The Newt and Demon-8.3 - Seal of Intelligence

With Sarisa in the wind, Theo saw little use in testing the potions further. He had a few things he wanted to do before he tried some seriously complicated stuff. As he moved through the city, he felt a familiar presence nearby, and then he watched as Tresk materialized beside him. She had a concerned look on her face, and her eyes were darting back and forth.

“Yo, did you see what happened to Sarisa?” she asked, offering only a nervous chuckle.

“I may have fed her an unknown potion,” Theo said, scratching his chin and avoiding eye contact. “But she seemed very excited to eat it.”

“Okay, first, you don’t eat potions,” Tresk said.

“These ones you do,” Theo said, withdrawing the goopy healing version of the potion from his inventory and holding it out for her to see.

“Ew. Why does it look like that? And why isn’t the system giving me a pop-up?”

“Well, that’s why we’re going where we’re going,” Theo said, meeting the way down the street and heading toward Broken Tusk’s only general store. The truth was, he wasn’t entirely certain how well Azrug’s business had been doing of late. However, if the well-kempt exterior and the small crowd of people outside were anything to go by, he was doing quite well.

The alchemist entered the establishment and noticed the same person working the counter as he had seen before. He didn’t even need to ask before they vanished into the back room and returned a few minutes later. “He’ll be out in a second.”

Sure enough, it didn’t take long. As soon as Azrug emerged from the back rooms of the shop with a smile on his face, he asked, “What do you need today, Theo?” He did not sound exactly annoyed, but it seemed as though he had something better to do with his time.

“Well, if you’re not too busy, I’d like you to work your loremaster magic on this weird potion I crafted,” Theo said, holding the potion out for the young half-ogre to inspect.

Azrug didn’t even take it at first. He looked at Theo with a sly grin on his face. “I’ve got a few things I’d rather be doing. I have a large pile of gold in the back that I like to dump on my head until I see stars. But I guess I can spare a moment for a destitute dronon like you.”

“My king,” Tresk said with a half-hearted bow. “Identify the potion before I stuff you in a locker.”

“Let’s see what we have here.” Azrug said. He took the potion and watched as the jelly-like material sloshed around inside. His brows knitted together as he gazed at the flask, the air filling with a familiar flavor of magic. When the sting of magic on Theo’s skin doubled, he knew the merchant was having issues. “What have you done this time, Theo?”

“What do you mean?” Theo asked. “That is a completely normal, innocuous potion.”

“Yeah, right, and I have wings and can shoot fire out of my butt,” Azrug said, finally placing the flask on the counter. He shook his head. “That potion is anything but normal. My core detects that it’s a magical item, but it claims it can’t produce a message for it since it belongs to a different system.”

Theo turned to Tresk, concerned, a flood of feelings coursing through his body. “Does your Dreamer’s Core say anything about it?” he asked.

If the item violated the system’s rules, then Tresk’s core would tell her. She would be tasked with removing the item from this plane and destroying it.

“Not a damn thing,” Tresk said, shaking her head.

Theo cupped his chin in his hand and thought about the problem. This tracked with something he suspected would happen after the switch. He imagined that each world might develop a slightly different flavor of the progression system. It wasn’t as though the System was changing. It was that the progression, leveling, and items would be different.

“This is a real head-scratcher,” Theo said. He withdrew a gold coin from his inventory and placed it on the counter. “Thanks, Azrug.”

“You’re paying me?” Azrug asked with a snort. He took the coin, despite his disagreement. “I’m wondering why you’re not broke.”

As the alchemist stood in the loremaster’s shop, thinking about the implications of this new item, he felt a strange pull at his chest. He turned to Tresk, who had a concerned look on her face. “You feel that?” he asked.

“Yeah. Someone’s trying to interdict us,” she said, withdrawing daggers from her bag. “Which means someone is about to get stabbed.”

“Hey! No weapons in the shop!” Azrug shouted.

Theo shook his head. He recognized the godly power of the one trying to pull him into the heavens. While he doubted they could pull him away on their own, it almost seemed like a polite knock more than anything. Without waiting for Tresk’s confirmation, he folded the void over onto the mortal plane, placing the points in ‘space’ over each other. A blink later, they were somewhere else.

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Tresk and Theo arrived in an enormous structure made from sandstone. From each wall to the left and the right raged waterfalls. The scent of water and mist filled the air as braziers licked upward. The alchemist scanned around, clicking his tongue when he realized what he had done.

“Oopsies,” he said, offering the room a nervous smile.

“You’re nothing but trouble,” a familiar voice said.

Theo scanned the room, finding a khahari woman sitting on a throne made from living water on the far side. She sat with some creature in her lap, stroking its short fur and smiling to herself.

“Didn’t mean to teleport into heaven,” Theo said, taking his time in approaching the throne. “I thought you were calling me from the central meeting point.”

Silver was one of the newest ascended gods. From what Theo understood, she represented elemental concepts of water. This made her different from the other gods, who all represented more mercurial ideas.

“Ew, what is that?” Tresk said, gesturing to the creature in Silver’s lap.

