Soul Knight - Chapter 19 (Patreon)

As Nick entered the portal, it became translucent from Kaya and Eirwen’s side. Kaya was filled with worry, but Eirwen looked both confident and proud as she gazed at Nick’s back.

The two men drew their soul blades, the electric blue energy brightening their arena–a simple room with nearly no features within, the walls made out of the same trees and vines surrounding themselves.

Nick and his mirror moved so quickly as they began their probing attacks. Nick and the clone spun and twisted as they leaped and flipped, their bodies moving in a deathly dance as each feinted and slashed.

Kaya’s ears were flat on her head as she watched. “W-wow, Nick is really amazing with that sword. It’s kind of scary… I don’t think I could last against him for more than a few seconds when he goes all out.”

Eirwen smiled. “He’s brimming with potential. And just think, that was just how good he got from having fun. Imagine how strong he will get with his life is actually on the line?”

Kaya was more than a little fearful with her ears flat on her head, as she watched Nick fighting his copy. “How can you be so calm? With any swing of that blade, you could die–and you’re not even the one fighting!”

Eirwen’s smile faltered, and her response came out in a near whisper. “I’m used to it. In the end, nothing has changed–yet.”

‘W-What do you mean, nothing has changed?”

Eirwen’s eyes became glassy, as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “Just what do you think would have happened to me… if something happened to you while you were out, and you never came back?”

Kaya looked like she had been slapped, the shock on her expression evident. “I-I never really thought about it like that. I’m sorry–”

“What do you have to be sorry for? It was me who was weak–a burden. Without you and Nick, I was nothing. I will finally become more by taking a risk–you say I’m not the one fighting, but I am. Nick and I are one, and when he succeeds–I succeed, and will be rewarded along with him. I refuse to be a burden anymore.”

Eirwen left the words unspoken–that if he died, she would die too.

Kaya turned to watch Nick’s fight with rapt attention, her tail flickering in irritation.

“Oh! He’s hurt–this is not good.”

Nick took a wound on his shoulder, in order to score a blow–which was mostly ineffectual thanks to the enemy’s armor. It appeared a score was cut in the armor, but it just barely caused a scratch on his mirror.

He continued to hold his blade firmly, but he looked like his attacks became weaker, as he fought on the defensive.

Eirwen did her best, to feel their connection. She pushed her feelings over to her new husband, her mate. When she had to rely on Kaya, she had resigned to her fate. She had found acceptance, not having control over her life and forced to accept her sister’s good will.

She was healed now, and as Kaya said, she had her whole life ahead of her now. So when Nick offered his Soul Pact, she made the choice with resolve, a firm determination that she would join him on his journey to become a hero.

It was a small difference, but it meant the world to her that she made this choice, instead of it being forced on her.

She would stand by his side, and grow into something more. It would be full of hardships and difficult challenges, she was sure–but she’d become stronger and do good in the world, perhaps helping other people like herself–or she would die trying.

Nick was wounded, but she did her best to send her determination, her faith and trust over the connection. Nick would triumph over this Test and become a hero, his first step toward Eternity walking the Hero’s Path.

He was already Eirwen’s hero–it was only a matter of time before he became one for all.

***

When Nick began this mirror match, he was amazed at how well the copy of his fought like himself. The way it probed, the way it countered and moved, everything truly was how Nick would fight.

Except, the difficulty was ramping up. The copy’s control over Body Essence was far superior, pushing Nick on the back foot, scrambling to catch up because he couldn’t match its strength or speed.

Nick was doing his best to copy what the clone was doing, but it was tough. The armor really made it difficult to match up with his opponent.

Fighting Nick was annoying. Of course, Nick knew that–he had created his style to whittle down enemies, and lead them into a false sense of security for a trap, or increase their irritation. Irritated enemies were prone to make mistakes that Nick would be all-too-happy to capitalize on.

Many of the formal swordsman types took a minimalistic style, an orthodox simplicity of their movements that was effective and managed their stamina and power well.

But Nick didn’t like that stuffy way of fighting, even if it was effective. After all, he didn’t just fight other sword wielders–he also fought monsters and beasts of various shapes and sizes. When he fought, his body would twist and spin, his blade swings flourished, and he leaped and flipped into the air like an acrobat.

He would attack from odd angles that with an odd twist and shift of his body, and would strike or guard with a power and speed that belied his posture.

Combined with feints, most orthodox swordsman had a real challenge dealing with him because he fought so differently. It was not always the best thing, as there was a cost to this behavior–Nick tired easily.

In a long battle, Nick’s body would tire, since his movements were wasteful.

That was less a problem with Nick’s new body, or in a game. However, there was a new problem that he was not yet used to–managing his Body Essence.

Nick and his clone’s attacks with their soul blades went back and forth, blocking and parrying, their feet shuffling as slashes flowed from one swing into the next. Nick could feel that his clone was stronger, and the armor it was wearing was far superior.

He guessed that even if he hit with a swing straight on, his attack would not pierce through it.

And his clone appeared to know that. More than once, it pressed the attack when Nick could wound it. He didn’t take the bait because he could tell that at best, his wound on the enemy would be shallow thanks to the armor. And, if it didn’t actually land and his blow was deflected–he would instead be punished.

With how sharp these soul blades were, a single cut was likely to maim, victory happening in but a mere moment after.

Nick did his best to manage his opponent’s increased speed, but his ability was Essence was far behind. He created an opening for the enemy to take advantage of by raising his weapon high–too high, and his clone pounced with a quick leap and a stab.

Nick was only barely able to twist his body to prevent the worst from happening–having his heart pierced, then he brought down his swing with all his might, his essence spiraling throughout his body.

But his clone just nonchalantly brought its arm guard to block, angling his attack away from the body–parrying his attack.

Nick had expected this on some level, even though he was disheartened–and kneed his clone in the stomach. It felt like he kneed a wall, but thanks to lifting its feet off the ground slightly, Nick was able to escape as the blade ripped out of his offhand’s shoulder.

The clone’s approach appeared extra ominous now, as it marched slowly at Nick. It had just proven that even if Nick maximized his strength, it wasn’t enough to even wound it through its armor.

It began its assault on Nick once more, and the first wound was accompanied by a series of cuts, the enemy easily compromising his armor.

The wounds were shallow, but Nick could nearly see the writing on the wall. His clone had found its edge, and he would exploit it until Nick went down.

Nick had talked big when he had entered. Surpassing one’s self was not easy, especially for someone with tons of experience in fighting like Nick. Suddenly becoming a better swordsman was not something that would just happen.

For Nick, each level of progress in his swordsmanship had been several iterations of trial and error, of facing dozens and dozens of foes and finding what worked best.

This meant that Nick’s only means of success was through Essence, of utilizing it properly. His clone was better, but it didn’t appear by overly much. But just how could he use it better? He had obtained a few hints from his enemy, but each improvement or iteration was marginal at best.

As he was thinking this, something within him pulsed. He could feel his connection to Eirwen, and he could feel her determination and trust. He hadn’t forgotten, but Nick was reminded that he was fighting for two now, the stakes he had in this fight.

Nick thought he saw something strange–the color of his blade, or the energy within himself, shifted and became just a little bit brighter. He continued his defensive, blocking and dodging the oncoming clone.

Thinking back, there was a moment where he was facing the bearcoon. He had stood up to the bearcoon’s claw for Kaya, resolved to take the enemy’s punishment in her stead. In the end, he hadn’t needed to–his strength was miraculously enough to stop the much larger creature’s blow somehow.

The weird textual tirade Nick barely had time to read before it shifted, he had spotted another detail. It had stated that when it came to using Essence, Nick was lacking conviction.

This was something that Nick hardly had–until he met Eirwen, and made a Pact with her, making her his wife.

He drew up his Body and Soul Essence from the wells within his center, and intertwined them as he sent them through his muscles in his arm and into his blade. An energy built, as Nick shoved his everything into it.

He then firmed his resolve–that he would surpass himself, and become a hero, just like Eirwen dreamed of him.

Nick made a pact with himself. That even if the going got tough, he would fight with dogged determination to fulfil his covenant with Eirwen, to protect the weak and judge evil–something that those with the Noblefrost name were born for.

He then lured the clone to attack his opening once more–but this time, he went for a sideways swing for the head on the enemy’s shoulders, that should have been easily deflected by the enemy’s armor once more.

His soul blade lit up, and it was filled with a brilliant white light. The essence stored in his blade seemed to join together with his actions, as he swung it powerfully.

As expected, his clone angled its arm guard to parry as it ducked, and his blow would have just easily slid off of it. Then, the clone was ready with a piercing stab to counter with its blade heading to Nick’s chest, one that he would definitely be unable to dodge.

However, Nick’s white blade severed the clone’s arm, and removed the head from the enemy’s shoulders.

The enemy’s blade disappeared inches away from his chest, as the body fell to the ground and faded away–the empty armor clattering on the floor.

[Optional Solo Test Completed! Through conviction and strength of will, Nicholas Noblefrost surpassed himself by reaching Expert in Archaen Swordsmanship. Archaens are masters of the soul, but their mastery comes with a cost. They must possess powerful emotions and conviction of their virtues in order to master control over Body Essence.]

[Passive Trait Earned: Soul Blade Connection]
[Allows additional control over Soul Blade’s Essence absorption and expense. Can hold Essence within blade for longer periods, and allows more methods of utilizing Essence.]
[+.5 Body, +1 Soul]

His cute sheep beastfolk wife also got a prompt.

