The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  Accompanied by the creature’s arms were four spider-like appendages, their ends adorned with bony tips that could shear through armor in seconds. A thick, muscular tale protruded from its back, ending in the maw of a long-dead spirit beast. And on its face, a pair of curved mandibles stretched from his cheeks, their tips gleaming with a toxin that was no doubt, deadly.

  //////////

  Zyrilex, the chimera adept

  Beast Adept

  Rank: 6

  Specialization: Augmenter

  Divine Power: Reanimator

  //////////

  The monstrous adept’s yellow eyes rolled about in its head, pausing to take measure of both Kai and Roy before surveying the entirety of its lab. A breath later he felt a shiver go down his spine as the monstrous man’s spirit prodded at his own. It was as if the chimer adept’s spirit energy was washing over him like a thick cloud, suffocating his spirit and forcing him to wither.

  Roy’s battle instincts kicked in and his muscles tensed as he awaited an attack. The last spirikai he and his companions fought had nearly taken their lives, even with Kai’s divine weapon and some help from Kimoura to overclock his own spirit. Down here in close quarters though, he and Kai hardly stood a chance.

  Ever the aggressor, Kai took a step forward and leveled his rifle, taking aim the man’s bony face. “Stand down or I’ll put you down,” he growled, making Roy wonder if his partner was trying to bluff his way out or just being incredibly stupid.

  Zyrilex merely chuckled, clicking his mandibles together and making a sickening sound that resembled bone scraping on bone. “How very bold of you,” the chimera adept said, placing his hands together gingerly. “Threatening a man in his own home.”

  Kai scoffed. “You call this place a home? We’ve seen what you’re doing down here and-“

  Suddenly, the man’s ranting was cut short as Zyr’s tail snapped forward. It moved like a spirit-enhanced blur, the beast head on its end latching onto Kai’s shoulder and sinking its teeth into his soft flesh.

  //////////

  Beast Skill: Venoshock

  The adept pierces his opponent’s flesh with a twin-fang strike, injecting a spirit-forged venom that leaves the target in a state of temporary paralysis

  //////////

  Kai’s body immediately seized up and crashed into the stone floor, limbs outstretched and eyes staring out into oblivion. His muscles stiffened like pieces of oak, his joints locking up as if they’d been frozen by an ice technique. Even his spirit aura, once swirling around him like a torrent of flame, now lied dormant inside his body.

  Roy shifted himself in front of his partner, taking up his defense as he reinforced his body with the power of the void. “Did you just-“

  “He’ll be fine,” Zyr assured, recoiling his tail back behind his body. “Now, would you like to join him…. or can I trust that you’ll act with more civility as a guest in my home?”

  Roy nearly swallowed his tongue at the notion. Civility was one thing, but this monster just struck down his partner. Hell, from what he could tell the man was on the verge of dissecting Leila and using her as one of his sick experiments. And he wanted civility?!

  The void adept’s cheeks reddened as he felt the anger building inside of him, urging him to set Leila aside and fight his way out of this place. Then he felt another pulse of Zyr’s overwhelming energy, and reality quickly came crashing down. By all the damn gods, if he wanted to get them out of this then he might actually have to employ a strategy that he seldom used... Roy Skyworth would have to be humble.

  “You can,” Roy replied, clenching his jaw as he gave the very slightest of bows. Zyr, clearly unthreatened by the red-faced void adept, accepted the man’s word and headed back into his lab.

  As he turned to follow the adept, Roy had to wonder… did some of Kimoura’s spirit energy still linger in his veins, dousing the flames of anger that typically burned in the pit of his gut? Or could it be that he’d actually developed some tact? Though he didn’t have time to reflect on, either option was fine with him at this point, as long as he could get them out of this place alive.

  Roy gave Kai a final glance to ensure he was still breathing then made his way back into the laboratory, Leila still resting on his shoulder. No matter what this thing said, he was determined to keep them close.

