The Newt and Demon
Chapter 2.41: Creepy Fish-Men

Theo’s sudden outburst wasn’t born of fear, but frustration and anger. It came in a flash and left just as quick, his mind bolstered by his Tara’hek. The bond they shared went beyond just skills and attributes, bleeding into their personalities and state of mind. Tresk was a fortress of mental stability. Nothing got to her, and if she fell she got right back up. That sense of confidence bloomed in the alchemist’s chest. The tasks that lay before him were many, but there was a catharsis in his work.

Tresk stayed with him as he performed his reactions. Instead of turning his [Mana Essence] into [Refined Mana Essence], the alchemist made a bulk batch of [Lesser Mana Potions], totalling 1,000. Theo didn’t want to wait, though. He wouldn’t sit around for Zarali’s instruction on how to enchant his water. There were many things he’d figured out on his own with minimal instruction. He wasn’t the smartest person around, but that didn’t matter. He was persistent and unafraid of hard work. Where most people would give up, he’d slam his head against the problem until it was done.

“Do you have any abilities that use mana?” Theo asked, wiping his brow and taking a seat.

The weather outside had stabilized, favoring blue skies with scattered showers. The constant downpour had abated for now. Theo made a note of that. It was only the 38th day of the Season Of Blooms.

“Yeah, I have a few,” Tresk said, coming to sit next to him.

Theo appreciated her concern for him, but she must have known he was fine. Perhaps her presence was the source of his comfort.

“You saw Zarali summon her mana,” Theo said. “Why can’t I do that?”

“Sure? Why not?” Tresk asked. “It feels like a tingling sensation in my [Assassin’s Core].”

“Do you think that’s where the mana is?” Theo asked, knitting his brow.

“Yeah, maybe,” Tresk said, holding out her hand. She grunted, a look of concentration spreading across her features. After a moment, she let out a breath and shrugged. “Might be quicker if we ask someone who uses magic.”

Theo thought about that for a moment. He didn’t want to see Xol’sa or Zarali for the rest of the day. His sister annoyed him more than could be explained by an unexpected visitor. The alchemist could tell she was inserting herself into the town and Uharis’ words sealed that in his mind.

“It might,” Theo said, holding his hand out with his palm up. “But I don’t want to see her again today and I don’t want to be manipulated.”

Theo felt something in his cores, but it was strange. There was a well in his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] that he’d never tapped, and the surrounding seals were tight. Tresk waited with him for the rest of the day, helping him with his alchemy and guiding him blindly through the exercises. She disappeared somewhere near dusk and returned with deep bowls of Xam’s new stew. The buff it provided was small, nothing compared to the banquet, but the food was delicious.

Before bed, the pair pressed their foreheads together. As with the siege, they received an absurd amount of experience points to their [Tara’hek Core]. Something about traumatic events caused an increase in that core. His [Governance Core] ran the daily tally during their exchange, bringing it to level 3.

[Tara’hek Core] receivedexperience (25%).

[Tara’hek Core] leveled up! Level 13.

[Governance Core] receivedexperience (0.1%).

[Governance Core] leveled up! Level 3.

Waking the next morning, he started the process all over again. There was so little he understood about his own body, but with Zarali in the picture, he had questions. There was a disconnect between his mind and that body; a borrowed body.

“It’s not a skill,” Tresk said, pouring Theo a cup of tea. She was still doting on him, but he felt her pulling away. “So, you should be able to just do it.”

“Well, I think our theory is right. Infusing the water should be easy. It’s like taking the Drogramath energy around us, passing it through my [Drogramath Alchemy Core], and infusing the water,” Theo said.

“Why don’t you practice on a barrel of water?” Tresk asked, moving to slide a 200 unit barrel over.

Theo kicked himself for not thinking about that. He was trying to replicate the flame Zarali summoned, but what was the point of that?

“I never understood what the fermentation barrels were talking about,” Theo said, holding his open palm over the water. “They accept motes, or mana. I just never thought about feeding them mana.”

“That’s what Zarali was telling you,” Tresk said with a nod. “Maybe a hint?”

“Maybe.”

The moment Theo held his hand over the water, he felt something twinge in his chest. Intent made up a lot of the crafting in this world, something he already knew. When he ran his stills, the resulting essence was based on intent. The puzzle was easy to solve at that point. It didn’t matter how much he focused on the mana in his alchemy core, it wasn’t designed to work the way Zarali’s core worked. In an instant, he felt something flood out of his chest. A wave of purple energy fell over the water, causing it to boil and turn a shade of violet in a matter of moments. The alchemist stumbled back, caught by Tresk.

Theo’s head swam, the room around him spinning uncontrollably. A quick inspection of his mana showed it was completely empty, all 40 points drained to nothing.

“You good?” Tresk asked. “How did you figure it out?”

“It was easy once I realized the system would do the work,” Theo said. “Ugh, I’m still dizzy.”

“Cause you’re out of mana,” Tresk said, retrieving a fresh [Lesser Mana Potion] from the table and handing it to him.

Theo drank a mana potion for the first time. It fizzed in his mouth like a carbonated drink, stinking his throat as it went down. The flavor was uninteresting, a weak mixture of mushrooms and fruit. The dizziness calmed the moment his mana was restored, allowing him to stand on his own. He inspected his new creation.

[Enchanted Water]

[Alchemy Component]

Epic

Water that has been infused with Drogramath’s energy.

Alignment:

Drogramath (Weak Bond)

“Weak bond,” Theo said, reading the description. “What do you think that means?”

“No idea,” Tresk said. “But, hey! You got your water!”

“I think that was the first time I used mana,” Theo said, grinning.

“Good job,” Tresk said, clapping a hand on his back. “See? We don’t need anyone.”

Theo nodded, turning to smile at his companion. “That’s right.”

“Alright,” Tresk said, holding her hand out. “Give me some health potions, I’m gonna go dungeoning.”

Theo laughed, transferring a few potions from his inventory to their shared inventory. “Check the shared inventory,” he said.

“Thanks,” Tresk said, beckoning him down for a forehead pressing. He obliged, but they didn’t get as much experience as before. She looked out the window, vanishing from the spot before he could say another word.

Theo made a mental plan for the rest of the day. He left the Newt and Demon after talking to Azrug. Making his way to the adventurer’s guild, he saw a crowd of unfamiliar faces outside of the Marsh Wolf Tavern. He ducked inside of the guild before they spotted him. Aarok had the entire order filled by the time he got there. The [So Much Potion] quest was complete. 1,000 of each restoration reagent and a smattering of stat-bearing reagents, totaling 1,500.

“Glad you got a storage crate,” Theo said, transferring the items into his inventory.

“Me too,” Aarok said. “Did you see the new settlers?”

Theo winced. He needed people to work in the town, but he didn’t want to spend his day directing them on what to do. “I need an assistant.”

“Yeah,” Aarok said. “Any plans for them?”

“I need someone to work lumber, and more miners,” Theo said. “Oh, and a smelter.”

“Well, there’s 10 people coming to settle this time,” Aarok said. Last time it was 5. “There’s bound to be someone with decent cores.”

Theo took a steadying breath, turning to leave.

“You gotta pay me,” Aarok said.

Theo turned back around and withdrew the money from his inventory. After forking over 13 silver 50 copper, he left the adventurer’s guild. The crowd caught his attention before he could slink away, following him down the road and requesting citizenship.

Theo interviewed the entire crowd at once, asking everyone to raise their hands to different questions. Everyone was sorted on housing, either bringing their own house seed, sharing with other settlers, or staying at the tavern long-term. Most had standard laborer cores, but a trio had forestry experience. He reserved those three for his lumber project, designated an area for the new miners to settle, and sent 7 settlers off to talk with Gridgen.

“You’ll be working with Sledge,” Theo said, gesturing north.

The 3 humans followed him past the Marsh Wolf Tavern, all excited that there were jobs available in the town. Theo didn’t have a lumber mill seed core, but Sledge cut the trees down without one. He explained their job wasn’t just to cut trees, but to ensure the mighty cypress trees were healthy. They were interested in how fast things grew here, and the alchemist smiled at their optimism.

“Sledge,” Theo said, surprised to see the woman working on furniture. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“Right,” Sledge said. “Busy with fabrication.”

“Well, I’ve got some new townsfolk that I need you to train,” Theo said. He held up a hand before she objected. “I’m sure you can replace time in your schedule. They just need to understand the swamp. How to cut Ogre Cypress. That kind of thing.”

“Apprentice foresters?” Sledge said, laughing. “Alright. No one cares about working wood in this town.”

“Thanks,” Theo said. “Just get them up and running. The basics. We can worry about our lumber empire later.”

“Right,” Sledge said, suddenly leveling her gaze on a Human man. “You! Grab that—no, not that! The saw, you fool!”

Theo backed away slowly, watching the Humans scramble around to do what the Marshling wanted. This was the way forward for him, putting the new townspeople with others, instead of directing them himself. He didn’t stick around to watch Sledge, praying that she wouldn’t be too hard on them. The alchemist knew it didn’t matter. An image of Qavell had formed in his mind and it wasn’t great. He didn’t burden himself with their problems, though. Focusing on Broken Tusk was the only thing that mattered.

I just spotted Zarali and Xol’sa walking through the swamp, Tresk said. I think they’re going to hold hands soon.

Maybe they are, Theo said, wincing at the thought.

He has these pillars of magic spread through the swamp, Tresk said. I guess that’s his array.

Makes sense, Theo said. He didn’t understand how Xol’sa’s system worked, but if it was dangerous Uharis would have warned him. Despite the alchemist’s anger at the Archmage, he trusted his judgment. It was just too hard to let someone like that into his life. On one hand, it seemed like cheating. On the other, it seemed like subservience. Either way, Theo wasn’t interested. We should see how else we can use Drogramath’s energy to empower the town.

Sounds good to me, Tresk said. Honestly, he seems less evil than my Patron.

That was a topic Theo didn’t want to consider. Zaul, the Prime God of Shadows, seemed like a real piece of work. The influence they exerted on Tresk was mostly bad, turning her into a more angry person. That was why the Tara’hek was so important. It balanced them both out, so he didn’t mind that his other cores were falling behind. As long as his [Tara’hek Core] was his highest core, he felt comfortable.

Azrug wanted Theo’s opinion on some things in the shop before he went into the lab. As they talked about what the best placement of things was, the alchemist looked at the shopkeeper’s earnings on the newest report.

“You turned over 30 gold this month,” Theo said, interrupting Azrug as he gestured to a large display in the corner of the store.

“Yeah, but it cost me 20 gold,” he said, snorting a laugh.

Theo spotted his mistake. He was looking at earnings before expenditures, which the screen calculated for him. 10 gold was nothing to turn his nose up at, though. By Broken Tusk standards, that made him insanely rich. The alchemist was entitled to an amount of that money, but he wasn’t interested in it. He could take 9 gold from the total, but what was the point? If Azrug had a ton of money to play with, he made money. That was now a solid fact in his mind.

“You’re doing great,” Theo said. “Let me know if you’re interested in administrative duties in the future.”

“Not really,” Azrug said, smiling. “I’m only interested in the shop.”

“Well, keep an eye out for anyone who can lend me a hand,” Theo said. “I can’t spend my whole day running around town.”

“Understood,” Azrug said. “Now, I think this display case is better over here…”

Theo indulged the shopkeeper. They ended up dragging the furniture around until Azrug was happy. The process didn’t take long, and the alchemist was happy to have some bonding time with the young man.

