When Nick had awoken from his dream battle, he felt rather heavy. The burden of all the chains he accumulated the previous evening was excessive, and it would take him some time to fully purify his soul and grow once again.

A parade had been called for, where Lord Silver and the guard showed off their victory. It ended with the magistrate giving public trials–and enslaving of the criminals, by Dale and a few of the other slave merchants.

Nick would ultimately get them at a reduced price and secretly Judge them, as soon as he could handle the strain.

With Blackthorne’s bandits mostly dealt with, their time remaining in Silverbrook fell into a steady rhythm. The largest change in Nick’s day to day was Nick’s focus and preparation for Seraphara’s Ordeal.

For hours, he would sit among the priestesses in their tent, practicing his control over his Mana Aura, along with Eirwen, Kaya, and Sable. They used an artifact that looked a lot like a tome to produce an invasive aura, that constantly shifted its attack.

Then, there was a much more ominous tome, which produced a dark aura. It was the Bishop’s special item he used for training to control darkness energy, and now the girls used it to practice protecting themselves against it, and purifying their bodies from any invading essence.

It was near the end of their stay in Silverbrook, and Nick was doing his last meditation with the girls–Eirwen, Kaya, Sable, and Marissa were in the pavilion tent with him. Sitting on cushions around a small table which held the tome artifacts, the party meditated and defended against the two odd tomes’ attacks.

The light tome bombarded his mana aura with small beams of light, and Nick’s thin ropes were cut and regrew, as they protected against the onslaught.

Through his practice the past few weeks, he had made the aura and image much more complex. The ropes themselves were now a more elaborate weave of individual strands, and now, a layer of thicker chains was surrounded by yet another layer of rope. The layers shifted around his body in different directions like living snakes, leaving no holes for foreign essence to invade him.

This practice had numerous effects. It made his mana aura stronger, but it also improved his overall control of essence. It was now to the point where someone early in the first stratum would have difficulty even piercing his aura and skin with a blade–even without Harden Skin. Then, magical attacks like the goblin shaman’s lightning would be severely reduced.

The evil tome now focused on him, sending a terrifying wave of essence over him. If he hadn’t been protecting himself, it would make him feel unease and eventually fear as it corrupted his body and mind. It began tainting the outer layer of aura ropes like an insidious poison, but the shifting rope and chains transferred and purified the oncoming essence before it could reach his body.

All this was accomplished with only using the barest increase in mana usage, the mana and essence moving more efficiently than ever. After the invading essence moved on to the next person, Nick opened his eyes.

To find that Marissa had inched close to him and was now smiling at him. “How wonderful, Lord Nicholas. You have come so far, and so fast. I’m truly amazed that you can purify the darkness so well. Your soul’s purity is surprising for a non-adherent, and worthy of respect.”

“Not sure why that is. You and Rebecca always mention this, but I feel like I have plenty of negative thoughts and emotions, as other people may judge. I have my pride, and I have my other vices and desires. I am far from a perfect person as judged by Seraphara.”

Marissa shook her head. “For your soul to be free of dark essence, it is not as though you must be a perfect person–it is both what you desire and do that the essence of Orion responds to. If you want to be a virtuous person, and your actions match, then this is what you will ultimately build within you. If your worldly desires are tempered with virtue, that can keep you from falling toward the darkness, and your good deeds will make your soul shine brightly.”

Nick thought that matched him decently well. While he did hate and want to destroy evil people like the Bishop, it was only to protect others from his terror. While he felt lust and desired women, it was tempered by a desire for mutual companionship and happiness.

This carried over to several other aspects of himself, such as his desire to dominate and rule–but only to protect and empower his people and their futures. Then, his actions were completely driven by his positive thoughts and desires, his Pacts and his promises to be a hero to those he protected.

For the priestesses, many of them had difficulty removing the dark energy unless the purity of their cores was high–or they formed their faith core. Their compassion and desire for peace and wisdom would help them take virtuous actions, while remaining strong on Orion.

Supposedly, the priests who were tainted would have significant difficulty with this, needing to expend a considerable amount of effort to keep the invading essence out. They were focused on tempering their desires with discipline, and accomplishing these same acts of compassion to cleanse themselves.

