SK4 - Chapter 19 - The Kingdom Grows (Patreon)

It had been a few weeks of training and accomplishing tasks throughout his kingdom, and now Nick and Shara were facing off in a simulation against Elyra and Myron, who had leveled at a frantic pace inside the Ordeals. Their mastery of the Dao thanks to previously being Nascent Soul cultivators, combined with their Outlander treasures, actually allowed them to reach the peak of the second Stratum in no time at all.

Nick was actually quite envious, but he was happy that Shara was afforded some of the same luxuries. Not only that, but one or two might actually be waiting for him for when he was ready. 

He stirred his essence, drawing upon the darkness and light within him. The darkness wriggled and roiled like it was alive, wanting to escape the confines of his body. But the light wrapped around and covered his skin like a coffin, bringing order to the chaos. Chains and ropes made of the opposing elements covered his body and muscles, strengthening him. 

With a roar, Elyra, the giant Star Oni woman with a massive club leaped into the air, vaulting over Shara. The daughter moved to leap to meet her larger mother, but deadly beams of starlight from Myron shot across the battlefield, forcing her to block with her essence-filled club.

Nick’s Frost Aura was slowing the giant Oni woman, and a series of braided chains speared upward, forming a net meant to wrap around the heavy target. However, it was not merely a large, heavy woman leaping at him.

A near-invisible sphere met the net, rather than it wrapping around Elyra. It pushed back against the weight of Nick’s Path, his Dominion of Frost and Fealty. The weight of her fate and might couldn’t be restrained, and it shoved the net of chains aside as she brought her club down toward Nick.  

Interrupting her timing, Nick leaped upward to meet her swing. His arms bulged and darkness roiled through his arms as they bulked up from Monstrous Blow triggering, swinging his sword powerfully to meet the devastating blow. The force of the two attacks meeting had nearly completely cancelled itself out, but Nick was sent backwards through the air, sending him tumbling, and Elyra’s inertia was arrested, falling to the ground. 

Shara had turned to try to land a blow onto her mother’s back as she landed, having a similar Concept of Might empowering her swing, making it even more deadly. But Elyra took a surprisingly nimble step to the side the moment she landed, and a beam of starlight from Myron struck her back and sent Shara’s swing just slightly off-course, causing her to miss. The ground shattered from her blow, her might incredible.

Nick landed and sent several Blade Waves at Elyra, each wave washing over her sphere–her Domain. The infuriating woman was beyond Middle Mastery and approaching High to match her previous mastery, giving her a deadly edge in her ability to control her Dao, along with her soul’s weight. 

Despite the Blade Wave attacks washing over her Domain, he continued as she ran toward him. He retreated away from her as he continued because they were not meaningless. A cut eventually landed on her body as three chains speared through the domain, piercing her shoulder in the back. She grunted as she reached up and crushed the ends with her offhand, then tore the chains away with a tug on her shoulder. The harpoon-like head on the chain partially remained inside, and froze her wounds slightly. 

He had gotten better at controlling his chains, coming up with a few more useful ways to use them more effectively, in addition to them becoming stronger from reaching Middle Mastery. Adding a frozen spearhead and making nets were among the tricks he now had.

Elyra laughed, her eyes going a little crazy, her horns sparking with starlight. “Not bad, Son-in-law! But you’ll have to do better than that!”

He continued his Blade Waves as he strafed the woman, but each step she took in her chase brought her mysteriously closer to him as Shara chased after her. In their previous duels, chasing after Myron always proved fruitless. The man was slippery, and always led to a very unfortunate side effect.

Elyra would go insane, and enter an unstoppable berserker rage. In a real fight, Nick thought he would be able to win with his Convergence skills, but in this special simulation within the mall, he couldn’t bring out the full weight of his Path, his kingdom’s might. In the end though, he was focusing on his swordsmanship, and Elyra wasn’t using her Convergence skills either. 

