The Newt and Demon - Chapter 4.37 - Commanding The Realm

“This is the most awkward thing I’ve ever been a part of.” Tresk folded her arms, staring at the floating purple spirit.

Theo had suspected that Belgar’s soul would come back in one form or another. He had been entertaining the idea that the Dronon never truly died, and had only been snatched up by a god when he fell off that cliff. Now the picture was clear. When he died, his soul went to ascend to Drogramath’s realm. But he refused. People on Earth often thought ghosts would linger if they had unfinished business.

“And you have a lot of unfinished business,” Theo said.

The floating purple spirit flickered, then issued a sound like pain. It was melodic, echoing over the open fields of Tero’gal like a sad song.

“So, you’ll want to decide swiftly,” Benton said, fidgeting. “He’s trespassing in your realm, so his soul will break down.”

“Please. My sister,” Belgar begged.

“Well, damn I don’t know how to accept a soul into Tero’gal.” Theo looked over to Tresk and Alex. “Do you?”

“No idea. This is all new to me.”

Don’t look at me, I’m a goose.

“Just click ‘accept’ in your god interface. Look! He’s fading by the second.” Benton seemed the most concerned out of everyone.

The darkest response would have been to do nothing. To let Belgar fade into non-existence right there in Tero’gal. But that man was a treasure trove of information. He had a different way of thinking about alchemy than Theo, meaning he’d know interesting techniques. Perhaps the secret to pushing past the third tier barrier. As with most things in their strange realm, it was just a matter of pushing to figure things out.

Theo wrapped his will around the realm with an iron grip and squeezed. The island under their feet shook. Tresk let out a scared yelp as the alchemist pushed harder against the realm. His authority was law here. Why wouldn’t it obey? Then Alex’s will joined the fight, crashing against the realm with goose-like vigor. It took the Marshling a long while to pick up on what they were doing, but soon her power joined theirs. Tero’gal’s will crumpled against theirs.

A thin veil had been wrapped around the realm, like pond scum on the surface of water. As Tresk, Theo, and Alex crashed through that barricade, a torrent of information flooded through their minds. The authority of the realm to govern itself was eroded in moments, siphoning from Tero’gal to the collective Tara’hek cores of those gathered. The alchemist took in a sharp breath, wrapping that authority around himself and his companions.

A system message appeared.

[Tero’Gal]

Mortal Dreamrealm

Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk

Faction: Unaffiliated

Level: 0

Souls: 0

Expansions:

None

Pending Requests: 1

“Holy hell. Its seed cores all the way down, isn’t it?” Tresk laughed.

Theo ignored that comment, navigating to the pending requests to accept Belgar into the realm. Twisting light wrapped around the ghost’s form, reinforcing its fading shape with a multicolored shine. The dead Dronon drew himself up, mimicking the motion of taking deep breaths. He held his arms wide, the sense of a smile exuding from the figure.

“At last. At gods damned last!” Belgar flexed his reinforced form, looking around the realm. “I never thought I’d make it this far.”

“Now you have some explaining to do,” Theo said, crossing his arms and staring at the ghostly form.

Benton chuckled nervously. “Let’s have some tea, alright? I brought scones. Your favorite, Theo.”

The bear god knew how to bribe Theo. While the alchemist doubted it was true lemons in the lemon poppy scones, it was close enough for him. The party entered the cramped cabin, sitting at the crowded table to brew tea and snack on confections. Tresk ate hers in one bite, the way she always did. Alex picked at hers while Belgar stood in the corner. Brooding.

The ghost couldn’t drink the tea. He just stood there, taking a deep breath before moving on to his story. “When I died… When I was killed, I saw the look on Zarali’s face. I knew that would break her. I put her in a position where she needed her brother to survive. Because I was a horrible sibling and a worse friend.”

“Great way to start introductions,” Tresk said, snatching another scone.

Belgar nodded his ghostly head. “It’s the truth. Now that I’ve pledged myself to your realm, outworlder, I’m bound to your service.”

“Go on,” Theo said, his eyes lingering on the pot of tea. Benton made some great tea.

“Lord Drogramath pulled me back home. I lingered on the Bridge for some time. Then something interesting happened. Someone snatched up my body—I could feel it. My body. My cores. All my hard work to be given to some damned outworlder. I didn’t know at the time it would be an outworlder. But I refused Drogramath’s call. I lingered in the space between spaces until I could make a move.”

“Until I found him,” Benton said, offering a weak shrug. He sloshed the teapot, cracking the lid to sniff the contents. After an approving nod, he poured tea for everyone. “He had answers to your alchemy questions, Theo.”

“I decided my soul was worthless,” Belgar said. “Not worth giving to my Lord, and not worth sending into the void. If I could offer it up to deliver a single message, I could live an eternity in torment. Under the thumb of an undeserving outworlder.”

“Keep going hard on Theo. He deserves it, the dirty outworlder.” Tresk gave Theo a mock-sneer. “Coming into our universe! Stealing our demon bodies!”

“You mock me?” Belgar asked, drawing himself up.

Tresk jumped on the table, reaching her hand out and squeezing. “Kneel, worm!”

Belgar’s ghostly form knelt, letting out a pained grunt. Tresk had authority over Tero’gal and all its souls. Including the wayward soul. She pointed an accusatory finger at the spirit. “Don’t act like Theo asked for any of this crap! He never wanted to be part of someone’s plan. He never wanted to leave his planet, even though it was getting eaten by the sun. Do you know what he wanted, you freaking idiot? He wanted to die! To leave all that pain and suffering behind, but some wizard-bird threw him into this mess! Now he just wants to be happy.”

Theo blinked a few times, eyes locked on Tresk. The Marshling was excitable most of the time, but when she defended her friends she was vicious. The alchemist held up a hand. A request for her to let the spirit go. Belgar breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure released. Benton looked like he was about to bolt for his portal.

“You need me to deliver a message to your sister.” Theo took on an authoritative tone, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was. “What is it?”

“She must have found you by now.” Belgar was still kneeling on the ground. His transparent head looked up, searching Theo’s face. “She would never have given up. Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her to move on with her life.”

Theo let out a sharp laugh. It escaped him without his command. “Move on? Belgar, she’s getting married. Yeah, she’s kinda obsessed with me because I have your body, but she moved on a long time ago.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, damn! I don’t care if you don’t believe me.” Theo slammed his fist on the table, nearly spilling the precious tea. “You wanna skulk in the shadows to throw a pity party, go ahead. I don’t care. We’re trying to enjoy some fine tea provided by Benton. This is a place of relaxation, so if you don’t want to party, then your ass has gotta go.”

Yeah! Alex shouted, shooting a small ball of fire through Belgar’s form.

Belgar looked crestfallen, if a ghost could show that emotion. He floated over, then through the wall of the cottage. Theo took a steady breath, releasing it slowly. The alchemist brought the cup of tea to his lips and sipped. It was as delicious as ever—somehow better than Xam’s version. That was saying a lot, as the cook was getting better by the day.

“So, uh,” Benton said. “How about that weather?”

“Don’t worry about him,” Theo said, waving the bear god off. “He needs time to sulk. I’ve known people like him in the past. Thinks the word revolves around him. Now, could you pass the scones?”

Benton seemed reluctant to let the topic go, but did so eventually. The conversation shifted to the state of the Realm of Winter and Death. They were developing new things by the day, leveling up the realm by adding fresh Toora souls. Some were lost in the void, while others were dying in the war with the undead. Theo was just happy that the souls of the dead weren’t being trapped on the mortal plane by Balkor’s power.

“So I says to Aarok, I says,” Tresk started, “Fald? Looks like a Hald to me!”

Theo didn’t get the joke, but Benton laughed.

“Hald are another kind of creature,” Benton explained, noticing Theo’s lack of response. “Why did all of you drop into the realm, though? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“There’s a lot going on in the town.” Theo sipped his tea, pushing Belgar far out of his thoughts. “We were in a meeting, and I needed time to think.”

“Ah. Then I dropped a bomb on you.” Benton fidgeted some more. “Sorry about that.”

“Bah, he was gonna show up, eventually.” Tresk dumped another scone in her mouth, not allowing her tastebuds enough time to enjoy the delicious treat. “Guys like him never give up. I’m sure once he gets over himself, he’ll be super helpful.”

“Speaking of,” Theo said, rising from his chair. “I have some potions to check on. Now that I’m thinking about it, what do you do when you come to the realm, Tresk?”

“Oh, I just hang out and talk with old Benton here.”

“Huh.”

Theo left the cottage, making his way over to the spread of tables and stills near the bubbling creek. Belgar lingered nearby, inspecting the stills. The alchemist ignored him, looking over the suffuse potions that were still brewing. His intuition told him they would be done tomorrow. Roughly a year of time would have passed in the realm, but only a few days outside. These were mostly powerful variations of the [Hallow Ground] potions. Something to be used sparingly. A [Wisdom of the Soul] potion also brewed among them. Something that the dead Dronon seemed to take an interest in.

“I almost brewed that one,” Belgar said, gesturing with wispy fingers. “The recipe was a gift from Lord Drogramath.”

Theo smiled. “I figured that one out on my own.”

“Almost. I told you where to find the [Soul Bloom].”

“Fair enough. I’m not even completely sure what it does.”

“It removes the pesky intuition you’re constantly experiencing.”

“Why would I want to be rid of that?”

“Because it unlocks a new screen in your interface where you can read the intuitive thoughts. Your thoughts become more your own.”

That interested Theo greatly. But he found himself unable to trust Belgar’s opinion completely. He didn’t feel as much pride as the Dronon for alchemy. It felt more like a situation than a gift he was truly good at, although that might have just been imposter syndrome. But at that moment, looking at the spirit floating near the stills, he felt the need to test the Dronon’s methods.

“Come,” Theo said, reaching his hand out and forcing his will onto the ghost. He wasn’t commanding him, he was commanding the realm. Belgar would need a more solid form if he wanted to help do a few runs. “Let’s brew some potions.”

