The Newt and Demon

Zarali was a woman between two worlds. As Theo gave her a tour of the lab, including the custom tanks outside, she shifted between sorrow and excitement. The alchemist knew she was processing her brother’s death in her own way, delaying the grieving process as long as possible. She had many opinions about his setup, only admitting he was doing well when he explained the full story.

“You’re doing well for someone transmigrated,” Zarali said, nodding happily. “Most Drogramath Dronon spend decades on this stuff.”

“I’ve had help,” Theo said, gesturing to the copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy on the table.

“And I’m guessing you got that for a pittance. That tome is more valuable than you know,” she said. “Lord Drogramath has taken a special interest in you. You should remove that necklace and the mark on your chest.”

Theo didn’t tell her about the strange tattoo that Sulvan Flametouched gave him. He also wasn’t about to give himself into a Demon Lord because someone he didn’t know said so. His assessment of the woman was that she was being honest and was actually Belgar’s sister. He also sensed no hostile intent from her, his superior intuition backing that up. His cores, combined with Tresk, painted her as a harmless, grieving woman.

“Not likely,” Tresk said. “We’re not ready to give ourselves up to the big bad demon man yet.”

“Well, consider yourself lucky,” Zarali said. “The only reason I trust you is because your cores haven’t exploded in your chest. If Lord Drogramath approves of this soul-bond, then he approves of you. By extension, I trust you.”

He hadn’t considered that. He was wearing the skin of her brother, which was bad enough. Placing himself in her shoes, Theo would have been angry. But there was a higher power at work here, something that Zarali bound herself to. She was a priestess of Drogramath. The alchemist couldn’t decide if he was happy about that. Being a puppet didn’t interest him, but the benefits the Demon Lord provided were undeniable.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Theo said. “There’s a difference between someone born with the cores, and someone like me.”

“That’s true,” Zarali said. She cocked her head to the side and smiled a pained smile. “You’re wearing someone else’s skin.”

“I’m sorry about that, but I didn’t have a choice,” Theo said.

“Well, of course not,” Zarali said.

“So, what’s your plan, lady?” Tresk asked.

“I don’t know,” Zarali said. Tears formed in the corners of her already-wet eyes, but she took a deep breath. “I didn’t plan this far.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay here,” Tresk said.

Theo didn’t know if the Marshling was feeding off of his intent, but that was his thought on the matter. Zarali might be dangerous, but so was he. So was the entire swamp, but that hadn’t stopped him yet. Having an expert on Drogramath around was a great thing. He might finally get some answers about the Demon Lord’s master plan. At the very least, she could help them contend with the powerful energy emanating from the dungeon.

“I’d like that very much,” Zarali said. “I have a few things to teach you about alchemy, brother. Things that you taught me, actually.”

Theo winced at her use of brother. He would embrace it.

“That’s a good enough cover for me,” Theo said. “We’ll introduce you to the town as my sister.”

“That’s only going to work for the new people,” Tresk said. “Everyone else knows you were sent from another world.”

“That’s fine,” Theo said, digging through his mayor’s screen and accessing the alert system. He mentally typed a simple message, hitting send.

[Theo]: Aarok, Luras, Azrug, report to my lab, please.

Only a moment passed before Azrug came tumbling through the door, standing at attention with a wide-eyed look. “She looks just like you.”

“This is my sister,” Theo said, gesturing.

Azrug screwed up his face, eyes darting between Theo and Tresk. “Uh-huh.”

They stood there in awkward silence for some time. Eventually the bell rang downstairs, Luras and Aarok ascending the stairs into the crowded lab.

“Another Dronon,” Aarok said, casting a look at Theo. “Should I be concerned?”

“Not at all,” Zarali said, affecting a shallow bow.

“So, this is my sister,” Theo said, gesturing to the woman. “Zarali.”

“Your sister?” Luras asked, grimacing. “Surely not.”

“Well, not Theo Spencer’s sister,” Zarali said, her face flushing slightly. “Belgar’s sister.”

“Uh-oh,” Azrug said.

Theo explained the story as briefly as he could, watching as his sister teared up during the retelling. She busied herself, moving over to the window to look outside.

“So, we’re pretending she’s your sister,” Aarok said. “Not to offend the demonic priestess standing within spell range, but isn’t she dangerous? Isn’t Drogramath evil?”

Zarali sputtered, spinning around from the window and pointing a finger at the Half-Ogre. “Evil? Do I look evil? Drogramath is the most misunderstood God in any pantheon. One’s origin doesn’t imply their alignment.”

She swept her hand, a wave of gentle force spreading across the room. She narrowed her eyes at Luras, pointing again. “You’re too young to remember Baelthar’s hunt. But your [Hunter’s Core] is aligned with the God responsible for the purge in Gardreth. The Marshling is steeped in Zaul’s wicked shadows. No, look at yourselves before you judge my patron.”

Silence washed over the room for a long time. Azrug finally broke the stillness.

“So, misunderstood Demon God?” he asked. “I can live with that.”

Zarali straightened her robes and tutted. “Just so.”

“That’s just an example of how useful she can be,” Theo said. “If she’s willing to settle down in Broken Tusk.”

“Just like Xol’sa,” Luras said, nodding.

Zarali spun to face the Half-Ogre, cocking her head to the side. “That’s a strange name. One of the Bara’thier?”

“He doesn’t even know what he is, and I’ve never heard of that race,” Theo said. “He’s an extra-planar elf.”

“The Bara’their,” Zarali said, nodding.

“Okay, so how do you know that?” Tresk asked.

“I’m a scholar for our people,” Zarali said, puffing with pride. “A historian, of sorts.”

“Now that is useful,” Luras said. “Well, I’m good with it. Honestly, what’s the worst that can happen? We’re already staring down multiple monster waves as it is.”

“Sure. She has my vote,” Aarok said.

“Alright. She’s going to shadow me today,” Theo said. “I could really use some advice on improving my process.”

“Yes, I shall shadow you, too,” Tresk said, nodding.

“What? Don’t trust me, little Marshling?” Zarali asked.

“Nope.”

“Fair.”

The group spent some time talking before dispersing. Zarali was a very normal person, considering her tragic past. Once in a room with several people, and with the fits of sobs behind her, she opened up a lot. Serving Drogramath in Qavell had been challenging with the Order of the Burning Eye around. They weren’t outright hostile to the followers of Drogramath and weren’t even the sect of crusaders that banished him to begin with. Another group from the west handled that. They were dark crusaders from the Demon Lord Zagmon’s faction. The order was happy enough to leave Drogramath and his kin alone, intervening only when the demon influenced the realm directly. Otherwise they seemed to have a silent agreement.

This made sense to Theo. Uharis and Sulvan only came to investigate when Drogramath spoke to him directly, or they got word that a new Dronon had appeared. It appeared the Order of the Burning Eye had given him a partial truth, shrouding reality from him. Why they would do that was beyond him. In the alchemist’s experience, it was better to reveal the whole truth to a person and let them decide. Hiding things only bred discontent.

The group eventually cleared out, leaving Tresk, Theo, and Zarali alone.

“Is she always with you?” Zarali asked, pointing at Tresk.

“I suppose you don’t know as much about soul-bonds as you thought,” Theo said. “Even when she’s not here physically, she’s with me mentally.”

“Sometimes it’s like we’re one person in two bodies,” Tresk said, nodding.

“Well, at least she’s cute,” Zarali said.

Tresk’s face went a bright shade of red and she buried her face in her hands for a moment, rubbing it vigorously.

“Show me your process, brother… Theo,” Zarali said.

“Alright, I have some [Stamina Potions] to brew,” Theo said.

“Start from the start,” Zarali said.

Theo thought for a moment. He was running the restoration potions through the advanced process, but was running short on ingredients. Tresk must have felt his mind searching because she spoke up.

