The Newt and Demon-8.86 - One Last Card Game

It took a while, but Theo got used to a life of leisure. He found himself uninterested in the management of things without the aid of the system. Keeping track of citizens, buildings, supplies, and all that boring stuff with pen and paper was daunting. Alise took control of the floating island over the coming months, while Belgar fell into his role as a leader without a title on the ground below.

Theo, Fenian, and Tresk spent nearly all their time wandering the many roads of Tero’gal.

“What fish do you suppose that is?” Fenian asked, crouched over the bank of a vast lake. “And what purpose would two tails serve?”

“Faster swimming, duh,” Tresk scoffed. “You said the same thing about the double-ended mole.”

Fenian went rigid for a moment, casting his eyes through the canopy of the trees overhead. “Ah. The party might be over, friends.”

“Is Khahar finally here?” Theo asked.

“Although the grouchy cat is on his way, I’m afraid this is a beast far more fearsome. My wife.”

Somewhere distant, Theo heard the roar of a dragon. Like most dragons, the sound carried unnaturally far. It was bad enough to hear one dragon shrieking far away, but the alchemist could hear several distinct voices. Most of the dragon flights had been silent during the reset. The alchemist had expected far more activity but wouldn't complain. His little slice of the sector had been mostly silent.

“It appears as though she brought the entire dragon flight.” Fenian removed his hat, scratching his head idly. “I honestly cannot say what they would want. I gave them specific orders.”

“Well, I don’t think we have to wait to find out,” Tresk said, pointing skyward.

A group of four glittering dragons flew overhead. The one at the front of the formation was by far the largest, and the one Theo presumed was Fenian’s wife. They did a circle over the large lake, three breaking off to patrol the area while their leader swooped down. Her wings created a hurricane of wind that forced the group to shield their faces. When she finally did land in the waters of the lake, she whipped up a splash of water that soaked them all. She turned her head to one side like a predatory bird assessing prey.

The dragon's scales seem to be made of the same crystalline material the shards were made from. They held an eerie glow within them. That seemed to pulse every time she took a breath. She had a crown of elegant horns sweeping back from the back of her head and a spine of similar crystal material tracing the line of her back. It was an incredibly elegant form for a dragon to take, and the alchemist found it difficult not to be impressed.

“How long is this vacation meant to last?” The dragon’s voice boomed, causing ripples to radiate outward in the water.

“We’re waiting for Khahar, my love,” Fenian said, pressing his hat into his chest. "I'm sure he'll arrive soon enough, and then we can return to our planet. Tinesa, these are my friends… Tresk and Theo.”

The dragon regarded the pair with an equally predatory gaze, as though she was sizing up the best way to eat either of them. Eventually, she blew a breath through her nostrils. The air stung with magic.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Tinesa said, bowing her head. “Unfortunately, my husband here doesn't do well unless he is monitored. His planet burns, and he's all too excited to waste his time skipping through meadows and catching bugs like a boy.”

“Nice to meet you, Dragon Lady," Tresk said, waving like an idiot. "Didn't know if we'd ever get to see you alive again.”

"Even death is not powerful enough to keep us separated," Tinesa said with a growl. “Anyway, traveling between the planets is quite difficult. The journey here took quite some time, but only because the gate on Erradon was not large enough to accommodate the forms of those of us who cannot shift yet.” Her eyes lingered on Theo for too long.

He knew who she was talking about.

"But why don't you come sit by the lake for a while, pretty dragon lady?" Tresk asked, wringing her hands together. "We got these fish with two tails, although I'm afraid you might have killed all of them with that landing."

“I’m afraid not. We’re en route to Tal’vengar in coordination with the Storm Flight and Earth Flight.” Tinesa glared at Fenian for a bit longer. “You must return to Erradon the moment you finish with Khahar. Understand?”

“I do,” Fenian said, bowing his head low.

The group stood there for many awkward seconds. Before Tinesa finally took off, Fenian breathed a heavy sigh of relief, wiping visible sweat from his brow.

"Aren't you the leader of the Crystal Dragon Flight?" Tresk asked, tapping her chin a few times. “Interesting.”

Although Fenian glared at Tresk, it didn't go further than that. At least it lit a fire under the elf. The trio were soon heading back to town. The walk was a few days away, and it was possible for them to ride Alex, but each had fallen into the habit of walking everywhere. It was incredibly therapeutic, providing many moments of peace in an otherwise chaotic situation.

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This gave them a chance to chat about whatever. Most interesting to Theo was the topics of conversation they always landed on. After Tresk had adjusted to a life that didn't depend on constant combat, her true personality could shine. She was a shy little girl from the swamp who was quite interested in reptiles, fish, and birds. She didn't seem to hold an affinity for mammals and often dismissed any of the deer-like creatures they saw along the road. But if she saw a snake, that would be the only thing she talked about for the entire day. The alchemist mostly took a passive position in these conversations, favoring occasional comments and a more reserved stance.

Fenian was moderately interested in animals, but he had a mind for history since this world was very new. He always talked about the way the things they were doing now would affect the history of the world down the road. No one could have been certain what the sector would look like in a few hundred years. But he was confident it would be a storied existence for all involved.

When Theo stepped foot in Boar Hollow, he was flagged down by one of the guards. Apparently, establishing a militia or any type of military was something Belgar really hadn't wanted to do, but monsters were now spawning in the countryside, meaning they needed somebody to guard the town. The guard brought word that Khahar had arrived and was staying at a nearby tavern.

“Finally,” Tresk scoffed. “Let’s see what the big cat wants.”

Theo was the first to step into the tavern. He pushed the door in and looked upon the faces of familiar people from the town. Then he spotted his old friend near the back, nursing a drink and wearing the gold finery of his station. Khahar had a pleasant smile on his face as he beckoned them over.

“About time you showed up,” Theo teased, taking his seat. “How is everything?”

“Just fine,” Khahar said, shaking his head. “The system is close to restoring our thrones, but it’ll take a while longer.”

“How long?” Tresk asked.

Khahar shrugged. “I had a brief conversation with her before she… went away. Disabling everyone’s system was done by the Grand System, not her. That’s the system that manages systems. It has to do a lot of calculations to figure out where we fit into the universe.”

Theo leaned back in his chair. This was a tavern that served some pretty decent food. Unlike some gimmick establishments that sought to import things from afar, the food here was all local. That meant a lot of deer meat, turnips, and carrots. Although his diet had changed, it was still quite comforting to have an establishment that served such homey food.

“We still have our old jobs?” Theo asked. “Am I getting my void travel back?”

Khahar shrugged. “I think so. The void is… strange right now. I tried communicating with the god, Void, but he is silent. I think there are just too many changes at once.”

“Extended vacation?” Fenian asked. “Well, Tinesa will kill me if I don’t come home now that Khahar showed up…”

Tresk made a sound like a whip cracking. Fenian glared at her.

People came and went from the tavern as the group talked. Khahak was doing pretty well, but Theo wasn’t surprised. Khahar had constructed it like an administration hub, ready to handle whatever situation went down. He had some information on what was to come, but not a lot. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

During the lead-up to the reset, Tresk had discovered a way to cultivate a primordial kind of energy. That was the energy from the Grand System. The Grand System acted as a universal system, on which all other systems were based. What was happening within their sector was the slow acclimation to that energy. Basically, there was a version mismatch, and it needed to be patched. In the case of this sector, it was a massive patch, considering how many things had been changed and made strange compared to the way they were supposed to be.

The world that Fenian knew in the old version of his planet was one accepted by the Grand System. But over 60,000 years, things had changed. The ascendants created their own little classes, the thrones had been generated, and an impossible number of class-based changes had been created by those very ascendants. It was a mess that wasn’t easy to untangle.

“I suggest we take this time to relax,” Khahar said.

Tresk laughed. “Too late for that! We’ve been living the good life here recently.”

Theo couldn’t help but join his companion by barking a laugh. “You’re the last person I’d expect to enjoy the ‘good life.’”

Tresk shrugged. “The one thing that pisses me off is the lack of connection with my boy here.”

“That should get repaired just like the rest of the system,” Khahar said. “Just be patient.”

After they were done with their meal, Tresk and Fenian went ahead while Khahar pulled Theo aside. They walked their way to the park, where Theo had first seen Elrin attempting the Celestial Cultivation technique. To the alchemist’s surprise, Yuri pulled a deck of cards out of nowhere and sat on a chair near a table. Without explaining a thing, he began dealing.

“I expected to find you spending all your time getting stronger,” Khahar said, finishing up the spread of cards. “What happened?”

Theo took his seat, checking his cards only to find absolutely nothing to work with. “I could say the same about you. You’ve been relaxing, haven’t you?”

Khahar let out a heavy sigh. “Somewhat. There are some rumblings in the heavens I’m aware of. A war that’ll lead to a schism.”

“What kind?” Theo asked.

“If Silver’s plan works, she’ll create another plane. One right above the Middle Plane. The gods representing elements were always going to be weak, so her plan was to create another class of elemental lords.” Khahar said, fidgeting with his cards. “I got nothing.”

“Same,” Theo said, revealing a Two of Diamonds and a Ten of Diamonds.

Khahar revealed the Five of Spades and Nine of Spades, which gave him a pair with the community cards. “Nothing phases you, does it?” he asked, taking all the cards and shuffling them again. “You’re the same old guy from Earth.”

“Nah. That guy was actually good at this game. I hardly remember how to play.” Theo tapped his chin, watching as Khahar shuffled the cards.

“The point isn’t to be good. The point is to have fun,” Khahar said, dealing again. “Now, the elemental lords will serve an important purpose. They’ll have some control over the way magic works.”

“Ooo, a pair,” Theo said.

Khahar narrowed his gaze. “I can’t remember if you’re good at bluffing.”

Theo smiled to himself, placing the Ace of Clubs and Ace of Hearts face-down. “Only one way to find out.”