Rows of mycology caves stretched in every direction. Theo stood, tapping his foot on the hard-packed ground, staring at the dream-like creation. After he got the idea to spread his alchemy to the world, he realized they wouldn’t be able to produce industrial quantities of the mixture. He had spent most of the Dreamwalk working on a way to dumb it down, but that brought challenges. The alchemist let out a steady breath, then pushed off against one cave’s entrance.

Casting his eyes to the sky, he saw Tresk and Alex doing battle with a dragon. A real dragon, this time. She had always been a dreamer. She came up with interesting things in the Dreamwalk without ever having seen it. Now that she had laid eyes on a dragon, she could reproduce it here without issue. Theo fell into an instinctive crouch when the earth beneath his feet rumbled. A shiver ran across the mirror realm.

“What was that?” Theo muttered to himself. The words carried to the sky, to Tresk’s ears. She appeared beside him.

“Woah! Can you feel that?” she asked, closing her eyes to focus.

Theo felt the little marshling’s senses spread out over the imaginary landscape. Her thoughts slipped through the cracks in the dream, then out into the wider realms. After a moment, her eyes snapped open.

“Something happened in the realms. Just felt like a… a… Pop! Then nothing.”

The alchemist’s mind couldn’t rest on that idea for long. It wandered almost immediately, falling back to his problem. Drogramath’s form of alchemy was known to the unaligned alchemists of the world. They could eventually gain access to distillation, but it was considered a high-level skill. Almost ascendant. At Level 50, someone with an [Alchemist’s Core] gained access to the skills required to distill essences. Before that, they created salves and poultices to help people. Theo could make those things. But he had never tried.

“We’ll see what that was when we get back,” Tresk said, patting Theo’s shoulder reassuringly. “No need to worry, my precious.”

“Hmm? Oh, right. No, we expected that. It just means that Fenian is alive. He must be working with Khahar to rearrange the realms.”

When the Dreamwalk ended, Theo found himself in a listless state. He wandered down to the dining room, so lost in thought that he didn’t greet those that greeted him. The alchemist left the manor with a plate of food. Sarisa and Rowan both trailed him at a distance, ever dutiful.

“I need your help,” Theo said, patting Salire on the shoulder. She stiffed for a moment, then nodded and followed him to the third floor of the Newt and Demon.

“Okay. I’m not sure I can really help.”

“Are those traders still in town?” Theo removed a [Swamp Truffle] from a storage crate and set it on a table.

“Yeah.”

“Perfect,” Theo pulled the hood up on his coat, suppressing a sigh as the comforting effects washed over him. “We have a problem. We’re both Drogramathi Alchemists.”

“How is that a problem?”

“Because I’d bet Partopour doesn’t have the facilities to make enough essence to defend themselves. We have to dumb ourselves down and figure out how the normies perform alchemy.”

“Oh!” Salire bounced across the room, withdrawing an old book from the shelf. “Gromdrath’s Introduction to Alchemy is a good read.”

She had spent a lot of time thumbing through basic alchemy books over the years. It was a hidden aspiration of hers, but one that was difficult to achieve. Even the standard form of alchemy was dangerous to perform, limiting practitioners to those who could afford apprenticeships. The book she had placed on the table was much like the others he had read. Unlike Drogramathi Alchemy, each method of creation was well-documented.

“Each reagent can be processed three different ways. But what those ways are depends on which property you want to extract. Every reagent is different. So while pickling might work to extract the first property of a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], but would reveal the third property on a [Manashroom]. It’s all random!”

“Write a list of the processing methods. Let’s get to work.”

Standard alchemy was smelly, boring work. Theo and Salire busted their butts for most of the day to try every manner of property extraction on the [Swamp Truffle]. Pickling, blanching, roasting, toasting… the list went on. It only got worse when the standard methods failed, and they began combining effects. In the middle of the afternoon, they unlocked the secret. The truffles needed to be brined in seawater, then roasted over a wood fire.

Salire was masterful in her preparation of the poultice. Not that there was much to do. She smashed the mushroom up, then added a catalyzing agent. What was left was a blackened paste that smelled like week-old unwashed feet. Theo pinched his nose, leaning in to inspect his apprentice’s creation.

[Hallow Weapon Coating]

[Weapon Coating]

Common

Created by: Salire Hogrush

Grade: Poor Quality

Coat your weapon with the [Hallow Ground] effect. Enemies struck with that weapon will experience the effects of [Hallow Ground].

“There it is,” Theo said, nodding with approval. “Not as good as the essence-based potions, but what do you want? Sarisa, could you prepare a few crates of my cultivated [Swamp Truffles]?”

The half-ogre woman appeared from nowhere. She bowed, then nodded. “How much?”

“Half the stock out back. Thank you.”

Salire was bubbling with excitement. She turned to the alchemist, clapping her hands and giggling. “This is big, right?”

“World-changing‌,” Theo said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “Write the recipe down, and deliver it to Miltar.”

