The Newt and Demon - Book 6 Chapters 40.41.42

Chapter 40

Tara’hek Union

“Oh, hell yeah!” Tresk shouted, jumping into the air and pumping her fist. The horns on her head grew as her eyes flared purple. Her fat tail grew thin as it whipped through the air.

Theo’s features took the opposite turn. He wasn’t sure what he thought about his dronon-marshling form. He pushed back the bond, sifting through his Tara’hek Core screen to find the evolved ability.

[Tara’hek Union]

Marshling Bond Skill

Mythic

The last step to a Tara’hek is the union.

Effect:

Allows you to communicate with Tresk no matter how far away they are. Others cannot hear your conversation.

Allows you to know the current state of your Tara’hek. Their health, mana, and stamina will appear near yours at all times.

Through intense focus, either member of the bond may blur the line between both members. Either member can absorb attributes, skills, physical characteristics, inate knowledge, etc.

This was interesting. The skill maintained the effects of the unevolved one, but gained an interesting effect. Tresk had increased her attributes to match Theo’s attributes, giving her a temporary boost of power. And the alchemist felt no drain on his own, meaning they were just sharing those attributes. The result was an absurd skill that would make the marshling a nightmare. He watched as she dashed around the area, stabbing at the air faster than she had ever moved. Someone with lower attributes would have trouble following her, let alone matching her movements.

“I can’t believe this,” Theo said. “I guess the skill wouldn’t be overpowered if I wasn’t overpowered… Wait, did you just manifest a skill because you couldn’t win a fight?”

“Yup! I’m awesome.”

“Yeah, Tresk is awesome,” Alex said, nodding along.

Theo’s gaze dragged to Alex, who he was certain would evolve into a dragon at any moment. “We have her to worry about, too. What is a dragon-goose, anyway?”

“Goose-dragon?” Tresk asked, rubbing her hands on her horns. “How do you do anything with these things, Theo?”

“You get used to them.” Theo pushed down on the Tara’hek again, attempting to break Tresk’s concentration to cancel the effect. It took great effort, but it worked.

“No fair. I want my horns back.” Tresk probed at her forehead, glaring at Theo. “You stink, buddy.”

“Your horns are a cheap imitation.”

Tresk gasped, holding her hand over her mouth. “Take that back. Now.”

“No. You stink,” Theo said, turning and running on the spot.

Tresk shrieked in anger, chasing after him.

The rest of the Dreamwalk wasn’t productive. But it gave Tresk and Theo a chance to get a handle on their new ability. He wasn’t happy that every time she wanted to use the ability, he would earn frilly gills, pink skin, and a fat tail… but the effects were nuts. The marshling went from fighting like a person at Level 35, to fighting like a Level 500 demon. The alchemist doubted there was a person alive who could keep up with her. She could handle the underground dungeon on her own, if she wanted.

When Tresk ended the dreamwalk, it all came crashing down. Theo’s body was covered in a sheen of sweat the moment he woke up. His body felt too heavy and too light at the same time. The room around him appeared as though someone had attached it to the wheel of a massive car and had their foot on the gas.

“This sucks,” Theo groaned, gripping onto the bedsheets for dear life.

“He did it again!” Sarisa shouted from the threshold, turning to call Rowan up. “Get the diapers.”

“On it!” Rowan’s powerful voice came from down the stairs. 

Theo groaned. “If you put me in a diaper, I will kill you.”

“Poor baby,” Sarisa said, coming over to pat Theo on the head. “Ew. Why do you have… Are your fingers webbed?”

“Tresk, please,” Theo said, trying to turn to see her but failing. He glimpsed her horned head.

Tresk’s giggle soon turned into an all-out cackle. She dashed away before he could object. Funny how he could experience a massive boost in attributes and feel as though he would die. But if Tresk did it, she was fine. That must have been an effect of him accepting the attributes into himself, while she was just borrowing them. He was happy to hear her tumble down the stairs, smacking her face on the landing below. Accepting the attributes also meant accepting the way he felt.

The front door opened and slammed shut as she left. But Theo knew she wouldn’t get far.

“Seriously, do you need any help?” Sarisa asked.

“Just some water,” Theo said, closing his eyes. It didn’t make him feel better.

After getting a mug of water and waiting it out for a minute, he gave up. Instead of suffering on the mortal realm, he fell through the veil and suffered in the throne room. The effects were still there, but they were lessened. Tero’gal reached out sympathetically, sending a wave of soothing energy. The alchemist gazed up at the ceiling. He knew how close he was to losing the power of his cores. It edged closer every day, and there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing that would work was if he evolved them with the power of Tero’gal. After that, he had to figure out how to infuse the cores of others.

“Long road ahead,” Theo said with a sigh. “What kind of form is a Tero’gal Alchemist Core gonna take?”

Tero’gal had no answer for him. It wasn’t as though it refused to answer him. Rather, it didn’t know. Like Theo, this world was new to the job. Their only way forward was to stumble through the process and figure it out as they went. That sense of moving forward resonated through both him and the world. After a few hours of laying on his back, he ventured out to see his metal golems standing guard. Their function was tied to the will of the world, rather than himself. The alchemist doubted he would feel their pull, no matter how many he made. There might have been an upper limit, but he doubted he could reach it with ease.

“Good evening, gents,” Theo said, stepping into the crisp mountain air. In a flash, he appeared at the foot of the mountain.

The denizens of this world had already built a small town near the foot of the mountain, carving into the stone about a quarter of the way to the temple. Perhaps it was better to leave the place inaccessible, but Theo liked the idea of a giant staircase a person could spend days climbing. Installing waystations along the path might be a good idea. While he wanted to make some quip to the locals about working hard, everyone was asleep. The stone and timber constructions they had created were dotted here and there, following a grid design this time.

Drogramath seemed intent on staying in the swamps to the southeast of the mountain. Theo teleported there in a blink, finding a familiar sight. Packed dirt roads connected a hodgepodge of buildings, all built with haste and reminding him too much of Broken Tusk. There was little structure to the new home of the Drogramathi and Uz’Xulveni Dronon. A young dronon approached, holding a torch aloft and his hand on a sword at his side.

“Spears are better,” Theo said, smiling at the man.

His eyes went wide, hand shooting from the hilt to rest at his side. “Thronekeeper,” he said, bowing his head low.

“A new title?” Theo asked, tilting his head to one side. He didn’t hate it. “Ah, well… You got stuck on the night watch?”

“Yes, sir.”

This was weird. Theo knew that only a day had passed in the mortal world. But these people were experiencing their own history at a rapid pace. These folks were real people now, not the remnants of their souls. They roamed the Throneworld not as transient guests, but as fully realized people. That thought was haunting for the alchemist, as he was now placed in the same position as the ascendants. He could control most things about this place, making him something of a god, but had no interest in it. He would rather watch the people develop, only intervening if they made war.

He had a strict ‘no war’ policy for his world.

“How do you like it?” Theo asked. “Is Drogramath a good leader?”

“Lord Drogramath… Ah… Mayor Drogramath is an excellent leader.” The dronon stood proud at that statement, his eyes gaining a glint in the torchlight. He cleared his throat, leaning in. “We even have a few Zagmoni Dronon here.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“That’s right.” The dronon looked uncomfortable out of nowhere. “May I be of service to you, lord?”

“No, no… I’m just checking in on everyone. Things are getting stranger, somehow. Do you know if anyone has developed cores, yet?”

“I’ve heard of people earning cores here, but I haven’t seen it.”

So, they weren’t in that phase of development yet. Tero’gal had to figure itself out before it could implement a system that made sense. Theo suspected it wouldn’t come up with something fully usable for a while, and might put in a temporary system until everything could be fixed. It was a patch that wasn’t likely to last.

Theo bid the dronon guard farewell, exploring the nearby areas. He found the need for guards quickly enough, discovering something like monsters in the nearby forest. These creatures weren’t exactly monsters, but beefy versions of Earth wolves. He spotted a group padding through the forest. None of the monsters noticed him when he approached. The one he slapped on the rump didn’t even react. He could feel information about them flowing into his mind, and things made sense.

Monsters on the mortal realm were condensed bits of magic generated by the system. Tero’gal was the system here, and it had made things for the locals to fight and eat. It might not have been as powerful as the system that governed the mortal world, but that didn’t matter to Theo. He appreciated the steps it had taken to create a convincing world. It made him think about if this place had a version of outer space. Perhaps that was just the void…

The population of the world had increased to nearly eight-hundred-thousand. Belgar’s team of welcomers must have been hard at work showing everyone around. There was plenty of space for them to inhabit, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Tero’gal was determined to ensure there were enough resources for everyone, so Theo didn’t think fighting would start anytime soon. Whatever system went in place would be fair, allowing everyone to advance and better themselves. This concept had worked for the souls, but there had only been one-thousand.

On a cliff side, overlooking a sprawling ocean, a flash of silver light rolled across the sky like an aurora. Theo felt the pull of something, as though he was being gently interdicted. It was more like an invitation to somewhere else. After a moment of thought, and influence from his newest core, he realized where the invitation was coming from. Using this new ability, Passage, he slipped through the cracks without effort. A moment later, he stood within Glantheir’s new realm.

“John,” Theo said, nodding to Glantheir, who stood on the balcony of his wooden, elf-style house.

Glantheir turned, greeting Theo with a smile and a shake of his head. He wore brilliant robes of silver, his eyes glowing a similar color. “They call me Hallow now.”

“So did you… Y’know… Kill the original Hallow?” Theo asked.

Glantheir laughed, slapping a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “It might surprise you, but I’ve never killed anyone in this world.”

Theo bit back a comment about using followers to kill people. That wasn’t important. His attention was drawn to a short man with a shaved head and bristling mustache. He wore simple clothes, and was short for even a human. The man shuffled over, fidgeting with his hands. “Hey.”

Theo winced. “That’s the old Hallow?”

“Look, things are weird!” the man said. “Glantheir threw me a rope—I never wanted to be a god.”

“We settled it like gentlemen.”

“Pistols at dawn?” Theo asked. He shook his head, trying to take this more seriously. He reached a hand out for the old Hallow to shake. “Theo Spencer.”

“Franz Nosske. Formerly the President of Hallben, then the God of Healing Hallow. Confused and slightly afraid.” Franz bowed his head as he shook Theo’s hand. “You’re the new Dreamwalker, huh?”

“Yeah. Guess I am.”

“That core allows you to enter any realm in passive mode,” Glantheir said. “If something within that realm violates the heavenly law, you can join with Khahar to fix it.”

Theo didn’t like how much of a pointed hint that was. Glantheir didn’t say something unless he wanted the alchemist to know. “Thanks. Now if I could sort my core before Drogramath’s old power fades.”

Glantheir laughed, crossing the distance between them with ethereal grace. He placed a hand on Theo’s chest, raising a brow. “Oh, you’ve been busy. That’s a lot of power you’ve stolen from the system.”

Theo shrugged. “Why not snatch it if I can?”

Another laugh from Glantheir. A silver light spread from his hand, filling Theo with a strange sense. After only a moment, it was done. “That will give you a small amount of spare time. Drogramath never had it in him to ascend to the higher realms, so I’m sure he’s glad to be rid of his Ascendant Core.”

Theo had been working on filling his cores with Tero’gal’s energy. He felt a different kind of energy in his aligned cores. It was mostly neutral, acting more as a bridge between two types of power. Although it was there, he wasn’t certain how long it would stay. There was no reason to dally, unless he felt like losing his two most powerful cores.

“Thanks, Glantheir.”

After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat. “So, are you going?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Theo waved him away. “Time to visit death, I guess.”

“Oh, I hate that guy,” Franz said, glowering at nothing in particular. “He’s so rude.”

Theo smiled, slipping through the cracks of the godly realm. His Passage skill allowed him to pass without issue. An instant later he approached the realm Glantheir spoke of. Unlike the silver world Hallow had built, this was a world of darkness. The alchemist pressed through the barrier surrounding this world, his absolute authority giving him easy entrance. He stepped onto a long stone path, crawling into the distance over darkened hills. An impossible distance later, he could see the shape of an archway, filled with prismatic energy.

His Dreamwalker’s Core twitched.

“Well, it was only a matter of time,” Death said, stepping out from the darkness. “Although I wish you would have given me more.”

“Just here for a routine OSHA inspection,” Theo said with a shrug. “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.”

“Well, this is awkward,” a familiar voice said, stepping out from behind Death.

When Fenian beat back the entity that had infected Qavell, Theo didn’t know how he activated those powers. It seemed more like an instinct than something he had to activate through the system. As the alchemist’s body filled with bone-cracking power, he realized how little he was in control of that power. Something tickled from his shoulder blades, begging to burst out. His fists clenched as his muscles tightened.

“No mortals in the godly heavens,” Theo said, the purple in his eyes bursting into flames. “That’ll earn you a spanking, Kuzan.”

“To be as rude as to use my old name.” Death tutted.

“Just hand Twist over and I’ll leave. I have some questions for him.”

A jagged blade fell into Death’s hand. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Dreamwalker.”

Fenian did it. So why couldn’t Theo? A pair of glowing violet wings sprung from the alchemist’s back as he crouched on the spot. His Dreamwalker’s Core filled him with power he couldn’t imagine. A message popped into his vision before he kicked off from the ground.

[Dreamwalker’s Core]

Your Dreamwalker’s Core has detected an entity trespassing in Death’s Realm. You have been granted temporary power to neutralize this threat.

Theo kicked off hard, cocking his fist back as he angled for Death’s face. The God of Death raised his twisted blade, preparing to block the strike.

*********************************************

Jan wiped his brow clear of sweat, looking skyward. His soul vibrated in recognition as a faint plume of black and purple spread across the heavens. The team he worked with secured the northern section of the railroad project, ensuring no monsters attacked the laborers. He patted the modified weapon under his coat, nodding to himself.

“Gotta take a leak,” Jan said, jabbing his thumb toward a rocky outcropping.

“Don’t be long,” Ziz said, turning the parchment in his hands. He squinted, shaking his head. “Don’t wanna get eaten.”

Jan nodded, rolling his shoulders. It took everything within him to act normal. The power swirling in his chest was uncontrollable, pushing out as though to burst free from his ribcage. He took steadying breaths as he found a quiet place behind a wall of stone. The rocks beneath his feet cracked when he was out of sight. A system message appeared. It was the same message he had seen a thousand times before. But this time, it came with a resolution.

[ERROR]

Previous system is incompatible with the current parameters of this world.

Attempting to find a solution…

Solution failed…

Attempting to find a solution…

Fragment detected…

Solution achieved!

[Gunslinger’s Core] has been added and adjusted to Level 200.

[Brawler’s Core] has been added and adjusted to Level 150.

[Arcane Detective] has been added and adjusted to Level 300.

Personal Level has been adjusted to Level 315. All associated attributes have been automatically distributed.

Flexing his hand, Jan withdrew his revolver. He popped out a round and activated his old Ammunition Duplication skill. One round turned into five.

“Alright, Twist,” Jan said, rolling his shoulders as he activated his Locate Target skill. He got a sense of a general direction. The star streaking through the sky to the north was likely related. “Let’s have a chat.”

Chapter 41

 The Fall of Twist

Theo’s Wisdom had grown to a point where he knew better than to punch a god in the face. It told him of the situation, and how far his new powers extended. They did not include harming the god in his own domain. The sin fell solely with Twist. As the alchemist’s strike was inches from Death’s blade, he feinted. Driving his leading foot into the ground, he spun to catch Twist in his masked face. But the masked elf didn’t feel the force of the blow. He was instead sent tumbling through the cracks in reality, cast down to the mortal plane.

The fight was over in a blink. If a mortal were to watch the exchange, they would have seen Theo appear alongside Death while Twist vanished.

“That was disappointing,” Death tutted.

Theo rolled his shoulders, flexing his wings. Energy lingered in Death’s realm, but it was hard to detect the origin. He realized it was the energy of something that had once been here, but had since been removed. So Kuzan was still up to his old tricks by being a general pain in the ass. The alchemist should have expected this, but he no longer had to do it alone. He reached out. A moment later, Khahar stood at his side, answering the call of the Dreamwalker to the Arbiter.

“Well, you’ve been naughty,” Khahar said, crossing his arms. “Have you already spanked him?”

“Yes, he has been spanked. Thoroughly,” Theo said. “What was Twist doing in your realm?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Death shrugged. “He got here on his own. Just arrived when you got here.”

Khahar scanned the area, picking up on the same energy Theo felt. “Don’t start, Kuzan. Things were going well.”

“Have they stopped going well?” Death asked, remaining motionless the way he always was. “I thank you for sending that interloper away. You have my eternal gratitude.”

There was nothing more the duo could do. Theo nodded to Khahar, and they traveled together to the Arbiter’s Realm. It hadn’t changed at all. Aside from the residents. Like Tero’gal, Khahak had become a Throneworld. Nearly one-million people now called this place home. And the central spires were bustling with activity. Fully formed people of all races did their own thing. They headed from place to place, living their lives as though this new reality was just fine.

“Put your wings away,” Khahar said. “People are staring.”

“They’re just wings.” Theo gave them a good flap. “I don’t think they even do anything.”

Khahar shook his head, pulling Theo through space. They appeared in a sprawling city along a coastline, overlooking waves that battered a rocky shore. The sky was clear today, the sun hanging at high noon. Compared to the towns in Tero’gal, this place was built up a lot more. But the alchemist didn’t have cities like this before the realms were removed. His people built everything they had, unlike here.

“Balkor is here,” Khahar said, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. “He wasn’t happy at first. But, what choice does he have?”

“What about Zagmon?” Theo asked.

“That’s hard to say. We’ve had a few Zagmoni Dronon, but that’s it.”

The wings on Theo’s back faded. He felt the power granted to him by the core go with it. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Zagmon wasn’t gone, but he couldn’t do anything about it unless he broke the rules. At least the rules were being enforced this time. Unlike the way things were, they could do something about people being jerks. But Death seemed to understand those rules better than anyone, exploiting someone like Twist to do his bidding. Well, Twist was now tumbling back to the mortal realm. With any luck, his passage back to the heavens was blocked.

“It couldn’t have been easy for Twist to make it to Death’s Realm,” Theo said, speaking his thoughts aloud.

“He could have used the Bridge, but I think Uz’Xulven is taking her new job more seriously.”

“Because if she doesn’t, she has to be a normal person.” Theo chuckled. “I think she lucked out more than any of us. I haven’t used the Bridge since it was changed, but she gets to keep it. That’s nice of our new managers.”

“She’s more of a custodian now, but I think she’s enjoying her position.”

Theo let a silence settle in between them. There were a few people in the wind that he wanted to know about, but there was one among them that made him concerned. “What is Fenian doing?”

“His job,” Khahar said, revealing no additional information. “I think there are a few things on the mortal plane that need to be sorted. Thankfully, he has access to the Bridge.”

“So, have you detected my silly attributes?” Theo found his mind wandering from the topic. There was a lot to do back in Broken Tusk, and a lot of that had to do with changing cores to be aligned with his realm.

“What happened?” Khahar asked.

Theo explained his situation. How he exploited his potions and sent his attributes to stupid levels. Khahar listened with interest, nodding along as the alchemist spoke.

“Impressive. How many more attributes can you get?” Khahar asked.

Theo smiled, nodding to himself. “That depends. What do you think will happen when I change my Drogramath Alchemy Core to a Tero’gal Alchemist Core? Will the potions I create count as new potions?”

Khahar laughed. “You weren’t happy enough being this overpowered? You gotta reach for more?”

Theo shrugged. “Why not? You were a walking god.”

Khahar took a moment to think about it, eventually shrugging. “It might work. I can remember one example from the past where crafters earned world-firsts after getting aligned cores. It depends on how close the old potions are to the new ones.”

“Got it. I think Tero’gal will have more to say about what my new potions look like than me.”

“Yes,” Khahar said, looking up as though meeting the eyes of his world. “I’ve noticed my world has become willful. Almost as though it judges me.”

“Right? Like… get off my back, planet. I’m doing my best.”

Khahar gave a brief tour of his world before Theo departed. There weren’t many changes, because… Yeah, Khahar had an idea this would happen. The alchemist had wondered why Khahak was a sprawling realm with cities dotting the landscape. He was preparing for an influx of real people. It was useless getting mad about it. Khahar had a way of keeping information to himself. Sometimes to protect others, and other times for selfish reasons. Theo was just happy to be here, standing with an old friend.

“I think my attribute sickness is just about gone,” Theo said, shaking Khahar’s hand. “Thanks for the tour.”

“No problem. Ah, the timescale is going to change soon. Forgot to tell you.”

“To what?” Theo asked. The old timescale was five minutes on the mortal plane to twenty-four hours in the heavens.

“One minute to an hour,” Khahar said, nodding. “The system is adjusting based on the new organization in the heavens. It’ll reduce to one minute to a half-hour later, and perhaps another reduction.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Theo said, allowing himself to slip through the cracks. “See ya!”

Theo landed in his bed, sucking in a breath. As expected, his sickness was gone. Rowan held something that looked suspiciously like an adult diaper. Sarisa grabbed at his pants, ready to reveal his bare ass and shove the diaper on him. The alchemist sprung from the bed, pivoting around the pair in a heartbeat. Before they could react, Sarisa was on her butt and Rowan wore a diaper on his head.

“What!” Rowan shouted, stumbling and falling over.

“I think I fractured my butt bone,” Sarisa groaned, rubbing her butt. “Did you put points into Dexterity, you butthole?”

It was impossible to hold back his laugh. Theo patted them both on the head, handing Sarisa a potion before he headed for the door. “Come on. I wanna go to the temple.”

Theo headed directly for the stone temple they had built. As expected, the dedications for the fallen gods had been removed. People prayed in the alcoves, speaking to ascendants who could no longer hear their prayers. The energy in the building was unmistakably that of Tero’gal. It permeated the air, filling the temple with a deep sense of comfort. The alchemist turned, jerking his head toward the altar on the far side.

“Are you gonna kill us?” Sarisa asked. “You know we only joke around because we love you.”

“I’m aware,” Theo said, jerking his head again. “Get up there. Both of you.”

Rowan shared a look with Sarisa. Theo didn’t need his Wisdom to know what they were thinking. “No, you can’t take me,” he said. “Up on the altar, I need to infuse your cores with power from Tero’gal.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re going to lose your connection to Baelthar. Likely soon.”

This was the best path forward. Theo had a few days left in his Drogramathi cores, but everyone in town only had hours. Perhaps less. The temple was a nexus of power from the heavenly worlds, and was thick with Tero’gal’s energy. If there ever was a time for him to test if this worked, this was it. Rowan and Sarisa ascended to the altar, standing and shuffling their feet on the white stone.

Theo pressed his hand into Rowan’s chest. “Your only aligned core is Baelthar Shadowstalker’s Core, right?” Theo could feel the fading energy of the ogre ascendant. It was like a weak pulse in the neck of a dying person.

“Yeah, but my skills haven’t been working lately.”

The energy from Tero’gal flowed through Theo. He acted as a conduit, infusing Rowan’s core with his own energy. When he filled it to the top, he could feel it drinking. It sucked the energy down like a khahari finding an oasis in the desert. He filled it again, and it drank.

“I don’t feel so good, boss,” Rowan said, swaying on the spot.

“Take a seat,” Theo commanded, kneeling to continue the process. Baelthar’s energy was fighting back, but there wasn’t enough of it to maintain a chokehold on the core. The alchemist realized he was missing a piece of the puzzle mid-way through the process. He reached out to his world, feeling the brush of recognition against his mind. It wasn’t enough to fill someone’s core with energy. When the ascendants made cores, they had influence over what that core did. Unlike those ascendant cores, the Throneworld would design these new ones.

Tero’gal didn’t talk directly to Theo. Instead, it sent ideas and thoughts. Concepts for core designed flooded into the alchemist’s mind. Tero’gal was a peaceful world. It didn’t want to focus on combat. Rowan’s existing core made this easy. The Baelthar Shadowstalker’s Core focused on controlling effects. He used a bow most of the time, but his skills were based around ensnaring enemies, rather than killing them. This made the Throneworld happy. It wove a new core.

Rowan’s eyes lit up with purple-white energy. His back arched as his core was remade where it was. The touch of Tero’gal graced him as he was remade. The half-ogre lost consciousness.

“We’re all gonna die!” Sarisa shouted, jumping from the raised altar and heading for the door. People looked up from their prayers, glaring at her.

“He’s alive,” Theo said. “And he has a new core.”

Sarisa stopped at the door, looking back to her brother. Rowan groaned, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that sucked.” Rowan cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders and stretching. “It worked, though.”

Sarisa approached with caution, padding over as though Theo would pin her to the altar and force her to accept the new core. “You good, brother?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Got a new core with new skills… Oh, this is a good one.” Rowan’s eyes lit up. “I’m happy. Thrilled!”

“Share it!” Sarisa said, all-too-eager to see the result.

“Here we go,” Rowan said.

[Tero’gal Shadowstitcher Core]

Epic

Ranger and Control Mage Core

Bound

4 Slots

Level 25 (0%)

A ranged controller core based on the concept of ensnaring opponents in shadow.

Effect:

+10 Dexterity

“All my control abilities changed,” Rowan said. “I can shoot my arrows into a person’s shadow and pin them in place. My stealth ability still works, but I can also jump into anyone’s shadow that I’ve marked.”

Theo nodded with approval. It had elements of tracking-style classes, but had more to do with a person’s shadow. The concept of shadows and the manipulation of those shadows was ingrained in Tero’gal, so that made sense. The elements of control from the Control Mage class just made it even better.

“Do me next,” Sarisa said, laying on the ground. “I’m ready.”

Theo shook his head, pressing his hand into her chest. The amount of energy stored within Tero’gal was vast. More than the reserves of power, it seemed eager to craft a new core. He once again acted as a conduit, allowing his world to remake her core. Sarisa had a few cores, but only her Baelthar Guardian’s Core was aligned. The Throneworld understood the half-ogre woman’s desire to keep her stealth skills. It also appreciated her guardian-style class, creating something interesting.

Sarisa’s back arched as Tero’gal’s power flowed through her. Light flooded from her eyes as her core was remade. She stopped spasming and rested on the hard floor of the temple. A few tense breaths later and she opened her eyes.

“Oh, yeah!” Sarisa shouted. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

[Tero’gal Gloom Bulwark Core]

Epic

Guardian and Illusion Mage Core

Bound

4 Slots

Level 28 (0%)

A stealthy guardian based on the concepts of surprising enemies and surviving fights using their powerful tower shields.

Effect:
+15 Vigor

Innate increase to the durability and effectiveness of shields.

“Why does she get more attributes?” Rowan asked, folding his arms.

“Suck it, loser!” Sarisa shouted.

“You need to stop learning phrases from Tresk,” Theo said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“All my skills evolved. I got one called Unseen Bulwark that confuses enemies when they strike my shield.” Sarisa jumped to her feet, jumping up and down. “This is awesome! Someone fight me!”

As Sarisa and Rowan sparred in the temple, Theo created a message to the entire Southlands Alliance.

[Theo]: Everyone with an aligned core please report to the temple in Broken Tusk. The power within your core will fade by the end of today. If you do not report to the temple, it is almost guaranteed any future cores will be less powerful.

The tide of people that flooded into the temple came almost immediately. Good thing Alise arrived shortly after to usher them into an orderly line.

Chapter 42

Insane and Undying

There were too many people in line to handle in one day. Without Alise, the core exchange process would have been impossible. She not only organized the line, but triaged the people to ensure the most important ones got their cores swapped out. Tero’gal gave cores related to themes of defensive powers and stealth, which wasn’t even remotely surprising. It took parts from both Theo and Tresk, resulting in cores that were a mix of both their personalities.

It wasn’t the end of someone’s life if their aligned cores lost their alignment. But unaligned cores were often far less powerful than the aligned ones. Theo inclined his head on the third day of the core exchange program, watching as Zarali and Xol’sa walked into the temple. Zarali had been placed at the front of the line by Alise before she insisted she be placed at the back of the line. They were among the last to enter the temple, although Xol’sa seemed adamant about refusing a core upgrade.

Zarali’s Drogramath Priestess Core had been upgraded in a path Theo didn’t expect. It had become a Tero’gal Healer’s Core, removing all mentions of worship to her false god. Theo was shocked she didn’t take the change worse, but everyone had enough time to accept the truth. In a world of constant change, it appeared even the gods weren’t safe.

“That’s it for the day,” Theo said, sighing. “I’m tired.”

“Well, you must rest. We’re preparing for the wedding,” Xol’sa said, bringing a reminder Theo needed. He almost forgot about it.

“I’m not responsible for planning anything, am I?”

“Of course not!” Zarali said, clasping her hands together before her chest. “Your attendance will be more than enough. Oh, I must test this core out at my workshop.”

Zarali scampered off, leaving Theo and Xol’sa mostly alone in the temple. The alchemist felt a tension build in the air, but that might have been from his apprehension. When the extra-planar wizard turned to him, he knew his fears would come true.

“I don’t mean to prod, but have you made progress?” Xol’sa asked.

Theo grit his teeth, drawing in a deep breath. The space elves had been locked away in a prison of their own making for thousands of years. What was a few days? Lying to Xol’sa was the last thing he wanted to do. “Bad news on that front.”

“What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, Theo thought of the best way to broach the subject. Xol’sa was a logical person, even with Intelligence of the Soul. “Your people created a proto realm out in the void. They tried to use the power of the shards to stabilize the realm, but it didn’t work.”

Xol’sa nodded. “I suppose that wouldn’t work. No matter what the shards are, they lack the required underlying structure to support mortal life. I think I knew my people were gone.”

“Well, that’s where it gets weird. They’re not dead.”

“What?”

“The Bara’thier are… insane and undying. They lurk around like statues, only moving when you aren’t looking.”

“We must go,” Xol’sa said, grabbing Theo by the arm.

Theo winced, unsure that was such a good idea. “I don’t know, man. It isn’t a pleasant sight.”

Xol’sa grabbed Theo by the shoulders, looking up at him with an intense glare. “If they aren’t dead, we can fix them. Right?”

Maybe. Except the only guy who might have the power to fix someone’s mind like that was currently sitting as Hallow, the new healing god. The restrictions placed on him would be serious enough to prevent him from curing an entire race of their disease. If it was a disease at all. Theo had no potion that could fix them. Bilgrob had been stripped of his healing power from Spit.

“How could we possibly fix them?” Theo asked.

“I won’t know unless I see them.”

Theo sighed, nodding. “You’re right. If they were my people, I’d do everything I could. Are you ready to go?”

Xol’sa nodded eagerly.

Using his Passage ability, Theo slipped through the veil with Xol’sa. The elf screamed. Of course he did, the void had changed enough that no one that had been there before would recognize it. From a distance, it looked more like a dark solar system of swirling black and dots of sparse color. The sun-like object forming at the center became brighter by the day. Order had been restored to the endless void, in some chaotic way that was difficult to describe. The void wasn’t meant to stay still.

Theo angled them into the deep void, leaving behind the comforts of the tides. It was only easy to find the floating rock in infinite nothing because of the shards. Each put off a distinct signature that was easy to follow, allowing the duo to approach. Xol’sa had stopped screaming. It was harder to find a place to land than the alchemist expected. He tuned into the energy of the shards, although it was faint. A moment later, he stood on the steps of the ziggurat, looking down with a grimace.

A stunted array formed in front of Xol’sa. His spell wouldn’t form properly. Not that it would do much to the hundred space elves standing like statues below them. Motionless.

“This is horrific,” Xol’sa gasped, looking between Theo and the crowd below. “How many are there?”

Theo would have reached out with his senses, but he didn’t want to use up what little power his Zaul core had left. “At least that many,” he said, unhelpfully. “Aren’t they creepy?”

Xol’sa gave him a reproachful look. “Those are my people.”

“They can be your people and still be creepy. Why don’t you go touch one, see what they do?”

“I’m absolutely not going to touch one. Ah! That one moved!”

“Why do you have to call the guy ‘that one’? He might be your uncle.”

“You’re not helping. And my magic isn’t working here.” Xol’sa folded his arms, turning back to the shard behind them. “Aren’t you supposed to bring that back to the mortal world?”

“Yes, he is.” Void stepped out of nowhere, hands on his hips as he glared through his spiral void of a face at Theo. “He is delaying.”

“Have you ever moved powerful crystals across dimensions?” Theo asked. “I need to understand a lot of crap before I can consider moving them from where they are. So, yeah. I’m delaying because I don’t know how to do this.”

“That is troublesome, isn’t it?” Void asked, looking down at the space elves below. “Why do they have to be so creepy?”

“That’s what I was saying.”

“Wait.” Xol’sa looked between Theo and Void. “Is this… a true god?”

“I forgot you guys haven’t met. Void, this is Xol’sa. He’s a space elf, but he isn’t acting like a statue.” Theo gestured between the two men.

“Nice to meet you. I guess.” Void seemed more grumpy than normal.

“Should I bow? Or grovel?”

“That’s the fun part. The new gods have less power over mortals than the old ones.”

“The ascendants were never gods.” Void grumbled. “They were pretenders. A god’s responsibilities aren’t to meddle in mortal affairs. Speaking of, there are a few things I need you to clean up.”

“So you’ll just meddle through the Throne Holders?” Theo asked, shaking his head. “I get it. How many pieces of Balkor are left on the mortal plane?”

“Too many. But your concern should be the shards. I have a location for each. Although after Fenian carved up your continent, I’m not sure where to place that one…”

“My people…” Xol’sa said, gathering his thoughts. “Do you know how we can cure them?”

“Take them from here would be your first move. Before the shards go.” Void shrugged before nodding into the distance. “There are about five-thousand here. So, you’ll need somewhere safe to keep them while they recover. Somewhere secluded.”

“Tero’gal?” Theo asked.

“That might work. They’re touched by the void. Which means they’ve absorbed too much void energy. If they absorb the energy from another world, they should recover.”

Perhaps that was a bit too easy. But if there was anyone who knew what he was talking about, it was the guy named after the problem. Void hadn’t led Theo astray so far. He was a hardass, but their goals aligned almost perfectly. Bringing order to a disorderly world was something he could get behind.

“Can I ask a question before you vanish without warning?” Theo asked, turning to Void.

“I might not answer. Or I might vanish mid-question.”

“Who made this world? Who brought us here?”

Void laughed. “Oh, boy. Interesting questions. Can’t answer the first one. But you know who brought you here. That bird-guy did.”

“Why did he bring us here? Just to save us from Earth?”

Void took a few long moments to plan his response. “I’m not the best person to ask. Elrin, Meya, Zeal… even Cakes would give you a better response. I’ll give you this, Theo. What happened to Earth is more complicated than you might think. The sun’s expansion was a purposeful act to work against something someone had done to destabilize the world. The bird had to jump through some serious hoops to make everything work together.”

“I’m not really sure… And he’s gone.” Theo sighed, looking at the spot where Void just was. “I’ve heard that name before. Elrin.”

The Harbinger caused the sun to expand, destroying Earth… but why. That entity never seemed as though he moved against Earth or this new world negatively. Theo had always thought he was there to do a job as an observer. He had expanded the sun to work against something someone had done to destabilize the world. What did that mean? One thing was certain. There was a connection between that and the ‘other place’ Jan talked about. The grizzled detective would have some questions to answer when Theo returned to the mortal world.

“How much research can you do about your people back on the mortal plane?” Theo asked.

Xol’sa considered the question for a moment, scratching his chin. “Well, I can view the energy here. I suppose I could investigate the magic and come up with a plan.”

Theo pointed at a space elf that had moved a finger. “I saw that. I was still looking at you, weirdo. Anyway, I’ll ask around for a cure. We can’t predict what happens if we snag the shards and bolt.”

“Let’s go,” Xol’sa said, shivering. “Although the faces are familiar, they’re giving me chills.”

Slipping back through the cracks, Theo let his mind rest as they traveled through the void. There was enough to think about without creating problems in his thoughts. Bringing the shards back and helping the space elves rose to the top of his list. Although the power in his Drogramath cores was fading by the day, bringing up another concerning problem. At least the alchemist had made all the potions he could, earning his absurd amount of attributes.

Xol’sa looked dizzy when the duo returned to the mortal plane. He leaned against Theo, but was soon supported by Zarali.

“I hope it went well,” Zarali said, her tone revealing that she suspected it went poorly.

“It went better than expected.” Theo shrugged. The trip really could have gone worse. “Xol’sa has some things to think about. Perhaps you can offer some insight on the space elves, Zarali.”

“Well, I’m happy to try. Perhaps we can work with Sulvan. His cores are just as strong as ever.”

Theo watched as the pair headed off and heaved a sigh. Things hadn’t been going wrong, but they weren’t going right either. It had been a week of turns he hadn’t expected. As he talked about it frequently enough, Jan might have some insight on what Void said. The alchemist remained in the temple for a few minutes, checking the power of the cores within his chest. Zaul’s core was behaving strangely. It hadn’t lost most of its potency. Perhaps that was only because he tried to use it as little as possible. But at the point of never using it, he might as well not have it.

Theo stopped by the Newt and Demon before heading over to the Adventurer’s Guild. While Salire was the first person to get her hands on a Tero’gal Alchemy and Tero’gal Herbalism Core, she promised not to create any potions until he was ready. It might have been a good idea to split the attribute points between them, but he hadn’t decided.

“Have you found anything?” Theo asked.

Salire offered him a sheepish smile. “You won’t like it.”

“What?”

“We won’t be making as many potions. And we’re going to need a lot more equipment.”

Theo smiled, patting a hand on her shoulder. “I expected changes. Anything noteworthy?”

“From what I can understand, we’ll need to do some intense refinement of reagents. I don’t have my head around it yet. Not completely.”

Theo tapped his foot, gritting his teeth for only a moment. Did it really matter? A new path for alchemy would be fun. And if Tero’gal built it off of Drogramath’s version, it wouldn’t be too different. “You already put an order in to Throk, right?”

“That’s right!” Salire struck a pose.

“You’re the best. I’ll be back later today so we can start.”

“Take these,” Salire said, handing over her notes.

Theo flipped through each page before handing the notes back. He tapped his temple. “312 Wisdom. Thanks, though.”

Salire laughed as Theo made his way from the building. She had come to a conclusion about the new form of alchemy, but it was all theory. Based on the class core description and ability descriptions, they would need to do the same form of alchemy as before. But instead of distilling the essence at a one-to-one ratio, it would be far less. And the resulting essence would be far more reactive. Which meant more explosions.

“Is Aarok around?” Theo asked, tapping his fingers on the front desk of the guild.

“He’s looking for you,” A half-ogre man said. “Up in his office.”

“Oh, that’s always good,” Theo said, pushing off from the counter. He ascended the steps, cracking Aarok’s door before entering. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

“You remember that guy you wanted us to trust?” Aarok asked. “He ran.”

“You’re joking. Where did he run to?”

“North as far as we can tell. No one can catch him—even after they figured out he was gone.”

Theo closed his eyes. There was no way he got that many levels in such a short time. “We’ve been deceived.”