The Newt and Demon

Chapter 3.47: Pills Here

Theo stared at the egg in his satchel. There were no cracks visible on its surface, just the same familiar sheen. He pressed his fingers against its surface and waited, but there was no movement. The egg had become such a fixture. The alchemist didnt know what hed do when it hatched. He didnt even know what was in it, despite Khahars statement that it was simply a mundane creature from Earth. He shrugged it all off and returned to the Newt and Demon. While he could feel Tresks tiredness from staying up all night with him, shed be fine. [Stamina Potions] didnt seem to have long-term negative effects.

We have our first order! Salire said, bouncing excitedly when Theo entered the shop. Orders, actually. Theres a few.

Theo nodded, taking a sheet of paper from the woman. It was more than just a few items, though. She followed him upstairs, watching as he made his daily sacrifice to the Drogramathi Shrine.

100 [Healing Pills], 200 [Mana Pills], 25 [Carapace Potions] with [Anti-Mage], 1,000 bombsWere not doing thosea lot of attribute potions, and a hell of a lot of restoration potions, Theo said, scratching his head. Ive never made a [Mana Pill].

Exciting, right? Salire asked. Did I do good, boss?

No, you did great. I like this format, Theo said, setting the paper down and assessing his stores. He had enough essences on hand to make everything except the [Carapace Potions]. The alchemist sent a mental message to his [Lesser Plant Golem]. The creation had already tended the garden for the day, depositing everything in the barrel. It also reported back that he was running low on [Mana Constructs].

Thank you, Salire said, grinning.

Theos new shopkeeper was leveling her unaligned merchant core quickly, giving her access to a general price of the items she was selling. She raised their prices, even for natives of the area, but maintained a deep discount for members of the Adventurers Guild. They were already paying a premium for the right to delve into the dungeons and would need the potions. People with healing cores seemed to be few. The alchemist got to work on his potions, inviting his shopkeeper to chat as he did.

I wonder if I should take a healing core, Theo said.

[Healing Pills] were some of the easiest items to make as far as potions went. He generated a flask for the purpose. The [Glassware Artifice] was a square flask that would have little purpose in other reactions. But since it was a square, he could cut the resulting solid mass into little cubes. The alchemist introduced the [Solidify] modifier, double-checking that the vent was open. It reacted immediately, turning the pale pink liquid opaque. With a few quick shakes of the flask, a blob of solid healing thumped onto the table.

Maybe, Salire said. Youd need to find a god willing to take you.

Theo grunted. Maybe that wasnt the answer. He rattled off the list of acceptable gods given by Drogramath. Glanthier, Parantheir, Zaul, Ulvoqor, UzXulven, Tworgnoth, Toruaun, and Khahar. Which of those would you pick to help the town?

Theo cut the pills into sections, using his [Drogramath Alchemy Knife] to create perfectly sized rectangular cubes. He planned to perform the action several times, creating a surplus stock for the store to sell. [Refined Healing Essence] was not in short supply.

Well, Glantheir is the healing one. Right? I doubt youd enjoy aligning with the duelist Parantheir, or Zaul. So, UzXulven, Tworgnoth, Toru, and Wait, Khahar isnt a god, Salire said, chuckling. Unless hes part of some weird pantheon.

UzXulven, Theo said, pausing his work. He shrugged and continued. What good would the Bridge of Shadows be to him?

Theo started his still to run some [Fade Carapaces]. It wasnt an essence he kept on hand, but seemed popular enough with adventures to run a batch of 500 units. He talked with Salire while he worked, exhausting her knowledge of aligned cores before summoning Zarali to his lab. The alchemist found that picking the brains of people not in the know was a great approach. Normal people like Salire had an untainted view of the world, and they usually provided vital information.

When Zarali arrived, she had dropped all of her previous reservations about knocking Theo out. The process worked, after all.

So glad to see you up and moving again, Zarali said.

Never thought Id see a Dronon Let alone two, Salire said, chuckling.

You should visit Slagrot, sometime, Zarali said, patting the woman on the shoulder. Your ancestors mingle openly with every manner of Demon.

Ill pass. Ogre food never worked for me.

Theo went back to work, finishing the [Healing Pill] order and moving on to the [Mana Pills]. While hed never crafted them, it was the same recipe as the last. His [Solidify] modifier stock grew thin, but he simply started another still and set the timer. The lab was growing hot with 3 bodies mingling and 2 stills running. The company was too good to dismiss either Salire or Zarali, and the pair seemed to get along.

A [Priest of UzXulven] core would be lovely, Zarali said.

Meh. Im not too interested in teleportation. Besides, Fenian had his carriage blessed to use the bridge, Theo said. Why couldnt I?

Fair enough, Zarali said, watching as Theo poured his [Refined Mana Essence] into the square flask. He mixed in the [Solidify] modifier and they watched as it hardened. Oh, how Id love to see a Toruaun Dronon. From what I understand, she doesnt hand out priest cores.

