A candle burned in the lab's corner on the second floor of the Newt and Demon. The slow drizzle outside gave way to a downpour, the open window providing a constant drone of noise. Several chairs sat by the open window surrounding a table. Theo sat, drumming his fingers on the table as the mad wizard went around his lab, remarking about everything.

The situation was something he expected, though. It was amazing that no wizards, or other folk interested in the appearance of an outworlder, had showed up to inspect Theo. Things seemed to fall by the wayside in Qavell, a fact not unnoticed by the alchemist. Tresk stood at the far end of the room, arms folded as she watched the wizard. Her figure was hardly imposing, standing at nearly half the height of the Dronon and several heads shorter than the elf. There was no need to inspect the Archmage. It was obvious he was a high level, and that action was often seen as rude in this world.

Uharis pricked his finger on the spikes of the [Drogramath Still] cursing before turning to meet Theo’s gaze. He managed a sheepish smile, then shrugged.

Azrug appeared at the top of the stairs, Theo’s shopkeeper. The boy had recently gained his cores, finding himself with useful, mercantile cores that made his job easier. His sister ran the town’s tavern, a woman who bore the same sharp, hawkish features and pale red skin. He lingered there, eavesdropping without a thought to stealth.

Uharis straightened up, smoothing back a head of greasy hair. Theo couldn’t stand the stench of the man and withdrew a bottle of [Cleansing Scrub] from his inventory, crossing the room and thrusting it into the Archmage’s hand.

“You stink,” Theo said.

“Ah, yes,” Uharis said, dumping the entire bottle over his head.

“You’re just supposed to use a drop, stinky,” Tresk said.

“No,” Theo said. “It’s better this way.”

Light swirled around the Archmage, furiously scouring away the man’s horrid smell. After a moment, he let out a long breath and smiled. “This has already been enlightening, but I have some questions,” Uharis said.

“Questions will cost you,” Azrug blurted from the door.

“Merchants,” Uharis said with a shrug. “So discerning.”

“Questions for questions,” Theo said, thinking on his feet for once. “I’ll ask you one, then you ask me one.”

“Well, that’s fair. I had a line of questioning closer to how are you handling the transition, but I see you’re handling it well,” Uharis said.

The Elf bore a crooked grin that Theo didn’t want to trust. He’d learned recently that information was valuable.

“The world-wide monster wave,” Theo said. “What do you know about it?”

“World-wide? Certainly not. That’s nonsense. Oh, naturally you ask about this first—how did you even know? Sorry, that was a question,” Uharis said, clearing his throat. “Across all of Iaredin? Not likely. It seems to be localized to Etul, but perhaps even more localized to the southlands of Qavell.”

Theo had more questions about that. He didn’t know what Iaredin or Etul was. He shuffled uncomfortably, facing the fact that he wasn’t well informed in this world. His haste to build up Broken Tusk left fragments of information that couldn’t be filled so quickly. Uharis picked up on this and broadened his grin.

“I’ll allow a follow-up question to that. I can see your confusion,” Uharis said.

“Iaredin and Etul,” Theo said, his face flushing. “I don’t know what those are.”

“Ah! An easy one. You know, I’m an instructor for some of the more prestigious scholarly cults in the realm,” Uharis said, beaming. “Allow me to instruct you.”

“Iaredin is what people call the world, Etul is the continent we’re on,” Tresk said, scowling.

Uharis shot her a baleful gaze. “Iaredin is more than the name of the world, girl. Well, I guess that’s what it is, but—”

“That’s all I wanted to know about that,” Theo said, waving a dismissive hand.

“Well, I thought you were one that enjoyed knowledge,” Uharis said, puffing up. “I’ll spare the lecture. Iaredin is from the old Elf tongue, and Etul was ‌constructed by the Humans. Now, my turn. Who brought you here? This was not a standard transition.”

Theo knit his brow. That question was harder to answer than giving a simple name. The entity that sent him to this world never gave its true name, simply earning the title of Harbinger from the alchemist’s planet. He thought about giving the Elf the runaround but decided against it.

“I don’t know its name,” Theo started, drifting into his thoughts for a moment. “An entity. It looked like a bird-person. I don’t think he caused the end of my world. It was just watching.”

“Curious,” Uharis said, nodding. “A watcher of some kind—I’ve heard of such beings. Well, I’ve read about them. In folk tales and legend, but there’s never been a first-hand account.”

