The Newt and Demon
Chapter 2.29: Don't Panic

Theo paced in his lab, withdrawing and rejecting another reagent from his inventory. He had gone through all of his stores without luck. His intuition whispered vaguely that the things he’d looked at weren’t what he needed. Rifling through the scatter of cabinets within the lab, the alchemist found something that would fit the bill. Tresk had a small store of [Swamp Onions] in a drawer, all in different states of decay. He picked one up and examined it for the first time in a long time.

[Swamp Onion]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]

Uncommon

Swamp Onions grow near the mossy embankments common in the marsh. They blend in with local flora, and can be extremely difficult to spot.

Properties:

[Stench] ???? ????

Something about the [Stench] property spoke to him. Theo scooped the entire cache of onions into his inventory, transporting them to his first fermentation barrel. He added the vegetables and an [Earth Mote], returning the lid and standing back with satisfaction. As he stood there, a strange system window popped into the center of his vision. He hadn’t seen it before, but laughed when he read the text.

[Aarok]: This is a test of Broken Tusk’s new message system. Don’t panic.

The best way to keep people from panicking was to tell them not to do so. The timers on all three stills clicked off, the hissing of the condensers trailing off after a moment. Theo cleaned them out with his [Cleansing Scrub] and moved to check his stores, only to replace a mostly-empty [Dimensional Storage Crate]. He’d been neglecting his herb gathering, and the adventurer’s guild still hadn’t filled his [Fire Salamander Egg] order. He stood, taking another deep breath of the strange mingle of scents before going downstairs. It was an opportunity to experiment with the local flora some more.

Fenian caught his attention before he had time to escape.

“Theo, these monsters are dropping good equipment,” Fenian said, smiling. “Have you dug through these piles yet?”

The alchemist had paid little attention to the piles at all. They were things that got in his way when he was trying to get up to the lab, but now he realized he should have been digging through them.

“I have seen no alchemy-specific gear,” Azrug said, shrugging. “It’s all combat stuff.”

“Well, look at the man,” Fenian said, gesturing to Theo. “He’s as likely to fall over as take a sure step. Are you wearing pants under there? A shirt?”

Theo pulled at the hem of his robe, pulling it up to reveal the threadbare shirt and slacks he got when he arrived in Broken Tusk. Fenian tutted with disappointment, searching through a pile of clothes to produce a pair of slacks and a shirt. They were both made of a white, cotton-like material, but were of the same design as his current set.

“Put those on… No! Not in here, you savage,” Fenian said, cackling. “Inspect them, first.”

[Pants of the Dexterous]

[Cloth Pants]

Rare

Scaling

Magical pants, granting the user a bonus to dexterity.

Effect:

+2 Dexterity

[Shirt of the Dexterous]

[Cloth Shirt]

Rare

Scaling

Magical shirt, granting the user a bonus to dexterity.

Effect:

+1 Dexterity

Theo’s mind went back to his fumbling sprint back in the gravel yard, minutes ago. He was at the base score for [Dexterity], allowing him to move well enough without constantly tripping. If it was any lower than 5, he was sure he’d stumble with every step. The alchemist retreated to the lab to change, feeling a rush flood through his body. At 8 dexterity, he felt only marginally more nimble. The thresholds for stats that he knew about were at 10 and 20, but a +3 increase was more than nothing. He returned down the stairs, smiling.

“I should have thought about that,” Theo said.

“Me too,” Azrug said.

“Well, I’m going to make my rounds through town,” Fenian said. “I’ll see you before I depart, Theo.”

“Alright. Take it easy,” Theo said.

Fenian paused at the door, turning to grin. “I don’t think I will.”

Azrug laughed, shaking his head. He turned to Theo once the trader was gone. “At least the monster wave was easy.”

Theo didn’t know if it was easy, but it went as planned. Xol’sa’s words played through his mind, but he wanted to ignore them for now. He knew there was something wrong with the dungeon, that much was obvious. The adventurer’s reports said it had slowed its growth, but by how much? In the alchemist’s mind, the key was to keep moving forward. There was no sense in dwelling on something he couldn’t change, let alone something so out of his reach.

“We’ll be even better prepared for the next one,” Theo said.

“Aarok showed me his fancy new title,” Azrug said, shuffling his feet. “Can I have a title?”

“I’m going to give everyone a title for their station, but I haven’t done it yet,” Theo said. “The military aspect is the important part, for now.”

“Right,” Azrug said. “Well, I made some good money from Fenian. He didn’t want most of this stuff, but there were some gems.”

“Where’s that [Loremaster] of yours? Didn’t you say you summoned one?” Theo asked.

“I did, but I’m not sure where they are,” Azrug said with a shrug.

“The roads just cleared,” Theo said. “Give them time.”

