The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  Moments passed as Kazuka extended his strands of dream aura forward, delving for the information he so desperately sought. Then, after a short period of silence, he squeezed his hand shut.

  “What did you find?” Ayzeth asked, a hint of impatience in his otherwise even tone.

  Kazuka responded with a grin beneath his many wrappings as he worked to re-conceal his hand. “It took a bit of searching, but as always I found the answers hidden in violence. There is a fighting arena called the pit where a woman named Rin dwells. In her thoughts I saw visions of her first defeat at the hands of a newcomer... a light adept with blue hair.”

  “And?” Ayzeth asked. “That’s not who we’re looking for.”

  “Perhaps it is,” Kazuka replied. “I searched the memories of each and every bookie in the arena, and none of them had memories of the blue-haired girl... none except for one. He saw her enter Shadowreach just a few days previous, arriving on an airship in the company of a man with the Bonaduce physique.”

  Ayzeth nodded. “Then she’s his companion. Very good, Kazuka. Did you find her location?”

  “No,” Kazuka answered. “But apparently the woman Rin whom she defeated was the former champion of the pit. That would make the blue-haired girl the new champion.”

  “Interesting,” Ayzeth said, slowly rubbing at his chin. “Perhaps we can leverage that information to find our little friend.”

  “You’ve got a plan, then?” Dakkon interjected, his face wearing an expression of absolute boredom.

  “I do,” Ayzeth replied. “Now let us head to the arena. It’s time to see if this city of Shadowreach can withstand the storm that’s coming.”

  Chapter 20

  The Sky Wolves redux

  Seline’s Tower, the city of Shadowreach

  Roy felt like a new man as he rose the following morning, stretching his limbs and allowing his spirit aura to course through his channels. After being up for nearly twenty-four hours, the void adept had fallen into a pleasant cycle of resting, eating and channeling his aura, a pattern that had helped ease both his fatigue and his peace of mind.

  Kimoura had remained by his side, though most of her time was spent channeling light aura into her many wounds. It may have been a bit oddly selfish, but Roy was almost sad to see her battle scars disappear so quickly. That night in the arena she’d looked absolutely fierce... a true reflection of her fighter’s soul.

  After orienting himself, Roy headed over to his makeshift closet, retrieving the few garments that hung inside. One of the perks of joining with the bronze horns had been the set of adept attire that Seline had afforded him. Sturdy pants and a slick black shirt clung to his body tightly, covered by an azure tunic and held together with a thick, black belt. On his feet, he wore a new pair of tall boots with three horizontal buckles strapped tightly across his shin. If he was taking stock, Roy was certain that this was the best he’d looked since arriving on Eon.

  After strapping on the second belt carrying his void blade and arc launcher, Roy took a seat and activated his spirit scan.

  //////////

  Initializing....

  Compiling data...

  Compiling...

  A new technique is available in the void manual. Would you like to upload?

  //////////

  Roy almost felt foolish as the notification appeared in his vision. It had been days since Roy had reached Spiriteka, though between travel and growing accustomed to his new body, he hadn’t bothered to upload his new technique.

  Carefully, the man delved into his skill tree, hovering over various techniques as he mulled over his decision. Currently, his package was rather balanced with void boxing for melee combat, aura bullet for ranged targets, dark spiral for punching through defenses and the void grenade for snaring elusive threats. Still, he felt like he was missing something... a way to pack a punch without getting too close.

  Suddenly, Roy’s eyes went wide as he settled on the technique perfectly suiting his needs.

  //////////

  Data uploaded

  New Vanguard skill acquired:

  Vanguard’s Blazing Blast

  The Vanguard launches a high-impact blast of concentrated spirit energy, destroying barriers and knocking away opposing foes. This is a mid-range technique.

  //////////

  “Too wordy” Roy muttered as evaluated the name of his new skill.

  //////////

  Compiling data...

  Compiling...

  Vanguard’s Blazing Blast changed to Aura Cannon

  //////////

  “Much better.”

  Finally done with his preparations, Roy gathered himself and headed into the Sky Wolve’s common room. A smile stretched across his face as he took a long look at his fellow guild members strewn out across the room. Remley and Kimoura sat on the floor, comparing their channeling techniques while Quinn and Yoshiro sat at the table, sharing a pipe and playing a strategy game that vaguely resembled chess. And in the corner, Leila sat with her legs crossed, eagerly engaging Varyon as he leaned against the far wall.

  It was amazing how quickly these outsiders and vagabonds had become his family, how quickly they’d managed to fill the void in him that had recently been nothing but anger and rage. Sure, he was still a bit of a hothead, but that didn’t matter. Not when he knew the Sky Wolves had his back.

  “Royboy! So nice of you to join us,” Remley said as he eyed Roy enter the room. The flame was adept was actually looking rather chipper this morning despite bearing the weight of his new bond.

  “Sure thing,” Roy said sarcastically before taking a seat in a nearby empty chair. Now that he thought of it, it was almost odd to see all his companions in one place, content to not hunt down somebody or kill something.

  “Leave the kid alone, Rem,” Quinn said as he moved one of the pieces on his game board. “He’s probably still having nightmares about the time you tried to feed him to a minoragarwa.”

  “Bastard, I killed that thing,” Roy shot back, drawing a snicker from some of the others. For a second he considered hunting down another one of those lizards twice the size just to see the look on Quinn’s face. However, the thought quickly subsided as Quinn turned and gave him a quick grin.

  A moment after Roy settled in, the door to their living quarters swung open. Ezry strode in a mere breath later, her posture rigid and her guise disciplined from her years as a soldier.

  “Another guest!” Remley said before shooting the woman a disarming grin. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  Ezry paused, allowing her gaze to linger on each of the Sky Wolves before setting her sights on Kimoura. Then she hoisted a piece of parchment into the air, surveying the symbols scribbled on its front.

  “This came in on the contract network today,” Ezry said, reading through the runic text. “The nobility that finances The Pit has requested a meeting with their mysterious new champion, the lady of light. It says here that they want to discuss fight arrangements and potential earnings. Then it gives a description of the person they’re searching for. Blue hair, hand wrappings, light aura...” Ezry folded the paper up and looked at Kimoura. “You.”

  Kimoura’s cheeks reddened and Remley’s face changed to an expression of shock. “Bahamut’s blood Kimoura, you failed to mention that you were the arena’s newly crowned champion.”

  The light adept shrugged. “It was sort of happened by accident. Our target just happened to be the current champion of the pit.”

  “It was no accident,” Roy interjected. “She straight up kicked her ass.”

  Kimoura let out a giggle as she shot Roy a quick wink. Unfortunately, the conversation had also caught Leila’s attention, and she didn’t seem nearly as pleased.

  “I’d be careful ‘Moura,” Leila warned. “From what I’ve heard that place isn’t more than glorified Adept dogfighting.”

  “Now, now,” Remley replied, coming to his pupil’s aid before she could respond. “Kimoura has proven to be more th
an capable of taking care of herself. This might prove to be an excellent opportunity to bring a steady stream of income in for the wolves.”

  “I gotta agree with Rem,” Quinn added, momentarily peering up from his game. “I mean, all she has to do is crush some cans and cash in.”

  Leila sighed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. “What do you fools suggest then?”

  Remley grinned. “The day is still young, dear Leila. Let Kimoura and Roy investigate their lead at the pit. Meanwhile, Quinn and I can take a trip to the inner market. We can stock up... and I’m sure Yoshiro would be more than happy to cook for us tonight if we find him a choice cut of spirit beast steak.”

  Yoshiro merely chuckled, as if to say he thought otherwise.

  “I’ll be joining you, Remley,” Varyon said, breaking his silence from the far corner. He remained stoic in his demeanor, arms crossed over his chest and long black hair falling over his face.

  Remley sighed, allowing a grin to rest on his face. “If we’re going to remain soul bound, can we at least not make this awkward.”

  Varyon nodded. “Understood.”

  Remley couldn’t help but laugh. Somehow, he was certain that Varyon didn’t get the point.

  ****

  A bit later the wolves split, making their way across the city in nearly opposite directions. Remley and Quinn headed towards the now bustling market, bringing Varyon Risen in tow. Leila chose to remain at the tower with Yoshiro, intent on completing some much overdo spirit channeling. That just left Roy and Kimoura to head to the pit, followed closely by the void adept’s quickly growing cryofox.

  The icy creature had spent much of its time with Leila as of late, though her recent treatment of the creature as a beverage chiller had sent it running back to Roy. Oddly enough, the beast seemed to be drawing off his free-flowing divine energy and had nearly doubled in size, growing to match the size of an earth dog.

  It didn’t take long for the pair to walk the familiar path to the arena, cutting through alleys and navigating the city’s many cobblestone paths until they reached their destination... The Pit. As the entered the gate, neither adept noticed the lack of security usually polluted the arena, nor the barren rows of benches typically filled to the brim. No, by the time the pair sensed the near palpable level of desolation, it was too late.

  The adepts traversed the arena, following the path laid out for them until they found themselves on the pit’s sandy floor. Though as Roy and Kimoura made their way towards the center of the arena, they weren’t greeted by nobles. Instead, what they found waiting for them was a trio of brothers, their spirit auras flaring like great flames of the underworld.

  In front of them stood the fateful three.

  Chapter 21

  Dark Arrival

  The Pit, the city of Shadowreach

  Roy’s muscles stiffened and his body nearly froze in place as he made his way onto the arena floor. Surrounding him was an aura so oppressive that it nearly made him wretch, a living dread that permeated every facet of his body.

  He knew in an instant that it was coming from the three men in front of him, from the trio that he suspected had summoned them here for reasons unknown. And after a quick inspection, he found the men to be like nothing he’d ever seen.

  The man in the center nearly matched Roy’s size, though his skin was red like blood and his head was adorned with a pair of thick, curved horns. Accompanied by his black adept attire and a menacing black-red aura, he almost resembled a demon straight out of the underworld gates.

