The Newt and Demon - Chapter 4.36 - A Soul Come to Roost

Theo stood on the deck of the Wavecrest, marveling at how Laedria’s crew worked. Alise had assembled a small team for the task, although the administrator herself was missing from the boat. Tresk, Alex, Rowan, and Sarisa had joined to guard the alchemist, while one squad of ranged adventurers and another of front-liners stood crowded on the boat.

“Look at them work those ropes,” Tresk said with a nod. “I do not know what they’re doing.”

It was impossible for Theo to understand what every rope did. But the upgrades on the harbor were doing a lot of the heavy lifting. They coasted through the churn of river and sea water as though it were nothing. The alchemist finally gained appreciation for just how amazing the canal was. Two of their trader-style ships could fit in the waterway at once. But the constant bucking of the boat caused Xol’sa’s pale skin to turn a strange shade of green. Zarali was nearby, offering words of comfort.

“There’s the Cork!” Laedria shouted, pointing off into the distance. A single-masted ship, baring the hallmark blue sails of Broken Tusk, looked like a dot on the horizon.

“Guess it’s safe enough to fish that far out,” Theo grumbled. Perhaps the [Ocean Dungeon] wasn’t as much of a threat as he first thought.

The Wavecrest pushed through the final length of the canal, a stiff breeze pushing from inland. The sails overhead billowed, catching the wind and sending them lurching forward. Even without Zarali’s enchantments on the boat, the clipped over the waves as though racing to the dungeon. Laedria let out a hoot of excitement, the sailors coming to cheer with her shortly after.

Theo braced himself against the gunwale, locking his eyes on the horizon to avoid seasickness. Once the boat had cleared the area near shore, the turgid waves calmed down. It wasn’t a glassy bay, but it was calm enough to stave off that feeling of nausea in his stomach. Tresk wasn’t doing much better than him, but it didn’t affect Alex at all. She honked with excitement, shooting fire off the side of the boat that had the sailors scrambling to snap her bill closed.

The bay was massive. It was enclosed on the east and west by large tracts of land, crowded with hills and mountains. To the south were chains of barrier islands, shielding the bay from whatever squalls brewed in the open sea. Here the water was warm and inviting. As sea spray doused those onboard, Theo could feel the heat from the saltwater. Laedria wasn’t interested in just taking them to the dungeon. She angled the Wavecrest out to those barrier islands, something the alchemist wouldn’t object to.

Before long, they pulled alongside the Cork. Thronk and his Marshling fishermen were onboard, waving up to the crew with excitement.

“Finally!” he shouted, jumping up and down on the small deck. “Another boat in the bay!”

“You lazy lizard!” Tresk shouted down at her brother. “Get back to work!”

“You first!”

“Nerd!”

“That’s quite enough of this,” Theo said, but it was hard to keep his gaze off the barrier islands.

The islands that separated the open sea from the bay were sandy things, dotted with patches of grass and tropical trees. Crustaceans scuttled along the shore, snapping their claws defiantly. The sea was a vast spread of blue, twinkling with specks that looked like shining diamonds. Without a cloud overhead, the heat bore down on the crew. Only the breeze provided relief.

Tresk and Thronk argued for some time, but Theo noticed the behavior of the Elves. The members of House Wavecrest took deep breaths, closing their eyes to take in the senses of the sea. This is where they wanted to be above all else. This was the place where they were the most at home. Once the Elves were happy enough with seeing the open ocean, they plotted a course for the [Ocean Dungeon]. The Marshlings argued until their shouts no longer carried over the waves.

Theo was left to set up one of Throk’s sprayers while the crew dropped the anchor. The Wavecrest swayed with the wind until they trimmed the sails, leaving only the gentle rock of the sea. Tresk pointed out where the dungeon should have been, and the alchemist activated the sprayer. It was more temperamental than the version he summoned in the Dreamwalk, but it would do the job. Ice spread across the surface of the bay, snaking outward before digging into the columns of water.

“This is going to take a while,” Theo said, withdrawing several flasks of [Freeze Solution] with the [Solidify] modifier from his inventory. He set it out for everyone onboard to keep cool.

“You’ve been holding out on us,” Laedria said, slathering the mixture on her skin.

“This is available for purchase in my shop,” Theo shot back, winking at the Elf.

“Wow, what a generous man,” Zarali said, still coddling Xol’sa on the deck.

Theo cleared his throat. “Get comfortable. This is going to take a few hours.”

Tresk wasn’t content with sitting around and waiting for things to happen. She assembled some members of each adventuring team for a journey to the bottom of the bay. Of course they needed Theo’s [Potion of Wake] to get the job done, and he was happy to provide what little he made. They all jumped in the water, despite Laedria’s protests, and swam to the bottom of the bay. The Marshling kept him updated about how things were going, making note that there were only a few Fald swimming around.

The [Ocean Dungeon] was still at a low level, at least compared to the [Swamp Dungeon]. Theo hoped that meant that Xol’sa’s job would be easier. But the Elf was getting greener by the moment, no longer able to keep from vomiting over the side of the boat.

“If only I had some [Sanchrin Leaves],” Theo said, rubbing Xol’sa’s back as he puked. Zarali gave him a pained look.

“Would that help him?” she asked.

“The description says it relieves nausea. But I don’t have any.”

“Anything else that might help?” Zarali pleaded.

There was only one thing that Theo could think of that might help someone stop vomiting. He withdrew a clump of [Moss Nettle] from his inventory, smashing it in his hands until the yellow liquid flowed from the moss. He handed it to Xol’sa, stopping the Elf before he popped it in his mouth.

“Chew on this. Swallow the juice, but not the moss.”

Xol’sa nodded once, then placed the moss in his mouth. He chewed for a while, spitting several times and coughing a lot, but eventually he let out a sigh of relief. While Tresk updated Theo about the dungeon—it seemed fine to her—he ran through the other reagents in his inventory. Chewing on raw reagents would produce a minor effect compared to the distilled version. Of the many things the alchemist kept on hand, [Moss Nettle] was the best candidate. He withdrew a sheet of [River Kelp] and shoved it back into his inventory when he smelled it.

“Too fishy,” Theo said. “That’s just gonna make him more sick.”

Theo scrolled through his many items. He spotted a potion he meant to put into the shop and clapped his hands together. He withdrew a [Vigor Potion] from his inventory, inspecting it before handing it over.

[Vigor Potion]

[Refined Elemental Earth]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Drink to enhance vigor.

Drink to increase resistance scaling.

Effect:

+14 Vigor for 1.75 hours.

For 1.25 hours, your physical resistances scale 1.30 times better than normal.

“More vigor should help with feeling sick, right? 14 vigor is a lot,” Theo said.

Zarali helped Xol’sa tip the option back. The Elf shook after quaffing the entire thing, blinking rapidly. Then he stood up straight, looking around the deck of the boat with fresh eyes.

“The hells… it worked,” Xol’sa said. “I don’t feel so sick anymore—Theo I don’t feel as much like a pile of Karatan dung.”

Zarali ran her fingers through Xol’sa’s hair. She bit her bottom lip, staving off tears. The stress of his condition was getting to her. But not everything fell to Theo to fix. If the alchemist fixed the Elf’s soul all the way, it would take him a long time to figure out the correct method. For now, he’d be happy that he was standing straight for once.

Theo handed over all the [Vigor Potions] he had, then settled in on the deck for a long wait. It took the sprayer longer than he expected to create the column of downward-facing ice. Tresk and her advance team had swam back and forth several times before the ice spread outward, signaling that they now had a connection to the bay’s base. The adventurers confirmed that moments later.

The laborers were at the ready, prepared with pickaxes to hew a path downward. On a whim, Theo tried his [Tunneling Potion]. It worked. The man in charge of the laboring squad gave the alchemist a confused look as the ice etched itself into shape.

“We’re still getting paid, right?”

“Naturally,” Theo said.

The [Tunneling Potion] made quick work of the column of ice. Theo directed it to move in a circular pattern, creating a spiral staircase of ice all the way to the bottom of the bay. While Xol’sa and the adventurers prepared to go under, the alchemist manned the sprayer to insure it wouldn’t melt around them. Alex stayed with him, along with some adventurers, the laborers, and the crew from the boat.

It made for a pleasant bit of relaxation. Theo spent his time admiring Throk’s artifice device. The man had come a long way from making heating elements. It appeared the only limitation to his ability was his imagination. On that thought, he wondered how high the Marshling had gotten with his core. Then he got suspicious that the old man had done a sneaky thing, taking an aligned [Artificer’s Core] with no one knowing. That fell in line with how the man behaved, after all.

“That’s Marshlings for ya,” Theo muttered.

Tresk’s telepathic reports about the dungeon were uninteresting. The only notable thing was how spry Xol’sa seemed to be. He was moving normally now, and was even joking at the bottom of the ice stairs. The Elf worked his [Dungeon Engineer’s Core] on the dungeon below, messing with the way it worked until he was satisfied. Just as the ice was failing on the exterior of the column, the group ascended to board the boat.

“How did it go?” Theo asked, helping Xol’sa to the deck.

“Very well,” Xol’sa said. “The [Ocean Dungeon] is barely level 10, so it was simple to tame. I changed the flow of energy, redirecting the excess to the realms. It will no longer spawn monsters around it, and we can control when the waves come.”

“But…” Tresk started.

Xol’sa picked it up before she could continue. “We need to clear the dungeon just about every three days. All that energy has to go somewhere, even if I redirected most of it.”

“So, we’ll need to build the silly tower.” Tresk nodded, proud of her contribution to the conversation.

“I would like to have access to the dungeon for regular upkeep.” Xol’sa withdrew a pen and parchment from nowhere, dropping to the deck to scribble notes. “I’m recommending that we redirect resources to make the same accommodations for every other dungeon. Including the [River Dungeon].”

Theo couldn’t believe how different the Elf was acting. Moments ago, he looked as though he was going to collapse. Now, chewing on the moss with a [Vigor Potion] running through his body, he seemed like a new man. Both things were non-addictive and could be taken one after the other with no issues. There shouldn’t be a problem with that, but the alchemist needed to monitor it.

“Ziz and his guys are going to be pissed that we’re not working on the maglev,” Theo said.

“They can wait.” Xol’sa waved an impatient hand. “And you’ve been slacking on your development. You need to practice your wards more. Turn your alchemy into magic, doubling your effectiveness. Come, we need to meet with Alise before she’s buried so deep in bureaucratic crap that she has to clear the muck from her eyes.”

Theo stood at attention, offering a mock-salute. “Yes, sir.”

The Wavecrest left the massive chunk of ice to melt on its own, making its way back to town. Despite going up-river, the boat seemed to be pulled into the harbor by the power of the upgrades. When Theo disembarked from the boat, he felt himself sway on the spot. He sent his assistants off to call for an emergency meeting, something he knew Ziz would be upset about. Alise might be pissed about it, but she could deal.

“Maybe that’s why she’s always mad at you,” Tresk mused. “You’re always pulling her in every direction.”

Theo waved the thought away. “I’m the archduke, remember? I’m supposed to be a jerk.”

Without stopping for anything, Theo and his group made their way to the town hall. Sarisa reported everyone was gathering for the meeting, so they made their way to the massive meeting room on the second floor. There was now a third floor to the building, but they had not moved the meeting area. Xol’sa, Theo, Tresk, Rowan, Sarisa, and Zarali were gathered around the large table before anyone showed up. The alchemist studied the extra-planar Elf as they waited, studying his behavior. He just seemed normal.

That’s a good thing, Tresk said, reading Theo’s thoughts.

Very good! Alex put in. He looks so happy.

This might be a temporary solution. We need something long-lasting.

All members of the meeting gathered in time. Alise wasn’t annoyed at all, despite Theo’s thoughts on the matter. She was excited that the alchemist went above what he normally did to bring the group together. Ziz seemed to appreciate the break, his body covered in a sheen of slick sweat.

