The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  The Heaven’s Gate Mountains, the realm of Eon

  Void aura swirled around Roy Skyworth’s form as the raging oko made their charge, hands outstretched and fangs ready to tear at his flesh. Unfortunately for them, he had other ideas.

  As the first oko closed in, Roy unsheathed his void claw and struck, taking aim the muscular bulk of fur and rage. His blade gleamed violet as it cut through the air, passing by the creature’s outstretched hand and lobbing off its arm with little resistance. The beast howled as its glowing blood sprayed across the snow, but Roy quickly silenced the beast by removing its head.

  The void adept marveled at his newly forged weapon, amazed with the power and precision with which it cut through his foe. It felt like an extension of himself, like a mighty ally reacting to his every whim...

  These things didn’t stand a chance.

  The second raging oko made a sweep at him, lunging for his sword arm with its massive hands. Roy responded in kind, flicking his blade out in front of him and removing all but one of the creature’s fingers. Before the spirit beast could even register the blow, he swung his blade back in the opposite direction, removing its head as glowing lifeblood decorated the snowy mountainscape.

  The final spirit beast, the smallest of the trio, seemed almost apprehensive to charge in. However, its rage ultimately won out and the creature leaped at Roy, arms outstretched and ready to maul.

  Rather than use his blade, Roy merely stepped aside and lifted his left hand into the air as spirit energy swelled in his palm. “Aura cannon!”

  The blast of spirit energy caught the oko in the chest mid-leap, propelling the beast in the opposite direction and sending it careening off the mountainside.

  Roy grinned as he absorbed the soul essence of the fallen beasts, rather pleased with the brutal efficiency his new weapon possessed. Unfortunately, that feeling was short-lived as the shouts of his allies reached his ears.

  “Roy?! What in Eon is going on up there?” Kimoura shouted.

  Roy chuckled. “Oh, you know.... just got a bit pre-occupied with the mountain beasts up here.”

  Kimoura gasped. “What?! Are you ok?”

  Roy steadied himself as he tossed the rope over the rocky ledge. “Yup. They’re dead.”

  Kimoura began to reply but Jakki quickly interrupted, leaping onto her shoulders to get closer to Roy. “What?! You slayed them without me?!”

  Roy stifled another chuckle as he tightened his grip on the rope, his arms burning as the trio made their way up. “Next time I’ll save one just for you.”

  A moment later the others reached the top of the massive sheet of rock. However, as they climbed over the stony edge the expressions on their faces left Roy... puzzled.

  “What?” Roy asked as he pulled Kimoura up before making room for Zyr. “Did I get blood on my face?”

  Kimoura bit her lip as she slowly raised a hand into the air, pointing up the mountainside. “I just thought you were joking when you said you’d save him some.”

  Immediately a sense of dread began to creep up from Roy’s stomach. He rose to his feet and turned his head, praying to whatever gods were up there that she was playing some sort of cruel joke...

  She wasn’t.

  “Well you ‘ve done it now,” Zyr said as he reached for his axes. And he had... for descending the mountainside was a wave of white-haired monstrosities, eyes filled with bloodlust and teeth bared.

  “You killed those?” Kimoura asked, readying herself as spirit energy coursed through her channels.

  “Those look a lot bigger than the ones I fought,” Roy replied, trying to count the number of beasts currently charging in their direction. “So, what do you guys suggest we do?”

  Zyr grumbled as he let his beast aura flare, causing the snow at his feet to rise into the air as tiny particles. “Well, you want to get to the top, don’t you? And those beasts are coming from that direction... so I think you know what has to be done.”

  Roy let out a sigh before drawing his void claw once more and channeling spirit energy around his form. “Jakki, get on my damned back...Let’s get this over with.”

  ****

  Luminescent blood gleamed across the upper slopes of the heaven’s gate mountains as Roy and the others cut their way to the top. The raging okos had come at them fast and furious, relentless in their pursuit to tear the adept’s limb from limb. However, their journey across northern Eon and long nights in the veil had steeled them for such an encounter... and by the gods, they would not yield.

  “On your left!” Kimoura shouted as she lunged forward into a strike, blasting one of the spirit beasts with a devastating palm and sending its bulky body teetering over the mountainside.

  “Got it!” Roy replied, quickly shifting his gaze westward before driving his blade into another one of the beast’s soft flesh.

  The pair worked in tandem as they fought off the oko horde, partnering in their techniques and trading blasts of light and void energy to hold off the raging beasts. At their flank, Zyr held his own against the creatures, using both his spider and human limbs in unison to overwhelm them with blows.

  The trio fought on, but as more oko emerged from their mountain holes something quickly became clear... they were not going to be able to keep this up forever.

  “Yes! Yes! Cut them down!” Jakki growled, clinging to Roy’s back as the void adept unleashed a hellacious assault.

  “How about you find us a way out of here!” Roy shouted back, wincing as one of the charging oko nearly latched on to his neck.

  To Roy’s surprise, the felyne immediately went to work, averting his gaze from the battle as he scanned the mountainside for somewhere to fortify, someplace they could build a defense to try and outlast the horde...

  Jakki’s genetically enhanced vision found something even better.

  “Look, look! Over there! A path to the peak!”

  Roy averted his gaze for a split second, following Jakki’s direction as the Felyne pointed into the sky. It was there he saw it... beyond the pack of oko, beyond the carnage they had laid bare and the jagged spires of stone lied a singular path north. From where he stood it was nearly unrecognizable, a thin path that stretched around the mountainside before veering north into the clouds, directly up the highest peak. But it was there… damnit it was there!

  “Look there!” Roy shouted, grabbing Zyr and Kimoura’s attention before cutting down another oko with his blade. “A path to the pinnacle!”

  “And just how do you propose we get there?!” Zyr retorted, grimacing as he used his spider limbs to eviscerate his foe.

  Kimoura let out a war cry as she channeled light aura into her fist. “We do this! STEEL LOTUS!”

  For the briefest of seconds, Roy felt some of his power slip into Kimoura as their kindred bond took over, enhancing her technique with spirit energy of his own. A breath later, her fist slammed into the mountainside with unbridled force.

  A ring of snow erupted from the location of her strike, followed by a wave of force created by the blow. Her allies, those close enough to the strike’s epicenter managed to hold their position... But the beasts surrounding them weren’t so lucky. The ring of energy grew in strength as it expanded outwards, pushing the spirit beasts back, knocking many off their feet and sending some of the smaller ones airborne to be swallowed by the clouds.

  It was as if the light adept had bought them a collective second to breathe, to steady themselves and refortify their defenses. But they didn’t... Instead, they ran.

  “Don’t stop!” Zyr howled as he scooped up the miniature cryofox and took lead of the charge, dashing northward through the stunned pack of okos as the creatures tried to regain their wits. Spirit aura coursed through the adept’s legs, propelling them through the snow with unmatched speed.

  Soon the spirit beasts resumed their chase, and the adepts were forced to resume combat. However, their new course of action had positioned most of the oko behind them. Rather than fight through the horde, the
y were now moving away from them, working their way towards the western path that led to the peak.

  As the beasts licked at their heels, Roy began to notice something else... a vibration in the mountainside not caused by the hum of his spirit or the stampeding spirit beasts. He wasn’t sure if it was due to Kimoura’s hellacious technique or the upheaval caused by the okos, but something on the mountain was beginning to shift... something big.

  “Avalanche!” Roy cried, unable to hide the desperation in his voice. Even just glimpsing back he could see it, the wave of snow building as it crashed down from the heavens, engulfing everything in its path without reason.

  “Keep running!” Zyr ordered, puncturing the neck of an oko that had circled in front of them before picking up speed. “If we’re swift, we can outrun the birth of this snowslide!”

  Roy didn’t bother looking back as the sound of crashing snow began to drown out the oko’s howls. He kept his gaze focused on the path ahead, churning his spirit-fueled legs through the snow as the ground began to slip out from beneath him.

  Keep moving.

  That singular thought ran through his head as the roar of the snowslide drew closer and the cold bit at his flesh.

  Keep moving.

  He told himself as the nails of a raging oko dug into his thigh, as the creature tried desperately to drag him off to his death.

  Keep moving.

  There was nothing else that mattered. He, Kimoura, Zyr, Jakki... They were so close. They just had a bit farther to go. They just had to...

  KEEP MOVING!

  Channeling all of the spirit energy he could muster into his legs, Roy leapt into the open air, narrowly dodging the wall of snow as it engulfed the spot where he once stood. Time seemed to slow as the world below him was engulfed in white. Ahead of him, he could see the snowslide dispersing as it crashed into a rocky ridge. The void adept reached out, willing himself forward as void energy swirled around his form.

  Then came solace.

  A surge of exhilaration coursed through Roy as his body crashed into the ridge, narrowly avoiding the snowslide that still churned mere feet away. Even greater was the sight of his companions landing safely atop the line of rock. Zyr and his fox, Kimoura, and...

  Roy’s heart dropped as he realized that he no longer felt Jakki’s weight clinging to his back. He whipped his head around, scanning for the felyne amidst the tumult of ice and snow...

  There! Cascading down the mountainside he managed to spot a bushy orange tail disappear beneath a blanket of white. Without hesitating, the void adept turned and pulled himself into a crouch.

  “Zyr, wrap me!” he growled. Then without thinking twice... he jumped.

  A thick strand of spider silk shot from Zyr’s palm, following Roy as he disappeared into the snow. Immediately, the chimera adept was nearly pulled off his feet as the strand latched onto something unseen. Kimoura leapt in, wrapping her arms around Zyr and pulling with all her battlemonk might, her heart nearly caught in her throat.

  An impossibly long second passed as the two reeled in Zyr’s spider silk, praying to Bahamut that his aim had been true. Then another second passed and his catch finally emerged... Curled tightly into a ball, covered in snow and ice and entrapped in a line of silk was Roy Skyworth, cold but unharmed.

  “Roy!” Kimoura shouted as she hauled him back onto the ridge, carefully peeling a thick strand of spider silk off his vest. A second later he uncurled his body, revealing the small felyne he held tightly against his chest.

  “You... you saved me,” Jakki said, blinking tears out of his eyes as he leaned in towards Roy’s face.

  The void adept scoffed, trying to hide the raw emotion beginning in his voice. “D-don’t get all sentimental on me cat. We’re not out of this yet.”

  ****

  After regaining their wits, the group of adepts resumed their trek up the mountainside, following the ridge until it merged with the western path. Despite the threat of the okos now buried, the group refused to slow their pace. They charged up the mountain path, clinging to its steep walls of stone as they ascended. That is... until they neared the peak.

  Mere paces above them, a thick layer of clouds swirled around the mountaintop, cutting off their vision from what lied ahead. Worse, the thick blanket of snow that lied beneath them had begun to shift as the once buried okos began to emerge, their desire for bloodshed renewed.

  “You ready?” Zyr asked as he took another step forward, his outstretched hand disappearing in the wall of cloud.

  Kimoura raised a wrapped fist into the air. “Let’s do this!”

  Seconds later, the four of them emerged on the other side of the cloud wall, revealing a sight that left Roy breathless. Finally, the peak of the heaven’s gate mountain had come into view... along with the massive ivory castle that had been built atop it. Gigantic in scope, the finely crafted structure sported architecture so intricate that it would put any spirit mason in Eon to shame. Designs appeared to be carved directly into the white stone, illuminated by the worldstar’s rays as they passed over the structure. In addition, tall stone doors with advanced runic markings decorated the front of the building along with a pair of stone gargoyles overlooking the entrance.

  “I can’t believe it...” Zyr muttered, eyes wide with astonishment. “It’s real.”

  “Of course, it is,” Roy replied, shooting the man a smirk. Though he had his doubts about the journey, his faith in Rem had never been misplaced.

