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

Elijah awoke to the pervasive smell of sulfur. He shot upright, blinking in confusion as he was greeted by the sight of a normal inn room. It wasn’t much different than dozens of others he’d rented. A decently comfortable bed, a small writing desk, and an unused closet were the most prevalent features, all displaying the same rough charm of the surrounding city.

Generously, Rubibi could be called rustic. After seeing the darker side of the city, where the poor and unwanted dwelled, Elijah had another word in mind.

Initially, he’d intended to simply stay with Shane and his family, but it quickly became apparent just how bad of an idea that was. They lived in a hovel, with barely enough room for the three of them. Adding another adult into the mix just wasn’t feasible.

Plus, the more snobbish parts of Elijah pointed out that it just didn’t live up to his normal standards. Even sleeping outside was better, if only because it gave him a chance to connect with nature. Shane’s hovel was the worst of both worlds. Too civilized to be natural, but too poor to reap the benefits of civilization.

His only solace was that Shane and his family would find a much better life in Ironshore. Even the poorest among its residents had the necessary basics.

And with the amount of money Elijah had given him, Shane should be able to get his life back on track. For most people, it was a life-changing sum, but for Elijah? It was just pocket change. It did beg the question of just how much good he could do with his wealth. It was by no means endless, but it was certainly enough to save a lot of lives.

He’d considered establishing some sort of charity organization before, but he’d never taken those steps. Part of it was because he was busy with more urgent problems. Saving the world took precedence over saving the poor. Yet, it was also because he just didn’t know where to start.

Going into the slums and throwing money around wasn’t the answer – at least not in the long-term. He needed to be smarter about it. He needed to give people a real chance to make lasting changes.

The answer was so obvious that, when it hit him, he wondered how he’d missed it before.

Regardless, when he rose from the bed, he did so with a mission. After taking a shower and dressing, Elijah retreated downstairs, where he was treated to a meal of salted fish and some sort of fried reptile eggs that tasted just different enough from chicken eggs that the flavor activated the part of his brain that told him something was wrong.

It was filling, though.

Clearly, Rubibi didn’t enjoy many of the basic staples common in most of the world. Their long isolation had shifted the diet considerably, and the Conclave Spires hadn’t been around long enough to correct course.

Or the people had simply grown accustomed to their new diets.

Regardless, Elijah didn’t enjoy his breakfast very much, and after paying his bill, he quickly moved on. He didn’t immediately leave the city. As much as he disliked Rubibi – and he was forced to acknowledge that he did – he had a couple of things he needed to take care of before his departure.

His first stop was the Branch, where he sent out a couple of messages. One, he sent to Sadie, letting her know what he was doing. He also expressed his frustrations with the city, ending the message by explaining his fears concerning his former colleagues. He pointedly didn’t mention Nina – partly because he didn’t want to burden her with those thoughts, but also because he wasn’t ready to accept what was probably inevitable.

The second message went to Atticus: