Manifest: A Shattered Future

Episode Three: The Adriatic Emblem

Episode Three: The Adriatic Emblem

"Do you have a favorite spell card?" Elena asked with a quizzical excitement in her light brown eyes. 

Romulo stood a short distance away with his back leaned against the white wall of the infirmary, seeming to ponder an answer to her question. While they listened to the quiet din of patients and doctors speaking in the background, Elena stood beside her cot with her cards scattered on the sheet. The incandescent light touched every corner of the cobwebby room, and it caused his light blue eyes to shimmer. As he spun his black monolith in his hand, he answered, "It seems to change all the time! Sorry if that's a boring answer. Now that I've got Typhoon Paladin on my side, it seems like it should be something that works with him! Although... I'll admit I'm a sucker for the generic spells that anyone can cast. There's a simplicity in that!"

Elena smiled and nodded quickly, but then she heard a set of forceful footsteps moving through the infirmary's main room. This person took larger steps than anyone else, and they quickly grew in volume with each passing second. Even Romulo seemed to notice this disturbance, and then in just seconds, the door to Elena's room opened at a frightening speed. Altair stepped inside, steadied his jacket, and quickly gazed across the room with evident worry.

"Hey Altair, is something the matter?" Romulo asked.

"I think the Adriatic Empire is making their move tonight. We gotta get going. I sent Terrance off to find more soldiers, but we need you. I don't know how many we've got," Altair quickly explained.

Romulo grimaced but nodded. He quickly holstered his monolith and started stretching his legs, but Elena looked to him with a gaze of worry. Elena asked, "Do you need another conjurer to help?"

"I'm afraid not. It's just too dangerous; these Adriatic soldiers really play for keeps. Can't risk you out there. I hate to just leave you here in the infirmary, but I'll be back when the night is over. Can you look over everyone here?"

Even though she had to largely balance her weight on her pegleg, Elena sprang forward and wrapped her arms around him. Altair widened his eyes as he watched, but Elena whispered to Romulo, "Please stay safe out there! I feel like I woke up in a brand new world, but you're the only thing I have."

Romulo smiled and promised, "I'll be safe. Don't you worry."

Altair pushed his way toward the side door, and then the two friends emerged into the outside street. Romulo and Altair dashed together across the cobblestone roads beneath yellow streetlights, racing southward toward the enemy attackers. Even from a distance, Romulo could see a cloud of dust and smoke lifting from the outskirts of the city. A few citizens gathered in the streets, whispering words of worry to each other. But despite their uncertainty, Altair and Romulo ran side-by-side against the wind. Romulo's auburn hair danced in the breeze, but it had no effect on Altair's bald head; the wind merely knocked his glasses loose every now and then.

Romulo asked his friend, "Do you think Adriatica is making their big push tonight? They've tried to occupy us before."

Altair shook his head and answered, "It doesn't matter what they've tried before. We hardly have any conjurers left. Even if the Adriatic Empire has their forces spread thin, it doesn't really matter. With the Adriatic Emblem on their side, they could easily outnumber us. Even if we all won our fights by some miracle, it wouldn't make any difference."

"Unless we beat them more quickly than they can show up," Romulo said.

Altair nodded but said nothing. He rationed his breaths so that he could match Romulo's pace, but he found himself slowly falling behind. While he could keep up on solid ground, Romulo moved effortlessly across obstacles. He would turn on a dime, jump over benches, and dodge cracks in the road without stopping. After many minutes of running, Altair and Romulo both arrived at the edge of the city. White ellipses scattered the dark field, and their gentle glow faintly illuminated the night sky. Two conjurers stood in each circle, both standing across from each other with sorcerers traversing the space between them.