“I could use more poison,” Tresk said.

“Perfect,” Theo said, moving to the [Dimensional Storage Crate] and pulling out 100 units of [Widow Lily]. “We’ll start with the essence extraction process for these.”

Zarali took a flower from him, rolling it over for inspection. “A very impressive base reagent for wild-grown. I saw your garden out back, so you’re on the right track there. Continue.”

Theo felt awkward having someone more knowledgeable about the process than him in the room. He attached his [Alchemical Grinder] to the top of his [Drogramath Still] and waited for her to say something.

“A grinder is very efficient,” Zarali said, moving to inspect the artifice. “Most advanced [Drogramath Alchemists] prefer the manual ones, but this is good for your level.”

Theo fed the [Widow Lilies] into the machine, listening to it grind them up. He stowed away the grinder and retrieved water from his barrel, catching Zarali’s expression before she said anything.

“I understand why you’re doing it this way, but it’s wrong,” Zarali said. “[Purified Water] is a fine base, but there’s a much better method.”

“What should I do, then?” Theo asked. This was the best way he found to process raw essence.

“Use your brain, little brother,” Zarali said. “You’re a [Drogramath Alchemist], not some fool [Alchemist] in the capital.”

Theo thought for a moment. What would be better than [Purified Water]? From what he understood, the water only served as something to carry the essence from the still to the condenser. He stood there with his mouth open, staring into the mash for some time and came up with nothing.

“I’m missing something,” Theo said, feeling a twinge in his cores. “Something close at hand.”

“He’s almost got it,” Zarali said, clapping a hand over Tresk’s little shoulder. “Watch the gears turn in his mind.”

Theo’s mind focused on his cores. There was a slow, rhythmic pulse in his chest. It was more than just the beating of his heart, but he’d never been able to place the sensation. The topic of alignments and origins of power ran through his mind, those different energies permeating the dungeon. The things Xol’sa told him came back in a flash and his [Drogramath Alchemy Core] sang. His face brightened, even if he didn’t fully understand what Zarali was edging him toward.

“Mana,” Theo said after a while.

“Well, yes,” Zarali said, shrugging. “But it’s more than that. You’re only going off of what you see in the system’s messages, but it goes deeper. I feel like a proper teacher.”

Zarali crossed the room, dragged a chair over and took a seat. She held her hand out and a purple swirl of magic blinked into existence. “Mana takes many forms. Those without cores, or those with unaligned cores, have access to the primal form. The mana that swells in your chest is aligned with Drogramath.”

Theo realized what she was hinting at. He marked her as a good teacher at that moment. Someone who gave up information for nothing was not a good teacher. In his experience, he had to work for knowledge to make it worth it.

“I can enchant the water with Drogramath’s mana,” Theo said.

“There he is,” Zarali said, grinning. “Realizing something a Drogramathi child knows.”

“Are there demon children?” Tresk asked, edging closer to the woman.

“There are,” Zarali said. “For now, continue your process. We’ll enchant some water later.”

Theo returned the lid to his still and withdrew a [Flame Artifice] from his inventory, setting both the heat and the timer before placing it under the pot. He moved the condenser over a flask to avoid the essence contaminating his storage tank outside. When he stepped back, he noticed a confused look on Zarali’s face.

“That’s it?” she asked.

“Yes,” Theo said, feeling unsure of his answer. It felt more like a test by the moment. “It runs until it’s done.”

She let out a labored sigh, approaching the still and placing her hand on the side. “For mass production, this is understandable. I can see why you thought a single heat level was a good idea, but it’s also wrong.”

“She’s tearing apart your process, Theo,” Tresk said.

“Honestly, I do not know what I’m doing,” Theo said. “The entire process has been guesswork from the start.”

“You guessed in the right direction more often than not,” Zarali said. “There’s a level of artistry that you’re missing here.”

Theo tried not to let his shoulders slump. He knew he was slapping together techniques driven by his intuition. The alchemist knew her experience was tangential, though. She knew what she knew by watching Belgar, understanding the process second-hand. It was hard not to wonder what secrets were lost through that observation.

