Third Wish: volume Two

Episode 25: thorns

As soon as the swine mafia members noticed Romeo and Rose eavesdropping, they stormed towards the two. Romeo quickly positioned his hand forward and summoned a blazing fireball, hurling it towards the oncoming enemies.

The fireball exploded, sending several of the swine mafia members flying back. However, some of the tougher ones charged towards Romeo, weapons in hand.

Rose did not move. She stood from a distance, 'chewing' her bubblegum magic in her hands while watching the fight. When one of the swine members got too close to her, she suddenly shot a blob of her pink, sticky substance at the enemy's face. The swine member was immediately blinded and stumbled backwards, allowing Rose to move in and finish him off with a fierce punch.

Meanwhile, Romeo was still ducking and dodging around the factory's machinery to avoid the enemies’ attacks. He knew he couldn't keep relying on big, flashy fire spells, or they would eventually catch up to him.

One of the swine members finally managed to slam his hammer onto the ground, causing a shockwave that sent Romeo flying across the room. Romeo quickly got up, coughing and sputtering, and looked around grabbing some metal pieces to use them with his magic.

Rose's eyes followed Romeo's movement, recognizing the determination in his eyes. She nodded at him, signaling that she was ready to help however she could.

Romeo concentrated, and with his fire magic, he melted the metal he had gathered to create a fiery web between him and the swine members. The metal hardened quickly into a barrier, shielding Romeo from their attacks.

Rose jumped into action, creating pink bubbles that floated towards the enemies. The bubbles engulfed them, sucking them in and trapping them. With the enemies trapped, Romeo went on an offensive, hurling fireballs and melting everything in his path.

As Romeo and Rose were catching their breath after the previous fight, they heard footsteps approaching the factory. It sounded like more people were coming, but they couldn't see anyone yet.

Suddenly, a group of heavily armored knights appeared, storming into the factory. The swine Mafia members stopped fighting and started running for their lives.

Romeo and Rose were startled but didn't put down their guard. The knights slowly approached them, weapons drawn. The leader of the knights, a blonde haired Asian man wearing full plate armor, stepped forward.

"Identify yourselves!" the leader demanded, pointing his sword towards Romeo and Rose.

Romeo hesitated, caught off guard by the presence of the knights authority. Rose stepped forward and spoke up for them both. "Oh lovely! We're just two travelers passing by," she said calmly, her tone barely betraying her nerves.

The leader of the knights looked at them suspiciously, but didn't believe Rose's lies. "I don't believe you. You two were fighting alongside the swine Mafia members."

Romeo stepped forward, his wand at the ready. "We were forced to defend ourselves, besides what you said made no sense, if we were fighting with the swine mafia then who would our alleged opponents be?" he said firmly.

The knights didn't back down. "That may be true Romeo, but that doesn't change the fact that you were fighting with criminals. We can't let you go without further questioning."

Romeo felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he recognized the leader of the knights authority. It was Shiro, his old middle school bully. The last time they saw each other, Romeo was left beaten and humiliated, However two more members of the knights authority arrived. With the advantage now in their favor, Romeo and Rose were forced to stand down.