The Newt and Demon

Despite Tresk’s urging for them to go to bed early that day, Theo had more to accomplish. Fenian was in town unexpectedly, bringing a new gift for Miana. The trader pulled his cart over, Galflower dutifully backing it into the paddock, and summoned the rancher over. The Half-Ogre woman had a look of excitement on her face when she emerged, running over to embrace the Elf.

“You got them!” she shouted. “How did you find a breeding pair?”

“While some traders might be too cowardly to venture into Gardreth, I have no such notions,” Fenian said, bowing.

“You went to the undead lands for some animals?” Tresk said, piecing together the story.

“Naturally,” Fenian said, waving her off. “When Azrug told me he required my expertise, I made a brief stop at Qavell before heading to those cursed islands. Theo, you should have seen Beshur’s face.”

The trader broke out into a deep belly-laugh, slapping his knees. “He accused you of witchcraft, a pact with a demon, and so forth. When he heard the Order was watching you closely, his face went white. I’m locking that memory in permanently.”

“Did you manage a good price for my potions?” Theo asked.

“More than good,” Fenian said, slapping the slide of the carriage. “Four times my investment, as expected. The guilds are in disarray.”

“Good,” Theo said, grinning.

Fenian slapped the side of the black cube again, and 2 creatures emerged. Theo recoiled at first, studying their features. The first was the easiest to look at. It had a mixture of avian and mammalian features with stunted wings at its sides, four legs ending in clawed, bird-like feet, and a tail that fanned out like a peacock’s, only fluffier. While they both bore the same coloring, an iridescent mix of black and red, the second of the pair had a fan of chitinous horns growing from its head, six on either side. They were such a confusing amalgam of features, none of which made sense.

“What are those?” Theo asked, recoiling.

“Pozwa,” Miana said, kneeling to scratch the quadrupedal nightmares under their chins.

“They look mean,” Tresk said, tilting her head and stooping low. They came up to her chest in height.

“Why are they special?” Theo asked. The milk from the Karatan seemed far more valuable than whatever these things could provide.

“Well, their horns are prized for scrimshaw. The ivory is incredibly valuable, but they also lay eggs,” Fenian said. He then gestured to his hat, the red-black plumage bobbling as he did. “I harvested a few feathers for my collection. I hope you don’t mind.”

“They’re perfect, Fenian,” Miana said, embracing one Pozwa. It let out a shriek, which she seemed to take as affection.

“So, they’re rare?” Theo asked.

“Pozwa were bred only in Gardreth,” Miana said. “When the necromantic curse took the duchy, everyone thought they were gone for good. Of course, if you read about them you’ll learn how hearty they are. These guys will eat anything, and monsters avoid them.”

“The great Pozwa rescue was harrowing,” Fenian said. “I assure you, the story is one for the ages. Alas, I shall not tell you.”

“Naturally,” Theo laughed. “You just teleported in and found them right away, didn’t you?”

“It’s not really teleporting,” Fenian said, shrugging. “Now, I have to leave before nightfall. The bridge is becoming temperamental, and I can’t determine why.”

Before the trader departed, Theo purchased more high-level [Monster Cores]. He spent 20 gold, cleaning most of Fenian’s stock out and earning 200 cores. Miana purchased a few things for the ranch, but Tresk had nothing she wanted. They said their farewells and watched as the carriage rode off through the eastern gate.

Alise came to retrieve Theo and Tresk before departing to the Newt and Demon. They met in the lab to discuss the extent of the deal, something the alchemist had glossed over in his mind during the meeting. Rivers and Daub were in a bad way, even if they wouldn’t admit it. The monster waves were hitting them just as bad as Broken Tusk. They agreed to export wood, metal ingots, and stone directly to the ailing town.

[Copper Ingots] were settled at the lowest market price, which set the current rate to 20 copper coins per bar. They set a maximum weekly allocation of 1,000 bars. This would earn the town 2 gold coins a week for the metal. This was less than Nira’s projected totals per week, leaving them with a surplus.

