The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  “I’m ready, Lei!” Kimoura yelled, her voice strained as the veins in her neck began to bulge.

  “Then do it, Sky Wolf!” Leila yelled, raising a clenched fist into the air.

  Each and every item the cabin began to rattle as Kimoura doubled down on her focus, her teeth clenched so tightly that she thought they might crack. Slowly, her light aura lost its form as it spread about the room, melding with various items scattered around the cabin. Soon every knife, every fishing hook, every piece of sharpened dinnerware held an iridescent glow as if the trio were standing in a room filled with starlight. Kimoura ignored the beauty, shutting her eyes and drawing in a deep, calming breath...

  Then she exhaled and drew in her aura.

  Each item imbued with her light aura came soaring towards her at blazing speed, ready to tear through the flesh of her now vulnerable body. She didn’t try to avoid the barrage though, didn’t try to slow their approach. No, this was part of her test… and she had to overcome.

  Kimoura let out a shriek as a hundred different blades slammed into her body, their points pressing into her flesh as they tried to rend her in two. This was the risk of her Valkyrie’s Steelwing Imbuing technique... fail and she could find herself crippled or even worse, killed. However, she had no intention of failing.

  With her channels empty and her body raw, Kimoura refined the mass of soul essence in her body, reforging it into precious light aura mightier than she ever had before. As she worked, the blades dug deeper into her flesh, wracking her body with insurmountable pain, opening wounds that would make a lesser adept falter.

  Blackness began to creep into the corners of her vision as her consciousness began to wane. She could feel her lifeblood spilling out onto her tunic. Her concentration was breaking... by the gods, she was beginning to fade!

  Just as she felt herself starting to slip, a gruff voice pulled her back, preventing her from slipping into a sea of unconsciousness.

  “Be strong, kid!” Quinn yelled as his earth aura flared. His words echoed through the room, helping to ground her as the pain threatened to swallow her whole. Doubling down on her resolve, Kimoura poured every last bit of her energy into refining her soul essence, pulling energy from wherever she could, cleansing her channels with light.

  Like a flickering flame, the woman’s light aura began to grow out of her core, rapidly expanding until she was wrapped in a spirit cloak brighter than the stars themselves. One by one the blades began to fall from her body as her flesh was enveloped in the all-encompassing light. Wounds once grievous began to mend themselves together. Her skin once soft like dragon silk was now hard like tempered steel.

  Finally, a burst of blinding light filled the rustic cabin, releasing a pulse of spirit energy that dislodged a large, wooden shelf and nearly knocked Quinn off his feet. An eerie silence followed as the light began to retreat, resonating within the light adept that sat at the room’s center. Slowly Kimoura rose to her feet, her bluish hair in disarray and her clothing in tatters. She raised a fist into the air as her light aura swirled around her body, taking the form of a pair of angelic wings at her back.

  Quinn grinned and Leila gave a firm nod of approval, a feeling of pride swelling in her spirit... she’d done it. Kimoura had reached Spiriteka.

  Chapter 5

  Breakthrough

  Outside Yoshiro’s cabin, Northern Eon

  As Roy sank to the bottom of the lake, he couldn’t help but wish that Remley had given him better advice than simply “hold your breath”. Sure, holding his breath was highly important, especially when he was sinking to the bottom of the lake. However, he was certain that a bit more guidance could’ve gone a long, long way.

  As thoughts of Remley faded, a feeling of panic began to swell in Roy’s spirit. That feeling only grew as he felt his legs crash into the lake’s floor, creating a ring of dust that nearly blocked out his vision. The lake’s surface seemed just so damn far away, and Roy had never been a remarkable swimmer. Hell, he wasn’t certain how much longer he could hold his breath!

  Just what the hell had he gotten himself into?

  Mere seconds after he hit the bottom, Roy noticed a change in the water’s movements. Slowly, it began to swirl around his body, gaining momentum as the pressure began to build. Faster and faster the water churned around his body, growing in intensity until Roy felt like he was trapped in a vice. He could feel it pressing in on him from all directions, overpowering his spirit and forcing what little air he had left out of his lungs.

  A normal man would’ve faltered, would’ve given in to the technique’s grueling requirements. But Roy was no normal man. He knew what was at stake...

  This was it. This was his test, his chance to ascend and stand side by side with his guild. And dammit, he would not fail!

  Ignoring the burning sensation in his lungs, Roy channeled his resolve, his anger, his rage. He used it, causing his void aura to flare with more power than it ever had before, pressing back against the water as it threatened to turn his bones into dust.

  Mustering everything that he had left, Roy channeled his aura into a brilliant black-violet cloak, expending every last bit of spirit energy that he had in his body. He could feel the water pushing back against him, its energy pressing through his cloak and dancing across his skin. He was on the brink...

  It was time to ascend.

  Without hesitation, Roy began to refine the soul essence in his body, drawing it into his spirit as the water energy flooded his channels and began to reforge his body anew. As the transformation started, Roy’s sprit scan came to life.

  //////////

  Body tempering in process.

  Imbuing cells...

  Please stand by....

  //////////

  If he wasn’t several dozen feet underwater, Roy surely would’ve grinned. He could feel a change happening inside of him, a power swelling in every facet of his body...

  However, he could also feel the last bit of air escape his lungs. His mind began to falter as a pounding in his had began to surface. And despite his unbreakable resolve, despite his iron will and his unmatched desire to ascend, Roy’s focus broke and everything faded to black.

  ****

  Remley paced quietly at the edge of the lake, growing more nervous by the second as he watched the crystalline water swirl like a raging cyclone. Though only a moment had passed, he felt like it had been too long since Roy had gone under. What if his pupil never surfaced? What if he’d pushed him into this too fast? By the gods, Remley wasn’t certain he could live with that...

  “I need to go in there,” he finally said, his usual confidence noticeably absent in his voice.

  “No, you don’t,” Yoshiro responded, not taking his eyes off the lake. The old adept’s calloused hands were outstretched over the edge of the water as blue aura flowed from his palms and into the lake. “You have to give the boy a chance to fight through this thing... it is a test meant for him.”

  “I don’t intend to just let him drown,” Remley retorted as he squeezed his fist in a most agitated fashion.

  Yoshiro scoffed. “You need to relax. If this one is as good as you say than he’s been preparing for this ascension all his life. Don’t you remember the countless hours you spent training your spirit before you faced the dragon’s flames?”

  Remley sighed, though not due to sudden wave of memories that came flooding back. His rise to Spiriteka was a period of time that he cherished, when he in his brother trained side by side for countless nights, preparing both their bodies and spirits for the trials ahead. No, the reason he sighed had more to do with Roy than anything else.

  Yoshiro narrowed his eyes as he read Remley’s emotions. “This boy is an outrealmer, isn’t he?” he asked, his tone suddenly venomous.

  “A quite remarkable one,” Remley replied. “And one that I intend to keep living.” As he spoke, the flame adept’s eyes stayed glued to the lake, waiting for Roy to surface.

  “Risking all this for an outre
almer... you truly are a fool,” Yoshiro said, grimacing as his aura poured into the swirling waves. “I get that he reminds you of your brother, but by Bahamut’s breath…”

  Before Remley could respond, a sudden pulse of spirit energy pulled his attention away. Both he and Yoshiro turned to give the old adept’s cabin a quick glance, the source of the sudden surge of spiritual power.

  “Looks like your other pupil has ascended,” Yoshiro said. “The kid must have power... Gods, I think she just shorted out most of my inhibitor runes.”

  “That is certainly Kimoura, for you,” Remley replied, trying to take some joy in the woman’s ascension. Unfortunately, that joy was short-lived as his gaze wandered back to the lake. By Eon’s light, why hadn’t Roy emerged?!

  “That’s it, I’m going in,” the flame adept declared as he reached for the folds of his coat. “I’m not going to lose him again!”

