The Newt and Demon - Book 6 Chapters 16,17,18

Chapter 16

Insight Overwhelming

It took the raiding parties a while to break through the collapsed stone tunnels. Theo folded his arms as he watched them pour forth, extending his aura to ensnare them all. He would have felt bad for them, had they not been so completely prepared for war. Instead, he saw the battle as a reaping of wheat where he held the scythe. As long as he could encourage those souls to move on, they weren’t really dying. But the first wave came with fervor, and the second with slightly more trepidation. But the fourth, the underground elves had lost their heart.

While the metal golems were good at their job, the defense of the abandoned city still required the intervention of adventurers. The early morning came by the time the attacking forces were mopped up, several hundred souls in all. Theo joined with Aarok, Luras, and Twist as the other adventurers took care of the bodies. There would be a mass-burning, as was tradition in Broken Tusk.

“Curious. They were so under-prepared,” Twist said, rubbing the chin of his mask.

“I’m not happy about defending the damned tunnels, Theo.” Aarok had been grumbling the entire fight. He wouldn’t stop now.

“Elf, do you know if we could place a town core down here?” Luras asked.

“There already is one,” he said, gesturing back toward the city. “Saw it on the way in.”

Luras, Theo, and Theo shared a look. Their descent into the underground had been hasty. None of them inspected the area fully. The group approached the platform that Pogo had rested on, finding a curious monolith there. A smooth gray monolith rose from the platform, surrounded by hard roots. The dragon had been wrapped around the monolith, hiding it from sight.

Theo looked back on his memories. Had he actually missed it? He shot Twist a look, but got nothing back under that mask. He looked back to the scene of the battle, unable to see the ghosts but knowing they were drawing closer to him. The version of Theo that had just arrived in Broken Tusk would claim the monolith right there, snatching at whatever he could get his hands on. But the newer version favored caution.

“Don’t touch it,” Theo said. “Not until we have some people look at it.”

“I think you should claim it,” Twist said.

Because you planted it, Theo thought. Although he couldn’t sense the plot, there was indeed something afoot. He had accepted too many gifts from gods lately. If this was Earth, and Theo had infiltrated some nation’s support network, this was the time to strike.

Some folks considered half-ogres to be stupid. Perhaps that was true. From what Theo knew, it was rare to see a half-ogre mage. But they were wise with an innate sense for people. Aarok wasn’t as tactful as the alchemist. “Did you plant it?”

An aura of blue-purple energy sprung up around Luras. That guy didn’t miss a beat.

Twist remained motionless for some time. He cleared his throat. “I watered it. The seed was left behind.”

“Was that so hard?” Aarok asked.

Theo waited a breath for his Wisdom of the Soul to tell him otherwise. But he could only guess that Twist was telling the truth. Not that it mattered. Not only would he allow Zarali, Xol’sa, and Sulvan to look over it, he would poke around in the heavens and ask for advice.

“My hands act on their own,” Twist said with a shrug. “I couldn’t pluck the seed for myself, so I watered it.”

“Curious hands indeed,” Aarok said with a sigh.

“If I wanted to betray you, I could have slit your throats in the night.” Twist shrugged as though that explained everything.

“Elves in the deep have trouble making friends, don’t they?” Luras asked. “Bit rough around the edges. And other parts.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Then you’ll forgive our caution,” Theo said, inclining his head toward the masked elf. “You warned us about the dragon vanishing, and the alliance appreciates it.”

“Anything for the alliance,” Twist said, bowing deeply.

Theo departed from the scene, rubbing his eyes with both hands. He assigned a group of golems to watch the core with orders to restrain, not kill. His interests shifted toward a topic that was more entertaining than the underground world. With only a few hours left in the night, he urged Tresk and Alex to head back to the manor for some rest. Neither disagreed, and they were joined by Sarisa and Rowan, who looked exhausted.

Once the trio was safely within the Dreamwalk, Theo allowed his thoughts to unravel. They landed in the caverns below Broken Tusk, looking over a simulated version of the battle. The thing he was so eager to test was the amount of rest they needed during the night. He had suspected they only needed an hour.

“So, the weird elf is being weird?” Tresk asked. “I’ve been in his dreams.”

“What does he dream about?”

“Women.”

“Ah.”

This was an excellent chance to grind experience for his cores and assess where he was. His Toru’aun core had stagnated recently, and his sorcerer and Zaul cores were going to hit Level 10 at any time. His Governance Core had caught up to his main cores in an instant, and the Tara’hek Core was skyrocketing as always, almost hitting Level 35. Theo suspected it would get stuck at Level 40, right on the edge of the next tier. 

With only two hours within the Dreamwalk, he couldn’t accomplish everything he wanted. He simulated the battle a few times and imagined Twist feeding some hidden Town Seed Core on the platform, but that was all he could do. The group woke in what felt like moments.

“How do we feel?” Theo asked, looking over to the horse-sized goose. He really needed to get Sledge off her egg clutch to fix the manor. Larger doors and larger halls were needed.

“Well-rested!” Tresk shouted. “And without the drowsy effects of your potions.”

“Let’s get breakfast started,” Theo said, cracking his knuckles. “I don’t think Sarisa and Rowan will be up to it.”

Tresk helped Theo prepare a breakfast of burned eggshells and charred bacon. It was disgusting, so Theo withdrew some month-old soup from his inventory and placed it on the table. When the half-ogre siblings didn’t rise, he summoned a few golems to come perform guard duty on him. While the golems weren’t as powerful, they would do for today.

Theo reviewed his administration screen over breakfast. Alise had done an amazing job keeping the channels of information organized, sorting through the reports until the early morning. She was smart enough to stagger her shift with Gwyn, which would ensure the flow of information was constant. The alchemist watched as Alex forced her way out of the front door, shoving her massive body against the frame and finally popping out. The town outside was silent, with only a few citizens walking around. Before things got even more crazy, he made his way to the Newt and Demon.

The small fridges Salire had purchased worked wonderfully. Theo held the refined Tier 4 potion in his hand. It was derived from the Water LIly, and should have made a potion aligned with the Wisdom attribute. Before he could inspect his newest creation, a familiar screen appeared.

[Potion of Significance]

You are the first person to create a potion of great significance. This potion has never been created by another mortal. Please select an attribute to boost from the following list:

Strength, Vigor, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower.

Three sharp knocks came from the door. Of course Fenian didn’t wait for an invitation. He let himself in, smiling as he leaned against a cabinet. “Doing more naughty things?”

Theo held the potion up. “Be straight with me. Is this breaking the rules?”

“Not anymore.” Fenian strode over, a smile hanging on his face. “Not after the last time. What have you created this time, my dear alchemist?”

“The strongest potion ever crafted. No big deal,” Theo said, offering the elf an equally enormous smile. “Wanna see?”

“Naturally.”

Theo waited to make a selection on the prompt. When he placed his ten free points into Wisdom, he would be sent reeling for a while. For now, he inspected the potion with Fenian.

[Insight Overwhelming]

[Elixir]

Unique

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Perfect Quality

Alignment:

Tero’gal (Perfect Bond)

Drink to double your Wisdom and double the prediction effects of that wisdom.

Elixir Restrictions:

Only one Insight Overwhelming may be consumed or crafted(worldwide) every five days.

“That is a mighty potion,” Fenian said, licking his lips. “I shall quaff it.”

“You can’t. Give it a try.” Theo shrugged. Did Fenian even read the description?

Fenian tipped the potion back, but it refused to leave the vial. Five days needed to pass before anyone could drink it. Theo was only thankful that no one else was crafting this stuff. Otherwise, he would never see these potions in use.

“Ah, rats,” Fenian said, handing the potion back to Theo. “Worth a try, though.”

Theo placed the potion in his inventory, finding a chair to sit on before getting ten free points in Wisdom. He found the prompt and selected wisdom. Then his head swam.

“That is a mighty surge of power,” Fenian said. “Are you doing something sneaky?”

“No, just accepting my free points from discovering a Potion of Significance. Nothing weird going on here, officer.”

“Wisdom, right? How much are you at?”

“52 Wisdom.”

“Damn, Theo. Save some for the rest of us. How do I get a Drogramathi core? Can I have… Four?”

Theo watched as phantom versions of Fenian did various things. He was surprised to see one where the elf slapped him and was thankful that didn’t come to pass. His predictive powers had increased from a fraction of a second to about one or two seconds. He needed to dump more points into Wisdom, though. He was certain that breaking the one-hundred mark would give him enough predictive power for his plans. Combined with the Insight Overwhelming potion and standard Greater Wisdom Potions, he could reach that goal sooner than without.

“Talk to Drogramath about that… Speaking of the gods, I want to have a summit.”

“With the gods? Go for it!”

“With holders of the thrones.”

“Ah. A meeting you cannot attend.”

Theo glared at the smiling elf.

“I joke! Of course that’s a good idea. But do you have leads on where to find the Throne of the Dreamwalker?”

“Yeah, the space elves have it. I just have to find the space elves.”

“Perhaps you can use your new Wisdom cheat to find them. I kid! Gods, you’re so boring.”

“Well, as long as you’re here I could use some help.”

“Oh, yes.” Fenian clapped with excitement. “Who are we killing?”

“I’m boring. Remember? Come help at Town Hall. I’m sure the functionaries are overwhelmed.”

“You’re right. You said it! Boring!”

The work taking place in the Town Hall was indeed boring. Both Gwyn and Gael were working with the junior administrators to gather information and make plans for the underground town. Zarali had already submitted a few reports about the monolith, which seemed without sabotage.

“Have we met?” Fenian said, fluttering his eyes at Gwyn.

