Path of Dragons

“I’m doing this for two reasons,” Ron said when he arrived a week later. As always, he wore his sparkly robe, but he’d covered it with a leather overcoat that fell almost to his ankles. Beneath it, he’d donned a sturdy pair of hiking boots, completing his odd appearance with the fairy godmother style wand he’d tucked into a specially made holster on his hip. Given his big and bearded lumberjack appearance, he was a study in contrasts. Though when Elijah looked at him, all he saw was a reliable man who could make what they needed to do so much easier. “First, you two have shown that you’re good people, healing in the infirmary without asking for anything in return,” he said, looking at Elijah, then Sadie.

“You never told me you were healing people in your spare time,” Elijah said, glancing at Sadie.

She shifted nervously under his gaze, saying, “I don’t tell you everything. People needed help, so I helped.”

“Fair enough,” Elijah responded. Then, he asked the new arrival, “That can’t be so rare, right? I’ve met plenty of selfless people who would do anything in their power to help others.”

Ron shook his head. “You’re lucky, then. From my experience, most people tend to help only when they can get something out of it,” he said. “And it’s worse somewhere like here. These people didn’t get to the top by looking after everyone else.”

“I did, bro,” Dat said from where he was leaning against the wall. With his long, black coat and his hat tipped forward to conceal most of his face, he was clearly going for mysterious stranger. A bit silly, considering the man’s demeanor. He couldn’t hide a grin before he said, “Nice dress. I like the sparkles.”

For a moment, an expression of irritation crossed Ron’s face, but then Dat’s earnestness washed it away. “Thanks,” he said. “My daughter made it.”

“My little cousin is a fashion designer,” Dat said. “He was just getting into that world when everything…changed. I wonder if he became a Tailor or something. He liked sequins too.”

“I…I don’t know how to respond to that,” Ron admitted.

“It’s okay, bro. No response necessary. Welcome to the team,” Dat said. “I…I’m going to get my things.”

Then, he disappeared up the unadorned stone stairs that led to the rooms they’d established as their sleeping quarters.

“Was it something I said?” asked Ron.

Elijah shrugged, but Sadie said, “It’s not a good day. Dat usually tries to remain upbeat, but he can’t keep it up all the time. Today is a bad day for both of us.”

“You seem fine.”

“Because I’m better at keeping it hidden,” Sadie responded. “I think you know how that goes.”

Elijah was about to respond, but then he shut his mouth. The reality was that he’d taken Dat’s optimism for granted, forgetting that, just like everyone else, the man had experienced quite a lot of trauma. It was natural that it would affect him from time to time. He didn’t know what had happened to darken Dat’s and Sadie’s moods, but he wasn’t so socially inept that he would start asking about something they both clearly wanted to keep to themselves.

“This is awkward,” Ron said.

“Ain’t that the truth. You humans and your fluctuatin’ emotions,” Kurik agreed with a shake of his head. He’d been sitting in the corner, mostly ignored as he packed various things into a large sack. Apparently, it had been created by a high-level tailor who’d been working with Atticus, and it was at least on par with Elijah’s first spatial pack. Perhaps even better. Everyone else in the group – even Elijah – had purchased one. The dwarf looked up at Ron, adding, “Name’s Kurik, by the way. Only sane one in the group, if you ask me, but nobody ever does. Just be glad you weren’t with us in the last challenge. That sparkly robe of yours don’t look like it offers much protection from the cold. You’d have frozen your –”

“Don’t mind Kurik. He’s the group’s grump,” Elijah said, which earned him a glare. “Welcome to the team, Ron.”

“Don’t you want to hear the second reason?” asked the Healer.

“Oh, right. Proceed.”

Ron sighed. “You know what? Never mind. Are we leaving now?” he asked.

“As good a time as any,” Elijah answered. “Oh. I got something for you.”

Then, he headed upstairs to gather his things. Behind him, he heard Ron ask Sadie, “Is he always like this?”

“Sometimes he’s worse,” she answered.

Elijah ignored them, instead grabbing his own pack, his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, and his staff. In addition, he picked up a second pack he’d stashed in his room – which was stark, save for the new addition of a bed he’d gotten from another one of Atticus’ crafters – before returning to the ground floor. When he got there, he saw that Dat was back as well, and he carried a new longsword at his hip. Everyone in the group had purchased some supplies or equipment from the crafting consortium, which Eiljah hoped would make the difference when they encountered the third challenge.

It had been a week well spent, but still, Elijah had regretted the break. After all, they’d spent the better part of a month building the cultivation cave, so it had been quite some time since they’d made any progress. But at least everyone had used the time wisely, gearing up and gathering information on the next challenge, which was tied to Mortalum.

Apparently, it was the realm housing the bulk of the multi-verse’s sapient population. The further one traveled in either direction – up or down along the World Tree’s trunk – the weirder and more alien things became. There were people who lived in most of those other realms, but there were few natives, and they were far outnumbered by each realm’s natural wildlife.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

In any case, the sheer variety of environments associated with Mortalum meant that they’d had no idea what to really expect from the challenge. So, the dossier Elijah had purchased on the subject would doubtless prove extremely valuable. Even if the description had been lacking and a little confusing. Still, he hoped the preparations would help them all survive.

