Path of Dragons

Book 6: Chapter 47: A Catalogue of Treasures

The first time Elijah used Lightning Rush was one of the most exhilarating things he’d ever experienced. One second, he was soaring above the jungle, and the next, he was a bolt of lightning ripping across the sky. Time seemed to slow, and even though it only lasted a couple of seconds, it felt like an hour or more. And in that time, Elijah knew what it was to be a bolt of electricity.

It wasn’t painful. In truth, it was only mildly tingling. Yet, when he burst back into his Shape of the Sky – followed by an extremely loud crack of thunder – a wave of adrenaline unlike anything he’d ever felt before swept through his serpentine body, infusing every cell until it seemed like he was going to be ripped into pieces.

But in a good way.

He couldn’t quite explain it, but the closest he could come to a valid description was to say that it made him feel alive and on the precipice of being unmade, both at the same time. It was terrifying and thrilling, both in equal measure. It also covered a little more ground than expected, which gave some credence to the notion that magical lightning was different than what might be found in nature.

Because obviously.

The addition of ethera changed everything, so why would lightning – especially if it was the result of a spell – be any different? Regardless, Elijah judged that he’d covered closer to a hundred miles with one Lightning Rush, and because the momentum didn’t immediately dissipate, he traveled another fifty miles before he returned to his normal flight speed. A hundred-and-fifty miles in the space of a few seconds – that was definitely something to write home about.

Still, he had quite some ways to go, so he beat his wings and pushed himself to top speed. Back on Earth, he’d judged that to be around two-hundred miles an hour, but with the influx of Strength that had come with his recent levels, he could push that much harder. That didn’t translate to a different category of speed altogether, but it was noticeably faster.

As he flew, a dozen feet above the canopy, he kept a proverbial eye on his surroundings via One with Nature. The breadth of the effect was expansive enough that he could keep track of the surface, so it wasn’t surprising when he felt something interesting. It was an overgrown plaza populated by hundreds of stone statues, reminding Elijah of the famous terracotta warriors in China. Though these were obviously not shaped like humans, but rather were modeled upon ka’alaki.

Elijah wanted nothing more than to descend upon that plaza, overgrown by the jungle as it was, and explore. He didn’t need the mapping device provided by the Artificer back in Argos to know that the area was somehow important. However, he resisted the call to adventure, recognizing that he was on a schedule. His previous resolution to stop wasting time – lest others get the first-clear credit in the remaining challenges – notwithstanding, the rest of his group was waiting on him. So, he marked the location in his mind and continued on.

As it turned out, reaching the Nexus Town took a little more than three hours, which meant that it was probably close to nine-hundred miles from the challenge of Niflara. That tracked with Elijah’s previous estimates, and it further underlined just how large the Trial area was. If it was smaller than Australia, he would have been extremely surprised, and he suspected that it was probably more comparable to the continental United States.

Thankfully, with their superhuman attributes, everyone could travel much more quickly than before. They couldn’t achieve highway speeds – except for special cases like Elijah’s, at least – but they could certainly cover ground on foot at a much faster rate than would have been possible on a pre-World Tree Earth. And if the terrain hadn’t been so difficult and populated with threats, they could have gone much faster.

In any case, Elijah pushed those thoughts aside as he set down a few miles outside of Nexus Town. Many people in the settlement had seen him shapeshifting during the battle with the Immortals, but he didn’t want to advertise his full capabilities to anyone who wasn’t aware of what he could do. So, he approached the city on foot.

Predictably, his arrival caused a bit of a stir. As Lamar had already indicated, he’d become a bit famous, and when he strode into town, people noticed. No one approached him, but most people stopped whatever they were doing and watched him. Some, warily. Others, with open admiration. But mostly, they were just interested.

Elijah wanted nothing more than to shift into his blight dragon form and slink away under the Guise of the Unseen. He wasn’t averse to attention, but there was a distinct difference between what he’d experienced in the past and being famous. The scrutiny that came with the latter was more than a little off-putting, and his first instinct was to escape.