When Theo went to speak, Xol’sa took the reins.

“We’re gathered to go over some important facts about our dungeons,” Xol’sa started, standing from his chair and gesturing at the group. “They aren’t normal dungeons. They’re weird things connected to the heavenly realms. These dungeons need more attention than normal dungeons.”

Zarali had her hands clasped together, watching as her beloved spoke well for the first time in a while. Theo just hoped it wasn’t a momentary surge of energy, and that the potion and moss actually helped his condition. There was a pause in what the Elf said. The alchemist took that as a chance to speak.

“Ziz, can you make water-tight stonework?”

“Hells yeah I can.” The stoneworker looked manic. Theo would have questioned it, but doubted the man had slept since yesterday.

Theo laid out the plan for the underwater tower. Ziz responded as though the job would be effortless, then the table turned to discussing the practicality of defending the coast. When the conversation dragged on, Xol’sa brought it back to the subject at hand.

“Access to the dungeons is more important than defending the coast, I’m afraid,” he said with a solemn nod.

“I can expand my team to take on more jobs…” Ziz fidgeted as his thoughts gathered. “But that only goes so far. We’ll have the temple done soon enough—faster if Sledge gets off her lazy butt.”

“If our plan is to make more hand-built things, we need a larger stoneworking team,” Alise said. “We’ve had an influx of cash, and we’re expecting more traders any day.”

Theo fought the urge to steer the conversation away from the topic. But he wouldn’t steal Xol’sa’s thunder. The Elf went on with animated gestures, bouncing ideas off of Ziz for better dungeon access. Alise chipped in when she could, helping them riddle out the best approach for each one. Since there were five dungeons, there was a massive amount of work to be done.

“This might be a chance to get some migrants from Rivers and Daub.” Alise commanded the floor again.

“Migrant workers, huh?” Theo asked. “I think we have a better chance of getting the Ogres to stick around.”

“Ogres are on their way,” Alise said. “Alran has made that clear. It seems they’re not seafaring people, so it’s taking them a while.”

There was a lot to take in about their plans. Theo was feeling overwhelmed by it all. Perhaps that sensation didn’t come in a negative way. Like a rush of information flooding his mind, he needed time to process it. Snap judgements were the things he was known for, but not now. Now he could retreat into his realm for five minutes to understand what he was thinking. The alchemist took Tresk’s hand and Alex’s foot in his hands, pressing himself against the [Tero’gal Dreampassage] ability. They sensed his need and pushed with him.

“Be right back,” Theo said, vanishing from the spot.

They passed over the Bridge, which showed no changes, before landing in Tero’gal. Theo made to walk forward but stopped. Benton’s icy gate sat awkwardly on the grass, the bear god himself lingering nearby. The moment he spotted the group, he stammered, gesturing toward a figure.

The vague shape of a man, transparent and shrouded in a purple smoke, floated near the gate. It floated over the grounds of Tero’gal, coming to kneel before Theo. It looked like a ghost. The figure was only vaguely the shape of a man, showing absolutely no details. The alchemist could have been imagining the way it knelt, but then the voice came.

“Allow me into your realm,” the ghost said.

Benton ran over, grabbing at the ghost. His hands passed through, grasping nothing. “Sorry about this, Theo. I told him not to come—I really did. He followed me through your gate when I sensed you entering your realm.”

Theo looked down at the purple ghost. He could hear his heart hammering hard in his ears. It drowned out the sound of Tresk laughing. She felt it too. The Marshling knew who the ghost was. All members of the Tara’hek knew where the figure had come from and why he was here.

“Your name,” Theo said, staring down at the wayward soul. A lost spirit that had lived between the realms all this time. One that had denied its god’s request to come home after death. “What is it?”

“Come on,” Benton groaned. “Don’t do this to him, man.”

“I can handle myself,” Theo said, fixing his gaze on the bear god. But the ghost remained silent. “I can sort out the soul of Belgar without your help.”