“It had to be powerful, right?” Theo asked.

Most people shrugged him off when he talked about the Harbinger. They knew nothing about the entity and provided little in the way of information. Even a folktale was more than he could hope for.

“That doesn’t count as your question,” Uharis said, striding across the room. He made an excited noise when he found the teapot, materializing something from his inventory and dropping it inside. With a slight gesture, the teapot floated into the air and a small flame appeared underneath. “Naturally, it must be powerful. Even gods have trouble crossing between dimensions, even between their own realm and ours. To pierce the veil between our world and yours. Now, that’s power. Your question.”

“What can we do about our dungeons? They’re growing in power,” Theo asked.

Uharis swiped his hand, stoking the fire under the teapot. “Nothing. I won’t play dragon’s claw with you. I’ll lay it out plainly. This seems to be your chief concern, and I don’t blame you. As mayor, it’s your duty to protect this town. There’s a concentration of magic, something unnatural. This is a lecture, but I’ll be brief. Sometimes dungeons form a connection. It requires study, but I believe the four dungeons I detect around here are all connected with each other, and other dungeons throughout the kingdom. The alteration is intentional.”

“Who?” Tresk asked, baring her teeth.

“Ah, answer that and you’ll have a king’s bounty,” Uharis said. “Although I didn’t agree to answer any more questions. No, I suppose it's academic. No, I’ll pose another question. May I stay here for a week? The concentration of magic here is particularly powerful.”

“Ten gold,” Azrug blurted out. All eyes turned to him, forcing the red on his cheeks to go a deep shade of crimson.

“Shrewd,” Uharis said. “Do you know what my salary is with the order, boy? Don’t answer that.”

“Wizards find all kinds of magical things. You’re level 80! You have at least 9 cores,” Azrug said, narrowing his eyes. “You can afford it.”

“I have 11 cores,” Uharis said, flashing a devious grin. “That is a secret worth selling, boy. Fine, 5 gold upfront, then 5 when I’m done.”

The Elf produced five coins from nowhere and handed them to Theo. The alchemist didn’t hesitate to shove them in his inventory. He expected the tax collector to show up 5 days ago, but still hadn’t heard from the capital. The meeting, which he was dangerously late for, was to talk about that.

“Thank you,” Theo said.

“You’re most welcome, Theo,” Uharis said.

Theo didn’t remember giving the Elf his name, but he reasoned the Archmage had methods for obtaining that.

Uharis finally poured a cup of tea and slurped it down without cooling the steaming liquid. He grimaced, let out a long breath, then yelped. The Elf slouched for a second before straightening out again, pounding his chest and nodding to himself. He marched out of the lab without saying another word.

“I wonder what kind of tea that was,” Tresk said.

Theo inspected the leaves at the bottom of the pot.

[Sanchrin Leaves]

Rare

The Sanchrin plant grows on the slopes of high mountains. Their leaves are said to relieve nausea.

Properties:

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

[Cure Hangover] ???? ????

Theo laughed, dumping the remaining leaves out the open window. “It cures hangovers.”

The group shared a look before bursting into laughter. That the powerful Archmage was hungover didn’t surprise the alchemist at all. It was a wonder the Elf didn’t simply teleport away, but Theo was thankful for that.

“With that, I ask that you all get out of my lab,” Theo said, gesturing to the door. “I’m late for a meeting with Lauris.”

“I’m gone!” Tresk said, vanishing on the spot. Her voice then came from nowhere. “I teleported.”

“We know you’re just invisible,” Azrug said, receiving no reply.

“This shouldn’t take long,” Theo said, withdrawing the communication crystal from his inventory and taking a seat.

“Good luck,” Azrug said.

Theo squeezed the glowing crystal in his hand, feeling the familiar sensation of being tugged through infinity by his navel. Pillars of shapeless mist rose around him, the only source of light a dim glow from the sky. The mist formed, creating a platform where he was unceremoniously placed. The form he took was an incorporeal, dark body that only approximated his real visage. An unfamiliar shape churned in the darkness at the other end of the platform, coming together to form someone the alchemist didn’t recognize. It was a lizard-like person, but the shape was too vague to make assumptions as to exactly which type.

“Greetings, mayor,” the voice said. “I am Lauris’ replacement, Banthub.”

Theo’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened to her?”

The figure paused for a tense moment, pressing a clawed finger against his obscured face. “Nothing to be concerned about.”

