Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO ON KINDLE SEPT. 2)

“There is such a thing as too much soap,” Sadie said, her hands on her hips as she stared at the crates Elijah had piled next to the treehouse. As it turned out, his effort had produced much more soap than he’d ever expected. Some of that was due to his abundance of materials as well as Biggle’s help. However, it was also because he’d recently added a few smaller crates to the mix.

Those were the results of the very last of the lard taken from the boar king – he’d kept it preserved in a specially made cask – and lye made from the ash from burning the wood from the tree from which he’d carved his staff. He’d also infused it with aloe made by Biggle – and grown on the island – which gave it even more potent restorative properties. However, that batch was intended for his own use, though he did set aside a dozen bars to sell in the auction.

“This is like gold,” Elijah explained. “As long as people know what it is, it’ll sell like hotcakes.”

“You barely use the money you have,” she reminded him.

“Well, yeah. But you never know when I might find something I can’t live without. You should have seen some of the stuff at Atticus’ place. Even you would have been impressed,” Elijah said. “Speaking of which – did Carmen finish your armor yet? What about your sword?”

“Supposed to pick it up today.”

“Cutting it a little close, aren’t you?” Elijah asked. He’d picked up his own armor shortly after returning from Argos, and he was mostly happy with the results. He recalled the description he’d received from Gavina:

Druid’s Armor

Composed of seven pieces (Bracers x2, Gauntlets, Chestguard, Pants, Footwraps x2). Total attribute bonuses (from individual pieces):

+25 Strength

+30 Dexterity

+20Constitution

+15 Ethera

+25 Regeneration

There was also a headband he could have worn, though Elijah had foregone it in favor of the Antlers of the Wild Revenant which could be thankfully concealed, even from his own senses. He couldn’t even feel the helm, which was quite a relief.

The armor itself looked a lot like his old set, though there were quite a few more decorative touches. Gavina’s craft had improved, and the only reason the new set didn’t have a trait attached to it was because of the materials. The hide used to create the Armor of the Boar King had belonged to a powerful guardian, while the leather of his new set of armor had come from a mundane – if high-leveled – beast. That kind of thing mattered for the final product.

Still, Elijah wasn’t disappointed with the results, and in addition to the increased attributes, the new set of armor was incredibly durable. He could cut it with one of his daggers – as he established by toying with the headband he didn’t intend to use – but it took no small degree of effort. Hopefully, it would offer some protection, at least against slashing attacks.

“We’re not leaving until the morning. It’ll be fine,” Sadie said. “The better question is how are you going to carry all of that with you.”

“Still working on it,” Elijah admitted. The crates would be easy enough to carry – after all, soap didn’t weigh that much, at least compared to giant rocks. However, the many boxes would make for an awkward burden. He intended to ask the local porter’s guild for advice, though he expected he’d have to pay for it. That was fine, though. He had money, and they deserved payment for their expertise. “But I think you’re forgetting one very important matter. Do you want to stay together while we’re in Seattle?”

It wasn’t as simple a question to answer as it appeared to be. For one, they were both prominent people, and if they stayed in the same room, their alliance would likely draw plenty of attention. Elijah didn’t so much care about that, but Sadie had rightly pointed out that it would probably make everyone else a little defensive. Or opportunistic, in some cases. Regardless of which way it went, the reality was that there would be long-reaching effects.

In addition, Sadie expected that her family would be there as well. She hadn’t quite given up hope for Heaven’s Bastion, which meant that she knew she’d need to return and set things right. Doing that would require working with her grandfather and brother. So, Sadie didn’t want to offend them by shacking up with someone they clearly disdained.

In addition, Tianwei was clearly a very old-fashioned sort of guy, and he would obviously have objections if he knew they were practically living together, albeit temporarily. It all seemed a little silly to Elijah, though he’d never say as much to Sadie. If it was his family, he’d have simply told them what was going on and expected them to accept it. If they couldn’t, then they wouldn’t be part of his life.

Not that that would have ever happened with his family. The only thing they ever cared about – at least concerning his decisions – was whether or not his choices would make him happy. Sure, there were disagreements. Objections to bad decisions, too. Plenty of punishments for those bad choices, as well. But in the end, he was always free to make his own mistakes. So, he couldn’t really relate to Sadie’s issues, even if he understood them well enough.

And when that kind of thing happened, he knew it was best to simply keep his mouth shut and support her, which was exactly what he’d resolved to do.

Once Elijah had finished cataloguing his soap, he joined Sadie to go pick up her armor. Unfortunately, that meant taking the rowboat he hated so much. For some reason, Sadie hated flying on his back, even if it was an objectively superior means of travel. There was no accounting for taste, it seemed.

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In any case, after an interminable boat ride, they reached the docks. The trip through the city was pleasant enough, but even though Elijah wanted to stop for ice cream, Sadie was eager to collect her armor. So, they reached Carmen’s smithy soon after their arrival in the city.

“Expected you a little sooner,” Carmen said, who for once, was just relaxing on the weathered couch against one wall. “Almost dozed off.”

“Are you going to put that couch in the other smithy?” Elijah asked.

“The attached office, yeah. It’s served me well,” she admitted, patting the piece of worn leather furniture with fondness. “But we’re not here to talk about couches, are we?”

Sadie hadn’t said a word. Instead, her eyes were locked on an object in the center of the smithy. It had a black cloth draped over it, but everyone in the room knew precisely what it was.

“Ready for the big reveal?”

“God, yes,” Sadie breathed.

Grinning, Carmen pushed herself off the couch, then crossed the room. “Took me a bit to get the alloy just right, but I think I got it perfect,” she said before grabbing hold of the cloth. Then, she yanked it away, revealing a white-and-gold set of armor that cast the entire forge in bright light. “You want the appraisal notification first? Or you want to try it on?”

“Appraisal.”

“Thought that might be the case,” Carmen said. Then, she handed Sadie a piece of paper. “Sorry. I don’t have the ability to make a notification appear out of thin air, but this is what it says.”

Sadie stared at the piece of paper for almost a minute, her eyes widening with every passing second. Finally, she breathed, “This is amazing. Sophisticated?”

“Yep. And I didn’t have to cheat to do it, either,” Carmen answered, puffing out her chest as she stared at Elijah.

“I didn’t cheat.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” she argued.

“Can I see?” Elijah asked.

“Give her a second. Damn.”

Elijah was incredibly impatient, and he considered simply looking over Sadie’s shoulder. But that would have been rude, doubtless earning Sadie’s ire. So, he refrained from giving into that particular impulse.

Finally, she handed the piece of paper over. “Take a look,” she said absently as she stared at the set of shining armor. Elijah took the page as she approached Carmen’s creation, which was arranged over a sturdy, wooden mannequin. In addition to the armor itself, there was an enormous, scabbarded sword leaning against it from behind.

Elijah took a look at the paper:

Justicar’s Regalia

Overall Grade: Sophisticated (Low)

Enchantment Grade: B

Description: The Justicar’s Regalia consists of eight pieces (Bracers x2, Gauntlets, Breastplate, Greaves, Sabatons x2, Helm)

Attribute Bonuses:

+85 Strength

+50 Dexterity

+85 Constitution

+50 Ethera

+50 Regeneration

Traits:

Celestial Health: Slowly Heal over Time

Light in the Dark: Reveal Hidden Enemies

“Damn,” Elijah breathed. It was unequivocally better than his armor, though that probably wasn’t surprising. His was a lower-grade, and it had been made from less powerful ingredients. However, he did find that he was slightly jealous. If only he habitually wore plate armor, maybe Carmen could have made him something similar. Yet, the idea of cladding himself in metal just felt wrong.

Then, he checked out the next listing, which was for the sword:

Final Verdict

Overall Grade: Complex (Peak)

Enchantment Grade: C

Description: The Final Verdict is justice taken physical form.

Attribute Bonuses:

+15 Strength

+30 Constitution

+15 Ethera

+10 Regeneration

Traits:

Verdict: Judge an enemy.

Call of Penance: Force the guilty into submission.

Elijah felt a small wave of relief that it wasn’t as powerful a weapon as the Verdant Fang – at least regarding the attribute bonuses – but he had to admit that it fit Sadie. After he’d read the description, Carmen shooed him away from the smithy so Sadie could have some privacy while trying on the new armor. Carmen intended to make adjustments to the fit, and neither of them wanted Elijah underfoot while they dialed it in.

So, he soon found himself kicked out and on his own.

Which was fine. He had things to do.

First on his list was to run by the porter’s guild, where he met with Abraham, the human in charge. Apparently, he’d worked as a truck driver before the world had changed, and he’d taken the Teamster class when given the opportunity.

“Way I see it, you got two options,” the man said, mopping his bald head with a cloth. “You can strap it all together, then carry it. Not sure if you got the muscles for that, but it’s a viable option, I s’pose. Or you can hire us to carry it for you. Now, we don’t come cheap – especially for such a long trip, but we’ll get it there on time and intact. Nobody else can say as much, I’ll tell you that.”

Elijah very much didn’t want to carry the crates of soap himself, so he completed a deal with Abraham that would have the porters deliver the soap via the Teleportation Spires. As Abraham had said, it wasn’t particularly cheap, but Elijah felt it was worth it, all the same.

Once they’d stuck a deal, he headed back to the island, gathered one of the crates in his talons, and flew back to the porter’s guild. That caused a bit of a ruckus, but once they realized it was him, people settled down.

Mostly.

Another few trips, and Elijah’s soap was all where it was supposed to be. If everything went according to the porter’s plans, then it would arrive in Seattle before he did. After all, the Teleportation Spires were already open, so they only had to wait for their time slot.

With that finished, Elijah retreated to the island where he made his final preparations. He went over his packed bag what felt like a dozen times so that he was certain he had everything he needed. But in the end, he decided that if he forgot anything, he’d just have to do without. Or replace it in Seattle.

By that point, Sadie had returned, her armor in a crate on her back. She was happier than Elijah had seen her since Dat’s death, so the meal they shared afterwards was as pleasant as any other they’d eaten together.

Then, they headed to bed, where they enjoyed one last night on the island. Because in the morning, they knew that they’d have to get back to the real world and all the responsibilities that came with it.

Neither really looked forward to it, but Elijah would have been lying if he said that he wasn’t at least a little excited about what was coming. Vacations were great. Being with Sadie was even better. But over the weeks since he’d been back in the grove, he’d begun to grow a little antsy as his wanderlust returned to grab hold of his mind.

No – as much as he and Sadie had needed the break, it was a good thing that they were getting back to the lives they truly wanted to lead.