She gave him a flat look, moving off to handle other work.

“Ah. Guess I don’t have it anymore.”

“I thought you’d be gone by now,” Theo said, thinking back. “Didn’t you leave?”

“Yes, but I’m back. I went and now I’ve returned. I can travel with the Bridge, Theo. A continent is a breath away for me.”

“Huh. Have you been to Veosta?”

“No, I was looking for a woman. I met her in the Spine a while back, but I can’t find her. But that’s Uz’Xulven Dronon for you. Popping up here and vanishing when you blink.”

Theo thought back. A long time ago, Fenian had mentioned something about dronon in the north. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to practice a new move. “Hey, wanna go to the heavens?”

Fenian shrugged. “Why not?”

“Alright. Uz might get mad at you, though. Just hold on tightly.”

“Wait, what?” Fenian asked, slapping at the shadows that wrapped around his body. “Please don’t make her mad.”

Theo had already dropped them into the void. Fenian screamed, but the sound was muted enough that he didn’t care. His willpower had grown to such a point where he could pierce the veil with another person. That was a good start. He needed to get to a point where he could do so with an entire town, but a single person was good. This type of interdiction action was outside of the system’s rules for his Tero’gal Dreampassage ability. This was a piercing of reality’s membrane he could do whenever he wanted. However powerful it might have been, it still wasn’t good enough to move as Fenian did on the Bridge.

“Uz’Xulven save me!” Fenian shouted as the pair passed through the wall created by the bridge. Although his shouts were quieter, Theo could still hear him. Unfortunately. “Where are you taking me, demon?”

“The edge of the inner void,” Theo said, moving them forward with his willpower. The higher it got, the faster he could go. That massive expanse between the near and far void required him to go much faster. “See the ribbons?”

“Is that what the heavens look like?”

“That’s how I interpret them. I’m guessing you’re seeing them through my lens.”

“You’re a dirty little demon boy. Could we visit somewhere else?” Fenian begged. “I don’t like this.”

“We could visit Balkor’s realm,” Theo said, gesturing to a pale green orb below.

“Oh, you’re just the worst.”

Theo pushed himself as far as he could go, feeling more of himself flake away as he reached the edge of the local void. He had named the area with all the realms the Near Void, and the places beyond the Far Void or Deep Void. Standing on the precipice was like looking over the edge of a skyscraper. An infinite dimension of darkness stretched in all directions. Fenian screamed, floating next to him in the bubble fueled by Zaul’s magic. The alchemist would be ready to pierce the Far Void in a few days, as long as no more underground elves attacked.

“Could we please go back?”

Theo turned them around, angling for a singular realm. His plan wasn’t to intimidate Fenian, but show him the scope of the void and all within it. This would also reveal weaknesses they would need to fix before they restarted the world.

“We’re making a quick stop before heading to Glantheir’s realm,” Theo said.

“Wait a second… I recognize that realm,” Fenian said. “I’m growing to hate you, Theo.”

The duo approached the edge of one glowing realm within the void. Theo interdicted them inside, appearing in an opulent chamber. The walls were polished white marble, and a throne of gold sat on a dais. The alchemist half-expected to see elven maidens waiting with fans made from palm fronds.

“You should protect the Throne of the Herald better,” Theo said, tutting.

“I didn’t make it like this! Karasan did! I swear!”

Chapter 17

Evolution

“Yes, make fun of the golden throne,” Fenian groaned. “I’m going to complain to Khahar about this.”

“We’ll complain together. But not until I find the Throne of the Dreamwalker.” Theo inspected the area. It was too much for his taste. Fenian absolutely decorated this himself. Everything within the wide room screamed the gaudy elf’s style.

Fenian found his way to the throne, sitting on it and sighing. “I liked it better when I knew more than you.”

“I’m pretty sure you still know more than me. Just not about the void.”

Keeping the Throne of the Herald here was a bad idea, though. Theo and Tresk bested the last Dreamer because they hadn’t moved the throne. Keeping it in a weak realm only meant that anyone could come and take it, as long as a god would interdict them. The alchemist explained this weakness to Fenian, who agreed. Reluctantly.

“I’ll move it to Tero’gal, if that’s okay,” Theo said, spreading his willpower over the realm.

“You’re the expert. I guess.”

Theo wrapped his shadow aura around the throne, himself, and Fenian. He bore a hole through the void, and a moment later they appeared in the chamber hidden within Tero’gal. The alchemist placed the throne next to Tresk’s throne and nodded with satisfaction.

“Are you certain we’re safe here? I don’t know if there’s enough gold in this wet chamber.”

“This is far more secure than the default realm, Fenian. Tero’gal has layers of defense.”

“Yes, that’s lovely. But how do I get back here? I like sitting on my shiny golden throne.”

“I brought a piece of the realm, too,” Theo gestured vaguely at the golden cloud surrounding the throne. “You can still come here.”

