The Newt and Demon
Chapter 29: Salt

Theo never considered the cluster of houses at the north end of town, ‌at the bottom of the farmer’s hill. He saw it on his administrator’s map, but never put the information together to understand it was where most of the people in town lived. Aarok led them there, up through the square and past the tavern. They walked quickly past the Marsh Wolf Tavern, not wanting to draw Xam’s eye. She seemed to think everyone should take three meals a day from her establishment.

“It’s not much,” Aarok said, shrugging.

Theo didn’t want to confirm what he said, but he was right. The house sat off a side road, nestled among boulders and trees. It was the same rotting wood construction that the rest of the town was made of, its shoddy foundation miraculously holding the frame up. The inside was more inviting than the outside, although the alchemist spotted some holes in the roof. It had the clean smell of a place just doused with [Cleansing Scrub], the walls adorned with hunting trophies. They entered ‌a living area with a bedroom off to their right, the door barely holding onto the frame.

“It’s nice!” Tresk shouted, overshadowing Theo’s mental response.

She was right. It wasn’t a core house, but it was cozy. Compared to what was left on Earth, this place was delightful. Theo felt himself lifted ‌by the Marshling’s positive attitude, and he started searching for the good in the place. The living area held a hearth on the far side made of stone, the remnants of a cooking fire still smoldering. There was plenty of seating in the main area, and a window looking out the front.

“It’s a Broken Tusk hovel,” Luras said, plopping down in a chair and glaring at Theo. “What more could you expect?”

“It’s nice,” Theo said, nodding. “No, really, it is. If you went to my planet, before it was destroyed, and found a swamp… it was far worse than this. Bombed-out houses, radiation everywhere. It was bad.”

“What’s radiation?” Tresk asked.

“Like poison, but it gets in your body by just existing,” Theo said.

“We have something like that,” Aarok said, shivering. “Wizards can cast nasty magic.”

Aarok busied himself with the fire before digging a pan from a crate near the hearth. He withdrew something from his dimensional bag and set it aside, waiting for the newly lit fire to burn to coals. Theo found a seat and reclined, watching as a group of people passed by the window. He noticed more people on this side of town, and realized that his alchemy lab was placed near the tannery, a place where people didn’t want to go.

“Hey!” Tresk shouted, jumping from her seat and crossing the room. “Is that butter? How the heck did you get Karatan butter?”

A smile crept across the Half-Ogre’s face. “It’s been in my bag for a long time. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion, and this seemed fitting.”

“What with the adventurer’s guild and new walls,” Luras said, grunting. “Seems appropriate.”

While Luras tried to hide his excitement, Theo could see it. He leaned forward in his chair a little more and licked his lips. The alchemist tried not to laugh, but then Aarok pulled a loaf of bread from the bag.

“No way,” Theo said, his stomach suddenly grumbling. “Bread? Where did you get bread?”

Aarok laughed. “I pull out Karatan butter, and you drool over the bread? I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I can show you how to mill [Zee Kernels] and make bread. I’ll instruct an alchemist on something.”

“I’d really appreciate it,” Theo said. “So, why don’t the farmers mill it themselves?”

“They did a while back,” Tresk said, shrugging. “No idea why they stopped.”

“Because townsfolk won’t pay premium prices for bread,” Luras said. “They had to use querns to mill it by hand—can’t keep Karatans this far south.”

“What the heck is a quern?” Theo asked.

“Two big slabs of rock that crush the grain,” Luras said, shrugging. “I worked the farm for a few summers when I was a kid.”

Aarok placed the pan on the coals, satisfied that the fire had died down enough. He put a bit of the butter in, the group watching as it danced across the surface. It sizzled and filled the room with a nutty aroma that sent Theo’s stomach growling louder. The group watched without speaking as the Half-Ogre produced four fat wolf steaks from his dimensional bag, setting them on a wooden cutting board and pulling a smaller bag out. He sprinkled something on top of the steaks.

“Salt!” Tresk shouted. “Who are you, Aarok?”

Aarok couldn’t help but laugh. “Just a Half-Ogre who likes his wolf steaks.”

Theo hadn’t considered a lot of things about his new world, but the availability of spices suddenly became high on his list of things he needed to know about. Even the soup he made in his house was bland when compared to the foods on Earth before the fall. The scent of the four steaks cooking in the pan made him realize how flavorless his food had been. The group sat, hushed and listening to the sizzling meat, while they awaited their meal.

“This is a meal for celebration,” Luras said, nodding to himself. “For all we’ve accomplished.”

“It pays to have an alchemist, I guess,” Tresk said.

