For a long time, Elijah just floated in the cave. As he gently swayed back and forth with the weak current, he reveled in the feeling of his Body of Stone. He’d only progressed an hour or so ago, and yet, he could already feel more of a difference than he’d felt when he’d taken the first step on the path of body cultivation. That initial stage had cured his cancer while also acting as a multiplier on his physical attributes. Progression to the Body of Stone stage came with a similar increase, though it was far more noticeable. Even when he was nearly weightless, he could feel the Strength surging through him.

If he had described the previous stage’s multiplicative effect as making him half-again as strong, then the second step doubled that. He was still dependent on his actual attributes, but those numbers now counted for even more.

And according to Nerthus, as well as the single guide to cultivation he’d found, progression now increased his life span. Though the actual degree to which that was expressed was dependent on species as well as attributes and other categories of cultivation, it wasn’t uncommon for Body of Stone to come with a lifespan that was twice as long as the base.

Each subsequent step was supposed to be even more dramatic, meaning that if he could take a few more steps, he could live for thousands of years.

Which was unfathomable. For all that he could understand those numbers, actually conceptualizing a life spanning for thousands of years was difficult. After all, the pace of human development meant that the entire world could be transformed in a few hundred years. So, what would Earth look like in a thousand? Two thousand? Elijah’s imagination wasn’t up to that sort of prediction.

But as someone who’d, only a few years before, made peace with the fact that he would soon die, Elijah would take any extra years he could get. And if that meant seeing a rapidly transformed world, then so be it. After all, Elijah had already seen how quickly Ironshore had developed, so he suspected that there were places in other parts of the world that could match that pace.

Maybe Seattle was one of them.

Elijah could only hope.

And now that he’d accomplished his goals for the moment, it was time to resume his long-delayed search for his sister. Of course, he’d kept an eye on Carmen’s name on the power rankings, and though he’d watched it bounce on and off the list, Elijah took solace in the assumption that she was still alive.

Because if she had survived, then so too had Alyssa.

Elijah was well aware of the flaws in his reasoning. There were a host of issues, and they weren’t limited to the fact that Carmen Rodriguez was an incredibly common name. There was no guarantee that the Carmen whose name he was tracking on the power rankings was even his sister-in-law. But he chose to believe it was, just like he chose to focus on how that might relate to his sister’s survival. And his nephew’s. It was one of the only things keeping him sane.

Eventually, Elijah moved on from that, then swam toward the tunnel. He intended to embark on his quest immediately, but he knew that after what he’d done to the cave’s environment, he needed to spend a little time setting things right. So, despite his desire to immediately set out for Seattle, he spent the next few hours transplanting sea life into the cave. Then, he remained behind for an additional day while he continuously used Nature’s Bounty. As he did, he couldn’t stop himself from repeatedly checking his status:

Name

Elijah Hart

Level

56

Archetype

Druid

Class

Animist

Specialization

N/A

Alignment

N/A

Strength

67

Dexterity

59

Constitution

57

Ethera

65

Regeneration

59

Attunement

Nature

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Cultivation Stage: Cultivator

Body

Core

Mind

Soul

Stone

Hatchling

Quartz

Neophyte

If he hadn’t been so hard on the cave, he might’ve attempted to advance his Soul cultivation as well. He hadn’t studied that very much, but he knew that it required him to reform the pathways of his soul in a very specific way. The problem was that that pattern was based on his archetype, which meant that he had no guidance in how to accomplish that feat. He’d asked Nerthus about it, but the tree spirit was just as ignorant. So, Elijah could only hope that he would muddle through it, find an appropriate guide in the Knowledge Base, or meet someone who could point him in the right direction.

The first sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. The second seemed unlikely after Elijah’s search had so far proved fruitless. And the last was just as implausible, given the paucity of Druids, much less Animists. So, he was at a bit of a loss on how to proceed. Yet, Elijah had done well enough so far, so he had to expect that he’d eventually figure it out.

Or not.

In which case he would focus on other means of growing his power. Part of that was because he knew he’d need as much strength as possible in the new world. He had no interest in ruling over anyone, but he also wanted to retain his own freedom. Elijah needed to believe that humanity would pull together and work toward a common benefit, but he was enough of a realist to understand that there would be those who chose to oppress anyone weaker than them. The solution to that – at least in terms of Elijah’s continued freedom – was to be so strong that no one could force him to do anything.

However, that was only part of why Elijah wanted to continue getting stronger. The second part was both more ephemeral and far more understandable. He enjoyed it. There was something about the continued ability to overcome obstacles in his path that had proved to be addictive. Meeting goals was similarly habit-forming. And the strength itself was addictive in its own right.

Of course, there was a love of adventure and exploration that drove him as well. And finally, he couldn’t deny the rush he felt when he saved someone. Whether it was via healing people like he had in Norcastle, saving someone like he had with Artemis outside Argos, or coming to Ironshore’s aid – whether they appreciated it or not – Elijah liked knowing that he’d done the right thing.

It was similar to why some people gave to charity. Sure, there was a selflessness to it, and that was to be lauded. Yet, there was a selfishness there as well. People liked the feeling of helping others. And Elijah was no different. As far as he was concerned, that was the best expression of selfishness in which one could engage.

In the end, it all coalesced into a reality where Elijah had no intention of stopping. In fact, everything he’d read in his guides made him want to keep going as far as possible. He knew he wouldn’t reach the top. Few did. In fact, that wasn’t even adequate in expressing how rare it was. It wasn’t one in a million. Or a billion. Even trillions. Quadrillions – or more – people attempted it, and only the best even made it to Ascendent. There were three more steps – and almost nine-hundred levels – just to reach Transcendent.

And it didn’t stop there, even if there was no information on it.

So, Elijah knew he wouldn’t get to that point. Still, if he could make it to Ascendent – or Demigod, even – he would count that as a worthy accomplishment.

Not that he could think of such things at the moment. He wasn’t even halfway through the Mortal realm, so any thoughts of going higher than that were the epitome of prematurity. Still, goals were important. Some needed to be immediate – like his resolution to repopulate the cave. Others, like his quest to reunite with Alyssa, were more long-term. But it was nice to have an overarching and far-reaching goal towards which he could work.

In any event, Elijah occupied himself with those thoughts as he pushed the transplanted flora to take root in the cave. And to his surprise, it did so quickly and with unexpected verve. Using One with Nature, Elijah discovered the reason – the plants that had been destroyed during his push to Body of Stone hadn’t just dissolved. Instead, they’d been absorbed into the silt, which would provide an incredible base from which the plants could sprout.

The result was that his cultivation cave would only grow stronger in the coming months – a good thing, considering his needs.

So it happened that, a few days after he’d completed his cultivation goal, he emerged from the cave and headed inland. When he reached the grove, he found that Nerthus had already begun work on the house intended for his sister and her family. It still had a long way to go, but that was fine. Even if he found them sooner rather than later, they could always stay in his house.

He would even welcome it, after a fashion.

Once he’d taken a few hours to compose himself, Elijah set about testing his Body of Stone, and after spending a few hours lifting increasingly heavy rocks, he could only conclude that his previous estimates were in the right ballpark. Without measured weights, he couldn’t be certain, but he did know that rocks that he’d once struggled to lift were now a breeze to handle. If he had to guess, he would have put himself firmly in the superhuman territory.

Sure, he wasn’t Superman or the Hulk, but he felt certain that he could give someone like Spider-Man a run for his money. Or maybe not. It had been years since he’d read any comic books, and the movies were all so inconsistent with character strength that using that as a measurement was largely pointless. Regardless, Elijah was stronger than any human had a right to be, and that was as satisfying a judgment as he could rightly give.

After testing his endurance, speed, and coordination, he found similar results. Still, he continued like that well past dark as he accustomed himself to his newly inflated power. Eventually, though, Elijah made his way back to the grove, where he once again bathed with his rejuvenating soap and went to sleep. It was the last time he would do so in a bed for a while, so he wanted to get his money’s worth out of it.

He slept well past sunrise, and when he rose, he took a while to enjoy a cup of tea and a breakfast of freshly caught fish. The meal took him back to the days when he’d lived off crab and fish, which, through the lens of nostalgia, he looked upon far more favorably than he’d have ever expected.

Soon enough, though, he ran out of reasons to delay. So, after spending a little time talking with Nerthus – after all, the tree spirit had to get lonely out there all by himself – Elijah headed to the beach, hopped into one of his last three remaining boats, and began the journey across the strait.

The trip was uneventful, save for a brief brush with a curious whale. Elijah stopped for a while and patted the enormous creature’s back. It liked that, and Elijah had to admit that he did as well. When he’d first embarked on his career as a marine biologist, he’d harbored expectations of working with whales and dolphins. In the end, he’d studied marine bacteria, but he’d never lost his fascination with the huge mammals.

Eventually, though, the whale lost interest and headed to deeper waters. Elijah watched it go, feeling a deep sense of connection that he often ignored. From what he understood, most people thought of forests and furry animals when they heard the term Druid. Yet, he felt just as poignant a connection with the sea as he did with any forest. Maybe even more so. And after spending so much time underwater of late, it had only grown stronger.

One day, he would have to explore the deep places of the world and see what wonders they had to offer.

But not yet. He still needed to find Alyssa. And before that, he had to stop in Ironshore. So, with some regret, Elijah continued his trip across the strait, docking not much later. When he did, he noticed that the fear had returned to the city. Despite everything he’d done for the people of Ironshore, they were terrified of him.

That was better than ire, he supposed, but he couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever accept him.

Not that he could do anything about that.

In any case, Elijah set off across the city, intending to complete his errands as quickly as possible before continuing his quest to find his sister.