The glimmering stardust blasted in all directions before it faded away. Myron and his daughter, and the handful of poisoned Star Oni, were gone. Nick had felt with his Soul Sense where they had gone, but he could not even see them after they exited his radius.

However, Myron left behind a body that looked like his, but was actually his magic–much like the image he showed when Nick found him fighting in the giant snow globe. To Nick’s magical senses, other than his Soul Sense, he couldn’t even tell that it was different from Myron at all. Once again, Nick was impressed with his deception.

He knew it wouldn’t buy a lot of time, however–this was not truly him, of course. But it gave the Star Oni a small head start. One that they just might need.

As the Matriarch and her young approached Myron’s double, Nick got to it. He pushed out his Frost Aura, and began sending Blade Waves at the devilsaurs. His practice with the skill had nearly reached perfection, and his aim allowed the frosty blades to strike almost as hard as if he were standing right in front of the monsters. The strikes against the Second Stratum demon reptiles were devastating, wounding and slowing them with every swing of his blade.

And Nick swung fast, the waves rapidly being sent at them as he dashed and slashed across the jungle clearing. Each of the six devilsaurs got struck and slowed, and Myron’s star-covered body pretended to flee in the other direction. Suddenly, with a burst of essence and a large leap, the Matriarch blew right past them all in a blur.

Stars shot out and blasted into the Matriarch, and despite Myron’s double running away, the Matriarch’s jaws landed on the body with a snap of finality. Nick was shocked at just how quickly the large monster had moved. It seemed, at least for a burst of sudden speed, she could be extremely fast if she wanted or needed to be.

The desired devouring of the fourth stratum body didn’t match the Matriarchs expectations, and its head swiveled as it tried to sense where Myron had disappeared to.

Nick’s Blade Waves struck the distracted Matriarch in the back, and he hit her with a Frost Shock. The ice washed over the giant demon, very little sticking to its powerful body as he continued sending more waves, and more shocks.

The Matriarch looked at him with contempt. Roaring, her wounded young then dashed toward him, and she turned and chased toward the cave, after Myron and the Star Oni. Given that they were a Trial objective, and the most tasty morsels for her to consume, the Matriarch was unwilling to focus on him and let them get away.

Nick wasn’t sure at what level Orion was guiding the monster, but its mindset was likely influenced by the Trial in some way.

As her young rushed forward to kill and eat him, their bodies flashed with dark essence.

Combining some faith essence stored in his flesh with mana and his soul magic, he spoke in Archaen. “None shall bind me.”

Nick’s Soul was already far more powerful than any Second Stratum warrior had any right to be, but a bubble of Soul Magic and faith essence added additional protection. The curses from the devilsaurs washed over his body and soul, ineffectually.

Thanks to this, he continued his Blade Wave assault on the fleeing Matriarch. His Frost Aura continued freezing the herd, adding to his work to wound and control them as he dashed around them, chasing after the large demon.

The demon reptile was rushing after the Star Oni, and Nick still needed to slow it down, or else she would catch up to them. Which was why now was the perfect time. Birdy and Jasper burst forth from the treeline from the side and to the front of the dashing Matriarch, a wave of feathers and two large spears of ice being fired at the same time.

The Matriarch tilted its head and slowed somewhat, its eyes taking on an odd expression at the pair.

Visible confusion. Just what was that, a bird was riding a wolf?

The confusion ended as its instincts kicked in. Two dozen feathers and two ice spears were heading toward it, and the demon protected itself with dense essence.

Birdy’s smattering of feathers were laced with her Concept, and they still pierced into the Matriarch’s flesh all over its body. Ice started to cover around where they struck, and the devilsaur roared in anger at the damage caused, but continued its dash toward the distant cave.

Jasper’s spears of ice crashed into the Matriarch’s chest as well, but Nick noticed rather than piercing, they shattered against her tough hide. Instead of being damaged, it was like the demon reptile was hit with two spear-shaped snowballs.

Thankfully, the ice stuck to its skin, chilling the monster further. And the momentum behind the blows was like two clubs smacking into the reptile from nearly the front, almost halting her in her tracks. Which was why Nick started to catch up, and land more generous Blade Waves onto her back–even with his aim, the further a foe was, the weaker the wave could potentially hit.

Each step toward her was matched by a swing of his blade, and his dashing Double Jump sent more waves striking into her back.

The attacks merely scratched her skin, but once again, added onto the chilling effect. His Frost Aura was only laced with a fraction of his Concept as he was not using it, and it started to impact the monster as he got into range. Jasper and Birdy split up, with the demon bird taking to the air, and continued their frosty assault. The Matriarch continued stomping toward the cave once more, but her run was clearly slowing down.

And her six young chasing Nick were…mostly dead. They had tried to continue their pursuit of Nick despite their wounds, but their efforts couldn’t keep up while covered in Nick’s Frost Aura, and were freezing over. Birdy flew around the Matriarch in circles as it sent more piercing feathers, giving off cawing laughter at the demon reptile, teasing it.

Jasper howled in its pursuit, and was able to maintain its distance as it flung more spears of ice at the Matriarch. Nick switched his focus to the monster’s legs, his Blade Waves striking and cutting into it, building wounds up and freezing the legs.

The Boss-level monster slowed, and Nick caught up and changed his Soul Blade’s focus, to send a wide spread of frost. Like a powerful hose of snow, he sprayed the monster down with ice-cold frost. He dashed around and even added multiple Frost Shocks, until the reptile noticeably slowed its charge.

At this point, the Star Oni were going to get away to the cave safely, unless something changed.

And the demon knew it. As the Matriarch’s hate-filled eyes turned to him, Nick planted his feet, preparing to fight by drawing upon his icy core. He wanted to give the monster the perception that if she turned for a moment, she could run him down and eat him, ending the annoyance quickly to continue her pursuit.

The Matriarch roared as she filled herself with bestial essence, and leaped at Nick with a blur. Nick barely ducked under its sweeping taloned foot in time, the monster soaring over him. If Nick hadn’t seen its burst of speed when it tried to swallow the fake Myron, he just might have died from the opening alone. While it was slower than the original leap, it wasn’t by a lot.

He wasn’t out of the woods yet. The monster’s tail sought him out as she flew by, a blade whipping at his prone form with intense speed. Triggering Power Strike, Nick was in luck when Monstrous Blow triggered as well, his arm bulging with strength as essence was drawn in. He deflected the whipping tail, but he was sent flying away from the sheer amount of force.

Skidding, the Matriarch turned and changed direction rapidly, screeching in anger. However, that was when Nick sprung his trap. He had nearly emptied his Crown of the Frost King, his core of ice, and had prepared as many chains as he could muster.

The series of braided chains rose from the ground and wrapped around the Matriarch’s legs. He then sent even more Blade Waves as he strafed the monster, and Jasper bit down sharply on her leg, his Concept piercing deep and sending frost into her.

Jasper attempted to shake its leg and dig his teeth into it further, shredding scales from its leg. Meanwhile, Nick’s braided chains were finally sending a fair amount of cold into the monster’s body, freezing its legs significantly.

It was then that the air suddenly changed. The Matriarch became serious, its eyes turning black. Nick got an ominous feeling, as dread filled him. The hairs on his neck and arms stood on end, and the sharp feeling of death looming caused him to leap backwards.

The demon reptile roared, and an aura spread out, like a horrifying miasma. It was a powerful curse aura, far beyond what Nick had ever faced. The curse drained Jasper in mere moments, its essence devoured into the demon’s body, much like Nick’s Judgement. Nick felt a bit of rage seep into his mind from his loyal Soul Servant being killed, but its soul returned to his core nearly instantly, safe.

It was a Concept of consumption, and it appeared the monster weakened and drained everything around it.

The Aura spread out, and Nick just barely got out of the range of it because he had leaped away in time. The aura just barely touched his foot, and like a poison, it began to spread up toward his leg.

And that wasn’t all that was devoured. The nearby devilsaurs Nick had frozen started to drain into the Matriarch, including a nearby corpse of a dead one, essence streaming into its mouth. Now, it became clear why she hadn’t cared at all about her young.

They were merely fuel for her to face stronger enemies. Removing the essence from his armor, Nick’s Soul Blade flashed, cutting off his left leg beneath his shin.

The black lines on the Matriarch’s scales pulsed, its body filled with black and red essence. It raised its claw into the air as it looked toward Nick, energy surging into the bladed claw.

“Aw shit.”

Retrieving his shield from his back, he just barely crouched and raised it in time as the devilsaur swung its claw in Nick’s direction. A blade of black and red malicious energy came at him with intense speed, reminiscent of Kaya’s own Essence Carry.

He drew out all the faith essence in his necklace, and drew up everything he could as he used Harden Skin on his shield. From his wives, the prismatic devotion energy gathered onto his shield, and from the Enhanced Soul Pact Connection, Eirwen’s Omnibarrier, boosted by her starlight Concept arrived, adding yet another protective barrier.

In spite of all of this, the magical barrier and then physical shield was smashed by the immense force, knocking his arms wide, and the blade of essence sliced into his chest, sending him flying. Blood scattered around him, and Nick just barely held on to his consciousness.

Following his orders, swooping down, Birdy caught him with her talons and carried him away, rising into the sky. The Matriarch roared as it tried to tear at its chains, but Nick infused the last of his mental energy, his Concept of Dominion into his chains as his head swam with dizziness. As a last gift with a laughing caw, Birdy had sent feathers of sharp ice slamming into the Matriarch’s face and eyes.

While the braided chains still wrapped around the demon reptile’s legs did eventually tear and shatter, the Matriarch’s essence-filled charge to catch up wasn’t enough. The two got away, heading toward the cave.

Rebecca’s healing through their paired ring arrived, healing Nick’s wounds, sending warm and… loving energy, somehow. The cut had run down from his right shoulder to his stomach, nearly gutting him. The healing stopped all the bleeding, including on his amputated foot, though the frost had mostly taken care of that. She pushed as much healing as she could, until much of his wounds were healed and Nick was finally safe. His foot was still gone, and he would need some focused healing for a lot more than the ring could provide remotely.

When Nick and Birdy arrived at the cave, he finally understood why it would provide safety. Orion had altered its cave to where the Matriarch itself could no longer fit inside. Perhaps, it had moved or otherwise swapped her den. The entrance was long and sturdy, and even twisted on the inside. Even after the Trial completed, the Devilsaur Matriarch wouldn’t be able to follow at all.

The Star Oni Patriarch and his daughter were waiting for Nick at the entrance, and Birdy deposited Nick on a shard of ice it quickly created, and started dragging him inside.

Myron narrowed his eyes on him, as Shara helped her father inside.

“Wiped out to the point your servant had to carry you, and lost a foot against that monster? Not bad, you did just as you promised. I made it, but I don’t think it was worth your effort. Thresh’s poison… I’m not sure I can make it, or if I even should.”

Nick’s cheeks heated a bit. His wounds were originally much worse than that, before Rebecca’s healing. If Birdy hadn’t been so fast, maybe Nick might not have made it away at all. Nick simply had not expected that level of attack and so quickly. He could have made a foot or peg out of ice, and ran quickly into the air even with just one foot, but that possibility of survival and escape to the cave was dubious at best.

“It’ll have been worth the risk, I know it.”

At the end of the winding narrow cave, there was eventually a large enough opening for the Star Oni to gather, with most already spread throughout the larger cavern. There were lamps for light, and many were sitting on chairs and resting in tents. They must have been able to retrieve them from spatial pouches and similar.

As the three arrived inside, Nick received a prompt, and he felt the dome shift. Perhaps, it had even moved the angry devilsaur matriarch somewhere. Because he imagined otherwise, she wouldn’t have given up and at least pounded on the entrance angrily for a time.

[Heroic Trial: Fate of The Star Oni is Pending-Completed. As a man who walks the Hero’s Path, it’s your duty to do everything in your power to rescue the innocent, the downtrodden. The Star Oni are victorious, but some still might die as soon as their restrictions return. You have been granted additional time within the Trial, to save them. ]

[Partial Heroic Reward Granted: Granting Trial Closure flexibility for Soul Pact Offer.]

A prompt appeared in front of Myron, and the rest of the Star Oni. “What is this, Pending-Completed? But we won! This…Orion.” Myron spat, before he stumbled to the ground. Shara fussed over him, lifting him up and supporting him. Her look at her father was pained, and filled with worry.

Shara continued reading the prompt for him, “It seems it is holding off on Trial Closure because it is waiting for the third party, Nick, to make an offer to us. That this is a benefit it is offering us.” She looked over at Nick, her eyes having an odd look to them. Starlight seemed to swirl within, but Nick had trouble reading her expression.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

It was odd. It was like she had regrets. About what?

Myron was weak, truly on his last legs. Nick saw that it was the same for those that had faced Thresh as well. The green and purple sores on their skins, if anything, had gotten a little worse. The poisons and diseases contained within the gas Thresh used were laced with his Concepts, and persisted even in his death. Not only that, but if the Trial closed, their essence limitations would return. They would die within mere moments, unable to fight against the poisons. That must be why this should be considered a partial reward, extending the Trial period so that he could save them.

Many Star Oni were wounded, but it appeared around a hundred and twenty of them had survived. That their enemy wanted to capture them at first had helped, but it was certainly a testament of Myron’s leadership and sacrifice that so many still lived against an army of over a thousand, with devilsaurs preying upon them.

Myron grimaced in pain. “I don’t know what your offer is, but I’m afraid it’s already too late for me, Young Lord. I did want to see your city before I passed, but I don’t think I’ll make it.”

“Why? There’s still a chance, you can live to see tomorrow. And we’re lucky. The Trial in pending-completed state means I can maybe create another miracle.”

“What do you mean? Our medicine can’t keep up with this poison. We are a bit lucky that the Trial has not taken away my strength yet, though. And no, I cannot live for much longer, even without the poison.”

Myron opened his robe and showed his wound on his chest, an angry, pulsing scab and veins near his heart. “I mentioned it before, but my Fated–my wife, is dead. For us Star Oni, when that happens, it’s time for the pair to die. We merge our Fates, and when we do, we are destined to die with our Fated on the same day, at the same time. My wife did something… a forbidden thing, to give a piece of her soul to sort of come along with me. All so that I may continue to live and guide our clan to our new home, making sure her sacrifice wasn’t for nothing. We have fought this off for some time to bring our clan to a brighter future, and with yo–”

Shara pinched him suddenly, interrupting him. She then glared at Myron.

Myron coughed. “With my people safe from Blackthorne, my work here is now complete.”

Nick frowned at the man, and pointed at his chest. “What, she’s sort of still alive in there, isn’t she? I healed her a bit earlier. I think there’s enough of her in there, and I can save her too. Then you don’t have to defy fate any longer.”

Myron sucked in a breath. “What! You… don’t you dare lie to me.”

Nick chuckled. “I can’t actually lie, unless it’s to protect someone. As long as you and her accept my Pact, I can save you both given enough time, and that’s a promise. I want to offer to you and your people a chance at Salvation. If they become my Followers too, I can even heal this poison from them.”

“You can really bring Mother back? And it’s not…necromancy, or unorthodox magics?” Shara interjected.

Nick arched his brow. “I’m not sure what that second thing is, but I’m sure it’s not what you’re thinking. Anyone who becomes my Follower is connected to me and can be brought back, recreating their original body with enough time. It’s something that a combination of my magic and Orion makes possible, and even supports. My Soul Mend can also heal Followers, and I can remove afflictions like the poison from Thresh from them. But only my Followers, it’s just how my magic works.”

Myron seemed to realize something, perhaps remembering the prompt before. “That… I see. This is the offer Orion wanted us to hear then, is it?”

Shara pleaded with Myron, holding his smaller hands in hers. “Father… Please?”

Myron frowned. “I don’t like this. Our people did not fight hard through the cosmos against a horrible, fate-consuming enemy to become someone’s slaves. We then ran away from this Blackthorne to avoid being enslaved!”

Nick shook his head. “My Followers are not slaves. Just as Followers have a responsibility to live up to their end of the Pact and obey their Archaen Lord, I must live up to mine, my duties as a Lord of Orion. Let me address you and your people, and through the magic, you will know the truth. This is not the end of the Star Oni, but a new beginning. A home for your people is waiting for you on the other side of these mountains, I promise you.”

Thanks to Trial Closure still pending, the protective dome remained. Before he began his Soul Pact, he spoke in Archaen, infusing his mana into his voice. “I call to the spirits of the Fatestrider Clan. Those who died in this Trial, hear my plea. Come near, and listen to my Soul Pact.”

Myron frowned, and tilted his head. “What was that? You spoke in that language while you faced the enemy…”

“I’ll tell you later, maybe.”

The spirits in the surrounding area, those that recently died, approached. The valley was massive and some died miles away, but Nick’s call with Soul Magic reached far beyond where his mere voice would reach.

Having no corporeal bodies, the spirits drifting quickly arrived, though Nick imagined it was far from all of them. Those that too much time had passed, likely had lost much of their minds if they were in the first or second stratum. Still, he saw nearly three dozen spirits, which was a more than welcome sight.

His eyes went white, the magic of the Soul Pact taking over.

“Fatestrider Clan, as a Lord of Orion, I offer you a Soul Pact. Should you choose to accept, I will protect your lives with the power of my magic and grant you a home in Frosthaven, with all the benefits and responsibilities of being a Citizen. You will keep your Clan in the capacity that you wish to, so long as you follow Archaen Law. Together, we will face the Trials and Tribulations of Orion, along with the enemies of Frosthaven. I will never use or squander your people, and I will protect you the same as I protect my own, as is my duty. If you so choose, I will aid you in being reborn, to follow the Rule and Law of Orion, and do my best to allow you to walk a Path.”

As always, the magic of the Soul Pact filled in any blanks, or items Nick didn’t mention. The people would understand what those benefits and responsibilities were and what Archaen Law was, and that Nick was bound just as they were to do their best to fulfil the promises contained within.

The soul within Myron’s chest lit up, pulsing.

Myron felt his chest. “Is that… I think she’s telling me to accept. We both must–I can feel it.” His whole body trembled, tears threatening to spill from his watery eyes. “I thought all was lost, for me–for us. But if you can give her back to me… I suppose for that alone, it’s worth becoming your Follower. You will…truly help my people find a new future?”

Shara suddenly whispered to her Father in her Outlander language, Nick unable to understand her. “Father! He’s my Fated, remember? Even if he had left you for dead, he’d have soon become the Patriarch anyway! This way, we can all be happy and together. You can feel it, can’t you? He is bound to be righteous and good, to never tell a lie. This… Archaen Law thing is a big deal.”

Myron chuckled, replying to her in his own language with his eyes narrowed. “Yes, but you have not yet left your Mark. Why are you being so shy about telling him, daughter? If he’s your Fated, for the safety of the Clan, it’s best you leave your mark to merge your fates, and tell…“

Shara growled. “Don’t you dare say anything! You promised before…” Her expression softened, and became more pleading, “I’ll tell him when I’m good and ready–he’s already protecting all of our fates, is he not? He risked it all for us, and he doesn’t even know much about our people yet…and, I am still in shock. I don’t know anything about him either, which is rare for our people. Most of my cousins and friends grew up knowing about their Fated from a young age, with very few exceptions.”

Myron grimaced, and hesitated. “It…fine. I suppose that’s true, it’s rare for a Fated to be outside the Star Oni. His power is a strange one, but perhaps, no stranger than ours. I guess… I was just being stubborn about semantics.”

He smiled, and continued, “And of course, like your mother, you’re always right. In the first place, since he’s your Fated, there was only one way this ended: with you and him leading the Star Oni together… unless, of course, you chose to Defy Fate, as is your choice as a Star Oni woman.” Myron grinned, his last words teasing.

Shara blushed. “F-Father! Enough about me, just hurry up and accept!”

Myron met Nick’s eyes, and answered in Orion Common: “We accept. And as acting Patriarch of the Fatestrider Clan, let it be known that I wish all will accept so they may be protected and live on, here on Orion. Fate has guided us here to this new home, and it is here that we must work hard to make our Clan rise once again.”

The Patriarch accepted along with his Fated in his chest, and one by one, the numerous Star Oni became Nick’s Followers, even the girl, Shara. Some of the spirits of the fallen Star Oni accepted as well, joining him within his Soul Core.

Not all did, however, as it appeared that they considered their lives complete. And some, it was clear he couldn’t revive their Fated, so they had simply rejected it and drifted away. Still, nearly two dozen in total had accepted, so this was a big win for Nick. With just what he learned from the knowledge crystal over a few hours, he had saved even more lives.

The weight of Myron and his Fated’s Pact was significant, to the level where it was much like he judged Elrash again. He felt the weight of his promise for protection, and even placing their Soul into a Soul Servant instead would prove quite challenging.

[Heritage Quest Milestone: 500 Followers Reached]

[Earned Trait: Follower Nexus]

[Your wives, and up to five subordinates, can be appointed to accept Followers on your behalf, and you have unlocked a Heritage Structure for purchase that handles this same function.]

[Heritage Quest Milestone: Third and Fourth Stratum Equivalent Followers Obtained]

[Earned Trait: Weight of Pacts, +4 Soul]

[Your Soul Pacts now also protect your Soul, strengthening its defenses. The effects of Soul Fortress have increased, and your soul should now be capable of judging and absorbing more powerful foes, and in larger numbers.]

A bright light filled him, and his Soul Core shifted. For a moment, he saw and felt hundreds of chains cast out from it in all directions, all across the sphere. Then, the sphere twisted causing the chains to wrap and overlap around the sphere partially, and it was like a lattice was created from these bonds, the weight of his Pacts protecting his Soul Core.

It was a welcome bonus, as it’d been a long time since he gained anything from his Heritage Quests. At the same time, he groaned. If only he could have convinced Myron sooner somehow…he could have Judged Thresh.

Still, it was pointless to worry about what-ifs and maybes. Changing his focus, Nick worked to remove some of their poisons, and used Cure Affliction on Myron. Drawing out the last of his faith energy from his necklace, he was better able to overwhelm Thresh’s poisons, despite them being infused with his Concepts.

Healing Myron’s dense, special body with Soul Mend took way too much out of him, so he only did some first aid, for now. He had a lot of Star Oni to do the same for. The half dozen who were poisoned, combined with Myron’s healing medicine, Nick was able to take them away from death’s door.

The rest of the people lined up, and Nick did his best to restore his new Followers, eating his essence fruit and jerky, and even drank half a canteen of the energy whiskey. The improved Soul Mend truly helped a lot in situations like this.

After a time, finally, a wave of golden light exploded outward, and Nick received the Trial prompt from Orion.

[Heroic Trial: Fate of the Star Oni Completed.]

[Facing the rival Lord of Silverbrook, you stood unwavering with your Kingdoms’s Path, and defeated Elrash. You rescued numerous Star Oni, protecting their future, then aided the Fatestrider Patriarch in his defeat of Thresh, defeating an enemy far above you. You heroically guarded the Star Oni’s retreat, facing an enemy nearly an entire stratum above you. Buying any time at all was a major accomplishment, and you lived to tell the tale. Then, you saved what remained of the Star Oni, healing them and preventing the loss of their great Outlander heritage, and expanded your Followers. You have truly Tested yourself, and have become more.]

[Reward: Boss Essence, Spark of Insight and Major Enlightenment, 32,325 Hero’s Path DP, 19th Heroic Ordeal Floor Equivalent has now been Completed.]

Nick received an ornate box in his hand, the sudden appearance not that shocking because he had experienced it within the Ordeals numerous times before. Opening it, a decorated bottle sat inside.

Something pulsed inside the transparent bottle, a golden light that moved around and could hardly be contained, like living lightning flexing against its prison. As it flickered in his eyes, he was reminded of a moment during his Enlightenment in front of Seraphara’s Mirror of Truth.

Where the hawk of light and the raven of darkness fought, and where their energies crossed, formed a mysterious golden energy. Somehow, this bottle contained everything.

He was thankful for it. With his pounding headache, Nick was not in a position to be able to consume some kind of Enlightenment at the moment, and he would enjoy this back at his Concept Chamber.

Nick wasn’t sure precisely what it was, but he thought it was either going to help him a lot with his Heroic Redemption, because of the golden light, or thanks to the name, this was like a one-size-fits-all Enlightenment. That it would help him with whatever Concept he imagined when the spark touched him.

Then, the amount of DP gained was significant. The fact that it involved over a hundred Star Oni facing enemies, some of which were in the Third Stratum, made it fit in Nick’s mind. He had only fought for at most fifteen minutes, but had gained so much potential for his kingdom and himself. A major enlightenment on its own was something that could create an Early Mastery Concept on its own, or upgrade one into middle mastery.

It was a shame he was unable to defeat the Devilsaur Matriarch, but thinking on it, it would have been nearly impossible for him as he was today. The only way he might have managed it even if he was completely fresh, is if he sacrificed Myron’s life, and the lives of many Star Oni. That wouldn’t have been very heroic at all.

He noticed that many of the Star Oni received special rewards, much like his. Boxes, vials, and some with special pills. They did not hurry to consume them, however, as it seemed they received a message about Orion recommending them to be initiated into Orion first.

Those in the first stratum, including Shara, were covered in golden or prismatic light, receiving some form of tempering. Nick imagined this tempering was one that would stick around when they were initiated, the people receiving Traits or improving their affinities, bloodlines, and more, based on their actions.

Shadowvale’s Conquest eventually ran to its conclusion, and Nick received a prompt about merging it into Frosthaven. Seraphara’s Inquisition would be able to continue for up to three days before Closure, and then once again the cities could be merged.

Confirming with Eirwen, Luna and Jasmine through their special connection, Nick went ahead and selected to Merge Shadowvale with Frosthaven. By the time Trial Closure was done in three days, they would have captured all the bad guys and be ready to be transported home.

Nick was somewhat worried that bandits might have gotten away from the Trial and escaped, but not overly much. There were still devilsaurs left, and he knew they would hunt them down. Not only that, but they were nearly a thousand miles from anywhere. They would take months to sneak through the jungle, and likely, not guided and protected by their numbers or Elrash and Thresh, they would die to the dangerous jungle.

Shara and Myron both sat across from Nick, recovering from their battles with Birdy picking a high place in the cavern to roost.

Myron’s status in the clan became quite apparent, with how each of the Star Oni treated him, asking him for orders and bowing to him. The Star Oni men would rest for a time, and they would soon start scouting the caves, while the women stood guard over any nearby branches or entries within in the caves.

Shara asked in a small voice, “This… Orion. What does initiation to it entail?”

Myron added, “Yes, I am interested in this as well. What will it do to our people?”

Nick replied, “When we get home to Frosthaven, I’ll be able to help your second stratum and above folks be reborn so that they can cultivate here on Orion. That includes you and your wife, Myron. As for those in the first, I think the initiation involves attuning your dantians to the essence of Orion. What that will mean for your cultivation arts, I am not entirely sure, but I believe a large majority will be compatible, the same with your Daos, your Path. Not everyone must initiate, but I think it’s very limiting if you do not.”

He added, “The essence outside an Ordeal’s control radius is very wild, and not appropriate for cultivators–not even Outlanders. The beasts cultivate it through conflict and consumption, and from special treasures. My understanding is, that to cultivate it would be like taking in the essence from monster cores. It’s full of impurities to cultivators, and would be a major detriment. Even that within the city isn’t exactly perfect, it’s only that which is gained from Orion’s Rewards that is perfectly suitable.”

Myron rubbed his chin. “Interesting, that matches what we’ve learned ourselves. I’m looking forward to what this entails, especially seeing my wife and being able to cultivate again without being restricted. But before we can move, it’s clear we need to spend some time and recover. If we start heading through those caves, we may lose people to monsters.” He grimaced. “To think…we’re down to only a hundred and twenty from nearly two hundred.”

Nick smiled. “Almost a hundred and fifty now roughly, actually.”

Myron frowned, as he looked back at his people. “What? I counted… wait…”

Nick grinned. “Many of those that died in the final battle: I was able to form Soul Pacts with them, as not too much time had passed. It helped that many of them were in the Third Stratum, even if they were limited.”

Myron was moved. “That’s…truly a miracle. We still lost more than fifty of us since arriving on Orion, but to think that many of our people made it. You’ve made a believer out of me, Young Lord. Your heroism, combined with your power over life and death, has truly brought our Clan Salvation, just as you promised.”

“Wait until you see Frosthaven. There might be threats inside this cave, and I might need to fight with a peg leg, but I can’t wait to show you your new home.”

Shara smiled, but at Nick’s attention, she blushed and looked away shyly. Some of the Star Oni that overheard the mention came over and thanked Nick for his efforts. He met with all his new Followers, but eventually begged off to rest.

Moving through the caves was not likely to be all that easy. The Star Oni men made for good scouts, and he would hear a report after a nap.