Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 28 - A Shrinking World

Elijah hefted the boulder, then raised it above his head, where he balanced it on one hand.  The pressure felt almost negligible though he knew from experience that it probably weighed between nine and ten tons.  The real trick was managing the awkward burden, though he’d combatted that via some deep handholds he’d dug with the claws of his thorned sentry form. 

But as he held it above his head, Elijah was forced to acknowledge a simple fact: he’d outgrown his old training methods.  So, with a sigh, he tossed it into the water, where it landed with a huge splash. 

“Disappointing,” he said to himself before turning to Nerthus, who was standing at the tree line.  So long as he remained still, he was virtually indistinguishable from the thick tangle of flora characteristic to the island’s temperate rainforest.  That had not always been the case.  In the past, the texture of his bark was more like a gnarled oak tree, but over the years, it had been influenced by his surroundings.  “How do people train on other worlds?”

“I…do not know for certain,” the spryggent answered.  “Perhaps there are denser materials, much as you said you encountered in the Primal Realm.”

Elijah nodded.  One of the tests within the Primal Realm had been meant to measure his strength, and it had done so by requiring him to lift progressively heavier spheres.  He estimated that the final one had weighed somewhere close to a hundred tons, and even though it was quite large, its weight far exceeded the expectations incurred by its size. 

Perhaps there were more such materials out there.

However, he suspected that if he were to repeat that test in his current form, he would have no issues with it.  The crystal he’d given to his sister-in-law weighed about the same, and he’d easily lifted it.  That was the potency of attaining a Bronze body. 

But there was another possibility.

“Do you think there are items out there that can lower a person’s strength?” he asked.

“Cursed items?”

“No.  Like something for training,” he elaborted before explaining the ring he’d gotten back in the Trial of Primacy.  Its primary purpose had been to bind the bane weapon they’d used against Yloa together, but it had also functioned to restrict the flow of ethera.  Back when Atticus had identified it, Elijah had considered trying to use it for training, but the situation had been so hectic that he’d never gotten the chance.  The ring had been lost when Sadie had used the weapon on Yloa, so he would never know whether his plan would work or not. 

“It is possible,” Nerthus agreed.  “However, I should note that such items – if they exist – are more likely to be used on prisoners than as training tools.”

Elijah had considered that as well, but given that he wasn’t really in the habit of taking prisoners, he’d dismissed the notion.  Either way, he knew that further training under the current conditions would do him little good, so he headed back to the grove to check on Sadie.  He found her quickly enough, but she was deeply engaged with her meditation, so he left her undisturbed.

That’s when he decided to go for a short swim.  After diving into the ocean, he shifted into the Shape of the Sea and headed for deeper waters.  It wasn’t long before he found his dolphin friend, and the pair chased one another for a few hours until the guardian grew tired of their shenanigans and dove toward the seafloor.  Elijah considered following, but he chose to refrain for two reasons.

First, the dolphin gave him the distinct impression that she didn’t wish to be followed.  Elijah would have been a gross hypocrite if he chose to ignore that message.  But more importantly, he could feel – vaguely – that a powerful natural treasure lay far below.  Intruding on that could very well mark him as an enemy and get him killed.

When it came to guardians, it didn’t matter how good his relationship with them was.  If he threatened their natural treasure, they would kill him.  Or try.  The only exceptions he’d found so far were the deer, and he suspected that they weren’t really native to the pool where he’d built the Moon Well.  Instead, they had been attracted to it after likely losing their real treasure.

Or maybe he just didn’t understand guardians as well as he thought.  One thing he knew for certain was that he didn’t want to chance the ire of the dolphin.  He expected he could probably fight it to a draw, at the very least, but there was a good chance that it would take the intrusion as a personal afront and not stop trying to kill him until one of them died.

Not a great outcome, so Elijah decided to swim to the surface, transform into the Shape of the Sky and fly away.  Briefly, he considered heading into the storm and chancing an encounter with the birds that called it home, but he decided against that.  Something told him that if he went down that path, he wouldn’t soon return.  And given the close proximity to the upcoming Summit, he needed to keep his schedule clear.

Perhaps it was because he was thinking about the Summit, but he soon found himself heading toward the mainland.  He dropped out of the sky and resumed his natural form.  His scales flashed briefly, but he quickly established control over himself with Natural Shapeshifter, resuming his normal appearance. 

But he could feel the scales wanting to return.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to let them.  After all, he was still a human, and he could probably pass them off as a cosmetic expression of some ability. 

As he strode through the forest, he shook his head.  He didn’t like that idea.  As beautiful as someone like Kirlissa was, with her half-dragon, half-human aesthetic, that look was not aspirational for him.  He liked looking the way he did, and for a wide variety of reasons.  Those included a connection to his past – after all, certain features favored his parents’ – but he couldn’t really articulate many of his other reasons. 

Regardless, Elijah refused to let those scales become his default. 

So, with that firmly in mind, he approached his destination – the Teleportation Spires that had been built right outside Ironshore.  The facility had expanded beyond the spires themselves, and the compound now included a handful of buildings and a troop of guards. 

Elijah approached cautiously, making no efforts at concealment.  Predictably, he was soon stopped by a pair of guards.  “State your business, stranger,” said the dark-skinned man.  He had a strange accent Elijah couldn’t quite place, but he was human.  His partner – a woman, by her shape – was also dark-skinned, though Elijah never got the chance to assess her accent. 

“Just checking things out,” Elijah answered with his most winning smile.  “You got these spires up pretty quick.  Nice compound, too.  Very modern-looking.”

Indeed, it was, and the architecture looked like a blend of fantasy and science fiction, with a predominance of ivory coloring with green trim.  “Needs more plants, though,” he remarked.  “A few trees would give it a homey sort of feel, I think you’d agree.”

“Are you a local?  This area is not restricted, but we do not allow vagabonds to visit unless they intend to use the service,” the woman said.  She had the same accent as the man.

“Oh, yeah.  I live on an island over that way,” Elijah gestured in the vague direction of the grove.  “So, how does this thing work, anyway?  I assume you don’t work for free.  I just pay you, and step between those spires to be whisked away to another continent?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” the man said.  “There are schedules to keep.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Elijah said, stepping past the man.  Of course, he tried to grab hold of Elijah’s arm, but a quick twitch kept him out of reach.  He continued along, looking around like a tourist.  He’d seen the spires before, but back then, they were still under construction.  Now, they hummed with so much ethera that he felt like if he touched them with his bare hand, he’d be burned.

So, of course, he intended to do just that. 

The guards had other ideas.  “Wait – you can’t just walk around –”

“It’s fine.  I’m an expert on teleportation,” Elijah said, striding along.  Before he knew it, he felt almost two dozen men and women stirring in the various buildings.  Apparently, the guards had raised some silent alarm. 

It didn’t  matter, because Elijah would reach his destination before anyone could stop him.

Not that they didn’t try.  The female guard shouted, “For your own safety, go no further.”

“African,” Elijah said, snapping his fingers.  “That’s the accent.”

He certainly  had no idea what part of Africa those accents originated, but he’d heard enough on television and in movies to feel relatively certain about his assertion.  In any case, he reached one of the spires only a few moments later.  Even as he reached out to touch the metallic surface, one of the guards tried to tackle him.

She bounced off without moving him even an inch, and Elijah laid his palm on the metal. 

“Oh, tingly,” he said as energy coursed through his arm.  It wasn’t quite as powerful a current as he felt in his cave, but the ethera was frighteningly dense.  More importantly, it had been changed to such a degree that it practically became a weapon.  It was no wonder that they’d tried to stop him from touching it.  He glanced back at the guards, both of whom were staring at him with a mixture of awe and horror.  “You really should keep people away from this.  It seems pretty dangerous.”

“What is the meaning – oh, no!” came an alarmed shout.  Elijah focused on one of the newcomers – a woman flanked by a dozen guards dressed in similar white uniforms that matched the décor.  She wore a fitted dress decorated with a green slash that stretched from shoulder to hip.  “Please step away from the spire!  It has enough energy in it to burn you to ash!”

“Not quite,” Elijah said, doing as she said.  “Bit uncomfortable though, I’ll admit.  I’m Elijah, by the way.  I’m guessing you’re the person in charge?”

“Elijah…oh…Hart, perhaps?”

“That’s me!” he exclaimed, grinning broadly.  “Didn’t mean to scare your people.  They’re good guards.”

After that, the commotion died down.  Clearly, they had put together who he was, especially when one of the guards whispered something in the head guard’s ear.  His eyes widened, and from then on, he treated Elijah with great deference.  He didn’t care so much about that.  Instead, he wanted some answers.  When he said as much, the woman in charge escorted him into one of the buildings and to what turned out to be her office. 

The walls bore multiple chalkboards, all of which were absolutely covered in advanced math formulas.  Elijah leaned close to one, saying, “I knew this whole thing was impressive, but I didn’t expect there to be so much math involved.”

“Math is everything, Mr. Hart.”

“So I’ve been told,” he muttered.  Any academic who even dabbled in the hard sciences was well-acquainted with scholars’ tendency to venerate mathematics.  Elijah didn’t necessarily disagree with their devotion.  It just held little interest for him.  “So, what is it you do around here?  I know you’re in charge, but –”

“I am a space mage,” she said without preamble.  “Without me, none of this works.”

“Oh.  Neat,” he said.  “Didn’t catch your name, by the way.”

“I’m Eryka Masuku.”

“Well, I’m Elijah Hart.  Nice to meet the neighbors.”

After that, he settled into an offered seat, and they embarked on a quest to get to know one another.  Eryka was clearly incredibly intelligent, and as Elijah had expected, she had a background as an academic.  In fact, she’d been working on her doctorate in physics at the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe when the world had changed.  She was a little cagey about how the intervening time had gone, but it seemed clear that she had found a place in the Conclave, which originated in what had once been southern Africa.  Since then, it had come to incorporate people from all over the world. 

“I dream of seeing the stars,” Eryka said.  “All of this represents our first steps.  One day, we will explore the entire universe.  Imagine seeing a nebula with your own two eyes.  No telescopes or computers.  The wonder of space laid out before the naked eye.”

Then, she went on to explain that the spires were about focus, control, and harnessing the ley lines’ power.  Without a space mage, they were useless, though. 

“We have almost four-hundred active spires, with nearly double that number planned for more remote locations,” she said.  “In a decade, every major city in the world will be only a simple teleport away.”

“I hope that’s true,” Elijah said.  “The more connected we are, the easier it will be to establish a plan to keep everyone safe.  This world is a dangerous place.”

“It is,” she agreed.  “The endeavor has been expensive, but we hope that it will be worth it in the end.  In the meantime, fees for passage to Seattle have been waved for the duration of the Summit.  If you wish to attend, you only need to follow our schedule.”

“I’m good.  I can make my own way.  But thank you for the conversation and the offer,” he said, raising his empty cup.  At one point, she’d offered him tea, and he’d taken advantage.  “Here’s to a shrinking world.”