The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  A single hand emerged from the center of the umbra titan, absorbing the mass of soul essence that now took the place of Argo Zael’s body. Seconds later the man fully emerged, taking his perch atop the titan’s shoulder.

  “The time of the weak ruling this realm is over,” Jeryn Blackstar beckoned, raising a clenched fist into the air. “The time of the dark gods is NOW!”

  Seline crossed her arms in front of her defensively as a wave of shadow energy cascaded from the mighty umbra titan, rippling across the floor before slamming into her now weakened form. The silver flame adept’s body crashed into the far wall, leaving a sizable crack along its opal base. With Argo dead, there was no way she could survive against this foe... Lord Blackstar, the uncontested leader of the thousand-legged spiders.

  But maybe she wouldn’t have to.

  Moving with desperation, Seline forced herself to her feet before lunging to her left, latching her fingers onto the ancient scroll that hung from the wall.

  Blackstar merely chuckled, flexing his fist and causing his umbra titan to do the same. “You Bonaduce are all the same... foolishly resilient even in the face of utter defeat.”

  Seline grimaced. “I think you’re mistaken, spider. It’s our resilience that’ll one day lead to your defeat!”

  Before the dark guild lord could respond, Seline smashed the scroll case on the floor, causing the scroll inside to unravel across the stone. Its ancient runes began to glow with green light as the scroll came to life, it’s dormant power consuming the brittle parchment before erupting with spirit energy long forgotten.

  //////////

  Greater Earth skill: Earthquake

  //////////

  The entire complex began to shake violently as the ancient technique took its course, unleashing waves of unstable earth energy across each and every surface. In a final moment of defiance, Seline met eyes with Jeryn Blackstar, staring daggers into him that she greatly wished to pierce his heart with... and then she was gone.

  The earth skill reached its violent crescendo, destroying the floor beneath her along with the entire platform that held Argo’s crumbling sanctuary. Suddenly, she was free-falling through the open sky, hurdling towards the city below as chunks of debris and hidden artifacts descended at her side.

  Without her reserve of spirit energy, Seline knew there was little chance that she’d survive such a fall, but that was the last thought on her mind... for as she descended, she witnessed a far more horrifying development. The aura barrier protecting Shadowreach had fallen with the spirit magus... and the nightmares of the veil were approaching to claim their prize.

  Chapter 9

  The Fall of Shadowreach

  Seline’s crumbling tower, the city of Shadowreach

  “Damn all the gods of this wretched place!” Roy growled as he plummeted through the crumbling floors of the falling tower. Every time he tried to right himself his body was jostled against a piece of wall or slammed against a broken piece of floor, opening up small wounds across his flesh but doing little to slow his descent.

  When Wrath had struck, his black serpent technique had done irreparable damage to Seline’s tower, not only destroying the floor that Roy was on but wrapping itself around the entirety of the structure itself. Walls and floorboards, beams and support structures had crumbled under the stress of the technique, causing the tower to begin its plunge towards the ground and leaving those like Roy trapped within its crumbling walls.

  Faster and faster the void adept plummeted as chunks of debris began to accompany his fall. He knew he was seconds away from hitting the ground or skewering himself on a piece of jagged darksteel, but he just couldn’t seem to right himself. If only he could-

  “Valkyrie’s shield!” Kimoura’s voice rang loud in Roy’s ears as a protective bubble of white light enveloped his body. A breath later he felt her arms wrap around his waist as her technique encased them in a powerful shield.

  “How-“ was the only word Roy managed to get out before Kimoura kicked off a shattered piece of wall, propelling them through a broken window and into the open air.

  “Brace yourself!” Kimoura yelled as she reinforced her technique, spirit energy flowing from her channels. Roy nodded, crossing his arms over his face a mere second before the two completed their freefall and slammed into the unforgiving ground below.

  The void adept groaned in pain as he forced himself to a knee, his body aching from the impact that Kimoura’s shield hadn’t managed to absorb. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to stay upright for long as a massive ring of dust and debris crashed into him, sending his body skidding through the dirt... one caused by the collapse of the nearby tower.

