Anxiety hung over the grove like a storm cloud, and to the point where everyone had begun to step lightly around him, lest they entice the tempest to the fore. Elijah tried to focus on rest and recovery, but his worry for his friends and family, most of whom were stuck in the Red Marsh, presumably fighting for their lives, continued to intrude on his every waking moment.

  He’d tried submerging himself in the ash lotus spring. He’d attempted to play with the now-grown foxes in the Frozen Glade. He’d even gone to inspect the apple tree, which had been placed in a cave near the center of the island, where it had begun to thrive. Partially, that was because it was the same cave where the geode from the Elemental Maelstrom had been placed, and the two natural treasures played off one another quite nicely. However, the ethereal density and atmospheric vitality of the island did most of the heavy lifting.

  Either way, Elijah could only occupy himself with that kind of thing for so long. He needed to move. To act. To do something productive. Instead, he was just waiting.

  The latest effort to distract himself came from a long dormant hobby. During his first couple of years on the island, he’d taken up whittling to pass the time, especially during the winter months, when he couldn’t stray too far from the warmth of the fire. Since then, Elijah’s constitution had become so robust that the cold posed no danger to him. He still felt it, but it wasn’t the deadly threat it had been back in the beginning of his ordeal.

  So, the hobby had fallen by the wayside.

  Sure, he still carved his staves, but beyond that, he’d barely touched his carving knives. But now, he could see just how valuable such an activity could be. Where his various other attempts at relaxation had failed, and after only a few hours, whittling had taken up a couple of days.

  It had also shown him just how valuable his enhanced dexterity had become. He maintained complete control over the small blade, carving complex designs into a small piece of wood. It wasn’t until he was finished that he even realized what he was doing, but when he finally held the piece up, he saw it for what it had become.

  The panther.

  Elijah had only known that animal for a year. Maybe even less. And for the most part, she kept to herself. But her existence still had a profound effect on him. Not only had she protected and supported him, but she had shown him the way to his class. Without that, he would have surely died.

  So much of what Elijah had become, he owed to that cat.

  The carving was a poor tribute, but it was one Elijah knew he would cherish. When it was finished, he sealed it with some leftover wax from when he’d carved his scythe, then placed it in on a shelf in his bedroom.

  “Now what?” he asked himself as he sat on the moss-covered bed. For a long while, he simply sat there, staring at the floor and trying to find the answer to that question. Eventually, though, he settled on a task he’d been putting off for quite some time – taking inventory.

  Soon enough, he emptied his pack and began to catalogue the contents. Most of his Ghoul-Hide Satchel had been occupied by supplies and provisions, but there were a few seeds in there as well. With Soul of the Wild, he could sense that they were mostly mundane, but there were a few interesting bits in there as well.

  Maybe Nerthus could use them.

  He set those aside, then moved on to the Arcane Loop. Almost immediately, he was inundated by piles of junk. Weapons and armor he’d looted from vespirans comprised the bulk of his loot, but he also had a habit of collecting interesting plants. Like the strobilus from a towering tree he’d found inside the Broken Crown. That, along with some cuttings he’d taken from a few clumps of bushes, represented something he found quite unique. Specifically, the ability to not only thrive on an excised planet that had been exposed to the abyss, but also to absorb and use the corruption.

  He'd already had Nerthus examine them, and the spryggent had found them just as interesting as Elijah. However, he’d also revealed that they would never thrive on Earth. Not unless the planet had been excised, at least. So, they couldn’t be planted in the grove. Even so, Elijah found them too interesting to discard, so he replaced them in his Arcane Loop, hopeful that he’d one day find a way to usher them to fruition.

  Other than that, he still had the Soil of Reclamation and the Handguards of the Wild Revenant, neither of which had been properly identified. Which just reminded him that he needed to visit Argos.

  Sure, there were people in Ironshore who could identify his items. Some, he even trusted to give him an honest appraisal. But Elijah also needed to discuss a few things with Atticus.

  Besides, a trip to the formerly Greek city was as good a time-waster as any.

  So it happened that Elijah took a quick shower, dressed, and headed to the mainland. He could have simply used Roots of the World Tree to teleport to the Dragon Circle, but he wanted to keep the spell off cooldown. That was why he ended up heading to the Conclave Spires, which only served to remind him of Eryka’s continued absence.

  That, in turn, brought up a few unpleasant memories, not least of which centered around the indiscriminate slaughter of an entire town. Most of the people in Bloodrock Bay had been pirates. Or at least pirate-adjacent. But Elijah wasn’t foolish enough to believe that they were all guilty.

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  It was just one more black mark on his conscience.

  In any case, he wasted no time before paying his fee, and soon enough, he was waiting for his turn. Fifteen minutes later, he found himself stepping out of the Conclave compound near Argos.

  He took his time walking to the city, and he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the slightly warmer climate and the unmistakable scent of the nearby olive tree groves. Maybe it was just the atmosphere at work, but Elijah had always felt more welcome in Argos than anywhere else.

  And this trip was no different.

  The guards, of course, recognized him, though they didn’t treat him with guarded fear and suspicion, like the residents of Ironshore. They welcomed him with open arms.

  Of course, they’d never seen his bad side. Not like the people who lived near his grove. The Ironshore residents had witnessed him in battle. They had seen him dragging a thousand bodies through the Spires. They had watched as he’d executed a trio of traitors. In short, they knew his darkest deeds.

  Meanwhile, the people of Argos only saw the sunny side.

  It was like taking a vacation into positivity, which was why he cherished the city so thoroughly.

  In any case, the guards were all smiles as they waved him inside, and he was immediately inundated by Argos’ culture. The smells, the sounds, the sights – they all reminded him of simpler times, when the weight of the world didn’t rest on his shoulders.

  Of course, Argos had changed, just like so many other places. Mostly because of Atticus – and to a lesser extent, their relationship with Elijah – the city had become an unrivaled trade hub where Atticus’ Consortium was headquartered. The city wasn’t as specialized toward crafting as Ironshore, but the members of the Consortium still held their own. That, combined with the support of Atticus’ trade network, lent them an enviable level of importance on a global scale.

  As such, the city had grown. Its walls had been moved, and the population density had increased. With the influx of wealth came prosperity that the city’s council used to great effect.

  That wasn’t to say that Argos didn’t have poorer parts of town. That kind of thing was inescapable. The wealth disparity was still obvious, with the most affluent citizens living in an entirely different world than their poorer counterparts. However, no one went hungry. No one was consigned to a life of drudgery in an underground city. They had freedom, and even the poor were better off than they would’ve been elsewhere.

  Was it a utopia?

  Far from it.

  But they were trying, and that was enough for Elijah to give them the benefit of the doubt. The situation was a stark contrast to what he’d seen in New York or Seattle. The only place that came close to Argos, at least in terms of equality, was Benediction. And that city didn’t count for obvious reasons.

  Equality only meant so much when it came with rampant cannibalism, after all.

  Regardless, Elijah lost himself as he wandered the city. But slowly, he made his way to Atticus’ storefront. The building had expanded – upwards instead of outward – and to Elijah, the new fa?ade looked more like a classical Greek temple than a shop. The marble pillars glistened with ethera, and he was surprised to see that the relief sculptures carved into the pediment depicted some familiar scenes.

  And that he was featured prominently.

  In retrospect, he should have expected that his actions helping to rebuild the town after it had been mostly destroyed in the wake of a storm to become the subject of legend. The same was true of the construction of the Temple of Virtue. His actions saving Artemis – the cat that had been driven mad by corruption – were also represented.

  Yet, even then, Elijah was a little put off by it all.

  So, when he entered the building, he wore a distinct frown.

  The interior reminded Elijah of an upscale department store, though the first floor was at least as large as a big box store from before the World Tree had touched Earth. A subtle tinkle of music filled the air, while hundreds of people browsed the wares, many of which were contained in glass display cases – not unlike what he once might’ve found in jewelry stores.

  However, the clear difference was that they all shimmered with stored ethera.

  The higher-end items – at least as far as Elijah could tell – were contained in special cases that sat atop short, marble pillars.

  Throughout the store were uniformed attendants. Most were young and attractive, and they weren’t shy about flirting with the customers, either. It was subtle. Just a touch on the arm here. A special smile there. A bit of laughter. But Elijah recognized it all the same.

  Most of the customers did too. Elijah was certain of that. But they still basked in the attention, smiling and laughing as they were shown various items.

  Much of the clientele were obviously fighters. From mages to Warriors, those combatants all had the same dangerous look about them. However, there were plenty of non-combatants around as well. They were softer-looking, but still shimmered with similar power.

  It was an interesting dichotomy, and one that Elijah was curious to see play out as Earth’s new story was written.

  In any case, it didn’t take long before someone approached him. Elijah had never seen the attendant before, but she greeted him by name. Then, she asked if he’d come to see Mr. Ariti.

  Elijah nodded, remarking, “Guess I don’t get to fly under the radar, huh?”

  “There is an inspection array located in the door,” she said, whispering almost conspiratorially. “Don’t tell anyone, but we know the identity of everyone who sets foot in this store.”

  “Smart.”

  “Mr. Ariti’s idea. It cost a fortune, between commissioning the array and having it installed, but it’s allowed us to identify a few thieves,” she revealed. Then, the dark-haired woman eyes twinkled as she added, “And our customers appreciate the personal touch.”

  “Fair enough.”

  After that exchange, she led Elijah deeper into the store, where he saw much of the same before reaching an elevator that took them up a few floors. As they rode the lift, Elijah asked, “What’s on the other floors?”

  “Floors two and three are more showrooms,” she answered. “Floor four is for appraisals. Five contains the offices for the Consortium. And six – where we’re headed – is the executive suite. Only Mr. Ariti and two other high-ranking members of the Consortium are headquartered there.”

  “I see.”

  Soon, they arrived at their destination, and the elevator doors opened to reveal an upscale office lobby. A young man sat at the front desk – clearly a receptionist – and there were three people waiting in the chairs lining the room.

  The shop attendant passed Elijah along to the receptionist, who escorted him down a hall and to a corner office, where he found Atticus Ariti sitting behind a truly massive stone desk.

  “Elijah! So good to see you!” Atticus bellowed, rising to his feet. For once, he didn’t seem to have gained weight. In fact, his belly looked a touch smaller, which Elijah found quite surprising.

  “Looking good. Lose weight?”

  Atticus frowned. “The wife’s doing, I’m afraid. If I’d known that woman would hide all my favorite foods…ah, I’d have still married her. But I’d have made some demands beforehand!”

  After that, the two hugged and got down to business.

  If you'd like to read more of Path of Dragons, we're almost two full books ahead (book 13 ended today) 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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