Path of Dragons 17 - Chapter 42 - Little Devil (Patreon)

Potential was not strength.  By its very definition, it was unrealized, as Callux soon discovered.  Elijah didn’t enjoy watching the child fail, but he knew it was absolutely necessary. 

How else was one to learn life’s most important lessons?

So, it was with a heavy heart that he watched the giant fish drag the young orc into the stream.  The boy had connected the meal he’d enjoyed the night before with those massive fish, and in his infinite wisdom, had decided to go straight to the source. 

As anyone could predict, it was a mistake.

Elijah watched it with no small degree of curiosity, though he knew Callux wasn’t really in trouble.  The creatures were low-demigods, and he could destroy them in a moment.  More importantly, he’d already cast Bough of the World Tree, protecting the child from their gnashing teeth. 

Sure, even with the bark-like armor protecting him, it would hurt.  And drowning came with a panic all its own.  However, he wouldn’t die, which was the most important thing.

Probably.

The reality of it was that they lived in a harsh multi-verse.  As much as he wanted to coddle Callux and protect him from the worst it could throw at him, Elijah knew that would be a disservice to his role as a caretaker.  It was his job to prepare Callux, and as he’d already established, he believed the best way to do that was to let the young orc experience the consequences of his actions.

Still, he wouldn’t let it go too far.  Instead, he allowed the fish to drag him under for a few seconds before Elijah stepped in.  It was just long enough for panic to really set in but not long enough for the young orc to realize that the fish’s gnarly-looking teeth couldn’t really hurt him.

Elijah dove in, kicking forward as he swam after the fish.  It had dragged Callux into the center of the stream, though it hadn’t quite figured out why its intended meal wasn’t cooperating.  For his part, the orcish child kicked and screamed, sending bubbles toward the surface.  But he could no more escape that fish’s jaws than he could move a mountain. 

Perhaps one day, that wouldn’t be the case.

But for now, he was barely better than an infant.  Sure, an infant with a fully developed, first-tier core, but a baby nonetheless.  Elijah hit the fish like a torpedo, leading the way with Thorn.  The spear sliced through its thick skin, and with ease that shouldn’t have been possible.

The weapon had grown, though.  Not only was it sharper, but Elijah could feel the power within it.  Soon, he’d need to address that and help usher it into a new realm of power. 

At present, Elijah wasted no time before gutting the creature.  As its innards spewed into the water, more fish attacked.  They were smaller than the one who’d dragged Callux underwater, but still large enough to pose a threat.

Fortunately, they were more interested in killing their fellow fish.  Elijah had effectivcely thrown chum into the water, riling them up.  It didn’t take them long to add their weight to the fight.

The first fish died soon after, though its jaws had locked into place. So, Elijah was forced to pry them open and pull Callux to shore.  The little orc crawled away from the stream, panting and vomiting water. 

“I told you yesterday,” Elijah explained, returning Thorn to his Arcane Loop.  “That stream is dangerous for you.”

Callux glanced back at Elijah and fixed him with a murderous stare.  As if it was all his fault.  Then, he stuck his bottom lip out and collapsed into the mud. 

Elijah left him there for a few moments, then banked the fire he’d built the day before.  The morning wasn’t particularly cold, but it wasn’t warm, either.  And soon enough, Callux had crept closer to the fire, as much for comfort as anything else.  Meanwhile, Elijah headed back to the stream and speared another fish.

This one wasn’t the gar-looking species he’d killed before, but rather one that looked a bit like a big-mouth bass.  Of course, its teeth were far larger, as was the rest of its body.  But the general shape was similar enough to make the connection.

Before long, Elijah was frying the fish in a mixture of cornmeal and a few other spices he’d picked up from the Vengeance’s storage.  Technically speaking, he wasn’t really allowed, but it was effectively his ship.  Besides, nobody told him off for it, which was permission enough for his tastes.

In any case, while Elijah couldn’t really compete with real Cooks or Chefs, he was more than capable of making something tasty.  That was the advantage of having his skillet – not so different from the French press he often used when alone.

More important was the realization that he often neglected the simple task of cooking food, instead relying on pre-cooked meals he stored in his Arcane Loop.  He could’ve fed one to Callux, but he felt it was important to teach the child how to take care of himself.

Not just for subsistence, but because Elijah had spent the night thinking about what it meant to raise a child.  And inevitably, his thoughts had settled on the time he’d spent with his parents.  By anyone’s reckoning, he’d enjoyed an idyllic childhood, at least until his parents had died in that car accident.  Before that, he’d had the chance to spend an incredible amount of time with them, though.

And as he considered that, he realized that the things he cherished most were the times when one of his parents taught him how to do things.  Like fishing with his father.  Gathering mushrooms and wild herbs with his mother.  When Alyssa shared her eclectic music taste with him.

A thousand other tiny events, inconsequential in the moment, meant more to him than a million grand gestures.  Because they’d formed the backbone of his identity, and to the point where, even after they were long gone, he maintained many of the same habits they’d helped him establish.

Of course, he was a different person now.  If the old Elijah knew what was in store, he would have run for the hills.  As it was, he still considered it at times.  There was a certain attractiveness to the idea of simply picking up and leaving everything behind.  Yet, he knew he couldn’t do that.

Too many responsibilities, and he kept adding to them.

Like Callux.

This time, when the young orc got his fish, he remembered to blow on it.  Or spit.  But he tried, and that was what mattered.  He didn’t develop manners overnight, though.  Instead, he ripped into the fish like a starving animal.

Elijah ate more sedately, paying extra attention to his own mannerisms in an effort to show a good example to Callux.  He ignored it.

When the child finished his meal, he didn’t collapse, though.  Instead, he sprang to his feet and raced around yelling the only word he really knew.

“C-oo-ook!”

It was adorable for the first minute or so.  After that, Elijah wanted nothing more than to plug his own ears.  He couldn’t afford to do that though, because Callux seemed intent on throwing himself into danger.

Like when he climbed a tree and picked a fight with a giant mosquito-looking insect that probably would have drained every last ounce of his blood, had Elijah not stepped in to squash it.  Or when he was play-fighting a rock when it suddenly came to life and scared the wits out of him.

Thankfully, the latter wasn’t really dangerous.  It was an earth-attuned turtle that just wanted to be left alone. 

Of course, Callux took its lack of attacking him as an invitation to ride it.  In that way, he reminded Elijah a little of Miguel.  It didn’t seem all that long ago that his nephew was riding around on a very different turtle’s back.

Idly, Elijah wondered how Snappy was doing.  Or Peter, the spider.  Or a few other guardians he’d met on Earth.  Pepper was still out there, too. 

He sighed.

Then, he went to fetch Callux.  An hour of zooming around was enough to tire him out, so he quickly fell asleep once Elijah took to the skies.  Again, he used Shape of Withering, as much because Callux was familiar with it as because it was the right form for the job.

So it went for the next few weeks.  Elijah took his time, partially due to the comparatively slow speed of the venomwing stalker – at least compared to the Shape of the World Serpent.  But mostly because he kept stopping so Callux could experience Orveth Kaal. 

They saw countless wonders along the way, from vast grasslands populated by reptilian felines to enormous trees dominated by six-armed apes that threw fireballs at them.  Callux saw every stop with the eyes of a child – which was to say that he didn’t take anything for granted.

Not the sights.

Nor the sounds. 

He played in rivers, leaped down waterfalls, and climbed trees.  He even got into a couple of good fights along the way.  Or that was probably how he saw it.  Instead, he usually just got gnawed on by beasts that couldn’t get through Elijah’s protections.  The ones that could, they avoided entirely.

 Everything Callux saw was new to him, and he appreciated it accordingly.  Every meal was a peerless feast.  Every night was the most restful sleep he’d ever experienced.  And every morning dawned with endless possibilities.

Elijah desperately hoped the child could maintain that innocent wonder.

Though he knew from experience that it would fade in time.  Perhaps not completely.  Elijah was proof enough that such an outlook on life could be maintained.  However, he also recognized just how easy it was to fall into cynicism. 

Callux would avoid that, he hoped.

Gradually, they made their way across Orveth Kaal.  At times, Elijah saw orcish ships patrolling  their territory, but those sightings became less frequent as he pushed outward.  More troublingly, he saw dragons.  Or rather, he sensed them. 

Explorers, certainly.  Doubtful that they would have ventured so far from Bas’eltion otherwise.  Especially not alone.  Instead, they would have traveled in groups.  Otherwise, they would have put themselves at the mercy of the local wildlife.

While they were flying, Callux mostly slept – all the better to go nuts when they landed.  It also showed that Ok’tarik’s efforts had effectively robbed the child of any fear he might’ve held for heights. 

Perhaps there were merits to the orcish way of doing things.

In any case, the trip was both cathartic and nerve-wracking, largely because of Callux’s penchant for getting into trouble.  If Elijah lost sight of him for even a second, he would find something that wanted to kill him.  Not that that was difficult in an ancestral world, but it could still be horrifying.

Thankfully, Elijah chose their campsites well, and they managed to avoid anything that could reasonably kill the child.  At least so long as Elijah was around to protect him, at least.

Eventually, Elijah caught sight of the Vengeance on the horizon.  From such a distance, it looked little different from any other sky island, save that it was tethered to another.  However, as they drew closer, he saw that the renovations had continued – not at the same pace, but the Builders had still made recognizable progress.

A couple of new towers here.  A thicker wall there.  That sort of thing.

The place was buzzing with aircraft, too.  If Elijah wasn’t mistaken, the air force had grown significantly, suggesting that they’d perfected their manufacturing capability. 

Elijah landed while still in stealth, taking care to maintain his grip on Callux.  The last thing he needed was for the little orc to cause a panic.

Of course, Callux had been well trained by the establish cadence of travel, and he believed than solid ground meant an opportunity to explore.  So, he quickly tried to squirm away. 

So it was that, back in his human form, Elijah clung to the child as he strode through the hanger.  That brought quite a lot of attention, which he studiously ignored.  Right up until Miguel approached.

Trevor walked beside him, his majestic antlers shining in the hanger’s artificial light.

“That’s…not a baby,” he said, obviously noting Callux’s size.

“You’d think that, but he’s barely two months old,” Elijah assured his nephew. 

“Coo-ook?” Callux asked, pointing to Trevor.

“No.  We do not try to cook Trevor.”

At that, Miguel laughed.  “You’ve got your work cut out for you,” he remarked.

“Me?  You’re going to help.  Of the two of us, you’re the only one with any experience.”