The Newt and Demon

Theo could have bolted out of bed, downed his dinner quickly, and got to work on more potions for Fenian. Instead, his soft covers enveloped him for minutes that stretched by without end. Even after Tresk rose to prepare breakfast, he remained. The money he’d earn from this job wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger of the town, but he didn’t care. He vowed to take it slow, if only for a day.

“What’s your plan?” Tresk asked once he finally rose.

“My plan is to make a plan,” Theo said, smiling. He sat at the table by the window, propping it open to let some of the relatively cool night air in. The sun hadn’t risen yet.

Tresk responded with a grunt, working her pan to cook two wolf steaks. The tea bubbled away, filling the room with that comforting earthy scent.

“Once we turn this page, it’ll be a different game,” Theo said, nodding to himself. “I should focus on the farmers, now that I have the Spriggan reagents.”

“You need to focus on leveling. That’s what you really need,” Tresk said.

“Of course. It feels like I’m getting less experience with these potions. Even when I craft a thousand of them, I’m not getting levels,” Theo said.

“It’s like if I tried to get experience fighting level 1 monsters,” Tresk said, flipping the steaks. “Since you don’t have access to anything higher, you’re hitting a wall.”

Theo nodded, taking the kettle off the fire and setting it aside. He laid out two cups, pouring the steaming liquid inside. He had no plans to work in the lab today, but there was a lot to be done. Rounding up the mercantile seats was hard enough, but with Fenian in town, it would be a madhouse. The Elf trader liked to make his way around the town, trading with everyone for anything imaginable. Even the lure of his new ring couldn’t get the alchemist to break the promise he made to himself.

It was a fact of the mayor’s position that they’d spend days doing things they didn’t want to do. Broken Tusk was evolving in front of everyone’s eyes at an impossible rate, and the administrative duties were many. It mostly involved making sure everyone was happy, or selling land to prospective citizens, but the new housing project was an example of large-scale work that needed to be done.

“You’re joining me today, right?” Theo asked.

“Of course. That’d be hypocritical of me if I just ran off to the dungeon after badgering you about taking a day off,” Tresk said. She finished with the steaks, distributing them to a plate each. “There’s so many projects that you want to do, but we need to take it one step at a time.”

“I wonder when we’ll have time to upgrade this place,” Theo said, casting his eyes around the lab. The Newt and Demon was still only level 10. Whatever [Monster Cores] they had would go to the town, representing a mad scramble to level 15.

“I’ve never seen a town with walls, let alone the defensive upgrades,” Tresk said, shoving a large piece of steak in her mouth. She said something after that, but Theo couldn’t understand it.

“We need more information,” Theo said. “Seems like we’re experiencing something mostly unique.”

“Well, you can hire [Scholars] from the bigger cities, but they’re expensive,” Tresk said, finally swallowing the food in her mouth. “Some people like to hold information close to their chest.”

“Drogramath would fit in with them,” Theo said, remembering the riddles in his book. “Whoever wrote the Drogramath alchemy book obfuscated the information behind poems.”

“I hate poems,” Tresk said, scowling.

“But, as with most things, I have a theory for that,” Theo said. “A built-in defense measure to make sure the wrong hands don’t get the information. I think the poems will decode as I level my [Drogramath Alchemy Core].”

“Goes along with your other theory,” Tresk said, grinning.

“I have a few theories, don’t I?” Theo asked, nodding. “Maybe too many.”

“Yeah, focus,” Tresk said, taking another bite. “One thing at a time.”

Theo took that to heart, turning his attention to the food and tea before him. The pair sat in relative silence, saying a few words here and there through the Tara’hek core. When they were finished, they split up to collect the mercantile seats. They’d meet in the Newt and Demon, as the floor of the shop was large enough for a handful of people to stand. That would also solve the problem of finding Azrug, who would come to work at the shop when he was ready.

“Good morning, Perg,” Theo said, surprised to find her outside. He raised an eyebrow when Luras emerged from inside the tannery.

Luras winked. “Tanner business.”

“I bet,” Theo said. “Meeting today. I’m going to ‌fleece you guys for money.”

“At least you’re honest about it,” Perg laughed.

“Money for defenses,” Luras grunted. “Aarok has been going on about it for a while. He’s been hoarding the Adventurer’s Guild earnings, refusing to join the larger guild network.”

“He’s consumed by the monster wave problem,” Theo said with a nod. “I can’t bankroll the entire operation like I’d want to.”

“If we divide the cost it shouldn’t be a problem,” Perg said with a nod. “How much do we need to spend?”

Theo didn’t have an answer to that question. Four defensive platforms, minimum, one for each gate, but the price was a mystery. The function of those defensive structures was also a bit of a question. Fenian would need to explain it to him.

“At least 40 gold between us,” Theo said. “It might be more, but we might get a bulk discount—I don’t know. I think these people are accustomed to dealing with larger governments, not some backwater town.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Luras said. “We could settle for two gates covered, if we need. Would that be 20 gold?”

“Yeah, it should be,” Theo said. “That’s a good idea.”

“You need to talk to Aarok,” Luras said. “He has a better idea of our combat capabilities. We have many people over level 10 now. Some are approaching 20.”

Luras and Perg shared a look, then smiled.

“We also have a secret weapon,” Perg said, grinning. “The adventurers who have gone into the dungeon with Tresk say she’s a horror. She jumps from the shadows, spinning like a wild dervish before eviscerating the monsters.”

Theo knit his brow. Tresk was at level 11, and had wondered how she was getting so deep in the dungeon. He remembered her saying something about clearing floor 15, and from what he understood the floors of the dungeon scaled to levels. He didn’t consider how much of a force she was, but it made sense. The more he understood about the power of cores, and their levels, the more he grasped at the power of her [Assassin’s Core].

The alchemist felt a buzz from his inventory, a disconcerting haptic vibration that sent him fumbling for Fenian’s crystal. He withdrew it, clasping it tightly in his hand.

Theo, are you outside? Fenian asked.

I’m down by the tanner, Theo said, raising a single brow. What’s going on?

Watch this, Fenian said, suddenly hanging up.

A sound like thunder rolled in from the north, shaking the ground under Theo’s feet. Luras turned on the spot, narrowing his eyes on the horizon and drawing a bow from nowhere. He knocked an arrow, his eyes going wide. Barreling down the cobbled street was a team of steeds unlike anything the alchemist had seen. Four horse-like creatures, wreathed in purple fire, galloped down the way. Their six, multi-jointed limbs clattered over the hard cobbles as they reared their horned heads.

“That’ll be Fenian,” Theo said, his heart hammering hard in his ears.

The black carriage, similarly surrounded by an ethereal fire, came to an impossible stop. The creatures simply stopped moving without warning, coming twenty paces away from the ground. Luras let his bow fall to his side, both his and Perg’s mouths agape. A door opened on the side of the carriage. Fenian stepped out, holding his arms wide. He wore his traditional attire, complete with too many frills and ruffles. The bangles hanging from his arms clattered together.

“Well, what do you think?” Fenian asked, far too much excitement in his voice.

“I think I need to sit down,” Luras said.

A crowd gathered from the north. Theo spotted Azrug among them, his eyes wide.

“What good is a traveling merchant without a magical means of conveyance?” Fenian asked, slapping the rump of one beast. The carriage jerked to the east and took off. “They’re thirsty.”

“You know how to make an entrance,” Perg said, laughing. “I’ve never seen such beasts.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Fenian said. “They’re a rare breed. A distant cousin of the Karatan thought long lost. No more. The joining of powerful magics—magic not known by mortal minds for eons—come together for my personal transportation.”

Theo didn’t want to deflate Fenian’s ego. The Elf had a lot of pride in those horse-things, but to the alchemist they were just horrifying. He turned to Perg and Luras before moving to greet the trader properly.

“Could you round everyone else up?” Theo asked. “Have them meet us at the Newt and Demon.”

They both simply nodded in unison, moving past the Elf with suspicious eyes.

“Nice to see you, Fenian,” Theo said, reaching out a hand. The Elf clasped it tightly, shaking with force.

“Very nice to see you, my friend,” Fenian said. “You’re making me richer by the day. By any merchant’s standards, that makes you family.”

Someone said there’s demons in town! Tresk shouted into Theo’s mind.

It’s just Fenian. He has some magic horses, Theo said.

What’s a horse?

Later.

“Well, let’s get our business out of the way,” Theo said, gesturing to the Newt and Demon.

Theo locked the door behind them, ascending to the second floor to avoid prying eyes. He didn’t mind if everyone knew how much money he made, but he still enjoyed his privacy.

“What a far way you’ve come,” Fenian said, letting out a wistful sigh as he sat down near the window. “You’ll be happy to know I’ve sourced some defensive artifices for your walls.”

“That’s very good news,” Theo said. “We’ll meet with the others about that later. For now, business.”

“Right,” Fenian said. “I have an annoying noble breathing down my neck—asking for updates by the hour.”

Fenian opened a trade and Theo put his potions inside. 2,000 of each restoration potion, 200 wisdom potions and 700 vigor potions. The alchemist knew the merchant’s ability to do math mentally was superior, and the gold appeared on his side almost immediately. 20 gold sat on the trader’s side. A number that seemed too high. The Elf accepted the trade before he could object.

“Yes, that was too much gold,” Fenian said. “But it's a bonus. Scarcity is the name of the game up north. A reputable vendor would ask 50 copper per restoration potion before, but they’re pushing toward a silver each. They won’t get it, though. People are tight-fisted with their coin—except these nobles, that is—and only those with connections are making sales.”

“I’m glad I have you to trade with, then,” Theo said.

“You’re very lucky, indeed,” Fenian said. “The world of trade is harsh. Add a war, and things get strange. Vendors ask for more money, and people don’t pay it. The vendors who aren’t greedy make decent coin, but the greedy ones starve. I won’t bore you with it.”

“So, the supplier you found for the defensive things,” Theo said, realizing he knew little about them. “What kind of cost are we talking about?”

“Over your budget, I’m certain,” Fenian said. “Let me lay something out for you, my friend. From the moment we met, I only wanted to see you rise above the others. For every gold I spend on your order, I make one. Even at wholesale prices, I double my profits. Why wouldn’t you deal with the buyers directly? Because you’re not in Qavell. These nobles aren’t good people. If you’re not used to the way they do business, they’ll take advantage of you. You need a middle-man to get the job done.”

“You make me sound dependent,” Theo said, laughing.

“Perhaps, but you’ve found an honest trader to tie yourself to. That is a stroke of luck if ever I’ve seen one,” Fenian said. “Another trader might offer you what you charged to start with. 5 copper for a potion, what were you thinking? The cost of your next-tier healing potions is going to be obscene.”

“Although, the process might be more difficult,” Theo said.

“Worry about that later,” Fenian said. “I had a point there, somewhere. Right. I make a fortune from you. For the sake of the future success of Broken Tusk, I’ll source the defensive structures at cost. That means, whatever I pay for them, you pay for them. I won’t make a profit, but I’ll have assurance.”

“Assurance that Broken Tusk won’t fall to whatever is coming,” Theo said, his mind drifting. He could normally read other people, but the Elf was impassive. Still, he had his suspicions. “You know something about the monster wave, don’t you?”

Fenian smiled. “Monster waves. That’s why I got the magical Karatans out there. We’re staring down an event never seen before. If I was a betting man, I’d put money on a worldwide monster wave.”

“Alright,” Theo said, feeling ice form in his blood. “That’s bad.”

“Yes, of course. Great for business, though,” Fenian said. “I’ve made a tradition out of this. A gift.”

Fenian withdrew something from his inventory and set it on the table. Theo recognized it as a seed core in appearance, but inspected it anyway.

[Chain Lightning Tower]

[Defensive Artifice]

Epic

An artifice that can be attached to a defensive slot on a settlement’s wall. Consumes motes to generate a bolt of lightning that skips between enemy targets. Comes with enemy and friendly recognition.

“Fenian,” Theo said, shaking his head. “I want to buy these from you.”

“And you will,” Fenian said. “This is the goodwill I bring to you, as my brother. Not by blood, but by bond. Whatever else you need‌ is at cost. 10 gold each, at the moment. Now, shall we trade?”

The pair spent some time going through what items he had. Theo needed a few things more than others, namely house seed cores. Fenian honored their old price of 6 for a gold, trading 24 for 4 gold. The alchemist got another defensive artifice for 10 gold, and 10 level 30 [Monster Cores] for 2 gold. This left him with 4 gold and a smattering of change.

“Always a pleasure to watch my gold flow back into my pocket,” Fenian said, winking.

“This is massive, Fenian,” Theo said. “Well, I’ve asked the mercantile seats of the town to join me for a meeting downstairs. I was intending to negotiate for a better price on the defensive platforms, but you’ve seen to that.”

“Ah, well. It will be good to see everyone,” Fenian said, smiling. “I’m growing quite fond of this place.”