Chapter 2.35: Magical Metaphors

Chapter 2.35: Magical Metaphors

Tresk produced another strange breakfast the next morning. Theo woke to a rich smell that he couldnt place, but upon entering the lab, he found his companion cooking a comically large leg of some avian creature. She looked up with a smile, constantly scooping the juices up and basting them over the meat. The alchemist had very little in the way of reference for what poultry should look like. On Earth, hed sucked down most of his meals in processed tubes of paste. Even then, he knew the dark, almost black color of the meat wasnt normal. Sitting on the edges of her copper pan, safe from the intensity of the flame, was the juice she was scooping and wedges of some fruit.

How much stuff did you buy from Fenian? Theo asked, taking his traditional seat.

A lot, Tresk said. But, hey. This should inspire you.

I think it will, Theo said, checking on the kettle. It wasnt boiling yet. I was married to this idea of finding creatures aligned with Drogramath, but I think thats a bridge too far.

The alchemist produced a purple gem from his inventory, one of the [Cut Zaulize]. He rolled it over in his palm, but found no answers.

Thats pretty, Tresk said, her eyes going wide.

I bet you think it is, Theo said. Its a gem aligned with your [Assassins Core].

Tresk wanted to take the gem for herself, but Theo refused. There was the inherent danger in her holding something aligned with the God of Shadows, even if she had a piece of that god in her chest. He wanted to run it by Xolsa before conducting any test, but the plan was simple. As with most things in his alchemy, he wanted to smash it to powder and try brewing it, or using it as a catalyst. The Marshling thought that was a brutish way to go about it, but he waved her off.

The massive bird leg, a creature Tresk couldnt remember the name of, tasted gamy. Without the addition of the overly sweet fruits to balance the greasy flavor out, it would have been too much. Instead, those wedges cut through the overpowering meat to present a relatively light breakfast. Theo felt overfull by the time they were done, but it only seemed to energize Tresk. She departed shortly, leaving him there to finish his tea.

Theo checked his cultivated [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. Fortunately, it survived being in the presence of the hungry Marshling and had started to chit, as Banu called it. Small nodules were poking from the side of the thing, some ending in green sprouts. Instead of reserving some of the root for alchemy, he cut the thing into 4 sections, each having at least 1 sprout on the surface.

Before leaving his lab to tend the garden growing out back, Theo inspected the refined modifier essence he made yesterday.

[Refined Surge]

[Essence Modifier] [Refined Essence Modifier]

Rare

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Great Quality

150 units (liquid)

A refined modifier essence. Add to a completed potion to add the surge modifier. Surge applies bonuses as an instant, temporary effect.

The description was as he expected, but the quality was not. He expected the resulting modifier essence to drop to good quality, but it remained at great. It only took a moment of thought to realize hed swapped out the normal [Copper Shavings] for [Iron shavings], which made sense. The pressure device worked on intent, exactly like the stills, but the catalyst for the reaction affected the quality. The better the catalyst, the better the results. With normal potions, the quality changed the strength of the effect. A high quality [Healing Potion] restored more health. The alchemist hadnt yet discovered what a modifier essences quality did, but he suspected the associated effect would be stronger. It was only logical.

Before moving on to create a modified [Healing Potion], Theo had a seat and retreated into his thoughts. From his experimentation, he knew several things changed the overall quality of a potion. Combining a potion with a lower quality modifier essence reduced the quality of that potion, splitting the difference between the two. After a few moments of thought, he determined the defining factor. The thing that he could change most easily to improve the quality of his potions.

Reagent quality, Theo said with a satisfied nod.

The alchemist could use higher-quality catalysts during the refining phase, or more precise methods during distillation and fermentation, but if the base of his potions was poor, the result would be poor. Theos conclusion was that his garden would become vital for crafting potions beyond the first tier.

Theo was short on [Refined Healing Essence] for his current needs. Going downstairs, he found Azrug talking to a small group of people, 5 in all. They were settlers, all former laborers in some destitute northern town. It was a familiar story by now. They worked their way south, finding nothing but expensive lodgings and even more overpriced land ownership. Broken Tusk needed bodies, more than anything, to fulfill the next upgrade requirement. The alchemist beckoned them to follow him out the front door, finding his way to the 3 massive storage tanks on the side of the building.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

Well set you up with some shared lodgings, for now, Theo said, withdrawing a barrel from his inventory and filling it with [Healing Essence] from the tank. For now, youll have work duty with Gridgen.

5 sets of eyes turned on him with confusion and hope. A tiny Brogling man was the first to speak after the statement.

Work duty? We get jobs? And a house? he said.

