Throk was pissed. The angry little Marshling had stopped shouting just long enough for Theo to make a few sounds—not quite words, but grunts of objection. Hands on hips, the artificer glared at the alchemist.

“You’ll want trains that go to the damn moon after this,” Throk said, letting off a series of curses Theo had never heard. His voice turned from angry shouts to a low mutter. “He must be bored. The damn alchemist has been drinking too much of his own supply.”

“I’m not bored. I just think—”

“No, you’re bored. Where is my daughter? Can’t she come to talk some sense into you? Do you know how expensive something like that would be? How deep is the ocean between here and the islands?”

“I hadn’t considered it. But a connection between—”

Throk interrupted again. “Let’s make a deal,” he said, clapping his hands together. His face had shifted from anger to one of an annoyed parent. “You have other projects, right?”

“I do.”

“Do one of those. Leave me alone while I iron out the problems with the rail. Then you can bother me with another impossible task.”

Theo didn’t feel dejected by the way Throk shot him down. He had come to the artificer’s workshop to pitch the idea, not order him to begin construction. But the Marshling’s sharp words had brought everything into perspective. There was a project he was interested in working on. And he was more than a little bored with the town’s progress. His mind went back to that place in the mine. Where sections of the stone were warmer than others.

“I appreciate you,” Theo said.

“Yeah. I know.”

As Theo left the artificer’s workshop, he had genuine concerns about the mine project. He had put it off for a reason. But the miners and the military were two parts of the town that weren’t completely buried in other projects. They were available for work, and could likely start immediately. The alchemist made his way to the Adventurer’s Guild building, checking the various reports in his interface. He passed by citizens as he wrote his proposal for the mine, including a plan to use his Toru’aun magic on the iron gates for added protection.

“Worst case scenario,” Theo said, reading as he wrote the message out. “We’ll nuke whatever is down there.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” Sarisa said, coming up behind him.

“Do you really think it’s a bad plan?”

Sarisa shrugged. “Salire is looking for you.”

Theo grumbled, turning around and heading straight for the Newt and Demon. The budding alchemist was working with a customer, but handed him a note about her work. There was a problem with her run of [Hallow Ground Essence] that needed attention. Something about the distillation process going wrong.

“Well, this is interesting.” Theo lifted a flask of sludgy, black liquid.

The essence that Salire had distilled was considered alchemical junk by the system. He inspected the Drogramathi Iron still, finding caked-on residue clinging to the sides. Theo scraped a piece off with his knife, holding it up to the light. Drogramathi mana flowed from his chest and into his arm, surfacing through his fingers to light the offending residue on fire with purple flames. Something about the way it was deconstructed was wrong. The smoke it produced didn’t have the right scent, and the appearance of those fumes was too dark.

“I can’t say that I’ve seen this before.” Walking to the far side of the lab, the alchemist withdrew his old copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy. He flipped to the first section on distillation, reading through text he had memorized long ago.

“She’s new, right?” Sarisa found a chair to drag over, then sat down. She smoothed the ruffles in her illusory dress. “New people make mistakes.”

“Hmmm. Mistakes are one thing, but this entire batch is ruined. I’m assuming she ran this at the right temperature, so what happened?”

Theo ran through everything he could think of. He had never seen a batch of essence be ruined so thoroughly. And it wasn’t as though the essence had failed to distill because of her skill. The [Hallow Ground Essence] could be brewed by someone at Level 1. Technically. He dismissed the idea that his champion status could be the reason, moving on to more logical things. By the time he was inspecting the equipment itself, Salire had finished working with the customer.

“I don’t know what happened, sir.” The Half-Ogre’s ochre skin paled to a pale shade of yellow-brown. She had a look of worry on her face.

“First rule of alchemy. Add this to the book. Unless you blew the lab up, you haven’t made a mistake. Were these the truffles grown in my mushroom cave?”

“Yes. I used them just like you showed me. I focused on the [Hallow Ground] property and everything.”

“Curious.” Theo scanned the lab, finding loose truffles on a table.

This wasn’t a problem with the equipment. And it wasn’t a problem with Salire’s technique. Theo had taught her himself, and she had created many [Lesser Mana Potions] on her own without incident. The truffles were more temperamental, but not by much. Compared to something like spirit plants, the [Swamp Truffle] behaved much like [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. It was very placid. An extremely stable reagent for what it did. He picked up one half-way processed truffle. The core of the thing looked different than he remembered. Slight striations of blue ran through it, mottled here and there.

“This is the sample you used?” Theo asked, sending a series of instructions to all his golems. He recalled them through the lodestone network, sending them into the mushroom caves.

“Yeah. Just the stock your golems collected.”

“You’ll be happy to know that you made no error,” Theo said, holding the mushroom up for her to see. “Can you spot the problem without examining the item?”

“Uh... It looks normal. Right?”

“What happens when you examine it?”

Salire shrugged, coming close to press her hand against the mushroom. “Looks normal. [Swamp Truffle]. I can’t see the first property, though.”

