5.5 - Riding the Maglev

5.5 - Riding the Maglev

Theo stood on the shore of Terogals ocean. He looked out over the sea, smiling to himself. Creating a version of his realm in the Dreamwalk always felt like a vain thing to do. But the sea he had made was a beautiful, pristine thing. Unlike the real-world version sitting outside Broken Tusk, the waters were clear and cool. The bay in the mortal realm was filled with sea muck, and was often murky from the flow of the sea into the bay.

Tresk was somewhere nearby. She had taken the news of Uharis and Sulvan poorly, and was currently killing dream-versions of those people. Alex hadnt helped the matter, claiming she would poke their eyes out with her little clawed toes. If someone was messing with Khahars plans, it was best if Theo took control of those people. Or maybe they were just that desperate.

The Dreamwalk ended, depositing Theo in his comfortable bed. He remained there for some time, looking up at the ceiling long after Tresk had departed. When the scent of the food from below became too much for him to resist, he removed himself and put on his coat. The effect of the magical clothing was doubled within the manor, making it almost impossible to leave without feeling some discomfort. The dining room table was stacked with delicious food. Xam outdid herself more as the days rolled on.

Tresk had a few meetings with the Aarok and his staff today. Alex had become an important early-warning system for the town, thanks to her flight ability. She was also fooling around with her nature affinity, working with the farmers to grow crops faster. Theo had a meeting with Throk today, which was exciting. The artificer needed go-ahead on the tram project. The only thing in the notes was MEET ME. MY SHOP, a message penned by the marshling himself.

Theo bid farewell to his friends before heading off to the Newt and Demon. He worked with Salire to get the stills in order for the day. They had started mass-production of their new potion, but the batch they were running today would be the first third tier version of the [Hallow the Soil] potion, likely making it a [Greater Hallow the Soil] potion. The alchemist had already planted and upgraded his third mushroom cave, planting the [Dragon Talon Mushroom] for cultivation.

After getting ten Drogramathi Iron stills running, Theo headed off. He passed by a few people, who seemed excited for the upcoming celebration. Of course they knew about it, even if the event wasnt officially announced. No one could keep a secret in Broken Tusk, and he couldnt blame them. Once the maglev was operational, there would be little need to distinguish between the towns.

Throk was outside of his workshop, hands on his hips. About time!

Busy as always, Throk. What do you have for me?

Well, do you remember that upgrade you gave to sweet, precious, darling Nira?

All right I remember.

Alloys, right? Well, we got to do some experimenting. That girl is a genius. Far smarter than you, and better looking.

Theo nodded. Were getting to a point, Im certain of it.

Yeah. She made me an alloy. Drogramathi Iron and Tworgnothi Copper.

Theo paused for a moment to think. Copper didnt alloy with iron. Copper wouldnt even weld to iron, so that made no sense. He shook his head, clearing away his old Earth logic. Both Tworgnothi Copper and Drogramathi Iron were magically infused metals. They didnt follow logic.

Interesting, Theo said. Im guessing the alloy has properties that are useful to us.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

Check it out yourself, Throk said, holding out a bar. The ingot of metal alloy had bands of purple-black running through bright orange. The alchemist inspected it.

[Azrugium Ingot]

[Metal Ingot]

Legendary

Quality: Excellent

An Azrugium ingot.

Theo gave the marshling a flat look. Did you let Azrug name this?

How could you tell? Anyway, feel the weight. Lighter than either Drogramathi Iron or Tworgnothi Copper. And stronger than both. Throk was far more animated than normal. And he was waiting for the big reveal. The marshling edged closer to the double-doors of his workshop. Wanna see?

You already made something? Are you serious?

Behold! Throk shouted, yanking on one door. It swung open, revealing the train car within.

The entire car was made with the Azrugium. Theo shuddered as he thought of the alloys name, but was so dumbstruck by the quality of the car he almost pushed it out of his mind. The entire thing was made from the metal. It was far more sleek than he expected, and even had glass windows near the front to prevent a field of bugs from entering the passengers mouths. It could seat ten, with five on either side. Even the artifice work was completed, tucked up in the undercarriage.

Theo approached the tram car, running his fingers along the angles. He grabbed it, and lifted it with almost no effort. This thing is light, Throk. Damn, how do you do it?

Come in for a drink, wont ya? This calls for celebration!

Oh, dont mind if I do, Throk muttered. For all his bravado, when the marshling approached the gates of Gronro, he did so on wobbling legs.

Gronro was a town dominated by dwarves, humans, and half-ogres. When the gate swung open, the sound of cheering was almost as deafening as the whistling wind on the train. Theo had a mug of foul-smelling ale in his hands before he could object. Grot pulled him into a hug, then punched him in the ribs and kicked his shins. That was apparently a proper dwarven way to greet someone.

