Path of Dragons Book 3: Chapter 84: Circle of Spears

“See, I have to carve these little holes in the stone so the structure won’t tip over the first ti a storm cos through,” Elijah said, pointing to the intended location of the first of many mortice holes. “And the piece that goes on top will have protrusions that fit into the holes.”

“Like Legos,” Miguel responded with a nod.

“Exactly. I thought the sa thing,” Elijah said. Then, he shifted into his lallar ape form, adding in his growly voice, “I have to have nine sets of two heel stones. Those are the bases. Then, I’ll fit nine capstones on top of them.”

As Elijah got to work carving the first mortice hole, Miguel narrowed his eyes and asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier if you had so tools? I bet mom could make you a real chisel.”

“Uh…maybe?”

Indeed, that made a lot of sense. With each of his other dolns, he’d worked almost exclusively with his own claws. They were as hard as any tal he’d found, and the increased attributes that ca with them made everything that much easier. Still, he felt a little silly that he’d never even thought of buying a proper chisel.

“It would have to be at least Crude-Grade, though,” Miguel guessed, running his hand along the sandstone. To the young man’s credit, he hadn’t reacted with horror upon seeing Elijah transform into his other forms. In fact, he’d taken it in stride, which Elijah attributed to a host of traumas that had numbed Miguel to magical things. Still, it was gratifying that his nephew was actually impressed by Elijah’s bestial forms.

The sa couldn’t be said for Carn or Colt, who, even after a couple of days, looked at those shapes with narrow-eyed suspicion. They had accepted him, but it was clear that they were conflicted about it. Hopefully, they would co around.

Even so, they’d both proved helpful with the construction of the doln. As he’d toted the boulders back to the oasis, they – along with Miguel – had dug the holes that would accommodate the structures’ foundations. And they’d done a better job than Elijah ever could have, owing to Carn’s archetype as a Tradesman. It was a good thing, too, because with the pond so close, and with the porous nature of the earth surrounding the oasis, water had a habit of seeping through. Carn had fixed that with a generous application of her skills as a crafter.

That was when she was at her best.

Because when Carn wasn’t busy, the weight of everything she’d been through settled onto her shoulders. And as strong as she was, it was more than she could bear. Often, those tis would find her simply staring off toward the horizon, looking for sothing that clearly wasn’t there.

Elijah could sympathize, though with his Quartz Mind, he could shunt those unhelpful emotions into their own facet where he could ignore them. Mostly. He knew it wasn’t entirely healthy, just as he recognized that keeping the fires of his rage stoked in another facet was a bad coping chanism. But he couldn’t afford to deal with those problems at present.

Because he needed to ensure his family’s safety. That was the responsibility that superseded everything else, even if he was forced to constantly remind himself to adhere to his plan instead of flying off toward Easton to exact revenge.

So, he worked.

And he tried to convey his process to Miguel. Much of it was instinctive. In the past, outside of building the basic structure of his dolns, he hadn’t consciously guided the process. However, now that he tried to teach Miguel what he was doing, it was like a door had opened in Elijah’s mind. Suddenly, he paid attention to the swirls of ethera all around him. They’d been there before, but it took conscious thought to acknowledge them.

“I guess it’s part of my archetype,” he admitted when Miguel asked about it. “I’m a Druid, and I have a spell called One with Nature. Up until now, I just thought it gave a small boost to my attributes and let feel everything around . But I think it might be a lot more than that.”

“What does it feel like?” asked the boy. No – young man. He was only an inch shorter than Elijah, which ant that he would almost assuredly grow even taller than his uncle. Given Carn’s short stature, Elijah could only assu that Miguel got his height from his biological sire. Or maybe Carn had so taller ancestors, and the genes had simply skipped her generation.

It was even possible that the influx of ethera was responsible. After all, it had influenced everything else about Earth’s environnt. From the flora to the fauna, and even the very sandstone with which he was currently working, the entire planet had been changed. Who was to say that ethera wouldn’t affect human developnt, too?

Perhaps a Scholar would know.

Regardless, Elijah sensed nothing amiss with the young man. He was perfectly healthy, even if he hadn’t quite recovered from the rigors of trekking through the wilderness without proper nutrition. But those hardships had also shaped him into sothing far more resilient than any fourteen-year-old had a right to be.

All of that flashed through one facet of Elijah’s mind before he said, “It’s overwhelming. Without my Mind cultivation, there’s no way I could handle it all. I can sense all the life around , right down to the tiniest organism. That gives a picture of the inorganic world, too. And so sense of the ethera. I think that connection influences . It makes more sympathetic to wildlife. They feel more real. And I believe animals can sense that. Especially guardians like the tortoise.”

“Snappy.”

“Huh?”

“His na is Snappy.”

“Uh…did he tell you that?” asked Elijah, looking up from his work.

Miguel rolled his eyes. “Of course not,” he stated. “I had a pet turtle when I was little. That was his na.”

“And the new Snappy reminds you of your pet?”

“Not really,” Miguel admitted. “I an, look at him. I don’t think turtles are supposed to have shells that sparkly.”

Indeed, Snappy was a clearly magical creature, with a shell that looked like it was made of jagged quartz that sparkled with ethera. He was also larger even than the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands. In fact, Snappy was the size of a Toyota Camry, and probably significantly heavier.

“Fair enough,” Elijah said. “I once had most of my side bitten off by a sea turtle. I’m pretty sure Snappy is a tortoise, though. Mostly land-based. Turtles generally have much sleeker shells and are primarily aquatic. Technically, all tortoises are turtles, though all turtles aren’t tortoises, so unless soone is being incredibly pedantic, you can refer to Snappy as either.”

“It’s a magic turtle. I don’t think it matters.”

Elijah started to respond, but then thought better of it. The reality was that old classifications didn’t really matter anymore. After all, they didn’t account for the rapid transformation of most creatures. Idly, Elijah wondered if soone would embark on an effort to adjust science to the new reality. It probably wouldn’t be very useful in the short term – after all, everything was still changing as Earth’s ethera levels continued to rise – but eventually, soone could probably make a good living classifying beasts, monsters, and guardians into a bestiary that included known weaknesses and abilities. That could prove invaluable to anyone who ventured into the wilderness.

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That seed like the job for a Scholar, though, and one with far more patience than Elijah could muster. He loved experiencing nature, but he’d grown far too restless to spend days cataloguing wild creatures. Even before the world had changed, he’d found that part of his job to be tedious – which was probably why he’d co to realize how ill-suited he was to his forr profession. Deep down, he’d always known he was no true scientist. He didn’t have the proper temperant. But Earth’s transformation had rcilessly hamred that knowledge ho.

He had the curiosity, but not the patience to see it through to anything useful.

In any case, he said, “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

After that, he turned the majority of his attention to the task at hand. He could finish the project without full focus, but he knew the product would suffer. As he worked, Elijah continuously flared Nature’s Bounty, which was a great boon for the oasis’ flora, for which Snappy seed incredibly happy. He was clearly an omnivore, because he would greedily chomp down on any bits of at Elijah threw his way, but his diet consisted primarily of the vegetation around the oasis.

Though he also seed to love eating the birds that would periodically land near the pond. And insects. A few large frogs. Basically anything that ca into his territory was fair ga.

Except Elijah. And Miguel, oddly enough. Once the young man had been introduced to the large tortoise, Snappy had beco more than tolerant of his presence. The sa couldn’t be said for Carn or Colt, both of which drew low growls when they ventured too close to the pond.

Thankfully, Elijah’s doln ringed the oasis, which ant that none of them had to get too close to the water.

Gradually, the structure began to take shape, and Elijah was more than a little impressed with Carn’s great Strength. She wasn’t as strong as he was in his lallar ape form, but she was nearly his human shape’s equal. Though her other attributes clearly lagged far behind, as far as Elijah could tell.

In any case, she was very helpful when it ca to arranging the large stones. She also proved incredibly useful when it ca ti to placing the capstones. The system of mortice holes and tenons was sufficient to hold everything in place, but she had an ability that fused the sandstone together, making it far sturdier than it otherwise would have been. In addition, she used an ability that she called Strengthen to augnt the durability of the normally brittle sandstone. When she was done, it was harder than listone.

But as had been the case with his previous dolns, simply assembling the monunts wasn’t the end of the work. Instead, Elijah focused his continued efforts on carving designs into the sandstone. At first, he just let his imagination drive his creativity, but over that first day, the designs began to take what, in hindsight, was a predictable shape.

After their reunion, Elijah had asked Carn a host of questions about his sister, and over ti, he’d developed so idea as to how she had reacted to the touch of the World Tree. She had beco a protector and a hero, with a spear as her preferred weapon. Even her class – Dragon Lancer – had reflected that.

And that knowledge – along with his grief for his sister – shaped his designs. Slowly, the first one took its final form, and Elijah stepped back to see the results. It was a spear, following the description Carn had given him of his sister’s favored weapon. Snaking around the weapon was a serpentine, Chinese-style dragon.

“I didn’t know you were an artist,” Carn remarked, clearly impressed.

“I’m not,” Elijah said, his hands on his hips. “Seventeen more.”

“Those are powerful enchantnts,” Carn stated. “But they’re different than anything I’ve seen so far.” She shook her head. “Every ti I think I’ve got a handle on how everything works, this system throws a curve ball. Seeing this, it tells how much I don’t know.”

“What do you an?”

“Enchantnts aren’t constrained by the simple designs I know,” she answered. “Until now, I thought they had to use the symbols I’ve found in guides. But that’s not the case. Or not the whole case, at least. I feel like…aning and belief play a part. I don’t know. It’s more complex than that. Form matters. But so do the other pieces. Though I think your class lets you skip so steps with this.”

Elijah’s hand found his chin. “Interesting.” He didn’t really know much about crafting. He was completely beholden to his instincts when it ca to creating anything like his dolns, staves, or soap. Carn clearly had more control over her creations, though she didn’t have the benefits that let him craft things far beyond his ager skills. Those creations usually ca with restrictions. For instance, his staves turned out however they wanted – regardless of his intent – and were only usable by him. So, Carn had far more freedom – and likely, potential – while Elijah’s thods were more intuitive and unpredictable.

“Can I add sothing?” asked Carn. “Just so enchantnts of my own. It should help.”

Normally, Elijah would have refused. He knew the dolns required a delicate balance, even if he didn’t quite understand what that truly ant. However, given the subject of the carvings and Carn’s earnest request, Elijah could not refuse. So, he just nodded.

After that, Elijah continued with his task, carving the dragon spears into each heel stone. Every now and again, he’d glance toward Carn, who was hard at work with a chisel she’d sohow manifested. Ethera swirled around her, suggesting that she was using more than one ability as well. The product was clearly far more elaborate than a few simple enchantnts, though, even when her additions covered the rest of the heel stone, Elijah didn’t object.

It wasn’t just art. Nor was it only an expression of practical necessity. The act was therapeutic. And as they worked, Elijah recognized that it was, at its core, necessary. Not just for the doln, but also as a monunt to his sister’s life. To the life of Carn’s partner.

As they worked, Miguel worked with Colt, practicing swordplay with a pair of sticks carn had shaped into practice weapons. From ti to ti, Miguel would approach the pond and feed Snappy. A few tis, he even climbed atop the giant tortoise’s shell and rode the creature as it circled the pond.

Snappy seed to enjoy it almost as much as it delighted Miguel. Elijah could feel that much, which was just a reminder of how intelligent guardians could be.

As therapeutic as the act of carving the dolns was for Carn and Elijah, the budding relationship between boy and tortoise was just as important for Miguel.

Over the next week, the doln took shape, and the nearby oasis grew ever more verdant. More animals arrived. Birds. Insects. Reptiles. Even a few desert rodents Elijah couldn’t identify. By the ti they’d finished the project, the oasis had beco truly paradisical.

Finally, once Elijah and Carn completed their carvings, he received a notification that was both surprising and expected:

Congratulations! You have created a unique structure: [Circle of Spears]

Overall Grade: Growth (Current: Complex)

Enchantnt Grade: C

The doln’s na was appropriate, given the spear motif. More, it felt right in a way Elijah couldn’t quite identify. However, the surprises ca from the overall grade, which was Complex, making it the most advanced doln he’d ever created. Yet, given Carn’s contribution, it probably shouldn’t have been terribly surprising. After all, she was a proper crafter. That clearly counted for sothing with the system. The sa could be said for the enchantnt grade, which was the highest he’d seen.

“I got two levels for that,” Carn said. “That’s…that’s incredible…”

For his part, Elijah had gotten a little experience. Every act related to his class gave him a trickle of progression. But it was barely enough to move the needle. Obviously, he was no crafter, and while the system acknowledged his efforts, that was clearly a sub-optimal way to push forward.

Still, Elijah hadn’t created the doln for experience. He’d started it so he’d have another teleportation point, but slowly, the project had morphed into a morial for his fallen sister. And in both endeavors, it had been an unmitigated success. The next notification was evidence of the first:

Roots of the World Tree

Empower a doln, connecting it to your grove.

Teleport to any circle in your network. Cooldown: 3 Days

Additional Effect: When inside any circle, create a persistent gateway to any other circle. Duration: 1 Minute. Maximum Capacity: 4. Cooldown: 6 Days

Possible number of circles dependent on core cultivation. Current: 5 (3 Used)

“It’s done,” Elijah said. Now, they just needed to gather the others, then get everyone relocated. After that, he would embark on his quest for revenge.