The Newt and Demon

“Should be easy, right?” Fenian asked.

“Yeah, Ivaran,” Theo mocked. “Super easy.”

“Not like you ever formed a planet,” Fenian grumbled.

“I have!” Tresk said, bouncing with excitement.

“So have I,” Khahar said.

After meeting with the system, it only seemed right to form Fenian’s planet. Theo wanted to get it out of the way, ensuring nothing would change before they had the chance. Putting the task off only opened them up to a situation where the system or the gods took that feature away. Khahar’s world had been formed alongside a throne, making him the expert in this matter. But the world Fenian planned to create would draw strictly from his throne, instead of relying on an existing realm. One could draw parallels between the two, but not enough to follow the instructions step-by-step.

Theo’s theory was that it would only require the throne in the void and the system would handle the rest. Fenian might have to work his willpower over the throne, or invoke some command they weren’t aware of. But it seemed possible based on the information he had gathered.

“So, do you have anything in mind for your world?” Theo asked.

Fenian turned, smiling. “Indeed. A copy of Iaredin before… this. The place I remember, rather than what it has become.”

“You’re going to mirror your home?” Khahar asked with a chuckle. “Well, at least we’ll have a world that isn’t just a swamp.”

“You talking smack about swamp-world?” Tresk asked.

“I would never.”

Fenian shifted uncomfortably. Like most people, he didn’t like the void. Although he could technically travel the void to reach his throne, he had to rely on the Bridge to get to Tero’gal. His hesitation was understandable, but even if he waited a while he wouldn’t be more ready in the future.

“Sounds good to me,” Theo said, clapping his hands. “Wanna grab your throne and head out?”

“We’ll need some guards, won’t we?” Fenian asked, shifting nervously. “Perhaps a gigantic cannon and an army of angry sheep.”

“You’ll be fine for now,” Theo said, grabbing Fenian by the arm. They snapped to the underground place where the Throne of the Herald was stored, appearing back near the welcome center with both the throne and a chunk of the remaining realm. “This is good. We have a decent chunk of the Realm of the Herald’s energy here. All bottled up near the throne.”

“Yes, but you got it dirty,” Fenian said, scrutinizing his magical seat.

“We left it in a cave,” Theo said with a shrug. “You just can’t keep things clean in a cave.”

“Shall we come with you?” Khahar asked. “Perhaps I can provide guidance.”

“Why not?” Theo asked, wrapping his will around everyone gathered. “Party in the void.”

Theo dropped them into the void, getting some distance from the other ‘planets.’ While they were arranged in the system as though they should orbit around the central ‘sun,’ they didn’t. Each planet remained where it was, including Tero’gal and Tol’bak. Any orbit observed from the planet and moon was simulated.

“Here?” Fenian asked, looking around. “I like it better over there.”

“It shouldn’t matter where,” Khahar said. “You’re just establishing your authority.”

Fenian grumbled, looking over to his throne. “How did you do it, Tresk?”

“Sat on my throne and thought about it real, real, real hard.”

“Of course,” he said with a sigh. He climbed onto his throne and sat, looking around with an unsettled gaze. “I’ll just sit here and… This chair isn’t very comfortable. You know, I think we should get a cushion before I make my world.”

“I’ll just leave you here,” Theo warned. “That should help you figure it out.”

“No, no… I’ll get it,” Fenian said. He closed his eyes letting out a steady breath.

It took Fenian a long time to get over whatever hangup he had. Theo felt the energies of the Throne of the Herald creeping up around him. The elf’s face gained a look of absolute concentration as he worked on the new planet. It hadn’t taken Tresk long to make the moon, so he assumed this would be no different. But about a half-hour later, nothing had happened.

“Tea?” Tresk asked, withdrawing steaming mugs of tea from the shared inventory.

Theo accepted his cup, as did Khahar.

“Lovely. Thanks, Tresk,” Theo said.

“He’s controlling the energy at least,” Khahar said, sipping his tea and nodding with approval. “Good tea… Seems like he’s bullying the throne more than anything.”

“Do you think he’ll listen to the system?” Theo asked. “Stop all his weird schemes.”

“I doubt it,” Khahar said. “He’d rather be censured than give up on his dreams. Instead, he’ll prioritize which person he wants dead the most.”

“Why would the system even block that?” Tresk asked. “Does it care about what happens to the mortals?”

“We can’t know,” Khahar said. “The people he wants to kill might be important. Or protected for some other reason.”

“Think I got it,” Fenian said, smiling to himself. His eyes were still closed as he worked on his planet. “This interface takes an immense amount of details, but I figured out how to feed it my memories. That sped up the process, but it still took a moment. Care to see the birth of a planet?”

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“Sometime today would be nice,” Tresk sighed.

“Shut it, toad.”

Tresk made a shocked face that faded quickly. Something glowed in the distance. A shimmer of light appeared in the void, born from nothing and creating glittering mist after a few moments. That mist shone as it collected, filled with bolts of electricity that struck at flakes of prismatic essence, turning them into something more solid. Pieces joined, forming something more solid.

“Is that what happened with the moon?” Theo asked.

“Nope. It just winked into existence,” Tresk said with a shrug. “This is new for me, too.”

The group watched as Fenian’s planet formed. He seemed very pleased with himself for the entire formation of the new planet. When it was finally done, the throne vanished from under his butt, likely appearing on the planet itself. From the planet’s orbit, it was impossible to make out details. The floating orbs appeared more like general representations of what was inside, not the actual landmasses.

“Let’s go. Land us wherever you want,” Fenian said, jumping up and down with excitement. “I’ve placed the throne in my place of birth.”

Theo shrugged and took them in for a landing. He wanted to ask what the throneworld would be called, but that would come later. Steering them into the planet, he felt the familiar blink—a sensation like heading through a portal. A moment later, they were standing on a barren landscape. Fenian turned, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“I’ve got it from here,” he said, turning northward.

The alchemist felt himself being pulled with the elf as he stepped forward. It didn’t take someone with otherworldly senses to know they were heading for the place he had set his throne down. Another instant passed and they were standing in a city. Gray stone marked the place with wide avenues bordered on either side by timber buildings. The roofs were a uniform shade of gray, marked by wooden slats stained or painted. Market stalls, stone planters, and other signs of life were littered around the area.

“Wow,” Tresk said, looking around. “You were born here?”

“I took a page out of your book, dear Dreamer,” Fenian said. “I’ve imagined it just before everything happened back then.”

“Perisart,” Khahar said, smiling as he looked around.

“A name you shouldn’t know,” Fenian said with a sigh. “I sometimes forget about your information gathering abilities.”

“Ruled by King Leon back in your day. Before his betrayal and ascension to the Realm of Death,” Khahar said. “Is that the palace?”

Khahar had gestured to spires in the distance, looming through a sheet of fog. Those towers dominated the landscape, rising high above the already considerable walls. Theo couldn’t help but think about what a city would do with such massive walls. It indicated an enemy that could threaten the mighty city. A concerning fact.

“And… Zorp!” Fenian said, dragging the group along to the palace. It was situated in a circular clearing, bordered on all sides by tall buildings. Something that looked like a cathedral sat next to the building with all the spires. Both struck an impressive image. “The palace. I visited it when I was a boy, but this area was normally restricted. Oh… Care to see something interesting?”

“That’s why we’re here, right?” Theo asked, clapping a hand on Fenian’s shoulder.

“Of course! This concerns you… Hmmm, it isn’t quite right. My version is only decorative…” Fenian scrunched his nose, then shrugged. “Oh, well.”

Fenian transported the group to another place in the world, likely hundreds—if not thousands—of miles away. The landscape around them was notable for the rocky hills, rolling all the way to the horizon. They stood on the battlements of a stone keep, cloistering a white tower that had seen better days. A faint blue light radiated from within, and Theo knew what the elf had brought them here for.

“The shards,” Fenian said, descending the battlements. “This tower was built during the war. To defend the shard.”

Theo followed behind, getting a better look at the massive floating crystal. He had a feeling it didn’t compare to the real one in any way, other than looks. “Is this the true location of it?”

“That’s right. We’re standing on the Tarantham continent, if you equate this to the authentic version of Iaredin. There was another one back in the city, but I had never seen it.”

“These are some sturdy walls!” Tresk shouted, slapping the wall. “Was this place run by a seed core?”

“No. We didn’t have those. This wall was built by hand… By cultists, actually. They worshiped the shards.”

“The next location?” Khahar asked. “I have a feeling you’re saving something for last.”

“There are a few locations of note. My memories are mostly of the Tarantham continent. Although we didn’t call it that, most would’ve called it Pera’tal. Anyway, this is Vesta.”

A blink later, Theo felt a chill bite through his Coat of Rake. He stood on a tower, overlooking a rolling landscape as though observing the world from a skyscraper. He looked down, feeling his stomach turn as he saw the distance to the ground below. The wind whipped with such fury, he couldn’t hear what the others were saying—if anything. Fenian was kind enough to take them down to street-level. One thing was clear, the city of Vesta was absolutely massive. The alchemist had never seen the larger cities on Iaredin, but he couldn’t imagine them being bigger than this. Even the city they were just shown wasn’t this big.

“This is where it all happened,” Fenian said with a sigh. “Where the guild was formed. Where we assembled. This is the place where I cut my teeth as a trader and a duelist.”

“That’s an odd combination of professions,” Theo said. “So, you didn’t have seed cores? How different was the system?”

“Very different,” Fenian said. “I’m not sure why it changed so much with the most recent change, but it did. Even before then it was different. Everyone had to learn how the new system worked, and it was sometimes annoying. Compared to what we have now, it was fairly unforgiving. Lots of choices you could make that you couldn’t unmake. I knew a man who had access to some interesting traits, though. He soared above us all before long. Always flaunting his power… That’s how I got so good at fighting. The constant sparring with him.”

Fenian had fallen back into his memories. His eyes seemed unfocused, locked on something in the middle-distance only he could see. After a long silence, tears pooled in the corners of his eyes and he did nothing to wipe them away.

“My wife made it through the war. She was a crafter like you, Theo,” Fenian said, taking a deep breath. It might have been the first time the alchemist saw him showing his genuine emotions. Or perhaps this was another mask. “I thought once I had my revenge I could find her.”

“Find her?” Tresk asked, wincing as she tried to pull her goblin nature back. “Sorry. Thought she died.”

“Is death the end?” Fenian asked with a shrug. “Sometimes. But not always.”

“She wouldn’t last long in the void,” Khahar said. “Not after so much time.”

“But maybe,” Fenian said with a shrug. “I’ve avenged her. Mostly. Maybe only my pride is left to avenge. Or maybe I can give it up and dedicate myself to finding her soul.”

“You won’t want to hear it, but if she was left in the void…” Theo trailed off.

“Then Death will have her,” Fenian said. “Which means I need to cozy up to an enemy I’ve sworn to kill. Well, he’s unkillable now, isn’t he?”

Khahar got a look in his eyes.

“We can’t kill a god,” Fenian said, narrowing his eyes at Khahar. “Don’t you dare pretend like we can kill a god.”

“Gods can be dethroned,” Khahar said. “Literally. They hold thrones just like us. Glantheir passed the information on to me. Wanted me to fight Zaul for his spot as Shadow. He defeated the old Hallow without throwing a spell.”

“Old Franz Nosske,” Fenian said with a sad chuckle. “Now there was a spineless man… So, you’re serious.”

Khahar shrugged. “I never wanted Kuzan on the Throne of Death. Perhaps they call it something different now. Glantheir didn’t say. But they have to fight to keep their spots. Just like us.”

“Okay,” Theo said with a heavy sigh. For dramatic effect, he withdrew a sheet of parchment from his inventory. After touching a fountain pen to his tongue, he held the parchment at arm’s length. “Let me just add an item to my list here… kill… death… Yeah, that should be easy enough.”

“Oh, hell yeah!” Tresk shouted. “Finally! A plan that involves me stabbing something!”

“The plan doesn’t involve you stabbing anything,” Theo said, shaking his head at the marshling.

“Actually…” Khahar bit his lip, revealing his long canines. “It might.”