The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 59,60,61

Chapter 59

Bombardment

The distance between Broken Tusk and Qavell was something like a hundred to two-hundred miles. If Theo had to guess. He remembered a time on Earth when making firing solutions was easy. They could poke a screen a few times and send a shot from orbit. The alchemist would have dismissed Zan’kir’s idea right away if it wasn’t possible. Without computers, the shot was difficult. But with a spotter and a lumbering target?

“That’s possible,” Theo said with a nod, putting a smile on the man’s face. “Any idea how you’re going to do it?”

“Shoot and pray?” Zan’kir asked.

“Just about. Work with Aarok to get a scout from Gronro up on the mountains. They can use the communication feature of the alliance to coordinate shots. You’ll have at least a few days to get it rolling.”

“Exciting. I’ll need a ship. Of course. Can’t get a good angle behind the mountains.”

Theo wrote it up in the administrative panel, giving everything he needed to get the job going. So long as it didn’t screw up his job of moving the guns to the northeast side of Broken Tusk, it was worth a shot. The Captain of the Sandscourge company scurried off to get it done. At least he seemed excited about it, even if it didn’t work. Everyone was tense with the approach of the city. A few fun shots might help them blow off steam. At least they could feel as though they were doing something.

With that sorted, Theo headed back to the lab. Salire was practicing with something he didn’t expect. She had commissioned Throk to create a small version of the pressure vessel he had used to create second tier potions. Like him, she didn’t want to glide to the higher tiers without understanding why they were doing things. She seemed shy about it, blushing when he entered the room. But there was nowhere to hide the tabletop pressure vessel, and she couldn’t avoid an alchemist’s keen eye.

“Not a bad idea,” Theo said, crossing the room to inspect the free stills. Only three were occupied. “Add that to the book.”

“Already have,” Salire said, laughing nervously. “Do you think we’ll ever produce books? For distribution?”

They would need equipment to do that. Specialized artifices or maybe a class core. “Keep an eye out for the gear we need to do it. From the traders that come into the docks.”

“Got it.”

Theo pulled one tube from the ceiling, filling several large glass flasks with various essences. He sorted them into crates, making room for his large batch of alcohol. That caught the attention of Salire, who watched him work but didn’t say anything.

“A thousand units of zee liquor,” Theo said, leaving the booze within the building’s storage. “Good, but not enough for what we need to do.”

“Want to do a batch of Spit Juice again?” Salire asked.

“Spit Juice?” he asked.

“That’s what Bilgrob calls it. He’s been buying some from me.”

Theo laughed. “Of course the ogre priest would buy zee-shine. Yeah, I’m thinking about five-thousand units.”

Theo explained all the things he wanted to make. Salire grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote, nodding along. They agreed there was an order to make these things, starting with the restoration potions. If things got bad, they would need a lot of those. The budding alchemist ran off to grab some zee from the farm, leaving Theo to organize the batch in his mind. He needed to save his daily trip to Tero’gal to allow the potions to brew. He instead organized his stock of Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, Moss Nettle, and Mana Shrooms, intending to do full runs of those. Once he had those reagents from his Plant Golem, he checked Salire’s expanding book while he waited.

Salire had a way with words Theo could never hope to achieve. Her writings were informative, but not overly so. Instead of stuffing the text with written information, she relied heavily on diagrams. The alchemist’s favorite figure was the one concerning alchemist advancement, which was a simple flowchart. Each part was labeled with the corresponding information below. She must have written the page several times to get it just write. The corners of the pages were filled with nuggets of information. Notes on where she should move a section, or a revision that required a complete re-drawing of the page.

“I had a thought,” Salire said as she entered the room again. She transferred the zee into a crate, turning to smile at Theo. “I was researching cores that use willpower… You know, since you took the Earth Sorcerer’s Core?”

“I remember,” Theo said, leaning against the table. He watched as she withdrew single zee kernels from the storage, measuring them by eye before placing them in a still.

“You said you were looking for something to spend your free skill point on. I was digging through some old books, talking to that scholar of Zaul…”

“Bob? At Mudball?”

“Yeah. He said there was a universal Zaul skill that enhanced the effectiveness of a person’s willpower. Said you could equip a Zaul core, take the skill, then dump the core.” Salire nodded to herself, unable to hide the expression of pride.

“Did you write the skill down?”

“No, he didn’t have a copy of it written. Just his memory from his time with the cult. You can infuse your willpower into any class-based action, but it costs something. No, he doesn’t remember what it was. Maybe an item or currency.”

“That’s interesting.” Theo helped Salire get the lid on the still, starting their first thousand-unit batch. “Seems like a good pick. I just need to put a piece of Zaul in me.”

Salire laughed nervously. “Yeah, might be awkward. Have you seen him in the heavens?”