Which meant it was something to be concerned about. Something was stirring in Qavell, but Theo was too far removed to figure it out. He assessed the facts of the situation many times, but always came up short. For the moment, he would attribute it to the war in the west, something he knew little about.

“I’m here about the taxes,” Theo said.

“Right,” Banthub said, shifting on the spot. “There have been issues in the capital. Nothing to be concerned about, I assure you, but we’re working to resolve the problem.”

“Issues?” Theo asked.

“Ah, well it's nothing that concerns a town like Broken Tusk,” Banthub said. He titled his head and let out a surprised sound. “You only owe around a gold. That’s curious.”

That was less than Theo’s calculation, although his math was bad. Luras, who had been pumping more [Intelligence] for some reason, ran the number for him and came up with a 5 gold total, rounding up. Between the taxes on the property, and the massive sales the town had been doing, they should have owed 10 percent of the total value. There had to be a mistake.

“That doesn’t line up with my books,” Theo said.

“Nor mine,” Banthub said. “A collector should be able to reach your town soon. Once we clear the—once we find the right person for the job. The tally must be an issue on our end. We’re having some issues with the kingdom seed core in Qavell.”

Once we clear the what? Theo thought. His [Wisdom] hinted at something he didn’t want to consider, so he pushed it away.

“What do you recommend we do?” Theo asked.

“Well, your town was already behind by a few silver, nothing absurd. That’s the main reason we replaced the previous mayor, that and—ah, sorry. I’m rambling. I recommend you pay the amount you’ve calculated. You can choose how the excess is used.”

“What are my options?” Theo said, making a mental note of the man’s next slip.

“We can invest it, put it toward future payments, or toward the war effort,” Banthub said.

Theo thought before responding. The war effort, that was an interesting thought. He was reminded of war bonds on Earth, a thing that almost came back in their most recent world war. This was nearly 300 years before his time, a fact written in books but not experienced by anyone still living.

“How is the war going?” Theo asked.

“Listen, I don’t know,” Banthub said. “I’m an [Administrator] for the crown, nothing more. I handle finances, but that’s about it.”

“Sore subject,” Theo said, neglecting to bring his voice below a whisper.

“It is. Now, is that all?” Banthub asked.

“I’m also interested in more stipends for my adventurers,” Theo said.

“You’re already getting the maximum allowance—actually, you’re getting more than you should get. Lauris really messed this up, but I can’t change it. Told you, the core is acting weird,” Banthub said. “You’re doing fine for yourself. Just thank the gods you’re not in the western provinces.”

“Alright, thank you,” Theo said.

Banthub ended the connection without responding, sending Theo tumbling up into the air. He slammed into his real body again, nearly falling out of the chair. Both Tresk and Azrug were standing there, poking at his face. The alchemist tried, and failed, to bat their hands away.

“You two are the worst,” Theo said.

“How’d it go?” Tresk asked.

“Poorly,” Theo said, explaining the meeting. “He slipped up more than once, although I wasn’t trying to catch him on anything. Someone wanted me in the mayor’s seat, perhaps specifically Miana out of the position. There’s also trouble in Qavell. That’s why the tax collector never showed.”

“Fenian might know,” Azrug said.

“Fenian knows—without a doubt,” Tresk said. “That Elf is hiding something.”

“Seems like everyone is hiding something,” Theo said. “I think I need to talk to Miana.”

----------------------------------------

Miana Kell’s house sat on the southern edge of Broken Tusk, far from the northern center of town. It was a squat, level 1 seed core house made of stone and a slatted roof. The chimney that poked from the edge of the roof bore wisps of a fire. Theo knocked on the door and a moment later, she answered.

Miana was a hard woman at the best of times. She’d been tempered in the fires of leadership, even when she wanted to do anything else. She was as tall as Theo, as most Half-Ogres were, with light olive skin and her black hair kept short. The look in her eyes was one of constant annoyance, but the alchemist smiled.

“Hello, Miana,” Theo said.

“You’re ruining my retirement,” Miana said. Still, she gestured for him to come inside.

Theo sat near the fireplace, swishing his tail to the side and regarding the interior. It was a simple home. Some ancient heraldry hung from the far wall near the window, a bed sitting in the far corner. Miana sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her face and groaning.

“What do you want?” Miana asked.

