3.59 - D'goose

3.59 - D'goose

An uneventful day was a good one. Theo had finished his work in the lab, finding his way to Xams tavern with his friends. Tonights meal was a variation of the wolf meat stew, this time infused with Karatan cheese. A single day after arriving in town, the Elves were settling in well. The alchemist could see their eagerness to forget the past, finding it a mirror to stare into. Alex pecked at some Zee bread, prancing around the table as they ate.

It would be wise to meet with Fenian before he left town. Others had collected their goods from the trader, but Theo didnt have outstanding orders. There had been no request for bulk potions this trip, leaving his pockets too empty. Even filling a 20 gold order from townsfolk, spread across many adventurers, wasnt enough to keep the town afloat. All hope now rested with the shipwright.

But no one came calling, even as Tresk and Theo slipped into their bath. The Marshling seemed somber, compared to her normally bombastic nature. He could feel her mind churning through information, trying to make connections between something. How shed become so good at hiding her thoughts was beyond him. That was a question for the Dreamwalk, though. The alchemist dismissed his doubts before the crept up on him.

The only thing that could make the bath better would be an air conditioner, Theo said, sighing. Even keeping his head above the water did little to stifle the lingering heat. Fortunately, the showers outside the bath ran cold water. Once the Season of Fire set in, it might be too hot to bathe.

Check it out, Tresk said, holding something up for Theo to see. She must have held it in the shared inventory. It was a core. Elven God of Duels. Parantheir.

Theo let out a slow breath, sinking further into the bath. He wanted to be upset about another god coming to town, but the support they provided was undeniable.

Thats your solution to close combat, Theo said, nodding. Need to figure out your [Trackers Core], next.

Working on it, Tresk said, nodding. Been asking around, but I dont think anyone around here knows much Marshling lore. Let alone Bantari.

That much was true. Even the local Marshlings held little of their cultural heritage. The lizard-dudes to the south? Theo asked.

Thats my best bet, Tresk said.

That lined up well enough with their current plans. Once their boats were on the water, those islands to the south were their first stop. Even if the lizard-folk didnt want to trade with Broken Tusk, it would help to get the word out. Once merchant vessels knew they were open for business, people should flood in for trade. Fees on imports alone would help pad the coffers, but making first contact was the most important part. A harbor was a way of signaling that a town was open for business. Thats how Theo hoped it would go.

They didnt linger in the bath for long. Tresk and Alex were eager to get into the Dreamwalk, but Theo examined the gosling before leaving with them.

[Alexandria DGoose]

[Goose]

[Familiar]

Stage:

[Gosling]

Master:

[Dreamrealm of Terogal]

Level 4The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

Description:

Geese are known as the most loving creatures in all the realms. Any rumors spread to disparage these honorable creatures will be met with a flurry of feathers and bill.

Affinities:

Fire

She had advanced, but not much. While her outward appearance might have changed, it was hard to tell since Theo saw her everyday. He placed his hand on the chirping gosling and judged that shed grown, if only slightly. How familiars worked was beyond him, but her calming presence was enough to make it worth it. The group made their way back to the Newt and Demon, running into several people on the streets. They politely pushed past as the sun dipped lower behind the horizon and entered the Dreamwalk.

The schedule in the real world was unforgiving. Theo wanted to work on something that would imitate pitch, since alchemy seemed the best bet, but hadnt had the time. Instead, he watched as Tresk departed near the harbor and focused on developing his mana control. It was simple enough for him to draw that fiery purple mana from his core and hold it in his palm now. Repeated practice made the process reliable, even if he didnt trust himself in the real world. But that was fading as time went on. There was no point in practicing in the Dreamwalk if he didnt apply what he learned in real life. Thats what Xolsa would have said.

Theos time in the Dreamwalk became a race to gain as much experience as possible. With Throks basic timing device, he practiced what it would be like to run 5 or more stills in real life. He found it easy to run 10 at a time, not caring about the result, but operating 5 was difficult if he expected quality essence. There was also a strain that came with running so many stills, as though part of himself was tied to the process. In the real world, he found this strain pressing gently on his chest when running his current setup. But that exertion was like a phantom of itself in this realm. The weight was lighter.

