The insides of the sanctum were still in the process of being decorated, workers busy with painting, carving wooden filigrees, and arranging items like furniture and displays. The walls were much like the outside of the building, but they were covering the walls with paneling to look more welcoming and respectable and less…brutalistic.

  It was a touch of tasteful splendor, being worked on by artisans of various races, from ratfolk to dwarves and a few elves and beastfolk. Following the lord’s party leading them through the building, Anja whispered to Henrik, “Please don’t mention the promise…unless I fail to convince them otherwise. I want them to accept the knights at face value; consider this a part of the Test of Vision.”

  Henrik replied a little too loudly, “Why?” Anja glared at him and reached for her bag of coins–her reason should have been more than sufficient. He then whispered and stopped her hand, “Er, sorry. Fine. But you’re telling me the real reason why later, then.”

  Anja sighed and nodded, letting go of the coins.

  When they arrived at the hall, it was more of the same, but even less complete. There were some long tables and chairs already delivered, with raised seating at the end for the honored guests and Lord. But they had already emptied the room, it seemed, as some projects were left unfinished.

  It looked like some kind of ballroom and event hall, a massive, dark-blue carpeted room that could handle well over a hundred occupants. Off to the right, she saw some stairs leading downward as well as upward, but on the left, only upward.

  The sheep woman suddenly spoke to them, “We’re preparing for the coronation in a bit over a month, and the schedule is tight. I do apologize; the place is not the best for a ritual or oath at this time, but it is likely the best we have to offer with the privacy you require.”

  Anja smiled. “A kingdom’s image is important, but its value is not based on image alone. We saw the horn of triumph; it’s why we hurried our arrival. So we can only blame ourselves for our impatience. Congratulations.”

  Seats were offered to the knights, and they sat down with Nick at the end of one of the long rectangular tables, able to fit all of them. His retinue stood behind him, watching on with interest and in protection. They were in fact outnumbered by the knights, but Anja could feel the truth. If a fight broke out, they would be more than sufficient to protect their Lord–not that he required protection.

  Their…potential future liege lord’s aura was incredibly dense, and she was a bit shocked that he had only just entered the Third Stratum. The weight of his path was not something that her people could mess with. She was starting to understand why her father was so willing to pay such a large amount to send her and her people to this Frontier Shard, so long after it had been opened.

  Anja and Henrik took the seat offered closest to the king, her men filing into seats behind her.

  Nick replied, “Thank you. So, I understand you are a knight chapter, and you are searching for a liege lord worthy of service. How do the Knights of Keltharis determine worthiness?”

  Anja replied, “To establish our covenant, our knight order requires our potential liege lord to succeed in a series of Tests. They are not only to determine if a lord or their dominion is worthy–they are meant to determine if our service is compatible. We knights are Wraiths of Keltharis, an Ascended Demonfolk. When all of us joined the knights, we swore several oaths meant to keep us from falling to darkness and chaos, our vampiric ancestry one that can cause us to become feral beasts of hunger and violence.”

  Anja watched Nick’s reaction because this was often where a lord would decide they were no longer interested. The darkness was a risk that many kingdoms would not entertain, and vampirism was a trait easily despised.

  In all, it wasn’t too big of a deal. Her people consumed the mixture of essence contained in blood, drawing out more essence from their cores as they fed. Drinking a cultivator’s blood was superior and ideal, but they could consume any animal, beast, or monster’s blood if it was fresh or handled properly to retain the essence. A demon’s blood was usually full of darkness and a terrible idea for them to consume, and… an angel’s blood was usually almost anathema to them.

  With their oaths, they would never snatch an orphan in the night to feed or hunt people unnecessarily. But that didn’t mean people wouldn’t be concerned and would rather not take the risk.

  Nick appeared to be unbothered. “I see, Ascended Demonfolk would need to be careful about whom they served if they didn’t wish to fall into darkness. What are these Oaths you swore?”

  Anja replied, “Aside from our oath to our future liege lord to maintain loyalty and honor as most knight orders do, we swore three main covenants. The first is the Oath of Blood and Purpose. Blood taken must serve a purpose, as strength exists not for gluttony or indulgence but for dominion, order, or survival. Killing or consuming without cause defiles our ice.”

  Henrik continued, “And our second covenant is the Pact of Equilibrium and Reflection. For every sin in our Lord's name, there must be virtue or creation to match it, a purpose given by their lord to redeem the deaths of the fallen. The spirit of the slain clings to our spirits and frost until this balance is achieved.”

  Anja added, “The last is the covenant of Restraint and Dominion. Power is to be honed, not flaunted. We must never use our gifts to unmake without command or to rule through fear and tyranny. Our strength exists to sustain worthy dominion, not to hoard it or undermine it.”

