Path of Dragons-Chapter 67Book 9: : The Next Step

Elijah flopped onto his back with an audible groan. “Remind me again why I came into this hell?” he complained. Without waiting for an answer, he said, “Oh, right. Because I’m an idiot. That’s – yech!”

His complaints were cut off by one of the dogs attacking his face with an enthusiastic barrage of licks. He pushed the dog – Sophie, as it turned out – away with mock annoyance, but the animal’s antics had brought a smile to his face. He said, “I love you too.”

The rest of the pack barked in agreement, then leaped onto him. In truth, it was a welcome distraction from the numbness that had come from trekking across the frigid tundra surrounding the water trial. They’d only made it about a mile through the elemental maelstrom before taking refuge in one of the area’s many caves. It wasn’t that much warmer than outside, but even a little respite from the cold was a welcome change.

Having a bunch of dogs piled onto him like a blanket made it much better.

Still, Oscar had it worse. Thankfully, Escobar was more than willing to fill the cave with the warmth from his corona of fire. As impressive-looking as it was, wreathing himself in fire only took a trickle of ethera to maintain. So, he could keep it up almost indefinitely.

Slowly, the cave’s atmosphere warmed. The rime covering the interior walls melted, leaving puddles in the corners. A few drops rained down as well, but those were easily ignored.

In the meantime, Elijah finally took a few moments to undress and shower – a necessity, given the blood and salt covering most of his body. Exiting the trial had been just as onerous as the way in, with the only real difference being that they’d been forced to bypass the whirlpool by finding another island on the other side of the sea. Of course, that meant almost two weeks of enduring the manta rays’ slashing attacks. It also highlighted the fact that by diving into the whirlpool, they’d taken the hard way in.

Never had that been clearer than when they returned via a staircase within a large tower. That would have been much more pleasant than being thrown into the middle of the sea.

In addition, there were plenty of trees about that could have been used to craft a boat – or at least a raft. The reality was that Elijah’s straightforward personality meant that he’d never even considered an alternate path. He’d just taken the first one that presented itself.

Had that been the case in previous Primal Realms? Could he have gone about the Chimeric Forge in a more appropriate way? Probably. Even now, he wondered if immediately setting out for the Elemental Maelstrom had been the best idea. Perhaps there was more information to be gained in Stillstone. Or there could have been an alliance on offer with the giants.

“What are you thinking?” asked Oscar, scrubbing Jackson with some of Elijah’s soap while taking advantage of the rain from Blessing of the Grove. As it turned out, the dogs loved being pampered. Oscar clearly didn’t enjoy bathing, but even he acknowledged the benefits of the soap. Not only did it hasten healing, but it was a well-established body cultivation aid.

Elijah had just finished showering, and he sat nearby, leaning against the wall of the cave with his eyes closed.

He opened them, answering, “Just considering that we’re probably going about this in the most difficult way possible.” He explained his reasoning, then added, “By all rights, we should probably go back to Stillstone and see if we missed something.” fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

“I don’t want to go back there.”

Elijah wasn’t surprised by that revelation. If there was one thread of consistency with Oscar’s behavior, it was that he eschewed civilization. It didn’t matter if a city was populated by humans or giants, he preferred to avoid it.

But in this case, Elijah agreed. Going back felt a little bit too much like a retreat. What’s more, they’d already proven that they could handle whatever the Elemental Maelstrom threw at them. They just needed to keep going, endure the inevitable damage coming their way, and finish the task at hand. Doing so would almost assuredly reward them quite well.

To that end, he asked, “You get a bunch of levels, too?”

Oscar nodded. “Eight since we left the Crucible of Fire. But I usually lag behind the pack.”

“Really?”

“If I don’t physically participate, yes,” he answered, still scrubbing a very satisfied Jackson’s back. The dog tilted his head back, his eyes barely open as Oscar continued, “I get a full share if I attack. The tradeoff is that even if I’m nowhere near them, I still get something when they kill.”

Elijah frowned. To him, that felt a bit cheap. It wasn’t difficult to see how a Tactician could advance fairly quickly and without much direct effort. The problem was that they needed to form some sort of bond with their subordinates. With the guild leader back in Seattle, that meant signing a contract that allowed him to sacrifice everyone else for personal power, but Elijah wasn’t certain if that was a common ability.

Maybe.

But the idea that Oscar would sacrifice anyone in the pack was ridiculous. The opposite was far more likely to be true.

In any case, Elijah had progressed as well, and for the first time in a while, he checked his status:

Name

Elijah Hart

Level

187

Archetype

Druid

Class

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Primal Lord

Specialization

Connection

Alignment

Empire of Scale (Dragon)

Strength

584

Dexterity

570

Constitution

593

Ethera

544

Regeneration

598

Attunement

Nature

Cultivation Stage: Expert

Body

Core

Mind

Soul

Bronze

Drakyn

Jade

Student

His gains, while impressive, were not nearly as satisfying to behold as he might have liked. For one, he’d grown a little inured to the additional attributes that came with leveling. Certainly, he knew that the numbers meant that he was growing stronger, and in every facet of his being, but the comparative differences were hard to feel in real-time. Instead, he had to look at it as gradual empowerment, which wasn’t nearly as exciting as feeling his strength double over the course of a few weeks.

But those days were far behind him now.

In addition, there was a single line that he found offensive. Despite his efforts, and over months of work, he remained stuck at the Student grade of soul cultivation. To date, he’d achieved perfect stillness, but taking the next step was so far out of reach.

And he intended to change that.

Something was missing, though. There was an important factor he had yet to consider. But his instincts told him he’d find answers within the Elemental Maelstrom itself.

He needed to do so before he received the last two marks, though. Already, he’d noticed the decreased effects of the storm, and he knew it would only get easier as they completed the Gauntlet of the Sky Lords and the Unyielding Path.

So, once he had finished resting, he explained his intentions to Oscar. The other man thought he was insane, but Elijah pointed out, “This isn’t just me being crazy. Every guide I’ve seen says that in order to progress on the path of cultivation – in any aspect – you have to subject yourself to increasing danger. That means higher density ethera, which almost always comes with damage. That’s why Alchemy is held in such high esteem. It’s the only way for most people to endure the process.”

“But not you?”

“I have other advantages. I can heal. I have buffs and equipment. Plus, I have a couple of potions in my ring that I can use in an emergency,” he stated. Though in the back of his mind, he expected that if his healing couldn’t keep him alive, potions wouldn’t make much of a difference. Still, he kept that to himself. “Just trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“You pointedly do not.”

“Oh. Right,” Elijah admitted. He really was going on half-learned lessons from low-quality guides, so his knowledge was definitely lacking. “I kind of know what I’m doing, then, and I’m good at adaptation. That has to count for something. I’ll be fine. Probably.”

Oscar clearly wanted to argue, but he could just as obviously recognize a losing battle when he saw one. So, he tabled any further objection, falling silent. Elijah chose to interpret that as approval. Reluctant, perhaps, but approval nonetheless.

In any case, he removed his underwear, storing the garment inside his ring next to all the rest of his equipment, then headed out of the cave. He was immediately assaulted by the swirling elements characteristic of the outer bands of the storm. However, he knew that was only the beginning of what he’d need to endure. To get what he needed out of the environment, he needed to go much, much deeper.

So, as he shoved ethera through his healing spells, he forged ahead and into the Elemental Maelstrom.

His way was not uncontested, and it wasn’t long before he was attacked by something that resembled a dervish, though one featuring a quadrinity of elements. Elijah didn’t hesitate to attack, summoning the Verdant Fang and proving that it was possible to cut a creature of pure ethera. The resultant wounds looked like rips in reality, but with enough of them, he managed to bring the creature down.

It pushed him closer to one-eighty-eight than he ever could have expected, indicating that the creatures native to the storm – empowered by the maelstrom as they were – offered plenty of opportunity for progression. That marked the first attack he was forced to endure, but it certainly wasn’t the last. As he progressed further into the Elemental Maelstrom, he fought one such creature after another. Each was stronger than the last, which fueled his rise toward one-eighty-eight and amounted to the best experience he’d gotten since the Chimeric Forge.

However, it wasn’t long before a realization forced itself upon him. With every additional step, the elemental forces swirling through the air did more damage – commensurate with the rise in ethereal density. That was an expected turn of events, but he hadn’t anticipated just how desutructive it would be. His bronze body helped to mitigate it, but the reality was that without the incalculable benefit of his healing spells, he would have quickly succumbed.

Still, he forged ahead, knowing that there was no progress without risk.

Was he driven forward by the danger? Had he become an adrenaline junky? Or was it simple masochism? Perhaps it was the knowledge that he would not progress without it. Whatever the case, Elijah couldn’t stop until he achieved his goal.

Even as his skin was stripped from his flesh, he trudged forward. It felt like being sandblasted by a volcano. Searing. Relentless. Unceasing. And though he shoved those sensations deep into their own facet of his mind, he still felt them, and keenly. Occasionally, he fought the dervishes, but as the ethereal density climbed, they became rarer. That wasn’t to say that the way grew any easier. It assuredly did not. But on and on he went, heedless of the dangers he had taken upon his shoulders.

If he could endure the Shackle of Penance, then he could take whatever the Elemental Maelstrom could dish out.

That thought flitted through one facet of his mind as nearly every other facet remained occupied by the pain of his self-imposed pilgrimage. And then, at last, he reached his limit. His body simply wouldn’t take any more.

Evidence of that was that he sank to his knees, his legs robbed of form and function. Pointedly, Elijah didn’t allow himself to acknowledge it. He pushed that away, then tapped into his healing spells as he prepared for what was to come.

After all, to progress his soul to the next tier, he needed perfect stillness. That meant he needed to forego healing. Indeed, he had to throw himself before the mercy of the Elemental Maelstrom, sacrificing everything in pursuit of his goal.

It was not smart.

Elijah knew that.

But he also felt deep in his spirit that it was necessary. With that in mind, he sank within himself, ignoring the catastrophic damage done to his body. He ignored his skin and flesh being ripped away from his body by fire, water, earth, and air. Some of that was mitigated by the twin marks he’d gained from completing the two trials, but some was not all. And what’s more, it was not enough.

Without further delay, he yanked a potion from his ring, downed it, then let his heals lapse as he focused on stillness.

Either he would achieve his goal, or he would die trying.

Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience