Chapter 3.34: Avast Ye Newts

Chapter 3.34: Avast Ye Newts

Theo spent little of his time in the Dreamwalk working. He sat with Tresk, going over the events of the day. She retold the story of what happened in the town hall, presenting herself as the fearless hero that was ready to stab the Burning Eye to death. Even with their potent poisons, Sulvan would have swatted her like a fly. But he let her tell the story anyway. The alchemist was more concerned with the portent of death, and what that meant for the symbol Sulvan marked him with.

Khahar had changed the runes significantly. According to him, it wouldnt prevent an interdiction event. Theo went back and forth with Tresk, trying to figure out if that was a good thing. They also debated what the Dreamwalk was. Their bodies were in the real world, while their minds drifted into this strange realm. The topic turned to Khahar himself near the nights end.

Yeah, but can we trust him? Tresk asked. He knows the future, but he doesnt wanna tell us? Come on.

Theo shrugged. They were sitting inside of the Marsh Wolf Tavern, an empty version of the real thing. The familiar haze of the Dreamwalk hung over everything, casting it in an eerie light.

But, he told us, Theo said. And steered us in the right direction. No, think about it. Hes said a few weird things, so far. Theres just something about him I cant place. He called me his friend.

Yeah, no one wants to be friends with you, Tresk said, giggling.

Sucks to be you, then, Theo said.

Alright, alright. Im sorry, Tresk said. This guy has got me all bundled in a knot.

He wants to chill out in town, and pretend like hes not super strong. If he drops a few coins while hes here, whats the problem?

Did you see that spiritstone coin? Tresk asked, her mouth falling open. Slap my tail and call me a turtle, that was impressive.

Is that another idiom I dont understand? Theo asked.

Yeah, Tresk said. Can you imagine that much money?

Theos goal had been to get out from underneath the banner of Qavell since he arrived. Things were shaping up to make that more difficult, especially with the way the war was going. There might not be a kingdom to get away from by the end, but that wouldnt solve all his problems. He ran the scenario through his mind already. If the kingdom fell, what would happen to Broken Tusk? There was some kind of kingdom seed core that ran everything, so what happened if that collapsed?

His mind didnt stay on the topic for long. When the Dreamwalk ended, he had potions to brew and a canal to finish. Khahar wasnt the person speeding the project up, though. Ziz and his guys were still going against Alises words and working on the project at night. Theo knew they were doing the same thing tonight after recovering from the effects of using [Stamina Potions]. Still, there was a lot to look forward to.

Salire was coming into her own in the shop, treating it like a learning experience. Theo didnt care how much money she skimmed, so long as she was leveling her cores. He was trading gold for experienced merchants, which hed need more than anything. The idea of caravans hadnt left his mind, even as the port neared completion. Even if they were cut off from the northern section of the continent, theyd need to run goods between the three major towns of the southlands.

The mine was also producing [Drogramathi Iron Nuggets], which would make for interesting alchemical experimentation. Sledge might have finally realized she could direct work, instead of doing everything herself. The golems were just starting to be useful, and the alchemist had plans to get more lodestones from Zarali. His intuition on the matter said he could run 10 of them at the same time with his current level of willpower. He was practicing the things the Drogramathi Priestess showed him, but it was slow work.

That left the excitement for the harbor, and a dangling thread he hadnt fixed up yet. Fenian sold him a [Weavers Seed Core], which he wanted to use to make the sails for the boats. He just hadnt cultivated the right crops to get the job done, and hoped Banu, the local farmer, made progress on his splicing project. If anyone could figure out how to merge 2 plants, it was that guy.

When the Dreamwalk ended, Theo sorted out his stills from the previous days. His holding tanks were half-full of attribute-enhancement essences. He cleaned the stills, dropped in some frozen [Living River Water], and set them to work. Tresk joined him for breakfast at the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was whatever was left from yesterday with a Pozwa egg on the side. The egg was a meal by itself.

When Theo and Tresk arrived at the work site, everyone except Ziz and his people were ready to go at it. He walked the length of the harbor. The alchemist wanted to stop thinking of it as a harbor. It was a marina connected to the ocean by a canal, but it was easier to think of the entire thing as a harbor. This was the last stretch for the project, although that felt surreal. He stood at the last length of earth that needed to be dug, the ocean in sight. Tresk had to clear some monsters away from the beach, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.

Khahar didnt seem affected by the drama last night. He went back to work, just happy to use his hands and get paid his single silver coin. Seemed like a shame, since the man held at least one spiritstone coin in his inventory.

Theo poured the last potion on the ground, urging it to cut the last section of canal, connecting it to the ocean. The workers had cleared out of the pit just as the ocean came rushing in. The alchemist had never seen so much water move at the one time, and it was going to be a massive problem for the pumps. They wouldnt be able to clear out the surge of the ocean fast enough, and the supply of salt water was endless.

Told you this would be a problem, Alise shouted. Now we have an unfinished section of the harbor.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

It was an impossible problem. Perhaps they could have waited for a lower tide, or dammed the ocean somehow, but he was out of ideas. They would just have to deal with an unfinished section of the canal, allowing the dirt to wash out and ruin the beach area. He would just have to come to terms with changing the landscape, and potentially harming it forever.

I never wanted to offer more help than a standard laborer, Khahar said, coming over to inspect the issue. But would you mind if I held the ocean back while we finish?

Theo didnt even know that was in the cards. He assumed Khahars abilities centered on a desert theme. If you can, he said, shrugging.

The power of someone at such an absurd level was on display again. Khahar barely moved. He just swiped his hand and all the water in the canal rushed out into the ocean. A barrier went up at the mouth of the canal, holding the entire ocean at bay.

Well, thats cheating, Alise said, folding her arms over her chest. Whats the point? If he could have just built the entire thing in a blink.

Vessels that remain within the harbor for at least 12 hours receive this effect for 6 hours after leaving the harbor.

Without his increased [Intelligence], Theo would have had trouble with that distance calculation. Since a halm was about a quarter foot, the effect would work out to a mile from the harbor. His motivation for selecting it was to ease turning within the harbor, an issue he foresaw. Even as citizens celebrated around him, the alchemist inspected his new building.

[Harbor]

[Avast Ye Newts]

Owner: Belgar (Theo Spencer)

Faction: [Broken Tusk]

Level: 20 (23%)

Rent Due: 7 Days

Expansions:

[Expanding Docks]

[Delayed Decay]

[Shipwrights Drydock]

[Fair Winds]

Theo wasnt sure when Tresk could have set the name of the building, but she was giggling so it must have been her. This was a great start, but he still needed to secure the funding to expand the city. The first expansion was 30 gold, the second 40, and the third 50. It was getting incredibly expensive to get land for the town, but he was sure he could borrow the coin from people in town.

Anyone have 120 gold I can have? Theo asked, shouting to the crowd.

Suddenly, the citizens of Broken Tusk remembered tasks they hadnt completed for the day, walking off and muttering to themselves.

Ill spot half of that, Tresk said.

I can get a quarter, Ziz said, shrugging.

The adventurers guild will cover it in full, Aarok said, appearing from the thinning crowd.

Well split it between the towns coffers, and the Adventurers Guild, Alise said. Like I planned.

Of course Alise had a plan for this. The entire project went off the rails, and she was grasping for control the entire time. She was a person who wanted everything to go a certain way, and Theo admired her for that. But in Broken Tusk, things rarely went as planned. They pooled their money, handing it over to Theo, and he expanded the town.

Aarok sent out an alert to everyone in town before the changes applied, warning them to dismount the walls. The group that remained near the harbor cleared the way, giving the expanding town a wide berth. Then, when Theo bought the incorporated land, the walls rumbled ominously. They crawled across the open fields after the first expansion, edging closer to the river with the second, and bridged the gap on the third. The wall now enclosed the entire harbor area, and as predicted, there was a strange half-wall, half-bridge spanning the river and canal.

On the ocean-side of the harbor, where the wall went over the canal, it rose to an incredible height. It was now high enough to allow ships to pass underneath, and came complete with a gatehouse-style building that could drop a massive portcullis into the water, preventing ships from entering. It was operated by the same winch system used for the main gates of town. The eastern gate was now located facing north, along the new stretch of wall, with another gate facing south on the opposite side. The section of wall spanning the river wasnt as tall as the canal side, and had a permanently fixed grate instead of a portcullis.

The new wall was exactly what Theo wanted out of the expansion, and then some. They had their harbor, and it was enclosed. Broken Tusk had more land to defend, and there was only one person who could provide the emplacements to accomplish the task.

Looks like we need to call Fenian, Theo said. He laughed. The trader was going to lose his mind.

And look! Tresk shouted, pointing at the sky. Its barely midday!

Theo remained in the new section of town for some time. Tresk joined him on the new bridge-wall facing south. They stared down the canal that stretched out into the ocean. There was still more work to do, but it felt good. The alchemist had to etch out channels in the bay, ensuring there was enough depth for large vessels to travel, but it was the first step. The first step in establishing trade to other lands.