  Nick was thoughtful. “I can see how these things are important for you preventing your people from falling into darkness. They prevent you from serving, say, a Bandit Lord. But so far, I’m not hearing anything aside from your race that might preclude most others from becoming your liege lord.”

  Henrik nodded. “We can only swear our oath to those that pass our tests to prove the criteria of a worthy lord for our service. The two main challenges most lords do not meet are the Test of Strength and the Test of Balance, but the Test of Vision which measures if your dominion is worthy, can be failed just the same.”

  Anja explained, “The Test of Strength requires you to either defeat me in a skill-and-talent-based duel or otherwise satisfy us of your worthiness. The Test of Balance is where most lords fail. The lord must prove they will not drown in either light or shadow. They must accept that rule demands both mercy and cruelty; that neither is truly pure when it comes to a lord’s dominion. As Ascended Demonfolk, we may not serve a lord who seeks purity or those who completely shun the dark.”

  “I see. How is it that this is proven? How will these Tests work?”

  Anja answered, “If you accept the Trial of the Wraiths of Keltharis, a series of Tests, I have brought artifacts meant for this purpose–to administer them. Like all Tests of Orion, they involve some level of risk. All must be taken to determine worthiness and compatibility, and if you succeed and accept us, the benefit is that you earn our service.”

  Jasmine scoffed. “I don’t wish to offend you, but fifteen knights do not make for a knight order or chapter. I am sure you people are strong as individuals, but Milord has hundreds of strong, talented warriors. Making him risk himself to earn your service does not feel worth it to me. Instead, you should be the ones–”

  Nick raised his hand, halting her. “That’s enough, Jas. Still, she has a point, Anja. Are there really only fifteen of you? That does not sound like a usual chapter of knights seeking service. And what about attrition? Within a single generation…you know? That said, I still see the value of having trained and talented knights, even if you are few.”

  Anja smiled at that–it showed his vision that he understood their value. “I understand. Fifteen are all of us that were fit for travel when we arrived on this Frontier Shard. But a chapter of the Knights is in fact more than a hundred of us. Should you pass the Trial, you will earn the service of a full chapter of knights–they will arrive here once the oath is given. And to make it more worth your while, one of the Tests has the opportunity to grant you a valuable Trait or boon to your cultivation.”

  “If you survive.” Henrik helpfully added.

  “Henrik! Still, it is a series of Test as deemed by Orion, so…”

  “Arrive here? I understand. Very well. How do we begin?”

  “Your concern about our worthiness is valid.” She met Jasmine’s eyes as she said that. “Henrik will fight your designated fighter, using our people’s powers–to showcase the strength and skill of our knights–to show our worth. Once that is complete, you may begin the Trial if you wish, or witness more duels if you like. We will begin the Test of Strength–a duel between me and you. The restrictions for the duel can be discussed.”

  Nick asked, “Restrictions?”

  “We understand the need to reduce the risk of accidents for a lord in a duel, so restrictions are allowed using this tool.” Anja retrieved one of the few items entrusted to her within her Sageblade’s storage space, the dueling artifice. It was a cube not all that dissimilar from the Ordeal Cornerstone, just barely too large to fit in the palm of her hand.

  It was covered in glyphs, and it would allow them to create an Orion-sanctioned duel with certain restrictions or rules, like a Test within the Ordeal.

  She added, “In addition, we are willing to serve lords with different types of strength. I may be no mage, but I am worthy of testing one’s strength to the Knight Order’s satisfaction, as well as several other viable Paths.” It wasn’t just she that was–it was her sageblade. There were powerful administrator types that could use puppetry and defeat even more martial types of lords. Her Sageblade could compete with one on its own.

  Nick arched his brow at this. “Interesting–so you have some powerful artifacts. In that case, Kaya can be Henrik’s opponent. I know she’s been itching for a fight like this.”

  Kaya grinned. “You got that right. Henrik, right? Let’s have a good match.” She offered her hand.

  Henrik stood and stretched and shook her hand with his usual boyish smile. “Likewise. I’m always itching for a fight.”

  Kaya chuckled. “You’ll fit in around here.”

  The red-furred beastfolk smiled at that, and then they discussed having healers available and who could stop the fight. The fight with Henrik was meant to be an honorable one, but not one where the outcome was overly important outside of showing their people’s value. When the lord did his Test with Anja, interference could mean failure of the Test.

  They headed down the stairs to the right, and the two squared off in the small arena. It was relatively common for nobles to request duels, so it seemed a lowered arena with a viewing banister was available at the edge of the hall. The room was black with white glyphs, so she knew they could go all out, the wards capable of reducing the damage done.

