“We’re still in the land of metaphors, right?” Tresk asked. “There’s no actual water.”

Xol’sa had a concerned expression on his face. He was shaking his head, swiping through the symbols.

“How did you spot that?” Xol’sa asked, swiping his hand through the air with a frustrated sigh. “How did I miss it?”

“Because how could that happen?” Theo asked.

“Explain, please. I’m still lost,” Tresk said, taking a seat on the edge of the wall.

Theo didn’t understand it. He could feign knowledge, because it made sense to him. He considered the idea of Broken Tusk being a confluence of things quite a lot, but it was just something he used to understand the joining of disparate circumstances. The alchemist never thought of it as a literal thing, but there it was. There was more than one power joining on the dungeon, creating an overflow of energy.

Xol’sa took the reins of the explanation from there. “There’s at least 2 sources of power going into the dungeon. I didn’t spot it—I still can’t. But it makes sense. My theory has shifted, mayor.”

“Theo is fine.”

“I’ll keep the array I’ve created to slow the timer,” Xol’sa said, “and create a new one. If you think of the problem as many rivers joining into one, the solution is simple.”

“Yeah. Just make sure all the rivers don’t join,” Tresk said.

“Exactly. I won’t bore you with the details, but your other dungeons will take the burden. This will space the occurrence of monster waves considerably.”

Theo still didn’t understand. Not completely. He saw it as a problem where the other dungeons in their area weren’t pulling their weight, just sending that energy down the line to inland Qavell. If Xol’sa could siphon that energy, it would be a boon.

“And reduce their strength,” Theo said. “I feel like we should pay you for your work here.”

Xol’sa let out a short laugh. “This research is worth more than the entire town.”

“Maybe you should pay us‌,” Tresk said, grinning.

“Perhaps I should,” Xol’sa said.

“Don’t be rude. This is service enough,” Theo said. “Keep me updated on this, please.”

“I will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should get to work,” Xol’sa said.

Theo and Tresk excused themselves downstairs, taking a seat on the first floor. The alchemist wanted to wait a moment before leaving, as the portal’s effects were nauseating.

“Multiple sources interfering with our dungeon,” Tresk said, tutting. “I should have figured.”

“How so?” Theo asked with a chuckle. “You’re not a mage.”

“But, it figures,” she said. “So, what do you think about the wizard’s opinion?”

“I don’t know. I think he’s probing in the dark, looking for answers,” Theo said. “He’s approaching this cautiously, though. I don’t think his magical array thing would do anything to harm our dungeons.”

“Whatever,” Tresk said.

Theo shrugged at that. It really was whatever as she said. Xol’sa had a handle on it, and there was nothing they could do until he updated them.

“Care to join me through the portal?” Theo asked.

“The portal? No thanks,” Tresk said. “I don’t feel like vomiting today.”

While the Marshling could easily traverse the swamp, the alchemist had few options. He swallowed hard and forded a path through the portal, falling in a heap in the town’s square. He drew ragged gasps; the light stinging his eyes. After a moment of recovery, he felt rough hands on his shoulders. Someone was saying something, but he was too disoriented to hear it. Whoever it was tilted his head back and shoved something in his mouth. With no recourse, he chewed and swallowed.

A system message jumped into his vision.

[Food Buff!] You’ve consumed a piece of [Savory Zee Bread], crafted by a [Cook].

+1 Vigor for 8 hours.

“My food gives buffs, now!” Xam’s coarse voice came after a moment.

In a heartbeat, Theo remembered she got a cooking core from Fenian. How the woman had operated the Marsh Wolf Tavern until this point without a cooking core was beyond him. The flavor was more complex than what she normally made, even for plain bread. The alchemist couldn’t place the flavor exactly, as he had very little analogs back on Earth, but it was ‌good. It was moist, as far as bread went, and faintly salty with a hint of sweet.

“Did you have to assault me?” Theo asked, almost unable to keep the food down. The world came back to him in a rush, sending a second dizzy spell through his body. “I guess that means the mill is working.”

“It is!” Xam said, undaunted by Theo’s crabby attitude. “Do you have Karatan, yet? I’d love to experiment with some butter. Or milk—or just some meat.”

Theo rose to his feet and regarded her. There was a brightness in her eyes he couldn’t avoid, that sense of fulfillment that he wanted for everyone in the town. This wasn’t even a plan of his own making, but there the Half-Ogre woman was. Standing in front of him with that broad smile on her face. Despite his disorientation, his heart swelled. It was hard not to match her smile.

“No, I still need to source my livestock,” Theo said. “I’m taking suggestions on that.”

“Oh, I have a long list,” Xam said, nodding. “The Broglings breed these little, horned creatures with an attitude. They bleat and eat just about anything, and I’d like a small herd of them. Also, if you could source some—”

Theo held up a silencing hand. “Please tell Miana your wishlist. She’s the stable master for the ranch, so it’s up to her what else she wants. My only concern is the Karatan.”

“Right. I’m going now,” Xam said, bouncing on the spot. “Stop by the tavern tonight, if you want a treat.”

Xam bounced away, giggling to herself. Theo was left standing there, dumbstruck by her sudden change in attitude. The alchemist returned to the Newt and Demon, collecting the refined essence from his pressure vessel and clearing out the waste port. He then went about the laborious process of transferring 1,000 units of [Stamina Essence] to the pressure vessel, starting another run for refined essences.

“Has Xam forced you to eat her bread, yet?” Azrug asked as Theo entered the shop.

“She has,” Theo said, smiling. “I didn’t know taking a cooking core would make her food give buffs.”

“I guess so,” Azrug said. “She’s been cooking for years, but she’s so damn cheap. Never wanted to buy a cooking core.”

“What cores did she have?” Theo asked.

“Core. Just the one. A [Laborer’s Core], like most of the Half-Ogres here,” Azrug said with a wistful sigh. “Not anymore, I suppose. Kids are going to get great cores now.”

Theo didn’t want to mention the reason for that. Azrug’s amazing cores were tied to the overflow of energy from the dungeon, he was sure of it. That overflow would continue into the foreseeable future, and it was a blessing. Whatever entity was pumping them full of magic-juice was benefiting them greatly, the result of that magic having far-reaching consequences. The alchemist simply smiled and patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder.

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

After some small talk, Theo went upstairs to his lab. The pressure vessel took 1,000 units of [Healing Essence] and spat out 500 units, all at great quality, which was more than he could ask for. Since his [Refined Surge] modifier essence was also at equal quality, the resulting modified potions would be that quality. He set aside his essences and approached the [Glassware Artifice], shoving motes in until he could generate the 150 vials required for his modified second tier potions.

Theo took a moment of reflection before continuing with the process. [Iron Shavings] would serve as the best catalyst in this situation, as they were extremely cheap and should be the perfect one for second tier potions. He set up a single vial for testing, adding 1 unit of [Refined Healing Essence], 1 small [Iron Shaving], and 1 unit of [Purified Water] to the glassware. The reaction was immediate, putting off the familiar sights and smells of the healing potions. It swirled and bubbled, shifting to a light red color and putting off that sweet smell. Then, it put off a plume of glittering smoke. Moments later, he inspected the result to confirm his idea.

[Healing Potion]

[Potion]

Rare

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

A healing potion. Drink to restore health.

Effect:

Instantly restores 65 health points.

It was a perfect example of a mid-quality [Healing Potion], nothing to complain about there. He turned his attention to the next phase of testing, transferring the potion to a 4 unit vial and adding 2 units of his [Refined Surge] modifier essence. An explosive gout of smoke shot from the top of the vial, clouding his vision and filling the room with a scent like freshly tilled earth. Inhalation of the smoke didn’t seem to cause any issues, but it was still choking in its abundance. Theo opened the window, batting away the smoke from his eyes and cursing his shortsightedness.

Once the smoke had cleared, he inspected the resulting modified potion.

[Healing Potion]

[Surge]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

A healing potion. Drink to restore health.

Effect:

If the user is at full health, add 60 health to their maximum and restore that amount. Effect lasts 5 minutes.

The second tier version of the [Surge] modifier combined with the [Healing Potion] was great. While the first tier version only lasted a minute, this one lasted 5. [Surge] was one of the more effective modifiers that he’d discovered, especially for restoration potions. In this case, it would effectively add 60 health to whoever drank it, restoring that extra amount it added.

Theo’s only issue with this potion was the violence of its creation. He cast his eyes over essences he had assembled, letting out a sigh as he realized what came next. The alchemist returned everything to his inventory and headed out to his gravel yard, checking on his plants while he was there. They seemed to be doing good, although a few hours in the ground shouldn’t have affected them that much.

The alchemist tempered his desire to perform a massive reaction, settling down for a series of smaller ones. Plumes of glittering smoke soon reached to the heavens, filling the air with a rushing sound as he kicked off successive reactions. The process was slow. Even with his superior ability to measure units of liquid, the recipes were precise down to an unknowable accuracy.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Theo realized how necessary the experimentation room was. He cast his eyes to the heavens, thinking about a day when it would rain. That would ruin his process, forcing him to wait for a break in the downpour to complete his advanced reactions. With 75 [Surge] modified [Healing Potions] in his inventory, he was satisfied enough for now, moving to his lab to complete the remaining reactions.

Fenian had requested as many potions as he could make, as always, but the modified potions were going to go for a premium. The Elf would need to pay four times the value of a [Lesser Healing Potion] to make it worth Theo’s time, perhaps more. The alchemist returned to the comfort of his lab to perform the remaining 350 [Healing Potion] reactions.

Pulling a chair up to his table and dripping essence into vials was much more comfortable than hunching over them out in the gravel yard. Half-way through his work, the trickle of 2 to 5 percent experience messages was enough to send him over the edge into level 12 for his [Drogramath Alchemy Core].

[Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (2%).

[Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 12.

[Theo Spencer] received experience (0.66%).

Theo’s [Drogramath Herbalism Core] wasn’t far behind, not after tending his small garden outside. Each action spent working with the plants helped bring that core closer to his alchemy core. In the past, it was always a struggle to keep them in line.

We’re going to Xam’s for food tonight, Theo said, speaking directly to Tresk.

He wasn’t sure that he had the [Stamina] for the event, but it meant a lot to the woman. The alchemist was excited to give her support in her new efforts, especially if it meant good food. Tresk was good at making stuff on the fly, but it was always a hodgepodge of whatever they had. A diet of mostly meat didn’t seem to offend his Dronon stomach, but a little bit of variety would go a long way.

Sounds good, Tresk said. Any reason?

Her cooking cores are actually good, Theo said. I got a bonus from eating her Zee bread.

Oh dang. She has bread? Alright, Tresk said. I’m in.

It was impossible to tell how long Fenian would be away from town, but Theo suspected he could return at a moment’s notice if needed. He planned on taking it easy through the days, only brewing what potions he needed to, but his bottleneck was resource collection. The alchemist let out a heavy sigh as he rose from the chair, leaving his building and heading directly for the Adventurer’s Guild. He stood outside for a few moments, remarking to himself how they should really give themselves a name. He shook the thought off and entered, pushing past the groups of adventurers and heading for Aarok’s office.

“Theo,” Aarok said as the alchemist entered. “How are you?”

“I’m well. How about you?” Theo asked, taking the creaky seat opposite the Half-Ogre.

“Very well,” Aarok said, withdrawing a crate filled with eggs from under his desk. “Next time, request a few less eggs. The adventurers said they had trouble sourcing so many.”

Theo grinned, taking 500 [Fire Salamander Eggs] into his inventory. “My fault. I have a feeling my Tara’hek has a monopoly on all the good spots to collect them.”

“She eats them by the dozen,” Aarok said, nodding sage-like. “Now, is this a social call?”

“Not at all,” Theo said. “I need to post a quest.”

“Wow. Been a while? Just since the salamander thing… Right, what do you need?”

“Do you have that old reagent quest I posted before? The restoration quest. It was named [Supply Run],” Theo said.

“Yeah, you got a good memory,” Aarok said, withdrawing some papers from under his desk. He rifled through them for a minute before spotting the old quest. When the Half-Ogre held the paper up, Theo could mentally click on it to view the quest.

[Supply Run]

Quest

The proprietor of the Newt and Demon is requesting all adventurers to collect reagents for his potion empire.

Objectives:

Collect [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] (1 silver per 500 max 1000)

Collect [Moss Nettle] (1 silver per 500 max 1000)

Collect [Manashrooms] (1 silver per 500 max 1000)

Collect [Stat-Bearing Reagent] (1 silver per 500 max 1000 each)

“Perfect. Up the reward to a silver and a half,” Theo said. “And update the name to So Much Potion.”

Aarok regarded him for a moment with a quizzical look, ending the expression with a shrug. “I’m guessing you have a new order.”

“I do,” Theo said. “Fenian made a large order. Well, I suppose he asked for whatever potions I could make, but I need volume.”

“How is our new wizard doing?” Aarok asked, breaking any pretense of pleasantries. That was his right, though. He was charged with the protection of Broken Tusk.

Theo looked behind him, ensuring the door was closed. “He’s doing extremely well. Pulling back the curtain a bit,” he said, explaining everything he knew about Xol’sa. He spared no detail, sharing his thoughts about the Elf.

“You think he’s looking for a home? And he knows what he’s doing?” Aarok said, leaning back in his chair. He cast his hooded gaze out the window and grunted. “That’s good enough for me. If he halted the monster waves, like you said, that’s more than good enough. That’s great.”

“Think of it like this,” Theo said, leaning in. “There’s one mortal in this world that could help us with the dungeon problem. One. That mortal is Xol’sa. An extra-planar elf that can see the fabric of all this nonsense. He can decipher our problem with the dungeon.”

“I’m not following,” Aarok said.

“Was he drawn here because he heard about our problem, or something else? Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it. That confluence of events I’m always hearing about runs deeper than I thought,” Theo said, running his fingers over the papers on the table.

“Don’t know if I believe in fate, Theo,” Aarok said.

Theo waved him off. “Maybe not fate. Maybe some unseen hand.”

“Multiple sources of extra-dimensional energy?” Aarok asked, letting out a heavy sigh. “You realize it sounds like more than one god interfering with our town, right? Broken Tusk. A mud ball. In the middle of nowhere.”

Theo fell into his memories at that moment, something sticking out and ringing like a bell. He looked at Aarok and saw something hauntingly familiar. A chill ran up his spine as a grin spread across his face.

“A soldier,” Theo said, tipping his head toward Aarok. “Looking for a peaceful life,” his grin broadened, “what a familiar story.”