Dead Dog Mine was a valuable asset to Broken Tusk. While the influx of Elves had bolstered their ranks, there was no longer a trickle of people asking for citizenship. Theo found Sarna Dev outside of the mine, instructing some of her newer hires on how to work the mine. Theo waited nearby, eyes lingering on the crate outside. It was full of nuggets ready to be smelted, slated to become ingots for export. He thought about their export strategy, and how it had evolved over the weeks.

Without the northern pass, and with Fenian in the wind, it was impossible to send anything afar. Every trade deal they’d made with buyers in Qavell vanished. Coins that once flowed now dried up like a creek bed in a drought, leaving the alchemist to fret by the mine. Now those resources were bound for the towns within the Free City Alliance. Rivers would get a trickle at an absurdly low rate, while Gronro got the most.

Do you know if undead drop loot? Theo asked through the [Tara’hek Communication] skill.

Alex chirped a response in his mind before Tresk could speak. The alchemist pat her on her little head.

They drop stuff in the dungeons. But I don’t think the undead attacking our alliance are generated by the system, Tresk said.

There’s a thought. How were they generated?

No clue, Tresk said, her voice sing-song.

And that was their conversation. The Marshling was pushing herself hard to level up her new core. Theo withdrew the box Khahar gave him, staring at the contents. The even smaller box within contained several vials with seeds. And a letter. Reading it for the first time was like a punch in the gut. A heartfelt message and instructions on how to grow the impossibly rare plants. But those thoughts fell away when Sarna snapped her fingers, gaining his attention.

“How can I help you, mayor?” she asked.

“Actually, it’s…” Theo stopped himself. He liked that old title better. “It’s about the mine. I just wanted to check on production.”

“Then why do we give production reports?” Sarna asked, laughing. “Come on. I’ll give you the tour.”

The Human woman led him around the mine, showing him the new veins they’d struck. They weren’t actually veins, just sections of rock that spawned in the nuggets. Columns of stone rested in the center of passageways, rich with glittering copper. A few levels down, and Theo was impressed with the expanded iron tunnels. Further still and he saw the purple-black nuggets of [Drogramathi Iron]. She gave him the numbers on their production and he was satisfied enough.

“Silver is still a problem, huh?” Theo asked.

“We’ve been focused on expanding the upper floors,” Sarna said, closing an iron door behind her.

Theo had the idea to create staging areas in the tunnels. Large, defensible rooms that rested in choke-points. Down a dimly lit hall, he spotted a [Lesser Metal Golem] standing over the bodies of several demon-dogs. The alchemist was certain they had names, but he hadn’t bothered to learn them. Just another strange quirk of the system that wanted to make the mine more dangerous.

“Your guys are doing all the work down here. I even saw one use the gate,” Sarna said. “Then there’s the doom room. That’s what the miners call it—they hate it.”

There was a reason they hadn’t dug deeper from this point. When Theo discovered the room with his [Tunneling Potion], he found Alex. After that, it seemed too dangerous to dig deeper. Fear of a cavern beneath had stayed both his and the miners’ hands. Instead of backing away from the problem this time, Sarna got Gridgen and they got to discussing the idea of digging deeper. They toured more of the mine, and the pair had another discovery to show.

“Solid,” Gridgen said, swinging a pick against a pale gray wall. It reverberated in his hand, but produced no chips.

“This is the edge of the mine,” Theo said, looking back onto the darkened tunnel from where they came. “It’s massive. Wait, that means no one can mine from the other side, right?”

“Yeah, that’s a good thing. But that might not bode well for your idea of finding a cave,” Gridgen said.

Theo tapped his foot for a moment, a new nervous habit he’d picked up. Something within him whispered that if they dug down, they’d find a cavern. It wasn’t the normal whisper he’d experienced from his Drogramathi cores. Those had been mostly silent. It was something else. As though the [Tara’hek Core] was doing the whispering. Alex chirped.

“Alright,” Theo said. “Well, do you guys need anything? Are we good on the whole mine project?”

“Better than good,” Sarna said, puffing her chest out with pride. “Give the word and we’ll dig down.”

Theo thought for a moment before responding. “Let’s take a look at the bottom level again.

Theo, Gridgen, and Sarna made their way back to the bottom floor. It was nice to see all the Elves working, and they all seemed happy enough. Even if some still didn’t speak the native Qavelli tongue, they got by with gestures and a few words. The most important thing was that they were fed, clothed, and housed. It would be a disservice to Fenian’s big plan if he let those people down.

The group examined the bottom floor again. Gridgen summoned a few miners to knock some walls in around the strange Demonic shrine, but they got no response from the devices within. On the other side was more rock, simply confirming their theory that the room had been placed by a god magically. Discussion and prodding went on for hours without an answer, but it was enough information for Theo to move forward.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Theo said. “I’ll talk to Aarok and see what he thinks.”

“Whatever you want, boss,” Gridgen said.

The day waned, and Theo’s stomach grumbled. He got the sense that Alex was also hungry, and fed her a few worms on their way to the tavern. Stepping out from the mines and into the humid air of the Season of Fire covered him a sheen of sweat that didn’t seem to fade. The alchemist picked at the hole in the front of his robes as he went, noting that the fabric had stitched itself back together slightly. Slowly, but it was working.

Tresk signaled she was headed for the tavern, but Theo picked up Aarok on the way. The Half-Ogre was doing his thing at the Adventurer’s Guild and seemed eager enough to eat.

“Been a while since you’ve invited me,” Aarok said.

“Not sure I’ve ever invited you,” Theo said. “You normally just drop in.”

Today’s menu was interesting. While mead was served nightly, Xam had prepared some Karatan steaks from Rivers and Daub. Once Theo told Tresk about the dish, she appeared next to him in an instant, using their [Tero’gal Dreampassage] ability. The party sat, Alex in her little box, and they waited for their food.

“Thought I already gave you approval for the mine thing,” Aarok said, sipping his mead.

“Things change. I wanted to make sure,” Theo said.

“You have my approval,” Aarok said. “I think of it like this, right? If there’s stuff underground, we should get it. There might be some fancy alchemy ingredients, right?”

“There may be.”

“Or monsters,” Tresk said with a nod. “You know me. Always eager to kill monsters. Stab stab stab.”

“How about Gronro?” Theo asked. “How are they actually doing?”

“Extremely well,” Aarok said. “They’d have been overwhelmed without your potions, which… Well, I don’t really want to say anything.”

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“Come on.”

“It’s ‌odd. Right?” Aarok said. His face took on a hard expression. “You had a potion ready before the undead attack.”

Theo let out a sigh, shifting his gaze to the window. Light faded over the town outside, casting long shadows across the bathhouse. He’d wondered if Fenian had used him for that purpose, or if there was more to it. It would be impossible to predict what the Elf was doing, leaving all questions as useless to ask.

“Is your concern about Fenian?” Theo asked. “You’re assuming he caused the undead, right? Well, good for him. Aarok… Broken Tusk has independence.”

Aarok leaned in, looking over his shoulder then back at the alchemist. “And you’ve claimed a realm. Another impossible thing in a town of impossible things. When does it end, Theo?”

“It’s my realm, too,” Tresk said, glaring at the Half-Ogre. “Oh! I met that Benton guy. God of death winter?”

“Death and winter,” Theo corrected.

“You’re talking to other gods?” Aarok asked, letting out a sigh of frustration. “You want me to tell you about protecting the mine… Meanwhile you’re off talking to weird gods.”

“He’s a minor god. In an infant realm. From what I understand, he just ascended. Was only level 100,” Theo said.

Aarok slapped his face, and continued to do so until the food was delivered. Tresk had already devoured hers by the time he stopped smacking, leaving angry red marks on his cheeks. “Alright. I’m going into optimistic mode. Here it goes. Any moment now.” Another series of slaps. “What do we always do when you pull some crazy crap out of your butt? We exploit it. How can you exploit this realm thing for the town?”

“I already am,” Theo said.

“Yeah, I saw your stills,” Tresk said. “And a powdery substance that looked suspiciously like… Salt.”

“Salt?” Xam asked, poking her head into the booth.

“Do you make a habit of eavesdropping?” Theo asked.

“I do. And I’m running low on salt,” she said with an excited nod.

Theo rolled his shoulders, trying to work out a knot that was forming in his upper back. This was a problem that needed to be sorted like a Broken Tusker. Seize whatever weird crap happened by the hair and make it work.

“I’m happy to sell you salt, Xam,” Theo said.

“I’m happy to buy it,” she said, holding her hand out. “Gimmie.”

“I don’t have any on me. It’s been a busy day.”

“Deliver it here, and you’ll have coin. Market rate, of course,” Xam said, vanishing before anyone could say anything more.

Theo cut a bite out of his steak, forking it and staring at the meat for a long moment. Aarok was always going to find out about the realm. The alchemist was bad at keeping secrets, but did that even matter? He trusted these people in town with his life. Often enough to call them his brothers and sisters, not just numbers on a spreadsheet in his interface.

“Time moves differently in Tero’gal,” Theo said. “5 minutes out here is like 12 hours in there. So, I get an extra 12 hours a day to work on projects.”

“How in the hells does that work?” Aarok asked.

“Magic!” Tresk shouted.

“I can imagine hundreds of scenarios where it would be useful. Time-sensitive tasks that require alchemy. I can bring things between our realm and the mortal plane, so that’s even better,” Theo said.

“Alright, Theo. I don’t need to say this, do I? I trust you to exploit it for our gain,” Aarok said.

“Always for the betterment of Broken Tusk,” Theo said. “Now, can we talk about something else? I’d like to eat.”

Aarok honored his Archduke’s request and changed the topic away from the alchemist. Instead, he talked about the training program they’d established for the residents of Gronro-Dir. The surprising part was that he’d also roped in some people from Rivers and Daub. Cut off from the unified Adventurer’s Guild to the north, they didn’t have support. Without the Half-Ogre’s offer, they would have disbanded. Lacking funds to continue, and holding only one regional dungeon, they needed Broken Tusk’s guild.

