Path of Dragons

Before Elijah left Argos, he stopped by Atticus' store and emptied his Arcane Loop and Ghoulhide Satchel and sold anything he couldn't use. As it turned out, the stakes he'd taken from the war elf encampment were nearly worthless, and the only thing that made them special was that they functioned as foci for the powerful Wardwrights. Without their input, they were practically useless, except as scrap.

Disappointing, but if Elijah was honest with himself, he'd forgotten all about them until he'd started emptying his storage. Thankfully, the clerk was more than happy to take everything off his hands. So, it was with quite a lot of storage space that he finally activated Roots of the World Tree and teleported back to the grove.

His return came with the comforting density of ethera and a thick cloud of vitality that he could very nearly see. It was like the best sort of humidity, and he couldn't stop himself from taking a deep breath. Grin on his face, he muttered, "So good to be home."

Unfortunately, there was no one else on the island. It wasn't surprising. Carmen, Miguel, and most of the others were currently in the Chimeric Forge. Biggle was probably brewing something dangerous back in his laboratory on the mainland, while he'd felt Nara head back to Ironshore, presumably to see to her people.

Even Nerthus was nowhere to be found.

So, Elijah took his time reacclimating to the environment, taking a long and luxurious shower before settling into the hot tub for a soak. The scalding water was hotter than ever before, and the ash lotus had reached full bloom, filling the air with a smokey smell that Elijah somehow found quite soothing. Like breathing incense, but with an infusion of vitality and ethera.

After everything he'd been through of late, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it. Eventually, he nodded off, only awakening well after nightfall when Nerthus nudged him with his gnarled foot.

Or kicked him. That was probably a better characterization of it.

"I see you have returned," said the spryggent.

"Good eye," Elijah said, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I think you know…you know what? Never mind. I probably deserved it," he admitted. "How have things been going? I see that the grove continues to grow more powerful."

"No thanks to you."

"Ouch," Elijah said, refraining from pointing out that, without him, the grove wouldn't exist. For all that Nerthus cared for the island, arranging its growth in such a way as to usher it into reaching its potential, the biggest influence on its potency was Elijah himself. The surest way for it to grow was through Elijah's levels and cultivation.

"Did you at least gain a few levels?" Nerthus asked.

"A few. Two-fourteen now," he said. In terms of progression, the fight against the monkeys had been extremely profitable. That wasn't surprising, given their power and numbers, but he still regretted that he'd had to kill them. However, if there was one thing he knew, it was that primates tended to be territorial. They didn't care about relative power or attunements. If you trespassed, they were prone to attack. Perhaps humans hadn't progressed passed their simian cousins quite as much as they believed. "Just a few more levels, and I'll get a new ability. And there's another specialization at two-twenty-five, too."

In a surprisingly human gesture, Nerthus sat upon one of the nearby rocks.

That was when Elijah felt it. The difference was stark, and when he looked at his friend, he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't noticed it sooner. Nerthus wasn't larger, but he seemed more solid, with a mantle of leaves descending from his shoulders in a verdant cascade. Twigs, each one ending in a tiny green leaf, sprouted from his shoulders, and he'd even grown a mane of moss-like hair.

But the biggest difference – physically, at least – was his face. It wasn't nearly as craggy as before, and it looked a little less like rough bark. Instead, it was more like someone had chiseled it from a piece of lumber. More mossy hair descended from his jaw, reaching down to mid-chest.

However, more striking than anything else was his ethereal signature, and the intensity of it made the situation abundantly clear.

"You ascended."

"I did."

"Congratulations, man!" Elijah exclaimed, wheeling around. "We need to celebrate. We need a party. When did this happen? What level are you? What class evolution did you choose?"

Nerthus seemed startled by the barrage of question, but over the next few minutes, he answered as many as he could. He'd only ascended the month before, and since then, he'd gained a couple of levels, putting him at one-twenty-seven. While that didn't seem a lofty level, it was quite an accomplishment for a non-combatant, most of whom tended to progress very slowly.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Those who tend to groves are even slower than most," he admitted. "Steady, but slow. Like the growth of a proper tree."

As far as his class, it was a direct evolution, though a powerful one. "Forest Sovereign," Elijah said. "Sounds fancy."

"I did not believe it was possible," Nerthus admitted. "Only the strongest become sovereigns. On my world, it would have been impossible."

Elijah grinned. "You deserve it, buddy," he said, patting the spryggent on the leg.

After that, Nerthus went on to explain how he would be able to do so much more with the grove once he started to get upgrades to his spells. He even talked about a few of his plans, such as they were. For Elijah's part, he just listened, content to know that Nerthus was happy.

But then, he finally asked, "So, what was the kick for?"

"You have neglected your duties. The elves grow restless," Nerthus stated. "You should have inducted them into the grove before you left."

"I know," Elijah said. "Do you trust them?"

"I trust Nara. She trusts the others. It does not matter, though."

"Seems like it should."

"The grove needs them," Nerthus stated. "You need their experience. You need their contributions. A grove with no community is a poor thing indeed."

