Path of Dragons Chapter 614
Elijah sat atop the high-rise overlooking the fallen city of Hong Kong. It was the second tallest building in the city, so it offered a fantastic view of the destruction wrought by what most people referred to as the apocalypse. Elijah disagreed with that label, regarding the touch of the World Tree as a good thing, but as he stared at the aftermath, his hold on that belief wavered.
So much had been destroyed. So many lives had been lost. And yet, humanity had survived, albeit only in pockets. Small settlements – usually no larger than a couple of blocks – dotted the city, and a much larger community had taken up residence in Hong Kong's tallest building. Once known as the International Commerce Center, it was now Heaven's Bastion, and it played host to a population of thousands.
Including his friend Sadie Song and her problematic family.
But at the moment, Elijah knew that if he dwelled on those issues for even a moment, he would do something rash. Every instinct screamed at him to go back and return their insults with utter destruction. And he could do it, too. He wanted to. In a lot of ways, he needed to.
There were only two factors restraining him.
First on the list was Sadie herself. If he went on a rampage and turned Heaven's Bastion into another Easton – or whatever silly name their despotic ruler had given it there at the end – she would never forgive him. More likely, she would oppose him. Elijah had no desire to fight her, largely because even if he won, as he suspected was the most likely outcome, he'd lose a friend along the way. He didn't have so many of those that he'd willingly sacrifice one just to assuage his pride.
The second restraint came from the surety that he would regret such an action. He wouldn't shed any tears for people like Nico or Tianwei, but there were plenty of innocents in Heaven's Bastion. He couldn't put them at risk. He refused to fall into that trap, even if his instincts told him to disregard those people as inconsequential.
Perhaps that was the dragon him, screaming at him to assert his dominance. More likely, it was the simple consequence of setting himself so far above normal people. It was difficult to look at them the same way when he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was unequivocally better than them, and in almost every possible way.
That was the thing about the system and its numbers. It left little doubt as to a person's relative place in society. Sure – levels were just guides that marked a person's progress, but the numbers attached to his attributes were concrete measures of his power. On top of that, he had his cultivation, which was far more advanced than that of anyone else he'd met.
In short, Elijah often felt like a god amongst men, and as a result, he felt himself growing increasingly more detached from the plight of normal people. Thankfully, he was aware enough of that tendency that he could work to mitigate it.
Because he didn't want to feel like he was better than others. He wanted to act like he was just like everyone else.
He wasn't, though, and he needed time to wrap his mind around the idea that he couldn't just follow his instincts and vent his frustrations. There could be global consequences for something like that. Instead, he needed to adapt to who and what he had become.
But even more importantly, he knew he needed time to cope with the death of his friend, Dat Bao, who'd sacrificed himself so Elijah and his other companions – one of which had never treated him with anything approaching respect – could live. He was a true hero, and the world was a worse place for his passing.
After almost an hour sitting atop that building and staring at nothing, Elijah finally turned his attention to another important matter. The conquering of the Primal Realm had not come without rewards. One was material – all Elijah needed to do was acknowledge the notification, and he'd receive his reward for overcoming the challenges of the Desolate Reach. But the other was more intrinsic. He'd gained two more levels in the final battle, putting him at one-forty-six.
That meant he'd gained another ability – either through the evolution of an old spell or an entirely new one. So far, Elijah had been too focused on other things to acknowledge it, but now that he had a little peace and quiet, he could do just that. So, it was without further ado that he looked at the notification and the new spell that came with it.
It came with a trait as well:
Elijah let out an appreciative breath. For a long time, he'd wondered if he would gain an ocean-going form. The Shape of the Master, which was amphibious, helped a lot with traveling underwater, but it seemed the new form was, as the trait implied, a true native to the sea. Already, he was itching to try it out, though he knew that doing so in the undead-infested waters surrounding Hong Kong Island was a bad idea. Perhaps it would be powerful enough to withstand the mighty creatures that made their homes in places like Victoria Harbor, but Elijah wasn't going to chance it with a new form of unknown strength.
Still, it was tempting.
To distract himself from those temptations, Elijah focused on the other notification informing him that he'd conquered the Primal Realm:
Elijah selected the affirmative option, resulting in yet another system prompt:
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Shape of the Sea
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Take on the form of a mighty leviathan.
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Ocean Native
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When submerged, grants vastly increased physical attributes. When on land, decreases attributes by a minor amount.
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Congratluations! You have conquered the Desolate Reach. Grade: C The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Claim your reward? [Yes] or [No]
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Reward for conquering the Desolate Reach:
Antlers of the Wild Revenant As he read the notification, Elijah looked at the chest that had suddenly appeared by his side. Instead of being silver, as had been the case with the boxes containing rewards for overcoming towers, it was gold with blue trim that created whirling designs that Elijah recognized as runes. Even trying to follow their patterns gave him a headache, so he didn't hesitate to open the box and retrieve the item inside. It was a helmet, though one with an unfamiliar design. Made of hardened leather, it featured decorative whorls that had been etched into its surface. More importantly, it practically glowed with dense ethera, suggesting that it was an incredibly magical piece of equipment. But Elijah knew better than to simply bind it without having it appraised. Once, his sister-in-law Carmen had been forced to forge a powerful sword for an enemy. It had turned out to be cursed, and it had infected the man's mind with delusions of grandeur that, ultimately, helped author his demise. So, he slipped the helmet into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel, intending to have someone appraise it when he returned to familiar territory. Perhaps Atticus could help him. Or someone in Ironshore. Whatever the case, the item wouldn't offer him any help for what he planned for the near future. After Elijah had inspected his gains – noting that the two increased levels had given him the same attribute increases he'd come to expect – he pushed himself to his feet, then retreated inside the building. Night was coming, and he didn't intend to set out on his mission when the local undead were at their most active. Once he'd found an old, abandoned office with a sturdy and intact door, Elijah settled into a corner and inspected his updated status:
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