Path of Dragons 14 - Chapter 30 - Strangely Familiar

Elijah loved the water.

It was one of the reasons he’d become a marine biologist, and he’d never had reason to regret that choice of concentration.  However, he couldn’t help but panic as he suddenly found himself surrounded by murky water.  His alarm only lasted for a brief moment before he took hold of his mind and forced himself to take stock of his situation.

Fortunately, the water wasn’t deep.  He could see sunlight glittering through the surface nearly a hundred feet above him.  Once he regained control, he looked around, and he saw something very much unexpected.

The once-small oasis where he’d built the Circle of Spears had been completely subsumed by a sizable lake.  Elijah could see the trunks of old trees rotting all around him, while various representations of the local wildlife darted here and there.  Fish and reptiles, frogs and even a few small mammals were everywhere. 

More importantly, the area was densely vital and the water was thick with ethera.  Not nearly as much as the grove or its surroundings – or even Gatehold – but still, much higher than he’d expected when he used Roots of the World Tree.

For a few minutes, Elijah just floated in the center of his dolmen, remembering why he’d built it.  Partially, it was meant to be functional.  But mostly, he’d built it as a memorial to his sister.  As he hovered only a few feet above the lakebed, he remembered Alyssa.  He didn’t focus on the horrible way she’d died.  Rather, he concentrated on the good parts.  The cherished and formative memories.  The essence of their relationship. 

He could hold his breath for longer than he’d had occasion to test, so he felt no urgency to resurface.  Instead, he was free to enjoy the ambiance of the lake.  To drown himself in memories. 

Then, he sensed something huge coming toward him.

It took him a moment to recognize the giant tortoise, but he managed it well before the guardian came into view.  Thankfully, he recognized Elijah as well. 

Snappy’s great head was the size of a compact car, and his body followed that scale.  It was a little more than sixty feet long and about three-quarters that wide.  Typically, tortoises weren’t great swimmers, and Snappy clearly wasn’t an exception to that rule.  In fact, he was more like a hippo as he walked across the bottom of the lake. 

Elijah laid his hand on the tortoise’s head, sending a tiny sliver of his soul to connect with him.  It wasn’t like communing with Treebie, who didn’t really have thoughts, per se.  Instead, the giant tree expressed himself via general emotions.  Or maybe a vibe.  With Snappy, it was obviously different.  The tortoise had plenty of thoughts in his head, though most of them centered around territorial instincts, finding food, and seeking shelter.

However, Elijah was happy to note that Snappy seemed excited to see him again.  Like a dog welcoming his owner home.  His stubby tail was even wagging.  That brought a smile to Elijah’s face that banished some of the sour taste from his meeting in Gatehold.

For a little while, he just scratched Snappy between his eyes.  But eventually, Elijah surfaced into the desert air.

He took a deep gasp, tasting the localized humidity, and looked around.

And he saw paradise.

The lake was a little bigger than he’d expected.  Maybe a couple miles across and slightly longer than it was wide.  Elijah threw himself into the air, then took on the Shape of the World Serpent to gain some altitude.  Once he was a few hundred feet high, he got a good sense of the layout. 

In addition to the main body of water, there were small ponds and streams dotting the landscape for miles all around.  Otherwise, the surrounding forest was as dense as any jungle, though it stopped abruptly after about fifteen miles. 

Which made no sense.

Deciding to investigate, Elijah returned to the water and shifted into the Shape of the Sea.  That brought Snappy’s attention, though he clearly knew that the intruder was Elijah.  But he wanted to play.

Like a puppy.

Elijah accommodated the giant tortoise, using his superior mobility to dart around and tease the reptile until Snappy was exhausted, as signified by him retracting his body into his shell. 

That gave Elijah the freedom to explore, and he used that opportunity to follow the density of the local ethera to a small crystal at the center of the lake.  A brief inspection told Elijah that it was a natural treasure, and a water-attuned one at that.  It only took an elementary deduction to determine that it was the reason for the oasis’s existence.  Likely, the line of demarcation between the jungle and the desert was where its influence abruptly ended.

With that mystery solved, Elijah resurfaced and swam to shore.  When he reached the sandy beach, he undressed and used a little cleansing powder to dissolve the muck from his new suit.  After that, he left it on a large rock so it could dry.

It was while Elijah was sunning nearby that he heard a voice.

“I thought you were dead.”

Elijah opened one eye, quickly focusing on the tiny, metal orb floating nearby.  He could barely even feel it, and it was small enough that nobody would see it unless they were looking for it.  Still, Elijah wasn’t alarmed, because he recognized the voice.

“It’s kind of creepy that you’re spying on me like this,” Elijah responded, referring to his nudity.  “I didn’t take you for a peeping tom.”

“Grow up.”

“I’m not the one getting their kicks out of –”

“I am not a voyeur,” he spat.  “I stationed a series of drones here in order to protect the public from hostile wildlife.”

“Hostile?  Snappy’s as gentle as a puppy.”

“Snappy…”

“That’s his name.  You know, the big tortoise who lives in the water?  Miggy named him a long time ago.”

A short silence stretched between them before the drone broke it.  “Well, Snappy killed seven people before we declared this area a no-go zone.”

“They were probably bad people,” Elijah reasoned.  The natural treasure at the bottom of the lake was powerful enough that some might seek it out for themselves.  The tortoise was its guardian, and as far as Elijah was concerned, he was well within his rights to eat anyone who threatened it.  He added, “Snappy’s a great judge of character.”

Elijah could practically hear Isaiah’s teeth grinding in the silence that followed.  Finally, after a few seconds, the leader of Seattle said, “I had forgotten how infuriating you can be.”

“It’s a gift.”

“Be that as it may…I am…pleased that you are not dead.”

“Aww.”

“But it is also incumbent upon me to ask why you are here,” Isaiah stated.

“Sightseeing.”

“What?”

“You know, like a tourist?  I’ve been gone a while, and I wanted to check things out.  See how the world has progressed.  I called it a walkabout, but I got yelled at for it.  In the interest of avoiding conflict, I’ve decided to abandon that terminology. I’d prefer not to offend when I have a choice.”

“Since when was that a priority for you?”

“Always.  I’m very conscious of who I offend.”

Another moment of silence followed before Isaiah spoke through his drone, saying, “As enlightening as this conversation has been, I only contacted you for one reason.  I need to know if you intend to cause problems for me.”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“You have slaves?  Do you make a habit of destroying groves or killing nature-attuned people?  Do you violate the sanctity of nature?”

“I abhor slavery, and I know better than to attack the nature-attuned.  Seattle enjoys a working relationship with the Hartwood Grove.  I would not put that in jeopardy.”

“Then we won’t have any problems,” Elijah said.  “Look, Isaiah.  I’m not here to cause problems.  I just want to visit your city, have a good time, then leave.  That’s it.”

“I see.”

“Is it going to be an issue?”

“No.  In fact, I want to extend an offer.  Call it a gesture of good will,” Isaiah stated.

“I’m listening.”

“The Domineum is the most luxurious hotel in the city.  I would like to offer you a suite for as long as you intend to remain in Seattle,” Isaiah revealed.

Elijah narrowed his eyes.  He wasn’t so naïve as to think Isaiah had offered accommodations out of the goodness of his heart.  Surely, if he stayed at the Domineum, Elijah would find himself under constant surveillance. 

But he wasn’t really concerned about that.  He didn’t intend to break any laws, so he didn’t care if Isaiah played voyeur to his vacation.  And besides, he’d set out to experience the best Earth had to offer.  So, it made sense to stay in a high-class hotel.

Besides, Isaiah was trying really hard to get along.  It would probably offend him if Elijah refused the offer.

“That’s nice of you.  I’ll be sure to order as much room service as they allow,” he said with a small smile. 

“Mr. Hart…”

“I think you can call me by first name.  After peeping on me for who knows how long, you’ve earned the right.”

“I was not –”

“It’s a joke, Isaiah.  Seriously.  Lighten up.”

“Diplomatic relations are no time for jokes,” he insisted.  “The last time you ‘visited’ a city, you destroyed it.”

“That’s not true.  I was just in Gatehold, and I didn’t destroy anything,” Elijah countered. Before Isaiah could say anything else, he continued, “Seriously, man.  I’m going to be on my best behavior.  This is just a vacation.  I need to unwind.  I have no intention of causing any trouble.”

“I trust you.”

Those three words came out begrudgingly, almost as if Isaiah had tasted something incredibly sour.  But Elijah appreciated the intent nonetheless. 

“Thanks.  Means a lot.  Now, if you mind?  I’d like a little privacy.”

Just then, Snappy burst from the lake and closed his jaws around the softball-sized drone.  A small explosion followed, but the giant tortoise didn’t seem to mind very much.  Indeed, if a reptile could look smug, then Snappy achieved that expression.

He lay his head on the beach, basking in the sun.

“Good boy.”

The turtle let out a little squeak, which sounded extraordinarily odd coming from such a large animal.  But Elijah knew enough about turtles to recognize it as a sign of happiness.

For a long time, Elijah just lay there, enjoying the warm sun.  It was an odd thing, really, how much he’d missed something so simple as a normal sky.  Gorveth’s atmosphere was beautiful in a terrifying way.  Sometimes, despite knowing what they represented, Elijah found himself missing the violet rivers of corruption streaking through the sky. 

But they were nothing compared to Earth’s atmosphere.

Or the sun.

The subtle smell of life he’d once taken for granted, but never again would, now that he’d experienced the opposite.

There were a hundred other aspects of life on Earth that reminded him just how different it was than his existence on Gorveth, and he appreciated every last one of them. 

Finally, as the sun began to set, Elijah pushed himself to his feet and took a long, cold shower beneath the summoned rain of Blessing of the Grove.  Once that was done, he packed away his suit – vowing to have it pressed and cleaned properly while he was in Seattle – then donned some of his more casual clothes.  They resembled his normal style, though the quality was much higher than his old wardrobe. 

Most importantly, the outfit was exceedingly comfortable.  With the loose, white shirt, tan pants that ended mid-calf, and the lack of shoes, Elijah felt far more at home than when he was wearing a suit.

Once dressed, Elijah shifted into the Shape of the World Serpent and slithered into the sky.  As he did so, Snappy watched him with one lazy eye.  And when the giant tortoise realized that Elijah was leaving, he slipped back into the lake.  Presumably to go off and do turtle things.

Elijah didn’t use Dimensional Leap, mostly because doing so would see him overshooting his destination.  Even so, he was capable of reaching supersonic speeds, so it wasn’t long before he’d crossed the desert to find Seattle shimmering on the horizon.

The city looked both similar and completely different from the one in his memories.  Bigger.  Shinier.  More expansive.  He was eager to explore it.

However, he knew better than to descend upon the city in the Shape of the World Serpent.  Doing so would doubtless cause a panic.  So, he landed about ten miles out, then headed toward what appeared to be a main road, where he joined the flow of traffic leading into the city.

For the most part, the road was occupied by various vehicles.  But there were enough pedestrians – most of whom were carrying heavy burdens, piled high upon their shoulders – that Elijah wasn’t entirely out of place.

Like that, he made his way to the city, thoughts of relaxation on his mind.