The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  Kimoura turned and looked to Roy, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. He returned that look with a grin.

  “Fair enough,” Roy replied, squeezing Kimoura’s hand just a bit tighter. “We’ll meet you at sundown then?”

  Remley tipped his wide-brimmed hat and gave the void adept a slick grin. “And not a moment later.” Then he pulled his red coat a bit tighter and dashed down a nearby alley.

  And just like that, they were alone.

  Roy turned his gaze back to Kimoura as he took a moment to absorb the situation, to admire the fiercely beautiful adept standing at his side. It was true, the two of them were given little to no privacy aboard the Blazing Falcon, and a great deal of the time that they did have together was spent meditating or preparing for ascension. Honestly, he was a bit relieved to have some time alone with her, even if it was just for a few hours.

  “Shall we?” he asked.

  Kimoura brushed blue locks of hair out of her eyes and gave him a wink. “Let’s do it!”

  ****

  Time seemed to fly as the pair made their way through the streets of Shadowreach, each of them drawn in by the allure of the city of rogue adepts. Slowly, they made their way towards the city’s center, merely enjoying the company that one another provided and the freedom they had so rightfully earned.

  Turning down one of the many side-streets, the pair spotted a small garden of wildflowers growing on the side of the road. The greenery was actually a welcome sight to Roy... A small patch of life amongst a sea of metal and stone.

  Kimoura reached down and carefully plucked a pair of flowers from the garden, placing one in her hair and tucking the other into Roy’s tunic.

  “Perfect!” she said as she looked the man over, a wide grin now on her face.

  “I don’t know if it suits me...” Roy replied as he reached for the blossom. Kimoura reacted instantly, reaching out and snatching his wrist.

  “Leave it,” she said, playfully pleading with him as she guided his hand back to his side. “You’re a bit gruff, and I like it... but, it’s like a reminder, you know? That you have a sweet side too.”

  Roy chuckled. “If you say so. But just so you know, I-“

  The void adept’s words were cut short as a chorus of cheers erupted in the distance. He looked off to his left, peering down the cobblestone street where more cries echoed from within a circular, stone dome.

  “What in Lyra’s light is that?” Kimoura asked seconds after a spike of spirit energy erupted from the dome’s center.

  “Hold on,” Roy said, bringing a pair of fingers up to his temple and activating his spirit scan.

  //////////

  Location discovered: The Pit

  A fighting arena located at the center of Shadowreach that houses both exhibition and tournament-style fights. The Pit is considered a central hub of the city of rogues, featuring social gathering points, various food vendors and a lucrative gambling ring.

  //////////

  Roy adjusted his scan so that the information became visible to her through a translucent display. Her eyes seemed to light up as she read over the information, and Roy was certain that he felt her spirit flare up just a bit.

  “We should check it out,” she said, trying to mask the excitement in her voice. “I’d love to watch a good fight.”

  “Fine by me,” Roy replied. “But maybe we can find a shortcut.”

  He hadn’t really noticed at first, but the crowd gathering in the streets seemed to grow denser the closer it got to The Pit. However, the vast network of alleyways running between the adjacent buildings seemed far less contested... in fact, they were all but empty.

  “Let’s go! Kimoura yelled emphatically. Then she swung around to Roy’s flank and leapt onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs tightly around his waist.

  Roy still hadn’t adjusted to the woman’s absurd level of quirkiness, but he couldn’t help but smile as he felt the warmth of her body press against his back. There was just something about her, a primal connection that he seemed to resonate in his soul...

  Not wanting to waste another moment, Roy began to navigate the adjacent alley, leaping over a small fence before cutting between a pair of tall buildings that reminded him of office buildings from Earth. Even with the light adept on his back, his newly tempered body afforded him a superior level of agility.

  As he neared the end of the alleyway Kimoura leapt from his back, grabbing his shoulder and bringing him to a halt. “Did you feel that?” she asked, voice low and eyes darting from shadow to shadow.

