Because he’d been reborn into this damn nightmare realm, that’s why.
Roy’s anger boiled as he felt the last bit of air escaping his lungs. It didn’t matter how deep the Valemorrow was or how large the serpent circling them might be. Things might be dire but he sure as Hell wasn’t reincarnated just to be die in some watery grave! Thankfully, he had an ace up his sleeve...
From within the swirling black, Roy reached into his pocket and produced a small, icy shard... a shard taken from the remains of his fallen cryofox. During the last few weeks, Roy had sensed a presence from within the shard, a power yearning to walk the earth once more. At first, he’d been apprehensive about toiling with the powers that lurked within the piece of icy glass, especially if he ran the risk of extinguishing his fox for good. Still, he’d chosen to carry the shard with him, and considering his current predicament, it was time to make a gambit.
Drawing on his divine power, Roy channeled his icy blue energy into the blue crystal, pouring it on with such intensity that he feared his spiritual meridians might shatter. Fortunately, the shard managed to absorb the energy as quickly as it came...
Then it happened. The icy shard exploded with energy, doubling in size again and again, morphing before Roy’s eyes. Pieces of ice jutted from either side, molding themselves under spiritual pressure, growing until the once tiny piece of ice took the form of a benevolent beast. Nearly out of breath, Roy looked on in awe as the mere ice shard had reassumed the form of his cryofox, now larger than a horse and more majestic than a spirit beast. Without thinking twice, the void adept swam forward and latched on to the creature’s mane, holding on for dear life.
****
On the swamp’s surface, the massive serpentine darkbeast circled the quickly sinking wreckage, constricting its body tighter as its head slowly rose into the air. The creature’s maw opened wide, preparing to snatch its prey from the murky depths...
Unfortunately, its prey had other plans.
The black waters of the Valemorrow began to glow an icy blue, growing in intensity as the water began to swirl. A mere breath later, an icy fox exploded from beneath the water’s surface, slamming into the darkbeast’s chin and knocking its head away. And on the back of that cryofox rode its master... divine adept Roy Skyworth.
“Hold on!” Roy yelled as he willed the cryofox forward, dashing across the surface of the water as he clung to his creature’s icy mane. Kimoura clung to his back, her legs wrapped tightly around the cryofox’s body as Jakki held on to Roy’s thigh for dear life. And just a few feet back, attached by a thin but ultra-durable layer of spider silk was Zyr, his spider legs skimming through the water as the fast-moving fox dragged him along. And was that the semblance of a grin forming on his face?
Roy’s eyes blazed with divine light as he continued to channel his energy into the cryofox, spurring his mount across the surface of the Valemorrow and leaving an icy trail in its wake. Immediately darkbeasts began to populate his vision, revealing themselves from the veil of darkness as they were drawn to his aura. However, his fox proved just a bit too elusive for their grasp.
Roy ducked low as his cryofox ran, weaving in and out of the trees as curved talons and snapping maws lunged at its body. Even the lesser darkbeasts built for tracking down prey were struggling to catch the adept as his fox barreled through the Valemorrow.
“How long can your beast keep this up?!” Zyr shouted, ducking as a low-hanging branch nearly took off his head.
“Not... sure...” Roy growled, pouring all of his focus into the task at hand. In truth, his divine energy was nearly depleted, and his kindred connection with Kimoura would do little to fuel his divine power. And once that icy power was gone, he had no way of knowing what would happen to his fox. But to Hell with it... he’d extinguish his spirit if it meant keeping them alive and escaping this damn nightmare!
“On your right, love!” Kimoura shouted. Roy reacted near-instantly, shifting his fox to the left as the beast narrowly dodged a blast of dark energy. Unfortunately, the quick move brought them directly in the path of a pair of blackened tree trunks.
Straightening his posture, Roy willed his cryofox forward in an attempt to thread the needle, taking aim the small space between the two towering trees. A breath later, shards of ice and wood were launched into the air as Roy’s fox forced its way through, taking a huge chunk out of either tree with its icy mane but ultimately leaving its riders unharmed.
