The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  That is until he was awoken by the sounds of twisting metal and the screams of the tower’s guards.

  Chapter 6

  Prodigies of the Veil

  Warehouse district, the city of Shadowreach

  Earlier...

  Wrath of the thousand-legged spiders stood in the center of the abandoned warehouse, arms folded at his chest and shadow aura swirling around his form. He’d spent several weeks in the city of rogues, monitoring the situation with the spirit magus and the Bonaduce’s from afar, biding his time and waiting for the perfect time to strike. However, after another rendezvous with Lord Blackstar, it became apparent that he would not be taking on this task alone. The dark gods themselves wanted this seen through to its end, and it was clear that they would accept little chance for error. That is why the mighty spirikai was no longer alone... No, standing in his presence were four elite adepts from the veil, members of Eon’s other dark guilds.

  To his left stood Raze of the Black Phoenix guild, a mighty adept with the ability to control both earth and fire aura. Though short in stature, the man’s spiritual power was strong enough to draw magma from below Eon’s surface and turn his foes to ash. Next to him was Louis Von Dragonbane, the berserker adept of the Crimson Hammer guild. With his tall, bulky frame, bearded scowl, blood-red armor, and trademark spiked pauldrons, the adept’s very presence struck fear into the hearts of lesser cultivators.

  To the far right stood Jeska, famed assassin and wind adept of the Shadow Tigers guild. With her enhanced speed and tri-blade gauntlets, the deadly woman was often known for finishing her opponents before the fight even started.

  And last but not least was the water adept Gideon Xerak, spirikai of the Underworld Dragon guild. Gideon was a legend among the dark guilds, a wielder of aura so mighty that it was often considered a gift from one of the dark gods themselves. That is how he earned the title the drowner.

  Wrath surveyed the group of fearsome adepts, allowing his gaze to linger on each of them as he judged the strength of their aura before finally reassuming his rigid posture. The four spirikai standing before him were representatives from the strongest of Eon’s dark guilds, agents of death sent from the shadows to help the spiders with their... predicament.

  “So, here we are... sent to clean up another one of Jeryn Blackstar’s messes,” Jeska said, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “What is it this time? Another one of your adepts decided he can’t handle it anymore and go rogue?”

  “You’d be wise not to speak ill of Lord Blackstar,” Wrath replied. “Or the next shadow you step into may prove to be your grave.”

  “Bah, but the lass is right,” Louis interjected, stroking his long beard with his thick, calloused fingers. “I’m certain the umbral council grows tired of-“

  “Do not speak as if you know of the umbral council,” Gideon interrupted, his voice so icy cold that it sent a shiver down Louis's spine. Of the five adepts present, Gideon had been the only one to ever witness a gathering of the umbral council, the legendary group in control of the dark guilds. And because of that, only he knew the horrors of which they were capable.

  Slowly, Gideon’s gaze shifted back to the shadow adept. “Now, I’ve come a long way and with very little information. Why are we here?”

  Wrath grimaced. “To claim this city for the council... and to kill a pair of Bonaduce.”

  Jeska immediately let out a cackle, overshadowing the gasps of the others. “The Bonaduce clan was supposed to fall with the bounty of blades! You mean to tell me there are more of them running around here?!” She let out another laugh. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

  Raze, who had been quiet for most of the meeting let out a sigh, sending ripples through the red mask that covered his face. “One problem... what happens when the spirit magus discovers our presence here. I’d much prefer not to be flung into space as food for some starbeast.”

  The Magus will be taken care of,” Wrath replied with cold confidence. “Lord Blackstar will see to that.”

  Jeska barely managed to stifle another chuckle and Louis rolled his eyes, though Gideon seemed content with the response.

  “Very well,” the water adept said. “What do you know of the Bonaduce’s current whereabouts.

  For the first time in a long while, Wrath grinned. “Oh, I know everything.”

  And so, the shadow adept spoke at length about the last month he’d spent in Shadowreach, about his time studying the Sky Wolves from afar, learning their patterns, their techniques. He even managed to conjure blueprint of Seline’s tower out of shadow, revealing the most advantageous points for his counterparts to strike. And though he wanted to be the sole adept to finally end the steel brotherhood, he would be content with a little help...

  For under the mask of twilight, Wrath would spill Bonaduce blood.

  Chapter 7

  Early morning Siege

  Seline’s Tower, the city of Shadowreach

  Now

  Silence... such a thing was a rarity in Seline’s tower, especially with the number of guards, adepts and hired helped that lived within the darksteel walls. However, there was a specific point in time, a period just before the worldstar began its rise that everything in the tower fell silent...

  That was the time that Ezry cherished most.

  Seated in one of the lush red sofas near the tower’s entrance, the adept hung her legs off the edge as she causally spun a dagger on her fingertip. After fighting in wars across multiple realms, she found the comfort of absolute silence to be one of the simplest pleasures one could experience. There was no clashing of swords, not the clang of metal nor the twang of bowstrings to set off her hyper-vigilant senses. No, just the peacefully blissful absence of -

  CRASH!

  Ezry leapt to her feet in an instant as the tower’s massive doors twisted and warped before exploding off their hinges with violent force. Immediately, the metal adept fell into battle stance, unsheathing the twin sabers slung across her back as she allowed her spirit aura to flow. She had no idea who would be foolish enough to invade the tower of Seline Bonaduce... either someone immensely strong or another fool with a death wish. Either way, she was prepared for whatever lied beyond the shrinking cloud of dust...

  For she would be force-feeding them cold, hard steel.

  As the dust and debris cleared Ezry saw just who stood beyond the ravaged doorway, and she could hardly believe her eyes. Breaking into her tower was a small group of mercenaries... lesser adepts for hire that she’d seen fighting over contracts in the dark corners of the reach. But how? These bastards could barely manage to fend for themselves. How could they’ve broken through the many runic seals plastered across the darksteel gate?

  The answer was simple... they had to be working for someone, somebody that wanted them dead. But no matter. She had more than enough blades to cut them down!

  The first to approach the blade dancer were a pair of spirin earth adepts, rocky formations forming at the center of their calloused palms. As they charged in, the tried to split Ezry’s defenses, leaping to either side as they attempted to launch a two-pronged attack... one that would ultimately prove futile.

  As the pair closed in, Ezry unleashed her first technique, drawing in her blades before leaping into a spinning strike. Spirit energy coursed through her swords as she swung them with violent precision, lobbing off a hand from each of her opponents and stopping their spirit skills dead in their tracks.

  The pair of crippled adepts immediately retreated, clutching at their bloody stumps. However, another pair of spirins quickly took their place, this time led by a much stronger spiriteka.

  Ezry merely grinned. “I ought to commend you... You’ve picked a lovely morning to die.”

  “Fool girl,” the opposing Spiriteka replied, allowing his flame aura to flare. “I’m getting paid far too much to roll over and die. Now hold still while I burn that grin off your face.”

  Again, the opposing adepts charged in, this time taking a more measured app
roach than their fallen allies.

  If only they knew what they were up against.

  //////////

  Blade dancer skill: Blade Waltz

  //////////

  Translucent gray aura flared around Ezry’s form, resonating in the blades held tightly in her grasp. Her eyes became deadly focused as her technique began to fully take hold, causing her muscles to tighten and her breathing to slow. Then, as her spirit reached its pinnacle and her enemies finally stepped into range... she charged.

  Blood and aura filled the room as the metal adept began her deadly dance, cutting through a pulse of fire energy before slashing across the flame adept’s abdomen. The spirin to her right tried to capitalize on her movement with an empowered punch but Ezry merely spun out of the way, using her momentum to drag her blade across the man’s eyes.

  Screams began to fill the room as Ezry continued her waltz, cutting down her third attacker with ease before returning to the flame adept. Injured, the man desperately tried to conjure a flame shield to cut off her assault. However, the technique provided little resistance against her spirit-enhanced blade, turning to ash as she stabbed through its center and directly into his chest.

  As the trio fell, another wave of adepts immediately replaced their fallen brethren, surrounding Ezry and attacking her from nearly every direction. They came at her with weapons raised and techniques flaring, an assault that should have laid her low... However, Ezry still had one more trick up her sleeve.

  “It’s time, Zy,” the metal adept whispered. “Show them our strength!”

  As her attackers closed in, Ezry’s ghostly appendage began to stir to life. Long, translucent tentacles grew from her forearms, swirling through the air as a pair of violet eyes appeared on the back of her palm.

  //////////

  Bonded spirit beast- Zyastrix

  Origin realm- Aetheria

  A ghost-type spirit beast linked directly to Ezry’s soul. It possesses both ethereal and psionic powers, as well as a reserve of energy that allows Ezry to access power far beyond her rank.

  //////////

  Ezry remained poised as the first weapon reached her flesh, an axe blade aimed directly at her midsection. But rather than cleaving her in two, the weapon passed effortlessly through her now ethereal body, slamming into one of the adepts on her opposite side.

  //////////

  Bonded beast skill: Ethereal shift

  //////////

  Again and again, the mob of adepts struck out at Ezry, and each time she activated her ethereal shift, phasing through weapons, dashing through her opponents and re-appearing at their flank.

  Each movement came at a cost, draining more of her spirit energy with every use of her ghostly power. However, they cost her opponents far more. Each step taken ended with a blade piercing soft flesh or a sword slashing through an outstretched limb.

  Blood and confusion continued to fill the room, reaching a violent crescendo before Ezry once again stood alone, surrounded by a pile of bodies unfortunate enough to feel the bite of her blade. As her ghostly spirit beast began to calm, Ezry dropped her blades to her sides and exhaled, allowing her flaring spirit to settle as sweat methodically dripped from her chin. However, a sudden spike in her spiritual senses put her back on edge.

  There was another...

  Standing in the doorway was her newest adversary, an adept short in height but mighty in spirit. Clad in a black tunic, the man’s limbs were wrapped in tight, shadow-like fabric and his face hidden behind a thin, red mask.

  “Come to die as well?” Ezry asked, reassuming a fighting stance as she hoisted her swords back into the air.

  The masked adept merely chuckled, raising a gloved hand to either side. Flame energy began to pool in one of his palms, creating a spinning ball of flame that shined brightly like a drop of sunlight. In the other hand, a swirling line of earth energy rose from between his fingers, taking the form of jagged stone.

  “Hardly,” the man replied, allowing his dual auras to swirl around his outstretched arms. “Though you’ll do just fine... Actually, it’s quite poetic.”

  “How so?” Ezry snapped back, crossing her blades in front of her.

  “Because... while you defend the doors to your home with such passion, you’ve become oblivious to the true threat scaling your tower’s walls.”

  Ezry’s eyes went wide, her thoughts suddenly trailing to the hundreds of souls now stirring in the levels above. Those thoughts were fleeting though... She didn’t have time to think of the others, not with a dual element adept coming for her blood.

  ****

  Silence filled the halls of Argo Zael’s hidden sky sanctuary, accompanying the powerful relics and ancient artifacts that decorated its walls. At the center of the main room sat Seline, legs crossed, fists clenched and silver flame aura raging like heavenly fire.

  Despite her strength, the adept could do little to move, for within her body a war was being waged. The spirit of a long-dead dragon clawed at her insides, desperately trying to escape the tethers that had nearly bonded the creature to her soul. The creature yearned for escape, so much so that it would’ve decimated the spirikai’s body in mere seconds. However, Argo Zael had infused the woman with an immensely powerful rune, trapping the benevolent beast inside of her until one of them was forced to submit...

