Nick awoke with Rebecca in his arms, feeling truly at peace. It had been a long but fun night, and as per tradition, definitely not all of it was lovemaking.
They had gone to the reception after their first union, and enjoyed some time with their community and growing family. Many drinks and a fun party was had, and Nick was grateful to meet and learn more about many of his subjects.
He had also taken a number of new Followers. It hadn’t been time during the ceremony, but at the reception many of the new clergy of Seraphara took on his Soul Pacts, and even many of the adherents.
The reception was not all that dissimilar to those he had seen on Earth, in part due to Nick being a Lord of Orion. The people of Seraphara would largely abstain from having much alcohol to drink during even celebrations, but would still enjoy dancing, music, and telling family stories.
Nick was happy to hear stories about the so-called helping hands the community and clergy often provided, hearing tales of aiding in difficult times of people’s lives. Rebecca herself had helped with repairing a barn, running a shop, and even helping a cow give birth.
When Rebecca threw the bouquet, the nuns and adherents were quite competitive to grab it, as the same belief was true–that the one who caught it would be married next. However, Irene had a leg up on the competition thanks to her flight, and grabbed it to all the other girls’ consternation.
It wasn’t just the competition for the bouquet, but Nick was shocked how many of the nuns had shown their interest in him, but they kept their flirting rather muted, directly. Instead, it was like a line had formed to meet with Eirwen, after each had congratulated Nick and Rebecca on their union.
The recently evolved monsterfolk were present, led by Jasmine and Luna. Most of them were still learning Orion Common, but many of them congratulated him and Rebecca well enough that Nick was impressed with their progress. He knew it’d only be a month or two before they became fluent, thanks to their time being spent with the orcs and Seraphara’s Faithful.
His girls had made themselves scarce after the reception, wanting Rebecca to enjoy her first night as his wife alone with Nick. They stayed up partying a little, but rejoined after Nick and Rebecca had gone to sleep.
It was a bit of a surprise that even more of Seraphara’s Faith Essence would be transmitted during their love making, much like the kisses he had received from her.
It was at the level that he could cultivate it and empower himself, but it was certainly too sparse for it to add up to anything significant. Still, he wondered if he could somehow use that…
Perhaps sensing Nick was stirring, Rebecca blinked as she woke up, and met Nick’s eyes. “Mmm…” She stretched and rolled over, grabbing hold of Nick, her lips reaching for his lazily.
Nick chuckled, returning her embrace and making it easy for her lips to find his. Once again, her pure essence leaked and entered him, warming him.
“Good morning, my Becca. Still tired? It’s nearly noon.”
Rebecca yawned. “Maybe… I can understand my mom better now. I just want to laze about now, enjoy, and...”
“Some kind of angel thing? You’re not quite an angel yet, are you?”
Her eyes moved to check her Menu. “Orion says so. I’m an Archaen Angel now.”
“Huh, maybe a part of Seraphara’s rewards or gifts? We were both bathed in the golden light, when I got that trait enhanced.”
“Knowing how… I was created, maybe… I hope it doesn’t bother you….”
Nick snorted. “Of course not. You’re awesome, Becca. I did notice how light you were, though.”
“L–Light? My weight? Or–”
“Both your mass and your purity, or the light within you.” Thinking he wanted to give her a surprise, he had a thought. “Vi, how many CP do we have now?”
“The Path of Kings has 8,348 CP available. The Path of the Samurai has 4,823, and the Path of Heroes has 3452. Seraphara’s has 11,438, and should have enough to make a specialty building.”
“Damn, not quite enough for the Ancestral Archives in the Path of Kings. I guess if the girls beat the Boss with new groups, they will get it soon.”
It seemed that for beating the Boss, normal groups of ten being helped by the second stratum escorts would get well over a thousand. They had gotten much more when Nick cleared it, but the Boss was over 30% harder or more. The earnings in DP were not linear based on difficulty, and instead seemed to be exponential, based on how much people were Tested.
He turned to her, seeing her naked body underneath the blankets. He teased, “So what do you want to do now, my angel wife? I thought I’d get those archives, but it looks like you’ll have to wait for now. I could steal the DP from other Ordeals, but at 3:1 it’s hardly worth it for now.”
Rebecca pouted. “I want to stay in for a while longer? Maybe…” She looked down at his crotch, and blushed.
“Oh, you want to… stay in, is it? Did I corrupt a poor angel in just one night?”
Rebecca blushed even further. “My light is pure, and so is my heart. It is only natural to be passionate with one’s husband.”
“So it is. And, after that?”
“I think… I shall try that Concept Chamber you allotted for me. Lumos said she had gotten all of them ready for us now. Even for…my special item.”
Nick recalled seeing her receive a similar mixture to all his wives, when they defeated the fire elemental that first time. So she would begin the efforts to form her Devotion Core.
“I suppose I ought to try that too, next. After I ravish and corrupt you.” Nick moved atop his wife, kissing her, to which she tangled her tongue with his eagerly.
Rebecca giggled as he moved down to kiss her neck, giving him a look of love and contentment as they continued.
***
It was with more than a bit of trepidation that Nick looked at the Throne, with Jasmine standing next to him in her new form. It looked a bit different now that Lumos had tweaked it for his Path, but that didn’t mean he didn’t remember almost dying after claiming it.
The Throne now looked like an odd leather recliner, comfortable, but then it had all sorts of odd lines or light carved through it. At the back, it had an odd gear with spokes like a wheel, the lines of essence going into the back of the chair.
Sensing his worry, his much taller and larger Soul Bonded hugged him lovingly from the side. “Don’t worry, Master–it’ll be fine. Lumos knows what she’s doing! My chamber works perfectly, and so does Winny and Kaya’s.”
Nick shook his head at the number of buttons on the armrest. Lumos had given him a small guide, but he couldn’t help but feel a little weird about his throne. “Creepiest massage chair I’ve ever seen. What do theirs look like?”
“They don’t have thrones, but more like prayer mats they sit cross-legged in. Mine is the same, but I also have a pedestal for my Nexus Core.”
The room would gather essence from both the Path of Kings and Path of Heroes, as well as the tithed faith essence from Seraphara. He learned the reason why the room had so much when he almost died wasn’t just because the Bishop was dead for a while.
It was because there was an excessive amount from the Tribulation Victory that the Bishop had not finished absorbing, on top of all his usurped essence. The amount the entire community generated for Seraphara was substantial, and he was stealing much of it–but not all.
Just like Nick could probably wait around two whole months between each climb of the Ordeal, he could wait a similar amount between sitting on the throne to absorb the essence into his Concepts, and slowly improve his level. Nick hardly needed the latter, but the former was important, and would become even more important for when he reached the third stratum.
When each level would normally take months to a year, even a few percent faster would shave off weeks.
He sat down, putting his hands on the armrests. It was pretty comfy, if he ignored the weird room.
Looking over his options on the armrest, he looked back to Jasmine who now stood next to his Throne. “You just gonna stay here while I’m doing this? Doesn’t this take hours? I’m not going to be a great conversation partner while I do this.”
“Of course, Master! I need to be here just in case you require anything. Worry not, for I shall be no burden to you. I’ll busy myself with weaving some more cloth.”
Knowing it was pointless to argue that he didn’t want to waste her time, Nick decided to choose his Frost King Concept first to work on, since he had already reached Early Mastery on his Salvation and Redemption one.
Pressing the odd button, he selected the Ice Crown icon on his throne. The gear behind him shifted, but he looked up as he felt the essence in the room stirring.
The essence entered into the spherical chamber at the ceiling, reminiscent of his Blade Soulforge. It flowed into a line in the floor, which connected to the throne and drew the energy into him.
Nick began swirling his essence chains as the special essence of the chamber flowed into him, and he gasped in shock at the density and purity of it. This felt a lot like the level of Boss Essence or what was used to temper his body itself, but noted that it was oddly different.
It was more like the energy that swirled around him when he arrived back in Frosthaven, but it was denser and the impressions it gave him stronger. He was filled with warmth and trust, a feeling of duty and responsibility within him rising in return.
His Followers had a profound loyalty to him, and it wasn’t just because of their Pact. It was because they saw, with every action of his, that he proved he stood by his promises with heroic deeds.
