical rail carts, appear within the mine. The rail carts are powered by coins or motes and can be summoned by anyone using a [Miner¡¯s Core] (or variant). These carts can only be summoned at the entrance, allowing a miner to ride to their intended section of the mine with ease. The carts vanish after all occupants disembark.


    The crowd went nuts. Once again, this was an option that improved the quality of the miners¡¯ lives. They theorized on how amazing the upgrade would be, or how fast the carts would go. But the one thing they all agreed on was that Theo should pick that option. The alchemist was happy to obey, selecting [Rail Carts] as his last upgrade for the mine. Theo inspected the mine now that he was done upgrading it.


    [Mine]


    [Dead Dog Mine]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Gridgen Dev


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (2%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Ore Type:


    Copper


    Iron


    Drogramathi Iron


    ????


    Ore Quality: Perfect


    Expansions:


    [Miner Fortitude]


    [Automatic Deposit]


    [Miner Quickness]


    [Grom Rang¡¯s Tenacity]


    [Escape]


    [Rail Carts]


    While they still hadn¡¯t found silver or gold, things were looking up for the mine. Nothing in the system¡¯s description of the building included the cave below. But Theo understood that to be some weird stuff created by Khahar back in the day. He left the mine before the crowd got too rowdy, heading back to his manor for some rest. The alchemist wasn¡¯t sure when Tresk had slipped away, but that was how she worked.


    Theo settled into the garden behind his manor, finding a shaded spot to sit. The heat of the day only seemed to increase, no matter where he sat. Thanks to his comfortable coat, the weather felt perfect. That wasn¡¯t the case for everyone, though. Somewhere in the distance, he could feel both Alex and Tresk suffering from the heat.

 5.25 - Grinding

    A world of worlds spread before Theo. Glass bubbles floated in a green void, each one filled with a tiny world of its own. After Drogramath described his realm, the alchemist was eager to replicate it in the Dreamwalk. It would be a worthy goal to catalog the way the patrons of the heavens formed their realms. He had learned that most created specialized areas, meant only for the strengthening of their masters. That only made him want to keep Tero¡¯gal pure even more.


    ¡°This place kinda stinks,¡± Tresk said, slipping over the surface of a glass bubble. Alex flew above, honking in agreement.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re supposed to be in the bubbles.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe Drogramath lied about his realm to throw you off.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. You know what¡¯s funny?¡±


    ¡°What? I love a good joke.¡±


    Theo smiled, turning to his companion. It was hard not to laugh as he told the story. ¡°When he showed up in the temple, he was all bluster. Puffed up like a mad little frogopus. Then I met him in person, and he was like a shy kitten.¡±


    Tresk chuckled politely. She didn¡¯t find the scenario as hilarious as he did. ¡°He wants to pretend that he¡¯s tough while in the heavens. But then you meet him in person, and he¡¯s a little scared nerd.¡±


    Almost every god that Theo had met was friendly enough. He suspected that if he met Zagmon in the heavens, even the Demon God of War would have been pleasant. That might have been a mechanism of the realms themselves, as no patron could assault another without declaring all-out war. The alchemist waved his hand, sending them inside one of the many glass bubbles. Inside were the fields of reagents that Drogramath had planted. As expected, the seeds to fight the undead had been planted in Broken Tusk long ago. Likely by the potioneer himself.


    ¡°This place sucks, though. You¡¯re right.¡± Theo felt dizzy looking up at the glass dome overhead. The other orbs looked distorted, as though viewed through a funhouse mirror. It wasn¡¯t pleasant.


    ¡°The only realm we¡¯ve seen that doesn¡¯t stink is Glantheir¡¯s realm. The Realm of Healing? House of Healing? Which is it?¡±


    ¡°The capital is the House of Healing. The world is called the Realm of Healing, but even that is dizzying. There¡¯s this mist that hangs in the air, and the place is far too humid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why our realm will just be a world. Nothing crazy, right?¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t agree with her more. All members of the Tara¡¯hek were annoyed with the glass world, so they transported themselves to another area. Antalis, the darkened moon above the planet. It was bleak, but the planet was visible below. A little green-blue gem hovering in a void of black.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do alchemy on the moon,¡± Theo declared.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna fight a dragon on the moon!¡±


    Tresk ran off with Alex, intent on fighting a copy of Pogo the dragon. Theo got to work on his alchemy grinding, summoning stills and plots of land to practice his craft. He would hit Level 27 in his two cores tonight, bringing them one step closer to evening out with his others. His [Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core] had been crawling along, but he once again neglected it. Sensing that was a bad idea, he added some warding to his list of goals for the night.


    It was a good chance to reflect on his mage-style core. The core, given to him by the Queen of Mystery Toru¡¯aun, was weird to start with. It was a modified ward-style mage core, specializing in warding objects instead of generating wards ad hoc. Strangers still, the pieces of the wards he crafted were drawn directly from his alchemy. Theo could take almost any effect from a potion, imbuing an object with that power. When the core hit Level 20, he would gain another valuable ability. If he focused hard, grinding the crap out of the core, he could bring it even to his others quickly enough.


    And that might need to happen. No one had answers why his cores had stopped leveling. Even the [Tara¡¯hek Core], which seemed immune to most system-based shenanigans, was stuck at 30. Each of his other cores might need to be 30 to advanced past that mark for all he knew. Or something else was happening. Some other nonsense brought by Khahar and Fenian. While he knew they were toying with the monitor system, he didn¡¯t know the extent of that tampering.


    To practice his wards, Theo infused things with simple shielding wards. What he wanted to get better at was the [Linked Wards] skill, which allowed the alchemist to combine two different wards. Like the suffuse potion in alchemy, attaching wards together was hit-or-miss. Some things produced amazing results, while others were mostly useless. Others still were outright dangerous. But the key to working with [Linked Wards] was to understand they operated outside of the standard spellcrafting system. They worked by manually cramming wards together, meaning they required extensive experimentation.


    Theo devised a way to help both of his Drogramath cores along. Since the [Alchemy Constructs] ability was shared between both his alchemy and herbalist cores, he got a bit of experience for both when he messed with golems. The only problem he had with golems was the way the willpower requirement rose as the strength of the golem increased. From the Dreamwalk, he couldn¡¯t feel his golem running around in Gronro. But when in the waking world, he could sense the massive draw of will it took from Tero¡¯gal. Distance, strength, and intelligence level were the biggest factors for operating golems.


    A golem made of wood lumbered around in the distance. Theo studied his creation, looking up from a boiling still to note the strengths of the [Wood Golem]. Alex sensed the creature¡¯s affinity for nature before he did. The creature was somewhere between a stone golem and a plant golem. It had an aptitude for combat, and for caring for plants. The alchemist destroyed that golem, moving on to see how far he could push the definition of ¡®golem.¡¯


    Theo¡¯s next test was to create golems made of various rare metals. Both Drogramathi Iron and Tworgnothi Copper worked, but the Dreamwalk buckled slightly at the creation of both. The more rare the material, the harder it was to keep the creation together. He moved on, working his stills as he stretched his mind to create more. The system absolutely refused to allow him a golem made entirely out of water. It did allow him to create a golem made entirely out of flowers, and another made of blades of grass. They were labeled as [Grass Golem] and [Flower Golem], but seemed to work exactly like a [Plant Golem].


    The limit on organic material was plants. Theo shook his head, looking at the pile of wolf corpses he had jammed a containment core into. ¡°Should¡¯ve guessed,¡± he said, moving on.


    The interesting part of that experiment was the resulting [Bone Golem]. It was a horrid mass of bones that Theo dismissed as quickly as he could. He continued working throughout the night, trying to push himself to get as many levels as possible, and learn as much about the golems as he could. He managed to hit 27 in his alchemy, herbalist, and personal level. The alchemist also got level 18 for his Toru¡¯aun core. Not too shabby for the night.


    Going with his current theme of trying to get Intelligence to 30, Theo placed his free point there. It brought him to 28. While a lot of his Intelligence points came from bonuses on his cores, he would be happy enough when the modified score was 30. Then he had to figure out where to put his other free points. It was a good idea to go wide, rather than focusing on a single thing. Dexterity was likely his next pick.


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    The Dreamwalk seemed to end in a snap. Theo¡¯s eyes snapped open in the realm world, blinking away sleep and adjusting to the dawn light outside. The scent of freshly cooked food drifted upstairs, driving the alchemist to rise faster than he wanted to. Tresk was already bolting down the stairs, leaving him to stretch for long moments with Alex before heading down. The goose honked, signaling her need to move around. Theo agreed. Unless he got moving, he¡¯d stay in bed for far too long.


    Sarisa and Rowan had created more delights with their growing skills. Theo enjoyed his breakfast, but his mind lingered on the underworld just below the town. With the day¡¯s schedule seeming tame enough, he made plans with his assistants to head down to chat with the dragon. Right after he sorted another batch of [Greater Hallow the Soil] for the clean-up effort. The good news on that front was that the various measures he had installed in Gronro were working. The barrier around the town had stopped the tide of corruption entirely. Combined with the potions and his wandering golem, things were looking up.


    After finishing his breakfast, Theo headed over to the lab to chat with Salire about their production levels. Since she was enjoying the use of three stills, the alchemist kept that the way it was. After checking how much essence they had produced, he was satisfied that they could reduce the amount of [Greater Hallow the Soil] they were already producing. That was based on the idea of beating the corruption back over the long-term, though.


    ¡°Of course, the real problem,¡± Theo said, sighing as he leaned over a table. ¡°Is that we¡¯re putting a lot of stock in Sulvan.¡±


    Salire was wearing a different floral dress today. This one had puffy sleeves and she had taken to wearing a leather apron over it to keep it safe. She had others that were damaged from exposure to alchemy reagents or simply the fumes. ¡°I think we¡¯re spreading our efforts wide enough not to care. Not like anyone else is helping us with the undead.¡±


    Theo grunted, nodding. He wanted to be mad at the other nations for not helping them with the undead corruption. But the alchemist felt partially responsible for the entire fiasco. His closeness to Fenian, and the result of the elf¡¯s adventures left him feeling like a party to the release of the undead. No matter how many times people told him, he still felt at fault.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go see the dragon today,¡± Theo said, shaking off his guilt as quickly as it came. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like dragons?¡±


    ¡°Just about no one I¡¯ve talked to. Folks are scared to go down there. Not just because of the dragon, but the rock people.¡±


    ¡°Damn Russian rock folk,¡± Theo said, shaking his fist in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s get these reactions done, then set up the stills for the day. Can you cart the completed potions we have over to Alise after I go?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    Theo and Salire worked on kicking off reactions first. They burned through their stock of essences, setting up more barrels of the brewing potion. It would take a few days for them to finish brewing here, and that would be fine. Without a way to distribute the potion, it was best just to stock up for now. Once Throk had finished his weird flying platform, they could do tests to see how effective of a dispersal method it was. Until then, they were keeping the corruption back and waiting for Glantheir¡¯s play to pan out.


    With everything set up, Theo headed out to meet with Sarisa. Rowan was already lurking somewhere in the shadows, and popped out when he exited the building. Both were mildly excited to see the underground area again. As they passed through the mine, folks gave compliments about the new upgrades. Theo smiled the entire way, finding a random miner to help lead them to the underground passage. The mine had become such a webwork of confusing tunnels, it was easy to get lost.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± a friendly voice said as Theo moved through the final passage. He turned, spotting Igor the rock-person.


    ¡°Just hanging out in a tunnel all day?¡± Theo asked, slapping his hand against the hard shoulder of the rock-person.


    ¡°All day. Every day,¡± Igor said, his rocky face twisting into something close to a smile. ¡°Mind if I escort you?¡±


    ¡°Please, do.¡±


    Theo was confident that whatever brainwashing Khahar had done on the rock-folk was absolute. Betrayal down here wouldn¡¯t come from the rock-dudes or the dragon, but the other races that called this underworld home. The group walked over the rocky landscape. The alchemist and his companions found it hard for their minds to adjust to this new realm. Glowing mushrooms glowed overhead, giving the impression of stars glittering in the sky. They spotted the Nameless City in the distance before long and plunged into the bustle.


    There was always a ring of reverence around Pogo, the dragon that inhabited this place. Her scales seemed to shift colors, depending on the light that shone down from those mushrooms. The crystal lamps the people in the town used for light cast her in a shade of green, while the local fauna shone over her body as though she were the color of bronze. She lifted her head, snorting lazily as she spotted the party.


    ¡°Hello, archduke. Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I was just checking in,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°I know my people have been trying to strike a trade deal, but haven¡¯t had luck.¡±


    ¡°That is their fault, not mine. I cannot help you.¡±


    The ancient dragon cared little about things from the surface. And the rock-people weren¡¯t much better. They seemed content down here, only serving as eternal sentinels to Broken Tusk. But the alchemist had noticed the presence of other races. People who might need what was grown on the surface. While the underground area was already notable for the Tworgnothi Copper, there could be more stuff down here. Theo was always proactive about securing supplies.


    But as Theo looked at the sleepy gaze of the dragon, he realized something important. There was a dragon guarding the underground entrance to his town. If there were other races down here who wanted to trade, they were likely hostile.


    ¡°Beyond your town, how safe is it?¡±


    ¡°Not very.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. ¡°These tunnels go throughout the world, right? How far is the nearest friendly civilization?¡±


    ¡°Not far, but the deep elves are between us and them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing these elves aren¡¯t cool?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the opposite of cool. They¡¯re mean-spirited creatures that make war as often as they can.¡±


    Theo had seen a few pale elves in the Nameless City. But he could sense Pogo¡¯s annoyance with him today. For whatever reason, she had dropped her matronly attitude and acted more like the silent guardian. The alchemist bid farewell to her, then headed off to explore the town some more. The dragon breathed a sigh of relief when he left, leaving him feeling as though she were hiding something. He shook it off, and found a rock-person shop.


    Unsurprisingly, the rock-folk sold a variety of supplies for adventurers. The most interesting thing they sold was a map of the underground area. Thankfully, they accepted surface money. Which was the same as underground money, since the system generated most of the coins in the world. The alchemist made his way to the local tavern, sitting down with Sarisa and Rowan. While none of them were hungry, they ordered drinks to ease the mind of the barman.


    ¡°This stuff is gross,¡± Rowan said, looking down at the mushroom-based alcohol before him.


    ¡°We¡¯re just being polite,¡± Theo said, unfurling the map. ¡°Don¡¯t drink it. Look at this, though. A hand-drawn map with¡­ damn, that¡¯s a lot of factions.¡±


    Instead of presenting strongholds of power, all unified under one banner, the map was a mess. The map only included the areas of the Southlands Alliance, including the ranges to the west and north. In that small pocket of underground land, there were hundreds of independent factions. Deep elves, deep lizard-folk, and other deep variations of surface dwellers were all represented there. No two towns or cities shared the same faction.


    ¡°I can¡¯t read this,¡± Rowan said, squinting at the map.


    ¡°Yeah, Khahar¡¯s idea of humor. The language of the underground is Russian. Ha-ha. Funny,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. He pointed at each of the strongholds, reading out the names of the factions. ¡°Each one is different. The maker of the map listed if the people were friendly, but it gets better.¡±


    A section at the bottom of the map had a funny little part. It dated the map, stating that it was about a season old. In that time, a fair number of these factions would have fallen with new ones taking their place. Politically, it was an absolute nightmare. The only reason they could rise and fall so quickly was through [Kingdom Cores]. That small note on the map explained how factions would capture the cores, passing them around to build new ¡®kingdoms.¡¯


    ¡°The underground might be doomed,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°We can¡¯t establish a relationship with a nation that is gone next season.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be good for business,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°We should also be concerned that the dragon may fall one day.¡±


    ¡°Leaving Broken Tusk wide open to attack,¡± Rowan grunted. He sipped his drink reflexively, then spat it back into the cup. ¡°Ugh.¡±


    A single eye had lingered on Theo since the group came into the bar. Under a mask of stone, a one-eyed deep elf watched the alchemist and his companions. The man stood, walking to stand near the group¡¯s table.


    ¡°Strangers,¡± he said in almost perfect Qavelli. ¡°I have news from the north. If you¡¯re interested.¡±

 5.26 - Twist

    The one-eyed elf wore dark leather that hugged his form. Wrapped around his shoulder was a tattered black cloak, hood pulled up over his head. The stone mask he wore on his face was etched, chunks chipped away in some places. His lone eye stared at Theo, a deep shade of purple that burned with passion. Both Sarisa and Rowan had gone to summon their weapons, only stopping when the elf made no move.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the empty seat at his table. He removed a [Greater Potion of Limited Foresight] and drank it, watching as his companions did the same.


    ¡°Surface liquor?¡± the elf asked, sagging into his chair. His shoulders slumped, breaths coming in sharp gasps.


    ¡°Naturally. The beer down here isn¡¯t to our liking.¡±


    ¡°Nor is it to anyone¡¯s, I¡¯d wager.¡±


    ¡°What kind of information do you have?¡± Theo asked, drumming his fingers on the table. ¡°And what¡¯s the price?¡±


    Theo could hear the smile in the man¡¯s voice when he spoke next. ¡°Astute. First, allow me to introduce myself. I know how you are, Archduke Theo, but you may call me Twist.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Twist.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I was tasked with killing Fenian Southblade before he claimed the Throne of the Herald. As he has claimed the throne, slipping out of my grasp, I¡¯ve abandoned my duty.¡±


    Theo instinctively reached for a dagger hidden in his coat, stopping only when he saw Twist¡¯s inaction. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    It is likely that this man was sent by King Karasan to assassinate Fenian Feintleaf. He speaks Qavelli purposefully. He knows about the throne, but didn¡¯t state that he wanted to claim it.


    More information is required to draw a conclusion on what his intentions are, though.


    ¡°You¡¯re well-informed,¡± Theo said, relaxing slightly.


    ¡°I have my methods,¡± Twist said, coughing into his mask. ¡°I wish I could have seen them fight. Such a shame that the elf is stuck in Balkor¡¯s realm.¡±


    Theo half-expected Khahar to show up, clamping a hand over the masked elf¡¯s mouth. But nothing happened. He knew too much to be a normal dweller of the underground. Everything he said was pointed and undisguised.


    ¡°How do you know this? ¡®I have my methods¡¯ isn¡¯t a valid answer.¡±


    Twist broke into a coughing fit. He rolled his shoulders, nodding. ¡°People always want answers, don¡¯t they? Fine. I¡¯m a failed ascendant. Former servant of Balkor. I removed his core when he fell, cursing me. Been climbing ever since¡­¡±


    Twist coughed some more, stifling any more words that begged release. Theo was left feeling dumbstruck. He realized quickly that the elf was being honest because he needed help. But what did it mean to help a former servant of Balkor? He couldn¡¯t decide if it was a good idea. Since Twist was being so forthcoming with information, it didn¡¯t hurt to ask.


    ¡°So, what do you need from me? In exchange for this information you have.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ I need transport to the place where Qavell once was.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a riddle,¡± Theo said with a sigh.


    Twist shrugged. ¡°Do you think the undead were limited to the surface? The corruption is spreading to the underground. It¡¯s only a matter of time before even this town is overrun. There. That¡¯s free information. Can you get me where I need to go?¡±


    Theo only offered a shrug at first. ¡°Eventually,¡± he said after a pause. ¡°But it might take a while. The path from Gronro to Qavell is long. Every step is corrupted.¡±


    ¡°An honorable promise,¡± Twist said, reaching his hand out for Theo to shake.


    Theo shook the elf¡¯s hand, finding his grip to be firm. ¡°We can formalize this agreement with a contract.¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± Twist said, falling into a coughing fit once more. He tilted the bottom of his mask up, spitting onto the ground. ¡°First Prince Hanan is headed for Broken Tusk. He¡¯s being coerced into doing so by another. I don¡¯t know who.¡±


    Rowan laughed. ¡°He would need an army to attack the alliance.¡±


    ¡°And he has one.¡±


    ¡°And the means to cross the corrupted lands.¡±


    ¡°He has that, too.¡±


    Theo leaned in, narrowing his eyes at Twist. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°He lifted the entire city into the air,¡± Twist said, letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°A feat of his Dark Coresmiths, I think. Qavell itself is flying toward your alliance.¡±


    Theo fell back into his chair. Yeah, that would be a problem. Taking out a fleet of airships was one thing, but an entire city? Nuking it was easy enough, but he had to consider the civilians within. After a few more moments of contemplation, he nodded to himself. This was still within Broken Tusk¡¯s means to repel. The alchemist opened his administrative panel, issuing direct orders to Zan¡¯kir. He detailed what Twist had told him, and issued new orders. Instead of launching deadly loads, they would only fire anti-magic rounds at the city. That would reduce casualties to a minimum. From there, they¡¯d figure the rest out.


    ¡°This is valuable information,¡± Theo said. ¡°You¡¯re giving it so freely.¡±


    ¡°Karasan never paid me,¡± Twist said. ¡°And his son, Hanan, is innocent. It costs you nothing to keep preparing, and much more to get me to Qavell.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I think this arrangement is acceptable. What do you plan to do once you¡¯re at Qavell? The place where Qavell was.¡±


    ¡°That is the one secret I shall keep,¡± Twist said, laughing to himself. Then he coughed some more.


    ¡°Do you need a health potion?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±


    This was a lot of information to process. Twist fell into silence as Theo went through his administrative interface. He made notes from what the pale elf had told him, getting every detail down for Alise and her team to see. He put as much text, color, and warning-sign emojis in the title to grab peoples¡¯ attention. After that, he drew up a formal contract for the elf to sign. There was some back-and-forth, but they agreed on something simple. Twist didn¡¯t want to stay in Broken Tusk, but he wanted progress reports on his trip to the north. He didn¡¯t care if they went over land, sea, or air. He just wanted to get there.


    ¡°I need to discuss this with my people,¡± Theo said.


    Twist shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be here. Couldn¡¯t kill Fenian the last time I saw him, so I¡¯m left feeling¡­ listless.¡±


    After paying Twist his agreed upon stipend of fifty silver coins, Theo left with his assistants. They rushed out of the underground area, bidding farewell to Igor before they left. Alise was already blowing up the administrator chat feature. She and the other administrators were throwing theories around, most of which questioned the information given to them by Twist. By the time the alchemist made his way to the town hall, a small team had assembled.


    Gael and Gwyn weren¡¯t called into the meeting. Alise wanted to set an intimate stage for the meeting. She and the spymaster, Alran, sat in the third floor room. Theo entered with his two bodyguards, all of whom had a slightly vacant expression on their faces. Each of their thoughts were wrapping around the scenario, trying to find the flaw in the masked elf¡¯s story.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fun!¡± Alise shouted, laughing as Theo took a seat at the long table. ¡°An entire city flying to kill us?¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s interesting. How does this line up with what you know, Alran?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know a thing about the city flying, or some interloper manipulating the crown.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Alise groaned.


    ¡°But! I have records of a masked elf working for Karasan. What little information I have says he is afflicted with a condition. A curse?.¡±


    ¡°That lines up perfectly with what he said.¡± Theo tapped his foot. ¡°And all he wants is to visit the place where Qavell was.¡±


    ¡°More importantly,¡± Alise interjected. ¡°How fast can a city fly?¡±


    ¡°Not quickly with all the necromantic corruption.¡± Theo referenced his memories on his artifice experiments. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of magic the city was using to fly. If it was using magic, it would have a hard time leaving the area, let alone making the trip to the Southlands Alliance. Atop that rested the effectiveness of the alchemist¡¯s anti-magical arsenal.


    Alise clapped her hands together once. Her eyes gained a bright glimmer. ¡°This is good. Tying up the last loose end.¡±


    Alran copied Alise, clapping his hands together several times. ¡°This is fabulous. This advanced warning will do wonders.¡±


    The meeting went on. Eventually, Aarok and Zan¡¯kir arrived to discuss defensive measures. With the Khahari man now in charge of the town¡¯s defensive measures, he took an interest in the topic. The natural approach was to focus their efforts on defending Gronro. But everyone had their doubts about that idea. It came down to whether Qavell would approach from the north or the east. The group discounted the idea of a western attack.


    ¡°How far can a city fall and not kill everyone inside?¡± Aarok asked, yawning. The meeting had gone on long enough to test them all.


    ¡°Not far,¡± Zan¡¯kir said. ¡°Are we at a point to consider asking for reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°From whom?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°The Khahari,¡± Zan¡¯kir shrugged. He acted as though the answer was obvious, but the Khahari had shown no desire to help them. Aside from some basic trade, they had been absent since the ascension of their god-king.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Except it¡¯ll take a week to sail there. Then another week to await a response.¡±


    The conversation degraded slightly, but Theo was happy with how determined Zan¡¯kir was to be good at his job. He forced the group to watch as he drew up maps and defensive plans. They would move towers and rail guns around until they had enough coverage to be satisfied. Combined with that effort, Throk would be asked kindly to create a score of new weapons. His hovering tower project just wasn¡¯t as important as defending the alliance.


    ¡°We should fit Rivers with more guns,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, gesturing to his map. Rivers wasn¡¯t well-defended. Not like Broken Tusk and Gronro. ¡°Two rail guns at least. Maybe more.¡±


    ¡°With enough ammo to stop a city,¡± Theo added. ¡°Which brings a problem. I can only ward so many shots a day.¡±


    ¡°Research more methods to shoot anti-magic shots,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Use one of our standing guns.¡±


    Once again, the conversation swayed. Theo¡¯s thoughts drifted away, landing squarely on making new ammo for the guns. When the meeting was over, the alchemist headed off to talk with Xol¡¯sa and Zarali. As expected, the soon-to-be newlyweds were hiding away in the wizard¡¯s tower. If there was anyone in town who knew anything about the topic it would be them.


    The tower was filled with the stale scent of incense. It was this lingering musk that Theo couldn¡¯t decide if he enjoyed the scent or not, pressing on toward the top floors. Xol¡¯sa was on the top floor, poking his fingers through a scattered webwork of arcane symbols. The alchemist observed for a while, then cleared his throat.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Xol¡¯sa said, turning and clutching his chest. ¡°You frightened me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I just had some questions.¡±


    ¡°Sure, of course. But look at this, first.¡± The wizard beckoned Theo closer, gesturing to a cluster of sigils floating in the air. ¡°The [Dungeon Information] upgrade you got for the town has done a lot for my research.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo stepped closer, pretending he studied the magical language of Axpashi as much as Xol¡¯sa thought he did. ¡°I thought it only added stuff for me.¡±


    ¡°It reveals useful information from anywhere. I don¡¯t need to go to the dungeon to inspect it anymore.¡±


    That was very useful. It was always annoying taking Xol¡¯sa to the dungeons for inspection. Looking at the scatter of magical symbols reminded Theo of the [Cave Dungeon] below his town. He shivered at the thought, turning to his friend to question him. ¡°About that high-level dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was very interesting. Wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Worrying, actually.¡±


    ¡°An ascendant dungeon? Why, I could never imagine such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that imply some level of sapience from the dungeon? Like, isn¡¯t it alive?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Maybe. Ask your godly friends if you want an answer. All I know is it seems safe.¡±


    ¡°How can you be sure?¡±


    ¡°The dragon clears it daily,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding to himself. ¡°In your interface, you see a limited readout for the dungeon. I get the full picture. She has cleared all 100 floors every day for at least ten years. The record only goes back so far.¡±


    Theo shook his head, only moderately disappointed that Xol¡¯sa had missed the most important part. ¡°And what happens when someone places a powerful thing near our town? It goes wrong. Or right. I guess it depends.¡±


    ¡°Bah, who cares? We¡¯ll collapse the mine if the dungeon goes rampant. Oh. Right. Did you have a question.¡±


    Theo¡¯s mind had been flung in different directions, forcing him to take a second before he pressed on. There were a few things he wanted to ask the wizard, and a gift to deliver. To start, he withdrew the [Intelligence of the Soul] potion from his inventory and held it out. A look of excitement spread across Xol¡¯sa¡¯s face as he grabbed the potion.


    ¡°I forgot! Oh, you¡¯re my new best friend, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Just be ready for the side-effects. You might notice a drastic personality change.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°As for my question¡­¡±


    Theo explained what he knew about the problem of Qavell flying down south. The wizard didn¡¯t seem half as surprised as he should have been, going straight into magical theory. The speech was long, and overly dry. After he was done ranting, the alchemist let his mind condense the information. If someone were to abuse their [Kingdom Core], hooking into it and using it as a power source, they could perform many interesting feats of magic. A flying city might have been a bit much for the power the seed core would provide, but it was within reach.


    ¡°And it would experience a dramatic level of interference from Balkor¡¯s power.¡±


    At least he was concise on that point.


    ¡°Meaning the route to the east is likely,¡± Theo concluded.


    ¡°Right. I wouldn¡¯t fly the damned thing at all. But there¡¯s some mysterious figure pushing the prince into action? Hard to imagine who it could be.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I might need your help working on anti-magic weapons to bring the city down, though.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa cocked his head to one side, an amusing expression spreading across his face. ¡°And what will you do once you¡¯ve downed it?¡±


    Theo could only hope that when the time came, he could bring the city down safely. After that, they could deal with deposing the prince. Or the guy pulling the strings. Until then, it was only a matter of bringing them to heel. Xol¡¯sa seemed to take that as a fine response, rambling on about the work he had been doing with the dungeons. After the latest rant, they brainstormed on the best way to approach bringing a flying city down.


    The rail gun was likely the best delivery method in existence. Flinging spells at a distance was a problem. But tossing something imbued with a spell was relatively easy. The only thing required for using the rail gun was something that could handle the stress of being launched, and a ward. While Xol¡¯sa¡¯s specialty was magic, he could offer nothing else to issue. Theo¡¯s specialized wardCing core put him ahead of the wizard for this problem. But he promised to get involved if the city drew close to Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Where is Zarali?¡± Theo asked, realizing that she wasn¡¯t around.


    ¡°Oh, those ruffians at the harbor hired her for a job. Enchanting the new boats, you know.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Alright, then.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa wasn¡¯t one to chat unless he had something to chat about. Once he had expelled all the information he had about the dungeons, he went silent. Theo let himself out of the tower, finding his way through the portal and back to town. There was a moderate buzz rippling through the citizens, especially those with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Word had gotten out immediately, the way it always did. Folks already know that Qavell was coming to attack.


    ¡°Nothing new,¡± Theo muttered, turning away from the shimmering portal.


    The alchemist headed down to the harbor, then along the canal to the seaside defensive area. He found his way to one tower, nodding to an adventurer as he climbed the last steps. The half-ogre on station nodded back, then departed from his post without question. Theo looked upon the newest model of Throk¡¯s rail guns. It had changed little from the first prototype, leaving little room to think of new ideas. These were the weapons they had to fight against Qavell.


    [Dragon¡¯s Antimagic], a combination of the [Dragon¡¯s Dance] and [Anti-mage] wards, seemed purpose-built to stop a flying city. The field it created lashed out with blades, injuring anything or anyone inside. But the second effect was more important. It stopped magical items from operating for a certain time. The potency of the ward might not be enough to affect an entire city, but there was a reason people didn¡¯t zip around in flying machines all the time. They were often very vulnerable to anti-magical effects.


    Theo let out a steady breath, looking out over the bay. He had done everything he could to prepare. But it was still worth testing his Drogramathi Iron shots. The explosions from his wards looked awesome if he hit the distant mountains just right.

 5.27 - Anti-Magical Infusion

    A shattering snap rang over the bay outside of Broken Tusk. Theo nodded with approval as his Drogramathi Iron shot drilled through the air, slamming into a distant mountain. A field of anti-magical Dragon¡¯s Dance sprung up, shredding the stone into fine chunks. Those pieces tumbled into the bay below, settling under the calm waves.


    The alchemist had learned little from his newest experiment. The rail guns still had an absurd range. They still hurtled projectiles at impossible speeds. And nothing he could do changed the way his wards worked. He had a line of reasoning with the Deflect Magic ward, but hadn¡¯t been able to pursue it. Drumming his fingers on the side of the stone tower, he turned to his connection with his companions.


    ¡°I¡¯m headed to Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said, transmitting his thoughts to the other members of the Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°Bring me back some cookies.¡±


    Falling through the realms had become a mundane thing. Theo slipped through the veil between the mortal realm and the void, gliding weightlessly over the Bridge until he felt the familiar tug of the mortal dreamrealm. In a blink, he appeared on the soft grasses of the small village. Belgar had sensed his approach and was jogging across the wide lawns, a smile hanging on his face. The dronon spirit had gained much of his corporeal form. Small streams of purple energy came from his eyes, but his body was otherwise whole.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Belgar said, waving awkwardly. ¡°There are some souls for you to review. More dronon.¡±


    Theo clapped a hand on Belgar¡¯s shoulder, nodding. ¡°Which brood?¡±


    ¡°A scatter between the allied demons.¡± Belgar gestured, beckoning Theo to follow.


    A group of decaying souls was gathered near what had become the village¡¯s square. Twenty souls gathered, emitting faint ribbons of multicolored light. The longer they stayed without invitation, the more their bodies were given back to the void. Theo examined them one-by-one, happy enough with them to allow them in. There was even a single soul from a Zagmoni Dronon. That one had been lost in the void since the defeat of its master. Each soul signed a basic contract that bound them to the realm. The moment they did, their ethereal bodies gained a sense of purpose, drifting off to join their kin in the village.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get a level for that,¡± Theo said, inspecting the realm¡¯s status screen.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Mortal Dreamrealm


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: Unaffiliated


    Level: 30


    Souls: 145


    Expansions:


    [Harvesting Array]


    [Defensive Towers]


    [Landscape Manipulation]


    [Guardians of Faith]


    [Bubble]


    [Simulated Reality]


    Pending Requests: 0


    That made sense, though. People had told Theo from the start that things got harder after Level 30. That idea must have translated to the realms as much as it did the mortal realm. The amount of souls he had collected seemed like a pittance, compared to the people in Broken Tusk. But this was a slow crawl to power, placing Tero¡¯gal firmly in the lower realms for a long time. The alchemist was content with this, and moved off from the square.


    ¡°Benton and Drogramath are already here,¡± Belgar said, pointing at the cottage. The small stone building had increased in size since the last time Theo was here.


    Theo shook his head, allowing his mind to wrap itself around the scenario. ¡°How does it feel? Seeing your former master in person?¡±


    Belgar chuckled nervously. ¡°Disappointment comes to mind.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t what you expected, is he?¡±


    ¡°No, he is not. He used to speak to us on the mortal plane. He was always so commanding. Here, he¡¯s just another dronon.¡±


    ¡°Never meet your heroes.¡±


    While Theo was happy to spend hours of his trip to Tero¡¯gal chatting with the spirits, he had a purpose for coming today. He headed to the expanded cottage, finding there to be plenty of room. Drogramath and Benton were both sipping tea, and snacking on cookies. The alchemist sat with them, getting his own cup and soaking in the ambiance. A fire crackled in the corner, the scent of the burning wood mingling with the steeping tea. Under all those powerful smells was the sweetness of the cookies.


    ¡°Working on something?¡± Drogramath asked.


    Theo had withdrawn a length of parchment and was writing out some plans. It was, of course, a plan to get the Demon God of Alchemy to help him out. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the best way to bring Qavell down without killing everyone inside.¡±


    Benton sighed heavily. ¡°Finally. Khahar had us all mute on the topic until you figured it out.¡±


    ¡°He refused to let us tell you Hanan had raised the city until you figured it out on your own. Part of the new rules.¡±


    Theo explained his problem. The delivery system they made was perfect, but the thing they delivered wasn¡¯t. Drogramath scratched his chin as he listened, nodding along as the alchemist spoke. He then shrugged. ¡°You won¡¯t make progress unless you figure it out on your own.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know the solution. Constructs,¡± Theo said, circling that section on his page. ¡°Once I figure out how to bind two essences, I can make a powerful anti-magic field with potions alone.¡±


    Drogramath nodded, a smile creeping across his face. Constructs were the answer for an important reason. Wards were great if he knew he would use it in the next few days. But the process to imbue shots with Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic was time consuming and tiresome. If he could take the best parts of the Deflect Magic ward, combining them with a general anti-magical field, he would be set. But the demon god offered nothing more than his coy smile.


    Benton shifted the subject after that, detailing the way his realm was changing to bake better confections. The Realm of Death and Winter was almost always frozen over. That made baking difficult, resulting in the construction of large domed cities. As the bear god rambled on, Theo turned his attention inward.


    Karatan Cheese contained a valuable property. While he had found the underground mushrooms with the same property, the cheese was his first experience with the Suffuse property. But the second property on the cheese was Bind. The first use of that property was to create a bomb that would bind people and monsters on the spot. But Theo had a feeling that he could do something more with that essence, rendering it as a literal binding agent for other essences.


    Before moving on, he considered how constructs worked. Alchemy Constructs was a skill he took early on. At first, it allowed him to bind essences to mundane objects. His first experiment with that was a sphere that revealed all targets inside. The next step was the creation of Mana Constructs, which were the first power source of the golems. Theo found himself at the next phase of that skill. He thought about which two essences would produce the correct result.


    The Anti-Mage property came from the Mage¡¯s Bane flower. They were plentiful in Broken Tusk, growing far larger than the uncultivated version in the wild. The problem came with the second property. Theo dismissed all properties that came from the spirit fruits within his realm. The souls here had been eating most of those, and he wouldn¡¯t tell them to stop. The alchemist wrote a list of his available reagents, and the associated properties. He pressed his finger into each one, thinking about how useful it would be for the task. When he touched the list item for the River Clam Pearl, Drogramath coughed. And Khahar appeared with a snap.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I see and hear everything,¡± the Arbiter said.


    ¡°Just have something caught in my throat,¡± Drogramath said, slamming his fist against his chest and coughing some more. ¡°These cookies are drier than normal.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Benton pouted.


    Khahar scowled for a few moments, then took a seat at the table. Before long, he had a pile of cookies and pastries before him along with a cup of steaming tea. Theo returned to his work.


    River Clam Pearls were easy enough to get. Drogramath must have wanted him to use the Infuse property, which was interesting. Theo had the sense that combining those two things would force the property into an object. So when a Drogramathi Iron shot hit the city, it would soak into the foundation like a poison, stopping the flow of mana within.


    ¡°Easy enough,¡± Theo said, heading out from the cottage. The group waved as he left, but offered nothing else. The alchemist made his way to the stills he kept in the realm.


    While he wasn¡¯t eager to turn his realm into a factory world, he saw no harm in using a few stills for his work. His inventory was always cluttered with junk. There were enough flasks of old Refined Anti-Mage Essence to last him a while, but only a scatter of River Clam Pearls. The cheese empire was doing well though, crowding more than their fair share of slots in his inventory.


    Theo got to work, clearing out two stills with a vial of Cleansing Scrub. He mashed the cheese by hand, crumbling it into the first still with ease. Turning to the River Clam Pearls, he scratched his head. Ziz normally crushed these for him, resulting in several awkward moments. The alchemist smacked the pearls with a hammer, but could not turn them to powder. A wayward soul, one of the first that had arrived after Belgar, offered to give him a hand. Together, they ground a handful of pearls into powder.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, waving as the soul headed off.


    The alchemist topped each still off to the correct level, relying on his Drogramath Distillery Specialty to measure the amount exactly. Setting the heat for the cheese was easy. He had done it too many times before, even if the heating elements on the stills in his realm weren¡¯t as advanced as those in his lab. The pearls were another matter, though. Theo guessed the right heat on those, relying on the idea that most hard things required a higher temperature while distilling to extract the most effect. He took mental notes as the stills worked, considering how he would approach the next leg of the task.


    A single Drogramathi Iron shot sat on Theo¡¯s worktable. The object was technically alchemically neutral. There was a single case where it was. Drogramathi Iron Shavings would react alchemically, but only when introduced as a catalyst during brewing. His experience said the metal should absorb essences to become a construct just fine. As long as the two essences bound, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Of course, this opened a can of worms Theo wasn¡¯t eager to face.


    Suffuse was a property that bound potions together, but it did not bind essences. Theo viewed it as the difference between welding metals together compared to creating them as an alloy. Using the Bind property would create the alloy, while the Suffuse property welded two properties together. This was a new form of alchemy, meaning it was dangerous and required much experimentation.


    Time slipped by as Theo considered his approach. It almost left his grasp, sliding away from him several times as the potions brewed. When they were done, he set out three flasks containing his experimental essences. Anti-Mage, Infuse, and Bind. The order that he introduced these things together mattered. Adding Anti-Mage to Infuse would cause an explosion. The alchemist grabbed his flasks, then transported himself far away from the village. He sent his mind to the far edges of his expanding world, settling in a conifer forest somewhere west of the ocean he had created.


    Creatures scurried somewhere in the distance, rustling through the underbrush. Theo tried and failed to get a look at them, but turned his attention back to his work quickly. He placed an empty flask on the ground, returning every other flask but the one containing Refined Bind Essence. Using a pipette, he pulled the smallest sample he could from the flask. He dripped it into the empty flask, then waited for anything weird to happen. Once he was satisfied, he drew from the Anti-Mage flask. The moment the essences touched, they sizzled. After a tense moment, they settled.


    ¡°Ah. More forgiving than normal,¡± Theo said, getting on his hands and knees to measure the contents by eye. The extra Anti-Mage essence that wouldn¡¯t play well with Bind had sizzled off, turning into vapor. The alchemist committed the ratio to memory. He added the exact amount of Refined Infuse Essence, then watched the mixture swirl in the flask. After the cloud of blue-white smoke had cleared, he inspected the result.


    [Anti-Magical Infusion Essence]


    [Bound Essence]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Poor Quality


    An essence bound by the Anti-Mage and Infuse properties.


    There it was. Theo¡¯s alloy. He mixed the rest of the essence he had on hand, creating only a few units of the essence. Back on the mortal realm, his lab had enough of the reagents in stock to make hundreds of units. But River Clam Pearls weren¡¯t something he collected regularly, leaving a gap in his production. The alchemist sent his mind back to the village, finding the Drogramathi Iron shot waiting for him on the table. With no desire to wait, he infused the shot with his new essence, then inspected the resulting construct.


    [Anti-Magical Infusion Construct]


    [Alchemy Construct] [Projectile]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Infuse an object with anti-magical properties. Anything this Drogramathi Iron round hits will be drained of magical potential.


    Material:


    Drogramathi Iron (Excellent Quality)


    Effect:


    When struck by this shot, objects and all magically operating devices will be drained of their mana. Drains 500 mana, or 1,000 power depending on the distance of the device from the point of impact.


    The round shimmered with white-blue energy. A smile spread across Theo¡¯s face as he looked at the shot. It was perfection. There were several advantages of this method over using his wards for the task. The magic would never fade from the iron. It would maintain the effect for a long time, although the alchemist couldn¡¯t say how long. He could also create the rounds industrially. When a construct was created, it soaked an amount of the essence up. He could make a big tub and drop the shots in. Easy as that.


    ¡°Quite a weapon you have there,¡± Drogramath said, coming from behind to place a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I got in trouble for telling you.¡±


    ¡°How much trouble?¡±


    ¡°A slap on the wrist. You should understand how much Khahar wants you to survive this.¡±


    Theo paused before responding. Drogramath didn¡¯t need to say anything, he knew what that meant. Whatever was driving First Prince Hanan to attack Broken Tusk wasn¡¯t normal. The alchemist¡¯s money was on another rogue ascendant, but it was hard to say.


    ¡°Do you see a scenario where we save Hanan and his people?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°So long as you have the right weapon when the time comes, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Is the thing controlling him mortal?¡±


    A loud snap issued from behind them. Khahar stood there, arms crossed with a scowl on his face. ¡°The rules exist for a reason, Theo. You can figure it out from the information you have.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ this is your plan, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Just tell me what to do, and I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Is it an ascendant?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    For gods to be worried about something, it had to be an ascendant or another god. Theo put it together moments after that. A god was acting on the mortal plane somehow. It wouldn¡¯t be a champion. They wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to manipulate a kingdom. Meaning it was a god acting in some obfuscated way. Assuming this being was too powerful to be defeated by normal means, there was only one other way.


    ¡°So, I can use the authority of my realm to get rid of this thing?¡± Theo asked.


    Khahar simply nodded.


    ¡°See? He already knows,¡± Drogramath grumbled. ¡°Just tell him who it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°I bet I could teleport to the thing. If only for a second.¡±


    Khahar shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough of a connection with this person to do so.¡±


    Theo mimed checking items off a list in the air. He knew exactly who it was, and it opened a frightening realization about the events that had transpired with the undead. Balkor might have had a more intimate level of involvement with the movement of the undead than he thought. That brought questions that no one could answer for him. For now, he was content with the idea that he could banish whoever was forcing First Prince Hanan into this position.


    ¡°I guess he¡¯s King Hanan now, isn¡¯t he?¡± Theo asked, tapping his chin.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Khahar said. ¡°It¡¯s important that he lives.¡±


    ¡°Easy to say, hard to do,¡± Theo said. An annoying buzzing filled his mind, as though his thoughts scattered away to solve this problem on their own.


    Khahar¡¯s eyes widened as he flinched back. A look of surprise washed over his face as he tilted his head to the side. ¡°Theo. You should answer that.¡±


    ¡°Answer what?¡± Theo asked.


    Thinking about it for a moment, Theo realized how familiar that sensation was. He hadn¡¯t felt it since Qavell stopped calling him, but it was the buzz of a communication crystal in his mind. They weren¡¯t supposed to work in the heavens. He knew that because Fenian had trouble calling from the Bridge. The alchemist withdrew the crystal from his inventory and squeezed it. His mind rushed as his willpower stretched to make the connection. His thoughts were flung through the realms, until a familiar voice entered his mind.


    ¡°My dear alchemist! Oh, thank the gods. Well, not this one. He¡¯s an asshole.¡±


    Theo blinked away his surprise. ¡°Fenian.¡±

 5.28 - Imbue Phylactery

    Theo took several steadying breaths, all while Fenian babbled about being trapped in the realm of a necromancer god. The good news was that he had indeed killed Karasan, resurrected Balkor, and survived. But only just.


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy more time hasn¡¯t passed. Balkor has been lording over me as though he did me a great favor,¡± Fenian¡¯s voice echoed through Theo¡¯s mind. He held the crystal tightly in his hand, unsure of what to do. ¡°The potion you sent me saved my life, but I¡¯m afraid it wasn¡¯t enough to escape.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Theo said, nodding. It was hard to contain his excitement. But sending the potion had come at a cost. They had to find another way to send stuff to the elven trader, as Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s actions had closed that bridge. Perhaps it was as easy as¡­ ¡°Just take the Bridge. Leave.¡±


    ¡°Leaving requires permission. Well, I have a plan for that. Listen closely¡­¡±


    Fenian¡¯s plan was horrible. Theo shook his head the entire time the elf described his hair-brained scheme to escape Balkor¡¯s clutches. The alchemist was certain the plan wouldn¡¯t work. The first step was to deliver a few items to Balkor¡¯s realm, which the demon god surely wouldn¡¯t allow. Then the wayward trader wanted to die and be reborn on the mortal plane. The various gods gathered in Tero¡¯gal seemed to have no opinion.


    ¡°Just give me more information,¡± Theo said, trying not to let the frustration he felt bleed into his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll come up with something. So long as we can use these stones to talk, we can work it out.¡±


    ¡°I have faith in you, Theo. But consider my plan. Balkor isn¡¯t the best company, and I¡¯m bored out of my mind. A man can only be on the verge of death for so long until he¡¯s bored to death!¡±


    Fenian cut the connection through the crystal after relaying everything he knew. Theo was left in his realm, feeling more confused than helpless. He couldn¡¯t believe that the elf didn¡¯t have an exit strategy. If his plan boiled down to entering Balkor¡¯s domain, killing Karasan then hoping for the best, it was an ill-conceived plan.


    ¡°Why is it my job to save Fenian?¡± Theo asked, turning to the gods standing near him. ¡°You guys are way more powerful than me. This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Rules,¡± Khahar said. ¡°A stable world requires rules. If we break those rules, what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°Instead, we¡¯re going to bend the rules.¡± Theo massaged the bridge of his nose, pinching his eyes shut. ¡°Fine. Guess I¡¯ll add this to my list of projects.¡±


    Both Khahar and Drogramath seemed as though they wanted to tell him how to do it. But they couldn¡¯t. Instead, Theo went off in his mind to think of a way to break Fenian out. Even with Tresk¡¯s considerable willpower, it wasn¡¯t possible to interdict him. The owner of a realm, especially one so old and powerful, wouldn¡¯t allow it. Perhaps they could bend the rules a little, sending an item into the realm. That came with its own problems, but was the first thing the alchemist thought of that he didn¡¯t shoot down immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna solve this in a day,¡± Theo said, stretching. ¡°I¡¯m headed back to the mortal realm. Pretty sure I can do better testing there.¡±


    Once again, the pair of gods looked eager to speak. But after a long pause, Theo determined they wouldn¡¯t. He fell through the realms, landing back where he had left. He felt Tresk¡¯s mind consuming the information he had learned, sapping away his knowledge and forming her own opinions. But there were important things to attend to. The alchemist made his way back to the manor, intent on eating and taking a nice long bath. Sarisa and Rowan had already started making dinner, and he sat alone at the overly-long table waiting for his companions.


    Tresk appeared from the shadows, plopping into her chair and slumping. ¡°If that knife-eared bastard got himself stuck, why do we have to pull him out?¡±


    ¡°Cause no one else will.¡±


    Honk!


    Theo went to the front door, letting Alex in. She honked in appreciation, then found a spot on the floor to rest.


    ¡°I have a few ideas,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We need outside help for all of them.¡±


    Theo was never as good as Tresk at reading the minds of the Tara¡¯hek. He still got vague impressions of what she was feeling and had never learned how to skim her mind. It was a trait unique to her. ¡°We¡¯ll go over your ideas in the Dreamwalk.¡±


    The group ate their dinner, then spent time in their private bath at Xam¡¯s bathhouse. Tresk was good about not bringing up her ideas, but Theo could feel them brewing in her mind. They entered the Dreamwalk as soon as possible, the sun barely dipping below the horizon when they delved. The alchemist shifted the scene when they arrived, recreating Balkor¡¯s realm as described by Fenian.


    Hoi¡¯ch was a realm of undeath. Everything lingered between a state of living and death, and appeared as a mockery of the real world. Rolling fields of bones and twisted trees dotted the landscape. The air was filled with a foul scent and an oppressive green aura clouded everything.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this place,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Fenian has been trapped for a few hundred years. I think his bravado was false.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Screw this place,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Alright. First plan.¡±


    Tresk imagined a version of Fenian laying prone on the ground. Theo didn¡¯t remember him looking like such a damsel in distress, but he dismissed the thought. The marshling showed her plan to sneak into Balkor¡¯s realm somehow, steal away the damsel on the back of a dragon, and return to the mortal realm. She explained none of the steps, including how she would get there or how she would convince Pogo to take part.


    ¡°Okay¡­ My turn?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Uh. Sure.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have a plan. He explained Fenian¡¯s plan instead. ¡°He¡¯s convinced he can reincarnate on the mortal plane. This plan will not work, but he wants us to rip his [Elven Trader¡¯s Core] from his chest, then bring it back to the mortal world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not gonna happen. That requires us to go there. And we can¡¯t go there.¡±


    ¡°Right? That¡¯s what I said. But that got me thinking.¡±


    ¡°I can feel something brewing in your brain, buddy,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together. ¡°Let me hear it.¡±


    Theo imagined a [Imbue Phylactery] potion. The purple-green thing swirled in the flask, emitting an aura stronger than the imagined realm itself. He and Tresk examined it.


    [Imbue Phylactery]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Imbibing this potion removes your soul from your body, transferring it to an object of your choosing. Creating a phylactery designates you as undead, specifically a lich. You gain innate power of all undead creatures (based on your level and willpower), but may not level up through the normal system.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna turn Fenian into a lich?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°According to the description, this removes someone¡¯s soul from their body. I¡¯m not confident we can get ourselves into Balkor¡¯s realm, but an item? Yeah, I think we can do that.¡±


    ¡°Fenian gets the bottle and a rock to stow his soul, then we get the rock back here. Then he¡­ dies?¡±


    ¡°Research is required,¡± Theo said, nodding.


    But that was the basic plan. Theo had thought the phylactery potion was useless, borderline dangerous when he first discovered it. Now they faced a tough decision filled with assumptions. Fenian had to accept the plan to start. Then they had to find a way to return the object he placed his soul into back to the mortal realm. Finally they would need to resurrect their friend.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fitting outcome, huh?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°He used the undead to get what he wanted, now he has to become one.¡±


    ¡°We should run the plan past the gods before we do it, though. They¡¯ll tell me the right answer if I¡¯ve already discovered it.¡±


    Tresk and Theo went back and forth on the matter. They argued about the logistics of this plan, and the need for another. The problem was that Fenian entered Balkor¡¯s realm when he was dormant, allowing him to pass without question. Now that the god was awakened, he would never let him leave. Not unless they did something drastic. The marshling was convinced that even this wouldn¡¯t work, and planned to pursue other avenues.


    Theo was certain that Xol¡¯sa would have some valuable information about the heist. The extra-planar elf hadn¡¯t traveled through the void since he came to the mortal plane, but he had an innate sense for it. That was the alchemist¡¯s first stop after the Dreamwalk ended. For now, he let those worrying thoughts fall away to focus on leveling his cores. He spent his time brewing potions, constructing golems, and tending sprawling gardens. Of course, the pair shifted the scene before they got to training. Neither cared for the rotting smell within Balkor¡¯s realm.


    When morning finally came, Theo withdrew from the Dreamwalk feeling fresh. While there was a lot of work to do outside of his newest project, he wanted to visit Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower first. After checking in with Salire, of course. The half-ogre woman had been doing well enough on her own, but there was still a lot of stuff she couldn¡¯t make. She also couldn¡¯t touch the advanced essences without blowing them up, complicating matters. The alchemist helped her in the first few hours of the morning, setting everything up to brew on its own. Their stock of Hallow the Soil potions wasn¡¯t thinning, but the defenses he had placed in Gronro needed attention.


    ¡°Another thing to tend,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on Salire¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m off to see a wizard.¡±


    The citizens in the town were in a good mood today. Those that Theo passed by on his way to the portal waved excitedly, or offered hearty greetings. He stepped through the shimmering portal, finding himself on the first floor of the tower in an instant. As expected, Xol¡¯sa was musing about the dungeons on the roof.


    ¡°Come! Look at this!¡± Xol¡¯sa shouted the moment he spotted Theo. The elf waved him over, far too excited for the early hour of the day.


    Theo had trouble understanding what the floating cloud of sigils said. He stared at it for a while, hoping that Xol¡¯sa would tell him what it was. The alchemist cleared his throat. ¡°What am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°Your new upgrade allowed me to create automations. I can move power around through our local dungeons, making sure none are growing too fast. When one dungeon gets too high, this procedure will send power to another.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually cool,¡± Theo said, leaning closer to get a better look. He still couldn¡¯t make sense of the sigils, though. ¡°How complex can you make those commands?¡±


    ¡°At my skill level, they¡¯re fairly basic. I assume that will change with time. The worrying part of it all is the level of power has been fluctuating. We gained an increase in power yesterday. Slight, but noticeable.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°A few souls joined my realm yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯ll do it. Let¡¯s remember that. The more your realm grows in strength, the stronger our dungeons get.¡±


    It was a concept that had scared Theo from the start. The only thing they could do was to be proactive, making sure everything was managed by the day. The alchemist cleared his throat, his thoughts about the dungeons falling away. ¡°I had a question.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Xol¡¯sa said, clapping his hands and turning to meet Theo¡¯s gaze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Theo explained his plan to send an item into Balkor¡¯s realm, then bring it back. Xol¡¯sa didn¡¯t need to know what item he was sending in there, though. The elf nodded along politely, then swiped his hand through the air to clear the cluster of sigils. He began drawing a diagram with his finger. It represented the realms as orbs floating in the void, each with their own bubble protecting them from intrusion.


    ¡°You can¡¯t force yourself through this barrier, right?¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing to the bubbles.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You lack the authority. But what is authority? Ownership rights established by the system. Just like you can¡¯t access my inventory, you can¡¯t force yourself into Balkor¡¯s realm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m following you.¡±


    ¡°Good. What happens if we try sending something owned by Balkor back to him?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked, his brows raising.


    That was a damn good idea. Balkor was the only god to ever break into the mortal realm, so far as anyone knew. Pieces of his heavenly body were still around, spreading corruption wherever they went. If they found a piece of bone and shoved it through the bubble, as Xol¡¯sa had represented, it might work. They might even piggy-back a potion on that.


    ¡°How about returning the bone to the mortal realm?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Easy enough. I can tag it with a marker, returning the item. That should work even across the realms.¡±


    Theo felt excitement welling in his chest. But he paused, tilting his head to the side as he observed Xol¡¯sa. ¡°You¡¯re happier than normal.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Wondrous!¡± Xol¡¯sa said, clapping again. ¡°I¡¯m glad you noticed. I have quaffed your potion, reducing the effects of my above-average intelligence.¡±


    ¡°We should investigate a way to take more than one of those potions. I¡¯m not looking forward to how more Intelligence makes me feel.¡±


    ¡°A great idea. For now, I can only thank you.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do for the town¡¯s wizard.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how splendid,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, smiling. ¡°Want to learn more about my dungeon project?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I have some ammunition to make.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Off you go!¡±


    Theo left the tower feeling more confident about Fenian¡¯s problem than before. Even if the whole lich thing was a no-go, there was a chance they could use the item-teleporting strategy to their advantage. As always, he prepared himself to switch between strategies when appropriate. It had worked well before and he knew it would work well now. The alchemist departed from the tower, taking the portal back to the town¡¯s square.


    ¡°Theo,¡± a familiar, grumbling voice called from behind.


    Theo turned, spotting Sulvan approaching. The man had embraced the lifestyle of Glantheir, assuming a humble posture and the clothes of their order. The god of healing preferred colors of white, blue, and gold. Sulvan wore simple robes of blue and white, with a dangling golden chain displaying the image of his patron.


    ¡°How is it going?¡±


    ¡°Well enough. I¡¯ve had trouble adjusting,¡± Sulvan admitted, his eyes locked on the ground. ¡°Like my mind has been torn apart and remade. As though I¡¯ve been transported back in time and left to reconcile who I had become.¡±


    ¡°One step at a time.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Glantheir¡¯s blessings are endless. I¡¯m leveling his core, but progress is slower than I would have liked. I wanted to help with the undead.¡±


    ¡°Just take your time. You¡¯ll get there.¡±


    Sulvan nodded. It was odd to see him so small. When Theo had first met the inquisitor of the Burning Eye, he was an imposing figure. But even back then, the man was fair. So long as the alchemist wasn¡¯t breaking those stupid rules, everything was fine. Uharis was the real problem within the Cult of the Eye. Now the jerk was stuck on the moon.


    ¡°I appreciate the kind words and the warm bed. I hope I can live up to your expectations,¡± Sulvan said, bowing at the waist. He departed shortly after, his eyes locked on a horizon Theo couldn¡¯t see.


    Theo messed around town for a while. There was nothing for him to do until the latest batch of Hallow the Soil essence was brewed. Once his intuition told him it was ready, he headed back to the lab to check it out. Salire was busy with a customer, leaving him to check the stills and sort out the resulting essence. After all the essence was in the building¡¯s storage, he got to work cleaning each still and setting up the resulting essence to make Hallow the Soil potions.


    Salire joined him in time, setting everything up to brew. They would take a while to turn into the true potions, so they were placed into barrels and set aside. Theo considered the stock in his lab, and remembered the serious lack of River Clam Pearls. It was the one reagent he didn¡¯t have easy access to, but was required to make the Anti-Magical Infusion Constructs.


    ¡°Feel free to use the stills,¡± Theo said, slapping the side of a Drogramathi Iron Still. ¡°I need to talk to Tresk¡¯s brother about harvesting clams.¡±


    Salire laughed, watching as the alchemist departed from the lab. He headed off to the harbor and was unsurprised to see the Cork not docked. The fishermen were already out in the bay, harvesting the bounty of the sea. Theo waited for a while, not willing to do much else than watch the boats as they came and went. Thronk brought his boat into port, eventually.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to convince the industrious fisherman to turn his attention to the river. A few gold coins and promises of more had the little marshling eager to scour the river for pearls. Theo made sure he knew that the only thing he needed were the pearls, not the clams themselves. Instead of waiting for a more opportune time to start his new venture, Thronk unloaded the fish he and his workers had caught and went straight for the river.


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself.


    Excitement bubbled in his chest for the new shots for their weapons. If everything went right, they could stockpile the Drogramathi Iron Shots, rather than relying on his wards. When Qavell finally arrived, they would be ready to shoot it down.

 5.29 - Dont Turn Fenian Into a LIch!

    Theo, Tresk, and Alex stood among gods. In the realm of Tero¡¯gal, Uz¡¯Xulven, Drogramath, Benton, and Khahar had gathered for tea the moment the Tara¡¯hek entered. The expanded cottage was perfect for fitting more people, allowing everyone to sit around a large table, enjoying sweet treats and sipping on delicious tea. This wasn¡¯t the alchemist¡¯s intentions when he asked his companion to join, but it was nice to take a moment before poking various bears.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Theo took a long pause, watching as the head of four gods turned to him. ¡°We have a plan for Fenian. Just wanted to see if anyone has a problem with it.¡±


    ¡°We put a lot of thought into it,¡± Tresk added, nodding.


    ¡°If the lizard came up with the plan, my champion is doomed,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said.


    Tresk glowered, but somehow managed to keep her temper in check. She took the lead, explaining the plan. The marshling took care to express how the plan had several parts. If one part wasn¡¯t viable, they could move on to another plan with the other parts. The most important thing to note was their ability to send an item into Balkor¡¯s realm. Everything else could float around.


    ¡°Your plan is to kill my champion,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. ¡°That¡¯s hardly a plan.¡±


    ¡°The plan before was for him to off himself, then magically reincarnate.¡± Theo shot a look at the shadowy god. She could be so spiky.


    ¡°It should work,¡± Khahar said. ¡°You¡¯ve figured out the meaning of heavenly authority on your own, so I can tell you that. Fenian has to agree to become a lich, though.¡±


    ¡°What other options do they have?¡± Drogramath stared into his cup, not wanting to meet the gaze of the others.


    ¡°He could ascend,¡± Benton shrugged. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°He cannot,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Holding the throne prevents him from ascension.¡±


    ¡°We could attack Balkor¡¯s realm.¡± Drogramath shrugged, clearly not interested in his suggestion. ¡°Or blow it up.¡±


    ¡°Killing my champion!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven protested. ¡°Let me bring Parantheir into your realm, Theo. See what he has to say about you murdering our champion.¡±


    Moments after giving the suggestion, Theo felt the familiar tickle in his mind. Parantheir had requested entrance to Tero¡¯gal. He knocked on the bubble of the realm politely, and the alchemist didn¡¯t know if he should accept. After only a breath of hesitation, he accepted.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± a boisterous voice called from the threshold of the room.


    In stepped Parantheir. Flowing strands of raven black hair followed behind the elven god. Piercing amethyst eyes scanned the room. The god¡¯s smile lit up the room, beaming for all to see. He was clad in silver armor, ornate in every place it could be. Resting on his hips were two rapiers, each adorned with more gems than Theo could count. Without missing a beat, he strode across the room and took a seat at the table.


    ¡°So this is the Mortal Dreamrealm I¡¯ve heard so much about. Is it to be our new place of meeting? Our new sanctuary?¡± Parantheir didn¡¯t drop his smile as he looked around the table. There was something infectiously bubbly about him.


    ¡°Welcome. We¡¯re just talking about¡­¡± Theo paused. There was no good way of saying it.


    ¡°Turning your champion into a lich,¡± Tresk finished.


    ¡°Oh? Now that sounds interesting,¡± Parantheir nodded, leaning in over the table. ¡°Who tasked the mortals with the rescue? Send me, Khahar. I¡¯ll have the boy back before you can scratch your furry ass.¡±


    ¡°Watch it,¡± Khahar growled. ¡°Unless you want to declare war, Hoi¡¯ch is off-limits.¡±


    ¡°Pah!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t care. Of course you don¡¯t care.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven sighed, smacking her forehead into the table. She groaned, refusing to pick her head up.


    Tresk explained the plan to Parantheir, who nodded along politely as she talked. That smile never dropped from his face.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen stupider plans work,¡± the elven god of dueling scratched his chin. ¡°You said his current plan was to die, reincarnating on the mortal plane? I doubt it would work.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work,¡± Khahar said. ¡°His soul would remain trapped in Hoi¡¯ch. Which is the problem.¡±


    The arguments went back and forth for a while. Theo wasn¡¯t surprised with how everyone felt heated about the problem. There was no simple solution, unless Khahar wanted to tear down all he had worked toward for sixty-thousand years. Turning Fenian into a lich was the best plan, and that rubbed the alchemist the wrong way. Unless they discovered way to remove the elf¡¯s soul from his body without him becoming a lich, this was the best method. And the gods agreed.


    ¡°It might be nice to have an undead on the team. What with the¡ª¡±


    Parantheir¡¯s words were cut short. Khahar¡¯s hand clapped over his mouth in an instant. ¡°You¡¯ve read the rules, elf.¡±


    Parantheir nodded his agreement. Khahar removed his hand, narrowing his eyes as though predicting another outburst.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that part later, I guess,¡± Parantheir said. ¡°By the way. Who made the cookies?¡±


    Benton raised his hand, a nervous smile on his face.


    ¡°Excellent work, sir. I¡¯m eager to try more of your creations.¡±


    The party spent some of their time at the table discussing plans to help Fenian. But folks broke off into conversation about other things, rendering the strange scene even stranger. Theo mostly watched, especially when Tresk joined in to throw her non-existent weight against the gods. The alchemist had expected gods to treat mortals like children, but that was almost never the case. While the gods interacted in the godly realms, they weren¡¯t able to meddle on the mortal plane.


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex broke off from the group, sending themselves to the far-flung reaches of the realm. Standing on a mountainside, they looked over a slice of their world. The alchemist withdrew the crystal given to him by Fenian, squeezing it tightly in his hand. He felt the familiar buzz in his mind as the two crystals connected. A linking threat wormed its way through the realms.


    ¡°My alchemist!¡± Fenian said, his voice dripping with dramatic flair. ¡°Tell me you¡¯ve made progress. I cannot stand being taunted by Balkor for another year.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure we can get you back¡­¡± Theo let his thoughts trail off as he thought about the only option they had. ¡°How do you feel about becoming a lich?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the idea at all!¡±


    Theo scratched his head before responding. It was the best idea they had so far, but he realized his lack of knowledge on lichdom. ¡°That¡¯s the only way we could find to get your soul out. Can¡¯t you strike a deal with Balkor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. He wants me to become an undead to join some empire he¡¯s forming.¡±


    Theo sighed and shook his head. ¡°Is Balkor there? Can you tell him to come to my realm?¡±


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    ¡°I suggested as much to him. He hurled a series of insults so damaging I may never recover.¡±


    There was no progress to be made with Fenian. He was being too stubborn, and Theo found his patience waning by the moment. ¡°We¡¯ll look for another way. Just hold tight.¡±


    ¡°Not like I have anywhere to go. Not like I¡¯m dying or anything. Take your time.¡±


    Theo grumbled, returning the crystal to his inventory.


    ¡°At least he¡¯s in a good mood,¡± Tresk said, giving Theo the thumbs-up.


    The time-dilation provided by Tero¡¯gal gave Theo time to think, though. He had noticed how closely Khahar was observing the problem, meaning there was a solution at hand. He went over all that was available to them with Tresk. Neither minded the icy wind whipping across the mountain, although the howling wind made conversation difficult. They communicated with their connection, expressing their thoughts as ideas rather than words.


    They decided that Drogramath¡¯s behavior was the key to figuring it out. He had been averting his gaze, trying not to lock eyes with Theo. There was an alchemical means to sort Fenian out. The trio teleported to the ocean, sitting at the edge of the dunes to watch the waves lap against the shore. A few minutes of silent conversation later, and the demon god of potions himself was coming to take a seat nearby.


    ¡°I miss the ocean,¡± Drogramath said, polishing a pink apple on his coat. He took a bite. ¡°Never cared for spirit fruit, though.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you prefer?¡±


    ¡°Roc Berries.¡±


    Returning to the town square, Theo loaded his inventory with Fairy Plums. The Tara¡¯hek returned to the mortal plane, finding themselves at the spot where they left. Sarisa and Rowan were somewhere in the building, leveling their servant cores.


    ¡°The rules the gods have to follow are silly,¡± Theo said. Tresk joined him as he headed for the lab.


    ¡°He can suggest what we should do, but can¡¯t tell us? Khahar needs to get his house in order.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. He wants me to combine the Fairy¡¯s Blessing property with the Retreat property. Still doesn¡¯t fix one problem.¡±


    ¡°Finding a bone,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°We might have to stretch the intent with that one.¡±


    Salire was working in the lab when they arrived. She chuckled nervously, waving away a cloud of smoke. One of the most important things about starting with alchemy was to blow a few things up. With the extractor fan on, Theo ground his Fairy Plums up, taking one still in the rows of stills. Next, he prepared the still for his Roc Berries, finding them equally simple to grind. Those berries were common enough, and the lab always had a large stock of them. Although the Fairy Plums had been growing for a while, the two-hundred units in the still represented everything he had.


    ¡°So, what are we doing?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Long story,¡± Theo said, leaving the temperature low on both stills. ¡°Pretty sure Drogramath just told me how to make a potion that should bring Fenian back without turning him into a lich.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°We just need a bone from Balkor. One of those skeletal minion bones might work, though.¡±


    Any bone they used to send the potion to Fenian would need to come from outside of Gronro. All bones within would have been purified by the hallowed aura. The alchemist stretched his will as far as it would go, sending his senses to the metal golem patrolling Gronro. He ordered the construct to deactivate its aura and search for usable bone samples. The golem sent back a faint message, but it seemed to understand.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here for the ride,¡± Tresk said, kicking back in a chair.


    ¡°Can you send the potion from here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. So long as Uz doesn¡¯t stop me.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel so out of place?¡± Salire asked, holding her hands up as though she didn¡¯t even want to touch the subject.


    Theo ignored his assistant¡¯s statement. Most people felt out of place with the heavenly realms. Because they weren¡¯t supposed to be involved. ¡°How about we go over what you¡¯re working on.¡±


    Salire¡¯s nervousness melted away. ¡°Well, it¡¯s taking me forever to get to Level 10. But I¡¯ve been practicing my mana control, and I¡¯m excited to get to work on second-tier stuff.¡±


    Theo inspected the stills that she had running, finding the standard brews for restoration potions. Not only were those great for practice, but they sold well. Everyone needed some healing, even with Sulvan in town. The alchemist had some pointers for her, but there was hardly anything to criticize. Salire had helped write the book on standard Drogramathi Alchemy, after all.


    Salire faced a pretty interesting problem that Theo had considered before. She was working with high-quality equipment, and highly cultivated reagents. That left her fighting an uphill battle, honing her skills to fight against those things as she learned. Theo almost felt guilty about it, but as he watched the skill with which she worked the stills, he realized how valuable it was. A less tenacious person would have given up a long time ago, but her persistence was inspiring.


    ¡°So, how does this process work?¡± Salire asked, watching as the rare Fairy¡¯s Blessing Essence dripped into a glass flask.


    ¡°Suffusion?¡± Theo asked, scratching his chin. ¡°That¡¯s why your mana practice is so important.¡±


    Theo went into lecture mode, not noticing that Salire was just being polite. She had already edited and corrected a few things in their co-authored book about the topic. He went on about pulling impurities out of essences for too long. Tresk giggled in the rooms¡¯ corner, shaking her head. It was still fun to babble on about alchemy, especially around someone who was interested in it.


    When the essence was done distilling, Theo swirled the Fairy¡¯s Blessing Essence in its flask. It was faintly pink and smelled like cherry blossoms. Unlike regular essences, this one sparkled if the light hit it correctly. The Retreat Essence was already familiar to him. While he often modified the resulting potion, the alchemist always had some kind of Retreat Potion on hand, just in case he needed to make a quick retreat.


    ¡°We¡¯ll work with single-unit amounts for now,¡± Theo said, pouring a unit of the Fairy¡¯s Blessing Essence into another flask.


    The alchemist held his hand over the flask, concentrating on his mana. Like the other spirit essences, this one was willful. He let the mana in his chest crawl through his body, dripping out of his palm like water. It infused into the essence, drawing out the impure parts with plumes of acrid smoke. After clearing the cloud away, he took a look at the primal essence. It was little more than a pile of pink ash at the bottom of the glass container, still glittering with flecks of white and red. Theo found the Retreat Essence much easier to deal with, creating the primal essence for that easily.


    ¡°And we have plenty of Suffuse Potion,¡± Theo said, plucking a flask of Greater Suffuse Potion from one of the many storage containers in the lab.


    Adding the three ingredients together, Theo watched as they reacted. The liquid bubbled, leaving frothy foam at the top. Some suffuse potions required a lot of time to brew. Others didn¡¯t. It depended on the way the two primal essences interacted, along with some unknown magical nonsense. Theo got the impression that the swirling mixture before him wouldn¡¯t take long. A few hours at most.


    ¡°The waiting game,¡± Tresk said with a sigh.


    ¡°Salire, once we get our Clam River Pearls in we need a decent batch of those running.¡± Theo rummaged through their supplies, checking what else they had on hand. Thanks to the golems, they were doing well enough on the basic things. As he checked the crates, the golem in Gronro sent him a mental ping. ¡°Ah. The golem found some bones.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Tresk shouted, her boredom bubbling over. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Theo¡¯s first reaction was to object, but the brewing potion would take about two to three hours to finish. Just enough time to take the train to Gronro and back. Finally, he shrugged and departed from the lab. They left Salire behind to work on her alchemy. While she made excuses about watching the shop and leveling her core, the reason for her refusal was clear. Most people didn¡¯t enjoy riding the tram.


    As Theo and Tresk loaded into the next available train. They blasted down the track at obscene speeds. While the marshling cheered, the alchemist grimaced. They still hadn¡¯t sorted out the windshield problem, resulting in a constant blast of air as they traveled down the track. The journey didn¡¯t take long at all. Theo departed from the train on shaky legs, marching to the town square to deactivate the ward placed upon the town¡¯s seed core. Once it was clear, he had the golem march the bones inside and stowed them in his inventory.


    ¡°Look at that guy,¡± Tresk said, patting the golem on the leg. ¡°Strong independent boy.¡±


    ¡°Throk¡¯s artifices are working well,¡± Theo said. He was happy that everything was running normally. He sent the golem back to work, then placed his ward back on the town.


    As the group was preparing to leave, Grot came to check what was going on. He was happy enough that Theo was visiting his town, let alone checking on their little experiments. The mayor had nothing to report about the undead corruption. Things were going well in town. Fewer people were getting sick, and some wildlife was returning to the mountain pass. It was only a matter of time before they figured out how to push that bubble outward, cleansing more of the land.


    ¡°The new ward will last five days,¡± Theo said, shaking Grot¡¯s hand. ¡°Send me a message if I don¡¯t refresh it.¡±


    ¡°Will do! If there¡¯s any way we can help with the cleanup effort, let me know. I¡¯d like to reclaim more of the mountain.¡±


    Theo nodded, heading off with Tresk to catch the next train. The conductor had specifically waited for them, but was growing impatient. They boarded the train, zipping down the line at break-neck speeds. The alchemist tried to shut out the sound of the wind whipping by as he reviewed his administrative screens. He referenced the sections with plans for curing the corruption, which only made him frustrated. With everything going on, he had gotten distracted from the task.


    ¡°Remind me to make an army of golems to scour the land when we get back,¡± Theo spoke into Tresk¡¯s mind. She only laughed in response.


    Half-way back to Broken Tusk, Theo felt a haptic buzz in his mind. He sifted through his interfaces before finding a new chat started by Alise.


    Alise: Salire says you¡¯re gonna wanna see the new potion. Claims it¡¯ll solve all your problems. Whatever that means.


    Theo: :O omw


    Alise: >:|

 5.30 - Potion of Return

    The afternoon sun shone over Broken Tusk, rendering it in shades of orange mingling with green. From the train, Theo and Tresk were given an amazing view of the town. Atop a hill, speeding at an impossible pace, they glimpsed their town from afar. It was a rare sight for the alchemist. The images fed to him by Alex didn¡¯t do the place justice, and they were soon speeding into the station. He exited the train with wobbly legs and a general feeling as though he would vomit at any moment.


    Theo tried not to walk too fast toward his lab, as though he had any shame for the excitement he felt. He imagined how people¡¯s eyes would linger on him, wondering what exciting discovery the lab had made. If Salire was coy about the new potion, he was confident it would work. She wasn¡¯t in the store when he arrived, or on the second floor experimentation and storage room. The half-ogre apprentice was on the top floor, a big smile on her face as she hid something behind her back.


    ¡°Try to contain your excitement,¡± Salire said, the smile on her face tugging further at the corners of her mouth. She whipped an ornate vial around. It had far more details than her normal decorative vials, even displaying a glass gem near the top.


    Theo crossed the room, taking the vial gingerly. The liquid inside was a swirling mix of pink and blue as though two parts refused to mix. But as he inspected the potion, he realized it was a completed potion. A Tier 3 suffuse potion that would save Fenian.


    [Potion of Return]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Imbibing this potion will return the drinker to the place where they were born. If that location would bring harm to the drinker, the next nearest location will be chosen.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Theo said, staring at the potion.


    The alchemist got a Wisdom of the Soul popup, and a general sense from his alchemical intuition. He could feel the metaphysical importance of the item. Distance didn¡¯t matter. Neither did the realm which a person was sent to. His Wisdom message informed him that if he drank it, he would be taken to where Belgar was born. Not Earth.


    ¡°Yeehaw. I can teleport about as far as I can throw a rock,¡± Tresk mocked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡± Salire asked, bouncing on the spot.


    Theo¡¯s first impulse was to contact Xol¡¯sa for a consultation. But would the wizard be able to resist the urge to drink the potion, returning to wherever he was born? No, that man knew how dangerous it was to mess around in the void. There was no guarantee that the extra-planar elves even had a home out there, let alone one that could support life. The alchemist sent a message, summoning the wizard to his lab.


    ¡°We could send this now,¡± Theo said. ¡°We could get Fenian out of Hoi¡¯ch right now. That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous, though,¡± Tresk objected, pointing a finger in the air. ¡°Fenian was born in Tarantham, right? Where a civil war is raging.¡±


    Tapping his foot, Theo considered the best course. He needed to talk to Uz¡¯Xulven about this. It would take them a week to get a ship to the continent, and another week to bring him back. The alchemist had too many concerns to act now. As sad as it was, maybe Fenian was safer in Balkor¡¯s realm than anywhere else. He needed medical treatment when he arrived. Glantheir¡¯s own hands would be best, but Sulvan could manage.


    ¡°Damn. We have it, but¡­¡± Theo paused. Xol¡¯sa entered the room, a stupid smile on his face. The elf snatched the potion out of the alchemist¡¯s hands, nearly pressing it against his face.


    ¡°What a find,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°You¡¯ve done it, Theo. I can feel it. This potion will pierce the veil.¡±


    Theo considered taking his potion back, but decided against it. Salire had only bottled it. They had enough to make ten more of the same potion. Instead, he thanked Xol¡¯sa for his expert opinion and left the lab. Tresk trailed behind him, sensing his intent. They headed for the temple. With his Dreampassage ability on cooldown, he had no other way to contact the gods. The only one that would answer him was Drogramath, and that was good enough.


    The temple had a scatter of people praying to their respective deities. Theo felt as though he was showing off when he approached the dais, looking up at the windows and holding his patron¡¯s name in his mind. Drogramath¡¯s recognition shivered across the realms. A breath passed, and the form of the demon god appeared near the altar, towering high above.


    ¡°Fool mortal!¡± Drogramath shouted. ¡°I was experimenting. And you¡¯ve drawn me out of it!¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Cut the tough guy act. I need some help.¡±


    The ethereal image of Drogramath cleared his throat. His eyes, like massive glittering purple orbs, scanned the room. ¡°Fine. What do you need?¡±


    Theo explained the situation. He wasn¡¯t looking for a solution, though. For once, he was looking for guidance. The pieces he had to put together were scattered. If Fenian drank the potion, appearing in the center of a conflict he would die. The alchemist needed to know how much strength the elf could muster, which potions he needed to steal a boat and leave the elven homeland, and how much Uz¡¯Xulven could help.


    ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll return to the temple after I have gathered information. You¡¯ll owe me after this. Just so we¡¯re clear.¡±


    Nodding, Theo watched as the image of his patron vanished. He turned, feeling Tresk¡¯s comforting thoughts flow off her like an untamed river. All she had to do was share a smile and it brought his spirits up. What few people were in the temple were muttering amongst themselves, marveling at the appearance of a real god.


    ¡°This is way better than being a lich,¡± she said.


    ¡°Agreed. Are you up to the challenge? Think you can reach Hoi¡¯ch from here?¡±


    Tresk blew raspberries. ¡°I could reach Khahak from here, dude. So long as I had one of Khahar¡¯s bones.¡±


    It was concerning that they couldn¡¯t find a genuine piece of Balkor, but this should be fine. Tresk wasn¡¯t overstating her abilities here. She could pierce the veil, sending whatever items Fenian needed into Balkor¡¯s realm without detection. That level of will and control was surprising, but she had this innate affinity for the task. Five minutes after Drogramath vanished, he reappeared in the temple with a smile on his face.


    ¡°It took some convincing, but I invited Uz¡¯Xulven to my realm,¡± Drogramath said. There was a look of pride on his face that was undeniable. ¡°The elf is confident he could escape anything with the right potions. Unfortunately, without his enchanted carriage he cannot use the Bridge. Old-fashioned escape is the only option.¡±


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Drogramath gave Theo a list of potions that Fenian requested. Uz¡¯Xulven had served as an intermediary for a conversation. Theo committed those potions to memory, intending to make everything he didn¡¯t have today. The time dilation of the realms meant that for every minute he spent getting ready, four hours would pass in the divine realms. He thanked his patron for his time, then dashed out of the temple.


    Theo burst into the lab, causing Salire to jump in fright. ¡°Prepare those stills. Get ready for a big batch.¡±


    Fenian¡¯s request was pretty standard, but it revealed a lot about his situation. He wanted all the restoration potions they could make, but that was no surprise. He also needed combat potions, and an assortment of bombs. Retreat potions, Limited Foresight potions, Featherfall potions. The list went on. While Tresk worked on the delivery method, Theo and Salire worked the stills. There were also items that the elf didn¡¯t request, which the alchemist intended to include.


    Even after the sun set outside, the group worked on the project. Tresk stood before a large, mundane crate with her hands on her hips. Theo had already popped a Greater Stamina Potion, and was feeling buzzed from its effects. He stood next to the crate, tutting.


    ¡°You just taped the bones to a box,¡± he said, kicking the box¡¯s side.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ It¡¯ll work.¡±


    Salire was dead on her feet. She brought the last of the potion over, placing a modified Retreat Potion into the crate. It was filled to the top, almost to where the lid wouldn¡¯t fit. Tresk was convinced that all she needed was a vessel to carry the potions. Anything within that container would pierce the veil. Theo wanted to doubt her, but the level of confidence she had was unreal.


    ¡°Last thing,¡± Theo said, finding empty spaces to place bone throwing knives. He had warded them with Dragon¡¯s Dance ¡°That¡¯s it. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Tresk said, kneeling near the box. She withdrew a hammer and nails from nowhere and sealed the crate shut. ¡°That¡¯s it. We ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready as we¡¯ll ever be,¡± Theo said with a nod.


    ¡°Ready!¡± Salire brought forth the last of her energy for a cheer.


    All the color drained from the room. Theo looked at his companion in shock. A visible well of manifested willpower pooled at her feet, bending the light. Things fell off tables as she drew on the combined will of herself, the Tara¡¯hek, and Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist felt his golems collapse in the distance, some bursting into flames. The marshling¡¯s concentration was absolute as their realms authority filled the room. Salire went rigid, falling over with a thunk. The alchemist fell to his knees.


    ¡°So long, box! Fenian Southblade,¡± Tresk shouted, pouring everything she had gathered into the wooden crate. With a snap, it vanished.


    The color returned to the room in an instant. The building groaned as it shifted back into place. Salire took in a sharp breath, then began coughing.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Theo said, coughing as the breath returned to his lungs.


    Salire tried to say something, but just ended up in another coughing fit. Before long, someone was beating on the door downstairs. Theo was unsurprised to find the town¡¯s guard coming to investigate. The general alarm had been raised, a bell clattering somewhere distant. The army was assembling to defend the town, and the alchemist had to talk them down. Aarok and Luras showed up, sleepy-eyed and in their full gear.


    ¡°That was us,¡± Theo said, holding his hands up apologetically. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, Theo,¡± Aarok said, glaring.


    ¡°It was pretty cool,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°Go call off the guard,¡± Aarok said, waving Luras away. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You got some explaining to do.¡±


    Theo invited Aarok up to the lab. Salire was still recovering, sitting in a chair and drinking something strong. Tresk was doing a jig and Alex was honking with excitement. The alchemist explained what had happened, but the moment he reached the climax of the story he felt something twinge in his mind. The familiar haptic buzzing of a call from the communication crystal in his inventory. He withdrew it mid-sentence, squeezing it tightly in his hand.


    ¡°Dear alchemist! This is the worst plan ever!¡± Fenian shouted into his mind. ¡°It dropped me in a war zone!¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. ¡°We were worried about that.¡±


    Fenian explained his situation. Balkor¡¯s pride had been wounded when the box appeared. Since time moved differently in the heavenly realms, Fenian had to bargain for his freedom. Through smooth-talking trickery, the elf escaped. When he arrived in Tarantham, he appeared in a burned-out city. Two armies were engaging each other, and he burned through half the potions Theo gave him just to stay alive. He was currently running for the coast, intent on stealing a boat to escape.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not a lich,¡± Theo said. ¡°That counts for something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose it does. Also, you could have left a note. When I tossed one of your daggers, it turned a group of soldiers into paste! Oh, the experience gains were magnificent, but the shock was damaging to my psyche. Also, I¡¯m naked!¡±


    ¡°Just come back alive. Alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    Fenian cut the connection through the crystal. Theo breathed a sigh of relief, relaying the tale to all those gathered. Salire had regained her composure, and Aarok was shaking his head in disbelief. This ordeal ended better than anyone could have expected. The Herald was now back on the mortal plane, even if he was in danger. The alchemist could feel some amount of order restored to the world. It was as though another piece of something important had been set in place.


    Aarok withdrew a wineskin from his inventory, drinking directly from it. ¡°Well, now that you woke me up, we can have a drink.¡±


    Theo took the skin when offered, and chugged more than his fair share. Tresk drank some as well, but continued dancing. Salire drank more than anyone else. There were some things a mortal body wasn¡¯t meant to witness. Aarok went off to smooth everything over with both the administrators and his army. Theo and Tresk escorted the shell-shocked assistant to her house, then lingered outside under the stars.


    ¡°I find it hard to remember that those even exist,¡± Tresk said, pointing skyward.


    The setting of the sun did little to stifle the constant heat brought by the Season of Fire. Theo gazed at the stars, not even needing to give his response to his companion. This felt like a turning point for them. The holder of the Throne of the Arbiter was in the heavens, and the holder of the Throne of the Herald was on the mortal plane. It didn¡¯t hurt that they had removed their friend from Balkor¡¯s realm, but that was another thing to consider. The Demon God of Necromancy didn¡¯t seem to keep Fenian there out of malice. From everything the alchemist heard, it sounded more like he wanted to recruit him for something.


    Why would the other gods support the resurrection of another if it wasn¡¯t for the greater good?


    ¡°We should get some sleep,¡± Tresk said, resting a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    Theo didn¡¯t look away from the stars. He knew it was the best option. The Dreamwalk had a way of soothing all the rough parts of his mind, just as well as Tero¡¯gal did. He simply rose, walking down the road with his companions. Alex waddled along, honking on occasion. They locked up the Newt and Demon before heading off to the manor. Sarisa and Rowan were in the sitting room, sleeping on the sofa. The scent of food still lingered in the air. They had made dinner, set everything out, then waited for Theo and Tresk to return.


    ¡°They¡¯re tuckered out,¡± Theo said, smiling at his assistants. ¡°Come on guys. Get to bed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up,¡± Rowan said, bolting upright then falling on his face. ¡°Ow.¡±


    Theo helped the pair get to bed before sitting down with Tresk and Alex to eat the cold food. It was still good. When they were finished, they headed upstairs and fell into the Dreamwalk. Tresk summoned a calming scene, soothing both of their minds. Instead of getting to work, they sat on an imagined sandy beach to watch the waves.


    ¡°Pretty sure I¡¯m supposed to do something big,¡± Tresk said, fidgeting with a seashell.


    ¡°Yeah. Kinda obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I thought so,¡± Alex chimed in, diving into the water.


    ¡°Mortals aren¡¯t supposed to hold a tangible realm. I think Khahar changed that when he broke the system¡¯s limits.¡± Theo pushed his feet through the white sand, digging his toes in as far as they would go.


    A smile crept across Tresk¡¯s face. The members of the Tara¡¯hek often didn¡¯t need to share their thoughts verbally. Theo knew she had already found what she was looking for. That thing that would give her great power. Maybe she had ascended those steps already, or already had one foot on the first one. The alchemist didn¡¯t know if he wanted to take the steps when it was his turn, but perhaps it was too late to turn back.


    The group didn¡¯t get any work done in the Dreamwalk that night. They sat on the beach, sharing both silence and stories about Fenian. That elf had enough luck to pull him through anything.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Theo said, reassuring himself as much as Tresk. ¡°He¡¯s always fine.¡±

 5.31 - More Golems

    The sound of the dwarven smith Thim¡¯s hammer rang out in the early morning. He formed it into a spherical cage of Drogramathi Iron, magically setting glowing hunks of iron into place with his class core. Theo watched nearby. Artisans were always happy to get rush orders because they got paid rush prices. With Tresk¡¯s move last night, most of the alchemist¡¯s golems had been destroyed. The sudden sway of willpower had annihilated their containment cores, ruining the monster cores within.


    But it was a good time to reorder his ranks of golems, anyway.


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Thim asked, limping over to produce a still-hot iron cage.


    ¡°What happened to your leg?¡± Theo asked as he inspected the cage. Of course the containment core was perfect. Thim had made more improvements to the design. The more he understood the way Drogramathi Iron worked, the better his skill with the material became.


    ¡°Old war wound. Acts up sometimes,¡± Thim grunted. ¡°How many do you need?¡±


    ¡°Ten, please.¡± Theo backed away from the hot metal, then withdrew his payment from his inventory. He took a bit more gold out. ¡°Better make it twenty.¡±


    Thim laughed. ¡°Always easy doing business with you, Theo. Say, I have a question¡­¡±


    Thim wanted to expand his blacksmithing operation. He claimed there was a seed core building that was aligned with Borhig, the Dwarven God of Blacksmiths. Theo was reminded of an elf that had arrived on the Wavecrest. That person had claimed to have experience doing core smithing, but it turned out to be useless to the town. While the elf had served as an assistant to a coresmith, they had never done the job themselves. That meant the only way they could get an aligned seed core building was to find one from a dwarven coresmith.


    ¡°And where are we going to find one of them?¡± Theo asked, leaning against the smithy while Thim worked.


    ¡°Well, we just have to get a messenger to the mountainhomes.¡±


    Theo just smiled. Dwarves had always been a mystery. While dwarves were happy to spend their lives with the other races, most of them talked about those mountainhomes. ¡°And where is the nearest mountainhome?¡±


    ¡°Technically, Gronro-Dir. But that tiny town is nothing compared to the others. No, we¡¯ll want to get in touch with the forts near the spine, or those gracing the southern mountains in the Qavelli Region.¡±


    ¡°Which means,¡± Theo clapped his hands together. ¡°We have to clear the undead corruption.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Let me know when my containment cores are done, please. I¡¯m off to be yelled at by my administrators.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Better you than me.¡±


    Theo nodded, leaving the smithy. Of course Alise wanted a meeting with Theo. She had requested that Tresk show up to the meeting too, but the little marshling refused. She had a ¡®catch me if you can¡¯ mentality, which the alchemist wasn¡¯t against. He took the long way to the town hall, stopping by a few places before finally arriving. The meeting was already ongoing, and everyone stopped talking when he entered the room. With a shrug, he sat and listened to the state of the realm.


    To his surprise, Theo found Alise didn¡¯t mind the late night disturbance. She was more interested in the heavenly implications of the act.


    ¡°No one here knows what¡¯s going on in the palaces of the gods,¡± Alise said with a weak shrug. ¡°And you don¡¯t seem eager to give reports on those matters.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°I only bring things up when you guys need to know.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should consider that we need to know more than you¡¯re saying,¡± Gwyn said with a flat look.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fair¡­¡±


    Theo had to think for a moment before explaining what was going on in the heavens. He really had little to report. Khahar had brought order to the heavens with an iron fist. It was the only way the Arbiter could get everyone in line, and it was working for now. What the alchemist didn¡¯t know was Khahar¡¯s endgame. He had taken the Throne of the Arbiter, setting it up so that Fenian grabbed the Throne of the Herald right after him. Then he put things in motion to sit both Theo and Tresk on a throne each.


    ¡°Why?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Remaking the universe at the worst and fixing all the weird rules in the system at best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s less information than I expected,¡± Alise said.


    Gael drummed his fingers on the table. After a pause, he shrugged. ¡°I see why you¡¯re not sharing much about the heavens.¡±


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal is very insular. The gods come to have tea and eat sweet things. They¡¯re pretty guarded with their information. That¡¯s just how the rules work.¡±


    ¡°Good. Very good. We¡¯ll move on to other matters,¡± Alise said. She clicked her tongue when Theo went to stand. ¡°This one concerns you, Theo. Ziz¡¯s newest project has failed spectacularly.¡±


    Theo sat down again, raising an eyebrow. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Building a bridge across the sea is harder than expected. He set one section as a test, and it collapsed when a very minor storm swept through.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a setback¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. He¡¯s back to the drawing board on that project for now. I suggest you have a talk with him about it.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    The meeting went on. These meetings were so boring that it made Theo want to fall asleep at the table. But he had enough respect for what these people were doing to stay awake. These slogs of meetings were necessary to keep the alliance running and were designed to make sure each citizen was getting what they needed. Mercifully, the meeting didn¡¯t go on for too long. The alchemist left, heading over to the smithy to collect some of the wares he had ordered. With containment cores in hand, it was time to create new golems.


    Theo assessed his current need for golems. The Small Farm, operating outside of the walls, needed four lesser golems or two of the upgraded version. The mine required exactly none. Those metal golems he had constructed to guard the place had become obsolete thanks to adventurer involvement. The greenhouses behind the Newt and Demon required anywhere between one and two lesser golems, and one upgraded version would take care of the place nicely. Based on his intuition, the alchemist could handle eight to ten, depending on how much will he siphoned from Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Four golems here, four roaming the necromantic wasteland? Sounds good,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. He cracked his knuckles,leaving the spot to gather his supplies.


    The first stop was Throk¡¯s workshop. The marshling had been working on more batteries and siphon artifices, stocking the work area with his creations. Theo bought everything he had on hand, along with the excess copper bars. Next stop was the Newt and Demon, where Salire was working the shop on the first floor. The alchemist waved politely, then ascended to the second floor to treat his containment cores and create Hallow Ground constructs. The second floor was always more dreary, never seeming to get enough light without the help of candles. Annoyed with the somber room, he relocated to the third floor.


    Several stills on the top floor of the building were bubbling away. Salire had her experiments running in three of the stills, leaving others free for the production of Hallow Ground potions. Theo paused before moving forward, tapping his foot as his thoughts gathered. The hovering platform project wasn¡¯t moving forward as quickly as he would like. Mass production wasn¡¯t working, and he decided the path forward for now was the golems. The single golem he had roaming the area north of Gronro had done excellent work. How about four of them?


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    Treating the containment cores was easy enough. Theo selected eight Monster Cores to insert into his creations. There was a creature called a Fald Scryer, which had served as an excellent base for his previous Plant Golem. The scryer¡¯s core was aligned with wisdom, making them excellent herbalists. For his metal golems, destined to be sent to Gronro, he selected Level 20 Goblin Spellflinger cores. One of the rare magic-casting goblins, the Spellflingers were aligned with intelligence. And any creature roaming the corrupted area would need sharp decision-making skills.


    After assembling his materials, Theo bumped into Salire on his way out of the lab.


    ¡°Oh! Any direction, boss?¡± she asked, smiling.


    Theo tapped his chin, trying to think of something for her to do. Salire was great at self-study, and rarely needed direction. ¡°Could you prepare the materials for another Hallow the Soil run? I think you can make the Suffuse Potion on your own, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can manage that.¡±


    ¡°I need to go to Gronro to replace my golem, and refresh the ward on the town.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Salire said, moving off. She was already withdrawing materials from the spatial storage crates before he even got to the door.


    As Theo left the Newt and Demon, he thought how far she had come. Not by being a champion, like he was, but through sheer determination. He gathered plant material in his greenhouses, picking out the burned-out core of his destroyed golems. The containment cores had been destroyed almost entirely, leaving piles of ash where the golems once were. The alchemist created one Plant Golem for his greenhouses and mushroom caves, inserting the battery and siphon into the seething mass of plant material. After a moment, the creature rose, linking to the lodestone network and awaiting orders. A beat later, and it accessed the already-existing orders in the nearby lodestone network.


    Theo turned from the greenhouses, heading directly for his small farm. The golems that had been destroyed there burned some of the wheat. He created two Plant Golems for that small farm, and ensured they drew from the right instructions in the lodestones before moving on. That was the entire point of the farm. The alchemist didn¡¯t want to touch it. He didn¡¯t want to put his hands on a single stalk of wheat, or get his hands dirty in any way. It was absolutely self-run by the golems, and would remain that way forever.


    The farm was a small experiment on that front. With enough lodestones and borrowed will from Tero¡¯gal, Theo could run most of the town with golems. The quarry, sawmill, mine, and even the large farm could be operated by golems alone. Perhaps when Salire took the constructs skill, they could expand the golem-run things in town. For now, he would focus half of his capacity on removing the corruption.


    ¡°Rowan, Sarisa?¡± Theo asked.


    Sarisa popped out of nowhere, coming to stand beside the alchemist. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a trip,¡± Theo said, double-checking his inventory. He had the materials to create the Fire Construct required for metal golem construction, and the accompanying metal. ¡°Off to Gronro.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Sarisa fell in line behind Theo as they headed for the station. The train was half-way between the towns, giving them a moment of respite before heading off.


    ¡°How do you like the job, so far?¡± Theo asked.


    Sarisa shrugged. ¡°More boring than I expected. We¡¯re still treating it as though you¡¯ll be ambushed at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Might be better that way,¡± Theo said, feeling an uncomfortable itch spread across his midsection.


    Sarisa sighed. ¡°Wish we could have been there when those Zagmon goons attacked you.¡±


    ¡°To see Fenian fight?¡± Theo laughed. ¡°That was something else.¡±


    Sarisa paused for a long moment. Theo could feel as though she had something to say, but was holding it back. In true half-ogre form, she couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Seems unfair. Powerful people gravitate toward you.¡±


    ¡°Yuri set most of that up. Everyone here knows him as Khahar, but I knew him back before all this. He always had a knack for fixing things, and I guess he sees the system in the same way.¡±


    ¡°You really think our system is broken?¡± Sarisa asked, somewhat incredulous.


    ¡°Yeah. Take a look in the history books. What little there is. Or gaze northward, to where Qavell once was.¡±


    Sarisa grunted, then nodded. ¡°Decent point. How would you fix it?¡±


    Theo had to think about that one. Shouting for change was one thing, but enacting it? There were so many little things at play in this world that it was hard to say how to fix it. ¡°Limit a person¡¯s lifespan to start. Maybe break up the progression of leveling to make it clear how the realms of power work.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a realm of power?¡±


    Theo laughed, shaking his head. He explained his observations on the way the system worked. Every 10 levels, there was a jump in power. But that wasn¡¯t even the worst part about the system. ¡°If I could only change one thing, it would be the way Wisdom and Intelligence work. I found a solution for my Wisdom, but¡­ Well, as my Intelligence gets closer to 30, I feel myself slipping away. I¡¯m finding it harder to care about things.¡±


    ¡°You drank a potion, right? Just drink another.¡±


    ¡°You can only drink one soul potion.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    The train arrived with merciful timing. Theo and Sarisa boarded, and then they were off to Rivers, then Gronro. Throk still hadn¡¯t sorted out the problem of a windshield for the train. And the alchemist didn¡¯t care for being whipped by a constant drive of hot wind. The temperature got slightly better when the train made its stop in Rivers. A few people got on, headed north. Dropping slightly more, the temperature was far more pleasant up in Gronro. The high altitude wasn¡¯t enjoyable, but disembarking the train was the highlight of the alchemist¡¯s day.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Sarisa asked, standing with Theo outside the stone walls of Gronro-Dir.


    ¡°Golems and wards,¡± Theo said, sucking in some fresh mountain air. ¡°Talking with Grotgrog Stormfist as well, if he has anything to say about it.¡±


    Sure enough, Grot came trotting through the south-facing gate before Theo could even enter the town. The dwarf with his bushy beard bounced on the spot, smiling as he shook the alchemist¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Your demon magic is working wonders!¡± he shouted, slapping Theo on the lower-back. The alchemist¡¯s tail swished defensively, swatting at the dwarf¡¯s hand. ¡°Lively one.¡±


    Theo proceeded forward, and Grot fell in line beside him. ¡°The ward really scoured this place clean, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yep. And your golem cleared the entire mountain pass up. Before it exploded.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    Gronro-Dir was the most dwarven town Theo had ever visited. Well, he had only visited four towns during his time in this world. While none of the town was built under the mountain, most of the buildings were constructed into the side of the crags on either side. Those buildings standing free were made from the same gray stone that entombed the place.


    ¡°I read a report that Qavell is approaching,¡± Grot said, scoffing. ¡°What kind of horrid human magic are they weaving up there?¡±


    ¡°Nothing good. You¡¯re stocked with my new shots, right?¡±


    ¡°We are. Loaded up in those fancy weapons you sent us. Ready to fire at anything that flies.¡±


    Those were the orders. Anything found in the skies above the alliance¡¯s territory was to be shot down with Theo¡¯s new constructs. The administration had already cleared the action with the other nations they were in contact with. Both Bantein and Partopour had been warned, and a message was sent to the Khahari without response. Anyone violating the airspace only had themselves to blame.


    Theo was most eager to tour the northern wall of the town. He ascended the battlements with Grot and Sarisa, looking out over a changed scene. The foul miasma that had once hung in the air had been cleared entirely. The alchemist saw a distinct line in the distance where his golem had been clearing, and the puddle of metal it left behind.


    ¡°For the first time, Archduke Spencer, I offer you a tour over the bridge!¡± Grot shouted, slapping Theo¡¯s back again. ¡°Come on!¡±


    Theo and Sarisa joined him, crossing the bridge. On either side were chasms that seemed to go on forever. The stone bridge they crossed was sturdy, but still held the purified bones of some undead. After crossing the bridge, they stood on the open rocky fields of Murder Passage. Mountains rose on either side. This was a monumental moment for the alchemist. His golem had cleared more area than he could have hoped. He could only wonder what four of them would accomplish.


    Withdrawing materials from his inventory, Theo turned to Grot. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message if the golems get out of the lodestone¡¯s range. The pole with the crystal on the end? You¡¯ll have to move that closer to them if they get too far.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Grot nodded.


    The first step to constructing metal golems was to pile bars of metal on the ground. Theo placed four equal piles of metal on the ground, then got to work on the containment cores. Once those were inserted, he placed a Fire Construct in each, then stepped back. Each pile burst into flames, the intense fire turning those bars into molten metal. Each formed into the general shape of a humanoid. The alchemist¡¯s shoulders slacked as the intense weight of the creatures drew on his willpower. After a moment, they connected to the lodestone and eased the burden.


    Once the golems swapped over to their battery, each stood at attention. Theo repositioned the lodestone, then prepared himself to ward all four golems. While casting the Deflect necromantic Magic ward didn¡¯t cost much mana, it was taxing when applied to things with their own will. Casting it on the town took a lot out of him, but not so much the golems. Silver barrier sprung up around each golem as Theo warded them, chugged Mana Potions, and repeated the process. After checking that each of their siphons and batteries were working, he sent them off to clean the mountain pass.


    ¡°Three more than last time,¡± Grot said, laughing. ¡°They¡¯ll have the continent cleaned in a day!¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t so sure about that. But the golems would do an even better job cleaning the area than the last ones. These were built with power siphons, which would pull necromantic energy from the air and convert it to mana. While that might corrupt the golems, the ward they brought with them would certainly do a lot to take care of any residual corruption. The alchemist turned away from the mountain pass, smiling at the dwarven duke.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting there, Grot. Slowly.¡±

 5.32 - The Pale Elf

    Theo let out a sigh of relief as he departed from the train. The conductor laughed as he stepped off, allowing others to board before resuming his back-and-forth path. Standing there with Sarisa, the alchemist spotted a familiar face grinning from near the gate. Azrug waved as the duo approached, looking unapologetic in his fancy clothes. The more time that passed, the more the young man looked like Fenian. Too many ruffles for one half-ogre.


    ¡°I got a problem,¡± Azrug said, providing no other greetings. He pushed off the stone wall, beckoning Theo to follow him.


    With a shrug, Theo followed the merchant. Azrug had done some interesting things lately. He had two businesses in town. His item shop earned him the bulk of his coin, while his stables were effectively bankrupt. No one ran beasts overland anymore, and the only creatures to take care of in town were the wolves, karatan, and pozwa in Miana¡¯s ranch. But he had taken the failure in stride, focusing on his item shop.


    ¡°So, are you going to share your problem? Or is it a secret?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ah. Well, I think you¡¯ll just want to see it first. Just a quick walk to the farm.¡±


    This gave Theo a chance to view a part of the town he wished he frequented more often. Traveling north from the main road, he got to see Xam¡¯s tavern and bathhouse. Next up was the school on the left and the tightly packed neighborhood on the right. The farmer¡¯s hill rose in the distance. That place was a remnant of some powerful mage back in the day. The wizard had diverted the river, raising the land to allow people to farm. That was before the town was made into a seed core town for the Kingdom of Qavell.


    Theo, Azrug, and Sarisa climbed the hill to the farmer¡¯s fields. At first, everything seemed normal. Fields of zee were growing in their various states. Farmhands scratched their heads at the edge of fields, shrugging on occasion. Banu himself just leaned against the farmhouse, shaking his head.


    ¡°Notice anything weird?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t remember when Azrug got in the habit of playing weird games like this. He approached the field, brushing his hand against the stalks of zee. Then he noticed the beads of fruit growing near the stems of leaves. Larger than a grain of processed wheat, they were covered in something like corn silk and smelled sweet. After a moment of thought, the alchemist realized what had happened.


    ¡°They hybridized on their own?¡± he asked, clicking his tongue. ¡°How did that happen? My wheat field is pretty far.¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Azrug asked, plucking one bundle of fruit from the stalk. He held it out for Theo to inspect.


    [Throk¡¯s Weed]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Plant]


    Epic


    A unique hybrid plant created from a zee plant and wheat plant. This plant combines the healing properties of both zee and wheat.


    Properties:


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


    Theo gave Azrug a flat look. ¡°Throk isn¡¯t going to like that.¡±


    A smile spread across the young merchant¡¯s face. ¡°Thought you¡¯d like that.¡±


    Inspecting the plant, Theo found there to be no issues. As far as zee went, it was a weird plant. The fruit normally grew at the top, resulting in a few large kernels, depending on the individual plant. The fruit here grew on the sides, near where the leaves sprouted. But so long as the yield was similar or better, there shouldn¡¯t have been an issue.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We need to know if this stuff is safe to sell. And eat.¡±


    Theo had the impression that being dragged here was solely for Azrug¡¯s amusement. He held the plant in his hand, glaring at the merchant as he deconstructed the reagent. It went up in a plume of smoke; the ashes falling to the ground. It revealed the Efficient Healing property, which was in line with both wheat and zee. While the alchemist had never seen the property, he could assume it was safe. He repeated the process, finding the next two properties to be Efficient Regeneration and Aura.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any negative properties. Do we have a grown version of the crop?¡±


    ¡°Hey Banu!¡± Azrug shouted, waving the farmer over.


    Banu trotted across the farm, dabbing his forehead with a cloth. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Tell him how fast it spread.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Like a wave,¡± Banu said, chuckling nervously. ¡°Plants just started being different.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a problem with farming Throk¡¯s Weed¡­ Ugh¡­ But you¡¯re saving kernels from the same field, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Theo knelt near a plant, inspecting the way it grew from the ground to the top. Depending on how large the fruit got, the hybrid plant might produce more than the old version. It hardly seemed to matter, though. There was no going back from where they were. Every field in the farm had been infested with Throk¡¯s Weed.


    ¡°Do you have any untainted samples on hand?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Just a few. Not enough to replant quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t matter. Hand the samples over to me and I¡¯ll get it sorted.¡±


    Banu ran off to grab what few unchanged samples of zee he had stashed away. The plan for those was simple. Under closer observation, Theo could make sure they didn¡¯t randomly hybridize into another plant. This was honestly the best outcome, considering the concept of monsterized plants. At any point, a plant could monsterize if given the right condition. The only conditions Theo had found for that was the introduction of too much growth-stimulating potions. That¡¯s why they relied on the power of seed core buildings instead of alchemy.


    Once Theo had his samples, he stowed them in his inventory and chatted with both Azrug and Banu. The merchant seemed excited to name more random things, but his Loremaster class core had given him insights on more than just items. Each new thing he discovered gave him insight into the history of the land. He joined with the alchemist on his path north, to the quarry, and shared the tales he had learned.


    ¡°I mean, we¡¯re all aware of the original seeding of the world. From what those old people let slip,¡± Azrug said, picking at his teeth lazily. ¡°But just consider how much stuff has happened here. Wars were fought. Kingdoms rose and fell. My core has been drip-feeding me information about the kingdom that was here before Balkor¡¯s fall.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked. ¡°How old was that kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Pretty old, compared to the length of time kingdoms normally last. The longest lasting single-body government in the world has to be the Tarantham Empire. That only works because they¡¯re always killing each other in small batches. The system won¡¯t give me the name for the place that was here before us, but it spanned the entire continent.¡±


    Theo was aware, to a lesser extent, of this kingdom. He knew that the Qavelli language was based on whatever came before. Something he tried not to think about often were the bones they stepped on every day. It struck too close to home.


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    ¡°Did you learn anything interesting? How vague is the system when it tells you about the old kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Journal entries. Bits from old books. Folk tales. I got one page from the king of that kingdom. King, leader¡­ whatever. It was so mundane. Aside from the invasion from the north.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll go back further in time the higher your core gets.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my hope. It¡¯s not really useful, but very fun to read all that old stuff.¡±


    The group was approaching the quarry. The sound of chipping stone and grunting half-ogres issued over the sloped hillside. Ziz and his boys were forming slabs of stone into blocks. Despite their failure with the bridge, he had a big smile on his face when he spotted the alchemist.


    ¡°Theo! How are ya?¡±


    ¡°Good. Just came to check on my favorite stonemasons.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the only stonemasons¡­¡± one elf muttered. The half-ogres around him laughed.


    Ziz¡¯s workers had expanded recently. Unsurprisingly, they were still almost all half-ogres. But the influx of elves had resulted in those fair people joining his ranks. It wasn¡¯t simple work. Working the quarry was back-breaking labor that required them to dump attribute points into Strength and Vigor.


    ¡°You heard about the bridge. Didn¡¯t you?¡± Ziz asked.


    Theo smiled. ¡°I heard it was a massive failure.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Ziz stretched, seeming almost apathetic to the colossal failure. ¡°When we set the platform on the pillars, the waves and the wind just knocked it over. Can you imagine that much stone tumbling over from the weather?¡±


    ¡°The amount of stone required to make the pillars sturdy is too grand,¡± Azrug said, waving his hand through the air. ¡°The entire project is a boondoggle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it was fun,¡± Ziz shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re setting our sights on more manageable projects. Just keeping busy and stockpiling stone before we come up with something better.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear it didn¡¯t crush your spirits,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hah! Never!¡± Ziz shouted, striking a pose.


    The group chatted for a while, but Azrug was dragged away by his duties. Theo carried on polite conversation with Ziz. The problem with the alchemist¡¯s work today had his mind spinning. Plants rarely hybridized in his greenhouses and mushroom caves, but it had happened before. That event resulted in the creation of Azrug¡¯s Truffle. While the new reagent was interesting, it spoiled an entire batch of Swamp Truffles. Further study was required to understand what was going on.


    Theo left the quarry after a while, walking with Sarisa back to the Newt and Demon. He planned to clear space in his greenhouses for the untainted zee kernels, but a dedicated greenhouse would be better. That way, they could keep all their baseline samples safe from the ravages of random hybridization. Until someone with a magical carriage that could traverse dimensions arrived, that wasn¡¯t possible. Perhaps traders would bring seed cores with their ships, but that had not been happening.


    Sorting through the tangle of overly large plants in one greenhouse, Theo found a spot to plant one zee kernel. This seemed like a lot of effort to preserve something that closely resembled giant corn, but the zee had cultural roots in the region. The last thing Theo wanted to do was to strip away the culture that half-ogres and marshlings had built here. He kept the remaining kernels in his inventory, preserving them for as long as he held them there. After offloading some junk in his own inventory, and clearing out some crap in the Tara¡¯hek shared inventory, he turned away from the greenhouses.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± a cool voice came from around one greenhouse. Theo recognized it, after a moment of thought, as belonging to the pale elf, Twist.


    ¡°Are you allowed on the surface?¡± Theo asked, moving to catch sight of the masked elf.


    Twist stood there in white robes, hood pulled up over his head. His clothes were tattered from the years, ripped and torn in various spots. Especially around the sleeves. But no part of the elf was exposed to the sun hanging above. He jabbed a thumb back toward a group of Broken Tusk adventurers. ¡°With an escort. Your reagent farming operation is interesting. Using golems to care for them is smart.¡±


    ¡°Are you an alchemist?¡± Theo asked, walking away from the spot. Twist followed, forcing his minders to follow as well.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about your people, Twist,¡± Theo said. He had nowhere to go, but didn¡¯t want the pale elf to linger around his lab. ¡°What do you call yourselves?¡±


    ¡°Not for you to care. Everyone else calls us deep elves, and that¡¯s good enough.¡±


    ¡°Are you related to surface elves?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    While Twist was being annoying, that was good information to have. Theo was always interested in learning more about the various races in the world. He could reveal one fact about the deep elves from that statement. Twist could have been misinformed about his race¡¯s origins. The deep elves might have come from the surface elves, but they might draw their lineage from another race. It was also possible that they were a seed race. The alchemist still didn¡¯t understand where any of the lizard-folk came from, or the ogres. Every race that couldn¡¯t track their lineage back to the start could have been another seed race.


    ¡°Our Loremaster, Azrug, would be interested in talking to you,¡± Theo said, moving in no direction in particular. He headed north, toward the harbor.


    ¡°Have you made progress on your promise?¡± Twist asked, ignoring what Theo said completely.


    ¡°We have, actually. The path north of Gronro is clearing by the day. I have a few methods to remove the undead, but it is slow.¡±


    ¡°As expected. If you don¡¯t deal with Qavell before you clear the way, I will need to find another path. That is undesirable.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve got a defensive weapon tucked away¡­ somewhere¡­ feel free to bring it out.¡±


    Twist ignored the comment, following Theo up the battlements near the harbor. Several foreign ships were docked there, unloading or loading cargo. The alchemist recognized the flags of Bantein and Partopour, but there was also a much smaller boat belonging to the Khahari. Khahar¡¯s people hadn¡¯t made good on his promise of trade, but it was hard to say how his absence affected them. Broken Tusk would be happy with any trade.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you travel the underground to reach Qavell?¡± Theo asked the question, but knew the answer.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s where my people live. Locked in constant war.¡±


    Theo nodded, but didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he climbed a long staircase down to the harbor below. With Twist still following him like a lost puppy, he talked with several vendors to check their supply of seed cores. It was disappointing to learn that Tarantham was the world¡¯s largest producer of seed cores, and they had stopped exporting when the latest civil war kicked off. One trader had something similar to a greenhouse, but it wasn¡¯t the same. Instead, it was something altogether more interesting.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one,¡± Theo said, holding the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop Seed Core in his hands. ¡°How much?¡±


    Never one for negotiation, the alchemist settled for the over-priced seed core and left the harbor. He made his way to Sledge¡¯s sawmill, but didn¡¯t find her there. The workers directed him to the school instead, where he found the marshling hissing at several children. She was lurking over a wooden crate, stuffed with straw. Inside were a few spotted eggs, roughly the size of Theo¡¯s fist.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Theo said, blinking away his confusion. ¡°Your clutch.¡±


    ¡°My babies,¡± Sledge hissed, snapping her jaws at the alchemist.


    ¡°Think you could get Bob to watch those for a minute? I need a new road.¡±


    ¡°Babies,¡± Sledge responded, jerking her head toward the clutch.


    ¡°Perhaps another day,¡± Twist said with an amused tone.


    Theo left the school without his Fabricator, making his way back to the Newt and Demon. The alchemist had wanted a road running from the main avenue, heading east next to his lab. After his first plan crumbled, he considered the next-best place to put his new workshop. The next building south of the lab was Perg¡¯s tannery. Theo counted out twenty dronon-sized paces before selecting a spot for his new workshop.


    ¡°Is this what you do all day?¡± Twist asked, watching as Theo pressed the seed core into the ground.


    ¡°Sometimes. Other times I¡¯m helping folks with stuff. Or brewing potions.¡±


    ¡°Fighting the undead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really fight,¡± Theo said, stepping back to watch the seed core grow. Roots sprung from the ground, wrapping around themselves. He had a feeling that this one would take a minute or two to form, even with the help of some Monster Cores. ¡°I just toss bombs. Sometimes knives.¡±


    ¡°Throwing knives can be effective, though.¡± Twist nodded.


    Theo had absolutely no idea why Twist was hanging out on the surface today, but he didn¡¯t like it. Everything he had heard about the deep elves painted them as people who enjoyed waging war more than anything. Mercifully, the elf stopped talking to watch the new seed core form into a building. The roots tangled amongst themselves, and a pulse of recognition radiated from the core. For the first time, the alchemist felt the seed core¡¯s will feeling out around itself. It probed the surrounding buildings with faint willpower, then sent tendrils off to the other buildings. He realized it was getting an impression for the buildings around itself to blend in.


    ¡°That¡¯s new¡­¡±


    Wisps of will pulled back, and the seed core constructed itself. It matched most of the local buildings, forming a stone foundation with wooden walls. Sometimes the seed cores would go for all-stone construction, while other times they would assume a combination of stone and wood. Narrow windows formed near a heavy wooden door, then the roof emerged from a tangle of dark roots. A straight, stone chimney poked from the top of the building, seeming to burst from a blue roof.


    ¡°Cute,¡± Twist said, entering the building without asking Theo¡¯s permission.


    ¡°Come right in,¡± Theo grumbled. ¡°Make yourself at home.¡±

 5.33 - Herbalists Workshop

    Twist had become an annoying carbuncle on Theo¡¯s otherwise-pleasant day. It wasn¡¯t through the deep elf¡¯s words or actions, but his mere presence. He didn¡¯t make noise when he moved, and only spoke when needed. Those things left the alchemist feeling a strange sense of foreboding that he couldn¡¯t shake off. He did everything he could to turn his attention away from the elf to focus on his new building.


    The interior was pleasant enough. It was a single room with a fireplace, a table with chairs, and a few shelves for storing things. Very little light found its way through the slitted windows, casting the interior with darkness. Twist enjoyed those shadows, finding his way to a chair and taking a seat. There was a comfortable sense to the workshop that brought a great sense of ease to the alchemist.


    ¡°It seems wise to have an herbalism workshop,¡± Twist said, his single visible eye lingering on various things in the room before moving on.


    ¡°I never thought about it,¡± Theo said. He took stock of his Monster Cores, finding that he had enough to bring the building to at least 10. There were always the vendors selling their wares in the harbor. ¡°But I agree.¡±


    Inserting Monster Cores into the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, Theo selected each expansion to go behind the building. While there was enough room on either side for both the workshop and the lab to grow, he wanted to be cautious. Monster Cores dwindling in his inventory, the alchemist felt another ripple of will as the first upgrade selection appeared in his vision. The workshop had hit Level 5.


    [Radiant Growth]


    Plants will grow quicker and larger within a radius based on the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop level.


    [Research]


    Plants inspected within the workshop will display additional information. The amount of information revealed depends on the level of the workshop. The type of information revealed depends on the cores of the workshop¡¯s owner.


    [Tero¡¯gal Inspiration]


    The owner of this workshop may select growing areas (including fields, plant beds, pots, etc) to spontaneously grow plants from the realm of Tero¡¯gal.


    Twist said something, but Theo ignored him. There was a lot to take in here, and the alchemist wanted to take every one of the upgrades. Sometimes a building would present decent upgrades for the Level 5 upgrade, but these were all great. Radiant Growth would be an easy pick. Everything within the greenhouses would likely grow at an increased rate. Research was also interesting. Theo could only guess as to what kind of information he would get from that one. Tero¡¯gal Inspiration might have been the worst pick, only because he could just go to Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°What are the upgrades?¡± Twist asked, apparently repeating the thing he said before. He did so in monotone, looking from his comfy chair as though bored.


    Theo read the first two out, but made one up for the third. No reason for the random deep elf to know about Tero¡¯gal. ¡°Last one increases the chance of hybridization,¡± he lied.


    ¡°The first is the best,¡± Twist concluded.


    With another chance to get the Research upgrade, Theo agreed. He selected Radiant Growth and got back to shoving Monster Cores into the building. The interior expanded to the east, making the building a quarter as long by the time it got to Level 10. After hitting the next upgrade level, Research and Tero¡¯gal Inspiration appeared alongside a new upgrade. The alchemist inspected that one, reading it out for the strange elf.


    [Experimental Garden Plot]


    A small garden plot appears behind the workshop. Anything planted within the plot may be closely controlled. Cultivation rate, hybridization rate, growth rate, etc, may all be changed. If the owner of this workshop does not have an herbalist-style core, some features may be restricted.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re looking for,¡± Theo said, releasing a contented sigh.


    Twist only nodded as the alchemist selected the upgrade. The building rumbled for a moment. Through the narrow windows, Theo saw the garden plot spring up behind the workshop. He was getting a better idea of the purpose of this building the more upgrades he saw. The greenhouses were made to grow plants, but there was a research aspect to the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. With Level 30 coming up for his Drogramath Herbalist Core, this building might pair perfectly with his next ability.


    But Theo¡¯s supply of Monster Cores had run dry, and the day was growing late. He gestured to the door and Twist stood up and slumped to one side.


    ¡°The underground is so boring,¡± Twist groaned.


    ¡°Not my problem,¡± Theo said, smiling from the door.


    The pale elf marched out of the building, but stayed there on the road.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go home,¡± Theo said, waving and smiling at the elf. ¡°But you can¡¯t stay here.¡±


    Without further warning, Theo allowed himself to slip through the veil of the mortal world. Observing the sensation as he fell, the alchemist felt more at ease in the void than ever. He focused his will, finding it pathetic compared to Tresk, and lingered in the darkness for longer than normal. One could imagine the structure of the mortal realm, void, and the heavens as layers of fabric. Between the heavens and the mortal world was the void. Spanning over that void was the Bridge. After piercing through that thin fabric, a person or spirit could go anywhere they wanted. With the appropriate approval.


    Heavenly words within the fabric of the heavens were like planets drifting through a starless universe. Traversing between those things was a matter of will and permission. Theo urged himself forward, only flitting over the Bridge for a moment before moving on to his own realm. The moment he landed, he sensed the presence of other heavenly beings. Drogramath, Uz¡¯Xulven, Glantheir, and Benton were in the expanded cottage. He could smell the scent of confections and brewing tea from the village¡¯s center.


    ¡°A few souls for you,¡± Belgar said, trotting up to greet Theo.


    Belgar was completely formed. The form he had created for himself was distinct from his old one. Theo was happy that he didn¡¯t need to stare into a mirror every time he came to his realm.


    ¡°Thanks. How are things going?¡±


    ¡°Very well. Foot races have become popular amongst the souls.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fun,¡± Theo said, imagining the various souls in his realm racing around. He got an idea, but kept it in the back of his mind until later. For now, he was happy to accept the 40 souls into his realm.


    ¡°We have a spread this time,¡± Belgar said, gesturing to the gathering of souls.


    When souls gathered in Tero¡¯gal, they always seemed so worn-down. The longer they stayed in the realm without permission, the more of their essence was dragged away by the void. Theo still wasn¡¯t that excited to accept Zagmoni Dronon into his realm, but they seemed repentant. He could cast them into the void if they did anything nefarious, anyway. But there were other interesting souls today. Some elves, humans, and even a stray marshling.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bantari,¡± Theo said, accepting the marshling into his realm. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like one from the lizard-islands either.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never seen one of their kind. We can ask them in a few days when they have their senses.¡±


    Theo approached one soul and grimaced. They had been torn to shred by the void. The soul was little more than tattered streams of blue-green energy lashing from a central core. ¡°Could you go grab Glantheir. Please?¡± he asked, turning to Belgar with concern on his face.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Be right back.¡±


    Belgar dashed off, leaving Theo alone with the soul. Seeing a soul¡¯s core was never appealing. It was a small ball of dancing light in their chest, and this soul¡¯s core was weak. He only got a few moments to study the being before Glantheir came to the alchemist¡¯s summons.


    ¡°What do we do about souls like this?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the tattered ball of energy.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Glantheir said, approaching the soul. He pressed a hand into the core. A moment later, it vanished. ¡°I sent him to the House of Healing for now. He needs time to recover, then he¡¯ll come back here.¡±


    ¡°How does that happen? Too much time in the void?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. When a person dies, their soul enters the void. If they have a strong connection with a god, they will gravitate toward that god. But if they have doubts, or they have been scorn by their god, the journey will be hard.¡±


    ¡°Yet, some souls that come here are years old. Decades. How long can they live in the void?¡±


    ¡°Centuries, or millenia I¡¯d guess.¡± Glantheir shrugged. ¡°Someone like Khahar could live in the void forever. The strength of their soul core determines¡­ come on.¡±


    Khahar had appeared behind Glantheir, a stern look on his face. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°Well, he does, now.¡± Glantheir folded his arms. The legendary patience was present nowhere on his face.


    ¡°I knew about soul cores,¡± Theo objected. ¡°Not exactly. But knew that everyone had something in their chest that held their other cores.¡±


    Khahar¡¯s serious expression faded, then he smiled. ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Glantheir said, clearing his throat. ¡°He knows about hidden attributes. The soul core is one and it is tied to willpower, dimensional stability¡­ other stuff, too. But that guy will yell at me if I get into the specifics.¡±


    Khahar nodded. ¡°Yes. Yes, I will.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, Khahar¡­ Can a spirit ever return to the mortal plane?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But it would be like a soul without a realm entering a realm. They would only last for so long. Mortals have a limited time in the realms, too. Unless you¡¯re a precious, special boy like you.¡±


    ¡°I am special, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Tero¡¯gal was a great place to get away from the stresses of the mortal realm. When the conversation with the gods died down, he went off to work on the project Belgar inspired. There wasn¡¯t much to it, but his Landscape Manipulation upgrade allowed him to reform the world however he saw fit. The realm had been siphoning power from the souls and collecting ambient energy from the void for a while. The alchemist made his way to the far side of the village built by the souls, looking out over the rolling landscape.


    Since the souls had taken up foot-races, Theo thought they might enjoy other leisure activities. He activated the Landscape Manipulation ability, and got to carving. From the village, he carved a wide footpath to the northwest. Along the way, the alchemist created different features. At one point he created a tall hill for the souls to hike up with switchback paths cut into rocky cliff faces. At the top of that hill he carved out a picnic-style area for the souls to observe a sprawling forest below.


    ¡°One last touch,¡± Theo said, poking his finger into the interface. A small pond appeared in the clearing below.


    Theo zipped along the trail, adding different landmarks where he saw fit. The trail snaked a path from the village to the Sea of Tero¡¯gal. That¡¯s what the locals had been calling it, anyway. Along the hard-packed earth trail, the alchemist placed clearings where the souls could construct buildings. Caves for them to explore. Cliffs for them to climb. He thought about all the fun things he would want to do if he were here for eternity. The souls here were trapped, in a way. They were saved from the void, but that didn¡¯t take away from their imprisonment. Unless they were accepted by another realm, this was all they had.


    At the beach, Theo stood in the sand and looked out over the water. More fish had come to swim those waters. While he knew little about fish from Earth, he could recognize many of the critters living in the forests. Squirrels, rabbits, boars, and so on. All native to Earth, now brought to life here in this realm. The alchemist could feel his time in Tero¡¯gal wearing thin. He sent himself back to the village, then found Belgar chatting with other souls. Everyone seemed excited enough about the trail, and promised to use it for racing each other.


    That wasn¡¯t Theo¡¯s intention with the trail, but whatever made them happy. He bid farewell, falling through the veil and landing right back where he started in Broken Tusk. Mercifully, Twist was gone. And the merchants were still in the port. After pilfering some of the profits from his shop, Theo went to the harbor to buy more Monster Cores. Almost every merchant who docked in the harbor seemed to sell the cores, so he bought from the one giving the best price.


    The upgrades for the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop had proven to be too interesting for him to resist. Daylight was fading, but Theo wanted to get at least one more level out of the workshop. He headed over, shoving cores into the building until it hit Level 15. Along with the Research and Tero¡¯gal Inspiration upgrades, a new one popped up for his consideration. The alchemist inspected the new upgrade.


    [Splicing]


    Herbalist-style abilities that combine two (or more) plants will be more successful in a certain radius around the workshop.


    Intentionally combining two plants was something Theo had on his mind for a while. The only problem was one of labor and time. It was hard enough keeping up with regular reagents. He couldn¡¯t imagine dealing with a doubling, or tripling of those things. It was still a great upgrade that he intended to pick later, but for now he selected Research. The building shivered with recognition, likely sensing the pile of reagents within his inventory. The alchemist withdrew a Mage¡¯s Bane flower and inspected it.


    [Mage¡¯s Bane]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Rare


    A flower with anti-magic properties.


    Research:


    Infused with a mixture of Drogramath and Dreamrealm power.


    Fast growth cycle with great anti-magical properties.


    Hidden fourth alchemical property.


    Properties:


    [Resist Magic] [Absorb Magic] [Mana Seep]


    That was interesting enough to make it worth taking the upgrade. The description of the upgrade claimed that different information would show up depending on the level of the building and the cores he had in his chest. He already knew about the mixture of powers in the air, but it was nice to see the system confirm that it was both Drogramath and Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy mingling there. Theo headed off from his new workshop for now, crossing the street to enter his manor.


    Tresk had already come home for the night, and was waiting patiently at the table. As patiently as that woman could wait. She was fidgeting endlessly. She looked up from the table, waving at Theo. ¡°Xol¡¯sa and Zarali are coming over for dinner. Think they¡¯re gonna pitch their wedding date.¡±


    Theo found a seat at the massive dining table. ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    ¡°Right? Get some more babies in town. Every baby is a future worker.¡±


    Theo grimaced, but nodded. ¡°Oh, I saw Sledge¡¯s eggs.¡±


    ¡°Did you? She won¡¯t let anyone get near them.¡± Tresk sighed, shaking her head. ¡°She¡¯ll get over it, but for now I heard Bob is keeping his distance.¡±


    ¡°She hissed at me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky she didn¡¯t bite you.¡±


    Zarali and Xol¡¯sa showed up for dinner eventually. Sarisa and Rowan had already served the food, taking their own seats to dig in. It took the lovebirds a while, but they eventually broached the topic of their marriage.


    ¡°We¡¯re always putting things off,¡± Zarali chuckled. ¡°But we¡¯ve settled on a day.¡±


    ¡°The first of Death,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding.


    Theo winced. Setting a wedding on the first day of a season called the Season of Death seemed like a grim portent. But if they were happy with it, he was happy. ¡°Sounds good to me. As long as you¡¯re prepared to move it around.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Things happen,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°What style of wedding are you guys doing?¡± Tresk asked, belching after consuming her entire meal in one go.


    ¡°A great question,¡± Zarali said, shooting a glare at Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s a problem,¡± Xol¡¯sa chuckled nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t know what my people do for weddings, and dronon don¡¯t get married.¡±


    ¡°Do a Broken Tusk wedding,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°What does that entail?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Lots of fighting. Lots of booze. If someone isn¡¯t seriously injured by the end, it wasn¡¯t a good wedding.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Zarali shook her head.


    ¡°Just do your own thing,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Make it up as you go along and let me know if you need any support from the town. Everyone likes a festival, anyway.¡±


    The conversation swayed from here to there. Each culture in the world had a different way to do their weddings. By the end of the conversation, Xol¡¯sa and Zarali were talking about picking traditions from several cultures, along with inventing a few of their own. Before taking the Intelligence of the Soul potion, the wizard would have shrunk away from so much responsibility. He seemed positively bubbly now, and it only reminded the alchemist that he needed to find a solution for his own growing Intelligence.


    After dinner, Theo, Tresk, and Alex went off to have a hot bath at Xam¡¯s place. The attendants were nice, as always, and a good soak did a lot to remove whatever stress the day brought. Once cleaned and thoroughly hot, the Tara¡¯hek headed off for the Dreamwalk.

 5.34 - Pursued by Frog-Like Creatures

    A familiar landscape spread into the distance from Theo¡¯s vantage point. Standing on the battlements of his imagined town, he looked down to the harbor below. With little effort for his two main cores, he planned to toil the night away to hit Level 28. But it was as important to not neglect his Toru¡¯aun core, which was now teetering on the edge of Level 20. The alchemist¡¯s head swiveled, spotting Tresk and Alex doing combat with some imagined hydra-like dragon creature. He laughed to himself, moving down into the harbor to set up his alchemy equipment.


    Theo thought about where his various projects were going, and found that he was happy with the undead scouring scheme. The most valuable potions produced by the Newt and Demon were the restoration, curative, and attribute-enhancing potions. Salire had been handling the brewing of those potions, leaving him free to work on whatever weird side-project he wanted. Then there was the uncomfortable fact that he needed another core to fill the slot he would gain at Level 30. Another demon core, perhaps? Something to pair well with his Governance Core made more sense than anything. Something he didn¡¯t need to babysit like his other cores.


    On Top of his consideration for cores, Theo wanted to pick a direction for his attribute distribution. The current plan was to use items and core bonuses to increase his Dexterity, making him more viable in combat. So far, the only viability he found in a fight was his ability to run away, or hide behind folks while he tossed warded daggers. The alchemist ran his fingers along the surface of an imagined Drogramathi Iron still, feeling the pits and marks on the surface as though it were real. He popped the lid open, fitting his grinder on top and listening to the artifice come to life.


    Dexterity was a good attribute to pump. With his Intelligence at 28, he was worried about the effects that came with pushing that beyond 30. His Wisdom was only safe because the Wisdom of the Soul potion he drank, leaving him feeling vulnerable to the mind-altering effects of a higher Intelligence. He cocked his head to one side, popping the grinder off from his still and reseating the lid. After setting the temperature, he allowed his mind to drift. In an instant, the alchemist appeared where Tresk and Alex fought against the hydra.


    The monster¡¯s many heads snapped at the air, often digging deep trenches into the ground when it missed. Tresk danced around the hydra¡¯s feet, dodging attacks expertly as Alex rained fire from above. Theo just watched at a safe distance, never interrupting his companions¡¯ battle. Things calmed down, and the marshling approached, heaving breath and smiling to herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°What is it like to have Dexterity above 30?¡± Theo asked, seeking to sate his curiosity.


    Tresk cupped her chin in her hand, narrowing her eyes. She hummed for a moment before nodding to herself. ¡°Dexterity is hard to explain. Compared to when I was a little shrimp, it feels like my body and mind are closer together. Does that make sense?¡±


    It didn¡¯t, but Theo scoured Tresk¡¯s thoughts through their connection to get a better idea of what she meant. His mind drifted, pressing up against hers. Their thoughts formed into something greater for a moment, casting off the concept of individual self for only a moment. What the marshling meant to say was that each of her muscles was linked to her mind closely. So close, that each thought of movement was rendered more as instinct rather than concentrated effort.


    ¡°You can¡¯t control how you move as well,¡± Theo said. ¡°And can only operate on instinct. You enter something of a battle trance when you fight. Got it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what I meant to say.¡±


    As expected, the negative effects of a physical attribute weren¡¯t as bad as the mental ones. Intelligence made a person cold, and logical. Wisdom made them unable to connect with things happening in the real world, sending them spiraling down a series of ¡®what if¡¯ based on intuition. If Dexterity removed the barrier between thought and action, Strength would do something similar. That just left Vigor. Would a person get so tough that they felt invincible? It was hard to say.


    Theo watched Tresk as she got back to work with Alex. They were practicing teamwork during combat, and the alchemist felt pride fill his chest as he watched the goose. She had done well learning how to work with her Nature affinity. Thorny vines sprung from the ground where a hydra stood, wrapping around its legs and holding it firm. She then immolated the creature, causing layers of the monster¡¯s flesh to slough off in sheets. But the regenerative power of the imagined monster was great. But not great enough to overcome Tresk¡¯s poisons.


    The alchemist left the scene of the fight, heading back to his stills to work on his alchemy and warding. The rest of the night was uneventful potion grinding. As he had expected, Theo hit his various level goals before the Dreamwalk ended. Before Tresk brought them out of the dream, he placed his free point into Vigor. After hear Tresk¡¯s difficulties with Dexterity, he didn¡¯t want to risk anything. Without warning, the marshling dragged them all out of the dream.


    Theo¡¯s eyes snapped open. Shafts of light pierced through the hazy morning fog outside. The temperature in the room was pleasant, but the alchemist understood how brutal the heat would be outside.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for the Season of Death,¡± Theo said, pushing himself out of bed. Tresk had already dashed downstairs, leaving him alone with Alex


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind the heat.¡±


    ¡°You were born here,¡± Theo said, patting the goat-sized goose on the head. ¡°How big are you going to get? Any much bigger and you¡¯ll have to sleep outside.¡±


    ¡°Nooo¡­ I want to sleep inside.¡±


    Theo smiled at the way the goose¡¯s feathers ruffled. She puffed herself up, flapping her wings and honking. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to pry Sledge away from her eggs to make bigger door frames.¡±


    Honk!


    Head down for breakfast, Theo walked absentmindedly. His Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core had hit Level 20, giving him a new skill slot and a free skill to select. He sat at the table, getting his plate of food and splitting his attention. Sarisa and Rowan were checking in with him, but they went silent as the alchemist searched through his selectable abilities. Ward-style mages were meant to channel the wards, typically creating reactive fields around themselves. But Toru¡¯aun¡¯s speciality was enchanting items with her warding magic. The abilities aligned with her often reflected this.


    Ward Propagation and Linked Wards had done a lot to open the class up, giving Theo many options for warding objects. He scanned through his new selections, finding a few that synergized with those two abilities. After flipping through the items for a while, he paused.


    ¡°Now that is strange,¡± Theo said, inspecting the ability.


    [Intuitive Nodes]


    Tero¡¯gal Mage Skill


    Epic


    Magic bound to the mortal plane draws on the relative power of Tero¡¯gal by establishing a connection between the two nodes.


    Effect:


    All spells cast may be empowered by the Dreamreal of Tero¡¯gal.


    The power drawn from Tero¡¯gal may empower a spell to: reduce mana cost, increase duration, increase potency, etc. Only one boon may be applied.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    This skill can only be used once per day, resetting at midnight.


    Theo understood Tero¡¯gal was a real realm. He had been there, and other gods had recognized his place in the heavens. But seeing an ability from his own realm appear was trippy. Did that mean he and Tresk could grant people cores? He didn¡¯t feel as though he could create cores. Putting aside the shock of seeing the ability, the alchemist considered the Intuitive Nodes skill very good. He focused on the realm of empowerment. Increasing the power of a ward¡¯s duration was always good, but increasing the power of the effect was good too.


    With his new selection slotted into his core, Theo turned his attention to the table. Both Sarisa and Rowan were staring at him as though waiting for a response to something.


    ¡°Ah. Sorry, what did you say?¡± Theo asked.


    Rowan laughed, slamming his fist on the table. ¡°I told you he was spacing out! He¡¯s done that to me before.¡±


    ¡°He just answers stuff automatically. In his own little world,¡± Sarisa cooed.


    Theo smiled, unable to disagree. He reflected on his increasing Intelligence score, and how that made him distant from everything. It was an unfortunate side-effect he needed to nail down. ¡°Sorry. My mage core hit Level 20 and I got distracted.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Rowan is taking the day off,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°We already organized another guard from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to help guard you.¡±


    ¡°And Tresk said she could teleport to you in a moment¡¯s notice,¡± Rowan added.


    ¡°That¡¯s all quite fine,¡± Theo said. He removed a Potion of Limited Foresight from his inventory and drank it. ¡°Just in case, though.¡±


    ¡°Just in case,¡± Rowan agreed.


    After Rowan departed, Sarisa explained what was going on. The half-ogre guardian had taken a fancy to someone in town, and intended to ¡®woo¡¯ her. Theo groaned at the word, but he never wanted his assistants to become permanent servants to him. Days or weeks off were fine with him, so long as they organized replacements. Of course, there was no race better as a guardian than a half-ogre. The one Sarisa had hired from the guild took his job as seriously as the rest of the Broken Tuskers.


    Theo headed out for his first stop of the day, making his way to the Newt and Demon. Salire was waiting for him outside, wearing a new dress for the day. She spent her free time with the merchants, it seemed, as every day she had something new and fun to wear. Sarisa stuck to the shadows while the rent-a-guard accompanied the alchemist into the building.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re stocked on first-tier attribute potions and restoration potions,¡± Salire said, showing off the well-stocked shelves. ¡°I also took the liberty to forge a few trade contracts with the merchants.¡±


    ¡°Good terms?¡± Theo asked. In reality, his interest in trade had waned over the past few weeks. Profits drawn from the mine, sawmill, and his minor stake in the quarry had been enough to keep him happy.


    ¡°Prices that would make Azrug wet his little pants,¡± Salire said with a wide smile.


    ¡°What are the other nations interested in?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be surprised. Defensive potions, restoration potions, and attribute potions. ¡°I¡¯m also skimming some Hallow Ground essence from our process to sell off.¡±


    Theo nodded. Their industrial Hallow Ground production had gotten to a point where they had excess. He trusted Salire to skim as much as she needed and no more than that. ¡°Profiteering from a global crisis? Shame.¡±


    Salire shrugged. ¡°If they have the coin, I¡¯m selling. Deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I am really happy that you¡¯ve taken over the shop. You have a Merchant¡¯s Core, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Helps seal the deal.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Come on. Let¡¯s see what we need to do today.¡±


    Theo, Salire, and the rented guard went to the third floor to check their stock of essences. Since usage of the Hallow the Soil potion had diminished, they had plenty of it on hand. Until Throk got his sprayer platform working, that fact would remain. Today was a day to make something fun, though.


    ¡°We really haven¡¯t been pushing modified potions, lately,¡± Theo said, nodding to the unused fermentation barrels in the room¡¯s corner. ¡°Do we have a section for that in the book, yet?¡±


    ¡°Ah, not really,¡± Salire said, withdrawing hand-written notes from her inventory. She consulted them, tracing her finger across the pages until she came to the section. ¡°Just a small bit here.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over how that works.¡±


    The Hallow Ground property had always made good base potions, but Theo had never put stock in it as a modifier. Going with his theme of ¡®fun¡¯ things to do, he withdrew Swamp Truffles from a storage crate and prepared them for fermentation. Fermenting items had as much to do with the water added as the items placed inside. The alchemist went over the process of mashing the truffles, adding Enchanted Water, then applying his own mana to begin the process.


    ¡°You can use a mana siphon to power these things,¡± Theo said, slapping the black box that Zarali had created. ¡°But you can add your mana manually. How is your mana control going?¡±


    Salire held her hand up and a pool of flaming purple mana appeared. The strain of the action played plainly across her face. But she was way better at it than he was back in the day. ¡°Getting there¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, I can sense that the truffle doesn¡¯t want to be fermented,¡± Theo said, kneeling near the barrel. He could feel the process pushing back against his will. For a moment, he saw the thread of intent between himself and the barrel. With considerable effort, his mind against that thin strand. It buckled, then collapsed as the fermentation process started. ¡°This is gonna take a while.¡±


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± Salire said, scribbling some notes. ¡°Anything interesting we can work on while it does its thing?¡±


    ¡°We could tour the new Herbalist¡¯s Workshop,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°That might be fun.¡±


    Salire clapped her hands. ¡°Oh! I saw it earlier!¡±


    Theo smiled, leading the way out of the lab. The guard insisted on going first, holding his hand out while he cleared the road outside. With a sharp nod, the dutiful half-ogre ranged out onto the street, spear in hand and a scowl on his face.


    ¡°He takes his job seriously,¡± Salire said as they crossed the scant few feet between the lab and the workshop.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing,¡± Theo said, opening the door. He was pushed back by the guard, who rushed inside as though there was something to fight.


    While they waited for the guard to clear the area, several frog-like creatures had gathered near Salire¡¯s feet. She sighed, withdrawing the sprayer from her inventory and putting it on. After squirting them in the face, they retreated.


    ¡°How long is that supposed to last?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Bilgrob said it should have been over by now,¡± she grumbled. ¡°But it isn¡¯t.¡±


    Theo split his attention as he gave a tour of his workshop. He gave Salire a friendly tour, but fell into his own thoughts as he did so. That side-effect from the ogre priest should have been over by now. When the tour was done, he had the idea to ask Sulvan for help. Instead of finding the Priest of Glantheir himself, the alchemist sent Sarisa off to find him before heading back to the lab. All three members of the group hung out in the shop-level of the building.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Sarisa said, leading the way with Sulvan close behind.


    ¡°What is the issue?¡± Sulvan said, a kind smile playing across his face. That expression made Theo shiver, if only for a moment.


    Salire explained the problem. The priest nodded along, then came to kneel by the half-ogre. Before being regressed and accepted by Glantheir, Sulvan would have towered over the woman. Now he was a head shorter than her, with a bit less muscle. He held his hands out, allowing the pure mana of the elven god to flow into his palms. After a moment, he shook his head.


    ¡°This is beyond my skill to heal,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°But it is called Spit¡¯s Reverberation. The power of the hex is equal to the power of the healing magic he used.¡±


    ¡°And Bilgrob reversed damage inflicted by Drogramath,¡± Theo said, blowing out a breath. ¡°You can see what the illness is called? Any other information?¡±


    ¡°The duration is set to twenty years,¡± Sulvan said, clicking his tongue.


    ¡°What!?¡± Salire shouted. ¡°I¡¯m going to be chased by frogs for twenty years?¡±


    ¡°Frog-like creatures,¡± Theo corrected.


    Salire glared.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a way to reverse hexes, alchemist?¡± Sulvan asked.


    Theo went through his mental list of cures. He hadn¡¯t even considered reversing Salire¡¯s condition. The only thing he could think of was a potion he had created to cure Tresk. The Lesser Potion of Purification removed one affliction instance from the drinker. His intuition said that it didn¡¯t include hexes, but higher-tier versions might.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ it depends on how the purification potion scales.¡±


    ¡°Worth a shot,¡± Salire grumbled.


    The Cure Ailment property was incredibly common in the swamp. It came from Ogre Cypress Bark, which was absurdly easy to come by. There were piles of it at the sawmill, cast off from the sawing process. If that didn¡¯t work, they could go through each of their existing reagents to find something that might cure the hex. Theo¡¯s mind was dragged back to reality when the guard, Sarisa, and Sulvan sprung to their feet. The sound of bells rang in the distance.


    ¡°What now?¡± Theo asked, opening his administration interface. Within moments, Gael was issuing orders directly to Aarok. ¡°Ah. Kuzan¡¯s delegation is here.¡±

 5.35 - High Commander

    The bells ceased their clattering. An alliance-wide message popped into everyone¡¯s vision. Gael¡¯s calming words listed a series of protocols that needed to be followed as the fleet from Tarantham approached. Despite his words of warning, each rail gun that could gain line-of-sight was trained on the ships bobbing in the distance. Theo rushed to the piers outside of the harbor, dashing up the steps to meet with the leader of House Wavecrest.


    ¡°They were faster than I expected,¡± Gael said, nodding to the bay.


    Ten ships rested in the bay, swaying with the motion of the waves. Each was far more impressive than anything Broken Tusk had produced. Each displayed deck cannons that looked suspiciously like Throk¡¯s guns. Theo took in a sharp breath, calming himself and stifling an urge to act. Gael¡¯s instructions were simple. The ships would anchor and send a smaller ship to negotiate.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Gael said with a nod. ¡°As a sign of respect, they will dock out here. We¡¯ll perform the negotiations right down there.¡±


    Despite the elf¡¯s calming words, the adventuring army was out in force. Theo watched the map of the town fill with tactical orders, lining everyone up for a counter-assault if that were to come. Even the newly minted fighters from Rivers and Daub were taking part. All the alchemist could do was watch and wait. It took a while for the fleet to launch a smaller craft. When they did, it zipped across the harbor, propelled by some unseen magic.


    Theo and Gael descended the steps, standing out on the pier to greet the representatives. Only two figures stood aboard the rowboat. The first was a man who reminded the alchemist too much of Fenian. He wore a black cuirass over an ornate padded gambeson. Matching black cuisses guarded his thighs while engraved greaves and sabatons protected his shins and feet. With a matching black full-visored black helmet tucked under his arm, he jumped from the boat, to the pier and bowed. The woman accompanying him remained in the boat, wearing less impressive robes but brimming with magical potential.


    ¡°Greetings, Archduke Theo Spencer. Lord Administrator Gaeleithia Wavecrest.¡±


    Gael bowed at the waist, and Theo followed suit. ¡°A pleasure,¡± the elf said, eyes glued to the pier below.


    After both parties had risen to their full height, the armored elf continued. ¡°I am High Commander Elmonteir Northwind. Serving as Mouth of the Emperor for this encounter.¡±


    The elf flicked a gauntleted hand through his hair, sending the perfectly groomed strands of raven black over his shoulder. Elves really had a flair for the dramatic.


    ¡°In this capacity, I serve as the Mouth of the Alliance,¡± Gael said, bowing slightly.


    Elmon smiled, holding his arms open as though he was expected a hug. Theo¡¯s brows knit together when Gael opened his arms, hugging the man as though they were family.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get out,¡± Elmon said, nodding to Theo. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this one had something to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Among others,¡± Gael said, breaking off from the hug.


    ¡°I never approved of the purging of House Wavecrest.¡± Elmon shook his head, his face darkening. ¡°The fleet hasn¡¯t been the same since.¡±


    Gael responded in the Tarantham tongue. Theo¡¯s knowledge of the language wasn¡¯t enough to understand the idiom, but Elmon laughed in response. He noticed the confusion on the alchemist¡¯s face. ¡°It means that the past is behind us. You¡¯re lucky to have him, archduke. Many wars have been started because outsiders don¡¯t understand our ways.¡±


    Theo composed himself. It was easy to remember back to a time when he had to bite his tongue to save his skin. This was no different. He could poke the bear of Tarantham now, but his people would suffer. They couldn¡¯t hold their own against the empire. Instead, he bowed slightly. ¡°He has been invaluable.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he has,¡± Elmon said, clapping a hand over Gael¡¯s shoulder. Theo could sense the nervousness in his friend¡¯s body. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, shall we? The empire is always interested in raw materials. Our spies have informed us you have discovered nodes of demon metals. You¡¯ve even made them into alloys.¡±


    ¡°We have,¡± Gael said with a nod.


    ¡°The empire is ready to offer a trade deal for those resources. As well as rights to dock civilian airships in your port.¡±


    Theo shared a look with Gael. ¡°The archduke would like to make a statement.¡±


    Elmon smiled, rolling his shoulders. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up, informing Theo that the High Commander didn¡¯t like this breach of protocol. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re expecting an unfriendly visitor,¡± Theo said, gesturing vaguely northward. ¡°The entire alliance is a no-fly zone. We have a no-questions-asked shoot-first policy at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re worried about the city flying to destroy your alliance, aren¡¯t you?¡± Elmon asked, laughing. ¡°May we continue, Gael?¡±


    ¡°Yes, High Commander.¡±


    ¡°All civilian airships from Tarantham emit a signal. This signal cannot be copied. The empire would provide you with one, allowing you to know the exact position of our airborne civilian fleet. We¡¯re also willing to provide you with tactical information, assuming you¡¯re willing to send me home with a parting gift.¡±


    Theo nodded to Gael. He would dump all the raw materials in town on those ships for some more information.


    ¡°We agree,¡± Gael said. ¡°The Alliance will provide you with a thousand of each resource before you depart. Stones are in block form, approximately 10 units. Metals are in bar form, approximately 3 units. And lumber is in square board form, approximately 50 units.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Elmon said, clapping a hand over Gael¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Our spies have been watching your progress, archduke. The method used to fly the city is an art performed by Dark Core Smiths. They are an abomination. Our spies in Qavell have reported something interesting. They are unaware that you have developed anti-magical shots.¡±


    ¡°Will our current strategy work?¡± Gael asked.


    ¡°Only if you aim at the right place,¡± Elmon said, withdrawing a sheet of parchment from nowhere. On it was drawn the image of a city and an inverted mountain below it. Red circles were drawn here and there, detailing the places to fire Theo¡¯s anti-magic shots. ¡°A gift from the emperor. But¡­ There is a problem aboard that flying city. Something our spies cannot get a handle on.¡±


    Theo bit his tongue.


    ¡°What information do you have?¡± Gael asked.


    ¡°A being we¡¯re not familiar with is controlling the crowned prince. Ah, I suppose he¡¯s the king now that his father is dead. We lost contact with a spy when he got too close to the entity.¡± He withdrew another sheet of parchment from his inventory, handing it over. ¡°This is the full report. Redacted, of course.¡±


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    ¡°The alliance wishes to increase our donation to the empire,¡± Gael said, taking the sheet from Elmon. ¡°Generously.¡±


    Elmon bowed. He withdrew two items from his inventory. An ornate silver artifice, and a communication crystal. He handed them to Gael. ¡°Please handle the loading of materials, Gael. My people are tired from the journey.¡±


    Without another word, Elmon jumped back into the small boat. In a flash of magic, it soared across the water. Back to the fleet. Gael breathed out a steady breath, sweat visibly accumulating on his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m getting too old, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Was that good? Did we do well?¡±


    ¡°We made out like bandits,¡± Gael said, finally smiling a genuine smile. ¡°When the empire is generous to foreign nations, it means they want what they have. Kuzan doesn¡¯t colonize, so he relies on trade.¡±


    Theo had too many questions to ask. The entire thing was strange. He had viewed Tarantham as enemies for a while now. Especially since Fenian rescued House Wavecrest. But the elven protocols trumped feelings. Since the members of the house escaped the empire, they were protected by law. The alchemist rattled off questions and Gael answered them.


    Tarantham didn¡¯t send their airship fleet for jobs like this. While they could reach anywhere in the world in a matter of a week, they still maintained a sea-borne navy. The donation that they just made was a gesture of good faith. The tradition of giving away something for free was started a long time ago and was based on a system of tributes in the empire. If Gael offered nothing to the empire, they would have seen it as an insult. Finally, the spies.


    ¡°Of course they have spies,¡± Gael said, practically rolling his eyes. ¡°Just be happy they have spies in Qavell. Look at this.¡±


    The document was written in the Tarantham Script. Theo could pick up a few things, but Gael had to translate for him. It detailed a dark entity that had taken residence in Qavell. Whatever it was, it had made a pact with the king before he died. After Karasan¡¯s death, that pact passed down to Prince Hanan.


    ¡°Heavenly origin?¡± Theo asked, gawking at Gael. ¡°Certainly not.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have written it down if they didn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    That might have been good, though. Any god operating directly on the mortal plane was at a disadvantage. Theo could think of a few ways to kill it with no preparation. That brought a more concerning concept, though. Hanan wasn¡¯t agreeable to Qavell¡¯s direction. He seemed to want nothing to do with the Southlands Alliance and was eager to shake off the mantle his father had put upon him. So long as the information provided by the elves was good, there was a chance at peace with Qavell.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Gael said, gesturing to the approaching ship. ¡°I have a ship to load.¡±


    Theo nodded, watching as Gael dashed off to help organize the materials. The ship that sailed to the harbor was interesting. It was like the ships that Laedria Wavecrest, the shipwright, had constructed. The most notable difference was the way it sat in the water. The alchemist noticed how it rode atop the waves, most of the hull not sinking beneath. Aboard the ship were many elves, all adorned in glittering armor. It was hard not to gawk. After he had his fill, the alchemist went to get debriefed by Alise and Gwyn back at the town hall.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Tresk asked, sending her thoughts into Theo¡¯s mind.


    He gave her the executive summary of the events, which had her thoroughly bored. Apparently, the army was expecting an exchange of fire. But everything had gone the way Gael said it would.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Be grateful we¡¯re not dead. I¡¯m pretty sure the empire could flatten us if they wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Bah! You¡¯re right, but I can still complain!¡±


    Theo entered the town hall and all heads turned to him. Administrators and citizens alike all stood as though expecting some good news. The alchemist gave them the thumbs up, then headed upstairs to the reserved meeting room. Alise stood at the back of the room, biting her nails. Her head swiveled to him as he entered. Gwyn was lounging in a chair, feet kicked up on the table. She didn¡¯t seem to care what was going on, which he approved of.


    ¡°Tell me it went well,¡± Alise begged. ¡°Gael hasn¡¯t updated his report, yet.¡±


    ¡°It went swimmingly.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gwyn asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Thought we¡¯d be dead by now.¡±


    Theo gave a report of what had happened, including the information they had gained. He could live without the trade deal, but the imperial spies were top-notch. There was actionable information in those reports. The alliance was no longer waiting around for whatever drifted over the mountains. They knew what it was, and how to bring it down.


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy about this ¡®dark entity,¡¯¡± Alise said, pacing nervously. ¡°It¡¯s another wolf in the ass!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that idiom,¡± Theo said with a nod. That was a good one.


    ¡°How many wolves do you have in your ass, Alise?¡± Gwyn asked, a sly smile playing across her face.


    ¡°At least three!¡±


    Once Alise had time to digest the information, she calmed down. The woman had a tendency to get worked up over things like this, but she eventually saw how valuable the exchange was. After that, she firmly joined ¡®team Tarantham¡¯ and began singing their praises. Theo wasn¡¯t so sure about the empire and what they wanted, but they had made good on their promises so far. Well, it was the promises of Gael that had proven to be true.


    In time, Aarok and Luras entered the makeshift war room to give their thoughts. The fleet from Tarantham was still loading materials onto their ships. Porters from Broken Tusk were loading their inventories up and carrying it to the dimensional storage on the ships. Once they were loaded up, they left without another word. Gael came into the meeting room, finding an empty chair and collapsing into it.


    ¡°I need a vacation,¡± he said, placing the airship detection artifice on the table.


    ¡°You did great,¡± Alise said, clapping. ¡°Without you, we would have started a war with the empire.¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Take a week off if you need it, Gael. You deserve it.¡±


    ¡°I just need to take a breath,¡± the haggard elf said, dabbing his brow with a blue length of cloth. ¡°I knew Elmonteir back in the day. Could almost have called him a friend. They sent him because they knew I was handling the negotiations.¡±


    ¡°Were your houses close?¡± Theo asked.


    Gael shrugged. ¡°Not that close.¡±


    Theo sat, listening to Gael tell old stories about him and an old friend. Something lingered in his mind that he couldn¡¯t force out. Not just the approaching city, or the dark being aboard. It wasn¡¯t anything that Elmon said, it was something he didn¡¯t say. There was no mention of the rogue elf, Fenian Southblade. They would have known him from his original name, not the adopted surname of Feintleaf. The delegation didn¡¯t provide information on the missing elf, nor did they ask about him. Which meant they knew everything they wanted to know about the man.


    While the others chatted, the alchemist withdrew his communication crystal and squeezed it. He felt the familiar sensation of haptic buzzing in his mind as the magical items connected. A few moments later, Fenian¡¯s voice filled his mind.


    ¡°You have the worst timing, don¡¯t you?¡± Fenian¡¯s voice was hushed.


    ¡°Just checking in. We had a delegation from Tarantham visit town.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s good information. Which company?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Some guy named Elmonteir Northwind.¡±


    ¡°So, the Northwind Company. Perfect! How many ships?¡±


    ¡°Ten.¡±


    ¡°Excellent intelligence, my dear alchemist. Here¡¯s a progress report¡­ I¡¯m making my way to the coast. Assumed a new identity and scrounged up some coin. I¡¯ll be on the sea in a few days, heading home.¡±


    Theo paused for a long moment, smiling to himself. Fenian had never called Broken Tusk ¡®home¡¯ before. ¡°Maybe you could hijack a civilian airship.¡±


    ¡°Too dangerous. They¡¯ll hunt me down if I do that. They¡¯re less likely to miss a single-masted boat, though. Ah! Damn! Gotta go.¡±


    Fenian cut the connection off. The brief conversation left Theo feeling happier than before. There was a lot of bad that came with that elf, but the alchemist needed to believe in the cause. Perhaps that was just a lie he told himself to gloss over what could be war crimes. But Balkor¡¯s undead were coming no matter what. And without the Demon God of Necromancy in his realm, those creatures would still bang against the Southland Alliance¡¯s door.


    ¡°Theo?¡± Aarok asked.


    Theo blinked, returning the communication crystal to his inventory. All eyes in the room were locked on him. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about throwing a party,¡± Alise said, shaking her head. ¡°Are you paying attention?¡±


    ¡°I am now that you said ¡®party.¡¯¡±

 5.36 - The Holy Modifier

    A group of elves had produced a series of drums, varying in size. They beat a steady rhythm near a blazing bonfire, joined all around by the citizens of the alliance. Theo watched the festivities as they spread from the town¡¯s square. It took little for Broken Tuskers to celebrate and he was happy to see the elven refugees joining in. The normally stuffy, protocol-driven peoples from Tarantham were coming out of their shell. While it had taken time, the first wave of those migrants had integrated fully.


    Gael¡¯s name was on everyone¡¯s lips. Perhaps it was just the elf following a series of rules, but the result of the negotiations had sent his name to a place of honor. Theo felt the sterile thoughts creeping into his mind, driven by his increased Intelligence. A spark of warmth battered the icy ideas away, drawn out of his chest by the Tara¡¯hek bond. He pushed away everything else, desperate to focus on the celebration at hand.


    ¡°Come dance with me,¡± Tresk said, emerging from the shadows.


    Theo held a hand up, shaking his head. ¡°Not again.¡±


    ¡°You. Woman in the shadows,¡± Tresk said, jabbing her finger at nothing. ¡°Dance with me.¡±


    Sarisa emerged from her own gloomy shadow, a smile playing across her face. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    No one had taught Broken Tuskers how to dance. Theo winced as he watched whatever it was that Tresk and Sarisa were performing. He sipped his cup of Rivers mead, allowing the warmth to spread from his belly. The edges of his nerves dulled as Salire took a seat next to him. While she didn¡¯t say a word for quite a while, her presence was comforting. Of all the things he had helped build in the town, her rise as a Drogramath Alchemist had been impressive.


    ¡°That Hallow Ground modifier finished fermenting,¡± she said after a stretching silence.


    ¡°I almost forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°It might make a new weapon for the undead.¡±


    Theo nodded in response, taking another sip of his mead. He never really loved the mead. This batch wasn¡¯t as good as the last one he had tried. Something like sour honey mixed with watered beer. He suspected that¡¯s exactly what it is. After another long silence, another came to sit on the log the alchemist was resting on.


    ¡°What a day,¡± Alran said, groaning into a seated position on the log. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone still had spies in Qavell. Leave it to the elves, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that,¡± Theo said, toasting his spymaster. ¡°Do you think the empire is being honest? With their promises, that is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They write their contracts in blood. So long as we follow it to the letter, we¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be partying, Theo?¡± Salire asked, blowing out a frustrated breath. ¡°It''s all work with you.¡±


    ¡°You brought up the essence modifier,¡± Theo said, wagging a disapproving finger at her.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but alchemy is fun. Politics are boring.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong. Theo liked to shuffle the boring parts of managing the alliance to his administrators, leaving him free to do as he pleased. His mind and desire drifted away from the celebrations, landing squarely on his lab and the experiments within. The alchemist rose, nodding to his budding student as they departed from the party.


    ¡°There¡¯s a problem with modifiers,¡± Theo said, leading the way south toward the lab. ¡°You can use a first-tier modifier with a second-tier potion, but you run the risk of blowing yourself up.¡±


    ¡°As with everything in alchemy,¡± Salire nodded.


    Theo let silence fall between them as he thought and walked. The third floor of the lab was cast in bright sunshine, driven by the mid-afternoon sun outside. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of stale ingredients and failed experiments. That acrid scent smelled more like home than anything he could imagine. Salire had understood the assignment and ran off to assemble a selection of first-tier potions to start their experiments. He waited expectantly for her to return, and she withdrew a notebook with the intent on writing his waxing ideas.


    ¡°Creating second-tier modifiers is more about mana control than anything.¡± Theo gestured to the fermentation barrels. ¡°The purity of the fermentation determines how well it runs through the stills. We can¡¯t rely on high-quality ingredients to make up for our lack of skill.¡±


    Salire wrote that down.


    ¡°To make a first-tier modifier, we just run the fermented liquid through the stills. How do we make second- and third-tier modifiers?¡±


    ¡°Same process as regular essences?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever made second-tier modifiers, and I¡¯m worried about how it will bind to the enchanted dilution.¡±


    Salire nodded, scribbling her notes. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re worried about the purity of the modifier essence. It might not bind.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Theo transferred the contents of the fermentation barrel to a still, adding a catalyst and setting the heat. The unrefined, fermented modifier juice seemed temperamental. As a property, Hallow Ground seemed unwilling to become a modifier. But between the level of the building, the alchemist¡¯s growing willpower, and the quality of the equipment within the lab it couldn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure out how to define ¡®will,¡¯¡± Theo said, double-checking the latch atop the still. He had decided on what willpower was in this world, but it was important to test his student. As much of a mockery of the system that was. ¡°What do you think it is?¡±


    Salire looked up from her notes, a flash of fear spreading across her face. That expression devolved into confusion and she clicked her tongue. ¡°Tenacity?¡±


    ¡°That was my first thought. ¡®Strength of will.¡¯ Then I observed something about alchemy. Specifically when starting the stills on a batch. How do we know which property the still will extract?¡±


    ¡°Intent.¡±


    ¡°My thought is that willpower is manifested intent.¡±


    Theo and Salire retreated to a corner in the room. She took a seat while he clicked the knob on the air conditioner, flooding the room with a wash of cold air.


    ¡°So why do you and Tresk have so much intent?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that one out yet. The obvious answer is that we hold a realm. Khahar did some crazy stuff because he held a pseudo-realm. Kept his mind in check, no matter how high he got. Teleported some guys to the moon.¡±


    ¡°Did he actually teleport them, though? Or did he¡­ jump to the moon?¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s above my paygrade.¡±


    Theo and Salire went back-and-forth on the topic of willpower, and the extent of Khahar¡¯s powers on the mortal realm. It didn¡¯t take long for the topic to shift to the report given to them by the Tarantham high commander. It should have been impossible for any god to act directly on the mortal plane. Yet Theo trusted what Elmonteir Northwind had told him. The still bubbled away as the pair discussed the topic, coming to a simple conclusion. Khahar had organized things in a way that allowed the alchemist to achieve a Mortal Dreamrealm. Then he cut everyone else off.


    ¡°But what if someone else was grandfathered into the scheme?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Could be,¡± Salire said, nodding with excitement. ¡°But you¡¯re confident you could beat a god?¡±


    Theo had to think hard about that one. He could likely banish a god, unless the god had some trick up their sleeve. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have our asses saved by Fenian again.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. His eyes lingered over the lab, dragging to the spot where the flask had filled to the top. The still was done running and they could begin their experimentation. But this was too interesting not to entertain.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Khahar ascended the Throne of the Arbiter. Fenian ascended the Throne of the Herald,¡± Theo withdrew a copper coin from his inventory, flicking it over to Salire. ¡°Two sides of the same coin. If Khahar is in charge of the heavens, what does that leave for Fenian?¡±


    ¡°The mortal realm,¡± Salire said, nodding as her face brightened with recognition. ¡°How many times is Fenian going to save our butts?¡±


    ¡°A few more until Tresk and I ascend,¡± Theo said, pushing himself to a standing position.


    ¡°What?¡± Salire asked, jumping up from her chair. ¡°You will not leave Broken Tusk, will you?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°I doubt it. Tresk said she had a foot on the steps to her throne. But I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m on the same continent.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t leave us. Alright?¡±


    Theo paused. No one in the alliance was ready for what he wanted to do. ¡°Never.¡±


    Salire smiled. Any hit of worry drained from her face as she bounded over to the full flask. Her expression shifted, then went slightly sour. Her pale orange half-ogre complexion went slightly paler. ¡°What¡­¡±


    Theo inspected the modifier.


    [Refined Holy]


    [Essence Modifier] [Refined Essence Modifier]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Alignment Effects:


    Resulting modifier will be more effective.


    High chance to add an additional modifier to the resulting potion.


    Potency of the modifier increased


    200 units (liquid)


    A refined modifier essence. Add to a complete potion to add the ¡°holy¡± modifier. Holy is the essence of life and divinity. It is the direct opposite of death.


    Taking a step back, Theo narrowed his eyes on the essence. He had learned about elemental properties, especially in concern to attributes. But he had seen nothing mentioning ¡®holy¡¯ or ¡®death¡¯ elements. After collecting herself, Salire withdrew her notebook again and scribbled away.


    ¡°This is interesting,¡± Theo said, leaning close to inspect the essence. It was a swirl of pale gold with flecks of intense silver within. Holy Ground had always manifested with a sheen of silver, and it was interesting to see the pure form of it represented with gold. ¡°Life and divinity¡­ Now what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Should we even touch it?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m something of a divine myself.¡±


    The flask felt warm from the brewing process, but that warmth spread up the alchemist¡¯s arm and into his chest. He was reminded of all the times he had stood before gods and the power they radiated.


    ¡°We gotta make potions with it. Right? I mean, come on!¡±


    Theo agreed and moved over to the table of potions Salire had prepared. He let his intuition take the lead, identifying a few potions he thought it would work with. Holy alignment meant the potion would bind well with anything that supported life. The alchemist wrapped his mind around the concept, trying to find a new way to make a weapon. But every path it took led him to see the supportive nature of the Refined Holy essence modifier.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hit the standard stuff first,¡± Theo said, pulling a Healing Potion forward. Salire prepared a vial to accommodate the extra unit of liquid, setting one of her ornate flat-bottomed vials nearby.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Salire shouted.


    Theo tipped the flask of Refined Holy into the empty vial, then added the correct amount of Healing Potion. The mixture reacted calmly, mixing together in a swirl of gold and pink. It pulsed with more golden light, filling the already bright room with holy radiance. It calmed down. Both Theo and Salire leaned in to inspect the resulting potion.


    [Healing Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 175 Health and applies Holy Resonance.


    Holy Resonance activates the next time the imbiber¡¯s health drops below 50%. When this condition triggers, the drinker will restore the same amount of health as when the potion was first drunk.


    ¡°Two potions. One bottle,¡± Salire said, nodding with approval. ¡°That¡¯s just good.¡±


    It was an excellent potion. Far better than Theo could have imagined from something so simple. There was absolutely no time-limit described by the system, so he assumed the effect would last forever. The system had a way of taking everything literally with their descriptions, so the alchemist had no reason to think that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°People in town are going to go nuts for this one,¡± Theo said, pushing the vial to the side. ¡°Which one next? Stamina or Mana?¡±


    Salire bit her lip, then nodded to the mana potion.


    ¡°Mana it is. Here we go.¡±


    Salire pushed an empty vial forward and Theo added one unit of Refined Holy. He then tipped the entire Mana Potion inside, tapping the glass vials against one another to get every last drop. The reaction was similar to the Health Potion, swirling peacefully until the gold and blue hand merged together. Bands of gold swirled through the final potion, moving as though stirred by some unknown hand. The pair leaned in for inspection.


    [Mana Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 180 Mana and applies Holy Resonance.


    Holy Resonance activates the next time the imbiber¡¯s mana drops below 50%. When this condition triggers, the drinker will restore the same amount of mana as when the potion was first drunk.


    ¡°That is awesome, but just the same thing,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the Stamina Potion would do the same thing.¡± Salire wrote the results in her notes, but seemed quite pleased with the modifier effect. ¡°Boring! Let¡¯s move on to something more interesting.¡±


    Salire slid a Hallow Ground Potion forward. This potion created a banishment circle around the drinker, which would destroy any undead that stepped inside. Taking a potion and modifier derived from the same property typically had great results. Theo pulled the potion toward him, mixing it with the modifier essence and watching the reaction. The silver of the potion mingled with the gold of the modifier, swirling together with more intensity than the other examples. Less violent than most reactions, the interaction between the two was still notable for its intensity.


    ¡°Lively one,¡± Salire said, getting closer to observe the reaction. When it calmed down, they both inspected the result.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Holy Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the circle, but will be afflicted with the Holy Judgment effect.


    If the imbiber of this potion is aligned with a deity, the souls of the dead will be sent to that realm to await judgment. The afflicted shell will be destroyed.


    ¡°Oh, damn,¡± Salire said, stepping away from the potion. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Theo had an idea on how to use this, but he wasn¡¯t sure about ripping the souls away from the undead and sending them to his realm. He wasn¡¯t eager to entertain people who had been trapped in their mortal shells for however long Balkor had bound them. It was a potion that required conversation with heavenly beings. Those that would answer his questions without being silenced by Khahar, that is.


    ¡°Next one,¡± Theo said, leaving the table and rummaging through his storage crates. The lab always had some Potions of Purification sitting around. Just in case someone from the town got sick.


    ¡°Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Salire asked, bouncing excitedly.


    Theo returned to the experimentation table, adding the potion to an empty vial. He poured the appropriate amount of modifier essence in and watched the reaction. It was as calm as the restoration potions, only swirling in the vial and producing minimal fumes in the air. Something about the scent and sight of the gold-white potion gave the alchemist hope. He and Salire leaned in, inspecting their newest creation.


    [Potion of Purification]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Imbibing this potion will remove most common ailments. Only one effect can be removed at a time. This potion is imbued with holy power, expanding which ailments can be cured to include poisons, physical damage-over-time effects, hexes, curses, etc.


    Effect:


    Removes most afflictions from the drinker. Can only remove one effect per potion drunk


    ¡°Hex,¡± Salire breathed, hands trembling as she reached out for the potion.


    Theo couldn¡¯t suppress the smile that spread across his face. It was obvious from when they started working with the Holy modifier. It enhanced all supportive potions, including curative ones. Their base Potion of Purification didn¡¯t cover the wide range of affliction types required to remove the hex. But the Holy modifier took care of that. He also noted the other interesting affliction types it cured, including curses. This would be helpful later, no doubt.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°That was the whole point,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the potion.


    ¡°Time to live a frog-free life,¡± Salire said, downing the potion in one gulp. She winced, then shrugged. ¡°Tastes like nothing. And¡­ Oh! I got a system message! Spit¡¯s Reverberation is gone!¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡±


    Salire pulled Theo into a tight hug. She had been plagued by the frogs for so long that he didn¡¯t blame her for reacting so strongly. With the strength of a half-ogre, she squeezed him. The pair remained there for some time before she pushed away, the corners of her eyes wet.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Salire said, removing the sprayer from her inventory and setting it to the side. ¡°Now I want to party.¡±

 5.37 - Old Gods, New Gods

    The cottage in Tero¡¯gal was stuffier than normal. A fire crackled in the fireplace as several gods sat around the table, sipping tea and trading war stories of times-gone-by. Theo watched as Drogramath, Uz¡¯Xulven, Glantheir, and Benton chatted about the way things were. The bear god was the one with the fewest stories to share, barely having been born in the previous age. But he brought a mortal¡¯s perspective to how things were before Balkor descended from the heavens.


    ¡°I remember seeing him,¡± Benton said, nodding nervously to himself. ¡°Even from the mountains, I saw him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure everyone saw that upstart pierce the clouds,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven snorted a laugh, gesturing wildly enough to spill some tea on the table. ¡°Then we pounced, casting him to the ground.¡±


    Theo took a lazy sip of his tea. ¡°Sure was effective.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven glared, but Glantheir chuckled. ¡°He has us there. I knew the Demon God of Necromancy had a plan,¡± the elven god said. ¡°Who could have known it was this long-winded?¡±


    The conversation went on for some time. Theo had spent his time at the part on the mortal plane, and required something calmer to soothe him before bed. The gods were always willing to travel to Tero¡¯gal for a nice cup of tea, and they all behaved well enough to make for good company. The alchemist enjoyed his time there, but a nagging knock slammed against the side of his consciousness. He dashed outside, looking up as though he expected to see Uharis breaking through his barriers once again. But there had been upgrades to the realm since then.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Belgar asked, rushing over to stand with Theo.


    Clearing away the clutter of his mind, Theo focused on his realm. The gods could knock on the door of his realm if they wanted entry. It was normally the polite tapping of knuckles on the door. Whoever was requesting entry was pounding with closed fists, demanding entry. But within the realm of Tero¡¯gal there were only two masters. The alchemist allowed his mind to calm, then granted whoever it was entrance.


    A loud snap issued throughout the town square. An archway of blood and bone rose, far taller than the other portals Theo had seen. A figure, at least twice the height of the alchemist, stepped through with drunken swagger. ¡°Whelp!¡± the figure shouted.


    Glantheir came out from the cottage, still holding a cup of tea. ¡°Oh, my. That¡¯s Spit.¡±


    Spit. The Ogre Patron of Curing Things Most of the Time sauntered over the verdant grasses of Tero¡¯gal. As an ogre, he was absolutely massive. The god was at least twice the size of any half-ogre he had seen, with broad shoulders, dusky brown skin, and a shaved head. His features were exaggerated with massive tusks sticking from his bottom lips, and little more than a loincloth wrapped around his waist.


    ¡°I would invite you for tea, but¡­ I think you¡¯re too big,¡± Theo said, waving awkwardly.


    Spit snorted, then spat on the ground. He approached Theo, looking down at the alchemist. He held a clenched fist before him. ¡°Let¡¯s fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Theo said, looking around at the other gods for direction. They all shrugged. The alchemist felt safe because higher realms couldn¡¯t declare war on lower ones. ¡°Is this about your hex?¡±


    ¡°Of course it was. The frogs were funny, but you dismissed them! Before the frog-folk even got there,¡± Spit grumbled, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Just like a demon to dismiss such fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The frogs were annoying. Ogre magic is annoying.¡±


    Spit¡¯s hand moved in a flash, closing around Theo¡¯s head and squeezing. The alchemist stood there, watching as the god strained with no effect. Uz¡¯Xulven had showed him that gods don¡¯t have power in another god¡¯s realm unless they had declared war. Even then, they couldn¡¯t approach the place through the normal means. There was an entirely unique path they had to take.


    ¡°Bah!¡± Spit shouted, glowering down at Theo.


    ¡°This has been entertaining,¡± Glantheir said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°But I grow bored of the angry ogre routine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, yawning dramatically. ¡°This is why no one takes you seriously, Spit.¡±


    ¡°Plenty of people take me seriously.¡±


    ¡°They really don¡¯t,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, walking over to place a comforting hand on Spit¡¯s lower arm. That was as high as she could reach. ¡°Outside of Slagrot, you¡¯re a joke.¡±


    Spit frowned. ¡°But the frogs were funny.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they were so funny,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, patting his arm consolingly. ¡°Let¡¯s bring the tea and the sweets outside. Have a picnic for the mighty Spit.¡±


    Spit nodded, the angry frown still hanging on his face. Theo watched as Uz¡¯Xulven, Glantheir, and Benton carried the tea and the food outside. They brought a table to keep it off the ground. Ever since creatures arrived in the realm, they brought with them insects. Those critters would have loved to latch onto the crystalized sugar pastries that Benton had brought. Spit took a seat on his butt near the table, folding his arms in his lap as he waited for someone to pour him tea.


    ¡°Much better. Try Benton¡¯s tea. You¡¯ll change your mind about Theo,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, pouring the ogre god a cup.


    Theo watched as the massive ogre picked the cup up by the handle, using far more grace than he should have possessed. With his pinky out, Spit sipped the tea. The frown on his face melted away, and he nodded. ¡°This is excellent tea.¡±


    ¡°Only the best,¡± Benton said, chuckling nervously.


    Spit drained his tea, smiled, then ate the cup. ¡°Another. Please.¡±


    Benton winced, his eyes going slightly wide. ¡°Of course.¡±


    That¡¯s how the daily tea party in Tero¡¯gal gained a new, angry patron. After airing his complaints, Spit calmed down a lot. He ate every teacup he was given, but Benton seemed to have an infinite supply. When the conversation had evened out, Theo excused himself to have a word with Belgar.


    ¡°Could we rebuild the cottage again?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the too-small structure. ¡°Make it big enough for ogres.¡±


    Belgar stared at him for a moment. His glowing purple eyes flared in recognition before he smiled back. ¡°Sure. Why not?¡±


    The things the souls had built were impressive. It didn¡¯t matter if they hadn¡¯t created tools to build things, or organized any specific group to do the work. They had so much time to do whatever they wanted that none of it mattered. The time in the heavens had evened out, resulting in twenty-four hours passing for every five minutes in the mortal realm. For each day that Theo experienced in mortal time, a year passed up here. The alchemist spent some time discussing this with Belgar before leaving. Instead of heading back, finishing dinner, and entering the Dreamwalk, he took a stroll along the trail he had created. Belgar joined him.


    ¡°You should do more things like this,¡± the eager dronon said. They passed by a group of souls, half-drifting over the dirt path.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have an entire world to build on top of before long.¡±


    Belgar scoffed. ¡°This place is already large enough.¡±


    That was the last thing they said before falling into a comfortable silence. After getting their fill of streams, valleys, and other interesting landmarks, Theo departed for the mortal plane. The Bridge of Shadows shivered as he passed over, sending forth its approval. He fell back into his chair, surrounded by his friends. Tresk was in the middle of telling a story.


    ¡°So anyway, I started stabbing,¡± she said, withdrawing a knife and stabbing at the air.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall you stabbing Alran,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Because she didn¡¯t.¡± Rowan shook his head in disapproval, but he was smiling.


    ¡°But I coulda. Oh hi, Theo.¡±


    ¡°How was your trip?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo took a moment, allowing his thoughts to gather. He had gotten into the habit of just leaving the gods in his realm. According to Belgar, they spent a lot of time there, often coming and going as the days passed in the heavens. Spit might have been a problem, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. For all the blustering an ogre could produce, it wasn¡¯t enough to damage the realm.


    ¡°Very fun,¡± Theo said, briefly explaining the walking path he had created. Unfortunately, the craze of foot-races had diminished. Birdwatching was the next big thing. ¡°Belgar has a new body.¡±


    ¡°Zarali was talking about that,¡± Tresk said, giggling. ¡°Says she doesn¡¯t recognize her own brother.¡±


    The conversation swayed between topics. Sarisa had made some great food, but Theo didn¡¯t feel up to visiting the bathhouse tonight. Despite the Coat of Rake, he wasn¡¯t enjoying the way this world¡¯s summer dragged on forever. Instead, he retreated to the Dreamwalk with Tresk, eager to feel the nothingness within. They slipped into the dream effortlessly. The marshling constructed the image of the rocky passes outside of Gronro-Dir.


    ¡°Perfect place to fight a dragon,¡± she said. ¡°Or that weird pale elf.¡±


    Theo nodded. It was the perfect environment for a dragon to toast a marshling. She didn¡¯t stand a chance against even the weakest dragon. If such a thing existed. The alchemist dedicated himself to grinding experience, something he had been shying away from lately. He turned away from his urge to discover new things, leaving that for tomorrow. Instead, he focused his efforts on producing third tier potions to extract as much experience points for his alchemy core. For his herbalist core, he simply grew crops, and constructed golems.


    Intuitive Nodes had been an interesting ability. Between batches of imagined potions and imagined crops, Theo considered that ability. The Dreamwalk pushed back when he used it, but the joined will of the Tara¡¯hek broke it without issue. The important thing he learned was that the ability had a doubling effect for his wards. A ward that lasted five days would last ten days with the ability. The alchemist assumed that meant the power of an effect would also double.


    By the end of the Dreamwalk, Theo had pushed his two main cores to Level 29, as well as his personal level to the same stage. His Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core hit Level 22, which was no surprise. Thanks to infinite mana, he could cast spells repeatedly. Before leaving the Dreamwalk, he considered where to place his free attribute point. Vigor was the way to go. The Tara¡¯hek did a lot to reduce the mind-altering effects of attributes, but he didn¡¯t want to push his Intelligence to 30 until he had a solid plan. A duplication of the soul-style potion was needed.


    ¡°Rise and shine!¡± Tresk shouted, dragging all members of the bond out of the Dreamwalk.


    Theo felt himself jolt in his bed. He didn¡¯t bother yelling at Tresk. She was already gone. And of course, she had already wolfed down her breakfast by the time he got downstairs. He took his time, reading through administrative reports as he had pozwa eggs with some wheat bread. It would have been nice if Alex stuck around for breakfast, but she was on city-watch duty. She had been ordered to watch for Qavell since they got their information. Both Twist and the high commander from Tarantham had helped to solidify their defensive strategy, and the goose was necessary.


    With Rowan still on vacation, Theo was joined by Sarisa in the shadows, and the rent-a-guard following close behind. There were no administrative things to worry about, so he headed straight for the Newt and Demon. Salire wasn¡¯t even in yet, giving him time to create a plan for the day. The new Holy modifier from the fermented Swamp Truffles already had interesting interactions with potions. The alchemist had a slew of random potions that produced dangerous effects, and his experience with the art told him the modifier was the perfect thing to calm them down.


    Theo was excited to try out the modifier, but Salire deserved to see the changes it made to their potions. Instead, he checked on his golem network and checked the stock within the lab. The golems were all doing fine. Even those with the new artifices were going strong. Within the lab, there was a large amount of first tier essences ready for brewing. Salire had been going hard, making sure she had enough things to provide for the patrons of the shop. Those essences wouldn¡¯t make the best potion, but they would do in a pinch.


    After checking the supplies, reorganizing the old glassware and reagents, dusting the shelves, sweeping the floor, and dumping Cleansing Scrub on every available surface, he got to work. Salire wasn¡¯t coming, and it wasn¡¯t his place to force her to work every single day of the week. The alchemist turned to the grump half-ogre guard standing in the room¡¯s corner, thinking for a moment before he spoke.


    ¡°Could you watch the store?¡± Theo asked.


    The half-ogre¡¯s face twisted into confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t get paid to run a shop.¡±


    ¡°You can keep all the money you make.¡±


    The guard¡¯s face lit up.


    ¡°All the items are organized,¡± Theo said, shooing the guard away. The guard left without another word, a smile lingering on his face.


    Sarisa stepped from the shadows, hand over her mouth as she chuckled. ¡°Do you hate him that much?¡±


    ¡°No. Someone has to watch the shop,¡± Theo said, organizing materials for his first experiment. ¡°And you¡¯re good enough to guard me.¡±


    Sarisa shrugged, finding a seat in the room¡¯s corner. ¡°You¡¯re the boss. I guess.¡±


    Theo nodded. He withdrew a potion from a storage crate and placed it on the counter. The Potion of Desperate Attack was on the line between safe and dangerous. It took half the drinker¡¯s health, returning one and a half times the amount taken as damage on their next attack. The alchemist prepared a vial to transfer the potion into, then withdrew a flask of Holy modifier. The potion had settled to a shade of crimson that shimmered with black striations. While he hadn¡¯t seen potions settle between colors as they rested, Theo didn¡¯t see this as odd. He poured it into the new vial, then added the golden Holy modifier.


    The Desperate Attack potion swirled, bubbled, and spewed fumes into the air. Within a moment, the built-in artifice extractor clicked on, sucking away the foul air. It smelled of dried blood and berries. After the reaction settled down, Theo leaned in to inspect the new potion. As expected, the Holy modifier changed the resulting potion drastically.


    [Potion of Desperate Attack]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    To be quaffed in dire circumstances. This potion exemplifies the Zureah¡¯s tendency to perform attacks that put their lives in danger.


    Effect:


    The next time the drinker attacks an enemy, they gain the Holy Desperation effect.


    When Holy Desperation is activated, attacks made by the drinker will consume 1% of their health. Once 25% of their health has been consumed using this method, they will release an attack equal to 2 times the amount of health taken. This attack triggers during their next attack.


    That took the edge off of the potion. Instead of taking fifty percent of a drinker¡¯s health at once, it took twenty-five percent total. The fact that it only took one percent at a time was a boon compared to the old version. Theo couldn¡¯t decide if this was a good potion, but at least it wasn¡¯t a bad one. He moved to his next potion, the Potion of Berserk. This one was almost all bad. It took ninety-eight percent of the drinker¡¯s health, dealing that back as damage on their next attack. The worst part was the Berserker¡¯s Rage effect, which turned them into a killing machine. The drinker can¡¯t be killed for twenty seconds, but they also can¡¯t recognize who their friends or foes are.


    ¡°Yikes,¡± Theo said, withdrawing the dangerous potion from his inventory. He was convinced that this would end poorly, but it was worth a shot.


    The alchemist placed an empty vial, pouring in the orange-colored potion before introducing the Holy modifier. It reacted violently, bubbling, fuming, and spitting as though trying to escape from the vial. Theo took a few steps back and waited for the reaction to finish. When it was finally completed, he moved in to inspect the resulting potion.


    [Potion of Berserk]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    To be quaffed in circumstances without hope. This represents the Zureah¡¯s tendency of fighting to the death.


    Effect:


    The next time the drinker attacks an enemy, they gain the Holy Berserk effect.


    When Holy Berserk is active, the drinker connects with the power of the closest-aligned realm. 50% of the drinker¡¯s health is consumed.


    Depending on the realm¡¯s strength, an amount of damage is added to the next attack, multiplied by 2.


    If the drinker¡¯s connection with their realm is stronger than the being they attack, they will enter a state of Holy Berserker¡¯s Rage.


    The owner of the realm will temporarily assume the drinker as a vessel, controlling them like a puppet. The drinker will gain temporary health based on the realm owner¡¯s strength.


    Each attack they perform will contain the power of the original Holy Berserk effect. When this effect expires, the drinker will restore 25% of the original 50% removed health, plus 1% of all damage dealt.


    Theo let out a steady breath. That was a hard potion to understand, given his position as a realm-holder. At least it didn¡¯t take almost all of the drinker¡¯s health, meaning it wasn¡¯t deadly for the imbiber. The numbers were hazy, though. There was no way to know if the amount of damage dealt was worth losing all that health, but it was better. He concluded that this wasn¡¯t a potion for anyone without a realm. Unless it was a friendly god, this was just a way to allow the gods into the mortal realm.


    ¡°Seems like this breaks some of Khahar¡¯s rules,¡± Theo said, listening to the bell ringing downstairs. After a moment, the sound of footsteps ascending the many stairs came from below.


    Salire, with her shoulders slumped, entered the room. She had bags under her eyes, and her complexion was pale. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have Sanchrin?¡± she groaned.


    ¡°Hangover?¡± Theo asked, beckoning for her to come over. ¡°You should have taken it easy.¡±


    ¡°And who is running my shop?¡± Salire asked, shuffling over to take a seat. ¡°Are you doing alchemy without me?¡±


    Theo smiled at his assistant. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ll do some more.¡±

 5.38 - The Future

    Mid-morning sun filtered through the foggy glass of the Newt and Demon. Salire sat with her head propped, eyes wide as she blinked away her hangover. The potions Theo had crafted were resting on the table, awaiting inspection. But the half-ogre alchemist seemed to have trouble focusing her eyes, thanks to the pounding headache and her sour stomach. A cure for hangovers wasn¡¯t a weapon he was ready to unleash on Broken Tusk. The resulting parties would shake the foundations of the planet, likely causing an orbital shift that would destroy the planet.


    Theo chuckled to himself, startling Salire. ¡°What?¡± she asked groggily.


    ¡°Nothing. You¡¯re just normally taking notes.¡±


    Salire groaned, rising to her feet like a marionette being pulled by its strings. She shambled to a storage crate, withdrawing a flask of Freeze Essence. Without hesitation, the half-ogre splashed it in her face and screamed. A thick sheet of ice formed on her face, encasing both it and her shouts of protest. One deft smack and the ice shattered. At least she looked awake.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m good,¡± Salire said, eyes wider than they were before. She placed her notes on the table, slapping her cheeks before finding her pen. Theo gave her a few minutes to inspect the potions, awaiting her stunned response. ¡°These are¡­ weird. They¡¯re not as deadly as the base potions.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The Holy modifier took the edge off.¡±


    ¡°What other horrible potions do we have?¡±


    ¡°Those were the worst. Aside from the one I had planned to send to Fenian. Not sure how this would affect a lich-creating potion.¡±


    ¡°Why not try?¡±


    Theo had to think about that one before diving head-first. Perhaps it was his increased Intelligence attribute, but a pinch of caution went a long way with potion-making. He waited for Wisdom of the Soul to pop up, which it did. The message wasn¡¯t helpful, only claiming that it was impossible to know how the potion would interact. The alchemist considered the alignments of potions, and came to a solid conclusion.


    ¡°Death is the opposite of Holy,¡± Theo said. ¡°My guess is that we would have an explosion.¡±


    ¡°Best to avoid explosions,¡± Salire said, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll dig through our reserve stock for anything interesting.¡±


    Before long, Salire had organized a gaggle of different potions. Her most interesting pick was the poison potions. But the one Theo wanted to see the most was the Limited Foresight Potion. That potion was already powerful enough on its own, so he selected it as his first test. He transferred the potion to a larger vial, then introduced the Holy modifier. The liquids mixed instantly, producing almost no reaction. When a potion modification behaved like that, it normally meant they were closely aligned. Both Theo and Salire leaned in to inspect the resulting potion.


    [Potion of Limited Foresight]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    The imbiber of this potion may view a random future event from the location they drank the potion.


    The drinker may only experience the effects of this potion once every month. If another person imbibes this potion in the same location as the original drinker, they will experience the same event.


    Theo stared at the potion for a long time. Salire remained silent as his mind wrapped itself around the potion. The potion didn¡¯t describe how far in the future the drinker would see. And it claimed to be random, with no stated weight on the importance of the viewed event. The alchemist scratched his head, unable to decide if it was a good thing.


    ¡°Drink it,¡± Salire said, tapping her fingers on the table.


    Theo turned to his assistant, brows knitted. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both thinking about it. Just drink it.¡±


    Theo wrapped his fingers around the vial, then gave his companion a confused look. Where had the caution from earlier gone? He wouldn¡¯t have quaffed the potion if he wasn¡¯t so disappointed with the result. He tipped his head back, drinking it in one go. Salire watched with excitement in her eyes.


    The alchemist¡¯s vision faded.


    Salire shouted something, but Theo couldn¡¯t make it out. He felt as though his sight had been plucked from his eyes, then transported to a place high in the sky. Without a body, he simply observed an alien landscape. A crater, slowly filling with water from an adjacent sea, scarred the land. The alchemist observed as a wash of flames scoured everything from the land. Trees were incinerated in a heartbeat. Stone was made molten. The vision panned to the side, revealing more of the complete destruction.


    In an instant, the vision ended. Theo felt himself falling back like a sack of bricks. He caught himself, and his heart pounded. Without a body, he was unable to experience any emotion. Now that his sight had been placed back, a feeling of dread crept over him. The crater was Broken Tusk. The entire alliance was destroyed¡ªmaybe the planet. Whatever fear he felt in his heart didn¡¯t translate to his face. Another gift from the ever-increasing Intelligence attribute.


    ¡°Well? What did you see?¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°Nothing interesting. Broken Tusk. Maybe a week from now,¡± he lied.


    ¡°Bummer. Let¡¯s make another! I wanna see.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± Theo said, a fake smile spreading across his face. ¡°Let¡¯s find a potion to modify that isn¡¯t disappointing.¡±


    Salire sighed, then gazed at the collection of potions she had assembled.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°What did you see? Was that Broken Tusk?¡±


    ¡°In the future,¡± Theo said, biting the inside of his cheek.


    ¡°Well, damn! How far in the future?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Tresk went silent. Salire had made her selection, but Theo could feel the Tara¡¯hek chewing on the information. He wanted to keep it a secret, but was that the right thing to do? Was the future set in stone? The alchemist shook his head, picking up the potion that his assistant had selected.


    ¡°Potion of Sludge. This is the potion that turns yours sweat into ooze,¡± Theo said, giving her a flat look.


    ¡°Yeah. It sucks, so the effects might be good. Right?¡±


    Theo shrugged. As long as it didn¡¯t come with visions of the future, he would try anything. The potion looked like a nightmare to drink, and the alchemist regretted ever brewing it. He tilted the vial to the side, watching as the contents oozed. It was far too thick to drink. Placing it over the vial, they waited for the contents to transfer. It took several minutes.


    ¡°I¡¯m calling a meeting with Aarok,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I watched what you saw, Theo. That ain¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°That could be a million years in the future. We don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be cautious,¡± Alex said, interjecting.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Theo grumbled, watching as the last of the potion oozed into the vial. He cleared his throat, withdrawing a single unit of the Holy modifier. The potion and the modifier mixed together better than he expected. The black ooze lightened, then lost almost all its viscosity. While the scent it produced was something between wet socks and flowers, the resulting potion didn¡¯t look that bad. Both Theo and Salire leaned in to inspect the result.


    [Potion of Sludge]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    The drinker sweats Holy Water.


    Effect:


    For one hour, the drinker¡¯s sweat is replaced with Holy Water. Undead creatures will gain the Banishment effect if they come into contact with this water.


    ¡°That just made a weird potion weirder,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Sweating Holy Water?¡± Theo asked, tapping his foot. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. Just disappointed.¡±


    Theo had trouble thinking of a use for that one. Maybe if the undead were repelled by the scent of the Holy Water, this would work. It might have had a niche use, but he couldn¡¯t think about it. Instead, they moved on. Salire had selected a lot of potions, and one of them was bound to be useful.


    ¡°Here we have the Hallow Frost Potion,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the blue-silver mix on the table. ¡°Made from our very own Azrug¡¯s Truffle!¡±


    ¡°I still hate that name,¡± Theo said, transferring the potion to a new vial.


    The base potion was decent enough. It was just a mix of a freeze bomb and a regular Hallow Ground potion. The alchemist introduced the golden modifier, watching as the potion reacted. He was satisfied with how well the potions got along, watching as the blues and silvers of the potion mixed with the gold of the modifier. They laced together, creating strands of color throughout the resulting potion. Both he and Salire leaned in, inspecting the new creation.


    [Hallow Frost Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor 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 [Holy Frost] effect.


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


    Friendly targets affected by [Holy Frost] will heal an amount of damage based on the amount of undead banished during the duration of this potion.


    ¡°See?¡± Salire asked, jumping excitedly. ¡°A good one!¡±


    It was a good one. Especially if a person were fighting the undead up-close. Theo read the description several times, noting the one weakness of the potion. If the Holy Frost effect faded quickly, a person would need to stay within that circle. Otherwise, they could drop the potion, move on and keep healing. With a little testing, he could determine if it was good or not.


    The bell rang downstairs. Salire instinctively stood up, but waited when she heard the footsteps ascending the stairs. Theo knew what was coming, and wasn¡¯t surprised when the hulking form of Luras stepped through the door. ¡°Emergency meeting,¡± he grunted, jerking his head back toward the door.


    ¡°Dammit, Tresk,¡± Theo said, sighing. ¡°We¡¯re not done, Salire. Sarisa, please stay here.¡±


    Sarisa looked around awkwardly. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Theo left with Luras. As they moved through the town, he was reminded of when he first arrived in Broken Tusk. Luras had been the person to show him the ropes, explaining the system and how the town operated. That wasn¡¯t very long ago, but somehow it felt like a lifetime. The alchemist felt a wave of relief spread over him when they passed by the town hall, heading for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild instead. Outside of a meeting room were a half-ogre and elven adventurer, standing guard. They moved to the side, allowing the pair entry.


    Inside the meeting room were Tresk, Alex, and Aarok. Luras found a corner to stand in, and Theo took his seat at the head of the table. ¡°You could have waited until I was done working,¡± the alchemist said, nodding at Tresk.


    Tresk simply shrugged.


    ¡°We¡¯re keeping this a secret,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Are there any details Tresk missed?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Theo said. ¡°She¡¯s gotten good at probing my memories.¡±


    ¡°Retell what you saw anyway,¡± Aarok said.


    Theo relied on his memory to tell the tale, sparing no details. Both Aarok and Luras nodded along as he spoke, taking in every detail. The alchemist watched the memory again in his mind, extracting even the smallest detail. When the story was completed, both men nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s way bigger than we are now,¡± Aarok said. ¡°At least three-times our size if your description is accurate.¡±


    ¡°Pretty far in the future,¡± Luras put in.


    Theo only wished that he had never drank the potion. Now he was worried about what would happen to the town. But Aarok was right. As he thought about the memory, he realized just how far in the future that must have been. The crater was absolutely massive, stretching far to the north. It even bit into the mountains on either side of the river¡¯s path. Whatever event caused the destruction of the area was far away. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s any force around that could cause that amount of destruction,¡± Aarok said. ¡°You said that Khahar had the gods bound up. There¡¯s no way they would intrude. So this is some apocalyptic event we can¡¯t prevent.¡±


    ¡°No need to worry,¡± Luras said, nodding in agreement.


    ¡°I wanted to make sure we met with the big boys about this, Theo,¡± Tresk said. ¡°When I watched the memory, there were some things that bothered me. Just stuff that isn¡¯t where it should be. My first concern was that it was Qavell coming to squash us.¡±


    Aarok waved a dismissive hand. ¡°Even they don¡¯t have that kind of firepower.¡±


    It was hard to tell if they were trying to comfort him, or if it was the truth. Theo took a few long moments to think about it, and decided that his companions were completely right. It wasn¡¯t a near-future Broken Tusk he was looking at in that vision, but one far enough in the future that he didn¡¯t care. Once again, he was reminded of the past. Back on Earth, they had known about the destruction of their planet. He was content with it back then, but now¡­


    Theo pushed his plan into the back of his mind, guarding it from Tresk. He understood why the crater was there. Why Broken Tusk wasn¡¯t burning in the flames.


    The alchemist smiled.


    ¡°Well, I should get back to my alchemy,¡± Theo said, rising from his chair.


    Aarok looked at Tresk, who nodded. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s happy.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let us know if you get more weird information, Theo,¡± Aarok said.


    The town was buzzing outside of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. People chatted about what new merchants would show up at the docks, and expressed hope for the future of the alliance. That was driven by the success Theo had pushing back the undead corruption to the north. He took a lazy path through town, passing by the monolith. It reminded him he should focus his financial efforts on getting more Monster Cores to level both the town and the buildings up. For now, his sights were set on the Newt and Demon and the experiments within.


    Sarisa was waiting outside of the lab, arms folded and a sharp look on her face. ¡°Anything I should be concerned about?¡± she asked as he entered the building.


    ¡°Nope. Actually, it was a false alarm. Spy stuff, you know.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Salire said as Theo entered the lab. ¡°I was going to clean up. Didn¡¯t expect you to be back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy your hangover is gone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s still here. I¡¯m just awake.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do a few more potions.¡±


    Salire insisted they try the Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion next. There was only one in stock, and they took forever to make. Theo looked at the potion before attempting to bind a modifier to it, trying to detect any objection to the Holy modifier. Nothing stuck out to him. The Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion was likely aligned with fire, meaning it should bind just fine. But the strength of the swirling red-black potion might be a problem. He shrugged, pouring the potion into a new vial and introducing the golden modifier essence. The liquids reacted violently. A gout of fire burst from the vial¡¯s spout, glittering gold mingling with the orange-red flames. The room was filled with the scent of sulfur and flowers. Theo and Salire took positions behind a table, watching the reaction from a safe distance.


    Fortunately, the lab didn¡¯t catch fire.


    ¡°Is it done?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo inspected the ceiling for damage. It was charred, but nothing the building couldn¡¯t repair on its own. ¡°Seems good. Let¡¯s check it out.¡±


    Both Salire and Theo edged closer, inspecting the potion when they finally crept near the work table.


    [Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Mythic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to produce Dragon¡¯s Fire.


    Effect:


    For five seconds after consuming this potion, the imbiber will produce Holy Dragon¡¯s Fire from their mouth. This fire can be directed in whatever direction the imbiber is facing.


    Friendly targets will gain the Holy Dragon¡¯s Reprieve effect, healing minor damage and reducing incoming damage for one hour.


    Enemy targets will gain the Holy Dragon¡¯s Purge effect, taking Holy Fire damage.


    The Holy modified Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion took care of some issues with the original one. This new version wouldn¡¯t kill allies, which was a boon. Theo¡¯s biggest concern with the base potion was that it would harm anyone near the dinker. Since a person couldn¡¯t cut the stream off, that would have deadly consequences. This version got rid of all that.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take this as a win!¡± Salire said, pumping her fist in the air.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said, stashing the potion into his inventory. ¡°I think we¡¯ve learned a lot from this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we really did.¡±


    Theo and Salire agreed that this was enough alchemy for the day. Instead of packing it up and doing something else, the alchemist helped set up a seven still run for Hallow Ground Essence. That would leave her with enough equipment to perform her own distillations, allowing her to work on her levels. Once everything was running, he excused himself from the lab and headed out into town.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Sarisa asked. ¡°Want me to stay behind again?¡±


    ¡°No. I wanted to take a trip to Gronro.¡±


    Sarisa¡¯s face went slightly green. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I need to check on my golems.¡±


    Sarisa¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Hey, boss. Is it too late to ask for some vacation days?¡±

 5.39 - Weaver and Butcher

    The harbor spread below Theo. He clicked his tongue, looking down at the empty areas where trader¡¯s ships should have been. The alchemist flicked a gold coin into the air, catching it before releasing a sigh. Upgrading buildings always brought a sense of accomplishment, but without traders to buy Monster Cores from that wouldn¡¯t happen. After lingering there for some time, he departed. Half-way back to the town¡¯s center he realized something.


    ¡°We have a trader.¡±


    From the town square, a road ran to the east. A while ago, the only thing along this road was Xam¡¯s bathhouse and Miana¡¯s ranch. But the industrious half-ogre Azrug had created two ventures of his own. His stables had been a flop after the creation of the railroad, but his other business was doing very well. After a short walk, Theo spotted Azrug¡¯s general store resting atop a slight hill. He had been operating out of a house for a while, but it was nice to see the young man finally getting his stuff together.


    Theo entered the general store, stopping just at the threshold. ¡°You¡¯re not Azrug.¡±


    A wiry elf sat behind the counter, looking around and shrugging. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys stock monster cores?¡±


    The elf snorted, then laughed. ¡°Yeah. Of course.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat, approaching the counter and getting an idea for the price of the cores. Azrug was charging slightly higher than what the alchemist considered a wholesale price. Most merchants docking at the port offered that slightly discounted price, making the cost easier to stomach. After throwing a bit of weight around, the archduke got less than wholesale, as he bought the entire stock of the store out.


    ¡°What a joy,¡± the elf said in his native Taranthian tongue.


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± Theo said, responding in his pidgin version of the language. He really needed to work on memorizing the language more.


    The cost of the Monster Cores wasn¡¯t so bad. Theo¡¯s funds were constantly bolstered by his various holdings around town. Before upgrading the town to the next phase, which should make it a city instead of a town, the alchemist wanted to bring most buildings up to level 30. Fortunately, that was a relatively short list.


    The smelters, sawmill, small farm, large farm, manor, town hall, herbalist¡¯s workshop, weaver, and butcher were all the standard buildings that he was in charge of below Level 30. Until he got an ability to take advantage of the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, he wouldn¡¯t worry about that one. The Weaver was top on his list, as it made an absurd amount of money. Not only was the Starbristle Flax useful for ship making, merchants bought it at a premium. That was because Tarantham wasn¡¯t exporting it anymore, and they had been the global source for the uniquely colored cloth for as long as anyone could remember.


    ¡°Weaver first,¡± Theo said, making his way over to the small building by Zarali¡¯s Enchanter¡¯s Workshop.


    Kaya ran the weaver. She was an older elven woman who kept to herself. Theo suspected she was still in shock after her house escaped from Tarantham. She spoke no Qavelli at all, and seemed eager to keep it that way. The alchemist entered her building and nodded his head. She was working on processing a new crop of flax and barely paid any attention to him.


    ¡°Please help,¡± Theo said in Taranthian. ¡°Upgrades.¡±


    She nodded, smiling up at him. The lines near her eyes deepened. Theo noticed a younger elf in the room, not even an adult. She worked the various equipment in the room with the older elf, averting her eyes from the alchemist.


    The building, named Fields of Blue by Kaya, had three upgrades. Efficient Spindles made her weaving more efficient. Tough Fibers made all cloth produced in the building stronger. Processing Room added another room to the building. When actions related to weaving were performed in that room, they consumed less stamina and were faster. It was the room they were currently standing in. Theo cleared his throat, selecting Monster Cores that were close in level to the building. As the building leveled, he expanded it in random directions. There was enough land in any direction. So long as he didn¡¯t expand it to the road.


    [Tero¡¯gal Empowerment]


    Threads woven in the Weaver will be empowered by the Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal. The resulting fabrics will be more durable with a slight resistance to magic.


    Theo struggled to translate what he read into understandable Taranthian. After several agonizing moments of snapping his fingers, the little girl spoke up. In her squeaky little voice, she offered to translate. The alchemist was surprised at first, but was happy enough for the help. When the description had been translated, Kaya gave him a flat look. She said something in her native tongue, but he caught none of it.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to be a slave to your realm,¡± the girl said.


    ¡°She could select the other upgrades.¡±


    The girl went back and forth with Kaya for a moment before turning back to the alchemist. ¡°She wants the empowerment upgrade.¡±


    Whatever worked for her. He selected Tero¡¯gal Empowerment and added more cores to the building. Digging through his Monster Cores gave him time to think about the influence his realm was having on the real world. The more it grew in strength, the more the realm¡¯s influence was seen in the mortal world. It was a boost to his ego he didn¡¯t need, but the alchemist would snatch at any strand of power he could grasp.


    ¡°Next one,¡± Theo said as the building hit Level 25. He read the description for the girl to translate.


    [Mana Loom]


    A Mana Loom appears in the Weaver. Cloth created with this loom may be imbued with the weaver¡¯s mana. The weaver may determine what aspects of the cloth to improve.


    ¡°She wants that one,¡± the girl said after only a moment. Theo didn¡¯t need the confirmation. Kaya was excited about that upgrade.


    The alchemist selected the upgrade and went back to work. While he had a good scattering of cores from the Level 20 to 25 range, his assortment of cores between 25 and 30 were sparse. With his plan to make each upgrade as efficient as possible, this fact annoyed Theo. He burned a few Level 30 cores but the result was the same. The Level 30 upgrade option appeared and he read it for Kaya¡¯s little friend to translate.


    [Metal Threads]


    Using a corresponding upgrade for the Smelter building, the Weaver can create delicate threads made from metal. These threads can be crafted into metal cloth.


    Theo paused, considering the upgrade as the girl translated. How did that work? The answer was almost certainly ¡®magic,¡¯ but he still had questions. After a while, Kaya shook her head and said something. The girl translated.


    ¡°Metal weaving is difficult,¡± the girl said, shrugging. ¡°Too difficult for grandmother.¡±


    Theo nodded, reading off the two other options that were presented when the building was originally planted. Kaya went with the Soothing Mist upgrade.


    [Soothing Mist]


    The building is filled with a constant cooling mist that imbues all processed fibers. The resulting cloth will be softer.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°That works for me,¡± Theo said, patting the girl on the head. ¡°Good work on the translation.¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t respond, instead turning to help her grandmother some more. Before heading out, Theo inspected the entire building to appreciate his work.


    [Weaver]


    [Fields of Blue]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Kaya Wavecrest


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (5%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Efficient Spindles]


    [Tough Fibers]


    [Processing Room]


    [Tero¡¯gal Empowerment]


    [Mana Loom]


    [Soothing Mist]


    Good enough for now. None of the upgrades seemed very impressive to him, but Kaya seemed satisfied with them. He left the Weaver and was unable to get the idea of metal threads out of his mind. The entire concept seemed so absurd that he now needed to see some. But if the weaver said she couldn¡¯t do it, he wouldn¡¯t press the issue. An area that the alchemist was woefully ignorant of was the needs of those who did combat. Would clothes woven from metal thread be useful for adventurers? Perhaps they were just a shiny status symbol. Instead of making his way directly to his next stop, Theo wandered for a while and thought.


    The Holy modifier had opened a new realm of potion making for him. Theo passed by Xam¡¯s tavern, deep enough in thought not to notice Sulvan come up alongside him.


    ¡°Busy day?¡± Sulvan asked.


    Theo looked over at the smiling face of Sulvan Flametouched. It was a sight he thought he would never see, but there it was. Thanks to their history, the expression came off more as creepy than endearing. ¡°Just upgrading buildings. Nothing taxing. How goes the healing?¡±


    ¡°Well enough,¡± Sulvan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m trying to not be frustrated with my progress. Or lack of progress.¡±


    ¡°I only recently learned that I was cheating from the start,¡± Theo said. ¡°Champion of Drogramath and all that.¡±


    ¡°The order suspected you were his champion. But champions usually sing their own praises from the highest towers.¡±


    Theo wanted to keep as far away from that topic as possible. His way of dealing with ditching an old life was to never talk about it, pretending it didn¡¯t exist in the first place. ¡°You¡¯re doing Glantheir proud.¡±


    ¡°He tells me as much. Whispers into my dreams, mostly.¡±


    ¡°I have to go out of my way to talk to Drogramath,¡± Theo chuckled.


    Sulvan walked in time with Theo, the smile still lingering on his face. ¡°He¡¯s like a loving father. Compared to the Eye¡­¡±


    ¡°If I could make cores, I¡¯d give you one,¡± Theo said with a wink.


    ¡°I have a feeling Glantheir can provide my atonement better than you.¡±


    ¡°Too true.¡±


    ¡°Where are you heading? Did we just walk in a circle?¡±


    ¡°Ah. The butcher. I have a lot of buildings to visit, but I like Whisper. She¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°Most bear-folk are.¡±


    From what Theo had seen, that was true. He could only hope that they were truly safe up in their mountain homes. Benton claimed that his people were fine, but it was hard to say. The undead themselves were falling as a threat, but the corruption they left behind was a constant reminder.


    Sulvan placed a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder after a few moments of silence. That same smile still lingered on his face. ¡°Have you actually forgiven me?¡±


    Theo paused on the road. ¡°I was assured that the price for going against Glantheir was steep. Only someone who wanted to change would take his core.¡±


    ¡°Cores,¡± Sulvan said with a nod. ¡°Just checking. Have fun with the butcher.¡±


    Sulvan departed without another word. He had a spring in his step as he went.


    Whisper¡¯s Butcher was located to the west of the town square near both the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and Sledge¡¯s Sawmill. The building was only Level 10 with the Keen Knives upgrade that increased the effectiveness of butchering, and Dry Room which added a new room to the building. Whisper didn¡¯t seem to care that her building was at a low level. When Theo entered the Butcher she simply nodded and continued to process a wolf. She was skillful with the knife to the point where the alchemist considered her combat potential. The alchemist shook his head, dislodging thoughts of a combat butcher from his mind.


    The butcher didn¡¯t stop working as Theo upgraded her building. While the interior should have smelled of blood and butchered wolves, none of the scent penetrated the extreme cold within. As a toora, Whisper kept the interior as cold as was physically possible with Throk¡¯s air conditioners. The building soon reached Level 15, prompting the alchemist to select a new upgrade. He reviewed the new offering, reading it off to the busy woman.


    [Bonus Items]


    Depending on the level of this Butcher, butchered creatures may contain additional loot.


    ¡°May I keep the items?¡± she asked.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°That one.¡±


    Theo continued his process after selecting the Bonus Items upgrade. The building grew in random directions, adding a healthy amount of space to the interior. Whisper didn¡¯t stop her butchering. She didn¡¯t even raise her head to see what he was doing. The building hit Level 20 before long, presenting them with another option. Theo read it aloud.


    [Purification]


    Creatures butchered in this building are less likely to carry parasites, diseases, etc. Also allows the butchering of naturally poisonous, or otherwise toxic creatures depending on the level of the butcher.


    Whisper had to think about that one for a minute. She even stopped her butchering, tapping her knife on the massive butcher¡¯s block as she thought. After a minute of contemplation, she shrugged.


    ¡°That one.¡±


    Theo obeyed, selecting the Purification upgrade. He hadn¡¯t heard of people suffering food-borne illnesses in town, so didn¡¯t see the value. But he wasn¡¯t the butcher. The alchemist thought about that as he shoved more cores into the building. Whisper got back to work. The Level 25 upgrade option appeared and he read it out for her.


    [Live Storage]


    A building appears behind the Butcher. A single living, non-sapient creature may be stored in this building forever. They will not experience time until they are removed.


    A grimace spread across Whisper¡¯s face. It was often hard to read the expression of a toora, but Theo could tell she was suddenly pissed off. He held his hands up defensively, ready to disarm whatever situation he had instigated. But after a few steady breaths, she waved her hand in the air and shook her head.


    ¡°Not that one.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty. I¡¯ll just read the other two options,¡± Theo said before reading the other options for her to pick from.


    Theo didn¡¯t need to wait long. He read Cold Storage out first, which simply added a way to store meats for a long time. That was useless in the face of dimensional storage. The next one was of some interest to her, though. Spoilage Prevention would allow her to get more meat from each creature she butchered. She selected that one, but seemed too distracted to get back to work. Whisper just glared into the middle-distance. The alchemist tried not to think about the connection between her and the Live Storage upgrade. Perhaps it was just a moral objection. He moved on, inserting more cores into the building to bring it to Level 30.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s just weird,¡± Theo said, reading out the next upgrade. ¡°Do you worship Benton?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t like minor gods.¡±


    Theo read the upgrade out for Whisper to consider.


    [Touch of Bohor]


    Through death comes life. Meat produced in this Butcher will be more sustaining and filling.


    Unless there was another Bohor, the upgrade was referring to Benton¡¯s realm. That brought questions about how all this worked. He remembered back to when Khahar told him about interdiction and the way people were connected. Perhaps meeting Benton and forming a friendly bond had enabled the building¡¯s seed core to pull from his realm. There was too much to consider there, and Whisper already had her answer.


    ¡°That one.¡±


    Theo selected the upgrade, then inspected the building.


    [Butcher]


    [Hoary Frost]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Whisper


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (15%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Keen Knives]


    [Drying Room]


    [Bonus Items]


    [Purification]


    [Spoilage Prevention]


    [Touch of Bohor]


    Theo chuckled. He had misheard the name of the building the first time. Whisper was satisfied with the upgrades, simply nodding as the alchemist left the building. He headed out onto the street, stretching and looking around. Sledge still wasn¡¯t working the Sawmill. There was very little activity outside of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Adding to the dullness of the day, there wasn¡¯t even much going on in the administrative screens. There were a few more reports about monster attacks underground, but that was it. Standard monster dogs spawning amongst the ore, quickly put down by Aarok¡¯s men.


    The calmness of the day brought a sense of foreboding to the alchemist¡¯s mind. He shivered when he thought of the city approaching his alliance. With all the spies feeding him information, he was confident in their defenses. Theo made his way away from the Butcher, shaking those intrusive thoughts away as he searched for the next thing to do.

 5.40 - Drogramath Dedication

    A mossy forest, filled with conifers, smooth boulders, and bubbling streams stretched as far as Theo could see. He touched the bark of one tree, finding it to be a fair recreation of Earth trees. Tresk had pushed herself as far as she could go to imagine the dream landscape, and the alchemist was impressed. While she refused to give up her secrets, there was clear progress in the dream''s quality. In the distance, she fought with a creature from the same origin as the forest. Trees crashed. The sound of boulders being split in half from a heavy sword grated against the alchemist¡¯s senses.


    Theo moved to a clearing far from the battle, creating his alchemy equipment and getting to work. His day on both the mortal plane and in Tero¡¯gal had been uneventful. The welcome reprieve gave him time to focus on something that now hung tantalizingly close to his grasp. Achieving Level 30 would bring with it a flood of new abilities. One each for alchemy and herbalism, and a free-pick skill. If he was right about the progression in this world, it also meant his other cores would unlock, allowing him to progress in those as well.


    After starting the stills and cultivating a decently large plot of land for growing reagents, Theo hesitated. He could spend his time in the Dreamwalk exploiting the features within to find more uses for the Holy modifier. But that had become something Salire enjoyed. Instead, he focused his efforts on finding the reason that the modifier had been so hard to ferment last season. He imagined a table, then a few cultivated Swamp Truffles for experimentation.


    Reagents had rarity, but that hardly seemed to impact Theo¡¯s ability to distill or ferment them. A Zee Kernel had just as much of a chance to produce a powerful potion as a Swamp Truffle. And the difference between those reagents was a rarity of common and epic. Reagents with a higher rarity produced potions and modifiers that were harder to come by. The rarity reflected how many of an item existed. Or something like that. The alchemist still didn¡¯t have a handle on how that worked.


    The alchemist applied his mana to a truffle, breaking it down into the powdered primal version of Hallow Ground. Smoke rushed upward from the process, dispersing in the air after a few moments. Somewhere between the primal essence on the table and the dissipating smoke was the answer. He performed the same demonstration on a Zee Kernel, finding the quality and scent of the produced smoke to be different enough for note.


    ¡°Something about impurities,¡± Theo muttered to himself, waving away what colored smoke lingered above his head.


    Breaking reagents down with the Reagent Deconstruction skill was an interesting example of what made a reagent a reagent. There was a physical component to every reagent. A physical thing a person could hold. Reagents could often be eaten, giving a person a minor version of the property¡¯s effects. More than that, the Reagent Deconstruction skill could extract whole elements from reagents. Theo was never much of a chemist, but he understood enough about trace minerals in plants to know those things were in there. Salt from seawater was the best example he had.


    On the magical side of things, all reagents held their three standard properties, and a hidden fourth property. And more, if some of the information Theo had was to be believed. Those two halves of the coin led him to think of the problem coming from the weight of the magical properties. He conducted his experiments that night, thinking on the topic and making only theories. His plan to make sure both his alchemy and herbalist cores hit 30 at the same time faded as he drew his conclusions near dawn.


    Theo stood near Tresk¡¯s pitched battle. She was fighting a massive, horned serpent he didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°I think the alchemy system is busted,¡± he shouted. The marshling performed a rolling spin over the creature¡¯s back, leaving behind a trail of poison and blood.


    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Tresk asked, shadow-teleporting away from the snake¡¯s strike. Somewhere above, Alex honked and shot a fireball.


    ¡°Yep. All the reagents are in tiers. Which means you have to be at a certain level to work with them properly.¡±


    Tresk was impaled by the snake¡¯s horn. She trashed, kicking at the thing¡¯s face and cursing. The marshling clicked her tongue and the creature vanished. ¡°We almost had it!¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nah. But your reagent theory tracks with what we¡¯ve seen with alchemy. Big smart boy.¡±


    ¡°I am a smart boy aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°If you say you¡¯re a smart boy, you¡¯re no longer a smart boy.¡±


    Theo nodded in agreement. He felt something twinge in his chest, then remembered his ongoing alchemy experiments back in the clearing. A bigger rush filled his chest, almost making the Dreamwalk feel like the real world. A system message appeared.


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (0.3%).


    [Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 30.


    Obtained free [Drogramath Alchemy] skill point for hitting level 30 with this core.


    ¡°Level up!¡± Tresk screamed, jumping into the air and pumping her fist. ¡°Guess you missed the train on your herbalist core.¡±


    ¡°I got distracted with alchemy tonight,¡± Theo said.


    Level 30 was unlike any level he had achieved so far. The free skill was great, but there was something else. He recalled feeling a similar sensation when his Tara¡¯hek Core got to Level 30, although it didn¡¯t happen with his Governance Core. Tresk was ready to end the Dreamwalk, which was with him. The alchemist needed time to look over his skill options, and doing so over breakfast was appealing to him. In a flash, the world melted around them until they once again appeared in bed.


    Tresk was off before Theo¡¯s eyes could fully open. The alchemist took his time heading downstairs, looking through the endless list of skills he could pick from. He tried not to look at them between level-ups, since most were unavailable for viewing until he hit that level. Otherwise, he was staring at a list of skills he couldn¡¯t pick.


    Sarisa had made her standard breakfast, which brought a great sense of comfort to Theo. Most seemed to enjoy a variety of food, but he had always preferred the same thing for breakfast. If he ate breakfast at all. His work on Earth made breakfast the easiest meal to skip, as his early hours always seemed to be crammed with things to do. Here in Broken Tusk, he had time to sit and relax. But that old habit remained and he poked at his food while scrolling through the list. Something had already caught his eye, but he wanted to give the other new entries a fair chance.


    ¡°Anything interesting going on today?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo looked away from his screen for a moment, finding the half-ogre assistant standing with her hands on her hips. ¡°Is Rowan still on vacation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A few more days,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Things have just been¡­ boring lately.¡±


    Theo paused, his brows knitting slightly. ¡°Boring is good. Right?¡±


    Sarisa offered a faint shrug. ¡°Not really.¡±


    She was a fiery half-ogre that reminded Theo more of an amped-up version of Aarok than anyone else. He returned his attention to the screen, scrolling on. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could head off to the dungeons if you needed to blow off some steam.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea.¡±


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    Theo narrowed his selection as he ate breakfast, finally making his pick. He inspected the ability one last time, realizing that it was the only pick. Even if he considered just the rarity rating, it was amazing.


    [Drogramath Dedication]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Unique


    The holder of both a Drogramath Alchemy Core and a Drogramath Herbalist Core dedicates themself to the potential of both cores.


    Effect:


    Removes the meta barrier between the core user¡¯s soul and both Drogramath Alchemy Core and the Drogramath Herbalist Core.


    Both cores may never again be removed.


    All other cores will be considered sub-cores, and may no longer add to your personal level.


    All other cores will be capped at the average level between your Drogramath Alchemy Core and Drogramath Herbalist Core.


    Unlocks the potential to evolve any core into a Drogramath variant.


    This wasn¡¯t just an ordinary skill. Drogramath Dedication changed the way the system worked, and there was a lot to take in. Theo sat in silence as he considered how far-reaching this skill was. He considered the meta barrier first. Removing the meta barrier meant that his cores would no longer influence his mind. That was the most simple way to explain it. It was a topic that the alchemist could talk about for hours, but removing the meta barrier on the cores meant that there was no longer a divide between himself and the cores. They would become a part of him, rather than metal cages floating in his soul. The effect would be a vast increase in his ability to perform alchemy, as though those cores were both no longer influencing him, and an integral part of him. He wanted that more than anything else in the long list of effects.


    Next was the removal of the cores. Theo had never removed a core, let alone his most powerful ones. Perhaps he would start, now that he was standing on the edge of Level 30 for his personal level. This effect would not be an issue for him.


    The next one was both interesting and haunting. His other cores would be considered sub-cores, which wouldn¡¯t add to his personal level. This paired with the next item on the list, capping his other cores at the average level of his two main cores. Both effects wouldn¡¯t be a problem, and would make the leveling system easier for him to deal with. The haunting aspect of these effects was that this was his idea on how to make the system better. Main and sub-cores were something that he had thought about in the past. And there it was, displayed in a unique skill. Convenient.


    If the last two effects were a downside, the last effect made up for that. Theo knew he could trust his interpretation of the text. The system was always clear with effects, and never tried to use double-speak. Except with potions. Those were always weird. But if any core could evolve into a Drogramath variant¡­ that would be powerful. As the champion of Drogramath, Theo¡¯s Drogramath cores were more powerful than his other cores. If he changed his Governance core to a Drogramath Governance Core, it would get stronger by default.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Theo said, drumming his fingers on the table.


    ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo snapped out of his contemplative mood, looking up to see the smiling, tusked face of his assistant. He had to laugh at himself for getting so absorbed in a new skill. ¡°Let me read you this description. Tell me what you think¡­¡±


    Sarisa nodded along, or made faces when Theo read the skill out to her. When he was done reading, she shook her head. ¡°Want my honest opinion?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°This skill means you¡¯re willing to go all-in with Drogramath. Is that something you want? Truly?¡± Sarisa asked. There was a hint of something in what she said.


    But there was a problem with her logic. Theo couldn¡¯t assume he could get as powerful as Drogramath before he acted on his plan. While he was in the mortal realm, he had to treat himself as a person needing the help of the gods. Everything he did here was reliant on Drogramath, or Glantheir, or Uz¡¯Xulven. And now he counted Drogramath as more than just a patron, but a friend. And he couldn¡¯t create his own cores, yet. Her unspoken suggestion was to wait and replace his Drogramath cores with Dreamrealm cores, then take a similar ability. When Sarisa flicked his forehead, he snapped out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Sorry. You¡¯re right,¡± Theo said. ¡°If I could make my own cores, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But is it wrong to draw on the power of the gods?¡±


    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t. I¡¯m bound to Baelthar, and would be happy to accept more of his power. Just thought you should pause before accepting that skill.¡±


    She was right, of course. A skill like this required deep thought. ¡°Thanks. I appreciate your advice.¡±


    Sarisa snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t get weird on me.¡±


    Theo set aside the skill for now, leaving his bonus skill unselected. He cleared his plate away, heading off from the manor and making his way to the Newt and Demon. The hired guard trundled along behind them, seeming more bored with the calm pace of the day than even Sarisa. Salire was waiting in the shop section of the building, brightening up when she saw the alchemist and his guards. She had been in a lovely mood since they cured the frog problem.


    ¡°More experiments?¡± she asked.


    ¡°And something more,¡± Theo said, gesturing for her to follow him up the stairs. ¡°Mind watching the shop, grumpy guard?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? I made a gold last time,¡± the hired guard said, rubbing his hands together.


    Theo headed upstairs, then explained the new skill to Salire. He wanted an alchemist¡¯s opinion on it. Sarisa watched on, her arms folded over her chest as she listened. The alchemist hoped she wasn¡¯t offended with him looking for a second opinion.


    ¡°This is hard,¡± Salire said, releasing a sigh. ¡°There are good things and bad things.¡±


    Sarisa smiled from the room¡¯s corner, nodding to herself. ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a day to think about it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Maybe consult with Drogramath himself. I don¡¯t know if the gods create these skills themselves, or if the system generates it for them.¡±


    ¡°What better way than going straight to the source?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do some alchemy,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯ll clear my head.¡±


    There was the standard lineup of work that they had to do. Theo needed to check in on the golems in Gronro, but hadn¡¯t had a chance. He could feel their faint responses coming from such a distance, but needed to see it for himself to form an opinion on their effectiveness. For now, it was more important to get more of the Hallow the Soil essence prepared for distribution.


    ¡°We¡¯re seeing a slight increase in the quality of the essence,¡± Theo said, holding a flask of the liquid up to the light. There was more clarity in the silvery sheen. ¡°Nothing that¡¯s going to tip the scales.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting better at the heating patterns,¡± Salire said, holding up a notebook. It was filled with the names of reagents and the proper heating times during a batch.


    The improvement was slight, and it didn¡¯t matter for their current application. But the point was that Salire was getting better at this. While she wasn¡¯t the primary brewer of these essences, she helped more than she should have been able to. And Theo was proud. They moved on to produce some of the potions at second tier, favoring speed over potency for this batch.


    ¡°I only have one Holy experiment to try today,¡± Theo said, moving away from the brewing Hallow the Soil potions to inspect his supplies. He found a second tier unmodified Poison.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Salire exclaimed. ¡°A holy poison¡­ How does that work?¡±


    Theo swirled the purple mixture, smiling at the vial. Salire was already preparing a vial to transfer it into, but the alchemist was reminded of the first time he made a poison for Tresk. His instincts told him this wouldn¡¯t make an amazing poison. But the elemental foundation of the Poison wasn¡¯t death. It might have been similar, but it wasn¡¯t death. The golden Holy modifier mixed with the purple Poison, resulting in a moderately violent reaction. But it settled down, resulting in an even mixture of swirling purple and gold. They both inspected the resulting potion.


    [Poison]


    [Holy]


    [Poison] [Modified Poison]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.


    Effect:


    Cripples an enemy, reducing their Wisdom by 5.


    Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 10 stacks. Each stack of the poison adds increasing Holy damage based on the strength of the wielder¡¯s patron¡¯s realm.


    Allies afflicted with this poison will instead be purged of common poisons.


    ¡°As expected,¡± Theo said to himself, reading over the description a few times.


    ¡°Not great.¡±


    This was another Holy potion that got more powerful based on a god¡¯s realm. Instead of trying to figure it out himself, Theo placed the Poison in the Tara¡¯hek inventory.


    ¡°I have a poison for you to try,¡± he said, speaking directly into Tresk¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Ooo! Holy!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll let Tresk try it,¡± Theo said, patting Salire on the shoulder. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get more Hallow Ground essence brewing. After that, I¡¯m taking a trip to Gronro.¡±

 5.41 - Reagent Splicing

    Theo stood outside of the northern gates of Gronro-Dir. He let out a low whistle, and couldn¡¯t spot the lodestone anywhere nearby. Duke Grotgrog Stormfist cackled somewhere nearby, drinking in the alchemist¡¯s stunned expression. Miles from the northern gate, snaking along the mountain passes, the land was healed. What few mountain grasses inhabited the area had returned. Non-monsterized critters scurried around the rocky paths. Even the air felt cleaner.


    ¡°Is it better than you expected?¡± Grot asked, slapping Theo on the back. The alchemist¡¯s tail swished instinctively.


    ¡°Far better,¡± Theo said, pressing on up the road. Sarisa followed closely behind, her weapon at the ready.


    The necromantic corruption had lost some of the steam it started with. It hadn¡¯t been that long since the undead were here, but their influence was waning by the moment. Theo knew it was because the forces of undeath were being led west, toward Veosta. Perhaps they had already reached that city. It was hard to know if the elves planned to come to aid their lost kin, but at least it wasn¡¯t here. As the group walked, Theo got a few ideas to make this process better. For now, he wanted to take in the sights.


    ¡°How far does this road stretch?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Forever. Or a few days¡¯ walk. Depends on how fast you are.¡±


    That was the problem with estimating distance in this world. No one had a standard pace, so no one relayed the right amount of time it took to get from one place to another. The alchemist had estimated the distance between Broken Tusk and Qavell to be somewhere between eight-hundred and twelve-hundred miles. From the maps he had seen, the mountain road went on for about a quarter of that. At least two-hundred miles of mountain road before they would hit anything resembling open land.


    ¡°Have you seen any more undead?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Been silent up here,¡± Grot said, taking a deep breath. ¡°Peaceful. Finally.¡±


    Theo grunted a response, moving further up the road. It took him a while to reach the place where Grot and his people had moved the lodestone. The golems were in the nearby hills, scouring the land of all that necromantic energy. The alchemist commanded them to return so that he could refresh their wards. He cast his spells as they came in, and chatted with Grot some more.


    ¡°I want to put some stakes in the ground,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the road¡¯s edge. ¡°And ward them. If the corruption comes back, all this work will be wiped away.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. Are we going to war with the north when this clears up?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. Our information says there is no one to go to war with. If anything, we¡¯ll try contacting the toora.¡±


    ¡°Those bear-folk know how to make a home in the mountains,¡± Grot said, nodding with approval. ¡°Almost as good as dwarves!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of. I also want to find those old mountain homes. We¡¯re not going to war, but I want more allies.¡±


    Grot had some rude things to say about the other dwarven strongholds, but Theo ignored it. He had an actionable plan to reclaim the continent for fair people and he wouldn¡¯t squander it. He had been feeling stretched too thin, lately. But after things calmed down with Tarantham and Fenian escaped from Balkor¡¯s realm, he was feeling full of energy. Clearing an entire landmass didn¡¯t seem so difficult anymore.


    With the golems refreshed, Theo stood on the mountain road and prepared to do something he wasn¡¯t very good at. ¡°Just give me a moment,¡± he said, closing his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Grot said awkwardly. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Theo clasped his hands together, fidgeted with his coat, and ground his teeth. But nothing came. Sensing magic was his weakest skill, and it had never improved. No matter how much he ignored it and complained. The alchemist¡¯s eyes snapped open and he let out a frustrated breath. ¡°Nope. Can¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t do what?¡± Grot asked.


    ¡°Figure out if the magical power in the area is diminishing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. About half as strong as it was when the undead were here,¡± Grot said, waving a dismissive hand.


    ¡°Right,¡± Theo said. Grot must have had a mage core of some kind. He didn¡¯t see dwarves as being mages, but whatever. There it was. ¡°I¡¯m thinking our artifice platform can start working on this area. Makes me think the necromantic energy would go away on its own. Eventually.¡±


    Grot shrugged. ¡°How far in the future is ¡®eventually¡¯ though? I¡¯m happier if we¡¯re clearing it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°So, about those posts.¡±


    The group returned to town, finding anything laying around that would either stand upright on the rocky road, or could be jammed between a pile of rocks. They collected Ogre Cypress Boards, rusted weapons, old carts, and so on. Theo had an innate sense for which of those objects would hold a ward well enough. Bone would have been best, but there weren¡¯t piles of large bones sitting around. The alchemist chuckled to himself as he thought about that. An army of bones had left, right when he needed some bones. But the wards he could produce would be good enough.


    Sarisa wedged an old spear into a pile of rocks, shrugging as it tilted to one side. ¡°Good enough?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, kneeling near the pile to recite his poem for Deflect Necromantic Magic. When the spell was complete, a silvery orb sprung up to cover some of the road. ¡°Not perfect. Better than nothing, though.¡±


    ¡°This is going to take all day,¡± Sarisa groaned.


    ¡°Maybe longer.¡± Theo dragged the cart filled with junk, then jogged over to ward the weapon Grot had placed in the rocks.


    Theo, Sarisa, and Grot worked through the entire day. The alchemist took a five-minute break, heading off to Tero¡¯gal to ask Drogramath about the new skill. Old Droggy wasn¡¯t there, and wouldn¡¯t answer his summons, so he just had tea with Benton, Glantheir, and Uz¡¯Xulven. They had opinions on the skill, but they varied from god to god. As his time in the realm was running out, and the alchemist was preparing to leave, Drogramath finally answered his summons.


    ¡°I was occupied,¡± Drogramath said, seeming more grumpy than normal. He took a deep breath, wringing his hands. ¡°What is it, champion?¡±


    Theo explained his problem with the Drogramath Dedication skill. He expressed his concerns, and asked questions about who made the skills.


    ¡°That is for you to decide,¡± Drogramath said. He looked around as if expecting someone to stop him when he started speaking next. ¡°You cannot create cores of your own, so you cannot dedicate your cores to¡­ yourself.¡±


    Drogramath paused, waiting for Khahar to come clap a hand over his mouth. After a moment of nothing, he shrugged. ¡°This is a Dreamrealm. You asked who generates skills? The system. So while you might see some Tero¡¯gal abilities show up in your town, or the cores of those within your domain, you will never generate a core.¡±


    ¡°Meaning there¡¯s no reason to not accept Drogramath Dedication.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already my champion. We¡¯re tied closer than you know.¡±


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    ¡°Might as well get closer, huh?¡± Theo asked. Drogramath shrugged a response. ¡°Would you take the skill?¡±


    ¡°I would. There¡¯s a hidden part of the skill that negates the influence of all sub-cores. And without the meta barrier for your two main cores, you¡¯ll have an easier time leveling past Level 30. Most people don¡¯t make it to Level 50, let alone 40.¡±


    Theo had heard that line a few times. Not that exact line, but the belief that folks had a hard time after 30. It wasn¡¯t just that the experience was harder to get, but the system took the training wheels off. Alchemy was a great example. It was almost impossible to screw up a base potion. An alchemist could do it with their eyes closed. But at the third tier, everything got absurdly hard. If a brew was off by fractions of a unit, it would explode. Incompatible reagents? Explosion. Giving an essence a funny look? Yep. Explosions.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Do it before bed,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°The change is painful, and you will likely have vivid hallucinations.¡±


    That was good to know. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t need to be healed by Spit, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That ogre is¡­ insufferable.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Well, thanks for coming all the way here for me. Let me know if you need me to do your bidding in the mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°You already are. Just keep clearing the taint of undeath. After you reach the spine, you¡¯ll confront the¡ª¡±


    Khahar appeared with a hand over Drogramath¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hey, Theo.¡±


    Theo waved awkwardly.


    ¡°The gods are getting used to their new restrictions,¡± Khahar said, glaring down at Drogramath who shrugged. After a moment, the demon god was released.


    ¡°My apologies, Arbiter. I thought he had figured out¡­ Figured out that thing.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s almost got it,¡± Khahar said. ¡°But remain sensitive on the subject.¡±


    The pair continued to talk about the rules, but Theo felt himself being dragged away from Tero¡¯gal. His time had already expired on his skill, and his consciousness slipped away by the moment. ¡°Okay,¡± Theo said, wincing. ¡°Gotta go.¡±


    After passing over the bridge and through the void, Theo reappeared near Sarisa and Grot.


    ¡°Funny watching you vanish like that,¡± Grot grunted.


    ¡°Yes. Hilarious,¡± Sarisa mocked. ¡°But we should go.¡±


    It was getting darker by the moment. Running around the mountain road, spending mana, and dragging the heavy cart had reduced Theo¡¯s stamina to a sliver. He and Sarisa bid farewell to Grot and caught the train out of the mountain town just before night fell. Their stomachs were growling when they arrived back in Broken Tusk, and Tresk was upset that her dinner didn¡¯t get made. After eating a hastily prepared dinner, the alchemist paused before going to bed.


    Tresk sat in her bed, sensing his hesitation. Even Alex waited to see what he had to say, honking from her ever-growing straw-stuffed box.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take Drogramath Dedication,¡± he said.


    ¡°I would have done it already,¡± Tresk said, curling up into a ball. ¡°Come on. We got serpents to fight.¡±


    Tresk fell into the Dreamwalk before Theo could stop her. He shrugged, opening his free skill pick menu and finding Drogramath Dedication. The alchemist made sure he was snug in his bed before he picked the skill. And he was glad that he had done so. The pain was immediate and intense. He felt the skill slot into his Drogramath Alchemy Core. Then the barrier dropped between his soul and his two cores. He could feel them grinding together as they moved around in some unseen space in his chest. They swirled, radiating with power as all his other cores diminished. All but the Tara¡¯hek Core.


    Theo grabbed on to whatever he could find, gripping it tight as pain radiated through his body. This went on for endless moments, but only about a minute had passed. He finally took a sharp breath. The transformation was done. He allowed himself to slip into sleep, falling into the Dreamwalk. A moment later, he was standing in that familiar mossy forest.


    ¡°Dang. What took so long?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°The transformation was painful,¡± Theo said, looking around the area. He focused on his senses and his thoughts, trying to detect any differences. ¡°I don¡¯t feel different.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look different either. Still a demon.¡±


    So much had happened after he took the skill that it was hard to catalog everything. Theo remembered the cores moving around. He recalled how his Toru¡¯aun core and his Governance core had waned, and how the Tara¡¯hek core did the exact opposite. The core that represented his soul bond didn¡¯t care that the alchemist had taken a skill making it a sub-core. It didn¡¯t want to be a sub-core, and had simply refused. Fair enough.


    After those physical sensations, there were the mental ones. Drogramath hadn¡¯t been intrusive into Theo¡¯s thoughts for a long time. But as his champion, there was always a little bit of something in the back of Theo¡¯s mind. Like with the Wisdom of the Soul potion, that small voice was expunged. Unlike that potion, the voice now seemed to be more of a feeling. While it wasn¡¯t quite intuition, it was close.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go fight a snake,¡± Tresk said, scampering off into the distance.


    Unless something had gnawed Theo¡¯s leg off, Tresk would not worry about it. That made him feel slightly better about the decision. Deciding to focus entirely on his herbalist core, the alchemist found an open section of the forest and generated a large plot of land to practice on. He generated a pile of plants to work on, and knelt in the tilled earth to plant them. The moment his hand touched the plant he felt something strange shoot through his body. A kind of recognition he had never experienced.


    Theo held the Spiny Swamp Thistle up for inspection, finding a new appreciation for the plant. Deep in his chest, his Drogramath Herbalist Core resonated with the plant. After staring at it for some time, he got to work. With each plant he put in the ground, he understood the sensation a little more. But it wasn¡¯t until nearly half-way through the night that he decided on what exactly that feeling was. As he had thought earlier, the core was more a part of him than ever. The part of Drogramath who loved caring for plants spread through him like a wildfire.


    ¡°I guess I really love plants now,¡± Theo said, patting the ground near the thorny stem of a thistle.


    There was also the uncomfortable sensation brought by his other cores. It was as though they didn¡¯t belong, and Theo determined it was because of the level cap he now experienced. His Governance Core was above his intended level cap, providing a bit of discomfort. But he worked through it, grinding away his plants until sometime near dawn. When he finally saw the message he had been waiting for.


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (0.5%).


    [Drogramath Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 30.


    Obtained free [Drogramath Herbalist] skill point for hitting level 30 with this core.


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (0.08%).


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 30.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free skill.


    Theo swayed on the spot, returning to a kneeling position when the rush of levels hit him. ¡°That was a bit much.¡±


    Once he had recovered from the head rush, he considered where to put his attribute point. Not wanting to tempt fate just yet, he put another point into Vigor, bringing it to 23. Next he had to look through a nearly endless list of skills to pick for his herbalist core. This wasn¡¯t as hard of a decision as his free pick for the alchemy core. The entire point of the Herbalist Workshop was to get this one ability. He inspected the skill he intended to pick.


    [Reagent Splicing]


    Herbalism Skill


    Epic


    Allows the user to create hybrids between two plants. The success of this action depends on the compatibility of the two plants.


    Effect:


    Gain innate knowledge on how to splice plants. Amount of knowledge gained depends on the amount of herb lore the user has on that plant.


    Greatly increases all splicing actions on reagent plants.


    Gives a measure of control over which properties carry over to the spliced plant.


    An easy pick. The line about herb lore was slightly confusing, but Theo guessed it had to do with how much he knew about how a plant worked as a reagent. His base of knowledge for that had grown significantly, meaning he should be able to work with a lot of reagents. He had seen plants hybridize on their own, but splicing had been a skill the alchemist wanted for a long time. Since the early days with the farm, he wanted to have control over how plants combined. The last line of the effects list was the most important, though. Breeding reagent bearing plants that did exactly what he wanted was powerful.


    Theo was happy with his pick, and abandoned the imagined farm. He wandered through Tresk¡¯s imagined forest, looking over the long list of abilities he could take from his free Level 30 skill. That list offered him a selection from every one of his cores aside from the Tara¡¯hek core. The result was a confusing grouping of skill that were hard to classify. He came upon Tresk fighting the same snake as before. She was being gored while Alex wrapped the monster in flaming vines. He did not intend to work anymore today. He wanted to watch his companion fight a snake.

 5.42 - Garden Plot

    The dining area in the manor was filled with the scent of a cooking fire and a freshly made breakfast. Sarisa had created more than her normal dish to celebrate the return of her brother. He was still in town during his vacation, but she thought it was fitting to make him something nice for his first day back. Theo was under the impression that he would have been gone for longer, but there he was. The half-ogre man didn¡¯t have a mild scowl on his face like normal. He was smiling.


    ¡°Must have been a good vacation,¡± Theo said. He smiled as he dabbed a piece of wheat bread into the runny part of his pozwa egg.


    ¡°An excellent  vacation,¡± Rowan sighed.


    ¡°You guys can take days off,¡± Theo said with a laugh. ¡°You don¡¯t have to work for weeks before taking time.¡±


    Sarisa shrugged at the suggestion, reclining slightly in her chair as she sipped moss tea. ¡°Maybe you should take the same advice.¡±


    ¡°I have a twenty-four hour vacation every day. Into a world I can shape to be whatever I want.¡± Theo smiled at his assistants. Tero¡¯gal had become a personal vacation home for him and Tresk.


    ¡°He has a point,¡± Rowan said.


    Rowan and Sarisa went back-and-forth on the importance of a good half-ogre work ethic. Theo went into his own mind, finding the information from the Reagent Splicing skill unfurling in his mind. He now understood the best way to splice many of his reagents together. Some were obvious things. The alchemist had spent time propagating his reagents by taking clippings or seeds, so some methods transferred over. Those that didn¡¯t were provided by the skill, only leaving him to decide which to try first.


    The only thing left for Theo to decide was a core for his new core slot. With how much time alchemy, herbalism, and magic took from his schedule he didn¡¯t want anything that was active. He was more interested in a core that was passive, like his Governance Core. That required research, which would take time. There was also the idea of transforming any of those cores into a Drogramath core, which might have interesting effects. There were too many things to think about when there were plant hybrids to make.


    The alchemist finished his meal, chatting with Sarisa and Rowan for a while before heading out for the day. Salire was already at the Newt and Demon, swapping the essences out and preparing for another run of Hallow the Soil. She already had the required suffuse potions brewing, which was surprising. Salire had done some independent experimentation, finding that she could brew that potion just fine. So long as it was at second tier or below, which is what they were running. The pair had abandoned the plan to do third tier potions, as it had an extra, annoying step.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting better by the day,¡± Theo said, helping Salire load some Dragon Talon Mushrooms into the grinder. ¡°Are you going to take over my lab?¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Salire said, pointing a finger in warning. ¡°I just might.¡±


    Theo smiled and got back to work. With the way things were going, there might be enough room in the alliance for two alchemists. Once he got his hands on some Town Seed Cores, and reclaimed some land in the north, it would be open season for expansion. That came with problems from whatever nations could reach them from the north, resulting in the need for defensive measures up there. But he only had plans to make more friends, not enemies.


    Salire and Theo labored, preparing only two stills for a batch of Refined Suffuse Essence. As they worked, the alchemist felt as though he was gliding around the lab. Lacking the meta barrier between his alchemy core and his soul had resulted in a feeling of extreme excitement when performing alchemy. His assistant pointed this out.


    ¡°You¡¯re normally so brooding,¡± she said, watching him dance across the lab.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, suddenly remembering to be embarrassed about the act. ¡°I¡¯ve been making mental notes about the effects of the meta barrier. Alchemy feels like a part of me, now.¡±


    Salire danced from one foot to the other. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to take that skill.¡±


    Theo laughed with her, placing his hand on her shoulder and nodding. ¡°I think you should. The meta barrier is this membrane that makes you feel like someone else. I hate it.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ I don¡¯t want to make assumptions, but I might need a soul potion.¡±


    ¡°Wisdom?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling the effects?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But I¡¯m getting there. I put a lot of my points in Wisdom to start, but changed to Vigor for my other job.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll start the potion the next time I go to Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°This is only a temporary fix. You can only drink one soul potion, and if you pump Intelligence like me you¡¯re going to need two of them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    This problem ran deep, and Theo knew that no solution was on the horizon. The only thing he could think to do was more alchemy. The alchemist clapped his hands together, gaining Salire¡¯s attention. ¡°I have a task for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she said, showing far too much conviction.


    ¡°Make a list of each reagent we have access to with the idea of splicing two together. Imagine which would make the best matches.¡±


    Salire withdrew a notebook, then flipped through the pages. ¡°I can do that. Already have a list of our reagents.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m going to clear some space in the greenhouses, and prepare the experimental garden plot.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    Salire was more excited about the task than Theo had expected. He left the lab and headed to his greenhouses, finding everything to be the way he left it. The Plant Golem was doing its job by preventing hybridization, clearing the weeds away, and other general maintenance. Each greenhouse was packed with reagents, all growing at ever-increasing rates thanks to the various upgrades he had applied. The alchemist ordered a few corners in each greenhouse cleared to make way for hybrid reagents. There was no better time to push his alchemy as far as it could go.


    After he finished creating a new set of orders, he went next door to the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, finding the garden plot behind the building. Any upgrade that had the text ¡®appears behind the workshop, building, etc¡¯ meant that building was upgradable. The plot could hold nine reagent plants, depending on the size. It was made of a low stone wall with a gate, within which was freshly tilled earth. Inside the plot, the air seemed still. Almost stiflingly so. Despite the open-air arrangement, the inside of the plot was sealed from the outside world. He inspected the plot before moving on.


    [Experimental Garden Plot]


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    None


    The upgrades produced by the attached plot might be good, but that wasn¡¯t what Theo was after. He wanted more area to test his new reagents. And there would be a lot of reagents to test if his new sense for alchemy was anything to go by. The alchemist shoved cores into the building, trying to be as efficient as possible. Each level the plot gained saw the gray stone wall moving a foot or so in any direction. When the plot hit Level 5, the list of three upgrades appeared.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    [Precision Control]


    Gives the owner of this plot the ability to control cultivation rate, and growth rate on a per-plant basis.


    [Nurturing Soil]


    The soil within this plot will always provide maximum nutrients. Plants within will never wither, and will always have the exact amount of water required.


    [Perfect Climate]


    Every individual plant within the plot will experience a perfect environment for growth. The preferred temperature, soil quality, humidity, etc of an individual plant does not affect the others.


    This was an herbalist¡¯s dream. Theo felt a shiver of excitement run through his body as he read the description on each upgrade. He wanted them all. Precision Control was the least useful, but he could isolate plants instead of setting rates for the whole plot. Nurturing Soil would make it so he didn¡¯t need to assign a golem to the plot. Perfect Climate was something he would pick down the line. Either when there was no other good option, or when the building got high enough. But he didn¡¯t have any non-native plants, and if he did he would use his new splicing ability to alter that plant¡¯s preferences. He selected Nurturing Soil for his first upgrade.


    Before moving on to the next upgrade, Theo took a second to inspect the features of the plot. It claimed to allow him to alter factors of growth for all the plants. With a touch and a little mental prodding, a new system interface appeared in his vision.


    [Experimental Garden Plot Controls]


    Cultivation Rate: 0%


    Growth Rate: 0%


    Hybridization Rate: 0%


    Watered Rate: 100%


    Nutrition Rate: 100%


    Available Spots: 12


    Spots occupied: 0


    Environmental Condition Preset: Humid Swamp


    Soil Preset: Rich Swamp


    Now that''s some fine control. Theo could press a button near some entries, changing the rates. The interface was easy to use, but he moved on. There were more upgrades to get. He inserted more Monster Cores into the building, watching as it expanded to gain more plots. Three rows of four became four rows of four by the time it hit Level 10. The new upgrade appeared alongside the old ones. The alchemist inspected his new upgrade option.


    [Stable Conditions]


    Unstable plants placed within the plot will not degrade. Any drastic magical expulsions will be contained, never leaving the plot and leaving the other plants within the plot unharmed.


    ¡®Drastic magical expulsions¡¯ was a fancy way of saying ¡®explosions.¡¯ Theo hadn¡¯t considered exploding reagents before, but now that they were messing with splicing it was possible. This upgrade fell into the same category as the Perfect Climate upgrade. He didn¡¯t need it now, but it could be useful later. Instead, he went for the Precision Control upgrade. Then he was back at it, shoving more cores into the building. The four by four arrangement because five by four when it hit Level 15. A new upgrade popped up. The alchemist checked his supply of cores before inspecting the upgrade, finding that it was dwindling once again.


    ¡°Rats,¡± Theo said, inspecting the new upgrade.


    [Recovery Factor]


    A small tank of magical energy appears near the Experimental Garden Plot (this tank is not upgradable.) The tank accepts motes, which are converted into liquid magical energy. This energy may be used to stabilize recently spliced plants, ensuring they survive the splicing process.


    Theo didn¡¯t have to think long about that one. Since he was new at the splicing game, this would play well with his current plans. He selected the upgrade, then went around the side of the plot to watch the magical tank appear. A device that looked like one of Throk¡¯s artifices appeared. The stout little copper tank had a mote port on the side, and a gauge showing how much magical energy it had. The alchemist inserted one mote, watching the quantity of magical energy inside increase. Upon closer inspection, he found a list of controls for the tank.


    [Recovery Factor Tank]


    Stored Energy: 5%


    Release all energy


    Release energy to specific plant


    Purge tank


    Set specific instructions


    The button labeled ¡®Set specific instructions¡¯ had a series of commands he could issue. Theo could tell the tank to release energy onto a plant, sustaining it so it always had energy. He could do the same for every plant. There was even an option to only release energy in an emergency situation.


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± Theo muttered to himself. He scratched his chin, inserting motes and observing the tank¡¯s energy increase.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t talked to himself in a while.¡±


    Theo looked up from his tank, narrowing his eyes at Rowan and Sarisa. They had been whispering conspiratorially. He stood, pointing at his assistants. ¡°You leave me alone. I¡¯m having fun.¡±


    ¡°He never has fun,¡± Rowan said in mock shock.


    ¡°By the gods. Was he replaced?¡±


    ¡°With a copy, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°A joyous copy.¡±


    Rowan grabbed his sister by the shoulders, shaking her. ¡°Can we keep him?¡±


    Theo turned away so they couldn¡¯t see his smile, stifling a laugh as he got back to stuffing cores into the garden. The vicious mockery only went on for as long as the half-ogres had attention, then the area behind the workshop was silent yet again. Only the gentle rumbling of the plot¡¯s expansions filled the air as the alchemist worked. The notification popped up, allowing him to pick an upgrade for Level 20. He inspected the newest option, noticing the five by five plot before him.


    [Accelerated Research]


    Researching reagents originally grown within the plot will reveal more information.


    It was hard to tell if this one was good. Theo hadn¡¯t worked with the research aspect of the workshop enough to pick it just yet. Instead, he went through the other options. He settled on Stable Conditions instead. If anything could go wrong in the plot, an explosion would be horrible. He was satisfied with where the plot was at, stepping back to get a better look at it. The low stone walls had expanded out enough to house five rows by five columns of plants. Before going to check with Salire, he inspected where the plot was for now.


    [Experimental Garden Plot]


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 20 (12%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Nurturing Soil]


    [Precision Control]


    [Recovery Factor]


    [Stable Conditions]


    Theo nodded with approval before returning to the lab. Sarisa and Rowan followed behind, one remaining in the shadows and the other out in the open. The alchemist had gotten used to their shadowing, and hardly noticed them anymore. Salire was still working on the list of items and potential hybrids, but it was already comprehensive. Something that was missing from her analysis of reagents was elemental alignment. As he thought about it, he realized he didn¡¯t have much of an expansive understanding of the topic. Just raw instinct and assumptions.


    ¡°When you¡¯re done, meet me at the workshop,¡± Theo said, collecting a few reagents Salire had already set aside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be done soon,¡± Salire said, writing furiously. ¡°Just about there.¡±


    Theo returned to the workshop, settling into the unfamiliar interior. There was something strange about doing work related to alchemy in the new building. He rearranged what little furniture was in there before opening two windows to get a breeze going. He would need to have one of Throk¡¯s air conditioners installed if he wanted to work without the oppressive heat. He finally settled down at the table, pulling an uncomfortable chair up and sighing as he sat into it.


    With a single Mage¡¯s Bane flower on the table, Theo focused to let the wisdom of his unimpeded cores settle in. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was intuition, experience, the research upgrade, or the state of his new cores but he knew it was a Lightning alignment reagent. He also knew that meant it would hybridize with other Lightning plants easily. He treated this as an exercise to test how his new cores interacted with his mind. After a few simple tests,  Salire arrived at the workshop.


    ¡°I like the new place,¡± she said, dragging a chair over to the table. ¡°Needs more furniture.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Let me see your list,¡± Theo said, holding his hand out. Salire placed the notebook in his hand, already opened to the right page.


    Salire had identified a lot of stuff that made sense. She had used the logical idea to line properties up by effect type. Healing reagents with healing reagents and so on. Theo didn¡¯t see this as the way to create hybrid plants, but it was a start. His thought was to first take plants that would work with the splicing process first. Only then could they look at properties that worked together.


    ¡°This is a good start,¡± Theo said, flipping between the pages. ¡°I have a feeling that thistle and zee won¡¯t combine, though.¡±


    ¡°I wrote everything that might work,¡± Salire said, scooting closer to press her finger into the page.


    ¡°It feels weird,¡± Theo said, digging deep to find a way to express this new intuition. ¡°Like all my experience is coming together to combine with the power of my cores. I just know zee and thistle won¡¯t mix. But I think Mage¡¯s Bane and Lightning Poppy will.¡±


    ¡°You have more experience with zee and thistle than you do with those two flowers. Especially in growing them. You helped with the farm.¡±


    ¡°That might have something to do with it,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s focus on one thing at a time. I need to learn how to use my new Reagent Splicing skill.¡±

 5.43 - Reagent Splicing

    The Herbalist¡¯s Workshop was far too stuffy for most people. Salire was sweating even before they got to work on the experimental reagent splicing. Theo was perfectly comfortable thanks to his Coat of Rake, but he sympathized. But those concerns melted away under the weight of recent changes. Not only his ascension to the next realm in both his alchemy and herbalist cores, but also the workshop itself and his acceptance of the Drogramath Dedication ability. His thoughts felt as though they teetered on things he already knew, and the seemingly limitless knowledge of Drogramath himself. It was a heady experience that would take getting used to.


    Theo was adept at pushing past this mental discomfort, and laid out the first two reagents he planned to experiment with. Earth Wheat, and the local Spiny Swamp Thistle. Both had a deep alignment with earth and held something similar to the Holy element. But not quite. Using the Research upgrade of the workshop, he confirmed his suspicions.


    [Wheat]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]


    Common


    A common plant often milled into flour.


    Research:


    Infused with a mixture of Drogramath and Dreamrealm power.


    Medium growth cycle with excellent healing properties.


    Will easily provide the base of a splicing operation.


    Hidden fourth alchemical property.


    Properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Sow]


    The Research upgrade provided information that Theo had seen before. The Wheat was aligned with Drogramath and Tero¡¯gal, which wasn¡¯t surprising. It had a slower than normal growth cycle, which he had seen in the small farm. But the newest bit of information claimed it would provide a good ¡®base¡¯ for reagent splicing. The alchemist drew on his innate knowledge, understanding that one plant would be the base, and the other would be grafted on. Both plants would be cut just above the root. The top of one would be grafted onto the other with mana. Easy enough.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Salire asked, pulling Theo out of his thoughts.


    Wheat and Spiny Swamp Thistle was on her list. Theo expected the combination to work fantastically. With two complete samples, roots and all, the alchemist cut both plants just above the roots. He took the roots and part of the stem from the wheat, placing the spiny stem from the Swamp Thistle on top. The alchemist held his hand over where they joined, closing his eyes as he focused on his Reagent Splicing skill. Even before using it, he felt how similar it was to Reagent Deconstruction. Unlike the destructive skill, this one would bind both plants together. Mana welled into his fingertips, eager to magically weld the two plants.


    ¡°Should work like this,¡± Theo said, pressing his fingers onto the seam. Flaming purple mana flooded the space between the plants, stitching the two pieces together in an instant. He opened his eyes, looking down at the plant.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Salire said, watching as the mana worked its way up and down the plant. It didn¡¯t just form the two samples together. It changed them both entirely.


    ¡°Very interesting. Ah. More interesting things.¡±


    As the purple flames danced over the spliced plant, a system message appeared.


    [Reagent Splicing]


    Attempting to splice Wheat with Spiny Swamp Thistle¡­


    Splicing success chance: 95%


    Wheat properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Sow]


    Spiny Swamp Thistle properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Flourish]


    Perfect match for [Healing] property. Generating evolved property.


    Shuffling all other properties¡­


    The fire intensified, forcing Theo to shield his eyes. While he was blinded, he thought about the prompt. An evolved property was interesting, and he remembered seeing one on the plant that Azrug named Throk¡¯s Weed. The mana died down, revealing the completely changed plant. It was somewhere between a tall stalk of Wheat and the stout Spiny Swamp Thistle. It had characteristics of both, but how it produced the usable reagent would take some time. The plant would need to grow first.


    ¡°Neat!¡± Salire said. ¡°But it''s all question marks.¡±


    Theo inspected the plant, finding that his assistant was right.


    [????]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Plant]


    Epic


    A unique hybrid plant created from a Wheat plant and a Spiny Swamp Thistle.


    Properties:


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


    That was an annoying aspect of hybrid plants Theo wished wasn¡¯t real. Anything that someone had yet to discover showed up with the question marks. It made sense that a hybrid between Wheat and Spiny Swamp Thistle resulted in an unidentified item. No one had access to Wheat before it created itself in Tero¡¯gal. The two other times the alchemist had seen this happen was with plants that were local to the area. Since Broken Tusk hadn¡¯t been developed properly, the local flora hadn¡¯t been explored.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to strangle Azrug if he names this something stupid,¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes at the new plant.


    ¡°Should we get him now?¡±


    Theo looked down at the new plant he had created. Sections of the stalk already showed signs of instability. He had to look close to see those things, drawing on his new knowledge to identify small burned lines that others would miss. The splice was a success, but if he didn¡¯t plant it in his Experimental Garden it would degrade. He explained as much to Salire before heading outside to plant his new creation. Once in the soil and the proper settings toggled on the build expansion, the plant stabilized.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait until there¡¯s a few of them for him to check,¡± Theo said, standing and dusting himself off. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll make sure this one is happy.¡±


    Salire had some observations about the process that she verbalized. Theo listened to her assessment and agreed that there would be problems down the line. The system claimed that the splicing should have had a ninety-five percent success rate, but there were obvious issues with the forceful process. The alchemist¡¯s assumption was that he was meant to perform the splice, then place it into a stable environment immediately. They went back into the workshop, selecting the next two plants to work on.


    ¡°This one stuck out to me,¡± Theo said pressing his finger into Salire¡¯s notebook. It was her entry for Roc Berries and Wind Tulips.


    ¡°Going with the elemental alignment concept?¡± Salire asked, putting a check next to the entry.


