It was difficult for Theo to rise from his bed the next morning. The entire night was not enough time to digest all the food in his stomach, but eventually he rolled out of bed. Light from the early morning filtered through his window, signaling the extent of the damage the heavy meal had done. He stumbled into the lab, finding Tresk already there preparing breakfast. She had the same thing in mind, apparently, forgoing the heavy meal in favor of small cuts of steaks and a bubbling pot of tea. He groaned into his chair, reclining and shaking his head.
“We’re not used to food that rich,” Tresk said, grinning as she flipped the steaks. “Good call on telling the wizard off about helping.”
Theo nodded. “We can’t always rely on outside help.”
“Independence is more important,” Tresk said. “This path is more costly, but it's worth it.”
The spiritstone coins required to buy the town from Qavell shot to the forefront of Theo’s mind. It was the next coin up from gold, although he didn’t know if it was 100 gold coins to 1 spiritstone or not. The dream of owning the town outright was very far away, though. Even if he had the coin to make it happen, there was the implication of independence from the capital. Would they treat Broken Tusk as a duchy, or an independent state? The only way to make that happen was to create such a powerful mercantile force that no one could deny their power. The confluence of events would help with that.
Theo long suspected that things weren’t what they seemed in the town. The herbs that grew behind his lab were a testament to that. The quarry was the next thing that sealed it away in his mind as a fact. He’d confirmed that plants shouldn’t regenerate as quickly as they do in Broken Tusk. The quarry sat atop a perfect quality marble mine, and Miana’s words about the mysterious man just tied it all together. There was something strange about this town. Forced to sit at a low level for all those years, it would now soar to become what the alchemist needed it to be.
“Sledge,” Theo said, breaking out of his trance. “We need to improve her business.”
“How do you think we should do that?” Tresk asked, serving two plates of steaks.
Theo poured himself some tea, ruminating on the idea for a moment. With only woodworking cores, she’d be in trouble. He suspected she had a [Woodworking Core] and a [Carpenter’s Core], but logic dictated she was at least level 10. That gave way to the idea of getting her a different core for her third slot, something that would set her apart from a common carpenter.
“Uharis,” Theo said. “He said he lectured for some scholarly cults, whatever those are. He’ll know the best combination. Something that sets her apart from everyone else.”
“Good idea. We get him in here, get some food in him—maybe some liquor—and we get him to tell us the best combo,” Tresk said, a devious grin spreading across her face.
Theo drank his moss tea, feeling the invigorating effects spread through his body. The slackness that came with the heavy meal melted away, sending waves of warmth through his body. He ate his steak slowly, trying to use his intuition to think of an excellent combination for the carpenter. He was too uneducated on the topic to come up with anything useful. The information was just out of reach.
“What are you getting up to today?” Theo asked.
“Well, some adventurers wanted to scout the other dungeons,” Tresk said, smacking her lips and swallowing a large hunk of steak. “I don’t think anyone has explored the [Ocean Dungeon], yet.”
A bell suddenly rang in the distance, frantic and repeated. Tresk bolted from her chair immediately, drawing her daggers and narrowing her eyes. Theo almost fell out of his chair from panic, casting a worried look at his companion. “What?” he asked.
“That’s a call to arms,” Tresk said. “Come on!”
The Marshling darted to the stairs, leaving Theo woefully behind. He stumbled over himself, clambering down the stairs and out the front door. He saw Luras dart off toward the western gate, the source of the bell, with his bow drawn and a grim look on his face. Tresk was already most of the way up the road to the town center. The alchemist simply didn’t have the same speed as the others, trailing behind as they ran ahead.
By the time he got to the town square, Aarok was calming a group of townsfolk down, the bell still ringing in the distance.
“It's under control,” Aarok said, waving his hands dismissively. “No need to panic.”
Theo leaned in, casting his eyes over the worried crowd. “What’s going on?” Theo asked in a whisper.
“Follow me,” Aarok said. “Everyone stay here.”
Aarok led the way to the western gate. Theo spotted that the portcullis was dropped, a wolf on the other side attacking the metal. Then he noticed the thing on top of the wolf. It was a small creature, covered in sore sand boils and brandishing a wooden spear. The weapon lashed out through the holes in the metal gate, threatening to wound anyone who got close enough. Tresk and Luras had ascended the battlements, the Half-Ogre trying to get an angle on the monster with his bow. He cursed, descending the stairs to take a shot from behind the gate. The green skin of the mounted monster gave it away as the Goblin everyone was talking about.
[Boss Monster] spotted! Wolf Rider Grek’Stinks has been sighted. This monster is stronger than regular monsters. Use caution.
“Stand back,” Luras said, drawing his oversized bow fully.
The mighty Half-Ogre loosed an arrow, aimed directly at the Goblin’s heart. But a swift swat from the monster sent the arrow tumbling to the side, striking only the muddy ground outside. Luras cursed again, nocking another arrow and releasing. This happened several times before the Goblin let out a shrill scream, turning its wolf around and bounding out into the swamp.
“That stupid Goblin,” Luras muttered. “I can’t hit it.”
“Yeah, he has some kind of ability,” Tresk called from the battlements. “Smacks all attacks away with his spear.”
“The monster has given us nothing but problems out in the swamp,” Aarok said, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “I’m afraid something is going to happen, and I know you don’t want the wizard’s help.”
Theo understood the words Aarok didn’t speak. Maybe he was reading into it, or maybe it was the push the alchemist needed to experiment with less friendly means of potion making. He turned on the spot without saying a word, marching off toward the Newt and Demon. He heard Tresk say, “don’t worry about him.”
The Marshling was close behind him, joining him inside the lab. Theo paid her little mind, getting to work right away. He raided Tresk’s stash of [Fire Salamander Eggs], setting them near the stills and moving to consult Basic Drogramath Alchemy. There was a section on offensive improvised potions. It exploited a quirk in the essence system, and he intended to use it against the boss. Perhaps he wouldn’t be the one to hurl the deadly potion, but he would be its creator.
“What are you making?” Tresk asked.
“A potion,” Theo said.
“Are you going to use my eggs?”
“Only a few of them. I don’t need the insides—just the shells,” Theo said.
“Crack them into my open mouth,” Tresk said, tilting her head back and opening her maw wide.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Theo shrugged, cracking 10 of the eggs into her mouth, crumbling the shells and placing them in the [Drogramath Still]. He added equal parts water and set the flame to its lowest setting. The alchemist moved to the [Glassware Artifice], a device capable of producing any glassware he could imagine.
“I understand you’re trying to be a pacifist, but needs must,” Tresk said.
Theo let out a heavy sigh. “I’m not a pacifist. Not really. I understand what it takes to defend something you love, and I’m willing to do it. I won’t throw this, but I’ll create it.”
“I understand you’ve had enough of killing,” Tresk said, coming to bring her comforting presence behind him.
Theo appreciated her just being there. He focused his mind, inserting a mote into the side of the device and projecting an image from his mind’s eye. It was a strange-looking flask with two chambers on the inside separated by a glass stopper. The alchemist forced his will on the machine, detailing that the two center stoppers should be brittle enough to break from an impact. There would be a small gap between the two stoppers, separating the individual chambers. The machine whirred, spitting the item directly into his inventory. He withdrew it, holding it up for Tresk to see.
“Fancy double bottle?” Tresk asked, shrugging.
“A bottle with two chambers,” Theo said, moving to the table. He placed the flask there, withdrawing a flask of [Withering Essence] from his inventory. It was the most unstable essence he’d ever worked with. When he brewed it, during his attempt to break the barrier, it would react with almost anything. He placed the bottom stopper inside, sealing off the first chamber.
“And why is that useful for the wolf?” Tresk asked.
Images flashed through Theo’s mind, and he let them come. Pieces of his memories from Earth. Painful things that drove an iron spike through his heart. “When I worked on my planet, I killed people. We had technology that would allow us to kill someone from long distances. Guns, if you could call them that. High-tech rifles that could make a straight shot for miles. The computer did most of the work, and I only used one of those a few times. Do you know what I was really good at, Tresk?”
“What?” Tresk said, her eyes wide. She could feel the pain he felt. He knew it.
“Bombs. Sneaking in. Placing explosives and getting out,” Theo said, a painful sense of pride spreading through his chest. “I was good. I could blend in anywhere. Social camouflage, or something like that. This hits close to home. That’s all.”
The condenser on the [Drogramath Still] sputtered, releasing the last of its contents. Tresk waited a tactful moment before speaking again as Theo went to collect the [Flame Essence]. “You were a bad guy. Not anymore.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Theo said with a shrug. “That’s the thing, though. I look at the people in this town and I see a common factor reflecting in their eyes. The same thing I killed those people for. Food. Comfort. A sense that the world wasn’t ending.”
Theo placed a [Copper Shaving] in the center chamber, stoppering it with the top stopper. He poured the [Flame Essence] in, taking comfort because the dual stopper system worked. If it hadn’t the Newt and Demon would be a smoldering crater. The alchemist was confident in his skills, having no doubts about his design.
“These are the things we do to protect the things we love,” Tresk said.
Theo felt better about himself than he had in ages. He got his true feelings off his chest, something he hadn’t done before. It wasn’t as though he didn’t trust his Tara’hek with the information. He didn’t want those floodgates to open, giving way to something far worse. But there were things outside of those walls. Things that wanted to kill him and everyone else inside. No, he wouldn’t allow that. Not while he could do something about it. He stoppered the top of the potion, shaking it for good measure.
“Perfect,” Theo said. “If any of the seals failed, it would have exploded.”
Tresk’s eyes went wide. “How big?”
“This one is for demonstration,” Theo said. “The one I make to kill the Goblin will be smaller. Wanna see?”
“Uh, yeah!” Tresk said, jumping up and down.
Sweat accumulated on Theo’s brow. Despite his bravado, he was nervous about this invention. It was a design that lingered in the back of his mind for quite a while. A weapon he hoped to never create, but that was a childish thought. The monsters lurking around in the swamp weren’t friendly. They didn’t listen to reason. Their primary motivation was death.
Aarok was talking with Luras near the western gate. Uharis had assumed the battlements, looking over the swamp and muttering something. Streams of light issued from his body, snaking out toward the swamp with searching intent.
“I’ve come to show you something, Aarok,” Theo said, holding his improvised weapon aloft. “Be careful what you ask for, next time.”
Aarok exchanged a concerned look with Luras.
“Luras, join me on the battlements,” Theo said, gesturing.
Luras and Tresk accompanied Theo to the battlements. The alchemist handed the Half-Ogre the potion and smiled. “This is incredibly dangerous. My cores are screaming at me to stay far away from where this is thrown. Think you can get it at least 100 paces out into the swamp from here?”
Luras shrugged. A crowd gathered below, murmuring indistinctly. “Yeah, easily.”
“When you throw it, duck,” Theo said.
Uharis gestured, muttering something under his breath. A thick, blue barrier formed in front of him, glittering with magical runes. Theo smiled. The Archmage knew what he was doing.
“On your count,” Luras said.
“One… Two… Three… Throw!” Theo shouted.
Luras hurled the potion in the air, sending it at a steep angle toward the swamp. Theo watched its trajectory for a moment, ducking after he was satisfied it would land far enough away. Even the impact against the marshy ground would be enough to set the thing off. It was incredibly unstable.
Luras, Tresk, and Theo huddled behind the crenelations of the battlements when the weapon exploded. A plume of fire rose into the air. The boughs of the mighty Ogre Cypress trees shook from the force of the blast. The air was filled with a deafening explosion, the wall under their feet shaking from the raw power of that experiment gone wrong. Those gathered below shrieked in terror, running away from the rising plume of fire. Uharis tutted.
“I could have done as much,” Uharis shouted, digging his fingers into his ears.
“You shook that thing in the lab! Like it was a ripe nut! You’re psychotic!” Tresk shouted, punching Theo in the arm.
Theo looked down, catching sight of Aarok’s mouth agape. The alchemist cast him a devious grin.
“Glanthier’s balls, Theo!” Luras shouted. “A little more warning next time.”
“I told you to duck,” Theo said. “I knew you could throw it far enough.”
“I’m afraid that might be a little too powerful for what we need,” Aarok shouted from below.
The group descended the battlements. Theo clapped his hand over the guildmaster’s shoulder. “It was just a demonstration. That one was very unstable. I forced two essences to interact with themselves and a catalyst at the same time. I’ll create smaller ones to take out the Goblin.”
“Well, that was impressive,” Uharis said, clearing his throat. “Incredibly stupid. Extremely dangerous. But impressive. Drogramath’s alchemy is a hair different from the standard form.”
“I know nothing about the standard alchemy cores,” Theo said with a shrug. “I know my essences and how they work.”
Uharis thought for a moment, cupping his chin in his hand. “Those Drogramath Dronon who live in our realm choose a life of solitude. Even before the order was established, they kept their secrets for themselves. Not that it would matter. Without your cores, handling essences can only be done by a high-level alchemist.”
“How high?” Theo asked.
Uharis shrugged. “Level 50, perhaps? The alchemists in Qavell are secretive. Even in my formative years studying magic I wasn’t able to collect as much information as I would have liked.”
Theo cast his eyes over the scattered townsfolk slowly filtering back into the town center. “How dangerous are my cores?”
Uharis came closer, placing a hand on the alchemist’s shoulder. His next words came in hushed tones. “You’re hearing their whispers, aren’t you?”
“Fairly often,” Theo said, managing a weak smile. “You can drop the pretense, by the way.”
“Of course,” Uharis said, waving a dismissive hand. “You’ve been focusing your stats on [Wisdom], haven’t you? My high [Wisdom] score, and the hundreds of hidden wards on my person should have blocked your intuition. Then again, you might just be a naturally clever person.”
“What are you talking about?” Tresk said, leaning in to whisper with the pair.
“My cores have a direct connection to Drogramath,” Theo said. “My intuition is a mix of my high [Wisdom], and his knowledge. Uharis stuck around to see how close that connection was under the pretense of checking on the dungeons. He’s really been watching me. Likely with Sulvan’s permission.”
“Very astute,” Uharis said, smiling.
Theo wanted to be offended, but he didn’t blame them. The display he just put on outside of the gates would be enough for anyone to be concerned. There was a lot of power in Drogramath’s essences, power that could do horrible things in the wrong hands. He only hoped that the Order of the Burning Eye could see that he wasn’t the wrong person. He was the perfect vessel to contain that evil power.
“Wow. You figured that out, Theo?” Tresk asked.
“Not really,” Theo said. “It was a guess.”
“Can he handle it?” Luras said, edging closer to the whispering group. “The power of a Demon god?”
“It appears so,” Uharis said, straightening his robes. “This was all precaution, of course.”
“Well, now that you’ve had your fun I have a few questions to ask,” Theo said. “Questions about cores.”