Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 17 - The Invitation

“How long has this been up?” Elijah asked, still looking at the notification hovering before his inner eye. 

Ramik answered, “A little more than a day.”

Elijah frowned.  He had to remember that, as a relatively important person – whether he wanted to always admit it or not – he needed to be available.  His frequent jaunts into the wilderness were incompatible with that idea.  “I’m sorry,” he said, running his hand through his hair.  Thankfully, it had mostly grown back after he’d lost it in the Primal Realm, but his beard was still a little patchier than he would have liked.  “I should have left some way of making contact.”

He'd let Carmen and Sadie know he was leaving, but beyond that, he’d taken no precautions.  However, with the lack of mobile phones or the internet, there really wasn’t much else he could have done. 

“Speaking of – what do people on other worlds do so they remain in contact?” he asked.

Ramik answered, “There are paired message books, though those were not permitted when we migrated here, and we lack the means of creating them.  Perhaps some of our Tradesmen will figure it out when they gain a few more levels.”

Elijah shook his head in disappointment.  The people of Seattle had already cracked the code to make radios work, and that was years ago.  Perhaps they’d figured out how to make cell phones functional in their new world.

Regardless, it wasn’t long before Elijah was following Ramik to one of the government building’s meeting rooms.  Along the way, he discovered that the building had been named the Hall of Accord.  “It’s meant to convey a sense of negotiation and fairness,” Ramik explained. 

Eventually, they reached the conference room, which was well furnished with a massive wooden table inscribed with a map of the area.  In addition, the domed ceiling had been painted with a representation of the tree at the center of Druid’s Park.  Or maybe it was intended to be the ancestral tree that formed the basis for Elijah’s grove.  Whatever the case, he appreciated the effort – as well as the sense of cooperation it represented.  The more that nature was shown to be a thing of reverence, the better, at least as far as Elijah was concerned.

But he was more interested in the meeting’s attendees.  Sadie was there, sitting patiently at one end of the table.  She gave Elijah a small smile when he arrived.  Carmen sat at the other end, fidgeting with a hunk of metal.  Carissa sat next to her, though most of her attention was on Kurik, who just looked uncomfortable.  Then there was a mousey goblin that Elijah would later learn was the city’s chief Administrator. 

But Elijah was happier to see two other additions he hadn’t expected.  He grinned, focusing on an older, dignified man with gray hair and meticulously groomed beard.  “Cap’n.  Good to see you.  And Jess!  How’s the hospital?”

Of course, he’d known that both had fled Norcastle to set up shop in Ironshore, but he’d yet to get the chance to sit down and talk with either of them.  Such was the case with many of his relationships – a regrettable fact of life when he had so many responsibilities pulling him in every direction. 

“Good!” Jess said in an excited tone.  “Ron is amazing.  He’s single-handedly increased our healing output by almost three hundred percent!”

“Please don’t call me cap’n,” Essex sighed.  “I am not a captain anymore.”

“Indeed,” interjected Ramik.  “General Essex is now in charge of our defense force.  His sense of organization is second to none, and he’s helped to revolutionize our entire training regimen.”

“That is more due to Lieutenant Colt’s influence,” Essex stated.  “He understands what is needed for training in this new world better than anyone I have met.  The next generation of fighters will be something special.”

“Can we get on with this?” asked Kurik.  “Not to interrupt the love-fest, but I ain’t got time to sit ‘round and talk.  I got work to do.”

“Too right,” Ramik agreed, gesturing for Elijah to take one of the empty chairs.  He did, and Ramik sat at other end of the table.  Then, he said, “We have been contacted by Isaiah Roberts, who rules a city named Seattle.”  He turned to Elijah.  “I believe you have been there.”

“I have,” Elijah said.  “It was pretty messed up last time I was there, but I helped him take care of a few glaring issues, so maybe it’s gotten better.  What does he want?”

“What were your impressions of the man?”

“Rigid, but honorable.  He likes his rules, and he’s not afraid to use any means of enforcing them.  You go to Seattle, prepare to be watched, and closely.  But I think he’s a good man who’s trying to do right by his people,” Elijah explained.  “The cap’n here would probably like him.  He’s a military man, through and through.”

“Does he seek conquest?” asked Ramik.

Elijah shook his head.  “I don’t think so, but who knows?  If he thought it was what was best for his people, maybe he’d go down that road,” he allowed. “But based on what I saw, I don’t think so.  He’s not a warmonger, I can tell you that.  He’ll fight, but if I had to assess him right now with limited information, I’d say he’d only do so as a last resort.  He’d favor diplomacy until he deemed it a waste of time.  Why?  What does he want?  He didn’t demand our immediate surrender or something, did he?”

If that was the case, Elijah would pay the man a visit.

“No, nothing of the sort,” Ramik answered.  “Here.”

Suddenly, the light above the table flickered, then coalesced into what looked like a hologram.  It was clearly a recreation of a notification – specifically, a message using the Branch’s Communication System:

“Is the Conclave of Travel so expansive?” was Elijah’s first question.  “I didn’t think they’d spread that far.”

“Mr. Wilhelm is not a good example of their competences,” Ramik stated.  “I have spoken to a few of the mages they sent to build the spires outside the city, and they are far better organized than I expected.  From what I understand, they have spent considerable ethereum sending mages all around the world.”

Elijah nodded along, though he’d already begun to wonder if he’d done the right thing by pointing Wilhelm in the right direction concerning ley lines.  On the one hand, enabling travel across the world was a net benefit to Earth’s population, but on the other, there was a high likelihood it could be weaponized sometime in the future. 

For now, though, it seemed necessary if they were going to truly combat the world’s Primal Realms and save Earth from excisement. 

“What do we really think about all of this?” Elijah asked.

“It’s a good thing,” Sadie answered.  “The auction and the promise of help finding loved ones functions as a lure, but the meeting is the real goal.  Seattle is setting itself up as a world leader.”

“Do they have any notable resources?” Ramik asked.

Elijah answered, “Not that I saw.  They have a tower, but there’s not much special about the desert.  Not that I saw, at least.”

“I saw nothing particularly noteworthy when I visited, either,” Sadie added.  “But their use of technology is interesting.  If they’ve continued on that track, there’s a good chance that they will position themselves well going forward into the future.”

“God, I hope they have cell phones,” Elijah muttered.

“Unlikely,” Ramik stated.  He’d taken it upon himself to learn about Earth’s history, so he knew all about the level of technology they’d possessed before experiencing the World Tree’s touch.  “The upper atmosphere is populated by air and space spirits that make satellites difficult to maintain.”

“Really?  I’d like to see –”

“Not now,” Sadie interrupted. 

“Yeah – don’t want none of your goose-chasin’.”

Elijah focused on Kurik, narrowing his eyes.  “Goose-chasing?” he asked.

“Don’t ask me.  It’s one of your sayin’s.”

“The expression is wild goose chase.  And it does not describe what I do.”

“Disagree,” Kurik said, crossing his arms. 

“We’re getting off topic here,” Essex cut in before Elijah could respond.  “The question is who are we going to send?”

“Elijah needs to go.  He’s the strongest person in the world,” Jess said.

“That’s debatable,” Elijah said.

“Not really,” said Sadie.  “You’re the highest-level human, and you won the Trial of Primacy.  You’re famous.”  Then, she added, “I’m going too, so you can keep me company.”

Elijah recognized when an argument wouldn’t get him anywhere.  Besides, he believed she was right.  As much as he didn’t want to go back to Seattle, his presence was probably necessary.  After all, he wanted some input in how the world tackled the problem at hand, and he wouldn’t get that if he stayed in his grove tending his plants.

“I ain’t goin’,” said Kurik. 

“My mine needs me,” Carissa added, though Elijah suspected that she would have gone if Kurik had. 

“I must remain here,” Ramik stated.

Jess, Carmen, and Essex also wanted to remain in Ironshore, which left only Elijah to represent the city.  Sadie didn’t really count because she was only a visitor.

“Do we really think this is a good idea?” he asked.  “I tend to make bad first impressions on most people.”

“I’ll keep you under control,” Sadie said.

Elijah sighed.  “Suppose there could be worst fates,” he said.

After that, the meeting wound down, and he joined Sadie for dinner at one of the city’s restaurants.  This one featured gnomish food.  The little people seemed to favor a communal dining experience that was characterized by dipping meats, breads, and vegetables into a wide variety of sauces and cheeses.  Some were sweet, while others were savory.  Many were also incredibly spicy, and to the point where Elijah felt certain that if his Constitution had been any lower, they would have counted as poison. 

In all, though, it was an enjoyable evening that ended with him flying Sadie back to the grove where they continued to enjoy one another’s company in a more intimate context.

The next morning, Elijah awoke to find that she’d already risen and was ready for her day.  He lay in the bed, propping himself on his elbow as he sleepily asked, “What’s gotten into you?”

It was a viable question, largely because, while staying in the grove, Sadie had established herself as something of a late riser.  Once she was up, she went about her day with characteristic vigor, but getting her out of bed in the mornings was always a chore.  Today was obviously different.

“We have a lot to do,” she explained.  “We have a little more than a month to prepare for the trip to Seattle, so there’s no time to waste.”

“Prepare?”

“You want to make the most of it, don’t you?”

“I guess?”

“That’s the enthusiasm I wanted to hear,” she said sarcastically.