Path of Dragons

"You saw that, didn't you?" said one of the members of Lamar's team.

Another shook her head, adding, "I got some of that blood on me. It almost ate through my whole arm."

"He was inside that thing for a long time, and…"

Elijah pretended not to hear them. Or see the furtive glances cast in his direction. It had been an entire day since the encounter with the abomination, and in that time, he'd discovered that he had become something of a celebrity among the other participants in the raid on the Seat of Thunder. Everyone that wasn't in his group looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear that made him supremely uncomfortable.

Once he was out of hearing range of the group, he plopped down next to Dat and let out a long sigh as he stared at the flickering fire. It had been a while since they'd permitted themselves such a luxury, and even now, it was only possible because they'd reached the cultivation cave. For whatever reason, the entire area was devoid of wraiths or abominations, which meant that he'd taken a little detour to collect the Trunk of the Frozen Oak. Or rather, the tree, considering that it had set down roots and grown a fair few branches.

Thankfully, after digging the thing up, it had fit in Kurik's spatial storage. How that was possible, Elijah had no idea, but he wasn't going to question it. Nor was he going to overlook the other opportunity to gather what amounted to a bunch of other natural treasures. Normally, he would've left all the plants he'd cultivated alone, but as far as he knew, Ka'arath was going to be swallowed by the Abyss. So, in a way, he was saving the plants.

They weren't that powerful, but he hoped that he'd find a use for them back in the grove. If not, he knew an alchemist who could.

Once his Ghoul-Hide Satchel was practically bulging with plants – and he'd used all the room Kurik was willing to spare – he and the Dwarf had returned to the camp the group had established in a separate cave.

"You want some coffee?" he asked, poking the fire with his staff.

"I always want coffee, bro. But you don't want to waste it, do you? My buff is good for another day."

"I don't think we're going to be here much longer," Elijah said. Indeed, the year wasn't quite up, but he expected that killing Yloa would bring the Trial to a close. Or that was what he hoped. He had no real interest in remaining on Ka'arath any longer than that. The only reason he might even consider it was for the experience. The wraiths were practically worthless for someone at his level, but the abomination had given him such a huge influx of experience that he'd briefly considered hunting a few more. The last one had sent him rocketing past the one-sixteen mark, and at present, he was on the verge of getting another level. It was an unprecedented amount of experience, but he supposed that was only fitting, given the difficulty involved.

After all, if he'd lacked a single one of his advantages, he probably would have died. And if that had happened, everyone else would have perished as well.

They all knew it, too. Some had reacted like the pair from Lamar's team – with awe and a little fear. But Ikan had looked at him like he was a puzzle to be solved. The worst was Sadie, who had berated him for acting recklessly. She was right, too. He'd thrown himself at the thing without thought for how he was going to win the fight – which had become a bit of a habit for him.

The problem was that he didn't fight like her. He was no strategist. He fought by feel, leaning on his instincts and reactions to see him through. Certainly, he'd never endorse anyone else going that route, but it worked for him. So far.

Sadie was right to point out that it was only a matter of time before he bit off more than he could chew. But when she'd said that, his pride had forced him to respond in the worst way possible.

"Is Sadie still angry with me?" he asked, scooping ground coffee beans into the French press. He added some water he'd set to boil a few moments later, then sealed it to let it steep.

"I don't know if that's the right word," Dat admitted, removing his wide-brimmed hat and running his hand through his black hair. "Exasperated might be better."

"To be fair, I didn't think she cared all that much if I live or die," Elijah said.

"You know she does, bro."

"Right. Sorry. I still need to help in Hong Kong. And with this last challenge, I guess," Elijah amended. "But let's be honest – she doesn't really like me for me. She only cares insomuch as what I can do for her."

Dat said, "That's not true."

"It wasn't that long ago that she looked like she was going to vomit every time she looked at me, man. I can read a room. I know when I'm not wanted," Elijah said. "And it's cool. I get it. We got off on the wrong foot, and my whole philosophy is antithetical to her general outlook on life. So, what I said was accurate. Maybe a little harsh, but it definitely wasn't wrong."

"Do you really think she only cares about you because of what you can do for us?"

Elijah shrugged. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

That was only partially true. He'd been annoyed, in pain, and covered in some of the foulest stuff he'd ever encountered. On top of that, his stomach was still twisting from how wrong the abomination had felt. So, when she'd started lecturing him, he'd said, "Don't worry. I'll stay alive long enough to help you save Hong Kong."

And then he'd marched off. She hadn't followed, but he'd felt her reaction via One with Nature. And her expression was anything but pleasant. If it had been anyone else, he might have expected an attack. But Sadie, for all her faults, was not the sort to stab him in the back.

From the front was a different story, and he was just waiting on the other shoe to drop.

"You're wrong. Dead wrong. She cares about you," Dat said.

"Like she cares about everyone, right? Because she's so righteous. Isn't that the angels' company line? Love and justice, or whatever," Elijah described as the coffee finished steeping. He pushed the press' plunger down, separating the grounds from the water before pouring a cup. He handed it to Dat, then poured one of his own. "Honey?"

