Fang’s shield blocked the ape-like demon of frost, her small body resisting the power of the blow thanks to her ice-cleated greaves. She countered with her spear, piercing the demon in its chest.

Jasper leaped onto the same demon, its fierce jaws latching onto its throat. Despite the demon being resistant to cold, ice began covering the monster from its bite–but the larger Frost Warg Alpha quickly scattered the demon into a burst of essence, the monster dead.

Earthen strength filled their bodies from a pulsing totem, a small carved figure floating near Luna, the party fighting through a large cohort of demons. Kaya’s axes flashed as she spun and danced, weaving through the enemies and overwhelming them with sudden barrages of attacks.

Two tails held axes, plus the large axe she carried in her hands, and the Bestial Strike, were odd for enemies to deal with as they came one after the other in a dangerous flurry of attacks. One tail was even used to spring her forward like a third leg, or balance her upper body in odd ways, making her movements difficult for enemies to predict.

They were now fighting through the Frostspire Mines, the second event to claim another section of the winding caverns of resources. And it wasn’t just Nick’s party this time–a number of orcs led by Lothar and Agatha and assisted by Priests and Priestesses of Seraphara now fought through another cavern as well. Then, Ironclaw was leading the monsterfolk through another, with the same assistance from Seraphara’s Clergy.

The reason was simple.

[Kingdom Quest Granted: Claim the second wing of the Frostspire Mines]

[Second Stratum Challenge: Defeat the Demonic Overseer deep in the second wing. During your assault, demons will rapidly respawn throughout the three paths. It is recommended to have a minimum of three parties of ten, able to defeat numerous level 15 enemies while handling the harsh environment. Final encounter to be balanced against one elite party of ten, the Lord’s Party. Additional enemies will join elite’s battle, if not handled by secondary parties.]

The demons were a bit stronger than last time, but Nick’s party plowed down the center lane with ease. This was the largest grouping they faced of the demons, and Nick thought he saw in the distance where the cavern got larger.

Surprisingly, Irene had wanted to come, and traveled with Nick’s party. All his wives were now present, but another new addition had decided to come with them: Renzou.

The panda beastfolk fought near Nick, his one-armed fighting style working well enough to handle these demons. His katana flashed and sheared through an imp-sized demon, and there were dozens of them flying through the cavern. His arm had been regrown nearly to the elbow now, and would only need a few more days of healing with Rebecca and Irene’s focus.

Supposedly, gathering essence through combat would help what was already regrown become more substantial, and he wanted to be of aid here and shake off the cobwebs, he had said. His swift strikes and movement allowed him to move around the battlefield rapidly, thinning the large herd of weaker enemies. Combined with the archery support from Sable and Eirwen, Nick’s chains and Blade Waves, the imps were managed easily.

“I’ll get the one in the back!” Eirwen shouted, her arrowhead brimming with essence as she pulled back the string of her compound bow. Releasing, the arrow flew like a shooting star, shimmering multicolored light cascading over the party before it slammed into the demon holding a staff. The explosion of light shredded the demon, killing it.

Eirwen had started getting the hang of her Concept Fragment, the shimmering light from the shooting star vision she had finally coalescing into something. She had obtained a minor enlightenment from the Samurai Ordeal again, and that had pushed her over the edge.

The starlight had a special effect on allies in that it boosted their passive traits and triggered effects, making them that much more likely to occur, and more effective. Then, when she used the starlight on her buffs and spells like her Omni-Barrier, they became even more effective.

The new caster demons were both annoying and powerful, and it was Sable and Eirwen’s job to eliminate them quickly. They looked almost like ice satyrs, their goat-like hoofed legs and horns on their head, and held a staff. Their bodies were thin and their limbs long, making them a little strange.

Nick felt himself emboldened by the rainbow light, his Monstrous Blow triggering. His muscles bulged, and his arm whipped, his Soul Blade extending suddenly to slice the large demon’s head off from where he stood, before dashing to his next larger target. The yeti-like demons were even larger here, and their fists were devastatingly strong.

Nick, Fang, and Jasmine had to work hard to keep them away from their more vulnerable party members, grabbing their attention and getting in their way.

Sable’s arrows of darkness continued shooting into several of the imps and casters, and Jasmine’s beams of light targeted the casters as well, while she faced down some of the larger demons with her armor-covered body.

The caster demons annoyingly protected themselves and allies with walls of ice, and sent large jagged shards of ice in a rain over his party. These were even stronger than the imps, the shards easily piercing through their armor and freezing their bodies when they landed.

Rebecca and Irene both used Seraphara’s Light, a large orb of light building above them. A beam of light would shoot out periodically, and blast down demons. Because the light was so antithetical to them, the attacks were devastating.

It didn’t take long for the party to clean up what was likely one of the last few squads of demons. Kaya’s axe cleaved through an ape demon’s chest, and an imp swooped in with its spear at her. She blocked with one of her tail axes, then Kaya’s Bestial Strike–a claw made of red essence–reached out from her chest and slashed through the imp, destroying its core. The final demon died, the room becoming quiet except for the party’s steps through the room.

Irene was looking over at Nick, fanning her face and chest with her wing. “My my, Becca. You didn’t tell me how dashing our hero is when he’s in action. Facing these demons, he’s like an unstoppable force of nature. Why, if he wasn’t on our side, I would be powerless against him. I wouldn’t have a choice but to let him claim me–I mean, my life.” She shivered with a sigh as she wrapped herself in her wings, and Nick could tell it wasn’t from the cold.

Rebecca’s eyes were narrowed on Irene. “That’s…a strange choice of words, Mother. But–”

Irene interrupted, “Oh look–sparkly!” She flew over to where one of the demons had been mining at the wall, and found a bright gem. “I bet Jasmine will like this one!”

It wasn’t only gems related to frost found in the mines, or ore that was filled with it. A wide variety was found, though at a much lower quantity. Perhaps, it was the merging of the mine’s resources that Zura and Nagurdoros fought over.

Jasmine scurried over quickly, taking it from her and looking over it with a smile. “That’s pretty! Good eye, Irene. Lumos will have her work cut out for her, it seems. Light essence is rare here.”

Fang bounded over to Nick, her tail wagging. “Boss! How did I do? Did I do good?”

Nick chuckled, as he scratched her ears. “You’re great, Fang. You are an amazing guardian, despite your size.” He looked over to Eirwen, “Is that the final cavern there? And check on the other groups while you’re at it.”

Eirwen closed her eyes, and she whispered as she asked her question to the nearby spirits. The essence in the frozen cavern stirred, and when she opened them, her eyes shimmered in the dim light. She looked left and right at what would be the other lanes, and into the distance, casting a few more spells as she did.

“It looks like it is. The other groups are finishing up their battle still, but they won’t be long. We should rest up while we can.”

Asking the spirits or the essence was an interesting and powerful ability, and one that Nick didn’t fully understand. But he knew that she didn’t just ask where the other parties were–she merely extended her senses by using a sort of proxy–the spirits of the cavern in the distance.

Of which, there were numerous here. This Frostspire Mines had an ancient history, that had Agatha both excited and worried about what they might eventually unearth. The frost essence was mixed or tainted by a dark essence, thinning the barrier between planes–and allowing the demons to encroach upon the caverns.

But it had been this way for centuries, or perhaps thousands of years. And there were not just simple demon spirits or lost souls, but ones that had faced tragedy and despair–emotions that normal demons do not usually hold.

Thankfully, Orion had blocked off the future sections to an extent with its barriers, and Nick hadn’t forgotten that there was a shaft for materials to be sent further down the mines in the Boss room. However, once they had taken over that wing, the shaft going downward had been closed off during the wave of white light Orion had sent out, so it couldn’t be investigated.

Nick thought it likely that once the third wing was completed, a path further down the spire would open, both increasing the danger but also the reward–and likely, giving them more answers about the history. The note that the second stratum challenges were opening the wings led him to believe what came after was tuned for the third stratum.

They were already receiving cartloads of ore and special gems weekly, more than enough to build numerous suits of special armor and weapons, and also received gems suitable to be refined into cultivation resources or for other trade skills. It was already a huge boon, and according to his Kingdom Menu, helped raise the density and purity of the Frost Essence in his Concept Chamber.

Capturing the other wings was important for his personal and kingdom’s strength. Nick wanted to start the timer for the third wing as soon as possible–hence why he decided to raid this before he attempted his next run through the Path of Kings Ordeal.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The demons only leaving cores behind and no need for the Loot skill, Jasmine, Luna, and Eirwen were quick to hand out essence fruits and jerky along with a warm cider-like drink. It was a simple meal, but it was a meal packed with easily absorbed essence as they gathered around in a circle, Nick in his recliner as many sat on large rocks and stools from Eirwen’s pack.

Overall, the battles had been simple like last time, but they were about to enter the final cavern.

The earthen totem from Luna began to pulse out a different energy, and Nick thought he heard an odd drumbeat as it vibrated. His body felt reinvigorated, though the effect was minor.

“Those totems seem nifty, Luna. So this is what you’ve been working on?”

Luna nodded with a smile, swallowing her warm cider drink. “Yes. It seems I have some affinity for it now that I’m your mate. I place willing spirits in the totem, along with an elemental core that gathers essence.”

She had a few hung on her belt, and it looked like she had one for each of the main shamanic elements, fire, earth, water, and wind. “Maybe the best comparison, in how I use it, might be the focus for your Soul Blade. I send essence and mana in, and the spirit anchored to the totem converts it and uses it to produce a few effects.”

Kaya was tearing through the jerky rapidly, but she added, “You’ve been mostly using the Earth totem in here, I noticed.”

Luna nodded. “The fire essence here is being oppressed by the cavern, and the demons are strong against the water and ice my totem can produce. The wind totem for lightning is likely my best bet to kill anything, but we have plenty of offense here.” She glanced at Rebecca and Irene. “Even our healers are taking on a damage role.”

Nick could see the connection Luna had to the totems with his Advanced Soul Sense. It was similar to the connection Nick had with his Followers, and also what he could see for Jasmine’s Nexus Core. A metaphysical line connected them, allowing them to treat their objects like another limb.

After a few minutes of rest, Eirwen’s eyes glowed again. “It looks like Agatha and Ironclaw’s groups have reached the final cavern. They are setting a defensive line, but it’s probably better to move sooner rather than later. Let me see if I have any luck with finding a good spirit at this location, then we should go.”

Eirwen was still working on unlocking her Ancestral Guide class. Over this past month, she had pushed her shamanic magic, archery, and scouting capabilities to the limit. It seemed that her affinity for working with spirits was high, but she was still working on mastering the most difficult of the magics: manifestation.

In a way, it was similar to what Luna was doing with the totems, but it was with spirits that were more complete, with their own wills. She needed to find one appropriate, and then connect with it. It was almost like what Nick did with his Create Soul Servant, but it was more deliberate, and the spirit wouldn’t gain a physical body, merely anchor it to be manifested–called upon.

Nick was especially interested in this because it was definitely adjacent to his Soul Magic. Also, if she manifested a spirit, couldn’t he form a pact with it, and give it a body with his Genesis Chamber? He suspected it was one of the bigger reasons why Eirwen originally pursued it.

“It’s no good. The spirits here are too…full of negative emotions, and will not come to my call for my aid. But maybe you can make Soul Servants out of the demon’s cores, Hubby? I think those caster ones would be useful, especially when we fight outside the caverns in the future.” She handed him one of the demon cores, and he looked at it with a frown.

He supposed that when he claimed the first wing of the mines, he had managed to form a Soul Pact with the Overseer at the last moment, intuiting that it could be done. However, he had tried to make a Soul Servant out of one, and failed, before that.

This was yet another reason why they needed that Ancestral Archives. His personal study only had books on what was considered first stratum Soul Magic, which he had already mastered as a child. There might be numerous spells and pacts he was not even aware of, but he was limited because he didn’t even know what was possible.

Reaching out with his Soul Magic, he tried casting Create Soul Servant. However, he felt some resistance. Both from the spirit, and how much mana it would cost him to make a functional body.

“Strange. It feels like… the usual spirits won’t work in the core, to drive the body. Plus, it’ll be costly. It’s like I need to recreate the whole body from nothing. The essence and mana cost will be significant.”

Irene hummed. “Demons are fundamentally different from monsters and beasts, and folk. Like angels, they are more similar to elementals of light and darkness than any of those. You may need a more specialized spirit to function with it, as compatibility with bodies is an issue.”

Sable chuckled, smirking at the angel woman. “My, you seem to know much about Boss’s ability already.” Her tone was teasing, “You seem to have a lot of interest in him.”

Irene smiled, and she nodded, oblivious to her teasing. “Yes! I have asked Rebecca many many questions about our dear hero and his powers! It’s really fascinating, and I can’t wait to read more about his people soon.”

Sable looked satisfied and Eirwen giggled at that, while Rebecca blushed, but changed the topic back to the original, “But there should be numerous demon spirits here to drive this servant. Perhaps you need to reach deeper, be more…forceful, like you were with the Overseer?”

Eirwen smiled. “Maybe I can help? You were lucky when you called out the spirit like Jasper, perhaps your will was enough then. But this is what my magic specializes in!” She stood up, and strode over to Nick. She turned, her tail whipping in front of him as she looked over her shoulder.

Sensing what she wanted, he positioned his legs and set aside his plate, allowing her to sit on his lap–which she did happily.

“Aw, me next!” Fang whined.

Following her Enhanced Connection, she made a call out to the spirits in the area with her spirit magic.

“There’s a slight resistance, but I’m trying to draw deep, even beneath us. Oh–looks like I found something. Make your call, Hubby!”

Drawing on his will once more, he sent his imposing soul as he began to cast the spell. However, he felt resistance, like he could go a step further. He offered it a Soul Pact. Sensing what it wanted, he promised as his eyes lit white, “Demon spirit, I offer you a Soul Pact. Should you serve me as my Soul Servant, I offer to try to obtain your original body, and plenty of food, and help you with a goal of yours, so long as it doesn’t go against my morals or my kingdom’s needs.”

The creature, whatever it was, accepted, and an immense amount of mana and essence left him, causing him to groan as the core lifted into the air. The caster demon’s body was recreated a few feet in front of him in the center of the group, though a bit smaller than it was originally.

Its head was on a swivel as it looked around, its eyes gleaming with…some kind of intelligence. It tilted its head in an odd way as it looked at Nick, and he could feel it was somewhat upset.

Renzou had his legs crossed on the ground, recovering. He looked at the demon with a frown. “Your magic is beyond my imagination, young master. Your people…”

Nick tried to feel out the soul he called a little more. He thought he understood it couldn’t already, but he asked anyway. “Can you speak?”

It squawked at him in response, and began hopping around, before tripping and falling on its face–not even trying to stop its fall with its hands and arms.

Fang and Sable laughed, and Jasmine began helping it up.

Irene hummed as the demon squawked angrily, scrabbling as Jasmine helped it up. “Hmm…it looks like this creature, whatever it was, was birdlike. A demon bird, perhaps? Maybe you should have put it in one of the imps, instead.”

Nick sighed, as he ran fingers through Eirwen’s soft hair. “I think you’re right, but imps are kinda weak, though. I just wasted a boat-load of essence on that, too. Were there any other spirits, Winny?”

She shook her head, smiling at their closeness. “Spirits linger when they have high emotional attachments to the area, or you catch them at the right time. Jasper was a very lucky find, likely having died in the last year in that location. This place is old, and all the demons reject service, I feel. This demon bird must have some reason for sticking around, an attachment to the mines.”

Kaya snorted. “A bird in some mines? That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

When the demon’s eyes met Jasmine’s Nexus Core, it began screeching even louder, and backing away.

Nick sighed. “Not sure this is a plus.” He imposed his will on the creature, ordering it to freeze. “It’s okay, Birdy. You’re on our team. Feel the connections, none of my Followers will hurt you. I made promises to you, and I will keep them. For now, we are about to fight a demon. Do your best and I’ll make sure you are rewarded with good things to eat. Get used to your body for now.”

Jasmine started weaving some thread. “I’ll help! I’ll make you some wings.”

Birdy made a small chirp sound, but began hopping around, and moving the cold essence of the cavern around.

Kaya snorted. “Birdy? There’s your weird naming sense again.”

Nick shook his head. “She has a real name, I can feel it. Birdy is just temporary until I figure out what it is.” He sighed. “That took a lot out of me. We’ll need to recover more before we go in.”

They rested for half an hour to let Nick recover, before it was time for the ritual. His wives started lining up, Eirwen kissing him on the cheek first, sending their odd devotion essence and moving on before Kaya gave hers, and Renzou and Irene looked on with confusion.

“What’s happening?” The panda beastfolk man frowned.

Fang giggled. “Giving him our luck! We’re about to fight!”

Renzou looked even more confused, and Irene pressed her palms together in front of her. “My, how cute! You always do this too, daughter?”

Rebecca blushed. “Yes. I enjoy it, and…” She cleared her throat. “It has benefits. Since we’ve created our Devotion Cores, it seems to grant him something. It makes him just a little bit stronger when he needs it.”

Since Rebecca had become his wife, she had taken the core formation material in the vial within her Concept Chamber, forming her Devotion Core. As of now, the cores were still quite mysterious, and only provided a small benefit–this granting of a small amount, that seemed to enhance him when he needed it.

Perhaps it was that they were still learning to use it, or they needed more time, but as of now just about any core would have been just a little bit more useful.

Renzou looked between the demon, who was waving its staff around and practicing its magic, and back to the girls that were now giving him his luck. “Young master, your powers are truly bizarre.” He grinned, pausing. “But if you want a reason to kiss your girls in front of other people, you don’t have to make things up. Just tell us to give you five or ten minutes alone like everyone else.”

Nick chuckled. “Screw off, old man. You’re just jealous you don’t have a line forming of your own.”

Renzou toyed with his goatee. “Hmm…that’s right. Once I get my arm back, that’s another thing that should change…”

Their ritual completed, they continued their march. Arriving at the final cavern, the party spread out as they prepared for the battle to claim the cavern. It was much reminiscent of the previous wing, only even larger than before. Several of the annoying caster demons were present near the Overseer, and several of the groupings of them.

The Overseer looked similar to the other one, looking like an odd combination of a praying mantis and a reptilian demon.

Nick could see the other paths arriving on the left and right sides, Ironclaw and Lothar’s larger parties waiting there. They were a bit too far away to shout at, but Eirwen had sent a few messages with spirit to Agatha, keeping them apprised of the situation.

“Alright, girls, this looks like a…medium challenge. Let’s see how far you’ve come, and claim this mine for your Lord.”

His Wolfen girls looked eager, ready with their weapons and their spells. Birdy squawked in an affirmative, and Jasper howled as they all dashed into the large cavern.