The wanderer had other ideas.
Opening its maw, the ragged wanderer summoned the spirit energy stored in its gullet and let loose a thick beam of energy straight out of its mouth. The attack immediately overwhelmed Roy’s botched aura bullet, engulfing the technique as the bar of energy dug a trench in the ground.
Roy’s muscles tensed as the spirit energy came roaring at him like a missile. He threw his arms up in a hopeless defense, no time to dodge, no time to reinforce his body. He was certain this was it. If only he’d seen Leila approaching from the side.
In an instant, the woman leaped in front of Roy, using her spirit lance to cut through the wanderer’s heavy blast. The bar of spirit energy split on either side, unable to pierce her defenses as she channeled her wind aura into her weapon and carved a protective barrier around herself.
“Finish it,” Leila growled, digging her heels into the ground as the wanderer’s attack persisted. Its spirit energy was wild and untamed, flowing from its mouth like a river with no end.
Roy nodded, taking a step back as he tried to muster any little bit of strength he could find. Then, with a sudden finality, the creature’s attack stopped. Apparently, Leila wasn’t talking to Roy when she called for an end to the beast. Perched atop the creature’s slumped shoulder was Remley, a grin on his face and flaming blade protruding from the beast’s last remaining eye.
“Well, that was fun,” Remley said as he retrieved his weapon, carefully wiping away the blood from its edge. “Took a bit too long to weaken it though. Better work on your aim, Roy boy.”
Roy dropped to a knee and took in some heavy breathes, trying to draw on what little spirit energy his aura had left. “Not used to missing,” he admitted. “This is a little different than shooting a gun.”
“What’s a gun?” Kimoura asked as she yanked Roy back onto his feet. She had taken a beating from the darkbeast, but her body didn’t look any worse for wear.
“A weapon from my world,” Roy said with a shake of his head. “A damn powerful one.”
Leila shot him a disapproving glance. “You have no idea what a real weapon is capable of... but you will, soon enough.”
Before Roy could formulate a response, something else caught his eye. Rising from the wanderer’s corpse were several translucent globs of soul essence, floating about the cavern like odd, deflating balloons. Roy leaned forward and placed his hand on one, only to have it absorb into his palm and replenish a small portion of his spirit. It felt good, considering how drained he had felt just moments ago. Soon the entire group had hands on the air, pulling soul essence into their body until only the light of Quinn’s torch remained.
Seven lesser soul essence were now floating around inside of Roy’s body, waiting to be refined. And not just lesser soul essence either, but pure essence of much greater strength.
He wasn’t sure if that was good or not, considering the effort it took to kill the thing. Still, every soul essence he gained was another strop towards greater strength... and strength, above all else, was the greatest commodity in this dangerous world (not to mention having your technique fail mid-battle was real damn embarrassing),
The five adepts quickly regrouped, settling their auras and scouring the wanderer’s body for anything of use. Apparently, these creatures were collectors, often scavenging their victims for items and keeping them as trinkets.
“There’s nothing here,” Leila said, tossing one of the creature’s rags to the ground. “Let’s move.” The others began to follow suit, but Roy noticed something off, a slight glimmer in the rags near his feet. After searching through the stained, brittle fabric he produced a thin shard of ice. Nearly crystalline in nature, the shard was colder than anything else in the cavern and shimmered with a slight azure glow.
Data appeared in Roy’s vision.
//////////
Item discovered: Cryofox Shard
A shard of ice from the mane of a cryofox. These shards remain at a constant subzero temperature and cannot be melted, even after withstanding intense heat and pressure.
//////////
Roy promptly shoved the shard into his pocket, drawing an eye roll from Leila. She must’ve thought it was junk. Kimoura, however, gave him an all-too-friendly wink. Roy reciprocated her affection with a grim smile before joining Remley’s side. The woman was cute in a very strange, overly nice but still able to smash you through a brick wall sort of way. In fact, he had to admit that he kind of liked it.
With his aura rather replenished from the soul essence, Roy straightened his tunic and averted his gaze back down the descending pathway. He felt like he had misstepped in that battle, that he really hadn’t shown them what he was made of. Not being one to self-loathe though, he brushed it off. After all, the best way to get to know someone better was through combat, and plenty of that awaited them in the dungeon’s depths.
With weapons at their sides and spirit auras cloaked around their bodies, the Sky Wolves continued their descent.
Chapter 17
Final Chamber
The depths of Icerock Dungeon
The air grew more frigid with each passing second as the adepts made their way through the bowels of icerock dungeon. Frost had formed over much of their gear and pathways once made of solid stone were now covered in layers of thick ice that gleamed like sapphires under the glow of Quinn’s torch.
Roy grimaced, noticing a bit of frost forming at the end of his belt. This place was deadly cold, so much so that the subzero temperatures would likely see him dead in under an hour. Thankfully, reinforcing his body with a constant flow of spirit energy was enough to help fight off the cold. He just had to make sure that he didn’t let himself run dry... again.
As they made their way through the icy passages, the group encountered a number of darkbeast scouts scouring the tunnels for easy prey, though this time they were able to dispatch the creatures before they attracted the attention of any larger threats. Slowly but surely, the adepts made their way through a series of winding paths, eventually finding themselves at the mouth of an impossibly large cavern. Icy stalagmites hung from the high ceiling and blanketed the cavern’s floor, giving the cave the appearance of a giant mouth filled with rows of icy teeth.
“We’re almost there,” Quinn said in a matter of fact tone, a thin reed still jutting out the side of his mouth. He had momentarily taken lead of the small group, his eyes flickering with green spirit energy as he used a dread hunter technique to scout the area for traps.
Many of the stalagmites were quite large, easily able to conceal a darkbeast or two behind their tall, icy stature. However, Quinn reassured them that the immediate area was clear. “From what I can tell, there’s a large source of energy resting in a sub-cavern on the far end of this chamber. It’s probably our relic.” Quinn’s eyes continued to scan the darkness, dissecting each shadow with trained vigilance. “And there’s something else in there too.”
“There always is,” Leila added, grunting as she hoisted her spear onto her shoulders. “Sense anything in the main cavern?”
Quinn shook his head. “A few pockets of darkbeasts here and there, but nothing we can’t handle. There’re some natural beasts in here too... ice worms or maybe cryofox. Looks like they’re keeping their distance from the darkbeasts though.”
Roy patted the cryofox shard in his pocket. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d get the chance to see one of these beasts up close... well, as long as they weren’t extremely dangerous or something. He had enough of that to deal with already.
“I suppose we should get this show on the road then,” Remley quipped, brushing past Quinn as he headed towards the maze of stalagmites, his flame aura flickering on his fingertips. “After all, I really am out of my element.”
Kimoura stifled a giggle, Leila shook her head and Quinn placed an open palm on his face.
****
Quinn grimaced as his arm brushed against a column of ice, its unnatural chill permeating through his tunic and into his bone
s. He hated the cold and finding out this dungeon had ice properties only made him dislike it even more.
Despite his discomfort, it didn’t take long for the group to traverse the field of icy stalagmites, slicing down the lower ranked darkbeasts that lurked in the area. The group had been fortunate enough to avoid some of the more serious threats lurking in icerock dungeon, a testament to Quinn’s skills as a dread hunter. His spec had afforded him tracking skills comparable to some of Eon’s greatest beasts. That, along with his skill to detect powerful spirit auras allowed the group to navigate the dungeon with relative ease.
Still, as they approached the dungeon’s final chamber, Quinn knew that the notion of safety was laughable at best. The strongest of the darkbeasts always lurked there, drawn to the power of the relics hidden within. But no matter, Quinn was ready for a fight. He just hoped that Remley’s new little addition would fare better than he had against the wanderer. Perhaps, if he survived this place, and with a little time, they would make an adept out of him yet.
