Theo flicked his wrist, sending a stone skipping across the harbor’s water. Ghostly ships flocked in, the way he always commanded them to, as Alex honked a happy honk. The sky above had been boiling, as though something rubbed against the edge of the Dreamwalk. Some unseen force that none of the members could get a sense for.

Theo skipped another stone. “Another day in this strange world.”

Those days had come like a procession. Marching forward against his protests. But the conflicted feelings had all but vanished. Between the Dreamwalk, an immaterial representation of a bond, and Tero’gal itself, he felt much better. The alchemist’s mind was finally stitched back together. Not how it was before, but something different. A blend of five elements that, with proper perspective, were easy enough to identify.

There was the old Theo from Earth. From that man’s many traits, the new version selected his determination and steely willpower. He left behind the cruelty and spite. A life soured by pointless service. The new Theo was there, too. Charitable beyond reason. He always the best in everyone. Pieces of Tresk now rested in his mind. Paranoia, vengeance, and a mind for subterfuge mixed to create a cocktail of difficult traits. The new version of himself picked at the vengeful part, leaving much behind.

Honk.

Then there were the pieces Alex brought. The young goose had a sense of wonder about the world that Theo couldn’t leave behind. Whether this was a reforging of his own will, or something that happened on an unconscious level, he couldn’t say. Then there was that last piece of himself. It was a mystery to him and he doubted others could have a better sense of where it came from.

A need for power. A phantom representation of something. Theo’s theory was that it was a lingering piece of Belgar, buried somewhere deep in his subconscious. Or the realm of Tero’gal itself, the Dreamwalk, his exposure to the manifested realms. The alchemist’s list wasn’t short, leaving him with more questions.

Theo skipped another stone, turning to regard Alex.

“Not that it matters.”

Honk.

“Are you brooding?” Tresk asked, appearing from nowhere.

“I’m thinking. Not brooding.”

“The difference?”

“Intent.”

Theo and Tresk had already created a plan for tomorrow. It was the day Fenian would arrive, if the gods could be trusted. The moment they spotted the extent of the trouble he brought, they’d duck into Tero’gal and examine it from their realm. There, they could form a better plan. Something that might actually work for the defense of the town.

“Check it out.” Tresk shifted the scene.

Tresk, Alex, and Theo were standing on the east-facing wall of Broken Tusk. They looked out at the field below, which now held the defensive rock. An imaginary portal opened on the far side of the river, revealing an army of ghostly figures. The scene froze before the imagined creatures proceeded forward.

“You’re missing something.” Theo added his prediction of events.

A black carriage appeared at the head of the formation, mounted by Fenian Feintleaf. The Elf, like the ghostly warriors, were frozen in place.

Tresk nodded, leaning over the side of the wall. She clucked her tongue a few times, tapping her foot impatiently. “Doesn’t matter what he brings. We’re looking at the same weaknesses.”

“How about this?” Theo shifted the scene, replacing the ghosts with a massive ball of fire.

“Well, then that ain’t our problem.” Tresk stepped the simulation forward a few paces. Fenian’s carriage was consumed by the blaze. She froze it again.

Theo’s intuition screamed against that possibility, though. It would be monsters, perhaps undead. Undead monsters? There was a connection between King Karasan and the undead. Uz’Xulven was clear, though. Fenian was being pursued. Over the Bridge of Shadows.

“I can’t put it together,” Theo said, drumming his fingers on the wall. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

“Let’s see. Recap time!” Tresk shouted, striking a pose. “Fenian stirred the undead, likely leading them to old sourpuss Karasan. Something something, Fenian arrives in the godly realms.”

“Pursued by the king?” Theo asked.

Tresk pointed her finger in the air, nodding. “Or forces adjacent to the king. Remember how the big bad cat daddy talked about cleaning house in the heavens?”

Theo cleared the scene below. He accessed his near-perfect memory. “Fan’glir, Zagmon, and the Eye.” A giant red Dronon, a floating eye of fire, and a generic Elf appeared below. Each stood behind Fenian’s carriage as though in pursuit.

