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

Miguel felt his uncle well before his actual arrival. The feeling wasn’t overbearing, but he had a vague sense of the grove and its master. Still, when Elijah poked his head above the surface of the strait – in the form of a giant sea turtle – he couldn’t contain his relief.

“Welcome back!” Elijah bellowed, though it clearly wasn’t intended as a shout. Even so, the sound sent ripples across the water. “I’ll see you at the docks.”

Then, he dipped below the waves, rocking the boat in his wake.

“At least he’s back,” came a mutter from the rear of the boat. Miguel turned to see his mother sitting there, obviously miserable. And for good reason, too. Like all the rest of them, she’d spent the past few months battling through the Chimeric Forge, and she’d made no secret about the fact that she was looking forward to a return to her own forge and the comforts of home.

But when Miguel looked at her, he no longer saw only his mother. She was that, but she was also much more. He’d not really considered how savage she could be in battle, nor how important she could be to a war effort. But it was no great secret – and certainly not an exaggeration – to say that their voyage into the Primal Realm would have ended quite differently had she not participated.

Not only was she instrumental in arming the Vey’thaalians, but she’d also fought on the frontlines often enough to gain levels as well as respect from the normal combatants. She was not just a crafter. She was a force with which to be reckoned.

The same was true of everyone else who’d entered the Chimeric Forge. Isaak had proven himself a true scourge, and he’d begun to specialize in widespread damage. And with his new class evolution, his soulfire would become more powerful than ever before. Even before that evolution, he’d routinely destroyed whole swaths of chimera, and Miguel suspected he would only grow stronger with time.

The true champion of their foray into the Primal Realm had been Kurik, though. Miguel had heard plenty of stories about the dwarf’s traps, about his exploits in the Trial of Primacy, but still, he’d underestimated just how effective Kurik could be. It didn’t really matter if he used normal traps or some of his new, plant-based devices – he was an absolute terror on the battlefield. And he was even more effective when he had a little time to prepare.

Without him, they’d have needed double or triple the amount of time to conquer the Chimeric Forge.

Of course, not to be left out was Ron. The man was a maestro of healing, and more than once, Miguel had heard people say that he was wasted in a controlled setting like a clinic. He was born to be a battlefield Healer, and he’d saved too many people to count. There wasn’t a participant in the run who didn’t owe their lives to him.

Then there was Oscar. For the most part, he stayed out of the fighting, preferring to go his own way. More than once, Miguel had found him watching over their people from afar. Clearly, he’d come along not to gain levels himself, but to ensure that they were successful – without spoiling their own progression. However, he’d truly shown his might during the last battle against the forge-turned-automaton, and his pack had almost single-handedly dismantled the massive creation.

By comparison, Miguel felt like a child playing with sticks.

He knew that wasn’t the case. He’d performed as well as anyone within the Primal Realm. But seeing someone like Oscar go all-out was an eye-opener. He had a long, long way to go if he ever wanted to rival someone like that.

They all did. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel~fire~net

Even so, he was satisfied with his progression, mostly because he’d finally passed the one-twenty-five mark and received his class evolution, which he’d chosen the second he’d left the Chimeric Forge. Thankfully, they had a Branch in the nearby fort.

He could still scarcely believe he’d come so far, but looking at his new status came with a sense of overwhelming pride: