The Newt and Demon

3.62 - We'll Face It Together

Tresk and Theo spent the rest of the day working on potions for Fenian. They didnt limit themselves to what hed requested, making anything that fit with his theme of defensive potions. Although the day was fading, they pushed to complete an example of a [Vigor Potion] with the [Refined Elemental Earth] modifier. Any chance to test the effects of a new modifier was a good chance, so he took it.

Theo held the completed vial up for inspection, noting the brown-yellow tone and flecks of glowing yellow material behind the glass.

[Vigor Potion]

[Refined Elemental Earth]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Drink to enhance vigor.

Drink to increase resistance scaling.

Effect:

+14 Vigor for 1.75 hours.

For 1.25 hours, your physical resistances scale 1.30 times better than normal.

[Vigor] was a defensive attribute, even if it influenced stamina directly. Health scaled directly with the attribute, although Theo hadnt noted the scale. The problem was the vague way it described resistances. They were physical resistances, but what did that mean? Tresk thought it was a good potion, so they made 10 for Fenian to sample. If the Elf was sticking around for a few more days, they could make more for him before he departed.

Well, a hard days work done, Tresk said, dusting her hands off. She had barely helped, but it was more help than he expected.

A job well done, Theo said, patting the Marshling on the head. Time for dinner?

Alex chirped.

Xam had been feeding her tavern [Monster Cores]. It expanded to the east, encroaching on the space occupied by the bathhouse. The building also pushed north, threatening no other buildings. The Marsh Wolf Tavern also seemed taller, as though it got another floor. When they had expanded the building was beyond him, but it had to be during the day, when he was too busy to notice. Theo and Tresk entered the tavern, noting the significant increase in area.

Got a new dining floor! Xam shouted over the constant buzz of conversation. Go upstairs, I have a table reserved for you.

Theo and Tresk shared a look. Theyd both be lying if they said they didnt appreciate the special treatment. The first floor of Xams tavern was nice, but the second was amazing. With the sun fading outside, the windows on the second floor caught more of that dying light. Downstairs, the kitchen and bar area took up much of the area, but the second floor didnt suffer from that problem. It was filled with tables, packed from the landing of the stairs to each corner of the room. A single booth, roped off with a sign reading for the mayor sat on the east-facing side of the room.

Oh. Fancy, Tresk said, jumping into the walled-off section.

Theo moved around the rope, sitting to find the seats far more comfortable than the normal wooden chairs in the tavern. Each chair in the booth was upholstered in something that looked like red silk, stuffed with comfortable material. There was a small hay-strewn box in the booths corner with a small name tag.

It says Alex! Tresk shouted, jumping up to snatch the gosling from Theos satchel. She placed her inside, patting the creatures head as she nestled amongst the hay.

Theyre really trying to spoil us, Theo said, chuckling.

Before long, an employee came along with plates laden with salad. Thats the only way Theo could think to describe it, anyway. Piles of leafy vegetables drizzled with some mixture of oil and Karatan cream and cheese. Tresk turned her nose up at it, but with a bit of prodding she ate.

Alright, this is good, Tresk said, finding it hard to dump the entire plate in her mouth at once.

By the time their plates were cleared, the second floor had filled. Theo felt like a lord in his little box, staring out his window and waiting for more food. Before long, the server returned with two plates of Zee pasta, covered in a cheesy sauce with flecks of green [Water Leeks] sprinkled on top. The next course also came with cups filled with the mead from Rivers and Daub. Before the server left the table, they set a small cup down. It was filled with worms.

Theyre treating you like a queen, Alex, Theo said, dumping the worms into the goslings little enclosure.

Alex pecked at the worms, happily slurping them down. She was growing more by the day. Her plumage had changed, becoming less downy as her body grew. While it was hard to tell when shed become something more than a gosling, change would come soon.

As with all of Xams cooking, the meal was impossibly delicious. Cheese was cheating, but Theo wouldnt complain. His investment in Miana paid off daily. He would have given any amount of gold to see fresh Karatan cheese and milk served with his meals. And the Half-Ogre tavern owner had never been happier to sling Mianas products, weaving them into every dish she made.

Luras joined them after a while, squeezing his broad frame into their little booth. It had seats for 6 people, and a table large enough to accommodate more. He looked more grumpy than normal until the mead came and he dug into his Zee pasta. After a few drinks, and a full belly, he got more conversational.

Cant believe they beat you out there, Tresk, Luras said, laughing. Maybe we gotta take your number one spot.

From my cold, dead hands, Tresk said, glowering.

How have you been, Luras? Theo asked, changing the subject.

Great, Luras said. He averted his gaze from Theo.

When Luras took his [Leatherworkers Core], it left a sore spot. He was forced into the position unfairly, acting on the wishes of a dying relative. Now, in his position as the Captain of the Guard, he hit his stride.

Luras likes to guard people, Tresk said, nodding. She spoke the words with no malice. Just an observation of a friend, even if he was a rival.

I dont see as much action as people like Tresk, Luras said, taking another massive drink of mead. But you cant put a price on protecting people. Might even take an [Administrators Core].

Maybe theres a core for guards, Theo said. Hopefully youre drawing a good salary.

Good? No, Im rich. By Broken Tusk standards? Extremely rich, Luras said, laughing. He slammed his fist on the table to punctuate his point, sending the dishes clattering around. This is a job I could have only dreamed of. Gods Do you remember when you got here? We were skulking around in the mud, hunting turtles to survive.

Im honestly not sure how you guys survived, Theo said.

We didnt, Tresk said, her eyes going unfocused. Broken Tusk was on the decline for years. When the Ogres left, they created a void. When Qavell swooped in, they installed a yoke.

Luras nodded, raising his glass and taking another swig. Before Theo showed up, there was nothing worth exploiting here. Just the meager taxes we provided. Then boom. Suddenly the hills are rich in ore and marble. Land cluttered with more dungeons than any other region. The trees are growing faster than weeds. Yeah, bet theyre mad about missing out on that.

Yeah, screw them, Theo said, raising his glass. To treason.

Others in the tavern heard Theos toast. Apparently, his voice was too loud, because a chorus of voices echoed his sentiment back.

To treason!

Everyone on the second floor drank to that, Elves included. That was the way Broken Tuskers rationalized what they were doing. It wasnt exactly treason, but they were on the edge of declaring their independence either way. Some taxes were still withdrawn from the town automatically, while others required manual collection. Coins slipped out of their pocket weekly, and every building in town still required the owner to pay property tax. The administration had halted that collection, even if the timer ticked down daily.

Theo saw little reason to collect taxes on the value of a property. Once they broke from Qavell, hed do whatever he could to rearrange that. If someone spent the money on a seed core building, and the land, there was no reason for them to keep paying for it. His plan was to remove taxes that people paid to live. That should be free. Instead, hed place less-steep taxes on sales and exports. Anything sold in Broken Tusk to Broken Tuskers would be tax free. Hed work out the details with his administrators.

The important point was to keep the town from becoming another merchant-controlled city. Rivers and Daub displayed how that could go wrong in spectacular fashion. The slums on the western side of their town were a testament to that, revealing the selfish nature of those in power. Theo wondered if he could keep himself from temptation, but the evidence was already in. The moment he got a little money, it went right back into the town. He still enjoyed the luxuries provided by his position, but wanted to keep those minimized.

So long as the people were happy, so was he.

Luras had a fun time that night, even after he got completely hammered. Tresk and Theo had to help the Half-Ogre back to his house, passing by the old leatherworkers workshop that no one was using. It was a sore reminder, but the drunk didnt seem to notice. After depositing him in his bed, the pair made their way to the bathhouse. The sun had set, but there was no reason not to get a nice bath. That private bath was another comfort that the position of power provided.

What a day, Tresk said, sinking into the pool.

Theo found the bucket he used to bathe himself before hopping into the mineral-rich pool and filled it from the cold tap. He set it near the pools edge and placed Alex inside. She didnt care for the hot water of the tub, often preferring to just sit around the edge. The gosling now chirped happily from her bucket, full of worms and comfortable. They bathed for quite some time, but the staff had reinstated their rule about staying too late. Tresk, Theo, and Alex were kicked out of the bath. They returned home without another thought.

The sleeping arrangements in their little apartment had changed little since Theo got there. His bed sat on the east-facing wall with the window, while Tresk took the interior wall. They both had nice goose feather beds, a fact they wouldnt reveal to Alex, and it was comfortable enough. With the Dreamwalk, it seemed as though the quality of the mattress didnt matter. Instead of laying in bed, waiting for sleep to come, it was more of an agreed upon command that sent them into the dreamwalk. While it was nice, he never had trouble going to bed in this world. The days were too exhausting to do anything but rest.

Theo considered his current core levels, alongside his personal level before getting in bed. His [Drogramath Alchemy] core should have rolled over to level 19 today, and his [Governance Core] would roll over tomorrow. [Drogramath Herbalist] would hit level 18 in its own time, still trailing behind everything. That should be enough experience to send his personal level to 19. Then it was just a single level to unlock a new core slot.

I need to study, Theo said, watching as Tresk got into bed.

Why? Your Axpashi is getting better, Tresk said. Can we continue this discussion in Terogal?