“I’m sure you’ll have something to say about my mixing technique,” Theo said.

“I have a feeling there are issues,” Zarali said.

“So,” Theo said, generating several vials, 2 units in size. “Does the special Drogramath work in the reactions, as well?”

“Well, I’m happy you’re eager to learn,” she said. “Yes, it does. Are you also using un-energized catalysts?”

Theo withdrew an iron shaving from his inventory, placing it in the vial. He mixed his [Refined Stamina Essence] with regular [Purified Water], garnering the violent reaction that he had experienced before. The resulting [Stamina Potion] was at great quality, but the Dronon woman still made a face.

“The reaction is so explosive because you’re doing it half-way right,” Zarali said. “The catalyst matters, but infusing it with Drogramath’s energy will help the reaction. On the positive side, you have the measurements down perfectly. The potion you made puts those blowhards in Qavell to shame.”

“Theo, that’s a good thing!” Tresk shouted, running up and shaking him by the shoulders. “Fancy alchemist man. Look at you.”

Theo could tell she sensed his disappointment. He took a long breath and nodded to himself. He wasn’t just doing alright, he was doing amazingly for someone in his position. The alchemist just needed to shift his mindset, to accept the critiques and learn from them.

“Yes, fancy alchemy man,” Zarali said, chuckling. “Perhaps you need a break. This has been a lot of information. You can let your still cook while we do.”

Theo was excited to get out of the lab and process this information. They left the Newt and Demon, waving off questions from Azrug to tour the town. They garnered more than a few weary glances from the people in town. A new resident was enough to start the rumors, but another Dronon was something else.

“Should I hide my form?” Zarali asked. “They’re looking at us strangely.”

“They’ll get over it,” Tresk said, waving her off. “People in Broken Tusk like to gawk at new things.”

Theo started the tour at the farms to the north, showing off his alchemical advancement of the soil. Zarali was impressed with this, as the Drogramath Dronon did little farming. She explained how their people hunted and trapped for their food, rarely relying on arable land to make their meals. They stopped by Zan’kir’s house, who bought the story that Zarali was Theo’s sister without turning his nose up at the idea. Tresk wanted to play with the children, but they moved along to the quarry.

“Drogramath’s energy fades here,” Zarali said, sweeping her senses over the land. Theo could feel those senses physically wash over him as she did, the familiar hot wind returning for only a moment.

“That makes sense,” Theo said. “His energy is coming from the dungeon.”

“Now that is interesting.”

“We’ll check out Xol’sa’s tower later,” Theo said.

Ziz was excited to see a new face, and Zarali was interested in the gems they were finding. She claimed that if Drogramath’s energy were here, the quarry would produce better gems. ‘Better’ likely meant gems aligned with the Demon Lord. Finally, they walked the road through town and headed south to Dead Dog Mine. They were intercepted by Perg, who wanted more of the alchemical tannery potions, something the Dronon woman was also impressed with. Theo made a quick stop at the Newt and Demon before leading them on into the southern hills.

Dead Dog Mine was in full swing. Upon spotting the entrance, Theo saw piles of copper nuggets, hundreds of the things all gathered there. A smaller pile held iron nuggets, but it was still impressive. The sound of picks striking rock rang from inside the mine, filling the hills with the sounds of industry. The group stood there for a while, but saw no sign of Gridgen and his workers. Deciding not to disturb the laborers, they turned away intent on visiting the wizard’s tower.

“I know very little about managing a town,” Zarali said. “But I can see you’re very good at that.”

“I’m trying,” Theo said. “Whatever Drogramath did to this place left it in a state. We have regular monster waves, but the reagent regeneration is absurd.”

“That’s the power of my Lord Drogramath,” she said.

“I’m sure the wizard is gonna be interested in you, lady,” Tresk said, laughing.

“Right. Next stop, the portal,” Theo said.