The Newt and Demon - Book 6 Chapters 34,35,36

Chapter 34

The Barn

Theo couldn’t simulate the creation of new cores within the Dreamwalk. It allowed him to do things that worked with his cores, such as creating golems. But new things like cores just weren’t possible. What it did allow him to do was mess around with energies. This gave him a chance to consider the relationship between realm energy and the mortal world. He found an area in the market, imagining people going about their days to make it feel more like the real world and got to work.

His first step was to recap what he understood about energy.

Energy, or power was like a cloud that seeped through from the ascendant realms to the mortal realm. It could be consumed by various things, like mana collectors or buildings, and transformed into mana. The alchemist thought about what other things could absorb this energy. Plants and animals could do it—especially those right outside of Broken Tusk. Depending on the affinity of that energy, the thing that absorbed it would change. His mind felt like it was going into overdrive as he attempted to make a link between the things he knew and the things he wanted to know.

Perhaps it was his heightened wisdom, or his constant exposure to these meta topics, but he thought he had proof for his theory. His potions got large bonuses from the building they were created in. A lot of those bonuses were borne from the alignment it held to Drogramath. But Drogramath’s energy had waned recently, eclipsed by the energy of Tero’gal. They were now aligned with Tero’gal alone, although Drogramath’s shrine remained. The building had absorbed enough energy to change alignments.

“And what is it that drives a building?” Theo asked, smiling to himself. “A seed core.”

Looking into his chest, Theo saw his various cores hovering in nothingness. He always had a sense for them—especially the aligned ones—but focusing on them helped him visualize. The cores in his soul weren’t absorbing energy on their own. They were soaked in whatever mana floated through his soul. It could have been as easy as opening his soul to the power of Tero’gal, or replacing his Drogramathi mana with Tero’gal mana. But he was certain this was the way forward. As Alex had added an affinity, he could change his alignment.

“I really hope Drogramath isn’t mad… How could he be mad? He’s gonna die if he doesn’t join my realm…”

It might make things awkward, but Theo wanted Drogramath to join his realm. He wanted to shatter the barrier between ascendants. Perhaps if they were driven off their collective high horse, things would get better for the world. That was Khahar’s plan, anyway. While the alchemist hoped it would work out in the end, it was hard to predict how others would react. He laughed to himself.

“Dad is home. Put away your toys,” Theo said, shaking his head. “No jumping on the sofa. No, you didn’t play fair. I’m taking your realm away.”

Void didn’t feel like a benevolent god. No, he was more Old Testament than that. Things were gonna get ugly in the heavens, and Theo was happy he was out of the way. All because they shoved Tresk’s throne in there. Which meant he should find his own throne before Void caught on. There was enough for him to do outside of this godly stuff. He tore his thoughts away and focused on the most exciting development in recent memory.

Three new potions and two Potions of Significance. Theo had gained 50 points in Wisdom recently, taking him from 32 to 82. The increase was massive, leaving his head spinning every time he got more. Every ten levels brought a new level of insight, or a fraction of a second’s worth of foresight. Of course 50 points meant 50 effective levels of attributes, making him more like someone at level 80. And there were no signs of stopping. He resolved to make as many potions as he could before he figured out the core problem. Perhaps he could further exploit it from there.

Precognition might have been the most visible effect of Wisdom, but the other effect was foreknowledge. They were related, but different. Since Theo had taken the Wisdom of the Soul potion, that knowledge came as screens that gave him information. When he was at 30 Wisdom, it seemed to be mostly guesses based on what he already knew. At 70—before his newest upgrade—the messages were more pointed, extrapolating information he shouldn’t have known. What would happen when he brought this attribute over 100? That’s when things got interesting.

Theo thought about this as he worked on his willpower exploit. Zaul was a weird guy, and his realm could vanish any day. The alchemist wasn’t interested in being left without his new favorite core. He couldn’t even estimate the amount of golems he could pull under his control now. 300? 500? He didn’t have the resources to test it in the real world, but the Dreamwalk allowed him to create an actual army. A field of metal golems sprawled into the distance, standing in orderly rows.

Theo could feel the strain of the 300-some-odd golems on his mind. Keeping them in order would have been impossible if he controlled them as individuals. But as his willpower grew, so did his ability to issue complex instructions. If only they didn’t need such expensive workings to operate on their own. Without Throk’s mana collector, each golem would run out of power in a day or two.

The design of his golems was something he would change if he could make his own core.

Morning came and Theo woke, finding his mind jumping strangely as he lost command of his imagined golems. He felt the soothing pressure of his real golems, going about whatever tasks they were doing. Some patrolled the underground area, others farmed, and one tended to his greenhouses. Before even rising from his bed, the alchemist reached out to his realm. He touched the power there in an instant, feeling it sting his fingers. He pulled his hand back, unsure how much it was supposed to hurt.

“Play with fire, ya gonna get burned,” Tresk said, jumping from her bed and dashing down the stairs.

Theo sensed she was off to feed Alex. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. The poor goose was forced to spend her days and nights outside without cover. With a sigh, he rose from bed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sarisa and Rowan had created a breakfast that had become a classic. Pozwa eggs, sausage made by Whisper, and zee grits. Local food hadn’t agreed with him completely when he had arrived, but he now expected it.

After breakfast, Theo went to the Newt and Demon to give Salire some orders before heading off to the market. He counted his coins as he went, finding that he didn’t have enough to buy anything worthwhile. But he could dip into the town’s fund if he wanted to. It was his town, after all. Why not?

When the port had first opened, they saw a few people arriving every week. Now it was always packed with people, coming to sell their wares in the market. While they hadn’t found a market seed core, that didn’t stop the locals from creating a sprawling bazaar. Even in the early morning hours, it was packed with merchants from abroad. The alchemist inquired with a few before being directed to an elven trader near the market’s center. And he was surprised to see the man selling cores.

“What do you know about Coresmithing?” Theo asked, rummaging through the seed cores on offer.

“I’m just a merchant,” the elven man offered, bowing his head. “Not worthy of entertaining the archduke.”

Theo gave him a flat look, a sour taste forming in his mouth. “Or you don’t want to give up their secrets. That’s fine. I’ll take this.”

Theo presented the [Barn Seed Core] to the merchant, who sold it to him for ten gold. The alchemist didn’t need to pull money from the town, as he had expected the price to be higher. But it was only a barn, compared to an entire ranch. The town already had a barn somewhere, but Azrug might have built that one by hand. Didn’t he hire someone to build it? He shook the thought away, picking up some Monster Cores before heading back to his manor.

It might have been selfish, but Theo had restricted building in his area of town. It was only his lab, his manor, Herbalist’s Workshop, and Zarali’s Enchanter’s Workshop in the area. That left more than enough space for Alex to have a barn right next to the manor. And it would be large enough for her growing body. He saw Tresk riding on her overhead and smiled. They would be surprised when they returned.

Theo found a decent spot to plant the seed core. He placed the seed south of his Herbalist’s Workshop. He wanted to keep the other side of the road clear for more residential use. The roots sprung from the ground, wrapping around themselves and growing to become a barn-shaped tangle. When the roots were done, they formed the shape of a large red and white barn. Just like back on Earth. Which was weird. The alchemist shrugged, taking a tour of the building before upgrading it.

Alex could fit inside the barn no problem. No upgrades were required for her to live in comfort. There were no stalls for animals in here, just a wide-open floor with large doors on both sides and a hayloft. The ground was dirt, but he doubted Alex would mind. He could even put a big air conditioner in here if she wanted. He considered asking her, but dismissed the idea. It would be better if he showed her the completed barn when she returned from her adventures. Her excitement would be worth the wait.

Theo cracked his knuckles, pulling a Monster Core from his inventory. He began shoving the cores into the building, expanding it lengthwise. The ground rumbled slightly under his feet. After getting Level 5 on the building, he realized cooling would be an issue. If there was an option that popped up for cooling or comfort, he would select it. For now, he reviewed the first three options.

[Hay Dispenser]

Automatic hay dispensers appear on the sides of the barn, distributing whatever food is loaded into them. These dispensers require power to operate.

Alex was intelligent enough that she didn’t need a feeder. She could withdraw items from a Dimensional Storage Crate if she needed food. This upgrade would be awesome for someone like Miana, who had to care for so many animals. But the barn was built to house a giant, intelligent goose. Not animals who didn’t know how to feed themselves. Theo dismissed this upgrade, reading the next one.

[Stalls]

Creates a row of stalls, depending on the length of this barn, that can house animals.

Theo smoothed his hair out, feeling his horns as he grumbled. This was another upgrade that would be lovely to have for normal barn purposes. But Alex had no need for a stall. If anything, it would take away from the space she had to roam around. He dismissed this one too, moving to the next.

[Muckraking]

Any animal filth that appears on the floor of this barn will be automatically removed at the end of every day.

Alex was good about not pooping inside. But this was the best of three dud upgrades, so Theo picked Muckraking. He fed the building cores until it reached Level 10 and considered the single new upgrade.

[Automatic Deposits]

Animal products, such as eggs, will be collected and deposited into a container of your choice once a day.

“Does Alex lay eggs?” Theo asked, scratching his chin. He saw this as another bad upgrade for his purposes. Maybe a barn wasn’t the right pick… He selected Automatic Deposits, because it was the best of the three. The alchemist continued adding cores until the building reached Level 15. He finally got an upgrade that was great.

[Tero’gal Empowerment]

Latent energy, aligned with the Dreamrealm of Tero’gal, will be drawn from the air to enhance animals stabled in this building. Energy density affects improvement rate.

Maybe it was because he was planning to do the same thing with himself, but Theo found this upgrade very appealing. He selected it without hesitation, moving on to get a few more upgrades. The building rose to Level 20 shortly after, presenting another good option.

[Comfort]

Animals within this building will experience an environment suitable for them. 

It was a simple description for a simple upgrade. Theo selected it, breathing a sigh of relief. This was likely the best upgrade he would find for Alex. Having a place out of the boiling sun was good, but if she could experience the perfect temperature, it was even better. Now the barn wouldn’t feel like a sweltering box for her, allowing her to rest better than in the open air. While Theo planned to do two more upgrades, he only had enough cores on him to do one. But after getting the Comfort upgrade, he doubted anything else would compare.

Theo inspected the last upgrade of the day.

[Restoration]

Animals sleeping within this building will become well-rested and have their wounds heal quicker.

This was a good upgrade. Compared to something like the feeders, or stalls, it was a flat effect. If Alex was injured, she could rest up and heal quickly in the building. Easy pick. Before Theo called it a day with the barn, he gave it a name and inspected the building. It was always best to name a building before Tresk got to it.

[Barn]

[Alex’s Personal Mansion]

Owner: Theo Spencer

Faction [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 25 (13%)

Rent Due: SUSPENDED

Expansions:

[Muckraking]

[Automatic Deposits]

[Tero’gal Empowerment]

[Comfort]

[Restoration]

Theo was proud of what he had done for Alex. He felt excitement bubbling inside him as he thought about showing it to her. She wouldn’t say anything about it, but sleeping outside must have been annoying. She had also enjoyed coming inside to eat with everyone else, but that was off the table. Tresk had kept the small box she used to sleep in within their room, refusing to throw it out. It was hard to imagine the marshling being sentimental, but she could be sensitive at times.

“Well, that’s that.” Theo sighed as he looked at the barn. It was nice to take in something so understandable. Especially considering his next move for the day. With one last breath, he slipped through the cracks of reality. Entering the new maelstrom of the void.

Chapter 35

Changes in the Realm

The void had changed so much in such little time. Theo felt as though he had dropped into a hurricane, rather than the tepid sea of darkness he was used to. It was filled with colors and sounds, mixing the realms, ribbon, and Bridge as though it were a churning galaxy. A bright ball of something rested at the core, while his realm flew in orbit around it. There was no need to cross the bridge this time. He flew directly for his realm, buffeted by an unseen wind.

A moment later, Theo set foot into his realm. His ears cleared a moment later as they adjusted to the sound of silence. He breathed a sigh of relief, spotting Belgar approaching from the distance.

“Oh, boy!” the dronon said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Things are getting wild.”

Theo looked around. The landing area in Tero’gal had changed. Someone had paved it with cobblestones. There was a small building standing off to the side. The spirits had likely built it themselves and it had a sign hanging off the front.

“Welcome Center?” Theo read, trying not to laugh. “You’re taking this seriously, aren’t you?”

“As ordered.” Belgar winked. His face shifted a moment later. From excitement, to concern. “The realm kinda changed without anyone’s command.”

Theo jerked his head to the side. “Let’s walk and talk.”

There was a queue of spirits waiting for his approval, but they could wait. They had already waited for something like a year. A few minutes wouldn’t kill them. “What’s the scoop?”

“A few hundred lower realms were destroyed,” Belgar said. “That guy wasn’t kidding. Fire and fury. Anyone who didn’t abandon their realms was lost to the void. So I started seeing souls approaching the realm, all led by the leader of their old realm. And the line got so long that Tero’gal reacted.”

“What happened?”

“It gave them ‘resident’ status, without making their souls part of the realm. I think it wants to change again, but Tero’gal is waiting for your command.”

Theo spread his senses over the realm. Belgar was right, but it was weird. The realm was being willful, as though it had protected itself to adapt. He sent a sense of comfort to his realm, hoping it got the message to chill for a minute while he sorted this out. “I hope the realm is big enough for everyone to stay.”

“Oh, yeah. Space hasn’t been a problem. That’s why we made the Welcome Center. I made a council with the other spirits, and we sectioned land off throughout the realm for the others to settle. We even got some higher realm folks over. And one very special guest.”

“Drogramath,” Theo said. He didn’t need his intuition for that one.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“But, everything is working out?”

“Oh, yeah. All the new residents are having a good time. They’re adapting to life here, but this is like a calm island to a sailor. They’re just happy to be alive.”

Once again, things were moving too fast. But Belgar and his counsel had done extremely well. Theo was surprised at how well they handled the situation. As he sent his senses over the planet, he could feel pockets of civilization. The residents were building towns in various pockets, establishing themselves in this new utopia. The alchemist was reluctant to reach out to his realm, but it had to be done. A message appeared when he did.

“Ah. That’s interesting. Could I get your advice on this, Belgar?” Theo asked, reading the message aloud.

[Realm Evolution]

Tero’gal, the Mortal Dreamrealm wants to evolve into a Throneworld.

The proposed evolution would change the way this realm operates, making it more adept to the changing tide of the void. Tero’gal insists you accept this change, as it would prevent the realm from being torn apart as the void changes. Failure to accept this change would cause the realm’s eventual destruction.

“It says to accept or be destroyed.” Belgar shrugged. “What more is there to consider?”

Belgar was right, but Theo was reluctant. Tero’gal was at Level 41, and had many things that defended it against outside forces. While that was important to consider, there was Void to think about. If the new god of this world could, he would have destroyed the realm already. But he trusted the message sent by his realm. It wasn’t a standard message he had seen before, and didn’t follow most others he had seen. This was a plea from his realm.

“I’m going to accept,” Theo said, nodding to himself.

“I would.” Belgar produced a nervous laugh. “I’d rather not die.”

“Okay. Let’s see what this change is about.”

Theo accepted the change and felt his realm rumbling. He sucked in a breath as an unfamiliar energy filled his body. It stung his chest as the sky above darkened. Spirits shouted in the distance and he watched as one changed. A flood of prismatic energy washed over the world as those spirits were given a corporeal form. The alchemist felt some of his powers within the world being stripped, while others were bolstered. He understood what the changes meant before they were done.

The sky cleared above them as a pale white star flooded the world with color. Another message appeared.

[Evolution Successful]

Tero’gal has evolved into a Throneworld.

All upgrades have been stripped and reinvested into the size of this world. It now sits in balance with the void, and cannot be destroyed so long as it remains in balance. Please review your world screen to see the changes.

“I think it worked,” Theo said, looking around in confusion.

“I have a body!” one spirit shouted in the distance. They jumped up-and-down, hooting with excitement.

Belgar looked down at himself, shaking his head. “I feel different. Something changed, Theo.”

Theo inspected his realm… No, not his realm. HIs world.

[Tero’Gal]

Throneworld

Leaders:

Theo Spencer, Tresk

Residents:

581,420

Cities:

15

Features:

Bridge of Shadows

“Okay. This is really weird. Why does it say that Uz’Xulven’s bridge is a part of…” Theo trailed off as another message appeared. It was slightly late.

[Evolution Synergy]

Your realm has consumed another realm during the evolution process and thanks to the presence of the Throne of the Herald. Uz’Godan Bokrak Tal has been consumed and incorporated into this realm. Review the features within the world screen.

Theo was bowled over, falling face-first into the cobbles below. He expected his nose to break and his horns to scrape on the surface, but he felt nothing. For a moment, he forgot that no harm could come to him while he was within his world. The body pressing against him was familiar, as was the energy and scent. “Uz’Xulven,” Theo said, grumbling into the stones.

“You saved the Bridge!”

Theo rolled, shoving Uz’Xulven off of him. She tumbled back, none of her shadowy form present. Her true form was that of a gray-skinned dronon with long black hair. Her gray eyes glowed, and a smile tugged at her lips.

“The realm saved the Bridge,” Theo said, rubbing his head. The motion was a reflex, but he felt no pain.

Uz’Xulven rose to her feet, looking shy for the first time since Theo met her. He felt a pang of something in his chest. It wasn’t quite guilt, but he felt bad for her. She was one of few ascendants immune to the purge. If the alchemist thought about how this new world would be structured, he would pick the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows as some kind of leader. Although he wondered what this meant. He paused his thoughts, looking over at Uz’Xulven with a brow raised. She was still on the ground, giggling to herself.

“Why can I feel your core?” Theo asked, spreading his aura over the woman. Because she was never a god, only a woman. An ascendant. He turned to Belgar, narrowing his gaze. “I can feel core slots in you. But my senses have always been such crap…”

“Big changes in the realms,” Uz’Xulven said, doing a little dance. “I was just preparing to abandon my realm when it was integrated with yours. Thank goodness. Fenian was still using it.”

Theo breathed a sigh of relief. This was good, right? There was a lot to analyze, but Wisdom of the Soul helped. Some restrictions that had been placed on the spirits within a realm were lifted because this was no longer a realm. It was a Throneworld. The alchemist checked, seeing that he no longer had direct control over the world. He could feel some measure of his ability to move around, but greater functions such as his upgrades were lost to him. What was left behind was much greater, though. The world felt alive, as though it wanted to develop on its own.

“Look who it is,” Uz’Xulven said, pointing to an approaching figure. “Old Droggy.”

Drogramath waved awkwardly, approaching the group. “Well, this is fun.”

Despite how things were going, Drogramath seemed mostly unphased. He had a small smile on his face and shrugged as though this were a normal meeting.

“The demon gang is back together!” Uz’Xulven shouted. She was far more cheery than Theo was used to.

“Except the others. They went to Khahar’s realm.” Dorgramath kicked at the ground like an upset child. “I was hoping we could have all the demons in this realm.”

Theo only took a beat, looking at the pride on each dronon’s face. He only had one question. “Did you guys know you weren’t gods?”

“I never called myself a god,” Uz’Xulven said.

“Only the Prime Pantheon called themselves gods. I just enjoyed the position I had. While it lasted.” Drogramath was eager to dismiss the subject.

Theo wasn’t eager to pursue it. It was done. No big deal.

“Belgar, what do you think about adding these two to your little group?” Theo asked.

For the first time, Theo saw the way Belgar looked at Drogramath. There was a flash of anger on his face that faded as soon as it came. He cleared his throat. “It would be a good idea to add their wisdom to our world.”

This wouldn’t be the last person upset with their former ‘god’. The ascendants only ever had the power to give cores and fight with each other. Theo couldn’t get his mind off of Void and how much he had changed things. There were also the other three, one of which he suspected was dead. It hardly mattered now. The way he saw the other ascendants in his realm made him happy.

“So. I guess this is life.” Theo gestured to his new world. “I hope you guys found homes.”

“There is a swamp to the south I intend to settle on,” Drogramath said. “Along with some… I suppose they’re no longer my ‘faithful’. Have your cores stopped working?”

“Not yet. But that leads me to a question. Do you know how I could evolve my cores?” Theo asked.

“It shouldn’t be hard, darling,” Uz’Xulven purred. “You can sense the energy in your realm, can’t you? Pull it into your soul, and inject it into your existing cores. Oh, you should think about doing only one at a time.”

“Core creation for ascendants was easy. We had an interface,” Drogramath said. “But we could also experiment with new cores. When you get one aligned with Tero’gal, toss one my way. My cores have already stopped working. Sadly.”

“Yes, toss one my way.” Uz’Xulven fluttered her eyes at Theo, making a pouty face. “Please.”

“I’ll work on that,” Theo said, giving a pleading look to Belgar. The dronon shrugged. The alchemist placed a hand on Drogramath’s shoulder. He could still travel within his world. Taking a passenger shouldn’t have been that hard. “Let’s go, Droggy.”

An instant later, Drogramath and Theo were within a sprawling swampland to the south. They stood knee-deep in a swamp, surrounded by the buzzing of insects and the objecting calls of nearby birds. Something stirred in the water nearby, rushing away from the sudden disturbance. 

“We should create some portals,” Drogramath said, looking around. He nodded with approval. “I like this swamp.”

“This is a nice swamp. Agreed. Quality swamp right here. Gonna take your people a few months to walk here.”

“Or we could get portals.” Drogramath winked. “This is a curious situation we find ourselves in. I am happy to be alive, and even more thrilled to be rendered powerless.”

“I’m glad someone is happy. Did you see this coming?”

“Others might have, but I didn’t. I’m just happy to have my loyal follower as a backup plan.” Drogramath laughed, probing his broken horn. “You never liked me. But perhaps you’ll allow me to find peace in your realm.”

“No, I didn’t like you. But I didn’t hate you.”

“You’re talking about me as if I were already dead. A fair assessment.”

Theo only smiled, teleporting back to the welcome center. It wasn’t hard to round up the other followers of Drogramath. The council Belgar had created was good at finding people, and were happy to assemble them in the landing area. Once Theo had everyone in one place, he teleported them to the swamp. While the action wasn’t difficult, it also wasn’t effortless. But the world seemed willing to work with him, eager to distribute a new population.

Tero’gal was smaller than Earth was back in the day. Distributing half-a-million people over the surface would be effortless. He just hoped others didn’t take the prime real estate before he could. Perhaps he could plant a few ‘no building’ signs near potential sites. After teleporting Drogramath’s followers to the swamp, he returned to speak with Belgar and address those souls that were waiting for admission. The system to accept souls was now loose, and didn’t impact the power of the world directly.

“This has been a joy,” Theo said, watching as the people—who were souls only a few minutes before—entered the welcome center. “Not really, but I’m glad this place still exists.”

“It’s gonna stick around, right?” Belgar asked.

“I hope so.”

Theo left Belgar to his work. The alchemist now had two towns to manage, but he wouldn’t make the same mistakes with this one as he had done in Broken Tusk. He knew the best way to run it was to have a core of people who could take care of the day-to-day things for him. For now, he visualized the Drogramath core in his chest, reaching out to the power of Tero’gal. When he touched it this time, it didn’t sting. The alchemist welcomed the power of the world into his chest, selecting his Drogramath Alchemy Core as his first to evolve.

This wouldn’t be an instant process. The energy cracked in his core, finding places where the Drogramathi energy was fading. Theo had enough time to exploit his new potions before the power of Drogramath’s realm faded. Or so he hoped.

Chapter 36

Bad News, More Attributes

“That sounds like more than a ‘little problem’ gods damn it!” Alise shouted.

Theo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After leaving Tero’gal, he had assembled the important people in town for a meeting. Alise, Aarok, Zarali, Xol’sa, Sulvan, and Hanan sat around a table in the town hall. The air was uncomfortable before he had even made his statement, but after he told them every aligned core would revert to the default version, Alise had exploded. While he wouldn’t blame her for doing so, he wasn’t as phased. This was a part of this world’s life cycle. Why would a denizen of that world get so upset if they were subjected to it? Then he remembered his desire to change that cycle, and sympathized with her anger.

“Every core?” Sulvan asked.

Theo snapped his fingers, nodding. “That’s where things get tricky.”

“More tricky than losing our most powerful fighters?” Aarok asked.

“I really don’t want to have my connection with Lord Drogramath cut,” Zarali said, wincing at the thought.

“I’m immune,” Xol’sa said, trying and failing to hide his pride. Zarali shot him a look and he humbled himself.

“The new gods aren’t telling me what’s going on. I delayed the mission Void gave me as long as I could. I thought it would keep things in the realms safe, but that’s not the case. But I suspect you could change your core over to one of the new gods.”

Conversation erupted in the meeting room. No one was happy about this. Alise, Aarok, and Xol’sa were immune to the change. Despite everything, they held unaligned cores. Sulvan was the one Theo wanted to watch the most, as he held a Glantheir core. That core would swap to the new version of cores. Maybe. Hanan was unknown, but he had little to say. He sat in silence, hands folded in his lap as he drank it in.

“Theo reminds me of an envoy,” Hanan said. The conversation broke immediately, giving way to the king’s growing wisdom. “Perhaps that was your purpose from the start, but you’re doing a great job.”

“Thanks… Where did that come from?” Theo asked.

Hanan shrugged. “The reactions at this table are interesting. From my perspective, my entire world was destroyed. My father fought against a force he couldn’t stop and lost. That passed to me. Only the kindness of Broken Tusk broke the cycle, so why not put more faith in that kindness? You’re certain this is for the betterment of the world?”

That was a difficult question to answer. Theo wasn’t certain he would call it the ‘betterment’ of the world, rather than a purge. It was more like someone ripping parts of an engine out, replacing things that didn’t work and casting them aside. It didn’t matter to this new mechanic if other things broke while they were at it. As he considered the king’s position, a strange sensation begged questions from the back of his mind. His thoughts lingered on Jan and Sulvan for a moment, then Glantheir. But he couldn’t put his finger on the reason for the sense.

“I appreciate it,” Theo said, shaking off the feeling. “But I didn’t call you here for a debate. If you asked me to kill a god before, I would have agreed. We helped Fenian do it, didn’t we? But those weren’t gods. They were people. What we’re facing now are true gods.”

“Which means we’re powerless,” Zarali said with a nod.

Alise slapped her hands on the table. “Fine. We stink. I get it. What happens when the power is stripped from our cores? Where do we go from there?”

“Tero’gal should fill that gap,” Theo said. “Zarali and Xol’sa can draw power from either Tero’gal or Khahak to evolve people’s cores. Zan’kir already has a core from Khahar, so we can ask him about that.”

“Is this a long-winded attempt to get the entire town to worship you, Theo?” Alise asked.

“It isn’t a plan, but that’s where we’re going.” Theo took a moment. This meeting was to let everyone know to spread the word. Not an interrogation. He had one more thing on his mind. “Sulvan, can you still feel a connection with the Realm of Healing?”

“As strong as ever,” Sulvan said, inclining his head.

“I think Glantheir killed a god.” Theo paused for dramatic effect. He got some gasps, which was good enough. “And now he is a real god. I heard about him back on Earth. While I don’t like betting, I’d put a stack of gold coins on him dragging his realm with him wherever he went.”

“Which means our cores might still work,” Sulvan finished. “Is that why I’ve been tailed for the past few days?”

“That’s right.” Theo wouldn’t lie about it. “So, this is what I want from you. Spread the word about the cores. Assemble anyone who has magical aptitude to research the problem. Questions?”

“About ten-thousand,” Alise said. “But I’ll keep a lid on it for you, Theo.”

“That’s it,” Theo said, clapping his hands together. “Get ready for the end of the world.”

“Yay,” Hanan said, releasing an unenthusiastic whoop.

Theo headed out. There were potions to make and Salire was waiting for him. He was joined by his two guards outside, but soon found himself flanked by Aarok as well. Sarisa and Rowan backed off, giving them some room.

“Jan is up to something,” Aarok said. “That guy is slippery.”

“That’s why I put a special guard on him,” Theo said.

“The special guard he slipped? Yeah, I had my own guys on him,” Aarok grumbled.

Theo paused on the road, narrowing his eyes. He allowed his sphere of shadows to spread out, preventing unwanted attention. “You can’t get good help nowadays.”

“He said he was Level 1 when he took his core. If he took his core,” Aarok said. The pair began walking again. “I don’t believe him. He ordered a weapon from Throk. Which is fine, we’ve had the blacksmiths make stuff for our adventurers before. Something of a bonus for joining. But I got concerns.”

Theo let his increased Wisdom do the job. Whatever Jan was doing, it wasn’t to work against Broken Tusk. Because he couldn’t. Unless he could slip a magical contract, he was bound to do the town and nation no harm. Perhaps he was counting on the shift in the heavens to slip away from the contract. But where would he go and what would he do?

“We can only watch him, right?”

“His contract is strong,” Aarok said. “The only thing to do is watch.”

This left lingering thoughts in Theo’s mind, but there were a few more pressing matters to take care of. If someone wanted to hunt down Jan and watch him all day, that was fine. But he didn’t have the time to worry about it right now. There were potions to be made. “Handle it however you see fit, Aarok. I trust you.”

“I hope so.” Aarok slapped Theo hard enough on the back to make him stumble forward. “We’ll get through this. We get through everything.”

Theo felt more at home in the lab. Salire greeted him on the third floor. She had prepared the reagents for their next run of new potions. There wasn’t enough time to get all the attribute potions today, but she had prepared everything well enough that they could get three done today. Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor. This was the perfect thing to get his mind off of everything else.

“There might be a gold rush.” Theo checked that all his equipment was clean before starting the run. They had enough strength essence to get that leg of the batch started. “New cores means new potions, right?”

Salire grimaced, helping Theo snap the lid on the still. “I try not to think about it. I’ll think about absurd attributes instead!”

“Good call.”

As Theo worked on the Strength potion, he couldn’t help but glance over at the statue of Drogramath. He had no intention of freaking Salire out, but parts of it had crumbled. The arm had already fallen off and the face section wasn’t looking so good. At least he had put faith in himself, dedicating the temple to his realm along with others. It would be a shame to lose that building.

“Three potions. Maybe six hours,” Theo said, kicking the still into action. “Let’s do it.”

Now that Theo and Salire had refined their process, it was a breeze. That was always the problem with creating new methods of alchemy. The first few attempts were painful, often resulting in explosive failures. But once they understood what was going on, they could zip through each step in their sleep. Alchemy had become such an important part of Theo’s life, he couldn’t imagine a day without it. Just the thought of losing his cores was painful. He didn’t know how Drogramath dealt with it.

“One Major Strength Potion. Coming right up,” Theo said, mixing the final essence in a vial. He watched as a faint cloud rose from the vial, the contents bubbling gently. The prompt for discovering a new potion appeared and he dismissed it, inspecting the item instead.

[Major Strength Potion]

[Potion]

Epic

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Good Quality

Alignment:

Tero’gal (Perfect Bond)

Drink to enhance strength.

Effect:

+35 Strength for 2 hours.

“That’s a lot of strength!” Salire shouted.

“No kidding. These might be worth making, actually. I know Tresk thought the Major healing potions were good, but this is awesome.”

“Imagine drinking a Major Intelligence Potion and getting real smart real quick. That’s a great way to cheat on an entrance exam to a scholarly cult.” Salire giggled to herself. Theo felt that joy flow across the room, cracking a smile. His worries faded away.

Theo wanted to run more than one still at once, but the mixer required far too much attention. He cleared out the still and starting again, this time adding the essence distilled from the LIghtning Poppy. Of all the attribute-producing reagents, this one was the most rare. It almost never appeared in the wild around Broken Tusk, and the only thing that allowed them to produce large quantities of the essence were the greenhouses. At least those weren’t aligned with Drogramath.

Salire and Theo worked together, rushing around the lab to get the dilution and essence gasses to mix. The alchemist dumped enough mana into the mixer that he had to chug a few Mana Potions. Just enough to keep him going without taking a break. Even the air conditioner couldn’t keep him cool as he fired the still, dumped mana, and monitored the resulting essence.

He brewed the Major Dexterity potion, rushing back to repeat the process. Then he brewed a Major Vigor Potion. The sun had set outside. Sarisa and Rowan had already run off to make dinner at the manor. Theo and Salire were left alone to consider the coming leap in the alchemist’s attributes. He didn’t accept the prompts when they appeared. He allowed the pinging notification to linger in his mind. Jumping 30 Wisdom at once was going to be rough. He wanted to be in bed for that.

“Same thing tomorrow?” Salire asked. She looked exhausted with strands of hair draped over her face and a sheen of sweat soaking through her clothes.

“Yeah. If you don’t mind.”

“I wanna see how crazy this can get!” she shouted, pumping her fist.

Theo closed the shop, allowing Salire to run home for the night. He checked that all the stills were off and locked his door on the way out. The temperature didn’t drop at night in Broken Tusk. Not during the Season of Fire. But that season was coming to a close. Wasn’t it? The Season of Death was on the horizon, autumn practically banging on the door of the region. The alchemist had already changed his way of thinking on the way things were going. Broken Tusk wouldn’t miss a thing. He doubted most citizens would notice when the world restarted.

He would keep them safe in Tero’gal. Anyone who would come.

Theo stopped in to check on Alex before heading to his manor. She was snuggled up on something that looked like a gigantic cloth dog bed. The goose raised her head as he entered, offering a small honk. The alchemist held her massive head in his hands, almost unable to support the weight. He scratched her feathers, making note of the mottled feathers she had gained.

“Are you evolving, Alex?” Theo asked.

The goose winked, offering another honk.

“Alright then. Dragon goose?” he asked.

Honk!

“Excellent.”

“You’re late for dinner!” Tresk shouted, shaking her fist at Theo as he entered. “Why do we have rules!?”

“It was a busy day,” Theo said, sighing into his chair. He barely noticed the food that was placed before him. While he was sure it was delicious, it was hard to pay attention. He dragged himself away from his thoughts to make a statement. “My Wisdom is going to go up by 30 points tonight.”

“That’s a lot of points,” Tresk muttered. “Wish I could get free points.”

“Yeah, that sounds like cheating. Rowan, didn’t he say he didn’t want to cheat?” Sarisa asked.

“I seem to remember something about Khahar and cheating, yes. Perhaps he’s also a hypocrite.”

“A massive one. Indeed.” Sarisa nodded, sage like. “Let’s beat him up.”

“A paddling will set him straight,” Rowan said.

Theo looked up at the pair, shaking his head. They seemed more intent on getting a rise out of him by the day. He ignored their ribbing, considering how much 30 Wisdom would change him. That would push him to 112 Wisdom, meaning he could move on to pumping other attributes. Vigor was likely his next option. Perhaps some Dexterity. Maybe a split between them both.

After dinner, Theo and Tresk headed upstairs. The alchemist could feel Tresk’s longing to be near Alex as they slept. But the barn was comfortable for the goose. Far more comfortable than she would be cramming herself into a small room. She waited for his command, watching as he got under the covers and prepared to be sent on his butt. Theo placed 30 attributes points into Wisdom. His vision swam. The room spun around him as though he had been on a month-long bender.

A moment later, they were standing in an imagined version of Tero’gal.

“That was a close one,” Tresk said, wiping her brow.

“No kidding.” Theo flexed his hands, testing his balance. The dizziness he felt in the real world was gone completely. “Thanks for the good timing.”

Alex flew in from the distance, honking in delight. “I love my new barn!” she shouted.

Theo and Tresk hugged the goose for a minute before he turned away. It was time to pump his willpower as far as it would go. If he wanted to navigate the void, he needed it.