Dat refused, but Elijah gave his own cup a generous helping.

"That wasn't fair," Elijah said after taking a sip. "I know I'm in the wrong. I was just frustrated and annoyed. She brings that out in me, I guess. I'll apologize as soon as I get a chance."

"Now seems like a good opportunity."

Elijah sighed, then said, "You're probably right. We're on the verge of going to battle with a transcendent. I don't think we have the context to understand what that even means, but I know it's not going to be safe."

After that, he pushed himself to his feet, then went deeper into the cave. He'd known Sadie was back there all along, though she was far enough away from everyone else that her privacy was relatively guaranteed. After a couple hundred feet, he rounded a corner to see her meditating in the center of a small chamber.

For a long few moments, he just watched her. She wore one of her college sweatshirts and a pair of black leggings, which made her seem so much smaller than normal. That was probably due to the armor she almost always wore. The cobbled-together version was even bulkier than her original set.

But the attire also made her seem strangely normal. In another life, he might have considered asking her out. She'd have turned him down – he knew when someone was out of his league, and in every way possible – but no one ever got the girl by failing to shoot his shot.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Your senses are getting better," Elijah said, not moving from where he'd been leaning against the rough cave wall.

"I smelled you."

"Oh," Elijah said. "I took a shower, but I guess the abomination's hard to get out of –"

"No. It's the soap. It's not…bad," she said, finally opening her eyes. "What do you want?"

Elijah took a deep breath. "Look – about what I said before," he said, stepping into the small cave. "I'm sorry. I know you were just concerned, and not because you expect something from me. That was unfair of me to suggest."

She didn't immediately respond. Instead, her eyes found the ground, where they remained for a long few moments. "You know, it wasn't entirely inaccurate," she said. "We do need you. What you did to that abomination…none of us could have done that. Even if everyone did everything perfectly, we would have struggled to take that thing down. You could have done it alone."

Elijah massaged the back of his neck. "I think you're overestimating me," he said. "I almost died. It was really close there for a while."

"You would have figured something out. Or you would have attacked it differently if we weren't all there," she said. "I've watched you fight for months now, Elijah. I know what you can do. Believe me, you could probably conquer most of these challenges on your own."

"That's not –"

She cut him off with a glare. "I know we make things easier for you," Sadie stated. "And we've even saved your life a few times, but I think that the only reason you ever needed saving was because we were there with you. At first, I resented that. You're clearly powerful. Some people can do some things better than you, but if we're talking about overall effectiveness in a variety of situations? You're the one, Elijah. You're the only one.

"So, yes. I…we need you. Probably more than we need anyone or anything else."

Elijah had no idea what to do with that information, so he just sat beside her and remained silent. Finally, he breathed, "You know I'm going to help, right?"

"I do. But I also know that you're reckless," she answered. "That's what terrifies me. I feel like we're so close to fixing the problem, and it would just be devastating if something happened now. I don't know if I could keep going if we suddenly lost hope." She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "That's you. You're hope in this scenario."

"I kind of got that."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't try to boss you around just because I'm scared to lose you," she admitted.

"For what it's worth, I don't always mind being bossed around so much. You're good at it," he said. What he didn't say was that it reminded him of his sister. It didn't take a leap to make the connection and imagine that Alyssa might have turned out just like Sadie. There were obvious differences – Alyssa had been a lot less uptight – but they had the same spirit. It was one of the things he respected about Sadie.

And one of the reasons they clashed so easily. After all, if there was one thing Elijah accepted about himself, it was not a great follower. He wanted to go his own way, to be free. And Sadie represented the antithesis of that idea.

For a long time, they just sat there, shoulder to shoulder and enjoying one another's presence. Elijah didn't say anything, and neither did she. Instead, they basked in the comfortable silence of two people who understood one another.

But all good things were destined to end, and so it was with their little moment. In this case, it came to a halt when Dat appeared at the cave's opening to tell them that it was time to get going. So, they both collected themselves and headed outside where they joined the others.

After that, they broke camp, collected any evidence of their presence, and set out in the direction dictated by Helen, the Explorer from Lamar's group. They proceeded deeper into the frigid mountains, eventually coming to a mountain pass that was marked by steps that had been carved into the rocky ground. In addition, every few hundred yards, there were statues depicting a heroic-looking ta'alaki.

Elijah didn't need to see the stylized lightning bolt in one of the creature's four hands to know that it depicted the Lightning Emperor. He did wonder if Yloa possessed an actual weapon in that shape or if it was meant to be representative of his spellcasting abilities. Either way, it did not bode well for the group.

Over the next two days, the group crossed the mountains, which gradually gave way to a flatter region that eventually ended at the coast. In the distance, he saw flashing lights, but it wasn't until he used Eyes of the Eagle that he got his first glimpse of the Seat of Thunder.

"That's definitely an ominous location," he muttered to himself.