Theo still wasn’t certain about that idea. Any old alchemist wouldn’t have accomplished what he had. The gifts given by the Harbinger were the defining factor, putting him in a tier of master alchemists in faraway cities. He was overpowered by every measure. He could produce more potions than a low-level alchemist, and the potions he created were more powerful.

“There might be consequences for my skills,” Theo said.

Luras cast him a knowing look, nodding in agreement.

“What? All I see is free potions and money,” Tresk said.

“That inquisitor was the first sign,” Aarok said, flipping the steaks and returning to his seat. “Theo’s abilities will draw some attention. We need to be prepared to make sure that attention is positive.”

“The walls,” Theo said, shrugging. “I wanted the walls to keep more than wolves out. Prying eyes and bandits…”

“With the way the adventurers are leveling, I’d like to see someone try something,” Tresk scoffed. “We’re all shooting up in level so fast.”

“Let’s keep away from the gloomy topics,” Aarok said. He moved about the room, replaceing plates for everyone and dishing out the steaks.

The Half-Ogre’s command for silence was unnecessary. The group fell into hushed silence as they were handed their food. Theo inspected his steak, a thick slab of meat seared perfectly on both sides with globules of butter and fat running over the surface. He withdrew his [Copper Alchemy Knife] and cut it down the middle, replaceing it to be perfectly medium. He cut a small chunk and popped it in his mouth, an explosion of flavor dancing over his tongue. It was almost too flavorful compared to the food he’d been eating. The meat melted in his mouth as he chewed and he closed his eyes.

“Why have we been eating slop every night?” Theo asked.

“Can we buy your salt?” Tresk said, foregoing the knife and taking large chunks out of her steak with her teeth.

“Shouldn’t there be an alchemical solution for that?” Aarok asked mockingly.

Theo knew he was joking, but there might be a way he could make salt. His extremely high [Wisdom] skill told him that the extraction of base materials should be possible, but he couldn’t put it together yet. It was too advanced for his alchemy core, but he suspected that level 10 would reveal a lot of new abilities.

“I know that look!” Tresk shouted, pointing at Theo. “There is an alchemy way to make salt!”

“Hold your horses—hold your Karatans. I have an idea, but who knows. Seems like advanced stuff,” Theo said.

“You can buy salt. Just ask the trader when he comes around,” Luras said, scoffing. He was eating like Tresk, taking bites out of the steak instead of cutting it. “It’s cheap enough, too.”

“Yeah, I was messing around. I paid 10 copper for this bag,” Aarok said, laughing.

Luras and Aarok shared war stories for a while, recalling their time as young men with aspirations for soldiery. After a while, it was clear why they weren’t accepted in the irregular army. The pair of them were always messing around, walking their own path while neglecting the core discipline of Qavell’s army. Theo understood how their hopes to become soldiers would be crushed by their desire for freedom. He didn’t envy anyone serving in a fighting force, not even his old self. Being told where to go and what to do was too much for him.

The group chatted until the sun grew low in the sky, giving way to twilight. Tresk was falling asleep in her chair, barely able to keep her head up to nod a response at the conversation. Luras helped Theo carry her back to the shop when she finally fell asleep. He must have had a massive [Vigor] stat, as he didn’t seem tired. The alchemist, having downed a [Lesser Stamina Potion] earlier, wasn’t tired at all. He could feel the weariness of the day wearing on him, but he was a long way off from being sleepy. The pair put the Marshling to bed and retreated down to the shop.

“You’ve come a long way, Theo,” Luras said. “From a wide-eyed outworlder to what you are now. It’s impressive. I can’t imagine falling into a world I don’t know, then hitting the ground running like you did.”

Theo sighed, moving around the shop to light the candles. He leaned against the front counter and smiled at the Half-Ogre. “People can do some crazy things when they have no other choice. This was a second chance for me, though.”

“A way to atone,” Luras said, nodding. “I can relate.”

“You’ve done some stuff, huh?” Theo asked, scoffing. “I’m not surprised.”

Luras reached into his satchel and brought something out. It was a core, but not like the other cores the alchemist had seen before. The energy that radiated off the object was powerful, whipping ribbons of power across the room and buffeting Theo. The Half-Ogre gestured for him to inspect the object.

[Mastercraft Leatherworker’s Core]

Epic

Leatherworker’s Core

Unbound

2 Slots

Level 1 (0%)

[Mastercraft Leatherworker’s Core] created by combining many standard [Leatherworker’s Cores].

Effect:

Increase the effect of leatherworking efforts.

