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Chapter 485 - A Whole New Me

“I feel like every time I start to get a handle on something, I get an upgrade that puts me back at square one,” Zeke said to Eveline.  Not only had his efforts with his Will recently been reset when he’d upgraded the grade of his Path of Arcane Destruction, but now that he’d begun to acclimate to the flood of demonic mana that came with the corrupted version of [Triune Colossus], he’d evolved the skill to something more powerful.  He could only hope that it wouldn’t be ...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 16 - Consequences

Fiona strode through the lobby of her apartment building, her heels clicking against the marble tile.  She hardly noticed the grand entryway or the stunning artwork.  Instead, she took it all for granted, as if it was no less than someone like her deserved.  After all, she was the king’s closest advisor and – if she had her way – his soon-to-be lover.  Perhaps his queen. 

That very day, she had taken the first steps along that path by visiting a woman with...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 15 - Prey

For the first time in his human form, Elijah let his fury truly envelope every facet of his mind.  It sharpened his focus to a knife’s edge, and as he arranged his enhancements appropriately – using his attribute enhancements and foregoing Essence of the Lion for Shield of Brambles – his grip tightened on his Dragon-Touched Staff.

There were two men on the other side of the door, then eight more arrayed across the hall.  However, while they had numbers on their side – ...

Chapter 484 - Difficult Choices

The mana density was still thin, making the crater slightly uncomfortable.  However, as irritating as it was, it also served as a great barrier for the local wildlife.  The combination of the lacking mana and the previous destruction added up to an area that most living things would avoid on instinct.  So, it gave Zeke and Talia a chance to rest – albeit with no small degree of unpleasantness. 

But the pair of friends were well-equipped to handle such a situation.&...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 14 - Lay of the Land

Flickering ethereal lights cast the gate in wavering shadows, which proved to be perfect cover for Elijah’s ingress.  He slipped past one of the guards, narrowly avoiding her by a scant handful of inches.  She started, looking around in shock, but when she saw nothing, she muttered, “Must’ve been the wind.”

Her partner said, “Storm’s comin’, I think.  Saw it on the horizon earlier.”

The woman shook her head.  “What I wouldn’t give to still b...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 13 - Memories and Tears

Tiny clouds of dust kicked up with each of Elijah’s steps as he shuffled forward, lost amidst the roiling memories of days long past.  Just like the rest of the house, the basement had been ransacked.  Boxes had been overturned to spill their contents over the concrete floor.  Most of it was useless.  One had contained old winter wear, another had been filled with tangled Christmas lights.  There was a disassembled fake Christmas tree as well as a few old, festive w...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 12 - Avoiding Distractions

A gentle rain fell, each drop flowing off Elijah’s smooth scales as he leaped from one rock to the next.  Beneath him, a river raged, spraying a mist into the air as the swift-moving water crashed into the boulders.  Elijah had spent hours trying to find a crossing – the current was far too strong to safely swim across the wide river – and not for the first time, he cursed the harpies that prevented him from taking flight. 

Their numbers had begun to thin, but he co...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 11 - The Importance of Dental Hygiene

Even as Elijah drifted in and out of semi-consciousness, his mind seemed determined to settle on his past and how it might affect his future.  At times, he’d find himself daydreaming about growing up with Alyssa, and only minutes later, his thoughts would turn to what he intended to do to Roman.  Back and forth, over and over, seeming to go on for an eternity.

It was not a pleasant way to spend the couple of days it took him to recover from the harpies’ attacks and their i...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 10 - Migration

Elijah sat cross-legged on a boulder, his eyes closed and focused almost entirely on One with Nature.  During his previous attempts at cycling his ethera in an effort to begin the process of advancing his Core to the next stage, he had begun to feel something that he’d never felt before. 

Or rather, that he’d only experienced a single time, when he’d first tried his hand at cultivation and very nearly succumbed to what Nerthus had referred to as the Call.  Back then...

Chapter 483 - Finishing the Impossible

The world screamed.

And safe in her cave, Talia couldn’t help but cower before its cry.  Her reaction only lasted a few moments, but in that time, a bevy of emotions tore through her mind.  Fear – primal and unknowable – was the most prevalent, but it was accompanied by so many others that the totality could only be described via one word: horror. 

It wasn’t long before Talia took control of those emotions, though.  After everything she had experienced ...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 9 - A New Perspective

After saying his goodbyes and cautioning Miguel to heed Kurik’s commands, Elijah gathered his things, double-checked that he had everything he would need, then used Shape of the Air.  The transformation came much more quickly, barely taking a second when, before, it had taken a couple.  Soon enough, he’d launched himself toward the sky.  He beat his powerful wings, rising above the grove as he quickly gained altitude.

There was something undeniably addictive about fli...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 8 - Final Preparations

Elijah awoke a little before dawn, but he didn’t immediately rise.  For one, he didn’t want to wake Miguel, but for another, he wanted to spend an hour cycling ethera through his Core.  He wanted to create a routine that would, over time, better prepare him for success.  So, he pushed himself to a seated position, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes before getting down to the task at hand.  This time, it took him a little longer to saturate his Core, which he took as...

Chapter 482 - Goliathan

The ground shook, but Zeke maintained his footing as he trudged forward, stomping on the head of the last tortoloid from the latest group to assault them.  He let his shoulders sag a little as he took a deep, exhausted breath.  The past day had been a nightmare.  If before, he’d felt like he was wading through a sea of monsters, the closer he came to the giant, mountainous turtle, the more he felt like he’d begun to drown.  Every step was earned, paid for with a mounta...

Weekly Check-In (4/14/24)

We've got another week in the books, and this one came with some really exciting developments. First, thank you all for reviewing Path of Dragons. It's really helped! Obviously, if you haven't gotten around to it yet, head on over to Royal Road and drop a rating/review! Often, people with negative opinions scream the loudest, so I end up having to ask fans of the story to step up and counter that negativity. If you don't want to, don't worry about it, though! Just reading the story is s...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 7 - A Natural Balance

“These children are remarkable,” said Biggle.  “I wish I had access to a Physician to understand precisely what’s happening here.”

The kids – who were all lined up in front of the gnome – were mostly taller than Biggle, but they all beamed at the apparent compliment.  One even threw his hands into the air in celebration.  However, Elijah knew that none of them – save for Bryce, perhaps – had any clue what he was talking about. 

“What’s the...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 6 - A Lot to Learn

After visiting Isaac’s house and catching up over a cup of tea – during which Artemis jumped in Miguel’s lap, where she remained the entire time – they went to dinner, where they were served spanakopita.  Everyone enjoyed it at least as much as Elijah, which was gratifying.  After that, they headed to the inn, where they rented a pair of rooms – one to be shared by Elijah and Miguel, and another for Biggle – from Agatha, who seemed delighted to see Elijah.

“Every...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 5 - Responsibilities

Beneath his palm, the first menhir Elijah had created pulsed with power.  It was one of nine that comprised the dolmen that had unlocked so much potential, transforming Ancestral Circle into Roots of the World Tree, giving him the ability to teleport across the world, so long as he’d created a circle to receive him. 

But it felt different than it had before.  Stronger.  The ethereal flows that coursed from one menhir to the next hadn’t been nearly as obvious befo...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 4 - Doing Things Right

The water inside the cave was deathly still, evidence that his actions had driven the sea life away.  Likely, it was a defense mechanism meant to ensure that they didn’t get caught in the dangerous flows of ethera.  After all, when Elijah had cultivated his Body of Stone, it had killed everything in the cave.  And while death was an inevitable part of life, he didn’t relish the notion of killing anything unnecessarily.

The trick was deciding when it was needed.

...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 3 - Good for the Soul

Normally, Elijah enjoyed the sound of birds chirping in the morning.  However, after a night of heavy drinking until he blacked out, he found the cacophony to be the height of annoyance.  For a long time, he just lay there, reveling in his own misery until he finally pushed himself upright and cast Soothe.  It helped, though it took almost the entire runtime of the spell before his headache faded and his stomach stopped roiling. 

He almost regretted it.

After a...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 2 - Getting Settled

The next morning, Elijah awoke feeling refreshed, and it actually took him a few moments to remember the burden of vengeance he’d taken upon himself.  The moment he settled into those thoughts, his mood darkened, but he forced the roiling emotions into their own facet, where he could ignore them at least long enough to do what needed to be done. 

Because as much as he wanted to simply rush off to Easton, he knew he had a lot to accomplish before he could do so without worry....

Chapter 481 - A Powerful Foe

Voromir whistled as Zeke swung, harnessing his considerable might, and to full effect.  But the swooping aviaki guardian was no ordinary monster, and it moved with lightning quickness, banking to the side just in time to narrowly avoid Zeke’s attack.  The hammer’s head clipped a couple of feathers before crashing down on the paving stones, shattering rock as well as the earth beneath. 

The impact sent a wave of turf and stone to roll through the courtyard, uprooting t...

Path of Dragons 4 - Chapter 1 - Showing Off

As the post's title suggests, this is the beginning of book four. I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it so far!

“This is amazing,” said Miguel, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the verdant landscape of Elijah’s grove.  They had only just arrived, having been teleported thousands of miles in an instant via Elijah’s Roots of the World Tree spell.  But neither Carmen nor Miguel had any means of knowing just how vast ...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 87 - A Dragon's Command

Eason Edmund sat at his desk, examining a crystal.  It was a synthetic treasure created in one of his mineral gardens, and even though it was barely more than Simple-Grade – as such things were measured – it emitted a power that would nearly rival that of a wild natural treasure.  Still, he wasn’t happy with the result.  He knew his people could do better.  With how many coins he’d sunk into the project, they needed to – or he would lose everything. 

N...

Chapter 480 - Conflicting Attunements

The interior of the temple was unremarkable.  Certainly, it was beautifully crafted, but given the impressions Zeke had of the exterior design, that was expected.  They entered through the gates, arriving at a large courtyard populated by perfectly manicured topiary and the tinkling sound of running water.  Fountains stood in each corner of the courtyard, with a much larger one in the center.  Predictably, there was a statue of a bird, its majestic wings outstretched, atop...

More Path of Dragons Art!

I just got the final version of the latest piece of art I commissioned, and I'm super excited about how it turned out. This is Elijah's guardian form:

It turned out really well, and I'm super happy with Rashed's work (same artist as the others in the series, Rashed Al Aroka). Next up, we're working on the Shape of the Sky...

Path of Dragons 3 - Chapter 86 - Diplomacy

The sun shone bright on Valoria, a sign from the Divine System that it was a truly favored city.  More importantly, as Roman looked out over the city he’d only recently renamed, a notification superimposed itself across his inner eye. 

Congratulations!  You have met the requirements to embark on a quest to become an official ruler under the system.  Complete the following quests to solidify your rule:

  2024-04-10 15:15:00 +0000 UTC View Post