Theo rested near the pond in Tero’gal. Belgar had unfurled the letter written to him by Zarali, and was reading it again. That would mark his tenth time through the letter. The alchemist had spent most of his day working to get better at tossing his infused daggers. Having swapped to blunted wooden knives, Tresk had put him through his paces. Near the day’s end, he retreated into his private realm for some relaxation.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Theo said, gaining the attention of the Dronon’s spirit. “What are you two saying to each other?”
“She’s catching me up on what I missed,” Belgar said, setting the letter aside.
The spirit’s form became more solid by the day. He had gone from little more than a wisp, to something similar to a corporeal form. The strange thing was that he didn’t look like Belgar anymore. Not the body that Theo inhabited. The form he now took was his own making. Some internal version of himself that he had held in life. His features were more angular than his original body. Angular features with deep-set eyes gave him a more demonic appearance.
“That’s a lot of time to miss out on.” Theo let the cool water wash over his feet.
The pair chatted for some time. Nothing of importance, of course. But the act of bonding with the man who used to use his body made Theo feel uneasy. Even if Belgar didn’t seem to care. Their conversation was only cut short when an archway of ice rose, resulting in a stumbling Toora god. Benton looked flustered, but managed his expression before approaching them.
“Alright—phew—got a few spirits coming in hot,” Benton said, wringing his hands together.
Belgar brightened up, his newly formed brow knitting in disbelief. “From which brood?”
“All over the place,” Benton said. A shiver echoed through his body. “Ten spirits. All drifting between the realms like gods damned phantoms.”
“I’ll keep them in line, Theo.” Belgar gave the alchemist a quick nod.
“They’re bound by an oath. I’m not worried about them going rogue.”
Benton clapped his hands together once. “But the results? You’re going to be shocked. Anyway, are you ready for them?”
The moment Theo nodded, the icy portal teemed with magical energy. Ten spirits, all like Belgar when he first appeared in Tero’gal, marched out. Theo recognized which brood each came from with ease, spotting the color of their spirits. He made an assumption about two of them, though. Two from Zagmon, four from Drogramath, two from Tworgnoth, and another two he couldn’t identify. After a moment of observation, he concluded they were from Toru’aun’s brood. The hue of their spirit shifted through a range of colors, cycling with an upheaval of emotion.
The Dreamrealm of Tero’gal was filled with a chorus of confused voices. Only when Belgar came over, exuding a calming presence that washed over the crowd, did they stop their chatter. He gave a brief speech about being calm, wrangling those turgid wisps until they had settled down. After that, they were happy to listen to him speak. Only two Drogramathi Dronon left through the portal.
Benton leaned in as Belgar spoke, whispering into Theo’s ear. “The ones from Zagmon’s brood have nowhere to go. No choice but to accept whatever fate you have to offer them.”
“That’s too much power for one man,” Theo said.
The alchemist’s mind drifted away from the scene. Back to Broken Tusk, where he’d already happily taken in refugees. Perhaps that was a selfish thing on his part. He accepted those people to power his own burgeoning empire. Well, it was a trade alliance, but it felt more like a one-man empire by the day. More workers meant more power, that was obvious. But did the same rules apply here? In Tero’gal? He wasn’t about to turn away people who were in need. And it cost him nothing to house them here in his realm.
When Belgar finished his talking, eight Dronon spirits knelt before the alchemist. They swore what men and women in their situation would swear. Undying fealty. Sadly, they didn’t have an option. The Dronon could take their chances in the void, or flourish here in Tero’gal. The alchemist didn’t care which option they picked, and he accepted them all as one. Underfoot, the realm rumbled. The alchemist felt his mind spread out over the realm like a thin sheet of silk, blanketing the landscape as it begged expansion.
Theo swayed on the spot before Benton caught him. “The first time is rough,” the bear god explained.
“What am I supposed to expect?” Theo asked. His willpower wrapped itself around that sheet, holding firm to keep the realm together.
“That was enough souls for a few level-ups. Your realm is going to expand.”
The sensation Theo felt in his mind was like when he upgraded buildings on the mortal plane. A sense of expansion that was normally followed by a screen. The screen that showed up on buildings when they leveled was a prompt, asking for a direction to expand in. This was the raw form of that expansion. A primordial request from the system itself. A request that was supposed to filter through a god core. Instead, it ran through his body like a bolt of lightning.
Theo collapsed to the ground as his mind tried, and failed, to wrap itself around the request. Every nerve in his body burned as though held over a roaring fire. Benton shouted something he couldn’t hear. Belgar’s panicked footfalls came next. Someone was shaking the alchemist’s body as his mind reached further. Past the veil, over the Bridge of Shadows, and into the mortal realm. He reached for the only thing he knew he could trust in this world.
Time froze in Tero’gal. The sense of burning faded in an instant. Theo looked up from his position on the ground, blinking away his confusion. Belgar and Benton stood over him, shouting something at each other. They appeared as statues, locked in some eternal conflict. He felt something familiar. He heard a snap somewhere distant. Then Tresk and Alex tumbled through the air, slamming hard into the ground. The Marshling looked up, offense clear on her face.
“What the hell, man!?” Tresk shouted, pulling herself to her feet. “Did you just interdict me?”
Me too!
“I don’t know what happened,” Theo said. But the pain was gone. His grasp on the silk sheet had diminished, but it was still held in his will. “I was accepting some souls into the realm, then it felt like someone was lighting my body on fire.”
Theo took a moment to collect his thoughts. This shouldn’t have been possible. Tresk and Alex had already visited Tero’gal today. They should have been locked out. But ‘should’ made little sense in the otherworldly realms. If his instinct was to reach for Tresk and Alex, then they were the solution to his problem.
“Alright. Guess time is just frozen,” the Marshling said, poking Benton on his face. “New trick, or what? Who are all the spirits?”
“Dronon spirits,” Theo said, observing the frozen crowd of kneeling figures. “I think you need to help me wrangle Tero’gal. I think that’s why I reached out for you.”
Tresk pointed an accusatory finger at Theo. “Let’s not stir things up, okay? We got a sweet deal here, but it's on a knife’s edge.”
The ground underfoot rumbled. Another loud pop. Then Khahar’s rumbling voice washed over them. “I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without something happening, huh?”
Theo turned to the Arbiter. Reflexively, a smile spread across his face. “Did you come here with a bit of exposition?”
Khahar chuckled, striding across Tero’gal with his godly swagger. “Yeah, we thought this might happen. Your realm is more of a proto-realm. I just had a chat with the Twins about it. You need to join your mind with Tresk’s, then force yourself on the realm. Time should resume after that.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“The twins?” Tresk asked.
The smile that spread across Khahar’s face belonged to Yuri. Lopsided and far too toothy. “The only other Tara’hek that lasted long enough to ascend to godhood. Twin Bantari Marshlings.”
Tresk jumped up and down on the spot, clapping her hands. “Marshy!?” she shouted.
“Neither are named Marshy. Anyway, get to it.”
Theo and Tresk closed their eyes at the same time. The alchemist shared the weight of that sheet. When the Marshling’s willpower came into play, it wasn’t like his firm grip. It felt like a mountain falling onto the sheet, laying it flat and holding it there with sheer authority. The scene cracked with a pop. The ground rumbled again. Before the spirits came into the realm, it was easy enough to see the edge of the island. It now sprawled out into the distance, expanded to such a distance as to make it almost impossible to spot the edge.
“This is Level 2?” Tresk asked, blowing out a steady breath. “Damn. Already so big.”
Khahar nodded, his eyes locked on the Marshling. That didn’t pass Theo’s notice. “Why is she so much better at this than me?”
“I don’t know,” Khahar said, his voice flinty. “It wasn’t in my predictions, and I cannot feel the source.”
The source of what? Alex asked.
Khahar turned, regarding the goose. “Her willpower is like an endless spring. The command she holds over your realm is beyond anything I’ve seen.”
Tresk shrugged. “I’m just really willful.”
“Hmmm.” Khahar turned away. “Be good, Theo. I’m in the middle of something.”
Without explaining himself, the Arbiter was gone. Time sped up in an instant. Benton and Belgar’s shouts filled the area, then declarations of confusion.
“What just happened?” Benton asked, chuckling nervously.
“We got it under control,” Theo said. He addressed the spirits. “Welcome to Tero’gal. Belgar will be your guide. Please don’t cause trouble.”
A chorus of agreement issued from the spirits. Belgar was confused, but led them away to lay the ground rules. Theo, Tresk, Alex, and Benton made their way to the cottage for some tea. The bear god busied himself with the kettle before sitting down at the old wooden table.
“How did you interdict her?” Benton asked, his voice almost a whisper. “I thought that was a forbidden thing. With the new rules.”
Theo had already rolled the problem over in his head. He could only draw one conclusion. “I think the Arbiter is bending the rules. Tresk and I are close, thanks to the bond. So close, that you might convince the system we’re the same person.”
This theory was inspired by several things. First was the bleeding of emotions through the core. Then the deep level of communication they had. Last was the system’s designation of Theo as a person in the world. It had originally listed him as Belgar, with his true name in parentheses. Now it just called him ‘Theo Spencer’. The moment he brought the owner of the body back into existence, it declared them entirely different things.
“You’re saying you tricked the system because of a core?” Benton asked, chuckling. “Well, it worked. So that’s weird.”
Tresk shook her head. Her pink skin was getting paler by the moment. “I don’t feel so good, Theo.”
“It has limits,” Theo said, nodding. That made sense. He didn’t have the same kind of willpower as her, so holding her here was too much. “See ya in a second, Tresk.”
With a wave of his hand, the alchemist sent both Tresk and Alex tumbling back to the mortal realm. They disappeared with a satisfying popping sound, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence in the cottage.
“You’re firmly in the realm of weird stuff I don't want to consider, Theo,” Benton said with a nod. He poured two cups of tea, producing several delicious lemon scones from nowhere. “But, hey. At least this is fun.”