After dispatching a trio of scouts, the group stumbled upon an out of place little encampment built under a large, leaning stalagmite. A thick blanket hung from a pair of hooks hammered into the ice, layers of frost clinging to the worn fabric.
“What do we have here?” Remley said as he peered into the makeshift tent. Quinn immediately found himself rolling his eyes. Rem and his damned curiosity had gotten them into trouble more than a few times, and this little excursion appeared to be no different.
“Rem, wait,” Quinn interjected, but before he could fully get the words out Remley had torn away the hanging fabric and went inside. Sitting inside the makeshift tent were the remains of two adepts, their bodies frozen solid from the frigid cold. Those poor souls... they must’ve run out of spirit energy and taken refuge, only succumb to the cold mere moments from their goal.
“Well this is rather unpleasant,” Remley said as he crouched down and peered into one of the frozen man’s lifeless eyes. Roy walked over as well, but rather than pay any attention to the dead, he began sifting through their frozen, oversized packs.
At least the kid had some survival instincts, Quinn thought as he watched him digging through the sack full of items. Some adepts would consider it dishonorable to loot the dead, but he thought that was foolish. It’s not like they could take their belongings with them to the afterlife... well, at least most items anyways.
To Quinn’s surprise, Roy pulled out a pair of manuals from one of the bags and shoved them into a fold in his tunic. Why in the world would a spirin be hoarding manuals, especially if he didn’t have skill to use them? Maybe he planned on selling them later... if only he knew how much they’d fetch if they found a moderately powerful relic.
“Can we get moving?” Leila asked, doing little to hide the irritation in her voice. Quinn nodded then motioned for the others to follow. Her down to business attitude sometimes grated on the other members of the group, but he respected it, especially when it kept them alive.
“Hold on just a second,” Roy hollered, crawling through the tent and past the pair of frozen bodies. Quinn watched with curiosity as the man momentarily disappeared from view. He hadn’t sensed anything else in there, so just what the hell was he doing?
Suddenly, Roy emerged from the tent with something curled tightly in his forearms. At first glance, it looked like a jagged piece of ice, but as the creature uncoiled Quinn saw it for was it was... a very frightened cryofox pup.
“Shhh,” Roy cooed, silencing the tiny beast’s whimpers. He’d seemed to have taken an immediate liking to it, which was odd considering how gruff the man seemed towards most everything else.
“Didn’t you detect that thing?” Rem asked, giving the creature a curious glance.
“Fox aura,” Quinn replied, shaking his head dismissively. “Damn near impossible to detect.”
A sharp spike in spirit energy interrupted the trio, causing them to turn their gazes toward Leila. Her spear was gripped tightly in both hands and her face wore a fresh mask of anger. “It is freezing, my spirit’s waning, and the relic is within reach. Now let’s... get... moving!”
Kimoura went wide-eyed before glancing back at Roy and suppressing a giggle. If there was anyone who could shrug off Leila’s anger, it was her. Still, they did have a task to complete and more darkbeasts would be on them soon. So, with a nod and a quick cycle of his spirit aura, Quinn led them towards the dungeon’s final chamber.
****
Roy noticed an immediate change in the dungeon’s atmosphere as the group entered its final chamber. The air had an eerie stillness to it, and the temperature had dropped to its lowest point yet.
On the far end of the cavern sat a block of ice with some sort of item at its frozen center. Judging by the spiritual pressure coming off the thing, Roy had to assume that was the relic. Finally, they’d reached the end of this hellacious road trip.
Following Quinn’s lead, Roy and the others began to carefully make their way into the icy chamber. The void adept’s forearms were beginning to grow numb, likely due to the creature he held cradled into his chest... a cryofox. He’d found the little beast while searching for something useful in the tent, thanks in large to a notification from his spirit scan. Originally, the creature had shied away from him, but after presenting the cryofox shard he’d found and offering it to the little beast, it willfully leaped into his arms.
