Path of Dragons-Chapter 40Book 8: : Kindred

When Elijah woke the next day, he was still annoyed.

It didn’t matter that he’d spent the night with Sadie. Nor did he truly care about all the money he’d made with his soap. He wasn’t even concerned with his purchases, most of which were various seeds that had been found across the world. He had no doubts they were meant to help farming communities, but he’d bought them for Nerthus. Whatever the spryggent didn’t need would go to Ironshore, which hadn’t fostered a truly agrarian society, but would still put those seeds to good use.

Regardless, those happy victories and pleasant moments had faded into the back of his mind, giving way to the annoyance at his ill treatment by Isaiah. To combat those toxic feelings, he rose from the bed he’d shared with Sadie, regretting it the moment he left the warmth of her body behind. She moaned softly in her sleep, practically begging him to stay.

And he was sorely tempted.

Yet, he knew it wasn’t good for either of them. He needed to do something about the resentment growing in his mind. To that end, he made some coffee, then headed to the balcony where he watched the sun rise over the city’s skyline. It was a beautiful sight, especially when the desert heat hadn’t fully arrived, and for a few moments, Elijah knew some measure of peace.

But it wasn’t meant to last.

Soon enough, his mind settled on two topics. Predictably, his first thought was of Isaiah’s actions. The man had stepped over a line, and he likely knew it, too. Doubtless, he expected some reprisal. Yet, Elijah knew he couldn’t afford to go down that road. Not before the Summit took place. He refused to put his pride before the safety of his planet.

That was the next topic strangling his thoughts. The turnout for the Summit was even larger than he’d expected, and as such, it seemed like it actually had a chance of working. Elijah had felt the power of Earth’s gathered heroes, and he’d come away impressed. If they worked together, perhaps they stood a chance.

Deep in thought, Elijah still felt Sadie before she stepped onto the balcony, so he wasn’t surprised when she slid into his lap. Wearing only a robe, she felt incredibly inviting.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Not really,” he admitted. “I just need some time to cool off. I think I’m going to go exploring a little before the meeting. You want to come with me?”

“I can’t. I agreed to have brunch with my grandfather,” she said.

“He’s here? I didn’t see him at the auction.”

Sadie nodded. “He likes to stay in the background and let someone else be the face of the family. At one point, it was my father. Then me. Now, I guess it’s Nico.”

“That doesn’t bode well for them,” Elijah remarked.

“I don’t even recognize him anymore,” Sadie admitted. “He seems completely different, even from before I left to find help. I remember him being such a sweet boy when we were children.”

“People change, Sadie.”

“I’m aware.”

On that sour note, the pair went silent and simply enjoyed one another’s company for a while. By the time the sun had fully risen, Elijah decided to get started on his day. After showering and dressing – this time in his armor – he headed out into the city. At first, he got a few curious looks, but thankfully, there were enough strangely dressed foreigners in the city that he wasn’t quite as much of an oddball as he might have expected.

At least so long as he didn’t activate the Antlers of the Wild Revenant or channel ethera through the Verdant Fang, at least.

Certainly, he still drew attention, but so did hundreds of others wearing no less visually interesting armor. Elijah saw more than one man or woman in voluminous and colorful robes, more sets of plate armor than he could count, and even a man carrying a crossbow the size of a siege ballista.

And that wasn’t even considering the wide variety of other races that drew even more focus than Elijah. If there was ever an opportunity for him to fade into the crowd, then Seattle’s Summit was it.

Even so, on more than one occasion, he considered simply slipping into the Shape of Venom and continuing his exploration under the Guise of the Unseen. That would have been more comfortable, at least. He was also reintroduced to the joys of public transportation when he boarded an ethera-powered monorail that made a loop around the city. In addition to that, there were also a few cars here and there as well as plenty of rickshaws and carriages.

In all, the city was a weird mixture of old and new that came together to create something wholly unique and wildly different from what he had expected to find.

Eventually, he departed the monorail and found his way to one of the temporary bazaars which had been set up for the duration of the Summit. After all, not every item was high-quality enough to make it into the official auction. Instead, Tradesmen, enterprising Merchants, and adventurers of all stripes had set up thousands of booths throughout the city where they could hawk their wares.