The cryofox increased its speed as it cleared the trees, breaking out into a sprint as it reached open ground. Its paws were nearly silent as they padded across the soft earth, leaving icy circles in the ground with each passing step.
On and on they traveled, fearful to look back and find that an army of darkbeasts was licking their heels. Fortunately, a sight caught their eye that gave them the slightest bit of hope.
“There! Look!” Zyr yelled, pointing to another line of trees just up ahead. These were different though... unlike the short, twisting trees they were accustomed to, these trunks were unbelievably thick and extended beyond his sight. It was as if they were the legs of some mighty tree god.
Roy’s eyes went wide. “Are those-“
“They’re elder oaks!” Kimoura cheered.
“That’s good?” Jakki asked, interjecting himself into the action. “Please tell me that’s good.”
“By Cipherion’s sight, I’d say it’s the best thing I’ve seen in ages!” Kimoura replied, a bit of hope returning to her voice. “I’ve heard of they grow in strange parts of Eon but I’ve never seen them with my own eyes. The trunks of elder oaks are said to grow from seeds that have fallen from the heavens. Some say you can climb them until you reach the heavens themselves, and if we’re lucky...”
“Then we just might be able to use them to escape the veil!” Zyr said, finishing her statement. “We need to scale the elder oak, and quickly!”
“Got it,” Roy replied, tightening his grip on his fox’s icy mane. A breath later, the beast leapt into action, increasing its speed as it dashed across the swampy terrain and leaving tiny pools of ice in its wake.
The ground shook and an ear-piercing screech filled Roy’s ears as they closed in on the giant tree, warning him that one of the massive darkbeasts was closing in fast. Just what the Hell was he going to do once he reached the trunk? And how would they-
“Hold on! Zyr howled, pulling Roy out of his thoughts and forcing him into action. Without hesitation, the void adept yanked on his mount’s crystal mane, forcing the cryofox to dart straight at the tree. From there Zyr took over.
Using each and every one of his spider legs, the chimera adept launched himself skyward, latching onto the tall oak with ease. A breath later, he aimed two of his palms downward and fired countless strands of spider silk, wrapping both Roy and Kimoura in his seemingly unbreakable web of embrace.
With a grunt and a pulse of spirit energy, Zyr used his enhanced strength and yanked the pair skyward. Kimoura didn’t resist, scaling the tree in seconds. However, Roy leaned away from the tug of the spider silk, hugging the body of his cryofox and tightening his grip on the creature’s mane.
It had been but mere moments since Roy had reunited with the creature... moments since his divine energy had returned the beast to life. And though he knew it wasn’t logical, he latched on to the creature all the same, confident in Zyr’s strength and hoping to hoist his mount to safety.
Then something unexpected happened.
In an effort to increase his own physical strength, Roy cut off his divine energy and began channeling void aura into his muscles, a much more potent force of physical power. However, what he didn’t expect was the effect it would have on his cryofox.
As soon as he stopped channeling energy into the beast, its size began to rapidly diminish, shrinking until it could once again be cradled in his arms.
With aura and exhilaration pumping through his veins, Roy scooped the cryofox into his right hand and Jakki into his left, protecting them as Zy
r yanked him skyward. He watched as just feet below him the serpentine darkbeast slammed into the ancient tree, embedding its fangs into the wood just inches from where he once stood. And then... then he flew towards the stars.
Dangling upon a thousand strands of spider silk, Roy and Kimoura were dragged higher and higher, pulled by Zyr as he scaled the ancient tree at a breakneck speed.
Below, darkbeasts began to pool at the trunk’s base, climbing over one another as they tried to grab at his boots and drag him back down. Luckily, Kimoura’s arms still remained free and a mighty blast of her light energy managed to stave them off.
For a moment, it seemed like the beasts were about to recoil, like they might regroup and launch themselves up the side of the ancient tree. Then, in a single breath... they were gone.
The darkbeasts disappeared from view as Zyr hoisted them higher, beyond the reach of the veil, up and out of the dark cloud that housed all of their nightmares.
Roy felt like he’d just ascended beyond a realm of madness and carnage. Below, he could see the veil as a massive blanket of fog covering the ground far beyond his sight. And above... above the elder oaks stretched into dozens of winding branches, their ends covered in leaves that were larger than him and bathed in an endless starlight.
“This is where we rest,” Zyr said, hoisting Roy and Kimoura up the final length of the tree and placing them in the nook of an impossibly thick branch.
Roy settled in, nervously peering over the edge of his seat as if he was waiting for a darkbeast to emerge at any second. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Zyr nodded. “The darkbeasts are unnaturally territorial. They won’t stray from the veil... not unless a pocket of dark atmosphere traps them in one of those vile dungeons.”
Slowly, the chimera adept separated himself from the conversation and made his way to one of the higher branches, weaving a large web of spider silk as he moved.
Roy sighed, averting his gaze westward to the endless beyond. He could see other elder trees in the distance, arising out of the veil in defiance. And beyond that, a stretch of mountain peaks so distant that they were barely within his view. However, the most welcoming sight was the one mere feet away from him… the woman seated on the twisting arm of the elder oak.
Moving with careful balance, Kimoura slid across the large tree branch and squeezed herself into the small nook next to Roy. “This... feels weird,” she said after several moments of silence, resting her head on his shoulder.
“What do ya mean?”
She shrugged. “This moment of peace... it just doesn’t feel real. Moments ago we were running for our lives, and now look.” The light adept pointed to the sky where a thousand stars burned with all of their luminescent glory. “It still amazes me that such beauty lies just beyond the veil.”
Jakki let out a soft purr, detaching himself from Roy’s grasp and climbing atop his free shoulder. “Even more beautiful than a prolonged sequence of open combat.”
“I think your right for once, cat,” Roy said, making a grin surface on Jakki’s whiskered face. Then he leaned back, allowing himself a moment to breathe easy, allowing his depleted spirit a moment to recharge.
“Here, take this.”
Roy’s sleep-deprived gaze shifted upwards, startled by the words. There he saw Zyr dangling from a strand of silk, an oversized elder leaf dangling in his grasp. Slowly, the chimera adept lowered it onto him, covering both he and Kimoura with it like a natural blanket.
“Rest well,” Zyr instructed. “We set out at first light.”
Again, Roy nodded, turning his gaze back to the stars as a glowing-winged spirit beast passed by from above. Then he let exhaustion take over and drifted into the realm of sleep.
Chapter 12
Remley and Varyon
Shadowreach prison camp, the realm of Eon
One week later...
Morning dew glistened on the edge of a hundred jagged blades as the worldstar made its ascent over the city that was once Shadowreach. Each of those blades was secured in the grasp of an adept from the thousand-legged spiders or another one of Eon’s dark guilds. And their objective was quite simple... guard their prisoners and slay those that didn’t comply.
After the fall of Shadowreach, the dark guilds had been swift to move in and seize the city, taking control of its many assets and imprisoning those unfortunate enough to be trapped within its walls. Some took this as an opportunity to set aside their pride and join the ranks of the dark guilds, a small price to pay for a chance at survival. However, those that did not quickly found themselves spirit-shackled and facing insurmountable odds... those like the unlikely duo of Remley Bonaduce and Varyon Risen.
“Forgive me, my friend... but please tell me you’ve devised a plan,” Varyon said in a hushed tone, speaking from within the opening of his weathered cowl.
“Well, I’d say the not dying plan was executed flawlessly,” Remley replied. “Now it’s just a matter of sorting the whole escape piece.”
During the city’s siege, the pair had been flung from Varyon’s windblade and were sent spiraling back into the chaos. From there, they were nearly killed several times over, forced to fight for their lives against the horrors brought on with the dark guild’s invasion. Eventually they were captured, though once again they found themselves the recipients of Remley’s twisted luck.
The guild officer responsible for their capture had failed to recognize both Remley and Varyon, and as such treated them as ordinary prisoners (though he did help himself to Remley’s red coat). As such, the pair remained silent as they were transferred to confinement, collecting clothing along the way and disguising themselves in the tattered attire of commoners. And that is where they remained, awaiting an opportunity to escape... to escape and find the others that they lost in the carnage.
Varyon sighed as he took a quick look around. He and Rem were trapped in a makeshift pen with at least twenty other shackled adepts, caged within a giant ring of rubble and stone. It wasn’t especially high, and he was certain that given a few moments he could climb his way out. However, what awaited him on the other side is what had the temporal adept concerned...
Releasing a shallow breath, Varyon ran his fingertips across the runic binding latched tightly around his neck… the spirit shackle. After ransacking the city, the spirit shackles were brought in, carried in large chests on the backs of twisted spirit beasts. They were then distributed amongst the prisoners, attached to each and every neck, all but nullifying any chance at an uprising. It all but infuriated Varyon. If only he had one more chance to access his spirit aura...
“Don’t fret,” Remley whispered, his voice reflecting a sort of gruff optimism despite their bleak situation. “The dark guilds have been working to extinguish the Bonaduce clan for ages, and each time they failed. Sooner or later, we’ll find a...”. Remley’s voice trailed off as his gaze locked on to something in the distance, his expression quickly turning grim.
Varyon grimaced as he followed the flame adept’s eyes, quite certain he knew exactly what the man was looking at... Unfortunately, he was correct.
Standing at the top of a large piece of rubble had emerged a rather imposing figure. Tall and slim, the man’s olive skin sported a number of grisly battle scars, including one that stretched vertically across the length of his face. However, the thing that had set Remley off was his attire. Wrapped around the man’s body was Remley’s trademark red coat, clinging to his body like the ill-fitting clothing of a child and accompanied by the curved blade typically holstered to Remley’s back.
Jekken Wilde, officer of the Shadow Tigers guild and makeshift prison warden had returned to oversee his captives.
Slowly, the man-made his way across the rubble wall, boots clicking against the stone with each passing step. His spiriteka energy swirled around his form, giving him a far more imposing presence than he deserved. Unfortunately, the spirit shackles ensured there was little any of them could do to stop him.
“The s
poils of war do indeed go to the victors...” the man muttered, grinning as he took stock of the adepts standing in his wake. “And what marvelous spoils I’ve found.” The man yanked on the sleeves of his stolen red coat, causing Remley to clench his teeth in disgust.
“Easy Rem,” Varyon whispered, careful not to speak his name too loudly. He could see the anger in his bonded brother beginning to swell, burning away the mask of optimism that he’d often donned.
“If he keeps yanking on my jacket like that then he’s going to pop a seam in no time,” Remley replied, speaking through his teeth as his voice seethed with anger. “And that I will not allow.”
Varyon stepped forward and placed a hand on the flame adept’s shoulder, squeezing it softly as if to demonstrate restraint. “If I’ve learned anything from the Wolves, it’s that we need to bide our time. What would the others think if we-“
“Hey!” Jekken’s voice rang true through the area, bringing Varyon’s words to an abrupt halt. “Do you have an issue here?”
Varyon carefully turned his gaze to the guild officer, praying to Bahamut that he wasn’t looking directly at them.
He was.
“We have no issues here,” Varyon replied. He was quickly growing to despise being subservient, but his time with the spiders had taught him well how to navigate these types of situations. “Deepest apologies.”
Jekken grinned. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talkin to him.” The man’s bony finger lifted into the air, pointing directly at Remley. “Do you have a problem... cause you sure look like you have one.”
Varyon held his breath as he awaited a response from Remley, though he had no idea what he was going to get. Normally, the flame adept was far more composed than those around him, but somewhere between stealing his gear and shackling his spirit the man had been pushed over the edge.
The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3 Page 50
