The wards had proven more long-lasting than Theo had expected. Surrounding the table in the manor were the usual characters. The alchemist thought about his experimentations as he watched his companions eat breakfast. Xam had outdone herself by making something similar to sausage and eggs. She was even producing Earth-style wheat bread, which was a treat. Xol’sa couldn’t get enough of the bread, slathering a toasted slice with enough karatan butter to stop his heart on the spot.

“Busy schedule today,” Sarisa said, flitting around the table to pass out butter and fill cups with tea. “Aarok wants to do two waves.”

“Thank god.” Theo poked at a pozwa egg. He turned his attention to the sausage, cutting a piece and popping it into his mouth. It was extremely salty, and mildly spicy. “Can’t wait to get that over with.”

The dungeon had been weakened significantly. Between Xol’sa’s efforts to engineer them, and the adventurer’s constant barrage of attacks, the [Hills Dungeon] and [Mountain Dungeon had been removed of their fangs. Broken Tusk would have the pleasure of stomping two waves somewhere around Level 10. All projections claimed it would be a breeze, and Theo was inclined to believe the wizard’s words.

Outside, the haze of early morning fog was burned away by the oppressive sun overhead. The result was humidity so intense, one could cut it with a knife. Theo lingered in his air-conditioned manor for as long as he could, until Rowan pulled him aside.

“I poisoned some children,” the half-ogre said.

Theo blinked several times. “Huh?”

“While you were busy, I poisoned several children. A very mild poison that made them sick.”

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes shut tightly. “Alright. Sarisa cured it?”

Rowan smiled. “Quickly. Her confidence was boosted afterward.”

“All's well that ends well… I guess? Poison adults next time, please.”

“It was quite mild.”

“Still.”

Rowan nodded.

Theo departed his manor, heading directly for the Newt and Demon. Tresk and Alex were on duty today, so they would be busy. Everyone in the Tara’hek felt lighter, and the alchemist couldn’t help but whistle a tune as he headed to his lab. Salire was there with a wide smile on her face. He gave her a few tasks to manage the lab. His chief concern was the production of more grain alcohol, and its storage in the upgraded tanks of the lab. The half-ogre woman told him the harrowing tale of how she saved seven children yesterday.

“Excellent job,” Theo said, nodding and feigning a smile.

“So, what did Glantheir do to you? What was he talking about when he said he was ‘fleeing…’ What was it?”

“Berlin,” Theo said. He found it odd that his mind didn’t recoil on itself when he thought about that mission. “Things got bad on my world. Populations shrunk to where people crowded in single cities. Entire nations were reduced to mega cities. Everyone was at each other’s throats. So how do you conduct warfare when the enemy can shoot whatever you send right out of the sky?”

“I… really don’t know,” Salire said, chuckling nervously.

“You send a spy who disables the defenses. We planted charges to destroy their weapons. Then boom. An entire nation destroyed in a blink,” Theo snapped his fingers to punctuate his point. “And I guess Glantheir was there. He must have fled with the other refugees to Moscow.”

Salire’s expression shifted, becoming stony. “You were a bad guy?”

“This was… what? Twenty-five, thirty years ago? Anyway, whatever Glantheir did it made me feel like I had never done it. And it feels good.”

“As long as we’re not planning on annihilating another nation.”

“Hmmm.”

Theo had to rationalize the destruction of Qavell. Despite what Glantheir had forgiven him for, the kingdom was filled with innocent people. The only thing that made him feel better was the same thing that made him feel better on Earth. Balkor’s undead were heading west no matter what. Fenian had only sped up their march. The alchemist shook the thoughts out of his mind, turning to smile at his apprentice.

“Glantheir really helped. I’m excited to see what he can do with our help.”

Salire brightened considerably. “He was so nice!”

“I’m going to invite him for tea in my realm the next time I visit. Wanna come?”

“Ah, well. No, thank you.”

After Salire was settled in her task for the day, Theo left to check in with the military. Xol’sa was sitting with Aarok and Luras, discussing the upcoming wave. They were determined to get both waves done today, no matter what. Even if the eastern wall wasn’t completely repaired, they all had a desire to get it over with. While the wizard could have been wrong about the dungeons, it was unlikely. They wouldn’t spawn both waves at once, so it shouldn’t have been a problem, anyway. If something went sideways, they wouldn’t start the next way.

Easy as that.

Theo dodged a meeting with Alise and the administrators, heading directly for Throk’s workshop. The marshling was interested in hearing the results of the testing and had some input. He agreed with most of the alchemist’s points about magical interference, but was surprised to learn how active the power was.

“Could that be an effect of the Dreamwalk?” Throk asked.

“I won’t say ‘no.’” Theo drew on his near-perfect memory to remember the way things interacted in the Dreamwalk. The simulation seemed accurate, but it was hard to tell. “We’re planning on doing a real-world experiment before we give the go-ahead.”