  The two interacted with the floating cube, and a wave of Orion’s light washed over them. It restricted them to early into the First Stratum in terms of their available essence. This would prevent them from accidentally killing each other–usually. They would still be able to use their Concepts, so the fight could still be dangerous, but they should be seeking the enemy’s surrender rather than the killing blow.

  The beastfolk woman’s tail swished behind her, clearly excited to face off against Henrik. Anja could feel that the woman was at the peak of the Second Stratum and likely to ascend soon by how condensed her aura was. Henrik was only about halfway, so she was a lot stronger than Henrik was currently. However, the dueling artifice would put them at near-equal levels, aside from Concepts, making this a fight of skill, their powers nearly equal.

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  Henrik had completed his blood frost armor and shield over the course of their travel and drew out his Sageblade. This Kaya appeared to be prepared for battle with strong-looking lamellar or samurai armor. She wielded a large axe, as well as several belt axes that looked like they were useful for throwing.

  The fight started, and Kaya was incredibly aggressive, covering herself in bestial essence and dashing across the arena in nearly a single bound, swinging her axe, and striking Henrik’s shield powerfully. Henrik grunted as he was shoved back, and before he could counter with his sword, she had already danced out of the way and was ready to bring the axe down again. He was forced to block again, this time ready for her strength, a dull thud ringing out.

  Henrik pushed forward, swinging his blade, showing he wasn’t going to get pushed around by her. It seemed she tried to interrupt his tempo by launching forward suddenly, but Henrik showed excellent footwork and balance, redirecting and parrying her attacks and attempting to counter.

  That was when Kaya withdrew an axe from her belt–holding it with her tail. Henrik arched his brow at this, but it was proven effective moments later, as Kaya’s speed increased. She started to spin and dance as she continued her assault.

  While showing your back and spinning about would normally be a foolish move, the tail wielded an axe as a counterpoint that struck hard and fiercely, clearly directed and timed well, stopping Henrik’s potential advances and counters. Kaya became a whirlwind of blows, and if her brother didn’t change something, his defense would be dismantled in a moment.

  So Henrik activated his magic, showing the power of their race, the Drain Concept drawing strength from his opponent as waves of frost emanated from his blade. Not excellent to use in duels without drawing blood, but the influence was clear, even though Kaya defended well with her mana aura.

  Not only that, it appeared she had a frost-resistant Trait, now that Anja looked. Still, she slowed down as a result of his Concept weighing down on her, and his frost-covered shield was an effective bulwark against her fierce attacks.

  The beastfolk woman was still fast, however, as she spun and wove a series of attacks without stopping, still keeping Henrik on the defensive. In addition to her heavy, deadly axe swings that sent Henrik nearly stumbling when he didn’t properly parry or deflect, she sent out waves of sharp, bestial essence cutting toward Henrik’s body.

  Henrik countered with well-timed blasts of frost, sent out by his Sageblade. With his weapon, he attempted to parry and counter, but Kaya was able to twist and dodge and keep up her assault with hardly slowing down. She was controlling the tempo of the fight, and Henrik could do little more than defend.

  Despite her blows striking hard and sending ice from his shield or armor scattering, she was agile and flexible with her movements. The ferocious essence surrounding her lashed out like a third hand and dragged the shield off to the side, and her axe snaked behind her back and cut into his leg.

  With a shout, Henrik blocked her axe swing, and a blast of frost made of frostblood shrapnel cut into Kaya. The drain property began to work harder and actually draw out some blood, but it seemed Kaya wasn’t going to let their duel go on longer.

  She roared as she covered herself in fur as she became a red panda, growing as feral essence pulsed through her.

  “Ah, shite.” Henrik hunkered down and made a good showing of defending against her ferocious, powerful attacks. He used his defensive Concept, and defended with all that he was worth. But she used her own, a sharp, cutting kind to go along with intense strength.

  Henrik was sent sailing into the wall after a few swings, his bloodfrost crumbling from her might. He surrendered to Kaya, and they shook hands and thanked each other for the bout.

  Anja let out a whistle. “Wow, that Kaya of yours is tough. Henrik is usually sturdy, able to hold up to big monsters of enemies. But he couldn’t slow her down at all. Is she in your climbing party?”

  Nick chuckled. “Yeah. Henrik is not bad, though. I can tell he could hold up to my guard captain, at the very least. Most of our people have a frost-resistant Trait from our Ordeal, so that will weaken your advantages against us. I can sense and see in their movements that your people are strong and well-trained, and even better when fighting together as a team. With others drawing blood, you can take advantage of your strengths more than in a duel where you’re not going for the kill.”