  “Wha-“ Roy began to ask, though a sudden shudder in his aura told him everything he needed to know...

  They were not alone.

  Two silhouettes appeared at the mouth of the alley, one wielding a giant hammer and the other a pair of over-sized steel gauntlets. He couldn’t see their faces, but his spirit scan told him they were of third rank.... similar to the other pair that now approached their flank.

  “We’re surrounded,” Roy said as Kimoura pressed her back against his. “What do you suppose we should do?”

  Kimoura responded but letting her aura flare as she raised her fists into a fighting stance... the only answer he needed.

  Roy grinned, drawing his void aura out until it enveloped him like a cloak, his eyes locked on his approaching foes. It was time to truly put his new body to the test.

  Chapter 9

  Rumble in the Reach

  The streets of Shadowreach, Northern Eon

  Roy steeled himself as the pair of adepts began their approach, weapons brandished and spirit auras burning to life. A quick pass with his spirit scan told him he was up against a pair of rank three Spiriteka, one a wind adept with the warden specialization and the other a force adept with the brawler spec... and neither with a divine power.

  He could work with that.

  “I'm going to suggest that you come with us,” one of the adepts said as he took another step in Roy’s direction. As they approached, Roy noticed a symbol on each of their tunics... a ram’s head surrounded by a pair of warhammers.

  “Don’t count on it,” Roy replied, cracking his knuckles as a thin line of spirit energy danced across his fingers. There was no way in Hell he’d be giving himself up in a place like this, or ever for that matter.

  The man cast his hood back, revealing a smug grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Then he hoisted his over-sized hammer into the air and charged.

  Roy stepped to his side, placing his right hand on the wall as he channeled divine energy into his palm.

  //////////

  Divine Power: Deep Freeze

  /////////

  Radiant blue energy danced across the wall, forming into an icy spire that jutted horizontally across the alleyway. The wind adept let out a growl as the spire intercepted his charge, slamming into his side and pinning him against the alley’s far wall.

  A breath later, the force adept appeared, leaping over the ice spire with a technique forming in his armored hands. Roy took aim at the attacker with his left hand, pouring void energy into his index finger as he timed the adept’s descent.

  //////////

  Void Skill: Aura Bullet

  //////////

  A sphere of black-violet energy exploded from his hand, cutting through the air as it headed directly for the man’s chest. However, the force adept proved a bit more cunning than his counterpart.

  Abandoning his technique, the adept pointed a gauntlet into the air, releasing a pulse of force energy that sent him spiraling away from the aura bullet. With a second pulse of aura, he changed his trajectory again, sending him on a collision course with Roy!

  A thunderous boom echoed through the alleyway as an armored gauntlet slammed into the center of Roy’s abdomen. The force of the blow sent him sliding back on the balls of his feet, causing dirt and dust to spew into the air. It was a strike powerful enough to crack stone and one that would’ve left the old Roy doubled over in agony. But with his tidal
fury body and a vast reserve of spirit energy coursing through his channels, he felt little more than a dull pain.

  “My turn,” Roy growled before toggling his void boxing on and leaping back into the fray. Years of martial training flooded his memory in an instant, infiltrating his spirit and allowing him to attack with the speed of a wolf hunting its prey.

  Roy fired off a jab and followed with a right hook, landing flush with the first attack and partially connecting the second, forcing the man’s head to snap back. However, a third strike was parried by an oversized gauntlet and a fourth completely missed as the force adept regained his composure and managed to lean out of the way.

  Frustrated, Roy pursued the man, taking aim with another right hook. Unfortunately, his opponent was not completely devoid of martial prowess. A gauntlet closed on Roy’s fist, intercepting his punch mid-strike and holding him fast. A second gauntlet swung in, fueled with so much force aura that Roy was certain it would knock off his head.

  The counterpunch smashed into Roy’s cheek, knocking him off his feet and sending his body crashing into the alley’s wall.

  “You fight like an outrealmer,” the force adept said as Roy’s body slumped onto the cobblestone, a thin line of blood now running down his cheek. His body had managed to absorb most of the damage, but his head was still ringing from such a thunderous blow.

  Roy’s spirit shuddered as he sensed his opponent’s calculated approach, as he heard the man’s taunts, as he felt the hammer wielder breaking free of his icy prison. Even worse, he could hear shouting as Kimoura fought her own battle at the other end of the alley. These men were a real threat...

  It was time he treated them like one.

  Roy rose back to his feet, allowing his void aura to flare and his eyes to flood with spirit energy. His left hand shifted to his belt, grasping the handle of his runic baton as his right hand began to draw divine energy into his palm. “You wanna see how an outrealmer really fights?” Roy growled. “Then let me show you.”

  A ring of dust rose from the ground as Roy erupted out of his stance, charging directly at his opponent’s location. The force adept responded in kind, slamming his gauntlets together and creating a pulse of force energy that was meant to slow Roy’s approach. Unfortunately for him, the void adept proved far too cunning to be stopped by that.

  Roy pointed his right hand toward the ground, releasing a pulse of divine energy and creating a small pillar of ice beneath his feet. An instant later he was propelled into the air by the ice, narrowly avoiding the wave of force aura as he glided above his opponent.

  As Roy descended, he used his left hand to retrieve his baton, a weapon he’d modified with his own two hands. Runic markings on the handle of the baton came to life as a violet, crystalline blade extended from its end. It wasn’t sharp nor was it meant for cutting. No, Roy had created this weapon to bludgeon his opponents like a spirit-infused club...

  Roy equipped the Void blade.

  With a quick, violent swing Roy’s weapon struck the top of his opponent’s head, splitting his flesh and sending a line of blood spraying across the cobblestone. The void adept followed up with an empowered kick to the man’s chest, sending him sprawling across the crimson-stained stone.

  Before he could take a single breath, Roy’s first opponent charged back in, having broken free from his pillar of ice. A furious swing with his hammer nearly took Roy’s head off, and a second had him leaping away to dodge the blow.

  Roy steadied himself mere feet from his attacker then immediately returned fire with a volley of his own. Gripping his void blade in both hands, he battered the weapon against the wind adept’s hammer, putting him on the defensive and forcing the man to fight off his back foot.

  It didn’t take long for Roy to notice the skill discrepancy that he and his attacker shared. Sure, the man was of equal rank to him, but his movements were sluggish and his attacks unrefined, undisciplined.

  Yes, Roy could definitely work with that.

  The former officer stepped forward and attacked high, swinging his void blade down with a vicious overhead strike. As expected, the wind adept lifted his hammer to block, leaving the lower portion of his body fully exposed. Roy responded swiftly, shifting his weight and delivering a precise kick to the side of the man’s knee, forcing him to buckle under the force of the strike.

  Smelling blood, Roy moved with the ferocity of an apex predator, unleashing a vicious combo as the adept tried to rise. He led with a blade-strike to the ribs, followed by another leg-kick, a knee to the solar plexus and finishing with a pommel-strike to the nose.

  The man let out a growl of anger as he stumbled away, hands working furiously to forge a windwall technique and cut Roy off.

  /////////

  Wind skill: Windwall

  /////////

  Clearly, the man had sensed his demise, and thought to use the skill as an escape tactic… Roy merely cut through it with his void blade before finishing him with a front kick to the chin.

  The alleyway suddenly felt very quiet as Roy stood over his two assailants, their unconscious bodies laid out across the cobblestone. After taking a deep breath and gathering himself, he turned to see how Kimoura had fared with her own attackers, the other pair of adepts who had tried to cut them off. It came as little surprise to see the woman leaned up against the alley wall, her hand wraps painted red with blood and a smirk stretched across her face.

  “Beat ya,” she said, giving Roy a playful wink. He found it amazing how quickly she could switch from fearsome fighter back to playful companion, as if the combat didn’t bother her in the slightest.

  “I didn’t know we were racing,” he replied as his eyes wandered over to her opponents. Each of the adepts were unconscious, their bodies propped up against the far wall, noses broken and faces battered. Roy hadn’t had the opportunity to scan the men when they were conscious, but regardless he was impressed with how efficiently she had dealt with the threat.

  Slowly, Roy’s gaze returned to Kimoura. “So... whaddya think that was about?! I mean, is that the kinda shit we should expect from this place?”

  Kimoura shrugged. “I grew up in a city like this, and sure there were attacks, but... something about this just feels off. They were too organized, like they were watching... waiting for us. And look, they’re all wearing this on their tunics.” Kimoura crouched beside one of the unconscious bodies and placed two fingers on the symbol attached to his tunic, a ram’s head with a pair of hammers.

  Roy narrowed his eyes, activating his spirit scan.

  //////////

  Searching Guild database...

  Searching...

  No data found

  //////////

  Roy sighed. “I got nothin,”

  “Me neither,” Kimoura said, rising back to her feet. She was right... something about this didn’t sit well with him. Perhaps if they could backtrack and find Remley, then he could-

  “Look out!” Kimoura’s sudden shout filled the alleyway, tearing Roy from his thoughts as a steel blade cut through the alley and nearly took off his head. His spirit aura flared as he turned to meet their attacker, but another blade slammed into the ground just inches below his groin, causing him to gasp.

  On the far end of the alley stood another newcomer, though this one looked far more formidable than those previous. Dressed in a thin layer of metal interwoven with her tunic, the woman sported a pair of thin blades slung across her back in the shape of an X. Atop her head the left side of her hair dangled freely over her face while the right side appeared shaven, revealing a look in her eyes that echoed pure resolve. What had Roy puzzled though was the strange, ghostly appearance of the woman’s right arm. It was as if the limb was ethereal, as though it was made from her soul rather than her flesh.

  //////////

  Name: Ezry

  Metal Adept

  Rank: 4th

  Specialization: Blade dancer

  Divine Power: None

  -Outrealmer-
>
  //////////

  “We can take her,” Roy growled as he stepped over the blade in front of him and drew black-violet spirit energy into his fists. The woman opposite him was sporting the ram symbol similar to the adepts they’d dispatched earlier, though hers seemed to be crafted out of a much finer metal. It was clear she had come to finish what they’d started.

  “I... don’t think so,” Kimoura replied, drawing a look of surprise from Roy. With reluctance, the woman pointed upwards, bringing to his attention the dozen or so adepts descending the walls in their direction. He hated to admit it, but with numbers like those, it was all too clear that they weren’t winning this fight.

  “Dammit,” Roy muttered, clenching his fists just a bit tighter. Ezry gave a little flex of her own in response, conjuring another thin, metal blade in her left palm.

  “Don’t be heroic,” she said. “That never ends well. “Just release your spirits and come with me.”

  “Where the Hell do you plan on taking us?” Roy growled, unwilling to relinquish himself so easily.

  Ezry shifted her gaze from Roy to Kimoura, allowing the tension to thicken in the already tight alley. “To my boss,” she finally replied, her voice cold like steel. “She’s been expecting you... and I don’t suggest you make her wait.”

  Chapter 10

  An Outralemer’s Common Ground

  The streets of Shadowreach, Northern Eon

  An uncomfortable silence lingered over Roy as he and Kimoura walked side by side, an entourage of armed adepts surrounding them from all directions and the group’s stoic leader following closely at their back.

  The adepts led them through a network of alleys and passageways, hustling them along and keeping them out of the greater public eye. With every turn they made, Roy watched his likelihood of escaping diminish. His eyes darted in every direction, carefully calculating the distance he needed to cover in order to reach freedom... and yet, he knew that was pointless. With the number of adepts surrounding him, he’d be massacred in seconds. Perhaps that was why he had remained calm... if they were really planning to kill him or Kimoura, wouldn’t they’d have done it already?