  Again? But Remley had never lost Roy. It was his brother Rygan that he’d lost, not Roy. Why did his mind continue to do this to him? Were those old wounds still so raw?

  “Don’t be a fool!” Yoshiro growled. “I can still feel his spirit down there. He’s fighting for this, boy! Now give him the chance he deserves and protect me while I complete this technique!”

  Remley raised a brow. “Protect you? From what?”

  Yoshiro let out a nervous chuckle before nodding his head towards the hillside. “Those.”

  Remley turned and took a wide-eyed glance to the east as a sudden surge of volatile energy assaulted his senses. Charging down the hill was a trio of spirit beasts, their muscular ape-like bodies tearing through the terrain as they set eyes on the pair. The beasts had been drawn to the sudden spike of spirit energy in the area, and they looked hungry for aura.

  Remley sighed. Well, wasn’t this just great...

  ****

  Roy’s body sat like an immovable stone at the bottom of the crystalline lake as the intense water pressure continued to erode away his aura. Roy’s consciousness had fled his body moments ago due to a lack of oxygen, though his spirit continued to fight, following the path laid out by Roy’s spirit scan.

  //////////

  Body tempering in process....

  Restructuring cells...

  Reforging spirit aura...

  Please standby....

  //////////

  Moments passed as the water churned violently at the base of the crystalline lake, bartering the small spark of void aura that flickered around the man at the lake’s floor. With the amount of time that had passed, that man’s aura should’ve been snuffed out. By Eon’s gods, it should’ve killed him... But that spirit aura belonged to a Roy Skyworth, a man who would not relent.

  And as the water penetrated his aura, as he wavered at the very brink of life and death... Roy’s spirit flared.

  ****

  Flame aura licked at Remley’s heels as he dashed across the darkened field, curved blade held tightly in his grasp. It pained him to leave the lakeshore, especially if things weren’t developing as he’d hoped. And yet, he had to trust in Yoshiro. the old man that had brought up so many Spiriteka... By the gods, he’d even helped him and his brother advance many moons ago. There simply wasn’t another option, and that meant protecting him at all costs.

  As Remley approached the hillside, he got a better look at the spirit beasts barreling towards the lake. The creatures were large, at least two heads taller than him, and possessed muscular, ape-like bodies. Silvery fur covered their hides and pairs of curved horns decorated their heads. They were vile creatures hungry for aura. Well, they’d likely be disappointed when he made them choke on his blade.

  With the precise movements of a seasoned adept, Remley leapt at the trio of beasts and swung his blade out wide, sending a wave of flame at the creatures and briefly halting their approach. From what he could sense, each of the beasts held a power level equivalent to that of a rank four adept. It was also apparent that they possessed immense physical strength, meaning a speed-based strategy would be Remley’s best path to victory. No matter...

  Remley was speed incarnate.

  Channeling aura into his limbs, Remley dove between the legs of the center beast, slashing at its thigh as he slid to the creature’s flank. Before it’s iridescent blood could even hit the ground, the flame adept was back on his feet, delivering a tri-slash to the spirit beast’s back before delivering a flaming kick to its shoulder and vaulting out of its reach.

  Immediately the ape-like beast to his right turned and charged in his direction, swiping at Rem with a hand that was strong enough to tear his arm off. Remley sidestepped the creature’s grasp and slashed downward with his blade, aiming to take the creature’s hand off at the wrist. What he didn’t expect was his blade to become lodged in the beast’s thick hide.

  The spirit beast roared in protest as the blade sunk into its flesh, flame aura burning away a large patch of its silvery fur. Immediately it arms began to flail in protest, pulling itself free of the weapon’s sting and knocking Remley off-balance in the process.

  Desperation surged through the flame adept’s spirit as he tried to regain his footing, though his movements proved to be a split second too slow. The beast to his left was on him in an instant, slamming its knuckles into his side and driving him into the ground. A breath later, the flame adept felt one of the creature’s massive hands wrap around his ankle, hoisting him into the air before slamming him back down into the unforgiving earth!

