Path of Dragons 18 - Chapter 19 - Surprises (Patreon)

“How long have you been standing there?” asked Illska.

“Huh?” Elijah asked, coming back to himself after being lost in deep thought.  How long he’d been like that, he wasn’t sure.

“Staring off into the wilderness, perfectly still.  It is unsettling.”

“Oh.  Sorry.  Guess I’m not used to being…well, to not being a tree,” he admitted.  Indeed, in the past few days since he’d returned from his months-long stint in the Shape of Trees, he’d become prone to long periods of stillness.  That was just one of the unexpected effects of spending so much time in arboreal pursuits. 

“What is it like?” she asked, seeming genuinely curious.  That was a bit out of character for her.  For all that she was a caring, passionate woman, Illska could also be very self-centered.  That was a characteristic of dragons that she could not – or would not – escape. 

Elijah sympathized, considering he was plagued by the same tendency.  In that respect, at least, he was very draconic.

Elijah shrugged.  “I don’t know how to explain it.  There’s power there, but it’s so vast that it can be sometimes difficult to grasp the full scope of it,” he answered.  “There’s also a constant war for survival, which can be somewhat disconcerting at first.  You get used to it, though.  Like breathing, I guess.”

“Interesting,” she said.  “Tell me more about this war.”

Elijah almost sighed.  Of all the things he could have told her, he’d mentioned the one aspect of tree-life that she could very much latch onto.  Illska wasn’t as devoted to conflict as her husband, but their similar demeanors was one of the main reasons they were together. 

So, he suppressed his sigh and gave her the answers she wanted.  He described it all.  The war for nutrients, space, light, every other aspect of survival seemed simple, but in actuality, it was a complex system meant to determine the fittest for survival. 

And Elijah’s tree form was just that – fit.

He did his best to dramatize it for Illska’s benefit, and his efforts were well-chosen.  She listened to everything Elijah said with the intensity of a child hearing her first fantasy story. 

When he’d finished, she said, “This is good.  Struggle is the key to progression.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “That is what this excursion has taught me.  Training is its own reward. Progression is a by-product,” she answered, hands on her hips.  “I do not need to see attribute gains to become better than I was yesterday.  There are millions of improvements I can make.  I need only take a single step forward each day, and eventually, I will arrive at my intended destination.”

“Which is?”

“Transcendence,” she answered.  “I have not abandoned my goals.  I have simply reframed them.  I will focus on the process of improvement, not a distant achievement.  Technique. Attribute gains.  Cultivation.  They all lead to the same place.  If I do things properly, I will arrive.  I am certain of it.”

Elijah nodded along.  For what it was worth, he agreed with the adjustment to Illska’s philosophy.  Focusing on goals was all well and good, but tying everything to results was a good way to lose the drive to succeed.  It was usually better to concentrate on the process itself, then let the results take care of themselves. 

There were obviously exceptions.  But it was still a good philosophy.

“What about Ok’tarik?” Elijah asked.

“He is…different than other orcs,” she admitted.  “Better. Stronger.  More…a person.”

“They used to all be like that,” Elijah said.  “The system has beaten them down into what you saw back in Orveth Kaal.”

“Elsewhere as well,” she said. “I have encountered them on other worlds.  They all differ in subtle ways, but they are all predictably savage, seeking only to kill their enemies.  That includes everyone.  Dragons.  Other orcs.  Elves.  It does not matter.  They live for battle.”

“Seems like someone else we both know,” Elijah said.

“My beloved is nothing like an orc.  He knows the value of moderation. He is not ruled by bloodlust.”

“Fair,” Elijah admitted, finally running his hand through his hair. He’d half expected to find a canopy of leaves – an odd feeling, but one he couldn’t quite escape.  His mind cultivation helped him endure the Shape of Trees, but it couldn’t completely nullify its effects.

“What will you do when we reach Orveth Kaal?” Illska asked.

Elijah shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure.  I’m going to take it.  You know that,” he told her.  “But how I do that will depend greatly on what the Poet did to bind the planet together.  However, I think the first order of business is to reopen the ancestral world for Earth’s people to come back.  I’m sure they’ve already started plans for building another Vengeance.”

“That is likely true,” Illska agreed. “What of us?”

Elijah shrugged. “That depends on what you want,” he answered.  “You can always go back to the empire.  I’m sure you’ve gotten what you wanted out of this.”

“For the most part, that is true,” she conceded. 

It was easy to have expected her to experience some grand revelation that resulted in her transcendence, but it seemed that she was much further away from that point than either of them was ready to admit.  In addition, Elijah knew that the Mountain’s sudden transcendence was the exception rather than the norm.  That old Druid had been on the precipice for centuries, and all Elijah had to do was give him a little nudge to get him over the edge.

Illska was still a long way from that cliff.

Even further from being able to leap over the edge and fly.

Coming to terms with that was probably one of the major advantages she’d gained during her time in Orveth Kaal and Silvara.  She was special.  She was still destined for transcendence.  But she had to do it on her schedule, not chase the pace set by people like Mano’leth.

“I will go back to the empire,” Illska said.  Then, she glanced back toward where Ok’tarik was meditating.  He was far enough away that he was barely a speck in the distance, but he radiated enough power that he couldn’t be ignored.  “I wish I could take him with me.  His training methods are novel.  The way he manipulates vitality is genius.”

“I’m aware,” Elijah said with a chuckle. “Did I tell you about the time I used the Breath of Life on him?”

She shook her head, so Elijah explained exactly what had happened.  At first, Ok’tarik had exploded into a mass of tumors, but after only a few moments, he’d harnessed that excess vitality for his own benefit.  All Elijah’s unconventional attack had done was to make him stronger and healthier than before.

It had taken a conjured solar storm to slow him down enough for Elijah to defeat him, but even that was only possible due to the fact that they’d fought during the demigod trial.  Elijah liked to think he could still defeat Ok’tarik, but he couldn’t be certain one way or another. 

Thankfully, the orc didn’t seem keen on continuing their fight.

If orcs could have friends, Elijah believed that Ok’tarik counted him as one.  After a fashion and filtered through centuries of orc culture, such as it was.

Either way, it was no wonder Illska and Ok’tarik had gotten along.  There was a good chance that it might’ve gone the other way, with the pair constantly fighting one another for dominance.  But now that the orc wasn’t interested in that kind of thing, they’d become allies and training partners.

“I guess my point is that you could do worse,” Elijah said.  “Ok’tarik is as advanced a cultivator as I’ve seen work.  He does things differently than we do, but there’s value in learning from him.”

“I agree. It is a shame that he is so restricted by the system.”

Elijah couldn’t offer a counterpoint.  What the system had done to the orcs was a tragedy, but one that might’ve been warranted.  For all Elijah knew, orcs had been a terror that swept across the multi-verse.  They might’ve destroyed entire civilizations in their quest for dominance.  In short, they could’ve earned their fate a hundred times over.

Whatever the case, it wasn’t for Elijah to decide.  He had no authority over the system, and he couldn’t change the way it treated the orcs.  The best he could do was to raise Callux and help him to become the sort of orc the rest of the multi-verse could look at as proof that they weren’t all bad.

No pressure there. 

Elijah would have to remain certain not to put that on Callux’s shoulders, even if it was in his mind.  The young orc was strong, but he didn’t deserve that kind of weight.  In fact, the best thing that could happen to him was to grow up in the grove, away from major conflict or strife. 

That thought brought the Hartwood Grove into focus within Elijah’s mind.  Ever since he’d advanced to Amethyst, the picture had become clearer.  Before, it was like looking through foggy glass, but now, it was more like seeing it through a fine mist.  Still not entirely clear, but close enough for him to make out details. 

He believed that when he returned from Silvara, it would grow sharper than ever.

“What about the ancestral world? Do you still intend to take it?”

Elijah nodded. “I do.”

“How?”

“Hard work,” he answered with a slight smile.  That was the biggest component of his plan.  The second was time.  Elijah knew good and well that it would not be a quick process, but he also expected that it would prove rewarding in a variety of ways.

