The Newt and Demon

“Oh, hell yeah!” Tresk shouted, jumping into the air and pumping her fist. The horns on her head grew as her eyes flared purple. Her fat tail grew thin as it whipped through the air.

Theo’s features took the opposite turn. He wasn’t sure what he thought about his dronon-marshling form. He pushed back the bond, sifting through his Tara’hek Core screen to find the evolved ability.

[Tara’hek Union]

Marshling Bond Skill

Mythic

The last step to a Tara’hek is the union.

Effect:

Allows you to communicate with Tresk no matter how far away they are. Others cannot hear your conversation.

Allows you to know the current state of your Tara’hek. Their health, mana, and stamina will appear near yours at all times.

Through intense focus, either member of the bond may blur the line between both members. Either member can absorb attributes, skills, physical characteristics, inate knowledge, etc.

This was interesting. The skill maintained the effects of the unevolved one, but gained an interesting effect. Tresk had increased her attributes to match Theo’s attributes, giving her a temporary boost of power. And the alchemist felt no drain on his own, meaning they were just sharing those attributes. The result was an absurd skill that would make the marshling a nightmare. He watched as she dashed around the area, stabbing at the air faster than she had ever moved. Someone with lower attributes would have trouble following her, let alone matching her movements.

“I can’t believe this,” Theo said. “I guess the skill wouldn’t be overpowered if I wasn’t overpowered… Wait, did you just manifest a skill because you couldn’t win a fight?”

“Yup! I’m awesome.”

“Yeah, Tresk is awesome,” Alex said, nodding along.

Theo’s gaze dragged to Alex, who he was certain would evolve into a dragon at any moment. “We have her to worry about, too. What is a dragon-goose, anyway?”

“Goose-dragon?” Tresk asked, rubbing her hands on her horns. “How do you do anything with these things, Theo?”

“You get used to them.” Theo pushed down on the Tara’hek again, attempting to break Tresk’s concentration to cancel the effect. It took great effort, but it worked.

“No fair. I want my horns back.” Tresk probed at her forehead, glaring at Theo. “You stink, buddy.”

“Your horns are a cheap imitation.”

Tresk gasped, holding her hand over her mouth. “Take that back. Now.”

“No. You stink,” Theo said, turning and running on the spot.

Tresk shrieked in anger, chasing after him.

The rest of the Dreamwalk wasn’t productive. But it gave Tresk and Theo a chance to get a handle on their new ability. He wasn’t happy that every time she wanted to use the ability, he would earn frilly gills, pink skin, and a fat tail… but the effects were nuts. The marshling went from fighting like a person at Level 35, to fighting like a Level 500 demon. The alchemist doubted there was a person alive who could keep up with her. She could handle the underground dungeon on her own, if she wanted.

When Tresk ended the dreamwalk, it all came crashing down. Theo’s body was covered in a sheen of sweat the moment he woke up. His body felt too heavy and too light at the same time. The room around him appeared as though someone had attached it to the wheel of a massive car and had their foot on the gas.

“This sucks,” Theo groaned, gripping onto the bedsheets for dear life.

“He did it again!” Sarisa shouted from the threshold, turning to call Rowan up. “Get the diapers.”

“On it!” Rowan’s powerful voice came from down the stairs.

Theo groaned. “If you put me in a diaper, I will kill you.”

“Poor baby,” Sarisa said, coming over to pat Theo on the head. “Ew. Why do you have… Are your fingers webbed?”

“Tresk, please,” Theo said, trying to turn to see her but failing. He glimpsed her horned head.

Tresk’s giggle soon turned into an all-out cackle. She dashed away before he could object. Funny how he could experience a massive boost in attributes and feel as though he would die. But if Tresk did it, she was fine. That must have been an effect of him accepting the attributes into himself, while she was just borrowing them. He was happy to hear her tumble down the stairs, smacking her face on the landing below. Accepting the attributes also meant accepting the way he felt.

The front door opened and slammed shut as she left. But Theo knew she wouldn’t get far.

“Seriously, do you need any help?” Sarisa asked.

“Just some water,” Theo said, closing his eyes. It didn’t make him feel better.

After getting a mug of water and waiting it out for a minute, he gave up. Instead of suffering on the mortal realm, he fell through the veil and suffered in the throne room. The effects were still there, but they were lessened. Tero’gal reached out sympathetically, sending a wave of soothing energy. The alchemist gazed up at the ceiling. He knew how close he was to losing the power of his cores. It edged closer every day, and there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing that would work was if he evolved them with the power of Tero’gal. After that, he had to figure out how to infuse the cores of others.

“Long road ahead,” Theo said with a sigh. “What kind of form is a Tero’gal Alchemist Core gonna take?”

Tero’gal had no answer for him. It wasn’t as though it refused to answer him. Rather, it didn’t know. Like Theo, this world was new to the job. Their only way forward was to stumble through the process and figure it out as they went. That sense of moving forward resonated through both him and the world. After a few hours of laying on his back, he ventured out to see his metal golems standing guard. Their function was tied to the will of the world, rather than himself. The alchemist doubted he would feel their pull, no matter how many he made. There might have been an upper limit, but he doubted he could reach it with ease.

