The Newt and Demon-7.63 - Find Balkor

Theo couldn't begin to guess why Balkor would do something as goofy as splitting his soul into so many pieces. However, he didn't want to discount the idea that it was accidental on Balkor's part. The alchemist knew little about what had happened when the demon god descended into the mortal world. Perhaps there was some interference with his magic. The one good thing about being the person in charge of the place between places was that he could go almost anywhere he wanted. His destination was wherever Balkor currently lived.

Without even giving his companions so much as a nod, the alchemist abandoned them there in Broken Tusk after ensuring their safety. He slipped through the veil and into the void, quickly landing on his own planet and finding Belgar with ease. He seemed to hang out in Boar Hollow most often, and was currently standing near a cluster of buildings as though waiting to greet someone.

"You really have taken your role seriously, haven't you?" Theo asked. Despite his mood, a smile crept across his face as he shook the man's hand.

"I am the official greeter of your planet," Belgar said with a hearty laugh. "But I have to ask, what are you doing back so soon? You rarely pay me visits this often."

"I'm looking for Balkor," Theo said, spreading his senses over the entire planet. He wasn't here. Nor was he on Tresk’s moon.

"He stopped by here a few times," Belgar said, "but he always leaves via the bridge, so I don't really know where he is."

"Not like there are many places for him to hide, huh?" Theo asked. "Either Khahar's planet or Fenian’s planet. If I had to guess, he went to the elf’s planet. Alright, thanks.”

"Don't be so hasty," Belgar said, grabbing Theo by the arm and smiling. "Surely you'd want an escort."

Theo often forgot that the people on this planet weren't sitting idly. They were attempting to unlock their cores or develop a magic system. A selfish part of him thought they would simply be a liability. Not for himself; he was confident his power could get him out of almost every situation. However, if they were hurt, he wasn't certain what would happen to their souls. They might have just been recycled for death to reincarnate again, but he didn't want that on his conscience.

"We can hold our own," Belgar said, answering his worries before he had a chance. "Some of us have proto systems that strengthen us."

“And yet…” Theo trailed off, pushing his body to its limits to rush behind Belgar before he could even react. “I can’t predict what Balkor will do. Thanks for the sentiment, Belgar. Just keep the door open.”

Belgar only looked slightly dejected. He took it much better than Theo had expected and simply shrugged. "One day we'll be there with you, Theo. You'll see."

The Alchemist had no doubt of that as he slipped in between realities once again. He angled directly for Fenian's planet. It took him an oddly long time to recall that it was named Erradon. From a distance, the planet appeared like any other. It was a floating orb of blue among an inky black expanse that always seemed so impenetrable. As he slipped into the realm itself, he angled for the one place Fenian seemed most attached to. An old elven city called Perisart appeared before him, the walls unmanned and the gate unguarded.

It was a ghost town, left to rot from Fenian’s old memories. The fields outside the city were marked and scarred from a great battle that had taken place. Even the walls appeared to be in a state of repair that was not quite complete. Ruins of older walls rested in the distance among the cluster of trees that marked the entire region. Theo's command over other people's realms did not exist. He couldn’t move freely through this place as he wished, so he found himself in a bind.

“Alex, could I get a hand?” Theo asked the dragon-goose directly, reaching out to perform an interdiction event.

“Something need burning?” she asked.

A moment later, Alex appeared before him, shimmering with magic and preening what few feathers remained. Theo smiled to himself. "We may need to burn someone. A former god, if you're not opposed to it."

“Oh, I burn gods all the time,” Alex said. “Just lead the way.”

Figuring out where Balkor would have gone on this planet wasn't difficult. Although Theo didn't know the name of the continent he was currently on, he was familiar with the general layout. This knowledge stemmed from his understanding that it was an antelope to the mortal realm. He was on a continent that was now modern-day to run them. To the east was his home continent. It once housed Veosta, Qavell, and the Southlands Alliance, but now it was only the alliance on that lonely scar of a continent. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Theo mounted Alex and urged her to the east. It would be a fairly lengthy flight, but it was worth it to see the condition of the continent. This was a place where Fenian fought his hardest battle, according to the elf’s own testimony. Although the alchemist didn't know the names of the places, he saw the wounds left behind by hordes of monsters. From the elven city, he tracked a path to the east, flying over a much more impressive city that had seen far more damage. After that was a city made almost entirely of trees. He knew Fenian had told him the names of these places at some point, but seeing them from the sky made it difficult to put a name to each location. Instead, they were soon flying over an expansive sea, losing track of any massive land soon after.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

From what Theo understood, this world was much more isolationist in Fenian's day. If the elf had ever referred to the continent to the east, he did so by using the name of the direction rather than a kingdom or continent name. Alex had gotten much better at flying. He moved at speeds that made the alchemist’s eyes water, and about an hour later, they were approaching another landmass. This one was also marked with towns, but they almost seemed fuzzy, as though Fenian had created this place from second-hand information. However, Theo recognized certain places from the mortal world, and they were soon approaching the far eastern side of the continent, which once housed the Kingdom of Gardreth.

