The Newt and Demon

5.55 - Dam That River

Theo and Luras spent way too much time seeing how far the alchemist could throw rocks. One moment the half-ogre was coming to yell at him for scaring children, and the next he was giggling when boulders soared through the air. That was the core of the half-ogres in Broken Tusk, though. An essence of authority mixed with child-like playfulness. But the day was wearing thin.

I should have been back at my post a few hours ago, Luras said, scratching his chin. Sorry. Gotta go.

Theo watched as Luras went, dragging his eyes across the landscape. There was a pile of boulders on the far side of the river. Im not cleaning that up, he said, willing himself to fall through the realms.

The alchemist arrived in Terogal, finding a few stray souls waiting for his approval. Things had slowed down, especially now that the wanderer wasnt feeding the void fresh soils. All the gods that frequented the cottage appeared, and he spent twenty-four hours within the realm chatting, eating sweets, and playing whatever games the local souls had adopted. While hiking was still popular, groups of souls splintered from the purists to create fresh activities. Rollerblading hadnt lasted long, but cycling had. The bikes had four wheels and front and back chain drives. Theo was puzzled as to how they created the machines, but chalked it up to weird spirit magic.

Theo returned to the spot on the road, finding that not much had changed in the five minutes he was gone. The sun was setting over the western horizon, barely poking over the mountain range, signaling that dinner was close at hand. He returned to the manor, chatting with Tresk along the way.

The little marshling had been making more progress in her cores than he expected. She had even pushed beyond the Level 30 barrier, something that Theo still struggled with. Tresk knew it was because he was too distracted with shiny things.

A distinctly fishy smell emanated from the manor. Theo smelled it even before he entered, but when he crossed the threshold he was assailed with a confusing mingling of fish, herbs, and spices. There was also a citrus undertone to the scent. He found his way to the dining table, having a seat and waiting for the meal to be served. Sarisa and Rowa seemed to know exactly when he wanted to eat.

Sarisa emerged from the kitchen after a while, bringing with her plates piled high with food. She set Theos portion down, moving on to serve everyone else. In the center of the plate, there was a single cut of fish. The alchemist didnt recognize what kind it was, but it was layered on top of green vegetables with a green sauce. Resting atop the fish were small slices of a citrus fruit, one he again didnt know. Scattered around the outside of the fish were more of the greens.

Thank you, Theo said, finding that the fish flaked with the gentlest touch of his fork. He scooped some greens and sauce with his first bite. The rich and oily taste of the fish was offset by the green sauce, cutting some of the offensive bite. The greens he had scooped enhanced the flavor of the fish, bringing out the meaty quality. This is actually great.

Did you expect anything less? Sarisa asked, giving Theo the stink-eye.

I dont care for fish, Theo said, preparing another bite. But I like this.

Once the meal was done, Theo and Tresk dropped into the Dreamwalk with full bellies. The marshling ran off with Alex to fight some more imagined creatures, while the alchemist focused on increasing his willpower. The Earth Sorcerers Core was a good excuse to move some rocks and dirt, but the true reason he needed more willpower was the floating city. Those gods that dropped hints told him another god was acting on the mortal plane. Why Khahar didnt just zap the guy was beyond him, but it hardly mattered. It fell to Theo to increase his willpower so he could trap this god in a bubble of his own realm.

But how does one trap a god? Theo asked, watching as the skeletons shambled toward him.

Theo thought back to the time he teleported himself to the moon. There were many things that had to fall into place for that to happen. Uharis had already opened a trail for him to follow with the spell he had cast. The alchemist had a deep connection with both the Burning Eye and Sulvan. Both Uharis and Sulvan were ascendant candidates, which lit their souls up like beacons in the mortal plane. He was almost certain he had no connection with this new god, unless it was a piece of the burning eye.

