The Newt and Demon

“This is delicious,” Void said, holding up a jam-filled pastry.

Benton had invited Void and Theo into a longhouse, seating them right by the massive fire burning in the center. Other toora were gathered here, all sipping tea and warming themselves by the coals. The alchemist didn’t know how much more tea he could have today, but he would never refuse the tea Benton made. It was always good, as were the sweets.

“You’re getting along better than I expected, Benton,” Theo said.

“When given the choice to pick between Khahak and here, the choice was clear. I can’t live without mountains.”

Theo took a bite of his food, nodding to himself. It was as good as ever. “So, about the old world.”

“Right,” Void said. “Just so we’re clear, these meetings stop when the shards return to Iaredin. The gods will be sealed in the heavens after that. But right now, everything is technically in the void, so I can go anywhere.”

“Fancy loophole.”

“You would know,” Void said, the spiral in front of his face spinning faster. “Think of it like this. Earth and another world were connected way back when. We didn’t know how it happened or why, but there was a connection. They smashed together, monsters invaded the planet… it was a mess. Then this bird guy comes along, does some magic something, and everything is fixed.”

“Except it wasn’t. Earth was destroyed.”

“Well, the other world was fixed. Wasn’t it? I guess everything and everyone got sealed away, slowly trickling into this world, and here we are. I would wager the ascendants sealed away the true gods’ arrival until you messed with their plan.”

“The bird guy… It has to be the Harbinger.”

“I’m not aware of the name,” Void said, taking another bite.

“The sun ate Earth. When it did, there was a powerful bird guy there. We only had a few people left who could make the trip, so we went. Most didn’t make it, but here we are. Sixty-thousand years later.”

“Perhaps there was an issue with the way he sealed my world away,” Void said, humming to himself. He brought the pastry to his spiral. It vanished as he took a bite, withdrawing the confection with another bite removed. “I know it wasn’t supposed to work that way. Almost as though someone had mettled with the way things worked. Some sorcerer on Earth fiddled with reality. Or something.”

“Not possible. I’m almost certain there was no magic on Earth, and… Honestly, I can’t even believe the thing about the monsters. Surely there would have been some record of that.”

“And how good were the records on Earth in your time? Two-hundred years after the fact with a broken planet and a broken government. What little I knew of Earth was the reaction of the governments. They went into panic mode, squashing all mention of the Gates and rounding folks up. From what I remember, they even got Jan and a few of the others. That’s how Twist played his gambit.”

Theo rubbed his face. “How important was Jan?”

“Bah. You have too much information already. Figure it out on your own.”

Theo sipped his tea, taking bites from the treat. The mental image and timeline he had of Earth had already changed significantly. Based on what little information he could gather, he knew a few things. There was another world connected to Earth well before he was even born. Monsters came from the other world, attacking Earth thanks to Twist. Jan and a group of people saved the day, only to have the Harbinger screw it up for them, sealing everyone away. It was possible the previous Dreamer was from Earth, but he had no proof. The way Void did his best to avoid a certain topic lingered in his mind, supported by a Wisdom of the Soul message.

“Iaredin was the other world, wasn’t it? Our mortal world was your home.”

Void visibly winced. “I don’t like thinking about it.”

“I wouldn’t like it either. If people from Earth at the end were sent to ruin my planet. You were a mortal before you were a god, right? What happened?”

“You’re getting far too much information from me for free, Theo,” Void said, folding his arms. “Your treats are delicious though, Benton.”

“Come on. What would it matter if you told me? That world is gone.”

“True. None of that affects what’s going on now. Technically, I could tell you everything and not violate the rules. As a Throne Holder, you get special permissions.”

“So…?”

“My people, the maeth, were from a city called Whisperwood. We favored magic above all else, worshiping the spirits of the world rather than a deity. In my time, there was only one god people worshiped. The Goddess of Light. We had a system before Earth latched onto us, and a great reset threw the world into turmoil. The system tried to adapt, creating a council of the twelve greatest people on the planet. I’m not sure what happened, but not everyone came over.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your world,” Theo said, bowing his head in respect. “I’m sorry for what it became.”