“I’ve put this off for longer than I care to admit,” Theo said, withdrawing 2 gold coins from his inventory. He handed them over to her, watching as the system flashed a window into his vision.

[Pay Your Debts] Complete!

The quest came with no rewards, but it felt good to have it out of his quest long, which was now empty. Miana smiled, nodding.

“Is that the actual reason you’re here?” Miana asked.

She could sense that he had more on his mind than paying his debts. Something lingered in the back of his mind that he wanted to bring to the fore.

“Who forced you out of the mayor's position?” Theo asked.

Miana’s eyes lit up for a moment, extinguishing immediately. It wasn’t something that Theo missed; he was far too perceptive.

“I stepped down on my own. You were doing a great job,” Miana said, almost monotone.

“Well, if that isn’t a pile of Karatan crap,” Theo said. “Out with it. I’ve got too little information as it is. I don’t need someone in my town that wants to hide secrets.”

“Your town,” Miana said, shaking her head. “Yes, I suppose this is your town. Perhaps all the southlands are yours, as well. Maybe even the pass into the sea—why not the ocean itself? You can have the desert and Khahar while you’re at it. Why not build a kingdom?”

“Come on,” Theo said, his shoulders slumping. “I took the position to help people.”

Miana regarded him for a moment before staring into the fire. Her eyes lingered there for a moment, as though something was on the edge of her mind.

“A man,” Miana said. Something broke inside her then, Theo could see. “Contacted me through the crystal. I was given instructions before you arrived.”

Theo’s brow knit tight on his forehead, sweat forming in the deep-set paths. The fire was blisteringly hot, but Miana stoked it that way.

“That’s not possible,” Theo said. “Who could have known I’d arrive here?”

Miana managed a sheepish shrug, turning her attention to picking at the fabric of her bedsheets. She was more of a scolded child at that moment, all bravado fell away in thick plates of shame. He wondered how long she’d been keeping this secret, and the cost of it all.

“How long?” Theo asked.

“Years,” Miana said with a shrug. “Gods, I can’t even remember anymore.”

The ex-mayor pulled a notebook out from a cupboard and flicked through the pages, pressing her finger on one and shaking her head. A look of pain flashed across her face.

“850, Year of Balkor’s Betrayal,” Miana said. “23 years ago.”

Whatever distrust for Miana he felt melted away at that moment. She’d been sitting on a secret for that long, telling no one. The cost must have been too great to betray this man, whoever he was. This left the alchemist with more questions than answers, a state of being he was growing accustomed to.

“What did he say, exactly?” Theo asked.

Miana turned, holding the journal so it caught the light of the fire. “In the 873rd year of Balkor’s Betrayal, a demon will appear in Broken Tusk. From the Earth into the sky then the farm. Nurture him, for he will turn the tide.”

Her voice was a lilting thing, barely above a whisper.

Theo’s heart was hammering hard in his ears. The confluence of events he’d predicted went wider than he expected. The entire thing was some damned prophecy—something he wanted nothing to do with. He was left with a single question. How deep did it go?

“Anything else?” Theo asked, swallowing his fear.

“Instructions,” Miana said, shrugging. “Keep the town at a low level, preserve the alchemist’s building, and manage the dungeons.”

Theo stood, pacing between the fireplace and the door. “This is too much, Miana. No one knows?”

“Not a soul,” Miana said. “He had… collateral.”

There it was. The thing the alchemist feared from the outset. His list of suspects was long, but Drogramath was on the top of it. There was also Fenian, but that didn’t line up well. The Harbinger could have been at the root, but that entity seemed uninterested at best. Then there were the countless actors in the kingdom of Qavell, including the Order of the Burning Eye.

“Did you get what was yours back?” Theo asked.

A smile played across her face, something that drove a dagger through Theo’s heart. “Yes.”

Theo moved to the door, placing a shaking hand on the handle. His body trembled, clothes soaked through with a mixture of rainwater and sweat. For the first time since his arrival in the town, he doubted. He doubted himself. His ability to see them through whatever storm was on the horizon. The idea that his cause was just.

“I need to gather my thoughts,” Theo said, his voice quavering. “I’ll be back with more questions.”

“Theo,” Miana called, forcing him to turn around. She had tears in her eyes, begging relief at the corners. Another dagger through his heart. “You’re a good mayor. Whatever this was, you were the right pick.”

“I feel like I’ll need to be more than good,” Theo said, something catching in his throat.