There was a foul miasma that hung over the town. Theo felt his stomach turn, and it only got worse as the celebration moved closer to the northern battlements, closer to the place the locals called the scar. Theo ascended the northern wall with Throk and Grot. The group looked down at the destruction below, just over the stone bridge resting over the ravine.

The land outside of Gronro was tainted. Compared to the soil sample he had been delivered, Theo couldnt stomach the endless sprawl of befouled earth. It pulsed with Balkors wretched power. No plant life survived the tainted energy. The alchemist truly understood how important it was that they healed the land. Glantheir certainly wasnt doing anything about it. So it fell to the mortals.

But the foul air didnt affect the dwarves the same way. Grot claimed it had something to do with their ancestry, tracing back to their underground homes. Better for them, but that didnt stop Theos mind from prioritizing this problem. By the time he was ready to leave, several members of the town wanted to ride down to Broken Tusk. Even if a return journey wouldnt be available.

The dwarves that joined Theo and Throk on the train screamed with excitement the entire time. They blew past the Rivers station and headed directly for Broken Tusk. The alchemist almost couldnt handle the shock of traveling such a great distance in such a short time, but he was impressed. This would change the alliance forever. And Grot was quite happy that he had already found a solution.

Theo stumbled out from the train, nearly falling over as he descended to ground-level. He wanted to kiss the solid earth. To roll in the mud and never ride the damned train again. But it was just too good not to use. And if they got one of those running all the way to the lizard islands? Yeah, they would be in business for sure.

So, what do you think? Throk asked.

I think youve just changed the world, Theo said, patting the marshling on the back. Our little corner of the world, at least.

Throk smiled widely. Happy to help.

Theo drifted to one side as he walked away from the station. He wondered if the people in town would welcome the rail with open arms. They certainly were excited, all crowded around the area. But they hadnt ridden it yet. Once they had a taste of the speeds that thing could do, they might change their tune. Broken Tuskers were surprising, though. The crowd that lingered all wanted a ride, but Throk wouldnt start operations today.

Riding the maglev had counted as Theos meeting, but he had to get into it with Alise and her gang. He found his way to the town hall, then the massive conference room where she waited with Gael and Gwyn. They started by updating him on the massive profit they made trading with Partopour. Broken Tusk was gaining attention on the worlds stage, but perhaps not for the right reasons. Instead of recognizing merit, the other nations were amused at the way they had survived disaster. Since disaster was a part of life on this planet, it had been viewed as hilarious instead of heroic.

Salire reported you shared an anti-undead recipe, Alise said, sifting through piles of notes. Are we really worried about the undead crossing the sea?

I wont present it as a guarantee. Something had been tingling in the back of Theos mind. Balkors hidden plan. But Im almost certain that Fenian survived his encounter. Which means I cant be certain what Balkor is planning.

Does it matter? Gael asked. Isnt he bound to the heavenly realms?

Maybe. Theo picked at his teeth, trying to think of anything but Balkor. His mind flung back to the beach in Terogal. He should have told the souls to build a little beach house there. Maybe an outside bar The alchemist shook his head, breaking those thoughts away. He might not be. Could be that hes commanding the undead from the high heavens.

None of our concern right now, Gwyn said, nodding. Her face was set in a firm expression, lips pursed tightly. Were just happy to have a solution to the gross stuff the undead left behind. The administration is sitting on its hands, waiting for you to save us all.

I have Salire, now, Theo said. Thats a small mercy. I think our first step is going to be to aerosolize the potion, then drop it over Rivers and Gronro somehow. That might help get rid of the lingering effects. Then we can concern ourselves with pushing the undead curse back.

Gwyn shared a look with Alise. They nodded.

Are we going to reclaim lands to the north? Under the banner of the alliance?

Theo grimaced. Yeah, that might be a good idea. But did they have the resources to do it? At that point, why would the Southlands Alliance stop there? They could clear the land from Broken Tusk all the way to Qavell, then reclaim Gardreth. Maybe they wouldnt establish towns in all those places, but they could clear the way for others. It was a novel thought.

Maybe. Well clear the land, then worry about what we do with it later. Hard enough managing everything south of Gronro.

Agreed, Gael said, wiping his brow. And were looking at a possible response from both Qavell and Tarantham, depending on how the Wavecrest does.

Right. Well, lets Theo paused for a moment, tilting his head to one side. Whats that?

The rapid sound of a hammer bouncing off a bell issued somewhere in the distance. Everyone at the table shot up, then ran to the window. A smile crept across Theos face.

Speak of the devil.