The Newt and Demon

A gentle breeze blew across the wheat field in Tero’gal. The scent of the crops drifted through the cracked window of the cottage, the wind fluttering the pages Theo was working on. His forced break on the mortal plane was becoming daunting, more than any hard day’s work ever had. But here there was solace. A break from reality in his perfect little realm. The wind stirred up, growing cold as a thought drifted through his mind. The alchemist looked up from his journal entry and felt something drift through his mind.

“Visitors?” he asked himself. “At this time of day? In this nascent realm?”

Chuckling at his own joke, he rose and approached the door. Sending a mental command of acceptance, he felt the wind grow colder. Then a man appeared near his wheat field, a fanged smile on his face. One of the Toora. A race of bear-people he’d seen a few times. This one bore a shaggy coat of white with only the gentlest mottling of gray. Robed in frost-blue, barefooted, and smiling endlessly.

“Ho there!” the man shouted, waving like an idiot. It reminded him of Tresk.

“Hi,” Theo said, approaching and shaking the man’s hand. A paw, really.

“Didn’t know a new god was in the infant pantheon,” he said, brushing his hand across the wheat. His eyes lingered over the confined space. “Small planet ya got here.”

Theo shrugged, gesturing for the god to follow him. “I’m not a god. Want some tea?”

“I’d love some tea,” the Toora said, following him to the cottage.

Theo kicked the [Flame Artifice] to life and set on a pot of fresh spring water, sprinkling [Moss Nettle] inside. The alchemist found a plush chair that he’d brought from the mortal realm and sat down.

“Not a god?” the man asked. “Oh! Where are my manners? I’m Benton. Toora God of Frost and Winter. And death. Working on that death part.”

“Theo,” the alchemist said, offering a nod. “Not a god. Just a man.”

“Never heard of something like this,” Benton said.

“I’ve never heard of someone in this world holding such a plain name,” Theo said.

“Really? It’s quite common. With my people. Who are the Toora.” Benton kept his eyes on the pot of tea. He sniffed the air, clearly unfamiliar with plants of the southern swamps.

That was to be expected. If the Toora were isolationist before, they’d be holed up by now. The war in Qavell had reached a breaking point. Theo was in his private realm avoiding the meeting he was meant to attend on the mortal plane. The endless discussion of upgrading the town, picking a kingdom style, and assigning leader roles. It was nice to fall away from all of that, even if only for a few hours. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t notice he’d been gone for more than a few minutes.

Benton noticed Theo’s pensive expression. He leaned in. “We’re fortunate. To be in such a protected position during the war.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, if the rumors are true there’s a purge in the high heavens,” Benton said, tapping his foot. “How long on the tea?”

“Only a few more minutes. Let it steep for a while.” Theo popped the lid and stirred the contents around. He almost didn’t want to ask about the War in Heaven. But when you shared tea with a god, no matter how minor they were, you just had to ask. “How is the war going?”

“Zagmon is dead,” Benton said. “The Eye is dying. Fan’glir fled his realm. So, I guess it depends on which side you take.”

“And which side do you take, Benton, God of Winter and Death?”

“Well, Zagmon was the old god of death. For the Demonic Pantheon—you’ll be familiar with that—so that’s good for business,” Benton said. “My fears rest with the Arbiter.”

It felt as though someone poured cold water over Theo’s head, the sensation trickling down his spine and producing gooseflesh. Yuri actually did it. Rose to the heavens and took an advanced position. Something above the gods, perhaps. An Arbiter. Now that would be interesting.

“Works for me,” Theo said. “Zagmon tried to kill me.”

“Who hasn’t Zagmon tried to kill?” Benton chuckled. The kettle whistled.

Theo poured out two cups of unsweetened tea. It wouldn’t compare to the delicious stuff that Xam made back on the mortal plane, but all senses seemed to be dulled in his infant realm. The Toora took the mug in his paw and sipped, nodding with approval. The alchemist rose from his chair and beckoned his fellow realm-holder to follow. Off to the edge of Tero’gal, to observe the workings of the mortal realm.

“Check it out.” Theo sat near the edge of his island, dangling his legs and splashing some tea on himself. The clouds swirled below, producing the image of the meeting he had fled. Frozen in time, his administrators were still reacting to his disappearance. Benton joined him.

“Wow, this is interesting. A realm without ascension. Is this a new thing?”

“I suspect not,” Theo said.

The Toora god had nothing to say to that. However friendly he might be, there was a reason for his visit. Information was useful to everyone, even those in the heavenly realms. Allies were even more valuable. Here on the peaceful island of Tero’gal, none of that seemed to matter. It was just a safe retreat. Somewhere to hide away from mortal problems. The alchemist found his thoughts were clearer here. As though the attributes he had on the normal plane didn’t interfere. Nor did his cores.

“You can change what the viewing thing looks like,” Benton said. “Through your god interface.”

“I don’t have one of those,” Theo said.

“Oh, right. Not a god,” Benton said with a chuckle. “Hey, want to check my realm out?”

Theo shrugged. “Why not?”

