Chapter 3.40: Dreampassage

Chapter 3.40: Dreampassage

Fenian agreed to stay the night in Broken Tusk. His Karatan needed to recharge, and that gave Theo enough time to complete the [Hallow Ground] order. The order was simple enough to fill, but there were experiments the alchemist had left on the shelf in favor of production. As he filled the last of the vials, night drawing closer by the moment, something he wished to put off for a few more days happened.

It was impossible to stop the progress of the [Tarahek Core], and Theo was mostly happy when it leveled up. Increased defense against unwanted intrusion to his mind was excellent and the bonuses were always good. The problem came with Tresks excitement for new skills, and level 20 would bring a new one. It also became hard to understand whether they were in a new realm of power, as multiples of 10 often separated large jumps in power. Though the alchemist tried to ignore the level-up, a loud snapping sound came from behind him, followed by manic cackling.

Teleportation! Tresk shouted. She was coming out from the bottom of the [Hills Dungeon] when they spoke last. There was much to examine, so Theo started with the new skill.

[Tarahek Dreampassage]

Marshling Bond Skill

Mythic

Slip through your dreams.

Effect:

Either member of the Tarahek may [Approach] the other once a day, resetting at midnight. [Approach] distance depends on the level of the [Tarahek Core] and the stability of the bond.

Mythic, Theo said, his brow knitting tightly. It was above legendary, but that hardly gave him a sense for the abilitys power. He inspected his core, finding a +3 to [Strength] and [Vigor] from the old values.

[Tarahek Core]

Legendary

Tarahek Core

Bound

4 Slots

Level 20 (1%)

[Tarahek] cores are given to those who accept a Marshling life-partner. You cannot change the skills inside the core, or remove it at any time.

Effect:Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

+9 Strength

+5 Vigor

Theo felt a surge in his muscles as his [Strength] hit 20. There was no noticeable change from his [Vigor], but +3 wasnt enough to phase him anymore. But the important part was that the [Tarahek Core] was well above his others, now. The Theo-Tresk bond was strong enough to blanket them in a protective realm.

Very nice, Theo said, nodding. He inspected the [Tarahek Dreampassage] skill again. Something formed in his mind that he pushed aside for the moment. It wouldnt be productive to linger on the mechanics of the skills. How far away were you?

At the bottom of the [Hills Dungeon], Tresk said, snorting a laugh. Seems like a decent range. Once a day? Thats awesome.

Theo nodded, lost in thought about the ability. He double-checked his stock of various [Hallow Ground] potions, removing his [Drogramathi Iron Bar] from his inventory and staring at it. The alchemist sent a mental pulse to his lodestones, finding that all his golems were hard at work in the swamp. Theyd switch to patrolling the town soon, bolstering the adventurers on their night watches.

Hey, I feel a swirl of uncertainty in your little brain, Tresk said, poking Theo in the chest. Whats up?

Ill tell you in the Dreamwalk. Go run to Xams and Ill teleport to you.

Theo didnt want her to worry about anything, so he pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He wasnt concerned, just deeply interested in how things were playing out. More than anything, Khahar needed to leave the town. More attention from powerful people wasnt something he was interested in. As it stood, the alchemist had to hope the Order of the Burning Eye turned their attention to the Khahari and not him.

Tresk had scampered off the moment Theo told her to, and she gave her signal several moments after that. It was hardly enough time to prepare him, but he activated the [Tarahek Dreampassage] skill. A flash of images rushed by. A dream-like world where he and Tresk had toyed around in flashed, then faded. Then he was standing in the Marsh Wolf Tavern. People let out yelps of surprise. Fenian, sitting in the corner nursing a drink, raised an eyebrow.

Helluva way to make an entrance! Xam shouted from behind her counter.

Xolsa, who was eating his meal with Zarali, rushed over to grill the pair. Theo took his seat with Tresk while the Elf rattled off a list of questions.

Even short-range teleportation is tricky, Xolsa said. One wrong move and poof! Youre in the ground!

It didnt feel like teleportation, Theo said, grinning. It was pretty fun, after all. More like Just moving a few steps.

He didnt include the part where it felt like waking up from the Dreamwalk.

Yeah, super neat. Wheres my food! Tresk shouted.

Calm your tail down, you impatient lizard! Xam shouted.

Tresk slumped in her chair, folding her arms. She forgot her anger in moments, babbling back and forth with Xolsa. Theo noticed Fenian didnt take his eyes off them the entire time, but he never approached.

Dinner that night was a square-cut piece of layered wolf meat, bread, and a cream-based sauce that reminded Theo of biscuits and gravy. It was far better than the versions he had in the past.

Anyway, you were going to get dragged into a meeting tomorrow, Xolsa said. Guildmaster Aarok has a report on the state of the dungeons, and were expecting a monster wave soon. The short version is, the dungeons have slowed their growth. But I have something more interesting to talk about.

Theo looked around the tavern. Citizens were leaning closer to see what the wizard had to say, so the alchemist waved it away.

Lets talk about it tomorrow morning, Theo said.

Look around, stupid, Tresk said, smacking him in the back of the head. A mythic skill at level 20? The Dreamwalk? Pretty freaking rare. You gotta have a connection with another persons soul to do the Tarahek. And one of those persons needs to be a Marshling.

Youre thinking too small, Tresk, Theo said. Khahar said he could see a million possibilities every second. Now imagine the gods. How much can they see? Why didnt they see this coming?

Well, now youre thinking too small, Tresk said. She waved her hand and a giant Marshling appeared on the horizon. Its head went past the clouds, cloaking its face in obscurity. Behold. The Marshling god Uh Marshy. Damn, I fumbled the joke. Point being that another god is meddling.

Theo waved at Marshy in the distance. They waved back. I mean, big reveal with Khahar being in town. Gods are just people.

Yeah, super powerful people, Tresk said.

There was a connection there that Theo couldnt quite make. Hed curse his low [Wisdom] attribute, but it was pretty high. He was satisfied with his precognition as it was, and wouldnt spend more time than needed frustrating himself over the puzzle pieces that just wouldnt fit. Overlooking the gift they had, the Dreamwalk, was a foolish thing. To sit there and contemplate unchangeable facts was beyond idiotic. Grinding experience and running experiments was the way to go.

Tresk agreed with the sentiment and ran off to fight Marshy, the fictional Marshling god.

Of Theos outstanding experiments, the only one that interested him was the golems. There were always essence modifiers, distillation techniques, and random alchemy stuff to test but the golems were just fun. He knew they werent sentient creatures, but they were just so damn cute.

The golems had more abilities than just manual labor, but a large gap in Theos research was the creation of constructs. Constructs were, from what he understood, things that could attach to golems. In the information screen for golems, that would show up under the Additional Modifications section. The alchemist imagined a clone of one [Lesser Stone Golem] he had defending the town while he slept, and inspected it.

[Lesser Stone Golem]

[Alchemy Construct]

Level 10

Stone is considered the most practical medium in golem construction. Stone golems are hard working, durable constructs.

Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]

Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)

Medium: [Enriched Swamp Mud]

Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]

Power System: [Mana Construct]

Siphon System: None

Additional Modifications: None

The amalgam of stone lumbered around, wandering without any orders issued by Theo. He imagined a [Reveal Construct] and beckoned the creature over. It made a sound like tumbling rocks as it approached, tilting its rocky head as it approached.

So, the idea is that youd run around and reveal stuff, Theo said, pressing the [Reveal Construct] into the golems body. It sucked it in. The white wisp made an excited sound. Theo inspected the golem again before testing further.

[Lesser Stone Golem]

[Alchemy Construct]

Level 10

Stone is considered the most practical medium in golem construction. Stone golems are hard working, durable constructs.

Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Iron Cage]

Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 10)

Medium: [Enriched Swamp Mud]

Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct], [Reveal Construct]

Power System: [Mana Construct]

Siphon System: None

Additional Modifications: None

Abilities: [Reveal] (5 charges)

Well, we were wrong about that, egg, Theo said. He turned to look at the floating ball of energy, realizing they still needed to name it. Cant just call you egg forever.

The wisp floated up and down, signaling its agreement. The faintest sense of emotion flowed from the egg, nothing close to what he felt from Tresk. But it was getting there.

Five charges, Theo said. He issued a mental order to his golem to use the [Reveal] ability.

A wave of barely visible force flowed from the golem in a sphere, washing over Theo harmlessly. As expected, the charges were reduced to 4, but the alchemist got the sense that some power had been used from the [Mana Construct]. A tradeoff for having more than one charge. The downside with the [Reveal Construct] was its size. Without a larger bubble, the golem could only reveal targets that were nearby, which seemed to spit in the face of the point. But it was progress all the same.

Theos laundry list of things to do grew by the moment, but this one was exciting. When he delivered his potions to Fenian tomorrow, hed have ample time to work on experiments. The alchemist laughed.

Yeah, right. Like anything works that way in Broken Tusk, Theo said, turning his gaze to the massive, lumbering Marshling in the distance. Mark my words, Marshy. Xolsa will have horrible news for me tomorrow.