Path of Dragons

Elijah’s staff clacked against Miguel’s sword, and even though he’d barely put any strength behind it, the blade went flying backward. He followed that up with a gentle tap to his nephew’s chest. “Too slow,” he said.

Miguel’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword as he took a step back and grunted, “Again.”

“I think you’ve had enough for –”

Elijah didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before he saw the thrown dagger Miguel had whipped in his direction. He sidestepped, but that put him a little off-balance when his nephew followed the distraction with a thrust. Elijah twisted, using his increased reaction speed from Lupine Reflexes to narrowly avoid the sword strike. He dipped low, slapping the Feral Spire against Miguel’s ankle and sweeping his legs out from underneath him.

Miguel hung in the air for a subjective instant before falling to the ground. His back hit with an audible thud, and the air flew from his lungs in a sharp exhale. Elijah placed the butt of his staff against the young man’s chest, pinning him in place. “I said I think you’ve had enough for now,” Elijah stated.

“I get it,” Miguel spat through gritted teeth.

Cocking his head to the side, Elijah asked, “If I let you up, are you going to attack me again?”

“Maybe.”

“At least you’re honest,” Elijah muttered before removing the staff. As it turned out, Miguel didn’t attack him, but it was plain to see that the young man did not enjoy losing. Elijah could empathize with that.

“How do you move so fast? I read about Druids. You’re not supposed to be able to do that,” remarked Miguel as he rubbed the back of his head.

“First of all, I’m more than my archetype,” Elijah said, casting Soothe upon his nephew. That would be more than enough to bring him back to perfect condition. “Everyone is. Mostly, I can punch above my weight class because of my cultivation. Every attribute point I have does more because of that. Also, my reaction speed is increased by five percent. It’s a self-only buff.”

“Seems overpowered,” Miguel stated.

Elijah shrugged. “I hope so. With my Legacy, most of my spell evolutions are pretty powerful,” he said. “That’s another reason I’ve managed to survive. If you don’t take anything else from this, remember one thing. Levels are only one measure of progress. They do not tell the full story of anyone’s power. The same is true of attributes. Those numbers are great for giving you a sense of your own relative progress, but the second you start comparing yourself to others, things get a little murky. Take Strength, for instance. The higher a number is, the better. We know that much. But your hundred points in Strength are worth less than mine because I’ve reached a higher tier of body and overall cultivation.”

“I…I see.”

“But you’ve done well,” Elijah said, reaching out to grip his nephew’s shoulder. “What level are you, anyway?”

“Thirty-nine,” he answered.

“Damn. I’ve got more than eight-five levels on you,” Elijah pointed out. “That you can keep up with me even for a few seconds is an accomplishment. When you get to my level, you’re going to be an absolute beast.”

Miguel still didn’t look happy, but he nodded, saying, “I need to get back to training. Thank you for sparring with me. I learned…a lot.”

After an awkward moment of silence, Elijah gave his nephew a nod. Miguel turned on his heel and sprinted away. For the next few minutes, Elijah watched – via his domain – as Miguel made good on his professed need to train. The young man worked as hard as anyone Elijah had ever seen, which was saying something. If that was all it took to be successful, then Miguel would definitely go a long way.

It was too bad, then, that it took far more than simple training. Miguel would need to endure quite a lot of hardship if he was going to reach his potential.

“He’s quite committed, is he not?” came Nerthus’ voice. “Driven, one might say.”

“Hey, Nerthus. How are things?” Elijah asked, turning to see the spryggent standing nearby. Nerthus had grown a few extra inches, which meant that he was taller than Elijah, if only by a little. It wouldn’t be long before he had to look up at the tree spirit.

“I am well,” Nerthus answered. “The grove flourishes. Do you feel the increased density of the ambient ethera? Once you become an ascendent, it will take an enormous step forward, both in quality as well as breadth. I look forward to it.”

“Me too,” Elijah said.

“Why have you not evolved your class? I sense that you have satisfied the requirements.”

“Long story short, a dragon told me to do some other things first.”

“Then you should heed that advice. Dragons are known throughout the multi-verse for their wisdom.”

“Technically, I’m a dragon,” Elijah pointed out.

“Most dragons. Not all.”

“Ouch.”

Nerthus just stood there with his wooden face. Elijah knew him well enough to recognize a slight smirk. Apparently, spryggents were fully capable of making jokes at his expense.

“So unappreciated,” Elijah said, shaking his head from side to side. “I’m going to visit Ironshore for a little while, but when I get back, we need to get together and go over my rewards from the Trial. I think some of them could really benefit the grove. Or failing that, then the island in general.” Nerthus definitely perked up at that, but Elijah cut him off before he could speak. “But I need to check some things before we get into all that.”

Indeed, he had a few items to check off his to-do list, and he knew that if he didn’t address them sooner rather than later, he would get distracted by more interesting things. Like the aforementioned rewards. Or inspecting his new shape, which he’d so far resisted because he didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole until he was ready to give it the attention it deserved.

“Very well,” Nerthus said. “I shall continue to tend the grove until your eventual return.”

“Don’t pout, man. I’ll be back before you know it,” Elijah said.

With that, he embraced the Shape of Sky, then launched himself into the air. In seconds, he was flying past the trees and over the placid waters between his island and the shore. For a few moments, he just enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his face, but he soon remembered just how much he needed to do. So, he regretfully landed just outside the city, then walked to the gate.

As it turned out, there were a couple of humans on guard, and neither of them recognized him.

“Who’re you supposed to be, huh?” asked one of the guards. She was a middle-aged woman with a stout form. “You think we just let anyone in?”

“Sorry – I should probably introduce myself. I’m Elijah. I live over there,” he said, pointing vaguely toward the island. “You might have heard of me.”

She paled and stammered some response that never actually reached the level of clarity necessary for intelligibility. More importantly, she stepped aside and allowed Elijah entry. Perhaps his reputation wasn’t so onerous after all.

Whatever the case, neither of the guards made any further attempt to bar his way, and Elijah entered without issue. The city itself was in remarkably good shape, though there were a few signs of battle here and there. Mostly, that was confined to some persistent blood stains on the walls of various buildings, but Elijah saw some structural damage here and there as well.

He couldn’t help but wonder how the situation might have differed if it weren’t for the huge, hundred-plus foot wall they’d built around the city. Either way, Elijah couldn’t help but think that the dark elves had held back quite a bit. They seemed to have had no interest in taking a destroyed city. Otherwise, they would have obliterated it from afar.

After all, the concept of a catapult wasn’t all that complex. Surely, the dark elves had something similar.

No, from what Elijah could tell, they’d wanted to take the city – and its population – intact. What that meant about their plans, Elijah didn’t know, but he expected that Ramik would figure it out after his people had the chance to interrogate the many prisoners they’d taken.

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Regardless, Elijah wasn’t in a position to concern himself with dark elves. They were an issue, sure, but the dangers they represented were pretty far down his list of problems. So, with that in mind, he quickly traversed the city – trying to ignore the furtive glances that followed him through the streets – until he reached the fortress at the center of town. It was an impressive structure, if only because of how impregnable it had proven to be. From an aesthetic standpoint, it was less remarkable, and to Elijah, it looked like nothing so much as a concrete cube.

Imposing, maybe, but far from beautiful. That was especially evident because the rest of the city had clearly been built with an eye toward cosmetic appeal.

He climbed the steps, which encircled the entire building, before proceeding inside. Thankfully, everything he needed to do could be accomplished in the same place, so he quickly made his way toward the Branch. He’d arrived there only a couple of days before, so he remembered the way well enough. However, this time, the interior of the building wasn’t packed with thousands of frightened, beaten, and battered people. Instead, the halls were clear, so he made it to the chamber containing the Branch quickly enough.

There, he met the Envoy of the World Tree. The dwarven woman wore an elaborate, green robe decorated with golden scrollwork. Technically, those who safeguarded the Branches of the World Tree were considered neutral, and they certainly weren’t in much danger so long as they remained within their limited domain around the Branch itself. However, they were also part of their communities, and their friends and loved ones were no safer than anyone else.

Some cultures considered targeting the Envoys by proxy to be beyond the pale, but that wasn’t true for everyone. No one knew what approach the dark elves would have taken, but Ironshore’s Envoy – named Genia – was clearly appreciative of Elijah’s efforts. She still confined her gratitude to a single nod of respect, then pointed towards the end of the line.

Elijah took his place, then waited until the three people ahead of him had finished with their business before stepping forward to access the Branch. Once he had his hand on the crystalline trunk, he accessed the Bank and looked at his account:

Copper	Silver	Gold	Platinum
321	676	923,212	1

It was quite a lot of money, though Elijah had difficult equating it to familiar terms. However, considering that it only cost ten silver to rent a room at the most luxurious hotel in Ironshore, he expected that he had quite a fortune to his name. He did know that the Imperium’s prices – as well as those for other goods in Ironshore – would rise as more outsiders came to town. But for now, it was a mostly closed economy, so the value of goods and services was quite skewed.

Still, Elijah expected that he was one of the richest people on Earth, which made him feel all sorts of odd about the state of his life. He’d never really been poor, but back before Earth’s transformation, he certainly hadn’t had a ton of money to spare.

After making sure that his folio reflected that balance, Elijah withdrew a few coins before moving on to the Communications Hub. There, he found two messages waiting for him. The first was from Sadie:

Sender	Recipient
Sadie Song	Elijah Hart
Hello Elijah, I hope this message finds you well. I have departed Argos for Hong Kong, though I was forced to spend a significant portion of my wealth to utilize the Global Teleportation Network at such a vast distance. I fear I will be unable to repeat that feat in the future. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, I found our stronghold much as I left it. In my absence, my brother has consolidated power and completed preparations for a push into the Primal Realm, which opens in forty-three days. Take what time you need to accomplish your goals, though do not tarry too long, for I do not know how much time it will require to conquer the Primal Realm. Regards, Sadie Song P.S. Dat says, “Hey, bro.”

