Still, the people of Irefold lived a relatively peaceful life as far as Eon was concerned. By day they tended their fields and honed their craft, and by night they sealed themselves in a large, communal bunker, sheltering themselves from the threat of the veil and the darkbeasts that lurked within.
By all accounts, it was a good life... at least, until today.
“You know, I’m getting hungry,” Drakkon Kaito said as he eyed the rows of crops growing in the distance. He and his brothers had stumbled on the small farming village en route to Shadowreach, and the opportunity to stir things up was proving too hard to pass up.
“Then perhaps we should pay them a visit,” Kazuka replied, eyes locked on a pair of women that stood at the edge of the village, arms working tirelessly as they hung clothes out to dry. The adept was nearly salivating through his wrappings as he watched the pair work, dream aura swirling around his form.
Ayzeth sighed, realizing that a detour was imminent. Normally, he would’ve urged them to carry on with their mission, especially with the value that their target held. And yet, it had been so long since the trio had worked together... perhaps a little mutual mayhem was in order.
The trio carried an aura of dread around them as they made their way towards the village, walking in unison like a line of mighty titans come to ravage the countryside. The sight of them was iconic in Eon, a symbol of one’s approaching doom. Inescapable. Inevitable. And the last thing a person would ever see.
The first people to spot them were the women doing laundry, their shrieks filling the air like alarms warning of the coming storm. Soon others began to filter outdoors, quickly catching sight of the Kaito brothers’ approach. Some ran, praying that the gods let them live another day. Others stood in place, their muscles petrified with fear. Then there were the select few who chose to pick up weapons and fight...
They would be the ones to die first.
“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Kazuka said as he fell into a crouch, wrappings writhing around his body like snakes. “Though I would appreciate it if you cleared out the light work, brother. It’d be unfortunate to be covered in so much blood so soon.
“Fine,” Dakkon replied, his tone almost dismissive as he heaved his golden axe onto his shoulder. A second later he began charging towards the village, his footsteps echoing like thunderclaps.
A pair of farmers were the first to meet the man’s approach, pitchforks held in their hands like crude, iron tridents. They had to have known that they didn’t stand a chance against Dakkon, but pride or love or some other weak emotion willed them forward… escorting them to their demise.
The first man didn’t have the chance to strike before he was buried under Dakkon’s boot, his ribs shattering and organs bursting under the intense, unrelenting pressure. Shocked, the second farmer tried to stab at the spirikai’s leg, but a quick parry with his axe sent the crude weapon spinning. With a second swing, the axe blade cleaved the man in two, leaving what was left of his soul to drift into the sky as essence.
The other villagers began to back off as Dakkon wiped the blood from his blade, recognizing just how outclassed they were by the giant of a man. That is, all of them except for one.
Standing to face the massive Kaito brother was a lone wind adept, the guardian of Irefold village. Dressed in robes of dull gray, the man held an awkward defensive posture, white hair swirling about as his wind aura churned around his form.
“Leave this place,” the man beckoned, eyes locked on Dakkon as he spoke. “There is nothing here but farmland... just plants and dirt. We have no money, no hidden treasures!”
Dakkon sighed as he tightened his grip on the axe haft. “Sorry, little man. But this is just what we do. Now take a knee and let spill some more of that sweet, sweet blood.”
The wind adept winced, though he didn’t stand down. “Soulless bastard...”
A flash of light suddenly filled the area, producing a blade in the guardian’s hands. Using his wind aura, he propelled himself forward, letting out a cry as he took aim at Dakkon’s chest.
“Breeze blade strike!”
The weapon stabbed into Dakkon’s skin, coming to a stop mere inches into his thick, gray hide. A glimmer of hope filled the wind adept’s heart as he made a quick evaluation of the wound. Then came the laughter... an insidious laugh that bellowed out of Dakkon from somewhere deep within his corrupt soul.
“You're brave. I’ll give you that,” the Kaito brother said. “Stupid, but brave.”
Suddenly, Dakkon’s hand shot forward, releasing his axe haft and assuming a tight grip on the wind adept’s neck. He effortlessly hoisted the man off his feet, shaking his blade free and pulling him forward until the two were eye to eye, until the wind adept could feel the heat of Dakkon’s breath on his face.
Terror consumed the man as his airway tightened, as the brute’s iron grip tightened like a vice. Dakkon merely smiled, uttering a final, grisly statement. “Now show me your blood.”
A breath later, he lifted the man up and slammed him into the ground, ravaging his body and pushing the wind adept’s spiriteka body to its limits.
Over and over Dakkon slammed him into the ground, shattering his defenses, breaking his bones, and painting the ground in his lifeblood. He only paused when there was little left to hang on to, when his opponent was little more than a smear of gore in the dirt.
Wails of horror resided from within the village as they watched their guardian fall, as they came to understand what fate awaited them.
Dakkon merely smiled, turning to look back on his brothers who stood mere paces away. “I think that’s enough for me. I’m going to go eat.” Then he turned and began to head towards the crop fields, leaving the rest of the village to his brothers.
Nobody stood a chance.
Chapter 13
A Welcome Challenge
The Streets of Shadowreach, Eon
A few days later
After a bit of settling in, the Sky Wolves decided to take Seline up on her proposal and join as temporary members of her crew. Sure, they would be forced to give a small portion of their earnings to the Bronze Horns, but it was a fair trade-off to the food, lodging, and stability the organization offered. Not only that, but the Horns had access to a wealth of contracts that could keep them going for months if they so desired...
And they didn’t waste any time.
For a group of Mavericks on the run and out of their element, the Sky Wolves had proven to be quite adaptable. Their first contract with the Bronze Horns went off without a hitch... a simple night of guard duty protecting one of the city’s self-proclaimed nobles. Though they were occasionally tested by a few of the area’s local thugs and forced to fight off an assassin who was a bit more brave than cunning, the substantial sum of money they received at the end of their watch made it more than worth the trouble.
After taking a day to rest and refuel themselves with a well-deserved meal, the group again set their sights on more work. However, rather than take on another large contract that required the entirety of their guild, they split-off into two smaller groups and tackled a pair of smaller, quicker jobs. “We’ll earn the same amount of money in half the time!” Remley had proclaimed, perhaps a bit overconfident in his math skills. Roy had to wonder if the man had factored in the larger cut of their earnings that he’d promised to Yoshiro, who had taken a much safer position as a cook at Seline’s tower.
As evening approached, the team split off into two groups with Roy and Kimoura tackling a simple bounty contract while Remley, Leila, and Quinn provided an armed escort for the noble they had guarded the night previous. It was easy money, or at least the easiest that one could earn in a place like this.
Roy was actually rather interested in the contract he and Kimoura had picked up. Their assignment was rather simple... Make their way to the Pit and defeat a particular fighter named Rin. Head to an arena full of fighters and fight…
Simple.
As they made their way towards
the pit, he unraveled the rectangular piece of parchment as his spirit scan deciphered its strange sequence of markings.
//////////
Contract
Type: Bounty
Target: Rin
Details: Rin has recently made a name for herself in the pit, dominating the local fight circuit, defeating a number of my fighters and costing me a lot of money. Ensure she suffers a very public, very crushing loss that will leave her thinking twice about re-entering the pit.
Contract poster: Anonymous
Reward: 100 zen
This is a private contract. Sharing its contents will result in its nullification and may incur further actions against such parties.
//////////
Roy folded the parchment up and placed it back in his pocket, dismissing the translucent screen hovering in his vision. He wasn’t a huge fan of doing someone else’s dirty work, especially when the person appointing the contract was likely some self-appointed noble just trying to further his position. However, those same “nobles” were currently the ones with all the money. So, if he and his companions planned on getting back on their feet, then they would need to do what they had to do to get their cut.
“Here we are,” Kimoura said as the pair approached their destination, a massive dome-like structure with several smaller buildings connected to its exterior. Even being several dozen paces away, the pair could hear an eruption of cheers culminating from the pit’s center.
“You ready?” Roy asked, shooting her a quick grin.
She winked in response, allowing the tiniest bit of light aura to escape her eye. Despite being from two different realms, the two of them both reveled in the type of energy coming from the pit... the anticipation of battle, the quiet serenity that often preluded violence and blood.
The pair made their way towards the pit's front gate where a tall, leathery-skinned adept stood at attention, his body covered in an immeasurable amount of scars. As Roy drew closer the man stepped forward to meet him, arms crossed and black eyes staring him down through strands of greasy hair.
“Payment?” the man asked, his voice more of a growl than anything else.
Kimoura immediately stepped forward, flashing the man a pair of bronze badges she’d received from Seline earlier.
The man nodded, stepping aside as he shot Kimoura a vile, toothy grin. “Enjoy the show...”
Roy paused, meeting the man’s gaze as he let divine aura flicker in his eyes. The brute stepped back, his grin quickly fading as he sized Roy up.
“We will,” Roy said. Then the two of them turned and entered the complex.
****
The shouts that Roy and Kimoura heard outside of the pit were nearly deafening once they reached the compound’s inner level. Rows upon rows of simple, stone benches stretched around a large arena, packed to the brim with onlookers that cheered on the carnage below.
Roy could feel the flaring spirits of the competitors below as they traded techniques on the hard, sand-swept floor. By contrast, most of the onlookers displayed little affinity for spirit energy. No, they weren’t fighters... they were just looking to enjoy the spectacle.
After a few moments of searching, Roy and Kimoura managed to squeeze into a seat near the bottom. The view proved to be excellent, though Roy couldn’t help but notice that the man sitting next to him absolutely stunk of drink.
“Yer in fer a treat,” the man said, his words slurred and his cheeks flush.
“Oh yeah?” Roy replied.
“Oh yes,” the man continued. “Right now, we got The Fireball Kid versus the one and only Stonebreaker. Winner of that goes on to face the current pit champion....”
“And who’s the champion?”
The man grinned, revealing a mouth full of missing teeth. “You must be new here. But you’ll see... the fighter both beautiful and deadly. They call her The Black Queen.”
Roy nodded, but the man had already lost interest in their conversation, turning his attention back to the fight. The Black Queen... could that be their target?
“Look!” Kimoura shouted, stealing his attention back as she latched onto his arm. Roy’s gaze quickly shifted, turning back to the arena floor as a torrent of flame and spirit energy rose into the air.
Below, the two competing adepts stood mere feet from each other, one wielding spinning balls of flame in his outstretched palms and the other with skin made of etched stone. The flame adept let out a cry before launching his fireballs forward, looking to burn away the man known as Stonebreaker. However, the red-hot flames seemed to have little effect and soon Stonebreaker was on top of him, snapping his head back with a vicious punch.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Stonebreaker stalked forward, pummeling the flame adept with strike after strike, sending the man’s blood spraying across the sandy floor. Roy could feel the end of the fight approaching, but the fireball kid wasn’t quite finished.
Letting out another primal cry, the flame adept drew all of his energy into his fists before slamming them down on Stonebreaker, engulfing the man in an eruption of red-orange light.
The crowd collectively gasped as Stonebreaker disappeared from view, trapped underneath the flame adept’s relentless barrage. Suddenly, two stony hands emerged from the flame, latching on to either side of the flame adept’s head as the eruption technique faded...
And Stonebreaker had emerged unscathed.
The crowd roared as the man hoisted the flame adept into the air, his massive hands squeezing on his opponent’s soft skull. A second later everyone in attendance rose to their feet as the flame adept’s skull gave way, caving beneath Stonebreaker’s grip and painting his body in warm blood.
“What a finish, folks!” A voice suddenly rang out over the roar of the crowd, its tone filled with the same level of excitement that echoed through the arena. Roy watched as a scandalously clad feilynx woman walked directly onto the battlefield, a voice-amplifying device clutched in her sharp grasp. “It looks like Stonebreaker has broken more than just stone this time around! Yikes, can we get a cleanup down here?”
The crowd laughed along with the charismatic announcer as another pair of burly feilynx’s trudged onto the battlefield, hoisting the lifeless body of the flame adept onto their shoulders and carrying him out of view.
Roy was no stranger to violence in his life on earth... in fact, he lived it nearly every day. But this, it was primal, it was gladiatorial... it was the purest form of combat that Roy had ever witnessed. And though he’d never openly admit it, the void adept absolutely reveled in it.
“Now comes the moment you’ve all been waiting for!” the announcer continued, tail twitching as she spoke. “Stonebreaker has earned the right to face our champion... the one and only Black Queen!”
The crowd roared even louder, nearly breaking out into a frenzy as they awaited their fighter. Stonebreaker remained stoic, however, standing at attention in the middle of the sandy arena.
Roy could tell it was a façade, even from his seat several dozen paces away. The way the man’s heel bounced off the sand, the way he rapidly opened and closed his fist, the way his stone skin made slight shifts… he was nervous.
“And here she is, folks!” The announcer said, pointing to a gate at the far end of the battlefield. “Yoooouuur champion!”
The crowd hushed as the gate creaked open, allowing a single gust of wind to blow across the shifting sand. Seconds later, a woman strode out of the shadow, each step exuding pure and utter confidence. Her petite frame was clad in jet-black attire, her inky black hair pulled tightly into a tail. On her pale face, she wore a pair of round-framed spectacles, though her body held no weapons that Roy could see. And yet, beneath her glasses, pooling in the back of her piercing violet eyes was true killer instinct.
Curious, Roy stretched the range of his spirit scan to its limit, pulling data on the mysterious woman in black.
//////////
Name: Rin
Pure energy Adept
Rank: 3rd<
br />
Specialization: Duelist
Divine Power: None
//////////
So, this was the person they were looking for. It would only make sense that she was the champion of the pit...
“That’s her,” Roy said, drawing a nod out of Kimoura.
“Maybe we should wait and observe,” the light adept suggested. “If she’s the champ, then she’s gotta know how to fight.”
“Agreed,” Roy said, scooting to the edge of his seat in anticipation. Below, Stonebreaker and the Black Queen began to square off at the pit’s center, eyes now locked in a heated stare.
“Reeeeaaady?” The announcer asked, returning to her perch near the arena’s edge. “Fight!”
Stonebreaker immediately smashed his fists together, reforging his armor of stone as he waded in for an attack. Rin responded in kind, dropping low and awaiting her opponent’s approach with azure energy swirling in her palm.
Stonebreaker struck first, swinging in with a powerful right hook that seemed powerful enough to take off Rin’s head! However, the woman proved to be quite nimble, ducking the blow before slamming an open palm into the man’s side. Pure spirit energy suddenly erupted from her hand, shearing away a piece of Stonebreaker’s rocky defenses and sending him staggering through the sand.
Not wasting a single breath, Rin lunged at her off-balance opponent, drawing pure azure aura into her palms. Stonebreaker made a desperate attempt to right himself, digging his heels in and crossing his stony arms in defense. And yet, it would prove all but futile...
A sound like hammer on stone echoed through the arena as Rin slammed her aura-infused palms into her enemy, shattering portions of his rocky flesh and spilling more of his blood with each successive blow.
The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3 Page 32