Nick shared the prompt with the girls, and while they looked worried, he could also feel the trust they had in him.
Luckily, a large amount of Bonus Essence was provided to them. Resting and recovering after the healing, the party did their best to cultivate it and recover as they sat near the army on the grass. Nick reached the 15th level, his Frost Core growing, along with his Soul and Body Cores.
Some growth did go toward his Heroic Concept as well, from Nick could tell, as he focused on his desire to crush this challenge, Test himself and become more. To find the strength he required to defeat Blackthorne he would have to draw deep and face various Trials, risking his life again and again.
[Lord Convergence Skills locked until the minimal mastery requirements are met.]
When Nick received the message, he couldn’t help but groan once again.
Chastity asked, “What is it, Lord Nicholas?”
“Ah, is it Lord Nicholas again? I recall you just called me something else, acting awfully impudent.” Nick teased.
She blushed. “I had to make haste to warn you, I do apologize! Please forgive me…”
Nick chuckled. “I was just teasin’ you, and you did a great job. I don’t mind however you choose to address me. But I just can’t help but feel this world is out to get me–I received a message that my Lord Convergence skills were locked until I reached the minimal mastery requirements. I suppose Rebecca had sort of warned this could be necessary, but I had hoped I’d at least get one of them.”
Rebecca pondered this for a moment, before she answered, “It must be your Epic-Lord Class which has this requirement, or because your fragments are compatible. This is a big boon, but you will have to live without, for now. But worry not, for we have all reached the threshold of our classes, which are lower–we only require our Faith Cores to obtain ours. We can aid you much in this battle.”
That was good news, though it did sound like their Light and Blessing abilities would be limited in their effectiveness. He knew Sanctuary was useful for a battlefield such as this one, offering protection for the wounded and those who healed them.
Those inside would be unable to take offensive actions, except against any that managed to enter seeking to do harm. It was especially an effective countermeasure against assassins, exposing and weakening them with a debilitating hex of light.
Marissa puffed out her covered chest proudly, “And we kept both leaders and so many of their soldiers alive and ready for battle. While you are being challenged by the Hero’s Path, we are at our best to assist you.”
The enemy army was Centuars–horse men, so Nick’s party didn’t have that much time to rest and recover beyond their cultivating their earned essence. They spent the remaining time healing to get more people battle-ready, and were actually provided pills to restore their essence so they could continue healing.
Before the enemy arrived, the plan was to pretend the two armies were still fighting. They left the dead on the battlefield to be visible, to play into their own plot. On one edge of the battlefield was the bottom of a hill.
They knew the enemies were coming from their west, so this allowed them to plan. The Centaurs were going to storm over the hill, their visibility limited until the last moments.
Several dwarves and wildfolk laid low in the thick grass at the bottom of the hill, waiting for the horse people to arrive.
Nick realized something about them helping in this battle was a little odd. “So…the people of Seraphara would heal and help these people in war? Doesn’t this go against her desire for peace?”
Veronica shook her head. “These two kingdoms are not the aggressors, the Roknar Kingdom is. They fought under false pretenses, and now they seek peace, so we are willing to fight to protect it. In all, our goal is to defeat their leader, minimizing the deaths as much as possible.”
Chastity added, “And of course, we wish to help Lord Nicholas succeed in his Heroic Test. We will follow your lead, and aid you in defeating this difficult challenge.”
He and the girls gathered near the edge, near to the two leaders. During the strategy discussion earlier, Nick had confirmed with the two leaders that he would do his best to draw the Boss’s attacks, so they could destroy the enemy’s formation and eventually focus on aiding him. If nothing else, Nick would weaken the powered-up leader significantly before they joined the battle.
When the centaurs came thundering through, the soldiers with polearms were ready, springing from hiding. They formed a wall of spearheads, and the two armies ceased their mock fighting. Like a river being split into two, the centaurs were forced around the outskirts of the battlefield as several were pierced by the ready polearms. Arrows and druidic entangling vines, along with earthen spikes from the dwarves quickly brought the centaur’s charge to a halt.
But the numbers coming were significant. Even with keeping nearly both armies alive, the number of Centaurs was a difficult match.
Nick’s Frost Aura then covered the split river where the centaurs met the polearms, and the two armies spun and started their march to face the centaur army.
Of course, many of the centaurs died as they were pierced, but the allied army pushed in an arrowhead formation toward the enemy leader in their own ambush, looking to break the enemy’s charge.
Nick and the priestesses followed the leaders of the dwarves and wildfolk, cutting down the slowed army of centaurs.
The centaurs did not wear much armor, mostly leather and bone, and their horse bodies were lacking barding. With their charges halted, Nick thought the armies had a strong chance against them, and started striking out at centaurs near him.
The girls also used their staves, knocking into the centaurs from the sides and bringing them to the ground. Nick cut into enemies with his Soul Blade, wanting to charge it and be ready for the Boss.
It wasn’t long before the leader of the Centaurs came thundering over the hill and through from the middle of the horde, and he was huge, towering over the already large Centaurs. Covered in white bone armor and his skin and fur a dark obsidian, the Centaur Lord bowled right past the spearheads, sending several dwarves and wildfolk careening away.
He knocked away the men with polearms and pierced through their formation, several dwarves and wildfolk getting cut down by his allies which came behind him. Nick was a bit separated and moved to join the two leaders, but the large centaur would arrive first.
The two leaders attempted to halt the large Centaur’s charge, the wildfolk entering his berserker rage, bulking up and charging at him with his sword. The dwarf covered himself in a layer of stone from the earth beneath him, his steps becoming heavy.
Nick and the priestesses were not far behind them, just barely out of range for his Frost Aura to affect them. But he was shocked when both leaders were knocked aside with ease. The large Centaur was carrying a giant glaive, and it swung down in a vicious arc downward arc, sending the wildfolk man flying, despite his block with his sword.
It was only a casual blow, but it quickly became clear that Nick would need to carry the fight.
The hoof of his horse-body lashed out as well, kicking the dwarf with his raised sword away, and then laughing.
“You fools, you dare ambush me? You figured out our trap, but it’s too late. We only wanted to face you on the field of battle, outside your precious defenses. We’ve already won!”
Arrows started to fall from the sky, some Centaurs shooting their bows from a distance. Nick’s Frost Aura slowed several, allowing him to block them against the girls with his chains and his drawn shield.
More Centaurs thundered in the distance, a new charge likely to break through with the Lord at the front.
Nick looked over to the girls and at the oncoming enemy, and worried about his ability to protect them if he took on the boss.
The priestesses had their staves and were stronger than the average soldier here, but despite the two armies working together, it didn’t look like it would be easy. Looking back at the gate at the edge of the battlefield, escape was possible, even for him. But as a Hero, running away and leaving this many people to their fates, real or not, was not an option.
Rebecca saw the concern on his face, “This…looks like a deadly challenge, Nicholas. But we believe in you. Our trust, our faith in you, is no less than that of our goddess. Her virtuous wisdom and her tenets give us purpose and strength, but you’re the hero that empowers and protects us from greater evils.”
The other girls nodded, and the look on their faces showed their level of trust in him. Nick’s Soul Core thrummed in his chest, their faith in him and the weight of the Pacts with his many Followers stirring something within him.
He drew his Soul Blade, the blue light growing from the hilt. “I’ll always be the hero you need. Now, how about you set up that Sanctuary somewhere near, so I can focus on the big bad?”
Marissa nodded. “Right away, milord. We shall not be a burden to you in this battle, no matter what.”
Rebecca and the girls looked at one another, and without speaking, Veronica and Chastity began gathering their faith essence, essence being drawn from the surrounding area and converted.
Veronica said, “Let Seraphara’s holy light protect those who seek peace and require her compassion. Sanctuary!”
With a flash of light, a small white temple with pillars grew from the ground in front of them, near the fighting. It had a domed roof and was made of faith essence, not much larger than the pavilion tents they used at Silverbrook–able to hold a dozen or more people within.
Seeing his girls would be kept safe, Nick rushed toward the enemy, the large Centaur easily knocking other warriors back as the two leaders recovered from the Boss’s attack.
Nick’s Frost Aura washed over the enemy centaurs who had surrounded the wildfolk and dwarf leaders, and Nick rushed toward them. With his sword flashing out, he slayed several Centaurs as he crossed the distance. As he neared, the dark Lord of the Centaurs snarled at him as their eyes met.
“Just who are you? Seraphara’s Faithful? Your meddling was not enough. You will only join them in death. Though, those priestesses…” He grinned. “My men and I will be glad you’ve come. We’ll enjoy the spoils of war.”
Nick sighed. He could feel that the man was evil, but ultimately, it didn’t make a difference since he was being Tested within the Ordeal. The soul was gray like he originally felt on the fifth floor Trial when he first ran into the adherents of Seraphara, and he had no right to Judge the Centaurs. Sadly, Nick wouldn’t be able to use his finisher.
“Only trash needs to take women by force.” Nick called out to the two leaders, more to taunt his enemy than anything else, as they had already agreed on this strategy. “I’ll kill this shitty gelding, you two focus on keeping his men out of the fight.”
“You dare? I will crush you, vermin!” The Centaur Lord roared, as he began stomping toward Nick.
Nick gave his martial arts kiai in response, sending out a wave of essence to his surrounding allies, and pushed his Frost Aura to its limit. Several chains rose from around him, dancing like snakes in the air.
The Centaur Lord snorted at Nick’s display. “All shall know death. Wither and Decay.”
The centaur’s own blackened aura was sent out in a wave, meeting Nick’s Frost Aura. The weight of the enemy Lord’s Aura was heavier, Nick’s bubble of control being pushed back.
But Nick’s still protected him and a few allies from the effect, and he rushed toward the Boss. Wrapping himself in chains of essence, Nick leaped over a centaur and dwarf fighting on the outskirts, cleaving the enemy man’s head off and letting the Soul Blade drink the man’s essence.
The dark centaur arrived near Nick just like he wanted, and so he dashed to the side, sending several Blade Waves of cold at the enemy as he strafed him. The waves struck with a muted hiss of cold as each landed on the centaur’s large body.
Despite Nick’s improved aim of the ability allowing them to land like true cuts of his blade or close to it against the armored horse body, the large centaur hardly slowed his galloping approach.
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As Nick’s chains entered the enemy’s Aura, flecks of ice began drifting from them, and they slowed. The chains were then easily batted aside by the larger centaur. However, swinging the glaive to send them flying away caused him to slow, allowing Nick to keep his distance and continue sending his strafing attacks. Nick was leading the enemy away, just as he had planned.
The ice began to spread along the centaur’s chest and horse body, but the man’s body essence was pushing back the effect. Without the Frost Aura or chains, Nick wasn’t going to freeze this big bastard.
Nick even mixed a Frost Shock into his several swings of his sword sending Blade Waves out, and he was a bit surprised at the efficacy when the blow hit with an explosion of ice on the man’s chest.
The centaur growled, and Nick could feel the man’s essence stirring, before suddenly the centaur moved with increased speed suddenly, arriving near him quickly.
Nick leaped high into the air with a Double Jump with a flip, and sent a strong Blade Wave of frost at an uncovered part of his arm near the shoulders. The wave cut into his flesh and froze over, and Nick’s half-dozen sections of chain finally wrapped around the large centaur’s body and began to freeze it.
He then slashed twice at the centaur’s hindquarters, cutting deep furrows into its flesh and freezing it, before having to sway back to dodge a powerful kick and a swing of the large centaur’s glaive.
Nick then backed off and sent several more Blade Waves, driving the enemy away from his allies. The Boss howled with rage as he expanded his Aura over many dwarves and wildfolk, and pushed against the chains of frost, which were now harrying him. The kicks of his hooves and swings of his glaive knocked them back, and shattered and destroyed the chains.
Each chain took frost energy for Nick to conjure from his Core, and with his aura not producing much cold, it was a struggle to get them going.
The effect of the decaying, withering aura was surprising. The warriors it reached became lethargic and weak, and their armor began flecking away, much like Nick’s chains. Nick’s Frost Aura was pushed back to a narrow sphere, which limited the distance they could travel besides.
Nick’s talent with his personal mana aura shone here, as he kept the enemy aura out without issue and with little investment, minus the loss in effectiveness. While the decaying aura was powerful, it did appear that Nick’s approach of kiting the enemy was working.
The Centaur looked at the wound on his arm, and the frost was removed before blood spurted from the cut–the same happening to his horse-body, where Nick had struck him twice. The Centaur then sneered at Nick. “You will pay for this. Armor of Death.”
Essence swirled in from the surrounding area, giving Nick a sickly feeling. It rose up from many of the downed warriors, being drawn into the dark centaur like a vortex. The armor of bone darkened and grew as it was covered with a deathly, black energy.
Even the horse-body was now covered by a blanket of darkness.
Nick snorted, and sent more Blade Waves as he strafed his foe. The waves now had even less of an effect as they struck the bone, making it difficult for Nick to wound his enemy. His goal had been to feel the enemy out safely and weaken the Boss, and he thought he had a good feel for his strength now.
And it was high. The decaying aura was boosted lightly by some Concept, but as of now, the Centaur wasn’t giving his all. If people didn’t defend properly against it, they would quickly die. Then, the Centaur’s strength and weight behind each of his blows was immense.
He cast a look at the girls, noticing Rebecca and the three priestesses were offering their protection at the temple. Arrows were being rejected, and several healers revitalized warriors who fell in battle.
Two would venture out to retrieve fallen allies, protecting one another and defeating centaurs with their staves. The girls were fighting in their own way, relying on Nick to lead the fight against the terrible enemy.
But Nick had been drawing the Boss away from the fighting, and the two leaders of their factions had pushed deep into the enemy formation. Nick was now askew from the girl’s temple, and it was now time to push this fight to its conclusion.
Sending a few more Blade Waves, Nick saw that this Armor of Death was losing its luster with each attack–but its charge was substantial. He squared his feet, giving his ready stance as the Centaur arrived.
To Nick’s surprise, the Centaur Lord stopped. “Ready to fight finally? You keep running from me, drawing me away from my kin and hitting me weakly as if your actions matter. But you and your attacks are worse than ants. When I slay you, this army will fall shortly after. Death will come to all that stand against me.”
Nick snorted. “You know, ants are pretty strong. Being big doesn’t matter, as long as you are strong like one.” His next words were spoken in Archaen, “Fight with skill.”
Essence surged into his body, his chains within powering up as he dashed toward his enemy. The glaive swung down to halt Nick’s assault, and Nick barely countered his vicious swing with an overhead block.
The centaur then lashed out with a hoof, but Nick twisted his whole body following the glaive’s shove as he ducked and spun, driving the glaive to the ground and dodging the hoof alike.
Continuing the spin, Nick slashed into the shadow armor with his blade of white light, reducing its volume. The Centaur backed up and swung his glaive, Nick dodging and countering as he kept himself at a middle distance. Hoofed kicks were mixed in with swings of the glaive, but Nick’s odd body managed to twist and sway out of their way each time.
However, the odd Armor of Death didn’t allow Nick to cause any damage to the centaur, as he was quite the tank. Nick’s chains attempted to wrap around his enemy, but being this close, Nick’s Aura didn’t give much room for them to move. He was being oppressed by the stronger enemy’s aura, and Nick would have to draw out his Concept soon. Unfortunately, the centaur hadn’t even bothered to bring his out yet, but Nick could feel the enemy had one.
“Strike with power.”
His strength improving, his ability to match the centaur’s strength allowed him to parry the blows, and counter properly. Seeing an opening, Nick almost laughed as he rolled under the centaur’s body, cutting several times into his underside. After being called an ant, allowing his size to be an advantage filled him with vindication.
As the centaur turned, Nick had no problem staying underneath the larger centaur and continuing to attack at his underbelly, landing several slashes. Or so he thought, until a spike grew from the black cloak of death surrounding the Boss’s horse-body, nearly piercing his skull. Nick only barely managed to sway and twist out of the way in time, countering against the underside before rolling out from underneath and blocking the pissed centaur’s glaive.
“I tire of your struggle. Death is inevitable, inexorable. Behold, for I am the bringer of death.”
The withering and decaying aura spread out even further, the grass and earth beneath them crumbling into dust. Nick pushed his Frost King Concept in response, struggling with his chains of essence and his aura. His crafted robes lit up brightly, protecting him from the withering aura.
“Bleed with Haste.”
Essence surged, and Nick’s speed increased as his limbs whipped and darkness within his monstrous body was drawn out. The Centaur’s attacks became much easier to counter, and his blade of frost kept whipping and cutting into the blackened armor.
The Centaur Lord seemed affronted at Nick’s ability to protect himself from his Concept, but Nick could see the truth. Even with his own aura and Jasmine’s expertly crafted robes, they were beginning to decay slowly.
With enough time, it would be his under-armor, and then himself, and if he let up his defense, he would go down quickly.
“Maim with superiority.”
Reaching the fourth stanza, his darkness energy empowered him further, he was ready to go all out. He likely only had about thirty seconds or so of his Heroic Concept, but it would be all he needed.
Drawing out his Concept, Nick’s body and Soul Blade was covered in white and smoky black light, giving a vibrating buzz.
Dodging another slash of the man’s glaive, Nick’s thrusting blade pierced through the armor, cutting into the Centaur’s gut–but didn’t reach deeply. The withering aura reduced the impact, the cutting light losing some of its sharpness. Another bone spike shot out at Nick, forcing him to retreat.
Still, Nick had wounded him. His Heroic Concept and blade of white light overwhelmed the armor, and Nick could kill his enemy.
The Centaur Lord snarled. “You are stronger than I thought, but death forever looms. Blade of Desolation.” The withering aura receded, and covered the man’s glaive instead. Nick felt imminent danger coming from the blade, and that wasn’t all. The Centaur Lord congealed his Body essence greatly in his muscles, enhancing his speed and strength as he grew even larger.
The man was clearly an Expert, and he was pulling out all the stops with some form of berserker skill, like the wildfolk. If it were before, Nick would be more than a little concerned because he could not deny physics.
Until now. A Hero must be strong, and so Nick’s light and darkness replaced reality with Nick’s will.
With a roar, the Centaur Lord swung his glaive and moved with supernatural haste, causing powerful blows to come in quick succession, ready to cleave Nick’s head off his shoulders.
Nick couldn’t find time to counter, but he drew his shield from his back, to allow him to deflect a blow over his head, and three stabs in quick succession cut into the large monster’s leg and thigh.
“Slay all who stand in your Path.”
The darkness within him rose, his muscles imbued with power. His blade whipped out covered in white and dark light, slamming the glaive to the side, and cutting several times along his arm. Blood spurted from the wounds, and the centaur grunted in pain.
Roaring again, spikes from the Centaur’s chest drove Nick back. The Centaur rose his glaive over his head as his upper body lifted from the ground, and drew an immense amount of essence. Nick activated Power Strike, his muscles moving in synchronicity, and swinging to match the overwhelming blow. He even launched his chains, to slow down the oncoming attack.
“You are more worthy to face me than I thought, but you are flagging. All power is brought to nothing before death.”
More energy was being drawn from the corpses nearby, refilling his Armor of Death.
“Well, I think you’re forgetting something important. I’m not alone.”
Three beams of white light slammed into the Boss, heavily expending his Armor of Death and revealing much of his skin along his chest. Rebecca’s Blessing landed on Nick, his body thrumming with power.
The light and darkness within him blazed, his body filled with essence, and his desire to be a hero. If this terrible enemy showed up at his doorstep, he would stand against him and defeat him, bringing salvation and redemption alike to all his people.
He could feel himself becoming one with the essence, his will being manifest into the world. His Concept grew as his Soul thrummed, his body and soul bathed in the light and the darkness.
Knowing he only had a short moment, he pushed his Concept to the maximum, drawing all the essence to ready an empowered dash and strike. Pushing his essence into his Soul Blade, he prepared his Essence Burst.
But he felt a change in his Soul Blade, so he shifted it into his Blade Wave glyph. Swinging, his wave of white light cut a wide arc as it flew toward the Centaur, and his enemy countered with a powerful downward swing of his glaive filled with death essence.
Nick’s Blade Wave was largely blocked down the middle, but some of the Blade Wave cut the centaur on the sides, cutting into his arms and slashing deeply into his chest horizontally, his glaive cutting into the ground.
The centaur gave a pained wail as he was knocked back from the cutting blow.
Running toward his enemy, Nick’s body blurred with preternatural speed. Nick’s Concept empowered him, and he didn’t know how much Rebecca’s blessing improved this, but his sped was now faster than ever.
The weight of the souls and his pacts empowered his movements, his chains now leaping out of his aura and latching onto his enemy’s downed weapon. The centaur tried to raise it up to defend against Nick, but it was far too late.
Using Double Jump, the Heroic Concept allowed it to become more of a Double Air Dash, Nick’s body spiraling as he swung his blade and cut through the Centaur as he passed through the air beside him. He finished the job of cutting the Centaur in half, where his Blade Wave had landed.
The torso was separated from the horse body as both fell to the ground in a spurt of blood, his arms cut into stumps below the elbows. Nick’s essence ran out as he landed behind the Centaur, his body exhausted, Rebecca’s Blessing cutting out.
The Centaur Lord roared in outrage, his essence and aura going haywire as he died. He twisted his body and glared at Nick with hatred, his face twisting in a snarl. “No! Death is inevitable. I will take you with me–Curse of Death.”
All the remaining essence in the man’s body and his vitality was squeezed from his torso, his body draining much like Nick had Judged him, a horrible darkness being drawn up.
A skull of darkness rose from the Centaur Lord’s body, about the size of a beach ball, and Nick could feel the taint within it. It was a powerful attack of the soul, and Nick wasn’t so sure he could defend against it. Drawing the last bit of faith energy from his necklace, he drew up his Concept once more.
Feeling death coming for him, Eirwen made their Soul Pact Connection, and sent through an Omni-Barrier. To his surprise, rather than being a hazy aura around him, it was sparkling with prismatic flecks, reminding him of a shooting star.
In addition, two more beams of light came from the priestesses, halting the skull as it screamed a sickly laugh. His blade of white light then struck the curse, but like a smoky haze, his blade only erased a portion of it–about a third, and it proceeded toward his body.
Eirwen’s Omni-Barrier seemed to harm the hazy skull further, and gave him a whole second to withdraw his Concept from his blade and run it through his armor. The remains of the skull was burned by the white light as it sought its target–Nick’s Soul Core.
His flesh burned as it went toward his core, and he fought with his everything to slow it down. Chains of Soul Essence, his Aura, and his Will slowed it, but he could feel his flesh around his chest going necrotic and decaying as it went toward his core.
Rebecca’s arms wrapped around Nick, as he began to fall to his knees in pain. She had rushed toward him, and Nick could feel her healing light and Sacrificial Concept stir as she touched him, erasing the remainder of the curse with her efforts rapidly. The two Concepts of Sacrifice and Death clashed, but she pushed with dogged determination.
It took her a moment, but she reversed much of the damage rapidly with her healing.
Rebecca looked at him with both exhaustion and worry, her wings fluttering as she began to fall herself. They collapsed into each other’s arms, the two propped against each other kneeling.
“Are you okay, Nicholas?”
Nick groaned. “Why do all the Bosses I fight have some sort of die move? Why can’t they just die?”
Rebecca laughed. “Die move? I suppose if you’re joking… you’re probably fine.”
“Thanks to you. I might have made it without that Concept of yours, but it wouldn’t have been pretty, that’s for sure. You girls definitely pulled your weight.”
The remaining Centaurs began to flee with their leader defeated. The two leaders of the dwarves and wildfolk were battered and bloody, but alive. At some point, Marissa had run off to send them healing light, the range that she could heal requiring her to be close.
With that, they had won. And Orion agreed. A weight descended, and the party was suddenly teleported to the original Safe Zone, the temporary world disappearing around them, except for the Centaur Lord’s corpse and weapon.
Nick received a prompt, as an arc with a portal inside rose from the ground, along with a decent-sized reward chest. He supposed, since they were kicked out of the scenario, it wasn’t like they could loot anything.
[Heroic Test Complete. Reward: Minor Enlightenment, 15th Floor Equivalent Cleared in Ordeal, 2429 DP]
[Seraphara’s Faithful Floor Complete. Personal Reward: Time with Seraphara’s Mirror of Truth and Wisdom, Bonus Tithed Faith Essence available in Enlightenment Chamber. Party Reward: 6235 DP]
[12 hours in Safe Zone granted for Recovery. Loot Boss Corpse for Boss Essence. Minor Enlightenment and time with mirror to be granted on Exit.]
The entire party was exhausted, breathing heavily as they fell to the ground.
They did it. And now, it was time to enjoy their rewards.