    ¡°They just feel like they match. Especially considering how they grow. They¡¯re both little bushes that enjoy rocky soil. Combined with the Wind alignment, I think they will work well with each other.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    Theo had to uproot a Wind Tulip and Roc Berry plant from his greenhouses for this experiment. He inspected both, finding the research section of the plant to claim that the Roc Berry plant would serve as a better base than the Wind Tulips. He cut them both near the root, then bound them together with his mana. A system message popped up, detailing his progress.


    [Reagent Splicing]


    Attempting to splice Roc Berry with Wind Tulip¡­


    Splicing success chance: 100%


    Roc Berry properties:


    [Feather] [Retreat] [Wind Shell]


    Wind Tulip properties:


    [Increase Dexterity] ???? ????


    Unknown properties¡­


    Your herb lore isn¡¯t good enough to produce a stable spliced plant.


    Shuffling properties.


    The system could have just slapped him in the face if it wanted to be so rude. Theo thought of his herb lore as more than good enough, but he cleared his throat and carried the plant out to the garden plot as though his pride wasn¡¯t wounded. The resulting plant was a gnarled, question mark filled entry that took to the soil instantly. Since he brought it to the nourishing soil so quickly, there were no negative effects visible on the trunk or the branches of the plant. Just a mildly burned section where it was spliced.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so confident about this one,¡± Theo said, producing an example of the Wind Tulip flower from his inventory. ¡°Make a note that we should examine the properties of a reagent before splicing it.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Salire said, jotting the information into her notes. She joined with him back in the workshop where he intended to break Wind Tulips down to get better than ¡®good enough¡¯ herb lore.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you ¡®good enough,¡¯¡± Theo grumbled, applying his mana to a sample. It broke down into a primal essence, revealing the first of two new properties. He repeated the process for both the third and hidden fourth properties before examining the tulip.


    [Wind Tulip]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Poppy enchanted with elemental wind. Grows near concentrated wind fonts.


    Research:


    Infused with a mixture of Drogramath and Dreamrealm power.


    Slow growth cycle with heavy alignment to wind.


    Binds well with Roc Berries. Serves as the fruit-generating part of the combination.


    Properties:


    [Increase Dexterity] [Retreat] [Air Blade] [Wind Walk]


    Theo had never seen Air Blade or Wind Walk. He felt as though Air Blade was a weapon coating property, while Wind Walk was an enhancement-style potion. The research feature of his workshop also revealed more about how well it bound with the Roc Berry plant, which was encouraging. The two plants also shared a property, which should make the splicing process smoother. As all this information was not revealed to Salire, he read everything out for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m mostly interested in the new property,¡± she said, writing the information down. ¡°It gives me the impression that it would be a great stealther potion.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked, thinking about it for a moment. She might have been right about that one. ¡°Let¡¯s splice two plants together again so we can observe the difference. For science.¡±


    ¡°For science!¡± Salire shouted, pumping her fist in the air.


    Theo performed the same splicing he had done before, sacrificing another two plants from his greenhouses. He made sure the golems had orders to replant those, drawing from the cultivated living plants he already had. When the Drogramathi fire filled the room with blinding light, the alchemist saw the system message that confirmed his herb lore was ¡®good enough.¡¯


    [Reagent Splicing]


    Attempting to splice Roc Berry with Wind Tulip¡­


    Splicing success chance: 100%


    Roc Berry properties:


    [Feather] [Retreat] [Wind Shell]


    Wind Tulip properties:


    [Increase Dexterity] [Retreat] [Air Blade] [Wind Walk]


    Perfect match for [Retreat] property. Generating evolved property.


    Shuffling all other properties¡­


    That was better. The resulting plant even seemed more stable than before. Theo and Salire rushed it out to the garden before anything could happen. It was best to avoid explosions when possible.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s strange,¡± Salire said, kneeling close to inspect the plant. ¡°The first one we made didn¡¯t have an item name, but this one does.¡±


    Theo squinted, then leaned in to inspect the plant.


    [Zephyr Berries]


    Rare


    A curious little berry I discovered while hiking the highland areas near Zalaban. To my surprise, the berry was unnamed and undocumented. Therefore I shall name it the Zephyr Berry after the breezes that blow through these lands. In the land of kings. In the year 280 of the Second War of Ascension, Pugma has discovered this berry.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°That is the weirdest thing I¡¯ve ever read,¡± Theo said, leaning back from the plant. ¡°Did some random guy wax poetically about finding a berry?¡±


    ¡°From the Second War of Ascension, no less.¡±


    ¡°When was that?¡± Theo asked, trying to remember the names of the ages. The First War of Ascension took place sometime between five- and ten-thousand years after the world was seeded.


    ¡°Twenty-thousand years ago? I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve always been bad with history.¡±


    Theo had also heard about the Zalaban empire¡­ or was it Mazzlebar? Bazzlebon? It didn¡¯t matter. He was certain that was the long-lost empire that occupied this continent. Well before it was destroyed by Balkor. Perhaps even longer ago than the rise of Tarantham.


    ¡°Pugma,¡± Salire said, making a sour face. ¡°What sort of name is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t envy someone with that name.¡±


    Splicing new plants had really eaten away at the day. While it had been discovering new things, Theo wanted to address something with Throk. The hovering platform project should have been well on its way, and he was eager to see what something like that could do. The alchemist departed from his workshop, walking with Salire to the lab before heading off for the artificer¡¯s workshop. He was happy to see everyone going about their daily lives, uninterrupted by whatever nonsense this world sought to throw them.


    Throk could hardly be seen in the smithy anymore. He spent nearly all his time in the Artificer¡¯s Workshop, toiling away to make interesting devices. Theo passed by the smithy, waving at Thim. The dwarf had taken the place over entirely, even training several apprentices of his own. Remembering a time when the dwarf had pretended to a novice, the alchemist pushed on to the workshop. It was right around the corner, hugging the bend and across the street from Xam¡¯s tavern.


    Theo peeked inside of the workshop, finding Throk pressing a handheld artifice against one of his fake coins. Once the alchemist was certain that the artificer was in a decent enough mood, he crossed the threshold into the workshop. Piles of old artifices were strewn around. The power core to the elven automaton rested in the corner, mostly disassembled by now. Perhaps that was what gave the marshling the information he needed to create self-sustaining batteries for constructs.


    ¡°Are you going to lurk, or do you have something to ask?¡± Throk¡¯s question rumbled across the workshop. Such a small creature shouldn¡¯t have been capable of inspiring such dread.


    ¡°Checking on the hovering platform,¡± Theo said.


    Throk placed his device on the table, pausing as though in thought. ¡°I have it working pretty well, actually. The cable idea paid off.¡± He turned around, revealing the lopsided smile on his face. ¡°Want to go for a ride?¡±


    Theo had never wanted to do anything less than ride the hovering platform. He nodded in agreement, and searched his inventory for the potion that would save him from a deadly fall. His emergency Retreat potions were always close at hand, especially those modified with Refined Elemental Wind. That would grant him the Feather effect for ten seconds, reducing his fall speed if the platform failed. The alchemist followed Throk around the workshop, finding the platform resting in the junk-strewn field behind both the Artificer¡¯s Workshop and the smithy.


    ¡°Why are you holding a potion?¡± Throk asked, adjusting settings on an iron box. The box was connected with the platform by a spool of Tworgnothi Copper wires.


    ¡°I¡¯m an alchemist. Ever see an alchemist without a potion in their hands?¡±


    Throk actually issued one sharp, bark-like laugh. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, pressing one final button.


    The platform raised into the air slightly, tilting to one side as the engines buzzed to life. There was a bit too much rattling for Theo¡¯s liking, but it was hovering. Tilting his head to one side, the alchemist could almost see something happening near the engines. Just outside of his weak magical sight, there was an interaction between the platform¡¯s magic and the power soaking the air. He pressed his hand on the metallic surface of the platform, activating his Intuitive Nodes and selecting the duration option as he chanted a spell. The marshling grumbled his objections, but within a few tries the Deflect Magic ward activated. A shimmering prismatic barrier sprung up around the platform and the rattling stopped.


    ¡°Ah. Guess that works,¡± Throk said, stomping over to inspect the platform. ¡°I thought there was a problem with the hover engines. Guess not.¡±


    Throk performed a demonstration of the platform¡¯s capabilities. After applying the ward, it hovered like a dream. He had even installed safety railing. It went up smoothly, hovering exactly where the marshling told it to before descending smooth as delicious karatan butter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was ready,¡± Throk said, scratching his chin. ¡°But I guess the ward was the key.¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve guessed,¡± Theo said, clicking his tongue as he thought.


    Theo and Salire had been creating enough Hallow the Soil potion to choke most of the southlands in purifying mist. But it wouldn¡¯t be enough to cover the area they wanted to cover in the north. They could load the thing up with guns, shooting an anti-undead shot at the ground. Or perhaps it was better to air-drop golems in places that were too hard to reach by foot.


    ¡°Oh, just spit it out,¡± Throk moaned. ¡°Are we going to Gronro or not? I gotta hook up the cargo cart to the train if we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s put your weird hovering platform to the test.¡±


    ¡°My platform isn¡¯t weird. You¡¯re weird.¡±

 5.44 - Just Hangin Out in a Dungeon

    Throk had quite a few attachments for the train. Theo had thought little of the depot building near the end of the train¡¯s line, but it was filled with different styles of cars for the train. He even had a little artifice that dragged them along the hovering track. Of course, each piece of equipment was made of¡­ Azrugium. Theo shivered as he thought of that name. They hadn¡¯t made laws in the alliance, but perhaps that should be the first one.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take but a minute,¡± Throk said, kicking his artifices to life. The cargo car hovered on the track, and was pulled along toward the station.


    Theo double, then triple checked all his equipment for the excursion. He had returned the Retreat Potion to his inventory, as he didn¡¯t ride the contraption behind Throk¡¯s workshop. Both Sarisa and Rowan were coming along for the experiment, but the alchemist spent his time reaching out to the network of golems in Gronro. They were still doing as ordered, marshling along the rocky paths of the mountain to clear away the scourge. The information he got back from them was muddy, as it had to pass through Tero¡¯gal to reach him.


    Once the cargo car was attached to the train, Throk ran off to find strong half-ogres to help load it. After that, the four members of the party boarded the train and prepared for another whirlwind journey.


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna crank this up,¡± Throk said, popping a panel near the conductor¡¯s station and fiddling with the internals.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna what?¡± Theo asked, eyes going wide as he searched for a way to secure himself. He hooked his arm under a bar, then looked through his inventory for a Strength Potion.


    ¡°There we go,¡± Throk said, slapping the conductor¡¯s panel. ¡°Hold onto your butts.¡±


    Theo¡¯s stomach felt as though it never left the station while the rest of his body hurtled down the track. There was a reason the tram didn¡¯t run at full speed. It was impossible to hear anything, as all members of the party were buffeted by the powerful wind. Everyone held on, closing their eyes as they traveled northward. In between the rush of wind, the alchemist could hear Throk howling with delight.


    Eyes wide and dry from the ride, Theo looked upon Gronro-Dir. The trip had taken half the time, and several years from his lifespan. ¡°Please,¡± he gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡±


    ¡°We have the return journey!¡± Throk said, cackling as exited the train.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just teleport, thank you,¡± Theo said, joining with Throk on shaky legs. Grot was there to greet them, and he seemed in better spirits than ever.


    ¡°Archduke!¡± he shouted, shoving a mug of beer into the alchemist¡¯s hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were coming today.¡±


    ¡°Either did I,¡± Theo said, downing the beer in one go. He gasped, then cursed his Vigor.


    ¡°So, what are we doing? Your golems are doing well enough,¡± Grot said. ¡°We had to move the lodestone a few times a day. Every day!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Theo said, composing himself as he gestured back toward the train. ¡°We¡¯re going to apply some curative potions to the mountains. Hopefully we can give the golems some help.¡±


    ¡°Works for me. Are your friends going to be alright?¡±


    Theo looked back, finding that both Sarisa and Rowan were vomiting near the train. ¡°Yeah, just give them a minute. Maybe a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe an hour,¡± Rowan croaked, vomiting again.


    Grot went to get some folks to help with the platform. They only unloaded it from the train car before Throk activated the hovering platform, moving it through the mountain town with ease. Interested eyes turned to them as they marched it through the town, angling for the northern gate. The marshling had to hover it over the gates to get it through, but his new fake coins burned longer and stronger than motes, making the job easy. When they arrived outside of the northern gate, Throk affixed a sprayer artifice to the platform. Theo loaded it with Hallow the Soil potion.


    ¡°You know,¡± Sarisa said, still looking green from the ride. ¡°I was thinking about this plan of yours.¡±


    Theo had allowed his mind to wander through the local lodestone network, pinging the golems that seemed to have wandered quite far to the north. He ordered one to return, as he had no intentions of operating the platform. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, dragging his thoughts away from the golems.


    ¡°The goose is part of your bond. Isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°So she has access to your shared inventory power.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t she drop the potions?¡±


    While that was a good question, it wasn¡¯t well-informed. ¡°The problem with dropping a potion is the spread. The sprayer allows us to cover a wide area. Especially from the air.¡±


    ¡°How high up is this going to go?¡± Rowan asked. Theo could see it in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure which of them was going to operate the platform.


    Theo judged how high they would need to go by eye. For maximum spread without sending the potion to a useless mist, they would need to be about fifty feet in the air. ¡°About as high as that crag,¡± he said, gesturing to a jagged outcrop of rocks.


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad¡­¡± Rowan trailed off, scratching the stubble on his chin.


    ¡°Alright. Up you go, alchemist,¡± Throk said, jabbing a finger at Theo.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make my golem ride the platform, thank you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Too heavy. Get your demon ass up there.¡±


    Theo considered his options. He didn¡¯t want to ride the platform. He would rather do almost anything else, including retreating into his realm and teleporting to Tresk. The alchemist stammered, trying to make up an excuse on the spot. But the longer he floundered, the more he noticed a smile spreading across the marshling¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, you son of a¡­¡±


    Throk¡¯s laughter drowned out Theo¡¯s string of curses. ¡°Did you see him sweat?!¡± Throk howled. ¡°Someone check our archduke¡¯s undies.¡±


    Both Rowan and Sarisa were laughing as well. Theo couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself. Because Throk had told him the platform would be completely automated. The sprayer was operated from the ground, not the platform. The only reason they had constructed it as a platform was for utilitarian purposes. They could use it elsewhere, but for this task, it was completely remote.


    ¡°I only just got the remote operation working,¡± Throk said, working the controls to raise the platform into the air. ¡°As long as I have a control receiver, I can put any artifice on the platform.¡±


    ¡°Thank god,¡± Theo said, watching as the artifice ascended.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do a simple test,¡± Throk said, working the control panel like a video game controller. He pressed a button and the sprayer squirted a small amount of liquid onto the ground. He moved the nozzle around, checking each function before he was satisfied. ¡°Now the fun part. Lots of walking. Lots of spraying.¡±


    Grot joined with the group as they walked the cleansed mountain path. Throk operated the platform, watching with satisfaction as it hovered ten feet from the ground. Theo felt a sense of wonder as he walked over the mountain pass. Every single rock, outcrop, and crag had been purified of the necromantic energy. Even compared to last time, there were more wild creatures running around and mountain grasses clinging to what little earth was present. At this pace, they would clear their way through the path by the next season. If they used the sprayer, it would be done far sooner.


    Theo checked the wards he had placed around the area as they went. He had Grot run back to town to grab some more junk for him to cast his spells on, and the duke returned in short order. He came back with a team of workers that helped place the junk along the path. It hardly seemed necessary, though. Balkor¡¯s energy was waning by the day, which was interesting to consider. The corruption his undead left behind would be there forever if not dispelled. But the energy acted as a fuel, feeding and causing the scourge to spread. Without that energy, Theo only needed to remove what was there.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The path wound through the mountains. The party walked for about an hour before they found the place where the golems were working. Theo had already ordered the one he had summoned back to work, but he recalled them yet again so he could inspect their wards and power sources. Throk took great interest in that.


    ¡°Are the siphons working?¡± Throk asked, trying to inspect the golems but finding nothing for him to inspect.


    ¡°They¡¯re working great,¡± Theo said. His Drogramath cores allowed him to inspect the creations. Both the siphons and the batteries were functioning perfectly. His golems no longer needed to come back to the lab to be powered up again.


    ¡°Can you pull a siphon out for me to check?¡±


    Theo held his hand out in front of a golem, and the siphon just popped out. He handed the artifice to Throk who nodded with satisfaction. After giving his golem its power supply back, the alchemist reapplied his wards and ordered the golems to get back to work. They shuffled off, scouring more of the corruption away.


    As the group moved forward, they stepped into the domain still corrupted by Balkor. The landscape, despite being made up of mostly rock, looked sickly. There were no creatures here. No sparse grasses clinging to the stones. Only a pale green aura that made everyone feel sicker than Throk¡¯s train ride.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Throk said, sending the hovering platform into the air.


    The sprayer blanketed the land with a rolling silver mist. Everything it touched was purged of the necromantic sickness, curing it in an instant. Each sweep of the sprayer saw hundreds of square feet of area cleared away in a blink. Theo watched in amazement as Throk walked the platform forward. He covered an area that would have taken the golems hours in a matter of minutes. The marshling was laughing the entire time.


    ¡°This is good,¡± Grot said, the excitement he felt clear in his voice.


    It was beyond good. Theo needed this area clear for a few reasons. It wasn¡¯t just that the necromantic aura was making everyone sick, or that they needed more overland trade. He had made a promise to the pale elf Twist. That masked man needed to get to Qavell, and the alchemist wasn¡¯t about to go back on his promises. This was also a chance to expand the holdings of the alliance.


    With Throk¡¯s speedy train, he could happily travel from Broken Tusk to Qavell in a day. Maybe two days, depending on which speed setting they were using. Folks had different ways of expressing how long it took to travel overland. Some karatan had enough endurance to gallop for days without rest. The best karatan could go for days, and navigate on their own.


    But Theo¡¯s goal would be to expand the nation¡¯s borders along this mountain path first. Then he would establish another town in the north where the mountains ended. That would be a defensible spot that was also ideal for trade.


    ¡°What do you think Balkor¡¯s minions are doing?¡± Sarisa asked, coming up alongside Theo. She poked him in the side with the butt of her spear.


    ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t know. If he wants revenge on Glantheir for his defeat, he¡¯ll attack the elves.¡±


    Sarisa laughed. ¡°Do you think the undead could destroy Tarantham?¡±


    A grimace spread across Theo¡¯s face. They had discussed this in the past. The theory that felt most possible had lingered in his mind for some time. ¡°I think he wants revenge, so he¡¯s going for Veosta. They don¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s grim.¡±


    The group spent some time operating the platform, but they didn¡¯t intend to do all the work themselves. Throk gave Grot and his people instructions on how to operate the platform. He made the duke work the platform for a while, correcting him when he was misusing it. After that, the marshling gave him a sack of fake coins. Theo gave the leader a fair amount of Hallow the Soil potion, but reserved some for himself. Dusk was fast approaching, and Theo didn¡¯t intend to spend the night here.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Theo asked, sending his mind toward Tresk. He couldn¡¯t feel her very clearly.


    ¡°Just hanging out.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°In a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Alex, where are you?¡±


    ¡°Flyin¡¯ around.¡±


    ¡°In a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No. In the sky.¡±


    ¡°Could you land? I¡¯m going to teleport to you in five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Alright, guys,¡± Theo said, patting Sarisa and Rowan on the shoulder. ¡°Have fun with the trip. I¡¯ll meet you back in town.¡±


    ¡°Lazy. No good. Stupid teleporting¡­ Hey, can¡¯t you take us with you¡­¡±


    Theo fell between the veil before Sarisa could hurl any more insults. He felt the Bridge of Shadows ripple with excitement as he passed over. Uz¡¯Xulven sensed he was traveling to Tero¡¯gal. A moment later, the alchemist landed in his realm. Before he even looked around, he could sense a lot of souls waiting for his approval. He blinked against the bright, sunless sky above and looked upon a field of souls. Belgar was there within moments, a nervous look on his face.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what I was thinking,¡± Belgar said, jerking his head toward the crowd. ¡°Lots of elves and half-elves.¡±


    Tero¡¯gal¡¯s interface claimed there were 117 souls waiting for approval. He scrolled through the list of applicants, finding that Belgar was right. Most of them were half-elves. He didn¡¯t need to be told where they had come from, but intended to ask once he had accepted them. Several archways sprung up as Uz¡¯Xulven, Benton, Glantheir, Spit, and Drogramath entered the realm. They waved at Theo, but headed toward the renovated cottage. It had been made larger to allow Spit entrance.


    ¡°See you in a minute!¡± Glantheir shouted, smiling as he waved at Theo.


    ¡°Could you fetch me a chair,¡± Theo said, nodding to Belgar. ¡°And grab me a cup of tea once Benton has it made.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Belgar said, scampering away.


    Theo began the interview process, where he learned the truth of Balkor¡¯s assault on Veosta. Almost every soul that arrived had been without a patron. They all had unaligned cores, or had put little faith in their gods. All were eager for a new life. That gave Theo some amount of comfort. Since he had allied himself with Fenian, the weight of the dead had come back. Glantheir¡¯s purging of his mind had eased that, but this sight did more than anything. The dead were being given a chance to live a life where they would have everything they ever wanted. They lived a life of quiet leisure with as much food, water, and entertainment they wanted.


    The alchemist got through fifty souls before he found one with more will than the others. He was an elf that didn¡¯t have the same vacant stare and incorporeal form as the others. His appearance reminded Theo of the way Belgar looked a few weeks after he arrived in the realm. Mostly formed, but still hazy around the edges.


    ¡°I was a general,¡± the elf said, pausing to look at the ground. ¡°Although I cannot remember my name.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more here than most new souls,¡± Theo said, inspecting the screen provided by the realm. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting the undead for a while now. A foreign trader brought an alchemical solution to our problems and¡­ it was going well for a while. But we had a breach, and I was there.¡±


    ¡°Tragic,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°The army was led by a single undead. Perhaps a lich,¡± the elf said.


    Theo couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that this guy was trying to vomit as much information as possible. He was trying to help the alchemist.


    ¡°Could you describe him?¡±


    ¡°Hunched over. Green skin, although that might have been rot. He was intelligent.¡±


    Theo felt a sudden, comforting presence behind him. He turned, finding Glantheir with that permanent half-smile on his face. ¡°And now he knows,¡± he whispered, placing a hand on the alchemist¡¯s shoulder.


    Theo turned back to the soul, realizing what Glantheir meant. He accepted the elf into his realm before turning to another applicant. ¡°Who is it? Who is leading the army?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you have put it together. If Khahar shows up, you¡¯re not there yet. Ready?¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It was a curious way to test the laws that Yuri had put in place. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s see.¡±


    ¡°Balkor had three places where he stored his soul,¡± Glantheir said, looking around and smiling. ¡°No Khahar.¡±


    A loud snap issued behind Glantheir. Khahar stood there, arms folded. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate you making a game of my rules.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it fun?¡±


    ¡°Kinda,¡± Khahar said, coming to stand near Theo and Glantheir. ¡°But the creature leading the undead isn¡¯t Balkor. Think of it more as an echo. He is a different person. Confused. Scared. Angry.¡±


    ¡°When I get confused, I also destroy the world,¡± Theo mocked, winking at Khahar.


    ¡°Har har. I don¡¯t like this loss of life either, Theo. But I have seen where this ends. And the world is better for it.¡±


    ¡°¡®Trust me! I won¡¯t blow it all up!¡¯¡± Glantheir said, clasping his hands together. ¡°That was your promise from the start, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Are you not satisfied with what I have accomplished?¡± Khahar asked, glaring at Glantheir.


    ¡°I¡¯m over the moon,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°Sometimes literally. Things are going well, even if there are casualties. Most of the elves who died in Veosta entered my realm, where they will be happy forever. Some came here, although I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re right, Khahar,¡± Theo said, accepting another soul into the realm. ¡°When are we going to claim the next throne?¡±


    ¡°Soon enough. They¡¯re still cooking.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s mine gonna be called?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll dub you ¡®the Idiot Who Asked Too Many Questions,¡¯¡± Khahar said, flipping Theo the bird.


    ¡°Oh that has a certain ring to it,¡± Glantheir said.


    Theo laughed with his godly friends for a while. Belgar brought him some tea and a chair and Khahar and Glantheir went to go have tea in the cottage. The new souls brought the total count of souls to 292, but it only gave him one level in the realm. The alchemist felt the power of the realm expand, but he didn¡¯t get any new expansions. When he was done with the souls, he joined with his companions in the cottage. Heavenly tea was just so delicious.

 5.45 - Glantheirs Tears

    Theo almost felt bad about leaving Throk, Sarisa, and Rowan behind in Gronro. But the train ride was far too uncomfortable, so he had simply teleported to Alex back in Broken Tusk to wait for his assistants. They had shot him a look, but softened after finding the catered food provided by Xam¡¯s tavern. The alchemist now sat in the Dreamwalk, looking over an endless list of skills that he couldn¡¯t hope to pick from. He had picked the skills for his herbalist and alchemy core, but had also gained a free pick for his personal level hitting Level 30.


    To make matters worse, Theo had to find a core to fit his new core slot. When considering new cores, his mind centered on the idea of both synergy and passive management. His alchemy and herbalist cores worked together directly, the gathering class feeding into the crafting class. His Toru¡¯aun core was then fed by both cores, providing him the means to craft more powerful spells. The Governance Core was entirely passive, providing both the town and the nation with improvements. Those bonuses ranged from better administration panels to battle maps and even the contracts they relied on to keep order within the town.


    The only odd core slotted into his soul was the Tara¡¯hek Core. It was based entirely on his bond with Tresk, which set it apart from the others. Rather than providing a defined set of powers, it gave a blanket of useful things to make life easier. It didn¡¯t pass Theo¡¯s notice that the core also contributed to his mental stability and control over Tero¡¯gal.


    Theo¡¯s impulse was to select an aligned core. Since he could just go to the realms and ask a god for their core, that would be simple. But the description on his Drogramath Dedication ability claimed he could turn normal cores into Drogramath cores. That was tempted, even if the god himself wasn¡¯t willing to describe the other cores he issued. The alchemist knew about the priest-style cores. He had seen Zarali in combat, and noted that she was a support mage. There was no need for a second support mage core.


    Broken Tusk had at least one skilled artificer, smith, smelter, woodcutter, stonemason, and miner. So most production-based cores were off the table. That left esoteric cores.


    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a core for golemancy,¡± Theo mused, falling back onto the soft mosses of the forest. He gazed into the boughs of the trees above, spotting the unmoving sun above. Tresk was somewhere near. Fighting the damned horned snake.


    A core that increased the power of his golems would be welcome, but that got his thoughts on another track. Xol¡¯sa had a core that made him mostly immune to the effects of spatial travel, which was quirky for a core. Willpower was another one of those hidden attributes, and seemed to affect just about everything. If there was a core that increased a person¡¯s willpower, the alchemist would feel the effect far more than an ordinary person. Even if this world¡¯s people were anything but ordinary. His control over Tero¡¯gal would increase. He could have more golems and operate them more efficiently. The alchemist would even have greater control of both his passage through the void, and his control of Tero¡¯gal outside of the void.


    ¡°Willomancer,¡± Theo whispered to himself, nodding.


    That decision also lined up well with his need to pick a new skill. He rose from the mossy floor, dusting off the bits of vegetation that clung to his coat. Tresk and Alex were fighting in a clearing. The snake¡¯s tail swept through the forest, shattering the trunks of trees as though they were toothpicks. Theo withdrew his knives, chugged a few potions, and joined in the fray.


    <hr>


    Theo stood on the streets of Broken Tusk, flicking through administrative reports. There were a few annoying things, but also something that excited him. Alise had been setting aside Monster Cores for upgrading the alliance. She also wanted a meeting about combat preparedness, which Aarok had responded to with enough creative curses to fill a book. She backed off after that, finally getting the hint that the administrators administered and the adventurers fought. He put those town politics aside and made his way to the town hall. It was as bustling as ever.


    Alise had made herself an impressive office on the top floor. It gave her a decent view of the town. Theo let himself in, finding her poring over a stack of papers. At least she smiled when he entered.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to upgrade the alliance,¡± Theo said, sauntering over to take a seat opposite her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were hiding away Monster Cores for the job.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I have been,¡± Alise said, gesturing to a dimensional crate in the room¡¯s corner. ¡°The level of the buildings is bound to the level of the town. And the town¡¯s level is bound to the kingdom¡¯s level. But there is also good news. Throk¡¯s new coins can contribute to the alliance¡¯s energy, which saves us a big headache.¡±


    Theo nodded. Buildings could go ten levels above the town, but a town could go twenty levels above. He guessed. They hadn¡¯t done enough testing to say it worked exactly that way, since both the alliance and the town had population counters that gated upgrades. As always, Alise was thorough with her daily reports. There was something else the alchemist was interested in.


    ¡°I saw an increase in weapons on the walls. Is that because of Throk¡¯s new tube system?¡±


    ¡°That was Zan¡¯kir¡¯s idea, actually. As the Captain of the Sandscourge Company he was given sweeping powers over the town¡¯s defense. And he has taken his job seriously.¡± Alise sighed, shaking her head as she smiled. ¡°It has actually been a weight lifted from my shoulders.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. Shall we upgrade an alliance?¡±


    Alise shuffled some papers, stowing some away in her desk drawer while leaving others on the table. ¡°Absolutely. The other upgrades are useful, but I want to see something amazing.¡±


    After leaving the town hall and approaching the town¡¯s monolith, Theo was reminded of how strange the object was. Other towns had wooden monoliths, made of the same stuff he saw when a new building was sprouting. This one was a solid black rock that shone like obsidian. It held both the Town Core and the Kingdom Core. The alliance had two upgrades. Zorp, which allowed them to transport resources between any town in the alliance. Controlled Fire was an upgrade that made wall-mounted towers far more effective. They required less energy, and fired faster.


    Alise withdrew some notes, gesturing for Theo to shove the cores he brought in his inventory into the alliance. Unlike a building, which required five equal-level Monster Cores, the alliance required an absurd number. From testing, they found it was fifty equal-level cores plus the level of the alliance. That meant it would suck down sixty cores for a single level.


    ¡°This is going to be expensive,¡± Theo said, watching the pile of Monster Cores diminish in his inventory. ¡°How much of our budget should we put toward this effort?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been leveraging our trade deals to stock Monster Cores. A few hundred cores here and there really adds up.¡±


    ¡°How about Tarantham? Have we had another ship from them?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had small boats dock at the port. Curious civilians.¡±


    That sucked. The trade deal with Tarantham was expensive, and it needed to pay off. But it didn¡¯t escape Theo¡¯s notice that the deal itself was an olive branch, rather than a profitable venture. He trusted Gael to do the right thing, and since the elves hadn¡¯t attacked, he considered it a success. The only way this world would get better was if people stopped blowing each other up every other year. Tarantham had been an amazing example of how that could work, even if they blew each other up to accomplish it. At least they didn¡¯t destroy the entire continent. Instead, they had an impressive string of rulers that seemed unchanged since anyone could remember.


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    ¡°This is laborous,¡± Theo said, sighing dramatically as he put cores into the monolith. As always, a small crowd had gathered to watch.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t as glamorous as people expect,¡± Alise said, clicking her tongue.


    ¡°Ah. Level 15. Finally,¡± Theo said, reviewing the upgrade options. There were two options left over from the start, and a new one for them to review. He didn¡¯t even need to read it out for Alise. It appeared in her administration interface.


    [Trade Boost]


    Carts traveling between towns within the nation will travel 1.5x faster, so long as they are designated for trade.


    [Share Information]


    Allows leaders to send mental messages to each other. Limited number of messages per day, based on nation¡¯s level at a rate of n*10. E.g. At level 1, you may send 10 messages, at level 2 you may send 20, and so on.


    [Disaster Shield]


    Expend great amounts of energy to divert or disperse a harmful weather situation, and other natural disasters. This upgrade works on hurricanes, earthquakes, mana storms, tornados, etc.


    Alise grumbled, shaking her head. ¡°None of these are great. Both Trade Boost and Share Information are useless to us. And I¡¯m not certain how often we¡¯ll use Disaster Shield. How would we know if a disaster was coming? Does it activate automatically?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d take Disaster Shield over anything else. But I agree. It isn¡¯t great.¡±


    ¡°Select Disaster Shield. Pray for something better at Level 20. So long as I did my math right, we can get the nation that far.¡±


    Theo agreed completely. The first two upgrades solved problems they already took care of. At least Disaster Shield would be useful sometimes. He also didn¡¯t know what a mana storm was, but was quite interested in having a shield against it when it came. He selected the Disaster Shield upgrade and got back to inserting cores into the monolith. Before long, the next upgrade option appeared.


    [Defensive Barrier]


    Any town in the nation may draw on the stored energy of the nation to shield their town or city. The strength of this barrier depends on the level of the alliance, town, and the amount of available energy stored.


    ¡°This is interesting,¡± Alise said, tapping her foot on the ground. ¡°The nation upgrades haven¡¯t been great, but they all follow a theme. They operate on the idea of providing something to an entire nation. I also suspect there are buildings that allow us to increase the energy storage of the alliance.¡±


    That was interesting enough. But Theo wasn¡¯t impressed with the upgrade. Compared to the things he got for single buildings or even the town, the upgrades were lackluster. It took little discussion to decide on the Defensive Barrier upgrade. Although they had brought the alliance to Level 20, it didn¡¯t change from being a Small Free City Alliance. They didn¡¯t have the population to increase it from there, but at least they weren¡¯t gated from progressing. He inspected the nation.


    [Small Free City Alliance]


    Name: Southlands Alliance


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Level: 20 (5%)


    Core Towns:


    Broken Tusk (Capital)


    Rivers and Daub


    Gronro-Dir


    Current Energy:


    62%


    Upgrades:


    [Zorp]


    [Controlled Fire]


    [Disaster Shield]


    [Defensive Barrier]


    ¡°Not as impressive as I had hoped,¡± Alise said, sighing. ¡°At least we can upgrade the town. But I¡¯ll leave that to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Hey, before you go¡­ any progress with the underground people?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Pogo has agreed to some basic trade, but that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°We need to be grateful that she¡¯s there at all. The more I talk to that Twist guy, the more I realize how brutal it is down there.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    The crowd dispersed once Theo and Alise went their separate ways. There was no tone of disappointment in their voices, just excitement that they got to witness the nation being upgraded. From what the alchemist had heard, this was a guarded process in other nations. The Kingdom Core and Town Core were rarely planted where people could see it, giving Broken Tuskers an excellent view of the process. But he turned his attention away from both the nation¡¯s upgrades and the buildings within the town itself. He had to face the horrific idea of chasing down Azrug to name his new plant.


    ¡°Thank god Pugma named that other one,¡± Theo said, a shiver running down his spine. ¡°I couldn¡¯t deal with another Throk¡¯s Weed.¡±


    As expected, Azrug was working in the small item shop. Instead of doing business out of a house, he now had a dedicated building. Theo felt a sense of pride as he looked over the industrious merchant. While little time had passed since the young man took up the mantle, he had created something truly great.


    The exterior of the building matched the aesthetic of Broken Tusk. It even further reflected Azrug¡¯s half-ogre roots with stone walls and high-set windows. Sometimes buildings would get wood paneling, while others times they got stone. It all depended on what the seed core wanted to do. The interior had wood floors. A large area with shelves and display cases dominated the room¡¯s center while each wall was filled with more display shelves. Azrug himself sat behind a wide counter, writing something in a ledger.


    ¡°Need more monster cores?¡± Azrug asked, barely looking up from his book.


    ¡°I need your Loremaster services, actually,¡± Theo said.


    Azrug looked up, locking eyes with Theo. The alchemist glared. ¡°I won¡¯t name them anything silly.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Have you been hanging out with Tresk lately?¡±


    ¡°No. Maybe a little,¡± Azrug said with a shrug. ¡°What am I naming?¡±


    ¡°A plant. Hybrid of Wheat and Spiny Swamp Thistle.¡±


    Azrug craned his neck, looking at the entrance of the shop. He stood, crossing the room to flip a sign near the front to ¡®closed.¡¯ ¡°We could come up with ideas along the way. How about ¡®Stinkweed?¡¯¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t stink.¡±


    ¡°Stenchblossom?¡±


    ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t stink.¡±


    ¡°Something will come to me,¡± Azrug said, leading the way outside.


    Theo feared the worst as he led Azrug to the Experimental Garden behind his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. The half-ogre crouched near the plants there, nodding in approval as he read Pugma¡¯s entry to the world of herb lore.


    ¡°Interesting. This guy discovered a hybrid plant in the wild. The Second Ascension War was over thirty-thousand years ago. Ah, I got a hit from my Loremaster¡¯s Core.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°The Zalabans. War-like proto-humans, apparently. They were still more elf than human that point and had broken off from¡­ huh. Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°How long has that empire been around?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Since the Second Ascension War, apparently. Got a bit of information about Pugma as well. Nothing interesting, just his dietary habits. Now, for your new herb¡­ Oh, interesting. I got some Earth lore!¡±


    Theo cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Combine harvesters, huh? Giant machines that harvested the wheat¡­ interesting.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Just some lore about the Spiny Swamp Thistle. The plant is newer than we realize. A result of Glantheir¡¯s rescue of the land. Which makes sense, since it has healing properties. Time for a name and description.¡±


    Theo watched nervously as Azrug worked on the new description. He saw the half-ogre¡¯s eyes flash as he entered information into his Loremaster interface. After a few tense moments, he pulled away and smiled.


    ¡°I tried hard on this one. Are you proud of me, boss?¡±


    Theo inspected the plant.


    [Glantheir¡¯s Tears]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Plant]


    Epic


    When a demonic god tore an entire continent into pieces, Glantheir was there to stitch it back together. This thorny hybrid represents the sadness he left in his wake.


    Properties:


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


    Theo pulled back from the plant, shooting Azrug a confused look. ¡°I was expected to see ¡®Glantheir¡¯s Entire Butt¡¯ as the name.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not all fun and games,¡± Azrug said with a wink. ¡°Sometimes I¡¯m a poet.¡±

 5.46 - Fairy Potions

    After finishing up with both Alise and Azrug, Theo went to his lab to check on Salire. He was joined, as always, by Sarisa and Rowan. Before he even entered the building, he could smell the scent of simmering mashes on the third floor. From that scent alone, he detected his assistant was working on some standard Hallow Ground Essence. He ascended the stairs, finding the half-ogre moving between the stills to adjust the heat. She looked up with a sheepish smile, nodding to the alchemist.


    Theo inspected each of the stills. Salire was working on essences that were first tier, which was well within her skill level. Everything seemed fine to him, but she had been diligent in keeping track of the heating times for different reagents at various tiers.


    ¡°Looks good to me,¡± Theo said, summoning the building¡¯s internal essence storage to check their stock. They always kept at least a few units of healing, mana, and stamina essence on hand. Just in case. As the town and alliance expanded, that number would need to grow.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Salire said, dabbing sweat from her forehead.


    She inquired about the sprayer project Theo had kicked off. It was hard for him to say how it was going. Once the essence consumption reports rolled in, he would have a good idea of how much they needed to produce. His first impression was one of excess. They had stockpiled too much of the Hallow the Soil essence, and wouldn¡¯t need as much as they had made. The alchemist preferred to have more than he needed, though.


    Alchemy had become something other than simply helping people. Folks around town relied on the alchemist for many things. Cleansing Scrub kept people and places clean. Restoration potions made sure the adventurers could keep fighting and curtailed any accidents that would render workers bedridden. Curative potions were consumed daily, banishing a long list of diseases created by the swampy environment. Theo imagined the role of the Newt and Demon changing in the coming days. As it had with the problem of undeath, the lab would create potions that solved specific problems. But it was important not to forget the little things.


    ¡°Where do you think our lab is going?¡± Theo asked, falling into a chair and kicking his legs up on a table.


    ¡°Our lab?¡± Salire asked, fidgeting with her hands.


    Theo shrugged, smiling up at his apprentice. ¡°That¡¯s my question. This is becoming more of a shared space for both of us. There¡¯s no way I can do the workload required by the town. So, where do you see us going?¡±


    Salire had to think about the question for quite some time. She paced between the stills, placing her hand on top of the boiling hot surfaces a few times. She removed her hand, cursing, but did it again a few times.


    ¡°I like the idea of sharing the lab,¡± Salire said finally. She shrugged as though she didn¡¯t believe her own words. Not that she couldn¡¯t imagine herself being that integral to the lab, but that she didn¡¯t deserve it. ¡°Our cures, enhancement, and restoration potions are vital to the alliance. With so few healers, people rely on us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying we¡¯re good with what we¡¯re doing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°What about research?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Advanced potions like the soul potions. Reagents that are hard to find. Or too difficult to cultivate without a skilled hand.¡±


    Salire laughed as though she couldn¡¯t believe Theo. But she was smiling. ¡°That¡¯s the way things are now. I handle the low-level potions while you work on the research.¡±


    Theo nodded in agreement. That was true, wasn¡¯t it? Salire wasn¡¯t useless. Far from it. She had taken to the art of alchemy better than he had. And she doesn¡¯t have any of the cheats that he does. With her help, they discovered several important things. Including the Hallow the Soil potion. At the very least, she was a knowledgeable sounding board. At best, she was an ever-expanding well of knowledge and skill. He pushed himself out of his chair, clapping a hand on the half-ogre¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I think what I learned is that I¡¯m not doing enough. Doesn¡¯t seem like a lot of time in this lab. But we¡¯re the two most advanced alchemists in the world. By default.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sit well with me,¡± Salire said, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.


    ¡°Think about it. Drogramath dedicated himself to alchemy entirely. When he hands out a core, it comes with a Level 50 skill from the standard form of alchemy. People spend decades working on that and we get it day one.¡±


    Salire fell into silence, casting her eyes to the ground. Theo watched as she chewed her cheek, trying to wrap her mind around how important they were. He didn¡¯t want to impart a sense of arrogance into her, but there was a deeper meaning to their purpose here. They held the legacy of Drogramath in their hands. From what the god himself said, there were few or no remaining Drogramath Dronon on the mortal plane. While that was created by the way the race reproduced, it was still a fact.


    ¡°We can only do our best. Right?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Right!¡± Theo said, clapping his hand on her shoulder again. ¡°Let¡¯s make an offering to the shrine, then I¡¯ll go down to the second floor to do some research. You stay up here and keep working the stills.¡±


    Salire nodded, joining Theo to the shrine in the room¡¯s corner. Each offering they made to the shrine added to an invisible experience bar. The building maintained the bond with Drogramath, not the alchemist operating the equipment. He placed a Widow Lily on the shrine, watching as it went up in purple flames. For just a moment, he could feel his god draw slightly closer.


    After making the offering, Theo left Salire to work on her own things. He went down to the stuffy second floor, clearing away a few tables and lighting candles. Rowan and Sarisa complained about the heat in the room, so they kicked on the air conditioner. It was brutally hot outside today, without a single cloud to help. The alchemist could produce several tiers of potions at the moment. First tier potions were simply distilled, then brewed. Nothing fancy went into those. Next were second tier potions, which required the essence to be put under pressure. The method they used for that stripped the last step, pressurizing the essence while it was still in vapor form. Third tier potions were made by infusing pure alcohol with an essence, then combining that with a second tier essence during the distillation process. The resulting essences were the most pure they could produce, embodying a chaotic level of power.


    The last form of potion-making Theo had discovered was through the Suffuse Potion. By breaking down essences into their primal, powdered form, he could combine them together. The resulting potions were often random, but essences with similar properties combined well. The alchemist thought of these potions as default third tier. Although the fourth tier was out of his reach, he considered suffuse potions made from third tier essences to be fourth. Those were the ¡®greater¡¯ potions of the world that represented a level of power that was hard to consider. Modifiers worked similarly, producing potions that had parts of both the modifier and the base potion.


    Theo withdrew an Ice Quartz from his inventory. It was a pea-sized gem, so delicate it seemed to melt in his hand. The item kept its form, but only just. Catalysts were less important in potion making. The alchemist had decided that fact was because of the lab¡¯s stabilizing features, but it could have been his status as champion. Iron Shavings worked fine, even at the second tier, but Drogramathi Iron worked better. Even if the metal wasn¡¯t alchemically reactive, it still worked as a catalyst.


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    The alchemist withdrew a flask of Refined Fairy¡¯s Blessing Essence from his inventory, placing it on the table for inspection. Within the flask, the faintly pink essence swirled on its own. Theo could feel the power of the essence pouring from the top of the flask, washing over him with a heady mixture of power and intent. It was derived from the Fairy Plum, which was the spirit fruit that represented the Wisdom attribute. That troublesome attribute. He had used that essence to create the Potion of Return. It made him think about Fenian.


    Theo withdrew a vial before pouring a unit of the essence inside and topping it off with Enchanted Water. He swirled it, watching as motes of white formed within the liquid. After a momentary pause, he dropped a single Drogramathi Iron flake inside. The potion swirled and bubbled, putting off the sweet scent of fruit. He made a mental note of the timid reaction of the potion before inspecting it.


    [Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion]


    [Potion]


    Mythic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to experience the Fairy¡¯s cunning.


    Effect:


    For one hour after drinking this potion, the imbiber may see five seconds into the future.


    Only one future-sight potion may be imbibed per day.


    Repeated use of this potion may produce lasting problems.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that the potion was dangerous. Five seconds into the future wasn¡¯t much, but it was something. Theo smiled to himself as he considered how he would use the potion to his advantage. In a combat situation, it made sense. The line in the effects section about repeated use was frightening, but the alchemist was already aware of potions like that. Any potion that made a person larger would leave long-lasting heart problems. He was certain there were other potions that caused problems, but had discovered none.


    Fairy Plums were rare things. Theo had a garden of them in Tero¡¯gal, but those came with problems. The first issue was that they took forever to grow. The second problem was that the spirits within the realm needed the spirit fruit to survive. He hadn¡¯t confirmed this theory, but any spirit that ate the fruit regained their full form quicker than those that didn¡¯t. Belgar owed his completed form to the fruits, which made it hard for the alchemist to want to use them. There was also a conceptual limit to the amount that could grow within the realm. Some hard-coded thing from the system that prevented him from making a fruit farm.


    Theo produced a few more vials, brewing a handful of the potions into vials geared toward modifiers. He would find a solution to the fruit problem later. For now, he wanted to see how the fairy potion took to modifiers. The Holy modifier had joined the ranks of useful modifiers. Anti-mage was his go-to, but for this experiment he started with Holy. The alchemist introduced the golden modifier to the potion and scooted back in his chair. He winced as he prepared for the explosion, but was treated to a pleasant bubbling and a renewed scent of fruit in the air. Both Sarisa and Rowan shot a look as though to say ¡®should we be concerned?¡¯ He gave them the thumbs-up, turning back to his experiment to inspect the resulting modified potion.


    [Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Mythic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to experience the Fairy¡¯s cunning.


    Effect:


    For fifteen minutes after drinking this potion, the imbiber may view another part of the world of their choosing. Magical counter-measures may impede the imbiber¡¯s ability to see into guarded places.


    Only two far-sight potions may be imbibed per day.


    Leaning back in his chair, Theo blew out a steady breath. How vague could he be with the potion? And how did it work? The alchemist needed to know how the potion worked right then and there. It was hard to hold back his excitement as he scooped the potion up, preparing to down it.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± Sarisa said, rushing over. ¡°Just quaffing a random potion?¡±


    Theo looked at her and shrugged. ¡°Why not? Looks safe.¡±


    ¡°Looks like a swirling, bubbling vial of pink and gold,¡± Sarisa said, placing her hands on her hips. ¡°As in dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Hark,¡± Theo said, pointing at the far side of the room. ¡°Rowan is stealing your wineskin.¡±


    Sarisa whipped around, glaring at her brother. Theo downed the potion. The rush was instant and intense. The room around him went black as he felt the potion¡¯s intent. He felt the half-ogre¡¯s hand on his shoulder, but ignored it. The potion was waiting for him to instruct it, which he did. First he gave the impression as though he wanted to see the floating city of Qavell. But that request was rejected. Instead, he imagined the coastline of the continent in his mind. Based on how fast a lumbering city might go, he selected one section of the coast. A shock of electricity ran through his body. Wind rushed by, deafening him as the other senses of his body dulled. He no longer felt Sarisa¡¯s hand on his shoulder.


    Theo tried to shout, but nothing happened. He was floating miles above the coast on the eastern side of the continent. He saw why Qavell had never built a port here. The water met against solid rock that rose high into the sky. Waves lapped against the stone below as the ocean spread far to the east, north, and south. The alchemist figured out how to move his vision around, although it took great effort. Far in the distance, south of his floating position, there was a floating speck. A spike drove itself into his head when he looked at it and he was suddenly thrown out of the vision.


    ¡°...idiot!¡± Sarisa shouted.


    Theo fell back out of his chair, hitting his head on the ground. He groaned, clutching the back of his skull as Sarisa berated him.


    ¡°Was it worth it?¡± she asked, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him.


    ¡°It really was,¡± Theo croaked. ¡°I¡¯ve spotted Qavell.¡±


    Sarisa released him in an instant, blinking in confusion. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. About half-way between where they started and here. Along the coast.¡±


    ¡°You saw it?¡± Rowan asked, slapping the side of Theo¡¯s face as though to revive him.


    ¡°Stop hitting me,¡± Theo said, batting the siblings¡¯ hands away. ¡°I saw it for about a second before I was thrown from the vision. Maybe because there was a woman slapping me in the face.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hit you that hard.¡±


    Theo rubbed his face, feeling the heat on his cheek. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I need to report this,¡± Rowan said, rummaging through the satchel he carried with him. He produced a map of the continent. ¡°Show me on the map where the floating city hurt you.¡±


    Theo pressed his finger into the map and nodded. ¡°A few miles south of there.¡±


    ¡°Earth measurements,¡± Rowan growled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I wrote the conversion down.¡±


    And then Rowan was gone, off to report Theo¡¯s findings to Aarok. The alchemist rose, approaching his desk shakily. He sat there for a moment, inspecting his mind for damage. But there was nothing. Someone had created a field of magic around Qavell that interfered with the potion. He didn¡¯t think it was likely that anyone detected him, but did it matter? The city was coming to destroy the alliance. It wasn¡¯t exactly a stealth mission.


    ¡°Sarisa,¡± Theo groaned, holding his head. He let out a ragged sigh. ¡°Could you get a Stamina Potion from Salire?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Sarisa said, patting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Check to see if we have a Greater Stamina Potion in stock.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Sarisa said, running off.


    Theo looked up from his feigned discomfort, adding more Holy modifier to another vial of Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion. He swirled it, speeding the reaction up. He could hear Sarisa stomping up the stairs as he downed another potion, then watched as the room went black. Once the potion was ready for his intent, he imagined Vesta on the western coast of the continent. The alchemist was once again thrown through reality until he was floating above a sandy coastline.


    This time he wasn¡¯t miles in the air, only a few hundred feet. He looked over the destruction there, finding nothing but undead and ruined buildings. While he wasn¡¯t immediately rejected from the vision, he felt something within the endless ranks of the undead. They were standing around, shivering on the spot or otherwise contorting in strange ways. That same sensation prickled in his mind again. A figure strode out onto the beach, its body covered in dark cloth with a hood concealing its face.


    ¡°What a surprise,¡± it said, looking up to the exact spot where Theo floated. ¡°What can I do for you, Champion of Drogramath?¡±

 5.47 - This Aint Zalaban

    Theo flailed in his mind, desperate to move or dispel the potion. Nothing worked. He could only look around the remnants of Vesta as words came into his mind but were never spoken aloud. The figure below laughed, soon releasing a rattling cough that chilled the alchemist to the bone.


    ¡°What spell is that?¡± the figure asked, shambling closer to get a better look at Theo. ¡°Alchemy, of course. What a strange effect. I¡¯ve never seen it.¡±


    The figure tilted its head to either side, as though he was trying to understand what Theo said. Again, he laughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite untrained with magic, aren¡¯t you? Express your intent through magery. Use your mana. There it is. A little louder, please. My form is still new.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Theo asked, feeling the words echo through the air. He couldn¡¯t tell if they were actual words. They seemed closer to manifested intent than anything else. But the figure below chuckled, his face still hidden by the hood.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one thing, champion,¡± the figure said, gesturing to the undead around him. ¡°These bones make for poor company, so I welcome you to the Ashes of Vesta. But I do not have a name. Do you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Theo,¡± the alchemist responded. The more words he used, the easier it seemed to be.


    ¡°Welcome, Theo. Your name carried on the winds of magic in the southlands. And I apologize for the trouble my minions caused. I fear that I¡­ my progenitor didn¡¯t think this plan through. You may call me the Wanderer, until I discover a better name.¡±


    Theo¡¯s mind twitched. The fear of his situation melted away. The more he examined the state his mind was in, the more he realized he was in no real danger. This wasn¡¯t like moving through the realms, where his physical body was sent to another place. This was a thread of his mind, stretched across the world. If this form was destroyed, it wouldn¡¯t matter. The backlash in Broken Tusk would be minimal, and he would be fine. After he calmed down, he knew exactly who he was talking to.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I call you Balkor?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s quick,¡± the Wanderer said, turning to tap his knuckles against the skull of a skeleton. Theo spotted the bone-like appendages of the man and mentally recoiled. ¡°Yes, and no. Balkor created an imprint of his soul during the First Ascension War. How long ago was that?¡±


    ¡°Fifty-thousand years ago. I think,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the Wanderer said, turning to the city he just destroyed. ¡°This isn¡¯t Zalaban?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±


    The Wanderer was a lich. Theo understood this based on what Fenian had told him about Balkor¡¯s fall, and how he used a phylactery to lure the undead to Qavell. The necromantic power of an undead army brought him back to life, but it wasn¡¯t the current incarnation of Balkor. It was an imprint of him from thousands of years ago, back when an empire still ruled the continent. The lich that stood amongst the undead below him wasn¡¯t the modern day version of Balkor, but one that lived before ascension. There were many things to think about with that, but the alchemist didn¡¯t have the time. He had to play therapist to a lich.


    ¡°But I got what I came for,¡± the Wanderer said, running his hand over something under his cloak. ¡°They were hoarding it.¡±


    ¡°This is weird,¡± Theo said. He tried to shrug, but couldn¡¯t. ¡°I just wanted to put that out there. From my perspective, you¡¯ve been assaulting my towns with the undead. I appreciate your apology, though. Do you have them under control?¡±


    ¡°Absolute control,¡± the Wanderer said, turning to look at his minions once more. He turned back to Theo, pulling his hood back to reveal a skeletal face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m at a loss. I have it. But what should I do now?¡±


    Theo constructed the narrative in his head. Balkor had a few places to keep his soul, just in case it was destroyed. This made it so he wouldn¡¯t fall out of power. So long as he was ¡®alive,¡¯ his realm wouldn¡¯t fall completely. When he descended to the mortal plane, he brought an old phylactery along just in case. Fenian found it, brought it to Qavell, which created the Wanderer. The alchemist imagined there was a period where the new version of Balkor wouldn¡¯t have all his senses. He likely came to Vesta looking for something the old version needed. As he went, more of his senses came back. Now he was lost and confused. An unwitting party to this massacre.


    Theo wouldn¡¯t place blame anywhere. That wasn¡¯t his place. He had about five minutes left to convince the lich to pull his necromantic powers in. To stop spreading the corruption.


    ¡°You¡¯re corrupting the continent with your power,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it was your intention.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Wanderer said, turning once again to his minions. ¡°They followed me here. I have only recently gained command over them and¡­ and myself.¡±


    ¡°Draw your power into yourself. We may be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Could you? On the other side of the continent?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re purging the land of the necromantic power. We¡¯ll work our way north, then to the west.¡±


    ¡°Do you plan to kill me?¡±


    Yes. Of course the answer was ¡®yes,¡¯ but there might be another way. Like any power in the world, necromantic power wasn¡¯t bad. Well, it didn¡¯t need to be bad. Theo based this conclusion on how Glantheir handled Balkor¡¯s incursion. If the Elven God of Healing wanted to get rid of the demon god, he could have. But he didn¡¯t. Which meant there was at least some value in keeping him alive. But the alchemist¡¯s time was running out.


    ¡°If you¡¯re a problem, we¡¯ll banish you,¡± Theo said. ¡°If you draw your power in, staying on that side of the spine, we won¡¯t have a problem.¡±


    ¡°And I have your promise. That¡¯s it?¡± the Wanderer asked.


    ¡°My time is limited. My promise is that we¡¯ll purge undeath from the land up until the spine. Then we¡¯ll stop there, leaving you to do whatever it is you want. So long as you stop spreading the corruption.¡±


    The wanderer looked around, nodding to himself. Theo could feel the effects of the potion slipping away.


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    ¡°I think I like that,¡± the Wanderer said, nodding to himself. Theo could almost feel him smiling, but the lich¡¯s skull was constantly grinning. ¡°I¡¯ll start by¡­ ah, your potion is fading. Farewell!¡±


    Theo gasped, looking up at the wooden ceiling with wide eyes. Both Sarisa and Salire stood over him. Both had their arms crossed with sour expressions on their faces.


    ¡°You lied to me,¡± Sarisa said.


    Theo smiled back, patting himself down. There was no damage to his body or mind. But he had a lot to process. The wanderer was pleasant to talk to. Maybe it was because the lich hadn¡¯t talked with anyone else, but there was a glimmer of hope within him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Salire asked, pressing her hand on Theo¡¯s forehead. ¡°The light in your eyes went out. They were just black.¡±


    ¡°Perfectly fine.¡± Theo pushed himself to his feet, not even needing the help of his companions. They had removed him from the chair. He paused, letting his thoughts gather. The encounter was too confusing to process all at once. ¡°I saw someone.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Salire asked, cutting off Sarisa before she could grill him further.


    ¡°A lich. The potion lets you see distant places. I saw Vesta. Well, what¡¯s left of it.¡±


    ¡°You did what?¡± Sarisa groaned. ¡°That sounds dangerous.¡±


    ¡°He was really nice.¡±


    ¡°How many dead people was he standing on top of?¡± Sarisa asked, narrowing her eyes on the alchemist.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t standing on them.¡±


    Her gaze intensified.


    ¡°A few. Hundred. Thousand,¡± Theo said, adjusting the scope of the Wanderer¡¯s destruction as he spoke. ¡°I understand, Sarisa. Not a good move.¡±


    Sarisa took one steady breath, rolling her shoulders as she calmed down. She had more questions about what Theo had seen and how he was seen. He explained everything that he could, emphasizing that he understood how dangerous the situation was. The temptation to see Vesta was just too great. Both Qavell and Vesta were high on his list of interesting places on the continent right now.


    ¡°Because I made first contact with him, he has a good impression of the world,¡± Theo said, jabbing a finger at nowhere in particular. ¡°He was confused. Recently resurrected and leading an army he didn¡¯t want.¡±


    ¡°At least you threatened him,¡± Sarisa said with a shrug.


    ¡°While he seemed intelligent, he was also clueless about what was going on.¡±


    ¡°Alise is going to piss and shit herself if you tell her,¡± Sarisa said, scratching her head with both hands. She continued doing so for a few moments, groaning in frustration.


    ¡°More info is good. Besides, talking with an echo of Balkor has to be one of the more normal things I¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re alright,¡± Salire said.


    Alise would be a problem. But something like this wasn¡¯t for her to consider. Theo had been trying to keep military and administrative matters separated as best he could. Therefore, she had nothing to do with it. Instead, it was a matter for Alran and Aarok. The alchemist wanted to stay as far aways as he could, so he wrote a report for someone else to take over. He made sure to detail the fact that the Wanderer could have sent him packing at any moment, and kept the line of magical communication up as a show of good faith. After he had his report written in the administration interface, making sure to limit the access to the document, he turned to his companions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a chat with the gods. See if I can get anyone to vouch for the Wanderer,¡± Theo said, turning to pass through the void. Sarisa¡¯s hand clapped over his shoulder.


    ¡°Careful, Theo,¡± she said, her tone one of friendly concern. ¡°Make sure you ask the right one.¡±


    ¡°I know just the god,¡± Theo said, chuckling as he felt the ground fall out from under him.


    Instead of heading directly to Tero¡¯gal, Theo took the stealth approach. When he passed over the bridge, he halted his progress. The bridge loomed below him as he descended, and he felt the familiar presence of Uz¡¯Xulven. The shadows twisted on the bridge¡¯s edge, soon revealing the gloomy form of the demon god.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± she asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t sat around for a year not to get my tea, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Mind if I stop by the Realm of Healing, first?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then we¡¯ll have some tea?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Be my guest,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, gesturing vaguely to the bridge. An expanding portal appeared, revealing the realm behind it. Theo thanked her and stepped through.


    Even before the alchemist set foot in the verdant gardens of Glantheir¡¯s realm, he smelled the familiar scent of Qavelli Berries. A pair of elves, both wearing light white robes, giggled as Theo passed by. He waved with a nervous smile, then pushed through the beautiful landscape. The alchemist had been here once before, and he was again reminded of how gorgeous this place was. Though he hadn¡¯t explored it well, he imagined the entire realm was like this small area. He ascended winding stairs, soon finding himself before a massive open-air building. Glantheir¡¯s presence was near.


    ¡°Theo,¡± Glantheir¡¯s voice came drifting through the white stone building. Theo followed it, finding the god of the realm standing before people of all races.


    ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it going?¡± Theo asked, waving awkwardly to the group. More giggles. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±


    Glantheir nodded and the crowd of people dispersed. He waited until the group was gone before he spoke. ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes, then shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re being nice, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. I watched as you contacted him. You handled it rather well.¡±


    The elven god crossed the room, pouring something from a silver pitcher into two silver goblets. He brought them over and handed one to Theo. The alchemist took a sip, finding that it was just juice. While he expected wine, he appreciated the slightly tart juice. Glantheir led him to a patio on the far side of the building. Elegant chairs and tables littered the area. Below were sprawling forests and rolling hills. Far in the distance was a snow-capped mountain.


    ¡°I figured you would have given him a chance,¡± Theo said, leaning on the white stone railing. ¡°I mean, what did I do? He was on the other side of the continent. We haven¡¯t thrown a Hallow Ground Potion on him or anything.¡±


    ¡°No, but those were the first words he has heard from a mortal since gaining a new form. Balkor from the first age was a different man entirely. Yes, he¡¯s a lich now. While there might be some who think of undeath as a perversion, it doesn¡¯t need to be. It can be no more dangerous than the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Theo said, sipping more of his juice. Glantheir took a seat. ¡°That¡¯s encouraging. With that out of the way, I hope I can count on your support in the future.¡±


    ¡°For advice? Certainly. I have an agent moving to contact the Wanderer.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully for a friendly chat.¡±


    ¡°Among other things.¡±


    That was a great comfort. Theo breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Glantheir was on the case. If things went wrong, the ¡®agent¡¯ would take care of any problems that arose. Because ¡®agent¡¯ was just a code word for a champion. Once again, the alchemist was reminded of Fenian. Currently trapped in Tarantham, the elven trader was supposed to steal a ship and sail for Broken Tusk. The conversation turned away from business, though. Glantheir was interested in chatting about memories of Earth. Theo was surprised with himself. He found those old descriptions of their old home to be a great comfort. Compared to the reality of that wasteland, the descriptions were pleasant.


    ¡°Perhaps it is time to go,¡± Glantheir said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d like some tea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I got what I need to know,¡± Theo said, edging his consciousness away from the Realm of Healing. ¡°Wanna come with me?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Theo found it oddly simple to bring Glantheir along with him. He pushed both of them through the void, then over the Bridge of Shadows. Within a breath, they were emerging through the veil and into the realm of Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist was just happy there wasn¡¯t a gaggle of souls waiting for approval. Instead, he saw the many gateways of the other gods springing up in the open field. Belgar was trotting over to greet Theo and Glantheir.


    ¡°We have invented a new sport!¡± Belgar shouted, jumping on the spot. ¡°Behold!¡±


    The spirits had invented rollerblading. Theo shook his head, trying to remember if he mentioned roller skating or rollerblading to any of the souls. They had to make modifications to his roads, somehow paving them with a solid material that seemed to be poured concrete. While he had no idea how they did it, it was necessary. The alchemist imagined people rollerblading over a cobblestone road. That would have ended in more injuries than anything else.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Benton shouted, waving him over. Spit, Drogramath, and Uz¡¯Xulven were already entering the cottage. ¡°Come on! I got some new tea.¡±


    Glantheir made a delighted noise. ¡°Let¡¯s go. That man is revolutionizing the heavenly tea industry.¡±


    Theo smiled, joining by the god¡¯s side as they entered the cabin. The alchemist felt complete ease washing over his mind. Glantheir had a way of doing that.

 5.48 - Utility Potions

    The lab in the Newt and Demon was crowded. Sarisa, Rowan, and Salire had listened to Theo¡¯s request, only pulling Aarok and Alran in for a brief meeting. The leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had brought Xol¡¯sa in on it, in a surprisingly wise move. When the alchemist reappeared from his twenty-four hour rollerblading and tea-sipping adventure, he found himself surrounded by those people. He cleared his throat, waving awkwardly to each of them.


    ¡°Are you aware of a spell called ¡®Mindhunt?¡¯¡± Xol¡¯sa asked, pressing his finger into Theo¡¯s chest. ¡°It must sound awfully familiar.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have my soul slayed,¡± Theo said, crossing the room through the crowd and finding a seat. ¡°Good to see you, too.¡±


    ¡°Did ya learn anything from the heavens?¡± Aarok asked.


    That was the kind of attitude Theo wanted to see. Not accusations, but a constant pressing forward to solutions. He explained what Glantheir had said, and that it should put everyone¡¯s mind at ease. No one but the elven god¡¯s champion could have been assigned to the job. The most powerful god in the heavens had sent his first in command on the mortal plane, so there was no need to worry. Aarok and Alran were worried.


    It took Theo a while to go over every piece of information he had, all the while being berated by Xol¡¯sa. An hour of that was enough to sate the alchemist¡¯s need for pestering conversation for quite some time. Only when the pressing group of people left his lab did he feel at ease. He wouldn¡¯t be using the potion anytime soon. Especially with Sarisa watching so closely. Before getting back to work, he withdrew Fenian¡¯s communication crystal and squeezed it. The buzzing filled his mind twice before the elf picked up on the other end.


    ¡°Alchemist! I keep forgetting to call you,¡± Fenian said with more joy in his voice than the alchemist had heard in recent days.


    ¡°Where are you at?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Are you alive?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. Takes more than an army to stop this elf. I¡¯m sailing with a group of pirates! Can you imagine? Pirates!¡±


    ¡°Sounds exciting. How long until you get to town? We still have your karatan and carriage.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m not sure how fast these pirates can move this old washtub of a boat. A few days. A few weeks. Months? Hard to say.¡±


    ¡°Keep me updated. We¡¯ve had a few developments I¡¯d like to talk about in person.¡±


    ¡°Certainly. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to participate in a rum guzzling contest.¡±


    Before Theo could ask what that was, the call was disconnected. The alchemist was left looking at the concerned faces of Salire, Sarisa, and Rowan. ¡°Fenian is on his way back.¡±


    Rowan turned to the others in the room, finally shrugging. ¡°I think it was worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Rowan,¡± Sarisa groaned. ¡°You¡¯re going to encourage him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like we¡¯re not up against some serious power. We offer to risk our lives for him every day. So what if he wants to do it for the sake of an entire nation?¡±


    ¡°A nation of how many? A thousand?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°More than the one we¡¯re protecting.¡±


    Theo held up a silencing hand. Rowan and Sarisa were always very professional, but they were siblings. If he let this continue, it could come to blows. ¡°Xol¡¯sa lectured me enough. But don¡¯t pretend as though I won¡¯t use the potion again. I¡¯ll be smarter about it next time, though.¡±


    ¡°You better be careful next time,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°How are we going to protect you against mages from afar?¡±


    Salire raised her hand timidly. ¡°I would have taken the potion, too. We figured something out about our two biggest problems. In a matter of moments.¡±


    Sarisa grumbled. ¡°At least make sure the wizard is here the next time you take it. Or make him take it.¡±


    Theo appreciated how concerned Sarisa was. He had hired her and her brother to guard him, but they had become more than that. Most people in Broken Tusk saw the alchemist as a native, although he was not. Once everyone had calmed down, he considered what other work they could get down. He hadn¡¯t even shown them the base version of the potion, which was powerful on its own. This experiment revealed two types of potions to him. Far-sight, and future-sight potions. Both seemed dangerous and useful.


    Instead of getting back to work, Theo discussed his findings with Salire. They moved down to the shop, where she could handle customers as the discussion rolled on. Once they had made a resolution to test the other spirit fruits, they moved on to other topics. While he was in the heavens, he poked at the gods for a good core option. Each had refused to answer his questions, citing the binding laws that Khahar now enforced.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at those things,¡± Sarisa said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve been swapping cores since I got them. Only Drogramath¡¯s alchemy ever felt right for me.¡±


    Night was drawing closer as their conversation rolled on. Theo had a few experiments planned for the Dreamwalk, so he didn¡¯t want to get anything going here on the real plane. Instead, he invited Salire over for dinner at the manor. She accepted, naturally. Sarisa and Rowan might have been annoyed with the alchemist, but he had a feeling they would still make some delicious food. The group headed to the manor an hour before sunset, stepping out into the brutal heat and heading over to the air conditioned building.


    Theo fell into one of the many comfortable chairs in the sitting room, sighing and casting his eyes to the ceiling. Tresk had already skimmed his memories of the far-sight potion, and was forming opinions. He could feel her mind twist around the danger versus the reward of getting information from far away. She was undecided, but at least she wouldn¡¯t yell at him. Both she and Alex arrived at the same time. The alchemist shook his head, getting a good look at the goose. She was taller than the marshling, even when she bent her slender neck down.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to ride her soon enough,¡± Theo said, gesturing at the pair.


    ¡°We already tried,¡± Tresk said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°She isn¡¯t big enough yet.¡±


    ¡°Yet,¡± Alex said, speaking through the Tara¡¯hek. ¡°But I am close.¡±


    Theo patted the goose on the head, feeling her slick feathers under his fingers. She had grown with her level, and he couldn¡¯t help but examine her.


    [Alexandria D¡¯Goose]


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    [Goose]


    [Familiar]


    Stage:


    [Exceptionally Large Goose]


    Master:


    [Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal]


    Level 24


    Description:


    Geese are known as the most loving creatures in all the realms. Any rumors spread to disparage these honorable creatures will be met with a flurry of feathers and bill.


    Affinities:


    Fire


    Nature


    There were a few things to note. Her stage was at Exceptionally Large Goose, which was weird. Alex had started off as a Gosling, or a baby goose. She then became a Large Goose, and now an Exceptionally Large Goose. Since Miana had tamed the Marsh Wolves, marshlings had ridden them like horses. Judging by the size of those creatures, Tresk wasn¡¯t far away from riding atop Alex, which would be a nightmare on the battlefield. The goose had also expanded her affinities, taking up nature fully. It was almost at a point where she could control natural elements as easily as she could control fire.


    Dinner was pleasant, though. Sarisa and Rowan prepared something Theo hadn¡¯t eaten in a while. They placed the plates on the table, revealing a meal of seared karatan steaks with a pile of karatan butter on top. As a side, they had prepared grilled greens that the alchemist wasn¡¯t familiar with. He cut into the steak, finding a cool pink center. The meat was so tender it seemed to melt in his mouth before he had to chew it, combining with the butter to create a distinctly rich flavor. The salt, pepper, and otherworldly spices atop the steak sent him over the edge. Those greens on the side didn¡¯t slack, either. They were a combination of asparagus and broccoli in flavor, providing a deep earthy offset to the richness of the steak.


    ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself,¡± Theo said, finding himself clearing away his plate for the first time in a long time.


    ¡°All we need to do is serve him big slabs of meat,¡± Sarisa said, chuckling from the other side of the table. ¡°And our boy will grow up big and strong.¡±


    ¡°They grow up so fast,¡± Rowan said, wiping a fake tear from his eye.


    Theo smiled back at them, unoffended by their prodding. Those around him went to significant efforts to get him to act as though he were actually the archduke of a rising nation. But he knew he could rely on them to correct him when he was being an idiot. Or too impulsive, compassionate, and so on. Even Alise¡¯s pestering served a purpose and the alchemist would never discount it. Even if he was annoyed.


    The rest of the meal went well. Theo watched as his friends ate, and engaged in friendly conversation about whatever was on their minds. Rowan wouldn¡¯t stop talking about his new love. The dining party groaned every time he brought some new facet of his girlfriend up. He reveled in each annoyed sound, basking in it like a lizard warming themselves on a hot rock.


    Dusk fell over Broken Tusk by the time everyone was done with their meals. Theo and Tresk could have fallen into the Dreamwalk earlier, but they both enjoyed the friendly conversation. Even Alex tried to put her thoughts out there, but could only produce honks out loud. The marshling was happy to translate for her, adding every goofy remark the familiar had to add. But the night wore on, and the Tara¡¯hek headed upstairs to fall into their private dream.


    Tresk had a thing for the mossy forest, dropping the party between those familiar trees. Theo had another location in mind, though. With a thought, he shifted the scene to represent the ruins of Vesta. The marshling scoffed, looking around as she shook her head.


    ¡°Figured you would¡¯ve brought us here. Is that the guy? The lich?¡± she asked, looking at Theo¡¯s approximation of the Wanderer.


    ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± Theo said, walking over to poke the figure in the face. His skeletal body didn¡¯t move. ¡°And all his friends.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for this place,¡± Alex said, honking her disapproval.


    It was a grim place. The delightful sandy shore betrayed the level of destruction. But the Dreamwalk only went as far as Theo could remember from his position in the air. Everything after that was a hazy smear of gray and green. The alchemist shifted his thoughts, finding nothing to gain from the scene. He transported them to a mountain top near the eastern coastline of the continent. Tresk almost tumbled down the sheer drop, cursing as she adjusted her footing on the rocky surface. Although he had only seen it for a moment, Qavell was represented in as much detail as possible in the distance.


    ¡°Wow. That was worth seeing,¡± Tresk said, squinting into the distance. ¡°You think we can take that thing?¡±


    Theo had no impression of the floating city other than the brief visual. If there was a magical impression to be gleaned, he couldn¡¯t feel it. That was due to his lacking senses, or the effects of the potion. It was impossible to say. Thanks to that fact, he had no idea what they were up against. Only the hints he had been given informed their defensive plan.


    ¡°We need to. But we don¡¯t have to stay here all night. I¡¯d rather go back to the forest.¡±


    ¡°Right? I love that place.¡±


    Theo nodded in approval, and the scene shifted back to the imagined forest. Tresk and Alex had a meeting in a clearing while he set his alchemy equipment up. They were working on combat synergy, highlighting each of their weaknesses to improve. Alex was great in the air, but the moment she landed she was useless. Tresk needed to strike from stealth, with poison on her weapons, otherwise she would need to retreat into the shadows. This meant that the goose was a distraction. And she was damn good at it.


    They scampered away as Theo considered something Salire said. Potions with powerful effects were cool, but the little things mattered. Maybe more than the big things. The alchemist imagined a Flame Rose, a chair, and a table to work on. He deconstructed the rose, revealing the last two properties but leaving the hidden property for now. He inspected the rose.


    [Flame Rose]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Rose enchanted with elemental fire. Grows near sources of flame, or fire-creating material.


    Properties:


    [Increase Strength] [Hauling] [Relentless]


    Increase Strength was the property that produced Strength Potions, which made the rose a valuable reagent to grow. But Theo had never seen the Hauling or Relentless property on any other reagent. With a sweep of his hand, he generated some stills to create essence from the flower and got to work. The alchemist ground some imagined Flame Roses, then added Enchanted Water. He turned the heat on two stills, focusing on those two new properties for testing.


    The plan was to create them as a second tier potion, not wanting to bother with a third tier for testing purposes. Second tier potions had become the baseline for everything, as they were easier to make and represented a better sample than the third tier. Theo waited around for his stills to finish. He could have forced his will on the Dreamwalk, completing them almost instantly, but the forest was pleasant. He watched the branches sway above him, not eager to do more work than he needed to. Things had felt like a grind lately, so he wanted to take it easy.


    When the essence finished distilling, Theo imagined vials, catalysts, and more water for the next step. He started with the Hauling property, finding that the potion it created produced a tepid reaction. The resulting potion was a pale shade of red, bordering on pink. The alchemist inspected the potion.


    [Potion of Hauling]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Great Quality


    Allows the imbiber to haul items with great ease.


    Effect:


    For the next hour, all items carried by hand will weigh a fourth less than normal.


    This potion doesn¡¯t take into account the imbiber¡¯s Strength attribute.


    That was an interesting potion. It made sense that the Flame Rose would produce it, and perhaps some people in town would find a use for it. Even if some folks had an inventory power, this potion would have been useful when they were building the harbor. Those stone blocks were heavy as hell.


    Theo turned his attention to the next potion, brewing it and finding the reaction to be more violent. The Relentless property created a less docile potion. The alchemist watched the reaction as it bubbled, some of the liquid foaming over the edge of the vial. When it calmed down, he leaned in to inspect the potion.


    [Potion of Relentless]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Great Quality


    The imbiber no longer feels pain or fatigue while under the effects of this potion.


    Effect:


    For the next thirty minutes, the imbiber no longer feels pain or fatigue.


    The imbiber may overdraw their mana while under the effects of this potion, instead drawing from their health or stamina pool. The amount drawn from Health is 2:1, while Stamina is 3:1.


    Theo nodded. Someone might have found that potion useful, but he didn¡¯t. He turned away from the table, happy enough to find one potion that was good. The alchemist joined with Alex and Tresk, once again facing down the horned snake.

 5.49 - Looking for a Core

    Theo glared at his plate. While Tresk had already downed her food and ran, he was left to look at the mass of burned sausages and over-cooked eggs. Compared to the plates before Rowan and Sarisa, piled high with perfectly cooked food, he felt betrayed.


    ¡°Am I being punished?¡± Theo asked, pushing the inedible food around with his fork.


    ¡°You need a reminder,¡± Sarisa said, snapping into a sausage and smiling across the table. ¡°Not only do I protect you, but I also cook your food.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, withdrawing a bowl of soup from his inventory. Steam rose from the surface, and he watched as globules of fat danced on the surface. This bowl was at least a month old, but his inventory had preserved it perfectly. ¡°The lesson I have learned is to always have a back-up plan.¡±


    Rowan groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad lesson, but not the one my sister was trying to instill.¡±


    ¡°Better than nothing,¡± Sarisa said with a shrug. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I¡¯m happy to have closure on the whole undead thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I would call this ¡®closure.¡¯¡± Theo dipped his spoon into the soup, fishing out a piece of wolf meat. This was from the first batch of food that Xam made with her Cook¡¯s Core. It was far better than the stuff she served when he got there, but nothing compared to what she cooked now.


    Sarisa and Rowan talked with each other about the situation, but Theo inspected his administrative interface. Ziz had requested some of his time today. After the bridge idea failed, he had to go back and evaluate his options. The man was convinced he could make the concept work, although there was no evidence that he could. A simple barrier remained in place. The ocean was vast and powerful, battling against any attempt to tame it with storms and high waves. No matter how deep they drove the foundation of that bridge, it would always topple.


    Digging underground was an option, but it would suffer from the same problem as the bridge. There didn¡¯t seem to be available bedrock on the seabed. Perhaps if they dug deep enough they would find it, but physics would always come back to bite them in the ass. Airships were an option, but Xol¡¯sa had been consulted on that one. The storms that were kicked up in the sea were spurred on by errant magic, once again bringing the same problem they experienced with the necromantic energy.


    The lizard islands weren¡¯t even a prize. Those people had culture to offer, and little else. It wasn¡¯t as though they weren¡¯t as advanced as the rest of the world, but they kept themselves small for a reason. Through those actions they had managed to avoid the purges that plagued the rest of the world. Instead of hurtling forward with seed core buildings and bustling populations, they remained small and mobile. Even their citizens limited the progression of the cores, swapping them out often enough to avoid the system¡¯s inevitable march of destruction.


    Theo finished his soup, but waited for his guardians to complete their meals. Sarisa was mad at him, but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have a job to do. The alchemist was reminded of the Zagmon assassins when he had the urge to leave, and remained until they were done. Once everyone was done eating, they stopped by the lab to check on Salire and the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop to inspect the new plants. Everyone was smooth sailing today, so they made their way through the town, toward the quarry.


    Stabby Groove, the section of town occupied mostly by adventurers, had grown considerably. Elves now outnumbered everyone else by a large margin thanks to House Wavecrest. That was a problem for another day.


    The quarry had grown considerably since the last time Theo had visited. Ziz spotted them from afar and prepared mugs of mead. The alchemist took his cup and drank, knowing that the half-ogre wouldn¡¯t accept anything other than an empty mug in return. He handed it back, putting a smile on Ziz¡¯s face. Rowan and Sarisa reluctantly drank their own.


    ¡°Got my message?¡± Ziz asked, laughing. ¡°Funny how I have to go through the administrators to talk to you.¡±


    Theo scoffed. ¡°Just come find me if you need me.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I wanted to talk about a few projects. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Theo agreed, and the pair walked to the edge of the quarry. Normally, the stone would be somewhere near the top. Ziz typically carved a stairway into the quarry, allowing his workers to walk down to find the best stone. The entire marble quarry produced perfect quality stone, and hadn¡¯t stopped since they found it. Now the stone seemed quite low, and it was easy to see why. There were more workers with Stonecutter¡¯s Cores than ever, chipping away at the rock with hammers and chisels. They guided massive stones as they fell, ensuring that they didn¡¯t shatter. The entire operation was going well, especially now that Ziz wasn¡¯t using the stone to make a bridge to nowhere.


    ¡°I had to lick my wounds for a while, but I¡¯m ready to get back at it,¡± Ziz said, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s back.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got about three plans,¡± he said, withdrawing parchment from his inventory. He placed it on one of many marble stone blocks, holding it down with chipped pieces of the stone. ¡°Have a look.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Theo leaned in, finding oddly detailed sketches of projects, along with descriptions of what those projects were. The first project was a logical one, and something the people in town wanted for quite a while. They would build a bridge over the swamp, just outside of the western gate. That bridge would span all the way to the dungeon, providing an off-ramp to the tower as well. While this project wasn¡¯t necessary, thanks to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal, there had been times when the wizard was too sick to maintain the portal.


    The next project was one that was just practical, and they needed this one. Ziz wanted to tame the river near the river dungeon, creating another underwater tower like the one in the bay. There were a few logistical things that made this project hard, but the solution was on the sheet of parchment. Diverting the river had been an abandoned plan way back when, and it once again resurfaced. Theo thought this was the best way to accomplish the task, and approved of it entirely.


    The third project was vague. Ziz wanted to do something with the tunnel they had carved near the mine, but didn¡¯t know what to do with it yet. The original plan was to use that to connect to the over-water bridge, but it was now defunct. Theo shook his head, looking up at the half-ogre. ¡°That¡¯s a problem for another day.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Check out the last one,¡± Ziz said, wiggling his eyebrows.


    Theo turned his eyes to the last project. It could only be described as ¡®extremely ambitious.¡¯ Broken Tusk was a town bordered by mountains on three sides. Only a relatively narrow passage to the northeast allowed them access to the rest of the alliance. Ziz wanted to reclaim some of that land for the alliance.


    ¡°You want to cut the top off of the mountains,¡± Theo said, giving Ziz a flat look.


    ¡°No, not the mountains,¡± Ziz said, gesturing to the hills behind him. ¡°Just the hills. We¡¯ll top those, lay a nice foundation of stone and invite people to live there.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Theo said, still not believing it was a good idea. ¡°My potions aren¡¯t strong enough for the job. We would need an Earth Mage.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just ideas, Theo,¡± Ziz said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not married to them.¡±


    But Theo¡¯s thoughts had already retreated inward, to a problem he was already facing. There were two things left over from his advancement to Level 30. His free skill pick had remained where it was, completely untouched as he couldn¡¯t find a good fit. But he also had a core to pick. His newest core slot was something he wanted to fill with a willpower-based core, but what about Earth Mage? How many times had the town been without one when they needed one?


    ¡°Maybe we can do it,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin. ¡°Which one do you think is the most important?¡±


    ¡°The river,¡± Ziz said without hesitation. ¡°Which requires some elevated approval.¡±


    Theo understood the meaning of Ziz¡¯s words right away. ¡°You¡¯ll have my full approval on that one, buddy. And whatever funds you need to do it.¡±


    ¡°Always appreciated. Should I send the bill to your lab, or Alise?¡±


    Once again, Theo understood. ¡°Send it to my lab. I¡¯ll let Salire know to pay you from my personal funds if you need it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I love doing business with you, Theo. You¡¯re just so damn easy.¡±


    Theo remained at the quarry for a while, chatting with Ziz. The thing he hated the most was dropping in on a citizen and leaving before they could talk. Those interactions felt too transactional, often leaving the alchemist feeling like a bad leader. He wasn¡¯t a good leader, but he didn¡¯t want to feel that way.


    ¡°I have some people to talk to,¡± Theo said, turning away from the quarry. ¡°See ya.¡±


    Theo headed back into the town, Sarisa and Rowan trailing behind him. He talked with a few people along the way. A few folks had complaints about stuff, and he promptly entered what they said into the administration interface. Their concerns were mostly around the layout of the town, and their inability to place stuff where they wanted. That should have fallen to Alise, Gwyn, and Gael.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Sarisa asked as Theo angled toward the portal. ¡°I don¡¯t like the portal.¡±


    ¡°No one does,¡± Theo said, stepping through. Of course, he didn¡¯t feel the same disorienting sensation as the others. The more time passed, the more inclined he was to use extra-planar travel.


    A few adventurers were standing on the first floor of the tower, chatting with Zarali and Xol¡¯sa. They were discussing the evolution of the Swamp Dungeon, and the appearance of new monsters on the lower floors. Theo found the topic interesting, and didn¡¯t interrupt while they were talking. When they were finally done, the wizard beckoned him over.


    ¡°What is it you require, Theo,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, slapping him on the back. ¡°It seems as though you always need something when you visit my tower.¡±


    ¡°Truthfully, I don¡¯t care for your tower,¡± Theo said, poking his head out the front door. He looked out over the swamp, still holding it as a place to be feared in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about broadening my skills. Taking up another mage core.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa shared a surprised look with Zarali. She placed a hand over her mouth, giggled, then said, ¡°oh, my.¡±


    ¡°I can help with that,¡± he said, laughing and leading the way up the stairs. He stopped on the second floor, gesturing for the alchemist to have a seat.


    The second floor of the tower had been designed to be a study. Books littered shelves on the wall, while random magical devices were strewn around in no particular order. Both Xol¡¯sa and Zarali took seats and waited for him to speak. Theo paused, thinking about what advancement meant to them comparing it to how he viewed it. Most people weren¡¯t as eager to advance in levels as Theo was. From the moment his feet touched ground on this planet, he had been going non-stop. While he had gotten better at taking time to enjoy life, he was still busting his ass daily.


    Zarali didn¡¯t care at all about leveling. She was more concerned with deepening her connection with Drogramath, and understanding every last thing about his form of enchanting. Xol¡¯sa was more interested in studying things to understand them. Those things were often related to his mysterious origins, and his Planar Mage¡¯s Core. There was no better pair of people to talk to about a new core, though.


    Zarali¡¯s willpower was monstrous when compared to Theo. Xol¡¯sa was the most skilled mage the alchemist knew.


    ¡°Okay. I want a new mage core,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I have some questions about willpower and earth magic.¡±


    Zarail and Xol¡¯sa shared a look, nodding to each other. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

 5.50 - Earth Sorcerers Core

    Unfortunately, Xol¡¯sa had adopted a local Broken Tusker tradition. As Theo sat with him and Zarali in the wizard¡¯s tower, a faint fire crackled in the fireplace. If not for the Coat of Rake, the alchemist would have been uncomfortable. Instead, he sat among those musty tomes with his companions feeling as though he was experiencing a cool summer breeze.


    ¡°Earth magic is interesting,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, rising to pull a few books from his shelves. ¡°It might pair well with your personality.¡±


    ¡°As in, you¡¯re stubborn,¡± Zarali interjected.


    Xol¡¯sa nodded in agreement, returning books and pulling new ones as he went down the line. He returned to the plush sofa, setting the books down and spreading them out over the table. After a moment, he selected one and opened it, flipping through the pages before finding what he was looking for.


    ¡°Your desire to increase your willpower is a problem,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, holding the book out for Zarali to take. He then found another and began flipping through that. ¡°But there might be a solution.¡±


    ¡°Yes, willpower is difficult to train. Most crafting cores give you a bit, but not enough to make a difference.¡±


    ¡°We can consider exploiting the system with spells and potions, but that might not be enough for you,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, shaking his head. ¡°I have a better idea.¡±


    Theo waited as the pair went back and forth, searching through books to find what they were looking for. Eventually, the wizard nodded to himself and placed several books on the table, open to the pages he wanted.


    ¡°First, we need to talk about magic. Do you remember when I had you learn Axpashi?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Theo responded in the language. ¡°I love ducks.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa gave him an annoyed look at first, but smiled. ¡°Decent. For a slacker. Most mage-style cores open magic to their users with three distinct modes of casting. Channeling, which means that you form magical arrays in your soul. Chanting¡ªthat¡¯s the one you use¡ªmeans that you form the array through words. Somatic gestures allow the caster to make arrays with hand gestures, like this¡­¡±


    Xol¡¯sa performed a series of rapid hand movements. A magical circle appeared in the air before him, laced with intricate sigils. Theo clapped.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a bow. ¡°The system tags all cores that use that form of spell work as ¡®mage.¡¯ Your mage core is based off of that, although I think it was originally a demonmage core before it was altered. There is another mode of casting, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± Zarali said, jabbing her elbow into Xol¡¯sa¡¯s ribs. He grunted, giving her a look. ¡°Priest-style cores use faith to cast spells. We request the power from our god, usually through prayer, and the spell is granted by that god. But there is another style of magic.¡±


    ¡°There is another style of magic that uses your will. Spells are formed through instinct, but there¡¯s a problem,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    Theo inspected the book. Whoever had written it distinguished between magery and sorcery, and determined that the second one was almost useless. Compared to a spell cast through an array, one woven with one¡¯s willpower was absurdly weak. It was the difference between tossing an exploding fireball, and hurling a flaming dart.


    ¡°I should hamstring myself to get more willpower?¡± Theo asked, looking up from the book.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked. ¡°The magic you use will be weaker, but your willpower will expand considerably. Also, sorcery is better at interacting with the natural world. If you want to perform earth magic, that might be the way.¡±


    ¡°What kind of core am I looking for?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A Earth Sorcerer''s Core,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Traders should have them. They¡¯ll sell them for cheap.¡±


    Theo drummed his fingers on the cushion of the sofa. This was perfect. Getting a weak, seemingly useless core, worked perfect for his current plan. He would buy the core and evolve it using his new Drogramath ability, turning it into a Drogramath Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core. The alchemist¡¯s base-level willpower was weak compared to Zarali, but with his access to Tero¡¯gal he could easily put her to shame.


    ¡°This is perfect,¡± Theo said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°You guys are great.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please go on,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, fanning himself.


    Theo stayed in the tower for a few hours, talking to Xol¡¯sa and Zarali. The way was shaping up to be a relaxing one, even if there were some new items in his administrative screen. The alchemist wrapped up at the tower and headed back to town. Sarisa and Rowan had not traveled through the portal with him, instead waiting on the other side back in town. They just hadn¡¯t gone through it enough to build up their tolerances, unlike most of the adventurers in Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Ziz was looking for you,¡± Sarisa said, jerking her head toward the lab. ¡°He dropped off some requests with Salire.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, looking around for a moment. His body wanted to go in two directions at once. The harbor and the lab. After shaking away his intrusive thoughts, he angled toward the lab and headed off. ¡°Let¡¯s see what he needs.¡±


    On the first floor of the Newt and Demon, there was no one to be seen. Theo sniffed the air, detecting the scent of something familiar. He had to pause for a few long moments to identify what it was. Salire was running the stills upstairs. The smell was that of churning river water mixed with something more metallic. It was the Living River Water being run through the stills, and one of the least offensive scents produced in essence making. The alchemist headed upstairs, placing his hands on his hips when he saw his apprentice working diligently. The reagent she was working with was forgiving, allowing her to perform all steps of the process alone.


    ¡°She¡¯s all grown up,¡± Theo said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.


    Salire turned, revealing the big smile on her face. ¡°I knew you would say something like that. Ziz dropped by for some Tunneling Potions. He said you were covering the cost. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re covering whatever expenses he has with his new projects. I just don¡¯t want to burden the town.¡±


    Salire chuckled nervously, returning to her work. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can afford it.¡±


    Theo waved her objections away, walking over to check on her work. Everything looked fine from where he was standing, but it took little to get the Living River Water going. ¡°When you work with Ziz, you have to understand what he means. We¡¯ll provide his workers with their standard rate and cover the cost of the potions. He¡¯ll provide the stone for free, as always.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Oh. Guess I don¡¯t know the secret rules,¡± Salire said.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°No point digging our hands into each other¡¯s pockets when we¡¯re trying to build something nice.¡±


    Only outsiders seemed to misunderstand the way they did things in the town. Anyone who wasn¡¯t a Broken Tusker was more selfish than someone who was. There were many people looking in from the outside, objecting to the way they did things here. Those people could keep their coins. Perhaps they would use that money to fill a pool in which they could swim. They would do so alone, of course. Sad and alone. The alchemist shook the thoughts from his mind, unwilling to entertain the whims of others.


    Salire had started three stills to make a large batch of Tunneling Potions. While Theo would assume he could produce fifteen-hundred units of essence from that, the apprentice would have some loss. It would be far more than enough to finish the river job, and would leave a surplus for them to use later. The alchemist admired how smart that was, as he didn¡¯t enjoy doing one-off brews when they needed it. It was always better to have it on hand all the time, only doing new batches to bolster their supplies.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well,¡± Theo said, patting Salire on the back.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she responded, her eyes snapping back to the stills.


    Before heading to the harbor, Theo checked their current stock of Refined Hallow Ground Essence. Over in Gronro, Grot had been giving reports of their Hallow the Soil Potion usage. It was far less than the alchemist had expected, representing another surplus. They would burn through their current stock in a few days, but that was all the time the lab needed to replenish. If the Wanderer made good on his deal, then it would be even easier to push back the corruption with his help. Glantheir¡¯s plan remained his own, and the alchemist wouldn¡¯t concern himself with it too much.


    ¡°Do we have traders in the harbor?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Some from Tarantham, and one from Bantein,¡± Salire said. She always enjoyed hitting the stalls. They always had cool stuff to buy, and their prices were cheap enough.


    ¡°And one Khahari ship. If you could call it a ship,¡± Sarisa said, laughing to herself.


    ¡°Strange,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin. The Khahari hadn¡¯t been engaging in trade lately. That might have been because their boats sucked, but¡­ ¡°Anyone wanna make a bet?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Rowan said, straightening up.


    ¡°I bet you a copper coin I can say which trader has the exact core I need,¡± Theo said.


    Rowan narrowed his eyes. He grumbled. ¡°I like bigger stakes, but sure. My copper is on the ship from Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take Bantein,¡± Sarisa said, producing her own copper coin.


    ¡°Put me down for the Khahari ship,¡± Salire said with a wink. Theo laughed at that. ¡°Theo knows it will be the Khahari ship because Khahar orchestrated this before he ascended.¡±


    ¡°Rats,¡± Rowan said.


    Theo pat Salire on the shoulder. ¡°She gets it. Khahar could see into the future to an extent. I¡¯m guessing he predicted this.¡±


    Rowan cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading across his face. ¡°Buy everything they have.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°If you¡¯re right, then Khahar assumed you would know what you needed. But what happens if there¡¯s something there that you need, but you don¡¯t know you need it?¡± Rowan asked, puffing his chest out. ¡°I¡¯m a genius.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to admit it, but that was pretty smart. He had no plans to buy everything offered by the Khahari traders, but picking up quite a few of their wares was a good idea. ¡°You are,¡± the alchemist said with a nod. ¡°That¡¯s actually clever.¡±


    ¡°¡®Actually?¡¯¡± Rowan asked, the look of pride fading from his face. He now looked offended. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I was the smartest boy in our class when we were growing up.¡±


    Sarisa grimaced, looking at her brother in disbelief. ¡°A turtle was in our class.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t officially in the class,¡± Rowan objected. ¡°Snappy didn¡¯t take any tests, so he was only an honorary member of the class.¡±


    ¡°I saw him take a test,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°You did not.¡±


    ¡°But he could have!¡±


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. He only did so to hide the smile on his face and stifle his laughs. Once the bickering was over, he left Salire to her work in the lab and made his way to the port. Instead of taking the road to the north, which ran east near Miana¡¯s ranch, he walked through the sparsely wooded area behind his lab. Both the greenhouses and the experimental garden plot were doing fine. The Plant Golems saw to that.


    Even before they reached the harbor, Theo could see the masts of the massive ships from Bantein and Tarantham. Those built by the elves had a sleek design that seemed as though they couldn¡¯t handle the open ocean and would tip over at the slightest breeze. The ships from Bantein had a stockier design, sitting wide and low in the water. They seemed made for war rather than trade. But the moment the alchemist crossed over the wall, he saw the pathetic offering from the Khahari. Their single-masted ship was dwarfed by the two larger ones, looking as though it would have trouble sailing in a lake.


    ¡°Look at that,¡± Rowan breathed.


    The merchants had set up stalls throughout the harbor, flying flags and barking their offerings. Theo wasn¡¯t sure how much money they actually made by selling to the alliance, but it must have been worth it. Broken Tuskers were always parting with their money to buy foreign goods. Once the north was clear of the undead, that trade would balloon even further.


    ¡°Should we bother with the others,¡± Sarisa asked, gesturing to the human and elven merchants. ¡°Or should we go find the cheat option?¡±


    Theo had no interest in distracting himself with other things, and was certain that his hunch was correct. He approached the Khahari stalls, browsing what they had out. There were a few interesting whole plants that he wanted to buy, but he didn¡¯t see a collection of cores. Khahar had mentioned that his little kingdom had coresmiths. He leaned in, inquiring about any cores in Russian. That fact still tickled him.


    ¡°No cores this trip,¡± the man said, waving him away.


    ¡°Oh. Are you sure? Hiding it in your pockets, maybe?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Theo said, turning away from the stalls without buying anything.


    ¡°Cores? You looking for cores?¡± a human vendor for Bantein asked, beckoning the alchemist over.


    Theo glared at the Khahari trader for a moment, earning a shrug in return. ¡°Yeah. Do you have any sorcerer cores?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± the man said, raising a brow. ¡°Got plenty of those. But wouldn¡¯t you like to buy something more¡­ expensive?¡±


    ¡°Let me see your wares, vendor.¡±


    Theo had never seen so many cores. The Bantein vendor had enough cores to choke a dragon, including a lot of stuff the alchemist couldn¡¯t have imagined. Sure enough, he had a Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core for purchase. Only one silver, and the vendor had twenty in his ship¡¯s dimensional storage. He inspected the core after purchasing it.


    [Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core]


    Common


    Sorcerer Core


    Unbound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    A sorcerer core focused on the earth element.


    Innate Skills:


    [Earth Attunement]


    This was the most plain core Theo had ever seen. It wasn¡¯t particularly interesting on the surface, was common rarity, and came with one common skill. The alchemist drilled down, inspecting the skill.


    [Earth Attunement]


    Sorcerer Skill


    Common


    Allows the user to sense and manipulate materials aligned with the Earth element, which includes dirt, stone, sand, etc.


    There was a level of excitement that came from this core and the attached skill. Not because of the raw power they represented¡ªthat was minimal¡ªbut the potential. He turned away from the grumpy vendor, nodding and thanking him for the core. Theo approached the Khahari vendor, intent on buying some of those plants.

 5.51 - Rocky

    While Theo was excited to test out his new core, he instead returned to the Khahari traders to inspect their plants. He was disappointed that he was wrong about them at first, but then realized the wisdom in inspecting their wares. A Wisdom of the Soul message confirmed that, stating that it would have been annoying for the traders to bring cacti and desert grasses across the sea. Especially in such a small boat with a tiny crew.


    ¡°How much for the three?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to all the plants the traders brought. Naturally, he used Russian instead of Qavelli.


    ¡°A gold,¡± the trader said, looking at Theo as though he was bored of the entire venture.


    The alchemist found a few other trinkets that didn¡¯t seem useful at all, and presented them as a package deal. The trader agreed without a fight and Theo realized he could have talked them down. But the deal was done and he was now the proud owner of three weird plants from the Khahari desert. He sucked them into his inventory rather than carrying them by hand and left the busy harbor. As he was going, he thought about expanding the town and establishing a market area on the far side of the river. He made a note of it in the administrative panel, assigning Azrug and Gael to the task. Even if they couldn¡¯t find a seed core, they could use the Dynamic Incorporation upgrade on the town to make a less-powerful seed core building.


    Theo withdrew the plants behind his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, setting the clay pots near the garden for inspection. The first was the easiest to understanding, as it appeared similar to the cacti back on earth. Bulbous leaves sprouted from the stem, displaying bright red fruits with barbs on them. The alchemist examined those fruits without touching them.


    [Khahari Cactus Fruit]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]


    Common


    The fruit from a cactus known to grow throughout the Khahari Desert. This fruit is considered sacred by the Khahari people.


    Research:


    Infused with intense energy from Khahar.


    Long growth cycle with magic properties.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°Easy enough,¡± Theo said, inspecting the fruit closer. ¡°But you can¡¯t just pick them. These spikes have barbs. They¡¯ll dig into your skin and never let go.¡±


    ¡°Nasty little things,¡± Sarisa said, shaking her head at the stout plant.


    ¡°What about this one?¡± Rowan asked, stooping low to examine another plant.


    The second plant looked like a tumbleweed, round and bushy with dead-looking branches and leaves. Sand-colored flowers sprouted all over the plant, giving the impression of a desert-borne cotton. Theo examined those flowers, finding that it was exactly as he expected.


    [Khahari Cotton]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    Cotton known by the Khahari people to insulate against the oppressive sun. Clothes made from this material will keep the wearer cooler while providing excellent protection from the sun.


    Research:


    Infused with intense energy from Khahar.


    Long growth cycle, quick bloom cycle with excellent textile potential.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°Finally. More cloth,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Does that say it makes cold clothes?¡± Sarisa asked, shoving Rowan out of the way to inspect the flower. She reached out, but had her hand slapped away by Theo.


    ¡°Note the barbs,¡± Theo said, withdrawing an inert bone knife from his inventory and lifting the flower.


    ¡°Does everything in the desert have spikes?¡± Rowan asked, chuckling nervously. He edged away from the plant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out,¡± Theo said, turning to the last plant.


    This was a strange plant. It was smaller than the others with a fat trunk and two slender leaves. Between those leaves was a single flower that shimmered between black and purple. Without examining the flower, Theo could feel the item¡¯s affinity for poison. As he inspected the item, he determined it had custom text set by a loremaster. That usually meant it was a hybrid.


    [Night¡¯s End]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Epic


    Upon the end of the night''s kiss, I found it. In my last moments, I curse it. This flower is death.


    Research:


    Infused with intense energy from Khahar and Zaul.


    Long growth cycle, slow bloom cycle.


    Extremely deadly to the touch. Handle with extreme caution.


    Properties:


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


    Rowan wasn¡¯t the only one to edge back this time. Both Theo and Sarisa joined him at a healthy distance after reading the description of the item. The loremaster failed to put which plants had hybridized to create this one, and the warning wasn¡¯t clear. The research section of the item put away any questions as to how deadly the flower was. Edging toward the plant, the alchemist tapped the side of the pot to return it to his inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that one,¡± he said.


    ¡°Did they ride with that thing? On a boat?¡± Rowan asked, scoffing. ¡°Absolute insanity.¡±


    Theo knew exactly what to do. If he could figure out the properties of the plant, he could create an antidote. While it was too dangerous to handle in the real world, the Dreamwalk would protect him. The alchemist was content to put the two plants that wouldn¡¯t kill him and everyone he loved into the Experimental Garden Plot. He mentally documented the best way to plant and propagate each plant. The cotton had little seeds that were tucked under the puffy sand-colored balls, while the cactus could just be cut at any part and replanted. His biggest problem was his lack of greenhouse space, which wasn¡¯t helped by the lack of seed cores from the vendors.


    The best place to test the Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core might have been the Dreamwalk, but Theo was eager to test it out now. He held it out and inspected the object, finding it to be completely plain. Even the power from within seemed weak compared to the other cores he had seen. As he pressed it into his chest, he realized how long it had been since he slotted a new core. The sensation was unfamiliar, but welcome.


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    ¡°Anything?¡± Sarisa asked, inspecting Theo¡¯s expression.


    The alchemist double-checked that the skill was slotted into the core, which it was. He didn¡¯t feel any different than he did before, but realized that he should expect such a reaction. After taking the Drogramath Dedication skill, each core that he slotted didn¡¯t influence him at all. There was a complete barrier between himself and the core, making it feel like a distant thing. Only when he actively focused on the core did he feel some effects of the Earth Attunement skill.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, looking around the area.


    The surrounding ground pulsed with faint green energy. His mind felt somehow connected with the dirt beneath his feet, tugging on his senses as though trying to get his attention. He reached out with his new skill, pressing his mind against that energy. But nothing happened. Theo had trouble understanding what the disconnect was, but decided it was a matter of simple practice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk,¡± Theo said, turning away from his garden area and picking a random direction.


    The hills to the north were a fine place if he wanted to interact with only dirt, but the area near the mine had more rocks. Theo felt the need to practice this new skill on  small stones before he could move on to dirt, but one thing was obvious. When he attempted to move the ground near the greenhouses, he felt something tugging on his willpower. He had become familiar with it by falling through the realms. When he went to the moon, it was the biggest display of willpower control he had shown in his life in this world.


    ¡°So, when do you start casting spells?¡± Rowan asked, jogging to keep up with the alchemist.


    ¡°Once I figure out how to connect this core with my willpower,¡± Theo said, nodding to citizens as they passed.


    ¡°Not as though you¡¯re a novice spellcaster,¡± Sarisa said, slapping Theo on the back. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you make some serious wards.¡±


    Theo had to think about that for a moment before responding, but she wasn¡¯t wrong. Toru¡¯aun¡¯s magic was weird, even when compared to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s Axpashi casting. When creating a ward, especially using the Linked Wards skill, there was a level of intuition that went into the casting. The alchemist had to shut off part of his brain to cast them correctly, pushing away his logical side to get a handle on things. He had a feeling that sorcery was like that, but different. It should have been easier for him, falling in line closer to willpower manipulation with his Tara¡¯hek Core.


    The group passed by the smelters, then into the hills dotted with homes. People who places their houses in the southern side of town didn¡¯t care for roads. They just claimed a plot and placed a seed core down with a mind for the view, rather than accessibility. Theo spotted one house atop a rocky hill, and he couldn¡¯t figure out how the owner got to the front door. It led to a sheer cliff.


    ¡°Lots of stones here,¡± Theo said, kicking a loose cluster of rocks as they approached the mine. He waved to the miners working there and they waved back.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Rowan asked, sounding bored with the whole thing.


    Theo focused on his new core, once again seeing the world light up with green energy. Each stone at his feet was a mote of shimmering green, pulsing with the beat of his heart. He reached out to a piece of pea-sized gravel and seized it with his will, focusing on the sensation he felt when he traveled through the realms. After simulating that sensation, he felt a rush flow through his chest. Mana flowed from his body in all directions, undirected and untamed. Both Rowan and Sarisa stepped back.


    ¡°You¡¯re glowing purple,¡± Sarisa said.


    Looking down, Theo realized he was indeed flashing with the purple fire of Drogarmath¡¯s mana. When he checked his mana levels, he realized that none had been consumed. He looked back to the gravel and forced his will upon it. The aura of mana flared again, intensifying until the tiny stone floated a few inches from the ground.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, breaking his concentration and allowing the stone to fall. ¡°This is a weird class.¡±


    Lifting the little stone hadn¡¯t even consumed a single point of mana. It hadn¡¯t even pushed his willpower to the limit. At least a system message appeared, informing him that his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core gained some fraction of a percent experience. Over the next few hours, he lifted small stones with his mind. While he didn¡¯t make any amazing breakthroughs, he got good enough to lift a stone the size of a chicken¡¯s egg into the air.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Rowan said, rising from his position on the ground. He had found a comfortable spot to rest while Theo played with rocks. He turned to his sister and nodded. ¡°You remember the focus training we used to do?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Frog-stick?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah. This old guy was training us to fight. He would force us to hold a long stick out, then balance an octofrog on the end.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Theo asked, scratching his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to prevent the frog from jumping off the stick. You move it side-to-side when the critter goes to jump, then it won¡¯t jump,¡± Rowan said.


    Sarisa sighed. ¡°The point is you hold a stick up and balance a frog. You should do the same thing with the rock, but instead of a frog and a stick, you use your magic and a rock.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a bad idea, actually. Willpower usage was more instinctive than anything, and Theo¡¯s instincts were honed. His mana flashed out as he reached for another egg-sized rock. He guided it above his head and held it there with his willpower.


    ¡°Like this?¡± Theo asked. He didn¡¯t look up to see the rock, instead feeling it with his new core.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rowan said, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s back.


    The rock fell, bouncing off of Theo¡¯s horn. He tried to snatch it with his power before it fell, but failed. The alchemist waited for the rock to settle before reaching out again and grasping it with his mind. He lifted it up, holding it above his head once more.


    ¡°Now you should go do other stuff. Keep doing the rock thing until it becomes second nature,¡± Sarisa said, shoving Theo in the shoulder. The rock fell again. ¡°Once you can maintain focus while being smacked, you¡¯ll have it.¡±


    Theo nodded in approval. Sarisa and Rowan could provide random interruptions to his focus. Stuff he couldn¡¯t predict. Perhaps this was just a way for them to smack him around, but it would do wonders for his focus and willpower.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said. ¡°What do we have left on our agenda?¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Sarisa said, grumbling as she pulled up her version of the administrative panel. Theo watched as her eyes went glassy. She finally clicked her tongue. ¡°We could go talk to Azrug about the market.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands together. The rock fell once again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring some spare rocks,¡± Rowan said, gathering stones from the ground.


    During the walk from the mine to Azrug¡¯s new shop, Theo dropped his stone fifty times. But on the last leg of the walk, he was shoved twice by Rowan and didn¡¯t drop the rock. Everyone considered this a great success, and the low draw of mana meant he could do this forever. They entered the half-ogre¡¯s shop, finding the young man counting coins behind the counter. He looked up, making eye-contact with Theo before his eyes shot up to the rock.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the floating rock?¡± Azrug asked, a look of confusion spreading across his face. ¡°And the purple.¡±


    Theo held his hand out, commanding the rock to sit upon his finger like a bird. ¡°This is my new companion.¡±


    ¡°Rocky,¡± Rowan said without missing a beat. ¡°Sweetest living stone you¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Go say ¡®hi,¡¯ Rocky,¡± Theo said, commanding the stone to float over to Azrug¡¯s counter. The gray rock danced across the counter, tapping against the wood surface in an uncoordinated rhythm.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he darling?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Azrug raised an eyebrow, looking down at the dancing stone. He waved sheepishly at the rock and forced a smile. ¡°Hi, Rocky.¡±


    Theo lost command of the stone and it fell onto the counter, clattering and rolling onto the floor.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve killed him,¡± Rowan said, crossing his arms and tutting.


    ¡°I did not!¡± Azrug shouted, scooting his chair back and away from the crime scene. ¡°I didn¡¯t touch him!¡±


    ¡°You breathed on him. Sapient rocks are allergic to half-ogre breath.¡±


    Azrug clapped his hands over his mouth. Only a moment later, he narrowed his eyes on the trio. ¡°You bastards.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look,¡± Theo said, wrapping his will around the rock once again. He brought it back on the counter, forcing it to dance once again. ¡°He lives!¡±


    ¡°Har-har,¡± Azrug said, swatting at the rock. ¡°What do you idiots want?¡±


    Theo cleared his throat, pulling the rock back above his head. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about the market idea.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m happy to discuss business. After you explain the rock.¡±


    Theo gave Azrug the rundown of the rock and how he was training his new core to work better with his willpower. The young half-ogre glared at him the entire time.


    ¡°I¡¯m still calling it ¡®rocky,¡¯¡± he said, letting out a labored sigh. ¡°Why do you need me for the market project? Sounds like a Ziz problem.¡±


    ¡°I wanted your input on capacity and design,¡± Theo said. ¡°If we¡¯re expanding east and north, we¡¯re talking about a lot of real estate.¡±


    Azrug withdrew parchment from his inventory, glared at Theo for a while, then started sketching ideas out. They worked together for a while, brainstorming about the best way to construct the market. Everything would be built by hand, which gave them a chance to create a custom market, rather than something provided by a seed core. The biggest concern was the design of the town after the created the market. Once they had expansions to the north and east, the town¡¯s center was no longer in the center. Therefore, the market would become the center and there would be districts surrounding it.


    ¡°This is my best idea,¡± Azrug said. ¡°If the plot you buy is the same size it has been, we¡¯ll have plenty of room for a market. And I recommend dedicating the entire expansion to the market.¡±


    Azrug went on about how important an extensive market area was. As things opened up, they would need more space for traders from abroad and local. Theo also liked the idea that the area could be used as a fairground during seasonal celebrations. Once they had agreed on some details concerning the placement of permanent structures, the alchemist headed out to submit the idea to Gael.


    ¡°Say goodbye to Rocky,¡± Theo said, making the stone vibrate in the air.


    ¡°Bye Rocky. I hate you,¡± Azrug said, forcing a smile on his face and performing several rude gestures.

 5.52 - Reshape The Land

    The Dreamwalk spread before Theo, the imagined version of Broken Tusk representing a perfect image of the actual place. He had spent the rest of his day working on his core. The gap between his willpower and the power of his core was shrinking at an alarming pace, and he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how strange of a core it was. Unlike most cores, the Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core relied almost entirely on willpower and skill. Some cores were useless without skills, while others needed skilled spellcraft to be useful. This one was just different.


    ¡°Mind if we destroy the town?¡± Tresk asked, elbowing Theo in the ribs.


    ¡°Go for it. I¡¯m going to try something¡­ it might be cheating.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Think anyone can stop you in here?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    There were quite a few dangerous potions that Theo had crafted. The nastiest ones came from the Hallow Ground property, often producing potions related to the undead. Of those many potions, there was one that mentioned the imbiber¡¯s will. The alchemist imagined a version of that silvery potion in one of Salire¡¯s fancy vials. He held it up for examination.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Embolden]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Emboldened Hallow Ground] effect. The imbiber must overpower the will of each undead, in succession. Failure to overpower will result in the user¡¯s mind joining the undead¡¯s collective. Success will put those undead affected under the user¡¯s control.


    Embolden had been the most dangerous modifier essence within the lab for a long time. Potions like this had usurped it, bringing in a new age of secretive alchemy. According to the description, he would need to overpower the will of undead creatures. Depending on how many undead there were, the challenge would be greater. The problem was the failure condition. If he didn¡¯t overpower those undead things, he would join whichever necromancer had created them.


    That¡¯s where the Dreamwalk came in.


    The Dreamwalk was a unique space among unique spaces. Rules didn¡¯t matter here. There was a time where it had a will of its own that overpowered both Tresk and Theo. The marshling was the first one to rise above, and the alchemist followed closely after. They now had near perfect control of it, which hopefully meant that he could pull himself out of any simulated control of undeath.


    Theo shrugged, feeling confident in his abilities. He imagined a single undead skeleton at first, making sure that the thing belonged to the Dreamwalk, instead of any specific deity. The creature shambled toward the alchemist, grasping at the air with bony hands.


    Theo popped the glass stopper on the vial and downed the liquid within.


    The imagined world went black. Theo stood with the undead thing in a blank arena. Without warning, he felt something assail his mind. Almost too late, he realized he needed to fight back without hesitation. The alchemist sent his will wide, smashing against that of the imaginary skeleton. Once that initial wave of willpower came crashing down, the skeleton¡¯s will crumpled. The dark arena vanished in an instant, and the undead monster was now under his control.


    Theo ordered the skeleton to move around the area before doing a little dance on a rock. He nodded with approval, finding that a single skeleton wasn¡¯t enough to overpower his will. But there was an important lesson to be had. If his willpower wasn¡¯t extended already, his defenses were low. Anything that sought to perform an attack based on willpower could snake into his mind without warning.


    ¡°Note to self¡­ practice keeping that barrier up.¡±


    Two skeletons appeared as the first vanished. They limped across the street, jaws snapping as they reached for Theo. He downed another potion, this time with his expressed willpower extended, and crushed the will of them both in one fell swoop. They fell under his control an instant later, right after the darkened arena vanished.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tresk asked, coming to sit on a rock.


    ¡°Yeah, what are you doing?¡± Alex honked.


    Theo explained his plan to increase his willpower by exploiting this potion. Tresk thought it was a stupid idea at first, but then she read the description. It reminded her of physical training for adventurers. The training they did presented no change to their levels or experience, but they got stronger. After that, she cheered the alchemist on as he summoned five skeletons. He repeated the process until he found his breaking point.


    A small army of skeletons shambled through the streets of Broken Tusks, arms outreached and bones clattering. Theo quaffed his potion, encircling the eighty undead creatures within his grasp. His willpower spread out like a bubble, soaking through each skeleton. It seemed like a simple thing at first. But once one skeleton resisted the effects of his willpower, another followed suit. Those he had already dominated were freed from their prison, sending a shiver through the alchemist¡¯s body. The wave of undead willpower came crashing down on him like a tidal wave, sweeping any sense of self away.


    Theo gasped for air as Tresk slapped him in the face. He was laying on his back, his tail painfully bent under his body. While he had slammed his head on the cobblestone street, he didn¡¯t feel the pain. The Dreamwalk saw to that.


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s your limit,¡± Tresk said, patting Theo on the head. She pumped her fist in the air. ¡°I didn¡¯t even help you! It¡¯s time to go beyond!¡±


    Theo pumped his own fist into the air. ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Tresk had a way of getting people riled up. Theo was good at avoiding that infectious nature, but he allowed himself to fall into that contagious fervor.


    ¡°Do eighty again!¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯m gonna do it!¡±


    This was where the Dreamwalk came in as a requirement for this plan to work. While Theo was working with an amount of undead creatures he couldn¡¯t control, he didn¡¯t feel any change in his personal willpower. But when he fought, and lost, against a group that he couldn¡¯t handle, he felt the needle move. It wasn¡¯t a slight move, either. The alchemist tried dominating eighty undead again, and easily beat them. The number went up to eighty-five the next time, which he lost to.


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    This process repeated itself for the entire night. Tresk kept her fight nearby, selecting another giant horned snake to battle. When Theo lost his battle with the undead, she came over to slap him in the face. In reality, she was resetting the conditions within the Dreamwalk to release him from the Dreamwalk¡¯s control.


    When dawn drew closer, Theo felt exhausted. He had never stepped into the Dreamwalk tired, and left tired. This would be the first time that happened. But the number of undead he could control had skyrocketed from eighty to four-hundred. There wasn¡¯t even enough room within Broken Tusk to accomplish this, forcing them to change the scene to a wide-open field. Even then, it was hard to cram all those undead into a fifty pace area. Proper placement was required to get them all in.


    ¡°Do you feel more willful?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo could feel Tresk¡¯s intentions. She wanted to do the training herself, but had allowed him to be the first person to test it. But he felt as though his willpower had expanded to unthinkable levels in a single night. Where it was a puddle before, it was now a duck pond.


    ¡°Do you want the truth?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ duh.¡±


    Theo thought about how to quantify the progress to her. But the amount of undead he could handle was a decent representation of how much he had improved. ¡°By a factor of five. I think.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re five times more willful, huh?¡± Tresk asked, tipping her head back and barking a single laugh. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re doing this every dang night.¡±


    There were likely diminishing returns with this technique, but she was right. There was no reason not to exploit it. Theo wanted to test his new core within the Dreamwalk, but waited. It would be better to show off how far he had come in the real world. Tresk announced that dawn was approaching shortly after, and she pulled them out of the Dreamwalk. Instead of dashing downstairs, she stared at him for some time with a big smile on her face. Her excitement for the improvement bled through the core. She wasn¡¯t even trying to hide it.


    ¡°Stuff your face quickly. I wanna see you move some big rocks.¡±


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex went downstairs to get some food. Rowan and Sarisa had already prepared a simple meal of pozwa eggs and wheat bread. The alchemist ate as quickly as he could, finding the act to be annoying more than anything. While he was excited to test the core, he liked to sit and chat while he enjoyed his meal. This was something that Sarisa picked up on.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a rush.¡±


    ¡°We did some wacky stuff,¡± Tresk said, cackling. ¡°Theo is eager to test it.¡±


    ¡°Clearly.¡±


    Tresk actually waited for Theo to be done before heading out. She joined him, walking out onto the streets of Broken Tusk to find an appropriate boulder. They found one near the road, stuck in the ground to the south of the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. The marshling was jumping up and down, cheering him on.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    Theo invoked his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, focusing on the large stone with his willpower. He willed it to move up, neglecting to impart a command of ¡®slowly.¡¯ The boulder shot into the air, slipping from his will as it rocketed skyward. Half of the alchemist¡¯s mana vanished in an instant.


    ¡°Ah, crap!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo squinted against the sky, searching for the errant rock in the air. Feathers ruffled next to him as Alex took fight. He watched her soar, scanning the skies for her target. She kept going on until she was a tiny dot against the pale blue sky.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Alex said. ¡°Oof! That¡¯s a heavy rock!¡±


    Tresk and Theo watched the sky as the goose descended with the rock. She placed it gently on the ground, avoiding any serious problems.


    ¡°When did you get so strong?¡± Theo asked. The boulder was larger than Tresk.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working out,¡± Alex said, preening.


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Clearly.¡±


    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Tresk said, rushing over to hug Alex. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest goose in the entire world!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Hey Theo, let¡¯s try that again. This time with less danger.¡±


    Theo nodded, turning his attention to the stone once again. This time, he eased his will onto the rock. Mana seeped from his soul, but he made sure that wasn¡¯t going wild either. The boulder rocked to one side, then rose into the air. The alchemist held it there with his will, finding that the hardest part of this was keeping it from shooting into the air. Maintaining a steady stream of willpower and mana was more difficult than keeping the stone aloft.


    ¡°Great job, Theo,¡± Tresk said, patting him on the back.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Salire asked, jogging down the street to see what all the excitement was about.


    ¡°Levitating boulders,¡± Theo said, moving the rock through the air. ¡°Pretty cool, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s neat,¡± Salire said, staying at a healthy distance. ¡°What was all that shouting about?¡±


    Tresk and Theo shared a look. ¡°Nothing,¡± they said in unison.


    Theo ran the situation down for Salire. She thought it was dangerous, but wouldn¡¯t argue with the results. The group talked about how far the power could be taken, all while the alchemist tossed the rock around.


    ¡°So, the only reason you¡¯re so good at this is because of some hidden attribute?¡± Salire asked, tapping her chin. ¡°That sounds like cheating.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but no one has stopped us,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together and giggling.


    ¡°How far does the power go? Can you pull the stones from buildings?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo dropped the boulder, turning his attention to the foundation of the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. His mana wove with his will, but nothing happened. It wasn¡¯t as though the will within the seed core was fighting against him. It just wouldn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± Salire said, withdrawing a notebook and jotting something down. ¡°So, what was the point of this?¡±


    Theo thought for a second, almost forgetting what the point of the new core. ¡°To increase my will. And move some soil around in the town.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Do you need the lab today?¡±


    Salire always had an academic attitude to most things. She was also ?very curious about how stuff worked, especially with the things Theo was doing.


    ¡°Just leave one still for me. I¡¯m going to occupy myself with this new core for most of the day. But there¡¯s a Khahari flower I want to distill.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°The new poison flower? The deadly one?¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Tresk said, steepling her fingers. ¡°Tell me when you are done, alchemy man. Come, my minion.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± Alex honked, waddling after Tresk as she walked away.


    Once Tresk was out of earshot, Salire turned to Theo. ¡°Is she evil?¡±


    ¡°Kinda.¡±


    Theo chatted with Salire for a bit, but he wanted to get over to Ziz¡¯s place. The half-ogre would be impressed with his new powers. He just knew it. It was a good chance to test the core on a wide scale, as well. The alchemist departed, bidding farewell to Salire as he walked north toward the quarry.


    There was still the problem of his free pick. Theo hadn¡¯t found a skill that stuck out to him. He could pick something for his new core, but that seemed wasteful. Both his Alchemy and Herbalist cores just got new skills, so he had already picked the best ones from those lists. The alchemist reflected on his new pick as he walked to the quarry, laughing at himself for picking something that required so much work. At least it fed into his other cores by increasing his willpower. Once he got it to a decent level, it would be worth the effort.


    Theo passed through the various parts of town, checking on Banu¡¯s Large Farm as he went. They had the Throk¡¯s Weed problem under control, and had true zee growing in a few fields. Thankfully, the old farmer had taken the random mutation in stride, seeding it into a few fields.


    The alchemist approached the quarry, finding Ziz and his boys back at full strength. They were mining the hell out of that quarry, pulling more stones than ever from the pit.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Theo shouted down into the pit. Ziz looked up, shielding his eyes. He smiled when he spotted the alchemist. ¡°Wanna see something cool?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Ziz shouted up, rushing over to the ladder. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Theo smiled down at the stonecutter. ¡°The ability to reshape the land.¡±

 5.53 - Deadly Toxin

    Theo reached a hand out, helping Ziz remove himself from the deep quarry. The wooden ladder strained under his weight, but held. The half-ogre clapped a hand on the alchemist shoulder and beamed a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t delay,¡± Ziz said. ¡°You don¡¯t get that look on your face often enough, Theo.¡±


    ¡°It requires some explanation,¡± Theo said, gesturing for the man to follow.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Ziz sighed. ¡°Gotta ease into it.¡±


    ¡°One might think that a Level 2 core would be useless for most things,¡± Theo said, picking a path through the stonecutters¡¯ camp. He angled north, toward the rolling hills that turned into mountains in the distance. ¡°But I found an interesting exploit in the system.¡±


    Ziz rubbed his hands together. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Theo wanted to show Ziz how he could move dirt around, but that wasn¡¯t something he practiced. Instead, he found a massive pile of gravel left by the stonecutters. The alchemist reached out with his Sorcerer¡¯s Core, not even gesturing to wrap his will around it, then invoked his skill. He jerked his head to the side and the entire pile moved as one, hovering over the ground and falling in a heap ten feet to the left.


    ¡°Damn, Theo,¡± Ziz said, laughing. ¡°Level 2? What are you gonna do with that thing at Level 10!?¡±


    ¡°It hardly matters,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m exploiting the fact that this core runs on willpower. I could keep it at Level 1 and be just as effective.¡±


    ¡°Well, damn. You want a job?¡± Ziz asked, chuckling. He gestured to the various hills within his work area. The land was hardly flat. ¡°Could you even out my workspace? We were going to shovel it by hand, but never had the time.¡±


    Theo reached out with his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, probing the area that Ziz had gestured to. It was a mix of stone and earth, which might be a problem. But if the alchemist needed the ability to manipulate the terrain. This had been something he wanted to do since they started doing projects around here. If he could move large amounts of dirt, he could even speed up the river dungeon project.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a try,¡± Theo said, approaching the rolling hill.


    The hill itself was a mound of dirt and stone that sloped at a low angle. Theo imagined that the best way to take care of this back on Earth would have been to use a tractor with one of those big scoop attachments on the front. He never learned what they were called, but had seen them being used before. The alchemist checked his mana before proceeding, popping a Mana Potion and centering his mind.


    Theo estimated the hill to be about twenty feet wide. It wasn¡¯t as large as some of the other hills, but the amount of dirt in that five-foot rise was substantial. He imagined that big scoop, spreading his will over the length of the hill. The alchemist gathered his willpower and mana, pressing against the mound of dirt and pushing as gently as he could.


    ¡°Wow! Look at that!¡±


    A mostly invisible force drove the dirt forward, flattening the land as it went. The dirt gathered upward, extruded from the hill as Theo worked. After only a foot of pushing, the force of the hill was too great, and the alchemist was forced to rethink his strategy. He wrapped his will around the dirt that had been piled up, and flung it to the side. Repeating the process, he leveled the land and removed the hill. Each time he ran into a boulder, he had to extract it and continue on.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard,¡± Theo said, wiping sweat from his forehead.


    ¡°No kidding! Look at this!¡± Ziz shouted, stomping on the ground Theo had cleared. ¡°That took you five minutes. We would have been here all day. I have a question about the limits of the core, though.¡±


    Ziz put Theo through a battery of tests. He wanted Theo to remove a cube of dirt from the ground, which was easier than the alchemist expected. He then wanted him to carve a pattern into the ground, which was a bit more complex. The alchemist had to break the pattern down into chunks, imagining each of the parts as individuals.


    Theo held a length of ground in the air, just over the section of ground he had extracted it from. He placed it on the ground nearby, allowing the form of the dirt to disperse. Clods of dirt tumbled to the side, some returning to the hole where they just were. The alchemist could tell what Ziz was testing him for. The river project needed some precise cuts in the earth. While the Tunneling Potion might have gotten the job done, this new method was better by a long shot.


    ¡°One last thing,¡± Ziz said, withdrawing a large stone block from his inventory. Thanks to one of his skills, the half-ogre could hold the block in the air for a moment, placing it right where he needed it. ¡°Can you move that?¡±


    The stone was roughly the side of a half-ogre in height, and twice as wide. Theo had the impression that the block was just out of his reach, but he tried anyway. Wrapping his willpower around the stone, he tugged. It moved up slightly, but no amount of mana or will could get it to move. He gave up after a few attempts.


    ¡°If this is for the river project,¡± Theo said, taking a deep breath. ¡°Why would you need my new power?¡±


    ¡°Things might get out of alignment. I can take it back into my inventory, then bring it out¡­ but everything needs to stay in place. If you can hold them in place, we¡¯re golden.¡±


    ¡°Right. I can practice, though. I might be ready by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. We¡¯re gearing up to start the project. Have I explained it to you?¡±


    ¡°No, but I think I know what you¡¯re going to do.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Well, listen to the expert¡­¡±


    Ziz explained his plan for the river project. Theo was surprised to learn that he had consulted Xol¡¯sa on the project. If the river around the River Dungeon was diverted for too long, the dungeon would become unstable. They needed to create an offshoot from the river upstream, diverting it into the harbor somehow. Once it was diverted, ZIz and his gang had to build a tower around the river dungeon. Which is where things got weird.


    ¡°The Ocean Dungeon is fine, right?¡± Ziz asked. ¡°But we keep that thing dry pretty much all day.¡±


    ¡°So, why isn¡¯t it unstable?¡±


    ¡°I asked our local wizard the same thing. We accidentally tricked the dungeon into thinking it was still in the ocean. So long as the water is close enough, everything is fine. The River Dungeon needs water flowing around it most of the time, meaning its more temperamental. So says the wizard.¡±


    ¡°So the tower needs doors or something. That you can open and close?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m going to build a pretty extensive structure over the river to allow for that. We¡¯ll dam the river after carving a section for it to flow into the harbor. Then we¡¯ll build a bridge and the structure over the River Dungeon. Complete with my fancy watertight doors. Well, mostly watertight.¡±


    ¡°Sounds ambitious.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I need your new fancy power.¡±


    Theo thought about it for a moment before responding. It might take him a few days to get himself ready for the project. ¡°Alright. Give me a few days. I¡¯ll expand my willpower, and we can test to see if I can lift those blocks. Every day.¡±


    Ziz reached out a hand for Theo to shake, which he did. ¡°I look forward to it, Theo.¡±


    The alchemist left the stonecutters¡¯ area, feeling renewed confidence in Ziz¡¯s plan. This one was more thought out than some others he had attempted. And the Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core would add a lot to the effort. Broken Tusk finally had an earth mage, and Theo couldn¡¯t believe it was him who had stepped up. He always expected a random person to appear, sent to the town by Fenian or Khahar.


    Theo made his way back to the lab, finding Salire dealing with a customer. He waved at her before climbing up to the third floor. Before she settled into the shopkeeper part of her role, the woman had started four stills with Hallow Ground essence. That reminded the alchemist to check his interface, finding that the Salire herself had scheduled a delivery of Hallow the Soil potions for later in the week. There was even a note informing the alchemist of his responsibilities.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Theo said, not entirely interested in creating the same potion yet again. Instead, he turned his attention to the handful of deadly flowers in his inventory.


    The Night¡¯s End plant barely had enough flowers on it for a batch. While he had placed the entire plant in the controlled Experimental Garden, doing so had brought with it a sense of unease. Theo didn¡¯t need to bring the flowers out of his inventory to know they were deadly. A flower that was more potent than the Widow Lily was frightening. He weighed his options, then headed outside. Just in case. Salire gave him a look as he passed, raising a brow as if to ask what the hell he was doing.


    Theo found a field with no one else around. If things went wrong with the deadly flower, he would duck into his personal realm to find a cure. It was a reckless plan, but with the option there he might as well. The alchemist withdrew the flower from his inventory, letting it fall to the ground rather than to touch it. He held his hand out, urging flaming purple mana into his palm before allowing it to drip onto the flower. After focusing on his Reagent Deconstruction skill, the flower burst into purple flames, reducing it down to the primal form of the essence.


    The first property on the Night¡¯s End flower was called Venom. Theo wasn¡¯t surprised, but the thought of the property came with deadly weight. The more he thought about it, the less comfortable he was distilling the essence in his lab. The cloud of smoke that the flower released stung his nose, filling his lungs with a burning sensation.


    ¡°Make sure not to breathe that in,¡± Theo said, fanning himself and coughing. He waited to make sure the poison hadn¡¯t taken hold. After a few minutes, he decided he was clear.


    Theo entered the Newt and Demon once again, getting another confused look from Salire. He smiled and nodded before heading up to steal a still from the lab. After placing one in his inventory, he took it outside. He set it up out back, near the greenhouses and his working golem. The alchemist got the sense that a still close enough to the building would gain the upgrade benefits, so he was happy enough. He placed what few flowers he had, around ten units, and started the artifice heater.


    ¡°I need a safe spot to brew dangerous potions,¡± Theo said, smoothing back his hair. There was the Experimentation Room upgrade for his building. But that always seemed like a waste. And the description said nothing about preventing deadly fumes. It only prevented damage from deadly explosions. Perhaps a custom building was in order. ¡°Another day.¡±


    Instead of handling the flowers, even through his gloved hands, Theo allowed them to drop straight into the still. He found a stick and crushed them, which took little effort. Flowers were always the easiest to mash. Well, Living River Water just melted, so there was that. With the attached vapor condenser on Throk¡¯s custom still, the alchemist focused on a second tier potion for testing. Tresk would be happy with whatever new poison he produced from the Venom property.


    Theo pulled the lid shut, snapping the latch down. He observed the still for a while, judging how much of the fumes from within got out. It wasn¡¯t as bad as he expected, but still enough to be worrying. The vents within the lab might have been good enough to clear the air, but he wasn¡¯t interested in taking chances.


    While he waited for the still to do its job, the alchemist practiced with his new core. He didn¡¯t focus on his willpower, instead going through drills to understand the connection between his will and mana. But the still finished with the Refined Venom Essence faster than he expected. The alchemist looked at the vial of seething green essence on the ground, reluctant to approach. He summoned the nearby Plant Golem over, ordering the construct to move the vial into an empty field.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, transferring one unit of the essence into an empty vial. He stepped back after pouring it, expecting the essence to react. While it smelled like death, it didn¡¯t react. The alchemist added a unit of Enchanted Water then dropped his catalyst inside. The reaction was immediate and violent.


    Theo kept his distance from the plumes of green smoke, moving to either side when it billowed toward him. When the reaction had calmed down, he moved in for inspection. The liquid was a shimmering green with bands of black running through it. The alchemist read the description on his new poison.


    [Venom]


    [Poison]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Coat your weapon with a deadly venom.


    Effect:


    Venom floods through any target afflicted by this poison, dealing slight damage over a great period of time.This poison is likely to persist for days at the lowest quality, and years at the highest.


    Venom is persistent and difficult to remove. Removal attempts are less likely to succeed.


    ¡°That¡¯s just horrific,¡± Theo said, stoppering the vial and pulling it into his inventory.


    That potion might not have been useful for Tresk. Perhaps there was a situation where she encountered a monster that was hard to pin down. Or if she wanted to assassinate a person and ensure the job was done no matter what. The alchemist pushed those thoughts out of his mind and moved on with his day. There were more reagents to test.

 5.54 - Veil

    Theo pinched a fluffy, sand-colored piece of Khahari Cotton between his fingers. Despite the spines underneath the blossomed flowers, this plant felt much more inviting than the one that produced the Venom property. That small, cotton producing bush had many more flowers than the Night¡¯s End plant. It was a fact the alchemist was grateful for.


    The plants Theo had bought from the trader weren¡¯t in their proper spots yet. He could place the cactus and cotton bush within a greenhouse without issue, but had concerns about the Night¡¯s End plant. The alchemist turned away from his Experimental Garden Plot, plucking the tiny seeds from the underside of the cotton. He pulled those into his inventory before making his way back to the Newt and Demon. The scent of something foul wafted from the lab upstairs.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Theo asked, waving his hand to clear away the thick smoke. Alise was coughing in the corner. The alchemist popped a window open, allowing some of the smoke to escape.


    Once it was clear, Alise could finally speak. There were tears in her eyes from the acrid vapors, and she had a guilty look on her face. ¡°Sorry. Tried to do something I wasn¡¯t ready for.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Theo said, approaching the offending still. It was hard to tell what had gone wrong, but the piece of alchemy equipment was covered in a layer of soot. ¡°Did you try something out of your reach?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I won¡¯t make that mistake again.¡±


    ¡°Interesting reaction,¡± Theo said, running his finger through the soot. He could feel that the resulting reaction was alchemically inert. There were no traces of what this once was left behind. ¡°What were you going for?¡±


    ¡°Hallow the Soil. But the Suffuse step threw me off.¡±


    Theo withdrew his knife, scraping some of the crud from the side of his still to place in a glass vial. He stowed it in his inventory, not sure if he would ever have a use for it. Being a packrat meant filling one¡¯s inventory with as much crap as possible. He placed the Custom Drogramathi Iron Still back where it belonged, having shoved that in his inventory before coming in. The alchemist then withdrew some Cleansing Scrub and cleaned away the equipment tainted by that soot.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°We need a list of rules on the wall. Rule one¡­ Alchemy is messy,¡± Theo said, winking at his apprentice.


    Salire nodded, regaining her confidence. ¡°I was close, though. It almost worked. Maybe I could get a hand?¡±


    Theo agreed, but wanted to start the small batch of the Khahari Cotton first. While his plan was to use this stuff for textiles, it didn¡¯t hurt to investigate the properties first. He shredded several bulbs of cotton by hand, reserving one for his Reagent Deconstruction skill, and filled the still with enough Enchanted Water for the batch. The alchemist held the single fluffy piece of cotton in his palm, injecting it with Drogramathi mana and watching as it went up in smoke. The scent it produced was strange. Sand didn¡¯t really have a smell. But the smoke it produced smelled like sand.


    ¡°Strange,¡± Theo said. The property revealed was Veil, and he couldn¡¯t wait to test it out. He carried the handful of Primal Veil Essence to a Dimensional Storage Crate, dumping a few other items in while he was there. He turned back to Salire. ¡°Let¡¯s get working on those potions.¡±


    While Salire could create the base components for the Hallow the Soil potion, she couldn¡¯t complete the batch through the last step. She had ruined a good amount of the essence, but it hardly seemed to matter. The Plant Golem managing the caves worked day and night to make sure they had enough truffles to choke a dragon.


    At least the Sow property was easy enough to source. Theo¡¯s Small Farm had been destroyed before, but it didn¡¯t bother the golems. When he ordered them back to work, replanting everything that had been lost, they did so without complaint. As the alchemist worked on preparing the Hallow the Soil potion, he thought about expanding that farm. He had picked every seed from the Khahari Cotton, giving him enough for a starter crop. As long as he kept a sample of the cotton within his Experimental Garden, he would be fine.


    Theo and Salire worked for several hours on a batch. The alchemist found the act of working on potions meditative, and fell into a groove with his apprentice. Her skill with the art came from patience. Unlike Theo, who always wanted to run head-first into problems, she took a step back to evaluate what was going on before committing to anything. When she reached the same level as him, she would do great things. Even without being a champion.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Salire said, laughing as Theo sealed the last brewing barrel of Hallow the Soil. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the new essence does.¡±


    Theo removed the flask containing his Refined Veil Essence, holding it up to the light to get a better look. The essence within was, unsurprisingly, sand-colored. It swirled with the glass container, seeming to move as though blown by those warm desert winds Khahar used to talk about. The alchemist took the ornate vial handed to him by Salire and began mixing. He added a unit of the essence, a single shaving of Drogramathi Iron, and a unit of Enchanted Water.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we get,¡± Salire said, taking a healthy step back but watching with an intense gaze.


    The mixture swirled within the vial, turning a transparent color of the same shade. Both Theo and Salire didn¡¯t wait, they inspected the resulting potion.


    [Potion of Veil]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Shield yourself from prying eyes.


    Effect:


    Imbibing this potion shields the drinker from unwanted attention, magical or otherwise.


    This potion encases your soul in a thin veil. While it doesn¡¯t make the imbiber invisible, it does make it less likely for anyone to notice them for any reason.


    Mages performing scrying-style magical actions cannot detect you, unless their magic significantly overpowers the effect of this potion.


    The description on the potion was beyond interesting. It was very specific with how the veil worked, stating that it absolutely didn¡¯t make a person enter a hiding state similar to stealth abilities. Theo thought that this might have been the thing that Khahar wanted him to find from those Khahari traders. But there were still more properties on the cotton, and all of those on the cactus fruits.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I wonder if this works with that fairy potion,¡± Salire said, drumming her fingers on the table.


    Salire was talking about the far sight potion. Theo had a decent idea of how the Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion worked. While it might help him use the far sight potion, he wasn¡¯t confident it would protect him. Unless it guarded him from Soulslay, or Mindhunt actions it wouldn¡¯t be worth the risk. Xol¡¯sa had yelled at the alchemist enough to make him reluctant to use that potion again. But the ability to see far-away places was alluring. He wouldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain it would shield a person¡¯s soul during the far seeing,¡± Theo said, picking the vial up and holding it against the light pouring from the windows. ¡°But the thread that connects a person¡¯s projected consciousness and their soul would be visible. I wouldn¡¯t risk it in areas of high magic.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Theo learned his lesson,¡± Salire said, tapping her chin and nodding. ¡°Curious!¡±


    Theo clapped a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on my farm. The lab is yours.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Before leaving the lab, Theo sent his senses wide. His will traveled through the lodestone network, where he found his Plant Golems working hard at the Small Farm. He took it a step further, sending his senses far to the north. The last time he had tried this, it was impossible without tunneling his will through Tero¡¯gal. This time was different. The alchemist¡¯s will spread far to the north with ease, connecting with the golems there in moments. One had been destroyed through an accident, but they were still going strong.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Theo said, probing forward.


    The golems had taken advantage of Theo¡¯s increased willpower. The good folks in Gronro hadn¡¯t moved the lodestone for a while, as it had gotten so far away as to be annoying. But with the increase in the alchemist¡¯s willpower, their range had also increased. They were ranging farther to the north than he could have expected, and that ? led to another interesting fact. The Wanderer was making good on his promise. The necromantic energy in the area was lowering on its own. It became less persistent, and more willing to be removed by the various holy effects acting upon it.


    Theo stopped by Miana¡¯s ranch on his way to his Small Farm. She had let her creatures outside the graze. That included the wolves, which didn¡¯t graze so much as they ran around and played. When she spotted him, she came over for a quick chat. Things were going well at the ranch. She was making money. People were happy with her products and trained monsters. Miana Kell¡¯s life had turned around after being in an impossible situation.


    Theo departed after chatting for a bit, making his way through the northernmost eastern gate. Right outside of that gate was his little farm filled with wheat. He approached the small building, which acted as a farmhouse and opened the door. Two adolescent marshling were sitting inside, nibbling on unprocessed wheat stalks. They looked up at the alchemist with wide eyes before sharing a horrified look with each other.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the biggest of the two said.


    Theo blinked a few times, then shut the door. Marshlings were weird, a fact that came with living in Broken Tusk. He turned to the building, shoving cores into the wooden structure. The Small Farm, named Honky if you¡¯re Hungry by Tresk, only had two fields at level 20. The alchemist hoped bringing it to level 30 would add at least one more field, as he didn¡¯t want to get rid of his wheat.  While his operation didn¡¯t rival Banu and his Large Farm, it produced enough labor-free food to provide for the town. He sold it to Banu and Xam at rock-bottom prices, often never coming to collect. A few copper coins here and there just weren¡¯t a concern.


    The building rumbled as the farm expanded. Two little voices shrieked in terror from within the farmhouse. Theo was certain he heard one of them shout, ¡°I¡¯m being eaten alive!¡± He smiled to himself, kicking the side of the building a few times to get more shouts of horror. The alchemist then inspected the new upgrade option he was presented, finding it to be more than suitable. It was exactly what he was looking for.


    [More FIelds]


    What a Small Farm lacks in size, it makes up for with character. Adds an additional field to your Small Farm.


    Theo selected that as his Level 25 upgrade. The two marshlings burst from the building, scurrying away into the hills. One paused at the top of the hill, making a few rude gestures.


    ¡°That¡¯s our home!¡±


    ¡°Go live in the orphanage!¡± Theo shot back, reaching out with his will to rumble the ground beneath the child¡¯s feet. It dashed off, screaming some more.


    ¡°You¡¯re not very good with kids,¡± Tresk said, speaking into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m great with kids,¡± Theo said, shoving more cores into the building.


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t delight so much when they see a child running away in terror,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo laughed, but didn¡¯t respond. He watched as a fenced field appeared near his other two fields, sprouting from the ground like a plant. He continued expanding the building, sending it off in whatever direction seemed most suitable. The Scaling Expansion upgrade for the building came into effect turning the three fields of the farm into four. The last upgrade of the day appeared, and he read it.


    [Persistent Water]


    All fields require half as much water as before.


    The upgrades were almost a second thought. Theo just needed more fields, rather than interesting upgrades. He selected the Persistent Water upgrade before inspecting the Small Farm.


    [Small Farm]


    [Honk if you¡¯re hungry]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (5%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Speed Planting]


    [Enhanced Growth]


    [Scaling Expansion]


    [Drogramathi Cultivation]


    [More Fields]


    [Persistent Water]


    Theo found one of his Dimensional Storage Crates he kept nearby for supplies, adding the Khahari Cotton Seeds. He accessed the nearby lodestone network, adding new instructions. The two new fields would house the Khahari Cotton, leaving the original two fields for the Earth Wheat. After fiddling with those settings for a few minutes, the alchemist noticed a group of people coming down from the wall, led by Luras. The alchemist waved as the half-ogre approached.


    ¡°Some kids said they were nearly eaten by a demon,¡± Luras grunted.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how everyone doesn¡¯t know who I am. I¡¯m not a bad demon, Luras! I promise.¡±


    Luras tried not to smile. But he did. ¡°Are you scaring kids now?¡¯


    ¡°They were holed up in my farmhouse,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the building. ¡°Eating raw wheat. They were basically eating straw, which has to be a choking hazard.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re feeling smarmy today,¡± Luras said.


    Theo waved the lingering concerns away. ¡°They got scared when I upgraded the building.¡±


    ¡°And the earthquake?¡±


    ¡°Oh, check it out,¡± Theo said, reaching his will out to a section of dirt beneath Luras¡¯s feet. He carved a square section out, just as he practiced, and held it together as he lifted.


    Luras narrowed his eyes at Theo, hovering about three feet off the ground.


    ¡°Pretty cool, right?¡± Theo asked.


    Luras grumbled. ¡°Yeah. It is. Does it work on rocks?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Can you throw one?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    Theo placed the cube of dirt back into the ground, then rooted around with his will to find a good rock. He found one that was roughly the size of his head and pulled it out with his core, pushing dirt away as it went to make the process easier. The gray stone hung in the air as the alchemist looked for a target.


    ¡°Can you get it over the river?¡± Luras asked, coming closer to stand next to the alchemist.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Theo said. He let his willpower and mana go wild, dumping everything he had into the rock. It shot through the air, swifter than an arrow, clearing the river with ease. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you come out here to yell at me for scaring the children?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. How big can you go?¡± Luras asked, gesturing to a boulder near the road. ¡°Is that too big?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just gonna have to find out, my dear friend.¡±

 5.55 - Dam That River

    Theo and Luras spent way too much time seeing how far the alchemist could throw rocks. One moment the half-ogre was coming to yell at him for scaring children, and the next he was giggling when boulders soared through the air. That was the core of the half-ogres in Broken Tusk, though. An essence of authority mixed with child-like playfulness. But the day was wearing thin.


    ¡°I should have been back at my post a few hours ago,¡± Luras said, scratching his chin. ¡°Sorry. Gotta go.¡±


    Theo watched as Luras went, dragging his eyes across the landscape. There was a pile of boulders on the far side of the river. ¡°I¡¯m not cleaning that up,¡± he said, willing himself to fall through the realms.


    The alchemist arrived in Tero¡¯gal, finding a few stray souls waiting for his approval. Things had slowed down, especially now that the wanderer wasn¡¯t feeding the void fresh soils. All the gods that frequented the cottage appeared, and he spent twenty-four hours within the realm chatting, eating sweets, and playing whatever games the local souls had adopted. While hiking was still popular, groups of souls splintered from the purists to create fresh activities. Rollerblading hadn¡¯t lasted long, but cycling had. The bikes had four wheels and front and back chain drives. Theo was puzzled as to how they created the machines, but chalked it up to weird spirit magic.


    Theo returned to the spot on the road, finding that not much had changed in the five minutes he was gone. The sun was setting over the western horizon, barely poking over the mountain range, signaling that dinner was close at hand. He returned to the manor, chatting with Tresk along the way.


    The little marshling had been making more progress in her cores than he expected. She had even pushed beyond the Level 30 barrier, something that Theo still struggled with. Tresk knew it was because he was too distracted with shiny things.


    A distinctly fishy smell emanated from the manor. Theo smelled it even before he entered, but when he crossed the threshold he was assailed with a confusing mingling of fish, herbs, and spices. There was also a citrus undertone to the scent. He found his way to the dining table, having a seat and waiting for the meal to be served. Sarisa and Rowa seemed to know exactly when he wanted to eat.


    Sarisa emerged from the kitchen after a while, bringing with her plates piled high with food. She set Theo¡¯s portion down, moving on to serve everyone else. In the center of the plate, there was a single cut of fish. The alchemist didn¡¯t recognize what kind it was, but it was layered on top of green vegetables with a green sauce. Resting atop the fish were small slices of a citrus fruit, one he again didn¡¯t know. Scattered around the outside of the fish were more of the greens.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Theo said, finding that the fish flaked with the gentlest touch of his fork. He scooped some greens and sauce with his first bite. The rich and oily taste of the fish was offset by the green sauce, cutting some of the offensive bite. The greens he had scooped enhanced the flavor of the fish, bringing out the meaty quality. ¡°This is actually great.¡±


    ¡°Did you expect anything less?¡± Sarisa asked, giving Theo the stink-eye.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for fish,¡± Theo said, preparing another bite. ¡°But I like this.¡±


    Once the meal was done, Theo and Tresk dropped into the Dreamwalk with full bellies. The marshling ran off with Alex to fight some more imagined creatures, while the alchemist focused on increasing his willpower. The Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core was a good excuse to move some rocks and dirt, but the true reason he needed more willpower was the floating city. Those gods that dropped hints told him another god was acting on the mortal plane. Why Khahar didn¡¯t just zap the guy was beyond him, but it hardly mattered. It fell to Theo to increase his willpower so he could trap this god in a bubble of his own realm.


    ¡°But how does one trap a god?¡± Theo asked, watching as the skeletons shambled toward him.


    Theo thought back to the time he teleported himself to the moon. There were many things that had to fall into place for that to happen. Uharis had already opened a trail for him to follow with the spell he had cast. The alchemist had a deep connection with both the Burning Eye and Sulvan. Both Uharis and Sulvan were ascendant candidates, which lit their souls up like beacons in the mortal plane. He was almost certain he had no connection with this new god, unless it was a piece of the burning eye.


    A field of skeletons came under Theo¡¯s control as he rolled through the list of suspects. When that provided no answer, he backed his line of thinking up. Thrones were a metaphysical representation of a concept. The system often talked about meta aspects regarding how close they were to the system itself. Khahar sat atop the Throne of the Arbiter, which granted him absolute domain over the heavens. Fenian had claimed the Throne of the Herald, which should have given him domain over the mortal world.


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Fenian acted?¡± Theo asked himself, tapping his chin.


    Fenian¡¯s powers as the Herald could have been stunted. But that didn¡¯t sound like Fenian at all. For the first time in a long time, Theo¡¯s thoughts went back to the Harbinger. That was the name his people back on Earth gave the entity, and he doubted it was the thing¡¯s true name. The bird-like creature had seen him at the last moments of his life on Earth, ushering souls from that doomed planet to their new home.


    Theo snapped his fingers. He was almost certain of the answer. If Khahar couldn¡¯t stop the god on the mortal plane because he couldn¡¯t come down, that made sense. But Fenian should have domain over the problem. This wasn¡¯t a god from this world. If the Harbinger could move between dimensions, or across space, or whatever, another being could too. Which led to more problems. Would the alchemist¡¯s domain be enough to stop something that wasn¡¯t playing by the rules?


    ¡°I¡¯m overthinking this,¡± Theo said, rubbing his face. ¡°Khahar said I could stop him with my domain, so I can stop him. Stop second-guessing yourself, Theo.¡±


    Another field of skeletons appeared. Theo flushed his concerns out of his mind, getting back to work. His progress on dominating the undead tapered off through the night, but he was still making progress. By the time dawn came, his progress was stifled completely. He couldn¡¯t stuff enough undead creatures in the circle of his potion to progress. This cheat had resulted in a willpower that increased so great, it was hard to measure. It was like comparing someone at Level 1 to someone at Level 100. There was no metric to compare them.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Tresk pulled them out of the Dreamwalk, scampering down the stairs the way she always did. Sarisa had prepared some oil-fried pounded steaks with Pozwa eggs for breakfast. Theo enjoyed that far more than the fish, but he wouldn¡¯t say so to his guard¡¯s face. Her cooking was getting good enough where he suspected she had taken a core for the task.


    To Theo¡¯s surprise, Ziz¡¯s proposal to divert the river had been submitted and approved with ease. Alise had a lot of notes in the proposal, but her concerns for the River Dungeon were great. There was also a request from Gronro for more faux coins and Hallow the Soil potion, although he also reported that it was easier to remove the corruption now. Things were looking up for the reclamation project, but the alchemist had fears that Tarantham would stick their noses into it. Considering what the Wanderer did to Vesta, he was certain they wouldn¡¯t be forgiving.


    After finishing breakfast, Theo stopped in at the Newt and Demon to check in on Salire. She needed some help with mixing the Hallow the Soil potion, but only took up an hour of his time. The construction project could wait, as Ziz had to get all his stuff together before they could do anything.


    Theo approached the river, placing his hands on his hips as he studied its span. He checked his inventory, making sure he had plenty of Mana Potions to do the job. It wouldn¡¯t be easy carving another canal out, but it had to be done. Sarisa and Rowan lurked nearby as he walked some of the river. It didn¡¯t take him long to decide to divert the river to the far side, instead of the near side. The alchemist crossed the bridge, then inspected the wall around the harbor.


    ¡°This looks good,¡± Theo said.


    The harbor had been carved out, extending the river itself in either direction. If Ziz dammed the river before the River Dungeon, Theo could divert the flow of water from that point straight into the harbor. If they did it all at once, the water levels wouldn¡¯t even drop. The workers were assembling on the side of the river closest to the town. The alchemist headed over to check in, finding Ziz ordering his people around.


    ¡°Almost ready to start?¡± Ziz asked.


    ¡°I have some questions about the canal I¡¯m digging,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the far side of the river. ¡°Is it possible to connect it to the harbor on that side?¡±


    ¡°Yup. We need to knock out some stones for that to work, but that¡¯s not a problem. It just won¡¯t look as fancy under the drydock.¡±


    ¡°So long as we add stone reinforcements for erosion.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. You know, the workers are eager to see your new core at work,¡± Ziz said with a wink.


    Theo smiled politely. ¡°It¡¯s less of my core they should be impressed with and more my willpower.¡±


    ¡°Hey, whatever it is, they¡¯ll be impressed. Let me get things ready before you carve.¡±


    Theo watched as Ziz assembled his people. While he waited, the alchemist visualized how he was going to do this. Carving something that was the exact width of the existing river might be too hard. He didn¡¯t know if he could make up for that with depth, but he doubted it. Instead, he planned on chugging Mana Potions back-to-back until the job was done. After another fifteen minutes of waiting, the workers were ready to spring into action.


    Ziz walked with him to the far side of the bridge, tracing a path with his finger. ¡°Take it from there, right before the dungeon. Leave me about five ogres worth of space to work.¡±


    ¡°Are we measuring things in ogres?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone?¡±


    Theo gave Ziz a flat look. Even the stonemason used halms when he could. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Make sure we get an angle that doesn¡¯t create too much turbulence against my dam. And don¡¯t carve from the river, do it about two ogres away. We¡¯ll dam it and cut the connecting section at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Understood, boss,¡± Theo said, laughing as he turned to the rolling fields before him. They were mostly flat, which made his job easy. Only the area near the harbor was hilly enough to be concerned.


    The alchemist reached out with his core, painting a section half the river¡¯s width wide and about four ogres long. He dug into the earth, gripping it with his willpower as he heaved. Mana drained away from him by the moment, ticking off in his vision like a countdown timer. Theo forced the earth upward, carving a perfectly rectangular shape. He lifted the mass of dirt and stone high into the air, pushing it clear of the hole and allowing it to drop with a thunderous thud. The workers went wild, cheering and pumping their fists in the air.


    ¡°That was a lot of dirt,¡± Ziz said, patting Theo on the shoulder. ¡°Do you need a chair? Maybe a cold beverage?¡±


    Theo laughed, chugging a Mana Potion. He reached out, digging an equal-sized chunk of the landscape out. He dropped this mound of dirt on the other, creating a massive hill. ¡°I only drink Newt and Demon brand Mana Potions,¡± he said, withdrawing another from his inventory. He gave a cheesy smile and a wink. ¡°Available for purchase now at all retail locations.¡±


    ¡°Are you drunk already?¡± Ziz asked, laughing. ¡°Damn, boys. Bring out the beer!¡±


    Theo realized quickly how good this was for his willpower. Scooping the dirt out and holding there was arduous. Even with his Coat of Rake on, he was sweating by the second scoop. But he was egged on, inspired to go faster and harder by the cheers of the workers. They had created a system to reinforce the oddly square river offshoot with timber supports. But despite his speed, it took the alchemist more than half the day to carve everything out. With his stamina flagging, he chugged a Stamina Potion for the first time in a long time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Theo shouted, hoisting the last section of the offshoot out of the ground. The potion made him feel as though had just ingested a year¡¯s worth of coffee in one sitting.


    Ziz¡¯s workers had jumped into the harbor, knocking out a section of the wall to allow water to spill in. The result was a backflow effect, temporarily lowering the level of the harbor to dangerous levels. Once the river was connected to the harbor, Theo went back to the place where he started.


    ¡°Ready to drop a dam?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re ready,¡± Ziz said with a nod. He intended to use his new skill to produce a pre-made dam. The skill allowed him to move prefabricated structures as though they weighed nothing. But the skill only lasted a few seconds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, reaching out with his core. The moment he seized the section of earth, Ziz produced a stone dam from his inventory. The half-ogre placed it downriver from where the alchemist¡¯s offshoot was. While the dirt lifted, the dam went in.


    Ziz, Theo, and the workers all leaned in, watching as water rushed into the new river, draining from the old one. The new river was a churn of froth and dirt that calmed down with time. Watching Ziz¡¯s people get to work was inspiring. They set up artifice pumps to draw water from the river, spraying it over the river dungeon. As long as they exploited the behavior of the dungeon, everything would be fine. That¡¯s what Xol¡¯sa said anyway.


    ¡°This is slightly more complicated,¡± Ziz said with a chuckle. ¡°We need to get this structure built in about¡­ What did he say? An hour? Yeah, no problem.¡±


    Theo swallowed hard, looking down into the river. The pile of stones below was the River Dungeon. A place he had never seen in person. It was nestled on the muddy bottom of the river, its shimmering portal now visible. He watched as the construction effort began.

 5.56 - Private Army

    It was always a pleasure watching Ziz¡¯s team get to work. They had created so many weird structures, starting with the bridge and the harbor, that they were now a well-oiled machine. Instead of going with a tower design, which was required for the ocean dungeon, they did something different. First, they reinforced the edges of the river with stone walls. Theo helped them smooth the area out as they worked. Next, the created a stone base on the riverbed.


    Watching how far the workers had come was amazing. Theo watched one half-ogre with a stack of marble stone blocks in one hand and his other hand free. He would place a brick down, passing his hand over it to apply magical mortar, and move on. Each block took about a second to lay, and there were twenty workers. The alchemist swept his will over the riverbed, helping to smooth it out as they worked. There were sections where the workers wanted to drive massive pillars, and it was another area the alchemist was helpful in.


    ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want a job?¡± Ziz asked, laughing as Theo helped guide another support column.


    ¡°I just might,¡± Theo said, driving the pillar deep into the ground. He slapped the side of the marble structure. ¡°This bad boy ain¡¯t going nowhere.¡±


    The supports were required because the entire river was going to be covered. This was a feat of engineering that would have been impossible back on Earth. The weight of the stones would have collapsed any logical support system. But this wasn¡¯t earth. Ziz and his team could weld stone together, creating a near-perfect bond. That allowed him to create a lattice support structure. The point of the river¡¯s stone ceiling was for the tube-like structure being constructed around the river. It gave them perfect control over the amount of water allowed to rush over the River Dungeon while still providing easy access for adventurers via a spiral staircase.


    While he was at it, Ziz planned to take the covered river idea all the way to the harbor wall. ¡°It might look awkward when we expand the wall,¡± Ziz said, admitting the plan¡¯s shortcomings. ¡°But we¡¯ll sort that out later.¡±


    This would have been at least a week-long job without Theo¡¯s help. As the work went on, he saw how useful he could be in the construction business. The dam almost collapsed at one point, but the alchemist held it back with his Earth Sorcerer Core. That gave time for the stoneworkers to get down there and put in some reinforcements, tying it to the marble lattice. When he let go, the dam held.


    Dusk came and left, giving way to twilight. The group still worked, and Tresk complained they weren¡¯t in bed yet. The workers had lit lanterns, magical and mundane, to keep going until they were done. Theo refused to leave, fearing another dam incident.


    ¡°Just a few more things to get going,¡± Ziz said, dabbing his muddy brow with a cloth. ¡°But I think this is pretty solid.¡±


    Theo jumped up and down on the covered river, laughing as the stones supported his weight. ¡°This is just wild.¡±


    ¡°The fisher folks are gonna yell at you, Ziz,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Yeah. They have the ocean now. They can deal with it.¡±


    Sarisa and Rowan came parading to the work site with platters laden with food. Ziz groaned as the attention of all his workers was drawn away from the work, delaying the completion of the job by about an hour. Theo laughed at the half-ogre, helping himself to a plate of Karatan steak. Once everyone was well-fed, the river was ready to be opened once again.


    Theo reached out with his core, finding it hard to hoist the entire dam up. He strained, getting it most of the way there before the rushing water put a stop to his plan. The workers had to attach ropes to the dam while the alchemist chugged Mana Potions, eventually pulling it free from the slurry of churning river water.


    ¡°That was a close one,¡± Theo said, wiping his brow. He reached out again, filling in the temporary river with the dirt he had extracted.


    That was a massive advantage of using the Earth Sorcerer Core instead of the Tunneling Potion. While the potion removed the dirt completely, the core allowed him to use the dirt afterward. It took Theo longer than he would have liked to fill in enough of the offshoot river to keep the water from soaking in. By the time he was done, it was around midnight. Tresk was pissed, but that was nothing new. She was so focused on advancing that any change to their schedule was an affront. They returned to the manor, collapsing into their beds and drifting off into the Dreamwalk.


    Theo came up with an idea to increase his willpower while working within the constraints of size. Human-sized skeletons wouldn¡¯t fit within the Hallow Ground potion modified with Embolden. But skeletal hamsters? They absolutely would. The alchemist stood in a field of slavering hamster zombies, shoving as many as he could into that circle. His first attempt failed. The amount of hamsters that could fit within the circle was greater than he had expected. After resetting with a reasonable amount of hamsters, he found success.


    ¡°Before long, I¡¯ll have an army of bugs to contend with,¡± Theo said, booting one zombie hamster into the distance. ¡°Can bugs become zombies? Who cares?¡±


    Theo¡¯s Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core had advanced to Level 4, which might have been impressive in another core. Getting that core to a point where it would be useful was effortless compared to many others. He was once again reminded that he needed to make his free pick, but felt uninspired to do so. The alchemist wanted to wait until his newest core was higher, or when it evolved into something related to Drogramath. There were skills under the sorcerer category that weren¡¯t tied to any specific school as well. While he only had access to a few, which added nothing he wanted, that meant he could get more as time went on.


    Banking a skill for so long was something Theo had never done. He had always grabbed new skills impulsively, snatching up whatever he could to enhance his life and abilities. But with so many moving parts, it was hard to justify that behavior. Silent observation was required as he attempted to push himself in one direction, rather than barreling toward every new thing all at once. It might have been time to do more core swapping, using his newest slot to bring in other cores that relied on willpower.


    ¡°Research is required,¡± Theo said, growing bored of the endless parade of hamsters. He banished them with a thought, heading off to see what Tresk was up to.


    Tresk was finally done fighting the giant horned snake. But the thing she had summoned wasn¡¯t much better. Theo watched as she and Alex battled with a massive skeletal dragon. The alchemist sensed her thought pattern, understanding that she wanted to be prepared for the worst case. Pogo, in the underground below, turning into a skele-dragon would have been that case. It wasn¡¯t logical to assume that she would turn undead, but he didn¡¯t blame the marshling for being prepared.


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    ¡°I like the dragon,¡± Theo said, watching as Tresk wove an agile pattern through the attacks of the dragon.


    ¡°Gotta be ready for anything!¡± she said, grunting as she took a tail-swipe to the face. ¡°Ow.¡±


    Theo joined in, offering his warded daggers to the fight. He didn¡¯t train enough for combat, although he knew it was a worthwhile investment. There were just so many layers of defense around him it was hard to care. Although this was in the Dreamwalk, and not the real world, the exercise was still nice. It didn¡¯t hurt that his warded daggers were devastating in combat. The group fought until the dream ended, which was far shorter than normal.


    Theo made his way downstairs to have breakfast, trailing behind Tresk as always. She was excited about something she didn¡¯t want to share. Instead of eating the breakfast that Sarisa and Rowan had made, she shoved it into the Tara¡¯hek inventory and dashed out of the door. Alex found a place to sit by the table and enjoyed whatever bugs, grains, and other scraps she enjoyed.


    The breakfast today was more of the deep-fried meat flattened with a mallet. Rowan had thought to spice things up by adding some of Whisper¡¯s sausages and a side of mashed zee kernels that seemed close to grits. Each item was cooked to perfection, especially the zee grits. They were served with a fat piece of karatan butter on top. The heat from the food had partially melted, oozing over the side and soaking into the other items on his plate. The alchemist ate more than normal that morning, although he felt none of the side-effects of the Stamina Potion he drank the previous day.


    After checking the administration interface to ensure there wasn¡¯t anything that required his attention, Theo sauntered over to the lab. Zarali wasn¡¯t in her enchanting lab, but that wasn¡¯t a surprise. She didn¡¯t care for the upgrade bonuses, and did most of her enchanting on-site, or in Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower. The alchemist had felt her drifting further away from him, but he couldn¡¯t be mad. She could see her brother again so it only made sense.


    Theo could smell that Salire was already working on something before even entering the building. He knocked his knuckles against the metal sign outside, smiling as he remembered the time when it was made. On the second floor landing, he identified what the budding alchemist was working on. The unmistakable scent of Moss Nettle, Spiny Swamp Thistle Roots, and Manashrooms hung in the air. She was working on some second tier restoration potions, which the shop always needed.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Theo said, counting the stills in use. Salire was usually kind enough to leave at least three stills open, but five were free today.


    ¡°Hey! I saw that weird road you guys made yesterday. What the hell is that about?¡±


    ¡°An entrance to the River Dungeon. It does kinda look like a road, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked, immediately distracted from the reason he came here.


    ¡°It does.¡±


    He produced his last puffy piece of Khahari Cotton. The golems were working hard to fill the new fields in the Small Farm with the cotton plants, but it would take a bit for those to grow. Especially since they were uncultivated. The alchemist allowed mana to pool into his hand, soaking into the cotton and setting it on fire with purple flames. The second property was revealed to be Flutter, which the alchemist couldn¡¯t imagine the effects of. He would need to wait until the crop sprouted to find out.


    Theo sent his mind through the nearby lodestone network, checking on his golems. With the expansion of his willpower, he felt the ability to control more than ever. There were enough Plant Golems within town to do most jobs, but there was an area of golemancy that he hadn¡¯t exploited enough. With his current willpower, the alchemist estimated that he could control anywhere from twenty to thirty second tier golems. Those were the ones without the ¡®lesser¡¯ prefix. That number was up from about eight, maybe ten. So why not create a small army?


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Theo said, pausing at the door. ¡°Maybe. I get distracted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do.¡±


    All the ore being produced from the mine belonged to Theo. As did the ingots produced by the twin smelters. Nira kept her stock of Drogramathi Iron bars, Tworgnothi Bars, and¡­ Azrugium alloy bars at the smelter. The alchemist made his way there, claiming as much as he could without making anyone mad. He then headed to Throk¡¯s place, happy to find piles of Tworgnothi Copper Batteries and Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifices available for purchase. He bought twenty of each, draining most of his funds.


    Back at the lab, Theo assembled Fire Constructs to both construct and keep the golems working. The second tier versions of the Metal Golems didn¡¯t have the same problem as the first tier. He assembled pile after pile of the ingots, placing containment cores, artifice batteries, and siphons inside of the completed creatures. Several hours of work later, and a few wildfires that spread from the constant flow of molten metal, the alchemist looked upon his new army.


    ¡°Excessive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rowan asked, leaning against a greenhouse. Theo had selected this field because it was the least likely to catch fire.


    Theo looked back at his twenty Azrugium golems and shook his head. It wasn¡¯t excessive. He was controlling the golems with his mind, not even tapping into Tero¡¯gal. They barely drew on his mind, only tugging at the edges. If he connected this group of golem soldiers to a lodestone network, he could double their number without issue. The alchemist issued a command for the golems to form loose ranks. They were easily twice his height, each a hulking figure of lumpy purple-bronze colors.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m kinda scared,¡± Rowan said, chuckling nervously.


    Theo laughed. Yeah, they were pretty scary. He tapped into the lodestone nearest the greenhouse, judging that its range had increased since he cheated his willpower up. The alchemist segmented the commands for the Plant Golems and the Metal Golems. He issued a command to the Metal Golems to patrol the walls and area around the town and pursue enemies until they reached the edge of their range. They were to fight to the death, targeting enemies of the town. The golems understood that, breaking into squads and heading off.


    ¡°Should I report this to Aarok?¡± Rowan asked.


    ¡°Please, do. He¡¯s going to freak out,¡± Theo said, jogging to catch up to one golem. He tapped it on the side, inspecting the creature before it left.


    [Metal Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 28


    Metal Golems are excellent at combat. They serve almost no use elsewhere, and require new [Fire Constructs] to repair themselves. Metal Golems without an installed [Fire Construct] will become more useless the longer they operate.


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Drogramathi Iron Cage]


    Monster Core: [Goblin Skirmisher] (Level 28)


    Medium: [Azrugium]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Tworgnothi Copper Battery]


    Siphon System: [Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifice]


    Additional Modifications: [Fire Construct]


    It didn¡¯t take long for Aarok to come check in on Theo. The alchemist was following one group of the battle golems, making sure they were following orders correctly. Since their orders were so simple, and their cores high enough for them to solve problems, it shouldn¡¯t have been a problem.


    ¡°Summoning an army? Without my permission?¡± Aarok said, shoving Theo playfully.


    Theo alchemist sent a mental command. Four golem heads turned, locking onto the half-ogre. Aarok held his hands up, a nervous smile spreading across his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m revolting,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Against yourself?¡± Aarok laughed.


    With a wave of his will, the alchemist sent his golems off to do their work. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Just a request,¡± Aarok said, visibly relaxing. ¡°Allow our commanders to issue orders to your private army.¡±


    ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be private, would it?¡± Theo asked, adding the command to the lodestone near the greenhouses. ¡°Done. It won¡¯t override my commands, but you can assemble them. In an emergency, they¡¯ll do whatever you say. So long as the person is recognized by the town as a commander.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Theo.¡±

 5.57 - Children of the Shard

    The uncomfortable warmth in Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower almost penetrated Theo¡¯s Coat of Rake. Why the wizard had gone beyond what normal Broken Tuskers considered normal was beyond him. The alchemist lingered on the first floor for some time, looking out over the swamp outside. Magical sigils flared in the distance, drawing power to protect the tower. If the alchemist was a wizard, he would have placed his tower anywhere else. The hills. Perhaps on a mountain somewhere. Even underwater would have been more favorable than the bug-infested swamp.


    ¡°I thought I heard someone,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. Theo turned to see a gentle smile on the wizard¡¯s face. ¡°Won¡¯t you come up for tea?¡±


    Theo agreed, ascending the stairs. Xol¡¯sa had gone through a few changes lately, and was still adjusting. The cold logic that came with a high Intelligence attribute had been scoured by the Intelligence of the Soul potion. It left behind a man closer to what he should have been, although there were still lingering effects from his core. Not everyone could have the benefit of a spirit bond. Perhaps they should.


    Zarali waved as Theo found a spot in the sitting area on the second floor. This room was hotter than the downstairs area, somehow challenging both the humidity outside and the smoky heat normally found in homes within the town. Xol¡¯sa busied himself with the tea, placing a copper pot on a Fire Artifice and arranging a wooden box filled with loose tea leaves.


    ¡°How can I help you today?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to Zarali, actually,¡± Theo chuckled. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you¡¯re excited about the cage around the River Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Ziz outdid himself on that one,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding in agreement. ¡°He even incorporated the running water, as I requested.¡±


    Zarali giggled, tossing some bauble at the wizard¡¯s back. ¡°Theo was a part of that effort, love.¡±


    ¡°Was he?¡± Xol¡¯sa said, turning and tilting his head. Theo felt a wave of something flow over him. It probed uncomfortably at his cores. ¡°Oh, right! The new core.¡±


    ¡°Has it worked to increase your willpower?¡± Zarali asked.


    Theo swallowed a lump in his throat, pretending that the missing suffix of ¡®brother¡¯ to all her statements didn¡¯t wound him. ¡°It has helped slightly. But I¡¯ve found another method that increased my willpower a hundred-fold.¡±


    Zarali laughed, stopping to knit her brow when she saw Theo was serious. ¡°Surely not.¡±


    ¡°I just raised twenty Metal Golems, and I could do twenty more with ease. Without a lodestone.¡±


    ¡°That was quick,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, leaving the tea to brew while he took a seat.


    ¡°I think your willpower dwarfs even mine¡­¡± Zarali trailed off.


    Theo didn¡¯t know what to say to that. He was taking advantage of something that was entirely unfair, diminishing the effort of another. The alchemist shook those thoughts away. There was too much to do with too little time. He needed all the cheats he could get.


    ¡°And this is just the start,¡± Theo said. ¡°If I draw on my realm, I gain a temporary boost. Enough to bend the mortal realm and travel great distances.¡±


    ¡°Talk is fine, Theo,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, chuckling. ¡°But if it isn¡¯t defined by the system, it cannot be measured. If it cannot be measured, none of us knows how to help you.¡±


    Theo had to think about that one for a moment. It was a good point. The power he was talking about was all within the Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage skill. That was his connection to his realm, and the source of the realm-bending ability. There were no time limits, mana costs, cooldowns, or other system-related pieces of information. In the way he always used, Xol¡¯sa had dropped a hint as to the fundamental problem with the ability. Without practice, it was useless.


    ¡°We could start small,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa and Zarali said something, but Theo was already focused. He used the practice he had with his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core to wrap his willpower around himself and the two lovebirds. He remembered the meta method he had used to transport himself through the realms and onto Antalis, the dark moon. The alchemist used his willpower to draw in a piece of Tero¡¯gal. A bubble of shimmering, prismatic energy formed around the trio. Plush gras rested beneath their feet.


    ¡°I think it is prudent that we find a different place to test this ability,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, panic bleeding into his voice. ¡°I¡¯m not eager to see a piece of my tower torn asunder!¡±


    Theo threw the bubble through space, tracing one of the many threads that connected him with others in the world. In a snap, the tower vanished. Xol¡¯sa, Zarali, and Theo were still seated on the uncomfortable chairs from the tower. But Aarok sat, scribbling something at a wide wooden desk. The commander looked up with an annoyed look.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°Just testing something,¡± Theo said, refocusing his willpower. He targeted Grot from Gronro-Dir. That was a distance worth checking. Xol¡¯sa was sputtering something. ¡°Can we bring him along?¡±


    The scene shifted again. Grot was guzzling a beer, one in each hand. He looked around in confusion, kicking at the grass beneath his feet. While Xol¡¯sa and Zarali had come along for the ride, Aarok had not.


    ¡°Theo! When did you get into town?¡± Grot asked, offering the alchemist a beer. ¡°And you brought¡­ a sofa? And grass?¡±


    ¡°This is interesting,¡± Theo said, swiping at the beer. His hand passed through. ¡°See ya later, Grot.¡±


    ¡°Alright? Sure?¡± Grot said, looking more confused than before.


    ¡°Time for my last trick,¡± Theo said, sending his willpower even more distant. There was one thread of fate that was connected to him stronger than the others. In a flash, the group was sitting on the darkened deck of a ship. Fenian Feintleaf looked over the edge, staring at the starry sky above. He spun around, a mixture of anger and shock on his face.


    ¡°Theo?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°What in the name of Emperor Kuzan¡¯s balls are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Seems familiar doesn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked, winking at Xol¡¯sa. The alchemist had put together what this reminded him of. ¡°Shall we return to the tower for discussion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please!¡± Xol¡¯sa shouted. ¡°I do not do well on ships.¡±


    Theo gestured as though he intended to poke Fenian in the forehead. The elf swatted at his hand, catching only air. ¡°Later,¡± the alchemist said, releasing his hold on the bubble.


    The group was back in the tower in an instant. The teakettle was whistling, and all members of the party were seated. Theo had learned something important, thanks to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s encouragement.


    ¡°I would appreciate if you never did that again,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, grumbling as he went to make the tea.


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    ¡°That was fascinating,¡± Zarali breathed. ¡°You figured out the mechanism, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Theo¡¯s mind went back to a time when he communicated with Qavell through a special crystal. Unlike most communication crystals, this one sent him into a shadowy realm where he could talk face-to-face with someone. Mostly. No details were visible, but the concept was the same. Using the crystals, the two holders¡¯ minds were dropped into a realm, but their bodies remained on the mortal plane.


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal differs from most realms. It is a Mortal Dreamrealm. What I can do is take a chunk of it, and move our souls around the planet.¡±


    There were more implications beyond that, but Theo wasn¡¯t sure. The structure of the universe was hard to understand. Was the mortal realm just another realm within an endless void, or was it something more? Answering that question wouldn¡¯t even tell him where Tero¡¯gal sat within that scheme. The alchemist figured it must have been beyond the void, resting with the other realms but now he had his doubts.


    ¡°Do you think I could travel directly to Tero¡¯gal? Without using the Bridge of Shadows?¡± Theo asked.


    Xol¡¯sa was grumbling, but he finally let out a sigh as he poured tea. ¡°Maybe. It depends on where your realm rests in the membrane of reality.¡±


    Theo sensed a long-winded explanation of how the universe worked coming on. Xol¡¯sa did not disappoint, and there was no better man to ask about the problem. The wizard suspected that the mortal realm was within the same metaphysical space as all the other realms. Like pearls on a black sheet. A membrane separated them, guarded by the Bridge of Shadows.


    ¡°Depending on your authority, you could bypass the Bridge. Assuming Khahar set it so the rules don¡¯t apply to your realm,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a tired sigh. He paused, biting his cheek. ¡°Which might mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Darling, don¡¯t go down that road,¡± Zarali said, shooting up to comfort Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°If he practices enough, he could pierce the veil,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a shrug. ¡°He could contact my people.¡±


    That was a wrinkle Theo didn¡¯t expect. Xol¡¯sa was from a group of people called the Bara¡¯thier. Hilariously distinct elves from another dimension. But they were related to the elves from this world, although no one knew how. The wizard had been flung to this realm by his people at birth, sending him over with a damaged soul and a unique core.


    ¡°Of course I can do it,¡± Theo said, puffing his chest out. ¡°I have more cheat codes than anyone else on the planet, so why not?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give him hope, Theo,¡± Zarali said, narrowing her gaze at the alchemist.


    There was no need to seed hope. Theo was certain he could do it. With enough time and practice, he imagined that nowhere would be safe from him. As he considered what he would do next, he was slightly vulnerable with the pair.


    ¡°After I ascend the throne, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa was the one to narrow his gaze this time. ¡°How certain are you that this throne is for you? And not another?¡±


    Theo laughed. ¡°Just look at the name. The Dreamwalker¡¯s Throne is mine, because no one else can get to it. I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve seen things. I know how this ends.¡±


    ¡°How boring,¡± Zarali said, sinking into her chair.


    Theo took his cup of tea and sipped it. He remembered why he came here in the first place. ¡°I almost forgot. I need another Lodestone.¡±


    Zarali barked a laugh. ¡°All that for a Lodestone? Certainly, Theo. I¡¯m confident your willpower is strong enough.¡±


    Both Zarali and Xol¡¯sa were good at dropping uncomfortable topics. They shifted the conversation straight to their wedding date, and the traditions they intended to adopt. Following the alchemist¡¯s advice, they were going to mix everything together. Dronon didn¡¯t have any wedding traditions, so they would draw from elven, Broken Tusk, and Qavelli ceremonies. When the conversation was dying down, the alchemist departed from the tower with a new lodestone. Zarali had already prepared it for him, anticipating the day where he would raise his willpower to an acceptable level.


    ¡°Time to piss off Uz.¡±


    Theo stepped out from the portal and paused. Just as he had projected a piece of his realm into the mortal realm to shoot his soul around the globe, he pulled another piece in for another reason. The bubble rose around the alchemist and he allowed himself to slip through the realms. Instead of piercing that veil, he drilled through it, aiming directly for Tero¡¯gal. The bubble popped when it rejoined with itself. He only had to wait a few beats for Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s shadowy portal to appear.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, stomping out of her portal. Her dress of shadows flowed behind her as she approached the alchemist, slapping him across the face.


    Theo smiled back, feeling nothing from the slap. ¡°Just testing something out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of the bridge if you don¡¯t take the damn bridge!?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven stomped her foot.


    It might have been fun to bypass secure parts of the system, but that just presented a problem that needed to be fixed. ¡°You should thank me. I found a flaw in the system.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven spat on the ground. ¡°Are you gonna fix it? No! Of course not. You are so annoying, Theo. I hate you.¡±


    Benton¡¯s icy portal rose in the distance. ¡°Wanna get some tea?¡± Theo asked.


    Uz¡¯Xulven rolled her eyes. ¡°Duh. Come on.¡±


    Soon enough, all the gods that visited the domain were there. Even Khahar stopped in, clearly sensing the rule-breaking that the alchemist had done. Uz¡¯Xulven, Benton, Theo, Drogramath, Spit, Khahar, and Glantheir assembled in the cottage. They sat at a massive table built by the souls within the realm, and waited for the bear god¡¯s delicious tea.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t violate the rules,¡± Khahar said with a shrug.


    ¡°But what if more dreamrealms sprout up?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, tapping the side of her head. ¡°Think, Khahar! Think! You remember the twins?¡±


    ¡°I remember them.¡±


    ¡°It could happen again!¡±


    Khahar held up a silencing hand, his whiskers twitching. Theo watched with interest. ¡°You may petition to have the powers of the Bridge extended to prevent such interdiction actions.¡±


    ¡°I wanna do that,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, jabbing a finger at Khahar. ¡°I¡¯m here to keep the riff raff out, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°So let me do it,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, glaring at Theo. ¡°You disgust me.¡±


    Theo could only smile through Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s hatred. He understood why she was so mad, but he wouldn¡¯t have done what he did unless he knew it was necessary. Khahar wasn¡¯t a slouch, though. He picked up on what the alchemist was trying to do.


    ¡°Theo thinks he can contact the lost realms in the void,¡± Khahar said with a smile. ¡°Perhaps he wants to bring them to the mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, shaking her head. ¡°I never made it happen.¡±


    ¡°I despise the void,¡± Spit said, growling.


    ¡°You hate almost everything,¡± Benton said, chuckling.


    ¡°The lost tribes always have a home in the Realm of Healing,¡± Glantheir put in.


    ¡°It would take a being of immense power to bring them back,¡± Khahar said, stretching uncharacteristically. ¡°Who knew a group of wizards could splinter a piece of the mortal realm and send it adrift.¡±


    Theo stared at Khahar. He hadn¡¯t given free information in a while, but that was a big hint. If a chunk of the mortal realm was floating in the void, it was outside of every god¡¯s ability to bring it back. The rules stated that gods couldn¡¯t interfere with the mortal realm. The alchemist suspected that chunk was included. And it wasn¡¯t likely that the piece was a tangible part, like a landmass. It was a meta piece of the world, which seemed messed up.


    ¡°What part of the world was broken off?¡± Theo asked.


    Uz¡¯Xulven looked at Khahar with an annoyed expression. Khahar nodded. ¡°An old piece of the system. We used to have these big hunks of crystal that regulated aspects of the world. They made sure the world was balanced, but those damned wizards took the whole system with them.¡±


    ¡°The First War of Ascension was glorious!¡± Spit shouted. ¡°I ate many elves. I do miss the shiny rocks, though.¡±


    ¡°We all miss the shiny rocks, Spit,¡± Glantheir said, patting the ogre¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°If only there were someone that could bring it back,¡± Khahar said with a dramatic sigh.


    ¡°I get it. You brought me here to be your errand boy, Yuri,¡± Theo said, swapping to Russian for dramatic effect. ¡°Lift this rock, Theo. Cultivate this nation, Theo. Travel through the void and bring some shiny rocks back, Theo.¡±


    Khahar laughed.


    ¡°What is the little demon saying?¡± Spit asked, slamming his fist on the table. ¡°Why does he speak the language of the Arbiter?¡±


    The conversation rolled on as everyone enjoyed Benton¡¯s delicious tea and food. Khahar was in a better mood than ever, often smiling at the table. Things must have been going well in the heavens. Part-way through the tea party, the Arbiter leaned in and dropped one more nugget for the alchemist.


    ¡°You know what Bara¡¯tier means?¡± Khahar asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing I don¡¯t know the real meaning.¡±


    ¡°Children of the Shard.¡±

 5.58 - Eyes on Qavell

    A spread of sausages, pozwa eggs, tea, and whole roasted zee sat on the table in Theo¡¯s manor. He had spent last night¡¯s Dreamwalk working on his willpower, but the effects of his potion were dwindling. What he gained from that training was a massive boost in willpower that made any core based on that concept powerful, even at Level 1. But there was another aspect to this power he needed to consider. It was a gift, given to him by Yuri who had poked the cogs of fate into motion a long time ago. The alchemist now found himself as one of those cogs. Not as a drone to do someone¡¯s bidding, but a man with a job. A task that needed completion.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, babe? You¡¯ve barely touched your giant demon-goat-bird eggs,¡± Tresk said, poking Theo in the cheek.


    Theo removed himself from his thoughts, looking down at his cold plate of food. The marshling must have sensed his thoughtfulness, or read his mind, because she normally was already off on some adventure. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± he said, turning instead to his administrator interface and picking at his food. ¡°Anything interesting going on with you today?¡±


    ¡°Test flight with Alex,¡± Tresk said, jabbing her thumb back at the goose. Alex looked up from her plate of bugs, grain, and random pieces of vegetation and honked weakly. ¡°We¡¯re hoping to scout for Qavell.¡±


    Theo hoped Fenian would arrive before Qavell got to the alliance. He had leaned on the Herald in the past, and would do so again. The mortal realm was his domain, after all. If there was a god in that flying city¡ªwhatever form it might take¡ªhe could make a difference. Just like Khahar could snap his fingers in the heavens, changing the way the system worked up there.


    ¡°You?¡± Tresk asked, stealing a sausage from Theo¡¯s plate.


    ¡°Potions or landscaping. I have a request from Grot to do some mountain-moving up in Gronro.¡±


    ¡°That sounds ever so boring,¡± Tresk sighed. ¡°If you need me, I¡¯ll be riding a goose into battle. Farewell.¡±


    Tresk swooned on the spot, placing the back of her hand over her moist forehead. She stumbled around the table, then through the front door, sighing the entire way. Alex waddled behind her, almost unable to shove her bulk through the threshold.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into her?¡± Sarisa asked, stealing another of Theo¡¯s sausage.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t speak crazy marshling?¡± Theo asked, jabbing a fork into his last sausage before someone swooped from nowhere to steal it. ¡°She¡¯s excited to see the city fall.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°Excited? Not really. We have to juggle the matter carefully. We need to disable the city, then banish whatever god attached itself there.¡±


    Theo reflexively sent his willpower out, searching for anything that felt like a damn floating city approaching his town. Xol¡¯sa had yelled at him about that before. Most magic users had a magical sense that they could send out, probing things. Someone who was good enough could sense distant magical things. But the alchemist had leaned on his willpower, never developing a sense for magical things. He tried. But the only success he found was his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and its ability to sense the Earth element.


    ¡°Confidence levels are low?¡±


    Theo found that question the hardest to answer. He was confident in his potions and his people. But the new power he was cultivating wasn¡¯t solid like those things. It was mercurial, and unknowable without a status screen. How strong was his realm compared to a piece of a god in the mortal realm? Then another thought. What if even Khahar was wrong? Before he left to become the Arbiter, Khahar was technically a mortal. With a sneeze, he could have destroyed the planet. What if there was another. One from those old days the gods loved to wax on about.


    ¡°Uncertainty is high,¡± Theo said. The difference mattered.


    ¡°I know what will cheer you up,¡± Sarisa said, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go poke some turtles with sticks. See who can get the closest.¡±


    For a moment, no longer than a single breath, Theo considered wading into the swamp to poke turtles. Although he tried to dismiss it, the thought lingered. Working all day, every day, wasn¡¯t healthy. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go poke some turtles.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rowan said, looking out from the kitchen. ¡°Really? You wanna play poky snappy?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sarisa shouted.


    ¡°But I need to check on the lab. And the deadly herb in the garden,¡± Theo said, sucking his breakfast into his inventory. He¡¯d finish it while they poked turtles.


    Theo checked in on Salire, discovering that she was running the low-level potions wing of their business well enough. This was a turning point for his alchemy. Something that he wanted to approach with caution. Fourth tier potions would not be easy to make, especially when he had been lazy about mastering the third tier ones. If he had learned one thing from alchemy, it was that each phase built on the next. The example that he thought of was the pressure treating process, which taught him about impurities. Alcohol distillation had shown him how to isolate properties to a high degree. Whatever came next would expand on the concept of reagent purity, and he had no desire to rush it.


    Thanks to the settings in the Experimental Garden Plot, the Night¡¯s End plant hadn¡¯t grown, or wilted. It was suspended in time, flowerless in that square plot and unable to kill more scholars. Satisfied enough to take a day off in the swamp, he turned and left his buildings behind. Both Sarisa and Rowan were excited, singing a song about a man getting his hand eaten by an Ogre Snapper. It instilled low levels of confidence in the alchemist.


    ¡°The game is pretty simple,¡± Sarisa said, handing Theo a stick as they left through the western gate. HIs thoughts went to building projects. A pleasant road through the swamp was needed. ¡°You poke the turtle with a stick. Whoever uses the shortest stick without being chomped wins. No magic.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Theo said, pressing forward into the swamp. He was tempted to snap his stick as small as it would go, but remembered how quick those snappers were. Even at a low level, the swamp was their domain.


    As they plowed through the swamp, Theo had time to think about which potions he wanted to work on. He had to grow enough Khahari Cotton to test the Flutter property, so that was out for now. The mental reports sent by his Plant Golems claimed it was going well. Spirit fruit potions were off the table for now, so he ignored them. That left bringing his standard potions to third tier, messing around with modifiers, and blending plants with his new building. It was prudent to have a stock of powerful potions ready for when Qavell arrived.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Theo made a list in his mind. First were the most important potions to anyone serving in an army or as an adventurer. Healing, Stamina, and Mana potions. The next-most important ones were attribute-enhancing potions, of course. Greater versions of those would turn the local defenders into monsters, allowing them to punch 10 Levels above their current level. Next were defensive potions. Barkskin, Carapace, and Limited Foresight. And finally escape potions. Return, Retreat, and Featherfall. The last potions on his mind were his secret weapons. Negative potions infused with the Holy modifier like Desperate Attack, and Berserk.


    If Fenian wasn¡¯t here by the time Qavell attacked, he would give Tresk a Holy Potion of Berserk, and a Potion of Desperate Attack with the same modifier. Theo would also distribute those to the commanders, especially Luras, Aarok, Sarisa, and Rowan. The alchemist would reserve a stock of Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion, modified with Holy, for himself. Those would be in short supply. Each of these potions needed to be brewed at the third rank, making the task daunting. So long as he had enough time to prepare, Qavell would fall. He was confident.


    ¡°There¡¯s one!¡± Sarisa shouted, getting low in the mud.


    An Ogre Snapper thrashed in the murky waters ahead, sensing the group¡¯s approach. Theo waited to see what the finer rules of the game was, watching as Rowan snapped his stick short. Perhaps a bit too short. He charged at the turtle, imposing his desire to be first. Theo and Sarisa watched as the man pressed the stick into the turtle¡¯s face, had the stick eaten in one chomp, then had his arm pinched between the beast¡¯s beaked mouth.


    Rowan screamed, punching at the turtle¡¯s head. He was released a moment later, vanishing into the shadows before returning near the group. After chugging a potion, his arm twisted itself back into position.


    ¡°You got too greedy!¡± Sarisa shouted with a laugh. Theo didn¡¯t miss the concern on her face as she made sure her brother hadn¡¯t sustained lasting injuries. ¡°My turn!¡±


    Sarisa snapped her stick at half the original length. Theo saw where it was going before it happened. She was savaged, thrown to the side, and forced to crawl back to the group covered in mud.


    ¡°The key to the game,¡± Theo said, approaching the turtle with his full length stick. ¡°Is to go last. That way, you¡¯ll always have the longer stick.¡±


    The next thing Theo remembered was being face-down in the mud, being dragged away by Rowan and Sarisa. He could almost hear their manic cackling through ears caked in swamp junk. After quaffing a potion, he stared up at the with a blank expression.


    ¡°No one wins this game, do they?¡± Theo asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t even a real game.¡±


    ¡°The turtles were smaller when we were kids,¡± Sarisa said, nodding at Rowan. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. For sure.¡±


    ¡°Who won?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Everyone got chomped so¡­ no one. Let¡¯s do it again!¡±


    While Theo wanted to be annoyed with the game, it was actually fun. Only because they had an endless supply of potions that would heal their wounds in moments. Otherwise the game was deadly, even against low-leveled monsters. The alchemist took the chance to reduce some stress of the coming attack. Being eaten by giant turtles had a way of putting the world into perspective. He planned his distillation batches out, marking everything he needed to do in his mind. To produce so many potions, all of which were different aside from the Holy modified ones, would require a lot of liquor. All that booze had to be infused with different essences, meaning he would lean heavily on the Internal Liquid Storage feature of the place.


    After half a day of messing around in the swamp, everyone was tired enough to take a Lesser Stamina Potion and return to the town. They applied Cleansing Scrub to themselves before entering again.


    ¡°See? I told you he could have fun,¡± Sarisa said, shoving Theo.


    The alchemist moved the rock she was stepping on, sending her stumbling forward. Rowan roared with laughter, drawing the attention of nearby citizens.


    ¡°We got eyes on Qavell,¡± Tresk said, her thoughts bleeding into Theo¡¯s mind. He saw flashes of the floating city, plodding along the cliffs near the coast. ¡°They¡¯re approaching Broken Tusk directly.¡±


    Theo needed to take a breath to understand if that was good or bad. Qavell was always coming, but at least they were approaching from the best angle. He watched through Tresk¡¯s eyes as a bolt of energy jumped from the hovering city. It lashed uselessly against the mountains, sending piles of rocks tumbling to the sea below. The whole thing seemed neutered, compared to the image he had conjured in his mind. Instead of a dark fortress, brimming with magical potential, he saw an impotent rock drifting on whatever wind would carry it.


    ¡°I¡¯m slightly disappointed,¡± Theo said, watching as Tresk and Alex retreated.


    ¡°Looks like easy pickings. Bet I could solo it.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯re still talking about an entire city.¡±


    ¡°Meh. Agree to disagree. No worries, we¡¯re heading back.¡±


    Tresk made sure to add that last part so Theo wouldn¡¯t worry. Rowan was trying to get his attention, but the alchemist imagined the angle of approach for the city. It traced the line of the coast perfectly, likely using the mountains for cover. Whoever had devised this plan was an idiot, though. Approaching Broken Tusk that way assumed they would have no response. King Hanan would know that, wouldn¡¯t he? Theo only hoped whatever mad god was driving the city forward was so foolish, and the king would be open to negotiations.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Theo asked, turning to meet the confused gaze of Rowan. The alchemist withdrew his communication crystal, the one linked with Fenian, from his inventory.


    ¡°I was asking if you wanted to jump off a cliff and see who survives.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one step too far,¡± Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°Ah, Tresk is writing her report to Aarok. Good. Means I don¡¯t have to. Anyone seen Zan¡¯kir lately?¡±


    ¡°Prowling the wall like a hungry Marsh Wolf, no doubt,¡± Sarisa said.


    Zan¡¯kir had been given the honor of managing the wall-based defenses of the town. Every tower and artifice cannon in town was under his command, including their placement and operation. Theo headed to the walls, walking them for a bit before bumping into the khahri man. He still wore twin scimitars at his hips, sticking with the theme of his people.


    ¡°I need an operations report,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on Zan¡¯kir¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How many rail guns do we have and where are they?¡±


    Zan¡¯kir barked a laugh, a grin spreading across his face. He showed those sharp teeth, complete with long fangs. ¡°Twenty rail guns. Enough firepower to annihilate Qavell. Positions are spread even along the wall, and two in the towers in the sea.¡±


    ¡°Qavell is coming from the east. Northeast,¡± Theo said, pointing out over the harbor. ¡°I want all the batteries pointing that way. All of them.¡±


    ¡°How good is your information?¡±


    ¡°I just watched the city floating to the north, tracking the coast.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good info,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, nodding with approval. ¡°Do I have to wait a week for approval to get this rolling? And get my funds?¡±


    Theo asked about the cost of the workers needed to get that done today, and withdrew a single gold coin from his inventory. ¡°That¡¯ll cover it. Get it done, Zan¡¯kir.¡±


    ¡°And what are my firing orders?¡± Zan¡¯kir asked.


    ¡°The anti-magical shots. I want Qavell saturated.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I know I¡¯m only working the walls here, but I had an idea.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°What if we shot them from here where they are now?¡±

 5.59 - Bombardment

    The distance between Broken Tusk and Qavell was something like a hundred to two-hundred miles. If Theo had to guess. He remembered a time on Earth when making firing solutions was easy. They could poke a screen a few times and send a shot from orbit. The alchemist would have dismissed Zan¡¯kir¡¯s idea right away if it wasn¡¯t possible. Without computers, the shot was difficult. But with a spotter and a lumbering target?


    ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Theo said with a nod, putting a smile on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Any idea how you¡¯re going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Shoot and pray?¡± Zan¡¯kir asked.


    ¡°Just about. Work with Aarok to get a scout from Gronro up on the mountains. They can use the communication feature of the alliance to coordinate shots. You¡¯ll have at least a few days to get it rolling.¡±


    ¡°Exciting. I¡¯ll need a ship. Of course. Can¡¯t get a good angle behind the mountains.¡±


    Theo wrote it up in the administrative panel, giving everything he needed to get the job going. So long as it didn¡¯t screw up his job of moving the guns to the northeast side of Broken Tusk, it was worth a shot. The Captain of the Sandscourge company scurried off to get it done. At least he seemed excited about it, even if it didn¡¯t work. Everyone was tense with the approach of the city. A few fun shots might help them blow off steam. At least they could feel as though they were doing something.


    With that sorted, Theo headed back to the lab. Salire was practicing with something he didn¡¯t expect. She had commissioned Throk to create a small version of the pressure vessel he had used to create second tier potions. Like him, she didn¡¯t want to glide to the higher tiers without understanding why they were doing things. She seemed shy about it, blushing when he entered the room. But there was nowhere to hide the tabletop pressure vessel, and she couldn¡¯t avoid an alchemist¡¯s keen eye.


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Theo said, crossing the room to inspect the free stills. Only three were occupied. ¡°Add that to the book.¡±


    ¡°Already have,¡± Salire said, laughing nervously. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll ever produce books? For distribution?¡±


    They would need equipment to do that. Specialized artifices or maybe a class core. ¡°Keep an eye out for the gear we need to do it. From the traders that come into the docks.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Theo pulled one tube from the ceiling, filling several large glass flasks with various essences. He sorted them into crates, making room for his large batch of alcohol. That caught the attention of Salire, who watched him work but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°A thousand units of zee liquor,¡± Theo said, leaving the booze within the building¡¯s storage. ¡°Good, but not enough for what we need to do.¡±


    ¡°Want to do a batch of Spit Juice again?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Spit Juice?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what Bilgrob calls it. He¡¯s been buying some from me.¡±


    Theo laughed. ¡°Of course the ogre priest would buy zee-shine. Yeah, I¡¯m thinking about five-thousand units.¡±


    Theo explained all the things he wanted to make. Salire grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote, nodding along. They agreed there was an order to make these things, starting with the restoration potions. If things got bad, they would need a lot of those. The budding alchemist ran off to grab some zee from the farm, leaving Theo to organize the batch in his mind. He needed to save his daily trip to Tero¡¯gal to allow the potions to brew. He instead organized his stock of Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, Moss Nettle, and Mana Shrooms, intending to do full runs of those. Once he had those reagents from his Plant Golem, he checked Salire¡¯s expanding book while he waited.


    Salire had a way with words Theo could never hope to achieve. Her writings were informative, but not overly so. Instead of stuffing the text with written information, she relied heavily on diagrams. The alchemist¡¯s favorite figure was the one concerning alchemist advancement, which was a simple flowchart. Each part was labeled with the corresponding information below. She must have written the page several times to get it just write. The corners of the pages were filled with nuggets of information. Notes on where she should move a section, or a revision that required a complete re-drawing of the page.


    ¡°I had a thought,¡± Salire said as she entered the room again. She transferred the zee into a crate, turning to smile at Theo. ¡°I was researching cores that use willpower¡­ You know, since you took the Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core?¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± Theo said, leaning against the table. He watched as she withdrew single zee kernels from the storage, measuring them by eye before placing them in a still.


    ¡°You said you were looking for something to spend your free skill point on. I was digging through some old books, talking to that scholar of Zaul¡­¡±


    ¡°Bob? At Mudball?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He said there was a universal Zaul skill that enhanced the effectiveness of a person¡¯s willpower. Said you could equip a Zaul core, take the skill, then dump the core.¡± Salire nodded to herself, unable to hide the expression of pride.


    ¡°Did you write the skill down?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t have a copy of it written. Just his memory from his time with the cult. You can infuse your willpower into any class-based action, but it costs something. No, he doesn¡¯t remember what it was. Maybe an item or currency.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Theo helped Salire get the lid on the still, starting their first thousand-unit batch. ¡°Seems like a good pick. I just need to put a piece of Zaul in me.¡±


    Salire laughed nervously. ¡°Yeah, might be awkward. Have you seen him in the heavens?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Most of the Prime Pantheon doesn¡¯t care for Tero¡¯gal. At least they haven¡¯t reached out.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps contacting him first would be prudent.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, Salire,¡± Theo said, popping the lid from the second still.


    There were enough restoration essence on hand to create enough Bound Enchanted Dilution for about a thousand units of each restoration essence. Theo didn¡¯t want to think too far ahead, only focusing on one project at a time. He and Salire worked to get all ten stills running zee liquor, which might have been too much for the intended purpose. But it was always worth having more liquor for third tier binding on hand.


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    The brew time for ten stills wasn¡¯t long. Most of the work came from loading and cleaning the stills, but with the Internal Liquid Storage upgrade, Theo could store the zee liquor as it was distilled. The artifice sucked the liquid up as it dripped, removing the need to sort it. This allowed Theo and Salire to take seats, relaxing in their stuffy lab. Neither liked the air-conditioner too cold. The alchemist knew it was her way of blending in with the locals, even if she wasn¡¯t born here. The brewing booze didn¡¯t even smell great, coming out as clear, colorless, and odorless.


    Although it wasn¡¯t as bad as it used to be, half the day was gone by the time Salire and Theo finished with the zee liquor. But that would sort them for the entire batch of potions meant for the fight against the flying city. They moved on, cleaning each still with Cleansing Scrub. The alchemist pulled a hose above his head, filling one still with the exact amount of alcohol he needed to make a bound dilution. He added second tier Refined Healing Essence and set the heating element to the right temperature. He repeated the process for mana and stamina, filling three stills and setting them to work.


    ¡°Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor. Right?¡± Salire asked, rummaging through dimensional storage crates.


    Wisdom and Intelligence attribute potions weren¡¯t as useful for the people of Broken Tusk. They were mostly ranged and melee classes that had little need for those attributes. This wasn¡¯t Theo¡¯s first time brewing third tier attribute potions, but he had done so infrequently enough to make the process seem strange. With the restoration potions sorted faster than he expected, he moved on to filling three more stills with liquor and binding those to the Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor refined essences. At least that part of the process felt familiar enough.


    ¡°Getting something higher than good quality on these potions would be nice,¡± Theo said, adding the amount of essence he needed to each mixture. ¡°But I think this is a wall for me to bang my head against.¡±


    Salire only offered her reassuring words to him, helping as much as she could with the stills. Her level wouldn¡¯t allow her to interact with the bound dilutions. An explosion would result if she touched any part of the process. The task was made more annoying by the amount of steps, but the alchemist had expected this. He powered through the monotony, treating the brewing potions like an assembly line. Once the restoration bound distillation was done, he started the final leg of that brew. When the attribute potions were ready, he started those as well.


    ¡°Could you prime the fermentation barrels for more Holy modifier?¡± Theo asked, stepping back from a still. A plume of smoke rose from within as he applied Cleansing Scrub.


    ¡°Maybe. Not convinced I can handle it.¡±


    Theo watched as Salire did a test on the modifier fermentation process. She had the skill, but needed more practice with her mana. Like him, she had trouble controlling magical things, falling flat without close tutoring. Although the Holy modifier was hard to extract, she got the process going. The alchemist studied as she applied her mana and nodded with approval. It was better to use one¡¯s own mana when practicing. Using the artifices provided by Zarali was a poor way to practice the skill of fermentation. At least Salire understood that.


    The administrative panel was on fire with discussion. Alise was worried about the plan to fire at the floating city, but she gave up after a while. From what she wrote, Theo assumed she was worried about starting anything, But if the city was going to attack, it was going to attack. No amount of hopes and dreams would keep them away. Instead, it was better to be prepared. It was better to launch an offensive before they rained death on the small town in the southlands.


    Zan¡¯kir had taken over every boat available to him and had fitted them with Throk¡¯s rail guns. He¡¯d be taking random shots soon enough, although Theo doubted he would deplete the warded rounds he was provided. Those would expire soon, so perhaps it was a good idea to dump their stock. Instead of waiting for Grot in Gronro to get his butt in gear, Tresk had volunteered to ride Alex and spot the city. But the goose was tired from their adventure, and they barely made it out of the town before Alex gave up. To cover such a distance in so little time seemed like an amazing feat. Until Theo realized they took the train to Gronro before flying to the east, over the mountains. It sounded like cheating, but he wouldn¡¯t complain.


    The mission was, of course, not approved by anyone. But that didn¡¯t stop them. Theo¡¯s mind was soon filled with Tresk¡¯s reports, which he was expected to enter into the town¡¯s administrative panel. Zan¡¯kir used some questionable notation to record. ¡®About one thumb to the right of that big rock¡¯ didn¡¯t seem like an accurate range-finding technique.


    Theo had all six stills working to brew the final third tier potions as he took a break. He watched the action from Tresk¡¯s point of view, swallowing hard as she dodged attacks from the floating city. Alex was more nimble than he expected, but they used the mountains for cover, only poking out to see if shots hit. A round whistled through the air, striking against a barrier without doing damage. After a few more shots, Zan¡¯kir getting their aim dialed in, an enchanted shot slammed into the shield. It flickered before vanishing. Two more rounds followed, hitting the stones of the outerwall and flashing with red-blue energy. The city tilted to one side, barely maintaining altitude.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually working?¡± Theo asked, laughing to himself. ¡°Why is that working?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Theo explained the situation to Salire, who was confused as though he was babbling to himself. As he did, he watched through Tresk¡¯s eyes. Enough shots landed on the city to bring it into the water, sending a tidal wave radiating in all directions. The alchemist could only imagine how angry King Hanan was within those walls. He giggled to himself as he thought about it. A few minutes later, and more relentless attacks, and he was summoned to the harbor to enchant more shots.


    ¡°Gotta go,¡± Theo said, waving at Salire. ¡°Can you handle this?¡±


    Each produced potion would be sucked into the internal storage, meaning Salire didn¡¯t have to touch it. ¡°Got it, boss. We¡¯re working on the heavy stuff tomorrow. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll do the fun stuff tomorrow.¡±


    Zan¡¯kir had assembled four ships in the harbor. Theo knew they were working on a few boats, but hadn¡¯t expected them to be fit to sail. Each was fitted with one rail gun on the deck, and all were firing into the sky. The angle was impressive, but not as entertaining as the ear-shattering sound they produced. The alchemist saw why it was easy for them to zero in on the target. With a spotter and enough rounds, they had closed the distance with ease. Rail guns on Earth could achieve that range, but not without computers.


    Theo found a place behind the harbor wall to enchant rounds. He chugged mana potions as he applied wards to each one, not stopping his chanting until each was ready to fire. Zan¡¯kir commanded the guns, but Tresk and Alex were pulling out by the time he was done. The alchemist watched as they retreated, seeing a sad-looking Qavell among the surf. He almost felt bad for it. They must have expected the plan to work, or at least get them closer to Broken Tusk. But that¡¯s why people don¡¯t invest their efforts into airship fleets. He had been warned about this when he had the idea. Anything that could fly would be knocked out of the sky by magical interference. And they had developed a weapon targeting one flying city in particular.


    The firing died. Theo¡¯s ears were still ringing, but a Health Potion sorted that out. Zan¡¯kir was soon with him, smiling that bright white smile.


    ¡°How¡¯s that for results?¡±


    ¡°Absurdly impressive. They didn¡¯t have counter-measures.¡±


    ¡°Just like Throk said. Anything that¡¯s gonna fly is gonna die.¡±


    ¡°Wise words. What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°Tresk agreed to be my eyes, along with Grot in Gronro,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, shielding his eyes to look at the fading sun. ¡°We¡¯ll resume bombardment until the thing doesn¡¯t move anymore. If I had to guess, they¡¯ll fix whatever we broke by morning.¡±


    What a brutal approach to the problem. An old part of Theo appreciated it. They would make whatever god that pulled Hanan¡¯s strings pay for every inch of that coastline. And the nuclear option wasn¡¯t off the table. If this didn¡¯t work, he was ready to see the city stopped forever. If Fenian didn¡¯t arrive in time, that might be the only option.


    ¡°Make sure someone gives you a bonus for this idea,¡± Theo said, wrapping his arm around Zan¡¯kir¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go get Zan¡¯sal. We¡¯re gonna have a feast at my mansion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fancy boy,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, freeing himself from Theo¡¯s grasp. He performed a dramatic bow. ¡°I¡¯ll bring my finest attire, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Only the finest, Lord Zan¡¯kir,¡± Theo said, matching the absurdity of the bow with one of his own.

 5.60 - Zaul

    Theo reclined in his chair, watching as the gods argued over what Zan¡¯kir had done. Khahar had a playful smile on his face. The alchemist had finished his work for the day, gathering all the potions from the lab to brew in Tero¡¯gal. After setting those potions aside, the gods had assembled for tea. They had been spying on him, watching as the floating city was bombarded relentlessly. As always, each had an opinion.


    ¡°Big city fall down!¡± Spit shouted, throwing his head back and wheezing with laughter.


    ¡°One has to wonder how they constructed the flight system,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, tutting. ¡°I thought our big bad was supposed to have some teeth.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say more than I have,¡± Khahar commented. ¡°All is going according to plan.¡±


    Glantheir had the most heart-warming comment of all. He leaned over, placing a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You could have blown it up. Good work.¡±


    The group of gods gave no hints on the mystery, though. No one would say who was pushing King Hanan along, but each time Theo asked, they seemed pained to answer. Khahar didn¡¯t even glare at him when he asked, making it even more concerning. The alchemist had narrowed his list of suspects down to a handful of gods, all of whom were dead. That left the beings operating outside of the world at fault, which seemed impossible to deal with. But with their floating city floundering in the water, Qavell wasn¡¯t a threat anymore.


    ¡°I just want to thank the Arbiter,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, inclining her head toward Khahar. ¡°For fixing the bridge so quickly.¡±


    Khahar gave her a nod back. Theo had tried to subvert the system again, but found it impossible to bypass the bridge. Perhaps his role as the Dreamwalker was to test these things. To find ways around the system so they could be patched. He was quite good at finding weaknesses in things. Back in the day anyway. If he was selected for this role by Khahar, then that made more sense.


    Uz¡¯Xulven went into detail about how the floating city worked, and Khahar didn¡¯t stop her. It was impossible to move a town or kingdom core once it was planted. Unless someone screwed with the core itself. High-level Coresmiths could fiddle with the way cores worked, but that work was dangerous. Even Khahar only dabbled in the art, and he was a master of most things before he left the mortal realm. After the two cores were changed, a series of hover engines were ignited and fed a steady supply of magical energy. She didn¡¯t know how they were powering it.


    Theo took a sip of his tea, finding himself delighted by the conversation. The gods were excitable at the best of times, but they had worked themselves into a fervor. He stepped away from that excitement for some fresh air, looking over the souls of those in his realm with a smile. They had gone from one fad to another, but their desires were cyclical. Each had a pair of crude rollerblades strapped to their feet again, and they sailed down the cobbled path with chattering teeth.


    Coming to Tero¡¯gal wasn¡¯t just about allowing potions to brew, though. Theo let out a steady breath as he reached out with his mind. He found a shadowy spot in the Prime Pantheon, almost imperceptible with his Willpower. Zaul¡¯s realm was called Und, a place of eternal darkness. Uz¡¯Xulven enjoyed the shadow motif, but Zaul embraced it. The alchemist felt a tickle of recognition, then an invitation. He accepted, stepping through the places between reality. As expected, the other side was imperceptible darkness.


    ¡°Finally,¡± a voice rasped from afar.


    Theo felt around Zaul¡¯s realm, but gave up after he felt nothing but chilled air. The ground under his feet was hard stone, and the air smelled wet. ¡°Hello, Zaul. I have a few questions.¡±


    The god¡ªwherever he was¡ªblew out a breath. ¡°As it should be. Those who operate in darkness are forgotten. I am forgotten. Khahar has forgotten me.¡±


    Maybe Theo should have asked Khahar about Zaul before going to Und. He assumed everyone in the prime pantheon was of stable mind, but the Burning Eye was a prime god. So was Fan¡¯glir. He swallowed hard, nodding into the darkness.


    ¡°My Tara¡¯hek has a Zaul core user,¡± Theo said. ¡°She hasn¡¯t forgotten about you.¡±


    ¡°And your town has my prophet. What do you need from me, demon?¡±


    ¡°Would your cores give me access to a willpower ability?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can I have one.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Zaul laughed. Maybe somewhere distant, or right into Theo¡¯s ear. It was impossible to tell. ¡°You walk in the shadows like an oaf. Not worthy of my core.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Good talk,¡± Theo said, turning intending to leave.


    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Zaul said, a little too fast and worried about how he had been talking. The alchemist felt the shadows draw closer. Cold hands drew around his shoulders and a feeling entered his mind. Not words, but a sensation that was impossible to ignore. ¡°Khahar thinks he¡¯s clever. Games. He plays games with the world.¡±


    Something heavy fell into Theo¡¯s hand. He recognized the detailed surface of a class core. While he tried to say something, nothing came out. His mind was still processing those feelings.


    ¡°He cannot see it. Cannot sense it. Don¡¯t worry, demon,¡± Zaul said. ¡°The information will unravel in your mind. Tell no one.¡±


    Theo was flung from Zaul¡¯s realm. He barely managed to put the core into his inventory before he stumbled out into Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist stood there for a long time, gazing off into the distance. And the information unfurled in his mind. The thing that was controlling King Hanan wasn¡¯t evil. Attributing malice to natural forces was useless. The entity was something else entirely, but it planned to destroy the Southlands Alliance. Not because it wanted Theo and his people dead, but because Theo was an aberration. Zaul didn¡¯t know the whole truth, but the information he implanted in Theo¡¯s head made him dizzy with knowledge.


    The gods were still chatting in the growing cottage. Khahar didn¡¯t know that Theo knew. He didn¡¯t know about the core in his inventory. The potions were done brewing. The alchemist grabbed them, planning to inspect them after he returned to the mortal realm. Without a word to his godly friends, he passed through the realms and appeared in his manor.


    ¡°We got a problem,¡± he said, transmitting the thought to Tresk and no one else. ¡°Read my memories.¡±


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    Tresk was always quick about this stuff. She was far better than he was at viewing memories with perfect clarity. ¡°Holy crap! There was another Harbinger? And it''s stuck in the system!? What the hell!?¡±


    That was the information Zaul revealed. The echo of another Harbinger-like being was stuck within the system like some horrid echo. It had taken a body and was forcing the king to do its bidding. Theo¡¯s ability to manipulate his own realm might not work on something like that. What a massive wrinkle in an otherwise flawless plan.


    ¡°We need to keep this quiet. Zaul also gave me a core to use,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not sure if I should be honored or pissing my pants.¡±


    ¡°Why not both?¡±


    Honk!


    Theo opened his inventory, selecting the core that Zaul had given him. He stopped before reading the description, wondering if he should keep this from Khahar. The only downside to it was that Yuri wanted him to have only enough information to win without cheating. That kept the system running correctly, since everyone was following the rules. The alchemist read the description of the core.


    [Zaul Shadowspirit Core]


    Unique


    UNDEFINED Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    Sneaky, sneaky. Undetectable. Use your willpower to shield your soul, Theo.


    Innate Skills:


    [Spirit Weaving]


    ¡°That core ain¡¯t right,¡± Tresk said. Theo could feel her shaking her head in his mind. ¡°Undefined?¡±


    That was concerning. Why the hell was Zaul giving him a leg up? That god didn¡¯t seem to like him, let alone love him enough to put his neck on the line. The alchemist couldn¡¯t make sense of his motives, but at least he could understand the core. Shielding his spirit was an important thing to do if he wanted to travel through the realms. Xol¡¯sa had explained projecting one¡¯s consciousness like dragging a thread across the world. It could be cut at any moment. He inspected the attached skill.


    [Spirit Weaving]


    UNDEFINED Skill


    Unique


    Be careful with this one, Theo. I have created this skill for you and you alone.


    Effect:


    Weave your willpower around your soul, preventing prying eyes from spying.


    Once per day (resetting at midnight) you may weave this power into a spell, skill, ability, crafted item, etc. The signature of your willpower is left behind, enhancing the resulting effect, item, etc.


    Theo realized Bob had led him to Zaul, likely on the god¡¯s orders. Salire had explained this skill to him, which was the only reason he sought the god out. The alchemist removed his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, putting it into his inventory, and inserted Zaul¡¯s core. A flash of something wove through his chest and it took him a few breaths too long to realize his soul was cloaked in shadow. It bunched against that glowing ball in his chest like a protective layer.


    ¡°Dreamwalk,¡± Theo said without another word. They had already eaten, so it didn¡¯t look weird to retreat. Tresk agreed and the Tara¡¯hek went upstairs and fell asleep.


    Theo felt soft grass beneath his feet. Tresk had generated something calming to help the alchemist get his mind sorted. He hadn¡¯t even looked at the potions he made, which were at an impressive level of quality.


    ¡°Alright. Break it down for me so I can understand,¡± Tresk said with a sigh. ¡°Zaul is my god. Why does he care about you?¡±


    ¡°Good question,¡± Theo said, biting at his nails. His only theory was that Zaul had a grudge against Khahar, or some pride to save. So he generated a core and skill only for Theo as a jab. Even in the Dreamwalk, he could feel his willpower wrapped around his soul, like a protective blanket.


    ¡°Theo goes to fight Harbinger 2. Harby strong. Attack Theo soul,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°Zaul give Theo weapon. Theo strong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to summarize it,¡± Theo said. The hints he was given on how to beat whatever was controlling Hanan lined up with a soul-style attack. The gods had used a Soul Slaying attack on Xol¡¯sa once.


    ¡°The way it feels reminds me of something,¡± Tresk said, running her fingers across her teeth. She felt the pointy ones as though that would help her think. ¡°You ever get scanned by Zarali?¡±


    ¡°A few times. When she first arrived, it felt like something warm was washing over me. It was pleasant.¡±


    ¡°Most magic users have this bubble they can send out to scan stuff. Like how you can inspect someone¡¯s information. They can tell more about you by sending their magical power out or something. I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Zaul is helping me because I¡¯m magically inept?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    For once, Tresk and Alex stayed around to watch Theo mess with his new core. He had already advanced his willpower to a point of absurdity, so controlling the thing that had formed in his chest was easy. He sent it out like a bubble, formed intricate shapes, and experimented with ways to do something useful with it. But Tresk didn¡¯t have magical senses, and neither did Alex. No one in the Dreamwalk knew if his soul was shielded or what that meant. And since everyone there was a member of Tero¡¯gal, they weren¡¯t affected by whatever influence it would have on them. Real world testing was needed.


    Tresk scampered off to fight whatever nightmare creature she generated that night. That left Theo with alone time enough to inspect the potions he had made. He did so from memory. The third tier versions of the restoration potions were already well-known to Theo. But the ones he and Salire had created in the lab were a higher grade, meaning the effects were stronger. A Good Quality Greater Healing Potion restored 175 health, but the Great Quality ones he had crafted restored 185. The attribute potions went from 19 to 20 in their respective attributes.


    The real change would come when Theo brewed the dangerous potions, meant to be mixed with the Holy modifier, at third tier. With only second tier examples to think about, he could only imagine the next level for those potions. He joined Tresk and Alex, watching as they fought a giant, winged chameleon. With a thought, he generated a bar of Drogramathi Iron and quaffed a Potion of Berserk with the Holy modifier. This was a potion too dangerous to test in the real world. When he attacked the lizard, he would lose half of his health and get possessed by the owner of his realm. Which was him. And Tresk. And Alex.


    Theo approached the tail of the creature and smacked it as hard as he could muster. His health dropped to half, Alex and Tresk went rigid, and his health shot up to twice what it should have been. The chameleon¡¯s tail split off from the force of the attack, and was sent flying into the open meadows. The alchemist felt a strange melding in his mind. There was a barrier that kept him free from the Tara¡¯hek¡¯s influence. Normally, it prevented Tresk or Alex from being him. In an instant, he was no longer just Theo Spencer.


    ¡°Oh, crap. This is weird,¡± Theo said as Tresk spoke through him. ¡°Honk.¡±


    The alchemist stumbled to the side, unable to coordinate himself with so much influence acting on his body. Tresk tried to move his right side, while he tried to move the left. Alex tried to make him honk in fear. Tresk brought the rod of iron up, striking the lizard monster as it fell upon them. The force of the blow bent the rod at the middle and sent the massive creature tumbling back. He stumbled to one side, then the other before falling face-first on the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can use this,¡± Theo said, driven by Alex.


    ¡°Nope. This is too weird,¡± Theo said, Tresk this time.


    With a great shake of his head, Theo reset the Dreamwalk and freed everyone from the weird, fleshy prison.


    ¡°Hey, I got an idea,¡± Tresk said, shaking her head and blinking rapidly. ¡°Let¡¯s never do that again.¡±

 5.61 - Theo is a Sad Boy

    The Potion of Berserk was a complete failure for the group. While the power it provided was absurd, Theo doubted they would ever coordinate enough to use it correctly. They tried a few more times without success, giving up when it was clear everyone wanted to drive. Tresk went back to her training with Alex, and Theo practiced with his new core, finding it hard to do much of anything without feedback. The advantage the core brought was substantial, though.


    Since Theo now had a Zaul-aligned core in his chest, he had access to a long list of the god¡¯s skills. This included willpower based skills, something he hadn¡¯t expected. The alchemist assumed the Spirit Weaving skill was the one Bob told him about. But there were a few that had similar enough effects, and they were usable at Level 1. He narrowed it down to one, which he could exploit, since it was a universal skill. Before the Dreamwalk ended, just near dawn, he inspected the skill.


    [Shadow Wrap]


    Universal Skill


    Epic


    Cloak an item in shadows, fueled by your willpower. Depending on the type of item, a different effect is imparted. All items will be undetectable with magical detection techniques, regardless of level.


    Effect:


    Once per day (resetting at midnight) you may wrap an item in willpower-fueled shadows. A higher willpower creates greater effects. This effect lasts one week (seven days).


    Weapons will gain shadow damage.


    Armor will gain extra resistances.


    And so on.


    There were a few strange things to note here. First, it was a universal skill. For what the skill did, that didn¡¯t make the most sense. Next was the fact it could be used at Level 1, which seemed tailored to Theo¡¯s new strategy. It seemed like a stranger version of Toru¡¯aun¡¯s type of magic, and was poorly explained. Even when compared to what the Queen of Mystery put in the information text for her skills and core. Since this skill could be slotted into any core, it was a simple decision. Anything that took advantage of his growing willpower was worth investing in.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± Tresk asked, sensing that Theo was approaching the end of his investigations.


    ¡°Yeah. Hit it, you little lizard girl.¡±


    The group was dragged out of the Dreamwalk with a bit more force than normal. Theo suspected the skill wasn¡¯t happy with the way they had abused it to test the Potion of Berserk. Tresk was slow to get out of her bed, feeling just as much of the feedback as the alchemist. They made their way downstairs to find what Sarisa had prepared for them. And she didn¡¯t disappoint.


    When Tresk and Theo sat down, she brought two steaming plates over. A fluffy yellow egg, wrapped in on itself like an omelet, sat in the center of the plate. A red sauce similar enough in texture to ketchup to be ketchup had been drawn in a circle around the eggs. Small pieces of greenery poked from the omlete¡¯s edges, joining with crispy fried mushrooms.


    ¡°Pretty sure I outdid myself with this one,¡± Sarisa said, winking as she went to grab her own plate. Rowan was already seated, waiting to inhale his food.


    Theo¡¯s inventory was filled with potions meant for the fight with Qavell. He would bring those to the Newt and Demon to hold and inform Aarok they were available for the army to grab. They had never put their deal in writing. They tossed the lab a few coins for their efforts, but both parties knew this was the cheapest option. It took the burden off of the adventurers, ensuring they could fight without fear of getting killed. That made them fight harder.


    The alchemist sent his willpower out to check on his golem army. A bubble of something spread from his chest, washing over the room and darkening each corner. Sarisa and Rowan were on their feet, weapons springing from nowhere, before he could talk them down. The good news was that the golems were still on patrol, having taken it upon themselves to range outside of the walls and hunt nearby monsters.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Sarisa asked, jabbing her spear through the air. ¡°Get down, Theo. We¡¯re under attack.¡±


    Tresk laughed. Alex honked.


    ¡°I forgot about that,¡± Theo said, cooking up the lie in an instant. ¡°I took a skill that gives my willpower a tangible form.¡±


    ¡°Why does it feel so depressed?¡± Rowan asked.


    ¡°Theo is a sad boy. Don¡¯t pick on him,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°If you could stop, that would be lovely,¡± Rowan said.


    Theo withdrew his willpower, having got what he wanted to know from the lodestone network. Just like magic users, he would need to train this new manifestation of his willpower to control it properly. That meant a trip to the tower. He watched as his companions discussed this new power, eating his food. He loved eggs, especially when drizzled with fantasy world ketchup. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as he remembered from Earth¡¯s packaged meals, but close enough. When breakfast was done, he bid farewell to his companions and headed off.


    Tresk and Alex had been tasked with spotting for Zan¡¯kir again. They had no plans to stop the bombardment. Before making his way to the portal, the alchemist checked in with Salire at the lab. She agreed to prepare the stills and ingredients for a few third tier runs and was excited to receive the potions they made yesterday. She busied herself by stocking the shop, and he headed off.


    Theo stepped through the portal, arriving in the tower in an instant. He was tempted to feel around with his willpower, but judging by the reaction Sarisa and Rowan had he might end up at the end of an angry wizard¡¯s spell. Instead, he ascended the stairs to find Xol¡¯sa and Zarali lounging on the second floor. They were always hanging out on the second floor, just sipping tea and reading books. What a charmed life.


    ¡°Theo,¡± Zarali looked up, tilting her head to one side as though she heard something in the distance. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa gave Zarali a confused look, setting his book down. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Theo felt the familiar sense of someone¡¯s magical senses washing over him. The warmth spread through him, but halted at his soul. The cloak of shadows around his soul shielded him entirely.


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    ¡°I can¡¯t sense him. At all. He¡¯s not there.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s magical senses felt nothing like Zarali. His was cold, whereas her¡¯s was loving. ¡°What nonsense trickery have you pulled this time, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So, you can¡¯t sense me?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa passed his hand through the air. Magic sigils formed in a trail behind his fingers, forming an intricate array. A pulse rushed out from the circle, passing around his soul. ¡°That spell was fairly advanced. I can¡¯t detect you.¡±


    Theo looked up, smiling at the wooden ceiling. He allowed his will to spread out, covering the group. Like the Dreamwalk, he was certain that no one could hear them inside the bubble. Not Drogramath, Khahar, or any other god. Tresk and Alex were the only ones that could pierce that bubble. ¡°Not even the gods can hear me, now. I think.¡±


    Zarali seemed to shiver. ¡°I would support that idea. My connection with Drogramath feels strange.¡±


    Theo had to agree. When his bubble of shadows was protecting him, his position as Champion of Drogramath felt weak. He would need to test to see if Zaul was spying, though. He needed to find a way to exploit his willpower even more if he wanted to accomplish his goals. But this was a great start. For the first time in a long time, the alchemist wanted to talk to Uharis. He didn¡¯t know a more powerful mage.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Theo ignored the advice Zaul gave him. The shadow-dude was a weirdo who was unlikely to have any close allies. Theo? had a town filled with people he trusted with his life. He explained what had happened in the heavens and how he planned to use the new core to take advantage of his burgeoning willpower.


    ¡°If you could hold off with the bad ideas,¡± Zarali said, nodding with a concerned look. ¡°For at least a few seconds. Just stop trying to anger the gods.¡±


    ¡°But, more importantly,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, laughing to himself as he rose. He made his way to his many books, pressing his finger against each until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled the musty tome out, and held it for Theo to take. ¡°You can do aura training.¡±


    ¡°There he goes,¡± Zarali said. Theo spotted how she stopped herself from rolling her eyes, coughing into her hand instead. ¡°Ever the scholar.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, waving a dismissive hand. He looked around the room, studying the shadows in the corners. ¡°It has the form of a normal aura, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The form, but not the textures,¡± Zarali said.


    ¡°Zaul is helping you make up for your¡­ lacking magical ability,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°It means he knew you were increasing your willpower. And a thousand other complications with godly politics that don¡¯t involve me.¡±


    That was how mortals often thought, though. Theo stopped himself from seeing them as mortals and gods, feeling far more comfortable thinking of them all as just people. Complications was a good way of putting it, but that¡¯s the way it went.


    ¡°So I just read this?¡± Theo asked, holding up the book. It was thicker than most given to him by Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°And practice. At my tower, if you can spare the time. And check your administrative notes. I¡¯ve done some calculations on the flying city.¡±


    ¡°Just remember,¡± Theo said, punctuating his statement by jabbing the book in the air. ¡°If you need an absolute sphere of silence, ask me. We can finally have some privacy.¡±


    Theo pulled his willpower in, wrapping his soul in the comforting shadows. It was nice to have a better feeling for what his willpower was. He tested removing the core and inserting his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core. The sensation was unpleasant, but not the pained response he had come to expect based on Luras¡¯s testimony. Lower level people had trouble swapping cores, he had come to learn. The shadowy cloak around his soul faded, but the alchemist was aware of the willpower left behind. It was easier to visualize, even without the Zaul Shadowspirit Core. He swapped them once again and the cloak returned.


    Xol¡¯sa had made an entry in the notes section of the town¡¯s administration screen. Theo bid farewell to his friends, heading back through the portal as he flipped through them. The wizard had theoretical schematics of the mechanism that floated the city, including power requirements. The alchemist wasn¡¯t confident that he calculated the city¡¯s mass correctly, but it was a decent ballpark. They were burning a gold coin¡¯s worth of energy every second to float, and twice that to move forward. Xol¡¯sa had theorized the city was moving at a brisk pace when they started, but slowed the closer they neared Broken Tusk.


    Whatever creature helped Hanan move the city had cut too many corners to make it effective. Throk¡¯s words echoed in Theo¡¯s mind. Flying artifices were dangerous. The Wanderer might have decreased his necromantic energy in the area, but it was still there. Qavell had been battered since the moment it took flight, and there was only one endpoint. The bay outside of Broken Tusk, resting with the waves.


    Theo entered the Newt and Demon, finding the shop unattended. Salire had added a bell on the counter in case she didn¡¯t hear the chiming of the bell at the door. He made his way upstairs and found her sorting ingredients, most of which weren¡¯t ones he requested.


    She turned and smiled at him. ¡°I had an idea!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We have enough reagents for the dangerous potions. Some of them, anyway. But there are a few others¡­ Although I did start fermenting more Holy modifier. Kinda,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the burn marks on that side of the building. ¡°My first attempt fell flat.¡±


    ¡°Which potions should we make, then?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking Limited Foresight, Assail, Poison, Desperate Attack, and your Rust Bomb.¡±


    Rust Bomb was a fun one, which piqued Theo¡¯s interest. It produced a sludge that would eat away at metal for fifteen minutes, and a third tier version of the bomb would be interesting. The only problem was the smell. Grimelings were nasty creatures. The reagents they left behind had a smell that was doubled when distilled. The alchemist shrugged before nodding to himself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    Salire was ahead of him. Pozwa Horns would go through the alchemical grinders sometimes, but were often too tough for the artifices to handle. She had hired Ziz to turn a fair amount into powder. Since Ziz liked smashing stuff, he did it for free. The duo worked to get essences for each of their targets, preparing five stills for the batch. What essence they didn¡¯t use for the third tier brew would go into reserve, allowing them to make more later. That was the key to third tier, the alchemist realized. Having enough essence in stock to create the dilution.


    One still got the Pozwa Horns, Another got Widow Lily, Reanimated Skeleton Fragments, Zureah Talons, and¡­ Grimeling Ooze. The scent from the ooze was instant and disgusting. Theo and Salire had to evacuate the building, opening every window and dousing every surface with cleansing scrub as they waited. The fog it created with a choking miasma that lingered long after the brew would be done. Folks passing on the street covered their noses, or retched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for the ooze,¡± Salire said, gagging.


    ¡°Ooze,¡± Theo said, studying her expression. She gagged again.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Salire shouted, slapping at Theo ineffectually.


    Theo considered doing it again, but resisted. He thought a bit of discomfort was the least Salire could endure to pay for suggesting the Rust Bomb recipe. He couldn¡¯t imagine how other alchemists did this. He imagined they simply didn¡¯t. A memory of Perg¡¯s original tannery came into his mind. Everyone avoided that place based on the smell alone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break,¡± Theo said, turning away from his lab and heading toward the Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. ¡°I want to look at some plants that need splicing.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Salire said, wiping her hand over her mouth to clear away some spittle. ¡°I had some ideas about that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear them.¡±


    ¡°Well, we need to research Glantheir¡¯s Tears, but I have some notes for you to look over. But I can just tell you what I found.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Theo said, entering his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. He narrowed his eyes. Two small marshlings were sitting on the far side, playing a game with stones. They looked at him in fear. ¡°Just don¡¯t touch anything, children. The garden outside is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°We know,¡± one shot.


    ¡®Your observations?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Do you remember Throk¡¯s Weed? Of course, you remember everything. Its different than Zephyr Berries. So, why did zee plus wheat create something different under different circumstances?¡±


    That was a good question. Wild hybridization must have been different than controlled splicing. ¡°A keen observation, Salire. Now, let¡¯s turn to the topic at hand. Which plants to smash together with another.¡±

 5.62 - Silly Splicing

    ¡°We could try something silly,¡± Salire said, kneeling to pat the marshling children on the head. They giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty silly. What do you have?¡±


    ¡°Attribute reagents. Let¡¯s smash them together and see what happens.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a horrible idea. Attribute reagents were all flowering plants, which should meld together. They might fight against one another because of their innate alignments, but even in that wheel of elements there were complimentary things. Theo could imagine fire and earth getting along well, while fire and water wouldn¡¯t. Some scholar would have already created an elemental wheel, but the alchemist relied on his mental estimation of the task. Wisdom of the Soul was there to support his thoughts with a brief message.


    ¡°My Wisdom of the Soul ability says we should try Flame Roses and Stone Flowers first.¡±


    ¡°I vote we follow your wisdom.¡±


    Theo left Salire in the workshop to play with the children while he collected samples from the greenhouses. He gave new instructions to his golem there, finding it easier by the day to manipulate them. Halting by the door with two plants in hand, he scanned his lodestone network with his willpower. The Metal Golems were more willful than the other ones. They had formed a mob and were marching to the mine. There was some kind of monster surge in that area, forcing the miners to evacuate. The golems had responded faster than Aarok, and would likely clear the area with speed.


    ¡°I need more golems,¡± Theo said, giggling to himself. It felt good to exploit things like this.


    As Theo made his way back to the workshop, he remembered squad composition back on Earth. He spent little time in the ¡®regular¡¯ army, but remembered they contained people with different specializations. An army of Metal Golems alone wouldn¡¯t be great, so he intended to break the ones he had created into squads and add different golems to their ranks to spice things up. He shook the thought loose as he entered the workshop, placing the whole plants on the work table. Salire dragged herself away from the children, watching as the alchemist spliced the reagents together.


    ¡°This is locked behind a skill, right?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Like most things, you could do this without a core. But I doubt it would hold. Perhaps I just have a black thumb, but I¡¯ve never been good with plants.¡±


    Theo took the base of one plant, the Flame Rose, and grafted it onto the top part of the Stone Flower. Mana soaked into the place between the plants, fusing them together. All plants were weak after a splicing, no matter how well they got along. The rocky leaves of the Stone Flower wilted, drooping downward. The alchemist rushed it out back, planting it in the Experimental Garden Plot before it could wither away completely. He worked with the settings in the garden¡¯s interface, creating the perfect environment for the plant to grow. Unlike the Night¡¯s End plant, he allowed it to experience the normal flow of time.


    ¡°The plant should change,¡± Theo said, mounding dirt near the base of the newly spliced plant. ¡°But it worked. We have a new hybrid.¡±


    Theo had expected what came next. Another Loremaster had already discovered this hybrid, which wasn¡¯t a surprise. There were several plants only native to the area, but he doubted the Flame Rose and Stone Flower were among them. He inspected the new hybrid plant.


    [Magma Bloom]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Plant]


    Rare


    Found near active volcanoes, this plant feeds from molten rock to nourish itself. Discovered by Jamsen Albarat on the third day of the second month, 1248 Era of Darkness.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°Yeah, but what is the Era of Darkness?¡± Salire asked. ¡°Magma plants are fine and all, but I wanna know about the Jamsen guy.¡±


    Just because one culture called an era of the world one thing, didn¡¯t mean others would. That was interesting enough. ¡°Good question. I¡¯m interested to see if this will burn my greenhouse down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of looking at it. How long is this going to take to finish?¡±


    The Magma Bloom was more stubborn than some others. ¡°No clue. Better to leave it to do its work.¡±


    ¡°Next!¡± Salire shouted, looking back at the Newt and Demon. Smoke was still coming from the windows, although it had lessened. ¡°I think we have time.¡±


    The next combination was wind and water, which seemed obvious enough. Theo went back to the greenhouses, gathering a Wind Tulip plant and a Water Lily plant. Instead of picking out all the plants he wanted to work with for the day, he planned to go back and forth. By the time he returned to the workshop, the little marshlings were gone. The alchemist planned to lock the door this time, if only to discourage the scamps from playing near dangerous things. That seemed to be the life of a kid growing up in Broken Tusk, though. Poking turtles and getting stuck in logs were all the rage.


    As expected, the two plants created a hybrid easily enough. Theo felt resistance when he started, finding that Wind and Water weren¡¯t as close of friends as he had expected. The leaves drooped worse than the last experiment. Instead of waiting, the alchemist rushed it out to the Experimental Garden Plot and planted it, dialing in the settings and observing. The leaves perked up a bit, and the spot where he had fused the two plants together became solid.


    ¡°Another one,¡± Salire said, tapping her chin. ¡°Who are all these Loremasters and what happened to them? This guy seems deranged. Did he write a poem in the description of a reagent?¡±


    Theo inspected the plant, not wanting to miss out on any juicy Loremaster gossip.


    [My Dear Sweet Love]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Plant]


    Rare


    My dear Groxlagan. On the summer¡¯s breath I found you, laying in a field. Amongst the Thropton, a sight so cute I reeled. I¡¯ll fall upon your scaly bosom and truly be a man.


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


    ¡°It might be my turn to vomit,¡± Theo said, dismissing the screen. ¡°That is the worst item description I have ever seen. Full stop¡ªthis dude professed his love to a lizard-girl with a flower. How cliche is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Salire said with a weak shrug. ¡°Some girls might like that kind of thing.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh, god. Don¡¯t tell me this would work on you.¡±


    Salire offered a shy smile. ¡°It would one-hundred percent work on me. Until the lovesick frogopus eyes wore off, and I realized people would read a love letter on an item description until the end of time.¡±


    Theo had no desire to witness what a lovesick frogopus looked like, let alone their eyes during such a time. He prayed to every god he could think of that there was a way to undo what a loremaster had done, but knew it wasn¡¯t likely. The worst part was that he now had to think of the reagent as My Dear Sweet Love. What a pain. But the smoke had lessened from within the lab. He buttoned his coat, pulling it over his mouth as the pair headed to the Newt and Demon. They entered, swiping vials of Cleansing Scrub through the air as though banishing demons.


    ¡°The power of Drogramath compels you,¡± Theo said, splashing Cleansing Scrub on the wall. ¡°Begone foul stench.¡±


    ¡°Begone!¡± Salire parroted.


    Theo was feeling lighter than ever after Zan¡¯kir¡¯s idea to attack Qavell early. They could hear the faint snap of the rail guns in the bay, once again bombarding the city. Tresk and Alex were sending reports to the city, adjusting firing lines and updating everyone on the status of the city. Qavell had taken off during the night, plodding over the waves in last night¡¯s darkness. But the moment dawn came, and the flying spotters got out there, it was once again sent to the waves. As Qavell languished in the salty water, Broken Tusk prepared to take it by force.


    Salire led the way upstairs, splashing the cleaning potion along the way. It took them a while to get all three floors smelling good. But when they were done, it was the cleanest the building had ever been, only rivaled by the time when the lab was planted. However long ago that was.


    ¡°This is all on you,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the stills. ¡°If i touch the third tier reaction, we¡¯re going to have more to worry about than a stinky lab.¡±


    Theo nodded, getting to work on the next phase of brewing. Five stills were filled to the top with unbound dilutions, so he went between them and bound them with his mana. Next, he prepared five more stills, transferring the liquid between them in perfect quantities and kicking off the next process. Instead of heading off to do something else, he remained there to study the heating cycles they needed to do. Salire took notes as he observed each still, adjusting the heating elements by intuition.


    This kind of research was boring to do, but required if they wanted to get a decent grade out of the potions. The alchemist went between the stills for several hours, keeping up with Tresk¡¯s reports in the administrative screen. Qavell had activated a shield that prevented the shots from hitting, and they were running out of his mana-sucking warded shots.


    ¡°Could you fetch me some Drogramathi Iron Shots?¡± Theo asked, holding his hand out.


    Salire placed her notebook in his hand and nodded. ¡°How many?¡±


    Theo checked her notes, finding that she had created rows and columns to track the heating. ¡°As many as Throk will give you. Oh, while you¡¯re there could you buy all Throk¡¯s Tworgnothi Copper Batteries and Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifices?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Salire said, dashing off.


    Once she was gone, Sarisa stepped from the shadows. Theo often forgot she was there. ¡°I could have done that.¡±


    ¡°Let the girl get some air,¡± Theo said, waving the fumes out of his face. He made a note for a heating adjustment on the still containing the Limited Foresight batch. ¡°This place is foul right now.¡±


    ¡°Thoughts on the approaching city?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo looked up from the notes after jotting a timing note down. He forced a smile onto his face. ¡°I¡¯m nervous. I have a feeling that we need Fenian to win. And Fenian isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°You read Tresk¡¯s latest report, right? They have guns of their own. Almost clipped her with a shot.¡±


    ¡°Yet they didn¡¯t think to bombard us. Which means they¡¯re short-range weapons, or they¡¯re idiots.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaning to the theory that they¡¯re moronic. Or King Hanan is hamstringing the operation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on team Hanan. He¡¯s not his father.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s one question I have. Are you prepared to swing the sword if the time comes?¡±


    Sarisa was asking him if he could kill King Hanan if it came to that. He would do so without mercy. Things were balanced on too thin of a knife¡¯s edge to worry about that. Sending a person¡¯s soul to the heavens was easier to do than convincing them to do the right thing. But the alchemist knew it wouldn¡¯t come to that. His intuition said that if they destroyed the monster controlling Qavell, everything would be peaches and sunshine.


    Theo expanded his willpower, covering the room and shielding them from prying eyes. Sarisa shivered, shooting him an annoyed glare. ¡°We¡¯ll see how far my new weapon gets me. Let me make a call.¡±


    Theo withdrew the communication crystal from his inventory, squeezing it tightly in his hand. He felt the haptic buzz in his mind as it called Fenian.


    ¡°Alchemist! My dear, sweet alchemist.¡±


    ¡°How are the pirates?¡±


    ¡°As drunk as ever! Have you ever sailed with a band of drunk elven pirates? No? It isn¡¯t enjoyable, I¡¯ll tell you that much. I¡¯ve mopped up enough vomit for one lifetime and plan to take a long vacation after this.¡±


    ¡°We got a wrench in the works,¡± Theo said. Fenian was aware of Qavell, but hadn¡¯t been briefed properly.


    ¡°A what in the where?¡±


    Theo explained what they were up against. Fenian listened along as though he knew nothing, but was quick to answer with the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that miscreant, Theo. There are some implications as to the old holder of my Throne, King Karasan, and I believe Khahar will be properly pissed off.¡±


    ¡°So, you can beat it?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. So long as I can arrive before you¡¯ve been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t Uz¡¯Xulven enchant your boat? Make it go over the bridge?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s mad at me, my dear friend. Like a scorned lover, she thinks I¡¯ve wronged her. Threatened to take my cores and everything. Could you imagine?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How long are you going to be?¡±


    ¡°A few days. We ran into some problems near Tarantham, turning this week-long voyage into something a bit longer. But we¡¯re at a good clip now. Strong enchantments here on the Godslayer¡ªgods what a name. You can expect us in a few days. Right at the last moment, I think.¡±


    ¡°Keep me updated, alright?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Sure. Of course. Ah, I have to go. Another grog drinking contest. Farewell!¡±


    The connection was cut before Theo could say his farewells. It was stable, considering that the communication crystal was piercing through his shadow-infused willpower. There were likely implications that the crystal was connected with his soul, making his aura an antenna rather than a dampening field. The alchemist didn¡¯t care to consider those facts right now, turning his attention to Sarisa¡¯s expectant face.


    ¡°Fenian is close. The Herald will save us. I¡¯m sure about it.¡±


    ¡°There he goes again,¡± Sarisa sighed. ¡°Putting all his faith into an elf.¡±


    ¡°I have no confidence that I can kill it on my own. Maybe I could wrap my willpower around it and drag the thing to Tero¡¯gal¡­ Or the Bridge. I could do what the Bara¡¯thier did and break a chunk of the mortal realm off.¡±


    Sarisa¡¯s confused expression shifted to disgust. ¡°You could do that?¡±


    Theo knew he could do that. But the section of reality he could break off was small, only a fraction of the bubble he could make with his willpower. He knew it because he had seen it in the future, thanks to the Holy infused Potion of Limited Foresight.


    ¡°Yeah. Best not to worry about it yet.¡±


    ¡°Yet? Are you seriously planning to send part of our world into the void?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. One day. But I¡¯m not strong enough. I have to find the lost Bara¡¯thier first to bring the shards they stole back. These things are connected. They have to be.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re just telling people now?¡±


    Theo gestured to the bubble around them. ¡°This is the first time I can speak freely outside of the Dreamwalk. Do I have to tell you not to repeat this?¡±


    ¡°No, I can keep a secret. I just hope you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±

 5.63 - Pass the Pie!

    After Salire returned to the lab, they were prepared to start the brewing process. All third tier potions needed some time to brew within a flask. She helped set up the large glass flasks on the table and performed mass reactions for their potions. Theo was the one who needed to drop the catalyst into each flask, otherwise an explosive disaster would strike the lab. After the reactions were complete, it was only a matter of waiting.


    ¡°I¡¯m off to Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said, patting Salire on the back. ¡°We did good today.¡±


    ¡°I think so!¡± Salire said, holding up her notebook. I¡¯d be shocked if these were Good Grade, and not Great or Excellent.¡±


    ¡°Hooray,¡± Sarisa put in, completely flat.


    Theo let himself fall through the veil between the realms. He passed over the Bridge, not wanting to disrespect Uz¡¯Xulven anymore than he already had. But something tugged at him, drawing him in a different direction. He tried to force his willpower against whatever pulled him, but couldn¡¯t overpower it. The alchemist swallowed hard as he realized the one person who could do that. A moment later, his feet hit the rolling fields of Khahak. He stood outside of the Arbiter¡¯s Citadel, which rose into the clouds above. A stream of people, who were mostly Khahari, walked along the road.


    In a snap, Theo was standing in a room. Polished marble was on every surface with a massive wooden table sitting before a window that spanned twenty feet into the air. While it didn¡¯t need the extra light, the room was lit by magical lanterns on the walls. Khahar stood, staring out of the window.


    ¡°How is Zaul?¡± he asked, not bothering to turn around. ¡°I haven¡¯t visited Und in a while.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s good,¡± Theo said, sauntering around the table. If Khahar was pissed, it wouldn¡¯t work to throw himself on the ground and beg for forgiveness. That¡¯s not what Yuri liked about people. ¡°Gave me this fancy core so you can¡¯t spy on me.¡±


    ¡°I can still spy on you,¡± Khahar said, looking over his shoulder and smiling. ¡°Just not as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned about you spying on me, though. I don¡¯t trust the other gods completely. Not with the mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a smart position to hold, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Is Zaul trying to use me?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s too insane for that. He saw something in you he liked, so he gave you the core you needed. I allowed him to break the rules to make it, so I know what it does.¡±


    Theo sighed, falling into Khahar¡¯s chair. It wasn¡¯t comfortable. At all. ¡°Does it ever get boring? Knowing everything and being all-powerful?¡±


    ¡°No, because I¡¯m not as strong as you think. I¡¯m uniting the heavens because there are outside forces pressing in. That¡¯s what I wanted to talk about.¡±


    ¡°The Bara¡¯thier?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to spoil the surprise, but the thing forcing King Hanan to attack is a vestige. You remember the Harbinger, right?¡±


    ¡°How could I forget?¡±


    ¡°That entity is a piece of another Harbinger. They¡¯re an entire race¡ªif you could call them that¡ªwhich create universes. The Harbinger brought us here, but the other guy had already messed this place up. He wanted us to fix it, but we couldn¡¯t stop fighting. For sixty-thousand years we fought. I spent fifty-thousand of those years preparing for now. And here we are.¡±


    So Khahar was feeling wistful about his time meditation for a thousand years at a time. He had gathered enough power to overthrow the status quo and hoisted himself on them like a yoke. Theo knew they needed it. The gods had segmented themselves into pantheons before retreating to their comfortable corners. They waged wars that lasted thousands of years on the mortal realm, and hundreds of thousands in the heavens.


    ¡°So the thing pushing Hanan forward is¡­ what? An echo?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°And I can kill it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But Fenian can. He possesses the Throne of the Herald. The single being meant to keep the mortal world safe. He has the authority to smite anything that goes against the Monitor System¡¯s rules.¡±


    ¡°So this guy creates the system and this universe, then what? He died and left part of himself behind?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. God, Theo. This is complicated, alright? Something happened on Earth well before the Harbinger arrived. The other guy tried to transmigrate the planet but failed. Of all things, he was stopped by a human. It gets worse, though. That human¡¯s soul is in the queue.¡±


    ¡°The what? Why are you being so straightforward¡ªthis isn¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m laying the groundwork for when you take your throne. The creature the harbinger killed took souls from our world and put them in a queue. They get released on a schedule that he determined before this place was even made. You were the second-newest soul to get released.¡±


    ¡°Back it up. An Earthling came after I was? Where is he? Or she.¡±


    Khahar smiled that warm smile. ¡°I have that under control.¡±


    ¡°This is great information. I really appreciate you finally pulling me in, but why now? Yeah, I¡¯m supposed to take the Throne of the Dreamwalker. Because you need someone to go through the heavens and fix broken stuff. Blah blah. So on. But why now?¡±


    Khahar paused for a long time. He gazed out the window as his thoughts gathered. ¡°Can I admit I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t survive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Broken Tusk won¡¯t survive daily, dude. If you follow your own rules, we¡¯re just waiting for Fenian to save our butts. Again.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we can only pray he is fast enough, then. Perhaps I should talk to the gods that control the wind and the seas some more. They weren¡¯t receptive the last time.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. And maybe we should have more meetings like this. We can loop every current and future throne-holder in on it.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. We could meet in Tero¡¯gal. Once Fenian gets back to Broken Tusk.¡±


    That was the Yuri that Theo remembered from Earth. He was always finding ways out of tight spots, and he never did it alone. Unlike most spies, he always had support. The Arbiter of the heavens was looking for friends, despite his new nature of going solo.


    ¡°Makes me wonder how many thrones there are. And why they exist.¡±


    ¡°Four. They¡¯re safeguards.¡±


    ¡°Cool. So what¡¯s up with the tower? Compensating for something?¡±


    Khahar blinked slowly, then shook his head. ¡°It was generated by the system. Want a tour?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Khahar¡¯s realm was interesting to consider, even on a conceptual level. Most gods molded their realm after an ideal, but Khahak was different. This was a place that had been melded with the Throne of the Arbiter so completely that it looked nothing like something Yuri would go for. The landscape was green rolling hills with very few trees to see. Instead, there was a series of roads that connected cities, all with their own citadel. Unlike Tero¡¯gal, this place was tiny. There were three major cities where all the local souls lived. Instead of leisure, the people here documented everything. New souls were not invited in freely.


    The buildings were all made of the same glimmering stone. Those stones reminded Theo of the white marble in Broken Tusk with seams of silver running through them. Each stone seemed magically reactive, crackling as he drew closer. Folks in the area avoided his gaze, keeping their heads down as they rushed from place to place. Khahar needed to get out of his realm more often. He had been around his people¡ªpeople he had effectively created over the years¡ªfor far too long.


    ¡°This place looks easy to defend,¡± Theo said, slapping a stone and nodding. ¡°Sturdy, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is. I¡¯ve been attacked a few times. A few of the lesser Prime Pantheon gods have declared war. They didn¡¯t last long.¡±


    ¡°So, anyway. You wanna go grab some tea? Maybe cookies.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try interdicting us both?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, allowing his willpower to spread out over them. When it rolled over Khahar, he felt a shiver of response that reverberated through his soul. But within that shiver was something he hadn¡¯t expected. Recognition from Khahar, and his willingness to travel. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±


    Theo interdicted himself and Khahar the way he always had. Reality parted and they fell through the veil, which was much harder to pierce than normal. The Arbiter was interested in how he had done his willpower training, chatting as they fell through nothing as though it were normal. He was impressed the technique was working, and urged the alchemist to find other such ways to expand his power. They landed in Tero¡¯gal shortly after, and stood together as the various archways of gods sprung up.


    While the gods assembled for their tea, Theo placed his brewing potions on his work table. He could ask the local spirits to build him a place to do alchemy, but had distanced himself more from that concept by the day. Instead, he would enjoy the company of the gods. Uz¡¯Xulven, Drogramath, Spit, Benton, Khahar, and Glantheir came to today¡¯s tea party, finding seats in the cottage and getting comfortable.


    Uz¡¯Xulven gave Theo a sly smile. ¡°Arbiter, may I generate an image of the flagging city?¡±


    Khahar smiled back and nodded. ¡°Theo has people spying on it now. Acting as rangefinders.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven swept her hand through the air. Theo felt something rising in the back of his mind and recognized it as a request to use magic within his realm. He gave his permission and a shadowy image appeared above the table. Qavell rested in the waves once again, frozen in time.


    ¡°City fall down,¡± Spit said, laughing and shaking his head. ¡°So stupid.¡±


    ¡°With no casualties. Yet,¡± Glantheir said.


    ¡°How long can they keep this up?¡± Theo said, leaning in to see the image. ¡°I¡¯ve been bombarding them for a day and a bit.¡±


    ¡°They will falter,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°The effect you extracted from your work with potions is potent.¡±


    Spit scoffed, throwing his tea cup across the room. Benton winced. ¡°Strong potions? Weak city.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with the ogre,¡± Khahar said with a sigh. ¡°If the magical interference wasn¡¯t so bad, they would have made better time. But the design of the hover engines is bad. The new King of Qavell could have taken his city high enough to avoid being spotted. Instead, they track the coast.¡±


    The gods had a lot of opinions about the city, but they shared one sentiment. Qavell would fall. Sooner rather than later. Theo didn¡¯t want it to fall too soon. Once the city was completely disabled, he wanted it. Once it was cleansed, he would propose an alliance with Hanan. The man couldn¡¯t refuse. More than anyone, Hanan would want to join the Southlands Alliance to take the continent back. They would be a lasting alliance until the end. When Khahar cleansed the entire world in fire, Tresk, Fenian, and Theo would be there to save the day. As long as everything went according to plan.


    Theo had to thank the wanderer for this. He didn¡¯t care for Balkor, and suspected that few did, but this old piece of him was different. A more hopeful version of the Demon God of Necromancy existed in an age lost to time. Preserved in a long-dead piece of himself, that spirit had found purchase in a vessel. The necromantic energy was waning and the alchemist looked to the west for more allies. Not the elves in Tarantham, but the lost part of Balkor standing in the ruins of Vesta. He was on the path to redemption.


    ¡°So, is that wizard still on the moon?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven asked, giving Theo a look. ¡°Someone should go get him.¡±


    ¡°Kill him,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°He isn¡¯t worth the effort, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Save him, of course,¡± Glantheir said with a weak shrug.


    ¡°Oh, who cares? Pass the pie!¡± Spit shouted.


    Theo looked to Khahar for advice, but the Arbiter shrugged a response, not willing to make eye-contact. Uharis might be a useful person, but there was too much bad blood.


    Conversation with the gods went on for some time. The potions Theo had brewed shouldn¡¯t take much longer to settle down. Most only needed an hour for the reaction to settle, but it wasn¡¯t an hour he wanted to wait for in the mortal realm. The alchemist left the company of the gods, leaving them to their snacks and tea. Rollerblades had gone out of fashion again, but the spirits had modified the cobblestone roads to be smoother. They had created a cement-like putty that sat between the cracks, allowing them to glide over it effortlessly.


    Theo toured the village, meeting up with Belgar. The dronon spirit had gained his new form completely by now, and always carried a smile on his face. The alchemist passed him the letter Zarali had written and didn¡¯t mention her lack of participation in interdiction events to Tero¡¯gal. Piercing the veil was bad enough for most people, but the Bridge and the void made almost everyone sick. The effects lingered for quite some time, resulting in headaches and vomiting upon arrival to the mortal world.


    The village the spirits had created was more of a town by now. It spanned from the central area, radiating outward in a circular shape. There were mainly homes within the area, but a few artisan workshops had sprung up. Theo wasn¡¯t surprised to learn there was a surface mining operation somewhere distant, as well as logging efforts, food production, and so on. But those spirits in his realm hadn¡¯t developed cores, although he was certain they would do so one day. The spirits performed everything without cores and without magic.


    It was weird.


    In the face of such a lacking society, things had flourished. Tero¡¯gal enjoyed a rare status, even among the lesser realms, of being untouchable. If another realm were to declare war, they would need approval from the Arbiter. Unless Khahar was pulling some sick joke, that would never happen. The spirits were free to flourish, and everyone got along. It wasn¡¯t a surprise, though. If one spirit didn¡¯t like another, they had a landmass the size of North America to move around. Belgar explained as they watched a half-formed spirit pound metal on an anvil.


    ¡°We had a few souls splinter off. I don¡¯t think grudges were established, but a few people weren¡¯t getting along,¡± Belgar said, wincing as the hammer slammed against the anvil. The sound reverberated, the hammer ringing. ¡°Everyone decided it was best to spread out if you weren¡¯t having a good time. Maybe the happy feelings will fade one day, but I don¡¯t know when.¡±


    ¡°Raw souls are different from people,¡± Theo said, stepping away from the smith¡¯s workshop. ¡°They¡¯re more¡­ basic. No offense.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right. That might be a mechanism of your realm, though. We can see reflections of your thoughts, sometimes. You and Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Belgar nodded, leaning against the workshop¡¯s walls. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to have my sister here. For good.¡±


    Theo smiled. He couldn¡¯t wait, either.

 5.64 - Shadow Wrapped

    Theo had reached a bottleneck with his willpower training. Even within the Dreamwalk, he could no longer expand it. The training book that Xol¡¯sa gave him was useful in some ways. The alchemist sat on a stump, looking up from the imagined book to see Tresk and Alex practicing mounted combat. He couldn¡¯t deny that they were getting good at this. Each banking turn, flash of fire, slash of poison, and entangling root was expertly performed. He was left with his thoughts on the way things were progressing, and couldn¡¯t deny the excitement he shared with Salire to see what the new potions had to offer.


    New potions weren¡¯t the only thing he looked forward to. Zaul had given him access to powerful abilities that could infuse his potions with extra power. Both Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap could impart some of his willpower into potions, which would increase them in some nebulous way. Theo rose from the stump, taking one step to appear near the shore near the beach in Broken Tusk. Tresk and Alex remained behind, fighting right outside the gates of the town.


    The problem with a giant floating city was the fall. Theo had already observed the city falling into the water, creating a frightening tidal wave. If the plan was to bring it down for good near the harbor, the wave it created would be damaging. This was another small thing he had to worry about. The little things that came with a magical world often had rippling effects not unlike the fall of a city into the sea. With his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core in his chest, he tested how hard it was to create an earthen barrier.


    Sand was earth as far as the core was concerned. Theo started by moving large stones from the land, shoving it into the water. That was less effective than he would have liked so he swapped to moving massive mounds of dirt and sand like a great bulldozer. He selected a small section of the bay to test, then extrapolated how much time it would take to complete a solid line to protect the town from an errant wave from the north. If he guzzled mana potions, he could do it in two days. But if he got the town involved, paying for laborers and stonemasons to reinforce the protective mound, it might take a day.


    ¡°Problems, problems,¡± Tresk said with a dramatic sigh. She fanned herself like a damsel. ¡°My poor demon boy has so many problems.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Got anything to help me with this?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Tresk shrugged. She leaned in close, stabbing her knife into the earthen barrier. ¡°Nope. Can¡¯t really stab the problem away.¡±


    Theo gave her a lopsided grin, trying and failing not to smile at her antics. ¡°Golems might be the answer,¡± he said, turning back to his work.


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Alex said, taking to the sky. Tresk looked up at her, slightly offended that she wasn¡¯t brought along for the ride. ¡°That¡¯s quite the span. Magical efforts seem more effective.¡±


    But golems didn¡¯t need to breathe. Theo hadn¡¯t tried to create water golems, but something told him he didn¡¯t have the pieces needed. All materials he had used to create golems were solid and eager to take a containment core. Ice golems made sense, even if they required a Freezing Construct for extended operations. Problems on problems and not a magical elf in sight to fix them all. Or a cat-person with a drinking problem for that matter.


    Tresk and Alex helped Theo tweak his approach. They were fighting against both the concept of holding a wave back, and the problem of filling the deep bay all the way to the seabed. The structure under the wall-like section needed to be wide and stable. Sand and dirt weren¡¯t cutting it, but they had few options.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be lucky if the barrier stays up as the tide shifts,¡± Theo said, clicking his tongue.


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Tresk said, slapping the alchemist on the back. ¡°I¡¯m sure you''ll pull some potion out of your butt at the last second to save the day.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here all week. And the weeks after it.¡±


    ¡°Forever,¡± Alex put in.


    No solution was found by the time the Dreamwalk ended. Theo was slightly relieved, presenting the chance to run his ideas past others before proceeding with his plan. He ate breakfast in silence, drafting several messages to people in town to draw up plans. The alchemist proposed the idea to Ziz as though he and his people would be in charge of the project alone, gauging his reaction to the massive job. Of course, he sent a message back almost immediately accepting the job. They would start within the hour.


    With the town properly stirred up, Theo made his way to the Newt and Demon to display the new potions. They had stewed long enough in Tero¡¯gal to be properly brewed. He found Salire already working on the third floor, preparing more zee-shine.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Theo asked, pulling potions out of his inventory and setting them down. He spread his willpower over the room, gaining a shiver from Salire but shielding them from unwanted eyes.


    ¡°Ugh, why are you so sad?¡± Alise asked, grimacing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sad!¡± Theo said. ¡°My aura is sad. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    Filing away the comments he got on the sensation people got from his aura wasn¡¯t a good idea. Inspecting his emotions, Theo didn¡¯t feel sad or depressed. The thing that ran through his mind most of the time was a focused determination to get things done. There was sorrow for his lost world there, but it was a distant pain. At this point it felt like mourning for a person who never existed.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Theo said, dismissing the subject after his moment of self-reflection. ¡°We have some potions to look at. And some interesting abilities to try out.¡±


    ¡°Which should we do first?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go in order,¡± Theo said, holding the third tier Greater Limited Foresight Potion up. He inspected it at the same time as Salire.


    [Greater Potion of Limited Foresight]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    For 12 hours after drinking this potion, the next 8 attacks made against you will miss.


    Effect:


    For 12 hours, all attacks, magical or otherwise, will miss. This potion may be overcome by gross differences in levels. Carries 8 charges.


    This was a massive improvement of the second tier version of the potion. The duration and amount of charges double. A doubling wasn¡¯t common in a potion¡¯s effects when it jumped tiers, which was interesting. But they almost never gained additional effects unless combined with new modifiers.


    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Salire said, nodding with approval. ¡°Are you going to use your magic¡­ whatever on this one?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until the end.¡±


    The next potion up for testing was the standard, unmodified poison. Poison was an effect that Theo had tested extensively. Since Tresk needed a constant supply, he had added many different modifiers to it. But the standard version was the most important for testing. The alchemist held the vial of third tier poison, inspecting it with Salire.


    [Greater Poison]


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    [Poison]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.


    Effect:


    Cripples an enemy, reducing their Dexterity by 8.


    Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 15 stacks.


    This was a general improvement all around. The poison potion had never displayed specific damage numbers, but both the crippling effect and the amount of stacks had increased. They wouldn¡¯t stock this in the shop, as Tresk would want them all for herself.


    ¡°A respectable improvement,¡± Salire said.


    Theo scratched his chin, unsure of the value. ¡°Five more stacks for how many hours of work?¡±


    ¡°It could bind to the other modifiers better than the second tier version,¡± Salire said with a shrug.


    Theo hummed in response, unsure of that claim. Next was the Greater Potion of Assail. They examined it together.


    [Greater Potion of Assail]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Good Quality


    The next physical attack performed by the drinker ignores all resistances.


    Effect:


    Applies the [Assail] property to the drinker¡¯s next attack. This effect ignores all resistances, regardless of their source.


    There was absolutely no change between the second and third tier of this potion. Both Theo and Salire stared at it for some time, trying to puzzle out what had changed. After a bit of thought, the alchemist determined that the increased rank of the potion would overcome some resistances of the target. Salire made a note about that, scratching his thoughts down onto the page.


    The Greater Desperate Attack potion was up next, which displayed a slight increase to the amount of health it consumed on use. The original version took an amount of healthy from the imbiber, putting that amount and half as much into their next attack. This new version used sixty percent.


    ¡°Woohoo,¡± Salier said with exactly no joy.


    The last potion for today¡¯s inspection was the Greater Rust Bomb. Theo hated everything to do with the grimelings. The ooze they left behind stunk. When that ooze was brewed into essence, everything smelled like raw sewage. Only the Cleansing Scrub potion got it out, and even then something of it was left behind. The alchemist held the Greater Rust Bomb, careful not to slosh it too much.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± he asked.


    [Greater Rust Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Covers the target in a sludge that eats away at all metal.


    Effect:


    Unless cleared away or purified, this sludge will eat all metal (magical or otherwise) for twenty minutes. The rate of decomposition depends on the rarity of this bomb.


    Like the ooze the bomb was created from, Greater Rust Bomb was a devious little bomb. There was no mention about magical or mundane materials, but Theo suspected there was something about the rank of the magical items involved. This was certainly an improvement, but nothing to go crazy over. The alchemist was saving that for the end. Salire made her comments while he selected the two potions to imbue with his willpower. Zaul had given him access to two abilities, both of which should have a similar effect on crafted items. He planned to use Spirit Weaving first, eager to see the effects on the Greater Potion of Limited Foresight.


    Theo checked that his aura was still shielding them before invoking the Spirit Weaving skill. Shadows flowed from his hands, wrapping around the vial of the potion. They seemed to probe at the surface, testing to see if it could infuse itself into the glass. After seeing that the glass was a container, it wove itself into the potion itself. Bands of midnight black spread through the potion, stealing the color away from not only the potion but the area around it.


    Something left the alchemist after he used the skill. A piece of his willpower now rested in the potion, requiring some concentration to maintain. If his willpower wasn¡¯t such an ocean of power, it would have been a problem.


    ¡°That looks ominous,¡± Salire said.


    Theo held the pulsing potion up, inspecting it.


    [Greater Potion of Limited Foresight]


    [Potion] [Spiritwoven Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Belgar


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    For 12 hours after drinking this potion, the next 8 attacks made against you will miss.


    Effect:


    For 12 hours, all attacks, magical or otherwise, will miss. This potion may be overcome by gross differences in levels. Carries 8 charges.


    Spiritweave effect:


    Doubles both the duration and charges of this potion.


    Foresight effect now applies to all other attacks not listed (long-distance slaying actions, smiting actions, etc.)


    ¡°So this makes a potion overpowered. Got it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Immunity to¡­ smiting actions?¡± Salire said. Her mouth hung open, brows peaked. ¡°How many potions are you going to craft that seem geared to killing gods, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Pairing this potion with a farsight potion is scary,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°Which one should we do next?¡±


    Salire looked around the lab, checking that Theo¡¯s aura still protected them. ¡°Nothing? I don¡¯t want to be smited. Smote? Smotten?¡±


    ¡°Then drink this,¡± Theo said, holding the potion out with a stupid smile on his face.


    Salire took the bottle and drank the potion. ¡°Not sure if I feel better.¡±


    Theo swung at her face without warning. Salire shifted slightly to the side, completely evading the strike.


    ¡°Hey! Now I¡¯m down a charge¡­¡±


    ¡°Fifteen more to go.¡±


    Theo¡¯s joking didn¡¯t land, though. Salire was shaken by the implications of the potion, and displayed some distress after drinking it. The implications were staggering.


    ¡°New rule,¡± Theo said, placing a comforting hand on Salire¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This doesn¡¯t leave the lab. I can¡¯t stop Tresk from scanning my memories, but she won¡¯t share it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good idea. Do the gods know about it?¡±


    ¡°Zaul and Khahar. Which has me wondering¡­ Who planned what and what are the implications?¡±


    ¡°Please leave me out of the god fight. I had enough trouble when frogs were my worst enemy.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Although Theo understood that the concerns of the gods would come down to Broken Tusk soon enough. Once here, it would spread over the entire world. He had a reflexive desire to check in with the Wanderer. Under the effects of this new protection potion, of course. But he pushed that idea to the side, focusing on what he could use to help him now. As he considered which potion to use Shadow Wrap on, he got the feeling that the ability wasn¡¯t as powerful as Spirit Weaving. There would be a lesser version of the Spiritwoven effect on the item. It was the discount version of the more powerful ability.


    ¡°Which potion should we test next?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t stung by the plain response. Salire needed time to process, and he was happy to give it. After a moment, he snapped his fingers and smiled to himself. ¡°What are we doing? The perfect candidate is the Hallow Ground potion. Right?¡±


    Salire brightened up at that suggestion. Theo was reminded of a time when Rowan poisoned some children to get her mind off of something. She was a half-ogre that needed something to run at.


    ¡°Good idea,¡± she said, scampering off to dig through their stores of potions. ¡°More than a third tier potion, I want to see if your scary ability works on modified potions. Hallow the Soil might make more sense for practical applications, but I¡¯d like to see if it binds to modified potions.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said, smiling at his assistant. The potion she picked left an uncomfortable knot in his stomach.


    ¡°Holy has worked so far, so why not this?¡±


    It was the Holy modified Hallow Ground potion. The potion that sent the souls of the dead to the imbiber¡¯s deity''s realm for judgment. Theo now felt like Salire felt moments ago. He took the potion and held it for a few moments. Not wanting to be a hypocrite, he activated the Shadow Wrap ability. A similar effect was produced from his palms. Ribbons of shadows burst forth, searching for something to bind themselves to. The silvery liquid within the vial took on bands of impossible shadow, sucking in all light from around them. He inspected the resulting potion.


    [Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion] [Shadow Wrapped Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a fifty pace circle around themselves with the [Holy Ground] effect. Undead, ghost, etc creatures may cross into the circle, but will be afflicted with the Holy Judgment effect.


    If the imbiber of this potion is aligned with a deity, the souls of the dead will be sent to that realm to await judgment. The afflicted shell will be destroyed.


    Shadow Wrapped Effect:


    Souls that are guaranteed to refuse any offers made by the deity are cast into the void.


    Doubles the size of the circle created by this potion.


    ¡°That¡¯s something else,¡± Theo said, wallowing hard as he read the description a few times.

 5.65 - Ascension

    Harvesting souls didn¡¯t appeal to Theo. His mind twisted, trying to find a way that this could be a good thing. Any souls that were invited to stay within Tero¡¯gal could be sent to the Realm of Healing to join Glantheir. Was dragging souls out of undead vessels better than allowing them to languish on the mortal plane? The alchemist didn¡¯t care for philosophy, and decided it was the best of an unpleasant situation.


    ¡°We need to know what your new ability does for every potion,¡± Salire said. She was over her prior reservations and ready to move forward.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said, joining her in the whiplash-inducing change of heart. Best of an unpleasant situation. ¡°But today felt good. We got some stuff done, huh?¡±


    Salire snorted a laugh. ¡°I guess. If you consider an hour¡¯s worth of work good.¡±


    ¡°All in a day¡¯s work,¡± Theo said, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°I have another project to supervise. Bye!¡±


    Theo left the lab while chuckling to himself. He went to his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop to check on the plants in the back before heading off to the harbor. He didn¡¯t need to get too close to hear Zan¡¯kir¡¯s guns firing. After getting to the harbor, the alchemist spotted Throk on one of the four boats, fiddling with the weapons as they delivered their anti-magical load. There were enough shells to last them a while, even at such an aggressive rate of bombardment.


    But Theo wasn¡¯t looking for Zan¡¯kir or Throk. He felt Sarisa and Rowan close as he traced the river¡¯s bank, heading toward the beach. As he expected, Ziz and his team were out there, scratching their heads by the water. The half-ogre spotted him coming from afar and laughed a booming laugh.


    ¡°You gave us one wild job, Theo!¡± Ziz shouted. ¡°And a day to do it? Hardly seems worth the gold coin.¡±


    ¡°Make it ten,¡± Theo said, waving the question away. He was happy to throw every coin he owned in the ocean if it stopped a wave from destroying his town.


    ¡°Might be a lovely thought, you know? But your plans kinda suck. The wall has to wrap around our little bay.¡±


    Theo looked out over the design of the landscape. Everyone called it a bay, but that wasn¡¯t completely accurate. He didn¡¯t know the right word for it, but it wasn¡¯t a bay. The ocean outside of Broken Tusk was a curved section of coastline. The strip of land that afforded them access to the sea was beset on the north and south by hills and mountains. A chain of thick islands provided the bay-like quality of the area, breaking most of the waves that came from the open ocean.


    Qavell would fall in the northern section of their waters, right along that mountainous coastline. It would be easy enough to build a bridge from here to there, but the problem of the wavebreak was still present.


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about¡­ what?¡± Ziz asked, looking back at his people. ¡°An ahthalm of distance?¡±


    A thousand feet. Maybe two-thousand feet.


    ¡°That¡¯s not considering the curved feature you want to add.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything. That¡¯s what you need to do if you want to stop a giant wave.¡±


    That was fair enough. Theo engaged in some suggestions, most of which were shot down. But Ziz latched on to the idea of creating a stone base for a wall. After that, he went off and created an entire plan that shouldn¡¯t have taken more than a few days at most. The stonecutters would bring all their reject stone¡ªwhich was apparently a lot¡ªand have the alchemist move it around with his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core abilities. Ziz would exploit his ability to move pre-built sections of stonework, bolstering the loose stone foundation. The plan relied on the concept that if they placed enough stones in the sea, it would hold firm. The amount of stone they would use was staggering.


    ¡°Ten-thousand units of chipped, useless marble,¡± Ziz said, slapping his hand hard on Theo¡¯s back. ¡°Think you can move that much?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Hauling several tons of stone sounds easy.¡± Theo shook his head, swapping his Zaul core for his sorcerer core. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    While Theo waited for Ziz¡¯s workers to go fetch some stone, he used the Earth Attunement skill to level the area near the shore. The plan was to pile enough stone underwater to bring it to the surface. Since it was high-tide, they didn¡¯t need to guess. Before long, a worker returned. He stood there for a moment before a massive pile of odd-shaped stone blocks fell out of nowhere. Each block was larger than the alchemist¡¯s torso. He could only guess the weight.


    ¡°We used these to practice,¡± Ziz said, still laughing. ¡°Burned through quite a few. We had started chipping them down, making pavers and stuff like that. But you¡¯re buying, so who cares!?¡±


    Theo tested the weight of the blocks with his Earth Attunement ability. A single block wasn¡¯t enough to strain the ability. Ten was the magic number. Blocks hovered in the air in front of them, straining the alchemist¡¯s willpower. He let them fall, and the ground rumbled.


    This project was like the bridge and tower project Ziz and his team had worked on. There were two differences that made this one different. First was the speed. This project needed to be done. Today would be best, but Theo could settle for tomorrow. Next was the scope. The bridge and tower system had to go out part-way into the sea. This causeway had to reach the barrier islands, if not further. Quick and dirty it was.


    ¡°Get to work!¡± Ziz said. He couldn¡¯t stop laughing today.


    Theo shoved a pile of marble blocks into the sea, tamping them down with his willpower. Ziz¡¯s workers brought inventories filled with the material, fueling the alchemist¡¯s work. Ten feet of the causeway was completed when they decided to test it. Sitting only a half-foot above the water¡¯s surface, and more uneven than should have been acceptable, the causeway was sketchy.


    ¡°This will work perfectly,¡± Ziz said. ¡°As long as we have enough stone, we¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°What if we don¡¯t have enough stone?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Great question! We switch to earth and hope that works.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s barely a plan,¡± Theo said, jostling the rock beneath Ziz¡¯s feet enough to send him pitching into the sea.


    ¡°Unfair!¡± Ziz shouted from the water, paddling back toward the causeway. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get one of those sorcerer cores. Maybe a water one. Chase you around with a little storm cloud.¡±


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    Theo sent him into the water again, only to be shoved from behind. The water was cool, taking the alchemist¡¯s breath away when he broke the surface. He looked back, meeting eyes with his betrayer. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Sarisa.¡±


    Sarisa and Rowan, along with at least five of Ziz¡¯s workers were soon swimming in the water. None were spared from Theo¡¯s mock-wrath.That small moment of levity brought more of a Broken Tusker¡¯s spirit out in all gathered than the alchemist had expected. They were hard workers, and fierce when it came time to defend what was theirs. But the heart of a Broken Tusker beat for the small joys in life. The group swam for some time, splashing around until more stone came to be moved.


    Ten-thousand units of crappy marble wasn¡¯t enough to get the job done, though. The slope of the ocean outside of Broken Tusk¡¯s beach wasn¡¯t drastic, but it was enough to require absurd amounts of material. They neared the towers and the stocks ran low. While Sarisa, Rowan, and Ziz contacted Gronro to obtain new stock, Theo pulled what stones he could from the rocky hillside to the north. The cliffs that ran along the shore were high, pulsing with green energy that represented low-quality stone.


    Theo looked up at those cliffs, yanking at one large stone. The others above it followed shortly after, tumbling in a mass of dirt and stone into the water below. A wave crashed out, filling the air with the scent of saltwater mingling with dirt, spume spraying in all directions. The alchemist gathered the stones that had fallen, pulling them from the water and holding them in the air as he walked along the causeway. This wasn¡¯t ideal, but he could extend the structure a bit as he waited for Grot to come through on his request for more rocks.


    Ziz had an idea to weld a wall on top of the causeway, which might have worked. Theo didn¡¯t want to consider the fact that the wall might fail, but catching a singular wave shouldn¡¯t have been that hard. Right? He doubted the plan more by the moment, but it was better than doing nothing. He spent most of the day working on removing rocks from the cliffs, but the workers delivered fresh stones from Gronro before dusk. At a point, Sarisa brought him food out on that salty pier, forcing him to eat before continuing. Tresk and Alex joined him, annoyed that they weren¡¯t diving into the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Tresk groaned, picking up a small stone. She threw it into the sea and shrugged. ¡°Am I helping?¡±


    Theo worked with his laborers, adding more stones to the seabed to extend his causeway over half the length it needed to be. He read the reports of the day. There was no need to read about how many rounds Zan¡¯kir had fired. The four ships had been bombarding the city for most of the day, only pausing when it fell back into the water. But the message was obvious. Qavell was faltering, as was predicted by the gods. If they kept up this pace of bombardment, the city would be too far away for the next leg of the plan. It needed to fall within range, allowing the alchemist to assert his authority over it after it fell.


    ¡°This is enough work. Right, Theo?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo looked back, watching as Ziz fabricated sections of walls meant to break the tidal wave. It would take at least another half day of hard work to get the wall done in time. The alchemist looked down to the uneven stones beneath his feet. He could take at least two steps on the causeway¡¯s width without falling into the water. Two large steps. Expanding it was easier than setting the foundation, so he decided Tresk was right.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, turning and walking down the length of the stones.


    Ziz planned to work through the night, so Theo left him with an armful of Greater Stamina Potions. Sarisa and Rowan seemed dead on their feet, and Alex had been honking her disapproval for quite some time. The group returned to the manor, falling into the Dreamwalk easily.


    Tresk wanted to know about the new potions. Of course she did. But she had the good sense to wait until they were in the Dreamwalk to do so. It might not have been necessary with Theo¡¯s new privacy bubble, but he appreciated the old gesture. Her reaction was predictable.


    ¡°Use it on a poison,¡± she said, wiggling her brows. ¡°Come on.¡±


    Theo laughed. He had quite a few nasty poisons in his arsenal already. He felt no guilt as his thoughts focused on the most devious poison he had. The Venom poison wasn¡¯t kind. Normal poisons would inflict damage over time, often fading within minutes. Venom remained with a person for years. He imagined a vial of the nasty liquid, holding it up to catch a glint of the sunlight.


    ¡°What¡¯s the thought?¡± Theo said, searching Tresk¡¯s mind. ¡°Insurance against Hanan? That¡¯s some action movie villain stuff right there.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t give you the antidote,¡± Tresk mocked. ¡°You¡¯ll die in about a year.¡±


    Theo chuckled, gripping the vial in his hand. He invoked the Spirit Weaving ability and felt the Dreamwalk push back. It didn¡¯t like when he tried to do something he hadn¡¯t done before. A flash of his willpower crushed any objections. Shadows oozed from his hands, wrapping itself into the purple liquid within the vial. Bands of black mingled with rich purples, creating a deadly mixture he wasn¡¯t sure was ready for the world.


    ¡°Now that right there? That¡¯s nasty,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together. ¡°That¡¯s a war crime.¡±


    Theo inspected the poison, confirming that it was diabolical.


    [Venom]


    [Poison] [Spiritwoven Poison]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Coat your weapon with a deadly venom.


    Effect:


    Venom floods through any target afflicted by this poison, dealing slight damage over a great period of time.This poison is likely to persist for days at the lowest quality, and years at the highest.


    Venom is persistent and difficult to remove. Removal attempts are less likely to succeed.


    Spiritwoven Effect:


    The duration of this poison is increased to eternity.


    The damage inflicted by this poison scales with time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s test some more poisons,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together.


    The Spiritwoven Venom potion was bad enough. But Theo felt something within the Dreamwalk push back. It wasn¡¯t an annoyed response of someone breaking the rules, but a warning. Tresk felt it. She looked around, eyes narrowed at the sky above.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strange sensation,¡± Theo said. ¡°It almost feels like¡­¡±


    ¡°The Dreamwalk is talking to us,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You can¡¯t hear it?¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t hear anything aside from the occasional honk of Alex and the simulated sounds of nature all around. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    This was the most focused Theo had ever seen Tresk. She looked around as though trying to understand where the source of the voice was coming from. Her eyes went wide a few times and a look of confusion settled in over her features. The alchemist had never been worried about the plucky marshling. Not before that moment. He wanted to ground her in the moment, tearing her attention away from whatever the Dreamwalk told her.


    ¡°What does it sound like?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Like a dude. With a southern accent¡ªall twangy and stuff,¡± Tresk said. Her daggers were in her hands. ¡°Are you from Texas?!¡±


    A rumble of something issued through the Dreamwalk. Tresk smiled back, chuckling at something Theo couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± she said. ¡°That would be silly.¡±


    Pieces fell into place in Theo¡¯s mind. He thought back to something Khahar had said as his thoughts raced. Something snapped into place and he understood the subtle hints the Arbiter had dropped. He looked over to Tresk and bit the inside of his cheek, drawing blood for his efforts. Most things in this world were powered by a will. Those wills weren¡¯t normally attached to souls, but there were objects that might require something so potent.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it wasn¡¯t one soul,¡± Theo said, almost at his conclusion. ¡°Tresk, have you seen any signs of¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh oh,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Theo, if Hanan gets to the bay before I¡¯m¡­¡±


    The marshling¡¯s voice faded into nothing. In an instant, Theo felt as though a piece of his soul had been ripped away from his body. She stood where she was for some time. But she faded away. Like her last words in the Dreamwalk, Tresk¡¯s form echoed until it was gone.

 5.66 - The Throne of a Dreamer

    Theo woke in a cold sweat. His mind reeled as he attempted to get a handle on the situation. Alex honked and sputtered, spewing streams of fire and plant matter all over the room. It was still dark outside, only a few minutes having passed since they went to bed. Panic stripped away all logic from the alchemist. Tresk wasn¡¯t in her bed. Swapping his cores, the alchemist used his willpower-fueled aura to scour her bed, finding traces of something familiar.


    He sprung from his bed, urging Alex to follow him as he dashed down the stairs. Sarisa and Rowan must have been out cold, because they didn¡¯t rise when the pair fled from the manor.


    ¡°The lab,¡± Theo hissed, spurring Alex to move faster. ¡°We need to find her.¡±


    ¡°Why!? What happened?¡± Alex¡¯s soul had been ripped apart, perhaps worse than Theo¡¯s.


    The Tara¡¯hek was shattered. Not irreparable so, but the longer Tresk was gone, the worse it would get. He ran into the Newt and Demon, jumping up the steps to the third floor as quickly as he could. There was a way to explain what had happened. But it would take too long for Alex to understand. ¡°Trust me,¡± he said, digging through his things.


    Theo pulled a board near the wall, revealing the Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion imbued with Holy he had stashed there. He had avoided placing it in his inventory to avoid temptation. But he needed two things to find Tresk. To establish their connection once again before it became too weak. A Greater Potion of Limited Foresight that had been Spiritwoven, and a Fairy¡¯s Cunning potion that had been Shadow Wrapped. He conjured the Shadow Wrap ability first, imbuing his farsight potion with its potent power. Alex was still honking as he inspected the potion.


    [Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion]


    [Holy]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion] [Shadow Wrapped]


    Mythic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to experience the Fairy¡¯s cunning.


    Effect:


    For fifteen minutes after drinking this potion, the imbiber may view another part of the world of their choosing. Magical counter-measures may impede the imbiber¡¯s ability to see into guarded places.


    Only two far-sight potions may be imbibed per day.


    Shadow Wrapped Effect:


    Imbibing this potion now allows you to view multiple places during the effects of this potion.


    Allows you to view places outside of mortal reality.


    Double the effective length of the potion.


    Theo used his Spirit Weaving ability on a Greater Potion of Limited Foresight, quaffing it in an instant. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± he said, turning to pat Alex on the head.


    Without waiting for a response, Theo drank the Fairy¡¯s Cunning Potion. With his aura, as weak as it might be compared to a real magic user, he traced the line that connected the place where Tresk¡¯s body had been, to where it was now. He forced his soul through space, pursuing the thread like a wolf on the hunt. An instant later, his soul hovered above a white marble pool of crystal-clear water. Pillars sat near the sides of the pool in various states of ruination. Standing in the center of the pool was Tresk, looking up at a pulsing golden light on the far side of the pool. It sat above a shifting throne, urging her to move forward.


    Theo yanked himself out of the vision, finding Alex panicking nearby. He wrapped his arm around her considerable size and drew his willpower inward. The building rumbled around them as he interdicted them from the Newt and Demon¡¯s third floor, through the unpierceable membrane of reality, and into the realm of the Dreamer. He didn¡¯t use his standard practice of interdiction. The alchemist hadn¡¯t sent their souls through the veil, but their bodies as well. Tresk turned as they appeared on the edge of the pool.


    ¡°Theo¡­¡±


    Theo spread his will over the area, shrouding it in his excessive willpower. The golden spirit faltered, falling to the ground as though it had mass. But he wasn¡¯t done. The alchemist imparted the authority of Tero¡¯gal over the realm. The edges of the pool were cracked pieces of white marble, that cracked further when he exerted his authority. He had no plans to let the newest earthling in this realm react. The alchemist clenched his teeth, tasting copper as he drew on every piece of his willpower. Something brushed against his soul, but failed.


    ¡°One charge down,¡± Theo grunted. His willpower consumed the Dreamer¡¯s realm. When he felt as though he couldn¡¯t push any harder, Alex joined the effort. She bolstered him, making up for the stupor that Tresk found herself in. There was time for explanation later. ¡°Tero¡¯gal. Now!¡±


    Theo and Alex joined together, targeting everything inside the Dreamer¡¯s realm they wanted to take with them. The edges of the realm cracked, then sundered. The void rushed in as the entire scene was interdicted into Tero¡¯gal, bypassing the Bridge that Khahar had promised to fix. With a flash of thought, he buried the chunk of the Dreamer¡¯s realm deep into the soil, hollowing out a section where it could remain undetected.


    Tresk snapped out of it. ¡°What the hell!?¡±


    In complete darkness, Theo fell back and drew labored breaths. Tresk withdrew a magical lantern from their shared inventory, holding it high. The light danced off the throne in the distance. The alchemist was too exhausted to explain. But that piece of his soul that had felt torn away was restored. And they had the Throne of the Dreamer. Safe in Tero¡¯gal. But his concentration couldn¡¯t waver. If the barrier dropped, Uz¡¯Xulven would know they had avoided the Bridge. Khahar would sense them. Other gods would voice their objections.


    ¡°One more trip,¡± Theo said, rolling onto his belly. He tried to push himself up, but it didn¡¯t happen. He was simply too weak.


    ¡°Share your burden,¡± Tresk said, setting the lantern down near him. ¡°Keep that fancy barrier up as we make history.¡±


    Theo rolled, watching as Tresk did the only thing she could. She smirked as she ascended to the Throne of the Dreamer. Of course she had a quip. ¡°Heavy is the head that wears the¡­ That sits on the throne? That didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Tired is the butt that sits upon the throne?¡± Alex asked. She nodded, approving of her own joke.


    ¡°That works. You wanna talk about a willpower level-up?¡± Tresk asked, laughing. ¡°This is invigorating.¡±


    The scene flashed before them. Tresk, Alex, and Theo were in the lab at the Newt and Demon in an instant. The marshling pat him on the shoulder. ¡°Take your time, buddy.¡±


    Theo felt something else brush against his soul. Another soul-slaying attempt from the heavens? No, it came from somewhere else. It was a mind-slaying action and the difference was important. Slaying a soul was an action performed by gods. Mind hunting, or mind-slaying, was performed by a mage. A few potions later and he was ready to tell the story.


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    ¡°Khahar gave me the hint. Someone from Earth came here after me. We assumed the Throne of the Dreamer was open for you, Tresk. Whoever came after me claimed it before we could.¡±


    ¡°So you just¡­ threw yourself across reality to find me?¡± Tresk said, giggling. ¡°Man, I gotta remember how determined you can be.¡±


    ¡°You left a trail when you left, which meant you were interdicted. But what god could interdict you? No god. Someone who held the Throne of the Dreamer¡ªsince that would have given them enough of a connection. I knew it from the moment you talked to that thing in the Dreamwalk. It was warning you, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. When we broke the rules, something detected us. The Dreamwalk has a location, just like the realms. It found us, and snatched me from there.¡±


    Theo let out a steady breath. If he hadn¡¯t done his willpower training, this would have ended badly. Tresk¡¯s authority as the holder of the throne gave her the edge, but whoever that was thought the plan was foolproof. The accent of the Dreamwalk had been the thing to inspire the alchemist to think about the newest earthling. After that, it was a matter of following the trail.


    ¡°I can move it now,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together. ¡°I got a new core.¡±


    Theo looked at her, raising a brow. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The Dreamer¡¯s Core. Look.¡±


    [Dreamer¡¯s Core]


    Unique


    Throne Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    The Dreamer is the title of the person holding the Throne of the Dreamer. This position is the guardian of the dream realms of the world. Their duties include preventing otherworldly beings from influencing the mortal realm.


    Effect:


    Significant increase in Willpower


    Absolute authority when facing those that break the Dreamer¡¯s design


    [Dream]


    ¡°A throne core,¡± Theo whispered, reading over the description several times. He stood, finding a place to sit and rest. Maintaining his aura bubble was getting harder, but those gentle brushes against his soul had faded away. ¡°And it has a skill.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it does,¡± Tresk said, sharing the skill next.


    [Dream]


    Dreamer Skill


    Unique


    The Dreamer performs their duties by entering the dreams of others.


    Effect:


    Allows you to pass into the dream realms created by dreamers.


    This skill drains your willpower, which will need to be recharged by resting.


    ¡°I can see this web in the air¡­ all these people dreaming,¡± Tresk said, in complete awe of the sight. Theo couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°I can also sense the throne. No one detected it going into Tero¡¯gal. It should cloak itself on its own.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Tresk shrugged.


    ¡°But that¡¯s how this guy found us,¡± Theo said, tapping his foot on the ground. ¡°With the Dream skill. Damn, why didn¡¯t we sense that sooner?¡±


    ¡°Good question. And he was smart enough to conceal himself. I¡¯m just ashamed he got me. No one interdicts me! Wait, let¡¯s go back! I wanna stab him!¡±


    Theo felt the wound on his soul expanding. If he had endured any more of that strain, he would have needed to reforge his soul. That wasn¡¯t something he was eager to do. And it still might have happened. No one had snuck up on him like this in a while. Getting the drop on Broken Tusk, let alone its leader, had become an impossible task. But the old Dreamer had dropped into the Dreamwalk, snatching Tresk away to remove their competition. Whoever it was had been smart enough to cut the connection of the Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°We just keep making enemies, don¡¯t we?¡± Theo asked, ignoring Tresk¡¯s request for some therapeutic stabbing.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Alex objected. ¡°They were just after the same thing.¡±


    Theo retracted his aura, feeling it rub painfully against his soul. He winced, waiting for more attacks. But nothing came. They had left the old Dreamer in a crumbling dream realm. If the person made it out, they would have been wounded. He hoped they couldn¡¯t reforge their soul to strike again.


    ¡°I need a vacation,¡± Theo said, leaning back in his chair. He drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly.


    ¡°Not me! Check this out!¡± Tresk shouted. She vanished.


    Theo could still feel her, but her body wasn¡¯t there. The connection provided by the Tara¡¯hek was still there. He watched flashes of something. It was a confusing landscape with Miana at the center. She was tending to an endless field of fluffy white karatan. The chittered, frolicing through the fields as the woman breathed in fresh mountain air. A massive dronon, looking suspiciously like Theo, appeared on the horizon and burned the landscape. Tresk appeared at his side moments later, cackling.


    ¡°That was Miana¡¯s dream!¡± she said, falling to the ground with laughter. ¡°You¡¯re the bad guy!¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha,¡± Theo said, glaring at his companion. Of course it didn¡¯t phase her. She vanished again, hopping between the dreams of people within Broken Tusk. He felt her go more distant, searching out others within the world.


    Tresk reappeared half an hour later, looking slightly shaken. Theo had been resting his eyes when she came back. He looked at her with a tired expression.


    ¡°Alright, I moved the Dreamwalk somewhere safe. Not gonna tell you in case you get captured and tortured.¡±


    ¡°Always appreciated,¡± Theo said, knowing exactly where the Dreamwalk was through their connection.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ I was hopping through dreams. Just checking out what weird stuff people were dreaming about. There are some crazy dreams out there, Theo. You couldn¡¯t imagine the amount of booties and weiners I¡¯ve seen tonight.¡±


    ¡°I think I can imagine, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I stopped in on Hanan, who was having a dream about his dad. Yeah, how sad is that?¡±


    ¡°Extremely depressing.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I figured out how to talk to people in their dreams.¡±


    Theo leaned forward, locking eyes with Tresk. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We ironed some stuff out. Had a really good one-on-one.¡±


    Tresk explained Hanan¡¯s tale¡­


    <hr>


    It was that damned dream again. Hanan knew he was dreaming, but he couldn¡¯t shake himself out of it. No matter how soft the bed or how pleasant the smells in his royal chambers, he only had fitful sleeps. His father was berating him again. The same speech fell from King Karasan¡¯s lips, falling on him like the strike of a hammer against an anvil. But there was a lucidity in that dream that was abnormal. He looked around for a moment before slapping his father in the face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll skin you alive, boy,¡± Karasan growled.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead, father,¡± Hanan said. The words felt better than he could have ever imagined. ¡°Forever.¡±


    Hanan turned away, ignoring the constant berating to pursue something else in this dream. The world outside of this sanctum wasn¡¯t much better. Qavell had been falling repeatedly, more systems of dark magic failing by the day. Dark Coresmiths were dying in droves, leaving only a handful left to manage the strange system. That creature, ever-shrouded in darkness, did little to lift the spirits of his people. He stood in a vague void of the old Qavell. The city before it flew.


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Hanan asked, finding the only other moving thing within the dream.


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda hard to explain,¡± the little pink lizard-girl said. She tugged at the edge of a leather tunic nervously.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ll be dead by morning, and you¡¯re just a dream, I¡¯ll entertain you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, King Hanan,¡± the girl said, chuckling to herself. ¡°I ain¡¯t a dream.¡±


    ¡°Sure you are. I¡¯m dreaming. I just slapped my father.¡±


    There was an amount of control that was out of Hanan¡¯s grasp. This dream was lucid, but there were elements he couldn¡¯t control. His responses came out too stiff, almost as though he were following a script generated by his subconscious.


    ¡°Good news. Bad news,¡± the girl said. ¡°Which do you want first?¡±


    ¡°The bad news, of course.¡±


    ¡°Your city is going to fall. Tomorrow or the day after.¡±


    ¡°I already know that. What¡¯s the good news?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to kill you. Hooray!¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡± Hanan said reflexively. He cleared his throat. More lucidity reached him as he realized. The lizard-girl was real. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Hey. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m the Dreamer. Well, I¡¯m the new Dreamer. The old one was weird and tried to kill me. Why don¡¯t you explain what that weird entity is in your city? We¡¯re gonna kill him when you get to Broken Tusk.¡±


    Hanan faced a stark reality at that moment. This Dreamer was in Broken Tusk, broadcasting herself into his dreams. He broke down, explaining everything he remembered. The entity had coerced his father into quite a few things, but this latest flying city ploy was the worst. He rattled off every detail about the dark figure. Always cloaked, bird-like, and consistently ruthless with his punishments for failure.


    ¡°Yep,¡± the Dreamer said with a single nod. ¡°Looks like you got yourself an extra-dimensional bird-person on your hands. Pretty sure we can take care of it for ya. Can you get your dudes to stand down when we go for his throat?¡±


    Hanan blinked. ¡°The army is loyal to me,¡± he said. ¡°If you destroy the creature, we¡¯ll be in your debt.¡±


    The Dreamer cackled. ¡°I¡¯m counting on it, buddy!¡±

 5.67 - I Got This

    Theo, Tresk, Aarok, Luras, Xol¡¯sa, and Zarali sat around a table in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The marshling¡¯s ascension to the Throne of the Dreamer had been shared with a select few under the protection of the alchemist¡¯s aura of silence. No one had questioned why Tresk had appeared in their dreams yet, but she was instructed to calm it down until they could weigh the implications of such a power.


    ¡°But does she have the authority to destroy this being?¡± Xol¡¯sa said. It had taken him the least time to accept this new state as fact.


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Theo said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Her position is vague, compared to the Herald.¡±


    ¡°Can we stab it? Can we shoot it?¡± Aarok grumbled.


    ¡°Not likely,¡± Tresk answered. ¡°Hanan would have done that already.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re once again beholden to the elf,¡± Luras said, leaning back in his chair and yawning. ¡°How boring.¡±


    ¡°But we get a free city out of the deal!¡± Tresk shouted, jumping up to do a little dance. ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that!¡±


    ¡°And the political implications that came with it,¡± Zarali scoffed. ¡°Political and godly, actually. Lord Drogramath¡¯s influence will clash against another.¡±


    The group squabbled for some time, arguing with each other about nothing at all. Things were in motion and there was no way to stop them. Zan¡¯kir and his guns roared on the bay, keeping the city where it was for now. Fenian raced to the alliance on the pirate ship, destined to free the new king from his shackles. Theo¡¯s mind wandered elsewhere as he thought about these things, unsure about how he felt concerning other loose ends.


    Of the entities that could screw with any plans led by Theo or his allies, Emperor Kuzan from the elven nation of Tarantham, and the Wanderer were the most volatile. Everything else had been ironed out well enough, including the addition of Tresk to the holder of thrones. Only one remained to be claimed, and the alchemist planned to seize it himself. He had a decent enough idea about where it went, confident that the extra-planar elves held it hostage somewhere across the void.


    ¡°My last question for you, Theo,¡± Aarok said, snapping the alchemist out of his thoughts. ¡°What do the other gods think about this?¡±


    ¡°Should you even reveal this information?¡± Zarali asked, looking concerned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Theo said. ¡°This aura of shadow prevents people from hearing me, but that wouldn¡¯t stop someone like Khahar from predicting it.¡±


    ¡°Confide in Khahar,¡± Luras said. ¡°No one else.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust Khahar,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, snorting his disapproval.


    ¡°Trust only yourself!¡± Alex said unhelpfully.


    Theo drew his aura in, clicking his tongue. A forked path stood before him. Zaul suspected some foul play in the heavens, but he was a crusty old shadow person. Khahar was an old friend with a design for a better world. Without using the Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability, the alchemist slipped through reality. After encountering the Dreamer, he felt a closer affinity to his developing power but suspected the core Zaul gave him empowered him more than he realized.


    ¡°Quite rude,¡± Khahar said, turning as Theo appeared in the office within the Arbiter¡¯s Citadel. ¡°You don¡¯t even knock anymore.¡±


    Theo smiled to himself, taking a seat in the nearest comfortable chair. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bone to pick with you, Yuri.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Khahar said, staring out the window. Down through the clouds rested his realm, sprawling far into the distance. ¡°I¡¯m just your crazy uncle Khahar. Doing wacky Arbiter stuff.¡±


    Theo weighed his words carefully, then shrugged. What was the point of keeping anything from him? ¡°How much do you know about what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Did she ascend the throne last week, or yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°And Zaul already gave you the bugged core?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re still in one future I saw. Although I¡¯ll cross a few off from my list.¡±


    ¡°Ya gonna explain Zaul¡¯s core?¡±


    Khahar waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Just an old fool who won¡¯t let his power go. An original god from the First Ascension that has avoided pruning. But you don¡¯t have to worry about me. The other gods might have it out for you, but not me.¡±


    ¡°Always good when the omnipotent dude says ¡®you have nothing to worry about. I¡¯m not evil, I swear!¡¯¡±


    Khahar chuckled. ¡°Good one. Uz¡¯Xulven hasn¡¯t figured out you¡¯ve been bypassing the Bridge.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Theo reassured him. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t rat on me.¡±


    ¡°Zaul poured more of his power into that core than he should have. That¡¯s a lot of effort to thumb his nose at us. Anyway, was this the only reason for your visit?¡±


    ¡°Basically. Just checking to see if stealing a piece of a realm is against the rules.¡±


    ¡°Nope. No one is supposed to be able to do it. So you¡¯re good,¡± Khahar said, giving Theo the thumbs-up.


    Theo didn¡¯t know if Khahar noticed what was happening to him. He probably noticed. That guy noticed everything. Something pulled in the alchemist¡¯s chest, drawing him back toward the mortal plane. He shouldn¡¯t have been here, no matter how much he wanted to remain. It reminded him of the sensations souls felt when they were trespassing in foreign realms. With a half-hearted wave, he let himself get dragged back into the void. It was like falling backwards into a pool of water, the chill of emptiness filling his body in an instant. But within the void there was peace. A silence so deep he couldn¡¯t hear his breath, or his heartbeat.


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    For a moment, Theo glimpsed a sprawling field of gems glittering in the dark. It seemed endless, the light almost blinding. The moment passed and he fell back onto the mortal plane, his butt hitting the ground hard. The alchemist glared up at Tresk, who had moved his chair.


    ¡°Ha-ha!¡± she shouted, pointing at him.


    Theo stood, straightening his coat. ¡°You suck,¡± he said, leaving the room.


    The war room would go on for some time, but Theo had other things to do. No one broke their conversation as he left, although Tresk continued to giggle. He stepped out onto the streets, finding more activity than he expected. People were stacking wooden crates and shouting between each other. Gael, Gwyn, and Alise pitched in or barked orders.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Theo asked, placing a hand on Alise¡¯s shoulder. She looked up at him with a weak smile.


    ¡°We can¡¯t contribute to the war effort, but we can read the reports,¡± she said, patting a box with a grin. ¡°We¡¯re preparing relief aid for the city.¡±


    The reports Theo submitted included Hanan¡¯s compliance once the city fell. So long as the creature was killed, the people within Qavell needed help. Assuming they had any food stores at all, perhaps in dimensional storage crates, the population of the city was vast. Her people would be hungry and thirsty. Scared by their captor and untrusting of their saviors. The administrators were perfect to make first contact. An armful of food rather than weapons was better.


    ¡°What an amazing idea,¡± Theo said, smiling down at the woman. ¡°You guys rock.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Alise said, offering a shy smile. ¡°Just finding my path. You should help Ziz. Anyone who isn¡¯t working on the food is helping with a bridge.¡±


    Theo snapped his fingers. How did he expect to get to the city if they didn¡¯t have a way to get to the city? He thanked Alise again, jogging off to the harbor, then north to the site of their tsunami-breaker. Sarisa and Rowan followed close behind, leaving the shadows in favor of haste. The area of the beach where they had started the wall was buzzing with activity. Locals from Broken Tusk worked with folks from both Rivers and Gronro, passing stones between themselves in a chain to bolster the causeway. Ziz¡¯s wall was mostly done on the piled stone. It didn¡¯t look sturdy enough to stop a tidal wave, but it was better than nothing.


    ¡°Ah! Just the demon I need,¡± Ziz said, looking up from the length of stones he was working on. Wet mortar dripped from his fingertips, staining his face in long smears. ¡°Use some of that fancy magic to help these poor folks.¡±


    Theo nodded, slotting his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and getting to work. Doing this work by hand was a nightmare, and he didn¡¯t know how they had gotten as far as they had. The crowd clapped when the alchemist hoisted a large pile of rocks, carrying it across the causeway to deposit on the far end. The alchemist understood what Ziz was doing on his third pass of dropping rocks into the sea. He was creating prefabricated structures that he could add to his inventory. This was exactly like the failed bridge to the lizard islands. The only difference was that this bridge didn¡¯t need to span a length of angry seas. The bay was calm enough where he could set the supports with ease.


    Zan¡¯kir¡¯s weapons rang out in the distance, sending shots hurtling toward Qavell once again. They moved too fast and high to spot them, but the deadly impacts were reported through the administration interface. Theo picked up his pace, feeling as though a monster were on his tail, prepared to strike. He tried using his authority and domain to move large chunks of land, but it didn¡¯t work. Something might have been drained from him when he took a piece of the Dreamer¡¯s realm, or he didn¡¯t have the authority to act on the mortal realm. Instead, he chugged more mana potions and moved stones with his sorcerer core.


    Despite the coat that brought him to the perfect temperature, Theo was sweating. He dabbed his brow after a trickle of sweat rolled down to sting his eye. The scent of low tide filled the air as they worked, dying sea vegetation mingling with salt. The next time the weapons fired, Theo spotted the arc of the shots. He swallowed hard, narrowing his eyes on the horizon. A gray mountain poked from around a bend, more of it coming into view by the moment. The weapons fired again and the mountain glittered with energy.


    Theo grit his teeth, biting back the words of warning he wanted to shout. Something in his chest told him about the danger. Words that were spoken to him days ago came back. If they had weapons that could fire long-range, so did Qavell. The alchemist switched back to his Zaul core, using Spirit Weaving on his next spell. He chugged a Greater Intelligence Potion. With his mind buzzing, he used one more ability. The Intuitive Nodes skill from his Toru¡¯aun Core drew on the power of Tero¡¯gal to empower a spell. He infused his ad-hoc defensive ward with the power of an entire realm.


    The shield that flowed forth from Theo¡¯s hands, powered by the words of his chant, sprung to encompass more area than Broken Tusk occupied. Shots rippled out from Qavell, slamming against the shield without effect. But the alchemist felt those strikes in his bones, driving him to his knees as he clenched his teeth. The gathered crowd scattered, fleeing the scene for the safety of the walls. Theo felt powerful hands hook under his arms, lifting him to his feet as Sarisa and Rowan stood sentinel.


    ¡°We good, Theo?¡± Sarisa asked, scanning the area for something to do.


    Theo tried not to laugh, maintaining his focus on the spell. Ziz was still working, undeterred by the magic striking against the shield. Tresk appeared nearby with Alex. The goose pressed her head against his chest, and the marshling put two hands on his back. The connection the spell had with Tero¡¯gal doubled, rendering it as an impenetrable force field.


    ¡°That was the last-ditch plan,¡± Theo grunted, his hands quivering as he maintained the barrier. ¡°Didn¡¯t know they were so close.¡±


    Tresk nodded, drawing both daggers. ¡°Plan B.¡±


    It didn¡¯t pass Theo¡¯s notice that they were coated in Venom. Before he could object, she was on Alex¡¯s back, soaring into the air.


    ¡°Where the hell is Fenian?¡± Rowan grumbled.


    A rift appeared next to Theo. Zarali and Xol¡¯sa stepped out, eyes going wide when they saw the source of the barrier. The Drogramathi Priestess slammed her staff against the ground, chanting a prayer to her lord. Theo felt renewed as a message popped up.


    You have received [Blessing of Drogramath] from [Zarali].


    ¡°Watch this,¡± Theo said, pulling his focus inward. He expanded his aura. With great effort, he matched the size of his Toru¡¯aun barrier with his own aura.


    <hr>


    King Hanan paced in his chambers, chewing at his nails. He had already drawn blood on all ten, but he couldn¡¯t stop. The Dreamer¡¯s message was clear. There was hope. But the creature had taken control of the city, puppeting it to do his bidding. The automated defenses on the walls were already firing on the poor town below. Even if the Dreamer¡¯s promise could come true, they wouldn¡¯t survive long enough to rescue his people.


    Hanan drew a ragged breath, letting it out with equal pain. He stepped out onto his balcony, looking down at the water rushing by below. His eyes dragged up to the place his city was attacking and saw something strange. The king¡¯s heart stopped beating for a moment as he saw a barrier more powerful than he could imagine. It covered most of the coastline, encompassing an area larger than Qavell itself.


    ¡°There is hope,¡± he said, heart hammering hard in his chest. ¡°Just a glimmer, but¡­ What!?¡±


    The king tumbled backwards, falling on his ass and slamming his head against a dresser. He looked up, groaning and clutching his wound. If he wasn¡¯t fairly high-leveled, he would have had a heart attack. The Dreamer stood before him, a wicked dagger in each hand and a smile on her face. Of all things, a goose the size of a healthy milk karatan stood before her, honking in anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is the jerk?¡± the Dreamer asked.


    ¡°The entity is in¡­ He¡¯s in the throne room!¡± Hanan said, gesturing vaguely behind him. ¡°My people know about you. They won¡¯t attack.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got this,¡± the dreamer said, rolling her shoulders. ¡°Just sit tight, king. I¡¯ve got an interdimensional bird-person to kill.¡±


    The muscles in Hanan¡¯s jaw bunched as he grit his teeth. Here he was, sitting and whimpering like some fresh-faced adventurer in their first dungeon. He let out a scream, punched himself in the stomach, then grabbed his spear before following after the Dreamer.

 5.68 - Sure, Buddy

    Tresk stalked the halls of the king¡¯s palace, sticking to the shadows to remain out of sight. Alex waddled close behind. This wasn¡¯t a suicide mission, though. They had a way out of things got dicey. She only needed one hit on the critter to be happy. A single slash to apply the Venom effect. That way, if he got away, there was potential for death.


    ¡°Looks clear,¡± Alex said, craning her neck around another corner. A sacred-looking palace guard fled, not bothering to engage the pair.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make this clean, Alex,¡± Tresk grumbled. ¡°Theo has about ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°The city is moving much faster,¡± Alex said, poking her head around another corner. ¡°No throne in there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they were saving some juice for the last stretch. Would¡¯ve been smarter to stay at range and bombard us.¡±


    Tresk cursed under her breath. The city had already covered half the distance to Broken Tusk by the time they arrived. Avoiding fire from the defensive emplacements on the city was hard enough, but finding the king was another problem entirely. Now they had to find the damned throne room? COME ON!


    ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way!¡± King Hanan¡¯s raspy voice called out from behind them. ¡°Come! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°King gonna get himself killed,¡± Tresk muttered, turning and emerging from the shadows. She nodded at Hanan and fell in line behind him. At least he had a weapon.


    ¡°Where the hell is Fenian!?¡± Tresk shouted into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The city is getting awfully close, Tresk,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yap yap yap. I¡¯m on it!¡±


    Tresk felt the doubt flood through her connection with Theo. He wasn¡¯t as good as her at reading minds within the Tara¡¯hek. But one didn¡¯t need a connection like theirs to know that things were grim. The Harbinger Lite had outplayed them, even when they had the upper hand. The marshling wouldn¡¯t blame anyone involved. This was just an unpleasant situation. But nothing solved problems better than poison!


    Hanan paused outside of an ornately decorated pair of double doors. He looked back at Tresk, swallowing hard. ¡°He is powerful.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to kill him immediately,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We gotta throw him off for just a moment. Just enough time for my backup to get here.¡±


    Hanan nodded, grasping the handle and opening the door. He held his spear at the ready, leading with it as he entered the throne room. Tresk followed suit, holstering her daggers only long enough to crack her knuckles.


    ¡°Ah. There you are.¡± A voice flowed from the throne. A dark figure sat upon it, fifty paces away. It sucked in the light around it, flickering on the spot. ¡°I was wondering when¡ª¡±


    Tresk entered the shadows, emerging next to the creature and driving both daggers home. The creature gasped as she twisted, then vanished again, appearing in the hall. ¡°No time for a monologue! We gotta go!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± King Hanan shouted, skittering along the ground. He glanced over his shoulder for only a moment, face stained with fear. ¡°I thought you were gonna kill him!¡±


    The throne room filled with flaming vines that wrapped around the entity, binding it in place.


    ¡°Nope! We¡¯re the backup plan. Waiting for the other plan!¡±


    ¡°Oh, gods!¡± Hanan screamed, kicking hard against the ground as he fled from his own throne room.


    All members of the attack party were thrown to the side, tumbling as Qavell itself listed dangerously.


    <hr>


    Theo tasted copper in his mouth as Qavell slammed into his barrier. The city tilted forward, towers glancing against the dark bubble of magic to crumble into the ocean below. The ground under his feet gained an indentation, roughly the shape of his bubble. His world was a blur of agony.


    ¡°Hold firm, Theo,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, closing his eyes and channeling some spell.


    Theo watched as his barrier was reinforced, only in the parts where Qavell had impacted. Xol¡¯sa was adding his magic to the mix, infusing the Toru¡¯aun spell with extra-planar power. This was the peak of magery. Not the tricks the alchemist had used to achieve his goals, but raw power. He could tell what the mage was doing, and didn¡¯t like the implications. It was a backup plan. If the barrier fell, part of the city would pass through a portal. The effect would be disasterous.


    ¡°Hold firm,¡± Zarali encouraged, passing her healing magic over the alchemist.


    A giant frog shot through the air, slamming into the city and exploding in a fountain of goo. ¡°Chaos magic, baby!¡± Bilgrob shouted. A giant snake followed next.


    Before Theo knew it, what few elves from House Wavecrest that had dabbled in magic were reinforcing his barrier. The army had assembled, marching out onto the field to face down an entire floating city. No abilities, potions, or reinforcements would help Theo maintain the bubble. But with everyone coming out to help, the weight felt lighter.


    <hr>


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a plan!¡± Hanan shouted, following Tresk through the streets of Qavell.


    ¡°I have a goose! This is a perfect plan!¡± Tresk shouted back, cackling as they approached the outer wall of the city.


    People were panicking, darting in every direction to find cover. The city forced itself against the barrier, but could not get through. Tresk could feel the entity honing in on her, dashing through the streets with inhuman speed. But her Dreamer¡¯s Core told a different story. While the entity didn¡¯t go against any laws enforced by the core, it whispered information. It was a weak echo of the real deal, barely able to keep its form on the mortal plane.


    Buildings crumbled around them as the group ran for the wall. Tresk ran up steps four at a time as Alex flew to the battlements. The barrier buzzed in her ears, grinding against the wall like stone on stone. Theo¡¯s willpower was absolute. So long as he kept his mind focused, the city wouldn¡¯t break through until the spell expired. She knew he was smart enough to infuse it with all his tricks.


    ¡°This is a good spot,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°The barrier might flicker, so be ready to be sent on your ass!¡±


    ¡°Oh, gods!¡± Hanan shouted, hitting the ground and covering his head.


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    The entity tore through the city, its darkened form flickering out in every direction as though it was already breaking apart. The Venom might have been working on that, but Tresk wouldn¡¯t risk it. She pulled a potion from the Tara¡¯hek inventory and considered it for a moment.


    ¡°Stop the city, Hanan,¡± Tresk said, popping the top to the Holy infused Potion of Berserk. ¡°We¡¯ll need to chase after him after the first hit, Alex.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to go!¡± Alex said, honking like crazy.


    ¡°I am the Worldmender! The Worldbreaker!¡± the thing shouted.


    ¡°Sure, buddy.¡±


    Tresk stepped through the shadows after quaffing the potion, aiming her palm-strike carefully. She recalled what happened when Theo tested the potion. The barrier flickered as Tresk, Alex, and Theo all assumed her as a vessel. Her palm made contact in a full-force strike, angled just right. The Worldbreaker flew through the air, the ground cracking under the force of the blow. He ricochetted off of a building and was sent tumbling far into the distance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, baby!¡± Tresk said, mounting Alex.


    ¡°This is harder than you would think,¡± Tresk said, Theo speaking through her.


    ¡°Honk!¡± Tresk said, giving pursuit to the tumbling entity.


    <hr>


    Fenian cleaned the dirt from under his fingernails. Working on a pirate¡¯s ship was bad enough, but did it have to be so dirty. He looked down at the rags he wore, shaking his head. The first thing he would do after getting his carriage back was to find some decent clothes in Bantein. After that, he would make a trip to Partopour to visit the bathhouses, where young maidens would scrub him clean until he couldn¡¯t smell the stink of pirates any longer.


    The three-masted ship had been a worthy steed, though. The winds had changed over the past few days, blowing them on a steady course that made the ship groan. They were approaching the horn south of Broken Tusk, passing by a chain of islands to the south. Even at this distance, Fenian could feel the magic seeping into the air. One had an interesting taste, and he couldn¡¯t recognize it.


    ¡°Almost there, my fellow pirates!¡± Fenian said, slapping one dirty elf on the back. ¡°Then you¡¯ll get that gold I promised you.¡±


    ¡°We better had,¡± one pirate grumbled. ¡°Or it''s your head.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not about the plunder within the alliance, dear pirate. It¡¯s about the plunder we took along the way!¡±


    The pirates grumbled, but knew he was right. They had cut a path across the waves, stealing what they could along the way. It was the only way Fenian could keep them motivated to move so quickly. Pirates were like that, though. Unless they had something shiny to chase, they were hopelessly lost.


    A pulse of power rocked the ship back slightly, drawing concerned looks from the pirates. Fenian chuckled. ¡°Oh, it does do that sometimes.¡±


    The ship moved around the corner, providing Fenian with his first look at a barrier. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interesting,¡± he said.


    The barrier was too big. There shouldn¡¯t have been a mortal alive with the ability to produce it. Khahar might have swung it, but that was a stretch. Even more, there was an entire city slammed against it. Fenian ran his fingers through his tangled hair, ignoring the places where it caught. Theo had made more progress than he expected. There was a battle somewhere. His Herald¡¯s Core was screaming out to join it. But he didn¡¯t have the authority. He needed to see the entity before he could activate the core.


    ¡°Damn. This is frustrating. Catch more wind, lads,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°You know how to work the sails,¡± a drunken pirate said.


    Fenian grumbled, adjusting the angle of the sails and letting more line out in the rigging. The ship lurched forward under their feet, sending a few pirates tumbling to the ground. If he squinted enough, he could almost see a fight happening beyond the city. It was hard to see through the shadowy barrier, though. The magic that rolled off of the combatants was hard to discern. A mixture of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s flavor with something else he couldn¡¯t place. A white shape moved up from the fray, hovering in the air and shooting a ball of fire downward. Then he spotted it and a system message appeared.


    [Herald¡¯s Duty]


    Unknown entity sighted!


    You have laid eyes on an entity that isn¡¯t registered with the system. This entity violates several laws under the protection of the Herald. It will remain highlighted in your vision until it is eliminated.


    The restrictions on your Herald¡¯s Core have been removed. You are free to act in your capacity as this world¡¯s Herald to eliminate the enemy.


    ¡°Oh, finally,¡± Fenian groaned. ¡°Just pull into the port. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± a pirate asked.


    Fenian stepped over the boat¡¯s edge, hovering and keeping pace with it. ¡°Oh, where else? To slay a god.¡±


    Fenian stopped moving alongside the boat, watching as it sailed off into the distance. Once it was far enough away, he jumped. The force of the action sent the water of the ocean fanning out in all directions, revealing the seafloor below. In an instant, both swords were, slashing in a wide arc to slam against the Worldbreaker¡¯s defenses. The Herald hovered there, winking at Tresk and Alex. The marshling and goose were battered, but they would live.


    ¡°Let me take it from here, sweet marshling,¡± Fenian said, blowing her a kiss.


    ¡°My hero,¡± Tresk groaned. Alex honked, diving to avoid the coming battle.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see,¡± Fenian said, looking at his twin rapiers. The Worldbreaker was still sailing into the distance, about to slam into the mountain range along the coast. ¡°Small sword is good. Big sword is better!¡±


    Fenian swiped Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s sword through the air. The path it traced was made manifest as a massive blade, larger than the city of Qavell. It slashed through the air, slicing through the Worldbreaker and digging into the mountain. The entire thing fell into the ocean in one great heap, creating waves higher than the walls at Broken Tusk.


    ¡°And more for good measure,¡± Fenian chuckled to himself, pushing off against nothing and diving in for a thrust.


    The Worldbreaker dove to the side, the strike narrowly missing. The ocean removed itself from the strike, leaving behind a molten fissure the size of a city.


    ¡°Slippery little bastard,¡± Fenian laughed.


    <hr>


    Theo trembled under the weight of the city, sweat pouring down his face. He couldn¡¯t see Fenian¡¯s battle with the entity, only the arcing strikes from his sword. The creature had violated the rules that disallowed otherworldly entities from messing with the mortal plane. That had unlocked Fenian¡¯s core, allowing him to go all-out. Each strike was powerful enough to level entire mountain ranges, tearing up the ranges east of Gronro-Dir and those further north.


    Without warning, the pressure brought by Qavell ceased. Chunks of rocks exploded from the foundation, sailing into the ocean below as the city fell. Theo couldn¡¯t hold the barrier any longer. He fell to his knees, watching as the city slammed into the ocean. As expected, the wave came shortly after.


    Theo held onto consciousness as several potions were shoved into his mouth.


    ¡°Here she comes!¡± Ziz shouted, frantic to reinforce the weak points in the wall.


    The wave slammed against the barrier, knocking it over in an instant. Seawater washed up onto the beach, knocking everyone gathered over. But the wall had done its job. Most of the energy in the wave had been dispersed, resulting in a gentle roll over the beach. The alchemist fell onto his back, allowing the warm water to soak him through. His guardians held his head up, ensuring he wouldn¡¯t drown in what little water washed over him. When the wash settled down, Ziz didn¡¯t hesitate to start the bridge. Even with Fenian fighting, sending more mountains into the sea, he got to work.


    ¡°Rest, brother,¡± Zarali said, cradling Theo¡¯s head.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t called me that in forever.¡±


    ¡°Not by blood, maybe,¡± Zarali said, her glowing eyes lingering on the battle in the distance. ¡°But a brother all the same.¡±


    ¡°What am I?¡± Tresk said, falling from Alex¡¯s back as she fell to the ground. ¡°Chopped liver?!¡±


    The connection formed by the Holy Berserk Potion had faded. Theo was left feeling drained from both the barrier he maintained and the connection, but they were getting better at sharing a body. It was like multitasking on steroids. He drew steady breaths, comfortable knowing that Fenian was taking care of things.


    ¡°Did you get him, Tresk?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Stabbed him a few times,¡± Tresk said, pushing herself to a seated position. ¡°I knew Fenian was near, and that I had to get the bad dude away from the city. Did the only thing I could think of.¡±


    ¡°Smart, Tresk,¡± Theo said, letting out another shaking breath. She left out how she knew. Her Dreamer¡¯s Core sang when it detected Fenian nearby. Better to leave stuff like that out.


    ¡°Leave the rest to us,¡± Aarok said, stepping into view with Alise by his side. ¡°We¡¯ll scour the city and save those that need it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill Hanan,¡± Tresk said. ¡°He¡¯s a big baby.¡±

 5.69 - Hardly a King

    If Fenian had fought the entity over Broken Tusk, there would have been nothing left. Theo had mostly recovered from the ordeal, and was helping Ziz work on the bridge. If Tresk hadn¡¯t sent the creature flying into the distance, keeping it away from both Qavell and Broken Tusk, the alchemist¡¯s story might have ended there.


    Qavell had fallen within a thousand feet of the harbor. It now tilted to one side in the surf, surrounded by the crumbling mountain and swirling ocean. Whatever dark core magic had sent the city flying had faded, leaving behind dark stains on the exposed foundation. Even from the incomplete bridge, Theo could see people on the walls. They waved down, shouting things that were too distant to hear.


    Tresk and Alex had flown over, using their inventory to distribute supplies. She updated the administration interface for once, keeping Alise appraised of the situation. The Qavelli people had been without food for some time. Despite outward appearances, this plan wasn¡¯t thought out well enough. The kingdom relied on farms that sprawled outside the walls of their city, resulting in an immediate shortage when the undead were a problem. Her people now starved, finding relief in the Southlands Alliance. A group they once thought of as their enemies.


    ¡°Ya dropped it further than I expected,¡± Ziz said, scratching his head. He withdrew another section of bridge from his inventory, setting it into place with the one before. Next he would need to drive more pylons, which once again relied on this inventory power. ¡°Gonna be harder to reach them.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do with them?¡± Theo asked, sighing. Saving the people of Qavell was hard enough. Now what?


    ¡°Oh, who cares? We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Ziz said. ¡°We always do!¡±


    At least the administrators were on top of things. Once Alise could get to the city, she would start negotiations. King Hanan was at their mercy, and the Southlands Alliance intended to provide that mercy. The options on the table were fair. The king could join the alliance, or accept a position as a vassal state. Both provided some measure of independence and would include the washing away of Karasan¡¯s sins. Early reports revealed Hanan was in the dark concerning his father¡¯s plans.


    Dusk faded into night, but no one stopped working. Greater Stamina Potions were passed around, fueling the work. Citizens set artifice lamps along the bridge, lighting the way as Ziz and his ever-expanding gang of workers set piece after piece of the bridge. At midnight the ramp was completed, providing access to the city proper. With a tired mind, Theo stepped foot into the ruined city with his administrative retinue.


    Alise, Gwyn, Gael, and Theo stepped through a gate, gazing upon the crumbled buildings and smoke rising in the distance. A man, part-elven by Theo¡¯s estimation, approached with a spear in hand. He had long brown hair that looked as though he hadn¡¯t cared for it in weeks. His clothes were plain, and tattered.


    ¡°Are you the one we have to thank for this?¡± the man asked, looking up at Theo with a forced smile. There was pain behind that smile. Not the pain of a man who had been beaten down himself, but one that had watched his people suffer.


    ¡°Archduke Theo Spencer,¡± Theo said, nodding to his companions. ¡°Gaeleithia Wavecrest, Alise Plumm, and Gwynestarea Whisperstream. I see you¡¯re not dead, King Hanan.¡±


    ¡°Hardly a king,¡± Hanan grumbled, kicking a stone like a frustrated child.


    ¡°We¡¯re uninterested in your personal problems,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the soldiers and citizens coming to distribute aid and help with those trapped in ruined buildings. The battle Fenian fought raged on in the distance, but had never drawn too close as to threaten the city. ¡°We¡¯re here to help.¡±


    Theo bit back the other things he wanted to say for now. He wanted every piece of the Worldbreaker destroyed within the city. But now was the time for healing. Hanan looked too shaken to consider those things.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere private to speak,¡± Hanan said, rubbing his face and leaving streaks of dirt behind. ¡°My head isn¡¯t in order.¡±


    Theo nodded and Rowan assumed his assigned post as guardian to the king. Sarisa remained with the alchemist as they moved through the city. People looked out from their homes, fear on their faces. That would pass. Two guards stepped aside as Hanan gestured to a guard tower that hadn¡¯t collapsed. They saluted, stepping to the side and allowing the group entrance to the tower. Hanan made his way to a table in the center, draining the contents of several mugs before wheeling around.


    ¡°This has been horrible, archduke. Absolutely dreadful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Rowan muttered, climbing up the stairs to check the second floor. The circular tower was bare, but one could never be too careful.


    Theo sighed. ¡°What do you know about your father¡¯s plan?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Hanan shouted, hysterical. ¡°He vanished without a word. Only when that thing approached me did I learn he was dead. I was told nothing. I know nothing.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an interrogation. We know where Karasan went and why. We know how and why he died. The man fighting against the¡­ creature was the one to slay him.¡±


    Hanan paused for a moment and Theo judged his response. The king tensed up for a moment before slamming his fist on the table. ¡°I wish to meet this man and slap him across the face. My father¡¯s life was mine to take.¡±


    Sarisa laughed, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Not the response I was expecting,¡± Theo muttered, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°I guess we can work with that.¡±


    ¡°The Dreamer promised my people would be unharmed, but it didn¡¯t mention all that,¡± Hanan said, gesturing vaguely out into the city.


    ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Theo said, taking a seat. He drank another Greater Stamina Potion, his eyes flaring brighter after the potion. ¡°We¡¯re going to make you an offer. You can take your time to look it over. Our concern right now is stabilizing the city. She¡¯s going to roll over if we don¡¯t put some supports around her.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Hanan swallowed hard. ¡°You¡¯re going to execute me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What? No. Calm down,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have the details. But you can join the Southlands Alliance or become a vassal of the Southlands Alliance.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, really.¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You¡¯re not prepared to be a king, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m barely a king!¡± Hanan shouted. ¡°Whatever your offer contains¡­ I need guidance. Someone needs to teach me how to lead.¡±


    ¡°You and me both, buddy.¡±


    The sounds of Fenian fighting in the distance calmed down after a while. There was a commission outside, so Theo went to check it out. The elven trader descended from the sky, carried on unseeable winds of magic. He landed, flipped his hair to one side and sighed dramatically.


    ¡°My dear alchemist!¡± Fenian shouted, bounding over and wrapping the alchemist in an embrace. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been far too long! Decades!¡±


    ¡°A few weeks,¡± Theo corrected, groaning under the strength of the elf.


    ¡°Not so! I was trapped in Balkor¡¯s realm for a while. And¡­ Oh. Hello, Prince Hanan. Sorry I killed your dad.¡±


    Hanan had poked his head out of the tower, looking upon Fenian with shock on his face. ¡°You¡¯re the elf we exiled! You¡¯re the one who killed the Merchant Chairs!¡±


    Fenian acted bashful, grinding his foot into the ground and twirling his hair. ¡°Guilty! Although that was to draw your father out. So I could murder him in the heavens.¡±


    ¡°I need another drink,¡± Hanan groaned.


    Fenian produced a bottle of clear liquid from his inventory and held it out for the king to take. Hanan took it and drained half the bottle, stumbling back and nodding.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Hanan said, his cheeks going rosy. ¡°Thank you, elf. The city is in your debt.¡±


    ¡°The world is,¡± Fenian corrected. ¡°You may erect my statues in bronze, but I prefer gold.¡±


    ¡°Did you kill it?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. But I drove him off. We¡¯ll talk about this in private. Business for the thrones, you know.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Theo said, grabbing Fenian by the arm. ¡°Tresk, you coming?¡±


    ¡°Straight to the throne?¡± Tresk asked, speaking into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Theo said, allowing his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability to slip them between the cracks of reality. He passed over the Bridge and aimed directly for the Dreamer¡¯s Throne beneath the earth.


    ¡°Ah. Look at that,¡± Fenian said, sighing. ¡°You moved the throne.¡±


    Tresk appeared behind them, giggling. ¡°Yep! Where is yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you,¡± Fenian said, folding his arms. ¡°A man has to have his secrets.¡±


    ¡°Still in the pocket dimension,¡± Tresk said, nodding. ¡°Amateur.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you defeating that monstrosity!¡± Fenian said.


    Theo couldn¡¯t tell if the elf was wounded from the statement. The smile that always tugged on the corners of his mouth had tightened slightly. They traded jabs and that smile got wider, revealing his playful intentions.


    ¡°Three thrones down,¡± Theo said, looking through the darkness of the fragment of the Dreamer¡¯s realm. The marble throne sat alone, but it also rested somewhere in Tresk¡¯s soul.


    ¡°One to go,¡± Fenian said, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s back. ¡°Does your realm have a bath?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said, shifting his mind slightly to relocate them to the village in Tero¡¯gal. Various archways were up, meaning there were other gods here.


    ¡°My boy!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven shouted from near the cottage. ¡°He¡¯s finally back, guys!¡±


    Fenian smiled and waved. ¡°I¡¯ll have a bath, first,¡± he said, smelling himself and recoiling. ¡°And some clothes if you have them¡­ You! Spirit! Could you show me to the bath?¡±


    Fenian marched off with a random spirit. Theo guessed that¡¯s where the bath was, but he didn¡¯t know. Alex waddled behind the alchemist and Tresk and they made their way to the cottage. It was a miracle the marshling wasn¡¯t wounded during her fight. When the door to the building opened, they were met with a wall of sound. Conversation rolled through all gods assembled, retelling the events that had happened on the mortal plane.


    ¡°And she just like¡­ Bam!¡± Benton shouted.


    Uz¡¯Xulven laughed. ¡°Did you see what Fenian did to that creature?¡±


    ¡°Did you see what he did to the landscape?¡± Glantheir asked, scoffing. ¡°Theo needs to draw some new maps of the continent.¡±


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex entered the room, silencing the group in an instant. They found chairs, grabbing tea and sweets.


    ¡°How bad was it?¡± Theo asked around a mouthful of cookies. ¡°The continent.¡±


    ¡°It used to be a single landmass,¡± Khahar said, grinning across the table. ¡°It is now ten islands.¡±


    ¡°At least ten!¡± Spit countered. ¡°Oh what fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys enjoyed the show,¡± Tresk said, flexing her muscles. No matter how strong she got, she still had little stick arms. That didn¡¯t stop the gods from clapping and cheering for her. She flexed, pointing at Khahar. ¡°Which way to the gunshow, buddy?¡±


    ¡°Your Potion of Berserk is art, Theo,¡± Drogramath said, wiping a tear from his eye.


    ¡°How many effects did you stack on that barrier spell, Theo?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven asked. ¡°I was watching and then¡­ poof! Couldn¡¯t see a damned thing.¡±


    The praise came in turgid waves, stopped only by a god stuffing their face with Benton¡¯s cooking. Khahar signaled that the holders of thrones, present and future, should go for a walk. Theo nodded, exiting the building with the group before sending them to some far-flung place in Tero¡¯gal. They stood on a ledge near the top of a mountain, looking over misty greenery below.


    ¡°You know where the Throne of the Dreamwalker is, right Theo?¡± Khahar asked.


    ¡°Yep. With the space elves.¡±


    Khahar paused for a long moment. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about the other Dreamer.¡±


    ¡°Is he dead?¡± Tresk asked.


    Khahar didn¡¯t answer that. He stood, looking down at the sprawling landscape. The silence that set in over the group was a comfortable one. Theo had cleared the board of all his enemies, and gained an ally in the process. Emperor Kuzan might be a problem in the future, but Tarantham was far enough that he wasn¡¯t worried. This would go down as a moment of rebuilding. A time where the world would come together. Once they realized what the next step was, after Theo gained his throne, things would move quickly. The inhabitants of this plant, no matter how powerful, would come to terms with their mortality.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even feel the throne here,¡± Khahar said, breathing in the crisp air. ¡°For  once, something is outside of my grasp. And it bothers me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a baby,¡± Theo said, falling back into his thoughts.


    Tero¡¯gal was special. Theo remembered something mentioned to him before. There existed two gods who had taken the Tara¡¯hek. How he hadn¡¯t met them before was baffling. Because anyone who climbed the ladder to gain more power with the Tara¡¯hek had a massive advantage. Once he claimed the Throne of the Dreamwalker, they would gain more power than anyone could imagine.


    ¡°What is the dreamer supposed to do?¡± Tresk asked, scratching her head.


    ¡°They forestall problems related to the Herald. The Dreamwalker¡¯s job is similar, helping the Arbiter.¡±


    ¡°Neat!¡± Tresk said. ¡°I¡¯m mostly interested in giving people nightmares.¡±


    ¡°As should be expected.¡±


    The group gazed over the realm for some time without saying a word. All that needed to be said had been said. What was left was a road marked by hard work and a grand plan. Theo hoped his part of the plan would turn out alright. But with friends and allies by his side, he didn¡¯t doubt their chances of success.

 5.70 - Epilogue

    Theo Spencer,


    44th Day, Season of Fire,


    873rd Year of Balkor¡¯s Betrayal


    We¡¯re gonna need to rename the next era, guys. 873 years of Balkor¡¯s stain has been too long. I¡¯m writing this message in my private realm, sitting next to a Throne of Power. Is that the right way to capitalize it? I really don¡¯t know.


    Why are these journal entries so hard to start?


    There were quite a few things that we accomplished, but the only thing I can think about is the giant city sitting outside of my town. Going back to Broken Tusk means looking at an eyesore and wondering when it¡¯ll tip over. Hanan¡¯s defeat (if I can call it that) was our biggest accomplishment in recent memory. But that doesn¡¯t mean I haven¡¯t taken twists and turns along the way.


    First, I¡¯ll talk about the gods. Oh, the gods¡­ Imagine being locked in a world of shadows for untold millennia. You¡¯re hanging out, enjoying the inky blackness of your world, and out of nowhere this cat guy just comes along and changes the rules. Zaul doesn¡¯t seem happy about Khahar ascending to the Throne of the Arbiter. But I have to wonder about that. Yuri would have taken the guy out by now. Which means the shadow guy has some more tricks up his sleeve.


    A strange thing that happened was the reincarnation of a piece of Balkor¡¯s soul, into some rotten old vessel. The Demonic Pantheon needs a good purge, including the original piece of his soul that lords over that domain. Or maybe Balkor is part of some bigger plot. That wouldn¡¯t surprise me.


    Turns out that Glantheir is the number one god. Who would¡¯ve known? He helped me rescue Sulvan from the moon. We left Uharis¡¯s ass on the moon so he could stew. I¡¯ll be honest with you, diary. I don¡¯t care if he ever comes back. He¡¯s an asshole and I don¡¯t like him. There. I said it. But Glantheir helped me get the old paladin sorted into a new life of helping people. He¡¯ll serve his penance by healing a bunch of people and making the lives of everyone around better.


    Spoilers: I¡¯m pretty certain Sulvan is gonna play an important part with the Wanderer. You know, that guy who used to be Balkor 50,000 years ago. Glantheir is playing it coy, but there¡¯s a fighting spirit buried somewhere under that flowing mane. His hair is great, though.


    Speaking of (writing of?) the big bad king of the undead, we sorted the undead problem out. Turns out the dude responsible was Balkor (I said that, didn¡¯t I?) and he was just some sad boy wandering the land. Now I have to worry about King Emo rising up and causing more undead related problems. Hopefully the elves in Tarantham pitch in when the time comes. Or King Emo takes his attitude underground and I don¡¯t have to fix the problem. If I could send him to the moon, I would. Let the moon people deal with it.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Zaul¡¯s involvement in godly politics is big. My new cores are massive. But the biggest thing that happened was when Tresk ascended the Throne of the Dreamer. We¡¯ve been planning on this happening for a while and it''s finally here. In a classic Tresk move, she used it to perv on people in their sleep. Unsurprising, but the power of the position seems endless. After I get my own shiny throne, I¡¯m heading off into space. Well, the void. I¡¯ll find Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people and steal some magical stones which will do something to the world.


    Place your bets on what that might be, but my money is on holding the place together while we remake it.


    I might figure out seasons for Tero¡¯gal. Looking down the barrel of ascending my throne, I realize I might not make it a year in this world. Oops.


    The only person left in the world that is giving me pause is Kuzan. Emperor Kuzan leads the people of Tarantham. He¡¯s pretty brutal, but I won¡¯t deny that his methods work. The constant wars on the continent keep the people from getting too strong, which prevents issues of ascension. Of course he excludes himself from this cycle, and has likely gathered quite a lot of power. But that power comes with drawbacks. Yuri was barely able to keep it together a week without going and meditating for a thousand years.


    But that road is behind me. What does the future hold?


    Well, the Southlands Alliance has an entire continent to clean up. Is it still a continent if it has been cut into many small pieces? I hope so. We need to get transport working for the entire place, ensuring that people can spread as quickly as possible. Why bother if the world is going to reset? You might ask that question, but people need purpose. When the world ¡®ends¡¯ they¡¯re not going away. They¡¯re coming with me. They can remain in the heavens with me, or get beamed back down when we get the mortal system sorted out. I¡¯m guessing we¡¯ll have some problems with existing cores, so those will get tossed away. But skills remain, don¡¯t they? Buried in the soul and embedded in a person¡¯s consciousness.


    Oh, yeah. Time dilation. The void is unforgiving about that kind of stuff. I feel it every time I pass through. So when I take the plunge to find those pesky space elves, I¡¯m sure some wacky stuff is going to happen. Wooooah! time loop hijinks? Maybe. Nah.


    But maybe?


    I¡¯m certain I can view Earth if I wanted to, given enough power. Once I can finally grill the Harbinger on what his game plan is, I¡¯ll have a better idea on that affair.


    Of course! Right when I was waxing on all poetic, my attention is drawn elsewhere. Khahar is here and he wants to play a game of poker. High-stakes stuff, you know. The winner gets to eat all of Benton¡¯s cookies. He grows this plant that tastes like chocolate. You couldn¡¯t tell the difference if you tried!


    As always, mysterious reader, I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed these ramblings. Maybe this will make more sense when the other shoe drops. Maybe not.

 6.1 - A Curious Journey

    Boulders fell from the sides of a stranded city. The once-capital of the Kingdom of Qavell rested amongst the waves, pieces falling into the ocean below. Wooden constructions leaned against her sides, holding her as firmly as they could as a demon watched from the sides. Theo Spencer observed the teams of workers who darted around the exterior, raising wooden beams from the decks of ships and causeways built by hand.


    The city had represented an opponent to face. A thing that could have been anywhere, threatening the stability of the southlands. Everything had been kicked off by the elven trader, Fenian Feintleaf. He caused the rise of the undead on the continent, the movement of the city, its ultimate downfall, and the scarred state of the landmass. That busy little elf stood on the coastline with Theo, preening himself after so long without a proper bath.


    ¡°It was hardly a battle at all,¡± Fenian said, flashing a pearly white smile.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill it,¡± Theo said. He certainly tried to keep the venom from his voice. ¡°My plan would have killed it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s not worry about who didn¡¯t kill what and where. Enjoy the view!¡±


    Theo took in a steady breath, watching his people work day and night to save the flagging city. The alchemist was taking a break from raising stones from the ground, allowing his mana to restore naturally for once. Fenian brought this mess to the world for a reason¡ªa reason Theo suspected was petty revenge¡ªand nothing could have stopped him. He sat atop one of three important positions of power. The Throne of the Herald. That throne had a simple role. It defended the world from otherworldly incursions.


    Theo¡¯s pink, soul bonded marshling had assumed such a throne, although her role was diminished when compared. No matter how small the role, the pieces were important. But now the Dreamer was loose in the world, sauntering through people¡¯s dreams as they slept. At least it was a great way to gather information, if a little disturbing.


    ¡°Are you two going to stand around all day?¡± a half-ogre asked while passing by.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Fenian said, sighing. ¡°Is my work ever done, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Not when you¡¯re the one who made the mess.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fair enough, you spicy demon,¡± Fenian said, winking. He walked away, off to join the others as they worked.


    Theo took a moment to reflect on the progress he had made so far. Ascending from Level 1 to Level 30 had been a feat only accomplished through a series of exploits and time dilation tricks. As it stood now, he relied on his Drogramath Alchemy Core and his Drogramath Herbalist core most of all. Since he had taken the Drogramath Dedication ability, those were considered his main cores. Nothing else contributed to his personal level, which contained all his mind- and body-altering attributes. Unlike his other cores, those two could no longer be removed.


    The only other odd thing was his Tara¡¯hek Core, which didn¡¯t occupy a normal slot. A person would normally be granted two cores at Level 1, and one slot for every 10 levels after that. Theo should have had five slots, but he had six. Of course, that Tara¡¯hek core could never be removed. The only time it had come close to that was when Tresk was dragged into the Dreamer¡¯s realm, weakening the connection with the core.


    Theo¡¯s next core was the Governance Core, which was necessary to run the alliance. He wouldn¡¯t unequip that one no matter what. It provided the people of Broken Tusk and the alliance with information and communication systems. Without it, one would need to ride the tram between the towns to provide information. The alchemist approached the beach, sifting through his cores screen and nodding. Governance had been more useful than he could have imagined, and had been entirely passive.


    Next came the Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core. While it seemed dubious at first¡ªperhaps only something to increase his magical powers¡ªTheo had found this core to be vital. When Qavell was on a course to slam into Broken Tusk, this was the core that saved them. It drew from the properties of reagents discovered by his Drogramath cores, turning them into wards. Those wards could be cast ad hoc, or imbued into an object. Both methods were a potent means to both safeguard and attack. This core was the reason that Qavell was among the waves, instead of the clouds.


    Swapping cores had been a painful affair before Level 30. After hitting that Level, Theo found it to be effortless. The physical pain was bad enough, but being without useful cores that had kept him alive for all this time was a mental sting he couldn¡¯t take. With his fifth core slot unlocked, the alchemist was happy to collect a few cores to fill that void. While both cores he found were excellent, they couldn¡¯t be more different from each other.


    The God of Shadows, Zaul, had given him a special core. The Zaul Shadowspirit Core was a devious thing meant to shield Theo¡¯s actions from the gods themselves. It allowed him to imbue his willpower into his items, spells, abilities, and also his aura. The Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core was entirely practical, but focused on the same concept. It allowed him to move anything aligned with the Earth element with his willpower. That core had been essential to keeping Qavell in place.


    Theo reached out with his will, pulling rocks that had fallen into the water and rearranging them. The stones dripped with water as they were set into place. The Half-Ogre stonemason Ziz came in shortly after, using his core¡¯s abilities to weld them into place. Through all the chaos of the past few days, Theo had seen growth in a few cores. Alchemy, herbalist, Tara¡¯hek, and governance were all trapped at Level 30. Toru¡¯aun¡¯s core was ascending as slow as ever, sitting at Level 24. Both the sorcerer and Zaul core were at 5. He inspected his personal sheet as he worked.


    Theo Spencer


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 30


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 6


    Stats:


    Health: 120


    Mana: 210


    Stamina: 130


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 20 (+8)


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Vigor: 23 (+8)


    Intelligence: 28 (+9)


    Wisdom: 30 (+7)


    Points: 0


    Everyone told Theo that progress would slow before Level 30. He didn¡¯t expect the level itself to be an absolute brick wall. He caught a rock that was falling idly, avoiding the crushing of several workers.


    ¡°Hey, Ziz. How the hell are we going to hold this thing together?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Trust your old friend, won¡¯t ya!?¡± Ziz shot back. ¡°I¡¯ve got a method!¡±


    Trusting the process of putting a bandage on a falling mountain was hard to do. But the work went on over the course of three days. The group of workers had started with just people from the alliance. But by the second day, people within the city of Qavell came out to pitch in. An army of golems was amongst them, stitching that city back together. No pieces of the city fell by midday on the third day, and the workers breathed a sigh of relief. There wasn¡¯t even a bridge leading from Broken Tusk to the city as promised. But Ziz and his crew were exhausted, and there were political things to take care of.


    Theo sat at the head of a long table in the town hall. He steepled his fingers as he looked over the attendants. Attendants he had selected. Fenian, Alise, Aarok, Sulvan, Trevas, Grotgrog, and Hanan.


    ¡°I can¡¯t express enough gratitude. For what you¡¯ve done, archduke,¡± Hanan said, bowing his head low. ¡°You saved us all.¡±


    ¡°I would have skinned him if he didn¡¯t,¡± Sulvan said plainly. The paladin, reborn as a priest of Glantheir, had strong opinions about genocide.


    ¡°I would have blown you up!¡± Fenian said, chuckling.


    Hanan was still wet behind the ears as a leader, but he had grown up at his father¡¯s side. King Karasan had a lot of motives unknown to even those closest to him, but he was a competent leader. Until the house of cards came crumbling down, he had his nation in hand. Then a pesky elf came to dash those plans to the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s why Fenian isn¡¯t in charge of anything important,¡± Alise said, clearing her throat. ¡°We¡¯re here to discuss the unconditional surrender of Qavell and the absorption of the Kingdom of Qavell into the Southlands Alliance.¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that¡­¡± Hanan trailed off, running his fingers through his hands.


    ¡°The fact that we saved you, and that you were friendly, doesn¡¯t take away from Qavell¡¯s aggressive posture against the southlands.¡±


    Alise went on to list some laws that Theo wasn¡¯t aware of. Qavell had laws? He realized she was laying the groundwork in legalese so that no one could bite them in the butt afterward. It was a fact he appreciated about his administrative staff. He didn¡¯t have to know those things, and his people would sort it out. After a tongue-lashing from the plucky human, Hanan accepted his fate.


    ¡°And we have given you two options,¡± Alise said, producing two contracts. ¡°Complete absorption, or become a vassal. I¡¯ve already checked with our Kingdom Core, and we can use it to apply such a condition to yours.¡±


    ¡°So, my Kingdom Core is still there?¡± Hanan asked.


    ¡°Mostly,¡± Aarok said, grumbling. ¡°You¡¯ll need to repair it. But if you become part of the alliance, or a vassal, you¡¯re looking at a long road ahead. And we think our Kingdom Core can repair yours. It will just take time.¡±


    Discussion broke out over the advances of each path. While the staff from Broken Tusk put on a bold front, they were more concerned about the people in Qavell. Thousands, by Aarok¡¯s count. The undead had taken out most of the population, but the city was vast. Hanan leaned toward becoming a vassal, and Theo was glad for that. Qavelli culture clashed with the local culture, and this was a great way to impose sweeping changes. That wouldn¡¯t be hard after the disaster of the flying city.


    ¡°There it is,¡± Alise said, sliding a contract over for Hanan to sign.


    Hanan paused, looking up at those people arrayed around the table. ¡°Hard to believe. The southlands were always ¡®nowhere¡¯ on my maps back home. Now I¡¯m signing my kingdom over to them.¡± While he hesitated, it didn¡¯t stop him from signing. ¡°Someone needs to tell me the story of how that happened.¡±


    ¡°Gronro welcomes you into the alliance,¡± Grot said, slamming his fist on the table to punctuate his words.


    ¡°As does Rivers and Daub,¡± Trevas said, also slamming his fist but hurting his hand in the process.


    ¡°Come on, Hanan,¡± Theo said, jerking his head toward the door. ¡°I¡¯ll show you around. Catch you up on what has happened.¡±


    Hanan straightened his tunic, pulling his ruffled undershirt back into place. He cleared his throat and bowed to the members of the council before following Theo out the door. The alchemist brought him to the lab and the pair stood outside for a while before he spoke.


    ¡°This is where it started. Someone planted this building ages ago. Two-hundred years by my estimation. They prepared it for me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I understand,¡± Hanan said, looking upon the building. ¡°The building is advanced, but it''s just an alchemy lab.¡±


    Theo pointed northward and Hanan followed. The alchemist pointed out each building he had planted or helped plant. Each was a cog that helped move Broken Tusk forward. Every person within a worker that had made this dream real. And it didn¡¯t pass the notice of the new King of Qavell that there were more elves than anything else.


    ¡°Another windfall for Broken Tusk. Emperor Kuzan declared war on House Wavecrest. And we saved them.¡± Theo nodded at a passing elf, who waved back with a smile. ¡°Fenian Feintleaf, formerly Southblade, has a pact with Uz¡¯Xulven. He can pass over the Bridge in his carriage. That¡¯s how he killed your father.¡±


    The pair stopped near the monolith. The mention of Hanan¡¯s Father¡¯s death didn¡¯t even phase him. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with your marker.¡±


    ¡°Ya noticed that?¡± Theo said, chuckling. ¡°Whoever planted this town did so with intention. I don¡¯t think it was Fenian, but it might have been Khahar.¡±


    ¡°Khahar? Leader of the Khahari?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that guy.¡±


    Hanan rubbed his chin. ¡°You know, Broken Tusk was here when we incorporated it. We don¡¯t even know how old it was.¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t talk to the locals,¡± Theo said, pressing on. ¡°It¡¯s about two-hundred-fifty years old. See that rise over there? When the ogres settled the area, they lived off the land. But as time passed, they had children with the local humans. Or elves, I don¡¯t know. Anyway, a wizard came along and made that hill so they could farm. The swamp soil is rich, but too muddy to grow their favored crop.¡±


    ¡°The zee, right?¡± Hanan asked. ¡°We used to get shipments of that.


    The duo ascended the hill, looking over the wide fields. Those fields now held more than just the corn-like zee. It had hybrid plants that combined Earth wheat with the local zee. From the hilltop, Theo could barely see his own farm beyond the wall. His golems were working there. That workforce would need to be expanded to help feed the people in Qavell.


    ¡°Yep. We still grow it. Let¡¯s move on¡­¡±


    Theo explained how adventurers had helped make them what they were today. They passed through Stabby Grove, heading north to see the quarry. Hanan had stories about things he remembered from home, including stone shipments. He saw the lumber mill, butcher, enchanter, adventurer¡¯s guild, and finally the mine. The nuggets they pulled out from there ranged from mundane things like copper to strange demonic metals. All of which was connected to a dangerous underground area that the alchemist hoped never to plumb the depths of.


    ¡°There are many moving parts in your city, alchemist,¡± Hanan said, looking more worried by the moment. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of growth like this.¡±


    ¡°Except for Qavell, right?¡± Theo said with a wink.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think this is strange, I have something even stranger to show you.¡±


    Hanan yelped as Theo wrapped his will around him. He used his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability, sending them both hurtling through the void. The king didn¡¯t stop screaming until they set foot in the Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal.

 6.2 - Auspicious Company

    Theo and Hanan stepped onto the lawns of Tero¡¯gal. Fields of grass stretched into the distance, punctuated by tables piled with alchemy equipment, and a small freshwater spring. The king gawked as half-formed spirits walked by, waving at the master of the realm as they went. There was a piddling process of souls waiting for acceptance into the realm, which Theo rubber stamped.


    Before Hanan could get his thoughts out as any more than sputtering disbelief, a series of arches rose in the field. Gods stepped out, laughing, jeering, or sending greetings to the lost king. They marched as one, heading straight for the cottage for tea. But one held back.


    The Arbiter, Khahar, stood before King Hanan and smiled down at him, one hand on either of his shoulders. ¡°Is he getting the crash-course, Theo?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was appropriate. He¡¯s not just a duke, but a king.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I approve. His father was Karasan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    Khahar moved off, leaving the shocked king to languish in the field. One last archway sprung up. A smiling elf, dressed in flowing blue robes, moved to bow to the king. Glantheir, the Elven God of Healing, leaned close and whispered something into the king¡¯s ear. Glantheir must have known that Theo could hear anything within his realm, no matter how quietly spoken. But Hanan¡¯s face lit up.


    ¡°Come,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°We¡¯ll be late for the tea.¡±


    Sitting around a massive wooden table were all the gods that came for tea at the cottage. The room itself had been expanded several times, growing every time a new god wanted to join the occasional party. Benton, the Toora God of Winter and Death, made the best tea and sweets in all the heavens. Spit, Ogre Patron of Curing Things Most of the Time, came to smash the teacups. Uz¡¯Xulven, Queen of the Bridge of Shadows, always came equipped with snide comments and a few jokes. Glantheir came with kind words, often bolstering everyone around him. Drogramath, the Potioneer, was Theo¡¯s patron and often brooded like an emo kid.


    There were many gods unrepresented at the table. Theo had an open invitation for them all, but there was still a division amongst the gods. Although things had settled down, that didn¡¯t stop them from holding ancient grudges. Khahar was an odd one among the gods. He didn¡¯t ascend to godhood to fit a godly purpose. He rose to power to control the gods, assuming the Throne of the Arbiter the moment he reached the heavenly plane. Instead of fighting his way up through the heavens, he employed a scheme to rise to the top and rewrite the rules himself. Theo thought it was going quite well, all things considered.


    ¡°Look how scared he is!¡± Spit shouted, slamming his fist on the table. Theo was certain the hit should have shattered the table. But no god could inflict damage while they were here. That was part of the rules.


    ¡°Be nice, Spit,¡± Uz¡¯xulven said, folding her arms. ¡°We¡¯re nice to our guests, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Even mortal guests?¡± Drogramath said, bored more than anything.


    ¡°If someone could convince Parantheir to come, I guarantee we¡¯ll have a good time,¡± Glantheir said.


    Uz¡¯Xulven blew raspberries. ¡°Good luck with that!¡±


    The jibes continued. Hanan leaned in, giving Theo a concerned look as he whispered. ¡°Why are they so¡­ normal?¡±


    ¡°The gods are just people. Everyone who holds celestial power was a mortal. Those are the rules.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding¡­¡± Hanan trailed off.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with the small people,¡± Spit said, throwing a teacup at the wall. When it shattered, Benton winced. ¡°They¡¯re brainwashed!¡±


    ¡°Is the Burning Eye here?¡± Hanan asked.


    ¡°Who wants to tell him?¡± Spit asked, laughing some more. ¡°The eye is dead.¡±


    Hanan swallowed hard. Theo watched as the king drew into himself, his face going expressionless. The gods prattled on about whatever bothered them or struck them as interesting. Khahar had to silence them a few times when they attempted to reveal information. The king was clearly upset about the eye being dead, but the thing Glantheir had whispered to him bolstered his spirits.


    After a few hours of tea and cookies, Theo brought Hanan out of the stuffy cottage. He teleported them somewhere more pleasant. The massive lake that the alchemist had constructed was now occupied by souls. A group of them had splintered from the main area, creating a village here. The pair watched for a long while as they fished the waters, stoking campfires on the shore to cook the fish.


    ¡°So, Karasan isn¡¯t dead,¡± Theo said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Fenian.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. No, he¡¯s with Glantheir now. He won¡¯t even be the same man, will he?¡±


    ¡°Glantheir will reform him. Sulvan used to be a paladin of the eye. An inquisitor, really.¡±


    ¡°I know. I mean, I knew him. From a distance, of course.¡±


    ¡°And you knew that the Burning Eye was hell-bent on dominating the Dronon of the world?¡± Theo asked, blowing out a breath. ¡°Bad time to side with that kind of god.¡±


    ¡°I never sided with him,¡± Hanan snapped back. He composed himself, clearing his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t attribute malice to my actions. I was in the dark with what my father was doing.¡±


    Theo gazed out to the lake. He remembered a few people back on Earth who were just going with the flow. A fish broke the surface of the water for a moment, sending ripples radiating outward. The alchemist was glad those people without conviction were long-gone. But people like John still lived. The man Glantheir used to be. Maybe he didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, but there was a conspiracy at the end. It could have been going on for some time, but people knew.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to live more like Glantheir these days,¡± Theo said. ¡°Did you know he could take the Khahar¡¯s position by force? He could rule the heavens and the mortal planes in a blink. But he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Planes? Mortal planes?¡± Hanan asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot to learn.¡±


    Theo explained the structure of the universe, using bubbles as an example. Bubbles within bubbles within bubbles. The mortal plane wasn¡¯t the biggest bubble. But even within the mortal plane, there were dream realms. The alchemist had learned that when a person went to sleep, they generated a small version of Tero¡¯gal overtop them. That¡¯s how the Dreamer could move from dream to dream. Khahar had used a similar technique to gain his power, although he generated a pseudo-realm overtop himself using raw power.


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    But these things were important for the king to understand. Each world leader should understand these things as the days went on. When the year came to a close, most things would change. Unlike what happened on Earth, Theo wanted these people to be ready for the change.


    ¡°Can you visit other realms?¡± Hanan asked.


    ¡°With the permission of the other gods.¡±


    ¡°Could we visit the Realm of Healing?¡±


    Theo shot Hanan a severe look. ¡°I have worked with many lost souls. You don¡¯t want to see your father yet. All that hate he was feeling will linger. He is an echo of the man you knew, not the real thing. That will take time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Hanan said. ¡°How big is this place?¡±


    Theo smiled, sending them to the far western edge of the realm. Below was the sprawl of clouds and shapes of things happening in the real world. They saw Tresk in the clouds, fighting some monster in a dungeon. Tero¡¯gal was roughly the size of North America. Roughly.


    ¡°Slightly larger than Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°Are other realms this large?¡±


    ¡°Most of them are bigger. Tero¡¯gal is a Mortal Dreamrealm, which means¡­ Well, I don¡¯t really know what it means. This is the projection of my spirit bond. But it''s also a living thing.¡±


    After explaining more about the realms for a while, Theo and Hanan returned to the cottage. The gods were still hanging out, but Drogramath had a rare offer. He invited both of then to visit Grodul¡¯harak, Drogramath¡¯s realm.


    ¡°Uh, duh. Of course,¡± Theo said, elbowing Hanan in the ribs.


    ¡°Come,¡± Drogramath said, passing through his portal before Hanan could object. Theo followed closely after, dragging the king behind him.


    Drogramath wasn¡¯t kidding when he said his realm was confusing. Theo stepped foot on grass as he passed through the portal, but the sky above was weird. He gave his mind a moment to adjust and realized they were standing in a massive glass dome. Outside of that dome was another, hovering in an endless expanse of gray-white.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Hanan said.


    ¡°Yes. Most realms serve a purpose,¡± Drogramath said, staring up at his glass domes. ¡°Mine is made to experiment. Each dome dedicates itself to something new.¡±


    ¡°This is trippy. How do you live here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve managed.¡±


    Theo was surprised when another portal rose on the soft grass. He was even more surprised when Toru¡¯aun, the Queen of Mystery stepped through. Both her flowing dress and hair were a prismatic color that shifted as she walked. When she saw Theo and Hanan standing there, she edged back toward her portal.


    ¡°Stay,¡± Drogramath said, nodding at the woman.


    Toru¡¯aun cleared her throat nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t care for mortals.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°Have you seen the new King of Qavell?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s left¡­¡±


    ¡°I never got to thank you,¡± Theo blurted out. ¡°For the core.¡±


    ¡°She saw you use it,¡± Drogramath said. Theo found it strange that he was speaking for her. ¡°Your usage was impressive. Combined with the elements of my reagents, that core will take you far.¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s using a Zaul core,¡± Toru¡¯aun muttered.


    ¡°Slotting only demon cores would be foolish.¡±


    Theo felt as though he was between two parents having a fight. Toru¡¯aun never showed up for any invitations. The alchemist wasn¡¯t even certain that she participated in demon politics, let alone the wider heavens.


    ¡°How many gods are left in the Demonic Pantheon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Four,¡± Drogramath said. That one word weighed more than Theo had expected it to.


    ¡°Khahar wants us to be happy that only Zagmon died. Two were taken from the Prime Pantheon,¡± Toru¡¯aun said, laughing without mirth. ¡°I shudder to think of how many were purged from the lower realms.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be the last purge,¡± Theo said, rolling his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the heavens will look like soon.¡±


    ¡°How soon?¡± Drogramath asked. ¡°I¡¯m not done working on¡­ a project.¡±


    ¡°The end of the mortal year, I think.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Plenty of time.¡±


    Toru¡¯aun glared at Theo for some time, then sighed. ¡°I guess we never could have won the war against the higher pantheon, could we?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. They pushed us down from the start,¡± Drogramath said. He moved toward Toru¡¯aun for only a moment but stopped himself. She never appeared in person. It would be too easy to see the relationship between them.


    ¡°Did you two know each other before your world was destroyed?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Drogramath said.


    ¡°No,¡± Toru¡¯aun said.


    ¡°Yeah, is there a rock I can crawl under around here?¡± Hanan asked, searching the area. He found a tree in the distance and hid behind it.


    Theo changed the subject before he pushed them too far. ¡°What did you want to show me in your realm, Drogramath?¡±


    He shrugged, gesturing to the plants that grew in the area. ¡°I¡¯ve watched your work with reagent splicing. And your alchemy. I felt your pain when you understood alcohol distillation and wanted to give you encouragement to push forward.¡±


    ¡°Your potions are your most valuable asset,¡± Toru¡¯aun said, spicing her normally vague words with some real encouragement. ¡°All the tricks you¡¯re learning along the way just reinforce your potion making. Don¡¯t neglect it.¡±


    ¡°That was an excellent way to put it, Toru,¡± Drogramath said, inclining his head to the Queen of Mystery.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ if the mortals could leave, I would enjoy that greatly. Hard to keep up the essence of mystery when I have to talk.¡±


    ¡°Theo¡­ would you mind?¡± Drogramath asked.


    ¡°Yeah, no problem. Thanks for the glimpse. I should bring the king back to the mortal realm before he melts.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    Theo collected Hanan and forced him through the cracks in reality. They bypassed Tero¡¯gal, and used the Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability to arrive back in Broken Tusk. Hanan drew heavy breaths, gasping for air and sweating. It was easy to forget that mortals couldn¡¯t spend much time in the heavens. They started breaking apart, just like when the alchemist trespassed.


    ¡°Drink this,¡± Theo said, handing Hanan a Greater Stamina Potion.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Hanan said, bringing himself to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of those potions for one lifetime. But now I feel like an brogling being squashed underfoot.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would appreciate the scale of what we¡¯re dealing with in the alliance.¡±


    ¡°At least I didn¡¯t soil myself,¡± Hanan said. ¡°Tell me, Theo. Does the alliance have my best interests at heart?¡±


    ¡°Look around,¡± Theo said. ¡°Ask any elf from House Wavecrest if things have gotten better. Take the train to Rivers or Gronro. Ask the people there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m convinced.¡±


    Theo leaned in, dusting the king off. ¡°Then ask the field of the dead where Qavell once was. Ask if they would have rather been protected in the southlands or turned to walking corpses in the northlands.¡±


    Hanan glared at Theo, but nodded. ¡°Point taken, archduke.¡±


    There was a fire somewhere in Hanan¡¯s heart. Theo finally ignited it. Being under Karasan¡¯s thumb for so long must have been tough, but now wasn¡¯t the time to act like a privileged prince. He could grow a pair of brass ones or give up control of his city to another. It didn¡¯t matter to the alchemist. But as the king locked eyes with him, he saw the one thing that man needed. A fire. Burning brighter than the Burning Eye could have ever hoped.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Hanan said, bowing. ¡°I have to address my people.¡±


    Theo watched as the king walked away. But the words of Drogramath and Toru¡¯aun echoed in his mind. The road might have been long, but it was paved with all the same stuff. Alchemy would see him through this more than anything else. After days of working on the city, making sure it didn¡¯t fall into the sea, it was finally time to get back to work. It was time to work with Salire to make some more awesome potions.

 6.3 - Deceit

    Even with no potions brewing with the lab, Theo felt a sense of comfort wash over him as he stood in his lab. The place had been his home at one point, and always felt more comforting than any other part in town. Perhaps that was thanks to the small shrine of Drogramath in the corner, always leering out with his overwrought image. Those two pieces of the demon god reminded him of himself in a way. An outward appearance of power was necessary when one was in the demonic heavens. The same went for being a leader, no matter the capacity.


    ¡°What do you think our best bet is?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo turned, almost forgetting that his assistant was in the room. The half-ogre woman was an oddity in Broken Tusk. Born in a dwarven town in the north with no links to the town, she had migrated to become a shopkeeper. Her road twisted to one side when she accepted Drogramathi cores, altering her life forever. And she was good. Weighed by raw talent alone, she could outpace Theo in any exercise. There was a passion for the art burning in her heart that was impossible to deny. That infectious desire to discover more potions had pushed him forward more than once.


    ¡°Cleansing Scrub,¡± Theo said without hesitation. ¡°Maybe we can find a way to deliver it over the entire city.¡±


    The apprentice stifled a laugh. ¡°Was it that bad?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working on it, but¡­ I¡¯ll just say that the trip was rough. Between the dead and waste, it isn¡¯t pleasant.¡±


    Yet the people of Qavell stayed within Qavell. What was left of it, anyway.


    ¡°Cleaning, curing, and healing potions. How many?¡±


    Theo summoned his administrative screen, driven by his Governance Core. His people had become experts at record keeping, thanks to the fastidious nature of Alise. The amount of citizens, what they needed, and even how they were feeling were documented. Food and water were already sorted, but disease was spreading through the town. The alchemist recognized one side of the symptoms immediately, remembering what the folks in Gronro-Dir had reported with the undead.


    ¡°Necromantic energy poisoning is a concern, but I don¡¯t recall these other symptoms.¡±


    ¡°Boils, rashes¡­ Yeah, it doesn''t sound like necromancy power.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get some Refined Cure Ailment Essence going. Dip into our stock of Hallow the Soil. Cleansing Scrub. What else?¡±


    ¡°We have enough health potions, but we don¡¯t have enough Ogre Cypress Bark. And Sledge is still guarding her clutch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Theo said, waving her concerns away. ¡°Fetch some bark if you don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ll fire up the stills.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Salire said, performing a mocking salute. She winked before leaving, dashing out the door.


    Drogramathi alchemy was easier than the standard form. So long as a person had the cores and abilities. Theo prepared five stills first, cleaning them and dipping into the last of his Ogre Cypress Bark supply. That was enough to fill one still. Each reagent had to be mashed so it would soak with purified water. Theo used his grinding artifice, listening to it rumble as it chewed through the flexible bark. More juice than bark came out as it ran through the device, staining the enchanted water in the still with a cloudy substance.


    Once the mashed reagents were added to the mix, it was a matter of heating it. The more evenly it was heated, the better. The local artificer and blacksmith, Throk, had created some amazing stills for the job. Theo set the heat to a familiar level¡ªabout half-way to max¡ªand shut the lid with a snap. The contents would heat, becoming steam that would be collected in a series of pressurized tubes. Once it was returned to liquid form, mostly-pure essence was collected on the far end. There were other steps if one wanted to increase the tier of a potion, but this was good enough for now.


    As always, the most important part of the process was intent. Extracting a specific property meant focusing on that property before refinement. Salire returned with an inventory filled with the bark, and helped Theo seed the other stills with the same mixture. They dedicated the next five stills to the same reagent, but the Cure Ailment property. With ten stills running in the lab, they ran through their stock of Hallow the Soil potions.


    ¡°Think that¡¯s enough for an entire city?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°No, but we can test it,¡± Theo said, digging through his administration screen. He found Aarok¡¯s reports about the city, but there was no mention of anything untoward.


    The alchemist thought for a moment, running his fingers through his dark hair. He felt the ridges on his horns, his tail flicking from side-to-side as he thought.


    ¡°Tresk. I need you for a job,¡± Theo said, tapping into the private communication he shared with the other members of the Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieving stress in a dungeon. What do you need?¡±


    Theo explained his plan of scouring the city, searching for whatever dark magic drove it to the sky. He organized for his Tara¡¯hek partner¡ªand their goose familiar¡ªto join him in the city in a few hours. After ironing out the details, he tapped the three other people in town with knowledge of magic. They would all meet for the purging of Qavell.


    Such a vast quantity of essence took a while to distill. When it was done, Salire already had vials prepared for bottling and the pair got to work. She didn¡¯t have the confidence to do this part. Not with the city waiting for their healing hands. Theo took charge, approaching the first vial. The Drogramath Distillery Specialty skill attached to his Drogramath Alchemy Core allowed him to measure exact quantities by eye. This allowed him to add the perfect mixture of mana-infused water and essence. The last step of the process was to introduce a catalyst to bind everything together. A puff of smoke followed, often filling the lab with a haze.


    The resulting potion was a staple of life in Broken Tusk. Both Theo and Salire inspected the resulting potion.


    [Cleansing Scrub]


    [Cleaning Agent]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Cleansing Scrub instantly restores clothes, surfaces, skin, etc to a clean state. Leaves behind the smell of Qavellian berries.


    Effect:


    Cleans anything it touches.


    ¡°Ah. Love the smell of Qavelli berries in the morning,¡± Salire said, taking a sniff of the vial. ¡°We should modify it.¡±


    Theo nodded. Modifying potions was a great way to take the intended application of a potion and expand it. Salire was likely thinking about the Aerosolize effect, which would grant the same effect of the base potion to a cloud. He imagined himself dropping cleaning bombs on the city to save time and chuckled to himself.


    ¡°Good idea. How much do we have left?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We need to ferment some more, but we have a good amount of Aerosolize Modifier.¡±


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    Theo nodded, working with Salire to turn those potions within vials into modified potions. Fermenting was easy enough, so long as a person had an enchanted wooden barrel and enough mana to keep the process going. Extracting modified properties was as easy as extracting essences. While the results were unpredictable, they were often potent. The alchemist added the Aerosolize modifier to a larger vial¡ªone intended to shatter on impact¡ªand watched as more smoke filled his lab. The duo leaned in to inspect the result.


    [Cleansing Scrub]


    [Aerosolize]


    [Cleaning Agent] [Modified Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Cleansing Scrub instantly restores clothes, surfaces, skin, etc to a clean state. Leaves behind the smell of Qavellian berries.


    Effect (Modified):


    When this vial is broken, creates a cloud of Cleansing Scrub that spreads out. This cloud lasts five minutes but is less effective than concentrated Cleansing Scrub.


    ¡°Yep. Looks like we¡¯re bombing Qavell again,¡± Salire said, elbowing Theo in the ribs. ¡°Get it? Since we already bombarded them.¡±


    Salire got goofy when she was nervous. The jokes went on for their entire time working on potions. They created enough Potions of Purification and Aerosolized Cleansing Scrub to get started. Tresk shrieked in Theo¡¯s mind, complaining that he wasn¡¯t in the city already. The alchemist sighed and departed from the lab. Salire didn¡¯t want to head over with him, so he went alone. Almost alone. The moment he left the front door of the Newt and Demon, his guardians flanked him from the shadows.


    ¡°Wow, our alchemist sure is a busy-body,¡± Salire said. The muscular half-ogre woman was the brawn of the operation. She had a Baelthar Guardian¡¯s Core and was really handy with a spear and a shield.


    ¡°Maybe we can retire early. No one has tried to assassinate him in a while,¡± Rowan said. Just as muscular, Rowan was Sarisa¡¯s brother. Theo wasn¡¯t sure who was older, but he was the brains of their duo. Often lurking in the shadows, the man had a Baelthar Shadowstalker¡¯s Core. Which meant he flung death in the form of arrows from the shadows, but mostly focused on control abilities.


    ¡°You guys are so funny,¡± Theo mocked.


    The causeway from the bridge near Broken Tusk wasn¡¯t going along very well. The laborers that had ensured the city wouldn¡¯t join the sea were exhausted. Most were taking a break, although there were still a few stragglers who refused to rest. Theo spotted his team of magic-wielding allies on that bridge, looking at him with glares. All except Sulvan Flametouched, who seemed amused at the situation.


    ¡°How do we get up?¡± The once-paladin asked.


    ¡°I think Hanan jumped. Can you jump?¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa shifted his expression, clearing his throat. The bands of blue that ran over his skin shimmered as he reached for some planar magic. ¡°Just a short jump. I think I can manage it. Just hold on.¡±


    Zarali hooked her arm inside of the mage¡¯s own, her soft purple eyes glowing even in the light of day. ¡°I¡¯ve never been a fan of teleporting.¡±


    A few moments later, Xol¡¯sa created a shimmering portal for everyone to step through. Of course Tresk flew up to the city, riding on Alex¡¯s back. Theo walked through the portal, feeling a familiar trickle of cold run down his spine. A moment later, he was standing in the ruined streets of Qavell. The party held their breath together for long moments, looking over the destruction. Locals scattered, shutting the doors to their crumbling houses or fleeing down the street.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Sarisa shouted. ¡°Acting like we didn¡¯t save your butts.¡±


    ¡°Let them grieve,¡± Sulvan said, bowing his head and clasping his hands together.


    Theo heard Sulvan say a prayer to Glantheir. The dark places, shrouded in shadows cast by nearby buildings seemed to brighten. A wave of something spread outward, washing over the alchemist with a sense of hope.


    ¡°Better swap this out,¡± Theo said, changing out his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core for his Zaul Shadowspirit Core. An instant later, several blocks of the city were covered in his willpower-fueled aura.


    ¡°That still gives me the shivers,¡± Zarali said, pressing herself against Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°Zarali and Xol¡¯sa, you get to work looking for dark magic. Tresk, you¡¯re guarding them. Sulvan, I need you to figure out what is making these people sick.¡±


    The group nodded, moving off.


    ¡°What are we?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Discarded turtle shells?¡± Rowan asked, finishing the idiom.


    Theo produced Cleansing Scrub vials from his inventory, handing them over to the pair. ¡°We¡¯re going to paint the town.¡±


    Sarisa tossed the first potion without thinking. Theo paused to watch the effect. It slammed against a building¡¯s side and exploded. It left behind a cloud of white fog that spread out. Everywhere it touched was scrubbed clean, leaving behind a pristine surface. As clean as a half-destroyed city could get, anyway. The group walked the streets with Sarisa and Rowan tossing potions. Theo made notes of the buildings that had been destroyed, cataloging them in his administration interface.


    The outermost part of the city had once held a wall. Sections of that wall were still visible, but most had grumbled away during the journey south. With the city organized into rings, this first ring was densely populated with people. They were a mix of humans and half-elves with a scattering of the other beast races, dwarves, and half-ogres. The group¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t to scour the entire city, but it was made easy with the aerosolized potions. They tossed them and moved on, never waiting to observe the effects.


    The second ring of the city was more intact. There were guards near the gate here, standing in front of the gray stone walls and brandishing spears. Like the frightened citizens they had seen before, the guards were shaken. But they stood their ground, demanding that Theo and his group produced identification.


    ¡°Theo Spencer. Archduke of the Southlands Alliance,¡± Theo said, pausing to wait for the humans to respond. He looked down at them, watching their confused expressions. Both Dronon and Half-Ogres were about seven-feet tall, compared to the average of six-feet for the humans and elves.


    Sulvan arrived moments later, placing his hand on Theo¡¯s back. He nodded, approaching the guards. The priest cast some spell, and the guards sighed with relief.


    ¡°They¡¯re grieving, Theo,¡± Sulvan said, pressing beyond the guards, into the inner sanctum of Qavell. ¡°Come. I¡¯ve detected something this way.¡±


    Theo and his group followed close behind. Inside the second wall of the city there was much less damage. The people there still seemed frightened, but not quite as traumatized by the events. They still looked at the outsiders with fright, but didn¡¯t flee on sight. Sulvan strode confidently, pressing forward as Theo probed the area with his aura. They tossed potions along the way, earning some nasty looks from the citizens.


    ¡°Did you figure out what we¡¯re dealing with?¡± Theo asked, jogging to catch up.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the taint of undeath,¡± Sulvan said, his jaw locking tight as he thought. ¡°Aarok didn¡¯t do a good sweep of the city, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Tresk, on me,¡± Theo said, sensing that something was afoot. ¡°Bring the others.¡±


    Sarisa and Rowan didn¡¯t need instructions. Rowan stalked into the shadows while Sarisa produced her short spear and shield. Sulvan¡¯s pace increased, fists clenched at his sides.


    At the center of the inner ring of Qavell was a large spire. The top had been broken off, tumbling to the ground somewhere along the way. The only people left in Qavell seemed to be attendants and poorly trained guards. Several honor guards lined a chipped staircase leading to the spire. They produced their weapons to challenge the group, but Sulvan didn¡¯t stop. He marched past them without stopping. Tresk jumped from Alex¡¯s back, melding into the shadows and jumping ahead to scout.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Hanan shouted. ¡°So glad to see you.¡±


    The interior of the spire was a massive room with a towering ceiling. The walls were decorated with painted art, frescos, and ornaments hanging. Those things that hadn¡¯t fallen to the ground caught the glint of the sunlight through the windows. Pillars segmented the room, several chipped and crumbling. Hanan was flanked by two people, their faces obscured by hoods.


    ¡°Get the other one, Tresk,¡± Sulvan said, storming to the group.


    Hanan held his hands up defensively, but he wasn¡¯t Sulvan¡¯s target. The priest¡¯s hand clasped around the first hooded figure¡¯s face. Light burst from his palms and the king screamed. The hooded figure writhed under Sulvan¡¯s grip, voice muted by the hum of Glantheir¡¯s purifying energy. Tresk¡¯s daggers drove through the second figure, but it hardly seemed to notice. Until a spear and at least five arrows punctured its body. Both hooded figures collapsed, revealing twisted faces beneath.


    ¡°Those were my advisors!¡± Hanan shouted.


    Sulvan turned, nodding at Theo.


    ¡°King Hanan,¡± Theo said, kicking at the hooded things. ¡°Have you seen your advisors?¡±


    They weren¡¯t human, elves, or any other mortal race Theo had seen.


    ¡°Well, you just murdered Jeremy,¡± Hanan said, folding his arms. He pouted. ¡°Do you think this alliance is going to work out?¡±


    Sulvan grabbed the king¡¯s head without warning. Theo¡¯s instinct was to go forward, stopping him before he killed the king. It was only a flash. There was nothing left of that old inquisitor. The light that flowed forth wasn¡¯t the same spell. It was a cleansing one.


    ¡°Look upon your advisors now, king,¡± Sulvan growled.


    ¡°Oh, gods,¡± Hanan said, recoiling. ¡°What are those!?¡±


    Sulvan nodded to himself again. ¡°We have a city to purge.¡±

 6.4 - Purge

    Qavell was a massive city. Even after losing half of its area, the city sprawled in every direction. Theo and his newly formed strike team stalked the halls of the palace, the king following closely behind. He had only stopped stammering about the monsters within his inner circle after exhausting himself. The alchemist watched as Sulvan Flametouched walked through the inner halls of the palace with practiced precision. It was hard not to wince when he kicked down a door, purging another abomination from the world.


    Sulvan¡¯s eagerness to purge an entire city of the monstrous entities was too similar to what he had done for the Burning Eye. Theo could only hope that Glantheir¡¯s banner had driven those old impulses away. He found it more productive to think about this purge as a repurposing of the man¡¯s talents for good. And there was no mark of the ex-paladin¡¯s zealotry. Only practice precision and efficient mana usage.


    Aarok and his men had missed the monsters in the city. Sulvan had explained it as a glamor spell that Glantheir was happy to lift. It didn¡¯t change a person¡¯s form, but made others view them as different. It didn¡¯t affect the Priest of Glantheir, allowing him to see them as they truly were. The Southlands Alliance¡¯s army of adventurers wasn¡¯t so skilled, but at least there weren¡¯t casualties. The adventurers now scoured the city itself, focusing on going door-to-door with a blessing from Sulvan.


    Theo¡¯s team was focused on scouring the palace with Hanan. If the city outside was large, the webwork of tunnels and rooms beneath was double its size. The first level held enough twisted creatures to send everyone¡¯s stomach churning. The second level was worse.


    ¡°How deep does this go?¡± Theo asked, nudging Hanan. The king was on edge, almost unable to form words unless prodded.


    ¡°Deep. I wasn¡¯t allowed down here when my father was alive.¡±


    Sulvan was clearing another room with Sarisa and Rowan, leaving Theo, Xol¡¯sa, and Zarali to inspect another body. The creatures had leathery skin of a brown-black hue. Their faces were a twisted mass of flesh, never having the same pattern between them. Each monster¡¯s limbs were similarly twisted, hands often mounds of flesh rather than a hand with discernable digits.


    ¡°These were elves,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, cutting open a creature without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m almost certain they were. And I don¡¯t recognize the magic that has infused them.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t demonic magic,¡± Zarali confirmed. She ran her finger along the surface of one monster¡¯s face, shaking her head. ¡°What is the current theory?¡±


    Was there even a theory? Theo was at a loss. He wasn¡¯t a native to this world, but had seen more of the strange things it offered than most. His experience delving into the void and visiting other realms didn¡¯t help him here. Even his willpower-fueled aura offered nothing. But there was something interesting about the creatures. The alchemist produced an alchemically neutral knife and prodded at the figure. He could find nothing alchemically significant.


    ¡°They¡¯re not monsters. They would have generated at least one reagent.¡±


    A series of runes drew themselves on the ground under the creature. Xol¡¯sa channeled a spell, doing his best to figure out what was going on. As they discussed possibilities, a faint light flooded the room. When Theo looked up from the runes, he spotted Fenian at the door. With a stunted pair of glowing wings growing out of his back.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the wings?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian did a twirl, posing at the end. ¡°I was wondering the same thing!¡±


    The Herald waltzed to the creature, placing his hand on the thing¡¯s head. The wings on his back flashed in recognition, growing slightly larger. Fenian flexed his hand, chuckling when the thing beneath it burst into flames. Everyone stumbled back, but the thing was gone in moments.


    ¡°And what does that mean?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked, his spell fizzling to nothing.


    ¡°These are people that have been corrupted by that entity. They don¡¯t belong here, which gives me absolute authority over them. Which is why I have the wings, I guess. I couldn¡¯t get up here without leaving a crater, so it gave me wings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like some wings,¡± Zarali said wistfully.


    ¡°I bet you would.¡± Fenian stood, dusting his hands off. The ever-present smile on his face beamed at the group. ¡°Sulvan will need me for the next step, I think. Oh, what a lovely man.¡±


    Fenian departed without explaining himself. He joined with Sulvan in the next room, helping purge the city of these monsters. Theo flipped through reports on his administration screen. Things were going well on the surface. Aarok and his people were searching for more creatures¡ªa task likely better suited to Fenian¡ªand had found a few more corrupted entities. If the undead weren¡¯t bad enough, they were now dealing with a kind of befoulment that potions couldn¡¯t solve.


    It was clear after a while that only Sulvan and Fenian had to purge the area underneath Qavell. Theo and the others took the hint, leaving to focus their efforts on the surface. While he didn¡¯t completely trust Sulvan to do the job, he knew Fenian would enforce anything that would put the world in danger. It was his job, after all.


    As much as Theo wanted to return to his lab for some hardcore alchemy, the city was in a state. It wasn¡¯t tipping over anymore, but there was just too much to do. Aarok and his people cleared everyone on the surface on the first day. Anyone who could lend a hand spent the second day performing repairs on any buildings that weren¡¯t created with a seed core. By the third day, the citizens had stopped being so fearful. They helped the people of the Southlands Alliance repair their city, finally finding the will to put their backs into it.


    During these three days of hard work, Sulvan and Fenian cleansed the underground area. They didn¡¯t give reports, and they didn¡¯t rest. They went between rooms, destroying any sign left by the malicious entity. Theo was using his Earth Sorcerer Core to piece a stone building back together when the pair finally emerged. Sulvan looked as serious as ever, but Fenian was in the middle of a joke. The punchline didn¡¯t land with the priest.


    ¡°We have something fun to show you, my dear alchemist,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo dropped the stone he was holding, swapping his core for the Zaul Shadowspirit Core. ¡°Let¡¯s go. This kinda sucks.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Fenian¡¯s wings hadn¡¯t gone away, and it was weird. Theo didn¡¯t remember seeing them when he fought for the fate of Qavell, but there they were. As they marched into the palace, he got a better look at them. The wings were made of feather-like things, but seemed to be constructed with light. That light shimmered between gold and silver, seeming to change with the direction the wind blew. It was unclear as to if he could control them.


    ¡°It would have been better to destroy the town.¡± Sulvan swallowed hard, as though that would take back the harsh words he had uttered.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so glum. You just need rest,¡± Fenian said, patting the man on the shoulder.


    The old Sulvan would have punched Fenian in the face. Theo doubted that even the old version of that paladin could have done more than annoying the Herald. As expected, the complex beneath Qavell was extensive. It didn¡¯t take long to reach a section that had been carved into natural stones. The stairs were worn smooth in the middle, but tool marks could still be seen on the walls.


    Theo didn¡¯t know how long they descended those stairs. He was almost certain they had gone deeper than the landmass was tall, but they kept going. Each time the stairs leveled out, there were halls with rooms shooting off in either direction. Those stairs leveled out one last time, revealing a much larger passageway than the ones before. It led to a massive metal door, which was inscribed in the Axpashi language.


    ¡°Guess who broke those wards? It was me!¡± Fenian said proudly.


    Sulvan didn¡¯t wait for Fenian to gloat more, and approached the door. He pushed it open with the slightest touch, revealing a sight within. A massive room appeared before them, hewn from the same stone as the rest of the underground area. Four pillars, topped with glowing crystals of various hues, rested in the four corners of the room. In the center was a twisted pillar of stone and wood. Roots wrapped in on themselves, forming the center of both the Kingdom Core and the Town Core.


    ¡°Dark coresmith magic,¡± Sulvan said, gesturing to the corpses still present in the room.


    ¡°Dark coresmiths aren¡¯t a thing. These are more corrupt folks. Likely coresmiths in life. Which is funny, because Qavell didn¡¯t have any.¡± Fenian preened at that comment.


    Theo knew Fenian had a problem with King Karasan. But he had only recently learned that the elf would have brought the city down without the undead if he needed to. It was some old revenge story that the Herald wasn¡¯t willing to share.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re dead now.¡± Theo kicked at one body. It rolled over, revealing the familiar face of a twisted creature.


    Fenian approached the strange pillar, slapping it. ¡°This is the problem. I can destroy this thing, but I can¡¯t purge it.¡±


    ¡°Neither can I. The magic is too strong.¡± Sulva shifted uncomfortably. It was as though that failure fell on his shoulders, rather than the ones who had created the magic.


    ¡°But of course, we¡¯re talking about magic that goes against the system. Left behind by the Worldbreaker as a foul sore. My powers only go so far, alchemist.¡±


    Theo extended his aura, fueled by his willpower. He smiled to himself when even Fenian winced in response. Xol¡¯sa had given him instructions on how to work with his aura. The only time he had to read the book had been at night, when he was in the Dreamwalk. Most of that time he spent looking over his shoulder, waiting for the old Dreamer to come back and claim the throne. But it never happened.


    The core felt strange in Theo¡¯s aura, but he wasn¡¯t certain he could do anything about it. He probed it with his willpower, drawing on everything he had. While he only got a faint glimpse as to the thing¡¯s power, he realized what had happened. Someone had twisted the two energies together, mixing otherworldly energy from the Worldbreaker with the magic generated by the system. They had hijacked something the system created, repurposing it for their own needs.


    The entity he knew as the Worldbreaker was an interdimensional being. Passing through realms was easy enough, if one had the right tools. But this creature could pass into the greater universe¡­ multiverse? Whatever. He went to places that were dying to scoop people up like the Harbinger did. The entity had tangled some of that power into this Kingdom Core. But why? All Theo could see was evidence of an act, but no clear sign of motive. Even the most basic beast did things with a purpose.


    ¡°Has anyone figured out why the Worldbreaker is doing what he¡¯s doing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Assuming he is a ¡®he,¡¯¡± Fenian said, chuckling. ¡°That¡¯s a good question, though.¡±


    ¡°The city will continue to function, but we need to seal this room,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°Until we can figure out how to purge this magic, it must remain sealed.¡±


    Theo could see why. He held his aura out, sensing the magic coming from the core. It came in steady waves, releasing more energy than should have been possible. But the magic wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to him at this point. This was the power plant of the city. It allowed it to fly. It might have required fuel to stay afloat, but the base level of power it generated was staggering. He could use his Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap skills to create a ward that shielded the entire area. It would need to be refreshed every week or so, but he could do it.


    ¡°I guess that falls to me, huh?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We were hoping so,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo nodded, opening his Toru¡¯aun spellbook and going through his wards. The Anti-Mage property was once again his best friend. A few poems and some modification later, and the alchemist had something he could work with. ¡°This may affect some functions of the city, but we don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    ¡°Go for it,¡± Fenian said, shrugging. ¡°If we don¡¯t suppress this energy, everyone will turn into those things.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brow knit tightly. ¡°Uh¡­ should we be standing so close?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine. Maybe. Probably. Just make the ward, magic demon.¡±


    Theo followed his instincts most of the time. When those failed, his high Wisdom took over with the Wisdom of the Soul messages. It rarely told him exactly what to do, but this time it was forthcoming. He combined anti-magic elements with imbue to forge a new ward. Sulvan¡¯s eyes went wide for a moment as the alchemist approached the pillar itself. He pressed his hand against the warm surface and started his demonic chant. His willpower flashed out, infusing it with both the Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap skill. Shadow Wrap was a stretch, since the description claimed it only enhanced items. But the system relented, accepting a ward as an item.


    A ripple of combating powers radiated from the monolith for a few moments. The dark powers within the cores fought against Theo¡¯s ward, but were battered down with sheer willpower. The four crystals in the room¡¯s corners went dim. He inspected the resulting ward.


    [Subdue Magic]


    [Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward] [Shadow Wrapped Ward] [Spiritwoven Ward]


    Anti-magic, Infuse


    Creates a suppressive field that nullifies all magic within the bubble.


    Shadow Wrapped Bonus:


    Increases the duration of this ward by 10 days.


    Spiritwoven Bonus:


    The power of this ward is linked directly to the caster¡¯s willpower. Effectiveness of this ward is increased depending on the caster¡¯s willpower.


    Trigger:


    Detect Adverse Magic


    Duration:


    20 Days


    ¡°Just try not to cast anything in here,¡± Theo said, withdrawing his hand from the core. He looked at his palm, raising an eyebrow when he saw a mark left by the effort. A patch of skin had been burned from the effort.


    ¡°When did you start that willpower exploit?¡± Fenian asked, wrapping his arm around Theo. He couldn¡¯t quite reach his shoulder. ¡°Come. We can have a drink while you tell me all about it. You coming, Sulvan?¡±


    ¡°I need to rest,¡± Sulvan grunted.


    ¡°So, just the two of us! Onward!¡±

 6.5 - It Won鈥檛 Explode. I Promise.

    Fenian didn¡¯t care so much about Theo¡¯s journey. They sat down for drinks and food in the alchemist¡¯s manor, but the elf only seemed interested in telling his own story. As always, it was more about the aspects of adventure than anything of substance. He left out everything about his plot to kill the king and the reason behind it. But the alchemist had to admit it was nice to have his friend back.


    Theo now sat in the Dreamwalk, looking over the flat area outside of Broken Tusk and wondering what he should do next. Progress had been slow over the past few days. Despite that, he had made strides in his newest cores. His Zaul core was already at Level 9, while his sorcerer core was at Level 8. Nothing had changed with his newest mage core, though. He expected the effects of the Drogramath Dedication skill to take over by now, but nothing had happened. It didn¡¯t evolve into something more interesting.


    During his time helping with the city, he didn¡¯t have enough time to work on his other cores. And his other cores were capped to the level of his Drogramath Alchemy Core. Except for the Tara¡¯hek core, of course. That core had rocketed to Level 33 in the past few days. Once he and Tresk started working on the city project, they had seen a massive increase in experience. But now was a time to focus on alchemy and herbalism, cores that had become more difficult to level in recent times.


    ¡°Where do we go from here?¡± Theo asked, sighing as he reclined on the soft grass.


    Alchemy had become more important as time went on. He had gone from brewing powerful potions to brewing even more powerful potions. And he was now on the forefront of what a Drogramathi Alchemist could do. He was certain there was no one at this level alive, and it was unlikely any alchemist in history could rival his production. Except for one man. Drogramath himself. This is where Theo decided what the next frontier of alchemy would be. Tier 4 potions should have been within his grasp, so he started there.


    With a thought, Theo summoned an arrangement of alchemy equipment. He had faked a fourth tier potion before. Using a suffuse potion meant he could bind two properties together to create a new one. If he brewed that potion as a third tier¡ªusing the bound dilution method with Zee alcohol¡ªhe could combine those things to make a fourth tier potion. It did not gain the fourth tier prefix, but was as powerful as one.


    Theo started by imagining the things he would need to brew his standard third tier potion, settling on a simple Greater Healing Potion. The process was simple enough. Binding it with a dilution meant that he used the alcohol to remove almost all impurities. If he considered that fact, third tier potions were as pure as they could get. They were at a percentage of purity approaching one-hundred, but not quite. He studied the resulting potion, probing the Greater Healing Potion with his senses to find some flaw. Visual inspection revealed a perfect sample. No cloudy sediment with a perfect color. Even the reaction had gone off perfectly, producing almost no smoke.


    So that was the question. How could Theo take a potion that was perfect and push it a step further? He started by considering other potions he had created, and the interlinked nature of his herbalism and alchemy skills. One thing that had been vital to creating potions at a higher tier was better reagents. Low-quality reagents were unstable, making it difficult to extract. Theo took an example of the Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, imagined from the garden he had back in the mortal realm.


    This had been a question resting on the alchemist¡¯s mind for a long time. ¡°Are all reagents created equal?¡±


    If one were to take two samples of wild reagents and compare them, they could have unique attributes. The system would claim that they had the same properties, but that wasn¡¯t accurate. The quality of those properties was different. Theo had blasted past this problem by cultivating his reagents, forcing them to be better than they were in the wild. Taking that into account, perhaps his approach to plant care had been wrong.


    It was time to study the reagents he used every day to gain a better understanding of how they worked.


    Theo found Tresk and Alex training. As always. He joined them, practicing his throwing with unenchanted daggers. The marshling didn¡¯t like when he dropped in on them, tossing daggers imbued with Toru¡¯aun¡¯s power. That made things unfair, according to her. The alchemist let his mind go silent as they fought, finding it easier to battle the armies of horned serpents that she brought forth. When dawn finally came, he ate breakfast as quickly as he could and headed out. While Sarisa and Rowan had created some delicious food, he could only think about reagents.


    Salire was already in the Newt and Demon by the time he got there. She was always working on a side-project. She was working on more Cleansing Scrub for the city.


    ¡°Want to go on a field trip?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Salire said, looking around the lab. She pointed at things, muttering something. ¡°Yeah. They need to cook for a while.¡±


    Salire joined him, heading out from the lab. But they didn¡¯t go to visit the greenhouses behind the lab. Theo didn¡¯t want to use cultivated reagents as his example. He needed wild samples that hadn¡¯t been steered down a path.


    ¡°So, what are we doing?¡± Salire asked, following close behind as they headed for the western gate.


    Theo explained his theory about reagents. Salire got excited, withdrawing her notebook and jotting things down. She always got excited when they pushed into uncharted territory.


    ¡°Have you harvested Spiny Swamp Thistle Root from the wild?¡± Theo asked, nodding to a guard as they pressed into the swamp.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. Haven¡¯t put much stock into wild reagents, though.¡±


    ¡°That might be my fatal mistake.¡± Theo let out a breath, but he couldn¡¯t blame himself. The man with all the answers had tea with him just yesterday, and had chosen not to say anything. The alchemist thought back to the trip he took to Drogramath¡¯s realm. Was he trying to tell him something about reagents?


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Drogramath¡¯s realm was a confusing sprawl of glass worlds floating in a void. Thinking back on it, Theo didn¡¯t remember seeing large farms to produce reagents. If that was a hint, it wasn¡¯t a very good one. The pair trudged through the swamp. Sarisa appeared from nowhere after a while, glowering at Theo as her clothes and armor got muddy. While he could have taken the portal to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower, Theo wanted to scan the area for reagents as they walked. As expected, the area close to town had little to offer.


    The swamp was worse near the town. The waters were deeper, and more snappers spawned. Theo had understood this as a feature of the river, which leeched water into the soil. But it could have been magically generated water¡ªhe couldn¡¯t tell. But the area closer to the dungeon had a lot more islands. Even that wasn¡¯t his target, though. Theo forced his group to push even deeper, until the mountains to the west were visible in the distance. This area was dotted with muddy islands and Ogre Cypress trees. The monsters were dense here, but it seemed like the perfect place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s inspect the reagents that grow here,¡± Theo ordered, gesturing to the clumps of plants growing everywhere.


    Theo and Salire cataloged every reagent they could find. They used an island in the swamp to deposit their collected Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, spending hours finding them and arranging each by size. That didn¡¯t represent quality, but was the best way. When the collection was done, they gathered to inspect the results.


    ¡°This is already concerning.¡± Theo looked over the fifty-some samples they had retrieved. His plan was to decompose each for inspection, but it hardly seemed necessary.


    ¡°The rarity on each is the same.¡± Salire walked to the end of the line, turning her head to watch Sarisa and Rowan dismantle a turtle. ¡°But I feel something from this end.¡±


    The pair had collected the reagents by pulling them up, leaving the top portion visible. The samples Salire had gestured to were the same on the top. Only the roots underneath appeared different. Theo felt his cores draw him to those samples. Sure enough, they were still Common rarity.


    ¡°No one without an herbalist core would notice this,¡± Theo said, kneeling to inspect the larger roots. ¡°You have Rare Material Handling, right?¡±


    Salire nodded.


    ¡°Rowan,¡± Theo called, beckoning the adventurer over. ¡°Hold this for me.¡±


    Theo shoved a root into the half-ogre¡¯s hand, standing back to observe. Rowan took the root and stood there, awkwardly looking around. ¡°Is something supposed to happen.¡±


    ¡°Note the sizzling,¡± Theo said, pointing at the root. It had begun to steam in his hands. ¡°And now¡­¡±


    Rowan was propelled back by the force of the blast. Salire yelped in surprise and Sarisa rushed over to help her brother. A common rarity reagent wouldn¡¯t have packed much power, but the half-ogre wasn¡¯t expecting the blast. Theo tossed a Greater Healing Potion over to cure whatever minor wounds he received.


    ¡°Now hold this one,¡± Theo said, offering Rowan another root.


    ¡°Uh... No.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t explode. I promise.¡±


    Sarisa snatched the root from Theo¡¯s hands, glowering. She held it out, right near the alchemist¡¯s face. But nothing happened. He had given her the smaller root. One that a person didn¡¯t need Rare Material Handling to touch. It was far less reactive than the last one. Theo could kick himself for not noticing this sooner. He had given the people of Broken Tusk a quest long ago. They harvested Spiny Swamp Thistle Root from the swamp. But back then, people didn¡¯t venture that far. They never had a chance to get blown up, which would have shown him something important.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been too focused on cultivating reagents. I never considered that the magic out here would do a better job,¡± Theo said. He saw Salire take notes on that.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked.


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure at all. The difference between the roots was clear. He didn¡¯t need a system message to tell him that. But without the system, he needed to categorize these reagents and determine their impact on potion crafting. It had been an oversight, but the alchemist wouldn¡¯t have discovered this by accident. Behind this discovery was skill, core influence, and luck.


    ¡°Let¡¯s grab some samples,¡± Theo said. ¡°Whole plants, of course.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t blow me up again¡­¡± Rowan was clearly wounded.


    Theo and Salire collected more samples, only stowing the largest samples into his inventory. It was his inventory, because he had another plan for his return to Broken Tusk.


    ¡°I¡¯m off to test these. I¡¯ll meet you guys back in town,¡± Theo said, feeling himself fade into the void.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna make us walk!¡± Sarisa shouted. ¡°You son of a¡ª¡±


    Theo fell through the void, using his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage skill. He felt a flash of anger from the Bridge of Shadows, but Uz¡¯Xulven still let him pass. The grasses in his realm bent under his feet. Another day in the mortal realm meant another passing of fads within this realm. Things had looped back to cross-country racing, which was exciting to see. The alchemist had created a series of trails for the spirits here for that very purpose.


    Most times he came to the realm, there wasn¡¯t much that needed his attention. But today, there was a procession of souls that needed his attention. Perhaps there was a delay from when a soul entered the void to when they could find a realm to settle in. The alchemist felt the brush of senses against his aura. Eager spirits wanted to know when they could join Tero¡¯gal. Those extended senses came with a familiar signature.


    Half-elves were a weird race within the world. Theo didn¡¯t know the full story, but they weren¡¯t really humans. A more accurate description was proto-elves. Except the flow of evolution had gone in the other way, elves serving as the base to create something more human-like. But these were the people that called Veosta home.


    ¡°If everyone could just form a line,¡± Theo said, gesturing vaguely toward the road. ¡°Try not to block that. I think there¡¯s a race going on.¡±


    There were 292 souls as permanent residents in Tero¡¯gal. The line that stretched far into the distance held an uncountable number of souls. Theo couldn¡¯t count them, anyway. The line wound in a way that didn¡¯t make sense to him, so counting wasn¡¯t possible. Instead, he started the interviews.


    Most souls that found their way to Tero¡¯gal were innocent. It was hard to hide one¡¯s intentions when one was boiled down to their base parts. Cloud passed over the fake sun overhead. The Simulated Reality upgrade was supposed to add a day and night cycle, but the alchemist had blocked that part of it. He allowed his grasp on that slip and the world slipped into night.


    ¡°Hey! We¡¯re trying to race here! Turn the light back on!¡±


    Theo sent the world back to daytime, laughing when he spotted a tangle of mostly-formed spirits in what looked like sweatpants on the road. The nearby souls looked on with interest, but didn¡¯t form thoughts enough to express what they were feeling. The alchemist went through each soul, a process which took a while. He couldn¡¯t define the amount of time it took, though.


    Of the souls that the alchemist interviewed, he only rejected five. Tero¡¯gal leveled to 34, but missed the 35 mark. There would be no upgrade available this time. The alchemist picked himself up from the bench he had been sitting on, rolling his shoulders to work out a kink. The other gods had already arrived within his realm, and were sitting around the table in the cottage. He planned to join them, but would be happy to let his mind wander. The puzzle of powerful reagents might be easier to solve in the presence of Drogramath.

 6.6 - Epic Plus

    Theo didn¡¯t think he would ever get used to Drogramath¡¯s realm. It was confusing enough to stand on verdant ground, looking over a forest of trees and reagents that towered up to the glass dome. But he could see the other domes in the distance, floating like massive, round vials in the distance. The lord of the realm had invited him to discuss this latest discovery. To the alchemist¡¯s surprise, it wasn¡¯t an invitation to chide him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown up seeing reagents in a different light.¡± Drogramath almost seemed lazy in his own realm. When Theo saw the spectral projection of him, the figure on the other end was always angry. Not here, though. Not within the heart of the potioneer¡¯s power. ¡°You¡¯re not born from a true brood. That much is true. Dronon are wanderers by nature.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the highest level any other Drogramathi brood has gotten?¡±


    Drogramath turned. His strong features turned sour, but he nodded. ¡°Not far past Level 30. Did you know that some of your feelings bleed through the realms? Especially after taking Drogramath Dedication.¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ moderately aware.¡±


    Drogramath paused for long moments. ¡°If you doubt the course you¡¯ve been set on, remember this. The only time a dronon¡ªno matter what brood¡ªmade it past Level 30 was before the Second Ascension War.¡±


    There were factors that Theo understood about that problem. Things got rough after that level, depending on how a person had built themselves. Something about gaining more power set folks on a path of self-destruction. Sulvan was an excellent example of one that had maintained most of their senses. Although he was a zealot, he kept it together. Most others that had retained their mind had done so thanks to strong convictions. Fenian¡¯s plot of revenge kept him going for all those years, pushing for the death of King Karasan.


    Theo owed his sanity to three factors. The Tara¡¯hek, his Wisdom potion, and Drogramath. The higher an attribute that affected the mind got, the more a person fell away from their true self. What the god was trying to say was simple enough. It echoed through the minds of most people. Especially those who had ascended to the higher planes of existence. The system was broken. Every facet set in the intricate setting of reality was designed for a cycle. Construction and destruction happened as a fact of life. Cities could be built in days. People could ascend to unspeakable realms of power within a month. Putting aside the psychological effects, this resulted in absolute destruction.


    ¡°Zalaban is a good example,¡± Drogramath said, taking Theo¡¯s silence for contemplation. ¡°The mortals got it in their minds to change the system themselves. To remove that cycle of destruction. Zalab City was on the coast of what is now Gardreth.¡±


    ¡°The dead kingdom Gardreth?¡± Theo asked, laughing to himself. ¡°There¡¯s a joke in there somewhere.¡±


    ¡°A portent, more like. Yes, they gained some mastery over seed cores. But the price was absolute. When the kingdom became an island, Balkor sprung into action.¡±


    Theo hesitated. He didn¡¯t know what the opinion of the Demonic Pantheon was on Balkor. He knew everyone hated the red dronon, Zagmon, as he embodied bloodshed. But Balkor¡¯s powers weren¡¯t nefarious on their own. Undeath was an element. Just like wind, water, holy, and so on. It was a piece of reality that couldn¡¯t be denied.


    ¡°And what was Balkor¡¯s plan?¡±


    ¡°To end it all. Purge the entire planet so that something could start again. He did it the wrong way, but tilted the heavens enough to give Khahar a start.¡±


    ¡°His plan would have never worked. Because we¡¯re missing pieces, right?¡±


    Drogramath laughed, clapping a powerful hand over Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t mewl at me like some sniveling boy. You know there are missing pieces. You¡¯re the one that¡¯s going to get them back.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. He had never been shy about getting his hands dirty. He had never shirked whatever duty was thrust on his shoulders, even when he wasn¡¯t given enough information. But this was a step far in a direction. Even Drogramath was confident he could do it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised Khahar hasn¡¯t come to shut us up,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Might have something to do with that,¡± Drogramath said, gesturing to the shimmering field of black aura around them. ¡°Or he¡¯s feeling nice today.¡±


    ¡°I choose the second option. Was I right about the reagents?¡±


    Drogramath shrugged. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I only designed the first stage of alchemy by hand. I let the system figure out the rest.¡±


    ¡°But you could reference it somehow. Pull up a screen. Flip through the pages to give me a hint.¡±


    Drogramath smiled. Then shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me now, Theo. Not when things are just getting interesting.¡±


    The demon god seemed more interested in history than alchemy today. Which was weird, considering the endless sprawl of reagents in those glass orbs. Theo decided to ask him about the history of the southlands. But that history was much like the other parts of the continent. With some interesting twists. Zalaban was considered the last great empire by some people. The truth was Tarantham, the home of the elves, had endured since the First Ascension War. Scholars disagreed if they were one continuous nation, considering their cannibalistic nature. Drogramath didn¡¯t have an opinion.


    The unique culture created by the half-ogres and the marshlings was weird. Ogre settlers came from Slagrot after the empire was destroyed. Glantheir restored the continent, making it easy enough for them to adapt to the swamps. A storm of coincidences flooded the area. Marshlings came from the lizard islands. Hearty humans migrated from Bantein. Although it wasn¡¯t Bantein at the time.


    ¡°They¡¯re not even really humans, though,¡± Drogramath scoffed. ¡°Proto-humans. Elves that have been changed over time. Some Earthling¡¯s attempt to bring the race to this world. Anyway¡­¡±


    It only took the ogres and humans two generations to forget where they had come from. Ogres were war-like enough to get themselves killed in those two generations. The humans held too much wanderlust to stay where they were. The result was what was left. After that great exodus, either through death or departure, only the marshlings and half-ogres were left. Without a culture of their own, they built one based on life in the swamp. A few more generations passed before Qavell swept across the nation, only finding resistance in the western reaches of the continent. The people of Veosta¡ªwrapped in pacts and protections from Tarantham¡ªdidn¡¯t go with the promises of the kingdom.


    ¡°Another series of empty promises by a kingdom that couldn¡¯t provide it,¡± Drogramath said, laughing to himself. ¡°Who would fall for that again?¡±


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    This was information that Theo had mostly pieced together. Others had admitted many of these facts, but the specifics had eluded him. The alchemist considered how Azrug was now a Loremaster. Once things went ass-up, that young man would be the one who carried on Broken Tusk culture. No matter what happened, Theo didn¡¯t want that aspect to fade.


    The reason for Theo¡¯s visit to Drogramath¡¯s realm was to get information about the next phase of alchemy. Those who didn¡¯t know the way the gods worked would have thought he was leaving with nothing. But the vanity of someone who had lived for so long was absolute. Theo was the god¡¯s champion. An investment that cost celestial resources. If he was on the wrong track, the demon god would have been at least a little upset. Instead, he told stories about the mortal realm and the workings of the gods. That was good enough for the alchemist.


    After some more chatting, Theo left the realm. He touched down in Tero¡¯gal only briefly, and only to make sure Uz¡¯Xulven wasn¡¯t annoyed that he had another way around the Bridge. He would bring that exploit to Khahar¡¯s attention one day, but had a feeling he would need it later. The exploit was extremely simple and only required a spell or skill that removed someone from the gods perception and enough willpower to force themselves through. That should have been an easy patch, right?


    Theo directed himself to Tresk, who was walking down the streets of Broken Tusk. He appeared next to her, smiling down at the little marshling.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the grin?¡± she asked, punching him in the arm. Alex honked, shooting a marshling-sized ball of fire into the air.


    ¡°I left everyone else in the swamp. Didn¡¯t feel like walking back.¡±


    Tresk laughed, nodding to herself. ¡°That¡¯s a good one. Classic Theo!¡±


    While their day might have ended, Sarisa and Rowan weren¡¯t there to make dinner. They instead went to the Marsh Wolf Tavern, where Xam was happy to sell them prepared food. Tresk helped set the dinner table up, and the pair left a few bottles of Cleansing Scrub by the door for them to use. While Theo waited for the group to return, he inspected his administration screen to get updates about Qavell.


    As expected, things were moving forward now that Sulvan and Fenian had scoured the place clean. The Priest of Glantheir was still doing patrols, focusing on the areas underneath the city, but things were stable enough. After the creatures were removed, a haze was lifted from the eyes of the citizens. It didn¡¯t pass the alchemist¡¯s notice that the king himself seemed unaffected. He might have seen bumbling as a newly crowned king, but Hanan had hidden strength. It might have been cause for concern, but the city itself was more concerning.


    Once Qavell was stable within the bay, things would be better. Theo had a fear the city would tilt over at any time, regardless of what Ziz said about its stability. More supports were required, and the alchemist was convinced it would take a mountain¡¯s worth of dirt and stone to hold it there. Which might not have been inaccurate, considering how large the section underneath the city was.


    When Sairsa and Rowan arrived at the manor, they had scowls on their faces. They muttered curses while they cleaned themselves with Cleansing Scrub. Once the potion had cleared their nostrils out, allowing them to breathe in the scent of the food, they softened. Xam had a habit of outdoing herself every time she cooked. Today was no different. She had cooked cut wolf meat in a thick brown sauce. This was poured over a bed of mashed zee¡ªthe type that seemed like packaged grits to Theo¡ªand slathered the sauce on with a heavy hand.


    ¡°This almost makes up for your betrayal,¡± Sarisa said, stuffing her face.


    ¡°At least you didn¡¯t need to cook,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You should know!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°When someone can teleport away, they will.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair enough.¡± Rowan¡¯s face was smeared with the gravy. It dripped from his chin, falling in his lap.  He had taken less offense to the teleporting than his sister.


    After the quiet dinner, the group remained at the table for a while. Theo had a few things to add to his administration screen before he retired. The elf from the underworld, Twist, had asked when he could head up north. The question was more complicated than it seemed and the alchemist would need to meet with the man before committing to anything.


    With a few samples of wild Spiny Swamp Thistle Root in his mind, Theo, Tresk, and Alex fell into the Dreamwalk. Since the marshling had gained mastery over dreams, their descent was smoother than ever. She was understanding how dream realms worked, and what it meant to fall into one so easily. The result was a more powerful Dreamwalk. She could expand the area, create more realistic simulations, and even generate areas that she had never seen. It was almost like farseeing in that regard.


    Tresk had deposited them into Tarantham¡¯s capital city. She didn¡¯t even know the name of the place, and some details were clearly wrong. White stone buildings spread as far as they could see. Orderly roads paved with stones that shimmered with every color. A single spire rose in the distance, dominating the area and making those smaller buildings look tiny in comparison. Theo suspected that she couldn¡¯t really create places she couldn¡¯t imagine. She had simply dropped into someone¡¯s dream that lived in the city.


    The expanded simulation was no joke, though. Theo found a workshop that was expansive enough for him to work at and got to it. He forced the Dreamwalk to accept that he was in an Herbalist¡¯s Workshop and placed some imagined samples on the table. Both actions came easy enough. Since he was within a fake workshop, he applied the Research upgrade to the samples. Those that didn¡¯t have a bad reaction back on the mortal plane provided no new information. But the one that had exploded when Rowan touched it was interesting.


    [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    The root of a Spiny Swamp Thistle.


    Research:


    Infused with intense energy from Tero¡¯gal and Drogramath


    Fast Growth Cycle


    Exceptionally pure sample


    Properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Flourish]


    As expected, the Research upgrade revealed a bit of information. The sample he had before him was ¡®exceptionally pure,¡¯ which could only mean that each property would produce a high-quality sample. This wasn¡¯t something Theo could check in the system unless he brought it to his workshop. But there were signs on the plant itself that would give it away. It was bigger than most other roots that he had collected. The gnarled sections of the root were straight and thick, while the smaller roots shooting out of the main body seemed hearty.


    Theo tested between his two samples, pressing a mundane iron knife against each. When he touched the flat of the blade against the inferior sample, almost nothing happened. There was a slight sizzle, but nothing more. He only tapped the second sample with the blade for a moment, but got a series of small explosions that drove the knife away. The alchemist almost lost his grip on it.


    It was easy to push the Dreamwalk further than it wanted to go. With Tresk¡¯s authority, Theo forced it to allow him further testing. In moments, he generated a sample of a potion that would have been created with the root. He felt the edges of the Dreamwalk object. But it ceded to him, as he had created many samples of the Greater Healing Potion. A decent sample of the Greater Healing Potion would restore 175 health. That was at ¡®good¡¯ quality. The one created with the new root was different.


    [Greater Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic+


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Middling Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 250 health points.


    That was curious. Three things had changed with the potion. It went from Rare to Epic¡­ With a plus after the ¡®epic¡¯ part. Theo had never seen that on a potion, and had to wonder what it meant. But the amount of health it restored increased by a staggering amount. To go from 175 to 250 was like jumping a tier in potions. He had never seen the grade of a potion increase the effectiveness that much, unless it was going from poor to perfect.


    Theo was certain this potion would rival the next tier, all because he generated it with superior ingredients. That led to questions. Once again, he thought back to the way Drogramath organized his world. No farms, just wild reagents growing everywhere. It was nice having greenhouses with everything he needed. But something told him this plant couldn¡¯t be replicated in those. The only way to create the best potions on the planet, he needed nature¡¯s help.


    ¡°A most curious turn of events,¡± Theo said, pursing his lips and nodding.

 6.7 - Curious Potions

    Getting a handle on this new class of reagents wasn¡¯t easy. Theo had woken the next morning, his mind focused entirely on the topic. He moved like a zombie, heading down to the first floor of his manor to pick at his food. Sarisa forced him to eat like a concerned mother hen. When he finally snapped out of it, realizing that progress wasn¡¯t something he often made at the breakfast table, he finished his meal to satisfy his doting minders. But the truth was he was hungry. And the woman¡¯s food was always delicious, even if it was just sausage and eggs.


    Whisper¡¯s secret blend of herbs and spices were a coveted thing within the town. She refused to give them up, often going silent when anyone asked. The tactic worked, and the secret remained with her.


    As always, there were no answers to be found at the breakfast table.


    ¡°Busy day?¡± Rowan asked, checking Theo with his shoulder as the alchemist moved to exit the manor.


    Theo paused, checking his administration interface. It was a busy day for someone else, but not him. The ward he had placed on the city was holding firm, forestalling any issues that would arise from corrupted cores. That only left the structural integrity of the city left to deal with. While he could help with that, it was more work than moving a few boulders around. Ziz¡¯s team made regular reports, and they had a solution that involved Throk and about half the alliance as a workforce.


    ¡°Not that busy,¡± Theo said. ¡°I need to figure out what¡¯s going on with these plants.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m real good with plants,¡± Rowan said, throwing his arm over Theo¡¯s shoulder. The way only a half-ogre could do. ¡°Tell me your problem and I¡¯ll help ya.¡±


    Sarisa laughed somewhere within the manor as Rowan walked with Theo. They exited the building together, marching down the road at a snail¡¯s pace.


    ¡°We never expected wild reagents to be better than cultivated ones,¡± Theo said. Rowan wasn¡¯t good with plants. Let alone ¡®real good.¡¯ But there was no point in not humoring the man. Half-ogres had wisdom that couldn¡¯t be matched. Straight to the point and unabashedly honest, they often found the easiest solution for every problem.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t take a master herbalist to figure that one out, Theo.¡± Rowan laughed, nearly tipping the pair over onto the cobbled street. ¡°You can¡¯t direct the godly energy in the swamp, can you? So your fancy greenhouses can¡¯t create those fancy plants.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the problem Theo was trying to solve, but he smiled and nodded. That was true enough, and he appreciated the insight. He changed the topic. ¡°How is your relationship with Baelthar?¡±


    ¡°My what with who? Fine, I guess. He doesn¡¯t care what I do.¡±


    ¡°Have you prayed to him?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the temple looming in the distance.


    Rowan spat on the ground. ¡°Screw that. Any god I follow needs to be strong enough to stand on their own.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Theo entered the Newt and Demon. The sign was flipped to ¡®open¡¯ and the bell rang when he stepped through the threshold. Salire was already on the third floor, working on some standard potions for the shop. She looked as though she had been working the stills for a few hours already, even if the sun had just risen. They shot ideas back-and-forth but didn¡¯t have an answer for their problem. While she worked, the alchemist left for his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. One theory remained in his mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to that,¡± Theo said. Rowan had drawn too close to the deadly plant in his experimental garden. ¡°You¡¯ll die. Horribly, if the description is anything to go by.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Got it.¡±


    Theo recalled the description he had generated in the Dreamwalk. Something nagged him at the back of his mind, and he realized it might not have been completely accurate. Breaking the rules of the system had become a hobby of the Tara¡¯hek. But something lingered in his thoughts, and he intended to generate a research report right after he planted the reagent. As the alchemist kneeled near the garden plot, a thought came into his mind as a Wisdom of the Soul message appeared.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    You¡¯re fairly certain this won¡¯t work. Putting aside the problem with a powerful wild reagent taking root, there¡¯s a high chance this plant will react with the soil itself. When you planted the spirit fruit within the dream realm, you did so because it would not bind to regular soil.


    Only soil enchanted with an absurd amount of holy energy could possibly support this plant. It might also explode, killing you and everyone around. Who knows! Maybe you should try it¡­


    ¡°I get it,¡± Theo muttered, moving away from the garden plot. He brought the most potent sample they had harvested into the workshop, laying it down for inspection. He recalled the research properties it had given him before and compared them against what was right in front of him. There was only one line that was different.


    ¡°Will likely produce unknown potion?¡± Theo asked, turning to Rowan. ¡°I didn¡¯t see that in my dream.¡±


    ¡°Then keep dreaming, cause I dunno what that means.¡±


    Theo grunted a response. He was certain he had generated an accurate report in the Dreamwalk. But that last line was missing. Wisdom of the Soul jumped in again, giving a rare two-for-nothing deal on the problem. It confirmed that breaking the bounds of the Dreamwalk had unintended consequences. The combined willpower of the Tara¡¯hek was powerful, but the system was almost omnipotent. They had spat in the face of something that was beyond them, and he felt lucky to have gotten bad information rather than something worse.


    Theo had enough samples of the powerful Spiny Swamp Thistle Root to produce at least one potion. The urge to rush into the lab and brew it was squashed as the alchemist chose caution over haste. He first entertained the idea of planting these new plants in Tero¡¯gal, deciding against it for now. He would explore his reasons for that later. Instead, he went to the lab and sucked a still into his inventory. Salire didn¡¯t question it, and he brought it to the sparsely wooded area behind the lab. The span between the lab and the harbor was clear enough for him to run his experiment.


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    ¡°Where is Sarisa, anyway?¡± Theo asked, shoving his bodyweight against the still to get it into place. When it didn¡¯t work, Rowan helped. THe Potion of Hauling could have helped with this, but it seemed like a waste.


    ¡°Dunno. She asked me to be your babysitter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you babysit me every day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but one of us has to talk to you. And she normally volunteers.¡±


    Theo stopped shoving after the still was level, glaring at his guardian. ¡°I¡¯m not some senile old man.¡±


    Rowan shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°Light the fire, geezer.¡±


    It was harder to do smaller batches with Drogramath¡¯s alchemy. The temperature mattered far more as the mash within could easily be burned to the bottom. Even Throk¡¯s absurdly awesome stills couldn¡¯t do much to help with that. But under an expert¡¯s hand¡ªthe foremost expert on Drogramathi Alchemy living today¡ªmade it look easy. Within the hour, he had a sample of Refined Healing Essence to examine. It was exactly like the normal version. Even if it felt more potent in his hands.


    ¡°Before I was working for you, one of Ziz¡¯s boys dared me to break into your place and drink a whole bottle of that stuff.¡±


    ¡°You would have died,¡± Theo said casually. He portioned one unit of the liquid into a vial from his inventory. ¡°Maybe. Actually, I don¡¯t know. Wanna try?¡±


    Rowan looked as though he would try for a moment. He reached his hand out reflexively, but pulled it back when Theo offered him a vial. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°For science!¡±


    Theo was proud when Rowan refused again. It was easy to get him and his sister riled up with challenges. He was glad to see survival instincts improving across the board with half-ogres.


    ¡°This is weird,¡± Theo said, swirling the essence in a vial. There was something off about it he couldn¡¯t put his finger on. ¡°This feels close to the spirit fruit. Like the potion is going to complain when I brew it.¡±


    ¡°Stop stalling.¡±


    Theo introduced the other ingredients required to create a reaction. As he suspected, there was almost no reaction. The flake of metal fell to the bottom of the vial like a leaf on the wind. Small bubbles formed at the bottom, but didn¡¯t produce the violent reaction it should have.


    ¡°Nothing happened,¡± Rowan said. Theo pulled the vial back when the man tried to flick it.


    ¡°It needs time to brew,¡± Theo said, feeling himself slipping through the cracks of reality. As he did, he watched as the vial remained where it was. Not in his hand, but floating in the air for only a moment. Rowan caught it before it hit the ground and the alchemist canceled his trip to Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Just dropping stuff!¡± Rowan said, huffing. ¡°Isn¡¯t this thing valuable?¡±


    Theo took the vial from Rowan and looked at it, brow cocked as his tail flicked through the air. This wasn¡¯t just curious now, it was interesting. He put a stopper on the vial and added it to his inventory. ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Theo let himself slip through the crack again. Half his body had vanished from the mortal realm when he heard a popping sound. The vial had ejected itself from his inventory and Rowan caught it once again. After canceling his trip yet again, the alchemist glared at the vial. ¡°It doesn¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure potions aren¡¯t as willful as you think.¡± Rowan laughed, holding the vial out for Theo to take. ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°I think my exploit has been patched.¡±


    ¡°Your who got what?¡±


    This would be awful if someone had fixed his exploit. Taking spirit fruit and potions to the heavens to allow them to brew had reduced the time for brewing potions significantly. The person who would have done that was Khahar, of course. But it didn¡¯t feel like that. Something was off.


    ¡°This has to brew here. On the mortal plane,¡± Theo said, holding the vial up. ¡°Time to make a few more. I guess.¡±


    Theo finished the other potions and sucked the still back into his inventory. He placed it back in the lab, pulling Salire aside to show her the new potions.


    ¡°It feels potent,¡± she said, hesitating to reach out to it.


    ¡°Trust your instincts on that one. I don¡¯t think this is reactive right now. Rowan flicked the vial, but give it a few hours and I think we¡¯ll have a potent potion.¡±


    Even the temperature of the air had changed the rate at which the bubbles were forming at the bottom. Theo felt itchy after watching that. Wisdom of the Soul had no more wisdom to dispense, but his time working with potions had taught him well enough. New things in alchemy meant fresh problems.


    ¡°Crank the air conditioner in here, please,¡± Theo said, taking all but one vial into his inventory. ¡°We need to leave the air off on the second floor and open the windows. Put the first floor at a decent temperature, but not this cold.¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Salire shouted, adjusting the knob for the air conditioner in this room.


    If Theo was right, this was another realm of potion making he hadn¡¯t expected. Not only could he not use Tero¡¯gal to make these potions develop faster, but he had to babysit them. And he was almost positive this was the answer. Salire dashed off to fix the other floors, leaving the air running at full blast on the third floor. The bubbles slowed at the bottom of the potion, almost stopping completely.


    When Salire returned, she had her notebook in her hands. Since Theo had nothing to do unless he wanted to help with Qavell, he helped her rework some sections of their book. They hadn¡¯t found a printing press yet, and he didn¡¯t have the courage to ask Throk to drop other things to make one. It was also unlikely that anyone would read a copy of their book, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Putting this knowledge to the page was more important than finding a base of readers.


    Once he had no more excuses, Theo swapped his Zaul core for his sorcerer core and headed out. With potions on every level of his building and one in his inventory, the experiment would run its course. He didn¡¯t want to proceed before he had more information. As he walked through the town, he realized the irony in what he was doing with his alchemy. Zarali and Belgar had been dronon that were single-minded for perfection. When Belgar was alive to perform his alchemy, he accepted nothing but the best. He took his time with each step to ensure it was perfect.


    Theo¡¯s way of brewing potions was different. His method was born of a need to help these people. Broken Tusk had more problems that a person could count at the start. Alchemy bridged the gap between what they lacked and what they needed. That meant Theo produced vast quantities of potions to fit that need. Now he thought about the old ways of doing things. As the Champion of Drogramath, he would embody the ideals he resisted. As much as he disliked the slow way, it had to be done. This was the way forward to the true fourth tier of Drogramath¡¯s alchemy.


    Ziz and his people had done well on Qavell so far. The work had been constant and more problems arose by the day. Theo worked his way down the beach, walking over the causeway as the waves lapped against his feet. He pulled his coat tight to fight against the sun overhead, feeling the cooling effect of the magical item envelop him. False ground had been seeded near the base of the city. Immeasurable tons of rocks were resting in the waves and a team of people were working with metal cables to stabilize the city.


    ¡°How are we doing, Ziz?¡± Theo asked, clapping a hand over the mason¡¯s shoulder. He jumped slightly, turning to smile at him.


    ¡°Poorly!¡± Ziz spat on the wet ground. ¡°Have you ever tried to wrangle an entire city? Everything I¡¯m trying is failing. See those massive pillars? The ones¡­ you know¡­ the size of a city? My stone welding can¡¯t keep them together. Those cables keep snapping¡ªand if the GODS DAMNED tide comes in one more time, I¡¯m going to kill the sea.¡±


    ¡°So, about what we expected?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Theo took a deep breath. There was little he could do to advance his potion making and his ascension to the Throne of the Dreamwalker. He had time to kill.


    ¡°Come on. I have an idea.¡±

 6.8 - Unknown Reactions

    It took Ziz a while to clear away all the workers near the city. Theo waited near the shore, watching as those people dispersed into the surrounding area. He had wanted to wait to try this until things got dire. Since nothing was working, that moment felt as though it was approaching swiftly. While he had an arsenal of potions, there was only one he could think of that would pair well with his plan.


    Until this point, Theo had been moving a handful of stones at a time. It was more efficient than having people carry them by hand, but it was still slow. Collapsing the mountain range to the west had been an option. Their tests had revealed that it was too hard to control the way the mountain fell. The alchemist held a Greater Intelligence Potion in his hand, waiting for the area to clear. He had swapped his Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core out so that he could equip both Zaul Shadowspirit Core and his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core. The Spirit Weaving skill attached to the Shadowspirit core allowed him to empower one skill.


    Earth Attunement was the skill that allowed him to move things aligned with the Earth element. Spirit Weaving didn¡¯t have a time limit, but Theo was certain this would work. The skill was already empowered with his willpower, but would experience at least a doubling effect. Consuming the intelligence potion would send him up a few realms of power for that attribute, unlocking even more power. If he drew some willpower from Tero¡¯gal, all the effects combined might make this work.


    ¡°Everyone is cleared out,¡± Ziz said, thumping Theo on the shoulder. ¡°Try not to kill anyone in the city.¡±


    Theo nodded. He drank the potion first, swaying on the spot as his Intelligence rocketed past 40. Once he could stand on his own, he activated the Shadow Weaving ability and focused on his Earth Attunement skill. In an instant, the mountainside lit up. His head swam again. If Ziz wasn¡¯t there to keep him from falling, he would have pitched over onto the gravel pathway. With almost 50 Intelligence fueling the skill, the alchemist reached out with his mind.


    The side of the mountain was almost a vertical wall of stone. It towered higher than the city itself. In Theo¡¯s vision, it was a sheet of green energy, pulsing with the will of the planet itself. He reached out with his mind, pressing his willpower against those nodes. His aura flickered out as a turbulent bubble of shadows, pressing against that mountain and gaining a few screams from those lingering too close.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Theo grunted, tugging with all his might.


    Seams appeared in the mountain. The green energy buckled under the potent combination of Zaul¡¯s skill and Theo¡¯s own potion. Those seams grew larger as Theo yanked, pulling house-sized boulders down from their perch. More stone fell the more he yanked and the alchemist shifted his focus, watching as the shadow bubble battered the wall. An avalanche¡ªif a vertical drop of rocks could be called that¡ªcame next. Piles of stone formed at the bottom.


    Theo split his concentration, yanking boulders down as he distributed them around the work site. Those who had remained to watch the event had long-since fled, but Ziz stayed where he was. Shouting words of encouragement, the half-ogre pumped his fist every time a large rock fell from the cliff. The alchemist had piled about fifty feet of boulders and rocks around the base of Qavell when the skill wore off. His shoulders slacked and he lost hold of the massive rock he was holding with his willpower. It slammed into the sea, sending more waves rushing his way.


    ¡°One minute of work and a month of progress!¡± Ziz shouted, cheering with excitement. ¡°That was awesome!¡±


    ¡°This is going to take a week,¡± Theo said, swaying some more and nearly falling over. He had trouble contending with the cold logic spreading through his mind. High Intelligence was far worse than Wisdom. It was as though all emotion had drained from him, leaving him feeling like an automaton, slave only to logic.


    ¡°Sounds about right. One-day cooldown on that bad boy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Your normal rock-moving ability can still help, though. Unless you¡¯re too busy.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t that busy. He didn¡¯t want to be that busy, anyway. He agreed to help Ziz, no matter how long it took to set the city straight. It would be a grueling week of work, but he could do it. If only for the sake of the people in the city above, he would do it. Drinking a steady line of Greater Intelligence Potions was easy enough, but the heavy lifting was done by the Shadow Weaving skill. The alchemist might not admit it, but the effort to collapse part of the cliff had taken something significant from him. He was drained beyond what he would express and only took light work during that first day.


    It took fewer than a week to get the job done. Including the first day of work, Theo spent four days moving material from the mountains to support the city. Laying a base of stones, no matter how large they were, wasn¡¯t good enough. The stonemasons of the town worked to bind massive sections together with their magical mortar ability, creating something more like bedrock than a pile of gravel. Ziz had other ways to bind everything together, but the alchemist was often too exhausted to watch closely.


    The only thing that made the days doable was Theo¡¯s ability to retreat into his private realm. He looked over the pile of stones, shaking his head at the sight. It looked as though an army of giant ants had moved the boulders, creating a pile that surrounded the entire city. Ziz and his teams were climbing over those boulders¡ªnot unlike ants¡ªand welding the last few things together. This wasn¡¯t the final form of Qavell as it rested outside of Broken Tusk, but it was enough to keep it from tilting over. Estimating the amount of material that had moved would be impossible. It was about a mountain¡¯s worth, and that¡¯s all Theo cared to think of it as.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking off. For about five minutes,¡± Theo said, dabbing a layer of sweat from his forehead. He was perfectly cool in his coat, but the stress of abusing his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core had piled up over the day. Midday had drawn over the town and gone, leaving them with the bright sun of the mid-afternoon.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sarisa said, looking around awkwardly. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Theo wrapped himself in his aura and fell through the veil. He didn¡¯t use his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability, instead planning to probe the void for something interesting. Once he was done with this bit of work, he would finally see what his newest potion had become. The one in his inventory hadn¡¯t budged, but the others planted throughout the lab had progressed well enough. They produced different shades and unique quantities of bubbles. Even the shades were different, rendering each with interesting differences of stability.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Theo coasted along the first ribbon of the heavenly reality, hovering near the Bridge and soaking in the feeling. He would consider the sight, but there wasn¡¯t much to see. The void was a long stretch of nothing, punctuated randomly by stuff. ¡®Stuff¡¯ was the best way to describe it, as the alchemist could never get a feel for it all. But it was easy enough to understand the blockade the Bridge provided, keeping the heavens where they were and the mortal plane where it was. If he strained, he could feel things off in the distance. The high heavens nearby, which included both the Prime Pantheon and Demonic Pantheon. There was something else near those two groups, but it was hard to say.


    Interesting, Theo thought, pushing beyond the bridge. It was like observing the fabric of everything up here from a top-down view. Near the edges of the two pantheons there was something that felt more solid than even the bridge. Theo pressed himself against it, but couldn¡¯t find a spot where it was weak. After fumbling up against something he couldn¡¯t understand for a while, he gave up and approached the bridge. This time, he allowed Uz¡¯Xulven to detect him.


    Moments later he was landing in Tero¡¯gal, eager to enjoy some tea. Several gates to other godly worlds were already up. Some had stopped waiting for him to show up and just took the realm as an open invitation to chill. The spirits had taken up new sports, but that wasn¡¯t surprising. Those gods that were already enjoying Benton¡¯s fine tea hardly noticed as the alchemist entered the room, taking his seat to partake.


    The conversation that was already in motion didn¡¯t stop for him, rolling through the group with opinions on heavenly politics. It was a topic that Theo had no interest in, so he remained on the sidelines. The trip to Tero¡¯gal was refreshing enough that he decided a hike was in order. Several hours after arriving with the gods and drinking his share of the tea, he headed out on the path.


    It would take more than a few hours to cover the distance from the main spirit hub to the outer reaches. Theo took his time on that road, waving to the denizens of his realm as he passed. A group of power walking spirits came up behind him at a point with cries of ¡°on your left.¡± He was eager to see the newest trend of the locals die and never return.


    What few souls had joined Tero¡¯gal in recent memory were settling well enough. Theo had been shocked to see that people weren¡¯t flocking to his realm. He expected a torrent of souls pouring into this place, crowding it with their ethereal presence. Since the void didn¡¯t seem overly full of lost souls, the alchemist could reach only one conclusion. They had picked other realms to call their home. It made him wonder what attracted his current population of lost spirits. Asking them was useless, as they rarely remembered why they came.


    Even Belgar wasn¡¯t immune to the dizzying effects of the void. Only Theo had the honor of traversing the void. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t a responsibility he wanted, but there it was. The alchemist settled in by the lake he had created. He adjusted the time-scale of the realm, setting the current time to the mid-morning. The local souls would get used to a day-night cycle. He left the internal clock of the realm running, allowing the fake sun in the sky to move in an Earth-like cycle.


    ¡°What about a moon?¡± Theo asked himself, tapping his chin.


    Between the Simulated Reality and Landscape Manipulation upgrade, he could form the world to look like just about anything. As he reached out to the realm, he felt as though a moon wasn¡¯t out of the question. Like the sun, it was cosmetic. Instead of a singular moon, he settled on eight. The number was significant, representing the phases of Telbarantis back in the mortal plane. That moon shifted through a range of colors, changing each day. Green, blue, red, yellow, orange, gold, white, and black. Why not have them all at once?


    ¡°Even if the spirits don¡¯t like it we can change it later,¡± Theo said, resting on the sandy beach. He could see a village created by the splinter group of spirits on the far shore. It would be easy enough to teleport over there, demanding that they reunite with the others. But what was the point of that? Tero¡¯gal was meant to be a living thing, not some diorama created by a god. Minor changes, such as the sun and moons, were as far as he would go. That and the occasional trail or feature of the land.


    This strategy had proved fruitful from the start. Theo remembered the way spirits acted in other realms. They all danced to someone else¡¯s song. Within Tero¡¯gal, the spirits themselves made the music. Those lost souls wrote the tempo for their lives, dancing however they saw fit. Industries had sprung up throughout the realm. Logging, mining, clothcraft, and so on. While there was no central currency, people bartered for their stuff. Since almost a year passed for each day Theo was away, those things had moved quickly. But not as quickly as things moved on the mortal realm.


    If Tero¡¯gal was an analog for the mortal world, Theo could have spread a city over everything in sight. Seed core buildings had a way of creating a civilization overnight. Not the souls of Tero¡¯gal, though. They build their structures by hand. They mined the ore without classes, chopped trees without them¡­ A mortal would puke if they considered doing any of these things without classes.


    ¡°My perfect little world,¡± Theo said, scoffing. ¡°An example for the gods¡­ or what?¡±


    Theo stopped by the Dreamer¡¯s Throne before he left. Tresk came here every day to reassert her power. This was the perfect hiding place. If another person were to come and take it, they would need too many skills that most mortals didn¡¯t have. If a god wanted to claim it, they would deal with the ire of the Arbiter. Even if Khahar didn¡¯t come to help, the Guardians of Faith expansion on the realm would be interesting to contend with. That and the Bubble upgrade, which made it harder for hostile gods to perform interdiction actions both into and out of the realm.


    Once he was satisfied with his trip to the realm, Theo allowed himself to slip through reality. He fell back to where he was, finding the weight of the mortal realm comforting. When he entered the lab, Salire had a strange look on her face. It was a mixture of excitement and dread.


    ¡°Interesting results,¡± she said, gesturing to the vial that had been stored on the first floor.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Theo looked upon a pile of something. Where the vial once was, there was now a mass of material. It appeared as though someone had poured molten metal onto the vial, only to let it cool there. While none of the wood around it was damaged, heat still emanated from the pile.


    ¡°Some unknown reaction,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Are they all like this?¡±


    ¡°Not the one upstairs. Top floor. The second floor is a mess.¡±


    This was an unexpected turn. Aside from explosions, this was the single most reactive thing Theo had witnessed with alchemy. There were plenty of times where he had intentionally forced two reagents to react, resulting in an explosion, but never anything like this. He inspected the stuff on the ground, finding it to be rock-hard foam. It had bound with the floor itself, creating an awkward situation where it was nearly impossible to remove. A job for Ziz and his boys, perhaps.


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± Salire said, almost breathless. ¡°The one in the air conditioned room worked!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 6.9 - Then Youll Wait

    The one potion that hadn¡¯t violently spewed foam into the Newt and Demon sat on a table in the lab. The air had been cranked beyond reason and frost had formed on the windows. Theo drew the Coat of Rake closely around himself, shivering a moment after they entered. He watched Salire suffer in his sundress. The alchemist turned the air off, opening a window to let some of Fire¡¯s heat inside.


    ¡°Won¡¯t it react?¡± Salire asked.


    She should have known the answer, and Theo wouldn¡¯t deny he was slightly disappointed. He shook the thought away, realizing she was being cautious. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The period of instability is when the reaction is working. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t cover the good stills with foam,¡± Salire said, wincing as Theo picked the vial up. Her voice dropped to a low whisper. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    The liquid within the vial glittered. Flecks of shining red floated throughout the pink liquid. It was a healing potion, that much was clear. But it was so unlike the other healing potions that Theo doubted himself for far too long. Something in his chest said this was an undiscovered potion. Something no other alchemist had crafted before him. He maintained a stoic expression, but the excitement was building in his chest. Before he could stop it, a smile spread across his face.


    ¡°Did you inspect it?¡± Salire asked, edging closer. Not close enough to see the description on the item, though.


    Theo was waiting and he didn¡¯t know why. How many potions had he inspected after creating and why was this one any different? If he was right about this being an unknown potion, there wouldn¡¯t be a description. After a moment more of hesitation, he inspected the potion. And received a prompt he didn¡¯t expect.


    [Potion of Significance]


    You are the first person to create a potion of great significance. This potion has never been created by another mortal. Please select an attribute to boost from the following list:


    Strength, Vigor, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower, [ERROR], Affinity, Mind, [ERROR], [Teleport Point: Strelon Highlands], [Teleport Point: Skaral Desert]...


    Theo blinked at the options, unsure what the hell was going on. There were too many things to process in such a short time. Just as he reached out for one of the weirder ones, the message window vanished and reappeared.


    [Potion of Significance]


    You are the first person to create a potion of great significance. This potion has never been created by another mortal. Please select an attribute to boost from the following list:


    Strength, Vigor, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower.


    ¡°What?¡± Salire asked, flicking Theo in the cheek. ¡°What is it?¡±


    His mind was reeling. The places listed for teleport weren¡¯t places he recognized. That didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t there. He filed them away in his near-perfect memory and considered which attribute to boost. Willpower was an option, but the alchemist discarded that idea. Gaining willpower was far easier than attributes. He went with Wisdom instead. Between Intelligence and Wisdom, the second was the only one he could increase infinitely without fear he would become a being focused entirely on logic. He remembered the way he felt when he imbibed his Greater Intelligence Potions.


    Salire was pulling at his arm when he selected Wisdom. The message flashed away and another came to take its place. The alchemist¡¯s head felt woozy as the increased attribute took hold.


    [Potion of Significance]


    Based on the importance of this potion, your Wisdom has been increased accordingly.


    You have gained:


    Permanent +10 Wisdom.


    Theo leaned against a table, eyes wide as he read the message. Over and over until it sank into his brain that he had jumped ten levels in a moment. The alchemist had increased his wisdom by an entire tier of power in a blink. It couldn¡¯t be real, could it?


    ¡°What is it!?¡± Salire shouted, resorting to punching him in the arm.


    ¡°I just got a permanent plus ten to Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡±


    There was something wrong with that prompt. Theo was sure of it. But when he went to check his personal screen, there it was.


    Theo Spencer


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 30


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 6


    Stats:


    Health: 120


    Mana: 210


    Stamina: 130


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 20 (+8)


    Vigor: 23 (+8)


    Intelligence: 28 (+9)


    Wisdom: 40 (+7)


    Points: 0


    It didn¡¯t even count the additional Wisdom as a modifier like it did with gear. This was insanity. He sputtered, trying to put his thoughts into words. The amount of Wisdom he had gained in such a short time sent his head spinning. His brain tried to catch up with the increase. Even Wisdom of the Soul couldn¡¯t help him with such a drastic change. For a moment, he saw Salire¡¯s movements before she made them. Only a fraction of a section before she did, but he could see a ghostly form of her moving before she did.


    ¡°WHAAAAAT!?¡± Salire said, pummeling him at this point.


    ¡°This is a ¡®potion of significance¡¯ but I don¡¯t know what that means. It gave me the option to pick an attribute to raise¡­ I thought it would be a point, but it gave me ten.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane, Theo. You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°Honest, Salire.¡± Theo could feel his hands shaking. Because he understood the implications. The swamp was filled with these plants. At least ten reagents he could think of that would be easy enough to farm up for more significant potions. He licked his lips as he inspected the potion itself. Somehow, his mouth became drier. ¡°I think I know why the other potions failed. Inspect this.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    [Elixir of Life]


    [Elixir]


    Unique


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Tero¡¯gal (Perfect Bond)


    Drink to remove all harmful effects, restore a person to full health, heal all injuries, regrow all digits and limbs, and restore a person to their natural state.


    Elixir Restriction:


    Only one Elixir of Life may be consumed or crafted(worldwide) every five days.


    ¡°That would have come in handy earlier,¡± Theo breathed. The vial that the elixir sat in betrayed its importance. Even with the fancy flourishes Salire had made, it wasn¡¯t good enough. This thing needed gold leaf, gemstones, and a stopper made from dragon bone. This was the single most powerful potion Theo had ever crafted. It might have been the most powerful potion anyone had ever crafted.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me.¡± Salire wouldn¡¯t even reach out to touch it. ¡°This is insane. I¡¯m not seeing this, am I?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re both seeing the same thing, I gotta say it might be real.¡±


    The door to the lab swung open. Fenian stood with a wild look in his eyes, twin rapiers ready for combat. He locked eyes with Theo, narrowing his gaze.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± Fenian asked, his words coming out with hate.


    Theo had already gathered his willpower, ready to retreat into the void the moment the door flung open. Now he focused on Fenian, prepared to send the elf into the void if he needed to. He wasn¡¯t a simple elven trader, but even his champion status wouldn¡¯t save him from the bite of the void. After a few tense moments, both parties relaxed.


    ¡°I felt something,¡± Fenian explained. ¡°An event that sent a shiver down my spine.¡±


    ¡°I made a potion,¡± Theo said, stuffing the potion into his inventory.


    ¡°Sad to see your trust in me has fallen so far,¡± Fenian said.


    Theo gestured to the rapiers in Fenian¡¯s hands. ¡°Says the guy with the stabby things.¡±


    Fenian rolled his shoulders, nodding after a moment. The weapons vanished from his hands and he took a breath. ¡°May I explain?¡±


    ¡°Feel free.¡± Theo hadn¡¯t let go of the elf with his will. He could drop him into the void with a twitch. How did they come to this point?


    ¡°My Herald¡¯s Core twinged in my chest. I almost got my wings back, but the feeling passed. Something was breaking the rules. And that something was in your lab.¡±


    Perhaps it was his increased Wisdom, but Theo understood. He recited what the first message had told him, including the items that clearly shouldn¡¯t have been there. ¡°Do you think that was it?¡± the alchemist asked.


    ¡°Let go of me and I¡¯ll explain,¡± Fenian grumbled, gesturing to his feet.


    The shadows that Theo was commanding¡ªthose that made up his aura¡ªwere wrapped around the elf¡¯s legs. ¡°Oh. Sure,¡± Theo said, allowing his aura to back off. Just a bit.


    ¡°My dear, sweet alchemist. Of course that was it,¡± Fenian said, sauntering over to lean on a table. ¡°You should have led with that. I might have cast that creature to the ground, but it didn¡¯t die. I¡¯m almost certain it lingers in the system. Like a disease. Perhaps he is lashing out.¡±


    Theo rolled his shoulders. There were many people in this world. Most of them wouldn¡¯t make him tense up like that, but Fenian was different. He had never expected the elf to betray him, but that look in his eyes was something else. There was fury in there that the alchemist had never seen. But it was gone. He was once again rendered as a jolly elf before his eyes, and both Wisdom of the Soul and his Wisdom attribute agreed everything was cool.


    ¡°It might have been worth fighting you for this,¡± Theo said, producing the potion from his inventory.


    ¡°You dirty little demon,¡± Fenian said, grasping for the potion. Theo pulled it away. ¡°I¡¯ve seen nothing like that. Not in all my years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in a realm of potion making that no one has been to before. Since all the dronon die before they get here.¡±


    ¡°Make more!¡± Fenian shouted. ¡°As many as you can. By Parantheir¡¯s pendulous¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please. No colorful idioms.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a find, Theo.¡± In an instant, Fenian regained his composure once again. ¡°Excellent. Well, as long as you¡¯re not breaking the rules¡­ everything is fine.¡±


    ¡°Fenian,¡± Theo said, grabbing the elf by the shoulder as he made his way out the door. ¡°It might take some time, but I¡¯ll make sure you have one of these. Just in case¡­ you know.¡±


    ¡°In case I almost die again? I would appreciate that. Farewell, Theo. I need to check on my Karatan. Good thing someone in this mudball knows how to care for my babies. I¡¯m coming, Galflower!¡±


    Salire and Theo watched as the elf bound from the room. The alchemist relaxed in an instant. If there ever was a test to see how loyal Fenian was, that was it. The Elixir of Life was priceless. Snatching it would have ensured that Fenian could accomplish almost anything. Was there a mortal alive that could beat a version of the elf with two health bars? Unlikely. The alchemist watched as Fenian departed, unsure of what the encounter meant. The elf took a few things seriously, and his post as the Herald was now one of them.


    ¡°Theo, what does this mean?¡± Salire asked.


    He had almost forgotten she was there. The alchemist turned to his apprentice and smiled. ¡°Means I need to find more fourth tier reagents.¡±


    Before heading out into the swamp, Theo considered what a potion of significance was. The Spiny Swamp Thistle Root they found in the swamp couldn¡¯t be replicated in his garden. He was certain of that. While cultivated reagents still had held an important role, there was much to consider about the wild ones. The plants would have been old. Not months, but years. There was a limited supply of those plants and they couldn¡¯t be moved to Tero¡¯gal. Perhaps the system had seen something like this coming, putting Theo at a disadvantage for once. There was no way to game it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here,¡± Salire said, laughing nervously. ¡°If that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Theo nodded. She had a few orders to craft and it wasn¡¯t anything she couldn¡¯t handle. He headed out the front of the Newt and Demon and breathed in the humid air.


    ¡°Thoughtful Theo,¡± Sarisa said, leaning against the building. ¡°Contemplative Theo?¡±


    ¡°Pensive Theo,¡± Rowan said, emerging from the shadows.


    If Theo focused hard enough, he could almost feel what the pair were going to say next. This was the trick Khahar had used to predict the future. He must have had an absurdly high Wisdom, allowing him to make those predictions with some accuracy. It was hard to tell how he was feeling, though. He needed to grab onto this strand of power and tug before it vanished. And to think the answer to his problems were here. In Broken Tusk. His pensive posture was broken when both Sarisa and Rowan drew their weapons.


    ¡°Has the way been cleared?¡±


    Lurching down the street, the masked elf turned his head to one side. Twist had been extremely patient, which betrayed how weird he was at the core.


    ¡°You can head north if you want, Twist,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°The corruption near the city might be too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not walk.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°Agreeable,¡± Twist said, nodding. A single eye stared back at the alchemist from under the mask. ¡°There are a few problems that might concern your town. In the underground. Forces are moving this way. Thought you should know.¡±


    Without explaining himself further, the masked elf slunk away. The group watched him go, shaking their heads. He was unhinged, but it was hard to say if his state was harmful.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Theo said, moving away from his building. ¡°We need to find more reagents.¡±


    ¡°Alright, what are we looking for?¡± Rowan asked, jogging to catch up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after we take Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal.¡±


    Reagents were easy enough to identify. The ones they were targeting today were the easiest to spot. Mage¡¯s Bane, Roc Berries, Widow Lily, Moss Nettle, Stone Flowers, and Water Lily were all extremely common within the swamp and the surrounding areas. Theo recalled that they had found the previous sample deep in the marsh, away from the places that adventurers normally ventured. With mountain ranges on all sides of the swamp except the east, folks rarely ventured deeper than needed to reach the dungeon.


    Theo and his party stepped through the portal, finding themselves on the first floor of the wizard¡¯s tower. The alchemist considered his jump in power if he found a potion of significance for all six reagents. Sixty attribute points, placed however he saw fit. His Wisdom could jump to 100. Just the thought sent his mind spinning. Ascending six ranks of an attribute in a short time presented an intoxicating thought.


    But they needed to find those reagents first. And it needed to provide enough essence to craft a potion, making the problem more daunting. There were also the responsibilities of an archduke to consider. Theo hoped that Alise could manage things while he distracted himself.


    ¡°We never really went this far,¡± Rowan said, pulling against the sucking mud of the swamp. It almost claimed his boot. ¡°Of course, there wasn¡¯t a dungeon out this far for the longest time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me this wasn¡¯t the place where poking snappers with sticks was born? Color me surprised,¡± Theo said, pressing forward. The worst part about trudging through the swamp was getting sucked into the mud. But their goal wasn¡¯t those deep places. He would find most of the reagents he wanted on the edges, near the slow rise of those hills in the distance. ¡°A shiny gold coin for whoever carries me on their shoulders.¡±


    Rowan and Sarisa considered it for a moment, looking at each other. They shared a look only siblings could before dunking Theo¡¯s head into the mud.


    ¡°Nice try,¡± Sarisa said, pulling him out of the mud with an audible squelch. ¡°Get moving, mister alchemist. We¡¯ve got too much ground to cover for you to be slacking.¡±

 6.10 - Potent Poisons

    Theo walked through the swamp with Sarisa and Rowan for the remainder of that day. Something he learned about this area was the expansiveness of it. The swamp behind Broken Tusk went on for miles. While the mountains in all directions but east were visible from Xol¡¯sa¡¯s towers, approaching them was another matter. The group fell through the wizard¡¯s portal after an uneventful day, removing layers of mud with Cleansing Scrub.


    ¡°I¡¯m not cooking,¡± Sarisa said, flicking her hands through the air. No mud clung to her skin, but it didn¡¯t stop her from acting like she was still caked in the putrid mix. ¡°I¡¯ll grab something from Xam.¡±


    Rowan wasn¡¯t in a talking mood, giving Theo time to plot his next move. There was much testing to be done, and even more scouting of the swamp. He considered contracting the adventurers in town to search the swamp, but that would end poorly. Over-excited half-ogres would pluck the reagents from the ground, blowing themselves up. It was a problem for another time. The Dreamwalk was where he focused his attention.


    Sarisa returned some time later with karatan steaks and poached pozwa eggs. Theo chatted with both Tresk and Alex about their day, finding the pair to be more inseparable by the day. When he scanned the marshling¡¯s memories, he found more than a few strange dreams she had visited. Without informing anyone, she was searching the globe and making a list of people she was interested in. That included people she thought would move against them, and others that sought to stop the burgeoning nation.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s the cultists,¡± Tresk said, punctuating the thought by stabbing her fork through the air. ¡°We should get working on the commune before they get here.¡±


    Theo flicked through Tresk¡¯s memories, finding dreams from cultists dedicated to Tero¡¯gal. Unfortunately, they were a doomsday cult. The worst kind of cult.


    ¡°This might have been information I could have used earlier.¡± Theo¡¯s tone was flat.


    ¡°Meh. They¡¯re dreams. I can¡¯t tell if anyone is sailing for Broken Tusk or if they¡¯re just dreaming about it. But¡­ Hooray! We have cultists!¡±


    ¡°Hooray cults!¡± Theo said, almost involuntary. He tried not to be grumpy when things took a turn sideways.


    Dinner was excellent. Theo found that his appetite was greatly increased after trudging through the swamp. He was more than a little eager to get into the Dreamwalk to test his theory about exploiting the system. Something deep inside him said it was too much of a stretch for the pseudo realm. But he had to try.


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex slipped into the Dreamwalk with no issues. When the alchemist turned, intending to start his experimentation, the marshling stopped him.


    ¡°Check out my new trick,¡± she said, gesturing to the sky.


    A shimmering image appeared in the blue sky above. They had landed just outside of an imagined Broken Tusk. The river rushed by and clouds crawled a lazy path above. Theo watched as the image shifted, projecting someone¡¯s dreams. It was in the first-person, but depicted someone on a ship. He didn¡¯t recognize the coastline, but the ship moved at a decent clip.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the cult guys. I don¡¯t know how that works, but they¡¯re feeling your plan.¡±


    Theo grumbled. ¡°What good is a secret plan if everyone knows about the secret plan?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone. Just a few¡­ enthusiastic folks.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your plan¡­ Can you do it?¡±


    Theo turned, smiling at the goose. He blinked a few times. When had she grown so large? The goose had grown from the size of a small donkey to the size of a horse. How the hell was she fitting into the manor, let alone any other buildings. He cleared his throat, pushing the thought aside.


    ¡°I can take us away from the mortal realm right now. All three of us, and maybe a few others. But there¡¯s a missing piece. An anchor.¡±


    ¡°Those damned space elves, huh?¡± Tresk grumbled. ¡°Why is it always the elves?¡±


    Theo¡¯s plan had been formulated long ago. Only when he heard of the heisted world crystals did he realize what he needed to make that plan work. He suspected those shards were the things that he could use to bind his will to. Like the lodestones he used to control his golems, they were anchor points. Once those were in place, each part of his plan would come together. The core from Zaul, his enhanced willpower, and his connection to Tero¡¯gal would allow him to keep a piece of this life he had come to love. Perhaps he could even clone a part of the system¡­


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Does Emperor Kuzan dream?¡±


    Tresk flicked her hand through the air. A dark miasma appeared in the sky. ¡°Home boy knows how to shield his mind from me.¡±


    ¡°If only someone could enter his dreams,¡± Theo said with a wink.


    ¡°Yeah, any luck finding the Dreamwalker¡¯s Throne?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain the space elves took it. Or it was cast into the void. I can feel it calling to me, but that¡¯s it. The thread that connects me to it is intense. Which means the thing is distant.¡±


    ¡°So, the void. Sweet. I don¡¯t like the void.¡±


    Theo swiped his hand, shifting the scene. The group floated in his interpretation of the void. The Bridge and a wall of ribbons lingered far in the distance. ¡°We don¡¯t see it the same way.¡±


    ¡°We sure as hell don¡¯t.¡± Tresk spat, watching as a globule of spit sailed into the distance. ¡°Where are the elves?¡±


    Theo shrugged. He didn¡¯t know. He changed the scene to represent the threads that connected him to various things. The red lines were thick in the void, heading off in every direction.


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    When the discussion about the void and the implications it brought came to an end, the group returned to the imagined Broken Tusk. Tresk was done floating in the void, and Alex hated it from the start. The marshling mounted the goose and soared away, leaving the alchemist to his testing.


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    The first test was to imagine other reagents he had discovered as their enhanced versions. As expected, the Dreamwalk couldn¡¯t support the concept and bucked around him. Just to be sure, he imagined the Spiny Swamp Thistle Root he had discovered. It appeared without issue and with more testing, he could even imagine the Elixir of Life. The Dreamwalk might have been fast and loose with the rules in the past, but this was a brick wall. The system wasn¡¯t happy that Theo was probing those edges, biting back whenever he did so.


    The alchemist split his attention between two things. He started a long row of stills working on more Elixirs of Life before seeking to expand his willpower even further. He had reached a limit as to how many undead he could wrap with his Hallow Ground potion. But a combination of factors had expanded that domain. He held a Greater Hallow Ground Potion in his hand and focused his Zaul core.


    Theo laughed as he imbued the potion with the Spirit Weaving skill.


    ¡°Zaul handed me an exploit. I should have seen this sooner¡­¡±


    The Hallow Ground potion imbued with the Embolden effect allowed Theo to increase his willpower by overcoming the will of imagined undead creatures. The issue was that he needed more undead to push his willpower further. The effect on the Spirit Weaving skill was to imbue any item, ability, skill, and so on with his willpower. For the Greater Hallow Ground potion he held, that meant he could increase the radius. It was a feedback loop. He inspected the Spiritwoven potion in his hand.


    [Greater Hallow Ground Potion]


    [Embolden]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion] [Spiritwoven Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Drink to create a zone of denial.


    Effect:


    Imbiber creates a two-hundred pace circle around themselves with the [Emboldened Hallow Ground] effect. The imbiber must overpower the will of each undead, in succession. Failure to overpower will result in the user¡¯s mind joining the undead¡¯s collective. Success will put those undead affected under the user¡¯s control.


    Spiritweave effect:


    Increases the range and effectiveness of this potion.


    The potion had jumped from fifty paces to two-hundred paces. Now the real test began. Theo imagined a tide of undead, quaffing the potion and dominating each undead. While the first try failed, he worked himself up to the entirety of the two-hundred pace circle of silver magic. This took about half the night to accomplish. The alchemist took breaks by brewing elixirs, returning to his willpower exploit when he felt rested.


    ¡°Show me something good,¡± Theo said. He imagined the cooldown on his skill to be reset, then imbued another Greater Hallow Ground Potion. The radius had increased from two-hundred to three-hundred. He had increased his willpower by infusing a potion using his willpower. ¡°Someone is going to come yelling at me for this¡­¡±


    By the end of the Dreamwalk, Theo had raised the distance to three-hundred-fifty. Even without leaving the gated realm, he could feel his overwhelming willpower. Tresk dropped them into the mortal realm, and he couldn¡¯t help but flex. His aura spread over the immediate area, covering most of the southern side of Broken Tusk. He could feel all the people and magical things within his domain and was confident he could drag them through the void.


    ¡°What haunting power you have, sir,¡± Tresk said, bowing her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t go all evil on us.¡±


    ¡°No guarantees,¡± Theo said, throwing his covers off and jumping to his feet. He sent his senses out, probing the army of golems. There were thirty working in town now, but he was confident he could raise that to fifty without straining himself. His thoughts locked onto those working north of Gronro-Dir and he had never seen them so clearly. Even through the realms, he could feel Tero¡¯gal swell with power.


    ¡°One has to wonder if this was the plan,¡± Tresk said, tapping her chin. ¡°Oh well! Food time!¡±


    Theo jogged down the stairs to get his breakfast. Tresk just shadow-jumped from the top to the bottom, eating her food so quickly that Sarisa didn¡¯t notice she was there to begin with. The alchemist sat, thanking his guardian for the meal before digging in.


    ¡°Are we going back to the swamp this morning?¡± Sarisa asked, her tone completely flat. She plopped down into a seat, sighing.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll create a golem army first.¡±


    ¡°Yay. Authoritarian golem army,¡± Rowan said.


    Once breakfast was done, Theo made good on his word. He created the necessary constructs, containment cores, and piles of metal required for a small golem army. He considered asking Zarali for lodestones, but realized he didn¡¯t need them. His willpower had become vast enough that the nearby golems didn¡¯t need it. With some effort, the army of twenty golems rose in flames. That drew some attention from those passing by, but Theo just smiled at them. He spread his willpower of the group and issued them a series of commands.


    ¡°Off we go,¡± Theo said, following behind the army.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Salire asked, jogging out from the Newt and Demon. ¡°By Drogramath¡¯s shiny baubles¡­ Are you going to war?¡±


    ¡°Are you picking up Drogramath-themed idioms?¡± Theo asked, looking back to smile at his apprentice. He could barely feel the strain of so many golems on his willpower. ¡°No. Not war. Just prevention.¡±


    Theo¡¯s plan was to insert the golems into Qavell. Not to suppress the people there, but protect them. Maybe that¡¯s what all dictators said, but most Earth-based despots didn¡¯t have weird morphing creatures to deal with. The troupe marched along the coast, passing through the harbor to reach the causeway. The alchemist guided them up the ramp that had been built and into the city. The guards near the entrance gave him a look, but could do nothing to stop him.


    ¡°If you could just tell us what you¡¯re doing, archduke,¡± one guard said, jogging up alongside the procession. ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t get thrown into the sea for letting an army in.¡±


    Theo smiled at the flustered guard. ¡°They¡¯re going to defend the people here. And keep an eye on¡­ the king.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ uh¡­ okay.¡±


    Salire followed Theo all the way to the palace. He had given orders to certain golems to patrol the city. And they could do so forever, so long as Throk¡¯s generators didn¡¯t break. The group approached the palace. One golem threw open the door and marched in. King Hanan shot to his feet, producing a sword from nowhere and lunging at the first metal golem. The sword scraped against the golem¡¯s skin harmlessly.


    ¡°Calm down, king,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ve got some guards for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Hanan asked. The advisor that he was talking to had already fled. ¡°How¡­ kind? Is this kind? Are you going to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m assigning two golems to watch you, two to patrol the palace, and one to remain in the control room. There¡¯s another fifteen patrolling the streets. Just in case, you know?¡±


    ¡°Just in case,¡± Hanan repeated, wiping his brow.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on the kingdom core. Oh! Have you met my apprentice?¡± Theo said, gesturing to Salire behind him. ¡°She¡¯s quite good.¡±


    Salire blushed, bowing to the king.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m quite certain I haven¡¯t,¡± the king said, slicking back his hair.


    Theo pressed forward as Salire stammered. Maybe she was taken aback by the king¡¯s grace, or just nervous about talking to a leader. Whatever the case, it gave him a chance to inspect the kingdom core. He marched with two golems, feeling that both Sarisa and Rowan were near. They delved into the depths of the city, arriving at the ritual room before long. The wards held firm, but dark energy still radiated from the corrupted core.


    ¡°What do you suppose that means?¡± Theo asked, passing through his shimmering ward to inspect the core closer. His golems, Sarisa, and Rowen remained outside.


    ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡± Rowan shouted from afar.


    Theo gestured the half-ogres closer, and they came. They got a good look at the core¡¯s monolith, but retreated. The alchemist gave them a flat look, clicking his tongue. Moments later, the pair were skittering back, jaws clenched as they passed through the shimmering barrier.


    ¡°Did it look like that before?¡± Rowan asked. He spoke as though he was holding his breath.


    Theo traced his finger along the length of the monolith. The dark energy remained, but there was something strange. Purple striations had spread through the corruption, cutting it in places. The alchemist stepped back as a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I think you¡¯re right¡­ Seems like my Venom potion is more potent than I thought.¡±

 6.11 - Spheres

    Xol¡¯sa stooped low, almost pressing his face against Qavell¡¯s monolith. The king stood beyond the barrier, shooting furtive glances at all those gathered. The wizard moved his hands through the air, controlling a series of floating arcane runes. Theo had summoned both Zarali and Xol¡¯sa to check things out, but it became clear this was a problem for a healer. After that, both Bilgrob and Sulvan came to lend a hand.


    ¡°One thing is clear to me,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, snapping his fingers to dismiss his arcane arrays. ¡°Tresk infected the entire city.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Sulvan grunted. ¡°Poison effects cannot transfer to core buildings.¡±


    ¡°Yet here we are.¡± BIlgrob had to crawl to get into the room, and crouched as he inspected the monolith. ¡°Allow me to cast Spit¡¯s magic. I¡¯ll clear it in moments.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in another plague of frogs,¡± Theo said. ¡°No offense.¡±


    Bilgrob shrugged.


    The group assembled to study the strange development on the monolith came up with nothing. It became a curiosity, more than anything. But whatever that thing was doing, it was weakening the magic¡¯s hold on Qavell¡¯s core. Soon, the king would have control of his city once again. Once that was cleared up, he would decide what to do with the alliance. Theo hoped for vassalship, but full membership into the Southlands Alliance would be fine. So long as he could hold Qavell close in the coming month, he wouldn¡¯t mind.


    As with all things that went weird, Theo had to write a report and submit it to the administration team. They couldn¡¯t do anything about it, but he was already impressed with the way Alise had handled the situation. Everyone within the city was fed and watered. Some had even descended from Qavell, coming down to investigate their new home. Others remained in their homes, weapons in hand as they expected an attack at any moment. Given time, they would come out of it.


    ¡°Welp,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands. ¡°I¡¯m off to the swamp.¡±


    Theo turned, leaving the horrid place and preparing to use his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability. He felt a tug at his elbow and turned to find Zarali with an expectant smile. Without a word, he wrapped his will around her and brought her along. He went directly for the Bridge, fearing the effects of the void on the dronon woman. With a nod of approval from the keeper of that bridge, he set foot in his private realm. It was night time and four moons were visible in the sky. The shone bright enough to cast the landscape in a light greater than one moon could ever do.


    ¡°Oh! Night time?¡± Zarali asked. She yelped when Belgar knocked her over, leaping at his sister and hugging her tightly.


    Theo turned away from the siblings, heading for the cottage. He spotted a few archways and chuckled to himself. He checked in with Drogramath and Glantheir, who were chatting in the cottage before sorting out the new souls. There was one he thought he recognized, but it couldn¡¯t remember who it was. A few souls became a few hundred. As the alchemist sorted through the twenty spirits waiting, more appeared and got in line.


    There were no recent world events, so he couldn¡¯t be sure why they had come. With a shrug, he went through each of them for a brief interview. Perhaps it was his enhanced willpower, or his increasing Wisdom, but he had a good read on all of them. This time there were ten rejections, compared to 300-some souls accepted. The ground beneath his feet rumbled as he accepted them. Tero¡¯gal grew in strength, reaching level 37 and offering a new upgrade.


    Theo thumbed through the list of upgrades, finding nothing interesting at first. He had spent a lot of upgrade points on things that would protect the realm. But other upgrades made life better for the spirits within the realm. He spotted one that stuck out to him, although the name was silly. The alchemist inspected it, intent on taking this as his newest upgrade.


    [Sphere]


    Your realm is now a planetoid! Your pocket dimension now has a proper atmosphere and space around it emulating the real world! Grow your realm strong enough, and the ¡®space¡¯ will become more real.


    This wasn¡¯t a big upgrade for the realm, but it would allow him to keep with the theme of making Tero¡¯gal a ¡°real world¡± rather than a manufactured one. The upgrades that allowed him to make the realm more like the real world were the most appealing, so he was happy to take it. After accepting the upgrade, he inspected the realm.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Mortal Dreamrealm


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: Unaffiliated


    Level: 37


    Souls: 582


    Expansions:


    [Harvesting Array]


    [Defensive Towers]


    [Landscape Manipulation]


    [Guardians of Faith]


    [Bubble]


    [Simulated Reality]


    [Sphere]


    Pending Requests: 0


    A few more souls wouldn¡¯t hurt the realm, but he got the impression that the ones he accepted today were from Veosta. It must have taken them a bit to work their way into the void where they could be reincarnated in a realm. Theo was surprised they hadn¡¯t gone to an elven realm, but that was fine. Maybe they were part of the doomsday cult.


    All the potion making, golem construction, and general tomfoolery had brought Theo¡¯s herbalist and alchemy cores to Level 31. That had also brought his personal level to 31, allowing him to place another point into Wisdom. He had balanced his other attributes out enough that he could dump everything into Wisdom. Intelligence was the next option, but the cold logic that came with that attribute wasn¡¯t appealing. Not without an Intelligence of the Soul potion. And he couldn¡¯t take another one of those.


    Instead, he headed to the cottage for some tea. As he walked the dirt streets, he spotted an archway he didn¡¯t recognize. It had sprung up while he was working with the souls, alongside the other usual guests of the realm. Theo entered the building, finding the owner of that gate. An elderly human sat with his hands on his lap. He was bald-headed and had a long white beard. The alchemist narrowed his eyes on the man and took a seat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met,¡± Theo said, nodding at the interloper.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Indeed we haven¡¯t. Ulvuqor. Knowledge,¡± he said, inclining his head toward Theo.


    ¡°You¡¯re a human.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Uz¡¯Xulven said, cackling. ¡°Didn¡¯t take him long, did it?¡±


    ¡°Not long at all,¡± Drogramath quipped.


    ¡°Go on and ask how old Ulvuqor is, Theo. I dare you,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, elbowing him in the ribs.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve existed since¡ª¡±


    ¡°Time immemorial!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven mocked. ¡°Seeking the knowledge and power of the ages! OoooOoooOoo!¡±


    Each guest at the table laughed. Except Glantheir, who gave a pained look at the human. Once the laughing died down, the elven god of healing smiled at Ulvuqor. ¡°Don¡¯t let them get to you.¡±


    ¡°I really am a time mage. Or I was,¡± Ulvuqor said, fidgeting with his robes. ¡°Until I ascended.¡±


    ¡°See, it doesn¡¯t make sense. Does it?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said. ¡°Humans can¡¯t ascend. I haven¡¯t seen one, anyway. They would have to be extremely powerful.¡±


    ¡°I am powerful,¡± Ulvuqor said, folding his arms. ¡°More powerful than you, shadow witch.¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven snorted, choking on her tea. ¡°Shadow witch!¡± She cackled some more.


    Theo jerked his head, beckoning for the newcomer to follow along. The human stood, straightening his robes before following along. Once they were away from the cackling group, they could hear each other speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you,¡± Theo said. He searched his memory for only a moment. ¡°Popular with scholarly cults, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ulvuqor said, brightening up. ¡°Although the other gods don¡¯t want to accept me¡­ I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°So, you were a time wizard?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. This is a complicated topic and¡­ Secrets, you know.¡±


    Theo had a strange sense of familiarity with the man. He believed that he was a time mage, but didn¡¯t know what that meant. Had this dude been sending himself through time to do stuff? What kind of stuff did he do and why did that feel so important right now? More hints from his wisdom, maybe.


    ¡°When were you born?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Ulvuqor asked, punching Theo playfully in the arm. ¡°I¡¯m here now. At least, I think I am. Yes, I most certainly am.¡±


    Theo placed an arm on the god¡¯s shoulder, feigning a friendly gesture. It wasn¡¯t as though he didn¡¯t trust the man, but that little nagging feeling in the back of his mind wouldn¡¯t go away. Wrapped in the willpower of Tero¡¯gal, it was easy enough to probe Ulvuqor. The alchemist resisted narrowing his eyes as he felt the essence of his soul. It was a blood-stained soul, but not in the way that he had killed many people. More that it was attuned to blood. Fueled by it, maybe.


    The god offered him a sly grin. ¡°Don¡¯t go searching if you don¡¯t want to find the answer.¡±


    ¡°Do I want to know what that means?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get it soon enough, Dreamwalker. Time has a way of coming back on us.¡± Ulvuqor held his hand out, producing the image of a familiar planet. Earth. ¡°What do you think led to the destruction of this world?¡±


    Unique phrasing. Theo cleared his throat. ¡°An expanding sun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so literal. Knowledge, you see, is my domain now. The fall of that universe is a twisted tale.¡±


    ¡°Khahar isn¡¯t shutting you up,¡± Theo said, looking over his shoulder.


    ¡°You people need to learn how to dance around the truth. Have you read the new rules? I didn¡¯t think so.¡± Ulvuqor scoffed. ¡°Unknown truths are forbidden, but unknown omissions? That¡¯s the sort of gray area I like to operate in.¡±


    ¡°How about this?¡± Theo asked, allowing his aura to spread over himself and the god. In a blink, they were standing atop a mountain range far from the cottage. ¡°What happened to Earth?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is Zaul¡¯s core, isn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s test it. The man who saved Earth the first time was named Mark Pritchard.¡± Nothing happened. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°So, you were a time mage. Is that how you ascended?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I mastered my magic after the Second War of Ascension and made a loop after going back to the first war. That gave me the strength to force my way into the pantheon.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fun. What happened on Earth? Did that Mark guy do something to the sun?¡±


    Ulvuqor chuckled to himself, picking a stone from the ground and tossing it over the mountain¡¯s edge. He watched as it tumbled down, gathering speed as it went. ¡°I only caught glimpses of him. The magic I used was powerful enough to break through. Back to Old Earth, but not enough to see anything before 2060. There was a fight between those things. You know the ones I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Theo wished he didn¡¯t know. Ulvuqor was talking about the bird-like people that the Harbinger hailed from. If they were fighting on Earth, what the hell did that mean?


    ¡°We¡¯re almost certain we¡¯re dealing with one of them.¡±


    ¡°The problem goes deeper than you think. This creature has been dead for untold eons. Yet it lingers. Outside of our system, and whatever system manages the creatures themselves. Good luck purging them. I don¡¯t envy the task ahead of you, future Dreamwalker.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen the future?¡± Theo asked. It was the only thing he could think of.


    ¡°Maybe. Some knowledge is outside of my grasp. I¡¯ll say that you should use your fancy potions and proto dream realm as much as possible. Before someone gets mad and patches it.¡±


    Theo realized that the wizard-god was being stingy with information on purpose. As if to add insult to that thought, he vanished before the alchemist could ask another question. He let out a heavy sigh and shrugged. Nothing he learned on that mountain would tip the scales for the coming hardship. The failsafes represented by the Thrones of Power would have to be enough to see them through. As Ulvuqor vanished, Theo was left with his thoughts. He fell backwards on that mountain, passing into the void rather than slamming against the hard stone.


    Drifting through the void could be disorientating if one wasn¡¯t used to it. Theo allowed himself to drift for untold time, tracing a path along the ribbon of the Prime Pantheon. He saw the demon realms somewhere in the distance, only glancing at them before moving along. As expected, he felt parts of himself breaking away the further he got from the mortal plane. He increased his speed, heading to the outer edges of the two most powerful pantheons. The ribbon here was coiled, containing a line of minor realms that seemed uncountable. Beyond that was only darkness, and he turned back before the last of ¡®him¡¯ broke away.


    Theo descended to the mortal realm, unsure of this information. The moment his feet touched the ground, he headed out from the ritual chamber in Qavell. Those inclined to practice magic were still studying the effects of his Venom potion, but he had a decent idea of what had happened. Tresk stabbed the Worldbreaker with the poison. It had been enhanced beyond what it should have been designed for. The Venom potion now ran through the Worldbreaker¡¯s spirit, however scattered it was.


    ¡°Talk about a nasty potion,¡± Theo said, passing by the king and his attendants. ¡°Wanna get wet and wild, Hanan?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to dig through the mud in the swamp. Wanna come?¡±


    ¡°No? Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself. Remain in your tomb.¡±


    The king shot nervous glances at his attendant. There was something in Hanan that didn¡¯t trust anyone from the city, and Theo couldn¡¯t blame him. A moment later, he ran to catch up with the alchemist. On second look, he decided that Hanan didn¡¯t look as bad as he expected. A playful smile tugged at the corner of his lips.


    ¡°We¡¯re grateful, you know,¡± Hanan said. ¡°For what Broken Tusk did.¡±


    ¡°Glantheir would have castrated me if I didn¡¯t save you guys.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. He wouldn¡¯t have stopped you if you shot us down. Don¡¯t underestimate your kindness.¡±


    ¡°Ah, maybe you¡¯re right,¡± Theo said, turning to wink at the king. ¡°Your dad was always my biggest worry. Turns out, he was another person¡¯s rival.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain he¡¯s dead?¡±


    Theo was absolutely sure that Karasan was ¡®alive¡¯ but it was hard to define life in this world. If a person died, their soul went to the void. But the former king had died in Balkor¡¯s realm. He didn¡¯t know what it meant for a mortal to die in a realm, or what would happen to their soul. More than likely, Karasan was being kept by the necromantic god.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Theo lied. ¡°Now take those robes off. We¡¯re heading to the swamp.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sarisa said, coming from the shadows swift enough to make Hanan yelp.


    ¡°A king and archduke in the swamp. I can¡¯t wait,¡± Rowan said, rubbing his hands together.

 6.12 - Zero Percent Goblin

    Hanan didn¡¯t care for the swamp. At every step it sucked at his fancy boots. Sticks poking from the mud would grab at his robes. He really should have taken the gilded robes off. They didn¡¯t look nearly as good covered in mud. The king even lost his breakfast when they traveled through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal. But that was a rite of passage.


    ¡°How do you people live here?¡± Hanan complained.


    ¡°With a lot of Cleansing Scrub,¡± Sarisa said, smacking a small snapper on the head. It skittered away, grunting as it went.


    ¡°I can see the advantage of such a place, though. Look at those mountains.¡± Hanan was awestruck by the size of those mountains. Since Qavell was on an open plane before it took to the skies, such defensive structures would have been impressive.


    The group trudged through the mud, finding their way to the rocky outcrops on the swamp¡¯s edge. The walk took brutalizing hours to reach the nearest shore. Theo cleaned everyone up with some Cleansing Scrub, banishing away the mud. That brought Hanan¡¯s spirits even higher, putting a goofy smile on his regal face.


    ¡°Touch nothing,¡± Sarisa warned. ¡°Or you¡¯ll explode.¡±


    Theo searched the bank¡¯s edge first, kicking over stones to find insects scuttling away. Stone flowers grew in this area, marking the section half-way from the bank to a scree. He was surprised to see the flowers didn¡¯t care for the loose stone, preferring to grow on solid ground. Most of the samples he had found were in areas of intense concentration of earth magic. There were also Water Lilies along in the mud, and even Swamp Onions.


    ¡°This is an excellent spot.¡± Theo knelt, inspecting the first few samples. None were up to the standard of a fourth tier potion, but they were far more potent than the examples he had in his greenhouses. ¡°How are your people doing, Hanan?¡±


    ¡°Your golems have frightened them,¡± Hanan said, pouting. ¡°They¡¯re fine. They¡¯ll be fine, given enough time.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    It took Theo about an hour to find a few samples he was happy with. During that time, Hanan was eager to chat about different things. That¡¯s when the alchemist¡¯s plan was completed. It wasn¡¯t complicated, but the king had to get out of his city. Picking through the mud wasn¡¯t exciting, but it wasn¡¯t the same cursed city he had been trapped in for so long. After this, he could go see other parts of the alliance.


    ¡°Throk has been working on something,¡± Theo said, placing the fine example of a Water Lily in his inventory. ¡°We¡¯ll connect with the north soon enough. Although I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s much to see.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already got a length of track set on the mountain pass,¡± Rowan said, pulling at something on his finger.


    Theo looked closer, finding that the half-ogre had an ogre snapper stuck to his finger. It wouldn¡¯t come off no matter how hard he yanked, so he left it there.


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Theo said. He couldn¡¯t stop staring at the small turtle. ¡°As I expected, there were a few decent samples of Water Lily out this far. If the north hadn¡¯t been destroyed, it would have been a trove of reagents.¡±


    ¡°Alas, it is destroyed,¡± Hanan sighed. ¡°Can we leave this damnable place, now?¡±


    ¡°Sure. You should stop by for dinner, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you serving mud?¡±


    Sarisa scoffed. ¡°No. We don¡¯t eat mud.¡±


    ¡°I eat mud sometimes,¡± Rowan shrugged.


    Everyone glared at him. The half-ogre just shook his hand, trying to dislodge the snapper.


    <hr>


    Theo was happy to see Hanan head off and investigate the town some more. The alchemist made his way to the Newt and Demon. Salire would be happy to see some more powerful reagents. More than anything, he wanted to see another potion that gave him free attributes. His trips into the swamp would become more frequent, and he had plans to hit every area he could think of. Including the underground that had been so neglected.


    ¡°Ah! Finally,¡± Salire said, bounding down the stairs after the bell rang. ¡°I have something to show you.¡±


    Theo gestured up the stairs. ¡°After you.¡±


    She had more bounce in her step than normal. Theo thought he was excited to show her the new reagent, but the half-ogre woman had something bubbling up within her that couldn¡¯t be contained. When they reached the landing of the third floor, she gestured to the lab and smiled at him.


    It took Theo longer than he would care to admit finding what she was showing. A tiny version of the 500 unit alchemy stills sat on a metal stand. Four duplicates sat in a row, all with the advanced vapor pressurization artifices created by Throk. In a flash, he realized what her plan was.


    ¡°Small batch stills?¡± Theo asked, unable to suppress a smile. Each was made of Drogramathi Iron and was an example of Throk¡¯s expert craftsmanship.


    ¡°Exactly! I¡¯m certain we¡¯re ruining your fancy new reagents when we put them in the big stills. But wait! There¡¯s more!¡± Salire danced from one side of the lab to the other. She slapped her hand on a large metal box. ¡°A cold box!¡±


    ¡°Temperature control for the new brewing method?¡± Theo asked, inspecting the dials on the box¡¯s front panel. ¡°Excellent.¡±


    ¡°This is when I ask if you found more of the fancy reagents,¡± Salire said. The smile just wouldn¡¯t leave her face.


    Theo produced a large sample of the Water Lily. The difference between the lily and the Spiny Swamp Thistle was that the flowers would grow back. It might take time, but he could harvest them again to make whatever potion he needed. Fourth tier potions really were something else, and represented the combination of each property on a reagent. He was excited to see what the Wisdom-based reagent produced.


    Before proceeding to the distillation phase, Theo found a normal sample of the Water Lily reagent in a create. He decomposed it, revealing the other two properties. He had neglected these reagents for a while, as he preferred to use them for their property that increased attributes. Two samples went up in gouts of smoke, revealing the other properties. The properties were Soothsayer and Intuition. The alchemist had his own intuition about what those properties were. As with all things related to Wisdom, it had to do with predicting things before it happened.


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    Theo approached one new still, estimating the size to be about ten units. Although he only had enough of the flower to do a batch three units in size, Salire had done well. It needed breathing room to condense the vapor. He inspected the artifices on the side, finding that they were more impressive than anything Throk had made before. Integrating the heating elements throughout the still was impressive. He took care to grind the reagents, adding enchanted water before starting the still.


    ¡°The distillation time should be reduced. Significantly,¡± Salire said, withdrawing her notes. ¡°Oh, did I tell you I found a trader to sell me an artifice? It can make books!¡±


    ¡°Really? Can we finally make books?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yep. I gave it a few test runs,¡± Salire said, looking up from her pages and winking. ¡°It¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Theo chatted with Salire while the new still worked. He studied the heating phases, following what they had done the last time. The smaller artifice made it much easier to control the heat. The alchemist used his intuition to adjust it as they went, lowering or raising it when the essence it produced seemed off. While the batch produced little essence, the stuff that came out felt potent. Focusing on a property had some meaning for the fourth tier of potion craft, but not as much as normal potions.


    ¡°Here are some vials,¡± Salire said, steering clear of the essence. They both knew how volatile the contents of the flask would be. ¡°I¡¯ll just stand here¡­¡±


    Theo performed the reaction for four vials, but stopped when something nagged at the back of his mind. He placed three incomplete vials of essence into a crate, only performing the reaction on one. Only one Potion of Significance could be crafted or consumed every five days. The description on the Elixir of Life potion clarified that this was limited on a per-potion basis. Whatever this essence produced wouldn¡¯t affect the brewing of another Potion of Significance.


    ¡°Just one. For now,¡± Theo said, completing the reaction for this new potion. He felt the power of that potion in his hands, and brought it to the fridge as quickly as he could. After stoppering it with a glass, he placed it into the artifice and set the dials. After inserting a few motes, it hummed to life.


    ¡°There we go,¡± Theo said, patting the device.


    ¡°Did you find anything else?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°That was it. After searching for almost an entire day, I only found one.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ imagine if you get another plus ten.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan¡­ Among other things.¡±


    Salire wanted some help with the other stills while Theo was there. She had an order for more Cleansing Scrub potions from the alliance. He felt as though she wanted company more than anything. It didn¡¯t take her long to bounce ideas off of him about the future of the lab. The things she shared didn¡¯t surprise him, though. Theo had taken on the role of producing niche potions that took far longer to produce, while she took up the mantle of mass-production.


    ¡°That works for me,¡± Theo said, shutting the last lid of the last still. This batch would include healing and curative potions alongside the Cleansing Scrub. Predicting an outbreak of sickness wasn¡¯t fun, but it was better than being blindsided. He poured some Cleansing Scrub on himself, nodding to his apprentice. ¡°Good work. The Newt and Demon is always in expert hands when those hands are yours.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t miss the shade of red spreading across her cheeks as he left. Dinner was soon, and he was certain Hanan would attend. Sarisa and Rowan had already left to prepare the food, which meant they were taking this seriously.


    Arriving at the manor, Theo found a flurry of activity in the kitchen. Yeah, Sarisa and Rowan were going all out. Tresk and Alex were just coming in. The alchemist got to witness how the goose fit through the door. She shoved her way through the door, honking the whole way. The threshold buckled and the house groaned. No one but Theo thought this was weird.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t increased the size of the door?¡± he asked. Alex found a comfortable place to rest, wrapping her slender neck around herself.


    ¡°Sledge is busy,¡± Tresk said, falling into her chair with a sigh. ¡°Fool of a woman starting a clutch. I don¡¯t have baby fever! I¡¯ll never have it!¡±


    ¡°Keep an open mind. I would like to produce giant goslings one day.¡±


    Alex had somehow ascended to Level 35. As Theo thought of it, so had Tresk. When had he been left behind in the dust? The Tara¡¯hek had reached Level 34, but didn¡¯t seem likely to roll over anytime soon. At least his progress with his two main cores was progressing well enough. And he didn¡¯t have to worry about his sub-cores adding to his personal level. So long as his alchemy and herbalist cores were leveling, so was he.


    Hanan arrived a short while later, wearing clean robes. Although Theo had cleaned the man with Cleansing Scrub, he had assumed a slightly more regal form of attire for the dinner. The king waited at the threshold for a while, eventually clearing his throat.


    ¡°Could someone please introduce me?¡± he asked, looking meek in his regal attire.


    ¡°Introducing¡­¡± Tresk jumped onto the table, taking in a deep breath. ¡°King Hanan! Give it up, everyone! Heir to the throne of Qavell, all around cool guy, and pretty handy with a fork!¡±


    Hanan cleared his throat. ¡°Thank you, Dreamer. I meant an introduction to the group.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Tresk got down from the table, giving formal introductions for everyone gathered. Hanan was familiar with everyone, but Theo assumed this was just a formality. He had thought about inviting other people to the dinner, but decided against it.


    ¡°Have a seat, Hanan,¡± Theo said, pulling a chair out for the king. ¡°Don¡¯t quote me, but I think we¡¯re having steak.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do love steak,¡± Hanan said, finding a seat. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with dishes of the southland.¡±


    ¡°Wolf meat, mostly,¡± Sarisa said, swooping in to deliver a platter. It was loaded with Marsh Tubers that had been battered and deep fried. Theo felt his stomach grumble as he gazed at the Broken Tusk version of french fries. ¡°But the swamp provides.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it does,¡± Hanan said, grabbing a fry and promptly burning his tongue. ¡°Ah. Just a bit hot.¡±


    Tresk took charge of the discussion first, filling her plate with fries and eating them like a slob. ¡°Qavell is already doing better. Her people need time to recover, but they¡¯re strong. Just like the southlanders.¡±


    Theo was surprised at her tact.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more. The Southlands Alliance is helmed by some kind souls,¡± Hanan said, inclining his head toward Tresk. ¡°This wasn¡¯t something I expected, given the stories I was told.¡±


    ¡°What were those stories?¡± Tresk asked. She didn¡¯t even spit any tuber onto the table.


    ¡°Father always talked about the other towns in the alliance as things. Not places filled with people inside. After the city landed, I was happy to see he was wrong.¡±


    Sarisa came by again, serving a mashed version of the tuber. She smiled to herself as she returned to her brother in the kitchen.


    ¡°Is that cheese?¡± Hanan asked, leaning over the mashed tuber.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know we had cheese.¡± Theo loaded a plate with fries and mashed tubers. ¡°Someone must have imported some.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I like this,¡± Hanan said, licking his lips after taking a sample. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    Next wasn¡¯t steak as Theo had predicted, but something shockingly similar to pulled pork. It even had barbeque sauce¡­ or something like it. Of course, this wasn¡¯t pulled pork. It was pulled wolf. The alchemist should have guessed from the scent, but as Sarisa brought out a massive plate of the stuff. Tresk¡¯s manners fell away when the plate of meat hit the table. She tore into it, devouring a quarter of the massive pile in a moment.


    ¡°Pardon me,¡± Tresk said, wiping the corners of her mouth. The ear-rending belch she issued didn¡¯t help with her assumed manners.


    Theo leaned in, elbowing the marshling. ¡°What¡¯s up with that? Starting fresh?¡±


    ¡°I need to be more like the Dreamer. Which means¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Being less of a goblin?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s it. Less of a goblin. But not zero percent goblin.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±

 6.13 - Deathbloom

    The wind whipped by as Theo took the tram north. Several golems working in Gronro-Dir needed maintenance and it had been too long since he had seen the area for himself. While Fenian¡¯s battle with the Worldbreaker had been bad for the continent, he avoided slicing the southlands up. While it was normally fun to see how the people up north were doing, the alchemist was accompanied by the masked elf, Twist. Their deal still stood, and it was his responsibility to get him back to the place where Qavell once was.


    Grot was there on the platform to greet them, laughing as Theo attempted to tame his hair. Throk still hadn¡¯t found a way to install windows without taking away the view. ¡°Alright there, Theo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Theo took a long moment to take in the sight. The sickly green hue that had floated in the air was gone along with the pungent scent of necromantic magic in the air. ¡°How bad is the damage?¡±


    Grot gestured for the duo to follow, walking up the slope that led to the town. ¡°We¡¯ve got some construction projects in our future. Already started, but we¡¯re going to be a land of bridges soon enough.¡±


    Since Broken Tusk had required so much stone to get their various projects done, Gronro had pitched in by cutting stone from the mountain. The result was a surplus that opened the gates to bridge building.


    ¡°Is there no direct path to Qavell?¡± Twist asked, sounding slightly annoyed.


    ¡°Not unless you can fly. Even then, there¡¯s some nasty energy up north.¡± Grot led them to a karatan-drawn carriage, and the group set off.


    Theo¡¯s golems and wards had done an amazing job of clearing the immediate area of necromantic energies. The alchemist spotted rails before long, but was unaware that Throk had already started laying them. A half-hour into their ride, they found Gronro workers erecting the metalwork, adapting the straight railing for the hilly environment. The landscape leveled out after the initial rise, giving way to a straight cut through the mountains. Until an hour later, when the karatan reared to a stop before a clittering chasm.


    ¡°That is the problem,¡± Grot said, scooting close to the edge. ¡°Still hot, somehow.¡±


    Theo looked on in awe. Fenian had carved a hundred-foot swathe in the landscape. The sections near the bottom had already filled with water from the ocean, while those near the surface glowed with molten rock. He swallowed hard, considering the implications of the Herald¡¯s power. Could he have actually taken him in a fight? Even with his nonsense dimensional powers, it would have been difficult. Fenian could be an asshole, but at least he was on the right side.


    ¡°Span like this is tricky. Ziz came to check it out, but he¡¯s worried about stability.¡± Grot scratched at his beard.


    Theo took a seat on a rock, picking a blade of grass from the ground to fidget with. The area was already coming back to life. Whatever alpine plants grew here before were bound to return. Especially when considering the magical density in the air. So long as some energy from Tero¡¯gal or Drogramath¡¯s realm came, they would come back. Ziz¡¯s ability to build bridges was getting better, but the chasm was vast. Even with an Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, he wasn¡¯t sure how well he could fill it. He plucked more grass, trying to force his Wisdom to provide a solution.


    ¡°We could fly you over, but I don¡¯t know,¡± Theo said, holding a finger in the air as though to check the weather. ¡°The necromantic energy is gone, but whatever rushed to fill the void feels just as potent.¡±


    Theo had expected to travel more that day, leaving him feeling aimless. Tresk had done some scouting of the area, but had failed to express how wide the chasms were. Between the point he stood and the place where Qavell once was, there were at least four breaks. She estimated as she went since the flight north would have taken too long.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do,¡± Theo said, standing and gesturing to the cart. Both Grot and Twist shrugged as they made their way back.


    Something caught the alchemist¡¯s attention as he went. A small bush clung to the rocks near the road¡¯s edge. It was a squat thing with tiny flowers dotting the surface. Each flower was a brighter shade of green than the leaves. He could feel the alchemical potential radiating and came close to inspect. After confirming they were viable for potions, he plucked several bushes clean, placing the flowers in his inventory. Then the group was off. Back to Gronro, then Broken Tusk.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t feel as though you¡¯ve left empty-handed,¡± Theo said, offering a grimace to Twist.


    ¡°These things take time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll work on it, but¡­ I don¡¯t know, Theo. Dangerous working conditions and all,¡± Grot said.


    ¡°Hmmm. I have an idea, however stupid it might be.¡±


    ¡°I like stupid ideas.¡±


    On the tram ride back to Broken Tusk, Theo deconstructed a few samples of the new flower to reveal all four properties, including the hidden one. He inspected one flower sample.


    [Deathbloom]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Rare


    Bushes filled with this flower are known to grow on the graves of great people.


    Properties:


    [Poison] [Spiritsense] [Obstruct] [Soulcleave]


    There were a few things to take in with this flower. It was born from necromantic energy, that much was clear. While the first property, Poison, fell in line with what Theo expected from a necromancy reagent, the others were strange. Spirit sensing, obstructing, and the cleaving of souls were only moderately in line with what he expected. Experiments were required, but he had a good feeling about this one.


    The tram arrived back home in the early afternoon. Theo spotted the flags of trading ships in the port after disembarking. He apologized to Twist, who didn¡¯t seem to care, and headed to the makeshift market in the harbor. Work had resumed on the true marketplace, but all construction efforts had been on Qavell. Ziz didn¡¯t even have time to think about his bridge to the lizard islands, although that was still at the forefront of Theo¡¯s thoughts. He wanted a bridge that spanned from Broken Tusk to the Khahari Desert, but understood the impossibility of it. He bought a few Monster Cores from the market, but nothing more.


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    Theo dropped into Tero¡¯gal before working on his potions, chatting with the gods and having some lovely tea. There was a new face among the regulars, but Ulvuqor was mostly silent during the conversations. The alchemist accepted more souls into the realm, bringing the total to 680. It was enough to raise the realm to Level 38, but not enough to give him a new upgrade. Another day, perhaps. Khahar was sour, but at least Drogramath was in good spirits.


    When Theo returned to the mortal realm, there was enough time to do a few runs for the new reagent. Since he didn¡¯t need to test the Poison property, he could focus on Spiritsense and Obstruct. Both were properties he had never seen in a reagent. But he didn¡¯t have a great feeling about them. Not a negative feeling, but also not good.


    Salire wasn¡¯t working the stills on the third floor. Theo found her on the second floor, messing with an artifice. She was hunched over, cursing as the machine made horrible sputtering noises.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Is that the printing machine?¡±


    Salire turned slowly, revealing the frown on her ink-covered face. ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t get it working.¡±


    It looked as though the half-ogre woman had gotten into a fight with several angry squids. And lost. ¡°I¡¯ll call Throk,¡± Theo said, turning away and offering no aid. He was confident the Cleansing Scrub could clean it away, but he loved his coat too much to risk it.


    Throk didn¡¯t come to the lab himself, but sent an apprentice. Theo left them to it, heading upstairs to do two experimental runs. The tiny stills were perfect for the job, allowing him to do quick batches with very few reagents. He started the first mini-still for the Spiritsense property, and the second for the Obstruct property. While it wouldn¡¯t take long, he had enough time to consult his administration interface.


    If he moved projects around, he could have Ziz and his people working on the bridge issue tomorrow. Broken Tusk had seen no new migrants in a while, which hamstrung any efforts to increase the workforce. People working at the lumbermill and the mine wouldn¡¯t be happy if they were reassigned to stonemason duty. The specialists with those cores had already migrated to Ziz¡¯s ventures and numbered fifty-something workers.


    Theo considered the idea he had on the way back, but didn¡¯t know how to make it work. He sent a command to a nearby metal golem, ordering it to wait outside the lab while he worked with the first property. The alchemist prepared a vial for the Spiritsense Essence when it was done, intent on making a second-tier potion. No need to go crazy. The alcohol binding process would take too much time for a simple curiosity. The reaction in the vial was minimal, producing a small plume of smoke. He held the potion to the light, finding familiarity in the silver solution within.


    ¡°Feels like the Holy element,¡± Theo muttered to himself, swirling the contents. He inspected the resulting potion.


    [Sense Spirits Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Grants the imbiber the ability to see lingering spirits.


    Effect:


    For an hour, the imbiber of this potion may view any nearby spirits.


    Theo stood there for some time, his mouth hanging open as he considered the implications. Looking at the potion from afar, one might assume it was innocuous. It allowed the drinker to see spirits, so what? Death wasn¡¯t the end in this world, so that wasn¡¯t the weird part. But everything he understood about the way a soul worked centered around the void. It was the primordial soup that everyone returned to when they died. No matter how devout they were, there was no fast pass to a realm. The one thing that he had as an absolute rule in his mind was the void. Spirits simply didn¡¯t linger.


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson from quaffing random potions,¡± Theo said, holding his hand against his heart. ¡°Nah.¡±


    Theo drank the potion.


    The edges of Theo¡¯s vision went murky, his sight looking as though someone had smeared it with silvery grease. He took a steady breath as the grease overtook his vision. Things within the lab glowed a similar color, until a singular figure resolved itself. It was a malformed spirit, like the ones that arrived in his realm. And it was glaring at him. There were no eyes to see, or features to make out on the spirit¡¯s face, but it was glaring.


    ¡°Sorry, who are you?¡± Theo asked.


    The spirit didn¡¯t react. Based on height, it was one of the many taller races in this world. Dronon, half-ogre, or ogre. But it wasn¡¯t wide enough to be an ogre, and it made little sense that a dronon would be here. Theo decided it was a long-dead spirit of an angry half-ogre. Perhaps one of many proto half-ogres that called this place home hundred of years ago. One of the many that were trampled under the feet of Qavell¡¯s progress.


    But this was wrong. The spirit shouldn¡¯t have been here. Its form shifted, as though a wisp blown by air, but maintained its general shape. Theo didn¡¯t know why he felt some much hate coming from the thing. The potion only allowed him to see the spirit. If it had been there for a while, this was just what it did.


    ¡°You can move on, you know,¡± Theo said. He wanted to point in a direction, but that was meaningless. ¡°You should have already moved on. Should I get a priest? An exorcist? I¡¯ll need a young catholic priest and an old one.¡±


    The spirit moved a bit at the joke, and Theo raised a brow. ¡°So, you can hear me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Salire asked, climbing the stairs to the third floor. ¡°You don¡¯t normally talk to yourself while you work.¡±


    She had cleared herself of the ink, looking as fresh as always. Theo brewed another Sense Spirit Potion from his stock of essence and handed it over. ¡°Drink it.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no?¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    Salire hesitated a few more times, but downed the potion. A moment later, she fell back on her ass with a yelp. ¡°Is this normal, Theo?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so,¡± he said, leaning in to inspect the spirit¡¯s features. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s more outside.


    Salire shot him a look as though he had offended her. ¡°How about ¡®no¡¯?¡±


    Theo shrugged, trudging outside. He paused at the entrance to the lab, swallowing hard. Broken Tusk was filled with angry spirits. They crowded the streets, standing outside of doorways or lurking between buildings. Salire screamed when she exited the building.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this potion, Theo. Why are they here? Why are they so mad?¡±


    Sulvan or Zarali might now. Theo turned away and went back into the lab. He had enough essence to make another four potions, and brewed them as the angry spirit looked on. It took interest when he was brewing the potions, but nothing more than a sidelong glance.


    ¡°Hopefully the Obstruct property provides a less¡­¡± Theo paused, looking at the spirit and shivering. ¡°Unnerving potion.¡±


    Theo brewed the next potion, finding it to come out as a murky silver, rather than the brilliant color like the creepy spirit potion. The reaction was slightly more violent, spewing some black smoke into the air and rumbling on the table. The alchemist hoisted it for inspection. Salire leaned in to inspect it at the same time.


    [Obstruct Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Reduces the effectiveness of all forms of restoration.


    Effect:


    For thirty minutes, the imbiber of this potion is unable to restore health, mana, stamina, etc.


    ¡°Hardly a useful potion, is it?¡± Salire asked. ¡°Turning it into a bomb might help, but as is? I wouldn¡¯t drink it.¡±


    ¡°Bomb makes the most sense. Or Aerosolize it and toss it into a crowd.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off the spirit. As much as he had leaned on Zarali and Sulvan for help, he would need to do it again. If anyone knew about the way souls should work, it was those two.

 6.14 - Soulcleave Potion

    Salire, Zarali, Xol¡¯sa, and Sulvan had joined the group for their nightly dinner in the manor. Everyone was busy during the day, forcing Theo to brew more of the Sense Spirit Potion and make it an event. He had enough for everyone gathered, including Sarisa and Rowan. Tonight¡¯s dinner was a fluffy pastry-like dough filled with diced karatan meat and a thick brown gravy that was almost too rich for Theo. He cut it with the grits-like mashed zee, and enjoyed it greatly.


    ¡°When a person dies,¡± Sulvan started. Everyone wanted to get some food in them before they talked about spirits and the dead. ¡°They aren¡¯t given a choice. They are flung into the void for judgment.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t judged,¡± Zarali scoffed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of the natural magical forces of the world,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a shrug. ¡°Without a vessel to tether a soul to, it drifts into the void.¡±


    Theo had already confirmed that the manor was chock-full of spirits. When he and Salire tested it earlier, they found a density of souls far higher than anywhere else in town. But this patch of ground was nothing before he built the manor on it.


    ¡°No one ever told me, but my observation has been that souls fall into the void. But that doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Theo said. ¡°When a person dies, their soul goes to the void. It doesn¡¯t matter how. Now, I want everyone at this table to drink a potion.¡±


    Sulvan gave Theo a flat look. ¡°If this is an attempt to get rid of me, I¡¯m going to be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°You can read the description on the potion, buddy. Don¡¯t be grumpy,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo gave everyone at the table a potion and waited for the screams. Rowan and Sarisa hesitated to drink theirs when the others yelled in surprise. The alchemist drank his own, finding that the souls had moved around. They now surrounded the table, peering down at the people and the food. If they had eyes, he was certain they would look hungry. Whether that was for mortal flesh or the food was beyond him.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± Theo said, gesturing around the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on.¡±


    Sulvan stood, approaching one spirit and holding out a hand. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Is this just an afterimage? An imprint of the spirits left before they departed?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked, summoning a magical array. ¡°An imprint left behind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I brought everyone here to find out.¡±


    Sulvan¡¯s hand flared with golden light. The spirit he had approached recoiled as though the light stung. It was the most movement Theo had seen from a spirit since he started watching them. ¡°That was a banishment spell,¡± Sulvan said, casting Theo a concerned glance. ¡°It works on the undead, but the spirit was unaffected.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve found your town infested with ghosts,¡± Tresk said, leaning over the table to grab another plate of food. ¡°Who ya gonna call?¡±


    Theo stifled a laugh.


    ¡°They¡¯re not hurting anything, are they?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°No. We¡¯ve observed them for an hour earlier in the day,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m not concerned that they¡¯re hostile, but this throws into question the nature of souls.¡±


    ¡°Theo brought us here for a scholarly debate?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked. His expression brightened in an instant. ¡°Perhaps we should check to see if he¡¯s been replaced by a double.¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Pin him down, I¡¯ll get tickling.¡±


    Theo was glad that no one pinned him down or tickled him. But Sulvan had some observations.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re reacting to holy magic,¡± he said, demonstrating another spell. This time he cast a healing spell near the spirits. They recoiled all the same.


    ¡°Yet I cannot get a sense of what they¡¯re made of,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°My magical senses are powerful. And I cannot feel them.¡±


    ¡°What about this?¡± Theo asked, spreading his aura over the spirits. His eyes went wide and he withdrew it into his chest. Each spirit the aura touched moved toward him, like a moth to flame. They drifted above the ground, hovering toward him only to stop when he retracted his aura.


    ¡°Uh¡­ that was weird,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Ah, shit,¡± Theo said, his mind racing. ¡°Oopsie.¡±


    ¡°This goes further than ¡®oopsie,¡¯ I¡¯m afraid,¡± Sulvan said, shaking his head at Theo. He stood, gesturing to the door. ¡°Come. I have a theory.¡±


    The group followed the Priest of Glantheir out of the building, tracing a path along the road. It almost looked as though the spirits were following the road. Until they got out of the western gate, looking up the northern road, no one knew exactly what he was talking about. When they spotted the procession of souls trickling in over that road, the answer was obvious.


    ¡°Theo trapped the souls of the undead on the mortal plane,¡± Sulvan said plainly.


    ¡°How devious,¡± Zarali said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were evil, Theo.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose,¡± Theo said, gritting his teeth. ¡°My potions and wards have an amount of my willpower in them. You said something about a vessel binding the souls to the mortal plane. Did they latch onto my willpower?¡±


    ¡°Your willpower is an extension of a realm, so¡­ Yes,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°This is the only thing that makes sense to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep again,¡± Theo said, folding his arms.


    ¡°We don¡¯t sleep as it is,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ you know.¡¯


    Those inclined to magical things had opinions on what was happening. The figures they saw weren¡¯t ghosts, since Sulvan¡¯s banishment spell worked on ghosts. The two classes of beings were different. Each plate on the table was cleared by the time a solid theory was accepted, and it was the first observation based on Theo¡¯s aura. Something about an aura infused with the power of a realm made them stay, and they couldn¡¯t leave. But they weren¡¯t degrading like the spirits in foreign realms of the void.


    But it couldn¡¯t have been good. The debates rolled on, but it was time for bed. Tresk was annoyed that they hadn¡¯t gone down yet, so Theo gave in. They fell into the Dreamwalk shortly after. The alchemist steered them to the scene north of Gronro, eager to show his companions the damage Fenian had done.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I already watched your memories. I don¡¯t need to see this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but maybe you could fight a dragon here. Imagine some fire. Maybe an army.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dang. Yeah, good idea,¡± Tresk said, dashing off with Alex.


    Theo smiled after them as they went, considering the span his people needed to cross shortly after. The problem with the chasm was not only the distance across, but the depth below. Creating a support in the center would be tricky. A suspension bridge concept might work, if Ziz could get the magical physics of it working. The alchemist imagined a few scenarios, finding that the first few ideas collapsed and fell into the canyon. A concept with massive metal metal posts on both side of the span worked, although it required adjustments. Braided wire held the platform stable. A few more tests for weight capacity later, and he was done. The alchemist had enough information to give to his people back in the real world.


    The Deathbloom flower had one more property to reveal. Theo walked to the other side of the span on his bridge, listening as it creaked under his weight. Ziz could work out the details of that. Maybe. He set up his alchemy equipment and got to work on the new property. Soulcleave didn¡¯t sound like a pleasant property, but he never knew until he brewed the potion. When his Drogramath Alchemy Core leveled to 32, he decided to experiment with another plan while his essence distilled.


    Theo didn¡¯t feel as though he was leveraging one of his biggest advantages as much as he could have. The more his willpower expanded, the more golems he could summon. Labor was an issue in Broken Tusk, so why not try specializing golems to do things like creating crude structures from stone. There were several ways to customize a golem. The first way was the materials a golem was constructed out of. Plant-based golems were better at caring for plants, while metal ones served better in combat. Aside from changing the base material, the only thing that changed them was the monster core used to breathe life into the creation.


    With some quick experimentation, Theo figured out that golems made of stone would be the best for the job. They had an affinity for the Earth element, and had less trouble hoisting heavy rocks. The alchemist couldn¡¯t generate a Monster Core within the dream that was better at moving stuff than the others. There might have been a solution by messing with the ¡®Additional Modification¡¯ section of the golems, but he couldn¡¯t figure it out. He had only placed a Fire Construct in that slot, which helped the metal golems keep their form.


    These discoveries weren¡¯t enough to push his herbalist core over the edge, so he worked with some plants to squeeze out that level. But his failure to change the golems didn¡¯t negate his advantage. He could have a lot of golems. Hundreds at this point, and more if he continued his exploit for his willpower. What he lacked in skilled laborers, he would make up for in an endless crowd of brutish golems who never got tired. The alchemist already had experience with this with the Qavell problem, and could expand it.


    How long would it take an army of golems to make a bridge over the sea? They didn¡¯t need to breathe, so perhaps that would be an easy task for them. Theo shook the thought away as he saw his level-up notification flash in his vision. He dumped his free point into Wisdom, which was his only plan for the near future. With his level secured, he brewed a potion with the Soulcleave property. The resulting potion had a mild reaction, although the Dreamwalk buckled as though it didn¡¯t want to give up the potion¡¯s secrets. The resulting liquid was a pale purple color. He inspected it.


    [Soulcleave Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Drogramath (Minor Bond)


    Imbues your attacks with the Soulcleave effect.


    Effect:


    For fifteen minutes, your attacks gain the Soulcleave effect.


    Attacks made against enemies with a soul will shear off a small part of that soul.


    ¡°Why would I ever use that?¡± Theo asked. When he took a moment to think, he realized a niche chance to use the potion would arise in the future, and filed it away.


    Theo spent the rest of his time in the dreamwalk using his willpower exploit to ensnare more and more undead. He tried not to think about the random souls in his town, but there might be a solution for that. The gods would be tight-lipped about it. There was no reason asking them. Not with the way Khahar hovered.


    Although he knew he was the future holder of the Throne of the Dreamwalker, Theo also knew it wouldn¡¯t help with these small problems. When Fenian had used the power of that core, it only activated when someone was breaking the rules. So the core would only be useful if something went against the Dreamwalker¡¯s design, which was more of a bug tester than a fixer. That responsibility fell on Khahar himself, the Arbiter.


    Tresk flew down on Alex, cutting a path through the endless undead. ¡°Think you have enough undead to work on?¡±


    Theo looked over the tide, shrugging. ¡°Just pushing beyond a thousand. No big deal.¡±


    ¡°As long as no one has stopped you, I don¡¯t see a problem. Dawn approaches, brave demon! Are you prepared to face the day! I think it¡¯s a Monday!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have structured weeks. But, yeah. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The Dreamwalk faded around them as Tresk pulled them out. Theo woke in his bed, looking at the ceiling of his manor room and gazing at the rafters. The marshling had already jumped from her bed, dashing down the stairs to attack whatever food Rowan and Sarisa had put out. Theo ate his breakfast, reviewing his administration screen as the other discussed whatever. He inserted his plans for the bridge in text form, but knew not to overstep his bounds with Ziz. The half-ogre would figure it out with the right amount of nudging.


    Theo made his way to the Newt and Demon after breakfast. Salire wasn¡¯t covered in ink this time, but her print wasn¡¯t working. A human man was working on it with her. He headed to the top floor, brewing the Soulcleave Potion and setting it aside. Having at least five to ten of everything was a good idea, even if it cluttered the lab. With the potion out of the way, he pilfered his mushroom cave¡¯s supplies. As he kicked the stills to life, intending to make Mana Essence to fuel his golem army, he considered his two approaches to alchemy.


    This was why it was important for him to have an industrial capacity to produce potions. Large projects like his stone golem army required absurd amounts of essence. Throk couldn¡¯t produce the mana collectors fast enough to supply him, so this batch would be oldschool. The first run would be a test. It would take Ziz and his boys long enough to get working on the bridge, so why not start the causeway to the lizard islands?


    While Theo worked on the constructs for the golems, he put in a work order at the blacksmith. Rush orders were expensive, but he didn¡¯t have 100 containment cores on hand. By mid-afternoon, all the parts were assembled aside from the raw stone. The alchemist made his way to the beach area south of Qavell, trailed by his two guards, and pulled stone from the rocky hills. With the help of Mana Potions, he made 100 distinct piles. At least Sarisa and Rowan could help him jam Monster Cores into the metal cages, making the work lighter than he expected.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get drunk off mana potions,¡± Theo said, breathing life into swathes of golems.


    ¡°Can that happen?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    With every golem Theo brought to life, he expected it to tug on his willpower. As the 100th golem rose, awaiting orders, he felt nothing. He spread his senses over the crowd, finding that each was ready to receive orders. The other golems were doing as they were instructed. The network of golems was now over two-hundred, and it was far from the upper-limit. But the issue was one of supplies. Without the power generator, the golems would need to refuel themselves as they worked.


    Theo designated a group of ten golems as Mana Construct carriers. They would go back-and-forth between the work site, and Broken Tusk. The other ninety golems would walk the ocean floor, dragging stones from the mountains south of Broken Tusk to build a causeway. The alchemist sent his standing orders to each golem, watching as they turned and marched directly into the sea. The outlet into the ocean was southeast, so they would need to hook around to reach their first waypoint. After that, time would tell if this was an effective strategy.


    This was a lot of effort for a test. But the side-effect was that every golem that operated under his command gave the smallest amount of experience for both his alchemy and herbalist core.


    ¡°Are you planning to take over the world?¡± Sarisa asked. ¡°I¡¯m getting kinda worried that you¡¯re planning to take over the world with a golem army.¡±


    Theo waved the thought away. ¡°I¡¯d need far more golems for that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ like¡­ how many more?¡± Rowan asked.

 6.15 - Unpossible

    Theo trudged back to the Newt and Demon. While the golems didn¡¯t drain his willpower, his stamina had been reduced to a sliver after the long day. Of course, there was always a wrinkle to help set the day right. Twist waited for him by the gate, joining with the procession as he entered the town once again.


    ¡°Do you have a moment?¡± Twist asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Theo asked, not breaking his stride. ¡°I thought we settled the thing about Qavell. The place where Qavell used to be, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I told you I have news about the underground,¡± Twist said.


    Theo stopped, letting his ever-increasing Wisdom shoot him some thoughts. Bug army, deep elf army, bug-elf hybrid army¡­ Something was coming from the underground, and the alchemist certainly wasn¡¯t happy to hear about it. ¡°How big is the army, and are they immune to fire?¡±


    ¡°Big, but¡ªHow did you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always an army or some evil someone.¡±


    Twist cleared his throat. He put his hand to where his mouth should be, but the mask covered his face. ¡°I¡¯m not the most studied elf on rock-people politics, but there has been a development. They said something about a planned migration and then they were gone. When I wanted to tell you the first time, there were only rumblings about leaving. Now, they¡¯re gone.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brows knit. His Wisdom of the Soul spat out reasons, but it was floundering. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The alchemist flicked through his administration interface. An ability of the Governance Core allowed him to access the military side of things. Aarok had organized the screen to be easy to use, assigning buttons and shortcuts for rally points. It was a neat feature that would be even neater if Theo¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t trying to jump out of his chest. A heartbeat after he signaled the call to arms, a clatter of bells rang through the town. Sarisa and Rowan didn¡¯t need instruction. They had already taken the lead on the approach to the mines.


    ¡°Everything okay, Theo?¡± Gridgen asked.


    ¡°Clear the mine,¡± Theo said, already prepared to forestall problems related to workers being paid. ¡°Broken Tusk will pay wages to anyone who needs it. Just clear the mine.¡±


    Gridgen was a guy who had survived a lot. He didn¡¯t need to be told twice to do something in such a serious tone twice. He dashed into the mine, ringing a bell, which caused someone deeper to ring a bell. A minute later, miners were fleeing from the mine.


    ¡°When did you discover the rock people were gone?¡± Theo asked, turning to Twist.


    ¡°Moments before I found you,¡± the pale elf said. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid it will get worse for you.¡±


    ¡°Of course it will. It always does,¡± Theo said, redirecting as many golems as he could spare for the effort. But the adventuring army in Broken Tusk would arrive first. Aarok and Luras were the first to show up. A horse sized-goose alighted the ground, and Tresk dove into the cave. She needed less instructions than the others, and Alex couldn¡¯t fit. ¡°Clear it level-by-level.¡±


    Aarok looked confused at first, but saw the serious look on the alchemist¡¯s face. He barked orders at the adventurers, and they went in. Theo downed a Potion of Limited Foresight and spread his aura wide. Twist joined him as each level was cleared. By the time they reached the bottom floor, where the entrance to the underground was, twenty metal golems had shown up. He ordered them down first, which they did without question.


    ¡°So, how does it get worse?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The dragon is gone.¡±


    Theo closed his eyes. His tactical screen was still in the top-left of his vision. He watched troops disembarking from the tram, arriving from Rivers and Daub. When had Aarok created such a well-oiled machine, and when had the local system interfaced with the national one? With Pogo gone, the underground was undefended. Broken Tuskers didn¡¯t go down there. There was almost no point, since the Russian rock-folk didn¡¯t care for them. But the dragon claimed it had an oath to protect the cavern.


    ¡°How does an entire dragon disappear?¡± Theo asked, making his way down into the underground.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say. But without the dragon, you¡¯re open to the elves in the deep.¡±


    Which was Theo¡¯s fear from the start. The troops fanned out, searching the immediate area before moving into the abandoned town. Sure enough, the dragon was gone. Aarok was cursing as loud as he could, sending his voice echoing through the area. The alchemist¡¯s mind was desperate to find a silver lining to this problem.


    ¡°Where the hell does a giant dragon go?¡± he asked. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m not even mad about being abandoned.¡±


    Aarok stomped over to Theo, glaring at anything that moved. ¡°This place isn¡¯t defensible, Theo. Maybe if there was a giant gods damned dragon in the middle, but look. Tunnels shooting off in every direction. A man almost fell down through a hole he didn¡¯t see a second ago. This place is screwed.¡±


    Theo sighed before shrugging. ¡°Give me five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Aarok nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do a count of the tunnels and come up with something. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Tresk,¡± Theo said, nodding to a particularly menacing bit of gloom behind a rock. ¡°Wanna come?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Tresk said, breaking out of the shadows and jumping on his back. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Theo and Tresk fell through reality. He covered them in Zaul¡¯s shadows as they fell, passing over the bridge and approaching the ribbon of realms. He isolated the one belonging to Glantheir and approached the Realm of Healing. They landed in an expansive elven estate, where the stately lord of the realm waited.


    ¡°Where did my dragon go?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nice to see you, Theo,¡± Glantheir said. He tried to sound annoyed, but it didn¡¯t work for him. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d love a cup of tea. Thanks for asking.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Theo signed. ¡°Come on. It was either you or Ulvuqor. And I like you more.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s better,¡± Glantheir chuckled. ¡°Come. Have a seat.¡±


    Theo shook Tresk from his back. She hissed, but scampered over to find an uncomfortable wooden chair. The alchemist found his own seat, looking out over Glantheir¡¯s world. It was a world almost like the one he had created. Of all the gods, Glantheir had created a world that was almost Earth-like. He added nothing weird to it, but it still felt constructed. It was almost the real thing, but not quite.


    ¡°My dragon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s your first mistake. Perhaps that was Khahar¡¯s mistake,¡± Glantheir laughed. ¡°The first rule of dragons is to never trust a dragon.¡±


    ¡°This is information I could have used before my dragon ran away.¡±


    ¡°Second rule. No one owns them. They¡¯ll enter pacts and break them, like you just saw.¡±


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh as he thought. Broken Tusk wouldn¡¯t be right without a crisis, though. It had been a week and a bit since a city came crashing down, so an army of pissed off elves approaching through the underground section of the town only made sense.


    ¡°How many bad guys are we talking about, Glanthy?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Thousands. Oh, Theo¡­ they have magic that can drill through rock. Just so you know,¡± Glantheir said with a wink. ¡°Ah, look! Khahar can¡¯t see through Zaul¡¯s magic, can he?¡±


    ¡°No one can.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to find the shards soon,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t enjoy the Deep Void.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯ve lingered in the void for a while. Doesn¡¯t seem that bad.¡±


    ¡°If you thought time was weird in the heavens, the Deep Void is far worse. The Bara¡¯thier have been isolated for untold time. Their worlds are strange, and you¡¯ll need to seize every advantage you have if you want to get the shards back. We never figured out why, but there are five primal aspects of this world.¡±


    ¡°I thought there were four,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Oh, had you figured that out? Khahar and I discovered it before the First Ascension War. The fifth aspect is the void aspect, which was the hardest to understand.¡±


    Theo had linked primal aspects of the world to the four thrones a while ago. He segmented them in his mind. The Arbiter was the aspect of law, or justice. The Herald represented the aspect of continuity. As the Dreamer, Tresk was a bridge for the Herald, and the Dreamwalker was the bridge for the Arbiter. He hadn¡¯t decided what those two thrones represented.


    Glantheir cleared his throat, summoning a magical array. It was the most simple one Theo had ever seen. Four circles on the edge with symbols and one in the middle. ¡°The center is Void. Notice the lines between the aspects. At their core, they are Heaven, Earth, Mortality, and Dimensionality. Arbiter, Herald, Dreamer, Dreamwalker.¡±


    Theo felt himself drawn in by the diagram. While it was simple, it made sense. Like a fundamental law of the world.


    ¡°Yet they represent something else. The system is Heaven while the Shards are Earth. Mortality and Dimensionality, though? I couldn¡¯t figure that out before I ascended. But I think Khahar has.¡±


    ¡°Why is this so important?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What does it have to do with Pogo?¡±


    ¡°If it is connected to Khahar, I would guess it is connected with this concept. I also suspected that Emperor Kuzan knows more than he¡¯s letting on. He was there during the First Ascension war.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Tresk blurted out. ¡°That¡¯s unpossible!¡±


    So, Kuzan had been around since the start. Theo knew he was old, but never assumed that the Emperor of Tarantham would have been an original from Earth. That meant he found a way to stop himself from going nuts. The only reason Khahar needed to ascend was so he could keep his sanity.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Glantheir said, smiling at Theo. ¡°He wasn¡¯t from Earth. And he wasn¡¯t born here.¡±


    ¡°Again. Unpossible,¡± Tresk said, inclining her head to the god.


    ¡°Back in the early days, we tried to get back to Earth,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°Earth is gone, by the way. Forever. But we figured out how the system puts outworlder souls on the planet. That¡¯s how Khahar figured out you were coming.¡±


    ¡°Stalker behavior,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°When Kuzan came, he didn¡¯t have the same signature as an Earthling. It was similar, but we never figured it out. He showed up with a realm and knew how to use it. Back then, I was the Emperor of Tarantham, and I didn¡¯t trust him. But the years went on, and he proved capable. We didn¡¯t care about his origins and he had some good ideas. Too brutal for my taste, but it worked.¡±


    ¡°He had a realm?¡± Theo asked, pinching his eyes closed. He had rewritten what he thought was possible a few times today. What was a few more times?


    ¡°Droth Ker Teral Set,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°Aligned with aspects of Death and Eternity. He was ready-made to live forever on the mortal plane.¡±


    Everything linked back to the decisions these people made sixty-thousand-years ago. ¡°But Khahar only held a proto-realm, right?¡±


    ¡°Yet Kuzan holds a realized one. Not unlike your own.¡± Glantheir took a moment to smile to himself. ¡°The fates say you¡¯re going to fight with Khahar one day. But that fate has been twisted so much already. The Burning Eye was meant to have you first before Khahar rescued you. I didn¡¯t know about the Tara¡¯hek plan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about that right now,¡± Theo said. ¡°Any advice for handling the underground elves.¡±


    ¡°Kill them all,¡± Glantheir said.


    Theo¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°What? God of peace and love? Did you just say that?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t stop,¡± Glantheir said with a shrug. ¡°They¡¯ll attack Broken Tusk, if only to loot it. Try to reason with them if you want this experiment to end.¡±


    Visits to the heavens that ended in this many questions were always annoying. Since Theo could shield himself from the Arbiter¡¯s gaze, he could get more information out of the gods who would share stuff. But if there wasn¡¯t a solution to the underground elf problem, and war was the only option, then war it would be.


    ¡°You¡¯ve given me a lot to think about,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I bet I have,¡± Glantheir said, smiling that gentle smile. ¡°Are you headed to your realm for tea?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re heading back to the mortal realm,¡± Theo said. ¡°Preparing our defenses.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. Every minute counts when they¡¯re coming down on you!¡± Glantheir said, winking. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Theo and Tresk fell back through the void. Some tea would be nice right about now, but he couldn¡¯t get his mind off the problem waiting for him in Broken Tusk. Aarok was still moving off when they arrived, going to issue the first commands to his people. The alchemist equipped his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and got to work. Glantheir said the elves could drill through rock, but causing a few strategic cave-ins would give them time. He worked with the adventurers to collapse caverns while the others established battlements in the most logical location.


    Since the rock people rudely departed, taking their dragon with them, the town was demolished. Theo ordered his golems to destroy it, even recalling half his new work force to defend the area. Night fell outside and a camp kitchen was established, feeding all those workers and adventurers that were stuck down below. During a meal break, the alchemist assembled enough components to bolster his little golem army. Fifty more metal golems joined their ranks.


    Midnight was fast approaching before they heard the first sound of raiding parties on the other side of the collapsed tunnels. The metal golems formed the first line of defense with the stone golems behind. Any underground elf that wanted to assault the defenders would need to go through a wall of angry metal and stone before touching mortal flesh. The alchemist would have a chance to test his theory about trapping souls on the mortal plane. Perhaps he could enact his plan to add more spirits to his realm. No matter how angry they were about being removed from their vessels.

 6.16 - Insight Overwhelming

    It took the raiding parties a while to break through the collapsed stone tunnels. Theo folded his arms as he watched them pour forth, extending his aura to ensnare them all. He would have felt bad for them, had they not been so completely prepared for war. Instead, he saw the battle as a reaping of wheat where he held the scythe. As long as he could encourage those souls to move on, they weren¡¯t really dying. But the first wave came with fervor, and the second with slightly more trepidation. But the fourth, the underground elves had lost their heart.


    While the metal golems were good at their job, the defense of the abandoned city still required the intervention of adventurers. The early morning came by the time the attacking forces were mopped up, several hundred souls in all. Theo joined with Aarok, Luras, and Twist as the other adventurers took care of the bodies. There would be a mass-burning, as was tradition in Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Curious. They were so under-prepared,¡± Twist said, rubbing the chin of his mask.


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy about defending the damned tunnels, Theo.¡± Aarok had been grumbling the entire fight. He wouldn¡¯t stop now.


    ¡°Elf, do you know if we could place a town core down here?¡± Luras asked.


    ¡°There already is one,¡± he said, gesturing back toward the city. ¡°Saw it on the way in.¡±


    Luras, Theo, and Theo shared a look. Their descent into the underground had been hasty. None of them inspected the area fully. The group approached the platform that Pogo had rested on, finding a curious monolith there. A smooth gray monolith rose from the platform, surrounded by hard roots. The dragon had been wrapped around the monolith, hiding it from sight.


    Theo looked back on his memories. Had he actually missed it? He shot Twist a look, but got nothing back under that mask. He looked back to the scene of the battle, unable to see the ghosts but knowing they were drawing closer to him. The version of Theo that had just arrived in Broken Tusk would claim the monolith right there, snatching at whatever he could get his hands on. But the newer version favored caution.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not until we have some people look at it.¡±


    ¡°I think you should claim it,¡± Twist said.


    Because you planted it, Theo thought. Although he couldn¡¯t sense the plot, there was indeed something afoot. He had accepted too many gifts from gods lately. If this was Earth, and Theo had infiltrated some nation¡¯s support network, this was the time to strike.


    Some folks considered half-ogres to be stupid. Perhaps that was true. From what Theo knew, it was rare to see a half-ogre mage. But they were wise with an innate sense for people. Aarok wasn¡¯t as tactful as the alchemist. ¡°Did you plant it?¡±


    An aura of blue-purple energy sprung up around Luras. That guy didn¡¯t miss a beat.


    Twist remained motionless for some time. He cleared his throat. ¡°I watered it. The seed was left behind.¡±


    ¡°Was that so hard?¡± Aarok asked.


    Theo waited a breath for his Wisdom of the Soul to tell him otherwise. But he could only guess that Twist was telling the truth. Not that it mattered. Not only would he allow Zarali, Xol¡¯sa, and Sulvan to look over it, he would poke around in the heavens and ask for advice.


    ¡°My hands act on their own,¡± Twist said with a shrug. ¡°I couldn¡¯t pluck the seed for myself, so I watered it.¡±


    ¡°Curious hands indeed,¡± Aarok said with a sigh.


    ¡°If I wanted to betray you, I could have slit your throats in the night.¡± Twist shrugged as though that explained everything.


    ¡°Elves in the deep have trouble making friends, don¡¯t they?¡± Luras asked. ¡°Bit rough around the edges. And other parts.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll forgive our caution,¡± Theo said, inclining his head toward the masked elf. ¡°You warned us about the dragon vanishing, and the alliance appreciates it.¡±


    ¡°Anything for the alliance,¡± Twist said, bowing deeply.


    Theo departed from the scene, rubbing his eyes with both hands. He assigned a group of golems to watch the core with orders to restrain, not kill. His interests shifted toward a topic that was more entertaining than the underground world. With only a few hours left in the night, he urged Tresk and Alex to head back to the manor for some rest. Neither disagreed, and they were joined by Sarisa and Rowan, who looked exhausted.


    Once the trio was safely within the Dreamwalk, Theo allowed his thoughts to unravel. They landed in the caverns below Broken Tusk, looking over a simulated version of the battle. The thing he was so eager to test was the amount of rest they needed during the night. He had suspected they only needed an hour.


    ¡°So, the weird elf is being weird?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been in his dreams.¡±


    ¡°What does he dream about?¡±


    ¡°Women.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    This was an excellent chance to grind experience for his cores and assess where he was. His Toru¡¯aun core had stagnated recently, and his sorcerer and Zaul cores were going to hit Level 10 at any time. His Governance Core had caught up to his main cores in an instant, and the Tara¡¯hek Core was skyrocketing as always, almost hitting Level 35. Theo suspected it would get stuck at Level 40, right on the edge of the next tier.


    With only two hours within the Dreamwalk, he couldn¡¯t accomplish everything he wanted. He simulated the battle a few times and imagined Twist feeding some hidden Town Seed Core on the platform, but that was all he could do. The group woke in what felt like moments.


    ¡°How do we feel?¡± Theo asked, looking over to the horse-sized goose. He really needed to get Sledge off her egg clutch to fix the manor. Larger doors and larger halls were needed.


    ¡°Well-rested!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°And without the drowsy effects of your potions.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get breakfast started,¡± Theo said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sarisa and Rowan will be up to it.¡±


    Tresk helped Theo prepare a breakfast of burned eggshells and charred bacon. It was disgusting, so Theo withdrew some month-old soup from his inventory and placed it on the table. When the half-ogre siblings didn¡¯t rise, he summoned a few golems to come perform guard duty on him. While the golems weren¡¯t as powerful, they would do for today.


    Theo reviewed his administration screen over breakfast. Alise had done an amazing job keeping the channels of information organized, sorting through the reports until the early morning. She was smart enough to stagger her shift with Gwyn, which would ensure the flow of information was constant. The alchemist watched as Alex forced her way out of the front door, shoving her massive body against the frame and finally popping out. The town outside was silent, with only a few citizens walking around. Before things got even more crazy, he made his way to the Newt and Demon.


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    The small fridges Salire had purchased worked wonderfully. Theo held the refined Tier 4 potion in his hand. It was derived from the Water LIly, and should have made a potion aligned with the Wisdom attribute. Before he could inspect his newest creation, a familiar screen appeared.


    [Potion of Significance]


    You are the first person to create a potion of great significance. This potion has never been created by another mortal. Please select an attribute to boost from the following list:


    Strength, Vigor, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower.


    Three sharp knocks came from the door. Of course Fenian didn¡¯t wait for an invitation. He let himself in, smiling as he leaned against a cabinet. ¡°Doing more naughty things?¡±


    Theo held the potion up. ¡°Be straight with me. Is this breaking the rules?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Fenian strode over, a smile hanging on his face. ¡°Not after the last time. What have you created this time, my dear alchemist?¡±


    ¡°The strongest potion ever crafted. No big deal,¡± Theo said, offering the elf an equally enormous smile. ¡°Wanna see?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Theo waited to make a selection on the prompt. When he placed his ten free points into Wisdom, he would be sent reeling for a while. For now, he inspected the potion with Fenian.


    [Insight Overwhelming]


    [Elixir]


    Unique


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Perfect Quality


    Alignment:


    Tero¡¯gal (Perfect Bond)


    Drink to double your Wisdom and double the prediction effects of that wisdom.


    Elixir Restrictions:


    Only one Insight Overwhelming may be consumed or crafted(worldwide) every five days.


    ¡°That is a mighty potion,¡± Fenian said, licking his lips. ¡°I shall quaff it.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t. Give it a try.¡± Theo shrugged. Did Fenian even read the description?


    Fenian tipped the potion back, but it refused to leave the vial. Five days needed to pass before anyone could drink it. Theo was only thankful that no one else was crafting this stuff. Otherwise, he would never see these potions in use.


    ¡°Ah, rats,¡± Fenian said, handing the potion back to Theo. ¡°Worth a try, though.¡±


    Theo placed the potion in his inventory, finding a chair to sit on before getting ten free points in Wisdom. He found the prompt and selected wisdom. Then his head swam.


    ¡°That is a mighty surge of power,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Are you doing something sneaky?¡±


    ¡°No, just accepting my free points from discovering a Potion of Significance. Nothing weird going on here, officer.¡±


    ¡°Wisdom, right? How much are you at?¡±


    ¡°52 Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Theo. Save some for the rest of us. How do I get a Drogramathi core? Can I have¡­ Four?¡±


    Theo watched as phantom versions of Fenian did various things. He was surprised to see one where the elf slapped him and was thankful that didn¡¯t come to pass. His predictive powers had increased from a fraction of a second to about one or two seconds. He needed to dump more points into Wisdom, though. He was certain that breaking the one-hundred mark would give him enough predictive power for his plans. Combined with the Insight Overwhelming potion and standard Greater Wisdom Potions, he could reach that goal sooner than without.


    ¡°Talk to Drogramath about that¡­ Speaking of the gods, I want to have a summit.¡±


    ¡°With the gods? Go for it!¡±


    ¡°With holders of the thrones.¡±


    ¡°Ah. A meeting you cannot attend.¡±


    Theo glared at the smiling elf.


    ¡°I joke! Of course that¡¯s a good idea. But do you have leads on where to find the Throne of the Dreamwalker?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the space elves have it. I just have to find the space elves.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you can use your new Wisdom cheat to find them. I kid! Gods, you¡¯re so boring.¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re here I could use some help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Fenian clapped with excitement. ¡°Who are we killing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m boring. Remember? Come help at Town Hall. I¡¯m sure the functionaries are overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You said it! Boring!¡±


    The work taking place in the Town Hall was indeed boring. Both Gwyn and Gael were working with the junior administrators to gather information and make plans for the underground town. Zarali had already submitted a few reports about the monolith, which seemed without sabotage.


    ¡°Have we met?¡± Fenian said, fluttering his eyes at Gwyn.


    She gave him a flat look, moving off to handle other work.


    ¡°Ah. Guess I don¡¯t have it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be gone by now,¡± Theo said, thinking back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m back. I went and now I¡¯ve returned. I can travel with the Bridge, Theo. A continent is a breath away for me.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Have you been to Veosta?¡±


    ¡°No, I was looking for a woman. I met her in the Spine a while back, but I can¡¯t find her. But that¡¯s Uz¡¯Xulven Dronon for you. Popping up here and vanishing when you blink.¡±


    Theo thought back. A long time ago, Fenian had mentioned something about dronon in the north. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to practice a new move. ¡°Hey, wanna go to the heavens?¡±


    Fenian shrugged. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Alright. Uz might get mad at you, though. Just hold on tightly.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Fenian asked, slapping at the shadows that wrapped around his body. ¡°Please don¡¯t make her mad.¡±


    Theo had already dropped them into the void. Fenian screamed, but the sound was muted enough that he didn¡¯t care. His willpower had grown to such a point where he could pierce the veil with another person. That was a good start. He needed to get to a point where he could do so with an entire town, but a single person was good. This type of interdiction action was outside of the system¡¯s rules for his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage ability. This was a piercing of reality¡¯s membrane he could do whenever he wanted. However powerful it might have been, it still wasn¡¯t good enough to move as Fenian did on the Bridge.


    ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven save me!¡± Fenian shouted as the pair passed through the wall created by the bridge. Although his shouts were quieter, Theo could still hear him. Unfortunately. ¡°Where are you taking me, demon?¡±


    ¡°The edge of the inner void,¡± Theo said, moving them forward with his willpower. The higher it got, the faster he could go. That massive expanse between the near and far void required him to go much faster. ¡°See the ribbons?¡±


    ¡°Is that what the heavens look like?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I interpret them. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re seeing them through my lens.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a dirty little demon boy. Could we visit somewhere else?¡± Fenian begged. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    ¡°We could visit Balkor¡¯s realm,¡± Theo said, gesturing to a pale green orb below.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just the worst.¡±


    Theo pushed himself as far as he could go, feeling more of himself flake away as he reached the edge of the local void. He had named the area with all the realms the Near Void, and the places beyond the Far Void or Deep Void. Standing on the precipice was like looking over the edge of a skyscraper. An infinite dimension of darkness stretched in all directions. Fenian screamed, floating next to him in the bubble fueled by Zaul¡¯s magic. The alchemist would be ready to pierce the Far Void in a few days, as long as no more underground elves attacked.


    ¡°Could we please go back?¡±


    Theo turned them around, angling for a singular realm. His plan wasn¡¯t to intimidate Fenian, but show him the scope of the void and all within it. This would also reveal weaknesses they would need to fix before they restarted the world.


    ¡°We¡¯re making a quick stop before heading to Glantheir¡¯s realm,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Wait a second¡­ I recognize that realm,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I¡¯m growing to hate you, Theo.¡±


    The duo approached the edge of one glowing realm within the void. Theo interdicted them inside, appearing in an opulent chamber. The walls were polished white marble, and a throne of gold sat on a dais. The alchemist half-expected to see elven maidens waiting with fans made from palm fronds.


    ¡°You should protect the Throne of the Herald better,¡± Theo said, tutting.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make it like this! Karasan did! I swear!¡±

 6.17 - Evolution

    ¡°Yes, make fun of the golden throne,¡± Fenian groaned. ¡°I¡¯m going to complain to Khahar about this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll complain together. But not until I find the Throne of the Dreamwalker.¡± Theo inspected the area. It was too much for his taste. Fenian absolutely decorated this himself. Everything within the wide room screamed the gaudy elf¡¯s style.


    Fenian found his way to the throne, sitting on it and sighing. ¡°I liked it better when I knew more than you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you still know more than me. Just not about the void.¡±


    Keeping the Throne of the Herald here was a bad idea, though. Theo and Tresk bested the last Dreamer because they hadn¡¯t moved the throne. Keeping it in a weak realm only meant that anyone could come and take it, as long as a god would interdict them. The alchemist explained this weakness to Fenian, who agreed. Reluctantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll move it to Tero¡¯gal, if that¡¯s okay,¡± Theo said, spreading his willpower over the realm.


    ¡°You¡¯re the expert. I guess.¡±


    Theo wrapped his shadow aura around the throne, himself, and Fenian. He bore a hole through the void, and a moment later they appeared in the chamber hidden within Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist placed the throne next to Tresk¡¯s throne and nodded with satisfaction.


    ¡°Are you certain we¡¯re safe here? I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s enough gold in this wet chamber.¡±


    ¡°This is far more secure than the default realm, Fenian. Tero¡¯gal has layers of defense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s lovely. But how do I get back here? I like sitting on my shiny golden throne.¡±


    ¡°I brought a piece of the realm, too,¡± Theo gestured vaguely at the golden cloud surrounding the throne. ¡°You can still come here.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Excellent. Can we leave?¡±


    Fenian screamed again when Theo interdicted them, hurtling them to a realm fairly close to Tero¡¯gal. They landed in the House of Healing a moment later, standing in that expansive open-air building. Glantheir turned, shaking his head.


    ¡°How are you, Theo? Fenian?¡±


    ¡°Doing well, how about you?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain. Do you need anything?¡±


    Theo explained the situation. He wanted a god¡¯s opinion on the strange Town Seed Core and how he should proceed. Glantheir invited them to sit on a vast wooden platform with comfortable furniture overlooking sprawling forests and buildings below. Fenian settled into his chair, but still seemed grumpy after being hurtled across the realms. He would get over it.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid another god has imbued that seed with power.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± Fenian asked, his ire faded in an instant.


    ¡°Delcan, I think. He¡¯s an old one.¡± Glantheir chuckled. ¡°I hardly hear from him anymore.¡±


    ¡°What would the God of Building want with Theo¡¯s underground town?¡±


    ¡°I think Twist is plotting something with Delcan. That masked elf has several cores from Delcan, so his influence clouds my sight on the mortal plane.¡± Glantheir swiped his hand through the air. An image of Broken Tusk appeared as though taken from high in the air. Sections were missing, or too fuzzy to make things out. ¡°As if it wasn¡¯t hard enough to spy on your town. The mix of energies from too many realms makes it hard.¡±


    ¡°Could you show me Veosta?¡± Theo asked.


    Glantheir looked around as though he expected Khahar to show up at any moment. ¡°Khahar will be very upset with me. He can see through your willpower-fueled aura. You know that, right?¡±


    Theo already knew. Because Khahar wasn¡¯t interfering everywhere he could to uphold order or his title. ¡°He¡¯s fooling the monitor system, which can¡¯t see through this.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you figured that out on your own,¡± Glantheir said, nodding. ¡°Well, Balkor¡¯s remnant hasn¡¯t moved.¡±


    Glantheir swiped his hand again, changing the image to an aerial shot of the Ruins of Veosta. The wanderer was standing among ruined buildings, motionless.


    ¡°That¡¯s creepy.¡± Fenian shivered at the sight. The elf cleared his throat. ¡°Could you show me¡­ the other guy?¡±


    ¡°Kuzan? No. His influence in Tarantham is absolute. Droth Ker is a horrifying realm, and Kuzan has done everything he can to shield it.¡±


    ¡°No. The other guy.¡±


    Glantheir raised a brow, his eyes dragging over from Fenian and locking on Theo. A snap issued behind the Elven God of Healing. Khahar had appeared, arms folded and a grimace on his face.


    ¡°Oh, look. The fun police,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Is this productive?¡± Khahar asked.


    ¡°Not everything is about productivity, Yuri,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°You want Theo to help run the circus but won¡¯t give him the whip.¡±


    Khahar grumbled. ¡°He won¡¯t understand. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here,¡± Theo said, waving his hand in front of Khahar¡¯s face.


    ¡°If you view it then it will know you¡¯re viewing. I forbid it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to it, Khahar. He¡¯s a good guy.¡± Fenian shrugged.


    Khahar turned, glaring at Fenian. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand, Fenian. You¡¯re not from our world.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine! You¡¯re so spiky lately.¡± Fenian sunk into his chair, sulking like a child.


    Khahar took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. ¡°I¡¯m not being the angry dad here. I¡¯m balancing the system on the tip of a needle. Theo, I promise to explain everything I know when you get your throne. Okay? Is that good enough for you?¡±


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    Theo held his hands up defensively. ¡°I never asked to see whatever this thing is. I don¡¯t really care. Just wanted to check in on Balkor¡¯s double down on the mortal plane.¡±


    Khahar narrowed his gaze for a moment before nodding. ¡°You¡¯ll need to meet him soon. That marshling in your town is building a lot of track. With most mountain ranges being destroyed, you can span the two-thousand-mile gap quickly enough.¡±


    ¡°I never thought of that¡­ Thanks for destroying the mountains, Fenian.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Fenian said, brightening up in an instant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Khahar. We¡¯ll fix the world together! Friendship!¡±


    Khahar grumbled, vanishing in a blink.


    ¡°See? I told you he could see us,¡± Glantheir grumbled. ¡°Now he¡¯s going to accost me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, buddy,¡± Theo said, placing a comforting hand on the god¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is Balkor¡¯s double unstable or something?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s confused.¡± Glantheir summoned the image again. ¡°And¡­ wait, is he moving?¡±


    Everyone gathered squinted, looking at the grainy image. Balkor¡¯s double, which had yet to give himself a name, swept his hand through the air. A wave of skeletons rose from the ground, marching toward the sea. Theo clicked his tongue, eyes wide as he processed the scene.


    ¡°He¡¯s marching on Tarantham,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°He sent a wave before, but the elves put the attack down. That¡¯s what my followers on the continent said, anyway.¡±


    Too many pieces were moving with the Balkor situation. What Theo wanted was to talk with the real Balkor, urging him to step down from whatever war path he was on. He had already concluded that the Demon God of Necromancy wasn¡¯t evil, and was likely part of the larger plan. But he was stewing all alone in his realm. Now there was a piece of him running around the mortal realm, doubling the problem. More restrictions would be placed on the gods before this was over, so he wanted everyone to play nice.


    ¡°Too many machinations for one day,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Could we go have some tea?¡±


    ¡°I second that idea.¡± Glantheir raised his hand as though waiting for a teacher to call on him in class.


    ¡°Yeah, good idea. This whole thing has me tired.¡±


    Glantheir would take his own portal to Tero¡¯gal while Theo dragged Fenian through the void. Their feet touched the soft grasses in the realm shortly after. Gates were already up from other gods. That was the best way to know who was hanging out. The alchemist loved how everyone was using his realm as a gathering place. Khahar appeared as the alchemist was approaching the ever-expanding cottage, jerking his head and forcing him to follow.


    ¡°The town seed core is safe enough,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Fenian can undo any malicious magic, if it were there. You have plans to dive into the void, right?¡±


    ¡°I thought you could see through my magical aura.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just adept at predicting your next stupid move.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. I¡¯m heading out soon. But I suspect it will only appear as though a few moments have passed on this side of the void.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get some tea.¡±


    The gods had a way of gossiping, but none had caught on to any of Theo¡¯s many schemes. Or they were too cagey to express their concerns. The alchemist spent some time with them, but left before his visit to the realm was over. He might have used another method to reach Tero¡¯gal, but there was still a limit on the time he could spend there. Walking with the spirits had a way of clearing his mind. And the effects of his increased Wisdom had diminished since coming here.


    ¡°What¡¯s the latest trend?¡± Theo said, clapping a hand over Belgar¡¯s shoulder. The dronon spirit was startled, turning and clutching at his chest.


    ¡°You scared me, Theo. We¡¯re playing a realm-wide game called Monster Hunt. One spirit is the monster, and the others must flee. Those caught become monsters themselves. This game has been going on for a few months.¡±


    Theo looked in the distance, sensing spirits running around and catching each other. He was surprised to see the spirits that had broken from the main group playing the game. What did the children on Earth call this game? Manhunt? No, something else. It hardly mattered. Everyone was having fun, but the alchemist had cornered Belgar for a different reason.


    ¡°We might have some rowdy spirits coming in. Elves from the deep, and spirits that were afflicted by Balkor. Can you handle a few?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the most realized spirit in the realm, Theo. I can handle anything.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Belgar. I¡¯ll try to remember bringing Zarali here.¡±


    ¡°Tresk has brought her quite a few times.¡± Belgar laughed. His eyes went wide and he hid behind a giant rock, gesturing for Theo to get down with him. ¡°A monster approaches.¡±


    ¡°Tresk has been interdicting Zarali? That¡¯s sweet of her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. My sister realizes how busy you are,¡± Belgar whispered.


    A half-formed dronon spirit jumped over the rock, roaring. Belgar shrieked, scrambling along the ground before the ¡®monster¡¯ wrapped her arms around him. ¡°You have been bested, Belgar!¡±


    ¡°Damn! Fine. Theo is playing too, so you must capture him.¡±


    Theo¡¯s eyes darted between the two spirits. ¡°I¡¯m gonna cheat,¡± he said, relocating himself to the far side of the realm with a thought. He felt the spirits shouting after him.


    The alchemist found a decent rock to sit on, admiring the view of the mountain in the distance. He withdrew a journal and a pen and wrote his theories on capturing the ghosts. They weren¡¯t genuine ghosts, of course. But transporting souls from the mortal realm to his own should have been simple work. If he could expand his aura to a large area, he could draw in more souls. The ordeal was strange. They should have been fading, but they weren¡¯t. Some nonsense about Balkor¡¯s magic which only meant there would be ancient souls in the Fallen Kingdom of Gardreth.


    ¡°A haunting thought,¡± Theo muttered. He then laughed to himself. ¡°Hope no one gets mad about me stealing souls. Oh, I¡¯m not evil. Just harvesting souls for¡­ reasons.¡±


    Willpower would be the first thing they would patch when his work was done. Along with a few mechanics concerning attributes. Intelligence shouldn¡¯t increase how smart a person is, and Wisdom shouldn¡¯t make them wiser. He hoped Khahar was on the same page, but that was the point of the summit he wanted to hold. Theo sketched his plans in his secret notebook over the hours, finally getting bored enough to leave. The gods that remained within his realm would play poker, eat cookies, and do whatever else they wanted to pass the time.


    Theo collected Fenian and brought him back to the mortal realm. The elf scampered off, leaving the alchemist with nothing much to do. He returned to the lab, leaving the administrators to do their thing. Salire wasn¡¯t in the shop. She was likely sleeping yesterday¡¯s event off, and he couldn¡¯t blame her. Tresk and Alex were in the underground, exploring the tunnels and mapping it for the army. Both Gronro and Rivers had sent reinforcements, even if they weren¡¯t needed.


    The printing machine Salire had bought was nice. She had a few copies printed by now, bound but without covers. The collective knowledge of dronon alchemy was nice to have. It served as a record for a culture he had borrowed. Something Theo could only hope to understand by the time this ended. At least people like Belgar and Zarali were still alive and able to maintain those traditions. He had hoped to get one of each dronon race minimum, but had come up short. Perhaps collecting souls from each race was a good idea.


    The stock of potions within the shop was good. Salire had done a great job keeping the healing and curative potions brewed. His focus had once again fallen into creating powerful potions. His legs took him toward the door for a moment, but he resisted. Going out to find more rare reagents in the wild wouldn¡¯t be smart without Rowan and Sarisa. Even with his golems trailing along, they just weren¡¯t as good as the half-ogres.


    Boredom drew Theo into his experiment garden. He moved a few plants around, created a ton of Mana Constructs, and started a batch of Refined Mana Essence to make more. Although he had placed an order with Throk¡¯s artificer workshop, he doubted he¡¯d get the hundreds of mechanisms soon. That rail project had consumed his time and patience. At least Ziz was working on the suspension bridge.


    Theo worked away in silence, wishing more as the hours rolled on that he had someone to joke around with in the lab. Broken Tusk was lonely when it was empty. But folks would wake up soon enough. He tipped a flask of Refined Mana Essence over a stone tablet, infusing the construct with power before adding it to a stack. Hundreds of golems meant hundreds of power sources. Perhaps he had made too many.


    Just when things were getting to their height of boring monotony, something appeared in his vision. Theo swallowed hard as he read through the message, double-checking that he wasn¡¯t seeing things.


    [Core Evolution]


    Your [Governance Core] has soaked enough Drogramathi energy to evolve into a [Drogramath Governor¡¯s Core].


    Do you wish to accept?


    Y/N?

 6.18 - Order From Chaos

    Core evolution was a feature promised by the Drogramath Dedication skill. Theo had been promised the ability for his other cores to evolve into more powerful versions thanks to the skill. His plan was to take mundane cores and evolve them into something more powerful, but had expected his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core to evolve first. He stood in his garden, gazing at the plants that grew there¡ªboth deadly and curative¡ªas his mind churned. It took him longer than he would have liked to get his mind moving again.


    Before he accepted the message, he inspected his existing core.


    [Governance Core]


    Legendary


    Administration Core


    Bound


    5 Slots


    Level 32 (25%)


    Advanced [Administrator] core, reserved for leaders.


    Innate Skills:


    [Command Structure]


    Skills:


    [Titles]


    [Automatic Books]


    [Contracts]


    [Districting]


    [National Status]


    Effects:


    +3 Intelligence


    Theo¡¯s Governance Core was one of his most important cores. He did absolutely nothing with it, though. The core sat dormant, always working in the background. His connection with both the town and the nation allowed people within both areas to take advantage of his skills. Command Structure enabled Aarok to run the army. Titles allowed the administrators to designate which folks held positions of power. Districting allowed him to create synergistic areas within the town. And National Status enabled the Southlands Alliance to share information in an instant. Sub-features existed within the core, revealing a powerful interface for all administrators to interact and take notes. Alise did almost all of her work in that interface, keeping everyone on task.


    Accepting evolution was easy enough. Contending with the fresh Drogramathi energy that surged through his chest was not. Theo held firm, gritting his teeth as more of Drogramath¡¯s wild power flooded through his body. A pulse of power radiated outward, washing over the town as he was changed. It had been a long time since a god¡¯s power had given him pause. In the heavens, he assumed himself equal to people like Drogramath. But on the mortal plane, the power of any god was clear. But Theo maintained control of himself, his willpower battering down the flood of power.


    Without the willpower training, this might have ended badly. Theo rolled his shoulders, nodding with satisfaction. A tingle spread through his mind, creeping down his back. A cold flash of reason made his lip twitch. The core¡¯s evolution had sent his Intelligence over the edge, bringing him above 30. Emotions left him, giving way to logic.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    That would push his schedule up. He needed to bottle that attribute, or give into that unforgiving logic that threatened to take over his thoughts. It was something to worry about another time. Now that the dust had settled, it was time to inspect his new Drogramath Governance Core.


    [Drogramath Governance Core]


    Mythic


    Administration Core


    Bound


    7 Slots


    Level 32 (25%)


    Order from chaos. Drogramath favors little boxes for everything, placing things where they belong.


    Innate Skills:


    [Command Structure]


    Skills:


    [Titles]


    [Automatic Books]


    [Contracts]


    [Districting]


    [National Status]


    [Order from Chaos]


    Effects:


    +5 Intelligence


    Perhaps Drogramath felt left out of the gift-giving. Theo had been given a core he could cheat with from Zaul. The Drogramath Governance Core had evolved to gain a new skill, Order from Chaos. The alchemist had considered not equipping his Governance Core a few times, mostly in dire circumstances. But this new skill would make sure that core never left his chest. He inspected it.


    [Order From Chaos]


    Drogramath Governance Skill


    Epic


    Creates a Potion Stockpile within the nation¡¯s storage. Those with permission may grant others access to this stockpile, allowing them to withdraw designated potions from the stockpile while within the nation.


    Effect:


    A Potion Stockpile is added to your Kingdom Core.


    If the skill only created a Potion Stockpile that couldn¡¯t be managed, it was almost useless. Theo had to wonder what happened to this stockpile if he removed the core, but had already decided that wouldn¡¯t happen. He flipped through the new screen, finding that any person who was within the nation could be assigned permissions. Those permissions could drill down to specific potions, allowing him to reserve potions, categories of potions, and so on. It was a very nice feature.


    ¡°Alise is gonna love this,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself. He headed out from his garden area, finding his feet after a few steps of dizziness. ¡°And Aarok. I guess Luras might like it too. Who else would enjoy this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, brother,¡± Sarisa groaned from behind. ¡°He¡¯s talking to himself.¡±


    ¡°The alchemist is slowly losing it!¡± Rowan shouted in mock-horror. ¡°We¡¯ll get him a nice little chair to spend the rest of his days in. A rocking chair.¡±


    ¡°With a nice padded seat!¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°And padded walls at this rate,¡± Theo grumbled. ¡°Perhaps if you two weren¡¯t invisible all the time, I¡¯d have someone to talk to.¡±


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    ¡°Tactically disadvantageous.¡± Rowan folded his arms, nodding as he padded behind Theo.


    ¡°An absolutely horrible decision, my lord.¡± Sarisa nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave you two in the swamp again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just try it¡­ my lord.¡± Rowan rubbed his hands together, giggling to himself.


    Theo made a note in his personal section of the administration interface. Are the half-ogres moving against me?


    Alise was happy to hear about the new feature of the town. She wanted to do a meeting with all the people in command positions, along with Salire. The alchemist wanted nothing to do with it. He left it in her capable hands and moved off before he could be roped into a meeting.


    ¡°Busy, busy,¡± Theo said, dashing off before he could be bound in a chair and forced to listen.


    He instead concerned himself with the war in the underground. With an army of golems, it was more like a meat grinder. Those that were dumb enough to throw themselves against the line met a swift end. Rowan and Sarisa accompanied him to the underground, where they inspected the progress on the hand-built fortifications. They were good enough for now, until they could upgrade the nameless Tiny Town left behind.


    Theo stood near the stone fortifications, appreciating Ziz¡¯s quick work. He tapped his fingers on the wall, chewing on his cheek. ¡°You know, I have access to this screen. And I don¡¯t like looking at it.¡±


    ¡°Which screen?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo let out a steady breath. ¡°The Dungeon Information screen.¡±


    ¡°Pull it up. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Rowan asked.


    Theo turned, giving the half-ogre a flat look. He pulled the screen up, reading the status of each nearby dungeon.


    [Swamp Dungeon] L40 No Threat


    [River Dungeon] L20 No Threat


    [Mountain Dungeon] L21 No Threat


    [Hills Dungeon] L15 No Threat


    [Ocean Dungeon] L25 No Threat


    [Cave Dungeon] L90 Building Threat


    ¡°Oh, balls,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°Why can¡¯t things go right for once?¡±


    ¡°Do we know where the Cave Dungeon is? It dropped five levels, but that doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Theo shrugged. ¡°Level 90 isn¡¯t something I¡¯m willing to contend with.¡±


    There was some amount of disorder over the next few hours. An exhausted Xol¡¯sa showed up to the caves, giving Theo a nasty look. He came to the battlements, leaning against the wall and running his fingers through his hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m already working on it, Theo. We¡¯re going to do something stupid, but it should sort the dungeon out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°What is ninety divided by four?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Twenty¡­ something.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-two-point-five!¡± Sarisa shouted.


    Both Theo and Xol¡¯sa turned, raising eyebrows at the half-ogre.


    ¡°What? Me good at maths.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m siphoning the energy from the Cave Dungeon, filling the other dungeons with it. I already shaved off five levels in a few hours.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa was already on top of the problem. That was encouraging. Theo felt a swell of pride in his chest as he thought about the people within town. They were more than competent. Each had been forged in a fire of their own making, ascending beyond what should be possible thanks to the strange nature of Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Well, I got the go-ahead on claiming the town. Anyone wanna come up with a name?¡±


    ¡°Pogo Sucks,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Elf Puncher,¡± Rowan put in.


    ¡°Broken Elf. Elf Tusk. Beware of Pale Elves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°How about Bal¡¯gon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Dorgramathi?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It means bastion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fitting name,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding.


    ¡°Oh! Can I bet the mayor?¡± Rowan asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Theo said, turning away from the walls. He was ready to claim the town, but wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to upgrade it. His stock of Monster Cores was fairly low. Aside from those he kept for emergency upgrades. They would need to wait for some traders to show up before he upgraded this town.


    Theo pressed his hand against the monolith on the place where Pogo once rested. It transferred to him without effort, coming under control of the Southlands Alliance without complaint. He assigned himself as the owner and Rowan as the mayor.


    ¡°Now you have to live underground,¡± Theo said. ¡°Enjoy the cave spiders.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules, Rowan.¡± Theo inspected the town, making sure everything was in place.


    [Tiny Town]


    Name: Bal¡¯gon


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Leader: Rowan Fletcher


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 1 (0%)


    Core Buildings:


    NONE


    ¡°Congratulations, Mayor Fletcher,¡± Sarisa said, slapping her brother on the back. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot!¡±


    ¡°Damn it. I am an idiot, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°We still love you.¡± Theo turned, eager to put the underground place behind him.


    So, Theo¡¯s list of problems both grew and shrunk. Xol¡¯sa could equalize the levels of the dungeons. That would make the low-level dungeons more powerful, while draining the Cave Dungeon until it was manageable. Once the underground town had upgraded walls, they could drop some towers on them and it would defend itself. Throk would put his fancy artifice tubes that fed motes into the towers, making the defense automated. There was only one problem that remained, but the day was late.


    Theo returned to the manor, enjoying dinner and relaxing with Tresk and Alex. The goose was almost to a point where she couldn¡¯t fit through the front door. But no one could get Sledge out from her nest. She even bit someone when they came to bring her food. If she hadn¡¯t been engaging in full goblin-mode before, she was now. Alex would need to stay outside if this progressed. Or Theo would find a sledge hammer and widen the door himself. Maybe take out a few walls.


    Slipping into the Dreamwalk was a relief. It gave clarity to his thoughts, allowing him to sort his next problem. The spirits that lingered near the town were ripe for the picking. Theo could skip the step of having them locked in purgatory, giving them an express trip to the heavenly realms. He didn¡¯t plan to lay claim to each one. Instead, he would send them to Tero¡¯gal and allow them the choice. If they wanted to remain within his realm, that was fine with him. But if they wanted to move to another heavenly realm, they could do that.


    Most spirits were stripped to their base personality when they left the void. Theo suspected something like that happened to him when he arrived in this world. He experienced a personality shift compared to his old self. For some spirits, that was an improvement. Others kept the worst parts of themselves, becoming something like a parody of who they used to be.


    ¡°Copper for your silly little thoughts?¡± Tresk asked, appearing from nowhere. She did that a lot.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°I want to work hard to knock down all my problems. Get everything sorted before I head into the void.¡±


    ¡°Feeling left out of the throne gang?¡±


    ¡°Kinda. Or expecting trouble from the space elves.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think many people are eager to understand the nature of the universe. You¡¯ve taken it upon yourself to become an expert, and I don¡¯t envy that. Is it the call of the throne, or your own need to control things around you that pulls you in?¡±


    Theo paused for several long breaths, giving the slightly wet marshling a look. ¡°Did you become a philosopher overnight?¡±


    ¡°I can be serious! Sometimes. When the mood calls for it.¡±


    Theo cracked his knuckles, getting a few satisfying pops. ¡°Both things are driving me forward, I think. You¡¯re right, though. Who wants to pull back the veil and look at the way the universe works? Back on Earth, we never had to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°You just marched to whatever orders you were given, buddy.¡±


    ¡°I think the people in power knew a lot more about what was going on than the rest of us. We were told that the governments of the world spent two-hundred years trying to shield the planet from the sun. Hah! You know what¡¯s funny?¡±


    ¡°Wussat?¡±


    ¡°They made these generational space ships. Sent them off to¡­ somewhere. I don¡¯t know. Do you think those people were pulled into this world?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. Viewing your memories, I can only think the Harbinger was the one who brought you guys here.¡±


    Theo enjoyed talking with Tresk about the old world for the first time. Perhaps he had finally come to terms with what happened back then, but it was still hard to think about. His first few decades in service to his country were what Tresk described. Marching to orders. When things broke apart, and everyone got more autonomy thanks to the declining population, he thought for himself. A silver necklace appeared in his hand. A tarnished silver locket hung from the end.


    ¡°I switched this out for a ring when the picture faded. Then back to the locket a few times,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk took the necklace tenderly, popping the locket open with her claw. It wasn¡¯t as painful to look at the image within. ¡°Think she made it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe the only reason I can think about it is because of what happened with the old Dreamer. Learning more about how this queue works with souls, I have some suspicions about what happened on Earth.¡±


    ¡°You think the transmigration started well before the end.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I remember reading about something that happened in 2050. Around there, anyway. Records were spotty. And information was controlled.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t pin your hopes on this,¡± Tresk said, handing the locket back to him.


    She had been respectful during his period of mourning. Tresk could look at any memory Theo had, and had likely viewed the ¡®good times¡¯ of his life. She knew everything that happened, and the stuff that led him to feeling passive about the entire war effort. But the hope he held onto wasn¡¯t just for a lost love. His mind went back to those spirits on the mortal plane. If he had to be the boat captain that led them across the river, he would do it. No mortal soul should languish in the void.


    That was a flaw with the system he intended to fix.

 6.19 - Quaff Your Potions

    The Dreamwalk had become a place where Theo exploited Zaul¡¯s core. While Tresk and Alex spent their time grinding out levels or improving their combat techniques. He doubted it would help them if they needed to fight a wave of Level 90 monsters, but there were other threats they could handle. The marshling had beaten the crap out of a bird guy who was likely at a level uncountable on the mortal plane. But she was juiced up on potions and drawing from Tero¡¯gal, so that leveled things out a bit.


    Theo focused himself on training willpower within the Dreamwalk. Each time he wove his spirit around the Hallow Ground Potion, ensnaring the minds of hundreds of undead, his willpower increased. The absurd amount of undead he imagined flooded the area, stretching over the bank of the river outside of Broken Tusk. If the creatures he summoned weren¡¯t stationary, waiting to be brought under his control, this would be a grim sight. It was hard not to wonder if this is what the people in Vesta saw before the end.


    ¡°No matter,¡± Theo said, pulling the crowd under his control. ¡°I¡¯ll get them.¡±


    Waking up from the Dreamwalk, Theo felt himself being drawn from his bed by the scent wafting from downstairs. Perhaps Rowan and Sarisa felt bad about their recent mocking, but they had prepared a spread. It was unclear who the supplier of bacon was, but he wouldn¡¯t complain. Alongside thick cuts of smoke-cured bacon, Whisper¡¯s sausages sat on plates piled high with eggs from Miana¡¯s pozwa.


    ¡°You guys went in for it, huh?¡± Theo asked, piling his plate with the things he liked best. He ignored the zee-grits and loaded his plate with slightly spicy sausages, bacon, and eggs.


    ¡°Gimmie!¡± Tresk shouted, snatching at all her favorite things. It was sausage. She had a plate filled with sausage and nothing more. She ate them like a duck.


    The administration screen had been filled with more information. Now that Theo knew where to look, he found Xol¡¯sa¡¯s newest project concerning the dungeons and their growth. Once breakfast was finished, he met up with the mage to take a look at the wards and arrays he had constructed. His magic was a combination of his Planar Mage class core and his Dungeon Engineer core. They worked together to create physical objects, shaped like the lodestones Zarali crafted. Each was a tether, pinning an aspect of dungeon energy to the mortal plane and allowing for manipulation.


    Sarisa and Rowan stood in knee-deep mud with the pair. Xol¡¯sa had it worse, as he was two-feet shorter than the others.


    ¡°Feels as though your wards aren¡¯t attuned to the energies of the dungeon well enough,¡± Theo said, getting closer to inspect the ward. He allowed his aura to wash over it, making up for his lacking magical abilities.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why you¡¯re here,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, waving his hands through the air. The code that ran the objects revealed itself. Magic circles filled with endless sigils and runes sprung into the air. Those runes were the Axpashi Language, and detailed instructions that steered the flow of magic. ¡°You¡¯re the best example of the magic that flows through here. Tero¡¯gal and Grodul¡¯harak. With you around, this is a simple¡­ few¡­ steps¡­ and, done!¡±


    ¡°That was easy,¡± Sarisa grunted.


    ¡°At least he can serve as a magical point of reference,¡± Rowan said, nodding along.


    Theo shot them both a look. ¡°Did I step on your toes by accident?¡±


    ¡°No! You left us in the swamp!¡± Sarisa shouted. ¡°Back to work, demon-boy!¡±


    Theo grumbled, turning away to smile privately. He deserved all the mocking they sent his way. And it was pretty funny. Someone of less self-assuredness might take those jabs personally.


    ¡°You guys wanna see something messed up?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not me,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, turning away to trudge through the swamp. ¡°I have wards to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Is it a dead body?¡± Sarisa asked, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°Are we gonna throw rocks at a body?¡± Rowan asked, seeming more excited than he should have been.


    Theo produced three Sense Spirit Potions from his inventory, handing one to Rowan and one to Sarisa. ¡°Close to the mark. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The group trudged through the swamp. Theo would have left them behind, but he needed to save his trip to Tero¡¯gal. He could have forced his way into the realm, but that left him feeling uneasy. Even in his own realm, if he didn¡¯t use the Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage skill he would be a trespasser. They arrived in town, passing through the square and heading just beyond Miana¡¯s ranch. The market area was coming along, with a few traders peddling their wares. Those traders would have been from foreign nations, arriving by boat.


    But this was the area Theo had picked to focus his efforts. Through manipulation of his concentrated aura, he had made the market the focal point. A single lodestone stood in the market¡¯s center, radiating his will to every golem. The effect of that lodestone would make the two half-ogres present crap their pants.


    ¡°We should stand on the wall for this,¡± Theo said, finding the nearest set of stairs that led to the battlements.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°I can read, you know.¡±


    ¡°Not well.¡±


    ¡°Still, I know what the potion says. You¡¯re going to make us look at creepy spirits.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s afraid of spirits.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a spirit right behind you!¡± Rowan shouted.


    Sarisa did not look back.


    ¡°Quaff your potions,¡± Theo said, tipping the contents of his potion into his mouth.


    ¡°Quaff?¡± Sarisa asked, giggling. She drank her potion, letting out a strained yelp a moment later.


    Theo felt a chill run up his spine. A field of spirits spread from that lodestone, attracted to his willpower like moths to a flame. They gazed upon it, standing in concentric rings that radiated as far as he could see.


    ¡°There¡¯s thousands of them,¡± Rowan croaked.


    ¡°Ah. I might have pulled a few too many in.¡±


    ¡°You did this? Why?¡±


    ¡°I think these are the souls from Vesta that refused to leave.¡± Theo studied the crowd. He couldn¡¯t tell what race they were from. They could have easily been half-ogres or elves, it was impossible to tell. ¡°I drew them in with my willpower. Something about the way the undead were banished attached them to that¡­ flavor. I don¡¯t have a better way to describe it.¡±


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    ¡°Are you abducting these people, Theo?¡± Sarisa asked. ¡°Should we be concerned?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m helping them along. They get to skip a step this way. I think.¡±


    ¡°How do I turn this potion off?¡± Rowan asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see these things anymore.¡±


    ¡°The potion expires in an hour.¡± Theo spread his willpower over the field of spirits. He could feel each one in his senses, flashing like candles struggling against a breeze. The lights seemed eager to move on, pushing toward the void even without his intervention. ¡°Now you see them¡­¡±


    The spirits soaked through the veil, vanishing from the mortal plane.


    ¡°Now you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s better.¡± Rowan nodded with approval, folding his arms over his chest.


    ¡°I still feel uneasy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get over it.¡± Theo focused on his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage skill. He slipped through the veil, following those interdicted souls over the bridge. He thought he could hear Uz¡¯Xulven yelling at him as he passed. A moment later, he set foot in Tero¡¯gal. ¡°Ah. That¡¯s a line.¡±


    As expected, the spirits had arrived before him. Belgar had directed them into an orderly queue, creating a line that stretched throughout the realm. The pending requests section of his interface for Tero¡¯gal claimed there were exactly 1143 spirits waiting to interview for acceptance into the realm.


    ¡°Thanks for organizing this, Belgar,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on the dronon¡¯s back. ¡°Great work.¡±


    ¡°I usually do this. You just don¡¯t see it! What prompted this flood of souls into the realm?¡±


    ¡°I figured out how to drag souls from the mortal realm here. If they don¡¯t want to say, we¡¯ll send them off to whichever realm they want to live in.¡±


    ¡°For a moment there, I thought you¡¯d force them to remain within our realm. Hah. Glad I was wrong.¡±


    Theo rolled his shoulders, withdrawing a chair from his shared inventory. Tresk always had useful stuff in that inventory. He questioned why there were exactly one-hundred small stones, but shrugged it off. She likely had a good reason. Or no reason¡ªeither was acceptable.


    ¡°Now,¡± Theo said, facing down the first lost soul. ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    The task might have been daunting, but it needed to be done. If Theo wanted to be the gatekeeper of the souls he trapped, he needed to interview each one. But five minutes on the mortal plane would equal twenty-four hours here, giving him plenty of time to go through each one. It wasn¡¯t as though the spirits expressed their life¡¯s story, bogging him down with each stage. They gave him basic thoughts and feelings.


    ¡°Would you like to stay in Tero¡¯gal?¡± Theo asked one soul. He assumed it was an elf. The spirit gave off a sense of thrilling combat. One-on-one duels and endless improvement for martial forms. ¡°Parantheir it is.¡±


    Many of the souls didn¡¯t want to stick around, but he didn¡¯t expect them to. They were sent to many realms, most of which Theo had never heard of. It helped when Uz¡¯Xulven came over to yell at him for moving so many people over her bridge, but she remained. The dronon goddess assisted him, interpreting the vague senses the spirits gave him.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s talking about Udok,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, slapping Theo in the back of the head. ¡°Come on, man. Get it together.¡±


    ¡°The dwarven gods all feel the same.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just lazy. Come on, you still have a few hundred to go.¡±


    All the spirits had been sorted out. Those that wanted to leave were sent off to their new homes, while those wishing to remain were ushered off by Belgar. More confusing than anything was how souls scaled in the heavens. When the realm reached 800 souls, it hit Level 40. But when the ticker counting the amount of souls reached 1000, nothing happened. Only when it hit 1300 did it roll up, meaning that new levels would require 500 souls per level. That was a lot of souls. 682 souls joined the realm by the end, which wasn¡¯t a bad number.


    ¡°I could use some tea,¡± Theo said, groaning as he stood. He had been hunched over for so long that his back was hurting.


    ¡°The others are already gathered. Well, they¡¯ve been gathered for a few years. A game of poker is afoot!¡±


    ¡°A years-long game of poker? I need to see this.¡±


    Theo followed Uz¡¯Xulven to the cottage. When he opened the door he saw Khahar and Benton sitting at the table together with other gods watching in the wings. The bear god didn¡¯t break his concentration, but Khahar smiled up at Theo when he entered. The alchemist helped himself to some tea, grabbing a cookie before finding a seat on the outskirts of the battle. He reviewed his upgrade options for his realm.


    Tero¡¯gal already had a ton of great upgrades. His latest upgrade turned the realm into a proper sphere. Well, Earth was an oblate spheroid, but it was close enough to his home planet. A part of that upgrade had made him more eager to get more souls for the realm. Once the power of the realm had grown enough, it would have a proper ¡®space¡¯ area outside of the atmosphere. While he didn¡¯t know why it was important to him, he knew he wanted some space.


    There were upgrades for the realm which would allow him to turn it into any shape he wanted. He could form Tero¡¯gal to be a domain of eternal darkness, a sprawling garden that went on forever, or something wacky like a giant volcano filled with pigs. It didn¡¯t matter what he thought about, he could form his realm that way. But the thing he wanted most of all for his realm was something that felt real. He didn¡¯t want something that was manufactured. Even if this place didn¡¯t look exactly like Earth, he would settle for something that felt like his new home back on the mortal plane.


    Several upgrade options stood out, but nothing could beat the ones that made this place feel real. For the first time in a long time, he felt himself being drawn away from those options. Tero¡¯gal now housed two of the four thrones in this universe, and something tied to willpower caught his attention. It might not have been perfect, but anything that scaled with willpower was worth investigating. The alchemist examined this upgrade option, certain it would help defend those thrones against interlopers.


    [Willpower Barrier]


    Your realm can generate a barrier based on the collective willpower of all its inhabitants. Smaller barriers will be more resistant to damage than larger ones. Barriers may be created by owners of this realm anywhere within the realm¡¯s boundaries. Interdiction events and invasions will be impossible until the barrier is destroyed.


    This upgrade offered nothing to make the realm more Earth-like. But Theo had seen a long string of those upgrades, and felt it was prudent to defend the thrones. This also stacked with the Bubble] upgrade, which would make it even harder for anyone to invade directly to the thrones. Not that he thought this would happen anytime soon. It was good to be cautious, though. He inspected his realm.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Mortal Dreamrealm


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: Unaffiliated


    Level: 41


    Souls: 1382


    Expansions:


    [Harvesting Array]


    [Defensive Towers]


    [Landscape Manipulation]


    [Guardians of Faith]


    [Bubble]


    [Simulated Reality]


    [Sphere]


    [Willpower Barrier]


    Pending Requests: 0


    Theo was happy with where his realm was. It was a mix of quality-of-life upgrades and defensive ones. Whatever made the spirits within the realm happy made him happy. He turned his attention back to the game between Benton and Khahar, watching as the bear god made plays with expert precision. If the alchemist was honest with himself and others, he would admit that he had never been good at poker. Back on Earth, he was trash. Khahar mopped the floor with him, but he still tried. For Yuri, it was more about getting to know someone rather than winning or losing.


    He was getting to know Benton very well.


    The gods went nuts. Benton had done something impressive while Theo was taking a sip of his tea.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Benton said, clapping his hands together. ¡°Really?¡±


    Khahar smiled a toothy smile at the other god. ¡°It appears as though you¡¯ve won.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? I¡¯m sure you could win it all back.¡±


    Khahar held his hand up, silencing Benton. ¡°I have business to attend to. I overextended myself and allowed you to take everything. Never reward bad moves. Or no one will learn.¡± Khahar vanished before Benton could say another word.


    ¡°Thanks, dad!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven shouted. ¡°He¡¯s such a drama cat.¡±


    ¡°Anyone else want to play?¡± Benton asked.


    The gods and Theo shared a look. His request was met with a collective, ¡°no.¡±

 6.20 - Uh-Oh

    Xol¡¯sa did a better job of siphoning energy from the dungeons than Theo had expected. The magic that drove the dungeons was well beyond him, even if he understood their habit of drawing energy from the realms. There was some interaction between the heavenly realms, the void, and dungeons. The alchemist just couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it. Perhaps more Wisdom would help.


    After Theo left Tero¡¯gal, he checked his administration interface. While he tried not to babysit the projects going on in town, it was hard not to peek. The administrators were using town funds to buy Monster Cores. That just got the alchemist thinking about their taxation system, and how flawed it was. But he hardly cared. He siphoned all the money he made from his various businesses into the town. He didn¡¯t expect it to happen at first, but Ziz was doing the same.


    This would have been an unsustainable economy back on Earth. But this wasn¡¯t Earth. The Southlands Alliance didn¡¯t have to rely on things produced by extensive labor. Magic provided most of what they needed. But the people in the alliance were still very independent, keeping their own fortunes and contributing the rest to the cause. Tero¡¯gal had developed on its own, becoming egalitarian without Theo¡¯s intervention. He wasn¡¯t sure if the spirits needed food, but they ate it. Food was produced through hunting, farming, or fishing and deposited into a pool. Although the spirits had splintered off, they still contributed.


    It wasn¡¯t worth worrying about how many coins the towns under his control were generating. That money would go right back into the town, improving it every step of the way. Alise¡¯s latest report claimed they would have a stockpile of Monster Cores in a few days. More ships were coming and going from the port every day. And everyone was playing nice in the waters around Broken Tusk. The sailors had comments about the giant city right outside of the harbor, but it was business as usual. This world was filled with enough weird things that they hardly seemed to notice.


    Business as usual.


    Theo¡¯s eyes watered as the wind whipped his face. Sarisa and Rowan hung their heads out of the train car, howling against the wind. Everyone was getting used to the trains and it was hard to tell if that was a good thing. The alchemist just wished there was something Throk could do about the wind. The reports coming in from Gronro were promising, though. Ziz had some kind of hidden time dilation skill for his cores. Theo was convinced of that. The man worked about 34 hours in a day. The thought was hyperbolic, but the evidence was there.


    The train came to a stop at the station near Gronro, allowing the three passengers off. The half-ogre operating the train nodded, cautioning them to watch their heads and horns while exiting the car. Gronro was looking better than ever. Theo drew in a deep breath from the fresh mountain air, feeling the chill on his exposed face. Plant life had returned to the area in full. Shrubs and grasses grew everywhere. Even in the icy mountain region, pine saplings broke through the rocky earth. Heading to the northern side of town, and nodding to a gaggle of half-ogres and dwarves, Theo saw more signs of growth near the northern wall.


    A dusting of snow clung to the ground just north of the gate, growing more intense the further the group walked. Sarisa complained, requesting Theo to teleport them. She didn¡¯t seem to care that it was impossible. Rowan enjoyed the sights, though. Especially when the massive bridge came into view in the distance.


    The normal teams Ziz employed weren¡¯t working on the bridge project. Theo was confident he could spot a Broken Tusk half-ogre from two-hundred paces.


    ¡°Grot is doing big things,¡± Theo said, nodding with approval. He approached the bridge that spanned the chasm. A chasm that Fenian had created. ¡°I guess I should have expected a dwarf to be so good with stone.¡±


    The bridge was some hybrid between a suspension bridge and one with¡­ pillars. Theo would be the first to admit he knew nothing about bridges. Massive towers rose on either side of the chasm, supporting braided cables that swooped along the length of the bridge¡¯s road. It was wide enough for four monorail tracks to be placed. Far too wide for any practical purpose¡ªthis seemed more like something someone built to brag.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Grot¡¯s booming voice echoed across the mountain pass. The dwarf rose from a group of citizens from Gronro. They were tweaking part of the suspension cables part-way down the bridge. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Do you guys sleep?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Hired help, ya silly demon. You didn¡¯t see the gang of workers coming from the port the other day? Hundreds of ¡®em. Elves, khahari. I saw a few broglings lifting stones. Funny bastards, those broglings.¡±


    ¡°Hired help?¡± Sarisa asked, scoffing. ¡°Dang that¡¯s a good idea. How many laborers did you ship in?¡±


    ¡°These were stoneworkers. People with cores for the job. Got ¡®em out of Bantein. Gave us a discount. Since they think the alliance stopped the undead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t let them think otherwise,¡± Theo said. ¡°We might need more help in the future. How long did you have them hired for?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re working on the next bridge already. Alise said she sorted out the details of the deal.¡±


    Grot didn¡¯t need to ask if Theo was unaware of the deal. He buried his head in the sand with administration work. ¡°Excellent. I like that. How sturdy is the bridge?¡±


    ¡°Oh, quite sturdy.¡± Grot placed his hands on his hips, thrusting his chest out with pride. ¡°Only the best workmanship in my town. Cost a pretty penny, but you paid for most of it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember agreeing to pay for this.¡± Theo searched the area, finding piles of supplies off to the side. Stones were stacked out in the open, while other things were kept in Dimensional Storage Crates. Lengths of monorail track were laid over the ground, no care to how they were stored. Throk had big things planned for these bridges, and no one was wasting time.


    ¡°Well, you did. Thanks for that. We¡¯re heading north from here¡­ Ah, well¡­ Kinda. Fenian made a mess of the area. We need to angle northwest before we head true north.¡±


    ¡°How confusing.¡± Theo approached the bridge¡¯s edge, tapping his foot on the stone. He shot a look at Sarisa. ¡°Could you step on the bridge?¡±


    ¡°What? You want me to step there? I don¡¯t trust it.¡±


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    ¡°The bridge is perfectly safe,¡± Grot protested.


    Theo shook his head, stepping onto the bridge. It was fine. The wind picked up as he came to the midpoint, sending the bridge swaying slightly, but it was safe. A bit of play in the bridge¡¯s structure meant the builders knew what they were doing. Although the span wasn¡¯t that long, the bridge had been constructed in a grandiose fashion. He wouldn¡¯t complain, since it made the Southlands Alliance look fancier than it was. The more the alchemist thought about it, the more he realized that a fancy rail system was pretty fancy. He didn¡¯t know what the other nations had, but¡­ come on. It was cool.


    After making it to the far side of the bridge, Theo surveyed the area with his aura. ¡°Far less necromantic energy than I expected. I think I should talk to Balkor soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep your god business to yourself,¡± Grot grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be involved.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to be involved. But here he was.


    Teams were working on the next section of bridge. Theo observed the foreign workers, noting how efficient they were. He chatted with a few group leaders, getting their impression of the region and the recent war. Most expressed regret for the loss in Vesta and Qavell, but they were hardened against this cycle. They were excited to see what could be built in place of those nations.


    The tactical advantages of the bridges were obvious. It took effort to build them, but enough that collapsing them was out of the question. If another army of the dead were to crash over the landscape, the Southlands Alliance would destroy their own bridges, isolating but protecting them from the assault. Theo was happy with the progress, bidding Grot farewell and making notes on his administrator screen. He instructed Alise to assign someone to manage this project, or at least provide aid to Grot if he needed it.


    The tour was fun. Theo enjoyed checking in on these projects, but the day was wearing thin. He didn¡¯t need to ask Rowan and Sarisa if they were up for a trudge through the swamp. They wouldn¡¯t be eager to do something so daunting, and he wouldn¡¯t blame them. Clapping his hands together to gain their attention, he nodded with conviction.


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯re having a free day.¡±


    ¡°Free day!?¡± Rowan shouted.


    ¡°Free half-day,¡± Sarisa corrected.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to town. I¡¯ll cloister myself in the manor or something and you two rapscallions can do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he treats us so well, brother.¡±


    ¡°Truly, a saint.¡±


    The only thing Theo could think of doing was working on his alchemy and herbalism. Since he discovered the Night¡¯s End flower, he had driven himself further away from his experimental garden. It would be worthwhile to explore different ways to cultivate reagents, but he could do that from the manor. It would be alchemical spitballing with a single participant. Maybe Salire would be interested in it, but he needed some alone time to figure this out.


    The ride back to town was uneventful. While Sarisa and Rowan seemed excited about the break at first, they were more against the idea as Theo found a seat in his study. He promised to leave the mortal plane while they were gone, sitting in the void while they weren¡¯t protecting him. That made them happy enough, and they scampered off to do their own things. The hired guard that appeared outside of the manor roughly ten minutes after they left didn¡¯t evade his notice.


    Theo fell into the endless expanse of the void, staying on the near side. One could think of it as left and right, east and west. He remained on the side closest to the mortal realm, studying the area as he thought about a solution to his problem. Tier 4 potions were an issue. They produced powerful potions with absurd effects. The only problem is that only one of them could be crafted or consumed a week, which was completely bullcrap. His plan was to harvest the free attribute points from discovering those potions, but it didn¡¯t remove the problem.


    Tier 3 potions were fine for what they did. They allowed a person to heal a large amount of health and mana, or to enhance their attributes in a blink. But it seemed as though the system only planned for Drogramath¡¯s alchemy to go to the fourth tier, not bothering to design anything that came after. This might have been a problem with the wild reagents Theo had used. He suspected using wild reagents was the culprit, but that would require extensive experimentation.


    ¡°I doubt splicing is the key,¡± Theo said, listening to his voice echo through the endless darkness. ¡°Mixing reagents just makes different reagents.¡±


    Mixing reagents wasn¡¯t the key to creating more powerful reagents. That meant the only way to make them more powerful was to¡­ make them more powerful. Theo had little time to think about it in recent days, but it made enough sense. He had to find a way to enhance the reagents he already had. Perhaps that was from cultivation, some mana infusion, or something else that would kick-start his plants to be ready for Tier 4 and above.


    As Theo thought idly about his problems, he gazed off into the endless nothing. This side of the Bridge was calmer than the other, providing a view of the blackness from all directions. Beyond that bridge were the heavenly realms, which clouded the horizon like a backlit nebula. The heavenly realms that rested beyond that point looked like glittering stars from here. He felt himself fading less on this side of the Bridge. Perhaps it was close enough to the mortal plane to anchor him. Questions had a habit of building themselves lately, spiraling into more questions that seemed impossible to answer.


    Something strange caught his attention in the distance. Theo moved through the void, eyes locked on a patch of silver he couldn¡¯t explain. He looked down at the amorphous shape of the mortal plane below, then forward again to the silver. He pushed his senses to wash over it, feeling something familiar. The alchemist understood how souls got lost in the void, but had never seen one in the wild. This soul felt different than the others he had felt. There was something fundamental missing within it.


    ¡°Hello, little guy,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are you lost?¡±


    But the sense of self within the soul didn¡¯t respond in such docile tones. It raged against its bonds, forcing Theo to withdraw his hand. Moments lingered on in the void. He used that time to consider what was so strange about the soul. He realized it wasn¡¯t that the soul was missing something. Something had been added. A thing that had no business in the void. It should have broken down when crossing the barrier between the realms.


    ¡°Now, why do you have a body?¡± Theo asked.


    The mass of silver had no response. It didn¡¯t want Theo inspecting it, but had little choice. Everything was laid bare in the void. That was by design. The alchemist prodded, finding other things within the glittering cloud of silver. He felt objects attached to the person¡¯s body. Clothes, perhaps. None of it felt magical, but everything felt familiar. He wouldn¡¯t allow an old hope to build in his chest. This felt nothing like her, and he knew better than to assume the impossible.


    No, he was certain this was a dude. Lingering in the void¡­ for what reason, exactly? Theo searched the area, not finding another similar soul. He marked this place in his mind and set off through the void, scouring the place near the mortal plane for inspection. There were a few more clouds of silver, but none felt like the first. They were all weaker in spirit, and had given themselves to the void. He returned to the first silver soul, almost pressing his nose against it as he inspected.


    ¡°Now, why¡­¡± Theo trailed off, his left horn scraping against the soul¡¯s edge. Something resonated in that moment. The alchemist felt a vibration spreading through his body, as though his trespassing form knew something was wrong. The soul burst into light. ¡°Uh-oh.¡±


    Theo watched as the soul shot like a rocket, angled for the mortal plane. He chased after it.

 6.21 - Fallen Soul

    Theo fell after the plummeting soul, piercing through the veil of the mortal world. It impacted before him, slamming into a vacant area outside of Broken Tusk with a flash of light. When the alchemist arrived on the plane, he landed nearby, eyes locked on the crater created by the fallen soul. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It was the most confused he had been in a while.


    Standing in the crater, eyes wide with confusion, was a man. Earth humans were much smaller than Theo remembered. This guy would have been a tank back there, but not compared to the height of a dronon or the stature of a half-ogre. His head was freshly buzzed and a scar ran the length of the left side of his face. He wore thick-treaded boots and a comically out-of-place gray trench coat.


    ¡°Damn,¡± he muttered, eyes searching the area. The most concerning part of the single word was that it was in English.


    Theo had seen that expression on people before. The desperation before they drew a weapon and started blasting. He crossed the distance between them in moments, making observations about the man¡¯s lacking speed, and gripped his forearm before he could reach into his coat. The alchemist yanked the hand free, finding a sawn-off shotgun with gadgets attached to the side.


    ¡°You¡¯re fast, demon,¡± he said, struggling against Theo.


    20 Strength was apparently enough to overpower this guy. Theo thought about his observations before, the idea bolstered by a Wisdom of the Soul message. He didn¡¯t have a class core, or access to attributes. He was a baseline human from Earth, likely freshly plucked and deposited into this world¡¯s queue.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Theo found it odd to speak words in English. How long had it been? He wrenched the gun from the man¡¯s hand, holding it limp at his side.


    ¡°Jan Turowski,¡± the man said, eyes still darting around. ¡°Figure I¡¯m in a mound of shit by now. Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Broken Tusk in the Southlands Alliance.¡±


    Jan licked his lips. Theo could see him calculating how to get his gun back. The ghost of the man jumped forward and the alchemist kicked forward. When the new arrival moved, he was met with a foot and fell back onto his ass.


    ¡°Message received.¡± Jan coughed from the ground, rubbing his chest where Theo had planted his foot. ¡°Is this the other place?¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Theo asked, sputtering.


    ¡°Maybe not.¡± Jan looked around, reaching under his coat again.


    Theo crossed the distance again, pinning the man¡¯s hand to the ground when he withdrew another gun. They always had another gun. This one was an old world revolver. No fancy tech attached to the side. ¡°Got anything else in that coat? Care to pull out a kitchen sink?¡±


    Jan¡¯s lips curled into a smile, even as he rested on his back. ¡°Yeah, I have a few tricks. But I know when to admit I¡¯m beaten. Do they grow everyone so big around here?¡±


    ¡°Mostly. Let¡¯s start again. My name is Theo Spencer. Are you from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Where else would I be from?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the year?¡±


    ¡°2053.¡±


    That was about 250 years off from when Theo left. He grit his teeth, unsure how to take the time nonsense going on. Building a mental map of what had happened, he confirmed his suspicion that there was something going on with Earth well before the Harbinger showed up. The governments of the world either suppressed information or it was lost. It was impossible to tell.


    ¡°Funny bringing weapons like these here,¡± Theo said, brandishing the shotgun. ¡°They¡¯re unlikely to work. You have a lot to learn if you want to survive.¡±


    ¡°Really? Looks fine to me.¡±


    Theo held the gun up, trying not to roll his eyes. He pulled the trigger. Two barrels bucked against his hand as he fired, pain jamming down into his shoulder. He cursed, dropping the weapon and shaking his hand out.


    ¡°See?¡± Jan asked, winking from below. ¡°She works just fine.¡±


    Theo glared at the man, scooping up the shotgun and adding it and the revolver to his inventory. Jan raised an eyebrow, betraying his calm demeanor. The alchemist sighed when he felt Tresk and Alex drawing near, and released his shadow aura to block out unfriendly eyes. That got more of a reaction from the earthling.


    ¡°Woah! What is that!¡± Tresk shouted, walking through the barrier. The horse-sized goose came next, honking.


    Now Jan¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise.


    ¡°An Earth human,¡± Theo said. ¡°Who I will release if he promises not to grab anything else from his coat.¡±


    ¡°Promise.¡± Jan took on an apologetic tone, eyes locked onto Tresk. ¡°Is that a lizard?¡±


    ¡°Kinda.¡± Tresk shrugged, responding in Qavelli. Her English sucked, but she read Theo¡¯s memories in real-time to get the translation.


    ¡°We talking French around here? Is that a goose?¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°You guys have anything hard to drink around here in fantasy land?¡± Jan asked, sitting up once Theo released him.


    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Tresk shouted, withdrawing some zee liquor from their shared inventory. She handed it over to the man, nodding with approval. ¡°Dang, he¡¯s so small. Smaller than the humans around here.¡±


    Jan offered her a confused look.


    ¡°She thinks you¡¯re small,¡± Theo translated.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty big where I come from,¡± Jan said, taking a swig from the flask. He winced before smacking his lips and nodding with approval. ¡°Shit could strip paint. I like it.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue, uncomfortable being out in the random field. ¡°On your feet, soldier. We need somewhere private to talk. Just stay inside the bubble.¡±


    ¡°What happens if I leave the bubble?¡±


    Theo gave Tresk a look. ¡°Did you get a notification when you saw him? Something related to your special core?¡±


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    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Considering his next move, Theo opened his interface and issued a command. Xol¡¯sa still knew a lot about dimensional travel, even if the alchemist was becoming the master of the void.


    ¡°Still¡­ Just stay inside the bubble.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Stay inside and shut the hell up. So long as you don¡¯t kill me, we¡¯re cool.¡±


    Theo led the party back to Broken Tusk. He had a lifetime around people like Jan, and wasn¡¯t interested in expanding his experiences. Twitchy people like him had seen stuff. Perhaps he was a soldier back in the old world, or a cop. The alchemist didn¡¯t know enough about the older version of Earth to make an assessment, but the answers would come. Jan¡¯s head swiveled as they walked through town, spotting all the sights that must have made him question reality. They arrived at the study in the manor shortly after.


    ¡°Sit,¡± Theo commanded, gesturing to the one chair. It was just Theo, Jan, and Tresk. Alex could no longer fit through the door.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jan said, taking a seat. He checked the door and the windows.


    ¡°What do you remember?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What happened before you came here?¡±


    For the first time, Jan¡¯s expression shifted. He looked up thoughtfully, as though recounting the events of some ordeal. ¡°The whole thing started in Connecticut. I was looking for my nephew. Came across some wild shit.¡±


    ¡°What kind of wild shit?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d say you wouldn¡¯t believe me, but¡­ You¡¯re a demon. And she¡¯s a lizard¡­ and¡­ I don¡¯t know what he is,¡± Jan gestured to the door.


    Xol¡¯sa bowed his head, cocking an eyebrow at the man in the chair. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Jan,¡± the man in the chair responded. His eyes were locked on the extra-planar elf. He took another sip of the booze. ¡°I¡¯ll need more of this.¡±


    ¡°The glowing blue elf was the breaking point for you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°So, Connecticut. Your nephew. Go on.¡±


    Jan shrugged, taking another long drink. That liquor was for alchemical purposes, but Theo bit his tongue.


    ¡°Some weird stuff was happening. My nephew Ahmad disappeared and I was on his trail. Found a sniff of him in Hartford. Some old book shop just got a load of junk from an estate. Ahmad had made inquiries to the shop before he vanished. Boy was bedridden. Body was eating him alive. Funny how medicine can fail like that.¡±


    This was more backstory than Theo expected to get out of the guy. It must have been weighing on his mind. When Tresk went to say something, he kicked her in the shin.


    ¡°I figured out who bought the book and tracked her down. Feisty girl named Maria up in New Hampshire. College kid. Then I got my ass beat by a six-year-old.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Busted down Maria¡¯s door ready to get some information about Ahmad. Found this little girl with pointy ears talking with that college kid. Trained my shotty on them and the next thing I knew, the child was twisting my arm. Nearly broke it off.¡±


    ¡°A powerful class core?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°There were no classes back on Earth,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, there were,¡± Jan said, shaking his head. ¡°Not sure where you were hiding, but there were plenty of people with those cores from what I remember. I never had one, but that Maria girl did.¡±


    This flew in the face of everything Theo knew. It would take time for him to reconstruct his timeline of events, but that didn¡¯t matter right now. Now he needed to hear the rest of the story and get Xol¡¯sa¡¯s help to figure out what happened to this guy.


    ¡°So, the powerful child¡­¡± Theo inclined his head, waiting for the man to continue.


    ¡°She said her name was Fate, always talking about her brother Omen. Never saw the brother, but I ran some operations with Fate and Maria. They said my nephew was trapped in another world, but they could get him out. Even if he was different. Got his diseases cured with a new body. Other fantastical shit that would make any uncle drop everything to see. Especially when that uncle had been watching his nephew die for the past eighteen years.¡±


    Theo was gripped. He leaned in, waiting for more.


    ¡°Never saw my nephew. I couldn¡¯t keep up with the others, but some went into that other place. They said Ahmad was fine. Fighting for the fate of the world or something. The last thing I remember was an eye. A massive eye looking down at me. Darkness after that.¡±


    Theo shot a look at Xol¡¯sa, who had his ¡®pondering wizard¡¯ expression on. ¡°I¡¯ve read of a massive purple eye in the sky, leering down on people.¡±


    ¡°The eye was red,¡± Jan corrected.


    Xol¡¯sa shot Theo a look. ¡°Told him the wrong color trying to catch him.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What does it mean?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to run some tests on him.¡±


    ¡°Hooray.¡± Jan delivered the word with no enthusiasm.


    ¡°Are we gonna kill him afterward?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo opened his administration interface, drawing up a contract. ¡°No, I¡¯ll bind him in a few contracts.¡±


    ¡°A few what?¡± Jan asked.


    ¡°Magical contracts,¡± Xol¡¯sa explained. ¡°You¡¯ll be killed by spirit animals if you void the contracts.¡±


    ¡°I saw a guy explode after voiding a contract,¡± Tresk added. It was a complete lie, but it got Jan to twitch. She understood the assignment.


    Theo presented the contract to Jan, laughing as the man flinched back. ¡°Read those over. Or not, you don¡¯t have a choice but to sign them.¡±


    Jan grumbled, poking at the air to swipe through the many pages of the contract. It forbade him from harming anyone within the alliance or her allies. It also protected the interests of the alliance, spanning further than he would normally allow a contract to span. But it was the only way to get an unknown factor under control.


    Under Theo¡¯s command, Tresk went off to hire three adventurers from the guild to watch Jan. The man was putting on a strong front, but the walls would come crashing down. Some might think execution or banishment was the right move, but this guy would be a trove of information about old Earth. He mentioned both Connecticut and New Hampshire. Both locations were mostly destroyed in Theo¡¯s time. If the only thing he got out of the exchange was information about the world his people left behind, it would be worth it.


    ¡°There. Guess I¡¯m your slave, now,¡± Jan grumbled. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    As if summoned by the words, the door swung open and Sulvan stepped in. ¡°Is this the guy?¡±


    Theo nodded. The only god Theo trusted completely was Glantheir. What better way to introduce Jan to the world than through a servant of that god?


    ¡°There¡¯s a group of adventurers waiting for you outside. They¡¯ll keep him in line. If needed.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jan said, groaning to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this shit as it is. What are we doing, boss?¡±


    Sulvan pulled at Jan¡¯s coat, cocking a brow. ¡°You¡¯ll need some new clothes to blend in.¡±


    Jan tried to smack Sulvan¡¯s hand away, but failed. He cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯d rather keep the coat, thank you.¡±


    Sulvan seized his hand, reaching inside to withdraw a knife. ¡°To conceal this?¡±


    ¡°Get him a spear or something,¡± Theo said. ¡°Daggers kinda suck.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo gave her a flat look. ¡°Your daggers only work because of your classes. Unclassed folks are better off using weapons with range.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Sulvan gestured for Jan to exit the room. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work. Qavell is stable, but we have a lot of work to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Once the room was cleared, Xol¡¯sa nodded at Theo. ¡°This is a strange turn,¡± he said with a shake of his head. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    The only thing Theo could think of were the other souls he saw in the void. If that was the queue of souls ready to head down to the mortal plane, interacting with them was a bad idea. More information about what Earth was like would be nice, but he couldn¡¯t predict who he would find.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking I opened a can of weird. We need to watch that guy. He¡¯s not showing it, but this is new for him. He¡¯ll be scared, looking for a way to get out.¡±


    ¡°Would that be so bad?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°He¡¯d die out there. Even if he could hop a ship out of town, or head north¡­ Yeah, I think nothing friendly is waiting for him without a class. Even if he had his guns.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was some serious excitement for today.¡± Tresk stretched, rolling her shoulders. ¡°I think you should bring more souls from the queue. Might make things more interesting.¡±

 6.22 - New Alchemical Methods

    Theo gave Sulvan access to a piece of the administration interface, allowing him to give updates about the new arrival. The alchemist settled into the lab. Salire had a way of clearing his mind of the outside world, helping him focus completely on alchemy. It didn¡¯t hurt that the hired artificer had fixed the printing machine.


    Salire thumped her hand on a bound copy of her book, an endless smile hanging on her face. ¡°Here it is!¡±


    Theo ran his fingers over the book, looking at his name emblazoned on the front. Modern Drogramathi Alchemy was an interesting title. She claimed it needed revisions, but was good enough for now. Within the book was their collective knowledge about distillation, including which skills were needed at which phase. It was thorough about heating instructions, and even had a section dedicated to detailing a guide to creating stills.


    ¡°Faith?¡± Theo asked, flipping to a new section of the book. ¡°Hah, you¡¯re telling them to come here to worship Drogramath. Interesting.¡±


    ¡°It worked for me,¡± Salire said with a shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Ulvuqor would love a copy of this. Can I have one?¡±


    ¡°You can have ten! I¡¯ll just make more.¡±


    Theo laughed, stuffing a few copies in his inventory. This would be a great bridge for future generations of Drogramath alchemists, even if it would be done on a different plane. For now, he was happy to see the progress he had made represented in a book. More than that, Salire increased her knowledge of the art by putting her thoughts down. She could perform first and second tier alchemy reactions without a problem. Even without the status of Champion, she was an amazing alchemist.


    ¡°Are we running anything fun today?¡±


    ¡°Today?¡± Salire asked, craning her neck to see out the window. ¡°Is there much left in the day?¡±


    ¡°I guess not¡­ Well, since you¡¯re an alchemy expert now, I have some things I want to run by you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Look at me. Better than the Champion of Drogramath.¡± Salire laughed nervously. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Theo led the way outside to his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. He looked over the plants in his Experimental Garden. They were frozen in time, waiting for him to get better at manipulating plants so he could mimic the effects of the wild-grown fourth tier reagents. Until then, this place was mostly unused.


    ¡°We have a few ways we can move forward, but I suspect I know how reagents are working for us right now. We have lower-tier reagents creating lower-tier potions, which isn¡¯t an issue. Not every nail needs a sledgehammer.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the lower potions, though. Is there?¡± Salire asked. She stooped low, inspecting the things growing in the Experimental Garden Plot. ¡°Splicing has only produced new reagents, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. While that¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t see it as a way forward. We might be at a point where we determine where the next phase goes. But I don¡¯t think the powerful wild reagents are it. I think that¡¯s a side-path, rather than the true fourth tier potions. They¡¯re listed as elixirs, rather than potions.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying we haven¡¯t found the right way to make those potions? How certain are you?¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t absolutely sure he was right. It was hard to know if he was even partially right, but he had followed his instincts to success so far. ¡°Fairly certain. Your book inspired me to think about the ways we have been crafting potions and see if we can find some analogs between that and growing reagents.¡±


    Salire looked up to the sky, biting the inside of her cheek. ¡°Tonight?¡±


    ¡°No. Of course not. It¡¯s getting too late, but I wanted to leave you with something to think about so we can start tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I can do some experiments in the Dreamwalk.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Salire said, looking at the sky again. She looked eager to leave.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to leave,¡± Theo said, nodding at her. ¡°Since it looks like you¡¯re gonna pee your pants.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Salire shouted, dashing off without another word.


    Theo locked up the Newt and Demon and checked his administration interface. Alise had made a report that she had worked with Salire to utilize the Order From Chaos skill to create a potion stockpile, even granting each adventurer access. Sulvan had a report that he got into a fight with Jan, striking the unclassed human in the head and inflicting a nasty wound. He had healed it, and the outworlder behaved after that. Perhaps altruism wasn¡¯t in the man¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Do you think Theo will figure it out?¡± Sarisa asked, emerging from the shadows.


    Theo began walking away, hoping to outpace the siblings before they could chafe him with more jabs.


    ¡°Doubtful! He¡¯s clueless.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± Theo asked, glaring at Sarisa and Rowan.


    ¡°Oh. Just that your apprentice has a hot date.¡± Salire whistled.


    ¡°Smoldering.¡±


    ¡°Is it Fenian?¡± Theo asked, narrowing his eyes at the pair.


    ¡°No,¡± they said at the same time.


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t care. As long as Fenian didn¡¯t get her, I can rest easy. Let¡¯s go make dinner.¡±


    <hr>


    The confines of the Dreamwalk gave Theo room to think. His first thought for creating new potions was to discover a new technique to extract as much potency as possible. Distillation squeezed an absurd amount of purity from reagents, meaning it was the most effective way he knew of. But there might have been another way.


    Tresk and Alex were training in the distance the way they always had. Theo hadn¡¯t been invited to fight alongside them in a long time. They had instead become a fighting pair that required constant drilling. The aerial moves they performed required a level of precision that could only be gained through practice. The alchemist concerned his thoughts with alchemy tonight, instead of increasing his willpower.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The first stage of alchemy was simple distillation. Next came the concentration of essence, and finally the infusion of enchanted alcohol into the mix. The third step worked because it allowed the alcohol to burn away the impurities, leaving them behind during the distillation process. Perhaps that idea could be taken further.


    Theo set up a few stills to observe the reactions within during an alcohol run. He asked himself questions about the run, and explained each stage to a rubber duck he had summoned. It wasn¡¯t named Bob, but he just needed something to talk to.


    ¡°A Bound Enchanted DIlution works because the alcohol is infused with the property you¡¯re looking to extract,¡± Theo said, nodding to the yellow duck perched on a rock. ¡°What if we infuse it with more?¡±


    Running a few experiments with his stills showed Theo that this was the right track, but wrong application. He sifted through the skills for his Drogramath Alchemy Core, finding nothing that gave him a hint. There might have been some strange stuff going on, since he was on the forefront of Drogramath¡¯s alchemy in the mortal realm, but he didn¡¯t get that impression. He instead focused on ways he could use existing essence to enhance a run, coming up with several approaches.


    The first angle he took was the way he always did things. Standard alchemy. This was the attempt to infuse the essences during the first stage of production. Even with Wisdom of the Soul, his intuition pushed him in a different direction. The resulting angle he approached the problem from brought insights, but wasn¡¯t the way forward. There was no way to entangle the vapor version of the essence with a liquid version. Which led to the last idea.


    Messing with the vapor form of an essence was untapped territory. The only way they had worked with essence vapor was by compressing it, resulting in a refined version. Theo worked on imagining this new method, drawing things out in his interface and testing them in the Dreamwalk. Starting with an alcohol infusion during the first step, and ending with another version at the end was the only way. He made alterations to his imagined still, directing the output into the old version of the pressure tank. These were heated, which would allow the essence to maintain vapor form.


    ¡°This makes sense, right?¡± Theo asked himself. He wasn¡¯t convinced, but the strength of his feelings on this concept was undeniable.


    Theo allowed the distillation to play out slowly, creating a third tier essence that never reached the condensation stage. It instead poured into the condenser, although the artifice that added pressure to the vessel never activated. It was instead kept warm enough to maintain vapor form. Storage of large quantities of the gaseous essence might be a pain, but this might work. The concept was sound, even if he didn¡¯t have every step. He would double-down on the core of an essence, reinfusing that concept back into the mix.


    But the Dreamwalk refused to go too far with this one. It bit back, giving Theo a sensation of foreboding. He instead collected his thoughts, adding them to his notes. Eight hours of rest meant eight hours of experimentation for the alchemist. His nights had been spent using the exploit to send his willpower to absurd heights, but the thrill of discovering new alchemy was too alluring. It was good to take a break, anyway.


    Stepping out of the Dreamwalk, Theo followed behind Tresk. They headed downstairs to get some breakfast. As he walked, the alchemist smelled something in the air that was¡­ interesting. It held a similar savory scent he was used to smelling in the morning, but was different. Down in the dining area, he spotted Sarisa and Rowan setting out bowls, instead of plates. Each was filled with a clear broth liquid topped with sliced greens.


    ¡°What is this!?¡± Tresk shouted. Theo could feel her fighting back the urge to flip the table. ¡°Where¡¯s the bacon?¡±


    ¡°No bacon today.¡± Sarisa sighed into her seat, picking up a spoon and slurping some soup. ¡°This is a cleansing broth.¡±


    ¡°Give me something yummy from your inventory,¡± Tresk said, pawing at Theo. ¡°I need some proper food.¡±


    ¡°Try it, Tresk.¡± Rowan sipped from his bowl.


    Theo tested his own bowl before passing judgment. He sipped the clear broth, shrugging after the flavor hit his tongue. It tasted like watered-down chicken broth with lemon. His first thought was that it would be great to have if he were sick. It was light and unoffensive while still filling his stomach. ¡°I like it,¡± he said after a long pause.


    ¡°That¡¯ll purge your guts,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°Which Tresk needs more than anyone. I bet her guts are gross.¡±


    Tresk grumbled, sipping soup from her spoon. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°Good. Everyone needs to keep their strength up!¡± Sarisa said, striking a pose.


    After drinking his breakfast soup, Theo headed off to check on Jan. Sulvan was being a good disciple of Glantheir and updating the things he was doing with the newcomer that day. He gave a play-by-play, including things about Jan¡¯s temperament and desires for the future. They had been up at the asscrack of dawn, serving the people of Qavell in whatever way they needed. The alchemist went there himself, finding the pair distributing food to citizens.


    ¡°Enjoying the work?¡± Theo asked, looking down at the human.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Toting some boxes around. Excellent use of my skills.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing very well,¡± Sulvan said, nodding to Jan. ¡°Grumpy, but he¡¯s eager to help. More than anything, he enjoys learning about our world. And I have enjoyed learning about his world.¡±


    That made sense. Jan¡¯s story involved parts where he helped random people as they rescued his nephew. There was some good in him, and Glantheir would only help pull that out.


    ¡°Keep it up, guys.¡±


    Jan grunted a response while Sulvan waved, smiling as Theo headed out. Qavell was still a problem and Hanan hadn¡¯t ironed out the details of his acceptance into the alliance. This city and the underground town needed to be sorted. But both were big projects that would take time. Theo instead headed to the Newt and Demon to share his findings with Salire. She was dealing with a customer downstairs. It was a customer representing the town, so was it really a customer? Whatever, they were exchanging cash for potions.


    Theo found a length of parchment to scribble on. If they were going to get this to work, they would need a few artifice pieces for their stills. A few quick sketches later and he was ready to show his findings off. But she took too long getting upstairs, so he got busy with some basic alchemy. There was nothing wrong with having low-tier potions on hand, especially now that the adventurers had a pool they could draw from. With the quantities the lab produced, it wouldn¡¯t hurt them. If only there was a way to industrialize the spirit reagent process¡­ Another day, perhaps.


    ¡°You look eager,¡± Salire said, ascending to the lab on the third floor. ¡°I hope that means you found something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I couldn¡¯t really test it in the Dreamwalk, but it makes sense. Listen to this¡­¡±


    Theo explained his idea of injecting the vapor form of aligned essence into the condensation part of their process. Salire nodded along, waiting until he finished to bring feedback.


    ¡°But what element of the distillation binds the two essences?¡± Salire asked.


    Yeah, a vaporized essence wouldn¡¯t bind with another just because they were introduced in a pressurized environment. That needed a sort of catalyst, like the Suffuse Potion. ¡°Damn. Why do I have the feeling you¡¯re right?¡± The alchemist tapped his chin, his tail sweeping back and forth. ¡°Why does this feel like it should work?¡±


    Salire blew out a steady breath, drumming her fingers on the table. ¡°I see what you¡¯re going for here, but we¡¯re talking about a lot of specialized equipment. It¡¯s easy pulling liquid essences together, but as a gas? How would we measure it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping we can have Throk create an artifice to do the job.¡±


    ¡°We can follow your gut, though. We¡¯ll need new pressure tanks, some tubing, an injection mechanism, and¡­ Well, other things we can¡¯t predict.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can do a small-scale experiment. Any ideas on how we can skim some vapor into another vessel?¡± Theo was eager to get this idea working. He was certain it would work.


    ¡°Yeah, we can do that. Let¡¯s put our heads together. What would bind two vaporized essences together so completely that they are almost without flaws?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo cracked his knuckles. ¡°Only one way to find out. Gotta do random bullshit until something sticks.¡±

 6.23 - Failure Means Progress

    Theo and Salire stood out in the land behind the Newt and Demon. The area around the building was becoming crowded, giving them little room to do dangerous experiments. Essence sputtered from the spout on a still, collecting into a flask resting on a table. The alchemist prepared the temporary pressure vessel, which might as well have been held together with duct tape and bubblegum.


    ¡°This should be fine,¡± Theo lied. ¡°Throk had this junk behind his workshop. He never did anything with it.¡±


    ¡°Good thing he hoards all his stuff.¡± Salire turned the valve on the condenser artifice, sending the distilling Healing Essence into the tank. The condenser stopped sputtering, depositing the last few drops of refined essence into the flask.


    Once they had enough vapor inside of the pressure vessel, they cut the flow and swapped from the still as a feeder to another container they had prepared. Thanks to the artifices on the tank, they could siphon vapor from either direction, allowing them to pump in a complimentary Healing Essence vapor they had prepared before starting this experiment. This was the first leg of experimentation that would give them a sense for how viable this was.


    ¡°Flip the switch,¡± Theo said, giving the signal.


    Salire set the artifice to pump, allowing the gas to mix in the chamber. They didn¡¯t have to wait long for something to happen. Moments after hitting the switch, the sides of the container bulged. Both Salire and Theo had enough alchemy instincts to hit the ground, shielding their heads from potential shrapnel. While the edges of the copper vessel bulged, they didn¡¯t give way.


    Theo edged close to the container, hitting the release valve on the side. Flames belched from the pipe, roaring out with a rush of heat and sound. The alchemist winced, gritting his teeth as the flaming reaction was removed from the tank.


    ¡°Nope. That wasn¡¯t it,¡± he said, checking that he still had eyebrows. Both were still there, despite his expectations. ¡°Mixing essences is a bad idea, even in vapor form. And even when those essences are the same.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re missing something,¡± Salire said, inspecting the damage to the tank. ¡°And we¡¯ll need to commission a few more tanks if we want to continue experimentation.¡±


    ¡°Smaller versions, I think,¡± Theo said, fixing his hair. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the factors that would cause two vapor essences to bind.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re incompatible. Which means we need a binding agent to force them to work.¡±


    ¡°Like the dilutions. I¡¯m going to Throk¡¯s to commission a few things. We have some left-over Enchanted Bound Dilution, right? How about we vaporize that and use it on a third tier essence. See if we can¡¯t coax a true fourth tier reaction.¡±


    ¡°Well, that just might work.¡±


    Theo scratched his chin, finding himself fidgeting more and more as this problem went unsolved. ¡°I¡¯m almost certain we¡¯re still missing something, though. Okay, this might take longer than expected. I¡¯m gonna go talk to Throk.¡±


    Theo headed out from their testing area, leaving all their equipment there. This wasn¡¯t a problem he could solve in a day like normal, but he had one more advantage to seize. He made his way to Throk¡¯s workshop, finding the marshling missing. An apprentice was there to take his order, though. With the express fee, they could have the devices ready in hours¡­ If Throk was there. He was working on the northern rail line. So things might take a while to get done. Fine. Everything was fine.


    ¡°You guys want to come to Tero¡¯gal?¡± Theo asked, turning to the shadows he expected Sarisa and Rowan to be hiding in.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Sarisa said, emerging from a different shadow. ¡°Hate that place.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can go alone. Go brood in the heavens by yourself, you little demon.¡±


    Theo shrugged, activating his Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage skill. He took the normal way, passing over the bridge and landing in his own realm within a few moments. It seemed smoother somehow, but he couldn¡¯t place his finger on it. And the souls of those in the queue didn¡¯t pass his notice as he approached. But they were a problem for another day. He had tea at the cottage, finding the normal assortment of gods minus Drogramath. That wasn¡¯t concerning, but it was annoying.


    Khahar pulled him aside before he could jump to another realm, a smile on the cat-dude¡¯s face. ¡°You found Jan,¡± he said. ¡°What an asshole.¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about old Earth, Yuri?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not as much as I would like. That man has a lot of stories. I¡¯m rather excited.¡±


    ¡°He came with a gun. Did you see the gun?¡±


    ¡°Vaguely. Your shadow barrier is getting stronger by the day. Have you been lifting?¡±


    Theo paused, narrowing his eyes at his old friend. ¡°Are you feeling alright? You¡¯re freaking me out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling great. When you knocked Jan out of the queue, you confirmed a few theories. We deviated from a line of fate that I was tracking, but not by much. Exciting stuff.¡±


    Theo wondered if the use of the word ¡®fate¡¯ was intentional or not. He was now highly suspicious of both Fate and Maria, and what role they had to play in the way things were going with this world. So long as it was a step in the right direction, everything would be fine. The alchemist would find a way to interview the souls before he dislodged them from the queue to see if he could glean information. Khahar had a few more pleasantries to exchange¡ªa series of words that were far more verbose than normal¡ªbefore heading to Drogramath¡¯s realm.


    He arrived in those giant potion bottles, finding the lord of the realm tending to some plants. ¡°Questions. Questions,¡± Drogramath said, laughing to himself. ¡°Theo comes with questions.¡±


    ¡°I thought you might like that.¡± Theo approached, looking down at the strange plant he had never seen before. ¡°Have you been watching?¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re pushing my alchemy further than I could have ever imagined. Congratulations on being my most successful Champion.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But, are we on the right track?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Mostly. You¡¯ll get it. A few more explosions and everything will be just fine. I¡¯d give you a hint, but¡­ I think you¡¯re there.¡±


    Theo shrugged, kneeling to inspect the plant Drogramath was working on. He didn¡¯t get a system message for the plant. The realm must have blocked his inspection of the plant. Dronon loved their secrets, didn¡¯t they?


    Drogramath had some other stuff to talk about, but it was mostly cryptic musings on the nature of plants. Theo didn¡¯t detect any hints, but he didn¡¯t care. He returned to Tero¡¯gal to have more tea, and was happy to just relax. With no souls to sort out, he spent his time in leisure rather than working his butt off.


    Theo enjoyed his tea and the lively conversation of the gods assembled in the cottage. But he spent his time thinking about the ways he could make his plan work. Instead of contracting, his list of potential solutions expanded. He focused on the way things had worked for him in the past, and the progression of alchemy he had observed along the way. From standard distillation to pressurization and finally alcohol infusion, each method created an extra dimension. But each dimension focused on the same concept of removing impurities.


    It was time to go when Spit wouldn¡¯t stop breaking things. He could only break the things brought into the realm, so that meant all of Benton¡¯s hand-made cups. The bear god needed to step up, even if it was against an ogre god. Theo fell through the realms, his mind too unfocused on godly things to remain there. He arrived back where he came from, and got back to work. He created a list of approaches they could try to get the vaporized essences to bind.


    Salire was dealing with customers downstairs when a nervous-looking marshling entered the third floor. He bowed his head at Theo, placing a few artifices on the table and scampering off. It had been about twenty minutes since they put the order in. Someone must have been bored over in Throk¡¯s shop. The alchemist took the first device in his hand. It was a Drogramathi Iron vessel. Mini version, of course. It had all the same input and output ports as the full size one.


    ¡°What¡¯s this one?¡± Theo asked, picking up a strange-looking device. It was a straight tube with pots on either end and one on the side. He decided it could be used inline, allowing him to infuse gasses with other gasses. There were several duplicates of this one. ¡°Good. Cause I¡¯m gonna blow a few up.¡±


    Theo prepared a few things before heading out back to the explosion field. If he used that area more often for that purpose, he might just make a district. Salire finished up with a customer as he left, joining with him out to the yard.


    ¡°What do you have there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The weird artifices, or the other stuff?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all of it.¡±


    ¡°This is the junk that Throk¡¯s apprentices made.¡± Theo held up the tiny versions of the pressure vessels. ¡°And these are catalysts I¡¯ve ground to a powder. I¡¯ve never used bones as a catalyst, but whatever. There¡¯s a first time for everything.¡±


    Theo¡¯s plan was to go nuts with infusions. He had a few things prepared, but had also crammed his inventory full of crap to try out. Salire helped him set up the first leg of the experiment. The original tank they had used was deformed, but still contained some un-ruined vapor. He thought it was still usable, anyway. Without a way to see inside, and absolutely no way to inspect the vapor form of essence, he was going off of a guess and intuition.


    ¡°Test number one,¡± Theo said, flipping the tube-thing over after it was filled with Healing Essence gas. ¡°How the hell do I put other crap in here?¡±


    ¡°Oh! There¡¯s an adapter,¡± Salire withdrew something from her inventory. ¡°The little marshling dropped it off earlier. He¡¯s just bringing them over as he makes them.¡±


    ¡°Weird kid,¡± Theo said, giving the adaptor a half-turn. This thing was meant for liquid, but whatever. He inserted the powder, pressed a button on the device, and tossed the device away.


    It exploded like a pipe bomb.


    Theo handed a Healing Potion over to Salire as he yanked a bit of metal free from his arm. She removed a similar fragment from her shoulder, shaking her head as she drank the potion.


    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°No one said alchemy wasn¡¯t dangerous. On to the next one.¡±


    Different granularities of powder didn¡¯t change the result. Each created a pipe bomb of varying strength. Theo and Salire tried everything they could think of, mixing different concentrations of gasses together, vaporizing other essences or full potions. The apprentice alchemist had a constant stream of testing artifices coming in from the artificer¡¯s workshop, refining the design as they went. The apprentices there weren¡¯t as good as Throk, but they were good enough for the tests.


    Theo twisted the latest model shut, releasing the valve to introduce two gasses together. He tossed the device, plugging his ears and waiting for the explosion. At least they had learned to hide behind trees during the explosion. But the result was a sputtering thing, barely registering as a bomb.


    ¡°Wait, what just happened?¡± Theo said, narrowing his eyes to observe the reaction. ¡°Didn¡¯t we try that already?¡±


    Salire checked her notes. ¡°The mixture was¡­ pure alcohol. We tried a bound dilution, and an unbound dilution before.¡±


    ¡°But it still had a reaction.¡± Theo dug his heel into the soft ground. ¡°Because¡­. Why?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on. Perhaps this isn¡¯t the path forward,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°No, something is itching in the back of my head. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Wash your hair more often.¡± Salire gave a cheesy grin.


    Theo turned, his thoughts rolling over in his head. He headed to the artificer¡¯s workshop, commissioning a new piece. Salire followed behind him, watching as the alchemist sketched something for the worker to create. They were making the stuff so quickly because the testing tubes only required a few pieces to be slapped on with some artificer skill.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Theo asked, pointing to the mixing chamber on top of the tube. Two elements could be mixed before being added to the vapor.


    ¡°Vaporized alcohol in one, and¡­ what about the other?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo pressed his hand against the second chamber, allowing Drogramathi mana to bubble to the surface. It dripped in. Like most raw mana that wasn¡¯t controlled, or added to a crafting, it became a faint cloud of purple within the chamber.


    ¡°Oh! Oh! I see what you¡¯re doing!¡± Salire shouted, bouncing up and down on the spot. The annoyed marshling pointed to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go. He¡¯s giving us the stink eye.¡±


    Returning to the field filled with metal shards, Theo added gaseous liquor to the first chamber and pressed a button. They flooded into a smaller holding tank, ready to be introduced to the essence gas. He filled that chamber, pressed another button, and tossed the tube. Just in case.


    ¡°No explosion?¡± Salire asked, poking her head around the tree.


    Theo did the same, setting his sight on the tube. ¡°Nothing. Did it really work?¡±


    The pair ran the gas through a condenser, but didn¡¯t get fourth tier essence for their efforts. They went back-and-forth, finally concluding what the missing piece was. Theo cleaned out the testing tube, flooding the main chamber with essence gas. He put more of his mana into the second mixing chamber, and a Bound Dilution into the first. Pushing the first button, he watched as his mana mixed perfectly. His observations of the reactions were limited to whether or not it exploded. Still to unsure of holding the device and not dying, he flushed the mixture into the main chamber and tossed the tube into the field.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good sign! Oh! That means your mana is a stabilizing factor!¡± Salire shouted, jumping around. ¡°Just like modifier essences!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get it into the condenser,¡± Theo said, retrieving the tube. He extracted the gas into a spiral condenser, watching as it dropped into a flask below. There was too little for the system to give him a prompt, but he was hopeful. ¡°One step closer to proper fourth tier essence.¡±

 6.24 - Explosions Are Essential To Alchemy

    Theo pressed his forefinger and thumb into his forehead, picking free a chunk of metal. He followed his intuition and the guidance of the Wisdom of the Soul prompts. A gas form of the unbound dilution had mixed with gaseous essence. The mixture was even stable, if only for a few seconds. But as the mixture condensed, pooling in a flask underneath, it exploded.


    ¡°Are you good?¡± Theo asked, trying not to cough.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive,¡± Salire said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t it work?¡±


    That was a good question. Theo was certain this was the way forward, so why had it failed in the last step. But this wasn¡¯t something he could solve in a moment. He was too laser-focused on the problem, and needed to clear his head before he moved forward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. Could you do me a favor?¡± Theo asked.


    Salire nodded, dutifully pulling out a notebook. He instructed her to get with Throk¡¯s people again, refining the design of the vapor mixing artifices. The alchemist knew this wouldn¡¯t be a waste of time. This was it. They just needed to find the missing piece of the puzzle before he got what he wanted.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Salire said with a drawn-out sigh. ¡°I was certain that was going to work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too. Get your brain working. Check with everyone you can find about evolving buildings. I¡¯m gonna find Throk.¡±


    The duo broke for the day, parting from the clearing to perform their own tasks. Theo located Throk up north, working on the northbound train system. He stopped by Miana¡¯s ranch on his way there, finding the ex-mayor of the town working with a team of trained wolves and marshlings to ride them. After that, he checked on the market. They hadn¡¯t found a seed core to plant there, but the area had developed on its own. Merchants from afar now brought their wares to Broken Tusk. The place that was once an empty field now bustled with activity.


    ¡°And yet,¡± Theo grumbled to himself, the wind whipping his face. ¡°We still don¡¯t have windshields.¡±


    It didn¡¯t pass Theo¡¯s notice that the trains were slightly faster than before. He had to hold on tighter so he didn¡¯t get tossed as the train took a corner. Throk must have juiced the artifices that drove the train. That or he refined his ability to make fake coins. Whatever the crafty marshling had done, the trip to Gronro could now be accomplished in less time. Theo didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever get used to seeing the new Gronro-Dir. It seemed as though everyone stayed indoors when the threat of the undead was here. He spotted several new citizens, which he was surprised to learn came from the north.


    ¡°I thought everyone was dead,¡± Theo said, slapping Grot on the back and startling the dwarf.


    ¡°Balls, you scared me,¡± Grot released a heavy sigh that stirred the whiskers of his mustache. ¡°Yeah, there was some druid enclave somewhere up north. Those folks have been walking for a while. Bet they didn¡¯t expect to see Qavell all the way down here.¡±


    ¡°Good to see. Hopefully, they¡¯re adjusting¡­¡± Theo trailed off, spotting a new train station to the north. So there would be no line connecting Broken Tusk to this line. They would need to disembark and board the next one. ¡°Where is Throk?¡±


    ¡°Working with some folks. You can take that little train if you want.¡±


    Theo craned his neck, spotting the ¡®little train¡¯ sitting on the tracks. It was hovering, waiting for someone to board it. ¡°What¡¯s that all about?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how the workers move along the track. Keeps them from walking for days.¡±


    ¡°Keep up the good work, Grot,¡± Theo said, slapping the dwarf on the back. He considered giving him finger-guns, but walked away instead.


    Theo mounted the tiny train. It was a small platform with a few seats. But there was nothing to cover him, leaving him exposed to the chilly mountain air. Without the Coat of Rake, he would have been too cold. Unlike the train that ran between Broken Tusk, Rivers and Daub, and Gronro, this one didn¡¯t have a conductor. The alchemist fiddled with the controls for a minute before urging the train forward. It hummed along the track, approaching the first obstacle of the journey.


    The bridge that Ziz, Theo, and others had designed was nice. It was over-engineered, using far more materials than necessary. But Ziz had a way of working with things that the alchemist didn¡¯t want to shoot down. The track was set in on the bridge, separated from the main path by a guardrail. That should prevent traders from driving their carts over the track, which would cause a disaster on both sides. Theo urged the cart to a stop as he approached a worksite. Workers waved at him, shouting for him to slow it down.


    Theo dismounted the train after engaging the break, finding a group of workers creating the impressive road. He had passed over two more bridges, noting that each landmass was mostly barren. Throk waved from within the ground, shoving a dwarf out of the way to approach the alchemist.


    ¡°Fancy seeing you all the way out here, archduke. Where is your cadre?¡± Throk asked.


    Theo looked around. Sarisa and Rowan appeared from behind the cart. Both were sweating. ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a pleasant journey.¡± Rowan released a heavy sigh.


    ¡°You guys can tell me when I forget about you. Ya know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Where would be the fun in that?¡± Sarisa asked, her face pale.


    ¡°Anyway, check this out,¡± Throk said, waving a sawn-off shotgun in Theo¡¯s face.


    The alchemist instinctively slapped the weapon to the side. ¡°You need to learn some weapon safety.¡±


    Throk thumbed the release, causing the break action shotgun to fold in on itself. ¡°It isn¡¯t loaded. Alise told me to figure out how this thing works, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s dwarven technology!¡± a dwarf shouted. Other dwarves laughed at the proclamation.


    ¡°Yes, apparently the dwarves have weapons like this.¡± Throk waved the shotgun around, uncaring as he flagged most people there. ¡°It just inspired me to make a handheld version of our acceleration guns.¡±


    ¡°Rail guns,¡± Theo corrected.


    ¡°I thought those used magnets? Mine uses magic.¡± Throk folded his arms, scratching his chin with the barrel of the shotgun.


    Theo winced, pulling the weapon from the marshling¡¯s hands. He held it on its side, looking at the strange tech on the side. He scoffed as he realized what this was. ¡°Yeah, this is pretty close to some Earth tech from my time. I¡¯d be surprised if Jan didn¡¯t add these changes himself. This device reminds me of an accelerator weapon we used back on earth. Look, it even has a charge.¡±


    ¡°Could you explain how it works?¡± Throk asked.


    With a shrug, Theo explained how different it was from stuff in his time. To him, this was ancient tech he could only hope to describe. Not only was it 250 years before his time, but he was never the one working on weapons back on Earth. While he had used them, these weren¡¯t the weapons of his profession. Perhaps if it was a bomb, he could give some more insight. But he explained everything he knew anyway, detailing each part. Including some ancient tech battery that would have been useless in his time.


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    ¡°And how do we make electricity? I¡¯ve seen a lightning mage before, maybe we could hire some.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re better off replacing all the tech components with magic. I¡¯m guessing the dwarves use explosive powder. The only thing you¡¯re trying to replicate here is the ability to throw a slug forward. RIght?¡±


    ¡°True. Still, this is very interesting.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said, handing the weapon back to Throk. ¡°Have you talked with the new guy?¡±


    ¡°No. He¡¯s too busy working with Sulvan.¡±


    ¡°Cool, cool. How about you explain your bridge project? While I¡¯m here.¡±


    Throk looked at the workers with pride. He explained how the work was going. Some of those workers were hired from afar, either remaining for the entire project or floating between this region and others in the world. Crossing the continent was now a problem. Ziz and Throk worked to create bridges between the new islands of the continent, allowing people to pass over. The latest group that settled in Gronro had done so with an airship, which seemed exceedingly dangerous.


    ¡°They were shot down,¡± Throk said with a shrug. ¡°But no one died.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear.¡±


    Theo remained at the work area for some time. It was always a marvel to see how classes made arduous tasks trivial. Ziz¡¯s ability to take prefabricated things into his inventory before placing them where he wanted them to go was amazing. The alchemist watched as the half-ogre set sections of the bridge in place. Welded pieces of stone that weighed tons were set in place as though he worked with Lincoln Logs.


    Theo got back on his tiny train after a while, heading back to Broken Tusk. Things were going to get weird once the way north was opened. What he needed was a few Town Seed Cores to claim land along the way. He had been so consumed with his newest project that he neglected the underground city and Qavell. Checking his administration interface on the way back, he was happy to see the Cave Dungeon situation evening out. They might have some minor monster waves soon, but it wouldn¡¯t be bad.


    ¡°I need to make a checklist of crap to do¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Theo split his time in the Dreamwalk between increasing his willpower and messing with alchemy. He had a few ideas on how to make this next phase work, but he was uncertain. Between the events of the day and his work in the dream realm, he gained a level in his alchemy and herbalism core. The Tara¡¯hek Core didn¡¯t care about restrictions on his main cores and had jumped to 37. Both his Zaul and Taru¡¯aun core were about to hit Level 10. That would require some deep thought and perhaps some research.


    After breakfast in the real world, Theo had plans to work with Salire. But his attention was drawn away from that with a notification in his administration screen. Sulvan had some issues with Jan.


    ¡°Keep working on the problem,¡± Theo said after stopping in at the Newt and Demon. ¡°I need to sort out an old noir detective.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Salire¡¯s expression was one of steely resolve. Theo left her with a sheet of parchment, filled with all the ideas he had. While her skills in alchemy were good, her ability to organize information was amazing.


    At least there was now a road that led to Qavell. While the town still wasn¡¯t part of the alliance, Theo doubted anyone¡¯s ability to assault the city. He climbed the stairs leading to the main entrance, losing count of how many there were about half-way up. He was greeted by guards holding their spears and shields. They gave him a brief nod, allowing him entry into the city.


    Qavell had done a great job of rebuilding already. Theo wandered around for a bit, unsure of where to find Sulvan. He spotted the man dressed plainly, flanked by the guy in the detective¡¯s coat. The alchemist shook his head as he approached, watching as Jan tried to make a run for it. Sulvan tripped him, gritting his teeth and looking down at the wayward Earthling.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°He will not accept the teachings of my lord. He is unteachable.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were trying to integrate, Jan,¡± Theo said, looking down at the prone man.


    Jan rolled onto his back, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°Can we have a word without the bible-thumper around?¡±


    Theo knelt, looking at the scarred face of Jan. ¡°The difference here is that the gods are real.¡± He placed a hand on Jan, interdicting them both through the void. Of course the earthling screamed, but sound didn¡¯t travel far in the void. When they landed in the Realm of Healing, he was still screaming.


    ¡°That¡¯s just about enough,¡± Glantheir said, turning to smile at Theo and Jan. The god was standing on his balcony, overlooking the endless gardens of his realm. ¡°To have the stillness of the day broken by him. Surprised it took you so long to bring him to me, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, things get busy on the mortal plane.¡±


    Glantheir walked over, hoisting Jan to his feet and dusting him off. Without explaining, he pressed palm against his forehead. ¡°That should calm you down. If only a little.¡±


    Jan glared at Glantheir, as though he could do anything. Within the realm of a god, that god¡¯s word was absolute. Someone could drop a nuke in the center of this place and nothing would happen. Only a declaration of war from another god could do anything.


    ¡°Your friend is troubled,¡± Glantheir said, turning away to return to his balcony.


    ¡°John,¡± Theo said, holding his arms out. ¡°He¡¯s from Earth.¡±


    ¡°I know. You dislodged him from the queue.¡±


    ¡°So you should understand he¡¯s not having a good time.¡±


    ¡°I agree with the purple devil,¡± Jan said, jabbing a thumb at Theo. ¡°Can I go home?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no home to go to,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°Earth was destroyed 250 years after you left. Why don¡¯t you tell Theo what¡¯s really bothering you?¡±


    Theo watched as Jan went to war with himself. Glantheir had a way of stripping people down. He could soothe whatever Jan was feeling, washing away worries. Being around the Elven God of Healing was like getting express therapy.


    ¡°I can still feel her,¡± Jan said, averting his eyes. He gazed at a pair of elven women, giggling in the room¡¯s corner.


    ¡°Who?¡± Glantheir asked as though he already knew the answer.


    ¡°She called herself Fate, but I think she had another name.¡±


    ¡°What was special about this woman?¡± Glantheir asked.


    ¡°Girl. She was a young girl¡ªmaybe eight. Said she could see everyone¡¯s fate.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes at Jan. What the hell was Earth like 250 years before his time?


    ¡°A girl from old Earth is calling to you. Glantheir, how is that possible?¡± Theo asked.


    The god turned to Theo, smiling. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll use my true name again? No more ¡®John¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. It makes little sense, but Jan is convinced this person is in this new world. Is that out of the question? No. Of course it isn¡¯t.¡± Glantheir paused for a long moment, summoning an image of Broken Tusk in the air. It was obscured by shadow, but golden lines were visible running here and there. ¡°These are the threads of fate. I¡¯m drawing them for you to see, but anyone who got strong enough on the mortal plane could see them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how she described them,¡± Jan said, leaning in. ¡°Could she be here¡­ Mister Glantheir?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible. Theo, I suggest you let him loose. If Jan has a connection with another factor, you should know about it.¡±


    Theo shrugged. Jan wasn¡¯t meshing well with Sulvan. Perhaps would do better to be paired with Aarok or Luras. ¡°Fine. But we¡¯re giving him some cores before then.¡±


    Glantheir held out his hand, a glowing silver orb in his hand. ¡°May I suggest one of mine?¡±


    Jan looked between the orb and the god.


    ¡°Just take it,¡± Theo scoffed, shoving Jan forward.


    ¡°Under protest,¡± Jan said, wrapping his hand around the core.


    Theo had a few items to bring up to Glantheir, but the god was sparse with information today. The alchemist grabbed Jan¡¯s arm and brought them back through the void. He could feel the mortal¡¯s body degrading, but at least he had a core he could use. Hopefully it was something useful, and not something to keep him in chains.


    The pair alighted on the paved streets of Qavell. Sulvan had barely moved. Something caught Theo¡¯s eye and he turned to see Twist. The pale elf¡¯s expression was unreadable under the mask, but he turned after seeing the alchemist. Then his eyes shot to Jan. Blades were in his hand a moment later.


    ¡°Jan Turowski,¡± Twist said, coiling on the spot. ¡°Bastard.¡±


    ¡°Twist. You son of a bitch.¡± Jan produced a knife he had hidden in his boot.

 6.25 - Twist in the Wind

    A pulse of light burst from Sulvan, sending both Jan and Twist tumbling back. Theo placed a boot on Jan¡¯s chest while both Sarisa and Rowan restrained Twist. Golems patrolling the town lumbered over, taking the powerful elf and holding him there. The alchemist looked between both parties, watching their future movements with interest. How the hell did they know each-other?


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear some explanations,¡± Theo said. ¡°You first, Twist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this man in my life,¡± he said, pushing against the golems to no effect.


    ¡°Yes, you have,¡± Jan struggled under Theo¡¯s boot. But someone with classes didn¡¯t stand a chance. It was like a toddler fighting against an adult. He could only do so much.


    ¡°Silence him,¡± Theo said, jerking his head to Twist as he drew more golems in. One stood between Twist and Jan, ready to flail their metal limbs if things got out of control. Sarisa drove her fist into Twist¡¯s gut. The alchemist winced. ¡°That was a bit much.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Twist said, coughing into his mask.


    Sarisa shrugged.


    ¡°How do you know him, Jan.¡± Theo looked down, expecting the worst.


    ¡°A masked man,¡± Jan nodded, jabbing a finger at Twist. ¡°One eye, pale skin, twin blades. He was on Earth. When he tried to kill Fate, Omen was the only one who could stop him.¡±


    Theo turned, feeling someone without hearing them land. Fenian stood there, dusting his ruffled shoulder pads. ¡°What? I sensed I was needed. I have a sense for naughty boys.¡±


    ¡°Time to talk, Twist,¡± Theo said.


    A long silence set in between all parties. Twist eventually gave a shrug and released a steady breath. ¡°Is this the part where I reveal my nefarious plan? I have none. I¡¯m only surviving.¡± His masked face flicked between those gathered. Almost as though he was calculating something. ¡°Remember the help I¡¯ve lent you, Theo. We are not enemies. But the way is clear. When the time comes, you¡¯ll need me.¡±


    Theo saw Twist move, projected in the afterimage of his high Wisdom attribute. He made one motion and was gone, leaving nothing but a confused golem behind. The alchemist¡¯s aura flung outward, searching the area for Twist¡¯s signature. But there was nothing. A round stone fell to the ground where the masked elf once was. It clattered to the ground, breaking the silence between the group.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Fenian said, tilting his head. ¡°Location-swapping magic.¡±


    Theo¡¯s eyes shot to Jan. He removed his boot and held a hand out for him to take, which he did. After hoisting him up and dusting him off, the alchemist handed the knife over. ¡°You¡¯ll need a better knife.¡±


    ¡°Hello, can someone explain what just happened?¡± Sarisa asked, waving her hand through the air. ¡°For those of us who are completely lost.¡±


    ¡°I saw him. Back on Earth. I swear I did.¡± Jan looked at the place where Twist once was. ¡°A pale, masked elf with two weapons. Called himself Twist. He attacked my team, but was beaten back by another kid.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Theo asked, looking at Fenian.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m not from your world. You released this one, so why not a few more?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Location-swapping magic. Do you think he¡¯s making a run for Qavell?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re in Qavell,¡± Fenian reminded him.


    ¡°No, he was talking about the place where Qavell was.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, Theo. Just a crater in the ground and a lot of undead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this, Theo.¡± Sulvan folded his arms.


    ¡°Jan, what happened to Twist on Earth?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°He vanished after fighting the kids. Omen took care of him, sending him somewhere. I really don¡¯t know. The others were ahead of me by a longshot.¡±


    Theo thought back to everything he knew about when Jan vanished from Earth. He had mentioned something that stuck out. ¡°The eye. Did you see that eye when Twist vanished.¡±


    Jan narrowed his eyes at the alchemist. ¡°You think they¡¯re connected?¡±


    The last thing Theo wanted was another loose end. But he thought about Twist¡¯s words. The elf had only been helpful, maintaining his status as a mysterious figure. He could kick himself for now grilling him about his past, or why he wanted to help Broken Tusk so much. Unlike Fenian and Khahar, Twist had performed his subterfuge perfectly. He acted as though he needed something from the alchemist, but that was likely far from the truth. His true intentions could have been anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re no longer Sulvan¡¯s problem,¡± Theo said, jerking his head toward the city¡¯s exit. ¡°Mind walking with me, Fenian?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Sulvan. I¡¯ll take him from here.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure he slots that Glantheir core!¡± Sulvan shouted after him. ¡°He has the potential to be one of the faithful!¡±


    After they were clear, Theo had Jan walk back with Sarisa and Rowan. He extended his shadow bubble, encasing him and Fenian in a field of silence. ¡°What¡¯s your take on this?¡±


    ¡°Did Earth have elves?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Your newest member is leaving information out.¡± Fenian said it as though it was fact. He might have been right.


    ¡°Is he from some alternate Earth?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve consulted with the foremost expert on duplicate worlds.¡± Fenian folded his arms in front of his chest, nodding with pride. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. The worlds of the multiverse are forged. They wouldn¡¯t make duplicates.¡±


    ¡°So the Earth Jan is from is my Earth, right? But we never had magic or elves. Yet Jan said there was magic. What is the one unknown factor?¡± Theo asked. He already had an answer. ¡°The eye.¡±


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    ¡°Ah, right. The eye. Oh, perhaps I should make a confession. Are you prepared? Put on your big boy pants, Theo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got my big boy pants on.¡±


    ¡°I have spoken with one of those world forgers. They steered me to my current course.¡±


    ¡°Good thing I¡¯m wearing these pants.¡± Theo tried not to roll his eyes, but it was hard. Nothing Fenian could say would surprise him at this point. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the being didn¡¯t give anything away.¡±


    ¡°Of course it didn¡¯t.¡±


    Theo had a lot to think about, but he dropped his bubble and took the core from Jan. It was a common-rank Glantheir¡¯s Soldier Core. Instead of being showered with an amazing class, the god had given Jan something simple to start. That was fine. This guy was lost in a new world, and had been dropped in the middle of some intense conflicts. But he would find his place with the adventurers. Theo was certain of that.


    ¡°Got a new recruit for you,¡± Theo said after opening the door to Aarok¡¯s office.


    ¡°Oh, please. Come in.¡± Aarok glared at Theo from behind his desk. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the middle of anything.¡±


    ¡°Good. Could you get Jan on an adventuring team. Also sound the alarm, Twist isn¡¯t who he says he was.¡±


    Aarok blinked slowly, mouth hanging open. ¡°You¡¯re the worst,¡± he grumbled, whistling. An adventurer came in behind them moments later. ¡°Are we killing him, or what?¡±


    ¡°Just capture him. I don¡¯t think he means the alliance harm, but he has some questions to answer.¡±


    Theo worked out some details for Jan¡¯s position in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He thought he knew what the man needed. It wasn¡¯t structure, but the freedom to pick his own path. Aarok was agreeable to those terms, inducting the Earthling into the guild with no fanfare. Someone like Jan needed to get out there and see what his new world was about. If he wanted to get himself killed in the swamp, or make a run for it¡­ fine. Keeping him in a cage wouldn¡¯t work.


    Old dudes didn¡¯t learn lessons the easy way.


    ¡°Does anyone care what I think?¡± Jan asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Theo and Aarok said the word at the same time. Jan nodded, casting his eyes to the ground.


    As Theo left the guild, Jan¡¯s shift in behavior didn¡¯t evade his notice. Fenian trotted along behind him, humming a tune out of key. ¡°Twist means more to Jan than he¡¯s letting on. Some serious stuff went down back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°What a delightful mystery,¡± Fenian said, clapping along as he continued his song. ¡°I¡¯m going to Tarantham. Need anything?¡±


    ¡°Town Seed Cores if you can find them. A coin mint¡­ what else¡­¡±


    ¡°Booze?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, booze. Sounds good Fenian,¡± Theo clapped a hand on the elf¡¯s back, making his way to the Newt and Demon.


    A half-ogre man Theo had seen around town a few times stood behind the counter. He looked around, waving sheepishly. ¡°Uh, hey. Just watching the shop.¡±


    Theo nodded to him, ascending to the second floor. Salire spent most of her time on the third or first floor. Today she was cloistered on the second floor, scribbling away next to her artifice printer. She looked up, her brows raising. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back sooner than I thought. Any progress?¡±


    ¡°I was working on some other things,¡± Theo said, waving the thought away. ¡°Hardly had time to think about it, but I have basically two ideas. The first is that we don¡¯t have enough information to fix this problem.¡±


    ¡°And the second? Does it have to do with those epic-plus potions we made?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo nodded, leaning over the worktable. ¡°If you think about it, higher rarity reagents have less impurities. The properties are more potent.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out. We gotta trudge through the swamp.¡±


    If only there was a way to cultivate those reagents in his greenhouses. Theo was almost convinced that those reagents couldn¡¯t be grown in a greenhouse. But he wouldn¡¯t give up until he tried. He shot ideas back-and-forth with Salire, settling on the idea that even if they couldn¡¯t add these reagents to their greenhouse, they needed to try collecting higher-quality ingredients to discover the method for fourth tier reagents.


    ¡°For science,¡± Theo said, thumping his hand on the table.


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Theo and Salire departed from the Newt and Demon, pausing near the southern gate. Rowan and Sarisa stood outside with their arms crossed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight. You¡¯re not abandoning us in the swamp this time. Okay?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll drown you,¡± Rowan clarified. ¡°In the swamp. We¡¯ll hold you down until the bubbles stop.¡±


    ¡°Message received,¡± Theo said, nodding.


    ¡°Swear it.¡±


    ¡°I swear I won¡¯t strand you guys in the swamp today.¡± Theo pushed past his bodyguards, heading out into the swamp.


    ¡°Today?¡± Sarisa asked, turning to her brother with a look of concern. ¡°What about tomorrow? Or the day after that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll play it one day at a time. You have your club, don¡¯t you?¡± Rowan asked.


    Theo turned to see Sarisa brandishing a club. Salire looked on in horror. The alchemist was almost certain they would do it. He pulled a Potion of Limited Foresight from his inventory, tipping it back before the others could notice. One could never be too careful.


    ¡°Are we targeting Spiny Swamp Thistle Root?¡± Salire asked, catching up to Theo. She looked back at the siblings, narrowing her eyes. She lowered her voice. ¡°Keep an eye on those two.¡±


    ¡°Spiny Swamp Thistle Root would be best. We used up the epic-plus essence we had back in the shop, but we really only need enough for experimentation.¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Ten units?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo clicked his tongue, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°At least ten. I¡¯d like a live sample, too. Ah, did you figure out anything about evolving buildings?¡±


    ¡°Not really. The locals have stories they¡¯ve heard from traders who heard something from some elf¡¯s cousin. Nothing solid.¡±


    Theo laughed, patting Salire on the back. ¡°Locals? You¡¯re a local.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Broken Tuskers are a different breed. Which means they¡¯re weird.¡±


    ¡°While that¡¯s fair, I consider you a local.¡±


    Instead of taking the portal to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower, the party made their way through all of the swamp. When Theo had first come to Broken Tusk, the swamp was much more dangerous. There were still Ogre Snappers that spawned near the dungeon, but they were far fewer compared to then. That increased traffic that drove away the monsters was also bad for the reagents. The Moss Nettle seemed picked clean, while the Spiny Swamp Thistle had been trampled. Theo wasn¡¯t happy to see this, but he was unsurprised. This diversion resulted in a long trip to the western side of the swamp. Most of the day had faded by the time they caught sight of the mountains.


    ¡°We¡¯ll circle around to the north.¡± Theo gestured, tracing his finger along the shape of the hilly region ahead. ¡°Same deal as last time. Keep your eye out for Swamp Thistle.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on him,¡± Sarisa said, whispering to Rowan a bit too loudly. ¡°You know how he gets.¡±


    Proximity to the dungeon had something to do with the rate reagents grew within the swamp. Those slopes to the west and northwest of the dungeon were a good area to hunt for those reagents. Salire¡¯s eye for reagents was getting better by the day. She spotted the first decent Spiny Swamp Thistle Root growing in a soft patch of earth between two rocks. Other soft grasses grew in this area, but it was mostly barren. Only the sections of the landscape closer to the hills, and far away from the muddy swamp bore more reagents.


    The group combed the area until the sun threatened to set on their adventure. Sarisa and Rowan had enough fun running around and killing monsters where they found them. There was something interesting to be observed from the growing strength of the Swamp Dungeon. Theo wished it would have more of an effect on the reagents. An alchemist could dream, anyway.


    Theo kept his promise, and walked with the party to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower. He had already shut the portal down for the day, but was happy enough to open it for them once again. After stepping through, the alchemist sprinkled Cleansing Scrub on everyone, washing away caked layers of mud and leaving behind a pleasant scent.


    ¡°He held to his word,¡± Sarisa said, cupping her chin. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just luring you into a false sense of security. Don¡¯t let your guard down, sister.¡± Rowan glared at Theo, jabbing an accusatory finger. ¡°We¡¯re watching you, buddy.¡±


    ¡°You guys wanna get takeout tonight? Get some mead from Xam¡¯s and just pig out?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Salire said, scoffing.


    Theo didn¡¯t mean her, but he was happy to have more guests. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My treat.¡±

 6.26 - Void

    The Dreamwalk was temperamental tonight. Theo stood over a collection of imagined alchemy equipment, scratching his head as the dream refused to bow to his will. Even Tresk couldn¡¯t get it to listen. She tried for about an hour, but left in a huff. The alchemist couldn¡¯t cheat his way through this bit of progress, and he had a theory for why. There was no alchemy after the third tier, and the system was adapting as he went.


    It was the only thing that made sense right now, even if Drogramath didn¡¯t want to give it away. It wasn¡¯t as though the demon god was keeping information from him, but that information hadn¡¯t been written yet. Theo¡¯s mind went back to the Potions of Significance he had crafted. Those had given him trouble in the Dreamwalk. As always, he was left with more questions than answers. Since he was planning on doing some wild stuff soon enough, he wanted to have a better understanding of what the system was.


    With a sigh, the alchemist imagined another field of the dead. He thought about his next step while he increased his willpower, sending it to heights he doubted existed in the mortal realm before. He was at a point where he struggled to understand how many golems he could summon. Khahar couldn¡¯t even lay claim to this much willpower, and it was getting out of hand. The alchemist reminded himself of what going through the void meant and redoubled his efforts. If a cheat existed, he planned on exploiting it.


    Although Tresk ended the Dreamwalk, forcing him to enter the waking world, Theo remained in his thoughts. Sarisa said something to him but he didn¡¯t hear as he ate his breakfast. Only when he had enough moss tea in his system was he willing to entertain the day, wandering from the manor without looking back at who was following him. At least the reports in his administration screen were pleasant. It hadn¡¯t been long, but Jan was adapting to his life with the adventurers.


    Theo made it to the lab before Salire for once. A crate filled with stuff from the artificers had been placed by the door, so he scooped that up and brought it to the front desk. After having a seat, he rummaged through it to find many parts. Some had Throk¡¯s flare, meaning the old marshling must have been back to town at some point. The thing that interested him the most was the new mixing chambers. The newer artificers were shy about using Drogramathi Iron, but were getting the hang of it.


    No matter what the solution to this new tier of alchemy was, one fact remained. It was going to be hard to do industrial quantities of fourth tier potions. Just like the Potions of Significance, these would be small batches. Theo couldn¡¯t fill a large pressure tank with enough mana. Only the smaller infusers would work for his current mana pool. That was a bummer, but it had to happen. Progress was progress.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Salire said, entering the shop. The bell rang above her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to beat me here.¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep in?¡± Theo said, holding out a gas mixer for her inspection.


    Salire took the artifice, nodding with approval. The artificers made a few key changes that would make working with the devices easier. ¡°Yeah, I guess the night got away from me. All that mead you fed me made things difficult.¡±


    Without the Dreamwalk, Theo was certain he would feel the same way. ¡°Come on. I want to get some things sorted in the lab. We need dilutions for Refined Healing Essence before we can test the new gear.¡±


    Salire ran up the stairs, excited to start. Theo followed, leaving the shop behind. The duo worked until they had a batch of third tier essence running. Once it finished, they would vaporize the essence, combine it with a bound dilution, and infuse the mixture with mana. This would be done on a small scale to avoid any catastrophic explosions. And they wouldn¡¯t perform those reactions within the lab. The result would be damage to the building, and perhaps a fire.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on some things,¡± Theo said, patting Salire on the shoulder. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be gone for long.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll monitor the stills and watch the shop. No problem.¡±


    Theo smiled before vanishing from the spot. He was used to the sensation of falling through the void. He used familiar landmarks to dive to the far side of the void, passing over countless orbs on that endless ribbon. Beyond the heavens was something he named the Deep Void. He thought of it was going left from the mortal plane, although that direction seemed meaningless here. But while the void stretched in all directions, things were organized left to right. Perhaps that was just his mind making sense of nonsense¡­


    Pausing in an area of the void that felt thick, Theo gazed out over the nothingness. Something was strange about this area, but he couldn¡¯t be certain. He pushed forward, finding more resistance the further he went. Something pressed back against him, bidding him to go the other way. No amount of willpower could get him through this section, so he turned around to collect his thoughts. The heavenly realms were a faint dot in the distance, while the place that refused him entry was as black as any other part of the void.


    Theo headed for the mortal realm, leaving the blockade behind. He approached the orb representing the material plane. No matter what angle he approached it from, he always approached the place where he left, or Tresk. A flash of light blinded him as he descended, giving way to darkness. His eyes adjusted, revealing something other than he expected. Instead of seeing the interior of the Newt and Demon, he saw a plane. A flat field of snow that he waded through, pushing forward out of instinct. Something glowed in the distance, like a waking dream.


    The alchemist tried and failed to interdict himself out of the strange realm, feeling the tug of something greater pressing against him. The light in the distance drew close enough that he could make out some details. A massive crystal floated above a white platform, stairs formed in the dais''s side to allow entrance. He climbed the stairs, looking up the blue crystal hovering in the air. It was about fifty feet tall. It rotated, humming as he approached.


    ¡°Okay. Weird giant crystal,¡± Theo said, looking around the area.


    While snow fell outside of the platform, it didn¡¯t fall here. The polished stone beneath his feet was seamless, except for twelve circles that had been carved along the edges. Each bore an inscription he couldn¡¯t read with a symbol in the circle¡¯s center. Theo stood there, as though the answer to this place would come to his mind if he just thought hard enough.


    Theo jumped when a voice filled the area. ¡°You¡¯re not who I was expecting.¡±


    Looking around, Theo couldn¡¯t find the source of the void. He turned his gaze to the crystal, nodding to himself. This wasn¡¯t completely unexpected. He had already been instructed to interact with some foundational crystals, so a giant talking one wasn¡¯t out of the question.


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    ¡°Who were you expecting?¡±


    ¡°Not you.¡±


    Theo gave his thoughts a moment to gather before speaking. He was certain his will and control of void transport was advanced enough that almost no one could set him off course. ¡°Did you interdict me?¡±


    The crystal chimed, spinning faster for only a moment. ¡°Such actions are for mortals. I brought you here. My will is so.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brow furrowed as he considered the statement. This might have been a more dangerous encounter than he first thought. But the phrasing of those words were weird. ¡°Most mortals can¡¯t interdict someone. That¡¯s an act reserved for the gods.¡±


    Another chime from the crystal. ¡°Is that what they¡¯re calling themselves? Yes, they changed the title of Ascended Being to God, but that doesn¡¯t make them so. They can still die.¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± Theo asked.


    The crystal rotated slightly quicker, seeming to tilt to one side. ¡°The management.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the system.¡± Theo narrowed his eyes at the crystal. ¡°If that¡¯s true, why did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re moving too slowly for my taste.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say you were expecting someone else, then act as though you have burdens to place on me.¡± Theo didn¡¯t look away from the crystal.


    The crystal twinkled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this happen before. The last one failed to fix everything. And here I am. My powers bound by gods. Unacceptable.¡±


    The crystal didn¡¯t answer his question. Theo let his mind unspool the information. This was the system. Wait, which system? He took a moment, deciding it was the system that managed things on the mortal plane. But that wasn¡¯t accurate, according to what the system said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t the gods told me they¡¯re not gods?¡±


    ¡°Why would a false god claim anything but godhood?¡± the system said. The circles surrounding the area lit up. ¡°In the end, only these spots will be occupied by true gods. Those that sit in false positions will be cast out.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±


    Another amused twinkle from the crystal. ¡°You¡¯ve had about enough of dealing with the ascendants, haven¡¯t you? When you dislodged the human from Earth from the storage of souls, you set off a chain of events. A ticking clock. I suggest you break through the barrier in the void, and bring the Great Shards back.¡±


    Theo stared at the crystal for some time, keeping emotion from his face. It was easier with his higher Intelligence, and he didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Just so I¡¯m clear, the four thrones have the power to change things. Right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you all agree, you can fix it. This safeguard was set in place, but has been jealously guarded¡­ Ah, that¡¯s a slight problem.¡±


    Theo turned, spotting four figures appearing around the crystal. Each figure was made of light, rather than a solid form. Gold, black, purple, and silver. Three of them were about the size of a marshling, while the silver one was the size of a normal human.


    ¡°And what the hell is going on here!¡± the gold one said, clearly the voice of a young woman.


    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± the black one said. This one sounded like a young man.


    ¡°This is unacceptable. We were promised safety.¡± Silver sounded like a grown adult man, confirming Theo¡¯s suspicion that he was a human.


    ¡°Calm yourselves.¡± Purple had a strange voice that Theo couldn¡¯t place.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Elrin,¡± Gold said, jabbing a vague finger at Theo. ¡°Why is he here? Where¡¯s the other one?¡±


    ¡°Dead,¡± the system said. ¡°Well, mostly dead. You four can¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Black asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to give Death a few good punches. To the balls,¡± Silver growled, looking around for something to hit. He looked down at his body. ¡°Wait, why am I a floating pile of light?¡±


    ¡°Things are moving quickly, Theo.¡± The system¡¯s attention turned to the alchemist, almost apologetic for the behavior of the others. ¡°You may return.¡±


    Theo felt himself being sucked back into the void without his command. A moment later, he was floating back in the void, looking down at the marble representing the mortal plane. He pushed himself forward, feeling heavier than normal. A moment later, he landed on the third floor of the Newt and Demon. Breathing a sigh of relief, he spotted Salire tending to the stills.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± she said, shrugging. ¡°You were only gone for a few seconds. Who is that?¡±


    Theo spun, spotting the person she was talking about. A small man with pointed ears, rosy cheeks, a round eyes looked up at him. He wore a hooded black robe, leaning against a crooked staff. ¡°Hey.¡± The alchemist waved. ¡°You were the purple one, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing gets past him, does it?¡± the interloper asked. ¡°Yep. This is weird. We¡¯re not in Seral Fet, are we? Or is this that other place?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on Iaredin,¡± Theo said. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Void,¡± he said, looking around. ¡°Alchemy? That¡¯s cool. Seems like all my powers were cut away. But I still have a knack for the void! I still got it, baby!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Salire asked.


    Rowan and Sarisa appeared. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty confused,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°I had a hitchhiker,¡± Theo said, poking the small man in the head.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me. Just taking advantage of what I can.¡± Void shrugged, rolling his shoulders. ¡°Do you know what happened?¡±


    Theo steepled his hands, pressing his fingers against his chin. ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what happened. Are you a god?¡±


    ¡°Kinda?¡±


    Theo withdrew a crystal from his inventory, squeezing it. To his surprise, Fenian answered quickly. He relayed a message.


    ¡°I was just leaving! Give me a moment¡­¡±


    True to his word, Fenian flung the door open a few tense moments later. His swords were drawn, but he shrugged. ¡°Nope. He¡¯s clean, my dear alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Little dude claims to be a god.¡±


    ¡°I said I was kinda like a god.¡± Void folded his arms before his chest. ¡°Emphasis on ¡®was¡¯, because I¡¯m not one anymore. Obviously.¡±


    ¡°May I leave?¡± Fenian asked, jerking his head toward the door. ¡°I have business with the elves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine. I just need to figure out what to do with this guy.¡±


    ¡°Farewell!¡± Fenian shouted, dancing out the door.


    ¡°Hey, no offense¡­ But I don¡¯t really wanna be here.¡± Void shrugged. ¡°Just needed a ride to some place that had mana. I¡¯m pretty good at keeping the system off my back.¡±


    A spiral of black and purple energy appeared behind the guy. Before Theo could react, he stepped backwards, vanishing. The group that remained stood there, confusion flooding through each of their minds.


    ¡°I may have done a bad,¡± Theo said, clicking his tongue.


    ¡°Oh, gods. What have you done this time?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Released some tiny horror on the world, maybe?¡± Rowan asked.


    Sarisa, Rowan, and Salire speculated while Theo thought. He had an idea of what just happened, but didn¡¯t like the implications. This was linked to Jan, he had no doubt. Something about the golden figure near the crystal was familiar, as though someone had described her to him before. The gears locked into place as he made the connection. But it was clear what he needed to do.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I think that little portal guy might be the guy I need to talk to.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Theo¡­ Do we have enough time to finish our alchemy experiment?¡± Salire asked, with hope on her face.


    Theo nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think we have some time. Not like the world is gonna end or anything.¡±

 6.27 - Kuzans Scheme

    Salire¡¯s dedication to alchemy was admirable. Theo couldn¡¯t get his mind to work fast enough to process what had just happened. Meeting the system itself was weird, giving him a sensation he couldn¡¯t place lingered in the back of his mind. Whoever Void was, he had escaped into the wider world. He shook those thoughts loose for now, more eager to figure out how his new alchemy step worked. They brought their gear behind the Newt and Demon, ready to test.


    ¡°This makes sense to me.¡± Salire attached a mixing artifice onto a small-scale still. She attached the tubes, ready to fill the mixing chamber. ¡°Dilutions plus mana plus essences.¡±


    It was logical, as long as a person kept magic in mind. Taking a third tier essence and infusing it with a complimentary dilution with mana would infuse the resulting essence. Instead of striving to remove the impurities, it would double-down on the good stuff. They weren¡¯t removing those bad parts, but making them less within the mixture. That¡¯s what Theo thought, anyway.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, pressing his hand against the mana infusion chamber. ¡°Are the stills up to heat?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Those little guys heat in a few seconds.¡±


    There was nothing left to do but try. Theo kept his theory to himself until the mana fused perfectly with the dilution, then mixed with the third tier essence in the mixing chamber. Both Salire and Theo hid behind a tree as the mixture combined. Because it should have exploded. But it didn¡¯t. The alchemist removed himself from cover and approached, hooking the condenser up to the artifice and placing a flask under it. Essence dripped out, collecting in the glass flask.


    ¡°Did we do something different?¡± Salire asked, still hiding behind the tree.


    ¡°The equipment might have helped, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing.¡± Theo knelt down, looking at the faintly pink liquid as it dripped into the flask. ¡°This is the software update.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain the system didn¡¯t know what to do for the fourth tier. Pretty sure we just invented it.¡±


    Salire approached the flask with caution, her head turned to one side in case the mixture exploded. ¡°How the hell does that work?¡±


    ¡°Drogramath wasn¡¯t performing his own form of alchemy when he was down here. Before he became an ascendant, he was doing the normal kind of alchemy. If I had to guess, he ascended close to Level 100 and built his power from there. Only after he ascended did he make his alchemy cores, and his people never got to fourth tier alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Seems like an incomplete theory,¡± Salire said, a doubtful look washing over her face.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t have all the answers. But he had some fourth tier essence in a flask. One thing he noticed from the experiment was the quantity of essence he got from the reaction. It was less than the standard reaction would produce, but he could feel the magical potency of the liquid even without touching it. He examined the mixture.


    [Refined Bound Stabilized Healing Essence]


    [Essence] [Refined Essence] [Bound Essence] [Stabilized Essence]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Poor Quality


    Purity: 95%


    0.25 units (liquid)


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


    The quality sucked, but there was time for improvements later. For now, he was happy to have any amount of the new essence. This was a proof of concept, after all. What they needed now was to industrialize the process as much as they could. While the lab didn¡¯t produce truly industrial quantities of their potions, their output exceeded that of most labs in the world. That was Theo¡¯s thought, anyway. He had yet to explore anything other than what he had created.


    Theo tilted his head to the side, feeling something emanating in the distance. ¡°What was that?¡±


    Salire shrugged. ¡°Did you hear something?¡±


    ¡°Felt something. Someone parting the veil. Maybe Fenian?¡±


    Another shrug from the apprentice alchemist. ¡°He said he was leaving to see the elves.¡±


    Theo hummed, looking back at their small-scale experiment. ¡°Time to bother Throk some more.¡±


    <hr>


    The veil parted the way it always had for Fenian. His enchanted karatan surged forward, clopping over the stones in Broken Tusk that gave way to the smooth ride of the Bridge. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling the energies of Uz¡¯Xulven wash over him like a comforting wave. The Bridge had changed little since the last time he visited it. Those thoroughfares leading from one realm to the other forked off in every direction, revealed to a champion of the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows. He cleared his throat as a familiar weight settled in next to him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a busy boy,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, shoving him playfully. ¡°Get a leash on that alchemist.¡±


    ¡°My dear, if you can leash him, you¡¯re welcome to do so.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re snippy. Something not going your way? Wet your underpants again?¡±


    Fenian turned, glaring at the woman. The anger only flashed on his face for a moment. Like all the other gods, she would get hers. It was only a matter of time. He replaced the anger with joy, his face shifting in a moment back to unbridled joy.


    ¡°I have plenty of underpants. Some have lace. Would you like to see?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°The day I let you into my chambers is the day the heavens fall.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven grumbled. ¡°What business do you have in the ruins?¡±


    ¡°I suspect there are forces moving that we didn¡¯t account for.¡± Fenian thought about the new players. Especially Twist. ¡°What do you know of that small man that appeared in town?¡±


    ¡°Almost nothing.¡± Although Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s face was shrouded in shadow, Fenian could feel some of her failure bleeding through. She had no information on Void, or Twist. ¡°That masked elf you mentioned¡ªTwist¡ªisn¡¯t registered with the system as an outworlder. I¡¯m still waiting on information about the new one you told me about.¡±


    ¡°Void,¡± Fenian said, scratching his chin. ¡°Things were going so well before all these people came out of nowhere. First Theo, then the others. Tresk is a problem, too. The old holder of the throne would have bent to our will easier. Not Tresk, though.¡±


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    ¡°You only needed to hold Broken Tusk where it was. That part of the plan worked well enough. We can handle everything else.¡±


    Fenian wasn¡¯t so sure. The other throne-holders might have adjacent goals, but they weren¡¯t completely aligned. They wanted to restart the world, but where did that put his schemes? One god mostly dead wasn¡¯t the same as every god completely dead. Scouring the heavens would only become more difficult as time rolled on, and the ploy to get Balkor to betray his station was hard enough to pull off. He sighed, snapping the reins to urge his karatan down a path on the Bridge.


    ¡°The air feels different here,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Anything you want to tell me?¡±


    Uz¡¯Xulven shrugged. She wouldn¡¯t admit it.


    ¡°This is my stop,¡± Fenian said, nodding to the Bridge¡¯s end up ahead. ¡°Wish me luck.¡±


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, fading as Fenian crossed the threshold.


    The karatan skidded to a stop, their hooves digging into ruined ground in a wide open field. The landscape in all directions was ruined, necromantic energy still laced in the ground. But Balkor¡¯s remnant had pulled most of his power back, coiling for an attack on Tarantham. So long as Kuzan held up his end of the bargain, that should spell the end of the god¡¯s reign on the mortal world.


    ¡°Oh, I hate loopholes.¡± Fenian sighed, dismounting his carriage. ¡°Stay here, Galflower. Daddy has a massive crater to descend into.¡±


    Fenian peered over the edge of the crater. Some remnants of Qavell¡¯s wall remained here, shattered in places from the undead¡¯s attack. Much of the city¡¯s underground area had been scooped up with it, leaving only dead-end tunnels and rubble. The elf fell over the edge, his feet glued to the slope as he descended. Some dark power remained from the Dark Coresmiths. He stopped near the bottom, looking over the water that had pooled where a city once stood. A foul lake tainted with Balkor¡¯s magic.


    The sound of feathers fluttering through the air came from his left as something settled in on the rock beside him.


    ¡°Are you allowed to be here?¡± Fenian asked, turning to look at the bird-like features of the Watcher.


    ¡°As I planted the seed, so may I water it.¡±


    Fenian hated the way the creature talked. Every word ended in a snap of a beak or the ruffling of feathers. He had never enjoyed the company of the creature¡¯s race, and would never come to enjoy it. They were offensive to mortal existence. Another light to be snuffed, perhaps. But not today.


    ¡°Are our newest guests welcome? My core didn¡¯t allow me to destroy Void. Is that another oversight on your part?¡±


    The creature snapped its beak. ¡°I have no oversights. Only mortal intervention spoils my plans. You spoil my plans. Theo Spencer threatens them. He activated the queue prematurely, which has unspooled threads even I cannot know.¡±


    ¡°That was the other guy, wasn¡¯t it? The one who set this in motion. Sorry, I can hardly keep track of your kind.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps this is better, though.¡± The Watcher hardly seemed to hear Fenian¡¯s words. As always, the entity was in its own head. Always scheming. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t realized what they are.¡±


    ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, we¡¯re talking about beings like Void, right?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. How can I put this in a way your small mind can understand? The instructions for the systems have hidden parts. I could pull those instructions apart, but it would destroy this universe. Instead, we must take them as they come. Do you understand?¡±


    Fenian couldn¡¯t keep his fake smile up anymore. He nodded.


    ¡°Those instructions allowed the mortals to ascend and play at divinity. While they changed the titles of positions, they didn¡¯t gain the power of a true god.¡±


    Swallowing hard, Fenian read between the creature¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s frightening.¡±


    ¡°Mortal, Throne, Ascendant, God, Creator.¡± The Watcher nodded to himself, closing his beady eyes and sucking in a lungful of air. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ve put things together yet. Not likely.¡±


    ¡°Twelve gods, two systems, five thrones.¡± The Watcher allowed the words to hang in the air, sensing when Fenian picked up on the error. Something of a smile graced the creature¡¯s eyes, but not his beaked face. ¡°Heaven, Realm, Mortality, Dimensionality, and¡­ What¡¯s the best word? Null.¡±


    Perhaps that revelation was a distraction. There could have been one-thousand thrones and Fenian wouldn¡¯t care. His mind focused on the implications of the Watcher¡¯s previous statement. The gods weren¡¯t gods. They were ascendant beings that had seized power and created a realm. After the Second War of Ascendancy, they convinced the system to change their title. From Ascendant to God. Twelve gods. Not ten-thousand. The elf turned his eyes skyward, looking at the green clouds that pooled to block the stars.


    He could feel it, though it was faint. Like a tug at his navel after a steep drop. As though his connection with the Bridge was in freefall.


    ¡°Welcome to a new era.¡± The Watcher produced something like a laugh. ¡°Welcome to the War in Heaven.¡±


    Fenian felt the being leave, but didn¡¯t respond. He closed his eyes, focusing on his connection with Uz¡¯Xulven. As her champion, he felt the breach. The unsanctioned declaration of war that rippled throughout the heavens. Theo had really screwed this one up. But his hammer heart calmed after a few breaths. This wasn¡¯t what he had in mind, but it achieved the same end. Didn¡¯t it?


    ¡°What better to kill ascendants than gods?¡± Fenian asked himself, chuckling as he scooped something from the water. He sucked it into his inventory, ascending the bowl of the crater. ¡°Come, Galflower. We have something else to grab before we go. Something an emperor will want desperately.¡±


    <hr>


    Emperor Kuzan drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne. His peerless eyes scanned not only the area of his immediate court, but places for miles around. Balkor¡¯s mindless undead were attacking his eastern shores, and he couldn¡¯t have been more bored. He took a steady breath, nodding to his steward.


    ¡°Off to Droth Ker Taral Set, my lord?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Something changed,¡± Kuzan said, standing and rolling his shoulders. His joints cracked with satisfying pops as he reached out to his private realm. ¡°I¡¯ll only be gone a moment.¡±


    The emperor of Tarantham passed through the veil, slipping unseen to his hidden High Elderling Realm. His boots crunched leaves underfoot as he made his way to the forest¡¯s edge. Screens appeared hovering in the air, displaying scenes from the mortal plane and the heavens alike. Four of the five interlopers had made their moves, but something was wrong with the fifth. One screen focused on Fenian¡¯s carriage, which was inbound to Tarantham.


    ¡°What do you have there?¡± Kuzan asked, squinting as though he could see into the elf¡¯s inventory. It would have worked if he was here, but with the remote-viewing ability it did nothing.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to join them?¡±


    The twinkling voice that came from behind him felt like daggers dragged over his flesh. He didn¡¯t turn to greet the crystalline entity. The emperor didn¡¯t care for her musings last time, and he wouldn¡¯t suffer them this time.


    ¡°I¡¯m staying out of it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die.¡±


    Kuzan grit his teeth, still refusing to turn. He moved his screens around, checking on his agents and investments. He doubted she was right. There was enough time to plan this time, and his mind wasn¡¯t addled by the old version of this system. Although she was likely right, he didn¡¯t care. The cost to form this realm was too great, and he wouldn¡¯t let anyone have it.


    ¡°Have you come to mock me?¡± Kuzan asked.


    ¡°Just a warning is all. Once the shards are in place, you won¡¯t have a choice. You¡¯ll need to ascend.¡±


    Kuzan flipped through more screens, scanning the endless ascendant realms. ¡°Has Eral Dum formed yet?¡±


    ¡°None have. The lower realms must be destroyed first.¡±


    Kuzan always knew it would happen fast, but this was bad. He looked over his realm, allowing himself to smile at what he had worked so hard for. Once Fire, Shadow, Twin, Shifting, and Earth formed it would only be a matter of time. Perhaps he could convince a few of them to take mortal forms again, but that would be hard. But once the anchors were in place, that was possible. He only hoped there was something of an elf left in his ancestors. For their sakes, and the sake of his future children.


    ¡°This is what it comes to.¡± Kuzan let out a sigh. ¡°We go through the same thing as last time. Is he in the queue?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but he was given extra protections. He will not come until conditions are met. The shards must be placed first. Only when they are inactive again will he arrive.¡±


    ¡°Fine. No matter what form I take, I only need to be there when he returns.¡±


    ¡°Is revenge worth it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only thing I¡¯ve ever known. Leave me to my work, System. We¡¯ll see how many plans these people have in place.¡±

 6.28 - Balgon

    Constructing a mixer artifice to suit Theo¡¯s needs required the keenest mind in the region. Throk acted annoyed when he was called back to Broken Tusk. But his annoyed expression melted away after a while. Especially after he saw Tresk standing in his workshop. The alchemist''s ploy to pull at the grumpy marshing¡¯s heartstrings paid off, earning him the attention of the artisan for a while.


    Of course, Throk had more ideas than the artificer apprentices to improve their design. He came up with a modular design, allowing Theo and Salire to swap the mixers into their current stack of distillation equipment. If they wanted to make a Refined Essence line, they could easily swap the gear attached to the stills. Once they were ready to use the same stills to use the mixers, a few turns of a few collars would have the equipment swapped and ready to go.


    Throk pulled Tresk aside after creating the first full-scale version of the mixer and handing it over. Unlike the first attempts, it was about as large as Tresk herself. While this would allow for considerably more vapor to be processed at once, it also required much more mana. Theo pulled the item into his inventory, rubbing his hands with excitement. Throk gave his daughter a tight hug as they left, and he could feel the warmth flowing from his Tara¡¯hek partner.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this back to the lab,¡± Theo said, departing with Salire before things got too sappy. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t. Tresk and Throk just weren¡¯t like that. They were lizards, after all.


    ¡°We have enough Refined Bound Healing Essence to test this out. Plenty of bound healing dilution, too.¡±


    Another hired helper was working in the Newt and Demon today. Theo didn¡¯t know what kind of deal Salire had given them, but he didn¡¯t mind. Things had been too busy for him to babysit every project around, but there were a few things in town that needed his attention. He couldn¡¯t help but think about them as he ascended the stairs. When they were done with their testing today, he would head down to the underground town to upgrade it.


    ¡°We need to force Hanan to make a choice soon.¡± Theo popped the condenser from one still, attacking the mixer instead. ¡°Can¡¯t have a huge city outside of my town unless they wanna join up.¡±


    ¡°Are you still determined to let him make his own choice?¡±


    Theo was less certain about that by the day. At first Hanan seemed like a guy who was overwhelmed with choices. Now he was taking too long on purpose, dragging this out as long as he could. Qavell had been reduced to so few people, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to overpower them. Not that the alchemist had plans to do so, but the option was on the table. For now, he only wanted to concern himself with alchemy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust myself to make the Drogramathi mana,¡± Salire said, smiling at Theo. ¡°Only the big strong champion can do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get it once you¡¯re high enough.¡± Theo laughed to himself, placing his hand over the second part of the mixer. He drained some of his mana, watching as the liquid mana filled it half-way. Each section of this new mixer could hold one-hundred units. The device was shaped like a big tuning fork with tubes entering or exiting in three spots. Those one-hundred units were measured for gas, resulting in half-unit containers for liquids. ¡°This will boost our quality.¡±


    Salire nodded, kicking the still on to feed the device vaporized essence. Theo hit the switch on the other still, feeding bound dilution to the mix. The apprentice alchemist turned to her notebook, writing everything about the process. They would need to amend their book. The alchemist had a moment to watch the process as it worked, making sure everything blended well. There were no problems so far.


    ¡°Man, I¡¯m feeling some weird stuff again,¡± Theo said, looking at the ceiling of the lab. ¡°First when Fenian vanished, then an hour later this. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Salire laughed. ¡°You remind me of my grandmother. She swore she could tell a storm was coming by the way her tusks felt.¡±


    Theo shook his head, smiling at the idea of an old half-ogre predicting the weather with her tusks. ¡°Looks like the mixing process isn¡¯t instant.¡± He cut the flow of essence from the still before turning the heat off. ¡°We¡¯ll need some tanks to hold the gas form of the essence so we can feed it to the mixer slowly.¡±


    ¡°The pressure tanks can hold essence in gas form forever, right?¡± Salire shrugged. ¡°I guess I¡¯m going back to ask Throk for more stuff.¡±


    Theo and Salire planned out some holding tanks for this new process. They had wanted to take a shortcut, but realized it wasn¡¯t possible. Essences and bound dilutions boiled at different rates, requiring them to do these steps separately. Sledge was still out for the count, so the tanks would need to be placed within the lab itself. As long as they didn¡¯t explode, that was fine. The alchemist sent his apprentice off, heading to the mine to upgrade the underground town.


    ¡°About time we upgraded that thing,¡± Sarisa said, jogging after the alchemist.


    Theo had withdrawn the Monster Cores set aside for the project. He was eager to get to work on the project, putting the whole underground problem behind him. It left a bad taste in his mouth after Twist revealed himself to be something other than a simple underground elf. The implications of that level of betrayal would be hard to process for a while. But why did he need a ride to the place Qavell once was if he was some powerful guy. The alchemist shook his head, dislodging through distracting thoughts.


    ¡°Alise bought up some towers, but my golems have been doing a decent job against the pale elves.¡± Theo nodded as he strode past the smelter buildings. ¡°I guess I expected a bigger threat.¡±


    ¡°When an underground dragon goes missing, I think you should be worried no matter what.¡± Rowan scoffed, shaking his head. Yeah, the idea of an entire dragon vanishing without warning was a bit much.


    The miners were working, even with the stuff going on in the underground. Theo nodded and greeted them as he passed, sending his senses down to his golems. They had been killing both elves and monsters down there, although the golems didn¡¯t care which. Several of his creations had been destroyed, but that was unsurprising. They took orders from the adventurers, and had been sent out to meet oncoming attacks. As predicted, cave-ins were nothing to the pale elves.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some walls going,¡± Theo said, approaching the monolith for Bal¡¯gon. ¡°I guess we should just do a standard upgrade path, right?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t see why not.¡± Sarisa approached the monolith, looking at how curiously the thing was shaped. Stone Walls and Gates first, then Defensive Emplacements after that. That¡¯s all you need.¡±


    Theo looked around the abandoned area. It looked much like it had when everyone fled aside from the new structures that had been erected. He shoved Monster Cores into the monolith, watching as the level of the building went up. His first selection was for walls, while his second was for roads. There were no other good options, as a water tower upgrade seemed lame. The alchemist paused at Level 15 to inspect the town after selecting the last upgrade.


    [Tiny Town]


    Name: Bal¡¯gon


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Leader: Rowan Fletcher


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 15 (4%)


    Core Buildings:


    NONE


    Defensive Emplacements:


    NONE


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Defensive Emplacements]


    The ground had rumbled when he selected the walls upgrade. Much like those in Broken Tusk, the walls down here were high. The battlements running their length would provide defenders breathing room against attackers. Although they hadn¡¯t added emplacements yet, Alise had bought enough to make any attacker think twice. Theo made his way to those battlements, finding the bodies of monsters down below and his golems moving between them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put our money to work,¡± Theo said. He selected a spread for ten Chain Lightning towers along the length of the wall. ¡°Once these are in place, Throk can hook them up to be completely automated.¡±


    ¡°Should take pressure off the adventurers.¡± Rowan peered out over the wall, tearing his attention from Theo¡¯s work. A tower sizzling with the power of lightning sprung up, ready to lash out at any attackers. ¡°Hey, is that the new guy?¡±


    Theo stepped to the side, squinting against the darkness to spot a human man in the distance. It was the new guy. Jan swung a large hammer at a goblin-like monster in, caving its head in. So the outworlder had decided to stay. The man that set off a chain reaction of unknowable impact was a hammer-using servant of Glantheir. That would have been interesting enough, but he seemed like he was having a good time.


    ¡°What are your thoughts on him?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ask again in a few weeks and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Rowan shrugged, seeming almost unwilling to form an opinion. ¡°I can¡¯t really get a read on him.¡±


    Theo nodded, silently approving of the answer. He had the same impression of the man. Jan was impossible to understand. Like a cornered animal that gave up out of nowhere to work with his captor. Perhaps he was just waiting for the right time. He knew who Twist was, after all. And Twist knew him. What that meant was anyone¡¯s guess, but Jan had already spilled the beans. That included making an official report to the town, which had been immortalized in writing.


    ¡°Something weird was happening back where I¡¯m from. Hundreds of years before I left.¡± Theo sighed as he leaned against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to know what it was.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby.¡± Sarisa punched him in the arm. It hurt less than he expected. ¡°You¡¯re always in the middle of this crap, so put on your big boy pants and deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame Theo for being confused and cautious.¡± Rowan came in with a rare disagreement with his sister. Well, it was a disagreement with Theo. They were normally a united front to make fun of the alchemist. ¡°Thinking about the way Twist walked around the town when he was part of something so big makes me anxious.¡±


    Sarisa pursed her lips, gritting her teeth for a few moments before nodding. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    Theo checked his interface, finding a note from Salire. It would take a few hours for Throk to work on the new pressure tanks, so she told him to have them ready for tomorrow. That worked for the alchemist, as he felt himself flagging for the day. With little more to do for the day, he wanted to relax and have some food. He thought about going to Tero¡¯gal, but decided that he had enough of that for now. The others would enjoy tea in his realm, but he didn¡¯t need to be with them right now. He needed food and a bath.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough of this for now. I¡¯ll put in a work order to have these towers automated. The adventurers can feed them motes by hand for now.¡± Theo looked over the small amount of work he did today. It wasn¡¯t much, but he was proud. ¡°Anyone hungry? Wanna go to Xam¡¯s?¡±


    Tresk appeared next to Theo in an instant. ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Theo pushed forward, leading the way up the tunnels to the surface. ¡°I wasn¡¯t made to live in the underground. Not again.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Were your people underground dwellers on Earth?¡± Sarisa asked, jumping up-and-down with excitement.


    ¡°You bet he was,¡± Tresk said, jabbing a finger at Sarisa. ¡°They lived underground and ate dirt. Theo¡¯s old body is actually half-mole.¡±


    Theo shot her a look, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°Really?¡± Sarisa asked, eyes glimmering.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Tresk struck a pose, holding the procession up. ¡°Let me tell you a story about the time Theo became king of the Mole People. It all started with a stone, or so the legend says¡­¡±


    Tresk¡¯s story was nonsense. She told it as the party marched to the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Theo tried not to shake his head as much as he wanted, since Sarisa bought most of the story. On their way to the tavern, they picked up a few citizens that wanted to come along for a meal. When the party settled into the second floor of the tavern, they had to spread out over several tables.


    Theo paid little attention to his meal as he considered how things were going. The train to the north was going well, along with the various roads spanning those new chasms. His new form of alchemy would produce fourth tier essence tomorrow at the earliest, so that was good. There might have been entities running around the world that he couldn¡¯t hope to understand, but he was a step closer to pushing through the void.


    As always, there had been some bumps along the way. Jan and Twist were a concern. There was a monster wave that would hit in a few days¡ªif Xol¡¯sa¡¯s calculations were correct. The extra-planar elf claimed the arcane math for that kind of thing was tricky. But the underground was sorted, Qavell was stable, and the food set before him was good enough to draw his attention away from his problems.


    ¡°Is Xam¡¯s getting better at cooking?¡± Theo asked.


    Tresk sighed. ¡°Yeah. I love your cooking, Sarisa¡­ But you don¡¯t have a core.¡±


    Sarisa nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend as though I can compare.¡±


    ¡°I like your cooking better.¡± Rowan grumbled as he pushed the food around his plate.


    The group chatted around the table until the sun threatened to fall below the horizon. After that they retreated to the bathhouse. While Theo had neglected his private bath, it was still there waiting for him. The entire party soaked in the large natural-style tub and let felt their collective tension walk away.


    Theo breathed a sigh of relief, the sensation of the bath¡¯s bolstering effects seeping into his bones. With so many things settling around town, he appreciated how the warm pool acted as a bookend. Heading into the Dreamwalk would make him feel even better. Tomorrow would bring with it alchemy. If he had enough time, he could also dive into the void in an attempt to push past the barrier.

 6.29 - The Next Exploit

    Theo looked over what he imagined Throk would come up with. It was an enlarged version of the mixer artifice the marshling had created before, recreated in the Dreamwalk. The imagined realm still pushed back when he tried to create finalized potions, but he dedicated himself to testing the timing and mixture ratios for this new form of alchemy. Without the Dreamwalk, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to test for the flow of mana, and he realized he would need some kind of mana storage device. Not the ones that drew mana from the air, but one that stored liquid mana.


    One problem at a time.


    Working to increase willpower had become tedious. Not because the act was hard, but because Theo wasn¡¯t sure what he was working toward. More golems with better range was great, but he didn¡¯t know where that ended. The only thing that helped him press forward was the idea that he could have an army of golems to defy reason. More golems meant less people on the front lines, putting themselves at risk when a being without a soul could do so.


    After being satisfied with his work for the night, he went off to find Tresk and Alex. The goose¡¯s body was sleeping out in the gardens of the manor, no longer able to fit within the building itself. ¡°How much bigger is she gonna get?¡±


    Alex swooped through the air, pulling flaming vines from nowhere to wrap around a monster¡¯s neck. She honked in defiance as Tresk fell from the giant goose, slashing at a large ogre-like monster with both daggers. She did a pose as the monster vanished, bowing as though an audience existed to care.


    ¡°Alex thinks she¡¯s close to something new,¡± Tresk said, performing some stretches to loosen up. ¡°Something special.¡±


    Theo scratched his chin, thinking about what it could be. Alex had grown in size and gained new affinities. He had an idea for what might happen to her, but was unsure. It was the same thing he had been hoping for some of his buildings in town. Evolution. Ever since gaining the ability to evolve his cores¡ªof which only his Governance Core had evolved¡ªhe was interested in the topic. No one had brought him information on the topic, which was frustrating at first.


    But when Theo ran up against a problem that someone in his circle knew nothing about, he assumed it was uncommon enough to be novel. Novel things, like his new alchemy technique, might be caused by the way the system functioned. When someone reached a new height in any discipline, it filled in the blanks. That was his theory about this new tier of Drogramath alchemy, and he hoped it applied elsewhere.


    ¡°Alex, show him your Fire Lance attack,¡± Tresk said, slapping Alex on the side.


    Alex honked, opening her beak and aiming into the distance. A hissing ball of fire appeared, reshaped only moments after she generated it. It took the shape of a lance the height of Theo before shooting off into the distance, leaving a steaming trail behind.


    ¡°That looks deadly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve been working on a poison aspect, but it isn¡¯t working. Alex thinks she¡¯s locked into nature and fire.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried everything.¡±


    ¡°Except you won¡¯t let me poison you.¡± Tresk put her hands on her hips.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t learn my aspect for nature by eating vines. Why would your idea work?¡±


    ¡°I dunno! Weirder things have happened.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one point of reference I have for evolutions,¡± Theo said, nodding at the bickering pair. ¡°And the only thing that forced the change was exposure to an realm¡¯s energy.¡±


    ¡°So, what? We just toss Alex in Tero¡¯gal for a week and call it?¡± Tresk asked, huffing.


    ¡°Yeah, not likely to work. Everyone in town gets enough exposure to both Tero¡¯gal and Drogramath energy daily. What happened to the project with the karatan absorbing energy?¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Nothing. They¡¯re just normal karatan.¡± Tresk slapped Alex on the side again. The goose snapped at her, forcing her to stumble backwards. ¡°You¡¯re bitey today.¡±


    ¡°I could eat you whole, worm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Tresk cheered. ¡°We¡¯ll turn you into a bloodthirsty goose. One of these days.¡±


    When the Dreamwalk finally ended, Theo felt a strange twinge as he returned to the waking world. He remained in bed for some time, searching around his golem network to find them in various states. Some had been destroyed underground, while others were still helping the situation in Qavell. His Plat Golems tended farms and greenhouses, but nothing else seemed strange enough for concern. With a shrug, he joined everyone at breakfast downstairs. While it was a pleasant meal, he couldn¡¯t get his mind off of the sensation.


    Throk had completed Salire¡¯s order from yesterday, which was encouraging in more ways than one. He was back in town, taking orders rather than working on the rail. According to the administrative reports, there had been a malfunction with his counterfeit coin device that required attention. After breakfast was done, Theo headed to the lab to give his apprentice some instructions. She agreed to bring the new equipment back to the lab while he checked on some things at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Theo stood outside of the building for some time, gazing at the foundation. This spot had been a patch of bare earth some time ago. From here, he could see the wall leading to the west and out into the swamp. That wall itself wasn¡¯t there either. Broken Tusk had been a defenseless patch of mud that wasn¡¯t worth defending. HIs impression of the place when he got here was sky-high, and had only climbed beyond what was reasonable. Going from a dead world to anything with life made him latch onto everything and everyone. With a steady breath, he entered the guild to search for Jan.


    Resting in an uncomfortable-looking chair near a fireplace was Jan, chatting and smiling with other adventurers. It hadn¡¯t taken him long to adjust to this life, which might have been concerning. Theo approached.


    ¡°So, I grab this scrawny elf by the neck,¡± Jan said, wiping tears from his eyes. He had been laughing. He placed a hand on his chest, wincing from some phantom pain. ¡°And he explodes out. Broke two ribs. I couldn¡¯t taste anything for a week.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. The other adventurers stood at attention, but Jan only looked back with a lazy drag of his gaze. The newest servant of Glantheir nodded to him. ¡°A word?¡± the alchemist asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few,¡± Jan said, pushing himself to his feet.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Theo made his way to the hall¡¯s front, pushing through the door. He didn¡¯t bother looking to see if Jan followed behind, instead tracking him with his senses. There was something of Glantheir¡¯s power blooming in the man¡¯s chest. He must have taken the core. Good.


    ¡°Elves on Earth,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t fight an elf here. You would¡¯ve been dead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jan nodded.


    Some intuition took over. Theo¡¯s increasing Wisdom had him seeing possibilities in conversation as well as in physical space. ¡°Who was the elf?¡±


    ¡°A guy from the other place.¡±


    ¡°What was his name?¡± Theo pressed on, finding it comforting to walk his town.


    ¡°Eric or something,¡± Jan said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°I¡¯m not good with names.¡±


    ¡°Elrin,¡± Theo corrected. He felt Jan¡¯s soul quiver slightly.


    ¡°Yeah, how did you know?¡±


    Because Gold said that name, Theo thought, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Was Twist from that other place?¡± Theo asked, not answering the last question.


    ¡°As far as I know. They didn¡¯t tell me much. Do you know what happened? It sounds like you know what happened.¡±


    ¡°I have a theory. It sounds like there was a realm overlayed over Earth. But if it was there in my time, I didn¡¯t know about it.¡±


    ¡°They said only certain people could go there. You might be right but I really don¡¯t know.¡±


    Theo paused near the monolith in Broken Tusk. He looked back on his memories, seeing the monolith in Qavell with perfect clarity. He had to do something about that monolith soon, but no ideas had come to mind. But he had a basic plan that involved letting the venom do its work for a while.


    ¡°I pulled you aside to have a talk, but I¡¯m getting more interested in what happened on Earth. I¡¯m wondering if you saw anyone that looked like a half-bird half-person when you were on Earth.¡±


    Jan shrugged. ¡°Just the big eye in the sky.¡±


    Theo turned, shaking his head. ¡°What about the government? You were in the Old United States of America. Did they know there was a realm overlayed on theirs?¡±


    Jan laughed. A deep belly laugh that brought a smile to Theo¡¯s face, even if he was trying to be serious. ¡°Old United States of America. Damn, you really are from the future.¡±


    ¡°There was nothing left in my time. Everyone migrated north or south, but the country was dissolved. We splintered into smaller countries.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Bummer. Yeah, we had some fights with the government over people coming to and from the other place. There were a bunch of people on the other side that were trapped. G-men came for this girl, and I was part of the group that busted her out. That Eric guy was from the other world, but he broke through into ours. Rescued her and some other people. But the eye showed up not too long after.¡±


    So, the plot thickened. Theo wouldn¡¯t correct Jan again for saying ¡®Eric¡¯ instead of ¡®Elrin¡¯. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Yup. Eric had a bunch of magic powers like the others. Didn¡¯t think they could use them outside of the other place, but what do I know?¡± Jan shrugged. ¡°I was a grunt with an arsenal.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing. He knew a few guys like that in his time. ¡°That¡¯s relatable.¡±


    Jan raised a brow. ¡°Did you serve? Not me, by the way. Private all the way.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t so easy to define. ¡°Kinda. I¡¯m not sure you could understand the structure of the government back then. We got trained for spycraft from an early age. It was mostly about blending in and reporting.¡±


    ¡°And murder, right?¡± Jan asked.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°But, hey¡­ This place is nice. And I¡¯m alive, so thanks for that.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Yeah. Guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Hey, is that everything? I¡¯m scheduled to do some patrols. Looking to let off some steam on some goblins.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re good.¡± Theo watched as Jan turned, his trenchcoat trailing as he went. At least he was adjusting to the new world.


    Theo wandered back to the lab, finding himself taking more turns than he intended. He rolled the information over in his mind, allowing his intuition to make connections. Loose ends earned knots, binding them to other loose ends.  The door to the Newt and Demon jingled as he entered, a smile on his face. Salire had already brought the new device to the lab, along with some new equipment.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Theo asked, jabbing his finger at a Drogramathi Iron tank resting on its side. The tank was longer than he was tall.


    ¡°New design for the pressure vessel. Throk guarantees it won¡¯t explode!¡± Salire seemed a bit too excited about that claim. He doubted it was completely accurate.


    ¡°I like not exploding.¡± Theo inspected the device, finding it to be similar to the first generation of pressure vessels Throk had made. The big change here were bands of Drogramathi Iron reinforcing the sides, and the built-in heating system. An artifice could accept liquid, turn it to vapor, and hold that vapor at pressure so it wouldn¡¯t lose its form. The only limit on the vessel¡¯s operation was the amount of power that was introduced. Throk had apparently recommended using real coins, or those created by his money printer. ¡°Let¡¯s hook this crap up.¡±


    The lab had become a mess. The mixer device was exactly as Theo imagined it, but had been shoved into the room¡¯s corner. If they wanted to maintain both the industrial capacity of the lab while also producing these labor-intensive potions, they would need to take some space on the second floor. For now, Theo sucked five of the ten Drogramathi Iron stills into his inventory and arranged the new devices in the area they once occupied.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll finally get use out of the second floor,¡± Theo said, shoving his weight against the pressure vessel until it was in place. He filled it with third tier Refined Bound Healing Essence, switching the artifice on before affixing the output tube from there to the first input of the mixer. ¡°But we still can¡¯t store liquid mana.¡±


    ¡°Throk said he was working on that, but didn¡¯t think it was possible,¡± Salire said. She grunted, attaching the tube from a second pressure vessel to the mixer. That would be the line that fed the dilution into the mix. ¡°So, this is an incomplete test.¡±


    ¡°The next phase in our proof of concept.¡± Theo slapped the pressure vessel, almost burning his hand. ¡°That¡¯s already really hot. Crank the AC.¡±


    Theo thought of ways to store his liquid mana as they waited for everything to heat. He drew mana into his palm, watching as it evaporated in his hand. Capturing it in gas form might have worked, but mana had a habit of soaking into the air in a strange way. Like the energy that flowed around Broken Tusk, it soaked into something other than the air itself. Perhaps it was another state of matter, but he didn¡¯t know enough about it to solve the problem on his own. For now, he would feed mana to the machine directly. It was good enough for now.


    ¡°This looks pretty good,¡± Theo said, inspecting the imperfect seams in the connections. ¡°We have a small leak here.¡±


    Salire scratched her head, squinting at the seam between the first pressure vessel and the mixer. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we need someone to weld this stuff together.¡± Theo slapped the mixer. It hissed slightly. ¡°Just turn on the extractor for now. Shouldn¡¯t be horribly explosive.¡±


    Salire gained a nervous look on her face, but did as told. Once the extractor fan was on, they watched as the mixer did its job. It took mana from Theo, essence from the first pressure tank, and dilution from the second pressure tank. The mix was then passed through a standard condenser, where it was collected in a flask. While this method was much faster than the small scale version, it still produced pitiful amounts of essence.


    ¡°There it is,¡± Theo said, grabbing the flask and replacing it with a new one. He swirled the single unit of essence in the flask. ¡°Good quality, but better than before. And the best part?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t exploding¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. But there¡¯s something more important to consider here.¡± Theo held the flask up, allowing the sun to shine through the hazy pink liquid. ¡°We¡¯re the first people to create it. An outworlder dronon and a half-ogre just pushed Drogramath¡¯s alchemy to the next level.¡±


    Salire gazed at the flask with amazement. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll get something special for doing this? Like the other Potions of Significance?¡±


    Theo offered Salire a smile. ¡°I know I will.¡±

 6.30 - Unique Potion

    Theo and Salire documented creating a fourth tier potion. Even just looking at the raw essence felt like viewing something momentous. The reaction was clean. Almost too stable for the alchemist¡¯s liking, considering how powerful the resulting potion would be when compared to the last tier. The liquid inside the flask bubbled, leaving small amounts of froth near the top of the vial, but nothing more. What was left was a shining red liquid, glimmering with potential.


    ¡°There it is,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself as the prompt appeared.


    [Unique Potion]


    You are the first person to craft this potion. This potion has never been created by another mortal. Please select an attribute to boost from the following list:


    Strength, Vigor, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower.


    ¡°You got it? Same deal as last time?¡± Salire asked.


    No, it wasn¡¯t the same prompt as last time. The last prompt claimed it was about a ¡®potion of significance¡¯ while this one was about a ¡®unique potion¡¯. The difference was subtle. Gaining attributes from the potions that were on a world-based timer made enough sense, since their creation came from impossibly difficult-to-find reagents. But this new prompt came from making a potion someone else hadn¡¯t made. The surprising part was that others had made potions like the Potion of Limited Foresight and so on.


    ¡°I got it,¡± Theo said. ¡°I should go full Wisdom, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I guess that depends.¡± Salire placed her hands on her hips, humming for a moment. ¡°Wait, we¡¯re going to make at least one potion for all the other potions we¡¯ve done, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s a lot of free attributes. How many unique potions have we made? Aside from this one?¡±


    ¡°Twenty¡­ something. I don¡¯t know,¡± Salire said, going through her notes. ¡°Wait, twenty times ten is two-hundred.¡±


    ¡°Two-hundred attributes to distribute how I see fit.¡± Theo rubbed his hands together. He felt a warm sensation flooding through his brain as he selected Wisdom on the prompt. ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡±


    Salire swallowed hard, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m kinda scared.¡±


    Theo watched as his precognition got slightly better. Ten points put him in another realm of Wisdom, giving him about two seconds of predictive power. On top of that, his Wisdom of the Soul prompts would give him better information. More mana didn¡¯t hurt, but it wasn¡¯t needed. While this would take a while for him to get used to, it was worth it.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Theo said, looking at the potion in his hand. ¡°I guess I should inspect this.¡±


    Salire chuckled.


    [Major Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Tero¡¯gal (Perfect Bond)


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 250 health points.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fine potion,¡± Theo said, holding it up to the light. The clarity was great, but so were most of his other potions now. The quality could have been higher, but it was good for now. ¡°Not sure what I think about the process.¡±


    ¡°You might unlock an ability to make it easier.¡± Salire took the potion, wedging the stopper into the top. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Theo watched as Salire moved across the room before she actually moved. He wondered why people didn¡¯t take more Wisdom, but it was a tricky attribute. The points required to get to where he was likely only benefited artisans. Dexterity and Intelligence might have been more useful for them anyway. ¡°I can see you move before you move.¡±


    ¡°Are you seeing fates, yet?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Nope. That must be reserved for ultra-high levels. Thank god for that, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re becoming your own god¡­ look at the alignment on that potion.¡±


    ¡°You know what¡¯s funny? The gods aren¡¯t actually gods. Which means I was right when I got here. They¡¯re just really strong people that convinced the system to give them a new name.¡± Theo paused for a long moment. Salire clearly had no interest in engaging in religious debates. He cast his eyes to the ceiling, as though he could peer through it and into the heavens. ¡°Now that I said that out loud, I¡¯m worried. What if¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh. Here he goes¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. Could you get the materials for all possible fourth tier potions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on it, boss!¡± Salire offered a curtsey, dashing off.


    The moment Theo fell through the veil, he felt that something was off. The void was turbulent, no longer a static thing. It was as though a great wind blew against him, holding him back as he crossed over the Bridge. Things were too weird. He wouldn¡¯t risk crossing the Bridge the right way and he wrapped himself in his willpower-fueled cloak of shadows. Pushing against the force was rough, but Theo landed in his own realm soon enough.


    ¡°Problem!¡± Belgar shouted, rushing through the sparse village to find Theo. He was out of breath, doubled over as he heaved. ¡°There¡¯s a war.¡±


    Theo¡¯s brow knit, his senses spreading over his planet. They weren¡¯t being attacked. ¡°A war?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure¡­ yeah, there he is.¡± Belgar pointed as Khahar appeared with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°Theo. Come.¡± Khahar jerked his head to the side. Theo followed, retreating to the cozy cottage.


    As the pair drew closer, Theo could hear many voices within. Khahar threw the door open, revealing quite a few gods crowded within the tight space. He stood there for too long, taking in the minor and mid-tier gods he had never seen before. Among all those gathered, he was surprised to see a few faces and unsurprised that others were missing. Balkor had finally accepted his invitation.


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    ¡°How screwed are they?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Almost completely,¡± Khahar said, shutting the door and pulling Theo aside. They found a place to talk where the others couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you caught on already.¡±


    ¡°This is why you don¡¯t tell me anything, huh? Because you know I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Theo sighed. There might have been a world where it didn¡¯t have to go down like this, but the early ascendants had to sleep in the bed they made. ¡°Who is the big man making war?¡±


    ¡°Void made the first move, which I didn¡¯t expect. The others haven¡¯t left the void.¡±


    ¡°How many are there? Twelve?¡±


    ¡°Only four right now. I don¡¯t know where the others are.¡±


    Theo scratched his chin. He recalled his meeting with the system and the twelve spots there. Twelve spots for twelve gods. Not the pretenders that claimed to be gods. These guys were the real deal. ¡°Are they destroying realms?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Might be worse for those holding realms. They¡¯re being stripped of power.¡±


    The most interesting part of that was Khahar¡¯s position among the gods. Theo didn¡¯t know if his old friend had ascended as a god, or just as the owner of Khahak and the Throne of the Arbiter. If he had to guess, he would say Khahar knew this might happen, and planned accordingly. What this meant for the other ascendants was hard to say. The heated conversation within the cottage revealed how desperate their situation was. The alchemist was snapped out of his contemplations when an alert sprung up.


    [Attack Attempt Failed]


    An unknown entity has tried and failed to attack the realm of Tero¡¯gal. The reason for this failure is unknown.


    Theo narrowed his eyes, feeling around his realm as though it were his own body. He felt the two thrones hidden here pulsing, pushing back against whatever it was that had attacked. But the attacker wasn¡¯t hard to determine. It was one of four interlopers. A moment later, he heard a voice fill his mind.


    ¡°Oh, you stink.¡± It was Void. No surprise there. ¡°Let me in so we can have a chat.¡±


    Khahar nodded at Theo. The alchemist scoffed. ¡°Part of your predictions?¡±


    ¡°One of a few. Let him in. The old rules should still apply.¡±


    Theo sighed. He had absolute authority here. If that authority failed, he had the thrones. Had he faced any other entity coming into his realm, he would have rejected them. But it was easy to assume Void was the person he needed to get to the far side of the void. Well, the entity¡¯s name and the place were going to get confusing.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± Theo said, giving his mental confirmation to the god.


    A purple-black portal appeared, and the short man stepped out. The features of his face were now hidden, obscured behind a swirling vortex of black. He crossed his arms, tutting at the alchemist. ¡°Took you long enough. Lots of trash to clean up! I¡¯ll just head in there and slaughter them, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Not gonna happen,¡± Theo said, staring the god down.


    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Void asked with a giggle. ¡°You guys went too long skirting the rules. And¡­ You sneaky little butthole. Thrones? THRONES? He isn¡¯t even the real arbiter!¡±


    ¡°The Throne of the Arbiter isn¡¯t here. It was fused with a High Elderling Realm before your arrival.¡± Instead of spitting in the god¡¯s face, Khahar bowed his head. ¡°The ascendants of this world have no hope to resist you, Void. But the planet is broken.¡±


    ¡°Now he¡¯s gonna ask for my help.¡± Void groaned. ¡°I¡¯m doing all the heavy lifting, and he has the balls to ask me for help. Look how confused the demon is. He needs to work on his poker face.¡±


    Khahar cleared his throat. ¡°If you give him instruction on that, he might actually beat me at the game.¡±


    ¡°Hah! I like that. There¡¯s a hold on realms with thrones in them, so consider yourself lucky. No other realm is safe. I¡¯m happy purging them all.¡± Void crossed his arms. He might have been glaring at Theo and Khahar from behind that swirling mask, but neither could tell. ¡°Come on. What¡¯s the pitch?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you recall the shards.¡± Khahar bowed his head.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are.¡± Void tilted his head to the side.


    ¡°Did you check?¡±


    ¡°No, but they should be here. Everything would be in¡­ disorder if¡­ they weren¡¯t¡­ Okay I get it.¡± Void scoffed, waving a dismissive hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need someone to go get them. Someone like Theo.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You cannot cross into the mortal realms. Not even a splinter realm.¡± Khahar¡¯s face took on a look of confusion.


    ¡°I can go anywhere I want. We¡¯re not bound by the stupid rules you guys made way-back-when. We¡¯re already working on dismantling them so we can fix this stupid world.¡±


    But if Void could just go pluck the shards from the far end of the void, why hadn¡¯t he? Theo couldn¡¯t figure this god out. There was something off about him. Perhaps he hadn¡¯t gained his full power yet, or he was diminished in Tero¡¯gal. Whatever the case, he wasn¡¯t able to impart his full will on the world.


    ¡°You need us,¡± Theo said, self-assured. ¡°Otherwise you would have gone. Right? So, why can¡¯t you?¡±


    Theo felt Void narrow his gaze, but saw nothing. ¡°You remind me of someone¡­ Very annoying.¡± After a hauntingly long pause, Void clapped his hands together once. ¡°Okay, jerks. Here¡¯s the deal. Since you¡¯re the only two idiots not peeing your pants, you¡¯re gonna fix this.¡±


    Theo and Khahar shared a look. Only Khahar smiled as he said, ¡°That was the plan.¡±


    ¡°Horns, get the shards back to the planet. Tall-and-fuzzy, muzzle these not-gods. You guys can designate a realm for each god to migrate to. Hey, don¡¯t worry. You can keep yours if you have a throne. Everyone else needs to fight for a spot in the pantheon.¡±


    ¡°The twelve spots, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Four are¡­ Oh, you crafty little bastard!¡± Void turned, growing at nothing. ¡°Do the job. Bye.¡±


    Void vanished without another word.


    Theo turned to Khahar, shaking his head. ¡°How much of that did you predict?¡±


    ¡°What I saw was fuzzy. But I saw what drew him away.¡± A smile crept across Khahar¡¯s face. ¡°He didn¡¯t expect our fake gods to fight back. Glantheir does battle.¡±


    Things were officially moving too fast for Theo. He had big plans back in the mortal realm, and not enough time to accomplish what he planned. It seemed as though everyone with even a hint of power had plans of their own. But for once he was happy to see the once-gods rendered powerless. Compared to a true god, they were nothing. That answered a question Theo had since he arrived here. The ¡®gods¡¯ seemed so without power that they were useless. Well, there was the answer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s organize these lesser ascendants,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on Khahar¡¯s shoulder.


    Khahar nodded his agreement and they headed over to the cottage. The moment the door opened, the room went silent. Theo looked over those gathered for the meeting. Ascendants from every race were there, all in various states of anger or disbelief. The looks they shot to the entrance were as varied as their race. The alchemist was sad to see Benton among them.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal.¡± Khahar¡¯s voice carried over the crowd, silencing whatever murmurs remained. ¡°We won¡¯t tell you what to do. But if you return to your realms, you might die.¡±


    ¡°As in¡­ die?¡± one ascendant asked. ¡°Forever?¡±


    Balkor¡¯s eyes flashed from the crowd, the flare of green darkening the room. The dronon ascendant was one of few higher gods. Theo couldn¡¯t get a read on him, but he could have been desperate.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Tero¡¯gal and Kahak are happy to take you and whatever souls you want to bring over. Otherwise, I¡¯m certain the other realms will collapse.¡± Khahar¡¯s voice had a tone of finality that gave Theo chills.


    ¡°Even the high realms?¡± Balkor asked.


    Theo locked eyes with the necromantic dronon ascendant. He looked like all other dronon he had seen, but with pale green skin and faded green eyes. One eye had lost its color, becoming a muted gray. He wore tattered robes. His fight was long, and the alchemist couldn¡¯t forget how much of a catalyst he was. Evil or not, he helped get the world to this point.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Unless you can secure a spot in the new pantheon, you¡¯re screwed.¡±


    More questions came from the crowd. Everyone was upset about losing their realms, not understanding how an upstart like Theo got to keep his. Khahar didn¡¯t give direct answers, instead skirting the issue and telling them to take it up with the new management. They only had so much time, and Khahar wasn¡¯t willing to wait.


    ¡°We can¡¯t explain it any differently,¡± Khahar said, holding his hands up to silence whatever questions came next. ¡°Settle matters in your realms. Or die. That¡¯s up to you.¡±

 6.31 - Who Slept With Who

    Theo stood in the system¡¯s realm, standing on the raised platform and looking over the twelve spots. He assumed he had the entire place to himself, but a faint glow issued from one spot. Golden light pooled on the ground, soon creating the form of a young person. Or one of the smaller races of the world¡ªit was hard to tell. The alchemist watched as the being was given a form. He was surprised when it reached a hand out for him to shake.


    ¡°Fate.¡± The voice of a young woman echoed through the immaterial being, filling the surrounding air with authority.


    Theo felt as though he could crumble under that power. No ascendant he had met gave him that feeling. ¡°Theo Spencer,¡± he said, reaching out a hand. He grasped the entity¡¯s hand, a sense of potential flooding through his mind. ¡°You¡¯re nicer than the other one.¡±


    ¡°Void? Yeah, he¡¯s a grouchy old man. You¡¯re planning some serious stuff, huh?¡± Fate tilted her head to the side, something of a smile playing into her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t envy the difficulty of the task.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be off destroying realms?¡± Theo asked. He looked away from this world¡¯s newest god, eyes locked on the spot where he saw the system before.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t my domain. I just follow the fates¡­¡±


    There was a big difference between the new gods and the old ones. Theo couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how little power the ascendants had. They manipulated the system to become something they could use to gain power over the mortal realm, but the cost was clear. Everything would come crashing down soon enough. That just left one question in his mind.


    ¡°This is how Khahar planned to restart the world, huh?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Fate shrugged, but didn¡¯t leave her spot. She seemed bound to it. ¡°A restart will be good, though.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a waste, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Fate laughed, placing her hand over her mouth politely. ¡°Your plans are transparent to me. Perhaps you didn¡¯t know you would have been immune to the purge. I¡¯ll say this. You need to increase your willpower by a lot if you want to take as much as you want to take. Pulling the town into your realm should be easy enough, but binding it there will be another matter.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough¡­ Who is that?¡±


    Theo watched as another figure appeared, standing right next to Fate. It exuded a kind of energy that sucked in the light from the room, pulling in some of the golden god¡¯s own essence. She sighed, pushing the other figure, who failed to stumble.


    ¡°Playing with the food?¡± the dark figure asked. ¡°How typical.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. This is my brother, Omen. He¡¯s a stinker.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the stinker. You can see the destruction this man will bring.¡± Judging by his voice, he was a young man the same age as Fate.


    ¡°That¡¯s why no one invites you to parties. You¡¯re too dour.¡± Fate folded her arms, seeming to glare at her brother. ¡°If you¡¯re going to interrupt me, you can leave.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Void should open the way for you to get those shards back. The elves might give you trouble, though. I think they created a pseudo system. I¡¯m sure you can handle it.¡±


    Omen leaned in, speaking directly into Fate¡¯s ear. ¡°Hallow is dying.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an idiot.¡± Fate waved the question away, as though she had already seen the conclusion to her brother¡¯s concerns. ¡°That ascendant was ready for him. The only one who would come for us holds a Throne.¡±


    ¡°That means we¡¯re immune, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re immune. You¡¯ve forestalled enough disasters to keep us safe this far, haven¡¯t you?¡± For the first time, Theo saw Fate treat her brother with some warmth. ¡°We¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Theo pointed between the pair. ¡°Where did you guys come from? Earth?¡±


    Omen scoffed, throwing his hands into the air. ¡°This man is an idiot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll figure that out on your own. Concern yourself with your mortal problems for now, Theo. You¡¯ll find the ¡®new new management¡¯ isn¡¯t as forgiving as the old.¡±


    An impossibly powerful will crashed against Theo. He was confident he could beat most ascendants one-versus-one in a battle of willpower. But this was something else. All his cheated training was rendered useless against such a force. One moment he was standing in the system¡¯s domain, and the next he was back in the mortal realm. He sucked in a breath, the mortal air stinging his lungs. He fell to the ground, coughing.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Salire said, rushing over. She pulled him to his feet, concern lingering on her face. ¡°You good?¡±


    Theo coughed, covering his mouth. He felt warmth splatter against his gloved hands, pulling it away to find blood. Most of his health had been depleted, so he pulled a healing potion from his inventory and drank it. Relief flooded over him as he was healed, driving whatever it was the god did to him away.


    ¡°The new gods pack a punch.¡± Theo groaned, shifting his stance to stand by his own power.


    ¡°New what?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°You good, boss?¡± Sarisa asked, joined by Rowan.


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Theo rolled his shoulders, checking himself for more injuries. He found nothing. ¡°Just a minor scuffle in the heavens.¡±


    Rowan took it upon himself to check Theo over, making sure he was telling the truth. Only when he was satisfied did he release the alchemist, freeing him to withdraw a communication crystal from his inventory. It was better to make sure Fenian was fine. Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s Bridge wasn¡¯t immune to the actions of the new gods. If he lost access to that, he might be stranded.


    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°We got a problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is this some town drama? Who slept with who?¡±


    Theo rolled his eyes, explaining the situation in the heavens. Fenian didn¡¯t seem concerned at all, humming along as the alchemist told the story.


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    ¡°My throne is fine, right?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°No problems there. I¡¯m only concerned about the Bridge.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, my dear alchemist. I should be fine. Lovely chat, Theo. But I need to go! Have a drink for me, would you?¡±


    Fenian hung up the call before Theo could say anything else. When the elf got weird, things were going down. While it was impossible to tell what his plan was, the alchemist only hoped he made it out the other end unscathed. Not only would it be hard to find another person to sit on the Throne of the Herland, he didn¡¯t know if that was an option. With a deep breath, he flushed those concerns from his mind. It was easier with his higher Wisdom, allowing him to focus on the one thing that had driven him to obsession lately.


    Before moving past this bout of weirdness, Theo checked his administration screens. Things were going better than he had expected, especially with Qavell. Thanks to Alise¡¯s ability to over-plan everything, there was no scenario the town wasn¡¯t ready for. They had stockpiles of almost everything now, including food, stone, metal, wood, and Monster Cores. Trade was overflowing, and there were more migrants arriving by the day. Those people were mostly interested in exploring the new world created by Fenian¡¯s battle with the unknown entity, but some settled in the region.


    No news about Tarantham was good news. Emperor Kuzan could stick to his plans over there. Far away from the Southlands Alliance.


    One item grabbed Theo¡¯s attention, though. It was an entry created by Sulvan. The document was commented on by both Luras and Aarok, but also had an amendment near the bottom by Tresk. Theo stood, nodding at Salire.


    ¡°Keep working on getting those materials together. I need to check on something.¡±


    ¡°Right away, boss!¡± Salire said, shuffling off to tend to the work. She was eager to help him gain even more power.


    ¡°Rowan, could you stick with Salire?¡± Theo asked, jerking his head toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s head out, Sarisa.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± Rowan asked.


    Theo smiled, heading to the stairs. Only when he and Salire were out the door did he explain. ¡°Because I think she has a crush on him. Come on, let¡¯s go round up another adventurer or ten.¡±


    Sarisa giggled, following behind Theo. ¡°Wow, you know what? Feels weird without him around.¡±


    ¡°You two spend too much time together.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re siblings!¡± Sarisa objected. ¡°Close siblings, you know? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t need to enter the guildhall to find who he was looking for. ¡°Jan!¡± he shouted, waving his hands to gain the attention of the only other Earthling in town. ¡°Come on. Got a job for you.¡±


    Jan approached, brooding slightly. He folded his arms over his chest. Theo couldn¡¯t deny the man was looking more well-built than when he arrived. He was likely grinding levels in the swamp.


    ¡°What¡¯s the pay?¡± Jan asked.


    ¡°A shiny copper coin,¡± Sarisa said, laughing to herself. ¡°See, when the archduke tells you to do something, ya do it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t vote for him.¡±


    ¡°Stop, you weirdos. Let¡¯s go, Jan.¡±


    Jan fell in line behind Theo and Sarisa. He might have been reluctant but some of that hard-boiled detective vibe he had cultivated¡ªno doubt over years back on Earth¡ªhad faded away. The alchemist could sense the man¡¯s power growing, although it was slight. That was simply the transition from having no cores to having at least one. He now had access to the system, and all the benefits that provided. The best part was his core. A Glantheir core. Things might get interesting if Glantheir ascended again.


    ¡°When we get back, I want to hire some adventurers to watch Jan and Sulvan,¡± Theo said, not bothering to lower his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing.¡± Jan¡¯s instinct was to object.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the one I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    ¡°Just deal with it, buddy.¡± Sarisa shot him a look. She turned to Theo, the confusion she felt finally coming to her face. ¡°But what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Glantheir is a pacifist. But I don¡¯t know what happens when he ascends again.¡±


    ¡°Again? How many ascensions are there?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo didn¡¯t answer, but that was a good question. They pressed on through the market and north of the harbor until they reached the massive stairs leading to the city above. The alchemist inspected Qavell before ascending, deciding that it hadn¡¯t tilted to either side. They had stabilized it completely. But that wasn¡¯t the reason for their visit.


    The group met with King Hanan at the palace. Theo couldn¡¯t help but notice how hardened the man had become. With his imposter guards gone, he had drawn other people from his city to become his protectors. He was now flanked by humans, wearing whatever armor they could scavenge. While they weren¡¯t as impressive as the old guards, they seemed loyal enough.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been reporting on the monolith.¡± Hanan walked beside Theo, bringing pride to his station as a king and his people. ¡°No visible changes. Your barriers hold firm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Did you decide what you¡¯re going to do? Want to join the alliance?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± Hanan sighed, holding the door open to allow the others entrance to the lower levels. Both Theo¡¯s and Hana¡¯s guards came with them, leading the way. ¡°The longer my city is here, the more I think we¡¯re not ready to be on our own. I think we need each other.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the need is one-way?¡± Theo asked with a wink.


    ¡°For now. But once we get back on our feet? Qavell is strong, Theo.¡±


    Theo wouldn¡¯t accept Qavell as a member of the Southlands Alliance because they were strong. If the world was going to be remade, he wanted people with conviction to join him in the new era. His mind flashed back to Tero¡¯gal, and the way those people had transformed that world into a paradise. He wanted that for everyone, even if it was a dream that was too far.


    ¡°The Southlands Alliance would be happy to have such powerful people,¡± Theo said, patting Hanan on the shoulder. ¡°Especially those with such a rich history in the region. Perhaps we can forge a world that doesn¡¯t crumble after a few hundred years.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Hanan asked with a laugh. ¡°Watch your step through here. We had a minor collapse.¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious, I hope.¡±


    ¡°Ziz reinforced the walls. It should be fine, but we haven¡¯t cleaned up the rubble.¡±


    The passages under Qavell were winding. The group traced a familiar path to the lowest level, finding the abandoned ritual room. Theo sent his senses out the moment they entered, seeing that his wards were holding themselves in place perfectly. Whatever was inside the monolith hadn¡¯t gotten out, but Hanan had missed something. The veins of poison that ran through the strange structure had grown thicker. The Venom potion that Tresk applied to the entity was still doing its work.


    ¡°Remind me never to argue with Tresk again,¡± Sarisa said. She picked up on it, too.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Jan asked.


    ¡°Think of it as the helm of a flying city,¡± Theo said. ¡°Hanan here was coerced into attacking us by someone else. We took the city down.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Now you guys are best friends?¡± Jan asked. ¡°I would¡¯ve killed him, Mister King.¡±


    ¡°The situation was complicated.¡± Hanan narrowed his eyes at Jan. ¡°That¡¯s a strange outfit.¡±


    ¡°Not really. Looks like a karatan-driver¡¯s duster to me.¡± Sarisa shrugged the comment off.


    ¡°Yeah, wait until you see the gun¡­ Jan, do you feel anything inside the monolith?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Why would I?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    The Venom worked its way through the monolith, but it wasn¡¯t moving quickly. That was the point of the poison potion, after all. It did low damage over vast amounts of time, which was nasty. Purging the entity¡¯s influence on the Kingdom Core and Town Core was something Theo couldn¡¯t solve on his own. Like Qavell, he needed to lean into others and dedicate some time to this problem. But what was the nature of the infection? Fenian confirmed it wasn¡¯t something that violated the system¡¯s laws, so what was the deal?


    The Arbiter made sure everything was right within the heavens, while the Dreamwalker was his right hand. The Herald sorted mortal affairs with the Dreamer as his right hand. Theo nodded to himself as a Wisdom of the Soul message appeared.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    Arbiter, Herald, Dreamer, Dreamwalker. You missed the connection between these Thrones and the infection of Qavell at first. But now you realize what¡¯s going on. The Herald did his job by banishing the entity, but the Dreamer still needs to put a cap on it.


    In order to purge Qavell from this infection, the Dreamer must delve into the sleeping entity¡¯s mind, cutting free the diseased flesh.

 6.32 - Cheating With Potions

    ¡°I ain¡¯t going in there.¡± Tresk placed her hands on her hips, looking at the monolith.


    Theo, as always, tried to placate her. She intended to delve into the disgusting mind of whatever weird monster plagued Qavell, but it was best to watch him squirm a bit. He went on about how important it was for them to do what they needed to do. She held the Throne of the Dreamer, so she had to go into a nightmare dream world.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Tresk said, waving him away. ¡°Get off my back, I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°You only need to drive him away,¡± Theo yapped. ¡°Or figure out why he¡¯s there.¡±


    Tresk cracked her knuckles. Well, she imitated the motion of it, having seen someone else do it. But nothing popped within her fingers. ¡°Okay. Into the dream I go.¡±


    Focusing on her Dreamer¡¯s Core, Tresk felt herself falling. Her stomach shot up to her throat for only a moment, a sensation like falling through eternal nothing flooding through her for only a moment. While she would never admit it, she felt fear for only a moment. The next moment, the falling stopped. Tresk stood on a plane of darkness, the silhouette of something against the sky above.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Go on! Get!¡±


    Her voice echoed through the place, reflecting off of unseen surfaces and repeated into the distance. Theo was eager for her to jump into the dream, but as Tresk thought about it, this might not have been such a good idea. Would jumping into a dead god¡¯s dream be such a good idea? She shook the thought from her head, pushing forward. After what felt like hours of walking, she spotted something in the distance.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. That¡¯s really weird.¡±


    Tresk realized she was standing inside of something. A massive dome loomed overhead, giving view to an obscured section of sky outside. The dome had a patchwork of metal bands, creating some shape she didn¡¯t recognize. On the horizon of the structure was a sliver of blue. The closer she got to that band of color, the more she realized what it was. Images from Theo¡¯s memory came flooding back. It was a planet from orbit. And it wasn¡¯t her planet.


    ¡°The dead guy dreams of Earth.¡± Tresk scoffed, shaking her head. ¡°Talk about reliving your glory days.¡±


    Upon the blue orb, a single light shone. It was as though the glimmer of a bright red star rested on the surface, waiting for this entity to pluck it. The planet shifted, viewed as though in fast-forward. An instant later, and the structure was right up against the planet. Tresk could see the detail of the continents, outlined by lights that lit up the night¡¯s sky. This was well before Theo¡¯s time. There weren¡¯t enough craters.


    Tresk felt a tickle of something in her chest. Her Dreamer¡¯s Core found something offensive in this area, and wanted her to prune it. For now, she let the scene play out. The red star came closer¡­ No, the structure was moving closer to the red star. Sections of the dome were revealed, folding back onto themselves until more of the interior could be viewed from outside. The star drew closer until Tresk could see a dark-haired figure staring back, standing on some sidewalk back in Old Earth.


    There was a brief exchange of words she couldn¡¯t understand. No one else on the street could see the domed structure. Only black-haired guy. The sense in Tresk¡¯s chest grew stronger. She realized that being here had stirred the entity to life. This had happened before. Someone¡¯s dreams had been boring before she arrived, only to get wild after she showed up. Her core practically vibrated by this time.


    ¡°Alrighty, core. You can do your thing.¡±


    <hr>


    Tresk snapped back into reality a moment later. She blinked a few times, locking eyes with Theo.


    ¡°I think that should do it,¡± Tresk said, shrugging at her companion. ¡°Hard to say.¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes at her, reading what little he could from her mind. He saw the visions of Earth and the weird structure. The patterns above her looked close enough to an eye for him to assume this was the Baleful Eye he had heard about. Observing the monolith for Qavell, he was pleased to see the corruption retreating slightly. ¡°Whatever you did, it worked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. No problem. I¡¯m the best.¡± Tresk vanished without another word.


    Theo watched the monolith for some time. While the corruption was retreating, it wasn¡¯t being purged instantly. ¡°This is great,¡± he said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°I think we can salvage your town soon enough, Hanan.¡±


    ¡°So, you had the solution all along? You just didn¡¯t want to tell me?¡± Hanan placed his hands on his hips. Theo couldn¡¯t tell if he was truly offended.


    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like it, I don¡¯t know everything.¡±


    ¡°So long as you fix my city, I¡¯ll be forever in your debt. But I do wish the climate here was more temperate. How do you survive in the heat?¡±


    Theo laughed, tugging at the Coat of Rake. ¡°Temperature regulation coat. You should get one.¡±


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Hanan looked at the coat with covetous eyes. ¡°Are we done here? I need to visit the market in Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Theo jerked his head toward the exit. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I have some alchemy to do.¡±


    Tresk might have set things in motion, but they would still take time. Theo knew better than to ask what she had done to kick things off. Something about her Dreamer¡¯s Core allowed her to banish whatever influence that entity had. The alchemist left Qavell with his group, stopping by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to hire a few people to watch both Jan and Sulvan. He was transparent about it, explaining to anyone who would ask what the situation was. The heavens were changing, and there was no way to know what effect it would have on those that held aligned cores.


    On his way back to the lab, Theo was surprised when he checked the town¡¯s temple. There had been no changes to it, or its function. Everything worked how it should have worked, and he even summoned Drogramath for a moment. He left the temple when the projected image of the dronon ascendant yelled at him for being too weak. The difference between the authentic version of him and the projection was too great.


    Someone Theo didn¡¯t recognize was working the shop at the Newt and Demon. Theo nodded at the woman, heading upstairs to see what Salire was working on. He found her piling reagents on tables throughout the lab. She turned, a slightly manic look on her face. Before he could say anything, she struck a pose.


    ¡°I have a plan!¡±


    ¡°Looks like a comprehensive plan.¡± Theo spotted the sheets of paper strewn over the table. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


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    ¡°This is pretty simple, actually. I made a list of each potion we¡¯re going to make. I put in a work order with Throk to get a new mixer made. And I collected a bunch of reagents we can use.¡±


    Theo nodded, appreciating her thoroughness. The only problem with creating such high-ranking potions was the time required to do so. Mana was still a sticking point, preventing them from industrializing the process. The alchemist had shot a quick inquiry to Zarali, who refused to help thanks to wedding planning. The short response she shot back claimed it was unlikely to be possible, thanks to the volatile nature of mana.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do but try,¡± Theo said, appreciating the reagents on the table. Salire¡¯s plan was to handle the restoration potions first before moving on to attribute potions. Each would give him ten attribute points. The number still seemed absurd.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started!¡±


    Theo felt bolstered by Salire¡¯s enthusiasm, but the process was daunting. Alongside those collected reagents, she had also placed flasks filled with completed essences where applicable. Since they could only use third tier essences, that supply was thin. For most of the potions, they had to start from step one.


    ¡°Five stills working at once,¡± Theo said, nodding at the stills they already had functional. ¡°All producing bound dilutions or essences to make those dilutions¡­ We can bank those in the building¡¯s storage, but we can keep the runs small. What do you think, 50 units?¡±


    ¡°Just make it 100,¡± Salire said, attaching an artifice grinder to one still. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with leftovers.¡±


    Five stills meant they would start on mana, stamina, strength, dexterity, and vigor potions. That only left intelligence and wisdom potions for the attribute potions. They could have brought out the other five stills they had in storage, but this would keep them busy for a while. Theo didn¡¯t want to get bogged down with this work, just in case something else came up. Instead, they would do reasonable batches of everything.


    ¡°Looking good?¡± Theo asked, supervising the first run.


    Each still had enough material inside, filling the air with a noxious mixture that the overhead fan drew away. ¡°Looking great,¡± Salire said. She had set up a series of flasks to catch the produced essences for now. The plan was to add them to the building¡¯s storage later. ¡°You should get working on the dilutions.¡±


    Even with a tiny amount of second tier essence, Theo could create the Unbound Enchanted Dilution for each potion. He started with the Refined Mana Essence, enchanting Purified Water and binding that property to the mixture. He was thankful that Tresk hadn¡¯t taken all of his alcohol, making it easy enough to transform the unbound version of the dilution into the bound one.


    It took most of the day, but in the late afternoon they had five paths forward to brew five new potions. Although there wasn¡¯t enough time in the day to do them all, Theo figured they could get a few done before the sun set. He had plenty to do in the Dreamwalk, and didn¡¯t want to miss a moment there. But some extra attributes would do him good.


    ¡°First one,¡± Salire said, clapping with excitement.


    Theo nodded, appreciating the design of Throk¡¯s mixer. The old marshling must have been fairly annoyed with the amount of revisions they had him making. He was working on one that was even better, but this one would allow the alchemist to add essence and dilution directly into the device. He cupped his hand over the second port of the mixer, allowing his mana to fill the chamber. The smaller, longer version of the pressure vessel hummed to life as Salire added essence.


    ¡°Mana first,¡± Theo said. ¡°Because why not?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re expecting a similar increase compared to the Major Healing Potion,¡± Salire said, marking her notes.


    ¡°The mix looks good,¡± Theo said, watching as the parts of the new essence combined in the mixing chamber.


    ¡°Really? Throk needs to put a window on these things. And I¡¯m pretty sure you can¡¯t see through metal.¡±


    Theo smiled, pressing his hand to the bottom chamber. It wasn¡¯t too hot for him to touch yet. ¡°It feels like it¡¯s mixing well. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    Theo watched the mixer as it worked. He added mana by instinct, judging the levels by feel. As his wisdom increased, he felt drawn closer to operating off of instinct and the information provided by his cores rather than step-by-step instructions. The condenser did its job, collecting the resulting vapor and depositing the completed essence into a flask the alchemist had at the ready. Salire¡¯s face lit up when she saw the essence, clasping her hands together and jumping up and down.


    ¡°You¡¯re very excited about this,¡± Theo said, flicking the side of the flask. Condensation collected, forming drops of pure essence that dripped into the mixture below. The color was a pale blue, and he could hardly sense any impurities.


    ¡°This is history, Theo. I¡¯d say that people would write books about this, but we already have.¡± Salire allowed herself to giggle. ¡°Hard not to be excited.¡±


    Theo observed the mixer. He could hardly think of any room for improvement. Throk was always thinking ahead, making sure that both parts of the mixing chamber could be fed by modular pipes, or by hand. The size was perfect. Anything larger would make it hard for the alchemist to keep up with his levels of mana. The town¡¯s artificer wasn¡¯t just good at making stuff, he was good at predicting the needs of his customers.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked, tapping the end of the condenser. The mixer had extracted everything it could.


    ¡°I¡¯m so ready,¡± Salire said, following close behind as Theo brought the essence to a work table.


    The mixing process operated at a loss. If ten units of dilution and ten units of essence were injected into the mixer, only five units would come out the other end. This was a change from the way things had always worked. Theo was used to alchemy operated on a one-to-one ratio going from essence to potion.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Theo said, distributing the new essence in a vial. Salire had made an extra-special vial for this one. It had more flourishes than he thought possible.


    ¡°Hooray!¡± Salire watched as a plume of uneven smoke came from the top of the vial. It smelled pleasant, as though someone had bottled a storm. A moment later, the reaction was done.


    Theo ignored his prompt for more attributes, inspecting the new potions.


    [Major Mana Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Tero¡¯gal (Perfect Bond)


    A major mana potion. Drink to restore mana.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 260 mana.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Salire said, bringing her eyes level with the table to peer through the potion. ¡°Look at that. Did you get the prompt?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Theo swayed to one side after applying his points to Wisdom yet again. His plan was to get that attribute to 100 before trying anything else. He watched as his precognition grew stronger. He knew that without the Wisdom of the Soul potion, he would have been on his ass for days, if not weeks. It acted as a buffer between the attribute and his mind. ¡°Feels great. Three more potions and I¡¯ll break 100 Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding! That¡¯s insane, Theo.¡±


    Theo nodded. It was nuts. This was the equivalent of getting ten levels all at once. And there were many potions they could make to exploit this same boost. The alchemist found a seat, waiting for his lightheadedness to go away. As he did, Salire cleaned the mixer for their next run.


    Theo considered which attribute he would boost next. Intelligence was a dangerous attribute to work on, since he was already feeling the cold effects of endless logic with only 30 intelligence. He couldn¡¯t imagine what it would feel like if he had 100. Unless he could break the meta-barrier between his soul and his Intelligence, he would put points into Dexterity and Vigor. Both were useful in their own way, and had served him well.


    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re ready,¡± Salire said.


    Theo craned his neck, watching as the sun drew lower outside. ¡°I guess we have time for one more,¡± he said, pushing himself to his feet and wobbling on the spot. ¡°Someone might need to carry me home if I get another prompt, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can do that.¡± Sarisa appeared from the shadows.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Rowan added. ¡°I¡¯m real gentle.¡±

 6.33 - Dizzying Potions

    It took Salire and Theo longer than they had expected to get the Major Stamina Potion nearly done. Sarisa ran off to Xam¡¯s place, grabbing food for everyone. Tresk joined them in the lab, eating her food and watching the alchemy. Unfortunately, Alex could no longer fit inside buildings. She was an outside goose now, spending all her time waiting for someone to toss something yummy out the window. Or foraging for her food in the grass around the Newt and Demon.


    Tresk was moderately interested in the new alchemy equipment. Theo couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the time he first met her. When he felt the pull in his chest, drawing him to her like nothing before in his life. The Tara¡¯hek¡¯s bond was almost a predestined thing, drawing two people together because they would work. The definition of how those people would mesh was fuzzy, but the results were clear. Tresk used to run around, gathering reagents or helping with simple reactions. Now she just watched.


    ¡°I wonder who made that fancy gizmo you¡¯re using.¡± Tresk sat on a free table, kicking her feet over the edge as she watched. ¡°He must be a smarty pants.¡±


    ¡°I heard his daughter is a terror,¡± Theo said, tapping the end of the condenser. The essence had finally finished condensing, coming to rest in a large flask at the end of the run. Like the other stamina essences, this one was a faintly yellow color. While the first tier essences had powerful scents, this one was almost odorless, but still smelled vaguely of grass.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Tresk waved the jab away. ¡°Make your potion so we can go to sleep.¡±


    Theo nodded, finding the nearest chair to get to work. The last rush of Wisdom had put him on his butt, so he wouldn¡¯t risk bonking his head on a table this time. The reaction of this newest potion was much like the last. Each had been at about the same level of purity, binding to the catalyst and enchanted water with no problem. He watched as a small cloud of smoke rose from an individual vial, holding on for the onslaught of attributes.


    Although the prompt appeared, allowing him to select which attribute he wanted to enhance, he inspected the potion first.


    [Major Stamina Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Tero¡¯gal (Perfect Bond)


    A major stamina potion. Drink to restore stamina.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 265 stamina.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see much use from these potions, but the points are nice,¡± Theo said, passing the vial over to Salire.


    ¡°Because you never go adventuring.¡± Tresk pushed off from her table, standing on her tippy-toes to inspect the potion Salire held. ¡°Popping low-tier potions is a pain in combat. Downing one like this is more efficient. Especially if you only have a few seconds to drink one.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Then we¡¯ll put a premium price tag on it, because these are a pain to make. Okay, someone catch me if I fall.¡±


    Without waiting for anyone to get into position, Theo placed 10 points into Wisdom. His head swam as the people in his lab turned into ghost-like streaks. He watched as Sarisa darted across the room, a full five seconds before he actually began falling. Getting Wisdom to 80 had brought a level of precognition he couldn¡¯t have expected. As he waited for himself to tip over in real time, he wondered how this worked when more than one person had a lot of Wisdom. Perhaps they canceled each other out. Or fights between people with high Wisdom was like a match they played out in their heads.


    Whatever the truth, Theo smiled as his eyes fluttered. Sarisa¡¯s actual body darted across the room, catching him as he fell from the chair. ¡°Gotcha,¡± she said, her voice muddy in his ears. ¡°Okay. Who wants to carry the idiot?¡±


    ¡°I think he likes you the most, Sarisa,¡± Tresk said with a wink. She winked a few more times, her tongue sticking out as she did so. ¡°He¡¯s incapacitated. Grab his butt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna grab his butt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t grab my butt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°The first person to grab my butt gets sent to the shadow realm,¡± Theo said, his head swimming. ¡°I¡¯m very dizzy, not unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this little guy to bed. He¡¯s tuckered out,¡± Sarisa said, her voice taking on a strangely motherly tone.


    ¡°I gotta go.¡± Salire left the lab first. Although his vision was swimming, Theo thought he could see her blushing.


    Theo made it back to his manor without getting his butt grabbed. Sarisa placed him gently in his bed, and he was eager to head into the Dreamwalk. He felt bad that Alex had to sleep outside, but perhaps he could commission someone to make her a barn or something. Perhaps there was a seed core for that. He grumbled something to Tresk that she couldn¡¯t understand, but all members of the Tara¡¯hek were snugly in bed a moment later. They all fell into the Dreamwalk.


    ¡°Well, that was uncomfortable,¡± Theo said, rolling his shoulders. The group stood outside of the walls of Broken Tusk, looking out over the rolling fields.


    ¡°Those people need to get better at taking orders.¡±


    Theo took a deep breath, allowing his precognition to come into play. He watched as Tresk turned away after saying something. ¡°Hold on,¡± he said, trying not to smile. ¡°I wanna try something.¡±


    ¡°What? Look at this.¡± Tresk turned, showing that she had exactly no butt to grab. ¡°Zero muscle definition down there. You¡¯re more likely to grab some tail.¡±


    ¡°No. Come over here and hit me in the face.¡±


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    Theo watched as a phantom version of Tresk kicked off from the ground, leading with her fist directly at his face. He tried not to scoff at how quickly his companion would slug him. He slid his foot out to the side, pulling himself out from the strike and pivoting just as she launched into the air. ¡°Too slow,¡± he said.


    And Tresk didn¡¯t waste any time. She launched another attack, catching only air. With a frustrated growl, her daggers were in her hands. Theo didn¡¯t have the most Dexterity in the world, but he had enough to move his body out of the way. It didn¡¯t take long for her to grow frustrated from the fight. The alchemist jumped back when he saw several versions of her spring out from the main one, striking from four different angles. A moment later, he took a dagger to the chest.


    ¡°Not fair,¡± Theo said, looking down at the blade sticking from his torso. ¡°There were too many versions of you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was watching you through your eyes, stinky cheater.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d argue that¡¯s not cheating.¡± Theo narrowed his eyes. He allowed his aura to envelop his body. ¡°Wanna try that again without watching through my eyes?¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Tresk asked, ignoring his question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. But higher Wisdom means I can predict possible futures. But when you looked through my eyes, I saw several futures.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s what Khahar felt like. Hey, speaking of¡­ Is everyone screwed in heaven?¡± Tresk only seemed slightly concerned about the people who owned realms.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just read my mind?¡± Theo asked, taking a deep breath. Tresk was being polite, of course. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the problem. They¡¯re not really in the heavens. The ascendants took up a place on other planes and called them godly heavens. They told the system to rename those things, but they¡¯re not true gods.¡±


    ¡°So, the actual gods have come home. And the fake ones are gonna get purged. That¡¯s kinda metal.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. But Khahar and Glantheir saw this coming. Apparently. I¡¯m pretty sure Glantheir is going to take one spot as a god while Khahar stays behind as a throne holder.¡±


    ¡°Good for us, right?¡±


    Theo had some thoughts on that. After watching Void¡¯s behavior, he was certain the new gods were bound by far more rules than the ascendants. After the shards were returned to the mortal plane, the rules for the ascendants would change. Their powers would be restricted, which might affect cores on the mortal plane. He couldn¡¯t be sure how that would work, since the flow of energy from realms to the mortal plane was allowed. But even if that didn¡¯t change, many ascendants would lose their realms and their cores. Which put Theo and Tresk in an awkward situation.


    ¡°People who hold a realm can make cores, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Why can¡¯t we evolve ours?¡±


    ¡°Woah. Slow down there, tiger. That sounds tricky.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how hard it is or what you think about it. Both of us will lose our cores if we don¡¯t do something¡ªcore evolution is a thing, right? I¡¯ve evolved one core, so why can¡¯t I evolve the others?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the difference between making a friction fire and starting a nuclear reaction with a breath.¡±


    ¡°So put on your lab coat. I don¡¯t want to devolve to using a damn basic alchemy core. Why can¡¯t I copy the principles of Drogramathi Alchemy and make it my own? Come on. Where¡¯s your fighting spirit?¡±


    Tresk glared at Theo for a moment. But he could feel her rolling the situation over in her head. It took her a minute, but she reached the same conclusion he did. Like the problems they faced in Broken Tusk, the only way to address this one was to figure it out now. Not after he brought the shards from the Deep Void, but now. While they could still take advantage of the power of their cores. Of Theo¡¯s cores, almost all of them were aligned. Only his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core wasn¡¯t. The others would crumble if he didn¡¯t evolve them to become Tero¡¯gal cores.


    But that brought a question Theo wasn¡¯t certain he could answer. What made a core an aligned core? The obvious, surface-level thing was the influence of an ascendant¡¯s realm on the core user. In the early days, Theo¡¯s actions weren¡¯t always his own. Drogramath didn¡¯t control him, but there his influence made him lean in one direction. Immense willpower and the Tara¡¯hek took care of that. Cores normally followed a theme. Drogramath was all about alchemy and herbs. Glantheir¡¯s cores were themed around healing. Zaul was the shadow guy. But being the shadow guy could take many forms. Stealth, assassination, willpower manipulation. There was a through line, but it wasn¡¯t solid.


    If Theo and Tresk created a core based on Tero¡¯gal, what would it be about? That brought his next question. Did it really matter? The strength of Tero¡¯gal as a realm, when compared to other realms, was middling. It was powerful because it was unlike the other realms, not because it was that high of a level. If the answer to his question of ¡®why¡¯ was ¡®why not¡¯ all he had to answer was ¡®how¡¯.


    ¡°What is a core?¡± Theo asked, imagining a core that fell into his hand. ¡°When I construct a containment core for my golems, it only has a few parts.¡±


    ¡°Metal, soul, energy.¡± Tresk nodded. She had been following along with his thought process. ¡°The metal contains the soul and the energy powers it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think our cores contain a soul, though.¡±


    Tresk let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Blah, blah. Yada, yada. We¡¯re talking about doing Coresmith stuff.¡±


    When the problem was boiled down to such a simple statement, it felt cheap. But Tresk was right. No matter how much he tried to wrap his mind around it, he could jump to the same conclusion. They were trying to do what the Coresmiths did. If he could pluck the information from the air, it might have been easier to understand the concept¡­ but there was always¡­


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    It is likely the Coresmiths fuse nescant souls into forms usable by mortals. These souls probably come from monster cores that are transferred into a complex containment core, after which they are infused with unaligned mana.


    You don¡¯t have enough information to know if the standard [Coresmith¡¯s Core] can create aligned cores. It is more likely that this is a process achievable by an ascendant. In your case¡ªas the owner of a realm¡ªyou can bypass a few steps.


    ¡°Chatty little message, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tresk laughed. ¡°The power was inside you the whole time!¡±


    ¡°Meh. Maybe.¡± Theo turned away, summoning an empty containment core the shape of a class core in his hand. He reached up, motioning to draw energy from Tero¡¯gal. But nothing happened. ¡°The Dreamwalk doesn¡¯t want to simulate Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s been temperamental lately¡­¡±


    ¡°Have we wronged you recently?¡± Theo asked, looking up at the dream realm. It didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°You¡¯re just kinda talking to the manifestation of my throne through our connection, right? So that¡¯s kinda weird.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. You said it yourself. We only need to combine a containment core, a monster core, and some energy to make a core. We can certainly give it a try in Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Doesn¡¯t cost us much, and we might get some fancy cores in return.¡±


    Theo turned, laying eyes on the stupidly big goose pecking at the ground. A faint glow surrounded Alex as she searched for bugs. It was likely unrelated to their discussion, but that glow had a familiar feeling that he couldn¡¯t place. Theo and Tresk decided to work on this problem during the day. But he already had an idea of how to make this work for them now. Or in the near future. And Alex was a big inspiration for that. The pair ran off to enjoy some combat with unknown monsters. The alchemist stayed behind to ponder.


    Approaching the core problem from the idea that they were going to create new cores wasn¡¯t the way forward. Instead, Theo thought about something Alex had done a while ago. She was born with an affinity for fire. It might have been genetics, a random lottery from the system, or the hand of whoever put her in the mine. But she was meant to be a fire goose. She did everything she could to get herself in front of nature energy, developing an affinity for nature. No one part of her transformation resulted in the change, but a series of small things. Absorbing nature energy through various means was likely the best way to give her a new affinity.


    Theo and Tresk had been exposed to Tero¡¯gal energy for a while now. The power of that realm had gotten to where it was bleeding through into the mortal realm. Some of that energy flowed into the nearby dungeons, while others soaked into the lab. He couldn¡¯t be certain if it would work, and he didn¡¯t know if Drogramath would be mad about it. But Theo was certain he could soak his current cores in Tero¡¯gal energy, changing their affinity. Without evidence, he determined that allowing that energy into his cores might have an effect.


    Faced with the concept of losing his cores or trying something like this, Theo knew which option was the best.

 6.34 - The Barn

    Theo couldn¡¯t simulate the creation of new cores within the Dreamwalk. It allowed him to do things that worked with his cores, such as creating golems. But new things like cores just weren¡¯t possible. What it did allow him to do was mess around with energies. This gave him a chance to consider the relationship between realm energy and the mortal world. He found an area in the market, imagining people going about their days to make it feel more like the real world and got to work.


    His first step was to recap what he understood about energy.


    Energy, or power was like a cloud that seeped through from the ascendant realms to the mortal realm. It could be consumed by various things, like mana collectors or buildings, and transformed into mana. The alchemist thought about what other things could absorb this energy. Plants and animals could do it¡ªespecially those right outside of Broken Tusk. Depending on the affinity of that energy, the thing that absorbed it would change. His mind felt like it was going into overdrive as he attempted to make a link between the things he knew and the things he wanted to know.


    Perhaps it was his heightened wisdom, or his constant exposure to these meta topics, but he thought he had proof for his theory. His potions got large bonuses from the building they were created in. A lot of those bonuses were borne from the alignment it held to Drogramath. But Drogramath¡¯s energy had waned recently, eclipsed by the energy of Tero¡¯gal. They were now aligned with Tero¡¯gal alone, although Drogramath¡¯s shrine remained. The building had absorbed enough energy to change alignments.


    ¡°And what is it that drives a building?¡± Theo asked, smiling to himself. ¡°A seed core.¡±


    Looking into his chest, Theo saw his various cores hovering in nothingness. He always had a sense for them¡ªespecially the aligned ones¡ªbut focusing on them helped him visualize. The cores in his soul weren¡¯t absorbing energy on their own. They were soaked in whatever mana floated through his soul. It could have been as easy as opening his soul to the power of Tero¡¯gal, or replacing his Drogramathi mana with Tero¡¯gal mana. But he was certain this was the way forward. As Alex had added an affinity, he could change his alignment.


    ¡°I really hope Drogramath isn¡¯t mad¡­ How could he be mad? He¡¯s gonna die if he doesn¡¯t join my realm¡­¡±


    It might make things awkward, but Theo wanted Drogramath to join his realm. He wanted to shatter the barrier between ascendants. Perhaps if they were driven off their collective high horse, things would get better for the world. That was Khahar¡¯s plan, anyway. While the alchemist hoped it would work out in the end, it was hard to predict how others would react. He laughed to himself.


    ¡°Dad is home. Put away your toys,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°No jumping on the sofa. No, you didn¡¯t play fair. I¡¯m taking your realm away.¡±


    Void didn¡¯t feel like a benevolent god. No, he was more Old Testament than that. Things were gonna get ugly in the heavens, and Theo was happy he was out of the way. All because they shoved Tresk¡¯s throne in there. Which meant he should find his own throne before Void caught on. There was enough for him to do outside of this godly stuff. He tore his thoughts away and focused on the most exciting development in recent memory.


    Three new potions and two Potions of Significance. Theo had gained 50 points in Wisdom recently, taking him from 32 to 82. The increase was massive, leaving his head spinning every time he got more. Every ten levels brought a new level of insight, or a fraction of a second¡¯s worth of foresight. Of course 50 points meant 50 effective levels of attributes, making him more like someone at level 80. And there were no signs of stopping. He resolved to make as many potions as he could before he figured out the core problem. Perhaps he could further exploit it from there.


    Precognition might have been the most visible effect of Wisdom, but the other effect was foreknowledge. They were related, but different. Since Theo had taken the Wisdom of the Soul potion, that knowledge came as screens that gave him information. When he was at 30 Wisdom, it seemed to be mostly guesses based on what he already knew. At 70¡ªbefore his newest upgrade¡ªthe messages were more pointed, extrapolating information he shouldn¡¯t have known. What would happen when he brought this attribute over 100? That¡¯s when things got interesting.


    Theo thought about this as he worked on his willpower exploit. Zaul was a weird guy, and his realm could vanish any day. The alchemist wasn¡¯t interested in being left without his new favorite core. He couldn¡¯t even estimate the amount of golems he could pull under his control now. 300? 500? He didn¡¯t have the resources to test it in the real world, but the Dreamwalk allowed him to create an actual army. A field of metal golems sprawled into the distance, standing in orderly rows.


    Theo could feel the strain of the 300-some-odd golems on his mind. Keeping them in order would have been impossible if he controlled them as individuals. But as his willpower grew, so did his ability to issue complex instructions. If only they didn¡¯t need such expensive workings to operate on their own. Without Throk¡¯s mana collector, each golem would run out of power in a day or two.


    The design of his golems was something he would change if he could make his own core.


    Morning came and Theo woke, finding his mind jumping strangely as he lost command of his imagined golems. He felt the soothing pressure of his real golems, going about whatever tasks they were doing. Some patrolled the underground area, others farmed, and one tended to his greenhouses. Before even rising from his bed, the alchemist reached out to his realm. He touched the power there in an instant, feeling it sting his fingers. He pulled his hand back, unsure how much it was supposed to hurt.


    ¡°Play with fire, ya gonna get burned,¡± Tresk said, jumping from her bed and dashing down the stairs.


    Theo sensed she was off to feed Alex. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. The poor goose was forced to spend her days and nights outside without cover. With a sigh, he rose from bed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sarisa and Rowan had created a breakfast that had become a classic. Pozwa eggs, sausage made by Whisper, and zee grits. Local food hadn¡¯t agreed with him completely when he had arrived, but he now expected it.


    After breakfast, Theo went to the Newt and Demon to give Salire some orders before heading off to the market. He counted his coins as he went, finding that he didn¡¯t have enough to buy anything worthwhile. But he could dip into the town¡¯s fund if he wanted to. It was his town, after all. Why not?


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    When the port had first opened, they saw a few people arriving every week. Now it was always packed with people, coming to sell their wares in the market. While they hadn¡¯t found a market seed core, that didn¡¯t stop the locals from creating a sprawling bazaar. Even in the early morning hours, it was packed with merchants from abroad. The alchemist inquired with a few before being directed to an elven trader near the market¡¯s center. And he was surprised to see the man selling cores.


    ¡°What do you know about Coresmithing?¡± Theo asked, rummaging through the seed cores on offer.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a merchant,¡± the elven man offered, bowing his head. ¡°Not worthy of entertaining the archduke.¡±


    Theo gave him a flat look, a sour taste forming in his mouth. ¡°Or you don¡¯t want to give up their secrets. That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take this.¡±


    Theo presented the [Barn Seed Core] to the merchant, who sold it to him for ten gold. The alchemist didn¡¯t need to pull money from the town, as he had expected the price to be higher. But it was only a barn, compared to an entire ranch. The town already had a barn somewhere, but Azrug might have built that one by hand. Didn¡¯t he hire someone to build it? He shook the thought away, picking up some Monster Cores before heading back to his manor.


    It might have been selfish, but Theo had restricted building in his area of town. It was only his lab, his manor, Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, and Zarali¡¯s Enchanter¡¯s Workshop in the area. That left more than enough space for Alex to have a barn right next to the manor. And it would be large enough for her growing body. He saw Tresk riding on her overhead and smiled. They would be surprised when they returned.


    Theo found a decent spot to plant the seed core. He placed the seed south of his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop. He wanted to keep the other side of the road clear for more residential use. The roots sprung from the ground, wrapping around themselves and growing to become a barn-shaped tangle. When the roots were done, they formed the shape of a large red and white barn. Just like back on Earth. Which was weird. The alchemist shrugged, taking a tour of the building before upgrading it.


    Alex could fit inside the barn no problem. No upgrades were required for her to live in comfort. There were no stalls for animals in here, just a wide-open floor with large doors on both sides and a hayloft. The ground was dirt, but he doubted Alex would mind. He could even put a big air conditioner in here if she wanted. He considered asking her, but dismissed the idea. It would be better if he showed her the completed barn when she returned from her adventures. Her excitement would be worth the wait.


    Theo cracked his knuckles, pulling a Monster Core from his inventory. He began shoving the cores into the building, expanding it lengthwise. The ground rumbled slightly under his feet. After getting Level 5 on the building, he realized cooling would be an issue. If there was an option that popped up for cooling or comfort, he would select it. For now, he reviewed the first three options.


    [Hay Dispenser]


    Automatic hay dispensers appear on the sides of the barn, distributing whatever food is loaded into them. These dispensers require power to operate.


    Alex was intelligent enough that she didn¡¯t need a feeder. She could withdraw items from a Dimensional Storage Crate if she needed food. This upgrade would be awesome for someone like Miana, who had to care for so many animals. But the barn was built to house a giant, intelligent goose. Not animals who didn¡¯t know how to feed themselves. Theo dismissed this upgrade, reading the next one.


    [Stalls]


    Creates a row of stalls, depending on the length of this barn, that can house animals.


    Theo smoothed his hair out, feeling his horns as he grumbled. This was another upgrade that would be lovely to have for normal barn purposes. But Alex had no need for a stall. If anything, it would take away from the space she had to roam around. He dismissed this one too, moving to the next.


    [Muckraking]


    Any animal filth that appears on the floor of this barn will be automatically removed at the end of every day.


    Alex was good about not pooping inside. But this was the best of three dud upgrades, so Theo picked Muckraking. He fed the building cores until it reached Level 10 and considered the single new upgrade.


    [Automatic Deposits]


    Animal products, such as eggs, will be collected and deposited into a container of your choice once a day.


    ¡°Does Alex lay eggs?¡± Theo asked, scratching his chin. He saw this as another bad upgrade for his purposes. Maybe a barn wasn¡¯t the right pick¡­ He selected Automatic Deposits, because it was the best of the three. The alchemist continued adding cores until the building reached Level 15. He finally got an upgrade that was great.


    [Tero¡¯gal Empowerment]


    Latent energy, aligned with the Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal, will be drawn from the air to enhance animals stabled in this building. Energy density affects improvement rate.


    Maybe it was because he was planning to do the same thing with himself, but Theo found this upgrade very appealing. He selected it without hesitation, moving on to get a few more upgrades. The building rose to Level 20 shortly after, presenting another good option.


    [Comfort]


    Animals within this building will experience an environment suitable for them.


    It was a simple description for a simple upgrade. Theo selected it, breathing a sigh of relief. This was likely the best upgrade he would find for Alex. Having a place out of the boiling sun was good, but if she could experience the perfect temperature, it was even better. Now the barn wouldn¡¯t feel like a sweltering box for her, allowing her to rest better than in the open air. While Theo planned to do two more upgrades, he only had enough cores on him to do one. But after getting the Comfort upgrade, he doubted anything else would compare.


    Theo inspected the last upgrade of the day.


    [Restoration]


    Animals sleeping within this building will become well-rested and have their wounds heal quicker.


    This was a good upgrade. Compared to something like the feeders, or stalls, it was a flat effect. If Alex was injured, she could rest up and heal quickly in the building. Easy pick. Before Theo called it a day with the barn, he gave it a name and inspected the building. It was always best to name a building before Tresk got to it.


    [Barn]


    [Alex¡¯s Personal Mansion]


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Faction [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 25 (13%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Muckraking]


    [Automatic Deposits]


    [Tero¡¯gal Empowerment]


    [Comfort]


    [Restoration]


    Theo was proud of what he had done for Alex. He felt excitement bubbling inside him as he thought about showing it to her. She wouldn¡¯t say anything about it, but sleeping outside must have been annoying. She had also enjoyed coming inside to eat with everyone else, but that was off the table. Tresk had kept the small box she used to sleep in within their room, refusing to throw it out. It was hard to imagine the marshling being sentimental, but she could be sensitive at times.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that.¡± Theo sighed as he looked at the barn. It was nice to take in something so understandable. Especially considering his next move for the day. With one last breath, he slipped through the cracks of reality. Entering the new maelstrom of the void.

 6.35 - Changes in the Realm

    The void had changed so much in such little time. Theo felt as though he had dropped into a hurricane, rather than the tepid sea of darkness he was used to. It was filled with colors and sounds, mixing the realms, ribbon, and Bridge as though it were a churning galaxy. A bright ball of something rested at the core, while his realm flew in orbit around it. There was no need to cross the bridge this time. He flew directly for his realm, buffeted by an unseen wind.


    A moment later, Theo set foot into his realm. His ears cleared a moment later as they adjusted to the sound of silence. He breathed a sigh of relief, spotting Belgar approaching from the distance.


    ¡°Oh, boy!¡± the dronon said, wiping sweat from his brow. ¡°Things are getting wild.¡±


    Theo looked around. The landing area in Tero¡¯gal had changed. Someone had paved it with cobblestones. There was a small building standing off to the side. The spirits had likely built it themselves and it had a sign hanging off the front.


    ¡°Welcome Center?¡± Theo read, trying not to laugh. ¡°You¡¯re taking this seriously, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°As ordered.¡± Belgar winked. His face shifted a moment later. From excitement, to concern. ¡°The realm kinda changed without anyone¡¯s command.¡±


    Theo jerked his head to the side. ¡°Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡±


    There was a queue of spirits waiting for his approval, but they could wait. They had already waited for something like a year. A few minutes wouldn¡¯t kill them. ¡°What¡¯s the scoop?¡±


    ¡°A few hundred lower realms were destroyed,¡± Belgar said. ¡°That guy wasn¡¯t kidding. Fire and fury. Anyone who didn¡¯t abandon their realms was lost to the void. So I started seeing souls approaching the realm, all led by the leader of their old realm. And the line got so long that Tero¡¯gal reacted.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It gave them ¡®resident¡¯ status, without making their souls part of the realm. I think it wants to change again, but Tero¡¯gal is waiting for your command.¡±


    Theo spread his senses over the realm. Belgar was right, but it was weird. The realm was being willful, as though it had protected itself to adapt. He sent a sense of comfort to his realm, hoping it got the message to chill for a minute while he sorted this out. ¡°I hope the realm is big enough for everyone to stay.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Space hasn¡¯t been a problem. That¡¯s why we made the Welcome Center. I made a council with the other spirits, and we sectioned land off throughout the realm for the others to settle. We even got some higher realm folks over. And one very special guest.¡±


    ¡°Drogramath,¡± Theo said. He didn¡¯t need his intuition for that one.


    ¡°Yeah, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°But, everything is working out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. All the new residents are having a good time. They¡¯re adapting to life here, but this is like a calm island to a sailor. They¡¯re just happy to be alive.¡±


    Once again, things were moving too fast. But Belgar and his counsel had done extremely well. Theo was surprised at how well they handled the situation. As he sent his senses over the planet, he could feel pockets of civilization. The residents were building towns in various pockets, establishing themselves in this new utopia. The alchemist was reluctant to reach out to his realm, but it had to be done. A message appeared when he did.


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s interesting. Could I get your advice on this, Belgar?¡± Theo asked, reading the message aloud.


    [Realm Evolution]


    Tero¡¯gal, the Mortal Dreamrealm wants to evolve into a Throneworld.


    The proposed evolution would change the way this realm operates, making it more adept to the changing tide of the void. Tero¡¯gal insists you accept this change, as it would prevent the realm from being torn apart as the void changes. Failure to accept this change would cause the realm¡¯s eventual destruction.


    ¡°It says to accept or be destroyed.¡± Belgar shrugged. ¡°What more is there to consider?¡±


    Belgar was right, but Theo was reluctant. Tero¡¯gal was at Level 41, and had many things that defended it against outside forces. While that was important to consider, there was Void to think about. If the new god of this world could, he would have destroyed the realm already. But he trusted the message sent by his realm. It wasn¡¯t a standard message he had seen before, and didn¡¯t follow most others he had seen. This was a plea from his realm.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to accept,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself.


    ¡°I would.¡± Belgar produced a nervous laugh. ¡°I¡¯d rather not die.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s see what this change is about.¡±


    Theo accepted the change and felt his realm rumbling. He sucked in a breath as an unfamiliar energy filled his body. It stung his chest as the sky above darkened. Spirits shouted in the distance and he watched as one changed. A flood of prismatic energy washed over the world as those spirits were given a corporeal form. The alchemist felt some of his powers within the world being stripped, while others were bolstered. He understood what the changes meant before they were done.


    The sky cleared above them as a pale white star flooded the world with color. Another message appeared.


    [Evolution Successful]


    Tero¡¯gal has evolved into a Throneworld.


    All upgrades have been stripped and reinvested into the size of this world. It now sits in balance with the void, and cannot be destroyed so long as it remains in balance. Please review your world screen to see the changes.


    ¡°I think it worked,¡± Theo said, looking around in confusion.


    ¡°I have a body!¡± one spirit shouted in the distance. They jumped up-and-down, hooting with excitement.


    Belgar looked down at himself, shaking his head. ¡°I feel different. Something changed, Theo.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Theo inspected his realm¡­ No, not his realm. HIs world.


    [Tero¡¯Gal]


    Throneworld


    Leaders:


    Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Residents:


    581,420


    Cities:


    15


    Features:


    Bridge of Shadows


    ¡°Okay. This is really weird. Why does it say that Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s bridge is a part of¡­¡± Theo trailed off as another message appeared. It was slightly late.


    [Evolution Synergy]


    Your realm has consumed another realm during the evolution process and thanks to the presence of the Throne of the Herald. Uz¡¯Godan Bokrak Tal has been consumed and incorporated into this realm. Review the features within the world screen.


    Theo was bowled over, falling face-first into the cobbles below. He expected his nose to break and his horns to scrape on the surface, but he felt nothing. For a moment, he forgot that no harm could come to him while he was within his world. The body pressing against him was familiar, as was the energy and scent. ¡°Uz¡¯Xulven,¡± Theo said, grumbling into the stones.


    ¡°You saved the Bridge!¡±


    Theo rolled, shoving Uz¡¯Xulven off of him. She tumbled back, none of her shadowy form present. Her true form was that of a gray-skinned dronon with long black hair. Her gray eyes glowed, and a smile tugged at her lips.


    ¡°The realm saved the Bridge,¡± Theo said, rubbing his head. The motion was a reflex, but he felt no pain.


    Uz¡¯Xulven rose to her feet, looking shy for the first time since Theo met her. He felt a pang of something in his chest. It wasn¡¯t quite guilt, but he felt bad for her. She was one of few ascendants immune to the purge. If the alchemist thought about how this new world would be structured, he would pick the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows as some kind of leader. Although he wondered what this meant. He paused his thoughts, looking over at Uz¡¯Xulven with a brow raised. She was still on the ground, giggling to herself.


    ¡°Why can I feel your core?¡± Theo asked, spreading his aura over the woman. Because she was never a god, only a woman. An ascendant. He turned to Belgar, narrowing his gaze. ¡°I can feel core slots in you. But my senses have always been such crap¡­¡±


    ¡°Big changes in the realms,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, doing a little dance. ¡°I was just preparing to abandon my realm when it was integrated with yours. Thank goodness. Fenian was still using it.¡±


    Theo breathed a sigh of relief. This was good, right? There was a lot to analyze, but Wisdom of the Soul helped. Some restrictions that had been placed on the spirits within a realm were lifted because this was no longer a realm. It was a Throneworld. The alchemist checked, seeing that he no longer had direct control over the world. He could feel some measure of his ability to move around, but greater functions such as his upgrades were lost to him. What was left behind was much greater, though. The world felt alive, as though it wanted to develop on its own.


    ¡°Look who it is,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, pointing to an approaching figure. ¡°Old Droggy.¡±


    Drogramath waved awkwardly, approaching the group. ¡°Well, this is fun.¡±


    Despite how things were going, Drogramath seemed mostly unphased. He had a small smile on his face and shrugged as though this were a normal meeting.


    ¡°The demon gang is back together!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven shouted. She was far more cheery than Theo was used to.


    ¡°Except the others. They went to Khahar¡¯s realm.¡± Dorgramath kicked at the ground like an upset child. ¡°I was hoping we could have all the demons in this realm.¡±


    Theo only took a beat, looking at the pride on each dronon¡¯s face. He only had one question. ¡°Did you guys know you weren¡¯t gods?¡±


    ¡°I never called myself a god,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said.


    ¡°Only the Prime Pantheon called themselves gods. I just enjoyed the position I had. While it lasted.¡± Drogramath was eager to dismiss the subject.


    Theo wasn¡¯t eager to pursue it. It was done. No big deal.


    ¡°Belgar, what do you think about adding these two to your little group?¡± Theo asked.


    For the first time, Theo saw the way Belgar looked at Drogramath. There was a flash of anger on his face that faded as soon as it came. He cleared his throat. ¡°It would be a good idea to add their wisdom to our world.¡±


    This wouldn¡¯t be the last person upset with their former ¡®god¡¯. The ascendants only ever had the power to give cores and fight with each other. Theo couldn¡¯t get his mind off of Void and how much he had changed things. There were also the other three, one of which he suspected was dead. It hardly mattered now. The way he saw the other ascendants in his realm made him happy.


    ¡°So. I guess this is life.¡± Theo gestured to his new world. ¡°I hope you guys found homes.¡±


    ¡°There is a swamp to the south I intend to settle on,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°Along with some¡­ I suppose they¡¯re no longer my ¡®faithful¡¯. Have your cores stopped working?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But that leads me to a question. Do you know how I could evolve my cores?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be hard, darling,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven purred. ¡°You can sense the energy in your realm, can¡¯t you? Pull it into your soul, and inject it into your existing cores. Oh, you should think about doing only one at a time.¡±


    ¡°Core creation for ascendants was easy. We had an interface,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°But we could also experiment with new cores. When you get one aligned with Tero¡¯gal, toss one my way. My cores have already stopped working. Sadly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, toss one my way.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven fluttered her eyes at Theo, making a pouty face. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work on that,¡± Theo said, giving a pleading look to Belgar. The dronon shrugged. The alchemist placed a hand on Drogramath¡¯s shoulder. He could still travel within his world. Taking a passenger shouldn¡¯t have been that hard. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Droggy.¡±


    An instant later, Drogramath and Theo were within a sprawling swampland to the south. They stood knee-deep in a swamp, surrounded by the buzzing of insects and the objecting calls of nearby birds. Something stirred in the water nearby, rushing away from the sudden disturbance.


    ¡°We should create some portals,¡± Drogramath said, looking around. He nodded with approval. ¡°I like this swamp.¡±


    ¡°This is a nice swamp. Agreed. Quality swamp right here. Gonna take your people a few months to walk here.¡±


    ¡°Or we could get portals.¡± Drogramath winked. ¡°This is a curious situation we find ourselves in. I am happy to be alive, and even more thrilled to be rendered powerless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone is happy. Did you see this coming?¡±


    ¡°Others might have, but I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m just happy to have my loyal follower as a backup plan.¡± Drogramath laughed, probing his broken horn. ¡°You never liked me. But perhaps you¡¯ll allow me to find peace in your realm.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t like you. But I didn¡¯t hate you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about me as if I were already dead. A fair assessment.¡±


    Theo only smiled, teleporting back to the welcome center. It wasn¡¯t hard to round up the other followers of Drogramath. The council Belgar had created was good at finding people, and were happy to assemble them in the landing area. Once Theo had everyone in one place, he teleported them to the swamp. While the action wasn¡¯t difficult, it also wasn¡¯t effortless. But the world seemed willing to work with him, eager to distribute a new population.


    Tero¡¯gal was smaller than Earth was back in the day. Distributing half-a-million people over the surface would be effortless. He just hoped others didn¡¯t take the prime real estate before he could. Perhaps he could plant a few ¡®no building¡¯ signs near potential sites. After teleporting Drogramath¡¯s followers to the swamp, he returned to speak with Belgar and address those souls that were waiting for admission. The system to accept souls was now loose, and didn¡¯t impact the power of the world directly.


    ¡°This has been a joy,¡± Theo said, watching as the people¡ªwho were souls only a few minutes before¡ªentered the welcome center. ¡°Not really, but I¡¯m glad this place still exists.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna stick around, right?¡± Belgar asked.


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Theo left Belgar to his work. The alchemist now had two towns to manage, but he wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes with this one as he had done in Broken Tusk. He knew the best way to run it was to have a core of people who could take care of the day-to-day things for him. For now, he visualized the Drogramath core in his chest, reaching out to the power of Tero¡¯gal. When he touched it this time, it didn¡¯t sting. The alchemist welcomed the power of the world into his chest, selecting his Drogramath Alchemy Core as his first to evolve.


    This wouldn¡¯t be an instant process. The energy cracked in his core, finding places where the Drogramathi energy was fading. Theo had enough time to exploit his new potions before the power of Drogramath¡¯s realm faded. Or so he hoped.

 6.36 - Bad News, More Attributes

    ¡°That sounds like more than a ¡®little problem¡¯ gods damn it!¡± Alise shouted.


    Theo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After leaving Tero¡¯gal, he had assembled the important people in town for a meeting. Alise, Aarok, Zarali, Xol¡¯sa, Sulvan, and Hanan sat around a table in the town hall. The air was uncomfortable before he had even made his statement, but after he told them every aligned core would revert to the default version, Alise had exploded. While he wouldn¡¯t blame her for doing so, he wasn¡¯t as phased. This was a part of this world¡¯s life cycle. Why would a denizen of that world get so upset if they were subjected to it? Then he remembered his desire to change that cycle, and sympathized with her anger.


    ¡°Every core?¡± Sulvan asked.


    Theo snapped his fingers, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s where things get tricky.¡±


    ¡°More tricky than losing our most powerful fighters?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to have my connection with Lord Drogramath cut,¡± Zarali said, wincing at the thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m immune,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, trying and failing to hide his pride. Zarali shot him a look and he humbled himself.


    ¡°The new gods aren¡¯t telling me what¡¯s going on. I delayed the mission Void gave me as long as I could. I thought it would keep things in the realms safe, but that¡¯s not the case. But I suspect you could change your core over to one of the new gods.¡±


    Conversation erupted in the meeting room. No one was happy about this. Alise, Aarok, and Xol¡¯sa were immune to the change. Despite everything, they held unaligned cores. Sulvan was the one Theo wanted to watch the most, as he held a Glantheir core. That core would swap to the new version of cores. Maybe. Hanan was unknown, but he had little to say. He sat in silence, hands folded in his lap as he drank it in.


    ¡°Theo reminds me of an envoy,¡± Hanan said. The conversation broke immediately, giving way to the king¡¯s growing wisdom. ¡°Perhaps that was your purpose from the start, but you¡¯re doing a great job.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­ Where did that come from?¡± Theo asked.


    Hanan shrugged. ¡°The reactions at this table are interesting. From my perspective, my entire world was destroyed. My father fought against a force he couldn¡¯t stop and lost. That passed to me. Only the kindness of Broken Tusk broke the cycle, so why not put more faith in that kindness? You¡¯re certain this is for the betterment of the world?¡±


    That was a difficult question to answer. Theo wasn¡¯t certain he would call it the ¡®betterment¡¯ of the world, rather than a purge. It was more like someone ripping parts of an engine out, replacing things that didn¡¯t work and casting them aside. It didn¡¯t matter to this new mechanic if other things broke while they were at it. As he considered the king¡¯s position, a strange sensation begged questions from the back of his mind. His thoughts lingered on Jan and Sulvan for a moment, then Glantheir. But he couldn¡¯t put his finger on the reason for the sense.


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Theo said, shaking off the feeling. ¡°But I didn¡¯t call you here for a debate. If you asked me to kill a god before, I would have agreed. We helped Fenian do it, didn¡¯t we? But those weren¡¯t gods. They were people. What we¡¯re facing now are true gods.¡±


    ¡°Which means we¡¯re powerless,¡± Zarali said with a nod.


    Alise slapped her hands on the table. ¡°Fine. We stink. I get it. What happens when the power is stripped from our cores? Where do we go from there?¡±


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal should fill that gap,¡± Theo said. ¡°Zarali and Xol¡¯sa can draw power from either Tero¡¯gal or Khahak to evolve people¡¯s cores. Zan¡¯kir already has a core from Khahar, so we can ask him about that.¡±


    ¡°Is this a long-winded attempt to get the entire town to worship you, Theo?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a plan, but that¡¯s where we¡¯re going.¡± Theo took a moment. This meeting was to let everyone know to spread the word. Not an interrogation. He had one more thing on his mind. ¡°Sulvan, can you still feel a connection with the Realm of Healing?¡±


    ¡°As strong as ever,¡± Sulvan said, inclining his head.


    ¡°I think Glantheir killed a god.¡± Theo paused for dramatic effect. He got some gasps, which was good enough. ¡°And now he is a real god. I heard about him back on Earth. While I don¡¯t like betting, I¡¯d put a stack of gold coins on him dragging his realm with him wherever he went.¡±


    ¡°Which means our cores might still work,¡± Sulvan finished. ¡°Is that why I¡¯ve been tailed for the past few days?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Theo wouldn¡¯t lie about it. ¡°So, this is what I want from you. Spread the word about the cores. Assemble anyone who has magical aptitude to research the problem. Questions?¡±


    ¡°About ten-thousand,¡± Alise said. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep a lid on it for you, Theo.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands together. ¡°Get ready for the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°Yay,¡± Hanan said, releasing an unenthusiastic whoop.


    Theo headed out. There were potions to make and Salire was waiting for him. He was joined by his two guards outside, but soon found himself flanked by Aarok as well. Sarisa and Rowan backed off, giving them some room.


    ¡°Jan is up to something,¡± Aarok said. ¡°That guy is slippery.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I put a special guard on him,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°The special guard he slipped? Yeah, I had my own guys on him,¡± Aarok grumbled.


    Theo paused on the road, narrowing his eyes. He allowed his sphere of shadows to spread out, preventing unwanted attention. ¡°You can¡¯t get good help nowadays.¡±


    ¡°He said he was Level 1 when he took his core. If he took his core,¡± Aarok said. The pair began walking again. ¡°I don¡¯t believe him. He ordered a weapon from Throk. Which is fine. We¡¯ve had the blacksmiths make stuff for our adventurers before. Something of a bonus for joining. But I got concerns.¡±


    Theo let his increased Wisdom do the job. Whatever Jan was doing, it wasn¡¯t to work against Broken Tusk. Because he couldn¡¯t. Unless he could slip a magical contract, he was bound to do the town and nation no harm. Perhaps he was counting on the shift in the heavens to slip away from the contract. But where would he go and what would he do?


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    ¡°We can only watch him, right?¡±


    ¡°His contract is strong,¡± Aarok said. ¡°The only thing to do is watch.¡±


    This left lingering thoughts in Theo¡¯s mind, but there were a few more pressing matters to take care of. If someone wanted to hunt down Jan and watch him all day, that was fine. But he didn¡¯t have the time to worry about it right now. There were potions to be made. ¡°Handle it however you see fit, Aarok. I trust you.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Aarok slapped Theo hard enough on the back to make him stumble forward. ¡°We¡¯ll get through this. We get through everything.¡±


    Theo felt more at home in the lab. Salire greeted him on the third floor. She had prepared the reagents for their next run of new potions. There wasn¡¯t enough time to get all the attribute potions today, but she had prepared everything well enough that they could get three done today. Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor. This was the perfect thing to get his mind off of everything else.


    ¡°There might be a gold rush.¡± Theo checked that all his equipment was clean before starting the run. They had enough strength essence to get that leg of the batch started. ¡°New cores means new potions, right?¡±


    Salire grimaced, helping Theo snap the lid on the still. ¡°I try not to think about it. I¡¯ll think about absurd attributes instead!¡±


    ¡°Good call.¡±


    As Theo worked on the Strength potion, he couldn¡¯t help but glance over at the statue of Drogramath. He had no intention of freaking Salire out, but parts of it had crumbled. The arm had already fallen off and the face section wasn¡¯t looking so good. At least he had put faith in himself, dedicating the temple to his realm along with others. It would be a shame to lose that building.


    ¡°Three potions. Maybe six hours,¡± Theo said, kicking the still into action. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Now that Theo and Salire had refined their process, it was a breeze. That was always the problem with creating new methods of alchemy. The first few attempts were painful, often resulting in explosive failures. But once they understood what was going on, they could zip through each step in their sleep. Alchemy had become such an important part of Theo¡¯s life, he couldn¡¯t imagine a day without it. Just the thought of losing his cores was painful. He didn¡¯t know how Drogramath dealt with it.


    ¡°One Major Strength Potion. Coming right up,¡± Theo said, mixing the final essence in a vial. He watched as a faint cloud rose from the vial, the contents bubbling gently. The prompt for discovering a new potion appeared and he dismissed it, inspecting the item instead.


    [Major Strength Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Good Quality


    Alignment:


    Tero¡¯gal (Perfect Bond)


    Drink to enhance strength.


    Effect:


    +35 Strength for 2 hours.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of strength!¡± Salire shouted.


    ¡°No kidding. These might be worth making, actually. I know Tresk thought the Major healing potions were good, but this is awesome.¡±


    ¡°Imagine drinking a Major Intelligence Potion and getting real smart real quick. That¡¯s a great way to cheat on an entrance exam to a scholarly cult.¡± Salire giggled to herself. Theo felt that joy flow across the room, cracking a smile. His worries faded away.


    Theo wanted to run more than one still at once, but the mixer required far too much attention. He cleared out the still and starting again, this time adding the essence distilled from the LIghtning Poppy. Of all the attribute-producing reagents, this one was the most rare. It almost never appeared in the wild around Broken Tusk, and the only thing that allowed them to produce large quantities of the essence were the greenhouses. At least those weren¡¯t aligned with Drogramath.


    Salire and Theo worked together, rushing around the lab to get the dilution and essence gasses to mix. The alchemist dumped enough mana into the mixer that he had to chug a few Mana Potions. Just enough to keep him going without taking a break. Even the air conditioner couldn¡¯t keep him cool as he fired the still, dumped mana, and monitored the resulting essence.


    He brewed the Major Dexterity potion, rushing back to repeat the process. Then he brewed a Major Vigor Potion. The sun had set outside. Sarisa and Rowan had already run off to make dinner at the manor. Theo and Salire were left alone to consider the coming leap in the alchemist¡¯s attributes. He didn¡¯t accept the prompts when they appeared. He allowed the pinging notification to linger in his mind. Jumping 30 Wisdom at once was going to be rough. He wanted to be in bed for that.


    ¡°Same thing tomorrow?¡± Salire asked. She looked exhausted with strands of hair draped over her face and a sheen of sweat soaking through her clothes.


    ¡°Yeah. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I wanna see how crazy this can get!¡± she shouted, pumping her fist.


    Theo closed the shop, allowing Salire to run home for the night. He checked that all the stills were off and locked his door on the way out. The temperature didn¡¯t drop at night in Broken Tusk. Not during the Season of Fire. But that season was coming to a close. Wasn¡¯t it? The Season of Death was on the horizon, autumn practically banging on the door of the region. The alchemist had already changed his way of thinking on the way things were going. Broken Tusk wouldn¡¯t miss a thing. He doubted most citizens would notice when the world restarted.


    He would keep them safe in Tero¡¯gal. Anyone who would come.


    Theo stopped in to check on Alex before heading to his manor. She was snuggled up on something that looked like a gigantic cloth dog bed. The goose raised her head as he entered, offering a small honk. The alchemist held her massive head in his hands, almost unable to support the weight. He scratched her feathers, making note of the mottled feathers she had gained.


    ¡°Are you evolving, Alex?¡± Theo asked.


    The goose winked, offering another honk.


    ¡°Alright then. Dragon goose?¡± he asked.


    Honk!


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re late for dinner!¡± Tresk shouted, shaking her fist at Theo as he entered. ¡°Why do we have rules!?¡±


    ¡°It was a busy day,¡± Theo said, sighing into his chair. He barely noticed the food that was placed before him. While he was sure it was delicious, it was hard to pay attention. He dragged himself away from his thoughts to make a statement. ¡°My Wisdom is going to go up by 30 points tonight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of points,¡± Tresk muttered. ¡°Wish I could get free points.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like cheating. Rowan, didn¡¯t he say he didn¡¯t want to cheat?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°I seem to remember something about Khahar and cheating, yes. Perhaps he¡¯s also a hypocrite.¡±


    ¡°A massive one. Indeed.¡± Sarisa nodded, sage like. ¡°Let¡¯s beat him up.¡±


    ¡°A paddling will set him straight,¡± Rowan said.


    Theo looked up at the pair, shaking his head. They seemed more intent on getting a rise out of him by the day. He ignored their ribbing, considering how much 30 Wisdom would change him. That would push him to 112 Wisdom, meaning he could move on to pumping other attributes. Vigor was likely his next option. Perhaps some Dexterity. Maybe a split between them both.


    After dinner, Theo and Tresk headed upstairs. The alchemist could feel Tresk¡¯s longing to be near Alex as they slept. But the barn was comfortable for the goose. Far more comfortable than she would be cramming herself into a small room. She waited for his command, watching as he got under the covers and prepared to be sent on his butt. Theo placed 30 attributes points into Wisdom. His vision swam. The room spun around him as though he had been on a month-long bender.


    A moment later, they were standing in an imagined version of Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°That was a close one,¡± Tresk said, wiping her brow.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Theo flexed his hands, testing his balance. The dizziness he felt in the real world was gone completely. ¡°Thanks for the good timing.¡±


    Alex flew in from the distance, honking in delight. ¡°I love my new barn!¡± she shouted.


    Theo and Tresk hugged the goose for a minute before he turned away. It was time to pump his willpower as far as it would go. If he wanted to navigate the void, he needed it.

 6.37 - Creepy Statue Man

    Crossing the 100 Wisdom threshold had extended Theo¡¯s precognition to an absurd level. It had more than doubled since he last tested it, making Tresk¡¯s attempt in the Dreamwalk almost futile. Even when she looked through his eyes, she had trouble keeping up with the predictive effect. The alchemist was most surprised at how uncomfortable he felt with this level of power. He realized how difficult it must have been with Khahar. If that man hadn¡¯t found some kind of Soul potion, he would be shocked.


    ¡°Thank god for the Wisdom of the Soul potion,¡± Theo said, sighing as Tresk tried another futile attack. ¡°Hey, do you think I should try to find the space elves today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! How about you stay still so I can hit you?¡± Tresk asked, grunting as she lunged forward.


    Theo had seen the attack long before it was made. He stepped to the side, dodging it with little effort. ¡°I think I can make it there, but something tells me getting the shards back will be harder.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Tresk asked, tossing her dagger and hitting air. ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t assume the shards are just waiting for me to pluck them from their resting place. The space elves would have put defenses.¡±


    Tresk growled, crouching as she prepared to launch another attack. ¡°Maybe you can just drag the whole place back here.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. That wasn¡¯t a bad idea. The issue with moving the thrones was more a matter of moving a piece of the realm with them. But that was before the gods had returned, putting new restrictions on the way the void worked. He wasn¡¯t certain he could do it again. But he expected the Throne of the Dreamwalker to be there. ¡°Perhaps I can just claim my throne and exert my authority to move the whole realm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that might work,¡± Tresk said, stabbing at air with less vigor than before. ¡°Man, I hate you. I¡¯m gonna summon something I can hit.¡±


    Tresk spent the rest of the Dreamwalk fighting against monsters. Theo stayed behind. He had already dominated an absurd amount of undead, bolstering his willpower to new heights. Instead, he spent time with Alex.


    ¡°Has Tresk even examined you in a while?¡± Theo asked, patting her on the head. ¡°How did you even absorb the power of a dragon?¡±


    Alex giggled into his mind. ¡°She hasn¡¯t examined me in a while. Each time we went into the underground, I sipped some energy from that dragon.¡±


    Theo examined the goose again.


    [Alexandria D¡¯Goose]


    [Goose]


    [Familiar]


    Stage:


    [Proto Dragon-Goose]


    Master:


    [Dreamrealm of Tero¡¯gal]


    Level 40


    Description:


    Geese are known as the most loving creatures in all the realms. Any rumors spread to disparage these honorable creatures will be met with a flurry of feathers and bill.


    Affinities:


    Fire


    Nature


    Her level had advanced a lot, but her stage had changed. She was at the Proto Dragon-Goose phase. Whatever that meant. The goose was becoming something between a goose and a dragon, which was interesting. Theo didn¡¯t know if this was the right path, but she was her own goose. She could do what she wanted.


    ¡°Wanna come with me through the void?¡± Theo asked, nudging the goose with his elbow.


    ¡°That would be fun. Are you bringing Tresk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t want to tell her until breakfast. You know how she gets.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I know very well how she can get.¡±


    Instead of grinding more willpower, Theo spent time with Alex. She wanted to display what she could do now that she was a Level 40 Proto Dragon-Goose. Her speed on land and in the air had increased significantly. While her progression with Fire and Nature weren¡¯t predictable like other magic systems, she was getting good with both of them. Alex could combine both affinities, creating flaming vines. But the most interesting thing she could make was a flaming tree-creature that shambled across the ground. As long as she had enough material, she could create something close to a golem.


    Theo broke the news to Tresk when they woke from the Dreamwalk. She seemed okay with it, eager enough to guard her partner in the expansive void. The marshling wasn¡¯t great at navigating the void, but she had the authority of the Dreamer. That was good enough for Theo to feel more comfortable before they went. After breakfast, he checked on Salire and got her started on a few things without him. The void still moved at a slower pace than the mortal world, meaning he would be gone for only a few minutes.


    ¡°Stay safe,¡± Salire said, waving as he departed.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, heading out.


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex assembled outside of the Newt and Demon. Tresk seemed slightly bored while Alex was excited.


    ¡°When was the last time you went to the void?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I go directly to Tero¡¯gal when I used my ability. I don¡¯t go through the void like you. Ya weirdo.¡±


    ¡°It has changed,¡± Theo said, wrapping his bubble of shadows around them. ¡°Just hold on. It¡¯s a bit of a ride.¡±


    Tresk shrieked as the group fell into the maelstrom of the void. Theo appreciated his increased willpower, realizing he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold onto everyone if he hadn¡¯t been grinding it so much. The marshling wrapped herself around his leg as they soared to the void¡¯s edge. It had a distinctive edge now, allowing the alchemist to see the difference between the near and far void. Before long the seas had calmed, giving way to the expansive nothingness.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Tresk said, her voice echoing through the darkness.


    Theo gestured forward. On the horizon, he could see a speck of light. It stood out against the eternal gloom, shimmering like a gem. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s our place?¡±


    ¡°How should I know!?¡± Tresk shouted, still on edge. ¡°You¡¯re the master of the void.¡±


    Theo smiled to himself. He knew this was the place he needed to reach. It called to him, pulling him forward. The last throne that needed to be claimed to complete the council that would oversee the world. With true gods now in place, he didn¡¯t know how they would work. None of that mattered now. The expansive space between him and the gem shrunk. It grew larger, revealing itself to look much like the other realms when they had been sitting on the ribbon.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Theo said, angling them toward the orb. A moment later, they passed through the veil and alighted on a beach.


    ¡°Oh, this is lovely,¡± Tresk said, looking around. She took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the ocean.


    Theo looked around. They were standing on a tropical beach with crystal clear waters lapping against their feet. The weather was hot, but not overly so. There was no sun in the sky, and tropical palms lined the beach where the sand turned to sparse grasses. But there were no people on the strand. The alien realm was vacant. At least in the immediate area where they had landed.


    ¡°I suppose we should look,¡± Theo said, heading to the inland area. He felt himself being drawn in that direction.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been more ready to stab someone,¡± Tresk said, her daggers at the ready.


    The beach gave way to a tropical jungle. Thorny bushes mingled with tall grasses, punctuated occasionally by both tall and squat palms. The group walked for hours before they found anything of note. They approached a sandy clearing. Rising to the sky with a blocky form was a ziggurat. The wide gray stones that made up the structure had been weathered by untold years. Most curious of all, was the silent bara¡¯thier that stood outside.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Theo said, getting a closer look at the elf. He wore simple robes that had fared just about as well as the temple in whatever untold time had passed here. His expression was gaunt, eyes cast to the ground. The alchemist lowered his voice. ¡°This is creepy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting bad vibes, captain,¡± Tresk said, gripping her daggers tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°But we came so far¡­¡± Alex groaned.


    Theo approached the lone figure, counting on his precognition to keep him safe if needed. The figure didn¡¯t move. At all. The alchemist had to observe him for some time before he realized the guy was breathing. He drew long breaths that were almost imperceptible. ¡°Hello. Anyone there?¡±


    The figure didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be here,¡± Tresk said, shaking her head. ¡°Can I stab him?¡±


    The figure twitched slightly. Theo watched as he held his hand out, as though to gesture to the ziggurat.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just do what the creepy statue man says. Sounds like a great plan,¡± Tresk mocked.


    Theo ignored her, approaching the foot of the structure. Stairs ran up the middle, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything within. Even when he extended his shadow senses, he couldn¡¯t feel anything inside. The throne wasn¡¯t here. So why did the elf want them to go? The alchemist ascended the stairs, joined immediately by Alex. It took Tresk a moment, but she screamed up the steps after being left behind.


    The group ascended the last of the steps, laying eyes on what rested inside the temple. A house-sized crystal sat within a dark stone room. Whatever power had created the thing had long-since faded, leaving only a husk of what it once was. Theo scrutinized the crystal for some time, wondering if this was the shard he was looking for. There was more than one though, wasn¡¯t there?


    ¡°We¡¯ll come back for the crystals. We¡¯re looking for the throne.¡± Theo said, making his way back to the entrance. He stopped, gritting his teeth. The elf had moved and was now standing at the foot of those stairs. ¡°Still got those daggers ready?¡±


    ¡°Duh!¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m feeling the creep factor going up.¡±


    Theo heard something. An echoing voice filled his mind as he stood atop those steps. Only a moment later he realized it was the phantom voice of someone about to speak. He turned, spotting Void popping into existence behind them. The small, spiral-faced man seemed surprised.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. What a pigsty, huh?¡± Void asked.


    ¡°Interloper,¡± Tresk said. Without considering the implications of attacking a true god, she lunged forward. Only to be frozen in place, unable to thrust forward.


    ¡°Har har. Good try,¡± Void said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°I was wondering when you would get to work, Theo. You¡¯re doing a great job, by the way. Promotions all around!¡±


    ¡°You stink,¡± Tresk grumbled. She pulled back, relaxing her posture.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Theo asked. He tried to act unphased before the god, but it was hard. The power emitting from this guy was nuts. He felt like an ant under a boot.


    ¡°Making sure you¡¯re doing the job. Honestly, I was kinda interested in this place. These guys have been isolated for fifty-thousand years.¡± Void shook his head. ¡°But this is a proto-realm. They never got the shards working, so it never became a true realm.¡±


    That was frightening. Time hadn¡¯t been kind to the denizens within. Well, at least the one guy standing at the bottom of the stairs with a vacant expression on his face.


    ¡°Do you think I can pull the entire realm back?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Void looked around. The air shimmered with power. ¡°Even with the throne, your authority won¡¯t extend to this place. Hell, my authority doesn¡¯t extend here. I¡¯m only able to stand here because it is kinda half-void.¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡± Alex asked, tilting her head to the figure below. There were two of them now.


    ¡°Their brains are so cooked, I dunno if you can save them.¡± Void sighed. He turned to the side, brows knitting. ¡°Hey! No interventions! This area is off limits to you, buddy.¡±


    A tall, hooded figure appeared nearby. The cloak it wore was pure darkness. It was slightly shorter than Theo, but held a presence that seemed to draw in all light around him. The alchemist felt as though the reaper had come to collect his due. Another god, no doubt.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t celebrations in order?¡± the figure asked, his voice as cold as the grave. ¡°The holders of the throne will meet us eventually. Why not provide introductions?¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Fine. Hey guys, this is some idiot that I hate. I thought we killed him back in the old world, but would you look at that? He¡¯s back. Hooray.¡±


    ¡°After all, we¡¯ve been through, Pib. You wound me.¡±


    ¡°No real names.¡± The dark spiral on Void¡¯s face spun.


    ¡°Theo Spencer. Tresk. Alex. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± The man bowed, revealing nothing under his cloaked form. ¡°While you weren¡¯t the man I was looking for, I¡¯m glad it was you that emerged first.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you,¡± Theo said, shaking his head.


    ¡°He¡¯ll figure it out eventually. Like you said, he¡¯s gonna grab the throne. Today, more than likely.¡± Void shrugged as though defeated. ¡°It doesn¡¯t break the rules, and I¡¯m not your boss.¡±


    Theo realized how much this was like playing with fire. He would have thrown himself to the wolves with the ascendants, but these were true gods. The newest one that had appeared had an obvious name. No one had to spell that one out for him. Death stood before him, lording over this realm like a hungry buzzard.


    ¡°As Theo has deduced, my new name is Death.¡±


    ¡°And your old name,¡± Void shrugged. ¡°Before we usurped you.¡±


    ¡°I promise to be a good boy this time.¡±


    ¡°What are you people, anyway? What is the other place people talk about on Earth?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°If someone could answer that question, they would put millions of years of research I¡¯ve done to shame.¡± Death sighed, pushing the sleeve of one arm up. Despite Theo¡¯s expectations, it wasn¡¯t a spooky skeleton hand. ¡°I woke up in that other place. I ruled a kingdom I didn¡¯t remember with a wife I didn¡¯t know. When ascendancy opened up, I found the most powerful realm I could command.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, until you started siphoning souls from the real world.¡±


    Death shrugged. ¡°Theo, you¡¯ve had trouble with lingering souls, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s your job.¡±


    ¡°It was then and it is now. I am the shepherd that ushers souls to the places they belong. Whether that is the afterlife in a godly realm, or reincarnation, it is my job. So you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Feels like he¡¯s couching something here,¡± Theo said, speaking to the members of his Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°Full transparency here,¡± Void said, holding his hands up. ¡°We can hear that.¡±


    Death laughed. A laugh just as cold as his voice. ¡°I told you how important I am so you wouldn¡¯t be upset. I am forbidden from issuing orders about the mortal plane, but I can tell you this. Tarantham is now without their emperor.¡±

 6.38 - Thronies

    ¡°What!? That¡¯s the big bad!?¡± Tresk shouted, flailing around. ¡°I was gonna raid your city and stab you in the face. This is disappointing. I¡¯m upset.¡±


    Theo felt unsurprised that Kuzan had outmaneuvered him. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t some brilliant feat, but the alchemist knew this was planned. But what remained of Tarantham? How would this change the state of the empire?


    ¡°Is the empire going to be okay without you?¡± Theo asked.


    Death inclined his hooded head toward Theo. ¡°I cannot comment.¡±


    ¡°At least the new gods are bound by actual rules. Instead of fake ones.¡± Tresk crossed her arms, seeming to grow more grumpy by the moment. At least this bit of news made her feel better.


    ¡°Perhaps more gods will appear if we wait.¡± Void huffed. He seemed more upset about this than Tresk. ¡°With most of the ascendants driven from their realms, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. We haven¡¯t cleaned everything up yet, and we¡¯re waiting for the system to figure itself out.¡±


    Theo took a steadying breath. ¡°Clear some things up for me, Void. Are you the boss?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just the boss of the void.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t share anything that would influence the mortal world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯ll be bound by that when the system reboots.¡± Void nodded to himself. ¡°Remember what happened last time, Death?¡±


    ¡°Like it was yesterday. That was chaos.¡±


    ¡°So the system will form a council. The four thrones and twelve gods will be on the council. You thronies should already know your roles, right?¡± Void asked, nodding to Theo and Tresk. ¡°So you do that job and you do it right. No half-assing.¡±


    ¡°Did that elf just move?¡± Death asked, gesturing toward the elf below.


    The space elf man below had moved slightly, edging forward toward the stairs. Theo felt a shiver run up his spine as he observed him. ¡°Why do they have to be so creepy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, anyway. While we¡¯re in this transition phase, the rules are slightly loose. After that, everything is set in stone.¡± Void let out a steady breath. ¡°I¡¯m bored. This place is boring. You guys have fun with the cursed elfs.¡±


    Without warning, Void vanished. Like a dog that had just spotted something interesting off in the distance, he had left the group to stand atop that ziggurat. Death stood awkwardly with the others, looking out over the tropical landscape.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say things that influence the mortal world,¡± Theo said, his mind spinning ways to get information from Kuzan. ¡°What about Earth?¡±


    ¡°I suppose Earth is destroyed. You want to know about the other place, but I¡¯m not sure I have answers. Things were strange. By the end we could move between that other world and Earth. We ascended and fought. The mortals came together, beating back forces that threatened to spill through the veil. Our plans were dashed when the Baleful Eye put a hold on everything. I then waited and schemed. But, we¡¯re finally here.¡±


    ¡°Think we can be besties now?¡± Tresk asked, fluttering her eyes at Death.


    ¡°Maybe. Would you like some cores?¡± Death asked with a laugh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate.¡± Tresk rubbed her hands together.


    Theo had to turn away from the negotiations. He descended the stairs, poking the space elf in the face as he went. The man didn¡¯t respond at all. These elves would need some serious therapy if they wanted to stop acting like a chameleon stalking a bug. He narrowed his eyes at an elf that had come out of the tangle of thorny bushes. The woman was stalking out of the brush as though if she stayed still she would be unseen. What did these people even eat? Fish from the sea, or perhaps some coconuts. The alchemist looked to the trees, finding no fruit to eat.


    ¡°All done!¡± Tresk said, scampering down the stairs with Alex close behind. ¡°Should we find this throne of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Before the elves learn they can move quicker than this.¡±


    ¡°Think they¡¯re stuck in some time dilation crap?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Maybe. My thought is they are insane. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The party plunged back into the tangle, pushing their way through to find yet another structure. This one was a gray stone tower that seemed half-ruined. It was partially crumbling, and there were a few elves standing outside. They all bore the blue-silver skin that Xol¡¯sa had, marking them as part of the same race. Space elves. While they searched for the throne, they discovered five inert shards. Some had a hint of magic inside of them, but all seemed inactive.


    ¡°I can smell the throne,¡± Tresk said with a laugh. ¡°Ready for a fight?¡±


    The group had moved out of the jungle, pressing forward up a slow rise that brought them to rocky terrain. In the distance, Theo could spot a large white stone building. Like Tresk, he could feel the energy of the Dreamwalker¡¯s Throne rolling over the landscape to smack him in the face. His attraction to that throne was undeniable. He could not resist, finding the easiest path down to the lowland area. Even the temperature changed as they walked, going from a balmy heat to biting cold. He felt it mostly through Tresk, as his Coat of Rake still worked in this strange place.


    Approaching the stone building, Theo spotted more elves. A lot more elves than were around the various shards. These ones struck various poses, looking like mannequins that had been left to molder among the ruins of an isolated world. The alchemist gained the sense that someone was watching them as they approached the building. He opened the door, listening as magical lanterns hummed to life within. When he passed into the Realm of the Dreamwalker, he felt his skin tingle.


    The building was one giant room with dark pillars running along the sides. Braziers lit as he walked, cast from iron and formed into metal cages to contain magical fires. The Throne of the Dreamwalker was made from black stone with a small red cushion on top. Even at a distance, Theo knew the throne was unoccupied. He didn¡¯t know how, but he knew it had never been occupied. Unlike the Throne of the Dreamer, this virgin throne seemed to wait for someone.


    ¡°The elves are following us in slow motion,¡± Tresk said, poking her head out of the door. ¡°I saw that one move!¡±


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I did so! He was walking. Like this.¡± Tresk struck a pose as though she had been frozen mid-sneak. ¡°Like this.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should claim the throne. Sooner rather than later,¡± Alex said.


    Theo considered that as an option. Another option would be to take the throne without claiming it, taking it back to Tero¡¯gal. He dismissed this idea, deciding that delaying the world¡¯s restart sucked. Void said it would take a while to get things going. So, why not?


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    ¡°I just sit on it?¡± Theo asked, approaching the black throne. ¡°Why does it look so evil?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re evil,¡± Tresk said, giggling. ¡°You nasty little boy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not evil.¡± Theo placed his hand on the throne, swallowing hard. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±


    A wave of power radiated outward when Theo sat on the throne. He looked at Tresk for guidance and she clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Did I tell you about the pain?¡± she asked.


    A breath later, pain lanced through Theo¡¯s chest. He felt the system carving a new core slot in his chest. His head swam as his willpower was increased to an absurd degree. As soon as the pain came it was gone. But within this stone building, he felt his authority grow. The space elves had stolen the throne along with some of the realm, hiding it away here in this chunk of reality. Now that Theo sat on his throne, with his new core in his chest, he could see how much of an affront it was to his position.


    ¡°I was expecting more,¡± Tresk said, tapping her chin.


    Theo examined his newest core.


    [Dreamwalker¡¯s Core]


    Unique


    Throne Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    The Dreamwalker is the title of the person holding the Throne of the Dreamwalker. This position is the guardian of the void. Their duties include managing the passages between worlds and enforcing the will of the Arbiter.


    Effect:


    Significant increase in Willpower


    Absolute authority when facing those that break the Dreamwalker¡¯s design


    [Passage]


    It was just like Tresk¡¯s core, with some minor differences in the text. The increase of willpower was insane. Theo could feel this new willpower radiating through his body. He examined the attached skill.


    [Passage]


    Dreamwalker¡¯s Skill


    Unique


    The Dreamwalker performs their duties by passing between realms.


    Effect:


    Allows you to pass between realms unimpeded. While visiting another realm, you will be locked in a passive state unless acting in the interest of the Dreamwalker.


    This skill drains your willpower, which will need to be recharged by resting.


    ¡°Theo! I don¡¯t think we should linger!¡± Tresk shouted.


    The skill was interesting, but Theo dismissed it for now. Once again, it was close enough to the Dream skill for him to get the idea. He looked up to see twenty-some elves working their way across the room at a snail¡¯s pace. He reached out with his will, wrapping it around this small piece of the Dreamwalker¡¯s realm before plunging it through the void. One moment they were within the abandoned realm, and the other they weren¡¯t.


    ¡°Whatever happens to them¡­ the throne is more important,¡± Theo said, steering them through the void. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re not a murderer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a bit of murder.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t as though those elves were helpless.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god stop,¡± Theo said, swatting at Tresk. The marshling evaded him. ¡°Maybe take the situation more seriously.¡±


    ¡°I can feel you laughing on the inside.¡± Tresk shivered, shaking her arms and legs out after a moment. ¡°I can also feel how creeped out you are by the weird elves.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like them at all,¡± Alex said.


    Whatever problem the space elves were having was beyond Theo. The only thing he could think of was a problem with the realm trying to sit out there in the deep void on its own. While the closer void was more like an ecosystem of powerful energy, that deep void was desolate. It wasn¡¯t meant to sustain life. And the life it had sustained was mortal. This led to another problem. Xol¡¯sa would want to know what happened to his people. The more Theo thought about it, the more he realized what must have happened.


    ¡°So the elves get themselves caught in the deep void. There¡¯s no way they wanted to stay there.¡± Theo let his thoughts gather, clicking his tongue. ¡°So they sent Xol¡¯sa away. To the mortal realm. That¡¯s kinda sad, actually.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m depressed. Can we stop talking about the doomed elves?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not doomed,¡± Alex said, honking. ¡°We can bring them back to the mortal plane. Or Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°But not today,¡± Tresk said, patting Alex on the head. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with this stuff anyway?¡±


    The marshling walked around the space that Theo had created for them to travel through the void. He was wondering when she would notice how his method had changed. Instead of overpowering the void with his willpower, he used his new skill. It had created a bubble around them and the chunk of the Dreamwalker¡¯s realm. This brought more questions to his mind, but he didn¡¯t have answers that would satisfy him. He didn¡¯t want to spend more time than he needed fixing the void, let alone time fixing the realms of the throne holders.


    But as Theo drew them closer to the near void, catching sight of the swirling galaxy, he felt something in his chest. His new core was practically vibrating, ready to do something after they returned to Tero¡¯gal. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up, and he nodded. That made sense. It was as though the realm understood his intentions beforehand and prepared itself for what happened next.


    ¡°Might be a hot landing,¡± Theo said, watching as his planetoid came into void. ¡°Brace for impact.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Tresk asked, holding onto Alex¡¯s neck.


    Theo couldn¡¯t hide the smile from his face. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You dirty little demon.¡±


    Theo felt his bubble pressing against Tero¡¯gal. Instead of a smooth transition, it was like pushing an orb through a bucket of molasses. The bubble rocked back and forth before everything went black. A prompt appeared moments later.


    [Evolution Synergy]


    Your realm has consumed another realm. The Realm of the Dreamwalker has been absorbed into Tero¡¯gal¡­


    [ERROR]


    Dual-souls detected containing signatures for both the Throne of the Dreamer and Throne of the Dreamwalker. Signatures almost indistinguishable¡­ Recalculating soul signature detection sensitivity¡­


    [ERROR]


    Detection failed. Seeking solution¡­


    [Solution Achieved]


    Solution reached, please stand by.


    ¡°Why is it dark!?¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°The system is having a fit, just give it a second.¡± Theo clenched his jaw, hoping the system would reach the same conclusion he had. A moment later, another message appeared.


    [Realm Evolution]


    Tero¡¯gal, the Throneworld wants to evolve into a Twin Throneworld.


    The proposed evolution would transform this realm to support two primary thrones. This evolution was instigated by the power of the Tara¡¯hek bond shared by the primary owners.


    Failure to accept this change will result in the ejection of the Throne of the Dreamer.


    ¡°There we go,¡± Theo said, accepting the change. Although they were still in darkness, he knew which message would come next.


    [Evolution Synergy]


    Your realm has consumed two additional realms. The Realm of the Dreamwalker and the Realm of the Dreamer have been absorbed into Tero¡¯gal.


    The owner of the Realm of the Dreamer has proposed a joint building to represent these realms within your throneworld.


    Would you like to accept the following proposal?


    A BIG OLD PALACE WITH BUTTRESSES AND STUFF.


    The sound of Theo¡¯s palm slapping against his face echoed through the void. ¡°How did you get the message faster than me?¡± he asked, accepting the proposal.


    ¡°I¡¯m just cool like that. Come on. I want my palace.¡±


    Theo sighed, accepting the proposal. His sight shifted, giving him a view of Tero¡¯gal from the sky. Below was a green-outlined version of a massive building. He fought with Tresk on the building¡¯s placement. But they ended up selecting the top of a remote mountain range. While both Theo and Tresk could teleport around the world, others couldn¡¯t. If they wanted to go for the thrones, they¡¯d have to climb a damn mountain. Good luck with that.


    The landscape was evened out to accommodate the giant palace. Once it was placed, Theo and Tresk were teleported to the large wooden doors near the front. They looked up at the white stone building, mouths hanging open. The building was enormous, looking like the old cathedrals on Earth. As Tresk had instructed, it had buttresses¡­ and stuff.


    The interior of the building was wide-open. The pair¡¯s footsteps echoed off the pillars that stabbed to the impossibly high ceiling. Several hundred feet later, they stood at the foot of two thrones on a platform. One black and one white.


    ¡°Gaudy, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tresk asked, tapping her foot. ¡°That echo is horrible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is a bit much. We have to guard these, don¡¯t we?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°What are you thinking? A million golems?¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°At least.¡±

 6.39 - Wisdom! Wisdom! Wisdom!

    Creating an army of golems to watch over the new location of the thrones wasn¡¯t difficult. The task wasn¡¯t made simple by Theo¡¯s growing abilities, but by the authority of Tero¡¯gal. The Throneworld had become more a part of him than ever, and the commands he used to issue with upgrades were now more like instincts. He knew what he could do with this world, and how the energy within influenced his base abilities.


    While 100 golems was good enough for now, there were also the original loyalists within the world. People like Belgar would be more than happy to defend this place, as it was the key to keeping it running. Without much prodding, the center of Tero¡¯gal was moved in a flash. From the rolling hills of some unnamed region, to one that had been named just as quickly. The original souls of the realm¡ªalong with some willing to join the cause¡ªsettled in the Seat of the Thrones region at the base of the mountain.


    They got to work carving a staircase, which might have revealed how bored they were. Or how enthusiastic.


    ¡°We could just magic that path,¡± Tresk said with a shrug, watching the group work.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Belgar agreed, half-heartedly. ¡°But we all feel that thing inside us. Those that had cores back on the mortal plane remember the sensation.¡±


    That was another concern. The power to gain cores had always been something reserved for the mortal realm and the ascendants. Theo frowned as he considered it, refusing to allow his world to end up like the mortal world. The mortals fought constantly, killing each other in an endless loop to appease people who called themselves gods. Well, he suspected they were killing each other long before the ascendants were a thing. It was the way the world was designed. But not his world. His senses spread as he touched the energy of Tero¡¯gal. It reached back, as though recognizing his intent.


    ¡°Just got the chills,¡± Tresk said, giggling and shivering. ¡°Yuck.¡±


    The pair shared silent commands and unspoken wishes as to what they wanted their system to look like. A more logical system of progression with defined stages would be best. If people knew which rank of development they were at, it would give them a better sense for their power. Creating something of a cap on that power would also be good. This staging system would need to have an end. Perhaps a point where someone had to decide if they wanted to remain a mortal, or ascend to a higher realm.


    Tero¡¯gal reached back as though to say it would think about the suggestions. It joined the disconnected thoughts sitting between Theo and Tresk, digesting them in its own time. There were many changes bound for the world, but it would take time. Like a child learning to walk, Tero¡¯gal needed to get used to its new legs.


    ¡°Well, this has been fun,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands together. ¡°Feels like time is getting weird in here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Slowing down a bit,¡± Tresk said, licking her finger and stabbing it into the air. She then licked the air, but learned nothing new from the motion.


    Theo found no problems when leaving the Throneworld. While he was confident he could evolve his alchemy core, he wasn¡¯t eager to do so. But the waning energy of Drogramath drew more distant by the day. He landed back on the mortal plane, letting out a sigh. There were too many potions to make. He searched his memory, taking stock of the ones he needed to make. The list was long enough that he didn¡¯t want to recite it in his head, counting them instead.


    ¡°Thirty-four unique potions,¡± Theo said, scratching his chin. ¡°Excluding modified potions and spirit fruit potions¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of potions, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Ten attributes each. Three-hundred-forty attribute points.¡±


    ¡°What the actual hell?¡± Tresk said, stomping her feet. ¡°I want a million attributes, too!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t finish them all. Not here on the mortal plane.¡± Theo ignored Tresk as she bit his leg.


    ¡°Pay attention to me!¡±


    ¡°I need your help, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± she asked around his leg.


    ¡°We need to bully the Dreamwalk into allowing me to brew new potions. Maybe I can do it with my new core. My willpower almost doubled.¡±


    ¡°Worth a shot. But I think you owe me. This isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Theo could find a way to make it up to Tresk. He could feel her jealousy for his increasing attributes, but what more could he do? This was his chance to seize a power that no one else had a shot at. Kuzan might have been gone, but there might be other remaining world powers that wanted to stab him in the face. Following that thought, he realized there might be others who had predicted the arrival of the gods, and made their move. The alchemist shook away the thought, shifting his focus to things of a mortal nature.


    The town and nation were coming along nicely. A few more upgrades to the town itself, and they would become a proper city. There were a few buildings that needed upgrading, but Alise was doing a great job keeping up with civil projects. Between the railroad, housing, food, and water she hadn¡¯t staggered in her pace of development. Even the market project was impressive, bringing trade from distant nations.


    Instead of running off like the goblin she was, Tresk remained with Theo for the rest of the day. They stopped into the various businesses in Broken Tusk, checking on people. Sledge was still guarding her clutch of eggs in Mudball Fundamental, leaving behind a half-ogre to pick up her slack. Whisper¡¯s butcher was producing more sausage by the day, and she even had a toora worker helping out. The elves had integrated completely, seeming to take on more half-ogre and marshling qualities by the day. Their level of refinement had dropped, resulting in a bunch of dirty elves playing in the mud.


    After the day wore down, the group headed back to the manor. Sarisa and Rowan appreciated a day where they weren¡¯t running around like crazy people. They served the ribs of some beast Theo couldn¡¯t identify, slathered in a sauce that seemed close to barbeque sauce, but not quite. It was more tangy than it should be, with hints of some citrus fruit. Although the meat hadn¡¯t been cooked for long, it still fell off the bone as though it had been cooking slowly for the entire day.


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    As Theo ate his dinner, he thought about something that had stuck in his mind recently. The Dreamwalk was an interesting place, and had always been somewhere he went to exploit his connection with the system. But what was it? The power in each aligned core faded, but the Tara¡¯hek Core remained strong. That was a core that refused to diminish, no matter what happened to the world. But the Dreamwalk was a kind of realm. The proof for that idea came from the intrusion of the previous Dreamer.


    ¡°Do you think dreams are realms?¡± Theo asked, smacking his lips. The meat was good.


    ¡°They¡¯re like¡­ sub-proto-realms. The idea of a realm,¡± Tresk said, shoving an entire rib bone in her mouth and sucking it clean. She then spoke around a mouthful of food. ¡°Think of it like the manifestation of someone¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s oddly eloquent. If one ignores the food you just sprayed on the table,¡± Sarisa said.


    The meal went well enough. Everyone enjoyed the food, and Theo felt a sense of pride watching his innermost circle talk about whatever. If the Dreamwalk was the Tara¡¯hek¡¯s manifested will, they could overpower it. That might cause the new gods to intervene, so he needed to exploit it as much as possible.


    ¡°Time for bed,¡± Theo said, pushing his chair away from the table and standing. ¡°We¡¯ve got some exploits to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just be ready for him to faint tomorrow,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Home boy here is about to pump his stats so high, he might just poop himself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the diapers,¡± Sarisa said with a bow.


    ¡°Your royal crib awaits, sir,¡± Rowan said, performing an even lower bow.


    ¡°My liege,¡± Sarisa said, bowing lower still. She tipped forward, falling on her face.


    Theo turned before he could laugh, heading up the stairs and to their bedroom. It was a shame Alex couldn¡¯t join them, but he could feel her comfort from the barn. He could also feel her impending evolution, but there was enough evolution to go around. The last thing he needed was to consider the implications of a dragon-goose.


    Theo, Tresk, and Alex landed in an imagined version of Tero¡¯gal. They looked up at the mountain, standing within the region named the Seat of the Thrones. The power of his new Dreamwalker¡¯s Core radiated in his chest. The Dreamwalk pushed back, but it didn¡¯t stand a chance now. The combined willpower of the group crushed any opposition, removing all limitations it set. They were free to do and imagine whatever they wanted.


    ¡°This is gonna be fast,¡± Theo said, imagining the equipment he needed. ¡°And it needs to be¡­ If the gods can see into this realm, they¡¯re gonna be pissed.¡±


    ¡°Make it quick, stinky,¡± Tresk said, jumping up and down. ¡°Get them attributes!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t difficult. Theo could imagine everything he wanted in the last stages of brewing, allowing him to exploit this quirk of the system. He raced through the process, creating every potion that was on Salire¡¯s list. The notifications rolled in, informing him of each new potions he brought into the ¡®world.¡¯ It didn¡¯t care that this was a dream. It instead flooded him with potential power. Ten attributes for every new potion he made. 340 new attribute points to place. Which was more than he had gained through the normal means.


    ¡°This is stupid,¡± Theo said, inspecting his attribute screen. ¡°Absolutely dumb. How should I put my points?¡±


    ¡°Shove everything into Wisdom!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°Wisdom! Wisdom! Wisdom!¡± Alex chanted.


    Adding every single point to Wisdom would cause the attribute to shoot up to 452. His precognition would skyrocket, while his intuition would be completely absurd. It wouldn¡¯t approach Khahar¡¯s level of prediction, but it would be close. But there was something else to consider. Something he had been thinking about for a while now. It was foolish to assume he had no enemies in the world. New or old, there might be people out there that wanted him dead. Strength wasn¡¯t something he was interested in pumping, and neither was Intelligence. The alchemist was almost certain that physical attributes wouldn¡¯t mess with his mind. That left Dexterity and Vigor, both of which would help him.


    The problem with precognition was the ability to act on it. As an attribute, Dexterity increased a person¡¯s ability to manipulate things with fine detail, as well as their ability to move quickly. It was dexterity, agility, and speed all rolled into one. Vigor influenced a person¡¯s resistance to disease, recovery from injuries, Health, and Stamina. If he placed 200 points into Wisdom, and 100 into both Dexterity and Vigor, he would see a massive boost. Theo explained the plan to Tresk.


    ¡°Hmmm, yes,¡± Tresk said, stroking her bare chin. ¡°That seems like a good plan. You¡¯ll be faster than me¡­ Wait, you¡¯ll be faster than me! No! Wisdom!¡±


    Theo placed the points how he wanted. He normally wouldn¡¯t place points while within the Dreamwalk, but felt as though he could swing it this time. He felt the power surge in his body, but it was dulled by the dream. He watched as Tresk moved to the side, a full thirty seconds before she actually did. While his precognition didn¡¯t make him feel dizzy, it still made his mind spin to see. Getting used to this new way of being would be hard. The alchemist moved to the side before Tresk had even started moving, grabbing at the air where her arm would have been.


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± Theo said, smiling down at the marshling. He snatched her other hand from the air. ¡°And again.¡±


    ¡°Gah! You suck!¡± Tresk shouted, twisting from his grip and drawing her daggers. ¡°Let¡¯s see you survive this, alchemist boy!¡±


    Tresk launched a series of attacks that Theo saw coming half a minute in advance. 312 Wisdom meant he was operating like someone at Level 300 that had dumped every point into the attribute. Adding his other attributes, he could keep up like someone at Level 500. Which was stupid. The system should have never worked in this way. Every attack she brought against him was foiled in advance. Which was a great way to get Tresk mad enough to figure out a loophole of her own.


    Something twitched in Theo¡¯s chest as he watched the marshling work her daggers through the air. The duo fell into a rhythm that transcended martial trances. He felt his mind connect to her, synchronizing in a way it never had. The alchemist struck out with a palm, knocking a dagger aside. Tresk performed a riposte, thrusting low only to have her dagger smacked away again. It turned into a game of move and counter-move. Until the marshling kept up with the pace.


    A faint violet light issued from Tresk¡¯s eyes as she focused. Her entire being became dedicated to something deeper than the fight. Theo flexed his newfound agility, dodging to the sides when the strikes became more pointed. The gap between precognition and action was narrowed. This distance closed by the moment, until it was nothing. Theo had a second of warning before she made her strikes. And she wasn¡¯t cheating by using his vision against him. There was only one fate that played out on the Seat of Thrones.


    The Tara¡¯hek Core resonated in Theo¡¯s chest until the purple light in Tresk¡¯s eyes grew bright enough to give him pause. With a deft thrust, she drove her dagger through his chest. The alchemist looked down at himself, then back to Tresk. She had a smile on her face, and something¡­ strange.


    ¡°Tresk¡­ when did you get horns?¡± Theo asked, pulling the dagger from his chest.


    Tresk probed at her forehead, then gestured to Theo¡¯s hand. ¡°Your fingers are webbed.¡±


    Honk!


    A core evolution system message appeared.


    [Core Ability Evolution!]


    The ability [Tara¡¯hek Communication] has evolved into [Tara¡¯hek Union].

 6.40 - Tarahek Union

    ¡°Oh, hell yeah!¡± Tresk shouted, jumping into the air and pumping her fist. The horns on her head grew as her eyes flared purple. Her fat tail grew thin as it whipped through the air.


    Theo¡¯s features took the opposite turn. He wasn¡¯t sure what he thought about his dronon-marshling form. He pushed back the bond, sifting through his Tara¡¯hek Core screen to find the evolved ability.


    [Tara¡¯hek Union]


    Marshling Bond Skill


    Mythic


    The last step to a Tara¡¯hek is the union.


    Effect:


    Allows you to communicate with Tresk no matter how far away they are. Others cannot hear your conversation.


    Allows you to know the current state of your Tara¡¯hek. Their health, mana, and stamina will appear near yours at all times.


    Through intense focus, either member of the bond may blur the line between both members. Either member can absorb attributes, skills, physical characteristics, inate knowledge, etc.


    This was interesting. The skill maintained the effects of the unevolved one, but gained an interesting effect. Tresk had increased her attributes to match Theo¡¯s attributes, giving her a temporary boost of power. And the alchemist felt no drain on his own, meaning they were just sharing those attributes. The result was an absurd skill that would make the marshling a nightmare. He watched as she dashed around the area, stabbing at the air faster than she had ever moved. Someone with lower attributes would have trouble following her, let alone matching her movements.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± Theo said. ¡°I guess the skill wouldn¡¯t be overpowered if I wasn¡¯t overpowered¡­ Wait, did you just manifest a skill because you couldn¡¯t win a fight?¡±


    ¡°Yup! I¡¯m awesome.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Tresk is awesome,¡± Alex said, nodding along.


    Theo¡¯s gaze dragged to Alex, who he was certain would evolve into a dragon at any moment. ¡°We have her to worry about, too. What is a dragon-goose, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Goose-dragon?¡± Tresk asked, rubbing her hands on her horns. ¡°How do you do anything with these things, Theo?¡±


    ¡°You get used to them.¡± Theo pushed down on the Tara¡¯hek again, attempting to break Tresk¡¯s concentration to cancel the effect. It took great effort, but it worked.


    ¡°No fair. I want my horns back.¡± Tresk probed at her forehead, glaring at Theo. ¡°You stink, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Your horns are a cheap imitation.¡±


    Tresk gasped, holding her hand over her mouth. ¡°Take that back. Now.¡±


    ¡°No. You stink,¡± Theo said, turning and running on the spot.


    Tresk shrieked in anger, chasing after him.


    The rest of the Dreamwalk wasn¡¯t productive. But it gave Tresk and Theo a chance to get a handle on their new ability. He wasn¡¯t happy that every time she wanted to use the ability, he would earn frilly gills, pink skin, and a fat tail¡­ but the effects were nuts. The marshling went from fighting like a person at Level 35, to fighting like a Level 500 demon. The alchemist doubted there was a person alive who could keep up with her. She could handle the underground dungeon on her own, if she wanted.


    When Tresk ended the dreamwalk, it all came crashing down. Theo¡¯s body was covered in a sheen of sweat the moment he woke up. His body felt too heavy and too light at the same time. The room around him appeared as though someone had attached it to the wheel of a massive car and had their foot on the gas.


    ¡°This sucks,¡± Theo groaned, gripping onto the bedsheets for dear life.


    ¡°He did it again!¡± Sarisa shouted from the threshold, turning to call Rowan up. ¡°Get the diapers.¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Rowan¡¯s powerful voice came from down the stairs.


    Theo groaned. ¡°If you put me in a diaper, I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Poor baby,¡± Sarisa said, coming over to pat Theo on the head. ¡°Ew. Why do you have¡­ Are your fingers webbed?¡±


    ¡°Tresk, please,¡± Theo said, trying to turn to see her but failing. He glimpsed her horned head.


    Tresk¡¯s giggle soon turned into an all-out cackle. She dashed away before he could object. Funny how he could experience a massive boost in attributes and feel as though he would die. But if Tresk did it, she was fine. That must have been an effect of him accepting the attributes into himself, while she was just borrowing them. He was happy to hear her tumble down the stairs, smacking her face on the landing below. Accepting the attributes also meant accepting the way he felt.


    The front door opened and slammed shut as she left. But Theo knew she wouldn¡¯t get far.


    ¡°Seriously, do you need any help?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Just some water,¡± Theo said, closing his eyes. It didn¡¯t make him feel better.


    After getting a mug of water and waiting it out for a minute, he gave up. Instead of suffering on the mortal realm, he fell through the veil and suffered in the throne room. The effects were still there, but they were lessened. Tero¡¯gal reached out sympathetically, sending a wave of soothing energy. The alchemist gazed up at the ceiling. He knew how close he was to losing the power of his cores. It edged closer every day, and there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing that would work was if he evolved them with the power of Tero¡¯gal. After that, he had to figure out how to infuse the cores of others.


    ¡°Long road ahead,¡± Theo said with a sigh. ¡°What kind of form is a Tero¡¯gal Alchemist Core gonna take?¡±


    Tero¡¯gal had no answer for him. It wasn¡¯t as though it refused to answer him. Rather, it didn¡¯t know. Like Theo, this world was new to the job. Their only way forward was to stumble through the process and figure it out as they went. That sense of moving forward resonated through both him and the world. After a few hours of laying on his back, he ventured out to see his metal golems standing guard. Their function was tied to the will of the world, rather than himself. The alchemist doubted he would feel their pull, no matter how many he made. There might have been an upper limit, but he doubted he could reach it with ease.


    ¡°Good evening, gents,¡± Theo said, stepping into the crisp mountain air. In a flash, he appeared at the foot of the mountain.


    The denizens of this world had already built a small town near the foot of the mountain, carving into the stone about a quarter of the way to the temple. Perhaps it was better to leave the place inaccessible, but Theo liked the idea of a giant staircase a person could spend days climbing. Installing waystations along the path might be a good idea. While he wanted to make some quip to the locals about working hard, everyone was asleep. The stone and timber constructions they had created were dotted here and there, following a grid design this time.


    Drogramath seemed intent on staying in the swamps to the southeast of the mountain. Theo teleported there in a blink, finding a familiar sight. Packed dirt roads connected a hodgepodge of buildings, all built with haste and reminding him too much of Broken Tusk. There was little structure to the new home of the Drogramathi and Uz¡¯Xulveni Dronon. A young dronon approached, holding a torch aloft and his hand on a sword at his side.


    ¡°Spears are better,¡± Theo said, smiling at the man.


    His eyes went wide, hand shooting from the hilt to rest at his side. ¡°Thronekeeper,¡± he said, bowing his head low.


    ¡°A new title?¡± Theo asked, tilting his head to one side. He didn¡¯t hate it. ¡°Ah, well¡­ You got stuck on the night watch?¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    This was weird. Theo knew that only a day had passed in the mortal world. But these people were experiencing their own history at a rapid pace. These folks were real people now, not the remnants of their souls. They roamed the Throneworld not as transient guests, but as fully realized people. That thought was haunting for the alchemist, as he was now placed in the same position as the ascendants. He could control most things about this place, making him something of a god, but had no interest in it. He would rather watch the people develop, only intervening if they made war.


    He had a strict ¡®no war¡¯ policy for his world.


    ¡°How do you like it?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Is Drogramath a good leader?¡±


    ¡°Lord Drogramath¡­ Ah¡­ Mayor Drogramath is an excellent leader.¡± The dronon stood proud at that statement, his eyes gaining a glint in the torchlight. He cleared his throat, leaning in. ¡°We even have a few Zagmoni Dronon here.¡±


    Theo raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The dronon looked uncomfortable out of nowhere. ¡°May I be of service to you, lord?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ I¡¯m just checking in on everyone. Things are getting stranger, somehow. Do you know if anyone has developed cores, yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of people earning cores here, but I haven¡¯t seen it.¡±


    So, they weren¡¯t in that phase of development yet. Tero¡¯gal had to figure itself out before it could implement a system that made sense. Theo suspected it wouldn¡¯t come up with something fully usable for a while, and might put in a temporary system until everything could be fixed. It was a patch that wasn¡¯t likely to last.


    Theo bid the dronon guard farewell, exploring the nearby areas. He found the need for guards quickly enough, discovering something like monsters in the nearby forest. These creatures weren¡¯t exactly monsters, but beefy versions of Earth wolves. He spotted a group padding through the forest. None of the monsters noticed him when he approached. The one he slapped on the rump didn¡¯t even react. He could feel information about them flowing into his mind, and things made sense.


    Monsters on the mortal realm were condensed bits of magic generated by the system. Tero¡¯gal was the system here, and it had made things for the locals to fight and eat. It might not have been as powerful as the system that governed the mortal world, but that didn¡¯t matter to Theo. He appreciated the steps it had taken to create a convincing world. It made him think about if this place had a version of outer space. Perhaps that was just the void¡­


    The population of the world had increased to nearly eight-hundred-thousand. Belgar¡¯s team of welcomers must have been hard at work showing everyone around. There was plenty of space for them to inhabit, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Tero¡¯gal was determined to ensure there were enough resources for everyone, so Theo didn¡¯t think fighting would start anytime soon. Whatever system went in place would be fair, allowing everyone to advance and better themselves. This concept had worked for the souls, but there had only been one-thousand.


    On a cliff side, overlooking a sprawling ocean, a flash of silver light rolled across the sky like an aurora. Theo felt the pull of something, as though he was being gently interdicted. It was more like an invitation to somewhere else. After a moment of thought, and influence from his newest core, he realized where the invitation was coming from. Using this new ability, Passage, he slipped through the cracks without effort. A moment later, he stood within Glantheir¡¯s new realm.


    ¡°John,¡± Theo said, nodding to Glantheir, who stood on the balcony of his wooden, elf-style house.


    Glantheir turned, greeting Theo with a smile and a shake of his head. He wore brilliant robes of silver, his eyes glowing a similar color. ¡°They call me Hallow now.¡±


    ¡°So did you¡­ Y¡¯know¡­ Kill the original Hallow?¡± Theo asked.


    Glantheir laughed, slapping a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It might surprise you, but I¡¯ve never killed anyone in this world.¡±


    Theo bit back a comment about using followers to kill people. That wasn¡¯t important. His attention was drawn to a short man with a shaved head and bristling mustache. He wore simple clothes, and was short for even a human. The man shuffled over, fidgeting with his hands. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Theo winced. ¡°That¡¯s the old Hallow?¡±


    ¡°Look, things are weird!¡± the man said. ¡°Glantheir threw me a rope¡ªI never wanted to be a god.¡±


    ¡°We settled it like gentlemen.¡±


    ¡°Pistols at dawn?¡± Theo asked. He shook his head, trying to take this more seriously. He reached a hand out for the old Hallow to shake. ¡°Theo Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Franz Nosske. Formerly the President of Hallben, then the God of Healing Hallow. Confused and slightly afraid.¡± Franz bowed his head as he shook Theo¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re the new Dreamwalker, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Guess I am.¡±


    ¡°That core allows you to enter any realm in passive mode,¡± Glantheir said. ¡°If something within that realm violates the heavenly law, you can join with Khahar to fix it.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t like how much of a pointed hint that was. Glantheir didn¡¯t say something unless he wanted the alchemist to know. ¡°Thanks. Now if I could sort my core before Drogramath¡¯s old power fades.¡±


    Glantheir laughed, crossing the distance between them with ethereal grace. He placed a hand on Theo¡¯s chest, raising a brow. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been busy. That¡¯s a lot of power you¡¯ve stolen from the system.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Why not snatch it if I can?¡±


    Another laugh from Glantheir. A silver light spread from his hand, filling Theo with a strange sense. After only a moment, it was done. ¡°That will give you a small amount of spare time. Drogramath never had it in him to ascend to the higher realms, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯s glad to be rid of his Ascendant Core.¡±


    Theo had been working on filling his cores with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy. He felt a different kind of energy in his aligned cores. It was mostly neutral, acting more as a bridge between two types of power. Although it was there, he wasn¡¯t certain how long it would stay. There was no reason to dally, unless he felt like losing his two most powerful cores.


    ¡°Thanks, Glantheir.¡±


    After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat. ¡°So, are you going?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Theo waved him away. ¡°Time to visit death, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I hate that guy,¡± Franz said, glowering at nothing in particular. ¡°He¡¯s so rude.¡±


    Theo smiled, slipping through the cracks of the godly realm. His Passage skill allowed him to pass without issue. An instant later he approached the realm Glantheir spoke of. Unlike the silver world Hallow had built, this was a world of darkness. The alchemist pressed through the barrier surrounding this world, his absolute authority giving him easy entrance. He stepped onto a long stone path, crawling into the distance over darkened hills. An impossible distance later, he could see the shape of an archway, filled with prismatic energy.


    His Dreamwalker¡¯s Core twitched.


    ¡°Well, it was only a matter of time,¡± Death said, stepping out from the darkness. ¡°Although I wish you would have given me more.¡±


    ¡°Just here for a routine OSHA inspection,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is awkward,¡± a familiar voice said, stepping out from behind Death.


    When Fenian beat back the entity that had infected Qavell, Theo didn¡¯t know how he activated those powers. It seemed more like an instinct than something he had to activate through the system. As the alchemist¡¯s body filled with bone-cracking power, he realized how little he was in control of that power. Something tickled from his shoulder blades, begging to burst out. His fists clenched as his muscles tightened.


    ¡°No mortals in the godly heavens,¡± Theo said, the purple in his eyes bursting into flames. ¡°That¡¯ll earn you a spanking, Kuzan.¡±


    ¡°To be as rude as to use my old name.¡± Death tutted.


    ¡°Just hand Twist over and I¡¯ll leave. I have some questions for him.¡±


    A jagged blade fell into Death¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t allow that, Dreamwalker.¡±


    Fenian did it. So why couldn¡¯t Theo? A pair of glowing violet wings sprung from the alchemist¡¯s back as he crouched on the spot. His Dreamwalker¡¯s Core filled him with power he couldn¡¯t imagine. A message popped into his vision before he kicked off from the ground.


    [Dreamwalker¡¯s Core]


    Your Dreamwalker¡¯s Core has detected an entity trespassing in Death¡¯s Realm. You have been granted temporary power to neutralize this threat.


    Theo kicked off hard, cocking his fist back as he angled for Death¡¯s face. The God of Death raised his twisted blade, preparing to block the strike.


    <hr>


    Jan wiped his brow clear of sweat, looking skyward. His soul vibrated in recognition as a faint plume of black and purple spread across the heavens. The team he worked with secured the northern section of the railroad project, ensuring no monsters attacked the laborers. He patted the modified weapon under his coat, nodding to himself.


    ¡°Gotta take a leak,¡± Jan said, jabbing his thumb toward a rocky outcropping.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be long,¡± Ziz said, turning the parchment in his hands. He squinted, shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna get eaten.¡±


    Jan nodded, rolling his shoulders. It took everything within him to act normal. The power swirling in his chest was uncontrollable, pushing out as though to burst free from his ribcage. He took steadying breaths as he found a quiet place behind a wall of stone. The rocks beneath his feet cracked when he was out of sight. A system message appeared. It was the same message he had seen a thousand times before. But this time, it came with a resolution.


    [ERROR]


    Previous system is incompatible with the current parameters of this world.


    Attempting to find a solution¡­


    Solution failed¡­


    Attempting to find a solution¡­


    Fragment detected¡­


    Solution achieved!


    [Gunslinger¡¯s Core] has been added and adjusted to Level 200.


    [Brawler¡¯s Core] has been added and adjusted to Level 150.


    [Arcane Detective] has been added and adjusted to Level 300.


    Personal Level has been adjusted to Level 315. All associated attributes have been automatically distributed.


    Flexing his hand, Jan withdrew his revolver. He popped out a round and activated his old Ammunition Duplication skill. One round turned into five.


    ¡°Alright, Twist,¡± Jan said, rolling his shoulders as he activated his Locate Target skill. He got a sense of a general direction. The star streaking through the sky to the north was likely related. ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat.¡±

 6.41 - The Fall of Twist

    Theo¡¯s Wisdom had grown to a point where he knew better than to punch a god in the face. It told him of the situation, and how far his new powers extended. They did not include harming the god in his own domain. The sin fell solely with Twist. As the alchemist¡¯s strike was inches from Death¡¯s blade, he feinted. Driving his leading foot into the ground, he spun to catch Twist in his masked face. But the masked elf didn¡¯t feel the force of the blow. He was instead sent tumbling through the cracks in reality, cast down to the mortal plane.


    The fight was over in a blink. If a mortal were to watch the exchange, they would have seen Theo appear alongside Death while Twist vanished.


    ¡°That was disappointing,¡± Death tutted.


    Theo rolled his shoulders, flexing his wings. Energy lingered in Death¡¯s realm, but it was hard to detect the origin. He realized it was the energy of something that had once been here, but had since been removed. So Kuzan was still up to his old tricks by being a general pain in the ass. The alchemist should have expected this, but he no longer had to do it alone. He reached out. A moment later, Khahar stood at his side, answering the call of the Dreamwalker to the Arbiter.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been naughty,¡± Khahar said, crossing his arms. ¡°Have you already spanked him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has been spanked. Thoroughly,¡± Theo said. ¡°What was Twist doing in your realm?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Death shrugged. ¡°He got here on his own. Just arrived when you got here.¡±


    Khahar scanned the area, picking up on the same energy Theo felt. ¡°Don¡¯t start, Kuzan. Things were going well.¡±


    ¡°Have they stopped going well?¡± Death asked, remaining motionless the way he always was. ¡°I thank you for sending that interloper away. You have my eternal gratitude.¡±


    There was nothing more the duo could do. Theo nodded to Khahar, and they traveled together to the Arbiter¡¯s Realm. It hadn¡¯t changed at all. Aside from the residents. Like Tero¡¯gal, Khahak had become a Throneworld. Nearly one-million people now called this place home. And the central spires were bustling with activity. Fully formed people of all races did their own thing. They headed from place to place, living their lives as though this new reality was just fine.


    ¡°Put your wings away,¡± Khahar said. ¡°People are staring.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just wings.¡± Theo gave them a good flap. ¡°I don¡¯t think they even do anything.¡±


    Khahar shook his head, pulling Theo through space. They appeared in a sprawling city along a coastline, overlooking waves that battered a rocky shore. The sky was clear today, the sun hanging at high noon. Compared to the towns in Tero¡¯gal, this place was built up a lot more. But the alchemist didn¡¯t have cities like this before the realms were removed. His people built everything they had, unlike here.


    ¡°Balkor is here,¡± Khahar said, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. ¡°He wasn¡¯t happy at first. But, what choice does he have?¡±


    ¡°What about Zagmon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. We¡¯ve had a few Zagmoni Dronon, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    The wings on Theo¡¯s back faded. He felt the power granted to him by the core go with it. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Zagmon wasn¡¯t gone, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it unless he broke the rules. At least the rules were being enforced this time. Unlike the way things were, they could do something about people being jerks. But Death seemed to understand those rules better than anyone, exploiting someone like Twist to do his bidding. Well, Twist was now tumbling back to the mortal realm. With any luck, his passage back to the heavens was blocked.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been easy for Twist to make it to Death¡¯s Realm,¡± Theo said, speaking his thoughts aloud.


    ¡°He could have used the Bridge, but I think Uz¡¯Xulven is taking her new job more seriously.¡±


    ¡°Because if she doesn¡¯t, she has to be a normal person.¡± Theo chuckled. ¡°I think she lucked out more than any of us. I haven¡¯t used the Bridge since it was changed, but she gets to keep it. That¡¯s nice of our new managers.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s more of a custodian now, but I think she¡¯s enjoying her position.¡±


    Theo let a silence settle in between them. There were a few people in the wind that he wanted to know about, but there was one among them that made him concerned. ¡°What is Fenian doing?¡±


    ¡°His job,¡± Khahar said, revealing no additional information. ¡°I think there are a few things on the mortal plane that need to be sorted. Thankfully, he has access to the Bridge.¡±


    ¡°So, have you detected my silly attributes?¡± Theo found his mind wandering from the topic. There was a lot to do back in Broken Tusk, and a lot of that had to do with changing cores to be aligned with his realm.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Khahar asked.


    Theo explained his situation. How he exploited his potions and sent his attributes to stupid levels. Khahar listened with interest, nodding along as the alchemist spoke.


    ¡°Impressive. How many more attributes can you get?¡± Khahar asked.


    Theo smiled, nodding to himself. ¡°That depends. What do you think will happen when I change my Drogramath Alchemy Core to a Tero¡¯gal Alchemist Core? Will the potions I create count as new potions?¡±


    Khahar laughed. ¡°You weren¡¯t happy enough being this overpowered? You gotta reach for more?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Why not? You were a walking god.¡±


    Khahar took a moment to think about it, eventually shrugging. ¡°It might work. I can remember one example from the past where crafters earned world-firsts after getting aligned cores. It depends on how close the old potions are to the new ones.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I think Tero¡¯gal will have more to say about what my new potions look like than me.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Khahar said, looking up as though meeting the eyes of his world. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed my world has become willful. Almost as though it judges me.¡±


    ¡°Right? Like¡­ get off my back, planet. I¡¯m doing my best.¡±


    Khahar gave a brief tour of his world before Theo departed. There weren¡¯t many changes, because¡­ Yeah, Khahar had an idea this would happen. The alchemist had wondered why Khahak was a sprawling realm with cities dotting the landscape. He was preparing for an influx of real people. It was useless getting mad about it. Khahar had a way of keeping information to himself. Sometimes to protect others, and other times for selfish reasons. Theo was just happy to be here, standing with an old friend.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I think my attribute sickness is just about gone,¡± Theo said, shaking Khahar¡¯s hand. ¡°Thanks for the tour.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Ah, the timescale is going to change soon. Forgot to tell you.¡±


    ¡°To what?¡± Theo asked. The old timescale was five minutes on the mortal plane to twenty-four hours in the heavens.


    ¡°One minute to an hour,¡± Khahar said, nodding. ¡°The system is adjusting based on the new organization in the heavens. It¡¯ll reduce to one minute to a half-hour later, and perhaps another reduction.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the tip,¡± Theo said, allowing himself to slip through the cracks. ¡°See ya!¡±


    Theo landed in his bed, sucking in a breath. As expected, his sickness was gone. Rowan held something that looked suspiciously like an adult diaper. Sarisa grabbed at his pants, ready to reveal his bare ass and shove the diaper on him. The alchemist sprung from the bed, pivoting around the pair in a heartbeat. Before they could react, Sarisa was on her butt and Rowan wore a diaper on his head.


    ¡°What!¡± Rowan shouted, stumbling and falling over.


    ¡°I think I fractured my butt bone,¡± Sarisa groaned, rubbing her butt. ¡°Did you put points into Dexterity, you butthole?¡±


    It was impossible to hold back his laugh. Theo patted them both on the head, handing Sarisa a potion before he headed for the door. ¡°Come on. I wanna go to the temple.¡±


    Theo headed directly for the stone temple they had built. As expected, the dedications for the fallen gods had been removed. People prayed in the alcoves, speaking to ascendants who could no longer hear their prayers. The energy in the building was unmistakably that of Tero¡¯gal. It permeated the air, filling the temple with a deep sense of comfort. The alchemist turned, jerking his head toward the altar on the far side.


    ¡°Are you gonna kill us?¡± Sarisa asked. ¡°You know we only joke around because we love you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Theo said, jerking his head again. ¡°Get up there. Both of you.¡±


    Rowan shared a look with Sarisa. Theo didn¡¯t need his Wisdom to know what they were thinking. ¡°No, you can¡¯t take me,¡± he said. ¡°Up on the altar, I need to infuse your cores with power from Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re going to lose your connection to Baelthar. Likely soon.¡±


    This was the best path forward. Theo had a few days left in his Drogramathi cores, but everyone in town only had hours. Perhaps less. The temple was a nexus of power from the heavenly worlds, and was thick with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy. If there ever was a time for him to test if this worked, this was it. Rowan and Sarisa ascended to the altar, standing and shuffling their feet on the white stone.


    Theo pressed his hand into Rowan¡¯s chest. ¡°Your only aligned core is Baelthar Shadowstalker¡¯s Core, right?¡± Theo could feel the fading energy of the ogre ascendant. It was like a weak pulse in the neck of a dying person.


    ¡°Yeah, but my skills haven¡¯t been working lately.¡±


    The energy from Tero¡¯gal flowed through Theo. He acted as a conduit, infusing Rowan¡¯s core with his own energy. When he filled it to the top, he could feel it drinking. It sucked the energy down like a khahari finding an oasis in the desert. He filled it again, and it drank.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel so good, boss,¡± Rowan said, swaying on the spot.


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Theo commanded, kneeling to continue the process. Baelthar¡¯s energy was fighting back, but there wasn¡¯t enough of it to maintain a chokehold on the core. The alchemist realized he was missing a piece of the puzzle mid-way through the process. He reached out to his world, feeling the brush of recognition against his mind. It wasn¡¯t enough to fill someone¡¯s core with energy. When the ascendants made cores, they had influence over what that core did. Unlike those ascendant cores, the Throneworld would design these new ones.


    Tero¡¯gal didn¡¯t talk directly to Theo. Instead, it sent ideas and thoughts. Concepts for core designed flooded into the alchemist¡¯s mind. Tero¡¯gal was a peaceful world. It didn¡¯t want to focus on combat. Rowan¡¯s existing core made this easy. The Baelthar Shadowstalker¡¯s Core focused on controlling effects. He used a bow most of the time, but his skills were based around ensnaring enemies, rather than killing them. This made the Throneworld happy. It wove a new core.


    Rowan¡¯s eyes lit up with purple-white energy. His back arched as his core was remade where it was. The touch of Tero¡¯gal graced him as he was remade. The half-ogre lost consciousness.


    ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die!¡± Sarisa shouted, jumping from the raised altar and heading for the door. People looked up from their prayers, glaring at her.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± Theo said. ¡°And he has a new core.¡±


    Sarisa stopped at the door, looking back to her brother. Rowan groaned, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yeah, that sucked.¡± Rowan cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders and stretching. ¡°It worked, though.¡±


    Sarisa approached with caution, padding over as though Theo would pin her to the altar and force her to accept the new core. ¡°You good, brother?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Got a new core with new skills¡­ Oh, this is a good one.¡± Rowan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯m happy. Thrilled!¡±


    ¡°Share it!¡± Sarisa said, all-too-eager to see the result.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Rowan said.


    [Tero¡¯gal Shadowstitcher Core]


    Epic


    Ranger and Control Mage Core


    Bound


    4 Slots


    Level 25 (0%)


    A ranged controller core based on the concept of ensnaring opponents in shadow.


    Effect:


    +10 Dexterity


    ¡°All my control abilities changed,¡± Rowan said. ¡°I can shoot my arrows into a person¡¯s shadow and pin them in place. My stealth ability still works, but I can also jump into anyone¡¯s shadow that I¡¯ve marked.¡±


    Theo nodded with approval. It had elements of tracking-style classes, but had more to do with a person¡¯s shadow. The concept of shadows and the manipulation of those shadows was ingrained in Tero¡¯gal, so that made sense. The elements of control from the Control Mage class just made it even better.


    ¡°Do me next,¡± Sarisa said, laying on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Theo shook his head, pressing his hand into her chest. The amount of energy stored within Tero¡¯gal was vast. More than the reserves of power, it seemed eager to craft a new core. He once again acted as a conduit, allowing his world to remake her core. Sarisa had a few cores, but only her Baelthar Guardian¡¯s Core was aligned. The Throneworld understood the half-ogre woman¡¯s desire to keep her stealth skills. It also appreciated her guardian-style class, creating something interesting.


    Sarisa¡¯s back arched as Tero¡¯gal¡¯s power flowed through her. Light flooded from her eyes as her core was remade. She stopped spasming and rested on the hard floor of the temple. A few tense breaths later and she opened her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Sarisa shouted. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    [Tero¡¯gal Gloom Bulwark Core]


    Epic


    Guardian and Illusion Mage Core


    Bound


    4 Slots


    Level 28 (0%)


    A stealthy guardian based on the concepts of surprising enemies and surviving fights using their powerful tower shields.


    Effect:


    +15 Vigor


    Innate increase to the durability and effectiveness of shields.


    ¡°Why does she get more attributes?¡± Rowan asked, folding his arms.


    ¡°Suck it, loser!¡± Sarisa shouted.


    ¡°You need to stop learning phrases from Tresk,¡± Theo said, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°All my skills evolved. I got one called Unseen Bulwark that confuses enemies when they strike my shield.¡± Sarisa jumped to her feet, jumping up and down. ¡°This is awesome! Someone fight me!¡±


    As Sarisa and Rowan sparred in the temple, Theo created a message to the entire Southlands Alliance.


    [Theo]: Everyone with an aligned core please report to the temple in Broken Tusk. The power within your core will fade by the end of today. If you do not report to the temple, it is almost guaranteed any future cores will be less powerful.


    The tide of people that flooded into the temple came almost immediately. Good thing Alise arrived shortly after to usher them into an orderly line.

 6.42 - Insane and Undying

    There were too many people in line to handle in one day. Without Alise, the core exchange process would have been impossible. She not only organized the line, but triaged the people to ensure the most important ones got their cores swapped out. Tero¡¯gal gave cores related to themes of defensive powers and stealth, which wasn¡¯t even remotely surprising. It took parts from both Theo and Tresk, resulting in cores that were a mix of both their personalities.


    It wasn¡¯t the end of someone¡¯s life if their aligned cores lost their alignment. But unaligned cores were often far less powerful than the aligned ones. Theo inclined his head on the third day of the core exchange program, watching as Zarali and Xol¡¯sa walked into the temple. Zarali had been placed at the front of the line by Alise before she insisted she be placed at the back of the line. They were among the last to enter the temple, although Xol¡¯sa seemed adamant about refusing a core upgrade.


    Zarali¡¯s Drogramath Priestess Core had been upgraded in a path Theo didn¡¯t expect. It had become a Tero¡¯gal Healer¡¯s Core, removing all mentions of worship to her false god. Theo was shocked she didn¡¯t take the change worse, but everyone had enough time to accept the truth. In a world of constant change, it appeared even the gods weren¡¯t safe.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for the day,¡± Theo said, sighing. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must rest. We¡¯re preparing for the wedding,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, bringing a reminder Theo needed. He almost forgot about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not responsible for planning anything, am I?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Zarali said, clasping her hands together before her chest. ¡°Your attendance will be more than enough. Oh, I must test this core out at my workshop.¡±


    Zarali scampered off, leaving Theo and Xol¡¯sa mostly alone in the temple. The alchemist felt a tension build in the air, but that might have been from his apprehension. When the extra-planar wizard turned to him, he knew his fears would come true.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to prod, but have you made progress?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    Theo grit his teeth, drawing in a deep breath. The space elves had been locked away in a prison of their own making for thousands of years. What was a few days? Lying to Xol¡¯sa was the last thing he wanted to do. ¡°Bad news on that front.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Theo thought of the best way to broach the subject. Xol¡¯sa was a logical person, even with Intelligence of the Soul. ¡°Your people created a proto realm out in the void. They tried to use the power of the shards to stabilize the realm, but it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa nodded. ¡°I suppose that wouldn¡¯t work. No matter what the shards are, they lack the required underlying structure to support mortal life. I think I knew my people were gone.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s where it gets weird. They¡¯re not dead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Bara¡¯thier are¡­ insane and undying. They lurk around like statues, only moving when you aren¡¯t looking.¡±


    ¡°We must go,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, grabbing Theo by the arm.


    Theo winced, unsure that was such a good idea. ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. It isn¡¯t a pleasant sight.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa grabbed Theo by the shoulders, looking up at him with an intense glare. ¡°If they aren¡¯t dead, we can fix them. Right?¡±


    Maybe. Except the only guy who might have the power to fix someone¡¯s mind like that was currently sitting as Hallow, the new healing god. The restrictions placed on him would be serious enough to prevent him from curing an entire race of their disease. If it was a disease at all. Theo had no potion that could fix them. Bilgrob had been stripped of his healing power from Spit.


    ¡°How could we possibly fix them?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t know unless I see them.¡±


    Theo sighed, nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right. If they were my people, I¡¯d do everything I could. Are you ready to go?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa nodded eagerly.


    Using his Passage ability, Theo slipped through the veil with Xol¡¯sa. The elf screamed. Of course he did, the void had changed enough that no one that had been there before would recognize it. From a distance, it looked more like a dark solar system of swirling black and dots of sparse color. The sun-like object forming at the center became brighter by the day. Order had been restored to the endless void, in some chaotic way that was difficult to describe. The void wasn¡¯t meant to stay still.


    Theo angled them into the deep void, leaving behind the comforts of the tides. It was only easy to find the floating rock in infinite nothing because of the shards. Each put off a distinct signature that was easy to follow, allowing the duo to approach. Xol¡¯sa had stopped screaming. It was harder to find a place to land than the alchemist expected. He tuned into the energy of the shards, although it was faint. A moment later, he stood on the steps of the ziggurat, looking down with a grimace.


    A stunted array formed in front of Xol¡¯sa. His spell wouldn¡¯t form properly. Not that it would do much to the hundred space elves standing like statues below them. Motionless.


    ¡°This is horrific,¡± Xol¡¯sa gasped, looking between Theo and the crowd below. ¡°How many are there?¡±


    Theo would have reached out with his senses, but he didn¡¯t want to use up what little power his Zaul core had left. ¡°At least that many,¡± he said, unhelpfully. ¡°Aren¡¯t they creepy?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa gave him a reproachful look. ¡°Those are my people.¡±


    ¡°They can be your people and still be creepy. Why don¡¯t you go touch one, see what they do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely not going to touch one. Ah! That one moved!¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to call the guy ¡®that one¡¯? He might be your uncle.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping. And my magic isn¡¯t working here.¡± Xol¡¯sa folded his arms, turning back to the shard behind them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to bring that back to the mortal world?¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Void stepped out of nowhere, hands on his hips as he glared through his spiral void of a face at Theo. ¡°He is delaying.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever moved powerful crystals across dimensions?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I need to understand a lot of crap before I can consider moving them from where they are. So, yeah. I¡¯m delaying because I don¡¯t know how to do this.¡±


    ¡°That is troublesome, isn¡¯t it?¡± Void asked, looking down at the space elves below. ¡°Why do they have to be so creepy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was saying.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Xol¡¯sa looked between Theo and Void. ¡°Is this¡­ a true god?¡±


    ¡°I forgot you guys haven¡¯t met. Void, this is Xol¡¯sa. He¡¯s a space elf, but he isn¡¯t acting like a statue.¡± Theo gestured between the two men.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I guess.¡± Void seemed more grumpy than normal.


    ¡°Should I bow? Or grovel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the fun part. The new gods have less power over mortals than the old ones.¡±


    ¡°The ascendants were never gods.¡± Void grumbled. ¡°They were pretenders. A god¡¯s responsibilities aren¡¯t to meddle in mortal affairs. Speaking of, there are a few things I need you to clean up.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ll just meddle through the Throne Holders?¡± Theo asked, shaking his head. ¡°I get it. How many pieces of Balkor are left on the mortal plane?¡±


    ¡°Too many. But your concern should be the shards. I have a location for each. Although after Fenian carved up your continent, I¡¯m not sure where to place that one¡­¡±


    ¡°My people¡­¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gathering his thoughts. ¡°Do you know how we can cure them?¡±


    ¡°Take them from here would be your first move. Before the shards go.¡± Void shrugged before nodding into the distance. ¡°There are about five-thousand here. So, you¡¯ll need somewhere safe to keep them while they recover. Somewhere secluded.¡±


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That might work. They¡¯re touched by the void. Which means they¡¯ve absorbed too much void energy. If they absorb the energy from another world, they should recover.¡±


    Perhaps that was a bit too easy. But if there was anyone who knew what he was talking about, it was the guy named after the problem. Void hadn¡¯t led Theo astray so far. He was a hardass, but their goals aligned almost perfectly. Bringing order to a disorderly world was something he could get behind.


    ¡°Can I ask a question before you vanish without warning?¡± Theo asked, turning to Void.


    ¡°I might not answer. Or I might vanish mid-question.¡±


    ¡°Who made this world? Who brought us here?¡±


    Void laughed. ¡°Oh, boy. Interesting questions. Can¡¯t answer the first one. But you know who brought you here. That bird-guy did.¡±


    ¡°Why did he bring us here? Just to save us from Earth?¡±


    Void took a few long moments to plan his response. ¡°I¡¯m not the best person to ask. Elrin, Meya, Zeal¡­ even Cakes would give you a better response. I¡¯ll give you this, Theo. What happened to Earth is more complicated than you might think. The sun¡¯s expansion was a purposeful act to work against something someone had done to destabilize the world. The bird had to jump through some serious hoops to make everything work together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure¡­ And he¡¯s gone.¡± Theo sighed, looking at the spot where Void just was. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that name before. Elrin.¡±


    The Harbinger caused the sun to expand, destroying Earth¡­ but why. That entity never seemed as though he moved against Earth or this new world negatively. Theo had always thought he was there to do a job as an observer. He had expanded the sun to work against something someone had done to destabilize the world. What did that mean? One thing was certain. There was a connection between that and the ¡®other place¡¯ Jan talked about. The grizzled detective would have some questions to answer when Theo returned to the mortal world.


    ¡°How much research can you do about your people back on the mortal plane?¡± Theo asked.


    Xol¡¯sa considered the question for a moment, scratching his chin. ¡°Well, I can view the energy here. I suppose I could investigate the magic and come up with a plan.¡±


    Theo pointed at a space elf that had moved a finger. ¡°I saw that. I was still looking at you, weirdo. Anyway, I¡¯ll ask around for a cure. We can¡¯t predict what happens if we snag the shards and bolt.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, shivering. ¡°Although the faces are familiar, they¡¯re giving me chills.¡±


    Slipping back through the cracks, Theo let his mind rest as they traveled through the void. There was enough to think about without creating problems in his thoughts. Bringing the shards back and helping the space elves rose to the top of his list. Although the power in his Drogramath cores was fading by the day, bringing up another concerning problem. At least the alchemist had made all the potions he could, earning his absurd amount of attributes.


    Xol¡¯sa looked dizzy when the duo returned to the mortal plane. He leaned against Theo, but was soon supported by Zarali.


    ¡°I hope it went well,¡± Zarali said, her tone revealing that she suspected it went poorly.


    ¡°It went better than expected.¡± Theo shrugged. The trip really could have gone worse. ¡°Xol¡¯sa has some things to think about. Perhaps you can offer some insight on the space elves, Zarali.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy to try. Perhaps we can work with Sulvan. His cores are just as strong as ever.¡±


    Theo watched as the pair headed off and heaved a sigh. Things hadn¡¯t been going wrong, but they weren¡¯t going right either. It had been a week of turns he hadn¡¯t expected. As he talked about it frequently enough, Jan might have some insight on what Void said. The alchemist remained in the temple for a few minutes, checking the power of the cores within his chest. Zaul¡¯s core was behaving strangely. It hadn¡¯t lost most of its potency. Perhaps that was only because he tried to use it as little as possible. But at the point of never using it, he might as well not have it.


    Theo stopped by the Newt and Demon before heading over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. While Salire was the first person to get her hands on a Tero¡¯gal Alchemy and Tero¡¯gal Herbalism Core, she promised not to create any potions until he was ready. It might have been a good idea to split the attribute points between them, but he hadn¡¯t decided.


    ¡°Have you found anything?¡± Theo asked.


    Salire offered him a sheepish smile. ¡°You won¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be making as many potions. And we¡¯re going to need a lot more equipment.¡±


    Theo smiled, patting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I expected changes. Anything noteworthy?¡±


    ¡°From what I can understand, we¡¯ll need to do some intense refinement of reagents. I don¡¯t have my head around it yet. Not completely.¡±


    Theo tapped his foot, gritting his teeth for only a moment. Did it really matter? A new path for alchemy would be fun. And if Tero¡¯gal built it off of Drogramath¡¯s version, it wouldn¡¯t be too different. ¡°You already put an order in to Throk, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Salire struck a pose.


    ¡°You¡¯re the best. I¡¯ll be back later today so we can start.¡±


    ¡°Take these,¡± Salire said, handing over her notes.


    Theo flipped through each page before handing the notes back. He tapped his temple. ¡°312 Wisdom. Thanks, though.¡±


    Salire laughed as Theo made his way from the building. She had come to a conclusion about the new form of alchemy, but it was all theory. Based on the class core description and ability descriptions, they would need to do the same form of alchemy as before. But instead of distilling the essence at a one-to-one ratio, it would be far less. And the resulting essence would be far more reactive. Which meant more explosions.


    ¡°Is Aarok around?¡± Theo asked, tapping his fingers on the front desk of the guild.


    ¡°He¡¯s looking for you,¡± A half-ogre man said. ¡°Up in his office.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s always good,¡± Theo said, pushing off from the counter. He ascended the steps, cracking Aarok¡¯s door before entering. ¡°Why do I have a bad feeling about this?¡±


    ¡°You remember that guy you wanted us to trust?¡± Aarok asked. ¡°He ran.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking. Where did he run to?¡±


    ¡°North as far as we can tell. No one can catch him¡ªeven after they figured out he was gone.¡±


    Theo closed his eyes. There was no way he got that many levels in such a short time. ¡°We¡¯ve been deceived.¡±

 6.43 - Evolution

    ¡°Sweet. Now we have a juiced up super detective from Earth roaming the northern wastes. What could go wrong?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what his plans are.¡±


    ¡°Is it a coincidence that I cast Twist from Death¡¯s realm at the same time Jan went rogue?¡± Theo asked. ¡°He¡¯s going after Twist. They knew each other, and the relationship didn¡¯t seem friendly.¡±


    Aarok¡¯s brow furrowed as he steepled his fingers. ¡°Twist was a snake. If he dies, he dies.¡±


    Theo sighed, rolling his shoulders. Aarok wasn¡¯t wrong to assume Twist had an agenda, but was it malicious? He wanted something in the northlands back in the day, so he must have found it. That was likely how he got to the true heavens¡­ But Twist had been a big help with information. He had warned them about the underground area, especially after Pogo and the Russian rock people stopped defending the area. No, the masked elf¡¯s motives were too mercurial for even the alchemist¡¯s high Wisdom and his Soul messages.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let them fight, if only to keep our people out of it.¡± Theo leaned against a bare wall, allowing his intuition to search all possible outcomes. ¡°Unless we feel like trudging north. Which I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like rogue adventurers under my watch.¡±


    ¡°Then go find him. But be warned. If the system gave him access to what he had before, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll fare well. The more I learn about Earth before my time, the more I¡¯m convinced I know nothing.¡±


    Aarok folded his arms, gazing up at Theo with a grumpy look on his face. ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up. It could have ended poorly. Better to let the overpowered idiots fight it out in the wastelands.¡±


    Aarok sighed, but eventually nodded.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m faster than hell now. If Jan wants to start something with us, I¡¯ll wrestle him.¡±


    Aarok looked up from his desk, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Are you serious? Do you need to see a healer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m serious. Come on, try and hit me. I¡¯m fast now.¡±


    132 Dexterity was a lot of Dexterity. But that wasn¡¯t the only reason Theo was so fast. He watched as the ghostly image of Aarok stood from his desk, withdrawing a bow from nowhere. He knocked an arrow, pulled the string back, and released an arrow. The arrow would have slammed into the space next to the alchemist¡¯s head. When the real arrow flew, he snatched it from the air and sent it spinning back at Aarok. The arrow thumped into the desk.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Aarok said, looking between the arrow and Theo. ¡°I¡¯m a bit impressed. How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fast. Faster than I should be¡ªand I¡¯m only going to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°I should put you in the militia.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks. But if Jan shows up, I¡¯ll have something for him.¡± Theo thought about any other topics they could cover. That seemed to sum the problem up well enough. Twist was gone and Jan was gone. Unless either returned, there was no reason for them to act. Jan had only even got away because he was working on the railroad project to the north. The only person who could have chased him was Aarok, but he wasn¡¯t built for combat.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave it where it is for now. I guess.¡± Aarok dismissed the conversation just like that. Theo found his way out of the office, but knew the leader of the guild would establish more patrols. More night watches. Anything to keep the town safe with another loose end out in the world.


    Theo had other things to worry about. Glantheir might have given him some time with his Drogramath cores, but that time would run out soon enough. It was better to get it over with now, transitioning to the Tero¡¯gal cores while he had a moment to take a breath. The only cores he wanted to worry about today were his alchemy, herbalism, and governance cores. The power in his Toru¡¯aun core was fading slower than the others. He could delay it by a few days.


    Making his way to the temple, Theo passed a few people along the way. Most were those who had visited the temple to get their cores changed, so it was an interesting contrast to the task he had before him. Considering his Drogramath Governance Core as a stepping stone to this moment, the whole thing seemed cyclical. The Drogramath Dedication ability had set him on the path of changing cores, and now here he was. Ready to switch away from devolution to a pretender god.


    Theo sat on the steps to the raised platform in the temple, focusing on the power of Tero¡¯gal. Becoming a conduit for that power had become second nature. He allowed it to flow into his alchemy core, feeling it fill with renewed energy. The change it produced was strange. There was an invisible connection he used to feel. Something that linked him to Drogramath. With that god gone, he was left feeling a vague sense of emptiness that only his Tara¡¯hek Core and Tero¡¯gal filled.


    The change didn¡¯t take long. Theo felt the essence of his core changing. He felt his connection to Tero¡¯gal grow, as though he was standing right there. A flash of recognition moved over him, giving some unseen nod to his actions. A moment later, he was on the floor, looking up at the high ceiling of the temple. He read the message that appeared in his vision.


    [Core Evolution]


    Your [Drogramath Alchemy Core] has evolved into a [Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Core]. The following abilities have also evolved:


    [Drogramath Distillery Specialty], [Drogramath Inventory], [Drogramath Dedication]


    It made sense those abilities would evolve. They were specific to Drogramath, after all. He went through the list of abilities, checking for changes.


    [Tero¡¯gal Distillery Specialty]


    Alchemy Skill


    Legendary


    You embody the perfection of distillation. Distillation produces potent forms of extract, although these extracts are considered extremely volatile.


    Effect:


    Allows the user to operate specialized distillery equipment at near-perfect efficiency. Tero¡¯gal distillation equipment focuses on the production of potent potions, distilled from magical reagents.


    Allows the user to gauge, by eye, the exact quantity of mixtures in units.


    +12 Wisdom


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The changes here were subtle. The increased wisdom¡ªfrom 2 to 12¡ªwas welcome. But the text of the description had changed, along with the first line of the effects. It mentioned Tero¡¯gal distillation specifically, which was interesting. This must have been the thing Salire wrote in her notes. The mention of potent potions was concerning, but they would push through that like everything else. Drogramath Inventory had changed, but only by calling it Tero¡¯gal Inventory. It had no changed effects, granting the same 32-slot inventory as the one before.


    Theo suspected Drogramath Dedication to be the ability most impacted by this change and inspected it. He wasn¡¯t wrong.


    [Tero¡¯gal Beacon]


    Alchemy and Herbalism Skill


    Unique


    The holder of this skill is a beacon that reflects the ideals of Tero¡¯gal. They are either held in esteem or are one of the creators of that world.


    Effect:


    Removes the meta barrier between the core user¡¯s soul and all Tero¡¯gal cores.


    Two Tero¡¯gal cores may be selected, never again to be removed.


    All other cores will be considered sub-cores, and may no longer add to your personal level.


    All other cores will be capped at the average level between your two main cores.


    Once per day, you may infuse any skill, spell, ability, crafted item, etc with the power of Tero¡¯gal, increasing their effect significantly, depending on the power of Tero¡¯gal.


    The skill still provided the base for what made Drogramath Dedication an excellent skill. Theo was happy to see he hadn¡¯t lost that advantage. But it also removed some restrictions, and added an effect similar to his Zaul core. Could he Tero¡¯gal-wrap something now? That required testing. He inspected the core itself before moving on.


    [Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Core]


    Legendary


    Alchemy Core


    Bound


    5 Slots


    Level 33 (25%)


    [Alchemy Core] given to the followers of Tero¡¯gal


    Effect:


    Increases the synergy of [Alchemy] abilities.


    +12 Wisdom


    [Unstable Material Handling]


    [Tero¡¯gal Distillery Specialty]


    [High Pressure Refining]


    [Reagent Deconstruction]


    [Tero¡¯gal Beacon]


    No surprises there. It had taken the Drogramath Alchemy Core and made it slightly different. Theo focused on evolving his herbalist core next. It was much like the first process. The core drank the power up as though dying of thirst, evolving just as quickly as the last one. Theo got a similar message when it evolved, once again sending him to his ass.


    [Core Evolution]


    Your [Drogramath Herbalist Core] has evolved into a [Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core]. The following abilities have also evolved:


    [Drogramath Herbalism], [Drogramath Fermentation]


    Theo cracked his knuckles, inspecting the first skill on the list.


    [Tero¡¯gal Herbalism]


    Herbalism Skill


    Rare


    Denizens of Tero¡¯gal inherit their creator¡¯s knack for identifying reagents. This skill allows you to identify the properties of reagents by tasting or decomposing them.


    Effect:


    You have a sense whether something will produce alchemical ingredients.


    +6 Intelligence


    This was the most plain change for his skills. It was clearer on what he could do to find properties on reagents, but only added another three points for his intelligence. He moved on to inspect the next skill on his list.


    [Tero¡¯gal Fermentation]


    Herbalism Skill


    Epic


    Fermentation allows an herbalist to extract even more from reagents. Accepting this skill allows you to understand the fine workings of reagents, pulling even more from the already useful plants.


    Effect:


    Fermentations you perform happen rapidly, compared to those without this skill.


    Allows the modification of reagents to produce special modifier essences.


    +12 Wisdom


    The skill had switched from Intelligence to Wisdom, which was strange. But it was effectively the same thing. Theo read through the text a few times before he was satisfied. His most important cores had evolved into something he could use without worrying about if Drogramath died or not. He sat in the temple for a long time, looking up at the ceiling.


    When Theo entered this world, he viewed Drogramath as an antagonistic figure in his life. As he thought back on it, he realized he was right. No matter how a person looked at it, the false gods of the world had tried to use him for their purposes. From the first time Drogramath tried to interdict him, to the placating tone he used when the end was near. Mortals were puppets for the ascendants to use, and the alchemist couldn¡¯t be happier after they had been cast from their false thrones.


    Bowing to Void, Death, and the others seemed like a fine thing to do. Because those gods had not interfered with the mortal world. Yes, Void had visited the mortal world, but only for a moment. After he teleported way, he joined the heavens and never returned. So long as those gods kept to themselves, he would be happy. Whatever the new system of divinity was, it would be better than the old one.


    ¡°Copper for your thoughts?¡± Tresk asked, coming to sit beside him. She had avoided him, trying not to get her cores evolved until the last moment. A Wisdom of the Soul message appeared.


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    Check the new pantheon. You have a bad feeling that a shadowy dude not only evaded the wrath of the new gods, but found himself a seat at the table. You know this because the power in your Zaul core hasn¡¯t faded. Neither has the power in Tresk¡¯s cores.


    ¡°We might have a problem,¡± Theo said, patting Tresk on the head. ¡°You¡¯ve never met Zaul, have you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. He whispers stuff to me sometimes, but I can¡¯t ever understand him.¡±


    ¡°You know what?¡± Theo asked, dusting his butt off after leaving the dirty floor of the temple. ¡°Sounds a lot like not my problem. Just expect your cores to evolve soon. I think Zaul ascended to true godhood.¡±


    ¡°That nutty buddy?¡± Tresk asked, snorting. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost positive. Come on. I want to check out this new alchemy Salire is working on.¡±


    Theo headed off from the temple, Tresk following close behind. He paused outside of the temple, turning his head slowly to gaze at Alex. He blinked a few times before he could understand what he was looking at. A pair of lizard feet were poking out of her chest, and her normal webbed feet were looking more like that of a dragon. He swallowed, turned, and walked toward the Newt and Demon. Stranger things had happened.


    Tresk hopped up the stairs first, screaming as she threw open the third floor¡¯s door and scaring Salire. Theo was up soon after, finding his assistant panting for breath and hurling curses at the marshling. She had moved all the equipment around, placing them into sections of the lab.


    ¡°How is it looking?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Bad.¡± Salire said, pausing to make a rude gesture at Tresk. The marshling returned the favor. ¡°I¡¯m questioning the stability of essences when they come out of the stills. I¡¯ve got a sample over there I don¡¯t wanna touch.¡±


    Theo spotted the sample she was talking about. Moving to inspect¡ªwithout touching¡ªhe found it was a first tier Healing Essence. Nothing fancy. But silver globs of something rested atop the mixture, dancing and sizzling. It was a different kind of reaction than he was used to. Impurities had snuck into the mix, but instead of creating an unusable essence, they had risen to the top after distillation.


    ¡°This is very weird,¡± Theo said, looking closer. He planned on grabbing it, but watched as a phantom version of himself hoisted it only to explode. ¡°Yeah, no one touch it. Actually¡­¡±


    Theo took the essence into his inventory. ¡°There. Well this is a big problem. Theories?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a still coming that should help. Unfortunately, our production is going to be much slower.¡±


    That sounded fine to Theo. The frantic way they treated potions now always annoyed him. It was a constant grind to get more. As interesting as the industrialization of potion making was, it was exciting to see another way. The alchemist withdrew the book he and Salire had written, thumping it on the table.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready. We gotta write a new book.¡±


    ¡°Boo. Books are boring,¡± Tresk complained.


    ¡°Books are not boring. You¡¯re boring.¡± Salire glared at her again.


    Tresk could be abrasive at times. She had drifted far from the times where she would watch Theo perform alchemy in his lab. But she had her own life which usually involved stabbing things. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands. ¡°Maybe we can cobble together something that will work.¡±

 6.44 - Duels and Mage Cores

    There was once a thriving city in the endless crater. Jan stood at the edge of that crater, following the line drawn for him by his skill. Rain poured overhead, pooling in spots near the edge of the hole before falling down the edge like an endless waterfall. The pool that had collected in the bottom was vast, soon to be an impressive lake if the rainfall continued. He found a seat on a rock, looking down at the shattered mask of Twist. It would be easy to pull the trigger now. But that was an act that would provide no closure.


    The masked elf stirred eventually. Pushing himself to a seated position and casting aside his broken mask. The scarred features of an aging warrior greeted him. Twist nodded, rubbing his head as though the fall had only given him a bump.


    ¡°How long have you been waiting for this?¡± Jan asked, gesturing with his revolver.


    ¡°Not as long as you would think,¡± Twist said, rolling his shoulders. He checked his hips, finding his weapons there.


    ¡°We thought you were on our side, you know. Thought you were one of us. Should¡¯ve never trusted an alien.¡±


    Twist scoffed, looking up to the sky above. A bolt of lightning streaked across the clouds as the rain ran down his face. ¡°Does it even matter? You won. There. Is that what you wanted to hear?¡±


    ¡°No. I want to know why you joined Death¡¯s side. Why did you open the Gate?¡±


    Twist released a heavy sigh, falling back into the mud. ¡°Because I thought my people could survive. A hope that we wouldn¡¯t become fuel for this transition.¡±


    Jan leaned in, training the revolver on the elf. ¡°You don¡¯t listen. You¡¯ve never listened. That¡¯s what we stopped, you idiot. We put a pause on the whole damn thing. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. Again.¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Gates helped, didn¡¯t they? Your friends were in trouble, and you helped them. That should make us even.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t and you know that. What you brought to Earth cannot be forgiven. None of this would have happened if you didn¡¯t.¡± Jan considered if he wanted a fair fight or not. There was something within Twist that could be redeemed, but he was too damn angry. If the elf did nothing back then, they could have been spared sixty-thousand years of shit for this world. That deserved a little blood. ¡°Come on. Just like the old days.¡±


    ¡°A duel?¡± Twist asked, scoffing. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re going to try setting terms.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a duel. Like I said, I think your people are somewhere. Maybe the queue they were talking about. We can talk about it after you¡¯re full of holes.¡± Jan rose to his feet, preparing to fire. Twist was always fast. He tightened his grip on his other weapon. That Throk guy was a genius. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Ready¡­¡± Twist vanished. Jan pulled the trigger on the modified sawnoff he held in his coat, facing backwards. The elf went flying back from the force of the magically enhanced weapon.


    ¡°Same old tricks,¡± Jan said, stalking toward Twist. ¡°You gotta work on that, buddy.¡±


    Twist groaned, rising to a seated position. The pellets hadn¡¯t pierced his skin. But it must have hurt. He growled, launching himself toward Jan with his weapons sweeping out.


    <hr>


    ¡°The first tier should be almost the same.¡± Theo quaffed a Health Potion, the burns on his forearm fading in an instant.


    Salire blinked from the ground, her face covered in soot. ¡°Throk isn¡¯t going to be happy we blew his equipment up.¡±


    ¡°We can afford to scrap ten old stills.¡± Theo kicked at the pile of Drogramathi Iron. ¡°Small-scale tests are going to work best for now. That might just be the key.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make the first step pressurization, would it?¡±


    [Wisdom of the Soul]


    It is impossible to conclude what the Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Core would want for a first stage of distillation. More than likely, your focus should be on controlling variables before or during the distillation process.


    ¡°My magic cheating pop-up said we should control variables before or during.¡± Theo shrugged, not completely sure what it wanted him to do.


    ¡°Perhaps we can use something to draw out the impurities beforehand?¡±


    Theo thought about that for a moment. His Drogramath Distillery Specialty changed to Tero¡¯gal Distillery Specialty, and the description changed with it. If only perfection was accepted during the process, she might have been right. But he found it hard to reprogram his thought process. He had been using Drogramath¡¯s alchemy since he arrived, and had only entertained the other forms of alchemy to distribute recipes to others.


    ¡°When you¡¯re creating a salve with the standard form of alchemy, you create and bind a paste with the reagent. Let¡¯s move forward assuming our reagents are twice as volatile, and our skills won¡¯t help us.¡±


    ¡°Worth a shot,¡± Salire said, withdrawing ingredients from her inventory.


    For the first test, they added more iron shavings than they needed. The resulting explosion was less impressive than the last, so they tried it again. This time, they used hunks of iron, rather than shavings. Ground Spiny Swamp Thistle Root went into the still with Purified Water and an equal chunk of iron. The idea was to use the iron as a gathering agent, rather than a catalyst. When this also caused an explosion, the pair took a break for discussion and theories.


    Theo listened to the ideas Salire had, but found his attention drawn far in the distance. He felt something, although it was difficult to describe. He dismissed the chill running up his spine, turning back to his work. The working theory was that Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy would be more ¡®perfect¡¯ than Drogramath¡¯s version. That meant impurities had to be removed before or during the first phase of distillation.


    ¡°Reduce the amount of material going into the still,¡± Theo said, pushing himself to his feet. He worked a knot out of his back by stretching, tilting his head to either side until he heard a satisfying pop. ¡°We¡¯ll introduce iron at a two-to-one ratio.¡±


    ¡°Think it¡¯ll work?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Theo kicked the remnants of Throk¡¯s old still, searching until he found what he was looking for. He picked up the chunk of iron, holding it out for Salire to see. ¡°Chunks of crystalized impurities gathered on the iron.¡±


    Salire pursed her lips, her nose almost pressing against the iron as she looked at it. ¡°What about a bunch of small iron balls, instead of one big one? More surface area, maybe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s worth a shot. This might lead to problems, but I have a feeling this might work. We just need to find a bunch of¡­¡± Theo trailed off, watching as Salire withdrew exactly what they needed from her inventory.


    ¡°From an unrelated project,¡± Salire said, waving him away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, I¡¯m more worried.¡±


    If Theo and Salire were right, this would be the biggest roadblock for their new form of alchemy. It would produce a lot of alchemical waste, and the yields would be quite small. Whatever essence they could squeeze from the stills would be a tenth of what they could produce before. But the alchemist always had a problem with the amount of potions they were cranking out. Perhaps this was the system¡¯s way of hamstringing the process, removing an unfair advantage Drogramath had on the world.


    When the still exploded the next time, Theo got more insight than he had expected. Salire ran to get one of the junior artificers to make adjustments to their remaining stills. Theo flicked the man a silver coin when he was done, going over the change. The floor for the heat had been lowered significantly. It could go as low as a gentle heat, barely above room temperature, while only going as high as before. His thoughts were of a slow heating. A ¡®perfect¡¯ heating.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t exploding,¡± Salire said, hiding behind a tree.


    The mixture contained iron balls in ratio of ten-to-one to the mashed reagent. The water was still at a one-to-one ratio with the reagent, but the quantity was minimal. Five units for this first test. Theo started the heat at just below the ambient temperature around them, which was decently hot, even with the Season of Fire fading.


    ¡°This is the boring part,¡± Theo said, kneeling to check the gauges on the artifice. He had it set to increase the heat over the next five hours, finally boiling at the end of that time. ¡°You¡¯re following, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not sure I like it.¡± Salire sighed. ¡°Our Drogramath power stabilized the mixture before. Now we have to rely on skill.¡±


    Theo laughed to himself. They had all the tools and experience they needed to figure this out. Both had an intimate understanding of Drogramath¡¯s alchemy. They had crafted countless potions, worked the stills for days at a time, allowing them to understand the inner workings of the art. This might have been a different process, but it was close enough. The alchemist himself had run into a problem with alchemical waste while learning how pressurization worked. This was an adjacent problem he was certain he could solve.


    ¡°The theory is simple. We need to throw out all concepts of imperfection. Anything that would result in a less pure run has to go. In theory, we could run a batch of perfect reagents from the wild. Except those are extremely rare.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Salire said, still unwilling to come out from behind the tree. ¡°I think.¡±


    It didn¡¯t have to make sense. They just had to keep trying until something worked. The longer they tried different things, the more they could narrow down what the exact problem was. Thanks to Throk¡¯s artifices, they didn¡¯t need to watch the still as it worked. Salire headed off to take stock of their potion supply, issuing an order to the town to ration them for now. Theo left the notes to her, since he had no interest in it. He enjoyed the end result of the book, just not the work that went into it.


    Theo took his break from alchemy to take care of something else that was important. Both his governance and Toru¡¯aun cores were important to daily life. He didn¡¯t use his Toru¡¯aun Mage¡¯s Core often, but when he did the applications were important. With her power fading in the core by the day, he needed to take care of it. While he was at it, he would fix up his governance core. Although there was likely to be almost no changes to that one. Hopefully.


    Theo made his way to the temple, finding more people than ever praying there. He assumed the altar and got to work on his cores, starting with his Drogramath Governance Core. This one seemed the most willing to change of all the others he had worked with. It accepted the power from Tero¡¯gal, evolving without an issue. When the message appeared, there were almost no changes on the core itself besides the name. The only skill that evolved was the Order From Chaos skill, which changed to something slightly better.


    [Subtle Stockpiles]


    Tero¡¯gal Governance Skill


    Epic


    Creates a Consumable Stockpile within the nation¡¯s storage. Those with permission may grant others access to this stockpile, allowing them to withdraw designated consumables from the stockpile while within the nation.


    Effect:


    A Consumable is added to your Kingdom Core.


    While it was unclear what the system considered a consumable, this was an upgrade. Because potions were absolutely a consumable, this just added more things they could toss in that storage. The alchemist moved on, working on evolving his mage core. This one was less willing to change. When it did, the entire class changed. Theo wiped his brow after the message appeared, feeling something within him change on a fundamental level.


    ¡°This is gonna be a lot of reading,¡± Theo muttered to himself, pulling the class core up.


    [Tero¡¯gal Mage¡¯s Core]


    Unique


    Mage Core


    Bound


    4 Slots


    Level 29 (93%)


    A mage core given to the followers of Tero¡¯gal. This time of magecraft finds its roots in the Illusion Mage class, adding elements of reactive wards based on alchemy principles. Willpower may be woven into your spells, increasing their effectiveness.


    Innate Skills:


    [Sensitive Weaving]


    Effect:


    [Ward Mastery]


    [Willpower-Fueled Ward Propagation]


    [Sympathetic Effects]


    [Intuitive Nodes]


    The only skill that hadn¡¯t experienced a change was Intuitive Nodes, since that was a Tero¡¯gal skill already. Looking back on it, Theo should have realized this was the way forward for him. When all his skills began showing up related to Tero¡¯gal, he should have noticed he was soaking up a lot of the energy from his old realm. He went down the line, looking at how every skill had changed.


    [Ward Mastery]


    Tero¡¯gal Mage Skill


    Legendary


    Subverts the nature of your wards, allowing you greater access to effects and the ability to place them on any item, person, monster, surface, etc.


    Effect:


    When casting your warding spells, you may apply them to anything.


    Understanding the property of an alchemy effect allows you to add that effect to a ward.


    This skill had evolved from Surface Application, and the change was welcome. It was less specialized in the description, but Theo doubted the effect would be much different. The restrictions on the length his wards would last on various surfaces was gone. It made direct mentions to alchemy this time, which might allow him access to more powerful effects.


    [Willpower-Fueled Ward Propagation]


    Tero¡¯gal Demon Mage Skill


    Rare


    Infuse your wards with willpower, creating a feedback loop.


    Effect:


    Increases the length of your wards based on willpower.


    The change here was simple. Instead of fueling his wards to last longer in general, he now fed them his willpower. Which meant his wards would last forever. This evolution was an upgrade no matter how he looked at it.


    [Sympathetic Effects]


    Tero¡¯gal Demon Mage Skill


    Epic


    Allows the user to link the effects of their spells.


    Effect:


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


    Linked spells will produce new effects, increased durations, instability, etc.


    This skill had evolved from the Linked Wards skill, which had previously allowed him to connect two wards. Now he could connect two spells, not just wards. That brought something up in Theo¡¯s mind. This core wasn¡¯t focused on just wards. It had a specialty in wards, but if the descriptions were accurate, he could now cast spells like a normal mage. Perhaps a mage fueled by willpower, rather than hard work and study, but a mage nonetheless.  The alchemist had a sudden need to cast a bunch of overpowered spells.


    ¡°Perhaps best if I move somewhere safe,¡± Theo said, looking around at the people praying in the temple. ¡°Can¡¯t just go exploding the temple.¡±

 6.45 - Absurd Duration

    ¡°What gives?¡± Tresk asked, folding her arms and pouting.


    Standing in the Dreamwalk, Theo looked over the imagined space, his eyes tracing the lines of the hills outside Broken Tusk. He could see his golem-operated farm here, although none of his creations were working. The area seemed calmer than it normally was, as the buzz of activity they normally experienced was absent. He felt no urgency to get things done, instead experiencing only the soothing effects of the dream.


    ¡°They finally caught on to us,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. He wasn¡¯t surprised. The new gods wouldn¡¯t let this fly forever. He had expected them to clamp down on it sooner, but knew they weren¡¯t at full strength. ¡°I can¡¯t use my willpower exploit.¡±


    ¡°I just want to see some dragons.¡±


    ¡°The dragons you make are always a little weird, anyway. Even with Pogo as reference.¡±


    Tresk narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Weird? How?¡±


    ¡°Too many toes,¡± Theo said, dismissing the subject with a wave. ¡°This is good, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we love the new gods. Praise the new gods and whatever. I¡¯m just worried about when my Zaul cores go poof.¡±


    ¡°Not gonna happen. I think he¡¯s making a run for the new pantheon. They¡¯re gonna call him Shadow or something like that. Since they don¡¯t use their real names.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Gottem. Alright, guess I¡¯m fighting regular monsters. Lame! Wait¡­¡±


    The Dreamwalk shuddered under their feet. The dark entity she had fought above Qavell came into view, looming menacingly in the sky. Without delay, Tresk mounted Alex and took to the sky. Theo sighed. Why would the system allow her to summon that but not a dragon? Probably because she was attempting to make her own version of a dragon, rather than the real one. She had summoned a vision of the dark entity that was close enough to the real thing. Of course, she was using the Tara¡¯hek Union skill. It made Theo feel funny, but offered no other negative effects.


    Turning away from the battle after watching for a bit¡ªAlex¡¯s dragon-like features were becoming more visible by the day¡ªTheo turned to his alchemy studies. Tero¡¯gal¡¯s form of alchemy was already turning out to be very weird.


    As expected, the Dreamwalk was restrictive again. No amount of willpower would allow him to overpower the dream, forcing him to stick to only the things he had done before. It was an understandable restriction, considering how much they had already exploited it. Instead, he turned his attention to what he knew and his sharpened instincts. Tero¡¯gal didn¡¯t just generate a form of alchemy that was aligned with the ideals of the Throneworld, it took into account other things.


    Drogramath¡¯s alchemy was never meant to produce industrial quantities of potions. The designer thought his people would be on the run for their entire lives, never settling down. The system was correcting itself, and Theo doubted this would be the last time. For now, all Theo could do was figure out how his new style worked.


    ¡°Go over what you know. Work from there.¡±


    Theo¡¯s wisdom told him he was already on the right track. He imagined a 50-unit version of Throk¡¯s stills¡ªone that he had made for very small batches. It filled half-way with mashed reagents at a thought, filling the rest of the way with Purified Water. The thing about Tero¡¯gal Alchemy was how sensitive it was. Water was inert, as far as alchemy went, but heating the mixture had caused explosive problems. Assuming heat was the only problem was shortsighted, though.


    As if taking a page from Theo¡¯s own thought process, the system and Tero¡¯gal had designed a form of alchemy that took many factors into account. Quantity was the most important. Adding too many reagents into one place would cause an explosion. Next came the heat. High heat runs were out of the question. Only the lowest possible heat¡ªbelow boiling at first¡ªwould work. That heat needed to be run over a very long period. Next came the unseen interaction within the still itself.


    The interaction of heat with impurities was unknown, so he couldn¡¯t test it here. He could only make theories. As the heat increased, more impurities were released. Those impurities were pulled from the mix by the blocks of iron, allowing the water to mix with the mashed essence. It didn¡¯t seem to matter if the iron stayed at the bottom of the mixture, but that was fine.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s how it works,¡± Theo said, nodding as he was confident in himself. He couldn¡¯t test it, but this was good enough for now. Reagents, water, an iron block, slow heat, and small batches. That was it. ¡°Then we have another problem¡­¡±


    Theo reached inward, feeling his Tero¡¯gal Mage¡¯s Core. This was the core most similar to his Toru¡¯aun core. It was a standard mage¡¯s core specializing in runes. The Dreamwalk allowed him to practice with his wards. He could reproduce all the things he had done before with no exceptions. Unlike his previous core, it was much easier to form spells ad hoc. And the Willpower-Fueled Ward skill was powerful. He applied a ward to a nearby stone, inspecting the effect.


    [Lesser Reveal]


    [Advanced Ward]


    Creates a reactive field of [Reveal]. Field only activates when enemies are detected in range.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    9537 days.


    ¡°That¡¯s not normal.¡±


    The first time Theo had cast the Lesser Reveal ward, it lasted a day. With unending willpower, the duration was stupid. Willpower added a bit to the power of wards without skills, but it influenced the size most of all. He created a goblin, watching as a bubble sprung from the rock. It encompassed most of Broken Tusk, which was another improvement over the sphere it had originally created. But that wasn¡¯t new. Theo had used a defensive ward to repel an entire city, even if it almost killed him doing so.


    Of all his cores, his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core needed no attention. Aligning it with Tero¡¯gal would give him nothing. Theo slotted the core, reaching out with his will. The landscape changed in an instant, tons of dirt mounding up into a pile. He pushed the earth around as though playing with sand, feeling almost no strain on his willpower.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°This would have been useful when Qavell was falling into the ocean¡­¡±


    Since the Dreamwalk was being weird, Theo felt as though he had a moment to breathe. He realized how much this place had become another dimension where he worked. Instead of probing into his skills, he headed to the coast. The emerald waters of the bay lapped against his feet. The towers he had helped create loomed overhead, standing as sentinels against whatever threat Broken Tusk faced. Qavell sat in the distance, lording over the coastline.


    Theo had never earned the right to see that place before it was moved. He sat on the beach, allowing the water to lap against his feet as he gazed out to the ocean. This would be a relaxing trip to the Dreamwalk. For once.


    <hr>


    ¡°I get it,¡± Twist groaned, pushing himself to a seated position. ¡°How many shots do you have, anyway?¡±


    Jan watched as the masked elf probed at his chest, feeling the places where the bullets had pierced. ¡°Do you remember what you said to me?¡±


    Twist sighed, falling flat onto his back. Through the one hole in his mask, he gazed skyward. Rain splattered against his mask. The wet mud beneath his body soaked through his tattered clothes. Jan wouldn¡¯t give this up until the elf admitted he was wrong. Although he had no intention of killing Twist, he wanted to inflict some pain. As if acting like a judge, he deemed the elf worth of punishment, not death.


    ¡°I try to think of you as little as possible,¡± Twist said. ¡°When did you get so strong?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Let me think¡­ We were standing at the Gate in Boston when the monsters came out. You said something about the biggest betrayal of your life. Was it a blood oath you swore? I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°I said I would hurt you,¡± Jan said, stepping over the prone elf. He leveled his enhanced shotgun again, putting pressure on the trigger. ¡°I was going to make you pay. Why did you sneak into the heavens? Why did you seek an audience with Death?¡±


    ¡°He promised me something.¡±


    ¡°There exists no being in the universe more insane than Kuzan, you idiot. He was a ghost in the other world. Dead for how many thousands of years?¡±


    ¡°Three-thousand, I think.¡±


    ¡°You saw what the other version of Death did and thought this one would be different. You¡¯re not that stupid, Twist.¡±


    Jan didn¡¯t need to see the elf¡¯s face to know he was smiling. He tossed a dagger from nowhere. It embedded itself in Jan''s shoulder, but he didn¡¯t flinch. The weak poison on it wouldn¡¯t affect him anymore than the rain falling on their heads.


    ¡°You¡¯re not him,¡± Twist said. ¡°You¡¯ll never be him.¡±


    ¡°Never claimed to be,¡± Jan said, pulling the trigger again. Twist grunted at the low-power impact. He could end it here, but that wasn¡¯t good enough. Payment was due in blood. ¡°What did you want from Death?¡±


    Twist coughed, pulling himself into a seated position. His clothes were ruined, but at least his mask held firm. ¡°He has the souls of my people.¡±


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t Death in the old world. He wasn¡¯t Death after the change¡ªhe doesn¡¯t have them. They were placed in the queue, just like the rest of us. When that bird-guy put a stop to the war, he only paused it.¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± Twist asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one person on this planet bloodthirsty enough to help me get my revenge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s laughable. Who couldn¡¯t you kill on your own?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jan said, extending his hand. ¡°I think I¡¯ve shot you enough for today.¡±


    ¡°I hope there won¡¯t be more shootings in the future,¡± Twist said, being pulled to his feet.


    ¡°The damage you caused to Earth was minimal. Shockingly,¡± Jan said, patting Twist on the back. ¡°My nephew told me all about what you did before then. One sin isn¡¯t enough to condemn you to death.¡±


    ¡°How many are, then?¡±


    ¡°About five,¡± Jan said, turning away. He could feel Twist¡¯s murderous intent, but it faded. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re taking a trip to see the elves. Leon has some questions to answer.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m with you, now,¡± Twist said, jogging to catch up. ¡°I¡¯ve never killed a ghost.¡±


    <hr>


    Salire took notes as they inspected the still in the morning. The slow heating was going well, and the iron block inside was collecting unwanted material. The theories Theo had formed, along with the tests he and Salire had already done seemed true. But there were a lot of intricate parts that needed to be sorted out.


    ¡°How long do you think this will take?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°This is just a test,¡± Theo said, inspecting the essence in the flask. The condenser worked fine, it was just the still part they needed to work on. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have everything down yet.¡±


    ¡°At least the back end is working fine,¡± Salire said, flicking the condenser coil. A drop of essence fell into the flask.


    ¡°Let''s get a few orders in with Throk. Get me one that has a spinning paddle of iron in the middle, one with a copper paddle, both of the previous but with a pressurized tank, and one that jiggles.¡±


    ¡°Jiggles?¡± Salire asked, writing what he said down, but shrugging. ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡±


    Theo turned the still off, watching as Salire bounded down the stairs. This version was very close to what they needed, but it was missing something. ¡°Hey, Salire!¡± Theo shouted down the stairs. ¡°Tell Throk to make like¡­ twenty versions. Just whatever he can think of to move the contents around, heat them in different ways, add pressure, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Salire said, digging into the money box. ¡°He¡¯s gonna need a serious bribe!¡±


    Once Theo was satisfied that the still was off, he headed out. There was a rental merchant on the first floor, but there wouldn¡¯t be many sales. While they had a few things on hand, almost everything had gone into reserve for the town. Until they had a reliable way to make more potions, selling them was the least of his worries. Thankfully, his income stream didn¡¯t cease with the potions. His ventures throughout town would allow him to toss gold coins around just as he had done before.


    Theo headed through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal, finding both him and Zarali on the second floor. He tried to turn around when he saw them planning for the wedding, but was unable to escape.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Xol¡¯sa shouted. ¡°I have something for you.¡±


    Zarali rolled her eyes, going back to diagrams of the venue. She grumbled to herself.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Theo asked, praying to whatever new god would listen.


    ¡°Research for your problem. Come on,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing up the stairs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too long!¡± Zarali shouted. ¡°Also, Theo¡­ How is my brother?¡±


    ¡°Too much to explain,¡± Theo said, shrugging. ¡°He¡¯s kinda¡­ the leader in Tero¡¯gal, now. Yeah, it¡¯s weird. I¡¯ll take you the next time I go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too busy,¡± Zarali said, waving him off. ¡°I just wanted to make sure he was alive.¡±


    Dronon were brutal. Theo headed up the stairs with Xol¡¯sa, finding an endless scatter of books strewn about the room. The wizard was far too excited about this.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re aware that most records from the early days of the world are gone, right?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Theo said, looking over the books. Most were written in languages he didn¡¯t know, but he spotted a few scribed in Cyrilic. ¡°The Khahari?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. With Khahar gone, they¡¯re giving up some of their secrets. I suppose that was an order¡­ or something. Anyway, there are some interesting mentions of those giant crystals we saw with my people.¡± Xol¡¯sa grabbed four books, setting them out next to each other. ¡°You can read this script, right? The Sacred Language of the Khahari?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is Russian from my world. Khahar thought it was funny to pretend like it was a sacred language.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the humor. Anyway, it took me a while to learn the language. But they recorded the time when the Bara¡¯thier left the world. It was early in this world¡¯s life. Even before the First Ascension War.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Theo said, reading over the sections Xol¡¯sa had marked. ¡°Wait, they knew the method they used to move the shards?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Khahar left behind the recipe to ensnare the Great Shards.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t as complicated as Theo had expected, but there was more information about those shards. He read through the books, even after Zarali was shouting downstairs. Xol¡¯sa stood there, waiting for Theo to reach the good part.


    ¡°Your people didn¡¯t send themselves adrift on their own,¡± Theo said, looking up at the space elf.


    ¡°They certainly didn¡¯t. It seems the various dronon races had as much interest in leaving.¡±

 6.46 - Shadow

    The Great Shards were more than just giant crystals that looked pretty. They were massive lodestones that worked to stabilize the world¡¯s energy. Without them, the ascendants could do whatever they wanted to rewrite the rules of the system. Bend them, anyway. They soaked mortal energy, preventing the worst of the dungeons from happening, and acted as a regulatory system. With them gone came the thrones, which was the system¡¯s way of putting things into balance.


    Xol¡¯sa left Theo with the books, not willing to risk his life anymore. To pull the shards back, they only needed a snare and a beacon. The snare would allow the shard to travel through the void, and the beacon would tell it where to go. That part was simple. The next step wasn¡¯t. Each shard was coded to a region. They would need to figure out which shard went where before even attempting to bring them back.


    Which meant Theo had to go to the creepy elf world again. He shivered just thinking about it. As he had memorized the contents of the books, he left them there and descended the stairs. Xol¡¯sa and Zarali were once again going over their plans. He almost didn¡¯t want to ask.


    ¡°After the wedding, I¡¯ll need your help,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you can make what I need.¡±


    ¡°Only after you determine where to put the damned crystals,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, crossing out a large section on a piece of parchment. Zarali gave him a scandalized look. ¡°We don¡¯t need music.¡±


    ¡°We most certainly do.¡±


    ¡°If you can find a single man, woman, child, or monster within the alliance that can hold a tune on anything, I¡¯ll concede the point.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Theo slipped toward the stairs, ready to head out. The couple argued, and he snuck away without issue. Breathing a sigh of relief, he headed through the portal and back into Broken Tusk. He counted the things he still needed to do off. Get the shards to save the world or whatever, save Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people, upgrade some buildings, and fix his alchemy process. He had no desire to travel to the creepy world today, so turned his attention to his buildings instead. Something fluttered in his chest as he leaned against the monolith for support.


    ¡°He has that look in his eyes,¡± Sarisa said, emerging from the shadows.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s having an episode,¡± Rowan said, emerging to support Theo. ¡°Are you good?¡±


    Theo clutched at his chest, feeling a strange sense flow over him. It was as though someone was cackling far in the distance. A mad cackle that sent a chill up his spine. A moment later, a message appeared with some useful information.


    [Core Evolution]


    Your [Zaul Shadowspirit Core] has evolved. You cannot accept or decline this evolution.


    ¡°That was unsurprising,¡± Theo said, taking a steady breath. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so original, Zaul.¡±


    Theo inspected his new core. This was completely unsurprising.


    [Shadow¡¯s Spirit Core]


    Unique


    UNDEFINED Core


    Bound


    2 Slots


    Level 9 (99%)


    Sneaky, Sneaky! Yes, you guessed it. I have infiltrated the ranks of the true gods. Brace yourself, Theo.


    Innate Skills:


    [Spirit Weaving]


    Effect:


    [Shadow Wrap]


    ¡°Never change, you insane man,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. Instead of doing anything interesting with the core¡¯s change, he just added some text that put him on edge.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Zaul ascended to the new pantheon. He¡¯s a true god, now. Sent me a creepy message through the description of his core¡­ of all things.¡±


    Theo unequiped the core, adding it to his inventory. Instead, he placed the Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core in its spot.


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t want a god spying on you?¡± Rowan asked, laughing to himself. ¡°No seriously, can you spy on me with the core you gave me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can spy on you. But I haven¡¯t put much effort into it. But when Zaul gives you a core, you should always assume he did so for some purpose. I¡¯m not sure the years have treated him well.¡±


    Trusting Zaul was getting harder by the day. The core he gifted Theo was meant to keep him out of the prying eyes of the ascendants. With them gone, he didn¡¯t have to worry. The gods could likely pierce the veil it created, even if it had other uses. For now, he would take it slow. Tresk would refuse to remove her evolved cores, so she could be the tester. For now, he wanted to take his mind off of everything by messing around with his buildings.


    ¡°Which building do we like the least?¡± Theo asked, considering which to test on.


    ¡°The manor,¡± Sarisa said, pursing her lips. ¡°No, just kidding. Wait. Stop.¡±


    ¡°We love the manor,¡± Rowan said, jogging after Theo. ¡°My bed is so comfy.¡±


    ¡°This is just a test. I doubt anything bad will happen,¡± Theo said, approaching the exterior wall of his manor. ¡°Why not? If it burns down or something, we can sleep elsewhere. But we can¡¯t test this on critical buildings like the smelter or the mine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to align the building with your realm, right?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°With my Throneworld, yeah. Why not the manor first? Any aligned upgrade evolutions would be normal. Right?¡±


    ¡°How would we know what¡¯s normal with you?¡± Sarisa shook her head. ¡°You always do weird crap no one can understand.¡±


    Theo let the power of Tero¡¯gal flow through him, soaking into the wall of the manor. Sarisa was right, though. There was no proof this would even work, only his intuition. But the way the building soaked the energy, adding it to the seed core, told him this would work. The amount of energy the building wanted was immense. A conduit formed between the alchemist and the building, siphoning that power and adding it to the core. The building rocked, swaying from side-to-side as though drunk off the power.


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    ¡°That¡¯s completely normal. Yep.¡± Rowan walked to the other side of the street, as though the building would topple over at any moment.


    ¡°I have faith in our fearless leader,¡± Sarisa said, hands on her hips as she stared up at the manor defiantly. ¡°It was an honor to serve you, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop being dramatic. The core is already soaked with Tero¡¯gal energy. It just needs to be pushed over the edge.¡±


    A system message appeared. Almost nothing about the building had changed. Theo read the message.


    [Building Evolution!]


    Your [Manor] has evolved into a [Tero¡¯gal Manor].


    The [Service Competence] and [Endless Comfort] upgrades have evolved.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s done,¡± Theo called back to Rowan. ¡°You can stop cowering.¡±


    ¡°Really? Just like that?¡± Sarisa asked.


    Theo inspected the building.


    [Tero¡¯gal Manor]


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 20 (13%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Tero¡¯gal Dreamcloud]


    [Expansive Gardens]


    [Bonus Dining]


    [Subtle Service]


    Nothing special, as expected. The name of the building had changed, and some of the timber on the plaster exterior looked darker. Two upgrades had changed. He could also feel the connection the building had to his Throneworld. It was as though a string had been tied between the building and Tero¡¯gal. Theo inspected the Tero¡¯gal Dreamcloud upgrade.


    [Tero¡¯gal Dreamcloud]


    Relaxing in your manor provides extreme comfort. Sleeping within your manor grants those without access to the Dreamwalk a localized, weaker version of that effect.


    Oh, this was good. Rowan and Sarisa could experience the delight of the Dreamwalk. ¡°Examine that Tero¡¯gal Dreamcloud upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m sleeping outside,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°You¡¯re being such a baby!¡± Sarisa shouted. ¡°I want to experience the nightmare of never having restful sleep again.¡±


    ¡°The sleep provided by the Dreamwalk is beyond restorative, it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nerd!¡± Sarisa shouted. ¡°We get it. The Dreamwalk is cool.¡±


    ¡°For someone who accepted a Tero¡¯gal core, you¡¯re too afraid of the manor. This is perfectly safe,¡± Theo said, slapping the side of his manor. That didn¡¯t convince Rowan. He moved on, inspecting the Subtle Service upgrade.


    [Subtle Service]


    Workers with servant-based cores will feel no fatigue while performing their tasks while within the manor while also gaining increased experience.


    This was slightly better than the old one. It now made it so his ¡®servants¡¯ wouldn¡¯t get fatigued while doing their duties. Theo didn¡¯t know how useful that would have been for them, but it was there.


    ¡°That one doesn¡¯t change your dreams,¡± Theo said. ¡°Got a problem with it, Rowan?¡±


    ¡°No, that one is fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a baby,¡± Sarisa said, making a rude gesture at her brother. ¡°So, what does this get us?¡±


    Theo shrugged. We¡¯re not at risk of losing the buildings because they¡¯re not aligned.¡± Theo paused for a moment, looking toward the town square in the distance. ¡°But if building cores can be aligned, so can town and kingdom cores.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to align the entire nation with your world, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sarisa asked.


    That was one option. Theo¡¯s plan to move this entire region into his world wouldn¡¯t be easy. Since his willpower exploit was cut off, it might be harder, but he had gained quite a lot of that. Likely enough to move it when he wanted. The only thing stopping him were the gods. But now there were rules. Rules that everyone seemed eager to follow. If his nation and his town were aligned with his world, he had a claim to bring them along. The way of life of those within the alliance would continue. Forever, if he had anything to say about it.


    Theo had to be careful about the big steps he took from here on out. His original purpose as the Dreamwalker was to find holes in the rules and plug them. He had only taken one action aligned with his station so far by sending Twist back to the mortal realm. But moving an entire region went far beyond his station. He needed that connection.


    ¡°Yep. We¡¯re gonna align an entire continent.¡±


    ¡°Is it really an entire continent anymore?¡± Rowan asked. ¡°I mean, Fenian shredded it like tender wolf meat.¡±


    ¡°Call it a part of a continent, then.¡±


    ¡°I think I will.¡±


    Theo lingered near his manor for a while before Salire came approaching from the distance. The traffic on the east-west road had been light today, making the alignment of the manor a quiet affair.


    ¡°I got the order in with Throk,¡± Salire said, offering a half-smile. ¡°He was pretty mad.¡±


    ¡°Until you showed him the gold, right?¡±


    ¡°Until I showed him the gold,¡± Salire repeated with a nod. ¡°What are you guys doing out here?¡±


    ¡°Aligning buildings with realms, apparently,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°Not realms. Worlds,¡± Sarisa corrected.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care, devil-woman!¡± Rowan shouted, looking at the building with more fear than ever. ¡°You can get trapped in your own doomed dreamscape. I¡¯m sleeping in the garden.¡±


    ¡°I think I missed a few things,¡± Salire said, looking pleasantly confused.


    ¡°We can align buildings to Tero¡¯gal. I was thinking of trying the greenhouses next.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Interesting. What would that do?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo shrugged. He really didn¡¯t know, but they now had greenhouses that were producing too many reagents. The thought that the system could change the way greenhouses worked had entered his mind, but he had already checked and they were no different. Reagents were still growing at absurd rates, and there seemed to be nothing that would stop them. But the system wasn¡¯t some dumb series of instructions that fired off. It was intelligent enough to put a stop to the exploits they had been using until now, and that might be one of them.


    Since they had enough greenhouses, there was no reason not to try. Sarisa and Rowan returned to the shadows while Theo and Salire headed off to the greenhouses. They plucked all the plants from one building, treating it as a fresh start. The alchemist leaned against the building, pressing his hand into the side as he flooded it with Tero¡¯gal energy. It took a while, but an interesting message appeared after a time as the building went semi-transparent.


    [Building Evolution!]


    Your [Greenhouse] has evolved into a [Tero¡¯gal Greenhouse]. This is an aspected evolution, which requires further input.


    Please select which known reagent you wish to align this building to:


    Spiny Swamp Thistle Root


    Flame Rose


    ¡­


    The list went on, detailing every reagent Theo knew about. Evolving a greenhouse turned it into a building specializing in one reagent. The alchemist had to think about this for a moment, but a Wisdom of the Soul message appeared, extrapolating what he knew.


    ¡°The resulting reagents are going to be more pure,¡± Theo said. ¡°But we can only put one reagent in each greenhouse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Salire said, rubbing her hand on the building¡¯s side. ¡°I mean, do we have much of an option here? We can assume Tero¡¯gal is smart enough to make herbalism and alchemy work together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great point. Why don¡¯t we go with our healing root first? It only makes sense,¡± Theo said.


    Salire nodded her agreement. While aspects of alchemy had changed, his new Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core carried over the knowledge he had of reagents. All the properties Theo knew were still there. He selected the Spiny Swamp Thistle Root and stood back. The change within the greenhouse was immediate, the building visibly shrinking before them. After some rumbling, it calmed down. He inspected the resulting building.


    [Tero¡¯gal Greenhouse]


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Faction: The Southlands Alliance


    Reagent: Spiny Swamp Thistle Root


    Level: 20 (29%)


    ¡°Where did the upgrades go?¡± Theo asked.


    Salire shrugged, inspecting the building. ¡°It still has a level. That¡¯s weird.¡±


    Entering the greenhouse, Theo was surprised to see only four plots. Salire had already withdrawn the reagent plants from her inventory and was planting them in the soil. Tero¡¯gal was all about making quality potions, rather than large amounts. That was his thoughts on the matter, anyway. Time would tell if that was true. A golem lumbered through the threshold, scooting past Theo to inspect the new plant. It wasn¡¯t happy with the way Salire had piled the soil and corrected it.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t think you did a good enough job planting that thing.¡± Theo tried not to laugh.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think your golems like me. Should we change the other buildings?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯d like to wait and see.¡±


    Theo was thinking of the reagents he grew in his greenhouses as low-quality more as the days went on. He looked through the glass of the greenhouse, spotting a dreadful sight. Several people were carrying trellises covered in flowers down the road. Like a soldier on the eve of battle, the alchemist prepared himself for the coming events. Broken Tusk would have its first wedding soon enough.


    ¡°Hallow save us all,¡± Theo muttered, leaving the greenhouse.

 6.47 - Hazardous Working Conditions

    Theo stood outside Throk¡¯s workshop the next day, gawking at the array of alchemy equipment arrayed there. The marshling himself stood among the field, hands on his hips as he glared at the alchemist.


    ¡°You wanted some equipment? Here ya go.¡±


    ¡°Do you sleep?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The equipment ranged in function, but was all under the 50-unit requirement. Theo counted twenty pieces, each with a note describing what they did. He realized Throk didn¡¯t make each item here. He had a small army of apprentices that helped him make things. While Thim had taken over the blacksmith, it freed the old marshling up for other tasks. Combined with those apprentices, he seemed more like an artifice designed to create artifices. Never-ending and as much of a genius as always.


    Theo flicked Throk another gold coin.


    ¡°Your patronage is appreciated,¡± Throk said, biting the coin and pocketing it. ¡°Now go away.¡±


    Theo gathered each piece of equipment into his inventory, clearing some junk out of the Tara¡¯hek shared inventory before moving off. There was too much equipment here to test in one day, so he would focus on working with the ones he was confident would work. The ones with the paddles would likely work best, but there were several variations on the ones he had requested.


    Crossing through the town square, Theo winced as he saw the decorations going up. He had nothing against weddings or Xol¡¯sa and Zarali¡¯s relationship. He just hadn¡¯t come up with anything to say. And he would be expected to say something. Instead of figuring it out now, he buried his head in his work and headed for the lab.


    Salire wasn¡¯t in the shop yet. It hadn¡¯t been opened yet. Theo locked the door behind him as he headed up to the third floor. His lips pulled into a tight line as he crossed the threshold to the lab. Unsurprisingly, the still he had been running on the new essence had exploded. Chunks of metal were embedded in the walls. Large gouges were visible on the other equipment. He worked on cleaning up the mess and thinking about what went wrong.


    It didn¡¯t take Theo long to reach a conclusion. He found a chunk of iron on the ground. No part of it was exposed, meaning it couldn¡¯t collect anymore of the buildup produced by the essence. Whatever artifice they went with needed to have the capturing system changed regularly, otherwise it would explode. It made no sense coming from a Drogramathi method, but this was new ground to cover.


    After cleaning the lab, Theo withdrew the still he expected to work best. It was a small pot-bellied still, just like the others only in miniature. His large stills could hold 500 units of liquid, making them as large as a human was tall. Throk¡¯s newest version was tiny, requiring a stand to be accessible. But the walls were now much thicker, made of joined plates with heating elements sandwiched between. The paddle that mixed the contents within was made of iron¡ªas requested¡ªand could easily be replaced with a latch on the bottom.


    ¡°Throk knows his way around artifices,¡± Theo said, checking the functions on the contraption.


    The upgrades were nice, but the still would function much like the others did. They used the artifice shredder to prepare some Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, placing it in the bottom with some water. He used an equal ratio of ten units for both and set the device to work. Of course, Throk had added a one-button approach to the slow heating cycle. He was good at predicting needs.


    Once that was running, Theo headed out into the fields behind the Newt and Demon to work with the other devices. He was less confident in them working, but would take anything to improve his knowledge of this new alchemy. The first was the shaker Throk had made¡ªunder Theo¡¯s request. It was a normal still with little arms on the side. When the alchemist pressed one of the many buttons on the base, it shook. Violently.


    Theo prepared a mixture and a few blocks of iron, tossing them into the device. He activated the slow-heating method and a gentle shake. The sound of the iron slamming against the sides of the interior was awful, but it didn¡¯t immediately explode.


    The next interesting artifice was one that spun. Really fast. Theo got dizzy watching the device as it spun, pressing his foot against the side to slow it down after shutting it off. He loaded it up with his mixture and some iron, setting it to work about fifty feet from the first still. How Throk had made it so the body of the still could draw power from the base without visible wires was beyond him. Artificer magic.


    Theo started a few more stills, all of which were variants of the first two. They did the same thing as the others, just in different ways. Positioning himself behind a thick Ogre Cypress tree, he waited for a while. A variant of the shaker stills exploded about ten minutes into the test, sending a plume of black smoke into the air. Shrapnel slammed into the tree, some zipping by with force.


    ¡°Vertical shaker is too violent,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself.


    ¡°You realize you look like a crazy person, right?¡± Sarisa asked from behind.


    ¡°Says the stalker.¡±


    ¡°You pay me to stalk you.¡± Sarisa huddled up behind the tree. ¡°Also, that last piece hit rowan.¡±


    ¡°Just a flesh wound,¡± Rowan retorted.


    Theo turned to find Rowan bleeding from the head, prone on the ground. ¡°Feed the poor man a potion. Good god.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re too valuable for him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. Seriously,¡± Rowan said, standing and falling.


    Theo tried hard not to roll his eyes, shooting a message off to Sulvan. His reflex was to also send one to the Ogre Bilgrob, but it was unlikely the man still had his core. Perhaps it had reverted to a regular healing core¡­


    ¡°Put some pressure on his forehead, then,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I told him to hide,¡± Sarisa said, pressing a rag into her brother¡¯s head. ¡°But he¡¯s not thinking so well.¡±


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    ¡°The bugs were biting me,¡± Rowan said, wincing as Sarisa applied pressure.


    Theo closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to yell at someone who had just been hit by a piece of flying metal. ¡°You slept outside last night?¡±


    ¡°I told you I could. Would.¡±


    ¡°How about you, Sarisa?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh, the Dreamwalk thing was lovely. There¡¯s this elf in town that I like, and we went on a date.¡±


    Theo winced, trying not to think of where that went. ¡°How much control did you have over it?¡±


    ¡°Some. It was more like having a dream I could control, but strange dream logic kept rearing its head.¡±


    Anyone sleeping in the manor could enjoy a minor version of the Dreamwalk. That made sense, since dreams were like little realms. Tero¡¯gal started out as a dream¡­ Or so Theo thought¡ªhe never actually got to the bottom of that. Leave it to someone like Tresk to want something so bad she made it manifest into an entire world. The power of marshlings was not to be undervalued, as anyone looking at the stills could see.


    Of course, there were problems. Another still exploded, sending another wave a shrapnel through the sparsely forested area.


    ¡°I¡¯m hit!¡± Sarisa shouted, falling to the ground and clutching her shoulder.


    ¡°Seriously, people!¡± Theo shouted, pressing his hand into the tree. He infused it with a defensive ward that would catch any further bits of flying metal. The ward wanted to expand out, covering a massive area. Theo forced his will on it to create something more like a blast shield. ¡°Maybe I should have done that earlier¡­¡±


    Sarisa groaned, rolling on the ground. ¡°Ya think?¡±


    ¡°I can see the heavens,¡± Rowan said. ¡°I¡¯m coming, Baelthar.¡±


    ¡°Baelthar isn¡¯t even a god anymore,¡± Theo said, shuffling over to press the cloth into the downed half-ogre¡¯s head.


    The sound of heavy footfalls came from a distance, closing in swiftly. Sulvan, who was looking more beefy than normal, came running over with a worried look on his face. ¡°What did you do?¡± he asked, crouching near the injured pair.


    ¡°Hit them with bits of metal. Not on purpose,¡± Theo said, releasing the cloth on Rowan¡¯s forehead. ¡°Do you have a Hallow core, now?¡±


    Sulvan offered him a sly smile. ¡°You¡¯re always ahead of current events, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Light issued from Sulvan¡¯s palms, filling Rowan¡¯s wound. The half-ogre sucked in a breath, shooting to a seated position. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s some spicy healing. Good stuff, Sulvan.¡±


    Another still exploded in the distance, slamming into the barrier Theo had erected. The shards of metal were held in place for a moment before falling to the ground. Yeah, he should have done that from the start. It was easy to forget that Sarisa and Rowan were always lurking in the nearby shadows.


    ¡°No luck with the potions?¡± Sulvan asked, moving to Sarisa. He yanked the bit of metal from her shoulder with exactly no bedside manner and began working on the wound. Sarisa looked as though she was ready to bite him.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Just a few more explosions and I won¡¯t have to rush around town again?¡± Sulvan asked, more light spilling from his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it.¡±


    Theo watched the man work, feeling some regret that he got his people injured. This was the danger of the alchemy lab being down. Without a person like Sulvan to help, everyday injuries could be deadly. The alchemist was reminded of a time when people in town just dealt with whatever wounds they got. They had no way of healing themselves, so often lived with lifelong injuries that would have been easy to cure. With potions from the capital being so expensive, it was never an option for them.


    The potions provided to citizens by the Newt and Demon were sold at rock-bottom prices. But the purpose of the lab was never to make a profit. Sulvan¡¯s ability to heal was impressive, though. Both Sarisa and Rowan were back on their feet shortly after Sulvan attended to them. The former inquisitor looked at them with a kind of warmth Theo would have never expected from the man. Not when he was hunting down dronon under the orders of the Burning Eye.


    ¡°Hey, Sulvan,¡± Theo said, wondering if this was the right time. ¡°You know we left Uharis on the moon, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still aware of that situation.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still good with it?¡±


    Sulvan took a moment, rubbing his chin as he collected his thoughts. ¡°I thought what I was doing was the right thing because the grip the Eye had on my mind. Uharis enjoyed the work and his schemes were wide-reaching. Theo, are you aware of how rare teleportation magic is?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Can Xol¡¯sa teleport?¡±


    ¡°He can make a portal between his tower and the town.¡±


    ¡°But he can¡¯t teleport across the world. Uharis could. He was dangerous, and now he¡¯s mad. My recommendation is to either kill him, or prepare to deal with him in the future.¡±


    Sulvan made the statement with such conviction it gave Theo chills. He had taken his vow to Glantheir seriously, devoting himself to pacifism and serving the people. Recommending death for anyone was a leap from those vows. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t take the statement lightly. For now, Uharis was trapped on the moon. But if he ever got his hands on a core that allowed him to move through space, there might be problems.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that into consideration. Perhaps I can imprison him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Also, do you have any news on Jan? I understand he escaped, but that¡¯s all I know.¡±


    ¡°You know as much as I do, then.¡± Theo sighed, trying not to think about an Earthling loose in the world like that. ¡°If I had to guess, he¡¯s going to kill Twist. But my unnaturally high wisdom says there¡¯s something more going on.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I never know with you people. There¡¯s always a scheme.¡±


    Sulvan tapped his chin. ¡°Isn¡¯t Jan your people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Well, thanks for your help.¡± Theo clapped a hand on Sulvan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You really turned around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to serve my lord, Hallow,¡± Sulvan said with a wink. He headed off, leaving the group behind.


    Theo expected another still to explode, but it didn¡¯t. That just meant the first phases of distillation were working for those that were running. He needed to put some signs and more barriers in the area to prevent more people from being smacked with flying metal.


    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Sarisa said, folding her arms and glaring at Theo. ¡°How far can you see into the future?¡±


    Theo slipped to the side as Sarisa leveled a punch at his face. Her fist slammed into the tree.


    ¡°Our boss let us get exploded!¡± Rowan shouted.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get exploded. Stop being dramatic. I can only see the future at places where I¡¯m looking.¡±


    ¡°But you were looking at the still when it exploded.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I saw I wouldn¡¯t get hit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, buddy,¡± Rowan said, sauntering over. Theo caught his fist before it slammed into his stomach. ¡°Ah, dang. Why did I think that would work.¡±


    Theo pat Rowan on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a psychopath.¡±


    The other stills seemed stable enough. Theo went around the area, tacking paper to the surrounding trees and setting shaped wards. At least the one within the lab was working fine. He didn¡¯t want to take on the responsibility, but it was time to investigate the upcoming wedding. Rowan and Sarisa marched along behind him.


    ¡°When the super powerful guy tells you he isn¡¯t a psychopath¡­¡± Sarisa started.


    ¡°He most certainly is,¡± Rowan finished.

 6.48 - Back to Square One

    Theo looked over his prototype stills, nodding with approval. He had placed many in the clearing, but only three survived. The two variations of the still with the paddle, and the one with the vertical shaking motion. Even with his wisdom, he couldn¡¯t determine why the shaker worked. Perhaps the agitation action allowed the impurities from the mashed reagent to latch onto the iron better. Or maybe there was something about the air being mixed into the contents. Looking inside the finished paddle still, he withdrew the paddle, encrusted with alchemical waste.


    This stuff was toxic. Neutralizing the crystalline waste was his priority after ordering a full-scale version of the paddle still. He took the two working stills into his inventory, leaving the clearing behind. The alchemist held a vial of essence up to the fading light of the day, sighing. He inspected the item.


    [Healing Essence]


    [Essence]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 95%


    2 units (liquid)


    Concentrated essence of healing, used to create healing potions.


    There was only a single change to the description. Grades were out the window, giving way to the purity entry. Drogramath¡¯s alchemy was the end-path to a lot of other forms of alchemy, so he shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that this wasn¡¯t different. But this meant the Tero¡¯gal potions would fall in line with the other methods. Which meant he wouldn¡¯t get free attribute points for crafting his potions. Now that he had created the essence, the rest should have fallen in line the way he expected. But with only two units to work with, the alchemist wanted to wait.


    ¡°Throk,¡± Theo said, sticking his head into the workshop. He was surprised to find several apprentices working on various projects. Some were related to the rail system, while others were jobs for people in town. Throk himself was hunched over a table, working on a machine. ¡°Let me get a big version of this one.¡±


    Throk barely looked up. ¡°How big?¡± he grunted.


    ¡°Fifty units,¡± Theo said. ¡°And just one for now.¡±


    Throk grunted his confirmation for the order, and Theo left the still near the entrance. The apprentices laughed to themselves as he left the shop. He headed out into the town, looking at the decorations for the wedding. That was tomorrow, wasn¡¯t it? On the first day of the Season of Death¡ªthe first day of autumn. Broken Tusk would experience their first winter in Tero¡¯gal this year. Year one of¡­ something, he hadn¡¯t decided what to call it yet.


    ¡°How are things going?¡± Theo asked, walking up behind Miana.


    ¡°Hey, stranger,¡± she said with a scoff. ¡°You¡¯ve been hands-off with the planning.¡±


    ¡°Things have been busy.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got all the trellises up. I think they have a few boars to cook. Oh, they¡¯re bringing musicians to play throughout.¡±


    ¡°So, what kind of traditions did they settle on?¡±


    ¡°For starters, there¡¯s gonna be a fight.¡± Miana rubbed her hands together. ¡°That¡¯s local, of course. The other local tradition is the Ogre Snapper wrestling match. Zarali wanted those two. Xol¡¯sa picked a few elven traditions, including the feat of power. That¡¯ll be interesting. Otherwise, I expect a massive party.¡±


    Theo nodded, that didn¡¯t sound so bad. He couldn¡¯t imagine Zarali and Xol¡¯sa fighting it out to prove their love. But when he thought about the space elf, all he could imagine was his people. Standing like statues in some lost realm. ¡°It looks good,¡± he said, patting Miana on the shoulder. He left the town square, making his way to the temple. There were more people here than ever before, praying to a Throneworld or one of the accepted gods. He rolled his shoulders, settling in on one seat near the front.


    ¡°I could just go to your realm,¡± Theo muttered to himself, keeping his eyes on the floor. ¡°But Ziz worked so hard on this place. Why not use it?¡±


    There was no answer from the altar. Theo didn¡¯t know how praying worked or if the gods would hear him. The ascendants could hear him, before he did everything in his power to shut them all out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you do this kind of thing, Hallow. But if you could bless the wedding, that¡¯d be great.¡± Theo shifted awkwardly in his seat, looking around to the others. They hadn¡¯t looked up. ¡°Maybe bless the whole nation while you¡¯re at it. We might need the help.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat, standing up before he felt any more awkward about the situation. Of the things he still needed to do, the wedding was the one he had the least involvement in. High on his list was helping the space elves. And that required functional alchemy¡ªor so he hoped. There were other projects left to do. Some were small and some were too massive to undertake with limited time. The rail to the north was vital, it would serve as the base infrastructure in Tero¡¯gal. Right now, people had to walk for weeks to get anywhere in the Throneworld.


    ¡°So, wedding, space elves, infrastructure¡­ and loose ends,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself. ¡°Oh, and potions.¡±


    The essence produced by the experimental still looked normal. If it was only a matter of creating a more pure essence, they had done it handily. There might have been implications for the second tier of potion making, but that was a problem for another day. With daylight fading, Theo made his way to the lab for one last experiment of the day. He poured a unit of the precious essence into a vial, and considered his approach.


    First tier potions were easy. One unit of essence to one unit of Purified Water and a catalyst to start the binding reaction. It was the most basic recipe an alchemist could use in creating distilled potions. Theo narrowed his eyes at the essence resting in the vial, looking for something that could go wrong. His heightened intuition seemed to agree this would work. With the impurities driven from the essence, he imagined there wasn¡¯t much left to go wrong, but it was interesting to think about the interactions.


    Iron Shavings acted as a catalyst in this stage. But when used on mashed reagents, it sucked impurities from the mixture. This might have been why the other distillation reactions he tried had failed, but it was hard to tell. Only the three things, essence, water, and shavings, would cause a positive alchemical reaction. If he had more essence to test with, he would try something different. He dropped the Iron Shaving into the water-essence mixture, taking a step back.


    The potion bubbled, turning a pleasant shade of red. It put off a sweet smell that filled the lab, but no vapors came from the vial¡¯s top. He placed the decorative stopper on the vial, holding the new potion at arm¡¯s length. Too much work went into this potion. His first potion made with Drogramath¡¯s tradition was easy compared to this. He inspected the item.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    [Lesser Healing Potion]


    [Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 95%


    A lesser healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect:


    Instantly restores 40 health points.


    The first healing potion Theo made restored 20 health. Like the essence, it displayed purity instead of grade. This path might have been available to him before. If he had followed Zarali¡¯s advice this might have been his path. Instead, Theo had picked industrialization.


    ¡°You¡¯re late for dinner, ya dingus!¡± Tresk shouted from the stairs.


    Theo turned, holding the potion up with a smile. ¡°We got it!¡±


    ¡°Aw, sweet! We¡¯re having steak, get your butt to the manor.¡±


    Theo put the potion in his inventory, following behind Tresk. Alex was waiting outside. The more days rolled on, the less she looked like a goose. She had dangling legs protruding from her chest, making her look more like a nightmare than a giant goose.


    ¡°She¡¯s looking more like a dragon by the day,¡± Theo said, patting Alex on the side. With her neck extended, he couldn¡¯t reach her head. ¡°At least she doesn¡¯t have teeth.¡±


    ¡°Give her time!¡± Tresk shouted, slapping Theo on the back. ¡°We found some dragon bones.¡±


    ¡°Dragon bones?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, over in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Alchemist here? You found dragon bones and you didn¡¯t bring them to me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on! You¡¯re gonna crush them and turn them into potions!¡±


    Theo raised an eyebrow. ¡°Potions that I¡¯ll give to you.¡±


    ¡°Damn. You always do this, Tresk.¡± She growled at herself. ¡°Give the potion man the bones and get powerful potions¡ªthat¡¯s obvious!¡±


    ¡°No, tell me more about these dragon bones. Which mountains?¡±


    Theo and Tresk worked their way toward the manor, picking a slow path with Alex close behind.


    ¡°We scour the local areas, looking for stuff to fight. Well, you know Alex can fly. So we spotted some bones set in the face of a mountain. They were just brimming with dragon energy.¡± Tresk let out a satisfied sigh.


    ¡°How did she absorb the energy? I know her control and willpower are decent, but¡­ Tresk, is she eating dragon bones?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to give them to you! She needs more bones!¡±


    ¡°How do you even swallow them?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to Alex¡¯s bill. ¡°No teeth.¡±


    ¡°She swallows them whole.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon!¡±


    Honk!


    ¡°You¡¯re looking more like a dragon, but I don¡¯t know if that makes you a dragon,¡± Theo said, smiling up at the familiar.


    Alex shot a stream of fire into the air. ¡°I am a dragon!¡±


    ¡°You are the strongest dragon around,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the mean potion man.¡±


    Alex was really good at absorbing energy, so perhaps this was a good path. There was something inherently powerful about the dragons. Not enough that they were considered an element, but Alex was listed as a Proto Dragon-Goose when he inspected her. So that was a start. It wasn¡¯t the stage he expected her to enter, but whatever. Goose, dragon-goose, what did it matter? She had a way of twisting herself into whatever form she wanted. A dragon was just as good as anything else.


    ¡°Bye, sweetie,¡± Tresk said, waiting for Alex to lower her head for a kiss.


    ¡°Bye-bye.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t know when Sarisa or Rowan had time to cook the massive steaks, but he wouldn¡¯t complain. The scent of seared meat, melted butter, and some fantasy knock-off garlic wafted as they opened the door to the manor. He let out a heavy sigh, reminded of how little he had eaten today.


    ¡°Where are you guys finding suppliers of meat karatan?¡± he asked, falling into his chair at the large dining table. There were no greens with this meal. No zee to help round it out. Just a big slab of seared meat¡ªgrill marks still visible on the surface. The steak glistened in the light,


    ¡°Secret supplier,¡± Rowan said, removing his apron with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Still the elves,¡± Sarisa said, jumping into her chair and rubbing her hands together. ¡°We bought them from the elves.¡±


    Theo cut a piece of steak, failing to resist the smile that tugged at his lips. No cut of meat melted like this, almost as though the steak itself was butter. Of course Tresk took no time to savor it. She only cut it in half, swallowing each part in one bite. What conversation spread around the table was light, centering on the upcoming wedding. The alchemist wasn¡¯t very excited about the wedding at first, but he was warming to the idea. He had imagined a stuffy ceremony, but it was shaking up to be something far more exciting.


    ¡°I¡¯m stuffed. Let¡¯s sleep,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I¡¯m still eating.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not.¡±


    Theo glared at Tresk, cutting another piece of his steak.


    ¡°Oh, you stink,¡± Tresk said, pouting.


    Theo took his time with his meal. Not because he wanted to spite Tresk, but because it was good. She didn¡¯t take it well when he took the steps slowly, yawning the entire way. But they dropped into the Dreamwalk all the same, coming out onto an imagined sprawl of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s landscape. He hadn¡¯t even visited the Throneworld today, too interested in getting this new form of alchemy ready for production.


    Accessing Tresk¡¯s memory, Theo summoned the cliff containing dragon bones Alex was eating. It looked strange against the lush landscape around them. The top portion of a rocky face poked up from the ground, gray and chalky against the greenery. Several large sections stuck out, bleached white by the sun. While he couldn¡¯t figure out what part of a dragon this was, the bone was massive.


    ¡°That¡¯s a gigantic dragon,¡± Theo said with a nod.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. We ate through most of that leg section.¡± Tresk gestured to an area missing a bone.


    Theo looked at the pieces of the skeleton for a while, biting his lip. ¡°Weird question, but do you think someone like Balkor could raise a dragon¡¯s skeleton?¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Why do you have to spoil the mood?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Think you can help us move an entire skeleton into a dimensional storage crate tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think that might be best,¡± Theo said, his mind suddenly searching for other dead dragons in the area. What if there had been massive beasts in the north that had died? ¡°Let¡¯s wake up early to take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Excellent idea. Now, can we fight?¡±


    Tresk and Alex left Theo to the dragon bones. Once again, the Dreamwalk refused to allow him to take samples from the bones. It was just in that kind of mood after the influence of the new management.


    Visiting the Dreamwalk put a cap on the day, though. Theo summoned his newest challenge, the paddle covered in alchemical refuse. There were many ways to decompose materials, but nothing he could think of that wouldn¡¯t damage the iron. While he will accept this as a situation where the iron was disposable, he still needed to get rid of the alchemy byproduct. The Dissolve Essence might be a way forward, but he didn¡¯t have a good feeling about that one.


    ¡°Are you gonna let me figure out how reactive this stuff is?¡± Theo asked, scraping the buildup from the paddle onto an imagined table. The Dreamwalk didn¡¯t have a problem when he poured various solutions on it, to no effect. The Cleansing Scrub potion did nothing. Dissolve Essence didn¡¯t work.


    Theo clapped his hands over his ears as the paddle exploded in a ball of fire. He clicked his tongue, watching as the plume of smoke rose into the air. ¡°Well, now I just scattered the junk all over the place. What if we light it on fire?¡±


    The byproduct popped when it was lit on fire, but Theo observed something interesting. He was surprised the Dreamwalk let him take things this far. Placing a pan over an artifice flame, he scraped the crystalline substance into the plan and cranked the heat. It took a while, and some pretty intense heat, but it eventually went from solid to liquid. Some vapor was released as he allowed it to cool.


    The resulting sheet of brown-black material was still toxic. The invention of filth ingots wasn¡¯t pushing his problem forward, but it was a start. Applying heat to the substance was the only thing that had done anything so far. Perhaps some pressure would help¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Theo said, imagining a heated pressure still.

 6.49 - Quindalias

    There was nothing quite like being at ground-zero for a pressure still explosion. Theo dusted himself off after standing right next to one of Throk¡¯s pressure stills after it blew up. At least he was within the Dreamwalk, immune to injuries. But he had only added the alchemical residue to the container, nothing else. The combination of heat and pressure was enough to set it off. At least he could use the iron paddles a few times before throwing them away¡­ as long as he scraped the junk off of them first.


    Boiling the residue only made it burn to the bottom of the pan. When Theo thought he was onto something with an idea about binding the residue with another element, the Dreamwalk blocked his progress. He jumped when Tresk snuck up behind him, stabbing him in the back.


    ¡°Not fast enough, baby!¡± she shouted. ¡°We gotta get up.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. The dragon,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°Is there enough room on Alex for me?¡±


    ¡°I am powerful,¡± Alex said, her forepaws flopping around. They weren¡¯t quite like that of a dragon¡¯s legs yet. But they were getting there. Slowly.


    ¡°You are very powerful,¡± Theo said. ¡°What time is it, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about an hour before dawn,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Still looks dark out there, ya know?¡±


    ¡°We should get going,¡± Theo said. ¡°There¡¯s gonna be a fight and a turtle at the wedding. Can¡¯t miss the turtle.¡±


    ¡°I love the turtle wrastlin¡¯.¡±


    Sarisa and Rowan had awoken early, although Theo didn¡¯t know how they had done so without an alarm clock. Rowan¡¯s frequent trips to the bathroom during breakfast revealed they had consumed a lot of water the night before. Breakfast was leftover steak, which was always welcome. The alchemist didn¡¯t find himself as hungry as the night before, barely eating much of his steak. Despite how delicious it was, he had only ever picked at his breakfast.


    Standing outside of the manor before dawn had even broken, Theo looked Alex up and down. ¡°How do you hold on?¡±


    ¡°For dear life,¡± Tresk said.


    Alex dipped her head low enough for Theo to give her some pets. He rubbed the top of her head, finding the start of a pair of horns poking from underneath her feathers. He shook his head, climbing on her back awkwardly. Why Tresk had gone all this time without finding someone to make her a saddle was beyond him. But there was enough space between her wings and her neck for both to sit. He wouldn¡¯t call it comfortable, but they were sitting.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking no risks,¡± Theo said, holding a Retreat potion with the Featherfall modifier on it. He wrapped his arms around her neck and prepared for an uncomfortable experience. Only a moment in the air revealed how wise of a move that was. It wasn¡¯t comfortable. Each stroke of Alex¡¯s wings was an uncomfortable lurching sensation that threatened to reveal what little steak he had eaten that morning.


    Alex was unforgiving with her speed, heading in a direction. Theo couldn¡¯t tell what the direction was, as his face was buried in a mass of scales and feathers. The air grew colder and thinner before they finally landed on a ledge overlooking the region below. While it was still too dark to see anything, the alchemist suspected Broken Tusk was somewhere below.


    ¡°Why did I agree to this?¡± Theo asked, preparing to use his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core. He didn¡¯t need to see, though. Whatever happened to this dragon, it had been embedded in a layer of crumbled rock. A rock slide had encased it, only exposing some sections of bone to the elements.


    ¡°Just do your thing. I don¡¯t wanna see a giant skeleton dragon running around.¡± Tresk folded her arms.


    Theo shook his head, spreading his senses over the piles of rock. He wrapped his will around each thing that wasn¡¯t a bone and lifted, separating the pile in the air to allow for the bones caught between to fall to the ground. With a flick of his will, he sent the stones sailing through the air and continued working. As he worked, he felt the energy of the bones soaking into the air. It became more oppressive as more of the bones were revealed.


    ¡°How strong was this dragon?¡± Theo asked, grunting as he tossed a house-sized rock into the distance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it is delicious,¡± Alex said, snapping at a large bone. It was far too large for her to eat.


    ¡°Can you take the bones into your inventory?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Tresk said, producing a comically large saw from nowhere. ¡°They¡¯re too big. The system complains when I try. We normally just come here and chip a bit off.¡±


    Theo watched as Tresk pulled aside a massive bone, getting to work with her saw. In classic Tresk fashion, she had tried and failed to pull a bone into her inventory. Rather than cutting the bones down, she chipped away at the bones here daily. The alchemist finished the rocks, and got to work on the earth that had been scattered over the bones.


    Tresk made a sound and a face, but continued her work on the bones. There were far too many of them for Alex to eat. With plenty of bones to go around, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Theo stealing all the bones for alchemy. The system was happy to take three-foot lengths of bones, but seemed more concerned about each bone. Theo joined in the sawing, but was just as slow as Tresk with his relatively low strength.


    ¡°Why do you keep making that face?¡± Theo asked, tossing Tresk another cut bone. ¡°Are you just super excited about cutting up a dead dragon?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ look at it,¡± Tresk said, gesturing to what remained of the skeleton. ¡°This is more bones than Pogo had.¡±


    Theo scratched his chin, looking at the length of the bones they were cutting. Tresk must have paid a good amount for the saws since they were finely made and of Drogramathi Iron. There was slightly too much preparation for a job Tresk would do. The alchemist picked up a length of bone he had cut, inspecting it.


    [Quindalias Bone]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Dragon Ascendant Bone]


    A piece of the Dragon Ascendant Quindalias¡¯ skeleton.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°Tresk¡­ are you feeding the bones of a god to our goose?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Tresk said, going to work on another section.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind reeling at the implications. He wasn¡¯t aware of any dragons that had ascended to false godhood. The only dragon he knew by name was Pogo, and she was gone. An ascendant had left something behind before, and it never ended well. Balkor¡¯s corruption had ruined an entire continent, so it was interesting to see a fallen ascendant so close to Broken Tusk. When had it fallen and why?


    ¡°Well, she isn¡¯t dead. I guess that¡¯s the good news,¡± Theo said. ¡°But we don¡¯t know what long-term exposure to this kind of stuff will do.¡±


    ¡°It turns geese into dragons. Duh. Should we take the bones to our world?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. That¡¯s going to violate some rule. How could it not? The dragon was likely killed for coming down here without permission. Maybe. I guess it depends on what age it came here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, cool. We can talk about accidentally ending the world later. Help me stuff these bones in the shared inventory.¡±


    Theo and Tresk got back to work on the bones, spending a few hours before and after dawn getting them processed. The skull was too much for them to deal with for now, so they left it. Which was likely not a good idea, but there was nothing more they could do. There was a wedding to attend.


    ¡°We can talk about how wrong this is later,¡± Theo said, mounting Alex. ¡°Is there a Draconic Pantheon?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. I¡¯m just a cute little lizard,¡± Tresk said, blinking rapidly as she climbed aboard.


    Theo could barely think on the way back to Broken Tusk. The sun had risen, casting the town in shades of pale orange. Long shadows stretched across the streets, stabbing westward. The alchemist was certain an ascendant¡¯s bones had been used to start the undead plague. He needed to know more about this dragon to ensure nothing weird would happen. At least most of those bones were now in a dimensional storage container, which should have prevented them from influencing the world.


    Even before they landed in town, Theo could see people gathering for the wedding. It would not be a ceremony like he had originally expected, but more like a continuous party with events scattered throughout the day. When they landed, Tresk and Alex scampered off to do goblin stuff¡ªthe way they always did¡ªleaving the alchemist behind with his thoughts.


    ¡°How was the trip?¡± Sarisa asked, coming up alongside him.


    ¡°Concerning. I need to make a trip to Khahak before the wedding starts. Wanna come?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Why not,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Count me out,¡± Rowan said, waving them away. ¡°I¡¯ve got things to do.¡±


    Theo shrugged, placing a hand on Sarisa¡¯s shoulder. She yelled as they fell through the veil, finding themselves floating in space. Thanks to the authority of his Dreamwalker¡¯s Core, he could move easily enough through the swirling blackness. He angled them toward Khahar¡¯s orb which orbited the mass in the center just like Tero¡¯gal. A blink later and they were standing atop the Arbiter¡¯s Tower in the center of the world.


    ¡°An unexpected visit,¡± Khahar said, turning from his pristine window to smile at Theo. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I just need information on the ancient pantheons,¡± Theo said. ¡°You know, nothing big.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± Khahar asked.


    ¡°The Draconic Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°There was never a true Draconic Pantheon. A few tried, but failed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The dragon you left under my town is gone, but I sensed more draconic energy nearby,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°You can understand my concern with what happened with Balkor.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I would be concerned, too.¡± Khahar said, turning away. ¡°Are we allowed to bring mortals here?¡±


    Sarisa vomited on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she gurgled, giving the thumbs-up.


    ¡°I can clean that up,¡± Theo said. ¡°Also, I dunno. Thanks, Khahar. I need to attend a wedding, but I thought I¡¯d ask.¡±


    ¡°Anytime, Theo.¡±


    Theo placed a hand on Sarisa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hold onto your butt.¡±


    Sarisa placed either hand on either cheek and made a low grumbling noise.


    An instant later, Theo was standing in Drogramath¡¯s village on Tero¡¯gal. He took a breath of the swamp air and smiled. Sarisa¡¯s face became less pale as she looked around. Something of a smile tugged at her features, but she was still too shaken to produce anything more.


    ¡°This looks like home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is where Drogramath settled,¡± Theo said, waving to a dronon guard. ¡°Where¡¯s the boss?¡±


    The guard gestured in a vague direction, which Theo followed. They had done a lot for the small town since the last time he was here. While he hadn¡¯t figured out how to produce cores for the people here, they had gone off on their own to do all this by hand. The problem of cores in the Throneworld was something he could solve, given time. Tero¡¯gal might figure it out before him, though.


    ¡°Old Droggy,¡± Theo said, placing his hands on his hips as he approached a clearing at the end of the road.


    Drogramath stood with a few other dronon, smiling as he turned to wave at Theo. ¡°The master of the house has returned. Are you well?¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Theo said, exchanging his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core for his new Shadow core. ¡°I need your amazing memory for something. Sarisa, could you go look for some turtles or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I love turtles,¡± Sarisa said, turning and scampering off.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you show her around?¡± Drogramath said to those he had gathered. They nodded and ran to join the half-ogre.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re making a new Broken Tusk,¡± Theo said, laughing as he expanded his shadowy willpower. They were encased in a field of silence. While he didn¡¯t expect prying eyes in his own world, it was good to be safe. Zaul¡ªShadow¡ªwas too insane for him to worry about. The gods would know about what he was doing because they were gods.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing what I can. Which is hard, without alchemy. Why the need for secrecy.¡±


    Theo laughed to himself, shaking his head. ¡°When I first arrived, I saw you as an enemy. I could never have seen you as¡­ this. A mayor of some small swamp town.¡±


    ¡°I am but a dronon.¡±


    ¡°True. The secrecy? I need information on fallen pantheons. Khahar wasn¡¯t in the heavens back in the day. But you were.¡±


    ¡°Which pantheon do you want to know about?¡±


    Theo was tempted to withdraw a bone from his shared inventory, but resisted the urge. That wouldn¡¯t end well. ¡°The Draconic Pantheon.¡±


    Drogramath raised an eyebrow. ¡°You found a fallen dragon.¡±


    Theo snapped his fingers. ¡°I knew you¡¯d know. What can you tell me about them?¡±


    ¡°I can tell you they¡¯re powerful reagents. The dragon ascendants were pure aspects of¡­ something. Fire, earth, water, and so on. We don¡¯t know where they came from, but I know it wasn¡¯t my world or Earth. They were natural to the world, or came from a third world. I cannot say.¡±


    ¡°What would happen¡ªhypothetically¡ªif a goose familiar were to eat about two-hundred pounds of the bones?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what a pound is, but I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a lot of weight?¡±


    ¡°About as heavy as the average half-ogre.¡±


    Drogramath laughed, clapping a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You would get a dragon-goose. Alex should be fine consuming the power of the dragons.They¡¯re representations of pure aspects, uncorrupted like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief. Because she ate at least four-hundred pounds of bones and is looking more like a dragon by the day. Anything else you can tell me about the dragons?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± Drogramath shrugged. ¡°They were secretive in our day. Even before we ascended. Each found a corner of the world to live in. They went into hiding and we never heard much from them. Those that ascended did so secretly. Only Toru¡¯aun figured out they had truly ascended, and she doesn¡¯t share secrets lightly.¡±


    Theo remembered hearing about dragon ascendants in the past. There was a mix of opinions on them, but he got the impression that people assumed anything could ascend. The underground dungeon was close to ascending before they knocked it down a few levels, so why not? He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were intelligent badger ascendants somewhere in the expansive pantheon. Well, before they were nuked.


    ¡°Where is Toru¡¯aun, anyway?¡±


    Drogramath laughed again. ¡°Who knows. She¡¯s impossible to pin down.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the information,¡± Theo said, reaching out to shake Drogramath¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m proud of the town you¡¯ve built.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    Theo chuckled, running off to collect Sarisa. This was fun, and moderately insightful, but he had a wedding to attend. He swapped back to his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core. ¡°Get off that turtle. We¡¯re heading back.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Sarisa groaned. The dronon around her issued similar groans of disappointment. ¡°We were just about to wrestle.¡±

 6.50 - Dont Kill Each Other

    The scent of roasted meat floating through the air as Theo returned to Broken Tusk. Sarisa almost threw up again, but only heaved a few times. They hadn¡¯t been gone long, but the town was coming alive. People ran through the streets with cloth streamers, some with cartoon representations of Zarali and Xol¡¯sa. Several small fights had already broken out, but were contained to polite skirmishes.


    ¡°This is already shaping up to look fun,¡± Theo said, smiling as he watched more banners stream past. ¡°How similar is this to a local wedding?¡±


    ¡°Very similar,¡± Sarisa said with a contented sigh. ¡°The smell of that roasting hog reminds me of the old days. When there were still hogs in the swamp.¡±


    Theo planned to forbid himself from doing work today. He was going to mingle and participate in the games people were running. This was the first wedding in Broken Tusk since he arrived, and he wanted to see what traditions Zarali and Xol¡¯sa had adopted. He made his way north at first, walking along the road and passing by one hog-roasting station. A pig on a spit rotated over an open fire, filling the air with a pleasant smoky smell and the scent of roasting meat. The half-ogres who were in charge of cooking looked up with smiles on their faces, careful to baste the pig with every turn.


    There was no tradition of gift-giving they had adopted for the wedding. Instead, everyone was expected to run an event or participate. The big stuff would happen in the afternoon, pushing into night. For now it was smaller games, starting from the northernmost part of town and crawling all the way to the mine. Theo and Sarisa arrive at the quarry, finding Ziz and his expanding gang of stoneworkers ushering people to a playing field.


    ¡°There he is!¡± Ziz shouted, waving for Theo to approach.


    Theo looked over the court. Lanes had been created with piles of gravel, including a starting point. He watched as people stood at the line, tossing large stones as far as they could. If a person got the rock over a certain point, they were given a carved stone statue, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re running a carnival game,¡± Theo said, patting Ziz on the back.


    ¡°Dunno what that is!¡± Ziz shouted with a laugh.


    Somehow, Theo had a beer in one hand and a rock in the other.


    ¡°Give it a toss!¡±


    Theo held his hand out, taking a swig of his beer. It was some of that rotgut stuff Ziz and his boys enjoyed so much. The alchemist didn¡¯t toss the stone. It shot forward, skipping over a hill far in the distance and vanishing into the blue sky. ¡°How¡¯d I do?¡±


    ¡°You cheated.¡± Ziz frowned.


    ¡°Did I win?¡±


    ¡°No. Drink your beer.¡±


    Theo stepped back, watching as people played the right way. Ziz didn¡¯t make the game hard. It seemed like he created the game to give free statues away. They depicted various things, like wolves and half-ogres. The quality was fine, but he seemed quite proud of his work. Sarisa took her turn at tossing the rocks, having far too much fun. She was refused after winning her third trophy, resulting in a new rule. One statue per person.


    The alchemist had done his best to avoid looking at the other events as he had walked to the quarry. His first stop after the quarry was Stabby Groves, where Zan¡¯kir and Zan¡¯sal were running a knife-throwing event along with some feats of strength. Theo watched as others tried the event, tossing knives into a log. They were given three knives and had to throw them into one of many rings on the log. The different sized rings would provide different points. The red was the smallest, barely the size of Theo¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Care to give it a try?¡± Zan¡¯kir asked, patting Theo on the back.


    ¡°I think it would be cheating.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯re an alchemist,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, clearing not on the list of people who knew about his heightened Dexterity. He handed over three knives.¡±


    Theo took the knives, standing at the line. He cleared his throat, holding the first knife at the ready. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it dead-center on the smallest target. He gave Zan¡¯kir a smile.


    ¡°Woah. Uh¡­ next one, I guess?¡±


    Two more knives flew out, slamming right beside the first.


    ¡°Guess you were cheating,¡± Zan¡¯kir said with a nod. ¡°We don¡¯t have prizes like the other events. I¡¯ll ask you to not come back. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I want to try,¡± Sarisa said, rolling her shoulders. She stepped up to the line and released the first dagger. It hit a larger circle, and the next one was even closer. The last almost hit the smallest circle. ¡°Pretty good!¡±


    ¡°Not bad at all. Great work,¡± Zan¡¯kir said, patting her on the back.


    Theo and Sarisa watched the others try for a while, somehow gaining streamers of their own. They went between events before returning to the town square. After waiting for a while, they finally caught sight of the bride and groom.


    Xol¡¯sa wore blue robes embroidered with intricate patterns made from silver thread. He had cut his hair short, wearing two ornate earrings in either ear. He only nodded and waved as he passed by Theo, parading like royalty around the town.


    Zarali looked even better, wearing a dress that swept the ground everywhere she went. It was made of black and dark purple silk, hanging from her shoulders with chains of silver holding it in place. She let her hair loose, although it had been straightened and pinned with several purple butterfly pins. Where she walked was left a glittering trail of stars. Which was likely an enchantment placed by Xol¡¯sa.


    Theo waved like an idiot as they passed, following them south on their parade through town. Perhaps it was best to be seen taking part in the events. He didn¡¯t want to give the wrong impression about his support. They did several laps around the town before settling in at the square around midday. Tables were arranged¡ªorganized by Alise¡ªand the married couple sat to talk to those in attendance. There was no ceremony for them to be married. Not in the local tradition, anyway. All they needed to do was claim to be married, and it was done.


    ¡°This is much easier than Earth marriages,¡± Theo said, elbowing Rowan.


    ¡°Seems pretty hard to me. Look at all that stuff.¡± Rowan gestured to the plates being served on the many tables. While it wasn¡¯t time to eat the hogs, Xam had created platters of dried meats and cheeses to keep everyone satisfied until the main course.


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    After some snacking and general mingling, Miana called the throng to order. The town wasn¡¯t just packed with locals, but people from Rivers, Gronro, and Qavell. Who didn¡¯t like a carnival?


    ¡°As is tradition, we¡¯re gonna have a fight!¡± Miana shouted. ¡°Xol¡¯sa versus Zarali!¡±


    The crowd cheered. Half-ogres loved a good fight. That apparently extended to recently married couples.


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa, who do you pick as your champion?¡± Miana asked.


    Theo felt the color drain from his face. He watched the crowd react before they should have. They all turned to him, cheering with excitement. ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Theo Spencer,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing to the alchemist. The crowd reacted just like his advanced Wisdom predicted.


    ¡°Zarali, who do you pick as your champion?¡± Mian asked once again.


    Theo watched as a familiar face strode from the crowd. He groaned, shaking his head. Fenian was on some super secret mission. When had the bastard returned?


    ¡°Fenian Feintleaf!¡± Zarali shouted. The crowd reacted as expected.


    Theo walked over, glowering at Xol¡¯sa as he stood in a circle created by the crowd. ¡°I thought you went to Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t miss this,¡± Fenian said, almost giggling with excitement. ¡°A battle with another holder of a throne. All for fun, of course.¡±


    ¡°As is tradition, the marriage battle will restrict the combatants. You may not use abilities, skills, items, weapons, or any other nonsense. Sulvan is on hand to heal you if you should become injured.¡± Miana¡¯s voice echoed through the cheers of the crowd, somehow cutting through them.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll need a bigger battlefield,¡± Fenian said, raising his finger and smiling. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to destroy this lovely town.¡±


    ¡°If the crowd would proceed to the fields outside of the harbor gate, we can begin,¡± Miana said, clapping her hands.


    Theo walked with Fenian over the road, nudging him with his shoulder. ¡°I might give you some trouble this time.¡±


    ¡°Do you think so? What level are you?¡±


    ¡°Thirty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Fenian said, waving him away. ¡°Even without my swords, you don¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Theo was mortified when his name was first called. But his effective level had grown. For all the good things Fenian had done for the town, he was still eager to give him a good thrashing. Perhaps this was the perfect way to get that aggression out of his body.


    ¡°So what does the winner get?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No idea. I was told there would be a fight, so here I am.¡±


    The crowd assembled on one side of the river as Theo and Fenian were led to the other. The rules were stated a few more times before the fight would begin. Theo allowed his future-prediction senses to reach as far as they wanted to go. He watched Fenian lunge at him, fist coiled, over thirty seconds before he actually moved. Like scrubbing through a video, he searched that fated timeline, his intent influencing what he saw. Ducking at the last moment and driving up with his fist would send the elf tumbling back, giving him time for a counter-attack.


    ¡°Begin!¡± Miana shouted.


    Theo¡¯s absurd Dexterity had him falling into a crouch faster than should have been possible. He jabbed upward, landing a hit to Fenian¡¯s gut that sent him reeling back with wide eyes. Half of the crowd gasped, while the other cheered.


    Fenian coughed into his hands, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Oh, you sneaky little devil.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Mister Feintleaf,¡± Theo said, raising his fists to protect his face. Just like the good old days. Yuri would be proud. ¡°Show me what you got.¡±


    Fenian launched into a series of attacks. Swift jabs and hooks sought to defeat his defenses. Theo felt the strikes deep in his bones, relying on his high Vigor to see him through. Even if Fenian put all his points into any attribute, he couldn¡¯t overcome the cheat the alchemist had pulled. Ducking to the side¡ªwatching as Fenian reacted in the future¡ªhe connected with the elf¡¯s jaw.


    ¡°Rip his head off!¡± Tresk shouted from the crowd.


    ¡°Just how fast are you?¡± Fenian laughed, rolling his shoulders and assuming a more relaxed posture.


    Theo watched Fenian turn to the left side in the future, bringing his guard up. The alchemist feinted, going to the right instead. The elf slid across the ground, tumbling far into the distance and leaving a trail of dust.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Fenian shouted, standing to his feet and dusting himself off. ¡°I¡¯m done going easy! Is that okay!?¡±


    ¡°You may fight as hard as you like,¡± Miana shouted back. ¡°Just don¡¯t kill each other.¡±


    Fenian crouched on the spot. The earth beneath his feet cracked as a plume of dirt and stones shot into the air. Theo could barely register how fast he was going, his raw speed almost overcoming the predictive powers of 342 Wisdom. The alchemist blocked a shot that sent a shockwave of force radiating out. He answered with a kick to the knee, and got a knee to the chest in return. A rib cracked somewhere, but he didn¡¯t stop. He couldn¡¯t stop the Tara¡¯hek Union skill from bleeding into his body. Theo drew more attributes from Tresk.


    An exchange of blows thundered over the landscape. Each time Fenian landed a strike, he would miss five, giving Theo time to counter. The intensity of the fight increased as the pair dashed across the landscape. The crowd was going completely insane by this point, some rushing over the bridge to witness the clash. Theo watched as another series of blows came straight for him, only to move out of the way. It became a battle of attrition, lasting for an hour at a complete stalemate.


    ¡°My sweet alchemist!¡± Fenian shouted about twenty paces distant. ¡°You used to be so innocent. What¡¯s that fighting style called?¡±


    ¡°Boxing? I guess,¡± Theo said, taking a deep breath. ¡°This is what they taught us on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you can give me some pointers,¡± Fenian said. Theo watched him cheat in the future. Well, he withdrew his weapons but didn¡¯t act. ¡°Why don¡¯t we test exactly how strong you are?¡±


    Twin rapiers appeared in Fenian¡¯s hands. Theo pulled a Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion from his inventory, ready to use it well before the elf acted.


    ¡°We have a draw!¡± Miana shouted from afar. The crowd went wilder. If that was even possible.


    ¡°Bah. Another time, perhaps.¡± Fenian placed his weapons back in storage. Theo did the same, watching as his opponent sauntered over with all the grace he could muster. He limped over the last few steps. ¡°I think you broke something.¡±


    Theo smiled, his teeth stained with red. ¡°Yeah, most of my ribs are done.¡±


    Fenian placed his arm around Theo¡¯s shoulder, pulling him close. ¡°You little potion-exploiter, you. You¡¯ll have to show me how to do it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a one-time thing,¡± Theo said, walking with Fenian as though they hadn¡¯t just beaten each other. He was right, though. It made him feel slightly better. ¡°So, where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Well, I went to kill Kuzan, but he wasn¡¯t home.¡± Fenian hummed to himself, limping along as he waved to the crowds. ¡°Drove my carriage right into the royal palace and everything. What a waste.¡±


    ¡°That sucks, man.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it does. He won¡¯t act until the man he¡¯s after appears. Still lost in the queue, that one.¡±


    ¡°Who is he looking for?¡±


    Fenian waved to the crowd, bowing as the people cheered some more. He flashed that smile everyone seemed to swoon over. ¡°A hero from another world. Someone who united others against him way-back-when. Those were the days.¡±


    ¡°How long ago was this?¡±


    Fenian winked. ¡°Your godly friends might reveal too much information, but I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll never get me to talk. Not even if you pour ten mugs of mead down my throat. Please don¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out. Along with your real name,¡± Theo said with his own wink. He didn¡¯t feel as sly as the elf when he did it.


    ¡°How high was that wisdom?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°342.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I should mind what I say.¡± Fenian winced as Sulvan healed his wounds. ¡°My given name starts with an ¡®i¡¯. I¡¯ll give you that much.¡±


    ¡°Ienian,¡± Theo said. ¡°Or Ian. That¡¯s all I got.¡±


    Fenian slapped Theo on the back. Perhaps a little too hard. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Now let¡¯s drink until we can¡¯t see. Then we¡¯ll drink some more!¡±

 6.51 - Can We Go To Bed?

    Theo had never seen such a large array of kegs, casks, and bottles in his life. Someone¡ªlikely Alise¡ªhad imported enough booze to burn the town to the ground. Not that the drinks themselves would destroy the town, but the temperment of half-ogres after consuming them. He watched as Tresk danced to the music coming from a wooden stage, sipping on sweet mead and taking in the sights. The poor marshling still couldn¡¯t dance, but she certainly tried her best.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your goose?¡± Fenian asked. He had his feet kicked up, head lolling back as he watched the festivities with a dizzy expression.


    ¡°She wants to be a dragon,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Who am I to stop her?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so coy. The locals might not catch on, but I know a familiar doesn¡¯t spontaneously evolve.¡±


    ¡°I like how you call me coy while being coy,¡± Theo said, taking another sip. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Bah. You¡¯re so hard to deal with. Where did she get the dragon¡¯s bones and can I have some?¡±


    Theo smiled to himself. Fenian always pretended as though he was clueless. But the man had a handle on almost everything. The alchemist would only be surprised if he didn¡¯t know something. ¡°Tell me why you want them. My intuition says you want to inspect the item to learn the dragon¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°I like the stupid version of you better.¡±


    ¡°Why would you care about the dragon¡¯s name?¡±


    Fenian sighed. ¡°An interest in history.¡±


    ¡°Why would you care about history? Just a passing fancy?¡±


    ¡°An obsession,¡± Fenian corrected.  ¡°I need to know what happened before my time.¡±


    Fenian had an interesting way to phrase things. ¡®Before my time¡¯ was oddly specific, even for him. From what Theo could gather, Fenian had been operating for at least 100 years. He suspected the elf¡¯s wife died at that time, meaning they lived a meaningful life before that. But where his story started before that catalyst of a moment was still unknown.


    ¡°I suppose most people don¡¯t know about the dragon ascendants,¡± Theo started, watching the slight twitch on Fenian¡¯s face. ¡°But I guess you do.¡±


    ¡°Which one was it?¡± Fenian asked.


    Theo smiled to himself. ¡°Quindalias.¡±


    Fenian withdrew a notebook, writing the name down. Theo wasn¡¯t surprised that he couldn¡¯t read the words on the page. It wasn¡¯t just in another language, but some enchantment prevented anyone but the elf from reading it.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t say which Dragon Aspect she was, does it?¡±


    Theo withdrew a small chunk of the bone. He withdrew his hand when Fenian grasped for it. ¡°We¡¯re working on being honest, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°That goes both ways,¡± Fenian said, hiccuping.


    Theo handed the bone over, reclining on the bench. ¡°I might as well hand a sample over before I turn the others into a potion. For now, I want them locked up in dimensional spaces. Anyone with a brain knows what you did with Balkor¡¯s bone.¡±


    Fenian laughed, shaking his head. ¡°They used to say if you had a piece of divinity, you could attain it yourself. A pass to the old heavens, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Was that true?¡±


    ¡°No. Making a pact with an ascendant was the best way to get up there. The bones of a fallen ascendant are only good for influencing the world with their power. Like an invisible well gushing aligned water.¡±


    ¡°So, you poisoned the land to get at Karasan,¡± Theo said, pursing his lips. Perhaps another person would see Fenian in chains¡ªor worse¡ªfor such a thing. But the elf was calculating. He was vengeful, but there were always many parts to his schemes. ¡°Explain that to me. Justify yourself.¡±


    Fenian smiled, draining his glass and getting another. He held his mug up, toasting. ¡°Balkor¡¯s Betrayal. More like Balkor¡¯s Gambit. Descending to the mortal plane was a way for him to seed his bones, revealing the Thrones of Power. I wasn¡¯t part of the plan to start, but found a niche to fill. Karasan was being controlled, and would have destroyed your alliance.¡±


    ¡°You had to unleash an undead plague to stop him?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just one elf. Balkor¡¯s realm was part of my plan. The only way to get there was to awaken it. I intended to die in that realm, you know. Once I got my revenge, I thought the thirst would end. But it didn¡¯t. I used my wife¡¯s anti-mage cores to do it, you know? Could you imagine?¡±


    Theo¡¯s face darkened, his face fixed in a grimace. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that.¡±


    ¡°Bleeding the energy from the bones was the only way I could find to destroy the shadow of Balkor on the mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°Yet you let the last piece get away.¡±


    Fenian shook his head. ¡°An oversight. One I¡¯ve been trying to fix.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to justify what you did in my mind. If a bomb were going to explode, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d have the will to bring it to the doorstep of my enemy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at it the wrong way,¡± Fenian said. He stopped to drain another cup. ¡°I reduced the power of the bomb before setting it off. Were innocent people truly harmed? I think not. They have all reincarnated, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Did you know they would come back?¡±


    ¡°Not for certain,¡± Fenian admitted. He sighed. ¡°Are you trying to convince me of my sins, or absolve yourself of yours?¡±


    Theo shook his head. He didn¡¯t enjoy being read so openly. ¡°Absolution, I think. I don¡¯t think we can judge anyone for what they¡¯re doing right now. This world is so messed up, with so many things to fix. People like Balkor were trying what they knew to fix it, then you had to come along and clean up the mess. I want a world where there are no messes to clean up. Where the system works as it was intended.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re the new Guardian of the Shard, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fenian asked with a laugh.


    ¡°That appears to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Come with me, dear alchemist,¡± Fenian said, clapping with excitement. He stopped half-way before getting up from his chair. ¡°Have you forgiven me? Are we best friends again?¡±


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    ¡°You were never on trial,¡± Theo said, standing and stretching. ¡°You were right. I was just trying to justify my old life.¡±


    ¡°Begone with your old life. That¡¯s long-dead.¡± Fenian grabbed Theo by the arm, dragging him toward the celebrations.


    Both Zarali and Xol¡¯sa were performing a slow dance. They were in the center of a ring of people. Some had hands clasped over their hearts while others were cheering and hooting. All assembled were slightly more influenced by the many libations than they should have been. Fenian grabbed Theo¡¯s arm, pressing his head against the alchemist and cooing at the couple. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t remove the elf.


    When the dance was over, and the crowd rushed into the space, Fenian whistled. Everyone¡ªincluding the band¡ªstopped.


    ¡°What an excellent celebration!¡± Fenian shouted, holding his hands high to further gain the crowd¡¯s attention. ¡°Not only are we here today to get piss drunk¡­¡± He paused for cheers. ¡°But also to celebrate the joining of two hearts. The finest elven artisans have joined their efforts to create a monument to this moment. I¡¯d like to present a special gift to the newly married couple.¡±


    Theo watched future events unfold long before they actually did. He groaned.


    A statue appeared from Fenian¡¯s inventory, falling into place on the ground and settling there. Laughter came next, followed by a splash of pink spreading across Xol¡¯sa¡¯s cheeks. Zarali barked a laugh, clapping her hand over it an instant later.


    ¡°Behold!¡± Fenian shouted. ¡°A masterpiece.¡±


    The statue was cast in what looked like bronze, sitting on a silver platform. Two figures were depicted, twice the size of their real-world counterparts. A version of Zarali stood, holding an ornate sword aloft. She wore almost nothing, clad in tattered armor with her hair billowing in the wind. Theo didn¡¯t remember her being so absurdly muscular, but the statue depicted her as such. Xol¡¯sa had both hands wrapped around her leg, sitting at the base of the statue. His statue version looked up to her with an expression of reverence to her¡­ muscles.


    Fenian scampered off, shoving the couple forward to get a better look at the statue. ¡°I think we captured you both perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Zarali asked with a wince. ¡°Why does he look so¡­ scared?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fear, darling,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Our resident space elf is experiencing awe at your majesty.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding as he gazed up at the barbarian version of his wife.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I want one!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°Funny you should ask,¡± Fenian said, motioning as though to pull another statue from nowhere. He shrugged. ¡°Just kidding, Theo. I know your chaste heart would burst if you saw a giant, muscular marshling up there.¡±


    ¡°This certainly is something,¡± Theo said, trying not to laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you gave the artist an accurate description, though.¡±


    ¡°Come, now,¡± Fenian said, looking between the statue and real versions of the wedded couple. ¡°I can¡¯t tell the difference!¡±


    ¡°I need more wine,¡± Zarali said, turning and breaking away from the group.


    After the reveal of the statue, the music continued. The dancing and drinking resumed as Theo found his way to the back of the crowd. Fenian was done with their conversation, although it was hard to tell if the elf¡¯s plan was to gain forgiveness, a piece of a dragon, or something else. Whatever the case, he had made an interesting impression on the celebration, cementing himself as something else entirely.


    Although the sun had fallen, and a few people had broken off from the party, the games, fights, and drinking went on well into the night. Theo would have gone to bed hours ago, but Tresk was insistent on continuing the celebration. He didn¡¯t mind, as he was mostly relieved about what the wedding party was. And he was shocked to see only minor damage had been inflicted onto the town. A few windows were broken from friendly fights, but that was it. Sulvan had a night off after healing Theo and Fenian.


    Not only was today important because of the wedding. But it was the first day of the Season of Death. Not that Broken Tusk would experience much of autumn. They were far south enough as to almost be tropical. Where Qavell had been in a temperate climate, the southlands had always been hot. Theo hoped for the weather to calm down. If only a little. He wasn¡¯t confident about crafting enough fuel for the town¡¯s air conditioners with his new alchemy system. Perhaps they could cool the important buildings, but no more.


    Theo watched as an improvised bonfire blazed near the town¡¯s monolith. Most of the band that had been playing were passed out, only the drummer still beating a steady rhythm. Tresk danced arm-in-arm with a random elf. A scattering of other people stood around, half-heartedly swaying with the slowing beat. The alchemist sipped his mead, never having drank enough to feel much. This seemed like a decent end to a strange time. He hadn¡¯t yet fixed the space elves or the shards, but he had a path forward. With such a strange issue, he couldn¡¯t expect more than that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy,¡± Tresk said, shuffling over to sit near Theo. ¡°You just gonna sit all night?¡±


    Theo gestured to the thinning crowd. It must have been past midnight. ¡°With such a lively crowd, I¡¯d rather just watch.¡±


    ¡°Good one. Eavesdropped on you talking with Fenian. You giving my dragon bones away?¡±


    ¡°He really enjoyed the piece I gave him. Sometimes you just have to give the man a bone to chew on. Y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°I most certainly do not.¡± Tresk slumped forward. ¡°Can we go to bed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said. He helped Tresk stand as he did. Alex had already returned to her comfortable barn. Zarali and Xol¡¯sa retreated to the tower hours ago. There wasn¡¯t much left to enjoy here. The pair headed for the manor.


    Xol¡¯sa was responsible for creating the tethers and beacons Theo would need to bring the shards back. It might be hard placing them throughout the world, but that was a problem for another time. So long as the space elf wasn¡¯t busy with his marital duties, it wouldn¡¯t take that long to finish.


    Theo and Tresk returned to the manor, finding it silent. Sarisa and Rowan were already asleep. Just like most of the town. They made their way to the top floor bedroom, falling into what thin amount of the Dreamwalk was left. The moment they entered, all sense of tiredness washed away. A phantom scene of the party they had just attended appeared, revelers fighting through the streets and draining entire kegs into their opened mouths. This was a fond memory for Tresk¡­ apparently.


    Alex came flapping in from the sky, stirring up the dirt over the cobbles. She landed, the ground shaking beneath her.


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan for the night, buddy?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo clicked his tongue, shrugging. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll do much. Until Throk makes the next iteration of my stills, I¡¯m just waiting.¡±


    ¡°Wanna spy on some dreams?¡± Tresk asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Well, she didn¡¯t have eyebrows, but she tried.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Why not? Nothing creepy.¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯ve got is creepy,¡± Tresk said, waving her hand through the air. Nothing happened immediately, but the scene shifted in time. They stood at the base of a ziggurat, an elven man Theo recognized as a colonist from the Wavecrest House standing near the bottom. Snakes were hissing from the steps. ¡°This guy always dreams about the snakes. No idea what his deal is.¡±


    ¡°So, what value does this power from the Dreamer¡¯s Core have?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Spying on dreams is interesting, but how is it helpful for you? As the Dreamer?¡±


    ¡°When we¡¯re trapped in heaven, I can go between dreams and deliver messages,¡± Tresk said. ¡°It is a foolproof way to communicate with the mortal realm without being slapped by the gods.¡±


    ¡°Who are you people?¡± the elf said, turning and looking at the group with horror. ¡°Archduke Theo¡­ No, I swear I filled my production quota. Don¡¯t beat me again!¡±


    ¡°I never beat him,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Sounds like you beat him, though,¡± Tresk said, shaking her head.


    The elven man cowered, holding his hands up defensively. ¡°Not again!¡±


    ¡°How are you going to talk to them if they¡¯re all like this?¡± Theo asked. ¡°He isn¡¯t making sense.¡±


    ¡°He makes a lot of sense if you think about it. You abuser.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never hit this man,¡± Theo said, folding his arms. ¡°I would have remembered it.¡±


    The man screamed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Tresk said, scoffing. ¡°I¡¯d rather not think about the obvious history of abuse you¡¯ve laid, like the foundation to your own downfall. This is how you make a revolution, you know?¡±


    Theo glared at Tresk. ¡°Take us somewhere more interesting.¡±


    Tresk laughed, the scene shifting again. ¡°We¡¯re just gonna snoop. Do a little snooping.¡±


    Theo braced himself to view more weird dreams. At least it was an interesting distraction.

 6.52 - Newer Stills

    Theo stood in the Marsh Wolf Tavern, looking over the glazed eyes of what few patrons had come in. He drummed his fingers on the counter, finding Xam in a similar state. Given time, she produced decently cooked food that would be good enough for the morning. After paying, he headed out and jumped with shock. He let out a breath, looking up at the muscular form of Zarali looming over Broken Tusk. Averting his gaze, he rushed to the manor to deliver breakfast.


    Rowan and Sarisa had crawled out of bed, but were still on the floor, groaning and clawing at the floor. Theo placed a bowl of soup by each of them, setting out food for himself and Tresk at the table. Neither of them were as bothered, but they hadn¡¯t hit the mead as hard as the others. It was a matter of volume or Vigor. The alchemist took his seat at the table, spooning soup into his mouth.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not visit more dreams,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°I won¡¯t soon recover from Fenian¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that elf is freaky.¡± Tresk tipped the bowl back, eating her soup in one go.


    ¡°Did you see Salire at the party?¡±


    Tresk shook her head then shrugged. ¡°Once. She was plastered pretty early.¡±


    ¡°That might have been the correct strategy. I thought it went well. Right?¡±


    Tresk shrugged again. ¡°No one died. So, yeah. Good stuff.¡±


    Theo was hopeful for Throk¡¯s productivity today. He wasn¡¯t at the party, so hopefully he wasn¡¯t hungover. There were many things to consider from the recent change, but something that was unaffected was his golems. The alchemist¡¯s army of golems was still going strong, doing their work without a care. He still needed to consider what it meant to work with his [Tero¡¯gal Greenhouse], but perhaps he would now have enough time. The rate of growth within the greenhouse was slower, and there were fewer spaces. Also, there were no upgrades.


    Compared to the way the Tero¡¯gal Manor had updated, it was strange. Perhaps there was an advantage to keeping buildings unaligned in this new world. Just like people selecting cores provided by the true gods, or the ones that remained neutral, there were advantages and disadvantages to both. He chose to pause his experimentation with the greenhouses until the first crop of spiny swamp thistle root came in.


    ¡°We need to carve time out of your schedule to look at the corrupted core of Qavell,¡± Theo said, finishing the last of his soup.


    ¡°What, am I gonna purge it or something?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°I¡¯d rather see what the dragon bones do for your alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Dragon bones are fun, but this shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    Theo left Sarisa and Rowan on the ground after covering them each with a blanket. He left wineskins filled with water near each of them, ensuring their hydration when they woke. The issue with Qavell¡¯s corruption shouldn¡¯t have been too hard to solve. The alchemist reflected on that as they rode Alex over to the city, gaining angry shouts from the guards below. He figured the hardest part of fixing the city was wrangling Tresk for a few hours while her Dreamer¡¯s Core interfaced with the Town and Kingdom Core.


    ¡°King Hanan,¡± Theo said, bowing his head slightly as he entered the palace. The king was standing with his arms folded, looking tired. ¡°You attended the party?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Some half-ogre convinced me to drink more than I wanted.¡± The king rubbed his face, slapping his cheeks. ¡°It will take half the day for me to wake.¡±


    ¡°I hear that,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to look at the core, if that¡¯s okay,¡± Theo said, waiting for the king¡¯s approval. It was only polite.


    ¡°Be my guest.¡±


    Too hungover to care, the king gave the pair access to the lower levels of the city. They moved through the maze, finding their way to the ritual chamber shortly after. Little had changed. Theo had performed regular maintenance on the shielding, and could now use his abilities to enhance it further. But if this worked, they wouldn¡¯t need to contain the corruption.


    ¡°The Venom spread further since last time,¡± Theo said, gesturing with a copper knife to the veins of poison pulsing through the corruption. ¡°My fear is it will infect the city itself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that poison was great.¡±


    ¡°Are you getting any notifications?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Something about corruption spreading, end of the world, blah blah.¡± Tresk sighed as little spectral wings sprouted from her back. ¡°You getting anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± The corruption had to proceed to a stage where the Throne Cores would recognize it as a threat. Fenian¡¯s core had only reacted to the entity after it manifested, and now the Dreamer¡¯s Core didn¡¯t like the way the corruption was spreading. And it was spreading, if only at a glacial pace. ¡°Work your magic, little lizard.¡±


    Tresk spit into her hands, rubbing them together. ¡°Presto, chango!¡±


    Theo watched as the marshling held her hands out, her eyes pinched tightly. ¡°I dunno what I¡¯m doing,¡± she said after a while.


    ¡°You could try smacking it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    Tresk tried quite a few things before giving up. They lingered near the core, unable to figure out how to jump-start her Dreamer¡¯s Core. Giving up, they sent Alex off to find Fenian. A half-hour later, she flew back to deposit his limp body onto the steps of the palace. The alchemist hoisted the elf over his shoulder, marching back to the ritual room. He had passed out on someone¡¯s roof in Stabby Grove, although no one around the area was conscious enough to give a report. If someone wanted to attack the alliance, now was the perfect time.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead, is he?¡± Tresk asked as Theo placed Fenian in the ritual room.


    ¡°He has a pulse,¡± Theo said, rolling the elf onto his stomach. Wings sprouted from his back, the room filling with a droning thrum. ¡°There we go. Anything new on your end?¡±


    ¡°Yep. System message says we can purge the corruption with love and friendship or something.¡± Tresk spit into her hands once again, pinching her eyes shut and reaching out. ¡°Oh yeah, baby. I¡¯m feeling the juice.¡±


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    Theo watched the process with interest. Mist formed in the air, flowing from both Fenian and Tresk as it entered the city¡¯s core. Floating baubles of light burst against the monolith, removing corruption where they landed. For this purging to work, both members of the mortal realm team needed to be here. The alchemist was reminded of when he met Death, and how he kicked Twist out of the heavens. Perhaps he should spend more time in the realm of the gods, enforcing the rules. Maybe that was Khahar¡¯s job¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re about five percent done,¡± Tresk said, clicking her tongue. ¡°This is some repair process by the system. It says this corruption is a foreign entity that isn¡¯t allowed on any plane, let alone the mortal one. And I know your theory.¡±


    Theo nodded, finding himself lost in thought. ¡°I have little information about this guy, but I think he¡¯s like the Harbinger from my world. Maybe another one of his kind, or a shadow of the real thing. We don¡¯t know the capacity and will of the entity, so I find it hard to make plans against it.¡±


    ¡°This could be the answer, though. Just cleaning up the mess bit-by-bit.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. It might be the job of the Dreamwalker and the Arbiter to sort this stuff out.¡±


    Theo and Tresk threw theories around, not reaching much of a conclusion. It was hard to find an answer with such little information. The alchemist considered the power of his Tero¡¯gal Mage¡¯s Core, and the things he might do with it after leveling a bit more.


    ¡°What if we put a ward over the entire planet?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The planet is big,¡± Tresk countered.


    That got Theo thinking. Mostly about the shards he was destined to recover. ¡°What if that¡¯s the purpose of the shards?¡±


    ¡°That would solve your problems, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Tresk asked, laughing to herself. She swayed slightly, stopping the repair to wipe sweat from her brow. ¡°This sucks. I need a break.¡±


    It took about half the day for Tresk and the unconscious Fenian to remove the corruption of the core. But they succeeded. Theo even brought Hanan back to check his interface, finding that every trace of the corruption was gone. The alchemist hoisted Fenian over his shoulder when they were done, finding it much harder to move through the palace with those wings. They took him back to the manor, rather than depositing him onto whatever roof he came from.


    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s alive?¡± Tresk asked as Theo placed the elf onto a soft bed.


    ¡°He has a pulse,¡± Theo repeated with a shrug. He slapped Fenian in the face, causing him to groan. ¡°There. He made a sound.¡±


    ¡°That could have been air escaping¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you have more dragon bones to find?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda sleepy myself. Did too much work today.¡± Tresk stood there, looking over Fenian with a hooded gaze. ¡°I¡¯m gonna stand here for a few hours and stare at him like a creep.¡±


    ¡°Okie dokie,¡± Theo said, heading out from the manor. With only half of the day left, he had two tasks he wanted to tackle. Processing the alchemical waste would take too long. But he could discover the properties on the dragon bones and getting his lab in working order again was within his grasp. He wasn¡¯t surprised to find the shop, experimentation floor, and lab of the building empty. But there were some new fancy stills, courtesy of Throk. ¡°Instead of partying, he was working. I can appreciate that.¡±


    The new stills were of an extremely low capacity. There were new fancy gizmos, and the thickness of the still itself had increased significantly. Throk had heard about the explosions rocking through the town, and sought to mitigate that. He created a more efficient bomb, or a safer still. It was hard to tell which. There were also improvements to the iron paddles, which should have made them collect more impurities. He inspected one of the five that Throk had delivered.


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Artifice Still]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Epic


    Created By: Throk


    A 50 unit capacity Drogramathi Iron still with attached advanced condenser, internal heating elements, protective plating, over-pressure valve, and rotating paddle attachment.


    Effects:


    Distillation time reduced.


    Occasionally produces more essence.


    Reduces the chance of explosive reactions.


    Attachments:


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Bubble Plate]


    [Custom Drogramathi Iron Vapor Pressurizer]


    [Custom Artifice Heater]


    [Custom Artifice Timer]


    [Custom Artifice rotator]


    The pressurizer was optional. Theo could remove that to test the baseline operation of the still. If the first step to this new alchemy was so different, he couldn¡¯t imagine the second being any easier. Running first tier essence through a pressure condenser might cause an explosion. Then again, it might not. But he wasn¡¯t going to test that within his lab. The testing chamber seemed more appealing by the day. Perhaps it was time to accept that upgrade¡­


    ¡°After we get this going,¡± Theo told himself, preparing for a run with his new still. He only planned to run one batch for now. Throk had a way of ironing out problems, though. After a few rounds of feedback, the alchemist expected this to run perfectly.


    It felt strange holding the large alchemical grinder over the small still. Theo found it was far easier to mash the reagents in a different vessel before transferring them to the still. He relied on his core and abilities to measure the right amounts out, placing a mixture of essence and water in equal parts into the still. After that, it was a matter of setting the programmable heating and stirring settings to the right spot and letting it sit for about a day.


    Fermentation was a problem, but it was a problem for another day. Baby steps.


    Theo looked up from his work, watching as Salire stumbled into the lab. Her face went a deeper shade of red when she spotted him. Messy hair, wrinkled clothes, and dark bags under her eyes marked her as one of many who had over indulged.


    ¡°You never take a break, do you?¡± she groaned, shuffling into the lab.


    ¡°I try not to. Throk is right there with me. I¡¯ve got a new still running.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Salire said, slumping over a table and hanging her head.


    Theo got to work, filling an empty still with some water. He added moss, and poured them both a cup of tea before handing a mug over to her. ¡°Not as good as what Xam makes, but good enough for a hangover.¡±


    Salire accepted the cup, nodding as she took her first sip. ¡°Delicious.¡±


    Theo took a sip of his. It tasted like moss with a hint of citrus. Although he had a cup with breakfast, another wasn¡¯t unwelcome. The slightly sweet scent of the distilling essence mingled with the earthy smell of the moss. Salire perked up slightly, but still rested against the table with her shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Are we calling this a success?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not until this batch finishes unattended,¡± Theo said. He worked on spreading a barrier of containment around the working still. Now that Salire had mentioned success, failure was on his mind. At least he could use his barrier wards to experiment within his lab, rather than retreating to the clearing behind the lab. ¡°I was thinking about something¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Salire looked up with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°The first Tero¡¯gal potion I made was twice as effective as Drogramath¡¯s version.¡±


    ¡°Even if it took significantly more time and effort,¡± Salire added.


    ¡°Yeah. But I hope that¡¯s a trend. We¡¯re forced to craft less potions, but we¡¯ll need to craft less. Because these new potions are going to be more effective.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Salire said, her head thumping against the table. ¡°Sounds perfect.¡±


    That was the plan¡­ for now. Run the new stills to ensure they were functioning correctly. Next came the need to figure out Tero¡¯gal¡¯s second tier of alchemy. During these experiments, Theo wanted to check the reactiveness of various reagents. That would let him know if the base purity of any reagents could be influenced by his aligned greenhouses. He would play it by ear from there, pushing himself in whatever direction he needed to go.


    Theo clapped his hands together. Salire jumped, sputtering. ¡°No sleeping on the job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m awake,¡± Salire said, pushing off from the table. She shook her head, blinking away her tiredness. ¡°What are we doing?¡±

 6.53 - Impure Essence

    Most of Broken Tusk had recovered by the next day. The happy couple was sequestered in their tower, all drunks had been refreshed, and Theo sat at the table in his manor. Sarisa and Rowan still weren¡¯t well enough to cook breakfast, but they could make it to Xam¡¯s to buy some food. It was soup again, which was good enough for the alchemist.


    ¡°Did you two even wake up yesterday?¡± Theo asked, poking his spoon at both Rowan and Sarisa.


    ¡°No,¡± Rowan said, groaning. ¡°I¡¯m still feeling it.¡±


    ¡°I know. If only our resident alchemist could make a cure¡­¡± Sarisa winked about ten times at Theo.


    ¡°Oh, there is a cure for hangovers using alchemy,¡± Tresk said, nodding to herself. ¡°But we don¡¯t have the plant.¡±


    ¡°Of course we don¡¯t. Why would we have nice things?¡± Sarisa groaned, slamming her head into the table.


    ¡°I fell asleep in here.¡± Rowan had a distant look on his face, as though viewing the events from yesterday. ¡°Forgot about the mini-Dreamwalk. That was some freaky stuff.¡±


    ¡°You control that dream. You know that, right?¡± Sarisa asked. ¡°So whatever you dreamed of was your fault. What was it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Rowan said, going pale.


    ¡°This is why we don¡¯t have more parties.¡± Theo loomed over the pair like a disappointed parent. ¡°Maybe we should head to the swamp today as punishment.¡±


    ¡°You can go alone. No energy,¡± Sarisa said, waving the thought away.


    ¡°You can¡¯t scare the children like that,¡± Tresk said, shaking her head. She clicked her tongue and waggled a finger to complete the look of a disappointed mother.


    Theo expected another chill day in town. Everyone was feeling better than yesterday, but they would still be sluggish. After finishing breakfast, he headed to the Newt and Demon. He approached the entrance with caution, poking his head in the front door and searching for damage. He climbed to the third floor, doing the same thing. A fifty unit flask of distilled first tier essence sat on the table, and the still was intact.


    It was hard not to compare this flask of essence to the first ones he made after arriving in town. He could now see the details¡ªinvisible to most¡ªthat distinguished the work of an amateur and the perfection of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy. It went beyond the old grade markers of Drogramath¡¯s alchemy. Perfection was now measured in the essence''s purity, quality of the stills, and skill of the alchemist.


    The iron paddle had done its job. After cleaning the leftover reagent mash from the still, Theo removed the paddle and placed it on a clean table for inspection. Using an alchemically neutral copper knife, he removed a tiny chunk, transferring it to a glass vial for experimentation. He stowed the paddle in dimensional storage to avoid any unexpected reactions while he loaded all five of the new stills with Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, topping each with water, and setting them to work.


    Theo might have had the confidence to set the stills and forget them, but he still created a small, round shield around each five. Just in case.


    Holding his hand over the vial, Theo focused on his Reagent Deconstruction ability. He could feel the small amounts of the whole reagent left behind in the crystalized waste. He pulled on those bits, allowing mana to pool in his hand and drip into the vial. Tilting the glassware container on its side, he expected an explosion. But he focused on pulling the pieces of the waste apart, watching as the mixture bubbled, always on the verge of a more violent reaction. The crystalized waste condensed, tinkling as he rolled the mix around. Both a solid and liquid were left behind, after the mana evaporated. The solid registered as Alchemical Waste when he inspected it, but the murky liquid provided something new.


    [Impure Healing Essence]


    [Impure Essence]


    Common


    An incomplete essence with trace amounts of Healing components.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, pulling the solid junk out and letting it fall to the table.


    Intuition told him this incomplete essence would behave more like regular essence than junk. The solids were still useless, but he could work with this. Those trace elements in the Impure Essence could be used for something. He didn¡¯t know what, but he could do something with it. For now, he would speed his way to the second tier, leaving this for later


    Throk was gonna be mad.


    Knowing there was something to do with the waste was an excellent step forward. Theo made his way to the aligned greenhouse, patting the Plant Golem as he entered the space. He pulled a mostly grown sample of the root from the garden, watching as the golem rushed in to fill the gap. Since they were harvesting fewer things, the poor fella had less to do. He left, passing by his Experimental Garden Plot at the Herbalist Workshop and shaking his head. He would get back to that project soon enough. Settling in before his research table, the alchemist considered how different this new variant of the plant was.


    [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    The root of a Spiny Swamp Thistle.


    Research:


    Infused with an exceptional amount of Tero¡¯gal energy.


    Medium Growth Cycle.


    Exceptionally pure sample.


    Will not generate a known potion.


    Properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Flourish]


    The information provided by the workshop contained things Theo was aware of. It made sense that this would be soaked in Tero¡¯gal energy, but he was glad to see it was a pure sample. It would not cause a new potion, much to his disappointment. The system only allowed him to get away with earning so many attributes before it stepped in. That was fine, though. Tero¡¯gal Alchemy was more about working with pure samples, so cultivating these plants was necessary.


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    Tero¡¯gal Alchemy would be easier with these reagents, but Theo wanted to get it right from the start. He wanted a detailed instruction manual. The more they knew about the hardships future alchemists would endure the better. The alchemist updated the list of orders for his golem, instructing it to harvest from the Tero¡¯gal Greenhouse. Before moving to his next task, he updated his other greenhouses, making the hard decision on which plants to put in each structure.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, kneeling to inspect what had been generated for the Flame Rose.


    The exterior of the greenhouse looked normal enough. But as Theo poked his head inside, he saw the volcanic conditions within. The ground was a darker shade, and the heat was unbearable. That heat didn¡¯t escape from the building, but the glass on the outside was almost too hot to touch. Theo clicked his tongue, looking over the eight greenhouses he had. He could only cover the three restoration plants and the five attribute plants before running out of room. But those were the eight most useful reagents he had access to.


    ¡°Difficult choices,¡± Theo grumbled to himself, looking over the strange new greenhouses. ¡°I don¡¯t trust the one with lightning inside¡­¡±


    Maintaining enough greenhouses to service every reagent Theo wanted to use wasn¡¯t possible now. While he could split the space inside, he doubted non-aligned reagents would flourish within. Especially not the greenhouse for the Lightning Poppy. Between his understanding of the new alchemy techniques and the greenhouses, the potions would flow once again.


    Theo departed from the tangle of greenhouses, wandering out onto the street. Instead of completing a massive 500 unit batch within hours, he now had to wait at least a day. With more time between runs, he made his way through the town. With more people heading out onto the street, it felt more alive. That narrow window of time where everyone was too sensitive to the light, or completely unconscious had passed in a flash. Before long, he found Sulvan slumped by the town¡¯s monolith.


    ¡°Rough couple of days?¡± Theo asked, withdrawing a Stamina Potion from his inventory and holding it out.


    Sulvan took the potion with a feeble grasp, downing it in one go and hiccuping. ¡°Alcohol poisoning counts as poisoning. Just in case you needed to know.¡±


    Theo laughed, helping the man to his feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. How many people were affected?¡±


    ¡°Something like half,¡± Sulvan said, rubbing his face. ¡°I hope you¡¯re creating more potions.¡±


    ¡°We just nailed the process down. It might take a week, but we¡¯ll have everything we need.¡±


    Sulvan clasped his hands together, muttering a prayer. ¡°I¡¯ll be more prepared for the next party. Perhaps you can brew some potions to cure the poisonous effects.¡±


    ¡°The effect comes from zee, so I don¡¯t see a problem with that. We could mix it in with the booze.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No, it might explode. You should take a break for the day.¡±


    Sulvan shook his head, rolling his shoulders. The effects of the Stamina Potion were immediate and potent. ¡°I feel better after drinking the potion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll crash later. Just keep that in mind.¡±


    Theo departed the company of the town¡¯s main healer. Bilgrob was a new brand of healer, too. But the ogre had trouble understanding how his Tero¡¯gal Healer¡¯s Core worked. While the alchemist wished he could infuse the man with some insight, he knew as much as anyone else. His connection with Tero¡¯gal was strong, but the Throneworld wouldn¡¯t give him the keys to each of its cores. With most of the town now with cores of his own making, that was a problem.


    The bright spot in the saga of old cores losing their power was the workforce of the town. Most had unaligned cores¡ªtypically called laborer cores¡ªthat experienced nothing when the shift happened. Gridgen at the mines, Ziz in the quarry, Nira at the smelters, Perg from the tannery, Throk and Thim at the smith and artificer, and even the infirmed Sledge that worked the woodcutting station all had unaligned cores. There was a point where folks were considering aligned with Drogramath. They had dismissed the idea at the time, but happily accepted Tero¡¯gal cores later.


    Faith in the false gods was thin, even before they had been discovered as such.


    Theo listened to the chime of the bell at Whisper¡¯s butcher shop. She didn¡¯t look up from the sausage stuffing artifice Throk had built her.


    ¡°How are the new cores working?¡± Theo asked, leaning over the counter. Without the Coat of Rake, he would¡¯ve been too cold. She kept the air conditioner as low as it would go, resulting in a layer of frozen condensation on the window.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said.


    ¡°Could I get some sausages?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Whisper tried to refuse payment, but Theo used an old tactic. After placing the cured meat in his inventory, he threw money at her and ran out the door. He made his way to the Weaver¡¯s Workshop on the other side of town, taking his time to appreciate the sights of the dying summer. The weather was improving, if only a little. Constant rain in the Season of Blooms, unending heat in the Season of Fire, and now a pleasant breeze that blew from the north for the Season of Death. If this season mirrored those on Earth, there would be celebrations. Perhaps he should focus on those Cure Poison Potions¡­


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said, entering Kaya¡¯s workshop and bowing slightly. He spoke in a broken version of the elf-tongue, only ever picking up a few words. ¡°Having fun?¡±


    Kaya looked up, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m learning Qavelli.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s close, right? Just checking in on everyone.¡± He cleared his throat, switching between languages again. ¡°New cores good?¡±


    ¡°Very good. Thank you,¡± Kaya said, bowing her head.


    Theo gave her a healthy thumbs-up before leaving. He had learned Axphashi for no reason, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to learn the most popular language in Tarantham. Taranthamese? Whatever. The elf-tongue. In a twist of irony, Russian was more useful. Especially if one were going to the Khahari Desert. For his next stop, the alchemist wanted to check on a very important member of the town. Broken Tusk had the Synergistics upgrade which had done little since Sledge was laid up.


    The alchemist approached Mudball Fundamental, watching as the children played in the massive yard. While the fence kept the kids inside, it also provided a crude form of a defense for any errant monsters. Not that a monster had been sighted inside the walls for a while. They had enough patrols to put a stop to that risk. Bob was teaching a class about the shifting politics of the world. He had been hit as hard as anyone else, his Zaul cores transforming into Shadow cores overnight.


    Theo found the room Sledge had claimed in the back. He cracked the door, his eyes going wide as he spotted a sight too cute to believe. Three tiny marshlings that could fit in the palm of his hand, were running around the room. They shrieked, bit, and hissed at just about everything. Sledge sat in the corner, watching her children with pride. After spending a short time in the eggs, the marshling babies were finally here.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Sledge shouted, withdrawing a knife from nowhere.


    Theo snapped the door closed before the angered marshling could charge him. He turned away, catching a knowing look from Bob.


    ¡°Perhaps we should invite our esteemed leader over for a lesson on marshling child rearing,¡± Bob said, smacking his lips. ¡°Since he¡¯s so clueless.¡±


    The children giggled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they had hatched,¡± Theo said, making his way to the front door.


    ¡°And you should be happy about that. She might have killed you if they were still in egg form.¡± Bob shook his head. ¡°What do we always say, children?¡±


    ¡°Never mess with a marshling,¡± the children said at the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Theo let himself out of the school, thinking about how short of a gestation period that was. Asexual reproduction must have been a boon for the marshling people. Perhaps that¡¯s why they had survived so long without being destroyed. As the alchemist thought about how the marshlings had endured for so long, his mind drifted to the lizard islands. He had wanted a bridge to their side of the world for a while, but every project had failed. Ziz¡¯s bridge was at the bottom of the sea somewhere. More than one bridge, actually.


    With his newfound spare time, and abundance of willpower, he could make the bridge. A massive causeway might screw with the way the oceans worked, but it might be fine. He could construct gaps in the middle. Since his plan was to take the entire region with him when they migrated to Tero¡¯gal, none of the work he did would be lost. Instead of seeing this place as disposable, he wanted to see what it could look like if crafted with the tools he had.


    Free time meant construction projects. And construction projects were fun.

 6.54 - Progress Report for the Gods

    The point of entry for Tero¡¯gal had changed much since Theo first visited. He stood on a cobblestone road, looking out over the difference with a sigh. It was easy to recall the tiny realm, the sharp decline leading to a sprawling sky. There was a single pool of water fed by a spring, and a field of wheat. Now people passed by, giving him curt nods as they moved from place to place. Perhaps they took the main road west¡ªwhich was once a trail people used to rollerblade¡ªtoward the seas in the west. Or a pilgrimage in the same direction, off to visit the Seat of the Thrones.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you this pensive in a while,¡± Belgar said, placing a comforting hand on the alchemist¡¯s shoulder.


    Theo drew another deep breath, turning to the fully realized dronon and nodding. ¡°I¡¯m nostalgic. This is like watching a child grow into adulthood.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have very adult problems to deal with now,¡± Belgar said, withdrawing a copper coin from a pouch on his belt. ¡°Food, water, housing¡­ money.¡±


    ¡°Ew. Money,¡± Theo said, feigning disgust. ¡°What happened to my communist utopia?¡±


    Belgar shrugged a response at first, gazing out over a strange landmark. A ring of stone loomed in the distance, perhaps one-hundred feet tall and wide. How the residents of Tero¡¯gal had built it or why was beyond the alchemist¡¯s ability to guess.


    ¡°Void stopped by to tell us the time would change, but I don¡¯t know when to expect that. Tero¡¯gal, Khahak, and the Bridge will be synchronized with the mortal world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the end of an era,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself. It was better that way, though. With how this realm was changing, he couldn¡¯t give support to them as well as he wanted. Slower development would be nice. ¡°You want me to ask about the giant ring of stone, don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Yup! Come on, let me show you,¡± Belgar said, dragging Theo by the arm.


    The path leading west from the growing town had changed little. It had been widened to allow more people passage at once. But the crowd of trees on either side was still there, giving welcomed shade to the trip. A cart rolled by on their right, drawn by an ox. Another man rode the opposite direction on the back of a horse.


    ¡°The fauna here¡­ is it all creatures from Earth?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re not from Iaredin, that much I know,¡± Belgar said. ¡°Was that bura that went past from Earth?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a horse,¡± Theo corrected. ¡°Are you guys renaming the creatures?¡±


    Belgar shrugged as if to say ¡®why not?¡¯


    The new denizens of the world were eager to rename or name everything. Since someone spotted a pig near the first town, they had named it Boar Hollow. The road leading to the west was mainly used by people transporting goods, so it was called the Western Trade Road. And so on. The names weren¡¯t imaginative, but it hardly seemed to matter. These were the people making the history of the world, so they had every right to name the stuff whatever they wanted.


    The duo walked for a while. Theo could have teleported them to their destination, but he enjoyed the quiet moment along the road. The road spanned a creek with a stone bridge, and covered as many inclines and declines. Drawing closer to the massive ring, the paved area underneath it came into view. The locals had leveled the land, paving it with fat stone bricks before building the ring. The alchemist could finally see the intricate runework carved into the structure itself. Written in axpashi, he could understand some of it.


    ¡°Tapping into the Bridge?¡± Theo asked, shaking his head. ¡°How has that been going?¡±


    ¡°Not well. Even with Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s help. She¡¯s just over there,¡± Belgar said, gesturing in the distance. The woman was working with a hammer and chisel at the base of the ring.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, spotting them as they approached. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Impressive. How does it stay upright?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Magic,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said with too much jazz-hands for such a simple response. ¡°Been trying to tune this thing to the right frequency, but no luck.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve seen some strange things on the other end.¡± Belgar sighed dramatically. ¡°Not the bridge, though.¡±


    ¡°Watch,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven said, throwing her arms wide.


    Theo could feel the magic pouring from her, stinging the air like a swarm of angry bees. After forming a complex spell, she released it. Light pooled at the stone circle¡¯s center, spreading out like a pond refilling. The blue faded as Uz¡¯Xulven trotted around to their side. She looked up at the forming image, tutting.


    ¡°We got him a few times already,¡± she said.


    Theo narrowed his eyes. He made out the image of a small goblin wearing a robe. The creature made a few gestures, but no sound carried through. After a bit of wild flailing, he gave them the finger before swiping his hands through the air. The pool vanished in an instant.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strangely powerful goblin mage,¡± Uz¡¯Xulven explained. ¡°Dunno where he¡¯s from, but I think he has a Gate wherever that might be. But we¡¯re getting closer to using the Bridge.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the goal here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re connecting Tero¡¯gal with Khahak,¡± Belgar said. ¡°That way, we can have two worlds united.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the same iron grip the ascendants had on their realms, but you¡¯re still all-powerful here.¡± Uz¡¯Xulven tapped her chin, her eyes scanning over the sigils on her Gate. ¡°We don¡¯t expect factions, wars, or any of that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Well, there have been attempts at that sort of thing. But nothing lasts.¡±


    ¡°Troublemakers already?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Ya don¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°No one was surprised. The world itself seems opposed to conflict.¡± A smile spread across Belgar¡¯s face. It looked as though he was recalling a pleasant memory. ¡°The landscape changed as one group advanced on another. Nothing happened after that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed Tero¡¯gal getting more willful. We¡¯re not really controlling it anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, right?¡± Uz¡¯Xulven asked. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Theo shrugged. He would offer to help her figure out what was wrong with the gate, but there was no point. She lost her ascendant core, but still maintained a high-level mage¡¯s core. That core didn¡¯t work as well in Tero¡¯gal, but it still mostly worked. From what he understood, Drogramath was in a different boat. The once-potioneer¡¯s core was non-functional. Perhaps that had something to do with Uz¡¯Xulven¡¯s possession of the Bridge, or an arbitrary response by the Throneworld. No matter what the cause, he knew it would take a while for things to sort themselves out.


    ¡°Very nice ring,¡± Theo said, turning away from the site. ¡°I¡¯m going on a tour. You¡¯re doing a great job, Belgar.¡±


    Theo vanished after getting a big smile from Belgar. The man had assumed a mantle of responsibility he didn¡¯t need to. But without the alchemist there all the time, it made sense to put someone else in charge. He was only in charge of the welcome area of Boar Hollow, but it was an important job. The alchemist found areas to the south that had been cut and turned into farmland. Towns were springing up everywhere, souls given bodies coming to fill the space. Trade flourished, usually in the form of bartering.


    Drogramath¡¯s town was looking more like Broken Tusk by the day. Theo walked down the muddy streets, spotting dronon here and there. He knocked on the door of the largest house in town, waving when the man himself opened the door. What he didn¡¯t expect to see was Toru¡¯aun sitting at a table, drumming her fingers on the table with anticipation.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see you again,¡± Theo said, craning his neck to get a better look at her. The shifting color had faded from her appearance, resulting in plain black dronon hair. But she still wore an ornate dress, studded with various gems and glittering in the low light of the house¡¯s interior.


    Toru¡¯aun offered a half-hearted smile. ¡°Nice to see you, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Want some tea?¡± Drogramath asked, gesturing to the interior of the home.


    Theo bowed his head as he entered. The threshold was slightly shorter than he had expected. Drogramath trotted off, setting another cup and saucer on the table before pouring him a cup of tea. The alchemist took his seat, smelling something familiar but distant from the cup before him.


    ¡°Black tea?¡± Theo asked, sniffing it again. He took a tentative sip, finding some amount of sugar mixed in. ¡°You guys don¡¯t mess around, huh?¡±


    ¡°Khahar was gracious enough to tell us where to find tea,¡± Drogramath explained, taking his own seat. ¡°He also mentioned coffee beans, but we could not locate them.¡±


    ¡°Have you settled into Tero¡¯gal?¡± Theo asked, turning his attention to Toru¡¯aun.


    ¡°I float between the two ports. I¡¯m not willing to make a home in either world.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been this grump since the start,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°Now that we¡¯re without cores, that grumpiness has doubled.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame her. Change is hard.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say when you¡¯re the one on top,¡± Toru¡¯aun said. ¡°Not that you earned what you have.¡±


    Theo could only shrug at the statement. Because he agreed with her in principle. ¡°We can have a fistfight outside if you like,¡± he said. ¡°But I didn¡¯t do this. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on and frankly, I¡¯m confused.¡±


    Drogramath offered a polite chuckle. ¡°She doesn¡¯t enjoy being in the light of day.¡±


    ¡°I can speak for myself, Droggy,¡± Toru¡¯aun said, rolling her shoulders. ¡°Thousands of years of planning for this¡­ I¡¯m comforted by this ending, but restless.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s to be expected.¡± Theo considered his own struggles with feeling that sense of restlessness. When things calmed down on the mortal world, he found things to keep himself busy. But he was always that way, no matter what body he inhabited. ¡°Finding purpose after losing a realm sounds rough, and I won¡¯t pretend to understand it.¡±


    ¡°At least he is adjusting well,¡± Toru¡¯aun said, jabbing a finger at Drogramath as she pouted. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know how powerful he was before. Now look at him. Rotting in his swamp town.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with swamp towns?¡± Drogramath and Theo asked at the same time.


    ¡°They smell.¡±


    ¡°You smell,¡± Drogramath retorted.


    Toru¡¯aun stuck her tongue out at him.


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°What about Balkor?¡± he asked. ¡°Any sign of Zagmon?¡±


    ¡°Balkor is in Khahak. He¡¯s doing fine, but has concerns about his copy back on the mortal world,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°Zagmon is mostly dead, but that¡¯s hard to define. Imprisoned is a better word.¡±


    ¡°And we have thousands of displaced ascendants roaming two worlds. Is two worlds enough?¡± Toru¡¯aun asked.


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal is big,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Khahak is even bigger,¡± Drogramath bragged.


    Theo sipped his tea. Coming to Tero¡¯gal today was about more than enjoying tea. He wanted to see how these people were doing. But his fears were unfounded. Everything was going well enough that he could focus on three goals. Alchemy, bringing the shards back, and terraforming Broken Tusk.


    ¡°I¡¯d like some input,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m planning on bringing the entire Southlands Alliance into Tero¡¯gal. Where do you think I should bring it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to drag an entire continent through the void?¡± Drogramath asked. ¡°Interesting plan.¡±


    Toru¡¯aun scoffed, shaking her head. ¡°Just do a flying city. Everyone enjoys a good flying city.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t an awful idea. Theo could imagine the entire continent hovering above everything else. Logistics might be a problem, but it would look incredibly cool.


    ¡°We would need airships or giant magical elevators.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem for another day,¡± Drogramath said. ¡°My vote is for a flying alliance. You could call it the alliance in the sky.¡±


    ¡°Damn, why don¡¯t you just make another realm in your world? Put it in a pocket dimension or something¡ªhow limited is your power here?¡± Toru¡¯aun asked.


    ¡°No, I want it in the physical space of Tero¡¯gal. Something like the capital of the world.¡±


    Drogramath nodded along. ¡°Drop it in the ocean. One of the many oceans. I think that would be the easiest path.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got big ideas, Drogramath. I think you¡¯ll go places with those ideas.¡± Theo smiled to himself again as he sipped his tea. ¡°Hey, has anyone seen Benton?¡±


    ¡°Mountains north of Boar Hollow,¡± Toru¡¯aun said. ¡°Despite his claim, he selected a snowy region.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m gonna go check on him real quick before returning to the mortal world,¡± Theo said, his eyes dragging to the room¡¯s corner. He saw shadows pool there, half-expecting Shadow to pop out. Instead, Void appeared. ¡°Come on, little guy. If you¡¯re gonna yell at me, we¡¯re gonna do it in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to yell,¡± Void said, coming alongside Theo. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The pair were standing in Drogramath¡¯s house one moment, and the next there were knee-deep in snow. Well, Theo was knee-deep in snow. The poor little guy next to him was up to his eyeballs. With a wave of his hand, the alchemist cleared a path for them to walk. Sturdy stone buildings loomed in the distance, shrouded in a gray layer of falling snow.


    ¡°Anything pressing to talk about?¡± Theo asked as they pushed forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m seeking a progress report.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°Things are fine, but I¡¯m sitting at a roadblock. Since we need to use mortal means to transport the shards, we¡¯re waiting for a few pieces of magical tech. And my mage just had his wedding, so he¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wedding bliss. I understand,¡± Void said, brushing snow from his shoulder.


    Theo raised a brow. ¡°You¡¯re less fire-and-brimstone than normal.¡±


    ¡°Death told me you elbowed Twist in the face, so you¡¯re officially on my good side. By that I mean, you did your job as the Dreamwalker and I¡¯m happy.¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone hate that guy?¡± Theo asked. Benton spotted them from a distance and waved like an idiot.


    ¡°I have scones!¡± Benton shouted, jumping with excitement.


    ¡°He made our lives very hard. Everyone thought he was slain, but I guess not¡­¡±


    ¡°This is old Earth, isn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked. ¡°The nonsense with the other world. Are you ever going to tell me what happened? Hey, Benton.¡±


    ¡°A god and the owner of the world!¡± Benton shouted. ¡°Come on, I have tea and sweets.¡±


    Theo and Void fell in line behind Benton, marching up the snowy mountain.


    ¡°I suppose I can state the basics. As long as the tea is good,¡± Void said.

 6.55 - Throks Interesting Machines

    ¡°This is delicious,¡± Void said, holding up a jam-filled pastry.


    Benton had invited Void and Theo into a longhouse, seating them right by the massive fire burning in the center. Other toora were gathered here, all sipping tea and warming themselves by the coals. The alchemist didn¡¯t know how much more tea he could have today, but he would never refuse the tea Benton made. It was always good, as were the sweets.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting along better than I expected, Benton,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°When given the choice to pick between Khahak and here, the choice was clear. I can¡¯t live without mountains.¡±


    Theo took a bite of his food, nodding to himself. It was as good as ever. ¡°So, about the old world.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Void said. ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, these meetings stop when the shards return to Iaredin. The gods will be sealed in the heavens after that. But right now, everything is technically in the void, so I can go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Fancy loophole.¡±


    ¡°You would know,¡± Void said, the spiral in front of his face spinning faster. ¡°Think of it like this. Earth and another world were connected way back when. We didn¡¯t know how it happened or why, but there was a connection. They smashed together, monsters invaded the planet¡­ it was a mess. Then this bird guy comes along, does some magic something, and everything is fixed.¡±


    ¡°Except it wasn¡¯t. Earth was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Well, the other world was fixed. Wasn¡¯t it? I guess everything and everyone got sealed away, slowly trickling into this world, and here we are. I would wager the ascendants sealed away the true gods¡¯ arrival until you messed with their plan.¡±


    ¡°The bird guy¡­ It has to be the Harbinger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not aware of the name,¡± Void said, taking another bite.


    ¡°The sun ate Earth. When it did, there was a powerful bird guy there. We only had a few people left who could make the trip, so we went. Most didn¡¯t make it, but here we are. Sixty-thousand years later.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there was an issue with the way he sealed my world away,¡± Void said, humming to himself. He brought the pastry to his spiral. It vanished as he took a bite, withdrawing the confection with another bite removed. ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t supposed to work that way. Almost as though someone had mettled with the way things worked. Some sorcerer on Earth fiddled with reality. Or something.¡±


    ¡°Not possible. I¡¯m almost certain there was no magic on Earth, and¡­ Honestly, I can¡¯t even believe the thing about the monsters. Surely there would have been some record of that.¡±


    ¡°And how good were the records on Earth in your time? Two-hundred years after the fact with a broken planet and a broken government. What little I knew of Earth was the reaction of the governments. They went into panic mode, squashing all mention of the Gates and rounding folks up. From what I remember, they even got Jan and a few of the others. That¡¯s how Twist played his gambit.¡±


    Theo rubbed his face. ¡°How important was Jan?¡±


    ¡°Bah. You have too much information already. Figure it out on your own.¡±


    Theo sipped his tea, taking bites from the treat. The mental image and timeline he had of Earth had already changed significantly. Based on what little information he could gather, he knew a few things. There was another world connected to Earth well before he was even born. Monsters came from the other world, attacking Earth thanks to Twist. Jan and a group of people saved the day, only to have the Harbinger screw it up for them, sealing everyone away. It was possible the previous Dreamer was from Earth, but he had no proof. The way Void did his best to avoid a certain topic lingered in his mind, supported by a Wisdom of the Soul message.


    ¡°Iaredin was the other world, wasn¡¯t it? Our mortal world was your home.¡±


    Void visibly winced. ¡°I don¡¯t like thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like it either. If people from Earth at the end were sent to ruin my planet. You were a mortal before you were a god, right? What happened?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting far too much information from me for free, Theo,¡± Void said, folding his arms. ¡°Your treats are delicious though, Benton.¡±


    ¡°Come on. What would it matter if you told me? That world is gone.¡±


    ¡°True. None of that affects what¡¯s going on now. Technically, I could tell you everything and not violate the rules. As a Throne Holder, you get special permissions.¡±


    ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°My people, the maeth, were from a city called Whisperwood. We favored magic above all else, worshiping the spirits of the world rather than a deity. In my time, there was only one god people worshiped. The Goddess of Light. We had a system before Earth latched onto us, and a great reset threw the world into turmoil. The system tried to adapt, creating a council of the twelve greatest people on the planet. I¡¯m not sure what happened, but not everyone came over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about your world,¡± Theo said, bowing his head in respect. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what it became.¡±


    ¡°I visited the site of my once-city. The damn elves have taken residence. Of course they have,¡± Void grumbled.


    ¡°Tarantham?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And that¡¯s all the free questions you get, alchemist. Benton, could you bring me more sweet treats?¡± Void asked. ¡°I love them.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Benton said, not-so-subtly eavesdropping on the conversation. He rushed off, returning shortly after with a plate filled with more treats. ¡°We¡¯re honored to have you visit.¡±


    ¡°Might be the last time,¡± Void said, grabbing another jam-filled confection. ¡°I must take advantage of it while I can.¡±


    ¡°So, are your realms filled with souls?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Void said. ¡°That was never intended to be the case. The godly realms have a few members of staff, but that¡¯s it. We¡¯re supposed to do everything everywhere else through agents.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°People who have your cores,¡± Theo said, nodding.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard a few people in the mortal world had their cores evolved, and¡­¡± Void stopped talking. The spiral in front of his face stopped spinning. ¡°No more questions. How do you like the mountains, Benton?¡±


    Benton found a seat at the long table, picking a pastry for himself. ¡°Oh, we love it. Very similar to home, but different enough to be fresh.¡±


    ¡°How are you growing the grain to make this bread? And the sugar?¡± Theo asked, shaking his head.


    ¡°Trade, actually,¡± Benton said. ¡°We have a few ore mines around here that we¡¯re working. Traders come in on the road¡­ There is a road that thaws out in spring.¡±


    ¡°Keep at it, Benton. These are otherworldly,¡± Void said.


    Theo enjoyed his time at Benton¡¯s place, but it was growing thin. He thought about the things he needed to accomplish back home. Sulvan needed a break from healing, and his latest batch of Lesser Healing Essence should have been done. The conversation in the room lingered on the toora people, sometimes drifting to the rules. The alchemist couldn¡¯t help himself but ask about bringing people from Khahak or Tero¡¯gal to the mortal world. It was forbidden to go that way, but mortals could come here. To stay. They couldn¡¯t visit unless under special circumstances arose, and Void claimed he would crack down on it in the future.


    ¡°I must go,¡± Void said, springing up from his chair. He bowed his head before vanishing.


    ¡°That was abrupt,¡± Benton said.


    ¡°He¡¯s a busy guy.¡±


    Theo spent time in the mountains with the toora. It was interesting enough to see how they had conquered the frigid weather, but they had much more. And not all were the bear-people the alchemist knew from Whisper back in town. Several other races were represented, although all but the bearfolk were sequestered in homes, burning wood or coal to keep themselves warm. He had questions about how many resources the world had, but trusted in Tero¡¯gal to sort itself out. Perhaps through some magical nonsense, it would be unending.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try stopping in more often,¡± Theo said. He stood, groaning under the weight of too many sweets. ¡°Maybe not that often.¡±


    Theo zorped himself back to Broken Tusk, landing in the manor. After waking up that morning, he made his trip to Tero¡¯gal after having breakfast. The few minutes that had passed saw the dining area cleared out, only an empty table behind. He sensed Tresk and Alex off training the goose¡¯s dragon powers. Sarisa and Rowan were nearby, but they were harder to detect after their upgrade to Tero¡¯gal cores. While he could extend his aura¡ªthanks to Shadow¡¯s core¡ªhe didn¡¯t. There were potions to brew.


    It was late enough in the morning that Salire was already at the shop. She greeted him on the first floor, sitting behind the counter. Although they had no customers, since there was nothing to sell.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to wait for me,¡± Theo said, heading upstairs with his assistant.


    ¡°I was afraid of the reaction,¡± Salire said, giving a nervous laugh. ¡°I think I could do it, but¡­ Why risk it?¡±


    ¡°Five stills running fifty units. We should get fifty potions per still, but we¡¯ll get twenty-five. Still, that¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡°It could be far worse,¡± Salire said. ¡°And this is some of the most pure essence I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Same here. Although we need to do a run from our aligned greenhouse. I¡¯m sure the quality would go up from there.¡± Theo ascended the stairs to the lab, Salire following close behind. She hadn¡¯t even been within the room this morning, but each still had clicked off on its own. Resting on a table near each still was a flask filled with essence. ¡°Just like when I first arrived, potions that restore health are the most important.¡±


    Salire chuckled to herself, a mischievous expression flashing across her face. ¡°Since we¡¯re producing less potions, I thought this would be neat¡­¡±


    She produced a vial from her inventory, holding it out for Theo to see. He knew she got her hands on a printing press, but he never expected this. The vial was even more ornate than the ones she had produced from the Glassware Artifice. The body of the vial was squared off, sitting perfectly on the table. Setting off the base look of the vial was the stopper, which along with the plug had a newt-like creature with horns resting at the top. It was easy enough to grab, and made it look even more custom. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that she had done. A label rested on the front with the text The Newt and Demon, Broken Tusk. The script was ornate, appearing as though it were written by hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached a level of fanciness I can¡¯t hope to match,¡± Theo said. He enjoyed the feel of the square vial more than the rounded one. It set better both in his hand and on the table. ¡°How hard is it to print the labels and stick them to the vials?¡±


    ¡°I got the artifice¡¯s adhesion made working. And it can cut them out based on whatever dimensions I give it.¡± Salire seemed especially proud about this, beaming at Theo with a permanent smile.


    ¡°These are awesome,¡± Theo said, placing the first vial in position for the reaction. He mixed the essence, water, and catalyst to invoke a reaction. The label and vial looked even better with the pale pink potion inside. ¡°And the cost is minimal. Especially since the Glassware Artifice makes matter from energy.¡±


    Salire clasped her hands together, bouncing with excitement. ¡°I¡¯m beyond happy to be involved at the start this time. I always felt like I was catching up before. But here we are!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try the next reaction,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the flask of essence on the table. ¡°I¡¯d do a mass reaction, but¡­ I have a feeling that it won''t end well.¡±


    Salire nodded, withdrawing another labeled vial from her inventory. Theo watched closely, studying the way she measured the quantities out. She wouldn¡¯t have a problem with the first tier. While he was eager to start research on the second tier, there were a few things he wanted to take care of first. Dripping the perfect amount of essence into the vial, followed by the perfect amount of Purified Water, she triggered the reaction. It kicked off perfectly, bubbling just the right amount and releasing enough steam. The scent also seemed right, like vaguely tart berries. That scent was apparently Qavelli Berries, which was a common way to compare things in this world. It smelled more like crushed raspberries to him.


    ¡°Looks perfect,¡± Theo said, studying the vial. ¡°95% just like last time. That might be the theoretical maximum for us right now.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas for the next tier?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Yeah, centrifuges and pressure vessels.¡± Theo had put a lot of thought into this. Based on his experiment with the many stills Throk made for him, this might have been the way forward. He planned to explore every kind of manipulation of essence and mashed reagents as he could. Anything he could create as a parallel process would be ideal. But they would go through a few iterations before they had anything solid. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that right now. Let¡¯s get small-scale tier 1 potions rolling so our people don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°I actually had a thought,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the vent above their head. ¡°Speaking of theoretical maximums, I¡¯ve got concerns.¡±


    ¡°About the ventilation?¡± Theo asked, considering it. His intuition said there could be a problem with poor ventilation during the distillation process. If the top fan couldn¡¯t extract enough of the vaporized byproduct, they could run into problems. ¡°If we run ten stills with fifty units each, we¡¯ll put out the same amount as a single still before.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but our essences are more reactive. Shouldn¡¯t we assume the vapors are more reactive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that might be a concern¡­ But also consider the speed at which we¡¯re distilling. I can¡¯t reach a conclusion. Should we keep our runs low? We¡¯re producing at a half-to-one ratio now, which sucks.¡±


    For every fifty units of raw reagent and water they put in, they got about twenty-five out. It sucked, but there was nothing they could do about it for now. Introducing another bottleneck wasn¡¯t something Theo was interested in. But there was nothing he could do about it.


    ¡°We should run five stills for now,¡± Salire said. ¡°Give it a few days. Check the air quality while we¡¯re working.¡±


    ¡°How do we check the air quality? Stick our faces above the stills and take a deep breath?¡±


    ¡°Oh, silly demon. You should know the solid relationship I¡¯ve built with the artificers.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t surprised when Salire withdrew a device from her inventory. He shook his head, nodding. ¡°Throk just keeps making more interesting stuff, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

 6.56 - Odd Properties

    The device Salire withdrew from her inventory was interesting. It reminded Theo more of a handheld wind gauge back on earth. The top had a narrow opening with a fan inside while the bottom contained a simple screen. It displayed blocky letters, detailing what it sensed in the air. He inspected the item.


    [Gas Detector]


    [Artifice]


    Rare


    Created By: Throk


    Detects all foreign gasses in the air, displaying their percentage of concentration on the attached screen.


    Attachments:


    [Gas Detector]


    [Analyzer]


    [Battery]


    [Display Screen]


    ¡°We¡¯re about one step away from computer games,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I like games.¡± Salire looked too excited for that.


    Theo and Salire got another simple run of Lesser Healing Essence going. Even before starting the run, they could feel how easy it would be to work with the reagents grown in the aligned greenhouse. It wasn¡¯t just the purity of the items, but it was almost as though reagents grown there clicked better with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy.


    ¡°I have a feeling this is going to be way easier,¡± Theo said, adding the crushed reagents to yet another still. They were almost done filling the five they had, and had no intentions of filling more. They didn¡¯t have more, so there was no choice. ¡°I was thinking about this before, and I wanted to do it the hard way first.¡±


    Salire nodded with excitement. ¡°For the knowledge!¡±


    ¡°The knowledge!¡± Theo responded.


    Salire had come a long way. The Gas Detector was a move that would prevent unexpected explosions, assuming it worked. Theo worked with her for a while, checking the notes she had taken and making adjustments as needed. They stood on a solid foundation now, having paved themselves a path from the start of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy. Now it was a matter of crawling forward, providing for Broken Tusk¡¯s needs and discovering things along the way.


    Instead of making his report into the town¡¯s document interface, Theo left the Newt and Demon and headed for the town hall. Alise was always busy, but she cleared her schedule to get an update. They met in a meeting room with a north-facing window, providing a view of the town¡¯s square, Xam¡¯s tavern and bathhouse, and all the people traveling the road. The alchemist settled into his chair, writing a few numbers on parchment and sliding it across the table.


    ¡°Our theoretical maximum for producing potions is at about 125 per day,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Which if we aren¡¯t exporting is more than enough.¡±


    Alise nodded, taking the sheet. She continued to nod for too long. ¡°This is better than nothing. I was getting worried.¡±


    ¡°So were we. Worried about Sulvan, that is.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been working very hard,¡± Alise said. She clicked her tongue. ¡°But we got control of many issues that caused injuries. No dungeons waves in¡­ how long?¡±


    ¡°A while.¡±


    ¡°And Xol¡¯sa is spreading the strength of the dungeons between each one. The underground dungeon didn¡¯t go rogue and your golems are holding back whatever creatures lurk in the dark down there. While we have a few missing pieces¡­ we¡¯re good!¡±


    Theo nodded along as she spoke. ¡°So, we¡¯re moving to Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°Okay. How does that work exactly?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°I pick the alliance up,¡± Theo said, motioning as though to scoop some earth into his hands. He deposited the imaginary dirt in another spot. ¡°And put it down.¡±


    Alise gave Theo a withering glare. ¡°You know what I mean. Are we gonna die? Is everyone still mortal or do we become spirits? So on.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the problem. The new gods are the old gods. I got one to talk, and this was their world an age ago. I thought a reset might happen, but now I¡¯m certain of it. Khahar pushed for it, along with a lot of ascendants, but now we¡¯re at the tipping point.¡±


    ¡°So, we just get reset. No big deal, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, except I don¡¯t think we can stay during the reset. Void will likely offer us passage into the other worlds, but I don¡¯t want to leave my town or my alliance. This will happen after I move the shards, I think.¡±


    ¡°And your plan is to scoop the land up, bringing it to Tero¡¯gal. I need to know if this will affect our citizens.¡±


    ¡°They need to move anyway. This isn¡¯t a choice they can make. Whatever the gods need to do while resetting the world won¡¯t be pretty. At the least, they¡¯ll have to shut the system down. But the system will remain intact within Tero¡¯gal and Khahak.¡±


    ¡°Okay, why not?¡±


    Theo smiled, happy to see she was mostly onboard. ¡°Tero¡¯gal already has at least a half-million residents. They¡¯re building infrastructure, agriculture, and industry. By the time we arrive, I¡¯m sure everyone will be excited to explore a new world.¡±


    ¡°Dragging everyone there won¡¯t go off without an issue, though,¡± Alise said. ¡°Is it an original system or the same system?¡±


    ¡°I think Tero¡¯gal wants to make a new system, but that reset should be minor. It doesn¡¯t have to reshape itself because it doesn¡¯t have a system. The only ascendant I know of that retained their cores is Uz¡¯Xulven. Everyone else is in a state of limbo where their cores work a little or not at all.¡±


    ¡°Not that I can argue. What am I going to do about it?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°We can give everyone the choice to stay or go. If they want to stay here, we can send them off to the Khahari or wherever else they want to go.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that settles it,¡± Alise said, scribbling notes down. ¡°While we just had a wedding, I wanted to make you aware of something¡­¡±


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    Theo snapped his fingers, nodding with excitement. ¡°First wedding in Tero¡¯gal!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You want to marry Nira, right? Could you wait until we arrive in Tero¡¯gal? You would be the first two people married in the realm as far as I know. Well, the first two people I care about. We could have a planet-wide celebration.¡±


    Alise¡¯s cheeks went pink as she looked down at her notes. ¡°That might be cool,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna do it. The gods are readjusting the time soon, so everything is going to be weird for a while. I doubt this planet will have the same orbit as before, and¡­ I just realized I don¡¯t know how many days are in a year on Tero¡¯gal. We might not even have months, yet. I¡¯ll name our first month there Nirise.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods, please don¡¯t.¡± Alise buried her face in her hands.


    ¡°I want you to purchase and store as much booze as you can. Enough to get about one-million people wasted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of hooch¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want a wedding, or do you want a wedding?¡±


    ¡°I think our meeting is over,¡± Alise said, standing and bowing slightly. She giggled nervously. ¡°Gotta talk to Nira.¡±


    Theo watched as Alise stormed from the room, a smile hanging on his face. Moving to Tero¡¯gal was exciting. Because he knew the system there would kick off a reset when they moved there permanently. When everyone severed their ties to the mortal world, they would trap themselves in a new one. He was reminded of what the space elves had done to themselves in that pocket of the void. The alchemist still needed to heal them, but he would get to it. He withdrew a dragon¡¯s bone from his inventory, shrugging.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked no one in particular. ¡°Might as well figure out what properties a dragon¡¯s bone can make¡­ right?¡±


    Before undertaking the task of destroying a piece of a not-god, Theo considered unexpected consequences. The Reagent Deconstruction ability wasn¡¯t aligned with Tero¡¯gal or Drogramath. Using it on the dragon bones should have been fine. But things going correctly hadn¡¯t been in the cards lately, so he would treat the task with caution. He couldn¡¯t think of a place in town suitable for an ascendant-level explosion, so wandered out the gate near Miana¡¯s ranch. He always loved seeing several marshlings riding tamed Marsh Wolves.


    The train zipped off, heading north with a load of passengers and cargo. Angling northeast, the track followed the path of the river, fording its own path some ways in the unseeable distance. When there were no more shadows to cling to, Sarisa and Rowan came forth. Compared to their old Baelthar cores, the Tero¡¯gal versions of their stealth ranger and guardian cores had a much more potent effect.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna blow something up, aren¡¯t we?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made peace with my life. I¡¯m ready to die,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, stinky,¡± Theo said, picking a spot far away from anything important. These fields were open, rolling hills punctuated in very few places with minor stone formations.


    ¡°I don¡¯t stink,¡± Rowan said, genuinely wounded.


    ¡°You do kinda stink, though.¡±


    Theo withdrew a small segment of the dead ascendant dragon¡¯s bones. He would love to pretend he could feel some radiating sense of divinity, but he didn¡¯t. Instead, he compared it closer to some reanimated skeleton fragments he had deconstructed. But before getting to work, he created some shields that would catch errant explosions. Might as well take advantage of his Tero¡¯gal Mage¡¯s Core.


    ¡°Outside of the shield, right?¡± Rowan asked.


    Sarisa rolled her eyes. ¡°No, stand right next to the thing that might explode.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll give you character,¡± Theo said, positioning himself behind the shimmering shield. The dragon¡¯s bone rested on the ground, ready to be turned into primal essence. With his advanced control of his mana, he levitated some onto the other side of the protective shields. Mana dripped onto the white bone, sizzling on the surface. Steam rose from the points it touched, soon filling the open air a strange scent. ¡°Try not to breathe that in.¡±


    Sarisa and Rowan both held their breath.


    Theo felt the bone¡¯s properties through his senses. There was power within them¡ªraw strength he could never hope to match. An undercurrent of a dynamic will was left behind, something like a building thunderstorm. These feelings he got from the bone¡¯s deconstruction were vague, coming as ideas rather than defined things. He let the mana drip onto it, allowing the gasses to vent into the air. Dumping a puddle would¡¯ve been too sudden, creating a violent reaction, but this seemed fine.


    Rowan fell to the side, his face blue. He gasped for air, looking up with a fearful expression.


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be enough vapor to harm you,¡± Theo said. ¡°I guess this is what you would call impure essence, according to the system.¡±


    Sarisa took a deep breath. ¡°I win. Again,¡± she mocked, grinning down at her brother.


    Even before the bones were done melting into dust, Theo could feel the significance of them. Between his intuition and experience, he knew a potion brewed from any of the revealed properties would be difficult to create. The first three properties rolled in without an issue, but the hidden one was stubborn. While the bone was ash, it refused to give up its secrets.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Theo said, stepping into the protective barriers to collect the primal essence.


    ¡°Did you get something good?¡± Rowan asked, still on the ground.


    ¡°Hard to answer that question without doing some brewing,¡± Theo said. ¡°But that third property is¡­ weird. Actually, all of them are weird.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡±


    Theo pulled another bone from his inventory, examining it.


    [Quindalias Bone]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Dragon Ascendant Bone]


    A piece of the Dragon Ascendant Quindalias¡¯ skeleton.


    Properties:


    [Soar] [Lost Hope] [Dragon¡¯s Insight]


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I think about ?Lost Hope. Think that¡¯s a useless property?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Theo said. ¡°Sometimes I¡¯ll get useless properties on reagents. Soar is likely a temporary flight power, and we can assume Dragon¡¯s Insight gives you information. It might be like the Dragon Apple.¡±


    Testing reagents for properties was one thing, but extracting them with the new alchemy system could be tricky. With Drogramath¡¯s system, he expected something to happen but with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s system? The unexpected was almost guaranteed. Crushing the bones shouldn¡¯t have been a problem, as they seemed more brittle than they should have been. But a system for experimenting with unknown materials was needed. And Theo didn¡¯t want to spend his lab upgrades on the experimentation room.


    That was a big problem with the way the buildings gained upgrades. The higher one went in the levels, the more enticed they were to take the newest upgrade. Those older features usually couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the newer ones, resulting in them being left behind every time. But as Theo thought about it, he wouldn¡¯t complain. A testing chamber under the lab was fine, but couldn¡¯t Drogramathi Iron do the same thing? It wouldn¡¯t even anger Throk, since the new resident smith Thim could handle the job.


    Theo left the clearing, dismissing his barriers and heading off to the blacksmith¡¯s workshop. He found the dwarf near the forge, pounding iron into shape and humming a tune.


    ¡°Been a while, Thim,¡± Theo said, bowing his head.


    ¡°Because you only show up when you need something.¡±


    ¡°Just because you took Throk¡¯s job, doesn¡¯t mean you need to absorb his personality.¡±


    Thim gave him a flat look, pausing his work on the metal. ¡°So you¡¯re not here to demand some silly project?¡±


    ¡°Would you call safety silly?¡± Theo asked, placing his hands on his hips. ¡°I think not. Anyway, I need about ten-thousand units of Drogramathi Iron or Azrugium formed into an experimentation chamber.¡±


    Thim gestured with his hammer, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Yeah, see? You like to pretend it isn¡¯t weird, then you say stuff like that.¡± He paused for a few breaths before sighing. ¡°How big?¡±


    Theo explained his needs and the location he wanted the structure built. After Thim heard how simple it would be, he agreed. For a price. But the alchemist owned the chains that produced the metal, meaning it would cost him almost nothing. It was just the labor that needed time. But blacksmiths in this world could work wonders with metal. When they slammed their hammers into a bar, it deformed into a shape of their liking.


    Yes, Theo could simply maintain barriers in an open field, but he wanted an extra layer of protection. Throk¡¯s counterfeit coin operation had done well with physical barriers, and he¡¯d feel better having a thick sheet between the ascendant¡¯s bones and the wider world.


    ¡°This might take a few days,¡± Thim said. He gestured to the other anvils in the workshop. ¡°But I have quite a few apprentices for the job.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Theo said, tossing Thim a few gold coins for the deposit. ¡°I look forward to blowing the giant metal box up.¡±


    Thim shook his head. ¡°Alchemists¡­¡±

 6.57 - Help for the Space Elves

    Theo stepped through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal, standing awkwardly on the first floor antechamber. He had spent most of yesterday¡ªthe day he ordered the big metal box from Thim¡ªactually relaxing. For once, he didn¡¯t force himself to push harder, creating whatever land features the town needed, dealing with heavenly problems, or otherwise bogging himself down with concerns. He stood on the bottom floor of the tower, looking at the stairs and hesitating. The alchemist stepped outside, closed the door, and knocked.


    It only took a few minutes of pounding for Xol¡¯sa to come downstairs, opening the door with a confused look on his face. ¡°Why are you out here?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if¡­ You know.¡±


    A smile spread across Xol¡¯sa¡¯s face. ¡°We lock the door to our chambers, you know.¡±


    ¡°Right. I didn¡¯t want to push, but have you made progress on the interdimensional beacon and tether?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa clasped his hands together, a look of excitement spreading across his features. ¡°For once, I¡¯m able to help you with otherworldly affairs. I have prototypes, and many problems. Let¡¯s head up to my lab.¡±


    Theo followed Xol¡¯sa up the stairs, nodding to Zarali as they passed the sitting room on a lower floor. They found their way to the lab, where several crystalline devices were sitting on a table. The power from within them was familiar, as though they held pieces of the void itself. The alchemist wouldn¡¯t doubt if they did.


    ¡°The tether won¡¯t be a problem. You only need to get the shards into the void,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing to one device. It must have been the tether. ¡°But you have a massive problem to overcome. Two of them, actually.¡±


    ¡°What might that be?¡±


    ¡°Your first problem is placing the beacons. They need to go to specific spots. That¡¯s bad news, but I have worse news.¡±


    ¡°I love bad news.¡±


    ¡°Many of those locations are in Tarantham. A shockingly high number, actually.¡± Xol¡¯sa gestured to a map of the world on the wall.


    Theo grit his teeth as he looked. Xol¡¯sa had marked eight points on the map for Tarantham, while there were only as many in other places of the world. ¡°What¡¯s up with the density of shards over there?¡±


    ¡°I can only cast the spell that finds their intended location,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, shrugging. ¡°After being clued into the signature they left, it is trivial for my class core. It does reveal a concerning question, though. You¡¯re right about that. Who and why. Who placed them there, and why. Perhaps the old gods come to roost? I cannot say.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, what¡¯s the second problem?¡±


    ¡°My people,¡± Xol¡¯sa said plainly. ¡°You¡¯re not planning to abandon them, are you?¡±


    ¡°I have a loose plan.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, patting Theo on the shoulder. ¡°I know that look in your eye. You¡¯re intending to wing it.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. The space elf wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°I¡¯m facing a difficult problem. I still don¡¯t have a mortal cure. And with the new rules, I don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll react if I bring them to Tero¡¯gal or Khahak. The Realm of Healing¡ªHallow¡¯s world¡ªis out of the question. That place is off-limits for all mortals. My Dreamwalker¡¯s Core is kinda reluctant to even take me there.¡±


    ¡°You need to better understand the nature of the sickness,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I think the gods have some responsibility in this. You should lodge a complaint.¡±


    Theo offered a nervous smile. ¡°Lodge a complaint with the gods¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened to you? You would have jumped at the chance to spit in Drogramath¡¯s face.¡±


    Theo thought about that for a moment. Xol¡¯sa wasn¡¯t wrong, but the alchemist had some idea about the true nature of the ascendants before he learned the truth. They seemed too unlike gods to be given the title. But these new gods were gods. Perhaps the space elf did have a point, though¡­


    ¡°I think we can petition Hallow for help. Maybe if I go to the Realm of Healing with Khahar. Actually, I don¡¯t know if Glantheir calls it that anymore.¡±


    ¡°Put it this way. Don¡¯t ask them for help curing the sickness. Ask the gods to tell you what the issue is, and we can work from there.¡± Xol¡¯sa smacked Theo on the back. ¡°You¡¯re in the rare position to do this, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Theo said, letting out a breath.


    Before vanishing the way he normally did, Theo considered any chores he needed to do today. Salire could handle the stills for now. They would not jump to the next tier for a few days. Not until the experimentation chamber was completed. Reforming the landscape could also go on the back burner. That left this project. Saving the space elves.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll see what I can do. But you need to be on standby.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t be leaving my tower for a few weeks,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, winking.


    Theo dropped through the veil in an instant. His Dreamwalker¡¯s Core wrapped in him a bubble of protection as he considered his next destination. Khahak, the Realm of Healing, or¡­ The alchemist angled himself to the bright formation at the center of the system. He sailed through the darkness of the void, almost blinded as he reached his destination. Driving snow assailed his senses as he landed, a raised platform of snow-dusted stone ahead. The twelve spots, representing twelve gods, sat empty. The system stood in the center.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said, waving awkwardly.


    ¡°Permission granted,¡± the system said.


    Theo froze, nodding to himself slowly. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t need to verbalize it, huh?¡±


    ¡°You do not.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll just get going now, if that¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be best if you did. Approach Hallow¡¯s mark.¡±


    So, instead of diving through the void to make his way to the Realm of Healing, he would dive into some circle on the ground. Whatever the system wanted, it got. Theo turned to look at the figure before stepping on the circle. His eyes glossed over the unoccupied spots. There were still godly positions up for grabs? Interesting.


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    Theo felt a strange sensation grab him by the navel and toss him through infinity. It was too different from passing through the void, feeling more like being ripped apart and put back together again. He felt his Dreamwalker¡¯s Core keeping him together. A breath later, he was standing in the House of Healing, looking upon Glantheir¡­ John¡­ Hallow. A man of many names.


    ¡°The process is changing by the day,¡± Theo said, looking around. The realm seemed much as it was before. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t the same exact realm, but it looked the same. The one thing it lacked was elves. A few mingled around the area, but not nearly as many as there were before.


    ¡°Nice to see you, Theo,¡± Hallow said, placing a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    His smile was so warm and inviting, the alchemist considered staying in the realm forever. What did the mortal world matter, anyway? Theo shook his head, unable to dislodge the thought. Then the pressure subsided from the god¡­ A true god.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Hallow said, gesturing for Theo to head to a sitting area on a balcony. ¡°I haven¡¯t had an ascendant in my realm, yet. Not after the recent changes.¡±


    Theo jabbed a thumb at himself. ¡°Not an ascendant.¡±


    Hallow smiled, pointing an opposing finger at him. ¡°Yes, an ascendant. The true definition of the world.¡±


    ¡°Censure!¡± Void said, springing from nowhere. ¡°I vote for censure.¡±


    Hallow turned, narrowing his eyes at the spiral-faced god. ¡°I¡¯ll say no more. Can I give him the diagnosis for the lost elves?¡±


    Void folded his arms, sighing. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°They need new brains,¡± Hallow said with no fanfare.


    ¡°Well, that was a tad too specific,¡± Void said.


    Hallow turned to Void, shaking his head. ¡°Do you want the shards back in place, or what?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would like them to go back.¡±


    ¡°Then let the man work. This will take forever if he has to figure out how to heal them without help.¡± Hallow looked slightly grumpy at the appearance of the other god.


    Theo could tell things were still being ironed out here in the new heavens. They didn¡¯t have decent organization or well-defined rules. The new gods were working things as they went out, and this period where the mortal world was without the shards served as a trial. At least this gave the alchemist wiggle room as he solved the problem plaguing Xol¡¯sa¡¯s people.


    ¡°Thanks for the information,¡± Theo said, bowing his head. ¡°I hope things are going well here.¡±


    ¡°Censure!¡± Void shouted. ¡°I vote to remove Theo from his position.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t remove ascendants,¡± Hallow said. ¡°That¡¯s the point of the thrones.¡±


    ¡°We can go back to calling them throne-holders,¡± Theo said, unsure about the confusion the term ¡®ascendants¡¯ would cause. ¡°I vote for that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get a vote,¡± Void said. ¡°You can leave, now.¡±


    Theo looked around, shrugging. ¡°I have permission to be here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me hate you, Theo.¡± Void glowered.


    There was some more information Theo wanted about the old world. How everything had played out before his world was destroyed. Each step led to this new world, and the plots that came with it. Perhaps if he could understand why things had happened back then, he could come to terms with this world. It seemed to him two worlds had been destroyed. But if the restart for this planet went well, that would be the end of the cycle.


    ¡°Love you, Void,¡± Theo said, slipping through the cracks. He felt the god right on his tail, bringing with it an oppressive sense of power. The alchemist appeared in the system¡¯s area, then dropped into the void. Void was right behind him, angling directly for the outer areas of the void. Some time later¡ªit was hard to tell exactly how long¡ªhe set foot on the land haunted by space elves. ¡°I really hate this place.¡±


    ¡°As do I, my boy,¡± Void said, elbowing Theo in the thigh. He couldn¡¯t reach the alchemist¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Why are you talking like that?¡± Theo asked, patting Void on the head. ¡°And why did you follow me?¡±


    Void cast his spiraled face at the ground. ¡°I admit. You might need help with this one, and it won¡¯t break any rules for me to help you. I¡¯ve said it before, but this place is the void. I have influence over it.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t cure their brain-meat?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Only mortal means can do that. I¡¯m the master of the void, not the sicknesses it creates.¡±


    ¡°So, a regrowth potion?¡± Theo asked. Void shook his head. ¡°Regeneration potion?¡±


    ¡°Nope. You got what you need, though¡­ For now. Wink wink, nudge nudge.¡±


    Theo¡¯s intuition turned over like gears in a great machine. In a snap, he knew which potion he needed to craft to heal the statue-like elves. He spotted some near the forest, lurking around like stock-still goblins. The creepy factor never left.


    ¡°I could whip the correct potion up in half a day if I still had my Drogramath cores¡­¡±


    ¡°Woe is you. Let¡¯s talk about your plan before you head back to the mortal world,¡± Void said, shaking his head. ¡°You wanna gouge a section of the planet out and take it with you, huh?¡±


    ¡°I knew the new gods could hear better than the old ones.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to it in principle. But it needs to go to a vote in the heavens. Just warning you.¡±


    Theo wouldn¡¯t say it aloud, but he was happy to have the favor of at least three gods. Assuming Void liked him, and wasn¡¯t just putting on a show. With only a few other seats filled, he had nothing to worry about.


    ¡°The gods have agreed to do a reset?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first reset of this world. Although, we hope it will be the last.¡±


    Theo found his mind falling away from concerns related to moving his alliance. He knew he could do it, if there was enough cause for his Dreamwalker¡¯s Core to bring the place with him. His mind instead swirled around the things he would need to craft a potion for the space elves. The one he had in mind was third tier¡­ technically. Suffuse potions were hard to track, so it might be possible to craft one at the second tier. The process wouldn¡¯t be pretty, and he couldn¡¯t guarantee it would work.


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy to have a stock of Troll Blood sitting around¡­ Because who the hell needs Troll Blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Void said, slapping Theo on the butt. ¡°Sorry, meant to hit your leg. Ahem. Anyway, good luck with all that. Stay here much longer and you¡¯ll be eaten by ravenous space elves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, screw this place,¡± Theo said, falling into the void.


    The trip back to the mortal world was simple. Theo built a list of things he needed in his mind to make this happen. Working with primal essences would make this easier, and he had a stock of LIghtning Poppy growing based on Tero¡¯gal¡¯s requirements. But his confidence in this plan wasn¡¯t great. Before creating this new potion, he would need to get second tier Tero¡¯gal alchemy working¡­


    Theo landed back where he started, finding Salire working in the lab. As he had expected, she was tending to their new, smaller lab. She greeted him, watching as he rushed to go through their stock of reagents.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    Theo held up a flask of Searing Regeneration Essence. ¡°I found a cure for the space elves.¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡±


    ¡°But we need to get second tier working now.¡±


    ¡°Boo!¡±


    Theo already had an idea how to get it working. The clues were right before him, easy to pick up if one was experienced with alchemy. During his testing of stills to distill reagents, he noticed something strange. Only two types of stills made it to the final stages with any effectiveness. The one with the paddle, and the centrifuge.


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about removing impurities from essence. What better way?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Throk made a few versions of those for you¡­¡± Salire dug through a nearby crate, pulling out a few 50-unit stills for him to check.


    Now that Theo knew what he was looking for, he dismissed all but one. He wouldn¡¯t use the heating feature on this one, only the spinning action. This was an iteration from the vertical and horizontal shaker. Those had the effect of agitating the contents, while those would have a separation effect. If everything went according to plan, they would squeeze a few more percentage points of purity out of the essence, resulting in a second tier essence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this set up outside,¡± Theo said. ¡°Bring some Lesser Healing Essence.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 6.58 - Something Below

    Theo and Salire stood outside a set of barriers the alchemist had established. The lone centrifuge sat in the center. The pair had left the lab to take up a position in the fields behind Broken Tusk. He figured this would go one of several ways. The idea was to use centrifugal force to remove impurities from the mix. But that was a purely physical application. Most likely, they would need to run the resulting mixture through a still and a vapor pressurizer to get it to the second tier. But once they had that, he could make the potions they needed¡­ Probably.


    ¡°Look at it spin,¡± Salire said, nodding with approval. And no explosions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m happy about the lack of explosions. Assuming we get this to the right level, I need you to work on something else.¡±


    Salire withdrew a notebook, nodding along.


    ¡°I need some Intelligence Essence. I think we can use the old suffuse potions we have laying around.¡±


    ¡°Searing Regeneration and Intelligence¡­. Hmmm,¡± Salire tapped her chin. ¡°I see where you¡¯re going.¡±


    Theo smiled to himself. As the days rolled on, he grew more proud of her. There was a point where he thought he was the only special boy deserving of Drogramath¡¯s alchemy. Now he knew there were many people in the world who would excel if they just had the right tools. Salire¡¯s curious nature did more for her alchemy than anything else, and the tenacity of a half-ogre didn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°We can expect the suffuse binding process to go wrong, though. Hard to say if Tero¡¯gal would bind properties together the same way. And according to Tero¡¯gal, the existing Searing Regeneration essence isn¡¯t as good as it could be.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until you blow us up!¡±


    Theo did the math in his head. Assuming his stock of Searing Regeneration worked with his suffuse potion was wasteful. If he was wrong, he would need to wait another day to test this new potion. He had plenty of Troll¡¯s Blood and a good amount of Veostian Karatan Cheese sitting around to do a limited run of both. He snapped his fingers, turning to Salire.


    ¡°Insurance. I need you to get a batch of Suffuse running from Veostian Karatan Cheese, along with a batch of Searing Regeneration from the Troll¡¯s Blood. Do 100 units of each, dedicating any remaining stills to the Lightning Poppy.¡±


    Salire performed a sloppy salute. ¡°Yes, sir! What, uh¡­ What will you be doing?¡±


    ¡°Consulting my checklist here¡­ Goofing around.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Salire said, taking on a much more formal tone. ¡°Goofing around it is, sir. Would you like some hot tea before goofin¡¯ about?¡±


    ¡°That would be splendid. I¡¯m sure we can hear this thing explode from miles away if something goes wrong.¡±


    Theo joined Salire, heading back to the lab. She brewed some moss tea, which thankfully hadn¡¯t suffered a change from their switch to Tero¡¯gal cores. It wasn¡¯t as good as the stuff Sarisa or Xam made, but it was still good. The alchemist enjoyed the calming moment as he thought about his next little adventure. Perhaps if Tresk and Alex could tear themselves away from running dungeons and finding dragon bones, they could help him with an issue. Probably not.


    The alchemist felt Tresk in the distance, drilling Alex on various combat maneuvers. One side of the coin was Theo¡¯s freedom from Tresk¡¯s antics. The other was him missing her for being gone so often. But their connection transcended distance. Even if they weren¡¯t together physically, most emotions were shared through the bond. That was a sense of constant comfort, her brazen confidence often bleeding into his mind without his command.


    ¡°Thanks for the tea,¡± Theo nodded, gesturing to the stills. ¡°If you need help, let me know.¡±


    Salire waved him away. ¡°Begone, alchemist.¡±


    Theo headed off from the Newt and Demon, wandering in no particular direction. Without the Dreamwalk to boost his willpower, he felt like he hadn¡¯t been pushing himself hard enough lately. Even after they worked the kinds out of the alchemy process, there would be far less work to do in the lab every day. That meant more time for infrastructure projects. Especially now that Void had given him the green light to move most of a continent.


    The alchemist felt the Shadow core in his chest. He reached deep, brushing his senses against it. After a deep breath, he spread his aura outward. It covered the local area immediately, racing out to cover Broken Tusk a moment later. It stopped just north of Qavell, refusing to go any further. Even without his Dreamwalker¡¯s Core helping, he could interdict his entire town and Qavell. The worst case would mean he would bring along everyone from the alliance, just crammed into a smaller space for now.


    Theo swapped his Tero¡¯gal Mage¡¯s Core for his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and headed over to the mines. Gridgen was taking a break outside, which begged an important question. ¡°Are you ever not on break?¡±


    Gridgen offered a sheepish smile. ¡°This happens when you don¡¯t have a taskmaster breathing down your neck.¡±


    Theo cracked a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t plan to be that taskmaster. Anything interesting going on?¡±


    ¡°Not really. We¡¯re working on a few tunnels is all. Hard work the lower we get, but we avoided the caverns on our way down.¡±


    Theo had a moment of hesitation. He was here to work on the path that led through the mountain and down the coast. With his insane willpower and Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core he would make quick work of carving a path into the stone. But he could use this obvious cheat to help the miners out. His only question was if they wanted that help. That was a hard question to ask, though. The alchemist imagined himself asking if the miners wanted him to trivialize weeks of work in about five minutes¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have fancy rock-moving powers?¡± Gridgen asked, putting an end to Theo¡¯s internal debate.


    ¡°I do have amazing, overpowered rock-moving powers.¡±


    ¡°Wanna move some rocks for us? If you¡¯re not too busy, that is.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s move some rocks.¡±


    The mine had become more of a honeycomb of random passages than a mine. The miners themselves were doing exploratory digging, chasing down every cluster of nuggets they could with no regard to organization. Although the chaos was clear, there were stairs that led downward. Someone had taken the time to carve simple ramps into stairs, making it less dangerous for one to descend. Although the leader of the mine was a short human, the passages had been hewn to accommodate people of all sizes. Even with that, the alchemist¡¯s horns scraped against the ceiling a few times.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The sound of pickaxes ringing against stone soon met their ears. At the end of a narrow hall, Theo watched as a team of workers struck at the wall. They cursed, swigged from jars of booze, and were otherwise about as surly as sailors. Only when they spun to find the owner of the mine did they straighten up, striking at the wall with much more power.


    ¡°What¡¯s the goal with this one?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for a vein of something new,¡± Gridgen said, walking over to pat the wall. ¡°Everyone has a good feeling about this path.


    ¡°A very good feeling¡­ Sir,¡± a random miner put in. The others mirrored his tone.


    ¡°Step aside,¡± Theo said, gesturing for the miners to move away from the wall. They scampered back like frightened children.


    Theo reached out with his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and his will. The Shadow¡¯s Spirit Core joined with it, a shock of power flooding through his body. With a flick of his wrist, the alchemist sent a fissure rocking through the stone. He felt the weight of the mountain above him, and the stone below. Jabbing forward with his hand, he drove the fissure deeper. The stone cracked, chipping off in vast splinters. He jabbed his will as far as it would go, smashing the existing stone to either side. A endless, perfectly straight pathway appeared in a flash.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Gridgen said, letting out a shuddering breath. ¡°That¡¯s the good stuff.¡±


    ¡°Boss, is he gonna replace us?¡± one miner asked.


    ¡°The archduke is too busy to help you lazy lot,¡± Gridgen said. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we found anything worthwhile.


    Theo found himself immensely entertained as he walked with the miners. The marveled at how perfectly ¡®hewn¡¯ the tunnel was. But the tunnel was a stark reminder of what he was fighting against. These kinds of powers needed to be plugged. The system needed a reset so no one could take advantage of such holes. These were holes left by the previous false gods. Holes that were nurtured instead of patched. But at least the miners thought it was cool.


    ¡°How about a few levels deeper?¡± Gridgen asked. ¡°I got a good feeling about that.


    Theo shrugged. A few more sharp gestures and a staircase appeared, leading them down even deeper. And deeper still when the next level produced nothing. This went on long enough that the alchemist became concerned about air quality. He ordered one miner to run off and request a ventilation system from Throk. But a few hours of ¡®digging¡¯ later, and the miners got excited.


    ¡°I got a good feeling about this!¡± Gridgen shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the tunnel.


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that for every tunnel I¡¯ve created,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°But I feel really good about this one.¡±


    Theo shrugged, walking down the dim corridor with nothing but a magical lantern to light the way. The group paused when the ground around them rumbled slightly. The alchemist shared a look with Gridgen, who shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m wise enough to know that ominous tremors don¡¯t mean good things,¡± Theo said. He spread his senses outward, piercing through the rock. He retracted them when he felt something beneath them. ¡°Best be quick¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about this,¡± a miner said, bringing up the rear with his pick at the ready.


    ¡°You¡¯re always telling stories,¡± Gridgen grumbled. ¡°Maybe if you¡­ Wait, I see something glittering in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Just silver,¡± Theo said, squinting against the darkness. ¡°Looks like we went to the core of the planet for silver.¡±


    ¡°Not silver you fork-tailed idiot!¡± a miner shouted.


    Theo turned to him and the man clapped a hand over his mouth.


    ¡°No, he is a fork-tailed idiot,¡± Gridgen said, rushing over to the nugget embedded in the wall. He smacked his pick into the wall, and the ground rumbled again. Everyone went silent.


    ¡°Best let the fork-tailed idiot take care of it,¡± Theo said, pulling the nugget from the wall. He handed it over to Gridgen. ¡°Congratulations on your silver. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Not silver,¡± one miner whispered. ¡°Inspect it.¡±


    Theo did exactly that.


    [Mythril Nugget]


    [Metal Ore]


    Epic


    Quality: Perfect


    A raw nuggets of Mythril. Needs refining.


    ¡°A dwarf would scoop your eyes out with a spoon just to touch that,¡± Gridgen said, his voice breathy and hushed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories!¡± the story-telling human man said.


    ¡°He might be right about that, Theo. We should talk to someone about this. Maybe the old goat of a dwarf at the smithy.¡±


    ¡°What kind of stories?¡± Theo demanded.


    ¡°Demons in the darkness. Dwarves that dig themselves into caverns filled with demons.¡±


    Theo gestured to himself. ¡°You¡¯ve found the demon.¡±


    ¡°Not actual demons,¡± Gridgen corrected. ¡°Big beasties or something.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll seal this tunnel off,¡± Theo said. He kept a straight face. That of an annoyed taskmaster. Not of a frightened dronon that had just touched something powerful with his senses. Whatever was below them felt powerful. The kind of powerful that would move mountains. He noticed the disappointed look on the face of the others. ¡°After we gather the other nuggets in this tunnel. But you¡¯re not to dig this deep again, okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood, boss,¡± Gridgen said, smiling the entire time.


    After gathering the rest of the nuggets in the hall, the group headed to higher floors in the mine. Theo sealed the way behind them, intending to put as much rock between his miners and whatever creature lurked in the dark. They were extremely upset by this action, but there was nothing else to do. Until he knew more about what they might face, no amount of fortune would be worth losing the lives of his people.


    Gridgen joined with Theo, heading off to the mine. Their resident dwarf might know something about the nuggets. And now that Theo¡¯s bag was filled with those nuggets, it seemed like a kingly prize to present to Nira and her team of smelters.


    ¡°Thim,¡± Theo said, poking his head into the Blacksmith¡¯s Workshop. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already working on your project,¡± Thim growled, holding up a plate of Drogramathi Iron for him to see. ¡°Said it would take a few days¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. I need some dwarf lore.¡±


    Thim set the piece he was working on down, assuming a more relaxed posture. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told this is rare,¡± Theo said, producing a Mythril Nugget.


    Thim raised a brow at first. Until he inspected the item. He stumbled back, almost falling into the forge. ¡°What are you doing with that?¡±


    ¡°See? Beasties,¡± Gridgen said, nodding with satisfaction.


    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± Thim demanded. ¡°And can I have it?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Theo said, tossing the nugget over. Gridgen¡¯s mouth fell open.


    ¡°What are you doing!? We gotta smelt that!¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Payment for the dwarf lore.¡±


    ¡°A payment big enough to build a house, raise a family, send them off to the best scholarly cults in the world, and retire!¡± Gridgen shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s far from the mark,¡± Thim said, bringing the nugget so close to his face he had the tip of his nose pressed against it. ¡°In the dwarven holds, you¡¯ll hear about dwarves digging too deeply. But finding a Mythril Nugget meant you were close to the nest of something nasty. They only appear near underground pockets of magma, which are often home to fearsome creatures. Lava Hydras, Lava Dragons¡­ Basically, any monster related to lava and magma loves living there.¡±


    ¡°So, we were inches from death,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°I should have known better. We dug from above using my core. I have a feeling if we dug it manually, we would have disturbed whatever it was living underground.¡±


    ¡°Count yourself lucky,¡± Thim said, rubbing his thumb over the surface of the glittering metal. In the light of day, it had a green sheen to it. ¡°The quality of the metal this produces doesn¡¯t justify the price, though. This is more of a status item back in the dwarven holds.¡±


    ¡°Time to visit the smelter, I think,¡± Theo said.

 6.59 - Entry Missing

    The smelter buildings were also chaotic. Not only because of the people rushing around, avoiding splashing metal and shouting orders. But the heat itself was enough to make any normal person wither as they approached. Theo shielded his face as he waved his hands, desperate to get Nira¡¯s attention. Between the cooling gel they wore on their skin, and some adaptation, thanks to the cores they used.


    Nira waved him off, gesturing across the street before getting back to work.


    Gridgens stuck around, waiting to see what the woman would say about the ore. It took a while for her to finish up, though. That led to the overly excited miner making predictions about the quality of the ore and what it would mean for the town. But Theo took Thim¡¯s assessment seriously. It was unlikely to shake things up, even if it was cool.


    ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Nira said, sauntering over. She wiped a wet cloth over her face, removing layers of soot.


    ¡°Got something interesting for you to smelt,¡± Theo said, producing several nuggets from his inventory. He handed them over.


    ¡°Rare metals? I like rare metals,¡± Nira said, inspecting the nuggets. She held it up to the sun, bit it, and shrugged. ¡°Seems slightly better than Drogramathi Iron. Not as versatile as Azrugium.¡±


    ¡°Those are apparently expensive,¡± Theo said. ¡°According to the dwarves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, dwarves and their precious metals¡­ I¡¯ll cook these up for you,¡± Nira said, holding her hands out. ¡°Assuming you have more than three nuggets.¡±


    Theo gave her all the nuggets he had, and was unsurprised at her glib response to something a dwarf claimed was so precious. She worked with rare metals every day, stuff that would make the dwarves blush. But this was the only place these rare metals appeared¡­ Unless there was a Drogramathi mine somewhere else. That got him thinking.


    ¡°Has the supply of Drogramathi Iron dried up?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not that we¡¯ve noticed,¡± Gridgen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s curious¡­ But I won¡¯t complain. Keep an eye on it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Thanks, Nira. You¡¯re the best smelter I know.¡±


    ¡°Damn right I am,¡± Nira said, turning away and approaching her workshops. She yelled at some workers, flailing her arms. In the short time she had met with the pair, something had gone wrong.


    Theo shook his head, walking off with Gridgen. ¡°Make sure they don¡¯t dig deep,¡± he said. ¡°If I catch you guys digging any deeper than that last level, I¡¯ll seal it up.¡±


    ¡°The miners are scared enough as it is. I don¡¯t think you have to worry.¡±


    Theo bid farewell to Gridgen at the mines. The workers were buzzing with the new information. The alchemist turned away from the excitement, heading off to complete his little adventure. In the past, he had used the Tunneling Potion to etch a passageway through the mountains, leading south to the coastline. He walked that path, coming to the end only to spot a massive drop. Reaching out with his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, he got to work on a path.


    Carving a path in the mountain was theraputic. Theo fell into a rhythm of moving and removing material as he created a basic ramp alongside the mountain. He reformed it to hold the path better, making sure it was wide enough not only to hold people, but carts and trains if he needed. The original idea for this passage was to have a launching point for a train heading south, over the water and toward the lizard islands. That never worked, as the bridge had failed almost immediately.


    Within a few hours, Theo was walking along the coastline to the south, angling himself northeast as he followed the curve of the land. He could see the harbor in the distance, but at least he was at the level of the water. The waves lapped against the rock, washing over his boots as he raised the pathway enough to account for the tides. He wrapped the path along the coast, leaving it where it was as he approached the beach area. The guards atop the waterborne towers waved after a bit of shock.


    Theo waved back. ¡°Yeah, I bet they¡¯re wondering what the hell I¡¯m doing out here¡­ Just testing some bridges, guys. No need to freak out.¡±


    With the coastal pathway done, Theo walked back to the massive staircase he had created and climbed it. Without his increased Vigor, the climb would have been daunting enough to make him give up. Once at the top, Theo pulled material from the mountain itself and sent it sailing into the sea below. The stone crumbled, tumbling end-over-end as it crashed into the sea. Waves radiated outward, white-crested and high enough to cause concern. At least the harbor was shielded by sturdy walls.


    With enough rocks in the ocean below, he took the stairs¡­ again. Would Throk be upset if Theo requested an elevator? Probably not, but it was a waste of his time. The trip wasn¡¯t too bad, and it allowed the alchemist to mess around with causeway designs. He quickly learned the only way to make it work would be to pile material in a mound that joined at the top. Even in the shallow waters near the coast, the amount of rock needed to make the causeway was staggering.


    But the waves crashed around the crude causeway, rushing up the scramble of rocks and failing to rush over the path. While this small test was interesting, Theo knew it wasn¡¯t a seal of approval for the structure. Ziz¡¯s version of the bridge didn¡¯t fail near the shore. The structure he made failed out at sea, where white-capped waves slammed into the pillars supporting the bridge. Then there was the problem of depth. Again.


    ¡°Boats are easier,¡± Theo said, moving stone around to connect the causeway to his hewn path. ¡°But at least the fishermen can head out and cast a line¡­¡±


    From what Theo could observe about the open ocean outside the bay, the bridge idea was a bust. Boats were way easier, and with the amount of effort he needed to put into this project, coming up with a magic-resistant airship would be quicker. But he wasn¡¯t undertaking these projects as a way to better the alliance anymore. That would be a lovely side-effect, but what he needed was to keep his willpower sharp.


    Going through a list of buildings in his mind, Theo headed back to town. He could catch up on some things that had gone by the wayside during his mad alchemy spree. The first one that bubbled to the top of his thoughts were the smelters. Nira was doing a great job with them, so much so the alchemist had let them fall behind the other buildings. Getting them to Level 20 from 15 would be easy enough. If he had enough spare Monster Cores, he could even get them to 25. But one upgrade should have been good enough for the industrious woman.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t smelted your fancy nuggets,¡± Nira said, giving Theo a flat look as he approached. She was taking a break outside the smelter, chatting with Alise and looking as dour as ever.


    ¡°Just upgrading the buildings,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°Let me know which one you wanna pick.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s bored,¡± Alise said, not bothering to keep her voice low. ¡°Looking for things to do, you know.¡±


    ¡°Quite bored,¡± Theo said, approaching the smelter. ¡°In a good way, though.¡±


    Theo added Monster Cores to the smelter, watching as the level ticked up. It didn¡¯t take long for the first upgrade option to appear. He saw the old Lightweight Crucible upgrade, the new one, and something strange.


    [MISSING]


    ENTRY MISSING


    Theo had to think for a moment to figure out what was going on. The old upgrade was Fan¡¯glir¡¯s Flames. And Fan¡¯glir was kinda dead. As dead as a fake god could be, anyway. He wondered if there were other upgrade selections in town that had suffered. He would need to check, searching for a solution if there was one at all. Instead of worrying about it now, he checked the new upgrade option.


    [Cooled Workspace]


    Any worker with a Smelter¡¯s Core (or adjacent, aligned, etc core) will experience half as much heat from the smelter.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Theo said, reading the description for Nira to hear. ¡°How could you not want that?¡±


    ¡°I get that, or lighter crucibles¡­ I don¡¯t mind the heat so much.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not minding the heat, and then standing in the middle of an active volcano.¡± Theo folded his arms, shaking his head at her. She was tougher than most.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take that one.¡±


    Theo selected the upgrade, narrowing his eyes at the lava-girl as he added more cores to the building. The next milestone came, once again providing him with the missing entry, Light Crucibles, and something new. ¡°This one is good, though,¡± the alchemist said, reading the latest entry for her consideration.


    [Expanded Crucibles]


    The generated crucibles within your smelter may hold more and retain heat better.


    ¡°That one sounds exciting,¡± Nira said, deadpan.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Just let it all out,¡± Theo said, selecting the upgrade for her. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ve only got a stock of Level 20 to 25 cores on me right now. I¡¯ll have to grab some more high-level cores from the market.¡±


    ¡°The Cooled Workspace upgrade will be great for my workers,¡± Nira said. ¡°Perhaps we won¡¯t have faintings as often.¡±


    Theo inspected the building before moving on. He smiled at the name Nira had given it. Long ago, he learned who the Midnight Damsel was.


    [Smeltery]


    [Midnight Damsel Smeltery]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Nira Weir


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 25 (15%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Preservation of Heat]


    [Pattern Alloy]


    [Double Smelter]


    [Cooled Workspace]


    [Expanded Crucibles]


    Applying the upgrades to the other smelters, Theo headed off for his next stop. Throk owned both the Artificer¡¯s Workshop and the Blacksmith¡¯s Workshop, and would have been mad if upgrades were applied. The School, Mudball Fundamental, was already at Level 30. While his Tero¡¯gal Manor was at Level 20 and could have been brought to Level 25, he just didn¡¯t have the desire to do so.


    Theo wandered to the harbor, watching as a ship pulled in to moor at the docks. The waters here were calm and clear, not appearing as filthy as he remembered Earth harbors looking. There was a constant flow of water from the river, flushing anything foul left behind by the ships into the sea. He made his way to the marker, looking over the interesting wares people brought for sale. It wasn¡¯t a seed core market, but it was fun.


    After haggling with a merchant, Theo led a karatan away from a stall. The creature was of a variety he hadn¡¯t seen before, and seemed well-tempered. Best of all, it was white with black spots. It looked too much like an Earth cow not to purchase, even with too many legs and the insect-like features.


    Theo approached the paddock¡¯s edge, watching the other karatan roam the open fields. Miana spotted him from afar, shaking her head and striding across the open fields of green. ¡°What in the hells do you have there?¡±


    ¡°A big cutie, that¡¯s what.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do with a karatan?¡± Miana asked. She might have been trying to hide it, but she was smiling.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think past the idea of owning a spotted karatan. You want it?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Surely it cost you a few gold¡­¡±


    Theo nodded. Five of them, in fact. He didn¡¯t buy the creature intending to start a farm of his own. A merchant had gone through the trouble of loading a living animal onto a boat, sailing half-way around the world, and presenting it in a stall. Therefore, Miana should have it. He held the lead out, and the beast chittered.


    ¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± Miana said, opening the gate to the paddock. ¡°She¡¯s well-trained, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    The creature stomped off into the field, nibbling at grass as it went. Theo watched with pride. ¡°I¡¯m good at finding excellent quality karatan.¡±


    ¡°Are you really? Did you know it was a girl?¡±


    ¡°Nope. It was the spots that drew me.¡±


    Miana laughed, her smile about as bright as the sun above. Her road to recover was long, but Theo was happy to see she was in a good place. Both her and the animals would come along for the ride through the void. He could imagine these karatan grazing the fields of Tero¡¯gal, mingling with the creatures from Earth. What more could a cow-bug ask for?


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I lost a pozwa a few days ago,¡± Miana said with a sigh. She jabbed her thumb back to the farmhouse. On the other side, Theo could see a simple gravestone. ¡°Realities of ranching, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t help that no one knows how to care for them, huh?¡± Theo asked. ¡°You have a breeding pair though, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°More than a pair. The population will stay stable for a while. Not forever, but long enough.¡±


    Pozwa had always been interesting little critters. They were demon goats. That¡¯s what they looked like, anyway. Feathered, horned, and cloven-hooved, they appeared to be some chimeric hybrid made by a mad scientist. And they could trace their original breeding back to Gardreth the Fallen Kingdom. Now that was a place Theo had heard little about in his time here. No matter how many layers he pulled back from the curtain of the world, he was doubtful he¡¯d learn everything about this place¡¯s history.


    ¡°How is the cheese business?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Everyone loves cheese, so business is good,¡± Miana said. She sighed, leaning against the paddock fence.


    ¡°I might need to buy more cheese,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not as much as before, but¡­ enough.¡±


    ¡°A little melted karatan cheese¡­ some zee flatbread¡­¡± Miana trailed off, patting her belly. ¡°Should¡¯ve had more of that at the wedding.¡±


    ¡°More of that and less liquor,¡± Theo said, nodding. ¡°Or a hangover cure.¡±


    ¡°How many people do you think live in the world?¡± Theo asked.


    Miana blinked a few times, her eyes leaving the alchemist and tracing a line somewhere in the distance. ¡°I really couldn¡¯t say¡­¡±


    The population of this world wasn¡¯t vast. He was certain the Southlands Alliance was large enough to contain them all, assuming they had the accommodations. A plan formed in his mind. Something that might have been stupid, but fun.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to visit the market¡­ I just had the dumbest idea ever.¡±

 6.60 - The Seal of Passage

    Watching how the market had flourished from nothing to a thriving sprawl of products and merchants was always amazing. Theo flitted between stalls, getting prices on food, spices, building materials, and seed cores as he went. He made a mental tally of these numbers, but they were incomplete. Prices would fluctuate by the day, depending on which merchant was in town from which other civilization. As always, Bantein and Partopour had the best prices while Tarantham had the best stuff.


    The flow of merchant ships had become constant enough that at least one was docked in the harbor. Overland trade had been relegated to traders moving goods from Rivers and Daub and Gronro-Dir. That made up far more trade than Theo had expected, resulting in something of a boom of exports. There were some tax implications he didn¡¯t care to think about. Alise could worry about who paid who and what it all meant. She was damn good at her job.


    Tresk appeared from nowhere, joining the alchemist on the walls that encased the trade district. The tops of the tents were visible, creating a sprawling splash of color to offset the hard packed earth, cobbles, or gray stone of the walls. She had responded to a mental summons, appearing in a flash without her normal annoyed persona. Instead, she felt the request and responded without complaint.


    ¡°Numbers, huh?¡± Tresk asked, scratching her head. ¡°I¡¯m not so good with numbers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think the Tara¡¯hek would have picked one person in the group that was decent with numbers¡­¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re counting everyone in the world.¡± Tresk shrugged. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±


    ¡°Come on. We¡¯re counting everyone, but we need someone who is good at counting. And organizing stuff.¡±


    ¡°Alise?¡±


    Theo nodded, turning away from the battlements. He found the nearest staircase, descending to the ground below. While he juggled other projects¡ªthings that would take a few days to move¡ªhe had time to plan for the future. The duo walked through the streets, heading for the town hall. Alex flew somewhere overhead, flaunting some new power she had gained. Perhaps she would become more dragon than goose soon enough.


    The town hall was as busy as ever. Theo wondered what all these people were doing here all the time. Some administrative something-or-other. Alise was in a meeting, so they waited outside of her office for a while before being allowed in. For once, he didn¡¯t barge in to demand her attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Theo?¡± Alise said, looking up from a stack of papers with a concerned expression. ¡°Did a dragon burst forth from the ocean? Perhaps a god has descended and we all have five minutes to live.¡±


    ¡°Those would be interesting, but no. I¡¯m wondering if you have a headcount for the entire world.¡±


    Alise looked down at the stack of papers in her hands, letting them drop to the table with a thud. She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at the alchemist. ¡°Why do you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Just curious.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Alise said, standing to shuffle through some papers on a different table. ¡°I can smell one of your schemes from another continent¡­ While the request is weird, I have some basic numbers. The entire world?¡±


    ¡°Break it down by continent.¡±


    Alise shuffled through some papers, shrugging as she held up a tally sheet for the Southlands Alliance. ¡°Everyone here is dead or in four cities. That makes it easy. The Southlands Alliance contains about five- to eight-thousand people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Alise said, shuffling to another sheet. ¡°Bantein has at least fifty-thousand. These are estimates, by the way.¡±


    Alise went through the rest of the nations. There were fewer than a half-million people on this planet. Theo took those numbers in as the administrator went on, talking about how she had collected the information. She wouldn¡¯t stop reinforcing the fact that these were estimates, not exact numbers she had gone to check herself.


    ¡°Earth had a few billion people at one time,¡± Theo said, breaking out of his thoughts. ¡°We were down to about one-million at the end, but this is strange.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how so many people could fit on one planet,¡± Alise said, tapping the end of a stack of paper onto the table. She stored it away with other, similar stacks.


    ¡°The point is, that¡¯s not a lot of people,¡± Tresk said, reading Theo¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°No, compared to your old world. But what does it matter?¡± Alise asked.


    Theo rolled his shoulders. This was the part where Alise got mad at him for coming up with a stupid idea. There were going to be some problems with bringing the Shards back to the mortal plane. Kinks he had to work out in Xol¡¯sa¡¯s inventions. He couldn¡¯t estimate how long it would take him, or how long after that the gods would glassify the planet. He couldn¡¯t bring everyone, but why not try?


    ¡°You know my plan to bring the alliance to my world,¡± Theo said, shrugging. He had explained the entire plan to her.


    Alise blinked slowly, as though the slower the action the more her thoughts had time to catch up. ¡°You wanna bring them all?¡±


    ¡°As many as we can.¡±


    Alise sighed, shrugged, and grunted. ¡°Yeah, whatever. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡± Tresk shouted. Perhaps a little too loud. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna yell at him? Call him an idiot?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± Alise asked. ¡°He¡¯s going to do it anyway. He likely wants to house these people while they¡¯re here, claiming the spaces between the three towns for them to stay. Which is why I saw him walking over to the market earlier. Yeah, we started getting a stockpile of food. If we focused on that, we could feed an endless field of people for a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re on board?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, why not? Let me run the numbers on half the world¡¯s population agreeing to some nut-brained idea to hang out in the Southlands Alliance until the end of the world.¡±


    Theo¡¯s intuition said far fewer than half would show up. But planning for half was a good idea. It was hard to tell how things would turn in the coming weeks, and there was nothing wrong with the older Broken Tusker tradition of over-preparing for everything.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°How long will that take?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I dunno. Get out of my office and it¡¯ll take a far shorter time.¡±


    Tresk and Theo shuffled out of Alise¡¯s office, heading out into the town hall aimlessly. A quarter-million people seemed like a lot, but they only needed to support them for a bit. As the alchemist considered this, he felt something strange tug at his chest. When he searched Tresk¡¯s feelings, he felt that sensation mirrored in her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Tresk asked, pawing at her chest. ¡°Feels like someone is tugging on my cores from the inside¡­¡±


    ¡°Just the one core, actually,¡± Theo said, focusing on the sensation. His Dreamwalker¡¯s Core was vibrating in his chest. Rushing outside, he turned his gaze skyward, unsure what he was expecting to see. But it wasn¡¯t what he saw. Instead, he felt something. ¡°A change in the system.¡±


    No one else in town had felt the change. The alchemist felt something vibrating in his inventory, a haptic buzz that filled his mind. He withdrew his communication stone linked with Fenian and squeezed it tightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you felt that,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°What the hell was that, Fenian?¡± Tresk shouted into the stone.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not the way the stones work,¡± Theo said with a sigh. ¡°Something changed with the system.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ Oh, there it is! Did you get the message?¡±


    Theo locked his jaw tightly, gritting his teeth. This was bound to happen¡­ A message had appeared.


    [Dreamwalker¡¯s Core Message]


    A seal has been set in place. A recent intrusion into the heavenly realms has forced a change with the Monitor System. The Seal of Passage has been set in place, making it impossible for any being¡ªno matter their station¡ªfrom crossing the boundary between the outer and inner realms.


    The message appeared as general information, as though anyone who got the message would know what it meant. Tresk¡¯s excited blustering meant she didn¡¯t get what it meant. Theo let the communication crystal fall to his side. He was relieved. All the information he needed to weather the next phase of the storm was locked in his mind. Both Hallow and Void had given him the tools required to heal the space elves and bring the shards back to the mortal world. This was thanks to Twist and whatever strange plot he schemed.


    ¡°Well, I had no plans to go there anyway,¡± Fenian said, seeming arrogant with his words. ¡°So, take that. You stupid system.¡±


    ¡°Anything else to report?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What are you doing, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Snagging a few things from Tarantham right now. There are several artifacts I don¡¯t want to be without when you steal me away to your world. Oh, are you going to buy me dinner before you kidnap me?¡±


    ¡°Bring your own food. Just don¡¯t bring anything that could damage the world¡­ Okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­ I was thinking about making my own world! Wouldn¡¯t that be lovely?¡±


    Theo imagined the kind of world Fenian would build. ¡°Hot elven women only, right?¡±


    ¡°Theo! I didn¡¯t know you knew my type!¡±


    Theo hung up before Fenian could say anything else. If he remained on the line, things were going to get weird. The alchemist didn¡¯t want to know what the elf was doing, but at least he was regularly returning to Broken Tusk at this point. That just left him with the message driven by the Monitor System. Tresk was confused, so he needed to explain it.


    ¡°We¡¯re sealed off from the gods,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin. His mind rolled over the information, tumbling them until he decided if it was a good thing. ¡°We wanted this, actually. This is perfect.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tresk asked, raising a hairless brow. ¡°Feels like we leaned on them for a lot of stuff.¡±


    ¡°That was before the thrones. This is the system as it was meant to be. The gods should have been sealed away entirely, only acting through agents. Instead, what we had was a gentleman¡¯s agreement not to mess with the mortal world. We all know how well that went.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°And this means the gods would mess with us when we¡¯re doing our job. Void can kick rocks if he has a problem with any of my plans¡­ even if he has some command over the void, I don¡¯t think he can leave the sun-like area in the middle of our new galaxy.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Tresk asked, regretting her decision to ask immediately.


    Theo slipped them through the veil. An instant later, they were floating in the void, looking off into the expanse of spiraling nothing. The alchemist pointed to the center of the formation. ¡°The gods all live there. Each of their worlds exists within the sun.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Existential dread like I never expected,¡± Tresk said, nodding along. ¡°Can we go back to land? I don¡¯t like the void.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°This is important. This is big, Tresk. Come on.¡±


    Tresk groaned as they shot through the void, angled directly for Khahak. A blink later, and they were standing in the Arbiter¡¯s Citadel, overlooking the endless metropolis of a world. Khahar¡¯s top-floor office was a sprawling thing of ornate decorations, Khahari influences, and plush seats. The man himself was standing behind his table, turning to offer a smile at the alchemist.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take you long to come knocking,¡± Khahar said. ¡°What are your impressions about the change?¡±


    Theo nodded, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°I¡¯m very excited. Less oversight from the gods.¡±


    ¡®Yet we¡¯re sealed from their heavenly realms.¡±


    Theo thumped his fist into his open palm, nodding. ¡°Exactly. Mortal, Ascendant, God, System, Monitor System. That¡¯s the pecking order, right? They need to leave us alone to do what we need to do over here. Same goes for them on the other side.¡±


    Khahar turned, looking out his window. Theo could feel something of regret coming from the man. He tried not to think less of his old friend, as he knew what was making him feel this way. There was a long pause before anyone spoke. But it was the person the alchemist least expected.


    ¡°You gotta get over it, man,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Just because you¡¯re no longer Mister Know-It-All doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t make informed decisions.¡±


    ¡°What, like Theo¡¯s plan to throw an end of the world party?¡± Khahar scoffed. He shook his head, turning back to the pair. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯ve felt adrift recently.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we pull Fenian in on this conversation?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Can you interdict him from¡­¡± Khahar trailed off.


    A swirl of black appeared, Fenian stumbling out of the portal a moment later. He was wearing nothing but his underwear and smelled of Qavelli Berries. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s illegal,¡± he said, making an X with his arms. He turned, grabbing at the air as though he could rip the portal open with his hands. ¡°You send me back this instant, alchemist. Do you know how hard it was to woo that elven princess? Do you!?¡±


    ¡°Not that hard for you,¡± Tresk muttered. ¡°Guy sleeps around more than a Marsh Wolf.¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Khahar said, waving Fenian¡¯s concerns away. ¡°Only a few moments should pass on the mortal plane. Unless they adjusted the time again¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯ll just explain to her how I blinked out of reality for a moment. That won¡¯t ruin the mood or anything!¡±


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. After releasing a heavy sigh, he looked at the people gathered in Khahar¡¯s office¡ªincluding himself. Four unlikely people had taken thrones of power, becoming true ascendants. They held positions that equated to power, no matter how strange and chained that power was. Each had jobs related to keeping the world safe. Following the system¡¯s rules was paramount.


    ¡°We¡¯re the authorities, now,¡± Theo said, folding his arms.


    Fenian yanked a blanket from a nearby sofa, draping it over his shoulders and pinching it closed in front. ¡°Fine. Make it quick, or you¡¯ll ruin the magic.¡±


    ¡°I call to order,¡± Khahar said, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°The first meeting of the true ascendants.¡±

 Stub Announcement

    I''ve put it in the title, but I''m going to put the notice here!


    Book 1 will stub on November 4th! On November 19th, a version of Book 1 will go up on amazon!


    I''ll be honest. Book 1 has so many edits, I can''t even remember how much we changed. It went through my personal editing cycle, which includes a lot of feedback delivered here on RoyalRoad. Then it went through another round with me, then to my personal editor, then back and forth with the publisher''s editor. Of course the final version isn''t without errors. Come on. I''ve never been able to get 100% of the errors before it goes out. But this one is like 95% solid and I''m very excited.


    The story-based changes I made are subtle, but they''re going to help Theo feel more in line with what his end goal ends up being. I''ve got subtle hints that help understand his state of mind, along with some Tara''hek related stuff. I also kinda scrubbed some specific numbers related to money. Since I realized I don''t like tracking every single coin. Mostly that just generates errors, and I''ve found a much better way to write about that now.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    So, this book launches with KU, regular kindle, and audiobook formats. While I love all the support I get on here and Patreon, downloading the KU version, buying the kindle version, or audiobook will go a long way to show my publisher that I''m not an idiot.


    At this time, I am working on TWO more series, one of which will hit RR Soon?.


    I also just want to point out that since the first chapter for N&D dropped here, it has released 3 times a week, every single week, without a dang break. "Wow no breaks? Are you mentally okay?" Yeah, I bank chapters so I can take a break. No worries. You might not have noticed, but I also dropped the chapter length from 3k to 2.5k. Believe it or not, that has made writing N&D A LOT easier for me, and I''m going with 2.5k for all future projects. I love this chapter length, and I don''t find myself writing filler to fluff a chapter out.


    Anyway, for everyone that''s been here (no matter how long) thanks for joining me. I''m looking forward to bringing you more stories that explore the more "boring" aspects of the genre. I want to see how far I can push a character literally never fighting something while still having an interesting story. The first one is about a druid, and the next one is secret. Cause I only have like 5 chapters and I''m still working it out.


    THANKS BYE

 6.61 - Reforge Mind

    Theo, Fenian, Khahar, and Tresk sat in a circle around a magical fire. The Arbiter¡¯s Citadel¡ªthe tower dominating the center of the largest city on Khahar¡¯s world¡ªhad a lovely balcony that overlooked the city below. Unlike a real skyscraper, there was no wind that rushed against them as they sipped the drink of the world. Screwdrivers. Of course Yuri would want his people to drink nothing but vodka in whatever form he could provide it. It wasn¡¯t enough that they all spoke Russian. No, they had to get the true Russian experience. With a flair for the dramatic, of course.


    ¡°This drink is lovely,¡± Fenian said, taking a few sips. He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders, shivering from the cold.


    ¡°Yes, we all enjoy some trashy drinks,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°This is mostly a formality,¡± Tresk said, taking a few gulps of her drink. ¡°Your magic Russian elixir is making me feel funny, Khahar.¡±


    ¡°A simple formal meeting where we discuss issues,¡± Khahar said with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the players who could send things tumbling down before the transition.¡±


    ¡°Is that what we¡¯re calling it?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I was thinking of calling it ¡®The Reset¡¯.¡±


    ¡°The Cataclysm,¡± Fenian put in.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s all list our loose ends,¡± Khahar said, gesturing to Theo and Tresk. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll have the same elements of concern.¡±


    ¡°Twist, Jan, and Hanan,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°I have Hanan close at hand, so I¡¯m not as worried about him. But both Twist and Jan are in the wind. No idea where I sent Twist, and no idea where Jan went.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to kill them both,¡± Fenian said with a nod. But Theo¡¯s intuition told him there was more to the words than the others realized.


    ¡°Care to share with the class?¡± Khahar asked. ¡°They¡¯re loose elements, not enemies.¡±


    ¡°Twist is unpredictable,¡± Fenian said. ¡°He was integrated from a world we¡¯re not familiar with. His people were scooped up by Death before most could assimilate.¡±


    A look of confusion spread over Khahar¡¯s face. ¡°Death just took his seat. Twist appeared well before that.¡±


    Fenian smiled. ¡°And Jan was always a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°How about you start from the start, buddy,¡± Tresk said, glaring. ¡°What use is there holding back information to the council?¡±


    ¡°Is that what we are? Oh, fine. Are you fine folks ready for a tale?¡±


    ¡°I like a good story,¡± Theo said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°And answers.¡±


    ¡°A very long time ago, Iaredin was a system world like any other. We had a few gods, some wars, all that fun stuff. One day, the entire system reset. Everyone was sent back to Level 1, and almost everything changed. Especially the monsters. They no longer worked how we expected, sending the world into chaos. To everyone¡¯s surprise, things came together. The monsters organized, seeking to destroy the things that held the world together. But the adventurers and armies of the worlds united, fighting against the horde and pushing them back. Four cities, four decisive battles.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember that from this world¡¯s history,¡± Khahar said once Fenian had paused for breath.


    ¡°Because the sixty-thousand years you know as ¡®history¡¯ only happened after another reset,¡± Fenian said. ¡°We called it the Change.¡±


    Theo put it together before Fenian went on. He had heard as much from the system and the other gods, but this confirmed it.


    ¡°Anyway, the thing about the change was this small hitch. We had outworlders coming in and out of our realm. I thought it would be a problem at first, but they gave their lives to defend our world. They helped us find a solution in our darkest hour, sealing the world away until it could stabilize.¡±


    ¡°The outworlders were from Earth, right?¡± Theo asked, scratching his head. He released a heavy sigh. That would have been common knowledge, meaning it happened well before Earth went to hell. That gave the governments enough time to cover up, or forget what happened. Iaredin being sealed away made sense in that regard. ¡°You fought alongside Twist and Jan, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Fenian said with a shrug. ¡°Among others.¡±


    ¡°This helps us how?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Because there are a few others we need to bring into the fold,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Or kill. Whichever. I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°So, hold on. You lived back in¡­ what, 2030? 2050 Earth time? That means you were added to the queue. When did you get released from the queue?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Some time ago,¡± Fenian said, his tone becoming evasive. ¡°I have answers, but not all of them.¡±


    Khahar shifted uncomfortably in his seat.


    ¡°How much did you know, Khahar?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Enough to get the ball rolling. Fenian was the first element to help with our plan. Zagmon, The Burning Eye, Fan¡¯glir all had plots of their own. They would have worked if they accounted for rogue elements such as yourself and Fenian.¡±


    ¡°One more gripe,¡± Theo said, pointing an accusatory finger at Fenian. ¡°You said Iaredin was sealed away. Is that what destroyed Earth?¡±


    Fenian shared a look with Khahar. The arbiter nodded.


    ¡°It was one or the other,¡± Fenian said. ¡°And Earth didn¡¯t have the Great Shards to keep it stable during a period of hibernation. People on Earth could attune themselves to the Gates, giving them access to the world. Anyone who was attuned had a chance to avoid watching their planet die over the next several-hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Well, that just sucks,¡± Theo said, folding his arms. ¡°Earth sucked after that.¡±


    ¡°I was there,¡± Khahar said, nodding to Theo. ¡°I don¡¯t need to remind you of that. But I made peace with the fact ages ago. Fenian was the first piece that helped us thwart the plan, and the Tara¡¯hek was the next.¡±


    ¡°Yes, nice bit of engineering there, Khahar.¡±


    Theo pressed his palms into his eyes, rubbing them. ¡°Of course. All you have are plots.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Khahar shrugged. ¡°Face the facts and get over it. We have a job to do.¡±


    ¡°I hate to agree with the cat, but he¡¯s right,¡± Tresk said. ¡°The past is done, let¡¯s move on.¡±


    Theo only wanted answers. He didn¡¯t feel he had the authority to weigh sins. Something crazy happened on Earth before his time. Things were set into motion without his participation and he had to accept that. He was now in a position of power to change things and make them better, so he would seize that. It reminded him of his time on Earth, where things seemed dark. Nothing made sense if he thought about it as cosmic scales, balanced by the karma of individuals. Instead, it was some long game to make sure the most people survived. He could relate to that, at least.


    ¡°So, we should round up our rogue elements,¡± Theo said, forcing himself to change gears. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Since I¡¯m bound to Khahak, that falls to you guys.¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you just a big stinker?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Getting out of work like that.¡±


    ¡°I would return if I could. But I am bound to this world,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Fenian said, adjusting his blanket. ¡°I can act as a gatherer of information. The Bridge still works, so we should count that as a blessing.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said. ¡°I want to know more about what happened on Earth, but this is important. I hate the idea of rogue elements this late in the game.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Khahar said, rising before draining his cup. ¡°Just a quick meeting. Theo can send you back to bed your elven maiden.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods,¡± Fenian said, casting his blanket off as he rose to his feet. ¡°Send me to my deliverance, Theo!¡±


    The alchemist smiled to himself, waving his hand. The elf vanished. ¡°Oh, oops. Might have miscalculated the return trip.¡±


    Tresk covered her mouth, giggling. ¡°Gottem!¡±


    ¡°Are you upset, Theo?¡± Khahar asked.


    ¡°I wish I were more upset,¡± Theo said. With how crazy everything had been, it was hard to be surprised at things like this. Let alone upset. Stuff like this now simply felt like information flowing into his brain, parsed into bins of ¡®helpful¡¯ and ¡®unhelpful.¡¯ ¡°Feels like a shame dedicating any brain power to something like this. Earth was screwed and there was nothing we could do about it. But your plot to undermine the ascendants was devious.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, that¡¯s some villain stuff,¡± Tresk snorted.


    ¡°Yes. I miss my villain arc,¡± Khahar said with a sigh. ¡°But it was for a good cause.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Theo said.


    Khahar had some interesting things to show Theo and Tresk. They hadn¡¯t had time to tour the world in a while, so it was fun looking at the way the fallen ascendants had adjusted to civilized life. Even someone like Balkor had integrated, somehow. It all seemed so beneath the alchemist that he didn¡¯t care. Balkor, Zagmon, and the Eye could all find their homes here for all he cared. Their stolen power was gone. They were rendered as normal people once again, cores purged from their bodies. His mind instead drifted away from the throneworld, back to mortal affairs.


    ¡°Been a blast,¡± Theo said, nodding at his old friend. ¡°We gotta have more meetings like this.¡±


    ¡°So long as you can interdict the other throne holders, I don¡¯t see a reason why not.¡±


    After exchanging a few more kind words, Theo and Tresk left the realm. They appeared back in town. Tresk didn¡¯t waste time, heading off to adventure with Alex. The alchemist lingered in the town square for some time, but headed for the Newt and Demon to check on the brewing potions. Even from a distance, heh could smell the scent of Searing Regeneration and Lightning Poppy in the air. A random half-ogre was manning the store downstairs. He offered a half-hearted wave before going back to reading his book. Salire was upstairs, tending the tiny stills.


    ¡°Oh! There you are,¡± she said, holding up a flask and swishing the contents. ¡°We have a success.¡±


    ¡°Did both distill without an issue?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Minor issues like buildup on the iron paddle, but nothing extreme.¡±


    ¡°And the centrifuge experiment outside?¡±


    Salire shrugged. ¡°Still going as far as I know. I haven¡¯t heard an explosion, anyway.¡±


    ¡°We could technically make the potion we need with this stuff. Intelligence Essence, Searing Regeneration Essence, and some Suffuse Potions,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin. ¡°As long as the new version of the essences get along with the old, we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo thought about it for a moment. He waved a dismissive hand. ¡°I¡¯m thinking a minor reaction. The two things aren¡¯t incompatible. They¡¯re just different, which would cause a small-ish explosion, or a lot of foam. Either-or.¡±


    ¡°Such confidence, big alchemist man,¡± Salire said with a giggle. ¡°Why don¡¯t you volunteer to mix the ingredients?¡±


    Theo let his intuition guide him on this. He looked at his ingredients and considered what he knew. Each suffuse potion he had made so far was constructed from second tier reagents to create a fake third tier potion. If he mixed what he had on hand, he would use first tier reagents to make a fake second tier potion. Even if it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to cure the space elves, it would be a start. At least he would know he was on the right track. The alchemist wrapped his arm around Salire, dragging her to the table.


    ¡°We live together. We die together,¡± he said, starting the mixing process.


    ¡°No thanks!¡± Salire said, pushing against him.


    Theo took on the visage of a mad scientist, ready to take the half-ogre woman out with him. She went from being playfully afraid, to actually afraid. ¡°I can see the future,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll stop if we¡¯re mixing a bomb¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right.¡± Salire laughed nervously. ¡°I just thought maybe today was the day.¡±


    ¡°The day for what?¡± Theo asked, adding the Suffuse Potion to a vial. He watched himself add the other reagents. Nothing exploded, but that fate branched off. A few more appeared, and then more.


    ¡°The day that you went insane.¡±


    Theo hummed, holding off on adding the essence as he watched the possible futures. ¡°This is weird. I¡¯m seeing a few outcomes. None are explosions¡­ Oh, that one is. But that¡¯s one in one-hundred.¡±


    ¡°What happens in the others?¡±


    This is where some more Intelligence would pay off. While he could view each fate, his mind hard problems processing them. But it wasn¡¯t possible to go above his current Intelligence. Not unless he wanted to become that insane person Salire feared. But the chance that anything went wrong was low. He mixed the ingredients, watching as the air sizzled within the vial. Lightning actually crackled from the surface of the mixture, shocking the end of his finger like a static discharge. A plume of purple smoke rose into the air, filling the lab with the scent of ozone and burning hair. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant mixture. But the concoction settled down, the bubbles rising to the surface to release burps of that same foul scent.


    ¡°Hooray. We¡¯re not dead,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Theo said, hoisting the potion to look at. ¡°Winner, winner.¡±


    ¡°Let me see!¡±


    [Reforge Mind]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 75%


    Imbibing this potion reforges a mortal¡¯s mind. The process is extremely painful, but all illness, damage, mental fatigue, etc are scoured clean.


    ¡°No more fancy alignment effects,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°And the purity sucks.¡±


    ¡°How could you complain?¡± Salire asked. ¡°That will work, won¡¯t it?¡±


    Theo pursed his lips, thinking about it for a second. The description was vague enough that it should work. But he didn¡¯t know how serious this sickness was or what kind of damage it would do to the person who drank it. At worst, it could fry their brain. But they would be wiped out if he didn¡¯t try something. This was the only thing he could think of to save the space elves.


    ¡°Does this imply there¡¯s another version of this potion?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Reforge Mind is tied to Intelligence because that¡¯s the attribute that influences how quick a person¡¯s mind works. What would the other ones be?¡±


    ¡°Reforge Muscles for Strength?¡± Salire asked with a shrug. ¡°That makes sense to me, anyway. And¡­ Wait, what would Dexterity be?¡±


    ¡°Might be worth checking out. If only we had a way to test this potion.¡± Theo gave Salire a look. He held the potion out. ¡°Check out this new drink I invented.¡±


    Salire gave him a flat look. ¡°Why are you feeling so sassy?¡±


    Theo grinned to himself. The reason why he was feeling ¡®sassy¡¯ was¡­ He felt the haptic buzz in his inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I find no humor in what you¡¯ve done,¡± Fenian said, speaking through the communication stone. ¡°When I get back to Broken Tusk, I¡¯m going to smack your rump. I¡¯m here to kill Balkor¡¯s shade, you know.¡±


    ¡°More pranks?¡± Salire asked, folding her arms.


    Theo laughed to himself. ¡°Heh. Yeah.¡±

 6.62 - A Cure for Madness

    As long as Void didn¡¯t oppose the idea, Theo could test his new potions whenever he wanted. Something inside him told him to test it on something less valuable before he tried the space elves themselves. But there were few subjects he could think of, and most of them were animals. That wouldn¡¯t be a good test, and he couldn¡¯t afford to waste time. Although the gods had sealed themselves away, they left behind a ticking clock. There was work to do, and he couldn¡¯t put off progress much longer.


    Sitting at the massive table in the manor, Theo took small bites of his food. Sarisa and Rowan had prepared a pasta dish tonight, slathered in a light brown sauce with chunks of mystery meat inside. They refused to tell him where the meat came from, but were eating it themselves. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t poisonous. They poked fun at him for being so pensive, but there was a lot to consider. The coming days and weeks would be packed with excitement and challenges.


    ¡°So, there he was,¡± Tresk said, giggling to herself. ¡°In his underpants¡­¡±


    Theo half-tuned Tresk out as she retold the story of the mostly naked elf for the tenth time. His only hope for testing his potion was within the Dreamwalk. Using it in the real world would be too costly, assuming there might be an issue with the way it functioned at a lower rank. At least he could hope¡­


    ¡°Rumors are spreading about a worldwide party,¡± Sarisa said, hitting Theo with a cautious look. ¡°I wonder who came up with that.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how news spreads so quickly through the town.¡± Theo sighed. There was no reason to keep it from them. ¡°I want to invite as many people as I can to attend. Which gives us the best chance of moving many souls to the other worlds.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re gonna have a party!¡± Tresk said, bouncing in her chair. ¡°A big one. With booze and games. Maybe a few more fights.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to keep the fighting to a minimum,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Rowan scoffed. ¡°You went all in on that fight with Fenian.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t, actually,¡± Tresk corrected. ¡°Theo and Fenian both held back. I¡¯m certain they feared the safety of the crowd.¡±


    While that was only partially true, the alchemist wouldn¡¯t correct her. But the sentiment for a worldwide party seemed exciting. Theo thought back to when he first arrived, dealing with constant monsters waves to the point where they feared the entire planet being overrun with them. Now they had mastery over their dungeons, and monsters hardly posed a threat so long as they were cautious and proactive. Now he gazed forward, into a future where he could let loose with people from the other nations. Once that was over, the party would continue into a wedding in their new world.


    ¡°What are we going to call the new town in Tero¡¯gal?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Broken Tusk,¡± Tresk said, thumping her fist on the table. ¡°What¡¯s the point of bringing all our crap if we¡¯re gonna rename it?¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Rowan said. ¡°If your plan is to move us, why change the name?¡±


    Theo nodded along. That was an excellent point. There might have been some history to the name, but it was also just a decent name. Some ogre had likely chewed on a rock, breaking his tusk along the way. They then called it Broken Tusk because¡­ why not?


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to bed you little scamp,¡± Tresk said, poking Theo in the side. ¡°I can feel how eager you are to test that potion.¡±


    ¡°Theo nodded, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin.¡±


    Dropping into the Dreamwalk was always a comfort. Theo felt his feet fall against cracking sticks. A landscape of sparse trees and snow-covered rocks spread before him. It was a memory from back on Earth. Somewhere in Canada, but he couldn¡¯t remember exactly where. Not that it mattered. He had only been there once. They had delved into this place before, revisiting an old memory as some kind of magical therapy. While it had worked, he now found the environment uninteresting.


    ¡°Get to work, alchemy boy,¡± Tresk said, mounting Alex.


    The dragon-goose had experienced more changes. Her face had taken on the appearance of half-goose, half-dragon. She had stunted teeth and little horns poking from her head. Patches of feathers had gone, leaving them more sparse than before. Her front legs were almost long enough for her to walk on all-fours and something of a tail was sprouting from her butt.


    ¡°You are the most hideous creature I have ever seen,¡± Theo said.


    Alex performed a honk-roar that was somehow more haunting than either sound alone. ¡°I¡¯m beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are,¡± Tresk said, patting her on the side. ¡°And you¡¯re almost a dragon-goose. Hooray!¡±


    The pair darted off, leaving Theo to his grim work. He cleared the area before him, bringing forth an imagined thing he never desired to see. An elven man, similar in stature and skin tone to Xol¡¯sa appeared. His eyes darted around wildly before he settled into a sneaking position, edging toward the alchemist. The Dreamwalk pushed back slightly, but only just. This was well within the parameters it held to for so long. He wasn¡¯t doing anything weird yet.


    ¡°Time for your medicine,¡± Theo said, holding a bottle of Reforge Mind up.


    The elf moved with erratic motions, darting across the distance between them in an instant. It wrapped its hands around his neck and squeezed, but nothing happened.


    ¡°Truly insane, huh?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Outside of time and space for so long you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing¡­¡±


    The alchemist kicked forward, sending the elf tumbling onto its butt. He planted a foot on the man¡¯s chest, pinched his nose, and poured the potion down his throat. The Dreamwalk pushed back further, but couldn¡¯t find a way to object. Theo had knowledge of the potion, what it should do, how the elves were behaving, and the likely reaction they would have to taking the potion. It had no grounds to oppose him according to its own rules. Tero¡¯gal was the only one that could stop him, and it seemed uninterested in stopping him.


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    The elf went rigid, clawing at his throat for only a moment before freezing in a pose. Theo planned to let the potion do its work for a while before speeding up time. If he tipped the scales too far in one direction, there would be issues from the Dreamwalk. It had to work the biology out on its own while he waited. Until then, there were some other things he could test. So long as he stuck to the rules¡­


    First was something loose. A thing that he could only imagine and let play out as a conceptual thing. He imagined a mine below him, stretching deep into the rock below. Discovering mythril was a boon for the town, even if they didn¡¯t know it yet. Because once the power of Drogramath faded from the nearby dungeons, something interesting would happen. The alchemist turned his eyes to the sky, imagining the swirling purple energy there. It soaked into the ground beneath his feet as a small section of the Dreamwalk zipped past in fast-forward.


    A few hundred years later, nodes of Drogramathi Iron appeared in the mine below, replacing iron nodes. He cut the energy off, removing the nodes and fast-forwarding about 60 days. The nodes didn¡¯t regrow, which meant the energy faded quickly. They would be without Drogramathi Iron in a few weeks if they were lucky, along with the other aligned ores. That might include Barrowsteel, although it was hard to say if that was a truly aligned metal. It didn¡¯t grow in Broken Tusk, so they only needed to worry about those aligned with demon ascendants.


    It was unclear if Tero¡¯gal ore would grow. The connection the throneworld held with the mortal plane was strange. It was more of a tunnel rather than a shotgun blast, making the effects of the world more direct. Theo couldn¡¯t figure it out with the Dreamwalk, though. It refused to bend to his will, only giving him glimpses of what might be once the energy was all gone.


    ¡°Next phase,¡± Theo said, waving his hand. The mine disappeared, replaced by a sprawl of alchemy equipment.


    The first tier of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy was as good as it was gonna get for now. There might be improvements they could make in the future, but what they had was pretty good. The alchemist approached Throk¡¯s design for a centrifuge, inspecting the apparatus and nodding with appreciation. He loaded it with imagined liquid. First tier essence this time. Once the device went to work, he increased the scale of time and waited only a few moments.


    The centrifuge transformed high-quality first tier essence into mid-quality second tier essence. Which meant they were missing something, but this was a fact Theo had anticipated. With Drogramath¡¯s alchemy, they needed to perform a second phase of distillation to get second tier essences. While he tried hooking up the condenser to the chain, the Dreamwalk refused to allow it. Perhaps the alchemist had taken too many liberties tonight, but it was close enough to confirm it for him.


    On Theo¡¯s big to-do list, he still had the bones of the Dragon Ascendant Quindalias to experiment with. After checking off that item, he would need to discover how to make third tier alchemy essence, which likely involved more contraptions. Although he wanted to race to the third tier, it was important to get the second tier process down before they moved on. As the purity of the essence dropped, so did its stability. And the more complicated the third tier process, the more likely they would have a violent reaction.


    Theo tore his mind away from the work of alchemy, heading off to watch Tresk and Alex practice their fighting. As the goose evolved, so did their tactics. Her wings became better for making swift maneuvers, allowing them to dart through the air with more grace. Those little forelimbs also added a lot to the way they fought, allowing Alex to latch onto enemies, dropping them from a height to hill them. The alchemist didn¡¯t know what he thought about this change. He would claim to have no desire to change what he looked like, but here he stood in the body of a dronon. Belgar¡¯s borrowed body, of course.


    The more he watched them work together, the more Theo realized what Tresk had been doing over the past few weeks. Alex¡¯s evolution into a proto dragon-goose was slow, but she had made steady progress. Those bones she was consuming were the catalyst but there might have been something more important. Tresk had given her an outlet to express those dragon aspects of herself, bringing them to the front with battle. Whether that was flying around, doing mock battles, or fighting monsters, she found the key to expressing those traits.


    The Dreamwalk was unwilling to allow Theo to see the results of his experiment with the space elf. It seemed to hint at the elf getting better, even if it would take a while. But he was confident enough to test his potion in the real world. At least the elf hadn¡¯t died.


    Theo spent the rest of his time in the Dreamwalk planning his next day and watching his companions practice. When dawn finally came, he found Tresk rushing off to scarf breakfast down and work with Alex some more. It was a gravy and noodles breakfast, leftover from whatever Rowan and Sarisa made last night. The alchemist took his time eating his food. His assistants ate in silence, seeming willing to leave him to his thoughts.


    An older version of Theo might have dropped through the fabric between the mortal plane and the void to test his new potion. His impulsiveness had been driven out of him by a good amount of mistakes, all reinforcing his need for caution. Instead, he made his way around town, finally finding Sulvan praying at the temple.


    ¡°How are things?¡± Theo asked, interrupting the man¡¯s prayers.


    Sulvan turned from his crouched position on the ground, giving Theo a stern look. ¡°This is a place for prayer.¡±


    ¡°¡®Bout to be a place for a bunch of voided up space elves,¡± Theo said. ¡°Can you care for some elves being reforged?¡±


    ¡°Do I have a choice?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll just be upset if you decline.¡±


    ¡°Give me time to create an infirmary. How many are we expecting?¡±


    ¡°A few hundred.¡±


    Sulvan groaned, turning back to his prayer. ¡°I¡¯ll inform you when I¡¯m done.¡±


    Before getting to some serious alchemy experimentation, Theo headed to Xol¡¯sa¡¯s tower. He made more noise than he needed to before entering, knocking a few things over on his way up the stairs. Zarali and Xol¡¯sa greeted him. Considering the amount of strange magical device parts on the table before the elf, Theo assumed the tether and beacons were still in development.


    ¡°Any progress on those?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Just a bit.¡± Xol¡¯sa said, shrugging. ¡°Early testing shows we have some issues.¡±


    ¡°More than a few issues,¡± Zarali said, placing a comforting hand on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Something in the way the magic functions changed.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. ¡°The heavens were sealed. That makes sense¡­ How far did this push you back?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± Xol¡¯sa swept a few devices from the table. Straight onto the ground. ¡°Sorry to disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°No disappointment here,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. He withdrew his newest potion from his inventory, holding the Reforge Mind Potion out for him to see. ¡°I made a cure for your people.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Zarali shouted, clapping with excitement. ¡°Are you certain it works?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Theo didn¡¯t want to lie to them. ¡°I¡¯m about 90% confident, but it could always fail. Sulvan will help with the effort.¡±


    ¡°So will I,¡± Zarali said, placing her hand on her chest. ¡°I have a healing core. Perhaps I can help them. Once they¡¯re here, that is.¡±


    ¡°Right. Keep me updated. I don¡¯t expect the tethers to be ready tomorrow, so don¡¯t rush.¡±


    ¡°As long as the gods don¡¯t smite you first¡­ Okay. I can do it, Theo.¡± Xol¡¯sa locked eyes with Theo. ¡°We¡¯ll make it work.¡±

 6.63 - The Bell Rang

    If not for the elves lurking in the distance, the realm the space elves had established was beautiful. The heat was almost too much, but the sprawl of tropical trees and the scent of salt air in the distance was pleasant. They had taken some section of a beach area from the real world, commanding not only a beautiful strand but all the world¡¯s shards at the same time.


    Theo ran his hands through his hair, watching as more elves snuck out of the jungle, only to freeze like statues. He stood atop the stairs to a ziggurat, contemplating the purpose of these shards. The information he had was vague. Each shard stabilized the world¡­ somehow. But the world had done well without them for a long time, heading down whatever messed up path since the elves left.


    ¡°So why isn¡¯t the world exploding?¡± Theo asked, turning to Xol¡¯sa.


    The only space elf in the realm with his mind intact shrugged. He seemed to pick up on the topic. The giant, dead shard behind them was enough to inspire such knowledge. ¡°I feel like a child researching advanced magic. This is all well beyond me, no matter how hard I try.¡±


    ¡°We have the system, the monitor system, gods, and now the ascendant thrones. What purpose would crystals serve?¡± Theo asked with a sigh.


    ¡°Perhaps a conduit. Ah, perhaps you should consider motives.¡±


    ¡°The motive of who, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Void, actually. I feel like an idiot or a genius, thinking I¡¯ve put it together. But he needs something from you, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made that leap,¡± Theo said with a nod.


    ¡°If he wants the shards back on Iaredin, that means something. Have you made the next leap?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    Theo turned to his companion, raising an eyebrow. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time someone was ahead of him on assumptions like this. It was an easy jump to make between Void needing something and that effect on Void as a person. As a god.


    ¡°Seems obvious now,¡± Theo said, scratching his head. Although he had considered the shard to be massive lodestones for something, he was unsure of what they bore the load of. ¡°The gods need the shards. But what good would that do them? A way to exert their will on the mortal world? Or a way to gather power?¡±


    ¡°This is all conjecture. The more the gods cloister themselves, the less we¡¯ll be able to probe. But we have to assume the gods do something, right? Actually¡­¡± Xol¡¯sa trailed off, knitting his brow. ¡°I need to take some readings when we return. You got me thinking about something troubling.¡±


    ¡°Really? How are you ahead of me¡­ again?¡± Theo asked. ¡°My Wisdom should be able to figure this out, right?¡±


    ¡°The test I want to run should be brief. Let¡¯s capture an elf and leave.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa¡¯s personality shifted slightly, and Theo didn¡¯t miss it. The elf might have been ahead with theories about the gods, but that tiny shift was enough to send the alchemist¡¯s mind down many pathways. But he halted his thoughts as Xol¡¯sa descended the steps.


    ¡°This should only take a moment,¡± the elf said, raising his hands in the air. A pair of glowing blue chains sprung from the ground, subduing the nearest elf. The other space elves edged toward the jungle at the sign of magic, moving as though played frame-by-frame. ¡°Shove the potion down his gob.¡±


    Although they had talked about this, Theo was surprised at the swiftness of Xol¡¯sa¡¯s approach. They didn¡¯t want to transport an elf through the void unless that elf was out. The Reforge Mind potion would put them out for a while, if the Reforge Soul potion was anything to go by. And it didn¡¯t pass their notice that the soul potion might be needed, since Xol¡¯sa needed one himself. But there wasn¡¯t time to think about that. The elf was struggling against the chains, his mouth open as though to scream but emitting no sound.


    ¡°Stay still, you little¡­¡± Theo uncorked the potion and poured it down the man¡¯s throat. His eyes went wide as his body went stiffer than before. A moment later, his entire body went slack, falling into the net of magically enchanted chains. ¡°I guess that works.¡±


    Elves rushed from the forest, pausing before taking a few steps.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Quickly.¡±


    Theo dropped them into the void, dragging the sagging elf along with them. He breathed a sigh of relief the moment they were in the void, looking back at the glittering ball that represented the elven chunk of reality with concern. How many elves would they need to do this for? The Newt and Demon¡¯s capacity to produce powerful potions like this was hindered.


    ¡°I might vomit,¡± Xol¡¯sa warned, his face turning a pale shade of green. ¡°We¡¯ve been here too long.


    Theo urged them forward faster than before, spotting the mortal orb before long. His eyes locked onto the sun at the center of the system. A sense of approval flooded through him. If Void hadn¡¯t locked himself away, he would have shown up with some quip. Perhaps the god could leave once they were done doing whatever they were doing. But for now, the void was for Theo to explore as the Dreamwalker. And the mortal world came rushing up moments later, greeting the party.


    The moment Theo brought the group back to the mortal world, the space elf sucked in a breath and groaned. But he didn¡¯t wake from his slumber. The plan to bring the first elf back had shifted over the previous weeks. Theo¡¯s first idea was to bring the elves to the House of Healing, but it was now cut off from them. His next idea was to bring them to Tero¡¯gal or Khahak, but something niggled in the back of his mind when he thought about that. Their gamble was to bring a test elf back to the mortal world.


    ¡°Sulvan!¡± Theo shouted. He had landed them slightly off from where they told the priest to meet them.


    The big man came rushing over moments later, laying his hands onto the space elf. Silver-gold light sprung from his hands and he shook his head. ¡°Is anyone surprised with the amount of damage he has in his body?¡±


    ¡°Not even slightly,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. A crowd was forming in the area, encircling the group as they inspected the prone man. ¡°How extensive is the damage?¡±


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    Sulvan pulled away from the elf, offering a shrug. The man¡¯s blue robes were tattered. Every feature seemed touched by the void. From the gaunt expression to the thinness of his limbs. ¡°Organ damage. Malnutrition. Mana poisoning. Another type of poison I don¡¯t recognize. His soul is also damaged beyond repair, so there¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Theo said, looking to the sky. ¡°Hallow?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how you pray,¡± Sulvan said, shaking his head disapprovingly.


    ¡°Okay, fine. Show us how it''s done,¡± Theo said, gesturing to Sulvan.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing.¡± Sulvan took a few steps back, tilting his head to the side as he assessed the elf. He passed his hand through the air, leaving a trail of gold-silver mana. It seemed to catch on a current, floating up into the sky. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is void energy bleeding from his body.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be. That falls under my domain,¡± Theo said. ¡°My Dreamwalker¡¯s Core would have activated.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Except we don¡¯t know how that core works,¡± Xol¡¯sa countered. A spell array sprung up before him, creating an intricate circle. His brow knit. After swiping his hands through the formation a few times, he pressed his hand through to activate the spell. The void energy became visible for all to see. A black cloud rose from the space elf, going into the air and off to the west. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Hmmm.¡±


    Theo watched the energy float away. But it wasn¡¯t just following the current of magic in the air. It appeared as though something was coaxing it in that direction.


    ¡°I must return to my tower,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, hiking his robes up and rushing off.


    ¡°Okay, thanks!¡± Theo shouted after him. ¡°See ya later, buddy!¡±


    ¡°Elves, am I right?¡± Sulvan asked. He scooped the unconscious space elf up, carrying him off. ¡°Help me restrain him.¡±


    ¡°Restraints?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Do you have a secret dungeon in your house?¡±


    ¡°I have a secret dungeon in the temple. Built for this purpose, since you asked for my help.¡±


    ¡°That makes more sense,¡± Theo said. He tried not to prod Sulvan much. He jogged along, allowing his Wisdom of the Soul to process the situation. There was something strange about how the void energy acted.


    Sure enough, Sulvan had a secret dungeon. It wasn¡¯t a true dungeon, just a living area underneath the temple. Theo wasn¡¯t sure when someone had dug the place out, let alone lining the walls with stone, building individual rooms complete with restraints, but he wouldn¡¯t complain. The padded manacles within the darkened room would keep the elf secure. If the potion failed, he would wake and be unpredictable. The alchemist helped chain the elf down.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say this out there, but there¡¯s some time magic in him,¡± Sulvan said, pressing his thumb into the elf¡¯s forehead. A soft glow emitted from the point of contact. ¡°You don¡¯t mess with time magic. But that potion you gave him repaired that damage. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve awoken insane and out of time.¡±


    ¡°Do you have people to watch him?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Around the clock.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve scheduled some people. Minor priests looking to serve my Lord,¡± Sulvan said, pressing his palm into the elf¡¯s face. Another glow and a sigh of relief. ¡°This might take a while. How many more elves do we need to cure?¡±


    ¡°A few hundred. Or thousand, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What a helpful range¡­¡±


    ¡°None of them are well. They¡¯ve all lost their minds in the void.¡±


    Sulvan hummed, releasing a heavy sigh. ¡°This is a pious endeavor, Theo.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Sulvan clapped a hand on the alchemist¡¯s shoulder. Theo remembered that grip being stronger when he served the Burning Eye. It was now warm and gentle, bringing with it a sense of comfort that reminded him of Glantheir. ¡°You could have collapsed their small world, right? But you want to save them.¡±


    ¡°If I have the means, why not?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Is it hard? Yeah, I suppose. But not so much that any of our people will get hurt. And we save a race by doing so. See, here¡¯s the thing. The space elves had a culture for some time. Xol¡¯sa was born in the void and was sent back when he was young. So these people cared about their own at one point. Before they lost it entirely, that is.¡±


    ¡°You would save them because of that? Because they¡¯re not merciless?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s accurate,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to save anyone who has at least a small amount of compassion.¡±


    ¡°Except Uharis,¡± Sulvan corrected.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not walk down this road again.¡± Theo held his hands up defensively. ¡°We both agreed he is beyond saving.¡±


    ¡°Is he, though?¡± Sulvan asked. ¡°That¡¯s an honest question, Theo.¡±


    ¡°I guess he could¡¯ve killed me back in the day. And he didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yet there he remains. On the moon, of all places. The dark moon at that.¡± Sulvan shivered.


    ¡°Oh, man. I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you about the moon-people,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are they under the domain of the mortal world, or what?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that question. They were kind people, although there was more than one race present. One insectoid race and another diminutive, similar to broglings. I enjoyed the second race, though. They were short, fat, and jolly.¡±


    ¡°Moon dwarves?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not dwarves. Elven ears, pot-bellied, rosy cheeks.¡±


    ¡°Reminds me of Void¡­¡± Theo trained off, swiping his tail behind him. ¡°So, what¡¯s the treatment plan for this guy?¡±


    Sulvan cleared his throat. ¡°Purging magic as often as needed. I also put him into a deeper sleep than your potion provided, which will help his mind heal. The void energy leaving his body is substantial, so that will take quite a while. His other conditions will be healed within the day, though.¡±


    If the patient was stable enough, Theo¡¯s potion could go to work. He didn¡¯t know how a reforge-style potion would work on someone that was sick. But he didn¡¯t think it would work as well as if the person was healthy. The Reforge Soul potion took the base of a person¡¯s soul and rebuilt it from scratch. A soul contained a lot of information in this world, including a person¡¯s attributes and class cores. But it also held meta information, including void exposure. That condition was more like a scar on a person¡¯s soul. It wasn¡¯t fatal for Xol¡¯sa, but his condition would have worsened without intervention.


    ¡°We should be concerned about his soul. I have a few Reforge Soul potions in my lab, but only a few.¡± Theo shook his head. This would get messy if he needed more. The reagents to craft that potion were rare, only blooming when the shifting moon, Telbaris, was green. That only happened once a week, and the supply of the flower was thin.


    ¡°I sense damage on his soul,¡± Sulvan said, spreading his hand over the man¡¯s chest. ¡°But not as much as you¡¯re describing. Perhaps that will come with time, but even his cores are intact.¡±


    ¡°Really? They survived that long, locked in a time prison?¡± Theo clicked his tongue, withdrawing some paper and writing utensils. ¡°Could you please record everything you observe? I want as much documentation as we can get. Since we have to do it again. Also, expand this holding area as far as you can. Fifty beds minimum.¡±


    ¡°That sounds expensive.¡±


    ¡°Request the funds from the town and I¡¯ll provide them,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ll spare no expense.¡±


    ¡°Right. Sounds good,¡± Sulvan said, turning back to the elf.


    Theo went to leave the dungeon, spotting a few people in blue and white robes near the entrance. They bowed their heads as he passed, but said nothing. That must have been the first crop of the faithful to the new Hallow. The alchemist wanted to know more about the old Hallow, but that wouldn¡¯t be possible. With a sigh, he pushed out into the town.


    A bell rang in the distance, steady at first but more frantic as it went on. It took Theo a painfully long time to realize what bell that was. It had been so long since he heard the frantic slamming of the alarm bell. A message appeared.


    [Aarok]: This is not a test. Anyone who can take up arms should report to their nearest commander. If you can¡¯t find a commander, assemble at the western gate.

 6.64 - Dungeon Attack

    The bells rang out in Broken Tusk, a song Theo thought he might not ever hear again. Compared to the last time the town was under attack, things were more organized this time around. While he wasn¡¯t aware of it before, the alchemist observed Aarok¡¯s commanders directing people through the town. People flooded from the eastern gates and the train, pouring from Qavell, Rivers, and Gronro. They must have trained for this, as the organization was too great for any other possibility.


    Summoning his tactical map, Theo watched as the forces moved into position. He made his way through town, feeling Tresk and Alex flying overhead somewhere. Her job was to provide information to the assembled defenders, doing fly-overs. It was clear the monsters were coming from the Swamp Dungeon, but Xol¡¯sa had that problem sorted. The alchemist arrived at the command tent not long after, seeking answers. Aarok, Luras, and Xol¡¯sa were assembled. The space elf looked tired, taking shallow breaths as he sputtered.


    ¡°I should have seen it coming.¡± Xol¡¯sa turned, giving Theo a worried look. ¡°We should¡¯ve seen it, Theo!¡±


    Biting the inside of his cheek, Theo approached the table. Xol¡¯sa was talking about the godly energy fading from the world. Of course it would interact with the dungeons, how couldn¡¯t it? They were tied directly to the heavens, often siphoning energy from the realms. Even some of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy still penetrated the veil, adding some power to the world¡¯s dungeons.


    ¡°As though we¡¯re unprepared,¡± Luras said, smirking at the group. ¡°The walls would hold without defenders. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Aarok rubbed the stubble on his chin, shaking his head at the map. ¡°Something feels off.¡±


    ¡°Because something is off.¡± Xol¡¯sa thrust his hand into the air, generating a complex array that hovered over the table. He poked at things that Theo could barely recognize, let alone understand. ¡°This mistake is my fault. The godly energies aren¡¯t even half the problem. What we¡¯re dealing with is the void energy leaking through the realm of my people. Bringing one of them here was like punching a hole in a barrel. We just tapped into the pure void.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I control the void.¡±


    ¡°You travel through the void, you don¡¯t control it,¡± Xol¡¯sa corrected. ¡°That¡¯s like saying you can swim, therefore you¡¯re the master of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean about it,¡± Theo said in mock offense.


    ¡°How can void energy change a dungeon?¡± Aarok asked, changing the subject to something productive.


    ¡°Gods know,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Stronger dungeons. More dungeons. Sapient dungeons¡ªI can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone brought something nasty to Broken Tusk,¡± Luras said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°And it won¡¯t be the last. We¡¯ve got this.¡±


    ¡°Go weave some magic, Xol¡¯sa,¡± Theo said. ¡°We can discuss impacts later. Right now, we need to blow some stuff up.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Tresk shouted somewhere above.


    ¡°Get to work, you lizard!¡± Theo shouted up.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lizard!¡± Tresk shot back. But she was already gone, sealing the exchange.


    The alchemist instead turned his attention to the tactical map. They had every advantage they had used in the past. The swamp was hard to move through, even for high-level monsters. Unless there were flying enemies, it would be a slaughter in the marsh. Even then, the many towers that lined the walls of the town bristled with power. Artifice tubes fed them faux coins, sending their damage outputs to absurd levels. It might have been a small town in the eyes of the world, but Broken Tusk had never held back on defensive measures.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s messed up,¡± Tresk spoke into Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Ew! Ew! Ew!¡± Alex shouted. ¡°Someone get me a knife. Peace was never an option.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked, speaking the words out loud. He shook his head, switching to the telepathic channel. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t gonna have trouble with this wave, Theo. I think I might puke, though.¡±


    Theo sent his sight to that of Tresk¡¯s. One moment he was standing under a hide tent, and the next he was soaring in the air. He looked down at¡­ a nightmare. The Swamp Dungeon usually created goblins and wolves. Sometimes it created turtles, but it was mostly goblins and wolves. The creatures that poured over the swap were wrong. Goblins with too many legs. Others with too few. Goblin-wolf hybrids and other visions of horror. One thing was certain between each of the creatures, though. The ways they had changed were not helpful.


    ¡°Good lord,¡± Theo said, removing himself from the command tent. He assumed his normal sight, rushing over to stop Xol¡¯sa before he ascended the battlements. ¡°The goblins are all messed up.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    Theo took the steps to the battlements, explaining what he saw in the marsh below Tresk and Alex.


    ¡°By the gods,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. The adventurers on the wall cleared a spot for them, but the goblins were still too distant to see.


    ¡°Any ideas?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa shrugged, clicking his tongue a few times. ¡°I guess I should be an expert on spatial energy, right? I can¡¯t think of anything that would create useless evolutions.¡±


    ¡°Will it be a problem if we blow them up?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. Destroying the monsters will dissipate the void energy.¡±


    The bell had only just stopped ringing. Now it rang again, more frantic this time.


    [Aarok]: Who would have guessed? Commanders, check your notifications in the town¡¯s interface. We have more waves coming from the north and south.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Go figure. Here, let me share the dungeon threat indicator¡­¡±


    [Swamp Dungeon] L45 Attacking


    [River Dungeon] L30 Imminent Threat


    [Mountain Dungeon] L25 Attacking


    [Hills Dungeon] L15 Attacking


    [Ocean Dungeon] L30 Imminent Threat


    Stolen novel; please report.


    [Cave Dungeon] L65 Imminent Threat


    Theo blinked a few times, allowing his mind to catch up. More Intelligence was needed. ¡°That¡¯s every dungeon,¡± he said, stating the obvious.


    ¡°Yes, this is concerning,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, scratching his head furiously. ¡°The energy should have empowered the dungeons, but it didn¡¯t. I have a theory, may I go work on it?¡±


    ¡°Not gonna blow stuff up?¡± Theo asked. He shook his head a moment later. ¡°No, you should be fine. Those goblins didn¡¯t look like much of a threat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡±


    Theo watched the lines for a while until the first few goblins came into view. They were messed up, so he tried not to look at them. But one got close enough to the lightning tower and was zapped without fanfare. Aarok approached, leaning against the wall a moment later.


    ¡°I have mixed feelings about this,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m moving my golems around. Don¡¯t worry about the underground dungeon, they¡¯ll keep that secure. Just let me know which direction needs the most reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Send them south,¡± Aarok commanded. ¡°How many can you spare.¡±


    ¡°A few hundred. Wherever you need them.¡±


    ¡°Half south and half east,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Yeah, these goblins are¡­ weird, but we can¡¯t let our guard down. Each wave will have a boss, and I¡¯m not eager to see what it¡¯ll throw at us.¡±


    Theo sighed as he leaned against the wall. He had sent his mental command to all his golems. They were lumbering into position, but it would take them a while. ¡°This reminds me of the old days.¡±


    ¡°What, last season?¡± Aarok asked with a laugh. ¡°You haven¡¯t been here that long.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°If you consider most people spend about twelve hours a day wherever they are, I¡¯ve been here for much longer. A single day for me is like four days for a normal person.¡±


    ¡°Fancy time-dilation guy over here,¡± Aarok mocked. He let out a bark-like laugh as another goblin was zapped ¡°Okay, that¡¯s kinda funny.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be laughing my ass off if I wasn¡¯t so horrified,¡± Theo said with a nod. Another goblin got zapped and he let out a small giggle. ¡°Yeah, that was pretty good.¡±


    Alex and Tresk flew overhead. Theo caught a glimpse of them. To his surprise, the goose-dragon had a knife in her mouth. He shook his head. If only there were a way to make a goose even more dangerous.


    ¡°Impact on the north wall,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Troll-type monsters, but they¡¯re just as screwed up as the goblins. Trog-like critters from the south. They¡¯re slightly less messed up.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only worried about the bosses, right? The system has a lot of control over those.¡± Theo cast his eyes skyward. This would be a great time for someone to explain what the hell was going on. But that connection was cut. Broken Tusk had to stand on her own two feet for this one.


    ¡°I expect they¡¯ll be nasty.¡±


    Theo withdrew Fenian¡¯s communication crystal from his inventory. He squeezed it, but nothing happened. There was no answer on the other end. The only answers he would get from Khahar would be anything relating to their position as ascendant throne-holders. No, this was a storm they would weather. And that was it.


    ¡°Where do you need me?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you orders as needed,¡± Aarok said, shrugging. ¡°Just hang out, I guess.¡±


    Theo watched as the battle developed. If the towers weren¡¯t enough to handle the waves of enemies, the adventurers would mop them up. It became less about hiding behind the walls, and more about sorties. Packs of wolf-riding marshlings ranged out to sweep through the strange monsters. Several cadres of elven mages headed out with half-ogre hunters as guards. Throk employed a hand-held artifice that belched fire near the northern wall, helping with the trolls. The golems swept through insectoid creatures underground. It was the strangest fight the alchemist had ever witnessed.


    After returning to the western gate, Theo waited for the Swamp Dungeon boss to spawn. The wave had thinned out to nothing, and people were cleaning up the goblins that couldn¡¯t walk well. Shortly after he began waiting, a wave message appeared.


    [ERROR Attack]


    Monster Wave


    Duration: ERROR


    SYS


    Dungeon


    Effects:


    Duration: Infinite, Swamp Attack, ERROR.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Theo breathed. ¡°I think we broke the system.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± a random adventurer said with a chuckle. ¡°What do you think we¡¯ll get?¡±


    Theo narrowed his eyes on the horizon. ¡°Ah, crap. Is that what I think it is?¡±


    A gout of blue-black fire rose in the distance, met by normal orange fire. Theo watched as Tresk and Alex ascended into the sky, shooting balls of fire and flinging daggers down at the boss monster. A moment later, it broke through the trees, spreading leathery wings wide as it took flight.


    [Boss Monster] spotted! ERROR DRAGON has been sighted. This monster is stronger than regular monsters, use caution.


    A murmur spread through the defenders. This wasn¡¯t just an aerial enemy, it was a damned dragon. Theo reached deep inside himself, waiting for his Dreamwalker¡¯s Core to respond. But it didn¡¯t. How could this be above board, as far as the system was concerned? It clearly violated some rules, especially those related to void-borne things coming to the mortal plane. But no, it was fine with it.


    ¡°Good thing Tresk is a badass,¡± Theo said, watching as Tresk and Alex danced through the air. They dodged attacks, sending just as many hits back as they took. The alchemist felt something drain from himself, both of his companions gaining a pair of horns and a whippy tail each. ¡°Yeah, this should be over quickly.¡±


    ¡°Not a damned dragon!¡± Aarok shouted, stomping up the battlement stairs. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think bringing that elf back was a bad idea, Theo!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got this,¡± Luras said, drawing his bow back and firing a pot-shot at the dragon. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it hit. ¡°That dragon is weak.¡±


    The more Theo watched Tresk fight against the dragon, the more he realized how right Luras was. This wasn¡¯t a true dragon, but some imitation created by the dungeon. It was likely hobbled the same way the goblins were, having too many defects to operate well. But the joy flooding from the marshling was unreal. She was having the time of her life. Fighting a dragon in the real world had been a goal of hers for a long time. And there she was, dashing through the air on the back of a dragon-goose, doing battle with her dragon.


    ¡°At least Tresk can die happy,¡± Theo said. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how many times she has imagined fighting a dragon.¡±


    ¡°She often visits me in my dreams,¡± Luras said. ¡°Bringing along a dragon¡­¡±


    Theo smacked his forehead with the heel of his palm. ¡°I thought I talked to her about that.¡±


    ¡°Good luck getting that girl to listen¡­ She¡¯s been like that her entire life,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Always diving head-first into whatever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our psychotic lizard,¡± Theo said, nodding with pride.


    True to his assumptions, the dragon was weak. There was something wrong with it, just like the other monsters. Theo held hope in his chest that the other bosses would be the same, but he wouldn¡¯t hold his breath. It could have been the void energy, or the lacking power from the heavens, but something had caused the dungeons to screw up. Perhaps the void energy was just a catalyst, setting something greater into motion. Xol¡¯sa would run some tests. It should be fine. Maybe.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the dragon to fall from the sky. The wave completion notification sprung up a moment later.


    [Boss Monster] defeated! ERROR DRAGON has been slain. The remaining monsters have already been defeated.


    [Monster Wave] complete!


    256 Monsters Destroyed!


    0 gold bonus (paid to the Mayor of Broken Tusk).


    Bonus for defeat both wave bosses:


    Obtained: Nothing.


    ¡°Oh, sweet,¡± Theo mocked. ¡°Zero gold. Thanks for that.¡±


    Alex swooped down, perching on the edge of the wall. Tresk dismounted, pumping her fists in the air. She marched over, chest thrown out as clapped for herself. ¡°I killed a dragon!¡±


    ¡°You certainly did,¡± Theo said. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Meh. Too easy.¡±


    ¡°Tough little girl, this one,¡± Luras said, nodding to Tresk with approval. ¡°What level was it.¡±


    ¡°Question mark, question mark. I don¡¯t think it really had a level,¡± Tresk shrugged. ¡°Even those goblins were messed up.¡±


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa will have answers for us,¡± Theo said. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll do my best to petition the gods.¡±


    ¡°Can you even do that?¡± Aarok asked.


    Theo shrugged. ¡°If they don¡¯t answer, I can ask the system itself.¡±


    Aarok gave Theo a flat look. ¡°You can talk to the system?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Kinda. She¡¯s made of gems.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that should have been your first course of action¡­¡±


    ¡°Just because I have the power to talk to the system doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t crap my pants when I go to that place,¡± Theo countered. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the other waves before I head off to chat. At least we got some dragon bones out of this.¡±


    ¡°Nope. He exploded,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°The dragon exploded?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Did you explode it?¡±


    ¡°Nah, just exploded on his own.¡±


    ¡°Of course it did. Because why would we get anything nice for all this effort?¡±

 The Stubbening

    Well, this is my first time stubbing a fiction on RR. We almost got through 6 entire books before I stubbed it, so I count that as a win. 1.1m words, the first ~50 of which just got nuked from low Earth orbit. (I just pressed a button a few times, but you know).


    This whole thing has been super-duper weird. N&D was written as a way for me to get away from writing dark fantasy and romance. When I first started, I said to myself "I want a story where nothing happens. This guy just makes potions." I know that''s not where I ended up, but a lot of other things have changed. N&D hit Rising Stars just as I was about to stop writing it. The readership grew and some people said they really liked it. (There''s even some fan art, if you can believe it). Even further down the road, I was ready to close N&D out at Book 4. An individual (who knows who they are) told me to hound a certain publisher about picking the book up, and they bought 7.


    The past 2 years have been a blur, I''ll be honest. N&D is very hard to write.... in bursts. Which is how I normally write fictions. Block out two weeks, and make as much as I possibly can. But maintaining my 3 chapters every week schedule helped me learn how to switch between projects at the same time. I''ve learned even more about setting expectations, the importance of selecting a narrow cast, how to design a system that makes sense from Level 1 to the cap, and my desire to always have a goblin-like character in every story (cough cough, Tresk).


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I like writing. I''m gonna keep doing it. Even as I''m trying to learn dictation (it isn''t going very well at all) to relieve some hand pain, I''ll always find a way to write. And then I''ll dump it here or Amazon.


    Perhaps you''ve noticed, but I''ve always removed "Summon the Great Spirits" from my page. While I thought that story was interesting, I only had like 30 chapters and the realization that it could be a better story. I''ve rolled that into another story that I''m going to release here... once I rewrite some stuff... Yeah.


    Anyway, thanks for coming along for the ride. If you''re new here, or if you''ve been riding shotgun for two years, thanks for reading.

 6.65 - Chatting with the System

    It was no surprise how the other waves went. Each dungeon provided a boss that was less challenging than the last. And each gave the town exactly no rewards for their efforts. The bodies of the monsters exploded after a time, sending flames into the air that seemed to harm nothing. It was late into the night before the waves cleared, though. Every defender was exhausted, seeming to have no will to go on. With stamina depleted, and little else to do, most went to sleep.


    Theo stood with Tresk and Alex at the town¡¯s center, prepared to head off into the void. Xol¡¯sa was still awake, working on his theory. The elf had collected information during the waves, recording all the energy emitted by the monsters. Once he combed through it, he could figure out what had happened. In his Dungeon Engineer interface, each one was now set to ¡®dormant.¡¯


    ¡°Ready to talk to the system?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t wanna,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I wanna go to bed.¡±


    Theo dropped the group through the veil and angled for the sun at the center of the system. Tresk screamed as they went, but he ignored her for now. She was his emotional support newt. As expected, there was an invisible wall segmenting the inner parts of the system from the outer parts. The alchemist placed his aura against it, trying to push through. It pushed back for a moment, but in time he felt them falling into something familiar. They landed on a snowy plane, looking through darkness up at the raised platform.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Tresk said, folding her arms. ¡°Why would we need to talk to the system?¡±


    Theo approached the platform, ascending the steps. Once he was on the platform, the cold from the tundra faded. The twelve spots¡ªplus one for the system¡ªall glowed. So each spot for godhood had been filled. He hoped that was a good thing.


    ¡°I have a report to make, system,¡± Theo said, speaking to the central circle on the platform. ¡°Some seriously weird stuff is happening on the mortal plane.¡±


    ¡°Do your job,¡± a twinkling voice came from the center. But no one appeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to do my job, but that¡¯s hard when all of my dungeons have released weird monsters.¡± Theo folded his arms, unimpressed with the cold response from the system.


    ¡°You have a job,¡± it repeated. ¡°Return the shards to restore balance.¡±


    ¡°Easy to say, but the elves trapped in the void need saving. Could you at least answer my questions?¡±


    The system was silent for some time. Tresk cowered behind the alchemist, expecting something horrible to happen. Theo had a feeling she was just tired from all the fighting. Like a toddler refusing to go to bed, she was acting weird because she was sleepy.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°My people are working on a method to return the shards. But if we¡¯re going to save the elves, we need a way to disperse the void energy.¡±


    ¡°You have a way.¡±


    Theo clenched his jaw. Why was the system being so rude today? The new gods might have been curt, but this was taking it to a new level. Perhaps she was mad about something and was taking it out on him.


    ¡°Could you please describe the method?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°The dungeons,¡± she responded. ¡°Perhaps you should ask your friends about it. Now begone. I¡¯m busy.¡±


    Theo heard a sound like glass breaking. An instant later, he was standing back near the town¡¯s center, blinking in confusion.


    ¡°Ooooh! Trouble in paradise!¡± Tresk said, giggling to herself. ¡°Can we go to sleep?¡±


    Theo sighed. ¡°The system is normally nicer than that.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. I bet she is,¡± Tresk said, elbowing Theo. ¡°Can we go now? I have some dreams to haunt.¡±


    Theo and Tresk led Alex to her stable, making sure she was comfortable with enough food and water for the night. Before they even left, she was snoring away on a pile of hay. They made their way to the manor, finding food waiting for them on the table. It was cold, but the marshling dumped it in her mouth all the same. Theo abstained from eating, eager to do nothing more than rest his tired mind. They fell into the Dreamwalk with ease. Perhaps he would go with his companion to torture some poor soul. That might make him feel better.


    It was hard to know why Tresk had targeted Luras. The interest she took in his dreams was weird, with psychological implications Theo didn¡¯t want to consider. The man screamed, fleeing from a dragon which the marshling rode. At least it was interesting to see her putting her Dreamer¡¯s Core to use. Today the Dreamwalk was plyable, allowing her to bring them into the dreams of others. But it wasn¡¯t always so cooperative.


    Deep psychological scars aside, Theo¡¯s mind lingered on his current problem. If the dungeons were the way to clear the void magic from the bodies of the elves, Broken Tusk would endure the coming storm. The dreams went on with the alchemist having no desire to practice his alchemy. When he figured out Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy he could work on leveling some more. Once things settled down.


    ¡°I feel refreshed!¡± Tresk shouted the moment they woke from the dream.


    Theo watched as the marshling jumped from her bed, sprinting out of the room with haste. As expected, he found a report from Xol¡¯sa in the town¡¯s messages. He had a solid theory.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into her?¡± Sarisa asked, watching with confusion as Theo descended from the upper floor.


    ¡°The lizard kills one dragon and she thinks she¡¯s the best,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°What were you guys doing during the siege?¡±


    ¡°Not much. You didn¡¯t need defending and the monsters weren¡¯t much of a problem. It was just weird.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Not like we slacked off or anything,¡± Rowan said, forestalling accusations of being lazy. ¡°Just doing what we were told.¡±


    Facing so many waves at once was frightening. But it turned out to not be a problem itself. But the problems came when considering the implications. Perhaps the system was right and this would work itself out. It mentioned one of his friends, which might have been Khahar. As always, Yuri was orchestrating more than he let on.


    ¡°I have to meet with Xol¡¯sa to discuss what he¡¯s discovered. Not that it was anything we didn¡¯t learn from the system, but it would be nice to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave the bigger problems to you, Theo,¡± Sarisa said, putting on a kind smile. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d rather just stick my head in the mud and ignore it all.¡±


    ¡°Seconded,¡± Rowan said, raising his hand.


    ¡°Speaking of, are you finally sleeping in the manor?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I sleep in the garden,¡± Rowan said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t trust the little Dreamwalk.¡±


    ¡°Because my brother is a baby. I¡¯ve been getting experience in my little Dreamwalk.¡±


    The conversation at the table didn¡¯t linger on Rowan¡¯s problems for long. Instead, they spoke of the little things that made Broken Tusk turn. People would be rowdy today, seeing yesterday¡¯s fight as a glorious victory over the dungeons. Even if that wasn¡¯t true, it wouldn¡¯t stop the half-ogres from stirring something up. Theo wouldn¡¯t intervene, as they deserved to celebrate.


    After breakfast, Theo had to check in on Salire at the Newt and Demon before getting down to business. Of course she was always pushing ahead when he was gone. When he was done with this latest problem, he could do some batches of second tier Tero¡¯gal essence. She promised to make a full report when he had time. That time¡ªTheo hoped¡ªwould be later this afternoon. Perhaps they would have enough time to mess around with dragon bone essence.


    Theo passed by the statue of Xol¡¯sa and Zarali on his way to the wizard¡¯s tower. He shook his head, appearing at the tower in a blink. The alchemist waved at Zarali as he ascended the stairs to the top. She gave him a sour look, shaking her head. It was his fault that Xol¡¯sa had been so busy with everything. But there was plenty of time to relax later. As expected, the space wizard was on the top floor of his tower, swiping through random arcane circles and mumbling to himself.


    ¡°Find anything fun?¡± Theo asked.


    Xol¡¯sa turned, squinting at Theo. After a moment he blinked away his confusion and nodded. He had dark purple circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. ¡°I have theories.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking to form conspiracy theories, you¡¯re well on your way.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t uncovered a grand conspiracy, no. But perhaps¡­ Maybe?¡±


    Theo placed a hand on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I think you need some sleep, buddy.¡±


    ¡°No, I must deliver my findings to¡­ you, actually. Hello, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Theo said, ignoring the tired elf. ¡°What do you have?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about lodestones.¡± Xol¡¯sa swept his hand through the air, arranging symbols with fervor. ¡°Look at this. Can you believe it?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Theo said, not understanding most of what he was looking at. ¡°How about you explain it to me?¡±


    ¡°It was right under our noses the entire time. The dungeons were designed to absorb ambient power right? Well, we call any energy borne from a heavenly source power, energy, and so on, but it is like their life¡¯s blood. These dungeons have been fed a trickle of mana for so long. They¡¯re hungry for more, which is why they sucked in the void energy so quickly. But I¡¯ve discovered a feature of each dungeon that had been hidden to me for some time.¡±


    ¡°The ability to process that void mana into something meaningful,¡± Theo said, finishing the thought. ¡°Or at least neutralize it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡±


    Theo shook his head. It was the direction Xol¡¯sa was going with his rambling. ¡°Long-term effects?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t say,¡± Xol¡¯sa swiped his hand through the air, dismissing the runes. ¡°For now, I think we¡¯re good to bring more elves as needed. More waves might spawn, but they¡¯ll become less and less effective. Yes, I think that should do. I¡¯ve done good for the day¡ªperhaps the year.¡±


    Without warning, Xol¡¯sa collapsed to the ground. Theo checked for a pulse before doing anything drastic. After feeding the elf a few potions, he determined the man was just sleeping. The alchemist pulled him into a princess carry and brought him down the stairs. Zarali wasn¡¯t even surprised when she saw him appear.


    ¡°Got your husband here,¡± Theo said, holding Xol¡¯sa up for her to see. ¡°Where do you want him?¡±


    ¡°Just there,¡± Zarali said, gesturing to a sofa. ¡°Did he finally run out of energy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s just a tired little guy.¡± Theo placed the elf on the sofa, pulling a blanket from the back and covering him. ¡°Uncovering the secrets of the void will do that to a man.¡±


    Zarali offered a soft small, all the bitterness gone from her face by this point. ¡°He told me you returned the first of his people.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to know what that feels like,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m just here to help.¡±


    Zarali stood, crossing the room to place her hand on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s forehead. ¡°He finds the whole thing to be very confusing. He doesn¡¯t remember his people, but feels a responsibility to save them. Sometimes I wonder if that¡¯s how you feel.¡±


    ¡°We both have a savior complex, I guess. Just for different reasons.¡±


    ¡°How is the elf handling recovery?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°That might be something you can help with. Sulvan is working on the man below the temple. He has some soul damage, but I don¡¯t know if it''s enough to warrant a Reforge Soul Potion.¡± Theo gestured to Xol¡¯sa on the sofa. ¡°When that one wakes up, would you mind checking?¡±


    ¡°I would be delighted,¡± Zarali said, bowing her head. ¡°Once I ensure my husband isn¡¯t dying.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I think that sorts everything out, though. I can finally get back to the lab.¡±


    ¡°Have fun,¡± Zarali said, her eyes lingering on Xol¡¯sa. ¡°I know I will.¡±


    Theo made his way back to the lab, feeling none of the disorientating effects of the portals. That sense had faded long ago, making the journey feel as though he was simply taking a step, rather than traveling a few miles through the swamp. Since people had time to get out on the streets, they were already going about their days. It wasn¡¯t like the wedding. No one was hungover to the point where they were comatose the next day. Just a late night that had most citizens tired. The town¡¯s notes section was filled with praise for the swift response from their allies. Unsurprisingly, what few dungeons existed to the north had activated from the void energy. But it was nothing the combined forces couldn¡¯t handle. As it had spread out in a ripple, they were staggered enough to not cause problems.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m done with that,¡± Theo said, trailing off as he entered the lab. Salire was waiting there with a half-smile on her face. She nodded knowingly. ¡°What do we have going on?¡±


    ¡°You can toy with your dragon bone essences later,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the rows of flasks on the far table. They were all a pleasant shade of pink, yellow, and blue. Even from afar, the alchemist detected the smells of restoration essences. ¡°For now, I¡¯d like you to review my essences.¡±


    Theo gave them a quick inspection, but hardly needed to. They were all a minimum of 90% purity, putting them far above his expectations for his assistant. But Salire had come a long way from her first days in the lab. ¡°These are excellent. Almost perfect samples.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m having trouble with the iron paddles, though.¡± Salire gestured to the pile in the corner. ¡°The buildup is a problem. Perhaps it depends on the level of your cores.¡±


    ¡°While we can break the residue down, it isn¡¯t perfect. We might as well work on that while we¡¯re here.¡± Theo placed his hands on his hips. His technique for processing the solid buildup on the paddles wasn¡¯t perfect, but they had to accept it as part of their process now. This was Tero¡¯gal alchemy, which required more steps. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s record how those reactions work.¡±

 6.66 - The New Metal

    Salire stood outside with Theo, watching as he decomposed the solid part of the leftover essence. It broke into two parts, one-tenth of which was volatile and couldn¡¯t be broken down further. The liquid it left behind was marked as ¡®impure,¡¯ which neither member of the duo knew what to make of. The alchemist held it to the light, swirling the flask of lightly pink liquid and humming to himself.


    ¡°It feels slightly reactive,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is worth using, though.¡±


    ¡°Everything is worth taking a note for, though!¡± Salire said with a bit too much excitement. ¡°I¡¯ll record it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s review,¡± Theo said, clearing his throat. ¡°Everything we know about Tero¡¯gal¡¯s version of alchemy and herbalism.¡±


    Salire flipped through the pages of her notebook, nodding and looking up as though ready to take notes.


    ¡°We swapped from the grade of an essence, to purity. Which makes a lot more sense. If you examine raw reagents, you can determine some of that purity before processing.¡±


    ¡°Which is why reagent quality matters more for Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy. That¡¯s also why we have the specialized greenhouses.¡± Salire underlined a section in her notes. ¡°We have better control over what we¡¯re doing because we can assume less pure reactions are more volatile.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Theo said, tapping his chin. ¡°Jumping from tier 2 to 3 might be about something else, though. We need some theories about that, since we can only make an essence so pure before the numbers are meaningless. We¡¯ll jump from 95 to 98 percent and then what?¡±


    ¡°Alternative methods,¡± Salire said with an excited nod. ¡°But I have the current method documented very well. For the second tier, we¡¯re looking at the same deal. A centrifuge removes the impure part of the essence, leaving behind waste. But the pressure vapor condenser is still required.¡±


    ¡°That might be a way to help isolate the functional parts of the essence, though. We might be cheating with that part, but I can¡¯t tell.¡± Theo clicked his tongue, letting his Wisdom go to work. He would lament his lacking Intelligence attribute more, but he preferred Wisdom. Intuition went a long way with alchemy, and he had leaned on it heavily in the past. A sample of second tier essence was available for testing, but there seemed to be nothing he could gain by inspecting it. As expected, the purity dropped but it was still stable compared to the first tier.


    ¡°I think we should enter a phase of experimentation,¡± Salire said. ¡°We have a lot of functions within Drogramath¡¯s alchemy to test still. Fermentation, alcohol interactions¡­ All that stuff we did daily.¡±


    ¡°There are even more things to consider, though. I¡¯m no longer Drogramath¡¯s Champion.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Tero¡¯gal didn¡¯t make you the champion?¡±


    Theo turned, offering the woman a half-smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have champions anymore. We¡¯re doing this on our own merit now. Which is¡­ Well, if you could get Throk to make some more machines, that would be nice. Think of different methods to remove the impurities involving alcohol. While you work on that, I¡¯ll focus on other experiments.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Salire asked, making a note.


    ¡°Mana injections, gaseous injections, and so on. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to do research into how the space elf is doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Salire said with a nod. She flipped to the last page written on in her notebook. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few orders to fill. And you still have dragon bones to experiment with.¡±


    Theo clapped Salire on the shoulder, nodding. ¡°I might be back tonight for my experimentations. Gotta visit a dungeon first.¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t sure what he thought about the dragon bones. He could brew potions for them right now, but was uncertain about if he should. Stepping out into the streets of Broken Tusk, he found Thim standing awkwardly.


    ¡°I was about to knock,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°Finished your weird building.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Theo said, nodding toward the completed building. He had been ignoring it, waiting for the man to finish his job. ¡°Care to give a tour?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much to tour,¡± Thim said, leading the way down the road.


    ¡°Theo!¡± Gridgen shouted from down the road, rushing up and completely out of breath. ¡°We got a problem.¡±


    Nira was close behind him, her arms folded and her face stained with soot. She was always covered in a thin layer of black soot, though.


    ¡°Can it wait?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Quick tour,¡± Thim said, waving at the giant metal cube. It was about the size of his alchemy building, made of faintly purple metal. ¡°Giant metal cube. Sliding door. Have at it.¡±


    Thim left without saying another word. Theo felt something in the way he left, as though he wanted nothing to do with what the others had to say.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? You never have problems, Gridgen,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Ore dried up,¡± the miner said.


    Theo clicked his tongue. Gridgen clearly thought he should have a stronger response, but that was that. The energies of the old ascendants was fading from the world. The last weird monster wave was proof enough of that, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to happen this quickly.


    ¡°Is our stock of Drogramathi and Tworgnothi metals secured? How much do we have?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Nira said with a shrug. She produced a faintly blue-silver bar, holding it out for him to see. ¡°Looks like we can get mythril production going.¡±


    ¡°No choice,¡± Theo said, waving the question away. He took the bar for inspection. ¡°We can¡¯t cry because we¡¯re making the world better. If we have mythril deposits, we should exploit them.¡±


    [Mythril Ingot]


    [Metal Ingot]


    Legendary


    Quality: Excellent


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    An ingot of legendary mythril metal.


    ¡°Very nice work on this, Nira,¡± Theo said, rolling the bar over in his hands. It was lighter than he expected. ¡°This would be a decent substitute for Azrugium.¡±


    ¡°You have a keen eye,¡± Nira said, smiling up at the alchemist. ¡°We¡¯ll get about equal strength to that alloy. And, I have something else to show you.¡±


    Nira produced another bar of metal. It was a swirling pattern of black and silver-blue. Although the sun was high in the sky, Theo could have sworn the ingot was glowing. He inspected the item.


    [Dragoniron Ingot]


    [Metal Ingot]


    Legendary


    Quality: Excellent


    An alloy of mythril and iron. Only the finest smelters can produce such an ingot.


    Theo felt the weight of the ingot in his hand. It was heavier than pure mythril, but perhaps there was some advantage to that. ¡°What are the qualities of the dragoniron compared to mythril?¡±


    ¡°Mythril is lighter. A lot lighter. But dragoniron is tougher.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Theo said. ¡°This is going to do very well for what we need. Now, is there anything I can do for either of you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Nira said, turning and heading out. She was a very self-sufficient person, so Theo wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°We could use more mythril veins,¡± Gridgen said with a nervous smile. ¡°Although we wouldn¡¯t want to wake that beast¡­¡±


    Theo sent a mental command to his metal golems. He ordered them to march down into the mine, toward the new vein of mythril they had exposed. ¡°Let¡¯s sort this out real quick. Come on, we¡¯ll meet my army there.¡±


    Before heading into the mine with the golems, the alchemist sent word to Aarok about his plan. Then they evacuated the mine, just in case anything happened. With the adventurers on standby, and the mine packed with golems, Theo headed down alone. After some probing with his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, he found the cavern belonging to whatever beasty was waiting to burst forth. He reinforced the walls, scouting new tunnels with more mythril nodes. The process took a few hours, but he was taking it slow. Whatever creature waited below didn¡¯t stir during his work, so it seemed safe enough.


    ¡°I found a few safer veins of mythril,¡± Theo said. He left about twenty-five golems behind to handle any unexpected monster incursions. ¡°Keep the first one we found sealed, and just hit the other ones I revealed.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Gridgen said, saluting. ¡°You heard the boss! Back in the mine!¡±


    Copper and iron were still valuable metals, so there was no reason to stop production. Theo made his way to the smelter before visiting the temple, giving Nira some new orders. The moment the mythril nuggets rolled in, she was to shift her focus to them and nothing else. Whatever leftover aligned nuggets they had could be stowed for now. He didn¡¯t want to operate off a dwindling supply of anything.


    Nira didn¡¯t care what the orders were, so long as she could work the smelter.


    Theo had some time to think as he made his way to the temple. It wasn¡¯t far, but it gave him enough time to reflect on his progression. His advancement in terms of levels had stagnated. But he had made progress in other ways. Both the town and the alliance were rocketing forward in power. Tero¡¯gal had become a Throneworld. And his ability with alchemy had expanded significantly, making him a better alchemist. It was only a matter of time before he caught up to where he was before. This was a fact he hoped to accomplish before he had to take his people to Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°Gotta remember to check in on the doomsday party supplies,¡± Theo muttered to himself. He sent his senses off to his Plant Golems managing his small farm. They had been banking wheat for a while, so there would be no shortage of bread. Perhaps it was time to make some zee-shine.


    The temple was as intimidating as ever. Theo stepped into the halls, reflexively bowing his head. He could feel the power of the true gods here now. They all mingled together to create a tapestry of something he couldn¡¯t quite identify. Those gods waited in a cloistered heaven for him to bring the shards back, adding some stabilizing force to the world. Xol¡¯sa would pull through. The space elf always pulled through.


    ¡°Knock knock,¡± Theo said, standing at the entrance to the dungeon.


    The door swung open, revealing a massive figure. ¡°Ah, Theo,¡± Bilgrob said. The massive ogre barely fit in the dungeon, even though it had been constructed with half-ogres in mind. ¡°Come to visit the elf?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how is he doing? And how is that Tero¡¯gal core treating you?¡±


    Bilgrob grunted, turning and leading the way down the darkened corridor. ¡°I won¡¯t lie. It isn¡¯t as fun as my Spit core, but I can¡¯t complain. At least I didn¡¯t get my core stripped away or something like that. Anyway, the healing magic is fine. There is a diagnosis spell that works well.¡±


    ¡°How does Tero¡¯gal magic work?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Just some magic language adjacent to Axpashi. I assumed you invented it.¡± Bilgrob pushed the door to a cell open. It really was like a dungeon, but the space elves needed to be contained. There was no way to tell if they would still be insane when they woke. And until this one came to his senses, the alchemist refused to bring more.


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal has a mind of its own. It must have invented the language,¡± Theo said. The elf rested on a bed, a wet cloth draped over his forehead. He had been stripped of his clothes with only a thin sheet covering his body. A small air conditioning artifice sat in the corner, pumping gently cool air into the room. ¡°What does your diagnosis spell say about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in stable condition, but he has a lot of problems. We¡¯ve been working on curing him¡­ slowly,¡± Bilgrob sighed. ¡°The good news is that we¡¯ve purged the void mana from his system. Everything else comes down to potions and healing spells.¡±


    ¡°Is the Reforge Mind potion doing its work?¡±


    ¡°Very much so. Watched his head go transparent earlier this morning. I could see his brain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nasty,¡± Theo said, placing a hand on the downed man¡¯s shoulder. His body temperature was high, but that was to be expected. He had something like a fever, reminding the alchemist of what happened with Xol¡¯sa. ¡°Can you inspect his soul?¡±


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t appear to be obvious damage to the soul,¡± Bilgrob said. ¡°Were you expecting soul damage?¡±


    ¡°I was expecting a lot of soul damage,¡± Theo said, knitting his brow. That flew in the face of what he knew about the Bara¡¯thier. ¡°Xol¡¯sa had soul damage when he came here. I thought the void energy they held in their bodies would affect the soul.¡±


    ¡°Not so. The energy was only in his body, not his soul. How did Xol¡¯sa arrive here if he is from the Bara¡¯thier?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I suppose they catapulted him through¡­ Ah, I get it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They sent him into the void unprotected. The place where the space elves are hiding out was protected by a bubble. It was weak, but the shards are still keeping them safe. I think they tossed baby Xol¡¯sa straight into the void, allowing him to sail on magic to Iaredin.¡±


    ¡°Nasty business,¡± Bilgrob said, shaking his head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m working shifts with Zarali and Sulvan. We¡¯re trying to recruit more healers for when you bring more elves. But you know how hard that is.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°The care of an actual healer is too important. I don¡¯t think my potions could see them through. Perhaps we can throw some money at people.¡±


    ¡°Or we could train up new healers. Can¡¯t you gift cores?¡± Bilgrob asked.


    Theo winced at the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t create them, only change the ones people already have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. At least you don¡¯t have to worry about this one. He is under our care, and he won¡¯t decline. I can promise you that.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t doubt the man. What kind of secrets would this space elf hold to the old world? They had shoved off with the shards a long time ago. Those precious lodestones had likely enabled the ascendants to do what they did, creating a mockery of the intended system with their realms. With the old gods back as the new gods, order would soon be restored. This long-plotted scheme cooked up by Khahar and whoever else would finally come to a close.


    The alchemist would rip his people from this land, sending them through the void and onto a permanent home. A place where he could ensure everyone would be safe. But even after they left, he had a job to do. The Dreamwalker was the hand of the void, ensuring everything ran as it should have.


    ¡°Keep up the good work,¡± Theo said, backing out of the room. ¡°Update me if something else happens.¡±


    ¡°Can do.¡±


    Theo left the temple with alchemy on his mind. Rocketing through the next tier was essential if he wanted to produce powerful potions. And of course he wanted to produce powerful potions. Maybe he would even have time to figure out what kind of potions a dragon¡¯s bones would make.

 6.67 - Were Gonna Make Another Planet

    The massive metal cube constructed by Thim had a nasty echo. Theo stood inside, looking at the working stills he had installed there. At least the dwarf had the foresight to install ventilation methods. Artifices hummed, drawing the thick vapors from within to send them outside. As long as he didn¡¯t aim for the second tier¡ªwithout improving the process¡ªno explosions should happen. If they did, the container should have contained it. The three stills running within the cube would produce properties from the Quindalias Bone reagent. Soar, Lost Hope, and Dragon¡¯s Insight.


    ¡°We won¡¯t mess around with fourth properties for now,¡± Theo said, crossing through the entrance and sliding it closed.


    Of the three properties, Theo was most hopeful about Dragon¡¯s Insight. Lost Hope might have been dangerous, but the system had a way of naming properties that made it hard to know what a property would do. It could have produced an amazing effect for all he knew. Before departing from the ominous cube, he took stock of the town¡¯s potion supply. They were good. Better than they had been since the systems shifted away from aligned cores. The alliance could handle emergencies better, especially since Salire had crafted curative potions to handle standard status effects. Disease was still a thing, no matter how much they built the town.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Theo turned, spotting Alise walking down the road. The alchemist had plans to head to his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, messing with his reagents to get more insight for the shift in his alchemy. ¡°What did I do now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. I tried getting your attention through the administration interface but you wouldn¡¯t answer. I have some early numbers on your ¡®feed the world¡¯ project.¡±


    Theo brightened up, his tail swishing back and forth. ¡°Sweet! How does it look?¡±


    Alise shrugged. ¡°We made projections for housing and feeding an amount of people for a season. Ah, well¡­ There was some speculation at first, but we made some estimations on the amount of people that would come for the party.¡±


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°I have some contacts in other nations. I forced them to take a survey.¡±


    Theo tried not to laugh. He tried real hard. He coughed, failing to pretend his laughter was a coughing fit when she gave him a death stare. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re just so on top of everything.¡±


    Straightening her back, Alise smiled. ¡°I pride myself on it. Well, the projections are interesting. You¡¯ll be surprised to learn that not many people want to attend a party at the end of the world. Still, we¡¯re looking at about ten-thousand people at most.¡±


    That was less than Theo had expected, but it made sense. The reality of the party was that it was a place where people could make an easy transition to Tero¡¯gal or Khahak. That got the alchemist thinking about something he needed to take care of. But that could wait until he was done with his meeting out on the streets of Broken Tusk.


    ¡°How does that reflect on our food production and housing situation?¡±


    ¡°We can do it. With stockpiling, and a fairly massive construction effort it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering¡­ Did you include the part about this being the end of the mortal world to those polled?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I made it clear the world was ending, but I¡¯m not sure if anyone believed me.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. There might be considerable panic if people learned this was actually the end of the world. Perhaps they would flood into Broken Tusk at the last minute,s training their resources.


    ¡°Change your projections for about one-hundred-thousand people.¡±


    Alise blinked a few times, finally pinching her eyes closed for about five minutes. Theo stood there awkwardly as she took steady breaths. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll clear some farm land between here and Rivers. The planes between Rivers and Gronro are expansive enough that we can build housing there. We can also add more lines to the train, allowing people easier access to each town in the alliance.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t push back against that.¡±


    ¡°I believe you when you say the world is ending, Theo. Well, we¡¯re moving, aren¡¯t we?¡± Alise nodded to herself, cupping her chin. ¡°I plan to be the first bride on Tero¡¯gal, so I¡¯ll do anything to make that happen.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of,¡± Theo withdrew a communication crystal from his inventory. ¡°I¡¯ve got a call to make. Buy up everything you need to make this thing happen, okay? We¡¯ll start the construction right away. I¡¯m sure Ziz will take a paycut if we can¡¯t afford it. I¡¯ll give him something nice when everyone migrates to the Throneworld.¡±


    Alise bowed her head, then ran off like a madwoman. Theo just hoped she was doing her best to rely on the other administrators that she had hired. Oh, well. She always sorted stuff out. The alchemist squeezed the crystal and waited, walking over to his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop while he waited for a response.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± Fenian said, hanging up.


    Theo felt a rush spread through his mind, as though the sudden cut of the connection shocked his senses.


    ¡°Well, that was rude,¡± Theo said, turning his attention to his workshop.


    While Theo had already learned the effects of his aligned greenhouses, he used the workshop to confirm a few things. The reagents grown in the aligned greenhouses were better because they were perfectly aligned to whatever environment they needed to grow. Each reagent had a preference for climates it grew in, including exposure to latent elemental energy in the air. This infused the reagent to become more pure, making it easier to work with when using Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy. As he stood there, a message he hadn¡¯t seen in a while popped up.


    [Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core] received experience (0.2%).


    [Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 33.


    ¡°That¡¯s been a long time coming,¡± Theo said with a sigh.


    Theo¡¯s Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Core wouldn¡¯t be too far behind that one. That would get him Level 33 for his personal level, adding another attribute point. Not that attribute points mattered much at this point. It was the skills he was after, and he would gain access to a free skill point at Level 35. While that might make things easier for the transition, investing into the town itself was a better idea.


    The alchemist never had trouble finding things to do. Even back on Earth, he had a habit of running off to do anything to keep himself busy. Here in Iaredin, facing down the concept of moving his entire nation to another world, was no different. He selected samples of reagents from each aligned greenhouse, testing them in the workshop to confirm their purity. When he used the Research upgrade on each one, he confirmed they were all of excellent purity. Yet they still seemed lacking.


    For all the efforts Theo had put into cultivating reagents that could hold up to this new form of alchemy, they still failed. Compared to those almost perfect samples he had discovered in the swamp, these were poor samples to compare. But the alliance didn¡¯t need a single run of potions using those ultra-rare reagents. It needed a lot of potions. The greenhouse method would have to work for now.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    As Theo turned away from his greenhouses, intent on taking care of other chores, he felt the familiar buzz in his mind. He withdrew the communication crystal from his inventory and squeezed it.


    ¡°Sorry about that, Theo. I was busy with¡­ uh¡­ something.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that¡¯s not suspicious at all,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re so nosy my dear alchemist. I was investigating a group of dronon that is known to me when I got distracted.¡±


    Fenian¡¯s ¡®distractions¡¯ often led to wars. Or undead armies¡­


    ¡°Did you kill Balkor¡¯s shadow?¡±


    ¡°Me? Little old me? Your sweet and lovable Fenian? Absolutely not.¡± The elf¡¯s words dripped with sarcasm, even in Theo¡¯s mind. ¡°I would never kill him.¡±


    ¡°So what did you do with him?¡±


    ¡°Nothing for you to worry about. I was busy because I was in Tarantham, trying to discover the source of some disturbances¡­ Well, I found your errant Earthling.¡±


    ¡°You found Jan? Are you kidding?¡±


    ¡°I found both Jan and Twist. They¡¯re working together as a team. I thought they would be at each other¡¯s throats, but no. They were trying to kill a god or something.¡±


    Of course Jan and Twist were working together. Why not? There was a lot of animosity between them, but they had apparently patched things up. This had to do with what happened on both Iaredin and Earth all those years ago. Theo viewed it as old scores he had no idea about. Well, while Fenian was in Tarantham he might as well do something helpful.


    ¡°I¡¯m washing my hands of both of them. They¡¯re not welcome back in the alliance without at least some explanation, but I don¡¯t care to hunt them. While you¡¯re in the elven empire, could you do me a favor?¡±


    ¡°You dismissed that rather quickly.¡± Fenian chuckled to himself, making sure to push as much mirth through the communication crystal as possible. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°A survey of what people think about the world ending and if they¡¯d want to attend a party.¡±


    ¡°No need for a survey there. Everyone believes it will happen here, and most are happy to die. They¡¯ll get sent to Death¡¯s realm, after all. You¡¯ll be lucky to see a few thousand people attend from Tarantham.¡±


    That shouldn¡¯t have been unexpected. The elves were weird.


    ¡°Anyway, all this isn¡¯t even why I¡¯m calling. I think we need to do something drastic while the gods are sleeping,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°You naughty little demon. What is it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna make another planet.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason you can¡¯t form a planet. The system set a president for throne holders to create their own world. I don¡¯t think Tresk can do it, since we¡¯re tied so closely together, but I¡¯d be more comfortable with three planets rather than two.¡±


    ¡°How would that work?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t even have the idea of a plan. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the system about it. The system should agree because it did it before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you on this one, Theo. Ah, got to go. Jan is pointing a gun at me and screaming about grand betrayals. I think he wants to duel¡­ or kiss. I cannot tell, but I¡¯m happy to do either!¡±


    Fenian cut the connection before Theo could say anything else. The elf¡¯s most powerful core was his Parantheir¡¯s Duelist Core, so he wondered how he had managed after the change. With a shrug, the alchemist fell through the veil. Visiting the system wasn¡¯t a good idea just because he needed something to do. As the Dreamwalker, it was his job to interface between all the heavenly elements. If the gods had a problem with something, it was Theo¡¯s job to relay that problem to the other throne holders. His domain might be the void, but his ability to travel through it freely meant he was the perfect messenger.


    Landing in the snowy landscape, Theo dashed for the raised platform. It was too cold for him to linger very long. As he ascended the platform, he made note of the twelve spots. The way he always did. He knew of only a few gods so far. Hallow, Death, Void, Shadow, Fate, and Omen. With only half of the gods known to him, he wasn¡¯t comfortable claiming to hold the Throne of the Dreamwalker.


    ¡°What is it?¡± the crystalline figure asked, appearing from nowhere.


    Theo cleared his throat. ¡°One realm, please.¡±


    The features of the crystal woman were mostly indiscernible. For the first time, the alchemist noticed her brow furrowing, crinkling in a way impossible for such material. ¡°You must repeat your request.¡±


    ¡°Tero¡¯gal and Khahak are fine realms, but we need another. I¡¯d like for you to grant Fenian a realm. The Herald needs a Throneworld.¡±


    The system stood, looking at Theo as though he had just peed on her favorite bit of shag carpet. Her hard features softened in time. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks. Is it just gonna be out there in the void?¡± Theo asked, jabbing his thumb behind him.


    ¡°He must form his own realm, then evolve it into a world,¡± the system said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°This must be done before the final seal is broken, otherwise I will not allow such a thing.¡±


    More talk about a seal Theo knew nothing about. He cleared his throat, surprised she relented so quickly. But his logic was sound. ¡°Any tips on that?¡±


    ¡°Use the same method Khahar used to form a world. The Herald¡¯s power is tied to the mortal realm, meaning he should use the same method. Your partner¡ªthe Dreamer¡ªmay create an orbiting body to accompany Tero¡¯gal, if you wish. You should know how to do that.¡±


    Oddly, Theo felt as though he did know how to do that. Which was weird, considering he had never done it before. But he suspected Tresk had an idea on how it would work.


    ¡°I have a few more questions, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Questions are your right,¡± the system said, inclining her head. ¡°There are some things I cannot answer, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course. First is about the time scale,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are we working on that?¡±


    ¡°When the last seal is broken, time will be adjusted.¡±


    ¡°Any projection on what the scale will be?¡±


    The system shrugged.


    ¡°Right. Of course. Next, I know about six of the current gods. Is it possible for me to meet the others?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°You only know of five.¡±


    Theo counted them off on his fingers aloud, holding up six fingers when he was done.


    ¡°Fate and Omen are like you and your Tara¡¯hek partner. You only count as one person.¡±


    ¡°Two sides of a coin?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Last question. When does the last seal break?¡±


    ¡°When you implant the shards onto the mortal realm.¡±


    ¡°And do I have a timetable for that?¡±


    The system shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t take more than one more mortal season.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ Last-last question. Do I have your approval to bring my alliance to the ascendant realms?¡±


    ¡°You have my approval, but that hardly matters. You¡¯ll need a majority vote with the gods.¡±


    ¡°Can I bypass them?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. If you¡¯re strong enough.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. After a moment, he straightened himself up and bowed his head. ¡°Thank you for answering my questions.¡±


    ¡°It is my duty.¡±


    Theo turned, passing through reality and arriving in the mortal realm shortly after that. His to-do list was growing. Well, at least the next exciting thing for him to handle was the brewing of dragon bone potions. Until then, he would take it easy. Kinda. Tresk was gonna be mad when he told her she needed to form a moon around Tero¡¯gal. Not because of the effort of creating the moon, but naming it. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he would end up with a moon named Moony Moon Moon the Moon.

 6.68 - Best Left Where They Are

    Theo didn¡¯t tell Tresk the ¡®fun¡¯ news yet. He had spent the rest of his day monitoring the stills in the metal cube and checking on people in town. Although they had lost access to the aligned metals in the mine, the extraction of the mythril was going well. The miners weren¡¯t disturbing the beast that lived underground, and Nira was smelting all the new nuggets with joy. Ziz didn¡¯t even wait for anyone¡¯s approval to start work on paving the entire damn region. By the time Theo sat down for dinner, they had a few buildings constructed along the road heading north.


    Theo and Tresk now stood in the Dreamwalk, looking over an imagined Tero¡¯gal. The alchemist had waited for this moment to create a moon in the sky. ¡°So, we have a job to do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tresk asked. He felt her sense brush his mind. ¡°I get to name a moon!?¡±


    ¡°You get to form a moon,¡± Theo corrected. ¡°I already have a name.¡±


    ¡°Your name is lame.¡±


    ¡°It has significance,¡± Theo said, brushing his own senses against his companion¡¯s mind. Tresk knew exactly what to do to make her moon and it wasn¡¯t hard. They wouldn¡¯t even need to split the thrones, only create a remote link between them. Since their connection was so strong, that part wouldn¡¯t even be hard. ¡°The hardest part is going to be getting Fenian to make his world.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. A world filled with half-naked elven women and constant battle,¡± Tresk said, nodding. She imagined a long beard and mustache on her face. For some reason, the Dreamwalk accepted it, allowing her to stroke it like some old sage. ¡°Very curious.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see Elven Hottie World,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Not really. I just want another planet, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Three worlds are better than two, huh? Oh, what¡¯s this I see in your little demon brain? We need the favor of the gods to move our alliance to the heavens?¡± Tresk snorted, blowing raspberries after. ¡°Screw them.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°They¡¯ll only stop us if we want to take the landmass. I don¡¯t think they can stop us if we want to take the mortal souls.¡±


    ¡°What gives you that idea?¡±


    ¡°Once that last seal breaks, I think chaos will consume the world. The gods aren¡¯t merciless, though. Perhaps Death will want to reap the souls of his people, but would the other gods want that? They all have history. The others will vote to save the mortal souls, and what better way then sending them to an in-between spot?¡±


    ¡°Right. Wait, what are we calling Tero¡¯gal and Khahak? Ascendant Words? Throne Worlds?¡±


    ¡°¡®Ascendant Worlds¡¯ is more accurate.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I need to get my thoughts together on this,¡± Tresk said, waving Alex off. ¡°Go do some goose stuff, okay?¡±


    Alex flew off without another command. Tresk waddled over to a rock, taking a seat and assuming her best thinking pose.


    Theo broke away from the weird marshling, focusing his efforts tonight on his alchemy. For the first time in a while, he was motivated to level his cores. His intent was to push the Dreamwalk as far as it would let him go. That meant experimenting with the areas of this new alchemy they didn¡¯t understand. He started with fermentation.


    The Dreamwalk allowed Theo to perform the first step of fermentation¡ªwhich was to add items to an enchanted barrel as a mash, then inject mana. After that, it refused to let him move forward. Theo¡¯s Drogramath Fermentation skill had evolved into Tero¡¯gal Fermentation. He had already inspected the skill, but recalled it from memory.


    [Tero¡¯gal Fermentation]


    Herbalism Skill


    Epic


    Fermentation allows an herbalist to extract even more from reagents. Accepting this skill allows you to understand the fine workings of reagents, pulling even more from the already useful plants.


    Effect:


    Fermentations you perform happen rapidly, compared to those without this skill.


    Allows the modification of reagents to produce special modifier essences.


    +12 Wisdom


    ¡°That¡¯s some very specific wording on that skill,¡± Theo said.


    At first, he considered the idea that this was a different way to process reagents. Perhaps a way to get them to the third tier. But the effects listed claimed it would still produce modifier essence. Well, perhaps it could do both but it wasn¡¯t something he was willing to believe just yet. Fermentation was a fairly simple process, compared to the other facets of alchemy. Reagent mash, mana, and the right barrel were all one needed. What were the chances that Tero¡¯gal would have such simple alchemy at this stage?


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Theo said, turning his attention elsewhere.


    Instead of pushing forward into areas of Tero¡¯gal alchemy he knew the Dreamwalk wouldn¡¯t allow, he focused on refining the processes they already had. The alchemist created stills for him to work with, making note of each part of the process. There had to be a better way to handle the solid waste created by the tier one process, but he had some ideas on how to improve on where they were. When he turned his attention to injecting mana into everything¡ªthe still, water, air, and even the mashed reagents¡ªhe hit a roadblock.


    When the Dreamwalk refused to let him go further, it might as well have told him he was on the right track. Mana injection was the way to go, as he had originally expected. The only thing he had injected with mana when using Drogramath¡¯s alchemy was during fermentation, water, and the dilution for the fourth tier.


    ¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯ll try on the mortal plane,¡± Theo said, rubbing his hands together. For now, he planned to grind experience.


    When that notification finally appeared, Theo was left with a question that felt silly. Where should he put his single free point for hitting Level 33? Another point in wisdom wouldn¡¯t do much. His only attributes not above at least 100 were Strength and Intelligence, and he couldn¡¯t put a point into Intelligence. Not unless he wanted to lose his sense of self. Instead of going for Strength, he opted for Vigor. That would add some health, although not much. He placed the point, gaining 5 health points for his efforts.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Hooray,¡± the alchemist said, inspecting his sheet.


    Theo Spencer


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 33


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 7


    Stats:


    Health: 625


    Mana: 230


    Stamina: 635


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 132 (+8)


    Vigor: 124 (+8)


    Intelligence: 30 (+9)


    Wisdom: 342 (+7)


    Points: 0


    ¡°Seven core slots,¡± he said to himself, looking over the sheet. ¡°Five from leveling or my base slots, and two from special cores. But those attributes are absurd. I sure went heavy on the Wisdom, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hush! I¡¯m thinking over here!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo shrugged. He learned a few things about alchemy tonight. At least he understood how important mana infusions were going to be. With that in mind he practiced summoning his mana and controlling it once it was outside of his body. Mana was strange like that. He couldn¡¯t really feel it moving around in his body. But once he brought it out in liquid form, he could feel it like it was an extension of himself. A glob of mana hovered in the air.


    ¡°Huh. Would ya look at that?¡± Theo asked, watching as the glob floated before him. It was slightly pink with a hint of purple running through it. ¡°Is Tero¡¯gal mana modeled after our skin tones? That¡¯s kinda weird.¡±


    Tresk shushed Theo again.


    After his latest rebuke, the alchemist worked on his mana control. If he was right about how important this was for Tero¡¯gal alchemy, any new alchemists would need to practice this from the jump. At least the Dreamwalk didn¡¯t yell at him for getting better at mana control. The more he worked at it, the more he found how to weave his willpower into the act. Once he had that figured out, he had almost absolute control of the way his mana moved. He could pull it out from his body, creating impossibly small specks and controlling them in intricate ways. The only place the Dreamwalk drew the line was when applying the mana to do something.


    He held his comment back as to not disturb Tresk, but the Dreamwalk couldn¡¯t have made it more obvious. Mana control would be vital if he wanted to become better with Tero¡¯gal Alchemy. Salire might be mad about it, since her mana control was decent but could be lacking compared to Theo. But without knowing how he would need to use his mana, he couldn¡¯t say.


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Tresk said, springing up. ¡°Gonna build a moon when we make up.


    ¡°Just make another small planet,¡± Theo said, folding his arms. ¡°You can manage an atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°I got it worked out in my head, actually. Thanks to your little brain.¡±


    ¡°My brain is huge,¡± Theo countered, folding his arms.


    ¡°Uh-huh. If we move a chunk of Tero¡¯gal to the edge of the void, we should be good.¡± Tresk nodded, confident in her assessment. ¡°Then we fill it with a mix of energy from us and the thrones¡­ Bam. Free planetoid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain the system will limit us to one planetoid, though. Keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not greedy! It only works because we can tie it to one or the other thrones. So we got a maximum of two planets or planetoids. I can work with this. Any idea how to get Fenian his planet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m gonna ask Khahar. Forming Khahak¡ªI still hate that name¡ªwas done with a realm. Dunno if we can just push Fenian¡¯s throne into the void and hope for the best or what. But I¡¯m sure there was some trick that old goat used to make his world.¡±


    ¡°We got a plan! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The dreamwalk ended without the consent of the other members. Theo started in his bed, looking toward the window. ¡°Tresk, what time is it?¡±


    ¡°Some time after midnight,¡± Tresk said, giggling to herself. ¡°Later, nerd.¡±


    Theo pouted for about a breath before giving up. Tresk had already slipped into Tero¡¯gal, apparently off to make a moon¡­ Planetoid¡­ whatever. There was no breakfast to be had. Theo stepped out onto the street outside, making sure to pull the door closed as quietly as he could. Although it was the middle of the night, several adventurers were on patrol. They held lanterns, bowing their heads as they passed the alchemist. At least the dragon bone essences were still brewing without issue. White smoke rose from the cube¡¯s ventilation, but nothing more.


    The Newt and Demon was silent at this hour. Salire had cleared out long ago, giving Theo pause at the threshold. He didn¡¯t just see the new shop counter waiting for an attendant to sell potions. He saw the cramped experimentation area from when he first arrived in this world. He saw the eager marshling begging to undertake the Tara¡¯hek. Those feelings came rushing back as he ascended the stairs to the second floor. Lights danced in the distance, filtering through what few trees grew within the town¡¯s walls. Guards patrolled the wall of the harbor somewhere in that distance.


    Perhaps the activity in the market area was still lively. Theo turned his attention to his storage crates, rummaging through until he found a few decent samples to work with. After adding those and some glassware to his inventory, he headed outside. Any explosions would be better conducted outside. The alchemist found himself heading toward the outside wall. He chugged a Potion of Limited Foresight just in case, but didn¡¯t feel as though danger would find him that night. He instead found the cool night air and the sound of chatter just over the market wall.


    From the battlements, he watched the people in the market. Lanterns hung from wooden posts¡ªmagical and mundane¡ªilluminating the market. There were a few hawkers still awake, although they weren¡¯t screaming like normal. Most surprising was the people buying things. They still haggled, getting good deals on whatever while others slept.


    ¡°Do they ever rest?¡± Theo asked no one in particular, pulling his first sample out. It was a length of Spiny Swamp Thistle Root in its raw form. Unprocessed and unbothered, this sample had been grown in the greenhouses before they were aligned. According to Tero¡¯gal alchemy, it was an impure sample.


    Drops of prismatic mana dripped from the alchemist¡¯s palm. They hovered in the air, catching the light of distant lights to remind him of Toru¡¯aun by the way they glittered. Theo slowed the mana down, breaking into many small parts as he injected it into the root. His mind flashed with information, like a blinding light turned on in a dark room. He didn¡¯t gain specifics like he did with the Research upgrade in his Herbalist¡¯s Workshop, only a sense for what was going on within the root. The mana wanted to spread out, becoming more a part of the root. He allowed it.


    The gnarled root glowed a shifting shade of purple and pink. It put off a floral scent that stung the air at first. Once the wind caught most of the initial smell, it died down to a faintly pleasant scent. Theo knew this was an improved version of the original root. Tero¡¯gal¡¯s way of growing reagents made it hard to tell how much better it was than before. But after injecting his mana inside the root, the alchemist could estimate it was about as good as the stuff that grew in the aligned greenhouses. Applying this method to the ones grown there would only improve their purity.


    The next experiment Theo wanted to try was to apply this method to the mash. He crushed some of the untouched roots with the back of his Drogramathi knife and tested his newest method. It was the same as before. The mana entered the mixture, seeming to find gaps to reinforce to make up for the lacking purity.


    ¡°Interesting reaction,¡± Theo said, moving on. ¡°Last one¡­¡±


    Theo watched as his spectral hands held mana over completed first tier essence. He watched still as that essence exploded, removing him from the wall and sending him sprawling to the ground below. While the blast wouldn¡¯t kill him¡ªthanks to his enhanced attributes¡ªhe didn¡¯t care to be exploded in the middle of the night.


    ¡°Some things are best left where they are,¡± he said, returning the essence to his inventory.


    This was a great place to start. Theo knew the raw reagent imbued with mana would run through the stills better. It might even create a higher purity of potion, based on the way the mana integrated itself with the reagent. If he was lucky, he could push this even further to enhance the other stages of the process. But with hours before sunrise, Theo couldn¡¯t think of working. He wasn¡¯t tired. He just wanted to watch the people below go about their nightly business. If he had his way, this place would be packed with people.


    ¡°Soon.¡±

 6.69 - Chat with Death

    ¡°Pizzas not for breakfast!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Sarisa and Rowan blinked a few times, looking over the marshling as she gawked at the provided dish. It wasn¡¯t even remotely pizza. Not that either of them would know what pizza was, aside from the times when Theo might have told them. They were served flatbread with melted cheese and butter, which was as much like pizza as any tomato-based soup was. She must have been drawing from his mind for some joke no one but her got. And there was no way the marshling would elaborate.


    ¡°Yes, well,¡± Sarisa said, taking her seat and clearing her throat. ¡°Thought we¡¯d do something different.¡±


    ¡°Not that this is cultural or anything,¡± Rowan shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m from here!¡± Tresk shouted back. ¡°I am the culture!¡±


    Theo nodded, ignoring Tresk¡¯s outburst. He could feel her nervousness about creating a moon. She did well under pressure, but only when that pressure was immediate. When it was looming in the distance, she got nervous. Then as time marched toward when she had to deal with the problem, she got crazy. Like a cornered goblin.


    ¡°Who would have thought that Broken Tusk would have cheese,¡± Theo said, looking at the flatbread before him. It was even made with wheat, instead of zee meal. ¡°I think we should form your planet today, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Tresk said, fidgeting. ¡°I can¡¯t think right.¡±


    ¡°I have something to take care of,¡± Sarisa said, nodding at Theo. ¡°If that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure how needed you two are anymore. For guard duty, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to do any other job,¡± Rowan said, folding his arms. ¡°You can¡¯t tear this away from me no matter how hard you try. I¡¯ll kill ya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure the best move is to threaten the man you¡¯re sworn to guard,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ This job is the best. And I don¡¯t wanna give it up.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t expect he would let his guard down anytime soon, but he was powerful. The moment he dismissed Sarisa and Rowan, some unknown horror would come out of the ground and grab him by the tail. There weren¡¯t many loose ends, but they were there. Balkor¡¯s shadow, Kuzan¡¯s followers, and whatever other gods in the heavens that wanted him out of his position. Then there was Jan and Twist, which¡­ That was a can of worms he wasn¡¯t willing to open.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t dismiss either of you. But perhaps we can find a way to make you stronger.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want, boss.¡± Rowan¡¯s back was particularly straight today. ¡°Shine your shoes? Fluff your pillow? Whatever you need.¡±


    Sarisa didn¡¯t have anything super important to do today. She wanted some time to sort affairs with someone afar. Which meant finding a merchant willing to send a message. Before they jumped to their new world, a lot of people wanted to get messages out. Most of those people weren¡¯t locals, making Sarisa the minority among them. The people who were raised in Broken Tusk stayed in Broken Tusk. Whatever splinter half-ogres and marshlings that went elsewhere stayed splintered, never rejoining. Except Salire. She came back.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± Theo said, grabbing Tresk by the wrist when she stood. Of course she had inhaled her meal. ¡°We¡¯re forming the moon today.¡±


    ¡°Planetoid,¡± Tresk corrected. ¡°I¡¯ll not have my realm as some lifeless moon.¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Whatever you want to call it. Come on.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I wanna bring Alex.¡±


    Theo grabbed his food, nodding to the half-ogres still eating at his table. They met Alex outside and fell through the barrier between worlds, revealing the solar system view that represented their new reality. A moment later, they were standing in the welcoming center of Tero¡¯gal. It had been built up in recent days. A dronon the alchemist didn¡¯t recognize dashed off. Likely to fetch Belgar. Sure enough, a few minutes later the defacto leader of the world came rushing over.


    ¡°We have some developments,¡± Belgar said, doubled over and out of breath.


    ¡°More war?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A group was expelled from the world,¡± Belgar said. ¡°Some elves had created a small settlement, and they were conducting war. Tero¡¯gal didn¡¯t like that and ejected their souls into the void.¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°Perhaps they should have learned to behave before coming.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, screw ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°It put the others in line very quickly. We don¡¯t know what happens to a soul now, so the other settlements have calmed down.¡±


    Tero¡¯gal had been involved from the start. Once it gained Throneworld status, the planet wanted nothing to do with its denizens fighting. This might only be true for the transition period of the world, though.


    ¡°Oh, also the time changed again. We got a message,¡± Belgar said. ¡°It went all the way down to two-to-one.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked, looking around. ¡°Was that recent?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, actually. We¡¯re closer to the mortal timescale now. Is that good?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say. Tresk, how about you get working on the moon. I¡¯ll have a chat with the system.¡± Theo turned away from the group, pausing before leaving. ¡°Belgar, help her if you can. Or maybe pet the dragon-goose. Whatever.¡±


    Passing through the cracks once again, Theo landed in the system¡¯s little lobby. He rushed over to the platform, finding relief immediately. Ten of the twelve spots glowed when he stepped foot on the platform. The central spot for the system sparked to life, the crystalline entity fading into existence a moment later.


    ¡°Which gods are missing?¡± Theo asked, finding the question he arrived with far from his thoughts.


    ¡°That is to be determined,¡± the system said, her voice twinkling through the snowy landscape. It was feminine, so the alchemist thought of her as a woman.


    ¡°And which ones do we have?¡±


    ¡°The higher gods,¡± the system said, gesturing to five of the spots. ¡°Hallow, Death, Fate and Omen, Shadow, and Void. The elemental gods. Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Arcane. And the lost gods¡­¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Theo bowed his head. Perhaps it was time to treat the system and the gods with respect. If they were willing to put what happened behind them, he should do the same. If only for the sake of his people, and those that would come with him once the world ended. ¡°I would like to speak with Death.¡±


    A hooded figure appeared on one of the marks. Kuzan¡ªnow Death¡ªstood as menacing as ever.


    ¡°I shall moderate,¡± the system said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight,¡± Theo said, bowing his head again.


    ¡°What is it, Dreamwalker?¡± Death asked.


    ¡°My Throneworld cast some souls into the void. I¡¯d like to know where they went,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°They arrived at the Gate soon after they were cast away. They now await judgment.¡±


    ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be overstepping my bounds, could I ask what that entails?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°You may,¡± the system said. ¡°It is within your responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°As we are in a transition period, most souls are being held until the next shift,¡± Death said. ¡°Those who die now, or are sent into the void through other means will be quite fortunate. They will have the ability to select where they want to go.¡±


    ¡°What are the options?¡±


    ¡°Any godly world that wants to accept them can. They may also petition the ascendant worlds if they like. Another option is reincarnation on the mortal world¡ªonce everything has settled down¡ªor transmigration outside of this system.¡±


    Theo¡¯s eye twitched. Transmigration is an option? There was a connection there to the bird-person who had been there at the end on Earth. The alchemist was certain that this was another place altogether compared to Earth. Which meant that back in the day, during Jan¡¯s time, there was a bridge connecting universes. Iaredin was connected to Earth, allowing people to travel between them somehow. The mechanism of that was beyond him, but it was an interesting bit of information.


    ¡°Those are favorable terms for the dead,¡± Theo said, bowing again to Death. ¡°How would it work after the ¡®shift?¡¯¡±


    Death looked at the system, who nodded.


    ¡°Much the same. System, may I speak more¡­ freely?¡± Death asked.


    ¡°The Dreamwalker may know about the inner workings of souls. He might become something of a ferryman.¡±


    Death cleared his throat. ¡°The realm will gain a version of hell from your world¡¯s lore. They will serve a term based on their crimes during life with a chance at the transmigration or reincarnation option.¡±


    ¡°Who decides that?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I decide for most minor issues. For major issues, a vote from all gods is required, along with the system.¡±


    ¡°That sounds oddly fair, considering what I know about you,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Keep it civil,¡± the system warned.


    ¡°May I add one bit of personal opinion, system?¡± Death asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll censure you if you reveal anything related to the mortal world.¡±


    ¡°What about Iaredin before it was sealed?¡±


    ¡°That should be fine.¡±


    Death nodded. ¡°I was a ghost before Iaredin was sealed away. Driven mad by one-thousand years of wandering, I set myself upon the world. There was no shortage of destruction caused by my hands. But when the world was sealed, I was given the option to gain flesh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you stop,¡± the system said.


    ¡°Just one more thing,¡± Death said, nodding to Theo. ¡°He should know.¡±


    ¡°You were never meant to awaken when you did,¡± the system cut in. ¡°As the Dreamwalker, it is your right to know. Another was meant to awaken in Broken Tusk, but there were issues caused by a group of mortals and ascendants. A man from Kuzan¡¯s lineage was meant to wake, setting the world straight.¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± Death asked.


    ¡°Finish it,¡± the system said, her normally monotone voice sounding slightly annoyed.


    ¡°He was the one that beat me back before the change. He was strong enough to lead the world. But you were given an impossible role to fill. Perhaps you didn¡¯t do it the way he would have, but you did it. You broke the seal.¡±


    ¡°Unintentionally,¡± Theo said, gazing at Kuzan with confusion. This wasn¡¯t the big-bad he had expected. ¡°So is this your repentance?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Death said with a nod. ¡°To shoulder the burden of my descendant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the system said. ¡°Are you satisfied with his answers, Dreamwalker?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised, but¡­ Yeah. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Adjourned,¡± the system said. Death vanished. ¡°You may return to your work.¡±


    Theo turned away from the platform, falling through the veil once again. That was illuminating. So Kuzan wasn¡¯t as nefarious as people made him out to be. Evil? Absolutely. His method of keeping the world in balance was to have a war going on at all times, purging elven houses when they got too big. He might claim to want to change the world, but he was just feeding into the nonsense that kept the destruction going. Perhaps he was even the one to start that idea of constantly destroying everything to build it up. But what was that business about being a ghost in Old Iaredin?


    ¡°Given flesh, huh?¡± Theo asked, landing on Tero¡¯gal once again. ¡°Some weird stuff went down, huh?¡±


    It was weird, but at least he knew that people would go through the right cycle when they died. The ascendants had it so people would go to their realms when they died¡­ sometimes. There were problems when souls would get stuck in the void, or trapped in the mortal world after they died. The alchemist looked to the sky, spotting a new shape taking form. Tresk and Belgar weren¡¯t near the welcoming center, so he wandered around for a bit before giving up. Instead, he took a seat and watched the show.


    Tresk must have figured out how to channel the power of her throne, creating the moon. That or she just grabbed her throne and took it into space. Theo thought it was more likely for her to have done the second option, since it fell in line with the way she thought.


    ¡°Crazy little marshling,¡± he said, watching for a few more minutes before leaving. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get it.¡±


    Theo stepped foot in Drogramath¡¯s village, far to the south. He stopped after his feet hit the wooden walkways, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°Toru¡¯aun,¡± he said, jogging over to catch up to the dronon woman. She was wearing a light dress with her hair done up in a bun. It was pretty hot in the swamp.


    ¡°Theo. Nice of you to drop by,¡± Toru¡¯aun said. ¡°Are you making a moon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what do you think?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Tresk is working on it.¡±


    Toru¡¯aun considered the moon for a moment, finally nodding. ¡°I¡¯d like to live on the moon, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t enjoy Drogramath¡¯s company?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I think it will be nice up there. Perhaps you can find a mountain where I could live alone.¡±


    Theo tried not to wince. She was a solitary person. ¡°How many Toru¡¯auni made the transition to this world?¡±


    ¡°A few hundred, but we¡¯re all solitary,¡± Toru¡¯aun said. ¡°In all my years, I only created a few broods.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Tresk will finish working on the moon soon enough. Let me go check¡­¡±


    Theo zorped himself up to the moon, finding a barren landscape. He felt Tresk, Alex, and Belgar in the distance, so zorped himself over there next. He found himself at the foot of another massive building containing the Throne of the Dreamer. So she had used the throne itself as a catalyst to create the world. As he ascended the steps, he spotted all three of them inside, looking over the throne and discussing something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to fill the world with monsters,¡± Belgar said, holding his hands up. ¡°Theo would certainly disagree.¡±


    ¡°Monsters are a bad idea, Tresk,¡± Theo said. ¡°I don¡¯t even think you have that kind of power.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Tresk groaned. ¡°No monsters down there. Monsters up here. The plan is flawless!¡±


    Unleashing monsters into the world might be a problem. Theo was certain it would work, but that might cause problems. It was hard to tell how the world would react if she generated anything, let alone monsters. At least she didn¡¯t get the option to name the world. It had given itself a name, Tol¡¯bak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s worry about getting the world estbalished before you generate monsters. Okay?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Now, are you going for a normal planet, or are you going to set the conditions the same all over?¡±


    ¡°Giant swamp world!¡± Tresk shouted, imparting her will onto the world. ¡°Giant alligators everywhere.¡±


    Belgar sighed. ¡°How do you deal with this?¡±


    ¡°One day at a time.¡±

 6.70 - Tolbak

    Tol¡¯bak came together far faster than Tero¡¯gal had. It didn¡¯t have the same growing pains related to transitioning from a Mortal Dreamworld into a Throneworld. The planetoid was born as a Throneworld, given all the advantages of that from the start. Since it was also smaller than Tero¡¯gal, it had less of itself to form. When Tresk decided to make the entire planet a swamp¡ªmuch to the dismay of Belgar and Theo¡ªthat gave it even less work to do. Before long, they looked out over the endless landscape of mud, shallow water, and towering cypress trees.


    ¡°That certainly is something,¡± Theo said with a sigh. ¡°And you wonder why I don¡¯t let you decide important things.¡±


    ¡°What? I like it,¡± Tresk said, breathing in the scent of the endless swamp. ¡°Smells like victory.¡±


    Shaking his head, Theo inspected the world. He wasn¡¯t surprised at how sparse it was.


    [Tol¡¯bak]


    Throneworld


    Leaders:


    Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Residents:


    0


    Cities:


    0


    Features:


    Bridge of Shadows


    Tero¡¯gal


    ¡°Toru¡¯aun said she wants to move here. I wonder if that still holds true now that the world is covered in a swamp,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°At least it''s done,¡± Belgar said. ¡°Perhaps Drogramath will want to live here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Was it hard to generate the world, Tresk?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. We just pulled the throne to the edge of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s version of outer space. It basically formed itself.¡±


    Anyone who lived in the ascendant realms could now take the Bridge of Shadows between the two worlds. The feature had already been open to the residents, allowing them to leave for Khahak if they wanted. While the Bridge still had a connection to the mortal world, Theo doubted that would remain open forever. Once everything was sealed away, it was unlikely to give access to anyone. As Fenian was still using it as his personal highway to get around on the mortal world, he figured the gods would put a stop to that soon enough.


    There were quite a few things that Theo wanted to get back to in the mortal world. Especially now that time passed at a similar rate. Tresk wanted to remain here for a bit, so he left her to it before heading through the void. Both Tresk and Alex should have been able to bring themselves back without issue.


    As expected, Broken Tusk was awake by the time he returned. Several hours had passed since he left, giving Theo a feeling of disorientation. He was too used to only a few minutes passing by while he was gone. At least there was plenty of alchemy-related things to take care of today. The dragon bone essences would be ready for him to brew, but more exciting than that was his mana-infusion technique developed in the Dreamwalk.


    Another person Theo didn¡¯t know was working in the shop of the Newt and Demon, ringing up a customer as he entered. The alchemist gave him a nod before heading to the top floor, where he found Salire. She was looking over an assortment of the small stills, waving at him as he entered.


    ¡°Throk gave me some weird machines to test out,¡± Salire said, shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±


    ¡°Good news. We¡¯re gonna start with some mana infusion techniques,¡± Theo said, slapping some Spiny Swamp Thistle Root onto the table. He held his hand over it, allowing mana to drip and infuse into the reagent. ¡°Simple as soaking the reagent in your raw Tero¡¯gal mana.¡±


    ¡°Wow. No explosions,¡± Salire said, stooping low to inspect the root. ¡°I was expecting a lot of explosions.¡±


    ¡°I think this just reinforces the purity of the reagent,¡± Theo said, setting the root aside. ¡°So any reagent you infuse with your mana should be more stable during distillation. Anything else to report?¡±


    ¡°Just that I don¡¯t know what to do with these machines.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. Did he want to figure out what weird equipment Throk threw his way, or work on the dragon potions? The dragon potions would be much more interesting to see, so he went with that. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that later. Do we have a decent stock of basic potions for the shop?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have quite a few now. And¡­¡± Salire gestured to the stills running in the room. ¡°I¡¯m making some more. You know¡­ just in case.¡±


    ¡°Back to a surplus,¡± Theo said, looking over his lab with pride. ¡°Even with our reduced capacity, you¡¯re still brewing at a surplus.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is kinda¡­ the only thing I do,¡± Salire said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Not a big deal. Just the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe we need a beach day or something,¡± Theo said, scratching his chin. ¡°Well, I guess we can have an extended vacation when the world ends. For now, we need to ensure everyone has enough potions to survive until the world¡¯s end.¡±


    ¡°Right? Imagine missing that date.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you die now you might be alright. It depends on if your soul can make it into the void. If it does, Death will scoop you up and give you a free pass to reincarnate.¡±


    ¡°Really? Wait, why would you know that?¡±


    ¡°I talked to him,¡± Theo said. ¡°Don¡¯t know if I¡¯m allowed to say it, but whatever.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been smote yet, so¡­ I think you¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Potion time!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Theo put his worries about anything else aside, heading over to the giant metal cube to collect his essences. He had isolated the Soar, Lost Hope, and Dragon¡¯s Insight properties from the ascendant dragon¡¯s bones. All came out to 90% purity, and were the same off-white shade in their respective flasks. They smelled of little and put off a sense of authority even in their processed state. As expected with such low purity, the stills used to brew them were encrusted with the alchemical waste.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°These could have been better,¡± Theo said, stowing the essences away for now. He would clean the stills themselves later. For now he was happy to check out the new essences.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hopeful about those ones,¡± Salire said, following closely behind him. ¡°Lost Hope? What could that even give? A sense of hopelessness? Surely that can¡¯t be positive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Theo said, leading the way back to the lab. Back on the third floor, he laid out his equipment and turned on the extractor artifice. ¡°We¡¯ll just go in order¡­ Soar first.¡±


    ¡°At least it mixes as it should,¡± Salire said, watching as Theo blended the essence, water, and catalyst.


    The alchemist still loved the vial design she had come up with. It was now the standard way their potions were bottled, including the decorative glass topper. Just like the essence, the finished potion was an off white color, close to beige. It smelled of almost nothing, holding an almost earthy scent.


    ¡°No issues with the vapors generated by the essences, right?¡± Theo asked, swirling the vial to complete the reaction.


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m sure any potential accidents will go away once we sort your mana infusion technique out.¡±


    Theo nodded, finally satisfied that the potion was done brewing. ¡°Ah. Yes, I really would enjoy drinking the potion of falling to your death.¡±


    [Lesser Soaring Potion]


    [Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 90%


    Drink to soar.


    Effect:


    Five seconds after consuming this potion, the imbiber will be sent into the air. The distance depends on the purity of this potion.


    ¡°How high do you think it throws you up?¡± Salire asked, tapping her chin as she thought. ¡°Maybe you could use it to¡­ Climb up a mountain or something?¡±


    ¡°As long as you had a way to fall slowly,¡± Theo said. ¡°And, yes. That depends on how high it sends you. A few feet? No problem. Five-hundred? You¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Salire said, taking the potion and setting it aside. ¡°Let¡¯s just not think about that one ever again.¡±


    ¡°We should start a list of dud potions,¡± Theo said, moving on to the next one. Soar was actually a property he had some hope for. Theo wanted to see a potion that allowed him to fly. He would¡¯ve settled for gliding. But, no. It was another weird potion that made him do something he didn¡¯t want to do. Even the Retreat potion was more useful.


    Moving on to the next one, Theo knew what he was in for before he even examined it. There were qualities of potions that set them apart from poisons. Poisons all seemed more viscous than potions, and they put off an aura of malice. The potion derived from the Lost Hope property was a poison.


    [Lesser Hopeless Poison]


    [Poison]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 90%


    Apply to a weapon to inflict the [Hopeless] effect on a target.


    Effect:


    Applies the [Hopeless] effect, reducing an entity¡¯s willingness to fight. The strength of this effect depends on the purity of this poison.


    ¡°Making a person hopeless¡­¡± Theo trailed off, shaking his head. ¡°I suppose you could use that to route monsters¡­ if they had morale.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Two crappy potions in a row.¡± Salire offered Theo a pained smile, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°Who knew dragon bones sucked this much?¡±


    ¡°Even if all properties are bad, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Theo said. ¡°They¡¯ve served their purpose already. Well, Alex is almost a dragon. She has to eat more bones.¡±


    ¡°Alex is eating the bones?¡± Salire asked. ¡°Disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not a fan. Let¡¯s get to work on this last potion. Anything with the word ¡®insight¡¯ is usually good.¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Salire said, lifting the potion for inspection. ¡°Hmmm. Not sure what you¡¯re going to think about this one.¡±


    Theo inspected the potion, willing to wait no longer to get this saga behind him.


    [Lesser Dragon¡¯s Insight]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 85%


    Your gaze is peerless, like that of the mighty dragon.


    Effect:


    Locking eyes with a sapient enemy will initiate the [Dragon¡¯s Duel] effect.


    While under the effect of [Dragon¡¯s Duel], you gain insight into the attack patterns of your opponent.


    ¡°How long does it even last?¡± Theo asked, scratching his head. ¡°I mean, this is a great potion if you¡¯re planning on murdering people. Gaining insight into someone¡¯s attacks would be useful. Almost like my precognition. But there are problems¡­¡±


    ¡°Like the purity,¡± Salire pointed out. ¡°Why was it less than the others? They came from the same plant with the same distillation method.¡±


    This was certainly one of the more strange potions Theo had created. It was only so strange because it was so unlike his other potions. The effect was strange, activating when a person locked eyes with an opponent. That likely meant it had an infinite duration to start¡ªor a long one anyway. After that, the Dragon¡¯s Duel effect would last¡­ what? Until either member of the duel died?


    ¡°This effect might be strange because it comes from a draconic ascendant,¡± Theo said. ¡°Which brings me to another confusing question. Is this an aligned reagent, or just a shard of the dead dragon¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking questions only you and the other throne people can answer, I think,¡± Salire said.


    Theo nodded. She was right, of course. ¡°These potions aren¡¯t great, but maybe we can use this as a jumping-off point for something else. The modifiers, maybe. Or some other enhancement method we can use to increase the potency of reagents.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    Theo had to think for a second as his thoughts shifted away from the dragon potions. They were a bust, and that was fine. This was the point of alchemy, even if things took longer now that he didn¡¯t have Drogramath¡¯s power to lean on. The way reagents reacted with each other was going to change when they moved to Tero¡¯gal. Perhaps it was best to verbalize his thoughts.


    ¡°This is a trial run for us, Salire,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. ¡°When we move to Tero¡¯gal, we¡¯re going to experience more challenges like this. We¡¯re going to rebuild the basics of alchemy from the start.¡±


    ¡°How pliable is Tero¡¯gal going to be once we get there?¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Like everything else, it seems as though it''s waiting for the next shift to happen. It doesn¡¯t want to commit to anything until we reset the universe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking you should get on that soon,¡± Salire said, laughing nervously.


    Theo shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re all getting used to the new way of things. I had a good meeting with the system and Death earlier. I went to our meeting place with respect, and they treated me with respect. Everyone¡ªthe worlds included¡ªare trying to approach their new roles with honor and respect. I¡¯m trying to say we¡¯re all willing to adapt to the change. Since every cog in the machine is happy, the outcome should be good.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to reassure yourself of something?¡± Salire asked with a pained look on her face.


    Theo gritted his teeth for a moment, thinking back to Earth. They faced the same change during Jan¡¯s time. When Iaredin was linked with Earth. Something happened and Earth lost out in that deal. The result was the destruction of the world. Perhaps this was a similar situation. But this fake version of Iaredin they lived in wasn¡¯t the design the system had in mind. It likely wasn¡¯t the version the defenders of Earth had in mind. It was something twisted by people who wanted to grab for power.


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to create the ideal version of a universe,¡± Theo said. ¡°Even Tero¡¯gal refuses to allow the people on it to wage war. It ejected souls into the void rather than allowing them to keep fighting. Yeah, I¡¯m trying to make myself feel better so I know we¡¯re on the right course. Because I have to believe that Yuri and Fenian were doing what¡¯s best for the world. Especially Fenian.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hard to stomach, isn¡¯t he?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Yes and no. I knew people on Earth who did similar things. You can¡¯t discount a person¡¯s situation when considering their actions.¡± Theo took in a deep breath, whipping his tail through the air. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go get some tea or something. We can discuss alchemy instead of war crimes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I like tea. Much more than war crimes,¡± Salire said, bouncing toward the door. The alchemist followed after, leaving the three failures behind on the table.

 6.71 - A Wheel of Cheese Will Do

    It had been a while since Theo went to the Marsh Wolf Tavern himself. He sat at his private booth¨Cwhich Xam had held all this time for some reason. Perhaps she kept it free for him because he still used his bath in the bathhouse. Even at noon, the atmosphere was lively. Patrons from within the alliance and without were enjoying the food she had prepared for them. But the alchemist was there for only the moss tea and the atmosphere. Well, that and a conversation with Salire.


    ¡°Once we infuse the base reagents with mana, we¡¯ll have a much higher success rate,¡± Salire said, taking a tentative sip of her tea. She added some amount of cream, which Theo wasn¡¯t aware they had access to. It made sense, since the karatan produced milk.


    ¡°I guess we need to be worried about safety now,¡± Theo said.


    The Newt and Demon was already introducing more safety measures. The first thing they added was the vapor detector that Throk had built. That would help them avoid any mixing vapors in the air, which could cause unexpected effects. Next was procedural, involving heavy testing before using any new alchemy techniques. Theo didn¡¯t want to employ a new technique until it had been tested in a safe environment. Their testing with the first round of artifices had shown him the advantages of caution. Those early stills were all time bombs, ready to go off once some random condition was met.


    ¡°Have you been practicing your mana control?¡± Theo asked.


    Salire averted her gaze, taking a sip of her tea and shaking her head. ¡°Kinda. I was never very good at it to begin with.¡±


    ¡°You were fine. Let¡¯s see.¡±


    Salire held her hand out with her palm up. Prismatic mana flowed into her palm, sloshing like liquid before evaporating into the air. Her control wasn¡¯t bad. Theo had found the hardest part to start was bringing the mana out from his soul. And he had made sure she practiced it weeks ago, drilling it into her it was vital to good alchemy. That was more true than ever, and she had a great point to jump off from. But it made the alchemist wonder about how attributes played into actions like this.


    Theo summoned a glob of mana without issue, allowing it to float in the air before them. Perhaps Tero¡¯gal was still figuring out what kind of mana it wanted to produce. He had seen it change colors before, but it current held a shifting scheme that never settled on one color for long.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re doing fine,¡± Theo said, splitting the large blob of mana into five pieces that took different shapes. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do much, though. Could you try summoning some mana that¡¯s about this big?¡±


    The five split into twenty orbs that floated at different points above the table.


    ¡°That many?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°No. Just one.¡±


    Shrugging, Salire held her palm out again. A tiny puddle of mana appeared in her hand. Before it could evaporate, Theo withdrew a root from his inventory and placed it on the table.


    ¡°Infuse the root with your mana,¡± Theo said, nodding at the Spiny Swamp Thistle Root on the table.


    Salire had done infusions like this before. She gripped the root, slathering the mana onto it rather than injecting it as Theo had done. He watched as the mana soaked in, imbuing the root with her power.


    ¡°Did that work?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Theo said, holding the root up for inspection. He could feel the spots within the reagent where she had missed, but doubted it would cause problems during processing. ¡°I doubt you need this level of control for the lower tier alchemy. But you don¡¯t want to soak it in mana. Just small injections to bolster the properties.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Salire nodded. ¡°But why is your control so good?¡±


    ¡°Wisdom and willpower, I think,¡± Theo said. ¡°Which I have a lot of. There just isn¡¯t much use for it right now.¡±


    There might have been a lot of uses for fine control of mana down the line, but Theo wouldn¡¯t get there before the next change. It was still more important than ever to keep trying to push alchemy to its limits. Sometimes it felt like Tero¡¯gal was learning as it created new things. As the alchemist considered these things, his thoughts ground to a halt.


    ¡°Well, I just thought of something,¡± Theo said, taking another sip of his tea. It was sweeter than normal, holding that incredibly earthy taste he loved. ¡°The dragon potions had been brewed before. I didn¡¯t get a message about them being new.¡±


    ¡°What? There¡¯s an alchemist out there working with ascendant dragon bones?¡± Salire asked with a scoff. She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°That would¡¯ve been an enormous boost for you.¡±


    That fact struck Theo as strange. It seemed unlikely for someone to have access to bones like that. Even more unlikely for them to take those bones and make them into a potion. The system might have been mad at him for exploiting the new potions the way he did. Was there an alchemist in history who had been the first to discover all of those potions, or was it an arms race to see who could make the most new stuff? Even the reagents Theo used every day were technically rare. The Spiny Swamp Thistle Root only grew in Broken Tusk as far as he knew. Yet someone before him had created a potion for every property, including the hidden one.


    There was something comforting about the sound of the patrons in the tavern. Theo enjoyed his tea as Salire struck up conversations of a more mundane nature. Well, she was interested in the end of the world party. As was tradition in Broken Tusk, no one tried to keep secrets because those secrets never lasted. Instead, Alise had spread the word about the party and people were getting excited. Another tradition was not worrying about things they couldn¡¯t change. If they were living in Iaredin, Tero¡¯gal, or Tol¡¯bak they didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told anyone about Tol¡¯bak,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Tresk made her own world. A dwarf planet orbiting Tero¡¯gal, but the entire thing is covered in swamp.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I was hoping to live somewhere without a swamp, actually.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Really? Well, there should be free travel between the two places. So you can pick where you want to be. But I¡¯ll drop the alliance off on Tero¡¯gal when we¡¯re ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun. I think,¡± Salire said, chuckling. ¡°I guess this is our new reality, huh? Doesn¡¯t this whole plan rely on you doing something in the void?¡±


    Theo drummed his fingers on the table. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s already a problem. Until that space elf recovers, I won¡¯t know what we need to do to bring them all back.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a lot of potions. That reforge potion isn¡¯t easy to make. Do we even have the space for that many people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even our biggest problem, actually. Perhaps I can convince the gods to lend me more power than normal, but I need to place all the shards into specific places on the planet. I might actually see more of this world before I have to go.¡±


    ¡°Which means you¡¯re planning to lean on Fenian and the Bridge of Shadows.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the backup plan.¡±


    The more Theo talked it over with other people, the more he realized he didn¡¯t really have a plan. He hoped things would fall into place, but they rarely did. While it seemed unfair for him to have to take care of this problem on his own, he wasn¡¯t truly alone. A petition to the gods could see all the throne-holders helping him out. Perhaps they could even make an exception, allowing Khahar to visit the mortal world once again.


    After finishing up with his tea, Theo¡¯s mind centered completely on the space elf in the care of the town¡¯s healers. He bid farewell to Salire, heading straight for the temple. Fewer people were praying today than the last time he came, but there were still quite a few there. Of course the dungeon underneath the temple was musty, and lacking light. But a lantern burned at the far end of a hallway. A longer hallway than he remembered from last time. Ziz and his gang must have come around and expand the relatively small complex into something sprawling. How did they even build a basement under such wet ground? The answer was always magic.


    ¡°Zarali,¡± Theo said, turning the corner with a smile when he spotted the woman tending to the elf. ¡°How is he doing?¡±


    ¡°Better,¡± Zarali said, pressing her hand against the man¡¯s forehead. ¡°His fever is still bad, but that¡¯s nothing healing magic can¡¯t ease.¡±


    ¡°Any sign of his recovery?¡± Theo asked.


    Zarali looked down at the prone elf, shaking her head. ¡°Thinking back to when Xol¡¯sa had his soul reforged, I can¡¯t help but wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°If he needs his soul reforged, right?¡± Theo felt the man¡¯s skin. At least his body temperature was high. If his flesh was cold, the alchemist would¡¯ve been more worried. Perhaps that meant his immune system¡ªif such a thing existed in this world¡ªwas working. His body was fighting something off, rather than passively dying. ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t. I truly hope the reason Xol¡¯sa needed to reforge his soul was because he wasn¡¯t born here, or that he was exposed to too much of the void without protection.¡±


    ¡°Right. Perhaps you¡¯re right and I¡¯m just reacting because of what happened to him.¡± Zarali placed her hand on the man¡¯s chest, causing a flash of light to fill the room. ¡°While I can feel his soul, I¡¯m not sure if it was damaged. It feels good. I just don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How about his mind?¡±


    ¡°That part of the process is working amazingly. It already rebuilt itself, and now his mind is¡­ What¡¯s the best way to put this? Making all the old connections. That¡¯s what Bilgrob, myself, and Sulvan decided anyway.¡±


    That was some progress, at least. Xol¡¯sa had taken a few days to recover when his entire soul was reforged. No one could know if a soul or a mind was harder to reforge. The best they could do was watch and wait, hoping for the best.


    ¡°You guys are doing a great job, though. I doubt he would have lasted without you.¡±


    ¡°No need for praise,¡± Zarali said, waving him away. ¡°We¡¯re going to get much more busy around here when you bring the other elves, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, only a few hundred elves to take care of. No big deal, right?¡±


    Zarali scoffed. ¡°I appreciate the optimism, but it might get tricky.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Well, I wouldn¡¯t presume to know how the healing process for something like this works. But maybe there¡¯s a potion I can make to ease his transition.¡±


    ¡°Because every solution is a potion.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it, though?¡±


    Zarali explained how the condition provided by the system worked. Since it was an all-in-one cure for all mind problems, there was little else they could do. This made Theo realize there was something he could do. The first Reforge Mind potion he had crafted was a tier two, 75% purity potion. If they increased the purity of the potion and the tier, it could easily increase the effectiveness of the potion itself.


    ¡°We can increase the purity and tier of the potion pretty easily,¡± Theo said. ¡°Keep up the good work. I¡¯m going to get working on that.¡±


    ¡°You do that,¡± Zarali said with a nod.


    The Reforge Mind potion was made from Searing Regeneration Essence combined with Intelligence Essence. Those were bound with the Suffuse Potion, allowing the resulting potion to jump a tier. Theo headed for the lab right away, not bothering to run this by anyone but Salire.


    ¡°Good news,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the now-empty stills. ¡°We finished a run and we have space. How much do we need?¡±


    ¡°A test run, of course,¡± Theo said, pointing out three stills. ¡°We only need Suffuse, Searing Regeneration, and Intelligence properties of the highest quality we can manage. Which means doing a run with infused reagents, then another run in the centrifuges to get them to tier two.¡±


    ¡°Phew. Sounds like a lot of work,¡± Salire said. But she was already preparing the four stills. ¡°Might as well make it six stills, right?¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue, looking at the floorspace of the lab. ¡°Let¡¯s repurpose some of the second floor for brewing. Perhaps we can just do second tier work there. Six centrifuges?¡±


    ¡°We can move them around as we need,¡± Salire shrugged. ¡°Six up here leaves me four stills to work with. And I can order more of those. The only problem is that I have a massive pile of residue that¡¯s piling up by the minute.¡±


    ¡°Right. You get working on the stills and I¡¯ll chip away at the pile.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should imbue the reagents, first¡­¡±


    There were a few factors working in their favor here. The first was Theo¡¯s ability to imbue reagents with the exact amount of aligned mana they needed. Next was the quality of the reagents. The Lightning Poppy were growing in the aligned greenhouse, giving them the best chance at being as pure as possible. Last was the vast amount of equipment they had at their fingertips.


    ¡°We have plenty of Troll Blood,¡± Theo said, passing his hand over a flask of the disgusting blood. It smelled horribly. ¡°Although I wish we didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°At least the mushrooms don¡¯t stink,¡± Salire said, setting out a tray of the Dragon Talon Mushrooms. ¡°Infuse these with as much mana as you can. They¡¯re the lowest quality of all the reagents we have.¡±


    ¡°Check the quality on the cheese.¡±


    Salire gave Theo a pouting look. ¡°The quality of the cheese is excellent. But I want to eat the cheese.¡±


    ¡°This is alchemical cheese, Salire. Sacrifices must be made.¡±


    Salire huffed, but vanished into the other room before returning with a comically large wheel of cheese. Miana¡¯s cheese-making skills were just increasing as the days went past. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re using the cheese. I barely have to put any mana in it to infuse the properties. Cheer up. We¡¯ll barely use a quarter wheel.¡±


    ¡°And we can eat the rest?¡±


    ¡°No. But you can have a nibble.¡±


    ¡°Just a nibble,¡± Salire said, taking a bite out of the wheel. She spat it on the ground. ¡°She¡¯s covered it in wax.¡±


    ¡°She always covers them in wax,¡± Theo said, peeling back the layer. ¡°Try again.¡±

 6.72 - Making More Planets

    Tero¡¯gal¡¯s new form of alchemy had a lot of twists and turns. Drogramath¡¯s alchemy functioned linearly, seeming to always produce predictable things. Putting an amount of reagents and water into a still would produce almost equal parts out, making it easy to understand. With his new core, Theo found it more of a guessing game when he started a brew. The batches were even different between the ones he ran, and those that Salire ran. Quantity was included in that variation. The stills Throk had constructed would produce anywhere from 25 to 50 units of essence in the end, depending on a few factors including purity and the skill of the alchemist.


    Perhaps the paint-by-numbers version of alchemy wasn¡¯t completely gone. But it was heading in a direction where skill and knowledge mattered more than just throwing everything at the still and praying for the best.


    ¡°How many projects are you involved in?¡± Salire asked, wiping her brow. Most of the stills were loaded and ready to go. There was a pile of equipment to test, but she didn¡¯t seem eager to do so.


    ¡°This project, obviously,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Then just the space elves, end of the world party, and the tethers and beacons. I¡¯ve really whittled down my list of projects.¡±


    ¡°Guess we lucked out with the dungeons, huh?¡±


    Theo nodded, taking a good sniff of the various brewing essences. The Gas Detector Throk had built was useful, but nothing could beat the nose of a seasoned alchemist. He had little opinion about the dungeons. They had formed from the concentrated energy from the fake heavens, which he was viewing more as a corrupted energy as time went on. Although the area was still filled with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy, it behaved more like the system had intended.


    ¡°We were lucky that the plan to release the true gods worked,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not that I disagree with the premise. We got very lucky.¡±


    Salire nodded along, tapping her finger along the rim of a hot still. Once this run of potions was done, they would have enough Reforge Mind potions to fix a fair number of the elves. Once the recovering elf was up and talking, the alchemist would be happy enough with the brew to bring the others over. This new version of the potion would be far more potent and should cut recovery time by quite a bit.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re just waiting around. Maybe someone should test the new devices.¡± Salire trailed off after speaking, as though she wanted nothing to do with it.


    ¡°You need to practice your mana control,¡± Theo said, smiling as he saw her face brighten. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll take a look at these¡­ things.¡±


    ¡°Huzzah!¡± Salire shouted, jumping into the air. ¡°Since you can see the future, you make a better test subject¡­ Erm, experimenter. Not ¡®test subject.¡¯¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m nice,¡± Theo said with a wink, scooping all the devices into his inventory. ¡°I¡¯m headed to the giant metal cube of death. Bye.¡±


    Salire waved as Theo left the lab. He was unsurprised when Sarisa and Rowan appeared from the shadows, begging him to let them forgo the experiments. He agreed, summoning a few golems for his guard. Not that he needed them. After cleaning the inside of the metal cube, he took a look at the devices Throk had provided.


    Perhaps the instructions weren¡¯t clear, but several of the devices he had provided were variations on the first-tier ones. Well, he was shooting blind like the rest of them so it wasn¡¯t a surprise. Salire had marched into his workshop and requested whatever his mind could come up with, not something that would specifically send them forward to third tier alchemy. The first tier was a paddle, second was a spinner¡­ what would the third tier be? Mana injection, of course. Somehow.


    Theo looked over the devices Throk had provided, shaking his head at most. There was an iterative form of the second tier centrifuge that would be interesting. It had some improvements over the original model, providing better control and pressure features that would be helpful. The alchemist focused on one that might work for what he had in mind. During some old experiments they had fooled around with mana injection. That led Throk to develop a mana injection device inspired by Zarali¡¯s enchanting cores.


    ¡°This might work,¡± Theo said, inspecting the device. He accepted two other devices without inspecting them much, and with no intentions of testing them. He took the newest device into his inventory, leaving the others in the giant metal cube. ¡°My job here is done. Time to bother Throk.¡±


    Leaving the cube, Theo stopped in to surprise Salire. She was less shocked than he had hoped, but just enough for him to gain some satisfaction of being out of the cube. Next stop was Throk¡¯s workshop, which seemed to change more as the days went on. The man drew in apprentices like honey drew bears. Did honey draw bears? Theo doubted it, but he pressed forward anyway. For the first time in a long time, Throk didn¡¯t seem very annoyed when he entered.


    ¡°What would you like today, alchemist?¡± Throk asked, not looking up from the device he worked on. Theo didn¡¯t recognize it.


    ¡°A variation on this artifice,¡± Theo said, producing it from his inventory.


    ¡°What changes?¡± Throk asked.


    ¡°Can we mimic the mixing chamber from our last venture into Drogramathi alchemy? One still with pressure and heat, and another that can hold mana, injecting it into the main chamber at a set rate.¡±


    Theo waited as Throk turned his head, looking at the ceiling. ¡°Do you want variations on that concept?¡±


    ¡°If you have good ideas, yeah,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I only have good ideas. You¡¯re free to leave.¡±


    Theo turned and walked out, happy to leave with only minimal grumbling. Once the various essence Salire was working on were done, he could move full force into the next phase. For now, his mind centered on another issue. Something he had wanted to do for a while.


    ¡°Tresk, what are you doing?¡± Theo asked, using their telepathic connection.


    ¡°Scouting.¡±


    ¡°Scouting where, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Dreams. That¡¯s my job, y¡¯know?¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Let me know when you¡¯ve wrapped up. I want to have an all-thrones meeting with the system.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds far more entertaining. Give me five.¡±


    Theo withdrew his communication crystal, contacting Fenian and giving him the same instructions. Since the elf held the Throne of the Herald¡ªand that throne was on Tero¡¯gal¡ªhe could teleport to it¡­ Or use the Bridge, as long as the Bridge was open. Of course he was slightly grumpy about having to leave his newest revenge plot, but agreed to head to Tero¡¯gal in five minutes. Khahar wouldn¡¯t have been busy. Or at least if he was, he would agree to the meeting. Hopefully.


    The wings of a giant goose-dragon beat overhead about ten minutes later. Alex landed, her features becoming more dragon-like by the day. Now she was quadrupedal, and the position of her wings had shifted. He hoped she would edge closer to dragon soon, since she looked more like a horror right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, jerking his head and dropping them into the void. He brought along Alex, but would just deposit her inside of Tero¡¯gal or Tol¡¯bak before they made their way to the system. A quick zip through the void, and they were standing on the surface of Tero¡¯gal. Fenian waved from the distance.


    ¡°What¡¯s this meeting about?¡± Fenian asked, jogging over. He was wearing his normal frilly clothes and had an air of interest about it. Excited, rather than annoyed.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Theo said, vanishing from the spot. He arrived at the Arbiter¡¯s Citadel a moment later, finding Khahar behind his big wooden desk. ¡°Meeting in Tero¡¯gal.¡±


    ¡°About?¡± Khahar asked.


    ¡°I want to establish our authority with the system,¡± Theo said. ¡°I know it has all these rules, but I want it to know us on a personal level.¡±


    ¡°You think the system has a personality?¡± Khahar asked with a smile. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t a bad idea. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Theo zipped both himself and Khahar to Tero¡¯gal in a blink. Tol¡¯bak was hovering overhead, distant enough to be as large as the moon was back on Earth. He wasn¡¯t sure if the world had a proper sun, or if it was more of a simulation, but the moon glowed a faint shade of green.


    ¡°Okay. Like I just told Khahar, we¡¯re going to meet with the system. I want to make sure we lay everything out for it, ensuring our authority to operate in this part of the universe.¡± Theo waited for someone to say something.


    Of course, Tresk took the chance. ¡°We gonna stab the system?¡±


    ¡°Not everything requires stabbing,¡± Fenian said with a sigh. ¡°Although, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not stabbing the system,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Theo is right. The system has hard-coded rules it has to follow, but it has wiggle room in other areas. Those decisions to give us more or less leeway might be influenced by its personality.¡±


    ¡°Our general approach should be that we¡¯re good little boys and girls,¡± Theo said, nodding to each member of his party. Alex had already flown off. Or teleported away to the moon. ¡°And we¡¯re all really dedicated to our roles. I want this to be a meeting with us and the system. Not the gods.¡±


    ¡°Where did you come up with this idea?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Seems like a good idea to me. Put our foot down. Make our mark on the system itself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been talking to the gods, and the system is always there. Since I¡¯m waiting for potions to brew, I figured this was a good use of my time.¡±


    ¡°And our time,¡± Khahar commented. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m pretty bored.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not in bed with a fine maiden, so I don¡¯t mind,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Although I¡¯m still not good at traveling through the void. Almost got lost, so I latched onto a strand of the Bridge¡­ Do we know if the Bridge is closing after the change?¡±


    ¡°We can ask the system,¡± Theo said, clearing his throat. ¡°Ready?¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement. Theo focused on each of them, encasing them in a bubble of his will. This was his job, after all. The Dreamwalker moved through the void, going between the heavenly places. They dropped into the void, getting a good view of the center even from just outside of Tero¡¯gal. A short trip later, and they were stomping across the frozen field, bordered on all sides by darkness. Only the platform straight ahead was illuminated, as though waiting for their arrival.


    Theo climbed the steps, shivering as he dusted the snow from his shoulders. To his surprise, the system was already hovering in the platform¡¯s center. Of course it was expecting them. It was the system.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Theo said, bowing his head as he approached the floating crystalline entity. ¡°Thanks for meeting with us.¡±


    The system inclined its head to each of the members. ¡°As you might know, I¡¯m aware of your intentions.¡±


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Khahar said, inclining his head. ¡°It is the wish of this council to meet with you regularly. To see where we are needed, and to use our specific skills to carry out the system¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°To crack some heads,¡± Tresk said, unhelpfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± the system said, something of a smile spreading across its angular face. Theo still wanted to think of her as a woman, but it was hard. That flash of emotion made it slightly easier. ¡°Each of you has a duty to carry out. My power generated the thrones automatically to act as a counter-balance. When the false ascendants took power, they appeared. It only took you about fifty-thousand years to find them, Yuri.¡±


    ¡°Right. Things were difficult to understand back then. And I spent almost that entire time in deep meditation,¡± Khahar said.


    ¡°That act saved your mind. You¡¯re extremely calculating, Arbiter,¡± the system said. ¡°As for you, Ivaran¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Please don¡¯t use that name,¡± Fenian said, chuckling as he looked at the others.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that one,¡± Theo said. ¡°I like Ian better.¡±


    ¡°Your scheming and plotting must come to an end,¡± the system said. ¡°If you carry out your current plan, I will seal your throne.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean to seal a throne?¡± Khahar asked. Fenian looked dejected.


    ¡°All thrones will be sealed with the change. Each holder of a throne will be bound to their duty. The Arbiter shall act as the arbiter of the gods and myself, settling disputes and setting boundaries. The Dreamwalker shall be the ferryman for those issues, along with a messenger and enforcer to both the mortal and heavenly realms. The Herald shall be the spear of the system, enforcing the rules on the mortal plane. Finally, the Dreamer shall be the hand of the Herald, collecting information and spreading it through the dreams of mortals. Should your throne be sealed, you will be restricted to your future duties early.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Admonished by the system,¡± Tresk said, clicking her tongue. ¡°What¡¯s your current plan?¡±


    ¡°He plans to take revenge on several individuals. The Shade of Balkor, the Ogre King Slog, King Hanan¡­ Well, the list goes on,¡± the system said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Fenian said, bowing his head.


    Theo couldn¡¯t remember the last time he saw Fenian nervous like this. But there was a flare of anger under the surface. The elf was crazy enough to try his wild schemes.


    ¡°And of course we¡¯re happy to abide by whatever your will is,¡± Khahar said, trying to smoothe over the indiscretion.


    ¡°We appreciate the leeway you¡¯ve given us to help the Bara¡¯thier,¡± Theo added. ¡°I know I¡¯m taking my time with the project, but I¡¯ll have it done soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Along with your party,¡± the system added. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with you bringing mortal souls to your realms. They should pass through Death¡¯s Gate when the end comes, but I understand your desire to ferry them yourself. But you still must convince the gods to allow it. Especially Death.¡±


    ¡°This meeting isn¡¯t to discuss the nuts and bolts of that act,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯re simply setting the table for this relationship and our future.¡±


    ¡°A prudent move,¡± the system said. ¡°One that I appreciate. You will have as much time¡ªwithin reason¡ªto move the elves. I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t bring them directly to your realm. But you should focus on forming the Herald¡¯s world. It won¡¯t be as easy as creating Tol¡¯bak.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ I need to make a planet, don¡¯t I?¡± Fenian asked.


    The system bowed her head, the tugging at the corners of its¡ªher¡ªangular lips becoming a full-blown smile. ¡°I look forward to working with you all.¡±

 6.73 - Iaredin Before

    ¡°Should be easy, right?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Ivaran,¡± Theo mocked. ¡°Super easy.¡±


    ¡°Not like you ever formed a planet,¡± Fenian grumbled.


    ¡°I have!¡± Tresk said, bouncing with excitement.


    ¡°So have I,¡± Khahar said.


    After meeting with the system, it only seemed right to form Fenian¡¯s planet. Theo wanted to get it out of the way, ensuring nothing would change before they had the chance. Putting the task off only opened them up to a situation where the system or the gods took that feature away. Khahar¡¯s world had been formed alongside a throne, making him the expert in this matter. But the world Fenian planned to create would draw strictly from his throne, instead of relying on an existing realm. One could draw parallels between the two, but not enough to follow the instructions step-by-step.


    Theo¡¯s theory was that it would only require the throne in the void and the system would handle the rest. Fenian might have to work his willpower over the throne, or invoke some command they weren¡¯t aware of. But it seemed possible based on the information he had gathered.


    ¡°So, do you have anything in mind for your world?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian turned, smiling. ¡°Indeed. A copy of Iaredin before¡­ this. The place I remember, rather than what it has become.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to mirror your home?¡± Khahar asked with a chuckle. ¡°Well, at least we¡¯ll have a world that isn¡¯t just a swamp.¡±


    ¡°You talking smack about swamp-world?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I would never.¡±


    Fenian shifted uncomfortably. Like most people, he didn¡¯t like the void. Although he could technically travel the void to reach his throne, he had to rely on the Bridge to get to Tero¡¯gal. His hesitation was understandable, but even if he waited a while he wouldn¡¯t be more ready in the future.


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Theo said, clapping his hands. ¡°Wanna grab your throne and head out?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need some guards, won¡¯t we?¡± Fenian asked, shifting nervously. ¡°Perhaps a gigantic cannon and an army of angry sheep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine for now,¡± Theo said, grabbing Fenian by the arm. They snapped to the underground place where the Throne of the Herald was stored, appearing back near the welcome center with both the throne and a chunk of the remaining realm. ¡°This is good. We have a decent chunk of the Realm of the Herald¡¯s energy here. All bottled up near the throne.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you got it dirty,¡± Fenian said, scrutinizing his magical seat.


    ¡°We left it in a cave,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°You just can¡¯t keep things clean in a cave.¡±


    ¡°Shall we come with you?¡± Khahar asked. ¡°Perhaps I can provide guidance.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Theo asked, wrapping his will around everyone gathered. ¡°Party in the void.¡±


    Theo dropped them into the void, getting some distance from the other ¡®planets.¡¯ While they were arranged in the system as though they should orbit around the central ¡®sun,¡¯ they didn¡¯t. Each planet remained where it was, including Tero¡¯gal and Tol¡¯bak. Any orbit observed from the planet and moon was simulated.


    ¡°Here?¡± Fenian asked, looking around. ¡°I like it better over there.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t matter where,¡± Khahar said. ¡°You¡¯re just establishing your authority.¡±


    Fenian grumbled, looking over to his throne. ¡°How did you do it, Tresk?¡±


    ¡°Sat on my throne and thought about it real, real, real hard.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said with a sigh. He climbed onto his throne and sat, looking around with an unsettled gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll just sit here and¡­ This chair isn¡¯t very comfortable. You know, I think we should get a cushion before I make my world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just leave you here,¡± Theo warned. ¡°That should help you figure it out.¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ I¡¯ll get it,¡± Fenian said. He closed his eyes letting out a steady breath.


    It took Fenian a long time to get over whatever hangup he had. Theo felt the energies of the Throne of the Herald creeping up around him. The elf¡¯s face gained a look of absolute concentration as he worked on the new planet. It hadn¡¯t taken Tresk long to make the moon, so he assumed this would be no different. But about a half-hour later, nothing had happened.


    ¡°Tea?¡± Tresk asked, withdrawing steaming mugs of tea from the shared inventory.


    Theo accepted his cup, as did Khahar.


    ¡°Lovely. Thanks, Tresk,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°He¡¯s controlling the energy at least,¡± Khahar said, sipping his tea and nodding with approval. ¡°Good tea¡­ Seems like he¡¯s bullying the throne more than anything.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll listen to the system?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Stop all his weird schemes.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Khahar said. ¡°He¡¯d rather be censured than give up on his dreams. Instead, he¡¯ll prioritize which person he wants dead the most.¡±


    ¡°Why would the system even block that?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Does it care about what happens to the mortals?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t know,¡± Khahar said. ¡°The people he wants to kill might be important. Or protected for some other reason.¡±


    ¡°Think I got it,¡± Fenian said, smiling to himself. His eyes were still closed as he worked on his planet. ¡°This interface takes an immense amount of details, but I figured out how to feed it my memories. That sped up the process, but it still took a moment. Care to see the birth of a planet?¡±


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    ¡°Sometime today would be nice,¡± Tresk sighed.


    ¡°Shut it, toad.¡±


    Tresk made a shocked face that faded quickly. Something glowed in the distance. A shimmer of light appeared in the void, born from nothing and creating glittering mist after a few moments. That mist shone as it collected, filled with bolts of electricity that struck at flakes of prismatic essence, turning them into something more solid. Pieces joined, forming something more solid.


    ¡°Is that what happened with the moon?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Nope. It just winked into existence,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°This is new for me, too.¡±


    The group watched as Fenian¡¯s planet formed. He seemed very pleased with himself for the entire formation of the new planet. When it was finally done, the throne vanished from under his butt, likely appearing on the planet itself. From the planet¡¯s orbit, it was impossible to make out details. The floating orbs appeared more like general representations of what was inside, not the actual landmasses.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Land us wherever you want,¡± Fenian said, jumping up and down with excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve placed the throne in my place of birth.¡±


    Theo shrugged and took them in for a landing. He wanted to ask what the throneworld would be called, but that would come later. Steering them into the planet, he felt the familiar blink¡ªa sensation like heading through a portal. A moment later, they were standing on a barren landscape. Fenian turned, placing a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it from here,¡± he said, turning northward.


    The alchemist felt himself being pulled with the elf as he stepped forward. It didn¡¯t take someone with otherworldly senses to know they were heading for the place he had set his throne down. Another instant passed and they were standing in a city. Gray stone marked the place with wide avenues bordered on either side by timber buildings. The roofs were a uniform shade of gray, marked by wooden slats stained or painted. Market stalls, stone planters, and other signs of life were littered around the area.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Tresk said, looking around. ¡°You were born here?¡±


    ¡°I took a page out of your book, dear Dreamer,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I¡¯ve imagined it just before everything happened back then.¡±


    ¡°Perisart,¡± Khahar said, smiling as he looked around.


    ¡°A name you shouldn¡¯t know,¡± Fenian said with a sigh. ¡°I sometimes forget about your information gathering abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ruled by King Leon back in your day. Before his betrayal and ascension to the Realm of Death,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Is that the palace?¡±


    Khahar had gestured to spires in the distance, looming through a sheet of fog. Those towers dominated the landscape, rising high above the already considerable walls. Theo couldn¡¯t help but think about what a city would do with such massive walls. It indicated an enemy that could threaten the mighty city. A concerning fact.


    ¡°And¡­ Zorp!¡± Fenian said, dragging the group along to the palace. It was situated in a circular clearing, bordered on all sides by tall buildings. Something that looked like a cathedral sat next to the building with all the spires. Both struck an impressive image. ¡°The palace. I visited it when I was a boy, but this area was normally restricted. Oh¡­ Care to see something interesting?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, right?¡± Theo asked, clapping a hand on Fenian¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Of course! This concerns you¡­ Hmmm, it isn¡¯t quite right. My version is only decorative¡­¡± Fenian scrunched his nose, then shrugged. ¡°Oh, well.¡±


    Fenian transported the group to another place in the world, likely hundreds¡ªif not thousands¡ªof miles away. The landscape around them was notable for the rocky hills, rolling all the way to the horizon. They stood on the battlements of a stone keep, cloistering a white tower that had seen better days. A faint blue light radiated from within, and Theo knew what the elf had brought them here for.


    ¡°The shards,¡± Fenian said, descending the battlements. ¡°This tower was built during the war. To defend the shard.¡±


    Theo followed behind, getting a better look at the massive floating crystal. He had a feeling it didn¡¯t compare to the real one in any way, other than looks. ¡°Is this the true location of it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re standing on the Tarantham continent, if you equate this to the authentic version of Iaredin. There was another one back in the city, but I had never seen it.¡±


    ¡°These are some sturdy walls!¡± Tresk shouted, slapping the wall. ¡°Was this place run by a seed core?¡±


    ¡°No. We didn¡¯t have those. This wall was built by hand¡­ By cultists, actually. They worshiped the shards.¡±


    ¡°The next location?¡± Khahar asked. ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯re saving something for last.¡±


    ¡°There are a few locations of note. My memories are mostly of the Tarantham continent. Although we didn¡¯t call it that, most would¡¯ve called it Pera¡¯tal. Anyway, this is Vesta.¡±


    A blink later, Theo felt a chill bite through his Coat of Rake. He stood on a tower, overlooking a rolling landscape as though observing the world from a skyscraper. He looked down, feeling his stomach turn as he saw the distance to the ground below. The wind whipped with such fury, he couldn¡¯t hear what the others were saying¡ªif anything. Fenian was kind enough to take them down to street-level. One thing was clear, the city of Vesta was absolutely massive. The alchemist had never seen the larger cities on Iaredin, but he couldn¡¯t imagine them being bigger than this. Even the city they were just shown wasn¡¯t this big.


    ¡°This is where it all happened,¡± Fenian said with a sigh. ¡°Where the guild was formed. Where we assembled. This is the place where I cut my teeth as a trader and a duelist.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an odd combination of professions,¡± Theo said. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t have seed cores? How different was the system?¡±


    ¡°Very different,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why it changed so much with the most recent change, but it did. Even before then it was different. Everyone had to learn how the new system worked, and it was sometimes annoying. Compared to what we have now, it was fairly unforgiving. Lots of choices you could make that you couldn¡¯t unmake. I knew a man who had access to some interesting traits, though. He soared above us all before long. Always flaunting his power¡­ That¡¯s how I got so good at fighting. The constant sparring with him.¡±


    Fenian had fallen back into his memories. His eyes seemed unfocused, locked on something in the middle-distance only he could see. After a long silence, tears pooled in the corners of his eyes and he did nothing to wipe them away.


    ¡°My wife made it through the war. She was a crafter like you, Theo,¡± Fenian said, taking a deep breath. It might have been the first time the alchemist saw him showing his genuine emotions. Or perhaps this was another mask. ¡°I thought once I had my revenge I could find her.¡±


    ¡°Find her?¡± Tresk asked, wincing as she tried to pull her goblin nature back. ¡°Sorry. Thought she died.¡±


    ¡°Is death the end?¡± Fenian asked with a shrug. ¡°Sometimes. But not always.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t last long in the void,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Not after so much time.¡±


    ¡°But maybe,¡± Fenian said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve avenged her. Mostly. Maybe only my pride is left to avenge. Or maybe I can give it up and dedicate myself to finding her soul.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t want to hear it, but if she was left in the void¡­¡± Theo trailed off.


    ¡°Then Death will have her,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Which means I need to cozy up to an enemy I¡¯ve sworn to kill. Well, he¡¯s unkillable now, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Khahar got a look in his eyes.


    ¡°We can¡¯t kill a god,¡± Fenian said, narrowing his eyes at Khahar. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare pretend like we can kill a god.¡±


    ¡°Gods can be dethroned,¡± Khahar said. ¡°Literally. They hold thrones just like us. Glantheir passed the information on to me. Wanted me to fight Zaul for his spot as Shadow. He defeated the old Hallow without throwing a spell.¡±


    ¡°Old Franz Nosske,¡± Fenian said with a sad chuckle. ¡°Now there was a spineless man¡­ So, you¡¯re serious.¡±


    Khahar shrugged. ¡°I never wanted Kuzan on the Throne of Death. Perhaps they call it something different now. Glantheir didn¡¯t say. But they have to fight to keep their spots. Just like us.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Theo said with a heavy sigh. For dramatic effect, he withdrew a sheet of parchment from his inventory. After touching a fountain pen to his tongue, he held the parchment at arm¡¯s length. ¡°Let me just add an item to my list here¡­ kill¡­ death¡­ Yeah, that should be easy enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hell yeah!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Finally! A plan that involves me stabbing something!¡±


    ¡°The plan doesn¡¯t involve you stabbing anything,¡± Theo said, shaking his head at the marshling.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Khahar bit his lip, revealing his long canines. ¡°It might.¡±

 6.74 - Just Chilling

    Killing Death seemed like a goofy plan. Theo wasn¡¯t onboard with it, but he wouldn¡¯t vote against it if the others wanted to go through with the plan. The logistics of such a plan were bad enough. If one were to consider the implications and how this might put them out with the gods, things got even worse. But as always, Khahar had a plan that went too deep to have been thought up on the spot. The alchemist didn¡¯t believe Death was the target of this plan originally, but it was a contingency. Then there was the vote of the gods he needed to bring along his landmass.


    The group met for a few hours on Fenian¡¯s new planet, which he had named Erradon¡ªalthough he wouldn¡¯t explain where he had come up with the name or why he settled on that one. Theo was happy to dismiss the god business. Thankfully, there were steps Khahar had to take to make the plan work. After reassurances that nothing they were doing was against the rules, the alchemist departed, depositing the various groups where they wanted to go.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make a planet with buildings already on it?¡± Theo asked as he and Tresk landed back home. The ground rumbled as Alex took a few steps forward.


    ¡°I wanted a blank slate,¡± Tresk said, wiping her hands through the air as though revealing some pristine vision.


    All Theo could see was the endless swamp of her planet. But Broken Tusk had been built from the same concept. Why not an entire world for a swamp. Screw it. With the end of the world in sight, there was no one to tell them how to make their planets. Tero¡¯gal, Tol¡¯bak, Khahak, and Erradon were now four Throneworlds strong. Their position with the system was cemented. And they were planning to kill a god. Well, unseat one. But still.


    ¡°Should we get some food?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Maybe head over to the tavern for once?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Tresk said, nodding down the street. Both Sarisa and Rowan were approaching. They had seen Tresk and Theo appear as they lingered by the manor. ¡°Let¡¯s bring those chuckleheads along. Just gotta feed Alex first.¡±


    Theo nodded, meeting up with Sarisa and Rowan. They looked slightly bored, but otherwise content with the current arrangement. ¡°Dinner?¡±


    ¡°If that means we don¡¯t need to cook,¡± Sarisa said, clapping with excitement. ¡°Then, yes!¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Rowan said, rolling his shoulders.


    ¡°Is he still sleeping in the garden?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Sometimes. Depends on how sensitive he is,¡± Sarisa said, giving her brother a playful punch in the arm.


    ¡°Tresk visits me every single night if I use the baby version of the Dreamwalk,¡± Rowan said. He certainly looked tired.


    After Tresk put Alex down in her stable for the night, the group headed for the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was packed, as always. But Xam had done a few things to relieve the long wait times for tables. Leveling the building and creating expansions went a long way to help with that. Increasing the number of servers and even hiring another cook helped even more. It didn¡¯t help that traders enjoyed using the tavern while they were in town to have a nice bed to sleep in. That only increased how packed the place was.


    The group settled in at the private booth. Theo¡¯s eyes lingered on the small nesting box Xam had built for Alex. The goose-dragon wouldn¡¯t have a chance of fitting in there now. She wasn¡¯t likely to fit into any part of the building, and it was only getting worse. Before long, she wouldn¡¯t even fit in her own barn. A sad story, but that was the life of a dragon-goose.


    Before long, a server came and set four plates on the table. It was a take on a Broken Tusk classic. The standard wolf meat stew had been reduced down from thick broth to a goopy gravy. That was poured over straight, flat noodles and garnished with green vegetation and shredded cheese. The entire pile was topped with a glob of white cream.


    ¡°Her dishes are getting more complex,¡± Theo said, mixing the food before him. Tresk did the same. When it was all mixed up, he watched in horror as she¡­ ate like a normal person. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Better than ever. Why?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t tipped the entire plate into your open gob,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t have a fever or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Tresk slapped Theo¡¯s hand away as he went to press it against her forehead. ¡°Just trying some new things, ya know?¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Alex is evolving, isn¡¯t she? Maybe I gotta evolve a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit though,¡± Sarisa said with a smile. ¡°We don¡¯t want you changing too much you little scamp.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty scampish, aren¡¯t I?¡± Tresk asked with a giggle.


    ¡°How about this plan of ours?¡± Theo asked, trying not to grumble. It was hard. ¡°Think it¡¯ll work?¡±


    ¡°You saw Fenian¡¯s eyes when Khahar mentioned it, right? He even promised to drop his assassination plan on Balkor¡¯s Shadow. That guy wants Kuzan dead like no one else on the planet.¡± Tresk let out a heavy sigh, forking a few more noodles and hunks of wolf meat. ¡°If we can direct his energy in a constructive way, we good.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a big change,¡± Rowan grumbled, eyes locked on Tresk.


    ¡°Our personalities bleed into each other,¡± Theo explained. ¡°Tresk constantly fights it, but sometimes she slips.¡±


    ¡°It goes both ways,¡± Tresk said, narrowing her eyes at Theo. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you go full marshling mode before.¡±


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    ¡°More like full goblin mode,¡± Sarisa muttered.


    ¡°Unseating Kuzan isn¡¯t going to be easy, though. The plan is based on Khahar¡¯s silly theory. Who wouldn¡¯t want to be a god?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Theo said. ¡°We have our part to play, and we need to stick to it. I¡¯ve spread myself too thin in the past, and I¡¯m looking to correct that. We¡¯re all evolving.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t want to talk about their plan much. Not because he was afraid someone would overhear. The Seal in place between the heavens and the mortal world was firmly in place. But he was serious about sticking to their roles. Too many times he had stretched himself over many projects, trying to be everything for everyone. If there was one thing he learned about his time in Broken Tusk, it was the importance of others. Even with his cheat powers, the town would crumble without the efforts of many people.


    Dinner was nice. Theo was surprised with each bite Tresk took, showing her immense restraint. She was trying to calm herself down, taking things one step at a time rather than rushing through to her goal. Dinner gave way to light conversation and lingering footsteps toward the bathhouse. Instead of making their way straight to bed, the group instead went for a soak in the hot water. Lowering himself up to his nose, the alchemist watched as everyone relaxed. With a few conversations springing up here and there, the group enjoyed the refreshing waters. Once everyone was too tired to soak, they went to bed for the night. Even Rowan slept inside, although Tresk giggled ominously before they retired.


    ###


    Breakfast the next morning was normal. What came after wasn¡¯t. Tresk ran off like she normally did¡ªalthough the way she ate breakfast was anything but normal. She once again ate like a normal person. After vanishing for only a few minutes, she returned to catch up to Theo making his way from the manor to the lab. Alex landed on the road, stomping along as they walked.


    ¡°So, what is this?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to Tresk.


    ¡°What?¡± Tresk asked, looking down at herself. ¡°Do I have goose crap on me?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re just coming along¡­ For what?¡±


    ¡°Just hanging out,¡± Tresk answered, waving him away.


    ¡°Just chilling,¡± Alex added.


    Theo nodded, although he couldn¡¯t sense either of their intentions. But it would only be a lie to himself if he said he didn¡¯t enjoy their company. Any time a member of the Tara¡¯hek was near, he felt a sense of calm. Even at a distance he could sense that comforting sensation, but when Tresk or Alex was near, the effect increased significantly. The alchemist could feel that she was hiding nothing. A genuine sense of wanting to be close to her soul bonded partner flooded through her, although she hid the source.


    ¡°So, what are you working on today?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo gestured to the equipment piled outside of the Newt and Demon, shaking his head. Throk never disappointed when it came to matters of whipping together artifices in such a short time. He suspected the artificer had repurposed some old stuff, but if it worked it worked. ¡°Looks like we have some new equipment to test. Looks like the door is unlocked, so I¡¯m gonna bet Salire is working on the new Reforge Mind potions.¡±


    ¡°Which means what?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Can I help?¡±


    ¡°You can run to the temple and check on how the resting space elf is doing,¡± Theo said. ¡°Once he¡¯s awake, we can work on the other guys.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on it, boss,¡± Tresk said, saluting and spinning on the spot. She dashed away, followed closely behind by Alex.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Theo said, entering the lab as he watched the marshling depart. It was a strange but welcome turn of events. The alchemist made his way up the stairs. ¡°Hey, Salire¡­ Any progress?¡±


    As expected, Salire was on the third floor working on some potions. From the aroma, Theo suspected she was working on the Reforge Mind potions. The ones she was working on smelled less offensive, holding almost a floral scent.


    ¡°Oh! I was just working on these,¡± Salire said, turning and holding a potion for Theo to see. ¡°All by myself like a big girl. I faked the third tier using the Suffuse Potion. As you suspected, we had a few issues to work out. Mana infusion did well to suppress our problem with low quality.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Theo said, holding the potion in his hand. He gave it a swirl, nodding with approval.


    [Greater Reforge Mind]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Salire Hogrush


    Purity: 90%


    Imbibing this potion reforges a mortal¡¯s mind. The process is extremely painful, but all illness, damage, mental fatigue, etc are scoured clean.


    ¡°Look at that. An extremely important potion crafted by Salire Hogrush,¡± Theo said, holding it up to the light with a smile. ¡°90% and you didn¡¯t even break a sweat.¡±


    Salire¡¯s cheeks went redder than they normally were. ¡°You did most of the work.¡±


    Theo shrugged. Not really. If Salire wanted, she could do the entire process by herself. It would take a lot longer for her, though. Her mana control had come a long way, but it wasn¡¯t fine enough to get the quality needed to brew third tier potions. He would try not to lie to her about it, discouraging her away from practicing, but the alchemist suspected it would take years without cheats to get where she needed to be.


    ¡°Since you started, we¡¯ve always laid the groundwork together,¡± Theo said. ¡°I can¡¯t predict what Tero¡¯gal will want from us when we finally live there permanently. No idea if it lets me keep all my cheated attributes. So I want to make sure I¡¯m sharp on the skill-based portions of alchemy.¡±


    ¡°So, do you think the Greater Reforge Mind potion I crafted will work?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo leaned over the table, looking at the potion. It seemed fine to him. A higher grade was good enough, but this one was also of a higher purity than the first one they made. Normally, when a potion jumped a tier it lost quality. The alchemist didn¡¯t have much data to back that up, but he observed it once so that¡¯s what he was going with.


    ¡°It should work. We know it¡¯ll work better than the other one we threw together, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, how many should I make? I¡¯ve already got about fifty of them, because¡­ Well, they¡¯re hard to work with.¡± Salire looked slightly ashamed at that. ¡°Feels like I should have more.¡±


    ¡°Just do another run,¡± Theo said, thinking about the new equipment Throk had delivered. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can handle many space elves, anyway. There¡¯s no reason to be worried about only creating fifty of the strongest potions I¡¯ve ever seen. That¡¯s a lot of potions.¡±


    Salire clicked her tongue. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I need to stop comparing our new output with our old output.¡±


    ¡°Especially with potions like this. When you have this many steps to go through, you have to accept some loss along the way. Speaking of, where did you lose most of the essence?¡±


    ¡°Some while distilling the essence itself, and some during the mixing process.¡±


    Theo nodded. The reagents he provided her were infused with his mana, meaning they should have been almost perfect for the task. ¡°Well, we¡¯re still happy.¡±


    Tresk burst through the door, skidding to a stop. ¡°Elf is awake!¡± she shouted. ¡°Gotta come see the elf!¡±


    Theo smiled at Salire. ¡°Guess we¡¯re going to see the elf. Perfect timing, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°I always have perfect timing.¡±

 6.75 - Xolsa, Your Name is Sa

    Sulvan¡¯s dungeon¡ªhospital¡ªwasn¡¯t any more inviting compared to the last time Theo had visited it. The place was damp, dark, and far colder than it should have been. Ziz and his boys had done well to expand the space available for patients. The alchemist still wouldn¡¯t question how they accomplished the feat. It should have flooded from the swamp, or the groundwater deposited by the river. But it was only slightly damp, showing no sights of standing water. Magic or something.


    Zarali, Bilgrob, and Sulvan were all standing at the end of the hall. They nodded as Theo approached, but had looks on their faces that said it wasn¡¯t all good news.


    ¡°How is he?¡± Theo said, approaching with Tresk and Salire close behind. Alex had wanted to come, but she didn¡¯t even fit inside the temple.


    ¡°Better than dead,¡± Bilgrob said. ¡°Tiny elf isn¡¯t dead, so we did a good job. Right?¡±


    As simplistic and ogre-like as the statement was, he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Can I see him?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to see,¡± Salire said, smiling. ¡°But, yes. He¡¯s talking and he even drank some water.¡±


    ¡°Be gentle, Theo,¡± Sulvan said, dabbing his forehead. ¡°My Lord is concerned about this one.¡±


    Theo nodded, poking his head into the door. The space elf was awake, taking shallow breaths as he stared at the ceiling. Theo was thankful he hadn¡¯t brought Xol¡¯sa along to see the elf¡¯s progress. He was alive, but that¡¯s all that could be said about him. The vacancy in his eyes was concerning.


    ¡°My name is Theo Spencer,¡± he said, approaching the bed¡¯s edge. ¡°I¡¯m an alchemist. Do you know where you are?¡±


    The elf sucked in shallow gasps, his gaze locked on the ceiling. Theo got closer, looking into the man¡¯s eyes as though to discern some message written on his irises. The slight vibrations of his pupils showed he was doing something. Perhaps freaking out thanks to his imprisonment in the chunk of land floating in the void. Tresk poked her head out from behind the alchemist, poking the man with a stick.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Theo said, wrapping his will around himself, Tresk, and the elf.


    The moment the bubble of Shadow¡¯s magic encased the group, the elf¡¯s breathing grew steady. By the time they appeared in the void, his eyes were searching around.


    ¡°He¡¯s a void junky,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. The elf rested on the bottom of the bubble, looking around and clawing at nothing. ¡°Perhaps we need to reforge their bodies¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Can you wean him off of his void addiction?¡± Tresk asked, being helpful for once.


    ¡°That could work. I want some answers first. Can you hear me?¡± Theo snapped his fingers in the air, gaining the elf¡¯s attention. ¡°My name is Theo Spencer. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remember,¡± the man said, his voice sounding as though it clawed at his throat.


    ¡°Your people moved a chunk of land into the void. You tried to power it with the Great Shards, but the power faded. The protective bubble collapsed and your race was driven insane.¡± Theo let those words hang in the air. Yeah, he was slightly bitter about what the elves had done. But this wasn¡¯t the first time he cleaned up someone else¡¯s mess. And it wouldn¡¯t be the last. ¡°Do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Water.¡±


    Tresk produced a skin of watered wine from the shared inventory, handing it over. The man drank deeply, draining the entire skin before coming up for air. He gasped, wine dribbling down his chin and onto his ¡®hospital¡¯ clothes. Leaning forward, the elf rubbed his temples and muttered something.


    ¡°The Pilgrimage wasn¡¯t the will of the Bara¡¯their,¡± the elf said. ¡°Just the insane plan of one.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, spicy,¡± Tresk said.


    The elf gained more of himself by the moment. The watered wine did a lot to bring him back. Or perhaps it was the void. Theo couldn¡¯t say, but he wouldn¡¯t complain.


    ¡°Of course, most of us expected it to go wrong. When it did, he was executed. But there was no way to return. The void itself seeped into us, sending one person after the other inside. Our prayers to the ascendants faltered before they traveled through the void. We were lost.¡±


    ¡°You sent one of your children to the mortal world,¡± Theo said. ¡°Do you remember that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We attempted to send people many times. It only worked for the children who hadn¡¯t been corrupted by the void. Did any make it?¡±


    ¡°We know of one. His name is Xol¡¯sa, and he is an accomplished wizard.¡±


    A flash of pride raced across the elf¡¯s face. ¡°Accomplished? Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re still tied to the void. We¡¯ve cured your insanity, but that doesn¡¯t help your current state.¡±


    The elf looked around, gritting his teeth. ¡°You can travel freely through the void?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Theo confirmed. ¡°This is a very recent development, though. What year did your people leave the mortal world?¡±


    ¡°Around 10,000.¡±


    ¡°Wow. We¡¯re almost at 60,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°That long?¡± the elf asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°And the rest of my people?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all fine,¡± Theo said. ¡°Each needs to endure the process you just went through. And we need to find a cure for this void sickness.¡±


    Theo paused, waiting for Void to appear out of nowhere. But he didn¡¯t. The gods had truly sealed themselves away. It was up to mortal hands to figure out how to make this happen.


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    ¡°Bringing you back to the mortal place isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Tresk said. ¡°And we¡¯d break some rules bringing you to the ascendant worlds¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what those are.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it for now,¡± Theo said. ¡°We need to focus on you. Figuring out the mechanism that¡¯s making you get sick. I can¡¯t stay in the void forever.¡±


    ¡°Bring me back to the mortal world. I want to see what will happen,¡± the elf said.


    With a shrug, Theo angled them back to Iaredin. An instant later, they were standing back in that room. The healers were muttering to themselves outside of the room, turning when they group reappeared. When the alchemist let his bubble drop, the elf sagged but didn¡¯t pass out.


    ¡°Did you take him to the gods?¡± Zarali asked.


    ¡°Just into the void.¡± Theo gave the elf a good look, determining if he was fit to stand on his own. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long he can last down here.¡±


    ¡°Not long,¡± the elf said, taking a seat on the bed. ¡°I can feel the void energy leaving my soul.¡±


    Theo exchanged a concerned look with Tresk. She picked up on it as well as he did. ¡°I¡¯m not a healer, but I think I know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Your soul is messed up,¡± Tresk continued. ¡°We saw the same thing with Xol¡¯sa.¡±


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa?¡± the elf asked, his eyes brightening. ¡°I recognize that name¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you remember your name?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Tag¡¯Kalan. Kalan for short. I remember the other mortals having trouble with our names. We normally use the second part,¡± the elf said.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Kalan,¡± Theo said. ¡°And now, you¡¯ll go back into a deep slumber.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Kalan asked.


    ¡°Your soul is corrupted,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°Messed up bad enough that the local system doesn¡¯t know what to do with you. The only fix is a Reforge Soul potion.¡±


    ¡°Which are not in good supply,¡± Theo said. ¡°I think we have a few left over, but the flower needed to make them is difficult to find.¡±


    Kalan sighed, falling back onto the bed. ¡°Can you save them, alchemist? My people, that is.¡±


    ¡°Just because something is hard, doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t do it. We¡¯re already producing as many of the Reforge Mind potions as we can. Next up are the Reforge Soul Potions. We¡¯ll make it happen.¡± Theo placed a comforting hand on the man¡¯s shoulder before withdrawing a potion from his inventory. The alchemist loved nothing more than keeping a massive stock of potions ready at all times. Seeing this one go was painful, but there was no option. ¡°Drink up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re putting him to sleep again?¡± Zarali asked, poking her head through the threshold.


    ¡°I wanted to pretend like this wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But Xol¡¯sa had the same issue. We already have a history of soul corruption with the Bara¡¯their¡­¡±


    Once the vial was empty, Kalan passed out again. Theo clicked his tongue, disappointed there wasn¡¯t a quick fix to his problem.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s done,¡± Sulvan said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to make sure he stays alive.¡±


    ¡°Why not? I¡¯m growing to love this dungeon,¡± Bilgrob said.


    ¡°This is an infirmary. Not a dungeon,¡± Sulvan corrected.


    ¡°Could¡¯ve fooled me.¡±


    Theo jerked his head. Tresk came following him as he left the room. There was a lot to think about, and even more planning. They found Salire at the end of the hall.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to see him?¡± Theo asked, pulling her along as he passed.


    ¡°This place is creepy. Would it kill them to add some lighting?¡±


    Theo tried not to laugh. He explained the situation. They needed to search for an alternative to the Soul Bloom. Anything that had the Soul property would work, but they currently had no alternatives to the hidden property on spirit plants. The problem with the Soul Bloom itself was that it only bloomed when the shifting moon, Telbaris, was in its green phase. With eight phases, that meant they only had a shot at it once every eight days. Even then, the things were hard to find.


    ¡°We should go through our stock, and buy any reagents offered by the merchants,¡± Theo said. ¡°Do you know how many more Reforge Soul potions we have at the lab?¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Salire answered. ¡°And we need¡­ a few hundred?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head south right away,¡± Tresk offered. ¡°Maybe I can find something in the lizard islands.¡±


    ¡°Sarisa? Rowan?¡± Theo asked. The pair appeared immediately. ¡°I want you to head to the caves. Grab anything that looks like a reagent and bring it back. I told the golems to obey your commands, so you can push them out if you need to go deeper.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the brother-sister duo said with salutes. They rushed off.


    Alex flew in, landing roughly on the ground. Tresk winked as she ascended onto the familiar¡¯s back before taking off. Theo couldn¡¯t stop the smile from spreading across his face. Broken Tuskers were good at jumping to action when something needed to be done. That¡¯s what he loved about them. They would drop everything when someone needed help. They didn¡¯t need a reason or an overwrought explanation. Just point them in a direction, give them a hammer, and they would go to work.


    ¡°Tear the lab apart,¡± Theo said. ¡°Time to learn how to deconstruct reagents.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Salire said, straightening up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Theo watched as the woman headed off. He turned his eyes to the sky, thinking about what he had to do. As much as he hated seeing the elves in the void, he had a suspicion. That would be some irony, wouldn¡¯t it?


    The alchemist headed to the town square, watching as people passed by, nodding as they went. He had neglected the town¡¯s level for a while. Perhaps there would be time to do a sweep of upgrades after he sorted out the space elf problem. For now, he passed through Xol¡¯sa¡¯s portal. Since Zarali wasn¡¯t there, he didn¡¯t tip-toe as he ascended the steps. As expected, the wizard was studying one of the many devices he was working on.


    ¡°Good news and bad news,¡± Theo said.


    Xol¡¯sa turned, raising a brow.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve told you. But time was limited. The man we brought back woke. Then he almost died, so I had to put him back under.¡± Theo waited for some amount of anger. But it didn¡¯t come.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, nodding to himself. ¡°Did he speak?¡±


    ¡°Briefly. His name is Tag¡¯Kalan. But he didn¡¯t tell us what he did for the space elves. Apparently, your name is supposed to be Sa,¡± Theo said.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You take the last part of your name is your nickname.¡± Theo shrugged. He thought that would make the news easier to process.


    ¡°You had to use a Reforge Soul Potion, didn¡¯t you?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked with a labored sigh. ¡°That makes the most sense. That also means you need something from me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I sent everyone off to find a reagent with the Soul property, but I had an idea,¡± Theo said. ¡°A pretty bad idea, actually. Well, perhaps you could call it cruel, rather than bad¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Imagine the reagent we need is with the elves. That¡¯s a cruel sense of irony if ever I¡¯ve heard it.¡±


    ¡°Are you confident you¡¯ll find anything of use?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Nope. Just a feeling.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa nodded, pushing away from his table and standing. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I must. What do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Restraining the elves. I can beat them up, but that seems cruel. It might also be a chance for you to set eyes on the shards.¡±


    ¡°I do hate traveling through the void,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a sigh. ¡°But if it needs to be done.¡±


    The bit of land floating in the void was an area untouched by the gods and the ascendants. Theo saw it as an untamed wilderness. He could bring anyone he wanted to that place, although he was uncertain why he would want to. Aside from potential reagents, it only contained the shards and the insane elves. Well, the forests were beautiful, but one didn¡¯t have to travel far in the Southlands Region to find a forest.


    Theo expanded his aura, encompassing Xol¡¯sa. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s go anyway. I¡¯d rather get it over with quickly.¡±

 6.76 - Foreign Reagents

    Theo could have brought anyone to the floating island of the elves. But he had selected Xol¡¯sa for a few reasons. The first was that he was an excellent mage, and mages were great at restraining people with magical chains and all that. The second reason was his study of the shards. Xol¡¯sa needed a better understanding of how they functioned if he was going to make a tether that dragged them through the void. Theo couldn¡¯t tell if that was selfish on his part, or on the part of Xol¡¯sa. But he understood why he would want to avoid a place like this.


    Unpleasant memories and all that.


    Theo and Xol¡¯sa sailed through the void, finding themselves in the far void before long. The tiny dot appeared shortly after, soon becoming the image of a floating island set against the endless blackness of the void. The alchemist steered them to the one safe spot near the ziggurat, taking them in and lending them on the steps. Elves scattered from the area, rushing off into the forest or freezing near the treeline.


    ¡°That never gets old, does it?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked with a sigh. ¡°Why do they have to be so creepy?¡±


    Both Theo and Xol¡¯sa turned to look at the shard stored in the structure. These objects were meant to be glowing blue, hovering in the air and providing some unseen power source.


    ¡°Allow me some time to study the shard,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I could use some more information for my notes.¡±


    Theo nodded, finding his way to the steps of the structure. He sat down, sending his aura blanketing over the area. Some effect of the void-laden area dulled his magical senses. He leaned so heavily on Shadow¡¯s power for that effect that he couldn¡¯t tell if it was a matter of being out of range, or his own ineptitude. But he got some sense that there were magical objects around here. Small blips appeared in his mind, standing out against the endless background of black. He also felt those elves, festering with void energy that mingled with the planar energy he was used to feeling from Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°The more I study these shards, the less I know,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, slapping the side of the dim crystal. ¡°They¡¯re massive lodestones, but their function is unknown to me. As is the mechanism they use to draw power.¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    Xol¡¯sa summoned mana to his hand. The shard reacted, glowing slightly as it sensed a source of mana nearby. ¡°Only if you value your life. I¡¯ll need to run experiments to see how the shards will react when we¡¯re pulling them through the void.¡±


    ¡°I value my life. Take as much time as you need,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a smile. ¡°Would you mind if I took some more readings before we got to work on finding the reagents?¡±


    ¡°Take your time. I¡¯ll just sit here and make sure no elves sneak up on us.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa turned back to his work, leaving Theo to watch the approach. The elves mostly stuck to the area around the trees, standing motionless for the most part. An elf would move across the expanse between the forest and the steps, but retreated when the alchemist tossed some rocks at them. At least that was enough to keep them at bay. Their minds had been broken by the void, but he was happy to know there was enough of them left to heal everyone.


    If the plan to reforge their souls didn¡¯t work, Theo would petition the gods for help. He knew Hallow would vote for him, but was unsure about the others. Death would vote against it, but whatever. Kuzan was a jerk and everyone knew it. Shadow might vote in his favor, but it was impossible to know with that guy. Even when he was Zaul, he had a reputation for being insane. Even considering that reputation, his scholarly cult was one of the most prolific in the world. So that had to count for something. The others were unknown to him. They might vote either way.


    ¡°You know more than most about enchanting objects with magic,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, breaking Theo out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Not as much as someone like Zarali, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°When an item you¡¯ve enchanted runs out of mana, what normally happens?¡±


    Theo had to think back. Perhaps it was just his form of warding¡ªwhich might have been considered enchanting¡ªbut his stuff normally exploded. ¡°Depends on the quality of the material. It usually crumbles or explodes, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re talking about direct enchantments, by the way. Not enchantments that enhance the performance of something like Zarali does. No, these shards are something else entirely. Lodestones, like I said. But my theory is that they draw a type of dimensional energy that we¡¯re not normally aware of.¡±


    ¡°If the energy can permeate between dimensions, why aren¡¯t they powered here?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ve paid more attention to my instruction than I thought.¡± Xol¡¯sa turned, smiling at Theo. ¡°I think this is the energy of the system itself. A kind of background energy. It wouldn¡¯t paint the entire realm with the energy, right? It would select where to do so. The mortal realms and the heavens. Maybe.¡±


    It was as good of a theory as any, but it didn¡¯t help them get the shards out from the void island. ¡°Where does this get us?¡±


    ¡°Oh. As long as we contain the energy of my tethers, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I mean, have you tried to move these things without the tethers?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    Without further prompting, Theo expanded his will around the shard. When he tugged, it wouldn¡¯t move. The size of the shard was enough to give him pause, but it was more than the physical size of it. Instead, it had a conceptual size greater than anything he could think of. It wouldn¡¯t move even if he had enough willpower to handle both the physical and metaphysical size. Only Xol¡¯sa¡¯s relocation tethers would work.


    ¡°Nope. This bad boy ain¡¯t going nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Xol¡¯sa pushed away from the shard. He nodded in contentment. ¡°I think I have enough information to finish the tethers off. Now we can sort out your problem.¡±


    ¡°Right. They¡¯re gathering¡­ Why do they gather like that?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°They may be drawn to the energy our souls emit. Or something¡­¡±


    ¡°Just have some restraining spell ready.¡± Theo started his way down the large stairs. He made note of the elves he could see, watching as they moved in his future sight.


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    Now it was only a matter of scouring the entire island for reagents. Vegetation grew normally, feeding off some imagined sun in the sky. Water flowed to feed those plants, emitting from a magically driven spring somewhere deep in that jungle. But the plants growing here were a confusing mix. Palms, oaks, conifers¡­ There was logic near the ziggurat, holding mostly tropical plants, but that logic fell away the further one got from that area. Theo led the way through the tangle, stopping after pressing into a clearing.


    ¡°I recognize that,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing forward. ¡°Something-or-other stems. That¡¯s a reagent.¡±


    Theo relied on his cores to find the best way to cut the plant from the ground, hoisting the [Kalsen Stems]. ¡°Common reagent,¡± he said, stuffing the item into his inventory. ¡°How did you recognize it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them sold in the northlands. I think they have healing properties.¡± A flash of excitement played across Xol¡¯sa¡¯s face. ¡°Is it usable?¡±


    Theo noded. ¡°The system recognizes this as a reagent, so we can use it. There are no rules against harvesting stuff from the void, so we can take as much as we want.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Well, if my sense for reagents is better than yours we better get going.¡± Xol¡¯sa slapped Theo on the back, laughing to himself.


    ¡°Just let me do the harvesting. No need to invite weird interactions thanks to the void energy¡­¡±


    Searching the area was easy enough. Since Theo could see the future, he forestalled any attacks by the elves. As expected, Xol¡¯sa¡¯s spells were perfect to retrain without killing them. If the goal was to save the entire race of elves, there would be no point in purging the place. Each was weak enough that it wouldn¡¯t cause them many problems.


    Scattered around the wooded areas of the island were interesting reagents. Mushrooms, flowering plants, useful tubers, and mosses grew everywhere. With his Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core, he could feel that each was touched by a bit of the void. But instead of being corrupted by the void, they had taken that power in and used it to cultivate. A few hours of harvesting the wild reagents, and the alchemist had enough work to keep him busy for a while. Without testing the properties of the reagents, he couldn¡¯t say if they were worth transplanting.


    ¡°I¡¯m growing tired of restraining my people,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the void poisoning¡­¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing to worry about,¡± Theo said, wrapping his shadow and will around himself and Xol¡¯sa. ¡°I hope you got enough information to finish this project.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa stumbled as they fell into the void. ¡°Yes, I hope so, too.¡±


    There were a lot of reagents to go over, so Theo angled them back to the mortal world. It had already been a busy day. With the elf waking up, Theo¡¯s mind was now focused on handling the elf problem exclusively. He was proud of himself for working so hard to learn how Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy worked. Things always got busy like this, so he was glad to be in a position to handle it.


    ¡°There we are,¡± Theo said, landing them back in the tower back in Broken Tusk.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to the devices. Won¡¯t be long now!¡± Xol¡¯sa said, scampering off to run his hands over the tethers. Theo wouldn¡¯t pretend to know what he was looking out. Magical gizmos all seemed the same.


    A quick check with Tresk revealed that she was almost at the lizard islands. Theo assumed everyone else was doing their thing, so he headed for the lab. Of the reagents he collected, he had little faith. But these things were worth checking, just in case some properties were useful for other things. Another source of Suffuse wouldn¡¯t be unwelcome. Especially since he would rather use the Karatan Cheese to top his food, rather than tossing it into a still and boiling it up.


    ¡°First up,¡± Theo said, withdrawing one of the two samples of Kalsen Stems he had collected. ¡°Delicious stems.¡±


    With Salire nowhere to be found, he got to work on deconstructing the stems. He watched as the fibrous stems went up in smoke. After turning on the extractor fan, he waited for the smoke to clear before inspecting the resulting properties.


    [Kalsen Stems]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Common


    The stem of a short-lived plant known for its healing properties.


    Properties:


    [Healing] [Regeneration] [Reveal] [Supple]


    The properties were weird on the back half, but it fell in line with what he expected from something like the Spiny Swamp Thistle Root. It wouldn¡¯t be worth cultivating this plant, since he could get the other properties with ease. If he used Supple more often, it might be worth it. But since others were willing to collect the Swamplight Spider Silk, he wouldn¡¯t invest too much into this one.


    Theo worked with another plant called Dongra Blooms. The flowers were blue and vibrant, but held almost no scent. Before even deconstructing the reagent, he could feel a strange mixture of mana and poison flowing through the flower. While he was concerned about what this flower would produce, he inspected it anyway.


    [Dongra Blooms]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Uncommon


    A vibrant blue flower, notable for its beauty.


    Properties:


    [Poison] [Mana Recovery] [Devour] [Pitch]


    ¡°Pitch?¡± Theo asked, pushing the pile of ash along the table with his knife. ¡°As in¡­ to throw, or what?¡±


    Shrugging, Theo moved on to the next reagent. He went through quite a few before he found the next interesting one. The one thing he observed was that the reagents didn¡¯t hold as much void energy as he had expected. When they brought the space elf back, the void energy stored in his soul escaped, causing all kinds of problems with the dungeons. But the reagents had done something to absorb and process that magic, rendering it harmless. That didn¡¯t mean the reagents he brought back were useful, though.


    ¡°Having trouble?¡± Salire asked, stifling a laugh as she entered the lab.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think any of these reagents are going to work for us.¡±


    ¡°Did you at least find something interesting?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Not interesting enough to dedicate the effort required to cultivate these things. I found a few variants to things we already have. And I like the idea that the stuff we have is local, rather than imported.¡±


    ¡°Except the Earth-based wheat,¡± Salire quipped.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for food purposes. Doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°How about you? Have you found anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not in the few hours you¡¯ve been gone. How did things go on the space elf island?¡±


    ¡°Very well. I mean, we found a bunch of reagents. But none were useful for the job. More importantly, it gave Xol¡¯sa a chance to get some magical readings on the shards. I saw that look in his eye. He¡¯ll be done with the gear in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I know the look you¡¯re talking about,¡± Salire said with a wink. ¡°That same look Throk gets, right? Slightly annoyed but a little smug?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this job is more important for now. We¡¯ll have to shelve some of the equipment we need to test.¡±


    Hoping that something might happen with the various feelers he had put out wasn¡¯t a great idea. But if all the locations he had access to didn¡¯t have what he was looking for, they would need to do it the old-fashioned way. Waiting for the green moon and snatching as many Soul Blooms from the swamp as possible. But as a sense of smug confidence came washing in from Tresk, he knew something had moved on her end. It didn¡¯t take long for her to send a gloating message through their telepathic link.


    ¡°Guess who just solved all your problems?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo then felt a lingering sense of¡­ guilt? No, she was doing sneaky thief stuff.


    ¡°Did you just steal a bunch of flowers?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. Maybe. Yes.¡±

 6.77 - Fenian Needs More Potions

    Waiting for Tresk to return from the lizard islands was more painful than sending her off. Theo should have known she would get up to no good. But as he stood on the streets of Broken Tusk, his eyes turned to the sky as he tracked her progress, he wondered if he would have asked her to do anything differently. Viewing her memories, he watched as she attempted to negotiate with the lizard people. The people of Saetalein Ya¡¯ax weren¡¯t open to negotiations. Without the influence of gods or ascendants, they had cultivated some powerful reagent farms. Farms they weren¡¯t willing to share.


    Sprawling greenhouses dotted the landscape of the lush islands. Including greenhouses that could mimic the phase of the moon. While Theo wasn¡¯t aware of any upgrade that would help this happen, it was possible he could use mundane greenhouses infused with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s power to dedicate to the Soul Bloom. For now that didn¡¯t matter. A marshling rode a dragon-goose, a bag filled with the necessary flowers tucked away in her local dimensional storage. She refused to allow him to see the ¡®goods¡¯ before she returned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to play politics here,¡± Salire said, rubbing her hands together nervously. ¡°But isn¡¯t this going to be a problem?¡±


    ¡°I imagine we¡¯re looking at a massive problem, Salire. Our diplomatic relations with the lizard-folk is rocky to start. Tresk will kick off an incident with this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s lovely. Because we need another incident.¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve done the same thing, though. Time isn¡¯t on our side.¡±


    Theo sensed a disturbance in the air behind him. He narrowed his gaze, turning to sense a familiar energy radiating from the center of the road. A line appeared in the air, dragging itself from top to bottom until pooling shadows spilled out. A moment later, the gap widened. After a few breaths, a carriage drawn by demonically infused karatan burst forth. Hooves scraped against the cobbles, sending sparks into the air as Galflower did her best to bring the cart to a stop.


    ¡°I need some potions!¡± Fenian shouted from atop the carriage.


    ¡°He really just does the one thing,¡± Theo said, releasing a sigh. Tresk was still quite distant from the town. It would take her a while to get back. ¡°What are you looking for, Fenian? Thought you swore off hunting everyone down.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­ But this will help our scheme!¡± Fenian shouted, jumping from the carriage. He landed with grace before Theo and Salire, a wide smile painting his face. ¡°I¡¯ll gather three allies for our plot. Powerful people who want nothing more than to see Kuzan dethroned.¡±


    ¡°Might not be the best idea to say that out loud.¡± Theo shook his head. The gods could hear what they were saying¡­ he thought. It was hard to say after the latest seal went into place. After a moment, he sighed as dramatically as possible. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°A decent list of things, actually,¡± Fenian said. ¡°And I might destroy something important¡­ Do you have a potion that can destroy metaphysical things?¡±


    Theo produced a Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion from his inventory, holding it out without looking Fenian in the eyes. It was the same potion he had planned to use on the elf during their duel. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°A return potion, something with slowfall, Dexterity, health potions¡­ Hmmm, do you have anything that makes a person fly? Oh, and something with future sight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Salire asked, scoffing. ¡°What are you doing, storming the palace in Tarantham.¡±


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Theo asked. ¡°How many times have you kicked that hive? Is there much left to kick?¡±


    ¡°Stop being such a bura in heat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get the idiom.¡±


    ¡°Stubborn,¡± Fenian clarified. ¡°Oh, fine. I know you¡¯re going to accost me until I tell you my plan. I¡¯ve been looking for someone¡ªnot my wife, I know where she is¡ªfor a long time. Thought he was in the queue, but I have some more information. Also, I know where Jan and Twist went and about when they¡¯ll arrive.¡±


    ¡°Kuzan is holding this person?¡± Theo asked. Fenian¡¯s plans had become transparent now that he wasn¡¯t hiding the important details. ¡°And you think Jan and Twist will join the cause?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Once they learn what happened. Back in the old world, something very similar happened. A leader assumed the position of Death, betraying the trust of us all. They¡¯re still as sore about it as I am.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Why the hell not?¡± Theo asked. ¡°We¡¯re not killing a bunch of people, are we?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I have a secret weapon,¡± Fenian said with a wink. ¡°I¡¯ve been saving it since I got here. Under the notice of anyone. Stealthy and all that.¡±


    ¡°Salire, could you fetch his junk?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Bring a few bombs for good measure. You never know when you¡¯re going to need to blow something up.¡±


    ¡°Really? That easy?¡± Fenian asked, confusion washed over his face. He withdrew a sack of gold coins from his inventory. ¡°I was going to dangle this for a while. Listen to the sound of all those coins clattering.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ Do you have anything I need? Greenhouse Seed Cores, high-level Monster Cores. Food?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We can work something out,¡± Fenian said, watching as Salire scampered off. ¡°Seriously, Theo. This is going to be important. My last attack on Tarantham was in search of this man. But I remembered something he said back in the day.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°He was the Guardian of the Shards back then. I was thinking about how much Kuzan enjoyed his irony. What better place to keep your enemy?¡±


    Theo wasn¡¯t so sure about that. He was at a point where he had conflicting information about where this guy was. Some people said he was in the queue, some thought he was on the mortal plane. Perhaps he was in both at the same time or some nonsense like that. But it hardly mattered. Fenian was like a dog with a bone. There was no reason to keep him from trying to do something like this. A nice jailbreak might help get his mind off of things.


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    Some people responded to stress by turning inward. People like Fenian reached out, trying to change their environment to remove that stress. If storming Tarantham made him feel better, then why not? There was nothing like an outlet to get rid of the jitters.


    ¡°Sounds like a solid plan,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you want to fight about it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight, no. I want you to keep busy. So, you can have these potions. But could you help with the food situation? Perhaps even with some ferrying duties?¡±


    ¡°After I check this off my list, I have little else going on.¡± Fenian shrugged, his vision going glossy as he thought. ¡°Yes, I suppose we have an arrangement. Oh, excellent. The beautiful woman with my potions.¡±


    Salire blushed slightly as she handed over the potions. She had gathered from Theo¡¯s stock of dangerous potions, along with the useful ones.


    ¡°I hope these are okay,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Those are fine,¡± Theo said. ¡°Oh, can I call on you if I need help with the lizard-folk?¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on with the lizards?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Tresk just stole some very rare reagents from them. I don¡¯t think they have much of an army, but you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know all too well. You¡¯ll have a pile of gold or my sword when the time comes. Whichever the lizards prefer.¡±


    For all Fenian¡¯s flaws, this was the reason Theo had stuck with him for so long. Things could get messy, especially in a world that needed to be restarted. It wasn¡¯t something he liked to consider, but force was sometimes the only way forward.


    ¡°Unless you need anything else, that should be it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Thank you, my dear alchemist. You¡¯ve been the best investment I¡¯ve ever made.¡±


    Without giving an overly long farewell, Fenian turned away and mounted his carriage. He clicked his tongue, turning it around and heading back through the Bridge. Tresk was heading in hot, pushing Alex as quickly as she would go.


    ¡°That elf is dangerous, isn¡¯t he?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure ¡®dangerous¡¯ is the right word so much as catastrophic. He¡¯s a messy thing caught between two worlds. When he generated his Throneworld, he made it look exactly like Iaredin before it had changed. I think he just wants his old home back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sad.¡±


    Theo shrugged. He couldn¡¯t remember a time where his world had stayed the same for too long. The constant change of his life had hardened him against such things. Until he arrived in Broken Tusk. Now he was doing everything he could to preserve what was here. Bringing everyone to Tero¡¯gal was easy. Almost effortless. But taking the landmass and the buildings added a level of unneeded complexity. But he couldn¡¯t do it any other way. Each stone set in the cobblestone road was more like an old friend than anything he remembered from Earth. He¡¯d do anything to preserve it, and that seemed selfish.


    ¡°Nostalgia isn¡¯t always sad. We put these things around ourselves to bring back a sense of how things were. Not because those things were there. But because those things remind us of a different time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting too deep for me,¡± Salire said. ¡°This is why you¡¯re not allowed to sit still for too long.¡±


    Theo nodded in agreement. She was right. But soon a dark shape appeared in the sky overhead. Had Tresk been feeding Alex more bones than normal? Her progress between dragon and goose had increased its pace. She was now more dragon than goose, although she kept most of the feathers there were large spots where he could only see scales. The horns on her head had elongated, twisting to appear like that of a ram¡¯s. Her webbed feet were gone, replaced with clawed hands. The tail was nothing new, but it had gained a few sharp barbs on the end.


    ¡°More dragon than goose,¡± Theo said, watching as Alex landed on all four of her limbs. She swiped her tail from side-to-side, puffing out a breath of fire.


    ¡°We robbed them!¡± Alex shouted into his mind. ¡°Robbed them blind!¡±


    ¡°We tried to negotiate,¡± Tresk said, withdrawing the bag from her dimensional space. Theo checked the contents quickly before placing it in his inventory. Without the power of the green moon they would fade quickly. ¡°But those guys are weird.¡±


    ¡°Did they see you stealing the blooms?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Should I reposition some guns?¡±


    ¡°Did they see me?¡± Tresk said, laughing. ¡°Come on. Do you know who you¡¯re talking to?¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t respond. He just glared at her for a while until she broke.


    ¡°Okay, one guy might have seen me. But he looked like he was near-sighted. And I¡¯m super fast.¡±


    Theo nodded, opening his administration interface. He put a note for Zan¡¯kir to reposition some guns to the bay¡¯s approach. After that he re-tasked the tiny navy to patrol further south, along the coastline. It would give them all sometime to do, and it cost them nothing to prepare.


    ¡°Anything else of note happen?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°I told them about the end of the world and they claimed to already know. While I doubt they¡¯ll accept my invitation, I asked if they wanted to join the party.¡±


    ¡°Was that before or after you stole their stuff?¡±


    ¡°Before,¡± Tresk said with an eager nod. ¡°You always gotta ask nicely before you do crimes.¡±


    ¡°Salire, we should process these immediately,¡± Theo said, ignoring the eager lizard. ¡°How much space do we have?¡±


    ¡°Enough if you want to do a full run. We have stock of the Suffuse Potion and Burning Regeneration, so that¡¯ll save some time.¡±


    Theo clasped a hand on Salire¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s some incredibly forward-thinking.¡±


    More blush spread across her cheeks. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Theo and Salire, sitting in a tree¡­¡± Tresk sang, dancing around. ¡°How does the rest go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you,¡± Theo said, locking the rhyme away in his mind. ¡°A man can give his apprentice a compliment without it turning romantic, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re married to me, anyway.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin, his tail whipping through the air. ¡°Hmmm. That¡¯s more like getting married to yourself. Or rather, combining yourself with another person and marrying the result.¡±


    ¡°Either option is weird,¡± Tresk shrugged.


    ¡°Do you have any romantic inclinations?¡± Salire asked.


    Theo grabbed for the locket at his neck, finding only the old amulet given to him long ago.


    ¡°He thinks he¡¯s still married to his dead wife.¡±


    ¡°Tresk!¡± Salire shouted, looking aghast. ¡°You can¡¯t say stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°What? Just because he won¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t. He had trouble dating back on Earth as it was. Hard to find someone you like when the world is falling apart. Then he ¡®retired¡¯ and met this lady. What was her name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you,¡± Theo said, folding his arms.


    ¡°Anyway, he swore it off after that. Said he¡¯d be married forever, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Tresk let out a sigh. ¡°What a tragic story.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Theo said. ¡°That¡¯s just the way things worked on Earth. I was lucky to have anything, seeing as our population had dipped to dangerous levels by the end. Anyone who made it to the sun exploding was lucky in my book.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we ain¡¯t gonna let that happen here, right?¡± Tresk asked, making a fist and pumping it. ¡°Lemme get a ¡®hell yeah!¡¯¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Salire shouted impulsively.


    ¡°Hell yeah,¡± Theo said with far less enthusiasm.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re cool. Everyone standing here is cool. Even Alex.¡±


    Alex honked, releasing a small stream of fire. Fire made most things cooler.

 6.78 - An Encounter in Tarantham

    Tarantham was an empire built to endure. It had been designed that way from the start. The walls of the cities were laced with crystal lodestones, emitting fields of suppression that aided the citizens. The cycles of calculated war maintained a population of the strongest¡ªaccording to the recently ascended emperor. Built in accordance with the styles of the ancient Pera¡¯tal kingdom, Tarantham City was a sprawling cross between a metropolis and a fortress. The city was organized into quarters, massive walls between each section and more guards than a person could count manning the walls.


    ¡°Even without our leader, we¡¯re strong,¡± Fenian said, sighing as he passed through another checkpoint. His gaze shifted upward, making him feel slightly dizzy as he viewed the height of those walls. But thanks to the suppression field around him, his absurd attributes didn¡¯t mess with his thoughts too much.


    ¡°Plate,¡± an elven guard asked, holding out his hand.


    Fenian reached into his coat, withdrawing the hand-sized metal plate infused with his magical fake identity. The illusion he was under was powerful enough to fool almost anything. He had taken a hint from Theo¡¯s approach before he had been transported to this world. Sneak mode was well and truly activated.


    ¡°Behave yourself,¡± the guard said, handing the plate back to Fenian. He bowed his head, making his way into the central district of the city.


    They just had to go and model the city after the real deal. The central district of the city held the palace, a temple, and buildings reserved for embassies. Of course, none of those diplomatic buildings were occupied. This section of the city was home to far too many guards. The worst part was, they were the highly trained ones with decent cores. Fenian slipped through the crowds, pressing forward on a path angled to the palace. They stopped him at the entrance, checking his papers and buying his story yet again.


    As Fenian passed through the antechamber, slipping off into a side hall, he smiled to himself. The damage he had done on his last visit was still there. Fortunately, few knew of the secret Kuzan held in the dungeons below. Elves loved their secret entrances, and that man was no different. After at least one-hundred twists and turns, he found himself in a darkened series of halls. The lower he went, the deeper that darkness seemed to stretch.


    Fenian paused at a corner, pressing himself against the cold stone and holding his breath.


    ¡°Just smash it,¡± a familiar voice said. ¡°You¡¯re good at that, at least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± a rumbling voice responded.


    Fenian tried not to laugh. He tried very, very hard not to break out in a cackle. While he had gotten very good at predicting people¡¯s movements, he never thought he would come upon the two idiots in a place like this. He turned the corner, hands on his hips as he waited for them to notice him. They might have used their trump cards, but he still held his firmly to his chest. There was no way they would win in a fight, and he doubted they wanted it.


    ¡°Here for the same thing, gentlemen?¡± Fenian asked, dropping his illusion. He felt his rapiers close at hand. Hungry little things.


    Jan and Twist dragged their gazes¡ªthe masked elf¡¯s gaze containing only the singular eye under the mask¡ªand locked onto Fenian.


    ¡°Are we fighting down here?¡± Jan rumbled.


    ¡°Doubt it. The old goat is here to gloat,¡± Twist said. ¡°You owe me for not outing you in front of your pet.¡±


    ¡°Theo is a very good friend,¡± Fenian said, sauntering over to the pair. He clapped one hand on either man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So, what happened? You came to kill the shade and settled for letting some prisoners out?¡±


    ¡°That was the plan,¡± Jan said, glaring down at Twist. ¡°This one promised he knew how to pop the lock.¡±


    ¡°I do! I just need more time. Elven magic is weird,¡± Twist responded, stooping and looking at the magical lock once again.


    Fenian watched with amusement as the masked elf tried to work the lock. Blowing the wall up would be easier, but that might draw attention. Even if they were quite deep under the city. He saw the mistake Twist made with the lock, but let the man stumble through it.


    ¡°How are things elsewhere?¡± Jan asked. ¡°End of the world still coming?¡±


    ¡°Yes, do you need a ride to the party?¡±


    ¡°Back in Broken Tusk? Once we get Elrin out of here I¡¯m game to go wherever. Can¡¯t touch Kuzan, so we took out a few choice people along the way.¡±


    ¡°I gave him the list of targets,¡± Twist said, tilting his head as he tried to undo the magical lock. ¡°People who really deserved it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll have his pet with him, you know,¡± Fenian said. ¡°How did you hear about the prisoners, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Some light torture,¡± Jan said. ¡°Nothing too bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can talk about our crimes later, you oaf,¡± Twist spat. ¡°I¡¯ve almost got this.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Fenian said. He pushed the masked elf out of the way, then passed his hand over the magical lock. It popped open instantly.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve done that,¡± Twist said, standing and awkwardly shuffled his feet. ¡°Just a few more minutes and I would¡¯ve had it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, buddy,¡± Jan said, clapping him on the back. ¡°We all believed in you.¡±


    Fenian stuck his head into the darkened room. It was a massive chamber with a pale blue glow coming from the far end. ¡°Did you take care of the necromancer?¡± he asked, looking around the room with interest.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Kinda,¡± Jan said, producing a jagged length of metal from his coat. ¡°He was ravaging the eastern coast when we arrived.¡±


    Fenian clapped with excitement. ¡°We¡¯re just putting a button on everything, aren¡¯t we? Daddy isn¡¯t home, so there¡¯s no rules!¡±


    ¡°Who is ¡®daddy¡¯ in this scenario, or do I not want to know?¡± Jan asked.


    ¡°Kuzan, Karasan, and all the ascendants are ¡®daddy¡¯ in this situation,¡± Fenian said, stepping into the chamber. ¡°Ah, as expected. We¡¯ll need a few potions after all.¡±


    Despite the expectations of Twist and Jan, there weren¡¯t many prisoners here. Well, there were just two prisoners on the far end of the room, both encased in a crystalline material. This was mostly new information to Fenian, based on the loose tongues created by Kuzan¡¯s absence. He thought everyone else from before the change had been kept within the queue. But of course the emperor had found and imprisoned the one person he hated the most, gumming up the works of the world.


    ¡°He¡¯ll fix it, right?¡± Twist asked. ¡°I always hated him, but he fixed the shards before.¡±


    ¡°I also hated him,¡± Jan put in.


    ¡°Yes, we all hated him. Screw him and all that. We¡¯ll be lucky if he doesn¡¯t kill us all, but I have a secret confession to make to everyone.¡± Fenian clicked his tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know if my sweet alchemist can bring the shards back alone.¡±


    The trio approached the crystal, getting a decent look at the shape of the man in one, and that of a beast in the other.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Kuzan disarm him?¡± Twist asked. ¡°He should¡¯ve been disarmed.¡±


    ¡°Try disarming the tiger,¡± Jan said, nodding toward the second crystal. ¡°A teleporting tiger¡­ Wait, can we change the plan? I¡¯d like to be on another continent.¡±


    ¡°Too late,¡± Fenian said, withdrawing the Dragon¡¯s Breath Potion. He drank it, unsurprised when a bar of solid fire sprouted from his mouth. He only had to hold it long enough to crack Elrin¡¯s crystal. Holding the intense fire on the crystal, he watched as a small crack formed. Shortly after, the potent potion faded


    The crack formed along the center of the crystal, tracing from the top to the bottom. A tense mood settled over the room and the crystal audibly cracked before splitting. Chunks fell away until each member of the party could see the form of the man. He wore a black hooded cloak, his finely crafted armor made of dark leather interwoven with mythril chain. The halberd gripped tightly in his hand pulsed with magical power as he sagged forward.


    ¡°Ivaran,¡± Elrin said, sucking in a steady breath. He pressed the whistle hanging by a leather string around his neck to his lips. With a single sharp burst, the form of the tiger in the other crystal faded. Something appeared above his shoulder for only a moment before vanishing in a puff of arcane energy. ¡°Jan, Twist. Who dies first?¡±


    ¡°Now, you need to measure your response, Elrin,¡± Fenian said. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever acted in the best interest of the world. It might have taken me longer than expected, but we¡¯ve reached an idealized version of the plan.¡±


    Fenian¡¯s rapiers were in his hands before the others could even register Elrin¡¯s movements. The force of the block sent a shockwave of power cracking the stones above and below.


    ¡°You got stronger,¡± Elrin said. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re safe, but you have to trust me,¡± Fenian said, preparing to accept the system message that he had ignored for all these years.


    Elrin searched the room, his long black hair running across his face. He recognized something the way he always did. ¡°Where is Tinesa?¡±


    Fenian swallowed hard. Of course he remembered her real name. Time hadn¡¯t moved for him. ¡°Dead. I already got the guy that did it, though.¡±


    Elrin pulled his halberd back, poising it for a stab forward. ¡°The others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trapped in a dimensional space. Kuzan has ascended to Leon¡¯s throne. We have a stupid plan, but we need your help. There¡¯s going to be another change. You missed the second one, by the way.¡±


    Elrin¡¯s gaze dragged across the room, landing on Twist. ¡°Do we need him?¡±


    ¡°We need me very much¡­ a lot,¡± Twist stammered. ¡°Gods, why are you so strong?¡±


    Elrin straightened up, his head swiveling. ¡°Found what I was looking for.¡±


    ¡°Wait! We need you to bring the shards back. Don¡¯t vanish. I hate when you vanish.¡±


    The once-guardian seemed to pick up on the plan in an instant. In another life, he was the person in charge of guarding every shard. Perhaps he still held some deep connection with them, even through the void.


    ¡°There¡¯s one still here,¡± Elrin said.


    ¡°At least take this,¡± Fenian said, holding out a communication crystal. He tossed it over.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Elrin said, vanishing after catching the crystal.


    The party stood in complete silence for several tense moments.


    ¡°How is he still stronger than me?¡± Fenian asked, looking over to Twist and Jan. ¡°He attacked to gauge my strength. We used to have our little fights, but he seemed deranged.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, good thing we released him,¡± Twist said. ¡°We¡¯re all very smart people here. Intelligent individuals that released some horror on the world. What¡¯s he going to do when he learns we failed to defend Earth? What if Meya isn¡¯t in the queue as you promised?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be in the queue just like I was,¡± Jan said. ¡°Maybe we should talk to that alchemist about this.¡±


    ¡°I have enough people pissed off at me for no reason,¡± Fenian said, waving the suggestion away. ¡°How did you guys even get in here?¡±


    ¡°Secret passage,¡± Jan said with a shrug.


    ¡°Fine. Take us to that secret passage. We set it in motion. He can deal with the rest.¡±


    <hr>


    The web of magic that protected the world was damaged. Almost beyond repair. The network of Great Shards that had once helped the system regulate how things worked was shattered, giving way to a faux communication used by the current system. Elrin stepped out of one of two remaining shards on the planet, smiling to himself as the old jungles of Yoh¡¯til greeted him. He had already put much of what had happened together, and he wasn¡¯t happy.


    Trevor, in his eagle form, took to the sky to scout. Both doubted the Tapu people were still here. Too much had changed.


    ¡°Where are your fragments?¡± Elrin said, watching as a small group of plant monsters shuffled past.


    ¡°Locked in the void,¡± a soft voice chimed from the shard behind him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember a shard being on the islands. You¡¯ve been through a lot, huh?¡± Elrin let out a sigh. He was doing his best to let his hate melt away, but it was hard. A system message had appeared, inviting him to convert to a different system. He wouldn¡¯t take it. There was something strange about the magic in the air.


    ¡°As have you,¡± the shard responded. ¡°But there is a man working to get us back in place. He¡¯ll need your help.¡±


    Elrin grunted a response, looking up at the lush canopy above. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°To the east. The old kingdom there is long gone. You¡¯ll mostly find ash, and a small duchy to the south.¡±


    Elrin sent a mental command to his eagle companion, urging him forward. At least all his old abilities worked, along with the necklace he could use to swap his companion¡¯s form out.


    ¡°There¡¯s too much work to be done. How long did Kuzan have me trapped?¡±


    ¡°Nothing major. About fifty-thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Nothing major, huh?¡± Elrin asked with a sigh. ¡°You always had the worst sense of humor.¡±


    ¡°Admit it. You love me,¡± the shard said.


    Elrin shook his head, setting off into the jungle. ¡°Just as smarmy as ever.¡±

 6.79 - Elrin Manastream

    ¡°This is as many as I can make on such short notice,¡± Throk said, as grumpy as ever.


    Theo counted the various stills presented by the marshling. He had produced twenty of his base-level stills for them to work with. And he had done so in about four hours, which should have been impossible. But that¡¯s what the alchemist relied on. The impossible. With this many stills, they could process a vast amount of Soul Blooms immediately. It was going to be another all-nighter if they wanted to get this done.


    ¡°Take whatever you want as payment from the treasury,¡± Theo said, sucking each of the stills into his inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have one house made of gold, thank you,¡± Throk said. ¡°Or a pile of mythril, actually.¡±


    Theo went through his interface, increasing Throk¡¯s permissions to take from the storage at the smelter. ¡°All the mythril you want. I¡¯ll make sure Nira doesn¡¯t export any of it.¡±


    Throk rubbed his hands together. ¡°Excellent.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, rushing out of the workshop.


    Salire was already on alert, as was the defending force of the alliance. Zan¡¯kir was already having a blast repositioning some guns. He had roped Ziz and his boys in to do some work on the east-facing cliffs outside of town. Since Theo had craved some paths over there, he didn¡¯t see any sense in ignoring that as the best place to put a bunch of rail guns.


    Each still in the lab was already working on a batch of Soul Essence. Theo took his twenty new stills and set them up on the second floor of the Newt and Demon. He wanted to distill all his things in the giant metal cube, but there was a problem. The lab¡ªeven if it wasn¡¯t on the lab¡¯s floor¡ªprovided several bonuses to distillation. They didn¡¯t have Soul Blooms to spare. Salire arrived just as he was getting them primed to run, bringing enchanted water and Cleansing Scrub potions along to help the process.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have some decent capacity, but I have the old notes from when we made the Soul potions before,¡± Salire said, tapping her finger on a stack of loose papers. ¡°Unless Tero¡¯gal alchemy changes the process, we¡¯re looking at a week-long brew time.¡±


    The idea hadn¡¯t escaped Theo. But he had his hopes up. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m counting on. The Reforge Mind potion didn¡¯t require a brew time. Which might be a function of the longer distillation time. But we¡¯ll just have to find out. If it takes longer, it takes longer.¡±


    ¡°Right. I¡¯ve got everything working at capacity,¡± Salire said. She helped him process the Soul Blooms, adding the correct amount of water to each still and getting the artifices running. ¡°I have five of the stills running Suffuse Essences, but we have enough Burning Regeneration.¡±


    ¡°Did you run the numbers again?¡± Theo asked, smiling to himself as he placed the lid on another still.


    ¡°No, I took the upper bounds of your elf estimation.¡± Salire tried not to giggle to herself, but failed. ¡°Elf estimation. Gods, we don¡¯t even know how many there are.¡±


    ¡°Convenient time for the gods to shut themselves off, right?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Right when we could have used their help¡­ I just felt something strange.¡±


    ¡°Strange like¡­ how? Upset stomach?¡± Salire asked with concern.


    It took Theo a minute to figure out what the sensation was. He eventually settled on it being an echo from Tresk¡¯s Dreamer¡¯s Core. When he asked her telepathically, she dismissed it as nothing more than something that happened often. A little twinge of rule-breaking somewhere in the distance.


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s nothing to be concerned about,¡± Theo said. ¡°Famous last words¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you want to take this in shifts tonight?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Nah. I won¡¯t be able to sleep,¡± Theo said, looking over the stills on this floor. Everything was running well. Salire had even set up an extractor fan and sensor on the second floor to make sure nothing went wrong. The extraction power of that fan wasn¡¯t as great as the ones installed on the third floor, but it would do enough for a single run. ¡°You can go to sleep like normal. I¡¯ll just come grab you if something goes wrong. Although, if something goes wrong, I¡¯m not sure what anyone can do.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Salire said with a nervous chuckle. Not like the fate of some elves rests squarely on our shoulders or anything.¡±


    As evening set in, Salire headed out for the day while Tresk, Sarisa, and Rowan brought some food for everyone to eat. They used the counters in the shop portion of the building, mostly eating while standing up. Eating a Broken Tusk classic of wolf meat stew, they chatted for a while.


    ¡°That pulse of energy might be more concerning than I originally thought,¡± Tresk said. ¡°My Dreamer¡¯s Core gave a few interesting notifications about a rule-breaker. Kinda strange, though.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It keeps listing the offending person as ¡®Death,¡¯ which can¡¯t be right.¡±


    Theo had to have a long think about that one to make sense of it. He followed a trail of logic until he arrived at a conclusion. His theory was based on the way the system gave him a name. He had originally been ¡®Belgar¡¯ according to the system. But that changed when Belgar¡¯s soul left the void, settling on Tero¡¯gal. The system automatically updated names based on certain conditions.


    ¡°My guess is that Kuzan was doing something naughty, and had it hidden from the system. Now that he¡¯s gone, whatever he was doing was unveiled. Now that the system views him as ¡®Death,¡¯ that¡¯s the message you get.¡± Theo nodded to himself, sucking up another greasy piece of wolf meat.


    ¡°What authority does Tresk have to take care of something like that?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Depends on the infraction,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I only get my superpowers when something super naughty happens. We¡¯re talking about aliens and stuff like that. Even then, we¡¯re not really supposed to kill anyone. Just banish them.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t really know Tresk¡¯s job yet. I mean, she¡¯s the right hand of the arbiter. The mechanism where she can go into people¡¯s dreams is a great way to get information from the sealed ascendant realms to the mortal realm. In theory, she can steer people to do something with secret information.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating,¡± Rowan said. ¡°If the whole point is that the gods are sealed away, and everyone down here has to do stuff the old fashioned way.¡±


    ¡°The ascendants have a very specific role now,¡± Theo said. ¡°I think we can steer the development of the mortal world with a vote. We don¡¯t have all our rules in place, but Fenian can even come down here when he likes. Once the change happens.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯ll be restricted,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I think he¡¯ll have an energy bar or something like that limiting his actions. And no direct involvement in conflict. Stuff like that, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Yet you still haunt my dreams,¡± Rowan said with a sigh. ¡°Sounds like an abuse of power.¡±


    ¡°Stop dreaming about those sexy ladies, and I¡¯ll stop invading,¡± Tresk said, giggling to herself.


    ¡°I cannot determine my dreams! No matter how many times you drag me from that warm bed to go skydiving, I¡¯ll never relent. The heart wants what it wants.¡±


    The meal was pleasant. While the group threw around theories on what they thought might happen after the next shift, they weren¡¯t likely to reach a conclusion. Theo was almost certain the ascendant thrones would get together with the system, defining what their responsibilities were over the next few weeks. Only when the end finally happened would they have it in stone. Right now, there were too many hanging threads to tie up. Some of the system¡¯s power was likely tied to the shards themselves.


    Salire and Rowan headed out for the night eventually. While Tresk was willing to stay up all night with Theo, Alex had already gone to bed. Since she couldn¡¯t fit in the building, she soon became bored watching through the window. Not as though anything exciting would happen. Tonight. It was a long, boring night of watching the stills bubble away/ But Theo couldn¡¯t afford to lose a single drop of that essence.


    A series of sharp knocks came from the front door a few hours later. Tresk was falling asleep on the counter when she sprung up. Theo shared a look with her. When the knock came again, a pair of glowing wings sprouted from her back.


    ¡°Uh. That¡¯s not good,¡± Tresk said, her daggers appearing in her hands. ¡°We got a naughty bad boy at the door.¡±


    ¡°Yet the bad boy knocks so politely,¡± Theo said, cracking the door open. A man in a black hood stood there. Theo watched in his future vision as the man reached out to shake his hand, but was otherwise reserved. ¡°Half-elf?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± the man asked.


    Theo didn¡¯t want to say that it was because his hood had tilted to one side during one of many possible futures. ¡°Lucky guess. We¡¯re closed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the alchemist, aren¡¯t you? Why does that lizard have wings?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°It is normally polite to introduce yourself before pointing out a lizard¡¯s wings. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story. May I come in?¡±


    Theo shrugged. If Tresk had her wings out, that meant she had some unreasonably strong power at her fingertips. Anyone who wanted to fight would be sorely mistaken if they made a move. He opened the door fully, allowing the man inside. The alchemist could feel the power of several magical items coming from the man. They radiated energy like he had never felt before.


    ¡°My name is Elrin from the Manastream Clan in Whisperwood¡­ You won¡¯t know where that is,¡± the man said, sighing as he fell into a chair. ¡°These are old things. Ancient things.¡±


    Theo shared a look with Tresk. ¡°Is he speaking English? Why are you speaking English?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an even longer story. So, are you the man handling the shards?¡±


    ¡°Theo Spencer. This here is my partner, Tresk,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the winged marshling. ¡°Her wings are out because you¡¯re breaking the system¡¯s rules.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, accept the prompt, buddy,¡± Tresk said, glaring. ¡°Or I¡¯m gonna slap you pretty hard. With my fists.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s called ¡®punching,¡¯¡± Elrin corrected.


    ¡°You get the point, elf boy.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯re at an impasse,¡± Elrin said. ¡°I have no plans to accept the message to change to the new system.¡±


    Tresk pushed off from the counter, rolling her shoulders. ¡°The other one. Did you even read your messages?¡±


    ¡°I skimmed them¡­ Ah, I see the one you¡¯re talking about. Yes, I¡¯ll take that one. But this has me wondering.¡±


    ¡°Fight?¡± Theo asked with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing more fighting around here recently. Might give Tresk a chance to know you better.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Elrin asked, gesturing to the door. ¡°Business later. Fighting now.¡±


    Tresk had trouble getting her wings out of the door, but the party marched along toward the empty field on the far side of the river. As long as Tresk held her punches, this guy would be fine. If he wanted to march in like he owned the place, he would do well to learn how things worked around here. Well, he seemed friendly enough. And he held a comforting energy that Theo couldn¡¯t deny.


    ¡°So, where are you from?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve put together on my own, I¡¯m from here before the latest change,¡± Elrin said. ¡°I was fighting for both Iaredin and Earth when everything was frozen in time. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Near-future Earth,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Interesting. Any rules for the fight?¡± Elrin asked.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hit her, or do any damage,¡± Theo said. ¡°As long as she has the wings, she¡¯s empowered by the system to banish you.¡±


    ¡°That hardly seems fair.¡±


    ¡°Yet you haven¡¯t backed down! Getting cold feet?¡± Tresk asked.


    Elrin shrugged as they entered the open field. Theo stretched his future sight as far as it would go. The pair were already fighting, and the newcomer elf wasn¡¯t doing well. It wasn¡¯t in Tresk¡¯s nature to go easy, and this was no exception.


    ¡°Good luck, bud.¡±


    A halberd appeared in Elrin¡¯s hand. Theo was blasted by the sheer power of the thing. He had never felt a magical item with such power. It was intense enough where he questioned if the weapon itself wasn¡¯t a powerful person, emitting a strong magical aura. Tresk stretched her wings wide, rolling her shoulders. A blink later, she kicked off of the ground and went straight for the poor elf¡¯s heart. He only barely parried, the haft of his weapon ringing out.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s fast,¡± Elrin said, sweeping his weapon through the air. He blurred, appearing behind the marshling and thrusting forward with a concealed dagger. The sound of steel ringing against steel echoed over the open field. ¡°Too fast.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quick!¡± Tresk said, spinning around. Demon horns had sprouted from her forehead. ¡°Now I¡¯m faster.¡±


    No matter what Elrin tried, it didn¡¯t matter. Tresk was granted too much power from the system for him to overcome. The most striking thing was how strong this guy was, though. Even with the system¡¯s power through her Dreamer¡¯s core, Elrin was keeping up at points. He was strong. Not as strong as Khahar was, but he would have easily overpowered Fenian. And that was before the other thing got involved.


    Tresk unleashed a flurry of blows at the elf. Theo could tell she was holding back, but she put enough force into the strikes to send shockwaves of force radiating outward. The marshling danced around, cackling as she had the time of her life. She let out a small gasp when something fell from the sky. Theo watched it in his future sight as a tiger wreathed in blue energy came falling from the sky. He didn¡¯t warn Tresk as that would be unfair. And he always followed the rules. But the result of the encounter was the tiger gaining an injury, so it was time to call it off.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Theo said, snapping his fingers to get Tresk¡¯s attention. ¡°Call the tiger off, Elrin.¡±


    ¡°Predictive powers?¡± Elrin asked, panting for breath. ¡°Guessing it doesn¡¯t end well¡­ Fine. I¡¯ll accept the prompt.¡±


    ¡°Bah. We were just getting started!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°But man! That was GOOD!¡±


    ¡°Come on, you idiots,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s get some tea.¡±

 6.80 - Tall Boys

    The scent of earthy moss tea spread through the Newt and Demon. Theo, Elrin, and Tresk sat downstairs, finding whatever chairs they could to wait out the brewing process. The smell of the Moss Nettle had become something of a comfort for the alchemist. Late nights in the lab¡ªoften working hard to create potions for the defense of that same town¡ªwere an event. At least his attributes would reduce the negative effects the next day.


    Theo poured a cup of tea for everyone, watching the way Elrin leaned back in his chair, halberd propped against his shoulder. That guy must have been through the ringer. He was just happy to have been able to stop the fight before things got out of hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve been on a wild ride,¡± Theo said, popping the lid of his kettle to check the water. It was boiling enough, so he dished out three cups of tea before blowing on his own. ¡°And the fun has just started.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve let us fight a bit longer,¡± Tresk said, folding her arms. She could only be grumpy for so long before she drank her tea. Theo knew that. She knew that. Everyone knew that.


    ¡°From what I understand, you¡¯re from Earth,¡± Elrin said. ¡°Near-future, or something like that. Tell me, are you aware of my exploits defending your planet?¡±


    ¡°No. In the several-hundred years that passed since your time, the information was lost or covered up. I can¡¯t really say.¡± Theo shrugged, taking a sip of the empowering tea. He felt energy race through his body the moment he sipped. ¡°So, did your system work on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We made a deal with someone to seal the worlds away. Unfortunately, certain powers prevailed against my wishes. Betrayal and all that.¡± Elrin looked around the room taking in a deep breath. ¡°But seeing Iaredin survive is encouraging. I¡¯m sorry Earth didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°I was born here,¡± Tresk said, smiling to herself as she sipped her tea. It hadn¡¯t taken her long to cave.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember your race from before. Or the large ones guarding the wall. Actually, most of you are quite big. Even you, demon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re a bunch of tall boys over here. Except the marshlings. They¡¯re comically small.¡±


    Elrin nodded, taking a sip of his tea. He grimaced. ¡°This might be the worst drink I¡¯ve ever had. Do you have any sugar?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Tresk said, producing a sack of sugar from nowhere.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Theo asked. ¡°That¡¯s an alchemy reagent, you know.¡±


    ¡°And he wonders why I hide all the good stuff,¡± Tresk tutted. ¡°When will you learn, Theo?¡±


    ¡°The tea takes some time to get used to, but the effects are great. It¡¯ll keep you up all night if you¡¯re not careful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sleep,¡± Elrin said, spooning some sugar into his drink.


    ¡°You don¡¯t ever sleep?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Well, that sounds horrible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I got so powerful. Everyone else had to sleep while I leveled. That¡¯s what allowed me to become the strongest fighter and the strongest crafter at the same time. No one could keep up with me.¡± Elrin cast his eyes to the ceiling, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°I can switch locations with my companion. Since he can take the form of an eagle, that means I can be anywhere I want on the planet within a day or two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fast bird,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Someone told me he was as fast as a ¡®fighter jet¡¯ at one point. That was near the end, though.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re a crafter. Like me. What did you make?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± Elrin said, gesturing to himself. He pulled back his cloak, showing intricate earrings hanging from his ears. He showed his rings, cloak, and various weapons. ¡°The message the lizard was telling me to accept was related to my position as the Guardian of the Shards. It gives me some interesting powers.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t sleep, he can craft everything¡­ Hey, craft me some stuff,¡± Tresk said, jumping from her chair.


    Elrin¡¯s gaze locked onto her. He unclasped a leather pouch from his belt. ¡°Okay, what would you like?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­ Daggers?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°I guess.¡±


    Elrin withdrew a small crystal from his bag, holding it out. His brows knit. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait, little lizard. The system is yelling at me about using a crafting method that isn¡¯t supported.¡±


    ¡°Any errors you have now should be cleared up during the reset,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯re working on that.¡±


    ¡°Right. You¡¯re in charge of that, right?¡± Elrin asked. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°A few things,¡± Theo said, clearing his throat. ¡°There are some elves trapped in the void. We need to rescue them first, then we need to get the shards from the same place. After that, I guess we¡¯ll have a few meetings with the gods and we¡¯ll initiate the restart.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to tell him about how we¡¯re going to kill Death,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like a part of that plan,¡± Elrin said. ¡°I have some unfinished business with Kuzan.¡±


    ¡°That guy just sticks his nose in everyone¡¯s business, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sure the ascendants are happy to work with you. You¡¯ve met us, but you still need to meet Fenian and Khahar.¡±


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    ¡°It might be harder to meet Khahar, though,¡± Theo said. ¡°It depends on if I can convince the system to let us into Khahak. I mean, getting into the void is easy enough. But that might just be a fluke.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get a defined list of rules after the switch,¡± Tresk said, nodding a whole bunch. ¡°Think we should have a chat with the system about this guy? He should get special permissions, right?¡±


    ¡°I already have those,¡± Elrin said.


    ¡°Fancy pants over here.¡±


    Theo left for a few minutes to go check his alchemy stills. Everything was progressing as it should have, and there wasn¡¯t a dangerous buildup of vapors in either room yet. As long as nothing catastrophic happened, the run shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Observing the collecting essence, he didn¡¯t believe there would be a secondary brew process for this version of the Reforge Soul potion. It should have been a process of going straight to the bottle and down the gullet of the space elves.


    ¡°Tresk here explained your plan to bring the shards back through the void,¡± Elrin said, nodding to Theo as he descended the stairs. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how this void works, but I know the shards. The wizard¡­ What was his name?¡±


    ¡°Xol¡¯sa,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Right. Xol¡¯sa sounds like he knows what he¡¯s doing. The theory is sound, but there¡¯s a missing piece,¡± Elrin said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to prepare the sites for the shards. Otherwise, the concept of a beacon won¡¯t even work.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a path forward,¡± Theo said, taking his seat. He withdrew a communication crystal from his inventory, sliding it across the table and explaining how it worked. ¡°Just don¡¯t kick anything off until I¡¯ve rescued the space elves. It should only take a few more days, depending on how many I can transport at once. Use this if you need to contact me.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Elrin said, standing after snatching the crystal.. ¡°Thanks for the tea. Thanks for bringing me in on the plan to murder Death. I have a feeling that one won¡¯t end the way you expect.¡±


    Without another word, he vanished in a burst of blue energy. Theo couldn¡¯t determine the flavor of the magic, but it seemed familiar. He didn¡¯t have to share his thoughts with Tresk. They were used to dealing with otherworldly forces by this point. It was unlikely they would be able to kill Death. Kuzan was a smart guy, and had been around for a long time.


    ¡°Killing him won¡¯t be possible,¡± Tresk said, rolling her shoulders. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure we can force him from the throne. Maybe just get him to cough up some souls. Or we can bind him in restrictions.¡±


    ¡°All of which needs to happen before the switch. Once we have more restrictions, taking actions against the gods might be impossible.¡± Theo sighed.


    It was a boon to have someone like Elrin around. He would be the first to admit that. Even if they couldn¡¯t control the man, he would be a valuable asset if only for his knowledge of the shards. The plan to remove Death from his realm was extremely simple and was based on the Venom potion. But it made Theo wonder if they would get a more friendly version of Death.


    ¡°Do you think Fenian is right?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Could his wife be at Death¡¯s Gate?¡±


    ¡°Everyone might be there,¡± Theo said. ¡°Every soul that had ever lived or died in this world might be waiting for the system to fix itself. We can hold out hope.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t have too much hope,¡± Tresk winced. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so either. But everyone who died under the unfair bounds of this system deserves a fresh start. Hell, Kuzan might not even be a problem. If our assassination attempt fails, we can try to negotiate. He seemed like he was taking his role seriously, right?¡±


    ¡°Makes you wonder if we should even try to remove him¡­ How do you pick the right move for something like this?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Something worse could happen if we made a move and he was ready.¡±


    They could speculate on the best path forward all they wanted, but that wouldn¡¯t do them any good. The plan was simple enough. Someone like Kuzan couldn¡¯t be trusted with the souls of everyone. Perhaps there was another path forward they hadn¡¯t seen yet¡­


    ###


    ¡°Why have a Seal of Passage if you¡¯re just going to break it!¡± Omen¡¯s voice echoed through the golden forests of Eral Dum¡ªthe elderling realm of Fate.


    Fate turned, looking at her twin brother with a scowl. They had been through this too many times for her to argue again. An old friend had finally been awakened. Well, she had only waited a few weeks of mortal time, but that was too long for her to endure. There was a time whens he was known as Aline, granddaughter of King Leon. Since she had been sealed away, there was only one thing on her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m following the threads. I¡¯m not leaving. Not again, anyway,¡± Fate said.


    ¡°Remember what happened last time?¡± Omen asked. ¡°My prediction came true.¡±


    ¡°Think of it like astral projection. Anyway, the system said it was fine,¡± Fate folded her arms, glowering at her brother. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see our dear uncle? Perhaps father is still out there¡­ somewhere.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not even our uncle,¡± Omen grumbled.


    Fate glared at her brother long enough that he slunk off into the forest, leaving her to her work. Reading the threads of fate was hard enough without Omen badgering her all the time. With a steady breath, she invoked the power of her station. Her vision was clouded with gold until she plucked through the threads, finding the ones she was interested in. The threads of fate were whittled down to five, all pulled through her metaphorical loom and ready for investigating.


    ¡°There he is,¡± Fate said, pinching the fibers between her fingers and plucking. The scene before her shifted, and she soon stood on a rocky field. The shadow of a ruined fortress lingered on the dawn¡¯s horizon. Becoming a god as a child had its advantages. It was disarming for people to see someone so small with so much power. Fate giggled to herself as she remembered an encounter with a huge man on Earth. She remembered breaking his arm with barely a twist of her hand.


    ¡°You haunt me,¡± a hooded man said with a sigh.


    Fate bounded over the rocky landscape, laughing to herself. She loved bothering this one. Even if it kinda sorta broke the rules. Just a little, anyway. ¡°You¡¯re so intimidating! That¡¯s the badass fighter I remember. Where¡¯s your gun?¡±


    ¡°System took it,¡± Elrin said, turning to lower his hood. ¡°I had to give up quite a few of my magical items, actually. Have you found Silvain?¡±


    ¡°How did you know I was looking¡­ Oh, right. You always see through me.¡± Fate sighed.


    ¡°And Cyril? Armel?¡± Elrin asked. ¡°Where are the others? The Defense Force?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that,¡± Fate said. ¡°Even now, I¡¯m close to being shut down. This job belongs to another, now. The Dreamer and the Herald. New titles, same job.¡±


    ¡°I met the Dreamer,¡± Elrin said, his pale eyes locked on Fate¡¯s golden eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not confident in her skills.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so stuffy. Makes me want to puke¡­ Anyway, what are you doing here?¡± Fate asked.


    ¡°Do you remember which shard was here?¡± Elrin asked, gesturing to the ruins.


    ¡°The Shard of Strelon,¡± Fate said. ¡°My father used to take us here sometimes. When he had the time¡­¡±


    ¡°I doubt there are many that remember where the shards go,¡± Elrin said. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if I have the power to set them all in place. The power gifted to me by the Shard Network is fading. This may be the last thing I do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop being so dramatic.¡± Fate sighed, hanging her head. ¡°You were always such an optimist. Suck it up and do your job.¡±


    Elrin smiled, nodding to the god before him. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get to work.¡±

 6.81 - Epilogue

    Theo Spencer,


    15h Day, Season of Death,


    873rd Year of Balkor¡¯s Betrayal


    Some people might have trouble finding motivation when they know the end of the world is coming. But I¡¯ve never had that problem. I grew up in a world we knew was ending. I found meaning, even if it was a bit nefarious, and pushed on to have a decent life. Yeah, I get that a lot of people misunderstand what I did on Earth before I was taken to Iaredin. Instead of correcting them, I just let them make the same statements. And yes, I understand that not being the one to pull the trigger doesn¡¯t absolve me of sins. But whatever. You had to be there to understand.


    I write this in the last days of Broken Tusk on Iaredin. I¡¯m looking forward to the task of tipping the vote of the gods to bring my new home to the heavens. Perhaps that involves me assassinating Death, or removing him from power, but these things need to be done. Why is a piece of land so important to me? Well, I just mentioned people having a hard time finding meaning in the end. Hanging onto something tangible is the way to do it. If that¡¯s a chunk of land, a group of people, or whatever, you just need to hold on like your life depends on it because it very well might.


    Let¡¯s see. What has happened since my last entry? First, let¡¯s talk about how we saved Qavell. Not only did we not destroy the place, but we also saved its new king and got rid of whatever weird infection plagued the place. We¡¯re talking about some dimensional being that latched onto it. Well, we had this overpowered potion that persists forever. While I doubt we¡¯re done with that creature, we gave it something to think about. After reinforcing the City of Qavell, her people were glad to join the Southlands Alliance.


    As if a mortal alliance was the biggest concern we have¡­


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    The biggest thing to talk about here is the damn struggle for power in the heavens. Turns out the gods are all fake. Cool, cool. Those that seized power in the heavens had done so by exploiting something within the system. They could make themselves proto gods by tricking the system with the ascendance feature. Basically, a person could create a little pocket realm based energy they could cultivate on the mortal plane. Khahar was smart enough to do a little double-trick on the system, giving him a more permanent realm. But the other were all booted from their realms. Goodbye, no one will miss you.


    There was an exception to this exodus, though. Uz¡¯Xulven got to keep her realm. Mostly because she had specialized it to such a degree it latched onto Tero¡¯gal. Lucky her.


    That led to one of the most devastating effects of the change. Aligned cores all around the world were removed, or changed to the unaligned versions. Two ascendants I can think of were spared. Zaul and Glantheir. They assumed the role of Shadow and Hallow, which is cool. Zaul might have been insane, but he was always on my side. I think. He hasn¡¯t made any outward moves since the change, so I count that as a good thing. The system let me keep his core, even if it evolved into a Shadow core.


    Speaking of cores, most of the people in the alliance now have a Tero¡¯gal themed core. I don¡¯t think Tero¡¯gal knows what it wants to do. It has themes of subtlety, shadow, and willpower but that place is still figuring itself out. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll make more sense eventually.


    We¡¯re close to helping the space elves. Very close. The change with the system didn¡¯t help us out, but I think we have the solution. Once these reforge potions get done brewing, we¡¯re in business.


    The last thing that happened was the arrival of the guy who is supposed to help me. A man named Elrin showed up, claiming he was the guardian of the shards before everything went wild. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s on the level, but it doesn¡¯t seem to matter. This guy is strong. He almost beat Tresk when she was using her Dreamer powers. Fenian used those same powers to beat back the dimensional being, so I can only guess how much power they¡¯re granted.


    As long as we keep at it, I know everything will work out. We¡¯ve come too far to falter now. It does make me wonder how you¡¯re reading this¡­ Do you live on Tero¡¯gal? Have you pilfered the contents of my personal room. If so, please make sure Tresk doesn¡¯t eat all my good cheese. I need it for alchemy.


    Thank you.

 7.1 - Decisions

    Theo Spencer leaned against the wall of the Marshwolf Tavern, watching as the throngs of people walked past. A memory from when he first arrived flared in his mind, clawing his attention away from the bustling town. He remembered muddy streets, people without aim, and poverty. Impoverished as they were, nothing seemed to dampen the spirits of the locals. Bringing a half-ogre or marshling down was a feat no one had seemed to accomplish. Given enough room to grow, the people within the town of Broken Tusk had seized their chance at greatness.


    And to think, it was only the start of something greater.


    Theo had invested his efforts into this town as though he was a local. That had earned him the title of ¡®Broken Tusker¡¯ just like anyone born here. But along the way he had some help. Perhaps more than a little help. He would be the first to admit that. From the early days when he was in the dark, to the present, he understood how much he had been thrust forward. Piecing things together was easy enough. Those people that had helped him along the way had been waiting for another man. And the alchemist had just met him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, boss?¡±


    Dragging his gaze across the scene, Theo¡¯s vision landed on his companion, Tresk. The eager pink marshling gazed up at him with that same Broken Tusker look every other local had. It was a look of infinite potential. As though they could dream it, and that dream would become a reality. Well, they had already done that before so why not make it happen again?


    ¡°The new plan is the old plan,¡± Theo said, pushing off from the building and dusting his coat off. ¡°We¡¯ll secure the votes of the gods and take an entire nation through the void. Simple stuff, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Easy as pie. Except some of those gods hate us. Oh, and you have a bunch of elves to cure. Make sure not to die in the process, cause that would suck.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Tresk had attached herself to Theo starting about a week ago. He was too used to her way to think of anything else. Whatever secret project¡ªother than the magical dragon bones she had been feeding their goose-dragon familiar¡ªhad been completed. She was bored and was looking for something to keep her busy over the next few weeks. As for today, there was nothing but relaxation. Until the inevitable happened. Because something always went wrong when he was trying to relax.


    Until that time, he would take stock of his progress starting with his attribute sheet.


    Theo Spencer


    Drogramath Dronon


    Level 33


    Alchemist


    Core Slots: 7


    Stats:


    Health: 625


    Mana: 230


    Stamina: 635


    Strength: 20 (+11)


    Dexterity: 132 (+8)


    Vigor: 124 (+8)


    Intelligence: 30 (+9)


    Wisdom: 342 (+7)


    Points: 0


    Progress over the last few weeks had been incredibly slow. Theo¡¯s attributes defied what should be possible for someone at Level 33 thanks to a brief exploit he had found. Not listed on his sheet was his incredible willpower, which he couldn¡¯t even begin to speculate as to the level. It was somewhere between his position as an ascendant throne-holder and a god. But the line between those two roles was vast.


    Since the plan was to take the entire town along with him and as much of the alliance as possible, the next step would be to work on the buildings, alliance, and town itself. A few more levels and it would exit the phase of Massive Town and enter the city stage of development. He examined the town, skipping over the listed core buildings section.


    [Massive Town]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (20.33%)


    Core Buildings:


    ¡­


    Defensive Emplacements:


    Chain Lightning (x12)


    Frost Cone (x7)


    Fireball (x10)


    Firebolt (x25)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Defensive Emplacements]


    [Synergistics]


    [Dynamic Incorporation]


    [Dungeon Information]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    [Defensive Effects]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 10,300


    Stone Blocks: 1


    Metal: 5,380


    Motes: 10,112


    Theo laughed at himself. He had given himself the title of archduke, because the system let him. Of all the potential titles for a leader, it was the one he felt closer to. Since he wanted to manage his alliance by setting up independent leaders in the other towns, it made sense. But the more he thought of himself as Archduke Theo Spencer, the less it sat well with him. Since he was betting on the system adapting all the energy they had invested into the town once it arrived on his Throneworld, it was more important now than ever to upgrade it. He then turned his attention to the alliance¡¯s interface.


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    [Small Free City Alliance]


    Name: Southlands Alliance


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Level: 20 (5%)


    Core Towns:


    Broken Tusk (Capital)


    Rivers and Daub


    Gronro-Dir


    Qavell


    Bal¡¯gon


    Current Energy:


    62%


    Upgrades:


    [Zorp]


    [Controlled Fire]


    [Disaster Shield]


    [Defensive Barrier]


    This was the screen that had always surprised Theo. Khahar¡ªformerly Yuri Valkov back on Earth¡ªhad gifted him a Kingdom Core. The value of the object was immeasurable, and here he was just staring at the screen it provided. More than that, both towns in the region were happy to join the alliance. Rivers and Daub was the closest town, fifteen minutes by tram to the north. Gronro was further still, and had been instrumental at beating back the tide of undeath. Both Qavell and Bal¡¯gon were recent and interesting additions. While Bal¡¯gon was an underground city, populated only by golems and whatever adventurers were brave enough to go down there, Qavell was different.


    Qavell had been a thorn in Theo¡¯s side since he arrived on this world. From taxing the locals, to the threat of military action, King Karasan had harassed them. Until Fenian Feintleaf released an undead plague that almost destroyed them entirely. But of course the city became possessed with the spirit of an unknown extra-planar entity intent on destroying everything. After shooting the city down, purging the city of the creature, and befriending the new king, Theo had brought them into the fold.


    And the Qavelli people wouldn¡¯t even be the last to join them on their next big adventure.


    The space elves. Where to start with the space elves? A resident of Broken Tusk named Xol¡¯sa got Superman¡¯d when he was young. He was catapulted through the void, sent to the mortal realm of Iaredin to live out his life. Instead of superpowers, he got an affinity for planar travel and a job as a wizard. The Bara¡¯their¡ªchildren of the shard when translated to the local Qavelli language¡ªhad stolen away powerful lodestones to make a new world. It didn¡¯t work, and now they were all insane. It fell to Theo to cure them through alchemy, void manipulation, and good old healers.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember the last time you stared off into space for that long,¡± Tresk said, pulling him from his thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s not that much to do, is there?¡±


    Theo grunted a response, heading away from the town center. If she wanted the answer, she could read his mind through their Tara¡¯hek bond. A tour of Broken Tusk would be far more eventful now than if he would have done it back when he had just arrived. The only things of note when he first got there were the alchemy shop, blacksmith, tannery, farm, and tavern. The town now supported too many businesses to count, including a quarry, logging, a mine, smelter, artificer¡¯s workshop, a ranch, bathhouse, an entire harbor, and most recently a market.


    But the newest thing Theo wanted to inspect for the day was related to those same space elves. He tracked a path through his town, spotting the small things he remembered from before the population boom. He passed by Miana¡¯s ranch, waving at the hard-working half-ogre as he went. He greeted the guards on the gates and inspected the merchandise being sold in the market. Only after crossing the river over the stone bridge and coming out onto the open field did he stop to take it all in.


    The local stonecutter and quarry operator, Ziz, had been hard at work. Half-ogres were like that. They got bored very easily and often created projects for themselves. Sometimes those projects turned into deadly games with the local wildlife. In Ziz¡¯s case, his boredom had turned into a project to create enough homes for the entire world. That¡¯s what it said in the administration interface, anyway. The reality of it was quite different, though.


    Instead of creating individual homes for everyone expected to join the party at the end of the world, he was constructing massive dorms. Buildings made from local materials of white marble and Ogre Cypress sat in neat rows over the open fields. Broken Tusk opened out to the east, nestled between three distinct mountain ranges to the north, west, and south, while being bordered only on the western side by a massive swamp. A river cut from south to north, emptying into the bay. Alongside that river¡ªto the left from Theo¡¯s perspective¡ªwas the rail built by Throk, the local artificer.


    Ziz had wasted no time to add his touch to the area. He had mirrored the existing stone road, placing another one on the opposite side of the rail. Dotted along the road were the large buildings, other roads shooting off to create small neighborhood-like areas. From his position down the hill, Theo counted about ten buildings already done.


    ¡°Does Ziz sleep?¡± Theo asked, pressing forward onto the road.


    ¡°He was buying Greater Stamina Potions from the shop the other day,¡± Tresk said, ever the tattle-tale.


    ¡°We don¡¯t sell those.¡±


    ¡°Salire does when they pay her enough.¡±


    Theo shrugged. Fair enough. The high-tier potions were meant to be held back for the town, but whatever. Salire was a half-ogre born in the north, only to come back to her ancestral homeland to work as a shop assistant. Good thing her aspirations were much higher, resulting in her becoming the second-best alchemist in the world. Theo wasn¡¯t shy about throwing those titles around. From everything he had seen, he was the best alchemist alive, and Salire was the second-best.


    ¡°Apparently we just need to feed stimulants to our people and they¡¯ll pave the entire world over. Wish they would¡¯ve asked me, though¡­¡± Theo trailed off, looking at the terrain Ziz was working with. ¡°He knows I have my Earth Sorcerer Core, right?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ A half-ogre having to come to you for help?¡± Tresk asked, guffawing. ¡°Nah, he¡¯d rather just do it himself and impress you.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Looks like we can claim more space from the hills if I dig it out to the west. And the east, actually.¡±


    ¡°Sure, just level the entire planet. We¡¯ll just have a nice flat plane. Is that what you want Theo?¡± Tresk gave Theo a wild look, her eyes as wide as she could make them. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but that would make building things a lot easier. Especially since he intends to do it without magical seed buildings.¡±


    ¡°Good luck finding this many magical buildings. We can always incorporate them later. If we even have time to care about that.¡±


    Nodding, Theo headed on down the road, passing the station for the train. While there was an attendant working there, he didn¡¯t see the train itself. It was likely heading to Gronro or Rivers.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to get as many levels in the town and the alliance as I can before we leave. The hope is that the magic translates to Tero¡¯gal.¡± Theo slapped the side of a house, checking the stability of it. The technique Ziz used to make stone structures employed an ability that allowed him to weld the bricks together with mortar. Which meant it was just about perfect. ¡°Even mundane buildings like this will be useful.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Have we decided on a floating alliance or one on the ground?¡±


    ¡°That depends on Tero¡¯gal. Who knows how it''s gonna react.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, we should decide if Tero¡¯gal is a boy or a girl.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°I mean. I decided, so the planet should decide.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t it just be a planet?¡± Theo turned, looking at the eager face of his companion.


    ¡°Feels weird calling Tero¡¯gal an ¡®it¡¯ this far into our relationship.¡±


    Theo had a feeling that Tero¡¯gal didn¡¯t care what people called it. As a sapient planet, it had much bigger things to worry about. Tresk was just projecting. ¡°Tero¡¯gal has to be a dude. Because I¡¯m already outnumbered in the Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    ¡°Fair. I officially declare our planet a boy planet! Planet of the boys! Planet for the boys?¡±


    ¡°Keep digging that hole.¡±


    The best way to find Ziz when he was working on a job was to find the sleeping workers. While he was willing to slam Stamina Potions until he died of a heart attack, his workers weren¡¯t. Theo turned the corner around one building, finding a few Half-Ogres sleeping on the soft grasses. He nudged a few with his foot, but none woke. The sound of blocks being scraped into place told him where to look, though.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t kill you to sleep,¡± Theo said, spotting Ziz hard at work on another building. He was doing all the work alone for now, as the rest of his team had passed out.


    ¡°Do you like my village?¡± Ziz asked, turning with a manic look on his face. ¡°Hey, grab a block and pass it over.¡±


    Ziz had an ability that let him grab blocks as though they weighed nothing. But Theo humored him, slotting his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and grabbing the block with his willpower. He hovered the block into place, crossing his arms as he watched the man work.


    ¡°Should I karate chop him in the neck?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Put him down for a while.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m almost certain that would kill him,¡± Theo said with a sigh. ¡°Best just to leave him to it¡­ Ziz, do you need any supplies?¡±


    ¡°I got supplies for days! Took all the stone out of storage and now I¡¯m using it. Hey, got any more of those potions?¡±


    ¡°No, and I¡¯m going to cut you off if you keep this up.¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡±


    Shaking his head, Theo turned away from the new construction. There was a lot to get done. With the soul potions ready to go, his next stop was the void¡­ To collect a few hundred wayward elves.


    ¡°Are you coming along?¡± Theo asked, nodding to Tresk.


    ¡°Uh, yeah? We¡¯re best friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 7.2 - Greater Reforge Soul

    The space elves had carved a small piece of the void out for themselves. The area had a theme of dense jungles mingling with strange forests containing trees Theo dind¡¯t recognize. Conifers and deciduous trees mingled together with the tropical fare, giving a confusing backdrop to the stone ziggurats. As always¡ªlurking from the jungle or poking their sunken-eyed faces around rocks¡ªwere the elves. They gazed on the alchemist and Tresk with a kind of madness that only his potent Reforge Mind potion could cure. Too much time in the void had broken their minds, although he thought of them as having simply lost their senses.


    Zarali, Sulvan, and Bilgrob were ready back in town. They had a capacity of 150 elves for now, which was more than Theo had expected. Alongside that was Salire¡¯s efforts to create enough potions to handle the influx. Not only did they need to heal the minds of the elves but also their souls. Things had finally lined up, and he was excited to get started.


    ¡°How do we round them up?¡± Tresk asked.


    Theo took a seat on one of the many stone steps leading to the temple. He glanced at the shard behind him, reminded of another thing he had to fix in a short time. That relied on Elrin and his strange connection with the shards, though.


    ¡°Wait for them to come. And subdue any that attack.¡± Theo shrugged. He hadn¡¯t found a better way to handle them. ¡°You brought the rope, right?¡±


    ¡°See, this is funny,¡± Tresk said, withdrawing a length of rope from their shared inventory. ¡°Because you normally find an alchemical solution to the problem.¡±


    ¡°A sleeping potion would be nice, right?¡± Theo asked with a sigh. A few elves moved closer to the steps, rushing when they thought no one was looking. One tripped, face-planting on the soft ground. The poor elf remained there as though she had successfully crossed the distance. ¡°If this wasn¡¯t so sad, I¡¯d be laughing.¡±


    Tresk laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll give a good chuckle for both of us.¡±


    The first elf to go down was a woman. She was disheveled, her eyes sunken with a mad look in whatever light remained on her face. Another problem with lingering in the void as a mortal was the way it sapped a person¡¯s strength. Theo suspected it took just about everything from these people. Each attribute was tied to a piece of that person, and the void sucked away every drop they had. Tresk overpowered her with almost no effort, pinning the woman to the ground and tying her up tightly.


    ¡°One down,¡± Tresk said, tossing the woman up near the shard. ¡°A lot to go.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the most glorious way to handle the situation. But Theo watched as his companion captured elves. He helped when there was more than one, joining in to use his predictive powers to outclass the elves.But their capacity to control this many elves was lacking. Once they had about fifty, the alchemist realized it was too much for them to handle by themselves.


    ¡°We gotta settle,¡± Tresk said, running after another elf that had broken their bonds. ¡°They¡¯re ready on the other side, right?¡±


    Theo nodded, tightening the knot on one elf. The elven man looked up at him with a wild look, gnashing his teeth. ¡°Right,¡± he said, expanding his aura to encompass each elf. Through his will, he selected the elves, and not the structure. Shouts of fear rose as they fell into the void. More shouts came when those elves were cut off from pure void energy. The alchemist¡¯s shadowy aura guarded them from the effects. ¡°Stop slapping that one.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t stay still!¡± Tresk shouted, giving the elf a few good slaps on the face. Oddly, it seemed to work. ¡°Just have a nap, lady.¡±


    The floating bubble of condensed willpower and loaned power from Shadow approached the mortal realm. In a flash, fifty elves, a demon, and a newt appeared underneath the temple in Broken Tusk. While Theo wasn¡¯t great at steering to the exact location on the mortal realm, he could alter his course by a few miles if he needed.


    Zarali bound over, her eyes wide. Theo was reminded of the difference in her personality compared to when she first arrived. She had gone from reserved to bubbly after getting married. The one thing he loved more than anything about that was the way it seemed to help her care about others. As a Drogramathi Dronon, those emotions were hard to feel. But nothing would compare to the absolute redemption of Sulvan Flametouched.


    ¡°This is all?¡± Sulvan asked, administering the first Reforge Mind potion. He wore a simple robe today, stained with dirt. The look of empathy on his face was clear to everyone around.


    Bilgrob wasn¡¯t so empathetic. The full-blooded ogre lifted a nearby elf by one leg, forcing a potion down his throat. ¡°They¡¯re so squishy¡­¡±


    ¡°Just get them under as fast as you can,¡± Theo said, helping with the process. ¡°Before they claw your eyes out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility?¡± Zarali asked, jumping back slightly.


    ¡°Not if you hold them like this,¡± Bilgrob said, dangling the unconscious elf in the air.


    ¡°Have more respect, Bil,¡± Sulvan growled. ¡°These people have been through enough. And they have a long road to recovery.¡±


    Bilgrob shrugged, placing the elf on the ground. The group worked through the elves, giving each a potion to cure their minds. After that came flashes of gold and silver light as the healers took care of minor wounds. They explained something about the power of the god Hallow soothing their souls long enough to cure them, but Theo didn¡¯t understand much about that divine magic. He knew alchemy and the void, and was content with his specialty.


    One fact of the Reforge Mind potion that sucked was how it couldn¡¯t interact with the Reforge Soul potion. All healers agreed it would be too risky to give both potions at one time. They feared for the stability of the elves, and refused to give them both at once. That would increase the time it would take the elves to heal significantly. Until then, they would stay under the care of the healers in their cells.


    ¡°Time to do a few more runs,¡± Theo said, breathing out a heavy sigh. ¡°Ready for another late night, Tresk?¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I love late nights. Hey, let¡¯s bring Alex this time.¡±


    ###


    The capacity for elves within the temple was apparently two-hundred. And Theo was exhausted. Their plan was to do this in waves. The only problem there was knowing how many elves there were. It wasn¡¯t as though every elf on the island in the void gathered near intruders. Theo was certain most were hidden in the jungles and forests around the area.


    ¡°This is going to be a lot of work,¡± Zarali sighed, placing her head on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°At least we know what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    Bilgrob shuffled awkwardly to the pair, doubling over to put his meaty head on Theo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re so exhausted. Care to cuddle?¡±


    Theo shrugged them both off, getting enough distance so he could flee if needed. ¡°What about imported healers? Have we had any luck with those?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Alise.¡± Sulvan peered through the doors of the cells, checking on each patient. ¡°But I think she might be busy.¡±


    With the elves sorted for now, that only left Theo with his next leg of the task. As was her new goal in life, Tresk followed along. Upon leaving the temple, Theo stopped as his eyes turned to the sky. A dark shape looked overhead as Alex swooped around. Her slender neck angled toward the ground as she dove, wings spreading wide as she stopped herself. Her draconic features had really come out lately, especially as she grew. A bit smaller than an Indian Elephant, she bore the features of both a goose and a dragon. Dragon horns, scales, and spikes marked her body while streaking patches of feathers joined them. She had four limbs and a pair of wings. At least her feet were still webbed. The spiked tail was a nice addition for combat, though.


    ¡°Coming along?¡± Theo asked. ¡°You¡¯re tall enough. Maybe you can watch us work on the third floor while you¡¯re outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am quite tall,¡± Alex said, speaking into their minds.


    ¡°You¡¯re the tallest dragon-goose I know,¡± Tresk said, nodding with agreement.


    Within the Newt and Demon were enough distillation artifices to choke out the occupants. If not for the extraction devices¡ªin the case of the second floor, a simple fan in the window¡ªthat certainly would¡¯ve happened. Salire was on the third floor, working through an endless line of potions. Theo recognized the scent before he had even entered the building. The Soul Blooms stolen by Tresk resulted in a massive supply of Reforge Soul potions.¡±


    ¡°Theo!¡± Salire said, looking over to him with a pleading look. ¡°I could really use some help. Pretty sure the essence has a limited lifespan.¡±


    Theo smiled as he rubbed his hands. Salire had already set everything out that needed work. She had even created the Enchanted Water needed to mix with the essence. As expected, this new version of the potion didn¡¯t require a long brewing time within the vial. According to their early tests, if there was a brew time it was less than an hour. With hundreds of the potions to brew, he wanted nothing more than to get it done and move onto the next leg of the project.


    Although Salire had overseen most of the distillation this time around, the quality of essence she produced was excellent. With the new system in alchemy, it was all about getting the purity number as high as possible. Theo considered 95% to be their target, since that would almost completely remove the chance for a bad reaction. Salire had hit that number with only minor help, resulting in a batch of incredibly pure Soul Essence. Combined with the pure Searing Regeneration Essence, and Suffuse Essence, the resulting Reforge Soul potions were going to be awesome.


    Theo watched as Salire kicked off a reaction, combining the two properties with a Suffuse Potion. The reaction was as violent as the suffuse actions normally were. But Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy was always more subtle than Drogramath¡¯s alchemy, as long as the required materials were of a high purity. The vial sputtered for a moment, releasing a cloud of noxious gas. But the resulting potion within the vial was very impressive, and suffered from none of the expected problems related to brew time.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve outdone yourself this time around,¡± Theo said, holding the vial high to get a better look. There was a slight cloudiness within the vial, but it seemed otherwise perfect to him. He inspected the item, reading the description provided by the system prompt.


    [Greater Reforge Soul]


    [Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Salire Hogrush


    Purity: 91%


    Alignment:


    Imbibing this potion reforges a mortal¡¯s soul. The process is extremely painful, but all impurities, imperfections, and scars are cleansed.


    ¡°That gave some decent experience!¡± Salire said, jumping with excitement.


    The 91% purity was what excited Theo. He wouldn¡¯t say it to Salire, but distilling the Soul Bloom was devilish work. The reagent was prone to bad reactions, as the flower was incredibly delicate. He suspected the lizard-folk they stole them from had been cultivating the flowers for years. The resulting reagent was impressive, leaving him feeling worse about the theft. But if the choice was between saving a bunch of elves and not offending the lizardfolk, he would save the elves every time.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good one, right?¡± Tresk asked, looking over the potion.


    ¡°She¡¯s batting well above her ability,¡± Theo said. The words forced a flash of red to spread across Salire¡¯s cheeks. ¡°We¡¯re talking about an alchemist that actually knows her stuff. I made things like this around Level 20, but I was Drogramath¡¯s Champion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were cheating the whole way through. Salire is actually good,¡± Tresk slapped Theo on the lower back, almost hitting his butt. She was just so short. ¡°When does she take over the shop?¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Salire said, covering her face with her hands. ¡°I¡¯m trying to brew potions here. The angry lizard never gives compliments.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, angry lizard. You¡¯re being weirdly nice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I can do math. I know we¡¯re gonna spend forever with our friends so I¡¯m trying to make a better impression. Less stabbing, more hugging. That¡¯s what I always say.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never said that,¡± Theo corrected.


    ¡°But I could¡¯ve.¡±


    Clearing away the rest of the potions was fairly easy. It was time-consuming, taking the group until after dinner to get the job done. Theo was already tired from staying up the previous night, but it was wearing on him. Tresk actually helped, using their shared [Tara¡¯hek Union] skill to steal some of Theo¡¯s alchemical abilities. At least that made things go faster, finally giving everyone the break they needed to get some dinner.


    Theo invited Salire over for food before they left the lab. Before heading out, they double-checked that each of the 150 potions they had brewed was safely stowed away. While the yield for Tero¡¯gal alchemy was much less than Drogramath¡¯s version, he couldn¡¯t have been prouder of what they had accomplished. When the group arrived at the manor, they found that Sarisa and Rowan had prepared some food for them. While it was nothing special¡ªjust some delicious meatball and pasta style dish¡ªeach was grateful for the meal.


    ¡°The good news is we get to do that tomorrow,¡± Theo said, giving Salire a playful wink. ¡°And the day after that. And so on until we cure the elves.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Do I get to steal more things?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°No, you stole enough for us to cure way too many elves.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Can I steal some stuff anyway?¡±


    Theo shrugged. ¡°Yeah. Just make sure you only commit petty crimes. Nothing too crazy.¡±


    ¡°Hooray! Tresk shouted, throwing her hands in the air. ¡°I¡¯m a criminal!¡±

 7.3 - Sniff Test

    Theo wasn¡¯t sure how many more all-nighters he could pull. But the elves needed saving, didn¡¯t they? At least he and Tresk had the foresight to take the night in shifts. Since he had increased his Vigor to 124, he felt as though he could go at least a week without proper sleep. How that would make him feel was another matte. But as he took his shift watching the stills, it gave him time to reflect on how those attributes worked.


    The goal of the ascendants was to leverage their position to get certain changes made to the system. One of those changes was the way attributes worked and their effects on people. Theo¡¯s Intelligence was only at 30 for a very good reason. Increasing Wisdom or Intelligence beyond a certain point had effects on the mind. Pumping Intelligence made a person cold and logical, while doing the same for Wisdom replaced a person¡¯s personality with their intuition. Both roads sucked, and the alchemist had only overcome his massive Wisdom with the Wisdom of the Soul potion. Unfortunately, someone could only drink one of those.


    While there was likely some effect from higher physical attributes, it wasn¡¯t nearly as dramatic as Intelligence or Wisdom. But then there was the system of advancement itself. A person could gain a new core slot every 10 levels, and each of those cores had to be leveled to gain personal levels. The only way around that was to do a core dedication, which gave a person a main- and sub-slot for their cores. They could still equip other cores, but only experience from those main cores counted toward a personal level. Without the dedication feature, it would¡¯ve been difficult to reach Level 100¡­ So why encourage that system in the first place?


    There were likely many other facets of the system that just didn¡¯t work. But that was for the council to decide. Once they had enough leverage to claim their spot in the system. The system itself still seemed reluctant to recognize them. Or perhaps it had some other plans in mind. Whatever the case, Theo was certain they would work things out. As for the plan with Kuzan¡­ he was less confident with that by the day. The Venom poison might have worked before, but there was no guarantee it would work again. It just seemed like a horrible gamble.


    Theo had an idea on how to get what they wanted without using the poison, but still needed to find the perfect person to fill the role. Unfortunately, it would be hard to convince a mortal to ascend to godhood. As strange as that sounded, not everyone wanted the responsibilities of a god. Perhaps they had all learned their lessons from the ascendancy nonsense.


    The alchemist nudged Tresk, watching as she stirred on the ground. ¡°Your watch,¡± he said.


    Tresk blinked a few times, jumping to her feet. ¡°Why, thank you good sir,¡± she said with a bow. ¡°If not for my incredible Vigor, I¡¯d put a boot up your bottom.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to my incredible Vigor,¡± Theo corrected, crawling into the sheets they had dragged into the lab. ¡°You know what to do, right?¡±


    ¡°No. I can just open my brain to your instincts, though. Don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    Theo grunted, resting his head on the pillow and drifting off immediately. That was a massive advantage given to them by the Tara¡¯hek. Instant sleep, no matter the circumstances. Of course he drifted into a gray-black void with nothing inside. He would experience time as it happened outside of the incomplete Dreamwalk, but his body would gain the restorative effects of sleep. There were worse ways to spend the night.


    Drifting through the nothing, Theo felt himself being pulled somewhere. The Dreamwalk was the manifestation of his shared dream with Tresk. It represented their desire to create, and had given something akin to matter thanks to that shared goal. When one member wasn¡¯t within the pseudo-realm, it appeared like an endless void. But he had never felt that magnetic pull. Too late, he realized what was happening.


    Dancing fire raged overhead. Theo heard the shouts as someone, somewhere joined in battle. He stood atop a massive stone wall, looking down at fields of monsters. Next to him were elven defenders, shooting down with bows and arrows, or manning massive cannons that belched fire. The scene flashed and he stood in a burning city, mutated goblins all around. Then an island, a tundra, three more cities, and finally Earth. But it wasn¡¯t the Earth he remembered. It was one of fresh devastation, rather than the century-long devastation he was used to.


    Monsters descended onto some unknown city, pushing through the ranks of defenders. Theo steered his mind away from the dream, finding his way back to the gray void. He had tapped into Tresk¡¯s ability to hop between dreams. Without his command, his mind had sought out the man he met only days ago. Whoever Elrin was, he had fought to defend both Iaredin and Earth. Perhaps it didn¡¯t matter now, but the situation they found themselves in now was a fine mirror for that long-gone battle.


    He was content to drift in that void until it ended. To his surprise, it represented a much-needed break from his endless thoughts.


    ###


    ¡°My turn to be rude,¡± Tresk said, tapping Theo in the side with her foot. ¡°Wakey wakey. Eggs and¡­ sausage. They made us eggs and sausage.¡±


    Theo shot up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. His body wasn¡¯t quite as sore as it should have been, and he wouldn¡¯t complain. He rose to his feet, accepting the plate of food offered by Tresk before taking a seat. ¡°Any problems?¡±


    ¡°A few. But I sorted them out,¡± Tresk said, beaming with pride. ¡°Looks like they have a few more hours to go, but this batch is brewing quickly.¡±


    ¡°Good. Or bad, hard to tell,¡± Theo said, picking up his fork and spearing a sausage. ¡°The smell seems right.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Sniff the essence, Theo. That¡¯s always the best way to tell if a potion is good.¡±


    Theo craned his neck, narrowing his eyes at one flask. The clarity of the Soul Essence looked great to him. If he had to guess, they were beyond 95%, which would make some delightfully potent potions. The final potion might reach 93% after being mixed with the Suffuse Potion and Burning Regeneration. Also, the sausage was great. Whisper always outdid herself with the sausages she made.


    ¡°So, what kind of mischief are we getting up to today?¡± Tresk asked.


    Thinking about it for a moment, Theo devoured the rest of his sausage. ¡°We¡¯re gonna watch the stills. Do you have something in mind?¡±


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    Tresk shrugged. ¡°Something dangerous would be fun.¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. Sometimes he wished his brain didn¡¯t agree with her. But a bit of danger would be fun, especially to break up how boring things had been around town. ¡°Well, there is some horrid creature living under the mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s the thing you were blocking out in your brain!¡± Tresk shouted, jumping with excitement. ¡°I wanna kill a giant monster!¡±


    They could at least do some scouting to figure out what the monster was. Theo had three concerns relating to attacks. The first was the underground area in general. There was a network of connected caves under town where a race of elves could attack. That very same race of elves was the one Theo thought Twist was from. Perhaps they were descendants, but most of that man¡¯s people were locked away in the queue, or with Death. The next attack might come from the dungeons. Something was wrong with the dungeons, and no one had figured out how to fix them. That was likely because Xol¡¯sa was too busy. The last attack would come from the giant monster under the mythril portion of the mine.


    Theo was broken from his thoughts when the bell downstairs rang. He smiled at Salire as she ascended the steps. The half-ogre woman clapped her hands with excitement.


    ¡°More potions? You guys work too hard,¡± she had, crossing the room and patting Tresk on the head. ¡°Do we have a new apprentice alchemist?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the master, baby,¡± Tresk said, striking a pose. ¡°Just kidding. I steal his knowledge. Can you watch these? We¡¯re gonna go slay a giant monster or something.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Sure? What monster are you two going to slay?¡± Salire asked, looking slightly concerned.


    Sarisa and Rowan appeared from the shadows, both of their arms crossed. ¡°We¡¯re not coming,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t invited, stinky.¡±


    ¡°Now I wanna come,¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s kill a dragon,¡± Rowan agreed.


    Theo checked his stock of potions, finding that they had enough Foresight potions for a fight. From what little he knew about underground monsters, it seemed likely they were indeed dealing with a dragon or dragon-adjacent creature. Leaving it alone was easy enough. But letting something like that fester under the town only invited disaster. Taking care of it now fell in line with his proactive way of thinking.


    ¡°Scouting first,¡± Theo said, finishing his food and setting his place aside. Tresk sucked it up into their shared inventory. ¡°Let¡¯s try not to engage unless the monster is weak. If it¡¯s a monster at all.¡±


    ¡°Heck yeah. Nothing will go wrong,¡± Tresk said, pumping her fist. ¡°We¡¯re all gonna live forever!¡±


    Theo gave Salire all the information she needed to know about the run. It was another full run of the Soul Blooms, and should have been ready around midday. After that came the task of giving everyone working the mine that day a day off. When they complained, he sent them to work for Ziz for the day at their normal rate. At first he thought people cared about still being paid, but soon realized they just wanted to keep busy. After the mine was cleared out, it was time for some scouting.


    Tresk was the first to press her face against the stone deep in the mine. She nodded to herself, giving Theo the thumbs-up.


    ¡°Yeah, I hear something big down there,¡± she said, telepathically sending the words. ¡°The rock is also very warm.¡±


    Theo nodded at Sarisa and Rowan, who both took a swig of their potions to buff up. The alchemist knelt, pressing his hand against the stone. He used his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core to bore a tiny hole, being careful not to shift the stone too much. Tresk them pressed her face against the stone and pulled back quickly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s weird,¡± she whispered, shaking her head. ¡°Big fire monster.¡±


    Theo assumed her previous position, peering into the hole. It was indeed a big old fire monster. All he could see was a flash of flame moving past about fifty feet straight down. When it moved, the ground shook. A few ideas flashed through his mind. Perhaps they could solve this problem without engaging in direct combat. If they planned, they could at least weaken the creature. But the aura it put off was certainly that of a monster. And a strong one at that.


    ¡°Does this connect with our main chamber?¡± Theo asked into Tresk¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Make it bigger. I¡¯ll go check.¡±


    Theo nodded, widening the hole for a moment. Tresk slipped into the shadows, activating her stealth ability before dropping into the hole. He shut it closed behind her, viewing the events from her eyes.


    Tresk drew on her connection with Theo, gaining attributes to survive the fall. With a pretty sweet roll, she took stock of the area. Like most of the underground caverns, this one was a mixture of naturally forming caverns and passageways. While it was hard to figure out what the monster was, it was at least twice the size of Alex and lingering in the area as though searching. With a form obscured by flickering fire, the six-legged monster scratched at the ground, releasing a low rumbling moan.


    It wasn¡¯t a dragon. But the creature was unlike any other Theo had seen. Not that he had traveled the underground area, cataloging each monster. But monsters were typically fantasy-themed things or several creatures smashed together. There was no part of the monster¡¯s stunted body that made sense. Without a tail, and with a too-short neck, it was just confusing. And the fire didn¡¯t help things, making it difficult to understand anything about it.


    ¡°I think this creature is stuck,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked, watching through Tresk¡¯s eyes as she got an angle on its face.


    ¡°No eyeballs that I can see.¡± Tresk kept to the edge of the enormous cavern, tracking a path to avoid the light of the fire. Theo could almost feel the heat washing over himself as he observed through her eyes. She found a spot where the stone looked strange, as though it had bubbled up from below. ¡°What do you think about that?¡±


    It would be better if Theo could get down there and see for himself. At this distance, his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core couldn¡¯t get a read on it. But it appeared as though the rock had gone molten, only to cool. The only thing he could think was that the beast had risen from the depths through some lava tube, only for it to be sealed within the room. No other passage was wide enough for it to fit through.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Tresk asked.


    The monster let out a long growl, the sound echoing loud enough for Theo to hear it above the cavern. Killing the monster would be a challenge, especially in that dark room. With only the beast¡¯s light to help, things could get tricky. For once in her little lizard life, Tresk didn¡¯t lunge forward to attack the monster. The alchemist waited for it to happen. It felt as though she might burst forward at any moment, driving her daggers into the monster¡¯s fiery hide. But she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°So, are we not fighting?¡± Rowan asked.


    ¡°We might not need to,¡± Theo said, orienting himself to a direction he thought might be east. ¡°I¡¯ve got two plans. One is slightly more dramatic than the other.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with drama!¡± Sarisa said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Rowan nodded. ¡°Drama sounds more fun.¡±


    ¡°Drama it is¡­¡±

 7.4 - Giant Flaming Toad Monster

    Theo¡¯s plan to bring some drama to the event wasn¡¯t just about drama. He had a way he thought he could take care of the monster by flooding the chamber with water, but that came with its own set of problems. Where would the water go after it extinguished the smoldering beast? Would it flood the caverns below, causing problems for his town down there? He couldn¡¯t predict that, so he came up with a more dramatic plan.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been practicing your running, haven¡¯t you, Tresk?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°That question is so pointed,¡± Tresk said, looking slightly offended. ¡°I don¡¯t need to practice my running. I¡¯m naturally good.¡±


    One of the many projects Theo had worked on involved a set of staircases and ledges to the southwest, right through the rocks near the mine and out, giving a view of the open ocean. Digging a tunnel between the cliffs and the chamber wouldn¡¯t be too hard. Leading the monster down that very same tunnel would be just as easy. Normally, he would be concerned about convincing Tresk to take on the task, but she seemed strangely eager. Maybe she was bored.


    Although Sarisa and Rowan had come along, their roles in the event fell to being mostly observers. Although Theo wouldn¡¯t decline their help if things went wrong, his plans often went wrong. But the strength of a Broken Tusk was their adaptability.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Theo said, pulling himself from his thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to get to work,¡± Tresk said, folding her arms. ¡°I can¡¯t move this much stone.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t move any stone,¡± Theo said. ¡°Look at your little noodle arms.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°I love my noodle arms.¡±


    Near the entrance of the mines, another tunnel led off to the cliffs Theo had worked on. The tunnel was angled slightly, heading upward, but only to provide drainage. The original idea was to run a railroad track down this way, looping along the cliffside and down onto a causeway in the sea. That¡¯s because we had failed spectacularly, although Theo still didn¡¯t know the reason. The party edged along the cliff, finding an area they thought might give them a straight shot to the chamber.


    Using his earth sorcerer¡¯s core, Theo sensed the rock, piercing it with his shadowy aura to determine where the chamber was. His senses delved deep, finding strange openings in the rock passages he wasn¡¯t aware of and other interesting things. But soon he found what he was looking for. The massive opening in the rocks felt hot to his senses. He could feel the fire of the monster burning brighter¡ªperhaps brighter than before. Reaching out with his will, he grabbed a cube of rock, pulled it back, and tossed it down into the ocean below.


    ¡°You know,¡± Sarisa said, tapping her chin. ¡°Feels as though you could use that power more often. You know¡­ to crush things.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, imagine getting one of those tossed at you,¡± Rowan said, shaking his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it before,¡± Theo said with pride, sticking his chest out, only to be smacked in the back by Tresk.


    ¡°Memento mori, my good friend,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°We¡¯re pseudo gods,¡± Theo countered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure death needs to be a concern of ours.¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant,¡± Tresk said.


    Carving a new tunnel from the rock was easy enough, and if things went wrong, Theo could plug it back up before the monster got to them. He pulled countless stones from the wall, realizing after a bit that he could put Ziz out of business.Manipulating the stone with his core was almost effortless. With his willpower so high, he could reach out and make intricate shapes if he wanted. He could pull a sheet of rock from the cliff face and turn it into small, useful blocks. That aspect of the power had never appealed to him, though.


    ¡°Getting kinda hot, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tresk asked, fanning herself.


    Theo looked back, seeing that both Rowan and Sarisa were sweating. It was easy to forget he was wearing the Coat of Rake, which made most environments tolerable. He looked back to the wall, realizing that as he reached out to the new bit of stone, it was hotter than the last. Falling into his thoughts had made him stop paying attention to the heat, and he could only think that they were getting closer to the chamber.


    ¡°Is it really that close?¡± Theo asked, looking back at his companions and concerned. ¡°I thought we had at least another hundred feet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up, baby,¡± Tresk said. Her daggers appeared in her hands, and she assumed a combat position in the darkened tunnel.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fight this thing,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not until it¡¯s in the water, then we can get it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a part two to this plan?¡± Sarisa asked, looking slightly shocked.


    ¡°You two wanted a fight, didn¡¯t you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We were willing to fight,¡± Rowan corrected. ¡°Not like we were looking for one. Not least of which against a giant beast like that.¡±


    ¡°You two should make your way down to the coastline. Just wait for our signal. If we need to, we¡¯ll lead the beast back to the city, and the guns can take care of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to head off to the tavern,¡± Rowan grumbled as he walked away with his sister.


    Theo estimated the time it would take to walk down to the coastline, counting it out in his head as he thought about all the ways this thing could go wrong. He and Tresk both had backup plans so they wouldn¡¯t be in immediate danger. The only problem would be if the beast somehow managed to avoid their trap, not slipping from the cliff and turning to attack the miners. At least they could send up a general alarm to the town.


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    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Theo asked. He felt Tresk¡¯s eagerness to prove herself flood through him.


    ¡°Ready!¡± she shouted, daggers still in her hands.


    Of course, it was awkward when it came time to remove the last few blocks. Dreskin Theo walked the blocks back from the far side of the tunnel, tossing them over the cliff. A few more blocks later, and the heat was almost unbearable. Theo felt as though the stone he was pulling might go molten at any moment. And he didn¡¯t remember the monster within the cavern being this hot.


    ¡°Oh, I have a feeling something¡¯s going to go wrong,¡± Tresk said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.


    ¡°Terribly wrong if our luck¡¯s anything to go by,¡± Theo said. He considered the last block he had to pull, looking back on the long tunnel and realizing something about his plan.


    The beast very well may follow him through the tunnel as he pulled the last block. Well, he had made sure that the passageway was large enough for the monster to follow. He hadn¡¯t counted on it following immediately after the block was pulled. Since he was effectively cutting the stone from the rock, it would be mobile after he made this last cut. Tresk might have been right in her predictions that things were going to go wrong.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Stop delaying,¡± Tresk said, bouncing with excitement. ¡°I wanna jump off a cliff!¡±


    ¡°Is Alex ready?¡± Theo asked. Tresk¡¯s impatient grew. She simply responded with a series of grunts.


    The moment Theo pulled the last large block from the wall, he felt something press against it. He held against it with his willpower, working with his core to try to hold it in place, but the force on the other side was too great. Although he had no physical contact with the stone, his feet slid back, scraping against the stone floor. Tresk chirped with excitement, making strange noises as she laughed. The alchemist simply let the monster push him, sailing towards the light on the far side of his hewn tunnel. His companion ran as fast as she could.


    No matter how much willpower he put into it, the Oak couldn¡¯t hope to stop the monster. It pushed him until, what felt like moments later, he was sailing through the air. He couldn¡¯t remember when the darkness of the tunnel had given way to the light just above the ocean. But the next thing he remembered was a sensation of falling. The sky above and the ocean below spun in a dizzying display that was impossible to understand.


    Tresk hooted with excitement as they fell. The wind rushed by, deafening Theo to everything but the excited chittering of his companion. The only other sound he could hear was the roar of the flaming monster above them. Alex dove, scooped Tresk from the air, but left Theo to his own plan. Except he didn¡¯t have a plan. He hadn¡¯t thought this through as well as he had expected. Most people would consider him paranoid for keeping so many utility potions on him. The alchemist preferred to think of himself as prepared.


    There were a few potions Theo could drink to get out of this situation. There was the unfavorable Return Potion. That potion would bring him back to the place he was born, which either meant he would return to the destroyed Earth, or more likely, to wherever the body he inhabited was born. But he had a better potion for the job. The Retreat Potion, imbued with the Elemental Wind property, would see him through.


    As Theo fell, he angled the potion awkwardly, trying to get the contents to drain into his mouth. He drained the liquid from within the vial through great effort. The effects of the potion were immediate. Several things happened all at once. Theo shot backwards with more force than he thought his body could handle. If not for his enhanced Vigor, he might not have recovered from the whiplash alone. A gust of wind burst forth before him. The sound of the whipping wind became intense enough that he couldn¡¯t even hear the creature roar. Once he stopped rocketing backwards, he felt the next effect of the potion take hold.


    Theo drifted about 50 feet above the waves below, the feather fall effect from his potion carrying him harmlessly. He watched as the monster crashed into the water, massive gouts of steam issuing as its body was extinguished. He still couldn¡¯t get a good look at what the thing looked like under that steam, but he saw dark flesh. It was as though the monster was made from coal, some embers still burning as it sank below the waves. Tresk hooted with excitement from somewhere above. Alex¡¯s excited honks joined her shrill voice.


    Drifting awkwardly towards the harbor, Theo crossed his arms and shook his head. He watched the boiling sea, trying to spot any sign of the monster below. But as he grew more distant, he found he was unable to see anything worth noting. It was an undignified thing to be propelled by one¡¯s own momentum, unable to change course, especially when the ocean came rushing up to meet him.


    Theo wasn¡¯t the strongest swimmer, especially not with the river dumping into the harbor, creating large eddies near the defensive towers they had built. Fortunately, the builders of those towers had enough knowledge to put little ladders along its length on both sides. Pumping his legs, the alchemist finally reached the ladder, grasping the rusted metal and pulling himself onto the stone causeway. He sucked in a breath of fresh air, coughing and spitting out a fair amount of water.


    The causeway rumbled slightly as Alex and Tresk landed next to him.


    ¡°That was pretty cool,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°It could have been cooler,¡± Alex honked.


    Tresk had a way of celebrating before fights were over. Theo rose to his feet, ringing out what parts of his clothes he could see. Water dripped onto the causeway as the defenders stationed there looked on in confusion. They were all prepared for the lizardfolk to attack. But Theo was more concerned about the giant monster thrashing in the water about 200 feet away. It hadn¡¯t died from the fall, and extinguishing its fire seemed to do little to temper its rage.


    The alchemist now had a better view of the monster, who seemed to learn how to swim after a few moments of thrashing around. If the creature¡¯s proportions weren¡¯t so strange, it would have almost been cute doing a little doggy paddle towards the defensive towers of the town. It had a big lumpen body, arms and legs almost like a toad¡¯s, and a squat face to match. If the creature had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, he couldn¡¯t see them.


    ¡°Round two. Fight!¡± Tresk shouted.


    Theo looked up at the nearest tower, smiling to himself. He knew that it wouldn¡¯t be much of a fight, not with the Sandscourge Company on deck. Zan¡¯kir took his job very seriously. The towers he commanded bristled with weapons, both constructed by the local artificer, Throk, and those generated by the system. He heard orders that spread through their ranks: loading rounds, aiming the weapons, and preparing to fire. They were just waiting for a command from their officer. While the alchemist could give that command, his eyes were locked on the monster in the water. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what it was, or what it was doing down there in the mine.


    Eventually, the order came, and the deafening snap of several railguns firing at the same time echoed across the harbor. The beast flailed in the water as more rounds were fired. It didn¡¯t last long against the might of those weapons. And Theo was reminded that perhaps this was another exploit that should be patched. There were just too many things to track.


    ¡°That went well,¡± Sarisa said, approaching an out-of-breath from the far side of the causeway. Her brother was close behind her.


    ¡°I shot an arrow at it,¡± Rowan said, striking a heroic pose.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll never have a problem with giant flaming toad monsters again,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself.

 7.5 - A Crown for a Goose

    Dealing with the flaming monster was therapeutic. Theo felt a lot better about himself after taking care of it. It was dangerous, but he needed a little excitement after things had calmed down so much. While he would be the first to claim that he enjoyed his quiet life in the Alliance, the small spurts of exciting moments became something he looked forward to. It felt odd, but those spats of danger were often highlights of his time here.


    Putting himself in dangerous situations wasn¡¯t just about the adrenaline rush. It had more to do with seeing his hard work pay off, observing the effects of his potions, the teamwork of his people, and how efficiently the town was being run. Zan¡¯kir¡¯s people were able to respond to a strange, flailing, flaming monster. Within about 30 seconds of spotting it¡ªsure, they were already on the lookout for a fleet but still¡ªthey aligned their weapons and fired with expert precision. After the last void-infused dungeon wave, it was nice to see them take on something slightly more challenging.


    Theo, Tresk, Sarisa, and Rowan walked back to town. They all exchanged their memories of the events. Of course, in classic Broken Tusk style, the tale grew taller even before they reached the walls. The alchemist had to put a stop to it when Tresk greatly inflated the number of flaming beasts they dealt with. It was one thing to claim that it was as large as the mountain itself, but two, and three of them? That was too much.


    Thinking about what had happened with the last dungeon wave, Theo was hesitant to retrieve more space elves. Everyone was on high alert, expecting something strange to happen with the dungeons. After reaching the town proper, lingering in the market for a while, the alchemist inspected his dungeon information readout.


    [Swamp Dungeon] L30 Dormant


    [River Dungeon] L19 Dormant


    [Mountain Dungeon] L3 Dormant


    [Hills Dungeon] L-1 Dormant


    [Ocean Dungeon] L1 Dormant


    [Cave Dungeon] L45 Dormant


    Theo stopped looking at the things on display by the merchants, reading over the list several times. The Hills Dungeon was at level negative one. His brow furrowed as he thought about what that meant. The dungeons had started draining power the moment Void Energy was released into the town. While he didn¡¯t understand exactly what Void Energy was, he had only assumed that it would siphon what heavenly energy those dungeons had accumulated. Dungeons grew in power when their level increased. So what would happen with a dungeon that went into the negatives for its level? Something tickled in the back of his mind, something to do with computers back on Earth, but he couldn¡¯t remember what it was.


    ¡°I need to talk to some people,¡± Theo said, turning to look at Tresk. She had just bought some grilled fish from a vendor and was shoving it in her face.


    ¡°What about what?¡± Tresk asked, through a mouthful of fish, bones and all.


    Theo only frowned, opening his administration interface and sending messages to the appropriate people. He set up a meeting with the town¡¯s leaders, as well as Xol¡¯sa. Of course, the resident¡¯s space elf was incredibly busy, but he would come if the alchemist said it was an emergency. Anyway, the man had a Dungeon Engineer¡¯s Core. He would want to hear about this if he hadn¡¯t already noticed.


    There was no better place for a meeting than Town Hall. Since they had expanded the building, it had many rooms for meetings, comfortable chairs, and a buzzing atmosphere. Sarisa and Rowan return to the shadows, providing Theo with their watchful, unseen gazes. As expected, the town hall was as busy as ever. Junior administrators moved around the first floor, helping citizens and foreigners alike with whatever questions they had. These were matters that were below the top brass of the governmental structure.


    Theo and Tresk found their way to the upper floors, entering a large meeting room and settling into a pair of chairs. Alise was already there, drumming her fingers on the table as she looked between the two of them.


    ¡°What have you done this time?¡± she asked, her eyes flitting between them as though either Theo or Tresk would break under her stare.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at us,¡± Tresk said, slightly offended. ¡°We actually didn¡¯t do anything this time. Blame the void.¡±


    Elise kneaded her temples, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°We¡¯re busy enough as it is,¡± she said, seeming to calm down. ¡°Do you have any solutions?¡±


    Theo smiled, nodding to the door as Xol¡¯sa stepped through. ¡°Just the man I wanted to see.¡± He gestured for me to take a seat.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, taking his seat and shaking his head. ¡°I saw the energy of the dungeons changing. Well, I felt it mostly, but then I checked the interface. I really don¡¯t know what it could mean.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± Alise asked, looking between Theo and Xol¡¯sa. ¡°I thought you two were supposed to know the most about this.¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that simple. Introducing void energy into the mortal realm was a risky thing. It was hard to predict what would happen since the void belonged in the void, nowhere else. This was similar to how the space elves had doomed themselves by creating their island in the void. The effects of constant void exposure had on the island were unpredictable. Theo would have assumed that the entire place would be destroyed, but it was likely the power of the shards that kept it afloat.


    The alchemist explained as much to Alise. While he didn¡¯t expect her or Xol¡¯sa to do anything about it, he thought it would be prudent if they knew.


    ¡°So, do we have a plan of action?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°That should be fairly simple,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°We treat it just like anything else. Assume that the Hills dungeon is now very dangerous. We should keep a close eye on it and make sure that there are plenty of troops ready to respond if it attacks.¡±


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    ¡°We should also consider sending adventurers in,¡± Theo said, nodding to Tresk. ¡°People who are strong enough to withstand a high-level dungeon, but who are also smart enough to run away if the need arises.¡±


    ¡°So you need someone who is both strong, and a coward,¡± Tresk said, nodding in her sage-like way. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°We need to understand what the dungeon is,¡± Theo said, correcting Tresk. ¡°We need to know what ¡®negative one¡¯ means when it comes to a level. I don¡¯t really know if anybody has encountered that in this world.¡±


    ¡°None that I am aware of,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°In all my studies, I¡¯ve never heard of anything going below level one, let alone into the negatives.¡±


    ¡°Could we destroy the dungeon?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Maybe blow it up or something. With a nuke. From orbit?¡±


    ¡°Destroying a dungeon is slightly more complicated than that,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we could use explosives or not.¡±


    ¡°Could you do that, though?¡± Alise asked. ¡°Could you do some research and see if you can figure out how to destroy the dungeon? If you¡¯re not too busy, that is.¡±


    ¡°Facts have recently come to my attention concerning my attempts at the Tethers and Beacons,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°I think I¡¯m at a point where I can say that they will likely work with Theo¡¯s newest friend. I believe they will work. We¡¯re just waiting on him.¡±


    Theo turned to Xol¡¯sa, his eyebrows raising. ¡°Are you really almost done?¡± he asked. ¡°Was Elrin¡¯s information really that helpful? Did he tell you that much?¡±


    ¡°I only need this slightest nudge to go in the right direction,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°And yes, the nature of the shards, the tethers, and the beacons¡­ have finally come under my understanding. I think.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Now we just need the scary guy with the halberd and the tiger. And everything will work out just fine.¡±


    Alise  took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She nodded at each of them. ¡°I appreciate you bringing this to my attention,¡± she said, sounding as though she was growing more tired by the moment. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Just hold in there, okay?¡± Theo asked, trying to reassure his best administrator that everything would indeed be okay. ¡°Once we go to Tero¡¯gal, everything will be a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°You say that now,¡± Alise said, giving Theo an accusatory look. ¡°But I know once we get there, there will be even more work for me to do. I¡¯m managing an alliance right now, and you want me to manage a planet?¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s a planet and a moon, which is also a planet,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°You need to work on your tap talks,¡± Alise said, glaring at Tresk.


    ¡°I¡¯m the peppiest around. Ain¡¯t no one peppier,¡± Trask said, standing up with such force that her chair clattered to the ground behind her.


    Theo could feel Tresk¡¯s intent to go probe the new dungeon. Well, it was an old dungeon, but being downgraded to -1 made it a new dungeon in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure how safe it would be, but sending somebody to investigate was a good idea. And the perfect person for the job was the angry little lizard.


    This wasn¡¯t the first weird thing the system spat out in recent memory. There were some old upgrades aligned with gods that displayed a messed up entry. But the group gathered in the meeting room had their own tasks to accomplish. Xol¡¯sa would get back to working on the beacons and tethers, finishing up whatever else he needed to do. Tresk would investigate the dungeon. And Theo would get back to his lab.


    As he left the town hall, watching as Tresk headed off on this newest adventure, Theo spied on her. He wouldn¡¯t be ashamed of keeping an eye on his companion. If she got herself into trouble, he could help pull her out. Or at least send someone else to go after her. For now, he pretended to go back to the lab with nothing on his mind. Of course, Salire was hard at work up in the lab. Ever since Theo had lost his Champion status, she had closed the gap between them. It was more like he had closed the gap by going down in skill.


    ¡°Everything going well?¡± Theo asked, looking over the stills on this floor. There were still some more working on the second floor. ¡°Smells good, anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I robbed a few free stills for some restoration potions,¡± Salire pointed at the ones she was talking about. ¡°With the healers busy they¡¯re more important than ever. I¡¯m working with the administrators to figure out what we need most of.¡±


    The Newt and Demon was the only organization providing healing in the region. There were tons of potions that normal people would find a use for in their everyday life. It wasn¡¯t all healing and attribute potions coming out of the shop. But even now, they were unlikely to focus on anything but curative potions. Even stamina and mana potions were off the table.


    ¡°Troubling times, aren¡¯t they?¡± Theo asked, inspecting the brewing essence. The quality was great, meaning they would produce some seriously good potions from this batch. His attention was drawn away from the lab. Alex was somewhere outside, having already dropped Tresk off at the dungeon. ¡°Hold on. A dragon-goose is calling for my attention.¡±


    Salire chuckled to herself, getting back to tending the stills. Theo made his way downstairs, walking outside to see his familiar doing circles in the sky overhead.


    ¡°I am bored,¡± Alex said. ¡°Entertain me.¡±


    Theo frowned up at the dragon-goose. ¡°What is it, you goofy creature? Have I not noticed how much Tresk is your babysitter?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Alex said, shooting an impressive stream of fire. That got a few cheers from the random people on the street below. ¡°But I am bored now. You must entertain me.¡±


    Theo scratched his head, rubbing his horns as he thought. Sometimes Alex could be quite the diva, while others she was completely chill. He let out a steady breath. There wasn¡¯t that much to do in town besides work and fight monsters. With the dungeons acting strangely, they could really only work. That¡¯s when he remembered he basically owned a nation and a few businesses that made a ton of money. He was rich.


    ¡°Wanna go shopping?¡± Theo asked, smiling up at the dragon-goose.


    A hard beat of her wings sent a torrent of air rushing down. Theo watched as Alex tracked a path straight to the market, descending before he had a chance to catch up. He broke into a jog, following her to the open-air market. With a giant dragon-goose-thing roaming the market, people kept their distances. She might have been known to them, but Alex rarely went on the ground and mingled with the locals. The alchemist found her honking at a random foreign vendor, although he couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying.


    ¡°Uh, can you make a big version of this one,¡± Theo said, gesturing to an ornate cloak.


    ¡°What?¡± the human man asked, his back pressed against a wooden pillar.


    Theo snapped his fingers a few times before pushing Alex away. Of course, he couldn¡¯t move the massive creature. She just moved under his command. ¡°The pretty cloak there. Can you make one dragon-goose sized?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah?¡± the man said, his eyes twitching. ¡°Is it gonna eat me?¡±


    Theo looked between Alex and the vendor. ¡°Not likely. Unless you¡¯re a dragon.¡± He tried to chuckle to defuse the tension, but it didn¡¯t work. Instead, he negotiated for a price. The man working the counter could apparently make another version of the cloak big enough for Alex to wear.


    ¡°What else?¡± Theo asked, looking around.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Hrm¡­ A crown?¡± Alex said, her voice echoing through Theo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°A crown it is,¡± Theo said, eager to distract the goose for as long as possible. ¡°Let¡¯s find you a crown.¡±

 7.6 - The Giant Doom Beast Named Frank

    Alex had very particular tastes when it came to crowns. Theo wasn¡¯t shocked by that fact. What gave him pause was the amount of vendors in his town selling crowns. He hadn¡¯t seen people walking around with crowns. Ever. Not in all his time in Iaredin had he seen anyone wearing a crown. He was certain Hanan had a crown, but he hardly wore it. Yet there the vendors were, selling more crowns than any person would reasonably suspect.


    ¡°Why exactly is this one so expensive?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to one crown.


    The elven merchant gave Theo a nasty look. ¡°Because this is no mere crown, dronon. This is a mythril crown done in the Veostian style. A style that is now extinct.¡±


    ¡°Kinda looks like crap,¡± Alex said, speaking exclusively into Theo¡¯s mind. ¡°Oh! Let¡¯s go look at that dwarf¡¯s crowns!¡±


    Theo waved the merchant off, heading to a stall run by a dwarf. Not only were the crowns cheaper here, they looked cooler. Instead of the elegant designs of the Veostian crowns, those here were cut from blocky forms. Looking back at the shape of Alex¡¯s weird dragon-goose head, he wasn¡¯t sure if anything would fit her.


    ¡°Do you have anything that would fit a five-thousand-pound dragon-goose?¡± Theo asked, looking over the assortment of crowns. Unsurprisingly, the gold ones weren¡¯t the most expensive ones. There were many made from various alloys, most of which the alchemist had never heard of.


    The dwarf behind the counter puffed his chest out, swelling with excitement. ¡°Each crown we produce comes with a resizing enchantment. So long as your feathered horror is moderately sapient, it can wear one.¡±


    ¡°I am extremely sapient,¡± Alex said, flapping with excitement. Several items blew over in nearby stalls.


    ¡°Do you also sell strings so I can tie it onto her head?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ah-hah!¡± the dwarf said, pointing a finger into the air. ¡°We can also bind the crown to her, activating our Magnetism enchantment. It won¡¯t fall off no matter how hard she tries.¡±


    ¡°Go on, then,¡± Theo said, nodding to the table of crowns. ¡°Pick whichever you like.¡±


    ¡°I like the Dragoniron ones,¡± Alex said, poking her bill at a few. They were made from the mixture of iron and mythril, most with gems set into the front. Broken Tusk produced that metal here, but they didn¡¯t have crowns. Well, Throk could make a crown if he tried hard enough, but that wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°You can only have one,¡± Theo said.


    Alex took a bit to decide. Theo didn¡¯t care, since he was waiting for her cloak to be completed. She eventually settled on one that was more round than the others with green gems set into the face. The alchemist forked over the money for both the crown and the ritual required to bind it to the dragon-goose. It wasn¡¯t nearly as expensive as he thought, only costing about as much as he paid for common seed cores.


    ¡°There she is!¡± the dwarf said, placing the crown onto Alex¡¯s head. Both the dwarf and Theo watched as the crown resized itself on her head. ¡°Give it a try. Bet you can¡¯t shake it off.¡±


    Alex wiggled her neck, tossing her head to other side and looking like a crazed serpent. A few balls of fire shot forth from her mouth, all firing harmlessly into the air. When she was done, she flapped with excitement. Much to the displeasure of those around the dragon-goose. ¡°I love it!¡± she shouted, more fire pouring from her mouth.


    ¡°Excellent work,¡± Theo said, nodding to the dwarf.


    The dwarf bowed his head. ¡°Thank you for the business.¡±


    Theo and Alex wandered through the market. He knew Alex was already pleased with how things had gone, but there was no harm walking around for a while. Both stopped when Tresk sent a mental message through the Tara¡¯hek.


    ¡°Absolutely vile,¡± Tresk groaned. ¡°The inside of the dungeon is all messed up.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Theo asked, opening his administration interface. He planned to transcribe the information for his administrators to see.


    But instead of waiting for Tresk to respond, Theo simply saw through her eyes. He went from standing in the market to sneaking in the shadows. The ground beneath her feet was goopy, almost like sucking mud the way it clung to her boots. The landscape around her was weird, seeming to roll into the distance with no logical order. Crags, hills, and towers loomed all around her. The only thing they had in common was that they were all covered in a foul-smelling goop.


    ¡°Yeah, see what I¡¯m saying?¡± Tresk asked, sensing that Theo had moved his vision to her.


    She lingered on the spot for some time, watching as something moved above. It took Theo quite a while to figure out what he was looking at. But when he did determine what it was, he felt his heart beat quicker, eventually hammering against his ribcage. Tresk might not have been freaking out, but he was willing to do enough for the both of them.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Oh, the giant doom beast? I call him Frank,¡± Tresk responded.


    Frank wasn¡¯t a good name for the creature. He watched as a monster loomed overhead. It wasn¡¯t as though it clung to a cavern ceiling above her. No, the dungeon appeared as though it was in an outdoor area. What he saw was a thing the size of Broken Tusk, floating through the air as though swimming through water. It had some semblance of a structure, but not enough to be consistent. The best he could think was that it looked like a giant whale with a bunch of flippers and even more spikes coming from its body.


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    ¡°I hate Frank,¡± Theo said, feeling the mental urge to withdraw his sight. ¡°What Level is it?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, but I just watched it destroy a giant tower earlier. So, there¡¯s no way I''m fighting it.¡±


    Theo did his best to understand the scale of Frank overhead. As he considered their next move. He assumed his normal sight and opened his administrative interface. After adding an important note to the top of their important notes, he opened another section of the interface to send an alliance-wide message.


    [Theo]: Please consult with Alise AND Aarok if you have questions about the dungeons. Until we figure out what¡¯s going on, no one will be permitted to run any dungeon.


    ¡°That¡¯ll make a few people mad,¡± Sarisa said, laughing at Theo.


    Turning to meet her gaze, Theo shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand how bad it is in there,¡± he said.


    Theo was thankful that he didn¡¯t need to send Tresca a message to retreat. At first, he had been concerned that she wouldn¡¯t be able to find the exit, but a few moments later, she appeared right next to him. Despite her bravado, she had been slightly shaken by the encounter, and he couldn¡¯t blame her.


    ¡°Well, that was messed up,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need more information for Aarok,¡± Tresk said, ¡°How is the entrance? Were there any other monsters?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember those weird goblins that came out of the dungeons? Those mutated ones?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°It was like that, except a bunch of different creatures, and I¡¯m pretty sure they were all over the level range.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Theo to get notifications from his administration interface. People from the administration team were asking him what was going on. Of course, this meant another meeting with them, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. But he didn¡¯t need to make his way to the town hall. Alise found him on the street, pulling him aside to ask what was happening.He explained the situation as best he could, although he found it difficult to describe the kinds of monsters they were dealing with. All he needed to relay was that the dungeons were messed up and nobody should go inside them.


    ¡°That works for me, I guess,¡± Alise said. ¡°Although I¡¯d rather have more information, I¡¯m sure Aarok is going to be upset or excited. It¡¯s hard to tell with him.¡±


    Theo found it hard not to think about the monster in the mines. But just because he had never seen a monster like that didn¡¯t mean that it was caused by the void and energy he had unleashed on the world. Well, it might not have been a great idea to bring so many space elves. It needed to happen if they ever wanted to leave. Only when those elves were gone from the floating chunk in the void could they finally bring the shards back.


    Since those shards were the only thing holding the place together, it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to remove them before it was time.


    It wasn''t long before Aarok found the impromptu meeting in the streets. He had apparently left the adventurer''s guild in search of Theo and his strange message to the entire Alliance. He approached with the normal swagger of a half-ogre, placing his hands on his hips as though he were a stern father ready to discipline his errant archduke.


    "You''ll have to explain this really slowly for me," Aarok said, giving Theo a concerned look. "You''re aware I have a team in another dungeon, right?"


    "We only have to worry about the Hills dungeon for now," Theo said, nodding to his friend. "It''s the only one at level -1."


    Aarok¡¯s eyes went slightly wide, but not wide enough for a normal person to register his shock. As always, he was stoic about these kinds of things. Holding it inside to put on a brave face as a commander. "You need to get better about bringing me in on these things," he said.


    "We just figured it out," Tresk said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Theo just put out the alert. Come on guys, get with it."


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t even describe the full extent of that thing you saw. What did you call him? Frank?¡± Theo asked, shaking his head. ¡°Well, it looked like a giant whale floating in the sky, roughly the size of the town, maybe even as large as the alliance.¡±


    Alise gave Theo a stern look. "This is because of the elves, isn''t it?" she asked, shaking her head. "How dangerous is this exactly? Should we be more concerned?"


    ¡°We should all be running and screaming,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°But because we are apparently in charge, we''re going to keep our cool and make sure everybody else doesn''t panic.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a good reason why nobody can enter the dungeons?¡± Aarok asked. ¡°Or is this just a precautionary thing? Can I send scouting teams? How much do you know that you¡¯re not sharing?¡±


    Theo looked to Tresk for guidance. She shrugged.


    ¡°The area was pretty dangerous when I entered,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I think the biggest problem is going to be the monsters within being at such weird levels. They could either be level 1 or 100. It would be impossible to tell what a person would get when they entered.¡±


    "Did you fight a level 100 monster?" Aarok asked, leveling his gaze with Tresk.


    "A few," she said with a shrug, "but there weren''t enough to overwhelm me, not when I drew on Theo''s power."


    "As concerning as this is," Theo said, doing his best to placate the group. "I don''t think we have the manpower to send scouting teams."


    "We could send stealthers," Tresk offered, with a half-hearted shrug. ¡°They had a hard time detecting me. I don''t think they have properly developed senses, and the monsters seem more like aberrations that just flail around.¡±


    The consensus was flip-flopping before Theo''s eyes. He wanted to heed caution, but maybe scouting was the best idea. Anyway, what was Tress going to do with her free time? She was bored, and he was pretty certain Alex could follow her into the dungeon. Although, with a goose''s massive appearance, it might be impossible for her to remain stealthed.


    ¡°I need to leave this problem with you guys,¡± Leo said, gesturing to both Aarok and Tresk. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for me to decide what we do. If you guys think it¡¯s a good idea to scout, then do it. Just be safe.¡±


    ¡°Just be safe,¡± Tresk said with a laugh. ¡°After the stunt we just pulled, You want me to be safe? We dove off a cliff, Theo.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, the cliff is hardly a problem for us. A city-sized whale, on the other hand, could pose an issue.¡± Theo kneaded his temples, trying to find relief from the mounting headache. ¡°You two sort it out. This isn¡¯t my specialty.¡±


    "We''ll work on it," Aarok said, nodding his head. "Come on, Tresk, we have some planning to do."


    Theo watched them go, not envying the task that lay in for them. While it was true that the dungeons might be dangerous, they had to do something about them. They weren¡¯t nearly close enough to solving the space health problem to just leave the planet, and he was fairly certain that they were stuck there until the very end. There were rules about taking mortals to the Ascendant Realms. Rules that wouldn''t be broken until the world was ready to be reset. The gods were clear on that, at least.


    But approaching the end of the world meant there were just more things for him to do. One thing he had neglected for quite some time was the favor of the gods. Without that favor, he would have to leave all the things he had built behind. And as time went on, he realized how much energy he had invested¡ªliteral energy held in the seed, town, and kingdom cores of the place.


    Looking at the sun overhead, he didn''t have the energy to visit the heavens. The place where the system called home was cold, cold enough to pierce through his coat. He''d rather stay down here, where, even in autumn¡ªa thing they called the season of death here¡ªit was quite warm. That warmth had become a comfort, and he didn''t want to give it up for the day. Better just spend his time at the Newt and Demon.

 7.7 - An Impatient System

    Theo felt oddly relieved that nobody had a solution for the negative dungeon by the time he went to bed. He got to enjoy a pleasant dinner in his manor and the company of his friends without worrying about that situation. He had the unfortunate pleasure of being taken to that dungeon Tresk had delved in the Dreamwalk, though. It was just as horrible as he had remembered from sifting through her thoughts. The landscape made no sense, and it was filled with strange monsters he had never seen before.


    One interesting thing to note about the Negative Dungeon was just how random the monsters were. Not only did they not follow a theme, but individual monsters could have great variations between them. Theo took a rabbit-type monster from Tresk¡¯s memory as an example. One version could fight against her, while the other could barely move. Even between those different differences, there was even more variation.


    "This is pure randomness," Theo said, looking around and unable to link any two things together. "It''s like the negative level confused the system and now it doesn''t know what to generate."


    ¡°Right?¡± Tresk asked as she punted a rabbit. ¡°I¡¯d be laughing if it wasn¡¯t so horrifying.¡±


    High above lingered the form of Frank. It was more impressive than anything else within the Dreamwalk version of the Negative Dungeon. It sailed through unseen clouds, emitting a sonorous song. When it angled itself too close to the ground and emitted a massive blast of wind that nearly shook both Theo and Tresk from their feet. He couldn''t say whether the monster was based on something in the real world, and he wasn''t sure if he wanted to find out.


    Tresk held her hand down, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "I want to test something," she said.


    Before Theo could command her to do otherwise, she had tossed the improvised explosive high into the air. It sailed far away from their position, perhaps driven by some imagination on her part. While the Dreamwalk had been picky lately, it was happy to simulate what would happen if Tresk threw a nuke at the giant whale. This time Theo was actually blown from his feet, tumbling onto the ground from the shockwave alone. The wide-open landscape gave no breaks to the force of the explosion.


    "More warning next time," Theo said, dusting himself off as he stood.


    But the whale didn''t seem damaged at all. From his sense that spread through the Dreamwalk, Theo could tell that the monster had taken exactly no damage. He realized now that Tresk''s assessment of the level ranges within the dungeon was wrong. This thing was likely far above level 100, and he would be surprised if it was anything less than level 1000.


    "Imagine if that came in a dungeon wave," Tresk said. ¡°We¡¯d be screwed.¡±


    Which made it even more important for them to find a solution to this problem. It wouldn''t be a simple problem to solve, as most things that went weird in Broken Tusk ended up being complex and difficult to solve problems. He closed his eyes and remembered defeating the beast that lurked under the mine. At least that was simple. Just toss it off a cliff and watch it die under a hail of fire from rail guns. That was a simple solution.


    With that thought, Theo changed the landscape before them. He had lost interest in the weird dungeon and didn''t want to think too much about it. Instead, he envisioned Broken Tusk a few hours ago. Instead of the normal version of Broken Tusk, he envisioned one overlaid with his magical senses. Thanks to his Shadow-aligned core, he could produce the effects of somebody with enhanced magical senses without doing the training. It was a swirl of different energies.


    "I wanted to look at the whale some more," Tresk said, crossing her arms.


    "I wanted you to look at this," Theo said, gesturing to the strands of magical power. "Notice anything strange?"


    "Yeah, this isn''t normally how I see the world," Tresk said. "But I don''t notice anything different. Looks normal based on the memories you have."


    "Yet it shouldn''t be normal," he said. "Remember, we took in a bunch of space elves. We should be looking at a swirl of void magic. But I only see one strand."


    Tresk squinted, sorting through the various strands of power until she found the void. It coiled near the ground, shooting up into the air and then heading west. Theo could practically feel her mind rolling the information over. She made connections between things they had seen in the past and what they understood about how this power worked. If there was ever an expert on heavenly energy, Theo was it.


    "Something is absorbing that power," Tresk said. "Wait, is that possible?"


    ¡°Our Dungeons did the same thing,¡± Theo said, ¡°but something tells me this isn''t a dungeon. Something else in the world is drawing the power in. Which is strange, seeing as that something would need to be powerful to pull it in from so far away.¡±


    "Oh, another mystery," Tresk said, rubbing his hands together.


    Theo wouldn''t tell her that he was almost certain he knew what was absorbing the energy. He kept it to himself and guarded that part of his mind so she couldn''t pluck it. It wasn''t super important, but sometimes it was nice to have some things hidden from her, if only for his own sanity.


    After exploring the few mysteries that had popped up in the town over the past few days, Theo and Tresk broke off into their own forms of training. She fawned over Alex''s new appearance and took a while to get used to her new look. After that, they were off on whatever little adventures they went on. Theo spent his time in the Dreamwalk practicing various forms of alchemy. Unfortunately, it wouldn''t let him touch fermentation. Salire was working on that back in the real world, but since he hadn''t discovered its exact function, the Dreamwalk was still finicky.


    When the Dreamwalk finally ended, the pair went downstairs to have breakfast. Sarisa and Rowan had already prepared a meal of sausages, eggs, and the local equivalent of buttered grits. Theo was happy to eat the meal, starting with the grits, moving to the eggs, and ending with the sausages; he liked to leave the best for last nowadays. When the meal was done, he half expected Tresk to go off on her own adventures. But he remembered how she had glued herself to his hip in recent days. Whatever made her happy.


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    ¡°I need you to check on the mine if you could,¡± Theo said as they were leaving the manor. ¡°After that, if you could double check the dungeons, that would be lovely.¡±


    Tresk needed no further instructions. She vanished off to find Alex and then to the mine. He knew he could trust her to do the job correctly. Without hesitation, he then made his way to the Newt and Demon to see how his apprentice was doing for the day. Even before entering the building, he could smell brewing potions. A sign in the front was flipped to open, and there was an elven man working the counter that he didn''t recognize. With only the briefest of nods, he headed upstairs.


    The second-floor stills were occupied by an assortment of restoration essences. They were all running and in various stages of completion. Theo inspected the half-full flasks to check for quality. Salire had made great strides in recent days on her quality, and every new batch she ran seemed to be better. He then made his way to the third floor and was unsurprised to see more of the soul and mind potions being brewed.


    Salire looked as though she had woken four hours before dawn only to come here and work. Her hair was a mess, and she wore a leather apron over a basic shirt and slacks. When she turned to him, it seemed as though she could only barely manage a smile. She just nodded and got back to work.


    "We are completely out of Soul Bloom," Salire said, shaking her head.


    "We have enough though, don''t we?" Theo said, inspecting the completed essences resting on a table.


    ¡°More than enough, actually. And that''s good news. I know how you like to have a surplus.¡±


    Theo walked around the third floor of the lab, double-checking that everything seemed to be going well. Indeed, the quality that Elise had been producing was more than sufficient for what they needed to do. Both her restorative potions and these new reforging potions were all coming out at extremely high qualities. As long as they kept it below the real version of tier 3, everything would be fine.


    ¡°So I think I''ve figured out as much as I can about fermentation. As you had expected from the description of the skill, there''s not much difference. It''s just about the same thing, with mana injection and all that being important.¡±


    "That''s good. The last thing we need is for more systems to change. Have you made anything with the fermented modifiers?"


    "Not yet, but there''s not much room to do anything but create these potions," Elise said, drawing her mouth into a tight line. ¡°I think we''ll be on Tero¡¯gal before I have any chance to test that.¡±


    "That''s fine," Theo said, waving her concerns away. "We should be more concerned with creating as many practical things as we can to help us in the meantime. As we saw with the negative dungeon, this world isn''t done throwing us curveballs."


    Both Theo and Salire had a decent understanding of how their new form of alchemy worked. Theo was certain that something more would change when the reset happened, but he figured that his planet was consistent, if nothing else. Things might change, but the principles would be the same. So it was more important than ever to understand every single facet in excruciating detail.


    The alchemist was broken from his thoughts when a set of footsteps came up the stairs. The door to the lab swung open, and a bedraggled Xol¡¯sa stood, heaving for breath.


    "We might have an issue," he said, looking between Theo and Salire. "Could we speak in private?"


    Theo nodded, joining the wizard down the stairs, out of the lab, and back to his manor. Once they were settled in the massive dining room, he made them some tea as they sat down. He slid a cup of moss tea across the table, taking his own seat and breathing in the scent of the earthy aroma.


    "Do you remember how we were concerned about the void energy from my people?" Xol¡¯sa asked.


    ¡°Actually, I have some information on that,¡± Theo said, "I''m guessing you sensed the direction of the energy."


    ¡°Yes, actually I did. I didn''t think your magical senses were powerful enough to detect it, but what have you figured out?¡±


    Theo smiled to himself, happy to outmagic the mage for once in his life. But this had become his specialty. He was very good at dealing with void energy, and he wasn''t certain if it was a title he was proud to carry. It came with a lot of complications that put him in the center of attention of many powerful people.


    ¡°All I have is a suspicion,¡± Theo explained. ¡°The way that the energy was drawn from the air into the dungeons was strange, but our dungeons were already experiencing a weird drain before that happened.¡±


    "I have theories about that as well," Xol¡¯sa said. "There is something in the system in this world that''s dying. Likely part of the reset."


    ¡°Well, concerning that, I think the system is getting impatient with me. It''s taken me longer than I expected to get everything lined up, so it''s starting a bit early.¡±


    "And how does that help us?" Xol¡¯sa asked. "Seems as though we want our planet to remain intact while we''re fixing it."


    ¡°I''m getting to it. So, the issue comes when we think of how the dungeons absorbed the power that came into this world. It was a foreign power, so it went to the dungeons first. The first thing that would absorb it, right?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m following,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, leaning over the table as though being closer would help him hear better.


    ¡°Anyway, I''ll stop with the dramatics. I believe there''s at least one shard remaining on the planet.¡±


    "How could you possibly know?"


    "I''m unofficially in charge of them," Theo said, nodding to himself. "I feel a certain connection to them, even if I haven''t restored any. And the true guardian of these shards let his hand slip, even if he didn''t mean to. I know that guy is powerful, but in some ways he seems kind of naive.¡±


    "Reminds me of someone," Xol¡¯sa muttered.


    ¡°Anyway, he had explained his transportation ability to me. He can swap positions with his pet whenever he wants. When I met with him, we talked briefly. And then he vanished. Except he didn''t vanish and become a bird or a tiger. He didn''t swap positions with his pet. He teleported away in another way.¡±


    "Which must have left behind a magical signature," Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°He has the faintest magical signature of the shards themselves. I''ve spent enough time with them, even if they''re inactive, to recognize it. Thanks to Shadow¡¯s aura, I can understand the basics.¡±


    ¡°Your assumption is based on the fact that he can''t traverse the void, or perhaps you''re thinking he can''t teleport to an inactive shard.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I think he teleported away to a shard that''s still on this planet. And that''s the very same shard that our void energy is being drawn to.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa snapped his fingers. "Well, that solves another one of our problems, doesn''t it?"


    Theo smiled as he nodded. "Yeah, we don''t have to worry about how to activate him now. Since this guy clearly knows what he''s doing." He produced a communication crystal from his inventory. ¡°Why don¡¯t we give him a call?¡±

 7.8 - Hooray, Alchemy!

    Theo held the communication crystal in his hand, focusing his intent on contacting Elrin. He felt the same mental haptic buzz as he had so many times before; the other end was ringing. While it took the man a few minutes to answer, eventually his voice flooded into Theo''s mind.


    "How does this thing work?" Elrin asked. "Do I just say what I want to say?"


    "You could also think it," Theo said. "If you don''t mind, I have a few questions to ask you."


    ¡°Actually, I''m kind of busy.¡±


    ¡°This will only take a second. Actually, did you do anything to activate a shard on this plane? Maybe empower it or turn it on? I''ve got some void energy near my town, and it''s being siphoned to the west.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was me. Can I go now?¡±


    "Normally we have some kind of sign-off¡­" Theo trailed off as the connection between him and Elrin was cut. ¡°You know, that guy is kinda rude.¡±


    "Did he cut the connection?" Xol¡¯sa asked. "Were you able to get any information out of him?"


    ¡°It looks like he is both aware of the siphoning effects of the shards and the one responsible for activating them.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good thing, right? I didn''t know that the shards could do that, but this works in our favor.¡±


    Theo should have seen more things like this coming. Elrin had said that he had a connection with the shards. He claimed to be the guardian of the shards, actually. While it was still impossible to tell his exact motives, it seemed safe to say that he wasn''t working in a malicious capacity. If anything, he was working in a way aligned with the interests of the system. While the system didn''t always have its denizens in mind, in this case, it should work out for the benefit of everybody.


    Xol¡¯sa had some more things to go over. Just as Theo was attempting to adjourn the meeting. He brought up the topic of the dungeons. As much as the alchemist wanted to groan and complain about the report, this was extremely important.


    "I''ve started experimentation on the affected dungeon," Xol¡¯sa explained. ¡°What I have observed paints it as a system-based error. So far, only one dungeon has reached the negatives, and it hasn''t gone below one. And I don''t think it will go below negative one.¡±


    "Any progress on destroying the dungeons?" Theo asked.


    ¡°If we''re interested in destroying the dungeon, we should do it sooner rather than later. The issue is that to destroy the dungeon, we need to proceed to the core, where I need to cast a ritual spell. I''ve never done it, and it''s supposed to be incredibly dangerous.¡±


    Which presented a massive problem if they wanted to destroy the negative dungeon. Getting to the end of it, which is where the core should have been, would be difficult, if not impossible. Then, they couldn''t be assured that their methods for destruction would even work. Since most of the contents of the dungeon were acting strangely, it was likely that the core would act strangely. Yet, the prospect of dealing with so many negative dungeons in their immediate vicinity wasn''t appealing.


    ¡°Let''s get a meeting going with the local leadership. I want you to bring this to everyone''s attention. Do you have any recommendations for moving forward?¡±


    "We should destroy them all,¡± Xol¡¯sa said plainly. ¡°Imagine a gaggle of negative dungeons around town. The danger to our people would be incalculable.¡±


    "Get the meeting going," Theo said. "Make sure everybody understands it''s urgent."


    Xol¡¯sa finished his tea before heading off. Theo was left alone in his manor, with his thoughts. He wasn''t certain when this whole thing started, or if destroying the dungeons was an option, but with his town''s wizard confident, he would be happy to go through with it. A pang of nostalgic guilt hit him in the chest as he thought about removing the dungeons. Yet, the rational side of him said that he wouldn''t want to bring them along when they moved the alliance.


    Before leaving the man, Theo inspected his administration and its interface. As expected, there was a lot of chatter about many things. Trask was giving reports about the negative dungeon, and the administrators were working with the adventurers to come up with a solution. So far, nothing had broken out of the dungeon, but it would only be a matter of time. Then there were Xol¡¯sa¡¯s fresh reports flooding into the top of the interface.


    "This is going to be a long couple of weeks," Theo muttered to himself as he stepped out onto the streets of Broken Tusk.


    At least if his list of things to do had dwindled to almost nothing, that left him free to ponder things related to his alchemy. Theo was proud of the administrative machine that had been established within the town. Now, if there was a problem, he could assess it, give it to the people who had the most experience in it, and let them go to work. Rather than babysitting them every step of the way, he could leave them free to do what they were good at.


    He didn''t busy himself with something to be busy. Instead, he made his rounds around town to check on various people who might feel forgotten. With how busy everything was, it was easy for people to feel that way. And he wouldn''t blame them if they got angry. Of the various production buildings in town, one of the most important, based on recent events, would be the farm.


    The main farm in town was run by a half-ogre named Banu. The farm had many large fields producing both the local crop of zee and a hybrid of Earth-based wheat and that very same corn-like stuff. These farms produced food at a far higher rate than those back on Earth. The seed core building that was the foundation of the farm provided a constant stream of magic to the crops, resulting in a growing time of somewhere around a week, depending on the crop. Joined with the large farm was Theo''s Golden Run farm, just down the hill. While he hadn''t expanded that farm in a while, it was constantly producing new crops thanks to his Plant Golems.


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    As expected, Alise had done a lot to expand the production of the farm. Since she was in charge of this task, she took it very seriously. There were more fields, and more workers were working those fields. Theo stepped onto the farm''s property and noticed the buzz of activity.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you in a while,¡± Banu said, sauntering down the road and doing a little pose before Theo. The red-skinned half-ogre looked more burned by the sun than normal.


    ¡°Just checking on our production,¡± Theo said. It was a small lie. He could see the town¡¯s production by inspecting the reports in his administrative screen. ¡°Our party is gonna kick off soon. I hope.¡±


    ¡°Production has never been higher,¡± Banu said, gesturing to the busy fields with pride. ¡°We¡¯ve got local and foreign workers busting their buns planting and harvesting without end. I heard the meat import business is kicking off. Although, now that I think about it¡­ Who cares? Won¡¯t be able to use this money once we leave the planet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to tell your grandchildren about the time you had a huge party during the end of the world?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not what I meant, Mister Archduke. No matter what, all this stuff runs on coin. Who cares about coin if everything goes away?¡± Banu asked.


    Theo nodded, smiling to himself before turning to the half-ogre. ¡°Because you can bring your money along with you.¡±


    ¡°Really? And it¡¯ll have value in the other world?¡± Banu asked.


    Theo shrugged. The money they could bring would definitely have value, but how much value it would have, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°You would have a use for your money in the other world, just as we would have use for food and other stuff.¡±


    Banu went on for a while about how he would be super useful in the new world and how she should be elected to some kind of chair of power. Theo nodded along, agreeing with everything he said, as he wasn''t interested in rocking the boat. Once the time came when it was polite enough for him to leave, he headed north past the many fields on the farm and down into a flatland area Tresk had named Stabby Grove. The area had expanded slightly since Theo had been there last, but his target wasn''t the homes of the adventurers.


    He instead headed more north, ascending a slow incline. The landscape shifted from damp soil to jagged rocks, not long after that. He arrived at Ziz''s quarry, but the area was mostly empty. Still, the hill gave him an excellent view of the area below. He could even see a little bit to the east, where the stone masons were working on constructing temporary houses. Theo hoped they wouldn''t need as many houses as the man was constructing, but it was hard to say. Some of the people coming to attend the end of the world party were already here.


    Those who found residence in those temporary houses were happy.


    The mountains to the north blocked most of the view of the road and train track, but Theo got a decent view of the area. He could see some of the market and harbor area through a shroud of mist. Ships were sailing up the magical canal to the harbor, while others were out in the bay, anchored, as there was only limited capacity within the harbor. There was still no sign of the lizard folk from this outpost attacking. If they had taken offense to Tresk stealing their stuff, they hadn''t shown it. Not only had they not sent warships, but they had also not sent an emissary.


    Theo picked the ponderous path down the hillside. He wandered around down towards the market as he checked on Tresk¡¯s progress with the dungeons. She had been scouting the mine at first, but shifted her attention to the various dungeons after that bore no fruit. The mine was safe for now, and that was a good thing, but the dungeons seemed less certain. Although none of the others had dipped below level 1, that didn''t mean they couldn''t do so at any moment.


    Even now, Aarok was organizing teams to go into the dungeons with Xol¡¯sa. They planned on destroying the dungeons. It wasn¡¯t an ideal outcome, but it was better than being left with a handful of negative dungeons to deal with. If only his future sight could stretch further than seconds, he could figure out which dungeon would fall next. More than likely it was the Ocean Dungeon then the Mountain Dungeon. He checked his interface once again before entering the market, confirming that each dungeon was still dormant.


    As expected, Alise bought most of the meat that was imported from other lands. The only things remaining were monster cores, seed cores, items, and other junk. All those provisions were tossed into dimensional storage in the town hall or added to the town storage itself. Mingling among the people, they are buying things for their daily lives. May Theo feel better. As he was waiting for several things to come together on their own, he was slightly aimless. At least there was an update in his administration interface about Xol¡¯sa¡¯s beacons and tethers. They were only waiting for several magical devices to finish absorbing some kind of mana, then they could finally test them.


    Theo expected there to be a testing period without much success. But that¡¯s how he worked best. After growing bored at the market, checking on the rail, and inspecting the boats moored in the harbor, he made his way back into town. Tresk¡¯s reports continued to roll in as he settled into the lab with Salire. The last run of soul and mind potions were just about done, only needing to be brewed. Tomorrow would be a new day for the lab. They could resume normal operations, content with the knowledge that they had enough potions for every single elf.


    ¡°I was thinking of going through the different properties we haven¡¯t had much time to test,¡± Salire said, presenting a range of reagents she had placed on a table. ¡°I don¡¯t expect them to have much useful, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to do a decent test of the fermentation system.¡±


    Theo nodded, allowing his mind to wander. They weren¡¯t just creating potions out of habit. There was something else on his mind. ¡°We¡¯re making some decent potions,¡± he said, trying not to change the subject. He thought his nod was enough to let her know he was down to make some potions. ¡°We can continue to do so. And I¡¯m wondering if we¡¯ll really need some good ones before the end.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a feeling about our weird dungeons,¡± Theo started, allowing his thoughts to collect, ¡°If stuff gets nasty with those dungeons, we¡¯re going to need every potion we can get.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You think it¡¯ll be that bad?¡±


    Theo opened his administration interface. Xol¡¯sa and his team had only set off an hour ago, so they wouldn¡¯t have a report. But when that report came in, he expected them to have failed. It wasn¡¯t as though he had no faith in the elf, it was just a feeling he had about it. ¡°I think we¡¯ll be getting some nightmare waves soon enough. And I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to destroy the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Have some faith.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to,¡± Theo said. ¡°But we know how these things go.¡±


    ¡°I wish you were wrong,¡± Salire said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°We¡¯re not going to die, are we?¡±


    Theo tried not to, but he laughed. ¡°You know I have an emergency parachute, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I could drag everyone to Tero¡¯gal right now if we needed. Well, it would go better if we had all the shards. But I could do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s encouraging!¡± Salire said, brightening up significantly. ¡°Anyway¡­ Enough of that. Let¡¯s do some alchemy!¡±


    ¡°Hooray, alchemy!¡±

 7.9 - Fluff and Expand

    There were quite a few reagents that Theo had never completed his experimentation phase with. Most of the time, it was a matter of him finding what he needed from a specific reagent and moving on. Other times, it was a property of that ingredient that didn''t seem all too useful. Perhaps it wasn''t the best use of his time, but the alchemist felt the urge to select at least two of these reagents and create a potion from an unused property.


    "Which one are we picking?" Salire asked, rubbing her hands together. She looked over an assortment of ingredients with hunger in her eyes.


    I feel I wanted to investigate the pitch property from the Dongra Blooms. He had already decided on that one, but there were many other reagents he could pick from to either discover new properties or experiment with one he hadn''t used before. This, of course, came at great cost to their current production strategy. They would need to leave two stills empty so they could experiment. Taking the experiment to the giant metal dome wasn''t preferable, but he would do it if they couldn''t clear away at least two.


    "We can always mess with that deadly flower," Theo said. Of course it wasn''t on the table right now.


    "Are you talking about Deathbloom or Night¡¯s End?" Salire asked.


    "That was mainly a joke," Theo said, rubbing his chin. He remembered extracting the Venom property from the deadly flower. If he could avoid it, he never wanted to do it again. Instead, he plucked a small piece of cotton from the table. It was sand-colored and had a slightly gritty texture, as it hadn''t been processed into fiber. ¡°We haven''t discovered the third or fourth property on Kahari cotton. How about we do that?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping for something more exciting,¡± Salire grumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯re confusing excitement with death.¡±


    Theo hummed to himself as he thought. They had already discovered all the uses for the Deathbloom reagent, so there was no point working with that. He had no desire to work with the Night''s End flower, so the cotton only made sense. As he searched back through his memories, he realized that not only did it have a hidden third and fourth property, but they hadn''t tested the second property, Flutter.


    "This is perfect," Theo said, holding the cotton up. "We''ll have to clear another still to run. Whatever interesting property we find, but it''ll be fun."


    "Flutter, huh?" Salir asked. "What do you think that''ll do? Give you wings and let you fly like a butterfly?"


    "We can only hope," Theo said, pulling out a few samples of the Kahari cotton to decompose.


    This was where the fun was at. Properties that came from a plant typically had a theme. If it was a poisonous flower, it would provide damaging effects. If it was a restorative herb, it would provide effects that restored a person''s health. But there were always the oddball properties on reagents. The alchemist held his hand over a sample of the Khahari cotton. He allowed his mono to drip onto it, watching as the smoke rose. It decomposed into a primal essence. Breathing the scent of the smoke was usually enough to reveal the property. Only a few moments later, a system message appeared.


    [Property Discovered]!


    Deconstructing the [Khahari Cotton] has revealed the property: [Fluff]


    Deconstructing the [Khahari Cotton] has revealed the secret property: [Expand]


    Theo read the new properties out for Salire to hear. Her brow knit as he recited the messages that had appeared.


    "See, this is what I''m talking about. ''Fluff'' and ''Expand'' don''t sound like very interesting properties."


    ¡°You never know,¡± Theo said. ¡°Especially when you¡¯re talking about modifiers. Expand might make a decent modifier on things like bombs.¡±


    Salire sighed before nodding. She went to prepare the stills for a tiny run of each property. That left Theo to decide which property they would focus on. He couldn''t see the fluff property being anything but horrible, so he focused on the Expand property from the Kahari Cotton and the Pitch property from the Dongra Blooms. Once the spare stills were prepared, he processed the blooms in the cotton, mashing them, adding the correct amount of enchanted water, and setting the stills to work.


    Of course, it would take about a day for them to complete with a new alchemy process, which sucked. Theo had grown too used to being able to complete a full run of 500 units in a few hours. Now he had to wait, like some common alchemist. At least he gave him time to go through their stocks and organize the other things they had. After being rather content with the amount of restorative herbs they had in their possession, he withdrew a Potion of Veil from one of the many storage crates in the lab.


    ¡°You know this potion was very useful before the gods got involved.¡±


    "A lot of our potions are very useful, Theo," Salire said with a laugh. "And I don''t really like the dangerous ones."


    "How is this one dangerous?" Theo asked. "We have tactical nukes in our storage. Why would a potion that shields you from detection be dangerous?"


    "I''ve never really trusted mages," she explained. "If you shield yourself from them, they have more reason to come after you.¡±


    "Now that''s an interesting take," Theo said. He took a deep breath, analyzing the scent of the brewing essences. "I have an idea of what that Dongra Blooms brew is going to do, but the cotton smells weird."


    "You''ve always had a stronger sense of smell than me for this kind of stuff. How do you mean ''weird''?"


    "It''s like something I''ve never smelled before," Theo said.


    Suddenly, she patted him on the shoulder, shaking her head. "I''m sure there are a great many smells you''ve never smelled before. This is probably nothing to be concerned about."


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    Theo granted a response going back to his assessment of their current reagents and their properties. His plant hybridization project wasn''t going quite as well as he would have liked, but it was fine. Pulling out new properties from existing regens was very difficult. He withdrew a strange-looking hybrid plant from the depths of his storage. It had been quite a long time since he had seen it. This was a plant the local loremaster had named Throk¡¯s Weed.


    It was a hybrid of the local corn-like zee and Earth''s wheat. Not only had Theo completely neglected to do anything with this, he hadn''t even discovered the hidden fourth property. And he had enough samples of the item in his lab alone to feed a small town for a few days.


    "We never did anything with this,¡± Theo said, holding the crop up for Salire to see. ¡°The third property is called Aura and I just never really thought to do anything with it.¡±


    Salire crossed the lab, holding the stock in her hands and inspecting it. She nodded a few times. "Wanna brew it? I actually have some old samples of the aura essence in storage somewhere.¡±


    Theo didn''t know why she held onto an essence without brewing it into a potion, but more than likely she had just done so to get some practice when she was first starting out. There were several storage crates filled with random things that she had crafted for practice.


    "Why not?" Theo asked. "I''ll help you find the essence, wherever it might be."


    Of course, it was in the last possible crate they could have checked. Both floors of the lab, the third floor and the second floor, were crowded with dimensional storage crates. Those crates were filled with just as much junk as useful things. Discarded experiments, reagents, bits of wood, all kinds of things were stored.


    "And I found Tresk''s hidden store of salamander eggs," Theo said. "Finally."


    ¡°Knowing her, she probably forgot about them.¡±


    The system didn''t mind if they mixed and matched the new forms of alchemy, which they all found surprising. He found himself looking over at the shrine to Drogamath as he worked. The shrine was completely useless, but he owed just about everything to that fallen patron. But it didn''t matter. The system was happy to accept the old essence to create a new potion. The alchemist understood that it was partly his skill that stabilized the mixture and partly his levels and attributes.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Theo asked, holding a fleck of iron above the glass vial. It was one of the many glass vials that Salire had designed. The ornate ones.


    "Oh, stop stalling," she said, huffing.


    Theo dropped the iron into the violin, watched the reaction. It was more tame than he had expected. He didn''t need to do much to keep it under control. He just watched it. It put off a strange scent, kind of like metal mixed with dirt. It was hard to explain, but the bloom of smoke that came from the top of the vial was a shifting color that reminded him of a certain demon patron.


    "Smells like Toru¡¯aun," he said, shaking his head.


    "That''s kind of creepy," Salire said, bringing her gaze level to the table. The reaction was calming down by now.


    "I have a sensitive nose, remember?" Theo said. "Anyway, let''s inspect this potion."


    The pair inspected the resulting potion.


    [Aura Potion]


    [Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Grade: Excellent Quality


    Imbiber gains an increase in the power of their aura.


    Effect:


    Increases the effectiveness of the imbiber¡¯s aura.


    "I''ll be honest, I don''t even really know what an aura is," Salire said


    "Well, that makes two of us," Theo said with a heavy sigh. "I understand that your aura comes from your soul and is kind of an extension of it, but I don''t really have one. What I have is a fake aura generated by my core.¡±


    "Do you think this potion would enhance that?" she asked.


    Theo shrugged, downing the potion in one go. Salire wasn''t even surprised when he did so. It was kind of his move. He expanded his shadow aura slightly, trying to detect any differences. It took a moment, but he felt the quality of that bubble increase, and then it increased some more and some more until it was so overwhelming for Salire that she nearly took a knee. Perhaps it was too late to realize, but the alchemist figured out that the potion made his nonexistent aura more potent when it joined with the shadow aura. It had a doubling or tripling effect that was too much.


    He withdrew that aura as quickly as he could, feeling it suck back into his chest and going dormant once again.


    Salire took a deep breath, sighing it out with relief. "It felt like you were crushing my chest," she said.


    "I wonder how useful that would be," Theo said, looking at the empty vial in his hand. "Could be used as a weapon, or it could make my existing aura-based abilities more powerful."


    There was another use that the alchemists could think of. While he planned to take most of the Alliance with him when they left this world, there was a problem with that. There was a lot of land mass, and he still wasn''t certain he had the ability to bring it all. His limiting factor was the size and strength of his shadow aura.


    "Bear with me for one second," Theo said, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders.


    Salire physically braced herself against the table.


    A dome of shadow spread out. First over the Newton Demon itself, then the road outside and the surrounding buildings. Before long, it encompassed Broken Tusk and then the lands outside. It went further, dragging along the ground and encompassing everyone and everything in its power. Before long, it had enshrouded Qavell, the bay, and right to the edge of Rivers and Daub. With a great breath, he sucked his aura back in. Something within his soul stirred, as though restored by becoming whole again.


    He realized Salire was on the ground.


    "Please don''t do that again," she said, panting for breath.


    Theo looked to the sky, smiling to himself. "Wait for it¡­ wait for it¡­¡±


    [Aarok]: We¡¯re being attacked by a giant shadow monster. Fighters to your stations.


    "Wow, he has a quick response time," Salire said with a chuckle.


    "Could you not?" Sarisa said, emerging from the shadows.


    Rowan emerged quickly behind her, clutching his chest. "What was that?"


    "Could one of you run and tell Aarok to stand down?¡±


    "I got it," Sarisa said, heading for the door.


    "I don''t know," Rowan said, scratching the stubble on his chin. "Seems like a great opportunity to test our readiness. If we''re expecting attacks at any time, this might be a decent test."


    Theo tilted his head to the side and nodded. "That was a very good point," he said. "If we are expecting either the dungeons or the lizard people to attack at any moment, some drills were a good idea."


    Rowan struck a pose, placing his hands on his hips and thrusting his chest out. ¡°I have good ideas sometimes.¡±


    "How did it feel for you?" Theo asked, eager to learn more about this potion-enhanced aura situation.


    "Like someone had their hand around my heart, slowly crushing it,¡± Rowan said, clutching his chest again. ¡°I¡¯d rather not experience that.¡±


    As expected, Theo got a message through the Alliance¡¯s messaging system shortly after. Aarok was upset about the sudden burst of aura at first, but Sarisa had convinced him it was a good thing. Instead of telling the defenders that this was just a test, he treated it as a real attack.


    ¡°Well, that was exciting,¡± Theo said, closing his administration interface. ¡°Guess we¡¯re getting close to dinner¡­ Wanna come to the manor for food?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Salire said, nodding. ¡°Right after I check all the stills¡­¡±

 7.10 - New Gods

    Theo had a pleasant breakfast the next morning, but he picked at his food, thinking of the things he had to do that day. While his essences would finish brewing sometime, he had a few hours to kill before they were complete. Tresk hadn¡¯t run off yet, although she had already eaten all her food. Alex¡¯s big eyes lingered near one window, peering in to see what the group was doing. He figured the best thing for them would be to make a trip he hadn¡¯t wanted to make.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to see the system today,¡± Theo said, breaking the long silence.


    ¡°Ew, I don¡¯t like that place,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll never make progress on the deal with the gods if we don¡¯t go and visit them.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I know you get lonely.¡±


    The real reason Theo wanted to bring Tresk along was that it would be nice to have the authority of another throne-holder with him. Being a liaison was one thing, but always arriving without the help of others was challenging. He didn¡¯t think Khahar would want to come. He wasn¡¯t certain the man could even leave his realm, as he had avoided doing so since taking command. While that was moderately suspicious, most things that man did were suspicious.


    After finishing their meal, Theo and Tresk went outside and wrangled Alex. The dragon-goose wasn¡¯t eager to go into the void, but she agreed to come along. Before leaving, the alchemist left word with Salire that they would be gone for a few hours. Then it was only a matter of parting the veil between the mortal realm and the void, and falling into it. A sense of comfort washed over him as they angled for the central star formation of the area.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Are we doing ¡®good cop¡¯ or ¡®bad cop¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Good cop, I think,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to rock the boat, but we need to get a feel for what the gods think of us.¡±


    ¡°Well, Hallow is in our pocket, isn¡¯t he?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°And I¡¯d bet money on Shadow, leaning towards you. Void as well.¡±


    ¡°That just leaves death, fate, omen, and the elemental gods, which I don¡¯t know if there are elemental gods yet.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Tresk said. ¡°So we¡¯re just going to be on our best behavior and set the stage, right?¡±


    ¡°It feels like you¡¯re actually learning,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are you trying to be less of a goblin lately?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    Theo landed in the system¡¯s frigid wasteland shortly after. Tresk and Alex worked close behind him as he approached the stage. They moved quicker than usual, as the cold seemed to have intensified in recent days. This place was the one area where they could meet with the gods. Right on the border of the seal, it allowed them to communicate directly.


    The system promptly appeared; its crystalline form hovered in the center of the platform. Both Theo and Tresk lowered their heads for a moment. Alex honked.


    ¡°And what can I do for you today?¡± The system asked, ¡°Have you made progress?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve made a lot of progress,¡± Theo said, sharing a nod with Tresk. ¡°But that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here. I¡¯d like to arrange a brief meeting with the gods to plead my case.¡±


    The system took longer than Theo was comfortable with to make up its mind. It squirmed for a moment before it inclined her head. A moment later, six spots around the circle lit up. Ghostly figures appeared, all different, and all glowing with their respective colors. Or, with Shadow, it was the lack of color. Theo hadn¡¯t seen Zaul in a while; their last meeting was in the Ascendants¡¯ dark realm. But even now he was cloaked in enough shadow to make it almost impossible to discern features.


    Death was the first to speak. ¡°So good to see you, Theo.¡± His words sounded far more honeyed than normal.


    ¡°What is this meeting about?¡± Omen groaned.


    ¡°Silence, brother. You¡¯re not looking very professional right now, are you?¡± Fate asked, nudging the boy who shared the circle with her.


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but drag his eyes toward the right side of the circle. While the left side was almost filled, only one person stood on the right. It was a Kahari woman, standing tall with her shoulders back and a proud look on her face. There was something familiar about the pattern in her fur. He couldn¡¯t place it. Which was strange since he had a perfect memory. He felt an attention from the woman that was hard to place, as though words were eager to escape her lips, but she couldn¡¯t utter them.


    ¡°Plead your case,¡± the system said.


    ¡°As the gods are aware, we are preparing for the world to reset. I know that some of us have our differences, but if we don¡¯t work together to make it happen, then everyone will be poorer for it.¡± Theo took a few long moments to gauge the reaction on everyone¡¯s faces. Like the gods they were, they remained stoic. ¡°As a concession for our work, I would like permission to bring my alliance into my throne world.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered the imbalance that might cause?¡± Void was the first to speak up, folding his small arms and glaring at Theo.


    ¡°No worse imbalance than anything that has been done in the past 60,000 years.¡± Hollow spoke next.


    ¡°A history you and your people are responsible for,¡± Void shot back.


    ¡°I side with the dronon,¡± Death said, his voice drawing out and gaining the attention of the assembled gods. ¡°Perhaps he can learn that all can move past this without issue.¡±


    So, Death was aware of their plan to kill him. That was interesting, seeing as the seal of passage was in place, and no information should have been getting in or out of the heavens. Theo couldn¡¯t see the iron-fisted Kuzan making a deal like that on such a whim. Instead, he figured that the once-emperor of the Elven Empire knew more than he was letting on. And this might work to Theo¡¯s advantage if he could play it well. But now was not the time. He needed to focus on negotiating for his goals.


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    ¡°I vote in favor,¡± Shadow said.


    ¡°Against,¡± Omen said.


    ¡°For,¡± Fate said.


    The mystery khahari inclined her head toward Theo. ¡°I¡¯m for the action.¡± Her voice was almost melodic, filling the platform with a soothing sense.


    ¡°I can feel your confusion,¡± the system said, nodding toward Theo. ¡°This is our newest member of the heavens, Silver.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you,¡± Theo said, bowing his head to the Khahari woman. ¡°And thanks for the support.¡±


    ¡°The decision must be unanimous,¡± the system said, turning to Void and Omen.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the original deal. But Theo wouldn¡¯t open his mouth right now. It was best to remain silent and see how things went.


    ¡°There¡¯s an amount of instability that will be introduced into the void and the system if he brings his town to his planet. We¡¯re talking about a lot of effort on your part, system.¡± Void folded his arms, glaring at Theo.


    ¡°Yet the reason why your void will be stable is because of Theo¡¯s efforts,¡± Hallow interjected.


    ¡°Not to mention,¡± Death said, ¡°you¡¯re talking about a holder of a throne of power. Even I¡¯m not foolish enough to go against all of them.¡±


    ¡°The thrones exist in a reactionary creation,¡± the system said, looking between the assembled members. ¡°It¡¯s true that they act as a balancing mechanism for both the mortal plane and all other places in this universe. It is within their power to strike at the heavens if the need arises.¡±


    Void looked even more grumpy after that. A small discussion broke out about the impacts that bringing a piece of the old system into the new one would cause. Every time Death spoke in Theo¡¯s favor, he was shocked. He was certain they were supposed to be mortal enemies, and the plot to drive the god from his realm was still in play. There¡¯s no reason to cut it short just because he shows them goodwill now. The alchemist was cooking up a slightly more devious plan to handle Death, but it required some time and the favor of Elrin.


    ¡°You have my vote, if only to leave me alone,¡± Omen said after about an hour of debate.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t have mine,¡± Void said, growing even grumpier.


    ¡°As mediator of this assembly, I recognize that the vast majority of gods favor this action,¡± The system said, nodding to everybody but Void. ¡°As such, I demand that you give the Dreamwalker a quest to prove his actions worthy.¡±


    ¡°A quest,¡± Void sputtered. ¡°What kind of quest am I going to give him? I don¡¯t want him to mess up the post-reset system. How is a quest gonna fix that?¡±


    ¡°Then would you agree to leave it in my hands?¡± the system asked. ¡°The assigning of the quest, that is.¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not? As long as you can guarantee it won¡¯t break anything,¡± Void said.


    The system simply nodded. She turned to each member and swiped her hand. When she did, the god was dismissed, vanishing from the platform. Theo didn¡¯t miss the look death gave him as he vanished. It was strange, and he couldn¡¯t tell if it was good or bad. More like an expectation of the future from underneath that black hood.


    ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate your plan to kill Death,¡± the system said. ¡°Although it¡¯s within your rights, we would need a new one to hold the realm.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s my proposal,¡± Theo said. ¡°A way to ensure that death commands the realm and I get what I want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± the system said.


    ¡°I understand the importance of each godly realm. They¡¯re fairly obvious when you consider their namesakes. But there is one that stands out among them.¡± Theo took a few long moments to gather his thoughts. ¡°Are you the one who designed the Thrones of Power? You did it in reaction to the ascendants¡¯ power grab, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Theo held up two fingers. ¡°Two positions in the realm of Death. The leader, and an arbiter. Create another throne and give the holder authority to oversee what Death does with the souls of the dead.¡±


    ¡°You want me to create a new position of power based on your desires?¡± the system asked, seeming slightly annoyed at the suggestion.


    ¡°I¡¯m basing my decision on logic, not my feelings,¡± Theo clarified. ¡°That¡¯s too much power for one god to hold, and is there a mechanism for somebody to assault his realm and take it from him?¡±


    The system took a long time to consider the proposal. Theo waited, sharing looks with Tresk and Alex. As the moments wore on, he became increasingly nervous that his idea would be declined.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± the system said. ¡°Perhaps that will be your task, but I need time.¡±


    As the system often did, it vanished without saying much else. Theo didn¡¯t wait either. He surrounded his companions with his aura and dropped them back into the void. Only once they were there did he feel comfortable talking.


    ¡°That might have gone well,¡± Theo said, scratching his chin as he considered his options.


    ¡°I can feel that silly little plan warming its way through your brain,¡± Tresk said. ¡°You think something like that would work? Do you think our plan to murder Death isn¡¯t going to work?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point going into this without a backup plan,¡± Theo said. ¡°Killing Death or driving him from his realm is going to be difficult, if not impossible. We¡¯re talking about killing a proper god, not an ascendant.¡±


    Theo had been an accomplice to killing an Ascended before. Balkor was dead, or mostly dead, thanks to Fenian¡¯s actions. But the demon god of undeath had only been an ascendant. He was basically a juiced-up mortal commanding a realm. He wasn¡¯t that hard to kill, but death had protections that the ascendants didn¡¯t. Their realms were completely unknown to the alchemists. They could have been anything, and there could have been defenses none of them could penetrate.


    ¡°My only thought for killing Death was to poison his realm,¡± Theo said. ¡°But we would have to find it, apply the poison, and hope it took hold. What if he resisted it, or had some other defense?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. But we¡¯ve never backed down from a challenge, have we?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°And then we have to find another person to assume the mantle of Death,¡± Theo said. ¡°We have to think long term now. More importantly, we have to run this by the other throne holders. I just have a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Tresk said. ¡°So, this alternative you¡¯re thinking of¡­ We create another throne that does what? Manages Death specifically? Isn¡¯t that the job of you and Khahar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s our job, but we can only do stuff when the gods break the rules. I want to impose new rules.¡±


    This could have turned into a long debate, but Tresk nodded along. Theo could feel that she sensed the wisdom in his caution. She understood that the assassination attempt would be nearly impossible. She also felt his reliance on the newest player on the field. If they could get Elrin to agree to be that arbiter, things might work out.


    ¡°For now, we¡¯ll give the system enough time to think about it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°The system seems to take what you say seriously, which means she¡¯s taking all our positions seriously. That¡¯s good news, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Indeed, that was a good thing, as the group approached the mortal realm once again. Theo looked forward to turning his attention to potions, but he now had a path forward with the gods and his plan to bring his burgeoning alliance¡ªwith all the weird magical stuff that came with it¡ªwith him.

 7.11 - Fluff, Pitch, Expand

    They arrived back at the lab just in time for the essences to finish brewing. For testing today, they were going to create potions based on the Pitch, Expand, and Fluff properties. While the alchemist didn''t have much faith in these properties providing powerful effects, he was excited to see what kind of wacky things they would produce. Salire was waiting for him on the third floor, organizing everything and preparing for another run of the restoration essences.


    "Just in time for the fun stuff, huh?" she asked. ¡°Leaving all the grunt work to me.¡±


    "You''re the apprentice, aren''t you?" Theo asked. "Nah, I''m just kidding. If you want to go up and talk with the gods in my stead, you''re more than welcome."


    "I''m good. Very content down here where things are easy to understand." How did your meeting go?


    "I think the system likes me," Theo said, questioning his own statement. "It''s really hard to tell. She''s basically this floating crystal lady. And once again, I''m reminded that she is neither a woman nor a man; she''s just a system."


    But everything was ready for Theo to get started on the items. He assessed the quality of each essence and determined that they were excellent, far better than the stuff they had been producing. When the lab first started running, they had brewed each essence at the second tier, and still had no plans to run third-tier essences until they could get that technique down. For testing potions, Theo always preferred to run them at the lowest possible tier.


    "Oh, are we starting with fluff?" Salire asked, bouncing with excitement next to Theo.


    "What could the Fluff property possibly produce?" Theo asked, laughing to himself. "I really need to know."


    Theo got to work brewing the potion. He took only a few moments to appreciate its 98% purity before getting to work. It took to the enchanted water and the iron shavings very well, creating a bubbling mixture that gave off the smell of hot sand. But the amount of vapor produced was minimal, and the fumes didn''t seem noxious. When the potion finished brewing in the vial, they both stepped in to inspect the result.


    [Fluff Potion]


    [Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    Imbibing this potion creates a thin fluffy layer on the drinker¡¯s skin for an hour.


    Effect:


    Reduces the amount of damage you take from lightning attacks by 50%.


    Your skin is itchy for the duration of the potion.


    "Excuse me," Salire asked, grimacing as she read over the description. "That sounds disgusting."


    "I will give you a gold coin if you drink it," Theo said.


    For about half a second, it seemed as though she might take him up on the offer, but eventually, she scooted the potion away from herself, shaking her head. "I think that might be just a bit too much for me. Is this potion useful?"


    A 50% reduction to lightning damage would be great if we ever fought anything with lightning attacks," Theo said, smoothing his hair back and trying to envision any other scenario where he could use it. Maybe if he needed to have itchy skin for an hour, but that didn''t seem likely. No, the damage reduction was the only good thing about the potion. The secondary effect was an obvious negative.


    "Do we have an example of a potion that provides a negative effect along with a positive one?" Theo asked.


    "Uh, yes, that would be the Carapace Potion. That''s the one that creates segmented plates all over your body, but increases your defense,¡± Salire said.


    Theo thought the carapace potion differed from this one, though. The plates that formed in a person''s body provided the defense, and using this potion as an example, the two things were unrelated. Unless the thin, fluffy layer acted as a mechanism to resist the lightning. But that didn''t seem likely.


    "Let''s move on before I have a crisis about this strange potion," Theo said, shaking his head. "Which one did you want to do next?"


    "Let''s do Pitch," Salire said. "I think we know what that''s going to make."


    There were many essences in this world that were unpleasant to work with. Theo swirled the flask of pitch essence and felt the urge to pinch his nose. The scent was offensive, but didn''t burn his nostrils like some others. Instead, it just smelled like concentrated tar back on Earth. He wouldn''t want to be in a closed room without ventilation with this essence, but it wasn''t enough to make him gag.


    A strange property of the essence was that it was fairly thick. As he poured it into a round, bomb vial, he watched as it came out more like syrup than any other liquid essence he had worked with. But it took to the enchanted water and the iron shavings without a problem, producing a vapor that intensified the scent in the air. Salire cracked a window and waved her notebook, drawing the smell out where the extractor fan failed.


    But the brewing process went well, and eventually, the bomb-style potion was completed.


    [Pitch Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    Effect:


    Hitting a target with this bomb will cover them in magical pitch.


    Effect:


    Targets affected with the pitch will gain weakness to fire damage.


    The sticky substance created by this bind roots a target for up to 10 seconds.


    The pitch produced by this bomb is incredibly flammable.


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    "These are far more interesting than the bombs we''ve seen in the past," Theo said, reading over the description a few times.


    The effects were interesting in themselves. To root a target in place was a great effect for a bomb, and Theo had used it several times in the past during monster waves. But gaining a weakness to fire and having the potion itself be flammable was kind of insane for a common-rarity item. These were the effects he would expect to see from a modified potion.


    "These potions are weird," Salire said, stooping to get a better look at the potion. ¡°We''re getting some pretty strange effects."


    "I''m not complaining. These are some pretty good effects, but... it''s hard to know what to think about them. Anyway, do you want to do the next one?"


    "I''d rather not mess it up," Salire said. "You can handle the brewing if you don''t mind."


    Theo shrugged. She only seemed to lack confidence when he was in the room. Otherwise, when left alone, she could brew some of the most difficult potions he had ever attempted, such as the reforging potions. After a few moments of thought, he realized she was just being nice, allowing him the honors.


    The Expand Essence was strange. It was a normal liquid essence like those he commonly worked with, but its look and scent were completely foreign. It was a very cloudy essence with an inoffensive scent he couldn''t quite place. It had a decently powerful magical presence, enough to stir even Theo''s stunted senses. He got to mixing the potion, adding the correct amount to a vial. He topped it with enchanted water and added the iron shavings before observing the reaction.


    If the appearance of the cloudy essence wasn''t strange enough, the reaction was even stranger. It was a slow process that took a while to begin and lasted far longer than it should have. Strangely enough, it put off almost no vapor. The alchemist couldn''t smell anything in the air, no matter how close he got to the vial. But once it was done, the cloudy gray mixture remained, and the potion was complete. Both leaned in to inspect what had been created.


    [Expand Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    Imbibing this potion causes the drinker to expand.


    Effect:


    For one hour, the imbiber expands in a random direction by an amount between 50 to 100%.


    "I''ll give you ten gold to drink that one," Theo said, staring at the description in amazement. "That has to be one of the worst potions I''ve ever seen in my entire life."


    "Yeah, that''s easily the worst one I''ve ever seen. Why would anyone want to expand in any direction, by any amount, for any amount of time? I don''t get it."


    It was a truly puzzling potion. Both Theo and Salire looked at the potion with glossy eyes, unable to figure out any practical uses. Perhaps this went back to the alchemist¡¯s thought of creating a new batch of modifiers. If the Expand property could be used to increase the size of an explosion on a bomb, it could be useful.


    ¡°Well, that was interesting,¡± Theo said, finally breaking the silence. ¡°Not very useful, but interesting.¡±


    ¡°Right, so we¡¯ll set those aside and never look at the Expand potion ever again. What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Fermentation testing,¡± Theo said, nodding to the enchanted barrels on the far side of the room. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of a sense for these properties, so we¡¯ll need to test some more.¡±


    Salire had figured out most of the corks with their new brand of fermentation. The good news was that it was basically the same as the old one. She claimed it had some more manual control required during processing, and that the automatic enchanters Zarali had made weren''t as effective, but it didn''t change much about their process.


    Theo approached one of his alchemy barrels and reached out, inspecting it.


    [Enchanted Alchemy Fermentation Barrel]


    [Alchemy Equipment] [Enchanted]


    Epic


    Created By: Sledge


    Modified By: Zarali


    A 200 unit capacity barrel capable of fermenting any reagents placed inside. Placing a mote with the mash is required for the process to take effect. Additional motes and mana may be required over the course of the fermentation.


    Effects:


    Creates a fermentation reaction when reagents are placed inside with a mote.


    Speed of fermentation is greatly increased, depending on the strength of the mote.


    Enchantments:


    Siphon Power


    Distribute Power


    Crafting Speed


    Crafting Effectiveness


    Alignment: ERROR MISSING


    Well, the alignment tag on the item wasn''t surprising. Ever since the ascendants were foisted from their realms, stuff aligned with the Pretender gods hadn''t been working. But a quick inspection revealed that all the other parts were functioning correctly. Adding moats to the fermentation process was the old way they did things. They had migrated to using Zarali¡¯s mana processing machines, but now those were having problems.


    "Good thing we''ve been practicing our mana control," Theo said, turning to narrow his gaze at his apprentice. "Haven''t we?"


    "I''ve actually been practicing," Salire said, standing up straight and striking a pose. "You can''t yell at me for once."


    "That''s good," Theo said, considering which properties he would focus on first. Fermentation was a simple process of focusing on a property when adding a reagent and then extracting a modifier from that property. After it took a bit to ferment, they needed to run it through a still, but the process was quite simple.


    "I say we go through these weird ones. We should use the Pitch, Expand, and Fluff properties to see what kind of weird modifiers they''ll make."


    Salire agreed and began getting everything ready for the brew. They had enough barrels to handle ten at once, but they would start with three. Theo helped her process the reagents into a mashed form, adding them to the barrels and standing over each one in turn. He allowed mana to drip from his hand, watching as it impacted the surface and sent magical ripples outward.


    It didn''t take long to sense the differences between before and after the system changed. Just like regular alchemy, the fermentation process was now much more volatile. That''s why, when loading the barrels, he only put in a small amount compared to before. After watching it for about half an hour, he was surprised to see that no chain reactions were occurring in the raw reagent mash.


    "This is far more stable than what I expected," Theo said, getting close and having a good sniff of the fermentation barrel. "Unlike our Taro¡¯gal stills, I don''t think these are going to explode."


    "Explosions were an option?¡± Salire asked. "Maybe we should have done this outside."


    They watched the fermentation barrels for a while, but it seemed as though nothing was going to happen. If any volatile reaction were to occur, it would have been much later. Theo was satisfied and turned away, intent on leaving and doing some town management for a while, but he was stopped by his apprentice at the door.


    "I don''t think you should neglect your magic either," Salire said, looking slightly concerned. "We''ve been focused so heavily on alchemy, and I know there''s a lot left to do, but your ward-based magic has been very helpful so far."


    Sometimes Theo got so inside his own head that he forgot things, especially when it came to his many cores. Taking the dedication to his alchemy and herbalism core was a great way to help him narrow his focus, but those other cores were still powerful. Neglecting them was a great way to narrow his range of abilities, and that simply wasn''t something he was interested in.


    "That''s some extremely good advice," Theo said, patting her on the shoulder. "I don''t want to neglect my Tero¡¯gal Mage¡¯s Core."


    "Maybe you can come up with some magic that will help us deal with a gigantic crowd of people rushing toward us from every corner of the planet."


    "Well, that is a very pointed and specific example you''re using there," Theo said, smiling wide. "Yeah, you''re right. I think I need to spend some time crafting some new spells. I might have an idea."


    "Just something to think of," Salire said, shooing him out. "Now let me work on my restoration potions while you go play archduke."


    Theo left the lab and headed out onto the streets of Broken Tusk. He stopped, looking at the minor changes that had happened to his mage core. As he cycled through the list of cores, his vision fell on the Dreamwalker''s Core. He drilled down to the one skill attached to it. The Passage skill.


    It was impossible to know if a peaceful resolution could be reached before death, or before others who seemed to crave his demise. This was a skill he hadn''t shared with the other throne-holders¡ªone that would likely allow him to pass into the heavenly realms. He wasn''t averse to the idea of taking death out of the picture, but he just didn''t have the same history the others did. Tarantham had never really bothered them, not as much as the dronon or Qavell.


    Fortunately, it was a problem for another day.

 7.12 - Evolution

    It seemed as though Everyday Thea was facing the results of the ascendants'' expulsion from their fake heavens. Now that things had calmed down around town, he had time to better examine the effects on his buildings. While he had expected to need to search far to find the first building with an erroneous entry under its expansions, he needed to look no further than the lab. It should have been obvious, of course, since the Shrine to Drogramath was still sitting on the third floor, waiting for offerings that would never come. The building had two upgrades that he needed to sort out. The shrine and Drogramath Distillation Specialty.


    At least he had a path forward to fix this problem. Changing the building¡¯s alignment to Tero¡¯gal would fix it. He just hadn¡¯t had the time.


    Standing outside of the building, Theo directed the flow of energy. It was easy to grasp those threads of power. The only thing he could feel in the air was latent magic, Tero¡¯gal¡¯s power, and that of the void. It was a heady mix, but nothing he couldn¡¯t handle. When the building''s alignment finally changed, he received a system message detailing the differences. This was different than the message he had seen in the past. If only slightly so.


    [Building Evolution!]


    Your [Alchemy Lab] has evolved into a [Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Lab].


    The [Drogramath Distillation Specialty] upgrade has evolved.


    The [Shrine to Drogramath] upgrade can be upgraded, but requires your input.


    The next screen that appeared looked much like the screen Theo got when he was upgrading a building using monster cores. It provided him with a selection of three options, but the interesting thing was that they weren''t recycled from his previous selections.


    "Now that''s interesting," Theo said, looking over the list.


    [Subtly in Crafting]


    Increases the purity of potions based on the strength of Tero¡¯gal power in the air.


    [Suppression Through Force(fields)]


    You may create a small cubic force field over a small area. Alchemical actions within the field are less likely to explode. One explosion may be contained every day (resetting at midnight).


    [Stable Mist]


    A stabilizing mist seeps through the lab, reducing the chance your essences will explode. During brewing, less alchemical waste will be generated.


    This might have been the best selection of three upgrades Theo had ever seen in his time here. Each one was incredibly useful, and he wanted them all, but of course, he could only pick one. First came the Subtlety in Crafting upgrade, which would increase the purity of his potions. Compared to the others, this was the worst, but it was still amazing. This would be the perfect upgraded take if he were sprinting for higher-tier potions, since the purity typically dropping the quality of those potions would also drop. That would also affect the stability of the essences, but he moved down to the next one, thinking it over.


    The next possible upgrade, Suppression Through Force(fields), was incredibly tempting. This one would allow Theo to place a small force field, like the ones he used with his mage''s core, to prevent an explosion. He was leaning towards this one, but the next upgrade was also very helpful.


    Theo bit his lip as he thought about the stable mist upgrade. One of the worst issues working with Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy system was the alchemical waste it generated. This limited them in many ways, including the stability of the potions. He really wanted the force fields, but this one might be the best pick. Before he selected it, however, he thought it over. He weighed which one would give him the most.


    If it came down to it, Theo could use his magic to create force fields within the lab. The force field provided by the upgrade would be guaranteed to absorb an explosion, but the one he generated wouldn''t. He figured there were techniques he could use to replicate the upgrade, so he decided against it. Instead, he went with the one that was basically passive. Stable Mist would affect every single batch they created, meaning it was more valuable to him.


    "That''s my justification, anyway," Theo said, "selecting the upgrade."


    After making that pick, Theo inspected the skill that had replaced Drogramath Distillation Specialty. It was effectively a copy of the first, and he saw no changes to the upgrade except for the last line. He nodded with approval as he read through the upgrade.


    [Tero¡¯gal Distillation Specialty]


    Specialize your lab in Tero¡¯gal Distillation. This option is only available to those dedicated to Tero¡¯gal.


    Effect:


    Reduces the likelihood that essences will explode when interacting.


    Increases the rate of distillation in all stills.


    Increases [Wisdom] bonus for all [Alchemists] within the [Alchemy Lab].


    Occasionally increases the yield during the distillation process.


    Theo wanted to laugh at the way Tero¡¯gal had co-opted Drogramath''s own form of distillation. It was as though the old ascendant had his work copied, like a kid in school. The alchemist wouldn''t complain. This made things easy, and all these things were still quite familiar. When he was done, he inspected the lab itself, seeing what kind of progress they had made.


    [Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Lab] [Alchemy Shop]


    [The Newt and Demon]


    Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk


    Shopkeeper: Salire Hogrush


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 30 (2%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Alchemy Shop]


    [Tero¡¯gal Distillation Specialty]


    [Stable Mist]


    [Alchemical Garden]


    [Internal Liquid Storage]


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    [Lab Extension]


    There might be time before the end of the world for him to put a few more levels on the buildings in town. It might have been a superstitious way of thinking, but Theo wasn''t eager to bring the buildings too high above his own level. It also meant that he needed to upgrade the town itself, and the next stage for them was to become a proper city. He knew that Broken Tusk wouldn''t lose its charm if it got an interface update, but he was still reluctant to do so.


    At least there were other buildings for him to upgrade, which could distract him. Theo ran through his mental list of buildings in town that were aligned with any gods. He smiled to himself as he remembered the smelters. Nira had been insistent on avoiding aligned upgrades, and she had made a great call. But the mine wasn''t so lucky. It had a dwarf-aligned upgrade that needed fixing. Theo made his way there, taking his time and chatting with people as he went. More people were in town lately, since the party invitation went out.


    They were surprised to see that Gridgen, the mine''s operator, wasn''t standing outside today. But the sound of pickaxes ringing against stone still echoed from within the mine''s mouth. The alchemist approached, placing his hand on the mine and summoning the interface. He acted as a conduit, channeling Tero¡¯gal energy into it. It took a while, but eventually the mine evolved, providing the same familiar message he had seen when upgrading the lab. Unlike the lab, he didn¡¯t get an option to select which upgrade he wanted. Instead, he was presented with what had replaced Grom Rang¡¯s Banishment. And he wouldn¡¯t complain.


    [Tero¡¯gal Mining Stealth]


    Workers in the mine are undetectable to anything outside of its confines.


    Tero¡¯gal was helping Theo out. This upgrade would have been super helpful when that creature was lurking beneath the mine. This upgrade would¡¯ve made it impossible for the miners to be detected, shielding them from the weird fire monster. The alchemist sighed, reserving himself to the idea that he didn¡¯t always get what he wanted when he needed it. Next he inspected the mine itself, making note of something interesting.


    [Tero¡¯gal Mine]


    [Dead Dog Mine]


    Owners: Theo Spencer


    Operator: Gridgen Dev


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 30 (2%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Ore Type:


    Copper


    Iron


    [Material ERROR]


    Mythril


    Ore Quality: Perfect


    Expansions:


    [Miner Fortitude]


    [Automatic Deposit]


    [Miner Quickness]


    [Tero¡¯gal Mining Stealth]


    [Escape]


    [Rail Carts]


    Although Theo had aligned the mine to Tero¡¯gal, that didn''t fix the issue it had with providing aligned ore. Instead, it now just showed an error where it should have shown the aligned metal. After finishing up at the mine and avoiding any deep conversations with the man who ran it, Theo laughed before he could be drawn into one. He felt both Tresk and Alex nearby, flying through the skies above, moving between the dungeons to create more reports.


    The next building that tickled his mind was the sawmill. When the ascendents were removed from their realms, Theo had taken steps to push the alignment of the buildings toward his own realm. But he had to focus his energy then on realigning everyone''s course first. At least now he had the time to focus on this. The sawmill had an upgrade aligned with Baelthar, and he had a feeling it would be a simple replacement rather than a selection.


    Sledge was still taking care of her brood of marshlings, and a half-ogre had taken over the sawmill. They barely paid attention to him as he approached, siphoning energy from his throw-world into the building. Although the building was on a far lower level than most others in town, he had no intention of upgrading it today. He was just switching its alignment so it could take advantage of another useful upgrade. This one came quicker than he expected, meaning the building had been absorbing energy from the air, or perhaps his minor efforts had generated more of an effect than he thought.


    The building rolled over, switching from one alignment to another upgrade. Theo inspected the new upgrade, nodding with approval.


    [Tero¡¯gal¡¯s Cunning]


    Any action taken to fell nearby trees in a radius (scaling with the power of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s energy in the air) will render you invisible and soundless to monsters.


    This upgrade was far better than the other. The older version of this ability only prevented attracting monster''s attention. This new version made a person invisible and silent to monsters¡ªa much more pointed statement about being completely undetectable. He inspected the upgraded sawmill, wincing at the level once again.


    [Tero¡¯gal Sawmill]


    [Swamp Snapper Mill]


    Owners: Belgar (Theo Spencer)


    Operator: Sledge


    Faction: [Broken Tusk]


    Level: 10 (50%)


    Rent Due: 7 days


    Wood Type:


    Ogre Cypress


    Gardeth Wide Oak


    Wood Quality: Perfect/Excellent


    Expansions:


    [Ogre Strength]


    [Tero¡¯gal¡¯s Cunning]


    The next stop Theo planned to make was his small farm on the outskirts of town. It was the farm Tresk had playfully named "Hunk if you''re hungry," and it had one upgrade aligned with the demon ascendant. He headed over, checking on his golems working the fields as he went. They were hard-working things that barely required any attention from him. Although he had completely ignored them since the last time they were destroyed, they had re-sown the fields and harvested them several times, providing the town with much-needed wheat.


    Swapping the small field over to the power of his throne world was even easier than the small mill. It rolled over almost immediately and provided him with the same familiar prompt. Theo inspected the single upgrade that had been replaced.


    [Tero¡¯gal Cultivation]


    Your farm is now aligned with the power of Tero¡¯gal. So long as Tero¡¯gal power is present, your crops will grow at a substantially faster rate and provide a higher yield.


    If the energy of Tero¡¯gal is high enough, you are given better control over the hybridization and evolution of crops.


    This was simply a better version of the old one. Where the old upgrade only provided higher yields, this one had better yields and shorter grow times. Not only that, but it would give him the option to better control the hybridization of crops. One big problem was that a crop hybridized on its own, creating unwanted mutants that made it difficult to organize things.


    Theo didn''t bother inspecting the farm when he was done. Instead, he went to the large farm on the hill that was run by Banurub. It had the same upgrade as his, and when applied with the other aligned energy, it rolled over, but not as quickly as the two buildings before. The alchemist was happy to see that it gained the same version of Tero¡¯gal Cultivation as the last one.


    "Are you messing with my fields?" Banu asked, stomping over.


    Theo saw through the ruse and waved him away. "I''m just making them better, you old goat," he said, flashing a smile. "I had to change the alignment on your farm since you basically had a useless one. Actually, I''ve only got one more stomp to make after this."


    "Yeah, well, the sooner you''re gone, the better," Banu said, acting far grumpier than normal.


    Theo would leave it there. He understood why Banu was upset. With the end-of-the-world party coming up, the farmers were under immense pressure. Ziz and his gang took the task to heart, putting everything they had into building as many structures as possible. But people without shelter didn''t die; people without food did. This meant the farmers were the most important people, and the half-ogre didn''t appreciate the pressure.


    The Alchemist realized that he should be putting more effort into expanding his farm, run by his golems. He had enough willpower to create a massive army of Plant Golems. His estimates for how much wheat he could produce with additional farms weren''t limited by the amount of golems he could create, but by the amount of space he had to work with. Looking to the east of the farmer''s hill, he spotted decent tracts of land that were still uninterrupted by the construction of the temporary housing.


    "I might be able to help take some pressure off of you," Theo said, not bothering to look back at the blustering farmer. "Once I go upgrade the butcher, anyway.¡±


    "Yeah, go do your weird stuff over there," he said, stomping off.


    Theo did exactly that, heading back into town and visiting the last building he needed to change the alignment on. The butcher only had a single upgrade related to another realm: Touch of Bohor, which was aligned with a Toora ascendant. It was aligned with one of the bearfolk Ascendants before it was displayed as an error. The woman who ran the shop didn''t seem to care; she was soft-spoken most of the time and never complained about anything, so long as she had air conditioning.


    Theo applied his aligned power to the building. It took longer than all the others today to switch to an aligned building, but he wouldn''t complain. When the system message appeared, it displayed the replaced upgrade. It wasn''t better or worse; it was just different. The upgrade also seemed less moody.


    [Touch of Tero¡¯gal]


    Meat produced in this butcher provides a large boost in energy and reduces fatigue.


    In some ways, this upgrade was worse than the last one. The one aligned with Bohor made food that was more sustaining and filling. But that wasn''t the way of Tero¡¯gal. Instead, it provided a person with a large energy boost. While that was cool, it wasn''t as good as food that you needed to eat less of.


    "Oh well," Theo said to himself, "Time to go buy some farms, I guess."

 7.13 - Feed the Masses

    Theo tried not to laugh at himself as he headed for the market. Since trade had increased to absurd levels¡ªthanks to the harbor¡ªhe could find almost everything he needed at the market. His first instinct had been to pull out his communication crystal, contacting Fenian to request the materials. In recent days, it seemed the elf¡¯s primary role in the world was less of a merchant and more of an adventurer. Or a crazed dude who ran around taking out whoever he wanted.


    It might have been a problem, but it wasn¡¯t Theo¡¯s problem.


    The scents within the market were a confusing mixture of grilled food, sweat, and animal droppings. The sights were somehow more shocking to the senses, displaying the full range of the races, and wares within Iaredin. It wasn¡¯t unheard of, but Theo was shocked to see several dronon peddling wares at a booth. Even from a distance he could tell they were from an older Tworgnothi brood. Their skin was a shade that seemed like dull brass, and they wore interesting adornments from their horns.


    Theo talked to them for a few minutes, but they were aloof. Like most dronon in the world, they were secretive. When he would ask an elf where they were from, they would proudly state their house and a short list of accomplishments. Humans liked talking about where they had been, while marshlings enjoyed giving accounts of the stuff they currently had on their person. Only those dronon who had gone to the heavens cared to share anything about themselves.


    ¡°Looking for anything in particular?¡± a particularly well-dressed elf as Theo was passing.


    ¡°Seed cores,¡± Theo said, leaning in to see the man¡¯s wares. ¡°You¡¯re a coresmith.¡±


    The elf shrugged. ¡°I work for one. With my homeland in disarray, the laws concerning exporting seed cores have evaporated. Take your pick.¡±


    Yes, people still enjoyed their money. None of the items on offer were free, forcing Theo to stretch his substantial budget to meet his needs. This elf had Small Farm Seed Cores on offer, but also the regular and large versions. Negotiating was Theo¡¯s least favorite thing, so he spent as little time as possible on it. But it revealed that cash wasn¡¯t as important as he first thought when the negotiation devolved into bartering.


    Theo parted with more mythril than he was comfortable with, but the five seed cores he left with were worth it. Maybe, depending on how mad Throk was. He planned on not saying anything and denying responsibility when the shortage was noticed. For now, he had some seeds to plant and some Monster Cores to shove inside. At least Monster Cores were still cheap.


    After making a note in the administration interface and heading to the lab to get some supplies, Theo was unsurprised to find Alise trailing behind him. She jogged up¡ªalmost out of breath¡ªand slapped him on the shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of farms,¡± she said, offering a pained smile at him. It wasn¡¯t pained because she didn¡¯t like the idea, but because she had an obvious stitch in her side.


    ¡°Why not increase our food capacity by a factor of five?¡± Theo asked, giving her a less-forceful slap in return. On the shoulder, of course. ¡°I don¡¯t care what happens, we¡¯re taking all this crap with us when we go. I almost got the approval of all the gods.¡±


    ¡°Huzzah for that,¡± Alise said, clearing her throat. ¡°So, is the output for this farm open for the town to pull from?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like if the products were dedicated to the party effort,¡± Theo said. They passed under the gate, heading out into the fields of his Small Farm. ¡°I¡¯ll need a few more golems, but I think I should have enough space to make them here.¡±


    ¡°More than enough space, I think. Maybe, depending on soil quality¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just take over the other side of the river,¡± Theo said, waving her concerns away. ¡°At least Ziz had the sense to leave me some space on both sides.¡±


    The area where the river came near Broken Tusk was nearer to the mountains bordering the area to the north. It opened up further north, but nearby it was narrow enough to cause concerns about space. He got to work anyway, planting the first seed and feeding it with cores. It grew quickly, a house sprouting up to mark the controlling building of the area. When he added more to level it¡ªall the way to 20¡ªfields sprung up. A mental message sent the nearby Plant Golems to work, although he would need far more to manage all five.


    Alise followed him around the entire time.


    ¡°Looking at the projections for attendance has me worried,¡± she said, writing information onto a physical piece of paper. Normally she used her interface. ¡°We¡¯re concerned about both space and food supplies. Since we¡¯re apparently catering it. And I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll need to host everyone.¡±


    Theo worked on the next farm, planting the seed and feeding it. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this sort the food problem?¡±


    ¡°It might. But there isn¡¯t enough booze in the region for everyone. I wanted to ask if you could make some.¡±


    Theo had to think about that for a moment. He could brew some moonshine that would destroy the liver of the most ardent alcoholic, but he wasn¡¯t sure that¡¯s what she wanted. People in this world liked their liquor, but the stuff the lab could produce was a bit much. Well, perhaps he could cut it with water to make a weaker drink¡­ Or mix it with another drink like a cocktail? End of the world party cocktails?


    ¡°I might have an idea,¡± Theo said. ¡°Okay. Leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re going to take on new work willingly?¡± Alise asked.


    ¡°For once. Just don¡¯t ask me to do anything else for a while.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Alise actually bounced with excitement a few times. It looked as though she might hug him for a moment before heading back to town. He watched as she went. Of course, brewing a bunch of booze wouldn¡¯t be as slow as his current alchemy process. He could make some corn moonshine easily, since he could use the massive 500 unit still to make it. Hell, maybe he could have Throk create something even larger for the job¡­ No. Better to not get a rise out of the old marshling.


    The goal of the farms outside the town struck a stark contrast to the single farm within. The concept of the farm inside Broken Tusk was to elevate it above the marshy soil. While that soil was useful when dried, if it remained wet indefinitely, then they couldn¡¯t grow the favored corn-like product of the half-ogres. With Theo¡¯s ability to manipulate the terrain and his plan to leave the planet entirely, he wasn¡¯t too concerned about seasonal flooding or water leaching from the swamp.


    Instead, he placed these new farms wherever they would be needed. If the town needed to expand, it could choose a different direction. Or it could expand around the farms and then proceed across the river. Partway through the process, he realized there wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough room for his forms there. He had no option but to cross the bridge and plant more on the far side. It would be very susceptible to monster attacks, but he didn¡¯t care. He wasn¡¯t putting people at risk, only his golems.


    Of course, with five full-sized farms to tend to, he needed to recruit a new force of golems. Just like his alchemy, the golems were broken into pieces. The first were the lesser golems, the second were simply called golems, and the next were ¡°greater¡± golems. The distinction between these golems was the quality of the items used for the containment core, the medium with which they were made, and the level of the monster core placed within that containment core. Plant golems needed no additional items to function, unlike the metal-based golems which required fire-based constructs.


    A plant golem was happy to rebuild itself with random vegetative material. Anything would do.


    Theo had to search for a bit longer than he wanted to find enough material for his golems. Three golems were fine to operate his small farm, but with five large farms, he figured that ten per farm was the bare minimum. Once he had gathered the materials, he went through his supplies, finding that someone had made and delivered some high-grade containment cores to him. They were made from the Azrugium alloy, a blend of Tworgnothi and Drogramathi metals. Since those aligned metals were now extinct, it made them quite rare.


    Working on the golems was extremely relaxing. Theo had forgotten how it felt to impart his will into a containment core. First, he assembled fifty piles of vegetation¡ªvines, leaves, sticks, and so on¡ªbehind his lab. Then he inserted level 30 monster cores into the containment cores and imparted some of his will into them. Next came the Slates, the power system that would keep the creatures going. Throk might have made a decent amount of batteries and siphons, but he didn¡¯t have fifty on hand, so some golems would need to refresh their power systems by manually collecting Mana Constructs.


    Sweat beaded on the alchemist¡¯s forehead as he went between the piles. He drank mana potions when he ran low, infusing each core with both a small amount of his will and a spark of his mana. The golems, twice his size, rose into massive piles of twisting vegetation. They shambled about the area, feeding into his current network and warring with themselves over the instructions within. A sharp rebuke from his will had them all standing stock-still until he was done with each pile. It took many hours, but he finally had his new army of farmers. He inspected one, smiling at his progress toward a stronger golem.


    [Greater Plant Golem]


    [Alchemy Construct]


    Level 30


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


    Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Azrugium Cage]


    Monster Core: [Goblin Dwarfsticker] (Level 30)


    Medium: [Plant Matter]


    Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]


    Power System: [Mana Construct]


    Siphon System: None


    Additional Modifications: None


    The Golem might have seemed simple on the outside, but Theo knew the kind of effort that had led him to this place. A greater Golem would be stronger, faster, and smarter in a combat sense, but for a Plant Golem it would be better at tending crops, smarter about the decisions it made when plucking weeds or selecting the spacing for planting. The result was a small army of farmers eager to get to work. Even with a blank command in their little network, he could feel their eagerness to begin.


    The fact that they pushed back against him sent a significant amount of concern flooding through his mind. As the golems increased in power, so did their intelligence. That was concerning, especially considering the cores he used to construct them were made from goblins. Goblins weren¡¯t the smartest decision makers.


    Blowing a sharp and completely unnecessary whistle, Theo turned and led his army through the town. If he weren¡¯t at the head of the formation, the guards on the walls to the east would most certainly have rung the bell. Instead, they nodded and muttered under their breath. The words they spoke were no doubt about the crazy archduke who ran the town, but he had long since stopped caring what others thought.


    As soon as the golems got out into the open fields, they drove a sharp wave of desire into his mind. Each wanted to tend the fields immediately, without organization, but Theo pushed back. Instead, he segmented them into groups of ten, assigning each group to an individual farm. He placed storage crates in the buildings of each farm, giving the golems a place to deposit their wheat, gather seeds, and replenish their mana constructs.


    ¡°Get to work, little guys,¡± Theo said, smiling as he watched the golems rush off. It was strange to see them pull the seeds from the storage containers, and even stranger to watch them distribute the supplies amongst themselves.


    ¡°New army, who dis?¡± Tresk said, appearing behind Theo.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Theo asked, not bothering to look back at the marshaling.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite good at raising armies,¡± Tresk said, tapping her chin. ¡°Seems like we could start a war with this many golems.¡±


    ¡°I can make a lot more than what you see,¡± Theo said. ¡°My army of golems is at about 300 at this point. I don¡¯t even know where half of them are right now.¡±


    ¡°I heard a lot of them blew up,¡± Tresk said, giggling to herself. ¡°They caught fire and died.¡±


    That¡¯s right. A lot of his golems were metal golems, which had the unfortunate side effect of exploding at random times. This was because they had to have a fire construct within them. If they took too much damage, they used that construct to reshape their form. That sometimes had explosive consequences.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll need help with this project. Are you interested in brewing a large quantity of alcohol?¡±


    ¡°What? But me no am alchemist. I¡¯m just a little lizard,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°This is the easy stuff,¡± Theo said. ¡°The stuff we used to make back in the day. Or close enough to it. I remember you used to be very useful in the lab.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, sure. Sounds good to me,¡± he said, dressed sadly, fidgeting on the spot. ¡°You know, I¡¯m kind of concerned about the dungeons, though¡ªabout the void energy and whatever negative monsters it shoots forth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Xol¡¯sa¡¯s problem. You shouldn¡¯t worry about it unless somebody needs something stabbed,¡± Theo said.


    Tresk shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s get some food.¡±

 7.14 - Consistent Randomness

    Theo was excited for a nice, calm morning the next day. He woke and ate a pleasant breakfast at his table, taking his time and watching in amazement as Tresk did the same. Now that she wasn¡¯t so busy with the dungeons, she seemed to have fallen back into her habit of shadowing him for most of the day. Alex lingered outside, doing whatever a dragon goose does, while Sarisa and Rowan ate with them.


    Despite his standing invitation, Salire still didn¡¯t feel the need to eat breakfast with him. Perhaps it was just too weird, having breakfast with your boss every morning.


    That peaceful breakfast was broken when someone knocked on the door. Opening it, the alchemist found Xol¡¯sa, a smile on his face. He let himself in, finding a place at the table and laying out long sheets of paper, and waiting for Theo to take his seat.


    ¡°That¡¯s the look of a man who actually has good news for me, for once,¡± Theo said, sitting down at his place and picking at his food.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m done with the tethers and beacons, and I¡¯ve made some decent progress on the negative dungeon. Thanks to Tresk, actually.¡±


    Theo turned, looking at the marshal, who shrugged as though she had done absolutely nothing.


    ¡°What can I say?¡± she asked. ¡°I picked through your memories and saw some computer stuff.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa went on to explain what the dungeon was doing. It was an idea about computers that Theo had heard once on Earth, and Tresk was able to pick through his memories and find it. But the system expected dungeons to always have a positive value. When it went negative, weird things would happen. It was called an undertow, or underflow, or something. Anyway, once it went negative, it started looking in weird spots in the system¡¯s code to populate the dungeon. That resulted in a completely random dungeon. Every aspect of it was random, which was slightly concerning.


    ¡°We can have a dungeon that never produces a wave, or a dungeon that produces a wave every second for the rest of eternity,¡± Xol¡¯sa explained. ¡°The point is that if a dungeon is completely random, we can see anything, and that¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you had good news for me,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Of course, I do. I have several paths forward that I can take to fix the dungeon. Unfortunately, each one requires us to get to the dungeon¡¯s core.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t good news at all. Theo picked up his food and sipped his tea for a minute as he thought. If they needed to get to the dungeon core, then that meant they had to clear the entire dungeon. He couldn¡¯t remember a time when the adventurers in town had said they cleared the swamp dungeon¡ªmaybe back when it was young and he had first arrived.


    ¡°I thought the whole problem was that the randomness made it impossible to clear the dungeon,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°A correction,¡± Tresk said, pointing her finger into the air. ¡°I said it was too dangerous to look for it, but we¡¯re understanding a bit about this particular brand of randomness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Once the dungeon goes into the negatives, the randomness it produces is consistent.¡±


    ¡°So it isn¡¯t random,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s random upon generation. This means that once it shifts from a positive to a negative number, it creates a set amount of randomness. Those elements remain. Perhaps not forever, but we can¡¯t know yet.¡±


    So it was good news after all. If the dungeon wouldn¡¯t change while people delved into it, then they could map out a course and take the safest route. Dungeons in this world were interesting things. The swamp dungeon was the most clear-cut example; it was a series of floors heading down. Clearing a floor often gave you access to the next one, but Tresk often skipped floors. The dungeon that had been generated as a negative dungeon, on the other hand, was an open field, so it was a different sort of dungeon. But if it remained consistent, they could clear it. They were certain of that.


    Theo withdrew two communication crystals from his inventory. ¡°I have a proposal,¡± he said, placing Fenian and Elrin¡¯s crystals on the table.


    ¡°Are we going to call in the big guns?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan, anyway. If Tresk links up with either of these two, then they won¡¯t have a problem clearing the dungeon. That¡¯s the idea, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Although, I¡¯d rather have stealthers with me.¡±


    The group debated the plan¡¯s specifics for a while, but it seemed straightforward. Shoving more powerful people into the dungeon would work if they could avoid the giant Sky Whale. That seemed to be the biggest threat, along with the wide-open fields. This is why Tresk wanted stealthers to avoid attracting attention from afar. But since the dungeon was not currently producing an immediate threat, they could take time to formulate a plan.


    Theo held Elrin¡¯s crystal and squeezed it tightly. He felt the familiar haptic buzz in his mind, but the man didn¡¯t answer. When he tried again, he received the same effect. Sighing, he placed it back on the table and picked up the other crystal.


    ¡°Theo, my dear alchemist,¡± Fenian said, his voice honey-sweet.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± Theo asked, sensing the familiar sweetness as a call for help, rather than anything else.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you called me,¡± Fenian said. ¡°But it¡¯s interesting that you know I need something. Are you watching me right now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I am,¡± Theo said. ¡°What are you doing? What do you need from me that¡¯s so important?¡±


    ¡°Just a few minor supplies,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Nothing you can¡¯t provide without much effort. Mainly, I¡¯ll need the help of your artificer and maybe a blacksmith. I¡¯ll be in town in a few days, so we¡¯ll talk about it then. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I need you to clear a dungeon,¡± Theo said, ¡°a negative dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What kind of dungeon?¡± Fenian asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of a negative dungeon.¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    If the elf understood the strange dungeon he would be facing, he seemed to grow more excited as details emerged. More surprisingly, he had something else to add.


    ¡°Now, if you promise not to be mad,¡± Fenian said, ¡°I can bring some backup. Some real heavy hitters in the world that I think we¡¯ll desperately need if the dungeon is as bad as you say.¡±


    Theo sighed. Which one of their enemies had Fenian made up with? ¡°Okay, who is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, lovely. Jan and Twist have become very close friends recently, after we fought Elrin, that is.¡±


    Theo blinked a few times. ¡°Whatever,¡± he said. ¡°Stranger things have happened.¡± He didn¡¯t remember either man directly attacking Broken Tusk. The only reason he was upset that either had left was that he had more questions to ask. With the end of the world coming, it seemed he didn¡¯t have much time for enemies, but plenty of time for allies.


    ¡°Sounds good. Keep me updated,¡± Theo said. A moment later, Fenian cut the connection without saying anything more.


    That was more than a little weird. Fenian was normally excited to help with most projects around town, but his schedule was normally a bit more packed. Theo had to take a moment to think things over to see if he¡¯d missed something important. Elrin¡¯s arrival and Fenian¡¯s recent adventures weren¡¯t a coincidence. The pair had some kind of history, and the idea that Twist and Jann could also have been involved was curious.


    ¡°So I don¡¯t need to do anything, do I?¡± Theo asked, dismissing the other thoughts from his head. ¡°Fenian said he was coming with some heavy hitters that I¡¯ll need to clear with the town, but you should have a small team ready to go into the dungeon with you, Tresk.¡±


    ¡°Oh, goody. I get to run around with the super high-level guys and pretend that I can pull my weight.¡±


    Of course, Tresk could pull her weight. She could draw on Theo¡¯s attributes to make herself far stronger than before. He knew she could do it; she could keep up with them. The thing that concerned him most about all of this was the throne cores and how they hadn¡¯t reacted to the negative dungeon. That meant that the dungeon was within the bounds of the system, and there was nothing they could do to use their cheats to help.


    Theo excused himself from the table as Xol¡¯sa and Tresk discussed specifics. There were some interesting projects back at the lab that he wanted to attend to. The streets of the town were busier than normal today. People went about their business, but a noticeable influx of folks had clogged the streets and made the local businesses far busier than usual. Anyone who wanted to stay for the end-of-the-world party had to sign one of the town¡¯s contracts. The alchemists wondered how far their magic could go to protect them, but if that failed, they did have walls bristling with guns and an army of golems ready to strike at any time.


    The scent within the lab was noticeable. Salire must have already started working on the fermented properties they planned to test. The potions they created from the pitch, expanded, and fluff properties might not have been useful, but he was eager to see what they could add to his potions as modifiers.


    ¡°Things are getting pretty busy out there, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so I have a feeling it¡¯s only going to get worse,¡± Salire said, turning around. She had been leaning over the table, working on a series of restorative potions when he had entered. They might be interested in pushing alchemy further to test how each facet worked, but they still needed to create standard healing potions.


    Theo didn¡¯t need to ask if she had prepared the modifier essences; he could see three flasks sitting on the table near the window. Salire had cracked that window, allowing a warm breeze to blow through. It might have been this world¡¯s version of autumn, but the weather hadn¡¯t done much but calm down slightly. At least the intense summer heat was gone. They didn¡¯t call it the Season of Fire for nothing.


    ¡°What do you say we test these modifier properties?¡± Theo asks, approaching the table and selecting the Pitch modifier essence first.


    ¡°Most bomb-based essences don¡¯t mix well with standard potions,¡± Salire said. ¡°Maybe we should combine this with a standard bomb to see how it works.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile. She had come a long way from being his assistant, someone happy to be a shopkeeper. Now she had ascended to a knowledgeable alchemist. If one took the modifier system at face value, they would assume the pitch modifier would mix with anything. But she was right; one would have trouble mixing it with standard potions if it took it all. A bomb-based potion was the best idea.


    Ario rummaged through their storage, finding a Basic Firebomb to test. He transferred the bomb to a larger vial, one that could contain both the bomb¡¯s liquid and the modifier, before introducing a few drops of the modifier. The reaction was tepid, which was a good sign, so he poured the entire thing in. Then it bubbled and produced an amount of smoke as the swirling orange liquid of the bomb mixed with the dark, cloudy pitch modifier.


    ¡°Stable reactions are good, right?¡± Salire asked, chuckling to herself.


    Theo simply nodded, keeping an eye on the reaction to make sure it didn¡¯t go overboard. But everything went well before long. The potion was done brewing, despite the fact that he was mixing a modifier from the new system and a potion from the old system. As expected, the resulting purity was quite low, but it was stable enough not to explode in his hands. He inspected the resulting item.


    [Basic Firebomb]


    [Pitch]


    [Bomb] [Modified Bomb]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 72%


    Shatter against a surface to release flames that stick to the target.


    Effect (Modified):


    A sticky tar-like substance adheres to the target, lingering for twice the time but dealing half damage.


    This was a very balanced effect from the modifier. Sometimes modifiers would change the way a potion worked entirely, but this one just altered the length of the damage-over-time effect while reducing the damage. It wasn¡¯t a good or bad potion; it was just a different application. This kind of potion would be perfect to fight against a troll, since trolls often regenerate their health over time. Applying a potion like this would ensure that the regenerative effect was minimal.


    ¡°That¡¯s shockingly good,¡± Salire said, looking at it. ¡°I was expecting something far worse, but... can¡¯t be mad about that, can we?¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s check out the Expand property next. That¡¯s the one that I think might be the most useful for other potions.¡±


    To get an idea of what a normal modifier would do to a potion, Theo often used it on his standard healing potions. This would be no different, and he had several of the new potions to work with. He selected a standard healing potion, withdrawing the expand modifier and transferring both to a new vial. The reaction was very pleasant; there were no strange things going on, so he was happy about that.


    The light pink of the potion shifted, becoming paler as the essences mixed together. Both he and Salire leaned in to inspect the effects of this potion.


    [Healing Potion]


    [Expand]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Purity: 90%


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect (Modified):


    A healing aura emits from your body, restoring 30 health over 15 seconds to all those within 100 paces.


    This was a weird one. It was hard to tell if it was good or bad. It took the normal 75 health that the Tier 2 potion healed and reduced it to 30. But it didn¡¯t have a target limit on how many people it would heal. Unfortunately, it also didn¡¯t specify whether it healed only allies, or allies and enemies. Theo saw this as an interesting thing, though. If it took the standard effect of a potion like this and turned it into an aura, that would be amazing for other potions, like attribute potions.


    ¡°This one might be a winner,¡± Salire said, rubbing her hands together.


    The more Theo thought about it, the more he realized that it was indeed an amazing potion, and applying it to others might change the way they performed group combat. He went from mildly interested to excited.


    ¡°I want to test this on other potions. I really do. But first, we really need to see what the Fluff property provides.¡±

 7.15 - Fluff Modifier

    It was impossible to deny the excitement of discovering new combinations of potions and modifier properties. After finding how useful Expand would be, Theo tried to keep his hopes for the Fluff property down. They once again selected a healing potion to test. The mixture worked perfectly. The liquids merged in the vial, producing a stable potion.


    As the two liquids mixed in the vial, Salire turned to Theo, excitement evident on her face. ¡°What do you think we¡¯ll get from this one?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned not to speculate,¡± Theo said, smiling. ¡°But it could be anything from an extremely useful potion to something that just explodes in our face. You never know.¡±


    The potion finished its process shortly after the steam rising from the top abated, revealing a slightly pink liquid. Theo didn¡¯t like the smell of it, but he leaned in close anyway and inspected the result.


    [Healing Potion]


    [Fluff]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Belgar


    Purity: 90%


    A healing potion. Drink to restore health.


    Effect (Modified):


    A layer of extremely light fluff covers your body. Segments will detach when a nearby injured ally is detected, healing them for 10 health. This effect has 15 charges.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three gold coins if you drink that,¡± Theo said, reading the description a few times. ¡°That does not sound pleasant.¡±


    Rowan appeared from the shadows, stepping onto the lab floor and raising an eyebrow. ¡°Did you say ¡®three gold coins¡¯?¡±


    Theo held the potion at arm¡¯s length, smiling at his assistant. ¡°If you drink it, yeah.¡±


    Rowan didn¡¯t notice his sister step out of the shadows behind him, grinning. He accepted the vial and sniffed the contents, eventually shrugging.  After detecting nothing offensive, he threw it back without question, obviously not having read the description. He then stood there, making a strange face as his stomach rumbled. ¡°What is supposed to happen?¡±


    Without warning, the man¡¯s skin began looking strange. The exposed parts of his forearms appeared as though his arm hairs were growing faster than they should have. Only after closer inspection did Theo realize that it was a thin layer of fluff appearing on his skin. His eyes went wide as the fluff spread to his face, giving him the appearance of very bushy eyebrows at first, before the fluff spread further.


    ¡°Help!¡± Rowan shouted, rubbing his forearms to remove the fluff, but it didn¡¯t work. The thin layer remained where it was.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine, just calm down,¡± Theo said. ¡°If the potion does any damage, it¡¯ll just heal you back up, so no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, gods, the fluff! It¡¯s everywhere!¡± Rowan shouted, rolling on the ground.


    Sarisa couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter any longer. She fell to the ground with him, cackling and slamming her fist against the wooden floor. She tried to say something, but the words only came out as more incomprehensible laughter. That¡¯s about the time her brother gave her a good boot to the ribs.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, watching as Sarisa rolled in pain. But a small piece of fluff had detached itself from Rowan¡¯s skin, floating through the air and landing on the area he had kicked. A moment later, her face was once again placid, before shifting to laughter.


    Being covered in a layer of itchy fluff didn¡¯t seem fun, but the potion¡¯s effects were incredibly powerful. It had taken the normal 75 health points it would have healed and upgraded that to 150. Not only that, but it didn¡¯t seem to have an expiration time, meaning a person could walk around with this healing fluff for quite some time.


    ¡°That¡¯s a powerful potion,¡± Salire said, nodding. Rowan was still having an existential crisis, and Sarisa couldn¡¯t control her laughter.


    ¡°Powerful!?¡± Rowan shouted, ¡°this is horrible! I¡¯m having a very bad day.¡±


    Rowan had injured himself during his fit, but Theo was happy to see that the fluff would heal the person it was attached to. More sections of the man¡¯s bare skin were visible now, meaning he had used two of the fifteen charges.


    ¡°Go find some sick people,¡± Theo said. ¡°Check to see if the fluff does anything for diseases. Otherwise, I¡¯m sure you can find people with minor wounds around town. They¡¯ll be missing a few health points, so it¡¯ll help you disperse the charges.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rowan asked, placing his fuzzy hands on his hips. He then extended his hand, palm out. ¡°Where are my three gold coins?¡±


    Theo chuckled to himself, removing something from his inventory and handing it over. ¡°You can make a lot of money as a guinea pig.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no pig,¡± Rowan said, turning after snatching the coins, ¡°but I will take your money.¡±


    Salil had managed to keep her cool during the experiment, but the moment Rowan left the room, she was laughing right alongside Sarisa and Theo. They all cackled until their sides hurt, wiping tears from their eyes and feeling quite out of breath.  The group finally calmed down. It was hilarious, but the truth was, the potion was very powerful. Depending on the range, it could heal people. This could be an excellent way for anybody to become a mobile healing station. It didn¡¯t hurt that the potion specified injured allies. It didn¡¯t have the same problem as the Expand modifier.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s get a few more of those brewed,¡± Theo said, rummaging through their stores and pulling more healing potions forth. ¡°People might not like the sensation of being covered in fluff, but if there¡¯s an emergency situation, this potion would be very helpful for group combat.¡±


    ¡°Or the potions could be very useful for pranks,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°We could tell them it did something else and make them drink it. And then we could laugh at them as they were covered in fluff.¡±


    ¡°While that¡¯s very tempting, I think that might erode the trust we have with the people in town,¡± Theo said.


    Sarisa said something about Theo being a spoilsport before vanishing into the shadows once again. His eternal stalker went back to her paid position as a silent guardian. He turned his attention to creating more of the potion, eager to have something more than just restoration potions in his arsenal. The change from the old alchemy system to the new one had caused no small amount of potion shortages. He was only happy that they now had three capable healers to bridge the gap between the injuries the townsfolk sustained and healing options.


    Now that those three healers were busy tending to the injured space elves, the potions became even more important. Creating more versions of the fluff-infused healing potion was easy enough. Theo even created a version of the potion for mana, just to test. He inspected the result, but was unsurprised by it.


    [Lesser Mana Potion]


    [Fluff]


    [Potion] [Modified Potion]


    Common


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 85%


    A lesser mana potion. Drink to restore mana.


    Effect:


    A layer of extremely light fluff covers your body. When a nearby ally has mana below 50%, a segment of the fluff will detach, restoring 5 mana. This effect has 20 charges.


    Theo expected that the stamina version of the potion would do the same. But it was a very interesting application for the modifier. Fun potions had taken a backseat to useful ones. Theo didn¡¯t mind, although he¡¯d always enjoyed silly potions with absurd effects. But now wasn¡¯t the time to focus on fun. Practical potions were paramount in Broken Tusk.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s our next course of action?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°As far as the lab goes, that¡¯s a good question,¡± Theo said, taking a moment to think. She waited patiently for his thoughts to gather..


    It was a point of pride that Theo wanted to get his lab back to producing third-tier potions. They had a decent understanding of how that was going to work and only had to push forward to get the proper equipment and procedures in place. Tier 2 potions were fine for the town¡¯s current needs, but if the step to get them up a tier wasn¡¯t that taxing, there was no reason not to do it.


    Anytime he thought his urge to push forward was stupid, he remembered the space elves and the infirmary. If they had had the equipment and methods already in place, creating proper tier 3 potions would have been a breeze. Instead, they were sent scrambling, especially for reagents, to get the job done. The end of the world was coming, but it wasn¡¯t as though the world would end¡ªnot their world, anyway. They would continue living on a different planet, but the needs of the people would likely still be the same.


    ¡°When we transition to Tero¡¯gal,¡± Theo said, pausing for a moment, ¡°it is very possible things will change more than just the way the system works or how the system itself is organized. We might experience some hardship.¡±


    ¡°Experience some hardship?¡± Salire asked, laughing, ¡°That¡¯s a very political way to say that things might go wrong.¡±


    ¡°We could be in trouble,¡± Theo said, stating his thoughts more plainly. ¡°We could get over there, and everything could get scrambled. The system might treat our new planet as a place to reset. I don¡¯t think it will scour the world clean, like it¡¯s doing here, but things might get shuffled.¡±


    ¡°Which means you think our skills will be very useful,¡± Salire said, nodding.


    ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t they be? Alchemy has always been incredibly helpful. We¡¯ve been able to cure diseases, dig tunnels, and defend against monsters. It seems like the applications for alchemy are endless.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re going to focus on tier 3, huh?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to focus on that tier. We can, of course, instead put most of our effort into working on more restoration potions. But as a side project, yes, I¡¯d like to have a step-by-step procedure ready for tier three.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good to me,¡± Salire said. ¡°That just means I¡¯m basically doing what I¡¯m already doing. Yay.¡±


    Theo went over some specifics with her, ensuring she understood his expectations. As more days passed, she needed less instruction. This was because she was becoming more independent with her alchemy. She didn¡¯t need him to walk her through every single step, guiding her so she didn¡¯t blow herself up. No, Salire¡¯s ability with alchemy was approaching levels that people would think were pure mastery before most of the continent was destroyed. If not for their little cluster of alchemical geniuses, she would have been the best in the world.


    ¡°And what are you going to do with your time?¡± Salire asked after they finished their chat.


    ¡°Now that was a great question.¡± There was plenty to do around the town, but Theo wasn¡¯t sure what he should do first. Concerning the problem of insufficient space near the town to house visitors, he could level some mountains if he wanted. He could see if Ziz and his men needed help with those very houses.  There were also potions to be brewed, the dungeon situation to sort out, or even the space elves to consider. And that wasn¡¯t even considering the problem with Elrin and the shards.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll go for a walk,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Salire said, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like work. Have a good walk.¡±


    Theo bid farewell to his apprentice, heading out onto the street. Tresk was doing some work for the town, scouting the dungeons and ensuring none dropped below a certain level. Xol¡¯sa, it appeared, had come up with a method to delay the decline of the other dungeons, but it was iffy and required power from Tero¡¯gal. Since the throne world had gained some level of sapience, it was less reluctant to infuse the world with much of its energy. But, according to Tresk, it had gone along with some of the plan, and the projected decline of the dungeons was slowing.


    You couldn¡¯t even use the term ¡°apprentice¡± to refer to Salire anymore. As Theo walked the streets of Broken Tusk, he admired how much it had changed. Things were getting cluttered and weird, and he should probably go and shove some monster cores into the town itself to level it. Things were going about as well as he could hope. And with how calm everything had been in recent memory, he made his way to the harbor and then the path that followed alongside the river emptying into the bay. He walked on the causeways and looked up at the massive towers, with the railguns perched atop.


    An adventurer struck up a conversation, asking questions about the end of the world and whether they were all going to die, and things like that. Despite the dissemination of this information throughout the town, some residents remained unconvinced unless it originated from an authoritative source. A town-wide announcement was not always taken seriously, especially given the way Aarok phrased things.


    The alchemist dangled his legs over the pier¡¯s edge, giving his thoughts time to settle. With so many things to do, it was hard to prioritize. Instead, he took that solemn moment to allow the sound of the lapping waves to wash over him. The soothing scent of the sea and the calls of birds overhead brought him a great sense of comfort. Perhaps it didn¡¯t matter which thing he started first, so long as he was busy doing something.

 7.16 - The Sensation of Discovery

    Theo was surprised the next morning when things were still calm. He sat, eating his breakfast and sipping his moss tea, all the while expecting something to go wrong, because things normally did. But nothing happened. He sat at the table, ate the sausage and eggs, and reviewed his administrative reports. There had been no movement on the dungeon problem. Whatever had been done to stabilize the other dungeons was working, for now. Even with all the new space elves and the infirmary releasing void energy.


    Xol¡¯sa had created a power sink that absorbed the energy. Theo didn¡¯t want to investigate it closely, realizing that anything absorbing void energy would need to be disposed of. It wouldn¡¯t hold it forever. Instead, he stuck his head in the sand and pretended these problems didn¡¯t exist.


    Tresk waited for Fenian and the others to arrive in town so they could delve into the dungeons. She hung around with Theo after getting Alex from the stable. The marshal joined them as they headed for the Newt and Demon. Of the many storage vessels in the building, quite a few were old stills used to brew potions. They now sat disused, but today they would be given new life.


    ¡°How much booze are we making?¡± Tresk asked, watching as Theo pulled a still from storage.


    Theo tapped his chin, thinking about the early estimates for the number of people in attendance. They would need to create quite a lot if they were going to have one long, rolling party. He knew things would get rowdy with the local half-ogres. That was one reason why he had never undertaken a large-scale brewing project. Instead, he had invested every single unit of alcohol he made back into his alchemy. When the half-ogres had a few drinks, they became unmanageable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know,¡± Theo said. ¡°Doing some mental math. Half a million units, maybe. I can¡¯t really say.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of booze,¡± Tresk said.


    Indeed, it was a ton of booze. Starting with 10 500-unit stills, they could produce 5,000 units of zee liquor a day. There was no shortage of corn in town, so that wasn¡¯t a limiting factor. Instead, time was their enemy. The only thing they had going for them was the simplicity of the brewing process. It required absolutely no alchemy skills and could be done multiple times a day. Unlike the alchemy system, distilling alcohol in this world was far faster than it should have been.


    ¡°Do you remember the process,¡± Theo asked, leading the way to his giant metal cube. The metal cube was rather ominous, and most locals disliked it, but safe experiments were a necessity here.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you just toss some of that crap in the water and then press the button,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Right?¡±


    Alex roared behind them, letting out a small stream of fire. Every time she moved, the ground thundered beneath her feet. Theo was almost certain Tresk was still feeding her dragon bones, and he worried she would outgrow the stable soon.


    ¡°I want you to take notes, and we¡¯ll do a test run,¡± Theo said, ¡°we might actually hire some locals to do some of the brewing. But we¡¯ll handle the first round.¡±


    They made their way to the giant metal cube. Of course, Alex had to stay outside as they went in. He raided all ten artifice stills in the room, putting barrels underneath the condenser coils. Thanks to the size of the massive cube, he could at least double the number of stills inside. He thought in silence for some time, trying to figure out a way to automate the process even a little, but nothing came to him. The mash had to be loaded manually and then mixed with purified water, but at that point, one only needed to press the button and allow the artifice to get to work. The run would last somewhere between four and six hours, depending on whether the enchantments on the stills were functioning.


    Tresk took notes with a physical piece of paper and a fountain pen, its nib a feather. But she left after the first one was started. Theo remembered they had a few more smaller stills back at the lab, and she went to fetch them. Alex poked her head through the doorway and snorted. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t release any fire into the cube. Results would likely have been explosive.


    The metal cube was soon far too stuffy. Once Theo had all the stills running, he left the door cracked to give it some air. Decent ventilation would have been helpful, but that wasn¡¯t the building¡¯s purpose. He didn¡¯t want to invest resources in changing it.


    Now that he had a few minutes to himself to think, Theo considered how to approach third-tier essence-making. His experiments had given him a pretty good lead on how it worked, and with some modification, he believed he could have Throk build the appropriate devices. The new form of third-tier essence crafting was similar to the old version. This new version, however, required more precision during the distillation process of second-tier essences. Liquid mana had to be injected into the still while it brewed.


    This served to remove a great amount of the impurities within the essence, allowing it to achieve even greater heights. This was an infusion process, rather than a purification process, and the quality of the mana injected would influence its purity. Theo had a few ideas about how to take this process to the next level, but he was a few steps away from actually producing potions. Anything he considered still in the conceptual stage, he didn¡¯t want to take to mass production.


    Proper testing was the difference between a living and a dead alchemist.


    Tresk appeared from the shadows, stepping out and placing her hands on her hips with pride. ¡°So I¡¯ve asked around and found some workers willing to manage the ominous cube.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully they come cheap,¡± Theo said.


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    ¡°Oh yes, they¡¯re going to work for booze,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together. ¡°Amazing what you can get half-ogres to do when you offer them liquor. Actually, there were also a few elves who wanted to do it too.¡±


    Theo organized a project with Tresk and some junior town administrators. This would be a great project for those aspiring to be full-blown administrators, offering valuable practice. Managing a small project with minimal consequences was ideal for them. So, once everything was organized, he left them to it. A team of three administrators would manage the project. They would be self-contained, coming to Theo only if they truly needed help.


    ¡°Break out that long list of projects,¡± Tresk said, doing a small dance on the streets of Broken Tusk. ¡°What do we have to do next?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down the list. First is the dungeon. We need to get you and the team in there to clear it and see if we can destroy the dungeon core. Next is the booze, which we¡¯re working on now, and I think I can check that off for the time being. Next are my third-tier potions. I need to get some equipment from Throk to do that, so that might be a problem. Next, we have the shard stuck in the void. That¡¯s something I can¡¯t do until the elves return. Bringing all the space elves back is also on my list.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, calm down,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Sounds like we can¡¯t do most of that stuff, and I¡¯m definitely not going to be helpful.¡±


    Theo rubbed his chin, trying to think of something Tresk could do. When she got bored like this, she became quite annoying, and he knew it would only get worse. The most likely scenario was that she would find a hornet¡¯s nest to poke and then stab repeatedly until she was stung. It was best to give her direction before that happened.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually something you can help me with, but it might be very boring,¡± Theo said. ¡°I need to come up with a strategy for upgrading the town and the alliance, but I need some numbers on how much that would cost and whether I have the capital to do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what level is the town at right now? What level do you want it to reach?¡±


    ¡°The town is at level 30, but the alliance is at level 20. I¡¯d like to get the alliance to level 30 and the town to level 40. That will be extremely expensive, so if we can¡¯t afford it, don¡¯t bother.¡±


    ¡°You know the cave dungeon is still mostly active underground,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s at a dormant status, but we can still run it. Xol¡¯sa said we shouldn¡¯t run any of the dungeons, but I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t mind if I do. I could farm some level 45 monster corpses from there.¡±


    Theo stopped her before she could continue. He messaged the town¡¯s Lord Wizard, asking about the restricted dungeons. The dungeons were off-limits because the Lord Wizard didn¡¯t trust random townspeople to manage them. However, Tresk wouldn¡¯t tamper with the dungeon core after clearing it, and she was the perfect person to reach the high-level areas at the end quickly.


    This only shattered part of Theo¡¯s plan. He wanted Tresca to handle the upgrading of the town, but it would take her, at least the rest of the day, to farm an appreciable amount of the cores he needed to upgrade the town to level 40. He would need at least 40 cores, depending on how needy it felt. The nation would require far more cores¡ªalmost 50 per level. Fortunately, level 20 cores were fairly abundant, and he was confident he could secure them.


    ¡°This might actually be the last round of upgrades we do for the town,¡± Theo said, feeling a pang of sadness spread through his chest. ¡°Unless we figure out a way to get more cores for the nation, we¡¯ll be bound to its maximum level. I believe the town can be 20 levels higher than the nation, but I guess we¡¯d have to test that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m on it, boss,¡± Tresk said, saluting. ¡°Come on, Alex. We¡¯ve got a dungeon to run.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do love running dungeons,¡± Alex said, stomping excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Theo watched them leave, thinking about upgrading the town. He couldn¡¯t help smiling to himself¡ªupgrading, operating a nation. They had to inject it with coins, basically. That¡¯s how most people worked, anyway. But Throk had created a system to make counterfeit coins instead. The funny part about the coin press they used was that it became their method for absorbing void energy. They had to create a system where the mint produced batches of pure coins and those tainted with void corruption.


    The alchemist shivered, thinking of the damaging effects of the void energy. He diverted his attention by heading to his lab and greeting Salire. As always, she had a temporary worker on the first floor and concerned herself with the things happening on the third floor.


    ¡°I love the smell of restoration potions in the morning,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself as he went to the third-tier essence equipment. It hadn¡¯t seen much use, but he was eager to do a bit more testing today.


    ¡°We are basically all set with healing potions, as well as disease-curing potions,¡± Salire said, ¡°I¡¯m actually doing a run of attribute enhancement potions right now.¡±


    ¡°Really? And how is business going?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°With so many people passing through town, we can¡¯t effectively hold onto stock.  Since our production capacity is severely limited, the store downstairs is always sold out. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re holding about half of the potions I make for the town, and those are going into collective storage.¡±


    Theo nodded along as she went over the financials. He split his attention between messing with the mana infusion artifice Throk had made and listening to her talk about money. The design of the mana infusion artifice was interesting. It effectively took a big tank of essence and a tank of liquid mana and mixed them together in a chamber, heating it until it became a vapor. The result was an extremely pure form of essence that condensed in a standard pressurized tube and then dripped into a flask or liquid storage of the building.


    Something about the way the mana was injected into the process had Theo¡¯s brain tingling. There was something more he could do, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Even his Wisdom of the Soul pop-up told him as much, although it didn¡¯t provide useful information. It just reiterated what he felt through his alchemical instincts.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Salire asked, hovering over Theo¡¯s shoulder. Of course, only a half-ogre could hover over his shoulder. Every dronon he had met was at least a head taller than this world¡¯s humans.


    ¡°Feels like the still is talking to me,¡± Theo said, gesturing to the device. ¡°Like I can do more with this thing, or maybe that it wants something from me. I don¡¯t know. This is a weird sensation I haven¡¯t felt in a while.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the sensation of discovery!¡± she said, clapping her hands with excitement. ¡°What do you think it is?¡±


    No matter how much he stared at the device, he couldn¡¯t figure out what he wanted. He cleaned the equipment and prepared it for a small run. As long as Tresk was busy in the dungeon, he had some free time. And it seemed like a worthwhile investment. ¡°Let¡¯s find out,¡± he said.

 7.17 - Infusion Potions

    There was something strange about the way the mana infusion worked with third tier potions. Theo did a run of their standard second tier restoration potions¡­ a tiny run that really didn¡¯t stress the artifice. Doing such a small run allowed him to watch the reactions with his stunted magical senses, observing all the invisible stuff mixing together and doing their thing. Of course, his powers were driven by Shadow¡ªformerly Zaul¡ªto allow him to take a look behind the veil.


    Interactions with Shadow¡¯s powers were weird at the best of times. They were built on a foundation of aura manipulation¡ªa concept Theo wasn¡¯t completely familiar with yet¡ªand the infusion of one¡¯s willpower into that aura. That infusion was similar enough to the way the essence was infused with mana during the third tier process. There was something there. Theo was certain of it.


    ¡°You sure are concentrating over there,¡± Salire said.


    Theo shook his head, stepping away from the still for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll be working on this for a while. I¡¯m not sure what your take is on the interaction between the essence and the mana, but I¡¯m curious. Would only Tero¡¯gal mana work?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be my guess,¡± Salire said with a shrug. ¡°I saw it more as a bridge than anything. Something to go from here to there.¡±


    Theo shook his head. They didn¡¯t agree on that. ¡°This is more like an infusion, where the pieces of mana are introduced to the essence and fill the gaps.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like a bridge,¡± Salire said.


    Theo blinked a few times, but shook his head. They were talking about the same thing in a different way. ¡°Right, so if the mana makes up for what the essence lacks, what else could it do?¡±


    Salire stood beside the still, tapping her foot. "You''re talking about infusing something into the essence itself, instead of bridging the gap with empty information," she said. "You want to do so with what? Other properties?"


    "Maybe other properties, or maybe concepts," Theo said, stroking his chin. "The very start of a plan is forming in my head, but I don''t have enough information to make it happen. What I need to do is some experimentation. I need to figure out how receptive the essence is to change while it''s in the mixing chamber first."


    "Which means you need to take this thing out of the lab before you blow us all up. We both know what happens when we start experimenting."


    Theo simply nodded. Of course, she was right. It wasn''t likely that he could do much here. And even if something did happen, it could have explosive consequences. When he was finished with this run of third-tier essences, he placed the result in the building¡¯s storage and took the entire device into his inventory. He then set off to find a nice field to do his experimentations in. Tresk was still running the dungeons and having a lot of fun with Alex. The Aquamist began his testing by emptying the essence container and the mana container. Then he got to work.


    Starting with tests on the pliability of mana, Theo attempted to introduce different things to it. He started with other essences, which caused some magnificent explosions in the open field. Fortunately, they lacked the force to destroy any of the equipment, but they produced a splendid plume of black smoke that rose high into the air. Next, he tried to manipulate the state of matter the mana was in, finding that he could only produce it in liquid and gaseous form. He was close to making it solid, but then realized that wouldn''t be of much use.


    "What exactly is he trying to do?" Sarisa asked from under a nearby tree.


    ¡°Gods only know,¡± Rowan grumbled. The black clouds still hung overhead and his eyes were locked onto it. "Let''s just hope his powers of future prediction are strong enough to make sure we don''t die."


    "See, I think he''s trying to change the way his mana works," Sarisa said, tapping her chin. "Seems to me like he''d be better off infusing it with something that comes from his chest, you know?"


    "Well, that''s where the mana comes from, isn''t it?" Rowan asked. "What else is formed in that man''s soul?"


    ¡°I think the aura comes from the soul, right? But I''ve heard the local wizard talking about forming spells there. Maybe he can make a spell into a potion? How would that process work?¡±


    "Too bad Theo''s spells are based on his potions," Rowan said. "So what would happen if he made a spell potion? Hold on, I''m getting a headache."


    "That''s not as stupid as you two might think," Theo said, nodding along as the two bantered. "I think I could infuse some mana with the concept of a spell, but you''re also correct in assuming that my spells are based on the properties within the essences."


    "Hey, did we actually figure something out?" Sarisa asked.


    "We''re a lot smarter than you think, sister. Theo will realize that one day.¡±


    "Just like you might realize," Sarisa said, humming to herself, "since he has extracted the properties from reagent to spells and turned them into spell forms, he could use those to create potions. But hey, I''m just a stupid half-ogre. What would I know?"


    Theo turned, giving Sarisa a severe look. She withered slightly before her pride kicked in, and she thrust her chest forward, prepared for combat. He had no plans to fight her or say anything to her, not until he was sure that idea would work. But it was true: he could extract properties from reagents and use them to create spells. This had been moderately useful for his mage''s core to create wards. The issue was that the effects typically weren''t incredibly powerful. They required infusion with an absurd amount of willpower.


    Theo held his hand out, watching as it filled with mana from his chest.  His mana glittered a peculiar shade as he held it.  There was a silver sheen on top, and the contents within seemed to shift with prismatic colors. The only way this would work, though, is if he could brew something with a blank base, or maybe¡­


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    "You idiots just gave me a really good idea," Theo said, setting up the essence side of the still. He withdrew a bottle of Searing Regeneration essence from his inventory and placed it into the essence container. He then held his hand over the mana container.


    Each property that Theo extracted and turned into a spell form had a certain feel. It was like a piece of a poem, according to the old dronon form of magic. When he transitioned to his own type of magic, based on Tero¡¯gal¡¯s will, it changed slightly but mostly remained the same. He felt the meaning of a property and allowed it to flood into his mana. That part of the process was far simpler than he had first imagined. The mana dripped into the container, forming a shimmering pool at the bottom.


    "This is a cheat," Theo said. Closing the top of the container for both the Searing Regeneration essence was Tier 2, and technically his mana was Tier 3. But that was only technically. He didn''t really know how to classify it.


    Mixed together, these two things should have exploded. The binding medium that normally held them together was the suffuse potion, but it was lacking here. Instead, it would be bound together with the concept of two or three essences, and he wasn''t certain if that was good enough. Still, he locked the mechanisms in place and started the brewing process. Of course, he created a wall-like shield to keep himself and the other two safe if an explosion occurred.


    "I''m always instilled with the greatest confidence when you put a shield up like that," Sarisa said, petting Theo on the shoulder.


    Theo was busy watching the reaction. He observed as the mana and essence were vaporized and then sent to the mixing chamber. Once they were combined, they were pumped into the condenser coil, which allowed them to drip into the flask he had placed on a table. To his surprise, the resulting mixture looked strange. It took him longer than he would admit to realize that a brood potion, rather than a distilled essence, was being produced. It might have been the first time he had witnessed this process without the help of a catalyst. It shouldn''t have been possible, but a lot of things about this shouldn''t have been possible.


    "Why is this working?" Theo asked, taking mental notes as he watched. "Everything should have exploded by now, and we''re getting a refined potion at the end.¡±


    The good thing about the mana mixing apparatus was that it could work with incredibly small amounts of essence¡ªdown to a single unit if need be. That''s exactly what Theo had done. Even though he had designed it to run on a very small amount of essence and mana, it still took about an hour for the process to complete. He watched, rapt with attention, as the drips slowly came.


    "That''s a potion," Theo said, watching as the machine finished its work. "This thing made a potion instead of essence. That goes against everything I know about alchemy."


    "Is that good?¡± Rowan asked. ¡°You basically skipped a step."


    Theo wasn''t certain if it was good. It was fine, as long as the resulting potion was usable. This was uncharted territory, so he approached the potion with caution, looking into the future to ensure he didn''t blow himself up. He intended to pick it up, swirl it, and watch himself do it in the future. Nothing negative happened, and the potion appeared to be a normal Reforge Soul potion, so he walked up to it and inspected the resulting potion.


    [Infused Lesser Reforge Soul]


    [Potion] [Infused Potion]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    Imbibing this potions reforges the drinker¡¯s soul. This process reverts the drinker¡¯s soul back to a base state. Once the transformation is complete, any system-related changes are then re-applied. These conditions are only persistent ones driven by class cores, etc.


    Infusion Array;


    [Soul]


    "That''s not right," Theo said, narrowing his eyes as he read the description. There were several things that seemed odd about this potion.


    The first strange thing was the title, and in more ways than one. First, it had taken tier 2 essence and downgraded it to a first-tier potion. Second, it was called an "infused potion," which he had never seen before. That was strange enough for the title, but then he looked at the description.


    "The text on this potion is completely different from what appears on the one made by normal means," Theo said, gritting his teeth as he reread it. "And there''s a very frightening bit missing here. The original one only allows the potion to work on mortals, but this one doesn''t have that restriction."


    "Wait, so you''re saying a god could reforge a soul?" Sarisa asked. "What does that mean?"


    "I''m not actually sure," Theo said, shaking his head. "The reforging process is entirely different. This one is basically a factory reset for people, rather than a restorative potion."


    "Alright, alright," Rowan said. "Why don''t you distill that down for us?"


    Theo didn''t even have the willpower to glare at Rowan right now. He was thinking about all the ways he could make potions different. "We can make infinite suffuse potions, so long as we have one part," he mused. "I''m very interested in trying this with mana on both sides, but I don''t think that would work."


    "Does this mean Tresk didn''t have to steal all those flowers?" Sarisa asked. "That would be a shame."


    "No, we still needed the flowers, but yes, this could be big. It''ll change the way we make all our suffuse potions, but I don''t know. We need to do more testing."


    As far as Theo knew, nobody on the planet had done potion infusion. This was a new frontier, and he considered it an extremely advanced technique. It was hard to place it into the tiers because the skills required to manipulate mana were immeasurable when infusing his mana with the concept of a property. He had used no small amount of willpower, and for a person with willpower that might rival the gods, he doubted most mortals could access this technique.


    ¡°If Kahar had access to an Alchemist class when he was on the mortal plane.¡± Theo started tapping his foot nervously. ¡°I doubt he would have been able to perform this.¡±


    "Wow, don''t get too big a head now," Rowan said, chuckling nervously. "Oh, I think he''s serious.


    ¡°Yes, that''s his serious face," Sarisa said with a scoff. "Is this one of those world-shattering revelations you have every so often, Theo? If so, I''d like to be appropriately nervous."


    "Yeah, you guys might want to start crapping your pants," Theo said, as his mind spiraled out of control. He thought of the different ways he could use this technique to make potions. If he tried hard enough, he might even be able to learn spell forms from different schools of magic. Right now, he had only focused on creating spells based on his essence properties because that was easy. But why should there be a limit? If he could learn and understand a spell, he could technically infuse it into a potion. That would open up a world of possibilities¡ªinfinite properties he could infuse into base essences.


    "You don''t actually want me to crap my pants, do you?" Rowan asked, looking around nervously.


    "He''ll do it if you tell him to," Sarisa said, turning to her brother. "Go on, poop yourself."


    "See, I''m not going to do it if you tell me to do it," Rowan said, folding his arms. "Theo has to tell me to do it."


    Theo turned, giving Rowan a flat look. "Please don''t poop your pants.¡±

 7.18 - Doubling Down with Infusion

    ¡°He just gets a little confused when he¡¯s scared,¡± Sarisa said, patting Rowan on the shoulder.


    It was more like Rowan had an existential crisis for almost no reason. But Theo had nodded at Sarisa¡¯s words, putting her brother¡¯s mind at ease when he was assured everything would be just fine. There were some seriously big implications from this kind of potion-craft, and the alchemist was eager to see what would work. But when he went through the portal at the town¡¯s square, he realized how inaccessible Xol¡¯sa would be today. The man seemed to get busier by the day.


    Theo then tried to approach Zarali, who was even busier trying to keep all the space elves alive. Apparently, the shock of having their souls reforged after being infused with void energy was almost too much. It took everything the healers had to keep them going. But at least they could now take the task in shifts, giving each the occasional break.


    But this left the alchemist with no other option. Despite his most sincere objections, he had to turn to books. Which meant he had to read through pages of nonsense to find the information he wanted. With a sigh, he left the crypt¡ªinfirmary¡ªunder the temple and headed for the lab. There he dug through the endless storage crates which seemed to multiply by the day to find a book he had been given by Xol¡¯sa.


    ¡°This brings back some memories,¡± Theo muttered, cracking it open. Thanks to his enhanced memory, he could still remember Axpashi. The language used by most mages in the world was a direct link to the magical world. When spoken in the right order, with intent, and the correct class these words could produce spells. One could also form these words as magical arrays in their soul, producing similar effects.


    With the idea of combining a random magical property with an essence that worked with suffuse, Theo flipped through the book and found a few basic mage spells to test. He might have learned Axpashi, but he had spent almost no time understanding how the underlying magical theory worked.


    ¡°Should be easy enough¡­ Right?¡± Theo asked, scratching his head as he leaned over the book in his lab.


    Salire edged over, poking her head around him as he looked over the book. She cleared her throat. ¡°Don¡¯t do that in the lab.¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cast Fireball in the lab. Please.¡±


    Theo looked up from his book, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna.¡±


    Salire pointed a finger at the door. ¡°Out. I know that look.¡±


    Theo grumbled, but secretly smiled to himself. He had fully intended to try casting a small fireball in the lab. But he left, heading out to one of the many empty fields around the lab. He found one with few dead trees. It wouldn¡¯t go over well if he caught the town on fire. Then he got to work on forming his first spell.


    The theory was simple enough. All he needed to do was form the right spellwords in the right arrangement, and a spell would happen. Easy enough in theory, but in practice it was much more difficult. The alchemist looked between the image he had conjured of his soul, and the textbook. After some adjustment, he had a basic spell array formed. He flooded the arrangement with mana and held his hand out.


    A small flame appeared in Theo¡¯s hand, flickering and almost dying against the slight breeze that blew through the town. He added more mana to the spell until it became stable, then invoked the rest of the spell. A small ball of fire lumbered forward, losing momentum and falling to the ground. He watched as it fizzled out after a few seconds. It might have seemed like a failure, but the fundamentals were there. And there was an infinite arrangement of spellword arrangements he could form.


    ¡°Which one are we gonna do first?¡± Theo asked, rubbing his hands together. He felt the excitement building in his chest as he flipped through the book. Eventually, he found something overly ambitious. ¡°Come on. Why not, right?¡±


    Theo cleared out his essence infusion artifice, dumping a few units of Dexterity Essence into the essence side of the contraption. He then held his hand over the mana side and focused. The array he wanted to infuse into his mana was more complicated than the last one he had done. With the Imbued Lesser Reforge Soul Potion he had created, he had only used a full concept instead of an array. Properties from reagents came as concepts, while the arrays came as completed spells. The spell he had selected was in the support category, and had a few more parts than he was comfortable casting.


    Despite these challenges, Theo successfully infused the mana with this spell. It dripped into the container, settling in and crackling with flashing purple energy. The best part of all was that it didn¡¯t explode. The charged mana sat there, bubbling slightly but otherwise not exploding.


    ¡°Cool,¡± Theo said, shutting both containers and clicking the artifice on. It got to work, and he stood behind a conjured shield as it mixed the two vaporized liquids.


    As expected, the interaction between the two elements was more explosive than the first. Small strikes from the bottled lightning lashed against the side of the container. It was fortunate that Throk built these things to last. The first drops of the new potion fell into the flask, swirling with a bright purple color. It might¡¯ve been the most colorful potion Theo had ever crafted. Bits of that same lightning raced just under the surface, as though he had literally bottled purple lightning.


    Just as with last time, it took about an hour for the two-unit mixture to brew completely. Theo found it hard to wait until the mixture was done brewing, but he managed. Once it was done, he approached with caution and observed with his future-sight. As he inspected the potion, he had a better understanding of how this system worked.


    [Infused Lesser Dexterity Potion]


    [Potion] [Infused Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    Drink to gain the swiftness of the wind.


    Infusion Array:


    [Gale¡¯s Speed]


    Effect:


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    +20 Dexterity for 1 hour.


    Increase movement speed by 25% while out of combat.


    ¡°That¡¯s a weird potion,¡± Theo said, nodding to himself.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad potion, but it was weird. It had infused the power of a spell called Gale¡¯s Speed into the Lesser Dexterity Potion. When cast by a support mage, this spell would¡¯ve increased a person¡¯s run speed while out of combat and given a minor Dexterity boost. When combined with the standard dexterity potion, this both increased the amount of Dexterity it granted, and gave the speed bonus.


    ¡°Neat.¡±


    Before returning his findings to the lab, Theo reproduced the technique, taking physical notes to share. He made the same kind of potion, but instead used a strength-based buff applied to a strength potion. He inspected the resulting potion.


    [Infused Lesser Strength Potion]


    [Potion] [Infused Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    Drink to gain the strength of the earth.


    Infusion Array:


    [Earth¡¯s Might]


    Effect:


    +20 Strength for 1 hour.


    Increase force from strikes by 25%.


    "Also neat," Theo said, nodding at the potion.


    With the confidence that he could reproduce this process, Theo headed back to the lab. The day was wearing thin, but his excitement for the new alchemic method was overwhelming. He was happy that Salire was still working on the third floor, finishing up a run of potions. The alchemist extended one of the two potions he had just crafted, smiling all the while.


    "What is this?" she asked, holding the potion out with knitted brows. "What is an infused potion?"


    Theo handed over the notes he had taken, and felt giddy as she read them. When she was done, he explained the process verbally, which excited her just as much.


    "What is this? A new way to handle suffuse potions?¡± Salire asked, reading over the instructions once again. You can imbue any spell array into the potions."


    "I think there''s a limit to the complexity of the array, and it has a lot to do with the skill of the person as a mage. But the two pieces also have to fit together, just like the suffuse potion."


    "I''ve heard of some pretty complex spells," Salire said, shaking her head. "So I can''t really imagine the kind of crazy things you can make with this. Does this replace the third-tier process? No, it''s more like a side process. Just as you said. How many more of these are we going to discover?"


    Progression through alchemy sometimes did this. As they ascended through the tiers, the path forward wasn''t always a straight line, but sometimes one that led to the side. This allowed Theo to create more powerful potions by combining other elements. While Theo wasn''t completely sure of the capabilities of infused potions, he was excited to see how far he could take them.


    ¡°I know Xol¡¯sa is a good mage, but I don''t think I would put him on the level of an archmage. And the only archmage I know is on the moon."


    "Why don''t you just go get that archmage?" Salire asked.


    "Because Uharis is a jerk, and I don''t like him," Theo said. "He had a chance for redemption and blew it. Maybe one day I''ll pluck him from the moon, but I was thinking it would be funny if he stayed there during the entire reset."


    "Just remind me not to get on your bad side, I''d rather not live on the moon.¡±


    Theo helped Celia finish her brewing for the day. They then flipped through the only magic book he had, discussing which spells would synergize with which potions. If one dug deep enough into spellwork, they would find a spell array for almost anything. But the alchemist''s instincts told him that not every spell would suit his purposes. He could tell that simply by feeling.


    "This has a lot of potential to do some extremely evil things," Salire said, jabbing her finger into the page. "Could you imagine getting into this?"


    Theo nodded. He could imagine getting into necromancy because he had already accidentally done so. There were whole classes of magic that the book warned about: necromancy and death magic, along with some combinations of common elements that would produce devastating effects. He had no intention of brewing potions with this, not unless he really needed to, but that drone questioned his ability to do it. The arrays for these were incredibly complex, and while he might have been able to form them in his soul, transferring them to his mana might be a problem. This was a topic of discussion between him and Salire.


    Despite not growing up in Broken Tusk, she had many half-ogre instincts. They often believe the ends justify the means, and a few war-crime potions would be great to have on hand. Theo cited more of a marshal''s point of view, favoring retaliation ?at the time of attack. But he couldn''t deny that some half-ogre preparedness lurked within him. Broken Tusk was still standing, and preparation was a large part of that. Just because they had giant rail guns on the walls didn''t mean they planned on bombing everyone around them. They were defensive measures.


    "I think we''ll get the most out of this by targeting enhancement spells," Theo said. "Although there are a few fire-based spells that might really give our bombs some kick."


    "We should do a potion with this spell," Salire said, jamming her finger into the page.


    Wizards of the world broke their spells into tears, just like alchemy, but it didn''t seem to follow the same pattern. The estimated spell she pointed to was meant for people between levels 30 and 50. It was a haste spell that made a person faster, not just physically. It also made their thinking faster. I''ve never seen a pure haste potion and thought it would be very interesting.


    "We could brew one if you didn''t mind," Theo said. "Staying up a bit late tonight. Tresk might be upset with me, but I''m sure we could get Rowan and Sarisa to cater it, kind of like an event."


    Sarisa, of course, stepped out from the shadows. "Yeah, what do you guys want for dinner?" she asked, smacking her lips. "I''m getting hungry."


    "Just whatever you feel like whipping up," Theo said. "You can bring it to the field outside of the lab, just to the northeast. That''s where I have the still set up."


    "You got it, boss," Sarisa said, stepping back into the shadows and vanishing.


    The duo grabbed everything they would need to create a new potion based on this haste spell. After all that discussion, Theo finally got to show her how the process worked in person. She watched as he prepared the mana side of things, focusing on the spell array for the haste spell. It was more complicated than the ones he had used before, but it wasn''t outside his skill range. The array would have been far more difficult to form if he didn''t have a perfect memory. For the base of the potion, they decided to use something fairly standard.


    The issue with the haste spell was that it needed to bind to a potion with a movement aspect. They had plenty of Retreat Potions. So, why not?


    Standing back, Theo felt that the mixture was good. As the vaporized mana blended with the vaporized potion, they mixed, creating a green mixture that lingered in the air before being sucked into the condenser coil. Sarissa and Rowan returned sometime later with tables. They piled food onto them and then produced a bunch of chairs. After a while, Tresk and Alex also returned, barely saying anything and grabbing food. Eventually, Tresk dumped a bunch of level 40 monster cores onto the ground before the alchemist.


    "We have a shared inventory," Theo said, giving Tresk a flat look. She simply shrugged.


    When the potion was done, Theo pulled it up for inspection. This was one of his favorite potions because it provided many escape options during combat.


    [Infused Lesser Retreat Potion]


    [Potion] [Infused Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 98%


    One second after drinking, the imbiber will teleport backwards to a safe location. They will then get the [Lesser Haste] effect.


    Infusion Array:


    [Haste]


    Effect:


    Teleport backwards to a safe location.


    Gain the [Lesser Haste] effect, increasing movement, reaction, and thinking speed.


    ¡°Hey, can I get about a thousand of those?¡± Tresk asked.

 7.19 - Dorms

    Of course, the new infused potion would be a hit among the adventurers, and Tresk was eager to test it out. Before heading to bed, she tested the effects of the potion. Upon drinking it, she was teleported backward about 50 paces. Afterward, she seemed like a toddler who had been given a foot-long pixie stick. All her movements were sped up, including her speaking. The inane babble was almost impossible to understand, but at least the effects didn¡¯t last that long.


    Instead of making several thousand potions, as Tresk had requested, they went to bed. Of course, in the Dreamwalk, she reproduced as many of those potions as she wanted and darted around the countryside like a psychopath. Waking up the next morning, Theo took his time at breakfast. There were many things to consider for the day, and he had a mental checklist of the things he wanted to accomplish.


    ¡°You should just make potions all day.¡± Tresk said. She had lingered near the breakfast table, although there was dungeon work for her to do.


    The high-level monster course she had brought him would be very helpful for upgrading some key buildings in town. As Theo faced the prospect of welcoming more guests, he felt it was necessary, but all those plans he had building in his mind were shattered when a few sharp knocks came at the door.


    Alise strode in alone, as usual, holding an item in her hand. Theo recognized it from a distance as a seed core, though he couldn¡¯t identify the type.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to do something,¡± Alise said, holding her core out and smiling a placating smile at him. ¡°I¡¯m kind of busy today, and I finally got my hands on something that will be useful for our space elves.¡±


    Theo walked over and inspected the items. They were a specialized type of house seed core. When Alise withdrew several more of them from her inventory, he realized how helpful they would be. ¡°How did you find a dormitory seed core?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Some luck. Also I put in a request with an elven trader. They cost quite a bit, but I¡¯ve been told you can follow an upgrade path that will allow you to add vastly more space.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get working on this right away,¡± Theo said, turning to narrow his eyes at Tresk, ¡°rather than brewing more potions.¡±


    Tresk went nuts, but her shouting didn¡¯t last long. She had a busy day, head-in-the-dungeon. So she departed right then. Alise also had a stock of monster cores he could use to upgrade the buildings. But the first task would be finding a place to put them.


    There were several open areas within the town walls that would be perfect for them. Theo had been experimenting with drawing new roads in the town for a while, and there was a large area of open land to the west of his shop. It was around the area where he had placed the weaver¡¯s building and Zarali¡¯s enchanting workshop. Once breakfast was cleared away, he got to work, heading out and praying that his abilities would work in conjunction with a fabricator that hadn¡¯t worked in a month.


    Sledge was still tending to his clutch of eggs. He was reluctant to visit her since, apparently, she only hissed at people when they came. After finding a suitable spot for a crossroads, Theo forked off the main road just south of the Weavers building. He drove west for a while, created another intersection, and then drove north along that road until it ran alongside Whisper¡¯s butcher. That way, the roads would seem somewhat planned. And it provided a new route from the westernmost gate to the south.


    Back at the tea junction he had created, Theo planted the first seed, watering it with moats to watch it grow. The building that sprang up was fairly large to start with. It was a two-story structure with a row of windows on every side. It was of local construction, consisting more of a mix of stone, timber, and a bit of plastic. He was happy to see that it held the signature blue roof.


    Theo headed inside, not bothering to inspect the building right away. Instead, he found a very pleasant entryway with a hall on either side and a staircase leading up to the second floor. There were twelve rooms on either side on the first floor, and the same amount on the second. Each room was no bigger than a large closet, but they all had a small dresser and a bed. It was more than anyone could hope for, and he had three of them to his name. Forty-eight rooms in total, which wasn¡¯t nearly enough to house all the elves, even if they doubled up in the rooms. With three buildings at his disposal, he had a potential of 144 rooms, but he didn¡¯t want to place the other buildings yet¡ªnot until he leveled this one up to see how large he could make it.


    Exiting the building, the alchemist looked up at it and appreciated the general style. It was pleasant enough to look at and represented a very real way he could house many people. He wondered how difficult it was for Alise to acquire it.


    ¡°Time to shove cores into a building, I guess,¡± Theo said, smiling to himself as he got to work.


    Using low-level monster cores, Theo quickly leveled up a building to level 5. He was then given a list of three options to choose from. He reviewed each one, selecting those that would enlarge the building.


    [Decent Comfort]


    The rooms within this dormitory are slightly more comfortable.


    Something slightly more comfortable was questionable. The elves aren¡¯t sold on this one, but if the other two options were unsatisfactory, you could certainly make it so the elves were at least decently comfortable.


    [Expanded Rooms]


    Increases the size of each room slightly. This increases the overall size of the building.


    That wasn¡¯t exactly the upgrade Theo was looking for, but it certainly beat the first one. He would likely pick this one unless the last one was incredible.


    [Clean Walkways]


    The spaces between rooms are cleaned automatically at midnight.


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    With the last upgrade option being rather stinky, Theo went with the second one to expand the size of the rooms. He stood outside, watching as the building shifted before his eyes, expanding to the left, right, and behind the building. The system was smart enough to know that if there was an object blocking the building, it should grow in a different direction. This was one of the reasons why he hadn¡¯t placed the other two buildings. Once he had an idea of their size, he could put them all down. But for now, this would do. The alchemist got back to work shoving cores into it. The next option appeared, and he read it.


    [Balcony]


    Second floor rooms gain a balcony.


    Theo clicked his tongue. The balcony upgrade sucked. Maybe it would add some flair to the building, but it only affected the second floor and it didn¡¯t solve the problem he had. For now, he went with the decent comfort upgrade and added more courses to the building. It eventually hit level 15, and he was presented with another disappointing upgrade.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with this upgrade path?¡± Theo grumbled, reading over the upgrade.


    [Fresh Air]


    The air within the dormitory is cycled, making it fresh at all times.


    To his surprise, Theo went with the clean walkways upgrade for this one, and then he angrily shoved more cores into the building. He needed something, anything, to give him more space. Each upgrade came with an expansion of the building¡¯s size, but that did nothing for the count of rooms inside. It still remained 12 on either side per floor. When the next upgrade finally came¡ªthe level 20 upgrade¡ªTheo breathed a sigh of relief.


    [Third Floor]


    Adds a third floor to the dormitory that mirrors the contents of the other two floors.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Theo shouted, selecting that upgrade. He then did some mental math to see how many rooms he had.


    Theo now had 216 rooms between three buildings. Which still wasn¡¯t enough. Upgrading a building beyond Level 20 was an investment. But he needed the rooms. He continued shoving cores into the building, the cost of this project increasing with every core he added. But today, luck was on Theo¡¯s side. The level 25 expansion option appeared, and he couldn¡¯t help but hoot with excitement.


    [New Wing]


    Adds a wing behind the current building. This wing mirrors the original, although it¡¯s slightly smaller.


    Theo selected the option and watched as the building reformed itself. The roots tangled and grew together, forming a new section in the back of the building. It was three stories, just as the upgrade promised, but only slightly smaller than the original. The alchemist went inside, finding that the staircase had been moved slightly to the right, with a doorway leading to the new wing. He entered, finding that it mostly mirrored the design of the original, and then got to counting rooms. The main building had twelve rooms per side. This one had ten. It was actually far more than he had expected when he did some mental math to figure out how many rooms he now had.


    If Theo followed the same upgrade path for the other two buildings, he now had access to nearly 400 rooms. 396 exactly, which might just be enough for them to get by. There were an estimated 500 elves, and they could sort out the odd-ones-out with homes. The important part was that this was now viable. They could now house many of the elves once they awoke. This was a massive relief for him.


    Theo got to work on the other buildings. He could space them out perfectly now that he knew how big they should be. And it didn¡¯t take too long, since he didn¡¯t have to make decisions during each upgrade process. He eventually stood back, inspecting one of the buildings and nodding with approval. Of course, each one would need a name before he was done, otherwise Tresk would swoop in and give them a dumb name. He wasn¡¯t sure if he knew enough of their language to give them meaningful names, but he tried.


    Et¡¯er, Tot, and Gael. Home, hearth, and fire.


    [Dormitory]


    [Gael]


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 25 (0%)


    Rent Due: SUSPENDED


    Expansions:


    [Expanded Rooms]


    [Decent Comfort]


    [Clean Walkways]


    [Third Floor]


    [New Wing]


    Looking up at the buildings, I felt a sense of pride and considered how monumental this would be for the town. He heard the fluttering of a bird¡¯s wings overhead and focused his gaze before scoffing. He then folded his arms and waited for what happened next. A cloaked figure dropped from the sky, landing in front of him, with its giant, menacing halberd.


    ¡°Elrin,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Nice of you to drop by. And you need a place to stay. I¡¯ve got a few hundred rooms available.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Elrin said, looking over the buildings. ¡°I¡¯ve only recently become aware of the seed core system, and I¡¯ve got to say this would have been useful back in my day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an interesting bit of magic, isn¡¯t it?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Are you stopping by for any particular reason?¡±


    ¡°My plans stretch far,¡± Elrin said, ¡°but I¡¯m waiting for the return of the shards, as your wizard has made any progress.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s ready to go. We¡¯re just waiting for the elves to heal. Unfortunately, they¡¯ve come with a fair amount of void magic, which has caused some issues in the world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, those issues are stretching far and wide. Although I doubt it¡¯s as bad as it is here,¡± Elrin said, looking around as though he saw the invisible sheen of power overlaying the town. ¡°I¡¯ve relocated one shard to its proper place, which should have helped with the void magic issue.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked. He tapped his chin and smiled. ¡°You know, we did actually notice a fairly large change in the way the void energy was being absorbed, but I didn¡¯t know that was you.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m also aware of your half-baked plan to kill death,¡± Elrin said, ¡°and I must say that I don¡¯t approve.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my plan,¡± Theo said, shaking his head and holding his hands up. ¡°That¡¯s Fenian¡¯s plan, and it really isn¡¯t going to work, is it?¡±


    ¡°Back in my time, when the gods rose to power, their thrones could be challenged. But the throne of death was a particularly difficult one to crack,¡± Elrin said, his eyes going slightly glossy as though he were visiting the past. He shook his head as though casting off the stupor. ¡°Death¡¯s true realm is an endless sheet of black, with a single portal. All souls in the world pass through the portal and await judgment. Unfortunately, in my time, death was powered by those souls.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an alternative for dealing with him? I¡¯m not sure we can trust Kuzan with such power.¡±


    ¡°You never knew the true man. He¡¯s changed quite a lot,¡± Elrin said. ¡°Are you aware of his origins?¡±


    ¡°Just bits and pieces,¡± Theo said. ¡°The stuff you let slip.¡±


    ¡°He was a devious man. Well, not really a man at all, but a shade. His soul was trapped in the system of our ancient history, and he lingered across the land for untold thousands of years. When the change happened, he was deeply integrated into the system, and given a purpose¡ªthat purpose was to destroy everything. Including your world.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a real ass.¡±


    He led armies against the civilized world, raising beastmen, hordes that ravaged the land. ¡°We were part of a defense alliance that held him at bay for the most part until he figured out how to get into your world,¡± Elrin explained. ¡°The few times I spoke to him, I felt as though there was some reason behind the madness. When I gathered, so far as that when everyone was transported here, he regained much of his sanity. I fear he¡¯s not the same insane man I knew back then.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a plan that you might not like,¡± Theo said. ¡°If Kuzan is as reasonable as you say, this might make Fenian and the others angry, but it might just solve our problem.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear your plan.¡±

 7.20 - Seal of Judgement

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the other gods going for this plan,¡± Elrin said, folding his arms. Theo knew a giant, menacing tiger was somewhere around here, but he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°And what makes you think I would care for such a position?¡±


    Theo¡¯s plan was pretty simple, actually. Checks were already in place to keep things in order, but the domain Khahar had been given was not expansive enough. The alchemist instead proposed a position that watched the gods directly. He would be a balance in their system, an impartial person who maintained order.


    ¡°This is just a planned idea,¡± Theo said, ¡°an idea to get the system thinking about the way the gods work.¡±


    ¡°I have a relationship with the system in this world,¡± Elrin said, scratching his head. ¡°Perhaps I can propose another alternative.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you decide to do something, let me know. Currently, I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s a way for mortals to pass into the systems domain, so you¡¯ll need me to take you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Elrin said, ¡°Let¡¯s go now. And I can see what we can get away with.¡±


    The giant tiger appeared from nowhere, padding over to Elrin and pushing against his chest.


    ¡°Right now?¡± Theo asked, looking around. ¡°I mean, I guess I don¡¯t have that much to do today. Why not? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Wrapping his aura around the group, Theo plunged them into the void. Elrin did not respond at all as they vanished, and had even less of a reaction as they traveled through the darkness. The system¡¯s small dot in the universe appeared, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t take his attention away from studying his traveling companions. They were completely unaffected by the void, which was certainly strange. The space elves weren¡¯t as affected because they had been exposed to void energy for so long, but this guy should have been different.


    The group landed on the snowy field, and Elrin drew a deep breath. A ghost of a smile flashed across his face before he turned to Theo. ¡°Stay here while I talk with the system. Trevor will keep you company.¡±


    ¡°The cat?¡± Theo asked, gesturing to the giant tiger beside him, ¡°Okay, I guess.¡±


    The dark tiger looked up at him and purred. Theo reached down reluctantly, scratching behind the beast¡¯s ear. To his surprise, it turned its head, pushing into his hand as though to request more scratches. ¡°Your friend is a little strange,¡± Theo said, pointing forward at the cloaked man who vanished behind a sheet of driving snow.


    Trevor purred, yawning and stretching, which earned him some butt scratches along with the ear scratches. A blue light flooded the area as Elrin summoned the system. Theo couldn¡¯t help but feel as though he were an insignificant part of it all. But that was his purpose, wasn¡¯t it? The Dreamwalker¡¯s job wasn¡¯t to manage this; it was to move people around and keep the void in check.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk to the system,¡± Theo said, smiling as he figured out which spots Trevor preferred to be scratched. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of responsibility he has.¡±


    Elrin spoke with the system for about an hour before he returned through the icy gale. Theo was freezing by this point and was eager to summon his aura to bring them back to the mortal plane. Throughout the trip, they were silent except for Trevor, who would purr and yawn for more pets. They finally landed back in front of the three dormitories, and the warmth of the Southlands Alliance washed over them.


    ¡°The system has agreed to a favorable deal,¡± Elrin said. Although he didn¡¯t seem exactly happy about it.


    ¡°What exactly was the deal?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not for you to know,¡± Elrin said, shaking his head. ¡°Ivaran won¡¯t be happy. But... Death was at the meeting. I¡¯m surprised at how sane he seemed. The system even assured me that he had spent the past 60,000 years on this planet mending his mind and improving himself. I don¡¯t know if I believe it, but the system doesn¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me anything you two agreed on?¡± Theo asked.


    Elrin looked to the sky and smiled to himself. ¡°I believe you¡¯ll be getting a notification soon enough. Until then, I¡¯ll get back to my machinations. There are a few more things I need to set in order before the shards arrive.¡±


    Before Theo could say anything else, the man vanished from before him. Whatever deal he had struck with the system must have been widespread. The only direct system message he received was one related to the nature of the world¡¯s changing.


    After Theo gawked at his new buildings for a while, he departed and went to the town hall to make a report about the new dormitories. Alise was happy with the numbers he gave her, claiming that they had enough extra housing to take care of the odd elves out. The town had needed a dormitory system for a while. They had handled overflow of citizens by frantically building new buildings until there was just about no space left for them in an organized neighborhood setting.


    ¡°I told you to do something, and you did it the same day,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°Hey, sometimes I have a clear enough schedule to get this stuff done.¡± Theo said, smiling at the woman. ¡°Is there anything else you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader, aren¡¯t you supposed to ask me that?¡± Alise asked, winking. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything of concern right now, but¡ª¡±


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    Alise fell to one side and Theo caught her. The ground shook beneath their feet as the world rumbled. It went on for a few moments before it stopped. The bells in town rang and a system message appeared.


    [Dreamwalker¡¯s Core Message]


    A seal has been set in place. A recent imbalance in the heavenly realms has forced a change with the Monitor System. The Seal of Judgment has been set in place. This seal only affects the inner realms.


    Theo sent a town-wide message clarifying that the rumbling was from a system action and that people shouldn¡¯t have been concerned. But still, he read over the message several times, gawking at how Elrin had convinced the system to enact such a drastic change in such a short amount of time. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that something called the Seal of Judgment would monitor the actions of the gods.


    ¡°I feel like we should be concerned,¡± Alise said, fidgeting nervously.


    ¡°Maybe we should be, but not for the reasons you think,¡± Theo said. ¡°I took Elrin to chat with the system, and five minutes later, the monitor system placed a new seal over the heavenly realms.¡±


    ¡°I really wish I knew what that meant,¡± Alise said.


    ¡°The system won¡¯t let me inspect what the seal does, but... Ah, there it is,¡± Theo said as a haptic buzzing entered his mind. He withdrew Fenian¡¯s communication crystal.


    ¡°My dear alchemist, could you please tell me before you do something that shakes the foundations of this world?¡± Fenian said, sounding extremely annoyed. Somehow, we also sounded very polite at the same time.


    ¡°Elrin just had a chat with the system,¡± Theo said. ¡°I think he had them institute a check against the actions of the gods.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that actually sounds like a good thing. I thought it was going to be a bad thing,¡± Fenian said, pausing for several long moments. ¡°Hold on. Does this interfere with my plan to kill him?¡±


    ¡°I imagine it directly interferes with your plan to kill a god, Fenian. I really was hoping you wouldn¡¯t understand that killing a god isn¡¯t a good thing or an easy thing.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± but it was something to do,¡± Fenian said. ¡°What am I supposed to do with my time now?¡±


    ¡°You could take up crocheting, or maybe learn a useful skill,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Or better yet, why don¡¯t you try saving more people in this world, getting them to the Southlands Alliance so we can bring them along?¡±


    ¡°You used to be fun,¡± Fenian said, now sounding more annoyed than ever. ¡°If I could travel to the system, I would go there myself and file a complaint.¡±


    ¡°Find something constructive to do with your time, Fenian,¡± Theo said, ¡°If we can solve problems like this before they¡¯re a problem, then that¡¯s a good thing. You need to take the wins when you get them.¡±


    While Fenian grumbled about it for a while, he seemed to accept this as fact. He actually did have some useful information for Theo. There were a few ships leaving ports around the world and heading for the Southlands Alliance. But there were also nations of the world that knew what they were doing. It¡¯s not as though everybody was idle and without information. There were still powerful people in the world who could figure out what was going on. Most impressively, a ruler in Bantein was doing exactly what Theo was doing, using the same technique Khahar had used to ascend.


    While it was slightly concerning, Theo was happy to wash his hands of the whole ordeal. Even after they finished their conversation, he had a feeling Fenian wouldn¡¯t drop it so easily. The heavens might have been sealed, but that elf was determined.


    ¡°So, is this a good thing?¡± Alise asked, laughing nervously.


    ¡°Yeah, this is better for us. As long as it doesn¡¯t make the gods mad, which it shouldn¡¯t. Building layers between us and them is a good idea. That¡¯s the way it¡¯s meant to be.¡±


    Theo chalked it up as one less thing he had to worry about. Getting the system on their side had never seemed like an option, so he considered this to be a win. Instead, he turned his attention to the party. Which seemed silly in comparison, but whatever. He already had some liquor for the party, but Alise planned to leave the mixing of the pure zee booze to Xam. He only needed to provide the unmixed product. Ziz¡¯s housing project was going well and he was upgrading the rail and road while he was at it.


    Rivers and Gronro had been mostly silent for a while, but they were also preparing for the celebration. There were no lizardfolk on the horizon, either. While communication with Bantein and Partopour was decent enough, the lizardfolk were totally silent. Tarantham was the same as always, only sending trade envoys and ignoring whatever animosity that had formed between them.


    ¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve asked Erin to help with the dungeons,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Hard to get that guy to answer the phone as it is.¡±


    ¡°Leave me out of that,¡± Alise said, coming up behind Theo and pushing him toward the door. ¡°Go away before you rope me into it.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Theo said with a nod. ¡°Later.¡±


    There were some interesting things Theo could tackle. He had the wisdom to put Salire up to asking Throk for new machines, rather than doing it himself. Getting the mana injection artifices was now a priority, as it now had two important functions. The first was getting pure third tier potions while the other was gaining access to more of the imbued potions. Yet he didn¡¯t need to have direct involvement in the early stages of the first steps.


    That brought the things on Theo¡¯s to-do list down. Instead of rushing off for some more work, he headed out and walked the streets of his town. Traffic everywhere had increased significantly. People from all over the world now walked their streets. Some were there on regular business while others had come specifically for the party. Even if it hadn¡¯t started yet, the guarantee of continued existence after the world was over was strong.


    Theo ran into Salire near the monolith. She had a few artifices in her inventory¡ªstraight from Throk. She agreed to get testing with them, allowing him to turn his attention to the town. Tresk didn¡¯t farm up a bunch of Level 45 Monster Cores for nothing.


    ¡°It feels like a building-upgrade kind of day anyway.¡±

 7.21 - Tiny City

    Broken Tusk was currently at level 30. Theo knew that when it broke through the next barrier, it would finally leave the status of ¡°massive town.¡± That was one factor preventing him from upgrading it. There was something appealing about it being a town rather than a city, but one more upgrade cycle and it would become a tiny city.


    ¡°Farewell, town,¡± Theo said, patting the monolith.


    Thanks to the glut of monster cores, Tresk had brought him enough to get it to at least level 35. Theo wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to spend that many cores bringing it all the way to 40, but that depended on the upgrades available to him during the level 35 offering. He started shoving the cores into the monolith and felt the power radiating outward. Technically, the levels for the town would allow him to expand their territory, which would be fine. He had no plans to purchase many more adjacent sections, but the option was always good.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Theo said, inserting the last few cores until it upgraded to a city.


    A message appeared, overlaying even the town¡¯s upgrade option.


    [Broken Tusk] can be upgraded to a [Tiny City]. The prerequisite conditions are met.


    Upgrade to [Tiny City]? Y/N


    From what Theo understood, this was an upgraded name only. It was a gate that he was required to pass if he wanted to continue expanding his town. Well, expanding his city. He selected ¡°Yes,¡± and another pulse of magic radiated through the area. Nothing else happened, though. He opened the upgrade menu and looked at his new option.


    [Deep Roots, Verdant Fields]


    Your crops produce more food. Your trees are thicker. Your mines run with deep, rich veins. This upgrade improves all the natural resources within your city¡¯s domain. All natural resources produce more and are replenished faster.


    Yeah, that was a difficult upgrade to decline. Theo was surprised the system gave him such an excellent upgrade, but he wouldn¡¯t complain. He selected it without question before inspecting the city.


    [Tiny City]


    Name: Broken Tusk


    Owner: Theo Spencer


    Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer


    Faction: [Southlands Alliance]


    Level: 35 (5%)


    Upgrades:


    [Stone Walls and Gates]


    [Stone Roads]


    [Defensive Emplacements]


    [Synergistics]


    [Dynamic Incorporation]


    [Dungeon Information]


    [Deep Roots, Verdant Fields]


    Effects:


    [Troll Slaying]


    [Coordinated Fire]


    [Defensive Effects]


    Current Resources:


    Timber: 15,500


    Stone Blocks: 0


    Metal: 1,320


    Motes: 50,001


    He viewed it in simple mode, filtering out the buildings and defensive emplacements in the town. It was otherwise too much information, but there was something else interesting to note from the pop-up. Their resources had become dwindling recently. Ziz and his boys were constantly chewing through their supply of stone and rarely added it to the town. Only when there was damage to buildings or the walls did he bother putting any in there.


    Perhaps with the newest upgrade, they would have access to more resources. It really was a great upgrade, and Theo couldn¡¯t have been happier with it. There was apparently a city-wide notification about the town being upgraded to a city. A ripple of cheers spread through those gathered in the street, and the alchemists couldn¡¯t help but smile. If he included non-citizen residents within the city¡¯s domain, Broken Tusk had nearly 6,000 people mingling.


    That seemed to be far too many people.


    All of the core population stayed within the walls, protected from the strange dungeon. Some of the new population and all the overflow found their homes outside the walls, typically in the areas between Broken Tusk and the rivers. Ziz¡¯s constant building of homes along the way had already bore fruit.


    But Theo liked to leave most of the administrative tasks to the people he hired to do such things. Instead, he often made his way to the new demon to meet with Salire and see how her experiments were going. He caught her upstairs, holding her hand over the mana container, part of a mana-injection artifice. She turned, her cheeks going a deeper shade of red as she spotted him.


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    ¡°I can¡¯t perform while you¡¯re watching,¡± she said.


    Theo stifled a laugh and nodded. He turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    ¡°God, that¡¯s even worse,¡± Salire said. ¡°Theo, I think I might need some help filling this with mana.¡±


    The smile on Theo¡¯s face widened as he turned and approached the artifact. First, he gave it a look to see what Throk had come up with. The design was similar to the first one he had created, with some interesting differences. It was easier to check how much liquid was in either tank now, and there were improvements to the mixing chamber. He could easily fill the mana tank for her, but this must have been a teaching moment.


    ¡°Have you been practicing your mana control?¡± Theo asked, looking at the small amount she had managed to conjure. It filled about a quarter of the reservoir but seemed as pure as any he could produce.


    ¡°I have, and I thought it was working for me, but I just can¡¯t get the volume you can produce,¡± Salire said. ¡°Do you have some kind of secret?¡±


    ¡°Let me see you try,¡± Theo said, stepping back and folding his arms.


    Salire gave him a flat look before taking a steady breath. She held her hand over the mana container and produced a few drops. Theo used his aura to sense inside her soul. He felt the mana swirling around and generally not obeying her requests. She struggled on for a few more minutes before he stopped her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really an expert in these kinds of things,¡± Theo said. ¡°But it seems like you¡¯re not making as strong a connection with your soul as you could.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Salire asked. She was clearly frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m telling my mana to come to my hand, and it doesn¡¯t want to come to my hand.¡±


    ¡°Take a breath, Theo said. Close your eyes and imagine your soul. Tell me what you see.¡±


    ¡°Some random colours. Maybe a kind of mist swirling around,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°Try imagining your soul as cores floating in a void. Picture them as bits of light, sticking out against the darkness. Reach out and touch your alchemy core. Inside it should be the mana you want to use. All you need to do is bring it out into your soul and then guide it through your body.¡±


    This was just how Theo had come to imagine the stuff, invisible stuff happening in his chest. He worked with her to get the technique down, and it only took an hour for her to understand how this technique worked. He had taught her originally, but had failed to follow through and make sure she understood every aspect of mana control. It was really the only part of Image¡¯s skill set the alchemists needed to understand.


    ¡°That¡¯s much better,¡± Theo said. He watched as she opened the faucet of her soul and poured her mana into the container.


    ¡°Damn, now I can finally test this thing.¡± Salire grumbled as she added some essence to the other side of the equation. ¡°I thought I¡¯d have something ready for you to check out by the time you got back, but I guess not.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now,¡± Theo said. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it works.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t really understand how Throk was such a genius with artificing, but he had made adjustments to this model that made it more efficient. Perhaps it was the valves that connected each reservoir to the mixing chamber, but when it started operating, it vaporized and added the two parts of the mixture to the chamber much more efficiently. The vapor spent less time in the mixing chamber and was sent over to the condenser coil with much more haste.


    When the first drop of essence hit the flask at the end of the line, Theo picked it up for inspection, replacing it with an empty flask. He judged that the purity of the essence was fairly high for the third tier, but it still wasn¡¯t as good as it could be. At 80%, it was better than what he expected. Even if their second-tier potions were in the high 90s, jumping a rank and only dropping 10% was amazing.


    ¡°When do you think you¡¯ll be ready to learn infusion?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can keep up with you on that one,¡± she admitted. ¡°You might be the only person creating those potions.¡±


    That was likely true, but it got Theo thinking. He had created two reforged potions, one for the soul and one for the mind. He was once again thinking about what else he could reforge, or how he could use that property to make another powerful potion. The thing about infused potions was that they seemed to be without limit. If he could find the specifications for a spell, he could infuse it into a potion.


    One thing that sucked about the way mages operated in this world was that they were slightly secretive about their knowledge. Theo had been to the market several times and had never seen a spellbook available. His only point of reference was the instruction manual given to him by Xol¡¯sa. And that particular space elf was still busy with his own projects, too busy to drag him off and teach Theo some random spells. Although the value of an extra planar spell was obvious.


    Salire reported that their current brewing efforts were going well. She was still focusing on producing the standard array of potions they offered at the shop and had no plans to stop. But soon they would return to mass production of specialty potions, and she even mentioned taking custom orders in this shop again. Despite everything happening with the end of the world, things were getting back to normal.


    After Theo finished instructing Salir on how to properly control her mana, he returned to flipping through the magical textbook he had been given. He reviewed his mental list of potions and tried to find the best combinations. For now, he would keep it as a mental list, working on the actual preparations later. When he was finished, he headed out to check on his liquor brewing enterprise.


    The people hired to manage this were doing well. It wasn¡¯t a complicated process, and the stills did most of the work. The materials just needed mashing and adding to the artifice, and it would handle everything else. Theo was satisfied with their work and left them to it. If there was a discrepancy in the amount of liquor being produced, he didn¡¯t want to know about it. It was too much effort to count every barrel of sight-stealing moonshine.


    The alchemist found himself outside, sitting on a random log, and messing with his magic. Most of his magic was derived from the properties of potions and reagents. He had a few that were incredibly useful, such as the defense ward, which would create a barrier around something. Going through his mental list of properties, he picked one to mess with and tweaked his way through the standard list of triggers and reaction types.


    ¡°Well, that one seems rather nasty.¡± Theo said, adjusting the parameters on the ward. It was indiscriminate, so he narrowed it down to only affect enemies. He then inspected it, chuckling to himself.


    [Field of Hopelessness]


    [Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward]


    Creates a reactive barrier that inflicts [Hopeless] to all enemy targets within the area.


    Trigger:


    Detect Enemy


    Duration:


    50 days.


    The Lost Hope property came from the bones of an ascended dragon. It was a property Theo didn¡¯t think he would have much use for, but as he fiddled around with the ward, he decided this would be a decent way to create a field of pacification. Other properties could be mixed to create fields as well. He could make a field of pure elemental magic. For example, a field of fire that reacted only when enemies were present. Fortunately, this advanced ward could target only enemies, leaving allies unaffected.


    One thing Theo was interested in doing was taking something like this and infusing it into a potion, but so far, he could not extract combinations of properties and use them with his magic system. He decided he should be happy with the infusion system he already had. He could now recreate rare properties simply by using his magic. That alone made it worth pursuing this art.


    Once Salire was done with her testing of the new stills, he could get to work on both testing the infused potions and creating more third tier potions. For now, he had some time to relax. Except Theo has an allergy to relaxation, so he messed around with properties instead.

 7.22 - Spiritfruit Properties

    Gentle waves lapped through the harbor and Broken Tusk. Several ships were currently docked, and several more were being worked on in the shipyard. Theo kicked his legs over the edge, going over his list of potions and combinations with magical effects. Although he had tried, he hadn¡¯t figured out a way to infuse combined properties into a potion yet. He spotted a low ship in the water. He thought for a moment it was the lizard folk ship, but it was a low-running elven ship coming up the canal and setting into port. The buzz of activity in the harbor was practically electric. It was hard to fight off that infection.


    Several reagents Theo had cultivated, both in the mortal world and his own personal throne world, produced incredibly powerful effects. There was the Dragon Apple, the Xotl Orange, the Fairy Plum, and the Soul Bloom. With the ability to replicate these properties without actually growing them, Theo wanted to discover what other properties they held. They were impossibly difficult to grow now that the time scale and the heavens had been adjusted.


    The alchemist withdrew one of the few dragon apples he had from his inventory. He held it, considering a bite for a moment before resisting the urge. Instead, he injected his mana inside and watched as the fruit¡¯s structure broke down. While it turned to ash in his hand, what remained was the primal essence containing all information about the first three reagents. Because of the item¡¯s complex structure, he could not discover the hidden fourth property.


    After consuming the properties from the apple, he inspected the item.


    [Dragon Apple]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Spirit Fruit]


    Mythic


    The favored food of dragons older than time itself, these fruits are said to increase the strength of whoever eats them.


    Properties:


    [Dragon¡¯s Breath] [Dive] [Overwhelming Power]


    As always, it was impossible to know exactly what the properties did, but both sounded interesting. While he was eager to figure out what each one did, he first wanted to get the properties from the other reagents. He started with the orange. This orange was themed around underwater fish people. The two properties he had yet to discover would no doubt follow the same theme.


    [Xotl Orange]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Spirit Fruit]


    Mythic


    Lurking in the deepest places of the world, an ancient race of fish-people cultivated this fruit. Imbued with the power of the things that lurk in the darkest reaches, the Xotl orange embodies what it means to live at such depths.


    Properties:


    [Xotl¡¯s Undercurrent] [Spume] [Water Walking]


    ¡°Ew, what the hell is ¡®spume¡¯?¡± Theo asked, wincing as he read the two new properties. The system rarely gave him properties that were outright nasty, but he wasn¡¯t eager to figure out what the word meant. Yet, the third property on the reagent looked valuable. Who wouldn¡¯t want to walk on water, after all?


    Once he finished the orange, he moved on to the plum. This possessed an incredibly powerful property. Although he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to replicate it in a potion using his infusion method. He watched the plum turn to dust in his hand and then inspected the item.


    [Fairy Plum]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Spirit Fruit]


    Mythic


    Found near sites of intense nature magic, Fairies lurk and wait for those worthy of their blessing. Hanging from the boughs of those magically enchanted trees are these fruits. They are a favorite of the fairies and are often eaten during celebrations.


    Properties:


    [Fairy¡¯s Blessing] [Fairy Court] [Shrink]


    Theo remembered something he¡¯d heard a very long time ago. When it came to potions that altered the size of the imbiber, they were often considered dangerous. Potions with strictly magical effects applied their blessings with nothing more than magic. But when altering a person¡¯s body size, it also altered the organs, which could lead to disastrous effects. Therefore, he considered the Shrink property dangerous and didn¡¯t plan to use it. But the second property was interesting enough. Even if he didn¡¯t know exactly what it meant, it was worth trying out.


    Last came the Soul Bloom, which, if Theo was honest with himself, he was least eager to check out. Anything that affected the soul could quickly become necromancy, and he wasn¡¯t certain he was willing to be the one to unleash that on the world. The only thing that pushed him forward to discover the property was that only he could see the list of properties. Every individual alchemist needed to discover those properties on their own. They couldn¡¯t use the properties unless they decomposed a reagent or ate it.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Theo held one of the last soul blooms in his hand. He watched, even before applying his mana as the flower began to wilt. Before it could turn to ash, he hastened the process, feeling three new properties flow through him. Once he was done, he inspected the item.


    [Soul Bloom]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Spirit Flower]


    Legendary


    Impossibly delicate flower that blooms only once a moon phase. Improper handling will result in the destruction of this flower. Grows in places containing high spiritual energy.


    Properties:


    [Poison Spirit] [Empower Spirit] [Phylactery] [Soul]


    ¡°Yep, that one is evil,¡± Theo said, shaking his hand. He stowed the ashes away in his inventory and considered each property. The Poison Spirit property would likely produce a fairly standard poison that affected the soul instead of the body. This reagent was curious. Since the second property would likely imbue the spirit with the ability to resist such poisons. He couldn¡¯t think of another reagent with such a dichotomy. And yet there was a third property, Phylactery¡ªthe property a lich required to gain its status as a member of the undead.


    Very few people knew that Theo had access to this property. If more than a handful of people knew he could produce a phylactery, errant mages would show up, seeking to write their names in the history books by becoming immortal. Well, not exactly immortal. They had to create an object to bind their soul to, and then figure out a way to regenerate once their body was destroyed. Soul magic wasn¡¯t something Theo was interested in pursuing, so the soul bloom seemed more and more dangerous to work with. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d attempt to extract its properties and incorporate them into a potion.


    Theo rose to his feet, seeing how late he had gotten during his experimentations. While he could feel Sarisa nearby, he didn¡¯t sense Rowan. The man was probably back at the manor, getting dinner ready.


    ¡°Would you care to test a poison for me, Sarisa?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A poison?¡± Sarisa asked, emerging from the shadows. ¡°You want to test a poison on me? No thanks. Go ask Rowan. He¡¯ll do anything for a few coins.¡±


    Theo smiled as he turned and spotted his bodyguard/assistant standing there, hands on her hips. He had wondered if she and her brother were happy simply being layabout bodyguards, but they seemed happy enough. He felt that some locals had fallen into a holding pattern, waiting for the world to end, and he couldn¡¯t blame them. It was difficult to think of what they needed to do before the transition.


    Before returning to the manor, Theo checked his administrative interface. News indicated that one elf was stirring, but his slumber proved deeper than anticipated. The thread contained chatter requesting time off for the healers between the two groups of space elves, and he understood their request. Unfortunately, he could only offer them a few days off.


    On his way back to the manor, he was intercepted by a marshal riding a flying dragon goose. Tresk and Alex landed heavily on the main road of Broken Tusk. Alex roared, honked, and shot fire into the air, while Tresk performed some impressive combat moves.


    ¡°We got another negative dungeon,¡± Tresk said, finishing her statement with a pose. ¡°The Ocean Dungeon went to -1 just a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, perfect,¡± Theo said. ¡°I was thinking we could get some more horrors from an indescribable world into town. Is the Hills Dungeon still stable?¡±


    ¡°Nope, one monster got out earlier today,¡± Tresk said. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t even part of a monster wave, so everybody¡¯s nice and confused.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Horrors beyond our comprehension,¡± Theo said with a slow nod. ¡°Any progress from the wizard¡¯s end?¡±


    ¡°Kinda,¡± Tresk said with a shrug. ¡°He says he won¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on until he gets in there. And Fenian isn¡¯t answering the phone.¡±


    ¡°The damn elf is up to something again,¡± Theo grumbled. ¡°If that man has his way, he¡¯ll shatter all our plans before they even happen. I was talking to Elrin, and we think we have a way to prevent the war we were planning in Death¡¯s Realm.¡±


    ¡°Make sure Fenian knows about your plan,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Otherwise, he¡¯s going to find a way to get there and try to stab the god of death in the face.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s normally your move,¡± Theo said, pointing an accusatory finger at her.


    ¡°Hey, what can I say? I¡¯ve changed,¡± Tresk said, striking another pose. ¡°I¡¯m just better, faster, and stronger.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think any of those things have to do with your personality,¡± Theo said with a sigh. ¡°But come on, I¡¯m sure Rowan has some food ready for us.¡±


    Tresk had to put Alex in the stables for the night before she joined them. This gave Theo time to inspect his administration interface and see that a problem existed: the dungeons were still operating at a negative power level. Xol¡¯sa was doing his best to stabilize them, but there was only so much he could do. The amount of power leaking from the recovering elves spread out, no matter what they tried.


    Elrin had hinted that the shards were designed to absorb some of that void magic, and since he had placed one in the correct place, it was doing part of the job. But even the combined efforts of the wizard and the shard weren¡¯t enough to contain all that energy. Theo was worried. It would soon boil over.


    Theo was delighted to see that Rowan had created something moderately similar to jambalaya. It was sausages, zee that had been processed into granules, and some spicy liquid, all mixed into a pot. He recalled meals he had back on Earth that mimicked this dish, although those preserved meals in a bag didn¡¯t even come close.


    Tresk eventually returned after settling Alex down for the night. She joined them at the table and spooned a large helping of the spicy food onto her plate. Theo had already taken a few bites, and light perspiration had appeared on his forehead.