Theo chatted with Benton at the table. Belgar was already putting the new spirits through drills. The pair could hear him prattle on about strengthening themselves by absorbing the power of Tero’gal. That could have been true. The spirit could have also just been asserting his authority.
When they were done with their tea, Theo walked the outside of his realm. Several features had appeared on the landscape. Clusters of rocks, a small forest, and several vacant homes. Belgar had been doing a good job of attending to the spirit fruits, but the alchemist didn’t know if he was ready to deal with those. It seemed as though the faster he introduced things to his daily work life, the more complicated things got. He shoved one of each fruit in his inventory, leaving the rest for storage crates in the realm.
The floating circle of land had grown to twice its normal size. Benton accompanied Theo to the edge. They gazed over, watching in ultra slow-motion as Tresk explained why she had winked out of existence for less than a second.
“You know you can travel back by willing yourself there. Right?” Benton asked.
“Yeah. But jumping off the edge is cool,” Theo said, falling backwards off the island.
Benton shouted something back, but Theo couldn’t hear it. As the alchemist passed over the bridge, he felt Uz’Xulven’s pull. She urged him to stop by the bridge. As he pressed his willpower against hers, he felt she was the better match. But without his consent, it was a losing battle. She only left him with a thought. A whispering string of words that lingered in his mind.
Tread carefully. The Arbiter’s hold isn’t absolute.
Theo felt his feet hit the wooden floor of his dining room. Everyone had gathered for dinner in his manor that night, eating the good food provided by Xam. All eyes turned to him when he arrived. While they were used to him vanishing for five minutes at a time, they were all confused about Tresk snapping out of reality for a fraction of a second.
The alchemist cleared his throat. “How about that weather?”
----------------------------------------
Theo rested himself on a rock in the Dreamwalk. He stared off over some unfamiliar horizon, tapping his foot. Tresk wanted to train tonight, but he was so lost in his thoughts as to be unreachable. Instead, she worked with Alex. The goose was close to mastering her new affinity, something that had only just showed up in her interface. Her connection with nature was weak compared to her connection with fire. But the constant training—drills issued by Tresk—had brought her to the mid-teens of her levels.
“A dog-sized goose,” Theo mumbled, watching as the pair trained. “A salamander-woman with an iron will. Well, what does that make me?”
“A pensive demon!” Tresk shouted, dodging a strike from a Troll.
“What do you think Uz’Xulven’s warning was about?” Theo asked, walking close to the battle.
Tresk thrust her rapier, skewering the Troll’s heart. But those creatures were known for their regenerative power. Only the most potent poisons, or the constant application of fire, would kill the creature. “She’s a paranoid idiot. You know who—whoops,” the Marshling ducked, nearly taking a club to the face. “You know who I’m worried about? Toru’aun.”
That was a good thing to be concerned about. Theo liked his [Toru’aun Mage’s Core], but there were too many things about it that rubbed him the wrong way. It should have been listed as a Demonmage’s core, but it wasn’t. The mysterious god gave it to him freely. No strings attached? Yeah, right. The Demon Lords never worked without strings. Enough rope to bind a person head to foot, more likely.
Matters weren’t helped by her title. The Queen of Mystery.
When everything went sideways in the heavens, there were only a few players. Khahar conspired with at least a few gods to get his throne. Parantheir, Uz’Xulven, and Toru’aun were the ones Theo knew about. On the mortal side, Fenian had a hand in the god’s ascension. There was no doubt in the alchemist’s mind about that. But his thoughts fell away as he realized the brick wall he was running up against.
“Alright,” he said, imagining a handful of imbued knives. “I’m ready to train.”
“Good!” Tresk snapped her fingers. The Trolls vanished. She snapped them again and another creature appeared flying above them. “We’re fighting a dragon.”
Tresk’s interpretation of a dragon was likely incorrect. Theo noted many similarities to what he expected from the creature, but hilarious differences. It had a fat stubby tail that seemed useless for flying. Its wings were shorter than they should have been, and it had a stunted neck. The face looked too close to a fish, although it did have the fangs he expected from such a creature.
The problem with fighting Tresk’s dragon was that she saw them as invincible. The first pass the creature made over the rolling fields killed all three combatants. On the tenth pass, Theo realized that the scales of the monster were impenetrable. Another wave of deadly dragon’s fire, and the Marshling called for a break.
“Where did you even see a dragon?” Theo asked.
“Oh, dad had this story book. He used to read it to me when I was a hatchling.
“Was the dragon in the story invincible?”
“Yep!”
“What’s the point in fighting an unkillable enemy?”
“No-win situations are real, Theo. You know that better than anyone.”
That stung more than he thought it would. He couldn’t tell if she was talking about his current situation, or what happened back on Earth. Either way, it left him feeling hopeless. But sensations like that didn’t last long in the Dreamwalk. After a short break, they were back at it. Dying at the claws of some invincible red dragon named ‘Firedeath’. Another few hours of that and the alchemist felt like maybe they could win.
“It’s just a matter of getting past the scales,” he said, putting out a small fire on the ground.
“That’s the spirit!” Tresk shouted. “Let’s go!”