The Newt and Demon

Chapter 3.16: Stabby Groves

Tresk got clever with her assassination attempt in the Dreamwalk that night. Instead of ordering her minions to attack simultaneously, she staggered them in stages. It was hard to hide intent through the Tarahek, and Theo already had a solution for that problem. His mana control in the real world was bad, but within the dream realm it was acceptable enough to not kill him instantly. When he tossed a [Reveal Construct] in the air, bathing the surrounding landscape with a pale glow, it dropped stealth on the 20 assassins shed generated.

Thats cheating! she shouted, looking over the mangled bodies of her creations.

Try again tomorrow, Theo said, patting her on the shoulder.

The Marshling only pouted for a moment, moving off to train and come up with better ways to kill him. Theo could feel she was happy about his success in thwarting her. That was the point of the exercise, after all.

The landscape Theo chose tonight was the exterior of Broken Tusk, following that snaking river off to sea. He generated his [Tunneling Potion] and decided on the best way to carve out the landscape. His first attempt ended in failure. He dug from the sea, toward the town, which resulted in the ocean rushing in to destroy the earth at the side. When the sea joined with the river, the effect was worse. This meant there were several problems.

Theos potion worked underwater, but that wasnt the problem. His team of stoneworkers wouldnt be able to move in and reinforce the walls of the harbor with marble. When he dug from the seas side of the harbor, the water came rushing in. If he dug from the rivers side that came to flood the area. Both approaches left him unable to build the stonework.

Standing over the newly refreshed landscape, Theo tapped his chin. It didnt help his concentration that he normally spent his time in the Dreamwalk training alchemy. It was a waste of time, but this was important. The alchemist dug a shallow version of the harbor from the rivers side almost the entire way to the ocean. It was a massive rectangle dug into the earth. This approach was almost workable. The flood of the river was slow, and there were solutions he could employ to empty the basin. Thanks to how low the area of the swamp was, the footprint he created was no deeper than he was tall.

The river filled the shape hed carved out, and Theo reset the landscape once again. He dug the same shape again, only far deeper this time. Deep enough to hold the boats he hoped to create. He worked the channel toward the ocean and imagined a stone wall holding in the massive quantities of soil on either side. At some point, the Dreamwalk was smart enough to know there was a water table, and he hit it. But the harbor continued out to sea, with Theo creating stone walls with his mind and applying his potion to remove dirt. The sea rushed in, but he continued digging his channel out into the bay until it was deep enough for his vessels.

Theo stood back, looking over his work. There were problems to sort out, but hed managed most of them. As long as he could remove the water from the river faster than it could accumulate, this plan would work. A massive surge from the ocean met the already resting river water, creating a brackish mix that spat sea-foam into the air. The alchemist looked over his new harbor and nodded, trotting over to the head of the structure. It would come almost all the way to the eastern gate, where the bridge used to be. In the Dreamwalk version of Broken Tusk, the bridge remained.

The system refused to allow him to expand the walls of Broken Tusk, but he could imagine it. An expansion east, perhaps a single expansion, would see the wall over the river. Instead of expanding all the way to the ocean, he could save money by creating his own harbor. A flash of pride raced through his body, content with the modification to the landscape. The only mystery left to the process was how the towns seed core would bridge the wall over the river and harbor, but that wasnt a problem for now. It had always been intelligent enough to understand the shift of terrain, automatically placing their gates in the best spot. He hoped for the best.

Tresk had suggestions for the harbor, highlighting weaknesses in the plan. Her concerns centered on Zizs ability to do the work, but conceded the point. The stoneworkers would have time to practice on the bridge, and there was no shortage of stone for them to practice with.

Whats your take on Fenian? Tresk asked, sitting on a stump and observing the strange harbor. Hes lying about something.

Little lies, Theo said, waving her away. Small things that dont involve us. For example, he didnt tell us about what ruins he was exploring. But he had to get rid of the guardian. We were just a simple solution. He knew wed be happy to get the materials.

I can live with that, Tresk said.

The Marshling had a soft spot for anyone who had done a favor for her in the past. If it didnt affect her directly, she had trouble relating to others. With time, the Tarahek would give her more of a heart. Shed get more of Theos generosity, he hoped as much anyway. Or perhaps, she was just growing as a pillar of Broken Tusk.

Whats the deal with the flooding project, anyway? Tresk asked.

The idea is to dig a channel, so we dont have to take the town to the sea, Theo said, gesturing at the large swathe of earth hed removed. We bring the sea up to us.

How does that work?

Well, the landscape rises, Theo said, making a motion with his hand to explain the point. But if we dig at, or under sea level, we can let the ocean rush in. No need to expand the town out. No need to get close to the [Ocean Dungeon].