The tiny bit of effort he expended with each whipping swing slowed his movements, and she sped up as she raced toward him, starlight covering her. Nick dodged and walked on air to send more blades at her, but it was like she knew where he was going to be before he even moved. 

Nick tried to compensate with his timing slightly, attacking after she was in motion and unable to change direction thanks to her inertia. But it was like playing paper, rock, scissors with someone who always knew which one you were going to use. She didn’t actually know where he was going to move or what he would do, but her Fatestriding took her to where she needed to be. Still, he struck with several cold waves of frost, expending some of her essence.

Eventually, it was time. Activating the new glyph on his Soul Blade’s focus, his sword started billowing frost as he dashed toward Elyra, ready to face her head-on.

Elyra laughed. “Finally, you’ll face me!”

Covering himself in essence chains of light and dark, he took on his stance, his sword held in a two-handed grip above his head, perpendicular to the ground at his shoulder. With powerful swings, he met Elyra’s heavy club, parrying and redirecting it. Balancing the darkness, the light, and the cold, Nick began his onslaught. 

Elyra was huge, and with her towering over him at nearly double his height and a crazy look in her eyes, she was more than a little intimidating. And with how strong she was and how heavy Bertha was, each swing of hers was powerful enough to kill. This was the main reason they were not sparring in the training grounds–even a small mistake would mean death, from either side. This way, they could truly test their limits, minus a few shortcomings of the simulation.

She swung her giant club powerfully like a baseball bat, forcing Nick to limbo underneath it, his entire body whipping upright, returning to his original stance as he brought his sword downward with his own incredible strength. Despite her return swing being too slow to block, the weight of her fate delayed his attack, and she stepped back in an odd, stuttered movement. With a twist, she barely managed to swing her club and block his attack. 

The two continued their trade of blows, all while she chased Nick away from Shara, who couldn’t keep up thanks to Myron’s meddling. With Nick’s fighting style he’d been working on, Elyra was the perfect target to push it to its limits. Her swings were immensely powerful, and so he had to control a very challenging target.

Even with Elyra’s strange movements, she could not fully counteract Nick’s heroic, monstrous speed. However, her defense was not weak. The weight of her fate, her domain, slowed and sapped much of the strength out of his attacks, and her aura meant even his whipping, powerful strikes only left surface wounds and a small amount of frost behind. 

Her blows were heavy and came at him with incredible precision, but Nick controlled them with both his strength and his speed. With a quick parry and a twist of his body, he sent her swing off to the side and lashed out with his counter faster than she could reset her stance, or dodge his attack.   

Nick had certainly gotten close to mastering the merging his two Paths into his fighting style. He’d been practicing his Ideal, and every movement and every attack infused both control and power. Fueled by light and dark essence, he was able to accomplish both. The dark granted strength, speed, and mystery, making a feint lead to a powerful impact. The light granted defense and, especially when melded with the dark, even more strength.

And he started seeing the largest effects when he merged the two with ice, and following his father’s footsteps. Control wasn’t just swinging his sword with haste and disrupting the enemy’s rhythm, even as a swordsman. This was the limits of a human from Earth’s swordsmanship, but with the essence of Orion, the limits were only his imagination.

It could also be cold nobility, his will of frost which couldn’t be stopped. The billowing haze of frost added onto this. That, or his control actually came through a powerful defense.

It was just like when he faced his mirror in his first Ordeal dive, so long ago. His enemy was wearing the plastic-like armor that only the blade of white light could pierce. Because if an enemy couldn’t penetrate your defenses, you could attack powerfully while the enemy was forced to defend instead, or lead them into making only slower, more powerful attacks.

He thought this would especially become true once he became one with Jasmine, when enemies would have to strike with power and perfection to even touch him. They would become controlled by his mere presence, a juggernaut on the battlefield that couldn’t be ignored, yet couldn’t be stopped. For now, the billowing frost from his Soul Blade gathered around his armor, the light combining with it. It created a frozen armor quite similar to Fang’s, enabling him a much greater defense. 