The message had an oddly formal tone, which, if Elijah thought about it, made sense. Sadie had been trained as a pseudo-aristocrat and businesswoman, so in that context, the wording of the message fit perfectly. It still brought a slight smile to Elijah’s face.

More important was the content, though. Chiefly, that the situation wasn’t so dire that he needed to abandon his plans for cultivation. However, he was still on a bit of a timer, so he knew he needed to get a move on if he wanted to finish everything.

So, he moved on to the next message he saw in the Communication Hub:

Sender	Recipient
Ron Latham	Elijah Hart
Elijah, Things have taken a turn for the worst. We will take you up on the offer, but I can’t afford transportation. Please come to the attached location. It’s not urgent, but don’t take your sweet time, either. Thanks. Ron

That message was less pleasant to read. Ron wasn’t really the kind of guy to ask for help unless he really needed it, so Elijah expected that the situation was slightly more urgent than the Healer wanted to admit. Perhaps the circumstances weren’t life-threatening, but he definitely needed help. So, Elijah decided to accelerate some of his plans, though there were some things he definitely needed to accomplish before he started galivanting across the globe.

Once Elijah had recorded the location – a town called Forest Hills that was thousands of miles away, considering the cost of transportation – he moved on to the final order of business he needed to accomplish at the Branch.

While he was on Ka’arath, the city of Ironshore had managed to find a Librarian. The girl in question was one of the refugees from Norcastle, but according to Carmen, she had found the situation in Ironshore far more palatable. It wasn’t surprising, either. Ironshore had been trying to cultivate a Librarian for as long as Elijah could remember.

She was a mousey, timid girl, and she was clearly aware of Elijah’s reputation. That meant that she filled his request in only a few minutes. Once the leaf had grown, Elijah collected his guide, thanked the Librarian, and bade farewell to Genia. He only glanced at the guide, which was titled “Cycling Techniques”, before departing.

After that, he went upstairs to meet with Ramik, who somehow managed to drag him to lunch at the Stuck Pig. However, before Elijah dug in, he had to ask one, simple question. “This isn’t dark elf, is it?”

Ramik’s eyes widened. “Of course not! We’re not savages!”

“You ate orc, man. I think it’s a valid question.”

“I seem to recall you ate some as well, good sir,” the goblin mayor stated defensively. “Besides, there’s a difference between eating monster meat and eating a person.”

Elijah’s eyes narrowed.

“I assure you that we are not eating dark elf. This is boar.”

“Okay. Just had to ask,” Elijah said.

After that, the two enjoyed a very pleasant meal. For the longest time, Elijah had been surviving on dried meat and whatever he could cook himself. So, to his practically dormant taste buds, the succulent barbecue was one of the best meals he’d ever eaten. And it definitely tasted like pork, so he was reasonably sure the goblin wasn’t trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

Over the course of the meal, Ramik relayed the state of Ironshore. The mines weren’t in great shape, but the city itself was much better off than expected. “We should be able to get the mines open with only a few days’ worth of delay. Then, it’s back to work,” Ramik said. “Remarkable recovery, I must say. I was preparing to surrender myself to the Green Mountain Mining Guild, but now, I think we might just make our quota.”

“Quota?”

That’s when Ramik revealed the nature of Ironshore’s situation. From what Elijah could tell, they sounded a lot like sharecroppers, only instead of farming, they plundered the depths for valuable metals.

“How much until you’re free?” Elijah asked.

“About fifty platinum,” the goblin revealed. “Either in goods or ethereum.”

“Damn,” Elijah said. “That’s…a daunting amount.”

“We’re on a fifty-year plan,” Ramik stated. “With the quality of ore we’ve found, I think we can cut that in half, so long as we don’t see any more work stoppages. Things should go much more smoothly now that the Global Transportation Network is available. Of course, I hope that Wilhelm fellow can come through with his little Conclave of Wizards or whatever nonsense they call themselves. The Communications Hub is even more helpful because it allows us to negotiate trade deals. Regardless, things are looking up.”

Elijah nodded, though he couldn’t help but wonder if he might be able to speed up Ironshore’s quest for independence. He only had a little less than two platinum at the moment, but he’d barely even paid attention to money so far. Plus, he knew a very good Merchant and an even better Blacksmith. Maybe together they could figure something out.

Truthfully, Elijah wasn’t terribly concerned with money. He had everything he needed in his grove. But what he didn’t want was a bunch of strangers coming into Ironshore and taking over the city. He liked Ramik, and more importantly, they had an understanding. It just made sense to keep him in power.

Elijah wasn’t quite there yet, though, so he finished his meal with Ramik, then headed back to the island. He had a lot to do before he could go get Ron or head to Hong Kong, and it was high time he got started.

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