Theo moved to the back of his lab, the entourage following. He cleared the waste trap on his pressure vessel, setting those aside for future testing, and used the magical port on the side to suck up 200 units of [Healing Essence], repeating the process until the storage tank was empty. He dropped in [Iron Shavings], turned the dial and watched as the machine hummed to life. The group startled at the noise, scampering to a safe distance to observe. The alchemist urged them to follow him south, toward Gridgens house.

This is temporary. When you have the funds, Ill sell you a plot at cost, Theo said. Until then, Ill plant 2 houses for you to share.

It was then that Theo regretted not buying more house seed cores from Fenian. He had a few spares, but was running low.

Do we get a wage? the Brogling asked, a murmur spreading through the small group.

Everything looks good, Theo said. The crystal hasnt progressed, yet.

Thats the problem, Xolsa said, drawing himself up. He took a long, steadying breath, but the worry still sat on his face. The energy being used to drive the monster wave isnt just something thats altering the timer. Look here.

The Elf summoned another section of the arcane symbols, zooming in on a circular section. Theo could have been staring at any language at this point, it made little sense to him. Runic symbols ran along the outside, bordered by a circle, then another set. In the center was a series of symbols that were constantly changing.

So, these are changing, Theo said, pointing. It was the only thing he could observe without hazarding a wild guess. If this is essentially the code of the dungeon, or the magic in the area that means

Theo trailed off. Xolsa watched him expectantly.

Theyre numbers, Xolsa said, nodding.

Ah, Theo said, understanding washing over his mind. Its a counter, then. Counting up, what exactly? Energy.

Energy, Xolsa said, nodding. Heres my theory. Extra-planar power is flowing into your dungeon, like a node. This dungeon is connected to many others throughout the realm, other nodes. Energy flows like a river and we built a dam.

That sounds bad, Tresk said, emerging from the shadows. Xolsa jumped in surprise.

Theo was so accustomed to her jumping out of nowhere that it didnt affect him. He ran his hand over his chin a few times, trying to understand the implications. Even without magical knowledge, he knew that water trapped behind a dam needed to go somewhere. What liquid didnt escape would build up behind that barrier until it burst.

What does this energy do? Theo asked.

Many things, Xolsa said, clutching his chest. Primarily, it is the basis for generating monsters. From what I understand, the system converts this energy into matter, namely monsters and loot. The energy is normally drawn from the area around the dungeon, but your dungeon is leaking.

Theo waved him off. The leak makes sense, he said, pacing to the edge of the tower. He cast his eyes over the rise of stone in the distance. So the dam is building up energy in the dungeon. What happens when its overfull?

Xolsas mouth went agape. Youre too calm for this, mayor.

I cant crap my pants every time something weird happens around here, Theo said. I need practical solutions to the problem, not panic. What happens when it fills up?

A max level monster wave, Xolsa said.

So, the longer we delay the timer, the stronger the wave gets, Tresk said, nodding. She perched herself atop the edge of the towers wall, looking over into the swamp. Sounds fun.

Its dangerous, Xolsa said, sputtering.

So, this is your job, Theo said. The swamp is unforgiving. I need to know how long we can let it go without destroying the town. I need ideas on how to divert that power.

Xolsas brows knit tightly. He walked around the edges of the tower, muttering to himself. Theo caught a few words as he went, but didnt recognize the language. When the Elf rounded the circular tower for the tenth time, he stopped. He swiped his hand a few times, summoning more of the intricate magic symbols. This carried on for a few minutes before he turned to regard the alchemist.

The timer is a safety mechanism designed to release the monsters at a level-appropriate range, preventing too much energy from building, Xolsa said, tapping his chin and swiping through the symbols some more. I cannot control it, not with any precision. Not without damaging the dungeon or exploding it.

Now that sounds dangerous, Tresk said.

You understand that everything Im doing is beyond the scope of my level, Xolsa said, leveling his gaze at Theo. Im carried through these motions by the whispering of my core. The voice of my people. I have an idea.

A smile spread across the alchemists face.

Lets hear it.

Stoppering the river gave us a week, Xolsa said, swiping back to the timer. As I mentioned before, the dungeons are linked. Unlike an actual river, we should siphon the energy off to the other dungeons. Have your other dungeons grown recently?

No, Tresk said.

Then there is the flaw, Xolsa said, going back to the offending section of the runes. It was the section describing the timer, that which the Elf changed with his magic. Im having difficulty imagining a metaphor for you.

Theo didnt need any help understanding it, the entire thing seemed logical. The single river analogy was lacking. It was more like a split in a river where the [Swamp Dungeon] was upstream. No, it was more like a

A confluence, Theo said. A point where two or more rivers join.