Edwin M. Griffiths
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The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 49,50,51
🕑 Added 2023-10-27 11:00:05 +0000 UTCChapter 49
Dragon’s 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 cock, 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—we’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.
“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—what are you doing? Put the reveal construct away—I 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.
Chapter 50
Champion
Khahar had left Theo an interesting gift. A gift that would be useless to any other alchemist—even 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—he’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—”
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…”
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, folding 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—perhaps 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—so 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.”
Chapter 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.
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—after I killed Zagmon—I 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.