Alex had gone with Tresk tonight, leaving Theo alone with his ghost ships and his thoughts. The alchemist summoned Marshy on the horizon, waving to the fictitious god. Somehow, that looming creatures presence was comforting. He felt restless that night. Running between so many stills had become a comfort, but there was a lingering anxiety that built in his mind. It had been a while since he ran up against the first barrier in this world. Back when he was under level 10, struggling to find the secret to advancement. Coming up against another barrier, this time with much more knowledge, allowed him to identify the source of the block.

The pair split off again, tending to their own training. Theo kept his focus on his alchemy core, but didnt neglect his herbalism core. Getting his personal level to 20 was the plan, and it didnt matter if his herbalism core was along for the ride. The [Governance Core] would provide more than enough experience to push him over the endthe damn thing was almost at level 19.

The Dreamwalk ended after many more tests with the stills. Theo got a notification that his [Tarahek Core] leveled to 21, and his [Governance Core] leveled to 19. He walked with Tresk to eat the leftover wolf meat cheese stew, something he didnt know hed like at first. But as a breakfast option, it was too heavy. The alchemist cut it with Zee bread, dipping it into the stew and sipping his tea between bites. That was enough to tone down the overpowering flavors and jump-start his day.

See, if I go to Throk first That just sets the day up for disaster, Theo said.

Well, I can feel you itching to talk to the Elf trader, Tresk said. Shed already dumped the soup down her gullet.

Before Theo could decide what to do, Alise found him in the tavern. She joined them for breakfast and took her time eating the leftover stew, chatting about small topics. The most important topic she covered was Sledges fabrication abilities. Alise and Nira had the Marshling install an air conditioner in their house, mounting it high on a wall. The cooling effect was impressive, but she was edging closer to an ability to exploit the [Synergistic] upgrade on the town. With more people ordering her fine work, it was only a matter of time.

Alise, Theo, and Alex left Tresk to her adventuring. They marched over to the town hall and took their large meeting room, taking their time to get settled. Gwyn was missing from the meeting, off handling some issues with the Elves for the morning. That left the pair of them to get down to something Alise seemed proud of.

I spoke with Fenian, Alise started, tapping her fingers together and grinning. He wasnt interested in hauling bulk goods, but Ive convinced him.

Just like that?

No. Not really. Ive been wearing him down over the past few trips, Alise said. It was Niras idea, actually. She complained we werent exporting enough metal. Saw it as a shame.

What buyers is he targeting? Theo asked.

Elves. I think. Taranthians? Taranthiams? How do you say the people of Tarantham?

Taranthians, Theo said. Which house?

The dominant house, actually. The one that destroyed House Wavecrest. House Baelstar.

Thats not ominous or anything, Theo said.

There was some moral issue there the alchemist couldnt find. This wouldnt count as direct trade with the Elves, since Fenian was acting as a fence. It was still a solution for the short-term, putting a stop to their hemorrhaging finances. It might not have sat right with him, putting his entire fate into Fenians hands, but there was nothing they could do until the boats were built.

This is our only plan, Alise said. He wont have a price for us right away, and hell be gone for about a week.

I like it, Theo said. Thanks for sorting that out. Anything else to report?

Just a lot of numbers about the new Elves. We lost a few more last night, Alise said. Only 2 this time.

They broke the contract? Theo asked.

They did. But Im not surprised. I had them marked on my list as trouble-makers. They refused to sign the contract until I threatened to kick them out.

Another layer of defense.

Exactly, Alise said, clapping her hands to punctuate the idea. Well, I have a candidate for your tailoring position. They slipped through the cracksdidnt report all their coresbut theyre not happy about working the fields.

Funny, Theo said, running his clawed fingers through Alexs plumage. She nestled in his bag, chirping as though he owed her worms. It was possible he owed her some worms. They could have avoided that if they were just honest. Maybe the contract-breakers put a fire under their asses.

I think so.

Should I plant the [Weavers Seed Core] near the farm, or in the towns center?

Were looking at the center of town as more of an artisans area, Alise said. Theres a lot of unused space between the center and Mianas ranch.

Theo consulted his map, finding plenty of free plots around the monolith. Any of them would be fine, but it made sense to keep it away from the sawmill. Whisper, the butcher, didnt seem to care about the noise, but there was no sense exposing others to it. The alchemist rose from his chair and looked out the window, peering down at the road that ran north-south. He could see the Newt and Demon from here, along with part of Zaralis enchanters workshop. An idea hit him before he could resist.

Maybe its time to see if our fabricator can tell the roads where to go.