“Hey,” a jubilant voice pulled Roy from his thoughts. He turned his head in surprise to see Kimoura seated next to him, her brow covered in sweat and her body in meditative position.
“H-how long have you been there?” Roy asked, unsure of how the woman had gotten there without detection.
“Just about the whole time,” she replied, cocking her head and sporting a wide grin. “You’ve got some great form.”
“Th-thanks,” Roy said, still a bit perplexed.
Kimoura scooter just a bit closer so that edge of her spirit aura rippled against his. In that slight contact, he once again felt a connection to the woman, a small taste of her strength, her vigor, her conviction. “So outrealmer, huh?” she said. “What do you think of Eon? Any better than where you're from?”
Roy shrugged. “The violence, the struggle for dominance... It’s actually more like earth than I realized.”
Kimoura’s expression softened and she placed a hand on Roy’s leg. “Well, when you say it like that...” her face contorted as if she were at a loss for words, then her smile returned. “Look, we're not all bad.”
Roy nodded in concession. “I suppose not. Remley has been more than kind to me. Well, at least when he’s not feeding me to giant lizards. How did you guys find each other anyways, the sky wolves?”
Kimoura slid around to position herself in front of Roy. “We’re more a band of misfits than anything else, all from very different corners of the realm with long, colorful pasts.”
Roy shrugged. “I got time.” And he did. They stil had a day before they set out for the dungeon, and he really didn’t know anyone else on the realm. Plus, he had some concerns about testing out his new vanguard technique. He had no way of measuring its destructive power, so he thought it best to wait until he was facing down a deserving darkbeast.
Kimoura let out a soft chuckle, though Roy could sense apprehension in her tone. For a second, he wondered if he was delving into a sensitive subject, but she went on regardless. “It all started with Leila. Before the wolves, she was a sky captain for a powerful war guild called The Blazing Falcons. Apparently, she was up for promotion when her crew came under attack during a routine escort mission. One of the nobles she was escorting had a rather infamous relic in his possession, and when things went south she used its divine power to save her crew. Shortly afterward, she was exiled...”
“Damn...” Roy replied. He almost understood why the woman seemed so angry. He knew all too well how deep feelings of betrayal could cut.
She shrugged then continued her story. “Leila ended up setting up shop here on the outskirts of Atherune. Luckily, she knew a retired officer from the Blazing falcon’s guild that took mercy on her. She offered her a place in one of their homes and even helped hide her ship for her, sealed the cave with detection runes and everything. Her plan was to get it fixed up and return to the skies, but the officer died unexpectedly, and Leila was left on her own again. So, with little money saved and few other options, Leila started what would become her own adventuring guild.”
“The sky wolves,” Roy uttered.
Kimoura nodded. “Yes. Quinn was the first to join Leila’s side. As a dread stalker, he was hired by the blazing falcons to track her down and bring her in to face punishment. Except... instead of hunting her down he managed to grow a liking to her, so he kept his payment, marked her as dead and joined her side. Remley and his brother Rygan were next to join up. They were the heirs to some big important guild before it got wiped out. After that happened, they basically had to give up their old lives or risk being hunted down. Rem was even a student at the academy once.”
Roy’s eyes went wide. “Wait, Remley had a brother in the Sky Wolves? He never mentioned that earlier...”
Kimoura grimaced. “He, uh doesn’t like to talk about it. You see, his brother died on one of our first dives and Remley really blames himself for it. It was his younger brother and he felt responsible for watching over him.”
“And now I’ve taken his place...” Roy muttered.
Kimoura began to nervously chew on her lip. “Well, that’s the thing, Roy. His brother Rygan... he, uh... he looked a lot like you. A real lot.”
Suddenly it began to make a bit more sense to him, the reason Remley found it so easy to bring him in. Was he training him to help overcome the guilt from his brother?
“Please don’t mention it to him,” Kimoura pleaded.
Roy nodded back. “I won’t... You still haven’t finished though. How did you find yourself here? And what about this Rothus I’ve heard about?”
Kimoura sighed. “I was the disciple of a very powerful, very well-known monk. Unfortunately, he was compromised but forces stronger than myself and we were forced to part ways. Shortly after I stumbled upon Leila and the others and was immediately drawn in. Rothus, on the other hand, was a mistake that should’ve never been allowed to run with the Sky Wolves. All he cared about was himself... something you just can’t do when you dungeon dive. It was a lesson he learned the hard way.”
Roy gave the woman an appreciative smile. He was surprisingly happy to be in her company, a nice change of pace from all the violence in the realm. The two prattled on for a few more minutes, discussing their group, the realm and their awkward places in it.
“Ya know, you should really go check out the rest of the city today while you have time. We won’t be here much longer once we get that relic.”
Roy shot her a curious glance. “Oh? Where are we going?”
Kimoura smiled. “Leila’s been working on restoring her old skyship. Once we sell the relic, we should have enough to repair its core and we’ll be back into the skies!”
“Ah. Sky wolves,” Roy uttered, as if the name of their group had been lost to him. As she rose, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks for this. I’ve been feeling a bit lost. I still do... but it’s better.”
