The Newt and Demon - Book 7 Chapters 37,38,39

Chapter 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—from House Wavecrest—asked 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.

"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.”

Chapter 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.

[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.”

Chapter 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—” 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—a 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.

"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.