The Newt and Demon
Chapter 9: Perpetual Ledger

Theo rose before Tresk in the morning. She might have put on a brave face last night, but the difficulty of the order wore her down. He took a moment to watch her sleep, still not over how cute she was curled into a little ball. After a while he left the bedroom, pulling the door closed quietly and coaxing the fire to life. While cutting the Zee into strips, his mind swirled with possibilities. The biggest problem he had with supplying potable water to the town was storing it and retrieving it from the river.

The cast-iron kettle settled onto the fire, and he added the stimulating moss to get him started. His barrel of [Purified Water] was getting low, but it would be easy enough to purify it himself. A gigantic metal water container entered his mind for a moment, something like a water tower that could supply the city with fresh water. The old problems he considered came back again, namely transporting it from the river. Theo let out a heavy sigh, dropping the Zee strips next to the kettle and pushing his mind further. He could imagine a series of people running back and forth to the river, but it seemed labor intensive.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Tresk stepped out. She stood on the spot and stretched, yawning before padding across the room. “Good morning,” she said, flopping down beside him and resting her head on his arm.

“Morning. I’m trying to figure out how to solve the town’s water problem,” Theo said.

“What problem?”

“Well, the river water is tainted,” Theo said. “I wanted to ‌purify it.”

Tresk scoffed. “Marshlings don’t need purified water. We could drink it from the swamp, and we’d be fine.”

Theo let out a sigh. “But I assume that Humans and Half-Ogres can’t.”

“No, they boil their water,” Tresk said. “You’re going to burn the food.”

Theo rushed to bring the strips of Zee off the fire, setting the charred vegetable down on two plates and pouring the tea. The pair ate in silence as the question hung unanswered. The alchemist finished his food before saying, “my problem is transporting the water.”

“Maybe we could get one of those fancy dimensional bags,” Tresk said, shrugging. “They’re actually common enough items. Most adventurers have at least one.”

“Do you have one, yet?”

“Not yet,” Tresk said, slurping her tea. “There are abilities that do something similar. Demons are extra-planar things, maybe you have something like that.”

Theo raised an eyebrow, kicking himself for not checking out new abilities sooner. He got a free stat point, but no option to select a new ability. With a mental command, he summoned the skills screen and started looking through them. It was an endless scroll of abilities, organized in a list format that made him dizzy. They scrolled by and he read the descriptions, replaceing nothing that seemed to be useful. Out of frustration he thought, why can’t it just show me the Drogramath skills, and the system obeyed. The endless list was replaced with a short one, his 2 current Drogramath abilities already there in green.

“Oh, I can get one,” Theo said, spotting an ability and mentally sharing it with Tresk.

[Drogramath Inventory]

Universal Skill

Legendary

Your heritage gives you access to the extra-dimensional spaces claimed by Drogramath. This ability changes to suit the user, giving them access to a pocket dimension presented in a way that matches their true origin. Items can be stored in the dimension at will, the only limitation is based on your origin’s manifestation. Items stored do not encumber the user.

Effects:

Inventory (32 slot, item stack count based on item)

“Oh, that’s interesting,” Tresk said. “Universal skills can slot into any core. Most of them are a waste of a slot, but that’d be very useful.”

“Now I just need an ability point…”

“You should get one when your character levels to 5,” Tresk said. “While I’m sure there’s a lot of neat stuff you can get for alchemy, the utility of that one is so good.”

Theo imagined what he could do with [Drogramath Inventory]. He’d save a lot of stamina, assuming that no encumbrance meant he could plop 32 barrels of river water in his pocket dimension. It seemed like an obvious choice, and he dismissed the screen. He was well into character level 3 and had no plans on slowing down. The ability just gave him more drive to push harder.

“I have a goal, now,” Theo said. “Tresk, what level are you?”

“I’m level 8,” Tresk said, beaming. “And a rogue, as you know.”

Theo fell back into his thoughts, setting the idea of the purified water out for the moment. Upgrading the lab would be his next move, along with making enough potions to sell if another set of adventurers came around. He would need those adventurers if he wanted to establish a real business in Broken Tusk. Despite their well-wishes, the citizens of the town were broke. If he sold potions to them, they wouldn’t pay what he needed to make decent money.

“Do you have any plans for the day?” Theo asked.

Tresk sipped on her tea, tilting her head. “Not really. I was thinking of going into the swamp and farming monster cores.”

“Can you handle yourself out there?” Theo asked.

Tresk laughed, grinning at him. “I’m out in the wilds most days. I’ll be fine.”

“Still… You should let me brew you some potions before you go,” Theo said.

“Great idea!”

They had a pile of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] left over from yesterday, sitting in a crate in the corner of the room. Theo started the familiar process, intent on making a full 50 unit batch of the stuff before she set off. He needed the experience points, but most of all he needed peace of mind. If his partner ran off into the swamp and died, he didn’t know what he’d do. Luras arrived half-way through the process. Tresk was laying out the vials, and the mash was almost completely cooked through. He laughed, shaking his head.

“You guys never take a break, huh? Couldn’t have asked for a better partnership,” Luras said. “I brought some cores for you to buy.”

“How many?” Theo asked, looking up from the fire.

“I’ve got five,” Luras said. “You can have them for 10 copper each.”

“Chump change,” Theo said, scoffing. “Take a silver for the bunch.”

“I’m not about to argue with you,” Luras said. “The merchant who normally buys them hasn’t showed up, so I’ve been sitting on them. I’d be lucky to get 20 copper for them, at this point…”

Theo left the fire for a moment, fishing a silver coin out of his pocket and handing it to his friend. “We’re going to burn all our money upgrading the lab.”

“We need more damn space,” Tresk said, finished with the vials.

“Since it’s an [Alchemy Lab], you’ll get some bonuses to alchemy as you upgrade it,” Luras said.

“That’s perfect,” Theo said, setting the five monster cores on the table.

He inspected the cores, replaceing that all but one were level 5. The level 8 core glowed with a distinct energy. Theo wasted no time, hoisting the first three cores above his head and watching them disappear. Swirls of white energy raced around the lab, a satisfying ding playing as though over an intercom.

[Alchemy Lab] has advanced to level 2!

Select a direction you wish to expand the lab into (north/south/east/west).

“We wanted to expand toward the river, right?” Theo asked. “Eastward?”

“Yep,” Tresk said, nodding.

Theo mentally commanded an eastward direction, and the building rumbled under their feet. In an instant, the space inside the lab expanded, adding two or three paces of room near the back wall. He almost fell over when it moved, the boards shifting underfoot.

[Alchemy Lab]

Owner: Belgar (Theo Spencer)

Faction: [Broken Tusk]

Level: 2 (0%)

Rent Due: 4 days

“No bonuses yet,” Theo said.

“But we have more space! We can fit a row of tables in the front to hawk our wares,” Tresk said.

“Speaking of, I have something for you,” Luras said, rummaging through his bag. He hoisted a large tome, setting it down on the table and gesturing for Theo to inspect it.

[Perpetual Ledger]

[Shopkeeping Equipment]

Rare

Transactions that take place inside of a core building will be recorded in this ledger. It will never run out of space, and can infinitely expand itself to accommodate new transactions.

“That’s awesome,” Tresk said. “Where did you ‌snag one of those?”

“It came from the capital when Theo arrived,” Luras said. “Just like the instructions I got to acclimate him to the world. I forgot about it—too caught up in all the excitement.”

“This is for tax purposes, isn’t it?” Theo asked, laughing.

“Yeah, they want to make sure that you’re paying what you owe,” Luras said.

“Well, that’s fine. I don’t want to get in trouble for not paying my fantasy world taxes,” Theo said. “How much do they take?”

“Not a lot,” Luras shrugged. “The merchants I know don’t pay over ten percent of what they earn yearly.”

“Wow. That’s way better than my world,” Theo said.

Luras lingered, agreeing to accompany Tresk into the swamp to collect monster cores. They agreed to split them down the middle, including the other items harvested from the creatures. Theo was extremely happy that his partner wouldn’t be going into the dangerous wilds alone, especially since the Half-Ogre was level 12. He finished firing off the reactions for the day and sent both of his friends off with 5 potions each. Luras tried to refuse, but he insisted.

Theo departed shortly after them, intent on settling a few things before they returned. He wanted to smooth things over with Throk and put money toward his debt with Miana. The [Blacksmith] was setting up shop, several of his children darting around to start the fire in the forge and arranging various hammers around the anvil. He looked up and regarded the alchemist with a glare.

“You stole my daughter,” Throk said.

“She was bound to leave eventually,” Theo said. “She’s too intent on being an adventurer. Fortunately, she picked a Tara’hek that can make healing potions.”

Throk stood there for a moment, the gears in his head turning. It was clear that the Marshling didn’t consider that fact. Tresk could have picked anyone to be her partner, but she was drawn to Theo by some mystical force. Something in the young adventurer shouted that he would make the best Tara’hek. It likely had to do with the fact he just stated. He could easily craft her life-saving potions that would see her through most scrapes, and his skill would only improve. There was no safer place for an adventurer than at the side of an alchemist.