Yeah, Tresk said, nodding. Makes sense. Why do we care about boats?

That was a decent enough question. Theo was pulled toward the idea of owning a merchant fleet since the idea first came to him. It would be costly, likely taking years to make money off of the idea. But that wasnt the point. From what he understood, Qavell didnt own a merchant fleet. They didnt have a single vessel to their name, leaving the market wide open. Without competition, they could ferry exotic goods from one place to the other and make absurd profits for just operating the fleet.

Trade, Theo said, distilling the concept down for his companion. Well move standard goods, but theres the concept of bringing in scarce materials from places where theyre abundant.

Tresk seemed to accept that answer. She nodded, motioning for him to take a seat next to her on a log. He did, and she pressed her head into his side. She wasnt nearly tall enough to rest her head on his shoulder, even if thats what she wanted to do.

Ever feel like were getting in over our heads? Tresk asked.

Never, Theo said. No, were right where we need to be. In the thick of it.

Agreed, Tresk said.

Theo felt the pull to get things done in the Dreamwalk, but this was nice. It wasnt wasted time if the time they got was extra to begin with. They just sat there, watching the ebb and flow of the imagined ocean for hours. The sounds and smells were real enough to make the experience extremely pleasant. A tingle ran up the alchemists spine, a sense of belonging that he wouldnt trade for the world. Every moment he spent in this place was worth the effort it took to keep things running. No where hed ever lived had felt as much like a home as Broken Tusk.

With the harbor problem sorted, Theo turned his attention back to alchemy. He assessed where his current cores and personal level was as he worked the stills and fiddled with constructs. His alchemy and herbalism core were on the same level now, sitting at level 14, while his personal level was at 13. That was enough to prove his idea that each core provided a third of the total experience pool wrong, but he focused on his [Governance Core]. It would hit level 10 the moment they left the Dreamwalk, he could feel it. That brought another problem.

The skill list was endless, and the restricted list was equally daunting. When a core hit a multiple of 10, he was allowed to purchase a skill related only to that domain. Flicking through the menus, Theo found a few that stuck out. One gave a small reduction in taxes, so small to be useless. Another reduced the cost to upgrade with monster cores, but once again the bonus was small. The one skill that stuck out among the others was [Districting].

[Districting]

Governance Skill

Rare

Allows the user to create and manage districts within their town.

Effect:

Create and manage districts.

Districts will appear on all town-related maps.

Requires: Level 10 Administration-related core.

The [Governance Core] was a class that provided a lot of bonuses up front. The crawl to a higher level would see less benefit than that initial burst, but Theo was happy to play the long game. [Districting] was interesting, if only because it mentioned managing districts. There was something about it that said it would improve something, but he couldnt put his finger on it.

One thing Theo learned about making constructs was their nebulous nature. Without the skill, he was stabbing in the dark. Within the Dreamwalk and without the skill, he was flailing at phantoms. The alchemist could only build up so much knowledge without proper experimentation, but he tried anyway. Only when Tresk suggested the concept of Golems did his mood brighten. He filed that thought away, intent on exploiting that nugget of information later.

Morning finally came, and Theo sat upright immediately. His mind spun with the possibilities, but nothing would come of the revelation until he got the skill. Golems were enough of a myth back on Earth that hed seen before. The small piece of information contained within Tresks suggestion related to the origin of the creatures. They were made of inanimate matter, powered by something. Thats what made it click in his mind. He was working under the idea that he could create a pseudo seed core and grow a construct, embedding it with alchemical properties. After seeing the power source in the guardian, he had a solid direction.

Golems, huh? Tresk asked, belching. She ate Xams offering in moments, not even trying to savor the spicy flavor. The food was, as always, leftovers from last night.

Theo placed a few things on the table, clearing away Tresks plate to demonstrate. A monster core to power the thing, surrounded in appropriate inanimate matter, then doused in essence to drive its nature.

Tresk leaned in, smacking her lips. The monster core tells it what material to use, the essence drives what it does. Gotcha.

Tresk normally didnt care about this kind of stuff. Not the way it functioned, anyway. She was always interested in using his potions, not so much the brewing part.

Well, time to set districts, Theo said, selecting the [Districting] skill and slotting it into his [Governance Core]. A sense of expansion filled his mind, then faded.

Theo opened his mayors interface and found that his map had changed. A panel opened up on the side, complete with tools to draw out new districts. There was a pen tool, a text tool, and even a fill tool. He chuckled and drew out his districts while he ate his breakfast.

I can change the names at any time, Theo said. What should we name the quarry area?

Rocktown, Tresk said, nodding resolutely.

Theo named the northern stretch of the town Rocktown, then moved on. There was a middle section, between the area with the quarry and the farms, where most adventurers were housed. Tresk apparently knew he was going from the north to the south, and spoke up before he had a chance to pose the question.