[Ogre Cypress Lumber] was settled at a lower per board, but River’s need for timber was far greater than metal. They settled on a 10 copper per board rate, with an estimated allotment of 3,000 boards a week at 3 gold coins. That made sense, observing how Broken Tusk hungrily consumed the boards to repair damage, even if they had taken none in recent memory. Thanks to the massive size of the Ogre Cypress and Sledge’s new setup, Alise claimed they could produce far more boards than they exported, somewhere in the range of 5,000 boards a week.

Those were the two resources Theo stood to gain the most out of. His deals with Sledge and Gridgen were based on giving them 20% of market cost, which lined up with their deal with Rivers and Daub. The alchemist could pocket 80% of the profits, but his intention was always to put the money to work. His purchase of the [Monster Cores] was intended to bolster the production of those buildings.

The stone was the tricky part to work out. The mountains to the north of Rivers and Daub bore stone in abundance. They worked several quarries at the edge of their territory, bringing in low-quality stone. This is when Theo learned the true value of high-quality stone. For each perfect quality stone block his town consumed, Rivers consumed 5 good quality stone blocks. This allowed Ziz to maintain his connections with the Dwarven stone trader. Only 500 stone blocks were promised weekly at a price of 50 copper a block, totaling 2 gold and 50 silver coins per week.

Alise was kind enough to do the math for Theo, although he found some errors in her addition. The alchemist’s [Intelligence] was reaching a high enough level where he could mentally multiply numbers, divide things out, and add them up with ease. Including his pay to the miners and lumberers, he would earn 4 gold a week from the lumber and metal. The take from the stone was only 50 silver, but it was more than nothing. He also knew Ziz would dedicate however much money they needed to the cause of keeping Broken Tusk safe.

There were many opportunities in the agreement, though. Rivers and Daub had access to many amenities that Broken Tusk lacked. What the other town lacked in regenerative resources, they made up with their farming prowess. From what Theo understood, the farms in Rivers made Banu’s operation look like a backyard garden. They had roving herds of Karatan, fields fat with grains, vegetables, and fruit. Zarali’s enchanting was also placed on the negotiation table, but they intended to work that out at a later date.

The singular thing missing from the entire deal was Theo himself. There were no concessions made to gain access to his potions. No striking of a deal to empower their town with his impossibly strong elixirs, but Alise had an answer for that.

“You were our last resort,” Alise said, smiling. “We teased the idea of selling them potions, reserving it for a later date.”

Theo didn’t know if that was a clever move or not. The more he thought about it, the more he agreed with their decision. He had enough to deal with already, and adding more potion making to the mix would be bad.

When the sun lowered over the swamp in the west, the group departed for the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Theo spotted Throk working on something outside of his workshop and stopped to check on the artificer. A series of copper pipes lay on the cobbled street, several large storage tanks resting near the water tower. Each had a few artifices sticking from the side, devices that the alchemist couldn’t understand.

“Tresk told me about this idea,” Throk said, catching the alchemist’s attention. He hoisted a strange section of pipe, larger than the man himself. It was essentially a storage vessel with a pipe coming out of either end. “Gonna bury the pipes, run a sucker artifice from the river. This baby right here is a mixer. It takes liquid from dimensional storage and adds it on a per-unit basis to another liquid.”

Theo understood what he was talking about. He wanted to automatically purify the tainted river water and pump it into the city. It was a genius idea, one that the alchemist had but never expressed to Tresk.

“I don’t remember telling you that idea, Tresk,” Theo said.

“I saw it in a dream,” she shrugged.

The pair often shared dreams, so that wasn’t a surprise.

“Well, this is a great idea,” Theo said, nodding.

“You have no idea,” Throk said, flashing a grin. He jerked his head, gesturing to the Marsh Wolf Tavern.

Theo had been so consumed by the events of the day that he didn’t notice the construction going up behind the tavern. Whatever seed core she’d planted was growing slowly. The way Throk mentioned it meant that the water from the river and the new seed core were related, but he couldn’t put them together in his mind. No amount of intuition could solve that mystery, and he let it linger. That thrill of the unknown was too much not to entertain.

“What is it?” Tresk shouted.

“Let it stay a mystery,” Theo said, placing a placating hand on her shoulder.

“Fine,” she said, sniffing the air. “But I need some food.”