“Ah. Excellent. Can we leave?”

Fenian screamed again when Theo interdicted them, hurtling them to a realm fairly close to Tero’gal. They landed in the House of Healing a moment later, standing in that expansive open-air building. Glantheir turned, shaking his head.

“How are you, Theo? Fenian?”

“Doing well, how about you?”

“Can’t complain. Do you need anything?”

Theo explained the situation. He wanted a god’s opinion on the strange Town Seed Core and how he should proceed. Glantheir invited them to sit on a vast wooden platform with comfortable furniture overlooking sprawling forests and buildings below. Fenian settled into his chair, but still seemed grumpy after being hurtled across the realms. He would get over it.

“I’m afraid another god has imbued that seed with power.”

“Which one?” Fenian asked, his ire faded in an instant.

“Delcan, I think. He’s an old one.” Glantheir chuckled. “I hardly hear from him anymore.”

“What would the God of Building want with Theo’s underground town?”

“I think Twist is plotting something with Delcan. That masked elf has several cores from Delcan, so his influence clouds my sight on the mortal plane.” Glantheir swiped his hand through the air. An image of Broken Tusk appeared as though taken from high in the air. Sections were missing, or too fuzzy to make things out. “As if it wasn’t hard enough to spy on your town. The mix of energies from too many realms makes it hard.”

“Could you show me Veosta?” Theo asked.

Glantheir looked around as though he expected Khahar to show up at any moment. “Khahar will be very upset with me. He can see through your willpower-fueled aura. You know that, right?”

Theo already knew. Because Khahar wasn’t interfering everywhere he could to uphold order or his title. “He’s fooling the monitor system, which can’t see through this.”

“Ah, you figured that out on your own,” Glantheir said, nodding. “Well, Balkor’s remnant hasn’t moved.”

Glantheir swiped his hand again, changing the image to an aerial shot of the Ruins of Veosta. The wanderer was standing among ruined buildings, motionless.

“That’s creepy.” Fenian shivered at the sight. The elf cleared his throat. “Could you show me… the other guy?”

“Kuzan? No. His influence in Tarantham is absolute. Droth Ker is a horrifying realm, and Kuzan has done everything he can to shield it.”

“No. The other guy.”

Glantheir raised a brow, his eyes dragging over from Fenian and locking on Theo. A snap issued behind the Elven God of Healing. Khahar had appeared, arms folded and a grimace on his face.

“Oh, look. The fun police,” Fenian said.

“Is this productive?” Khahar asked.

“Not everything is about productivity, Yuri,” Glantheir said. “You want Theo to help run the circus but won’t give him the whip.”

Khahar grumbled. “He won’t understand. Not yet.”

“I’m right here,” Theo said, waving his hand in front of Khahar’s face.

“If you view it then it will know you’re viewing. I forbid it.”

“I’ve talked to it, Khahar. He’s a good guy.” Fenian shrugged.

Khahar turned, glaring at Fenian. “You wouldn’t understand, Fenian. You’re not from our world.”

“Oh, fine! You’re so spiky lately.” Fenian sunk into his chair, sulking like a child.

Khahar took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “I’m not being the angry dad here. I’m balancing the system on the tip of a needle. Theo, I promise to explain everything I know when you get your throne. Okay? Is that good enough for you?”

Theo held his hands up defensively. “I never asked to see whatever this thing is. I don’t really care. Just wanted to check in on Balkor’s double down on the mortal plane.”

Khahar narrowed his gaze for a moment before nodding. “You’ll need to meet him soon. That marshling in your town is building a lot of track. With most mountain ranges being destroyed, you can span the two-thousand-mile gap quickly enough.”

“I never thought of that… Thanks for destroying the mountains, Fenian.”

“No problem!” Fenian said, brightening up in an instant. “Don’t worry about it, Khahar. We’ll fix the world together! Friendship!”

Khahar grumbled, vanishing in a blink.

“See? I told you he could see us,” Glantheir grumbled. “Now he’s going to accost me.”

“Sorry about that, buddy,” Theo said, placing a comforting hand on the god’s shoulder. “Is Balkor’s double unstable or something?”

“He’s confused.” Glantheir summoned the image again. “And… wait, is he moving?”

Everyone gathered squinted, looking at the grainy image. Balkor’s double, which had yet to give himself a name, swept his hand through the air. A wave of skeletons rose from the ground, marching toward the sea. Theo clicked his tongue, eyes wide as he processed the scene.

“He’s marching on Tarantham,” Theo said.

“He sent a wave before, but the elves put the attack down. That’s what my followers on the continent said, anyway.”

Too many pieces were moving with the Balkor situation. What Theo wanted was to talk with the real Balkor, urging him to step down from whatever war path he was on. He had already concluded that the Demon God of Necromancy wasn’t evil, and was likely part of the larger plan. But he was stewing all alone in his realm. Now there was a piece of him running around the mortal realm, doubling the problem. More restrictions would be placed on the gods before this was over, so he wanted everyone to play nice.

“Too many machinations for one day,” Fenian said. “Could we go have some tea?”

“I second that idea.” Glantheir raised his hand as though waiting for a teacher to call on him in class.

“Yeah, good idea. This whole thing has me tired.”

Glantheir would take his own portal to Tero’gal while Theo dragged Fenian through the void. Their feet touched the soft grasses in the realm shortly after. Gates were already up from other gods. That was the best way to know who was hanging out. The alchemist loved how everyone was using his realm as a gathering place. Khahar appeared as the alchemist was approaching the ever-expanding cottage, jerking his head and forcing him to follow.

“The town seed core is safe enough,” Khahar said. “Fenian can undo any malicious magic, if it were there. You have plans to dive into the void, right?”

“I thought you could see through my magical aura.”

“No. I’m just adept at predicting your next stupid move.”

“That’s fair. I’m heading out soon. But I suspect it will only appear as though a few moments have passed on this side of the void.”

“Good. Let’s get some tea.”

The gods had a way of gossiping, but none had caught on to any of Theo’s many schemes. Or they were too cagey to express their concerns. The alchemist spent some time with them, but left before his visit to the realm was over. He might have used another method to reach Tero’gal, but there was still a limit on the time he could spend there. Walking with the spirits had a way of clearing his mind. And the effects of his increased Wisdom had diminished since coming here.

“What’s the latest trend?” Theo said, clapping a hand over Belgar’s shoulder. The dronon spirit was startled, turning and clutching at his chest.

“You scared me, Theo. We’re playing a realm-wide game called Monster Hunt. One spirit is the monster, and the others must flee. Those caught become monsters themselves. This game has been going on for a few months.”

Theo looked in the distance, sensing spirits running around and catching each other. He was surprised to see the spirits that had broken from the main group playing the game. What did the children on Earth call this game? Manhunt? No, something else. It hardly mattered. Everyone was having fun, but the alchemist had cornered Belgar for a different reason.

“We might have some rowdy spirits coming in. Elves from the deep, and spirits that were afflicted by Balkor. Can you handle a few?”

“I’m the most realized spirit in the realm, Theo. I can handle anything.”

“Thanks, Belgar. I’ll try to remember bringing Zarali here.”

“Tresk has brought her quite a few times.” Belgar laughed. His eyes went wide and he hid behind a giant rock, gesturing for Theo to get down with him. “A monster approaches.”

“Tresk has been interdicting Zarali? That’s sweet of her.”

“Yes. My sister realizes how busy you are,” Belgar whispered.

A half-formed dronon spirit jumped over the rock, roaring. Belgar shrieked, scrambling along the ground before the ‘monster’ wrapped her arms around him. “You have been bested, Belgar!”

“Damn! Fine. Theo is playing too, so you must capture him.”

Theo’s eyes darted between the two spirits. “I’m gonna cheat,” he said, relocating himself to the far side of the realm with a thought. He felt the spirits shouting after him.

The alchemist found a decent rock to sit on, admiring the view of the mountain in the distance. He withdrew a journal and a pen and wrote his theories on capturing the ghosts. They weren’t genuine ghosts, of course. But transporting souls from the mortal realm to his own should have been simple work. If he could expand his aura to a large area, he could draw in more souls. The ordeal was strange. They should have been fading, but they weren’t. Some nonsense about Balkor’s magic which only meant there would be ancient souls in the Fallen Kingdom of Gardreth.

“A haunting thought,” Theo muttered. He then laughed to himself. “Hope no one gets mad about me stealing souls. Oh, I’m not evil. Just harvesting souls for… reasons.”

Willpower would be the first thing they would patch when his work was done. Along with a few mechanics concerning attributes. Intelligence shouldn’t increase how smart a person is, and Wisdom shouldn’t make them wiser. He hoped Khahar was on the same page, but that was the point of the summit he wanted to hold. Theo sketched his plans in his secret notebook over the hours, finally getting bored enough to leave. The gods that remained within his realm would play poker, eat cookies, and do whatever else they wanted to pass the time.

Theo collected Fenian and brought him back to the mortal realm. The elf scampered off, leaving the alchemist with nothing much to do. He returned to the lab, leaving the administrators to do their thing. Salire wasn’t in the shop. She was likely sleeping yesterday’s event off, and he couldn’t blame her. Tresk and Alex were in the underground, exploring the tunnels and mapping it for the army. Both Gronro and Rivers had sent reinforcements, even if they weren’t needed.

The printing machine Salire had bought was nice. She had a few copies printed by now, bound but without covers. The collective knowledge of dronon alchemy was nice to have. It served as a record for a culture he had borrowed. Something Theo could only hope to understand by the time this ended. At least people like Belgar and Zarali were still alive and able to maintain those traditions. He had hoped to get one of each dronon race minimum, but had come up short. Perhaps collecting souls from each race was a good idea.

