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

Sadie glanced away, unsure what to say after having given Elijah the gift of the Herbalist’s Satchel. After a few moments of silence, she asked, “What do you think?”

Finally, a grin spread across his face, and he moved on her. Before she could react, he had his arms wrapped around her as he thanked her for the gift. That he’d moved so quickly was a testament to how much above her he now stood, though Sadie endeavored to ignore the power disparity.

Not because she enjoyed being reminded of her relative weakness. She most assuredly did not. But she also trusted Elijah, and she knew that he would never hurt her.

Still, it made her uneasy.

“I love it,” he said, his tone genuine. “What’s it do? I can tell it’s special.”

“It’s called the Herbalist’s Satchel,” she answered. Then, she explained its purpose, specifying that it could accommodate living things just as easily as inanimate objects. “I thought it would be good for the plants and…you know, other things you might find during your travels.”

“That’s…that’s awesome,” he said. “You have no idea how many times this would have come in handy. There were these bushes back in the Broken Crown that I definitely would have brought back.”

Then, he went on to talk about the characteristics of said bushes. HE then moved on to other plants that only he would have found interesting. And trees, though he acknowledged that those wouldn’t have fit inside the Herbalist’s Satchel. However, after examining the bag for a few moments, he said that he believed it to be a better environment for fruit than his Arcane Loop. In short, it was precisely the rambling excitement she’d hoped for, and it told Sadie just how perfectly the gift suited him.

“But you never answered my original question,” he remarked after his excitement had died down to a low simmer. “What’s this for? It’s not my birthday. Christmas was a couple of months ago. Did I forget an anniversary or something? In my defense, our relationship has always been a little nebulous, so I’m not sure when we became official. Plus, keeping track of dates is kind of difficult these days. Maybe someone’s created a self-updating calendar or something. I’ll have to look into that next time I’m in Argos.”

“Are you done?”

“Maybe?”

She sighed. “There’s no occasion. I just felt like doing something nice for you,” she answered. “I was shopping for my new pack, and I saw that the Herbalist’s Satchel was available. I thought it fit you.”

“Good call,” he said sagely. “But you know this is a problem, right?”

“What? Why?”

“Well, now I have to try to one-up you. And given how awesome the satchel is…well, let’s just say it won’t be easy. It also creates a second problem. Do I retire the Ghoul-Hide Satchel? Or do I just wear them on different hips, with the straps bandolier style?”

“If you do that, I will not be seen in public with you.”

“What if I’m shirtless? You know, the He-Man look.”

“No.”

“But –”

“Elijah. I love you, but if you do that, I’m going to have to think long and hard about this whole relationship.”

“Aww. You said you love me.”

“It’s not the first time,” she reminded him.

“But I’m choosing to focus on that part, rather than that second bit. You know, to keep the dream of the He-Man look alive.”

“Let it die.”

Elijah sighed dramatically. “Fine. But in exchange, I’m going to have to forbid you from ever traipsing around in a Red Sonja-inspired outfit. And I already know what you’re thinking. Why Red Sonja and not She-Ra?”

“I was thinking no such thing. I don’t even know who those people are.”

“Well, Red Sonja was a spin-off character from the Conan series. And I’ll be honest, I don’t think you’d really want to wear her outfit, which is barely better than a chainmail bikini. But I’ll be honest – I’d much rather see you in the She-Ra outfit. Not because it’s more revealing or anything. More that I had a bit of a crush on her when I was little. And I think it’d fit your aesthetic a little better.”

“That tells me almost nothing about any of that,” she admitted.

Elijah sighed dramatically. “This is why I need to build the theater, though I’m pretty sure finding a copy of Red Sonja or She-Ra would be pretty much impossible at this point,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ll just have to hire a Tailor to make you the outfits so you can see what I’m talking about. You know, model them a little.”

“It feels like this entire conversation was so you could find an excuse to broach the subject of roleplay.”

“I would never,” he said with feigned offense.

Sadie could only laugh, though she didn’t rule out the possibility. Either way, the release was exactly what she needed to break her free of the melancholy that had gripped her since returning from the Primal Realm.

She rode that wave for the next day, alternatively focusing on her cultivation exercises and preparations for the coming trip. Their departure was scheduled for the end of the month, which she’d vowed to use to augment her recovery and advance her efforts in cultivation.

Specifically, she wanted to work on her core. Gabriel, the angel who’d granted her the elder core in the first place, had finally sent her a message through the Branch. It had been very short – probably because communication with a non-integrated planet was extremely expensive – but the angel had directed her toward a guide that offered some insight into the progression of an angel core.

It had also listed the tiers. The first, as she already knew, was the Watcher. Then came Messenger. Guardian was after that, followed by Virtue. Dominion and Throne came next, with Cherub, Seraph, and Principality rounding out the tiers.

She had been stuck at the Watcher stage of core progression for years without much in the way of advancement. Largely, that was because she’d had no idea how to prompt its evolution. She wasn’t a unique talent like Elijah who could just figure it out on her own. She needed guidance. She needed a teacher. And failing that, even simple directions would help.

Gabriel had provided the last. Now, it was up to her to put it all into practice.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

But the guide began with a simple foreword: