Path of Dragons

Book 1: Chapter 21: Nerthus

Elijah awoke shivering in the middle of the night. Winters in the Pacific northwest could be brutal, and it seemed that his island was no exception. Fortunately, his initial investment into the Constitution attribute had combined with his Body of Wood as well as One With Nature to give him significant protection from the elements. He was still cold – after all, the temperatures had dropped well below freezing – but his experiences told him that he was at no risk of frostbite or other issues related to overexposure. Of course, even if that wasn’t the case, he had Touch of Nature to bail him out, though that seemed like a waste of Ethera.

With a groan, he opened his eyes to see an incredibly clear, starlit sky. That was one thing about being stranded in the middle of nowhere – there was no light pollution, so there was nothing to obscure the tapestry of stars. In a way, it reminded Elijah of being out to sea, though even those experiences had been marred by the occasional drone of an airplane or a satellite streaking through the atmosphere. Now, after the onset of Ethera and the transformation of the planet, there was nothing of the sort. And in all the ways that counted, it was both terrifying and objectively beautiful.

After all, while there was incredible beauty that had come with the transformation of the Earth, it also came with the knowledge that everything people had worked toward for thousands of years had been cast aside in the space of an instant. Elijah had no way of knowing for sure, but judging by the way the plane had crashed, technology no longer worked the same way it had before. No more electronics. No more cars. No telephones or computers. They’d been shoved back into the stone age.

But along with the dissolution of technology came Ethera and magic. So, hopefully, people had begun to adjust. There was no telling how many different archetypes were out there, and if Elijah’s own abilities were any indication, there was plenty of reason for optimism.

There was also call for cynicism as well. Elijah wanted to think the best of people, but he was realistic enough to know that they wouldn’t always cooperate with that optimistic expectation. Instead, they would act according to their own self-interests. Sure, most people would try to help others. And only a few would turn on their neighbors.

But it really only took one person with power to ruin everything. One man or woman who chose to take advantage of those weaker than them could do untold damage, especially with the escalation of power that came with the influx of Ethera. That’s what Elijah feared more than anything. A magical tyrant so strong that no one would oppose them – it was a horrifying prospect.

Not that it really mattered for now. Aside from his distant neighbors across the strait, Elijah was alone. There was no one to oppress him, save for the environment itself.

For a long while, Elijah just lay there, his body still feeling as if it was in a state of flux. Certainly, he could already feel the changes that had come with his Neophyte soul. However, he was more than a little afraid of looking at the changes – which seemed extensive – wrought by his heedless pursuit of improvement. In hindsight, his actions had been stupid. He had no idea what he was doing, and because of that, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d crippled himself. In fact, if he’d had the wherewithal to form rational thoughts while in the middle of his soul’s transformation, that was exactly what he would have expected. But against all odds, he’d succeeded in yet another cultivation upgrade.

He opened his status:

Idly, he wondered what he should do with his future attributes. He’d very much reaped the benefits of having a bigger pool of Ethera and increased Regeneration. But he also knew that, without physical attributes, he wouldn’t stand a chance against more powerful creatures like the viridian monster or the panther. He hadn’t forgotten how much stronger and faster they were, after all. To stand up to that level of might, he needed as much of a boost to his Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution as he could get.

It was a conundrum, and it was one he didn’t expect to solve in the near future. Nor did he need to. After all, he hadn’t gained a level in a while, and if he had his way, he wouldn’t be fighting anymore major battles anytime soon. Sure, he got a trickle of Ethera from his crab hunting, but it wasn’t nearly enough to progress at any appreciable rate. It would take a concerted effort to change that, and in the middle of winter, he couldn’t afford to devote himself to such a thing. Survival was hard enough without adding the danger that came with hunting for levels.

So, Elijah turned his attention to the pathways of his soul, and he was more than a little surprised to find that they were completely gone. For a moment, he wondered if the System had gotten things wrong. It had claimed that he’d progressed, and because of that, he’d expected to find a minute increase in the size of the channels that carried his Ethera throughout his body. However, that just wasn’t the case.

The only thing that kept Elijah from panicking was the fact that nothing really felt wrong about it. So, he tested it the only way he knew how, dragging Ethera from his core and casting Nature’s Bounty.

A flood of Ethera poured out of his core, infusing his entire body. A moment later, the spell activated, and when it did, Elijah could feel that the diameter of the area of effect had more than doubled. But it didn’t feel any more powerful.

So, Elijah let it drop and cast Touch of Nature instead. Before, the cast had taken almost two seconds, but now, it only took half that. He tried out his other spells, finding similar results. It seemed that, for his constantly channeled spells, it simply increased the area of effect. For Nature’s Bounty, that was an incredible boon because it meant that he could affect more plants at once. For something like One With Nature, though, the effect was somewhat muted and only really influenced the sensory bubble around him.

With spells like Eyes of the Eagle, Storm’s Fury, or Snaring Roots, the transformation of his soul merely made them activate much more quickly. Definitely useful, if not life-changing.

“You have only begun to walk the path of a cultivator,” came a voice from nearby. Elijah didn’t need to look up to know that it belonged to the tree spirit. “For now, you are merely setting your foundations.”

Elijah glanced at the familiar form sitting on the branch. It seemed a little bigger, but it was hard to tell in the middle of the night. Even with the moon and stars casting the glade in silvery light, it was difficult to see more than shadows.

“What?” Elijah asked.

“The first steps are unique,” the tree spirit stated. “You are not truly a cultivator until you have reached the first stages in body, mind, soul, and most importantly, your core. However, you are progressing well, as is proper for the protector of my glade.”

“Huh?” was Elijah’s response. “What are you talking about? Protector? I’m just trying to survive here.”

“You have drawn an Ancestral Circle around my glade,” the spirit said. “Using my seeds, no less. When the saplings reach maturity, our bond will be complete.”

“What bond?” asked Elijah.

“It is a symbiotic connection,” said the tree spirit. “Your Grove will become more powerful, and with it, the speed of your cultivation will increase. However, that power does not come without obligations. You must become my guardian, protecting me from those who would harvest my wood and drink my sap in hopes of growing stronger.”

“Is…is that possible?” Elijah asked.

“It is,” the tree spirit responded. “Deplorable and short-sighted though it is, there are those who act as parasites, consuming all they see. Doing so will grant power, but it is fleeting. Harmony is the better path, though it is often slower.”

Elijah could intuit a little from the spirit’s explanation, chiefly that harvesting and consuming natural resources like the tree would grant power, though it would be a one-time gain. And perhaps it would only be temporary, though Elijah expected that that wasn’t the case. However, he’d already experienced the effects of cultivating under the tree’s branches, so he knew that that was a path to Strength as well. Though, according to the tree spirit, it was slower, yet sustainable. The optimal path seemed obvious to Elijah, but he could also see how quick gains might be appealing as well – especially if growing stronger more quickly would mean survival.

But Elijah had no interest in quick gains. Nor did he have any inclination to somehow harvest the tree. Doing so seemed abhorrent, and not just because of the effects of his archetype, though it surely influenced him. Instead, his reticence was born of the knowledge that the tree spirit was a sapient creature. Killing it and consuming its power – however that might be accomplished – was grotesque.

Still, Elijah understood people well enough to know that he might just be in the minority in that opinion.

“What do I need to do?” he asked. “And what should I call you? I don’t want to keep thinking of you as the ‘tree spirit’, you know?”

“Hmm. I have never had a name,” the tree responded. “Perhaps…Nerthus. Yes, that name feels right. Nerthus.”

“Okay, Nerthus – is there anything I need to do? Or should I just keep helping the other trees grow? Also, are they going to be like you? Sentient, I mean? And how do I progress my other cultivation. Like, my Mind and Core,” Elijah rambled. After his ordeal with laying the foundations for his Soul, he felt a little giddy – almost like he’d drunk too much coffee.

“No – you are doing enough,” Nerthus said. “The saplings may one day develop spirits, but not for a very long time. Regarding your cultivation…I cannot say. I am limited in what information I can give a newly integrated native.”

Elijah was a little disappointed, but he wasn’t really surprised. Nerthus had been helpful, but it had always been limited in terms of what information it could convey. But that was fine. Elijah would have loved to hear more, but he’d been doing okay so far.

Mostly. Aside from a few speedbumps like almost getting killed by a huge, scaled monster from the ocean. Which reminded him…

“While I’ve got you here,” Elijah said. “A few weeks back, I ran into this monster. Or I guess it ran into me. It was huge, scaly, and just felt…wrong. Like, just looking at it made me nauseous. Anyway, it almost killed me, but there’s this panther who lives in the area – we’ve got kind of an understanding – and between us, we managed to take it down. But it started to decompose almost immediately. None of the other animals I’ve killed have been like that.”

“That is because that was not an animal,” responded Nerthus. “It is one of the Voxx. Creatures from a different realm. They come through portals and corrupt the very land they walk upon. As weak as you are, if you managed to survive an attack…perhaps you will be a better guardian than I hoped.”

“Where do they come from?” asked Elijah.

“Some come from temporary portals,” Nerthus stated. “Those are rare. I suspect that is the origin of the one you encountered. However, there are more permanent…”

Nerthus trailed off, and the entire tree trembled. “I am not permitted to say any more than I have,” it stated. “I am sorry, guardian.”

Elijah shook his head. He’d have preferred more information, but he understood the tree spirits limitations. So, he resolved to be happy with what he could get. However, just when he was going to ask another question, the spirit said, “I must rest now. Perhaps when you complete your Grove, I will be able to remain longer.”

“I…I understand,” Elijah said. “Thank you.”

“No, guardian. Thank you,” stated Nerthus, its voice trailing off as it retreated into the branch upon which it had been sitting. Soon, it looked like nothing so much as another knot in the wood.

Elijah sighed. He had learned quite a bit from that short conversation. First, it was incredibly important that he continue to try to explore the other facets of his cultivation. He’d already laid the groundwork with his Body and Soul. Now, he needed to work on his Mind and Core – though that would take some doing, because he didn’t even know where to start.

Second, he’d learned of the existence of two sets of enemies. There were the people who would want to harvest creatures like Nerthus; for some reason, he expected that the coalition of dwarves, gnomes, and goblins he’d seen across the strait would fall into that category, but he had no real basis for that intuitive leap. Still, with how unconcerned they seemed to be about their environment, it seemed to fit. The other – the so-called Voxx – were a far graver threat, probably to everyone, regardless of how they chose to interact with the world.

And third, he’d discovered that Nerthus’s existence – as well as Elijah’s choice of where to grow his Ancestral Circle – gave him a significant advantage. He didn’t know what form that advantage might take, other than to aid him in his cultivation, but he expected that it would be important.

But more than the information, Elijah was most grateful for the opportunity to engage another being in conversation. Sure, talking to a tree was a poor substitute for human companionship, but doing so had soothed his mind and soul to the point where he actually felt optimistic about the future.

Of course, the moment that thought skittered through his mind, he remembered just how tenuous his situation was. Certainly, he’d managed to find a way to survive, but that was contingent on everything remaining the same. Which was incredibly unlikely.