Book 6: Chapter 5: The Frontrunner Problem

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Book 6: Chapter 5: The Frontrunner Problem

Elijah opened his eyes, frowning as he looked around his section of the cultivation cave. To say he was disappointed would have been a vast understatement. He’d spent the past three days trying to advance his Body cultivation, but he’d made absolutely no progress. It wasn’t because he didn’t know what he was doing, either. He was well-versed in the methods, which weren’t terribly complex at his current stage. He knew he was doing it correctly. Instead, the problem was the ethera.

It just wasn’t thick enough for his purposes.

And the implications of that discovery were troubling, given that the cultivation cave he’d built was almost as powerful as the one back on his island.

As a powerful fluctuation swept forth from the other side of the cave, Elijah felt a pang of jealousy. Everyone else was making huge strides, while he was simply sitting still. It would have been different if it was a personal failing. He could work through that and hopefully improve. However, with the issue being external, Elijah had difficulty accepting the limitations foisted upon him by the environment.

Upon arriving at the cultivation cave, he’d been so optimistic. He and the others had divided the area into five sections, building walls of piled rocks to keep the areas separated so that they could each cultivate in peace without disturbing everyone else. And it had worked quite well, giving everyone the privacy they needed to advance their paths. The others drew closer to personal breakthroughs with every passing day.

Meanwhile, Elijah was stuck in the mud.

He’d even removed his Cloak of the Iron Bear, thinking that it had shielded him from the powerful ethera. He knew that wasn’t the case, but by that point, he was grasping at straws. Predictably, it had done nothing but make him uncomfortable.

“This is a waste of time,” he muttered under his breath before pushing himself to his feet. Then, he left the cave behind, passing Kurik along the way. The dwarf didn’t like cultivating in the cold, but even that hadn’t kept him from taking advantage of the cave Elijah had built.

Once he was outside, Elijah reached into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel and retrieved his cloak. Donning it, he basked in the sudden comfort it provided via the Temperate trait. Taking a deep breath, he focused on One with Nature. Ever since advancing his Jade Mind, he was able to process more information than ever before – which was a good thing, considering his choice of specialization.

Not for the first time, he wondered if he’d made the right decision. While he knew he’d never have chosen Preservation – after all, healing was less of a calling and more of a hobby for him – Savagery had been a viable possibility. Yet, he’d picked Connection, largely because of some ephemeral feeling he couldn’t explain. Certainly, he’d also taken Kirlissa’s advice into account; he’d have been an idiot not to listen to such a powerful being. Yet, in truth, his choice was based mostly on his own feelings.

Which he didn’t like.

It was easy to support a choice if it was made on the basis of verifiable logic. But when it was an emotional decision, it was difficult not to doubt the path he’d chosen.

The decision was made, though. So, it was past time that he figured out what it might mean for him going forward. With that in mind, he looked at the description of his chosen specialization:

Specialization: Connection

Permanently increase the efficacy and range of One with Nature by 100%. Also grants an additional point to Ethera and Regeneration attributes per level. Finally, increases the efficacy of Soul cultivation.

Upon making his choice, Elijah had felt an immediate difference in One with Nature. However, it was not nearly as powerful as indicated by the description. If he’d had to guess, he would have put it closer to twenty percent, though that was just an estimate, albeit one supported by his experiences. Since then, he’d learned that he could push the range much further than the default, indicating that the description referred to the maximum capabilities, rather than the baseline.

Elijah repeated the experiment three more times before he decided that he had no interest in subjecting himself to those powerful roots. Perhaps he could fight free of them, but there was a non-zero chance that the tree was too strong even for him. So, he found another rabbit, and this time, he tossed it into the tree’s limbs.

Where it remained entirely unharmed – at least until it fell from the branch and hit the ground. Only then was it devoured by the tree’s roots.

Once again, Elijah repeated his experiment, finding the same scenario repeating itself each time.

“So, everything aboveground is like a normal tree,” he reasoned aloud. Following that assertion, he reasoned that he should theoretically be able to land on one of the branches and get what he needed without putting himself into any unnecessary danger. The only question was what would happen once he took one of those branches with him.

Elijah wasn’t so naïve as to assume the tree wouldn’t have any other defense mechanisms. If it was a normal plant, he wouldn’t have been quite as warry, but the thing had proven itself quite animalistic. And when harmed, animals usually lashed out – especially when they couldn’t retreat. Given that he was dealing with a stationary tree, Elijah fully expected it to respond to any attack. With that in mind, he knew it was probably best if he simply moved on.

But he wanted one of those branches.

He could feel the power flowing through them. The savage ferocity of a hunter called to him. One day, he might be capable of calling back and coming to some sort of arrangement with the planet, but he hadn’t quite reached that level of One with Nature. Perhaps when he evolved the spell, such communication would become possible. Or when he reached the second specialization at level two hundred.

A wry smile spread across Elijah’s face as he shook his head. He’d only just attained his first specialization, and he was already looking forward to the next. He knew that was a mistake. He needed to focus on his current abilities rather than looking ahead, and yet, he couldn’t help but wonder what possibilities the future might hold. That, almost as much as the increased power, was what drove him forward.

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind, instead focusing entirely on the task at hand. His plan wasn’t complex, but he knew that if he overstayed his welcome, bad things would happen. So, he shifted into Shape of the Sky, then took off. Once he’d reached an altitude of around a hundred feet, he dove.

From the ground, he had identified a perfect branch, so that was where he aimed. A second later, his talons caught hold, and with a powerful flap of his wings, he once again ascended. The motion came with a loud snapping sound, and the branch came free.

That was when the tree erupted into motion.

Its branches wove wildly, extending toward Elijah’s winged form so quickly that he nearly lost his rhythm. He’d known there would be a response, but he hadn’t expected it to be so abrupt.

More, Elijah could feel the tree’s rage via One with Nature. It was as deeply rooted as any animal’s to the point where it sent a tremor up his spine. Thankfully, his preparations – such as they were – gave him just enough room to escape the tree’s grasping branches.

They only came up short by a few inches, telling Elijah just how close he’d come to disaster.

However, even as he soared away, he smiled inwardly. He’d gotten precisely what he required, which was the first step in creating a new staff.