“Nope. Most of the Prime Pantheon doesn’t care for Tero’gal. At least they haven’t reached out.”

“Perhaps contacting him first would be prudent.”

“Good idea, Salire,” Theo said, popping the lid from the second still.

There were enough restoration essence on hand to create enough Bound Enchanted Dilution for about a thousand units of each restoration essence. Theo didn’t want to think too far ahead, only focusing on one project at a time. He and Salire worked to get all ten stills running zee liquor, which might have been too much for the intended purpose. But it was always worth having more liquor for third tier binding on hand.

The brew time for ten stills wasn’t long. Most of the work came from loading and cleaning the stills, but with the Internal Liquid Storage upgrade, Theo could store the zee liquor as it was distilled. The artifice sucked the liquid up as it dripped, removing the need to sort it. This allowed Theo and Salire to take seats, relaxing in their stuffy lab. Neither liked the air-conditioner too cold. The alchemist knew it was her way of blending in with the locals, even if she wasn’t born here. The brewing booze didn’t even smell great, coming out as clear, colorless, and odorless.

Although it wasn’t as bad as it used to be, half the day was gone by the time Salire and Theo finished with the zee liquor. But that would sort them for the entire batch of potions meant for the fight against the flying city. They moved on, cleaning each still with Cleansing Scrub. The alchemist pulled a hose above his head, filling one still with the exact amount of alcohol he needed to make a bound dilution. He added second tier Refined Healing Essence and set the heating element to the right temperature. He repeated the process for mana and stamina, filling three stills and setting them to work.

“Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor. Right?” Salire asked, rummaging through dimensional storage crates.

Wisdom and Intelligence attribute potions weren’t as useful for the people of Broken Tusk. They were mostly ranged and melee classes that had little need for those attributes. This wasn’t Theo’s first time brewing third tier attribute potions, but he had done so infrequently enough to make the process seem strange. With the restoration potions sorted faster than he expected, he moved on to filling three more stills with liquor and binding those to the Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor refined essences. At least that part of the process felt familiar enough.

“Getting something higher than good quality on these potions would be nice,” Theo said, adding the amount of essence he needed to each mixture. “But I think this is a wall for me to bang my head against.”

Salire only offered her reassuring words to him, helping as much as she could with the stills. Her level wouldn’t allow her to interact with the bound dilutions. An explosion would result if she touched any part of the process. The task was made more annoying by the amount of steps, but the alchemist had expected this. He powered through the monotony, treating the brewing potions like an assembly line. Once the restoration bound distillation was done, he started the final leg of that brew. When the attribute potions were ready, he started those as well.

“Could you prime the fermentation barrels for more Holy modifier?” Theo asked, stepping back from a still. A plume of smoke rose from within as he applied Cleansing Scrub.

“Maybe. Not convinced I can handle it.”

Theo watched as Salire did a test on the modifier fermentation process. She had the skill, but needed more practice with her mana. Like him, she had trouble controlling magical things, falling flat without close tutoring. Although the Holy modifier was hard to extract, she got the process going. The alchemist studied as she applied her mana and nodded with approval. It was better to use one’s own mana when practicing. Using the artifices provided by Zarali was a poor way to practice the skill of fermentation. At least Salire understood that.

The administrative panel was on fire with discussion. Alise was worried about the plan to fire at the floating city, but she gave up after a while. From what she wrote, Theo assumed she was worried about starting anything, But if the city was going to attack, it was going to attack. No amount of hopes and dreams would keep them away. Instead, it was better to be prepared. It was better to launch an offensive before they rained death on the small town in the southlands.

Zan’kir had taken over every boat available to him and had fitted them with Throk’s rail guns. He’d be taking random shots soon enough, although Theo doubted he would deplete the warded rounds he was provided. Those would expire soon, so perhaps it was a good idea to dump their stock. Instead of waiting for Grot in Gronro to get his butt in gear, Tresk had volunteered to ride Alex and spot the city. But the goose was tired from their adventure, and they barely made it out of the town before Alex gave up. To cover such a distance in so little time seemed like an amazing feat. Until Theo realized they took the train to Gronro before flying to the east, over the mountains. It sounded like cheating, but he wouldn’t complain.

The mission was, of course, not approved by anyone. But that didn’t stop them. Theo’s mind was soon filled with Tresk’s reports, which he was expected to enter into the town’s administrative panel. Zan’kir used some questionable notation to record. ‘About one thumb to the right of that big rock’ didn’t seem like an accurate range-finding technique.

