The Newt and Demon-7.61 - Adventure in the North

“Balkor’s energy still lingers in the area,” Fenian explained, “which shouldn’t be possible. That means I missed something when I scoured the area. Perhaps it’s in the sea here on the shore, but I didn’t want to risk it, so I bought a boat.”

“So we’re looking for an object,” Jan said. “You could have said we’re looking for a magical object and saved us five minutes of conversation.”

“Not all of us speak in grunts like some proto-elf back in the homelands,” Fenian scoffed. “I hope I’m wrong; I really do. But if I’m not, we have more of Balkor to worry about. Anyway, time to drink some potions. We’re going overboard.”

“You’re kidding,” Twist said, his tone unamused.

“No. We’ll need to survive the crushing depths and all that,” Fenian said, chugging a few potions. He waited, watching as his companions seemed reluctant. “We can escape the seabed through the Bridge. Worry not, brave champions.”

“Ugh,” Jan said, drinking a few potions. “How do you rope us into these adventures?”

“Because otherwise you would be bored,” Fenian said with a broad smile. He nodded in approval when Twist also downed his potions. “That’s it, everybody! Into the cold water. Let’s just hope we don’t die.”

Twist and Jan watched as Fenian jumped into the water. They shared a long look before shrugging and jumping after their fearless leader. He was right. If nothing else, at least this would be interesting.

###

Fenian hadn’t discussed how they planned to communicate before jumping into the water. If necessary, he could use the communication crystals he had given to both men. But for now, he held a magical light aloft and searched. He looked with his senses, picking up on the faintest hint of that old demonic energy. Although hours passed, it didn’t seem as though they made much progress. The trio hunted for anything that pricked their senses.

Where one might expect to find stones representing the ruins of the once proud civilization, there was now only silt. Fenian dusted through a layer of muck, finding the first thing that signaled a lost age on the continent. It was an enchanted item, a spear, that sat beneath several layers of mud. It wasn’t a useful weapon, but the enchantment on it helped it last through the ages.

The elf’s eyes went wide as he dug deeper, finding something familiar. Brushing his hand against the object, he withdrew his communication crystal and relayed the information to his companions. When the search concluded, he used the Bridge to return them to the deck of the ship.

“How many was that?” Twist asked, tipping his mask up to drain away some water.

“A few hundred,” Fenian said, clicking his tongue. “Someone toss out a buoy so we don’t lose this spot.”

“Sure, allow me to withdraw one from my ass,” Jan mocked. “So what? We just leave all that crap down there? What’s the plan?”

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“This may require alchemical intervention…” Fenian clicked his tongue, falling into his thoughts. “Then again, this might not be a bad thing.”

“Here we go again,” Twist sighed. “We’ll be lucky if you don’t kill yourself with these ‘plans’ before the end comes.”

“Have some faith,” Fenian said, clapping the masked elf on the back.

###

Theo held a clump of green moss in his hand as he approached the general store in town. It was a place he didn’t visit often, thanks to the elusive entrepreneurial owner. When he opened the door, he heard a bell ring, and a greeter welcomed him in. It was a half-ogre woman he had seen before but didn’t know by name.

“Is your boss in?” Theo asked, giving her a concerned look.

“One moment,” she said in an overly chipper tone, and she turned to head through a door behind the counter. The alchemist waited there, with his arms folded, slightly wet, a clump of moss in his hand, dripping onto the ground. A few minutes later, Azrug emerged from the door, wearing a fine coat and slacks to match. He had his hair slicked back, with a broad smile on his face. How much the young man had changed from barely a boy to a businessman in such a short time.

“You’re getting my floor damp,” Azrug said.

Theo thrust the clump of moss forward. He could feel it releasing faint void energy in his senses, stinging the air. Those wisps were drawn away, sucked toward the shard at the farm. “Could you identify this for me?”

Azrug strode around the counter, tilting his head to one side as he took the moss. “Emberstone Moss, huh?” he asked. “With no rarity or description.”

“I was hoping you could use your loremaster abilities to reveal some information for me. The first three properties came without issue, but the last one refuses. Hoping you can help,” Theo said.

“Now, this is a curious thing, isn’t it?” he said, holding the moss at arm’s length as he rotated it. Perhaps observing different facets of the moss clump would reveal some information to him. Azrug screwed up his face as he looked at it. Faint pulses of energy emanated from his chest, yet the moss refused to yield. It was as though it was coated in a thin layer of void energy that prevented any further investigation. “You always find the weirdest things. It’s resistant to my ability.”

