Path of Dragons

Book 7: Chapter 69: Riddles and Stones

Elijah appeared in a simple, square room. It was made of the same material as the wall outside, so the surface glimmered dully in the light of a single torch set into the wall. A few wet spatters of blood glistened on the floor, evidence of Gideon’s failure.

However, Elijah’s attention was solely on the figure at the center of the room. It was tall and slim, wearing a hooded black robe that obscured its features. Except for a pair of withered, black hands, nothing else of the creature’s body was visible. But Elijah could feel everything he couldn’t see, and he recoiled in horror.

The thing defied description, and the sense of it felt like insects skittering across Elijah’s mind. The most prominent thing he felt was that the thing was cold, and its skin looked like it was covered in advanced frostbite. However, it was not human, and its features were wholly alien, with a multitude of eyes and an odd skeletal structure. In only a second, Elijah knew he was dealing with a monster.

In a voice that conjured memories of cracking ice, the creature hissed, “I creep and crawl, an icy breath. A herald of stillness, a cousin to death. I sap the life and numb the pain. In my embrace, no warmth sustained. What am I?”

Immediately, Elijah recognized the answer. “Frost.”

“That answer is…acceptable.”

At that, the temperature plummeted. Then, the creature said, “You are clever, mortal, but one answer does not free you. The path to escape lies hidden, sealed away from prying eyes. No door I have. No hinge, no key. Yet power flows through parts of me. To wake my path, you must discern, the proper order for power to burn. What am I?”

Elijah nodded, and even though the cold continued to envelop him, he felt that it wasn’t quite as powerful as it should have been. Perhaps that was due to his Cloak of the Iron Bear, but it was probably because of Ward of the Seasons. He’d long since taken to keeping it active at all times, and as such, he often forgot its effects. But it continued to silently protect him from elemental damage.

In any case, with the effects of the cold having been cut, Elijah could fully focus on the riddle. It was only after a few minutes, during which the creature silently watched him, that he remembered the Tin Hua Temple. More specifically, he recalled the runes carved into the columns that had formed a puzzle that Sadie had solved.

After a few moments, Elijah said, “The glyphs on the walls. That’s the answer.”

“Correct,” said the monster. “Infuse your magic, and the path shall open. Beware, a single misstep, and the cold will consume you.”

Elijah stopped mid-stride. He’d expected there to be consequences, but he didn’t think they would be so unforgiving. Clearly, he was wrong. So, he took another few minutes to study the glyphs. As he did, the monster said, “Five runes conceal your fate. A touch of power must activate, the order’s key, a sequence pure. Hints lie within the frost’s allure. Warmth fights the cold, but cold remains. Seek balance now to break frost’s unforgiving chains.”

That gave Elijah some insight into what he saw, and it wasn’t long before he recognized five symbols. The first was a snowflake, the second a flame, the third a water droplet, and a fourth was clearly meant to represent wind. Finally, there was a mountain’s peak.

Ice. Fire. Water. Wind. And earth.

Elijah squatted, lost in thought. If it had been anyone else, they would have already succumbed to the frigid cold. He was merely uncomfortable, though, which allowed him to think clearly.

“Fire and ice,” he muttered. “Ice, then fire. That makes water. Wind is a neutral element, spreading balance. Moving the water across the earth. Then, the cycle continues.”

It fit together, though Elijah wasn’t really as confident as he wished. There were some leaps of logic there, though it felt a little like taking a multiple choice exam. The answer was there, and even if he wasn’t a hundred percent certain, he felt that he’d found the most likely order.

“Well, no risk, no reward,” he said to himself. It didn’t matter if he sat there for days, he wouldn’t magically conjure another answer. So, after taking a deep breath, he stepped close to the rune representing fire and injected a small dose of ethera. It lit up, glowing powerfully, even in the visible spectrum.

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Without hesitation, he crossed to the other side of the room and activated the snowflake representing ice. When he did, a beam of light connected the two. Elijah closed with the water rune, and when he injected it with ethera, it followed the same pattern. Following that was wind and then earth.

At the last, the light merged, hitting the far wall and outlining an arch. The black stone disappeared, revealing another portal.

Elijah let out a relieved sigh as the monster said, “You have proven your cunning. Proceed.”

He didn’t hesitate to do just that, and to his surprise, he found himself in a much larger, but otherwise identical room. This one, however, featured a giant, ogre-like demon with sweeping horns. The thing was made all of muscle, and it was at least a couple of feet taller than Elijah.

“Challenge,” the thing grunted. “Lift rocks in order. Biggest rock wins.”

Then, the creature pointed to a series of ten boulders that ranged from basketball sized to one that was at least as big as a minivan. The implication was clear – they were to lift each of the rocks, one after the other, and whoever failed first would be the loser. Elijah wasn’t certain what would happen if he lost, but judging by the size of those final boulders, he felt good about his chances.

So, he shifted into the Shape of Thorn. The ogre-demon narrowed its beady eyes, but he didn’t object. Instead, he said, “I go first.”

Just as Elijah had expected, the creature proceeded to pick up one stone after the other. At first, he did so easily, but about halfway through, the creature began to struggle. He reached the point of failure on the eighth stone. The problem wasn’t really the demon’s strength. He was certainly straining, but the real issue was that he struggled to grip the perfectly round stone. It slipped from his claws with a thud.

The demon slapped his muscular slab of a chest and let out a roar before growling, “You now. Go.”

Elijah set his shoulders, then approached the first ball. With one hand, he lifted it. The thing was far heavier than its size would have suggested, but it was still no more than three or four hundred pounds. Which meant it wasn’t difficult for Elijah to lift.

After tossing it down, he moved on to the second, which was at least twice as heavy. Still easy enough to manage, but when Elijah reached the third stone and realized that the pattern continued, he started to worry. He was no stranger to lifting things weighing multiple tons, but if his estimates were correct, the tenth stone would weigh close to a hundred tons.

In the past, that would have been out of reach. However, he’d gained a few levels since he’d built his last dolmen – which was the last time he’d tested his strength to any degree – and even then, he hadn’t pushed himself to his limits. So, perhaps he could manage it. But like the ogre-demon, he would struggle with his grip. Still, it wasn’t as if he had a choice in the matter, so he set his mind to the task at hand.

After spending the previous challenge relying on his brain, leaning on his brawn was a nice change of pace. It was almost relaxing, though that began to fade as he progressed from one stone sphere after another. And it disappeared entirely when he reached the seventh, which was at least as heavy as the hunks of rock he’d used in his last dolmen.

Surprisingly, he managed the stone without too much trouble. But Elijah knew the eighth would test him.

So, after throwing down the seventh, he shifted toward the next. It was much too large for him to reach all the way around its circumference, but with his vines acting to stabilize the load, he managed it. Then, finally, he lifted. At first, the weight didn’t budge, but then, inch by inch, he hoisted it aloft. He held it there for a short moment before letting drop to the ground.

A normal stone probably would have shattered, but this one didn’t. Magic, Elijah assumed.

But he also knew he wasn’t finished. The goal wasn’t to simply match the ogre-demon’s strength. He needed to best the creature. So, he shifted toward the next. By his calculations, this one weighed at least sixty tons, give or take a few thousand pounds. His estimates certainly weren’t exact, but one thing was sure – it was extremely heavy.

Even so, Elijah felt good about his chances. The eighth stone had been taxing, but it wasn’t his limit. Not by a long shot.

So, using a similar strategy with the vines on his arms and shoulders, Elijah established a grip. Then, he lifted. His joints creaked under the strain, but with his adrenaline having peaked, he managed to get it off the ground. After that, it was just a matter of willpower, and like the last, Elijah managed to lever it into position.

He released it with a pump of his fist.

“Strong. You pass,” said the ogre-demon, obviously ashamed at his showing.

Elijah barely heard him. Instead, he had his eye on the final stone. It was at least twice the size of the last, and if his estimates were accurate, it probably weighed more than a hundred tons. Later, when he would look back on what happened next, Elijah would wonder what got into him to prompt such an action. It didn’t make any sense. It wouldn’t help him in any way. But with the challenge looming before him, Elijah needed to see if he could do it.

So, he shifted into position before the final sphere, then wrapped his arms and vines around it. When he tried to lift, the thing wouldn’t budge. The ogre-demon said something derogatory about Elijah’s efforts, but by that point, Elijah had tuned everything else out. Instead, he only had room in his mind for two things – his body and the stone.

He let out a mighty roar, but still, the thing wouldn’t move.

Had he met his match?

Elijah wasn’t willing to admit defeat, so he activated Savage Strength. The stone shifted, then ascended an inch. Two inches. Three. Elijah passed his knees, then gave himself a break by setting it on his thighs. They nearly buckled under the weight.

Then, with Savage Strength ticking down, Elijah tried to resume his lift.

But it would not budge another inch.

No matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it was stuck in place. And eventually, he had to admit defeat. Disgusted, he let the thing fall, and to Elijah’s surprise, it actually cracked the black tiles on the floor. None of the others had done that.

His shoulders sagged in exhaustion, but he was so dismayed with his failure that he didn’t even glance back at the ogre-demon before he strode forward and through the next portal.