That when the going got tough, he would be there to protect them. Just as he did when he faced the Bishop and rescued the slaves and orc children, defeated the Alpha Drake, and Davon the bandit lord.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
And he would do it again and again, winning against insurmountable odds. After the battle, he would empower his people, ensuring they had everything they required to excel and become more. The pilgrimage and subsequent acquisitions of people and materials proved that Nick was investing in his people, that he was a true Lord of Orion.
The loyalty was a palpable energy as Nick absorbed it into himself, and Nick’s mind wandered to the vision he had, about the Frost King and his chains of frost. His men’s loyalty rose their bodies from the grave, to deal a powerful blow against their terrifying foe.
He also faced the Centaur Lord, whose Armor of Death was empowered by his subject’s deaths.
Nick didn’t want either of those things, at least not exactly. He was happy his fallen Followers could somehow help with driving the chains, but that was just a bonus. They didn’t need to give anything up because they would be back in time thanks to the Genesis Chamber, so long as he lived.
What Nick wanted was control–this was why he chose the Frost Aura in the first place. He wanted an indomitable will combined with an unending frost that would impose control over the battlefield, which would protect his allies and defeat his enemies.
The essence within him built within his Crown of Ice, and the seed within, his Concept, was fed by the essence and allowing it to grow. His Will of the Frost King blazed, his icy determination meant to protect his will against powerful foes. With his ice-clad will, he would return his Followers’ loyalty with duty and loyalty of his own.
More and more he felt like his Concept was becoming one with him, and the kernel began crystallizing into something more.
Time continued to pass as he worked through the essence, but eventually, the frost energy the chamber pooled for this usage ran out.
He came to his senses, as Jasmine dabbed some of his sweat with a cloth with one hand, while her other hands kept with their weaving, her spider legs moving about behind her as well.
“You did it, Master! I can feel it, the cold, and the loyalty of your people is yours to command.” She looked up, observing the essence. “Still plenty left, though. Seraphara’s Faith Essence does have a lot of light in it–the light of wisdom.” She licked her lips. “Too bad it can’t be mine. It’s too different from light energy.”
Despite being a bit exhausted, Nick felt a warmth from seeing his maid was still there. “Thanks for being here with me Jas, and you never know. I can still share essence with you.”
Jasmine beamed. “Of course, Master! I’m so happy to please you–I live to serve.” She then shook her head. “Perhaps, some day, you shall share this faith essence with us. But it would be wrong for now, not until you’ve claimed your due. Until you’ve reached the third stratum, we cannot afford to invest all but everything in you. After all, then I can have my real form back–in a reasonable amount of time.”
Nick checked his cores, then the Menu for the time of day. He was surprised to learn that despite having spent several hours, his Soul and Body cores had only gained a quarter of a level. Instead, his cores were refined, changing their makeup ever so slightly to match his desires, his will.
He had also received the prompt, but he could already feel it. His will and the frost were one, and it would be empowered by his kingdom’s loyalty.
[Congratulations. You have reached Early Mastery of your Path Concept: Dominion of Frost and Fealty. At this time, it has become a deep part of you down to your very soul. Effect: +3 Body, +3 Soul]
Finally, he had reached the first major threshold with this Concept, and he was vindicated to see that his Concept based on the light and dark allowed him to receive more stats. The Path of Kings was one of the strongest Paths, an Ordained Path of Orion itself. If his other Concept was stronger, that meant it was definitely above most others.
His fragment of a Concept had now upgraded, becoming a part of him. Nick knew this meant that now, there was almost no return. He could scrub it away from his soul, but it would require significant cost and effort.
[Level 15 Convergence Skill Unlocked: Inexorable Grasp of Winter]
[Draw essence from the surrounding area and briefly empower your Frost Aura and your chains, strengthened by the essence of your loyal subjects and Followers. This versatile ability can be used to control enemies or defend allies, and even greatly damage a single target.]
It was an excellent ability, which embodied and enhanced his choices for why he had selected the Frost Aura in the first place.
While he now had two of these special abilities, it wasn’t as though he could use them both easily. Using just one of them would take a lot out of him, and the surrounding area besides. The main reason Rebecca and the girls could use so many in quick succession, was that they leaned on each other.
Jasmine walked in front of the throne, and kneeled at the base of it. Because she was so large, her body and head were only barely lower than his. Her massive chest pressed against his knees, and she gave him a lovely smile while she held several items in her four hands.
“Here, Master. While your cores have been stimulated, and you are brimming with power, your body itself could use some sustenance. Please, enjoy some refreshments before you continue.”
She held a tankard of the odd energy whiskey in one hand, then held a plate out with another, which had essence fruit and charcuterie on it, the crackers already dusted with jellies or mustard. Another hand was ready to feed him, and she grinned at his surprised look, her smile a little impish.
“See, Master? This is what I wanted when I chose this body. Anything you require, you only need will it, and it will be yours in but a moment. I was…a little disappointed I could not take this form sooner, but now I can be the super maid that almost competes with my original self.”
“You’re wonderful in all your forms, Jas.” Nick glanced at the food he wanted to try first, and Jasmine, sensing exactly which one he wanted, was happy to bring it to his lips. Enjoying the mixture of flavors and textures of salty meat, sweet jam, and crunchy crackers, Nick recovered the essence and vigor within his body, which was wrung out by the cultivation.
Being fed by her was a novel, and nostalgic feeling. It felt silly when it was easy enough for him to feed himself, but feeling the pleasure it gave Jasmine to serve him so, made it an enjoyable experience.
Willing her lips to his own for a kiss, Jasmine vibrated in happiness and leaned forward allowing her large, plump lips to meet his own. Her furry legs behind her shuddered, and the arms holding the plate and tankard trembled. Her free arm reached to touch his cheek lovingly.
“Master…” Jasmine said with need, her eyes flashing, and her clawed legs arcing toward him. He could feel how much she wanted to wrap him up. He would let her, perhaps, but later.
“Later, I promise. It’s as you said, isn’t it? I have much essence to work through, this having accumulated for a while, plus the bonus reward.”
Jasmine took a shuddering breath, before standing, and giving him a loving smile. “Yes… of course, Master. I am ever-eager to show you everything about this new body of mine, but I am patient. Your will and desire is all that matters.”
That stirred his desire to make use of her, but he held off. He felt he could enjoy much more later when it was time to relax.
Next was his Heroic Concept, combined with the Tithed Faith Essence. Pressing the button on his throne, an image of a sword bathed in light and darkness, the gear behind him shifted once more. Essence began to cascade through the lines on the sphere, a prismatic light that was much more white than the previous.
As the essence entered him, he felt much like he did within Seraphara’s Cathedral when it welcomed him, but it was even more than that. He could feel the immense gratitude of those he saved, and the building faith, loyalty, and devotion to him and his city itself. Whether they were loyal to Nick or Frosthaven, their community, those feelings and the essence that carried it, would be gathered here.
Within Frosthaven, there were countless people that Nick had saved, and that he had made their lives better. Whether it was the Orcs of Nagduros or the Humans of Zura, the many slaves he had freed, or even the…kinda crummy people from Havendale, Nick was undoubtedly their savior.
Their gratitude built and influenced the essence of Orion around the city, and the Ordeal and Chamber channeled it into Nick’s Throne. The essence permeated his being as he focused on the hero he wanted to become. How he wanted to fight and protect the weak, to be the light of justice that the people of Orion would gather behind.
He would raise his banner and stand up to the injustices of the world, inspiring the next generation of heroes. By redeeming the evil of all their sins, he would defeat all the evil he encountered, all that stood in his way in this life, and following into the next.
And that was not all. The faith of the many adherents of Seraphara mixed in, the filtered faith essence joining. Unfortunately, Nick wasn’t standing in front of her Mirror of Wisdom and Truth to see how all these essences intermingled, but he could feel the faith essence of Seraphara was unique and powerful.
It somewhat acted like a filler similar to mana, in how it made the mixture more homogenous and easy to weave.
And heavier. The Tithed Faith Essence was simply of a higher quality, and it was beyond his understanding. That it went to him at all was a major boon. Because it was filtered or cleansed of Seraphara’s Light of Wisdom, the faith essence should undoubtedly become a sort of faith in Nick’s heroism, but it was difficult to know what the exact result should be.
On this shard, there was very little info on it. There was a little bit of it within his study, but nothing Nick could act on. He simply knew it responded to desires and actions just like all the essence of Orion, and so he would just hold on to what he wanted to accomplish and become and hope for the best.
The heroic essence combined with Seraphara’s faith essence, permeating his entire being and filling his Body and Soul Cores, and some drifted off to influence his body more directly. The seed which was his Heroic Concept sat in his Soul Core, and it grew as he swirled his chains of essence and drew them in.
As he did, he pondered his Ideal. The words for each stanza of his kata were spoken in Archaen, manipulating the flows of energies through his body with his will, enhanced by what Rebecca had taught him.
The Archaen Monstrous Swordsman was a powerful Ideal, but it didn’t truly fit with either of his Concepts, only assisting him by granting him strength, and drawing out the darkness. In a way, his father taught him another one of his own, a sort of Honorable King of Orion Ideal.
Nick would need to play with this, and reference a few other Ideals he had books for within his study in order to work towards his true Ideal. Utility-wise, he really needed something to draw out and build more darkness, to match the light drawn out from his Concept and his Throne.
At the same time, the important Ideal would likely need to have both his Paths in mind, to build up his body further to be even more compatible with his Concepts, slowly attuning it.
Finishing the essence, Jasmine once again was cleaning his sweat, dabbing him with a wet cloth and drying him with another. “I can feel it, Master. Once again, you have grown.”
Looking inward, he could see she was right. The amount of essence was substantial, and he had now hit the 16th Level.
[Status Screen + Review Placeholder- Author Note–sorry guys, didn’t have time to work through this. later!]
He had grown a lot since he last looked, and now a new section was shown with his Concepts. Aside from the major milestones, not much in them would change, but it was welcome to see on his Menu.
“Thanks, Jas.” Nick stood from the throne, and stretched as he checked his Menu. “Aw, it’s already late afternoon.”
Jasmine nodded. “Most of the day is gone. But spending most of the day every few weeks isn’t so bad–it’s likely due to your talent and strength of Soul that you could even get so much done in one go. In the end, I have to do the same with my Nexus Core, but I’m thankful for the Concept chamber, since it can pool the resources for me. Otherwise, I would lose out quite a bit when I took it to fight.”
Nick knew that wasn’t exactly the full story. For example, that mist-filled cavern the monster of the lake was using. The mist would still gather while her Nexus Core was gone, making the essence in the room denser as time went by, waiting for it to be consumed by the Nexus Core.
However, it was certainly true that much of it would spill out of the cavern and into the surrounding environment, much of it wasted and unable to be collected. It would take an expensive construction to counteract this, and doing so would potentially destroy the natural benefits the cavern provided.
The Concept Chamber allowed for her to pool a substantial amount of essence, not wasting any of it unless she was gone for a prolonged period. That was why his Concept Chambers were such a significant boon, to aid their progression in the most efficient and convenient manner.
They left the room, and Fang got up from the couch with her tail wagging–it seemed she was waiting for them to come out. “Boss, come look! You’re changing the city!”
The three of them went out the front, and when he got outside, he was shocked. The air had chilled several degrees in a single day. And that was not all.
The air itself seemed cleaner, the stone pavement brighter. The walls on the outskirts of the city seemed to glow, an odd energy present as if bolstering their protection. Then, above the Path of Kings Ordeal, it was like clouds of cold were leaking out.
The effects were interesting, but he couldn’t help but be a little worried.
“Damn, does this mean I’m going to freeze our damn city eventually?”
Jasmine shook her head. “In time, it just might if you wished it. Instead, this is just going to shift the climate closer to your Concepts and Paths. Most likely for Shadowvale, they go out of their way to make the surroundings match his Path.”
That made a bit of sense to Nick. So it seemed the winters in Frosthaven would be a little harsh. That would work fine for Nick and his people, as that meant many months out of the year it would be all the more challenging to assault his homeland.
Nick looked to the South. While he couldn’t actually see Shadowvale, knowing it was just beyond some hills and clashing Control Radius focused his will.
“Alright. Fang, go grab Lothar and Agatha, Lumos, Rebecca and Renzou for tomorrow. We need to plan out the next two months. We have most of our assets and resources now, and it’s time to prepare for our Conquest.”