“So you can’t reveal the description or rarity at all?” Theo asked. This was more of a curiosity for him rather than something he needed. It was the first alchemy ingredient he had discovered that allowed him to extract the properties without revealing its description.

“I don’t think so,” Azrug said, striding over to the counter and placing the item there. He then held both his hands out and visible clouds of magic appeared over the item. He closed his eyes in intense focus, eventually letting out a breath and shrugging. “It’s possible the item is too high for me to identify. There’s some hidden ranking system with objects.”

“What are the chances this is from another system?” Theo asked.

Azrug stopped what he was doing and looked back at the alchemist with his brows knitted. “What gives you that idea?” he asked.

“My theory about things generated in both the void and negative dungeons is that they are from outside the system or completely random nonsense.”

“And so you think they’re from another system. Maybe, but I really can’t say,” Azrug said, handing the moss back over. “My Loremaster’s Core tells me the moss is a useful alchemy ingredient. It also claims you’re the first person to discover it, so your theory makes sense.”

Theo scratched at his head after returning the item to his inventory. He might not have the answers he wanted, but he was encouraged by the Loremaster’s assessment. It was mostly a normal item, and he was happy to use it in his alchemical experiments. As his sense of void energy grew, he felt less uncomfortable with things related to the void. The alchemist was now confident he could detect that power if needed, sensing the effects as they spread. With the shard now at the farm, he was even less worried about the negative side effects.

“Well, that was actually pretty helpful,” Theo said, withdrawing a few coins from his inventory and setting them on the counter. “I also know your services aren’t free, so here you go.”

“Ah, excellent,” Azrug said, scooping the coins into his own inventory. “We’ve avoided that awkward moment where I have to hint at what you owe me.”

Theo laughed, shaking his head as he placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “You’ve really built something here, huh?”

“That’s right,” Azrug said. He watched as the person watching his shop stepped back behind the counter, assuming her position and plastering a smile on her face. “I’ve got even bigger plans after the change. What do you think about an inter-world trade empire?”

“I think you’ll have to talk to Uz’Xulven about that,” Theo said.

“Who said I haven’t?” Azrug asked, beaming. “I figure things will take a while to settle. But once they do, I’ll be moving things between the worlds and making a tidy profit.”

Theo didn’t want to tell him how much he doubted that would be possible. His mind went to the gods in the new heavens, and how things had changed with them. They were eager to put in place restrictive barriers. While he couldn’t imagine what the new system for transit between worlds would be like, he doubted it would be as easy as Azrug expected.

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“If anyone can do it, you can,” Theo said.

After a bit more pleasant chit-chat, Theo headed out from the shop. He had plans to throw himself into exploring the Emberstone Moss, extracting all the essences and see what they could do. His supply of it was limited, but he could always use infusion to use it in the future. All three properties he had revealed looked interesting. Comfort, Soothe, and Inspire appeared to be supportive properties without drawbacks.

As Theo made his way back to the lab, he spotted some excitement to the east. Against his better judgement, he headed in that direction. A ship was drawing into port. It was one of the many merchant ships constructed by the Wavecrest House—one designed to be a trading vessel. Although he had to squint to see them, he spotted Fenian, Jan, and Twist on the deck. That was odd, because the trio normally vanished for a week at a time, if not longer.

That could only mean one thing.

Before the ship had even docked, Fenian sprung from the deck and landed on the wall with grace. Theo looked up at him, narrowing his eyes. “What do you want?” the alchemist asked.

Fenian clutched his chest dramatically. “Oh, you betrayer!” He stood there for a moment before shrugging. “Well, you’re right. How much water can you move for how long?”

Theo shrugged. It was a matter of weight with the water. There was some connection between the limits of his ability and his willpower. “A lot,” Theo answered. He simply couldn’t give an estimation.

“Could you reach the bottom of the bay at the deepest point? Perhaps with three fine gentlemen with you?”

Theo blinked a few times, giving his brain a few moments to catch up. “What section of the sea do you need to get to the bottom of?”

“Off the coast of Gardreth.”

Theo released a heavy sigh. He eventually gave a weak shrug. “You know what? Sure. Why not.”

Fenian clapped like an idiot.