Interesting. Theo checked his still running the [Fade Carapace]. That reagent wasnt as picky as others, happily running at full heat for the entire distillation cycle. He swished the flask of distilled essence, finding it to his high expectations. What does she stand for?

Mystery, Zarali said, doing something suspiciously like jazz-hands. They say not even the other Demonic Gods know what she stands for.

That was a lot to think about. Not only that, but if Theo wanted a core from any of these gods, hed need to contact them or their representatives. After asking Zarali, even she admitted she couldnt generate a new Drogramath core. The resulting thought the alchemist had was obvious. There was another Drogramathi Priest out there that could do it. They werent alone in the wide world, just confined to their little continent.

As expected, the [Mana PIlls] were simple to craft. Theo cut them into cubes, setting them aside as he did so. After finishing his first square flask, he inspected a sample.

[Mana Pill]

[Alchemy Pill]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Perfect Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

A mana pill. Swallow to restore mana.

Effect:

Swallow this pill whole to restore 75 mana.

Theo didnt have a sample to compare to, not having crafted any [Mana Potions] recently, but this was great. This single pill would restore half his total mana, although he rarely used it. That was a shame, leading him to think more about things that would take advantage of his unused pool. Whatever class he took for his level 20 slot needed to take advantage of that. Something inside him urged him to take another Demonic core, avoiding the Prime Pantheon. Drogramath listed allies in that group of gods, but he couldnt guess at what would happen when the war kicked off.

What cores would you produce, Khahar? Theo asked.

Combat cores related to hit-and-run tactics, and magic related to the magic of the desert, Khahar said, appearing from nowhere.

How about Toruaun? Theo asked, not looking up from his work.

Ward magic, often related to reactive effects, Khahar said.

Thats cheating! Zarali said, a look of horror spreading across her face.

Theo ignored her protests. Could you put me in contact with her, or her representatives before you go?

Easily, Khahar said, smiling. Your egg is hatching.

The egg chirped.

Yeah, shes been making noise, Theo said, finishing the [Mana Pills]. Im guessing youll cheat now that Drogramath spilled the information. My intuition says Toruaun is my best bet, so I have synergy with my useless mana pool.

Khahar, youve broken down a timeless mystery in moments, Zarali said, huffing. What right do you have to peer into the Demonic Pantheon?

I was there when it was formed, Khahar said. I watched her ascend.

Oh.

Toruaun has more synergies than just your mana pool, Khahar said. If shell grant you a demon mage core, youll have access to spells which can enhance your town.

Sold, Theo said. Thanks.

My pleasure, Khahar said, vanishing.

Salire chuckled nervously. Just casually summoning a near-god to your lab. No big deal.

We were friends, Theo said. He shut his first still off, satisfied with the essence it produced. The alchemist cleaned it out with a few drips of [Cleansing Scrub] and rubbed the egg in his satchel. He set aside the excess essence he didnt need and got to work on the [Anti-Mage] [Carapace Potions]. When my world was dying, what little government there was left fought over everything. Yuri Volkov was a bastard, fighting for the Moscow Alliance. I spied on his people a few times. He caught me. We got drunk and settled it over poker. Cards, since you dont know what poker is. Yuri was shit at Texas HoldEm.

Zarali gawked. You settled a disputewhile spying on another kingdomby getting drunk? Playing cards?

It was a different time, Theo said, lining up some flat-bottomed vials for his reaction. We were supposed to kill enemy spies, but we rarely did. Only the real assholes did that. There was a silent agreement to settle our differences in other ways. Hey, then he became a great friend when the world went shitter.

Wait. Youre an outworlder? Salire asked.

Theo often forgot he was trying to keep that a secret. Now that he thought about it, after communicating with Lord Drogramath, he didnt know why. Secrets got him in trouble in the past, both on Earth and in Broken Tusk. But it didnt matter. This batch of [Refined Carapace Essence] was perfect quality, and would produce some absolutely amazing potions. Whatever adventurer had ordered these was in for a treat.

Yeah, Theo said.

That seemed to be enough for the shopkeeper. Zarali pressed Theo to ask Khahar for more information about the mysterious Demoness. The alchemist didnt really care. If Khahar said it was a good pick, then it was the best pick. Hed find whatever information he could after they put him in contact with her representative.

Since the [Lesser Plant Golem] had been tending the greenhouses, Theos time was freed up considerably. His cultivated attribute reagents might have been ready for distillation, but the alchemist only had a few hundred of each essence on hand. It wasnt enough to fill the order, but it was a start. Both Salire and Zarali let out a yelp when the golem came to deliver some attribute reagents at Theos request.

Thanks, little guy, Theo said, patting the twisting mass of vines and plants on the head. It made no sound, but the egg chirped.

Theo worked his stills as he chatted with his friends. Xolsa showed up at some point, no doubt summoned by Zarali, to give his advice on Toruaun. While the wizard didnt know the secrets of the gods mysteries, he could extrapolate information.

I would absolutely take that core, Theo, Xolsa said.

The lab was even more crowded now, making it difficult to move around and work the stills. Theo thought about dismissing everyone, but he was having too much fun crafting theories with them. There was nothing better than looking forward to getting a new core, trying to find how it synergized with his other cores.

