2-7. Change is in the Air
A distinct chill laced the morning air as Elijah hefted a large boulder above his head. Judging by its size, the mass of rock was at least two-hundred pounds, and Elijah let out a loud grunt as he locked his elbows out before dropping it to the loamy ground. The moment he was free of his burden, his shoulders sagged in exhaustion. He’d been working out with that boulder for almost an hour, and it had certainly taken its toll. So, he channeled Ethera through his soul and into Touch of Nature, sending a pulse of healing magic through his body.
It was only mildly effective in combating his fatigue, but as he’d learned since the very beginning of his time on the island, that strategy certainly helped to mitigate his recovery times. He spent the next few minutes stretching his tight muscles before taking off at a light jog that took him to the beach, where he didn’t hesitate to dive into the ocean.
Over the next couple of hours, he swam a circuit around the island. Once, he wouldn’t have dared do any such thing – the fear of mutated marine life had been enough to keep him from even considering it – but ever since his time in the tower, he’d moved past those fears. He was still wary, but with his Locus extending almost fifty yards from shore, he would know about any threat well before it posed any real danger.
Once he’d completed his circuit, Elijah climbed out of the ocean. His arms and legs were burning with exhaustion, but another pulse of Touch of Nature served to alleviate that, at least to some small degree. Still, he needed to rest a bit before he concluded his training regimen. With that in mind, he returned to his Grove, where he spent the next hour or so tending to his garden with Nature’s Bounty.
The process was meditative as well as restorative – not to mention necessary – so by the time he’d finished, he was more than ready for the more enjoyable, if frustrating portion of his training.
Once he’d finished up with the garden, he left the Grove behind and headed for his old cabin. When he reached it, he saw that the derelict building was in just as poor of shape as it had always been, though the simple repairs he’d made – like closing off the collapsed wall by leaning a mixture of branches and moss against the roof – had fallen by the wayside. Likely, one of the frequent storms that plagued the area had torn the makeshift wall down.
The sight brought with it a degree of nostalgia. At times, it felt as if only a few days had passed since he’d washed ashore and taken refuge in the ruined structure. At others, it felt even more distant than the two-plus years that had passed since then. Still, without that cabin, Elijah probably wouldn’t have survived, and if he had, it would have been significantly more difficult and a good deal less comfortable. So, if he ever met the original builder, he would shower that person with all the gratitude he could muster.
In any case, he wasn’t there to reminisce about days past. Instead, just like when he’d gotten his first attack spell, Elijah had taken to using the area for training. So, without further hesitation, he embraced Shape of the Guardian and shifted into the curious ape-bear-lizard hybrid to which he’d gained access at level thirty.
A couple of days after he’d dealt with the invaders, Elijah had finally taken the opportunity to truly inspect his new form. And he hadn’t been disappointed. With thick, red-and-black scales, the new shape was monstrous in size. If he decided to push himself fully upright, Elijah estimated that the form was at least nine feet tall and heavily muscled. There was a significant layer of fat, too – not unlike a grizzly bear, in that respect.
The face was a little harder to describe in Earthly terms, but if he forced himself to compare it to something familiar, he would have said that, with its spiny protrusions, it resembled a bearded dragon – which felt somewhat appropriate, given the nature of his Dragon Core.
By comparison, the scaled body was easier to categorize as distinctly simian in shape. With long arms, stumpy legs, and a powerful torso, the shape looked like it belonged to the world’s largest, scaliest ape.
It also came with a significant issue, as specified by the description:
| Shape of the Guardian Archetype: Druid Class: Animist Level: 30 Take on the form of a stalwart guardian, vastly increasing your Strength and Constitution attributes. Spellcasting is suspended while Shape of the Guardian is active.
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| Guardian’s Renewal
| Instantly and completely regenerate. Cooldown affected by Regeneration attribute. Current: Once Per Week
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