Path of Dragons

It quickly became apparent that none of the people aboard the boat were in any condition to tell a story. The redheaded woman was mostly healthy, but her demeanor was akin to what Elijah would have expected from a cornered animal. Her eyes darted back and forth, and she tensed at every stray sound. It didn’t help that Nerthus’ trees were still there. Nor did the presence of the stag help. The other deer had already lost interest, but the giant hart, with its crystalline antlers glowing with moonlight, refused to go anywhere.

So, Elijah said, “You know what? I think we’d all be more comfortable if I took you somewhere a little more civilized.”

“W-where?” the woman demanded.

“There’s a town a couple of miles that way,” Elijah said. “We’ll have to go by boat, but…well, they’re a lot better equipped to help you and your friends than I am.”

“A town?”

“Ironshore. It’s new,” Elijah explained. “Nerthus, help me with the unconscious ones.”

In his absence, Carmen had moved the rowboats to the dock, so that was Elijah’s intended destination. The boat in which the castaways had arrived didn’t look very seaworthy, and the last thing Elijah wanted to do was rescue a bunch of drowning people in the event their makeshift vessel broke apart.

“What’s your name, by the way? I’m sorry that I don’t remember, but it was more than four years ago,” he said. “A lot has happened since then.”

“Guinevere,” the redheaded woman answered. “And that’s John. The three in the boat are Rajesh, Leo, and Ada.”

Those three still hadn’t awoken, but Elijah’s efforts in healing had at least dragged them away from the brink of death. He would have settled down to do more, but he was more than eager to get them away from his island. It wasn’t a place for strangers, and the only way he intended to tolerate their presence was if there was absolutely no other option. If it was a choice between revealing his secrets and letting them die, he would certainly do whatever was necessary to keep them from that fate. But now that they weren’t in danger of passing away from exposure – or whatever had knocked them unconscious – he had the option of protecting the knowledge of his grove.

Besides, after the reception Nerthus had given them, they didn’t seem particularly comfortable on the island. Still, it took some convincing to get them to follow him. Elijah understood it – they looked like they’d been through a lot – but in the end, his help was contingent on them following his lead. If they chose not to – or if they showed violent tendencies – he would do what needed to be done. Fortunately, they were too exhausted to put up much resistance, and soon enough, they were following him along the shore toward the dock.

Elijah had to deal with one of the crabs along the way, but by that point, the crustaceans were so weak – in comparison to him – that he only had to use Snaring Roots to immobilize the creature while they moved on. By the time the spell wore off, the party had gotten far enough away that the intellectually limited crab had forgotten about them.

After only half an hour, the group reached the dock Elijah had had built to accommodate the dragonstone blocks. It was a sturdy thing, much larger than he now needed, and the construction certainly suggested a level of development Guinevere and John hadn’t expected. It was surprising enough that it actually took them a few moments to notice Ironshore a couple of miles away.

Often, Elijah took the city’s growth for granted. Part of it was that he just didn’t care all that much about a few extra buildings or the wall they’d built for protection. However, that attitude was also the result of how gradually it had expanded. Yet, when he thought back to his first visit, when Ironshore had been only a little better than a mining camp, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the urbanity now on display.

The average building hadn’t grown appreciably larger, but there were a few that towered more than ten stories tall. But the largest difference was the architecture, layout, and the density of development. It looked a lot like an idealized version of Victorian London, though with a lot more trees – at Elijah’s insistence – and lacking the pall of smog that such a city might’ve had in the past. One thing Elijah would say about the changed world – with combustion having been so negatively affected, people had been forced to turn to cleaner forms of energy. In some places like Easton or Argos, that meant using solar and wind power, but in Seattle, they’d incorporated ethera into the mix. Ironshore exclusively used ethera to power lights and the few mechanical devices they habitually used. So, the atmosphere surrounding it was much cleaner than any city of its size would have been before Earth had transformed.

It took some doing to get everyone back in the boat. Clearly, both John and Guinevere had some serious trauma related to the ocean, and the fact that the strait was mostly protected from the true behemoths of the sea did little to assuage those issues. Regardless, the draw of civilization was too great for them to resist, and eventually, they climbed aboard. Once they did, Elijah started rowing.

Which reminded him of how grateful he was that he could now fly. He certainly hadn’t missed paddling across the strait.

Regardless, with his attributes, it didn’t take very long to cover the distance and arrive at the Ironshore docks. That’s when the castaways got their next shock.

“What the hell is going on here?” asked John, staring at a goblin fisherman.

“Is that a…little person?” asked Gwenivere.

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“Oh. Shit. I forgot to tell you that Ironshore was founded by gnomes, dwarves, and goblins,” Elijah said. “For the most part, they’re decent people who are just trying to survive.”

Of course, they didn’t take Elijah at his word, and when they climbed onto the docks, they did so with no small degree of caution. Fortunately, another familiar face was in the area.

“Colt!” Elijah half shouted. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“What’s up, hoss?” asked the cowboy as he sauntered down the dock. He had replaced his missing hand with a solid, metal facsimile. It didn’t move – not like Isaiah’s mechanical leg – but Colt didn’t let that affect him. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and his armor, and the dust coating everything suggested that he’d just gotten back to the city. “I was ‘bout to head over to the island.” He tipped his hat to Gwenivere, adding, “Ma’am.”

Elijah explained what had happened, and Colt helped him gather the still-unconscious people. A few dwarves pitched in, and soon enough, they were nestled snuggly in the healing house, as the locals referred to it. Elijah couldn’t think of it as a hospital, largely because they didn’t practice medicine as he knew it. Instead, they were wholly reliant on magical healing and alchemical solutions provided by Biggle’s operation.

Once they were settled in – and Gwenivere and John were satisfied that they were being cared for – Elijah escorted them to the Imperium, where he rented them a multi-bedroom suite. The pair were more than a little impressed with the décor, and Elijah wasn’t particularly happy about the cost, but he felt the castaways deserved a little pampering after what they’d been through.

When they went upstairs to get cleaned up, Eliijah also went to Mari’s shop and bought them some basic clothes to replace the rags they were wearing. After that, he had one of the Imperium’s employees take the clothes to the suite while Elijah settled in to wait in the lobby.

“Where do you think they’ve been?” asked Colt, sitting in a chair near Elijah. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “They looked like they’ve had a pretty rough go of it.”

“I don’t know,” Elijah said truthfully. He hadn’t gotten any details, but there was a suspicion tickling the back of his mind. “They were on the same plane as me, though. Ripped apart like two seconds after Earth was touched by the World Tree. I guess I was the lucky one, even if it didn’t feel like it at the time.”

“How many survived?”

Elijah shrugged again. “At least these five, I guess. I don’t know anymore,” he admitted.

“Damn.”

“Something like that,” Elijah agreed. After that, they fell into a comfortable silence. That was one thing he liked about Colt. The man didn’t speak unless he had something to say.

Eventually, a much cleaner pair emerged from upstairs. They’d still clearly been through the wringer, but they seemed much more energetic than before. Elijah hoped that a good meal would help them recover, so he took them to a small restaurant that could offer both privacy and generous portions. It wasn’t as good as the Stuck Pig, and it certainly wasn’t as fancy as what they could’ve gotten in the Imperium, but it was still better than most.

At first, Gwenivere and John were a bit reticent, but once the food started flowing, they loosened up. And eventually, they told him of the events they had experienced over the past four years.

“The plane crashed in the middle of an island,” Gwenivere said after stuffing herself. “It was a volcanic island surrounded by an enormous atoll. That, in turn, is surrounded by an eternal storm that’s larger than any cyclone I’ve ever heard about. We were in the eye of the storm. But so were the harpies.”

Elijah paled as she went on to describe the creatures and explain that a year before, the harpies had blessedly disappeared, flying through the storm and giving the survivors peace. Until that point, they’d had no choice but to hide in an extensive cave system that was populated by all sorts of dangerous monsters. But compared to the harpies, clashing with the cave monsters was far more preferable.

With the harpies gone, though, they had finally gotten up the courage to leave the caves, and they’d even scavenged enough material to build a boat that they hoped could survive the storm.

“Then, the harpies came back,” John said, his voice grave. “We lost almost half our people before we could get back to the caves. That’s when we knew we had no choice but to leave. They’d never give us peace. The others – about fifty are left, now – are still there, hiding in the caves. We started off with almost two-hundred. I don’t know how so many survived the crash. But it won’t be long until they’re all dead.”

“That’s why we need help,” Gwenivere said. “Otherwise, they’re all going to die.”

It was not the explanation Elijah had expected, but after having experienced the wrath of the harpies, he knew just how deadly those creatures could be. He was one of the strongest people in the world, and they’d nearly killed him once before, so he expected that they could rip through normal people without issue. That the plane crash survivors had been forced to hide underground was not surprising, given what Elijah knew.

He'd wondered where the harpies had come from as well as where they’d ended up. Now he knew. Or at least he hoped that was the case. The alternative – that there were two flocks of those monsters flying around out there – was enough to send a shiver of fear up his spine.

But he knew he couldn’t help. Not immediately, at least. Not only was the Trial of Primacy on the horizon, but he’d already committed to assisting Sadie Song in Hong Kong. And between helping tens of thousands of people and saving fifty, he knew which way he’d go.

More, Elijah had seen the storm Gwenivere had referenced. He’d experienced the outskirts, and he knew that he wouldn’t easily make it through, even if he chose that route.

As the woman looked at him expectantly, he asked, “How long can they survive underground?”

John was the one to answer. “As long as necessary. They have orders not to go topside unless there’s no other choice,” the scarred man said. “The caves are dangerous, but it’s a danger they know.”

“You’re not going to help,” guessed Gwenivere.

“I…I can’t,” Elijah said. “Not immediately, at least. I’ve encountered those harpies once before. I can’t beat them alone. I barely survived last time. I need to get stronger, or I need help. I have plans for both, but they’re going to take some time.”

“How long?” she demanded.

“The Trial of Primacy is in four months,” he said. “Maybe a little less – I sometimes lose track of time.”

“It’s closer to three,” supplied Colt.

“Right. That,” Elijah said. “Then, I’m going to help Hong Kong, which has been overrun by undead and demons. Hopefully, that will solve my issues. I’ll get stronger, and I’ll secure the help of my allies from Hong Kong. Then, we can go after your people.”

Gwenivere clearly wasn’t happy about that, but she held her tongue. By comparison, John seemed a little more understanding, though disappointment was still etched on his scarred face. However, Elijah had been entirely truthful with them. Even if he could help them – which, given the power of the harpy flock, wasn’t possible – he still had obligations elsewhere.

It wasn’t what either of the two castaways wanted to hear, but it was all Elijah had to offer.

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