The Newt and Demon

Xam’s banquet was worth the price. Theo woke the next morning well before dawn with a single point bonus in strength, dexterity, and intelligence. He woke the next morning feeling refreshed, having a pleasant breakfast with Tresk. He expected a need from Perg. It had been a while since he’d created either the [Alchemic Tannin] or the [Stripping Solution] she used for her process, and she hadn’t come calling for it. He busied himself with those reactions in the morning, eager to check on his garden and work on the refined stamina essence for the day. With the ingredients on hand, it took very little time to accomplish his first task of the day, looking with satisfaction at the large flasks filled with the tannery solutions.

Before departing from the lab, he mixed a [Lesser Potion of Growth] with the [Aerosolize] modifier. It was time for his cultivation project to enter the next phase, now that his small garden was filled with plants. Entering the gravel yard, he noted the plants were doing well. He also remembered the explosion that had happened from errant potions leaking into the gravel and grimaced. Tresk had already departed for the day, leaving him without the cores to upgrade his shop and get the [Experimentation Room] upgrade.

This was fine for now. The [Aerosolized] modifier seemed to disperse through the air, not affecting the things in the soil. A thought flashed through his mind for a moment. He’d only thought of using that modifier for his growth potions, but it seemed like the most powerful. If he applied it to a healing potion, that would guarantee an area-of-effect heal for everyone who inhaled the smoke. He also thought about dropping two at the same time, potions that conflicted with each other, to create an explosion. The alchemist shook the thoughts away. They had enough bombs for another wave. He didn’t need to concern himself with that.

Theo learned from his last attempt at throwing something a few feet. He simply wasn’t dexterous enough to accomplish the task, using a short-ranged underhand technique this time. The familiar fog came rolling out of the point of impact, boiling over the ground and seeping into the plants. All the plants grew visibly larger, the cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle] even growing into its mature form. Growth time for reagents in the swamp was short, but with this method, he could reliably make more plants as long as he had the growth potion.

The alchemist’s theory was simple, but it needed to be proven. When planting something in the enriched soil, could he simply toss a growth potion on top to force it to mature. The [Spiny Swamp Thistle] seedlings grew from small buds sticking from the ground to full plants with broad, spiny leaves. Theo nodded in satisfaction, digging with his gloved hands to reveal a [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] that was significantly bigger than the original. He inspected the item before harvesting it.

[Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Cultivated]

Common

This [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] has been cultivated. Selective breeding and applications of growth potions will increase the [Cultivation] modifier. [Cultivation] percentage increases yield and quality of this reagent.

50%

Unit by volume:

6 units

Properties:

[Healing] [Regeneration] ????

Repeating the process, Theo dug up the other 3 he had planted. 2 of them were at the same cultivation level, while one hit 60%. Instead of 6 units by volume, it was 7. He could extrapolate this in his mind to mean that a 100% cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] would produce 11 units by volume, which was a massive improvement. There was also the goal of refining these cultivated ingredients, producing higher-quality essences in the process. The alchemist mentally designated the lesser-cultivated roots for grinding, slicing the larger one for later use.

Theo was then left with an uncomfortable truth. While the root was simple to propagate, he did not know how the others would work. Both the [Mage’s Bane] and [Roc Berries] didn’t have tubers growing under them. They both had flowers, but that wasn’t helpful. The alchemist grumbled at his lack of knowledge, rising to his feet and dusting the dirt from his robe.

The walk to Banu’s farm felt like a walk of shame, but the bright faces of the people in Broken Tusk banished that way. While Theo woke up early, he couldn’t hold a candle to the farmers. By the time he arrived in their fields, they were already well into their day. Those fields affected by his alchemically enhanced soil were obvious. The Zee grew taller, with thicker stalks and larger fruit. Those using the old method seemed anemic by comparison.

Theo spotted the windmill, the massive blades held still as the building rested. They were running it, as evidenced by the bread Xam had made, which would be amazing for the town. The alchemist spent some time standing there, watching the farmers work before Banu approached him.

“Just taking in the sights?” Banu asked.

Theo thought for a moment before responding. He was feeling strangely wistful today, as though everything in the town was amazing. It was a sense of nostalgia that wasn’t earned; he simply hadn’t lived in the town long enough. He decided that thought was too much of a burden on the farmer.

“I am,” Theo said with a smile. “But I’ve come with a question.”

“Naturally,” Banu said. “Ask away.”

Theo paused for a moment before responding. He felt something fall across his chest, like wayward leaves blown from some unseen tree above. But the farms were clear of trees. Only the sky rested above them, streaked with the colors of the passing dawn. The alchemist shook it off, turning his gaze back to the farmer.

“I have some plants to propagate,” Theo said.

Banu let out a deep belly laugh. “And you do not know what you’re doing. I get it. What kind of plants are they?”

Theo explained them briefly, detailing the features that he thought were noteworthy. Banu nodded as he spoke, grinning at the end.

“You’ll need to take clippings of those. Try to keep a few leaves and cut them at an angle. A day in water should have them ready for planting,” Banu said.

“Right,” Theo said with a nod. “If you like, I can cultivate some of your Zee.”

“Cultivate? Aren’t we cultivating the land, now?” Banu asked.

Theo explained his process of alchemical cultivation. He knew it would work on the Zee, since it had the [Alchemy Ingredient] tag on the item’s description.

“So, you can make my plants bigger? Just like that?” Banu asked, laughing. “Of course you can. Mind giving me a demonstration?”

“Not at all,” Theo said, gesturing to a field with the modified crop. He pressed his hand against a growing Kernel, surprised at the system’s window.

[Zee Kernel]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Food]

Common

This [Zee Kernel] has been cultivated. Selective breeding and applications of growth potions will increase the [Cultivation] modifier. [Cultivation] percentage increases yield and quality of this reagent.

Cultivation:

10%

Unit by volume:

5 units

Properties:

[Regenerate Health] [Cure Poison] ????

“These are already starting the first stages of cultivation, I guess,” Theo said. “Must be the soil.”

“They are bigger,” Banu said. “So, I guess so.”

Theo felt a rustle through the fields of Zee. A hot wind blew from the north, not only washing over him, but through him. A strange sensation flooded through him, then stopped.

“Everything alright?” Banu asked.

Theo looked around, trying to spot the culprit, but found nothing. “I’m fine. Just having a weird feeling about something.”

Theo produced a [Lesser Potion of Growth] from his inventory, one modified by the [Aerosolize] modifier, and tossed it. He urged Banu to stand back as the cloud of fog gathered at the base of the Zee stalks, snaking through the patch. In an instant, they grew considerably, dwarfing the rest of the fields and painting the naturally grown fields as sprouts.

“You’re just intent on replacing my job, aren’t you?” Banu asked, slapping his knee and laughing.

“Not at all,” Theo said. He inspected a kernel again, finding that it was at 50% cultivation. As expected, the units by volume went up by 4, totalling 9. “9 units per kernel basically doubles your output. But these need to be grown traditionally. We can douse this entire field, but it makes more sense to hold back a few crops and use those as seeds.”

“They’ll retain that modifier?” Banu asked.

“Yes, they should,” Theo said, thinking back to his experiments. “My little test showed that to be true. The cultivation might fade over time, but we’ll figure that out as we go.”

“Right. So, keep back the big ones you just made and use those for planting,” Banu said, laughing. “Gods, I never thought working with an alchemist would be so weird.”

Theo’s concentration was broken the moment Banu stopped talking. The wind came again, this time more intense. He cast his eyes toward the farmer, but found nothing. The gust entered his chest, probing at his cores before backing away in an instant.

“You didn’t feel that?” Theo asked, clutching the front of his robes.

“Nope,” Banu said, shrugging. “What’s going on?”

Theo! What was that? Tresk asked. Felt like someone just grabbed my liver.