But Nick and his wives’ purity was already far above most, thanks to their Soul Pact. Their righteous efforts to do the right thing and help others had prevented any darkness from taking root in their souls from the very beginning, their conviction driving their actions and influencing the essence within them.

“Thank you for explaining that, Marissa. You’ve been a big help these last few weeks, and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom.”

What Nick said was true. While working on his aura, Rebecca had often been busy with wrapping up much of the healing and preparations for the priestesses to head home, and hadn’t joined them for much of the training. Many of the clergy had already left on their bikes the day before today, and Marissa was going to ride in Nick’s personal vehicle on the way back.

Marissa blushed. “It’s no problem at all, Milord. You have helped us and everyone here in Silverbrook so much. While the people of Silverbrook don’t know it, we are aware of your generosity and compassion, and so is Seraphara. We and the other girls…we respect you so much. You’re like our guardian angel.”

Kaya opened one eye and snorted. “Nick, an angel? I don’t know about that. He likes tying up girls a little too much to be one.”

Marissa blushed bright red, shyly looking between Nick and Kaya. “T-Tying?”

“That’s not quite the taunt you think it is, Kaya. Not when it’s coming from the person who likes being tied up.”

Kaya blushed. “I do nnn…do.” Her body shook, as if she was straining in an attempt to deny it.

Sable chuckled and opened her eyes as well, her shadows protecting her and hiding her. “You should be more honest, pack-sister. Then you’d get that which you desire more often.”

Eirwen laughed as she stood up, then turned off the tome artifacts by pressing her hands on them and sending mana into them. “You sure like putting your foot in your mouth, don’t ya Kaya? But Nick was right.” She turned to Marissa with a smile, “Thank you for all your help, Marissa. I didn’t think hubby or Kaya were cut out for meditation, but your instruction and the mantras helped us all out a lot. It was interesting to contrast your methods and the shamans’.”

The improvement to his imagery, his mana control and aura had a lot to do with directed meditation. Seraphara called them the building blocks of understanding essence, which were driven by Marissa sharing her magical words of wisdom while channeling her faith energy.

It was shocking how large of an impact this had on him and his thoughts. Despite the statements being short and almost nonsensical, they quickly relaxed his mind, influenced his images to take shape, and his essence to respond closer to his wishes.

Before Marissa could respond, Jasmine entered the tent, her towering form startling the girl.

“Master! I see that you’re done now. Lord Silver and the Guild Master had some parting gifts for you, and they wished you safe travels.”

She had arrived about a week ago, having finally finished up with recovering their funds and helping the beetlefolk. However, her plot meant that they did not currently hold the recovered money.

The gold was currently hidden underneath Shadowvale.

Turon, the ambassador sent from Shadowvale, had mentioned that Blackthorne would know how much gold Nick held or earned in his city. And Jasmine had realized that this would play in perfectly for her plot.

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The scouts from Shadowvale would likely encounter the destruction of the caravan eventually, and report that wolves had destroyed it, and that all the contents were gone.

But Blackthorne would believe that this was a lie. It was a smart obfuscation, that just might muddy the waters enough to help out with Nick’s situation. It would do that while making sure the bandit lord didn’t get more resources, and it might lead to making Shadowvale even easier for Nick to claim.

“What’d they give?”

“Lord Silver’s gift was some rare cores, which Lumos will refine for your usage–it seems he was aware of some of the other things we bought or sought. The Guild Master then provided some pills and other rare cultivation resources, that may work well for supplementing our efforts.”

For Climbers like themselves, most of the items like pills were often meant as stopgap measures. For example, if he exited the tower, and he was really close to the next level–consuming a pill would get him the rest of the way there. Then, there were some items meant to improve his understanding of his Concepts and essence. With how many wives he had and needed to have, he would obtain all the resources he could get.

“I guess it’s really time for us to go home, huh? Let me look at my Quest.”

[Divine Concord Progress – Charity and Pilgrimage:

* Soul Healing: 18/5

* Rescue Slaves: 257/10

* Recruitment: 78/10

Quest Complete. Return to Cathedral of Seraphara for Turn-in.]

Nick was a bit surprised at the count for the slaves line item in the Quest. He hadn’t freed any yet, and he had only rescued in the ballpark of a hundred with the warehouse they raided and the ship. He bought a lot of them too, but if he combined them all it was more than his total, and so he wasn’t sure how this number worked exactly.

The only conclusion he could come to was that some of the slaves were tricked into their service in some way, and it was also counting the criminal slaves who were wrongfully accused. With a quick talk with the magistrate, Nick had already freed a number of them, knowing that many of them could return home to their families immediately.

“Looks like I got it in the bag. Finding people that need my Soul Mend spell was the hardest part.”

Kaya blushed. “I’m glad I didn’t take that bet. You were…surprisingly convincing.”

Nick shrugged. “I dunno, I thought it was easy. I just sold the vision of becoming an adherent to those that it fit. I respect Seraphara, but I don’t think becoming her follower and sharing that lifestyle is for everyone.”

He wasn’t sure how Seraphara or Orion decided on his credit. He didn’t think he had convinced that many directly, and it was almost like he was given partial credit for some of the usage of his ideas.

The nuns had continued their door-to-door efforts, even after they had captured all the bandits. And Sable had patrolled in the evening to out any remaining evil within the city, exploring their underground areas and ensuring they had found everyone and everything.

Together with the wolflings, she even patrolled the surrounding area up to a hundred miles out, tracking and sniffing for any stragglers that might have escaped the city. She had caught a couple of odd loners, but their involvement with Blackthorne was unclear–Sable was mostly forced to put them down, as they couldn’t easily prove their crimes to a magistrate.

Nick hoped he had his Secret Hero Quest in the bag, but couldn’t be completely sure until he handed it in. He had done all he could.

The guard was now sealing off the passageways with earth mages, and soon the city would be all buttoned up against any new Blackthorne incursions.

Rebecca entered the tent. “Did I hear talk about your Quest? I’ve secured the approval for future pilgrimages, and even have support from the Master of Trade to aid us in finding slots by ship.”

Nick updated her on his progress, sharing his quest.

Rebecca’s smile was wide, and she gave a pleased sigh. “Truly wonderful. We have nearly doubled both our adherents and prospective clergy, and it’s largely thanks to you providing us this opportunity, Nicholas.”

“I’m happy to have helped you in this way. I’m going to have to ask you gals for a bit of help–I’m a bit worried about how successful we were in getting laborers and settlers. We’re going to have a busy few months here helping get everything sorted.”

Rebecca gave him a small smile. “Of course, we’ll do our best to aid those that have joined us in Frosthaven–adherent of Seraphara or not.”

Sable chuckled, stretching as she got up. “Don’t forget that soon, we’ll likely be having a different sort of busy time, no? Becoming an Ordained Lord and witnessing Seraphara’s matrimonial approval is bound to be a major community activity for everyone in Frosthaven.”

Rebecca blushed as Nick pulled her into his lap with a happy chuckle. She melted into his hug, and happily offered her lips to him for a kiss. They had spent a lot of time together during the trip, including some of the time Nick was preparing for Seraphara’s Ordeal.

While Marissa helped them, Rebecca spent plenty of time with them too, as well as several lunch dates.

Marissa blushed at their affection, but given that it was in private and among family and after they had had the right amount of propriety, this was okay in her book.“The Chancellor is…extra capable when it comes to organizing people. Rebecca and I help him in his duties, but I think you’ll find him to be a blessing.”

Nick did have a large job to throw a ton of people at–upgrading the roads between Frosthaven and Silverbrook. Likely, he would have them beginning that as soon as they handled the housing shortage issue he just created.

“Then let’s get going, shall we? It’s about time for us to head home.”

***

The trip to Frosthaven was mostly uneventful, other than some heavy rain which made the roads have poor, muddy conditions. They took it slow and took two full days and nights rather than a day and a half, and they had now arrived in the middle of the third day. There would be one last caravan of willing settlers, the total number of people to join Frosthaven over a thousand.

As Nick stepped off his utility vehicle near his Crown Sanctum, it was like the city itself welcomed him. A sense of familiarity and warmth filled his entire being, the essence of Frosthaven gathering around him.

But it was more than just a warmth. It was as though he could feel the gratitude and respect of his people, a pressure building among them. There was already a significant number of people in his city that trusted and admired him.