Theo had all six stills working to brew the final third tier potions as he took a break. He watched the action from Tresk’s point of view, swallowing hard as she dodged attacks from the floating city. Alex was more nimble than he expected, but they used the mountains for cover, only poking out to see if shots hit. A round whistled through the air, striking against a barrier without doing damage. After a few more shots, Zan’kir getting their aim dialed in, an enchanted shot slammed into the shield. It flickered before vanishing. Two more rounds followed, hitting the stones of the outerwall and flashing with red-blue energy. The city tilted to one side, barely maintaining altitude.

“That’s actually working?” Theo asked, laughing to himself. “Why is that working?”

“What?”

Theo explained the situation to Salire, who was confused as though he was babbling to himself. As he did, he watched through Tresk’s eyes. Enough shots landed on the city to bring it into the water, sending a tidal wave radiating in all directions. The alchemist could only imagine how angry King Hanan was within those walls. He giggled to himself as he thought about it. A few minutes later, and more relentless attacks, and he was summoned to the harbor to enchant more shots.

“Gotta go,” Theo said, waving at Salire. “Can you handle this?”

Each produced potion would be sucked into the internal storage, meaning Salire didn’t have to touch it. “Got it, boss. We’re working on the heavy stuff tomorrow. Right?”

“Yeah, we’ll do the fun stuff tomorrow.”

Zan’kir had assembled four ships in the harbor. Theo knew they were working on a few boats, but hadn’t expected them to be fit to sail. Each was fitted with one rail gun on the deck, and all were firing into the sky. The angle was impressive, but not as entertaining as the ear-shattering sound they produced. The alchemist saw why it was easy for them to zero in on the target. With a spotter and enough rounds, they had closed the distance with ease. Rail guns on Earth could achieve that range, but not without computers.

Theo found a place behind the harbor wall to enchant rounds. He chugged mana potions as he applied wards to each one, not stopping his chanting until each was ready to fire. Zan’kir commanded the guns, but Tresk and Alex were pulling out by the time he was done. The alchemist watched as they retreated, seeing a sad-looking Qavell among the surf. He almost felt bad for it. They must have expected the plan to work, or at least get them closer to Broken Tusk. But that’s why people don’t invest their efforts into airship fleets. He had been warned about this when he had the idea. Anything that could fly would be knocked out of the sky by magical interference. And they had developed a weapon targeting one flying city in particular.

The firing died. Theo’s ears were still ringing, but a Health Potion sorted that out. Zan’kir was soon with him, smiling that bright white smile.

“How’s that for results?”

“Absurdly impressive. They didn’t have counter-measures.”

“Just like Throk said. Anything that’s gonna fly is gonna die.”

“Wise words. What’s your plan?”

“Tresk agreed to be my eyes, along with Grot in Gronro,” Zan’kir said, shielding his eyes to look at the fading sun. “We’ll resume bombardment until the thing doesn’t move anymore. If I had to guess, they’ll fix whatever we broke by morning.”

What a brutal approach to the problem. An old part of Theo appreciated it. They would make whatever god that pulled Hanan’s strings pay for every inch of that coastline. And the nuclear option wasn’t off the table. If this didn’t work, he was ready to see the city stopped forever. If Fenian didn’t arrive in time, that might be the only option.

“Make sure someone gives you a bonus for this idea,” Theo said, wrapping his arm around Zan’kir’s shoulder. “Go get Zan’sal. We’re gonna have a feast at my mansion.”

“Oh, fancy boy,” Zan’kir said, freeing himself from Theo’s grasp. He performed a dramatic bow. “I’ll bring my finest attire, my lord.”

“Only the finest, Lord Zan’kir,” Theo said, matching the absurdity of the bow with one of his own.

Chapter 60

Zaul

Theo reclined in his chair, watching as the gods argued over what Zan’kir had done. Khahar had a playful smile on his face. The alchemist had finished his work for the day, gathering all the potions from the lab to brew in Tero’gal. After setting those potions aside, the gods had assembled for tea. They had been spying on him, watching as the floating city was bombarded relentlessly. As always, each had an opinion.

“Big city fall down!” Spit shouted, throwing his head back and wheezing with laughter.

“One has to wonder how they constructed the flight system,” Uz’Xulven said, tutting. “I thought our big bad was supposed to have some teeth.”

“I can’t say more than I have,” Khahar commented. “All is going according to plan.”

Glantheir had the most heart-warming comment of all. He leaned over, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “You could have blown it up. Good work.”

The group of gods gave no hints on the mystery, though. No one would say who was pushing King Hanan along, but each time Theo asked, they seemed pained to answer. Khahar didn’t even glare at him when he asked, making it even more concerning. The alchemist had narrowed his list of suspects down to a handful of gods, all of whom were dead. That left the beings operating outside of the world at fault, which seemed impossible to deal with. But with their floating city floundering in the water, Qavell wasn’t a threat anymore.

“I just want to thank the Arbiter,” Uz’Xulven said, inclining her head toward Khahar. “For fixing the bridge so quickly.”

