The Newt and Demon

5.34 - Pursued by Frog-Like Creatures

A familiar landscape spread into the distance from Theos vantage point. Standing on the battlements of his imagined town, he looked down to the harbor below. With little effort for his two main cores, he planned to toil the night away to hit Level 28. But it was as important to not neglect his Toruaun core, which was now teetering on the edge of Level 20. The alchemists head swiveled, spotting Tresk and Alex doing combat with some imagined hydra-like dragon creature. He laughed to himself, moving down into the harbor to set up his alchemy equipment.

Theo thought about where his various projects were going, and found that he was happy with the undead scouring scheme. The most valuable potions produced by the Newt and Demon were the restoration, curative, and attribute-enhancing potions. Salire had been handling the brewing of those potions, leaving him free to work on whatever weird side-project he wanted. Then there was the uncomfortable fact that he needed another core to fill the slot he would gain at Level 30. Another demon core, perhaps? Something to pair well with his Governance Core made more sense than anything. Something he didnt need to babysit like his other cores.

On Top of his consideration for cores, Theo wanted to pick a direction for his attribute distribution. The current plan was to use items and core bonuses to increase his Dexterity, making him more viable in combat. So far, the only viability he found in a fight was his ability to run away, or hide behind folks while he tossed warded daggers. The alchemist ran his fingers along the surface of an imagined Drogramathi Iron still, feeling the pits and marks on the surface as though it were real. He popped the lid open, fitting his grinder on top and listening to the artifice come to life.

Dexterity was a good attribute to pump. With his Intelligence at 28, he was worried about the effects that came with pushing that beyond 30. His Wisdom was only safe because the Wisdom of the Soul potion he drank, leaving him feeling vulnerable to the mind-altering effects of a higher Intelligence. He cocked his head to one side, popping the grinder off from his still and reseating the lid. After setting the temperature, he allowed his mind to drift. In an instant, the alchemist appeared where Tresk and Alex fought against the hydra.

The monsters many heads snapped at the air, often digging deep trenches into the ground when it missed. Tresk danced around the hydras feet, dodging attacks expertly as Alex rained fire from above. Theo just watched at a safe distance, never interrupting his companions battle. Things calmed down, and the marshling approached, heaving breath and smiling to herself.

Whats up?

What is it like to have Dexterity above 30? Theo asked, seeking to sate his curiosity.

Tresk cupped her chin in her hand, narrowing her eyes. She hummed for a moment before nodding to herself. Dexterity is hard to explain. Compared to when I was a little shrimp, it feels like my body and mind are closer together. Does that make sense?

It didnt, but Theo scoured Tresks thoughts through their connection to get a better idea of what she meant. His mind drifted, pressing up against hers. Their thoughts formed into something greater for a moment, casting off the concept of individual self for only a moment. What the marshling meant to say was that each of her muscles was linked to her mind closely. So close, that each thought of movement was rendered more as instinct rather than concentrated effort.

You cant control how you move as well, Theo said. And can only operate on instinct. You enter something of a battle trance when you fight. Got it.

Yeah. Thats what I meant to say.

As expected, the negative effects of a physical attribute werent as bad as the mental ones. Intelligence made a person cold, and logical. Wisdom made them unable to connect with things happening in the real world, sending them spiraling down a series of what if based on intuition. If Dexterity removed the barrier between thought and action, Strength would do something similar. That just left Vigor. Would a person get so tough that they felt invincible? It was hard to say.

Theo watched Tresk as she got back to work with Alex. They were practicing teamwork during combat, and the alchemist felt pride fill his chest as he watched the goose. She had done well learning how to work with her Nature affinity. Thorny vines sprung from the ground where a hydra stood, wrapping around its legs and holding it firm. She then immolated the creature, causing layers of the monsters flesh to slough off in sheets. But the regenerative power of the imagined monster was great. But not great enough to overcome Tresks poisons.

The alchemist left the scene of the fight, heading back to his stills to work on his alchemy and warding. The rest of the night was uneventful potion grinding. As he had expected, Theo hit his various level goals before the Dreamwalk ended. Before Tresk brought them out of the dream, he placed his free point into Vigor. After hear Tresks difficulties with Dexterity, he didnt want to risk anything. Without warning, the marshling dragged them all out of the dream.

Theos eyes snapped open. Shafts of light pierced through the hazy morning fog outside. The temperature in the room was pleasant, but the alchemist understood how brutal the heat would be outside.

I cant wait for the Season of Death, Theo said, pushing himself out of bed. Tresk had already dashed downstairs, leaving him alone with Alex

I dont mind the heat.

You were born here, Theo said, patting the goat-sized goose on the head. How big are you going to get? Any much bigger and youll have to sleep outside.

Nooo I want to sleep inside.

Theo smiled at the way the gooses feathers ruffled. She puffed herself up, flapping her wings and honking. Then well have to pry Sledge away from her eggs to make bigger door frames.

Honk!

Head down for breakfast, Theo walked absentmindedly. His Toruaun Mages Core had hit Level 20, giving him a new skill slot and a free skill to select. He sat at the table, getting his plate of food and splitting his attention. Sarisa and Rowan were checking in with him, but they went silent as the alchemist searched through his selectable abilities. Ward-style mages were meant to channel the wards, typically creating reactive fields around themselves. But Toruauns speciality was enchanting items with her warding magic. The abilities aligned with her often reflected this.

Ward Propagation and Linked Wards had done a lot to open the class up, giving Theo many options for warding objects. He scanned through his new selections, finding a few that synergized with those two abilities. After flipping through the items for a while, he paused.

Now that is strange, Theo said, inspecting the ability.

[Intuitive Nodes]

Terogal Mage Skill

Epic

Magic bound to the mortal plane draws on the relative power of Terogal by establishing a connection between the two nodes.

Effect:

All spells cast may be empowered by the Dreamreal of Terogal.

The power drawn from Terogal may empower a spell to: reduce mana cost, increase duration, increase potency, etc. Only one boon may be applied.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

This skill can only be used once per day, resetting at midnight.

Theo understood Terogal was a real realm. He had been there, and other gods had recognized his place in the heavens. But seeing an ability from his own realm appear was trippy. Did that mean he and Tresk could grant people cores? He didnt feel as though he could create cores. Putting aside the shock of seeing the ability, the alchemist considered the Intuitive Nodes skill very good. He focused on the realm of empowerment. Increasing the power of a wards duration was always good, but increasing the power of the effect was good too.

With his new selection slotted into his core, Theo turned his attention to the table. Both Sarisa and Rowan were staring at him as though waiting for a response to something.

Ah. Sorry, what did you say? Theo asked.

Rowan laughed, slamming his fist on the table. I told you he was spacing out! Hes done that to me before.

He just answers stuff automatically. In his own little world, Sarisa cooed.

Theo smiled, unable to disagree. He reflected on his increasing Intelligence score, and how that made him distant from everything. It was an unfortunate side-effect he needed to nail down. Sorry. My mage core hit Level 20 and I got distracted.

Anyway Rowan is taking the day off, Sarisa said. We already organized another guard from the Adventurers Guild to help guard you.

And Tresk said she could teleport to you in a moments notice, Rowan added.

Thats all quite fine, Theo said. He removed a Potion of Limited Foresight from his inventory and drank it. Just in case, though.

Just in case, Rowan agreed.

After Rowan departed, Sarisa explained what was going on. The half-ogre guardian had taken a fancy to someone in town, and intended to woo her. Theo groaned at the word, but he never wanted his assistants to become permanent servants to him. Days or weeks off were fine with him, so long as they organized replacements. Of course, there was no race better as a guardian than a half-ogre. The one Sarisa had hired from the guild took his job as seriously as the rest of the Broken Tuskers.

Theo headed out for his first stop of the day, making his way to the Newt and Demon. Salire was waiting for him outside, wearing a new dress for the day. She spent her free time with the merchants, it seemed, as every day she had something new and fun to wear. Sarisa stuck to the shadows while the rent-a-guard accompanied the alchemist into the building.

So, were stocked on first-tier attribute potions and restoration potions, Salire said, showing off the well-stocked shelves. I also took the liberty to forge a few trade contracts with the merchants.

Good terms? Theo asked. In reality, his interest in trade had waned over the past few weeks. Profits drawn from the mine, sawmill, and his minor stake in the quarry had been enough to keep him happy.

Prices that would make Azrug wet his little pants, Salire said with a wide smile.

What are the other nations interested in?

You wont be surprised. Defensive potions, restoration potions, and attribute potions. Im also skimming some Hallow Ground essence from our process to sell off.

Theo nodded. Their industrial Hallow Ground production had gotten to a point where they had excess. He trusted Salire to skim as much as she needed and no more than that. Profiteering from a global crisis? Shame.

Salire shrugged. If they have the coin, Im selling. Deal with it.

I am really happy that youve taken over the shop. You have a Merchants Core, right?

Yep. Helps seal the deal.

Alright. Come on. Lets see what we need to do today.

Theo, Salire, and the rented guard went to the third floor to check their stock of essences. Since usage of the Hallow the Soil potion had diminished, they had plenty of it on hand. Until Throk got his sprayer platform working, that fact would remain. Today was a day to make something fun, though.

