Soul Knight - Stubbing Book 2 9/7 Read NOW or lose it!

Nick stood on the wall above the gate, watching the progression of the caravan from afar with his wives and Rebecca. Dozens of wagons were laden with goods, the orcs escorting them along with their horses.

Rebecca noted, “There seems to be many more wagons than they left with! They must have picked some up in Silverbrook.”

Sable’s tail was wagging. “I think there are more people, too. There are some that look like refugees coming along with them, even some children.”

Nick had to squint his eyes, but he realized that she was right. There were numerous people in bedraggled looking clothing, many looking worse off than the people who lived in Havendale. Just what was going on?

Winny noticed his look. “When an Ordeal gets crowded, living in the city is not great. The essence density decreases for each individual, and access to food will become challenging.”

Nick asked, “Can’t they just live in the surrounding areas, rather than in the city? Silverbrook’s Control Radius should be quite large. Isn’t it relatively safe to form many towns and villages on the outskirts, like we have the farmers here?”

Kaya scowled. “It’s because of the bandits, they were likely harassing them for quite some time. If the people live outside the city walls, they’d be prey for that scum. Just as Lothar killed many of them, I’m sure the Ordeal Owner had hunted them down. But they must not have been able to catch them to land a significant blow, or Blackthorne would simply send more.”

The caravan continued, and numerous people from Frosthaven gathered on the outskirts to welcome Lothar and the new people. Rebecca went down the hill with her clergy, to welcome the new people.

Nick, Kaya, Eirwen, and Rebecca went down to meet with Lothar and Agatha as well, who were just behind a few scouts in the procession. They dismounted their horses and handed off the reigns to a nearby scout.

“Welcome back, Lothar.” Nick grasped his forearm in an arm shake, the orc grinning at him.

Lothar laughed. “It’s good to be back, my Chief.” He looked up, able to see the new Ordeal even from where he was standing. “I see you’ve been busy! It’s been a long trip, and I’ve got nothing but good news.”

“That’s great, I can’t wait to hear all about it once we get these people situated. Who are they?”

Lothar pointed off to the wagons. “You should recognize the gnomes, and many of the former slaves we rescued. But Silverbrook has been overcrowded for some time, and these people were willing to take a chance at your new city. Better than risking the wilds or traveling to a distant city. There were more interested in coming, but this was the limit we could move and protect. We bought all the horses and carriages we could get on short notice.”

Agatha added, “It slowed us down, but I think it was worth it. We have over two hundred here looking for work and home, with nearly the same in elderly and children–over four hundred in total.”

Eirwen hummed as she pulled out her notebook, though she glanced at Nick for a moment first. She flipped through the pages. “There are only 67 vacant homes remaining here in Frosthaven, and almost half of those are within the inner circle meant for climbers. We can put some of them up temporarily in the Adventurer’s Guild as well, but we’ll need to get some new homes constructed, and clear the final remaining ruins besides.”

It was then that Nick remembered the recent discovery within the mall. They had plenty of places for people if their climbers all moved down there instead. They would talk about that later with Lothar.

Rebecca cleared her throat. “The orphanage also has ample space for some families, what Orion created is far beyond our current needs. In addition, after the many deaths in Zura, I’m sure some families may also be willing to…room up with some of those in need temporarily.”

Nick added, “If people are looking for work, we have lots of options here. I guess construction is going to be popular as a job for a while. Let’s get these people situated, then we’ll talk further.”

The people were welcomed into Frosthaven, most of the wagons filled to the brim with people rather than goods. Only a handful of wagons had goods rather than people hanging from them, the earnings from the bandits were traded for gold and more useful resources.

Once people were directed properly, Lothar and Agatha joined Nick and his wives, along with Rebecca, into his home. Winny and Jasmine laid out some snacks and drinks, having a minor welcoming party for the Chief of Nagduros and his wife.

Lothar and Agatha looked over at Jasmine with wide eyes, monsterfolk like her being relatively rare on the shard altogether, many of their kind sticking with their own.

“This is Jasmine, my Soulbound. You’ve seen her as the drake a few times, but she’s been with me since birth. This is her body, for now.”

Lothar let out a booming laugh. “You sure picked a big one! A pleasure to meet you. The arachne are often quite…reclusive. I don’t think there are many on this shard.”

Agatha joined in her welcoming of Nick’s new wife, the two already having met the Wolfen girls and their new forms. They enjoyed some snacks and drinks for a bit, Lothar regaling some of his time at Silverbrook.

The meeting as a representative of Frosthaven with the Mayor of Silverbrook went well, and is what enabled them to receive the numerous less fortunate in Frosthaven.

There was also a tale of a tavern brawl, which some of the recently blooded orcs got into with the elves and humans. It appeared that within Silverbrook, humans, beastfolk and elves made up the largest percentage of the population. It was a relatively minor altercation, with neither group getting arrested and the shaman women healing both parties.

Nick chuckled. “Andross is going to whine about missing that tavern brawl, but maybe not too much. He managed to form his Rage Core.” An orc’s rage was a lot like Kaya’s ferality, in that it was an emotional essence that granted her body increased power, at the cost of control. Nick was sure Andross’s Soldier’s Mind would help him keep it under control.

Lothar seemed to beam with pride. “Not bad, he should be ready to lead his own raiders soon. He’s grown a lot, and so has my son, Zarog.”

Nick asked, “Is there going to be a problem with the Pilgrimage? We wanted to leave within the week or so.”

Agatha shook her head. “No, in fact, I think things will work out quite well. There is no dominant religion in Silverbrook, only a few smaller chapels to a few deities with presence on the shard are set up. Those that are in need there should be quite receptive. The Mayor has no issue with you coming to Silverbrook, so long as you don’t try to poach his Climbers.”

That was excellent news for Nick. “Did you meet the Ordeal Owner? Any idea on his Path?”

Lothar frowned in thought. “The Ordeal Owner is known to be an odd, reclusive man that wears a silver mask. We’re not certain of his Path, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if it was related to Administration, such as Governance. Many of those that were climbers wore a similar mask, and did not seem overly martial or magical in talent.”

Nick arched his brow. “Administration? That’s a surprise. It’s a very non-combative Path.”

In many ways, it was a lot like a non-combat version of the Path of Kings. Within the Ordeal, it would focus on scenarios in which combat, if there was any, was solved by subordinates almost exclusively.

Orion did not incentivize Paths which had no combat capability at all, but it still allowed them. Often, this meant the rewards would simply be lower on average, and most importantly, the essence awarded within would be less. It was almost like a tax, to heavily discourage the inability to handle armed conflict.

This was why even Seraphara’s Ordeal likely had armed conflict within, raising paladins and more to aid and handle this type of conflict.

People that were administrators often cultivated the mind heavily, allowing them to multitask and control puppets to fight at higher levels, or like Rebecca and her clergy, influence other’s minds. There wouldn’t really be anything stopping them from becoming a strong wizard or something like this with the right affinities, but their focus was often different.

Lothar shrugged. “It’s only my guess that his Path is related because of a detail I learned. The Ordeal Owner cannot bring about his full strength because of the poor situation there. Taking some of these people off his hands is actually beneficial for him, and that is a common detriment to a similar Path.”

“Did you meet any mercenaries while there?”

Lothar grinned. “A few, but the biggest finding was that there are numerous people with grudges against Blackthorne, and many of them will be happy to join our cause. However, as planned, I didn’t talk about our plans to oppose him openly as of yet. I gathered names, and it’ll be up to you to meet with them in secret.”

Nick nodded. He definitely didn’t want to give up the game to Blackthorne, that he was actually planning on killing the bandit lord rather than serving him. Nick would plead ignorance, that he just sent out his subordinate off on Honorable Raids as soon as he arrived. That he happened to slay Blackthorne’s bandits was just a consequence of that, rather than any sort of order he gave.

If possible, Nick wanted the full six months, and then some, to prepare for the war to take the powerful bandit down.

Nick gave Lothar his update, “I met with Turon, Shadowvale’s Ambassador–who had a message from Blackthorne. We got six months to build this essence sharing building.” Nick tossed the blueprints over to Lothar, who unfurled them with a raised brow.

Lothar sighed. “Six months, huh? It’s not a lot of time, but I think we can make it work. We’ve already cut down his numbers slightly, and at no cost to us. Tell me about this new Ordeal of yours.”

They spent some time talking about it, though there wasn’t that much to share. The random Quest to save the monsterfolk was all that it had done so far.

“That Ordeal is a little odd,” Lothar frowned, “but it sounds like it has opportunity, as it will create Quests that align with your Path. Thanks to that fool falling for my plot, we’ll take down Shadowvale without issue. And with another Trial, you should advance in strength rapidly. You just greatly increased the chance of having one. Who knows, maybe you’ll get another army or two out of it.”

They spoke for a while longer, but eventually Lothar and Agatha headed back to their home to rest. There would be merchants willing to take the trek now, and he should be seeing some arriving soon. As of now, the economy in Frosthaven was too closed off, the Ordeal and Nick’s stash from the Bishop being the primary way that new money entered it.

This wasn’t all bad, but there was already signs of inflation for goods under high demand. People had more money than resources currently, and only by increasing the flow of goods and money could things normalize.

Jasmine had been weaving with her hands, creating more petrasilk cloth during their conversations. “That was some good news! Becca will get to go on her pilgrimage soon with Master!”

Rebecca smiled. “I’m excited about the new people to join Frosthaven as well. Things around here are about to get even more livelier.”

Fang’s tail was wagging. “We only have six months. We all have to work hard and get stronger!”

Kaya flashed her claws. “Taking Shadowvale from those bandits and slavers will be a major blow. I can’t wait to take that Blackthorne down a peg.”

Sable grinned. “You mean more than we did already. Lothar already killed hundreds near Silverbrook, and they don’t even know it yet.”

Luna added, “And we have the Mall to explore still, and more of Boss’s Heritage to unlock. I know Winny is excited about those Archives.”

Winny smiled, her ears wiggling. “I’m eager for it! You never know when some knowledge might be the difference between victory and defeat.”

They had a lot of things to look forward to, but plenty of dangers on the horizon. Blackthorne was a nasty bandit who ruled this area for over a hundred years. Nick and his wives would have to fight fiercely and struggle to both keep under his radar, but also empower themselves in preparation to overcome him.

He would have to balance his responsibilities as a king and as a hero, to grow his fledgling kingdom and protect the innocent and weak. He would have to master his growing Concept Fragments to have any chance at defeating the powerful villain, in addition to increasing his level and mastering his Soul Blade.

Whatever the challenges might be, Nick would be ready. With the support of his wives, he was confident he could rise to defeat any enemy.