    ¡°This reminds me of something,¡± Tresk said, tapping her spoon against her plate. ¡°Do you remember when we were eating those salamander eggs in the lab? I think Luras was there.¡±


    The Alchemist couldn¡¯t help but smile. He remembered that moment very well. Spicy food was an amazing distraction from the weight of their responsibilities. He remembered that moment fondly.


    ¡°I remember a certain lizard girl who hoarded her salamander eggs for quite some time,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t even know about half of my stashes,¡± Tresk said with a self-assured chuckle. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even know about half of them, because I keep forgetting where I put them.¡±


    Tomorrow, Theo planned to do a lot of testing with his new properties. The only issue was finding the perfect vehicle to imbue them. He was confident he could get a good idea of what they did from that. For now, he enjoyed his meal and the lively conversation that sprung up around the table.

 7.23 - Dainty Little Alchemist

    Theo yawned as he woke from the Dreamwalk. He saw little use in gaining many more levels and had instead been focusing on expanding his abilities outside the context of levels lately. But he still managed to push himself to level 34 in both his alchemy and herbalist cores, which caused his personal level to grow as well, although he still wasn''t sure what he was going to do with it. With a shrug, he placed his free point into Strength. It was the only attribute he had less than a hundred, aside from Intelligence, and he dared not push that further than 30.


    Breakfast was a simple meal of sausage and eggs. He was grateful that his new body could process so much fat without causing a horrible heart condition. Or perhaps it did, and he was simply unaware. Tresk seemed overly excited about something today, although she wouldn''t tell him what it was. He thought it was because their Tara¡¯hek core had risen to level 39 and would likely reach 40 any day. That would provide them with another skill or an evolution of an existing skill¡ªthat was pretty fun.


    Just as Theo was preparing to spend his day working on his new properties, he groaned. The bell outside sounded, and he reflexively pulled up his tactical map of the town. He didn''t see any overflowing dungeons, and there was no note of monsters escaping from the negative dungeons. That didn''t stop Tresk from immediately teleporting away to figure out what was going on.


    Instead of rushing up from his chair and joining her, he simply watched the events unfold through her eyes. Aarok was assembling the troops, not as a defensive action, but as an offensive one.


    "Looks like we''re going to be forced into the dungeons," Theo said, finishing the last of his sausages and leaving a bit of egg.


    "Are we actually going to fight something today?" Sarisa asked, with an exasperated sigh. "I haven''t been able to kill a monster in quite some time."


    Theo lingered at the table for quite some time, not expecting to be drawn into whatever offensive action was unfolding. When a message flashed through the administrative interface, the alchemist gawked. Of all people, he was the one summoned to the battle. He was being pulled against his will.


    "I''m the town''s dainty little alchemist," Theo said, folding his arms. "I''m not supposed to go and fight."


    "First off, we''re a city now," Sarisa said.


    Rowan roared with laughter. "Secondly, or anything but dainty. Actually, I don''t even know why we''re still guarding you. You could beat both our asses with your hands tied behind your back."


    Theo sat grumpily in his chair for some time, but eventually Tresk came to collect him.


    "What are you doing, lazybones?" Tresk asks. "We need your predictive powers in the dungeon."


    Theo pointed a finger in the air. "I am a dainty little alchemist," he said.


    "Oh, shut up," Tresk said. "Come on, we had a dungeon break from the Hills dungeon. And we need to thin out the number of monsters inside. You two are coming, too. Since, for some reason, you''re stronger than most of the adventurers.¡±


    While Theo wanted to object, he knew it made sense. With two negative dungeons in town, things would get dangerous if they didn''t clear out the monsters. They hadn''t yet taken action against the dungeons because they feared a dungeon break, but now that one had happened, the seal was broken. It was more important to reduce the monster numbers than anything else. With a sigh, he stood and shrugged.


    "How many people are we taking?" he asked.


    "A decent-sized strike squad," Tresk said. "Mostly stealthers, but we''re going to do this the old Qavelli way. You know how those old war boys think."


    Theo grumbled a few more times, but he joined Tresk. Sarissa and Rowan trailed behind them. In the city square, they had assembled fighters for the effort. Theo wasn''t really sure how this was going to go, but if they were going to do so without casualties, they would need his predictive powers. More than that, he supposedly had quite a bit of defensive magic he could add to the mix. Not only could he summon powerful barriers, but he could also cast the haste spell on people. He had been practicing it, after all.


    "Finally," Aarok grumbled, casting Theo a nasty look. "Time is of the essence. We''re going to need to clear this dungeon as quickly as possible. We''re bringing the wizard so we can destroy the core if we get there, but if the dungeon proves too vast, we''ll settle for taking care of some monsters to alleviate future waves."


    Theo spotted Xol¡¯sa and Zarali across the way. They were mingling among the soldiers, who numbered at least fifty. Aarok had more information to give about formations and all that fun stuff. He didn''t need to listen much, because he would be in the rear, focused on using his future sight to forestall any attacks and relay that information directly to the commanders.


    "Theo in the field," Luras said, coming up alongside him and jabbing his oboe into the alchemist''s ribs. "Never thought I''d see this."


    "Yeah, yeah. I had big plans for today, but I guess I''m babysitting a bunch of weaklings in a dungeon."


    "Oh, Mr. Big Pants Archduke over here, throwing his weight around," Luras said, producing more of a smile than Theo had seen in quite a while.


    Theo was instantly reminded of the friendly jabs he exchanged with Yuri back in the day. That put a big smile on his face, and he ended up laughing with the other soldiers as they prepared to depart. Truth was, he wasn''t certain if they were ready for an excursion into the negative dungeon. From what he had observed, from Tresk''s perspective, it was a nasty place with an unforgiving range of monster levels. He went over his spells as they prepared to leave.


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    His barrier spell would be the most effective, but he certainly could adapt a few others to fit their needs. He could also create a field of anti-magic, preventing monsters from casting offensive spells. And he could craft a ward preventing any specific type of magic from harming them.


    Theo realized he might actually be a very powerful support mage, even if he had often neglected his mage core. Oh well. They were bringing him for his ability to predict the future, and his magic would just sweeten the deal. After a while, the troops were ready to go and began their march toward the dungeon. The alchemist brought up the rear with the casters, but he was also flanked by his guards and Tresk.


    "You know, it has just been a lifetime since I delved into a dungeon," Zarali said with a wistful sigh. "I hope my strong husband can protect me."


    "We both know you''re more powerful than me," Xol¡¯sa said. "I''ll do my best to defeat the monsters, and you just make sure everybody doesn''t die."


    "How are the space elves, by the way?" Theo asked.


    "They''re doing well, actually," Zarali said. "That one man is finally waking up, but he''s slow to do it. Don''t worry, the other healers are taking very good care of him while I''m away."


    Even the entrance to the Hills Dungeon looked cursed. As Theo stood outside the portal, peering inside, he could only think that what lay within was more than this small group could handle. He wondered if they had actually intended to go in without him, and shivered at the thought. I wasn''t surprised when his small group was sent in first. They delved headlong into the portal and arrived in that endless landscape moments later.


    To his surprise, Zarali summoned a barrier that dropped everybody into an obscured stealth mode. He nodded in approval, then looked back at the floating portal exit. The other soldiers came pouring through.


    "Let me know if you need some mana potions," Theo said, nodding to Zarali.


    "Oh, I''ve got plenty," she said, smiling to herself. "A few abilities let me restore my own mana, but I appreciate the sentiment."


    Aarok laid out the plans. Tresk had done extensive scouting in the area, and she claimed to have a very good idea of where the dungeon core might be. Unfortunately, she believed it was in the giant floating monster that hovered above them¡ªlike some great sky whale.


    "Hi, Frank," Tresk whispered, waving up at the giant sky whale.


    As the plans were laid, Theo allowed his concentration to slip from the conversation. Instead, he focused on his future sight, watching the various monsters in the distance move around. He observed their shadows and the group''s preparations, noting their departure in a few minutes. He drank a Potion of Limited Foresight and kept his various shields at the forefront of his mind. As the spectral expedition pushed forward, he watched a party member on the left slip from Zarali''s barrier. A flying monster picked the member up a moment later and flew off.


    "Stay within the barrier," Theo said, pointing an accusatory finger at the half-ogre who had lingered outside its protective embrace.


    "I wasn''t going to leave," she said.


    "He can see the future," Aarok said, shaking his head. "We haven''t even started moving yet, and you''re seeing casualties."


    "Yeah, so we''ll prevent those," Theo said. "Don''t worry."


    Viewing the world through future sight was weird. Yuri had always talked about it as a thread of fate that was being changed and those potential futures. While Theo wasn''t quite at that level, he could view his intended future as though he were scrubbing through a video, fast-forwarding and rewinding. When he made a change, he had to go back and let it play out once again. This time, as the party set out, the errant half-ogre was not scooped up by a flying monster. Instead, he stayed well within the barrier and took advantage of the stealth effect.


    "So here''s the score," Tresk said, walking alongside Theo. He was shocked that she wasn''t in her own version of Stealth, but it seemed as though she had something to say. ¡°Most of the area around here is open fields, giving Frank direct access to us. If Frank spots any of us, we''re basically screwed. So, what we''re going to do is move into a section with floating islands to shield us from the sky. That will give us a chance to fight them off.¡±


    That made enough sense to Theo. He looked up, spotting Frank high in the sky. The creature tilted to one side and seemed to dive a bit. He raised an eyebrow, fast-forwarding his future sight to see what the sky whale would do.


    "Halt!" Theo called, gaining the attention of the commanders, who relayed his order. Everyone stopped on that open, colorless field, looking back at him with confusion.


    It took about a minute for the reality he was viewing to catch up to the present, but a massive chunk of something fell from the sky. Frank had tossed something at them, perhaps detecting their location, or maybe it was just random. The object impacted the ground with a resounding crash, shattering whatever material the floor was made of and creating quite a crater.


    "We''re good," Theo said, barely able to hold his focus on the present as he watched the swirl of futures around them. The group continued marching forward.


    Of the monsters that occupy this area, most were strange amalgams¡ªcombinations of different things or creatures he hadn''t yet seen. The alchemist watched as a rabbit with a pair of antlers hopped past them, just outside the stealth barrier. Despite its appearance, it was level 50 and would likely give them trouble if they engaged it directly. After about half an hour of marching, they finally found something other than a completely flat plain. Hills rose in the distance, and they could see the floating islands Tresk had mentioned.


    "Anything else, future boy?" Tresk asked.


    Theo scrubbed his future sight, wincing as he saw a small herd of creatures pass before him. They crossed into the barrier, were detected by the group, and began an assault. The monsters were a cross between a llama, a horse, and maybe a goat. It was hard to tell. He directed the group to halt and move to the right, avoiding the encounter entirely.


    Light conversations sprung up within his group, but Theo couldn''t give them any attention. He felt his mind buzzing as he watched those future maneuvers. Before long, the group was coming under the ledges of those islands, finding a decent space to rest for a moment as they regrouped.


    "There''s a cat-like creature lurking in the area," Theo said. He watched a massive panther emerge from stealth and assault the adventurers outside the formation. When he focused, he could see its outline in the distance. ¡°I don''t think we can avoid fighting it. Does anyone want to put an arrow in it?¡±


    "Oh, come on," Tresk asked, removing a poisoned dagger from their shared inventory. "Why don''t you take a shot?"


    Theo shrugged, taking the blade from his companion and flipping it in the air. He caught it deftly before whipping it forward. His dexterity made the motion almost effortless, and the dagger slammed into the side of a hidden beast. It was a dagger tipped with one of their nastier poisons that went to work right away, The massive panther surged forward for only a breath before it tumbled to the ground.


    ¡°Wait, why don''t we take Theo on more adventures?¡± Luras asked, chuckling from the front of the formation.


    "Because he''s a dainty little alchemist," Tresk shot back. "And he''s a precious baby."

 7.24 - Hairbrained Dungeon Schemes

    Theo stood watch idly as the others formed a plan. He was watching the various monsters outside the stealth bubble when he overheard part of a conversation. At first, he thought Tresk''s idea about Frank was a whim, but the more they spoke, the more it seemed they were planning to actually get onto the creature.


    "Pardon," Theo said. "Did you just say we''re going to jump on its back?"


    ¡°Tresk scouted a fair amount of his dungeon," Aarok said, folding his arms. "And it seems like the most logical place for the core to be, inside the giant whale thing."


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose and released a heavy sigh. "The most logical thing," he said, "is that the dungeon core is on or inside a gigantic flying goop monster."


    "Well, it isn''t unfounded," Xol¡¯sa said, joining the conversation. "My dungeon engineer class gives me vague information about where the core might be, and the giant goo monster gives me the strongest signal."


    Theo clicked his tongue, poking his head out from under the covers. He could see the creature flying around in the sky above. Although it was dimly lit, it stood out against the darkness of the sky, somehow catching what little light there was. The monster was roughly the size of a city, or larger. It was hard to tell at this distance. But he wasn''t sure if he agreed with the assessment.


    Since this wasn''t Theo''s rodeo, he shrugged. What more could he do than offer his concerns? The best he could do was to keep the others safe as they went.


    "So here''s the skinny," Tresk said. "These islands are like small stepping stones for us to gain altitude. We''re going to move as a group to the top and then wait for Frank to pass by."


    This was a plan only broken tuskers could conceive, and Theo didn''t know if he was angry about it. If the party were smaller, he would have absolutely no complaints. But with so many people to protect at once, he wasn''t sure how well they would do. But he still hadn''t used his barrier magic to protect them, so one insane plan didn''t seem too far-fetched. He waited for the party to be prepared. Tresk vanished into the shadows and scouted their path ahead. Half an hour later, she returned, giving a thumbs-up and confirming that she had a straight route to the highest floating island.


    "Same as before," Aarok announced. "Keep your senses open, Theo. I don''t want any surprises as we ascend."


    Something about the design of these floating islands seemed intentional. It appeared as though somebody had just torn chunks from the land and allowed them to float there in place. But there was logic to the way they were arranged. Between each island, there seemed to be either a stone ramp or roots connecting them. Whether that held them in place, the alchemists couldn''t say. But as they ascended the first ramp and set foot on the first floating island, they felt as though this might have been easy.


    "Pause," Theo said, gaining the attention of the commanders who relayed his order. "Frank''s going to approach very closely and nudge one island, so everyone should brace."


    The adventurers hit the ground and grabbed handfuls of dirt. Theo watched as Tess wrapped her arms around a rock and nodded to him with unexpected fervency. As predicted, about a minute later, Frank came too close to the island. He nudged an above island, triggering a chain reaction. The connected islands shook, and the resulting earthquake sent many adventurers tumbling to the ground. But no one was sent over the edge, as he had foreseen in his vision.


    "Just a minute," Theo said. "I think Frank can sense us, and he''s not happy about our ascent."


    The group resumed traveling once the creature settled down. The plan was to avoid as many monsters as possible on the way to the top. However, some inevitable fighting occurred on the second floating island. A group of flying, bird-like monsters waited near the ramp to the next island, and the group had no choice but to engage them. It was nice to see Sarisa and Rowan finally in combat.


    Since Sarisa''s class allowed her to take many hits with her tower shield, she found herself on the front lines, drawing the monsters'' ire and keeping everyone else safe. That left things clear for everyone else to chop down the bird monsters and clear the path. But Theo noticed how the sky whale reacted to monsters dying. It seemed to enliven the creature, allowing it to float around the sky with more ease.


    But the monster''s attacks between islands weren''t what concerned Theo most. Most concerning was Frank''s scale as they ascended. It became clear exactly how large this monster was. Since they were fairly certain the dungeon pulled from existing things, the alchemists couldn''t help but think that somewhere in the world, this monster could exist, waiting to be released. He had certainly seen strange things, but nothing on this scale.


    That''s when it hit him. As the group was walking along one island, high above the ground, Theo pulled Aarok aside.


    "I''m almost certain that''s an ascendant beast," Theo said. His Wisdom of the Soul message claimed he couldn''t determine it one way or the other, although the monster''s size certainly pointed in that direction.


    "Right, right," Aarok said. "Remind me, what does that mean?"


    "To put it plainly," Theo said, "the beast is on the verge of godhood, or at least candidacy for godhood."


    "Oh, damn. Really? Maybe we should rethink the plan."


    "We''re already halfway there," Theo said. "We may as well go through with it. I just wanted you to be aware that we were looking at something far more power than we previously thought."


    "The plan isn''t to fight it," Aarok said, nodding to himself as though assuring himself of his plan. "We just need to get on its back and find the dungeon core."


    This might have been the most daring plan Aarok had ever come up with. Theo was still concerned about the safety of the people here, but he trusted them to be smart enough. And if they weren¡¯t very smart, he could do his best to intervene and save their butts.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Several hours of climbing later and the group approached the highest of the islands. The landscape below them stretched out as one endless smear of gray. It was hard to believe the size of the dungeon¡¯s interior. In the distance, Theo could see the remnants of towns, cliffs, and even half-ruined walls of unknowable cities. Every new landscape feature he noticed was another brushstroke of nonsense to add to the pile. The alchemist flinched as he saw something large enter his future sight.


    Theo reflexively invoked his Defense ward, channeling it instead of his normal ward mode. A willpower-fueled barrier erupted around them, covering the large island and draining his mana away. This drew the attention of the others¡ªparticularly Aarok¡ªwho looked back at him with concern. A few breaths later and the alchemist felt something massive impact his barrier. But it wasn¡¯t Frank. He still had eyes on the whale far in the distance.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Zarali asked, fear staining her voice.


    ¡°Holy moly!¡± Tresk shouted, jumping with excitement. Her daggers were in her hands before anyone could stop her. But she didn¡¯t surge forward, instead locking her vision toward the edge of the island. ¡°Did anyone else see that?¡±


    ¡°I saw it,¡± one elf spoke up. Theo didn¡¯t recognize him, but there were so many elves in Broken Tusk nowadays. ¡°But I don¡¯t trust my eyes.¡±


    ¡°A big ol¡¯ shadow dragon!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°He was kinda invisible, but not really. Well, he wasn¡¯t invisible for a blink after he hit your shield. Permission to stab, sir.¡±


    ¡°Permission denied,¡± Aarok grumbled.


    Theo felt another thump against his barrier. This time it felt more like an inquisitive attack, rather than one meant to inflict real damage. He balanced his concentration between maintaining the barrier, and watching the monster¡¯s attacks. While he hadn¡¯t seen the dragon they were talking about, he wouldn¡¯t risk it. The beast beating against his barrier certainly felt like a dragon.


    ¡°I can attempt a spell to reveal the monster, but it may draw unwanted attention,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Or perhaps I should just teach the spell to Theo, since he has seen fit to steal the stage from everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not risk it. How long can you hold the barrier, Theo?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°Literally forever,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°This isn¡¯t even the strong version.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Tresk, are you certain Frank swoops below this island?¡± Aarok asked.


    ¡°I saw him do it a few times, so yeah,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Although perhaps we should consider a trigger condition. He seems to react to the stuff we do while within the dungeon.¡±


    So the plan was hair-brained. Theo should¡¯ve expected it, but whatever. While he could support his claim about holding the barrier up forever, that required a decent amount of focus. Of course, that didn¡¯t take care of the invisible dragon outside of the shield. It slammed against the edge once again as though probing for a weakness. While Frank seemed uninterested in moving lower, the probing dragon got faster. Or it brought a friend.


    ¡°Are there two dragons?¡± Theo asked, interrupting the conversation around him.


    ¡°What?¡± Tresk asked, narrowing her eyes to the barrier¡¯s edge. ¡°Oh, crap. Two dragons.¡±


    ¡°We need to kill the dragons,¡± Aarok said. ¡°How big are they?¡±


    ¡°Bigger than a house cat, smaller than a whale,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°About the size of a large karatan,¡± a random elf said. ¡°So, fairly small.¡±


    Since karatan were the size of a very large cow, that was truly tiny for a dragon. Conversation broke out amongst the commanders about how unthreatening a dragon of that size was. They hatched a plan to battle the monsters outside of Theo¡¯s barrier. At least he didn¡¯t have to do anything. A team stepped out of his range and waited for the inevitable strike.


    It was interesting to watch the tactics Aarok had developed over his time leading the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Sarisa took the lead, swinging her shield and absorbing a hit when the first monster attacked. Theo got his first good look at the monster. It was a mini-dragon with four legs and a set of powerful wings. The beast¡¯s body seemed to be made of pure shadows and it was wreathed in black smoke. When the monster landed its first hit, Sarisa vanished and reappeared behind it. Rowan released an attack that bound it in shadowy chains while Xol¡¯sa drew a line of shifting colors over its body.


    The fight happened quickly. As a team, Aarok¡¯s trained soldiers moved in to finish off the first monster as the second attacked. Had Sarisa been running off to train on her own? Theo couldn¡¯t remember her fighting this well. Their coordination was admirable. Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t go as poorly as he expected.


    ¡°Above!¡± Theo shouted.


    Sarisa didn¡¯t hesitate. She rotated her large shield, absorbing an attack from another stealthed monster. When the fighting was finally over, five of the shadow dragons were on the ground. Theo smiled when he saw Tresk harvesting parts that would serve as reagents. A dragon¡¯s bones were especially potent for that, but he suspected she would just feed them to Alex. Too bad the dragon-goose couldn¡¯t come for fear of her size messing up the plan.


    ¡°Take a minute to recover,¡± Aarok ordered. ¡°Frank stirs. If Tresk is right, he¡¯ll swoop down soon enough.¡±


    Theo looked up to spot the giant whale-thing. By his estimation, the creature was already swooping. It was just too massive to tell when it was moving. He was reminded of the time Qavell was drifting across the sky in the distance. With objects so massive, it never appeared as though they were moving.


    ¡°This reminds me of the boro¡¯tal,¡± Theo said, looking up at the impossibly large monster. ¡°Why would such a large creature exist out in the world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never read about something like this,¡± Zarali said. ¡°You should consider that this might not be something from our world.¡±


    The use of the phrase ¡®our world¡¯ made Theo smile, but she had a good point. He had come from another world, as had the dronon. There might¡¯ve been a few other races that came from different planets, and it made sense that they would¡¯ve had their own ecology. A massive gust of wind broke him out of his concentration. It was tinged with a flavor of magic he couldn¡¯t recognize, but Xol¡¯sa was quick to update him.


    ¡°Necromancy,¡± he said, clicking his tongue. ¡°Maybe something adjacent?¡±


    ¡°Death magic,¡± Zarali corrected. ¡°I believe the monster might be casting a death-aligned spell.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the similarities between the two schools are many,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°If you consider the base structure of Death magic and compare it to rote Necromantic magic, you¡¯ll find most of the structures run throughout.¡±


    ¡°This all depends on the casting method, dear,¡± Zarali said. ¡°Spellsinging is a whole different beast.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re going to consider all modes¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, did you guys just say Death magic?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we should be more concerned about that. What the hell is Death magic?¡±


    ¡°Magic that kills you,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°Right, you should make a ward to protect us,¡± Zarali said, pointing at Theo.


    ¡°Cool, I¡¯ll just pull that out of my butt. Hey, Tresk, can you help me pull a magical spell right out of my butt?¡±


    ¡°Coming, boss!¡± Tresk said, trundling over. ¡°Just right up in there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so crude,¡± Zarali said with a sigh. ¡°Come, let me teach you the array for some basic Death magic and you can craft us a ward.¡±


    ¡°Why do you even know Death magic!?¡±

 7.25 - Death Magic

    If Theo could be taught the spell array for a standard spell, he could reverse-engineer it to construct a simple ward. Whatever skills he lacked in the spellcrafting department could be made up with his Shadow¡¯s Spirit Core. And with something like Death magic, he wasn¡¯t planning to mess around. Zarali taught him the simple form of a spell called Death Ward and he learned that the concept of ¡®death¡¯ in the magical schools wasn¡¯t as clear as the word.


    Instead of just killing a person, the spell might take years off their life. It might wither a limb, remove a sense, steal attributes¡­ It was nasty magic. Theo prepared to weave his spell, extending his aura around the group and turning off his defensive ward. First, he inspected the spell he had constructed.


    [Deflect Death Magic]


    [Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward]


    Creates a reactive barrier that impedes all foreign Death magical energy from entering the bubble.


    Trigger:


    Detect Adverse Magic


    Duration:


    50 days.


    He assumed he would need to maintain this barrier for their entire time on Frank, so he infused it with his most powerful ability. Spirit Weaving. He invoked it, weaving his potent soul into the spell. The field he had produced expanded around them, engulfing a massive area in the sky with his power. With the spell now active on him¡ªand with almost no need to maintain it¡ªhe inspected the effect.


    [Nullify Death Magic]


    [Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward]


    Creates a suppressive field that resists most hostile magic within the bubble. All death-aligned magic cast within the bubble will fizzle.


    Spiritwoven Bonus:


    The power of this ward is linked directly to the caster¡¯s willpower. Effectiveness of this ward is increased depending on the caster¡¯s willpower.


    Trigger:


    Detect Adverse Magic


    Duration:


    50 days.


    The ward was already interesting. Theo had a ward that technically nullified all magic within a bubble. But Xol¡¯sa kept talking about how nasty Death magic was, and how they needed something to target that type rather than using a blanket spell. The alchemist looked above as a wave of darkness rolled off from Frank. He had completed the spell not a moment too soon. High in the air, that wave of black crashed against his spell. Flecks of purple-blue energy rained down on the group.


    ¡°Ah. That was a powerful Death spell,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, shaking his head. ¡°Without your cheat barrier, we might¡¯ve all just died.¡±


    ¡°Cool, cool, cool. Can I stab it?¡± Tresk asked, her daggers at the reader.


    ¡°No stabbing,¡± Aarok commanded. ¡°Get ready for the beast to dive. Then we¡¯re jumping aboard.¡±


    Just jump on the giant horror from another world, Theo thought. After fighting stealth dragons¡­ Another day in Broken Tusk, I guess.


    Theo had little exposure to this world. It was his first time going into a dungeon with any intent other than to look around. He was part of the team that would clear the dungeon. It hadn¡¯t occurred to him how strange that was until now. He watched as Frank swooped through the air. If it could even be called ¡®swooping¡¯. The way the monster moved was in a lumbering fashion, banking over the course of miles. It was even stranger how little wake it created from each maneuver. As the group waited to jump onto the monster, he kept his eye out for more attacks.


    ¡°The scale of that thing,¡± Theo muttered, watching as Frank finished his banking move and passed below the islands.


    ¡°Yeah, really boggles the mind doesn¡¯t it?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Get ready to jump, stinky.¡±


    Aarok headed the effort, standing near the ledge of the island and crouching. Enhanced by attributes, he made the jump over to the soaring monster with little effort. Theo watched as some fouled their jumps, tumbling to the depths below. He made sure to be near them, giving them a boost as they jumped to prevent their deaths. Future sight was overpowered, and there was no reason not to use it. Once most of the others were across¡ªand the ones he saw through his Wisdom-enhanced sight weren¡¯t sailing to the ground below¡ªhe made the jump himself. It was a bit too easy, thanks to his enhanced attributes.


    The adventuring party from Broken Tusk was then on the back of some unknowable creature. And the only thing the alchemist could think to do was withdraw his knife and cut away at the flesh of the beast. The top of Frank¡¯s body was a mostly flat plain of rubbery skin, covered in layers of vegetation and moss. Small hills poked up here and there, and he had to assume the size of the beast was greater than the area occupied by Broken Tusk.


    ¡°Does everyone still have their limbs?¡± Aarok shouted, gaining the attention of the adventurers. It was strange, but there was no wind whipping over them. Perhaps Frank had control of the air, determining when he wanted to generate down force. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s take a minute, then we¡¯re going to look for the dungeon core. Keep that death barrier up, and the stealth one. Eyes open for monsters.¡±


    Theo took a seat. Maintaining his Death nullification ward would be effortless. Instead, he turned his attention to the chunk of blubbery meat in his hands. There was a thick layer of rubbery hide on top with a layer of dense fat underneath. He hadn¡¯t even cut deep enough to access the meat of the monster. Judging by the sheer size of Frank, he had to wonder if that layer was several feet below where they stood.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Monster meat?¡± Sarisa asked, rubbing her hands together. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ve got an artifice stove¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a reagent,¡± Theo said, holding it up for her to inspect. He then allowed it to crumble to dust as he absorbed the properties. ¡°It¡¯ll tell me if we¡¯re dealing with something worse than we had expected.¡±


    Sarisa nodded along, waiting for the verdict. Theo inspected the item.


    [Shonfer Blubber]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Ascendant Shonfer Ingredient]


    Legendary


    The blubber of an ascendant shonfer. Known for its passive nature, the shonfer still bring destruction wherever it goes. Its blubber contains excellent defensive properties.


    Properties:


    [Blubber] [Defense] [Barricade] [Hurricane]


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how useful the Blubber property is going to be, but the others sound useful,¡± Theo said, nodding along as he re-read the other information on the item. It presented a confusing idea. Loremasters were the ones who set item descriptions. So this shonfer creature existed in Iaredin, or the system had brought the description over from another world. As confusing as that was, the alchemist didn¡¯t mind more properties.


    ¡°I still think we could eat it,¡± Sarisa grumbled, withdrawing her own knife to cut a section of the beast away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not go butchering the monster as we stand on it,¡± Aarok said, casting a glare at Sarisa. ¡°I¡¯d rather not get thrown off.¡±


    After a few minutes of rest, Aarok and Luras organized scouting parties. Tresk would lead the main one, of course, but there were many concerns over the viability of scouting with the idea of death magic lingering in the air. For now, they would stick within Theo¡¯s ward and move around as needed. Fortunately, his barrier covered a fair amount of the creature¡¯s surface.


    Conversation spread out amongst the adventurers as the alchemist kept watch.


    The consensus was that the negative dungeons had to be dealt with immediately. Theo wasn¡¯t sure what he thought about that at first, but as they spoke he came around to their side. The issue with the way dungeons worked was how they generated and released monsters. The floors of a dungeon normally needed to be cleared constantly, or monsters would leak out. That¡¯s why when Theo first arrived in Broken Tusk, the swamp was lousy with wolves and goblins. Only when they started running it regularly did that problem vanish.


    With a dungeon like this one, any monster could break free if people weren¡¯t clearing it. And if any monster could get out, that meant Frank could be unleashed on the world. As the description of the item stated, it wasn¡¯t as though the monster was inherently evil. Nothing about it seemed to drip with intent. Instead, it would bring destruction where it went passively. A combination of a massive body that was unlikely to die, and the presence of Death magic, it would be unstoppable.


    That conversation led to another. Why was it the dungeon¡¯s core was within the monster itself? While the adventurers here couldn¡¯t say¡ªthey were all inexperienced when it came to dungeons¡ªthat didn¡¯t stop them from theorizing. When one took into account the entirely random nature of a negative dungeon, they guessed the dungeon could be anywhere. In a giant Level 100 sky whale? Sure, why not. Underground in a pit of lava? Sure, go nuts. When literally anything was possible, the worst scenario was likely to make itself known.


    ¡°Looks like we have another rub,¡± Aarok announced, grunting and shaking his head. Tresk had just returned from her scouting mission. Theo resisted the urge to look at her memories. It seemed more dramatic to get the information from Aarok. ¡°We got a dungeon in a dungeon.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa poked his finger into the air. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Tresk found a dungeon entrance in the creature¡¯s flesh. Just over that way.¡± Aarok pointed into the distance.


    ¡°That¡¯s simply not possible,¡± Xol¡¯sa countered. ¡°Dimensional spaces cannot overlay each-other. They must occupy distinct spaces.¡±


    ¡°Talk to the giant flying whale, wizard,¡± Aarok said. ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the next dungeon and we¡¯ll make an assessment there.¡±


    The group got ready and marched across the monster¡¯s surface. They had to stop a few times along the way when Frank angled his body. Several adventurers almost tipped over. But they eventually came to a cave-like structure with the undeniable shimmer of another portal. Xol¡¯sa insisted on studying it before anyone went in, so the group went back into camp mode. Theo found no reason to object. An abundance of caution was necessary when it came to weird stuff like this.


    ¡°This is a normal dungeon entrance,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, finally coming back to report to the group. ¡°I can find nothing abnormal about it. Which is abnormal.¡±


    ¡°Right, because why would there be a dungeon in a dungeon?¡± Zarali asked. ¡°Is there yet another dungeon inside that one?¡±


    ¡°And one after that!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Dungeons all the way down, baby!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Aarok said. ¡°What do your senses say about the dungeon core, Xol¡¯sa?¡±


    ¡°It says the core is inside the other dungeon. I normally cannot sense the contents of a dungeon, but this one seems to be the exception.¡±


    ¡°Any other useful information you can glean from the entrance?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    Aarok jerked his head, pulling a few people into a private meeting. He dragged Luras, Zarali, Tresk, and Theo into a private meeting. His face looked troubled, but the alchemist couldn¡¯t help but smile. He remembered a story he had been told about the half-ogre. He and Luras had wanted to join an armed force called the Qavelli Irregulars. It was meant to be a standing army maintained by the kingdom and sent to fight in wars. They didn¡¯t fit into the normal rank-and-file, so they were given the title ¡®irregular¡¯. How far the man had come from being rejected to leading a dungeon no one had ever seen before.


    ¡°We¡¯re riding on a giant whale,¡± Aarok said, pursing his lips. ¡°If that wasn¡¯t weird enough, we¡¯re talking about jumping into another dungeon. What kind of risks are we talking about, Xol¡¯sa?¡±


    ¡°Literally anything you can imagine,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Although Theo might be more the expert on this topic.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. This is my first dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You understand extra-spatial places, though. You have a world of your own, can travel to a floating island in the void, and have visited the domain of the gods.¡± Xol¡¯sa nodded to himself, as though he understood the error of addressing his pupil. ¡°When you push between realms, is there a common factor between them? What behaves differently?¡±


    ¡°Time, mostly,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Whether we¡¯re talking about time moving at a different pace, or time as the driving factor for wearing someone¡¯s mind away, it is always time.¡±


    ¡°So if you put a dungeon in a dungeon, there may be time dilation effects,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a shrug. ¡°And the expression of that time might be different. When dungeons experience a lot of time they¡­¡±


    Xol¡¯sa let the words hang in the air.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Tresk said, her hand shooting up. ¡°They release monsters!¡±


    ¡°Unless they cannot release monsters because they¡¯re a dungeon in a dungeon,¡± Xol¡¯sa said.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the part where I understand this,¡± Aarok said.


    Theo was, too. Xol¡¯sa made it sound like the alchemist was the expert, then pulled this professor 180 on him.


    ¡°I suspect the nested dungeon is wall-to-wall monsters,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°Based on the energy readings I performed and the information I have.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a simple way to tell,¡± Tresk said, shrugging. ¡°Let me go in there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too risky,¡± Aarok said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m gonna jump in for a microsecond and jump out. Theo can watch through my eyes in his future sight and let us know what¡¯s up!¡±


    Everyone shared a look.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a horrible idea,¡± Luras said.


    ¡°I actually agree,¡± Theo admitted.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Aarok grumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Tresk rolled her shoulders as she approached the entrance. All she had to do was have the intent of going in, and that fate would play out. Theo shifted his sight to hers, watching the world from a much shorter vantage point. He gave her a quick nod and she approached the entrance.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Theo said, holding his hand up and shaking his head. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not good.¡±

 7.26 - Dungeon in a Dungeon

    Theo watched through Tresk¡¯s eyes as she entered the dungeon. He had never seen an open, grassy field packed with so many monsters. By the time she turned to escape, they were upon her. That¡¯s when he shouted for her not to enter.


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even count the number of monsters inside,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°It was an endless field of them. A few thousand, maybe?¡±


    ¡°As I suspected,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, ¡°a dungeon within a dungeon is not a good thing. We were lucky it was only a ton of monsters and not something worse.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°We can take a few thousand monsters. Shouldn¡¯t be that hard.¡±


    ¡°We need some ideas,¡± Aarok countered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s nuke it,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Items cannot be thrown through a dungeon entrance,¡± Luras said.


    Xol¡¯sa placed his finger on his chin and tapped it. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true,¡± he said. ¡°Normally, you can¡¯t put an item through a dungeon entrance. But I am a wizard and a Dungeon Engineer. If I wrap it with a good amount of spatial energy, I can trick the entrance into thinking it¡¯s a person, or at least something that¡¯s allowed to enter.¡±


    If Theo used an ability to enhance the power of his improvised bomb, he was fairly certain he could nuke all the monsters at once. But he had some questions about that.


    ¡°Will the blast affect us out here?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I can make a bomb powerful enough to level a city.¡±


    ¡°We should be perfectly fine thanks to the dimensional magic of the dungeon,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, ¡°But did you get a sense of the timescale inside? That might affect our approach.¡±


    ¡°About fifty-to-one maybe?¡± Theo said, just guessing. When he watched Tresk enter the dungeon, he felt his mind being pulled and stretched. That number was what his intuition told him.


    ¡°Excellent. How about you withdraw that bomb, and we make this work?¡±


    Like any good paranoid person, Theo always had a nuke in his inventory. Perhaps that says something about his mental state, but things have been rather weird during his time in this world, so he felt justified. Although he hadn¡¯t told anyone, he had since updated the design of this weapon. It relied on the fact that when two opposite essences interacted, they created a powerful explosion. The one he now held in his hand took advantage of interactions between fire- and water-based essences.


    ¡°I had constructed this one in case the undead got out of hand,¡± Theo said, holding it at arm¡¯s length. ¡°The trigger is particularly sensitive, and the reaction is fairly devastating.¡±


    ¡°What did you call it?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°A fuel-air bomb?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Theo said, invoking his Shadow Wrap skill. His willpower was infused into the bomb, making the weapon¡¯s devastating effects unimaginable. He watched in his foresight as Xol¡¯sa approached and tried to take it from him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it,¡± he said. ¡°If anybody, aside from me, touches it, it will blow up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± Zulsas said, bowing his head. Instead, he came over and held his hand over the bomb. An orb of glittering magic appeared around it. ¡°Now you only need to toss the bomb into the portal, and it should pass through like normal. How long will the effects linger?¡±


    ¡°Give it about a minute for the fire cloud to fully form, and then another minute for the heat to settle. It¡¯s mainly a bomb based on force,¡± Theo said. ¡°So two or three minutes.¡±


    ¡°Which means we¡¯re here for about four hours,¡± Aarok said, jerking his head to the side. ¡°Let¡¯s make camp and settle in.¡±


    As the party broke up, Theo approached the portal and held the bomb in his hand. He looked to Xol¡¯sa for confirmation. The wizard nodded, so Theo gave it a light toss. It impacted the shimmering portal, and for a moment he thought it would explode there. But then it just kept going, entering the dungeon. If anything was happening on the other side, he couldn¡¯t know. The plan was to use Tresk to test if it was safe inside after five hours had passed.


    Camping atop the giant monster seemed weird, but the adventuring party was fine with it. Everyone was surprised by the lack of monsters on the surface of Frank, but they weren¡¯t complaining. Instead, they broke into their little groups and began chatting and snacking. It was up to Theo and Zarail to maintain barriers to keep everyone safe. They sensed no more Death magic coming from the monster, but one couldn¡¯t be too careful when it came to dangerous magic.


    As the party waited for something to happen with the dungeon portal, Theo thought about how useful it would be to get a spell or alchemy ingredient with the void property. But even Xol¡¯sa didn¡¯t know of any spells that existed with that element. Even his spatial-based magic was considered rare, and he often wondered if it was all that useful. It had many limitations.


    As Theo relaxed by the dungeon porthole, a system message he¡¯d never seen before appeared. He laughed as he read it, then gawked as the message reproduced, first hundreds, then thousands of times.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Unable to gain experience for a kill while you¡¯re outside of the dimensional space.


    ¡°Well that answers that question,¡± Theo said with a shrug. He explained the situation to the others, who laughed at his misfortune.


    ¡°I can¡¯t expect to get experience if you¡¯re not there, right?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Just be happy we have a safe way to clear it. Wait, will this work on the other dungeons?¡±


    ¡°It depends if the dungeon is structured the same way as this one,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°The only reason this is working is because the interior of the dungeon we are attacking is a single room.¡±


    Dungeons were normally segmented into floors a person had to clear. Both the dungeon they were currently in and the dungeon he had tossed the bomb into were only one room. This got the alchemist thinking: would this kind of attack work on the dungeon he was standing in? He thought about it for a bit but questioned whether the blast¡¯s effects would reach Frank. Even if they did, they might have to clear the secondary dungeon, but it might be an approach for the future.


    ¡°I ran a few dungeons in my day, you know,¡± Zarali said.


    Theo, Zarali, Xol¡¯sa, and Tresk were lounging around near the portal. There had been no monsters since they had arrived at the portal, and they all doubted some would come. The points when Frank banked to one side were uncomfortable, but they were getting strangely used to the motion.


    ¡°You never talk about where you were born or what you did after Belgar went,¡± Theo said.


    Zarali shrugged. ¡°Not much to say about it, really. Dronon have always carried with them a stigma. Most broods aren¡¯t hunted, but most demon hunters don¡¯t care if you¡¯re from Zagmon or Drogramath.¡±


    ¡°I met a dronon once,¡± Tresk said. She shook her head at Theo. ¡°A dronon that isn¡¯t Theo.¡±


    ¡°We met a few when Fenian turned the Zagmon dronon to paste,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°No, there was this green one that passed through town once. The locals didn¡¯t really care, but it caused a stir elsewhere,¡± Tresk said. ¡°I wonder what happened to that guy.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a Bakor dronon,¡± Zarali said with a shiver. ¡°You¡¯re lucky the dead didn¡¯t rise from their graves.¡±


    ¡°I dunno he was kinda hot,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll feel quite hot as he wrenches your soul from your body,¡± Xolsa said with a shake of his head. ¡°Have some standards, woman.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m more interested in this creature,¡± Theo said, patting his hand on the ground. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine a creature like this in the real world.¡±


    ¡°Right? Just makes ya wanna stab something,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Well, guess we¡¯ll see a real one of these outside if we mess this mission up.¡±


    The conversation shifted to a technical analysis of the way two dungeons interacted and the implications of all that. Unless someone could give me the short version, Theo didn¡¯t understand exactly how it worked, and he wouldn¡¯t try. The moment time got involved with the interaction of energies, stuff got weird. That wasn¡¯t even considering how strange dungeons were to begin with. No, he was happy to blow it all up and keep his people safe from monsters. Xol¡¯sa could contend with the difficult topics.


    Theo was drifting in and out of the conversation when something caught his eye. Sarisa held a large stick above her head. A moment later, she brought it down in a wide arc. He winced when it slammed into Rowan¡¯s head. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the man didn¡¯t react. She then handed the stick to her brother, and the same thing occurred.


    ¡°What the hell are you two doing?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re playing smack-wince,¡± Sarisa explained.


    Theo blinked a few times, allowing the information to settle. Yeah, of course Broken Tuskers would come up with this game. He watched as it developed. It wasn¡¯t just that they were hitting each-other with the stick. There was another step.


    ¡°Good god,¡± Theo said, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°You never played smack-wince?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Watch the next part.¡±


    Sarisa removed something from her inventory, placing it on the end of the stick. She smacked Rowan again, and this time he winced. A small purple scorpion was on the end of the stick. With this smack, it stung him in the face. Theo¡¯s mouth fell open, the urge to yell at the village idiots bubbling to the surface. But he settled back on his butt, watching in awe. Rowan took his hit, and Sarisa didn¡¯t make a move.


    ¡°I can¡¯t cure venom!¡± Theo shouted to the pair.


    ¡°I can,¡± Zarali said, raising her hand.


    ¡°Seriously? Don¡¯t encourage them,¡± Theo said, jabbing her in the ribs with his elbow. ¡°I have enough trouble keeping them under control. Next thing you know, they¡¯re going to start playing stab-stab. That¡¯s a game where they stab each other and see which one bleeds out first.¡±


    Zarali sprung to her feet, jogging over. Theo sighed. Rowan had stopped breathing and was laying on the ground, his face all puffed up. It was amazing that anyone in Broken Tusk had survived this long. But he suspected that it wasn¡¯t a town-wide game that had been played, but something the more rambunctious folks engaged in. Healing magic swirled over the man¡¯s body and he gasped for air.


    Aarok was quick to yell at the pair. They could play all the games they wanted once they were home, but if they were in a dungeon they had to behave. It was even worse when Theo realized Sarisa hadn¡¯t pulled the scorpion from her inventory, but her pocket. As far as he knew, living things couldn¡¯t be drawn into a person¡¯s inventory. Not even if they were bugs.


    At least things calmed down after that. Someone withdrew an artifice fire from nowhere and began cooking sausages. Others broke off into small groups to play card games. But most importantly, Sarisa and Rowan stopped bashing each other in the head with large sticks. Now the waiting began. Theo and Tresk checked the entrance every now-and-then with their future sight. At first the interior of the dungeon was wreathed in flames. Then it was too hot to enter. When the dust finally cleared¡ªsix hours later¡ªthe area had been completely destroyed, but it was walkable.


    Aarok gathered everyone up and prepared his troops to enter. ¡°We¡¯re going in together,¡± he announced. ¡°Same deal as last time. Stay inside the stealth bubble, and keep an eye out for anything. We¡¯re heading straight for the dungeon core, and there shouldn¡¯t be enemies.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll finally see if my technique to destroy the core works,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, chuckling to himself.

 7.27- Nuked Nested Dungeon

    The bomb had really done a number on the inside of the nested dungeon. Theo maintained his barrier against death magic as the party entered, although he didn''t know if it was necessary. As far as I could see, it was flat land. It was surprising that the bomb hadn''t left a crater in the ground. But that was likely because of some dungeon shenanigans.


    The group set off in a direction led by Xol¡¯sa. He claimed to have a decent line on the dungeon core and headed the expedition. Not that there was much to worry about; Theo''s bomb had obliterated any monsters in the area, and with the time dilation effects, they didn''t expect any new ones to appear soon. Walking across the wasteland was disorienting, and conversation was the only thing that made it bearable.


    The sky of the nested dungeon was a smear of pale colors, providing minimal illumination. Some adventurers pulled lanterns from their inventories, lighting the way and pointing out anything remotely interesting in the geography. Theo stayed in his own head, watching the future of the group one minute at a time. But his concern was for what would happen when they needed to escape. He assumed destroying the dungeon core would cause the nested dungeon to collapse, but he also suspected it might destroy the other dungeon. If that were the case, a hasty retreat would be necessary.


    The walk to find the dungeon core took far longer than he would have liked, but as time seemed to drift in this place, it was simultaneously over before he knew it. They arrived at a raised platform that hadn''t been touched by the bomb. It was clearly immune to the damaging effects.


    "This might take me a while," Xol¡¯sa said, approaching the dungeon core.


    Of course, it was the first time Theo had actually seen a dungeon core. It was a floating orb of metal and stone, roughly the size of a man. It put off a faint light that splashed against the ground, fighting against the pale light from the sky. As he drew closer to the object, he heard a faint humming as it spun. Deep within that dungeon core, a weird and invisible power was barely perceptible to him.


    "If things go wrong," Zarali said, coming up beside him. "Both Xol¡¯sa and I have committed a Featherfall spell to memory. We''ll be able to leap from the back of the monster and find the exit."


    Well, that sounded like a flimsy plan. Casting a spell on fifty different people wouldn''t be easy. And in the panic of the moment, they might miss someone or miscast the spell, dooming everyone. He wasn''t sure what to think about it, but as they were literally in the belly of the beast, he didn''t know what else they could do. Theo considered himself more of a ride-along than a core member of the group, and he wasn''t sure he had enough potions for the entire party.


    After a while of fiddling with the dungeon core, Theo checked on Xol¡¯sa¡¯s progress. "What''s this technique you''re trying to weave over the dungeon core?" he asked.


    ¡°I''m trying to overload it so that it will collapse on itself.¡± Xol¡¯sa said, "Somebody gave me this tip recently, and after much consideration, I decided it was a valid technique.¡±


    Theo watched the way the wizard injected his mana into the dungeon core. The core drank the energy happily, seeming to swell slightly with each addition. With nothing else to do, he had the wizard teach him how to do it. Before joining in, he might not have had the biggest mana pool, but he did have a lot of potions.


    "Now you''re getting the hang of it," Xol¡¯sa said, clapping with amusement as Theo did his best. "We''ll be done by the end of the year."


    Soon after, anyone with a respectable pool of mana was invited to try their hand at the dungeon core. It seemed more like feeding the monster you were trying to defeat than actually fighting it. But, as Xol¡¯sa was the group''s magical expert, the alchemist had to defer to his knowledge. It was several hours later when something finally happened. Small gaps appeared in the dungeon core, and the energy felt more overwhelming by the moment. Nobody on the strike team had destroyed a dungeon before, and most had only run the local swamp dungeon. This was all new to them.


    "That''s a concerningly large gathering of mana," Xol¡¯sa said, inspecting the dungeon core. Thanks to his dungeon engineer''s core, he got more information than others concerning dungeons.


    When more cracks appeared in the dungeon''s core, things became even more concerning. Enough concern arose within the group that Xol¡¯sa stopped adding mana to the core, yet the cracks still formed.


    "Yes, I do believe it''s time to go," Xol¡¯sa said, looking around nervously. "We need to go. With haste."


    "Ruh-roh Raggy," Tresk said, looking around, "maybe you could cast haste on everybody, Theo?"


    "Crap," Theo said, opening his interface and getting to work. What was the point of learning everyday spells if he wasn''t going to use them? He had learned the haste effect while experimenting with imbuing his potions. Using that knowledge, he formed it into a ward to be cast with his mage core. Once he was done, he inspected the resulting spell.


    [Hasten Allies]


    [Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward]


    Creates a field that imbues all allies with the Haste effect.


    Trigger:


    Detect Ally


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Duration:


    10 days.


    This new method of constructing spells was powerful. Theo clapped his hands, gaining the attention of everyone around him. "Okay, folks," he announced, "I''m going to cast a spell that makes everyone much faster. We need to make our way to the exit as quickly as possible."


    "And we don''t know if this will cascade to the first dungeon, so I believe an expeditious retreat from there is also warranted," Xol¡¯sa said.


    "Run like there''s a goblin biting your ass!" Tresk shouted, clapping with excitement. "Give me the haste field, demon."


    Theo signed and dropped his death magic protection and replaced it with a field of haste. A glittering yellow barrier sprang up around the group, and in an instant, the alchemist felt everything about him sharpen. From the reaction time of his muscles to his thought speed, everything quickened. The group required no further directions. Each member turned and ran for the exit. Many footfalls thundered across the landscape, echoing into the distance as they moved at supernatural speeds.


    It took less than half the time to return to the entrance than it took to reach the dungeon core. Every group member piled through the exit, and then they were all standing on Frank''s back again. As the commanders regrouped, Theo took the opportunity to gather more samples from the strange flying beast.


    He couldn''t know if it was a response to his stabbing efforts or the instability of the dungeon core, but Frank was thrown hard to the side. Everyone grabbed onto something to avoid falling to the ground below. The angle of the banking motion increased. The beast emitted a low rumbling noise that temporarily deafened Theo. He popped a healing potion, and the rush of wind greeted his ears.


    Theo felt strange magic wash over him, realizing a few moments later that someone had cast the Featherfall spell on him. He saw other members of the party disappear. Only after a while did he realize that the Broken Tusk locals were using his Return Potion, which would bring them back to their birthplace. Tresk was screaming with delight the entire time.


    Frank''s banking motion turned into a dive. Only a few party members remained. It had apparently been an unforeseen contingency that Theo was unaware of. It was only Theo, Tresk, Xol¡¯sa, Zarali, and a handful of elves left on the creature''s back. Even those elves clutched potions in their hands. If they drank them, they would be able to run. But it was better than crashing to the ground. Since Theo didn''t know what would happen if he drank one, he wouldn''t, and Tresk didn''t drink one because she was insane.


    "Here we go, baby!" Tresk shouted, her voice barely rising above the rush of the wind. The ground was coming ever closer.


    Theo realized he could help. He could see futures where they jumped at the right or wrong times and make predictions based on that. The Featherfall effect would slow their descent, but he wasn''t certain it would remove their excess velocity. He watched several futures, determining that the Effect would save them all if they jumped at just the right time¡ªfor the first time since using his future-sightability. He saw more than one possible outcome; in a very brief instant, he thought he saw all those threads of fate that Khahar talked about.


    "Everyone needs to jump on the count of three," Theo said, gaining the attention of the remaining adventurers. "Jump as hard as you can, straight up. Got it?"


    Everyone shouted their agreement, and a few elves even whooped with excitement. They had been spending too much time with the Broken Tuskers, and had lost their refined edge.


    "One, two, three!" Theo shouted.


    Everyone jumped.


    An unrecognizable sound broke Theo''s hearing. Frank had clipped the side of a flying island, crashed through it, and careened to the dungeon floor, slamming hard. The group floated down toward the ground at a reasonable pace. As he had seen in one of many futures, the velocity gained from Frank''s crash had been negated. They now sailed peacefully toward the ground, except for the gaggle of monsters that had noticed the commotion.


    A series of thin blades radiated from Xol¡¯sa¡¯s body, slicing through any approaching monster as Zarali chanted a blessing. The power of Tero¡¯gal filled the group, enhancing their attributes and combat prowess. Theo watched in amazement as the elves fanned out, getting to work and dropping any pretense of stealth. Tresk teleported between monsters, driving a blade here and there to perform her deadly work.


    "Are you going to do something?" Tresk shouted at Theo, who shrugged.


    "Behind you," he said, gesturing. Tresk whipped around and stabbed a fox monster, killing it instantly.


    The group fought their way toward the dungeon''s entrance, but they had traveled far. Theo served his role, maintaining the haste ward and informing his party members when they were about to be attacked. To the group''s surprise, they linked up with the main force about halfway there. Aarok led the charge, bowling through a group of monsters and flashing a devious smile.


    "How long do we have?" Aarok asked.


    "Somewhere between a minute and a year," Xol¡¯sa said. "We shouldn''t linger longer than necessary."


    ¡°Well, what happens when a dungeon is destroyed?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Absolutely no idea,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a shrug. ¡°But I¡¯ll say we shouldn¡¯t linger. Even if there¡¯s another core somewhere in this space, I can¡¯t predict what will happen when it collapses.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if we should¡¯ve just zorped the dungeon core to another dimension,¡± Tresk said, coming alongside the group as they jogged. Under the influence of Theo¡¯s haste aura, they all moved a considerable amount faster. Even at a jog.


    Before long, the entire group stood outside the dungeon. The dungeon¡¯s entrance seemed normal enough from there, but Xol¡¯sa¡¯s senses told a different story. Something was happening inside the dungeon, and no one was eager to speculate. Although it could¡¯ve been normal for the collapse of a dungeon, it was impossible to tell. Not with the fact it was a negative dungeon. The water was made murkier with the nested dungeon issue.


    Theo worked to erect ward barriers around the dungeon, layering them as many times as his mana would allow him. At least the dungeon wasn¡¯t directly on top of town. Alongside the barrier, Aarok planned to station as many adventurers as he could. While the strike on the dungeon went well enough, something lingered in the air. An acknowledgement that the next dungeon they had to tackle would be at least twice as daunting. No one was eager to delve into the Ocean Dungeon.


    That place sucked.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re on watch,¡± Tresk said, slapping Theo on the back. ¡°Until the dungeon collapses or something interesting happens.¡±


    The only thing Theo was worried was about that ¡®interesting¡¯ thing. It might not have been an explosion at all. Instead, perhaps Frank himself would poke his head out of the dungeon to greet the waiting adventurers. It wasn¡¯t something he wanted to see come to fruition.


    ¡°Just keep your eyes open and your daggers ready,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Why? Your intuition itching?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±

 7.28 - Free Booze

    The concerning part about developing abilities related to predicting futures was the unfurling of fates. This was something Theo had expected based on things Khahar told him, but he hadn¡¯t been eager to experience it. He stood by the entrance to the dungeon, tapping his foot as his mind adjusted. Before, it was easy enough to watch future events play out. He would see a person move before they should, and could scrub through the events with relative ease. Now he saw the threads. Only one or two for now, but he suspected it would get worse.


    Theo squinted, watching as a new thread appeared from the entrance of the dungeon. He grabbed onto it with his mind, tugging to view the event. It was nothing interesting, but the confusion was still there.


    ¡°Imagine if you could tame something like Frank,¡± Tresk said with a wistful sigh. ¡°I¡¯d ride that bad boy all over the place.¡±


    ¡°Think about the food you¡¯d have to find,¡± Theo countered. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be cheap.¡±


    ¡°Bah, I could do it.¡±


    Despite what he had expected, none of the fates Theo viewed ended in disaster. But he got to watch an alert pop up for his future self, informing him of something only slightly concerning. The elves would wake in about a minute. Instead of rushing to the infirmary under the temple, he watched the entrance to the dungeon. There was no movement. Not even after the message came for real.


    ¡°I expected a surge of void energy,¡± Theo said. He wasn¡¯t disappointed, just surprised.


    ¡°From the elfies?¡± Tresk asked, scratching her wet little chin. ¡°Makes no sense, boss. Those elves were already drained of their void magic. Worry about the ones you still gotta bring in.¡±


    Theo grumbled. He wasn¡¯t in the best mood after battling against Frank and the dungeon within. Well, he had one thing to be happy about. With Xol¡¯sa¡¯s help he could now nuke the dungeons. He focused on that and his mood improved significantly.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, I¡¯m not really worried about much,¡± Theo said. He had to admit at least that much to himself. ¡°What¡¯s your take on the dungeon nuke? Think it¡¯ll be effective?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have something that¡¯s gonna help with that¡­ heh heh heh¡­ But that¡¯s a surprise tool we¡¯ll save for later,¡± Tresk said with a wink. ¡°But, yeah. The giant nuke should work fine for the Ocean Dungeon. Drop the nuke, give it a few hours, then check it out. Easy-peasy.¡±


    Theo wished he had her confidence, but he simply didn¡¯t. There were many things that could go wrong, and he simply wanted to be prepared. The calls for the alchemist to come back and check on the awake elves grew too loud, and he had to leave Tresk, Sarisa, and Rowan there at the dungeon to sort things out.


    ¡°See ya,¡± Theo said, waving as he departed from the dungeon. Tresk did a couple of heroic poses, which gave him an odd amount of confidence to face the issues with the elves.


    Thankfully, Zarali, Bilgrob, and Sulvan were handling the situation very well. When Theo arrived at the temple, he found the junior administrators hard at work. Several hundred elves were coming up from the infirmary, squinting around and muttering with confusion. There was plenty of housing for them, but with so many folks coming out of century-long bouts of insanity, they would need to be under strict contracts. The alchemist pushed his way beyond those elves, finding Sulvan waving him over from the area near the altar.


    ¡°Theo. Thank you for coming,¡± Sulvan said. The smile that hung on his face was genuine. ¡°I¡¯m happy to report each elf is awakening without issue. They¡¯re all very confused, but they seem eager to sign contracts with the alliance.¡±


    ¡°Do they remember much from their past lives?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Indeed, they do. Unfortunately, it¡¯s nothing good. To boil their story down, they stole the shards that were keeping the world together and ran away to space,¡± Sulvan said with a shrug. ¡°Things went wrong right away, and they all went insane.¡±


    ¡°That lines up with what we know. How many retained their cores?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°None. Some even had their core slots burned out, which will require additional recovery time. It¡¯s fairly grim, but this was the best possible outcome for them. We really made a difference.¡±


    ¡°Do you think so?¡± Theo asked, watching as more elves came up from the catacombs. ¡°I guess we did, huh?¡±


    ¡°More than you know, tiny demon,¡± Bilgrob said, scooping Theo in a hug from behind. He squeezed¡ªperhaps a little too tightly¡ªbefore giving him a big kiss on the head. ¡°Spit would be proud!¡±


    ¡°I can go ask if you like,¡± Theo wheezed. ¡°Please put me down.¡±


    Bilgrob released him, patting the alchemist on the head a few times. ¡°When I was first told of this plan, I thought it was idiotic. But thanks to your alchemy¡ªwhich makes absolutely no sense to me¡ªwe have done it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t discount your healing abilities, Bilgrob,¡± Sulvan said. The smile on his face seemed to grow wider by the moment. ¡°The potions started the process. But we guided their souls into place, and prevented them from dying as they recovered.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the part where we cleaned their dirty butts,¡± Bilgrob said, shaking his head. ¡°Another miracle of alchemy!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d rather not remember that part,¡± Sulvan said. His eyes went unfocused as he shook his head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d appreciate it if you gave us some time before you bring the next batch. Either that, or hire some more healers.¡±


    ¡°I would hire every healer if I could find some¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not just take a healing core?¡± Bilgrob asked. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Everyone has a role,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°If Theo takes his attention away from other things, that wouldn¡¯t do.¡±


    It was a good point, of course. Anyone could fit the role if they could find the core. But Theo didn¡¯t remember seeing any healing-aligned cores for sale in the market. Since the Coresmith from Tarantham had visited the port a few times, he expected to see something. But as he searched his memory, he couldn¡¯t remember seeing any healing cores. He supposed that made sense, since most healing cores were gifted by the gods. It was hard to tell if it was even possible to craft one.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t he ask his realm to generate some?¡± Bilgrob asked. ¡°Then we could distribute them.¡±


    Theo raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡±


    ¡°Are you? Your eyes went unfocused, and I assumed you were musing about something. The way you always do,¡± Bilgrob countered.


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Theo said, folding his arms. He was still sore about the dungeon trip. For his first journey into a dungeon, it wasn¡¯t pleasant. ¡°Tero¡¯gal cannot generate cores for some reason. It can change existing cores, but not make them.¡±


    ¡°Part of the change with the system, no doubt,¡± Sulvan said. ¡°Gaining a core from an ascendant was easy enough before they were banished. Until the world resets, I suspect that would be impossible.¡±


    Maybe¡­ It was very hard to say what would work. The issue rested with the structure of the new gods, and their interaction with the system. Whatever, it wasn¡¯t a point worth delving into right now. They couldn¡¯t make healing cores and that was that.


    ¡°I can give you a few days to rest before we bring the next elves. I¡¯ll just say that once that happens, you guys can do whatever you want. We¡¯ll have a decent break between that and the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Bilgrob shouted. ¡°I plan to get extremely drunk and pick a few fights!¡±


    ¡°My only goal is to serve,¡± Sulvan said, bowing his head. ¡°Hallow has extended his hand, and I intend to take it in earnest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. There¡¯s also a new god¡­ I should keep a list somewhere¡­¡±


    ¡°How many more slots are there?¡± Sulvan asked.


    ¡°Three or four. And the Realm of Death might change soon enough. Depending on if that Elrin guy works with me or not.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Well, if you could help out with the elves, that would be nice,¡± Sulvan said.


    Theo nodded. He had the power to give contracts to people, so that¡¯s what he did. It was his standard contract that restricted them from harming anyone within the alliance. If they acted against the Southlands Alliance, magical wolves would come to tear them apart. That was the most negative reaction the alchemist had seen to someone breaking his contracts, anyway. The punishment could be different depending on not only the intent of the person breaking the contract, but also how bad the thing they did was.


    There would have been a lot to do to settle the space elves into the city, if not for the preparedness of those in charge. Instead the process was almost effortless. Even if there were hundreds of elves to deal with, they simply had to sign their contracts and head off to the dorms. Thea watched with pride as everything was sorted efficiently. Even the food situation was better, although that had required additional staff to prepare the food.


    When they no longer required Theo¡¯s help, he went to help keep an eye on the dungeon. But as he stood near the entrance, he watched as the edges of the portal faded, as the archway crumbled and fell to the ground, turning to dust. Despite the bad feeling he had about the situation, the dungeon was destroyed. He pulled up his dungeon information screen just to be sure, and a smile spread across his face as he read it.


    [Swamp Dungeon] L30 Dormant


    [River Dungeon] L19 Dormant


    [Mountain Dungeon] L3 Dormant


    [Ocean Dungeon] L-1 Dormant


    [Cave Dungeon] L45 Dormant


    Theo turned to Tresk and placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°One less dungeon,¡± he said, nodding to her.


    ¡°I actually can¡¯t believe that worked,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Seriously, I thought Frank was going to come bursting out of that portal at any moment.¡±


    That¡¯s exactly what Theo had expected. Instead, he felt his mind going numb when his thoughts finally caught up to him. He could only think of doing one thing. Theo and Tresk had hired somebody to work the stills to create the zee liquor. It was intended for the end-of-the-world party, but even after only a few days of brewing, they had a significant stockpile. It didn¡¯t hurt that when it was brewed, it had to be watered down so it wouldn¡¯t render whoever drank it blind.


    The alchemist cleared his throat as he composed a message to the city.


    [Theo]: The Hills Dungeon has been destroyed. Free booze at the city¡¯s square.


    ¡°Oh, now you¡¯ve done it,¡± Tresk said, cackling. She reached into the small bag on her hip and withdrew an overly large barrel. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for such an occasion.¡±


    The half-ogres and marshlings of the town were normally well-mannered. They didn¡¯t go out of their way to cause a ruckus, but once alcohol was involved, all bets were off. They had left alone his store of liquor until now, but the moment he made the city-wide announcement, they broke into the barrels. By the time Theo and Tresk arrived at the city¡¯s square, stacks of the barrels were arranged around the gaudy statue dedicated to Zarali and Xol¡¯sa.


    A half-ogre dove from a nearby roof, landing hard on the ground and issuing an audible snap. He stood a moment later and thrust his fists into the air.


    ¡°Are they seriously already drunk?¡± Theo said, jamming a finger at the offending half-ogre.


    ¡°You said free booze,¡± Tresk said with a shrug.


    ¡°I suppose I should have seen this coming,¡± Theo said, crossing his arms.


    The alchemist had no plans to partake. He really didn¡¯t enjoy dulling his mind when there was so much risk of danger in the Alliance. But that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t join in the festivities. Half-ogres were known for their ability to make a game out of literally anything. They wasted no time setting up impromptu booths or breaking off into pairs after getting a drink of the watered-down liquor. It seemed to be potent stuff, and although it wasn¡¯t alchemically useful, it served well enough as a drink.


    It only took about an hour for the party to break into complete chaos. Theo mostly stuck to the sidelines, taking part in a few games, but mostly just watching. He was mostly interested in the 10 or so space elves that came out of the dorms to partake, to his surprise. Their minds were very well intact. From what he had been told, many of the elves were having issues adjusting to the mortal realm once again.


    Eventually, the first elf to awaken from this batch came up alongside Theo, placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Can¡¯t say I ever expected to see this day,¡± Kalan said.


    ¡°As long as you guys don¡¯t mind that we¡¯re moving, then everything should be fine,¡± Theo said with a chuckle. ¡°Must feel strange coming back to the mortal plane only to leave it so soon.¡±


    ¡°So long as we¡¯re alive, I¡¯m happy,¡± Kalan said with a weak shrug.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do our best to keep it that way. Make sure your people don¡¯t drink too much. This stuff is pretty potent.¡±


    The party rambled on through the night. There might have been a lot of things to do, but it was nice to take a moment and appreciate what they had created here. Theo planned on taking a break before tackling the Ocean Dungeon. That required a bit of scouting anyway, so he could take it easy until the healers were ready for the next round of space elves and dungeon destruction.

 7.29 - Hurricane in a Bottle

    ¡°I have a hangover,¡± Tresk said, rolling out of bed the next morning.


    Theo could actually feel it through their link. He could sense the headache, and feel her sore muscles, so he simply cut the connection off. ¡°I told you to take it easy,¡± he said, shaking his head, ¡°but you just had to jump off the roof of that building into that barrel of booze.¡±


    ¡°But I made the jump,¡± Tresk said, snapping her fingers. ¡°And it was a damn good jump, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It was a very impressive jump, especially the way you drank your way out of the barrel,¡± Theo said, nodding in agreement. He sniffed at the air, smelling the scent of something greasy cooking downstairs. ¡°It seems as though Sarisa is looking out for you.¡±


    ¡°Food,¡± Tresk groaned, crawling along the ground. ¡°Greasy food. I need it.¡±


    Theo watched an amusement, Tresk crawled her way out of the room and then down the stairs. She dragged herself into a chair and slammed her forehead into the table. He descended the stairs with amusement and took his seat. A few moments later, Sarisa and Rowan served them plates piled high with greasy sausages and bacon. The alchemist picked at his food as his companion shoveled it down her gullet.


    ¡°Are you going to be up for scouting the ocean dungeon today, Tresk?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Once my head stops pounding, I¡¯ll be fine to do it. But don¡¯t get your hopes up. That dungeon sucks, even if we have the tower built around it.¡±


    The tower they had built was effectively a watertight system that allowed access to the dungeon, but that didn¡¯t make going into the dungeon itself any less harrowing. The reports he had received said that the interior was its own ocean. Completing that dungeon was more about not drowning rather than killing monsters. From what Theo had heard, there were some dungeons that were more puzzle than fighting challenge, but they hadn¡¯t thoroughly scouted the interior of this dungeon yet, so it could have been anything. Negative dungeons had a way of changing.


    But Theo had his eye set on different tasks today. With his new method of infusing potions with properties, he had quite a few he wanted to test. He had also harvested enough blubber from Frank to cover the town, and the properties seemed promising. He was particularly interested in the Defense property. Although we had to admit that the hurricane property was just as tempting.


    It might have taken Trask a while, but she was eventually back to her old self. She perked up after some hair of the dog as some watered wine. The greasy food also did some work for her roiling gut. Her task today was an unenviable one. She had to do scouting missions in the ocean dungeon and planned to stop by the shop to grab the potions required to survive.


    ¡°One of you two gets an easy day today,¡± Theo said, patting Sarisa and Rowan on the shoulder at the same time. ¡°Who wants to stand around the place where the Hills dungeon was to look for anything weird?¡±


    Rowan raised his hand. ¡°Not me. I had a weird dream that Frank ate me.¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep in the manor last night?¡± Sarisa asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I slept in that manner,¡± Rowan said, folding his arms. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because when you sleep in the manor, you can control your dreams, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that I¡¯m just torturing myself?¡± Rowan asked with a scoff. That¡¯s exactly what was happening. ¡°I think you should go watch the dungeon, sister.¡±


    Sarisa shrugged, slapping her brother on the back before heading out. It wouldn¡¯t be a hard job, and Theo didn¡¯t foresee any problems with it, but he still couldn¡¯t shake the strange feeling he got about the dungeon. It felt as though something more should have happened than the collapse. The dungeon¡¯s destruction made little sense to him, but then again he wasn¡¯t an expert on dungeons. He normally left that to Xol¡¯sa, who thought everything was fine. Now the man was busy reuniting with his people, so perhaps Theo was the next best expert.


    ¡°You understand you can control your dreams when you sleep in here, right?¡± Theo asked, leveling his gaze at Rowan.


    ¡°The heart wants what it wants,¡± Rowan said.


    ¡°So, your deepest desire is to be eaten by a giant whale monster?¡± Theo asked, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s fine. How about you just get into the shadows and we¡¯ll go brew some potions?¡±


    ¡°I brought a book this time,¡± Rowan said, holding up a book.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Theo said, patting him on the head. Rowan vanished into the shadows shortly after that.


    Now that Theo and Salire had a better handle on the new form of alchemy, she was pumping out more potions than ever. Theo entered the lab and breathed in the scent of brewing health potions. She had been kind enough to leave a few stills empty for him to use, which was always appreciated. And, as always, there was another strange person working the store downstairs, but there hardly seemed to be a need for anyone of skill. Most of the patrons were locals, almost always adventurers.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be testing a new reagent today,¡± Theo said, cleaning out the three stills that had been left for him. He withdrew a chunk of the blubber from his inventory and held it out for her to see.


    ¡°Ew, why does it stink so much?¡± Salire asked, pinching her nose.


    ¡°Yeah, now that I think about it, the whole thing stank. We were just worried about not dying, so I don¡¯t think anyone noticed it at the time¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, I heard about your harrowing adventure,¡± Salire said, smiling softly. ¡°That sounded a lot more dangerous than I had expected.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, we figured out how to nuke the dungeon, so further excursions should be a lot easier,¡± Theo said. ¡°Anyway, which property do you think would be the best to try first?¡±


    He read the properties off to her, as she had yet to discover them herself. It took her a bit, but of course Salire was interested in seeing what the hurricane property would do. So they would brew Hurricane, Barricade, and Defense. The Blubber property sounded too much like the fluff property, and nobody liked potions that altered their skin.


    Theo got to work on the potions, finding the blubber easy enough to work with. When he ran it through his crushing artifice, it gummed up pretty badly, but he had enough of the material not to worry about it, and simply cleaned the devices after each use. He added the right amount of enchanted water, and ensured the iron was fresh on the impurity extraction part of the artifice, and set them to work.


    It would take most of the day for the devices to run fully, but he could get enough of the refined essence to test what potion each would make by midday.


    ¡°Would you mind watching these for me?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Just trying to fix his stills. I¡¯ll be back by midday, but I wanted to check on the elves and the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± Salire said, waving him away. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be expecting anything crazy, should I?¡±


    ¡°Just keep the extractor fan on, and they should be fine. I¡¯ve noticed that reagents that stink more always put off more vapors. Maybe crack a window while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Salire said with a shrug, ¡°just leave me with the stinky blubber. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Theo smiled as he headed out from the lab. It didn¡¯t smell that bad, and they had smelled far worse. He made his way through the city, making note of the space elves that walked around. He wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d be able to offer each of them jobs, but he was sure somebody would put them to work. The alchemist thought the problem with the end of the world would be the devaluation of money. If the coins would become useless at the end of the world, he was certain people wouldn¡¯t use them for trade. But if the business and market section of the city were anything to go by, that was completely false.


    The people of this world still love their money. They use it for everything and always seem to want more. Theo completely did not understand it, but he wouldn¡¯t question it. Even the space elves that had been locked in the void were now searching for jobs that paid. And they would use that money to buy stuff they needed to survive. Perhaps this was thanks to his own upbringing on a broken Earth, but he doubted he would ever understand it and just accepted it as a fact. This world was used to things collapsing around them only to be rebuilt months later.


    There¡¯s a whole purpose to the seed core system. Civilizations could crumble to the ground and be rebuilt in a few months if there were enough people with the right classes and the right seed cores. This cycle had continued for too long, and Theo preferred not to think too much about it. It was going to end soon enough anyway. After he was satisfied that the elves were settling in, he stopped by the harbor to check on the ocean dungeon. As expected, there were quite a few adventurers there, taking turns going down the tower and visiting the dungeon. Early reports were appearing in the administration interface. It looked better than he had expected. The nightmare hellscape on the other side wasn¡¯t as hostile as the Hills dungeon.


    After wandering around for a while, Theo returned to the lab. The flasks had collected enough essence for him to brew a few potions. And of course he wanted to start with the Hurricane property. Salire stopped what she was doing to come over and see what the result would be. The essence itself was a cloudy blue mixture, and when he introduced it into the vial, the reaction was violent. He plugged the stopper into the top to keep the swirling mixture from escaping. A small cloud appeared overhead and it began raining in the lab.


    Salire cursed, running around to summon tarps from her inventory. She covered the equipment and open containers as the rain came down. Theo opened the door to the stairway, allowing water to pour down to the first floor.


    He rushed downstairs and nodded to the person running the shop today. ¡°Could you sweep the water out the front?¡±


    The half-ogre grabbed a broom with a grunt and obeyed, opening the front door and sweeping the water out.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said, rushing back upstairs. The reaction of the potion was mostly done, and the contents of the vial had settled down to an opaque swirling mix of blue and white.


    ¡°That was unexpected,¡± Salire said, watching as the cloud dispersed above.


    ¡°Hurricane in a bottle, maybe,¡± Theo said, scooping the potion up for inspection.


    [Hurricane Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 85%


    Imbibing this potion creates a powerful cyclone of air. If the effect is allowed to continue, it will eventually generate a hurricane above the drinker. The storm will proceed in a random direction. Strength and duration depend on the purity of this potion.


    Effect:


    Summon a hurricane.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t useful,¡± Theo said, frowning down at the potion.


    Salire leaned in to inspect it, clapping a hand over her mouth. ¡°Absolutely not. Throw it away.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the potion. It wasn¡¯t absolutely devastating like some other potions he had crafted, but summoning a hurricane was something else. Once again, the extra property on a reagent had generated a powerful effect. Useless, but powerful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever understand the logic of these potions,¡± Theo said, switching the still off. He took the flask into his inventory, intending to destroy it later. ¡°I¡¯d rather not have this one available in the lab.¡±


    ¡°Could we move on to the next one?¡± Salire asked. ¡°I¡¯d rather not think about the hurricane in a bottle anymore.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Good idea,¡± Theo said, clearing his throat. ¡°No hurricane potions.

 7.30 - Plenty of Blubber

    Theo turned his attention to the Defense Essence next. As he worked with it, he felt a similarity between the essence and the property he applied to his wards. At least it made sense that a creature like Frank would have ?the Defense property. It was a very enduring monster he doubted they could kill through normal means.


    Compared to the hurricane property, the Defense property was very easy to work with. The essence itself was pale silver and poured into the potion vial with ease. Theo mixed the contents and¡ªowing to the previous potion¡ªtook cover when he mixed it. The reaction was very subdued, hardly even bubbling. It smelled like engine grease or rusted metal. He couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s the kind of potion you want to see,¡± Salire said, nodding with approval. ¡°A useful, easy-to-understand potion.¡±


    She had apparently inspected it before Theo had the chance. He held the potion to the light first, checking the quality and giving his approval. He then inspected the potion itself.


    [Defense Potion]


    [Potion]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 95%


    Imbibing this potion grants the drinker a reactive shield. This barrier activates when a hit would have normally struck the drinker. The barrier reduces damage taken by 25%.


    Effect:


    Creates a reactive barrier that reduces damage by 25% for 2 hours.


    ¡°That is a very reasonable potion,¡± Theo said. ¡°We¡¯ve been getting so many weird potions lately, and I wasn¡¯t sure the system had it in us to give us something normal.¡±


    It was interesting to examine the differences in quality between the two potions. Quality was now represented as purity, and the first potion he had crafted that day was 85% pure. This new one was 95%. That was because of the complexity of the property. The more complex or strange a property was, the harder it was to get it pure. There were still some steps they needed to take to make the alchemy process perfect, but it was getting better by the day.


    Although the defense potion only reduced damage taken by 25%, it would do so for two hours with no additional actions required by the drinker. He suspected that would place this potion as one of the most important ones that people would use for adventuring. Who wouldn¡¯t like a quarter reduction in the damage they took for two hours? All for the low price of a few silver coins, so long as they were locals to the city.


    ¡°This simply makes me concerned about the barricade property,¡± Salire said. She tapped the side of the flask holding the essence and shook her head. ¡°We had one dud, one great potion. I think that means this last one¡¯s going to be just as bad. I¡¯m getting memories from the Fluff Potion.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Theo said, grabbing the flask containing the Barricade Essence. He prepared a vial and inspected the essence itself. It was odd how it had a strangely brown tinge. It was almost rust-colored and smelled like freshly cut wood. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had ever seen a reagent that produced three distinct properties like this.


    The reaction was controlled, especially compared to the hurricane essence. When it was mixed with the catalyst and the enchanted water, it bubbled for a bit, intensifying the woody smell of the potion. He held it and swirled it, nodding with approval as vapors collected on the side of the vial and evaporated into the air. When the bubbles subsided, the faintly reddish brown color had deepened, becoming something more like stained mahogany.


    Salire whistled before he had a chance to inspect the resulting potion. Apparently, she had taken to inspecting it before him and offering her reaction. Theo shook his head and inspected the potion.


    [Barricade Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 90%


    Imbibing this potion surrounds the drinker with orbiting wooden barricades tipped with metal spikes. Enemies who make contact with these barricades will take damage.


    Effect:


    Summon [Floating Barricades]


    ¡°Yeah, why the hell is that one literal?¡± Theo asked, tapping his foot. More than anything, he was annoyed with the result of the potion. He had expected something that would bolster someone¡¯s defense even further than the Defense Potion.


    Salire snorted. Then she released a laugh and continued laughing until she fell over onto the floor of the lab. Theo stared down as she rolled around, cackling. He tried not to show how funny the situation was, but eventually broke and joined her. At least he didn¡¯t end up on the ground.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°You should have seen your face,¡± Salire said, wiping tears from her eyes. ¡°You were expecting something that was actually good, and the system was like, ¡®Nope, here¡¯s a bunch of floating barricades for you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Theo asked, pressing the potion against his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods, please don¡¯t,¡± Salire begged, clasping her hands together. She actually looked pretty worried. ¡°You don¡¯t know how big those barricades are going to be. They¡¯ll smash the lab up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky this lab equipment is so expensive,¡± Theo said, pulling the potion away from his lips. ¡°We should just destroy most of these potions. The defense one is the only one worth using.¡±


    ¡°What, did you go outside and test the potion?¡± Salire suggested. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find something worthwhile about the barricade one. Just please don¡¯t test the Hurricane Potion.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll do exactly that,¡± Theo said, straightening his back and striking the most impressive pose he could manage. ¡°Why don¡¯t you clean up the disgusting stills while I¡¯m gone? That¡¯ll be punishment for laughing at me.¡±


    Salire withdrew cleansing scrub from her inventory and dripped it into the stills. The mess that was left behind was cleared away in an instant. ¡°You¡¯re such a slave driver,¡± she said dramatically.


    Theo smiled to himself as he left the lab. He stepped out onto the roads of the city and then found a quiet place to the east to test the potion. ¡°Rowan,¡± he said, waiting only a moment before the half-ogre appeared from the shadows. He had his book in his hand. ¡°Could you please test this potion for me?¡±


    ¡°How much are you going to pay me?¡± Rowan asked, not even looking up from his book.


    ¡°I pay you a salary,¡± Theo said, holding the potion out for him to take. When the half-ogre refused, he sighed and withdrew a single gold coin from his inventory. It really wasn¡¯t worth the gold coin to test, but who cared?


    Rowan drank the potion down and won, smacking his lips and making a face as though he was disgusted. A moment later, four literal wooden barriers appeared from nowhere and began orbiting him. Rowan had a confused look on his face and stared at Theo for help.


    ¡°How long is this supposed to last?¡± Rowan asked.


    ¡°Some are between one and five hours,¡± Theo said, getting closer and holding his hand out. When a barrier orbited, rowing it, it simply passed through his hands. So the barriers themselves wouldn¡¯t affect anything that wasn¡¯t an enemy. ¡°Could you walk over to that tree and get the barricades to slam against it?¡±


    With a shrug, Rowan approached the tree. Sure enough, as he got close enough, the barriers passed through the tree. It was difficult to understand why the system had designed this potion to create literal wooden barriers. It was just something Theo couldn¡¯t understand. But it worked, and it might actually have some uses if it didn¡¯t run into either allies or inanimate objects.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, jerking his head up the road. Rowan followed close behind him, and it didn¡¯t take long to gain the attention of the people walking on the streets. They spotted the floating barriers and giggled or got out of the way. When the crowd got thick towards the city¡¯s center, they could avoid allowing the floating barricades to pass through people. Thankfully, none were hurt. It just floated through them and made them shout in fear.


    Before long, the duo was stepping out into the swamp through the western gate. They sloshed through the mud, finding their way deep enough to discover some monsters. The place hadn¡¯t had much monster activity lately, with the dungeons no longer generating the creatures. They were becoming a rare sight, but Theo eventually spotted an ogre snapper in the distance.


    ¡°Walk up to that creature and see what happens when the barriers pass through it,¡± Theo instructed. He folded his arms and watched as Rowan stomped through the mud.


    Before the half-ogre even approached the snapper, it rose from the muck and removed its head from its shell. It emitted a low gurgling sound and moved forward with all the speed a swamp turtle could manage. Rowan edged closer until the barriers were only about a foot from the monster. It moved forward, its head eventually coming into range of the orbit. The barricade smashed into the monster¡¯s head and bits of spectral wood fell to the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting interaction,¡± Theo said, watching at a safe distance. The turtle stumbled back a few steps. Rowan pressed the advantage, allowing the barricades to smash into the turtle. It eventually retreated into its shell, but the potion still did its work. Repeated hits to the creature¡¯s hard shell. The turtle was driven back from the force of the hits, even if it was tucked safely in its shell. Although the barricades moved slowly, they brought a lot of force to the fight.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strange interaction, right?¡± Rowan shouted back at Theo.


    ¡°That¡¯s an extremely strange interaction,¡± Theo said. ¡°I expected absolutely nothing from this potion, but it seems kind of effective. Could you see any use for combat?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, for other people, but not for me,¡± Rowan said. ¡°I fight from stealth, so if I had a bunch of barriers around me all the time, it would be hard to stay out of sight.¡±


    And that was very interesting. Most potions, it was pretty easy to tell if they were going to be useful or not, but this one had evaded Theo¡¯s notice. He was certain it would be a dud, but as he watched the barricades slam against the turtle¡¯s shell, he realized it might actually be useful. Eventually, Rowan was able to defeat the turtle without landing a single blow himself. Instead, he let the potion do the work. And he claimed he even got experience for the kill.


    Two of the barricades had been destroyed during the attack, but Theo considered that to be an acceptable loss. Since Rowan didn¡¯t lift a finger, there might be a use for these potions for low-level people adding into dungeons or fighting monsters they weren¡¯t prepared to fight. Since the drinker of the potions didn¡¯t need to do a damn thing, it was a power-leveling strategy.


    The duo tested the potion, checking what would happen when it expired from running out of barricades, as expected. The effect just went away. There were no detrimental effects after it ran out of orbiting barricades. After that, they headed back to the lab to talk to Salire about it. She was shocked to hear that it did anything more than slam into furniture and ruin buildings.


    ¡°Well, good thing I just wasted all that essence,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the still she had just cleaned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of the blubber, more than we¡¯ll ever need. But I wanted to get a run of the potion started again so we can test it with a low-level adventurer.¡±


    ¡°There is a flaw in your plan,¡± Rowan said with a shrug. ¡°The issue is that we don¡¯t really have many monsters to test this stuff on. It¡¯s going to be hard to get levels for people if we don¡¯t have access to monsters.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said. ¡°I know we¡¯ve discovered some dungeons north of the Alliance, but some of them are corrupted with undead power.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that running undead dungeons isn¡¯t fun,¡± Rowan said. ¡°You¡¯d be hard-pressed to get veterans to go in there, let alone the newbies.¡±


    Well, there went that idea. It might still be worth investigating, but there were bigger things that concerned Theo for now. Like the reports that were rolling in about the Ocean Dungeon. The alchemist left everything to Salire for now.


    ¡°I gotta nuke a dungeon. Be right back,¡± he said, ducking out of the Newt and Demon.

 7.31 - Water Sorcerers Core

    Of all the dungeons around Broken Tusk, Theo considered the ocean dungeon to be the most dangerous. It had waned in its difficulty, thanks to the watertight tower they had built around it, but the interior was no less offensive. Here are the reports from the scouting party. The interior was a nightmare. An expansive ocean floor spread out as far as the scouts could see. Massive ocean creatures loomed overhead while others that didn¡¯t belong drowned or were crushed by the pressure.


    An adventurer had even been injured and forced to use a Potion of Return to avoid death. How they drank it underwater was beyond him.


    Theo made his way to the harbor and then out onto the piers that stretched into the bay. As he walked along the paved path, he looked up at the massive towers with a smile. Atop each tower was a rail gun, trained on the sea and prepared to fire on attacking lizard folk. He was happy that the lizards had not come to call, and ?he doubted they would. At least that was one thing in his favor.


    Aarok stood near the entrance to the tower and nodded as Theo approached. "Are you sure this will work?" he asked.


    "No, I''m not sure at all if it''ll work," Theo said with a shrug. "There are some concerns I have about the vapors in the potion being able to expand, but there''s only one way to find out. Do you have somebody who can head inside and check the results for me?"


    "That''s me!" Tresk said, bursting from the shadows.


    "Alright, you little goblin," Theo said, jerking his head towards the entrance to the tower. "Let''s head in."


    "Oh, I actually have a present for you." Tresk said, taking the steps two at a time. ¡°But I don''t actually know if it¡¯ll be useful.


    "You never get me presents," Theo said. He continued taking the steps, unsure of what weirdness she had in store for him.


    When the pair reached the bed of the bay, Tresk withdrew something from her dimensional storage bag. She handed it over with a flourish.


    ¡°A class core?¡± Theo asked, "You shouldn''t have."


    "Stop being a butthole. Inspect the stinkin¡¯ core.¡±


    Theo obeyed the command, inspecting the core.


    [Water Sorcerer¡¯s Core]


    Common


    Sorcerer Core


    Unbound


    2 Slots


    Level 1 (0%)


    A sorcerer core focused on the water element.


    Innate Skills:


    [Water Attunement]


    The core was a duplicate of his Earth Sorcerer''s core, except it was aligned to water. It would allow him to manipulate water based on his willpower, which was actually extremely helpful. He swapped his Earth Sorcerer''s core out and placed the new one in his soul. As soon as he did, he could feel the water all around them. A small dribble of water came through the wall, forming a tiny puddle at his feet. He swiped his hand and picked it up with his will power, forming it into a sphere and nodding with approval.


    "You know, this would have come in handy when we were working on the river," Theo said, cracking a smile. "We could have done that job without the intervention of Khahar."


    "So here''s the thing," Tresk explained. "I''m trying to collect all the elemental sorcerer cores for you, since your willpower is just too high. So now we have water and earth. All we need is air, fire, and... whatever other elements there are.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± Theo said, tossing the ball of water around. ¡°Actually, this might be really helpful for alchemy. I wonder if it works on essences.¡±


    Theo messed around with his new water powers as the tear waited. He could keep the tower drained without the help of the Artifice pumps with no problem, but eventually Xol''sa came, and it was time to get to work. Theo slotted his Shadow core as the man descended the steps.


    ¡°Uh, we¡¯re cleaning up another tower today, are we?¡± Xol''sa asked, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame we can¡¯t do anything to preserve them.¡±


    "Nothing we can do about that," Theo said. "Problem is, we''ll be up to our eyeballs, and Franks, if we''re not careful."


    ¡°Right. Are we ready to try this out?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked.


    The plan this time was the same as last time. Theo would exploit his future sight to see if one of his nukes would go off underwater. He wouldn''t Shadow Wrap the first one, just test if it would work. The alchemist would toss the bomb in, and if Tresk didn¡¯t return immediately, he knew the bomb had gone off. She was in absolutely no danger, as things that happened in his future sight didn''t come true if he didn''t let them. So the plan was technically safe, if not grim.


    "Ready," Theo said, holding the bomb up. Xol''sa wrapped it in his extraplanar energy, and Theo tossed it through the portal. A moment later, he watched as a spectral version of Tresk traveled through, only to return immediately. "That one didn''t work. I don''t think the bomb went off underwater. This might complicate things."


    The bomb needed very simple conditions to explode. It basically only needed to hit something hard, no matter what it was. Normally that meant the ground, but if the inner chambers of the multi-layered bomb didn''t break, then the entire thing wouldn''t work. The group started brainstorming ideas on how to get the bomb to go off. They could commission an artifice that broke it automatically, or any other number of complicated things, but the Alchemist had a simple solution.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    A metal golem lumbered down the stairs of the tower. Its rumbling steps were shaking sediment loose from the walls. There was barely enough room for the four of them down at the bottom, but this was the perfect delivery system.


    "I''ve got a question," Tresk said. "Why didn''t you use the golem to test your future sight bomb detection system the first time?"


    "It''s more fun when it''s you,¡± Theo said with a wink. "All right, let''s see if this works."


    Theo had all the intent of issuing an order to his golem to head into the portal and return. If the bomb didn''t detonate when it smashed it, he watched as the spectral version of the giant metal creature headed in, but didn¡¯t return.


    "Alrighty, that one worked," Theo said, nodding to himself. He applied the bonuses from his Shadow Core to another bomb and handed it over to the golem. A moment later, Xol''sa covered it in his energy, and the golem passed through the entrance. This time, the stone frame of the dungeon rumbled.


    "We''ll need to wait a bit to see if this works," Xol''sa said, inspecting the frame of the dungeon. "I''m not sure if we''ll have some time dilation nonsense from the explosion interacting with the dungeon''s energy, but we''ll see."


    Of course, they didn''t have to wait. Theo exploited the combination of his connection with Tresk and his future site to look inside and give them a report. The bomb had worked. It had gone off right near the entrance and sent a high-pressure shock wave out. It seemed to have killed the monsters inside, but it was hard to tell from the murky entrance.


    They would unfortunately need to mount an expedition. Which is why Aarok was waiting at the top of the tower with a team of adventurers. Theo sent a few more golems in with bombs, just to be sure. One could never have enough bombs.


    "Physics be damned," Theo said, rolling his shoulders as he stepped through the dungeon''s portal. He had concerns about keeping the water and pressure off of him, but trusted in the world''s magic. It didn''t hurt that he could rely on his overwhelming willpower to make something happen. If that didn''t do the trick, he had watched himself go in and create an enormous bubble for them to survive inside made things even easier to accept.


    The crushing pressure inside the dungeon was immediate and almost deadly. With his Water Sorcerer''s Core, Theo focused on pushing all the water away from himself. Physics said that air shouldn''t have rushed in, but it did. He couldn''t know where it came from, and he didn''t care. The one thing that amazed him was how large the bubble was. It spread out, surrounding his body at first, then it encompassed the portal he had just arrived through, and then much of the surrounding area. Moments later, the rest of the adventuring team came through, including Xol''sa.


    "How long can you hold that up?" Aarok asked, patting his hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder.


    "Forever," Theo said with a shrug. He wasn''t pushing his willpower to its limit, not even a little bit. He was confident he could encompass a much larger area than he was currently shielding from the crushing depths of the water.


    "The dungeon core should be this way," Xol¡¯sa said, "just forward." And the party set off.


    It was incredibly eerie watching the deep ocean scene outside of the bubble. The group had to bring lights to illuminate the area, otherwise it would have simply been too dark. Still, shapes moved on the other side of the bubble: massive sea creatures that had somehow avoided the bomb. Perhaps they were used to the intense pressure and the shock waves that didn''t affect them. Theo expanded the bubble, and he was glad he had done so.


    A massive shark-like monster fell through the barrier, slamming against the seabed and flopping around helplessly. That was their one advantage here in this dungeon. The monsters that could survive the depths couldn''t survive within his bubble, and the adventurers made quick work of it.


    "It turns out the Ocean Dungeon¡¯s strongest points are weakest against your abilities, Theo,¡± Xol''sas said with a chuckle.


    This small bit of levity didn''t take Theo''s attention away from the largest of the dark shapes moving through on the other side of his bubble. He expanded it out again, tapping into about half of his willpower to hold up an area about the size of a Qavell. It was ridiculous to think of, but he didn''t want any probing ocean monsters to sweep in and get any of his people. The walk was mostly boring. They made their way across the ocean''s floor and eventually found their way to the dungeon core.


    "It might take me a minute to work," Xol''sa said, cracking his knuckles as he approached the core.


    Tresk nudged Theo in the ribs and pointed upward. "Giant squid," she said in a low voice.


    Theo swallowed hard as he looked up, and it was the creature he had seen several times before, but he hadn''t wanted to say anything. As Xol''sa did his work, the creature seemed to probe the outside of the bubble. Shouts of surprise came when one of the tentacles shot through the surface, slapping against the ground and probing the area as though it was looking for something. Which meant the monster was roughly the size of a city.


    "What''s up with the negative dungeons creating monsters of unreasonable size?" Theo grumbled.


    ¡°Never trust a M.O.U.S.,¡± Tresk said, shaking her head.


    Brought to this, provided an opportunity while Theo was distracted by maintaining the bubble. The adventurers did battle with the tentacles of the monster. They weren''t able to engage with it properly, but when the appendages came back down, they slashed at them or hurled arrows and spells. Of course, that gave Tresk time to harvest materials from the monster. When she had found enough that Theo was satisfied, she stuck the creature with a dagger infused with venom, and then it backed off.


    The sound of a mournful cry came from outside the bubble, vibrating the ground as the giant squid retreated. Unfortunately for the monster, thanks to the potency of the venom, it would continue taking damage almost forever. Theo would almost feel bad if it wasn''t such a horrifying sight. But overall, this dungeon went far better than the last one. Xol''sa worked his magic on the core and soon had it overloading. Then they were given a certain amount of time to retreat and headed straight for the entrance.


    The party all traveled safely through the dungeon''s entrance, heading to the other side. Although the dungeon would collapse soon enough, the party was still required to assemble at the top of the tower, waiting for it to be destroyed. If anything were to break out while they were waiting, they would need to respond swiftly.


    "Check it out," Tresk said, withdrawing an item from their shared inventory. It was a massive chunk of monster meat she had taken from that carved from the squid monster. Theo took the spongy material in his hand and inspected it.


    [Xotl Flesh]


    [Alchemy Ingredient] [Ascendant Xotl Ingredient]


    Legendary


    The flesh of an ascendant xotl. Known as terrors of the sea, the xotl terrorize the seas, attacking and eating anything they can find. They have a very high affinity with water, and this reagent reflects that.


    Properties:


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


    "This is very strange," Theo said, inspecting the reagent. "There''s a spirit fruit called the Xotl Orange. I always thought the creature it was named after was a mythological thing, but I guess they''re real."


    "You know how these negative dungeons are," Tresk said, taking a bit of the flesh and inspecting the red-orange color on the surface. "It may as well be making everything up."


    Theo was certain of one thing. Tresk had had enough sense to harvest quite a lot of the flesh. As long as they kept it in storage, he could use it in potion making for as long as they were still on this planet. And he was eager to see what kind of water-aligned properties it would have. The orange didn''t have many interesting things, and it was difficult to get a lot of them.


    "Can we cook it?" Sarisa asked, appearing from nowhere to sniff the lump of flesh. "I would like to cook it."


    Theo held the chunk of meat out for her and laughed to himself. "Just to be warned, I''m pretty sure consuming ascendant flesh changes you."


    "On second thought, let''s not eat it. I don''t want to turn into a giant squid," Sarisa said.

 7.32 - The Lizard That Defied The System

    ¡°A giant squid?¡± Salire asked, shaking her head. ¡°Glad I¡¯m not involved in the adventuring world.¡±


    The day was wearing thin, but Theo wanted to visit the lab before he went to bed. The sense of accomplishment related to dealing with the dungeons was growing. With every new dungeon destroyed, he felt as though the town was a little safer. But they had to keep on top of the problem, or it would get out of control. The Hills and Ocean Dungeons were now destroyed, but that left a few more. He reviewed the screen provided by Xol¡¯sa¡¯s Dungeon Engineer class.


    [Swamp Dungeon] L30 Dormant


    [River Dungeon] L19 Dormant


    [Mountain Dungeon] L3 Dormant


    [Cave Dungeon] L45 Dormant


    The Mountain Dungeon, which was to the north near the quarry, would need to be dealt with next. Theo had no intention of allowing it to get to the negative levels. They would destroy this one before it created the horrible beasts found in the others. If they started on the problem early, he wouldn¡¯t even need to be involved. Huzzah. Before getting the next round of space elves, he wanted that dungeon gone. It would give enough wiggle room for the other dungeons to descend in levels, and they could avoid a disaster.


    ¡°So, are we working on anything fun today?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Salire said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m building my confidence with mana infusion. You¡¯re not running the squid bits tonight, are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to.¡±


    ¡°Good. That gives me room to test some stuff,¡± Salire said, waving him away. ¡°Now, leave me. I seriously can¡¯t concentrate when you hover.¡±


    Theo nodded, bidding her farewell and heading out the door. He understood how the added pressure of another person standing nearby could stifle the learning process. Salire was always a person who appreciated instruction, but needed time to digest information in her own way. As he left the lab, he spotted the position of the sun.


    ¡°Who can I bother?¡± Theo asked, tapping his chin. After a few moments of thought, he snapped his fingers. ¡°I have just the man to bug.¡±


    Broken Tusk had taken off thanks to the help of Fenian. But when someone needed to step up to satisfy the daily needs of townsfolk old and new, the young man that filled the role was Azrug. Brother of Xam and all-around little shit, he had filled some big boots. Now he owned a few fiercely independent businesses in town. His general store was located near the Marsh Wolf Tavern in the center town, offset from the cluster of buildings owned by Throk.


    Of course, Azrug wasn¡¯t working the front counter in the general shop, but Theo still stopped by to see what kind of stuff they had. There were an assortment of items that leaned toward gear for adventurers. He hummed to himself when he saw a few potions on the shelves¡­ Potions he had crafted.


    ¡°That little brat,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. If he cared more about his alchemy store making a big profit, he would complain. Azrug could also get away with a lot. He was ambitious enough to accomplish a lot.


    Another venture Azrug had started were some stables. Theo didn¡¯t find him there either, as there wasn¡¯t any overland travel on the continent. Instead, he was in the market. Theo found the half-ogre taking his role as Lord Merchant seriously. He was chatting with a group of elves about something. Likely something related to trade. The alchemist had avoided these talks since it had been proven he wasn¡¯t good at it. In cases like this, it was best to let those with the talent take care of it.


    ¡°What do ya need Theo?¡± Azrug asked. A sly smile spread across his face. ¡°Life has been good since you no longer bother me.¡±


    ¡°Show your leader the respect he deserves,¡± Theo said, folding his arms.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Azrug said, bowing dramatically. ¡°Shall we discuss the food I¡¯ve ordered for the town in the stead of Alise?¡±


    ¡°Nah. What do you think about the market?¡±


    ¡°The market is great,¡± Azrug said. ¡°We¡¯re funneling a ton of money into the town from the taxes we collect on sales. We charge the merchants for docking at the port, then charge them a percentage for selling stuff here. They seem fine with it, though.¡±


    ¡°Taxes and taxes, huh?¡± Theo asked. ¡°So, what¡¯s your take on money? The world is restarting soon, so why chase it?¡±


    ¡°On the off-chance money is useful on the other side, we¡¯ll have it. Even if it isn¡¯t, I get experience from selling crap,¡± Azrug flashed a wide smile. ¡°I¡¯m hoping levels translate, so that¡¯s my motivation. And you know what? This is fun. Do you know what fun is?¡±


    ¡°I have fun sometimes. Blew up a dungeon today, which is pretty fun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds kinda fun¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, watch this,¡± Theo said, sweeping his hand through the air. He gathered moisture from both the ground and air, condensing it down to a baseball-sized globe that hovered in the air. ¡°New party trick.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I wonder if we could see water¡­ People don¡¯t really buy water.¡± Azrug stroked his chin. ¡°Can you use it to pull mixtures apart?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. I haven¡¯t really tried.¡±


    ¡°Could be a business opportunity here,¡± Azrug said, withdrawing a wineskin from his inventory. He held it out. ¡°Can you manipulate this?¡±


    Theo flicked his wrist, pushing the liquid through the opening. It hovered in the air. That brought a question to his mind. How much water had to be in the water for him to manipulate it? Thinking back to using his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, he realized there were likely impurities in the earth he had been manipulating. Whatever made wine the way it was wasn¡¯t enough to make his core not work.


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    The alchemist reached out with both hands, pulling the wine apart. Powder fell to the ground while pure water remained. ¡°Looks like I can pull them apart.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. You turned my expensive wine to water,¡± Azrug said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°And whatever made it delicious and intoxicating is now on the floor.¡±


    ¡°You asked,¡± Theo said, squeezing his hand. The orb of water balled onto itself before bursting into vapor. He scooped it up again, turning it back to water. He tried again, this time intending to turn it to ice. But it didn¡¯t work. ¡°No free ice. That sucks.¡±


    ¡°Get yourself an Ice Sorcerer¡¯s Core next,¡± Azrug said. ¡°I could use ice.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Naturally. Not everyone has access to artifices and potions. Some simply use ice to cool themselves.¡±


    ¡°Neat. I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Theo said.


    Azrug had a few more things to chat about, but it was mostly logistics. Of course, he didn¡¯t want the alchemist¡¯s opinion. He was just excited about all the logistical challenges they faced to feed the coming party. While it was fun checking in with the town¡¯s merchant, Tresk was sending messages to his brain. She was hungry and wanted to eat.


    When Theo arrived back at his manor, he smelled something strange. It took him a few moments longer than he would ever care to admit realizing what it could¡¯ve been. When he entered, he saw the plates already arranged on the table. Large chunks of bright-red meat were drizzled in a brown sauce. The scent was something between the light smell of seafood mixed with sweet barbeque sauce. Apparently, Sarisa had made the xotl flesh into a dish, despite his warnings.


    ¡°That¡¯s a unique scent,¡± Theo said, finding his way to the table. Tresk appeared from nowhere, jumping up into her chair and glaring at him.


    ¡°Rowan convinced me to make it,¡± Sarisa said, taking a seat. Her brother joined her, taking the seat next to hers. ¡°Smells good¡­ Right?¡±


    ¡°This reminds me of something,¡± Theo said, cutting a strip of the xotl flesh and giving it a better sniff. ¡°Can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡±


    ¡°What are you cowards waiting for?¡± Tresk asked, opening her mouth wide. She took a bite of the large chunk that was resting on her plate. She chewed for a few moments before smacking her lips. ¡°Delicious.¡±


    Theo braced himself, taking a ginger bite of a strip of the meat. The flavor was unique. The meat was slightly greasy with only the faintest hint of the sea. Laying overtop that was the sweet barbeque sauce. It wasn¡¯t quite as strong as normal barbeque, but went perfectly with the meat. With all those things in mind, the alchemist studied how he felt as he ate.


    Just as he had seen with Alex, there was something that spread through his body when he ate the xotl flesh. As he studied the effects, he realized there was a foreign energy spreading through his body and soul. After a few more bites, he determined it wasn¡¯t unsafe to eat occasionally. The energy was broken down by his soul, turned from an invasive energy into inert mana that soaked into his soul.


    ¡°Should be safe to eat a bit of this,¡± Theo said, taking another bite. ¡°But you might turn into a fish if you eat too much. Or you could get super strong¡­ Either or.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sweet. I¡¯ve always wanted to be a monster,¡± Rowan said, pushing the plate away. He withdrew a loaf of bread from nowhere and took a bite. ¡°I¡¯d rather not take my chances.¡±


    ¡°Fish-person, here I come!¡± Sarisa said, taking another bite.


    ###


    ¡°I¡¯m betting the River Dungeon is gonna be nasty,¡± Tresk said.


    Theo and Tresk stood in her memory of the dungeon. Parts of it were under water, but others were on the banks of random rivers. All sections of the dungeon were underground, encased in caves that seemed hewn by the very rivers themselves.


    ¡°Of course, we have no intention of letting it get this far, do we?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No, but the whole thing with the dungeons makes me sad,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°I am also sad,¡± Alex put in.


    ¡°Right, but our options are to murder the dungeons or discover more giant horrors,¡± Theo said. ¡°We got lucky with the Ocean Dungeon. Since it was underwater, I was able to use the fancy core you gave me to make a bubble of air. We won¡¯t be so lucky with the river.¡±


    ¡°Bah. I can still be mad about it.¡±


    ¡°I am also sad.¡±


    Theo had been spending his time in the Dreamwalk mostly relaxing lately. It was growing more reluctant to entertain his efforts to push forward with his alchemy. Reaching tier 3 had been hard enough, and he couldn¡¯t imagine getting all the way to 4 before they headed up to the heavens. Of course, it was impossible to predict the scenarios concerning the system after everyone left the mortal world.


    Tresk apparently picked up on that sentiment.


    ¡°I have a strong feeling we¡¯re missing something about the transition,¡± Tresk said. ¡°We got some factors outside of our control, and some are compounding.¡±


    ¡°An oddly elegant way to phrase that sentiment¡­ You¡¯re talking about Death and Elrin. The interaction of the gods with quasi-mortals, right? Then we have 3 loose-ends to think about. The System, Monitor System, and the Shards. I think those big chunks of crystal are going to play a far bigger role than we can expect.¡±


    ¡°And our boy Elrin has a deep connection with them. Makes ya wonder, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    All Theo could do was make sure Elrin connected with the system, making sure something was done about Death. It was hard to find a path forward with that, considering how cloistered the System had been. It would freely interact with him, but he couldn¡¯t know if it would go for any proposals. Then there was the problem with Death himself. His motivations were unknown, and the alchemist doubted he would ever crack that nut.


    ¡°At a point, we¡¯re going to only worry about ourselves and our people,¡± Theo said. ¡°Because we can¡¯t change the universe. Despite our best efforts.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself. I¡¯ll stab everyone if needed. A few well-placed daggers can change the universe.¡± Tresk struck a pose that didn¡¯t inspire confidence.


    ¡°The lizard that defied the System,¡± Theo said, shaking his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re changing your mind on this?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°You already shied away from killing Death. Are you going to back out of our little council?¡±


    ¡°Consider the interaction of the thrones,¡± Theo said. With a thought, he gave himself a pair of glasses and a gown. He thought it looked professorial, but the effect was lost on the lizard-girl. ¡°We know they were generated by the system as a stopgap solution in answer to the Ascendants.¡±


    ¡°Okay, where ya going with this, ya weird demon?¡±


    ¡°We know the System is good about honoring stuff that¡¯s already here. But are they going to go away when we ascend? Are we even going to have control over our own planets?¡± Theo asked. It wasn¡¯t as though he was concerned¡­ If a balance of power had to be established, he would give it all up. So long as his people were safe.


    ¡°Consider the scenario where we don¡¯t have our crap,¡± Tresk said, holding one hand out, palm up. ¡°We¡¯ll still be on another planet. And good luck to the System if it tries to break up our Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    ¡°Right. I doubt the system can even break our connection,¡± Theo said. ¡°If you study the connection between our planets, it is like our Tara¡¯hek.¡±


    ¡°Attempting to understand the intentions of the System is futile,¡± Alex said. ¡°Like understanding what the wind is thinking. I would like to fight some things now.¡±


    ¡°I agree with the goose-dragon,¡± Tresk said, nodding at their companion. ¡°We can bring this up to the other throne-holders when we can. We could also call a meeting with them.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we could bring Elrin along to Khahak. Get some dialog going concerning everyone¡¯s intentions.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. Murder now, talks later.¡±

 7.33 - A Shadow in the North

    Theo made absolutely no decisions about anything by the time morning came. The only thing he could think about was the Seal of Judgement resting over the heavens, and how that meant he had less to worry about. Still, it would be nice to have a big meeting with the mortal-facing people of the world to set things straight. When he woke in the morning, a familiar scent wafted to the second floor.


    Sarisa didn¡¯t make more squid meat for breakfast. Instead, it was the familiar scent of sausages and eggs fried in butter. He descended the stairs, finding Tresk, Sarisa, and Rowan already chowing down on the familiar spread. Something he had missed from the scent alone was the zee bread¡ªwhich was just discount cornbread. Of course, Tresk wanted to talk about taking out the next dungeon before it became a problem.


    ¡°Dungeon season is open!¡± Tresk shouted. ¡°Aarok is getting teams together to make it happen. We¡¯re starting today.¡±


    Theo nodded. Once the new space elves were on the mortal plane, he wanted to snag a few shards as quickly as he could. Otherwise, he was concerned about what the void energies would do to the world. For now, he focused on the delicious sausages made by Whisper. Things seemed pleasant today, which meant everything would go right forever.


    ¡°We got a pretty big order from Alise for some healing potions,¡± Theo said, reviewing his administration interface. ¡°I thought we had a decent stockpile.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be for the party,¡± Tresk said with a nod. ¡°You know how stuff gets when Broken Tuskers get drinking.¡±


    Theo nodded. They were legendarily good at getting themselves hurt after a few drinks. He skimmed over the other reports from Rivers and Gronro. They were doing fine and were even helping with the party planning. Qavell had been doing better than ever. The people there were adjusting to life in the Southlands Alliance well. Only a few people were opposed to the ascension plan. They could stay here for all he cared.


    After checking on Salire after breakfast, Theo made his way down a path he didn¡¯t walk very often. He briefly visited the harbor. Ships were still being constructed as quickly as the shipwrights could crank them out¡ªbecause why not. He then followed the path alongside the river, walking over a newly built road. It didn¡¯t take long to catch sight of Qavell looming in the distance like the behemoth it was. Using his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core, he checked around the base of the city to ensure it was secure.


    ¡°Looks good to me,¡± Theo said, making his way to the giant ramp.


    As the builders of the ramp didn¡¯t want to watch the carts of merchants sailing down the ramp at racecar speeds, they had made it at an extreme angle. That made the walk to the top tiring, but it also provided an excellent view of the area. Especially the bay. Theo stopped before the gates of the city, leaning over the railing and sighing out to the sea. Ships dotted the area, and he spotted the Cork fishing the waters near the passes on the horizon. The bay was mostly filled with trading chips, although he was certain some held passengers.


    ¡°I was told my guard saw a shady demon lurking near the main gate.¡±


    Theo turned, smiling as he nodded to King Hanan. ¡°Everything good around here? Is your city¡¯s core still clear?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really worried about that, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hanan asked with a chuckle. He came over, leaning against the railing with Theo. ¡°Not that I can blame you. This has all been too strange.¡±


    Although he wouldn¡¯t share, Theo wasn¡¯t happy there was no cap on the end to that story. The thing possessing the town had fled. No one confirmed the kill. The only upside on that was the entity was poisoned forever. It might take a few thousand years, but it would die. Maybe Tresk would get a notification when that happened¡­


    ¡°Has there been much business in Qavell? I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t know what your people were known for before everything went down.¡±


    ¡°We were known for a corrupt merchant class, a failing king, and a war lost with Vesta. Also we had some decent coresmiths. Nothing like Tarantham, but they were pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Well, I always have Fenian on the lookout for cores. The merchants in town have been better for that lately, though.¡±


    ¡°Fenian is a character. He stirred up quite some trouble for my father before the city flew around on its own.¡± Hanan issued a polite chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I heard this story,¡± Theo said, searching his memories. ¡°Nevermind, I have. He took some merchants out, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. They were lords and ladies, but yes. Before you ask, no. I don¡¯t have an opinion on it.¡±


    Theo and King Hanan chatted about random things after that. It was nice to take this downtime to check in with everyone around time. The alchemist had neglected some people, but that was the point. Many aspects of the city and kingdom were now run by other people. And it was awesome. That was the fact that allowed him to mess around like this. When the conversation died down a bit, the alchemist withdrew a chunk of squid flesh.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Hanan asked, making a face.


    ¡°You guys were landlocked, right?¡± Theo asked with a chuckle. ¡°Bet you don¡¯t have a taste for seafood. This is from a giant mythical squid called a xotl.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even say that,¡± Hanan said, plugging his nose.


    ¡°Just wait. Gonna get a bit more stinky here in a sec.¡± Theo watched as the surface of the meat slab bubbled. It then turned to vapor, which drifted away in the wind. The primal essences left behind held all those juicy secrets.


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    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Hana said, heaving. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely foul.¡±


    ¡°The life of an alchemist,¡± Theo said, inspecting the properties on the Xotl Flesh.


    [Pressure] [Drown] [Echo] [Constrict]


    That certainly made sense for the theme of the monster. When they were in the Ocean Dungeon, the pressure from so much water was intense. Drowning was also a real risk. Even Constrict made sense for the theme of the monster. Theo had to wonder what the Echo property meant, and figured it was something to do with echolocation¡­ Although he was fairly certain squids didn¡¯t do that sort of thing.


    ¡°I should see if there are any free stills back in the lab,¡± Theo said, clapping a hand on Hana¡¯s back. ¡°Good chat.¡±


    Theo departed from the city without entering. Talking with the king was fun, but he wanted to investigate these new properties. At some point, he needed to take all the new properties he was finding and make a production chain out of them. This likely wouldn¡¯t happen until Alise¡¯s order for so many healing potions was filled. Salire also had a desire to produce potions that would be useful for adventurers, not ones that were simply fun to mess around with.


    ¡°Got any free equipment?¡± Theo asked, poking his head into the lab.


    Salire turned, narrowing her eyes at him. He noticed she was working with the mana infusion stills. ¡°You broke my concentration. You know how shy I get.¡±


    Theo bowed his head in apology. ¡°I just wanted to test out some new reagent properties¡­ I mean, I could help you work on your mana manipulation if you wanted.¡±


    ¡°No offense, but you¡¯re not a great teacher¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m no longer a champion. We can work this out.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa would¡¯ve been a better teacher. But Salire eventually relented, allowing Theo to walk her through his process. It took them both a while to figure out what the problem was, but it wasn¡¯t her. Instead, there was something strange going on with the mixture of mana in her soul. Anytime Theo had done anything with his mana, it had come out as pure aligned mana. But when she did it, it was mixed with something else.


    ¡°Check it out,¡± Theo said, nodding as he observed the mana in Salire¡¯s hands. She had the cupped together as though she were holding water in her palms. The mana she held shimmered, small sparkling ripples echoing throughout. ¡°Your mana isn¡¯t pure.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Salire asked. ¡°How could that be?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. Try pulling them apart,¡± Theo said, watching as she struggled to do so.


    After a bit more coaching, Salire pulled her mana into pieces. She held one puddle in her right hand and another in her left. The one aligned with Tero¡¯gal was easy enough to identify. The other one was pure, unaligned mana.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem normal,¡± Salire said. She seemed more frustrated with herself than anything else. ¡°Why isn¡¯t my soul producing purely aligned mana?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe my soul is just weird since I have another person¡¯s body. Anyway, I¡¯d bet you could use the mana now that you fixed it.¡±


    ¡°Feels like someone should study this,¡± Salire grumbled, walking over to the infusion stills.


    Theo was pretty sure this was a recent development. At least, he didn¡¯t remember seeing any of that other mana present in her mana before. It was possible he wasn¡¯t looking close enough. Despite evidence to the contrary, he wasn¡¯t very good at magic stuff. It wasn¡¯t as though he was inspecting mana with different affinities embedded all the time.


    Something tickled the edges of Theo¡¯s senses as he made his way from the lab. It was a vague sense he got that something was wrong. He was reminded of the time when Zarali first came to town. At first it felt like a warm breeze washing over him, then like something sniffing around in his soul. As quickly as it had come, it was gone. Checking his administration interface, he found no one was talking about it. A quick message to Xol¡¯sa revealed the wizard had felt nothing.


    ¡°Odd,¡± Theo said, walking from the lab. He sent his own aura as wide as it would go, but felt nothing strange. He could sense the people around town to an extent, and the dungeons in the distance.


    ¡°Tresk, did you feel anything just now?¡± Theo asked, speaking into his connection with his partner.


    ¡°I did,¡± Alex answered. ¡°Far in the distance. Something that¡­ Resonated with me.¡±


    ¡°Pick me up,¡± Theo said, gritting his teeth.


    Tresk was busy doing dungeon crap, so Alex was free. Theo spotted her in the sky, making a wide turn and landing in the nearest clearing. She went down on all four of her limbs and flapped her wings before shooting some fire for effect. He could feel her unease, even without probing too deeply.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Theo said, finding it slightly awkward to get on her back. He wasn¡¯t sure how Tresk did it so often. A moment later he felt his stomach drop into his groin as she took off, pushing with power he didn¡¯t know she had.


    It felt as though only a moment had passed before Broken Tusk was far below. Theo drew on Tresk¡¯s bravery as they ascended upward. It only dawned on him how odd this was. Both he and Alex knew they needed elevation. But what for? He dismissed the thought for now as she urged forward, her powerful wings sending them forward in lurching bursts.


    Rivers passed by below, and soon Gronro came into view. Alex was so unbelievably fast and Theo could do nothing but focus on hanging on. They did a few circles around the dwarven city. The desolation of Balkor¡¯s shade spread out as far as they could see. But there were sparse pockets of green nearest to where they had purged the undead corruption.


    ¡°See anything?¡± Theo asked, squinting against the horizon.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Alex said. ¡°That first pulse was weird. But I don¡¯t feel anything anymore.¡±


    ¡°Am I just being paranoid?¡± Theo asked, holding on tight as Alex dove forward. She brought them further north of Gronro, soaring along the long strands of mountain landscape. This area had also been touched by their restoration efforts, but not as well as the miles south of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling something,¡± Alex said, honking. ¡°It feels like a song.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Theo shouted above the rush of wind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    It appeared as a dot on the horizon. Theo had been watching with his future-sight as a dot appeared. While it was distant, he was absolutely certain of what he would see in about a minute. Without hesitating, he used Tero¡¯gal Dreampassage on both himself and Alex. One moment they were soaring above the wasteland, and the next they were standing on the soft grasses of Tero¡¯gal.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± Alex asked.


    Theo¡¯s brows knit tightly as he turned to the goose-dragon. ¡°It felt like a song to you because it was a dragon.¡±

 7.34 - The Gangs All Here

    The alarm bells rang throughout Broken Tusk. Most members of the local defense force scrambled around, rushing to their stations. Tresk wasn¡¯t sure why. She had reported the dragon Theo saw. It was quite a few miles north of Gronro-dir, so what the hell were they worried about? They might have been worried because everyone knew it was the result of a negative dungeon. Which meant the dragon was an ascendant.


    ¡°Hurry and get back, Theo,¡± Tresk said, gritting her teeth. Her partner was currently in the temporary place between places as he retreated from the dragon. Thanks to the two-to-one time dilation, it would take him a few minutes to get there and back. Or he was just screwing around.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you saw a dragon?¡± Aarok asked, coming up alongside the marshling.


    ¡°Sure did. And I¡¯m gonna kill it,¡± Tresk said, rolling up her sleeves. A dagger appeared in either hand.


    ¡°You can''t be serious," Aarok said, shaking his head. "Can you kill it?"


    "I''ve been training my whole life for this," Tresk said. "Of course I can kill it."


    Aarok had too much to worry about to correct her, and walked off. A few minutes later, Theo and Alex appeared in the air. They flew down and landed below the battlements on the eastern wall. Of course, Tress didn''t hesitate. She jumped down and mounted the dragon goose before flying off.


    ###


    Theo scratched his chin as Tresk flew away. You knew exactly what she was planning to do, but you weren''t sure if it was the right move. She was loaded up with enough utility potions that she could get out of just about anything, but still, you worried about Alex.


    "Are you coming to the front?" Aarok asked, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "We''re sending the trains out right now. You''ll be able to get on the next one if you like."


    As much as Theo disliked riding the trains, he agreed, heading off with the commander to mount one of Throk''s high-speed trams. To his dismay, it took off at top speed, thundering across the landscape and heading for Gronro. Tresk still hadn''t reached the dragon by the time they entered the mountain town. The local force was preparing their defenses, and the alchemist was happy to see they had maintained their rail guns well. They were now trained north toward the wasteland.


    The Dwarven Duke Grot was waiting for them in the town''s center. He had a smile on his face and an axe in his hand. "I''ve never slain a dragon," he said, slamming the axe against his breastplate and laughing. "There''s a first time for everything."


    Theo had a feeling they wouldn''t need to slay the dragon. He suspected the monster emerged from a negative dungeon somewhere to the north. He wasn''t sure how any dungeons could survive over there, but it was undeniable. The dragon wasn''t undead, meaning it wasn''t tainted by Balkor¡¯s necromantic magic. It was a fresh spawn from some random dungeon.


    Tresk spotted the dragon, and Theo watched through her eyes. It wasn''t heading south; it was making its way to the west. In that direction, it would only find more destruction for a few thousand miles before finally hitting Tarantham, at which point it would be cut down by the might of the elves. But before the marshling could engage, another figure emerged. What followed was the most confusing series of events he had seen in quite some time.


    "Someone just tossed a giant net over the dragon," Theo said, scratching his head. "Tresk is cursing and throwing daggers at him, but he''s got some kind of shield."


    "Seriously?" Aarok asked, his face twisting into confusion. "Did we just ride out here for nothing? Hey, how about you keep me updated?¡±


    Theo nodded, watching the events play out through Tresk''s vision. Whoever tossed the net over the dragon was using some kind of magic to repel Tresk. Theo couldn''t tell what the person was doing, but the dragon eventually calmed. The dragon itself was a four-legged, winged, classical dragon. Its scales were shifting shades of opalescence. Once the dragon had calmed, the person who had subdued it gave Tresk a big thumbs up before climbing on the creature''s back and flying away. She watched, gawking the entire time.


    "I''m pretty sure someone just tamed the dragon," Theo said, more confused than when the situation started. "Let''s wait for Tresk to get back to hear her first-hand account. She was pretty far."


    It didn''t take long for Tresk to return. While she seemed rather pissed off, Alex was very excited about the events. The moment she landed, she started jabbering about what she had seen, and how powerful the person who had subdued the dragon was.


    "That was Elrin, dude!" Tresk shouted, throwing a fit. "He stole my dragon."


    "Are you certain?" Theo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, he was riding a giant eagle. And then the eagle disappeared, and he jumped on the dragon''s back after throwing the net,¡± Tresk said, throwing our hands up in the air. ¡°I can''t compete with that. He made me look bad."


    Theo withdrew the communication crystal from his inventory and squeezed it. He felt the haptic call going through, and then Elrin picked up.


    "Yes, that was me," Elrin said, chuckling. "I saw your companion coming to fight the grand dragon. Apologize to her for me."


    Theo was pretty certain he knew what was going on. "Did you tame a dragon?"


    "Indeed I did," Elrin said. He seemed far more excited than normal. He was normally quite dour. ¡°The ones I remember were a lot weaker.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Theo chatted with the man for a minute, but the moment he brought up what the guy''s plans were, he hung up without warning. Apparently, that was a line too far for him. The alchemist let out a sigh and relayed the tale to Aarok and everybody else gathered.


    "If this guy would just work with me," Theo said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We wouldn''t have panicked situations like this."


    "Are we angry that he''s playing world defender?" Aarok asked with a shrug. "If he wants to take out the big bads while we ride out the end of the world, what''s the problem?"


    "The problem is how strong those monsters are," Tresk said, folding her arms. "If we think about how hard it is for Miana to tame the wolves for the goblin wolfriders, you can see why we''re concerned."


    "It takes her at least a week to tame a pup," Theo explained. "This guy just flies up and tames a dragon in a few moments. No, he''s scary. And these aren''t just normal dragons either."


    "It was an Ascendant Dragon," Tresk explained. "Which, depending on how you think about it, means that it satisfies two conditions. It is strong enough to command a realm, and over level 100."


    "Well, when you put it like that, yeah, it seems kind of concerning," Aarok said, shaking his head.


    Theo withdrew another crystal from his inventory and squeezed it. As expected, Fenian picked up pretty quickly.


    "I need a face-to-face," Theo said, trying not to sound too grumpy. "Since you fell through on your promise to help me take care of the dungeons, I need you to get your ass to Broken Tusk."


    "Oh my, my dear alchemist," Fenian said. "I''ll be there with haste."


    Theo hung up and looked at his people, shaking his head. "We''re about to bring more elves back from space, so I''d like to be ready for what happens. Are we making progress on the other dungeons?¡±


    "We''ll have more of them destroyed soon enough," Aarok said. "Do you have any concerns you want to share with the rest of us?"


    ¡°Just a buildup of energy from when we bring the space elves back. You know, it''s going to cause another surge of void magic, which will send the current dungeons plummeting.¡±


    There was some debate about how bad the plunge would be, but Theo wanted to expect the worst. Keeping everything stable was a weird game of whack-a-mole by now, and he really wasn''t sure what the best approach was. Right now, he wanted to understand exactly how strong Elrin was. How high of a level did he get before that other world was reset? What sort of hidden talents was he sitting on?


    Despite Theo''s lack of faith and Fenian, he came pretty quickly. It was surprising enough that everyone rode the train back, and the karatan-drawn carriage appeared near the town''s square, only about an hour after he had been requested. The thing that did shock the alchemist was who stepped out of the carriage. Fenian came first, but then it was Jan and Twist.


    "Those aren''t faces¡ªor a mask¡ªI expected to see again," Theo said, glaring at Jan.


    "Apologies," Twist said with a bow. "I didn''t expect our animosity to be squashed so easily."


    "I''m not sorry about a damn thing," Jan said, crossing his arms.


    "Oh, play nice, you two," Fenian said with a light chuckle. "Run around and enjoy all the town has to offer. I¡¯d like to have a word with my best friend."


    "Oh, we''re best friends now," Theo asked, clicking his tongue. "Funny how you show that friendship. I thought I could count on you to help with the dungeons."


    "Well, I was delayed," Fenian said, patting Theo on the back as he led them away from the crowd. "Things got a little wacky, and I might have gotten myself in some trouble."


    "Fenian got himself into trouble," Theo said dramatically. "News at 11."


    "Do you want to hear the tale or not?" Fenian asked, keeping the mood light by laughing again.


    Yeah, the elf had a way of smoothing things over. He knew Theo couldn''t stay mad for long because they needed each other.


    "Alright man, let''s hear it." Theo said, with a shake of his head. They traveled down the road, heading south towards the smelters and the mine.


    "We tried to kill Death, but it didn¡¯t go well,¡± Fenian said with a weak shrug. ¡°We barely made it out. Jan was forced to use a Return Potion and¡­ Well, I have an answer for a question you had in the past.¡±


    "Wait, Jan was born on Earth, wasn''t he?" Theo asked. "Where did he appear?¡±


    ¡°It generated a long list of system errors, and he was cast into the void. Fortunately, he was near enough to the bridge that I was able to retrieve him, but it was close.¡±


    "So what stopped you from killing death?" Theo asked. "Was he immune to damage or what?"


    "The bastard''s just too smart," Fenian said with a weak shrug. "Even back in the day, he was clever. When he dropped the mantle of shade and became Kuzan, he got even smarter. You know, back before the big reset, he was never intentionally malicious. He was driven by the system to destroy everything, but when he became the leader of the elves¡­ I don''t know, perhaps he changed."


    Theo did not have the same history with Kuzan as Fenian did. From what he could put together, Fenian was awakened somewhere between 200 and 500 years ago. He then masqueraded as a member of House Southblade in the Elven Empire. Something happened, and he was cast out. But from what he knew, Kuzan never took direct action against Fenian and his now deceased wife. That was Karasan.


    "Was it the Seal of Judgment that thwarted you?" Theo asked.


    ¡°In a way,¡± Fenian said, "When we got there, we chatted with Death, which was odd. He''s a lot more reasonable than he used to be and I..."


    Finian''s words hung in the air, and Theo could feel the implication. He gave the elf some time to collect himself. For once, he seemed genuinely emotional.


    ¡°Death has created a queue that locks the soul into a certain fate. Once the next switch happens, the Seal of Judgment ensures he can''t change what happens to the souls, and my wife is on the list for transmigration to another realm.¡±


    Which meant that death held no ill will against Fenian, despite the many attempts he might have made on the once-leader of the Elven Empire. That spoke well to Kuzan¡¯s character in Theo''s eyes. Once Fenian, Twist, and Jan were in Death''s realm, they should have been at his mercy, but instead he had let them live. This was a curious development, but it fell in line with Theo''s assessment of the god.


    "I''ve met with him a few times now," Theo said with a shrug, "and he''s always seemed very reasonable. I think he may simply have a deep need to be the shepherd for these lost souls."


    "As much as I hate admitting that I was wrong, it seems as though in this case, I am," Fenian said, his shoulders slumping. "But that doesn''t mean there isn''t a lot for us still to do."


    "So, your wife is going to be transmigrated?" Theo asked. "Do you know which world she''s going to go to?"


    When Fenian looked up, his eyes were misty. He sniffled and nodded. "Death has promised her transmigration to my world," he said.


    Theo trusted the system, and he trusted the seal. If it did what the system had described, it would ensure Death was honest about his decisions. This was the best outcome they could have hoped for. It was a massive weight off of the alchemist¡¯s shoulders. He felt it physically, almost as though somebody had been pressing against him this entire time, but it was the last bit of evidence he needed.


    "Maybe you should try relaxing for five minutes," Theo said, patting Fenian on the shoulder.


    "Perhaps you should do the same," Fenian retorted, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Now show me, what dungeons do we need to take care of?"

 7.35 - Xotl Potions

    Fenian, Jan, and Twist all joined the adventuring teams taking care of the dungeons. Now that Theo had dungeons further from his city to worry about, he wanted those within town gone before they became a problem. And that problem would come soon. Like, tomorrow. The rescue efforts on the elves would need to wait another day if they couldn¡¯t get every dungeon destroyed. That left the alchemist with some rare free time in his day.


    ¡°You should really try it,¡± Theo said, holding a lump of Xotl Flesh out for Salire.


    She moved back, pinching her nose and squinting. ¡°I¡¯d rather die.¡±


    ¡°It actually tastes pretty good,¡± Theo said, inserting the chunk into his grinder. It made a horrible squishing noise as it ran through the artifice, dropping in piles to the bottom of the still. ¡°Although that doesn¡¯t look appetizing.¡±


    ¡°While this isn¡¯t the worst scent I¡¯ve had the pleasure of inhaling in this lab, it isn¡¯t great,¡± Salire said. She crossed the room, opening the window and fanning the room out with her hands.


    ¡°I still need to check the infusion on a lot of other properties, but the ones from the flesh look interesting,¡± Theo said, starting up another still. Salire had been kind enough to finish a few batches and give him the run of the lab. ¡°I need to get these out of the way or I¡¯ll forget.¡±


    ¡°Curious how a man with a perfect memory can forget,¡± Salire said, tapping her chin.


    Theo smiled to himself. Maybe more Intelligence would help with that. ¡°That got me thinking about what skill I should take at Level 35. It¡¯ll be an in-between skill, so it won¡¯t be amazing.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Pressure, Drown, Echo, and Constrict,¡± Salire said, gesturing to the respective stills for the properties. ¡°None instill confidence, but I¡¯m happy to see the results.¡±


    As long as they did small batches, the potions would be done soon enough. It gave them time to chat while they waited. ¡°How do you think ¡®real¡¯ alchemists do all this stuff?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Distillation is locked behind a skill at Level 50 for non-aligned alchemy,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°They end up mixing poultices,¡± Theo said. ¡°I imagine they use a lot of tools to crush reagents and mix them together. But I think their work is less explosive.¡±


    "Now, where''s the fun in that?" Salire said with a laugh.


    Theo and Salire shared theories about where their alchemy would go toward the next tier. He had to wonder if he would make it there before the switch, but he was hopeful. Perhaps if he buckled down and did more alchemy, he would get closer to it, but it was a passing fancy rather than a goal.


    Right now, the most important thing to Theo was understanding the fundamentals of alchemy and developing it more as a skill, rather than levels. Any transferable skill would be incredibly useful, no matter what happened. The thing he was most confident would transfer over is the control of mana when performing third tier alchemy.


    Both alchemists in the lab had reached a point where even second-tier alchemy was something they could do with few issues. So long as they understood the reagents and properties and how they interacted, they weren''t at much risk of an explosion. The scent the stills produced wasn''t pleasant. It had a fishy odor that lingered in the air. Neither their extractor fan nor the open window could truly banish it, but Theo had smelled far worse brewing essences.


    "We''ll just go straight down the line," Theo said, withdrawing one of the completed essences. It had taken three or four hours, but all the stills had produced enough for them to create a test potion. ¡°Starting with the pressure property.¡±


    All the essences had a slightly blue tinge to them. Theo had the sense that the one he currently held wouldn''t produce something useful, but he had been wrong before. The reaction was fairly tame when Theo introduced the water and the catalyst. It bubbled slightly, looking as though it was effervescent. He kept a close eye on it, but that was about it. It turned a slightly darker shade of blue, and the outside was warm when it was done. Both he and Salire inspected the result.


    [Pressure Potion]


    [Potion]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 92%


    Imbibing this potion allows the drinker to withstand extreme pressures.


    Effect:


    Immunity to high water or air pressures.


    "Correct me if I''m wrong," Salire said, tapping her chin, "but that''s a decently useful potion."


    ¡°Yeah, I''m not sure when it would be incredibly useful, but it isn''t straight-up negative. So yeah, I''d count that one as a win.¡±


    ¡°Now, the Drown property?¡­ I have the feeling it''s going to make a bomb-style potion. What do you think, oh master alchemist?¡± Salire asked.


    ¡°Yes, both the Drown property and the Constrict property should create a bomb-style potion.¡±


    "Ah ha, you see? I think I''m actually learning something," Salire said, beaming. "But I can''t really get a read on the Echo property."


    ¡°We''ll work on Echo after this,¡± Theo said.


    The alchemist got to work on the bomb, finding that the reaction was far less violent than most other bomb-style potions. When he introduced the catalyst and the enchanted water, it bubbled, and the sides of the vial got hot. But none of the contents jumped out or caused any other problems. When the potion was complete, he inspected the result.


    [Drown Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Uncommon


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 95%


    Targets affected by this bomb will drown.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Effect:


    When the liquid of this bomb comes into contact with the skin of a foe, that target will be unable to breathe for 5 minutes.


    ¡°Oh, cool. A horrible potion,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°That follows the theme of the deep sea, though,¡± Theo said. ¡°But I can¡¯t really think of a use for this on its own.¡±


    ¡°Even as an offensive potion, it isn¡¯t very useful. There are more effective ways to deal damage to an enemy,¡± Salire said.


    Theo had to think about it for a moment. Perhaps if they applied this potion in a wide area¡ªlike with the Aerosolize modifier¡ªit could be useful. But even then, setting stuff on fire was normally more effective than depriving it of air. The only thing he could think of was to use this as an infusion property on another bomb, then modify that bomb¡­ The result might be deadly.


    ¡°Time for the next one,¡± Salire said, dusting her hands off. ¡°I¡¯d rather forget about that one.¡±


    Theo nodded, moving onto the Echo property. He wasn¡¯t sure what he thought about this one. The essence seemed more lively than the others, and it held a brighter hue. When he introduced the water and catalyst, it bubbled furiously. Holding it at arm¡¯s length, the alchemist activated his safety squint and waited it out. The scent produced was pleasant, holding a salty undertone that reminded him of the sea. Each other potion just smelled slightly fishy with a strange soapy overtone.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Theo said, inspecting the potion.


    [Echo Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 85%


    Imbibing this potion allows the drinker to sense the world through echolocation. Depending on the density of the surrounding material, this effect might be more or less effective.


    Effect:


    Grants the drinker echolocation for 1 hour. This effect is twice as effective underwater.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Salire said. ¡°You know you want to drink it.¡±


    At least this one didn¡¯t have negative side-effects. Theo only had to think about it for a moment before quaffing the potion. Salire gasped as he did so, not expecting him to actually do it. The effects of the potion weren¡¯t immediate. The alchemist felt something swelling in his forehead, but when he checked there was nothing there. Then it was as though he had two pairs of eyes, one dedicated to sight and the other to echolocation. He pinched his eyes closed right away, a headache developing in his skull.


    ¡°This is trippy,¡± Theo said, swaying on the spot.


    ¡°Describe it to me!¡± Salire shouted.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a one-to-one translation,¡± Theo said. ¡°I can sense things around me, but I can¡¯t see them. Not like with my real eyes. Seems more like it gave me another sense. Yep, I can see you waving at me over there. And you just moved. Oh, god it works with my future-sight. I¡¯m gonna throw up.¡±


    ¡°I wanna try!¡± Salire shouted, taking the leftover essence and brewing a potion of her own. It bubbled violently, settling down to create the same potion.


    The alchemist watched as Salire swayed on the spot, holding onto the table for support. ¡°Oh, yeah. I might puke.¡±


    ¡°If you push it hard enough, you can almost see through stuff,¡± Theo said, focusing his new sense on the door leading downstairs. It felt as though whatever unhearable sound he was producing resonated with the door, continuing onto the other side. Combined with his future-sight, the echolocation power overloaded his senses. And he came to a realization. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can open our eyes for the next hour.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Salire said. She had knocked something over. Theo didn¡¯t see it happen in this unfamiliar sense, but he heard it. ¡°Hope that wasn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°Smells like a potion,¡± Theo said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. Just in case that¡¯s the one that makes you drown.¡±


    ¡°The one that makes you drown, the one that blows you up¡­ This lab is full of dangerous crap that could kill you,¡± Salire said. Theo watched as she shrugged in his echolocation.


    ¡°Hold on, we have another potion to brew,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Sarisa, are you here?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Sarisa said. Strangely, he hadn¡¯t seen her while using the potion. Did that mean the half-ogres actually vanished into the shadows, rather than hiding in them?


    Theo found the last of the essences he needed to test. It was the Constrict Essence, and he could tell it would generate a bomb-style potion. He found an empty bomb vial and poured the essence in, getting ready to mix in the water. Thanks to a practiced hand, he felt as though he tipped in exact quantities. But that¡¯s what Sarisa was here for.


    ¡°Did the shade go slightly lighter? And are there tiny bubbles on the side?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yup. Looking good, boss.¡±


    Theo nodded, adding the catalyst. The reaction was in the middle of the pack as far as violent bomb reactions went. Heat built on the side of the vial as a layer of condensation formed at the same time. The scent was quite fishy, coming in a hint of the sea. That scent settled down a moment later.


    ¡°Time to see if you can inspect an item without seeing it¡­ Yep!¡± Theo was excited as the system message appeared.


    [Constrict Bomb]


    [Bomb]


    Legendary


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 82%


    Target is restrained and crushed by the pressures of the deep sea.


    Effect:


    A single target is afflicted with the pressure of the deep sea. For 5 minutes, they will experience the pressure of the deepest ocean on the planet.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Alchemical horrors beyond my comprehension,¡± Salire said.


    ¡°That one might be useful,¡± Theo said. ¡°It isn¡¯t explicit, but this should do a lot of damage. Although, I don¡¯t know how deep the deepest part of the ocean is.¡±


    ¡°Pretty deep,¡± Sarisa said. ¡°Not that Broken Tuskers sail, but I¡¯ve heard some stories from people stopping in at the port. I mean, they mostly talk about the size of the monsters they run into on the high sea. If that¡¯s anything to go by, we¡¯re talking about some deep water.¡±


    There was some debate in the room about how deep it could be, and how they could test it. Theo could take the bomb to the Dreamwalk and test it out, as long as it cooperated. But the experimentation was done for now and Salire couldn¡¯t continue her work for the day. Instead, they left the lab to mess with the echolocation effect.


    The biggest drawback to the effect was how much it overloaded their brains. Sensing a few people was simple, but as they drew closer to larger crowds it got more taxing. It wasn¡¯t as easy to focus their attention as it was with sight or hearing. Theo had a lot of trouble singling out people in crowds. Instead, they just appeared as massive blobs that clogged his thoughts and worsened his headache.


    ¡°I¡¯m going home,¡± Theo said, finding it hard to stand.


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Salire agreed. ¡°By the gods, this one is rough.¡±


    Sarisa helped Theo limp back home. She had a lot of theories on how that potion could be super useful, as long as the person imbibing the potion had a lot of training. The alchemist got a rare look into the way she made food for them everyday, including her process of deciding what to make. She based it off what was easy to get. Whisper had some decent cuts of meat for sale at the butcher, so she planned to do a take on a Broken Tusk classic.


    Theo judged the entire process by smell. The scent of meat being browned in a pan came first, joined with the sound of something sizzling in oil or butter. The richness of that scent revealed it was butter a few moments later. Next came pungent garlic or onions and after that were the herbs and spices. Just a few too many spices, since the alchemist found his nose stinging from the smell. The pan sizzled as liquid was introduced. After chopping more things up, he heard the drop into the liquid.


    Salire reduced this soup down far more than the stuff Xam typically made. By the time Theo¡¯s sight was restored, he saw she was making it more as a stew. But she didn¡¯t stop by reducing it a little. The sauce shrunk to barely cover the meat and vegetables, creating almost a curry.


    ¡°Dungeons!¡± Tresk shouted as she burst into the room, laughing. ¡°Oh, man. Fenian is a monster in the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah? Did you guys take care of another one today?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Scratch off the Cave Dungeon. Shocking, since it was Level 45,¡± Tresk said, stretching her back. ¡°Dang, what smells so good?¡±


    ¡°Classic Broken Tusk wolf stew,¡± Salire said, placing the pot on the table. She had some flatbread to go with it.


    ¡°Just like papa used to make it,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together.


    Theo sat at the table, prepared to eat with his companions. He was just glad the marshling had forgotten about the dragon. Or perhaps she was just hiding it well¡­


    ¡°Come on, jokers,¡± Tresk said, dishing some stew out for herself. ¡°Let¡¯s EAT!¡±

 7.36 - Sausages and Tea

    ¡°Been a while since I¡¯ve done some testing,¡± Theo said to no one in particular. ¡°Are you going to work with me today?¡±


    After having dinner, Theo and Tresk had retreated into the Dreamwalk. It didn''t seem as though it would fight against him tonight. After all, he had already created the potions he intended to test, so it shouldn''t have had anything to complain about. Of course, Trask had already summoned the image of the dragon she had tried to fight and was currently battling it, claiming that she could have beat it, ¡®IRL¡¯.


    At least she had agreed to set the scene near the ocean so he could test these potions properly.


    First was the easiest potion to test. Theo had to convince the Dreamwalk not to drown him as he walked into the sea. He had imagined a drop-off that would allow him to ensure the pressure potion worked properly. It wasn¡¯t shocking when he moved around the depths¡ªweighed down by a rock¡ªand nothing happened. He could feel the pressure pushing in from all sides, but nothing else. But he wasn''t crushed by the depths.


    Just to put the potion through its paces, he swam his way to the surface, expecting to feel the effects of rapid depressurization. But once again, nothing happened. It was a delightful outcome to an uncertain potion. While he was in the water, he checked the Echo potion, which worked far better than it did on the surface.


    "Two down, two to go," Theo said. It was time to test the bombs. Well, he didn''t expect anything mind-blowing. It was always very important to know exactly how a potion worked, no matter how specific the description seemed. It could often react in unexpected ways.


    Goblins were always an excellent testing dummy. A small goblin appeared on the beach. Looking around in confusion, Theo had imagined it with no purpose. So it just stood there as he prepared to toss a Drown Bomb. It turned out that watching a goblin drown on dry land wasn''t as entertaining as Theo had expected. It was exactly as the potion described. The goblin seemed to be without air for a while before he un-imagined it.


    But it wasn''t as bad as the constrict bomb. The pressures of the deep sea could apparently do some seriously nasty stuff to a body, and the alchemist didn''t wish to remember it. It was a horrible day to have a perfect memory.


    With time left to screw around, Theo checked out his various core levels of interest. Right now, he was mainly focusing on his alchemy and herbalism cores, but something interesting would happen soon with his Tara¡¯hek core. It had been sitting at level 39 for quite some time, seeming reluctant to roll over to level 40. While his other cores were bound to the maximum level of his two primary cores, this one just didn''t care.


    When his alchemy and herbalism skills leveled up, that would cause his personal level to increase as well. And that would give him access to an ability point, which he was unsure what he would spend it on. Of course, he hoped for an ability that made mana infusion easier for alchemy. He had put herbalism mostly to the side for now, but perhaps it was time to invest more effort into that.


    Tresk and Alex landed nearby. The marshling jumped down and placed her hands on her hips in pride. "I could have beat that dragon," she said, grinning. "If Elrin hadn''t come and taken it from under me, that would have been my kill."


    ¡°Speaking of Elrin,¡± Theo said, "I''ve wanted to get all the throne holders together, along with him, for a meeting. Do you think you have time to do that tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Where we meeting?¡±


    ¡°I think Kahak would be best. I don''t know if Kahar can travel outside of the Arbiter Citadel.¡±


    "Yeah, but can Fenian and Elrin travel through the void?" Tresk asked.


    "It should be possible," Theo said with a shrug. "Fenian travels through it often, even if it''s over the bridge of shadows. And Elrin has a special affinity with the shards. I''m sure it''ll be fine."


    "Or they''ll explode," Tresk said, nodding. "Anyway, yeah, I''m down for it. But does this mean you''re delaying bringing the rest of the space elves back?"


    "Just by a day," Theo said. "I think the healers could use more rest.¡±


    ¡°Cool. I¡¯m gonna kill another dragon.¡±


    ###


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish,¡± Elrin said through the communication crystal. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your town soon.¡±


    Elrin hung up before Theo could correct him. It was a city now, not a town, even if it was a tiny city. He sighed, looking across the table at Fenian and nodded. Theo, Tresk, and Fenian had gathered in the Marsh Wolf Tavern to have breakfast. Sarisa and Rowan were thrilled that they didn''t have to make food and had been sent off to do whatever they wanted on their own today.


    "What exactly is this meeting about?" Fenian asked.


    "Everyone who holds a throne has a duty to the planet," Theo explained. "We all have our parts to play, and I wanted to make sure we''re playing them correctly."


    "And what about Elrin? Why have you added him to the mix?" Fenian asked.


    "He doesn''t hold an official throne now, but I think he did in the past," Theo said. "Even if he doesn''t, he has a special relationship with the shards, which we''ve already determined are very important."


    "I don''t recall if he had a throne," Fenian answered honestly. "He kept a lot of stuff from us, but then again, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Well, actually two worlds."


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    "He''s too insular," Theo said. "We need to make him feel like he belongs to this group."


    "You might have trouble with that one," Fenian said. "Back in the day, we established a guild to help protect the world. He was always dropping in here and there, but it never seemed like he truly fit in."


    "Doesn''t matter how hard it is," Theo said. "He''s too powerful not to draw into the fold, and I don''t think he''s a bad guy. Was he a bad dude back in the day? Seems like he had a couple of enemies."


    "Twist" is a bit of an exception," Fenian explained. "The man has never told me the full story, but he always said he didn''t belong in our world. And Jan had a personal vendetta against him for something that he was completely wrong about."


    "What about that vendetta?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Here''s how it worked. Earth and the Iaredin were symbiotically linked. From what I understand, the people on Earth were given a chance to come to our world. They could pick one of two options. The first was to visit. They could come and go as they pleased. But the second was to come permanently.¡±


    "And Jan was involved in this somehow," Theo said. "Did a loved one of his go to the other world permanently?"


    "Exactly. From what I understand, his cousin or nephew had an incurable disease and chose to reach the other world permanently for a new body. It worked out very well for him, but of course, Jan wasn''t happy about it. He fought with Elrin when the carnage spilled to Earth, but he could never win."


    The story about Earth before his time got wilder every time Theo heard it. None of this was in the history books he remembered. And he could only explain it away by considering the way his governments controlled information. There was also the possibility that the knowledge was lost, seeing as so many years had passed.


    "So does anybody know how Elrin got so strong?" Theo asked.


    ¡°He never really told us directly, but from what I saw, he had three things on his side. The first was that he didn''t sleep. Ever. He doesn''t need to rest to regain his stamina and can keep going almost indefinitely. There were stories about him fighting against hordes of monsters for days on end without taking a break.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would be a powerful ability.¡±


    ¡°The second was his crafting. People were limited to only accepting one crafting profession and one gathering profession, but that rule didn''t apply to Elrin. He could do it all, and he did. Blacksmithing, goldsmithing, tailoring, carpentry. He leveled it all and reaped the rewards. He could also make items that were more powerful than the ones the other crafters could make.¡± Fenian took a long pause after this one, seeming to fall back into his memories. ¡°I used to beg him for his wares. That¡¯s where I made some of my highest profits.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the last point?¡± Tresk asked impatiently.


    ¡°The last one is simple,¡± Fenian said, "Logistics. One of the biggest problems we had was moving people from one place to another. Now, you''ll remember, most of this war took place in the area now occupied by Tarantham. There were several major cities all linked with airship networks, but getting from one place to another could take days. During an attack on the city of Perisart, we only had a meager force to defend it. All our people were in the field. The overland trip took about a week. The commander of that siege had been half a world away when the attack started, and arrived in about an hour.¡±


    ¡°Elrin,¡± Theo said with a nod.


    ¡°Indeed. He made the trip from Hallben to Perisart in a few hours and rallied the troops. Of course, he held favor with the royal elven family, so they provided him with a cadre of mages and the fiercest company of elven warriors led by Silvain.¡± Fenian shivered. ¡°Gods, what I wouldn¡¯t give to see that man fight again.¡±


    So Elrin had three big cheats that allowed him to rise to power, and it wasn''t surprising since that old world experienced a reset from what the Alchemist understood. Everybody was put back to level one, and they had to work their way back up. If Elrin didn''t have to sleep and he could craft and go anywhere he wanted in a blink, he would¡¯ve risen to power extremely quickly.


    ¡°Good to know more about the guy,¡± Theo said. ¡°He always seemed like a brooding loner.¡±


    ¡°Well, he had a family back then,¡± Fenian said. ¡°His mother and father were alive when the swap happened, so I imagine they¡¯re still here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s kinda rough,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°We made it work somehow. Do either of you know how this new-new world is going to pan out?¡±


    ¡°I only have guesses,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°But I think all our realms will be different worlds. Travel between them might be difficult.¡±


    ¡°I guessed as much. Any idea how much of our powers translate?¡±


    Theo tapped his chin. He really wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°How much of your power translated from the old world?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. I have a system message that has been blinking for about 100 years that I¡¯ve ignored,¡± Fenian said with a shrug. ¡°From what Jan said, it combines your current class with the old one if you accept the message. The system placed him pretty high, so he got a head-start.¡±


    Theo didn¡¯t think the system would do a one-to-one migration of their cores and levels. He had a feeling it would rewrite the system, taking the chance to make things right. The last time Iaredin was migrated, the system had been constrained by something. It was almost as though it wasn¡¯t fully awake, which might have been why the space elves were able to steal the shards. But now that both the regular system and the monitor system were working correctly, it would restart everything.


    This could come as a total rework of the system, where everyone lost everything. Or it could bring over some stuff¡­


    ¡°How different is the leveling system here compared to your time?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°A lot different. We didn¡¯t have cores,¡± Fenian said with a laugh. ¡°We were locked into one class that we could change through evolution. It favored gaining levels rather than going wide.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. My theory is that the system will reboot us once again. If we retain the core system, I think we¡¯ll have something closer to the specialized main core and sub core system,¡± Theo said. ¡°I can¡¯t really guess if the system wants to keep seed cores, though. That seems like a system design to encourage destruction.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Fenian asked with a smile. ¡°Yes, it is a devious aspect of the system that allows nations to rebuild overnight.¡±


    ¡°This place has sixty-thousand years of history none of us here know about,¡± Theo said. ¡°How messed up is that? How many lives came and went?¡±


    ¡°Too many,¡± Tresk said.


    ¡°And here we are! At a brave new frontier!¡± Fenian said, hosting his glass of fruit juice in the air. ¡°We¡¯ll reforge this world to make it better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that,¡± Theo said, toasting with his tea.


    Tresk ate a sausage in celebration.


    Breakfast went well after that. It was nice having Fenian around again. Especially since there was nothing for them to do before Elrin arrived. When they were done eating, they went out and appreciated the statue the elf had commissioned for Salire and Xol¡¯sa¡¯s wedding. The stillness of the morning was broken when a shriek issued in the distance. The bells of the town rang.


    Theo spotted it and shook his head.


    ¡°Hold on, I gotta call Aarok and his boys off,¡± Theo said, opening his administration interface. ¡°Elrin is riding in on his dragon.¡±

 7.37 - Baby Duelist

    Things had calmed down significantly in Broken Tusk. Rowan, of all people, appreciated how unexciting life had gotten. It was back to the old days of stomping through the swamp, poking turtles, and getting up to trouble as often as possible. That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t important tasks he could ignore, though. Even when he wasn¡¯t serving the archduke, he was often given side-quests. Today was no different.


    Shifting from the shadows, Rowan came out into the wide, open-air market and smelled the stink. He nodded to people as he passed, searching for anyone that fit the bill. Theo had given him specific instructions. Vials of potions clattered in his leather bag. He could have brought them into his inventory, but he liked the sound.


    Now that the healers weren''t busy with the space elves, he had been freed from his spare time duties, but it didn''t hurt to prowl the popular areas of the city. At any moment somebody could get injured, and those in charge of the town saw it as their responsibility to keep people safe.


    "There''s a foul wind blowing from the north," Rowan overheard a dwarf muttering as he passed between two vendors'' stalls. He stopped leaning against the shoddy counter and raised a brow at the man.


    "Where did you even come from?" Rowan asked, drumming his fingers on the counter. "I know dwarves don''t sail."


    "That''s moderately insensitive of you, half-ogre," the dwarf said, his bushy brows knitting. ¡°I came overland from the north. There are finally enough bridges, and lacking necromantic power, we can travel again.¡±


    ¡°So, the whole thing with Balkor didn¡¯t even shake the dwarves?¡± Rowan asked with a booming laugh. He smacked his hand on the counter, perhaps a little too hard, as it shifted to one side.


    ¡°Careful with your giant meat paws.¡± The dwarf grumbled, adjusting the counter. ¡°But yes, that''s the advantage of living underground.¡±


    Rowan had fun going around the market, but there weren''t people to help, so he grew bored. Fortunately for him, something rang out from the north. A wind that dwarf was talking about came to visit Broken Tusk. The air rumbled for a moment, sending some people clattering sideways. A sound issued from far in the distance, shaking the very ground. And then the stampede started. Panicked merchants rushed for the eastern gate, finding refuge deeper inside the city.


    "My time to shine," Rowan said, rolling his sleeves above his elbows. A smile spread across his face as he pulled a pale pink potion from his bag. The instant he quaffed it, the potion spread through him. Pain raced through his entire body. It felt as though hot needles were being stabbed into every inch of his skin, but he endured.


    Replacing the pain was a dull ache. He could feel every inch of himself, covered in a dense layer of fluffy material. Without prompting, pieces broke off, flitting into the air as though drawn by unseen currents. They drifted, falling on the injured, and healing them, if only a little.


    ¡°The sacred duty!¡± Rowan shouted, his arms wide.


    Defenders on the eastern wall shook their heads as they watched Rowan''s display. Ever since Theo gave him the healing potion with the Fluff modifier, he had taken it upon himself to act as some kind of martyr. It was always the same. Somebody would get hurt, and Rowan would rush in to sacrifice himself. Those who had spent their entire lives in Broken Tusk understood the man''s eccentricities. Those that knew him most smiled at the selfless display.


    ¡°Is that man an idiot?¡± one elf¡ªfrom House Wavecrest¡ªasked another defender.


    ¡°He¡¯s a hero,¡± Luras responded, doing his best not to crack a smile. ¡°Show some respect.¡±


    ###


    Theo shielded his eyes from the bright sun above. A dark shape had moved from the north, tracking a path along the river and headed directly for Broken Tusk. The ear-splitting shriek the creature had emitted was enough to rattle his bones, but he was ready to meet with Elrin.


    "That guy cheated," Tresk said, jabbing a finger skyward. "I got a dragon the old-fashioned way. By feeding dragon bones to a goose."


    "In no way, shape, or form," Theo said, "Is that the old-fashioned way."


    Tresk grumbled but folded her arms and watched as Elrin approached on his dragon. What he rode wasn''t a true dragon either. It was a creation by a negative dungeon, which made it something else. He couldn''t say exactly what that was, but it was some kind of an ascendant, system-generated monster. The dragon egg itself seemed like a classically themed dragon with four legs, a large pair of wings, and a swishing tail. It angled its long neck, banking as it headed to the ground.


    When the dragon was in full view of the sun, Theo could get a better look at it. It was almost entirely pale white along the length of its body, with small striations of blue racing through its scales. When it finally landed, he spotted the wide grin on Elrin''s face. The smug bastard.


    "You could have made a less impactful entrance," Theo said, hands on his hips as he approached the man.


    "Now, where would be the fun in that?" Elrin said, laughing and smiling. The alchemist couldn''t remember if it was the first time he had seen the man do such, but it was actually refreshing.


    "I should have guessed your class was based on taming monsters," Theo said, approaching and peering beyond Elrin to see the dragon. "May I pet it?"


    "You may pet him," Elrin corrected. "This is Trevor. His soul is shared through all of his beast forms."


    "Hello, Trevor," Theo said, approaching and petting the dragon on the snout. The creature was absolutely massive. It couldn''t fit through the gates in Broken Tusk, and it couldn''t move through the streets. Its scales were as hard as Drogramathi Iron, but held a warmth. The Alchemist felt a flash of jealousy from both Tresk and Alex and backed away from the dragon before it became a problem.


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    "So we''re going to a meeting," Elrin asked, clapping Theo on the shoulder.


    "Is it just me, or are you in a much better mood?" Theo asked, shaking his head.


    "I''ve sorted many things out," Elrin said with a nod, "between the problems in the heavens and this meeting of minds. I''ve been put in a much better mood. Also, the shard system is healing¡­ too slowly since we don''t have all of them, but it''s healing."


    "Great news all around," Theo said, smiling back at the excited man. "Now, just to check, you''re not going to try to kill Fenian, are you?"


    ¡°Old Ivaran?¡± Elrin asked, shaking his head, ¡°No. Not unless I need to.¡±


    Theo wasn''t expecting Elrin''s arrival so soon, but with him here, the four most important people on the planet were gathered. Now, they simply had to proceed to Khahar''s realm for the meeting itself.


    ¡°I don''t see any sense in waiting. Let''s collect the elf, and we can head up to Khahar''s realm, unless you have any objections?¡±


    "None," Elrin said, turning and nodding to Trevor. The dragon beat its wings, taking off into the air and heading north. "He''s going to do some scouting for me while we''re gone. I don''t think your people would appreciate a dragon at their doorstep."


    "Excellent," Theo said. "Let''s get moving."


    ###


    Khahar''s realm, which had vainly been named Khahak, was an intimidating place. After making one quick stop, Theo appeared with his cadre at the base of the Arbiter''s Citadel. Elrin issued a low whistle as he looked over the metropolis. It was truly the most sprawling thing any of them gathered had seen, and the most auspicious of those the alchemists had brought with them was Benton.


    "I''m not sure I can make tea under so much pressure," Benton said, wringing his hands.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Theo said, "This is partly because I wanted to have some tea during our meeting, and partly because I wanted to test how easy it is to move people between realms."


    "I''m not sure I enjoy being used for a test," Benton said in objection. "But I''ll come along for now. Just promise to bring me out of here if I''m going to explode or something."


    "We may as well get going now," Fenian said, pushing to the front of the group. "The elevator to the top takes forever."


    The people who had come to inhabit the realm were now varied. At first, it had only been the cat-people, but as souls from the mortal realm drifted, some landed here. Of course, they were all meant to go to Death''s realm, but that was before the gods were fully in place. How it would work after the switch was anyone''s guess, but that was part of the reason they were here, wasn''t it?


    The interior of the Citadel was massive. Looking up, Theo felt dizzy as he tried to understand the distance from where he stood to the top of the tower. Of course, Khahar would make it so they could see all the way to the top. He focused his attention on the ground to avoid vomiting. The ride up the elevator was no better.


    It might have been an impetuous act of Theo, but he didn''t wait for an invitation or permission to enter Khahar''s chambers. He pushed the massive double doors open and was nearly blinded by the light within. For a fraction of a second, he thought he saw the master of this realm speaking with somebody. But as his eyes adjusted to the light, there was nothing.


    "What an unexpected visit," Khahar said, standing behind a massive wooden desk and looking out the equally gargantuan windows. ¡°And you brought friends.¡±


    "Allies, more like it," Fenian clarified, striding across the room and taking a seat in a chair opposite. He kicked his feet up on the table and released a heavy sigh.


    "I guess I''ll make some tea," Benton said, looking around in confusion. He scampered off when he spotted the implements he would need to make it.


    The group arranged chairs so they could all sit. Khahar took his spot in front of the table and sat with a sigh, scratching the fur on his face with his clawed fingers. Something told Theo he was up to something, something he didn''t want to reveal for some reason. Which was only moderately annoying since things had been going so well.


    "The purpose of this meeting is simple," Theo said, with a weak shrug. "I wanted to make sure that everybody affecting the mortal world had a place to air things they were working on or needed help with."


    ¡°It''s like a support group for people with special powers,¡± Tresk said, clapping. ¡°I like the sound of that. First order of business: I¡¯d like another dragon, please.¡±


    Elrin stifled a laugh.


    ¡°Well, we''re all greatly anticipating the reset, aren''t we?¡± Fenian asked. "Do we know exactly when that''s going to happen, or if the system is going to give us leeway?"


    ¡°The system needs each of the shards in place to do a reset,¡± Elrin said, "Despite what it might tell you, it works in symbiosis with the shards, like a conduit to the mortal world. Think of it more like an anchor to its power. Besides needing the shards, it will deplete an inordinate amount of energy from those shards. I will need to reset them after the system does its thing.¡±


    "Which means you have plenty of time to see your machinations through," Khahar said, nodding to Fenian.


    "Speaking of schemes," Theo said, nodding toward Khahar. "Is there anything you want to share with the class?"


    "Nothing that I would concern myself with if I were you," Khahar said. "I''ll only say this. I don''t entirely trust the system or the gods to ensure everything goes smoothly. As you already know, the throne of the Arbiter is in charge of enforcing the rules in the heavens, and yet I''ve been locked out from the heavens. I''m working on a way to change that."


    "What about the seal of judgment?" Tresk asked with a shrug. "Shouldn''t that set the gods right?"


    ¡°In theory,¡± Khahar said, ¡°but I''d rather have my finger on it.¡±


    There was a pause in the conversation as Benton came over, serving tea to each member waiting there. They also brought scones, which the alchemist appreciated. That pause in the conversation extended as everybody sipped the piping hot tea and took a bite of their confection. As always, it was absolutely delicious.


    "We have little to add," Theo said, gesturing between himself and Tresk. "On my end, the void seems fairly stable. The passageway between places has been collapsed, except for the Bridge of Shadows. Once I remove the shards from the space elf island, I believe it will collapse."


    "Nothing crazy happening for me," Tresk said, raising her hand. "The mortal world is working as it should, as far as I know."


    "The same goes for me," Fenian said. "There are a few loose ends I need to tie up, but they aren''t directly related to my position as herald. Instead, I''ve been spending my time hunting a few troublemakers and informing the world''s population about the end."


    "That''s oddly responsible of you," Theo said.


    Fenian winked.


    "I''ve been preparing the sites for the shards," Elrin said, "and dealing with a few... negative dungeons."


    "Perhaps you could work with Fenian to take care of some of those. We didn''t think they extended past Broken Tusk," Theo said.


    "I would be happy to have the baby duelist along with me," Elrin said, nodding to Fenian. "So long as he can carry his weight."


    "I just felt a shiver go up my spine," Fenian said, squirming in his chair. "Yes, that will be agreeable."


    "I''m working on something," Khahar said. "The only thing I''m comfortable saying is that it''s regarding the gods and keeping them accountable. I''ve made some progress, but it''s difficult. Nothing I''m doing should impact the transition, and it might even help us prepare."


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Fenian said, clapping. ¡°Now that we''ve gotten business out of the way, would anybody care to engage in some gossip? You won¡¯t believe what they¡¯re doing in Bantein.¡±

 7.38 - Level 35

    With little ¡®official¡¯ business to handle in the meeting of throne-holders and otherwise powerful people, the meeting devolved into idle chit-chat with tea and scones. Theo released a heavy sigh, closing his eyes as he ate another lemon scone. Somehow Benton had increased his skills in baking and tea-making. Fenian had increased his skills in embellishment and story-telling.


    ¡°Using her own hair, she strangled him!¡± Fenian said, finishing a tale Theo was certain he had invented completely.


    ¡°A yarn I¡¯m sure you made up entirely,¡± Elrin said, patting the elf on the shoulder.  ¡°Do you remember how your wife used to beat you when you went off like that?¡±


    ¡°I can still hear her screams,¡± Fenian said, sighing with contentment.


    The conversation rolled on for some time, until it became exactly what Theo had hoped for. Elrin had been on the outside of their circle for too long. But this recent shift in his personality had opened something. Now he would enjoy these moments. The moments that represented calm in a chaotic life. The alchemist remembered back to when he had tea with the false gods in his realm. They would all gather on their own. No invite required.


    The tea party wound down after a while. When there was no more tea to drink, no more scones to eat, and no more interesting stories to share, the group parted from Khahar¡¯s company. Theo drew them all into his aura and dropped them into the void.


    ¡°Khahar is up to something,¡± Elrin said. ¡°I saw the image of a silver hara¡¯nas when we entered his office.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re called khahari here,¡± Fenian corrected.


    ¡°The image had a sense of divinity,¡± Elrin said, ignoring Fenian¡¯s correction.


    "Khahar isn''t the kind of guy that would keep something from us for no reason," Theo said. "We should assume that whatever he''s doing is secretive for a purpose."


    "It doesn''t matter," Elrin said. "Whatever schemes he has will be set aside when everything resets."


    The group moved through the void with no issues. They landed exactly where they had left, and, as promised, the dragon had left. However, Alex was still there, waiting for them to return. Although Theo had told them to stand down, the adventurers were still in defensive positions on the wall, prepared to strike out at anything strange.


    ¡°Well, that was supremely entertaining,¡± Theo said, stretching. ¡°Elrin, you''re free to hang out in town if you want. It would be nice if you could stick around and help with the dungeons, Fenian.¡±


    "I think I''ll do exactly that," Fenian said with a nod. "I''ve got a few more things to take care of, but I''m always happy to lend a hand to my favorite alchemist."


    There was little more to be said. Theo had something of his own to take care of, and with a bit of free time today, he intended to work on it. The group said their farewells, all going their own separate ways. Of course, Fenian and Elrin departed together. The beastmaster was apparently going to help with the dungeons, which would be nice. They had a few more to destroy in the area before Broken Tusk could be safe. The Alchemist made his way to his herbalist''s workshop, a place he had neglected in recent memory.


    The problem with researching and expanding his knowledge of Reagans was the complexity. It was a supremely confusing world to delve into, even with all the knowledge he had about the art. Theo went around the back of the building to see his experimental plots. There was the deadly flower, still growing. He had left it there with no desire to interact with it. Now, he felt more confident, whether it was the Night¡¯s End flower he would work on, or something else. He intended to put this building to good use.


    One aspect of the new form of alchemy was the necessity for purity. His Tero¡¯gal Greenhouses could do a lot to force a reagent to work with him. For now, he cleared away the deadly flower, taking it to his inventory and intending not to bring it out for quite some time, and went to retrieve a Spiny Swamp Thistle from his greenhouse. He brought it back to the workshop and placed it on the table, invoking the research feature of the building.


    If Theo were to compare the rue that had been growing in his greenhouse to those in the wild, there was an interesting contrast. The thistle that grew around the town was impure to a degree that was difficult to imagine. It was like taking a bottle of wine and dumping it into the ocean. How much wine was left when compared to the expansive sea? So, the cultivated root was impossibly pure. But the new form of alchemy didn''t seem to suffer from this problem with monster-born reagents. Those were just about as pure as they could be. But then again, the types of reagent he was working with lately were from high-level or otherwise rare monsters.


    Then there were the methods you needed to take into consideration. They had started with Taro¡¯gal''s alchemy at a point where they knew nothing about it, but through rigorous experimentation, they had turned it into a refined process. Much of their recent success was owed to this.


    Theo messed around in the workshop for a bit, and then he darted between it and the lab, helping Salire with whatever it was she was working on, as always. She was the workhorse of the lab, producing much of the potions consumed by the town. At first, he didn''t understand his manic back-and-forth dash until he remembered one of his recent goals. Until the system message appeared, it had sort of slipped his mind.


    [Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Core] received experience (0.001%).


    [Tero¡¯gal Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 35.


    [Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core] received experience (0.002%).


    [Tero¡¯gal Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 35.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    [Theo Spencer] received experience (0.1%).


    [Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 35.


    [Theo Spencer] received one free point.


    "I just leveled up," Theo said, stepping away from the worktable and placing his hands on his hips. "I can''t remember the last time I saw that message."


    "That''s a mid-level, isn''t it?" Salire asked. "Nothing as exciting as a multiple of ten."


    "No, but I''ve gotta go through this big list of abilities and find one worth taking."


    The mid-level ability options were often fillers compared to the ones that came at multiples of 10. Theo thumbed through the list. For this free ability, he focused on stuff that would help his alchemy and herbalism. Either option would present a boon to his process, and since those cores were his highest it only made sense. First, he whittled down the list to a few options that would make life easier. But of course, one stuck out.


    ¡°I have a lot of useful abilities already,¡± Theo said. ¡°My latest ability is Reagent Splicing, which hasn¡¯t seen much use.¡±


    ¡°Every ability can¡¯t be a winner,¡± Salire said, tapping her chin. ¡°I always look for abilities that are universal within the class. Know what I mean?¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°Right. The wider an ability is, the more impact it has on the class core. But ultra-specific abilities can be nice, too. My constructs ability has been amazing. But as I¡¯m looking through these options, I have an observation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re just pontificating today, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Theo chuckled. This was far more of a nuts-and-bolts conversation than he was prepared to have with Salire today. ¡°Something like that. There¡¯s a skill here for infusion. But we¡¯re already doing infusion. Guess I never thought much about, but all the abilities just make stuff easier. Personal skill can overcome that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought about abilities as shortcuts,¡± Salire said with a shrug. ¡°So, does that mean you¡¯re going for the infusion ability?¡±


    That was an excellent question, but Theo wasn¡¯t so sure. He could always pick it up at Level 40 if he missed it here. But the other options for him to pick right now weren¡¯t as interesting. The other problem there was that he wasn¡¯t having trouble with infusion right now. It came naturally. He inspected it for now before making a decision, reading the text out for Salire so she could weigh in.


    [Tero¡¯gal Alchemical Infusion]


    Alchemy Skill


    Epic


    Allows the user greater success while infusing essences with spell arrays.


    Effect:


    Increased chance of success while infusing.


    Increased purity of resulting potions.


    Expanded access to spell arrays while infusing essences.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s a weak pick or not,¡± Salire said, tapping her chin. ¡°What are we comparing it to?¡±


    ¡°Dismissing all the options related to my other cores, there are a few skills that increase the purity of stuff I produce¡­ Also one that makes handling deadly plants easier,¡± Theo said. ¡°I thought about the plants one for a while, but¡­ Seems as though that one is limited.¡±


    Salire engaged in a brief debate about which would be best. It seemed academic after a while, seeing as she was leaning toward Tero¡¯gal Alchemical Infusion. Truth was, Theo had all the skills he needed to make it through the reset. Rather than that, he thought about the future of alchemy and any influence he might have on it.


    ¡°If you consider our actions now, they might reflect what alchemy looks like on the other side,¡± Theo said. ¡°What would you say is the embodiment of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s Alchemy?¡±


    Salire tapped her chin before idly working on some potions. ¡°At first we were all about volume. When Drogramath got the boot, I thought it was about quality. What I¡¯ve learned is that Tero¡¯gal¡¯s alchemy is more about understanding, rather than purity. Once you started working with infusions, I came to that realization.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting way to think about it.¡± Theo considered all the ways Tero¡¯gal¡¯s version of alchemy differed from Drogramath¡¯s version. ¡°That¡¯s a really great way to put it. Tero¡¯gal Alchemy is more about understanding everything about a reagent and an essence.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly,¡± Salire said, snapping her fingers. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d go with the infusion skill. That¡¯s the frontier I¡¯m most interested in.¡±


    Theo took her opinion seriously. Not only was she intuitively good at alchemy, she had a practical approach to most things. No more internal debate was required, and he went with the new skill. With it comfortably slotted in his alchemy core, he closed his eyes and took a breath.


    The skill might have influenced his mind slightly, but it was hard to tell. ¡°Looks like I need to invest more time into spellcraft,¡± he said, opening his eyes and shaking his head. ¡°No matter how hard I try, Xol¡¯sa¡¯s vision for me seems to come true.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Can¡¯t get away from the damned space elf, can ya?¡± Salire asked, patting him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you study. What level of spellcasting are you at?¡±


    ¡°Zero, I think,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯ve never really cast a spell. I mean, Tero¡¯gal Magecraft is basically an undeveloped art.¡±


    ¡°So, develop it,¡± Salire said. ¡°That¡¯s our entire mission now, isn¡¯t it? What kind of spells do you want your class to have?¡±


    That was an excellent question. Theo didn¡¯t see it developing into an offensive thing. It started based on Toru¡¯aun¡¯s Demon Mage class and developed from there. Right now, it was a class based on subtlety and the concept of reaction. If the alchemist could change one thing about it, it would be the way it specialized so deeply into warding magic. Instead, his preference would be enhancement or defensive magic. Things he could cast on someone to enhance their prowess. He knew that steering the core that far away from its roots might be impossible, but that¡¯s what he wanted.


    The alchemist thought back to something that happened during monster waves. When Zarali was still a worshiper of Drogramath, she would perform town-wide buffs that really helped during those times. Why couldn¡¯t his form of magic become something like that? Would that conflict too much with the concept of wards? Even so, perhaps there was a compromise¡­


    ¡°Well, now I¡¯m going to study how to shift the course of an entire class core,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. As absurd as that sounded when he said it aloud, he knew he could do it. They were already doing it with alchemy. ¡°Unfortunately, I think I need to understand more about magic and faith-based casting to do that.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a daunting task,¡± Salire said, shaking her head. ¡°Too much for me. No thanks.¡±


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t that hard¡­ I don¡¯t think. The first step would be to change the mode of casting. Have I explained how Toru¡¯aun¡¯s casting works?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Yes, you have. But I don¡¯t think changing the mode is what you need. Just change the effect, instead,¡± Salire countered. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with casting spells by reciting poems. I like poems.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you wouldn¡¯t like dronon poems,¡± Theo said. ¡°They¡¯re so long-winded¡­ Although, that does give me an idea.¡±


    ¡°Tell me all about it while I work,¡± Salire said, mixing another potion. ¡°There once was a dronon from Qavell¡­ Who took a fair trip down to hell¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m unsure how both you and Drogramath don¡¯t understand what a limerick is, but I won¡¯t question it.¡± Theo withdrew the instructional book he had been gifted by Xol¡¯sa and cracked it open. ¡°Ah, Axpashi. A language I always have, and always will hate.¡±

 7.39 - Tour of the Old World

    Theo had never been certain what plans Xol''sa had for him. Perhaps he was just a wizard who was happy to have another person who could use magic around him. The man had been isolated for a while, even before he came to Broken Tusk. But the Alchemist doubted the wizard could have imagined the plans he had created to forge his own branch of magic based on his new cores.


    With enough of the day left to get something done, Theo headed through the portal that sat ever-present in the town square. As was tradition, he entered the tower with caution and was unsurprised to see Xol''sa meeting with the de facto leader of the space elves on the second floor.


    "If it wasn''t the man we were just talking about," Kalan said, turning and flashing a smile at Theo.


    "Looks like you''re feeling a lot better," Theo said, striding into the room and assessing the mood. It was light. Xol''sa had a light smile playing across his face and a cup of tea in his hands. Kalan was in a relaxed posture, leaning against the back of a comfortable sofa.


    "He seems to be fully recovered," Xol''sa said with a shrug. "As with the other elves from the first round, it''s hard to believe that all our work finally paid off."


    It really was difficult to believe, even though Theo was looking at the man who had fully recovered from being corrupted by the void. From the outset, it had felt like an impossible task to help them recover from their corruption. But between the healers and the potions, they were doing just fine.


    "I was just updating Xol''sa here about our culture," Kalan said, a look of pride on his face. "Things are fuzzy for us, but we''re eager to begin rebuilding."


    ¡°As long as you don''t have plans to steal the shards again, everything should work out fine this time,¡± Theo said, "The shards have their guardian back, so I doubt it''ll be easy."


    "Oh, you don''t have to tell me," Kalan said, waving the thought away. ¡°I know I''ve learned my lesson, and I''m sure the others have as well.¡±


    As long as Theo remained on the mortal plane, the space elves would be bound to it, since they signed a contract. But that wasn''t the reason for his visit, and he wasn''t too concerned about it. He had come instead for magical knowledge.


    His understanding of magic right now was basic.


    Theo understood that, like alchemy, magic was broken into tiers. What made one tier of magic different from another was beyond him, though. There was more complexity with higher-tier magic, but he didn¡¯t feel it as much as he thought he should. That¡¯s where an expert hand like Xol¡¯sa came in. The alchemist asked, and the space elf was happy to give a long-winded academic explanation.


    He was right about how magic was broken into tier-based segments. But the fundamental premise of all magic was the building of keywords to create spells. Even the dronon version of magic used this, even if they employed short-form stories rather than sigils, runes, or spellwords. Instead of adding another factor to the mix the way alchemy did, spellcraft was more about adding layers.


    ¡°And layers can mean just about anything,¡± Kalan said. He had a warm smile on his face, as though talking about magic brought him great joy. ¡°Some spells require multiple layers to function. Adding layers to other spells has a modifying effect, changing the function of that spell.¡±


    ¡°His problem is understanding the function of spells,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a scoff. ¡°His problem is that he has never worked for his power with spellcraft.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, ya know,¡± Theo said, folding his arms.


    "It matters not where power comes from," Kalan said, setting a serious look onto Xol''sa. "If one can wield power, they can wield it. And that''s that."


    "Yet you and our people didn''t work for that power. We stole it from an entity much stronger than us to generate our cores." Xol¡¯sa¡¯s voice had an edge. A brutal one.


    "This world is nothing but stolen power." Kalan said, "And..."


    "That''s going to be enough of the argument," Theo said, waving his hands through the air. "It doesn''t matter who got what power from where. We''re resetting the world to fix that. So, you two can get off each other''s throats."


    ¡°This child¡ª¡± Kalan started.


    "Nope," Theo said, cutting him off. "You don''t get to disappear for tens of thousands of years and then come back like you know how the world works. I''m not here to ask you guys philosophical questions about what power is derived from. I just need help making more powerful potions."


    "Of course, Theo is right," Xol''sa said with a shrug. "What people did back then is of no consequence to what he''s trying to do now. Speaking of that, there''s an interesting path to consider here since Theo wants to create a new type of magic."


    "Well, that isn''t exactly new," Kalan countered, "but I understand your meaning. He''s looking to take elements from wide area magic, but the question comes when considering the base he''s working from¡ªa class that uses warding magic."


    "The most likely outcome is that he can combine the two concepts, but that requires us to find a spell he can cast that has a wide area effect to influence his current core and change the nature of that core. Do you know of any spells that could fit the bill?" Xol''sa asked.


    These two were weird. Theo watched as they went for the throat and then backed off just as quickly. That might have been their nature as people, or as a people. It was hard to say. But they thumbed through some old tomes and discussed a way Theo could change the way his current core worked. The first step would be to learn how to form spells better and understand how they worked. And of course, the next was to convince the realm to accept this new basis of spellcasting. Since he had some control over that, it wouldn''t be impossible, but it also wouldn''t be easy.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Thanks for the lesson plan," Theo said, holding the few sheets of paper the parrot generated for him. They were still moderately combative with each other, but no matter what they argued about, it always circled back to helping him out, so he guessed that''s just the way they were. The result was fairly comprehensive, and it was a lot for him to pour over.


    Turning to leave the tower, Theo looked back and gave the parent a withering glare once more. He then released a sigh and fell through the cracks in reality, dropping into the void to let his mind clear. The alchemist angled straight for his own realm at first, but deviated, finding Fenian''s world easily enough. He soon dropped into a random place he didn''t recognize.


    This was the ¡®old world¡¯, as Fenian remembered it. Theo stood in a sprawling city. The buildings here were made to join with nature. Most were made from trees and bordered by fences of cultivated bushes and vines. Dominating the center of the city was a massive tree that stretched hundreds of feet into the sky. The air teemed with magical energy, visible motes of power floating around his head.


    Theo toured some of this world. He laughed when he came to the eastern shores of the continent, flying further east to find absolutely nothing but the sea. He doubted Fenian had toured most of his own world, and his knowledge was limited to the continent he was born on. Now that continent was Tarantham, dominated by the elves. But before then, it held four mighty nations, each with an impressive capital.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Theo said, angling to the south of the tree city. He held his breath as he landed and felt the pull of unfamiliar magic around him.


    Fenian appeared beside him, his arms folded with a serious look on his face. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate if you didn¡¯t poke around in my old memories.¡±


    ¡°I see you finally understand how to approach and leave your world,¡± Theo said, a smile spreading across his face. That smile soon died as he looked at the devastation before him.


    The landscape had been scarred and corrupted by an unknown force. Why Fenian had imagined this ruined place was beyond him. He could have placed anything here, but had chosen to keep it the way it was.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even remember the name of this kingdom,¡± Fenian said, answering some of the alchemist¡¯s questions. ¡°Since I was a boy, it was this way. My eternal reminder of the threats that lurk in the dark places of the world. Why are you here, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was heading off to learn some magic,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Going to convince my realm to change the way it does magic. I want to do wide-area buffing spells.¡±


    ¡°Like the ones Zarali casts?¡± Fenian asked.


    ¡°Exactly like that. If I can get it to work with my potions, it¡¯ll be very effective,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Interesting¡­ You know, I expected you to ask more about this place.¡±


    ¡°Why? It reminds me of Gardreth,¡± Theo said. ¡°And no one talks about Gardreth anymore, do they? Not unless they¡¯re talking about pozwa.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point,¡± Fenian said.


    ¡°Which one was your home?¡± Theo asked.


    Fenian smiled, jerking his head to one side. They both vanished from the ruined scene, appearing in the courtyard of another massive town. Theo recognized it as the one on the northwestern coast of the continent. The area was notable for rocky shores and dense forests. The city itself was made from sturdy stone that had been aged by many hundreds of years. They stood before a citadel, bordered on all sides by a deep moat.


    ¡°The original home of the elves,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Ah, kinda. We came from the forests to the south, but most scholars consider those proto-elves.¡±


    ¡°This is where the original Death came from, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Did I ever let that slip?¡± Fenian asked, tapping his chin. ¡°I need more points in Wisdom¡­ I grew up in the outer-ring of this city. Oh, want to see something fun?¡±


    ¡°Always.¡±


    In a snap, Theo and Fenian were back in the tree-city. They stood outside of a house made from a tree. Like the other houses in the city, it was surrounded by a living fence.


    ¡°This is where Elrin was born,¡± Fenian said with a wide smile. ¡°His parents were still alive at the end, so they¡¯ll be in the queue somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I have a question. Is this world as you remember it from childhood?¡±


    ¡°No. This is from before we were locked away.¡±


    ¡°Meaning you defended it,¡± Theo said. ¡°Did any city fall to the attacks?¡±


    Another snap and they were standing on the walls of a blocky city. The environment here was far more humid. The stones of the city¡¯s walls were made from large, white bricks. And a massive section had crumpled. Cannons sat on either side of them, fuses at the ready.


    ¡°This is Hallben,¡± Fenian said. ¡°Home of the vulbet and humans, mostly. When the monster wave came, it attacked from the south¡­ Through a passage few were aware of. The race that eventually became the khahari aided the shade. At first, we thought it would be the easiest place to defend.¡±


    Theo could see why. All paths leading to the city were narrow, snaking up cliffs and providing little more than sheer drops. Then there were the weapons on the walls. Cannons and other places for people to hide and shoot out of¡­ Which meant they had guns.


    ¡°Did the people of Hallben have guns?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Cannons and muskets,¡± Fenian said, nodding to the cannons. ¡°The musketeers here had just developed a type of cartridge-based single-shot rifle before the reset. It was a design Elrin took, making enchanted weapons from. Those were very effective against armored targets¡­ Even if you needed a lot of strength to use them.¡±


    ¡°Yet the wall was still breached.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We faced chimeras,¡± Fenian said. ¡°But look behind us.¡±


    Theo dragged his gaze over the landscape, looking to see the design of the city. He needed no more information from Fenian. The city was designed to be attacked. They were standing on the outermost wall, but there were more walls. The space immediately behind them was an open concourse with more concealed positions on the wall above. Any attacker would be trapped in a killing field if the defenders retreated.


    ¡°I like this design,¡± Theo said, craning his neck as he committed it all to memory.


    ¡°Uh-oh. Our alchemist is getting ideas,¡± Fenian said, shoving him playfully. ¡°They had nothing as impressive as the artifice guns in Broken Tusk.¡±


    ¡°No ancient knowledge to be gained here,¡± Theo said, shaking his head. ¡°Too bad you¡¯re not a master of magic. Hard to get anything out of Xol¡¯sa as he argues with Kalan.¡±


    ¡°I saw them bickering in town.¡± Fenian chuckled, leaning over the wall with a sigh.


    Theo and Fenian stood there on the wall for some time, having nothing much to say. When enough of the alchemist¡¯s thoughts had gathered, he bid farewell. As he dropped into the void, he felt Tero¡¯gal drawing him in. Perhaps the realm was open to discussion about his idea for changing the way their magic worked.

 7.40 - Unique Magic

    Of the many flavors of magic in the world, divine magic held the highest possibility of wide-area effects. Taking Zarali¡¯s buffing powers as an example, she drew on Drogramath¡¯s power to increase the effectiveness of potions for everyone within a town. While she no longer had access to those powers, Theo viewed them as something awaiting him in the system. Perhaps it was arrogance that made him feel as though he could unlock it, but he held onto that hope.


    Tero¡¯gal had gone into a pleasant form of stagnation in recent times. There had been several cold wars fought along imagined borders, but the realm wasn¡¯t having it. Even after it had been upgraded to a Throneworld, it was unwilling to allow its denizens to fight. While that might have changed in the future, for now there was peace.


    Belgar came jogging over when Theo landed, waving and smiling as he ran. ¡°Been a while,¡± he said with a lopsided grin. ¡°Anything interesting in the mortal world?¡±


    Theo waved the question away, heading over to the meeting area they had built so long ago. ¡°Not really. Everything is developing as it should¡­ Is it me, or does Tero¡¯gal feel more like a place? I can¡¯t find a better way to describe it.¡±


    Belgar shrugged. ¡°Hard to say. If there¡¯s a change, it''s slow enough for me not to notice. How is my sister?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s busy. Sorry for not bringing her along,¡± Theo said. ¡°She¡¯s one of few healers in a time where we need healers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite fine,¡± Belgar said. He cleared his throat, giving a thorough update on the various towns within the throneworld. Although Theo hadn¡¯t asked for such an extensive update, he focused.


    More than the cessation of wars, the people within Tero¡¯gal were happy because they had been reunited with lost family members. Or they had established new families. It wasn¡¯t Theo¡¯s wish, but the first proto-nations were rising. It was much slower now with the time dilation no longer so intense, but it was there.


    Theo slid a cup of tea across to Belgar, taking his seat with a sigh. ¡°The true reason I came was to discover the nature of Tero¡¯gal¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s too advanced for me,¡± Belgar said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even decent with his alchemy.¡±


    The tea Theo had made was nothing compared to what Benton could make. The bear-man had a hidden tea-making core or something. He would ignore Belgar¡¯s remark about Drogramath for now. There was no need to dig at old wounds. Instead, he sat with the company of the former mortal and felt the magic of the world around him. The alchemist might not have discovered any secrets of magic, but he was pretty good. And Belgar was always good company. He had fallen into the role of leader easily and was managing the region with little effort.


    "Well, I need to go check on a few things," Theo said, standing and excusing himself from the table. "I''ll try to visit more often, if I can remember."


    "Don''t worry about it," Belgar said, meeting him at the door and waving. "I know you''re busy.¡±


    Theo smiled as he focused on a region to the south. He could still feel most of the world, as though it was an extension of himself. While that power might one day fade, right now he could still teleport anywhere he wanted. In a blink, he was standing in the swampy region to the south. The platformed town Drogramath had created sprawl before him. They had expanded some in recent days, but not by much. The alchemist walked through the town and found the ex-god''s home.


    ¡°I sense you''re searching for something,¡± Drogramath said. He was sitting at a large wooden table. The stump of his missing horn caught the light of a burning lantern.


    "I''m actually looking for Toru¡¯aun," Theo said with a chuckle, "although I don''t mind checking in on you and your people.¡±


    "Oh, don''t worry about us," Drogramath said, waving a dismissive hand. "She took the Bridge of Shadows a few days ago, headed towards the marshling¡¯s world. I think she intends to live there, rather than my fair town."


    "Well, I won''t keep you from whatever the hell it is you do with your time," Theo said. "If you need anything from me, just send a message to the north."


    He said nothing as the alchemist turned away, intending to leave. Theo stood there for a few long moments before he released a scion, dropping into the void. It was slightly more difficult to move around on Tresk''s world, let alone sense what was there. But he borrowed from his partner''s power, sensing all the lives in the world. It was probably the second least populated world in the new cosmos. But there were still a few hundred people here. It didn''t take him long to find the person he was looking for.


    Theo appeared in a swamp. The entire planet was a swamp. But whoever inhabited this area had mounded dirt in one section and flattened it out. A single log cabin rested there, with wisps of smoke rising from a brick chimney on the top. Although it was dark outside, the windows glowed with faint firelight. The alchemist approached the door and knocked. It swung open a few beats later.


    "Oh, it''s you," Toru''aun said, leaving the door open as she vanished into our house. "I figured it was only a matter of time before you came here to ruin my solitude."


    Her hair was looking more white than it had when she was a god. Toru''aun was the Queen of Mysteries before all the gods fell from grace. For quite a while, Theo held one of her cores in his chest, but had since converted it to one belonging to his own realm. Now he came as an awkward aspirant of a nonexistent form of magic. If anyone would know how to help him, it was her.


    "Sorry for the intrusion," Theo said. Entering the cramped quarters of her cabin awkwardly, she found a seat on a plain sofa before the fire. She went back to what she was doing after he entered, scooping up two knitting needles and getting back to work on whatever it was. To him, it appeared to be a blanket, but he could never visualize how these things came together.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You''ve already intruded," Toru''aun said with a scoff. "No need to apologize. What do you need, Theo?"


    Without an invitation to sit, Theo didn''t want to be presumptuous. Instead, he stood like an incredibly awkward person near the threshold of the door and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat.


    "I''m working on creating my own form of magic." Theo said. When he said it out loud, it certainly seemed stupid. ¡°Not that I think the magic you created was inferior, I just think a different approach would better serve me."


    "You''re not going to offend me here, Theo," she said sadly, gesturing to her simple living arrangements. "I''ve cast off all mantles of godhood and have embraced the simple life. I don''t miss being a God at all. In fact, I was forced into it from the start. I hated it."


    "Really?" Theo asked. "I couldn''t tell."


    Toru''aun looked up, offering the alchemist a sly smile. "You always were hard to pin down, Mr. Archduke," she said. "Fine, I''ll tell you everything I know about creating your own magic system. But you¡¯ll need to have a seat.¡±


    "Right," Theo said, crossing the room awkwardly and having a seat beside her. Sadly?, of all the gods and the old pantheons, she was probably the one he liked the most. Unlike those other gods, she never tried to get involved in things. She kept to herself, keeping quiet on almost all matters and avoiding interactions at all costs. The alchemist had a theory that the only reason she got involved was a special request from her sister. From what he understood, Uz¡¯Xulven was her blood sister, but he wasn''t brave enough to ask.


    "Unfortunately, I think I know you well, Theo. Perhaps a little too well," Toru''aun said. She never looked up from her knitting, still working the needles at impossible speeds, to create something he still couldn''t conceptualize. ¡°You like forcing things into their place. I get it. Just look at this place. Anyway, the magic systems we made through the system were based partly on our nature. But we designed some of it by hand.¡±


    "That''s good news," Theo said. "Can you tell me how exactly to do it?"


    "It might be different in your case since you''ll be working through the realm, but I suggest coming up with a plan and proposing it to your world. Then it''s possible it will work with you to make your preferred magic system."


    "So you''re telling me my realm doesn''t want to make the new magic system since I don''t have a plan?" Theo asked. "I guess I am being kind of vague with what I want out of it."


    "That''s just my guess, of course," Toru''aun said. "Your realm could be completely opposed to whatever you have in mind and is simply refusing to help you. Since these worlds seem to be more sapient than most realms, you might run into further roadblocks."


    Well, that would be a kick in the pants. I feel he wasn''t exactly sure what he wanted from his magic system. Perhaps if he let go of any future ideas and simply proposed the idea of wide-area magic to his realm, it would be more willing to work with him. At least he had some perspective on how tenuous his grasp on the situation was. That, at least, gave him a direction.


    "I figured out a way to weave spell arrays into potions," Theo said with a shrug. "I thought you might be interested in something like that."


    "I don''t think I''ve ever heard of anything like that," Toru''aun said, shaking her head. "Do you have an example I could see?"


    Theo pulled an imbued potion from his inventory and handed it over. Toru''aun set her knitting stuff down and took the potion, rolling it over in her hands and humming to herself.


    "Now, that is very interesting," Toru''aun said, squinting as she looked into the murky liquid within the vial. "You''ve taken the fundamental magic of the potion and bound it with a spell so expertly, I really have never seen anything like it."


    ¡°Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool too, but nobody else in my city shares my enthusiasm for it.¡±


    "Well, let me be the first to say I am extremely enthusiastic about it," Toru''aun said in a flat tone. She certainly didn''t sound enthused.


    Before departing from Tresk''s world, Theo chatted with Toru''aun for a bit about what she had been doing and what she expected from this new life. Once he got her to open up a bit, she revealed that this was the ideal life for her. She was self-sufficient out here in the swamp and had minimal contact with other people. Somehow, she had already contacted Tresk, cordoning off a hundred square mile radius around her lone cabin that would prevent anybody else from building here. It was a strangely thoughtful thing coming from the marshaling.


    When he was done chatting, Theo headed back to his own world. Instead of landing in the town run by Belgar, he navigated toward the tallest peaks where the Dreamwalker''s Throne was held. Within the ornate building, it was nice and warm, though outside it was inhospitable, with flurries of snow and ice. He sat upon the throne, propping his head up by placing his elbow on the arm of the chair and his fist on his chin.


    A spike of ice ran up his spine as an unfamiliar voice echoed through the hall.


    "Heavy is the head," the voice said, bearing a tone of familiar amusement.


    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Theo said, searching around the area with both his senses and his aura, but he found nothing. ¡°And who am I speaking to?¡±


    "You''re very close," the voice said. "Very close to fixing everything. Meticulous plans are coming together after so many years."


    Theo just couldn''t shake the familiarity of this voice, but his near-perfect memory failed him. Normally, he could recall these things if he thought hard enough, but this one just wouldn''t bubble to the surface like he wanted. Instead, he stared at the gilded halls of his opulent castle in befuddlement. No one should have been able to breach into his realm, and fewer still could penetrate into the sanctum of the throne room.


    There is only one being he could think of that could get this far without detection.


    ¡°I suppose it''s been a while, hasn''t it?" Theo asked, allowing the faintest of smiles to play across his face. ¡°I didn''t think you really cared.¡±


    "This world and your old world were my responsibility. My policy of... no interaction has not served me well here. It has taken far longer than expected to get things working as they should, but we are close."


    "You''re saying you could have intervened at any time, but you simply chose not to?" Theo asked, shaking his head. "That didn''t work out very well, did it?"


    "It was a unique situation," the voice said. "The first I, or any of my kind, has encountered. It is simply regrettable that my other half chose the path he did. All has been corrected, and we are nearing the end of the road."


    ¡°Some quests along the way would have been nice,¡± Theo said with a shrug, ¡°Maybe you could have told me I was doing well, or told me what you had planned.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you found yourself at the end of the road anyway,¡± The voice responded with a strange clicking sound. ¡°Alas, I am spread too thin and must go.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue as he listened to the fluttering of feathers somewhere in the distance. He shook his head. "Damned bird people," he grumbled.

 7.41 - Custom Mythril Still

    As Theo did with a lot of the insane crap that happened in his life, he put the message from the random voice to the back of his thoughts. Instead of worrying about it, he took it as a big thumbs-up and moved on. He then shifted his focus to Tero¡¯gal, closing his eyes as he sat upon the throne and considered the words Toru¡¯aun had said to him.


    ¡°The power was inside you the whole time, Theo!¡± he said, trying not to mock the words of an ex-god too much. Still, it was frustrating.


    The alchemist lamented for a bit, but soon took a deep breath to release the tension. As he did, he felt something from the realm push back. It was a kind of recognition of his plight which brought a satisfying sense of comfort. If only the world could speak. But Theo felt as though it heard his request. Even if it didn¡¯t want to act on that right now.


    But Theo planned to take the encouragement he had received from Toru¡¯aun seriously. He hadn¡¯t seen his infused potions as anything but a side-step from his standard potion crafting. Yet she had seemed genuinely amazed by the way they worked. Since it took a lot to impress the woman, he took this as a good sign.


    The only conclusion he could draw was that he needed to craft more infused potions. No matter how stupid the combination seemed, one could turn out to be amazing. That was the fun of combining effects.


    ¡°And I think we might have some infusion stills¡­¡±


    Reserving himself to the idea of finding no solution today, Theo fell through the space between places into the void. Although he felt a slight urge to visit the system, he resisted. Conversations with it were often one-sided on their part, and it seemed eager to act with little consideration. It was best to let it continue uninterrupted for now.


    A strained yelp filled Theo¡¯s ears as he reappeared in the lab.


    ¡°You really need to teleport outside and use the door,¡± Salire said, clutching her chest. ¡°What if I was doing a sensitive experiment?¡±


    ¡°My bad,¡± Theo said. ¡°Are these the newest infusion artifices?¡±


    Salire glared at him for a few moments before releasing a sigh. ¡°Yes. Version 10 or something. I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    Theo watched as Salire regained her composure. She got back to work, but still gave him an untrusting look. The still in question wasn¡¯t made from the normal Drogramathi Iron. Apparently, Throk was conserving the stock he had of the metal. This new still was made from mythril. The silver-white metal had been alchemically treated, giving it a faintly purple hue. The alchemist pressed his hand onto the surface, summoning the system interface.


    [Custom Mythril Artifice Infusion Still]


    [Alchemy Equipment]


    Epic


    Created By: Throk


    A 50 unit capacity mythril still with two holding tanks and attached infusion chamber, protective plating, overpressure valves, and infusion pressurizer.


    Effects:


    Distillation time reduced.


    Occasionally produces more essence.


    Reduces the chance of explosive reactions.


    Attachments:


    [Custom Alchemically Treated Mythril Infusion Chamber]


    [Custom Alchemically Treated Mythril Plating]


    [Custom Alchemically Treated Mythril Infusion Pressurizer]


    [Custom Mythril Heater]


    ¡°At least we¡¯re putting this new metal to work,¡± Theo said, getting closer to inspect the still.


    It wasn¡¯t just that Throk had innovated on each step of the mana infuser¡¯s design. He had made improvements all around. From the form to the function, the man was a genius with artifices. Theo foresaw that this new version of the still would be incredibly easy to work with, and Salire seemed to agree.


    ¡°I haven''t worked with it yet,¡± she said. Salire was still working on potions of her own. ¡°But I was impressed when he delivered it. It seemed like a point of pride for him.¡±


    ¡°I can see why,¡± Theo said, standing up after giving the still a good look over, ¡°How about we make some test potions just for fun?"


    "Did you have any potion in mind?" Salire asked. ¡°Has your knowledge of magical things grown as expected?¡±


    "Not really. That entire trip was a bit of a fiasco. I made little progress on getting access to new magic," Theo said.


    "Ah, so as always, we''re winging it," Salire said with a nod. "Sounds about right."


    Theo smiled to himself as he got to work. Of course, although he didn''t accomplish what he had wanted to get done, he still had access to many spells he could infuse his mana with. Base-level support magic gave buffs that varied from spells such as haste, protective spells, and all other manner of cool things. The problem was finding which one was compatible with which potion.


    Rolling through his mental list of potions, Theo thought about which one would go best with the spell he had in mind. In this, he was limited to potions that he had on hand. Something he had not experimented with, in terms of infusion, were poisons. So, why not try those? Using Poison Essence to start the infusion process, he infused his mana with a spell he hoped would generate interesting results.


    Since the poison was an offensive creation, Theo had thought about all the spells he had read that had debuffing qualities. Since he had already tested the haste spell, he saw a parallel in the Slow spell. He worked the infusion still, filling the mana side with his mana laced with the essence of the spell.To the other side, he put the poison essence and started the machine.


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    Even the operation of this version of the still was smoother than the last one. It apparently made a sound as it heated, mixed, and condensed the two sides, creating a slow drip of essence that fell into a glass flask at the end of the line. Salire watched with moderate interest as the process rolled on. It filled the air with a strange scent that was almost like hot tar, but with a hint of disconcerting sweetness.


    "If you take a simple mage''s core, I''m sure you can do this part," Theo said, keeping a close watch on both sides as they worked. "The spell is incredibly easy to form, and I think you''re at a point where you can do it too."


    "I fear confidence in me is misplaced," Salire said with a weak shrug.


    "Nonsense. The spell''s so simple. It''s only got like two parts. Maybe if we were doing something more complicated you''d have reason to be concerned, but you can handle this one," Theo said. "What we need to worry about now is expanding the lab. I can''t believe we''re already out of space, even considering the stills on the second floor."


    "Well, since you''re in charge of the building, I''ll rely on you to expand it."


    "You know what''s funny?" Theo asked. "Although I check the markets very often, I have never seen an alchemy lab seed core. They just don''t sell them."


    "I know you''re not entirely aware of this," Salire said, flashing a smile, "but alchemists are rarer than you believe. At least in Old Qavell."


    Theo had heard plenty of stories about the ineptitude of those alchemists. He had always chalked it up to the inefficient guild system, but it was hard to say. They had a long road to walk since they could only do poultices at the start of their alchemical journey. The demon alchemists, on the other hand, had access to distillation from level 1. That was an incredible boon that put them at least 50 levels ahead of their competition.


    And yet, those same demon alchemists weren''t likely to have access to a building such as this. They were nomadic people who rarely stayed in the same place for more than a few days, let alone long enough to plant a seed core and actually grow the building. No, they were at as much of a disadvantage as the regular alchemists. Only this strange combination of events had produced alchemy, the likes of which this world hadn''t seen since Drogramath¡¯s time.


    Theo and Salire chatted about whatever. Mostly, they talked about the various traders that were coming to town. It was hard to estimate how long it would take a person to get from Tarantham to Broken Tusk, and they were perpetually confused about supply chains. Those sailors had magically enchanted boats, not dissimilar to the ones crafted in the harbor here, but with a legacy of seafaring. The elves would have had secrets they could only imagine. Perhaps it only took them a few days to make the trip, which made up thousands of miles.


    "I think you''ve got enough of the essence to make a potion." Salire pointed to the string attached to the flask at the end of the chain.


    Theo had been so lost in his own thoughts he wasn''t even paying attention. He turned, smiling to himself as he looked at the resulting liquid. It was a sickening mix of hues, something like purple-green that looked more brown than anything. He picked it up and gave it a sniff, finding the aroma to be equal parts horrifying and pleasant.


    ¡°Smells like death,¡± Theo said, heading to one worktable to craft the potion.


    "Ah yes, death, the perfect smell for a potion," Salire mocked.


    Of course, she wasn''t wrong. Working with poison-style potions was never fun, and Theo had never enjoyed it. He had only done it to make Tresk happy. He got to work brewing the potion. It didn''t argue with him much and took the enchanted water without an issue. When he added the catalyst, it bubbled a bit but seemed like an otherwise stable potion. It had a much longer brew time than he''d expected, stretching out to five minutes that seemed to go on forever. When it was finally done, he saw the message notifying him of the experience he had gained, and he inspected the potion.


    [Infused Basic Poison]


    [Poison]


    Rare


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 90%


    Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy and significantly reduce their speed.


    Infusion Array:


    [Slow]


    Effect:


    Poison damage over time based on purity of this poison.


    Target¡¯s movement is reduced based on the quality of this poison


    "That might be the most straightforward infusion I''ve ever done," Theo said, holding the potion up. "It might not be wise to let Tresk see it, but I''m quite proud of it."


    "Yeah, the second she walks into the shop demanding more of them, that''s the second I have to figure out how to do it," Salire said, folding her arms.


    Theo smiled to himself as a thought crossed his mind. He had one more idea for a potion in mind, but this new plan seemed too tempting. When Salire went back to work, he waited for the infusion still to finish its work before clearing it out and starting another run. Then, without a word to his lab partner, he rushed out the door, heading directly for the market. The item he sought was available for fairly cheap. It was a basic-level item that would require a combination or evolution to become useful, but for his purposes, it was perfect.


    With a big, stupid smile on his face, he rushed back to the lab, heading up to the third-floor work area. Salire picked up on his excited mood right away.


    "Oh, gods, what have you done?" she asked, slapping her face.


    "I don''t think that''s the appropriate thing to say when I come bearing gifts," Theo said, withdrawing an item from his inventory. "Well, I suppose it''s just the one gift, but still. Happy birthday."


    Salire winced as she took the item from the alchemist, shaking her head. "I know you think I''m going to magically figure out how to use one of these, but I''ve already got one," she said.


    "Yeah, but now you have no excuse but to learn how to cast spells," Theo said, tapping his temple twice. "I''ve given you a Mage Core, which means you must now become a mage."


    "That''s not how that works at all," Salire said, placing her hands on her hips. But eventually she sighed and shrugged. "Well, if you''re offering to teach me, I''m happy to learn."


    Of course, that was the hard part. Theo''s schedule was tight enough as it was, but he was committed to this. He thought about it before he said anything, though. The way Xol¡¯sa taught him wasn''t entirely efficient. The man had more of an academic mind than a practical one, meaning that he wanted the alchemists to learn absolutely everything before they got started on practical things. That had initially dissuaded him from learning magic entirely.


    The alchemist withdrew a piece of parchment from his inventory, laid it flat on a work table, and scrawled three symbols. He pointed at each?. "Decrease, Binding, and Flow," he explained. "These are the three concepts that make up the Slow spell."


    ¡°Okay,¡± Salire said, seeming more confused than before.


    Theo had to go into the nuts and bolts of it a bit, but a spell this simple for her purposes was going to be very easy to learn. She didn''t need to learn how to cast it, which was the hard part of casting spells, and instead, she only needed to create this spell in her soul and imprint it on her mana. Since she had been training with that concept for quite some time, it should have come naturally to her.


    It still took a bit of effort, but by the time his next infused potion was done brewing, she had it down. Not even conceptually. She was producing mana that was perfectly aligned with the spell. Even she was surprised.


    "I''ve already tried doing this a few times," Salire said, looking at the puddle of goo in her hand in surprise. "Why did the books make it sound so hard?"


    "Well, there''s an idea for our book," Theo said. "The revised edition that has a simplified alchemist-only version of spellcrafting."


    Salire marveled at her new ability to infuse the simple spell into her mana, doing it a few more times to build her confidence. That was her way, though. She was always timid to approach a project, but once she got started, she took off in a sprint. The alchemist had no doubt she would now pursue it with fervor on her own. But he knew how she would move forward. Salire would take over the mass-production side of the infused potions.


    ¡°So, do you want to see what I¡¯m cooking up?¡± Theo asked, wiggling his eyebrows.


    ¡°I can already smell it,¡± Salire said with a heavy sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s see what kind of nightmare you¡¯ve cooked up.¡±

 7.42 - Infused Hurricanes and Tales

    ¡°I really don¡¯t like it,¡± Salire said, folding her arms as she looked at the resulting essence.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Theo said. ¡°Live a little.¡±


    Theo smiled to himself as he brewed the potion. He put the essence in an empty vial and mixed in the enchanted water. When he added the catalyst, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a storm outside, but the light spilling through the cracked window told him otherwise. The reaction was just as violent as expected. It sputtered and spat until it settled down to a bubbling effervescence.


    "What do you think about that potion?" Theo asked.


    Salire shook her head. "Looks just as dangerous as the original."


    He laughed as he inspected the potion.


    [Infused Hurricane Potion]


    [Potion]


    Epic


    Created by: Theo Spencer


    Purity: 85%


    Imbibing this potion creates a fast-moving cyclone of air. The effect sweeps over the drinker in a random direction. Entities caught in the storm will be granted the [Storm¡¯s Haste] effect, granting them increased speed and reaction time.


    Infusion Array:


    [Haste]


    Effect:


    Summon a hasted hurricane.


    "I''m not sure if it would ever be useful," Theo said with a shrug, "but it certainly is interesting."


    "Got any more big brain ideas?" Salire asks.


    This was about as far as Theo had thought. He had made no progress with creating his own magic, so he just wanted to make some silly things. There wasn''t really enough time left in the day to tackle anything else, but the alchemist''s schedule was mostly clear. Thankfully, he didn''t need to be involved in the clearing of the current dungeons. The adventurers and the city¡¯s wizard would handle that.


    This all meant he didn''t have to wake the next morning and feel as though he was rushed to experiment more with his alchemy. That was the most exciting part of getting all this stuff under control. He could actually work on the things he wanted to work on. Instead of calling it early though, he allowed the infusion to finish its work. He put a cork in the flask and placed it in the building''s storage. He then helped Salire with the projects she had going. As expected, it was a bunch of restoration and attribute enhancement potions.


    Those were the backbone of the town''s consumption. So, they were the most important potions to brew. It was funny how it had worked. Salire had taken over the serious side of the potion business, while Theo spent his day experimenting to create weird things. Once they finished up, he bid her farewell and helped close the shop down. Excitingly, Tresk was bringing dinner guests tonight. It was going to be an auspicious collection of weird people.


    Theo stepped into the manor, finding both Sarisa and Rowan scattering around to get dinner ready. The table was already set, but there were no guests. The manor was filled with the smell of pungent herbs and savory meats. Smoke wafted from the kitchen area, so the alchemist opened a few windows and watched as the pair conducted a frenzy of work.


    At first, it was hard to tell what kind of meal they were making, but the more nosy he got, the more he put together the dish. It was effectively grilled cheese and a soup to dip it in. But of course, this was Broken Tusk, so it wasn''t normal grilled cheese. They took two pieces of flatbread, stuffed it with cheese and shredded meat, and then fried it on both sides before plating it. The soup was a dark brown color and smelled like a mix between French onion soup and tomato soup. The alchemist got distracted when the guests arrived.


    Tresk wasn''t the first to arrive, Fenian was. He strode in, giving a hearty wave and taking a seat at the table. "Something smells absolutely delectable," he said, rubbing his hands together.


    Theo found his way to the table. Taking a seat and assessing the elf, Fenian was normally up to something, but he had seemed more placid as of late. He didn''t have a chance to say anything, though, as both Jan and Twist entered. They strode awkwardly to the table, found their own seats, and sat down. While Jan was slightly more outgoing, Twist folded his hands and put them in his lap.


    Tresk kicked the door in, sauntering over to her place at the table with a broad smile on her face. She pointed an accusatory finger at the masked elf and shouted, "How''s he gonna even eat?!?¡±


    "Like this," Twist said, tilting his mask up slightly. He returned it to his face and shrugged. "I''m not sure why everyone''s so hung up on that."


    ¡°Twist only wears the mask because he''s butt ugly,¡± Fenian declared. "Everyone knows that."


    "That''s true," Jan agreed. "Might be the ugliest self I''ve ever seen."


    ¡°The mask is magical,¡± Twist countered, ¡°And it gives me an air of mystery.¡±


    Theo listened as the group bickered. It was like watching an old group of friends reuniting after a long time apart. Twist, Fenian, and Jan all talked as though no time had passed since their previous life. They had their problems in that old world, but it didn''t seem to be anything they couldn''t overcome. Instead of plots of revenge, they seemed to have engaged in competition. Whatever perceived betrayal had fallen by the wayside. The alchemist was most interested when the topic came up properly.


    "I''ve always been the odd one out," Twist said, fiddling with his fingers. "So it was hard to get a word in with the old guild."


    "As if matters weren''t confusing enough," Jan said, shaking his head. The conversation paused when the food was served.


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    Sarisa and Rowan delivered plates to each member at the table, setting a spot for themselves, of course. Now that the food was done, Theo got a good look at it. The Broken Tusk grilled cheese looked especially appetizing. Both sides were crispy, and gooey globules of cheese oozed from every side. The soup itself seemed like a meal on its own, and he was eager to try it.


    When Theo took his first bite, it crunched, resulting in an explosion of flavor that melded the flatbread, cheese, and shredded meat together perfectly. It was something that was so entirely greasy that each bite required dabbing both his mouth and his hands. When dipped in the soup, those flavors in the sandwich took a back seat. The soup shone through with a pungent, oniony, garlic flavor that mixed with an earthy, meaty taste. Together, it was almost too overwhelming, but the alchemist still ate.


    "You see, Twist''s people weren''t originally from our world," Fenian explained, daintily dabbing the corners of his mouth. "They were from another race altogether that somehow got caught up in the mix."


    "I believe the phrase you meant to use is ''Advanced Scouting Team'',¡± Jan corrected, having no such reservations about getting messy while eating.


    ¡°Yes, well, that didn''t work, did it?¡± Twist said, seeming hurt by the statement. ¡°You see, I''m from a different world with a system, and we intended to invade Earth just as the system integration occurred. But something went wrong, and well, you know the rest.¡±


    "I''m not really sure I do know the rest," Theo said, tilting his head to one side.


    Nobody really knows what happened. Fenian said, "On our end, the entire world reset. Everybody passed out and woke up in different states. Some of us were at level 1, others were at level 20, and so on. But everybody had something changed about themselves. Twist was the only one that came from that other world, although I believe I remember him saying there were more when he left."


    ¡°To the best of my knowledge, there were crossing streams between Earth and Iaredin. When I attempted the jump, I triggered something between those streams,¡± Twist said. ¡°That¡¯s why I think the worlds smashed together the way they did.¡±


    "Of course, this is all conjecture," Jan said. ¡°Even if he made the jump, Twist doesn''t know exactly what happened. Elrin might be the best person to ask, but even so, he seemed like he was in the dark as much as the rest of us.¡±


    The conversation rolled on like this for a while. It truly seemed like nobody knew what actually happened. As Jan had said, it was all conjecture. The conversation was entertaining, though. The group had been through some serious stuff. Perceived betrayals and vendettas which turned out to be mostly misunderstandings. They had even less information back then, so it was easier to point fingers.


    But the meal was pleasant enough to shift the conversation away from such dreary topics, and they eventually landed on the upcoming reset of the world. That was a much more soothing topic to entertain, and it filled Theo with joy. They spoke about the way they hoped to reform the system into something that supported long-term growth, rather than the building up and destructive cycle they currently experienced. Jan and Twist weren''t directly involved in this, but they seemed like men of means and action.


    Tresk had some of her lizard wisdom to bestow upon the group, but it was mostly threats of stabbings and poison. Yet that was her way, and Theo wasn¡¯t there to stop her. The alchemist was just shocked at how pleasant of an evening it was. The group even retired to the study after their meal, chatting far later than he would¡¯ve normally stayed up. Yet the thrill of the Dreamwalk still called him, and they eventually parted company.


    ¡°Might be the best thing you guys have made,¡± Theo said, patting Rowan on the shoulder.


    ¡°Just doing my job, ma¡¯am,¡± Rowan said, stumbling to the side. He had cracked open a jug of the rotgut zee liquor earlier in the night.


    The alchemist watched as the half-ogre tripped, falling to the ground. A few moments later, the sound of his rhythmic snores filled the sitting room.


    ¡°Boy can¡¯t hold his zee!¡± Tresk said, cackling with glee. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    ###


    Most of the time, Theo was happy to do just about nothing in the Dreamwalk. His experience gains had become minimal, which meant grinding levels wasn¡¯t efficient. Experimenting with things he hadn¡¯t discovered yet was mostly closed off. That just left combat training and testing the things he was familiar with. He wouldn¡¯t complain, though. Some downtime was just what he needed¡­


    Right after he tested the Hurricane Potion.


    ¡°Hurricane in a bottle, huh?¡± Tresk asked. ¡°Nothing will go wrong, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    A potion like this was mostly nonsense. When it came to potions that operated in an overly magical way, the concept of consuming something to summon a hurricane was pretty normal. He quaffed the un-infused version first, allowing the liquid to slide down his throat. His tongue buzzed after the potion slid over it, feeling as though tiny bolts of lightning struck it.


    ¡°Spicy,¡± Theo said, belching.


    ¡°How long does it take?¡± Tresk asked.


    The description was vague about that, but it didn¡¯t take long for the sky to darken. Above them, dark clouds formed. Lightning struck somewhere in the distance. Tresk and Theo watched as the eye of a hurricane formed. They could see the clouds part, forming on the edges of the horizon. And then it spun, heading off to the north of the imagined version of Broken Tusk.


    The wind it whipped up was absolutely brutal.


    ¡°Hang onto your hats!¡± Tresk shouted, imagining a hat like Fenian wore to hold onto.


    Theo imagined his own hat, holding onto it and grabbing onto the nearest solid thing¡­ Which was the statue of Xol¡¯sa and Zarali. Houses were torn from their foundations, spinning into the air and crumbling to pieces when they impacted others. The wind was loud enough to deafen Theo. Although he knew they were in an imagined reality, he couldn¡¯t help but fear the level of destruction the potion wrought.


    At one point, both Tresk and Theo¡¯s grip on the statue faltered. They were both sucked into the sky, sent careening through floating fields of debris. Both were knocked around and ¡®killed¡¯ a few times during the absurd storm. When they were both cast to the ground, Tresk came scampering over with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Theo said, withdrawing the second potion from his inventory. ¡°We have the infused version to check next.¡±


    ¡°What does this one do?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°Gives us a special version of haste. Also the storm is supposed to be faster,¡± Theo said. ¡°Although I don¡¯t really know how fast it will be.¡±


    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Tresk said, snatching the potion from him. She blinked, and the town was reimagined. ¡°Bottoms up!¡±


    The formation of the storm¡¯s eye was much quicker this time around. The dark clouds formed above and split in under a minute. When the center spun, it whipped up a wind that rivaled the other at full strength. The alchemist had no chance to grab onto something. He was sent into the air right away. The city didn¡¯t do better. Buildings were shredded in an instant, nothing left of them before they even left the ground. Even the mighty stone walls were torn down as though some giant had sneezed on a house of cards.


    Tresk shouted with joy as she was knocked through the air. This storm moved much faster, covering the distance between Broken Tusk and Rivers and Daub in what seemed like a blink. It tore everything up, leaving nothing behind on the landscape aside from large boulders and strips of undisturbed earth. The storm ran out of steam near Gronro-Dir, finally petering out and depositing them in the mountains.


    ¡°At least the haste effect is good,¡± Tresk said, zipping around the area with unnatural speed.


    ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be useful,¡± Theo said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yes, but think of the potion¡¯s application as a weapon,¡± Alex said, landing softly nearby.


    ¡°Did the storm not affect you?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°No. I was hiding in the caves,¡± Alex said. ¡°The caves flooded, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a weapon of mass destruction in my pocket,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Can I have a few?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

 7.43 - A Fight to the Death

    As was tradition, breakfast the next morning was more of what they had for dinner. In this case, it wasn''t a situation where they had leftovers. Sarisa and Rowan were just so satisfied with what they had made, they wanted it again. Since most Broken Tuskers didn''t have a concept of different foods for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they just made the same thing they had made the previous night.


    Theo made absolutely no plans to complain about this. He ate his grilled cheese at the table, savoring every bite of the luxurious cheese and slurping up his soup like a slob. Even Trask was taking her time with the food, taking small bites and munching loudly. She sipped the soup by hoisting the entire bowl and putting her pinkies up, both of them, as she drank.


    Theo scoffed as he witnessed a future event. He cleared his throat, dabbed his mouth, and sighed. "I sure hope nothing unexpected happens in approximately 40 seconds from now," he said, tapping his chin.


    "Yeah, that would suck," Tresk said.


    "That was an oddly specific statement," Rowan said, narrowing his eyes at Theo. "I just can''t put my finger on what it might mean."


    "You guys are absolute idiots," Sarisa said. "How can you forget about Theo''s future sight?"


    "Future hearing, too," Theo said, counting the time down on his fingers. When he was out of fingers, the clatter of a bell rang outside of the manor, and the alchemist smiled. "Guess who''s come to visit?"


    Theo was quick to access his interface and order the parties on the defensive piers to hold their fire unless the guests made an offensive action first. He took one last bite of his grilled cheese before stowing it and the soup in his inventory. He nodded to his companions. "I think I''ll need everybody, just in case things go south."


    After a few brief orders, Tresk ran off to patrol the skies on Alex, while Rowan and Sarisa sank into the shadows behind him. He drank a foresight potion and made his way to the area outside the walls. Somewhere along the way, Aarok joined up with him.


    "We''ve already identified the ships as belonging to the lizard folk," Aarok said, shaking his head. "Guess we''re finally gonna pay for Tresk stealing from them."


    ¡°I don''t think they have boats that are meant to go into the open ocean, so I''m surprised they made it at all,¡± Theo said, "What kind of force are we looking at?"


    "Two boats," Aarok said with a weak shrug. "A small one and a slightly larger one. About the size of the Cork.¡±


    It was a pleasant surprise to see that the lizard folk of Saetalein Ya¡¯ax hadn''t started shooting already. More than likely, it meant they weren''t as offended as they said, but they had a strange culture. And it was almost impossible to tell if they took deep offense to the theft or not. It was best to play it safe though.


    Aarok and Theo made haste to the piers. They passed by groups of adventurers who had assembled for combat and ascended the southernmost tower of the two. As expected, Zan¡¯kir was there.


    "Why have you ordered me to hold fire?" Zan''kir said with a sour look. "I could sink them now with ease."


    ¡°Because they didn''t bring an army?¡± Theo asked, more as a question than a statement. ¡°We only stole a few absurdly expensive plants, not like we killed any of their people.¡±


    "They may demand satisfaction," Zan''kir countered, "and if you wish to entertain such a thing, I can''t help you."


    "Just stay frosty," Theo said, patting the man on the shoulder. "We''ll see how it goes."


    The two boats approaching the harbor were those used by the lizard folk. They were vessels that ran very low in the water, reminding the alchemists of Viking longships. Of course, they were made from jungle woods and adorned with living plants here and there. The tropical palm fronds that hung over the edge graced the surface of the water, dragging narrow lines as they inched across the bay.


    "That''s Squeak," Theo said, gesturing to a lizard folk and lead ship. "He''s from the Nojoh clan over there. Those are the smart ones."


    "That works in our favor," right? Aarok asked, folding his arms as he peered down at the boats. "I don''t see any fighters amongst them. There is a priest and a mage, but they''re not here for war."


    If they played their cards right, this could work out in their favor. Theo felt bad that they had stolen from the lizard folk, and perhaps this was a time to make it right. Of course, he could simply pay them, but Broken Tusk could offer many other services for them, including better boats. And since his shipwright had been pumping out merchant vessels just to pass the time, he could spare a couple of boats.


    "They''re approaching the harbor," Aarok grumbled.


    "I can still shoot them," Zan''kir said.


    "Look, they''re turning to the side," Theo said with a sigh, just laying down at the ships a moment later. The boats did indeed turn to the side. "They''re going to moor on the pier rather than entering the harbor, which I''ll take as a sign of humility."


    Although Aarok grumbled, he followed behind Theo as he descended the staircases of the defensive tower. They made their way to the pier and waited for the lizard folk to finish their mooring. A small lizard-person among them jumped up onto the pier and bowed deeply at the waist. It was Squeak, the same emissary they had dealt with when they first contacted the lizard people. These folks were extreme isolationists.


    "We demand recompense," Squeak said, characteristically squeaking as he spoke.


    "We''re happy to work with your people," Theo said, returning the lizard person''s bow. "But what action are you referring to?"


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    The scales of the lizard person shifted, moving in a kaleidoscope of colors. It started at his snout and worked its way all the way to his fat tail. His body was covered in tribal feathers and freshly cut palm fronds, and a necklace of bone rested on his chest.


    "Do not play the shy chameleon with me," Squeak said, shaking his head. "You have stolen sacred herbs, and we demand satisfaction."


    From up on the tower, Zan''kir cackled.


    "And what might that satisfaction be?" Theo asked.


    "A fight to the death," Squeak said. "Between our strongest mage and the one who stole our herbs. We know her as Tresk."


    From high above, a baleful screech issued. It was a mix of a roar and a honk, a gout of fire, a mile-long shot, covering the world below in a pale orange glow for a moment. Then the flapping of leathery wings issued as both Tresk and Alex dove. The goose-dragon spread her wings wide at the last moment, stopping her descent and landing on the ground with a resounding thud. The ground shook, of course.


    "Which one of these lizard bastards am I stabbing to death?" Tresk said. Two gleaming daggers appeared in her hands as she teleported from Alex''s back to the ground. She did a couple of stabbing motions in the air and frothed at the mouth.


    "Did I say fight to the death?" Squeak asked with a nervous chuckle. "No, I meant a contest."


    "No, I''m pretty sure you said, ''we''re fine to the death,''" Tresk said.


    "You must have heard someone else," Squeak said, ringing his hands together.


    "I''ll fight every lizard," Tresk said. Searching around, she pointed at Aarok. "I''ll fight this guy, I don''t care."


    "I''ve known you since you hatched," Aarok said, glaring at her.


    Tresk shrugged.


    This might be extremely entertaining, depending on the competition Squeak wanted to hold. It could be something that spread further than this simple misunderstanding about herbs. Broken Tusk now housed a lot of refugees, and while there was a lot of work for them to do, the amount of activities they got up to was minimal. With no real connection to the mainland¡ªnot that there was a mainland to speak of¡ªthere was little in the way of entertainment. One could only poke a snapping turtle in the face so much before they got bored.


    "I have a proposition," Theo said, spreading his arms wide as he smiled at the emissary. He was doing his best impersonation of Fenian. "Could you tell me the value of the herbs we took?"


    "I could put a price on it," Squeak said with a shrug. "Probably close to 200 gold coins."


    ¡°Then, I have the perfect alternative to a fight to the death. How about we host a competition here? The grand prize being 200 gold coins.¡±


    That was, of course, a lot of gold coins. Theo wasn''t certain he had that much himself, so he would likely need to dig into the town''s treasuries. However, if he sold a few things off, he was certain they could make it up. And if he didn''t have it, he could always borrow it from Fenian. That guy was always good for a couple of gold.


    "This is an interesting proposition," Squeak said, rubbing his chin. Mostly his eyes flitted with concern to Tresk, who was still holding her daggers and stabbing them into the air. "What kind of competition were you thinking about?"


    Theo considered what kind of competition they should hold. If he opened it up only to combat, it would be one-sided. If somebody like Elrin participated, he would win it with ease. But if he created several categories with tiers, it might work better. Imagine a situation where one leg of the competition had more to do with brains, and winning that would advance you to a new bracket if you wanted. But the people who didn''t want to fight, they didn''t have to fight. He could iron the details out later.


    "A fair test of skill in various categories," Theo said. "We won''t just be seeing who''s the best fighter, but we could have challenges based on intellect, spellcasting, crafting, and whatever else we can think of.¡±


    Aarok rubbed his chin. "This sounds awfully expensive."


    "And we''ve got money to burn," Theo said, turning to glare at him. "Unless you plan on taking a horde of cash with you when the world ends."


    Aarok shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure my people are interested in¡­¡± Squeak trailed off, eyes going wide as he looked at Tresk.


    ¡°Stabby stabby,¡± Tresk muttered, still foaming at the mouth.


    "My people are incredibly interested in participating," Squeak said, doing a complete 180. "How long do you think it will take to set up these games?"


    "No longer than a week," Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. "The hardest part is going to be coming up with what we''re going to test people on. But I''ll put my best people on it."


    "Then we shall return in a week," Squeak said, bowing his head. "I am happy to have reached a more amicable solution to our mutual problem."


    "Yep," Theo said, waving as the lizard person returned to his boat.


    The sails on the ships caught the wind and dragged the shallow-running boats through the bay. Tresk did very well holding back her laughter until the group was far enough away that they couldn''t hear her. And then she cackled, falling on the ground and rolling around.


    "I thought he was gonna poop himself," she said, slamming her fists on the hard stone. "Did you see his face?"


    "I must admit, it was hilarious," Aarok said, cracking a smile and shaking his head. ¡°But are we seriously commiting to these games?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. I want an arena and everything,¡± Theo said. He turned from the group and walked away, intent on gathering everything he needed to make it happen. It wasn''t a surprise when Aarok and Tresk followed closely behind.


    The arena Theo had in mind was ridiculous and completely unnecessary, but they were at a point in the city¡¯s development that ridiculous things were the only things that excited him anymore. So, why not make it as absurd as possible?


    "I''ve got a few ideas for some games," Tresk said, raising her hand. "We can create games based on common skills used by adventurers, but as we''ve seen, there''s much more that goes into life than just killing monsters. We should definitely have a cooking competition and an overall crafting competition."


    "But at the same time, we shouldn''t neglect a martial competition," Aarok retorted.


    "How about leaning into your military background?" Theo said to Aarok. "We could do larger-scale battles between two teams, blunt weapons and strict rules of course."


    "That''s not a bad idea," Aarok said. "What about tracking competitions? Those don''t have to take place in an arena. We could capture a monster and release it into the swamp. First person to find it wins.¡±


    The ideas bubbled between the members of the group. They all pitched something that interested them, and the others helped refine it into something that would be useful. Of course, these were just the early phases of the ideas. They would kick them back to the town administrators to look over. But for now, the thing Theo wanted was some plans for the arena itself.


    A quick check through the administration interface told him Ziz had expanded his gang of stoneworkers to a healthy team of far too many people. A quick message told him they had enough of a working force to pull teams from the housing project. The amount of refugees had slowed down, giving them some extra time.


    Which meant Ziz and his boys would focus on producing stone for a while. Any building efforts would wait until the alchemist cleared the area for this arena.


    ¡°Knock knock,¡± Theo said, cracking the door to Alise¡¯s office. He stuck his head in, grinning.


    ¡°Oh, gods. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Two options. Mountains or ocean,¡± Theo said.

 7.44 - Mountains or Ocean

    Alise pressed the heel of her palms into her arms, groaning. ¡°What are you talking about, Theo?¡± she asked. ¡°Mountains or ocean? What?¡±


    ¡°Do you want our new coliseum atop a mountain or in the middle of the ocean?¡± Theo asked, wiggling his eyebrows. ¡°Both are very exciting for me.¡±


    Alise¡¯s head thumped against the desk. She released another groan before running her fingers through her hair. When she eventually looked up, she took a steady breath and shook her head. There was a deep red mark on her forehead. ¡°I seriously don¡¯t care. And I know I can¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Theo said. He turned back to his companions. ¡°Let¡¯s poll the citizens. Put the adventurers you assembled to work, Aarok. Make them ask the locals which coliseum they want.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like an excellent use of my time,¡± Aarok said.


    ¡°I can help, too!¡± Tresk shouted.


    After organizing themselves in the office, the group headed out to round up the adventurers. They would track the poll through the administration interface, making sure no one person¡¯s vote was counted more than once. Theo didn¡¯t mind which option they picked. Either location would make for an impressive arena and he didn¡¯t think either would be more work than the other. Thanks to his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and his absurd willpower, it would be a breeze¡­ Mostly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tresk shouted.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s neglect our duties,¡± Aarok said, twirling his finger through the air.


    ¡°Come on. We have some time to spare. The dream team will take care of the dungeons,¡± Theo said, patting the grumpy half-ogre on the back. ¡°Time to get into the spirit of the newest shiny thing that has caught my attention.¡±


    Grumbling, Aarok led the way out onto the streets. It really wasn¡¯t that busy today. The lizardfolk docking at the pier was likely the most interesting thing that would happen today. Otherwise, Aarok and the adventurers would just pull guard duty the way they always did.


    Theo approached random people in town, getting their name and which location they wanted the new arena to be built at. There seemed to be no agreement which spot was better, but he took each vote and added it to the tally. The alchemist checked his interface as he went. The most interesting thing was how much progress the adventurer team had made with the dungeons. Now the River Dungeon had been destroyed.


    Two more to go.


    After polling for a while, Theo took a break and headed over to the pier. He climbed one tower, nodding to Zan¡¯kir as he leaned over the side.


    ¡°Have you come back to taunt me?¡± Zan¡¯kir asked, rubbing the rail gun and tutting. ¡°She wanted to fire. You have denied her request.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll get over it,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna fire a shot for fun,¡± Zan¡¯kir said. He aimed the weapon and let off a shot. Theo was happy he covered his ears for that one. ¡°I feel much better.¡±


    Theo shook his head, looking out to the bay. It was expansive enough out there for him to move a bunch of dirt and stones to create an island. He would place it to the north, as he could draw material for the sheer mountains in that region. These were the same mountains he drew stones from to prop up Qavell.


    The more he looked at the shape of the bay and the barrier islands, the more he thought reinforcement of those islands was a good idea. Perhaps he could work on that while he was at it, giving the alliance better control of the area. Allowing people to enter the bay might have been an oversight, but the amount of work required could only be justified with extreme boredom.


    It took more time than Theo expected for the poll to complete. It was close, but the ocean-based arena won. He suspected it had less to do with the ocean being a scenic place for an arena, and more to do with how it would give people access to the bay itself. Yeah, the ocean was the coolest spot for it, and the alchemist had no intentions of delaying the construction.


    Theo swapped in his Earth Sorcerer¡¯s Core and made his way to the road outside of Qavell. People watched with curiosity as he walked along the coast, skirting the water¡¯s edge until he found his way off the sandy shores and onto the path of stone. Pulling large sections of the mountain out from under would cause rockslides. Which might fall onto the city above.


    Unlike the alchemist¡¯s last attempt to seed the ocean¡¯s floor with stones, he had an advantage this time around. The bay¡¯s bottom was much shallower than the open ocean, and his understanding of the sorcerer core much greater. A crack formed on the sheer wall of stone as the alchemist exerted his will on it. Unseen magic drove seams between those stones, pushing them further apart until the wall crumbled.


    ¡°Whoops, gonna need this¡­¡± Theo swapped another core for his Water Sorcerer¡¯s Core in time to stem the tidal wave that followed. As the stones fell, they sent water spewing high into the air, that water eventually falling to catch the light of the sun. The rainbow that formed seemed in contrast to the silly level of destruction he could bring with his sorcerer cores.


    The sensation of manipulating two elements at once was novel. Theo felt his mind splitting into two segments. One for the water, one for the earth. He dragged massive chunks of rock into the water, piling them high before moving to the smaller pieces. He laced those over the top of the causeway, sealing the arrangement together. When a large rock dropped into the water, threatening to send another wave out into the bay, he tamped it down.


    ¡°Look at him work!¡± Ziz shouted, pumping his fists into the air. ¡°You¡¯re hired!¡±


    Theo turned, smiling at the half-ogre. ¡°How much am I getting paid, boss?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely nothing,¡± Ziz said, crossing the fifty-feet of causeway the alchemist had already constructed. ¡°Very slick work. You got any idea how big you want this thing?¡±


    ¡°No clue. My plan was to walk this out to the barrier islands and set the platform there. This causeway is only temporary.¡±


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    ¡°That far out, huh?¡± Ziz asked. ¡°Might be out of range of our guns.¡±


    ¡°New guns,¡± Theo said, nodding to the distance. ¡°We¡¯ll reinforce the barrier islands with new towers. I¡¯m thinking we¡¯ll use¡­ that island as a base for the arena. Got any designs in mind?¡±


    ¡°Not until you tell me the size,¡± Ziz said, crossing his arms.


    Theo grabbed another cluster of rocks, watching as they soared through the air. Ziz winced as they hit the water yet produced no splash. He clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Seriously, do you need work?¡±


    Theo laughed, shaking his head as he moved more stones into place. He pushed his power further, drawing on every part of his will. Sweat formed on his brow as he released another cluster of stones. He sagged as they hit the surface of the water, shaking his head to fight back the oncoming stupor.


    ¡°Wait a sec,¡± Theo said, opening his inventory and sifting through the disorganized thing. ¡°These powers are expressed through a person¡¯s aura. Right?¡±


    ¡°I have absolutely no idea.¡±


    Theo withdrew a potion from his inventory. ¡°Aura Potion,¡± he said, swirling the contents of the vial. He quaffed it, feeling a surge of power rush through his body. ¡°Oh, yeah. Let¡¯s see what we can do with this¡­¡±


    Reaching out to his pile of rocks, Theo scooped up a mass twice as big as the groups he had been gathering. Ziz skittered back as the rocks hovered above their heads. Dust and smaller stones fell, clattering against the ten-foot-wide causeway. The half-ogre let out a frightened peep.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re cooking,¡± Theo said, lowering the stones into place. ¡°Nothing like halving the time to do a job. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°So right,¡± Ziz said, breathlessly.


    ¡°This property comes from a very common reagent. Throk¡¯s Weed. That¡¯s a hybrid plant which was growing on the farm,¡± Theo said. His will didn¡¯t feel as strained compared to before. The Aura Potion had not only strengthened his willpower-based abilities, but it had refreshed whatever invisible resource it drew from. ¡°It was the third property, and I really didn¡¯t know what it would do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fascinating,¡± Ziz said, whimpering as another cluster of stones flew overhead.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll work on the causeway¡ªwhich will give me a path to bring the stones over¡ªand you get working on the design. Just assume it¡¯ll be as wide as the barrier island. Circular structure, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not much to go off of¡­¡±


    Theo shrugged, dropping his most recent load of rocks and snatching a smaller one from the air and drawing it close. He imagined a structure and punched his willpower forward. As though imprinting the structure onto the stone, his aura chipped away the rocks. Left behind was a circular arena similar to the images he had seen of a coliseum back on Earth.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯ll do,¡± Ziz said, grabbing the sculpture from the air and looking it over. ¡°I¡¯ll make some adjustments, of course.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just a rough design,¡± Theo said.


    ¡°Looks finely crafted to me,¡± Ziz grumbled. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll make designs based on this.¡±


    That was much easier than putting it all on paper. Theo didn¡¯t know a thing about doing the architectural diagrams Ziz could do, so this was the next best thing. The alchemist got back to work, but bored locals gathered near the shore to watch him move the massive stones. Only when he let a massive boulder ¡®slip¡¯ did they get to a safe distance. Making his way across the bay, he watched as the ocean beyond the barrier islands drew closer.


    Creating the causeway between the mainland and the islands took less time than Theo had expected. He jumped from the rocky bridge onto the soft sands of the islands. The open ocean rolled over the far side of the island, a chilled breeze blowing in to rustle the grasses and tropical plants that grew there. It brought with it the scent of the ocean and the sounds of sea birds flying overhead.


    Theo waded into the water of the bay, nodding with satisfaction. It wasn¡¯t actually very deep on this end of the bay. He waded a few hundred feet out into the bay, and the water only came up to his chest. While he was only measuring by eye, the alchemist figured this area would need far less stone than he first expected. Laying a sturdy foundation for the arena was necessary, otherwise it would just collapse into the muddy bottom of the bay.


    Heading back for more stone, Theo shook his head as he passed curious citizens on their way to the barrier islands. As expected, they were having a ball. Building the causeway so wide had been a bit of foresight the alchemist was proud of. He walked between the mountain and the barrier islands, holding the rocks above his head and creating massive piles on the far side. Citizens would clap politely when he let them fall to the ground, often cheering when the ground rumbled enough to knock someone over.


    Setting the foundation of the building was difficult. But the layers of mud and silt responded to the combination of Theo¡¯s Water and Earth cores, allowing him to scoop it out with ease. He dug until he found hard ground underneath, depositing the mud onto the island¡¯s ocean-facing side. He then pressed the large blocks as deep as they would go, layering smaller ones atop that until it all came several feet over the bay¡¯s high tide. Using this as a blueprint, he labored away until the sun grew dim in the sky.


    Theo¡¯s work was broken when Tresk and Alex descended from the sky. The dragon-goose landed with much drama, spewing fire into the sky and roaring. ¡°Working hard out here?¡± she asked, jumping from Alex¡¯s back.


    ¡°It really is fun,¡± Theo said with a smile. He looked back at the foundations he worked on, nodding with pride. ¡°We¡¯re going to have some water flow issues in the bay until I add a permanent solution for the causeway.¡±


    ¡°Oh, who cares?¡± Tresk asked, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°This is a cool project.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Very cool,¡± Alex said. ¡°What is the purpose again?¡±


    Theo had to explain what they were working on. He wanted an area out on the barrier islands for a few reasons. The first was the arena, of course. But he had another motive. Reinforcing the islands to give them more warning against attackers would be lovely. And he had heard about sea monsters roaming the world. Where were they? If a giant poison whale, or something just as absurd, came calling he wanted to be prepared. How would one fight such a monster anyway?


    ¡°Think we can bring this area into the city?¡± Tresk asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. Might be expensive, but the bay is a single purchase in the interface,¡± Theo said. ¡°We should rope in all the way to the islands, and the entire strip of land. If we can reinforce this area, I¡¯d sleep a lot easier. How many layers of defense do we have against sea-borne attacks?¡±


    ¡°Uh, let¡¯s see,¡± Tresk said, putting up fingers and counting the items off. ¡°The towers, then the wall at the harbor. So, we have two layers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we need more layers,¡± Theo said, rubbing his chin. ¡°And no part of the defenses are without a population.¡±


    ¡°So, you want to have walls where there¡¯s nothing inside. Got it,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Hey, man. I gotta say, that sounds like a lot of work.¡±


    Theo shrugged. The next biggest thing he needed to work on was bringing the rest of the elves back and then the shards. After that, his schedule was free. ¡°I think I have plenty of time,¡± he said. ¡°We can also use this as a way to reclaim a lot of space. Imagine if we filled even a quarter of the bay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll circle around to environmental implications later,¡± Tresk said, patting him on the back. ¡°Because that sounds like a great way to mess up an ecosystem. Right now? Let¡¯s get some grub.¡±

 7.45 - Spiked Conch Shell

    Theo used his time in the Dreamwalk to simulate how the bay would get destroyed if he went through with his plan. According to it, the best way to avoid disaster was to ensure water could come in from either side of the bay. Which meant he could completely pave the outer islands, so long as he left room for water to flow in between them. While that seemed easy enough, it took him longer than he had expected to get it working properly.


    Tresk thought it was a boring way to spend his time in the dream realm. But to the alchemist, this was the best use for their ability. It could simulate not only events as they happened on a one-to-one timescale, but also things that happened over months and years. While he didn¡¯t expect them to stick around for that long, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do the project ¡®wrong¡¯. Instead, he watched as water flowed in and out of the bay without end. Only when he had all the flows of water right was he satisfied.


    ¡°Come on, can¡¯t we summon another hurricane?¡± Tresk groaned.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s actually a great idea,¡± Theo said, imagining a Hurricane Potion. ¡°We can test the current foundation¡¯s ability to withstand storms.¡±


    ¡°Boring. Let¡¯s add a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Two dragons!¡± Alex countered.


    Theo quaffed the potion and watched as the storm formed above his head. He stood at the pier and the towers, looking out over the bay. In this imagined version of Broken Tusk, the far side of the bay was seeded with a stone foundation. The dragons that appeared overhead a moment later dove, shooting fireballs and doing flips in the air. Tresk always had a flair for the dramatic.


    Something the alchemist didn¡¯t expect was the way the hurricane affected the flow of water. The storm started inland and worked its way out to the open ocean, dragging all the water with it. This overloaded the draining channels the alchemist had created, resulting in a redesign. While the dragons didn¡¯t help matters, it was funny watching them dive bomb his causeways and rip the stone apart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we learned anything,¡± Tresk shouted above the sound of the storm. ¡°But that was cool!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it was,¡± Theo agreed.


    Theo spent the rest of his time in the Dreamwalk experimenting with more designs. It was a decent break from alchemy. Civil projects were always fun to work on, especially when they were silly like this one. But, as always, the Dreamwalk came to a close. The alchemist rose in his bed a moment after the connection with the dream world was closed, feeling a sense of confidence for his current project.


    The pair had breakfast together downstairs with Sarisa and Rowan, and as the alchemist was making his way back to the bay to continue his project, Tresk stopped him.


    "I get a good feeling about this one," she said, beckoning him down to her level.


    Tresk pressed her forehead against Theo''s, and he felt a sense of warmth spread through his body. A moment later, a system message appeared, and he chuckled.


    [Tara¡¯hek Core] received experience (0.01%).


    [Tara¡¯hek Core] leveled up! Level 40!


    [Tara¡¯hek Core] gained an additional effect: [????]


    ¡°Hah!¡± Tresk shouted, pumping her fist. ¡°I knew it. We were so close to getting that level. It just needed a nudge.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ But what is that ability?¡± Theo asked, digging into his interface. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡±


    [????]


    Unknown Skill


    Unknown description.


    "That''s disappointing," Tresk said. "I expected an overpowered ability, but instead we got a bunch of question marks."


    "I''ve seen errors in skill messages before, but nothing like this. It seems like everything is undefined." Theo tapped his chin as he thought about what this could mean. "Do you feel any different?"


    "Not really, but normally, to use a skill, focus on it, and when I focus on this one, I feel absolutely nothing."


    When the system messed up like this, Theo was always unsure what to think. It could mean that the system had an error processing what the ability was supposed to be. He had seen this when he was given a special core from one ascendant, but this also could be something else entirely. He wasn''t sure how high other bonds like this had gotten, so it was impossible to say.


    "Best we can do is keep an eye on it," Theo said, unsure of what else to say. "At least we finally hit level 40."


    "Yeah, that''s been a long time coming, hasn''t it?" Tresk asked, puffing her chest out with pride. "I''m going to experiment with this today."


    That was as good a plan as any. When Tresk left, Theo made a slow path to the Barrier Islands. Along the way, he focused his will inward, probing at the Core and the skill it now held. The Tara¡¯hek Core functioned differently than the others. He had no control over what skills slotted into it, so it always felt slightly more distant than his other cores. But the way this skill felt in his mind differed from anything he had experienced so far.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You waste no time, do you!?¡± Ziz asked, jogging up behind Theo as he crossed the causeway.


    Theo turned, offering a sly smile. Gentle waves lapped against the causeway¡¯s edge, some water flooding over it. Despite his efforts, the bay could still rise above his plans. The entire base of the arena would need to be raised a bit to prevent flooding.


    ¡°Any thoughts on this project?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll come together well,¡± Ziz said. ¡°Might need help from you, but we have an effective, modular way of building things now. We can put up a dorm for the refugees in a few hours, so long as we have the materials.¡±


    ¡°And are materials going to be an issue?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be. I¡¯ve got a team gathering the stone for this project. Another team is fabricating the sections. And the last time will work with you to get the dimensions of the foundation set.¡±


    Theo could see the excitement on Ziz¡¯s face. They walked together, touring the construction area. Although the alchemist had done some work, there was a lot left to do. But with the master builder at his side, they hashed out some better dimensions for both the arena and the fortifications. He wasn¡¯t even mad about doing more work. The view of the ocean sprawling helped ease fraying nerves.


    Poking around near the far side of the barrier island, something pulled in the alchemist¡¯s senses. Theo brushed his hand over the wet sand, feeling his fingers getting caught on the sharp edge of a shell. He withdrew his hand, sucking the spot where he was poked and withdrawing the offending shell from the sand.


    ¡°Hello, little reagent,¡± Theo said, rolling the shell over. It was roughly the size of his hand, covered in several spikes. Although it wasn¡¯t occupied, the shell itself was alchemically reactive. The alchemist inspected it.


    [Spiked Conch Shell]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    Uncommon


    The shell of a spiked conch. Useful for all kinds of things like horns, tossing at people, or skewering your hand. Seriously, these things are spiky.


    Properties:


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


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ve never really been this far out,¡± Theo said, holding the shell high for Ziz to see.


    ¡°Looks like a nasty creature,¡± Ziz said. ¡°And you already stuck yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the spikes will make it easier to find,¡± Theo said, digging through the sand again. He stopped, brows knitting as he thought better. A stick appeared in his hand a moment later, and he poked at the soft sand. After a few moments of poking, he found another shell. ¡°The beach is lousy with these things.¡±


    ¡°So, uh¡­ About the construction¡­¡±


    Theo allowed himself to be distracted by the shells for a bit before getting back to work. The work was tedious, of course. He had to walk over the causeway with large rocks over his head. But on his first trip back to the mainland, he broke on conch down using his Reagent Deconstruction skill. The shell refused to reveal its fourth property right away, marking it in the alchemist¡¯s mind as a decent reagent.


    The three properties he revealed were Sharpen, Poke, and Call of the Sea. Sharpen was obvious enough, and he felt it would produce a potion which worked like a salve for a weapon. Poke was curious, and gave the feeling as though it would create a bomb-like potion. That one was the hardest one to tell, though. Call of the Sea might have felt weird, but it was clearly a standard potion.


    After sacrificing another shell, Theo uncovered the fourth property. It was called Bolstering Horn and gave him the impression of a powerful buffing property. This property would create another standard potion. It wasn¡¯t the worst reagent he had experimented with and held all unique properties. No duplicates!


    Theo cut into the mountain again, smiling to himself as he thought about getting back to the lab to test his new reagents. He was too excited for them to wait, so he contacted Tresk. He shoved the shells into their shared inventory, and instructed her to drop them off at the lab. Salire could start them for him, so long as she wasn¡¯t too busy.


    ¡°Yeah, she says no problem,¡± Tresk said through their connection. ¡°But she can¡¯t get the fourth property to do the thing or whatever.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Theo said. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing boring patrols today,¡± Tresk said. ¡°Can you see me? Straight above you.¡±


    Theo looked up, squinting against the sun. He saw a tiny dot that could have been a marshling riding a dragon-goose. It could have also been a bird¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Theo said, squinting harder. Alex shot a jet of fire from her mouth. ¡°Oh, yep. That¡¯s you.¡±


    Tresk cackled into his mind.


    Theo shook his head as he split another section of the mountain off. He strained under the weight, popping another Aura Potion before adding more rocks to the load. Half-way across the causeway, he felt a familiar presence approaching him from behind. Some of his hair had fallen into his face, plastered to his forehead with the sweat already forming there.


    ¡°Perg,¡± Theo said, managing a weak smile as he juggled the rock. ¡°Been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Hah. And how far you¡¯ve come,¡± Perg said in a sing-song tone. ¡°I had to come check out the bridge everyone was talking about.¡±


    ¡°Word gets around, huh?¡± Theo asked. ¡°If nothing else, at least people are having fun crossing the causeway.¡±


    Perg snapped her fingers, jogging up alongside Theo. She elbowed him in the side gently. ¡°That¡¯s what it was. Causeway. Looks like you¡¯re having about as much fun as a snapper in a storeroom.¡±


    ¡°Something like that, anyway,¡± Theo said, pressing on along the path. ¡°How about you? Still tanning hides?¡±


    Perg shrugged, stretching as they walked along the path. ¡°Fewer than before. More than I care to do. I¡¯ve got no motivation. Just been napping all day.¡±


    ¡°Yet that¡¯s a perfectly normal response to the end of the world,¡± Theo said. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m shocked that anyone is working.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a few people slacking. I ain¡¯t telling who it was, though,¡± Perg said with a wink. ¡°We¡¯re bringing all of this with us, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep. As long as I win over the other gods¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s why people work so hard. They trust you to bring it all with us.¡±


    Yet Theo didn¡¯t know exactly what would happen once they left. As long as they didn¡¯t end up like the space elves, everything would be fine.


    ¡°Hey, wanna see me lift some more heavy rocks?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Duh.¡±

 7.46 -Approaching the Twin Realms

    Theo understood. The key to getting any stonework project done in town was to hook Ziz. Once the half-ogre had his hooks in a project, he wouldn¡¯t let go. All the alchemists had to do was lay the foundation for the new colosseum for him to dive into the deep end. It took him about two days of work to get a basic foundation laid, but there was still much more work to do. He sat at the breakfast table with his companions, picking over fried eggs and thick lengths of bacon before starting his day.


    ¡°This competition is really going to liven up the town.¡± Tresk said. She had already eaten all of her food but still remained at the table. ¡°Some adventurers are getting bored, especially with the closing of the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t ignore the dungeons to the north,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not that we can manage every single dungeon on the planet, but we can at least keep our local area clean. Unless we want to come to the defense of Gronro against an army of dragons. Which I realize now is likely appealing to you.¡±


    ¡°Very appealing,¡± Tresk said, rubbing her hands together.


    Whatever dreams Theo might have had to get his foundation completed would fail. Unfortunately, today was a spell space elf wrangling day. It wasn¡¯t just a hard task, but also a dangerous one. The elves themselves provided little challenge. It was just that bringing them to the mortal plane would cause issues. And yet, those issues might have been diminished by the capture and transport of the shards. Elrin would be required to breathe life into those things, and that guy could be difficult to deal with.


    Once breakfast was finished, Theo gathered the people he would need to sail across the void. Fortunately, Fenian had not left town, so Theo pulled him away from whatever perceived duties he had, rounded up Tresk, and retrieved Xol¡¯sa. They gathered near the monolith and the statue of Xol¡¯sa and his wife before preparing to head out.


    ¡°Remember, the goal is to capture them.¡± The alchemist said, regarding each person. ?¡±I should have a spell that will work well on them, but I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯ve never cast a spell on the void island, so I¡¯m reluctant to do so.¡±


    ¡°Your spells should work fine,¡± Xol¡¯sa said with a shrug. ¡°But we should be enough to gather whatever stragglers remain.¡±


    ¡°Which makes you, my dear alchemist, the supervisor,¡± Fenian said with a mirthful chuckle.


    ¡°I would have liked to bring Elrin with us, but...¡± Theo paused, withdrawing the communication crystal from his inventory. He squeezed it, and nothing happened. ¡°He isn¡¯t picking up the phone.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying we¡¯re not enough to make this happen?¡± Tresk asked, looking slightly offended.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Theo said, spreading his aura over the gathered group. ¡°I said nothing like that. Are you guys ready to go?¡±


    Once he had received enough nods, the alchemist dropped them into the void. The transition was always so sudden and could be quite jarring for those who weren¡¯t prepared. Fortunately, everybody here was experienced in traveling through the negative space of the universe. He angled them directly towards the void island, and the alchemist couldn¡¯t help but think that it was getting further from the central mortal plane. They really needed to get to work, either pulling the island back or withdrawing those crystals. If only Elrin had given him more information on how that was supposed to work.


    ¡°The energy is becoming more turgid,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, raising an eyebrow as the Void Island finally came into view. ¡°It¡¯s odd to think that the combination of purifying and damaging energies worked together for so long, but not for much longer.¡±


    As haunting as that statement was, the alchemist didn¡¯t really want to consider it right now. Instead, he focused on landing them safely on the island. As always, it was easiest to land at the ziggurat in that jungle landscape. The group set foot on the moist ground, and the eerie silence of the area settled in around them. Theo shivered as he scanned the tree line and found several of the space elves waiting for them. He couldn¡¯t help but think that they had taken on a more insane appearance than the last time.


    ¡°Time to get hunting,¡± Fenian said, rolling his shoulders as he giggled to himself. ¡°For the record, I just tie them up and toss them in a pile, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Theo said with a shrug. ¡°Just trying not to hurt them too badly. You¡¯ll put more strain on our healers if you do that.¡±


    Fenian vanished from the spot where he stood in the blink of an eye. An instant later, he was back in the same spot, this time with a hog-tied space elf draped over his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s one for me,¡± Fenian said, teasing Tresk. ¡°Oh, I hope the lizard can keep up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s on like Donkey Kong,¡± Tresk said, cracking her knuckles.


    Theo stood with Xol¡¯sa. They watched as the pair rushed off into the forest, gathering as many elves as they could.


    ¡°They really are insufferable, aren¡¯t they?¡± Xol¡¯sa asked, shaking his head.


    ¡°Those two are the spice of life.¡± Theo said he didn¡¯t disagree with Xol¡¯sa¡¯s assessment of how annoying they were, but if things always went well, would they truly be interesting? Anyway, let¡¯s get to work. I want this to be over as soon as possible.¡±


    ###


    The group had worked tirelessly for hours, transporting loads of elves between the Void Island and what they were calling the mainland. It was exhausting work, made doubly so by the strange time dilation that had set in on the island. Time was acting strangely, rubber banding between slower and faster. With each visit, the energy there was unstable to a ridiculous degree, and the alchemist wasn¡¯t sure how long they could work without everything falling apart.


    Xol¡¯sa stood before one of the inert shards, holding a magical device in his hands and humming to himself. Theo approached and placed a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder, startling him. ¡°What do you have there?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°According to the Guardian, if we attach this to a shard and toss both into the void, it will find its way back to the mortal plane with a bit of steering.¡±


    The group had taken a break after a large batch of space elves was sent to the mortal plane. Theo understood little about how these magical devices worked, so he had little to offer. Everyone was taking a break before handling another load, and he was bored, so he had searched around the ziggurat to see if there was anything interesting. The most interesting thing, of course, was Xol¡¯sa.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Another interesting thing the Guardian told me was that we can¡¯t bring them all back at once,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, ¡°which has me concerned for the safety of this island.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean that makes sense,¡± Theo said. ¡°If too much void energy at once is bad for the planet, then sucking it all up at once won¡¯t be good either. We really need to get in contact with that man.¡±


    Xol¡¯sa sat in silent contemplation, leaving the alchemist free to do whatever he wanted. Of course, there wasn¡¯t much to do with everybody resting, so he fell back on a reliable way to pass the time. He searched the area for reagents, relying on the senses he drew from his core to steer him in the right direction. Several things popped into his awareness, but everything was so bathed in the void¡¯s energy that it was hard to tell when one magical thing overlapped with another.


    The alchemist knelt, pressing his hand against a patch of moss and feeling something in return. The system message was reluctant to appear, and it made sense. Despite Xol¡¯sa¡¯s reassurances, his magic wasn¡¯t working as well as it could here. He tried to cast the Field of Despair spell, but it only caused the space elves to act in an even more insane manner, if that was at all possible. But eventually the message appeared, revealing what the moss was.


    [Emberstone Moss]


    [Alchemy Ingredient]


    ????


    ????


    Properties:


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


    Question marks in an item description could mean different things. Here, Theo suspected this was a rig that needed to be identified by a Loremaster. Although it had a name, everything else was blank. That made him worry it was tinged with too much void energy. So, he marched back to his resident space elf for a consultation.


    ¡°What do you think about this?¡± Theo asked, holding out a clump of moss for Xol¡¯sa¡¯s inspection.


    ¡°Yes, that certainly is moss,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, taking it and rolling it over. ¡°With a bit of dirt still on the bottom. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just wanted to know if it was dangerous,¡± Theo said. ¡°You know, since the stuff from the void typically isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bring back a lot,¡± Xol¡¯sa said. ¡°In fact, I probably wouldn¡¯t bring back more than one piece, but a single clump should be fine to handle.¡±


    Realistically, that only left Theo with one option. He would bring one sample back for identification and then burn this one here, absorbing all the properties. At least then he could use it in an infusion-style potion. He held the bit of moss out and allowed it to decompose in his hand. What was left was the primal essence as dust and a vapor he inhaled to reveal the properties. It took a moment longer than usual for the process to complete, but when it was done, he viewed only three properties. The fourth one refused to reveal itself, and he didn¡¯t like the idea of exposing himself to more void energy.


    Theo inspected the new properties.


    Properties:


    [Comfort] [Soothe] [Inspire] [????]


    ¡°Well, that just sounds like a lovely reagent,¡± Theo said, chuckling as he looked at the description of the plant. Of course, nothing else had been revealed, just those three properties. He hadn¡¯t seen them before, which, of course, made them valuable.


    ¡°This should be the last batch,¡± Xol¡¯sa said, gesturing as Fenian tossed another elf onto the pile. The space elves squirmed, but once they were immobilized, they stopped struggling and fighting so much.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to do one more round,¡± Fenian said, wiping the sweat from his brow. ¡°Then we can go.¡±


    That¡¯s something Theo appreciated about Fenian. He seemed haughty, but he could easily roll up his sleeves to get the job done. Once they had collected all the elves, the alchemists surrounded them with their aura again, and they set off. They didn¡¯t want to bring any of the shards back to the mortal plane before they had the go-ahead from Elrin. Once they landed in the center of Broken Tusk, a team of people was waiting to take the elves from them.


    ¡°You¡¯re really pushing us to our limits here,¡± Sulvan said with a smile. He clapped Theo on the shoulder and gave him a solemn nod. ¡°Excellent work today.¡±


    They only stood there in the town center for a few moments before a familiar shrieking sound echoed from the distance. Everyone froze in fear for a moment before letting out a steady breath. As if summoned by so many people thinking and talking about him, Elrin approached from the north, riding his dragon. At least he was kind enough to dismount far away and then walk the remaining distance.


    ¡°You know, you can pick up your phone,¡± Theo said, placing his hands on his hips as he assessed the man. He was wearing different armor and a new cloak. The gear he currently had on was slightly more ornate than his last set, but it followed the same design: heavy leathers with metal plates woven in between the gaps. It was all of the finest quality. ¡°I see you¡¯re crafting again.¡±


    ¡°The system has restricted me to two crafting professions,¡± Elrin said, annoyed to have been reduced to only two crafting professions. ¡°But I¡¯m trying not to complain.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a question about the shards and the void.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Elrin said, jerking his head to the side. Somewhere in the distance, his dragon turned to mist, vanishing from the spot. And somewhere even more distant, Tresk groaned in disappointment.


    A moment later, both Elrin and Theo were sailing through the void, angling back toward that island. The alchemist wasn¡¯t sure how much more he could take of the void today, but a few more minutes shouldn¡¯t hurt. They soon landed on the now vacant island, the Shard in the ziggurat seeming to resonate with the man¡¯s presence.


    ¡°We can bring one back today,¡± Elrin said, ascending those blocky steps with easy strides. ¡°But any more might set the world off balance. Even this one is going to be difficult to implant.¡±


    ¡°And this will help with the void energy, right?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, it should absorb all the energy,¡± Elrin said with a shrug. He approached the shard and placed his hand upon it. A flash of blue ran through it, and it shot upright, hovering with a low, humming sound. ¡°There she is. Far weaker than she ever has been, but still alive.¡±


    ¡°You talk about them as though they¡¯re people,¡± Theo said, cautiously approaching the shard but keeping enough distance. The energy it emitted was warm and comforting, but he didn¡¯t understand enough about it to feel at ease.


    ¡°Because she is living,¡± Elrin said simply, placing one of his devices onto the shard. ¡°If you drop us all into the void, this one should go to its home.¡±


    Theo shrugged, expanding his aura and thinning the veil between places. One moment they were on the Void Island¡¯s plane, and the next they were in the void itself. To his surprise, he saw the shard shoot off with a streak of blue. Beside him, Elrin smiled widely.


    ¡°Where exactly is it going?¡± Theo asked.


    Elrin turned, winking at Theo. ¡°Your city, of course.¡±


    Theo clicked his tongue and angled them forward. ¡°Well, there wouldn¡¯t have been a better place for it. Perhaps the proximity to where they were planning to heal the space elves will hurry along the process.


    The bubble surrounding them shuddered, and the alchemist felt something familiar.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Elrin grumbled, narrowing his eyes as he looked to the side. A tiny, glowing rabbit appeared on his shoulder. ¡°Can you fight?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Not really,¡± Theo said. ¡°I mean, kinda. Why, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    But he didn¡¯t have to wait for long. A system message appeared to explain it all.


    [Interdiction Event]


    Your travel through the void has been interrupted by a divine being. This action has been sanctioned, passing the Seal of Judgement and the Seal of Passage.


    Approaching the Twin Realms¡­