+1 Wisdom

Theo looked at the core in awe. He could see now that it reflected the sensibilities of a leatherworker. The core was a web of metal surrounding a glowing leather interior, putting off a pale brown light. He couldn’t even guess how much the thing cost.

“My life’s savings,” Luras said, shrugging. “To give up the adventuring life and start a leatherworker’s shop.”

“You made these, didn’t you?” Theo said, gesturing at his moccasins.

“I did,” Luras said. “Not with the power of a skill, though. The items I’d make with this core would be a lot more powerful.”

Luras had done more for Theo than he could ever repay. The Half-Ogre dropped everything to help the alchemist, even if there was money involved that was a powerful thing. He summoned his administrator map of Broken Tusk without hesitation, replaceing a large plot of land next to Perg’s tannery.

[Broken Tusk Parcel #52] can be purchased for 10 silver coins.

Buy Parcel? [YES/NO]

Theo bought it without hesitation, mentally transferring ownership to his friend.

[Broken Tusk Parcel #52] has been transferred to [Luras Trinner].

Luras narrowed his eyes at Theo. “Theo… You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” Theo said, smiling. “I’ll buy you a core seed, too. Enough to get you started.”

Luras was moved, even if his stony expression wouldn’t show it. He placed his hand on the alchemist’s shoulder and nodded.

“It’s not free,” Theo said, scoffing. “In case you forgot, my Tara’hek is a rogue. She needs gear.”

Luras laughed, unable to replace the words to thank his companion. They left the shop, heading out into the darkness to inspect the new parcel. Theo couldn’t remember if he’d been out in town after nightfall, but it was lovely. A pale yellow moon hung overhead, almost full and illuminating their path. They found the parcel next to Perg’s tannery and walked the length of it. Like most parcels on the southern-side of the town, it was massive.

The pair returned to the main road, replaceing an adventurer performing his nightly patrols. He held a lantern high and greeted them before moving on. The sight was comforting, mostly because of the baying of wolves outside of the walls. Theo gestured for Luras to follow him and they found their way to the western gate, ascending the battlements and looking out over the swamp.

“That’s a dangerous place at night,” Luras said, shaking his head.

Theo didn’t need him to say that to understand. Quadrupedal figures danced in the distance, darting between shadows and lying in wait. The alchemist wanted nothing to do with the life people led outside of the walls, preferring ‌a solid curtain of stone between him and the horrors of the dungeon-spawned things. He couldn’t understand Tresk’s lust for adventure, but reserved himself to that fact. She did her thing, and he did his.

Steak… Need more steak. Stop hogging! Mine! Tresk’s voice came into his mind.

Theo laughed. “So, Tresk and I normally sleep at the same time so this hasn’t happened yet. She’s projecting her dreams into my mind.”

“I didn’t know that was a thing,” Luras said, narrowing his eyes on the swamp. “That’s a big one. Looks like they’re hunting. What’s she dreaming about?”

“Steak,” Theo said, squinting to get a better look through the gloom.

A cloud moved out from over the moon, bathing the swamp in its light. Theo spotted the massive form of a wolf dart between trees. It coiled on the spot and made a run for the wall, sloshing through the mud and leaping against the stone. His jump fell short, only making it about a quarter of the way up the wall. The alchemist still fell back, startled. “Do they normally do that?”

“The big, mean ones do,” Luras said. “Maybe he’s testing it. We might have to put a special bounty out on him.”

The wolf growled at the base of the wall, baring its teeth up at the pair before slinking off. Once Theo got a better look at it, he saw how large it really was. It was twice the size of a normal wolf and foaming at the mouth, snapping at the air even as it joined back with the shadows of the marsh.

“Now I’m going to have trouble sleeping,” Theo said, scoffing. “That thing was as big as a cow.”

“What’s a cow?”

“I guess they’re like Karatans,” Theo said. He didn’t know what a Karatan looked like, only that they tasted delicious.

“Yeah, maybe ‌smaller. The wolves have a lot fewer legs, anyway,” Luras said.

Theo didn’t want to know if he was joking or not, and left it at that. They dismounted the battlements and walked around town for a little while longer. Lights extinguished from people’s windows, signaling the town’s slumber in full. The alchemist bid Luras farewell at the square and made his way back to the shop, tiredness finally setting in. The [Lesser Stamina Potion] did wonders to perk him up earlier in the day, but his stamina bar was finally draining past half-empty. He crept into the shop, locking the door behind him and ascending the stairs to the bedroom.

As he settled down in his bed, he heard Tresk snort loudly.

More steak, please, she said.

Theo drifted off, eager to take part in the dream-steak.