The Newt and Demon

6.4 - Purge

Qavell was a massive city. Even after losing half of its area, the city sprawled in every direction. Theo and his newly formed strike team stalked the halls of the palace, the king following closely behind. He had only stopped stammering about the monsters within his inner circle after exhausting himself. The alchemist watched as Sulvan Flametouched walked through the inner halls of the palace with practiced precision. It was hard not to wince when he kicked down a door, purging another abomination from the world.

Sulvan’s eagerness to purge an entire city of the monstrous entities was too similar to what he had done for the Burning Eye. Theo could only hope that Glantheir’s banner had driven those old impulses away. He found it more productive to think about this purge as a repurposing of the man’s talents for good. And there was no mark of the ex-paladin’s zealotry. Only practice precision and efficient mana usage.

Aarok and his men had missed the monsters in the city. Sulvan had explained it as a glamor spell that Glantheir was happy to lift. It didn’t change a person’s form, but made others view them as different. It didn’t affect the Priest of Glantheir, allowing him to see them as they truly were. The Southlands Alliance’s army of adventurers wasn’t so skilled, but at least there weren’t casualties. The adventurers now scoured the city itself, focusing on going door-to-door with a blessing from Sulvan.

Theo’s team was focused on scouring the palace with Hanan. If the city outside was large, the webwork of tunnels and rooms beneath was double its size. The first level held enough twisted creatures to send everyone’s stomach churning. The second level was worse.

“How deep does this go?” Theo asked, nudging Hanan. The king was on edge, almost unable to form words unless prodded.

“Deep. I wasn’t allowed down here when my father was alive.”

Sulvan was clearing another room with Sarisa and Rowan, leaving Theo, Xol’sa, and Zarali to inspect another body. The creatures had leathery skin of a brown-black hue. Their faces were a twisted mass of flesh, never having the same pattern between them. Each monster’s limbs were similarly twisted, hands often mounds of flesh rather than a hand with discernable digits.

“These were elves,” Xol’sa said, cutting open a creature without hesitation. “I’m almost certain they were. And I don’t recognize the magic that has infused them.”

“This isn’t demonic magic,” Zarali confirmed. She ran her finger along the surface of one monster’s face, shaking her head. “What is the current theory?”

Was there even a theory? Theo was at a loss. He wasn’t a native to this world, but had seen more of the strange things it offered than most. His experience delving into the void and visiting other realms didn’t help him here. Even his willpower-fueled aura offered nothing. But there was something interesting about the creatures. The alchemist produced an alchemically neutral knife and prodded at the figure. He could find nothing alchemically significant.

“They’re not monsters. They would have generated at least one reagent.”

A series of runes drew themselves on the ground under the creature. Xol’sa channeled a spell, doing his best to figure out what was going on. As they discussed possibilities, a faint light flooded the room. When Theo looked up from the runes, he spotted Fenian at the door. With a stunted pair of glowing wings growing out of his back.

“What’s with the wings?” Theo asked.

Fenian did a twirl, posing at the end. “I was wondering the same thing!”

The Herald waltzed to the creature, placing his hand on the thing’s head. The wings on his back flashed in recognition, growing slightly larger. Fenian flexed his hand, chuckling when the thing beneath it burst into flames. Everyone stumbled back, but the thing was gone in moments.

“And what does that mean?” Xol’sa asked, his spell fizzling to nothing.

“These are people that have been corrupted by that entity. They don’t belong here, which gives me absolute authority over them. Which is why I have the wings, I guess. I couldn’t get up here without leaving a crater, so it gave me wings.”

“I’d like some wings,” Zarali said wistfully.

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“I bet you would.” Fenian stood, dusting his hands off. The ever-present smile on his face beamed at the group. “Sulvan will need me for the next step, I think. Oh, what a lovely man.”

Fenian departed without explaining himself. He joined with Sulvan in the next room, helping purge the city of these monsters. Theo flipped through reports on his administration screen. Things were going well on the surface. Aarok and his people were searching for more creatures—a task likely better suited to Fenian—and had found a few more corrupted entities. If the undead weren’t bad enough, they were now dealing with a kind of befoulment that potions couldn’t solve.

It was clear after a while that only Sulvan and Fenian had to purge the area underneath Qavell. Theo and the others took the hint, leaving to focus their efforts on the surface. While he didn’t completely trust Sulvan to do the job, he knew Fenian would enforce anything that would put the world in danger. It was his job, after all.

As much as Theo wanted to return to his lab for some hardcore alchemy, the city was in a state. It wasn’t tipping over anymore, but there was just too much to do. Aarok and his people cleared everyone on the surface on the first day. Anyone who could lend a hand spent the second day performing repairs on any buildings that weren’t created with a seed core. By the third day, the citizens had stopped being so fearful. They helped the people of the Southlands Alliance repair their city, finally finding the will to put their backs into it.

During these three days of hard work, Sulvan and Fenian cleansed the underground area. They didn’t give reports, and they didn’t rest. They went between rooms, destroying any sign left by the malicious entity. Theo was using his Earth Sorcerer Core to piece a stone building back together when the pair finally emerged. Sulvan looked as serious as ever, but Fenian was in the middle of a joke. The punchline didn’t land with the priest.

“We have something fun to show you, my dear alchemist,” Fenian said.

Theo dropped the stone he was holding, swapping his core for the Zaul Shadowspirit Core. “Let’s go. This kinda sucks.”

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Fenian’s wings hadn’t gone away, and it was weird. Theo didn’t remember seeing them when he fought for the fate of Qavell, but there they were. As they marched into the palace, he got a better look at them. The wings were made of feather-like things, but seemed to be constructed with light. That light shimmered between gold and silver, seeming to change with the direction the wind blew. It was unclear as to if he could control them.

“It would have been better to destroy the town.” Sulvan swallowed hard, as though that would take back the harsh words he had uttered.

“Oh, don’t be so glum. You just need rest,” Fenian said, patting the man on the shoulder.

The old Sulvan would have punched Fenian in the face. Theo doubted that even the old version of that paladin could have done more than annoying the Herald. As expected, the complex beneath Qavell was extensive. It didn’t take long to reach a section that had been carved into natural stones. The stairs were worn smooth in the middle, but tool marks could still be seen on the walls.

Theo didn’t know how long they descended those stairs. He was almost certain they had gone deeper than the landmass was tall, but they kept going. Each time the stairs leveled out, there were halls with rooms shooting off in either direction. Those stairs leveled out one last time, revealing a much larger passageway than the ones before. It led to a massive metal door, which was inscribed in the Axpashi language.

“Guess who broke those wards? It was me!” Fenian said proudly.

Sulvan didn’t wait for Fenian to gloat more, and approached the door. He pushed it open with the slightest touch, revealing a sight within. A massive room appeared before them, hewn from the same stone as the rest of the underground area. Four pillars, topped with glowing crystals of various hues, rested in the four corners of the room. In the center was a twisted pillar of stone and wood. Roots wrapped in on themselves, forming the center of both the Kingdom Core and the Town Core.

“Dark coresmith magic,” Sulvan said, gesturing to the corpses still present in the room.

“Dark coresmiths aren’t a thing. These are more corrupt folks. Likely coresmiths in life. Which is funny, because Qavell didn’t have any.” Fenian preened at that comment.

Theo knew Fenian had a problem with King Karasan. But he had only recently learned that the elf would have brought the city down without the undead if he needed to. It was some old revenge story that the Herald wasn’t willing to share.

“Well, they’re dead now.” Theo kicked at one body. It rolled over, revealing the familiar face of a twisted creature.

Fenian approached the strange pillar, slapping it. “This is the problem. I can destroy this thing, but I can’t purge it.”

“Neither can I. The magic is too strong.” Sulva shifted uncomfortably. It was as though that failure fell on his shoulders, rather than the ones who had created the magic.

“But of course, we’re talking about magic that goes against the system. Left behind by the Worldbreaker as a foul sore. My powers only go so far, alchemist.”

Theo extended his aura, fueled by his willpower. He smiled to himself when even Fenian winced in response. Xol’sa had given him instructions on how to work with his aura. The only time he had to read the book had been at night, when he was in the Dreamwalk. Most of that time he spent looking over his shoulder, waiting for the old Dreamer to come back and claim the throne. But it never happened.

The core felt strange in Theo’s aura, but he wasn’t certain he could do anything about it. He probed it with his willpower, drawing on everything he had. While he only got a faint glimpse as to the thing’s power, he realized what had happened. Someone had twisted the two energies together, mixing otherworldly energy from the Worldbreaker with the magic generated by the system. They had hijacked something the system created, repurposing it for their own needs.

The entity he knew as the Worldbreaker was an interdimensional being. Passing through realms was easy enough, if one had the right tools. But this creature could pass into the greater universe… multiverse? Whatever. He went to places that were dying to scoop people up like the Harbinger did. The entity had tangled some of that power into this Kingdom Core. But why? All Theo could see was evidence of an act, but no clear sign of motive. Even the most basic beast did things with a purpose.

“Has anyone figured out why the Worldbreaker is doing what he’s doing?” Theo asked.

“Assuming he is a ‘he,’” Fenian said, chuckling. “That’s a good question, though.”

“The city will continue to function, but we need to seal this room,” Sulvan said. “Until we can figure out how to purge this magic, it must remain sealed.”

Theo could see why. He held his aura out, sensing the magic coming from the core. It came in steady waves, releasing more energy than should have been possible. But the magic wasn’t unfamiliar to him at this point. This was the power plant of the city. It allowed it to fly. It might have required fuel to stay afloat, but the base level of power it generated was staggering. He could use his Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap skills to create a ward that shielded the entire area. It would need to be refreshed every week or so, but he could do it.

“I guess that falls to me, huh?” Theo asked.

“We were hoping so,” Fenian said.

Theo nodded, opening his Toru’aun spellbook and going through his wards. The Anti-Mage property was once again his best friend. A few poems and some modification later, and the alchemist had something he could work with. “This may affect some functions of the city, but we don’t have a choice.”

“Go for it,” Fenian said, shrugging. “If we don’t suppress this energy, everyone will turn into those things.”

Theo’s brow knit tightly. “Uh… should we be standing so close?”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe. Probably. Just make the ward, magic demon.”

Theo followed his instincts most of the time. When those failed, his high Wisdom took over with the Wisdom of the Soul messages. It rarely told him exactly what to do, but this time it was forthcoming. He combined anti-magic elements with imbue to forge a new ward. Sulvan’s eyes went wide for a moment as the alchemist approached the pillar itself. He pressed his hand against the warm surface and started his demonic chant. His willpower flashed out, infusing it with both the Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap skill. Shadow Wrap was a stretch, since the description claimed it only enhanced items. But the system relented, accepting a ward as an item.

A ripple of combating powers radiated from the monolith for a few moments. The dark powers within the cores fought against Theo’s ward, but were battered down with sheer willpower. The four crystals in the room’s corners went dim. He inspected the resulting ward.

[Subdue Magic]

[Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward] [Shadow Wrapped Ward] [Spiritwoven Ward]

Anti-magic, Infuse

Creates a suppressive field that nullifies all magic within the bubble.

Shadow Wrapped Bonus:

Increases the duration of this ward by 10 days.

Spiritwoven Bonus:

The power of this ward is linked directly to the caster’s willpower. Effectiveness of this ward is increased depending on the caster’s willpower.

Trigger:

Detect Adverse Magic

Duration:

20 Days

“Just try not to cast anything in here,” Theo said, withdrawing his hand from the core. He looked at his palm, raising an eyebrow when he saw a mark left by the effort. A patch of skin had been burned from the effort.

“When did you start that willpower exploit?” Fenian asked, wrapping his arm around Theo. He couldn’t quite reach his shoulder. “Come. We can have a drink while you tell me all about it. You coming, Sulvan?”

“I need to rest,” Sulvan grunted.

“So, just the two of us! Onward!”