“Cool. We got a bunch of gods and no idea how they play into this. Totally useful. Sorry. No, you’re missing the bigger picture. Shadow mommy has to let them over the Bridge, right?”

Theo groaned. “If you call the Queen of the Bridge of Shadows ‘shadow mommy’ again, I’m throwing myself into a volcano.”

Tresk nodded. “Noted. So, tactics. Big army, laser beams, fireballs from hell, or whatever comes out of the portal attacks. How do we respond? Standard Broken Tusk tactics. With a twist.”

“A twist?”

“The hard-asses from Gronro have been drilling sortie tactics.” Tresk cleared the scene, then generated a wall of armored fighters. They stood before the gates with shields and spears. Leveling them against nothing. “Fan out. Give Fenian space to bring his carriage in. Bam bam. Done.”

The ‘bam bam’ came as an approaching ghostly army. Tresk simulated Fenian’s run into the town, behind the walls. The group affected a fighting retreat, supported by imagined towers and defenders from the wall. More training for the warriors of Gronro-dir than anything reasonable. Theo shrugged, clearing the scene below again. He placed Fenian on the far side of his stone, then let a fireball loose from the bridge.

A shield sprung up around the stone, catching the rolling ball of flame before it could pass. A crack snaked its way down the length of the stone, nearly splitting it in half. But that was the point of the rock. Even if it fell away, eating one massive attack would be worth it.

“How close is dawn?” Theo asked, stretching his senses out. It was near.

“Yeah, let’s wake up and get some breakfast.”

Theo nodded his agreement. The Dreamwalk swirled around them, spinning out into nothing but a memory in moments. With no reaction to the transition, all members of the Tara’hek rose from their beds. The sun hadn’t risen yet, leaving them in the darkened room attached to the lab. Stretching to work out a knot in his back, the alchemist rose to greet the day.

“I’ve been thinking of buying a mansion.”

“Really? A big house? Do we need a big house?”

Theo adjusted his robes and the silly hat on his head. He dropped some [Cleansing Scrub] on himself, Tresk, and Alex. He rolled his shoulders, finally getting the knot out from his back. “Not sure that we need it.”

“But you want it.” Tresk laughed, slapping a hand on his back.

Theo sent his mind out to his working golems for a moment, following Tresk down the stairs. The constructs were doing their job, just as instructed. They were great. Especially since he got distracted so often. At this rate, he’d need more [Dimensional Storage Crates] outside to hold the excess reagents. He also had piles of the waxy leaves to decompose into salt, a task he’d put off for a long time.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Tresk threw the front door open, but it smacked against something. Someone yelped and fell back, tumbling on the ground. The Marshling rushed over, cursing under her breath. “You okay, dude?”

An Elven man rubbed his forehead. Even in the darkness of the pre-dawn light, Theo could see the welt forming on his head. He came to stand next to the man, feeding him a [Healing Pill].

“Thanks,” the Elf said, accepting a helping hand to rise to his feet. “Came to rouse the squad commanders. Aarok is assembling the squads early. Full patrols all day.”

Tresk groaned. “Can I get breakfast first?”

“He’s providing rations.”

Tresk glared at the Elf for some time. She turned to Theo. “Get me a plate and some tea. Put it in the shared inventory.”

Theo laughed, placing a comforting hand on his companion’s shoulder. “I’ll put two in there.”

“Your presence has been requested at the Guildhall, Archduke,” the Elf said, bowing. “Although Captain Thane said it wasn’t as urgent as assembling the squads.”

“Captain Thane,” Tresk said, snorting a laugh. “Just call him Aarok.”

“He needs a better title. Grand Commander. Supreme Commander. General?”

The Elf shrugged. “Is that all… sir?”

“Yeah, you can go.”

Tresk grumbled, then took a long breath. “Send me a message before you run to Tero’gal. We’ll time it so we can spend the most time as possible in the realm.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

Tresk disappeared without saying another word. Theo wondered about what the system considered shadows with her [Shadowdancer] abilities. He worked his way through the town, finding the door to the Marsh Wolf Tavern closed. A few knocks saw a confused server opening up, looking the alchemist up and down.