  Anja was proud that he could see her people’s worth, despite Henrik coming up short against his warrior. “That’s true, and I’m glad you can see my people’s strength. So, you still wish to take the Trials of the Wraiths of Keltharis? You can back down before any of the Tests, but we’ll have to seek a new liege lord if you do. These are tests for you, not your subordinates, to determine if your dominion is worthy.”

  “I do. I have some confidence in my dominion, and while I see that you are concerned about my balance of light and dark, you will see that I am a bit more balanced than I might at first appear in our duel, no doubt.”

  “I’m happy to hear it.” She floated the cube up to her hand as Kaya and Henrik walked up the stairs and out of the arena. “How would you like to face me to prove your strength?”

  Nick nodded down to the sword at her hip. “You’re a swordsman like your brother, right? I just so happen to be as well. We can face each other with our swordsmanship and essence alone; no skills. That acceptable?”

  “Yes, it is.” Anja nodded.

  “Jasmine?”

  “Here, Master.” The maid retrieved two wooden swords from her pouch and tossed one each to the two of them. It seemed the woman was ready for this part.

  Anja tested the balance of the training sword and leaped down, lowering her corporeality to slow her fall to land softly on the ground. And Nick had no trouble just jumping down to land easily.

  The two of them squared off with a pair of training swords and triggered the Test of Strength using the Cube. It was until surrender or a deadly blow equivalent. While the wooden swords had blunted ends, the truth was that with essence, they could still become sharp or deal a deadly blow. Part of the battle would be protecting the blade from the opponent’s sharpness and might.

  Anja took a fencing stance, and Nick did the same as they drew up their essence. Her heart pulsed with darkness mixed with cold essence, filling her veins with strength. They launched themselves at each other at the same time, essence enhancing their movements.

  Their wooden swords clacked in a series of slashes, thrusts, and parries, the two feeling each other out. They gauged their reach, their movement, and their strength as they tested their opponent.

  It didn’t take her long to see that the young lord was skilled and well-trained, just like herself. There was a difference between those that swung their weapon with the most strength and speed and those that were mindful of their technique and the opponent’s tempo. Every time Anja tried to seize control of the bind with a twist and flick, Anja was forced back.

  Anja drew upon her Concept: Superiority. The pride and power of Keltharis, the cold nobility of the wraiths, was infused into her movements and attacks. Her sword started knocking Nick’s back further, and the strength and speed of her swings overpowered his weapon. He began to twist and sway his body, and his arm whipped surprisingly to strike her, forcing her back.

  Then the essence within Nick shifted. Dark and light essence roiled around him, shocking Anja. Perhaps there was already no danger of the Test of Balance, and Anja found herself getting excited.

  He moved in nearly a blur, his speed as he burst forth shocking. She found herself being pushed back in spite of using her race’s superiority, the power and speed behind the lord’s whipping blows difficult for her to defend against.

  The light and dark essence within his body and blade started to cause her wooden one to bow from the power behind them, and she was forced to infuse her second Concept into the sword: her Unyielding Blade.

  Anja believed that perfection wasn’t born–it was honed. Through her purpose and unyielding will, she practiced and mastered her sword, just as she attempted to master herself. Her blade’s edge sharpened, and her stance shifted.

  Modifying her corporeality, she flowed through her movements like her namesake, a wraith. A parry flowed and became a counter, her movements continuing forward as her feet glided over the stone floor. Her body and sword angled themselves to deflect the incoming blow even as she swung, continuing her offense even when on the defense.

  The whipping blows no longer slowed her, and her weapon was no longer about to snap in half from her opponent’s strength. She pushed forward with her race’s strength and superiority, her heart pulsing with cold, sanguine essence. Her attacks and movements closed in on her opponent as she forced her enemy back with her swings, and she was going to go for striking him.

  To Anja’s surprise, however, her swing connected with nothing but air. Nick swayed back or twisted nearly impossibly as her sword came toward his face, and his sword whipped around and struck toward her body instead. She was forced to deflect the blade abruptly, her unyielding blade disrupted.

  The power behind the blade caused her body to drift backward, and while she tried to find her rhythm and movement again, she noticed herself being controlled instead. It took her a moment to realize what was happening–her opponent was targeting the parts of her that were becoming ethereal.

  To make herself lighter and move more quickly, she had to shift her body. But she couldn’t shift too much of it, or she would lose too much of her mass and force behind her sword.

  So even though she was using two of her three Concepts infused in her swings, it wasn’t enough to manage his one. Whatever the light and the dark were, this special concept was formidable. She got the feeling that the king in front of her was somehow heroic or a savior, or perhaps a guardian that protected.

