Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:47:43 -0300
From: Matthew Amos <stu363@nb.sympatico.ca>
Subject: Black Adept 5

The characters and plot in this story are copyrighted by the author.

All the characters in this story are purely products of my imagination
and are not based on real people. Any resemblance is purely coincidental
and is not intended.

If you are looking for just sex this is not the story for you. Most of
the romance will take place in later chapters if I continue the story

This is my first attempt at a story and I hope that you like it. If you
have any positive feedback I would love to hear it. You can email me at
BlackAdept@Hotmail.com

I am going to try to get one chapter a week out but I am a university
student so sometimes I might not have time

I would like to give special thanks to Bobby who is editing my work for
me.

The Black Adept

Chapter 4: Things that go Bump in the Night

By Matt

After the battle I was too exhausted to even bother about returning
directly to the Academy. I just passed out as soon as I reached the back
room of the clothing shop. I slept almost a whole day before waking up
and I was still exhausted physically, mentally, and magically. I knew
once I returned through the portal I would find plenty of work to do
since I have been gone so long. First, I would have to recover my powers
and get my lab back into order. I had left so many experiments on hold
that I would probably have to restart half of them. After that, I would
have to see what type of trouble my battle had stirred up and then catch
up on all the news at the Academy. Sometimes, I just wish I could take a
proper vacation and just forget about everything for a while.

I would also have to go into the city some and revive my identity as
Kalsin before people started to think him dead. I didn't want to lose my
contacts among the thieves since it was their business to know
everything. I have a feeling that it will be at least a week before I can
even think about a full nights sleep.

I just sighed and headed to the portal in the basement and returned to my
lab beneath the Academy. It took me a day to refill my energies and
salvage the few of my experiment that I could. With that done, I head up
into the Academy proper cloaking myself in the Void to keep people from
seeing me. What I found took me by surprise, a pleasant one for me at
least.

The Academy was crowded with hundred of new initiates most of whom were
obviously from the poor classes. I was almost giddy thinking about how
much of a headache this must be for the nobility, who always dominated
the Academy, to find themselves suddenly out numbered. People seemed to
be flocking to the Academy from miles around after sensing my battle and
realizing they had mage potential.

I also felt good knowing that I had unintentionally done two great favors
for the Academy. First, I increased their numbers and the power they
could draw upon in the event of a battle with demon mages. More
importantly, I brought new blood into a situation that was beginning to
stagnate. The mages of the Academy had gathered so much knowledge that
most mages were content to simply study the works of the past and not
create anything new.

I walked among the crowded halls completely invisible to those around
without them noticing when they occasionally bumped into something that
wasn't there. They were used to students playing around with
invisibility so it didn't raise any questions. It didn't take long for
me to catch up on news listening to various conversations. Everybody
seemed to be talking about when the investigation team would get back and
giving their ideas on what they would find. I couldn't help but laugh at
some of the things that were being said. More than a few times, I caused
people to look for the source of the laughter, since with all the panic
and nervousness, it was not a common sound at the moment. This only
caused me to giggle as I tried to hold in my laughter. Listening to
people claim everything from an invasion of mages to punishment from the
gods as an explanation. The official story was that it was a test to find
new mages but that only seemed to work outside the Academy, inside was
turning into a rumor mill. I expanded my awareness to the north and found
that a few mages from the investigation team were already on their way
back. I wondered what they made out of the battle site and how close to
the truth they would be.

Another big topic of conversation was the influx of new students to the
Academy. Some were complaining about peasants invading their Academy but
not as many as I would have thought. Among the older mages the biggest
concern was how they were going to teach when the number of student had
more than doubled already and more were still showing up. Another problem
was that many of these new students were virtually illiterate. Most just
seemed shocked since it was always a common belief that magic had to be
bred. Noble bloodlines had always tried to strengthen magic within their
own line by marrying mages of power. The fact was that peasants were
showing up with no history of magic in their families and some having
huge potential.

There was already a lot of work going on to prepare long unused areas of
the Academy for new students to live in and establish more classrooms.
Many mages looked like they hadn't slept since this started, either
directing workers or trying to keep the students under control. Classes
had been suspended until someone came up with a way to deal with the new
students. Some mages were even talking about plans to extend the Academy
for the first time since it was created. They figured that if only three
cities and a few dozen towns which had felt the battle had come up with
this many students, they should be prepared to start searching the rest
of the land. Most others were looking at them like they were crazy to be
wanting more students when they were already lost in trying to deal with
the ones they had.

I returned to my lab and spent the rest of the day restarting my more
important experiments. After that was done I went to my chambers to
sleep. I slept late a luxury I rarely gave myself anymore but figured I
deserved it after the last few days. Most of the day went by normally and
them I started feel uneasy about something I couldn't quite identify. I
tried to locate its source but all the stray energy around the Academy
made it impossible to pinpoint beyond knowing it was somewhere on the
Academy grounds. I went to see what was happening in the Academy and only
learned that some of the investigators had returned and were meeting with
the Lord Adept. I wondered if that was what was causing this uneasy
feeling but didn't think that it was. I could almost recognize some
energies around me that didn't seem right. Then it hit me the energies
were those of a demon weak now but still growing.

My first instinct was that a demon mage was attacking the Academy but
quickly realized that that was not the case. It would have taken an army
of demon mages to attack the Academy and that many would have been
detected by my wards with ease. The next possibility was that there was a
demon among the mages of the Academy casting a spell but it felt
different than any demon mage I had battled before. My next realization
was terrifying but instantly I knew it was the case. A demon was crossing
into our plane of existence inside the Academy itself.

Twice in the histories of the Black Adepts had a demon crossed into our
plane. Once, the Black Adept of the time just made sure that the local
populations evacuated so the time demon would tire and return to its
plane. The last time was during my teachers master's time as Black Adept
and he had lured the demon away from its entry point and had not allowed
it to return until it was too weak to survive on our plane and died.
Neither was an option for me since, with surprise on its side, it could
decimate the Academy before the mages organized and drove it back. I
would have to engage it directly and hope the mages fight beside me and
not against me.

A demon mage is only given access to a small portion of a demon's
strength since the demon doesn't want to be left vulnerable. Even with
much of the demon's strength tied to keeping itself in our plane, it
will still be stronger than the demon mage I just fought. A demon can't
be summoned against its will which means that it wants to enter our
plane. The fact that it is trying to enter the Academy itself suggests
that it is powerful. I couldn't believe that a mage would be foolish
enough to actual bring a demon into our plane. Not only is it virtually
suicidal but the mage doesn't get anything out of it. An old myth used
to suggest that if you could summon and control a demon you could force
it to give you all its power but it had never been done according to
anything I ever heard or read.

I hurried through the corridors in the robes of the Black Adept, a black
so deep it seemed to devour the light around, my staff in hand and the
hood of my robe throwing a deep shadow over my face. I know I should have
kept myself concealed but at the moment I didn't want to waste a drop of
unnecessary energy. I appeared in hallways of the Academy seemingly out
of nowhere as I hurried to the grounds hoping to stop the summoning
before it was completed.

For the first time since the founding of the third Academy, a Black Adept
traveled the halls in plain view of all. People stared at me, not knowing
what I was. The color of robes was used to differentiate between ranks
and school of magic. All initiates and novices wore brown robes until
they choose a specific school to focus their study in and then took the
color of that school. Some examples are red is fire, gray is necromancy,
yellow is clerical, with the symbol on the chest and back of the
worshipped god, etc. Also, a series of gold and silver bands around the
sleeves denote your rank. The only knowledge of a black robe anyone in
the Academy would have now is from stories used to frighten children
about mages that kill students for being bad. It has a whole history of
stories used by older students to frighten younger ones. They started in
response to the Academy law stating it is illegal to wear black robes
with extreme punishments for anyone caught with them. This made me appear
as one hell of a shock as I ran through increasingly more crowded
hallways and out into the grounds themselves.

Students were pointing and staring while many of the teachers were
starting to yell at me, probably thinking it was a prank or something. I
just ignored everybody as I hunted for the source of the demon energy I
detected. It took a minute to orient myself on the energies but once I
found them I ran, following them to their source. The energies kept
growing to at point where I knew the summoning was almost done but I
still couldn't locate where their source was. There were buildings all
around a residence, some buildings with classrooms and laboratories in
them, tool sheds, and storage areas. I didn't know which of the
buildings it was coming from. Then for a second, screams filled the air
only to stop before I was sure they even there and, instead, a tool shed
exploded. Then new screams started as everyone saw the demon. I examined
the situation as quickly as I could and noticed the three dead bodies of
novices. I knew they had tried to summon the demon probably in hopes of
unlimited power but learned too late their error.

It was a nightmarish picture with the sky darkening and the screaming
mass of people all around. The creature was out of nightmares itself 20
feet tall at least visibly shining with sickening power. It was man
shaped in that it had arms and legs but other than that I can't describe
it since it resembles nothing alive or in the most twisted imaginations
of man. I took all my willpower to keep from joining the screaming
running mob around me but still my knee shook with terror knowing that I
had to hold this off until order was restored and the mages could join
the fight. I just prayed that when they did they didn't target both the
demon and me as a black mage. I prepared my first spell speaking softly
so as not to alert the demon but those around me still heard and ran from
me in fear as well. My spell ready, I waited for an opportunity to strike
and brought my shield up to full strength. I almost lost what little
resolve I had when it spoke in a voice that made the nameless language of
Void magic sound pleasant.

"This shall be the greatest feast in history and with your powers I will
be powerful beyond even the Demon Lord himself." I doubted this was
completely true since he would be driven back into the demon realm before
he devour more than a few hundred and that was if he had time to take
advantage of the chaos. I didn't plan on giving it that time.

In as loud and confident a voice I could muster I yelled, "I WILL NOT
ALLOW THIS!!!" Which actually startled the demon, who was thinking
everyone was trying to run away, and, as he turned towards me, I released
my spell. A bolt of energy as large as a full grown person shot out of my
hand and hit it in what would pass for its chest, staggering it. I knew I
had done some damage but not much. I prepared myself for its retaliation
and was surprised as it struck at me physically. I barely managed to leap
out of the way of the attack and it was at that moment fear almost froze
me. I was so used to battling mages who only threw energy at each other,
that I didn't even think about how a demon would be able to crush my
shield without even using up any of its own strength. I would have been
finished if it wasn't for a five mages who started trying to attack it.
It was a poor effort but it showed the mages were starting to organize.

It turned its attention to them and I started casting a spell that I had
never cast before. At the same time, I sent my awareness into the Void.
Most people would go mad in this experience. That utter infinite
emptiness pulls apart the sanity of the bravest men. Only someone who can
embrace and accept complete loneliness can hold their mind together in
the Void, much less actually find comfort in it, and that is what makes a
Void mage. I sensed several of them and sent my call but none responded.
They had left the physical world and saw no reason to interact with it
anymore. I could sense that the resistance to the demon had crumbled and
the mages were dead or running and I knew I had to complete this quickly
before it turned its attention back to me. I sent out the call stronger
this time and it was answered. I don't know how I knew, but I was sure
it was my old teacher Dalenti. The presence felt the same. I led the
essence that was left of her back to our plane and with that completed
the spell I had been casting. The ground shuddered and rose as it shaped
itself into a golem almost as big as the demon and I released Dalenti's
spirit into it so she could give it proper life and guide its actions.

The demon suddenly realized that there was a greater threat and turned to
find a golem standing between it and its escape rout. It suddenly knew
fear. It could only focus on fighting the mages or the golem at one time
and it couldn't ignore either. It knew it had to escape before the mages
grouped against it, so it attacked the golem. It probably expected the
golem to be stupid and slow like golem usually were but this golem had
Dalenti's mind and fought with some skill. The mages also noticed this
turn in the battle and began to gather and attack. I knew that a golem
couldn't last long against the demon so I didn't join the attack.
Instead I walked to the remains of the tool shed and drew a circle around
and created a barrier that would not allow the demon to pass. I didn't
want this demon to escape with the power it had managed to take. Being in
the Academy made it easy to gather energy to recharge myself and then I
waited.

When the golem fell, broken, I released Dalenti back to the Void and
watched as the demon ran to its escape point only to find it sealed by my
shield. Most of the higher mages and instructors were attacking it now,
as well as many of the more skilled novices and it was weakening quickly.
I decided to finish this quickly so I walk toward the demon chanting the
whole time. Mages stopped their attack to stare at me since many of the
ones here now were not among those who had seen me earlier. I released my
first spell and fire erupted from the ground at the demon feet so hot
that the ground was not burning but melting into molten rock which the
demon began to sink into. My second spell released to suddenly freeze the
area around the demon, leaving it stuck in the ground. This spell did
more damage to it than the fire spell, since demon had adjusted its body
to ignore the heat quickly but couldn't adjust it back to deal with the
cold as fast. Seeing this, I cast another spell to intensify to cold
until the air itself froze around the demon incasing it in ice. Then I
cast my final spell, now that its defenses were down, and opened up a
breach into the Void within the ice around the demon. It only lasted a
few seconds but drained the last of the demons strength away and ending
its life.

All eyes turned to me some with hatred knowing what I was, some with
disbelief that I was now glowing with power like most would not believe
possible, and rest were students and a handful of mages who looked at me
uncomprehendingly, not recognizing what I was. I just looked a them all
and cloaked myself in the Void so not even spells designed to see
invisibility would see me and walked away leaving a confused mass behind
me.

