Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO ON KINDLE SEPT. 2)

Lightning cracked, and thunder rolled as a summer storm swept through the area, dumping a deluge of rain along the way. Elijah sat back, leaning against the trunk of an oak tree as he enjoyed the ambiance. To him, there was something comforting about a proper rainstorm – a combination of all five senses that coalesced to remind him of home.

Not the island, though considering its climate, that was probably accurate as well. Instead, he thought of his childhood, when he and his family would spend long weekends camping out in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

So, he watched the rain fall upon the pond, leaving ripples with every drop. An earthy scent pervaded the air, calming Elijah in a way little else could. He sighed, breathing deeply as, for the first time in weeks, he let himself relax. Because he’d finally completed the heavy lifting involved in creating his latest dolmen.

The results were distinctly different than the Dragon Circle, but no less impressive for it. In any case, everything had come together far better than Elijah could have hoped, though not without significant effort. Not unsurprisingly, he’d been forced to adapt to a host of problems, and he’d even had to replace a couple of pillar pieces when they’d cracked under the weight of the capstones.

Yet, Elijah had persisted, and now he saw nine monuments, each almost ten feet tall. They seemed even larger, though, looming as they did at equidistant points around the pond. At present, the concrete structures had a distinctly brutalist cast, which felt oddly appropriate.

However, Elijah wasn’t finished.

He still had two more steps to complete before he would count the project complete. Only when he was satisfied would he use Roots of the World Tree to christen his new circle.

But he knew he was on a timer. In less than a week, it would be open season. Perhaps the hunters of Valosta would wait a little longer than that, but that was when Ray’s influence would end. And Elijah expected that curiosity and greed would bring quite a few visitors, each one intent on killing his new friends and stealing the natural treasure at the bottom of the pond.

Neither endeavor would be successful.

Now that the deer were completely healed, they were more than capable of protecting themselves. The same could be said about the natural treasure. If Elijah couldn’t even get close enough to it to determine its nature, then the comparative weaklings of Valosta had no chance.

Indeed, Elijah’s haste was more about protecting those idiots than anything else. And as much as he wanted to let them reap the seeds of destruction they were so intent on sowing, his conscience wouldn’t allow that. So, with another grunt, he pushed himself upright and stretched his tired muscles.

Toting the cylinders of concrete hadn’t been as taxing as carrying multi-ton rocks from the foothills to his Dragon Circle, but it had still left him feeling like he’d just endured a long and arduous workout.

Which wasn’t so far from the truth. His efforts over the past couple of months had even netted him a couple of extra attributes points – one in Strength, and the other in Constitution – underscoring just how much he’d exerted himself. It also confirmed that, even though it was obviously possible to gain attribute points through training, it was incredibly difficult.

But Elijah wasn’t concerned with his attributes for the moment. Instead, he needed to complete the project. So, after stretching a little, then using Soothe before pulsing Touch of Nature a single time, he crossed the clearing and reached the first monument. Kneeling, he inspected the vine he’d planted the day before.

Already, it had sprouted a few inches from the ground, courtesy of his continuous use of Nature’s Bounty. So, he guided the vine, adjusting it so that it would grow in the proper direction, before moving on to the next. Then the next after that. He’d planted dozens of vines, and each one needed guidance. Yet, it only took him a few minutes to ensure they would keep growing in the right direction.

So, once that was done, Elijah shifted into the form of the lamellar ape then used his claws to scratch various designs into the cement pillars. He had no illusions of covering them with relief – he was no sculptor, after all – but his instincts dictated that he should make some efforts at embellishment. Still, he was incredibly careful so that he wouldn’t inadvertently crack the pillars.

As he worked, he continuously flared Nature’s Bounty, stopping ever so often to ensure the vines continued to grow appropriately. Like that, he continued for the next five days, resting only when absolutely necessary. Fortunately, with his high attributes as well as his healing spells, he could go for quite some time without sleep.

Besides, he wasn’t exactly exerting himself. The work was time-consuming and tedious, but it was not physically difficult.

And by the fifth day, he’d completed his task.

Stepping back, he admired the fruits of his efforts.

The general shapes of the nine monuments were unchanged.

Yet, the relief carvings had altered the entire vibe. Some of the brutalist cast remained, but it was softened by the carvings he’d so painstakingly created. Instead of dragons, he’d gone with a subtle moon motif. In addition, the vines had snaked around the pillars. Back on Earth, designing something like that would have doomed it to a short life. Vines didn’t seem overtly destructive, but they could tear a structure down in a matter of years. However, with the addition of ethera, Elijah felt certain that his monuments would remain standing for decades – maybe even centuries – to come.

The entire area had been flooded with Elijah’s personal ethera via One with Nature as well as Nature’s bounty, and it had mixed with the energy wafting off the pond. The combination was heady and powerful, a mixture of wild and cultivated that left Elijah in awe.

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Once he’d ensured that the circle had taken the exact shape he desired, he used Roots of the World Tree, further infusing it with his essence. The moment the spell completed – which took almost an hour to charge – a notification flashed before his inner eye: