7-2. A Celebration of Life
A silvery moon hung high in the sky as Elijah sat atop one of Ironshore’s buildings, watching the proceedings below. The residents were in a celebratory mood, and rightly so. By the time he had returned from the Trial of Primacy, those people had already made peace with their own demise. Some had held out hope of survival, but everyone knew the cost of surrender. After all, dark elves were not known for their fair treatment of other races, and they were especially hateful of goblins, dwarves, and gnomes. The only people they found more detestable were other sorts of elves.
Because of that, Elijah’s arrival had been met with no small amount of pessimism. Certainly, most of them remembered what he’d done in the first Battle of Ironshore against the orcs, but the numbers arrayed against the defenders were far more daunting this time around. What they hadn’t expected was how much Elijah had grown during the Trial of Primacy.
In truth, Elijah sometimes skated past that improvement as well. Back then, he’d struggled to tip the balance in Ironshore’s favor, and even then, he’d nearly died. That wasn’t a new occurrence for him – he had made a habit of courting death, especially of late. So, he’d expected something similar this time around, especially considering that there were a few actual powerhouses among the dark elves.
That wasn’t what had happened.
He’d had help from Kurik and, unexpectedly, from Miguel. However, in hindsight, he knew he hadn’t really needed it. With enough time, he could have killed every single dark elf invader, and he doubted that it would have even been that straining.
The fact was that Elijah had become an entirely new person. From the moment he’d washed ashore in the wake of the World Tree’s touch, he’d fought countless life-or-death battles. From the time he was digested in the stomach of a monstrous orca to being ripped in half by a powerful necromancer, Elijah had experienced more in the space of the last five-plus years than any human had a right to endure.
In terms of power, he’d taken commensurately huge strides forward. Most recently, he’d reached the end of the mortal realm, and with only a little effort, he could take his largest step yet. Class evolution beckoned, taunting him with the sheer weight of increased power he could have at his fingertips.
He only had to visit the Branch of the World Tree, and he could once again transform himself. He didn’t know how – he’d yet to even look at his options – but everything he’d read told him that it would be an absolute game-changer.
That made it incredibly difficult to resist evolving his class, even if he had good reasons to do just that. When a dragon of godly power tells you to wait, it’s probably a good idea to follow that advice – especially when she supported her command with basic logic. If he waited until he’d taken the next step in Soul and Core cultivation, his potential evolution would be far more powerful than it otherwise would be.
And considering that was the foundation upon which his entire future would be built, it didn’t take a genius to recognize that waiting was the right move.
Still, it wasn’t easy, and it left him feeling unsatisfied despite everything he’d accomplished. By all rights, he had just as much – if not more – reason to celebrate as any of those people below. After all, he’d not only survived the Trial of Primacy when so many others had not, but his friends had made it as well. In addition, he’d gotten the top spot, which was a balm to his competitive spirit and a confirmation that he was on the right track.
He’d even gotten good news only a few hours before when he’d received a very pertinent notification:
| Due to reaching a threshold, level rewards earned via the Trial of Primacy will be awarded after class evolution. All experience gained will be banked until after class evolution. Diminishing returns will apply.
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