I walked quickly to the nearest entrance to the secret tunnels while
recharging my strength again from the energy around me. I released the
cloak of the Void and I was lost in thoughts while walking back towards
my underground chambers when a sound startled me. I heard voices in the
tunnels.

"Kinren admit it. We're lost we've been lost for over an hour." The
first speaker had a smooth melodic which sounded nervous. He was answered
by a confident gentle voice which I assumed was Kinren.

"Maybe a little, but we have to keep trying to find a way out. Something
big just happened out there. You felt it, Kai. We have to see what it
was. Just keep searching for a door."

"What do we do if we find a door? We thought we were so clever finding
out how to open them from the outside, we never thought we wouldn't be
able to open them from the inside."

The voices were getting closer and I could now see I light approaching
from around the next corner. "Kinren, lets just wait here. It is obvious
that somebody uses these passages. We should just wait and may be the
will find us. We can apologize and ask them how to get out."

Just as this was finished being said, they turned the corner and saw me.
They both stood there in shock looking at my black robes, probably
thinking they had found the bogey man from the children stories standing
in front of them. I couldn't help but notice that they were both quite
handsome young men, most likely brothers by how close they looked to each
other. I was startled out of my contemplation of their looks by the older
one of the two, who I think was Kinren saying, "If you kill us people
will come looking for us."

I almost laughed at the expression on their faces until I looked down at
myself and realized that my black robe had large splatters of blood from
when the demon caught mages. I must have truly looked frightening to
behold. I answered, "I don't plan to kill you and if I did no one would
come searching because they would just assume you were killed by the
demon. Now I believe I heard you say you would apologize for using
tunnels and then ask me to let you out. So apologize." I pulled down my
hood to let them at least know I was human and hopefully ease some of
their tension. They just seemed more nervous looking into my black eyes

In almost unison they said, "What demon?"

"The one that just attacked the Academy. That is what those magical
fireworks you probably felt were." I looked at them intently which made
them seem uncomfortable and asked, "Now how am I supposed to be sure that
my tunnels won't be invaded if I let you out."

I laughed at them as they started tripping over each others words trying
to ensure they would never tell another soul. They just looked so cute
standing there fumbling with words. I said, "I am not going to hurt you.
You don't have to act like I am not about torture you or something. I
would just like you to keep these tunnels a secret if you can."

I think it was finally beginning to sink in to them they I wasn't going
to hurt them and they started to calm down. They started taking turns
asking me about what happened and I was enjoying talking to them. I know
I should have stopped this but I hadn't really talked too anybody very
often when I didn't have to hide who I was that I wanted to keep talking
to them. The fact that they were both hot as hell helped as well. Before
too long, I found myself telling them the story of the Black Adepts.

Then Kai surprised me by asking, "What is your name?"

I had not used my real name in so long it took me a second to remember
it.

"My name is Truin."

My eyes started to well up with tears as I remembered the last few days
of my old life. It felt really good to talk to somebody about my history
and I felt comfortable talking to them. Next thing I knew, I was telling
them some of my own life story. I watched their eyebrows arch a little
and look at each other as I mentioned Jayden and my love for each other.
They looked surprised but not hostile.

When I was done with what happened that made me the Black Adept, they
looked a little nervous. I asked, "What's the matter?"

It was Kai who spoke up, "Did you say Jasrin Aubrey?"

I nodded and he said, "How is that possible? He was our great great
grandfather and..."

He shut up probably just making the connection that Jasrin was
responsible for Jayden's death and thinking that I would take revenge on
them or something.

"Don't worry I don't blame you for what Jasrin did. That was a long
time ago, before you were ever born." I gave them a little smile and
said, "Anyway I was hoping we could be friends."

They smiled and soon we were talking like we had known each other
forever. For the first time in a long, long time, I felt genuinely happy.
After about an hour they figured they should get back before people
started to worry about them. So I escorted them to the nearest way out
and made sure the coast was clear before opening it. I said goodbye to
them and said they could come back again if they wanted to. They started
to walk off but just as I was about to turn around Kai did something that
surprised all us, I think himself most of all. He ran back and kissed me.
It was a quick kiss but it held meaning. He said he would love to come
back and then blushed bright red. I think I just had a goofy expression
on my face as Kinren laughed and told his brother they had to get back
but they would come to visit when the could.

As they walked away for real this time I wondered if this could be the
start of something beautiful. I could tell Kai had little experience in
relationships from his nervous kiss but I hoped it might work out so that
I could teach him. It might not be love but it was a beginning.

To be continued...

This is my first attempt at a story and I hope that you like if you have
any positive feedback I would love to hear it. Send me some feed back on
whether this story has the potential that I should continue it. You can
email me at BlackAdept@Hotmail.com