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

Elijah looked at his forearms with no small degree of consternation twisting his expression. Part of it was the power he felt coursing through his body. Strength unlike anything he’d ever experienced flowed through him. He had no idea how to quantify it, but he knew that taking the step from Iron to Bronze had been the largest leap he’d taken in terms of body cultivation. Even without buffs like Wild Infusion, Elijah felt much stronger than ever before, suggesting quite a large step forward.

However, the bulk of his attention was on the emerald scales covering the top of his hand and twisting around his forearm to end at his shoulders. He ran one finger over them, tracing the line of scales until it terminated in a point near his neck. The scales themselves were pliable – much like normal skin – but they were also firm and unyielding.

There were similar lines of scales twisting up from his feet and along the length of his legs to his hips.

Elijah felt a slight panic grip his heart. He was used to transforming into various beasts, so he was no stranger to growing scales. However, this was his natural form, which was vastly different from taking on a bestial shape. It was an assault on his identity as a human, and one that brought with it mixed feelings.

Suddenly, Elijah became aware of another presence in the submerged cave, and he whipped around to see a familiar face staring back at him.

“You have grown, little dragon,” Kirlissa said, her perfect form flickering. “I did not think it was possible to progress to the fourth stage of body cultivation on such a weak world, but I am happy to be proven wrong. You impress me, child.”

She reached out, and though Elijah knew she was more like a hologram than a solid creature, he felt her run her own fingers down the scales on his shoulder. “Emerald. A fitting development, but unexpected for an adopted member of my family,” she said with a tight smile. To Elijah, it was as if she was beset by a bittersweet memory. “Why does this trouble you, child? It is a cause for celebration. Even without the context of the Empire of Scale, you should understand the depths of this new level of physical power.”

Elijah opened his mouth, trying to speak, but only bubbles emerged. With how easily Kirlissa spoke, it was easy to forget that he was still underwater. She had an answer for that, though, and after a lazy wave of her hand, she created a bubble around Elijah’s head.

“Speak freely, my son.”

Elijah took a breath, noting that the air smelled like freshly cut grass. “I…I’m troubled because I’m not supposed to have scales,” he stated. “I’m still human.”

“That is debatable,” she said with a more genuinely amused smile. “You are a dragon. Dragons have scales. This is not the first change you will undergo. Each step forward on the path of cultivation will bring you closer to your true form. Once you reach the Lord stage of overall cultivation, you will have established yourself as a true dragon. A small and underdeveloped one, but a dragon nonetheless.”

“So, I’ll look like Saraalinisa?”

“She is a gold dragon. You are an emerald dragon.”

“I’m talking about shape. General characteristics. Like, four legs and wings and all that.”

“Of course.”

Elijah sighed. “What if that isn’t what I want?” he asked.

“You would choose a different form?” Kirlissa asked.

Elijah nodded. “I like the way I look. I don’t want to change. Not the base form, at least. I’m fine with transforming into a thorned sentry or blight dragon, but I’m still a human.”

“You are a dragon.”

“Yeah. I guess I’m both, then,” he stated. “I’m not trying to be ungrateful here or anything. I’m really not. It’s just that I didn’t know about all of this. When you said that I would become a dragon, I thought it was just metaphorical. Or maybe just about my core. I don’t know.”

What Elijah struggled to articulate was that his entire identity was wrapped up in being a human being. Sure, he could shapeshift, but his anchor was that he would always go back to being the man he’d always been. Now that it seemed he was changing into something else – and permanently – he found that his sense of self had begun to waver.

Thankfully, Kirlissa picked up on that, even if he struggled to put it into words, and her next statement lifted a weight from Elijah’s shoulders. “Then change it,” she said, waving her hand. Immediately, a notification emerged before Elijah’s inner eye.