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Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 13 - Looking Forward

Elijah lay awake, cradling Sadie in his arms and wondering just what he’d done to deserve so much happiness.  Despite the horrors that had preceded his return to the grove, the past week had been filled with contentment and joy.  And most of that could be laid at the feet of the woman beside him.

Sadie was still asleep, and without her bulky armor, she seemed so much smaller and far more vulnerable than usual.  In that moment, with her breath coming deep and steady, she...

Chapter 646 - Crashing Waves

Blood roiled at his feet, but Zeke could not be bothered to notice.  Instead, the whole of his attention was on the monster trying to eat his face.  If he’d had the space to think, he probably would have considered that a logical course. 

Instead, he’d fully embraced the fury within.  It was the only way he had any chance of overcoming the creature, which looked like a giant salamander, but with enormous teeth that would – had had – ripped him to shreds on mo...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 12 - Everything You Wanted

Nico Song ran his fingers beneath the water of the fountain, lost in the raging thoughts hammering their way through his mind.  Nothing he’d experienced since the world’s transformation had been fair, but that was nothing new.  Even before anyone had ever heard of the system or the World Tree – such a stupid name for what was likely a natural spread of ethera through the universe – he’d spent his life being underestimated and undercut by those who thought him weak.  O...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 11 - First Impressions

Sadie stumbled slightly when a wall of dense ethera hit her.  Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself on what she thought was a tree.  Then, it said, “Welcome to the grove.  Please step to the side so as not to block the portal.”

She flinched away, her hand darting to the sword strapped to her back.  She’d foregone her armor – largely because it was mostly destroyed in the Primal Realm – but even if her sword was well notched with a few cracks along the ...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 10 - Running Away Together

“It feels like I’m running away from my problems,” Sadie said, running her hand through her hair as she looked around the room.  “My people need me now more than ever before.”

“But do they want you?” Elijah asked.

It was a valid question, but Sadie didn’t immediately answer.  Instead, she turned away and walked toward her window.  From the height of her apartments – which were at least fifty stories above the ground – she could see Hong Kong in i...

Chapter 645 - The Bloodlake

“Anything you want to say before I head in?” Zeke asked, standing before the gate leading to the next circle – this one dedicated to the sin of wrath.  “If it’s anything like the others, you won’t be able to communicate with me while I’m in there.”

“I am well aware of the restrictions,” Eveline said, having recovered a little vigor.  “And just so you know, I am not locked away while you fight through the circles of Hell.  It is a self-imposed isolati...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 9 - The Camp

“What do you think?” asked Miguel, glancing to the leader of the expedition.  She was the shortest and stoutest dwarf Miguel had ever seen, with a beard thick enough that he’d originally mistook her for a man.  But despite her wide-as-she-was-tall stature, she’d established herself as a solid woodswoman, a good fighter, and more importantly, extremely well-organized.  Miguel couldn’t have asked for much more from a leader of the expedition from Ironshore to Argos.

Chapter 644 - Breaking Point

“You shouldn’t have been able to do what you just did,” Eveline stated the second Zeke crossed the threshold of the gate and left the Circle of Greed behind.  “It’s not supposed to be possible.”

“From my experience, what’s possible is kind of fluid,” Zeke responded, letting his shoulders sag.  He never would have shown it to someone like the god of greed, but he was absolutely exhausted.  And it wasn’t just because of what he’d experienced in the mos...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 8 - A Picture of Myriad Colors

Elijah sat in the middle of the temple, his legs crossed and his breathing even as he cast his perception as wide as possible.  He couldn’t sense the entire settlement via Soul of the Wild, but he got enough feedback that he felt it gave him a good picture.  And he was shocked at the mundanity of it all. 

People, just going about their lives, doing the best they could to survive and thrive.  Children played with one another, friends and lovers congregated, and fami...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 7 - Disgust and Disappointment

Sadie crouched in a fighter’s stance, surrounded by enemies.  The grip of her sword was slippery with sweat, and her muscles ached from long exertion.  Still, she maintained her discipline, never wavering even as her seven opponents closed in.  They attacked in unison, and if she’d been a normal person, their cooperation would have spelled her doom. 

It was a good thing, then, that Sadie was no normal fighter.