“Gotta go,” Theo said, turning on the spot and marching away. His heart was pounding, worry flooding into his body.

Banu said something as the alchemist departed, but those words fell on deaf ears. Theo clutched the Order of the Burning Eye’s medallion, fearing the worst.

Come back to town, Theo said, his eyes lingering on every shadow around him. That felt like Drogramath trying to touch my soul.

The sensation was undeniable. It was the same energy that permeated the air within the swamp, amplified and directed right into his chest. But there was no rush of wind to follow. No Sulvan running at inhuman speeds to intercede against the Demon Lord.

I’m already here, Tresk said. Watching you now—there’s someone following you.

Someone? Theo said, looking over his shoulder. He quickened his pace. Who?

Some tall Human, Tresk said. I can’t make them out. They’re hidden. Keep walking to the lab. I’m gonna get ‘em.

Theo turned the corner around his lab, pressing his back against the wall and waiting. Another pulse shot out, somewhere from up the road, and rushed through his chest. He winced, feeling a flash of anger welling in his chest. Without knowing how, he lashed out against the unwelcome probing, feeling something strange on the other end. It was as though he reached out with his hand and grasped something warm and familiar. An object he’d held a thousand times before, resting in his mental grasp as an old friend.

Then, a figure emerged from around the wall. An oddly tall Human woman wearing little more than a threadbare sack. She was covered in muck, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. Theo withdrew a bomb from his potion, holding it aloft.

“Stay back,” he said, eyes going wide as she came closer.

“Belgar,” she said, voice muffled through sobs.

Before Tresk could burst from the shadows she was upon him. Instead of the vicious attack he expected, she pulled him into a close hug. It was only then that he noticed the slight shimmer around her body. The strange field caught the light, and he understood it to be an illusion.

“Get your hands off my alchemist!” Tresk shouted, bursting from the shadows with daggers leading.

“Wait,” Theo said, holding up a hand. “Lady, are you okay?”

Tresk skid to a stop, heaving breath and letting out a low growl. “Don’t you dare hurt him.”

“It’s been too long,” the woman said. “I had lost hope ages ago, but then…”

She moved back, withdrawing something from nowhere. Theo recognized it wasn’t an inventory, but a quirk of her illusion. What she withdrew was a potion, one of the first that the alchemist had made.

Theo reached out with his mind, expressing the intent to inspect the woman. It was an ability he never used, as it was considered rude. This was a strange circumstance, though.

[Zarali] Level 32 | Priestess Of Drogramath

The alchemist stumbled back, eyes going wide. “I don’t know you,” he said. “Who are you?”

Zarali let out a sobbing sigh, wiping her eyes and leveling her gaze with him. “You’ve forgotten. I would beg our Lord to level this place to the ground for collaring you so, but they may have been your savior.”

“You’re going to need to elaborate, woman,” Tresk said, growling again.

Zarali managed a weak chuckle. “You’re soul-bonded, marked, and ruined.By His belt. What have they done to you? Fine, perhaps this will help your memory.”

With a wave of her hand, Zarali dispelled the illusion. Theo’s mouth fell open as a shimmering wave of energy worked its way from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet. She had long, raven black hair with horns that matched the shape of her head. Her skin was pale purple with violet eyes to match. The robes she wore were a deep shade of purple, stitched with gold in intricate symbols that the alchemist recognized as Drogramathi script.

“Oh, crap!” Tresk shouted a little too loud. “Theo, she looks just like you! Like, not just another Dronon!”

Theo knew the implications. His intuition was good enough to tell him the truth, but there was something else screaming the answer in his chest. It wasn’t his cores this time, but his heart. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her, Tresk following closely behind, into the Newt and Demon. The alchemist waved away Azrug’s questions, snapping the lab’s door shut and fixing his gaze on the woman.

“I didn’t want to consider this idea,” Theo said, swallowing hard. “And this is going to be too much for you to hear right now—you should have a seat.”

“What’s going on, Theo?” Tresk asked, bouncing up and down.

Theo gestured to a chair, and Zarali took it. She had a quizzical look on her face, something that mingled with sorrow. “Please,” she said, her lip quivering slightly. “Don’t say it…”

“I won’t let it linger. I won’t lie to you,” Theo said, gesturing to the door and nodding at Tresk.

Tresk picked up on what his intent was without words. She swung it open and screamed at Azrug, who had his ear pressed against the door. The shopkeeper nearly peed his pants, screaming back and tumbling down the stairs. The Marshling snapped it shut immediately after.

A question had lingered in Theo’s mind since he arrived. In all the system-generated text about him, it called him Belgar, or Theo Spencer (Belgar). He had many theories on the topic, but no evidence to back any of them up. His first thought was that the system simply generated him a new body and a random name. Another theory, the one that he came to believe in that moment, was darker in nature.

There was just one answer among his theories. One fact that stuck out among them. Zarali’s resemblance to him was too much, sealing his thoughts with conviction.

“Your brother, Belgar, is dead,” Theo said, bracing himself. “I’m just inhabiting his body.”

The look of devastation on Zarali’s face was heart-breaking. She cupped her hands over her face and started sobbing again. Even Tresk felt bad for her. Theo could feel it. The Marshling waddled over and placed a comforting hand on the Dronon’s shoulder, casting the alchemist a worried look.

Way to break the news, idiot, Tresk said.

Tearing the bandage off quickly is better, Theo said. Even though he said that, it didn’t help the sobbing woman in front of him.

“He’s been dead for 23 years, hasn’t he?” Theo asked.

“Yes,” Zarali managed between sobs. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “But it’s you, brother. Belgar. Your face, your eyes. Your…”

She broke off again, face back in her palms.

“Oh, you are not good with people, Theo,” Tresk said.

“I’m great with people,” Theo said.

“Yeah, clearly not,” Tresk said, snorting a laugh. “There, there little Demon lady. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” Zarali shouted.

“Start from the start,” Theo said. “What happened to Belgar?”

Zarali looked up at him with pleading eyes. She took a steadying breath, and the air stung with magic. “You and I had our backs against the wall, 23 years ago. In the Veostian Hinterlands. A silent war with Lord Zagmon’s cults.” She took a moment to steady herself before continuing. “I saw you die, then you vanished. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

Belgar was a Dronon before Theo got the body, that much was clear. Whoever designed this swap was heartless to do such a thing. The poor woman was scouring the planet for her dead brother for 23 years. But that man was dead. The alchemist couldn’t feel anything but himself within that body. He moved to kneel by her, taking her hand in his and managing a weak smile. He wanted to cry with her, but he wouldn’t.

“I’m not your brother,” Theo said.

She shifted uncomfortably in the chair, looking around the lab. “I know. I had… I wanted to hope that you were. I knew it the moment I swept my power over the town, but I wanted to hope,” she said, meeting his gaze. Her expression shifted in an instant, features brightening considerably. “My Belgar would have never kept such a horrid lab. Who created those fermentation barrels? Why, in the name of our Lord, Drogramath the Potioneer, would you use a single-stage condenser system? No bubbler plates? At least you have a [Glassware Artifice].”

Zarali stood, straightening her robe and wiping the tears from her eyes. She took in a steady breath. “This place is a mess, brother—ah, was it Theo?”

“Well, that’s a shift,” Tresk said, laughing.

“And you aren’t channeling any of Drogramath’s energy, even when it soaks the air?” Zarali asked. “No, perhaps you’re not my brother, but you’re a Drogramath Dronon. In my brother’s body, maybe, but a descendant of Drogramath all the same. Come, I have some suggestions to make.”

Theo watched her move through the lab, and a new pain flooded through his heart. This wasn’t a sudden shift, as Tresk suggested. She was hiding the pain away, deep in her chest. She pushed it down to ignore what was standing right in front of her, but he had to wonder if it was such a bad thing to do. The alchemist put on a smile, grabbing her by the arm with the intent to give her a tour.

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