The Newt and Demon

Chapter 3.48: Strong Walls Will See You Through

Theo finished his second helping of Xams Zee and wolf meat pasta bake. He washed the meal down with some imported mead and let out a satisfied sigh. With the world conspiring to some unknown end, it was nice to get back to enjoying the little things. The Marsh Wolf Tavern was more crowded than ever, and the staff had set tables outside to accommodate each patron. The only stain on the pleasant meal was the pestering of citizens, asking for cold juice to power their new air conditioners.

Word spread at the speed of a small town, the way it always did, and folks were buying up Throks new offering. The blacksmith would make a fortune, and Theo would line his pockets by selling the [Freeze Solution]. Without his mushroom caves, this would be an impossible task compared to the demand. But as the evening wound down the alchemist directed all requests to Salire. He went to the bathhouse with Tresk for a nice soak.

They had the private room to themselves tonight, not willing to share on such a strange day. The companions sat in silence, without a need to verbalize their feelings. There was a new mingle of emotions joining their realm. The egg, which now bore cracks on the shell, sat near the warm water and wiggled. It was hard not to throw theories around about what would be inside. Tresk was still set on a Dragon, but dragons were hardly mundane.

It might be a chicken, Theo said. One must always beware of chickens.

Whats a chicken? Tresk asked. Oh, annoying little flightless birds. Got it.

How deep can you dig into my brain? Theo asked. He couldnt seem to skim the Marshlings thoughts, let alone form full ideas.

I just close my eyes, Tresk said, closing her eyes and pressing her fingers into her temples, and poof. I see the chicken.

Theo closed his eyes and focused, trying to imagine something from Tresks childhood. In an instant, a younger version of Throk popped into his mind. Broken Tusk was far smaller back then. Far dirtier, too.

I guess it worked, Theo said, keeping his eyes shut.

That led to the idea that they would soon just share a brain. Theo couldnt decide if that was a good thing or not. Their mingling of emotions was intimate enough, but now theyd share thoughts without trying.

I talked to Fenian about my next core, Tresk said, floating in the water on her back.

Testing his new ability to read her mind, Theo dug through her mind for the memory. There it was, sticking out like a beacon. Tresk burst from the shadows, cornering the trader and grilling him on the best core for her to take at level 20. He treated her as though she was an overly excited toddler, giving her all the information she wanted, but coloring his opinions. The Elf had something to gain by suggesting a [Parantheir Duelists Core]. The memory came with more information than the alchemist wanted to sift through, but it seemed to hold a lot of synergy with her current build.

Youll be better at one-on-one combat, Theo said, repeating what hed seen in the memory.

With a fancy sword.

Do you even like swords?

Fenian said theyd give me a real little one.

Theo nodded. What was a dagger if not a really little sword?

Soaking in the bath was more than just getting clean. Everyone could easily clean themselves with [Cleansing Scrub], but the soak was more. For Theo and Tresk, it was their daily rest. While the Dreamwalk left them feeling physically rested, it was still important to reset mentally. The egg seemed to agree, wiggling near the bath with increasingly powerful motions. With no plans to help the creature emerge, they just bathed in silence.

The staff at the bathhouse kicked them out after a time, clearing each patron out for the night. Broken Tusks streets were flooded with those enjoying the bath, who promptly dispersed. Theo cast his eyes to the moonless sky, wondering if Sulvan was staring down at the planet from some unseen moon. Khahars power was a parody of what should be possible, and represented a middle-finger to the gods. What the Burning Eye said might have been more pointed than the alchemist realized. No one should remain in the mortal realm with so much power.

Never gave the moon much thought, Theo said, walking the cobbled streets with Tresk.

The dark one, or the light one? Tresk asked.

Either.

Qavelli and Bantari adopted their names from the Elven language Taranthian. Antalis is the black moon, Tresk said, pointing in a vague location in the sky. Cant see it, cause its dark. Duh. Telbaris is the shifting moon. Different colors whenever it shows up.

How often does it appear?

Tresk shrugged.

The history of this world was still mostly a mystery to Theo. He absorbed the information Khahar gave to Zarali, but hardly understood it. Iaredin was in a period of stagnation, something brought on by Balkors Betrayal. After the Elven God of Healing repaired the land, Qavell sprung up to war with Veosta without missing a beat. The alchemists intuition said King Karasan spread himself too thin over too fast a time. Broken Tusk was proof enough of that. It was all radio silence from those representatives in the kingdom.

Id have to guess that a kingdom requires large amounts of resources, Theo said.

Wow, I wonder where wed find those, Tresk said, chuckling. They entered the Newt and Demon together, heading upstairs and falling into the Dreamwalk without hesitation.

Theo stood overlooking Broken Tusk on that hill to the north. The shift from the real world to the Dreamwalk was becoming effortless. By the day, it felt more like passing through rooms than entering an unfamiliar state of being. Their conversation didnt falter during the shift.

Do you think we have enough resources to support a kingdoms core? Theo asked. Isnt that quick? Going from level 1 to a nation in a season?

Use your brain, smarty pants. Just like Broken Tusk was a small town, when we finally snatch independence from the north itll be a small nation. Hey, look at the eggs spirit.

The floating wisp of white had grown since they entered the Dreamwalk. It took on a new form, almost distinguishable as a real thing. But the edges were still blurry, too mercurial to make out. She would hatch by the morning, bringing a new member to their little group and just as much mystery.

Cant imagine a core for a kingdom is cheap. Wed still need to raise the money to buy independence, Theo said.

Maybe well get lucky and something bad happens to Qavell.

Is that lucky? Theo asked. He was reminded too much of his old work. With a thought, he shifted the scene to the crater of Berlin. A once-proud nation-state annihilated because of that sentiment. Could you pull the trigger?

Theo shifted the scene again. It was a moment frozen in place. Plumes of earth shot up, fire mingling with dirt as the orbital bombardment cleansed the land of life. In his hand, the alchemist held the detonator. The trigger that disabled the defenses of a nation, opening the sky to certain death. Rendering it to dust. He remembered what he felt during the operation. Nothing.

Maybe, Tresk said. For all her ruthless nature, that was something few were willing to do. Theos actions were indirect, but the result was the same. But Fenian sure would. That man has it out for someone in the kingdom.

Id love to disagree with you on this, Tresk. I really would. But if someone dissolved Qavell, wed have an easier life.

Think of it like this. People are fleeing the city already. Theyre not stupid. The majority of the population will migrate east or south. Those who cant wield power for the betterment of their people dont deserve it. King Karasan included.

But it created more problems than most realized. Population displacement wasnt a simple thing. The other towns and cities of the continent wouldnt be ready for an influx of people, not like Broken Tusk. The more people saw the swamp town as a refuge, the more theyd come. And Theo would be there for them with open arms. Anyone who signed a magical contract was allowed in, and if they didnt sign it he would happily offer them their boats to another land. The Khahari to the east, the lizard-folk to the south, the Ogres to the west, or the Elves in the same direction. One way tickets: one gold a head. Whatever worked.

Theo blinked the image of Berlin away, shifting the scene back to Broken Tusk. Back on that hill. He drew across the landscape with his finger, painting the gray hills and green fields with red. From here, it was easy to see that east was the best expansion direction. Up to the river, where the [River Dungeon] might threaten citizens, it was clear grassland. Mianas ranch could expand northward, butting against an endless sprawl of houses. The alchemist jabbed his finger along the path he drew, dotting it with places where taverns and general shops could be placed. Once they conquered the [River Dungeon] with Xolsas new core, they could push further east.

Always keeping the sacred swamp safe, Theo said, verbalizing his expansion plan. Well take the east, the north, and the south. But west? Thats our playground. Our theme park.

Tresk nodded, drawing lines of her own. She turned, gesturing to the sprawling hills behind. I got a plan.

The Marshling continued drawing her lines. Straight lines that connected four points in the town. No way around it. Only one dungeon in our area is easy to get to. Then you gotta swim to the bottom of a raging river. The [Hills Dungeon]? Thatll take most level 1-20 people a day to get to, unless they have a travel power like me. Not because of the distance, but because of the terrain.

The [Swamp Dungeon] isnt much better, Theo said, gesturing vaguely west. He couldnt see the dungeon from here, but he could see Tresks lines leading off into the distance.

The [Mountain Dungeon] is worse, Tresk said, gesturing to her south-running line. The solution?

Roads. Highways. Tunnels, Theo said, reading Tresks mind. Ziz is already working on building a team of road-builders, right? Were going to connect Broken Tusk with Rivers soon enough. Then they can work with Gridgen and the miners to make a tunnel to the [Mountain Dungeon] in the south, and the [Hills Dungeon] in the north. And a highway to the [Swamp Dungeon]. How quick can someone get to the [Swamp Dungeon] if theres a raised road?

An hour, Tresk said, not missing a beat. Shed put a lot of thought into this. Talking about your theme park with Xolsa, right? Imagine little general stores right outside those dungeons. Keeps surrounding the entrances with guards. Artifice weapons to mow them down when they spawn during a wavewere talking about total control of the dungeons. Treat them like the resource they are.

Resources, Theo said, his thoughts coalescing.

This entire game had been about resources from the start, so it made sense. A [Dungeon Engineer] core falls into the lap of the towns wizard, and thats supposed to be a coincidence? But Theo couldnt discount the hard work theyd put in. He shifted the scene back to his arrival in town. 20 houses clustered at the foot of the farmers hill with a scatter of ramshackle buildings around the towns square. He forced the image back to Broken Tusk today. It was sprawling by comparison, the walls dominating much of the terrain.

So, you really met Drogramath? Tresk said, the worry in her voice plain.

Yep. Seems like a good guy, Theo said. Makes you wonder what hes planning.

What theyre planning, Tresk corrected. Who cares. Strong walls will see us through anything.

Theo cast his gaze to the floating egg-spirit. It was forming into a more-solid thing by the moment, resembling a forming embryo. Of what kind, he couldnt say. His money was still on it being a chicken.