He didn’t give in, though. Instead, he simply went on like everything was normal, and eventually, he arrived at Atticus’ Consortium. The moment he stepped inside the building, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“That bad, huh?” came his friend’s familiar voice. Elijah looked up to see Atticus, with his slim build and hawk-nosed features smiling back at him.

“When I come back, I’m using stealth.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Atticus predicted. “Or more accurately, they’ll get used to your presence.”

“Maybe,” Elijah allowed. “So, how did you know I was here?”

“New skill,” Atticus answered. “It lets me set up a temporary shop. It’s not as strong as my premises back home, but it gives me a few benefits. Not the least, that everyone working in this building gets extra experience. It also lets me know when someone arrives.”

Elijah nodded, “Seems useful.”

“Would’ve been much more useful before,” Atticus pointed out. Elijah knew he still carried some guilt over how everything had worked out with the Immortals. He blamed himself for losing a few of the non-combatants who’d put their trust in him and his Consortium. Of course, without his influence, many more would have died, but Atticus didn’t want to hear that.

Elijah sympathized with his friend’s feelings, because he knew better than most that guilt was rarely rational.

He was interested in the new skill, though. He’d learned from his friend that many Merchants possessed powerful skills that were tied to their shops. Inside their chosen premises, they were as close to all-powerful as one could be. Of course, there were limitations. If the difference in levels or cultivation was too large, then no skills could ever hope to bridge the gap.

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“Yeah. That’s always how it is, though. Just have to keep moving forward,” Elijah said.

“Truer words have never been spoken, my friend. What brings you back to town?” he asked.

Elijah had two goals in mind. The first was the one he’d revealed to his companions, so he told Atticus what he needed. Fortunately, one of the crafters who’d latched onto the Consortium was an accomplished Jeweler, which boded well for Elijah’s plans. It also put him in mind of poor Grod, who’d died before the Trial had ever really begun. How many others had ended up like the altruistic ogre? How many more would follow that path going forward?

Quite a few, Elijah expected. But he couldn’t protect everyone. He didn’t even think he’d want to, considering that they’d all come to the Trial seeking progression. Certainly, he would help where he could, but trying to shield them all would just be a waste of time and counterproductive to boot.

After being introduced to the Jeweler – whose name was Ezra – Elijah explained what he needed, and thankfully, Ezra claimed that he could make it work, given that he was provided with the right materials. The Drop of the Ocean, along with a hunk of silver Elijah had looted at some point along the way – he couldn’t even remember where – turned out to be sufficient.

Along with a godly sum of ethereum.

“Good work doesn’t come cheap, Mr. Hart,” Ezra said. “And you won’t find anyone else in the Trial who can do this job.”

“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes and transferring the funds via his folio. “But if I find out you’re gouging me, we’re going to have some issues.”

“I would never.”

He let out a sigh. “Sorry,” he said, remembering the accusations Kurik had recently leveled his way. He’d gotten into the nasty habit of threatening people when he was irritated, and he wanted to get over that. “Just trying to make sure I’m not getting ripped off. How long will it take?”

As it turned out, the Jeweler could get it done in only a couple of hours, but he cautioned Elijah that such quick work wouldn’t be as aesthetically pleasing as it would be if he took his time. Of course, Elijah didn’t care about that kind of thing, so he said, “Just get it done as quickly as you can. I only care about the effect.”

Muttering about his client’s lack of taste, the Jeweler went to work, which left Elijah with some time to accomplish his other goal. He had looted quite a lot of equipment over the previous weeks, and he wanted to get it all appraised. Hopefully, Atticus would take some of it off his hands, too, because his Ghoul-Hide Satchel was getting to be a bit overfull.

