Path of Dragons

The water inside the cave was deathly still, evidence that his actions had driven the sea life away. Likely, it was a defense mechanism meant to ensure that they didn’t get caught in the dangerous flows of ethera. After all, when Elijah had cultivated his Body of Stone, it had killed everything in the cave. And while death was an inevitable part of life, he didn’t relish the notion of killing anything unnecessarily.

The trick was deciding when it was needed.

Regardless, after floating in the cave for a few more minutes, Elijah turned his attention to his status:

His attributes hadn’t changed since he’d killed Thor, but he could feel the difference in his casting speed. The benefits were more than that, though. Initially, he’d thought the different categories of cultivation coincided with specific benefits. Back then, it had seemed so clear. The stage of his Body affected the expression of his physical attributes. It didn’t raise his Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Regeneration. Instead, it made each point count for more. Meanwhile, his Mind gave him the ability to regenerate ethera more quickly with each higher stage. And his Soul affected the application speed of that ethera.

The Core was the odd one out, and in addition to affecting the potency of his spells, it also changed their flavor. For him, that meant his alternative shapes had taken on draconic characteristics, but for others, it would probably have quite a different effect.

In any case, Elijah now saw how nothing was quite as separate as it had once seemed. In fact, it was all intertwined in a way that meant that a step forward in any category would mean an overall benefit.

So, when he’d reached the Novice Soul stage, it had also removed something of a bottleneck for his ability to regenerate ethera. Before, his Mind was capable of pulling in far more energy than he could process. Now, though, his Soul could finally keep up. The only piece lagging behind was his Core, and he’d already begun to work on that.

Thankfully, Elijah didn’t have to repopulate the cave this time. However, he did spend most of a day pulsing Nature’s Bounty, and to his surprise, the spell’s effective radius had nearly doubled. He could only guess that was his Novice Soul’s effect at play. Once he was assured that the cave’s ethera density would recover, he swam free of the cave, breaking into the ocean sometime later. After that, it only took him a few minutes to reach the shore, where he quickly dressed in the clothes he’d left there weeks before, then headed back to the grove.

Carmen wasn’t there, which he reasoned was due to her having gone to Ironshore. Idly, Elijah wondered how her forge was coming along, but he had no interest in crossing the strait to find out. She would explain everything when she returned.

Neither Miguel nor Colt were on the island either, which felt a bit like old times. Until that moment, he hadn’t really acknowledged what a lonely existence he’d led in the wake of washing ashore, but after having his family around for a few days, the lack was extremely noticeable.

But at least Nerthus was there.

Elijah busied himself by preparing for his coming trip, but there was only so much to do, so he eventually ended up wandering the grove and inspecting all the different flora Nerthus had planted. There were so many varieties, many of which Elijah had never seen before, that he quickly lost count. In addition, there were plenty of mushrooms, hundreds of species of insects and spiders, and quite a few rodents as well. Elijah even felt a few snakes who would inevitably feed on those rats.

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It was a thriving ecosystem, though a curated one that somehow conveyed a sense of wilderness as well. It was a unique place, and though Elijah often took it for granted, he couldn’t have been more appreciative for the wondrous grove.

Eventually, he found Nerthus tending to the coffee trees, which had grown even larger in his absence.

“These were only supposed to grow to around fifteen feet tall,” he remarked, resting his hand on one of the branches. It was incredibly healthy, with dense veins of ethera pulsing through it. “They’ve grown almost twice that height, and they’re still not entirely mature.”

“I suspect you are correct,” said Nerthus. The spryggent had also grown a bit, too, reaching a height of around five feet. It wouldn’t be long before he was taller than Elijah. “The cherries will ripen soon.”

“I know. I’m very much looking forward to it,” Elijah said, already imagining his first cup of coffee. “Which reminds me – sugar.”

“What would you like to know about it?” asked the tree spirit.

“Well, I was wondering if I should try to grow sugar cane or sugar beets,” Elijah said. He knew that the process of making granulated sugar wasn’t a complicated one. Generally, the idea was to simply squeeze the liquid out of either source, then heat the product until it crystallized. After that, a centrifuge was used to separate it.

