It was a simple enough word, and one Elijah keenly understood. He felt it bearing down on him like the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. Yet, he knew that he couldn’t act with haste. There were too many balls in the air, and if he moved too quickly – or too slowly – it would create a cascade of problems from which he could never hope to recover. He needed to move, but he needed to be smart about it. That meant planning. Preparation. That meant ensuring that the grove would keep going while he went out and solved the world’s more pressing problems. After all, what would any of it mean if he came home to find nothing but disaster? So, even though he felt the imperative to act – to move – he forced himself to take a deep breath and step back so he could see the full scope of the issues arrayed before him. With that in mind, he didn’t immediately set out to conquer a Primal Realm. Indeed, he did little more than practice with Nature’s Design and help Nerthus manage the grove. There was more to it, though. As much as he lamented the necessity for rest, he knew he needed the chance to reset. His advancement to the garnet stage of mind cultivation went a long way toward putting his thoughts in order, but he needed a couple of days of tranquility before he was ready to plunge back into the morass that was the world’s problems. In that time, he focused on peace. On enjoyment. On mundanity. He swam. He played with the island’s denizens. As dumb as they were, the crabs were still his favorites. They behaved like particularly dull dogs, and when he connected with them, he felt some solace in the simplicity of their existence. They could scarcely comprehend more than the most surface level details, but in that, they could find contentment. The now-grown foxes were the exact opposite. The things were a bundle of nerves, emotions, and thoughts, and it had reached the point where they considered the entire island their territory. Certainly, they could usually be found in the Frozen Glade, but at night, they roamed the island’s boundaries without fear. The deer were more somber. Not surprising, considering that Trevor was gone and one of their number had died in the pirate attack. Even thinking about it left Elijah angry. He’d already avenged poor Susan, and yet, he knew that would do nothing to bring her back. Certainly, it didn’t fill the hole in his awareness that she had once occupied. Perhaps he needed to entice another few deer to come to the island, just so Bubba and Annabelle had a little company. Then there were the squirrels and rabbits, the lizards and turtles. Even the fish. Elijah loved them all, and he was in a unique position to not only study them, but to connect with them on a deep and meaningful level. Oddly, forming friendships with animals was much easier than establishing relationships with the grove’s new members. Most of the elves looked at him like he was a walking weapon of mass destruction. Which he was, but he didn’t like to be reminded of that. It was expected, though, and he accepted it as the cost of power. What he didn’t expect was the reverence with which they addressed him. It was like he was their king and their god all rolled into one. Uncomfortable was insufficient to describe his reaction to that. Thankfully, they weren’t difficult to avoid. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net Except Nara, who seemed to look at her induction into the grove as a tacit invitation for mentorship. Which was why she was sitting across from him as he tried to enjoy his breakfast. Thankfully, by now, Sue Anne’s regulars were more than accustomed to his presence. They still noticed him. And a few were still wary. However, they didn’t scatter the second he walked into Mama Lou’s, which was a nice change of place. Now, though, it was Nara’s presence that drew most of their eyes. At least she wasn’t walking around in an approximation of a two-piece bathing suit paired with a slit skirt anymore. Still, her looks attracted a lot of attention wherever she went. For his part, Elijah could appreciate that she was a beautiful woman, but she was a bit too delicate to be his type. Not that he’d have ever consider straying. Sadie was more than enough for him. Regardless, she picked at the greasy food, clearly struggling not to pepper him with questions. Elijah had ordered Sue Anne’s specialty, which as a southern woman, included bacon, grits, and eggs paired with biscuits and gravy. And he fully intended to savor every last crumb. Grits were a bit of an acquired taste, but it was one he’d internalized at Sue Anne’s insistence. Being as how they were slathered in butter and mixed with cheese, it was easy to acquiesce. And the thick-cut bacon made for a perfect edible spoon. When he’d finished, he leaned back in the booth and let out a satisfied sigh. Glancing toward Sue Anne, he said, “Perfect as always.” She smiled good-naturedly, but continued working her griddle. Elijah glanced at Nara’s plate, which was mostly untouched. She’d ordered bacon and eggs as well, and though she’d eaten the two eggs, she had only nibbled at the meat. “You going to eat that?” he asked. She shook her head and pushed the plate his way. Elijah was more than happy to finish the job. “You’re missing out,” he said. “Too greasy,” she said in a small voice. “That’s the best part,” he insisted as he devoured the bacon with the gusto of a starving man. Of course, he regretted that only a moment later, when his stomach offered its complaints at the ill treatment. The second he’d swallowed the last bite, Nara asked, “May I speak of the grove now?” Elijah sighed. He’d prohibited her from engaging in what he considered “shop talk” while they ate. But now that the meal was finished, it seemed that the dam had been opened. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. “We need a better solution for housing,” she stated. “Many of the elves prefer living over water.” She’d already told him about their ancestral dwellings, which reminded Elijah of those bungalows he’d seen in high-end tropical resorts. Standing on stilts in shallow water, they would let the sea elves pretend they were back on their home world. For his part, Elijah had no issues with that idea, and he said as much. Though he did add, “You know Nerthus won’t grow them, right?” “I think I can do it,” she said. “I need guidance, but…” “I’m sure he can help you figure it out.” “He’s better at it than me,” Elijah said. “May I speak candidly?” “I know that look. I’m about to get scolded, aren’t I?” “I would never!” Nara insisted, looking aghast at the very notion. “Just say what you want to say,” Elijah sighed. She didn’t speak for a few moments, but when she did, it was in a subdued voice. “This is not scolding,” she stated. “Just…it is your grove. We are your people. You must take a hand in its development.” “You know I’m not that kind of a Druid,” Elijah said. Often, he’d wondered what his life would be like if he’d chosen a different class evolution. Back then, he’d been offered a powerful variant called the Bloomwarden, which was clearly intended to be just the sort of Druid Nara seemed to want him to be. He’d chosen the Primal Lord class because he couldn’t afford to be tied to one place. He needed to roam. He needed to remain mobile so he could address any issues that threatened the world. Yet, he couldn’t help but consider how different everything might be if he’d picked the Bloomwarden. Of course, doing so would have probably driven him insane. “I am aware,” she said. “I’m not asking you to…be something you are not, but this is a delicate time in the grove’s development. Our people need to be nurtured. They must be given every opportunity for success, or it could cripple our future.” “Just tell me what you want from me. Plain terms. A list, maybe.” “Speak to the children. Help them with cultivation. Show them what you can do,” she said. “They are our future. We must ignite the fires of curiosity and prepare them for what is to come.” “I see,” Elijah said, throwing his arm over the back of the booth. He understood what she wanted from him. It wasn’t so different from getting young children interested in science. He’d seen future chemists born from a simple laboratory experiment. He’d seen something similar when, as a graduate student working in the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, he’d been tasked with running the touch tank for elementary school field trips. Seeing those kids light up with curiosity when they touched a sea cucumber or hermit crab was a testament to just how malleable they were. A few had even come back years later, and they remembered the experience fondly enough that they exuberantly claimed that they intended to become marine biologists. Elijah even had a similar experience when his father had taken him to the Seattle Aquarium’s tidepool exhibit. So, he knew firsthand just how powerful something like that could be. And if he substituted Druidry for marine biology, then he knew precisely what might interest such children. “I think I can do that. Anything else?” he asked. She seemed at a loss, probably because he’d never really taken her suggestions all that seriously. In his defense, he’d mostly ignored her since she’d shown up to his island, and now that she was officially part of the grove, he felt compelled to at least listen to what she had to say. And in this case, she made sense. When she didn’t answer, he said, “Well, that’s that then. I need to run a quick errand, but I’d appreciate if you could gather the kids – including the ones from Ironshore – for a little demonstration. Let’s say…an hour from now? Good deal. This should be fun.” With that, he flipped an ethereum coin – silver, which was way too much – to Sue Anne. The woman caught it without looking up from her griddle. “Later!” Elijah was gone before anyone could say anything. The street directly outside Mama Lou’s was packed with traffic. Most of it came from wagons and the like, but miraculously, there were a few cars mixed in. It seemed that Earth’s technology had already begun to proliferate into the city. A good thing, probably. Elijah didn’t need a car, though. Instead, he threw himself into the air, sprang off a cushion of air summoned by Cloud Step, then initiated a transformation into Shape of the Sky. In a second, he flapped his wings and went sailing across the city. Ironshore had expanded by quite a bit since its inception. Elijah remembered when the city was nothing more than a couple of buildings and a mine, but by now, it was a densely packed population center at least a few miles wide. He flew lazily, so it took him about a minute to reach his destination. He landed atop the city’s governmental center. He was certain it had an official name, but if he’d ever known it, he hadn’t bothered to remember. In any case, he quickly transformed back to his normal shape, then headed down the steps. When he’d covered two flights, he was confronted by a couple of guards – a gnome and a dwarf – who turned the other direction as soon as they saw it was him. So, he had no barriers to his true goal – Ramik’s office. He found the city’s goblin mayor sitting behind his desk, his head in his hand as he read one of many reports arrayed before him. “Just leave it with the rest,” Ramik muttered without looking up. As he spoke, he waved his hand at a haphazard stack. “Knock knock,” Elijah said. Ramik looked up. His eyes briefly widened before he asked, “Did you just say ‘knock knock’?” “Shouldn’t you have just knocked?” Elijah shrugged. “Probably,” he acknowledged. “Bad time?” “Always,” Ramik answered, straightening his back with a sigh, accompanied by the sound of cracking vertebrae. “What do you need?” “Nothing really. I do think we need to talk, though,” Elijah admitted. Then, he asked if he could sit. Ramik agreed, and he took his place across from the goblin. “You look tired. You should try my hot tub. Really relaxing.” “No time,” Ramik said, massaging the bridge of his nose. “No matter what anyone ever tells you, running a city is not all fun and games. It’s a massive headache.” “So? What do we need to talk about? Is it about the carnival? It wasn’t really about the grove. People needed a chance to –” Elijah shook his head. “No.” He’d seen the evidence of the night’s festivities, though the city’s maintenance department had already cleaned up most of the debris. By nightfall, it would be pristine and ready for that night’s merriment. It would go on for another few days before everything went back to normal. Elijah had briefly visited during one of the parades, but he’d quickly surmised that it was not for him. “But it is about the grove. I’m sure you felt it.” “Ah. That,” Ramik said, leaning forward. “I felt it. I’m not certain what it was, but I did feel it.” “Expansion. If you hadn’t used the Seal of Authority, Ironshore would now be completely within my domain. Not exactly part of the grove, but sort of. Think of it like a municipality and the surrounding suburbs. The grove itself is pretty small. Just a few hundred feet across. But the rest of the island isn’t that much weaker. My domain now stretches all the way to the mountains,” Elijah explained. It had rapidly expanded after the induction ceremony, and he was still trying to wrap his brain around its new size. The locus took up an entire branch of leaves within his mind. The city itself wasn’t under his authority – probably due to the clash between Ramik’s Seal of Authority and the expansion of the grove – but he still had a vague awareness of everything within Ironshore. Almost like a distant sound. Or a lingering smell. “I see. And what am I supposed to do with this information?” Ramik asked. “You don’t seem troubled by it.” He shrugged. “I’ve long since recognized that our fate is tied to yours. This doesn’t change anything.” “That’s not exactly true,” Elijah said. “I’m pretty sure that your mines are going to become a little more profitable, at least in the long term. And Davika’s farms are definitely going to be affected.” “So, you’re not upset?” Elijah asked. “Not at all. We’re in this together, Elijah. Even before we made our deal, that was the case. This just ties us together more closely,” he said. Then, he smiled before continuing. “The rising tide raises all boats. As you go, so does Ironshore. We will support the grove so long as it supports us.” Elijah let out a sigh. “Thank you. That’s one more thing I don’t have to worry about.”