The knights chapter of the Wraiths of Keltharis marched through the wilderness following the…beetle people. When her people had gotten relatively near the Noblefrost Kingdom, they had found themselves surrounded by a hundred of them.

  At first they were worried they had run into some more nasty Zeraxi, but they were definitely a more varied folk and relatively friendly. It seemed they weren’t conversationalists or had some other reason they didn’t want to talk much, because they spoke simply.

  After a discussion about the knight’s purpose for their presence and a promise of no hostility, the beetlefolk agreed to escort them the rest of the way to Frosthaven. Anja was shocked that it had worked out so easily.

  The odd people buzzed every once in a while, and it seemed to be picking up as they got closer. Most likely, they were a hive-minded people just like the Zeraxi. They had slowed their march to travel with them, but the previous night when they camped, the beetlefolk actually provided them several beast carcasses, which Anja was thankful for.

  The area itself had gotten a bit more temperate as they headed North, much to her people’s satisfaction. While it didn’t seem like Frosthaven itself would be cold, it was better than the central kingdoms.

  Henrik noted, “These beetles sure talk a lot, even though they’re not talking to us. I wonder what they are saying. Is your… partner able to figure anything out?”

  Anja shook her head–her sageblade also wasn’t able to divine out their language. “No, Brother. Just don’t make the beetle people mad, or a bunch of coins to your chin will be the least of your worries.”

  Finally, Frosthaven came into view, and she let out a sigh of relief. She and her people were exhausted from the long travel, and she could use some rest in an actual bed.

  She was actually a bit excited now, seeing the grandness of the city and the paved road heading out from it. The city was only claimed at most six months ago, she knew, and the rumors said it was nothing but old ruins. But she saw an obvious and tall defensible wall, complete with giant gates. They had seen watchtowers as well, so that should mean their potential lord already knew they were on their way.

  Anja was excited until she noticed something. “Is that…are there five Ordeals in that city? Unorthodox.”

  “Scary, when you consider the risks and what you have in your storage…”

  Anja shrugged. “Not our problem. If he passes the Edict of Worthy Dominion’s requirements, we need only serve our liege lord’s orders. This is a bit of good news, in that we know slots will be available for all of our knights, and without waiting long.”

  “True.” Henrik’s eyes glowed as his sword helped him cast an enhancement spell on his eyes. A few of the beetles turned to look at him due to the magic activation but said nothing since it appeared to be a non-hostile act.

  “What the heck is that, Sister? Is that a stream of monsterfolk marching their way into the city?”

  Anja had to do the same, taking a look at the people as they continued their own march toward the road. “Looks like it. I’m almost as confused as you are, but look closely. They’re wearing chains.”

  “Ah. So they are. Hm, that’s a bit of a surprise, isn’t it?”

  “Oh? This should be interesting. Slavery is sometimes ordained by Orion itself, and it’s often condoned by even some so-called virtuous factions. Then, we’re also surrounded by beetlefolk escorting us to the city. Why is this a surprise to you?”

  Henrik scratched his neck. “Ah, true. Well, it’s still a surprise to me because… some of these frostalfs are well known to be purity seekers. Not only would they not even want monsterfolk within their city walls, they wouldn’t want to be associated with known slavers altogether. While these beetlefolk are friendly with the kingdom, they clearly live outside of the city.”

  Anja narrowed her eyes at Henrik skeptically before smirking and flicking a coin upward into the air, causing Henrik to flinch, before she caught it and continued flipping it. “Good job, Henrik, you said something smart again for once. You’ve been listening to your partner more now rather than blurting out the first stupid thing that came to your head, haven’t you? I wonder why?”

  Henrik looked ashamed, still watching the coin flipping out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve… maybe learned the value of listening.” He coughed. “Anyway, now that we’ve neared, I’ve scoured over our orders and information again. This might be good news for us because it means he’ll be accepting of all our edicts… and can likely drink from the chalice.”

  Anja nodded and put the coin away. “Too true. Though I wonder if he’ll get a boon, a stomachache, or kick us out the door. Let’s go find out before One Arm here collapses.”

  The man in question groaned, looking a little…green. He had one arm around another knight, leaning against them for support as they traveled. They had kept feeding him additional blood, only locating a few worthwhile targets on the way.

  The wraiths required either for their blood to be from freshly killed targets or for the blood and essence within to be extracted and preserved through a special practice. Quality was far more important than quantity for their vampirism, and it seemed the wilderness near this kingdom was well-hunted, as their Sageblades could not find much useful as they got closer to their destination.

  The rest of the wraiths also required blood to live and eat, so it wasn’t as if they could just feed One Arm everything they hunted. Anja had done her best until these beetle people showed up.

  As the order of knights surrounded by the group of beetlefolk joined the trail of people on the well-paved road and neared the city, Anja was surprised once again–there was a transparent barrier covering the whole city proper. “I guess there is a bandit lord in the area, but it is still a bit shocking the lord invested so much in the city’s defense.”

  “Partner says this is another proof that there’s a Heritage involved. There’s no way they ran into this blueprint inside of the Path of Kings or could afford it without other advantages in such a short time, unless they are truly paranoid.”

  It took some time for them to follow the people being processed and arrive at the gates. There was a series of guards tracking the slaves entering and their handlers, and the number was substantial.

  From what they saw, well over a thousand arrived–likely several large ships full of them. The monsterfolk were of varying races and sizes, and Anja spotted certain races that most law-abiding societies might have difficulty handling.

  It wasn’t that monsterfolk were inherently evil and violent. Many were impulsive, territorial, and aggressive, but some were only situationally so. They often didn’t understand society well enough–and couldn’t, due to difficulty in communication and, in some cases, intelligence. The issue was regularly that few would invest heavily enough in them to change this, and sadly, many monsterfolk simply weren’t interested in doing this either. Like the bugbears and beetlefolk, who liked to just dig out a hive and attack any trespassers.

  Monsterfolk were typically tribal and insular, ritualistic and temperamental. Slave collars and magic might help with this somewhat, but it normally required too much monitoring to be worthwhile to make use of them for fighting or labor.

  Sure, the little kobolds she saw there could fit inside and mine small caves and work in hot conditions, making them excellent little workers any kingdom would be happy to have. But leave them alone for a few minutes, and they would suddenly decide they own the mines and what came out of them and fight fiercely against those that entered. Or, if they didn’t like the place very much, decide they hate it and leave.

  Then there were the Ironhides–a type of rhino mixed with a ram monsterfolk she saw walking in, their steps causing the earth beneath them to tremble. They were large and strong and great for manual labor or fighting, but they wanted to duel constantly and would only submit to those that defeated them in one of their headbutt challenges.

  When they arrived at the gates, the guards had them symbolically bind their weapons and make a promise of no violence. Red twine wrapped around their sheaths and pommels, preventing them from drawing their weapons easily. Of course, all it would take was a flex of will and essence, and the twine would impede them no more. But doing so would mean the guards could see at a glance if they were used, that their promise was broken.

  It was at this time that the beetlefolk entered as well, but they just scurried into the city, to their surprise. Henrik was surprised. “Guess that answers that question, huh? They are welcome here.”

  Anja took a look around as the rest of them got their blades bound. The city was bustling, with stalls and many people walking through the main avenue. While at first she hadn’t seen anybody watching her, her partner at her waist, had pointed out several darkened alleys where new minders were monitoring them.

  The knights finished their promises and walked into the city proper, and they were met by a domineering figure. Standing a few heads taller than any of the knights was a woman in a maid’s outfit. She had four arms and four spider legs coming out of her back, and both Anja and Hendrik had done a double take.

  Not only was the gray-skinned spider-woman beautiful, but she was powerful. Her aura was kept under control, but they both got the feeling this monsterfolk was not one they wanted to fight, unless they had to.

  “Ah, there you are. On behalf of Lord Noblefrost, welcome to Frosthaven, Knights of Keltharis. I am Jasmine, his servant.” Jasmine gave a curtsy, bowing slightly to show some respect with a smile.

  Anja nodded. “Well met–I am Anja, and this is Henrik. We are captains of this chapter of the Knights of Keltharis. We explained to the beetlefolk we wished to meet your lord to offer our service, should he pass our trials and determine him compatible and worthy of it.”