She placed a hand on his cheek and her smile grew wider. “Don’t kid yourself, Roy. We’re all lost souls just searching for the stars.”
****
Leila stood in a small, natural alcove just north of her simple home and admired the broken vessel in front of her. The ship was painted a sleek red with gold trim on its edges and a mast that nearly crested the top of the cave. The symbol of her old guild, the blazing falcons had long since been removed, replaced with the image of a wolf head and angel wings in full spread. At its rear protruded two large, metal cylinders used to keep the shift aloft, powered by a core that lay damaged in the ship’s haul.
“Soon, girl,” Leila said, speaking to the ship as if it would respond. Her tone was soft, far softer than when she spoke to her companions. But then, they couldn’t understand the bond that she had with the vessel, the number of times that ship had held on just long enough to fly her out of certain death.
“We’re going in tomorrow,” she continued, resting her forehead on the ship’s exterior. “And we’re gonna fight like hell to get that relic,” she pressed her hand against the haul. “And once we sell it, I’ll have enough money to get you back in the air. I promise.”
The wind adept paused as if she were waiting for the ship to signal a response. Then, with quiet confidence, she turned and headed towards the cave’s exit. She had preparations to make and by the gods, she would not fail.
Chapter 14
Old Man in the Weapon Shop
Atherune City, City Square
After a few more hours of channeling his aura, Roy needed to move. It was still a bit of an odd feeling for him, but his spirit was beginning to feel strained, as if he was on the brink of overworking it. In fact, he’d begun to view his spirit aura as a muscle, another piece of him that needed to be trained, to be strengthened. And like a muscle, it needed to be rested.
Satisfied with the progression he’d made and the swell of strength he was beginning to feel, he decided it was time to do something else, perhaps something to spark his mind. So, with the others busy with their preparations, he took Kimoura�
��s advice and headed towards town.
A familiar sense of wonderment washed over the void adept as he began to explore the town square. Notifications appeared in his vision as adepts passed by him on the street, but he waved them away. Instead, his gaze lingered on the many finely decorated buildings that lined the street’s edge.
Shops and inns, taverns and alchemy labs littered the square, some far busier than others. In the distance a pair of guild halls bustled with activity as recruiters worked the streets, searching for potential applicants that met their very specific desires. And beyond that loomed the massive Atherune Academy, towering over the city like an overseer of stone.
Roy wasn’t interested in visiting any of those places though (especially not the academy). No, he had his sights set on someplace else, a humble little structure made of black wood with a painting of an ax-wielding warrior decorating its side.
//////////
Location discovered: The Dragon’s Whetstone
Spiritcrafting, weaponsmithing, and weapon repair
//////////
Roy grinned. There was just something about holding a new weapon in his hand that got his blood flowing. Sure, he may not have had any money to purchase, but the thought of perusing some new tools of war had him curious enough to go in.
He was not disappointed.
Lining either wall of the shop were copiuous amounts of expertly crafted weapons, each hung on a pair of brass hooks that put the items on full display. Similarly, a trio of racks stood to his right adorned with polearms of various length. Roy gawked at all of them, his palms growing sweaty as he imagined putting each of the weapons to deadly use.
After several seconds of quiet admiration, the adept’s gaze shifted to the center of the room where a man stood at the center of a large, white runic circle. Stricken by age, the grey-haired man stood hunched over a shaft of silver coupled with a pair of sparkling sapphire gems, his hands Illuminated with a soft blue glow. Roy watched as the man methodically moved his hands of the pair of gems, his spirit energy pouring into them from the tips of his fingers. To Roy’s surprise, the gems began to melt down into an almost liquid form.
With a careful steadiness, the old man guided the blue liquid over to the silver shaft, then quickly began molding it into the shape of a wide, curved blade.
“A poleaxe,” Roy muttered, startling the man out of his concentration.
“Y-yes,” he replied, adjusting his spectacles to get a better look at Roy. “A medium grade weapon made primarily of silver and forged with water aura,” his tone carried a sense of pride as he described the weapon to Roy, as if he’d almost forgotten about being interrupted a second earlier.
“How... how did you do that?” Roy asked as he took a step forward to get a closer look.
“Outrealmer?” the man asked.
Roy nodded, not taking his eyes off of the ax.
“I see. Well, what I’m doing here is called spiritcrafting. I used my spirit energy to forge a weapon from that silver there along with a pair of spirit stones.”
Roy cocked a brow. “Spirit stones?”
The old man chuckled. “Boy, you are an outrealmer aren’t you? Well, spirit stones are like solid chunks of one’s own aura that can be tempered by pouring more energy into them. By bonding different components with the stones, you can create items that possess the same properties as your spirit aura.”
“That’s amazing,” Roy uttered, taking a second, more appreciative look at the items hanging on the wall.
“It is,” the old man continued. “By using different metals or even beast parts, an adept can create some really extraordinary things. I’ve seen some spirikai’s create items powerful enough to wipe out entire cities.”
“And... anyone can create a spirit stone?”
“Any adept,” the old man corrected. “The more powerful the spirit, the more powerful the stone. More powerful adepts even use them as bartering chips, since their value far surpasses their weight in gold. Why a saint’s spirit stone could probably buy you a city.”
