6.24 - Explosions Are Essential To Alchemy

Theo pressed his forefinger and thumb into his forehead, picking free a chunk of metal. He followed his intuition and the guidance of the Wisdom of the Soul prompts. A gas form of the unbound dilution had mixed with gaseous essence. The mixture was even stable, if only for a few seconds. But as the mixture condensed, pooling in a flask underneath, it exploded.

“Are you good?” Theo asked, trying not to cough.

“I’m alive,” Salire said. “Why didn’t it work?”

That was a good question. Theo was certain this was the way forward, so why had it failed in the last step. But this wasn’t something he could solve in a moment. He was too laser-focused on the problem, and needed to clear his head before he moved forward.

“Let’s take a break. Could you do me a favor?” Theo asked.

Salire nodded, dutifully pulling out a notebook. He instructed her to get with Throk’s people again, refining the design of the vapor mixing artifices. The alchemist knew this wouldn’t be a waste of time. This was it. They just needed to find the missing piece of the puzzle before he got what he wanted.

“Agreed,” Salire said with a drawn-out sigh. “I was certain that was going to work.”

“Yeah, me too. Get your brain working. Check with everyone you can find about evolving buildings. I’m gonna find Throk.”

The duo broke for the day, parting from the clearing to perform their own tasks. Theo located Throk up north, working on the northbound train system. He stopped by Miana’s ranch on his way there, finding the ex-mayor of the town working with a team of trained wolves and marshlings to ride them. After that, he checked on the market. They hadn’t found a seed core to plant there, but the area had developed on its own. Merchants from afar now brought their wares to Broken Tusk. The place that was once an empty field now bustled with activity.

“And yet,” Theo grumbled to himself, the wind whipping his face. “We still don’t have windshields.”

It didn’t pass Theo’s notice that the trains were slightly faster than before. He had to hold on tighter so he didn’t get tossed as the train took a corner. Throk must have juiced the artifices that drove the train. That or he refined his ability to make fake coins. Whatever the crafty marshling had done, the trip to Gronro could now be accomplished in less time. Theo didn’t think he’d ever get used to seeing the new Gronro-Dir. It seemed as though everyone stayed indoors when the threat of the undead was here. He spotted several new citizens, which he was surprised to learn came from the north.

“I thought everyone was dead,” Theo said, slapping Grot on the back and startling the dwarf.

“Balls, you scared me,” Grot released a heavy sigh that stirred the whiskers of his mustache. “Yeah, there was some druid enclave somewhere up north. Those folks have been walking for a while. Bet they didn’t expect to see Qavell all the way down here.”

“Good to see. Hopefully, they’re adjusting...” Theo trailed off, spotting a new train station to the north. So there would be no line connecting Broken Tusk to this line. They would need to disembark and board the next one. “Where is Throk?”

“Working with some folks. You can take that little train if you want.”

Theo craned his neck, spotting the ‘little train’ sitting on the tracks. It was hovering, waiting for someone to board it. “What’s that all about?”

“That’s how the workers move along the track. Keeps them from walking for days.”

“Keep up the good work, Grot,” Theo said, slapping the dwarf on the back. He considered giving him finger-guns, but walked away instead.

Theo mounted the tiny train. It was a small platform with a few seats. But there was nothing to cover him, leaving him exposed to the chilly mountain air. Without the Coat of Rake, he would have been too cold. Unlike the train that ran between Broken Tusk, Rivers and Daub, and Gronro, this one didn’t have a conductor. The alchemist fiddled with the controls for a minute before urging the train forward. It hummed along the track, approaching the first obstacle of the journey.

The bridge that Ziz, Theo, and others had designed was nice. It was over-engineered, using far more materials than necessary. But Ziz had a way of working with things that the alchemist didn’t want to shoot down. The track was set in on the bridge, separated from the main path by a guardrail. That should prevent traders from driving their carts over the track, which would cause a disaster on both sides. Theo urged the cart to a stop as he approached a worksite. Workers waved at him, shouting for him to slow it down.

Theo dismounted the train after engaging the break, finding a group of workers creating the impressive road. He had passed over two more bridges, noting that each landmass was mostly barren. Throk waved from within the ground, shoving a dwarf out of the way to approach the alchemist.

“Fancy seeing you all the way out here, archduke. Where is your cadre?” Throk asked.

Theo looked around. Sarisa and Rowan appeared from behind the cart. Both were sweating. “There.”

“That wasn’t a pleasant journey.” Rowan released a heavy sigh.

“You guys can tell me when I forget about you. Ya know that, right?”

“Where would be the fun in that?” Sarisa asked, her face pale.

“Anyway, check this out,” Throk said, waving a sawn-off shotgun in Theo’s face.

The alchemist instinctively slapped the weapon to the side. “You need to learn some weapon safety.”

Throk thumbed the release, causing the break action shotgun to fold in on itself. “It isn’t loaded. Alise told me to figure out how this thing works, but...”

“But that’s dwarven technology!” a dwarf shouted. Other dwarves laughed at the proclamation.

“Yes, apparently the dwarves have weapons like this.” Throk waved the shotgun around, uncaring as he flagged most people there. “It just inspired me to make a handheld version of our acceleration guns.”

“Yeah, things get busy on the mortal plane.”

Glantheir walked over, hoisting Jan to his feet and dusting him off. Without explaining, he pressed palm against his forehead. “That should calm you down. If only a little.”

Jan glared at Glantheir, as though he could do anything. Within the realm of a god, that god’s word was absolute. Someone could drop a nuke in the center of this place and nothing would happen. Only a declaration of war from another god could do anything.

“Your friend is troubled,” Glantheir said, turning away to return to his balcony.

“John,” Theo said, holding his arms out. “He’s from Earth.”

“I know. You dislodged him from the queue.”

“So you should understand he’s not having a good time.”

“I agree with the purple devil,” Jan said, jabbing a thumb at Theo. “Can I go home?”

“There’s no home to go to,” Glantheir said. “Earth was destroyed 250 years after you left. Why don’t you tell Theo what’s really bothering you?”

Theo watched as Jan went to war with himself. Glantheir had a way of stripping people down. He could soothe whatever Jan was feeling, washing away worries. Being around the Elven God of Healing was like getting express therapy.

“I can still feel her,” Jan said, averting his eyes. He gazed at a pair of elven women, giggling in the room’s corner.

“Who?” Glantheir asked as though he already knew the answer.

“She called herself Fate, but I think she had another name.”

“What was special about this woman?” Glantheir asked.

“Girl. She was a young girl—maybe eight. Said she could see everyone’s fate.”

Theo narrowed his eyes at Jan. What the hell was Earth like 250 years before his time?

“A girl from old Earth is calling to you. Glantheir, how is that possible?” Theo asked.

The god turned to Theo, smiling. “Oh, you’ll use my true name again? No more ‘John’?”

“Sorry. It makes little sense, but Jan is convinced this person is in this new world. Is that out of the question? No. Of course it isn’t.” Glantheir paused for a long moment, summoning an image of Broken Tusk in the air. It was obscured by shadow, but golden lines were visible running here and there. “These are the threads of fate. I’m drawing them for you to see, but anyone who got strong enough on the mortal plane could see them.”

“That’s how she described them,” Jan said, leaning in. “Could she be here... Mister Glantheir?”

“That’s possible. Theo, I suggest you let him loose. If Jan has a connection with another factor, you should know about it.”

Theo shrugged. Jan wasn’t meshing well with Sulvan. Perhaps would do better to be paired with Aarok or Luras. “Fine. But we’re giving him some cores before then.”

Glantheir held out his hand, a glowing silver orb in his hand. “May I suggest one of mine?”

Jan looked between the orb and the god.

“Just take it,” Theo scoffed, shoving Jan forward.

“Under protest,” Jan said, wrapping his hand around the core.

Theo had a few items to bring up to Glantheir, but the god was sparse with information today. The alchemist grabbed Jan’s arm and brought them back through the void. He could feel the mortal’s body degrading, but at least he had a core he could use. Hopefully it was something useful, and not something to keep him in chains.

The pair alighted on the paved streets of Qavell. Sulvan had barely moved. Something caught Theo’s eye and he turned to see Twist. The pale elf’s expression was unreadable under the mask, but he turned after seeing the alchemist. Then his eyes shot to Jan. Blades were in his hand a moment later.

“Jan Turowski,” Twist said, coiling on the spot. “Bastard.”

“Twist. You son of a bitch.” Jan produced a knife he had hidden in his boot.