The reality was that he was still growing accustomed to the timescale in which he now operated.  In the past, a decade might’ve seemed like a very long time.  A tenth of a man’s life, if he was lucky.  But now?  Considering how long he would live, it was no more than the blink of an eye.

Less if he spent it as a tree.

That put Elijah’s new life into perspective in a way that none of his previous experiences had.  He had seen many wondrous things.  He stood at the root of more than a few of them, having caused quite a few himself.  And yet, his relationship with time was more wondrous and frightening than just about anything else he’d experienced.

He could easily imagine a situation where he blinked – relatively speaking – and many normal lifespans had passed him by.

Was that how Kirlissa felt?  Certainly, Kor did.  The same was true of Mano, to a certain extent, and it highlighted just how much trust he’d put in his wife to find her own way.  If she didn’t, he would lose the most important thing in his life, and yet, he believed in her ability to solve the problem herself.

Elijah wasn’t sure if he could do the same, had he been in Mano’s place.

Either way, he didn’t have any more time to thing about such things, because the time for contemplation was rapidly coming to an end.  Only a day remained before the Poet’s deadline was complete.  After that, the labor would begin.

Before Elijah did that, he wanted to speak to the apsara responsible for bringing him to Silvara. 

So, he told Illska where he was going, then stepped out of the cave mouth in which he’d stood sentry.  A second later, he’d adopted the Shape of Withering, then Guise of the Stalker.  It was as easy as it ever had been, and soon enough, he was winging across the tree tops in search of Kor.

It didn’t take much to find the apsara.  Elijah had spent enough time around him to recognize the subtle ways the ambient ethera gravitated toward him.  So, he followed that metaphysical scent, eventually finding Kor standing in the center of a small clearing, his arms outstretched as he drank in the sunlight.

Elijah landed lightly.

“You are leaving soon,” Kor said without moving.

“I am.”

“You came to bid me farewell, young Druid?”

“I did.  And I wanted to ask one more question,” Elijah admitted.

“Speak it, and I will answer if I may.”

“Core cultivation.  I need somewhere that can support it,” Elijah stated. 

“You are a dragon.  Surely, there are places meant for such things,” Kor said, finally opening his eyes.  As always, they twinkled with subtle mirth.

“I don’t want that.”

Indeed, Elijah had cultivated in the shadow of the First Fang during his last advancement of his core, and he wanted to embrace a different aspect of his identity.  Specifically, he wanted to work within the confines of nature.

He said as much to Kor.

“I may have a resource,” the apsara stated.

“Oh?”

Elijah hadn’t really expected that.  Instead, he had anticipated another vague comment.

“Come to me when you are ready, young Druid,” Kor said.  “I will have something prepared for you.”

“I don’t want handouts.  Just –”

Kor laughed, interrupting Elijah.  “You will receive no help.  This is a trial, sapling, and a deadly one.  Even for someone as talented as you,” he revealed.  “Once, long ago, I would have been chastised by my elders for even suggesting that you undertake such a labor.  Yet, I believe you are capable.  Ensure that you are prepared, because I will not save you.”

“That’s…not ominous at all,” Elijah muttered.

“There is no progress without danger.  Even an old tree knows as much.”

Elijah sighed.  “Yeah, that’s my experience too.”

Then, he changed tone, adding, “Thank you for everything, Kor.  I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Think nothing of it.  I cultivate.  This is my purpose.  It is yours to take those efforts and repurpose them into something worthwhile.”

“I will,” Elijah promised.

“Then I can ask nothing else…”

Elijah asked, “But?”

“Perhaps come to visit me again,” Kor answered.  “I love my domain and all the creatures who call it home, but they are poor conversationalists.”

Elijah smiled. “Yeah.  I can see that.  And I’ll come back when I can, and not just to take your trial.”

“Good, good.  Now, be on your way.  I can feel that little world firming.  The gate will allow you through at the proper time,” Kor answered.

“Thank you again,” Elijah said, and he meant it.  Without Kor’s help, he might never have figured out how to exist as a tree.  And more than that, he felt like he’d made a friend.  An odd one, to be sure, but a friend nonetheless.

That might’ve been worth more than the cultivation.