  “Now I suppose you’ve heard the stories of the creature in the sewers, the one they tell children to keep them in their beds at night. Please tell you didn’t come down here just to find out if that’s true.” Zyr said as he made his way over to one of the tables, using one of his spidery appendages to stir a beaker of dark liquid.

  “I came down here looking for my friend,” Roy replied, failing to hide the anger in his voice. “And I just happen to find her down here in your... care.”

  Zyr cut his eyes at Roy. “I break no laws down here, Void wielder. The spirit magus has decreed that whatever ventures beneath the city’s surface belong to me.”

  “Wait... what?” Roy stammered, unable to hide his surprise as he nearly dropped Leila from his shoulders.

  Zyr sighed. “You don’t know much about the inner workings of Shadowreach, do you? I suppose you wouldn’t... not if your one of the new bloods just trying to find salvation in this wretched place. Well, let me give you a little history lesson. Argo Zael, the spirit magus of Shadowreach, is a very powerful man, but by no means does he have the ability to run every facet of this dreadful city. That’s why he outsourced some of the city’s uglier tasks, so that he could remain high up in the sky as Shadowreach’s lone protector.”

  “So that’s what you’re doing down here?” Roy responded as he carefully placed Leila into a nearby chair. “Doing what must be done for the good of the city?”

  “Precisely,” Zyr replied. “I fill multiple roles. Those creatures that you see operating over half of the city’s establishments, the Felyne…. Well, I created those.” Zyr paused to nod at Jakki, who quickly ducked behind one of the tables. “Beyond that, I also ensure that the darkbeasts aren’t running rampant through the sewer system.”

  “I thought Argo’s gravitational aura shielded the city from that sort of thing,” Roy interjected.

  Zyr merely shook his head. “His barrier is strong, but it does little for the creatures wandering beneath the surface. Without my Rokari patrolling down here, you’d have those wretched darkbeasts popping out of the sewers nearly every night. You see, void wielder, I have my own role in keeping this city operational, and it’s all done from the shadow.”

  Roy folded his arms over his chest, pondering his next question. “Then what’s in it for you?”

  Zyr waved a hand across the lab. “As long as I hold of my end, then I’m free to experiment as I see fit... That, and I also claim the rights to anything or anyone that wanders down into the sewers.”

  Roy immediately tensed, fearful that a fight may be yet to come. Was all this banter just prolonging the inevitable? Did this thing plan on putting him on one of his tables?

  Zyr shot Roy a toothy grin, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. “Are you concerned that I might rearrange your physical makeup until even your closest friends don’t recognize you?”

  Roy swallowed hard. “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  Zyr’s grin remained as he shifted to another pair of beakers and began infusing spirit energy into their contents. “You know, I’m not the monster that you think I am. The kind of people that venture down here are usually the ones running from the atrocities they committed on the surface. They come to Shadowreach, to the very end of the world just to run from the things they’ve done. And when even that is not far enough, they come down here… to me.”

  Roy grimaced. “My captain isn’t deserving of a fate like that, nor am I... yet here we are.”

  Zyr shrugged. “Perhaps, but then you’re also still alive, aren’t you?” The chimera adept paused, considering his next words. “I won’t try to convince you that my actions are just… I don’t
think such a thing as justice exists in a place like this. However, your presence here has opened my eyes to something. Part of my agreement with Argo is that I must stay hidden, lest the public know that a monster is helping run their precious city of outlaws. It… it’s been so long since I’ve spoken with another human... I feel like my own humanity is a piece of myself that’s been long hidden away, as if it has begun to erode.”

  “I think I know what you mean,” Roy replied, reflecting on his own time in Eon. His past few weeks had been nothing but constant strife, so much so that the battles were beginning to blend together. It was starting to feel like the only time he was really alive was when he covered in his opponents’ blood. Without the Sky Wolves, he’d be little more than beast fighting for survival…

  “I’ll make you a deal,” Zyrilex said, turning his gaze back to Roy. “Stay, speak with me and remind me of what it’s like to be human, and ill ensure you leave this place unharmed.”