And as Elijah wandered around, he found that many of them had higher-quality items than anything that had been available in the auction. When he stopped to inspect a staff made of twisted bone – it was at least low-Complex grade – the man selling it wasn’t shy about why so many people had chosen to forego the auction.

“It’s the fees, you see? Let’s say I give ‘em this staff – high quality, by the way; definitely suits a man of your stature,” the seller said. “I might sell it for a bit more, what with all them rich uppity ups attendin’ the summit. Maybe there’s a biddin’ war, and I make out like a bandit. If that happened, I’d definitely come out on top. But the chances of that happenin’ are slim. More likely, it’d sell for ‘bout the same as I can get out here. Then, after I pay their fees, I’d be in the hole. No – it’s better to set up out here and sell to good, honest folks instead of those assholes at the top. No offense. I’m sure whoever brought you here’s a right and proper hero.”

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“Something like that,” Elijah said, running his fingers along the staff’s curved lines. It was a nice weapon, but he could sense via Soul of the Wild that it was better suited for someone with elemental powers. Still, he bought a set of earrings from the man. The Merchant claimed they had attribute bonuses, but Elijah just thought the dangling red gems would look nice on Sadie.

After that, Elijah moved on. Soon enough, he followed his nose to a food vendor where he bought a couple of street tacos that he ate while perusing the other merchandise on offer. The bazaar took up an entire street, so there was plenty to explore.

Then, Elijah sensed something different.

Tucked away in an alley, there was a colorful tent guarding a small warehouse. Elijah approached the table, seeing piled leathers, scaled hides, and even a barrel full of feathers.

“What is all this?” he asked the attendant.

The burly man sat with his huge, muscular arms crossed over his chest. On his head was a blue dastar, and he wore his facial hair in a great, bushy beard.

“Ji Aayan Nu, friend,” the man said, bowing his head slightly. “You seem to have traveled far to inspect my humble wares.”

He stood, his head brushing the tent’s ceiling. The man was at least six-and-a-half feet tall, with wide shoulders, a barrel chest, and a thick build concealed by a blue robe. He reached for one of the scaled hides, which shimmered iridescently in the light. “The hide of a cave basilisk, hunted because it preyed on children,” he said. “Three little ones fell before I sought its lair at the behest of village elders. It was a dastardly and deceptive enemy that died like a coward.”

“You hunted it yourself?” asked Elijah, impressed. Judging by the ethera in the hide, the creature had reached a decent level.

“Indeed!” the man said. “Waheguru has blessed me with the strength to protect, and so I must do as I have been called.” He extended his hand, which Elijah reached out to take. However, the handshake ended up being more of a grasping of forearms. “I am Rakha Singh.”

“Elijah Hart.”

“I feel that you are a kindred spirit, Mr. Hart. Is this true?” Rakha asked, releasing his arm. “Are you also a noble hunter?”

Elijah shrugged. “I’ve hunted quite a bit. I’m more a preservationist, though,” he admitted. “Were these monsters?”

Rakha narrowed his eyes beneath his bushy brows. “I do not understand.”

“Well, as far as I can tell, there are three types of non-sapient creatures in this world. First, there are beasts. They can be pretty strong, but they don’t really have access to any special abilities. Then there are guardians and monsters. Fundamentally, they’re not much different from one another. The only real differentiating factor is that guardians belong, while monsters do not,” Elijah explained.

“And how does one decide which creatures belong?” asked Rakha.

“Feel, mostly. I’m sure that someone with identification abilities could do it, too. Like Sentries and Guards. Maybe as a Hunter you can do it, too. But for me, it’s all about how they feel,” Elijah admitted. To him, it was plain as day, which he sometimes took for granted.

“I believe I feel something similar at times. Though I cannot say if these creatures were beasts, guardians, or monsters,” the man explained. “What I can say is that they were all dangerous and had killed innocent people. I took little pleasure in the killing, but they were necessary.”

Elijah could feel the regret in the man’s voice. Despite being a Hunter, Rakha didn’t revel in slaughter. He did what was necessary – either to protect people or acquire the resources necessary for survival – but he did not enjoy killing animals.