Up to now, Nick could really only stir the essence of Orion for his swordsmanship while using his Ideal. With the magic of the Archaen, he’d already be considered a master. But he could feel it. He was getting close to achieving it on his own. Pushing his swordsmanship against Elyra’s fate and might Tested him, and Shara gained a lot from facing her skilled mother and father as well.

Wounds and frost piled up on Elyra, and Shara tried to follow and land her attacks, but her goal wasn’t truly to land a blow–of course, she desired that. However, she forced her father to be unable to interfere with Nick and Elyra’s battle, by making him have to deal with her and slow her down.

Nick wanted to defeat her with his swordsmanship. He still used his chains and enhanced his attacks using frost manipulation, but only to supplement his attacks. If Jasper and Birdy were present, this battle would be far easier, and not appropriate for Testing himself. Even if Nick had some way of ‘cheesing’ the battle to win against Elyra, this bout was about pushing his own limits.

As the fight continued, Elyra’s starlight berserking built. Her blows came faster, even as the frost covered her. And the same happened to Shara, her getting more and more pissed off. Nick needed to finish this, but to do that, he really needed to make sure Myron didn’t tip the scales.

A net of chains was formed again, the ends of them piercing into a nearby boulder. Nick grasped the end of the chains, his arms bulging with monstrous strength.   

Elyra frowned at this, as she prepared to slam her club down on him. “We already established that the net doesn’t work on me, Son-in-law. Why keep trying?”

“It’s not for you.”

Holding on to two of the chains, Shara’s feet landed on it a distance away, the girl crouching and preparing to leap. His arms bulged as he flung her across the battlefield, her body covered in starlight. Right toward an unsuspecting Myron.

“Myrbear!”

Elyra looked back at him with worry, and Nick dashed toward her, his sword flashing and forcing her on the back foot. Her counters were powerful, the power of her berserking combined with her Concept met his attacks as she attempted to dodge and rescue her husband.

His precision and speed combined with his evasive movements deflected her blows and forced her to block. The Soul Blade vibrated with black and white light as a storm of attacks rained down on her, his sword arm whipping as his body bobbed and weaved. Cuts sliced through her domain and landed on her flesh as more harpooned chains attempted to strike her, the woman barely getting Bertha up in time to block.   

Elyra wasn’t given a moment to breathe as Shara hunted down Myron, and she neared landing the finishing blow. The man was an excellent support that could do well to both aid his wife and defend himself, but Nick’s chains and Dominion helped corner him as well. His aid to Elyra stopped as he fought to run away from his berserking daughter, and now, Myron was on the receiving end of someone Fatestriding toward him, and sticking to him like glue. He had expended much of his essence and mana harassing Shara, and now he was about to be cornered.

Nick and Elyra both roared, drawing up all their essence. Nick’s blade of black and white light vibrated in intensity, and Elyra’s body and club sparkled with brilliant starlight. He pushed his Concept, mixing in his frost manipulation, drawing all the cold from the surrounding area. A crown of frost appeared on his head, as his will wrapped around Elyra, slowing and freezing her rapidly, even as her Domain of fate pushed against his. 

And that wasn’t all. Nick’s Heroic Redemption wrapped around his body, empowering him much like his Cloak of Twilight. His body moved in perfect synchronicity, the essence of Orion beginning to stir as he charged toward her falling club. 

Chains sprouted from the ground, and wrapped around the club as Nick shifted the heavy weight to the side, and swung down with all his might. It still came down near his shoulder rather than his head, and he squatted downward even as his arm extended, striking faster and first. He cleaved off her arm from the shoulder with his vibrating blade of black and white light, before the club still struck his frost-armored shoulder–its momentum not stopping despite one of her arms being lost. 

