Path of Dragons

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the ritual circle, K’hana Tamira stared into the flickering candle flame. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not concentrate on her meditation. So, with an exasperated sigh, she let her shoulders slump in frustration and exhaustion.

“You fail because you lack focus,” said elder Hama.

K’hana glanced at the older elf, but bit back the scathing retort she so wished she could level at her unforgiving master. Like most elves lucky enough to reach any significant years, Hama showed only a few signs of her advanced age. Her face was largely unlined – save for a few crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes and a slightly more acerbic visage – but her hair was slate gray. As was the case with every other elf in Arvandor – and on the homeworld they’d been forced to leave behind – Hama wore the kushti. It was as much a ceremonial outfit as it was practical, created to help the sand elves of Erag weather the intense heat of their natural environment.

It was composed of a tight-fitting top with loose, billowing pants that had been tucked into soft, leather boots created from the hide of a bilo lizard. Completing the outfit was the akah, a long, flowing scarf meant to be wrapped around an elf’s head, protecting her from the harsh sun.

“I lack focus because I am anxious for what it is to come,” she stated. “If we are unsuccessful…”

“Life will continue. We will find another solution. You are a Water Witch. Learn to swim with the current, or you will be washed away.”

K’hana dug her fingernails into her palms. She’d heard much the same from Hama, and on so many occasions that she could recite her master’s lessons verbatim. Yet, knowing them was not enough. She needed to internalize them. To live them. To be like water.

She suddenly pushed herself to her feet, then said, “I am done meditating. I must ensure our guest has what he requires for the coming trials.”

Without waiting for a response, she left the ritual circle behind. As she traversed Arvandor, she marveled at the moisture in the air. Even in what the natives considered a desert, there was far more water available than nearly anywhere on Erag. Though it was often disconcerting, that trait was one of the few differences she appreciated.

However, there were a considerable number of other changes to which she had struggled to acclimate. Adapting to the presence of only one sun, instead of the three that populated the skies of Erag, the local population with their odd customs, and the threat of Voxx were among the most difficult adjustments.

On Erag, they never had to worry about monsters of any sort, which was, in a way, the reason so many had chosen to relocate to Earth. They never could have anticipated how difficult it was, constantly struggling for survival, fighting monsters, and with the threat of a Voxxian invasion always hovering over their heads. Many had died. Almost everyone else had regretted their choice to come to Earth.

There was no going back, though. Not unless they became much wealthier. It was possible. Newly touched worlds were often treasure troves, both in terms of leveling opportunities and natural treasures. But those advancement prospects came with proportionate danger.

Once she was a good distance away from the ritual circle – or more appropriately, Hama – K’hana found an unused corner of the city, where she sank to her haunches and ran her hand through her silky hair. With a sigh, she used Water Body, then stared at her skin as she twisted her hand back and forth. It shimmered in the city’s blue-tinted ethereal lights.

Water Body

Transform all or part of your body into water, negating most physical damage. Duration contingent on Ethera and percentage of body transformed.

When she had first received the spell, she’d been incapable of limiting its effects. Back then, it was all or nothing, with no in-between. Yet, in the years since, she’d learned to control it with perfect aptitude. That was comforting. It proved that, despite her failures, she had the capacity for success. If she could learn to control the notoriously difficult Water Body, then she could do anything she set her mind toward.

But as reassuring as the fruits of her long labors were, the reality of her failures remained. Not only had she failed to protect her people, which, as Arvandor’s resident Priestess of the Rains, was her chief responsibility, but she’d also failed to advance her class, Water Witch.

Hopefully, she could make good on both failures in the upcoming tower run.

Without the stranger they’d stumbled upon near the natural treasure, she would never have attempted it. Indeed, when the tower had surged, they’d made preparations to abandon the territory they had claimed. However, as a high-level Healer – much higher than the level her scouts had claimed he displayed – he was capable of dragging them toward success.

And once they’d conquered the tower once, they could bring that information back to the others and, with that in hand, the city could be saved.

Or that was the plan.

The reality had yet to be written, and there were quite a few issues with her expectations. Chief among them was that, once the stranger was gone, they would still be without a viable Healer.

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That was why she wanted to level so badly.

Water Witch traced its roots to the Sorceress archetype, but it was a true hybrid class. Yet, it did not show that until after level fifty, when the first healing spell, Waters of Renewal, would be granted. Until then, a Water Witch’s only healing ability was Spring of Rebirth, which was too unwieldy to rely upon in a tower.

Thus, if they were going to survive – and hopefully thrive – she needed to complete the tower, gain enough levels to acquire Waters of Renewal, and lead her people to prosperity. But to do that, she required the help of the strange human with a host of inexplicable abilities.

Not only could he heal – as he’d demonstrated by nurturing the doe back to health – but he could also transform into a hulking reptilian monster that, to anyone who knew what to look for, screamed of an origin within the Empire of Scale. When K’hana had first laid eyes on that monstrous creature, she’d thought an actual dragon had descended upon Earth.

Of course, that was silly. She’d been taught all the forms the elder race could take. Everyone was, lest they risk offending one of those powerful beings through ignorance. Yet, the creature had radiated such power that she’d briefly lost touch with her education. And when she recovered from that initial shock, K’hana had been left with a mystery.

Then, just when she had decided to approach, he had disappeared for three whole days. By the time he’d finally returned – simply appearing from thin air – she’d been on the verge of returning to Arvandor in failure. Because in addition to proving incapable of tracking down the two young elves who’d followed the deer before they ran afoul of the powerful guardians, she would have lost the one chance of survival they’d found.

But miraculously, he’d returned, and even more surprisingly, he’d agreed to the bargain she had offered. He’d barely even negotiated, though giving up one extra reward was still a steep price.

Even so, K’hana didn’t really know what to think of him. He was clearly mightier than his level indicated, and judging by what she’d seen, there was little chance that he was a true Healer. He was powerful, though. He’d proven that through the feats she’d observed. And she knew that, in her situation, she didn’t have the leeway to be picky. He could do the job, and that would have to be all that mattered.

For now.

Perhaps that would change after the tower.

In any case, once she’d calmed herself, she canceled her spell and continued on her way. As she passed various members of her community, she received customary greetings of respect. Normally, that consisted of each elf touching their forehead, then their lips, and gesturing outward. It was meant to be symbolic of her power and her standing within the community, the pillar upon which it rested was to find water and share it with the clan.

In Erag, it was a position of no small necessity. Water Witches were figures of great respect, and without them, water was virtually impossible to find. Not so on Earth, where lifegiving water practically gushed from the ground. There were even places – like the pond where they’d discovered the stranger – where water was so profuse that it collected in every depression.

K’hana didn’t trust such abundance.

By Erag’s standards, the Twilight Clefts were paradisical, which was more than enough for her. Anything lusher would be too much.

Eventually, K’hana reached the domicile assigned to the stranger. To her surprise, when she pressed her hand against the door, activating the enchantment meant to announce her presence, he was quick to answer.

With a blush, she averted her eyes from his naked torso, but thankfully, he quickly saw to his lack of modesty by tugging on a clean, white shirt. However, K’hana had been incapable of stopping herself from seeing the huge number of scars on his chest. They weren’t as severe as the ones covering his right arm, but they were noticeable all the same. Clearly, this human was no stranger to battle.

“What’s up?” he asked with a cheerful grin. “Is it time to go? Give me like…two seconds, and I’ll have everything ready.”

As he spoke, he retreated into the room he’d been given. Even from where she stood in the doorway, she could see that dozens of items lay on the bed next to a tattered pack. There were containers of every sort. Some were made from materials she recognized, but others were a mystery. She did notice quite a lot of food, though.

She smelled meat that had been wrapped in some sort of preserving packaging, fruit, and even some tea leaves. There were jugs containing liquids – likely water – and more than a few sets of clothing.

“Come in,” he said, looking back as he stuffed things into his pack. Then, he reached into one of the containers and retrieved a berry unlike any she’d ever seen. It was large, knobby, and purple. He asked, “Oh – want a berry? They’re pretty good.”

With that, he tossed one in her direction. She caught it, almost on instinct. But if she hadn’t seen him popping another into his mouth, she might’ve avoided the projectile. However, trusting that it was safe – after all, he’d shown no reasons for distrust – she took a dainty bite of the tiny fruit.

Flavor exploded in her mouth. It was tart and sweet, and more importantly, it sent a ripple of vitality coursing through her body. Riding in the wake of that vitality was a tiny surge of ethera that made her briefly forget the amazing taste. “W-what…what is this?”

“I call them grove berries,” the man said, still grinning. K’hana saw that the berry had briefly stained his teeth purple. “But now that I say it out loud, that seems…I don’t know. It sounds a little dirty, right? No? Well, I still feel like it should have a more distinguished name. Like king berries or something. I don’t know. I’m still kind of workshopping it.” He paused. “Actually, that’s a lie. I haven’t even thought of it before now. But I will!”

“What…what are you talking about?” she asked, a little taken aback.

“Oh. Sorry. I tend to ramble a bit around pretty girls. I blame the fact that I was an awkward kid. Late bloomer, you know? Plus, spending a couple of years with only a spryggen for company will drive anybody a little weird. Oh, there were crabs there, too. Lots of crabs.”

“What is a crab?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Guess you don’t have crabs where you come from. So, crabs are like sea spiders. You have spiders, right?” he said. She nodded, though the idea of a sea seemed incredibly unnatural. “So, I have those on my island. Big and with a hard shell. They actually taste pretty good. Or they used to, at least. I spent like two years eating almost nothing else, so I kind of lost my taste for it. Plus, I think when they mutated, they lost whatever made them tasty.” He shook his head. “But I guess that might be because they were originally purple shore crabs. People didn’t usually eat those before. So, that might be an explanation. The point is that I don’t want to eat crab. I can’t stress that enough.”

“Uh…”

He finished shoving everything into his pack, then donned his heavy, fur cloak. After grabbing his hooked staff – it was carved to look like a serpent, and it radiated an uncommon level of power – he slapped his hands together and said, “So, let’s go do this thing. I’m on a schedule. Hopefully, we can knock this tower out in a few hours. In and out, no big deal, right? Beat some monsters, collect our prizes, and win. Easy peasy.”

“We have a few more hours before everyone will be ready. I simply came here to ensure that you had everything you needed,” she said.

“What? Then why’d you tell me it was time to leave? I got packed and everything.”

“I did not –”

“It’s fine. I’ll just explore a little. Want to be my tour guide? Or do you expect me to make my own way? You know what – never mind. I can see from your expression that you’ve got other things on your mind. Hopefully I don’t get lost. If you need me, just holler.”

And then, without another word, he pushed past her and jauntily strode down the hall, whistling an oddly catchy tune. More importantly, he left K’hana completely nonplussed.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” she muttered to herself as she watched him turn a corner.

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