It was a pathetic-looking animal that reminded Theo of the dogs back on Earth. Those dogs had been bred to be smaller than their wolf cousins, rendered as little more than toys to sit on people’s laps. Its eyes were too big, nose too short, and ears too long. The black-and-white pattern on its body was kinda cute, but the way its eyes looked in two different directions at once was unnerving. Maybe the animal was just prepared for an attack from either side.

“Don’t talk about my baby like that,” Silver said with a huff. “Ugh. I knew dealing with you mortals would be a pain.”

“Seriously. Your dog looks like it’s having an existential crisis.”

“Yes, she has a lot on her mind… as do I,” Silver said. She placed the animal on her seat cushion as she rose, blue and white robes billowing behind her. “I meant to summon all the throne holders, but I suppose you will have to do.”

“Right. So, what’s this about?” Theo asked.

Silver strode over the space between them with unrivaled grace. Theo could barely tell when she had taken a step; it appeared as though she was gliding. She moved to one of the many waterfalls that conspicuously made almost no sound. When she finally turned, she had a playful smile on her face.

“Theo, I know you are familiar with the last seal that was placed on an attribute. You were the one who instigated that change anyway,” Silver said. “We’re redesigning the attribute system, and intelligence is the next to be updated.”

“Oh hell naw,” Tresk said. “You’re going to make the world stupid?”

Silver tilted her head to one side, her smile becoming more playful. “Those who have leaned on the attribute might suffer. But that’s why you’re here.”

“You brought us here because you want us to monitor the mortal plane,” Theo said with a nod. “I get it. I’ve had a problem with the Wisdom and Intelligence attributes for a while now, so I won’t say this isn’t welcome.”

“Eventually, we’re going to change the way those attributes work entirely,” Silver said. “But we need to wait for the change first. For now, we’re putting a bandage on the wound, which gives us leeway after the change.”

“Smart move, lady,” Tresk said. “As the Herald’s Hand, let me get this straight. You brought us here to tell us about the change and that’s it?”

“Yes. The other gods have already agreed to the Seal of Intelligence. Several of our number were outspoken in their desire to inform the throne holders, so here we are.”

“Wait, you drew the short straw?” Tresk asked. “That sucks.”

Silver shrugged. “My realm is the youngest, meaning it’s easier to pull you in here. Well, I suppose you broke in… which might be a problem.”

“Yeah, are the gods mad about my little stunt?” Theo asked.

Silver turned back to the waterfalls, rubbing her chin. She clicked her tongue after a while, turning back. “My mind hasn’t fully adjusted. I’m not very godly yet. The others have settled into their positions and have therefore become more god-like. Their concerns stretch further than just our small area. One man who can defy the gods isn’t enough for them to care. Not least of which since you have a decent track record with the heavens. And yet… Well, let’s just say we had a year-long council over your involvement with Leon. You’re lucky we ruled in your favor.”

So the heavens were time-locked again. They experienced a different rate of time than the outside world. But when Theo heard Silver talking about concerns outside of their area, it sent the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. What could there be outside of their little bubble that would concern anyone, let alone the gods? The last thing he needed right now was a mystery.

“Well, thanks for being hospitable,” Theo said with a slight bow. “I’m glad the gods agreed that I didn’t do anything with King Leon.”

“Yeah, if anything, he was a victim!” Tresk shouted.

“No need to get all defensive,” Silver said, holding up a silencing hand. “I’m just happy things ended well. I am disappointed in one thing, though. I would’ve liked to see Yuri again…”

“I mean… I can grab him,” Theo said.

There was a long moment where it appeared as though Silver was considering the option. She eventually waved it away. “No. I couldn’t impose. He wouldn’t want to see me anyway… Well, now that you’re in my realm, there’s something I’m very interested in doing.”

“What’s that—”

Theo couldn’t finish his sentence. It felt as though someone had wrapped him in a bear hug and suplexed him through the universe. One second he was standing in Silver’s realm, and the next he was on his back on the mortal realm. He blinked the stars away as he stared at the blue sky, Tresk coughing beside him.

“That was rude!” Tresk shouted, groaning to her feet. “What a jerk. And I’m telling you, that dog wasn’t right.”

“Yeah,” Theo said, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. “I have a feeling that was gentle compared to what she could’ve done. Perhaps messing with the gods isn’t the best idea.”

“I’m just surprised they let you into heaven,” Tresk scoffed. “Think about all the trouble you’ve caused for them.”

“Like Silver said… They’re living a different kind of life than we can understand.” Theo felt something building in his chest. His Dreamwalker’s Core sang a song he had heard before, and it wouldn’t take long before the seal fulminated. “Hope you’re ready to deal with a bunch of idiots.”

“Oh, you mean like every single day of my life?” Tresk asked.

Theo couldn’t help but laugh. Then the system message appeared.

[Dreamwalker’s Core Message]

A seal has been set in place. The balance of both the Wisdom and Intelligence attribute has been called into question. The Godly Council led by Silver has proposed the imposition of the Seal of Intelligence, limiting the effect of that attribute.

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