Path of Dragons

Book 4: Chapter 68: A Druid's Duty

Book 4: Chapter 68: A Druid's Duty

The mighty boar lay on its side, its chest heaving with panic. Eyes bigger than volleyballs twitched back and forth, evidence of the animal’s ongoing terror. Foam collected at the corner of its gaping mouth as it hyperventilated, letting out rumbling snorts with every breath. Laying his hand on the enormous beast’s side, Elijah felt its knotted and cramped muscles.

But within the oppressive grip of exhaustion, it couldn’t move more than a few inches. Every second or two, tiny collections of diffuse ethera swirled as it attempted to reactivate its protective ability. But there wasn’t enough to fuel the skill. That had always been the plan, but there was a distinct difference between what he’d imagined and what he now saw before him.

The terrified and terrifying beast was helpless.

And when Elijah looked at it, he couldn’t prevent tears from gathering at the corners of his eyes as his thoughts surrendered to pity and guilt. The first, because of how far the creature had fallen. It wasn’t difficult to imagine that, before it had lost its treasure, the guardian had been a noble and mighty protector not unlike the panther that had saved Eliijah’s life so many times. That one event could send it careening into madness, subverting its nature so thoroughly that it was indistinguishable from a monster, was horrifying.

It was also a grim reminder of Elijah’s own past.

He hadn’t been so different after discovering his sister’s death. He’d slaughtered hundreds. Perhaps thousands. And he didn’t even have the excuse of madness. He had been fully in control. Or he should have been. Yet, he’d let his anger and grief drive him forward until he became a monster in human – or draconic, given the nature of his transformative shapes – form.

Would someone have been justified in putting him out of his misery?

Maybe. Valoria was a cesspool of all the worst facets of humanity, but did that give him the right to slaughter so many? He wasn’t sure. And that retrospective uncertainty fueled his doubts that had given way to shame. He was too strong to give in to those sorts of impulses. He needed to be better. Under more control. Otherwise, he would end up just like the boar.

The shame of his past mingled with the guilt he felt for effectively torturing the beast before him. Elijah didn’t know what people felt under the influence of Debilitating Roar. Was it a formless fear? Or was it more specific? Did it dredge up memories? Or was it completely arcane in nature? He wasn’t sure, but regardless of how it presented its effects, the ability had pushed the boar into a place of undiluted terror so potent that, in trying to escape, it had run itself to exhaustion.

He sighed.

There was nothing else to be done. There hadn’t been much of a choice. If the beast had been allowed to continue its rampage, thousands of people would have died. What’s more, animals – be they guardians, monsters, or normal beasts – could gain experience as well. So, with every death, it would have grown stronger, making it even more invulnerable.

On top of that, putting the boar out of its misery was the right thing to do. It was necessary. It was just.

It was mercy.

Yet, it was a joyless act. A necessary but repulsive action that could not be avoided.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way,” he said. The creature flinched at the sound of his words, but it was too exhausted to do more than tremble a bit. Still, Elijah tensed as well, ready to spring away at the first sign of recovery.

He knew he was on a timer. With every passing moment, the boar would recover some of its energy. But more than that, Elijah didn’t want to prolong the beast’s suffering any longer than necessary. So, without further hesitation, he drew the knife he’d gotten from Lars and leaped upon the creature’s shoulder. The weapon had been enchanted with a Hunter’s skill that was supposed to make it better for dressing animals. Elijah hoped that would be enough to allow it to get through the beast’s thick hide.

When he reached the boar’s thick neck, Elijah knelt. And without further delay, he reared back and plunged the blade into the creature’s bristly hide. It parted the skin, but only went an inch deep. That was within Elijah’s expectations, and he once again stabbed into the same wound. The dagger bit a little deeper, this time, eliciting a trickle of blood. That trickle became a river with the next stab, though Elijah knew it was nothing compared to what flowed through the beast’s enormous body. So, he kept at it.

The process was not pretty.

Nor was it heroic.

It was messy and traumatizing, eliciting a stream of tears and coating Elijah in dark red blood. Yet, he continued. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t stop. Once begun, he had no choice but to keep going. And he did. Over and over, he hacked into the creature’s neck until, at last, he found an artery. It spurted pressurized blood in a fountain of red, the intensity of the flood increasing with each pump of the boar’s enormous heart.

Only then did Elijah stop.

The mighty boar was already dead. It just hadn’t realized it yet. Elijah stood, his cheeks stained with blood and tears.

Even then, he could have saved the beast. A few casts of Touch of Nature, and the bleeding would slow. He could have healed the rest of the damage, though he suspected it would take almost all of his ethera. And for a brief moment, he considered it. Perhaps he could heal its mind, too. Maybe he could banish the madness that had gripped it.

But he knew that was a pipe dream.

The beast was too far gone. And the price of failure was too high.

So, climbing down, he circled the boar until he reached its head. Once there, he laid his hand between its eyes and used flared One with Nature. Just as had happened with the panther, he formed a connection with the beast. However, unlike the island’s guardian, the boar’s thoughts – which Elijah could only feel in the form of impressions – had been shattered into a million pieces. None of them were pleasant. Instead, there was loss. Confusion. Fear that had nothing to do with Debilitating Roar. And anger. It all coalesced into something Elijah could only call madness.

There would be no recovery for this beast. Touching its mind was just confirmation of what he had known from the very beginning. But Elijah still maintained the connection, trying to convey calm thoughts to the animal as blood gushed from the wound in its neck.

Alignment

N/A

Strength

140 (102)

Dexterity

122 (91)

Constitution

123 (100)

Ethera

99 (96)

Regeneration

124 (91)

Attunement

Nature

Cultivation Stage: Cultivator

Body

Core

Mind

Soul

Stone

Hatchling

Quartz

Novice

With his gear and buffs, Elijah’s attributes had gotten pretty impressive. However, he was a little annoyed that his ethera attribute was only one point from reaching triple digits. That was because only one piece of his equipment – the Wolf Totem he’d looted from Thor – added any extra points. By comparison, the rest of his attributes were inflated by buffs and equipment.

He could further enhance those with his forms, but at present, that was unnecessary. So, he remained in his human shape as he trudged across the prairie.

As satisfied as he was with his improved attributes, Elijah was more concerned with the other benefit of passing level eighty-five. He’d gained another opportunity to upgrade an ability, and it was one he’d been waiting on for quite some time.