Roy really couldn’t hide his grin now. Without hesitation, he leaned in towards the old man and asked, “Can you teach me?”
The old man sighed as if he knew that question was coming, though Roy was certain he could see the hint of a smile forming at the edges of lips. “You know, I have a very long list of orders that need to be completed... but what’s longer is the times it’s been since I had good company.”
Roy bowed gratefully, putting a smile on the old man’s face. Then he extended his palm for a handshake. “Roy Skyworth.”
The old man took it awkwardly. Apparently, handshakes weren’t too commonplace on Eon. “They call me old Renji.”
“Thank you, Renji,” Roy said with another bow. Something about the old man’s presence was comforting. It reminded him of days past spent on the lake with his grandfather, fishing and trading stories with the old man. It was a good feeling.
Not one to dwell, Roy carefully stepped inside the crafter’s circle and clasped his hands in front of him, ready to learn.
Old Renji slumped as he began digging in his pockets for some sort of tool. “First things first, do you have a weapon?”
Quickly, Roy produced both of his weapons, a thin black baton that he held in his left hand and the standard-issue taser that he held in his right.
Renji gave the taser an awkward look. “What in Eons is that?”
Roy chuckled. “It’s a weapon from my realm... we call it a taser. It stuns my enemies by shocking them with an electric current.”
“Does it use spirit energy?”
Roy shook his head. “No, it’s mechanical.”
Renji gave the man a shrug. “I like it. But let’s see if we can make it better,” suddenly the man produced an item from his pocket that resembled an old-school ink pen, though it’s fine tip did possess a fine glow.
//////////
Item: Soulscriber
A tool infused with spirit energy used to inscribe runes
//////////
“First, we have to put a sealing rune on the... taser,” Renji began. “That’ll allow us the infuse the weapon with spirit energy without it dissipating into essence.”
Renji handed Roy the tool then methodically guided his hand over the taser. Seconds later, a small yet detailed rune glowed atop the device.
“Now comes one of the difficult parts,” the old man said, sliding his tool back into his pocket. “It’s time for you to create a spirit stone.”
The two of them worked on creating Roy’s spirit stone for what seemed like hours, though it was actually closer to just one. The technique was actually rather uncomplicated; draw spirit energy into your palm. Focus that energy into the shape of a sphere while adding more energy to make it as dense as possible. Then merely use the other hand to temper the sphere of energy with a second, more concentrated blast.
Roy was certain that he could get the technique down, but his already taxed spirit aura was making it difficult to draw the copious amounts of energy needed to finish. Finally, after several attempts, he dropped to his knees, his brow dripping with sweat.
“Is it... always... this difficult,” the void adept asked between labored breaths.
Renji let out another chuckle. “Indeed, most adepts can’t produce more than one spirit stone a day. It will likely take many failed attempts before you can create an orb of your own.”
“Damn,” Roy muttered. “Well, do you mind if I sit here and practice a bit?”
Renji grinned. “I actually think I’m beginning to enjoy the company, so long as you don’t hold me up from getting my work done. I’m very busy you know.”
“Fair enough,” Roy replied, offering Renji another slight bow. He rather enjoyed the company of the old spiritcrafter, not just because he reminded him of his grandfather, but because he didn’t outright judge him for being a damned outrealmer.
Just as Roy began to focus on his next attempt at the stone, the front door to the s
hop swung open, and then she entered.
Standing at just over five feet tall, the woman carried an air of confidence about her that more than made up for her lack in height. She wore a light green uniform that hugged her body just a bit too tight, though wrapped around her forearms were what appeared to be jade-colored vines.
As she walked through the shop, her intense, green eyes darted back and forth from weapon to weapon, though her short, black hair remained perfectly still.
Roy gave her a scan.
//////////
Myra
Earth adept
Rank: 2nd (peak)
Specialization: Spiritlasher
Divine Power- None
//////////
“I suggest you remain quiet while I handle this,” Renji urged as he hustled to clean up his current project.
“Who is she?” Roy asked, noting the old man’s sudden change in attitude.
“She’s dangerous is who she is... One of the headmaster’s handpicked apprentices. She was a merely a scholar up until some recent political maneuvering put her right into the headmaster’s lap. Now he’s brought her to the peak of 2nd rank in record time.”
As the woman approached, Renji straightened his back to meet her. “Please for your own safety, remain quiet.”
Myra walked forward with an arrogant swagger in her step, hands resting on her hips.
“Apprentice Myra,” Renji said, wincing from back pain as he bowed low. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Old Renji,” she replied, making no effort to bow in return. “The pleasure is indeed all yours.”
Renji feigned a chuckle. “Pleasant as always, Myra. So, why have you come to visit today?”
The woman pursed her lips as she took a step towards one of the weapon racks. Slowly and methodically she ran a finely manicured nail down the edge a sharp spear tip, then shot Renji a wicked smile. “Please old man, you know exactly why I’m here. My master, Lord Zion had graciously contracted some work out to your disgusting little shop.”
Edge of Eons Page 12