“I visited the site of my once-city. The damn elves have taken residence. Of course they have,” Void grumbled.

“Tarantham?” Theo asked.

“That’s right. And that’s all the free questions you get, alchemist. Benton, could you bring me more sweet treats?” Void asked. “I love them.”

“Of course!” Benton said, not-so-subtly eavesdropping on the conversation. He rushed off, returning shortly after with a plate filled with more treats. “We’re honored to have you visit.”

“Might be the last time,” Void said, grabbing another jam-filled confection. “I must take advantage of it while I can.”

“So, are your realms filled with souls?”

“Absolutely not,” Void said. “That was never intended to be the case. The godly realms have a few members of staff, but that’s it. We’re supposed to do everything everywhere else through agents.”

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“People who have your cores,” Theo said, nodding.

“Yes. I’ve heard a few people in the mortal world had their cores evolved, and…” Void stopped talking. The spiral in front of his face stopped spinning. “No more questions. How do you like the mountains, Benton?”

Benton found a seat at the long table, picking a pastry for himself. “Oh, we love it. Very similar to home, but different enough to be fresh.”

“How are you growing the grain to make this bread? And the sugar?” Theo asked, shaking his head.

“Trade, actually,” Benton said. “We have a few ore mines around here that we’re working. Traders come in on the road… There is a road that thaws out in spring.”

“Keep at it, Benton. These are otherworldly,” Void said.

Theo enjoyed his time at Benton’s place, but it was growing thin. He thought about the things he needed to accomplish back home. Sulvan needed a break from healing, and his latest batch of Lesser Healing Essence should have been done. The conversation in the room lingered on the toora people, sometimes drifting to the rules. The alchemist couldn’t help himself but ask about bringing people from Khahak or Tero’gal to the mortal world. It was forbidden to go that way, but mortals could come here. To stay. They couldn’t visit unless under special circumstances arose, and Void claimed he would crack down on it in the future.

“I must go,” Void said, springing up from his chair. He bowed his head before vanishing.

“That was abrupt,” Benton said.

“He’s a busy guy.”

Theo spent time in the mountains with the toora. It was interesting enough to see how they had conquered the frigid weather, but they had much more. And not all were the bear-people the alchemist knew from Whisper back in town. Several other races were represented, although all but the bearfolk were sequestered in homes, burning wood or coal to keep themselves warm. He had questions about how many resources the world had, but trusted in Tero’gal to sort itself out. Perhaps through some magical nonsense, it would be unending.

“I’ll try stopping in more often,” Theo said. He stood, groaning under the weight of too many sweets. “Maybe not that often.”

Theo zorped himself back to Broken Tusk, landing in the manor. After waking up that morning, he made his trip to Tero’gal after having breakfast. The few minutes that had passed saw the dining area cleared out, only an empty table behind. He sensed Tresk and Alex off training the goose’s dragon powers. Sarisa and Rowan were nearby, but they were harder to detect after their upgrade to Tero’gal cores. While he could extend his aura—thanks to Shadow’s core—he didn’t. There were potions to brew.

It was late enough in the morning that Salire was already at the shop. She greeted him on the first floor, sitting behind the counter. Although they had no customers, since there was nothing to sell.

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Theo said, heading upstairs with his assistant.

“I was afraid of the reaction,” Salire said, giving a nervous laugh. “I think I could do it, but… Why risk it?”

“Five stills running fifty units. We should get fifty potions per still, but we’ll get twenty-five. Still, that’s not bad.”

“It could be far worse,” Salire said. “And this is some of the most pure essence I’ve ever seen.”

“Same here. Although we need to do a run from our aligned greenhouse. I’m sure the quality would go up from there.” Theo ascended the stairs to the lab, Salire following close behind. She hadn’t even been within the room this morning, but each still had clicked off on its own. Resting on a table near each still was a flask filled with essence. “Just like when I first arrived, potions that restore health are the most important.”

Salire chuckled to herself, a mischievous expression flashing across her face. “Since we’re producing less potions, I thought this would be neat…”

She produced a vial from her inventory, holding it out for Theo to see. He knew she got her hands on a printing press, but he never expected this. The vial was even more ornate than the ones she had produced from the Glassware Artifice. The body of the vial was squared off, sitting perfectly on the table. Setting off the base look of the vial was the stopper, which along with the plug had a newt-like creature with horns resting at the top. It was easy enough to grab, and made it look even more custom. But that wasn’t the only thing that she had done. A label rested on the front with the text The Newt and Demon, Broken Tusk. The script was ornate, appearing as though it were written by hand.

“You’ve reached a level of fanciness I can’t hope to match,” Theo said. He enjoyed the feel of the square vial more than the rounded one. It set better both in his hand and on the table. “How hard is it to print the labels and stick them to the vials?”

“I got the artifice’s adhesion made working. And it can cut them out based on whatever dimensions I give it.” Salire seemed especially proud about this, beaming at Theo with a permanent smile.

“These are awesome,” Theo said, placing the first vial in position for the reaction. He mixed the essence, water, and catalyst to invoke a reaction. The label and vial looked even better with the pale pink potion inside. “And the cost is minimal. Especially since the Glassware Artifice makes matter from energy.”

Salire clasped her hands together, bouncing with excitement. “I’m beyond happy to be involved at the start this time. I always felt like I was catching up before. But here we are!”

“Why don’t you try the next reaction,” Theo said, gesturing to the flask of essence on the table. “I’d do a mass reaction, but… I have a feeling that it won't end well.”

Salire nodded, withdrawing another labeled vial from her inventory. Theo watched closely, studying the way she measured the quantities out. She wouldn’t have a problem with the first tier. While he was eager to start research on the second tier, there were a few things he wanted to take care of first. Dripping the perfect amount of essence into the vial, followed by the perfect amount of Purified Water, she triggered the reaction. It kicked off perfectly, bubbling just the right amount and releasing enough steam. The scent also seemed right, like vaguely tart berries. That scent was apparently Qavelli Berries, which was a common way to compare things in this world. It smelled more like crushed raspberries to him.

“Looks perfect,” Theo said, studying the vial. “95% just like last time. That might be the theoretical maximum for us right now.”

“Any ideas for the next tier?” Salire asked.

“Yeah, centrifuges and pressure vessels.” Theo had put a lot of thought into this. Based on his experiment with the many stills Throk made for him, this might have been the way forward. He planned to explore every kind of manipulation of essence and mashed reagents as he could. Anything he could create as a parallel process would be ideal. But they would go through a few iterations before they had anything solid. “Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s get small-scale tier 1 potions rolling so our people don’t die.”

“I actually had a thought,” Salire said, gesturing to the vent above their head. “Speaking of theoretical maximums, I’ve got concerns.”

“About the ventilation?” Theo asked, considering it. His intuition said there could be a problem with poor ventilation during the distillation process. If the top fan couldn’t extract enough of the vaporized byproduct, they could run into problems. “If we run ten stills with fifty units each, we’ll put out the same amount as a single still before.”

“Sure, but our essences are more reactive. Shouldn’t we assume the vapors are more reactive?”

“Yeah, that might be a concern… But also consider the speed at which we’re distilling. I can’t reach a conclusion. Should we keep our runs low? We’re producing at a half-to-one ratio now, which sucks.”

For every fifty units of raw reagent and water they put in, they got about twenty-five out. It sucked, but there was nothing they could do about it for now. Introducing another bottleneck wasn’t something Theo was interested in. But there was nothing he could do about it.

“We should run five stills for now,” Salire said. “Give it a few days. Check the air quality while we’re working.”

“How do we check the air quality? Stick our faces above the stills and take a deep breath?”

“Oh, silly demon. You should know the solid relationship I’ve built with the artificers.”

Theo wasn’t surprised when Salire withdrew a device from her inventory. He shook his head, nodding. “Throk just keeps making more interesting stuff, doesn’t he?”

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