  Pain resonated all the way to Remley’s very core as his body left a shallow impression in the ground. It was an attack that would’ve shattered his bones had it not been for his dragon Flameforged body.... to be honest, he wasn’t sure that it hadn’t! He was a just mere rag-doll to this thing and somehow he’d been foolish enough to allow it to latch onto his leg. He had to break free, had to create some space and reassess the battle if he intended to survive!

  Eyes burning with anger, Remley pressed his palms together and formed a fireball in his grasp then launched it into the creature’s face. The beast immediately backpedaled as the smell of burnt flesh reached Remley’s nose but a second ape-beast took its place, stomping onto the flame adept’s stomach and forcing the air out of his lungs.

  Remley tried desperately to channel his flam aura but the ape-beasts assault had left him disoriented and gasping for air. Suddenly, his feelings of desperation turned to panic as he eyed the other creatures closing in. He’d allowed himself to fight distracted, to act recklessly and now... now he was going to pay for it by having his limbs violently torn from his body.

  Unwilling to give in, Remley poured everything he had into his flame aura, forcing the ape-beast to relent its assault as spirit fire burned at the creature’s foot. Rem tried to rise but another beast had already reached him, its oversized palm reaching directly for his throat. This was it. This was going to be that last thing Remley ever laid eyes on...

  Then he saw the light.

  “Steel lotus!” Kimoura’s voice roared like thunder as it echoed across the field. It was followed by a flash of blinding light as the woman entered the fray, unleashing a mighty technique with her newly forged Valkyrie Steelwing body.

  Remley watched in amazement as Kimoura’s glowing fist smashed into the face of the closest ape-beast, breaking its jaw and sending its teeth scattering to the wind. Before the creature could regain its senses, she used her other palm to create a swirling ball of light then immediately slammed it into the creature’s chest. The beast howled as it’s flesh was burned away until finally, it slumped over as smoke billowed from the hole now left in its hide.

  An overwhelming sense of pride washed over Remley as he finally managed to get a better look at the light adept. She looked indomitable as she stood there atop the mound of grass, her body hard like steel and her spirit echoing an unshakable confidence. By Bahamut’s blood, she had done it. She had reached Spiriteka... and it was far more marvelous than he ever could have expected.

  Kimoura turned to
acknowledge Remley as he wiped the dirt from his coat, a small grin forming beneath her otherwise serious guise. Then she turned back to face her remaining threats, the pair of spirit beasts that remained.

  Spirit energy flooded into the woman’s palms as she readied another assault on the charging creatures, her aura swirling around her as a cloak of light. With her newfound strength, it was clear that Kimoura was ready to take on the world. But she wouldn’t have to... yet.

  A barrage of spiritlances flew by Kimoura on her right, slicing through the neck of an approaching spirit beast with pinpoint precision and removing its head from its shoulders. To her left, a spire of bone tore through the earth and stabbed into the remaining creature’s gut, immobilizing it where it stood. Another spiritlance came soaring in just seconds later, piercing the creature’s eye socket and blowing the beast’s brain matter out of the back of its head.

  With the spirit beasts dead, a sudden calm fell over the area. Seconds later, Leila and Quinn joined Kimoura at her side, looks of smug satisfaction on each of their faces. No, it wasn’t just satisfaction that Remley saw, but a sense of pride in the growing strength of the Sky Wolves.

  Remley forced a grin as he approached, his own spirit beginning to swell with pride as he gazed at the fearsome trio. However, that feeling was rather short-lived.

  “Where’s Roy?” Kimoura asked, bringing Remley to a halt and drawing looks of concern on the others.

  Remley’s eyes widened as his gaze shifted west back to where he’d left Roy at the crystalline lake. There, Yoshiro had put a halt to his technique, instead choosing to stare into the unmoving body of water as darkness began to creep in from afar.

  “I thought you said he was ready for this?!” Leila growled, grabbing Remley by the collar and blowing his hair back with her aura. Kimoura ignored the two and immediately began dashing towards the lake, hellbent on dragging him out no matter what.