“Archduke?”

“Uh. I need food.”

“Well, we’re not open… oh,” the worker turned around as Xam shouted.

“Let him in, you fool!”

“Guess that’s sorted.”

Theo and Alex found their booth on the second floor. Moss tea came out in moments. The alchemist stored one cup in his shared inventory, although he had to clear out some junk to make room. He placed half of a teakettle on Tresk’s empty chair, and several lengths of frayed rope on the ground. When the food he’d ordered came out, he stored two plates in the shared inventory for his companion.

The alchemist checked his interfaces, finding a new conversation with Alran.

Alran: This isn’t overstepping my bounds, is it? I’m your spymaster, aren’t I? I have rumblings from afar about your friend Fenian.

Theo: Go on.

Alran: I knew you’d be receptive ;)

Alran: I have an informant in a Veostian cult. They follow Fan’glir, but not in the traditional way. Anyway, there’s word of a massive fight in the heavenly realms.

Theo: I figured as much. How does Fenian play into this?

Alran: I think he’s helping fight the war. Well, he’s fighting in it. Their got sent stories of a black and blue hurricane of death. Twin-hands of Uz’Xulven and Parantheir.

Theo stopped picking at his food for a moment. He sipped his tea and nodded to himself as Alex honked happily. This was some nonsense of the highest order. If Fenian was fighting with godly figures, or at least their forces in their realms, that was some serious power. But as the alchemist had learned, power often came at a cost.

Theo: You’re aware we’re expecting him today, aren’t you?

Alran: I am. I don’t have the details, but I believe he retreated from whatever he was doing.

Theo: And how do you know? If you don’t mind my asking, spymaster.

Alran: Not at all. I have another informant in an Ulvoqor cult. They’re documenting things the best they can. From what I’ve heard, it seems like he was hunting for someone. Someone that didn’t belong in the heavens, just like him.

Theo: Thank you Alran. We’re expecting an attack today. Please mind your southern border, and let us know if you need reinforcements.

Alran: Understood. I’m attending to… bussiness ;) ;) ;) in Rivers today. Need to take out some garbage. If you get my meaning ;)

Theo: Thank you, Alran. I’ll keep you posted.

Whatever that meant. Theo updated Grot on the situation. The Dwarf didn’t care. He just wanted more supplies for his war effort. The grouchy bastard would need to get in contact with the administrators if he wanted to do that. The new [Zorp] ability might help with that, though. Finishing his meal, the alchemist paid his server. Xam gave him the food for free, but that wouldn’t stop him from throwing a few coins for the effort.

Honk!

Theo understood a bit of that honk. Alex had felt something shiver in the material of space, as though something was rubbing against reality. The more time he spent in Tero’gal, the better his sense for the dimensional disturbances got. His mind drifted as he found his way to Aarok’s guildhall. He was ushered into a meeting. Alise, Gwyn, Aarok, and Luras were all in attendance.

The conversation was single-minded. On a god’s warning, they prepared for Fenian’s arrival. None took it lightly, since the warning had been so grave. Gwyn had prepared a triage of potions for the Elf, including those intended to grow limbs back. Alise focused her efforts on spreading the word to citizens. Luras and Aarok were organizing the troops.

Theo fed them what theories he had, including his plan to hide in his realm when the attack came.

“Once there, I have 12 hours to your 5 minutes. I won’t take the entire time, but I’ll be able to form a plan if anything unexpected happens.” Theo shuffled through the papers that Alise had provided. She did a good job assembling troop quantities, types, and so on. There was also a contingency for a long-term siege. “I’ll have access to my alchemy equipment so I can make whatever potions we need.”

The group saw that as a good thing, but didn’t want to incorporate it into their plan. There might have been moments to respond, not minutes. The next time the conversation died down, Theo inserted himself again.

“Any updates on Xol’sa?”