Tresk and Theo departed Throk, finding their way to the rowdy tavern. Citizens were celebrating their first trade deal, even if it wasn’t a lot of money. It was the first step to something greater and they all knew that. Azrug got a lot of experience from the deal, sending him soaring to the edge of level 10 in both cores and his personal level. Alise joined the pair after a while near the window, joined by Perg and Ziz.

Xam served something new tonight. Theo’s eyes went wide when he saw the sauce. It was creamy. A light brown gravy covered a couscous-like Zee-derived pasta with small chunks of meat scattered throughout. Tresk didn’t wait for the word to go, she dug in and ate her entire plate in moments, requesting another. According to the Marshling, the food buff didn’t stack if you had seconds. The alchemist took his time with the food, savoring every moment. He couldn’t remember the last time he had real milk in a dish. It coated his tongue, smoothing the rough edges of the wolf bone broth that was the base for the gravy.

By the time Theo was done eating, he patted his belly and grinned. Perg shared stories about her tannery and how it was doing. She intended to weasel her way into the day with Rivers and Daub, only to be disappointed by the way they turned their noses up at her. She was still doing well for herself, selling most of her leather to Fenian to be resold in Qavell, but her pride was clearly wounded.

Every patron was theorizing about Xam’s new building, but she wouldn’t let it slip. One of her new servers, a lizardfolk man with a severe face, hinted at something “wet and wild”, but no one could riddle it out. Theo pushed away that keen intuition of his, refusing to let it spoil the surprise. At the edges of his mind, he could feel the answer. Something in his cores imparted a scent into his mind. Churning water mingled with rich minerals, but he pushed the sensation away.

Things started to wind down as the sun set outside. Theo and Tresk’s stamina were both still above half, and tiredness wasn’t a thought. The alchemist noted that the increase in his [Vigor] from the items he wore was likely to blame. He seemed to need less sleep, even if he enjoyed sleeping more. The Marshling tugged on his arm, urging him back to the Newt and Demon. She was eager to try out their new skill.

The pair bid farewell to their friends, content with the way the day went. Alise seemed to have something urgent to tell Theo, but Tresk dragged him away before she could chew his ear off. They found their way back to their bedroom and she jumped into bed and closed her eyes, even if sleep didn’t come so easily. The alchemist laughed, sorting his bed out and cleaning himself with [Cleansing Scrub].

“What do you think it’s gonna be like?” Tresk asked, keeping her eyes closed.

“No idea,” Theo said, getting into bed and pulling his sheets up. “I’m excited to earn skills while I sleep, though.”

The excitement for dreamwalking made sleep hard. Both Tresk and Theo had trouble falling asleep, and even when they did, they woke up with a start. Hours passed before they fell asleep. When it finally came, it felt like a cool sheet was pulled over their bodies, wrapping them in a strange sensation. Instead of the world fading to black, time skipping ahead to morning from their perspective, they fell through the world.

The world swirled around Theo like an angry tornado. Wind whipped at his face as shapeless shapes moved in the distance. He shouted against the raging storm to no avail, but it calmed down with time. The alchemist was left standing in infinite nothing, staring off into the distance. It wasn’t what he expected, even if he didn’t know what to expect.

“Tresk?” Theo shouted, listening as his voice echoed back to him.

Moments passed, but nothing. Suddenly, a squat Marshling appeared in front of him with a surprised expression on her face.

“Sorry, I had to pee,” Tresk said. She looked around and cocked an eyebrow. “Not what I expected.”

“Yeah, I don’t know where we are,” Theo said.

“Maybe we just have to think about a place,” Tresk said, nodding.

Theo couldn’t help himself. His mind went back to the western coast of South America, staring out at the boiling ocean as the sun expanded. In a single heartbeat, they were there. Standing on that hill overlooking the devastation of Earth. A wave of pain washed through the alchemist’s body, beaten down by his [Tara’hek Core]. He felt Tresk’s amazement with the new world, something he’d never really told her about. She let out a long gasp, her head darting in every direction.

“Wow!” Tresk shouted. “Is this your home?”

Theo looked down at himself, noting that he was still in his Dronon body. He let out a sign of relief. He wanted nothing to do with that old broken thing he left back on Earth. This was a memory, constructed by their Dreamwalking skill. It was nothing but a memory.