Theo ordered his golems to purge the mushroom caves, separating them into four distinct storage crates. They went to work as he inspected the new mushroom.

[????]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Mushroom]

Epic

A unique hybrid mushroom created from a Manashroom and a Swamp Truffle.

Properties:

[????] [????] [????]

“Now that is a first,” Theo said. “You said that this was a [Swamp Truffle]?”

Salire nodded. Theo felt a tingle in his mind, then a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up.

[Wisdom of the Soul]

It is like that this mushroom was spontaneously hybridized in your mushroom cave. This is likely a rare occurrence, but the close proximity and rapid cultivation of the mushrooms forced this to occur. Both the name and description are placeholders. You should contact a Loremaster.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Theo sent an alert to the town without hesitation, splitting his concentration to check on the golems. They were working to identify and remove the hybrid mushrooms. Once Azrug arrived to inspect the mushrooms, he could provide more information. Until then, the alchemist wrote everything down and explained it to Salire and Sarisa. No one in the room knew this could happen, and it was an amazing turning-point for his various cultivation projects.

A few sharp knocks came at the door for the lab. Sarisa opened it, bowing slightly as the young Lord Merchant entered. “You rang?” he asked with a smarmy grin.

Theo tossed the truffle across the room, nodding with approval as the man caught it. “Got something interesting for you. We accidentally created a new kind of mushroom.”

“A new mushroom? Just for me?” Azrug asked, laughing. “Oh, you spoil me. Let’s see…”

Ribbons of white-blue mana laced their way around Azrug’s body. Theo grimaced at the uncontrolled technique. Somewhere in the alchemist’s mind, he remembered that the loremaster was just a boy. Likely somewhere between fifteen and eighteen years old. After a few moments of untamed mana, a smile played across his face.

“The good news is, my [Loremaster’s Core] worked on the truffle.”

“What’s the bad news?” Theo asked.

Azrug tossed the mushroom back, which Theo caught deftly. He inspected the mushroom again.

[Azrug’s Truffle]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Mushroom]

Epic

A unique hybrid mushroom created from a Manashroom and a Swamp Truffle. This mushroom combines the holy power of the Swamp Truffle with the freezing properties of the Manashroom.

Properties:

[????] [????] [????]

“Did you just name the truffle after yourself?” Theo said, looking up in disbelief.

“Yep. The system said that every [Swamp Truffle], [Manashroom] hybrid will be named [Azrug’s Truffle] from now on.”

Were all traders this smarmy? Was it the destiny of everyone who made their living selling goods to be just a bit of a dick? Theo still found it impossible not to smile. He flicked the trader a gold coin, shaking his head. “Thanks.”

Azrug chatted with Theo for a while before leaving. The young Half-Ogre had been enjoying his time as the town’s chief merchant. He learned fast, as most people in this world did, and had settled into striking deals with whoever would come to Broken Tusk. According to the reports, he was also instrumental in the ousting of Alran Cherman from the mayor position in Rivers and Daub. He now focused his efforts on creating his store and stables. As the young man departed, the alchemist took a bite of the truffle.

“Make a note.” Theo spoke through a mouthful of mushroom. It had an unpleasant flavor, like pennies mixed with a scoop of earth. “Unless you have a sufficiently advanced herbalist core, you can’t spot hybrids.”

[Property Discovered]!

Eating the [Azrug’s Truffle] has revealed the property: [Hallow Frost]

“Interesting. This will require experimentation.”

“As does everything, huh?” Salire no longer looked dejected. But she seemed worn. “I thought I really messed up.”

Several shambling [Lesser Plant Golems] entered the room, carrying the untainted truffles. They placed them down on a table then left, off to serve their other duties. “I’ll make sure the golems put each type of mushroom in a different crate. I suggest that you try again with the right mushroom.”

“Thanks!” Salire said, most of her cheery attitude returning in moments.

“We’re off. Let me know if anything else goes wrong.”

Theo and Sarisa departed, heading for their original destination. But this was the life of an alchemist. One who had taken on an apprentice. If he was truthful with himself, he would say that he wasn’t ready for one. That he hadn’t spent enough time in this world to be deserving of anyone’s respect, let alone passing knowledge down. That must have been what most champions thought when they were chosen by a god. The difference was that most people who were chosen knew they were chosen.

The alchemist lingered in the street for a moment, eyes locked on the temple. “Do you think Drogramath would answer if I called?”

Sarisa shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

He made his way to the temple anyway, standing on the massive marble steps for quite a while before heading inside. It was mostly empty, with a few people standing in quiet reverence off in the corner. Dimly lit as it was, those figures were rendered as little more than shadows. Theo stood before the dais, looking up at the place Drogramath once occupied. He prayed, begged, and cursed in his mind. But nothing happened.

“Guess he doesn’t want to talk,” Theo said, turning on the spot. “Perhaps he can sense my intentions.”

Sarisa and Theo left the temple behind. He couldn’t deny that there was a great sense of comfort when he was within the temple. It was as though a small piece of Tero’gal was there, hiding just below the surface. He made his way to the guild, then searched around for a while before he found Aarok in a meeting. He spoke with a member of Gronro’s little army, signaling the alchemist to sit and wait while they concluded their business.