After making certain that no one had forgotten anything, the group set out from Nexus Town. Along the way, Elijah couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. Some of that was due to their mission. Conquering the third challenge would mean that they were nearly a third of the way to completing the Trial. So, not only would it represent a great accomplishment in and of itself, but it would offer great rewards.

But mostly, Elijah’s enthusiasm came from the simple fact that he was extremely close to crossing the threshold into level ninety-five. It had been a while since he’d received a new ability, and he couldn’t help but nurture a sense of excitement at the prospect.

As they trekked through the jungle, he thought back to his initial runs through towers. Back then, he’d gained multiple levels incredibly quickly, but now, it felt as if he needed to kill thousands of creatures – or heal tens of thousands of people – if he wanted to progress. That gave Elijah some insight into the scale of his new reality. If things kept going at his current rate, he wouldn’t reach demigod status – which came at level two-hundred-and-fifty – for decades. And never mind deification or transcendence. Idly, he remembered the guide explaining the different stages of progression:

Whether they are warriors or crafters, scholars or mages, each person is subject to the Divine System, which eases the burden of progression and provides an easily quantifiable means of tracking and guiding an individual’s strength. The generally accepted tiers of power are as follows:
Level 1-125	Mortal
Level 126-250	Ascendent
Level 251-500	Demigod
Level 501-1000	Deity
Level 1000+	Transcendent

It wouldn’t be crazy to expect his path to take multiple millennia. Perhaps tens of thousands of years. It was an insane timescale, and yet, it was also exciting. Life spans varied too much to be standardized – for instance, dwarves and elves, even without cultivation or levels, lived more than twice as long as the average human – but Elijah knew that his own life expectancy could now be counted in centuries. And each step he took on his path – be it cultivation or levels, not to mention potions and natural treasures – would lengthen it.

“Does anyone else think it’s insane that everyone here is going to live for centuries?” he asked, ducking under a low-hanging branch, then sliding down a rain-slick berm. His feet splashed into a small stream as he continued, “I mean, I was expecting to be dead by now, and even without the cancer, I would’ve probably died in fifty years or so. Sixty or seventy if I was lucky. Now, there’s every chance of living for a thousand years.”

“It makes you wonder what the world will look like then,” Sadie agreed, thudding down beside him. She pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. “Think about Earth a thousand years ago. How much progress will we make in our new and extended life spans?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Elijah agreed enthusiastically.

Ron said, “I’m older than both of you, and I remember how much the world changed in my lifetime.” He shook his head. “Not sure if I want to see what we’ll do with our planet with a thousand years to screw it up.”

“At least we’ll be here to keep it from getting too bad,” Elijah said. It was an interesting concept. Before, the rich and powerful didn’t really care about the environment they left behind because it didn’t directly affect them. But now, they would have to personally experience the repercussions of their actions. Maybe that would curtail some of their worst tendencies.

As they traversed the sweltering jungle, the three continued to discuss Earth’s future and their places in it. Meanwhile, Dat and Kurik scouted the way, returning only periodically to give them directions. For hours more, they kept going until, as the sun set, they made camp. That night passed easily enough, though they were attacked by a small group of wraiths. The creatures were weak enough that they didn’t pose much of a threat, but it gave the group time to integrate Ron into their tactics. He’d clearly been in plenty of combat situations, and he adapted quickly to their strengths and weaknesses, doing his job more efficiently than Elijah could ever hope to match.

There was a benefit to having a real Healer in the group, and one everyone in the party appreciated. For his part, Ron was the least powerful among them, so he actually gained a level from the small skirmish. Hopefully, he would progress rapidly as they fought more dangerous foes.

After that, their journey adopted a pattern. Elijah and Sadie remained behind with Ron, while Dat and Kurik took turns scouting their route. Sometimes, they were directed to small groups of wraiths, and they were even attacked by a group of ta’alaki hunters. That fight proved far more dangerous than their clashes with wraiths or the wildlife, but by that point, the group had become a well-oiled machine. They only killed one of the two-legged ta’alaki, but they did manage to drive the others into retreat.

That was when Elijah showed the worth of his predator form. Not only did it allow him to move swiftly, silently, and undetected in the jungle, but the instincts that came with the form enabled him to track the remaining hunters and put them down. It took the better part of a day, but his hunt was successful.

It ended with a cat-and-mouse chase through the jungle as the final hunter evaded him. As concerned as he was with the monster pursuing him, the hunter ran headlong into a hastily built trap, impaling himself on a series of pre-built spikes Kurik had bought from Atticus’ people. The ta’alaki died moments later when Sadie severed their head, concluding the conflict.

Only a day later, Dat returned from his most recent scouting expedition and said, “I think I’ve found the next challenge.”

“Were the descriptions accurate?” Sadie asked, looking in the direction Dat had indicated. With the thick jungle, she could see nothing. Neither could Elijah, but he’d felt the density of the ambient ethera increasing of late.

Dat shook his head. “It’s worse. A lot worse. You need to see it to believe it,” he said.

After that, the group followed the Witch Hunter for a few more miles until, at last, the area came into focus.

“Damn,” Elijah said.

“I concur,” Ron agreed.

“Told you, bro.”

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