“This is where I died,” Theo said, gesturing to the beach below. “Somewhere in South America… I think it was Chile?”

The pair walked down to the beach together, Tresk letting out a “wow” every few minutes. Theo understood he could likely just think about the beach, and they’d be there, but the act of walking was fun. The Marshling reached out, grabbing his hand and squeezing when she felt his trepidation.

“It’s all fake,” Tresk said, nodding. “We can go back to Broken Tusk if it’s too much.”

“No, this is good,” Theo said. “This is closure. That’s where the Harbinger showed up.”

The spot where Theo met his death was devoid of life. His team wasn’t there. The Harbinger wasn’t there. There was just the sea lapping against the beach playfully. Tresk played in the sand for a while, splashing in the water and laughing. After a while, the alchemist joined her. They made sandcastles over a patch of sand where he died. Where he watched his companions die. His mind went back to Yuri and an image of the man suddenly appeared.

“Woah! Ghost!” Tresk shouted, reaching to her hips. But there were no daggers to draw. “Where are my daggers?”

“It’s a dream,” Theo said with a shrug. Tresk’s daggers reappeared at her hips and she let out a surprised sound.

“I’m gonna stab the ghost,” Tresk said, drawing her weapons.

“Don’t stab Yuri,” Theo said, letting out a groan. “Well, Yuri’s ghost.”

“Who is Yuri?” Tresk asked.

Theo felt pain stab at his heart again. That was a long, complicated story. With a wave of his hand, the image disappeared. “A friend. Dead.”

“Sorry,” Tresk said. She closed her eyes, concentrating. A dragon appeared before her, glittering scales of molten metal, maw opened and shooting flames.

Theo fell back, but the Marshling woman shouted a war cry and engaged the monster, her daggers flashing with deadly poison. The alchemist realized the purpose of this place. The setting was whatever they wanted, but the reason the Dreamwalking skill existed was to give a chance to practice their skills. With a thought, he summoned an alchemy still. Then, he summoned a barrel of [Refined Healing Essence], then a toy train, a sports car, a wagon, and a M5702A battle mech. He smiled at the weapons platform, noting the perfect detail in the rail guns mounted on either side.

Tresk was mauled by the dragon. According to the Dreamwalk, she had died. A system message informed them it was impossible to die in the dream, but pain could be simulated at whatever level they wanted. It would declare “death” for her to better emulate actual conditions. Theo was piecing together more of the place, understanding it as a precious training ground. It wanted her to summon enemies that were more her speed, but the alchemist wanted to test the limits of the dream.

Theo banished the items he’d summoned, willing them into a new place. He thought of a place he’d never been, but only seen in the media back on Earth. The landscape swirled around them, malformed and incomplete. Tresk laughed.

“Nope,” she said. “This isn’t doing it for me. Take me somewhere else on your home planet.”

Theo had been to many places on Earth, traveling around for his job. He didn’t allow his thoughts to bubble up, understanding that if he formed a place in his mind, they would go there. There were the slums outside of Berlin’s crater, or the toxic waste fields in Norfolk, feeding poison into the Atlantic Ocean. The southern coast of Georgia was nice, but the water was also toxic. Each place overseas sent his stomach turning sour, and the places he saw back home were worse. A memory from childhood surfaced, something from before he was recruited.

The scene shifted again, sending them tumbling into a dense forest. Barren trees stretched to the sky, joined by conifers that refused to shed their needles. Snow blanketed the ground, thick and fluffy underfoot. Tresk let out a surprised gasp.

“I’ve never seen snow!” she shouted.

Theo smiled, summoning an alchemy workstation on a stump. He watched as his companion imagined a Troll to fight. The alchemist plucked a reagent from the air and inhaled its scent. It smelled more like the perfume his mother wore, rather than the [Widow Lily] he held. Dreamwalking had limitations, but also exceptions. He was certain Tresk had never seen a dragon, yet she imagined one and it appeared.

Theo let out a sigh, casting his eyes over the scene. This was a valuable tool, but he couldn’t help but let the sorrow flood through his body. He got to work on his experimentations, unbound by the rules of the real world as Tresk battled the Troll. The alchemist performed his trade at the site of his last happy memory on Earth.

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