Path of Dragons

“Ye didn’t have to scare him so bad,” Kurik said, running a hand through his spiky hair. “He was just curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Elijah replied, having just shifted back to his human form.

“What cat?” Kurik asked.

Elijah sighed. “I always forget that the system’s translation feature doesn’t really do anything for idioms,” he muttered. “But that one seems obvious if you take it into context.”

“Fair enough,” the dwarf replied.

Elijah glanced back toward where the others were camped. Even though they were only a couple hundred yards away, their campsite was impossible to see through the thick forest. Even before the World Tree had touched Earth, forests in the Pacific Northwest could get incredibly dense – to the point where they could easily be classified as jungles. And the introduction of ethera – especially when it was as thick as it was on Elijah’s island – had made it exponentially worse. Without his high Dexterity and the awareness that came with his Domain, it would have been hell trying to cross the island.

“His stealth ability was good, though.”

“You found him,” Kurik stated.

“Yeah, but I have a lot of advantages most people don’t,” Elijah pointed out. He trusted Kurik – after fighting a war together, he felt justified in that attitude – but he still didn’t intend to reveal all of his secrets to the dwarven scout. “Are the others any good?”

“Best we have,” Kurik responded. “That ain’t sayin’ much, if I’m honest. We ain’t got much to pick from. But that little goblin girl is a talented earth mage. You’ve seen a little of what Ssethik can do. From what I understand, he packs a punch, too. And Robolo is a fair Confounder. Not great, mind you, but he can hold his own. What I’m worried about is the healin’ and the defendin’.”

“My world refers to it as tanking,” Elijah said, referring to a gaming term he’d heard in both Norcastle and Argos. “But don’t worry so much. I did this by myself not that long ago. It’ll be fine.”

“Hope you’re right. Now, where’re we goin’? You live here, right? You got a cave or somethin’ ‘round here?” Kurik asked.

“Oh, I can do a lot better than a cave,” Elijah answered with a grin. “Come on. There are some things I want you to see.”

With that, he strode off through the brush, and Kurik followed. As they traversed the forest, they spoke sparingly, which was one of the things Elijah liked about Kurik. He wasn’t averse to conversation, but after spending so much time alone, he had a tendency to lapse into long silences. As a scout – and presumably, someone who’d spent long stretches in the wilderness alone as well – Kurik had a similar attitude. So, they could enjoy one another’s company without having to fill it with needless chatter.

That was rare, as far as Elijah had seen, and it predisposed him to liking the sometimes-surly dwarf.

In any case, Elijah kept one facet of his Quartz Mind trained on the site where the other three had camped. He wanted to trust them, too, but they had yet to earn it. He didn’t blame Ssethik for trying to explore. He would have done the same thing, if their roles were reversed. Yet, he wasn’t going to allow the goblin Rogue to wander around the island unfettered.

If the wrong people caught wind of what he had in his grove, then greed might overcome good sense, and Elijah would be forced to kill a bunch of people again. He certainly didn’t want to be put into that situation, so he resolved to keep the island’s most special traits to himself.

Except in specific circumstances, like with Kurik.

As he’d already established, he trusted the dwarf. Sure, they hadn’t known one another long, but he already considered Kurik a friend. What’s more, Elijah trusted the scout’s personality, which seemed almost as important as their friendship.

Of course, in the back of one facet of his mind, Elijah knew that his own psychological issues probably played a factor. After all, he had been alone for a long time – with only a few brief lapses in that lonely existence – so he was quick to grasp at any companionship he could find. That had already prompted a few bad decisions – most notably with how he’d handled the death of the bear guardian – so he forced himself to acknowledge what might be one more ill-conceived choice.

Still, Elijah hoped that it wouldn’t come back to bite him. If it did, though, he was prepared to do what was necessary.

Those thoughts flitted through his mind as he and Kurik crossed the island, and after a half hour of slow progress, they finally reached the grove.

“What in the…”

Elijah could understand Kurik’s reaction. The grove wasn’t just impressive. It was miraculous – a fact which Elijah often forgot due to how accustomed he’d grown to the place.

“Nice, right? This is my grove,” Elijah said.

Kurik didn’t respond. Instead, he just stared at the grove, his mouth agape. Elijah understood it. Certainly, the entire island was blessed with incredibly thick ethera, but it was a whole different level of density inside the grove proper. On top of that, though Elijah had never tried to curate the garden or force it to grow in any particular way, it still had a paradisical quality about it that was hard to articulate. The colors were sharper, the bushes fuller, and, as Elijah had long known, the fruits and berries were far more flavorful. In addition, his frequent strolls through the grove had created a series of paths that made it seem far less wild than it should have been.

And then, at the center of it all, was the ancestral tree. With blue leaves and white bark, even a glance was enough to label it miraculous. Yet, it also glowed with an ephemeral quality that wasn’t quite visible to the naked eye. But Elijah felt it. Clearly, so did Kurik.

Smaller, less obviously magical versions of the same tree sprouted in a perfect circle around the grove. They weren’t as overtly impressive, but even those had an otherworldly aspect that Elijah rarely bothered to notice.

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Finally, to the left of the ancestral tree, near the edge of the grove itself, was Elijah’s home. The three trees from which it had been grown were the same species – if such a thing even applied – as the ones on the grove’s boundary, but they were markedly different as well. More obviously curated, though no less impressive for it. They twined together, then branched out into the large structure that was suspended nearly twenty feet from the ground.

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Kurik admitted. “I thought you were livin’ in a cave out here. But this…I ain’t never seen nothin’ like this.”

“Thanks. I wish I could take credit for all of it, but mostly, it’s Nerthus who does the work,” Elijah said, stepping across the boundary. Kurik hesitated, and Elijah asked, “What?”

“I’ve heard stories about groves like this,” the dwarf said. “People step inside, then they ain’t seen again for a hundred years, if at all.”

“Huh. We have stories like that, too,” Elijah said, thinking of fairy tales he’d heard as a child. “But I promise I won’t abduct you or futz about with time.”

He ended the statement with a reassuring grin. Though, he expected that it probably came off a bit manic. He was excited to finally show his grove to another person, so he had trouble containing his anticipation. Thankfully, Kurik didn’t hesitate any further and stepped past the boundary. Once again, he let out a gasp after experiencing the even denser ethera inside the grove, but then he sighed.

“This is amazin’.”

“Yeah. Wait until you meet Nerthus. He’s a bit shy, but he’s pretty awesome, too. Most of this is because of him,” Elijah said. “Without his help, I never would have survived.”

And that was the truth. Without the body cultivation Nerthus had guided him through, Elijah would have died to terminal cancer. And that wasn’t even considering all the help the tree spirit had offered since then. Certainly, it was a symbiotic relationship, and Elijah knew that Nerthus had gained almost as much as he had. Yet, that did nothing to diminish his appreciation.

After that, Elijah led Kurik on a tour of the grove, culminating with the treehouse. Helpfully, Nerthus had expanded the house while Elijah had been searching for his sister, and so, there were a few guest rooms available. They each were equipped with comfortable beds and all the same amenities Elijah enjoyed. Though his room – or the balcony outside of it – had the best view of the ancestral tree and the garden.

“I don’t know what to say,” Kurik said when they were finished. “I thought you were out here livin’ in a cave, but this place is better than my house back in Ironshore. Hells, it’s better than my family’s home back on my old world. Smaller, sure, but you don’t have a whole clan to house.”

The pair were sitting in the living area and enjoying a meal. Elijah hadn’t hunted or fished in a while, so all they had were berries and other wild edibles from the grove. Not that either were complaining, of course. It was still a fine supper.

“What was your world like?” Elijah asked.

Kurik shrugged. “Most of it wasn’t so different from this world,” he answered. “My people were originally subterranean, but we’d been spreadin’ across the surface for years. It was dangerous, though. Powerful beasts roamed my world, and there were plenty of Primal Realms, too. Thankfully, the beasts had reached the point where they fought the Voxx themselves, so there weren’t many surges anymore. Some worlds ain’t so lucky.”

“I see,” Elijah responded. He’d done a little research into the Voxx, largely because the guides associated with them were the cheapest in any Branch’s Knowledge Base. That made sense, considering that the World Tree and the Voxx were so opposed to one another. Whatever the case, he’d often wondered about what would happen if towers and dimensional rifts were left unchecked. But according to Kurik, the wildlife would eventually learn to fight the Voxx. Not always, though. Sometimes, whole planets were consumed.