[Eirwen Noblefrost]
[By risking yourself through your Pact, you are rewarded along with your Archaen Husband. Your resolve and determination was powerful enough that it reached through your pact, and enhanced your husband’s own, aiding him in his victory.]

[Passive Trait Earned: Enhanced Pact Connection]
[Once per day, you may send a single spell effect through your bond at any distance–even from outside the Tower.]
[+.25 Body, +.5 Soul]

But the moment the enemy died, she ran into the room, followed by Kaya. Nick was now covered in wounds, and his shoulder was bleeding profusely. He put away his soul blade, as she arrived near him–her expression serious.

“Nick! That shoulder wound looks awful. Let me heal you. Reinvigorate!”

The electric blue energy left her, the energy swirling in his chest. It soothed his smaller wounds, closing them rapidly. However, his shoulder only slowed in its bleeding, the effect not enough to knit the thick cut, the large loss of flesh.

The enemy defeated, Nick nearly fell to his knees, but Kaya held him up, and brought him down slowly so Eirwen could work on his wounds.

Nick couldn’t help but give a proud smile. “Thanks, girls. That was a difficult one. That guy was as tough as they come, really.”

Kaya chuckled at his joke and shook her head as she helped bring Nick to the ground.

Eirwen rummaged through her pack, and brought out her essence-soaked bandages. “Help me get his armor off, so I can get that wound bandaged. Nick, if you absorb some of that Essence, it might help.”

The two girls worked on removing his armor without disturbing his wounds, and he did his best to follow along with their movements as he needed to lift his arms or shift his chest.

A significant reward in Essence had arrived, and Nick did his best to cultivate it. With the Orion System helping him with his reward, he hit the fifth level.

[Skill Specialization Choice]

[Aura - The Soul Knight Class’s cornerstone skill is its Aura. Using a Soul Knight’s powerful Soul, Auras reserve Soul Power to create a domain–an area around themselves in which enemies and allies are influenced. Later, each Aura can be used in various ways, often in offense or defense. Using Auras, Soul Knights can be a commanding presence on any battlefield.]

[Radiance Aura - Offense Focus]
[Brightens an area, burning nearby enemies with righteous vindication. Later, Aura can be condensed into a beam of piercing light, or also provide light healing for allies.]

Nick frowned at the first one. It sounded pretty great, all things considered–but didn’t really feel right to him. Righteous vindication? It appeared there might be another specialization choice for his Aura down the line, and it was giving him details on it.

[Soul Aura - Defense Focus]
[Surrounds allies with a shield of protection, protecting them from magical and essence-based attacks with your indomitable will. Later, can shield against more powerful attacks, or reflect weaker ones.]

Once again, a powerful option. He loved the idea that he could protect Eirwen with this.

[Frost Aura - Control Focus]
[Surrounds a large area with inhibiting frost, slowing enemies and even spells or projectiles with unyielding conviction. Later, can condense the frost into your blade allowing you to send out waves of frost, or create small shields of ice for allies. Enhanced by Trait: Will of Frost – inhibiting frost will now slowly freeze enemies.]

Something about this option resonated with him. The fact that it specifically mentioned a larger area, meant that it should be a significant detail. By slowing enemies in the vicinity, he could use the Aura both offensively and defensively, depending on how he decided to act.

Then, the trait he earned within the tower enhanced it. It even matched his name–Noblefrost. It was as if it were a part of his heritage.

While Nick was pragmatic, this particular choice was already above the rest in his mind, it was easy imagining his soul servants dealing with slowed and freezing enemies trivially, or Eirwen moving out of the way of a slowed attack.

Nick felt all the Auras were extremely powerful. The idea that all he would have to do is reserve some Soul Power, weakening his blade and potentially future Soul Power-based attacks, was amazing to him.

He selected the Frost Aura, then looked over his new stats.

[Name: Nicholas Noblefrost]
[Race: Archaen]
[Level: 5 Class: Soul Knight, Epic Class]
[Attributes: 9.12 Body, 11.25 Soul]
[Skills: Expert Archaen Swordsmanship, Intermediate Soul Magic, Intermediate Body Enhancement]
[Spells: Soul Mending, Judgment, Raise Soul Servant, Remove Affliction, Frost Aura]
[Traits: Soul Bound, Advanced Soul Sense, Mana Resistant, Will of Frost, Soul Blade Efficiency, Soul Blade Connection]

Looking over at the badass armor, Nick couldn’t help but feel a little excited. He had won, and he had been made stronger for it.

He didn’t know what was up with the entity that appeared to control the Ordeal, but the Test had definitely helped him accomplish what Eirwen said.

Nick and Eirwen had risked themselves, but they had become more. They were now stronger, and were that much more likely to be successful in the future.