  It sounded like the heavens themselves were crying in protest as the giant darksteel structure crashed into the ground, sending shrapnel and debris in nearly every direction and filling the streets with a thick, blinding cloud. Death wales filled the air as many succumbed to their final breaths, not just the adepts trapped within the fallen tower but those in nearby buildings who failed to escape the wanton destruction.

  Seline’s tower, a once magnificent piece of darksteel architecture and a pillar of Shadowreach city, now stood in a heap. And gone with it, was any semblance of peace

  “No... NO!” Roy screamed between coughs, the dust still stinging at his eyes. Leila, Remley, Quinn, Yoshiro, even Varyon... they had all been inside when the tower fell.

  “Roy, get on your feet!” Kimoura urged, pouring some of her healing light energy into him as she hoisted the void adept up.

  “Wait!” he stammered, tearing free from her grip as he stumbled towards the carnage. “Remley and the others.... we need to-“

  “Roy, look!” she interrupted, grabbing his head and forcibly turning it to the side. Immediately his eyes went wide as he surveyed the city’s border. The gravitational barrier that once protected the city was gone, replaced by a wall of mist that seemed to be overtaking the city by the second... and within that wall lied the gnashing teeth and outstretched claws of a monstrous horde born straight out of nightmare.

  The veil had arrived in Shadowreach.

  “We... we can’t just leave them, dammit!” Roy protested as a thousand different emotions swirled in the pit of her stomach.

  “Roy...” Kimoura pleaded, her voice softer now than just a moment ago. “I was with Rem amidst the chaos. We both were, and you heard what he said. He said we need to make sure we get out of this damned place alive and find him at the pinnacle.”

  “I don’t even know what the damn pinnacle is! And besides, he wouldn’t want us to leave him to die!” Roy growled, despair beginning to creep into his voice.

  “Trust him, Roy!” Kimoura shot back, yanking on the man’s arm as the cries of darkbeasts drew ever closer. “That’s what guildmates do...”

  Slowly, the void adept turned and met her gaze, his expression filled with conflict and guilt. He didn’t know what the Hell to do, and for the first time, Remley wasn’t there to have his back...

  “Ya know, I really think you should listen to her. This whole thing has really changed my opinion on death and carnage and all that.”

  Roy whipped around to find Jakki clinging to the back of his leg, his fur matted with dust and blood and a large cut in one of his ears.

  “Bastard cat,” the void adept growled, aiming his frustrations at the felyne. “Don’t you have anything useful to...” Roy’s words drifted into the ether as an overwhelming sense of dread began to creep into the pit of his soul. Seconds ago, he’d glimpsed at the approaching veil, though his anger had quickly taken precedent. But now... now he could feel the vast darkness approaching, swallowing the city with despair and soon... death.

  And yet, Roy had felt something like this before. He had felt it on the day he arrived in Eon when a group of darkbeasts nearly ripped the flesh from his bones. And now they were here again, larger and more fearsome and ready to come collect on his soul.

  “So we run. Just where are we gonna go?” Roy fi
nally said, eyes darting in every direction. From the looks of it, the city was surrounded on all sides. To the east, a group of adepts mobilized as massive black tentacles emerged from the miasma. The desperate cultivators launched a barrage of techniques at the appendages, however, it did little to prevent the massive tentacles from latching onto the adepts and tearing them apart with ease. Behind him, a swarm of horned darkbeasts emerged from the darkness, goring a pair of guards stationed near one of Shadowreach’s smaller towers before tearing down its doors and attacking those inside.

  But even worse than all of that was the form emerging from the rubble that was once Seline’s tower... the form of Wrath, wielder of the underworld serpent and spirikai of the thousand-legged spiders.

  “By Bahamut’s blood…” Kimoura muttered. “I… I don’t know.” The fear in her tone far more evident than before, the dread building with each word spoken. “But I know we won’t be good to anyone if we’re dead.”