  Jasmine smiled at this. “A knight chapter? How wonderful. Master has been expecting you, but you’ll have to forgive him–he’s a little busy presently thanks to the timing of your arrival. You’re welcome to wait in the plaza, or we can put you up in some complimentary accommodations, and you can meet with the lord in the morning.” She looked over to One Arm. “One of your men is wounded; would you like to take him to Seraphara’s Cathedral first? Her compassion is available to all, but please be aware that no weapons are allowed inside, even bound.”

  Anja nearly groaned at the mention of accommodations, wanting a bed and to relax for a bit–she had not had such for more than a month. However, until they carried out their mission, she didn’t wish to waste any more time. They would endure, as knights should.

  She replied, “The discussion we must have with your lord is of import; we will patiently wait until he is available. But our man is in dire need of healing–we’ll graciously accept some of the goddess’s compassion while we wait.”

  Jasmine nodded. “Very well. Then you might enjoy the show for a bit in the central plaza–it should be entertaining, at the very least. Follow me; we’ll stop at the cathedral on the way for your ally.”

  They followed the maid into the city proper, and they saw a whole lot more monsterfolk and other races. And bikes, which Henrik was excited about. Signs of technology meant that he would have his creature comforts and toys to busy himself with.

  Henrik scoffed. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Sister. We may not need to shit in a pot regardless because we’re climbers, knights, and wraiths, but when others do, you smell it, even feel it everywhere you go–weighing down on you, like a nasty…fog of shit. Bikes are a fantastic sign that even if it might be an issue, it won’t be for much longer.”

  “How eloquent, Brother. I’m in agreement and value these things, but forgive me that I just don’t share your level of enthusiasm. Though after all this walking and running this past month or so, a bike or steed would be a welcome boon.”

  They eventually arrived at the cathedral, and Anja directed two men to go with One Arm, leaving their blades of bloodfrost with their allies instead. The three would meet them at the main plaza later.

  They continued onto the central plaza, where many of the monsterfolk and their minders could be seen, men with control rods and some holding a larger array of chains for the smaller, weaker monsterfolk. They were keeping the tribes separated with plenty of space between them to prevent issues, but it still looked like a giant crowd of monsterfolk.

  Jasmine turned to them. “Here we are. I will return once it is time. Will you require privacy for your audience?”

  Anja replied, “That would be preferable. And also…a small arena for duels will be necessary.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Duels? Understood. It may be a while; these monsterfolk are unpredictable, and there are many. If it takes longer than expected, I shall return.”

  She left, and Henrik nodded over to the figure at the back of the plaza, behind a table and sitting with several officials, who looked like administrators. “You think that is him?”

  It was a bit far away, so she used her view enhancement spell again. Anja chuckled, pointing over to the statue of the same man swinging his sword on top of one of the Ordeals off to the side. “What do you think, Brother? Or maybe the king put up a statue of his son or subordinate? And look, Jasmine went nearly straight for him.”

  Henrik coughed. “Could be? But given this place is only six months old… Say, what Ordeals do you think they have?” He quickly changed the topic away from his thoughtless question.

  She felt the essence first, closing her eyes. Anja pointed at each of them in turn, starting with the one in front of them. “This is undoubtedly the Path of Kings, even if a bit strange. Seraphara’s Wisdom, which we already knew. Path of the Samurai, probably? Judging by the warriors we’ve seen. And then…not sure. Some kind of…savior? Saint? And lastly… shadows. Darkness. Hunters. Shadow Hunter?”

  “The… savior one is not a good sign for us. And so many. I hope they haven’t experienced a Tribulation yet. Those get more and more challenging as time goes on.”

  Anja shrugged. “While I do wish for a lord worthy of service, I think we’re set up for success whatever happens. A Tribulation is risky and challenging, but it’s also an opportunity. And if he’s not compatible or worthy, then we can just found our own city somewhere. The south is a bit busy with many kingdoms, but I heard there is actually an opening–where these orcs and people of Seraphara are from. It’ll suck to have to travel again, but…such is life.”

  “I would agree with you, thanks to what you have in your storage. But you’re forgetting something important, Sister.”

  Anja chuckled. “Oh? Do tell, Brother. This should be interesting.”

  “The Open Relay has not been established in over a thousand years on this Shard. And yet, we haven’t seen any substantial reasons for this. Why do you think that is?”

  Anja blanched, and not just because Henrik had actually made a very good point for once. Twice in one day? Scary.

  There were many reasons why an Open Relay wouldn’t be established for great lengths of time. Terrifying plagues. Monster Kingdoms that ran rampant and unchecked, with exotic, unique powers. Clans salting the earth–blood feuds that ran generations deep, impacting the shard for lifetimes. These were just a few reasons why Frontier Shards had become ‘stuck’ in the past, requiring true heroes to enter the Shard and rescue and claim it.

  While they saw some blood feuds among the beast kingdoms in the South, they had not yet seen or heard anything that explained just why the relay had not been established. This could only mean a few things, the most likely being that the final challenge to claim the shard was simply too difficult or specific.

  This had happened many times before–where some special skill or magic was required to find victory. Usually, in that case, information would be given before the challenge, however.

  “I see. I don’t have a good idea based on what we know. We hadn’t made it out West, but you’d think there’d be rumors at the very least if there was something…apocalyptic going on.”

  The spider woman was proven right about entertainment, as Lord Noblefrost dueled several Alphas in a row, his shout challenging them to battles. There was a drakan that was in charge of some of the kobolds and a large bugbear that was taken down with ease. Then, a wolfling Alpha.

  Anja was impressed. “Oh. So that’s…how he’s going to be using these guys. It looks like he’s making Soul Pacts to guide their behavior, combined with becoming their tribal leader, basically. Smart.”

  “He’s…Soul Pacting all of them? Insane, there must be over a thousand of them in total.”

  “That’s true. I’ve heard of people using Soul Pacts, but even an Immortal couldn’t handle this many, the burden on their soul too significant. I wonder how he manages?”

  They were waiting a long time, watching over the plaza from the side, and eventually, it seemed Henrik’s boredom or curiosity got the better of him. “So what do you think, Sister? Is our new liege lord handsome? Want to get with him?”

  Anja narrowed her eyes on Henrik, then smirked. “Do you really want to know? Last time I told you about what I thought about a man, you became a blushing maiden.”

  “A guy wonders what women think. Just not…as much as you went into detail. You’re my sister, after all.”

  Anja chuckled. “I was just teasing you that time; you’re so easy to get riled up, Brother.” She turned back to look at the frostalf. “Hm. Well, he is good-looking, and I like how he carries himself, though I can’t see much of his form thanks to his robes and armor. But is there a cultivator who reaches the Third Stratum that isn’t attractive? And at the Fourth, we can more or less decide our appearance. Does it really matter what he looks like? It’s difficult to go wrong with a Lord of Orion for a partner in the looks or success department. I need to meet him and get to know him to give you my verdict, but I don’t see any issues from here.”

  Henrik was thoughtful. “I suppose you’re right. As long as he’s not some kind of shitbag, he’ll be a catch for just about any Maiden. I wonder if that might be Father's intention for you–he had met this lord, even if only briefly, right? As the first captain, you’ll likely be a part of the lord’s climbing party–and that is probably why he sent me with you, so I can manage the knights and give you that freedom. That means you and the Lord can be close.”

  Anja loved and respected her father greatly, but she did not like to think of that implication at the moment–that he selected her potential partner in such a way. It was important to her that she was the one who chose her own destiny, not some stupid political machination or burden of her ancestors–some duty she had to uphold, decided long before she was even born.

  That was the kind of shit her mother would shovel down her gullet, and why Anja became a knight instead of a court sorceress against her will. Freedom. Kind of. Of course, it wasn’t lost on her that this particular service of the knights was related to some ancient promise, but this lord still had to earn it–it was not written in stone.

  Anja wouldn’t have sworn her oaths if she didn’t both respect and believe in the sacred duty and glory of service of the Knights of Keltharis as a whole.

  She would serve any lord who passed the trials wholeheartedly. Such was her oath, which she had decided on long ago. For herself.

  Anja changed the topic to distract Henrik. “Never mind me–you shouldn’t be so picky yourself, Brother. Just go for a girl with plenty of talent, and she’ll be pretty enough later. It’s foolish for you to go for both, as you have been. You wanted some meek thing too, didn’t you? She’ll be even more submissive toward you if you raise her up from nothing.”

