Elijah felt them coming.

  The group of hunters had a few levels under their belts, with one – presumably the leader – having ascended. They also seemed to have taken a few steps forward regarding their cultivation, probably because of Elijah’s soap. All in all, there were six of them, and Elijah felt certain that their composition was a standardized group.

  Meaning, a single Healer, a couple of damage dealers, a defender, and an Explorer. The last slot was usually a wildcard. Either more damage or someone who offered utility. Maybe a second Healer or a hybrid. It was the typical setup for people who entered towers, largely because it offered maximum versatility and enough firepower to do what was necessary.

  Elijah barely acknowledged their approach, though. Partly, that was because he was incredibly comfortable. In his dragon form, he curled next to a tree, half asleep after spending most of the day ranging across the mountains bordering Ironshore. But also, he knew they offered no real threat to him.

  He would have been incredibly surprised if they could even scratch his scales.

  In fact, they felt only a little more powerful than insects, and not the sort he’d encountered in the Broken Crown. Potentially annoying, but not truly dangerous.

  What’s more, Elijah had discovered that he’d bypassed what the planet itself could support. He’d felt a hint of that after leaving the Primal Realm, but his every experience since then had hammered it home. At present, he felt sluggish – like he’d just run a half-marathon. But at least it was better than New York, which left him feeling like he was constantly gasping for breath.

  In truth, it was similar to how he’d felt in the first few days after he’d started chemotherapy. Weakness and brain fog. The only thing it was missing was nausea.

  The grove could truly handle his presence, and that was only because it drew its power from his levels and cultivation. Even when he was still within the locus of his domain, the ethera levels were far too low for comfort. And it felt even worse in his dragon form.

  Of course, he could overcome that if he wanted to. He just didn’t see the need at present.

  The hunters entered the glade, clearly on guard for whatever they might find.

  The leader said, “I know there’s something around here. I can feel it. Might be one of those big bears that sometimes come down from the mountains.”

  “Or it might be a voxx.”

  “It’s not a voxx,” said another. The Explorer, likely. “I’d be able to tell if one of those was nearby.”

  “You said that last time,” the defender stated, his shield held at the ready. “Right before we ran into that giant monkey.”

  “Ape,” said another man who’d unsheathed a pair of swords.

  “What?” asked the defender.

  “Ape. It wasn’t a monkey.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Apes are their own – what the…”

  Elijah raised his head as the group sprang into action. No one attacked – thankfully – but they took up a defensive position incredibly quickly. As the mage began casting a spell, Elijah let out a rumbling sigh and said, “Please don’t.”

  “W-what…”

  “If you cast that spell, I’m going to have to counter it,” Elijah went on, finally rising to his full height. One of the advantages of his dragon form was that, with the moss, green scales, and branch-like wings, he could blend into the forest very, very well. “It probably won’t kill you, but you’ll get a hell of a headache.”

  “What are you?” asked the lone woman in the group. She looked like another mage, but there was a chance that she was a Healer.

  “Oh. You’re all from Ironshore, right?” Elijah asked.

  A few of them nodded, but the others remained too tense to move.

  With a rumbling sigh, Elijah let his dragon form fall away. It still took a few seconds to complete the transformation, but that was far better than the first time. In any case, it wasn’t long before he’d resumed his humanoid shape, which they plainly recognized.

  “Mr. Hart!”

  “That’s me,” he said, wishing he hadn’t been interrupted. But there was a part of him that breathed out in relief, and not just because he hadn’t been forced into action. The dragon form required much more vitality and ethera to maintain, which meant that his humanoid shape was far more comfortable. “You guys can relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  He cocked his head to the side and added, “You know what? I’ll leave you to it. Have fun hunting whatever you’re hunting.”

  Without further ado, he leaped into the sky, then bounded off of Cloud Step as he resumed his dragon form. Soon, he found himself gliding west. Behind him loomed the mountains, but he was far more interested in the ocean beyond his island. He’d decided to give Sadie another couple of weeks to arrive before he went down to the Hollow Depths and took matters into his own hands.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  He would have gone sooner, but he’d allowed himself to be talked out of it by both Nerthus and Nara. They’d pointed out that Sadie would not appreciate him swooping in, especially if it was unnecessary. And they were right. Perhaps it was a flaw, but Sadie hated being dependent on anyone else.

  Especially him.

  And despite his efforts to assure her that he wasn’t trying to upstage her, that had continued to hover over them. Elijah loved her. He truly did. But if she didn’t get a handle on her insecurities, then their relationship was doomed to fail. And if he was smart enough to recognize that, then she certainly was.

  It was a fine line to walk – support versus allowing her the freedom to do things on her own. Yet, he knew that if he wanted their relationship to work, he needed to figure it out.

  Those thoughts accompanied him as he flew out to sea. Soon, he reached deeper water, and he dove. By the time he hit the water, he’d already assumed the Shape of the Sea. With his increased power, he cut through the water with unprecedented speed. None of the other marine life could even hope to keep up.

  With one exception.

  Elijah was delighted when the dolphin joined him. It had been quite some time since they’d seen one another, but he recognized the sea mammal instantly. For the longest time, they chased one another back and forth across the ocean. Even with all of his improvements, Elijah still wasn’t capable of swimming as fast as that sleek creature.

  It was smart, too. Clearly a guardian, though Elijah had no idea where its treasure was located. He had no interest in investigating it, either.

