The Adept Archives: Volumes 1-3

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  And so the battle for Shadowreach began.

  Argo Zael slammed his palms together, unleashing a wave of gravitational force strong enough to repel the shadow clones. A second wave followed, shattering the dark creatures and dissipating them into ether. Unfortunately for the spirit magus, the shadow clones only served as a preemptive strike.

  Tendrils of dark energy snakes across the floor, forming into sharp points as they came at Argo from all directions. The spirit magus quickly kneeled, placing an open palm on the floor as he created a protective aura sphere around himself. His other hand immediately shot into the air, infusing nearby chunks of rubble with gravitational energy before launching them at his foe.

  Blackstar remained poised, quickly sidestepping one of the projectiles before destroying the other large chunk of stone with his fist. He then responded with a technique of his own, firing off a spiraling black tendril into his opponent’s shield.

  Again and again, the mighty adepts traded techniques, prodding at one another’s defenses while keeping their vast reserves of power well-hidden. That is until Blackstar brought his assault to a sudden pause.

  “I grow tired of this game, Argo. How about we end this charade and see who really holds the power here!” Suddenly Blackstar leapt to the floor, slamming his palms together as shadow energy swirled around his form. “Summoning skill: Umbra titan!”

  Shadows manifested around the spirit lord, intertwining as they began to form a giant, hulking mass. Thick appendages grew into formation, followed by a shadowy face adorned with two violet eyes. Finally, a layer of conjured armor stretched across the monster’s chest, protecting Blackstar who now hovered at the creature’s center...

  From the depths of shadow, the umbra titan had been called forth.

  Argo’s eyes narrowed as he watched the titan come to formation, it’s dark power radiating through the already crumbling halls. Summoning techniques often represented the pinnacle of an adept’s power, and Blackstar’s summon was no different. If left unchecked, the creature would have no problem wiping out the city below and extinguishing every life within it. Of course, Argo had no intention of allowing any of that to happen... he only hoped that his body would hold up long enough to see his next technique through.

  The spirit magus placed his own palms together, causing his aura to flow and a ring of dust to rise at his feet. “I may have been an outcast all of my life, but even rogues can gain the favor of the gods! Summoning skill: Rogue Celestial An’Habar!”

  A long, crimson scarf unwound itself from Argo’s neck, falling to the ground in a heap. A breath later it began to rise, serving as a cowl for a man made completely of light. Patchwork leather armor stretched across the twenty-foot tall frame of the summoned celestial and a pair of shining daggers formed in its hands, ready to cut away the darkness or anything else that stood in its way.

  Only a second passed before the two behemoths caught sight of one another, the friction from their auras causing the temperature itself to rise. Then like a pair of gods battling through the heavens... the titans clashed.

  Chapter 8

  Freefall

  Seline’s Tower, the city of Shadowreach

  As Roy crept out of his guild’s living quarters and into the hallway, he was met with immediate carnage. Screams echoed from down the hall as bronze horn guardsmen fell to unseen attackers and mighty techniques ripped through the walls. His spirit shivered as he sensed the massive swell of shadow aura permeating the area, clouding his reach. It was clear...

  They were under attack.

  “Kimoura! Rem!” he yelled, doubling back as he ran to retrieve his gear. He knew his power alone wouldn’t be enough to survive whatever was coming. However, the first person to cross his path wasn’t a fellow adept, but rather his strange felyne companion, Jakki.

  “Oh boy! I think we’re under attack!” the Felyne said with an awkward jubilance in his voice. “This is going to be so exciting!”

  “Not exactly what I was thinking,” Roy growled as he scooped the creature up and placed him on his shoulder. Seconds later he was back in his room, slinging a belt around his waist that holstered both his arc launcher and void blade.

  Armed and ready, the void adept turned to rush back towards the doorway only to find Kimoura standing there, a mix of fatigue and alarm painted onto her face.

  “What in Eon was that?” she asked, half-whispering as if some malevolent force was just beyond earshot.

  “Can’t you tell? We’re under attack!” Jakki re-iterated, raising his paws into the air.

  “Then I suppose we better do something about that,” another voice chimed in, causing Kimoura to spin on her heel. Behind her the air shifted as flame aura burned to life, swirling around the form of Remley Bonaduce. “Now, let’s go show these bastards what we do to someone that attacks our home.”

  Kimoura raised an empowered fist and Roy gave him a firm nod, drawing out aura of his own. He didn’t know who awaited them in the halls below, but whoever these bastards were they had the audacity to attack in the middle of the night... and sleep was just too damn hard to come by in this realm not to NY make them pay.

  With eyes glowing violet, Roy pushed past Remley and stepped into the hallway, Kimoura following at his heels. Rem pivoted and began in the other direction, sword held high against his shoulder.

  “Roy, Kimoura!” he yelled, bringing them pause. “I’ll mobilize the others. Protect yourselves and remember, If anything happens you need to get out of here and meet me at the pinnacle! And don’t-“ Those were the only words the flame adept managed to get out before a massive wave of shadow energy pierced the wall and tore through the room, cutting off Roy’s vision of his mentor as the sheer force of the technique sent him careening into the wall.

  As Roy fell to the floor, he felt another swell of dark energy pass by him followed by an unfamiliar scream. He tried to rise to his feet, but a mere breath later he felt himself plummeting alongside broken furniture and shattered floorboards.

  The void adept let out a growl of pain as his body finally came to a stop, slamming into the ground several floors below and nearly cracking his ribs in the process.

  Slowly, Roy forced himself to a knee, trying desperately to orient himself as the threat of a follow-up strike loomed. As he rose to his feet, he could feel Jakki’s claws digging through his tunic and into his back as the Felyne clutched onto him for dear life. It hurt like Hell, but he was impressed the little creature had held on during their fall.

  “That was intense! Can we do it again?” Jakki asked, drawing an irksome look from Roy. No. Perhaps not…

  Drawing on his spirit aura, the void adept steadied himself and took stock of his surroundings. From the looks of it, he’d fallen several floors through the tower and was now somewhere near the structure’s center. The room he was in seemed free of immediate danger. However, tapping into his spiritual sense Roy could sense constant turmoil both above and below...

  Turmoil and darkness.

  Well, first things first, Roy had to get back to Kimoura and the others. He wasn’t going to let them fight whatever this was alone.

  Peering upwards, the void adept positioned himself beneath the hole he’d created in the ceiling. Bending at the knees, he channeled black- violet spirit energy into his legs until muscles ached with anticipation.

  “Hold on,” he growled to Jakki. Then, with a singular burst of strength, he propelled himself north. Upwards he soared, leaping from broken floorboard to broken floorboard, bringing himself ever closer to his companions above. For an instant, he was certain he could feel Kimoura’s light aura flaring just yards away. He was almost there...

  That is until he was caught mid-flight by a shadowy tendril.

  The wall nearly exploded behind him as he was slammed into metal and wood, pinned beneath the power of the dark technique as Jakki was sent flying into the corner.

  Roy immediately began resisting, focusing spirit aura into his core as he tried to repel th
e technique that held him fast. Unfortunately, it was no use... for standing opposite him was the technique’s wielder, a man shrouded in black with a jewel-encrusted eye patch and an aura darker than the void itself.

  //////////

  Wrath

  Shadow Adept

  Rank: 8th

  Specialization: Mystic

  Divine Power: None

  //////////

  Roy stared into the man’s singular eye and what he saw was the gaze of a killer. However, it wasn’t the maniacal look of Dakkon Kaito or the repentant gaze of Varyon Risen. No, this was the look of a man who acted as death’s messenger. This was death itself...

  Luckily for Roy, he and death were already well aquatinted.

  “Deep freeze!” the void adept roared as he channeled divine energy into his palm. A breath later he took aim and fired, sending a spire of icy energy straight at his opponent’s chest. Roy expected the shadow adept to react, to attempt a dodge or even a parry of his powerful blast. However, Wrath remained staunch and unmoving, welcoming the attack with a stone-faced expression... an attack that he deflected with ease.

  The icy spire slammed into the shadow adept, but rather than pierce his flesh it forked in opposite directions, effortlessly repelled by the man’s mighty aura. Immediately Roy recoiled, cutting off his attack as the shadowy tendril pressed harder into his abdomen and forced out what little air remained in his lungs.

  “Fool...” Wrath said as he raised his free hand, molding an orb of spirit energy into a shadowy spike. “Such a wasted effort, only to-“

  Before the man could finish his sentence another cloud of smoke and debris erupted to his right. A piece of the wall collapsed as a volley of thin, black energy spears emerged from the mayhem, showering Wrath’s defenses with brutal accuracy and forcing him to reposition into a defensive stance.

  //////////

  Spiritlancer skill: Empowered wind lance

  //////////

  Roy dropped to the floor as the shadow tendril holding him in place began to diminish, allowing him the briefest of seconds to catch his breath. Immediately, his eyes scanned the room, searching desperately for something, anything that could give him the upper hand against this much stronger foe.

  In the corner he spotted Jakki, a wide-eyed expression on the disheveled felyne’s face. He wasn’t going to be any help... However, the adept to Jakki’s right certainly would. Emerging from the cloud of dust was Leila, wind aura swirling around her body and a look determination painted on her face. Her arm, typically wrapped in a series of runic bandages, was now covered in a thick black substance that stretched across the entirety of her body. It was as if she had adorned the hide of a darkbeast... No, not just a darkbeast, but the spirit cloak of her dark passenger.

  “Go, Roy!” Leila ordered, hoisting her spear into the air and taking aim at Wrath. “Rem needs you!”

  Before Roy could manage a response, Wrath unleashed his spirit. Bolts of shadow energy tore through the room, circling its darksteel walls, ripping through floorboards and shattering support beams that held what remained of the celling in place.

  “You dare try to mock me by wielding the powers of the dark!?” Wrath roared, aiming all of his aggression at Leila. “Well, I’ll peel that power off your bones!”

  “I doubt it,” Leila mocked, her tone unnaturally cold due to the mask of dark power covering her face. Moving with supreme confidence, the wind adept summoned another larger, more powerful spear of energy and launched it across the room.

  //////////

  Divine Skill: Darkspear

  //////////

  Wrath’s eyes went wide as the spear tore through his defenses, shearing his tunic before passing within mere inches of his flesh. Judging by the expression on his face, it was clear he wasn’t expecting quite so much power out of Leila. It was also clear that he wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

  “I’ll bury you for that, wench!” he yelled, drawing his aura in for a technique. A breath later shadowy ribbons of energy swirled in the air above him, weaving together as they took the form of a massive, black serpent.

  //////////

  Shadow skill: Underworld Serpent

  //////////

  “Die!” Wrath howled as he willed the conjuration forward. Its inky black body dove through the air, making passes at Leila as it began to constrict the very room itself with its girth.

  Roy tried to act, tried to stave the thing off with a blast of void energy but It was no use. The walls began to crumble around him. The windows shattered and the floor gave way as the technique consumed everything in its wake. And then the void adept began to plummet, swallowed by the surrounding blackness as Seline’s tower began to fall.

  ****

  Seline’s silver flame aura flared and a growl of pain escaped her lips as the dragon spirit raged within the depths of her soul. It felt like a thunderstorm had been unleashed inside her as if the pulse of thunder and strikes of lightning were echoing off her bones.

  Through her internal struggle, Seline had lost all sense of time. It could have been seconds or ages and she wouldn’t have known the difference, but one thing was for certain... this battle was coming to a head.

  The dragon spirit’s power swelled within her as it prepared for a final assault, an attack that would leave her spirit sundered and allow it to escape back into the heavens. It wanted free... and it would have no problem destroying her in the process.

  Seline cried out as the beast attacked her spirit, channeling all of its bestial rage as it unleashed its wrath. In her mind’s eye, she saw the icy blue serpent breathe its icy breath over her body, freezing her solid before shattering her into a million tiny pieces. However, without a body to house its mighty spirit, the dragon could only impose its will and try to break her from the inside...

  Quite frankly, she refused to let that happen.

  Gritting her teeth, the silver flame adept searched the depths of soul, searching for memories that she’d rather have left buried. She sent herself back to the day that her guild was slain, to the day that she lost her brethren... to the moment her father was killed in front of her eyes. She remembered the pain and the anguish, the despair and the rage that she felt on the day the steel brotherhood fell. She felt it, and she channeled it into raw strength.

  Silver flames erupted from Seline’s body as she let the power of her spirit flow freely. In her mind’s eye she stood face to face with the dragon, matching its size and strength with her blade of curved silver.

  The dragon opened its maw in defiance, but she responded in kind, thrusting her blade down its throat and skewering the majestic beast with a strike that shattered reality. And just like that... it was over.

  Carefully Seline opened her eyes, finding herself once again seated inside Argo’s sanctuary. Her body ached as if she had just fought a marathon of battles and her spirit shuddered as if it had been dragged through the underworld. And yet...

  Swelling in the very core of her spirit she felt an unfamiliar strength, a draconic presence wrapped around her soul, pulsing with the strength and knowledge of its ancient serpentine race. The spirit was still resisting her, that was to be certain. But that didn’t stop Seline from embracing its ancient power.

  Channeling the spirit energy within her, she could feel the dragon’s power flowing through every facet of her body, giving her depleted form the strength that she needed to rise to her feet... And though she knew she’d been weakened by her ordeal, once she was rejuvenated, once she got a true handle on this thing… Seline Bonaduce would be a true force to be reckoned with.

  Once on her feet, the silver flame adept made her way through the silent chamber, heading towards the spiritual distress she sensed just beyond the far door. Slowly, she pressed the portal open, half-expecting to find Argo fiddling with one of his treasures or exploring one of his unorthodox techniques. Instead, her eyes went wide as she was met with all-out war.

  In the center of the hall, two giant avat
ars were locked in battle with one another, their forged bodies radiating with enough combined power to rival the gods.

  To her left stood Argo Zael who seemed to be commanding a giant rogue, its skin forged of light and it’s luminous blades working furiously as it tried to stave off its mighty opponent. And to her right stood an even larger avatar, a titan forged of dark energy and shadow, its body encased in a suit of translucent armor.

  Seline watched as Argo commanded his rogue to lunge forward, driving both of its shining blades through the umbra titan’s armor and into its chest. She watched as Argo grinned, willing his creation forward as he seemed to take the upper hand. Then in the heat of battle, something unexpected happened...

  Argo doubled over, coughing up blood as his illness made a sudden return. Likewise, his rogue avatar faltered, relinquishing a strike that had nearly sealed its victory.

  It was all the opening Blackstar and his umbra titan needed.

  The shadowy conjuration raised its right hand, forming an inky black lance in its grasp. A breath later, the titan willed its lance forward, stabbing the weapon through the rogue’s core and directly into Argo Zael’s chest.

  “No!” Seline screeched, eyes locked onto the spirit magus as the once-great adept fell to his knees. If only she could do something. If only she had even an ounce of her strength remaining then perhaps, she could intervene and, and...

  Suddenly the umbra titan lunged forward, hoisting Argo up with the tip of its lance, letting his body sway in the air like some hunter’s grisly trophy. The spirit magus grimaced as lifeblood poured from his wound, filling his boots and splattering across the once pristine floor.

  Slowly, his gaze turned to Seline, the color in his eyes quickly fading with each passing breath.

  “Run girl...” he mouthed, teeth stained crimson. It was the last words the man uttered before a pulse of dark energy surged through the lance, eradicating his body and sending him to the ether.