The Newt and Demon

7.37 - Baby Duelist

Things had calmed down significantly in Broken Tusk. Rowan, of all people, appreciated how unexciting life had gotten. It was back to the old days of stomping through the swamp, poking turtles, and getting up to trouble as often as possible. That didn’t mean there weren’t important tasks he could ignore, though. Even when he wasn’t serving the archduke, he was often given side-quests. Today was no different.

Shifting from the shadows, Rowan came out into the wide, open-air market and smelled the stink. He nodded to people as he passed, searching for anyone that fit the bill. Theo had given him specific instructions. Vials of potions clattered in his leather bag. He could have brought them into his inventory, but he liked the sound.

Now that the healers weren't busy with the space elves, he had been freed from his spare time duties, but it didn't hurt to prowl the popular areas of the city. At any moment somebody could get injured, and those in charge of the town saw it as their responsibility to keep people safe.

"There's a foul wind blowing from the north," Rowan overheard a dwarf muttering as he passed between two vendors' stalls. He stopped leaning against the shoddy counter and raised a brow at the man.

"Where did you even come from?" Rowan asked, drumming his fingers on the counter. "I know dwarves don't sail."

"That's moderately insensitive of you, half-ogre," the dwarf said, his bushy brows knitting. “I came overland from the north. There are finally enough bridges, and lacking necromantic power, we can travel again.”

“So, the whole thing with Balkor didn’t even shake the dwarves?” Rowan asked with a booming laugh. He smacked his hand on the counter, perhaps a little too hard, as it shifted to one side.

“Careful with your giant meat paws.” The dwarf grumbled, adjusting the counter. “But yes, that's the advantage of living underground.”

Rowan had fun going around the market, but there weren't people to help, so he grew bored. Fortunately for him, something rang out from the north. A wind that dwarf was talking about came to visit Broken Tusk. The air rumbled for a moment, sending some people clattering sideways. A sound issued from far in the distance, shaking the very ground. And then the stampede started. Panicked merchants rushed for the eastern gate, finding refuge deeper inside the city.

Replacing the pain was a dull ache. He could feel every inch of himself, covered in a dense layer of fluffy material. Without prompting, pieces broke off, flitting into the air as though drawn by unseen currents. They drifted, falling on the injured, and healing them, if only a little.

“The sacred duty!” Rowan shouted, his arms wide.

Defenders on the eastern wall shook their heads as they watched Rowan's display. Ever since Theo gave him the healing potion with the Fluff modifier, he had taken it upon himself to act as some kind of martyr. It was always the same. Somebody would get hurt, and Rowan would rush in to sacrifice himself. Those who had spent their entire lives in Broken Tusk understood the man's eccentricities. Those that knew him most smiled at the selfless display.

“Is that man an idiot?” one elf—from House Wavecrest—asked another defender.

“He’s a hero,” Luras responded, doing his best not to crack a smile. “Show some respect.”

###

Theo shielded his eyes from the bright sun above. A dark shape had moved from the north, tracking a path along the river and headed directly for Broken Tusk. The ear-splitting shriek the creature had emitted was enough to rattle his bones, but he was ready to meet with Elrin.

"That guy cheated," Tresk said, jabbing a finger skyward. "I got a dragon the old-fashioned way. By feeding dragon bones to a goose."

"In no way, shape, or form," Theo said, "Is that the old-fashioned way."

Tresk grumbled but folded her arms and watched as Elrin approached on his dragon. What he rode wasn't a true dragon either. It was a creation by a negative dungeon, which made it something else. He couldn't say exactly what that was, but it was some kind of an ascendant, system-generated monster. The dragon egg itself seemed like a classically themed dragon with four legs, a large pair of wings, and a swishing tail. It angled its long neck, banking as it headed to the ground.

When the dragon was in full view of the sun, Theo could get a better look at it. It was almost entirely pale white along the length of its body, with small striations of blue racing through its scales. When it finally landed, he spotted the wide grin on Elrin's face. The smug bastard.

"You could have made a less impactful entrance," Theo said, hands on his hips as he approached the man.

"Now, where would be the fun in that?" Elrin said, laughing and smiling. The alchemist couldn't remember if it was the first time he had seen the man do such, but it was actually refreshing.

"I should have guessed your class was based on taming monsters," Theo said, approaching and peering beyond Elrin to see the dragon. "May I pet it?"

"You may pet him," Elrin corrected. "This is Trevor. His soul is shared through all of his beast forms."

"Hello, Trevor," Theo said, approaching and petting the dragon on the snout. The creature was absolutely massive. It couldn't fit through the gates in Broken Tusk, and it couldn't move through the streets. Its scales were as hard as Drogramathi Iron, but held a warmth. The Alchemist felt a flash of jealousy from both Tresk and Alex and backed away from the dragon before it became a problem.

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"So we're going to a meeting," Elrin asked, clapping Theo on the shoulder.

"Is it just me, or are you in a much better mood?" Theo asked, shaking his head.

"I've sorted many things out," Elrin said with a nod, "between the problems in the heavens and this meeting of minds. I've been put in a much better mood. Also, the shard system is healing… too slowly since we don't have all of them, but it's healing."

"Great news all around," Theo said, smiling back at the excited man. "Now, just to check, you're not going to try to kill Fenian, are you?"

“Old Ivaran?” Elrin asked, shaking his head, “No. Not unless I need to.”

Theo wasn't expecting Elrin's arrival so soon, but with him here, the four most important people on the planet were gathered. Now, they simply had to proceed to Khahar's realm for the meeting itself.

“I don't see any sense in waiting. Let's collect the elf, and we can head up to Khahar's realm, unless you have any objections?”

"None," Elrin said, turning and nodding to Trevor. The dragon beat its wings, taking off into the air and heading north. "He's going to do some scouting for me while we're gone. I don't think your people would appreciate a dragon at their doorstep."

"Excellent," Theo said. "Let's get moving."

###

Khahar's realm, which had vainly been named Khahak, was an intimidating place. After making one quick stop, Theo appeared with his cadre at the base of the Arbiter's Citadel. Elrin issued a low whistle as he looked over the metropolis. It was truly the most sprawling thing any of them gathered had seen, and the most auspicious of those the alchemists had brought with them was Benton.

"I'm not sure I can make tea under so much pressure," Benton said, wringing his hands.

“Oh, come on,” Theo said, "This is partly because I wanted to have some tea during our meeting, and partly because I wanted to test how easy it is to move people between realms."

"I'm not sure I enjoy being used for a test," Benton said in objection. "But I'll come along for now. Just promise to bring me out of here if I'm going to explode or something."

"We may as well get going now," Fenian said, pushing to the front of the group. "The elevator to the top takes forever."

The people who had come to inhabit the realm were now varied. At first, it had only been the cat-people, but as souls from the mortal realm drifted, some landed here. Of course, they were all meant to go to Death's realm, but that was before the gods were fully in place. How it would work after the switch was anyone's guess, but that was part of the reason they were here, wasn't it?

The interior of the Citadel was massive. Looking up, Theo felt dizzy as he tried to understand the distance from where he stood to the top of the tower. Of course, Khahar would make it so they could see all the way to the top. He focused his attention on the ground to avoid vomiting. The ride up the elevator was no better.

It might have been an impetuous act of Theo, but he didn't wait for an invitation or permission to enter Khahar's chambers. He pushed the massive double doors open and was nearly blinded by the light within. For a fraction of a second, he thought he saw the master of this realm speaking with somebody. But as his eyes adjusted to the light, there was nothing.

"What an unexpected visit," Khahar said, standing behind a massive wooden desk and looking out the equally gargantuan windows. “And you brought friends.”

"Allies, more like it," Fenian clarified, striding across the room and taking a seat in a chair opposite. He kicked his feet up on the table and released a heavy sigh.

"I guess I'll make some tea," Benton said, looking around in confusion. He scampered off when he spotted the implements he would need to make it.

The group arranged chairs so they could all sit. Khahar took his spot in front of the table and sat with a sigh, scratching the fur on his face with his clawed fingers. Something told Theo he was up to something, something he didn't want to reveal for some reason. Which was only moderately annoying since things had been going so well.

"The purpose of this meeting is simple," Theo said, with a weak shrug. "I wanted to make sure that everybody affecting the mortal world had a place to air things they were working on or needed help with."

“It's like a support group for people with special powers,” Tresk said, clapping. “I like the sound of that. First order of business: I’d like another dragon, please.”

Elrin stifled a laugh.

“Well, we're all greatly anticipating the reset, aren't we?” Fenian asked. "Do we know exactly when that's going to happen, or if the system is going to give us leeway?"

“The system needs each of the shards in place to do a reset,” Elrin said, "Despite what it might tell you, it works in symbiosis with the shards, like a conduit to the mortal world. Think of it more like an anchor to its power. Besides needing the shards, it will deplete an inordinate amount of energy from those shards. I will need to reset them after the system does its thing.”

"Which means you have plenty of time to see your machinations through," Khahar said, nodding to Fenian.

"Speaking of schemes," Theo said, nodding toward Khahar. "Is there anything you want to share with the class?"

"Nothing that I would concern myself with if I were you," Khahar said. "I'll only say this. I don't entirely trust the system or the gods to ensure everything goes smoothly. As you already know, the throne of the Arbiter is in charge of enforcing the rules in the heavens, and yet I've been locked out from the heavens. I'm working on a way to change that."

"What about the seal of judgment?" Tresk asked with a shrug. "Shouldn't that set the gods right?"

“In theory,” Khahar said, “but I'd rather have my finger on it.”

There was a pause in the conversation as Benton came over, serving tea to each member waiting there. They also brought scones, which the alchemist appreciated. That pause in the conversation extended as everybody sipped the piping hot tea and took a bite of their confection. As always, it was absolutely delicious.

"We have little to add," Theo said, gesturing between himself and Tresk. "On my end, the void seems fairly stable. The passageway between places has been collapsed, except for the Bridge of Shadows. Once I remove the shards from the space elf island, I believe it will collapse."

"Nothing crazy happening for me," Tresk said, raising her hand. "The mortal world is working as it should, as far as I know."

"The same goes for me," Fenian said. "There are a few loose ends I need to tie up, but they aren't directly related to my position as herald. Instead, I've been spending my time hunting a few troublemakers and informing the world's population about the end."

"That's oddly responsible of you," Theo said.

Fenian winked.

"I've been preparing the sites for the shards," Elrin said, "and dealing with a few... negative dungeons."

"Perhaps you could work with Fenian to take care of some of those. We didn't think they extended past Broken Tusk," Theo said.

"I would be happy to have the baby duelist along with me," Elrin said, nodding to Fenian. "So long as he can carry his weight."

"I just felt a shiver go up my spine," Fenian said, squirming in his chair. "Yes, that will be agreeable."

"I'm working on something," Khahar said. "The only thing I'm comfortable saying is that it's regarding the gods and keeping them accountable. I've made some progress, but it's difficult. Nothing I'm doing should impact the transition, and it might even help us prepare."

“Excellent,” Fenian said, clapping. “Now that we've gotten business out of the way, would anybody care to engage in some gossip? You won’t believe what they’re doing in Bantein.”