Heroic light-empowered frost shattered, but the blow was heavily cushioned. He managed to resist it from his position, rising and taking off her head.

Meanwhile, Shara finally landed a blow with her Concept of might on Myron, defeating him. 

The VR pods opened, Shara leaping out of hers and tearing Nick out. She kissed him triumphantly and hugged him tightly, dancing and spinning him around as she cheered about her victory.

“We did it! We finally beat Mom and Dad!”

Elyra was pouting as she got out, and Myron chuckled as he said, “Not bad, you two. That simulator feels a bit strange, and I can’t bring out my full power. But we’re both a little restricted in the end–it’s only fair.”

Nick nodded. He couldn’t use the full weight of his Path, his kingdom for his Dominion. And something about the stars didn’t quite align for Myron within either, so the simulator wasn’t perfect.

Shara sighed. “I liked winning, but it’s really frustrating! I still can’t catch up to Mom.” 

Elyra laughed. “You’re a hundred years too soon to be able to beat me, daughter. For now, there is a big gap between us, and Orion agrees. Still, I’m proud of you. You’ve come a long way this past month.”

What Elyra said was true. Shara fought very much like her, having rather similar capabilities and the same Class minus a few Archaen tweaks. However, she simply came short of her strength and size, as well as her mastery over her Concepts and her personal talent in fighting. 

Not only that, but the weight of Elyra’s Soul was clearly greater from what Nick could see with his Soul Sense, and he wagered this had a significant impact on things like her Domain. Elyra was well passed Middle Mastery as seen and crystallized by Orion, approaching High Mastery, and yet Shara was only at Early with both of hers. It seemed the essence of Orion rapidly flocked to Elyra, allowing this rapid progression to be possible, and it made Nick wonder if the reason he progressed so quickly was because of the strength of his own soul.             

Nick could still feel a sort of phantom pain in his arm from that final blow, and he massaged it as he stretched his arm. “Damn, Elyra. You really mean business with that Bertha. You almost got me.”

“Your swordsmanship is really something, Son-in-law. I’ve only met a few that could match it in my lifetime, and many were Nascent Soul elders. Your sword is definitely close to becoming one with the dao.”

“Master! Here, take some of this. You can have some too, everyone.”

Jasmine was waiting for them in the room, and she handed him some of the energy whiskey, before handing it out to the rest. Even though it was a simulation, using his Concepts within still stressed his mind and soul, just like he was actually using them. None of his essence or mana was actually used, but it seemed the simulation still required that sort of mental and soul power to actualize their usage. 

After taking the spark, a month had gone by with training continuing, and he only had a few more days or weeks before he should enter the Path of Kings. He was happy with his progress, but he had truly underestimated just how long it would take to become a Master Swordsman. If not for the memory from his father and the spark, it’d have taken a lot more than six months.

Thankfully, he could feel it–over time, he had become one with the essence.

The truth was, on Orion, training could really only take you so far in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes it took that life or death battle to take that final step. Something challenging to truly simulate. 

In the end, Nick’s best chance was to enter the Ordeal. Ascending was something that could happen in his Ascension Chamber afterward–once he upgraded it.

“They’re waiting for us at the Training Grounds. Let’s go meet with everyone.”

The five of them headed to the elevator and up into Frosthaven. His city was more bustling as ever, as new arrivals had increased its number of citizens. 

The mercenaries had arrived, nearly five-hundred strong, with a near-equal amount of refugees besides. They were made up of a wide variety of races, and Nick was shocked at the variety of them from the central kingdoms. Thankfully, Bryndor and the few arborfolk helped create some temporary housing that was actually respectable. Using seeds and essence, they grew what looked and felt a lot like bamboo huts rapidly. 

And Nick had to quietly disappear a few of the mercenaries, and refugees. Some of them he hardly had to do anything special–they were caught snooping around where they shouldn’t, trying to get into the elevator or the barrows through the hidden entrances, and even committing crimes in his city. The Wolfen tails caught the ones he pointed out committing crimes quickly, so catching them was not a big challenge.

