Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1209: The Order of Fatality and the Chaos Immortal
Previously on Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy...
Several days prior, distant from Clovis City, Armin—Vale's inaugural disciple—continued tackling his assignments.
Positioned in Veldenport, the vibrant port hub of the modest Thalore Principality, he witnessed vessels arriving from every corner of the continent, while traders bartered rare goods.
The briny breeze had become familiar to him, and he found ease in residing there… The tight lanes of the town brimmed with chances and perils that thrilled him deeply…
Naturally, Armin wasn't operating solo. Over the previous six months, he'd collaborated with two dependable allies.
One was Rehan, offspring of the famed Paranormal Investigator from the Millton Kingdom. Beyond his father's fame, he possessed an innate talent for Psychic Arts and Dark Arts, proving essential in incidents of possession and psychological decay. His keen perceptions frequently revealed hidden facts that escaped others.
The other was Ely, child of the initial leader of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels. From a young age, she'd been schooled in Dark Arts and Mystic Arts… Her expertise in ceremonies and deceptions repeatedly rescued the team from snares set by outlaw Arcanists.
As a unit, these three had earned recognition in Veldenport as a dependable squad of Arcanists, operating beneath the Arcanist Guild.
Their duties spanned banishing malevolent entities, probing missing persons, and even apprehending wayward Arcanists misusing their abilities.
In merely six months, their fame had swelled, and they relished it much of the time, feeling like stars…
Though it hadn't appealed to them initially, the attention gradually won them over.
Nicknamed "the trio from the Shadow Domain," their moniker echoed through pubs and guild buildings.
Yet now, Armin sensed the moment had come to head back. He yearned to revisit Clovis City, stroll the corridors of Marshall Academy, and link up once more with his master's territory.
He informed Rehan and Ely that their upcoming task would mark their final one in Veldenport.
"This is truly the last!" Armin declared.
"Hey… You've said that earlier, but when that woman wept…" Ely's words faded.
"Ha! That's not the same. She's simply too heartbreaking. I couldn't abandon her in that state. Her kid is just three!" Armin exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Rehan simply laughed, fully aware of Armin's pattern and accustomed to it.
"Fine, fine… I hear the railway's getting repaired soon. We can handle one more job." Rehan concluded.
Upon hearing they'd take on the task, the Guildmaster brimmed with joy.
That night, the Guild handed them a fresh mission.
"Ohhh… This looks intriguing. I believe it's the ideal closing assignment." Rehan whispered.
Evidently, a string of baffling abductions had troubled Haydenport's waterfront area.
This other port town lay apart from Veldenport, yet reaching it would require only about half a day's journey.
Moreover, a train there could carry them back to the Shadow Domain.
It seemed like an ideal venture right before departing the area.
"Dockworkers, sailors, and several merchants have vanished without any sign." Ely murmured while scanning the details.
Initially, the city watch suspected smuggling or banditry at sea, but the Guild's Seers picked up hints of arcane remnants around the spots. The power fluctuated wildly, alternating between Dark Arts and Mystic Arts, pointing to someone testing banned methods.
The incident wasn't all that rare… Indeed, plenty of Rogue Arcanists still snatched everyday folk for trials, particularly those delving into Dark Alchemy.
The victim count had dwindled lately, now that the Philosopher's Elixir was widely available.
Armin scrutinized the document closely. "The remnants could be a deception… It's possible if they're concealing their efforts."
Rehan's brow furrowed… He hadn't considered that depth.
Still, Armin's statement wasn't baseless speculation.
They'd encountered several instances where Arcanists masked their real aims using relics that triggered alternative Arcane Arts, baffling the probes.
Ely agreed with a nod.
"Are we on the same page? Could this tie back to the Order of Fatality?"
The trio shared looks and affirmed...
"Same idea…" Armin uttered at last.
"Yeah… That sect might be stirring trouble there. We halted them locally, but perhaps they've shifted their base." Rehan grumbled.
"They're bold. They didn't even pick a more remote spot." Ely remarked, shaking her head.
This wasn't a typical affair.
The Order of Fatality formed a perilous cult. Nevertheless, the three felt no fear!
With that, the team set off the following day…
Upon reaching the city and settling affairs with the Arcanist Guild Branch, they dove straight into probing the wharves.
"It's still buzzing here…" Rehan noted.
