The Newt and Demon-8.69 - We Saved the World

Avalara became suspiciously scarce when Theo wrapped up with the shards. He met with Tresk, Alex, and Elrin in a mossy forest. The alchemist didn’t give much thought to the ghost. If she wanted to keep her existence quiet, he was happy to keep his mouth shut. Because, as always, he had too much stuff to do as it was.

“That actually worked,” Elrin said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I still need to ensure the synchronization took, but I think we’re good.”

“Hooray. We saved the world,” Tresk said, dusting her shoulders off. “And Alex is pretty good with her thumbs.”

“Yes, my thumbs are very good,” Alex said, digging at the ground. She did her best to pick up a rock between her forefinger and her thumb, but it was clumsy. “They’re getting better, anyway.”

“Yes, I thank you all for your help,” Elrin said.

“Well, Khahar got himself trapped in his world,” Theo said. “We knew he couldn’t enter the mortal realm, but I believe he’s also having trouble leaving his own planet. Tresk and I have to step up to fill that gap.”

Theo refused to be mad about the situation the arbiter had gotten himself into. Unfortunately, Yuri was the kind of man who had difficulty admitting his mistakes. A mistake as massive as being trapped in one world forever was a tough pill to swallow. For now, he was happy to do everything he could to ensure the transition to the new world went smoothly.

“Well, we have some business to attend to,” Tresk said, climbing up onto Alex’s back. “Come on, Theo. Let’s get this next project done.”

Tresk no longer occasionally read Theo’s mind. Instead, it seemed as though she siphoned off every little piece of information that he obtained, processing it and then making her decisions based on that. Perhaps he should do the same thing. He climbed up onto Alex’s back and bid one final farewell to Elrin. Space folded in on itself after they took off, and the group arrived outside of Leon’s academy world.

“Is that a ghost in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” Tresk asked with a laugh. “No, but seriously, do you think that ghost is related to Elrin? How does that work?”

“They have the same surname,” Theo said. “Or rather, clan name. I actually don’t know how that whole thing works, but anyway, they are related, maybe not by blood, but by some familial connection.”

“Okay, we picked up a ghost, and she wants to live in Leon’s world. Is this something we run by him or what?”

“She expressed a desire for stealth, but honestly, my preference is to avoid asking for permission, especially from someone like Leon. So let’s just approach the planet, teleport to the center, or dig our way there. I don’t have a preference. And plant her like a seed.” Tilting his head to one side, Theo ran the plan through his mind one last time and shrugged. It wasn’t a great plan, but it was what the ghost wanted, so why not? “Just hold on. I don’t know what the situation is like on the surface.”

As always, it was interesting to see the advancement of a planet. In terms of how the other planets had developed in the system, Leon’s world was slow. It barely had the ability to maintain a natural appearance, and the structures on the surface were minimal. The alchemist spotted several people he didn’t recognize working. They were creating basic structures and using magic. He wasn’t altogether too familiar with the kind of magic, though. Construction magic, perhaps? Nobody sensed the trio as they descended to the surface and they found a sneaky mountain to hide behind before Theo spread his senses over the world.

“I’m unfamiliar with ghost rules. Tresk said, marveling as Theo withdrew the piece of the shard from his pocket. “That looks like a bit of the shards we just synchronized. So this ghost lady is working with the shards.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Avalara, do you want to come out and give us some more instructions or are you trapped in there? Because if you don’t come out and tell me otherwise, I’m putting you in the center of the planet in this.”

After waiting a few beats, Tresk nodded. “That’s basically consent.”

“Alex, I hope you don’t mind staying here on the surface.” Theo said. “I can feel some open spaces underground that would be perfect for hiding a ghost. I just wish she would come out and tell me if this would actually work. From what I understand about ghosts in general, if we put her too far from where she needs to be, she won’t be able to manifest.”

After waiting for a few more moments, Tresk shrugged. She reached out, sending a flash of mana into the shard. That was a technique she had taken from Theo. It put a smile on his face. A moment later, the ghost appeared, barely visible in the fake sunlight up above. She looked around in confusion, jabbing a finger at the alchemist.

“Too soon,” she said with a sigh. “What do you need?”

“Yeah, well maybe you should have told him where to put you, lady,” Tresk said, placing her hands on her hips. “We thought it would be best to put you in the center of the planet, but then Old Grumpy Bones over here got thinking about it, and he was like, ‘Oh no, what if she gets stuck and she can’t get to the surface?’”

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“That’s a valid concern,” Theo said. “She could get stuck.”

Avalara pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked between Theo and Tresk with an expression of annoyance. “The center is the perfect spot. This shard will soak into the planet itself in a few hundred years. I just need it to be undisturbed.”