Theo nodded, hopping into bed and checking on Alex. She was snug in her makeshift bed, ready to sleep. They needed to improve her sleeping area, but that was a task for another time. Instead, he and Tresk issued the mental command that sent the world spinning. Moments later, they arrived in the Dreamwalk. The haze lifted after a moment, revealing the harbor once more.

So, heres the damn problem, Tresk said, narrowing her eyes at Theo. I dont think those are normal bandits.

Theo blinked a few times, trying to force his thoughts to catch up with the moment. He could normally feel his Tarahek companions deception. But shed kept it from him so expertly, perhaps afraid of someone listening in. But the [Tarahek Communication] skill should have been between them. And the goose.

What? Theo asked.

Didnt want to tip anyone off, Tresk said, shifting the scene to the swamp.

Theo spotted a group of 5 people, as hazy as Tresks memory of the event. He spun around, finding the dungeon to the south, spinning again to find a forest of Ogre Cypress and the mountains to the north. He slogged through the marsh, coming close to a prone figure.

I cant see many details, Theo said, stooping low to look at the ethereal man in the mud.

Well, this is when I hit them. And my memory aint so great, Tresk said. Four were fanned out near the forests edge, one ranging ahead. Looked like a fighting retreat to me.

Theo inspected the scene closer. The figures by the forest were even hazier than the one crouched in the swamp. The man was clutching his forearm, and the people near the trees were rallying.

Would bandits be this supportive of an injured companion? Theo asked, pointing at the 4 people.

I doubt it, Tresk said. Maybe a tight-knit group of career bandits. But Im not convinced. The magic they hit me with Hold on

The scene changed again. Tresks memory of the magical attack was even more blurry. A red wave came from the line of trees, undefined. Theo got a sense of the attack from the memory, but it was even more hazy than the physical appearance. He couldnt sense any magical properties from the magic, and let out a heavy sigh.

So, it was almost like a wave of blood, Tresk said.

Theo took a deep breath through his nose. He could almost smell the scent of rust in the air, but it was too distant. With all this information, he had to wonder what those people were really doing. They scouted near the river, then acted near the dungeon. If they wanted to sabotage a dungeon, the [Swamp Dungeon] was the worst pick. The [Ocean Dungeon] was the easiest for that task, even if they had to go underwater to do it. Nothing his intuition could tell him added up.

Wave of blood, Theo said, pushing his [Wisdom] to its limit. I dont get it. Either what kind of magic that is, or why they were here. How did the attack start?

Tresk changed the scene again. She created a ghostly representation of herself hiding behind a tree, looking over a singular figure lurking in the swamp. The others near the tree werent visible yet, waiting for their companion to return.

I saw that weird magic obscuring his face and attacked without warning, Tresk said, changing the image to show her emerging from the persons shadow. He turned, blocking the strike with his forearm. I had your best poison on [Stab Stab]. The one with [Accelerated Decay]. Got four hits on the guys arm before the magic happened. Then I ran.

Theo nodded. Yeah, dont mess with magic.

Anyone afflicted with that poison would have a hard time surviving. [Accelerated Decay] increased the damage of all poisons, and removing the poison manually caused all stacks to apply at once. If the mans companions could heal him, he would lose the arm. Theo had no doubt in his mind about that. His poisons were beyond deadly. Tresks [Trackers Core] also provided the [Linger Poisons] effect, which increased the damage of poison on targets she tracked by 1.5 times.

My lingering question, Tresk said, drawing the daggers from her hips and stabbing the ghostly visage of the interloper. What level is this guy if he didnt go down choking on poison?

That was a question Theo didnt know if he wanted answered. It was bad enough to think about a band of low-level bandits roaming around, but if they were a high-level group That was far worse.

We need a plan to take them out. Think Fenian can do the job?

Hes hiding something, Tresk said. I think his [Parantheir Duelists Core] is at least level 30.

Really? Theo asked, shaking his head. Surely not that high.

Tresk returned her daggers to their place, leaning in. I think he was holding back when he dodged me. Couldve moved way faster.

Fenian moved fast enough in that encounter to dodge Tresk. How much faster could he have moved? But Theo didnt want to entertain any more questions. Thats all they were finding with this problem. More questions.

Grasping at things beyond his reach was a futile thing. Theo realized that long ago. It was a quagmire, as much as the swamp outside the western gate was. Doubts and questions were as likely to suck a man under as the marsh itself. If he was well-practiced in anything, it was the art of ignoring massive problems to push forward. Because without more levels, more wealth, and more notoriety what was the point of their little experiment?

Theo pressed his forehead against Tresks and smiled.

Whatever happens, well face it together, Theo said.

Tresk nodded, her expression setting with determination.

Together.

Alex chirped her support.