  “Dammit all…” Roy muttered, the gravity of the situation finally weighing on his weary shoulders. “We might not have a choice.” As he spoke, the black-violet light of his aura began to resonate in his fists, causing his knuckles to glow.

  “If I may, I think I have a solution,” Jakki said, raising a paw into the air.

  Roy quickly met his gaze. “Then speak, cat!”

  Moving with haste, Jakki leaned down on all fours and scurried to one of the street’s manhole covers before extending his claws and scratching at its surface. “My old master spent many moons clearing darkbeasts out of the sewers. If there is any way out of this, it’s there.”

  Moving with trepidation, Roy took a step towards the manhole cover, his gaze lingering on the destroyed tower and the vile adept that made his way out of the rubble. In a final bit of desperation, he used his spiritual sense to search for any sign of Rem and the others, but the chaos seemed to drown it all out.

  “Trust...” he muttered, forcing himself to look away. When things had gotten dire on the force, he never thought twice about putting his life into the hands of his partners. Well, this was no different. If Remley wanted him to flee, then there had to be a reason. He had to believe that.

  And so, with a heavy heart... Roy removed the metal cover and led the others into the sewers.

  ****

  Varyon’s muscles strained as temporal energy coursed through his body, culminating in his legs before channeling into the wind blade beneath his feet. Moments ago, Varyon had been woken by an assault on the tower... one that came with such precision and such swiftness that he had little time to prepare.

  However, his guildmates quickly proved to be ready for anything.

  Moving with haste, Remley had taken charge, gathering Leila, Kimoura, and Roy as the walls themselves began to shake with violent force. Their deliberation was short, as dark techniques began to tear through the tower. In the end, the flame adept gave them three simple instructions... Find the others. Protect yourselves. Find a way to the pinnacle.

  A breath later, the party was split as dark tendrils of energy tore through the wall, bringing death and chaos to the place they very briefly called home. Varyon had desperately searched for the others, but amidst the carnage, the only soul he could locate was the very soul anchored to his own… that of Remley’s.

  Using his temporal energy, Varyon managed to slow Remley’s descent, granting him the split second he needed to scoop the man up with his windblade. A breath later, the pair had escaped through one of the tower’s windows, fleeing as the structure fell beneath them and the fate of his newfound guild lay in question.

  Now they found themselves soaring atop his flying sword, slicing through the darkening sky as the veil began to overwhelm the city’s borders.

  “I’m going in,” Varyon said, his gaze flickering back to what remained of Seline’s tower as he prepared to alter his course.

  However, he paused as Remley placed a hand on his shoulder, the man’s gaze filled with an unwavering determination. “In time. First, we need to find my sister.”

  “But…” Varyon protested, his voice trailing.

  Remley grimaced, but his stance remained firm. “Whoever attacked my sister’s tower is clearly targeting us, and it’s evident that they have more than enough firepower to bring us down. Grouping would only make that easier for them. Believe me, the others are resilient… I wouldn’t have trained them otherwise.”

  “They are,” Varyon affirmed, though in a less assured tone/

  Rem nodded. “They’ll find a way out of there. But for now, we must scatter to the winds and trust that-“

  Before Remley could finish his thought, a massive wing of an elite darkbeast emerged from the approaching veil, smashing into Varyon’s windblade and sending the pair into a tailspin. Varyon immediately tried to right himself but the veil swallowed them in mere seconds, obstructing his sight and eliminating his sense of direction.

  “Hold on!” Varyon yelled, bracing as the pair began to faster. Then in a final act of desperation, the temporal adept threw a temporal sphere around Remley and himself as the two plunged into the endless black.

  ****

  The takeover of Shadowreach was both swift and violent. With the fall of Argo Zael, the floodgates were opened, and the veil passed through the city unopposed. Thousands of darkbeasts invaded the city’s streets, tearing apart adepts unable to flee as their soul essence was consumed by the ravenous beasts.

  One tower in particular, that which belonged to Seline Bonaduce, was decimated in its entirety. However, the casualties of that attack remained to be seen. Slowly, a form rose from the rubble, shadow aura swirling around the man’s body as he climbed back to his feet. Wiping the dust from his ripped tunic, Wrath surveyed the carnage his technique had wrought... and grinned.

  “You damned fool,” a voice echoed from beneath the rubble. Wrath turned and watched as a massive chunk of rock rose into the sky, hoisted by the burly arms of Louis Von Dragonsbane. “I had the throat a man in one hand and the ass of a broad in the other when you brought the damned place crashing down! Ya squished the girl into damn paste!”

  “Agreed,” another voice said. A breath later a portion of twisted wall seemingly melted away as Raze rose to his feet surrounded by a protective layer of molten lava. “I was in a particularly enjoyable duel with this ghost girl when a chunk of the ceiling fell down on top of her. Shame...”

  “You’d be foolish to think that an adept from the spiders could accomplish any task with the proper finesse,” a third voice said, drawing the sudden ire of Wrath. Waves of crystaline water suddenly began to rise from the rubble, swirling together in a helix formation before dissipating into ether, leaving Gideon standing in their wake. “It’s quite clear that they believe throwing the weight of one’s aura around suffices as strategy.”

  Wrath’s jaw immediately tightened and the veins near his temples began to bulge with anger. He’d grown accustomed to the others slighting him, but Gideon had always acted as if such squabbles were above him. Clearly, that wasn’t the case anymore.

  “I have done what we came here to do,” Wrath roared back, pointing towards the destruction the lied at their feet. “The tower was vast and those willing to defend it numerous. Destroying it was the only way to prevent the bastards inside from fleeing. If you don’t believe me, then I implore you to use your spiritual sense... you’ll find that not a single survivor lies beneath our feet. And besides...” the shadow adept stretched his arms out wide as if to survey the greater cityscape. “The city is ours. No one is escaping the veil tonight!”

  Gideon scoffed. “You doubt the ingenuity of the Bonaduce clan and their allies. There’s a reason they managed to survive the bounty of blades.” He paused, eyeing a piece of shifting rubble as Jeska of the shadow tigers crept out from beneath a pile of broken stone. Slowly, she rose to her feet, her cat-like body quickly re-assuming its human form.

  Gideon let out a sigh of annoyance before continuing. “As I was saying, I speak of so
mething far more peculiar. While storming the tower, I care across an elder who’s spirit left a foul taste in my mouth.”

  “Abusing the elderly, are we?” Louis jested, drawing a chuckle out of the others.

  Gideon cut his eyes at him, putting a quick end to the laughter. Clearly, he had already grown tired of his company. “No, you fool. His power was veiled somehow, even from me. But from what I sensed, there was something deep within the well of his spirit aura... something cold and draconic.”

  “Are you going on about Cipherion again?” Jeska taunted, casually tossing a blade into the air. “When are you going to give up that age-old blood feud?”

  “I know what I felt,” Gideon growled. “That is until Wrath brought the damned place down on top of us.”

  Wrath sighed, choosing to remain silent rather than continue this verbal spar. He wouldn’t dare tell Gideon the true reason he’d unleashed his famed shadow serpent technique... that he had feared he might actually be wounded by that blasted wind adept and her dark passenger. Something about the woman, about the way she wielded that divine power had made her far stronger than she should’ve been. And if she had damaged him with her divine power, there was no way he’d be able to hide his shame.

  Wrath thought back to just hours before… when he had considered launching an attack on the tower from afar. The five of them could have easily eradicated the tower that way with little chance of failure. But no, he wanted to make it personal. He wanted to see the face of Varyon Risen as he eviscerated his new allies. Instead, his pride had gotten in the way once more...

  “But no matter...” Gideon said, finally letting the shadow adept off the hook and drawing him from his thoughts. “Luck may yet be on your side.” Gideon pointed a finger in the air, turning their attention to the plummeting body of Seline Bonaduce, her body glowing with the faintest hue of silver flame light. “For I’ve just spotted your shooting star.”