Stabby Groves, Tresk said.

Theo named the adventurers area Stabby Groves.

Sea of Zee, Tresk said, naming the farmers area before he could even think about it. And then it was so.

She named the area just north of town Town Time, and the central area Tuskburg before moving on to the other sections of town. The small stretch of land between Tuskburg and the vacant hills she named Cool Kids. Those same hills, mostly absent of people, she named The Dreadwastes. The entire area surrounding the mines was simply called Dead Dog, Mianas ranch area was called Cheese Empire, and the section along the wall to the east she named In Memory of a Very Angry Water Elemental.

Theo laughed the whole way through. The other members of the town, especially those in command or administration positions, wouldnt let the silly names stand. But for the time being, it was fun to play with the things the system provided. As if by heavenly command, Alise came stomping over to the table. She narrowed her eyes at the mayor and huffed a breath.

Most of these names are fine, she said, clearly consulting her administration interface. ButIn Memory of a Very Angry Water Elemental? Thats justTheo, did you let Tresk name the districts?

Yeah, Theo said, sipping his tea.

Well need to change them, Alise said.

Theo waved her off, producing the [School Seed Core] from his inventory. Got you a present.

Alises eyes glittered. She snatched the core up, mouth hung open, as she tried to form words. I just hired a Brogling! she said, finally getting the words to come out. The parents agreed to pay a weekly fee to have their children cared for. This is better!

Theo groaned. He didnt hate Broglings. He just didnt like their names. Whats his name?

Alise had to consult her interface for that one. Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin, she said, stumbling through the words.

The last Brogling Theo met was named something similar. He just called the man Grub. This guy would also need a nickname. Credentials?

Former researcher for a scholarly cult. Zaul, specifically, Alise said. She finally saw this as a meeting, and took a seat at the table.

The mention of Tresks patron had her attention. Zaul? Oh, thats cool. Real cool.

There he is! Alise said, waving over to the tiny man.

Broglings only came up to Theos knee. They looked like puffed-up field mice, completely with a sweeping tail and short snout. Everytime Theo saw one, their little whiskers were jostling as if they were constantly sniffing the air. The little man came over, doubling over as he bowed. He was wearing a clean black robe, and a chain hung from his neck. The amulet at the end of the chain held an image of the god Zaul.

Graplaptappin Tublubbin Grappin at your service, he said.

Do you have a nickname? Theo asked.

None, the Brogling said.

May I give you one?

By all means, mayor, he said, bowing once again.

Bob, Theo said. Youre Bob, now.

Then, Bob it shall be, he said. Im eager to work with the children. I find most small towns dont appreciate the importance of an education.

Have you seen many small towns? Theo asked.

Between here in Slagrot? Just about every small town there is, Bob said, laughing. All those small settlements between Rivers and Qavell, the plains outside the city and those mountain holds between the territories. Then the fishing villages in Veosta, the hamlets in Tarantham. Ive seen them all.

That seemed to be a point of pride for Bob. He was well traveled, beyond any of Theos expectations, which would render another service. The alchemist needed reliable opinions about other nations, and an objective one for the Kingdom of Qavell. He withdrew a single gold coin from his inventory and flicked it over to the Brogling, who caught it with surprising grace. A disciple of Zaul, indeed.

If you wouldnt mind binding yourself to a contract, Theo said, dipping his head.

Id expect nothing less from someone looking to educate and protect the children of his town, Bob said, bowing his head to meet Theos gesture.

The pair spent time writing the contract. It was extremely verbose, detailing all of Bobs responsibilities with the children. Theo made sure to put a section in there regarding the teachers knowledge, and his willingness to share with the town. Broken Tusk was willing to put aside whatever money he needed to better the lives of the children, to an extent.

Not that I dont trust your dedication, Bob said, grinning. When you come to a new town, look for the kids. Are they fat and happy? Playing in the fields? Or are they working the mines, starving? Thats a true test of a towns worth.

Theo swelled with pride at the comments. They finalized the contract, signing it with their souls. Bob took possession of the [School Seed Core], and Theo carved him out a section of land in Town Time. Now he realized how absurd the names were.

Alise had some other business for Theo to attend to, so Tresk left for her daily adventure. The alchemist explained his plans about the harbor, which she thought was a great idea. He still needed to distribute the [Stonemasons Cores] to Ziz and his men, but word got out that they were already planning on replacing the ruined bridge with a marble one.

Right, Theo said, smiling to his assistant. Ill pass these cores out. Make sure Bob has everything he needs.

Alise looked sheepish for a moment, casting her eyes away from Theos as though she had something to say. She finally found the courage to say, can I change the district names?

Keep the themes, Theo said, nodding at her. But, yeah. Change them.