It was hard enough to spend time away from the gosling, no matter how little, but harder still to leave once Theo had returned. The junior administration staff had things for the alchemist to look at, but Tresk promised to stay with Alex. Things had moved quicker than expected. The sudden meeting at Rivers and Daub increased the pace of an already hectic few days.

The town seemed more somber without their support staff and commanders. Theo found his way to the town hall, led by a gaggle of administrators to meet with Zarali. Where Xol’sa had a mind for war, the Drogramathi Priestess seemed more suited to administration. But even a day of management left her hair frazzled and her expression dazed. The alchemist clapped a hand over the bedraggled woman’s shoulder and smiled. She jumped at the contact, eyes darting as though she was asleep standing up.

“Theo! How did it go?” she asked. “Didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

“It was great,” Theo said. “Threw my weight around and all that. How are things here?”

“We’re scrambling to get everything in order. I can’t read Alise’s handwriting, and Gwyn isn’t much better,” Zarali said, knitting her brow.

Theo checked his mayoral screen, finding a section where the pair had scribbled endless notes. He compared these to the hand-written notes Zarali held and confirmed they were the same. It was a list of what needed to be done before the Elves arrived tomorrow. The houses Fenian meant the refugees from House Wavecrest would need to share homes. The chattering administration juniors confirmed all those homes were planted, ready for their occupants. Food still needed to be distributed to [Dimensional Storage Crates] for distribution, but otherwise, things were looking good.

“Looks like you’re mostly done,” Theo said. “Should we expand the town to impress our new townsfolk?”

The administrators gave a series of overlapping sounds that were a mixture of agreement and disapproval. Theo stared them down for a moment, dismissing them to distribute the food before the refugees arrived. Zarali let out a sigh of relief, falling into a plus chair near the fire. It was too hot for a fire, but Half-Ogres always loved when there was a fire burning.

“Why not?” Zarali asked. “I’m already exhausted, and I have done nothing today. Just walked around with a group of chittering children. How does Bob do it?”

“Let’s go,” Theo said, grabbing her by the hand and hoisting her to her feet. She trailed behind him, too tired to keep pace. Standing near the town’s monolith, the alchemist consulted his map.

The town held a few sections that were logical to expand. They already owned all the immediate area around Broken Tusk as unincorporated land, so they couldn’t build there. But the best place to expand was to the east and west of the farm, by one expansion, and expand that until it met with the northern wall. Naturally, that was too expensive. Buying property around the town was getting absurdly expensive. Each purchase would set him back 10 gold, at the minimum. But without the property, they couldn’t upgrade the town’s status, resulting in an inability to level it to 20.

“We’ll settle on the eastern side, for now. The land between the farm and the quarry is perfect for housing. Once I get more money, I can think about taking that section with the farm to the east,” Theo said.

“Uh-huh,” Zarali said. Theo poked her in the arm, but she didn’t respond.

Theo ignored her, checking the next upgrade stage for the town.

[Broken Tusk] can be upgraded to a [Massive Town] when the following conditions are met:

Large Population: COMPLETE

Expanded Land Ownership: INCOMPLETE

If he had the money, he could hit whatever was after [Massive Town] right when the Elves arrived. But income was slowing down, and would only get worse when the undead attacked Gronro. For now, he needed to be happy with what he had. Theo selected several expansions, starting from Stabby Groves and working his way eastward. Each purchase was more expensive than the last, resulting in him spending 50 gold between 4 expansions. The ground under their feet rumbled as the walls readjusted themselves. The alchemist realized he should have sent a notice when shouts of fear rose from the townsfolk.

[Theo]: Just expanding the town. No need to worry.

Theo checked his money, his warning not calming anyone in the slightest. 25 gold, 61 silver, and 44 copper. It seemed a shame to keep that much gold in his inventory, but there was nothing to spend it on. Perhaps Azrug’s caravans would provide him with something worth buying. For now, he clicked the button to upgrade the town to a [Massive Town]. It provided no benefit, but allowed him to push Broken Tusk over the level 20 mark. It only took a few [Monster Cores] to push the town over the edge.

The upgrade screen popped up, displaying the familiar [Water Tower], and [Watchtowers] selection. But the level 20 option was great. It was something Theo could have only dreamed of. The alchemist read through all the options anyway, just to make sure.

[Watchtowers]

Your [Small Town] will gain watchtowers placed along the border. The watchtowers will move to match the edge of your borders, should you expand. 12 watchtowers will be placed.

[Water Tower]

Your [Small Town] will gain a single 1,000 unit water tower in its center. The tower will not automatically fill.

[Synergistic]

Enables the [Production Chain Synergy] ability on all buildings within town. Linking buildings requires a [Fabricator]. Results of synergies vary based on the skill of the [Fabricator].

How could he resist the [Synergistic] option? Broken Tusk had enough production chains to make it worth it. Theo thought about the [Weaver’s Seed Core] in his inventory, and his eventual plan to use that to spin his [Starbristle Flax]. Once the shipwright got to town, he’d have a better idea for what other parts of the shipbuilding chain they’d need. But this was too good not to pick. After selecting the upgrade, he inspected his town while Zarali fell asleep standing up.

[Massive Town]

Name: Broken Tusk

Owner: Kingdom of Qavell

Mayor: Theo Spencer

Faction: [Qavell]

Level: 20 (15.11%)

Core Buildings:

Alchemy Lab

Greenhouses (x6)

Mycology Cave (x2)

Blacksmith

Artificer’s Workshop

Large Farm

Windmill

Quarry

Stonecutter

House (x352)

Tannery

Tavern

Adventurer’s Guild

Hotsprings

Sawmill

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

Mine

Smelter

Enchanter

Ranch

Townhall

Butcher

Defensive Emplacements:

Chain Lightning (x12)

Frost Cone (x7)

Fireball (x10)

Firebolt (x25)

Upgrades:

[Stone Walls and Gates]

[Stone Roads]

[Turret Emplacements]

[Synergistics]

Effects:

[Troll Slaying]

[Coordinated Fire]

Current Resources:

Timber: 40,101

Stone Blocks: 17,006

Metal: 18,108

Motes: 8,418

Theo sneered at the owner of Broken Tusk. Whatever was happening in the north would change their fortunes, but it was hard to tell if that was a good thing. The normal road to gaining independence came with purchasing a dukedom. That wasn’t even full freedom, it was just less taxes. The alchemist needed the disaster in the north to go well for him. He held onto that idea of reaping taxes from the region, creating a constant flow of money he could use to enhance the region.

“Done working?” Tresk asked, trotting through the square. She cradled Alex in her arms, the gosling constantly chirping. “You had fun with Auntie Miana, didn’t you? Got to see all those big scary Pozwa. Good girl.”

“Mostly. Should I dump cores into the town, or upgrade buildings? Everything can get past level 30, now,” Theo said, tapping his chin.

“Buildings,” Tresk said. “No need to waste cores when we need another status upgrade.”

Theo nodded. “I think it’s time for some recon.”

“Hell yeah.”

Theo deposited Zarali through Xol’sa portal, checking with the administrators that everything was good for the night. When he was satisfied, the alchemist ordered his 5 remaining [Lesser Copper Golems] to guard the Newt and Demon. It paid to be cautious.

Theo, Tresk, and Alex fell into the Dreamwalk together. They appeared on a snowy mountain, the lowland of Rivers and Daub stretching to the south. Every other direction was craggy mountains reaching into the sky like jagged daggers. Gronro-Dir was a horrid place. The buildings were squat, some built into the mountain itself. They had a wall, but it was under-defended and the interior of the town was tiny. The alchemist estimated it was about the size of the farm in Broken Tusk.

“Yeah, I wasn’t impressed,” Tresk said.

But Gronro had one thing going for it. There were only two approaches to the town. North and south. Anything attempting to attack would need to brave the bitter cold and jagged peaks of Murder Passage. Theo walked the wall, finding a lack of defensive towers. He was glad that cold didn’t translate to the Dreamwalk, but concerned about his ally’s lack of defensive capability.

“They defended this for how long?” Theo asked, looking out over the north-facing wall. The approach was horrific. A narrow passage, only wide enough for two Half-Ogres to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, ending on either side with a plunge. Deep valleys were on either side of the path, at the bottom of which were more jagged rocks that would shred anything. “Oh, that’s how they did it. Right.”

“Put a few [Chain Lighting Towers] on this bad boy,” Tresk said, patting the wall. “And you got yourself a defensible position.”

Alex chirped her agreement, jumping off the wall. Theo watched her go, unconcerned for her safety. Dreamwalk rules applied for everyone in the realm. She couldn’t be hurt.

“So, the meeting,” Theo said. He explained how it went. Tresk pumped her fist when he got to the part about throwing his weight around. She had concerns about Rivers and Daub pulling their weight, but agreed it seemed weird to leave them out.

“They want to be the breadbasket,” Theo explained. “But we’ll out-produce them soon.”

Tresk tapped her fingers on her daggers, humming for a moment. “Why can’t they get their own patron?”

“Well, nothing says they can’t… But our latent power comes from the dungeons,” Theo said. Working with Xol’sa had increased his knowledge on the function of godly power. It shouldn’t have been as simple as asking a god to fill a dungeon with power.

“They have a dungeon here,” Tresk said, pointing northward.

In the distance, behind a haze of snow and clouds, was a dungeon entrance. It was hard to see from the walls, but there it was. Theo shifted the scene, arriving on the walls of Rivers and Daub. Tresk helped him scan the horizon without asking questions, but they weren’t able to spot a dungeon.

“I’m sure they have a dungeon around here,” Theo said, squinting to see farther. It didn’t work. “They must. Right?”

“Not so sure about that,” Tresk said.

Theo fell into his thoughts while they searched. That would put Rivers at a massive disadvantage. Then a realization washed over him. It wasn’t a problem of having an overpowered growth rate. Banu’s farm had several upgrades that allowed him to grow stuff far faster than normal. Miana’s ranch likely had upgrades that worked similarly.

“The lazy bastard,” Theo said, shaking his head.

“You think he doesn’t have seed core farms? Is that psychopath growing stuff by hand?” Tresk asked, gasping. “Surely not!”

“Should’ve inspected the town,” Theo grumbled. “We’re hoping Alise and Gwyn are sharper than I was. That was the point of leaving the administrators to hammer it out.”

“We’ll be better leaders than the king,” Tresk said.

Theo didn’t want to think about that, but it was true. He was setting himself up to lead the three towns in the southlands. While the alchemist didn’t want to lead them, it was necessary. They had the resources to make everyone else better. If Alise and Gwyn didn’t stipulate it in the defensive agreement, he would request the disbandment of all mercantile chairs. That was a poison that had no place in towns, always leading to greedy bastards getting theirs and screwing everyone else. Their goal was always to give people the chance to work and be part of something bigger than themselves. All these people needed was a chance. Broken Tusk just needed a bit of cash, and the right connections, and it rose to dominate within a season. How far would Rivers and Daub go with the same opportunity?

“Can’t forget Gronro,” Tresk said, invading Theo’s thoughts.

“I’m just worried about what happens if Qavell falls,” Theo said. But there was a logical element to that. The alchemist could step through the logic of the world and come to a singular conclusion. “Qavell likely has a seed core for the kingdom. Nation Seed Core, maybe? Take the logical step. If we remove our [Alchemy Lab Seed Core], the bonuses inside would cease to function.”

“If the nation core thingy goes away, our [Town Seed Core] stops working,” Tresk said. Her expression was grim.

“Pray that Fenian knows what’s going on,” Theo said.