After Salire took off, Theo was left with his thoughts. He could never remember that other nations didn’t have access to Drogramathi Alchemy. The undead were a world-level threat, weren’t they. He ground the heel of his foot into the ground, unsure of his own logic. Without an understanding of Balkor’s motives, it was impossible to know. Was he heading to Tarantham to get revenge on the elves? That was a motive, if one assumed he was cast down by Glantheir without a plan. If the demon god let himself be defeated, as might be the case, then revenge made little sense. So why head west? Something could be hidden in Veosta. Or the mountains that cut through the center of the continent.

Theo let out a frustrated breath, then dismissed the matter. He sent a quick mental message to Tresk, then fell through the realms. Uz’Xulven didn’t beckon him this time. He flew over the Bridge, then pierced the veil into Tero’gal. The scent of fires burning, and the sound of people cheering and dancing hit him first. He felt Belgar’s hand on his shoulder before his other senses came to him. A smile was on the spirit’s face.

“Welcome back. Did you see the news?”

“I haven’t. What’s going on?”

The people celebrating in the distance only grew louder. They had gathered in their little village, and were dancing around a large bonfire. Theo spotted a few wayward souls waiting for approval near the bubbling creek, but he turned his attention to Belgar.

“Khahar made a move. We got a system message that claimed the time scales of all heavenly realms were now standardized.”

“Oh. Really?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Yep. They’re bracketed now. Low realms like ours have five minutes on the mortal realm to twenty-four hours here. The rate is different as you go up, but the message didn’t tell us.”

That was a nerf for Tero’gal. Theo was excited to see how much time dilation they could take advantage of. But the universe didn’t revolve around him. This was likely a move to level the playing field in the high heavens. Belgar was silent as the alchemist moved to accept the new souls into the realm. He did so idly, hardly noticing as the realm leveled. He blinked away the messages, planning to decide on his upgrade later.

“How are things? Other than the time standardization?”

“Good,” Belgar said with a shrug. “I’m close to achieving a solid form.”

“You’re looking better every day.”

“Every year for me,” Belgar laughed, punching Theo in the arm. “Are you going to select an upgrade?”

Theo turned his attention back to the system notification. He already had a lot of upgrades for the realm. None of which he actually used. It was a weird thing where he didn’t spend all his time here. He didn’t understand what most of them did, but the most interesting one was [Landscape Manipulation]. Combined with [Harvesting Array], he could change the realm to look like whatever he wanted. Yet he hadn’t. The alchemist had watched the realm develop organically, and had little desire to interfere. Well, there was one thing he wanted…

“Upgrades,” Theo said, nodding. “Right. I’ve got a fun one.”

[Simulated Reality]

Your realm will better simulate the mortal realm. It will now experience a day-night cycle, weather, and realistic fauna patterns.

Something that had bothered Theo since he gained the realm was the lack of reality. It was somewhere between the Dreamwalk, and the mortal plane. Night, rain, and some critters would help make it feel more like home. Belgar nodded with approval.

“Come with me,” Theo said, gesturing vaguely to the west. “I’ve always wanted something in this realm.”

Belgar followed close behind. They passed through the sprawling forest, then through a deep valley before coming to the rolling hills that rested below a mountain range. It was all random landscape that was generated from… something. Theo had theorized that most gods took the [Landscape Manipulation] skill immediately, then formed their realm based on what they wanted. There was something missing from Tero’gal that Theo had wanted from the start. A wide ocean with a protected bay.

“No idea how this upgrade works,” Theo said. But as soon as he said it, he thought about the upgrade. An interface appeared.

The landscaping interface was detailed. He could paint the terrain manually, or plop pre-made things down anywhere he wanted. The alchemist quickly selected the ocean painting tool, then nearly fell over. When he selected the tool, his vision was ripped from his eyeballs. It soared high into the sky, providing him with a zoomed-out view of the landscape. He felt Belgar’s hands steadying him, and the worried words that came with it.

“I’m looking at the realm from above,” Theo said, trying not to fall over. “This is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“You good?”

Theo dragged the brush across the land. Now it was Belgar’s turn to almost fall over. The land under their feet rumbled. Where there was once rolling hills, there was now a roughly dragged section of sea. Salty air filled the alchemist’s nostrils shortly after, and he continued to paint. With each stroke of his brush, the realm’s energy depleted. By the time he ran out of power, he had painted a sea below the mountain. It stretched almost as far as they could see, curving along the horizon. A sheet of clear water, almost exaggerated by how blue it was, glittered into the distance.

“Ah,” Theo said, exiting the interface and falling onto his butt. “How do you like my ocean?”

Belgar laughed, a worried expression painted on his ghostly face. “I like it. Don’t do that again. Not while I’m around.”

“Come on,” Theo beckoned, heading down the slope to the shore. He had even painted a sandy beach on this side of the sea. The far side remained rocky. The alchemist popped off his boots and sunk his feet into the sand. Waves lapped against his ankles, bringing with it a perfectly cooled sensation that radiated upward.

“Think there’s gonna be fish?” Belgar asked.

“I hope so. As long as the [Simulated Reality] upgrade does its job.”