  “That’s all well and good,” Jakki interjected. “But perhaps we should get moving. I think our company has returned.”

  Roy turned his gaze to the cloud wall just as another damned oko reared its ugly head, it’s eyes wild with rage as it pulled itself up the cliffside. Soon another appeared, then another, all of them gnashing their teeth as they let out their eerie howls.

  “Move!” Roy shouted, turning his gaze back to the pinnacle as his spirit aura flared once more. Their destination was finally within reach. They just had to make it a bit further, just had to make it a few more seconds...

  Suddenly, Zyr paused, turning on his heel to face the charging okos. Spirit energy coursed through his hands, bestial light reflecting off the snowy surface... then he struck. “Augmenter skill: exploding silk!”

  Waves of spider silk erupted from Zyr’s grasp, augmented with the power of his spirit aura. The silk found its target on the first wave of okos, clinging to their flesh... then Zyr squeezed his fists and unleashed his fury.

  The spirit energy stored within his spider silk detonated, blowing away the first line of raging okos and filling the air with flesh and fur. It was as if the chimera adept had drawn a battle line, and those that crossed would burn.

  “That was amazing!” Kimoura shouted as she resumed her dash towards the peak. Zyr shot her a spidery grin before following close behind, falling in line behind Roy.

  The group of adepts dashed along the narrow path, making their way up the final stretch of ice and snow as they ascended to the peak. A moment later, they found themselves mere feet away from the massive ivory castle, its runic doors sealed tight and its gargoyle statues looming over them like dark protectors.

  At last, they’d reached the pinnacle.

  “Now how the Hell do we get in?” Roy asked, running his hands along the double door’s crease before taking a nervous glance down the mountainside. In the near distance, the raging okos had begun to remobilize and were swiftly ascending towards their location. In a moment or two, they’d be surrounded again… and this time with nowhere to go.

  “Remley never mentioned that part,” Kimoura replied, nervously chewing on her lip as she examined the entrance. She even attempted to use her battlemonk strength to pry at the doors, but they wouldn’t budge in the slightest.

  Suddenly, as if responding to his question... Roy’s spirit scan popped open.

  //////////

  Analyzing runes...

  Decoding spiritual encryptions...

  Compiling data..
.

  Compiling...

  Rune found!

  Aged Draconic door seal

  A sealing rune unlocked by dragon energy. Though once impenetrable, it has grown old and frail in the third age.

  //////////

  “This isn’t good,” Zyr muttered as he ran a spidery appendage across the door’s edge. “We may need to get ready to fight.”

  “No,” Roy replied, pushing the chimera adept aside. “I have an idea.”

  Icy blue energy began to swirl around Roy’s form as he channeled his divine energy, focusing its power directly into his palm. Then without deliberating, he pressed his hand into the door crease and let his power flow free.

  “Deep freeze!”

  Suddenly ice began to form at the portal’s center, wedging itself within the door’s crease. It began slowly, but in seconds the ice rapidly expanded, forcing the double doors open inch by mighty inch.

  Kimoura took a step back as the runes on the door’s shattered, letting loose an array of color as the spirit energy within turned to ether. Zyr merely grinned, basking in the light as he watched Roy go to work. A breath later, the void adept dropped his hand, revealing the thin path he’d made to slip inside.

  “Get in!” he shouted, squeezing through the entrance as the howls of the okos grew louder. Once inside, the trio of adepts combined their might, frantically forcing the entrance closed as the grasping hands of an oko slipped through the crack.

  The creature’s severed arm fell to the floor as the door slammed shut, finally granting Roy and the others a second they so desperately needed to breathe.

  Slowly, Roy let himself sink to the floor, ignoring the scratches and howls that were barely audible on the other side of the door. Then for the first time, he allowed his gaze to settle on the inside of the castle... And his mouth went agape.

  “Holy shit...”

  Chapter 20

  The Castle Hidden on the Mountain

  The Pinnacle, the realm of Eon