Path of Dragons

"That sneaky little…"

"Is it a problem?" Ron asked. "If it is, I'm sure we can –"

"No," Elijah said, running his hand through his hair. "It's not your fault. And obviously I'm going to do it. Your daughter's health is worth way more than my feelings about his demands. I just don't like being backed into a corner."

And he definitely didn't like Biggle's price for brewing a potion to curtail the effects of Hope's disease. He would have given any amount of ethereum to save the girl, but letting the Alchemist use a plot of land on the island was upsetting in ways Elijah hadn't expected. The only solace was that Nerthus didn't seem angry about it. In fact, the spryggent wavered between indifference and subdued excitement.

But the fact was that Elijah would never even consider refusing – not when Hope's health was at stake.

"It's fine," he added, looking around the grove. The fox kits were still rampaging through the area, having taken up residence at the base of the ancestral tree. Given their mother's preferred sleeping spot, that wasn't really surprising. However, unlike the vixen, the kits were a lot more rambunctious, and when they weren't resting beneath the tree, they were racing all across the island and harassing the other wildlife. They hunted a few of the local animals, but mostly, they were just playful. "Really. I'm just glad Biggle can do something for her."

"I just hope he can come through with his promises," Ron said. He'd come to visit the island immediately after his meeting with Biggle, and when he'd arrived, Elijah had been making final preparations for a much longer trip. The deadline to solve the problem with the Primal Realm near Hong Kong was fast approaching, and he didn't have much time to waste.

"He will. I'm not always the greatest judge of character, but Biggle seems like a good person," Elijah insisted. "A little greedy and singularly focused on his craft above all else, but an honest person nonetheless. He'll do what he says he'll do."

Left unsaid was that Biggle's experimentation regarding Hope's condition would almost assuredly result in quite a lot of experience as well as an increased understanding of cultivation in relatively weak bodies. Potions that could do that were out there, Elijah was certain, but Earth's Alchemists – as far as he could tell – had yet to progress far enough to make them. And buying such things via the Branch Market just wasn't viable, even in one-off cases. They were too expensive, even for Elijah.

To Nerthus, who was standing nearby, Elijah asked, "Can you set a plot of land aside for him? Something near the beach. I don't want him to have free rein of the island."

"I have already selected an appropriate location. An acre on the cliff overlooking the tower is perfect for such use," Nerthus said. "The people of Ironshore already use the area when they complete their runs of the tower, so they will not discover anything they don't already know."

Elijah knew the area. Often, when Ironshore's adventurers finished with their tower runs – which were still ongoing – they would camp on the nearby beach to rest, recover, and, most importantly, go over their loot. They never strayed far inland, so he'd never had much of an objection.

"I think we need to take steps to isolate that area, though," Elijah stated. "I know we don't build walls, but –"

"I know precisely how to attack the problem," Nerthus stated. Elijah thought he saw a manic gleam in the spryggent's eyes. It made sense. If there were two things about which Nerthus was truly passionate, they could be boiled down to the defense of the island and the development of its plants. This project seemed to combine both.

"Well, whatever happens, just give Ron and Hope whatever they need," Elijah said. "Treat them like they're family."

Nerthus nodded gravely, while Ron said, "You don't have to do that, Elijah. We'll be just fine by –"

Elijah cut him off by saying, "It's fine, Ron. We've been through a lot together. Just let us help."

After that, Ron just nodded, though Elijah expected that the man wouldn't ask for anything unless it concerned his daughter's safety. He was a proud man, but not so much that his pride could outweigh Hope's well-being. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

"Thank you," he said. "I won't forget this, Elijah. If you need me for anything, just let me know."

"Will do," Elijah said. He'd considered asking Ron to accompany him to Hong Kong, but he didn't want to put the Healer into that kind of position.

Once the conversation petered out, Ron excused himself and started making his way toward the island's dock. In the interim, Elijah made certain that he had enough supplies for a long trip. That meant gathering quite a few grove fruits, shoving his remaining stock of cleansing powder into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, and spending a few minutes ensuring that he hadn't forgotten anything.

Finally, after he was certain that he was as prepared as he was going to get, he found Nerthus tending to the sapling that had absorbed the Shard of Nature's Might. The young tree looked a lot like the ancestral tree, meaning that it had white bark and blue leaves, but laced through the trunk was a line of glittering crystal. It felt incredibly powerful.

"Should we just let it grow? It might be even more powerful than the trees in Argos or Ironshore," Elijah remarked, kneeling beside it.

"The power will normalize over time. If it reaches maturity, it will only be slightly stronger than it would have been without it," Nerthus explained. "We must time harvesting quite precisely, or we will waste the power of the shard."

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That made sense to Elijah. Or maybe it didn't, and he just trusted Nerthus' expertise. Whatever the case, he was content to let it play out according to the spryggent's plans.

After saying goodbye to Nerthus, Elijah headed back into Ironshore and visited the Imperium to collect his roasted coffee beans from the Chef. It seemed even more powerful than before – probably because of the rise in ethera or the Chef's levels – but he couldn't quantify exactly how much stronger the end product had become.

