Path of Dragons

Book 4: Chapter 26: Easing the Burden

The last few miles of Elijah’s journey were the most difficult. Despite having traveled beneath his burden for weeks, once again resuming the weight of the statue left his back bent. Still, as he had from the very beginning, Elijah continued to put one foot in front of the other without delay or dissent.

But he didn’t go into that same trance that had carried him so far. Instead, he was painfully aware of his surroundings. During his self-imposed pilgrimage, autumn had tightened its grip on the region. The leaves had begun to change colors, painting the forest in deep browns and vivid oranges. In addition, the wildlife had started preparing for winter, hoarding food and storing fat for hibernation. Finally, the air had taken on a chilly bite, hinting that a frigid winter was just around the corner.

Hopefully, Argos was ready for what was coming, because Elijah suspected it would be far colder than normal.

Still, despite his task, now that Elijah had submersed himself in nature’s influence, he couldn’t deny that it was comforting in a way nothing else could be. He basked in it, letting it soothe his soul.

After a few hours, he arrived at the city’s gates. The two guards recognized him, and what’s more, they could see the size of his burden. So, they didn’t delay him. Instead, they just waved him through, and from there, Elijah made his way to Atticus shop. As he walked through the city, he saw a host of familiar sights. They were almost as comforting as being inundated by the aura of nature that had accompanied him from the Dragon Circle.

It only took Elijah about twenty minutes to reach Atticus’ shop, and when he did, he gently dropped his burden. Then, he stepped inside.

Atticus looked up from where he’d been cleaning one of the glass cases, and when he saw Elijah, his smiling face turned serious. “What happened to you, my friend?” he asked.

“Is it that bad?” Elijah asked in response. He’d known that the journey had taken its toll, but he had thought his experience in the oasis had reversed some of that damage. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

“You look like you haven’t eaten in weeks,” Atticus said, rushing over. “What happened?”

As the merchant asked the question, he reached out as if he intended to help steady Elijah. But it was unnecessary, which he quickly made clear. “I’m fine,” he said, backing away. “Just had a long journey.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Elijah shook his head. “Not really. Not yet,” he admitted. “I really came here for two reasons. First, I have a lot of equipment I need identified. I’ll probably sell some of it, assuming you’re buying.”

Despite his obvious concern, Atticus flashed a bright smile. It was forced, and they both knew it, but Elijah appreciated that his friend had chosen to approach the situation like it was a normal transaction. That helped. Atticus spread his long arms, saying, “Of course, my friend. Atticus’ Arsenal is always in the market for high-quality items.”

With that, he led Elijah to the back where they commenced with the appraisal process. Atticus’ particular ability required the use of the table, so Elijah first placed the series of weapons he’d taken from the various guards in Valoria atop the surface.

“Nothing special. Mostly Middle Crude Grade. One is High Crude,” Atticus said. “The materials are good, though. Poorly constructed. If I sell these, it will be to someone who has a disassembly skill. The materials are worth more than the weapons, I’m sorry to say.”

“Disassembly skill?” Elijah asked.

“Yes. Some Tradesmen have an ability where they can salvage the materials from crafted items. Some of the efficacy of those materials is lost in the process, and there are conditions that must be met, but it is a very useful skill for those who wish to waste as little as possible.”

“Do you think my sister-in-law might have that kind of skill? She’s a Blacksmith.”

“And on the power rankings, if I remember correctly?”

Elijah nodded. “She is.”

“Then almost definitely. I don’t know any real Blacksmiths. Just a couple of Tinkerers. But if they have that kind of skill, then she will as well.”

“Then, I probably shouldn’t sell these,” Elijah said.

“That would be my advice. However, if she cannot use the materials, then I will by them, of course.”

“Thanks.”

Even so, Elijah did end up selling the few higher-grade pieces to Atticus. Those, he judged were worth more in their current form than they would be after being broken down into their base parts. After that, Elijah got to the pieces he’d taken from Roman’s display case.

Those were all a little disappointing. Each piece was at least Simple-Grade, but their traits and abilities were nothing useful for Elijah. Besides, he liked using staves, and as far as he could tell, the swords weren’t in the style Colt or Miguel preferred. So, he was better served just selling them.

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However, he did keep the suit of armor – which was composed of multiple pieces that included a long duster with built-in bracers, a chainmail coat, and greaves. After all, it had been created for Colt, and as far as Elijah was concerned, it would be most useful in the Samurai’s possession.

Next, they moved on to Roman’s Bow, which was called Blindeye.

“Adds five to Dexterity and Strength,” Atticus explained. “The Trait increases the effectiveness of all ambush skills by five percent. It also has an ability called Conjure Arrow which is pretty self-explanatory. A very good weapon, my friend. I know of a dozen Rangers who would kill for such a weapon.”

“I think I’ll keep that one,” Elijah said. “Miguel hasn’t gotten his archetype yet, so if he gets Ranger, this would come in handy.”

“That’s a lot of weapon for someone without a class,” Atticus stated. “Heavy draw. I suspect it takes at least thirty Strength just to draw the string.”

“He’ll grow into it,” Elijah responded. “But if he doesn’t, I’ll be back.”

“Fair enough, my friend. Anything else?”

“A sword,” Elijah said, reaching into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel and retrieving the False Dragon Fang. He set it on Atticus’ table, which immediately drew a reaction. Yet, it was not the one Elijah had expected.

Instead of being awed by the admittedly impressive weapon, Atticus took a step back, demanding, “You haven’t bonded that thing, have you?”

Elijah shook his head. “I don’t use swords.”

“Good. Very good.”

“What’s wrong? It’s a Complex-Grade weapon. My sister-in-law made it.”

“Did she do so under duress?”

Elijah shrugged. “I guess. Why does that matter?” he asked. Carmen had created the weapon in order to avoid having her people killed. If that didn’t count as duress, he didn’t know what would.

“It is cursed.”

“Cursed? What does that mean?” Elijah asked. “I mean, I understand the definition of the word. But what does it mean in the context of this item?”

“A cursed item has a hidden ability. In this case, it’s called Arrogance of the False Dragon. Here,” Atticus said, waving his hand. Above the table, a box similar to the ones containing the notifications appeared:

Arrogance of the False Dragon

Positive: Assert influence over a captive population more easily. Negative: Become overconfident to the point of ruin. May include delusions of grandeur.

“Every curse will have two sides,” Atticus explained. “A positive and a negative. Normally, the negative will outweigh the positive, but from what I’ve read, that is not always the case. Some cursed items are so powerful that people willingly accept the cost. That normally only happens with much higher-grade items, though. The example I read about in the guide was a scepter taken up by a temple priestess. Its ability was an aura that ensured prosperity for those in the city surrounding her. However, the negative aspect was that it caused rapid aging. She accepted it willingly, and over the millennia, her successors have as well.”

Elijah said, “I see.”

But even as he spoke, he wondered if the curse was the cause of the state of Valoria. Perhaps, but he reminded himself that Roman’s crimes preceded the creation of the False Dragon Fang. That assuaged any crisis of conscience he might have experienced.

“I would destroy it,” Atticus advised. “The weapon is a nice piece, but that curse will doubtless prove to be insidious, my friend. You are lucky that you had it appraised before using it. Otherwise, you might never have known.”

“I don’t use swords,” Elijah reiterated. However, in the past, he had bonded items before getting them appraised. That would have to stop.

Regardless, now that he’d had all of his loot appraised, Elijah could get to the true reason he’d come to Argos. So, he asked, “Do you know any architects? Perhaps a sculptor?”

“For what purpose, my friend?”

Elijah told him what he had in mind, then said, “I’m willing to pay whatever it takes. I guess I also need to finally meet whoever’s in charge of this town so I can work out where to put it. My first instinct is to put it near the statue of Heracles, but…I don’t know. I don’t think it matters so much where it is. I just want it to be accessible.”

After that, Atticus explained that Argos was ruled by a council, and as it turned out, Elijah was actually acquainted with one of the six members. “Agatha’s a councilor?” he asked, thinking of the once-surly innkeeper who’d eventually taken a liking to Elijah.

“Likely the most important member,” Atticus revealed. “She tends to browbeat anyone who doesn’t get in line behind her.”

“Interesting. Do you think she’ll have an issue with my plans?”

Atticus was adamant that no one would have a problem with it, which was reassuring. After that came a whirlwind of activity. First, Atticus led Elijah to a woman he claimed was the best Architect in town. It only took a few minutes to get her onboard, largely because Elijah didn’t haggle on the price.

Next, Elijah was introduced to Argos’ highest-level Builder. Because of his efforts during Argos’ rebuild in the wake of the tempest that had swept through the area months before, Elijah already knew of the great bear of a man. However, he’d never met him. As it turned out, Dion – the Builder’s name – took to the idea with great fervor, promising to put his best crew on the project the moment everything was ready.

The following step was to get the project approved by the council, which turned out to be even easier than Elijah could have expected. When he told Agatha what he wanted to do, she said, “Then we will accommodate you. There is a plot only three blocks away that will be perfect.”

As it turned out, the plot, which stood atop a low hill overlooking the city, had once held a large mosque that had collapsed soon after the world’s transformation. Since then, it had been empty, save for the foundations. Elijah first thought it would be a little too big, but Atticus insisted, “Larger is better, my friend. Remember that always.”

Once Elijah had bought the lot from the city, the final item on his to-do list was to meet with a sculptor. Oddly enough, the best artist in town was not a single person, but rather a pair of siblings – Penelope and Iason – who worked in tandem. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to like one another very much, so, even though they had enthusiastically embraced the project, talking to them proved to be quite a labor.

Yet, Elijah endured, and after leaving Alyssa’s statue with them and explaining what he wanted, he set off toward the mountains. For one, he had a few days before the plans could be finalized, and for another, he had a very specific material he wanted to use for the project.

So, Elijah once again found himself trekking across the wilderness. However, his psychological burden felt much lighter than it had during his previous travels, largely because he felt secure in the knowledge that he was finally doing something worthwhile. And he was eager to complete the project that he hoped would adequately honor his sister’s memory.