Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO STUBBING AUGUST 15)

A new day dawned on a field strewn with corpses. Having recovered overnight, Elijah stood on the earthen bulwark where Ironshore’s defenders had made their last stand. It was little more than a slight rise next to a trench, but from a symbolic – as well as a literal – perspective, it had been incredibly important. To Elijah, it looked like an island amidst a sea of grey bodies.

“How many, do ya think?” came Kurik’s familiar and gruff voice.

Elijah turned his head to see the broad-shouldered dwarf standing only a few feet behind him. He’d also been injured in the battle, though not nearly as grievously as Elijah, who’d only been a hair’s breadth from death. The only reason he’d survived was due to Kurik’s quick thinking with Elijah’s grove berries, which had given him a surge of vitality as well as ethera. In turn, that had given him the fuel he needed to enable his own recovery.

Still, Elijah knew how close he’d come, and he was also well aware that Kurik had saved his life. That wasn’t something he would soon forget. Nor would he quickly move on from the sacrifices endured by the people of Ironshore. They’d been challenged by the orcish horde, and they’d risen to the occasion, emerging victorious. That meant something to Elijah, and he respected them all the more because they’d refused to give up.

He could empathize with that kind of attitude.

“At least ten thousand,” Elijah said, looking at the carpet of corpses. It was difficult to gauge just how many orcs had assailed the small city. Yet, one thing was certain – it had been more than they’d expected. “Do you think there are more out there?”

“Probably. It’s a big world.”

Elijah shook his head. “Did you ask around about that shield?” he asked. In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Elijah had been in no position to remember things properly. However, since his recovery, he’d recalled that someone had used a spell to shield him from the orcish warlord’s onslaught. Likely, that had saved his life. So, he’d asked Kurik to find out who he should thank for that intervention.

“Oh. That,” said the dwarf.

“What?”

“I found out, though it’s not the happy endin’ you might want for,” Kurik answered. “You remember Calix?”

“I do,” Elijah answered. Indeed, he’d seen the little goblin who was the lone survivor of the ill-fated expedition to his island on more than one occasion. However, he hadn’t really spoken to her, largely because of the fear he had seen in her eyes.

“It was her,” Kurik explained. “Took a spear to the gut for her trouble, too. Didn’t make it.”

“Shit,” Elijah muttered, hanging his head. It wasn’t as if he’d really known the goblin. And his choice to let her live had been the result of a whim rather than an attempt at mercy. Yet, he didn’t know how to react to the knowledge that she had not only saved his live, but she’d died in the process.

“Wasn’t for you,” Kurik stated. “She knew you were the only one who could save us, so the girl made the only reasonable choice she could.”

“I suppose.”

That statement, while probably true, still didn’t help with Elijah’s roiling emotions.

“Got any more of them berries?” Kurik asked.

“Oh,” Elijah said. “Sure.”

Then, he unshouldered his pack, reached inside, and handed Kurik a handful. The dwarf ate them appreciatively, then said, “They ain’t the best taste, and they’re a mite too much for me. But damn if they ain’t reinvigorating.”

“They are that,” Elijah stated. Then, he asked, “What are they going to do with all the corpses?”

“Burn ‘em, I suppose. Why?”

Elijah shrugged. “They’re not useful?”

“Not anymore. ‘cept the brains you asked for. We got to those in time. Most of the rest went bad too quick to harvest,” Kurik answered. “Not that anybody was lookin’ forward to using it, course. They look too close to people, see. Puts everyone off, even if we all know they’re just monsters like any other.”

“I can see that,” Elijah said. There was a clay full of the brains in question inside his bag, but he’d yet to really look at them. “Doesn’t really feel like we won.”

“But we did,” Kurik said. “And most of us got the levels to prove it. This little battle probably single-handedly ensured that Ironshore’ll survive for years to come. Most of these people are used to levelin’ from craftin’ and such. That’s slow, but it’s steady. Killin’ that many orcs was enough to push most of ‘em to the next ability or technique threshold. That’s big.”

“You get anything good?” asked Elijah.

“I did.”

“Want to share?”

“Nope.”

Elijah sighed. “Fair enough,” he said.

After that, the two remained silent for a few minutes until Elijah said, “Thanks again for saving my life. I’ll pay you back. I promise.”

“You saved my home,” Kurik said. “That’s payback enough.”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” the dwarf insisted. “Friends don’t keep score, right?”

Elijah nodded. Until that moment, he hadn’t really considered the idea that he and Kurik were friends, but in retrospect, it was obvious. After spending so much time together in the wilderness, he felt more comfortable around the dwarf than he had with anyone since the world had ended. Perhaps even more than anyone from his old life, except Alyssa. Because there was something about going to war with someone that forged a much more meaningful bond. Next to that, his previous friendships felt shallow.

“You should come to my island,” Elijah said. “I think you’d like it.”

“Last folks who went to your island ended up pretty dead.”

“That’s not true. Ramik and Carisa have visited twice.”

“They didn’t go no further than the beach,” Kurik stated. “That don’t count.”

“This is different. You’re invited,” Elijah countered. “But no worries if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“Oh, I’ll come. I just wanted to ruffle your feathers a bit s’all,” the dwarf said with a chuckle. “But for now, I got work to do. Me and some of the other scouts are goin’ to make sure there ain’t no more orcs out there. You want to come?”

Elijah shook his head. “Not unless you need me,” he answered. He’d had enough orc slaughter for two lifetimes, and he wasn’t eager to revisit that situation. He would if necessary, but so long as there was a choice, he knew which side of the fence he’d land on. “Besides, I need to talk to Ramik about something.”

“Alright then,” Kurik said. He extended a hand, which Elijah grasped. “See you soon, then.”

“See you soon.”

With that, Kurik started to pick his way across the battlefield. Only then did it occur to Elijah that the dwarf had likely volunteered to search for any orcish stragglers in an effort to avoid the cleanup.

Smiling wryly, Elijah turned and descended the berm and started back to the city. As he did, he checked his gains from the battle. First, he noted that he’d gained level fifty-five, as denoted by his updated status: