The second Test went without a hitch, except for how long it took. They spent over an entire day and night in the dilapidated library, and actually holed up and took turns watching to sleep.
Nick defeated the simple demons during the raiding of the library, as well as the much larger ones after each riddle, with ease. The demon challenge difficulty did increase as they got further into the floor, the number of demons increasing with each section completed.
He went back and forth in practice between his Heroic Concept and his Frost King Concept, trying to get as much training as he could out of them.
The Heroic Concept was worth the effort it took to obtain. He moved even faster than his usual Body Essence could enhance him, and his blade of white and black light was even sharper and deadlier. His Soul Blade Connection even allowed him to extend his blade further with this energy, which was a pleasant surprise.
He also learned the limitations. He could not merely run it forever, torturing the souls inside of him to draw essence from them limitlessly. There was a small pool of it within the seed of the Concept, and it would gradually restore.
Trying his Archaen Monstrous Swordsman kata, he learned he could draw out a little more darkness gradually. However, he would still run out of light energy to balance the darkness, requiring him to end the ability. He reasoned that the darkness wasn’t only drawn up from those he Judged, but perhaps from near the stele.
The girls helped with their Holy Blow attacks and spiritual shouts on the third and fourth chamber, making the challenge an overall breeze, but he was still impressed by their fighting capabilities.
The thirteenth floor Test was a reversal of the first Test, the Test of Purity: Path of Darkness. Fundamentally, there was not much difference between the first and third challenge. Only by being pure of spirit or having a powerful aura, could someone hope to withstand the constant fear and terror bombarding them.
Shadow spirits attacked them, much like those created by Brutus and others. What was especially challenging was that it took them over thirty-six hours, though they managed to take turns resting while others protected with their auras and kept watch.
Near the end, the swarms of attacking spirits had actually become challenging, and Nick wondered how a standard Paladin would have managed to protect them all. Thankfully, his super-human body was able to withstand such sleep deprivation combined with the stress, but it was difficult to believe others would find it easy.
One wrong move and one of the girls could have been flung off the edge to their deaths. It was clear that those who attempted to push through the level needed to be fully prepared, and know when to flee if they couldn’t successfully complete the level. Being overconfident would lead to their deaths.
They beat off the difficult wave of shadows which required the girls to fight hard, but showed that Nick could rely on them well to protect themselves against the average foes. While they didn’t defeat many enemies, they were trained in the art of defense.
When they arrived at the end with the portal in view, he brought the difficulty up. “That was a long trek, longer than you girls predicted. Tougher too.”
Rebecca nodded as they continued to walk. “I believe your Epic-Lord class is making this more challenging than usual. The difficulty increase was present before, but didn’t really have that much influence on them. It was definitely clear on this one, as my last attempt only took us less than a day.”
The girls all nodded, and gave their experiences on how they felt the floors were different. In all, they had managed on their own, even if they took the challenge slower to be safe.
“How far have you girls gotten on previous runs? I saw up to the Fourteenth Floor was unlocked.”
Rebecca said, “We stop at the fourteenth floor Safe Zone, which sits at the beginning of the floor. There are details about it within our library. It’s a special challenge that flows directly into the Boss. Despite being in the same environment, it’s considered the fifteenth floor’s Test. We knew we’d need a competent paladin to be successful.”
Nick had a suspicion that his Path of Kings keeper was just a jerk, that upped the challenge even further than it normally should be thanks to his presence. Perhaps, that was all a part of his parent’s plans in the first place.
When they arrived at the beginning of the Fourteenth floor Safe Zone, it gave them 8 hours. Outside of the dome-like bubble, they could not see anything. Inside, it was a grass-covered campsite, with the standard stumps around a campfire, and plenty of room for them to place their sleeping bags.
Nick groaned as he sat down on one of the stumps. “Finally, a decent break. After we got through that library, the two-hour break was like a slap in the face.”
Veronica said, “But we did manage to get some rest in the library, at least. Compared to other Ordeals, the difficulty of Seraphara’s Ordeal is largely about perseverance. Those that seek peace must have patience and determination, or they will falter during difficult times.”
Marissa nodded, “That’s right, Sister Veronica. It is when the spirit is weary that our faith in Seraphara’s Wisdom is Tested the most.”
The girls settled in, quick to bring out a pot and start a fire, and heat up some stew. It didn’t take long for them to hand Nick a bowl and sit down, Rebecca taking the seat next to him with a smile.
Chastity sat down on the other side of Nick with her own bowl. “I’m excited to Test myself once more, and reach the fifteenth level.”
Nick blew on his hot stew for a bit, until he took a bite. It was chock-full of essence, and soft meat. “That’s pretty good. So, I’m getting close to Level 15 now. It has that powerful ability, right? You girls are all the same class, so you must already know what you’re going to get, right? What is it?”
Rebecca nodded. “It’s called a Convergence skill, which merges Class, Path, and Concept if you have one: to create a skill that’s nearly unique to each individual. Because we carry the Class and Path of our Goddess, when we unlock our Convergence Skill, we will all gain the same, but it’s special. Much like you have a Pseudo-Concept in your Frost Aura, we can convert our Faith Essence to interchangeably use several of Seraphara’s Concepts in a similar way. It trains us, and helps us build towards a fragment of the one that resonates the most with us.”
Nick whistled. “That sounds amazing, so once you kind of make the Concept of hers that resonates with you, that ability will be empowered when you use that particular one, huh? What are the options?”
Marissa nodded, looking up from her stew. “That’s right. Compassion–Blessing. Wisdom and Purity–Light. Peace–Sanctuary.”
Nick could guess what they did, based on what he already knew. Blessing was some kind of buff, which was perfect for working with the paladins of Seraphara.
Sanctuary was a lot like their pacification aura, but it established an area that was stronger, but also protected against ranged attacks and spells to those in it–but with limitations. If someone attacked from inside it, it would be dispelled.
“Nice, so you’ll be able to buff me up like Winny and Luna, huh? That’ll help a lot.
Rebecca grimaced. “T-That… Unfortunately, it might not work that great on you. You might have some affinity for it now thanks to the Divine Concord Trait you have, but it’ll probably wash away quickly since you’re not one of our Paladins. We’ll still be able to, but we’ll have to wait for a key moment.”
“Damn, that sucks. What’s the Light ability?”
Rebecca gave him a wry smile. “I’m afraid that’s the only one you’ve actually seen, Nicholas. It’s what my father used. It forms an orb of light, which can be used to shoot beams of light that attacks enemies. However, normally, it would not have that much offensive power–except against demons and other beings of darkness. But Samuel twisted that…”
Nick decided to move on away from that topic quickly. “What about me, what kind of thing do you think I’ll get?”
Rebecca smiled. “Since you are a Lord Class, nearly all of your abilities will be somewhat empowered when you’re near your subjects, when essence is drawn in from the surrounding area. But since you’re working on more than one Path and Concept, you just might get two. Your class is really complicated, and I have no idea what you might receive. However, to get one personalized to your Concept, you must reach the minimum mastery first. For you, it might actually be required to even receive one.”
Nick sighed. “Since I’m an Epic Class? What’s this Minimum Mastery?”
“That’s right. As you know, I made a new Concept Fragment of some form of sacrificial Concept, and I’m sure you’re in the same place with your other two Concepts. We are still at the fragment stages, but eventually, we’ll reach a level where Orion will acknowledge our mastery. It’s once you’ve truly made it a part of you and solidified your understanding of it to the first true stage.”
“Become one with the essence, until the essence becomes you…”
Chastity looked a bit surprised, looking up from her meal. “That’s interesting. Where’d you hear that?”
“Something my father said. Sounded relevant at this time.”
Nick was already past level fourteen when he entered the Ordeal, thanks to Jasper’s constant hunting the past month, and his Secret Hero’s Quest. After cultivating floor thirteen’s reward, he was now getting very close to level fifteen thanks to the Bonus Essence. He just might reach it during the fighting, or after the fourteenth floor.
They talked for a short time, but they were already exhausted, and they didn’t have that much time to sleep, so they settled in to rest shortly after they finished their meal.
