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

“I’m doing this for two reasons,” Ron said when he arrived a week later. As always, he wore his sparkly robe, but he’d covered it with a leather overcoat that fell almost to his ankles. Beneath it, he’d donned a sturdy pair of hiking boots, completing his odd appearance with the fairy godmother style wand he’d tucked into a specially made holster on his hip. Given his big and bearded lumberjack appearance, he was a study in contrasts. Though when Elijah looked at him, all he saw was a reliable man who could make what they needed to do so much easier. “First, you two have shown that you’re good people, healing in the infirmary without asking for anything in return,” he said, looking at Elijah, then Sadie.

“You never told me you were healing people in your spare time,” Elijah said, glancing at Sadie.

She shifted nervously under his gaze, saying, “I don’t tell you everything. People needed help, so I helped.”

“Fair enough,” Elijah responded. Then, he asked the new arrival, “That can’t be so rare, right? I’ve met plenty of selfless people who would do anything in their power to help others.”

Ron shook his head. “You’re lucky, then. From my experience, most people tend to help only when they can get something out of it,” he said. “And it’s worse somewhere like here. These people didn’t get to the top by looking after everyone else.”

“I did, bro,” Dat said from where he was leaning against the wall. With his long, black coat and his hat tipped forward to conceal most of his face, he was clearly going for mysterious stranger. A bit silly, considering the man’s demeanor. He couldn’t hide a grin before he said, “Nice dress. I like the sparkles.”

For a moment, an expression of irritation crossed Ron’s face, but then Dat’s earnestness washed it away. “Thanks,” he said. “My daughter made it.”

“My little cousin is a fashion designer,” Dat said. “He was just getting into that world when everything…changed. I wonder if he became a Tailor or something. He liked sequins too.”

“I…I don’t know how to respond to that,” Ron admitted.

“It’s okay, bro. No response necessary. Welcome to the team,” Dat said. “I…I’m going to get my things.”

Then, he disappeared up the unadorned stone stairs that led to the rooms they’d established as their sleeping quarters.

“Was it something I said?” asked Ron.

Elijah shrugged, but Sadie said, “It’s not a good day. Dat usually tries to remain upbeat, but he can’t keep it up all the time. Today is a bad day for both of us.”

“You seem fine.”

“Because I’m better at keeping it hidden,” Sadie responded. “I think you know how that goes.”

Elijah was about to respond, but then he shut his mouth. The reality was that he’d taken Dat’s optimism for granted, forgetting that, just like everyone else, the man had experienced quite a lot of trauma. It was natural that it would affect him from time to time. He didn’t know what had happened to darken Dat’s and Sadie’s moods, but he wasn’t so socially inept that he would start asking about something they both clearly wanted to keep to themselves.

“This is awkward,” Ron said.

“Ain’t that the truth. You humans and your fluctuatin’ emotions,” Kurik agreed with a shake of his head. He’d been sitting in the corner, mostly ignored as he packed various things into a large sack. Apparently, it had been created by a high-level tailor who’d been working with Atticus, and it was at least on par with Elijah’s first spatial pack. Perhaps even better. Everyone else in the group – even Elijah – had purchased one. The dwarf looked up at Ron, adding, “Name’s Kurik, by the way. Only sane one in the group, if you ask me, but nobody ever does. Just be glad you weren’t with us in the last challenge. That sparkly robe of yours don’t look like it offers much protection from the cold. You’d have frozen your –”

“Don’t mind Kurik. He’s the group’s grump,” Elijah said, which earned him a glare. “Welcome to the team, Ron.”

“Don’t you want to hear the second reason?” asked the Healer.

“Oh, right. Proceed.”

Ron sighed. “You know what? Never mind. Are we leaving now?” he asked.

“As good a time as any,” Elijah answered. “Oh. I got something for you.”

Then, he headed upstairs to gather his things. Behind him, he heard Ron ask Sadie, “Is he always like this?”

“Sometimes he’s worse,” she answered.

Elijah ignored them, instead grabbing his own pack, his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, and his staff. In addition, he picked up a second pack he’d stashed in his room – which was stark, save for the new addition of a bed he’d gotten from another one of Atticus’ crafters – before returning to the ground floor. When he got there, he saw that Dat was back as well, and he carried a new longsword at his hip. Everyone in the group had purchased some supplies or equipment from the crafting consortium, which Eiljah hoped would make the difference when they encountered the third challenge.

It had been a week well spent, but still, Elijah had regretted the break. After all, they’d spent the better part of a month building the cultivation cave, so it had been quite some time since they’d made any progress. But at least everyone had used the time wisely, gearing up and gathering information on the next challenge, which was tied to Mortalum.

Apparently, it was the realm housing the bulk of the multi-verse’s sapient population. The further one traveled in either direction – up or down along the World Tree’s trunk – the weirder and more alien things became. There were people who lived in most of those other realms, but there were few natives, and they were far outnumbered by each realm’s natural wildlife.

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In any case, the sheer variety of environments associated with Mortalum meant that they’d had no idea what to really expect from the challenge. So, the dossier Elijah had purchased on the subject would doubtless prove extremely valuable. Even if the description had been lacking and a little confusing. Still, he hoped the preparations would help them all survive.

After making certain that no one had forgotten anything, the group set out from Nexus Town. Along the way, Elijah couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. Some of that was due to their mission. Conquering the third challenge would mean that they were nearly a third of the way to completing the Trial. So, not only would it represent a great accomplishment in and of itself, but it would offer great rewards.

But mostly, Elijah’s enthusiasm came from the simple fact that he was extremely close to crossing the threshold into level ninety-five. It had been a while since he’d received a new ability, and he couldn’t help but nurture a sense of excitement at the prospect.

As they trekked through the jungle, he thought back to his initial runs through towers. Back then, he’d gained multiple levels incredibly quickly, but now, it felt as if he needed to kill thousands of creatures – or heal tens of thousands of people – if he wanted to progress. That gave Elijah some insight into the scale of his new reality. If things kept going at his current rate, he wouldn’t reach demigod status – which came at level two-hundred-and-fifty – for decades. And never mind deification or transcendence. Idly, he remembered the guide explaining the different stages of progression: