The second manual was a spiritcrafting blueprint used to create a weapon referred to as the Dragonclaw Ōdachi, which appeared to be an over-sized curved blade. Roy hadn’t delved into spiritcrafting nearly enough to create a weapon of that stature, nor did he have the necessary components. Still, his spirit scan downloaded the blueprints into his memory... he could use that later.
The third and final manual was a smaller one with instructions for a body reinforcement technique known as ‘endless fist’. According to the manual, the technique granted the adept the ability to reinforce one’s fists with a continuous flow of spirit energy, allowing them to launch a barrage of empowered strikes. Roy promptly uploaded the manual, though he changed the name to something a bit more relatable... void boxing.
After that, Roy spent some time channeling his spirit aura while the others headed back towards the house. Uploading two manuals into his spirit in such a short time proved taxing, and he felt the need to channel his void energy in order to calm his spirit and process all of the fresh knowledge he’d gathered. Eventually, Kimoura took a seat next to him and began to channel aura herself, her spirit energy causing her body to glow with a faint, white light. She gave him a quiet smile, then with the clouds swirling in the sky above and a light breeze passing through the city, the two embraced their channeling.
As Roy fell deeper into his meditative state, his senses sharpened, and he began to hear what Remley and Leila were discussing several paces away.
Leila’s voice was distant yet stern. “It doesn’t matter if the weapon is a 2nd age draconis blade or a fabled weapon from the 1st age... you’ve gotten us in a shitload of trouble, Rem. There’s no way we can sell it here.”
“Then we head north and sell it up there,” Remley reasoned. “You know there’s going to be plenty of buyers and I highly doubt the academy dogs will give us chase.”
Leila sighed. “Rem, you got caught stealing from Atherune Academy. They practically own this city, and you know how bitter headmaster Zion is. He’s probably had scouts on us for days. I’m surprised he isn’t already here burning down our door.”
“Look,” Remley reasoned. “Those tools, the manuals, the pills, they aren’t cheap. And I couldn’t just let the man go out on his own. He would’ve died by now if I hadn’t. Besides, you despise those bastards in the academy as much as I do. They hoard all of the resources they can get their grubby hands on and make the rest of us grovel!”
Leila sighed. “And how am I supposed to get my ship back in the air? Rem, you’ve put us in a hell of a situation, and all to help out some outrealmer that reminds you of your brother!”
“An outrealmer that saved our lives! Look me in the eyes, Leila and tell me that he isn’t something special!”
“I… I know,” she replied, followed by a period of silence.
Roy’s eyes went wide as his concentration broke. He’d gotten himself into a hell of a mess since entering Eon, and now he was likely the target of that damned academy… But even more important than that were the comrades he’d found. He could hear the conviction in Remley’s voice as he vouched for him, a man he’d barely known, and now it seemed like he might be finally winning Leila over too…
Roy grinned as he settled in to continue his mediation, but a strange sensation caught his attention, a wave of power approaching from the south. Without hesitating he turned to look at them and his aura nearly shivered.
Standing near their home atop a small mound of dark grass was a man who exuded authority. This newcomer stood at average height, though his very presence made Roy feel as if he was towering over them like a giant. He wore a brilliant blue and white tunic with a thick, silver belt and tall black boots embedded with a pair of sparkling, sapphire gems. The man’s glossy black hair was tied back into a tale and his square face sported a pair of thin spectacles.
In the man’s hand was a long, metal quarterstaff. With one swift motion, he slammed the end into the ground, causing lightning to crackle in the air around him... Headmaster Zion, the thunder adept had arrived.
Slowly, a pair of adepts approached at Zion’s flank, both dressed in similar (albeit less impressive) adept attire. Roy gave them all a quick scan.
//////////
Headmaster Zion Sho
Thunder Adept
Rank: 4th
Specialization: Mystic
Divine Power: Kirin
Apprentice Ryo
Water Adept
Rank: 2nd
Specialization: Mystic
Apprentice Myra
Earth Adept
Rank: 2nd (peak)
Specialization: Spiritlasher
//////////
Myra! It was that damned adept Myra from Renji’s shop! Roy remembered her last encounter with her fondly, though he’d only been at first rank when she humiliated him. He actually hoped they would attack just so he could shove a dark spiral down her throat.
To Roy’s surprise, Remley stiffened as Headmaster Zion took a step in his direction. “I believe you have a few things that belong to me,” the Headmaster said, his tone so sharp that Roy was certain his words could cut through flesh.
Remley shot the man a disarming smile. “Headmaster, how lovely to see you. Can I prepare you some tea, or perhaps-”
“Enough,” Zion ordered, cutting Rem off and causing Leila to reach for her spear. “You know why I’m here... you stole a number of valuable items from Atherune Academy.”
Remley put his hands out and shrugged as if to signal that he was caught. “Listen, dear Headmaster, I can return the manuals right now and give me just a few short days and the elixirs will be replaced as well. Surely we can handle this in a civil manner...”
Zion placed a gloved hand on his chin as though he was pondering something, then quickly refocused his gaze on Remley. “You know, perhaps we can settle this matter of ours without issue... keep the manuals, and the pills and the elixirs. They’re yours.”
One by one, looks of shock began to cross over every face, even the headmaster’s apprentices. Zion, on the other hand, began to sport a wicked grin. “Rather than repay the academy in stolen merchandise, how about you hand over that relic you and your crew dragged into town last night. The guards mentioned they saw a blade of some sort?”
Of course, Roy thought as he eyed the smug, shameless headmaster. Just as he assumed... this realm was all about obtaining wealth and power and obtaining it through any means necessary. He started to feel glad that Rem had stolen from these pompous bastards.
Leila scowled as she grabbed Remley by the shoulder. “Damnit Rem, I told you we should’ve snuck that thing in after dark.”
Remley gave her a shrug then turned back towards Zion. “I’m sorry dearest Headmaster, but it seems we’ll be needing that relic... I’m afraid we’re going to need money to eat and all. But perhaps you’d like to purchase it? I can offer you a special discount.”
Zion narrowed his eyes before tapping his quarterstaff on the ground once more, drawing out another spark of lightning. “How dare you show me disrespect after you’ve been caught stealing from me! I should melt the flesh from your bones!”
Remley put his hands up in protest. “Seems kind of drastic, don’t you think?”
As the two exchanged words, Leila dropped back and took up a stance between Roy and Kimoura. “We’re going to be making a hasty exit soon, but I need a few moments to get things ready. Quinn and Remley will keep the Headmaster busy, but I need you two to handle the others.”
“No problem,” Kimoura replied, channeling her light aura into her fists.
“Oh, it would be my pleasure,” Roy growled as he drew his void aura into a cloak around his body. He centered his gaze on the earth adept apprentice as she summoned a pair of long, green vines into her hands.
The headmaster’s voice boomed once more, grabbing the attention of everyone in the clearing. “Are you refusing my offer Remley Bonaduce, and thus invoking the full wrath of Atherune Academy onto your guild?”
Remley chuckled, carefully sliding a hand onto the hilt of his sword. “Ya know Zion, if you were looking to invoke wrath, then maybe you should’ve brought some more men.”
The headmaster scoffed. “Oh, I’ll be more than enough... So be it. As the ruling authority at Atherune Academy, I condemn you and your guild for their actions against my establishment. Prepare for punishment.”
Suddenly, the headmaster thrust his quarterstaff into the air, channeling spirit energy into the weapon to make it glow like a lightning rod. The air around him darkened as his eyes began to glow like tiny balls of electricity... Then the thunder adept unleashed his storm.
Chapter 21
The Power of a Mongrel
Edge of Atherune City, Eon
Roy’s muscles tensed as the headmaster stepped forward, aura flaring around the man’s body like a thunderstorm. Zion had an air of superiority around him, as if his very presence was something to be cherished. And damnit it made Roy sick.
With a quick and precise hand movement, the headmaster launched a pair of arcing lightning bolts from his fingertips that headed straight for Rem and Quinn. Quinn reacted almost instantly, slamming his fist into the ground and causing a pair of bony spires to rise from the dirt to absorb the blast. Splinters of ivory flew in every direction as lightning energy slammed into bone, shattering the dread hunter’s defensive technique before dissipating into essence.
Roy would’ve like to have studied the mesmerizing display of power, if only to compile data on it for his own use, but he had his own job to do. Approaching Remley and Quinn’s flank was that vile earth adept Myra, green vines coiled around her pale arms. If he let her disrupt them for even a second, then the headmaster would see them turned to ash.
And Roy was not going to let that happen.
Channeling void energy into his legs, Roy leaped in the woman’s direction, landing directly in her path as she recoiled one of her arms to strike. The woman’s gaze shifted to Roy as she unleashed her strike, her vine glowing a bright green as spirit energy coursed through its roots and it uncoiled in his direction.
//////////
Spiritlasher Skill: Coil strike
//////////
Roy reacted instantly, creating a void spiral in his palm and expanding it to create a swirling shield of energy in front of him. Less than a breath later, the coil strike snapped across the shield, sending a cloud of essence into the air before recoiling back onto the woman’s wrist.
“Foolish dog,” the earth adept said as she began slowly pacing around Roy. “Have you come back for more? Or do you actually think that a group of mongrels like yourself can stand against the Academy?”
Roy nodded towards the others. “They can take care of themselves,” he spat. “And besides, I don’t need to get through the academy. I just need to get through you.”
It seems the mongrel is delusional as well!” Myra said. “Don’t you remember what happened the last time we met? Why, I am but a breath away from reaching spiriteka... and you? You're just,” the woman’s words were silenced as an aura bullet came streaking at her face.
With a quick sidestep, Myra dodged the technique and launched one of her own, sending another Coil strike directly at Roy. It passed by his head as he narrowly dodged the blow, but a second coil followed in its shadow, striking Roy in the shoulder and wrapping tightly around his neck.
The vine immediately tightened, cutting off Roy’s air flow as tears formed in the corner of his eyes. Roy pried at his neck, trying to loosen the grip of the vine but the other green lash came back, snapping across his forearms and tearing his flesh.
Myra sent another pulse of earth aura into her arm and pulled tighter on the vine. “Drop to your knees and surrender yourself to me, Mongrel, and perhaps your life will be spared.”
Roy’s anger flared as the woman continued her taunts, his void aura swelling like a growing fire. Ever since he’d arrived in Eon people were treating him like a dog… the butchers, Leila, the assassin, and now this pompous bitch from the academy. Well, no more! If he wasn’t going to be shown any respect, then dammit he was going to pound it out of them!
Pushing through the pain and lack of air, Roy summoned an unstable sphere of dark-violet energy into his open palm and launched it forward.
//////////
Modified Vanguard Skill: Void Grenade
//////////
The void grenade landed a few paces in front of Myra and immediately detonated, creating a small field of black-violet energy with an intense gravitational pull. Myra flew forward against her will, drawn in alongside a cloud of dust and debris as her grip on the vine loosened…
Now it was Roy’s turn.
Feeling the vine around his neck go slack, Roy ripped the thing away and bolted forward, his leap supercharged by the power of his now flaring aura and the pull of his void grenade. He flew through the air on a collision course with Myra, void aura channeling into his glowing palms. Then as the pair were drawn into the void grenade’s field, he canceled the effect and launched his strike.
//////////
Void skill: Void Boxing
//////////
Roy’s fist connected with the off-balance Myra, smashing into her face with so much momentum that he was certain her head would fly clean off. Instead, a sickening crack echoed from her jaw as her momentum carried her into a complete spin. She came to a rest a few feet behind Roy, her body crashing face first into the ground with a loud ‘thud’.
Without losing a step, Roy turned on his heel and rushed the woman, fists still glowing with void energy. Unlike his other techniques, void boxing was a passive skill that constantly drew on his spirit. As long as he had the energy available, he could keep his fists reinforced for the duration of a fight, and right now his spirit aura was ablaze!
Sensing Roy’s approach, Myra forced herself to a knee and began channeling aura into the ground, activating a defensive technique as the void adept lunged in.
//////////
Earth Skill: Stonegod prison
//////////
Sheets of rock erupted from the ground beneath Roy’s feet, sliding into place around him until the light of the worldstar faded and he found himself sealed in a prison of stone. He raised his fists into the air and inspected the trap, their dark violet glow providing the only source of light. He didn’t have a lot of room to work and the ground beneath him appeared solid… dammit he needed to get out.
“You little bastard!” Myra spouted from the other side of the rock, her voice shaky likely due to a loose jaw. “Now I’m going to let you suffocate in there! You're going to die like the damn dog that you are!”
“Like hell you are,” Roy muttered, pressing his hands against the stone. It was obviously hard, but it didn’t seem especially thick. Maybe it was time to see how dense his void energy actually was.
Channeling more aura into his fists, Roy fell into stance and threw a thunderous strike, slamming his knuckles into the stone and creating a crack down the center. He heard Myra gasp in surprise on the other side, then immediately felt her spirit swell as she readied another technique. It looked like she was done underestimating him...
Too little, too late.
Readying himself again, Roy threw another void-empowered punch into the stone, this time aiming to the left. A second crack quickly formed parallel to the first one just as he hoped. Again, and again, Roy struck the rock wall in different places until dozens upon dozens of cracks ran through it, until it could barely stand the force of a strong breeze.
“This one’s for Renji.”
Drawing back for a final strike, Roy released his void boxing technique and called forth a void spiral into his hands. Then expanding the technique outwards, he thrust it into the stone. The rock wall shattered as jagged chunks of stone went spiraling in Myra’s direction, flying through the air behind the force of Roy’s attack.
Myra quickly abandoned her technique and threw her arms up to block as she was unexpectedly
pelted by the flying rock. It did little to help as chunks of stone smashed into her bones and tore through her skin, brutalizing her with pieces of her own technique.
Roy followed in the shadow of the rock barrage, appearing in front of the earth adept before she could muster a better defense. Then he reactivated void boxing and began unleashing a hellacious assault.
Stepping in, Roy threw a devastating punch into the adept’s liver, crippling her body with pain before delivering a follow-up strike to her midsection. Myra gasped for air as a third and final strike came in, a mighty left hook that landed precisely on her temple.
Roy released his void boxing as the woman crumpled at his feet, her body broken and her spirit aura all but a flicker at her core. For a second it looked like she was going to rise, but her body flattened, and her clenched fist unraveled. She was done.
“Best not to play with dogs,” Roy said as Myra’s consciousness began to fade. “They bite.”
Having soundly defeated his opponent, the void adept turned his attention to the battle at hand. Leila had retreated into the house for reasons unknown, but he had to trust that her tactics were sound… she was real damn harsh at times but her loyalty to the sky wolves was unmatched.
Roy’s gaze flickered to the right where Kimoura was locked in a heated struggle with the water adept, Ryo. The man had seemed to have made several copies of himself out of pure water aura and was attacking the battle monk on all sides. His first thought was to rush in and help her, but his mind was quickly changed as one of Kimoura’s s open palms smashed a water clone into oblivion. Clearly, she could handle herself.
A cry of pain drew Roy’s gaze outward where Remley and Quinn were busy facing off against Headmaster Zion. Well… it wasn’t really facing off so much as barely surviving. Quinn stood just a few feet away from the headmaster, his body locked in place by a lightning technique that had his tunic smoking.
The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3 Page 19