Some still had worries and doubts about his ability to handle Blackthorne, but it was almost as if he could feel their consensus. In time, that trust and admiration would build into loyalty and devotion.

Sable stepped down off the car, her tail wagging as she sniffed the air with a smile. “It’s great to be home. What is it, Boss? The essence is…”

Eirwen joined him at his side, a thoughtful smile on her face. “It is reacting to him, isn’t it?”

It was then that the Hero’s Path tower lit up, and a bright light cascaded upon Nick. It was a large quantity of essence, and he received a prompt.

[Heroic Quest Completed: Secret Hero of Silverbrook]

[You accomplished the goals of dismantling all of Blackthorne’s operations in Silverbrook, all while giving you and your people plausible deniability. You inspired the clergy of Seraphara to stand up for themselves and face the danger, defeating crime and rescuing slaves. You recovered thousands of gold, reducing the villain’s power in the North and saving many. Some elements in the North still remain, but their ability to report to the Bandit Lord is limited.]

[Reward: Bonus Essence]

Essence gathered further within Nick, and he cultivated the gained essence with his chains swirling. While he had hit level fourteen thanks to Jasper’s efforts these past few weeks, leveling had been slow-going.

The amount of essence earned was substantial, and he guessed he would near level fifteen. Combined with what he would earn in the Seraphara Ordeal, he was sure he would surpass that.

Jasmine leaped down from the top of the vehicle. She had mostly flattened her larger spider body for much of the trip as she wove some more of her petrasilk fabric. When the heavy rains hit, she simply kept it from affecting her with her aura.

“Yay! That’s wonderful, Master! Looks like we kept under the radar for the next few months. Still, even before the quest reward, the feeling of the essence was great.”

Kaya’s tail swished. “I’m a bit envious you can feel what he does, but I can tell the essence was swirling around him strangely.”

The city was bustling, as Nick could see it from the top of the hill. Many of the stone ruins in the lower parts of the city were being reclaimed rapidly by a horde of laborers, and new homes were being constructed in various areas.

Seraphara’s Cathedral glimmered in the afternoon light, and carts pulled by horses or bikes with trailers moved resources all over the city. The Orc Training Grounds were busier than ever, Nick spotting dozens of additional beastfolk practicing with the many orcs–and the people that would become his new Town Guard.

“Boss! You’re back!”

A blue blur bolted across the large square, and slammed into Nick’s chest. Fang’s tail was wagging, and her smile was beaming as Nick did his best to balance and hug the girl. Luna jogged at a more sedate pace, a lovely smile as she came up from behind her. Her tail betrayed her excitement as she joined Nick’s hug.

Kissing both his wives, Nick felt great to be back.

“I’m back. We saw each other just last night, though.” It was true. Nick had seen her at least every week in a dream, where they had fun both in and out of the bedroom–rewarding Fang and Luna for their hard work.

Fang’s eyes grew big, and she looked a little sad as her eyes glistened. It was like a physical blow to Nick’s heart. “It’s just not the same thing. The dreams are great, but when we wake up, your smell is all gone. And, I can’t feel that my–”

Luna cleared her throat. “Now Fang, we have guests here. We’ll talk more about that later, in private.”

Marissa blushed, and cleared her throat. “I’ll head back to the Cathedral. I understand there’s a certain person you’re looking forward to seeing…when she’s ready for visitors, I can’t wait to see her again. For now, I’ll go see Chancellor Robins, and make preparations. You still wanted to climb the Ordeal starting soon, right, Nicholas?”

Irene’s revival in the Genesis Chamber had actually completed while they were gone, but she had chosen to wait for their return to reawaken.

Nick grinned as he remembered. “Oh yes, I do want to complete all my Quests, after all. But I’d like to give Becca some time to get reacquainted, first. Let’s plan within the next few days, for now. Are you going to come with me and her?”

“I’d like to! We’ll make sure those that go with can gain the most from your run. Give Irene my greetings please, Rebecca.”

“Thanks Marissa, I will. Of course, you’ll be able to tell her yourself, soon.”

Nick held her hand. “Well, shall we? Let’s go meet my future mother-in-law.”