  //////////

  Name: Ayzeth Kaito

  Devil Adept

  Rank: 8th

  Specialization: Ravager

  Divine Power: Annihilation Wave

  //////////

  The man to Ayzeth’s right was much smaller than Roy, though the strange feeling resonating from his spirit aura was enough to make the void adept sick. His body was covered from head to boot in thick, white bandages, revealing nothing more than a pair of black eyes that stared back at him with morbid curiosity.

  //////////

  Name: Kazuka Kaito

  Psionic Adept

  Rank: 6th

  Specialization: Mystic

  Divine Power: None

  //////////

  The third man towered over the other two, standing with an almost casual posture as he crossed his thick arms over his chest. His body brimmed with muscle and his skin was an unsettling shade of gray. Of the trio, this one appeared to be the only man wielding any sort of weapon... a large, gleaming poleaxe strapped firmly across his back.

  //////////

  Name: Dakkon Kaito

  Void Adept

  Rank: 6th

  Specialization: Gladiator

  Divine Power: None

  //////////

  Roy quickly scanned over the data in front of him, though it only took a second for him to realize that they were way out of their league. These bastards.... they were spirikai. Who knew what kind of trials they faced to reach that level of power?

  “Who in Eon’s ashes are these guys?” Kimoura whispered as she slowly fell into a defensive posture. She didn’t possess the spirit scan as he did, but it was evident that she felt the power that their opponents held.

  “I’m guessing these aren’t nobles,” Roy growled, slipping into a defensive stance of his own. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the men, though he secretly estimated how far they could make it before they were eradicated. Could they get to the gate? To the pit’s exit? If so, maybe they could lose them in the streets...

  Suddenly, one of the adepts shifted, causing Roy and Kimoura to tense. The man covered in wrappings.... the one named Kazuka, slowly raised a hand into the air, unclenching his fingers to reveal a single, violet eye embedded in his palm.

  “Do you have them?” Ayzeth asked, eyes now locked on his brother.

  “Hold on a second... yes, I’ve located the target,” Kazuka replied. “In the market. He’s wearing a red jacket and a wide-brimmed hat.”

  “Then let’s go,” Ayzeth urged. “I’ll leave these two for you, Dakkon. Don’t take too long.”

  “Fair enough,” Dakkon replied before letting out a sigh.

  A breath later, Ayzeth grabbed Kazuka by the collar and leapt into the air, clearing the arena’s walls in a single bound and disappearing from view.

  “They’re going after Remley!” Kimoura shouted, her voice a mix of panic and rage. “We-we’ve gotta stop em!”

  “I think we got our own problems,” he replied, pointing to the lone Kaito brother that now stood mere paces away in the sand.

  “You should listen to him,” Dakkon interjected as he casually reached around and retrieved his axe. “Cause in a moment I’m gonna paint this place red with your blood.”

  “You’re not going to fucking touch her!” Roy growled, allowing his void aura to envelop him like a cloak. Despite his anger, he thought it best to keep his divine energy concealed... at least for the time being. He needed every advantage he could muster against an opponent like this.

  “Whatever you say,” Dakkon replied as a small grin formed on his gray-skinned face. Then without warning, he launched his attack.

  ****

  Remley Bonaduce was nearly salivating as he made his way through the bustling market, ogling the huge selection of foods that were on display. To his left, lines of interconnected tables were set up, displaying several choice cuts of spirit beast meat. Some had been cut from the skybeasts that often circled the city, while others from the abominable creatures that lingered in the mountains to the south… all of them expertly filleted. This kind of meat, if consumed enough, was not only nutritious but also bolstered one’s spirit energy as well.

  And yet, even more delectable were the tables lined up to Remley’s right. Rows and rows of delicious sweets sat on display, giving off a near irresistible aroma. Warm breads and cream-filled pastries made from the finest ingredients all sat, ready to be devoured by those wi
lling to pay the coin. Unlike the spirit beast steaks, they didn’t offer any nutritional value, but he’d be damned if they weren’t the most delicious thing in Shadowreach.

  “What do you say, boys?” Remley said as he drew in another waft of the sweet, sweet smell. “Shall we splurge?”

  Varyon eyed the sweets scrupulously and Quinn merely gnawed on his reed a bit more. “You payin?” the dread hunter finally asked, raising his brow as the smell finally hit his nostrils.

  Remley chuckled as he began digging around in his pocket for coins. “Just this time.”

  Slowly, the flame adept retrieved a few zen and began handing them over to the merchant. His hand made its way over the table, hovering in front of the man as he offered up the required coin...

  That’s when he felt time begin to slow.

  A sphere of temporal energy pulsed behind Rem, bringing everything around him to a sudden crawl. He tried to turn and confront the technique, but a pair of arms quickly wrapped around him, hoisting him off his feet and then throwing him to the ground.

  A sudden anger filled Remley’s soul as he locked eyes with his attacker, a man that he was foolish enough to trust. Varyon Risen kneeled over him, pinning him to the ground without a trace of emotion on his face. The assassin’s true colors had been shown...

  But wait, that didn’t make sense. Varyon was soul bound to him, tied down by a bond that was impossible to break. By the gods, he couldn’t hurt Rem even if he tried. But if it wasn’t an attack...