  Roy raised his brow, considering the man’s offer as if he had any other options available to him. “And what of my friend? She’s the only reason I came down here.”

  Zyr turned his gaze to Leila, who still sat unconscious and slumped over in a nearby chair. “I found that one wandering about in my tunnels, all but depleted of power and gnawing the raw flesh off one of my Rokari scouts. After she passed out, I brought her to my lab for examination, but that divine power attached to her arm has proven to be quite volatile. Though it’s dormant now, it appears that the thing acts of its own volition... and with its resemblance to abilities used by high ranked darkbeasts, I’d say it’s almost certain that this power was created by a dark god.”

  “What are saying?” Roy asked.

  “I’m saying that although she’s a very unique specimen, she’s likely far more trouble than she’s worth. Before it went dormant, that thing on her arm was on the verge of destroying my lab. You can have her.”

  Roy paused to give the woman another look. She seemed so peaceful lying there in the chair, oblivious to her strange surroundings and even stranger company. It was almost off-putting to see her like that... such a detraction from her usual fierce nature. But perhaps she deserved the bit of peace, no matter how brief it was.

  “Will she be ok?” Roy asked, returning his gaze to the spidery adept.

  Zyr nodded. “She will recover. Whatever ordeal that thing put her through drained her body entirely of its spirit energy. I expect her to be out for at least another few hours, If not the entire day. Though as far as I can tell, she is unharmed.”

  “And him?” Roy added, motioning over to Kai. The former officer was still suffering from Zyr’s venom technique, lying stiff as a board in a puddle of his own drool.

  “Ah, he’ll be fine as well,” Zyr replied, stifling a chuckle. “I injected him with a rather heavy dose of spirit-infused venom though, so it’ll be sometime before he regains control of movement.”

  “Real strong stuff,” Jakki added, popping his head out from beneath a table. “Especially if you have a full bladder... terrible way to ruin a new tunic.”

  Zyr suddenly let out a hiss, snapping his mandibles together and forcing Jakki back under the table. The act, though subtle, reminded Roy of just what he was dealing with. Although Zyr appeared civil, it was evident that the man held no respect for his creations or the poor souls who had fallen victim to his Rokari. In fact, if he and Kai hadn’t fought them off, he’d likely be on one of the tables as well. Perhaps this was just another one of the moral conundrums that this realm seemed to throw at him, the ever-blurring line between what was right and what was wrong. The one thing that Kai always refused to see...

  “Are you well?” Zyr asked, pulling Roy out of his thoughts.

  “Yeah... something like that,” the void adept replied.

  “Good,” the chimera adept said. “Now tell me your story. It’ll be a while yet before your friends wake, and the scars on your spirit tell me that you have quite the tale to tell.”

  Roy sighed, realizing that he was trapped in the underground lab for the time being. “Very well.”

  And so, Roy spoke at length about his life on earth, his trip over and his short time on Eon. He spoke of the hardships that he faced and the camaraderie he’d found, all the while watching Zyr tinker with concoctions.

  In return, Zyr spoke of his early days as an upstart young adept, his falling out with his guild, and his curiosity with body augmentation that eventually turned him into the monster that he was.

  In time, the chimera adept’s story wound down and the room grew quiet once more, save for the clinking of glass and Jakki’s soft purs coming from beneath one of the tables, though that too came to an end. Just as Roy was about to break the silence, Zyr turned around and placed a beaker down in front of him. Its contents, a mixture of strange and odorous liquids, began to solidify as Zyr placed his hands on the glass and infused a bit of his own spirit energy.

  //////////

  Item: Chimera Core

  An artificially forged spirit stone created by splicing the blood of several different creatures, as well as a number of volatile elements and binding them with powerful spirit energy.

  //////////

  “Here,” Zyr said, retrieving the orb from the glass container and placing it in Roy’s hand. “Take this as payment for your time... and let it serve as a reminder.”

  “Of what?” Roy asked.