  And Seline was determined that it would not be her.

  Seated across from the woman was the spirit magus himself, his posture slumped and his eyes glazed over from the disease that continued to spread through his weakened body. He could do little to help Seline now, though he insisted on staying put and seeing this through to its end. She was his last hope in finding an heir to watch over his city of rogues. If she fell, so too would the city fall to shadow.

  Seline’s lips quivered and a grunt of pain escaped her mouth as she steeled herself against the spirit’s onslaught, imposing her will as the creature fought to escape. She could barely stand it... She felt as if the frigid winds of the ice peaks were beating at her flesh, turning her to ice before shattering her into a thousand tiny pieces...

  And yet, she couldn’t relent. A single moment of weakness, a single crack in her resolve would be more than enough to end her life. Then who would be left to protect her baby brother and Ezry...

  Clenching her jaw, Seline focused her silver flame aura inward, bathing the dragon spirit in fire as she desperately tried to tame its relentless soul. She was so focused, so honed in on the task at hand that she didn’t notice the shadows creeping along the walls of the room.

  Argo Zael certainly did.

  ****

  Moving with haste, the spirit magus rose to his feet and tapped into his spirit aura, enveloping his body in a translucent cloak. A breath later he extended his aura outwards, shielding Seline in a protective sphere of gravitational force... and just in time.

  A massive swell of dark energy pulsed through the structure’s roof, tearing it asunder and causing debris to rain down on the pair below.

  Argo effortlessly re-directed the rubble, sending it skyward as he readied for what came next. A mere breath later, several lances of shadow energy rained down from above, smashing into his protective cloak before forking off in either direction and covering the floor in an unnatural darkness.

  “Show yourself,” Argo demanded before clutching at his mouths as a series of coughs bubbled to the surface.

  Seconds of silence followed as the spirit magus waited, his palms moving to a fighting position as he readied another technique. Not only would the mighty adept need to protect himself from this unseen foe, but he would have to preserve Seline as well.

  For the briefest of seconds, Argo glanced down at the silver flame adept, ensuring that she remained in his protective shell. Her eyes were shut and her body was trembling from the dragon spirit swirling within her... gods, she was likely oblivious to what was going on! Perhaps that was a good thing though. She couldn’t afford a distraction at such a pivotal moment in her growth
. With a quick flick of his wrist, Argo used his aura to hoist her into the air and carry into an adjacent hallway before slamming the door shut and sealing it with aura. He could only hope that would be enough to keep her safe until the threat subsided.

  Returning his attention to the intruder, Argo called out again, this time causing a thin line of blood to appear at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t want to, but if needed he would fill the entire area with his gravitational force. He’d do whatever it took to bring a quick end to the adept foolish enough to attack him.

  At least, that’s what he thought until his enemy made his presence known.

  Appearing at the cusp of the destroyed roof was a man who exuded vile energy. Dressed in inky black attire, he stood in the company of two near-perfect clones comprised entirely of shadow, their dark faces stretched into wicked grins. Jeryn Blackstar lord of the thousand-legged spiders guild had arrived.

  Argo shot the man a glare, remaining defiant despite the feeling of sickness in his stomach. “It’s quite bold of you to show your face in my domain, slave of shadows.”

  Blackstar let out a mocking laugh. “I think your mistaken, Argo... The shadows bow to me, not the other way around. I suppose that doesn’t matter though, seeing as your city will soon be under my control.”

  Argo shook his head. “So the dark gods have finally come for my kingdom then? Well, I invite you to try and take it. And perhaps when this is all over I’ll be able to erect a new wall around the city made completely of the bodies of your followers.”

  Blackstar’s expression tightened. “Or perhaps, today is the day that you die.”

  A mighty pulse of dark energy rippled through the room as Blackstar unleashed his spirit, allowing his lord level power to flow. A breath later, six more shadowy humanoids rose to his side, leaping from their perch as they headed straight towards Argo...