Path of Dragons

“See, I have to carve these little holes in the stone so the structure won’t tip over the first time a storm comes through,” Elijah said, pointing to the intended location of the first of many mortice holes. “And the piece that goes on top will have protrusions that fit into the holes.”

“Like Legos,” Miguel responded with a nod.

“Exactly. I thought the same thing,” Elijah said. Then, he shifted into his lamellar ape form, adding in his growly voice, “I have to have nine sets of two heel stones. Those are the bases. Then, I’ll fit nine capstones on top of them.”

As Elijah got to work carving the first mortice hole, Miguel narrowed his eyes and asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier if you had some tools? I bet mom could make you a real chisel.”

“Uh…maybe?”

Indeed, that made a lot of sense. With each of his other dolmens, he’d worked almost exclusively with his own claws. They were as hard as any metal he’d found, and the increased attributes that came with them made everything that much easier. Still, he felt a little silly that he’d never even thought of buying a proper chisel.

“It would have to be at least Crude-Grade, though,” Miguel guessed, running his hand along the sandstone. To the young man’s credit, he hadn’t reacted with horror upon seeing Elijah transform into his other forms. In fact, he’d taken it in stride, which Elijah attributed to a host of traumas that had numbed Miguel to magical things. Still, it was gratifying that his nephew was actually impressed by Elijah’s bestial forms.

The same couldn’t be said for Carmen or Colt, who, even after a couple of days, looked at those shapes with narrow-eyed suspicion. They had accepted him, but it was clear that they were conflicted about it. Hopefully, they would come around.

Even so, they’d both proved helpful with the construction of the dolmen. As he’d toted the boulders back to the oasis, they – along with Miguel – had dug the holes that would accommodate the structures’ foundations. And they’d done a better job than Elijah ever could have, owing to Carmen’s archetype as a Tradesman. It was a good thing, too, because with the pond so close, and with the porous nature of the earth surrounding the oasis, water had a habit of seeping through. Carmen had fixed that with a generous application of her skills as a crafter.

Because when Carmen wasn’t busy, the weight of everything she’d been through settled onto her shoulders. And as strong as she was, it was more than she could bear. Often, those times would find her simply staring off toward the horizon, looking for something that clearly wasn’t there.

Elijah could sympathize, though with his Quartz Mind, he could shunt those unhelpful emotions into their own facet where he could ignore them. Mostly. He knew it wasn’t entirely healthy, just as he recognized that keeping the fires of his rage stoked in another facet was a bad coping mechanism. But he couldn’t afford to deal with those problems at present.

Because he needed to ensure his family’s safety. That was the responsibility that superseded everything else, even if he was forced to constantly remind himself to adhere to his plan instead of flying off toward Easton to exact revenge.

So, he worked.

And he tried to convey his process to Miguel. Much of it was instinctive. In the past, outside of building the basic structure of his dolmens, he hadn’t consciously guided the process. However, now that he tried to teach Miguel what he was doing, it was like a door had opened in Elijah’s mind. Suddenly, he paid attention to the swirls of ethera all around him. They’d been there before, but it took conscious thought to acknowledge them.

“I guess it’s part of my archetype,” he admitted when Miguel asked about it. “I’m a Druid, and I have a spell called One with Nature. Up until now, I just thought it gave me a small boost to my attributes and let me feel everything around me. But I think it might be a lot more than that.”

“What does it feel like?” asked the boy. No – young man. He was only an inch shorter than Elijah, which meant that he would almost assuredly grow even taller than his uncle. Given Carmen’s short stature, Elijah could only assume that Miguel got his height from his biological sire. Or maybe Carmen had some taller ancestors, and the genes had simply skipped her generation.

It was even possible that the influx of ethera was responsible. After all, it had influenced everything else about Earth’s environment. From the flora to the fauna, and even the very sandstone with which he was currently working, the entire planet had been changed. Who was to say that ethera wouldn’t affect human development, too?

Perhaps a Scholar would know.

Regardless, Elijah sensed nothing amiss with the young man. He was perfectly healthy, even if he hadn’t quite recovered from the rigors of trekking through the wilderness without proper nutrition. But those hardships had also shaped him into something far more resilient than any fourteen-year-old had a right to be.