Setting out their sleeping bags, the three girls laid down next to each other. Nick’s was originally going to be across from them, but he brought his sleeping bag closer to them, looking at Rebecca on the edge of their group.
Rebecca looked a little dumbfounded. “What…?”
“I wanna do lewd things with you–I want to hold your hand as we sleep. Can we do that?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
She blushed. “T-That’s not lewd… You promise that’s all?”
“I’ll be a gentleman, I promise. With that warm soul of yours closer, I feel like I’ll be able to relax and sleep all the better. Nobody needs to keep watch this time.” Nick turned to the blushing priestesses. “You girls don’t mind, do you?”
They blushed as they shook their heads, and actually shifted their sleeping bags a little further away for them, which he thanked them for. Nick laid his sleeping bag down next to Rebecca’s and got inside. Facing her, he reached his hand out to her. She smiled as she laid on her side and held his hand.
“You…do want to do more, don’t you?” She whispered.
“Are you kidding? You’re beautiful, Becca. I do want you. But I have a special…drive, from my race. I only play for keeps. I’m content to wait until you’re mine forever.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Then I can never have enough.”
Rebecca laughed. “For keeps, and never enough, is it? How reassuring. After our marriage ceremony… I want to do it too, I want to be all yours. I want to give you my everything.”
“Damn, don’t be saying stuff like that. I might wanna do a lot more than just hold hands.”
She darted forward and kissed him on the lips, and giggled. “I love it that you want me, but I know you wouldn’t break your promise. Let us rest well and then find victory when we wake. I’ll be all yours not long after.”
As Nick had predicted, he fell asleep quickly, so close to his future wife’s bright soul. The warmth transmitted through his hand was plenty calming.
When they awoke, they had a light meal and packed everything up, preparing their equipment. With determined looks, they exited the bubble, revealing a large grassy plain, with few hills. However, they were also at the edge of a battlefield, only a dozen yards away from an army fighting.
When the bubble faded away, a strange sensation had washed over the party. A shift occurred within Nick’s mind, and it was like he had foreign memories implanted, getting an understanding of the history of the battle in front of them.
He had heard about this. For more advanced Tests, it was like they would live out a character’s role in a story. Often, this was a retelling of a Trial, Tribulation or Conflict that had occurred in the distant past, that was scaled to the difficulty of the Ordeal.
Their actions would not change what had actually happened, but it was meant to be a scenario that had already been completed. Perhaps some day, Orion would have someone replay Nick’s Heritage Trial on the fifth floor.
He’d like to see them try, anyway.
[Test of Peace and Compassion: Battlefield Trial of Seraphara’s Faithful]
[Two Kingdoms are at war, but their battle is a third kingdom’s terrible plot. In a bid for peace, Seraphara’s Faithful march on the battlefield, to stop the battle and end the needless bloodshed. Objective: disrupt the battle, and heal the wounded. Prevent as many deaths as possible, and stop the fighting. Have faith in Seraphara’s peaceful path, and grant compassion to the warriors on both sides of the battlefield. Prepare for the next stage of the battle, where the Kingdom of Roknar arrives, and Defeat their leader, the Boss, when he appears, fighting alongside your rescued allies.]
With a glance, Nick knew about the two kingdoms in question here, and that each person’s death on this battlefield was a tragedy. The number of soldiers was not all that many, at about a hundred and fifty on each side.
Rebecca gasped. “So many people! This is not normal.”
Nick arched his brow. “How many are there supposed to be?”
Veronica said, “Of course, the Ordeal has variance based on who has entered. But normally, there are less than a hundred on each side! This likely reflects the difficulty.”
Most were not even in the second stratum, but they were still numerous and well-equipped. The dwarves on one side of the battlefield wore thick plate mail armor with shields, hammers and axes.
The other stout creatures, which looked like some kind of satyrs called wildfolk, also wore thick bark-like armors and a wide variety of weapons. Their fight was fought and won inch by inch, the sides evenly matched.
Nick thought a little bit about how they could go about stopping the fighting. He asked, “That’s concerning, but what’s the plan? We don’t want to help one side too much, in case we can’t actually stop them from fighting–it might just cause a massacre, one side beating the other.”
Rebecca said, “I think, thanks to you protecting us, we should march down the center. Stop the men fighting at the line, and heal those hit by the archers. We’ll knock out as many as we can, to prevent more from dying. We’ll do our best to convince them to stop fighting from there, and gather those who don’t want to fight in a third group.”
“Thanks to me?”
“Y-Yes. If we just had one of our usual paladin allies here, we would have to take a…much slower, and safer route to win people over.”
Veronica added, “I think it’s a good plan, since we can count on Nick to protect us. Otherwise, I think we should convince their leaders first.”
Chastity nodded. “I agree. The longer we wait, the more people needlessly suffer. Let us make haste.”
Nick shrugged, and pulled out his blackjack from his belt, meant precisely for this purpose. “I’m down. Anyone that comes after you girls or doesn’t listen to reason will just get a few lumps on their head. You’ll heal ‘em up later.”
In a sense, Seraphara’s Faithful were treated a lot like how people were supposed to treat medics during war on Earth, as per the Geneva Convention. So when people saw them wearing their instantly recognizable habits, they should understand Nick’s party were healers, and that they were not here to fight.
The girls began their shouts and pleas as they reached the edge of the battle, trying to convince the armies to stop fighting.
Rebecca said, “This war is all an enemy plot! We testify that Brickholm is not to blame for the attacks on The Wild Grove’s land!”
Marissa said, “Please see reason and cease your fighting for now. Seraphara wishes that you shall know peace.”
The soldiers were a bit confused at what was happening, Nick and the four girls approaching from the side of their battle lines. They shoved each other away as they approached, and were quick to refute the priestesses’ claims, pointing at each other in blame.
“They burned our crops!”
“They took our cattle, and killed our farmers!”
Chastity shouted, “Your fighting only serves the Roknar Kingdom! Neither of your kingdoms are to blame!”
The girls each argued with the warriors, until their Pacification Auras quelled their anger and they dropped their weapons, their party walking between the two armies fighting.
The party followed Rebecca’s plan, and Nick did his best to keep them safe, combined with their pacification aura. The other girls continued their spiritual shouts, disarming as many as they could. They placed the weapons in their sacks, and dragged any wounded to rest among their other downed allies.
Having pushed forward enough and now that some had heard what was going on, Rebecca’s voice was now able to reach over a few dozen warriors from both sides now, many of which were already disarmed.
“For now, please cease fighting. We shall speak with your leaders, and heal those wounded from both sides. Let us end this tragedy.”
The warriors held complicated looks, but their will to fight was sapped.
When some on the outskirts of their aura fought the effect and tried to resume fighting, Rebecca shouted.
“Cease this fighting at once!” Her shout was like a rippling white wave, almost like the odd banshee man they had faced in Silverbrook. The shout was so strong, that several people actually fell to the ground unconscious–the rest frozen in place.
Nick was amazed. “Damn, Becca. Remind me not to make you mad.”
She blushed, taking deep breaths after her shout.
They continued their push, and Nick was forced to knock out a few warriors with his blackjack. Each downed warrior was placed among their own people, to help prevent any issues.
Many warriors continued to fight as they neared the center of the battle line, but the four priestesses pushed their pacification auras to the limit, and Nick eventually added his Frost Aura. All attacks were slowed, and he began slowly freezing those who continued fighting.
There were a few men who had already been downed before they arrived, which the girls rushed to grab and drag them away from the fighting. They kept them from dying by performing some magical first aid, and carried them to safety.
Rebecca shouted, “All those that stop fighting now will be healed! Throw down your weapons. Hear our pleas, and no doubt you’ll soon face the true enemy: the Roknar Kingdom.”
Eventually, they arrived in the center of the battlefield, where the two leaders of the kingdoms fought. These men were actually above Nick and the girl’s level slightly from what he could tell, but they were more focused on the battle with one another.
The leaders had wounds on their bodies, and some men were clearly dead near them.
The four girls stacked their pacification auras, much like what Nick experienced back in Silverbrook. The two fought the effect, but their rage was somewhat quelled as the light surrounded their weapons and bodies.
At some point, they must have heard their shouts about the enemy plot, and Nick could see doubt between the two leaders.
Rebecca entreated, “Please, see reason. If you two continue to fight, you will only weaken yourselves against the true enemy. Stay your hand, and we will heal those that are injured. Send your scouts out, and see if we are telling the truth. You have little to lose.”
The wildfolk leader narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously. “Unless this is yet another plot! Many of my kin have died on this day. I will avenge them!”
The dwarf leader scoffed. “I have lost men too, just the same.” He looked over at the pool of people their party had rescued, and talked down from continuing their fight. “I see…thanks to them, not many have died. If they are right, the Roknar Kingdom will kill us both, they are the shifty sort, and have coveted our mines.”
“You believe them? I won’t be fooled! I bet you’re working with them!” The wildfolk roared, and bulked up as he became large and wide. He charged despite Rebecca and Marissa both adding their spiritual shouts, but they were a bit exhausted by this point.
Nick sent his chains of frost to interfere with his attack, and dashed in with his shield, filling his leather club with essence. The wildfolk’s two-handed sword skittered off his turtle-shell-like shield, and he countered with a blow to the man’s chin.
But that only made the man stumble, before he was on the attack again with crazed eyes, his swings wild and fierce. Nick evaded the wildfolk’s blows by twisting and swaying his body, deflecting the attacks with his shield, until he saw an opening and pulled the man off balance by grabbing his arm and pulling him forward.
Nick then struck hard with a blow to the back of his knee which sent him stumbling onto one knee, followed by a Shield Bash, which sent in invading essence and sent him tumbling to the ground onto his back.
Wrapping chains of ice around the man’s legs and arms, Nick disarmed the wildfolk, sending his weapon clattering effortlessly to the ground.
The dwarf leader stepped forward with his sword menacingly, and it looked like he was going to bring it down on the downed wildfolk leader.
“Look out, Nick!” Chastity shouted.
Nick was quick to step forward with his shield, ready to protect the downed wildfolk leader. Seeing this, the dwarf stopped his attack.
The downed wildfolk leader shook his head out of his wild rage, his body shrinking. “You’d protect me? So…you’re really not on his side? I suppose…you are of Seraphara…”
Rebecca shook her head. “We found coded letters that the Roknar kingdom hired mercenaries to weaken you both while stoking the flames of your feud, and defeat you in one fell swoop.”
The dwarf leader looked at Nick with approval, and a sly smile. Nick got the feeling he pretended to attack to see what he’d do. The dwarf laughed, and stroked his beard. “Haha! Good on you, lad. It does make sense, those brutes are strong, but they are not so great in a siege. Makes sense for them to lure us out here.”
Nick removed the wildfolk’s chains, and helped him stand up by grasping his wrist. The man was a lot heavier than Nick expected.
The wildfolk man narrowed his eyes on the dwarf leader. “I still don’t trust you scheming dwarves, but I’m willing to send out our scouts, and prepare for battle against them.”
The dwarf snorted. “We’re no more scheming than you fellows, but Roknar just might have us both beat!” He turned to Nick’s party. “You’ll return the weapons of our soldiers?”
Rebecca nodded. “We shall return your weapons, but please seek peace among you. We must face the mastermind behind this conflict.”
The two leaders called off the battle, and the girls worked to heal as many people as they could, including the two leaders.
Nick watched and enjoyed how Rebecca and the girls healed all those in need with a smile. The dwarves and wildfolk did not have many healers, but they helped to get people restored.
Eventually, they received word that the Roknar Kingdom was coming by their scouts–they were proven right. As soon as the announcement occurred, Nick’s received a prompt.
[Fourteenth Floor Complete! Reward: Bonus Essence.]
However, something within Orion stirred, a weight descending on Nick. A wave of white light went out, and Nick once again couldn’t help but groan at reading the prompt.
[Heroic Test: Hero of the Battlefield. Objective: Defeat Boss while keeping all Lords and party members alive. Difficulty of Boss increased. Rewards for Test Completion Increased.]