“Bleeds into another problem I’m having.” Throk scratched his head. “These things need to be manned. Floating platforms of death. Who would be willing to ride them?”

“No one, I imagine.” Theo sighed. “Can you control them remotely?”

“Yes. But there are a few problems with that.”

Throk went into a speech about sending artifice signals over long-distance. He had taken a skill that let him control his devices remotely, but the range was short. The more he explained it, the less it made sense to Theo.

“Don’t you do remote reporting with the mote tube system?”

“Yeah, but I send the signal through the tubes themselves,” Throk said with a laugh. “Not exactly the best way, but it works.”

“Can you send a signal through any metal?”

“Yeah, that’s the skill. But I don’t like the image of holding a long rod of copper up in the air. Attached to a floating platform.”

“How about a wire?”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“A long copper wire?” Throk asked, nodding. “That might work. We can braid them together to increase their strength.”

“If that fails,” Theo said, nodding to himself as his thoughts gathered. “We can put a golem on the airship. If we install a lodestone nearby, the range is pretty good.”

“Your golem range might not be as good as a simple braided wire, though. Could they even operate simple controls?”

“Let’s call the golem idea a backup plan, all right?”

“Yeah. Good call.”

Theo and Throk worked on some specifics for a while. They were both confident in the wire, more than the golems. But even then, they would need an operator on the ground to move the device around. The advantages of the wire was that they could minimize the weight of the flying platform. Which meant they could load it up with more potions, increasing the effectiveness of each flight. Their meeting went on until the bells rang. Aarok sent a message to the town, calling everyone to their stations.

“They’re itchy today, huh?” Throk asked, grumbling.

Departing from the artificer’s workshop, Theo reported to the wrong post. While he was certain he was meant to arrive at the southern side of town, he was meant to be on the northern end. Sarisa joined with him as he sprinted, passing by normal folks as he went. Those who couldn’t fight at all were sent to shelters. Those shelters were guarded by teams of adventurers, ensuring that no one would be in danger while the fighting was done.

Ziz’s quarry was buzzing with activity. The wall to the north of the stonecutters' area was filled with adventurers. Theo found his place amongst them, watching as the advanced units sallied outside the gate. The alchemist had never liked the landscape north of town. It was a steep rise of rocky faces and jagged cliffs. The increased elevation did nothing to soothe the heat of the day, making it even worse.

“I love this part,” Sarisa sighed. “The calm before the storm.”

“You might like it less if you were down there.” Theo gestured to the combined forces of Gronro, Rivers, and Broken Tusk below. They assembled in orderly rows, leaving gaps for the jagged crags. The alchemist chanted his wards on the walls, weaving his standard shield alongside a magic-resistant layer.

The sortie from the defensive forces was incredibly successful. The monsters that came from the [Mountain Dungeon] were a kind of troll. Unlike the boss trolls, they seemed to be made of stone. That made their movements slow, rendering them as easy prey for the experienced fighters. What trolls that weren’t destroyed by the extended forces were quickly mopped up by the towers and ranged attackers. It was the single most boring wave Theo had ever experienced.

“This reminds me of the first goblin wave we had,” Theo said, leaning over the wall. He sighed, watching the soldiers below have a fun time with the fight. “We didn’t have towers back then. Or trained fighters.”

“I remember it.” Sarisa’s eyes focused on the middle-distance. Theo could almost feel her going back in time to relive the experience. “Now we can spawn a Level 10 wave without batting an eye.”

“What was Broken Tusk like before I showed up?” Theo asked, watching a troll’s head become separated from its shoulders.

Sairsa offered a weak shrug. “Boring. Nothing really happened. I remember watching a lot of my childhood friends leave when they got their cores. They all left to do something bigger, and I never blamed them.”

Theo flinched as the lightning tower nearby fired an arch of electricity. He spotted the boss shortly after, dismissing the system message that popped up. They were used to fighting troll bosses by this point. The key was to apply fire to any wounds inflicted on the monster, or to douse it in flames. Aarok did both, ordering his people to send firebombs while they kept a safe distance. It was the shortest monster wave the alchemist had ever experienced.

The reward for the monster wave was equally unimpressive. A few gold, and a ring that allowed him to see in the dark, but only when the moon was blue. The alchemist tossed his spoils into his inventory, then joined with the roving band of soldiers. Citizens cheered as the army moved southward, heading for the next dungeon. Xol’sa estimations were correct and without complications, for once. The alchemist met with Tresk and Alex to chat for a while as Aarok prepared for the next wave.

“That was unimpressive,” Tresk grumbled, crossing her arms and frowning.

“Agreed,” Sarisa said. “I was surprised to see that the clearing strategy worked.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. No one wants to run the [River Dungeon] because it’s underwater.” Tresk let out a frustrated breath. “We’re finally clearing away the [Ocean Dungeon], but only because there’s a weird underwater tower.”

The Adventurer’s Guild even had a bounty on each dungeon. Clearing it would provide a person with money. That incentive had not driven people until the traders from afar began showing up. Now everyone was concerned with getting the latest trinket from Partopour. And so, they were braving the depths of each dungeon to earn some cash. Accessibility was still an issue for the [River Dungeon], but once they had some time that would be solved. The checklist of things to do in Broken Tusk seemed endless.

Theo smiled as he watched the armies assemble. Compared to the mountainous region of the north, the hills to the south were more forgiving. The alchemist greeted Gridgen and his workers as they passed by. While the mine had seen more activity in recent days, they were hard workers who kept their heads down and got the job done. Only the leader of the mining team came out to greet them. And he didn’t remain for long, vanishing into the mine as the army passed.

Sarisa laughed, clapping. “This is so funny,” she said as they approached a shallow cave set into the rise of the hill. “People used to come here to make out.”

“Here?” Theo asked, gesturing to the rocks. “Under the rocks? There are spiders under there.”

“We cleared the spiders out.”

“‘We?’”

Sairsa went a bright shade of red, but soon regained control of herself. “Some of us like to have fun.”

The army assembled outside of the gate, and Aarok did his thing. It didn’t take him long to get control of everyone, ensuring that his forces were prepared for the fight. There were several adventurers who were injured from the previous fight, so Theo passed out potions to those that didn’t have them. After everyone was ready, the alchemist and Sarisa found their way to the wall. Tresk ranged ahead with the steal units, while Alex took to the sky.

“What the heck is a grimeling?” Theo asked, leaning over the wall as the wave started.

“Haven’t heard of them,” Sarisa said, squinting to see into the distance. “Oh, he’s calling for a retreat.”

Theo and Sarisa watched as the adventurers pulled back in a fighting retreat. The alchemist got a good look at the grimelings. They were knee-high puddles of muck that lashed out with tentacle-like appendages. He decided they were elemental-like creatures, and determined that a retreat was the best option. When attacked by an adventurer, they seemed to form themselves around the weapon to avoid damage. But once the army was safely behind the walls, both the towers and a line of adventurers throwing bombs got to work.

While the little monsters were almost immune to physical attacks, they weren’t so resistant to fire, lightning, and cold. Their little bodies weren’t suited for climbing the wall, but they could push themselves through the portcullis. Theo threw a bone dagger imbued with [Dragon’s Dance] inside of the gate, shredding a field of the gross monsters.

“They’re nasty,” Theo said, pressing the sleeve of his coat over his mouth. “Smells like… I don’t know? Tar mixed with sewage.”

Sarisa looked pale. “No kidding. No wonder people don’t run this dungeon.”

Theo couldn’t imagine what a high-level grimeling would have done to the town. Even the Level 10 monsters gave them trouble, slippery as they were. Only the towers, bombs, and warded daggers had any effect. The battle went on far longer than it should have. The monsters had spread out to the east and west, circumventing most of Aarok’s plan. Adventurers ran off with bombs in hand, desperate to cut them off before they reached any other gate.

Alex swooped from the sky, making runs on the fields of grimelings with her fire attacks. Thorny roots would spring up from the ground, magically binding the monsters in place. Then she would fly over the fields, spraying them with gouts of deadly fire. The goose played a key role in hunting down the stray monsters, and after several hours of fighting the boss finally spawned.

“Grime King Sludge,” Sarisa said, retching. “I can smell him from here.”

“We’re gonna need a lot of [Cleansing Scrub].”

As expected, the boss was a larger version of the grimelings. It looked like a living pool of tar, pulling itself through the hills with tendrils that shot out with force. The monster issued a squelching war cry as it approached the gates. Towers fired one after the other, covering the monster in layers of fire, freezing it in some places, and blasting large chunks off in others. Theo let loose his most powerful daggers, those infused with the [Dragon’s Dance] property. No matter where he threw the daggers, the monster’s ‘face’ always seemed to drift to another part of its body.

“This sucks!” Tresk shouted, stomping her feet. “I can’t even do anything.”

The wisdom of Aarok’s strategy proved itself as the sludge threw itself against the gate. Most of the creature’s body had been blasted away, rendering it almost useless against the sturdy walls. If the adventurers hadn’t been clearing the dungeon out, this wave would have been a nightmare. Theo was thankful for the commander’s foresight on that, and watched as the grime was whittled away to nothing. The wave ended, rewarding the alchemist with another few gold and another useless item.

Those assembled near the gate cheered in response to the boss falling, and there were no bonus waves to follow. Thank god for that. Theo was exhausted from the fight, even though his stamina had drained little. He dripped [Cleaning Scrub] on the wall, descending the battlements to inspect the fallen monsters. Pinching his nose, he knelt to inspect the goo they left behind.

[Grimeling Ooze]

[Alchemy Ingredient]

Uncommon

The stinking goo left behind by a grimeling.

Properties:

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

“Good thing stuff doesn’t stink when I put it in my inventory,” Theo said, sucking the liquid into his inventory.