However, the problem was that sugar cane generally favored tropical environments, and sugar beets were far less efficient. More, the process was time consuming as well as wasteful.

That’s when he considered another alternative.

“What do you know about apiculture?” he asked.

“Bees?”

“For their honey,” Elijah said. He preferred sugar in his coffee, and lots of it. However, he knew for a fact that his island had plenty of bees. It wouldn’t take much to create an apiary that could satisfy his sweet tooth. Then, he explained the idea behind it to Nerthus, finishing with, “I’m pretty sure the honey will have the same effects of other things grown here, right?”

“I do not know,” Nerthus admitted. “I can start the project if you wish. Bees are an integral part of any grove.”

“I think that would be best,” Elijah said, already imagining enjoying a honey-sweetened cup of coffee. “But for now…”

“What?” asked Nerthus when Elijah trailed off.

“Oh. Nothing. Carmen and Miguel just got back to the island.”

After that, the pair waited on the others to reach the grove, and when they did, Elijah approached. They exchanged greetings, after which he broke the news, “I managed to get to the second stage of Soul cultivation. But now, I have a couple of errands I need to run that are going to take me at least a week.”

“You like to stay busy, don’t you?” Carmen responded.

Elijah shrugged. “Not usually. I mean, normally I take my time with everything. It took me almost two years before I even crossed the strait. But I can’t do that now. You know why.”

Miguel blurted, “You’re going to kill him.”

“I am,” Elijah said. The young man deserved to know the truth. Besides, it would help no one if Elijah shielded him. After everything Miguel had seen, it would be pointless, too. Brutal honesty was the better path. “But not yet. I’m going to Argos, first. I have a friend there who can identify my excess gear, and if it’s not useful, he’ll buy it. On top of that, I made a promise to another friend, and I intend to make good on it.”

He’d almost forgotten to enlist Biggle’s help with Konstantinos and the sickness affecting his children, but now that he had the ability to teleport to the area, he could see no reason not to get it out of the way. After all, Elijah hadn’t forgotten the price he’d already paid for procrastination. Time was not promised, and every passing day meant that those children would run the risk of succumbing to their issues.

“Can I come?” asked Miguel.

Elijah was about to refuse, but then he thought better of it. Argos was the only place he’d found where he felt almost as comfortable as in his own grove. And if Miguel wanted to see it, Elijah wasn’t going to turn him down. The only question was whether or not Carmen would allow it.

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Elijah said. “What about you Carmen? You want to go?”

Carmen shook her head. “No. I can’t. I’m still getting the smithy set up,” she said. Then, she revealed how much work had gone into the site. It seemed that Ironshore was just as eager as she was, and they’d fully committed to putting her to work. On top of that, she explained that the other two – Theresa and Byron – had found work as well. The former was working with Biggle, while the latter had gone to work in the mines – not as a miner, but rather, utilizing his Geologist skills in some way. Elijah didn’t probe further; as interesting as he found the myriad classes, he was more concerned with accomplishing his goals. “But Miggy can go.”

“Seriously?” Elijah and Miguel both said at the same time.

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a helicopter mom,” she muttered. “Miggy needs to see the world, and not just the parts that are going to try to kill him. Argos sounds like the sort of place he needs to visit.”

“Oh. That makes sense,” Elijah said, and it did. Miguel had been through a lot, and it was important for him to see that everything about their new world wasn’t terrible. In fact, it was filled with miracles.

“You make it sound boring,” Miguel mumbled under his breath. Elijah heard it just fine, though.

Elijah skated right past that, saying, “Alright, then. We’re going back to Ironshore to pick up a friend. Then, we’ll go to Argos.”

“So soon?” asked Carmen. “Don’t you need to prepare?”

Elijah slapped his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, saying, “Got everything I need right here.”

Of course, Carmen had other ideas, reminding him that Miguel didn’t have a magical satchel. So, after enduring her chastisement, Elijah set off for Ironshore while Miguel went to pack his clothes. He didn’t have much, which was something that would soon need to change. Perhaps he could get Mari to make him a set of clothes, too.

In any case, Elijah wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Miguel, so he took on the Shape of the Sky and quickly launched himself high into the air. The trip across the strait was much quicker in that form, and in only around thirty seconds, he thudded down on the path just outside of Biggle’s yard.

He’d just taken on his human form when the guards arrived, reminding Elijah that he hadn’t told anyone in the town about his new form. So, he spent the next few minutes assuring the pair of guards that there was no monster around. Everyone in town knew about his ability to shapeshift, so it didn’t take that long to convince the two dwarves.

By that point, though, Biggle had taken notice of them.

“What in all the hells is going on out here? Elijah? What are you doing here?” the gnome demanded.

“Get packed. We’re going on a trip.”

“What?”

“I’ll pay you. You’re going to consult with another Alchemist about some sick kids,” Elijah said.

“I am?”

Elijah clapped his hands. “Chop chop, man. I want to be there before nightfall,” he said.

“Where are we going?” the bushy-eyebrowed gnome asked. “And you mentioned pay? How much?”

Elijah sighed. Then, he explained the situation, ending with, “We’ll be gone for no more than a week.”

After that, they negotiated the price of the gnome’s assistance. It was far more expensive than Elijah would have preferred, but he had no leverage in the situation. More, he wanted Biggle to just drop everything. So, a little extra was warranted, even if Elijah found it slightly irritating.

Regardless, it only took Biggle thirty minutes to pack everything he would need, and then, the pair returned to Elijah’s island. This time, they took one of the rowboats he’d left behind, much to his chagrin. He’d have much preferred to fly, but he didn’t think Biggle would appreciate being carried around in his talons, and Elijah certainly wasn’t going to let the gnome ride on his back.

In any case, they made decent time crossing the strait, and Elijah beached the rowboat after only thirty minutes. When he noticed Biggle’s hesitation to step one foot onto the shore, Elijah let out a sigh. “Nothing is going to hurt you so long as you stay on the beach,” he said.

Perhaps he’d done too good of a job making the island seem dangerous. It was. Immensely so, when he was around. But the look on Biggle’s face was one of abject terror.

“I’ve heard stories.”

“And they’ll tell you that everything was fine until people left the beach,” Elijah said. “Remember that.”

He wanted to trust the Alchemist, but his grove was a treasure trove to someone with that class. So, he had no intention of showing Biggle anything interesting. Besides, he’d already established the rules for the people of Ironshore. They weren’t permitted to travel inland. And Elijah wasn’t going to change those rules for anyone but his most trusted friends.

At present, that list only contained one name from Ironshore: Kurik.

As it turned out, Elijah didn’t have to worry about Biggle wandering around. The gnomish Alchemist remained in the boat while he went to fetch Miguel. When Elijah arrived in the grove, he found Carmen fussing over her son, drilling him about behaving himself while he was with “Uncle Elijah.” She also grilled him about things he might’ve left behind.

Finally, Miguel hefted his backpack and said, “I’ve got everything I need, mom. Relax.”

“Don’t you dare tell me to relax, mijo,” she said.

He held up his hands. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean it. Well, I did. But you know what I mean.”

Elijah cut in, saying, “Well, it’s about time to hit the ol’ dusty trail…”

Punctuating that, he grabbed Miguel by the upper arm and dragged him away, waving at Carmen as he pulled Miguel from the grove. “We’ll be back before you know it. Trust me!”

Soon enough, they’d progressed through the forest and reached the boat to find Biggle huddled in the corner. “I heard something,” he said.

Elijah knew good and well that there was nothing to hear, but he just nodded sagely. “That’s the guardian spirit. Extremely powerful. Eats gnomes for every meal.”

“R-really?” asked the terrified Alchemist.

“No. There’s nothing there. Besides, we’re leaving.”

Then, Elijah cast Roots of the World Tree. It completed far more quickly than it ever had before, and in only around fifteen seconds, the gate of roots and vines had formed. A moment later, the interior of the arch shimmered, then solidified into a view of the Dragon Circle.

“After you,” Elijah said, gesturing to the gate.

To his credit, Miguel didn’t hesitate to stride through. Biggle was a lot more circumspect. Though, at Elijah’s urging, he went through as well. Then, finally, Elijah did, too.

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