A wave of a paw and an icy portal appeared. The Toora gestured for Theo to enter, but when he went to step through it, he slammed into a solid wall of ice. The pair stood for a long moment, just staring at the entrance with puzzled expressions.

“Not a god,” Benton repeated, laughing a great belly-laugh.

“I spilled my tea.”

Despite being a god, the Toora had a lot to talk about. He was aware of the war in the northlands of Qavell, but cared little for them. His people had retreated to their mountain homes, climbing high into alpine environments to wait out the undead. As a new god in their minor Pantheon, he bore little responsibilities. He spent most of his days walking around his realm and enjoying the cold. Several hours of discussion later, and Benton was ready to leave.

“Feel free to stop by. When I’m here,” Theo said.

“I will. Few of our neighbors are this friendly. None have offered me tea, although a few tossed spears,” Benton said, chuckling yet again. A flash of icy-blue light, and the Toora was gone, leaving Theo alone with his thoughts once again.

Back to the edge of the island, peering down to his Tara’hek. The figures had moved. Tresk was shaking her fist at the sky, likely annoyed that Theo had left her to deal with the meeting. The alchemist saw Alex, the third member of the Tara’hek, honking excitedly on the wooden table.

With his thoughts in order, it was time to return. Focusing on his [Tero’gal Dreampassage] ability, the alchemist invoked [Approach] on Tresk. The clouds below swirled to swallow him. A flash of a darkened Bridge, and his bare feet graced the wooden floor. The shouts of anger began immediately, and continued even after he assumed his position at the head of the table.

Alise, Gwyn, Luras, Aarok, Azrug, Tresk, and Alex were assembled in the room. Alise and Gwyn handled most administrative duties within the town, but Theo considered Luras and Aarok to be more important in this matter. Perhaps that wasn’t giving the administration staff enough credit, but a mind for war seemed more useful in these trying times.

“You cannot just vanish in the middle of a meeting,” Alise said. She seemed angry.

“He was gone for a minute,” Aarok said, waving the administrator away. “If I could vanish for a moment to collect my thoughts, I would.”

Theo picked up the [Kingdom Core] left behind by Khahar and ran his fingers over the surface as his friends argued. This was a heavy weight to shoulder, but it was the perfect solution. Something his old friend foresaw.

“I’m the mayor,” Theo said, cutting through the din. “I won’t be one for long, though. Will I?”

“Archduke Theo Spencer,” Tresk said, chuckling.

“Do we agree?” Theo asked. “The [Free City Alliance] option is the best one. Right? With the titles being Duke, Duchess, Archduke, Archduchess.”

“Does that even make sense?” Gwyn asked. “Surely we’d need to be a Dukedom to have those titles.”

Theo squeezed the orb of metal in his hand, summoning the screen he’d seen earlier that day.

[Broken Tusk] is unconnected with another [Kingdom Core]. As the leader, you’re eligible to upgrade your town to one of the following civilization types:

Kingdom

Empire (requirements not met)

Duchy

Free City Alliance

…

…

…

There were only a few options that interested him. Each came with unique structures for organizing towns and cities, but few interested him. Even fewer still interested his support staff. The empire seemed fun, but they didn’t have enough connected towns and cities to make that happen. Theo drilled down on the other options for inspection.

[Kingdom]

Civilization Type

Description:

Kingdoms are notable for a single leader who makes all the decisions. Whatever town is designated as the seat of the kingdom will pull all other towns and cities under their control.

Effects:

Every connected town is required to pay monthly taxes to the owner of the kingdom.

Increased experience gain for all combat-related skills for every citizen under the king’s banner.

Decreased experience for all non-combat related skills for every citizen under the king’s banner.

[Duchy]

Civilization Type

Description:

Duchies are subordinate states under another civilization-type (often a kingdom or an empire). While the ruler of the duchy answers to whatever nation they are subordinate to, they may operate with more autonomy than towns or cities under that nation.

Effects:

Reduces taxes owed to owning nation. Rate determined by level of your [Kingdom Core].

Increased experience to combat-related support skills for every citizen within the duchy.

[Free City Alliance]

Civilization Type

Description:

Free City Alliances are civilizations that consist of nation-states that share power. The town or city where the [Kingdom Core] is planted determines which town or city gains majority rights. That town or city will be declared the nation’s capital, serving as a hub for the other towns or cities. Other towns or cities within the sphere of influence of the capital will gain all the bonuses from the capital, but it’s up to the leader to determine policies.

Effects:

Minor increase to all experience gained to all citizens.

Speed of travel on roads between nation-states is increased.

Of the options [Free City Alliance] was the best. Not because it provided the best bonuses, that might go to the [Duchy]. The thing that made the alliance appealing might have been only in name. It would allow at least some autonomy for Rivers and Gronro, not binding them as vassals to Broken Tusk. But there was the hidden problem with raising up towns under his command. They’d likely be reluctant to fall under his yoke, damaging their already strange relationship.

As for the titles, those were random. Theo was given an endless list of titles from king to despot. The selection he fell in love with was those for the [Duchy] option, and the system didn’t care if he mixed and matched. There was a certain ring to Archduke Theo Spencer that he couldn’t deny.

