As she completed her technique, Kimoura glanced at Roy and gave him a slight wink, a final endearing act before the Kirin’s tail came around and smashed her into the ground.
“You horned bastard!” Roy growled, rising to meet the creature’s dreaded gaze. Together the two locked eyes, the Kirin’s massive frame towering over Roy’s cloaked body... and then they clashed.
The void adept struck first, leaping forward as he threw an empowered fist directly at the Kirin’s face. The creature’s body was built like a tank, so there was no use attacking that. However, the long-time martial artist had never met an opponent that was immune to a well-placed punch in the nose. Unfortunately, landing a shot on the creature’s nose was a bit easier said than done.
The Kirin’s arm snapped forward as Roy came barreling in, catching him around the neck mid-flight. A low grumble then exited the beast’s mouth, a noise that Roy equated to a mocking laugh. Suddenly, Roy’s airway began to tighten as the Kirin started squeezing the life out of him, wrapping its hand ever-tighter around his neck.
In a sudden bout of desperation, Roy began to pry at the creature’s thick fingers, writhing as he dangled in the air. Images flashed in Roy’s mind, images of his own gun being firing into his chest, of an earth adept’s vine choking the life out of him. He’d been beaten down so many times so recently. Well, not again.
Mustering his spirit aura, Roy channeled it into his palm and fired off an aura bullet from the tip of his finger. The technique moves like a blur as it crashed into the Kirin’s face, snapping the monster’s head back and forcing it to loosen its grip on Roy’s neck.
Slipping out of the monster’s grasp, Roy fell to the ground in a crouch, already channeling aura for his next technique. Drawing as much aura as he could, Roy created a giant ball of swirling void energy larger than his palm. Then, as the creature steadied itself the void adept charged in, slamming a dark spiral directly into its chest.
Waves of black-violet energy ripples across the beast’s torso as the technique resolved, their impact forcing the beast back on its heels. Yet even after taking everything Roy could muster, the Kirin still stood.
“Damn you! Why won’t you go down?!” he growled. Before the void adept could channel another technique into his palms the Kirin responded, setting its feet and swinging its tail at Roy in a wide arc.
The void adept dropped to his stomach, narrowly dodging the blow before leaping back to his feet... and finding himself directly in the path of the kirin’s next technique. Lightning energy blasted from the creature’s horn, tearing a trench through the ground as it made its way directly into Roy’s torso. The blow tore away parts of his tunic and burned at his flesh. Its impact felt like a hammer to his chest, smashing him into the ground and sending him skidding through the dirt and grass.
Roy’s ears began to ring, and his vision blurred as he rolled over onto his stomach. He’d given everything, they all had... and still, it wasn’t enough. In the distance he could see Quinn making a foolish charge at the Kirin, spiky pieces of bone armor jutting from his joints. He could see Kimoura lying limp in a shallow hole and Remley’s body collapsed next to the recently shredded headmaster. And Leila was still missing and... what was that feeling?
A sudden surge of spirit energy brushed against Roy’s senses, a familiar, powerful energy that he’d encountered before. Time itself seemed to slow as a pair of tall black boots stepped in front of him. Roy strained to raise his head, to see who it was that those boots belonged to, but some sort of spiritual technique was making it difficult to raise his head.
“You have an indomitable will,” the man in front of him said, his voice low. “I’d like to think that I shared such a quality in one of my earlier lives,” the man paused for a second before taking a step forward and slamming something into the ground just inches from Roy’s face. “Now take this and save your friends. They may prove to have as much value to me as they do to you.”
Suddenly, the man vanished and the spiritual pressure surrounding Roy alleviated. Slowly, the void adept worked his way to a knee before finally taking notice of the item that had been plunged into the ground at his feet. Gleaming in the light of the worldstar, its crystalline blade emitted an aura of icy cold energy. Roy immediately recognized the weapon, not just for its looks but because of the power it radiated, power that was now his for the taking.
With a single, labored step, Roy reached forward and grasped the hilt of Cipherion’s Tooth.
//////////
Divine power detected....
Would you like to extract the Divine Power from Cipherion’s Tooth?
//////////
“Yes, give me the power!” Roy yelled. Before, he’d just gotten a taste of the weapon’s essence, but this was much more. Sure, it would likely piss off Leila, but what good would a relic do for them if they were all dead?
//////////
Extracting Divine Power...
Extracting....
//////////
Roy’s muscles seized as the power of the relic coursed through his spirit. The thin, icy markings on his arm glowed a brilliant blue as the power surged through him as if a blizzard had been unleashed beneath his skin.
His spirit swelled with newfound strength as his black-violet aura grew larger, icy waves of energy swirling through his aura cloak.
//////////
Extraction complete...
Divine Power obtained: Deep Freeze
//////////
Roy watched as the last of the weapon’s power soaked into his palm and the sword itself disintegrated into essence. He could feel it coursing through his aura, resonating in his right arm. Behind him, the Kirin’s roars filled the air like thunderstorms, a symphony of rage accompanied by Quinn’s continuous growls of pain...
It was time to add some music of his own.
Fueled by his newfound strength, Roy turned on his heel and charged back into battle, the markings on his arm still radiating an icy glow. Quinn continued to battle on in the distance, most of the bone armor broken away and his green tunic stained crimson with blood.
“Quinn, back!” Roy yelled as he dashed across the clearing, aura swirling around his body like a cloak. The dread hunter nodded though he didn’t have much of a choice. Before he could adjust the Kirin lashed out with its tail, sending the adept spiraling through the air before crashing into a small shed near the Sky Wolves’ home.
Roy steadied himself as the Kirin turned back in his direction and began its final charge, the horn atop its head glowing like a lightning rod.
“Ya know, I always loved thunderstorms... but I think you ruined that for me.”
The Kirin roared in response, its thick legs carrying it ever-closer.
“But maybe I’ll grow to enjoy the cold,” Icy blue aura swirled around Roy’s body, permeating his void aura and changing his eyes to the color of crystal. Spirit energy pooled in the palm of his hand, spinning, growing larger with each revolution until it looked like a hurricane encompassed the man.
The Kirin lunged in his direction, but Roy remained defiant, dropping to a knee and slamming his fist into the ground, sending all his divine energy with it. “Suck on this... Deep Freeze!”
A trail of ice raced from Roy’s fist, spreading across the ground before finding its target... the Kirin. Suddenly, spires of ice began to rise from the dirt, skewering the summoned beast like the blades of crystalline swords. Again and again, jagged pieces of ice rose from the ground to pierce the beast’s flesh, diminishing both its physical and spiritual strength.
With a deafening roar, the Kirin tore through the icy spires only to have a final shard of ice rise up and pierce its skull, breaking a piece of its magnificent horn in the process.
And then, finally, it was over.
Roy collapsed to his back as the Kirin’s soul essence floated from the creature’s corpse and absorbed into his body. Beyond, he could see the others beginning to stir, each of them covered in wounds both large and small...
Still, they’d done it. They’d fought off the damn headmaster and-
Roy froze as he caught sight of the city. Marching up the road was an entire troop of Jade guards led by a pair of students from the academy. That bastard Zion... he or one of his lackeys must’ve sent some sort of spiritual signal back to the academy. He should’ve known... they never planned on letting the Sky Wolves escape with their lives.
“Guys?! We’ve got trouble!” Roy yelled before scrambling over to Kimoura’s side and yanking her out of the dirt. She gave him a half-conscious smile followed by a thumbs up, the wraps on her hand stained red. Seconds later, Quinn and Remley made their way to his side, each of them visibly straining to stay upright.
“Hell of a fight, Royboy,” Remley quipped, grinning despite his obvious exhaustion. Carefully he helped Roy bring Kimoura to her feet, hooking her arm over his shoulder.
“Yeah, kid,” Quinn added, gnawing on a reed that was now scorched at the end. “Way to prolong our deaths.”
Roy shook his head. “You’re welcome. Now, what do we do?” Nearly fifty jade guards had entered the outskirts, surrounding the area with weapons drawn.
“I suppose we’ll be captured and killed,” Remley said nonchalantly. “Maybe even receive a bit of torture after they see what I did to the headmaster.”
Wonderful.
Roy began channeling his divine energy, but after its recent use, it felt like he was trying to pull water from an empty well. It was clear they wouldn’t be fighting their way out.
Within seconds, one of the Jade guards stepped forward and approached the group, his cheeks flush beneath his pale, green armor. “By order of Zion Sho, Headmaster of the Atherune Academy, I declare you all under arrest!”
“For what?” Quinn spat, folding his arms over his chest.
The guard stuttered, as if he wasn’t expecting the question. “Why, for stealing resources from the academy, for lying to the guard, and...” the man’s gaze wandered over to Zion’s carved up body. “And for murder!”
Remley chuckled. “On, there will definitely be torture. Lots and lots of torture.”
With a quick signal, the surrounding guards began to move in, weapons brandished and smirks on each of their damned faces.
By contrast, the sky wolves stood resolute, each using the strength of the other to keep themselves on their feet. The auras of the wolves were little more than flickering flames and drops of sweat and blood littered the grass at their feet. They had been through war, and they were ready to accept their fate...
Had they only looked to the east; they would’ve known that fate was barreling in.
“What is that, sir?” one of the guards hollered, pointing to the sky. “Is... is that a ship?”
Remley turned his head as a huge grin stretched across his battered face. “It sure is,”
Tearing through the dissipating storm clouds was a magnificent, crimson vessel, its opaque sails flying high and its engines humming with a brilliant, azure glow. On its hull sat a familiar symbol, a wolf’s head surrounded by a pair of angelic wings. And on its deck stood the ship’s captain, Leila, leader of the Sky Wolves.
Roy gasped as he caught sight of the ship, their beacon of hope in the darkness. Unfortunately, the guards took notice as well, and soon they had their weapons trained on the approaching vessel.
“Get ready,” Quinn said just loud enough for the others to hear. “I’m only going to be able to pull this off once.”
The ship dropped low and picked up speed as it made its approach, creating a target for some errant spears. Nevertheless, Leila remained resolute atop the ship’s deck, her eyes locked onto her battered crew.
“Reeeaaady,” Quinn said, mustering the last bit of his aura into his palm. Remley and Kimoura both nodded and fell into a crouch, awaiting the dread hunter’s technique. Roy merely fell to his knees and began patting the ground vigorously, realizing that their company was still a man short.
A second later, the cryofox pup appeared from behind a nearby rock, its face stricken with joy as it caught sight of Roy. Ignoring the mayhem created by the jade guard, the icy creature bounded through three separate pairs of legs and cane dashing in his direction.
Suddenly Leila’s ship dipped within range, sparks flying off its hull as the jade guards chopped at the passing vessel. She spun the ship in a wide arc, using the heat of its engines to stave off the enemy horde.
“Now!” Quinn yelled, slamming his palm into the ground. A pillar of bone immediately rose from the earth, rising at angle that led it right into the path of the ship as it swung back into range.
//////////
Dread Hunter Skill: Bone Spire
//////////
Quinn was the first to dash up the spire, ducking a spear throw before leaping into the air and landing atop the ship’s deck. Kimoura and Remley were right behind, each of them moving on pure adrenaline.
And then there was Roy.
Sensing danger, Roy leaned forward and scooped up the pup then immediately broke out in a sprint towards the spire. A guard stepped in to block him off but the adept planted a foot on the man’s shield and used his momentum to propel himself over.
Landing at the base of the spire, Roy poured every last bit of spirit energy into his legs and ran up its edge. A spear flew by his head, but he didn’t look back, leaping into the air and landing on the edge of the ship’s deck.