Not until he drank a cup, and he didn't have time for that. He'd already put his departure off for long enough, and now that everything was done, he couldn't tolerate further delays.

With that in mind, he went to say his final goodbyes to his family, and he was surprised to find that both Kurik and Miguel had returned from their expedition into the mines. Everyone was gathered inside Carmen's smithy, clearly indicating that Kurik and Miguel had only just returned.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked, noting that Kurik looked a little more dour than usual.

"Dark elves is what's goin' on."

Then, Kurik and Miguel went on to describe the situation below. While deploying traps throughout the mines and the tunnels below, they'd encountered a half dozen groups of dark elves.

"They weren't attacking, either," Miguel said. "We think they were running from something."

"Did you take any prisoners?"

"Tried," Kurik acknowledged. "Unsuccessfully."

"They wouldn't stop fighting until they were dead," Miguel interjected.

"Woulda been easier if that girl weren't so damned bloodthirsty," Kurik added. "She's on 'er way to a Berserker class evolution. Yank my beard if she ain't."

Carmen admonished, "Language, Kurik."

"Just a turn o' phrase," the dwarf said. "Don't mean nothin' by it."

"Be that as it may…"

"Anyway – what's the plan with the dark elves? It doesn't sound like another invasion," Elijah said. That would definitely put a damper on his plans. The last thing he wanted was to have to stick around Ironshore for much longer.

"Don't seem that way," Kurik agreed. "But now that I'm 'ere, takin' this city won't be near as easy as last time. They'll pay for it a hundred times over 'fore they make it outta them tunnels. Might be good if they come. Get the fighters some experience an' all. This city's too soft and too weak. If we're gonna be what Miss Carmen 'ere wants us to be, we'll need strength to defend ourselves. That won't come from runnin' the occasional tower, if you know what I mean. We need numbers and levels, and ain't no mistake 'bout that."

"We're working on it," Miguel said. "We found that passage leading further down. Probably where the dark elves came from. There are strong creatures down there, and they're not all natural."

"Monsters?" Elijah asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. They don't feel like Trevor or regular animals, but I'd have to get closer to tell."

Elijah massaged the back of his neck. He desperately wanted to investigate his nephew's claims, but doing so would invariably take quite some time. And for better or worse, he had a lot of other tasks he needed to complete before he added another to his to-do list.

So, he regrettably shook his head, saying, "I'll let you take care of it. Just be careful."

He'd intended to ask Kurik and Miguel to go with him to Hong Kong, but with the ongoing threat from below, he decided to forego that option. Division of labor made a lot more sense.

Even so, he had to offer. So, he said, "I'm going to Hong Kong. Soon, too. Like as soon as I leave here. Do either of you want to come?"

Miguel looked like he very much did. Elijah had long since figured out that his nephew was afflicted with a wanderlust similar to his own. However, he quickly adopted a stoic expression and gravely said, "My place is here for now."

"Ain't no need to be so serious, kid. Just say no and move on," Kurik grunted. "As for me, the answer's the same. Tell Sadie and Dat I said hello, though."

Elijah accepted their answers, then turned to Carmen before giving her a grin. "I'll bring you a souvenir. Maybe a collectible spoon or something."

She rolled her eyes. "Be careful. I know you think you're invincible, but you're not. Remember that."

"Try not to die. Good advice."

With that, he doled out a couple of hugs – Kurik's expression told him that if he tried to throw one his way, the dwarf would punch him in the gut – then headed out. With all of his supplies nestled firmly in his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, Elijah finally made his way to the Branch. He'd have preferred to travel overland, but considering he had no clue how far away – or in which direction – Hong Kong lay, he had no choice but to once again use the Branch's overpriced Teleportation Network.

While waiting in line, Elijah had a pleasant conversation with the Branch Envoy, Thara. She was on the verge of gaining a level, which she hoped would open a new function with the Branch. It was interesting. Envoys didn't really gain spells like most people did. Instead, their levels were tied to the Branch's available features as well as an expansion of the ones already unlocked. Elijah wasn't sure how that worked, but he figured that any improvement on that front would be welcome.

Eventually, his turn came, and after touching the Branch, he navigated to the Teleportation Network and searched for Hong Kong. When he selected it, a notification popped up:

Elijah let out a sigh of relief when he saw the cost. It would still take a little more than a third of his remaining ethereum, but it was still affordable. That suggested that Hong Kong wasn't nearly as far away as Forest Hills had been. If he'd lacked the funds to pay for the trip, he'd have had to go to Kurik or Carmen to borrow a little. That was a less than desirable outcome, so he was glad that it wasn't necessary.

Without further delay, he selected the affirmative option and was whisked away to Hong Kong. At long last, he was ready to fulfill his promise to help his friends.

However, the second he rematerialized, he realized that things might not be exactly as they'd seemed. His first hint was that his power was immediately locked down by the Branch Envoy. The second was that he was surrounded by more than a dozen fighters, all of which were aiming weapons in his direction.