A field of skeletons came under Theos control as he rolled through the list of suspects. When that provided no answer, he backed his line of thinking up. Thrones were a metaphysical representation of a concept. The system often talked about meta aspects regarding how close they were to the system itself. Khahar sat atop the Throne of the Arbiter, which granted him absolute domain over the heavens. Fenian had claimed the Throne of the Herald, which should have given him domain over the mortal world.

Why hasnt Fenian acted? Theo asked himself, tapping his chin.

Fenians powers as the Herald could have been stunted. But that didnt sound like Fenian at all. For the first time in a long time, Theos thoughts went back to the Harbinger. That was the name his people back on Earth gave the entity, and he doubted it was the things true name. The bird-like creature had seen him at the last moments of his life on Earth, ushering souls from that doomed planet to their new home.

Theo snapped his fingers. He was almost certain of the answer. If Khahar couldnt stop the god on the mortal plane because he couldnt come down, that made sense. But Fenian should have domain over the problem. This wasnt a god from this world. If the Harbinger could move between dimensions, or across space, or whatever, another being could too. Which led to more problems. Would the alchemists domain be enough to stop something that wasnt playing by the rules?

Im overthinking this, Theo said, rubbing his face. Khahar said I could stop him with my domain, so I can stop him. Stop second-guessing yourself, Theo.

Another field of skeletons appeared. Theo flushed his concerns out of his mind, getting back to work. His progress on dominating the undead tapered off through the night, but he was still making progress. By the time dawn came, his progress was stifled completely. He couldnt stuff enough undead creatures in the circle of his potion to progress. This cheat had resulted in a willpower that increased so great, it was hard to measure. It was like comparing someone at Level 1 to someone at Level 100. There was no metric to compare them.

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Tresk pulled them out of the Dreamwalk, scampering down the stairs the way she always did. Sarisa had prepared some oil-fried pounded steaks with Pozwa eggs for breakfast. Theo enjoyed that far more than the fish, but he wouldnt say so to his guards face. Her cooking was getting good enough where he suspected she had taken a core for the task.

To Theos surprise, Zizs proposal to divert the river had been submitted and approved with ease. Alise had a lot of notes in the proposal, but her concerns for the River Dungeon were great. There was also a request from Gronro for more faux coins and Hallow the Soil potion, although he also reported that it was easier to remove the corruption now. Things were looking up for the reclamation project, but the alchemist had fears that Tarantham would stick their noses into it. Considering what the Wanderer did to Vesta, he was certain they wouldnt be forgiving.

After finishing breakfast, Theo stopped in at the Newt and Demon to check in on Salire. She needed some help with mixing the Hallow the Soil potion, but only took up an hour of his time. The construction project could wait, as Ziz had to get all his stuff together before they could do anything.

Theo approached the river, placing his hands on his hips as he studied its span. He checked his inventory, making sure he had plenty of Mana Potions to do the job. It wouldnt be easy carving another canal out, but it had to be done. Sarisa and Rowan lurked nearby as he walked some of the river. It didnt take him long to decide to divert the river to the far side, instead of the near side. The alchemist crossed the bridge, then inspected the wall around the harbor.

This looks good, Theo said.

The harbor had been carved out, extending the river itself in either direction. If Ziz dammed the river before the River Dungeon, Theo could divert the flow of water from that point straight into the harbor. If they did it all at once, the water levels wouldnt even drop. The workers were assembling on the side of the river closest to the town. The alchemist headed over to check in, finding Ziz ordering his people around.

Almost ready to start? Ziz asked.

I have some questions about the canal Im digging, Theo said, gesturing to the far side of the river. Is it possible to connect it to the harbor on that side?

Yup. We need to knock out some stones for that to work, but thats not a problem. It just wont look as fancy under the drydock.

So long as we add stone reinforcements for erosion.

Absolutely. You know, the workers are eager to see your new core at work, Ziz said with a wink.

Theo smiled politely. Its less of my core they should be impressed with and more my willpower.

Hey, whatever it is, theyll be impressed. Let me get things ready before you carve.

Theo watched as Ziz assembled his people. While he waited, the alchemist visualized how he was going to do this. Carving something that was the exact width of the existing river might be too hard. He didnt know if he could make up for that with depth, but he doubted it. Instead, he planned on chugging Mana Potions back-to-back until the job was done. After another fifteen minutes of waiting, the workers were ready to spring into action.

Ziz walked with him to the far side of the bridge, tracing a path with his finger. Take it from there, right before the dungeon. Leave me about five ogres worth of space to work.

Are we measuring things in ogres?

Doesnt everyone?

Theo gave Ziz a flat look. Even the stonemason used halms when he could. Anything else?

Make sure we get an angle that doesnt create too much turbulence against my dam. And dont carve from the river, do it about two ogres away. Well dam it and cut the connecting section at the same time.

Understood, boss, Theo said, laughing as he turned to the rolling fields before him. They were mostly flat, which made his job easy. Only the area near the harbor was hilly enough to be concerned.

The alchemist reached out with his core, painting a section half the rivers width wide and about four ogres long. He dug into the earth, gripping it with his willpower as he heaved. Mana drained away from him by the moment, ticking off in his vision like a countdown timer. Theo forced the earth upward, carving a perfectly rectangular shape. He lifted the mass of dirt and stone high into the air, pushing it clear of the hole and allowing it to drop with a thunderous thud. The workers went wild, cheering and pumping their fists in the air.

That was a lot of dirt, Ziz said, patting Theo on the shoulder. Do you need a chair? Maybe a cold beverage?

Theo laughed, chugging a Mana Potion. He reached out, digging an equal-sized chunk of the landscape out. He dropped this mound of dirt on the other, creating a massive hill. I only drink Newt and Demon brand Mana Potions, he said, withdrawing another from his inventory. He gave a cheesy smile and a wink. Available for purchase now at all retail locations.

Are you drunk already? Ziz asked, laughing. Damn, boys. Bring out the beer!

Theo realized quickly how good this was for his willpower. Scooping the dirt out and holding there was arduous. Even with his Coat of Rake on, he was sweating by the second scoop. But he was egged on, inspired to go faster and harder by the cheers of the workers. They had created a system to reinforce the oddly square river offshoot with timber supports. But despite his speed, it took the alchemist more than half the day to carve everything out. With his stamina flagging, he chugged a Stamina Potion for the first time in a long time.

Lets go! Theo shouted, hoisting the last section of the offshoot out of the ground. The potion made him feel as though had just ingested a years worth of coffee in one sitting.

Zizs workers had jumped into the harbor, knocking out a section of the wall to allow water to spill in. The result was a backflow effect, temporarily lowering the level of the harbor to dangerous levels. Once the river was connected to the harbor, Theo went back to the place where he started.

Ready to drop a dam? Theo asked.

Let me know when youre ready, Ziz said with a nod. He intended to use his new skill to produce a pre-made dam. The skill allowed him to move prefabricated structures as though they weighed nothing. But the skill only lasted a few seconds.

Lets go, Theo said, reaching out with his core. The moment he seized the section of earth, Ziz produced a stone dam from his inventory. The half-ogre placed it downriver from where the alchemists offshoot was. While the dirt lifted, the dam went in.

Ziz, Theo, and the workers all leaned in, watching as water rushed into the new river, draining from the old one. The new river was a churn of froth and dirt that calmed down with time. Watching Zizs people get to work was inspiring. They set up artifice pumps to draw water from the river, spraying it over the river dungeon. As long as they exploited the behavior of the dungeon, everything would be fine. Thats what Xolsa said anyway.

This is slightly more complicated, Ziz said with a chuckle. We need to get this structure built in about What did he say? An hour? Yeah, no problem.

Theo swallowed hard, looking down into the river. The pile of stones below was the River Dungeon. A place he had never seen in person. It was nestled on the muddy bottom of the river, its shimmering portal now visible. He watched as the construction effort began.