The Newt and Demon

Zarali didn’t seem to suffer the same disorienting effects of the portal. Tresk and Theo fell to their knees, working to keep the contents of the stomachs from spilling onto Xol’sa’s well-kept stone floor. The Dronon woman swept her senses over the tower, tutting immediately.

“What a strange hodgepodge of power,” she said, pursing her lips.

The tower’s wizard came down the winding stairs, eyes wide with surprise. He relaxed upon seeing the trio gathered, letting out a steady breath. “Best not to sneak up on a mage like that,” he said. “Who is the priestess?”

“Belgar’s sister. Priestess of Drogramath,” Zarali said, puffing with pride. She then said something Theo couldn’t make out. The language wasn’t familiar to him, and by the look on the mage’s face, he didn’t know it either.

“I don’t think he knows what you said,” Theo said, rising to his feet. His balance was still shaky, but he stood by bracing himself against the wall. “She thinks you’re part of a race called the Bara’their.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Xol’sa said, descending the steps. “And I don’t believe she’s really your sister. Although, I’m willing to play along with a ruse, if that’s what this is.”

Zarali looked slightly offended, but Theo held up a silencing hand. “That’s quite fine,” he said. “It’s a very loose lie.”

“Very well,” Xol’sa said. “Is there any reason for your visit?”

“I’m interested in the power you sensed,” Zarali said, brightening up again. “My brother told me about your theory regarding different energies.”

“I’ve made some progress on that, Theo,” Xol’sa said, beckoning them up the stairs.

The roof was ablaze with the familiar symbols, dancing in a circle to trace the curve of the tower. Theo couldn’t make out anything, even with his enhanced memory. Tresk’s eyes darted everywhere, as though she expected an ambush. The alchemist wouldn’t think less of her for the vigilance. These were strange times.

“I don’t understand any of the arcane languages, not least one so foreign,” Zarali said, turning her nose up at the display. She swiped her hand through the air once and a series of Drogramathi Sigils appeared. Those were things Theo could understand well.

Her webwork wasn’t as thorough as the one displayed by Xol’sa. It was a high-level assessment of the magical energies in the area with corresponding numbers in a unit the alchemist didn’t understand. What he could glean from the display was that Drogramath’s energy was the most prevalent. Zarali swiped her hand again and the symbol’s changed, displaying words that Theo could understand, but the content was mostly nonsense to him.

“I don’t know what a [Planar Mage] is,” Zarali said, tilting her head. “But I understand the dominance of power. The shade one house casts on another, and those in its embrace. Drogramath’s presence here is undeniable, but your approach is wrong.”

Xol’sa bristled for a moment, quickly regaining his composure. “I consider myself the foremost expert on the matter.”

“Perhaps,” Zarali said, squinting and poking a symbol on her display. It lit up, then faded away. “In terms of where this energy comes from, I would bow to a [Planar Mage]. This webwork is too complex for me. Explain your plan. Be brief.”

Xol’sa straightened himself up, snapping his fingers to extinguish his interface. He took his finger and drew a diagram in the air. It was the node theory he explained to Theo earlier. Starting from the left with a circle that must have been the swamp dungeon, and moving to the right with each node having a connection to only one other node.

“The power is entering the Swamp Dungeon,” Xol’sa said. “The problem is, it’s getting stuck there. There’s nothing instructing that power to disperse. The plan was to send it over to the other dungeons, but I’m having difficulty with my wards.”

“Well, that much is apparent,” Zarali said, chuckling. “What little I know of planar spellwork tells me enough. Your approach is too complicated, and besides you misunderstand the concepts.”

“Do explain,” Xol’sa said, puffing up.

Theo had never seen the extra-dimensional Elf so engaged. He also didn’t really understand what his sister was talking about. Xol’sa’s theory made sense to him.

“How much do you understand about dungeon theory?” Zarali asked.

Xol’sa shifted uncomfortably on his feet, some of that puffiness leaving his body. “Not as much as I’d like.”

Zarali dispelled the nodes in the air, grinning at the Elf. “I know as much as my Lord Drogramath sought to instill in me. I never understood why this information would be useful, but his plans can take centuries to come to pass. Think of the dungeons as a membrane. If you need a physical representation…”

Zarali sketched her own version of the dungeon’s connections. Instead of a linear progression, where each dungeon fed the other in a line, she drew an infinitely connected network. Her representation was only five dungeons big, each dungeon represented by a small circle, but it was confusing. Every circle was connected with a line to every other circle. Theo understood what she meant by a membrane now.

“Proximity matters, but every dungeon is connected to every other dungeon,” Zarali said. “So, think about the distribution of magical energy as a wave, rather than a linear propagation and your theory holds water.”

“Do you know what they’re saying?” Tresk asked, cocking her head. “Cause I don’t know what they’re saying.”

“Power transfers from one dungeon to all dungeons,” Theo said, keeping his voice to a whisper.

“A simple way of viewing the matter, Belgar,” Zarali said, craning her neck to grin at him. “You’re not my actual brother, but you’re not a dullard.”

Xol’sa danced on the spot, sputtering something. It was the most animated Theo had ever seen him. “That makes sense! Wave propagation! Like the ocean! One wave comes up to reinforce another, creating a cascade of power. By the Gods, you’ve solved it.”

“See?” Zarali asked, still staring at Theo. “Not evil. Just misunderstood.”

“I must show you my wards,” Xol’sa said. “Would you join me in the swamp?”

“Certainly,” Zarali said. “Belgar, would it be alright if I spent the rest of the day with this lovely Elf?”

Theo blinked hard, trying to line up his thoughts. “Sure,” he said, finally finding something simple to say. “You’re welcome to stay at the Newt and Demon tonight.”

“I have a spare room,” Xol’sa blurted out. “On the second floor—you’re welcome to it.”

“I’ll stay in the tower,” Zarali said. “Now, let’s get back to waves of energy…”

Theo turned on the spot without hearing another word and marched down the stairs. The interaction was too weird for him, and he didn’t want to think about any of the implications. Not of romantic intent, or Drogramath’s master plan. Tresk followed close behind him, stopping shy of the portal.

I’d rather not, she said, defaulting to the Tara’hek communication.

Theo stepped through without another word, falling to the ground instantly.

It feels like my insides are being turned to goo, Theo said.

They might be, Tresk said. What’s your read on her?

Theo had to think a while about that one. Zarali was weird, but he understood that it might have been a response to her grief. It could also have been an act, a cover to serve her master’s will. The only other option was she was insane. None of the options sat well with him, but the benefits were still undeniable. She helped Xol’sa solve his problem on a whim, planted with knowledge by Drogramath and sent to the swamp to see it through. He let out a heavy sigh, feeling powerful hands bringing him to his feet.

The alchemist thanked the towns person who righted him, patting the man on the shoulder and stumbling toward the Newt and Demon. He leaned against the front counter, garnering an amount of sympathy from Azrug. The shopkeeper was intent on making sure his employer was well before allowing him to leave. As he waited for the nausea to pass, Theo thought about his relationship with the young man. Azrug was more capable than ever, running the shop with ease and making more money than should be possible for a low-level merchant.

“Thank you,” Theo said, stumbling up the steps and into his lab.

The timer on his flame artifice had turned off, and the flask hadn’t overflowed. Fortunately, the example distillation he showed Zarali was small enough to avoid such a disaster. He didn’t want to consider the idea of getting poison essence all over his lab. Theo placed the essence in his dimensional chest and cleaned the still out with [Cleansing Scrub], eager to get back to some alchemy. Things had been too wild lately.

“How far does this path take you, dear alchemist?” a voice came from the far side of the room.

Theo nearly jumped out of his skin, clutching his chest and cursing at the darkness. Uharis emerged, sipping a cup of tea and managing a weak smile. Something lingered behind those stony eyes.

“I’ve had enough of mages today,” Theo said, scowling. “Enough of influences from outside forces, thank you. Leave a note and be gone, if you don’t mind.”

“What a cordial way to banish someone,” Uharis said, taking a seat.

Theo thought of calling Tresk to his side, but dismissed the idea. She wouldn’t be much use against a level 80 Archmage, even if she wanted to. The alchemist simply let out a heavy sigh, leaning against the table and leveling his hooded gaze on the mage.

“What do you want, Uharis?” Theo asked.

“Influences… That’s the right word,” Uharis said, casting his eyes over the lab. There was a forlorn expression on his face that sent a twinge through the alchemist’s chest.

“I assume you teleported into my lab,” Theo said, gesturing to nothing in particular. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing. You knew about the dungeon timer. You knew about our fate here—why do I have the feeling you knew about Zarali? Xol’sa? Damn! Did you know about the Harbinger, too?”

“Ah,” Uharis said, taking a long sip of his tea. Theo noticed how his demeanor had changed entirely. The drunk wizard thing was an act all along, not that it was hard to see through that. Only a fool would fall for such nonsense. “The Harbinger? Not at all.”

“So, why steer me away from an administration core? Did you really think that was a good pick, or was that another ploy?” Theo asked.

“I’ll be honest, Theo,” Uharis said. “I never expected this much anger from you.”

Theo? Are you alright? I’m suddenly super pissed, Tresk said.

I’m fine, Theo lied. He couldn’t hide the bile in his words, even through telepathic communication.

“What did you expect?” Theo asked. Whereas he always treated others with respect by giving them the full picture, Uharis hadn’t afforded him that luxury. “You haven’t been honest from the start. And would it kill you people to give me five minutes alone? It’s one thing after another with you.”

Uharis didn’t answer. He swirled his tea in contemplation.

“Answer some damn questions, wizard,” Theo said, slamming his fist against the table. “You owe me as much. If your intention was to drive me away from Drogramath, you’ve done the opposite. You’ve sent me into his embrace.”

“I could snap my fingers,” Uharis said, demonstrating by snapping his fingers. “And destroy Broken Tusk. I could think and wipe you from this plane.”

“You would have done so already,” Theo said, sweat forming on his forehead.

“I would have,” Uharis said, letting out a ragged sigh. He slumped in his chair slightly, something that Theo didn’t miss. “Sulvan thought…” The Archmage’s brow knit tightly and he shook his head. “He sees something in you. Something he’s not telling me. He was right, and I was wrong.”

“Enough of dancing around,” Theo said. “Tell me the truth. Why did you come here? What does the Order of the Burning Eye want with me? Am I destined to be evil? To serve Drogramath?”

Uharis heaved a breath, a pained smile spreading across his face. “Sulvan is eons old. He knows things. I was sent to spy, which you already knew. I detected the abnormality with the dungeon immediately and linked your crystal to it. When I detected Xol’sa’s arrival, I knew something larger was at work. Then a Drogramathi Priestess? That’s just too much.”

“So, what?” Theo asked, laughing despite his rage. “I’m forced to sit at the throne of some Demon Lord’s destiny?”

“Drogramath?” Uharis asked, cocking an eyebrow. “No, he’s just a player in this game. Another piece on the board.”

“Then I’m a pawn?” Theo asked.

Uharis winced, rising from his seat. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have come. If you thought of me as an enemy, that would have been a better outcome.”

Theo crossed the room, grabbing the Archmage by his robe. “Answers, damn you.”

Uharis regarded him with an expression Theo couldn’t place. After a moment, he found the right word. Pity.

“I’m afraid I don’t know the truth,” Uharis said. “I wish I did, Theo.”

Theo felt a spike of pain drive through his heart. Tears welled at the corners of his eyes. He’d been running from the truth of everything since he got to Broken Tusk. He was done being someone’s pawn. The alchemist would forge his own destiny and the Gods could be damned for it—he didn’t care. He’d defy the order, Qavell, and the entire planet if it meant living his own way. He’d die trying.

“I can tell you… This place was meant to be,” Uharis said. “Constructed for one purpose.”

“And what is that?” Theo asked, unable to hide his sorrow. The tears flowed from his eyes, stinging his cheeks and flowing down his face. “To suffer? To live in this place, never knowing what knives are in the dark? Which person who enters my town will be the last? To fall to a Demon Lord?”

Uharis placed a calming hand on his shoulder, more than a simple gesture. It sent waves of comfort through the alchemist’s body, soothing the edges of his tattered soul.

“To live. To be happy,” Uharis said, brows knitting tightly in pain. “A place for you, and no one else.”

Theo collapsed to the floor, clutching his face in his hands. The image of Zarali sobbing came to his mind in a rush, joined by countless other images of unimaginable sorrow. It was the release of months of tension, a single act that poured out of him unabated.

“We oppose Drogramath’s direct intervention in this world,” Uharis said, kneading the alchemist’s shoulder. “Use the power that he grants you. Follow the path in your heart, Theo. Gods know… The world will need it.”

Theo didn’t know how long he sat there, sobbing. At some point, an explosion issued on the far side of the lab. Uharis had teleported away. He remained there until a familiar presence pulled him into an embrace. Theo Spencer cried into Tresk’s chest until his eyes stung, her comforting aura eventually calming him.

“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Tresk said, waiting until his heaving sobs stopped. “Nothing a few daggers can’t fix.”

“I know,” Theo said, wiping his snot onto his sleeve. “It’s just too much, Tresk. What am I supposed to do here?”

“You heard the wizard,” Tresk said, running her clammy hands through his hair. “It doesn’t matter if this place is a construct. You’re meant to live your life the way you want.”

Theo looked up, locking his gaze with her pale eyes. “The way we want,” he corrected. “This is our town. And our people.”

“We’ll make it work anyway we can,” Tresk said. “Before long, no one can stop us.”

Theo nodded, wiping his eyes against his sleeve. It was stained with as much snot as tears, long streaks of wetness running its length. He rose to his feet and took a steadying breath. The breakdown was cathartic, in a way. A buildup of emotions that had rested in his chest since he got there. An expulsion of anger and uncertainty brought to a singular moment. He felt bolstered by Tresk’s presence. Her complete certainty in his abilities radiated outward.

“Through any means necessary,” Theo said, steadying himself against his companion. “I have potions to brew.”