After that, the pair lapsed into an easy silence where they simply enjoyed the atmosphere as well as the meal. Eventually, Kurik excused himself, saying that he needed to get a good night’s rest before challenging the tower. However, Elijah stayed up for a few hours after that, just thinking about what was coming. After a while, though, he took a cue from Kurik and headed to his own bed, where he enjoyed a fitful night’s rest.

When morning came, Elijah rose with a fair amount of anxiety. Though he’d survived his first run through the tower, it hadn’t been easy. And it had taken months. This time, he didn’t have that to spare, so he hoped it would go much more smoothly. He had every reason to expect that it would, given how well he knew each level. After all, those months he’d spent inside hadn’t been idle. He’d explored almost every inch, so he knew most of the Keledge Tower’s secrets.

He also had the benefit of an entire group, which should make things easier.

So, it was with some optimism that he completed his preparations, gathering his pack – and the waterproof containers in which he’d stored his food and water – before he and Kurik set off to gather the other three members of their party.

The trio they found a half hour later looked like they’d had a rough night. Perhaps, Elijah thought, he’d gone a bit too far scaring the goblin Rogue. Whatever the case, if they couldn’t handle a night on the island shore, then they were going to have quite a rough time inside the tower. Elijah could only hope that they’d acclimate to the danger and stress. Otherwise, it would complicate things.

With that in mind, Elijah led the group around the edge of the island. He had no interest in letting them see any more of it than absolutely necessary, so he kept to the beaches whenever possible. That necessitated that they kill a couple of crabs, and Elijah was happy to see that the group was at least competent – insofar as they had a chance to display that trait while fighting the relatively weak and stupid crabs – and an hour or two later, they finally reached the cliff overlooking the tower.

It looked the same as always – the top of a statue depicting a figure armed with a decorative staff – but it was still just as impressive as ever.

“We’re going to swim from here,” Elijah said. “Anyone have any issues climbing down the cliff?”

Nia – the goblin Lithomancer – raised her green, long-fingered hand and said, “I can do it, but I would need a rope.”

“Then climb on my back,” Elijah said. “Anyone else?”

None had any issues, and though she looked uncomfortable with the prospect, Nia quickly climbed onto Elijah’s back. To accommodate her, he’d shifted his pack around to his chest. Then, he began his climb down, which went off without a hitch, though Nia’s fingers dug painfully into his shoulders.

Clearly, the little goblin didn’t like heights.

Whatever the case, they soon reached the surf, then swam to the pillar of stone jutting up from the ocean. After that, Elijah dove, following it down for more than a hundred feet before he finally reached the base, which still looked like a Greek temple. Elijah didn’t hesitate to lead the others through the tower’s entrance, and when he did, he experienced a familiar shimmer of ethereal reality before falling through nothing.

Darkness surrounded him, and for the briefest of instants, panic raged through one facet of his mind. It was an inevitable and instinctual reaction to the situation, but that made it no less powerful. However, less than a moment later, his rational mind took over, and he followed the bubbles toward the surface.

His head broke through a few seconds later, and he took a deep but ultimately unnecessary breath. Not long after, Kurik broke through with a gasp. Then Nia. Ssethik came next. And finally, Robolo breached the surface.

They had finally entered the tower. Doing so came with a shift in attitude. In the outside world, there was room for a laissez-faire demeanor. But in a tower – even one he’d already conquered once – things were much more serious, and he instinctively adjusted his mind accordingly.

In the distance, Elijah saw the shore as well as the familiar Ulthrak village. Three massive warriors stood guard, though they were far enough away that they’d yet to see the newly surfaced party.

So, Elijah swam forward, hoping for a meeting similar to the one he’d enjoyed during his first run through the tower. A couple of minutes later, Elijah came within range, and he raised his hand in a wave.

However, the reaction was not what he’d expected. Their stances were too aggressive, and their walrus-like faces were contorted in rage.

Then, Elijah discovered the reason, and he nearly kicked himself for overlooking the obvious issue.

“Goblins!” one of the guards shouted.

And then, a war drum sounded, alerting the rest of the village.

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