4.48 - Spirits of Tero'gal

4.48 - Spirits of Tero'gal

Theo rested near the pond in Terogal. Belgar had unfurled the letter written to him by Zarali, and was reading it again. That would mark his tenth time through the letter. The alchemist had spent most of his day working to get better at tossing his infused daggers. Having swapped to blunted wooden knives, Tresk had put him through his paces. Near the days end, he retreated into his private realm for some relaxation.

If you dont mind me asking, Theo said, gaining the attention of the Dronons spirit. What are you two saying to each other?

Shes catching me up on what I missed, Belgar said, setting the letter aside.

The spirits form became more solid by the day. He had gone from little more than a wisp, to something similar to a corporeal form. The strange thing was that he didnt look like Belgar anymore. Not the body that Theo inhabited. The form he now took was his own making. Some internal version of himself that he had held in life. His features were more angular than his original body. Angular features with deep-set eyes gave him a more demonic appearance.

Thats a lot of time to miss out on. Theo let the cool water wash over his feet.

The pair chatted for some time. Nothing of importance, of course. But the act of bonding with the man who used to use his body made Theo feel uneasy. Even if Belgar didnt seem to care. Their conversation was only cut short when an archway of ice rose, resulting in a stumbling Toora god. Benton looked flustered, but managed his expression before approaching them.

Alrightphewgot a few spirits coming in hot, Benton said, wringing his hands together.

Belgar brightened up, his newly formed brow knitting in disbelief. From which brood?

All over the place, Benton said. A shiver echoed through his body. Ten spirits. All drifting between the realms like gods damned phantoms.

Ill keep them in line, Theo. Belgar gave the alchemist a quick nod.

Theyre bound by an oath. Im not worried about them going rogue.

Benton clapped his hands together once. But the results? Youre going to be shocked. Anyway, are you ready for them?

The moment Theo nodded, the icy portal teemed with magical energy. Ten spirits, all like Belgar when he first appeared in Terogal, marched out. Theo recognized which brood each came from with ease, spotting the color of their spirits. He made an assumption about two of them, though. Two from Zagmon, four from Drogramath, two from Tworgnoth, and another two he couldnt identify. After a moment of observation, he concluded they were from Toruauns brood. The hue of their spirit shifted through a range of colors, cycling with an upheaval of emotion.

The Dreamrealm of Terogal was filled with a chorus of confused voices. Only when Belgar came over, exuding a calming presence that washed over the crowd, did they stop their chatter. He gave a brief speech about being calm, wrangling those turgid wisps until they had settled down. After that, they were happy to listen to him speak. Only two Drogramathi Dronon left through the portal.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

Benton leaned in as Belgar spoke, whispering into Theos ear. The ones from Zagmons brood have nowhere to go. No choice but to accept whatever fate you have to offer them.

Thats too much power for one man, Theo said.

The alchemists mind drifted away from the scene. Back to Broken Tusk, where hed already happily taken in refugees. Perhaps that was a selfish thing on his part. He accepted those people to power his own burgeoning empire. Well, it was a trade alliance, but it felt more like a one-man empire by the day. More workers meant more power, that was obvious. But did the same rules apply here? In Terogal? He wasnt about to turn away people who were in need. And it cost him nothing to house them here in his realm.

When Belgar finished his talking, eight Dronon spirits knelt before the alchemist. They swore what men and women in their situation would swear. Undying fealty. Sadly, they didnt have an option. The Dronon could take their chances in the void, or flourish here in Terogal. The alchemist didnt care which option they picked, and he accepted them all as one. Underfoot, the realm rumbled. The alchemist felt his mind spread out over the realm like a thin sheet of silk, blanketing the landscape as it begged expansion.

Theo swayed on the spot before Benton caught him. The first time is rough, the bear god explained.

What am I supposed to expect? Theo asked. His willpower wrapped itself around that sheet, holding firm to keep the realm together.

That was enough souls for a few level-ups. Your realm is going to expand.

The sensation Theo felt in his mind was like when he upgraded buildings on the mortal plane. A sense of expansion that was normally followed by a screen. The screen that showed up on buildings when they leveled was a prompt, asking for a direction to expand in. This was the raw form of that expansion. A primordial request from the system itself. A request that was supposed to filter through a god core. Instead, it ran through his body like a bolt of lightning.

Theo collapsed to the ground as his mind tried, and failed, to wrap itself around the request. Every nerve in his body burned as though held over a roaring fire. Benton shouted something he couldnt hear. Belgars panicked footfalls came next. Someone was shaking the alchemists body as his mind reached further. Past the veil, over the Bridge of Shadows, and into the mortal realm. He reached for the only thing he knew he could trust in this world.

Time froze in Terogal. The sense of burning faded in an instant. Theo looked up from his position on the ground, blinking away his confusion. Belgar and Benton stood over him, shouting something at each other. They appeared as statues, locked in some eternal conflict. He felt something familiar. He heard a snap somewhere distant. Then Tresk and Alex tumbled through the air, slamming hard into the ground. The Marshling looked up, offense clear on her face.

What the hell, man!? Tresk shouted, pulling herself to her feet. Did you just interdict me?

Me too!