With his interrogations, he’d learned that a few were just some agents of many within Blackthorne’s forces, and some were merely opportunists looking for easy prey and pay.

Even with Bryndor’s requirement for checking references and a warrior’s reputation, some awful people had ended up joining. Either way, they had been judged by Archaen Law and found wanting, and now they would find redemption through Nick whether they liked it or not.

They arrived at the Training Grounds, finding it packed. Even with Nick having paid to increase and upgrade the size of it, it wasn’t quite enough. A separate structure for his Town Guard or creating his Knight Order might be what he needed to do to accommodate everyone, but the barrier was what had taken priority.  

At their arrival to the large field with several outbuildings with different purposes, Elyra said, “Shara, I’d like to have some of your tea in the Garden of Reflection. Let your Fated meet with his Followers, I have some advice to give you about our spar today.”

Shara looked at Nick worriedly. “Um, but Mother, I wanted to–”

Elyra grabbed her shoulders from behind, and started dragging her away. “Come with us, our little treasure. Your husband will accomplish much more without you looming over him and glaring at all your competition.”

Shara protested, but found she couldn’t deny her mother’s claim, “I’m not… I don’t…fine, I’ll go with you,” she huffed. “Maybe I do glare at those little hussies too much. Just let me…”

Nick walked over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, babe. I’ll miss you.”

She gave him a happy pout as she got dragged away, leaving just Nick and Jasmine.

“That girl has mostly gotten over it, but some habits die hard. Those little monsterfolk see her as above them, and don’t want to make her angry after that one time.”

He had intended to meet the monsterfolk girls, but he went to see what his other wives were doing first. They walked over to one of the newer buildings of the Training Grounds, a large stone building.

Inside, there were numerous ranges at the Archery Sanctum, allowing people to push their skills for combat. It wasn’t enough to practice against unmoving targets, and this place supported that in a variety of ways. People could practice their armor penetration, compensate for moving targets, and more. Nick spotted a monsterfolk archer, a naga woman, changing the arrow’s direction with wind once it had already left her bow. 

The pair eventually found who he was looking for. Eirwen was practicing with her bow in the a small room that resembled a racquetball court, with walls on all sides. Some targets flew around, and golem-like constructs dashed for her with weapons. She was launching attacks at floating targets as she dashed around, dodging their attacks and striking targets all throughout the room. She also launched shamanic, elemental spells, and Nick was amazed at her overall progress.

While she was still one of the squishiest of the party, she was now no longer a weak link. Her mobility combined with her magical abilities and offense would keep her safe in a fight more often than not.

After she destroyed the targets, she smiled at him watching her at the entryway of the room. “There you are, Hubby! How’d it go?” She walked over to him, and he leaned down to kiss her, picking her up in a big hug which she returned. “Mmm, I’m guessing pretty good, huh?”

He chuckled. “You got that right.” He looked over more of the people practicing, numerous monsterfolk firing bows or shooting magic in both closed and more open rooms. “Busy here, huh?”

Winny giggled, her ears wiggling. “Hehe, it’s because they knew you’re coming! Today’s a big day for everyone.”

Sable appeared from the shadows, grinning. “That’s right, Boss. Everyone is excited about this milestone. Combined with the mercenaries arriving and the defensive keep you were granted, it’s starting to feel like this city is becoming one of the true powerhouses of this shard.”

“How’s your training going, Sable? You about ready to enter the Ordeal?”

She suddenly covered herself with shadows, and they were roiling around her like they were alive. After a momment, blades and sharp spikes grew all around her, and Nick could feel some of the things he did when he had faced Elrash.

Finally, she must have made his Concept her own, from when Nick Judged him. It seemed that when Nick Judged Ordeal Owners, he would tear a Concept Fragment from them. He could make them his own if he so chose, but he found he could also grant them to his wives–using their Soulscapes. He might have been able to do it before, but he doubted it. Likely, only Eirwen’s special connection would have allowed for it.

The group with Eirwen and Sable joining it, headed over to the Bushido Dojo, crossing over to the next building. They found numerous warriors training in the divided dojo rooms. Nick was surprised to see nearly every race present–orcs, elves, humans, beastfolk, monsterfolk of various kinds, and Star Oni women. Many were fully outfitted in thinner armor meant to maximize movement. 

Each were wielding blades, shields, and spears of frostiron. Lumos was there looking over everything, and even measuring new warriors in a line in the main hallway.

In the Bushido Dojo, people could duel, but the training largely resembled what Nick had seen of those training in martial arts. Renzou was speaking to a large group sitting cross-legged on the mats, listening to the philosophy of being a samurai. The Bushido Code included honor, integrity, compassion, loyalty, honesty and sincerity, courage, and duty and respect. It was not very different from the chivalric code, in all, only lacking aspects of religion from Earth. 

Some rooms practiced sword swings and stances, others used martial arts, or even the bow. The samurai of Orion were a lot like the knights of Europe or even the samurai of Japan from back on Earth, but there were some fundamental differences.

Their training was a big one. Knights trained in melee weapons and for mounted combat, but would rarely master skills like archery or martial arts as samurais did. Then, a samurai on Orion would often learn how to use shields. They needed to be able to face monsters and magic rather than only facing humanoid opponents, after all, and so their training and specialization was a bit different.

They didn’t train being administrative or have political importance on Orion, focusing even more  on being warriors who protected the people and their lord. 

The final wing of the mines was claimed last week, the challenge only marginally more difficult than the previous. The three-month countdown until the barrier of the underground demonic people were removed had begun, and so Nick wanted to enter the third stratum and soon, to prepare his kingdom for this threat.

The benefit was a significant amount of frostiron ore and special gems, which Lumos and her trained crafters used to make this equipment. The armor looked like some kind of special glass-ceramic, made from the ore and gems through special alchemical procedures. Their armor looked a lot like a light blue samurai armor, individual thin plates linked with Jasmine’s threads. 

There were more surprises in store for Nick, as he spotted Jeffrey and a group of beetle people–looking more human-like than ever, in another room with Kaya. After absorbing the Boss Essence in the Ordeal and returning with the special crystalline heart from the event within, he had mysteriously gone into hibernation, along with numerous others. And now, his body had grown–making him see eye to thousand-eyes with Nick.

Jeffrey’s eyes were still compound, but looked more like beautiful, faceted amber gemstones in the place of eyes. But he had a very human-like nose and mouth, rather than the mandibles he had before. It was like a human head was placed on top of a beetle’s body and its eyes replaced, and his mirror-like carapace started beneath the neck. They also had a horn on the middle of their forehead, like many Oni Nick had heard of in the past.  

Surprisingly, Kaya was sparring with the group of them, and so Nick came over to watch with the girls.

Her swings of her axes, even from the ones on her tails, sent purple waves of essence, much like his Blade Wave using Essence Carry. The group of them covered themselves in their shining shields, reflecting some of the energy back at her, which she had to defend herself against with her aura. The group of silver beetle warriors, mixed with a blue hue, moved as one with their shields, huddling behind them and stabbing out with their spears.

It seemed she was helping them gain some confidence in their defense, because her storm of attacks only washed over them, their bracing of their shields successful. It didn’t seem she was seeking to truly break them, as she only lightly used her Sharpness Concept. As a group with the large amount of essence running through their defense, Nick did feel some kind of Concept building–and he realized that much of it might be coming from Jeffrey himself.

After withstanding her flurry of attacks, Kaya backed off. “Good job, you guys! You’re getting really good at holding out against my attacks! Your defense is improving.”

Their wings behind them buzzed, and Jeffrey nodded. However, he caught Kaya’s gaze behind them, and so he turned to look at Nick and Jasmine. 

A shiver went through Jeffrey, and his wings buzzed behind him in a different cadence–rather than happiness, it was a higher-pitched sound of warning. All the other beetlefolk present did the same as they spotted Jasmine. 

Nick remembered the situation that occurred in the tower–where Jasmine tried to help them pass through the Ordeal. In coaxing them to fight and helping them defeat the enemies with her beams of light, she might have been a little too…aggressive, not understanding just how full of fear they were, and how badly they wished to stop. And they had performed admirably, as judged by Orion and its rewards, but it had left sad scars.

Nick turned to Jasmine. “Damn, Jeffrey here is still scared of you, Jas? You apologized to them now that they can talk, right?”  

Jeffrey still quivered, but it was him that replied–Nick hearing his voice for the first time. It was deep and rumbling, and his words were filled with emotion. “She did. It was…a sad misunderstanding, but the fear we felt was very real. Still… We forgive her. Not only did she do her best to atone for the harm she did, but her intentions were good. Her goal was only to help make us stronger and better–and she succeeded. It was Orion’s Will, and yours, that we overcame our fears and face conflict, whether together or alone.” He then smiled at Nick. “And thanks to your grace and your Lumos refining that treasure you obtained, we’re now never alone.” 

Kaya noted, “It does seem to be that the result was for the better. These fellows all fight well together now, not fearing battle as they did before. And I don’t think they’d all have their mirror-like surfaces if not for their fear of Jasmine, and this is what makes them special now. Noblefrost Beetlefolk are unique with their reflective carapace, coordination, and cold resistance, and it seems most have already evolved.”

“Anyway, Jeffrey–It’s good to see and meet you once more, my friend–we had gotten a bit worried when you went to sleep. I see you brought your brethren, and I’m amazed at what you guys can do together.”

Jeffrey grinned at him, and gave him a salute–which all of the other beetle people copied. “Milord, it is a pleasure to see you once again. Yes, I am thrilled to have awoken, and our people have truly become more.”

“What happened?”  

“Father and mother managed to bond with the crystal heart you granted us, and that changed us all. Thanks to this, we can now converse and share knowledge with any of our brethren at any distance, always connected to them and one another.”

“Share knowledge? That sounds quite useful. Mother and father…you mean the king and queen?”

Jeffrey chuckled. “Yes, we were aware that you might call them our king and queen, but this is not right. They are our birthers first and foremost, and have only always been the communities’ voices. Not only that, but our hive ascends by the grace of our true king–Lord Noblefrost–you.”

Nick was a bit shocked at this, and Kaya chuckled as her tails swished behind her. “It’s surprising, but it seems they have a sort of hive-mind thing going on. After they all began to understand how big of a deal their benefits they were receiving actually were: the essence pearls, the essence density for living near Frosthaven, slots in the Ordeal to become more, and how such an outstanding treasure was granted to them freely, they immediately all came to the same conclusion. That they owed you a lot.” 

Sable added, “Jeffrey was also quick to share your prowess from the Ordeal with everyone, so they understand how important your protection of their hive is.”

The beetlefolk all nodded in a scary synchronicity, including Jeffrey. He said, “That is all true. And personally, I have been inspired by your heroism, having learned of your incredible tales! Even Orion itself recognizes that I too now walk your Hero’s Path!”

“How did…that happen? The learning of my tales part. You’ve been talking to people around town?”

“We have. We’ve also been spending time in your tavern, and listening to the bard there.”

Nick frowned. “I didn’t know they actually got a bard now. Who is it?”

Winny giggled. “It’s one of the priestesses! They love to sing, and they visit there frequently to sing of your tales–which I was happy to share. There’s been a few travelers since the road has been completed, too.”

The road to Silverbrook was recently completed. The magically leveled, stone-paved road allowed for two carriages abreast for the entire path. It also had proper drainage for rain, and trees along the path were cleared for both higher visibility against potential threats, and to allow for future expansions. 

The stronger orcs on bikes could make the trip just as rapidly as their utility vehicles had been able to, making Silverbrook feel closer than ever. Merchants now regularly make the trek, buying and selling materials to Frosthaven. And now, bikes were being sold by the dozens, filling Nick and the numerous crafter’s coffers as they were loaded onto ships to be sold in the central kingdoms.

Orc raiders frequently patrolled the route and challenged caravans to their honorable duels, the warnings plain on the road. There were actually quite a few orc biking gangs forming, and they had attracted some of these refugees and people from Silverbrook to join–and not just orcs. While Nick had originally started with just over a hundred orc warriors and raiders, they now began to grow. Word was reaching the central kingdoms, and Lothar couldn’t be happier.

With the road completed, the priestesses and adherents would now be able to make their pilgrimages to Silverbrook frequently, in hopes of grabbing more clergy and adherents to join them in Frosthaven. Now that Silverbrook had been made safe and had gained several improvements, people were coming from far and wide on ships once more.

Nick asked, “How do your connections work while you’re in the Ordeal?”

“We cannot hear each other’s voices, but we can hear murmurs, a gentle buzzing of our brethren. So even while we’re apart, we can feel that we fight together.”

“Neat. I’m glad to hear that your people are doing well. I may call you again for the Path of Kings run again, if you’re interested.”

Essentially, Shara was a part of his party now, but she would be replacing Irene, who was currently pregnant. Jeffrey had filled the last slot previously, and perhaps, he may be the best for it even now.

Myron was another option for a supporter, but Elyra couldn’t stand to be without her ‘Myr-bear’ for so long. One without the other just wasn’t doable. And even if he could, he didn’t want to bring Elyra. She would make it a challenge for himself to truly be Tested thanks to her amazing strength.

Jasmine was a bit of a ringer, but she properly limited her strength, making her feel more like a supporter. He doubted that Elyra could hold back properly once the fight began. He could, of course, take just about any priestess of Seraphara.

“My brethren and I are now ready to fight. Just say the word and we will be there, it would be my honor.”

Sable added, “I’ve seen more of them around here lately. I do believe they’ve also increased their number.”

Jeffrey nodded. “That’s right, many of mother and father’s spawn are now fully grown, more than doubling our original numbers when we joined your kingdom. Not only that, but We have also started seeking other hives in hopes of having them join ours! We have made contact with our parent hive and one other, and some will be joining us to the South.”

Nick arched his brow. “What’s this now? You’re not like…attacking them, are you?”

“We are only coaxing them into the grace and safety of your great kingdom! Our people are very insular, and our ancestral hives have fallen behind. To be weak is dangerous, and we also espouse the many benefits to being here.”

Nick noted, “I guess thanks to my Trait, we only need to make the King and Queen of each hive my Followers, then the rest will follow. Good to have our fighters increase.” 

Winny grinned. “These guys are hard workers, wonderful to have. We could definitely use more of them to keep building.”

Nick had ultimately chosen the area near the Monster Kingdom entrance for the defensive keep, and the reason was simple: his beetlefolk had already begun making what was effectively a decent keep to the south. 

With the recent change in the geography from capturing Shadowvale, the situation had actually improved. Their hive, which was nearly a castle in its design, now overlooked a passage to the southwest–where Blackthorne and his army would surely have to come from.

They didn’t fully block the road, the valley and simple path merely overlooked by their hive. However, they could easily monitor the path, and now, Nick realized, their strange communication would ensure that they could communicate immediately once they saw people coming. Their hive was less than a day away from Frosthaven, but even a few hours warning could make a big difference.

“Master, there’s only a short time left before the event. Fang and Luna will be sad if you don’t go see the girls…again.”

“Alright. Let’s check out their training.”