The lab felt different when Theo entered it. He checked the bedroom and behind the cupboards for wizards, but found nothing. The alchemist withdrew a few [Lesser Mana Potions] form his inventory and infused several barrels of [Purified Water]. He set up his [Alchemical Grinder] over the [Drogramath Still], grinding 500 units of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. When he dipped his ladle into the barrel of [Enchanted Water] a swirl of purple flames danced across the surface. He shrugged it off, filling the still and setting it to start.

Understanding the more complex heating stages was a task for another day. Theo had a feeling he could get Throk to craft an programmable artifice, but didn’t want to bother for the moment. He repeated the process for the 2 other stills, starting them with [Manashrooms] and [Moss Nettle]. As the supply of his barrels dwindled, the alchemist realized there must have been a better way to get water for his lab. While the barrels were nice enough, he needed to run them to the river too often.

Theo promised himself he wouldn’t do many side projects, but he couldn’t help himself. An idea of a pump system running from the river and to the town entered his mind. He filed it away for the time being, running out to his garden to check the growing reagents. The plants were growing well, but out of every 10 he planted, only 1 or 2 grew to an acceptable cultivation level. Even as he applied the growth potion, it would take a while to get them where he wanted them.

Banu’s advice on taking clippings was easy enough, even if Theo didn’t know exactly what he was doing. He clipped the best [Mage’s Bane] and [Roc Berry] plants and replanted them. For every 1 plant he selected, 4 would be replanted from the clippings. Although he planted 10 of each, only 8 came out the other side at an acceptable level of 40% cultivation. Those saplings would feed into the cycle, and he would eventually urge them into 100% cultivation, although he still didn’t know what that would do. Instinct said it would generate a new level of quality in his essences, but only time would tell.

Theo returned to his lab, holding an empty vial under the [Drogramath Still’s] condenser to inspect the essence.

[Healing Essence]

[Essence]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Weak Bond)

Alignment Effects:

1:1 refinement in pressure vessels

1 units (liquid)

Concentrated essence of healing, used to create healing potions.

“Ah,” Theo said, shaking his head. “Alright, this is good.”

In exchange for his devotion to Drogramath, the essence would gain a benefit during the refinement stage. Normally, he’d put in 2 units of essence, and gain 1 unit back. If he was reading the description correctly, the aligned essence refined at a much better rate. For every 1 unit of essence, he would get 1 unit back. That changed his view of the refinement process entirely. With the aligned essence, he could make significantly more profit.

Theo’s mind unraveled the implications of the new essences. It was a “weak bond”, which meant there was something stronger. If he increases his bond, he’d get a stronger effect, or more effects. The alchemist withdrew his copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy and made notes. There was nothing in there about bonds, which revealed another fact about the Drogramath Dronon as a people. It was unlikely that an alchemist usually worked closely with a priest or priestess. Zarali likely shared her knowledge of Drogramath’s energy with her brother, Belgar. He let out a heavy sigh, resigning himself to his fate.

Zarali was about to become a very important cornerstone of the town. Theo had the Order of the Burning Eye’s blessing to keep her there, otherwise Uharis would have killed her. The alchemist needed to exploit this power to the fullest, entwining his process with the Demon Lord.

They need to think of a new name for the Demon Lords, Theo said, tapping his foot in the lab. The name didn’t sit right with him. Why didn’t people call them the Dronon Lords? The Prime Pantheon gets a fancy name, why not the Demonic Pantheon?

Well, you’re gonna have to ask Zarali about that, Tresk said. Check the inventory!

Theo opened their shared inventory. It was hard to replace anything in that thing, as it was cluttered with junk. There was a stack of 20 [Fald Eyeballs]. He didn’t know what a Fald was, or where she’d found one, but he inspected it anyway.

[Fald Eyeball]

[Alchemy Ingredient]

Uncommon

The eyeball of a Fald.

[Wake] ???? ????

What the heck is a Fald? Theo asked.

Creepy fish-men, Tresk said.

Where the heck did you replace creepy fish-men?

The [River Dungeon].