Khahar gave her a nod back. Theo had tried to subvert the system again, but found it impossible to bypass the bridge. Perhaps his role as the Dreamwalker was to test these things. To find ways around the system so they could be patched. He was quite good at finding weaknesses in things. Back in the day anyway. If he was selected for this role by Khahar, then that made more sense.

Uz’Xulven went into detail about how the floating city worked, and Khahar didn’t stop her. It was impossible to move a town or kingdom core once it was planted. Unless someone screwed with the core itself. High-level Coresmiths could fiddle with the way cores worked, but that work was dangerous. Even Khahar only dabbled in the art, and he was a master of most things before he left the mortal realm. After the two cores were changed, a series of hover engines were ignited and fed a steady supply of magical energy. She didn’t know how they were powering it.

Theo took a sip of his tea, finding himself delighted by the conversation. The gods were excitable at the best of times, but they had worked themselves into a fervor. He stepped away from that excitement for some fresh air, looking over the souls of those in his realm with a smile. They had gone from one fad to another, but their desires were cyclical. Each had a pair of crude rollerblades strapped to their feet again, and they sailed down the cobbled path with chattering teeth.

Coming to Tero’gal wasn’t just about allowing potions to brew, though. Theo let out a steady breath as he reached out with his mind. He found a shadowy spot in the Prime Pantheon, almost imperceptible with his Willpower. Zaul’s realm was called Und, a place of eternal darkness. Uz’Xulven enjoyed the shadow motif, but Zaul embraced it. The alchemist felt a tickle of recognition, then an invitation. He accepted, stepping through the places between reality. As expected, the other side was imperceptible darkness.

“Finally,” a voice rasped from afar.

Theo felt around Zaul’s realm, but gave up after he felt nothing but chilled air. The ground under his feet was hard stone, and the air smelled wet. “Hello, Zaul. I have a few questions.”

The god—wherever he was—blew out a breath. “As it should be. Those who operate in darkness are forgotten. I am forgotten. Khahar has forgotten me.”

Maybe Theo should have asked Khahar about Zaul before going to Und. He assumed everyone in the prime pantheon was of stable mind, but the Burning Eye was a prime god. So was Fan’glir. He swallowed hard, nodding into the darkness.

“My Tara’hek has a Zaul core user,” Theo said. “She hasn’t forgotten about you.”

“And your town has my prophet. What do you need from me, demon?”

“Would your cores give me access to a willpower ability?”

“Yes.”

“Can I have one.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Zaul laughed. Maybe somewhere distant, or right into Theo’s ear. It was impossible to tell. “You walk in the shadows like an oaf. Not worthy of my core.”

“Alright. Good talk,” Theo said, turning intending to leave.

“Just a moment,” Zaul said, a little too fast and worried about how he had been talking. The alchemist felt the shadows draw closer. Cold hands drew around his shoulders and a feeling entered his mind. Not words, but a sensation that was impossible to ignore. “Khahar thinks he’s clever. Games. He plays games with the world.”

Something heavy fell into Theo’s hand. He recognized the detailed surface of a class core. While he tried to say something, nothing came out. His mind was still processing those feelings.

“He cannot see it. Cannot sense it. Don’t worry, demon,” Zaul said. “The information will unravel in your mind. Tell no one.”

Theo was flung from Zaul’s realm. He barely managed to put the core into his inventory before he stumbled out into Tero’gal. The alchemist stood there for a long time, gazing off into the distance. And the information unfurled in his mind. The thing that was controlling King Hanan wasn’t evil. Attributing malice to natural forces was useless. The entity was something else entirely, but it planned to destroy the Southlands Alliance. Not because it wanted Theo and his people dead, but because Theo was an aberration. Zaul didn’t know the whole truth, but the information he implanted in Theo’s head made him dizzy with knowledge.

The gods were still chatting in the growing cottage. Khahar didn’t know that Theo knew. He didn’t know about the core in his inventory. The potions were done brewing. The alchemist grabbed them, planning to inspect them after he returned to the mortal realm. Without a word to his godly friends, he passed through the realms and appeared in his manor.

“We got a problem,” he said, transmitting the thought to Tresk and no one else. “Read my memories.”

Tresk was always quick about this stuff. She was far better than he was at viewing memories with perfect clarity. “Holy crap! There was another Harbinger? And it's stuck in the system!? What the hell!?”

That was the information Zaul revealed. The echo of another Harbinger-like being was stuck within the system like some horrid echo. It had taken a body and was forcing the king to do its bidding. Theo’s ability to manipulate his own realm might not work on something like that. What a massive wrinkle in an otherwise flawless plan.

“We need to keep this quiet. Zaul also gave me a core to use,” Theo said. “Not sure if I should be honored or pissing my pants.”

“Why not both?”

Honk!

Theo opened his inventory, selecting the core that Zaul had given him. He stopped before reading the description, wondering if he should keep this from Khahar. The only downside to it was that Yuri wanted him to have only enough information to win without cheating. That kept the system running correctly, since everyone was following the rules. The alchemist read the description of the core.

[Zaul Shadowspirit Core]

Unique

UNDEFINED Core

Bound

2 Slots

Level 1 (0%)

Sneaky, sneaky. Undetectable. Use your willpower to shield your soul, Theo.

Innate Skills:

[Spirit Weaving]

“That core ain’t right,” Tresk said. Theo could feel her shaking her head in his mind. “Undefined?”

That was concerning. Why the hell was Zaul giving him a leg up? That god didn’t seem to like him, let alone love him enough to put his neck on the line. The alchemist couldn’t make sense of his motives, but at least he could understand the core. Shielding his spirit was an important thing to do if he wanted to travel through the realms. Xol’sa had explained projecting one’s consciousness like dragging a thread across the world. It could be cut at any moment. He inspected the attached skill.

[Spirit Weaving]

UNDEFINED Skill

Unique

Be careful with this one, Theo. I have created this skill for you and you alone.

Effect:

Weave your willpower around your soul, preventing prying eyes from spying.

Once per day (resetting at midnight) you may weave this power into a spell, skill, ability, crafted item, etc. The signature of your willpower is left behind, enhancing the resulting effect, item, etc.

Theo realized Bob had led him to Zaul, likely on the god’s orders. Salire had explained this skill to him, which was the only reason he sought the god out. The alchemist removed his Earth Sorcerer’s Core, putting it into his inventory, and inserted Zaul’s core. A flash of something wove through his chest and it took him a few breaths too long to realize his soul was cloaked in shadow. It bunched against that glowing ball in his chest like a protective layer.

“Dreamwalk,” Theo said without another word. They had already eaten, so it didn’t look weird to retreat. Tresk agreed and the Tara’hek went upstairs and fell asleep.

Theo felt soft grass beneath his feet. Tresk had generated something calming to help the alchemist get his mind sorted. He hadn’t even looked at the potions he made, which were at an impressive level of quality.

“Alright. Break it down for me so I can understand,” Tresk said with a sigh. “Zaul is my god. Why does he care about you?”

“Good question,” Theo said, biting at his nails. His only theory was that Zaul had a grudge against Khahar, or some pride to save. So he generated a core and skill only for Theo as a jab. Even in the Dreamwalk, he could feel his willpower wrapped around his soul, like a protective blanket.

“Theo goes to fight Harbinger 2. Harby strong. Attack Theo soul,” Tresk said, nodding. “Zaul give Theo weapon. Theo strong.”

“That’s one way to summarize it,” Theo said. The hints he was given on how to beat whatever was controlling Hanan lined up with a soul-style attack. The gods had used a Soul Slaying attack on Xol’sa once.

“The way it feels reminds me of something,” Tresk said, running her fingers across her teeth. She felt the pointy ones as though that would help her think. “You ever get scanned by Zarali?”

“A few times. When she first arrived, it felt like something warm was washing over me. It was pleasant.”

“Most magic users have this bubble they can send out to scan stuff. Like how you can inspect someone’s information. They can tell more about you by sending their magical power out or something. I don’t know, I can’t do it.”

“You’re saying that Zaul is helping me because I’m magically inept?”

“Yeah.”

“Fair enough.”

For once, Tresk and Alex stayed around to watch Theo mess with his new core. He had already advanced his willpower to a point of absurdity, so controlling the thing that had formed in his chest was easy. He sent it out like a bubble, formed intricate shapes, and experimented with ways to do something useful with it. But Tresk didn’t have magical senses, and neither did Alex. No one in the Dreamwalk knew if his soul was shielded or what that meant. And since everyone there was a member of Tero’gal, they weren’t affected by whatever influence it would have on them. Real world testing was needed.

Tresk scampered off to fight whatever nightmare creature she generated that night. That left Theo with alone time enough to inspect the potions he had made. He did so from memory. The third tier versions of the restoration potions were already well-known to Theo. But the ones he and Salire had created in the lab were a higher grade, meaning the effects were stronger. A Good Quality Greater Healing Potion restored 175 health, but the Great Quality ones he had crafted restored 185. The attribute potions went from 19 to 20 in their respective attributes.

The real change would come when Theo brewed the dangerous potions, meant to be mixed with the Holy modifier, at third tier. With only second tier examples to think about, he could only imagine the next level for those potions. He joined Tresk and Alex, watching as they fought a giant, winged chameleon. With a thought, he generated a bar of Drogramathi Iron and quaffed a Potion of Berserk with the Holy modifier. This was a potion too dangerous to test in the real world. When he attacked the lizard, he would lose half of his health and get possessed by the owner of his realm. Which was him. And Tresk. And Alex.

Theo approached the tail of the creature and smacked it as hard as he could muster. His health dropped to half, Alex and Tresk went rigid, and his health shot up to twice what it should have been. The chameleon’s tail split off from the force of the attack, and was sent flying into the open meadows. The alchemist felt a strange melding in his mind. There was a barrier that kept him free from the Tara’hek’s influence. Normally, it prevented Tresk or Alex from being him. In an instant, he was no longer just Theo Spencer.

“Oh, crap. This is weird,” Theo said as Tresk spoke through him. “Honk.”

The alchemist stumbled to the side, unable to coordinate himself with so much influence acting on his body. Tresk tried to move his right side, while he tried to move the left. Alex tried to make him honk in fear. Tresk brought the rod of iron up, striking the lizard monster as it fell upon them. The force of the blow bent the rod at the middle and sent the massive creature tumbling back. He stumbled to one side, then the other before falling face-first on the ground.

“I don’t think we can use this,” Theo said, driven by Alex.

“Nope. This is too weird,” Theo said, Tresk this time.

With a great shake of his head, Theo reset the Dreamwalk and freed everyone from the weird, fleshy prison.

“Hey, I got an idea,” Tresk said, shaking her head and blinking rapidly. “Let’s never do that again.”

Chapter 61

Theo is a Sad Boy

The Potion of Berserk was a complete failure for the group. While the power it provided was absurd, Theo doubted they would ever coordinate enough to use it correctly. They tried a few more times without success, giving up when it was clear everyone wanted to drive. Tresk went back to her training with Alex, and Theo practiced with his new core, finding it hard to do much of anything without feedback. The advantage the core brought was substantial, though.

Since Theo now had a Zaul-aligned core in his chest, he had access to a long list of the god’s skills. This included willpower based skills, something he hadn’t expected. The alchemist assumed the Spirit Weaving skill was the one Bob told him about. But there were a few that had similar enough effects, and they were usable at Level 1. He narrowed it down to one, which he could exploit, since it was a universal skill. Before the Dreamwalk ended, just near dawn, he inspected the skill.

[Shadow Wrap]

Universal Skill

Epic

Cloak an item in shadows, fueled by your willpower. Depending on the type of item, a different effect is imparted. All items will be undetectable with magical detection techniques, regardless of level.

Effect:

Once per day (resetting at midnight) you may wrap an item in willpower-fueled shadows. A higher willpower creates greater effects. This effect lasts one week (seven days).

Weapons will gain shadow damage.

Armor will gain extra resistances.

And so on.

There were a few strange things to note here. First, it was a universal skill. For what the skill did, that didn’t make the most sense. Next was the fact it could be used at Level 1, which seemed tailored to Theo’s new strategy. It seemed like a stranger version of Toru’aun’s type of magic, and was poorly explained. Even when compared to what the Queen of Mystery put in the information text for her skills and core. Since this skill could be slotted into any core, it was a simple decision. Anything that took advantage of his growing willpower was worth investing in.

“Ready to go?” Tresk asked, sensing that Theo was approaching the end of his investigations.

“Yeah. Hit it, you little lizard girl.”

The group was dragged out of the Dreamwalk with a bit more force than normal. Theo suspected the skill wasn’t happy with the way they had abused it to test the Potion of Berserk. Tresk was slow to get out of her bed, feeling just as much of the feedback as the alchemist. They made their way downstairs to find what Sarisa had prepared for them. And she didn’t disappoint.

When Tresk and Theo sat down, she brought two steaming plates over. A fluffy yellow egg, wrapped in on itself like an omelet, sat in the center of the plate. A red sauce similar enough in texture to ketchup to be ketchup had been drawn in a circle around the eggs. Small pieces of greenery poked from the omlete’s edges, joining with crispy fried mushrooms.

“Pretty sure I outdid myself with this one,” Sarisa said, winking as she went to grab her own plate. Rowan was already seated, waiting to inhale his food.

Theo’s inventory was filled with potions meant for the fight with Qavell. He would bring those to the Newt and Demon to hold and inform Aarok they were available for the army to grab. They had never put their deal in writing. They tossed the lab a few coins for their efforts, but both parties knew this was the cheapest option. It took the burden off of the adventurers, ensuring they could fight without fear of getting killed. That made them fight harder.

The alchemist sent his willpower out to check on his golem army. A bubble of something spread from his chest, washing over the room and darkening each corner. Sarisa and Rowan were on their feet, weapons springing from nowhere, before he could talk them down. The good news was that the golems were still on patrol, having taken it upon themselves to range outside of the walls and hunt nearby monsters.

