Nova Sorcery
Chapter 5:
Valkyrie Peak
Part 1: Forward, To Valkyrie Peak
"Oi, wake up already. We're gonna be late, y'know," Akimi's voice cut through the thick silence of the room.
A grumble came from the bundle of blankets across the room. Renato, clearly still half-asleep, cracked one eye open and gave Akimi a glare that could've burned through steel.
"Ugh... why do we have to wake up so early? It's not like the mountains have a time limit," Renato grumbled, voice muffled by the sheets.
Akimi, already dressed in his coat, chuckled as he adjusted the collar. "Yeah, yeah, just hurry up. There's no way in hell I'm missing this." His tone was light, but there was an unmistakable sharpness in his eyes—a mixture of anticipation and excitement.
Renato sighed, sitting up with an exaggerated groan. He swung his legs off the bed and hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Alright, alright. I'm up," he muttered, wiping sleep from his eyes. "But you owe me coffee after this."
By the time they reached the courtyard, the academy grounds were alive with energy. Students of all levels crowded together, some yawning, others laughing, and a few discussing strategies for what lay ahead. At the front of the gathering stood a elderly man with a grizzled beard, his chest covered in an array of badges, each one marking him as someone who had earned their place among the best. Many instructors stood alongside him, most looking just as tired as their students. Miss Balmer stepped forward, "Alright everyone, listen well!" she yelled out.
The old man stepped forward. "I am Headmaster Junchi, coordinator of your Valkyrie Peak excursion. Now then Valkyrie Peak isn't just some play-place—it's a battleground, this may be considered a field trip but don't take it so lightly. The mountain consists of five levels. Each layer is home to monsters, ghouls, and creatures that grow stronger the higher you climb. Don't be cocky. This will be quite a difficult challenge you'll be facing."
Some students laughed nervously, while others straightened their posture, the weight of his words settling over them like a heavy fog.
The Headmaster's voice turned more serious. "Scattered within the mountain are weapons, spells, and all types of relics—rather they're tools left by former challengers, or crafted by the Council. But don't get any ideas about easy victories. There will be no rescue unless death is imminent. Officers will be hidden throughout, observing. Most of you won't see them... unless you're about to die."
With a single raised finger, the Headmaster etched something into the ground of the courtyard beneath them. A strong gust surrounded them, the wind twisting, hummed a tune as the ground vibrated. A massive portal crackled open before them, its edges flashing with frost and magic.
The instructors stepped aside, and the students, with nerves and excitement mixed, began to file into the portal one by one.
Part 2: The 5th Floor of Valkyrie Peak
As soon as Renato stepped through the portal, the cold hit him like a wall. Snow swirled around them, thick and suffocating. His breath came out in sharp bursts, a fog of white forming in the air.
Miss Balmer soon stepped in front of her small group of students, including Renato and Akimi. "Now I want everyone here to remember-", as she exclaims her concerns the pair both zone out as they stare behind at the sight of the cavern of the mountain. "-and don't push your luck, the portal here will stay open." She finished her statement as the class filled with excitement rush forward.
The pair grinning from ear to ear, the thrill of the challenge coursing through his veins. They darted forward, eyes scanning the terrain, eager to face whatever came next.
Suddenly, a Cauldron of Yin Bats—orb like shadowy bodies whizzed by, Renato ducked just in time and bolted ahead, pushing through the snow, his heart pounding. Hoards of monsters came popping up every direction. Suddenly a large menacing roar echoed through the icy cave.
A monstrous sized canine beast loomed over a classmate, frozen with fear— as the beast lunged forward, a powerful blast crescendoed throughout the entire floor. Looking toward where the blast came from, an officer appeared midair, hidden almost as if reality bent to conceal him. He swept in and grabbed the student still frozen and flew him away to the exit.
"Oi, Renato, I see you brought along that sword from Gio's shindig," Akimi yells as he blasts a ghoul out of his way.
"Yeah I did," Renato replies, "I've been practicing a little every now and again." He gives the sword a twirl while Akimi looks at him with a smirk.
The duo continues to dash forward, blasting and cutting monsters out of their way. Soon they reach a winding upward path with dozens of their classmates already ascending to the upper floors.
Part 3: Rising to the Top
Renato and Akimi soon reached the third floor of Valkyrie Peak, a group of students ahead of them were already in confrontations with a hoard of Frost-Tailed Monkeys—swinging from icicles and jumping from pillar to pillar, these not so strong but agile mammals overwhelmed the group and quickly put their sights on Renato and Akimi.
"Oi, Renato," Akimi shouted out, "I think those things are coming our way. "well do you wanna fight them first, or me?" Renato suggested.
The two looked at each other in a shared thought.
"DAMMIT," Renato yelled. "how the hell do always win that."
"It's not my fault you always pick scissors," Akimi said.
Renato stepped forward, staring at the Frost-Tailed Monkey running towards him with a stern face; he took his sword and logged it into the frosty ground—placing his hands in front of him, inergy visibly built up around him. The inergy gathered in between his palms, condensing, suddenly a spark appeared from the center; the ball of inergy burst into flames.
"I've been working on this for while, ever since after the Iron Forest," Renato said with a grin on his face. "FIREBALL"!
The orb of flames hurled itself forwards, the Frost-Tailed Monkey stopped in its tracks, frozen with fear it put up its arm in defense. As the sphere drew closer, the flames slowly distinguished itself—becoming nothing more than smoke.
The Frost-Tailed Monkey threw itself to the ground laughing and hollering, mocking Renato.
"HEY, THATS NOT FUNNY Y'KNOW". Renato said with a flustered look on his face.
Akimi chuckled and tried his best not to laugh, "Renato, y'know you have to give it a separate stock of inergy right".
"Stock?", Renato looked back and exclaimed.
"Yeah, stock," Akimi began, "when it comes to long-ranged magic like fireball, you have to give it a separate inergy stockpile than your own. You see, when channeling magic you use your own personal stockpile of inergy that it consumes. Imagine the flow of the inergy thats being consumed like a tether or leash, once you release a long-ranged spell sooner or late it'll snap itself off that leash. That's why you need to make a separate stock of inergy so when its off that leash, it can still consume inergy from far away".
Both Renato and the Frost-Tailed Monkey looked at Akimi with a blank, confused look.
"Oh come on, thats like the easiest way I could've put it". Akimi shouted out annoyed.
"Whatever," Renato said, picking up his sword. He charged towards the Frost-Tailed Monkey, "shouldn't matter about stocks, leashes, or any of that bullshit when I can swing a sword".
The Frost-Tailed Monkey easily dodged Renato's attack, gigglingly hopping on his back, pulling him by his face. "GET OFF WOULD YA," Renato sputtered.
The Frost-Tailed Monkey ran off to the hoard while laughing. Akimi walked up to Renato and put his hand his shoulder. "Alright, my turn now".
As he stepped up, inergy flows around him, condensing around his limbs; he leaned forward with a large grin on his face. He suddenly launched himself forward at abnormal speeds. "ACCELERATE!" Akimi yelled out.
'did he just say accelerate out loud' Renato thought to himself.
Akimi in an instance was in front of the hoard, before they could react; Akimi was already in the motions of an axe kick. He struck the ground stirring up snow and launching Frost-Tailed Monkey's in every direction.
"HEY HEY," Renato exclaimed, "leave some for me would ya'".
Renato ran ahead and continued from Akimi's attack, using his blade to pick off the Frost-Tailed Monkey's. The group of students from before looked at each other before helping Renato and Akimi clear the hoard.
Soon the hoard of Frost-Tailed Monkey's were all cleared out. "Hey, Akimi," Renato said while knocking out the last monkey. "Why did you yell out 'Accelerate' before".
"Well I saw you do it earlier, and thought it was cool," Akimi stated. "so why did you do it?"
"huh, I did?"
"Wait you can't be serious, right?", "you literally screamed 'FIREBALL' a couple of minutes ago".
Renato looked at Akimi with a puzzled look.
"Well, I just kinda did, y'know"
Akimi looked at him with an extremely disappointed face.
"Hey, you two," a student from the group ahead of the duo approached, "thank you, truly." The student bowed their head in appreciation. "If it weren't for you two, we would've been stuck on this level forever".
"Its fine, really," Akimi said.
The student raised their head, smiled and ran off past the unconscious bodies of the hoard.
"Oi, Renato," Akimi exclaimed while smiling, "time to get going".
"Yeah," Renato replied.
Part 4: Before the Summit
The duo continues running forward and soon reaches the base of a large icy cliff—with jagged protrusions, many students climb or use spells to advance up the mountain to the third level.
They both stared appalled at the scarp stood at least 300 meters tall. But without much hesitation, they both ran head-first to reach their goal. Renato dug his blade in the face of the cliff; using it as extended support, while Akimi used his bare hands to scale the protrusions.
An uncountable amount of legs scurry across the ceiling, the pillars of ice, the face of the cliff; from the top of the cliff, the face of the myriapod beast looms over the students.