Theo busied himself with notes as he waited, detailing everything that happened with the hybrid mushrooms. The [Hallow Frost] property might be interesting to use, assuming it was just a combination of the [Freeze] property with the [Hallow Ground] property. That would make for an interesting set of potions. More than likely, it was something else entirely. A random variation on both things, taking either the best or worst pieces of each.

“How can I help you, Archduke?” Aarok asked. He had bags under his eyes, and a worn expression on his face.

“I’d like to start a war with an unknown subterranean race of horrific lizard-monsters. By the end of the day, if possible.”

“See? If you actually spoke like that, we’d get more done. You wanna crack the mine?”

“Yeah, I would. First, I need to know if you’re doing alright. You look tired. Are you getting enough help with your duties?”

Aarok’s booming laugh filled the room. A genuine smile spread across his face, tusks glittering in the afternoon light. “Never let it be said that Theo Spencer isn’t a concerned leader. I was up all night doing some training with the boys. I have plenty of help, but thanks for the concern.”

“Just checking. So, the mine.”

“Yeah, we can crack on through. How many people do you want on standby?”

“All of them.”

“Yeah, I’ll just casually assemble the combined forces of three towns.”

“Surely you mean two towns.”

“Don’t call me Shirley. Just kidding. Tresk said that the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it. Rivers has a few recruits. You want to crack through today? Of course you do.”

Theo explained the only idea he had so far. The miners were convinced that there was a passage, or a cavern directly under the place where they had found Alex. He wanted to send a golem down there to check it out before anyone else got their hands dirty with adventurers waiting to defend the tunnel.

“In the worst case, I can nuke the opening. Or we can collapse the tunnel.”

Aarok shrugged. “Each approach has tactical merit. I know you’re eager, but give me a day to get everything together.”

“I have an idea,” Theo said, withdrawing an old communication crystal from his inventory. He held it tight in his hand, then felt the magic activate.

Theo! Why are you using this old thing? Fenian asked.

Come over to the guildhall. I need to ask you a few questions.

Oh, yes sir. I love when you’re so commanding.

Theo returned the crystal to his inventory before the Elf could say any more weird things. He talked with Aarok about mundane things, drilling down to make sure the Half-Ogre was doing well. He loved his position as a military leader, claiming that it felt like he was back to training for the irregulars. After a few minutes, a knock came at the door and Fenian stepped in. The Elf took a seat.

“Both limbs working?” Aarok asked.

“Better than ever. I used to have a scar on my left arm. Like the arm, the story is lost. A cruel fate,” Fenian said with a heavy sigh. “What was it you needed, alchemist?”

Theo explained the plan, and asked if Fenian would join them as they breached the mine. But he didn’t want to dig surface-deep with the trader. He wanted to go deeper. “Would you know anything about some hidden civilization of lizard-folk waiting for us underground?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” Fenian trailed off, tapping his chin with his newly regrown finger. “I’ve read tales of underground monsters and Elves. The tomb of house Southblade in Tarantham is said to be connected to one such system of caverns.”

“Is this a story or the truth?” Aarok asked.

“Likely true. I’ve only poked my head into that underworld. There was an underground dungeon back home that I took care of.”

“And the hidden part?” Theo asked.

“What?” Fenian asked.

“This is the part where you do some sly wink without telling me what the truth is. You want me to fling you through multidimensional space? We need a little more trust.”

“Oh, you’re crabby today. Fine. You found your familiar’s egg in that mine, right above the spot where you’re going to dig through. I have been plotting with several godly figures for a few centuries. As well as a few mortals. You know how it is. Anyway, someone seeded a few things on the mortal plane for you to find. Including Alex’s egg. Tworgnoth planted the device that kept her alive. Tworgnoth does nothing by accident. He is a plotter. A schemer.”

Aarok let out a frustrated sigh. “So, a Demon god wanted Theo to find the tunnel? Is that a good thing?”

Fenian shrugged. “I think so. They’ve held up their end of the bargain so far by giving him the tools he needs to succeed. The things required to support us while we enact the grand plan.”

“Oh, there’s that bit of mystery!” Theo said, jabbing a finger at Fenian. He smiled playfully, then punched the Elf in the arm.

“Ack! That’s still tender, you savage!” Fenian shouted, rubbing his arm.

“As long as we have your swords ready, we’ll face down whatever is under the mine.”

Theo felt much more confident with Fenian around. The man was a monster in combat. A damned dragon could fly out of the hole, and the Elf would take care of it. But the words he spoke lingered in the air like a stale smell. Things had been organized for the alchemist’s transition, but not for his benefit. These circumstances were designed to aid another group to do something.

“I do have a schedule to keep, my dear alchemist,” Fenian said. “You must hurl me across realities after we crack through the mine.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it,” Theo said, waving him away. “I’ve been practicing. Might even be able to drag you to Tero’gal.”

“Oh, that would be lovely.”