Well. Time to exploit or twist of fate, huh? Theo asked.

Yeah. Time to grind experience.

Tresk shifted the image back to the harbor, finding a place near the river to summon creatures. She wasnt interested in calling more assassins, so that was nice. Theo was able to put his focus completely into his art. The alchemist already understood his level 20 barrier for the [Drogramath Alchemy Core] and the [Drogramath Herbalism Core]. Mana-infusion seemed like a simple technique, but it was devilishly hard to master. When he used the fermentation barrels, it was as simple as holding his hand over them and letting the mana flow. But when summoning mana manually, it was more like controlling a wildfire with his mind.

A line of ten copper stills bubbled away as Theo blew himself up with his own mana. The golems hed created regarded him with annoyance as the moved random objects from one place to the other. The ghostly ships that Theo summoned dropped off invisible goods, bringing some comfort to the alchemists mind. Gaining mastery over his mana was nothing like he expected. It wasnt a calm meditative action. It was a battle for control over that fire. But each time he pulled mana from his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] he got a little better at holding it in his hand. Its desire was to consume him whole. A battle of wills between the alchemist and the mana filled the harbor with a purple glow.

Well, egg-spirit, Theo said, dusting himself off after dying again. I wonder if my next core will have a different flavor of mana.

Theo closed his eyes, looking into his cores. He was eager to learn spellcraft, whatever form that took, but couldnt run before he walked. The more he thought about it, the more he realized his lack of knowledge on the subject. Xolsa seemed to just cast spells, so how did that work? He poured an entire bottle of refined essence over the head of a golem to study the effects, nodding when the creature exploded in a shower of shredded plant matter. Shifting his attention, he studied the effects of essence on a [Drogramath Iron Ingot].

It was still fascinating how it worked as a catalyst, but remained non-reactive otherwise. Logic said that anything alchemically inert wouldnt interact in any way, including as a catalyst. But logic failed in the face of the system. The iron just worked, and that was the end of it. It was imbued with something that made it work, and trying to discover the logic was an exercise in madness. With these situations, Theo just accepted it and moved on.

The Dreamwalk was always a safe-haven for Theo to express himself and experiment with ideas, though. The only thing it lacked was outside information, which made for a stifling experience when he wanted to discover new things. He shifted away from mana control, and worked on his defenses against random assassins again. While they couldnt use the [Tarahek Dreampassage] here, he could imagine how it would help him get out of a bad situation. The tactic to prevent assassinations was still very simple.

Theo generated a [Retreat Potion] with the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier and inspected it.

[Retreat Potion]

[Refined Elemental Wind]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Rare

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

One second after drinking, the imbiber will be propelled backwards. Distance depends on the quality of the potion.

At the end of this potions effect, the imbiber will gain [Featherfall] for 10 seconds. Imbiber will fall slowly for the duration of the effect.

A blast of elemental wind staggers all targets in front of imbiber.

Effect:

[Retreat] on self.

[Featherfall] on expiration of [Retreat].

[Elemental Wind Blast] casts in a cone.

He experimented with the [Elemental Wind Blast] effect, combining it with a [Potion of Limited Foresight], [Carapace Potion] with the [Anti-Mage] modifier, and [Freezebombs] modified with [Web]. The foresight potion allowed him to dodge 4 attacks once every 6 hours, which gave Theo enough time to react upon being attacked. Hed just need to have one of those active at all times. Next, quaffing a [Carapace Potion] summoned an encumbering shell of chitinous plates that would punish any mage attacks and prevent most physical attacks. When he drank the [Retreat Potion], 10 assassins diving in to kill him, green wind shot out in a wide cone. The faceless assassins stumbled back as the alchemist shot back with enough force to snap a normal persons neck.

Theo found his footing, fluttering to the ground to land gently. The [Freezebomb] he left behind exploded, shooting icy webs out to capture those stumbling assassins. In the worst case, he could chug another [Retreat Potion], even if it damaged his body. Drinking another [Potion of Limited Foresight] wouldnt be unwelcome, even if it put him in bed for a few days. Anything was better than dying, and his intuition was saying it was more likely by the day.

Ten [Lesser Copper Golems] lashed out at a group of 20 assassins, whirling around to protect their master. Theo didnt even need to drink his potions when the metal golems got involved, they were far too fearsome. The only problem with this tactic was, hed need to know there was an attack coming. It wouldnt work to have all his worker golems dedicated to combat, or the other way around. Another experiment saw that 3 metal golems wouldnt do the job against many assassins. They needed to be right on top of the alchemist when the attack happened, so he reworked their orders.

Instead of trying to fight the assassins off, Theo had them use their massive bodies to hold down 3 assassins. In a scenario where 5 assassins attacked, that left Theo with 2 to deal with. It was less effective when he summoned 20 assassins, but Tresk stopped by to appreciate his dedication.

Well, Tresk said. Feels like morning is coming. You ready to meet Beepy?

Were not naming the egg-thing Beepy, Theo said. No matter what it is.

When it comes out beeping, youre gonna change your tune.