It was a place now recognized colloquially as the Fallen Kingdom.

Theo stretched his senses wide, and it didn’t take long to find Balkor. He sat somewhere on a peninsula below, emanating a strange aura. Alex banked to one side, descending and landing lightly nearby. The area was marked by tropical plants and low hills that provided limited views of the surrounding landscape. It was hot, perhaps even hotter than Broken Tusk, despite its position above the equator.

"I'm afraid you have some explaining to do," Theo said, crossing his arms as he approached Balkor.

He was a dronon with deep green skin and a shaven, scarred head. He didn't bother turning away from whatever he was doing; instead, he scoffed and shook his head. "Is this not the job of the Herald?" he asked.

“Technically, this is my job,” Theo said. “Since you’re in the Middle Realms.”

"And what sin have I committed this time?" Balkor asked, turning to narrow his gaze at the alchemist. The alchemist appeared with glowing green eyes that shimmered and faded, as though his concentration were elsewhere.

"I don't know, maybe the 10,000 phylacteries you made back on the mortal realm?" Theo asked with a shrug. "As if blowing up an entire continent wasn't bad enough."

Balkor may have been good at hiding his emotions, but his eyes widened in that moment. He turned away as though that would prevent Theo from seeing his reaction. The alchemist felt absolutely nothing in his danger sense but was prepared to act if needed. More than likely, Balkor had been zapped down to Level 1 and would provide absolutely no challenge.

“That is unexpected,” he said. “And not my intention.”

So it was the second option that had been the right answer. Balkor had never intended to create more than one phylactery, and yet something during the assault of the gods had caused his spell to shatter. Instead of destroying that single phylactery, it had somehow split it into many, which meant the mortal realm was now permanently stained with the power of a dead realm.

Not a dead realm, Theo thought, realizing something about the nature of Balkor himself.

“An undying realm,” Theo said, gritting his teeth. The idea that Hoi’ch, the Undying Realm, had survived gave him chills.

“Why are you here? To kill me? Send me back into that cycle of unlife?” Balkor asked. He spun around, a confusing mixture of rage and sadness flashing across his face. “I suppose you think you’ve finally turned the tables on the evil demon lord, don’t you? Strike me down, then. We’ve seen what happens.”

"I think you misunderstand the reason for my visit," Theo said. "I don't view the fallen ascendants as anything more than lost souls, and you're no different. You're just wandering, waiting for the change and hoping to have a clean break from that old life. I get it. Even Zagmon has gone into hiding. Can you imagine being the demon god of war and then turning your tail and hiding in a hole somewhere? Don’t think I haven’t put the pieces together concerning your plot with Khahar. You helped create the rift that brought the Thrones of Power into existence, forcing the system’s hand.”

Theo waited to see if Balkor had a response, but he didn’t.

“Whatever happened on the mortal plane happened out of circumstance,” Theo said. “You’re the reason we’re able to restart the world in the first place, even if you are an asshole. The only thing I need to know is what to do with the things you’ve left behind.”

Balkor seemed reluctant to speak at first, but Theo could see his anger fading. More than that anger going away, the alchemist sensed something within the former ascendant fading away. It was a buildup of power that revealed he had already created his own system of power. Leave it to someone as craft as him to find a way to ascend again. The alchemist had trouble keeping his thoughts off of Balkor’s motives, instead focusing on a way forward. A way to deal with the phylacteries.

“I expected death,” Balkor grumbled, turning to look back into the surrounding jungle. “I came here to die again.”

“Die on your own time. I need to purge the mortal realm of your realm’s energy,” Theo said. “We have a system to remove errant energies, but the bits of your soul are making it hard.”

"You seek to destroy my creations?" Balkor asked, frowning slightly. "I suppose they would be rather inconvenient for your current task. But I can't say it will be easy."

"Yeah, and you're not hanging out here while we wait for it to happen," Theo said, grabbing the ex-ascendant by the arm. "I hope you're done with your work here because you're heading back to my planet."

Without waiting for him to confirm, Theo dropped them both into the void and zipped over to Tero’gal. They landed at Boar Hollow, gaining the attention of a surprised Belgar.

“Oh. You’re just dragging former gods to your realm,” Belgar said with a nervous laugh. “Cool.”

Balkor grumbled.

“He stays in Boar Hollow,” Theo said. “How about we talk about destroying those old pieces of you.”

“You’ll let me go after that?” Balkor asked. “I suppose that works for me.”

Theo had no intention of letting him scatter in the wind. If Balkor really wanted to hide, he could have. Well, until the alchemist restricted his movement through the realms.

“Let’s talk about what I need to do,” Theo said, patting the man on the shoulder. “Belgar, wanna have some tea?”

“I’d love some tea,” Belgar said, scampering off. Theo and Balkor followed after.