The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  For a moment, Varyon considered confronting the pair outside the pit. He was certain they’d recognize him, especially after he’d singlehandedly given the void adept his divine power. And if things went as planned, then they’d have no problem taking him to the man in red.

  However, emotions were running high and this city was a dangerous place. If things went similar to how they had in icerock dungeon, then it’s possible he could lose them entirely.

  Decisions...

  A bit of discomfort began to swell in Varyon’s gut as he contemplated his choices. The ability to make his own decisions was still foreign to him... something he was never afforded as a member of the Thousand-Legged Spiders. He was merely a killer with targets. But now... now he had the entire realm in front of him. Or he would, once he finally solved the mystery that was his past.

  After another moment of contemplation, Varyon settled on a decision. He would watch the pair from afar. He would employ his world-class tracking skills and follow them back to the man in red where he’d confront him directly. Then he’d finally get his answers... and his peace.

  ****

  On the opposite end of the arena, another set of eyes lingered on Roy Skyworth... eyes from the past, from another realm. Those eyes belonged to Kai Blaine, former officer of the Phoenix City Police Department and Beast Adept of Eon.

  Kai’s gaze remained fixated on the void adept as he studied his movements, his mannerisms, his uncharacteristic displays of affection shown to the girl in the pit. And yet, even without the information displayed on his spirit scan, he knew... it was Roy.

  But how?

  Kai’s mind drifted to his past life, to the last time he’d seen his former friend. He had been wounded in the warehouse district by some junky bastard and Roy had rushed in after the perp. The other officers had told Kai that he was going to be alright, but something happened...his attacker had clipped an artery and… and he’d bled so fast. Then he’d seen those eyes and the next thing he knew he was waking on Eon surrounded by nightmare beasts. He had to wonder... had Roy died that day as well. Had he suffered the same fate?

  Perhaps, but there was only one way to be certain. Adjusting the strap that held his spirit shotgun, Kai shifted from his perch atop the arena’s wall and began to head towards the exit, scaling the thin line of stone with near-perfect balance. As he neared the wall’s edge, Kai drew on his beast aura, transforming his fingers into a set of sharp, curved claws. He then leapt from the wall, digging his claws into the stone and creating a controlled descent to the street below.

  Kai’s long, green cloak flowed behind him like a floating leaf until he finally reached the surface, his cloth mask quickly settling back onto his pale face. He was dying to speak to Roy, to finally hear a familiar voice… Still, Kai was tactical. He’d wait until things calmed down a bit, until there weren’t so many prying eyes... then he’d confront his old friend, his former rival, and perhaps gain a partner to help bring some law to these streets.

  ****

  Argo Zael, spirit magus of Shadowreach smiled widely as he watched things unfold from above. The man had always enjoyed a good show, though things in the pit had grown boring as of late, especially with the Black Queen mopping up most of the competition. Today’s battle, however, proved to be quite a treat, especially since the woman had been dispatched in such brutal fashion.

  Drawing in a raspy breath, the man shifted from his position high up in the clouds, maneuvering until he had a better view of the rest of the city. His gravitational aura made flight a rather effortless endeavor, and he found the skies the best place to watch over his outlaw’s domain.

  As Argo gazed upon the shadowy streets, he felt a sudden pang of sorrow pulse through his spirit. He’d created this haven as a place for those with no place to go, a city for adepts who didn’t wish to live by the laws and hierarchies of the realm’s many guilds. But with his health quickly declining, he couldn’t be certain how much longer he had left to protect his proverbial children.

  The man’s lifespan had stretched for ages due to the immense power of his spirit, but time would prove to be a foe he ultimately couldn’t defeat. His long, black hair had grayed, his muscles had weakened, and his lungs had begun coughing up an unhealthy amount of blood. And that’s not to mention the state of his quickly deteriorating mind.

  Argo could feel it... soon he would be gone and with it the city’s defenses. Then the darkbeasts would come and his life’s work, his city of outlaws would be left in ruins.

  Or... maybe not. The city had grown as of late. It housed a great number of adepts that would no doubt put up an extraordinary fight against the forces of the veil. He only wished that he’d be alive to witness such a battle.

  He did love watching a good fight.

  Chapter 16

  Making Friends

  The streets of Shadowreach, Eon

  The wheels of the old, rustic transport creaked as it rolled through the stony streets of Shadowreach, carefully navigating avenues well hidden in the city’s many dark corners. Inside the transport sat one of the city’s nobles, a suave-looking man who’d made his riches by monopolizing the city’s endless thirst for wine and ale. He was a well-known man among the more reputable folk of Shadowreach, though secretly he was certain most wanted him dead. After all, there was little he could do if one of the other nobles killed him and claimed his empire for themselves.

  Typically, this particular noble would surround himself with a violent ensemble of guards, but tonight he had very discreet plans with the mistress of an important business partner. That's why Ban the Winemaker had hired a very discreet security detail for his little trip across the city.

  On his left sat Quinn, arms crossed, legs outstretched and his typical reed replaced with a long stick of pipeweed between his lips. The man seemed in a rather lax mood compared to recent days, his once bare chin now covered in a full beard and a line of smoke slowly trailing from his mouth.

  On the opposite side sat Remley, legs crossed and wide-brimmed hat draped loosely over his face. Personally. Rem had found these missions rather boring, though he did manage to sneak in a bit of spirit channeling during lulls such as this. The only other person inside the transport’s cabin was the man steering the unit, a personal aid to Ban that used his spirit energy to move the transport along.

  And then there was Leila.

  Laid out atop the transport’s roof was the leader of the Sky Wolves, her eyes locked onto the starry night above. Despite spending countless hours aboard airships, Leila never really enjoyed spending time in the ultra-tight confides of a transport, especially when it was filled with smoke from Quinn’s pipeweed. Instead, she chose to remain atop the transport, keeping watch and feeling the wind blow through her brown and black hair.

  As she laid back atop the shuttle, Leila felt something shift in her satchel. With a sigh, she reached over and unhooked the latch of her leather bag, revealing the crystalline blue face of her stowaway... Roy’s cryofox.

  “Why in Eon are you following me around?” Leila asked, giving the creature a stern glance. The cryofox gave a playful growl in response, prompting her to roll her eyes. “Of course you’d say that,” she replied before pulling the leather flap back over its head.

  Slowly, Leila turned to face the opposite way, only to be met by Remley this time. The man had stuck his head out of one of the transport’s windows and was giving her a rather quizzical stare, his long black hair blowing in and out of his face.

  “Who on Eon are you talking to?” he asked as his eyes wandered about the area.

  Leila sighed, contemplating her answer. “Nobody...” she finally replied. “Nobody but the wind.”

  Remley forced a smile onto his face, clearly doing his best to make sense of the woman’s words. “Well, seeing as you’ve grown lonely enough up here to begin talking to yourself, I thought it would be best to offer you a drink.”

  Suddenly, one of Rem’s hands appeared out of the transport window, firml
y grasping a bottle of lavender wine. “Finest beverage in the Reach!” he declared, speaking as if he was a salesman for the winemaker.

  Leila grinned at the man, then reluctantly leaned over and took hold of the bottle, cradling it in her palms. “Thanks,” she said, drawing a slight nod from Remley.

  “Don’t mention it,” he replied. “Though unfortunately, I can’t stay up here. The breeze is doing terrible things to my hair.”

  Leila rolled her eyes before shooing him back into the transport, content to enjoy a little quiet time under the stars. Slowly, the wind adept sat up and twisted the lid off her wine bottle, though she paused before pressing it to her lips.

  “Ugh. Warm...” she said, sloshing the liquid around in the bottle. There was a long list of things that Leila hated in Eon, but near the top of that list sat warm wine.

  As she leaned forward to set the bottle down, a sudden shift in her pack grabbed her attention. She stared at the satchel for a second before allowing a wide grin to spread across her face. A second later she reached into the pack and retrieved the cryofox, hoisting the little creature up by the chest.

  “Maybe having you around is a good thing after all,” she said. Then she lifted the wine bottle with her other hand and pressed it into the creature’s icy mane.

  In mere seconds, the bottle of wine was cool to the touch, causing Leila’s smile to widen. Pleased, she set the icy fox down, allowing the creature to rest in her lap.

  “Ya know, maybe you aren’t so bad after all,” she said, drawing a growl of pleasure from the little beast. Then she lifted the bottle to her lips and drank deeply.

  ****

  It wasn’t but an hour later that the trio of Sky Wolves reached their destination, capping off another completed contract without a hitch. Unfortunately, Ban was intent on staying the night with his late-night rendezvous, meaning they’d have to make their way back to Seline’s tower by foot.

  Remley really didn’t mind the walk, especially since he got to see the stars without fear of darkbeasts falling from the sky. However, looking back at Quinn made him realize his companions weren’t so lucky.

  Perched atop Quinn’s shoulders sat Leila, swaying precariously from side to side. In one of her hands the woman cradled the cryofox pup, it’s eyes alert as if it was waiting for her to drop it. And in the other she held an empty bottle of wine, it’s contents now swirling around inside her stomach.

  Quinn grunted as the woman leaned down a bit too far, causing him to stumble forward and nearly dump her into the streets. “Dammit Lei, will you hold still?” he growled, tightening his grip on the wind adept’s hips to keep her from falling on her head.

  “I’m in charge here, remember?!” she shouted back before bursting into laughter and making Quinn stumble again.

  Remley couldn’t help but snicker as the very drunk Leila continued to grate on Quinn’s nerves, bossing the man around as if he was her personal caretaker. Her cheeks had grown flush and her words had begun to slur, and yet still she tried to take command. But no matter... he and Quinn would humor her until they arrived back at the tower. It had been a while since the woman had been able to let loose, after all.

  “I’m not gonna lie, Rem... I don’t hate this place,” Quinn said, breaking the silence that had befallen them once Leila began to drift. “I mean, It’s nothing compared to being out in the wild, but it’s not half as bad as I imagined.”

  Remley remained silent, causing Quinn to give the man a puzzled look. “Is it... is it your sister?”

  A chilling wind passed through the street, matching the somber look that now stretched across Remley’s face. “It’s not that I’m sad to see her... I thank the gods each night that she’s alive. It’s just... I was certain that she was dead, Quinn. She was father’s prodigy, and it seemed that her survival was all but impossible. In my heart, I buried her... and now she’s back, ordering me around as if we were back in the guildhall. I... I just need a little time to adjust, is all.”

  Quinn began to respond, but Leila leaned forward, pointing here empty bottle at Rem. “You jush need to shuck it up and tell her that Remley Bonaduce is hish own man,” she blurted out before dropping the bottle into the street.

  Remley’s somber expression quickly changed to a smile as he gazed at his intoxicated leader, measuring her profound wisdom. “Yes, Leila. Perhaps you’re right.”

  ****

  After a long and winding trek through the city, Remley and the others arrived back at Seline’s tower, legs weary and in need of rest. Well, except for Leila, who needed an elixir of sobering more than anything else. Still, it felt good to be back in the tower with another contract under their belts.

  As Rem led the others into their living quarters, a very curious sight caught his eye. Stretched out across one of their long, leather sofas sat Roy, breathing heavily as if he’d just fought off a horde of darkbeasts. Kimoura sat next to him in much the same condition, head resting against the man’s bare chest.

  “Well, well, well...” Remley said, catching the pair by surprise. “What have you two been up to?”

  Roy immediately sat up and shot the man a glare, though Kimoura merely gave him a soft smile.

  “Let em be, Rem,” Quinn said as he lowered Leila into an empty seat, taking care to make sure she didn’t sit on the cryofox.