The stock of potions within the shop was good. Salire had done a great job keeping the healing and curative potions brewed. His focus had once again fallen into creating powerful potions. His legs took him toward the door for a moment, but he resisted. Going out to find more rare reagents in the wild wouldn’t be smart without Rowan and Sarisa. Even with his golems trailing along, they just weren’t as good as the half-ogres.

Boredom drew Theo into his experiment garden. He moved a few plants around, created a ton of Mana Constructs, and started a batch of Refined Mana Essence to make more. Although he had placed an order with Throk’s artificer workshop, he doubted he’d get the hundreds of mechanisms soon. That rail project had consumed his time and patience. At least Ziz was working on the suspension bridge.

Theo worked away in silence, wishing more as the hours rolled on that he had someone to joke around with in the lab. Broken Tusk was lonely when it was empty. But folks would wake up soon enough. He tipped a flask of Refined Mana Essence over a stone tablet, infusing the construct with power before adding it to a stack. Hundreds of golems meant hundreds of power sources. Perhaps he had made too many.

Just when things were getting to their height of boring monotony, something appeared in his vision. Theo swallowed hard as he read through the message, double-checking that he wasn’t seeing things.

[Core Evolution]

Your [Governance Core] has soaked enough Drogramathi energy to evolve into a [Drogramath Governor’s Core].

Do you wish to accept?

Y/N?

Chapter 18

Order From Chaos

Core evolution was a feature promised by the Drogramath Dedication skill. Theo had been promised the ability for his other cores to evolve into more powerful versions thanks to the skill. His plan was to take mundane cores and evolve them into something more powerful, but had expected his Earth Sorcerer’s Core to evolve first. He stood in his garden, gazing at the plants that grew there—both deadly and curative—as his mind churned. It took him longer than he would have liked to get his mind moving again.

Before he accepted the message, he inspected his existing core.

[Governance Core]

Legendary

Administration Core

Bound

5 Slots

Level 32 (25%)

Advanced [Administrator] core, reserved for leaders.

Innate Skills:

[Command Structure]

Skills:

[Titles]

[Automatic Books]

[Contracts]

[Districting]

[National Status]

Effects:

+3 Intelligence

Theo’s Governance Core was one of his most important cores. He did absolutely nothing with it, though. The core sat dormant, always working in the background. His connection with both the town and the nation allowed people within both areas to take advantage of his skills. Command Structure enabled Aarok to run the army. Titles allowed the administrators to designate which folks held positions of power. Districting allowed him to create synergistic areas within the town. And National Status enabled the Southlands Alliance to share information in an instant. Sub-features existed within the core, revealing a powerful interface for all administrators to interact and take notes. Alise did almost all of her work in that interface, keeping everyone on task.

Accepting evolution was easy enough. Contending with the fresh Drogramathi energy that surged through his chest was not. Theo held firm, gritting his teeth as more of Drogramath’s wild power flooded through his body. A pulse of power radiated outward, washing over the town as he was changed. It had been a long time since a god’s power had given him pause. In the heavens, he assumed himself equal to people like Drogramath. But on the mortal plane, the power of any god was clear. But Theo maintained control of himself, his willpower battering down the flood of power.

Without the willpower training, this might have ended badly. Theo rolled his shoulders, nodding with satisfaction. A tingle spread through his mind, creeping down his back. A cold flash of reason made his lip twitch. The core’s evolution had sent his Intelligence over the edge, bringing him above 30. Emotions left him, giving way to logic.

“Damn.”

That would push his schedule up. He needed to bottle that attribute, or give into that unforgiving logic that threatened to take over his thoughts. It was something to worry about another time. Now that the dust had settled, it was time to inspect his new Drogramath Governance Core.

[Drogramath Governance Core]

Mythic

Administration Core

Bound

7 Slots

Level 32 (25%)

Order from chaos. Drogramath favors little boxes for everything, placing things where they belong.

Innate Skills:

[Command Structure]

Skills:

[Titles]

[Automatic Books]

[Contracts]

[Districting]

[National Status]

[Order from Chaos]

Effects:

+5 Intelligence

Perhaps Drogramath felt left out of the gift-giving. Theo had been given a core he could cheat with from Zaul. The Drogramath Governance Core had evolved to gain a new skill, Order from Chaos. The alchemist had considered not equipping his Governance Core a few times, mostly in dire circumstances. But this new skill would make sure that core never left his chest. He inspected it.

[Order From Chaos]

Drogramath Governance Skill

Epic

Creates a Potion Stockpile within the nation’s storage. Those with permission may grant others access to this stockpile, allowing them to withdraw designated potions from the stockpile while within the nation.

Effect:

A Potion Stockpile is added to your Kingdom Core.

If the skill only created a Potion Stockpile that couldn’t be managed, it was almost useless. Theo had to wonder what happened to this stockpile if he removed the core, but had already decided that wouldn’t happen. He flipped through the new screen, finding that any person who was within the nation could be assigned permissions. Those permissions could drill down to specific potions, allowing him to reserve potions, categories of potions, and so on. It was a very nice feature.

“Alise is gonna love this,” Theo said, smiling to himself. He headed out from his garden area, finding his feet after a few steps of dizziness. “And Aarok. I guess Luras might like it too. Who else would enjoy this?”

“Oh, brother,” Sarisa groaned from behind. “He’s talking to himself.”

“The alchemist is slowly losing it!” Rowan shouted in mock-horror. “We’ll get him a nice little chair to spend the rest of his days in. A rocking chair.”

“With a nice padded seat!” Sarisa said.

“And padded walls at this rate,” Theo grumbled. “Perhaps if you two weren’t invisible all the time, I’d have someone to talk to.”

“Tactically disadvantageous.” Rowan folded his arms, nodding as he padded behind Theo.

“An absolutely horrible decision, my lord.” Sarisa nodded.

“I’m gonna leave you two in the swamp again.”

“Oh, just try it… my lord.” Rowan rubbed his hands together, giggling to himself.

Theo made a note in his personal section of the administration interface. Are the half-ogres moving against me?

Alise was happy to hear about the new feature of the town. She wanted to do a meeting with all the people in command positions, along with Salire. The alchemist wanted nothing to do with it. He left it in her capable hands and moved off before he could be roped into a meeting.

“Busy, busy,” Theo said, dashing off before he could be bound in a chair and forced to listen.

He instead concerned himself with the war in the underground. With an army of golems, it was more like a meat grinder. Those that were dumb enough to throw themselves against the line met a swift end. Rowan and Sarisa accompanied him to the underground, where they inspected the progress on the hand-built fortifications. They were good enough for now, until they could upgrade the nameless Tiny Town left behind.

Theo stood near the stone fortifications, appreciating Ziz’s quick work. He tapped his fingers on the wall, chewing on his cheek. “You know, I have access to this screen. And I don’t like looking at it.”

“Which screen?” Sarisa asked.

Theo let out a steady breath. “The Dungeon Information screen.”

“Pull it up. What’s the problem?” Rowan asked.

Theo turned, giving the half-ogre a flat look. He pulled the screen up, reading the status of each nearby dungeon.

[Swamp Dungeon] L40 No Threat

[River Dungeon] L20 No Threat

[Mountain Dungeon] L21 No Threat

[Hills Dungeon] L15 No Threat

[Ocean Dungeon] L25 No Threat

[Cave Dungeon] L90 Building Threat

“Oh, balls,” Sarisa said. “Why can’t things go right for once?”

“Do we know where the Cave Dungeon is? It dropped five levels, but that doesn’t matter,” Theo shrugged. “Level 90 isn’t something I’m willing to contend with.”

There was some amount of disorder over the next few hours. An exhausted Xol’sa showed up to the caves, giving Theo a nasty look. He came to the battlements, leaning against the wall and running his fingers through his hair.

“I’m already working on it, Theo. We’re going to do something stupid, but it should sort the dungeon out.”

“I’m listening.”

“What is ninety divided by four?” Xol’sa asked.

“Twenty… something.”

“Twenty-two-point-five!” Sarisa shouted.

Both Theo and Xol’sa turned, raising eyebrows at the half-ogre.

“What? Me good at maths.”

“I’m siphoning the energy from the Cave Dungeon, filling the other dungeons with it. I already shaved off five levels in a few hours.”

Xol’sa was already on top of the problem. That was encouraging. Theo felt a swell of pride in his chest as he thought about the people within town. They were more than competent. Each had been forged in a fire of their own making, ascending beyond what should be possible thanks to the strange nature of Broken Tusk.

“Well, I got the go-ahead on claiming the town. Anyone wanna come up with a name?”

“Pogo Sucks,” Sarisa said.

“Elf Puncher,” Rowan put in.

“Broken Elf. Elf Tusk. Beware of Pale Elves.”

“That’s quite enough,” Xol’sa said.

“How about Bal’gon?” Theo asked.

“Dorgramathi?” Xol’sa asked.

“Yeah. It means bastion.”

“That’s a fitting name,” Xol’sa said, nodding.

“Oh! Can I bet the mayor?” Rowan asked.

“Sure,” Theo said, turning away from the walls. He was ready to claim the town, but wasn’t sure he was ready to upgrade it. His stock of Monster Cores was fairly low. Aside from those he kept for emergency upgrades. They would need to wait for some traders to show up before he upgraded this town.

Theo pressed his hand against the monolith on the place where Pogo once rested. It transferred to him without effort, coming under control of the Southlands Alliance without complaint. He assigned himself as the owner and Rowan as the mayor.