Theo and Azrug exchanged more pleasantries for a moment, the alchemist remembering not to let work consume him. It would be easy enough to shrug the young shopkeeper off, but he really enjoyed their conversations. He reflected on the changes that young man went through already, rising to pursue exactly what he wanted to do. That enduring spirit was reflecting in all Broken Tuskers. They were hard people that worked harder than anyone the alchemist had ever known.

Theo left the Newt and Demon, replaceing his way south to the recent development of houses near Miana’s. He located Gridgen and Sarna’s house and knocked, standing outside to appreciate the quality of the seed core buildings. Eventually, a woman appeared at the door. She smiled and Gasem, her son, darted out the door and onto the cobbled streets.

“He’s a handful,” Sarna said, managing a weak smile.

“I wouldn’t know,” Theo said with a grin. “Gridgen found a cave in the hills, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did,” Sarna said, exiting the building to pursue her child. She snatched him up, which he found immensely funny, and returned to the alchemist’s side. “He told me the location and everything, but he’s busy with the cleanup effort.”

“Ah. Would you care to accompany me to the mine site?” Theo asked.

“With this?” Sarna said, adjusting the child on her hip.

Both Sarna and Gridgen were two heads shorter than Theo, bearing the stature of Humans. With the alchemist’s enhanced strength and size, he took the child from the woman and rested him easily on his hip. Gasem didn’t seem to enjoy the process, shying away from him and casting a worried look at his mother.

“Well, that works,” Sarna said, grinning. She started walking southward, happy to have the child away for a moment. “It’s not far, just at the foot of the hills.”

Theo walked the cobbled path with her, using the trip as an excuse to inspect the plants that grew to the south. He’d picked most of the dry areas of Broken Tusk clean many times over, except the south. The group moved beyond the southern gate, something the alchemist wasn’t comfortable with. He left the confines of the city on rare occasions, usually venturing to the east to plunder the river. His senses prickled and he held up a hand.

“What’s the problem?” Sarna asked.

“Just a moment,” Theo said.

The alchemist could simply buy the land to the south, but he wanted to inspect the prospective mine first.

Are you above ground? Theo asked.

I’m cleaning up corpses, Tresk said, sounding disgusted. So, yeah.

Mind shadowing me at the southern gate? I’m leaving the walls, Theo said.

Oh, heck yeah, Tresk said.

“What are we waiting for?” Sarna asked.

Theo explained briefly his fears about monsters outside of the gates. It was a relevant threat, seeing as the monster wave just finished. The alchemist didn’t know what kind of trouble they’d stir up with the local monsters, especially considering they had so many around them. Sarna seemed to understand his worries, looking at her child on his hip.

The baby will never replace me, Tresk said.

I guess that means you’re here, Theo said, laughing into her mind.

I am. You are safe, little alchemist.

“Right,” Theo said, pushing south toward the hills. “My Tara’hek is accompanying us in the shadows, just in case.”

“Tara’hek?” Sarna asked.

Theo forgot that not everyone was from the southlands. Even among those in Broken Tusk, no one had seen a true Tara’hek in centuries. Luras mentioned his grandfather saying that he knew someone that had done it, but that was it. There was no modern example of the bond in the town, except for Tresk and Theo’s. He explained the process briefly.

“It’s like a fake marriage,” Sarna said, giggling.

Theo didn’t rise at the rude comment. He saw the bond as a sacred thing, something that transcended marriage. But, he understood people had different views. Not everyone wanted to swear off romance for the rest of their lives, even if he did.

“It’s a powerful bond,” a voice came from the shadows. “We have strong powers, lady.”

Sarna startled, clutching her chest and failing to spot the Marshling. “So, the sneaky one is yours.”

“Yeah, that’s my sneaky Marshling,” Theo said. “She gets bonuses for attacking from stealth, so I think she’ll remain hidden for the time being.”

“Good idea,” Sarna said.

The hike into the hills wasn’t as bad as the rise to the north. It was gentle, and the round hills that rose were covered in grasses. Theo plucked 2 new herbs he’d inspect later, but his eyes were focused on the crests of the hills. For all his fears, they weren’t attacked on the way there. They found Gridgen’s cave and inspected the entrance.

“Yeah, I guess this is it,” Sarna said. She watched Gasem on Theo’s hip, smiling. The boy was getting used to the Dronon, even if his appearance was fearsome.

I’ll check the inside, Tresk said.

Theo withdrew the [Mine Seed Core] and placed it near the rocky entrance of the cave. The seed refused to penetrate the stone, a system message appearing in his vision.

Cannot place [Mine Seed Core] until all monsters are cleared from the cave.

Theo didn’t need to tell Tresk that there were monsters in there. A shrieking sound echoed off the walls, filling the hills with a horrid sound.