As you know, my planar wards are already effective, Xolsa said. But compared to someone with a specialized core, Im an amateur. Even at level 1 youd be a boon to my operation. We could easily wrangle the dungeons for my plan.

The theme park? Theo asked, laughing.

Yes, that, Xolsa said.

Everyone had an opinion on the best level 20 core to take, but Theo wouldnt decide right away. Khahars option would likely be the best, but it was important to keep an open mind. If something cropped up that would help the town more, the alchemist would take that. Any mana-using class that aided his cause was worth consideration. This also brought up a thought about the difficulty of leveling past 30, as so many others had said before.

By level 30, Theo would have 5 cores. Each core would need to level in order to advance his personal level. Then at level 50, Hed have 7 cores and so on. That all assumed that he didnt use other means to generate a core slot, which Uharis had said was possible. His cores twitched at the thought, as though there were some solution to the problem. But it was another problem for another day. Filling the orders for people in town wasnt just about making money anymore. It was about providing his people with the means to get stronger by running dungeons and killing monsters. If they really wanted to turn this place into a theme park, they needed refreshments. Potions sold at a premium to visiting adventurers. Another machine that printed money.

Zarali was always happy to sit around and watch Theo make potions. Perhaps it was her way of apologizing for putting him through anguish, but he didnt mind whatever the reason. Salire had to scamper off to attend to the shop when the alchemist was almost done with the attribute potions. Making new [Dexteirty Potions] gave him a chance to compare the effects of using [Iron Shavings] and [Drogramathi Iron Shavings]. He examined the pure iron version first with a [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier for reference.

[Dexterity Potion]

[Refined Elemental Wind]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Drink to enhance dexterity.

Drink to increase speed scaling.

Effect:

+13 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.

For 1 hour, your physical speed scales 1.25 times better than normal.

Without wasting essence, and without a base sample to compare to, he created another [Dexterity Potion] using the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier and his new shavings.

[Dexterity Potion]

[Refined Elemental Wind]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Drink to enhance dexterity.

Drink to increase speed scaling.

Effect:

+14 Dexterity for 1.75 hours.

For 1.25 hour, your physical speed scales 1.30 times better than normal.

Shavings were described in books as catalysts. Theo had observed that they were better described as binding elements. Not binding agents, but elemental things that brought a potion together. Whether it was a bond between the water and the essence, or a potion and a modifier, the catalyst served as a way to bring those things together. Something twinged in his mind as he considered the idea, but he had to push it away for now. The base effect of the potion had barely changed, but the effects added from the modifier were enhanced slightly. The reasoning behind this was that the potency of the catalyst also increased the potency of alignment effects, which were bound through the catalyst.

Once again, Theo found himself the foremost expert on the topic in his realm. But it wasnt easy to forget that there were other followers of Drogramath out there. Someone in some far corner of the world could have all these secrets tucked away, either in their mind or a tome. Anything to show up the alchemists in Qavell was worth it, though. And it wasnt as though Drogramathi Iron was in low supply. All these thoughts led to more experimentation while potions were brewed and the stills were run.

Interesting effect about the demon iron, Theo said, producing another [Drogramathi Iron Ingot] from his inventory. I realized a reactivity test is in order.

Without waiting for Zaralis approval, Theo let a drop of essence fall on the iron. The normal reaction would have been a horrible hissing and popping, often resulting in a small explosion. Hed been treating the Drogramathi Iron as though it were a normal metal, but a grin spread across his face when he realized. Drogramathi Iron was naturally alchemically inert. That only made sense. It was a metal aligned with the master of potions himself, so it tracked. While this was a nice bonus, it added little to the alchemists needs. He could already treat metals with a solution.

No big gain there, Theo said, shrugging. But Zarali went on about how amazing it was.

This is the power of our Lord Drogramath, she said proudly. Isnt it amazing?

She turned to Xolsa, who stammered for a moment. Absolutely amazing.

The [Lesser Copper Golems] sent a signal through the lodestone network that they were engaging something in combat. But as soon as it came through, they sent the all-clear. Those were the golems working the mines, meaning something had spawned in the dying hours of the day. Gridgen and his people must have finished work for the day, forcing the monsters to spawn.

Can we upgrade the lodestones? Theo asked. I want more golems.

You can upgrade your willpower, Zarali scoffed. Look inward before you rely on tools, dear brother.

Youve been neglecting your mana control, too, Xolsa said. Thatll become important if you take a mage-type core.

Ive been practicing, Theo said, half-lying. He practiced in the Dreamwalk, where he felt most safe.

Zarali nodded. We can upgrade them, but Id rather see you grow your will first. Then worry about getting more fancy toys.

Ill work on both, Theo said, finishing his work for the day. He delivered the items to Salire, his stomach grumbling. He missed dinner last night and breakfast that morning. And his bath. That was Zaralis worst crime against him. No one should be deprived of Xams amazing cooking, or her amazing bathhouse.

The alchemist left his lab, intent on eating until he puked.