There was just something about the fox that reminded him of home. The way its tiny sapphire eyes gazed up at him, it reminded him of the kitten he’d brought home for his daughter Karina. Even as an infant she’d loved that little furball so much...
Roy visibly winced as emotions came rushing back him, emotions that he promptly swallowed into the pit of his stomach. Dammit, It’s not the time Roy. Not now.
The group picked up speed as they trudged towards the icy block, the anticipation growing to a crescendo. Then, as if to remind them all of the danger they were truly in, the chamber filled with a low, menacing growl.
Remley’s tipped his hat upwards and gazed at a giant mass of scales moving across the wall. “That does not look good.”
The others followed Rem’s gaze to the far wall where the silhouette of a massive creature clung to the ice. Upon further gazing, Roy could make out its icy blue scales, its toothy reptilian snout and it’s thick, ever-twitching tail. By the gods, it almost looked draconic!
Roy’s spirit scan immediately brought up a window of information.
//////////
Elder Ice Drake
Darkbeast
Ecology: Icy caverns, lakes and other locales of extreme cold.
Nature: Aggressive/ protective
Vulnerabilities: Attacking into its open mouth or breaking its protective scales are the most effective means of damaging drakes.
Notes: Drakes are a very feral breed of darkbeast. They are drawn to strong sources of energy, and as such are usually found protecting relics or other powerful artifacts. Drakes will attack any creature that comes to close to their lair, including other darkbeasts.
//////////
Roy’s eyes went wide as he watched the darkbeast make its way down the icy wall, its eyes locked on their group. He couldn’t believe the amount of spirit energy that was coming off the thing. If Roy’s aura was like a refined cloak of energy, then the drakes was like a raging torrent of flame, furious and wild as it enwrapped the creature’s body.
As it reached the ground, Roy noticed a pair of corpses by what must’ve been its nest. Two half-eaten masses of icy blue flesh... that damned drake had been preying on the parents of his cryofox pup!
“Bastard,” Roy growled, squeezing the pup just a bit tighter. He wasn’t going to let it have this one too.
“Form up!” Leila ordered, taking point as the creature began to stalk them down like a lioness closing in on its prey. Her words came fast and firm as her wind aura swirled around her thin, muscular fame. “Remley, do what you do best and annoy the hell out of it.
Keep its attention! Quinn, you and I will focus on weakening the beast’s spirit. We need to slow that thing down, so it doesn’t latch onto Rem!”
The creature growled as it took another precarious step forward.
“Kimoura, once we have its attention, I need you to work on breaking its scales.”
“Got it!” Kimoura responded, raising a glowing fist into the air.”
“What about me?” Roy asked, safely tucking the scared cryofox pup behind a jutting piece of rock.
“Support Remley with spirit blasts when you can,” she ordered, readying herself as the drake moved closer into range.
“I thought I had to prove-”
“You’ve proven enough for now,” she said, cutting him off. “Keep your distance. We’re too close to do anything risky. We need this relic... Now, watch and see how a real team takes down an elite darkbeast,” Leila turned to look at Roy and for the briefest of seconds, he was certain he saw a grin forming on her face... and then she was off.
Remley engaged first, sending flame aura into his legs and leaping in to meet the drake, sword dancing across the creature’s snout as steel met scales.
Leila was next to jump in, jabbing her spear into the drake’s hind leg and chipping away at its scaly defenses. As she struck, she forced a gust of her wind aura into the beast’s tiny wound until a line of thick blood began to ooze out. For a second, it looked like the drake was going to turn and clamp its jaws onto her frame, but Remley redoubled his efforts with his blade, smashing it into the tip of its nose and sending the drake into a rage.
Quinn circled around to the drake’s tail and smashed it into the ground with a bone blade, leaving an opening for Kimoura to leap onto the creature’s back. The battle monk immediately fell into a focused stance, drawing spirit energy into her fist as she prepared to smash through the drake’s back scales.
The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3 Page 15
