Path of Dragons

It had been almost three weeks since the stranger had come out of nowhere, brought hundreds of people back from the brink of certain death, and then declared he would conquer the tower that had plagued Norcastle for months. In that time, Captain Orville Essex had begun to doubt his initial impression of the man. According to his Inspect ability, Elijah Smith was an unremarkable, level eighteen Healer. Yet, the way he’d moved, not to mention his feats in the hospital, had come at odds with that label.

Essex had chosen to trust his gut that something was amiss, and what’s more, he had decided to trust the man. He’d come to regret that in the intervening weeks, when the mayor and the goons he’d put on his council had taken issue with the fact that Essex hadn’t let them know about the enigmatic Healer. More, they’d called his qualifications into question, casting doubt on his assessment of Elijah. They had even spread rumors about his ineptitude. After all, if he thought a level eighteen Healer was special – aside from his ability to work in the hospital – then why would the citizens of Norcastle trust him with their security?

But the captain had held fast in his assessment. Elijah Smith was not normal. In fact, Essex suspected that the Healer had some ability or item meant to obfuscate his true class and level. That was the only explanation for his obviously high attributes. He’d subdued one of Essex’s guards without skipping a beat, and what’s more, he clearly had the ability to traverse the wilderness alone. That, combined with the reportedly ridiculous Ethera pool that allowed him to heal far more than anyone else in the city, was enough to convince Essex that the man was special.

Was he special enough to conquer a tower that had, so far, killed more than two dozen of Norcastle’s strongest warriors? That was the question that had kept him up at night.

“I should have insisted on sending some of my people with him,” he muttered, staring at his desk.

Jess Roy, the other Healer who’d brought Elijah to Essex in the first place, sat across from him. As she had done every day since his departure, she’d come by to ask after the man’s well-being. And as always, Essex had no answers. The tower had yet to erupt into another surge, so they knew the other Healer was still alive. Beyond that, though, his fate was a complete mystery.

“You can’t just send some people in to help him?” she asked.

Essex shook his head, “We’ve been over this. Even if you don’t send the maximum number of people into a tower – which is six, apparently – it locks others out after a few hours. Last week, I sent some people up there to check, and they were blocked from getting in. He’s still alive, but we can’t help him. As long as it doesn’t send another surge out, we know he’s still alive, though.”

“You still think he’s that guy on the ladder,” she said.

“I do,” the captain responded, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. As he did, he pulled up the appropriate list:

Planetary Power Rankings (Earth) 1. Oscar Ramirez – Level 46 2. Sadie Song – Level 45 3. Hu Shui – Level 44 4. Ram Khandu – Level 44 5. Anupriya Pandey – Level 44 6. Niko Song – Level 43 7. Thor Gunderson – Level 43 8. Kimberly Jackson – Level 42 9. Elijah Hart – Level 42 10. Michael King – Level 41 11. Gunnar Lindstrom – Level 38 12. … 13. … 14. …

The power rankings kept going after that, but Essex wasn’t concerned with any of those names. There were a few people within Norcastle who were knocking on the door of making it into the top one-hundred, but they were still a few levels away. For his part, Essex didn’t think any of them would ever reach those lofty heights. Even the best of them were only a little above average, in terms of talent, and the gap between them and the best of the best kept growing wider. And the distance between the top ten and everyone else was a wide gulf that didn’t look like it would ever be crossed.

Essex himself was only level twenty-four, and he’d had to make a concerted effort to get to that point. The same was true for his guards, and the only ones who’d made it to a higher level had done so by spending every waking moment hunting in the wilderness alongside likeminded people. That sort of attitude came with issues all its own, and most nights saw the captain lying awake wondering what would happen when those people figured out that the only thing keeping them in check was a sense of morality. One day – perhaps soon – someone powerful would decide that they were tired of following rules. And when that day came, Essex could only hope to minimize the casualties.

In any case, that was a problem for another day. Or hopefully, one that would never manifest. For now, he was focused on the ninth name on that list. Elijah Hart had gained a few levels over the past three weeks, and as a result, he’d jumped into the top ten – an impressive feat by any measure, given how set the general rankings usually were. Sure, the top ten jostled a place or two pretty frequently, but the names had remained mostly the same since the ladder had been introduced.