Theo shifted the scene back to Tresk’s memory of Gronro-Dir. She walked with him as he inspected the buildings. While the Dreamwalk wouldn’t allow him to inspect the seed core buildings, he assumed the ramshackle ones weren’t seed cores. They had it hard here. The Marshling pointed out the seed core mine nestled against a rocky outcrop. That was the town’s only exportable item. They didn’t even have a smelter to process the nuggets. Without room to grow food, this place was destitute.

“Reminds me of Broken Tusk,” Tresk said, a sad smile playing across her face. “Not anymore, though.”

If no one wanted to migrate to Gronro, Theo wouldn’t be surprised. It wasn’t appealing in any way. But the town was more important than the others defensively. Controlling that singular path to the southlands was vital to everyone’s survival. Grot Stormfist would get more aid than Alran, at first. But at least the leader of Rivers and Daub understood the importance of coming together in a time of crisis. That was a starting point the alchemist could work with.

Grot was much like the little Theo had seen of other Dwarves. That race reminded him of the Half-Ogres, in a way. They were stubborn, perhaps lacking the kindness that lingered in the hearts of all Half-Ogres. How Qavell’s culture of greedy merchants had bled beyond the hard walls of Gronro-Dir was a mystery.

“A hard road made harder by our refugees,” Theo said, snapping the scene away from Gronro and back to Broken Tusk’s port. “Here’s the most important thing. Let me know when you get annoyed. Feels like I talk about this harbor more than anything else.”

Alex chirped, falling into the water of the harbor.

“Yeah, you’re annoying,” Tresk said. “But this harbor is everything. Once we’re cut off, Fenian is our only supplier.”

It was hard to tell if that was a bad thing. Fenian brought many of the items Theo took advantage of. The only thing the Elven trader didn’t provide was supplies. Food, materials, and so on were lacking when he came to town. That set the southland’s alliance up for famine if something disastrous happened. The harbor was insurance against that exact scenario. More than that, it was a portal to the wider world. Qavell was just too insular.

Tresk and Theo talked about the problem at length, spending the first quarter of the night going over the best trade partners. Separating themselves from the kingdom, as soon as possible, was the best option. Even considering the consequences of losing seed core buildings, it was better than being trampled by Elves. How their refugees played into making deals with Tarantham was yet to be seen. The alchemist hoped there was mercy in the heart of the Elves. Either way, they either made enemies passively by not leaving Qavell, or actively by accepting House Wavecrest.

They returned to Gronro-Dir before splitting off for the night. Theo spent his time convincing the Dreamwalk to create undead, but it was a failure. Tresk must have really believed she’d seen a dragon if it let her create those, but undeath was a step too far. He tested the defensibility of the northern wall against other enemies.

A horde of goblins thundered down the narrow pass, most of them falling off the cliffs to the sides. The ones that made it to the gate were easy enough to pick off with bombs, even without the help of the towers. There was no room for the creatures to fight. A single [Firebomb] forced a retreat, spreading the flames among their ranks. When Theo created more goblins than he’d ever seen in one place, the result was the same. With a horde 3 to 4 goblins wide, they marched up to the gates and received bombs to the face.

Gronro-Dir’s biggest weakness was flying enemies. Theo didn’t have experience fighting off high-level people, but he hoped the scenario wouldn’t play out. Even with Broken Tusk bristling with towers, someone like Sulvan would make it through. The alchemist felt pushed, the way he often did, to solve that future problem before it came about. When Khahar left, and the followers of the Burning Eye returned from the moon, he needed to be ready to fight them off.

“Because why not send your enemy to the moon?” Theo asked, looking up into the sky. He still hadn’t spotted the dark moon Antalis. That was the problem with a moon that matched the color of the night’s sky.

Pushing away his thoughts for defense, Theo summoned alchemy and herbalism equipment to practice his trade. He cycled between brewing potions, growing crops, and working on his mana control. Xol’sa’s words echoed through his head as he brought mana from his core to his palm. It felt smoother by the day, his power over his own body expanding. Soon he’d be comfortable summoning his mana outside the Dreamwalk. Later he’d have the confidence to pursue a mage class.