So they signed contracts, facilitated by Alise, that put Rivers and Daub’s Adventurer’s Guild as a vassal to Broken Tusk’s. That gave Theo an idea, which Aarok had already thought of. It was another way to free the small town from the nobles, creating the possibility of a coup.

Theo leaned in after hearing the news, fixing his gaze on Aarok. “I’ve seen how a coup goes, my friend. I’ve been in the streets when they rounded the other up. Do you understand how that ends?”

“Don’t act like you’re the only one with blood on your hands, Theo,” Aarok said, throwing his shoulders back and locking eyes. “You can’t pretend like you don’t have a last resort. Last resort. That’s what this is. Not our first pick.”

Theo relaxed, leaning back in his chair. It wasn’t a horrible idea. In fact, it was his first idea for making Rivers more useful to them. He and Tresk had discussed the idea of taking them by force and installing their own leadership, but that would never end well. But as a last resort, it wasn’t bad. Instead of pursuing that idea any further, the alchemist thought about Alran Cherman’s most valuable feature. He tapped his foot a few times before nodding to himself.

“Cherman might give up the reins willingly,” Theo said. “What if we let them pick a leader, and Alran can take up a different position.”

The alchemist felt the idea flow from his mind and through the [Tara’hek Core]. Into Tresk’s stabby little brain. “Spymaster?” she asked.

Theo nodded to himself. That wasn’t a bad idea. Alran was far too informed for someone in such a small town. He knew about the war with Veosta before he should have, and the undead attack. Which meant his network of informants was vast, or just extremely good at what they did.

“We could use a Spymaster,” Aarok said with a nod. “Think he’s willing to give up his position as head of the Chairs? To be a spy full time?”

“I suspect he’s already a spy full time.” Theo chuckled. “That’s me going full Broken Tusker. Finding what a person is best at and making them do it. He could be listening right now. If so, please contact me so we can discuss this.”

Aarok snorted a laugh. “Alright, I need to head out. Thanks for the food.”

“No bath?” Tresk said, offering him puppy-dog eyes.

“No. I’ve got something to attend to,” Aarok said, standing. “As much as I’d like to take a bath… Gotta settle for the bath in a bottle.”

Aarok departed. Tresk and Theo shared a look, then a shrug. They made their way to the bath and settled in for the evening. They discussed the problem over their private communication, coming to no definite conclusion. But the alchemist understood the importance of being informed about his enemies, having served in that role many times before. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to Yuri. To Khahar, fighting a war in the heavens. Perhaps that man would fight wars forever. Ceaseless engagements without respite.

But there were other things to talk about before the pair entered the Dreamwalk for the night. Theo had been putting off his [Governance Core] pick for a while, but not for lack of trying. The options didn’t appeal to him, but that was before the planting of his [Kingdom Core]. Now there were a few things that caught his eye, clearly unlocked by his role as Archduke.

[National Status]

Governance Skill

Legendary

Grants the owner of a nation the ability to view information about their nation. This skill includes a communication network between all towns and cities within spheres of influence.

Effect:

Grants a new tab in your administration screen, allowing you to view information about your nation.

Allows you to communicate with the leaders and administrators of subordinate towns and cities.

Grants a portion of your existing administrator skills to your subordinate towns or cities.

“That’s one of them skills,” Tresk said, floating in the water as Theo read it off to her. “Where you just gotta take it. Right?”

“We have communication already, but it would be nice if we had a different one. Currently, only the person holding the crystal can use it,” Theo said. “And I think Alise and Gwyn can only use it because I set the Lady Administrator title for them.”

“Kinda silly that you just pass out lord and lady titles like they’re candy,” Tresk said.

“Why? I can take them away whenever I want,” Theo said, waving her away. “It costs nothing, and grants them more privileges to use our shared administrator interface.”

“Just saying. Some people might take offense to that,” Tresk said.

“Those people can go kick rocks,” Theo said, closing his interface.

The alchemist wouldn’t select the skill tonight. If the leaders in the other towns called him so late, it would be annoying. Instead, he would do it tomorrow morning. It was time to have a bath and nothing more, so he soaked in the warm water and let his worries wash away. Aarok’s words were comforting, even if they came from such an aggressive person. He had a mind for war, even if he’d never fought one. He and Luras were slated to join the Qavelli Irregulars before they were discharged. A blow to their egos, but the training remained.

Theo checked the status of the nation when they were done with their bath. He found that their energy had dropped from 50% to 45%, and decided it was time to experiment before bed. It was a brief experiment. Inserting one gold coin brought the energy of the town up 10% from where it was. But that wouldn’t remain static. The alchemist knew enough to understand it would cost more as the nation grew. As the requirements of the towns within it burgeoned.

Tresk, Theo, and Alex headed off to their beds in the Newt and Demon. A flash of an idea passed through his mind, but he half-way dismissed it. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had a house to call their own? Not just a room next to their lab? An idea worthy of pursuit, once he wasn’t worrying about generating enough money so an entire nation wouldn’t go under.