The spirits of the realm had felt the rumbling and were gathering near the beach. Once they spotted the sandy shores, they ran down in droves. Theo watched as his people crashed against waves, swimming out and splashing around as though they were children. That gave him enough time to inspect the realm.

[Tero’Gal]

Mortal Dreamrealm

Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk

Faction: Unaffiliated

Level: 30

Souls: 120

Expansions:

[Harvesting Array]

[Defensive Towers]

[Landscape Manipulation]

[Guardians of Faith]

[Bubble]

[Simulated Reality]

Pending Requests: 0

Wisdom of the Soul told him it would be harder to upgrade the realm after this. He would need more souls per level if they wanted to grow its strength. The souls of the realm were talking about making rafts to take out onto the water. Others were excited that there might be fish, or wild game they could hunt. Theo could twist this realm to be whatever he wanted. It could be a factory world where he produced obscene amounts of potion. It could be a massive forge that made weapons day after day. But this place was a slice of heaven. A comfy, wild place that seemed to stretch on forever.

At some point, Benton’s icy archway opened up. Where Theo expected only the toora to step through, another man came. He was a balding, stocky human with a worn-out tunic and bare feet. He held on his face a look of reservation.

“Theo!” Benton shouted, dusting the snow from his shoulders. “I brought a friend!”

“Hello,” Theo said, waving stupidly.

“Hi,” the man said. His voice was gruff.

“This is Ed. He’s the Human God of Tedding.”

“Of what?”

Ed groaned. “Is everyone going to ask me what I stand for? Tedding. That’s where you take material and spread it out into a field.”

“That’s horribly specific,” Theo said. “Anyway, wanna play in the water?”

“Uh, yeah?” Benton asked, scoffing. “Must be nice that you get to work in a temperate climate. I’m still stuck in eternal snow.”

Ed wasn’t a man of many words. He was happy to soak his feet in the water, and watch all the souls play, but he wouldn’t take part. Benton explained he was a brand new god, originally from Bantein. The guy had leveled a [Farmer’s Core] to 100… somehow. After a betrayal from his family, he had enough with the mortal world and ascended. That was apparently a popular thing to do, especially with the undead remaining a threat. Most people who could ascend would.

Theo and Benton returned to the town, sitting down for tea in the cottage. After they had exchanged stories for a while, something curious happened. A small mote of light appeared on the table. It pulsed with energy, but did nothing else.

“What’s that?” Theo asked, leaning in. He poked it, but his finger just passed through.

“Not sure I’ve ever seen something like that. Not in my realm.”

The orb pulsed some more, bringing with it garbled language that neither man could understand. They just drank their tea, ate scones, and watched the orb try and form something like words. But nothing came. Theo told his bear friend about his brush with normal alchemy, and how boring it was.

“Not everything is easy,” Benton said with a chuckle. “Oh, look. The words are getting clearer.”

“Theo… help,” the orb said.

“Hello?” Theo asked, leaning close to the orb. “You have the wrong number!”

“Stuck… moon… help…”

“Stuck on the moon?” Benton asked. “Someone is stuck on the moon? Can you even get to the moon?”

“Ah, crap. I know who that orb belongs to.” Theo drummed his fingers on the table. “That’s Sulvan Flametouched. Grand Inquisitor of the Burning Eye.”

“Huh. Grand Inquisitor of squat. Seeing as the eye is dead.”

“Dead-ish, but yeah. Sulvan. Can you hear me? Go screw yourself!”

Benton chuckled.

“Accept… realm…” the orb said.

“Accept my butt!” Theo and Benton cackled, swatting at the orb. But it didn’t go away. “Ah, whatever. Khahar? Yuri? Can you hear me? What should I do about this orb? Can you arbitrate this for me?”

A quick snap, then Khahar appeared in the cottage. He had a deck of cards in his hands, but cast a confused look at the orb. “That’s against the rules,” he said, gesturing at the orb. He swatted his hand through the air, then the orb vanished.

“Are you here to beat our asses at poker? Again?” Benton asked.

“Yes.”

Khahar delt, then poured himself a cup of tea. He won the first few rounds, but Theo finally won on a lucky hand.

“Sulvan and Uharis were meant to stay on the moon forever,” Khahar said, dealing another hand. “I guess they’re like cats without claws, though. I’ve been rejecting their petitions for ascendancy for a while.”

Theo chuckled. “That’s so petty. I love it.”

“You could interdict them to your realm, if you wanted to.”

“Why would I do that?”

Khahar shrugged. He finished dealing the cards out.

Was there any merit to accepting either man into his realm? Were they trying to be trouble-makers, or had they actually learned their lesson? There was value in bringing them here, but only because Theo’s command of the realm was absolute. He could cast almost anyone out at a moment’s notice, sending them to their home realms or the void. The only person he couldn’t toss out was Khahar, but that wasn’t surprising.

“Do you think they could atone, Yuri?” Theo asked.

“I think so.”

“Why are you rejecting their petition for ascension, then?”

“Because godhood wouldn’t give them the chance to atone. I have a feeling that another being is meddling with my plans, though.”

“Huh.”

This was something Theo would discuss with Tresk before he decided. Perhaps a few declawed cats were exactly what they needed.