“I hadn’t considered it,” Throk said, shocking Theo with his honesty. “An outworlder and a Dronon… Well, I guess the only thing that matters is the alchemist title. Fine, is that all you came to say?”

“No, I’d like to commission a water tower,” Theo said. “I’d like you to sort out its construction, if it’s at all possible.”

“How many units does it need to hold?”

“As much as possible,” Theo said. “I’d like it to be in the 2,000 unit range.”

“That’s positively massive,” Throk said, scoffing. “You really are ambitious, aren’t you?”

“Just trying to make Broken Tusk a better place,” Theo said. “How much for materials and labor?”

“Let’s see… Copper is cheap right now—absurdly cheap. Everyone wants stuff made of northern steel. 1 silver coin worth of materials, 1 silver in labor and gods know how long.”

Theo didn’t hesitate in bringing two silver coins from his pocket, handing them to Throk. He had a look of shock on his face, his gaze darting between the coins and the alchemist. “Really?”

“You’re hired,” Theo said, turning on the spot and walking to the mayor’s house. He felt Throk’s gaze on him as he left and smiled.

The mayor was in, as she always was. She flung her door open as he approached, searching for Luras before berating him. Theo held up a silencing hand, withdrawing a silver coin and handing it to her before she had a chance to shout. She was just as shocked as the [Blacksmith], bringing the coin between her teeth and biting hard. Theo felt a twinge in his mind and knew that his quest had updated.

“You’re full of surprises, Dronon,” Miana said.

“Please work with Throk on the water tower project,” Theo said.

“What water tower?”

“I hired him to build a water tower to provide fresh water for Broken Tusk,” Theo said. “Find a nice spot for it, please.”

As Theo was walking away, he heard her mutter, “full of surprises.”

[Pay your debts]

Quest

Miana Kell has overseen your transition into your new world, and you owe her a lot of money!

Objectives:

Pay the following debts:

[Medical Services Rendered] : 1 Silver (DONE)

[Room and Board (1 week)]: 10 Copper

[Alchemy lab (to be paid in installments)]: 1 Gold

[Equipment therein (to be paid in installments]: 1 Gold

[Service Charge]: 5 Copper

The only thing left to do for the day was to harvest ingredients. While they targeted three specific reagents for their adventurer project, the swamp was riddled with useful ingredients. He also wanted to experiment with effects, drawing out the secondary properties like the one he found with the [Zee Kernel]. He was down to 5 silver coins, but at least his water purification project was in action. Theo retreated to his newly expanded lab to consult his compendium on reagents.

His books detailed the range of plants that grew in the swamp, and he’d only collected a fraction of what was available. Theo wanted to investigate potions that enhanced a person’s stats, and some that boasted powerful poisons. He had an [Ogre Snapper Spleen], but it didn’t seem practical to run a monster’s organ through the distiller. The smell alone already drove him to throw the slab of meat away, but the book offered another answer. The [Widow Lily] was a flowering plant that grew near the edge of swamps.

“Essential Alchemy” told him that poison potions could be applied to an adventurer’s weapon, allowing them to inflict [Poison] on hit. It seemed like the perfect pairing with Tresk’s [Rogue] class, and he couldn’t resist whipping her up a batch. With much of the day left, he planned to scout out the rare stat-enhancing flowers along with the [Widow Lily]. The flowers matched an element associated with the stat. Strength to fire, dexterity to wind, vigor to earth, intelligence to lightning, and wisdom to water. The book didn’t have any information about where they could be found.

Theo left the lab, locking up and thinking about how he could get a spare key made for Tresk, before heading off to the southern section of the town. He hadn’t been down that way, advised against it by Luras, and he immediately found out why. A stench like death crept up with the wind, washing over him in a putrid wave. The further south he went, the worse it became until he saw the source of the smell. A group of Half-Ogres were standing outside of a building, the sign hanging out front claiming it was the tannery.

“Good lord, what’s that smell?” Theo asked.

“The tannery,” a Half-Ogre responded with a snort.

“Do all tanneries smell this foul?”

“Yep.”

Theo shook his head, departing west toward the swamp. There has to be some alchemical solution to that.

He filed away the thought before replaceing his first [Widow Lily], a small flowering plant with white flowers. A bold black streak rode down the petals of the flower, striking a stark contrast. Theo carefully removed the flowers before placing them in his bag. He made a mental note to clean the bag out before using it for anything else, not wanting to risk it. While crouching low to harvest the reagents, he got a smell of himself. He looked down at his stained clothes and frowned. While he planned to figure out a solution to laundering his clothes, he hadn’t found an answer.

Another problem for alchemy, he thought.

After an hour of picking the deadly flowers, he wandered back toward the road and returned to the lab. He placed the [Widow Lily] in a bucket, covering it with a lid and setting it aside. It would be unfortunate if someone accidentally ate them. Tresk came to mind.

Theo rummaged through the disorganized buckets and crates of reagents, replaceing the [Ogre Cypress Bark] and considering what to do. It was the reagent with the highest chance of producing a useful property to his plan. When sampling the [Zee Kernel] for the first time, he discovered an additional property. He didn’t think that the bark would hold any negative effects, and took a bite of the smallest piece in the bucket. It tasted like dish soap in his mouth.

[Properties Discovery!]

You’ve discovered an additional effect from the [Ogre Cypress Bark] by eating it.

[Cleanse] discovered.

Theo felt something in his stomach. It rumbled angrily for a moment before settling down, and he went to consult “Essential Alchemy”. It had a short list of common properties, [Cleanse] amongst them. The property was the first one that didn’t have an effect when a user imbibed it. This was something that affected the world, instead of a person. [Cleanse] was used to restore something to pristine condition, removing all dirt and odor. He considered the fact that he was drawn to the bark for testing, leaving the rest of the reagents and going straight for that one. His [Wisdom] was at 19, and it likely had an effect. There was also his Drogramath skills to consider. Whatever the reason, he studied the book’s information on the strange reaction. The deeper he read, the more he realized.

“Distillation uses my alchemy ability… Extracting the essences has to be about intent, right?” Theo asked, scratching his head around his horns.

Every distillation he’d done so far was intending to extract the first property of a reagent. He mind begged to start the experiment, and he obliged. The coals from the fire were long dead, and he stoked another one to life. Theo processed enough [Ogre Cypress Bark] to make 5 units of the new essence and started the distillation process. He studied his books as he waited, committing more of the information to his permanent memory with his improved [Wisdom] score. The small batch meant that it was done with half an hour, a significant improvement from when he first started.

Theo inspected the essence, grinning as the theory about intent proved true.

[Cleansing Essence]

[Essence]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

5 units (liquid)

Concentrated essence of cleansing.

He retrieved his tiny pipette and found another flask to start his testing. The conical flask filled with 5 units of [Purified Water], the barrel starting to run low, and he drew the smallest possible amount of the [Cleansing Essence], starting with 0.01 to be thorough. To his surprise, a reaction occurred. It was the smallest essence to water ratio he’d found so far, and he made a note of it. Theo inspected his new reaction.

[Cleansing Scrub]

[Cleaning Agent]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

Cleansing Scrub instantly restores clothes, surfaces, skin, etc to a clean state. Leaves behind the smell of Qavellian berries.

Effect:

Cleans anything it touches.

After washing his pipette, Theo took off a muddy moccasin and drew 0.1 units from the [Cleansing Scrub]. He set the shoe on the table and let the drops fall into the mud, caked on the surface. Steam rose from the leather, and the alchemist watched as the liquid glowed white, slowly spreading across the muck and breaking it down. The light faded, and what remained was a completely pristine moccasin.

Theo hooted with excitement, eagerly drawing another 0.1 units of the solution and cleaning the rest of his clothes. The lab filled with a scent somewhere between a strawberry and a raspberry. He removed his robes, applying another drop to his forearm and watching the bright light race across his body. The days of grime that accumulated were washed away in a moment, even spreading through his hair and cleansing his scalp. Next, he tried the miracle potion on the floor. The same 0.1 unit dose seemed to have enough steam to clear through half of the muddy floor, and he simply applied more to finish the job.

The alchemist went into a cleaning frenzy. He darted into the bedroom and cleansed his bed, Tresk’s bed, and then the walls. Theo collapsed into his sheets, letting the pristine material rub against his skin. Potions that halted mortal wounds, or refreshed someone out of exhaustion were nice, but this was amazing. He could sell this.

“Why does it smell like berries?” Tresk asked from the door.

Theo rushed out to meet her, a wide grin painting his face. He could smell her from the door—like week-old sweat and muck. He drew more of the solution and placed one drop on her head, and one on her clothes. She giggled as the light raced across her body.

“I made the most amazing thing,” Theo said, holding up the flask. “It’s a bath in a bottle—that’s what we’ll call it.”

Tresk had her eyes closed, savoring the cleansing sensation before responding. “People will buy this.”

Theo stared at her for a moment, the excitement tingling through the air. “How was the trip, by the way?”

“We got some cores, but screw that,” Tresk said, pointing at the flask. “I want more of that.”