“Good evening, gents,” Theo said, stepping into the crisp mountain air. In a flash, he appeared at the foot of the mountain.

The denizens of this world had already built a small town near the foot of the mountain, carving into the stone about a quarter of the way to the temple. Perhaps it was better to leave the place inaccessible, but Theo liked the idea of a giant staircase a person could spend days climbing. Installing waystations along the path might be a good idea. While he wanted to make some quip to the locals about working hard, everyone was asleep. The stone and timber constructions they had created were dotted here and there, following a grid design this time.

Drogramath seemed intent on staying in the swamps to the southeast of the mountain. Theo teleported there in a blink, finding a familiar sight. Packed dirt roads connected a hodgepodge of buildings, all built with haste and reminding him too much of Broken Tusk. There was little structure to the new home of the Drogramathi and Uz’Xulveni Dronon. A young dronon approached, holding a torch aloft and his hand on a sword at his side.

“Spears are better,” Theo said, smiling at the man.

His eyes went wide, hand shooting from the hilt to rest at his side. “Thronekeeper,” he said, bowing his head low.

“A new title?” Theo asked, tilting his head to one side. He didn’t hate it. “Ah, well… You got stuck on the night watch?”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Yes, sir.”

This was weird. Theo knew that only a day had passed in the mortal world. But these people were experiencing their own history at a rapid pace. These folks were real people now, not the remnants of their souls. They roamed the Throneworld not as transient guests, but as fully realized people. That thought was haunting for the alchemist, as he was now placed in the same position as the ascendants. He could control most things about this place, making him something of a god, but had no interest in it. He would rather watch the people develop, only intervening if they made war.

He had a strict ‘no war’ policy for his world.

“How do you like it?” Theo asked. “Is Drogramath a good leader?”

“Lord Drogramath… Ah… Mayor Drogramath is an excellent leader.” The dronon stood proud at that statement, his eyes gaining a glint in the torchlight. He cleared his throat, leaning in. “We even have a few Zagmoni Dronon here.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“That’s right.” The dronon looked uncomfortable out of nowhere. “May I be of service to you, lord?”

“No, no… I’m just checking in on everyone. Things are getting stranger, somehow. Do you know if anyone has developed cores, yet?”

“I’ve heard of people earning cores here, but I haven’t seen it.”

So, they weren’t in that phase of development yet. Tero’gal had to figure itself out before it could implement a system that made sense. Theo suspected it wouldn’t come up with something fully usable for a while, and might put in a temporary system until everything could be fixed. It was a patch that wasn’t likely to last.

Theo bid the dronon guard farewell, exploring the nearby areas. He found the need for guards quickly enough, discovering something like monsters in the nearby forest. These creatures weren’t exactly monsters, but beefy versions of Earth wolves. He spotted a group padding through the forest. None of the monsters noticed him when he approached. The one he slapped on the rump didn’t even react. He could feel information about them flowing into his mind, and things made sense.

Monsters on the mortal realm were condensed bits of magic generated by the system. Tero’gal was the system here, and it had made things for the locals to fight and eat. It might not have been as powerful as the system that governed the mortal world, but that didn’t matter to Theo. He appreciated the steps it had taken to create a convincing world. It made him think about if this place had a version of outer space. Perhaps that was just the void…

The population of the world had increased to nearly eight-hundred-thousand. Belgar’s team of welcomers must have been hard at work showing everyone around. There was plenty of space for them to inhabit, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Tero’gal was determined to ensure there were enough resources for everyone, so Theo didn’t think fighting would start anytime soon. Whatever system went in place would be fair, allowing everyone to advance and better themselves. This concept had worked for the souls, but there had only been one-thousand.

On a cliff side, overlooking a sprawling ocean, a flash of silver light rolled across the sky like an aurora. Theo felt the pull of something, as though he was being gently interdicted. It was more like an invitation to somewhere else. After a moment of thought, and influence from his newest core, he realized where the invitation was coming from. Using this new ability, Passage, he slipped through the cracks without effort. A moment later, he stood within Glantheir’s new realm.

“John,” Theo said, nodding to Glantheir, who stood on the balcony of his wooden, elf-style house.

Glantheir turned, greeting Theo with a smile and a shake of his head. He wore brilliant robes of silver, his eyes glowing a similar color. “They call me Hallow now.”

“So did you… Y’know… Kill the original Hallow?” Theo asked.

Glantheir laughed, slapping a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “It might surprise you, but I’ve never killed anyone in this world.”

Theo bit back a comment about using followers to kill people. That wasn’t important. His attention was drawn to a short man with a shaved head and bristling mustache. He wore simple clothes, and was short for even a human. The man shuffled over, fidgeting with his hands. “Hey.”

Theo winced. “That’s the old Hallow?”

“Look, things are weird!” the man said. “Glantheir threw me a rope—I never wanted to be a god.”

“We settled it like gentlemen.”

“Pistols at dawn?” Theo asked. He shook his head, trying to take this more seriously. He reached a hand out for the old Hallow to shake. “Theo Spencer.”

“Franz Nosske. Formerly the President of Hallben, then the God of Healing Hallow. Confused and slightly afraid.” Franz bowed his head as he shook Theo’s hand. “You’re the new Dreamwalker, huh?”

“Yeah. Guess I am.”

“That core allows you to enter any realm in passive mode,” Glantheir said. “If something within that realm violates the heavenly law, you can join with Khahar to fix it.”

Theo didn’t like how much of a pointed hint that was. Glantheir didn’t say something unless he wanted the alchemist to know. “Thanks. Now if I could sort my core before Drogramath’s old power fades.”

Glantheir laughed, crossing the distance between them with ethereal grace. He placed a hand on Theo’s chest, raising a brow. “Oh, you’ve been busy. That’s a lot of power you’ve stolen from the system.”

Theo shrugged. “Why not snatch it if I can?”

Another laugh from Glantheir. A silver light spread from his hand, filling Theo with a strange sense. After only a moment, it was done. “That will give you a small amount of spare time. Drogramath never had it in him to ascend to the higher realms, so I’m sure he’s glad to be rid of his Ascendant Core.”

Theo had been working on filling his cores with Tero’gal’s energy. He felt a different kind of energy in his aligned cores. It was mostly neutral, acting more as a bridge between two types of power. Although it was there, he wasn’t certain how long it would stay. There was no reason to dally, unless he felt like losing his two most powerful cores.

“Thanks, Glantheir.”

After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat. “So, are you going?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Theo waved him away. “Time to visit death, I guess.”

“Oh, I hate that guy,” Franz said, glowering at nothing in particular. “He’s so rude.”

Theo smiled, slipping through the cracks of the godly realm. His Passage skill allowed him to pass without issue. An instant later he approached the realm Glantheir spoke of. Unlike the silver world Hallow had built, this was a world of darkness. The alchemist pressed through the barrier surrounding this world, his absolute authority giving him easy entrance. He stepped onto a long stone path, crawling into the distance over darkened hills. An impossible distance later, he could see the shape of an archway, filled with prismatic energy.

His Dreamwalker’s Core twitched.

“Well, it was only a matter of time,” Death said, stepping out from the darkness. “Although I wish you would have given me more.”

“Just here for a routine OSHA inspection,” Theo said with a shrug. “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.”

“Well, this is awkward,” a familiar voice said, stepping out from behind Death.

When Fenian beat back the entity that had infected Qavell, Theo didn’t know how he activated those powers. It seemed more like an instinct than something he had to activate through the system. As the alchemist’s body filled with bone-cracking power, he realized how little he was in control of that power. Something tickled from his shoulder blades, begging to burst out. His fists clenched as his muscles tightened.

“No mortals in the godly heavens,” Theo said, the purple in his eyes bursting into flames. “That’ll earn you a spanking, Kuzan.”

“To be as rude as to use my old name.” Death tutted.

“Just hand Twist over and I’ll leave. I have some questions for him.”

A jagged blade fell into Death’s hand. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Dreamwalker.”

Fenian did it. So why couldn’t Theo? A pair of glowing violet wings sprung from the alchemist’s back as he crouched on the spot. His Dreamwalker’s Core filled him with power he couldn’t imagine. A message popped into his vision before he kicked off from the ground.

[Dreamwalker’s Core]

Your Dreamwalker’s Core has detected an entity trespassing in Death’s Realm. You have been granted temporary power to neutralize this threat.

Theo kicked off hard, cocking his fist back as he angled for Death’s face. The God of Death raised his twisted blade, preparing to block the strike.

Jan wiped his brow clear of sweat, looking skyward. His soul vibrated in recognition as a faint plume of black and purple spread across the heavens. The team he worked with secured the northern section of the railroad project, ensuring no monsters attacked the laborers. He patted the modified weapon under his coat, nodding to himself.

“Gotta take a leak,” Jan said, jabbing his thumb toward a rocky outcropping.

“Don’t be long,” Ziz said, turning the parchment in his hands. He squinted, shaking his head. “Don’t wanna get eaten.”

Jan nodded, rolling his shoulders. It took everything within him to act normal. The power swirling in his chest was uncontrollable, pushing out as though to burst free from his ribcage. He took steadying breaths as he found a quiet place behind a wall of stone. The rocks beneath his feet cracked when he was out of sight. A system message appeared. It was the same message he had seen a thousand times before. But this time, it came with a resolution.

[ERROR]

Previous system is incompatible with the current parameters of this world.

Attempting to find a solution…

Solution failed…

Attempting to find a solution…

Fragment detected…

Solution achieved!

[Gunslinger’s Core] has been added and adjusted to Level 200.

[Brawler’s Core] has been added and adjusted to Level 150.

[Arcane Detective] has been added and adjusted to Level 300.

Personal Level has been adjusted to Level 315. All associated attributes have been automatically distributed.

Flexing his hand, Jan withdrew his revolver. He popped out a round and activated his old Ammunition Duplication skill. One round turned into five.

“Alright, Twist,” Jan said, rolling his shoulders as he activated his Locate Target skill. He got a sense of a general direction. The star streaking through the sky to the north was likely related. “Let’s have a chat.”