  Henrik’s eyes widened, and he snapped his fingers. “What a brilliant idea. You’re a genius, Sister!”

  Anja groaned–she had been mostly joking. “You’re such an idiot if you believe that is a brilliant idea.”

  Henrik tilted his head. “What’s wrong with it?”

  She left his question unanswered. Grooming a potential lover and partner didn’t take a genius to imagine, but the truth was that it wasn’t often that simple. Immortality was a long time for them to consider their relationship, and the Third Stratum was all about the pillars of self. Could an individual who was so weak of will even become an immortal in the first place? Anja would let Henrik reap what he sowed.

  Some time passed as they continued to watch the monsterfolk, and eventually, Henrik laughed. “Wait. Is he…he’s really challenging the Ironhide Alpha? No way. I understand he’s in the Third Stratum, but that’s not enough…usually.”

  They heard a shout, a wave of essence washing over them for the third time since they entered the plaza. It seemed whenever the Lord truly needed to show his might, he went all the way.

  His head slammed into the curved horns of the rhino ram monsterfolk, the Ironhide, covered in frost and essence. Contrary to anyone’s expectations, the much smaller figure won out. The Ironhide’s head whipped back, and with a dash, the younger lord brought his head down and crashed into the larger man’s chest, sending the Ironhide tumbling to the ground.

  The lord, as was custom, stepped on the Ironhide’s chest, roaring in triumph. From there, the Ironhides were quick to agree to the soul pacts, it seemed.

  Henrik whistled. “Not bad. Well, one thing is for sure, if he’s our new liege lord, at least he’s sturdy.”

  “Hm.” Anja nodded.

  “You’re not impressed?

  “Oh, I’m impressed, Brother. But appearances have to be kept. He is not our liege lord until he passes the trials and accepts.”

  Henrik nodded but didn’t say anything. Looking back to the monsterfolk, he let out a sigh of relief, changing the topic. “Ah! Good, that display actually won him over those other groups of kobolds, snakefolk, and sirens. That’ll save us some time.”

  Anja noted, “They definitely went for the monsterfolk that are difficult to deal with. Perhaps that’s what this shipment is. Oh, there are a lot of wolflings there.”

  Henrik side-eyed some of their minders and watchers in the plaza, causing Anja to take another look. While they looked like wolf beastfolk, they could tell that they were not the same. A male was completely covered in fur from head to toe, like a giant wolfling.

  After a bit over two hours, a familiar sight returned–One Arm and his two assistants. He was walking on his own strength now, no longer wounded.

  Henrik smiled. “You’re back already, One Arm?”

  “I’ve got two arms now! Almost.” The man grinned in response, hoisting up his ‘arm’ to see.

  In truth, the man only had a nub, not even halfway to his elbow. But considering how the entire thing was eaten down to his shoulder blade, and he was in the Second Stratum, this was some amazing healing to be accomplished in only one session.

  Henrik snorted. “They did well for one session, huh? It looks like only about three or four sessions, and you’ll be all set and back in action. Some impressive healing.”

  One Arm nodded, smiling a bit. “It was. This was the best they could do, thanks to all my other wounds. With a good meal or two, they’ll be able to heal and restore more. Though… I wonder how we’re going to get a good meal here in the city.”

  Anja asked, “They really didn’t charge you anything for such skilled healing, One Arm?”

  “Oh come on, don’t call me One Arm anymore! I am Davik–”

  Henrik interrupted, “You’re still One Arm now and forever. That’s your name now, unless you’d like to be No Ears–the man who doesn’t listen to orders. Or how about ‘Just Kill Me,’ the man who foolishly wanted to be left behind?”

  Anja grinned. “Ah yes, Just Kill Me–really rolls off the tongue. That is better than–”

  One Arm groaned, looking ashamed and letting out a breath. “One Arm is good.”

  Henrik smirked and offered his bound sword back. “One Arm it is. Here’s your sword back, by the way. Careful with the grip–I know you were getting used to its lesser cousin.”

  “Lesser cousin?” One Arm took the sword, frowning, and would have struggled to tuck it in at the waist, but using the blood and ice telekinesis her people had, easily did so.

  Anja teased, “You don’t remember how to hold it? I guess it’s been a while since you gripped something that wasn’t yourself with your one arm.”

