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

Elijah awoke to the feeling of someone climbing the steps to his treehouse. Even in his drowsy state, it only took a moment for him to focus on that facet of his Quartz Mind and identify Carmen. And she didn’t seem happy, judging by the set of her shoulders and the scowl on her face.

“Damn,” he muttered, throwing his blanket aside. He pushed himself upright, then ran his hand through his hair before swinging his legs over the side. Then, he staggered across the room and into the short hall, arriving in the entryway as Carmen knocked on the door. He opened it with a smile. “Good morning. Want some coffee?”

“Sure,” she said, pushing past him. “Plus, you can explain to me where you’re going.”

Elijah didn’t immediately launch into an explanation. Instead, he made good on his promise of glorious caffeine, boiling some water in the kitchen before using his French press to make the coffee. Idly, he wondered if he was losing some of the beverage’s efficacy by preparing the coffee himself. Without any cooking abilities, he knew that some of the ethera would be lost, so it made sense that it would be less powerful than if an actual Cook – or maybe someone who had a Barista class – prepared it.

In any case, he didn’t have a Barista handy, so he resolved himself to making do with what he could make. That wasn’t so bad, considering that it was still quite effective.

After brewing the coffee, then dousing both cups in honey, he crossed the kitchen and handed Carmen a steaming mug. She took a sip, then let out a sigh of contentment, some of the tension draining out of her. “You could probably sell this,” she remarked. “I bet people would pay silvers for it.”

“And share my coffee? No, thanks,” Elijah said with a shudder. “It’s all mine. Except when I have guests, I guess. Besides, it’s not like I need money. I made like fifty gold in Seattle.”

“Seriously? Just like that?”

“Yeah. I…uh…I defeated a lot of enemies,” he muttered, preferring not to go into details. It would just upset her. “So, what’s up? You came storming in here like you’re on a mission.”

“I didn’t storm.”

“Tell that to your face,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re leaving,” Carmen stated.

“I have to,” he responded, sitting in one of the chairs. “The Trial of Primacy is coming up, and I’m not even close to prepared. I need supplies. Armor, too. And I need to get stronger. The people in there will be no joke, and that’s not even considering whatever challenges the system’s going to throw at us. It’s going to be more difficult than a tower. Maybe worse than a Primal Realm, which is still more than I can handle. If I’m going to survive that, much less pass the trial, I’m going to need to be at my best.”

“You don’t have to participate in the trial, though. Miggy could use your help. Now that he’s got it in his head that he’s going to take one of the direct combat archetypes, he needs to be as strong as possible. His training is a lot more effective when you’re around,” she said.

Carmen was no stranger to physical training. She hadn’t been a true bodybuilder before the World Tree’s touch, but she’d been an habitual weightlifter since college. As such, she knew just how helpful Elijah’s healing spells really were when it came to recovery.

“I know. Nerthus is going to pick up the slack while I’m gone,” he said. “His spell isn’t quite as potent, but it’s good enough to maximize Miggy’s gains. But even if that wasn’t the case, I have to go. I recently had a fight that didn’t really go my way. It was a good reminder that being at the top of the power rankings doesn’t really guarantee anything. If we want to be safe –”

“This isn’t about our safety,” Carmen interrupted. She pointed at him, continuing, “This is about you. Alyssa was the same way. She didn’t admit it, but she was driven to be the best. The strongest. And look how that turned out.”

“I’m not her.”

“You may as well be,” Carmen argued. “You hide it behind all your personality quirks, but you can’t stand coming in second. Which you are, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“Look at the power rankings,” Carmen replied.

Elijah did.