With her ascension came an influx of attributes...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 6 - Seeking Understanding

Elijah landed a few miles away from Hong Kong.  There were still a few undead around, but the kamikaze flyers that plagued the city tended to stick to the high rises.  So, after exterminating a small horde of zombies by using Lightning Domain, he shifted into the Shape of Venom, adopted Guise of the Unseen, and headed into the city. 

It wasn’t long before he found the most obvious results of their efforts to conquer the Primal Realm.  Before, powerful undead like w...

Chapter 643 - Breaking the Chains

Pummeling a god into submission was no easy feat, but Zeke was more than willing to try.  His fists slammed into the god of greed with merciless fury, but aside from knocking the man backward, there was no real effect.  That only meant he needed to hit him harder. 

Of course, the man wasn’t willing to just stand idly by and allow himself to be beaten to a pulp.  Instead, he created a storm of gold and silver blades, diamonds that exploded on impact, and a host of o...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 5 - Argon and Alloys

“It started out as a forge, and it ought stay a forge,” said Carissa, her hands on  her hips as she glared at Carmen, who was studiously ignoring the dwarven woman.  “There ain’t no debate ‘bout that.  Callin’ it a temple or some such is just gonna get confusin’ to most people.  Best keep it simple.”

In truth, Carmen agreed, but she didn’t want to admit it.  Naming the Great Forge project had never been a task she’d found appealing, largely b...

Chapter 642 - The Greediest Man Alive

Zeke hammered his fists into the golden dragon, sending out showers of coins spraying in every direction.  Even as his knuckles bloodied from the impact, he shoved divine energy into [Hand of Divinity], supercharging the healing effect.  It was unnecessary for such small scratches and fractures, but with the thrill of battle surging through him, Zeke acted more on instinct than by virtue of rational thought.

By this point, he’d spent years – perhaps even decades – honing...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 4 - The Circle of the Hunter

Elijah snatched his hand back, exclaiming, “You little son of a bitch!”

He glared at his attacker with undisguised hatred, considering drastic actions.  The clouded leopard looked back innocently, then let out a chuff.  Apparently, this particular species of feline could neither purr nor roar, which sort of fit, given its size somewhere between a big and small cat.   But to Elijah, it sounded like the creature was laughing at him. 

He wanted to snatch ...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 3 - A Question of Class

Sadie missed Dat.

It was such a simple acknowledgement, but powerful in its lack of complexity.  For years, he had been her rock.  The person she leaned on more than anyone else.  He’d always been there, ready with a joke or a poignant bit of advice.  He’d helped reign in her worst impulses while offering the support she so desperately needed.

And now he was gone.

Just like Lisa.  Or her parents.  Uncles and aunts.  Cousins.  Every...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 2 - Pillars in the Mist

Elijah circled outward from Hong Kong, careful not to attract the attention of the flying creatures that nested in the tallest buildings.  They were undead – just like everything else in the city – and they responded to any disturbance with undiluted fury.  Elijah had been on the receiving end of their kamikaze tactics on  more than one occasion, and he had no interest in repeating the experience.

So, he kept his distance, slowly expanding his search for a proper loca...

Chapter 641 - Contentment

Zeke approached the city cautiously, only to find that it was unnecessary.  Without the burden of wealth carried by so many others, no one even looked at him twice.  But even if they didn’t notice him, he certainly saw them. 

Most remained in the shadows, waiting to pounce on anyone they thought they could catch unawares.  However, there were quite a few bands of outlaw types who barred various streets.  There, they shook down anyone who crossed their paths, t...

Path of Dragons 8 - Chapter 1 - Defeat in Victory

And so book 8 begins. I hope you enjoyed the seventh volume in this series, and I look forward to you all seeing what this one has in store! Thanks for your support, and don't forget to leave ratings/reviews on Royal Road. Those help immensely with the story's visibility. Also, be aware that in March, we will be doing double chapters in preparation for the first book's release on Amazon and Audible. So, we have that to look forward to! Thanks again, and happy reading!<...

2025-01-16 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 640 - The Hoard

Mountains of gold stretched as far as Zeke could see, and between them flowed rivers of molten silver.  Gems and jewels peppered each mountain, and a moon like a faceted diamond hung high in the sky.  In the distance, Zeke saw a lone figure trekking through one of the valleys, his back hunched beneath a comically large pack.  A trail of gold coins trickled behind him, and Zeke could easily imagine the tinkling of metal on metal that accompanied the figure’s every...

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 89 - Remembrance

“I don’t know what to say.”

Elijah stood next to Sadie, but he didn’t know how to respond to her statement.  She’d obviously lost people – everyone had – but from Elijah’s experience, it never got any easier.  Coping with the death of a loved one was one of the most difficult experiences one could endure, and what’s more, it was always a personal process.  Nobody could tell anyone else how to deal with it.  All they could do was offer support.

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 88 - Shattered

Elijah was out of tears.

Yet, the ones he’d shed felt like too few.  His grief felt too shallow.  Dat deserved more.  He deserved wailing sorrow and anguish and vows of revenge.  But the author of his demise was already gone.  There was no one else to blame.  All that was left was to wallow in grief, pick up the pieces, and move on.

Which was the source of Elijah’s guilt. 

Sadie broke that spell as Nico approached.  Without a word,...

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 87 - Down But Not Out

Elijah crested the lip of the platform to see two things.  The first was Sadie taking a skeleton’s axe to the shoulder.  It shattered her ethereal shield, cutting deep into her torso.  Blood sprayed from the wound as she collapsed, and Elijah’s heart caught in his chest.  But via Soul of the Wild, he felt something else that drew his attention.

Suddenly, Dat appeared out of nowhere.  Positioned behind Avara, Queen of Desolation, he’d just rammed his sword ...

Chapter 639 - Recovery

As Zeke crossed the threshold, the echo of a whisper reached his ears.  “You hunger as I do, and you will never be satisfied.  You will consume everything to reach your goals,” it sighed.  “You have not escaped.  You have not overcome.  You have merely embraced your own gluttony – not for food, but for victory.  Beware the cost of winning, for it will be your undoing.”

Zeke tried to ignore the statement, but it stuck with him even as he proceeded ...

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 86 - Heroism

Dat ignored the ghosts screaming at him to turn back, telling him that his friends weren’t worth saving.  That Hong Kong was a cesspool of bad memories and even worse people, and it wasn’t his job to pull them out of the muck.  None of it was new.  Ever single time he used Ghost Cloak, he was forced to endure their input.  At times, tuning them out was easy enough, but when things got stressful, they turned up the volume.

He didn’t know if they were real. ...

Chapter 638 - The Insidious Allure of Gluttony

“Kill me.”

The pleading voice cut through Zeke’s mind, pulling him up short.  The bulbous mass of writhing flesh was still more than a hundred yards away, but he heard its voice clearly nonetheless.  And more importantly, he could hear the pain in every syllable.  Its next words supported the notion that it was in torment.

“End my suffering.  I beg you.”

Even from so far away, Zeke could see that the monster was more than the slug-like collectio...

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 85 - Topside

Sadie met the descending blade of an axe with her sword, sending sparks flying in every direction.  The force of the blow drove her to her knees, but she mitigated that by twisting and throwing the axe head to the side.  It thudded into the ground, cutting deeply enough to lodge itself in the paving tiles.  Sadie used that momentary distraction to her advantage, launching herself forward and swinging her sword in a horizontal arc.  The off-balance skeleton couldn’t react...

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 84 - Addressing the Real Problem

Elijah hit the gate with the force of a speeding train.  In the past, that wouldn’t have been possible in his relatively delicate flight form, but with all the recent attribute gains, he could bear it.  The gate didn’t even tremble, though.  The bones that comprised its arch were entirely solid.  He hadn’t even chipped them.  That told Elijah everything he needed to know about their durability.  At best, it would take a concerted effort harnessing every poi...

Path of Dragons 7 - Chapter 83 - The Queen of Desolation

As he climbed the steps next to Sadie, Elijah focused on Soul of the Wild.  He couldn’t feel anything past the door at the top of the stairs, though he could sense an enormous amount of power that reminded him of Yloa.  Not in its potency – the Lightning Emperor was a Transcendent, after all – but rather, in the way it felt.  Like a bomb on the verge of exploding, it was a herald of immense destruction.

And hate.

Avara, the Queen of Desolation was not a misund...

Chapter 637 - Underpinnings

Starvation gnawed at Zeke, gripping him in an iron vice and never relinquishing its hold.  It was so intense that he’d begun to look at the landscape with desire in his eyes.  He’d never been so hungry, a feeling which turned the gluttonous actions of the local wildlife – if it could even be called that – from disgusting to understandable.  If they felt half of what he did, he could sympathize with the furious commitment to sating their hunger. 

Yet, Zeke man...