The Newt and Demon

5.38 - The Future

5.38 - The Future

Mid-morning sun filtered through the foggy glass of the Newt and Demon. Salire sat with her head propped, eyes wide as she blinked away her hangover. The potions Theo had crafted were resting on the table, awaiting inspection. But the half-ogre alchemist seemed to have trouble focusing her eyes, thanks to the pounding headache and her sour stomach. A cure for hangovers wasnt a weapon he was ready to unleash on Broken Tusk. The resulting parties would shake the foundations of the planet, likely causing an orbital shift that would destroy the planet.

Theo chuckled to himself, startling Salire. What? she asked groggily.

Nothing. Youre just normally taking notes.

Salire groaned, rising to her feet like a marionette being pulled by its strings. She shambled to a storage crate, withdrawing a flask of Freeze Essence. Without hesitation, the half-ogre splashed it in her face and screamed. A thick sheet of ice formed on her face, encasing both it and her shouts of protest. One deft smack and the ice shattered. At least she looked awake.

I think Im good, Salire said, eyes wider than they were before. She placed her notes on the table, slapping her cheeks before finding her pen. Theo gave her a few minutes to inspect the potions, awaiting her stunned response. These are weird. Theyre not as deadly as the base potions.

Exactly. The Holy modifier took the edge off.

What other horrible potions do we have?

Those were the worst. Aside from the one I had planned to send to Fenian. Not sure how this would affect a lich-creating potion.

Why not try?

Theo had to think about that one before diving head-first. Perhaps it was his increased Intelligence attribute, but a pinch of caution went a long way with potion-making. He waited for Wisdom of the Soul to pop up, which it did. The message wasnt helpful, only claiming that it was impossible to know how the potion would interact. The alchemist considered the alignments of potions, and came to a solid conclusion.

Death is the opposite of Holy, Theo said. My guess is that we would have an explosion.

Best to avoid explosions, Salire said, nodding. Ill dig through our reserve stock for anything interesting.

Before long, Salire had organized a gaggle of different potions. Her most interesting pick was the poison potions. But the one Theo wanted to see the most was the Limited Foresight Potion. That potion was already powerful enough on its own, so he selected it as his first test. He transferred the potion to a larger vial, then introduced the Holy modifier. The liquids mixed instantly, producing almost no reaction. When a potion modification behaved like that, it normally meant they were closely aligned. Both Theo and Salire leaned in to inspect the resulting potion.

[Potion of Limited Foresight]

[Holy]

[Potion] [Modified Potion

Epic

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Perfect Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Minor Bond)

The imbiber of this potion may view a random future event from the location they drank the potion.

The drinker may only experience the effects of this potion once every month. If another person imbibes this potion in the same location as the original drinker, they will experience the same event.

Theo stared at the potion for a long time. Salire remained silent as his mind wrapped itself around the potion. The potion didnt describe how far in the future the drinker would see. And it claimed to be random, with no stated weight on the importance of the viewed event. The alchemist scratched his head, unable to decide if it was a good thing.

Drink it, Salire said, tapping her fingers on the table.

Theo turned to his assistant, brows knitted. What?

Were both thinking about it. Just drink it.

Theo wrapped his fingers around the vial, then gave his companion a confused look. Where had the caution from earlier gone? He wouldnt have quaffed the potion if he wasnt so disappointed with the result. He tipped his head back, drinking it in one go. Salire watched with excitement in her eyes.

The alchemists vision faded.

Salire shouted something, but Theo couldnt make it out. He felt as though his sight had been plucked from his eyes, then transported to a place high in the sky. Without a body, he simply observed an alien landscape. A crater, slowly filling with water from an adjacent sea, scarred the land. The alchemist observed as a wash of flames scoured everything from the land. Trees were incinerated in a heartbeat. Stone was made molten. The vision panned to the side, revealing more of the complete destruction.

In an instant, the vision ended. Theo felt himself falling back like a sack of bricks. He caught himself, and his heart pounded. Without a body, he was unable to experience any emotion. Now that his sight had been placed back, a feeling of dread crept over him. The crater was Broken Tusk. The entire alliance was destroyedmaybe the planet. Whatever fear he felt in his heart didnt translate to his face. Another gift from the ever-increasing Intelligence attribute.

Well? What did you see?

Theo shook his head. Nothing interesting. Broken Tusk. Maybe a week from now, he lied.

Bummer. Lets make another! I wanna see.

Lets not, Theo said, a fake smile spreading across his face. Lets find a potion to modify that isnt disappointing.

Salire sighed, then gazed at the collection of potions she had assembled.

What the hell was that? Tresk asked. What did you see? Was that Broken Tusk?

In the future, Theo said, biting the inside of his cheek.

Well, damn! How far in the future?

I dont know.

Tresk went silent. Salire had made her selection, but Theo could feel the Tarahek chewing on the information. He wanted to keep it a secret, but was that the right thing to do? Was the future set in stone? The alchemist shook his head, picking up the potion that his assistant had selected.

Potion of Sludge. This is the potion that turns yours sweat into ooze, Theo said, giving her a flat look.

Yeah. It sucks, so the effects might be good. Right?

Theo shrugged. As long as it didnt come with visions of the future, he would try anything. The potion looked like a nightmare to drink, and the alchemist regretted ever brewing it. He tilted the vial to the side, watching as the contents oozed. It was far too thick to drink. Placing it over the vial, they waited for the contents to transfer. It took several minutes.

Im calling a meeting with Aarok, Tresk said. I watched what you saw, Theo. That aint good.

That could be a million years in the future. We dont know.

Id rather be cautious, Alex said, interjecting.

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Theo grumbled, watching as the last of the potion oozed into the vial. He cleared his throat, withdrawing a single unit of the Holy modifier. The potion and the modifier mixed together better than he expected. The black ooze lightened, then lost almost all its viscosity. While the scent it produced was something between wet socks and flowers, the resulting potion didnt look that bad. Both Theo and Salire leaned in to inspect the result.

[Potion of Sludge]

[Holy]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Uncommon

Created by: Theo Spencer

Alignment:

Drogramath (Minor Bond)

Grade: Excellent Quality

The drinker sweats Holy Water.

Effect:

For one hour, the drinkers sweat is replaced with Holy Water. Undead creatures will gain the Banishment effect if they come into contact with this water.

That just made a weird potion weirder, Salire said.

Sweating Holy Water? Theo asked, tapping his foot. Im not mad. Just disappointed.

Theo had trouble thinking of a use for that one. Maybe if the undead were repelled by the scent of the Holy Water, this would work. It might have had a niche use, but he couldnt think about it. Instead, they moved on. Salire had selected a lot of potions, and one of them was bound to be useful.

Here we have the Hallow Frost Potion, Salire said, gesturing to the blue-silver mix on the table. Made from our very own Azrugs Truffle!

I still hate that name, Theo said, transferring the potion to a new vial.

The base potion was decent enough. It was just a mix of a freeze bomb and a regular Hallow Ground potion. The alchemist introduced the golden modifier, watching as the potion reacted. He was satisfied with how well the potions got along, watching as the blues and silvers of the potion mixed with the gold of the modifier. They laced together, creating strands of color throughout the resulting potion. Both he and Salire leaned in, inspecting the new creation.

[Hallow Frost Potion]

[Holy]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Epic

Created by: Theo Spencer

Alignment:

Drogramath (Minor Bond)

Grade: Excellent Quality

Apply to a surface or creature to create a zone of denial.

Effect:

Applying this to any surface, including creatures, creates a one pace circle with the [Holy Frost] effect.

Enemy targets inflicted with [Holy Frost] will take banishment damage every time they act. Actions include spells, abilities, movement, attacks, and so on.

Friendly targets affected by [Holy Frost] will heal an amount of damage based on the amount of undead banished during the duration of this potion.

See? Salire asked, jumping excitedly. A good one!

It was a good one. Especially if a person were fighting the undead up-close. Theo read the description several times, noting the one weakness of the potion. If the Holy Frost effect faded quickly, a person would need to stay within that circle. Otherwise, they could drop the potion, move on and keep healing. With a little testing, he could determine if it was good or not.

The bell rang downstairs. Salire instinctively stood up, but waited when she heard the footsteps ascending the stairs. Theo knew what was coming, and wasnt surprised when the hulking form of Luras stepped through the door. Emergency meeting, he grunted, jerking his head back toward the door.

Dammit, Tresk, Theo said, sighing. Were not done, Salire. Sarisa, please stay here.

Sarisa looked around awkwardly. You sure?

Yeah.

Theo left with Luras. As they moved through the town, he was reminded of when he first arrived in Broken Tusk. Luras had been the person to show him the ropes, explaining the system and how the town operated. That wasnt very long ago, but somehow it felt like a lifetime. The alchemist felt a wave of relief spread over him when they passed by the town hall, heading for the Adventurers Guild instead. Outside of a meeting room were a half-ogre and elven adventurer, standing guard. They moved to the side, allowing the pair entry.

Inside the meeting room were Tresk, Alex, and Aarok. Luras found a corner to stand in, and Theo took his seat at the head of the table. You could have waited until I was done working, the alchemist said, nodding at Tresk.

Tresk simply shrugged.

Were keeping this a secret, Aarok said. Are there any details Tresk missed?

I doubt it, Theo said. Shes gotten good at probing my memories.

Retell what you saw anyway, Aarok said.

Theo relied on his memory to tell the tale, sparing no details. Both Aarok and Luras nodded along as he spoke, taking in every detail. The alchemist watched the memory again in his mind, extracting even the smallest detail. When the story was completed, both men nodded.

Thats way bigger than we are now, Aarok said. At least three-times our size if your description is accurate.

Pretty far in the future, Luras put in.

Theo only wished that he had never drank the potion. Now he was worried about what would happen to the town. But Aarok was right. As he thought about the memory, he realized just how far in the future that must have been. The crater was absolutely massive, stretching far to the north. It even bit into the mountains on either side of the rivers path. Whatever event caused the destruction of the area was far away. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Im not sure if theres any force around that could cause that amount of destruction, Aarok said. You said that Khahar had the gods bound up. Theres no way they would intrude. So this is some apocalyptic event we cant prevent.

No need to worry, Luras said, nodding in agreement.

I wanted to make sure we met with the big boys about this, Theo, Tresk said. When I watched the memory, there were some things that bothered me. Just stuff that isnt where it should be. My first concern was that it was Qavell coming to squash us.

Aarok waved a dismissive hand. Even they dont have that kind of firepower.

It was hard to tell if they were trying to comfort him, or if it was the truth. Theo took a few long moments to think about it, and decided that his companions were completely right. It wasnt a near-future Broken Tusk he was looking at in that vision, but one far enough in the future that he didnt care. Once again, he was reminded of the past. Back on Earth, they had known about the destruction of their planet. He was content with it back then, but now

Theo pushed his plan into the back of his mind, guarding it from Tresk. He understood why the crater was there. Why Broken Tusk wasnt burning in the flames.

The alchemist smiled.

Well, I should get back to my alchemy, Theo said, rising from his chair.

Aarok looked at Tresk, who nodded. Yeah, hes happy.

Good. Let us know if you get more weird information, Theo, Aarok said.

The town was buzzing outside of the Adventurers Guild. People chatted about what new merchants would show up at the docks, and expressed hope for the future of the alliance. That was driven by the success Theo had pushing back the undead corruption to the north. He took a lazy path through town, passing by the monolith. It reminded him he should focus his financial efforts on getting more Monster Cores to level both the town and the buildings up. For now, his sights were set on the Newt and Demon and the experiments within.

Sarisa was waiting outside of the lab, arms folded and a sharp look on her face. Anything I should be concerned about? she asked as he entered the building.

Nope. Actually, it was a false alarm. Spy stuff, you know.

Uh-huh.

Oh! Salire said as Theo entered the lab. I was going to clean up. Didnt expect you to be back.

Im just happy your hangover is gone.

Oh, its still here. Im just awake.

Lets do a few more potions.

Salire insisted they try the Dragons Breath Potion next. There was only one in stock, and they took forever to make. Theo looked at the potion before attempting to bind a modifier to it, trying to detect any objection to the Holy modifier. Nothing stuck out to him. The Dragons Breath Potion was likely aligned with fire, meaning it should bind just fine. But the strength of the swirling red-black potion might be a problem. He shrugged, pouring the potion into a new vial and introducing the golden modifier essence. The liquids reacted violently. A gout of fire burst from the vials spout, glittering gold mingling with the orange-red flames. The room was filled with the scent of sulfur and flowers. Theo and Salire took positions behind a table, watching the reaction from a safe distance.

Fortunately, the lab didnt catch fire.

Is it done? Salire asked.

Theo inspected the ceiling for damage. It was charred, but nothing the building couldnt repair on its own. Seems good. Lets check it out.

Both Salire and Theo edged closer, inspecting the potion when they finally crept near the work table.

[Dragons Breath Potion]

[Holy]

[Potion] [Modified Potion]

Mythic

Created by: Theo Spencer

Alignment:

Drogramath (Minor Bond)

Grade: Excellent Quality

Drink to produce Dragons Fire.

Effect:

For five seconds after consuming this potion, the imbiber will produce Holy Dragons Fire from their mouth. This fire can be directed in whatever direction the imbiber is facing.

Friendly targets will gain the Holy Dragons Reprieve effect, healing minor damage and reducing incoming damage for one hour.

Enemy targets will gain the Holy Dragons Purge effect, taking Holy Fire damage.

The Holy modified Dragons Breath Potion took care of some issues with the original one. This new version wouldnt kill allies, which was a boon. Theos biggest concern with the base potion was that it would harm anyone near the dinker. Since a person couldnt cut the stream off, that would have deadly consequences. This version got rid of all that.

Well take this as a win! Salire said, pumping her fist in the air.

Agreed, Theo said, stashing the potion into his inventory. I think weve learned a lot from this.

Yeah, we really did.

Theo and Salire agreed that this was enough alchemy for the day. Instead of packing it up and doing something else, the alchemist helped set up a seven still run for Hallow Ground Essence. That would leave her with enough equipment to perform her own distillations, allowing her to work on her levels. Once everything was running, he excused himself from the lab and headed out into town.

What are we doing? Sarisa asked. Want me to stay behind again?

No. I wanted to take a trip to Gronro.

Sarisas face went slightly green. Really?

I need to check on my golems.

Sarisas shoulders slumped. Hey, boss. Is it too late to ask for some vacation days?