Manifest War: The Weapons Within

Just as the sun set at the Imperial Palace within the Arista Empire, Gabriella Ramos was enjoying her typical lavish lifestyle. Getting fed grapes and wine by scantily clad slaves, tending to her every need. The High Priest was present within the room as well, but he looked at the lavish display with slight disgust.

One of the thinly dressed slaves walked over and rubbed his chest, trying to entice him with her womanly charm. Leo swatted her arm away as he loudly cleared his throat.

“Ahem! Your Excellency, can we please continue this conversation??” He said with an annoyed cadence. Gabriella laughed as she saw how uncomfortable he was.

“You really need to live a little more, High Priest Vaux’Hallah. I have many quality concubines within my palace, shall I arrange a session for you?” She asked with a cheeky smile.

“No thank you. I don’t want my body to be defiled by these unsightly harlots.” He replied, straightening out his white robes.

“Suit yourself. Anyways, I called you here because I think we should move to the next step.” Gabriella shifted her tone to a more serious one.

“And what might the next step be?” Leo curiously wondered. The Empress took one last sip of her wine and smiled.

“I think we need to send a heavier blow to speed things up. Azhane Belouis has been rather persistent in not retaliating, even though her nation is getting eaten alive at an alarming rate.” Leo nodded his head in agreement and posed a question to the Empress.

“Yes, it is honestly quite annoying if you ask me. So, what do you propose we do?” Gabriella set down her glass before getting more comfortable, adjusting in her large chair.

“My scouts have been keeping a close eye on Castle de Belouis and they’ve reported that an Arista native has gotten quite close to Carmen Belouis. Her name is Sarah Lichen and they’re pretty much attached at the hip at this point, doing everything together. I think she will be the key to making this happen.” Gabriella replied, reaching for another grape.

The High Priest’s interest was piqued and he asked what she had in mind, focusing all of his attention on her. Gabriella grinned and looked over to the Priest with her alluring lilac eyes.

“Oh, you know how kids can be. Doing the dumbest of things from the smallest of pushes. This idea is no different.” The Empress started to snicker and cackle loudly, finding her idea absolutely hilarious if it worked. She fully explained her plan to the High Priest and after a few brief moments of pondering, he found it to be brilliant.

“Sometimes I wonder how you’re able to come up with these ideas of yours. So simple, yet so direct. Impressive.” Leo said, applauding her efforts.

“What can I say? I live for this kind of work.” Gabriella happily accepted his praise as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Let’s get started right away. Have your men ready to go as well. I feel we will need to strike quicker than we think.” The High Priest agreed and stood from his seat.

“Consider it done. I will be in touch once preparations are complete.” He said, getting ready to exit the room. Gabriella nodded and motioned for him to leave as she laid back down, getting pampered by her slaves.

Carmen, Sarah, and Rivell were found walking around the streets of Ariana city, visiting various shops with a very specific goal in mind. Carmen was on the search for a unique gift to give Azhane for her twenty-ninth birthday. The day was coming up quite quickly and she really wanted to find something special.

However, after being among the locals for a period of time, the trio began to notice something. The city was as busy as ever, but the people walking about didn’t seem nearly as cheerful and lively anymore.

“Man, things sure are getting shaky out here. You can see the fear in people’s eyes.” Sarah commented, taking notice of everyone being so on edge.

“Yeah for sure, these are some scary times we live in.” Rivell replied with concern.

As they walked along the path, headed to another store, a cleanly dressed man approached them. His vest was deep red and upon his chest was a small Arista Empire crest, shoddily etched with black fabric. On his side was a bag filled with letters, some folded and some rolled up.

His attire was clearly that of a messenger of some sort, but something felt incredibly off about him. He stopped in front of the group as he cleared his throat, preparing to speak to them.

“Are you Sarah Lichen?” He asked, curiously looking her up and down.

“Uhh yes... Can I help you?” She responded with a confused expression, not knowing what this was all about. The man reached into his bag and fished out a thin envelope, sealed with an Arista crest.

“I bring thee a message from The Empire. It is of utmost importance. Please take this letter and sign here.” He said while handing her the envelope and a pen. Sarah took the items and signed her name in his notebook, handing it back to him. After he reviewed her signature, he bowed his head before swiftly leaving.

“What was that all about?” Carmen asked, watching the man walk away through the crowd.

“I’m not sure... Whatever this is, it must be serious if an imperial messenger sought me out personally.” Sarah replied, looking at the envelope in her hands. She flipped it over and broke the seal, removing the folded parchment inside. Sarah began to read the letter:

Sarah Lichen,

Arista has recently come victim to many Boundless attacks all across our nation. Among the areas that have come under siege is Quin Town, south of the capital. After careful investigation, we regret to inform you that among the citizens missing from this area is Darien Lichen, Mara Lichen, and Caden Lichen. We believe these individuals have been captured and taken to the Boundless territory, as well as many others. Unfortunately, rescue efforts will be impossible for us as our resources are spread too thin. You are more than welcome to take action and locate your family, however this is not recommended. For the Empire!

Regards,

General Mark S. Varmont

Sarah’s eyes went wide and her hands shook as she read this haunting message. She shifted her fingers slightly and felt a second page behind the letter. Sarah flipped to it and noticed a detailed map that showed very specific coordinates to the location of the Boundless City.

“W-what?” She softly said, looking as though she had just seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong? What does the letter say??” Carmen got closer, hoping to see the written contents on the page. No response came from Sarah, only panicked silence. Rivell tried to grab the letter from Sarah’s hands, but she swiftly snatched it back.

“Uhh, it’s nothing. I just.. Uhh.. Have a big debt to pay back. Yeah, that’s it.” She replied with a nervous laugh, still clearly looking distraught.

“Let’s go back to the castle, I’m feeling a little tired.” Sarah started to walk slowly in the opposite direction, her steps incredibly shaky as she barely stayed in a straight line.

Carmen and Rivell glanced at each other with concern, knowing something was wrong. They quickly followed after her and once the group arrived at the castle, Sarah immediately went to her room and closed the door. Shortly after, Carmen softly knocked.

“You sure you don’t want to talk about it? We’re here for you.” She asked, hoping to find out what the problem was. No response. Carmen and Rivell shrugged after the extended silence and reluctantly left, wondering what was on that letter to make Sarah flinch so much. This behavior was quite strange to them, especially since Sarah usually had everything together and never really had a problem speaking her mind when a problem arose.

Late into the night when most had fallen asleep, Sarah sneaked out of her room with a fully packed bag. She swiftly and quietly made her way down the hall, peeking around the corners to make sure the area was clear. Sarah made a break for the steps, hoping to get down to a more reasonable level of this massive castle.

Once she got to the back half of Castle de Belouis, Sarah noticed an open window inviting her over. She peeked over the edge and pondered a thought for a second.

“Hmm, that should be low enough.” She softly muttered, gauging the distance to the ground below. Sarah slung her bag over her shoulder and got onto the window sill, steadying herself as she prepared to leap. With a quick hop, she exited the window and after a brief moment, her feet were enveloped by wind energy.

She gracefully and gently floated down to the ground below, not making a single sound. The silent wind fluttered and skated around her legs, stabilizing Sarah’s rapid descent. After a few short seconds, she landed and sprinted towards the garden, making her escape. Just as she got around the long row of bushes, Sarah suddenly became completely frozen by an invisible force, unable to move a single muscle.

“I knew you were going to pull something like this. Why won’t you tell us what’s going on?” Carmen forcefully asked, coming out of the bushes with her palm aimed at Sarah. Rivell stepped out as well with a concerned expression.

“Yeah, we’re your friends and if you’re in trouble we want to help. No matter what!” He added, pleading their case. Carmen ended her gravity manipulation as Sarah dropped to her knees.

“My family... My family was captured… I have to save them. No one else will.” Sarah sounded incredibly dejected as she fought back tears. Carmen walked over and put her hand on her shoulder, trying to provide comfort the best she could.

“Hey, it’ll be okay! We will help you save them and we won’t take no for an answer!” She said with a reassuring smile. Rivell nodded in agreement, but to their surprise Sarah slowly shook her head.

“I appreciate that, but this is not something you all need to concern yourselves with. I can handle it…” Sarah continued to look down at the ground, not feeling too thrilled about their offer of assistance. Carmen sighed as she got down to Sarah’s level, now placing both hands on her shoulders.

“Look, Sarah. We’ve been on so many adventures these past few months and you’ve been with us every step of the way. We are pretty much family at this point and if something has happened to those you hold dear, then I want to help in any way I can. You don’t have to do things alone anymore, alright?” Carmen gently remarked with a smile.

Sarah glanced up with a hopeful expression and her eyes met with Carmen’s. After a brief moment to ponder, Sarah returned the smile as she slightly snickered.

“Thanks guys. I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to drag you all into my problems. But.. I.. I really could use the help.” She wiped a tear away before getting to her feet. Sarah explained to them what the letter had said and went over the details on the map.

“Sooo, all we need to do is find them and bring them here? Should be easy with these.” Carmen replied, holding out the teleportation pendant they used when traveling to Siestro.

“We just need to get in there, grab them, and port back here.” Sarah’s eyes went wide before she quickly rummaged through her bag, looking for the pendant.

“I completely forgot about that thing. Will it still work?” She asked, pulling the necklace out and shining it in the moonlight.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. We just need it to get us close. We’ll figure out the rest later.” Carmen said with a determined smile, eager to put her plan into action. Rivell looked a little nervous by all of this and he wasn’t completely onboard just yet.

“But.. What about your sisters?? Wouldn’t they know where we went? Maybe we should talk to them first, just to be safe.” He wondered with an anxious cadence.

“There’s no time to wait til morning and talk to them about it. Plus, they will probably tell us no and brush the problem aside. Hopefully we'll be back before they even realize we’re gone.” Carmen replied, having already made up her mind. He continued to hesitate and wasn’t quite convinced by Carmen’s words.

“Look Rivell, are you coming or what? I know you’re scared but my family desperately needs the help, before it’s too late. Will you come along?” Sarah chimed in, taking hold of his hand and gazing at him with the most pathetic eyes. He pondered the thought for a brief moment before loudly sighing.

“Fineeee, I’ll come with you guys.” Sarah leapt up with excitement and gave him a big hug, feeling happy that he was coming along. Rivell was taken aback by her sudden forwardness, stunned by the amount of rare affection she just showed. He slightly blushed as she ended her embrace and took a few steps back, not knowing how to feel in that moment.

“Are you guys ready?” Carmen asked, gripping her pendant tightly.

“Yeah, but where will this thing take us?” Sarah questioned, forgetting how the pendant worked the first time.

“Zalthia said it would take us to the town closest to our destination. If that map you have is correct, it should drop us in Sprain Town. At least, I hope.” Carmen looked closely at the map and tried recalling her memories the best she could.

They all took hold of their pendants while forcing their Core Energy into them. The trio glowed purple and with a blink, they vanished from the castle grounds.