“Tell me something, Rakha,” Elijah said. “You said you don’t enjoy what you do. Is that true? I’m not talking about killing. I’d be worried if you enjoyed that. What I’m talking about is the hunt itself. The challenge.”

“The thrill of the hunt stirs the warrior in me,” Rakha admitted. “To face the wilds is to respect it. Every creature I hunt teaches me something new about myself and about the world. I cherish those lessons.”

“Well said.”

Rakha broke into a wide grin. “Now, do you wish to see the true merchandise?” he asked.

Elijah definitely did, and he said as much. Soon enough, Rakha led him past the tent and into the warehouse. Inside, whole corpses lay. Elijah saw a pack of wolves, a couple of gargantuan snakes with rigid spines along their backs, and even an ostrich the size of a mini-van.

“What is all this?”

“My most powerful adversaries,” Rakha answered, his arms crossed. “I lack the skills to process these creatures, though I can preserve and store them via my abilities.”

Elijah could feel the ethera wafting off of them. Some had clearly been ascended, though Rakha just as clearly was not.

“How did you kill them?” he asked.

“You speak of the disparity in strength, do you not?”

Elijah nodded.

“My class gives me bonuses against more powerful foes, though even then, I am their gross inferior,” Rakha admitted. “But in the end, they are beasts. Mighty, to be sure, but beasts all the same. Does a hunter need to be stronger than the lion in order to hunt him? Or merely smarter?”

“Traps?”

“Sometimes. I use what I have available.”

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“Impressive.”

Rakha placed his fist over his heart and bowed. “I am grateful for your words, but I do not seek glory. I only wish to serve those who require my help.”

“And to learn from the hunt.”

“Indeed.”

Elijah went on to explore the warehouse. There were hundreds of slain creatures there, all perfectly preserved. Some still stank of monsterhood, but others were more mundane beasts. Thankfully, there were no guardians there.

As Rakha escorted him through the warehouse, Elijah was struck by just how comfortable he was with the man. The hunter’s very nature should have been antithetical to Elijah’s archetype, but it didn’t feel like it. Certainly, Rakha was nothing like the hunters back in Ironshore.

“Would you answer a question about your status, Rakha?” Elijah asked.

“I am an open book.”

“You have a nature attunement, don’t you?”

He grinned. “As do you.”

It was the first time Elijah had met anyone else with a nature attunement – aside from his nephew – and he was understandably excited about it. More, he’d heard enough to invite Rakha back to the grove. Sadly, the hunter refused, saying, “I am sorry, but I have responsibilities elsewhere. The dangers of nature run rampant across this world, and if I am not out there protecting people, then who will?”

It was a good argument, but Elijah told the man that his offer stood. So long as the grove remained, he would be welcome there. In a vacuum, such a proclamation might have seemed a bit premature, but Elijah trusted his instincts about Rakha.

Eventually, the inspection led Elijah to a giant wasp. The thing was covered in thick, almost leathery chitin, and it was the size of a horse. “Where did you find this one?” Elijah asked.

“It was part of a swarm that attacked a village north of Jeevani,” he said. Elijah didn’t recognize the name. “I slew this one, but the rest of the beasts fled to establish a new nest hundreds of miles away.”

“Monster.”

“What?”

“It’s a monster. I can still feel it,” Elijah said. “How much do you want for this corpse?”

After that, they began to dicker back and forth, eventually settling on a price of two gold ethereum. Elijah considered it a steal, but Rakhan was happy about it. Once the negotiations were finished, Elijah made arrangements with the hunter to box it up so that he could pick it up before departing Seattle. Then, he reiterated his invitation, which Rakhan once again refused.

“For now,” the Hunter added. “Perhaps my travels will one day take me to your grove. Until then, go with strength and peace. May the wind be strong at your back and the earth beneath your feet firm. Until we meet again, Mr. Hart.”

“Until then,” Elijah said. “Stay safe, Rakhan.”

Then, he turned and left the warehouse behind. He needed to hurry if he was going to finish his other plans before the Summit began.