  Zyrilex grinned. “Of the time you escaped from the monster in the sewers and lived to tell the tale.”

  “Ah, of course. Thank you,” Roy said with a grin, carefully scooping up the spirit stone and cradling it in his palm. He could feel the unstable power resonating within the orb, dancing across his flesh as if a tiny thousand needles were on the verge of breaking his skin.

  “Now, it’d be best that you leave this place. I’m afraid I’ve been quite selfish with your time. Your friends will be waking soon and judging by the dormant hostility I sense in their spirit aura, I’m not so certain it would pan out well if you were here when they woke.”

  Roy raised a brow. “Are you scared of them, oh great monster of the sewers?”

  Zyr clicked his mandibles together and let his spirit aura flow. “No, I’m afraid for them. As you said, I’d hate to have you all end up on my tables…”

  “Very well,” Roy said, giving the adept a bow and tucking the spirit stone into his tunic. In a way, this encounter had been not so dissimilar to his time spent with old Renji, a sharing of knowledge with a soul much wiser than his own. It was actually comforting in Eon’s twisted sort of way.

  However, as he gathered his things to leave the void adept realized he did have a problem. Slowly, his gaze shifted between Leila and Kai who both lied dormant near the laboratory’s door... Just how the Hell was he going to carry these two back to the surface?

  ****

  Hours later, Roy emerged from one of the drainage tunnels near the city’s edge, Leila’s limp body slung over his shoulder. Just a few feet behind him, a towering Rokari scout carried Kai in his arms, his lizard-like face concealed by a long black cloak.

  Without saying much, the beast dropped Kai at Roy’s feet then turned to head back into the tunnel, it’s tail dragging through the muck as it began to fade from view.

  “Thanks,” Roy said sarcastically, fully expecting the creature no ignore him. However, it paused and let out a drawn-out hiss before leaping into one of the tunnels below. Roy couldn’t help but wonder... we’re these creatures really unintelligible as Zyr had said they were? We’re they constructed merely to follow the whims of their master? Or were they more like the free-thinking Felyne, simply forced into their role due to circumstance?

  “I’ve seen that look before and I know exactly what you’re thinking,” a voice said, causing Roy to nearly leap out of his boots. He turned and watched as Jakki’s furry little head poked out of Kai’s satchel, a smile forming on his whiskered face.

  “You’re thinking wow, what a charming lizard man
that was. Well, let me tell you, that charm is all an act. That’s how he won so many games of cards.”

  Roy stood there, ankle-deep in muck and with a perplexed look on his face. “How in the Hell did you-“

  “Oh, I just climbed in the bag,” Jakki interrupted, climbing the rest of the way out before straightening his glasses. “Listen, I had to get out of there and you two just seemed like the nicest pair of fellows... not that I’ve met a lot of fellows, but I can tell.”

  Roy sighed, wondering if he should just save himself the trouble and send the Felyne back down the drainpipe. Then he remembered the burn marks beneath the creature’s fur and the look of fear he had when Zyr had snapped his mandibles... “Dammit, if you’re coming with me then you’re going to need to carry your weight.”

  “No problem!” Jakki replied. “You know, cats will often carry their food for miles just to return it to their masters and impress them.”

  Roy sighed again before carefully hoisting Kai up onto his other shoulder. It was going to be a long walk back to the tower.

  Chapter 3

  A Spirit’s Reprieve

  Seline’s Tower, Shadowreach

  A week later...

  An assortment of tiny blades floated in the air above Varyon Risen, suspended in time by his translucent blue aura. Sweat pooled on the temporal adept’s brow as he sat cross-legged and bare-chested, pouring spirit energy out of his palms and keeping the cluster of blades at bay.

  After all, what was training without a bit of danger involved?

  Since the defeat of the Kaito brothers and Leila’s eventual return, Varyon had done little but train his spirit aura. Each day he’d pushed his spirit to its limits within the confines of his room, inching his way towards the next level, towards a higher rank and greater power. The others, however, weren’t quite so driven.