Path of Dragons

Elijah landed just outside the grove, then initiated his transformation back into his human form. He’d admittedly gotten a little carried away while testing out his flight form, and he had spent the past few hours flying faster and with more agility than ever before. The influx of attributes along with the enhancements of reaching the Ascendent tier and pushing into the Expert tier of overall cultivation had left him feeling like a man remade.

Flying had always been exhilarating, but doing so with so much more power at his disposal was absolutely intoxicating and wholly addictive. He couldn’t quite quantify just how much faster he could fly, but it was a significant increase.

But now he’d returned to the grove, and he had a few things to do before finally getting started on all the things he’d been putting off since returning from the Trial of Primacy. He’d already sent out a bunch of messages letting his friends know what was going on, and now, he only needed to check on his projects and make some last-minute preparations before he got back to work.

In reality, his feelings on it were mixed. On the one hand, he’d very much enjoyed taking a step back from the life-and-death struggles associated with the Trial of Primacy. It had been a stressful period, especially there at the end, and he’d needed a long break. Certainly, he hadn’t been idle during his time in the grove, but aside from a few close calls with his cultivation, he’d not been in any danger of dying.

However, on the other hand, he couldn’t deny a certain degree of eagerness when he considered venturing out into the world. He’d never been to Hong Kong, and even though it had been overrun by undead as well as the occasional demonic creature, he was looking forward to seeing the sights. After all, it couldn’t be much more dangerous than the Trial of Primacy, and if he could spend so much time exploring Ka’arath, he could certainly do the same in Hong Kong.

He was also excited to see Sadie and Dat again as well. He’d grown so accustomed to their company that he’d often found himself wondering about their well-being. He missed Dat’s affable demeanor and Sadie’s even-keeled presence. They were his friends, and he looked forward to a reunion.

But it was more than just a simple desire to see his friends or explore a new place. Just as flight was addictive, so too was the idea of risking his life in battle against powerful foes. Part of it was the adrenaline. Some of it was the challenge. The feeling of progression contributed, too. For better or worse, Elijah was never happier than when confronted with a life-or-death challenge.

“What the hell is even wrong with me?” he wondered aloud. Indeed, if he’d had those thoughts before the world had changed, he would have immediately called a therapist to make an urgent appointment. But now, it seemed perfectly normal. Natural, even.

Was that the dragon in him? Or was it nothing more than a conditioned response? Might it even be the result of his nature attunement? After all, there were plenty of animals that seemed to enjoy conflict. Whatever the truth of the matter, Elijah wasn’t in a position of self-reflection. Largely, that was because that particular attitude was useful. It allowed him to keep a grip on his sanity as the world changed all around him, and he was in no position to discard it, even if he wanted to.

However else Elijah might have changed over the years since Earth had experienced the touch of the World Tree, that might have been the most profound. Gone was the apathetic scientist. The underachieving academic. The cancer-stricken walking corpse. Instead, he had come to appreciate life, adventure, and the wonders of the world – of the multi-verse – in a way no one could have ever predicted.

It was with that in mind that he strolled through the grove, admiring all of Nerthus’ work. In a lot of ways, it looked a lot like the botanical gardens he had visited in his youth – a combination of the curated and the wild – though everything was far more vibrant than it should have been. It was as if someone had turned up the saturation of the world, though not in an overbearing way. Colors were just brighter. Deeper. Everything felt more real.

“I remember when there was nothing in this clearing but the tree,” Elijah said when he felt Nerthus slip out of a nearby root. “You were only a foot tall back then. I planted these bushes. Do you remember? I spent so long just willing them to sprout. I knew that was the key to survival. I couldn’t just depend on gathering wild berries. I needed to grow my own food.”

“I remember,” the spryggent stated.

Elijah smiled slightly. “I got so tired of those berries. God, so tired,” he admitted. “Crab, too. I kept thinking that if I’d just had a slightly bigger pot, I could have boiled them properly.” He let out a slight chuckle. “I’d have probably screwed that up, too. Can’t even boil crab right. My dad would have been ashamed.”

“You are leaving, aren’t you?” Nerthus guessed.

“Soon. Probably later today. Tomorrow at the latest,” he answered. “My friends need my help, so that’s where I’m headed. You can keep things going here, right?”

“Of course. It is my purpose,” Nerthus answered. “It will likely be even easier without your interference.”

“Ouch,” Elijah said, glancing back at the tree spirit. Nerthus wore a slight grin of his own. It was barely noticeable, but Elijah saw it for what it was. “The coffee cherries ready yet?”

Elijah had taken a little time when he’d first gotten home to begin the process of preparing the cherries, and it was only the day before he’d upgraded his core that he had de-pulped the beans. Of late, he’d only been waiting for them to dry out.

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“They are,” Nerthus answered. He’d been monitoring them for Elijah. “They need only to be gathered.”

“Good,” Elijah said. Then, he and Nerthus began a final tour of the grove. They visited the hot tub, which was still a long way from being ready. The water was lukewarm, but the ash lotus hadn’t even begun to bloom yet. That would take some time, even with Nerthus’ influence.

After that, they visited the Frozen Hollow, where the frozen oak had taken firm root, and the minor natural treasures had begun to follow suit. As with the ash lotus, it would take a while before they were ready, but Elijah could already feel the drop in temperature.

Finally, he inspected the sapling that Nerthus had coaxed into absorbing the Shard of Nature’s Might. To Elijah’s shock, it had barely grown at all. It was only about two feet tall, which meant that it had only grown by a few inches. That was an absolutely glacial pace compared to the rest of the grove.

When asked about it, Nerthus explained, “It is a powerful natural treasure, almost on the level of a seeded ancestral tree. It is only a cutting, but it is supported and enhanced by the Shard of Nature’s Might. As such, it requires a great deal of energy – both ethereal and vital – to grow. When it reaches the point of maturity suitable for harvesting, it will be quite powerful. If you are here, I will allow you to do it. However, if you are not, I shall do it myself.” ṞÃΝÓＢƐš

“Oh,” Elijah said. Often, Nerthus acted as if the grove were his, and that Elijah was just a guest. Or an unruly child. It probably wasn’t such a bad assessment, given how much more skilled with directing plant life Nerthus was. “Well, that makes sense.”

Finally, after establishing that the coffee beans had dried, Elijah gathered them up and headed to the treehouse to make final preparations. His Ghoul-Hide Satchel was already mostly empty, so he didn’t really need to do any purging. Instead, he gathered a few changes of clothes, his essentials like soap and expired toothpaste, then shoved everything inside.

Already there were his two staves, his gear, and the various useful odds and ends he’d picked up during his various adventures. Included in that group were the artificed items like his laser-pointer firestarter and his Gameboy mapping device.

Once that was done, he took a long, soothing shower, giving himself a good and thorough scrubbing that left him feeling both invigorated and a little regretful. He only had a couple more bars of soap left, and he knew from experience just how short of a time they would last.

Sure, he could probably replace it in Hong Kong. Obviously, they would have soap. But it wouldn’t be his soap, which made all the difference, and not only because it would almost assuredly lack the rejuvenating power he was used to. Also because he took pride in that soap. He’d made it with his own two hands, after all. There was something to be said for that.

But there wasn’t much he could do, so he pushed it out of mind.

He had two more tasks he needed to accomplish before getting started, so he quickly dressed and, after grabbing his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, left his island behind. He landed outside Gavina’s shop. Fortunately, she answered quickly, then shoved a bundle containing his armor into his arms. He paid her fee, then took the coffee beans across town to the Imperium hotel, where he met with the cook and hired him to roast the beans.

Doing so would only take a few hours, which was just about perfect for Elijah. So, after dipping into Carmen’s forge, he donned his armor and his gear, then stepped outside to find her waiting for him, smithing hammer in hand.

“You’re leaving?” she asked.

“Just a short trip at first,” he answered. “Then a much longer one. Want to get lunch before I go?”

“I’m still stuffed from that new dwarven restaurant down the street,” she admitted. Then, she eagerly explained how she’d recently met with the city’s top crafters, and they had an agreement in place for everyone to contribute to her new vision for the Great Forge project. “I think it’s going to be great. A lot of work, but isn’t that how it always works? No work, no reward.”

“I’m happy for you,” Elijah said. “And if you need me for anything, just let me know. I’ll check the local Branch’s Communication System as often as I can.”

She nodded, but then she said, “We really need to get cell phones working again. Can you believe we used to take that for granted?”

Elijah agreed, and after that, spent a few minutes lamenting everything that had been lost in the world’s transformation. Top on the list was the internet, but there were a host of other things they both missed as well. Eventually, though, Elijah said, “I’d love to stay and keep this going, but…yeah, I’ve got to go.”

“Stay safe,” she said, giving him a hug.

He returned it, responding, “You too. And keep Miggy out of trouble. Also, try to check in on Kurik from time to time. He’s not careful enough.”

“Will do,” she agreed.

After they broke their embrace, Elijah left Carmen’s smithy behind and, completely decked out in all his familiar gear, headed toward the Branch. Once there, he waited in line, and when it was his turn, he approached the crystalline tree. Upon laying his hand on it, he navigated to the Teleportation Network. Once he’d found the appropriate menu, he selected the listing labeled Forest Hills, Ohio and checked the price of travel:

“Damn, that’s expensive,” Elijah muttered to himself. He’d already expected it, but there really wasn’t any way around it. As far as he could tell, Forest Hills – which was where Ron was located – was on the other side of the world. If he wanted to get there in any sort of hurry, he’d need to use the Teleportation Network. And that wasn’t even considering that he wasn’t really sure exactly where it was. No – he only had one option.

And it would take a little more than half his accumulated wealth to get there. Still, he selected the affirmative option without any real hesitation because his friend needed him. What was a little money next to that?

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