That supported the captain’s theory that Elijah Hart and Elijah Smith were one in the same. After all, what better way to rapidly progress than to challenge a tower meant to be conquered by an entire group of people? Doing so alone was bound to result in some impressive gains, assuming the solitary challenger managed to live through the attempt.

“He didn’t seem like one of the top ten most powerful people in the world,” Jess stated. “He was just kind of weird.”

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Essex shook his head, then looked around at his office. The world had changed so much, and he knew he was on the verge of being left behind. He was too old to change the way he thought. Too set in his ways to adjust to the new realities of their transformed world. He didn’t intend to give up, but he could see the writing on the wall.

But for now, he just wanted to protect the people who couldn’t protect themselves. The innocents who’d taken refuge in Norcastle deserved a life where they didn’t have to worry about plagues or monster attacks, and he’d long since decided to devote his life to that endeavor. However, if someone like Elijah Hart decided the world would be better off if Norcastle was wiped from the map, then Essex didn’t think he could do much to stop him.

“The sort of person who gets onto a list like that is bound to be abnormal by definition,” he stated. “I just hope he’s peaceful.”

“He was nice,” Jess said. “Weird, but nice. Even when Mark attacked him, he didn’t overreact. He just stopped him.”

“Because he was never in danger,” Essex stated. “But what if someone who can actually hurt him does something stupid? What if he decides to get serious with us? It would probably take the whole guard to stop him. He’s probably left hundreds of bodies in his wake.”

“He might’ve just healed his way to his level.”

Once again, Essex shook his head. “I doubt that very much,” he responded.

It was possible, certainly, but healing didn’t work nearly as well for progression as killing. Largely, that was due to the fact that healing the same person over and over gave diminishing returns. There were ways around that, but the system was finnicky enough that their experiments had yet to yield concrete results as to what worked and what didn’t. It was entirely possible that it wasn’t a set of hard and fast rules, but rather a system of guidelines that were applied based on individual and unique situations.

But the biggest reason Essex doubted that Elijah had reached his level via healing alone was the fact that he hadn’t even hesitated to say that he could conquer the tower. That kind of confidence only came from experience.

A terrifying prospect, given the difficulty even his best warriors had encountered with the surges of Voxx as well as the people who’d already failed to conquer the tower.

Just then, a knock on the open door announced the arrival of one of Essex’s guards. When he looked up, the woman said, “Captain. He’s back. The Healer. And there’s trouble.”

“What?”

“Some of the mayor’s men were at the gate when he arrived, and…”

“Oh, God,” Essex said, leaping to his feet. He was running down the hall before the guardswoman had even turned around. And he had good reason for his haste, too. If the mayor’s men acted the way they normally did, then there was a good chance that someone was going to end up dead.

And he couldn’t allow that to happen, because once blood was shed, there was little he could do to stop it. So, he ran, praying that he wasn’t too late to stop the seemingly inevitable clash.

* * *

Eljiah gripped his staff with white-knuckled fingers as he glared at the four men who’d chosen to bar his way. They were all burly, bearded, and armed, though Elijah didn’t get the sense that they were terribly dangerous. It was only a vague feeling, but through his experiences, he’d learned to judge that sort of thing with some degree of accuracy.

“Look at ‘im,” said one. “Scared out of his mind, he is.”

“’Bout to piss his pants, probably. You scared, little man?”

The other two just laughed.

The first – a balding man who looked like an NFL linebacker – stepped forward and pushed Elijah. Or he tried to, at least. Elijah saw it coming, but instead of lashing out with his staff – or worse, shifting into one of his forms and killing all four of the men – he just shifted slightly and avoided the man’s hand. That overbalanced the fellow, and he stumbled a little before getting his feet back under him.

“You think you’re clever, huh? Well, you ain’t gettin’ in here without payin’ the toll. Two silver coins, or you can walk back wherever you came from.”

“And that big stick. Looks expensive!” said one of the others.

Elijah already had a single copper Ethereum gripped in his other hand, so he held it up and said, “Last time I came here, this was the entry fee. Has that changed?”

The guard, who Elijah recognized as the same one he’d encountered the first time he had entered Norcastle, shook his head, though the burly bullies didn’t see him.

“You pay us separate,” the leader spat.

“Why?”

“What?”

“I asked why I should pay you.”

“’Cause we’ll beat you if you don’t!” the man growled.

“Then I’m not paying for entry, right? I’d be paying to avoid having to teach you a lesson. Is that right?”

“What?”

“You don’t hear so well, do you? Or maybe you’re just incapable of understanding. I don’t know. The point is that I’m not paying you just so I don’t have to go through the trouble of beating you all within an inch of your lives. In fact, I don’t think it’s any trouble at all. You seem the types who need it, so I’ll just consider it a public service.”

“What?”

“You say that a lot.”

“Huh?”

“Variation. Nice. Variety is the spice of life, I’m told. So, we doing this thing? I need to meet with Captain Essex, and you’re kind of in my way,” Elijah stated. “But I’ll warn you right now – it’s not going to be pleasant for you. I think I can hold back, but you’re all kinds of weak, so I’m not making any promises.”

“What?”

“Jesus, man. You’re backsliding now,” Elijah said to the clearly confused would-be bully. “Look – just let me past, and it’ll save you a beating. And a little advice? Just stop. You’re going to pick a fight with someone who’s perfectly willing to teach you the lessons I’m trying to avoid here.”

That seemed to do it for the man. Clearly, his brain had short-circuited, because he didn’t even repeat his favorite word again before launching himself at Elijah. However, because of his Sash of the Whirlwind, well-honed battle instincts, and his high attributes, to Elijah, the intended attack looked like it was moving in slow motion. So, he let the giant staff fall from where it was leaned against his shoulder, and before it even hit the ground, he sidestepped and swung his Staff of Natural Harmony.

He didn’t use all his Strength, but even so, the sound of a breaking bone echoed through the area as Elijah’s staff hit the man’s knee. It bent the wrong way, and the bully let out a scream of pure anguish as he lurched to the ground. He hit with a small cloud of dust and a pitiful whimper.

His lackeys, who’d started forward at the same time, pulled to a stop a few feet away. Elijah raised his finger, saying, “Not another step, or I won’t heal him. If you still insist on fighting, things are going to get worse for all of you. A lot worse.”

That – along with how easily he’d disabled their leader – brought them up short. So, keeping one facet of his Quartz Mind trained on the trio, Elijah knelt beside the fallen bully. Then, he tapped him on the head, saying, “Shut up. It’s just a dislocated knee. And a broken kneecap. You’ll be fine. Quit whining.”

“You…y-you asshole!” the man shouted, grabbing at Elijah. It was a weak attempt, and one that was easily slapped it aside.

“Come on, man. Do you want me to heal you or not? If I leave you like this, I can guarantee you’re going to walk with a limp the rest of your life. Maybe Jess and the other healers can fix you up. I don’t know. But with your attitude, I’m doubting it. So, this might be your best chance to avoid spending the rest of your days hobbling around.”

That got through the man’s thick skull, and he shut up after that.

Elijah wasn’t going to heal him outright, though. For one, he didn’t want to waste the Ethera. For another, he didn’t want to have to break more of the man’s bones when he recovered. So, he used Healing Rain instead, then as the rain started to fall, he said, “Stay in the storm. It’ll be a little cold, but it should be enough to heal you.”

With that, he pushed himself to his feet, grabbed the giant ogre staff from where it had fallen, then stepped forward. When he reached the stunned guardsman, he apologized for the mess, then handed him the copper Ethereum entry fee. After that, he strolled into the town. Just as he reached the first intersection and turned toward the hospital, he saw Captain Essex speeding in his direction. Jess followed a few dozen feet behind.

When the older man reached him, Elijah said, “Oh, nice to see you captain! I took care of your little tower issue. But you should probably keep sending people in there at regular intervals. It won’t be quite as dangerous now that the Ethera’s been drained, but it’ll still be a pain, so don’t send your rookies in there.”

Then, he stepped past the stunned captain and smiled broadly as Jess finally caught up. He said, “Hey! I’ve been thinking a lot about you, and I’ve decided to let you court me.”

“Huh? Court?”

“I feel like I’m speaking a different language lately. Court. As in, attempt to date. I know, it’s a stunning turn of events, but I think you’ve got a good shot,” he said.

She burst out laughing. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

“You mean I’m still ruggedly handsome and incredibly charismatic?”

“Yeah. Sure. Let’s go with that.”

“I feel like you might be making fun of me.”

“Oh, no – I would never do that.”

“Good. I don’t deal well with teasing. I have very thin skin.”

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