Kimoura and Remley grabbed the man by the tunic and yanked him aboard as Leila directed the ship back into the sky. Roy let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed onto the ship’s deck, as the shouts of the jade guard began to grow faint and the sight of Atherune City began to fade. He wasn’t entirely sure where the hell they were going, but he took comfort in the fact that they’d escaped that damned city, that they’d stayed together and survived that hellish ordeal... and that for the moment, they all could breathe.
****
Several days had passed since Leila’s ship, The Blazing Fang, has taken to the air once more. The vessel had been relentless in its travel north, anchoring only to take refuge from the veil and for the crew to gather food and water. What was left of Remley’s stash of pills and elixirs was used for healing, though the crew was still a bit worse for wear.
During the day, the adepts sat atop the deck and meditated or channeled their auras, occasionally breaking to hunt skyfish and other flying beasts with the ship’s spears. Roy however, mostly sat with his back against the mast, channeling spirit energy into his hands and practicing a technique that he’d long been waiting to master.
On the afternoon of their eighth day, Remley approached him with an especially cheery demeanor. He was shirtless, his long hair unkempt and resting on his shoulders, and a half-eaten piece of skyfish at the end of his blade.
“Hungry?” he asked, tipping his sword in Roy’s direction until the fish was just inches from his nose.
“I’m good,” Roy replied. A black-violet orb was resting in his lap while his hands worked furiously to create a second. “But thanks.”
Remley nodded then took another bite of the fish. Roy glanced up and noticed that he had a peculiar look on his face as if he were straining to say something. Then finally he spoke. “Ya know, Roy Boy... well, I may have said this before, but what you did back there was a hell of a feat, even if you did use up all of our potential revenue. Anyways... well, I just wanted to say that I’m prou-“
Roy raised a sweaty palm, halting his words. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, his face slowly forming into a grin. “I was just earning my keep.”
Remley returned Roy’s grin with a genuine smile, then quietly placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve done that my friend... that and more,” suddenly his mood lightened again. “Now, I’ve got a bit of, er... fishing to do.”
With a nod, the flame adept took his leave, making way for their ever-fearless leader Leila. She wore that same serious look on her face as she waltzed over to Roy, though he noticed that she had some sort of parchment tuc
ked under her right arm.
Without saying a word, the woman unraveled the parchment and dropped an ink pen into his lap. Then she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a long, hard look.
“What’s this?” Roy asked, rising to meet the wind adept’s gaze. He didn’t particularly enjoy being looked down upon by her, especially since she always carried herself with such an air of superiority.
“It’s the guild charter to the Sky Wolves.” she replied firmly. “Sign it, and you’ll be a legally bound member of the guild.”
Roy raised his brow as he looked over the charter. At the bottom were five signatures, the four current members plus Remley’s late brother. Carefully, Roy took the pen in his hand and raised it to the parchment. “Does this contract come with any... benefits?”
Leila rolled her eyes. “One meal a day if you’re lucky, access to our dwindling supplies, and more enemies than you can count...” a small smile began to creep onto her face. “And my respect.”
Roy nodded, pressing the pen to parchment and signing his name. Afterward, the two locked eyes as a cold wind blew across the ship’s deck. Smile gone, the woman reached out and grasped Roy’s hand, a very earth-like gesture of respect. He bowed in return, drawing a smirk onto the woman’s face. “Get your rest in, kid. We’re heading north where the beasts are a lot bigger.”
“Will do, boss,” Roy replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The wind adept turned to walk away, manipulating the small device in her hand that allowed her to remotely steer the ship. Then before turning into the ship’s cabin, she paused and gave him a final look. “Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about that relic you absorbed. You’re going to be paying me back for years,” and with that, she disappeared through the door.
Roy sighed. Of course.
Hours later, Roy sat in the very same spot, working tirelessly on forming a second orb. After her daily meditation Kimoura had joined his side, her head resting idly on his shoulder as he worked. Roy had grown to cherish the woman’s company over the past few weeks... her gentle strength, her endearing little acts of kindness and bravery, and even the often-quirky ways she invaded his personal space. He hadn’t really admitted it to himself yet, but he was developing true feelings for the girl.
The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3 Page 22