All of that flashed through one facet of Elijah’s mind before he said, “It’s overwhelming. Without my Mind cultivation, there’s no way I could handle it all. I can sense all the life around me, right down to the tiniest organism. That gives me a picture of the inorganic world, too. And some sense of the ethera. I think that connection influences me. It makes me more sympathetic to wildlife. They feel more real. And I believe animals can sense that. Especially guardians like the tortoise.”

“Snappy.”

“Huh?”

“His name is Snappy.”

“Uh…did he tell you that?” asked Elijah, looking up from his work.

Miguel rolled his eyes. “Of course not,” he stated. “I had a pet turtle when I was little. That was his name.”

“And the new Snappy reminds you of your pet?”

“Not really,” Miguel admitted. “I mean, look at him. I don’t think turtles are supposed to have shells that sparkly.”

Indeed, Snappy was a clearly magical creature, with a shell that looked like it was made of jagged quartz that sparkled with ethera. He was also larger even than the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands. In fact, Snappy was the size of a Toyota Camry, and probably significantly heavier.

“Fair enough,” Elijah said. “I once had most of my side bitten off by a sea turtle. I’m pretty sure Snappy is a tortoise, though. Mostly land-based. Turtles generally have much sleeker shells and are primarily aquatic. Technically, all tortoises are turtles, though all turtles aren’t tortoises, so unless someone is being incredibly pedantic, you can refer to Snappy as either.”

“It’s a magic turtle. I don’t think it matters.”

Elijah started to respond, but then thought better of it. The reality was that old classifications didn’t really matter anymore. After all, they didn’t account for the rapid transformation of most creatures. Idly, Elijah wondered if someone would embark on an effort to adjust science to the new reality. It probably wouldn’t be very useful in the short term – after all, everything was still changing as Earth’s ethera levels continued to rise – but eventually, someone could probably make a good living classifying beasts, monsters, and guardians into a bestiary that included known weaknesses and abilities. That could prove invaluable to anyone who ventured into the wilderness.

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That seemed like the job for a Scholar, though, and one with far more patience than Elijah could muster. He loved experiencing nature, but he’d grown far too restless to spend days cataloguing wild creatures. Even before the world had changed, he’d found that part of his job to be tedious – which was probably why he’d come to realize how ill-suited he was to his former profession. Deep down, he’d always known he was no true scientist. He didn’t have the proper temperament. But Earth’s transformation had mercilessly hammered that knowledge home.

He had the curiosity, but not the patience to see it through to anything useful.

In any case, he said, “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

After that, he turned the majority of his attention to the task at hand. He could finish the project without full focus, but he knew the product would suffer. As he worked, Elijah continuously flared Nature’s Bounty, which was a great boon for the oasis’ flora, for which Snappy seemed incredibly happy. He was clearly an omnivore, because he would greedily chomp down on any bits of meat Elijah threw his way, but his diet consisted primarily of the vegetation around the oasis.

Though he also seemed to love eating the birds that would periodically land near the pond. And insects. A few large frogs. Basically anything that came into his territory was fair game.

Except Elijah. And Miguel, oddly enough. Once the young man had been introduced to the large tortoise, Snappy had become more than tolerant of his presence. The same couldn’t be said for Carmen or Colt, both of which drew low growls when they ventured too close to the pond.

Thankfully, Elijah’s dolmen ringed the oasis, which meant that none of them had to get too close to the water.

Gradually, the structure began to take shape, and Elijah was more than a little impressed with Carmen’s great Strength. She wasn’t as strong as he was in his lamellar ape form, but she was nearly his human shape’s equal. Though her other attributes clearly lagged far behind, as far as Elijah could tell.

In any case, she was very helpful when it came to arranging the large stones. She also proved incredibly useful when it came time to placing the capstones. The system of mortice holes and tenons was sufficient to hold everything in place, but she had an ability that fused the sandstone together, making it far sturdier than it otherwise would have been. In addition, she used an ability that she called Strengthen to augment the durability of the normally brittle sandstone. When she was done, it was harder than limestone.

But as had been the case with his previous dolmens, simply assembling the monuments wasn’t the end of the work. Instead, Elijah focused his continued efforts on carving designs into the sandstone. At first, he just let his imagination drive his creativity, but over that first day, the designs began to take what, in hindsight, was a predictable shape.

After their reunion, Elijah had asked Carmen a host of questions about his sister, and over time, he’d developed some idea as to how she had reacted to the touch of the World Tree. She had become a protector and a hero, with a spear as her preferred weapon. Even her class – Dragon Lancer – had reflected that.

