It took two days before Elijah had completed his preparations. In that time, his friends, along with the next wave of soldiers meant to conquer the troll Primal Realm, headed down to the Hollow Depths. The difference in Ironshore’s population probably wasn’t noticeable to most people, but Elijah only had to look at the city’s training facilities to recognize just how many people they’d sent to war.

Most of them weren’t ready.

They probably knew it, too. But such were the stakes that most of the latest volunteers saw no other alternative. It reminded him a little of the stories he’d heard about America’s various responses to being attacked. Whether it was Pearl Harbor or the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the country had responded with solidarity and a collective commitment from the population to do their part.

Of course, things hadn’t always ended well, as most of those incidents were muddied by power- or money-hungry politicians, but the threat of excisement was much more universal. They needed to come together. Everyone needed to do whatever they could to ensure Earth survived.

Even if they weren’t really ready.

The latest group’s departure left Ironshore feeling somewhat hollow, and the slowdown in manufacturing was definitely going to pinch the city’s coffers. However, when Elijah met with Ramik, the goblin was more than optimistic about their future. They were on the verge of paying off their debt to the Green Mountain Mining Company, which meant that things had progressed ahead of schedule. Indeed, even Ramik’s wildest estimates had failed to predict how successful the city would become.

Elijah was happy for his friend – enough that he had to be reminded that he had a stake in the city’s success as well. After all, their fates had been intertwined almost from the very beginning, and each crisis they’d faced had brought them closer together. Now, Elijah was entitled to a decent cut from the city’s progress. Even if he didn’t really need the money, he wasn’t so naïve as to believe that would always be the case.

He did have an entire grove to support now. Getting his small community the support they needed was absolutely necessary, and he ended up telling Ramik that if he wasn’t available, Nerthus and Nara were authorized to act on his behalf in matters of business. He sent a similar message to Atticus.

Because he had a feeling that conquering the dragon Primal Realm would take a while. As much as he didn’t want to challenge it alone, he also felt oddly resistant to the notion of taking anyone else with him. Not only would they struggle to keep up, but his hesitation extended even to the ones he trusted to hold their own – like Ron, Kurik, Oscar, or Sadie.

Was it simple hubris? Was it the purportedly territorial nature of dragons? Or was there something else at play? Elijah didn’t know, but as indecisive as he was about some things, he felt certain about going alone.

Even if it terrified him.

He wasn’t so far removed from his experiences in the Chimeric Forge that he’d forgotten the consequences of attacking a Primal Realm alone. Yet, Elijah’s choice was unassailable. He was going to do it.

He just needed to ensure that he was as prepared as possible before he took that unavoidable step. To that end, Elijah embarked on a whirlwind of preparations that took him to every corner of the city. His goal was to anticipate any and all potential problems, so he loaded up on more supplies than normal. In addition to food and water, he also gathered mundane items like mapping supplies – his tablet had stopped working at some point, and he hadn’t even noticed it – ropes, and tools. He hated devoting even a little room to things that weren’t food and water, but something he’d discovered in the Hollow Depths mitigated that issue.

The tent could hold items.

They couldn’t be higher than Simple-Grade, but the fact that it could contain his mundane gear was a godsend. The only issue was that it wasn’t equipped with anything like the Timeless trait associated with his Arcane Loop, so if he tried to store food in there, it would likely spoil.

Thankfully, that didn’t extend to travel rations, so he stocked up on plenty of dried meat, crumbly cheeses, and hardtack. They weren’t his favorite foods, but if he ended up starving, he’d consume them with a smile.

Completing his preparations was a new wardrobe, a fresh haircut, and a few emergency potions he got from Biggle. Combined with the regeneration potions he’d received as rewards for closing the rifts in the Hollow Depths, he was ready for any emergency he might find.

But what troubled him was the idea that he hadn’t thought of everything. He’d gone into the Chimeric Forge completely unprepared, and he’d survived well enough. However, his time in that Primal Realm had been much more difficult than it had to be. In the end, he’d been reduced to eating whatever he could find, including things like flesh spiders and other chimeric monsters.

And though he would do it again if necessary, he wanted to avoid being pushed to that point. Not just because of how disgusting it was, but also because he still found himself afflicted with nightmares stemming from those experiences. They had become less common after his latest advance in mind cultivation, but as he’d learned while creating his new leaf-based system, he would never truly be free of his trauma. He just needed to cope with it as best he could.

Finally, two days after he’d made his choice to leave, he’d satisfied all of his self-imposed requirements. He’d also taken care of what he could within the grove, and he hoped that everyone was as prepared as they could be should his absence stretch longer than expected.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Which, if he was honest with himself, was probable. Primal Realms couldn’t be conquered in the space of a few days. He knew he was in for a long, hard slog, even if his primary goal with this trip was just to find the Primal Realm, rather than to attempt to conquer it. While he was gone, everyone needed to be prepared to pick up the slack.

He hoped they would rise to the occasion.

After all, that was supposed to be an advantage of having a whole community living within the grove. They could fill in the gaps, ensuring that the island prospered in his absence – however long that might last.

Still, as secure as he was in his choice and his preparation, he hesitated. Standing only half a mile from the Conclave Spires, he ignored the flow of traffic as it passed him by. He told himself to move, but his feet just wouldn’t obey the command.

He didn’t want to leave.

