Path of Dragons

Enormous walls of red sandstone loomed over Elijah, though he was separated from the bulwark by an empty moat, the bottom of which was festooned with sharp stakes and mud that smelled quite suspicious. The implication was obvious – if someone fell into the moat with an open wound, they would soon develop an infection. With inflated attributes and the availability of healing, such an infection was unlikely to be fatal, but curing it would still take resources.

And for any potential attacker, those resources would be better used on more immediate injuries.

Not a debilitating defense against a determined attacker, but one that could make a difference over time. And judging by the few dead bodies Elijah saw below, it had already been put to the test.

He circled the fortress looking for a way inside, but the gates were sealed tight. No one entered. No one left. The people atop the walls looked ready to fire upon anyone who came too close, which told Elijah that this was a city at war.

That was not a surprising revelation, given what he'd already seen in the region. Whoever was in charge did not want another New Delhi on their hands. The question that plagued Elijah's thoughts was who the residents of this new fortress were. Following from that was his curiosity concerning their attackers.

But the area around the fortress held no answers, so he quickly moved on.

His first attempt to enter the city by stealth was a remarkable failure. Under the Guise of the Unseen, he leaped high into the air, used Cloud Step to jump even higher, then threw himself at the wall's summit.

That was where things went wrong.

He hit a plane of ethera, then rebounded. More troublingly, the contact robbed him of Guise of the Unseen, exposing him to the hundreds of sentries stationed upon the wall walk. They reacted quickly, filling the air with arrows that flew with unerring accuracy. Elijah used Cloud Step again, vaulting to the side in an effort to avoid the projectiles.

That gave him a second to think.

The shield covering the wall wasn't so durable that he couldn't break through. It would take a good hit, but one he could manage well enough. It would be even easier if he used his Mantle of Authority. However, if he took either route, he would surely draw the ire of every soldier within the fort. Considering that Elijah had no reason to kill them – which was what he'd probably have to do if it came down to a fight – he preferred to take a different tactic.

As he came to that conclusion, another flight of arrows came in his direction. So, he used the remaining three charges of Cloud Step to quickly throw himself hundreds of yards away. He didn't stop, either – not until he reached the tree line. He plunged into the foliage going more than a hundred miles an hour.

Once he reached the cover of the jungle, he slowed to a stop. He once again adopted Guise of the Unseen, retreating further into the dense foliage. A valid precaution, considering that only a few moments after he'd disappeared into the trees, an enormous missile crashed into the foliage, hitting with the force of a bomb. Tree trunks cracked, and the shockwave swept through the undergrowth like a hurricane. When the dust settled, Elijah saw what looked like a huge crossbow bolt.

"Ballista," he whispered to himself only a few seconds before another hit about thirty yards away. Vaguely, he remembered seeing some siege weapons at the tops of the towers peppering the walls.

The bolts themselves were at least five feet long, with shafts almost as thick as his wrist. More interestingly, they shimmered with ethera, suggesting that they'd been under the influence of some ability. Was there a Siege Weapon Operator class? Perhaps.

In any case, Elijah wasted no more time before retreating from the area. He kept running through the jungle until he'd gone almost ten miles, after which he slowed to a stop and took shelter within a small building that had been almost entirely reclaimed by the rainforest. Inside was dank and damp, and it smelled of rotten meat, suggesting that some opportunistic carnivore had recently used it as a den. Whatever it was, it was now gone, so Elijah took a few moments to steady himself and plan.

It didn't take him long to decide he needed a bird's eye view of the situation. So, he vaulted to the top of the building, which felt as if it would crumble under his normal weight. He immediately leaped toward the sky, and when he'd cleared the canopy, he transformed into the Shape of Sky.

Climbing toward the clouds, he took stock of the terrain. The jungle stretched for as far as he could see – even using Eyes of the Eagle – though someone had gone to great lengths to cut paths through the dense foliage. A few were clearly foot trails, but there were two that were wide enough to be highways. And they were well maintained, suggesting that they were important.

Elijah couldn't help but feel impressed with the view from above. The fortress was perfectly symmetrical, and as he'd suspected, densely packed with buildings made of the ubiquitous red sandstone. He also caught sight of marble, a wide pool that probably served as their source of drinking water, and enough siege weapons to make the defenses look impenetrable.

If he tried to approach in the Shape of the Sky, he would be forced to retreat well before he could land. Despite his high attributes and advanced cultivation, he was not invulnerable – a fact he needed to keep at the forefront of his mind so he didn't bite off more than he could chew.

Perhaps he was at the forefront of the world, but everything he'd experienced so far told him that his lead wasn't insurmountable. With enough people and the right gear – like those siege weapons – Elijah could be injured. Or maybe even killed, though he doubted that bit, especially given the power of his healing and his ability to retreat.

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But what would that gain him?

He had no quarrel with the people in that fortress. From what he'd seen, they'd given shelter to the refugees from New Delhi. If anything, he just wanted information so he could help.

So, it was with some trepidation that he decided that a more straightforward approach was called for. After all, it had worked in New York.

Without further consideration, he landed before sprinting back to the tree line, then shifted into his human form. Once that transformation was complete, he strode along one of the trails that led toward the largest gate.

He didn't stop until he was within a hundred feet of the moat.

"One step more, and we'll fill you with holes!" came an accented shout from above. Elijah glanced toward the battlements, then raised his hands in surrender. His instincts told him to meet their challenge with violence, but he chose to push those thoughts aside. An attack would serve no purpose. His pride wasn't so fragile that he needed to meet every perceived insult or momentary disrespect with aggression.

"Just trying to get some information," he shouted, his voice echoing far louder than any mundane human's could. "I went through New Delhi. I just want to know what happened there."

"Who are you? Where are you from?"

"Most recently? From New York. Before that…all around," Elijah answered. "Look – I'm not going to stand here and shout back and forth. If you want to send someone down, I promise I won't attack unprovoked. Otherwise, I'll be on my way."

Silence reigned for the next few moments. Elijah let out a sigh, then turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He stopped and glanced back toward the gate.

"Give us a few minutes!" came another shout.

"I can do that," Elijah responded. Then, he sank to the ground, crossed his legs, and pretended to meditate. In truth, his entire body was tense, his every muscle flexed with a need to act. He wanted to move. To get his answers in the quickest and most expedient way.

But that wasn't how the world worked. He could wait, and if he was going to do that, he would do so with a purpose. Showing them that he was entirely unconcerned with their ballistae – and whatever other weapons they could bring to bear – would make them think twice before attacking.

And that could potentially save a lot of lives.

Controlling his breathing, he waited as the minutes passed. It was only after a quarter of an hour that he heard the creak of a door. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that they'd opened the wicket door, which was a much smaller gate meant to allow a single person to enter or exit the fortress.

Elijah remained in place as he heard a set of footsteps approach. They were light, suggesting high dexterity. A woman, likely. Or a slight man.

The smell of coconuts wafted into his nostrils, reminding him of lotion. It was accompanied by a scent he couldn't identify. An aroma that was both clean and mildly spicy. The combination was soft, luxurious, and undeniably elegant.

Definitely a woman.

Finally, Elijah opened his eyes to see an Indian woman wearing hardened leather armor, dyed black and engraved with thousands of whorls gilded with oxidized gold filigree. Across her chest was a red sash that stretched from one shoulder to the opposite hip, where a tulwar hung. Her hair hung in a single, thick braid, and a red bindi decorated her forehead.

A delicate gold chain stretched from one nostril piercing to her ear. And her eyes were lined with black makeup – kohl, he remembered.

She was not a big woman. Less than five-and-a-half feet tall and slightly built. However, she held herself with a distinct nobility that suggested that she was confident in her power.

And rightly so. Elijah couldn't determine her exact level, but over the years, he'd grown somewhat proficient at guessing. And he put her at a similar level to the guild leaders back in New York. Perhaps a few levels higher or lower, but still an elite by anyone's measure.

He couldn't get a good idea of her cultivation, though he knew that she had taken at least some steps down that particular path of power.

"Elijah Hart," she said, her voice raspy. Only then did Elijah see the scar at her throat. For some reason, it reminded him of Halima, the Immortal he'd killed in the Trial of Primacy.

He nodded, unsurprised that she knew his name. After all, there were many Warrior classes that had access to identification abilities. He rose smoothly to his feet. "You have me at a disadvantage," he said, giving her his most winning smile.

"My name is Anupriya Pandey," she stated, obviously not affected by his charm. "Why have you come to Kalki?"

"Kalki?"

"The harbinger of the world's renewal. She rides forth on a pale horse, sweeping across the land to burn the rot from the world. A purifier. A fitting name for our last fortress."

"Is that your goal? To purify the world?" Elijah asked.

"It has already begun," Anupriya stated confidently. "Perhaps it is finished, and this is our new beginning. We endure, and in her wake, start anew."

"I see."

At least she wasn't part of some doomsday cult that wanted to purify the world. Elijah had heard a few tales of how people had reacted to Earth's transformation, and it wouldn't have been surprising if someone had interpreted religious teachings as a mandate for destruction.

Though admittedly, he was no expert on Hinduism, so he had no idea if such a thing was even possible. Certainly, it would have been plausible for many other religions, though.

"I will repeat my question but once. Why have you come?"

Elijah decided that niceties would be wasted on the woman. So, he explained what he'd found in New Delhi, then expressed his intentions to ensure that the refugees had reached safety. Finally, he added, "I want to stop whatever war is going on here. I was hoping you would help."

She responded, telling him that the refugees were safe and well cared for within Kalki. However, at the offer of help, she scoffed, saying, "If you would like to help, then go forth and rid the world of the blight that is elven kind. We tried to negotiate peace. They refused our offers, and their leader said that they would not rest until Kalki lay in ruins. They were the ones who sacked New Delhi, and they will not stop until everything is ash."

With that, she turned and strode toward the fortress. Elijah shouted, "Wait!"

She did, though she didn't turn. "What?"

"Where are they?" he asked. "Where can I find them?"

"Go north and west. The war elf encampment is difficult to miss."

Without another word, she continued on her way. Elijah had learned what he wanted to learn, but the meeting still left a bad taste in his mouth. More than anything, he wanted to let loose and destroy the curt woman. But he pushed that notion away and focused on the reason he'd set out into the wilderness in the first place.

He had one piece of the puzzle, but he needed to hear the elves' side before he could determine what was really going on. One thing was for certain, though – if the elven leader treated him the same as Anupriya Pandey, then they would die within seconds. Elijah would put up with a little disrespect from a human. They didn't know better.

But not from a war elf.