Path of Dragons

Book 1: Chapter 65: The Ritual

Golden scales glinted in the flickering light of a dozen torches, giving the illusion that the figure was moving. But aside from the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the dragon was entirely motionless. The creature had been described as little more than infant, and yet, she was at least seven feet long, from delicate snout to tapered tail. With wings folded against her back, she had the sinuous shape of a serpent, and yet, four legs were tucked under her form.

In short, she was a stunning creature, and for a moment, Elijah could only stare in awe. And then, as he continued to study the scene before him, anger stared to overwhelm the sense of astonishment.

Because she was clearly injured, with one of her legs having clearly been broken. Blood coated one of her folded wings, and a long gash stretched from the base of her tail to her ribs. Even more disturbingly, a half-dozen hooded figures that, from their size, had to be goblins or gnomes, were busy drawing complex symbols on the stone ground.

Or a few of them were, at least. The others followed behind, sprinkling glittering dust on the still-wet paint.

No.

Wait.

Elijah caught another whiff, and he instantly recognized the smell. Blood, mixed with something else, and pulsing with Ethera.

A low growl escaped from between his lips, though he was thankfully far enough away that the gnomes didn’t hear.

It didn’t take much intuition to see what was happening. The gnomes – or goblins, perhaps – were setting up a ritual of some sort. That tracked with what Nerthus had described. They wanted to harvest the dragon, taking whatever made her special in order to enhance their own cultivation. Or perhaps, to sell it. He didn’t know which, but it really didn’t matter, either. Even if he hadn’t had the task spurring him forward, there was no way he could see what was happening and not act.

Crouching low to the ground, his tail swished back and forth. Then, he pounced, using Predator Strike. His claw ripped through the gnome’s robes, cutting deep before shattering his ribs. Without stopping, he snapped out, clamping his jaws on the screaming figure’s head, then bit down.

The creature’s skull shattered.

But Elijah wasn’t finished. Instead, he bounded toward the next closest figure, and when they turned, he saw nothing but wide eyed surprise. He pounced on her, then swiped his claws across her exposed throat. He felt a slight resistance at the last second, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

With two down, Elijah was gone before the rest even knew what had happened. He melted into the shadows, letting Guise of the Unseen settle onto his shoulders. Nestled in the shadows, he knew he was completely undetectable.

One of the remaining four figures whipped around, saying, “What…”

Another locked eyes on Elijah’s second victim, and upon seeing the bright, red blood pooling around her fallen body, she screamed, “Rayna!”

“Don’t move,” said the third, his voice full of authority. He raised his hand, and Elijah felt Ethera gathering at his fingertips. That was enough to mark him as his next victim.

Elijah darted from the shadows, then used Predator Strike and Venom Strike at the same time. However, he was surprised when his claw met stiff resistance; it wasn’t enough to stop his attack entirely, but it was plenty to prevent a mortal strike.

Still, his claw traced a line across the gnome’s shoulder, sending a spray of blood arcing through the air. Elijah never stopped moving, instead melting into the shadows with Guise of the Unseen.

Against animals, such a strategy wouldn’t have been possible. But the gnomes’ senses just weren’t sharp enough to track him – especially after he started attacking the torches. One after another, they fell. They weren’t extinguished, but it was enough to deepen the shadows.

Meanwhile, the neurotoxin of Venom Strike had begun to do its job. The leader fell, seizing as he hit the ground. Pink foam escaped his mouth as he rasped, “Poison…”

Elijah didn’t pay attention.

Instead, he stalked his remaining prey. There were only three left, and they planted themselves with their backs against the wall. All three were gnomes. One male. Two female. As if that mattered. With what they’d done to the dragon, they deserved whatever he could dish out, regardless of gender.

Elijah circled to the right, careful to avoid the guttering torches. He could taste the gnomes’ fear. He could feel it in his bones. And there was a part of him that reveled in it, that felt justified in striking terror into the hearts of people who thought nothing of killing and harvesting a sapient creature.

He padded closer, staying close to the ground.

Then, he pounced, once again using Predator Strike. And just like before, he was met with significant resistance that slowed his claws. It didn’t matter. One strike followed the next, and he could feel the invisible shield weakening. Finally, he broke free and gutted one of the females, raking his claws across the gnome’s midsection. His innards spilled out, filling the chamber with the foul stench of ruptured intestines.

But the kill had taken too long, giving the remaining two a chance to respond.

And respond they did. Elijah felt something slam into his ribs, flipping him over and sending him sprawling across the ground. He recovered quickly, but judging by the burning pain on his side, he’d picked up a serious wound. Even more distressingly, another unseen force slammed into him a second later. Then another.

Elijah rolled with the momentum, then launched himself at the wall and used it to spring into another attack. His claws raked across an invisible shield, doing nothing. He’d learned his lesson, though, so he kept moving, diving back into the shadows.

“It’s bleeding! Just follow the trail!” screeched the remaining female.

Elijah kept going, moving as quickly as he could. But he didn’t need to inspect his wounds to know that he might have bitten off more than he could chew. So long as he could strike from the shadows, his mist panther form was deadly. However, in a straight-up fight, it left a lot to be desired, at least in regard to durability.

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“Where did it go?!”

“Over there!”

Something thudded into the wall across the room.

“Did you get it?”

“I don’t know!”

They were jumping at shadows, which Elijah understood. The combination of his black coat and the dying light of the flickering torches had created a nearly perfect environment for him. But even if he could easily remain undetected and escape if he so desired, the gnomes were still alert enough to see him coming.

But Elijah refused to abandon his task.

So, he continued to circle, trusting that his Aura of Renewal-enhanced Regeneration could keep him alive, even with his wounds.

“Is it gone?” asked one, her voice trembling.

The other hissed, “I have no idea!”

“What was it? It looked like a big cat,” the female whispered. “But how? With the barrier –”

That’s when Elijah pounced, his claws raking across her shield. He could feel it weakening with every subsequent attack. He could use Venom Strike and Predator Strike in tandem, and perhaps he could get through, but that would leave him dangerously close to exhaustion. No – it was better to hit and run, over and over, until she was vulnerable.

So, that’s what Elijah did. Each swipe he took came with the risk of taking another hit himself. But so long as he kept moving, he felt confident in his chances. The gnomes weren’t fighters. He could tell that much. That made them prone to panic, and more, the constant flow of adrenaline would eventually take its toll.

After twenty minutes, they tried to escape.

That was the opening Elijah needed to finish the female off. He pounced on her, driving her to the ground. Her partner continued running toward the tunnel as Elijah’s claws flashed. Once. Twice. Three times. She screamed. Elijah paid it no mind as he finally broke through her shield and eviscerated her small body.

She died soon after he clamped down on the back of her neck, crushing her vertebrae and severing her spine.

The final gnome only made it a few feet into the tunnel before Elijah caught up. However, when he leaped upon the lone survivor’s back, he got a surprise when the creature disappeared, appearing a few feet away. As Elijah recovered, the gnome raised his hands. Ethera gathered in a flash, and then, suddenly, Elijah felt something at his feet. He looked down to see ethereal chains encircling his legs. He tried to pull free, but it did no good.

“Stupid animal,” the gnome panted, his shoulders sagging. “Suppose it’s not all bad, though. You’re what? Level twenty-eight? Decent materials. Bones for weapons. Pelt for a –”

Elijah wasn’t going to listen to that. Instead, seeing that he couldn’t escape the gnome’s spell, he knew he had no choice but to play his ace. So, he shifted back to human form, pointed his staff at his enemy, and cast Storm’s Fury.

Lightning lashed out, and the shocked gnome went flying backwards, hitting the wall of the narrow tunnel and collapsing to the ground. But it didn’t kill him.

“What? That’s not –”

Elijah cast again, but even though the gnome was once again knocked back into the wall, he didn’t look all that injured. So, after focusing on his core, Elijah decided to use something with a little more oomph.

He cast Swarm.

At first, it didn’t seem like anything had happened, but then, a buzzing sound filled the air. The gnome said something derisive, but Elijah paid no attention. He knew what was coming.

“Ow!” said the short figure, slapping a hand against his neck. It was prelude to disaster – at least from the gnome’s perspective – and a second later, a swarm of stinging flies descended upon him. Elijah had no idea why the shield did nothing to stop them, but he wasn’t going to argue with it. Instead, he watched with stoic fury as the swarm’s afflictions took hold.