Not because he had no interest in the exploration part of it. He looked forward to that. Rather, Elijah hesitated because, on some level, he knew that something terrible awaited at the end of his journey. Was he ready to confront it? To live through it? To take it as an opportunity to improve?

He told himself that he was.

But his every thought screamed at him to abandon the idea and head to Benediction. The djinn Primal Realm was probably just as bad as the one associated with dragons, but at least he wouldn’t have to experience it alone.

His hesitation only lasted for a few seconds before he forced one foot in front of the other. His resolution might have wavered. In fact, it still trembled with every step. But he couldn’t let it rule him. That was the path of cowardice.

He reached the Conclave Spires only a few minutes later and paid for his passage. The amount was much higher than it had been before his latest deal with the Conclave, but he didn’t regret it. The Spires outside Philadelphia had given his friends the freedom they needed to write their own story. That was worth more than a few ethereum.

After waiting for almost an hour, his turn came. The Space Mage attendant activated the Spires and sent him on his way.

The first thing Elijah noticed upon his reappearance was the heat. If it was below a hundred degrees, he would have been surprised. Indeed, it was probably much higher, considering that his forehead instantly sprouted innumerable beads of sweat. The second thing he noticed was the smell of smoke.

It wasn’t heavy. In fact, it was like someone had started a fire miles away.

But then, he recognized the scent for what it was. Sulfur was the most prevalent undercurrent, but there was something else in there. Like a thread of oxidation that seemed out of place.

“Volcano,” he muttered to himself as he turned in place.

He nearly stumbled at the sight that greeted him. Beyond the Conclave compound was a wall of fire. It was hundreds of miles distant, but so widespread that it stretched from one horizon to the other and extended to the sooty clouds.

“That’s the Ring of Fire,” said the Space Mage, who seemed an affable sort. Elijah was the only other person there. “Somebody told me it was just a bunch of volcanoes constantly erupting. Makes no sense to me. I prefer the other explanation.”

“Magic,” Elijah guessed.

“Fits, right?”

Elijah could only nod. He gave the man a nod of farewell, then left the confines of the compound’s walls. He never broke eye contact with the massive wall of fire, though. If he used Eyes of the Eagle, he could see subtle explosions among the swirling flames. But it was too far away to see any other details, so he tabled that investigation for another day.

Like all Conclave Spires, the compound had been built upon a ley line intersection. Normally, those weren’t too far away from settlements, but the lone city in the area was nearly a hundred miles away. Fortunately, the Conclave had taken the time to carve a serviceable road to connect the two.

Elijah chose to go on foot, as much to order his thoughts as to get a sense of the area. As far as he’d discovered, Rubibi – the city in question – had been located on the Australian coast, which suggested that this new landmass was what was left of that continent.

After only ten miles, Elijah encountered a small, bunker-like structure in which three other travelers had taken refuge. When he ignored it, someone called out, “Best take shelter, friend. Squall comin’ soon.”

The woman spoke with an Australian accent, but when Elijah glanced in her direction, he saw that she was of Asian descent. Otherwise, her appearance was unremarkable, save that her clothing was worn but of decent quality.

The other two in the bunker were male, though they couldn’t have been more different. One was big, bald, and bulky, while the other was short, dark-skinned, and weedy.

“Squall?”

“You’ll see. You don’t wanna be out there when it hits. Trust me. They don’t last long. You’ll be on your way in no time at all,” she claimed. “Or do what you want. Giving out warnings is about the extent of my good will towards strangers. What you do with that information’s up to you.”

Intrigued, Elijah decided to take her up on the offer. As he stepped inside the bunker, he was unsurprised to see that it was almost entirely bare. A few benches had been built into the walls, and there were a couple of cabinets filled with rations. But otherwise, it was empty, save for Elijah and the other three.

Hoping to get a bit more information, Elijah struck up a conversation with the woman, whose name turned out to be Opal. She explained the situation succinctly. The entire coast was all but inhospitable. “We’ve got the Ring of Fire inland,” she said. “Then, we have the squalls coming from outside. We’ll get tidal waves, too, but those are rarer. Monsters too. Mostly from the sea, but every now and again, something braves the Ring of Fire and comes over the mountains. If that happens, everybody’s expected to pitch in. Otherwise, we’ll all die.”

She went on to explain that the bunker system was absolutely necessary. If a traveler was caught out in the middle of a squall, they would die. At first, Elijah inwardly questioned that claim, but then came the squall itself.

It was preceded by a distinct smell of ozone that overpowered even the sulfurous oxidation. After only a moment, a blue mist rolled in – a herald of the storm soon to arrive.

Calling it by that name was a bit of a misnomer. In some ways, it had the right ingredients. Wind, rain, and lightning. But it reminded Elijah more of the Elemental Maelstrom than anything else. It wasn’t nearly as strong, but if a normal person happened to be caught in it, they would be lucky to die quickly. Otherwise, they’d be forced to endure having their flesh stripped from their bones by conflicting elemental forces.

Thankfully, it only lasted half an hour before it suddenly stopped.

“Won’t be another for a day or two,” Opal said. “You coming or going?”

“Coming,” Elijah said. “I’m expected in Rubibi.”

“Then this is where we part ways,” she said, shouldering a huge backpack that marked her as a trader. “If you see a storm coming, find a bunker quick.”

“Thanks.”

She gave him a nod, then trudged down the road. The two men, who’d remained mostly silent the whole time, followed. Only then did Elijah realize that they were meant to be guards.

He pushed that out of mind, then resumed his journey to Rubibi.