There’s a lot of monsters in here, Tresk said. I don’t know if I can clear them all.

Theo noticed the worried look on Sarna’s face. He patted Gasem on the back and turned away from the cave, returning the seed core to his inventory.

“We’re going to need to clear the cave, first,” Theo said. “Let’s go back to town while Tresk works.”

“Good idea,” Sarna said, scampering fearfully to his side.

Theo summoned his mayor’s screen, tabbing over to the tactical screen. As they walked the hills, he inspected the options. He could issue a call to arms for the adventurers, pinning a place on the map to summon them.

How many other adventurers do you need? Theo asked.

Two? Maybe? Better send three, Tresk said.

Theo clicked on a few buttons, selecting a dropdown that requested 3 adventurers from the town. There were a ton of options, including creating a quest with the adventurer’s guild, setting a bounty on the monsters, and other useful things. He sent the message out just as they returned through the southern gate. Before they reached Sarna’s house, he spotted 3 adventurer’s sprinting over the cobbled streets.

“So,” Theo said, setting young Gasem down near their house. “Do you want to be a smelter, or a miner?”

“Are those monsters going to come back once you clear the cave?” Sarna asked.

“I doubt it,” Theo said. “I think once I set the seed core, they won’t respawn.”

“Then it doesn’t matter to me,” Sarna said. “If I’m meant to work, I just need somewhere to put my kid during the day.”

Theo’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t considered child care for his new arrivals. No one popped into his mind for the job and he let out a heavy sigh.

“Well, that’s another problem to solve,” Theo said. “I need to check interest within the town. To see if anyone wants childcare for their children.”

“Childcare?” Sarna asked, raising an eyebrow. Gasem busied himself with a slimy rock, immediately shoving it in his mouth.

The concept of daycare didn’t exist in this world, but he should have guessed that. If they followed the medieval concepts, which seemed to be the theme, there would be wet nurses‌. It was impossible to be sure, but it brought up another question for the town. Was this meant to be some haven where everyone could drop their kids off at a daycare for free? Or should he let them all simply sort themselves out. Education was another question lingering in his mind. Did it really matter to make children smarter if they could just place points in [Intelligence] when they got their cores? Theo’s mind swirled with too many questions, leading him back to his original thought. He needed to take a survey.

“Well, that leads me to a question,” Theo said. “Would you like to drop Gasem off at daycare? A place where someone else would watch him so you could work?”

Sarna thought for a long moment. She pressed her index finger into her chin and hummed.

“I suppose that would be nice,” Sarna said. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, though.”

“Right. I’m going to ask around to the other people with kids. See what they think,” Theo said.

Sarna shrugged. “It would be nice to have a break,” she said in a small voice.

Theo clapped his hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I have some experimentation to do, but we’ll talk to the others about it.”

Theo and Sarna exchanged their good-byes, and he inspected the 2 new reagents he’d harvested. The first was a cluster of flowers, pulsing with a gentle blue light. They didn’t look poisonous, and the alchemist’s senses said they were fine to taste, so he did. It had almost no flavor, what little that came through tasting slightly like rosewater.

[Properties Discovery!]

You’ve discovered an additional effect from the [Mage’s Bane] by eating it.

[Absorb Magic] discovered.

[Mage’s Bane]

[Alchemy Ingredient]

Rare

A flower with anti-magic properties.

Properties:

[Resist Magic] [Absorb Magic] ????

This was a reagent that could be useful, or useless. Without a potion to judge it by, he wouldn’t be able to tell. Theo also couldn’t predict what kind of essence modifier this would produce. The alchemist shrugged, producing the other reagent and turning it over in his fingers. It looked like a hard blueberry, almost the color of stone. As he took a bit, the flavor of chipped rocks flooded through his mouth, making him gag. He swallowed the dusty thing, receiving a message for his efforts.

[Properties Discovery!]

You’ve discovered an additional effect from the [Roc Berries] by eating it.

[Retreat] discovered.

[Roc Berries]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]

Uncommon

A berry that grows in mossy hills.

Properties:

[Feather] [Retreat] ????

Even though the [Rock Berries] were listed as food, they tasted far worse than the [Mage’s Bane]. The properties that came with the berries were almost impenetrable. Theo couldn’t even think of what either would do, but shrugged it off.

To Theo’s surprise, he received reports about the adventurer’s progress in the cave. It gave him updates on how many monsters they’d kill, but not what the monsters were or how many remained. He was counting on the system informing him when it was clear, though. Then, he could give the signal to Tresk that they’d taken care of everything within.

Theo returned to the lab and checked his fermentation, replaceing that it was almost done. He made several notes in Basic Drogramath Alchemy before cleaning his stills and prepping them for another run. Today was a day he could enjoy. One filled with alchemy and progress.