Path of Dragons

Book 7: Chapter 67: The Gatekeeper

“Are you okay?” asked Sadie, sitting next to Elijah. They’d spent the previous day-and-a-half pulling progressively larger groups of undead to the fortifications they’d built. Without the demons or the leader, and with most of the more powerful creatures having died as a result of Elijah’s efforts, they zombies were markedly weaker than they had been when the group had first arrived in the Primal Realm. They were still strong enough to cause problems if the group wasn’t careful, but so long as they kept their wits about them, Elijah and his companions had no issues dealing with them.

Even so, it was a mentally exhausting process, and now that all but a scattered few zombies had been killed, everyone desperately needed a rest. To facilitate that, Elijah had offered to be the first on watch. By virtue of his cultivation and high attributes, he needed less rest than the others, so that decision made sense, even if it left him feeling even more isolated from the rest of the group.

Sadie, ever attentive, had obviously noticed that, so after only a few hours of sleep, she’d joined him atop one of the boulders, where they had a good view of the product of their labor. There were tens of thousands of bodies piled on either side of the gap, and that was with the group having already burned quite a few.

At times, Elijah had a hard time marrying his self-perception with his actual capabilities. Most days, he still thought of himself as a normal guy and the same person he’d been before the world had changed. It was a silly sentiment. He’d left that man far behind, and in almost every way possible. Yet, people were capable of great feats of self-deception, and, in that respect, Elijah was no different.

But more of an issue was the realization knocking on the door of Elijah’s mind. He gave his worries voice when he said, “I honestly don’t know. I should have realized this sooner, but there’s no chance of us ever being normal again, is there?”

“Is that what you want?” she asked, hugging her knees to her chest. Elijah had already offered his Cloak of the Iron Bear. Due to it being bound to him, its traits wouldn’t work for anyone else, but it could still function as a blanket. Sadie had accepted his offer, so she was bundled in thick, brown fur. For his part, Elijah was fine with enduring the cold. It wasn’t comfortable, but then again, he was used to a live plagued by discomfort.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “I know it’s dumb, but sometimes, I think back to the people in Ironshore. They’re just living their normal lives right now. Going to work. Hanging out with friends. That sort of thing. Meanwhile, we’re here.”

“We have a responsibility, Elijah.”

“I know. I accept that. I’m not even that upset about not living that kind of life,” he explained. “It’s just that I can feel the distance between me and everyone else. That gap is getting wider by the day. How long will it be before I can’t relate to regular people? Before bringing others along would only put them in incredible danger? Once, I dreamed of helping my nephew gain levels. But if he came with me to a tower or into a place like this, he’d be killed before I turned around. The same is true of Carmen. And I feel like some of this group is only a hair’s breadth away from a similar fate. Zhang Yue is barely hanging on. Gideon can’t really keep up. And your brother…I feel like I can heal better than him.”

Elijah shrugged. “Maybe not. He could still surprise me,” he acknowledged. “But I’m close to twice his level, right?”

That was true. Elijah was currently closing in on level one-forty-two, while Nico was probably in his mid-eighties. Maybe as high as ninety. Elijah didn’t know for sure, but with his cultivation, the gap between them was even wider.

“Probably closer to half again his level,” she said. “But he has an elder core as well.”

Elijah could understand Sadie’s desire to defend her brother, but that wasn’t the point. He said as much, adding, “I’m just saying that it won’t be long before I’m too far ahead to benefit from grouping with people like him.”

Also looming over him was the knowledge that, at some point, he would need to leave Earth. That was still a long way off, but the invitation to be trained in the Empire of Scale definitely weighed on him. When the offer had been extended to him, it had felt like it was a long way off. But his current progress suggested that it would come sooner than he’d ever suspected.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m worried about nothing,” he said, running his hand through his hair. He didn’t believe that for a second, but he also didn’t want to argue about it. Sadie was a proud person – both in terms of her own power as well as her family’s – and she didn’t want to admit that she would soon leave her little brother behind. He would probably always be strong, but there was a difference between that and being one of the world’s front runners.

Eventually, Sadie would be forced to confront a choice similar to the one standing before Elijah. Hamper her own growth, but stick around to support her family? Or would she strike out on her own in an effort to maximize her potential?

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For his part, Elijah couldn’t help but wonder about his own future, which he suspected wouldn’t include sitting around his grove and enjoying the fruits of his labor. The trip to the Empire of Scale was just the tip of the iceberg, and from what he understood, if he wanted to continue to progress, he would need to make some tough decisions concerning his personal relationships.

After all, with his increased longevity, the prospect of far outliving everyone else on Earth was a distinct possibility.

“Maybe,” Sadie agreed. Then, for a few moments, she stared out across the battlefield and to the wall in the distance. It loomed over everything, an ominous portent of the difficulties to come. “What do you think is past the wall?”

“I don’t know,” Elijah admitted. He’d been far too focused on the army to even look through the gate. It was an oversight, but one for which he could forgive himself, given the circumstances. “Something horrible, I’m sure.”

She nudged him with her shoulder. “Not losing your nerve, are you?” she asked, smiling slightly at him.

“Not even a little,” he answered, scooting a little closer and putting his arm around her. It was not the most romantic setting, being surrounded by hordes of slain undead. Making it even stranger was that, beneath Elijah’s cloak, Sadie was still wearing her armor. Even so, the closeness was more comforting than he could have expected, and it went a long way toward easing some of his tension.

But eventually, the situation caught up to them. The Primal Realm was still quite a distance from being conquered, and their responsibilities weighed on them with such force that they couldn’t really enjoy the moment of peace for very long.

Still, Elijah regretted it when they were forced to break apart and gather the others. That feeling accompanied him as they crossed the scene of his battle. Until that point, only Dat had seen it, which meant that the others stared at it in awe. At first, they focused on all the dead zombies, but soon, they found themselves standing on the edge of the crater.

“You did all this?” asked Nico, glancing back at Elijah.

In response, he shrugged, answering, “More or less.”

He didn’t want to explain, and for a couple of reasons. The first was that he didn’t want to revisit his memories of what had happened. Maybe he’d be fine with going there at some point in the future, but for now, he was more than content not to even think about it. And second, he felt it was prudent to keep the others guessing. He didn’t care if Dat and Sadie knew his secrets, but the same could not be said for the rest of the group. Specifically, Elijah didn’t trust Gideon or Nico, so he decided to play things close to his chest when it came to his capabilities.

After a little more awestruck investigation that made Elijah feel more than a little uncomfortable, the group moved on. Notably, Gideon claimed the demon’s shield for himself, even though he could barely hold it aloft. As they approached the gate, Elijah saw that a couple of things had changed. First, it was shut, and the gate was blocked by an enormous portcullis. The size of the gate meant that the bars of that portcullis were at least as big around as Elijah’s waist. The gate itself stretched dozens of feet tall, and he suspected that the ironbound doors were thick enough that, even in the Shape of Thorn and using Savage Strength, he wouldn’t be able to knock it down.

But that was the least of his worries, because standing before the gate was a skeletal figure that stood at least twenty feet tall. Its head was encased in green flame, and it carried a large scythe, the black blade of which was encased in similarly verdant fire. With its black robes, it looked like the grim reaper himself stood before them.

“Gate Guard,” Dat said. “Ascended. Too high of a level for Curse of Scrying to determine its exact strength.”

“Don’t attack,” Sadie said.

Gideon didn’t like that, saying to Elijah, “Just do what you did against the army. It wouldn’t survive a blast like the one that made that crater.”

“Sadie’s in charge,” Elijah stated. “If she says not to attack, then we won’t.”

Neither Gideon nor Nico were happy about that, but they knew they were in no position to argue. Zhang Yue hung back, trying to appear as small as possible. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be there, and despite having made large strides forward regarding his levels, he still wasn’t close to the others in terms of power.

“You want me to check it out, bro?” asked Dat.

“We should go together,” Sadie answered. “Everyone, prepare for a fight. But don’t attack unless I call for it. I sense that this thing could easily kill us all.”

With that, Elijah shifted into the Shape of Thorn. Unchecked Growth had reset, so he had that in his back pocket. Even without it, the thorned sentry was Elijah’s most durable form.

They stepped forward, covering the few dozen yards until they drew within range of the black-clad skeleton. The thing was even bigger than Elijah’s initial impressions suggested, and it practically glowed in his senses. Dat’s supposition that it was ascended was obviously correct, and Elijah could sense that it was far stronger than anything else he’d encountered.

Sure, Yloa and many of the creatures in the various challenges of the Trial of Primacy had been technically more advanced. However, with the shackles imposed by the system, none of them could hold a candle to the flame-skulled skeleton.

If it chose to attack, people would die. Fighting was out of the question. Even running wasn’t possible, unless Elijah wanted to sacrifice his companions. He glanced at Gideon. Then Nico. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea, so long as Sadie and Dat got away.

“Let’s get this over with. If it comes down to it, I’ll try to hold it off while everyone escapes,” Elijah stated, knowing he could never abandon a group member, even if he’d grown to detest them.

Sadie agreed, though she wasn’t happy about it. Still, she couldn’t deny that he was best suited for that endeavor, so she had no choice but to go along with it. Soon, they were striding forward, feigning confidence as they approached the skeleton.

They stopped just out of range of its massive scythe.

“It is good that you have not attacked,” the thing rumbled in a voice that sounded like a chorus of screams. It was so loud that it prompted a pounding headache. “Before you lies the Gate of Screams. To bypass this edifice, you must travel through it. In doing so, you must display cunning, might, magic, or stealth. Be warned, this is an individual test. Do not think to lean on your companions. Choose and proceed.”