Belgar’s form became slightly more solid. He looked down at his ghostly body, flexing fingers that had more substance than before. The Dronon reached out, grasping a flat-bottomed vile and picking it up. He let out a surprised chuckle of delight. “By all means, lead the way.”

Theo didn’t really need to do any runs while he was here. But his inventory was constantly cluttered with reagents, and he wouldn’t waste the 12 hours he had in Tero’gal by sitting around. He produced everything he had on hand, laying it in tight bundles on the ground for Belgar to inspect.

“I see you’re cultivating your own reagents,” Belgar said, picking through a pile of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. “Something I never achieved. Not with our nomadic lifestyle.”

Belgar held a single root up to the sunless sky, nodding with approval. “This is the most perfect example of a healing root I’ve ever seen.”

“Please, be my guest. We can do a run of [Healing Potions] if you want.”

“You’re over level 20, my good man. You should be running [Greater Healing Potions],” Belgar said, shaking his head.

“Ah, I haven’t figured that problem out. Not yet.”

Belgar tilted his head, putting off the sense of a sly smile yet again. “Then tell me your thought process.”

Theo explained how the mash of reagents bound to the liquid medium in the still. Belgar nodded along as he went on about impurities, extraction, and pressurization of vapors. There were several techniques in there that the spirit didn’t know about, but that was only for lack of equipment. There was raw skill there that the alchemist was jealous of. An intuition that went beyond attributes.

“You’re on the right track,” Belgar said, floating over to a still. He hoisted a grinder atop the lid, and fed it roots. “This took me a decade to figure out, so it’s good to see Lord Drogramath’s good graces haven’t been wasted on you. Tell me more about how reagent properties bind to your [Enchanted Water].”

Theo explained what he knew. More in-depth this time while Belgar processed the reagents. It was hard not to wonder if the Dronon still had his cores, so the alchemist asked.

“They’re echoes of my old cores. I won’t be able to do what you do, but I can mirror it to an extent. You’ll have to start the process—but you’re changing the subject. If you can’t stop the system from adding junk properties to your essence with intent, what could you do?”

Theo smiled at the spirit. This information was valuable, but he was happy to see that he had judged Belgar correctly. He was a fiery person with a passion for his craft. Even in death, he retained all those skills. Instead of going to their corners like children, they’d work out their differences over a still. Brewing potions.

“A secondary process?”

“There it is. The fire of our Lord in your eyes. I’ve never met another Drogramathi Alchemist, so I don’t know if this is the way forward.” Belgar dragged a bucket over near the stills. It took him more effort than it should have. “We’re going to do what I called a dilute enchantment. Do you have any [Refined Healing Essence] on hand?”

Theo had a lot of that on hand. He produced a 100 unit flask from his inventory, handing it over. Belgar nodded with approval. “This is a fine essence, Theo. All this equipment is doing you good. When I brewed, it was done in a copper cauldron with a cobbled-together condenser slapped on top. I’ve never seen stills this advanced. Anyway…”

Belgar scooped water from the creek, then dripped a tenth of a unit of essence into the bucket. Theo’s eye told him the rate was one part essence per one thousand parts water.

“Enchant this water, please,” Belgar said, gesturing to the bucket.

Theo held his hand out, focusing on drawing mana out from his core. Purple fire dripped from his fingertips, sizzling over the surface of the water. A puff of red smoke rose from the bucket. The alchemist leaned in, sensing that this was an item to be inspected. He inspected it.

[Unbound Enchanted Dilution]

[Alchemy Component]

Rare

Water that has been infused with Drogramath’s energy.

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Property:

[Healing]

Theo’s brows knit tightly. The water carried the property over. Everything Belgar had been saying clicked together in an instant. The diluted essence in the enchanted water would make the separation of the properties almost absolute.

“There it is. One more process for that, though. We still have to distill the water with hard liquor to make it bind. That gives you an alcohol base, which completes the third realm process.”

“Realm?” Theo asked, laughing. He tried to slap Belgar on the shoulder, but his hand passed through. “I call them tiers.”

“Thus is the way of Drogramathi alchemy. I believe we all come up with our own terms.”

“I’m writing a book on the topic.”

“Really? I’d love to read it when it’s done. Now, let me show you how to make hard liquor. Got any Zee?”

Tresk scratched her head, watching Theo and Belgar by the stills. Minutes ago, it seemed as though they were going to rip each other’s heads off. Now they were best friends, brewing stuff in a magical realm. The more she tried to understand it, the more distant the meaning felt.

“What the hells, man?” Tresk asked, shaking her head at Benton. “I thought Theo was gonna bite that guy’s head off.”

“Theo isn’t unreasonable,” Benton said. “He sees the value in having another alchemical expert in his realm. Belgar has been through a lot. I tried to nurse him back to sanity in my realm, but it was difficult.”

“Bah. I was hoping for a slugfest.”

Be grateful, Tresk.

“What? Why?”

This helps us more than you know. But it also helps Zarali. When we leave Tero’gal, we’ll tell her that Belgar is safe in our warm embrace.

“Yeah, that’s true. Wait,” Tresk sniffed the air. “Are they making booze?”