  Remley shot Roy a quick wink, then settled into a chair at the far end of the room, resting his sword across his lap. A rush of fatigue quickly washed over his spirit, reminding him of how badly he needed sleep. Unfortunately, a presence at the door put those plans to a halt.

  Entering behind them from the tower’s main hall was Seline Bonaduce, her body wrapped in a resplendent silver garment barely long enough to be considered a dress. As always, the woman carried an unmatched swagger as she entered, her bare feet moving with such grace that she didn’t make a sound.

  “Dear sister... I wasn’t expecting to see you so late,” Remley said, masking his fatigue behind an overly-pleasant expression. “Did you come to tuck me in?”

  Seline rolled her eyes as she quietly channeled spirit energy into her legs. “No, brother... but I am here to have a word with your uninvited guest.”

  Before the words could register, Seline dashed across the room, moving like a silver flash of light. In the breath of a second, she reached through the far window, parting the violet curtains and grabbing her target by the neck. Then she pulled him back through, tossing the man over her shoulder before slamming him into the floor and pinning him beneath her knee.

  The Sky Wolves collectively gasped as they watched Varyon Risen squirm beneath the spirikai’s iron grip.

  “So, the spiders have come for me after all,” Seline spat as she eyed the man’s guild insignia, her tone full of venom. “Pity they didn’t send someone stronger.”

  Immediately, the silver dragon began drawing aura into her palm, seeking to bring Varyon to a brutal end. Yet her actions were stopped by none other than Leila as she dived over the assassin’s slender frame.

  “Stop!” she yelled, her inebriation still evident in the way she moved. “Don’t kill him!”

  “And why shouldn’t I?” Seline growled.

  “Because he’s handsome,” Leila replied, her voice slurred. “And he saved my life.”

  Seline let out another growl before shoving Leila away and turning her gaze to Remley.

  He merely shrugged. “Well, I suppose she’s correct. The man is quite handsome as far as adepts go.”

  Seline’s gaze moved to Varyon then back to Rem as a scowl spread across her face. With a growl she planted a foot on her captive’s chest and rose to her feet, allowing the power of her spirit to flood the room. “Someone better tell me what in Bahamut’s blood is going on.”

  Chapter 17

  The Pact

  Seline’s Tower, Shadowreach City

  Varyon Risen sat motionless atop the black leather sofa, his eyes trained on Remley and his temporal aura slowly churning inside the pit of his st
omach. He’d nearly been killed when he was blindsided by that spirikai woman, an apparent sister to the man in red. However, a few kind words from the spiritlancer had spared his life…

  He was thankful for that, at least.

  Opposite him sat the entirety of the Sky Wolves along with the spirikai Seline, all wearing looks of trepidation as they studied him from head to toe. He could see it in their eyes... they had questions for him. And rightfully so. He had a few questions of his own. Questions he’d nearly died for.

  “Why are you here?” Remley finally asked, leaning forward in his chair to look Varyon straight in his eyes.

  The temporal adept slowly lifted a hand into the air and pointed at Remley’s steel brotherhood insignia. “Because of you.”

  “So, you’ve come to kill us?” Seline spat as she leapt to her feet, her eyes glowing with the strength of her rank eight spirit.

  Varyon quickly shook his head, attempting to quell the woman’s sudden burst of anger. If it came down to a fight, he was almost certain that his temporal aura couldn’t match the woman’s raw speed, nor could his flesh withstand her power. He didn’t know of her past, but he knew her name… the glorious silver dragon, a title that one didn’t acquire for being weak.

  “Then what is it?” Leila interjected, speaking clearly once more due to the sobering elixir running through veins. “You saved our lives in Atherune and I’m eternally grateful... but to what end?”

  Slowly, Varyon rose to his feet and lifted his jet-black tunic, revealing a marking etched into his chest. Beneath the scar tissue of an old sword wound was an insignia similar to Remley’s, albeit less detailed and certainly without the bloodline powers. However, it was there, etched into his chest for the world to see… the insignia of the steel brotherhood.