And that knowledge – along with his grief for his sister – shaped his designs. Slowly, the first one took its final form, and Elijah stepped back to see the results. It was a spear, following the description Carmen had given him of his sister’s favored weapon. Snaking around the weapon was a serpentine, Chinese-style dragon.

“I didn’t know you were an artist,” Carmen remarked, clearly impressed.

“I’m not,” Elijah said, his hands on his hips. “Seventeen more.”

“Those are powerful enchantments,” Carmen stated. “But they’re different than anything I’ve seen so far.” She shook her head. “Every time I think I’ve got a handle on how everything works, this system throws me a curve ball. Seeing this, it tells me how much I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Enchantments aren’t constrained by the simple designs I know,” she answered. “Until now, I thought they had to use the symbols I’ve found in guides. But that’s not the case. Or not the whole case, at least. I feel like…meaning and belief play a part. I don’t know. It’s more complex than that. Form matters. But so do the other pieces. Though I think your class lets you skip some steps with this.”

Elijah’s hand found his chin. “Interesting.” He didn’t really know much about crafting. He was completely beholden to his instincts when it came to creating anything like his dolmens, staves, or soap. Carmen clearly had more control over her creations, though she didn’t have the benefits that let him craft things far beyond his meager skills. Those creations usually came with restrictions. For instance, his staves turned out however they wanted – regardless of his intent – and were only usable by him. So, Carmen had far more freedom – and likely, potential – while Elijah’s methods were more intuitive and unpredictable.

“Can I add something?” asked Carmen. “Just some enchantments of my own. It should help.”

Normally, Elijah would have refused. He knew the dolmens required a delicate balance, even if he didn’t quite understand what that truly meant. However, given the subject of the carvings and Carmen’s earnest request, Elijah could not refuse. So, he just nodded.

After that, Elijah continued with his task, carving the dragon spears into each heel stone. Every now and again, he’d glance toward Carmen, who was hard at work with a chisel she’d somehow manifested. Ethera swirled around her, suggesting that she was using more than one ability as well. The product was clearly far more elaborate than a few simple enchantments, though, even when her additions covered the rest of the heel stone, Elijah didn’t object.

It wasn’t just art. Nor was it only an expression of practical necessity. The act was therapeutic. And as they worked, Elijah recognized that it was, at its core, necessary. Not just for the dolmen, but also as a monument to his sister’s life. To the life of Carmen’s partner.

As they worked, Miguel worked with Colt, practicing swordplay with a pair of sticks carmen had shaped into practice weapons. From time to time, Miguel would approach the pond and feed Snappy. A few times, he even climbed atop the giant tortoise’s shell and rode the creature as it circled the pond.

Snappy seemed to enjoy it almost as much as it delighted Miguel. Elijah could feel that much, which was just a reminder of how intelligent guardians could be.

As therapeutic as the act of carving the dolmens was for Carmen and Elijah, the budding relationship between boy and tortoise was just as important for Miguel.

Over the next week, the dolmen took shape, and the nearby oasis grew ever more verdant. More animals arrived. Birds. Insects. Reptiles. Even a few desert rodents Elijah couldn’t identify. By the time they’d finished the project, the oasis had become truly paradisical.

Finally, once Elijah and Carmen completed their carvings, he received a notification that was both surprising and expected:

The dolmen’s name was appropriate, given the spear motif. More, it felt right in a way Elijah couldn’t quite identify. However, the surprises came from the overall grade, which was Complex, making it the most advanced dolmen he’d ever created. Yet, given Carmen’s contribution, it probably shouldn’t have been terribly surprising. After all, she was a proper crafter. That clearly counted for something with the system. The same could be said for the enchantment grade, which was the highest he’d seen.

“I got two levels for that,” Carmen said. “That’s…that’s incredible…”

For his part, Elijah had gotten a little experience. Every act related to his class gave him a trickle of progression. But it was barely enough to move the needle. Obviously, he was no crafter, and while the system acknowledged his efforts, that was clearly a sub-optimal way to push forward.

Still, Elijah hadn’t created the dolmen for experience. He’d started it so he’d have another teleportation point, but slowly, the project had morphed into a memorial for his fallen sister. And in both endeavors, it had been an unmitigated success. The next notification was evidence of the first:

“It’s done,” Elijah said. Now, they just needed to gather the others, then get everyone relocated. After that, he would embark on his quest for revenge.

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