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

Elijah awoke to the sensation of something nibbling on his toe. At first, he barely even noticed it, but then consciousness fully took hold, and he jerked his foot away. The moment he moved, the fish darted away, frightened by the sudden motion. Elijah blinked his eyes open, and his memories came flooding back.

At some point, seawater had come rushing back into the cave, so he found himself floating just above the cave’s floor. The last phase of pushing his Dragon Core to the Whelp stage had killed everything within the cavern, but enough time had passed that a few fish had come to investigate. In addition, a couple of tiny strands of kelp had managed to take hold, telling Elijah that at least a few days had passed while he was unconscious.

Otherwise, he had no idea how much time had elapsed since he’d begun the process of taking the next step in his core cultivation. He remembered that, even before reliving the tale of the birth of the first dragon, he’d spent almost a month cycling. So, given that he’d spent at least a few more days unconscious, he felt impatient to determine precisely how much time had passed.

With that in mind, he swam to the cave’s exit and pushed himself through the tunnel until he reached open water. Normally, he would have taken a few hours to repopulate the cave, but for now, he needed to take stock of his situation. Before isolating himself in the cultivation cave, he’d had about three months left before the Trial of Primacy began, so he knew he didn’t have much room for error.

Kicking to the surface, he leaped free of the water, then cast Shape of the Sky, transforming in mid-air. He flapped his wings, gaining altitude before racing across the sky toward his grove. He landed in a small open space Nerthus had created as a bit of a landing pad, then called out for his spyggent friend.

Nerthus appeared after only a few moments, and Elijah asked, “How long have I been gone?”

“Forty-eight days,” Nerthus answered.

Elijah frowned. That meant he only had about six weeks left before the Trial of Primacy. He thought that would be enough time, but there was a small chance that he’d have to make some cuts to his schedule. Originally, he’d intended to run the tower a few more times in the hopes of gaining a couple more levels. However, with how much time his core cultivation had required, that just wouldn’t be possible. So, he’d have to be satisfied with being level ninety. After having reached the second stage in every aspect of his cultivation, he hoped that would be enough.

“You reached the second stage,” Nerthus said. “Congratulations. Many people consider that the true beginning of cultivation.”

That made some sense. It had certainly been much more difficult than taking the first step, though Elijah had no real context for what that first stage of core cultivation usually looked like. After all, he’d accomplished it via the completion of a Kirlissa’s quest, so he’d never experienced doing it on his own. However, he expected that it would have been much easier than what he’d just put himself through.

“I think I have enough time,” he said, rubbing his bearded chin. “It’s going to be close, though.”

“If I may offer a suggestion?” Nerthus ventured.

“Sure.”

“Perhaps a nice meal and a shower will help,” he said.

“Are you saying that I stink?”

“Like a dead fish,” Nerthus answered without hesitation.

“Ouch,” Elijah muttered. “Message received.”

After that, he asked about Miguel’s progress, and to Elijah’s surprise, he discovered that his nephew had already reached the first stage in everything but his core cultivation. On top of that, he was well on his way to preparing himself to take that step as well. Most of it was due to Nerthus’ help. Much as he’d done for Elijah, Nerthus had sacrificed a good deal of his own power to ease Miguel’s cultivation. It wouldn’t have been possible if the young man hadn’t possessed a strong nature attunement, and according to the spryggent, his race – or others like them – often performed similar functions in the communities that grew around Druid groves. Seemingly, Nerthus regarded it as part of his duty, and though Elijah worried about the spyrggent overextending himself, he elected to trust his judgement.

Other than that, Nerthus let him know that his plans for the garden were well underway. Soon, he would replace the grove berry bushes with better alternatives, and the defenses he’d begun to grow had already taken root and were thriving. In short, everything was going according to plan.

So, it was with a slightly lighter heart that Elijah retreated to his treehouse to follow Nerthus’ advice. He wasn’t certain which was more beneficial – the shower or the meal – but when he finally emerged, he was ready to finish his preparations for the Trial of Primacy.

The first step was to complete his soap-making project. He wasn’t sure if it truly had lasting effects, but he’d grown used to the jolt of energy he received when using it. The notion of going without while he was in the Trial was an unattractive one, so he made enough soap to last him for more than a year.

After that, he headed into Ironshore and visited a couple of shops. His first stop was Biggle’s laboratory, where he picked up a few sacks of cleansing powder. Then, he visited the Tailor Mari, who sold him a few new outfits. They were cut in the same style he was used to, but they had the benefit of having a durability enchantment that would hopefully preserve them during the Trial.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

He also visited the general store, where he stocked up on odds and ends that he thought might prove useful. None of it was of graded quality, but things like rope, bandages, and waterproof bedding didn’t need to be, either.

Finally, he found himself in Gavina’s workshop. To his surprise, the little goblin Leatherworker was actually happy to see him, which was a huge departure from their previous meeting.

“Thank goodness you came back,” she greeted him, relief in her voice. “Having that armor here put a target on my back.”

“Huh?”

“It’s mid-Complex!” she practically shouted. “Do you know what people would do for that kind of armor? And it’s the whole set, too! I’m surprised someone hasn’t already killed me for it!”

“Do you really think somebody would do that?” Elijah asked skeptically. Ironshore probably had some criminal element – every settlement of any size did – but he’d heard nothing of open murder.

“I don’t know! Maybe,” Gavina answered with exasperation. “I’m not strong enough to fight them if they did, though. Better that you take it now.”

After that, she shoved a large bundle into his hands. It was heavier than Elijiah had expected, though given the materials, that was expected.

“I need a description of what it does.”

The goblin Leatherworker rolled her eyes and massaged her forehead. “Ugh. Of course you do. Here,” she said, handing him a piece of paper. “That’s what it is. Now go! Before someone attacks!”

Elijah didn’t think it was reasonable to expect an attack, but he got the sense that Gavina was the paranoid sort. She’d been worried about him killing her during their first meeting, but it seemed she’d graduated to suspecting an external threat. Still, there might’ve been some merit to her suspicions, especially if the armor was as high-quality as she’d said.

Before he left, Elijah took a look at the description on the piece of paper: