The Newt and Demon

5.40 - Drogramath Dedication

A mossy forest, filled with conifers, smooth boulders, and bubbling streams stretched as far as Theo could see. He touched the bark of one tree, finding it to be a fair recreation of Earth trees. Tresk had pushed herself as far as she could go to imagine the dream landscape, and the alchemist was impressed. While she refused to give up her secrets, there was clear progress in the dream's quality. In the distance, she fought with a creature from the same origin as the forest. Trees crashed. The sound of boulders being split in half from a heavy sword grated against the alchemists senses.

Theo moved to a clearing far from the battle, creating his alchemy equipment and getting to work. His day on both the mortal plane and in Terogal had been uneventful. The welcome reprieve gave him time to focus on something that now hung tantalizingly close to his grasp. Achieving Level 30 would bring with it a flood of new abilities. One each for alchemy and herbalism, and a free-pick skill. If he was right about the progression in this world, it also meant his other cores would unlock, allowing him to progress in those as well.

After starting the stills and cultivating a decently large plot of land for growing reagents, Theo hesitated. He could spend his time in the Dreamwalk exploiting the features within to find more uses for the Holy modifier. But that had become something Salire enjoyed. Instead, he focused his efforts on finding the reason that the modifier had been so hard to ferment last season. He imagined a table, then a few cultivated Swamp Truffles for experimentation.

Reagents had rarity, but that hardly seemed to impact Theos ability to distill or ferment them. A Zee Kernel had just as much of a chance to produce a powerful potion as a Swamp Truffle. And the difference between those reagents was a rarity of common and epic. Reagents with a higher rarity produced potions and modifiers that were harder to come by. The rarity reflected how many of an item existed. Or something like that. The alchemist still didnt have a handle on how that worked.

The alchemist applied his mana to a truffle, breaking it down into the powdered primal version of Hallow Ground. Smoke rushed upward from the process, dispersing in the air after a few moments. Somewhere between the primal essence on the table and the dissipating smoke was the answer. He performed the same demonstration on a Zee Kernel, finding the quality and scent of the produced smoke to be different enough for note.

Something about impurities, Theo muttered to himself, waving away what colored smoke lingered above his head.

Breaking reagents down with the Reagent Deconstruction skill was an interesting example of what made a reagent a reagent. There was a physical component to every reagent. A physical thing a person could hold. Reagents could often be eaten, giving a person a minor version of the propertys effects. More than that, the Reagent Deconstruction skill could extract whole elements from reagents. Theo was never much of a chemist, but he understood enough about trace minerals in plants to know those things were in there. Salt from seawater was the best example he had.

On the magical side of things, all reagents held their three standard properties, and a hidden fourth property. And more, if some of the information Theo had was to be believed. Those two halves of the coin led him to think of the problem coming from the weight of the magical properties. He conducted his experiments that night, thinking on the topic and making only theories. His plan to make sure both his alchemy and herbalist cores hit 30 at the same time faded as he drew his conclusions near dawn.

Theo stood near Tresks pitched battle. She was fighting a massive, horned serpent he didnt recognize. I think the alchemy system is busted, he shouted. The marshling performed a rolling spin over the creatures back, leaving behind a trail of poison and blood.

Oh, yeah? Tresk asked, shadow-teleporting away from the snakes strike. Somewhere above, Alex honked and shot a fireball.

Yep. All the reagents are in tiers. Which means you have to be at a certain level to work with them properly.

Tresk was impaled by the snakes horn. She trashed, kicking at the things face and cursing. The marshling clicked her tongue and the creature vanished. We almost had it!

Did you? Theo asked.

Nah. But your reagent theory tracks with what weve seen with alchemy. Big smart boy.

I am a smart boy arent I?

If you say youre a smart boy, youre no longer a smart boy.

Theo nodded in agreement. He felt something twinge in his chest, then remembered his ongoing alchemy experiments back in the clearing. A bigger rush filled his chest, almost making the Dreamwalk feel like the real world. A system message appeared.

[Drogramath Alchemy Core] receivedexperience (0.3%).

[Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 30.

Obtained free [Drogramath Alchemy] skill point for hitting level 30 with this core.

Level up! Tresk screamed, jumping into the air and pumping her fist. Guess you missed the train on your herbalist core.

I got distracted with alchemy tonight, Theo said.

Level 30 was unlike any level he had achieved so far. The free skill was great, but there was something else. He recalled feeling a similar sensation when his Tarahek Core got to Level 30, although it didnt happen with his Governance Core. Tresk was ready to end the Dreamwalk, which was with him. The alchemist needed time to look over his skill options, and doing so over breakfast was appealing to him. In a flash, the world melted around them until they once again appeared in bed.

Tresk was off before Theos eyes could fully open. The alchemist took his time heading downstairs, looking through the endless list of skills he could pick from. He tried not to look at them between level-ups, since most were unavailable for viewing until he hit that level. Otherwise, he was staring at a list of skills he couldnt pick.

Sarisa had made her standard breakfast, which brought a great sense of comfort to Theo. Most seemed to enjoy a variety of food, but he had always preferred the same thing for breakfast. If he ate breakfast at all. His work on Earth made breakfast the easiest meal to skip, as his early hours always seemed to be crammed with things to do. Here in Broken Tusk, he had time to sit and relax. But that old habit remained and he poked at his food while scrolling through the list. Something had already caught his eye, but he wanted to give the other new entries a fair chance.

Anything interesting going on today? Sarisa asked.

Theo looked away from his screen for a moment, finding the half-ogre assistant standing with her hands on her hips. Is Rowan still on vacation?

Yeah. A few more days, she said, shaking her head. Things have just been boring lately.

Theo paused, his brows knitting slightly. Boring is good. Right?

Sarisa offered a faint shrug. Not really.

She was a fiery half-ogre that reminded Theo more of an amped-up version of Aarok than anyone else. He returned his attention to the screen, scrolling on. Im sure you could head off to the dungeons if you needed to blow off some steam.

Not a bad idea.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Theo narrowed his selection as he ate breakfast, finally making his pick. He inspected the ability one last time, realizing that it was the only pick. Even if he considered just the rarity rating, it was amazing.

[Drogramath Dedication]

Alchemy and Herbalism Skill

Unique

The holder of both a Drogramath Alchemy Core and a Drogramath Herbalist Core dedicates themself to the potential of both cores.

Effect:

Removes the meta barrier between the core users soul and both Drogramath Alchemy Core and the Drogramath Herbalist Core.

Both cores may never again be removed.

All other cores will be considered sub-cores, and may no longer add to your personal level.

All other cores will be capped at the average level between your Drogramath Alchemy Core and Drogramath Herbalist Core.

Unlocks the potential to evolve any core into a Drogramath variant.

This wasnt just an ordinary skill. Drogramath Dedication changed the way the system worked, and there was a lot to take in. Theo sat in silence as he considered how far-reaching this skill was. He considered the meta barrier first. Removing the meta barrier meant that his cores would no longer influence his mind. That was the most simple way to explain it. It was a topic that the alchemist could talk about for hours, but removing the meta barrier on the cores meant that there was no longer a divide between himself and the cores. They would become a part of him, rather than metal cages floating in his soul. The effect would be a vast increase in his ability to perform alchemy, as though those cores were both no longer influencing him, and an integral part of him. He wanted that more than anything else in the long list of effects.

Next was the removal of the cores. Theo had never removed a core, let alone his most powerful ones. Perhaps he would start, now that he was standing on the edge of Level 30 for his personal level. This effect would not be an issue for him.

The next one was both interesting and haunting. His other cores would be considered sub-cores, which wouldnt add to his personal level. This paired with the next item on the list, capping his other cores at the average level of his two main cores. Both effects wouldnt be a problem, and would make the leveling system easier for him to deal with. The haunting aspect of these effects was that this was his idea on how to make the system better. Main and sub-cores were something that he had thought about in the past. And there it was, displayed in a unique skill. Convenient.

If the last two effects were a downside, the last effect made up for that. Theo knew he could trust his interpretation of the text. The system was always clear with effects, and never tried to use double-speak. Except with potions. Those were always weird. But if any core could evolve into a Drogramath variant that would be powerful. As the champion of Drogramath, Theos Drogramath cores were more powerful than his other cores. If he changed his Governance core to a Drogramath Governance Core, it would get stronger by default.

Damn, Theo said, drumming his fingers on the table.

Something on your mind? Sarisa asked.

Theo snapped out of his contemplative mood, looking up to see the smiling, tusked face of his assistant. He had to laugh at himself for getting so absorbed in a new skill. Let me read you this description. Tell me what you think

Sarisa nodded along, or made faces when Theo read the skill out to her. When he was done reading, she shook her head. Want my honest opinion?

Naturally.

This skill means youre willing to go all-in with Drogramath. Is that something you want? Truly? Sarisa asked. There was a hint of something in what she said.

But there was a problem with her logic. Theo couldnt assume he could get as powerful as Drogramath before he acted on his plan. While he was in the mortal realm, he had to treat himself as a person needing the help of the gods. Everything he did here was reliant on Drogramath, or Glantheir, or UzXulven. And now he counted Drogramath as more than just a patron, but a friend. And he couldnt create his own cores, yet. Her unspoken suggestion was to wait and replace his Drogramath cores with Dreamrealm cores, then take a similar ability. When Sarisa flicked his forehead, he snapped out of his thoughts.

Sorry. Youre right, Theo said. If I could make my own cores, this wouldnt be a problem. But is it wrong to draw on the power of the gods?

Of course it isnt. Im bound to Baelthar, and would be happy to accept more of his power. Just thought you should pause before accepting that skill.

She was right, of course. A skill like this required deep thought. Thanks. I appreciate your advice.

Sarisa snorted a laugh. Yeah. Dont get weird on me.

Theo set aside the skill for now, leaving his bonus skill unselected. He cleared his plate away, heading off from the manor and making his way to the Newt and Demon. The hired guard trundled along behind them, seeming more bored with the calm pace of the day than even Sarisa. Salire was waiting in the shop section of the building, brightening up when she saw the alchemist and his guards. She had been in a lovely mood since they cured the frog problem.

More experiments? she asked.

And something more, Theo said, gesturing for her to follow him up the stairs. Mind watching the shop, grumpy guard?

Are you kidding? I made a gold last time, the hired guard said, rubbing his hands together.

Theo headed upstairs, then explained the new skill to Salire. He wanted an alchemists opinion on it. Sarisa watched on, her arms folded over her chest as she listened. The alchemist hoped she wasnt offended with him looking for a second opinion.

This is hard, Salire said, releasing a sigh. There are good things and bad things.

Sarisa smiled from the rooms corner, nodding to herself. Thats what I said.

Ill take a day to think about it, Theo said. Maybe consult with Drogramath himself. I dont know if the gods create these skills themselves, or if the system generates it for them.

What better way than going straight to the source? Sarisa asked.

Lets do some alchemy, Theo said. Thatll clear my head.

There was the standard lineup of work that they had to do. Theo needed to check in on the golems in Gronro, but hadnt had a chance. He could feel their faint responses coming from such a distance, but needed to see it for himself to form an opinion on their effectiveness. For now, it was more important to get more of the Hallow the Soil essence prepared for distribution.

Were seeing a slight increase in the quality of the essence, Theo said, holding a flask of the liquid up to the light. There was more clarity in the silvery sheen. Nothing thats going to tip the scales.

Im getting better at the heating patterns, Salire said, holding up a notebook. It was filled with the names of reagents and the proper heating times during a batch.

The improvement was slight, and it didnt matter for their current application. But the point was that Salire was getting better at this. While she wasnt the primary brewer of these essences, she helped more than she should have been able to. And Theo was proud. They moved on to produce some of the potions at second tier, favoring speed over potency for this batch.

I only have one Holy experiment to try today, Theo said, moving away from the brewing Hallow the Soil potions to inspect his supplies. He found a second tier unmodified Poison.

Oh! Salire exclaimed. A holy poison How does that work?

Theo swirled the purple mixture, smiling at the vial. Salire was already preparing a vial to transfer it into, but the alchemist was reminded of the first time he made a poison for Tresk. His instincts told him this wouldnt make an amazing poison. But the elemental foundation of the Poison wasnt death. It might have been similar, but it wasnt death. The golden Holy modifier mixed with the purple Poison, resulting in a moderately violent reaction. But it settled down, resulting in an even mixture of swirling purple and gold. They both inspected the resulting potion.

[Poison]

[Holy]

[Poison] [Modified Poison]

Uncommon

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Minor Bond)

Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.

Effect:

Cripples an enemy, reducing their Wisdom by 5.

Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 10 stacks. Each stack of the poison adds increasing Holy damage based on the strength of the wielders patrons realm.

Allies afflicted with this poison will instead be purged of common poisons.

As expected, Theo said to himself, reading over the description a few times.

Not great.

This was another Holy potion that got more powerful based on a gods realm. Instead of trying to figure it out himself, Theo placed the Poison in the Tarahek inventory.

I have a poison for you to try, he said, speaking directly into Tresks mind.

Ooo! Holy!

Well let Tresk try it, Theo said, patting Salire on the shoulder. Now, lets get more Hallow Ground essence brewing. After that, Im taking a trip to Gronro.