The first wave of items were largely mundane weapons and other things he’d looted from various enemies along the way. None were remarkable, but Atticus offered to buy them anyway, saying, “Not everyone can afford the best, my friend. Besides, many of these items are made from decent materials, so they’re useful to my crafters. And this gold one is Low-Complex. Only marginal attribute bonuses and no real Traits, but it’s pretty. Someone will definitely overpay for it.”

After adding the dagger’s value to the tally, Elijah brought out the reward from the most recent challenge. The Seed of the Ash Lotus turned out to be a natural treasure that could be used as the core component of another powerful item. Or an alchemist’s potion, perhaps.

“But will it function as an actual seed? Like, if I plant it somewhere, will it grow?” he asked.

“I believe so, but I’m not horticulturist. It would require a favorable environment in order to flourish, though,” Atticus stated. “Or perhaps it will create its own environment. As I said, I can only tell you what my appraisal skill tells me, and it doesn’t mention anything about that.”

“What if I ate it?”

“Don’t,” Atticus answered without skipping a beat. “That thing would likely kill you if ingested.”

“I’m pretty durable.”

“Not that durable. Raw natural treasures contain too much power to be consumed without significant preparation. That’s why we have Alchemists. Well, one of the reasons, but probably the most important.”

Elijah was a bit disappointed to hear that, but he accepted it nonetheless.

“Oh, I made this, too,” Elijah said, pulling out his Feral Spire. He laid it on the stone table Atticus used to assist with his appraisal. “Mind telling me what it does? It’s supposed to increase the potency of some of my abilities, but I’d like to know specifics.”

The results were quite informative:

Feral Spire Overall Grade: Complex (Low) Enchantment Grade: C Description: The Feral Spire was made by and is bound to the Druid, Elijah Hart. Made from the savage blood oak, it is a formidable weapon. Attribute Bonuses: +15 Strength, Dexterity, Constitution Traits: Bestial Wrath – Potency of all bestial abilities increased by 10%.

“That explains a few things,” Elijah said. Most of the abilities associated with his shapeshifted forms were a bit amorphous and difficult to quantify, but the increase in potency explained why Lightning Rush was stronger than expected.

“It is a powerful weapon,” Atticus agreed. “Too bad your products are bound to you, else we could make quite a fortune.”

“We?”

“Of course, my friend,” Atticus said, throwing his arm around Elijah’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t want to worry about all those stuffy negotiations, would you? That’s what I’m here for. And I would, of course, take a modest fee for my invaluable services. That’s only fair.”

“I suppose,” Elijah said. Finally, he retrieved another item he’d had in his satchel for quite some time. The ring he’d taken from the tomb – alongside the guide mentioning the bane weapon that had been created to counter Yloa, the Lightning Emperor – had still yet to be identified.

However, when Atticus set it on the table, the resulting notification left Elijah more than a little disappointed:

Keystone Ring Overall Grade: ?? Enchantment Grade: ?? Description: A seemingly simple ring with a ruby set into silver. It has no discernible purpose. Attribute Bonuses: -15 to all Attributes Traits: Restriction: Slows the flow of ethera.

“It seems cursed,” he said.

“It’s not,” Atticus assured him. “Perhaps it’s a training tool. I’ve heard about such things.”

“Sort of like weights for your ethereal system?”

“Just so.”

Elijah just shook his head. He’d had high hopes for the ring, but it seemed mostly useless in the short term. So, he slipped the item back into his satchel. At the very least, he could give it to Carmen when he returned to Earth. The materials seemed to be high quality, so perhaps she could disassemble it and use those components to make something useful.

“Now, for the other reason for my existence – good food and even better company. I’ve managed to attract an actual Chef to the Consortium. She’s a bit standoffish, and she spends most of her time out in the wilderness hunting ingredients, most of which are the bestial sort. But she’s very talented,” Atticus said, leading Elijah deeper into the building.

“That sounds good. I haven’t had a good meal in a while.”

And given that Ezra wouldn’t complete the ring for another hour or two, they had some time to kill. So, it was with some anticipation that Elijah followed Atticus deeper into the compound.