Path of Dragons

Book 8: Chapter 29: Appraisals

“I hate you so much. Have I told you that recently?” sighed Carmen, turning the Verdant Fang over in her hands. She handled it much better than he’d have expected, given that she didn’t have a combat class. But in retrospect, her familiarity with weapons should not have been surprising, given her background. She’d been thrust into combat more often than many Warriors. “Do you know what this is?”

“Uh…my new staff?”

“Obviously,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But I mean, I’ve been chasing Sophisticated-Grade for years. I’m pretty sure I’ll get there with Sadie’s armor and new sword, but…you just pop out of your grove waving this monstrosity around, acting like it’s no big deal? You realize this is probably the single best item in the world, right? You’re not even a crafter.”

“I craft plenty of stuff.”

“You know what I mean,” she said, testing the weapon’s balance. She had plenty of room in which to swing it, as the smithy located in the Forge of Creation hadn’t been fully stocked. Her tools were there, as well as a temporary forge, but beyond that, it was just a big, empty room.

“I have a lot of advantages most people don’t have, though,” Elijah pointed out. “That weapon incorporated a natural treasure at least on par with that hunk of metal Sadie gave you. Nerthus has been growing the tree for months now. And it is entirely suffused with my flavor of ethera. I think the only way it could have gotten better is if I was an actual Tradesman, and even then, I’m not so sure.”

He went on to describe the process, making certain to emphasize the fact that he didn’t really have much control over the final product. Which was true. He didn’t. He couldn’t even interpret the glyphs he’d carved, and he certainly hadn’t set out to create a scythe. But that was where nature had directed him.

He massaged the back of his neck, saying, “I don’t know, but I feel pretty sure you wouldn’t give up control just so you can get a slightly better stick.”

Indeed, if there was ever a control freak – especially when it came to crafting – Carmen fit the description. Even if she didn’t always acknowledge it.

“The description was kind of vague. I was planning on visiting Atticus to have him assess it. I have another piece I need him to look at before I put it on.”

“Smart. I can tell you that it has a trait, though. Plus bonuses.”

Elijah had already established the first part, and he’d been happy to find that the staff increased his attributes by thirty-five points in every category. Even if that was its only enhancement, those bonuses would make it his most powerful piece of equipment, except maybe for his Sash of the Whirlwind. It was difficult to quantify how much that little belt helped him, considering that he’d grown so accustomed to the increased reflexes.

Regardless, Elijah was very happy with the end result.

“How’s progress with Sadie’s armor?” he asked.

“Almost finished, actually. I got Gavina to create the padding, but I haven’t attached it yet. That’s probably the last step before I complete the project,” Carmen said.

“Well? Where is it?” he asked.

“Do you really think I’m going to show you before I show it to Sadie?”

“I’m kind of paying for it,” he reminded her. “Is the crystal already hooked up?”

“Temporarily. It’s running the forge over there,” she answered, hiking her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the direction. Elijah had already felt the dense ethera emanating from the flames, but with it closed at the moment, it was somewhat muted. “Donny and the boys already have a design meant to funnel that power to the rest of the compound. We’ll have more energy than we know what to do with.”

“Awesome,” Elijah said. “So? The armor?”

“Not going to happen,” Carmen said with a grin. She handed the Verdant Fang back to Elijah. “You about ready for your trip?”

Elijah shook his head. “Not really. I still have a batch of soap to make, and I need to pick up my new armor from Gavina,” he answered. “I was going to roast some coffee to see if I could sell it in the auction, but the cherries won’t be ready for a couple of weeks. I should jet over to Argos first, though.”

“Well, if you do, tell Atticus that he’ll have a new shipment of armor coming before he leaves for the auction,” she said.

“Oh?” asked Elijah.

“Yeah. Figured I’d throw a little something in there. I finished it just before I started on Sadie’s armor.”

“Why go through Atticus?”

“He gets experience for that kind of thing. Plus, we’re partners. Keeps me from having to deal with people,” she stated. “I worked retail in college, and let me tell you – I have no desire to do that again. Working with Atticus is a win-win for me.”

That made sense. Anyone who’d spent any time in a customer-facing position probably had similar views to working with the public. Still, Elijah wondered just how big of a cut Atticus was taking.

Not that it mattered. Carmen’s business was her own, and she was certainly capable of running it herself. So, despite his protective streak concerning his sister-in-law, Elijah left that topic behind. For the next few minutes, they talked about the state of the Forge of Creation – Carmen had seemed to latch onto that name for her overarching project – and Elijah’s expectations for the upcoming Summit.

Eventually, though, he couldn’t justify staying any longer. Or maybe it was the fact that Carmen kept looking longingly at her forge, as if she couldn’t wait for him to leave so she could get back to work. He obliged, telling her that he’d stop by before he left for the Summit. Elijah wasn’t sure if she even heard him, as focused on her forge as she was. She did wave goodbye, but even that gesture epitomized her distraction.

Sighing, Elijah just shook his head in amusement as he left the smithy and traversed the Forge of Creation. He couldn’t deny that he was more than a little impressed with the progress, but he couldn’t really focus on it because he was too was distracted by all the things he needed to get done before he and Sadie headed to Seattle for the Summit.

So, as soon as he was outside, he transformed into the Shape of the Sky and headed to the grove. Once there, he used Roots of the World Tree to open a personal portal to the Dragon Circle near Argos. Not long after stepping through, he found himself striding into the city.

In a lot of ways, it was much the same as it always had been. The general aesthetic hadn’t changed, but everything seemed cleaner, more prosperous, and, judging by the repositioning of the city’s walls, much larger. The city had grown, and in more ways than one.

He took a little time to stop by the temple he’d built in his sister’s memory, though he didn’t stay long. However, he was intrigued by the aura of vitality it emanated. It wasn’t as powerful as what encapsulated his grove, but he suspected that it helped keep most of the city healthier than they would have been otherwise. It was interesting to imagine what it might be in the future.

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But that depended on people like him keeping Earth safe from excisement or other threats. So, with that on his mind, he didn’t stay longer than it took him to pay his respects to his slain sister. That left him feeling slightly guilty – after all, she deserved his full attention – but if anyone would have understood, it would have been Alyssa.

After leaving the temple behind, Elijah made a beeline toward Atticus’ shop. To his surprise, though, the small building where it had once been housed was gone. In its place was a large structure the size of a warehouse and featuring an elaborate façade. Elijah stepped inside, only to be greeted by a young man in a crisp suit. It was well-fitted, but the boy was in that awkward stage where nothing seemed to go where he wanted it to.

“How may I help you, sir?” the gangly youth asked.

“I’m here to see Atticus,” Elijah answered. Before the boy could object, he added, “Just tell him Elijah’s here.”

Perhaps it was the confidence with which Elijah approached the subject, or maybe the boy could sense his power, but he quickly thought better of any objection he might’ve raised and headed toward the back of the building. That left Elijah to peruse the goods on offer.

And there were a lot of them.

It reminded Elijah of a department store from an old school shopping mall, complete with mannequins and soothing music meant to put people in the mood for wanton consumerism. However, instead of various styles of clothing, the items on display were mostly armor or weapons.

Clearly, Atticus had expanded. Not surprising, given the work he’d put into creating his consortium back in the Trial of Primacy. Still, it was nice to see his friend moving up in the world.

Elijah was leaning close to a large battle axe when he felt Atticus approaching. He looked up to see that his friend had cultivated a large, bushy beard and shaved his head. In addition, he’d put on a little weight – most, but certainly not all of it muscle.

“My friend!” he exclaimed, arms outspread. “You should have warned me you were coming. We could have had a banquet!”

Elijah considered dodging Atticus’ friendly embrace, but in the end, he waited too long, and soon enough, the man’s long arms were wrapped around him in a tight hug. When he broke away, Atticus held him at arm’s length and said, “You’ve gotten stronger, my friend. Much stronger.”

Elijah ran his hand through his hair, saying, “Yeah. No rest for the wicked, I suppose. You have a minute to appraise some items? I know you’re probably busy, so if you want to pass it on to one of your subordinates…”

“Never!” Atticus exclaimed. “Come, come. Let me show you around first.”

As it turned out, Atticus’ business had exploded, and the current location was only one of many. He’d expanded into three other cities, including Seattle. “I believe you will be impressed with its progress. The city is doubtless much different than when you last visited.”

“I hope so. A little stability goes a long way,” Elijah acknowledged.

The tour didn’t take that long, largely because Elijah wasn’t particularly interested in most of the goods. He was a simple man, and for the most part, he had everything he needed.

Even so, he was still impressed when Atticus led him into the VIP area, where the most valuable items were kept. Some of those tempted Elijah, but he refrained from any large purchases – mostly because he wanted to save his money for the auction.

Finally, they reached one of the appraisal chambers, which was already manned by a stout woman in a pantsuit. Atticus ushered her outside – which elicited a bit of a pout that the proprietor pretended not to see. However, when she was gone and the door had shut, he said, “They work on commission. I’ll make it up to her later, though. Besides, I’m fairly certain you won’t be selling whatever it is you want me to appraise.”

That much was true. Elijah only had two items he wanted Atticus to look at, and the first was the Verdant Fang. The second he set it on the table, Atticus gave a sharp intake of breath.

“Sophisticated grade.”

“Yeah. Made it only a few days ago, but aside from the attribute increases, I have no idea what it does,” Elijah admitted.

Atticus waved his hand, and a facsimile of a system notification shimmered into view:

“My friend…”

“This is better than I expected,” Elijah said. Indeed, even the attribute bonuses were incredible, but those traits were absolute game-changers. Immediately, he wanted to try them out, but he thought he’d let Atticus continue his explanation before he started shooting off lightning bolts.

“The first trait has an internal cooldown,” the Merchant explained. “Maybe a minute or two. But you should know that if you use it too often, it will break. Not all at once, but it will slowly degrade until it shatters entirely.”

“How often can I use it, do you think?”

“Personally, I would not use it unless absolutely necessary. No more than once a day, except in dire circumstances. Fortunately, the second trait is constant. You only need to run ethera through it to activate the enhancement,” Atticus explained.

After retrieving the staff from the table, Elijah did just that. Immediately, the weapon burst into ethereal green flames, though they didn’t burn him. In fact, they felt energizing in a way he couldn’t really explain.

“That is an amazing weapon, my friend. If it was anyone else, I would warn them to be careful that it is not stolen. Luckily, it will not work for anyone else It is bound to you and your grove.”

“This isn’t, though,” Elijah said, pulling the next item from his Ghoul-Hide Satchel. He set the Antlers of the Wild Revenant on the table, and Atticus used his ability to appraise it. A moment later, another notification shimmered into being:

“That…I do not know what to think of this, my friend,” Atticus stated. “Four traits is more than I have ever seen from a single item. The additional attributes are good, but for the grade, nothing special. The False Grove trait might be powerful, depending on the size of the pool. But the others…”

Elijah nodded along. He wasn’t certain what use the Crown of Authority ability might be, but he definitely liked the idea of having a second pool of ethera at his beck and call. In addition, the ability to see through stealth and invisibility – as well as resist mental manipulation – was incredibly useful.

In all, he suspected that the Antlers of the Wild Revenant would prove to be just as – if not more – useful than the Verdant Fang.

“No curses or anything, right?”

“No. But this item does not have a happy history,” Atticus answered. “Use it better than its previous owner.”

Elijah agreed to do just that, then bound the item before slipping it back into his satchel.

“Now, on to happier developments – I have opened my own restaurant nearby. I’ve hired nothing but the best Cooks and Chefs, so I hope you’ll join me for a feast!”

“You had me at feast.”

“That’s the last…never mind. Let’s go. I’m starving!”