“He’s recovering,” Alise said, a smile lingering on her face. “The last report Zarali gave me was great. He’s working on standing and walking.”

Theo leaned back in his chair, nodding with approval. He let out a sigh of relief, and tension left his body. The [Reforge Soul] potion he’d brewed was a miracle. The window to craft the potion was extremely limited. It was unlike any other potion he’d made, and the ingredient to create it was the rarest thing he’d found. The alchemist fell out of his thoughts. His will stretched as far as he could send it, sensing something strange in the distance. But it was familiar.

Honk!

“Agreed.” Theo felt what Alex was saying, even if she could only honk her thoughts. Space had torn open somewhere, but it didn’t feel like the bridge. The alchemist waved away the concerned looks from those gathered in the war room. “That’ll be Xol’sa’s portal.”

Theo rose from his seat, affecting a shallow bow. “Message me if you need me. I really need to check up on him.”

Alise was the most reluctant to let Theo go from the meeting. Aarok eased her fears, sending him off to check on his wizard friend. The alchemist picked up his pace as he trotted to the town’s center. The shimmering pane of glass rested near the monolith, pulsing with uncertain power. Without waiting for an invitation, he plunged through.

A sensation like cold water rushing over his back flooded through his mind. The alchemist was standing in the wizard’s tower in an instant, spotting Xol’sa resting on a chair. He heaved breath, sweat forming in thick beads on his brow.

“Couldn’t resist… could you… alchemist,” Xol’sa said, offering him a faint smile.

Zarali stood nearby, a sheepish grin on her face. “He refused to rest. Said the portal was more important than his life.”

Alex popped through the portal moments later, honking and flicking her tail feathers back and forth. She honked several times before approaching the Elf, nipping at his robes. Xol’sa placed a shaking hand on her, stroking with the direction of her feathers.

“You’re alive.” Theo could not keep the smile from spreading across his face.

“Leave it to you… Theo.”

“Leave it to you to find a cure in such a short time,” Zarali said. “No, darling. He had help.”

Theo nodded. “You’re lucky I’m rubbing elbows with gods, Xol’sa.”

“Thank… you.”

But that was all the Elf could do before his head tilted back, his breath coming in exhausted gasps. Zarali moved toward him, propping his head forward with a pillow. She beckoned Theo to follow her up the stairs, leaving Alex behind to keep the man company.

Zarali and Theo looked out over the swamp below. Several monsters ran around, but there were no adventurers in sight. Even in the early light of dawn, they could spot creatures moving around. Xol’sa glowing wards rested at regular intervals, lighting up the marsh.

“Can’t thank you enough, Theo.”

“No thanks required. I got him into that mess.”

Zarali took Theo’s hand in her own and squeezed. “Doesn’t mean I can’t thank you, brother.”

“I’ll say this, Zarali.” The moment Theo started saying that, he wanted to hold back. But she wasn’t a woman who enjoyed when one withheld information. The alchemist’s intuition told him the potion would do more than just heal the wizard’s scars. He was gaining a better understanding of what Xol’sa was. “That potion will take its time. But he won’t be the same.”

Zarali cast Theo a concerned look. “What do you mean? Is he crippled for life? Damaged?”

Theo thought about how to respond for a long moment. He stared off into the swamp. Xol’sa wasn’t from this world. The only thing holding him together was his [Planar Mage’s Core]. There was something wrong with his soul. An incompatibility with this world. This was a theory that had been bubbling up in the alchemist’s mind for a while.

“Xol’sa’s soul is not compatible with this world. The description of the [Reforge Soul] potion is clear. It removes all impurities, imperfections, and scars…”

“Imperfections,” Zarali said, blinking rapidly. “Theo, do you think…”

In the distance, a bell clattered rapidly. Theo felt a strange sense of danger drive a spike through his heart. Reality was being torn apart. He quaffed a [Dexterity Potion] modified with [Elemental Wind] and dashed down the stairs and through the portal before Aarok’s warning even came up.

[Aarok]: This is NOT a test! Everyone to your squads. We’ve got company.