Renato and Akimi look up in awe, and in an instance the myriapod charges down the cliff; knocking down students as it scurries from edge to edge making its way the duo.
With no time to react, the two stands defenseless and vulnerable; as the creature reached closer, a gust of wind and inergy gathers around the pairs feet. As if they were light as a feather, they're whisked away and out of the path of the rampaging beast.
"YO!", a similar voice sprang out to Renato and Akimi, "y'all two alright down there.", "Sorry it took a while, but y'all were so far away my inergy had trouble getting to ya'". From overhead the student from the group ahead floats like a feather above them.
"I wanted to thank you from before," they said with joyful smile.
"I think we should be thanking you," Akimi yelled out.
The student raised their hand; Renato and Akimi levitated higher, soon the duo along with many other students, reached the top of the cliff. The air felt thin, as a gust swept the floor with an icy mist; the summit of the mountain was close. The ground felt uneven and slanted.
"This level is technically the third one, but the entire floor is an incline and leads directly to the second," the student spoke out. "you two should go on ahead, I'll keep with this one distracted."
Just as they said those words, the myriapod surged from cliff causing a gust of wind behind the students.
"I may not be able to defeat it, but I sure as hell can keep it busy until y'all make it to the second floor"
Renato and Akimi nodded before continuing forward.
"Hey, did we get that guys name?", Renato asked Akimi.
"Nah, I don't we did." Akimi responded.
The pair continues forward, now ahead of the majority of the students; straight forward through the mist they continued all the way to the second floor. For the first time throughout the entire journey, it was quiet, all to be heard was the steps upon the ice-covered ground. There were less than a dozen students ahead of the duo.
Suddenly, a screeching sound brashes the silence—followed by the crashing crescendo as the ground shakes and cracks; ice and snow gust into air. Ahead of Renato and Akimi a beast had appeared, dismantling the group ahead. In the smokescreen of snow, officers come flying out carrying fallen students—emerging from said screen stood an ape like monster more than five meters tall.
"Renato," Akimi said while stepping forward, "leave this one to me, I think it has something I might want."
On the neck of the ape sat two pearly beads—two halves of a taijitu—one a brash magenta, the other a cool lime.
"That old man said that there were relics scattered around here, and I bet that those around his neck are some pretty high classed ones".
Renato looks at Akimi; feeling his resolve and determination, smirks—"well, don't die"
"I should be saying that to you dumbass, you're the one going to the summit."
Akimi condenses his inergy in every limb in his body, and in an instant charges up to the ape. With a menacing smile the ape, with impeccable reaction speed, clocks back its fist and swings; clashing with incredible strength with Akimi.
Renato, not wasting any time, rushes past the ape and Akimi's fight to the summit of Valkyrie Peak.
Part 5: The Summit of Valkyrie Peak
A flurry of wind and snow, dense aura, thin air; things that'll make any person turn back. Renato however, continued forward, reaching the end of the cavern. He reached the summit of Valkyrie Peak—a Renato emerged to see a quiet, snow-covered shrine nestled in the middle of the mountain.
In the middle of the shrine, something caught Renato's eye. A hilt of a sword, buried in ice and covered in frost.
As Renato approached wearily, the air grew thinner and thinner every step. Suddenly, a deep rumble echoed throughout the summit. As the ground shook, snow exploded from the ground, the shine rose as crustacean legs emerged from the snow. Its glistening red shell as strong as steel and thick as trees. Soon, the snow departs and the creatures full body is shown.
Renato with no words to be said, draws his sword.
The crustacean strikes its large claw, stirring up snow.
Renato barely dodging, darts to the side of the crustacean. His eyes scuttling to find a weak point, an opportunity to attack.
He charges in to the crustaceans left hind legs, he leaps to be on level with the crustaceans joint.
He condenses inergy around his sword.
'Amplification'
With immense power, he strikes and dismantles the crustaceans legs with a single swing.
The beast lets out a hissing shriek as it falls to its side.
A rush of snow blinds the arena as it tumbles over, Renato stands back catching his breath.
Without a second thought, he rushes forward again; going in for a finishing blow to the creatures side.
The beast opened its mandible.
Before Renato's eyes was a skeleton, a ghoulish maiden; long fingers, sharp teeth, flowing hair connected to the stomach of the creature by a never ending spinal cord.
Renato with little to no reaction time, puts his blade in front of him. The ghoul dug his teeth into the blade, and its claw like fingers into his arm; pushing Renato far away from its body and into the air.
'What the hell is this thing,' Renato thought to himself.