The gnome screamed.

Elijah watched.

Even after the spell holding him in place faded, he didn’t move until, at last, the swarm dissipated, leaving only a diseased corpse behind. Once he was certain that the gnome was dead, as evidenced by the influx of kill energy that pushed him closer to level twenty-nine, he slapped a hand over his side and cast Touch of Nature. The bleeding stopped, but he didn’t dare use more than one cast, lest he not have enough Ethera to heal the dragon.

With that, he dragged the gnome’s body back to the ritual chamber, then cast Healing Rain. Clouds swirled, covering the center of the room and covering the dragon in rejuvenating precipitation. Perhaps more importantly, it washed away the glittering paint the ritualists had been using to draw symbols on the ground. With that done, Elijah set his sights on the corpses; he looted them, coming up with a couple of purses containing a few strange coins, the robes, and a pair of new knives. He slipped his ill-gotten gains into his woven pack, then headed toward the prone dragon.

He laid a hand on the golden scales, feeling her breathing. She was warmer than he’d expected, hammering home the fact that she was not a cold-blooded reptile. More, he felt the mass of Ethera swirling in her body. It was no wonder the gnomes had been trying to harvest her. It didn’t excuse their actions, but he understood.

Taking a deep breath, Elijah channeled Ethera into Touch of Nature, sending a jolt of healing through the creature. When that did nothing, he cast it again. Then again after that. Two more times, he cast, but the dragon was unaffected.

He wanted to do more, but his core was dry.

So, Elijah waited, and just like he’d done with the panther what felt like an eternity ago, he healed the creature each time his Ethera recovered enough to facilitate a cast of Touch of Nature.

It took two more hours before the dragon awoke.

And she did so with explosive violence, raking her claws across his chest and tearing open a gaping wound. Elijah sprang backward, but he knew he could do nothing to stop the vicious monster he’d made the mistake of saving.

Her eyes were wild as she stepped on his chest, and smoke curled up from her flared nostrils.

“Human,” she growled, her voice deep but feminine. “Why? What?”

Elijah channeled Touch of Nature through his body as he choked out, “I…was sent…to rescue you.”

That’s when her eyes lost their wildness, and she glanced around. When she saw the bodies of the gnomes, her expression softened and she stepped back.

“Oh,” she said. Then, she collapsed, once again losing consciousness.

Elijah shook his head, then used the last of his pool of Ethera to cast Touch of Nature on himself. After that, he just lay there, his breath shallow as he tried to deal with the pain of the wound she had caused. Once he’d regained enough Ethera, he cast the spell again. It took two more casts before the wound closed.

But by that point, he heard voices coming from the entrance tunnel.

Glancing at the dragon, he saw that she was still unconscious. And after his battle against the gnomes and the misunderstanding with the dragon, he was in no shape to fight. He’d healed enough to get around, but anything beyond that would take some time and more than a few more casts of Touch of Nature.

Which left him with only one option, though he had no idea if it would work. But given the situation, he didn’t think he had much choice.

So, Elijah painfully pushed himself to his feet, then staggered to where the dragon had collapsed. Then, he knelt beside her form, placed his hand on her side, then used the teleport function of Ancestral Circle.

He felt the spell tugging at him – and him alone. But he wouldn’t allow that. Instead, he forced more Ethera into the spell so it would accept the dragon as well. It wasn’t so different than when he used the same method to bolster the effect of Nature’s Bounty. Though it was significantly more difficult, and at first, the spell refused to cooperate. But then, suddenly, it snapped into place.

Elijah screamed as pain tore through him, and just as the spell enveloped the pair of them, he saw a group of gnomes and goblins appear at the mouth of the tunnel.

Then, he was gone, and for a split second, he felt like he was being ripped into a thousand pieces.

He thudded to the ground as he and the dragon appeared in his Grove.

Blood spurted from a hundred wounds. Vaguely, he heard someone shouting his name, but by that point, the blood loss had begun to take hold. Still, before he passed out, he managed to use the very last bit of his Ethera to cast Healing Rain.

Then, everything went black.

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