  One Arm paled as he realized what they were getting at. “No….nonono wait. Maybe No Ears–”

  Another knight added, laughing. “See it returned with both hands. You’ve had enough of single-handed combat.”

  Henrik added with a grin, “Good to see you handling steel again, instead of that sorry dagger you keep polishing at night, One Arm.”

  One Arm groaned, the teasing continuing for some time, the brotherhood of knights ready to haze the man. Now that his life wasn’t in danger, it was fair to rib on him a bit for his personal failure.

  Anja narrowed her eyes on her men when she felt it was enough. “Let that be a lesson to all of you. Follow your orders to the best of your ability, or I just might not be able to drag you from the jaws of death next time for disobeying them.” She met each of their eyes, and especially One Arm’s, to make sure they understood the gravity of her proclamation. “A shitty nickname will be the least of your worries if your brothers and sisters in arms are hurt or killed because of it. My blade will taste your blood, and the frost will remember your failure forever. But you will remember no more.”

  The men and women nodded gravely. It took another hour, and eventually, the crowd had been taken care of. The monsterfolk were given a meal and some belongings, and their slave collars were removed for those that had them.

  Then, they dispersed throughout the city and, apparently, the surrounding areas near Frosthaven. It seemed there were other monsterfolk in the neighboring territory that would show them the ropes and help them settle in. All of the monsterfolk people would be able to come and go into the city as they pleased, just like the beetlefolk they met, an interesting detail for Anja.

  The table was packed up, and contrary to Anja’s expectations, the Lord of Frosthaven walked over with his servant and a few guards in tow. One was a sheep beastfolk woman, another a red-furred beastfolk woman with an axe on her back, and another appeared to be an angelic Priestess of Seraphara, holding a fighting staff. Then, a little wolf beastfolk or monsterfolk woman in blue, as well as a panda beastfolk male–she believed he was their guard captain, by how she had seen him directing the guard to handle and guide the monsterfolk.

  Intriguing. So the lord wasn’t going to meet them from within the throne room, opting to meet them as near-equals outside. Many would wish to… lord over them, gazing down on them from his throne in an opulent room as they met. And also, their servants and subordinates being the ones to deal with them until absolutely necessary. Well, this was a kingdom of more…humble beginnings, being only six months old, but it did have a Heritage. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the Lord tried to carry on such traditions.

  The Lord of Frosthaven looked them over, his gaze clear with interest. In a way, this was the first test of whether he could be their liege lord. She knew his actual race; should her father be correct in his assumption, he could see their spiritual alignment–their colored connection to the virtuous good or the malevolent evil.

  And her people would largely be in the gray because of their willingness to sin. They understood that as knights, in order to carry out their lord’s will, and as demonfolk, they must be capable and willing to do so for survival. Their Pact of Equilibrium was meant to seek balance through their service, to aid a ruler in their worthy dominion.

  He gave them an easy smile. “Nice to meet you all, Knights of Keltharis. I am Nicholas Noblefrost, the Lord of Frosthaven. Thank you for your patience while we dealt with our new soon-to-be citizens. Are you sure that you wouldn’t like some rest first? I understand you’ve been on a long journey.”

  Anja replied, “Thank you for coming out to greet us yourself and for the offered hospitality. But we knights do not wish to rest so close to completing our sacred task. Ultimately, we hope that we can come to an accord and that our journey is over.”

  Nick nodded. “Very well. If you’ll follow us, we’ll head to the… newly constructed banquet and event hall where we can meet in mostly private. I hope you’ll forgive us, as the place is currently under renovation for the coronation ceremony.”

  Anja nodded and motioned for her men to follow. “Understood. The rumors were that Havendale was covered in ruins. This place has come a long way in just six months, and I must say that I am impressed.”

  He smiled at that, and then they all turned and began to walk toward the Crown Sanctum. The base of the tower was an onyx-black, almost cubic building. It was four or five stories tall and nearly forty meters wide, with the narrower tower jutting out of the center of it.

  White glyphs and lines ran across the sleek, flat surface of the keep, showing the powerful potency of its warding. It would certainly be safe to discuss inside.

  And determine if the young king in front of them was worthy and compatible with their service.