“What was that?” Sarisa asked, jabbing her spear through the air. “Get down, Theo. We’re under attack.”

Tresk laughed. Alex honked.

“I forgot about that,” Theo said, cooking up the lie in an instant. “I took a skill that gives my willpower a tangible form.”

“Why does it feel so depressed?” Rowan asked.

“Theo is a sad boy. Don’t pick on him,” Tresk said.

“If you could stop, that would be lovely,” Rowan said.

Theo withdrew his willpower, having got what he wanted to know from the lodestone network. Just like magic users, he would need to train this new manifestation of his willpower to control it properly. That meant a trip to the tower. He watched as his companions discussed this new power, eating his food. He loved eggs, especially when drizzled with fantasy world ketchup. It wasn’t quite the same as he remembered from Earth’s packaged meals, but close enough. When breakfast was done, he bid farewell to his companions and headed off.

Tresk and Alex had been tasked with spotting for Zan’kir again. They had no plans to stop the bombardment. Before making his way to the portal, the alchemist checked in with Salire at the lab. She agreed to prepare the stills and ingredients for a few third tier runs and was excited to receive the potions they made yesterday. She busied herself by stocking the shop, and he headed off.

Theo stepped through the portal, arriving in the tower in an instant. He was tempted to feel around with his willpower, but judging by the reaction Sarisa and Rowan had he might end up at the end of an angry wizard’s spell. Instead, he ascended the stairs to find Xol’sa and Zarali lounging on the second floor. They were always hanging out on the second floor, just sipping tea and reading books. What a charmed life.

“Theo,” Zarali looked up, tilting her head to one side as though she heard something in the distance. “What’s wrong with you?”

Xol’sa gave Zarali a confused look, setting his book down. “What do you mean?”

Theo felt the familiar sense of someone’s magical senses washing over him. The warmth spread through him, but halted at his soul. The cloak of shadows around his soul shielded him entirely.

“I can’t sense him. At all. He’s not there.”

Xol’sa’s magical senses felt nothing like Zarali. His was cold, whereas her’s was loving. “What nonsense trickery have you pulled this time, Theo?”

“Don’t worry about it. So, you can’t sense me?”

Xol’sa passed his hand through the air. Magic sigils formed in a trail behind his fingers, forming an intricate array. A pulse rushed out from the circle, passing around his soul. “That spell was fairly advanced. I can’t detect you.”

Theo looked up, smiling at the wooden ceiling. He allowed his will to spread out, covering the group. Like the Dreamwalk, he was certain that no one could hear them inside the bubble. Not Drogramath, Khahar, or any other god. Tresk and Alex were the only ones that could pierce that bubble. “Not even the gods can hear me, now. I think.”

Zarali seemed to shiver. “I would support that idea. My connection with Drogramath feels strange.”

Theo had to agree. When his bubble of shadows was protecting him, his position as Champion of Drogramath felt weak. He would need to test to see if Zaul was spying, though. He needed to find a way to exploit his willpower even more if he wanted to accomplish his goals. But this was a great start. For the first time in a long time, the alchemist wanted to talk to Uharis. He didn’t know a more powerful mage.

“So, here’s what happened…” Theo ignored the advice Zaul gave him. The shadow-dude was a weirdo who was unlikely to have any close allies. Theo‌ had a town filled with people he trusted with his life. He explained what had happened in the heavens and how he planned to use the new core to take advantage of his burgeoning willpower.

“If you could hold off with the bad ideas,” Zarali said, nodding with a concerned look. “For at least a few seconds. Just stop trying to anger the gods.”

“But, more importantly,” Xol’sa said, laughing to himself as he rose. He made his way to his many books, pressing his finger against each until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled the musty tome out, and held it for Theo to take. “You can do aura training.”

“There he goes,” Zarali said. Theo spotted how she stopped herself from rolling her eyes, coughing into her hand instead. “Ever the scholar.”

“Naturally,” Xol’sa said, waving a dismissive hand. He looked around the room, studying the shadows in the corners. “It has the form of a normal aura, doesn’t it?”

“The form, but not the textures,” Zarali said.

“Zaul is helping you make up for your… lacking magical ability,” Xol’sa said. “It means he knew you were increasing your willpower. And a thousand other complications with godly politics that don’t involve me.”

That was how mortals often thought, though. Theo stopped himself from seeing them as mortals and gods, feeling far more comfortable thinking of them all as just people. Complications was a good way of putting it, but that’s the way it went.

“So I just read this?” Theo asked, holding up the book. It was thicker than most given to him by Xol’sa.

“And practice. At my tower, if you can spare the time. And check your administrative notes. I’ve done some calculations on the flying city.”

“Just remember,” Theo said, punctuating his statement by jabbing the book in the air. “If you need an absolute sphere of silence, ask me. We can finally have some privacy.”

Theo pulled his willpower in, wrapping his soul in the comforting shadows. It was nice to have a better feeling for what his willpower was. He tested removing the core and inserting his Earth Sorcerer’s Core. The sensation was unpleasant, but not the pained response he had come to expect based on Luras’s testimony. Lower level people had trouble swapping cores, he had come to learn. The shadowy cloak around his soul faded, but the alchemist was aware of the willpower left behind. It was easier to visualize, even without the Zaul Shadowspirit Core. He swapped them once again and the cloak returned.

Xol’sa had made an entry in the notes section of the town’s administration screen. Theo bid farewell to his friends, heading back through the portal as he flipped through them. The wizard had theoretical schematics of the mechanism that floated the city, including power requirements. The alchemist wasn’t confident that he calculated the city’s mass correctly, but it was a decent ballpark. They were burning a gold coin’s worth of energy every second to float, and twice that to move forward. Xol’sa had theorized the city was moving at a brisk pace when they started, but slowed the closer they neared Broken Tusk.

Whatever creature helped Hanan move the city had cut too many corners to make it effective. Throk’s words echoed in Theo’s mind. Flying artifices were dangerous. The Wanderer might have decreased his necromantic energy in the area, but it was still there. Qavell had been battered since the moment it took flight, and there was only one endpoint. The bay outside of Broken Tusk, resting with the waves.

Theo entered the Newt and Demon, finding the shop unattended. Salire had added a bell on the counter in case she didn’t hear the chiming of the bell at the door. He made his way upstairs and found her sorting ingredients, most of which weren’t ones he requested.

She turned and smiled at him. “I had an idea!”

“Yes?”

“We have enough reagents for the dangerous potions. Some of them, anyway. But there are a few others… Although I did start fermenting more Holy modifier. Kinda,” Salire said, gesturing to the burn marks on that side of the building. “My first attempt fell flat.”

“Which potions should we make, then?”

“I was thinking Limited Foresight, Assail, Poison, Desperate Attack, and your Rust Bomb.”

Rust Bomb was a fun one, which piqued Theo’s interest. It produced a sludge that would eat away at metal for fifteen minutes, and a third tier version of the bomb would be interesting. The only problem was the smell. Grimelings were nasty creatures. The reagents they left behind had a smell that was doubled when distilled. The alchemist shrugged before nodding to himself.

“Let’s get to work.”

Salire was ahead of him. Pozwa Horns would go through the alchemical grinders sometimes, but were often too tough for the artifices to handle. She had hired Ziz to turn a fair amount into powder. Since Ziz liked smashing stuff, he did it for free. The duo worked to get essences for each of their targets, preparing five stills for the batch. What essence they didn’t use for the third tier brew would go into reserve, allowing them to make more later. That was the key to third tier, the alchemist realized. Having enough essence in stock to create the dilution.

One still got the Pozwa Horns, Another got Widow Lily, Reanimated Skeleton Fragments, Zureah Talons, and… Grimeling Ooze. The scent from the ooze was instant and disgusting. Theo and Salire had to evacuate the building, opening every window and dousing every surface with cleansing scrub as they waited. The fog it created with a choking miasma that lingered long after the brew would be done. Folks passing on the street covered their noses, or retched.

“I don’t care for the ooze,” Salire said, gagging.

“Ooze,” Theo said, studying her expression. She gagged again.

“Stop!” Salire shouted, slapping at Theo ineffectually.

Theo considered doing it again, but resisted. He thought a bit of discomfort was the least Salire could endure to pay for suggesting the Rust Bomb recipe. He couldn’t imagine how other alchemists did this. He imagined they simply didn’t. A memory of Perg’s original tannery came into his mind. Everyone avoided that place based on the smell alone.

“Let’s take a break,” Theo said, turning away from his lab and heading toward the Herbalist’s Workshop. “I want to look at some plants that need splicing.”

“Oh!” Salire said, wiping her hand over her mouth to clear away some spittle. “I had some ideas about that.”

“Let’s hear them.”

“Well, we need to research Glantheir’s Tears, but I have some notes for you to look over. But I can just tell you what I found.”

“Alrighty,” Theo said, entering his Herbalist’s Workshop. He narrowed his eyes. Two small marshlings were sitting on the far side, playing a game with stones. They looked at him in fear. “Just don’t touch anything, children. The garden outside is dangerous.”

“We know,” one shot.

‘Your observations?” Theo asked.

“Do you remember Throk’s Weed? Of course, you remember everything. Its different than Zephyr Berries. So, why did zee plus wheat create something different under different circumstances?”

That was a good question. Wild hybridization must have been different than controlled splicing. “A keen observation, Salire. Now, let’s turn to the topic at hand. Which plants to smash together with another.”