“We can pick whatever titles we want. But I like the duke ones.”

Alise cleared her throat. “My vote is for the [Free City Alliance]. I suppose I don’t care what the titles are.”

“The alliance gives us flexibility,” Aarok said. “It’s the loosest one in the list, allowing us to nudge our allies into a position we like.”

“Yeah. Instead of putting a knife to their throats, we’re just waving it around,” Tresk said.

“I’m assuming we can level the [Kingdom Core]. Just like we level the town,” Theo said. His mind wandered for a moment. Thinking about the other thing in Khahar’s box. An object for another time. Everyone at the meeting was eager to solve this problem now.

Their conversation went on into the late afternoon. Theo’s stomach was rumbling by the time they’d all agreed to pick the [Free City Alliance] option. He was going to pick it anyway, unless someone had a good argument against it. The alchemist’s mind was on Gronro to the north. Without his [Hallow Ground] potion shipments, they would have already fallen. A fact that wasn’t lost on their leader, Grotgrog Stormfist. As stubborn as dwarves were, Theo had only received a short message through his communication crystal. But a ‘thank you’ was all he needed.

The administration team asked for Theo to hold off on planting the new core for a day, and he agreed. Just having it in his inventory brought some peace of mind, and he was hesitant to plant it. That brought on a new range of responsibilities he needed to prepare for. The silver lining in all of it was that they already had an informal alliance with both towns in the Southlands. Planting the new core just made it all real.

Xam’s tavern was more packed than ever. If she hadn’t designated a booth for the future archduke, it would have been impossible to get a table. She was serving some variation on her now-famous Zee noodles with cheese sauce and tall mugs of Rivers mead. The alchemist declined the alcohol and picked at his meal, watching as Tresk fed individual noodles to Alex. The goose had gained the ability to move about on her own, although she was still only slightly bigger than the alchemist’s head.

“Gotta make you big and strong, Alex,” Tresk said, opening her mouth as she angled the noodle into the creature’s bill.

“Can we say that my break is over?” Theo asked. “I’d like to get back to work.”

“Of course,” Tresk said. “Just needed a day, didn’t you? All rattled up from the attack.”

“I wasn’t rattled.”

“Maybe a little.”

Theo let out a slow breath. “Perhaps a little.”

It hadn’t affected him at all. Something about falling into the realm of the Bridge of Shadows, and then his own personal realm scrubbed his mind clean. The attack from the Zagmon dronon was rapid and precise. A gambit aimed at killing the alchemist. And it would have worked if not for the skill evolution. That twist of fate.

If not for the privacy of the booth, Theo would have had to field questions about the destruction of the chain between Broken Tusk and Qavell. That didn’t stop people from poking their heads over the side and asking if everything would be alright. Word normally traveled fast in the growing town, but it was worse since everyone saw the system message. All he could say was he had a solution to the problem. Keep calm and keep working.

With half a plate of Zee pasta eaten, Theo led his group of companions out of the inn and toward the bathhouse. The buffs it provided were fine, but the relaxation the mineral water brought was the real winner. There were long lines for the public baths, but the group made their way to the one reserved for the mayor. The alchemist washed himself under a spigot as Tresk dove into the hot pool of water. She swam to the edge and beckoned the growing gosling inside, giggling as the creature chirped with excitement.

A slow breath and Theo lowered himself into the hot pool, rolling his shoulders and closing his eyes. Nothing worked stress out of his body like that calming pool of hot water.

“I wonder what Khahar is up to,” Tresk said, emerging from the pool to spit water onto Alex. The gosling chirped angrily and chased her around.

“If he’s the man I remember… He’s choking the life out of Zagmon,” Theo said.

Tresk shrieked, swimming away from Alex. “Think so?”

“I hope,” Theo said. He continued, telling Tresk about the Toora god Benton. She was as surprised as him that another god could cross into their realm.

“We have neighbors. That’s a good thing, right?” Tresk asked, allowing Alex to nip at her face as she fell into thought. “I wonder if that’s going to be a problem. Being near the gods. We’re not gods, Theo.”

“I’m not even level 20.”

“Makes it stranger, right?” she asked. “Wish we had more information on the Tara’hek.”

Theo chuckled. “Any information on that would be nice. But here we are. Working our way through it as always.”

“With a few less allies.”

“And more enemies? I’m not sure about that one. The only people I’m worried about are stuck on the moon.”

“Yeah. That sucks too.”

The pair spent enough time in the bath to prune their fingers. Tresk’s amphibian-like skin didn’t prune up as well as Theo’s, so they used him as the indicator. Heading back to the Newt and Demon, the alchemist paused to stare at the sky. There was a moon that shifted colors the way Earth’s moon changed phases. And another dark moon that wasn’t visible. He thought he spotted the edge of something, like a great scythe in the sky. But it only lasted a moment before a bank of clouds came to obscure the sight.

“Come on,” Tresk said, dragging him along. “We’ve got experience to grind.”

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