I dont know what happened, Theo said. But the pain was gone. His grasp on the silk sheet had diminished, but it was still held in his will. I was accepting some souls into the realm, then it felt like someone was lighting my body on fire.

Theo took a moment to collect his thoughts. This shouldnt have been possible. Tresk and Alex had already visited Terogal today. They should have been locked out. But should made little sense in the otherworldly realms. If his instinct was to reach for Tresk and Alex, then they were the solution to his problem.

Alright. Guess time is just frozen, the Marshling said, poking Benton on his face. New trick, or what? Who are all the spirits?

When they were done with their tea, Theo walked the outside of his realm. Several features had appeared on the landscape. Clusters of rocks, a small forest, and several vacant homes. Belgar had been doing a good job of attending to the spirit fruits, but the alchemist didnt know if he was ready to deal with those. It seemed as though the faster he introduced things to his daily work life, the more complicated things got. He shoved one of each fruit in his inventory, leaving the rest for storage crates in the realm.

The floating circle of land had grown to twice its normal size. Benton accompanied Theo to the edge. They gazed over, watching in ultra slow-motion as Tresk explained why she had winked out of existence for less than a second.

You know you can travel back by willing yourself there. Right? Benton asked.

Yeah. But jumping off the edge is cool, Theo said, falling backwards off the island.

Benton shouted something back, but Theo couldnt hear it. As the alchemist passed over the bridge, he felt UzXulvens pull. She urged him to stop by the bridge. As he pressed his willpower against hers, he felt she was the better match. But without his consent, it was a losing battle. She only left him with a thought. A whispering string of words that lingered in his mind.

Tread carefully. The Arbiters hold isnt absolute.

Theo felt his feet hit the wooden floor of his dining room. Everyone had gathered for dinner in his manor that night, eating the good food provided by Xam. All eyes turned to him when he arrived. While they were used to him vanishing for five minutes at a time, they were all confused about Tresk snapping out of reality for a fraction of a second.

The alchemist cleared his throat. How about that weather?

Theo rested himself on a rock in the Dreamwalk. He stared off over some unfamiliar horizon, tapping his foot. Tresk wanted to train tonight, but he was so lost in his thoughts as to be unreachable. Instead, she worked with Alex. The goose was close to mastering her new affinity, something that had only just showed up in her interface. Her connection with nature was weak compared to her connection with fire. But the constant trainingdrills issued by Treskhad brought her to the mid-teens of her levels.

A dog-sized goose, Theo mumbled, watching as the pair trained. A salamander-woman with an iron will. Well, what does that make me?

A pensive demon! Tresk shouted, dodging a strike from a Troll.

What do you think UzXulvens warning was about? Theo asked, walking close to the battle.

Tresk thrust her rapier, skewering the Trolls heart. But those creatures were known for their regenerative power. Only the most potent poisons, or the constant application of fire, would kill the creature. Shes a paranoid idiot. You know whowhoops, the Marshling ducked, nearly taking a club to the face. You know who Im worried about? Toruaun.

That was a good thing to be concerned about. Theo liked his [Toruaun Mages Core], but there were too many things about it that rubbed him the wrong way. It should have been listed as a Demonmages core, but it wasnt. The mysterious god gave it to him freely. No strings attached? Yeah, right. The Demon Lords never worked without strings. Enough rope to bind a person head to foot, more likely.

Matters werent helped by her title. The Queen of Mystery.

When everything went sideways in the heavens, there were only a few players. Khahar conspired with at least a few gods to get his throne. Parantheir, UzXulven, and Toruaun were the ones Theo knew about. On the mortal side, Fenian had a hand in the gods ascension. There was no doubt in the alchemists mind about that. But his thoughts fell away as he realized the brick wall he was running up against.

Alright, he said, imagining a handful of imbued knives. Im ready to train.

Good! Tresk snapped her fingers. The Trolls vanished. She snapped them again and another creature appeared flying above them. Were fighting a dragon.

Tresks interpretation of a dragon was likely incorrect. Theo noted many similarities to what he expected from the creature, but hilarious differences. It had a fat stubby tail that seemed useless for flying. Its wings were shorter than they should have been, and it had a stunted neck. The face looked too close to a fish, although it did have the fangs he expected from such a creature.

The problem with fighting Tresks dragon was that she saw them as invincible. The first pass the creature made over the rolling fields killed all three combatants. On the tenth pass, Theo realized that the scales of the monster were impenetrable. Another wave of deadly dragons fire, and the Marshling called for a break.

Where did you even see a dragon? Theo asked.

Oh, dad had this story book. He used to read it to me when I was a hatchling.

Was the dragon in the story invincible?

Yep!

Whats the point in fighting an unkillable enemy?

No-win situations are real, Theo. You know that better than anyone.

That stung more than he thought it would. He couldnt tell if she was talking about his current situation, or what happened back on Earth. Either way, it left him feeling hopeless. But sensations like that didnt last long in the Dreamwalk. After a short break, they were back at it. Dying at the claws of some invincible red dragon named Firedeath. Another few hours of that and the alchemist felt like maybe they could win.

Its just a matter of getting past the scales, he said, putting out a small fire on the ground.

Thats the spirit! Tresk shouted. Lets go!