The ghoul shared fang-ish teeth cracked the blade, shattering it; Renato using his feet managed to push the spirit off him, sending him pummeling to the ground.
An explosion of snow filled the air as Renato hit the ground.
Huffing and gasping for air Renato, shaking trying to regain his balance looks around him.
Blood.
Bloody snow, covered the ground.
Frost.
Frost covered the skin of an officer, the officer that was supposed to be monitoring the fight.
Fear.
Fear and the realization kicked in, Renato was alone, his sword shattered.
He stood up.
"Just my damn luck," he muttered.
The crustacean regained its balance, positioning itself towards Renato.
The ghoul honed in and charged towards him with immense speeds.
Renato stood still, blood dripping from his arm; inergy gathered around him, condensing in his palms.
A spark.
Igniting into flames.
Renato began to think to himself, 'Akimi, I think I remembered why I said Fireball out loud before. When I was a kid, me and my siblings used to sneak out and get daily comic strips of Magic Fighters. We used to act them out, they always said their signature moves; so did we.'
'I'm not too good at all this magic stuff, but its been a dream of mine; so if I can't figure it out, I'll just do my own thing.'
Renato suddenly grabbed the fireball spell, the skin of his palms sizzling.
"I'll call this one, FIRE JAVELIN!"
Renato's fireball became a spear-like weapon; he clocked his bleeding, now burnt arm back—throwing it directly towards the ghoul.
The Fire Javelin cleaved through the ghoul, its spine, and entered the mouth of the crustacean.
—
An explosion of fire, smoke, and inergy came from the belly of the beast; it fell to the ground, sending a gust of snow and wind in every direction.
Renato out of breath and in shock, walked towards the corpse of the creature. Climbed up its ginormous body to the shrine its back.
Incased in ice was the hilt of a sword; a coiled scaly handle leading to dragon-shaped hand guard. Renato reached out with his not damaged hand, and pulls the sword from the ice—
"AW COME ON," Renato exclaimed,
Once he took what thought was a full sword, he realized it was—
"ITS JUST A DAMN HILT,"
He threw the hilt to the ground when suddenly, the eyes of the dragons eyes glowed a bright apricot color; the closed mouth opened as inergy and hot steel gushed out—forming into a single-edged, straight blade that resembles a chokuto.
The sword, landing in the ground, glowed red and exuded steam from the heated blade being cooled from the icy air.
"Oh hell yeah, now thats what I'm talking about," Renato said while picking up his new sword.
"OI, RENATO!", shouted out a similar voice in the distance.
"Akimi?" Renato responded while jumping down.
"Renato, you alive?", Akimi said jokingly while walking from the cavern.
Behind Akimi were the Headmaster, two other officers, and Principal Davidson.
"Oi, looks like you got pretty messed up," Akimi said, "but it looks like it was worth it, that sword looks hella powerful".
"I don't know about worth it, but this thing is still pretty cool," Renato exclaimed.
"What about that ape, you looked roughed up too."
Akimi grins while reaches into his pocket, pulling out the two beads that were tied around the giant apes neck.
"My, my, my, now this is a sight to be seen indeed," The Headmaster said while looking at the deceased giant creature. "We've never had anybody come close to reaching the summit in years, non the less defeat this monstrosity."
"I think the last time someone defeated a summit monster was that kid three years ago, what was his name. Robbi? Rocki?"
"You must know, right Mary?" The headmaster asked while looking at Principal Davidson.
"I don't think that should be a concern now," Principal Davidson responded. "Firstly we should get Renato to a nurse; and congratulate him on his achievement of course"
"Principal Davidson?" Renato said curiously, "what are you doing all the way up here?"
"Well when I heard someone made it the summit, I had to come to personally congratulate them."
One of the officers that were assisting them soon comes to help Renato.
"I will be helping you to a healer, are you able to stand?" they said.
"Yeah, I can walk," Renato responded.
"Well, its still a long way down, so I'll use a levitation spell".
Renato was soon aided down Valkyrie Peak with Akimi following close behind. While Principal Davidson, the Headmaster, and the second officer stayed behind.
"You, bring the body down, make sure nobody sees." The Headmaster ordered the officer in a stern tone. "And before you say anything, I know." He addressed to Prin. Davidson.
"This was absolutely unorthodox, not only did we not expect to hold that much power; we had no clue about that thing was inside it."
"And I imagine you can see the difference in power even the normal beast here had compared to the last few years," Prin. Davidson inquired.
"Indeed, in all the years we've had this challenge open; there's never this high of a power spike, its truly unnatural,"
End of Chapter 5