  Eventually, as the sun reached its zenith, the dolphin put on a burst of speed and left him far behind. It was as clear a dismissal as any Elijah had ever received, so he turned around and made his way back to the island. Even with as far as he’d gone, it only took a little more than an hour to return.

  When he reached the shores of his island, he shifted back into his dragon form. It was like finally taking a deep breath, it was so impactful. What’s more, he finally got a good look at little Rosabella and her nascent crab cavalry.

  Seeing a tiny gnome girl sitting atop a huge crab as it scuttled across the beach was both comical and horrifying. Somehow, they recognized him, though.

  And even though they had attained classes, her group was still composed of teenagers. Young ones, at that. They rushed him, leaving their terrified crabs behind. Soon enough, they were climbing all over his back and begging him to take them into the skies.

  Elijah decided against that, mostly because he didn’t want them to get into the habit, but also because he was afraid that they might tumble off.

  Still, it eased some of the burden on his heart in a way that only enthusiastic children could. So, when he headed inland, it was with buoyed spirits.

  He arrived in Ironshore soon after.

  His first stop was Davika’s farm. Or farms, plural, he supposed. Acre after acre of land had been incorporated into her operation. When he met with the Indian woman, she explained that they had begun to grow wheat, corn, and a wide variety of other vegetables. Ironshore’s government had already claimed most of it, but she would pocket the rest of the profits. After paying a nominal tax to the grove, of course.

  Next, Elijah headed into the mines. Technically, he had no claim on the ore there, but it was all part of his domain, so he had no issues thinking of it in such terms. Still, he was forced to shift into Shape of the Scourge and use Guise of the Stalker to enter the restricted area. However, when he laid eyes on the product of the mine, he recognized that security was necessary. The increased ethereal density had seeped into the ore, raising its grade considerably.

  Just further evidence of the grove’s effect on its surroundings.

  Once Elijah was done inspecting the mines, he moved into the city proper. Of course, he used his human form so as to avoid inciting a panic. The locals might’ve become accustomed to his various shapes, but he suspected that might not be the case if he assumed the form of a full-blown dragon.

  Even in his humanoid shape, he drew plenty of attention. Elijah wasn’t sure if it was his subtly changed appearance, his reputation, or an instinctive response to his increased power, but whatever the case, the strides he’d made toward acceptance were quickly undone.

  Thankfully, Sue Anne didn’t share that sentiment, so when he sat down in Mama Lou’s, she treated him exactly the same as ever.

  “What can I get ya?” she asked.

  “What’s good?”

  She pointed at the chalk board behind her. “Specials.”

  Elijah inspected the offerings, then said, “That patty melt sounds good. Can I get four of them?”

  “Someone joining you?”

  He shook his head, then grinned. “Just extra hungry.”

  “Hmm.”

  Elijah could see the judgement in her eyes, but it was more like the sort of look a mother might give a child who’d eaten too much candy. Definitely preferable to fear.

  After a few moments, the bell attached to the door rang, admitting a familiar goblin in a bowler. Ramik joined him at the bar.

  “Coincidence?” Elijah asked.

  “Afraid not,” he said. “I heard you were in town, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to discuss a couple of things with you.” Then, he grinned at Sue Anne, adding, “And I get to sample some of the best cooking in Ironshore.”

  “The best. Not some of the best,” she countered.

  “I don’t know. The Stuck Pig is still –”

  “Too much sauce,” she said. “Doesn’t let the meat do its thing. But I suppose you goblins like it that way.”

  “That’s gnomes,” Elijah pointed out.

  “Whatever,” Sue Anne said. “What can I get you, Mr. Mayor?”

  Ramik ended up ordering a hamburger made out of imported ground bison meat. As Sue Anne got to work, he turned to Elijah and said, “We’re close to paying off our debt.”

  “So soon?” Elijah asked. Once Ramik had told him that paying off the city’s debt to the Green Mountain Mining Guild would take decades. Perhaps even as much as a century. So, they were well ahead of schedule.

  Ramik nodded. “Within a year, we’ll be debt free.”

  “That’s awesome,” Elijah said, gripping his friend’s shoulder. And he meant it, too. Not just because he was one of the town’s investors, either.

  “Not really,” Ramik stated. “They won’t be happy about it.”

  Then, he went on to explain that, as they drew closer to paying off the debt, the guild would send people in to sabotage the city. And because they had a contractual interest on Earth, passage through the Branch’s teleportation system would be much reduced.

  “It’s still ridiculously expensive, but they might consider that a good investment.”

  “What can I do to help?” Elijah asked.

  “Nothing. Not until they make a move.”

  “What if I paid it all off, here and now?” he asked. “That would satisfy the contract, nullifying their interest. Then, they’d need to pay full price for transport, right?”

  “Of course, but…”

  “Okay. That settles it, then,” Elijah said. “I’ll subsidize the rest of the debt. You can just pay me back, same as you would have with them.”

  “But –”

  “But nothing. If they come after you, they’ll probably come after the grove. I figure it’s just better to cut them off before it happens. Plus, I like to think we’re friends. And what are friends for but to offer a little help every now and again?” Elijah asked. “Seriously. I don’t mind doing this.”

  “If you say so…”

  “Fantastic,” Elijah said. “We’ll head to the Branch as soon as we’re done with lunch.”

  If you'd like to read more of Path of Dragons, we're almost two full books ahead (book 13 ends on the 14th) on Patreon. That's 165+ extra chapters, so a ton of extra content for those of you who can't wait to see what Elijah will get up to. Anyway - check it out .

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