“Now you have to live underground,” Theo said. “Enjoy the cave spiders.”

“What?”

“I don’t make the rules, Rowan.” Theo inspected the town, making sure everything was in place.

[Tiny Town]

Name: Bal’gon

Owner: Theo Spencer

Leader: Rowan Fletcher

Faction: [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 1 (0%)

Core Buildings:

NONE

“Congratulations, Mayor Fletcher,” Sarisa said, slapping her brother on the back. “You’re an idiot!”

“Damn it. I am an idiot, aren’t I?”

“We still love you.” Theo turned, eager to put the underground place behind him.

So, Theo’s list of problems both grew and shrunk. Xol’sa could equalize the levels of the dungeons. That would make the low-level dungeons more powerful, while draining the Cave Dungeon until it was manageable. Once the underground town had upgraded walls, they could drop some towers on them and it would defend itself. Throk would put his fancy artifice tubes that fed motes into the towers, making the defense automated. There was only one problem that remained, but the day was late.

Theo returned to the manor, enjoying dinner and relaxing with Tresk and Alex. The goose was almost to a point where she couldn’t fit through the front door. But no one could get Sledge out from her nest. She even bit someone when they came to bring her food. If she hadn’t been engaging in full goblin-mode before, she was now. Alex would need to stay outside if this progressed. Or Theo would find a sledge hammer and widen the door himself. Maybe take out a few walls.

Slipping into the Dreamwalk was a relief. It gave clarity to his thoughts, allowing him to sort his next problem. The spirits that lingered near the town were ripe for the picking. Theo could skip the step of having them locked in purgatory, giving them an express trip to the heavenly realms. He didn’t plan to lay claim to each one. Instead, he would send them to Tero’gal and allow them the choice. If they wanted to remain within his realm, that was fine with him. But if they wanted to move to another heavenly realm, they could do that.

Most spirits were stripped to their base personality when they left the void. Theo suspected something like that happened to him when he arrived in this world. He experienced a personality shift compared to his old self. For some spirits, that was an improvement. Others kept the worst parts of themselves, becoming something like a parody of who they used to be.

“Copper for your silly little thoughts?” Tresk asked, appearing from nowhere. She did that a lot.

Theo shrugged. “I want to work hard to knock down all my problems. Get everything sorted before I head into the void.”

“Feeling left out of the throne gang?”

“Kinda. Or expecting trouble from the space elves.”

“I don’t think many people are eager to understand the nature of the universe. You’ve taken it upon yourself to become an expert, and I don’t envy that. Is it the call of the throne, or your own need to control things around you that pulls you in?”

Theo paused for several long breaths, giving the slightly wet marshling a look. “Did you become a philosopher overnight?”

“I can be serious! Sometimes. When the mood calls for it.”

Theo cracked his knuckles, getting a few satisfying pops. “Both things are driving me forward, I think. You’re right, though. Who wants to pull back the veil and look at the way the universe works? Back on Earth, we never had to worry about that.”

“You just marched to whatever orders you were given, buddy.”

“I think the people in power knew a lot more about what was going on than the rest of us. We were told that the governments of the world spent two-hundred years trying to shield the planet from the sun. Hah! You know what’s funny?”

“Wussat?”

“They made these generational space ships. Sent them off to… somewhere. I don’t know. Do you think those people were pulled into this world?”

“I doubt it. Viewing your memories, I can only think the Harbinger was the one who brought you guys here.”

Theo enjoyed talking with Tresk about the old world for the first time. Perhaps he had finally come to terms with what happened back then, but it was still hard to think about. His first few decades in service to his country were what Tresk described. Marching to orders. When things broke apart, and everyone got more autonomy thanks to the declining population, he thought for himself. A silver necklace appeared in his hand. A tarnished silver locket hung from the end.

“I switched this out for a ring when the picture faded. Then back to the locket a few times,” Theo said.

Tresk took the necklace tenderly, popping the locket open with her claw. It wasn’t as painful to look at the image within. “Think she made it?”

“Maybe. Maybe the only reason I can think about it is because of what happened with the old Dreamer. Learning more about how this queue works with souls, I have some suspicions about what happened on Earth.”

“You think the transmigration started well before the end.”

“Yeah. I remember reading about something that happened in 2050. Around there, anyway. Records were spotty. And information was controlled.”

“Just don’t pin your hopes on this,” Tresk said, handing the locket back to him.

She had been respectful during his period of mourning. Tresk could look at any memory Theo had, and had likely viewed the ‘good times’ of his life. She knew everything that happened, and the stuff that led him to feeling passive about the entire war effort. But the hope he held onto wasn’t just for a lost love. His mind went back to those spirits on the mortal plane. If he had to be the boat captain that led them across the river, he would do it. No mortal soul should languish in the void.

That was a flaw with the system he intended to fix.