Book 4: Chapter 5: Responsibilities

Book 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 before, but now, Elijah felt that he could practically see the web of ethera connecting the entire thing. And in the center of that circle was a level of power Elijah hadn’t seen anywhere but his grove.

There was something beneath it, too. Something he couldn’t even begin to understand.

Had the flows grown stronger? Or was Elijah simply more attuned to the ethera, now that he’d reached the second stage of Soul cultivation? He had no idea, though the guide he’d bought had suggested that progression through the stages of cultivation often came with increased perception. At the time, he’d thought that it only meant that his senses would grow sharper. That had been the case so far, with his visual acuity and hearing having progressed far past human norms, especially in his bestial shapes. Yet, he suspected that there was far more to it than that. Perhaps one day he would be able to sense ethera as clearly as he could see the leaves on a tree.

There were Scholars who specialized in studying ethera, after all. So, such a thing was almost assuredly possible. He just wasn’t certain if he would ever reach that point.

“This is incredible,” muttered Biggle, his mouth agape. “How far have we come? Who built this? Is it some relic of the past? I’ve heard about transportation networks before, but this is different than any stories I have heard.”

“Transportation networks?” Elijah asked. “Like the teleportation feature associated with the Branch?”

Biggle shook his head. “No. That is often far too expensive for planetary travel. Normally, there are mages who specialize in such things,” he said. “On my home world, it is still too expensive for the likes of me, but for...ah...more prosperous people, using that network is no great burden. I have never seen such things, though. My village was too remote and far too poor to qualify for a hub.”

“So, what’s the point of Branch teleportation?” Elijah asked.

“Interplanetary transport,” Biggle stated. “There are ships capable of moving between worlds and universes, but that is only viable on a large scale. Or if someone is obscenely wealthy. Or powerful, though the two normally come hand-in-hand, from my experience.”

“I see,” Elijah said.

“This is so cool,” Miguel said, having circled the dolmen, running his hands over each heel stone. “It’s like the one outside of Seattle, right? Except it’s different. The rocks are different, but the carvings are, too. Why?”

“That’s the nature of inspiration,” Elijah stated.

“What is a Seattle?” asked Biggle, struggling to wrap his name around the city’s name. Clearly, he had no idea what it was.

“Don’t worry about it. C’mon. We’re on the clock here,” Elijah said. They had six days to accomplish his goals, and given that one of those goals involved trekking into a swamp, he knew they’d be pushing it to get everything done in time. So, he led his small group away from the Dragon Circle and toward Argos.

“How far have we come?” Biggle asked, struggling to keep up. His short legs were definitely a weakness when it came to trekking across the wilderness. Though it had never seemed to bother Kurik, who was only a bit taller than the gnome. So, maybe it was more to say that the Alchemist’s class didn’t give him the tools to overcome the shortcomings of his race.

“About a thousand miles? Maybe. I didn’t exactly keep track when I was traveling,” Elijah answered. “It could be closer to two-thousand, but I don’t think so. I ended up backtracking a lot in the more mountainous regions.”

“Impressive,” Biggle said, glancing back the way they’d come. They were well away from the Dragon Circle, so he couldn’t see the dolmen. Still, Elijah thought he knew what the Alchemist was thinking.

So, he decided to cut any issues off at the pass, saying, “You will not visit one of my circles without my permission or accompaniment.”

“What?”

“You heard me, Biggle. I’ve been told to watch out for Alchemists. I’ve heard that people like you can get a bit greedy. I’m not saying you’re one of those sorts of Alchemists, but I am cautioning you to leave my things alone.”

“Oh. Nice,” Elijah said. That was as good as a fifteen percent increase to the damage of Swarm, Contagion, and Venom Strike, which meant he was definitely going to wear it. It also explained why the hunter’s debuff had lasted so long. “That should help.”

“Very good indeed, my friend!”

“Alright. I only have one last item to check,” Elijah said, handing over his staff. He’d yet to bond it, largely because, on the off chance that it was unsuitable, binding it to himself would render it worthless. Still, he thought that unlikely, given the name.

“Dragon-Touched Staff,” Atticus said. “Adds fifteen points to Strength and Dexterity, with five to Constitution. It also has a trait that increases the power of all enhancements by a flat five points. That...that is unheard of. Do you know how valuable this is?”

“Priceless,” Elijah said.

“A less honest merchant would steal this from you,” Atticus said, handing it back to Elijah without hesitation. “But they don’t call me Honest Atticus for nothing.”

“No one calls you that.”

“They might.”

“I’ve never heard it.”

“Neither have I, but I assume that’s only because they don’t want to stroke my ego. Everyone knows how humble I am,” Atticus said without a hint of humor.

“Right. You’re the humblest man I know.”

“That’s what I keep telling people!”

Elijah just smiled wryly and shook his head. “Alright – so how much for the pile?” he asked. The collection of items included the nearly worthless – to Elijah, at least – weapons, as well as the Ancestor’s Spear. Elijah also threw in Thor’s armor, though Atticus confirmed that even the best piece was only Low-Crude-Grade, which meant that the set was almost useless for anything but disassembling it for parts. Still, Elijah wanted it out of his satchel, so he insisted that Atticus include it.

The bickering was a long and arduous, though good-natured, process. Every now and then, Miguel would break in to ask a question about something he’d found in Atticus’ storeroom, but the merchant didn’t mind it at all. Eventually, they came to an agreement, with the entire collection bringing Elijah almost fifty silver coins.

Once they exchanged the sum – via folios, which was a new addition on Atticus’ part – Elijah said, “Oh. I meant to tell you this earlier. My sister-in-law is a Blacksmith, and she’s going to be making some new equipment sometime soon. She’s getting her forge set up right now, but I expect her to get to work within a few weeks. I might bring some of her products around, once she’s up and running.”

“Ah...I don’t know, my friend. This is not a place for amateur work...”

“She’s on the power rankings,” Elijah said. “And I think she’s capable of creating Complex items under the right circumstances.”

“Which is why someone of her stature, skill, and no doubt, beauty will be more than welcome to display her wares in my shop,” the merchant said, switching gears without missing a beat. Though Miguel mouthed the word “gross” when Atticus mentioned Carmen’s beauty.

“Thought that might interest you,” Elijah said with a grin. “Just wanted to let you know so you’ll have enough money to make some purchases. Wouldn’t want you to miss out.”

After that, Atticus told Elijah about Thor’s visit to Argos, which elicited quite a lot of genuine laughter from everyone in the storeroom. But in the end, it was soon time for them to get going. Not only did Elijah want to introduce Miguel to the glories of Greek food, but he also wanted to visit Isaak – and maybe Delilah, if she was in town – before turning in for the night.

Because in the morning, they would set off for the swamp, where they would hopefully save some children.