Elijah sighed. He could see Nerthus' perspective. In addition, he understood why he'd never seen it quite the same way. Elijah spent very little time in the grove, so loneliness was rarely a problem for him. In fact, when he was in the grove, he preferred solitude, though with some notable exceptions.

But still, he'd always followed Nerthus' advice, and he didn't intend to change course now.

He said, "I'll induct them soon. I'm going to take the next step in Mind cultivation first, though. I think it's…necessary."

Then, he went on to explain his reasoning, highlighting how his trauma had begun to affect his judgement. "I don't know if I'm just making excuses, but…"

"Tending to your mental state is necessary," Nerthus said. "But you should know that cultivation will not banish your trauma. You must still address it, lest the infestation take you over."

"I know."

Indeed, that was part of his plan, though he still wasn't certain how it would go down. He didn't think he would know for sure until he got into it, and by that point, it might be too late to adjust.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. He already knew about Sadie heading down to the Hollow Depths, and he'd even sent her a message detailing his plans going forward. Likely, she wouldn't agree with everything, but at the end of the day, he had to trust his gut. In addition, he was aware that Miguel and other elites like Kurik and Ron had gone into the Chimeric Forge.

Hopefully, they would have a more pleasant experience than he had.

"The children are in Ironshore. They come less now that most of the adults are gone," Nerthus stated. Then, he detailed everyone else's whereabouts. Hope spent most of her days learning from Mari, while the children trained with the city's other young people. Biggle had just harvested an impressive crop from his garden, and he'd retreated to the mainland where he was busy brewing potions.

"What about Oscar? And Nara?"

Oscar had gone into the Chimeric Forge as well, which should not have been a surprising development. The man was as restless as Elijah. Perhaps even more so. Meanwhile, Nara was busy helping Ironshore's farming operations. They weren't expansive, but they were beginning to bear fruit.

"When will you begin your cultivation?" asked Nerthus.

Elijah wanted to go immediately, but he knew that was a mistake. More than with any other cultivation session, he needed a clear and well-rested mind. So, he said, "Tomorrow morning at the earliest. I need inner peace before I get started. Or at least as much as I can instill."

"Wise."

"That's me, a bastion of wisdom," Elijah said with a small smile. "Honestly, I feel like a bit of a fraud when it comes to cultivation. I'm good at it. I get results. But everything I've read tells me it should be different. All the guides go on and on about being one with your surroundings and separating from yourself. I don't do any of that. Sometimes, it just feels like I'm flipping a switch, and it starts. The only question is whether or not I'm strong enough to endure it."

"You are different."

"Don't I know it."

After that, their conversation petered out, and Elijah went back to soaking in the spring. However, it wasn't long before he grew tired of it, so he headed back to his treehouse, where he resolved to go to sleep.

It didn't really work.

Instead, he lay there in his bed, going over all the trauma of his past, over and over in a loop until he thought he was going to go crazy. Just before dawn, he'd had enough. "So much for inner peace," he muttered to himself.

He didn't bother dressing. Instead, he stepped out onto his balcony, leaped into the air, and used Shape of the Sky. Once he'd transformed, it only took a single flap of his wings to send him soaring over the island and toward the beach closest to the entrance to the cultivation cave.

Upon landing, he resumed his human form and sat on a nearby hunk of driftwood. There, he remained for the next hour or so, breathing steady and deep as the sun rose behind him. As he did so, one of the crabs wandered close. The huge crustacean wasn't intelligent enough to recognize him, but when Elijah extended his Mantle of Authority, the creature came closer.

Parasites and harmful toxins were eradicated as a surge of vitality swept through the crab. When Elijah opened his eyes, he saw that the crustacean's shell was thicker and healthier looking than ever before, It very nearly gleamed in the morning sun.

Of course, it didn't really appreciate Elijah's efforts, as evidenced by the fact that its claw soon clamped down on his shoulder. It pinched a bit, but it wasn't terribly uncomfortable.

"Stop it, you idiot," Elijah muttered, slapping it away with a laugh. It, of course, tried to clamp down on him again.

After disentangling himself from the conflict, Elijah waved his hand, saying, "Fine. Fine. It's your beach. I'm going."

It snapped its claws threateningly. If it hadn't been the size of a minivan, it might've been cute.

"No. It is cute," Elijah said to himself. But he knew that might not have been the case if he lacked a hundred or so levels.

In any case, the encounter had done him some good, so when he waded into the surf, he did so with a lighter mind. The swim through the tunnel was little different than before, though the current of ethera and vitality was much stronger. Soon enough, he found out why.

The cave was teeming with so much life that he barely recognized it. The leviathan's bones had crept up the sides, all the way to the water line, and the entire cavern was full of waving kelp. Within that forest of sea foliage were thousands of fish, shrimp, and other small marine creatures.

There was even a thick coating of algae clinging to the ceiling.

Clearly, Nara had spent quite some time in the cave, and she'd ushered it to new levels of vitality. He would have to thank her.

But first, he had a mind to cultivate.