We really havent been pushing modified potions, lately, Theo said, nodding to the unused fermentation barrels in the rooms corner. Do we have a section for that in the book, yet?

Ah, not really, Salire said, withdrawing hand-written notes from her inventory. She consulted them, tracing her finger across the pages until she came to the section. Just a small bit here.

Lets go over how that works.

The Hallow Ground property had always made good base potions, but Theo had never put stock in it as a modifier. Going with his theme of fun things to do, he withdrew Swamp Truffles from a storage crate and prepared them for fermentation. Fermenting items had as much to do with the water added as the items placed inside. The alchemist went over the process of mashing the truffles, adding Enchanted Water, then applying his own mana to begin the process.

You can use a mana siphon to power these things, Theo said, slapping the black box that Zarali had created. But you can add your mana manually. How is your mana control going?

Salire held her hand up and a pool of flaming purple mana appeared. The strain of the action played plainly across her face. But she was way better at it than he was back in the day. Getting there

Now, I can sense that the truffle doesnt want to be fermented, Theo said, kneeling near the barrel. He could feel the process pushing back against his will. For a moment, he saw the thread of intent between himself and the barrel. With considerable effort, his mind against that thin strand. It buckled, then collapsed as the fermentation process started. This is gonna take a while.

Very interesting, Salire said, scribbling some notes. Anything interesting we can work on while it does its thing?

We could tour the new Herbalists Workshop, Theo said with a shrug. That might be fun.

Salire clapped her hands. Oh! I saw it earlier!

Theo smiled, leading the way out of the lab. The guard insisted on going first, holding his hand out while he cleared the road outside. With a sharp nod, the dutiful half-ogre ranged out onto the street, spear in hand and a scowl on his face.

He takes his job seriously, Salire said as they crossed the scant few feet between the lab and the workshop.

Thats not a bad thing, Theo said, opening the door. He was pushed back by the guard, who rushed inside as though there was something to fight.

While they waited for the guard to clear the area, several frog-like creatures had gathered near Salires feet. She sighed, withdrawing the sprayer from her inventory and putting it on. After squirting them in the face, they retreated.

How long is that supposed to last? Theo asked.

Bilgrob said it should have been over by now, she grumbled. But it isnt.

Theo split his attention as he gave a tour of his workshop. He gave Salire a friendly tour, but fell into his own thoughts as he did so. That side-effect from the ogre priest should have been over by now. When the tour was done, he had the idea to ask Sulvan for help. Instead of finding the Priest of Glantheir himself, the alchemist sent Sarisa off to find him before heading back to the lab. All three members of the group hung out in the shop-level of the building.

Here we are, Sarisa said, leading the way with Sulvan close behind.

What is the issue? Sulvan said, a kind smile playing across his face. That expression made Theo shiver, if only for a moment.

Salire explained the problem. The priest nodded along, then came to kneel by the half-ogre. Before being regressed and accepted by Glantheir, Sulvan would have towered over the woman. Now he was a head shorter than her, with a bit less muscle. He held his hands out, allowing the pure mana of the elven god to flow into his palms. After a moment, he shook his head.

This is beyond my skill to heal, Sulvan said. But it is called Spits Reverberation. The power of the hex is equal to the power of the healing magic he used.

And Bilgrob reversed damage inflicted by Drogramath, Theo said, blowing out a breath. You can see what the illness is called? Any other information?

The duration is set to twenty years, Sulvan said, clicking his tongue.

What!? Salire shouted. Im going to be chased by frogs for twenty years?

Frog-like creatures, Theo corrected.

Salire glared.

You dont have a way to reverse hexes, alchemist? Sulvan asked.

Theo went through his mental list of cures. He hadnt even considered reversing Salires condition. The only thing he could think of was a potion he had created to cure Tresk. The Lesser Potion of Purification removed one affliction instance from the drinker. His intuition said that it didnt include hexes, but higher-tier versions might.

Maybe it depends on how the purification potion scales.

Worth a shot, Salire grumbled.

The Cure Ailment property was incredibly common in the swamp. It came from Ogre Cypress Bark, which was absurdly easy to come by. There were piles of it at the sawmill, cast off from the sawing process. If that didnt work, they could go through each of their existing reagents to find something that might cure the hex. Theos mind was dragged back to reality when the guard, Sarisa, and Sulvan sprung to their feet. The sound of bells rang in the distance.

What now? Theo asked, opening his administration interface. Within moments, Gael was issuing orders directly to Aarok. Ah. Kuzans delegation is here.