Theo clapped his hands together. “Well, so it’s perfect. Center of the planet it is. I doubt there are any paths down there. And if there are, they’ll be difficult to navigate.” Theo rubbed his hands together, nodding. “And yeah, I can understand how the mechanics of this work. Your soul will integrate into the planet itself, and you’ll be spared from the queue. You could also dissipate whatever Shard-based energy is keeping you bound to that form over hundreds of years. You might not even need somebody to figure out the secret.”

“Excellent. I’m glad you’ve taken up scholarly pursuits, but now is my time to go,” Avalara said. “Once again, I thank you. Please don’t wake me again.”

Without warning, the ghost vanished again.

“Hey, you can’t blame us for being certain about something,” Tresk said, folding her arms in annoyance. “If she wants to get all sassy with us, I’ll pitch her crystal in a lake. See how she likes living with the fishes for a few hundred years.”

“No, I understand her frustration,” Theo said, shaking his head. “We are, after all, idiots.”

“Speak for yourself,” Tresk grumbled.

Using the void folding technique to teleport within Leon’s domain was difficult. Theo found a place in the middle of the planet that seemed appropriate. He didn’t want to consider the idea that this place did not have a molten center, instead focusing on the large castles he felt. Unlike most times when he teleported, this time he took half an hour before finally being satisfied with their approach. He took a deep breath and fought against the authority of the planet.

“Whoa, she’s a feisty one,” Tresk said with a nervous chuckle. “Are you sure you got this?”

“I think so,” Theo grunted, surrounding only himself and Tresk with the bubble. “Unfortunately, you’re going to be too much to bring along, Alex. Just go fly around and set something on fire or something.”

“Ooh, sounds fun,” Alex said, taking off without a second thought. Nearby forests were ablaze within seconds.

With one last spike of willpower, Theo sent himself and Tresk into the center of the planet. He felt himself falling for a moment and then a cushion of something slightly soft beneath his feet. It was nearly pitch black down there, but leave it to Tresk to have something useful for the situation. She drew a lantern from the shared inventory, holding it high. The light it cast made little sense for its size. Instead, the entire interior of the underground was illuminated in an instant. The alchemist’s mouth dropped open.

Tresk snapped her fingers. “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” she said. “Look, I see a dinosaur.”

“I don’t even want to think of the implications,” Theo said, wiping sweat from his brow. He narrowed his eyes into the distance, taking stock of the strange landscape.

The scene before them was a lush jungle landscape. Tropical plants grew here and there, while jagged peaks appeared far in the distance. Tresk’s lantern had the power to illuminate them even miles away. And true to the marshling’s words, there were dinosaur-like creatures roaming in a valley below. The alchemist looked over the edge of the cliff they stood nearby and shook his head.

“This place is massive,” Theo said. “And why is there life?”

“Doesn’t track with the way Leon is forming the planet,” Tresk said. “Did you see any life up there?”

Theo scanned his memories, nodding. “Insects, fish, and small mammals, but that’s about it. This might be some overflow container, or another technique I’m not familiar with.”

“Whatever it is, I wanna ride that dinosaur.”

Theo waved her away. “Go for it. I’m going to find the perfect spot for this crystal.”

Tresk scampered away with glee, giggling to herself the entire way. Theo surveyed the area and determined that almost anywhere would be perfect to place the crystal. As long as the creatures down here remained, it wouldn’t even matter if one of them found the crystal and ate it. They would eventually return to the planet. However, he figured it was best not to risk it. He equipped his Earth Sorcerer’s Core and drilled down, creating a hundred-foot-deep hole into which he unceremoniously dropped the crystal and immediately buried it.

“Job done, I guess,” Theo said, dusting his hands off. “Hope you don’t become a dinosaur ghost, Avalara.”

“Yeehaw!” Tresk shouted in the distance.

Theo turned, tracking the source of his companion’s voice before he found her in the valley below. Tresk sat atop the back of a creature that looked eerily similar to a stegosaurus. She was kicking it in the side, spurring it on to trample through the jungle. He did his best not to laugh, but their connection was growing so close that he could feel the joy flooding through her body and felt it in equal measure. Instead of yelling at her to be serious about it, he made his way down to the valley and picked out a triceratops of his own.

The creature was naturally reluctant to allow him on its back, so he jumped on and held on for dear life. Just like the dinosaur Tresk had picked, this one went wild and trampled through the jungle. None of the tropical trees could withstand the force of his dinosaur’s rampage, causing palms to fall away with ease.

They rode dinosaurs for hours, until Theo had to question the ethics of it. But he couldn’t deny how fun it was to trample through the jungle. Other dinosaur-like creatures fled from their path, and there seemed to be no predators to swoop in to eat the tired herbivores.

“I’m adding that to my list of things we do every day,” Tresk said.

“Seems like a great way to get caught,” Theo said. “Maybe once a week.”

“Twice a week. Final offer,” Tresk said, reaching her hand out.

Theo refused to shake her hand. “Come on. Let’s see what other mischief we can get up to.”