  And then he added another. A crown of frost formed around his head, and her opponent’s frostbound will carried into his swings. The timing and weight behind his blows, combined with going for what sped her up, slowed her, and prevented her mobility and counters. His heroic speed and might carried into his movements, and she found herself unable to mount more than a defense.

  Already, Anja knew that Lord Noblefrost was worthy. How could she not sense her father’s Path? She knew he had formed a resonance, but to think it was displayed so heavily in mere swordsmanship alone, his will able to pressure her.

  She knew she was only moments away from being struck or disarmed, frantically consuming her essence to put up a defense. But now, she felt like this was an opportunity. From the smile on his face, Nick seemed to be enjoying the fight, and Anja desired to hone herself and her blade further.

  She only had one thing left–her bloodfrost. While it was a part of her, pulsing through her veins, it was something that she was equally proud of and despised.

  The Glacial Vein–A Concept born of her mother’s ancestry. Anja wasn’t dumb–she knew that this was the Concept that was causing her to struggle at becoming a master swordswoman. But its power was undeniable, and so was its existence as a part of her.

  The veins in her blood crystallized, not all that dissimilar from her bloodfrost armor on the outside of her body. Lines made of ice crystals appeared on her face and along her skin, the temperature of the arena plummeting.

  Much like Henrik’s drain, a weight pressed down on her opponent, pressuring him with powerful cold. It was difficult for her to maintain her Superiority and her Unyielding Blade at the same time, but she was talented in maintaining her Middle Mastery Concepts. Weaving the two together, they became just a little easier to manage as she struck into Nick’s sword.

  The cold pressed down on her opponent, and she attempted to slow him with her will, but the cold did little. The man clearly was at home in the cold, but the Glacial Vein was supernatural coldness. The essence flowing through her sword struck Nick’s sword and wrapped around it like a chain, weighing down on it.

  She sent waves of frost onto him, continuing her attack as she impeded him. Her unyielding blade and superiority kept her on the offensive, and now, she was much closer to even.

  But it wasn’t enough. Nick’s aura surged, and any restraint she put on him was overwhelmed. His strength and speed were still greater with his will of frost, and that was before he drew on his Path. Her hand was struck with a whipping blow that followed an odd trajectory, as if he knew how she was going to swing, sending her blade flying.

  Anja ground her teeth for a moment, frustrated. She felt no closer to mastery than before. Again.

  Nick frowned at her and, perhaps, must have noticed her frustration. “Would you mind if I gave you some advice? You’re seeking mastery of your swordsmanship, aren’t you?”

  “I…yes. I do think I could use some guidance. I’m…struggling.”

  “You did well. I do think you may have Kaya beat in your skill with your chosen weapon. You are a strong, talented swordswoman. Yet…that frost, there’s something wrong with it. It does not improve your swordsmanship. Restraint… it feels like it doesn’t suit you.”

  Anja looked up at him with surprise. “Restraint doesn’t? But restraint should go excellently with my relentless pressure and with the knight’s creed. Even you use your cold to control, to go along with your strength and speed.”

  Nick shook his head. “I do. I’m not referring to restraining others with your swordsmanship, as I do think that could work well with the rest of your style. However, it feels to me that it doesn’t go with your frost. You are restraining yourself–your frost, more than you are your opponents. The cold…it hungers. But you hold it back, on a leash.”

  Anja frowned in thought for a moment before she bowed. “Thank you for your guidance. I’ll…think on this. You’re…probably right.” So it was back to the drawing board.

  Nick smiled at that. “No problem. So I passed the Test, right? What is next?”

  She smiled as she remembered what they were here for. The fact that Lord Noblefrost was strong meant that he had passed the First Test. And that he had accepted her and her people’s worth without the promise meant that she was about to achieve her goal–the goal she had set for herself those years ago.

  While she would be swearing an oath of service to this lord, this was her freedom. She believed in the knights and their cause, their covenants, and their purpose. It was why she swung her sword, and soon, she would swing it for this man in front of her. And not because her mother chose for her, but because it was a duty that she chose for herself.

  She let out a breath, now happy about her prospects rather than frustrated. Before she could reply, however, Henrik laughed from above them. “Next, you must drink from the chalice and live. But no pressure, Young Lord.”

  Anja groaned and wished that Henrik was close enough to hit in the face with a coin. The guy sure knew how to ruin a moment for her.

  Nick chuckled, smiling up at Henrik. “Bring it on, Henrik. I’ve fought evil warlords, demons, bishops, angry elementals, you name it. I’m not going to get beaten by an old cup.”