The docks truly buzzed with clamor. Shouts from sailors, cries of gulls, waves pounding the jetties, and more…
Yet they also detected the tension.
As Arcanists, such vibes registered sharply with them…
"Let's keep watching…" Armin suggested.
Before long, they noted how dockworkers steered clear of specific storage buildings or shadowy, isolated zones…
Observing this, Armin took the lead, interrogating laborers and assembling a sequence of the vanishings.
Simultaneously, Rehan deployed his psychic awareness, sifting through residual notions and dreads. Ely, meanwhile, inspected the surfaces, following subtle Arcane Energy tinged with decay…
"There have to be many of them around…" Ely stated darkly. "These tainted arcane forces serve as their signs. It seems they're gearing up for a major ceremony."
***
Armin scowled as the final wisps of tainted energy solidified his doubts.
'It's them. The Order of Fatality.'
He balled his hands into fists. "No more games. We finish this now."
From the gloom at his feet, a wave like liquid rippled outward.
Shadows climbed higher, shaping into an elegant but foreboding form. It was Yvaine, Vale's summoned Dark Spirit.
Her aura exuded undeniable dread. Strangely, though, it comforted the three.
Even as a Dark Spirit, the subtle glow of Divinity she emitted set her apart as something superior.
Usually, Yvaine only acted when Armin's safety hung in the balance.
But on this occasion, Armin advanced…
"Yvaine… I require your aid sooner. My sense of danger is blaring. Delaying until I'm trapped could cost us key details. Please… assist us immediately."
Yvaine angled her head, employing her Divine Sense to scan the town…
She observed him briefly, seemingly assessing his determination. Then she inclined her head. "So be it. If your senses warn you, I'll heed them. Come with me."
The three traded glances. Rehan and Ely stood alert yet resolute to press on…
In that manner, they trailed Yvaine as she guided them via the backstreets.
Quickly, they reached an aged chapel…
"Is this it?" Armin whispered, surveying the surroundings.
Within, the reek of decay already permeated.
The Order of Fatality had assembled inside… Dozens of devotees chanted together, deep into a vital rite!
They had to halt its completion!
"Thanks, Yvaine… We'll manage from here… Now," Armin breathed.
The three surged ahead, releasing their incantations.
Armin's Dark Hands burst from the ground, seizing cultists and pulling them into the darkness.
Rehan's Dark Chains appeared, restraining several foes simultaneously…
Ely summoned Dark Spears and launched them at the adversaries, rupturing the chanting ring and demolishing the ritual's heart.
The cultists toppled sequentially, overrun by the synced attack.
"Ahhh… They're merely Fourth to Second Class Arcanists…" Armin observed.
In moments, quiet enveloped the church after they eliminated every cultist.
"That's right… Did we overrate them?" Rehan pondered, as the trio had reached Expert-Class. They neared Master-Class Arcanist status.
But even as he spoke, the atmosphere altered.
An immense weight, unlike any before, bore down on them.
The structure quaked, and from the ruined ritual circle they'd supposedly wrecked, a silhouette arose, draped in Divinity!
"A Chaos Immortal..." Yvaine declared, leaving the three shocked.
Armin's pulse raced wildly. Rehan paled, and Ely stumbled backward. The Immortal's overwhelming essence choked them. They realized at once survival was impossible.
Yet Yvaine advanced, her Divinity fully engaged…
Shadows yielded to her command, crafting a shield that collided with the Immortal's presence.
"This domain isn't yours. Depart."
The Chaos Immortal eyed the formidable Dark Spirit and chuckled…
Then, it lunged at them!
"Hmph!"
With one motion, Yvaine ripped a shadow fissure and flung the Immortal inside.
The chapel shuddered fiercely as the Dark Spirit appeared to trap the Chaos Immortal within her shadow!
Thus, the confrontation concluded!
Armin dropped to his knees, perspiration streaming down his brow.
Rehan and Ely shook, their breathing labored.
"I nearly lost control…" Rehan admitted…
"We had no chance against that."
Ely bobbed her head swiftly... "Without Yvaine… we'd be gone."
Armin breathed out deeply, hauling himself upright.
He regarded his partners, then Yvaine, who was dissolving back into his shadow.
"Okay… we're finished. I want to head home."
As he uttered this, Yvaine's voice reached him, urging a swift visit to the Mystic Arts Tower…
'Mystic Arts Tower?'