Episode Eleven – Phantom Pain (part 2)

 Manifest: A Shattered Future

Episode Eleven – Phantom Pain (part 2)

 

“Is… the Alchemist of Astroconvergence really gone…?” Elena asked as she trembled, leaning most of her weight on her cane.

The Elder monk stared across the battlefield and answered, “Only for this battle. In the same way that we recharge our monoliths over time, our sorcerers will restore their connections as well. Your alchemist is not gone forever, but if you are foolish enough to use your red monolith for the same sorcerer every time… then you won’t have a chance against me. Then again, I suspect you realize that that may be the least of your concerns.”

Elena drew a card and quickly gazed across the battlefield. The Captain of the Luminous Sky stood in the center of the arena, able to strike any enemy and launch them to a place where they would fall prey to the Princess of Swirling Cinders. Even her Underwater Illusionist could not reach a place safe from both enemies, meaning that the Elder monk could break her connection with yet another sorcerer. Resolving to go on the attack, Elena passed a spell to her Underwater Illusionist and compelled it to race into enemy territory.

“Cast Oceanic Adaptation! Lock away the enemy’s magic,” Elena yelled.

The Underwater Illusionist unleashed a luminous swirl of blue energy which surrounded and confounded the enemy sorceress. Now that the Princess could not fight back, Elena compelled her Illusionist to strike by thrusting its powerful spear, and then it jolted aside in the next moment. The Elder monk seemed impressed by her resilience, but her onslaught was far from over. Elena gently held her spell cards with her teeth as she reached for her green monolith, and then she struck it with her cane. After inducing a forceful vibration and expulsion of energy, she manifested the Quicksand Carrier from a geyser of jade-colored light.

“Finish off his Princess! Finish her off. I’m not losing another ally,” Elena commanded.

But when the Quicksand Carrier closed in on the enemy and prepared to strike, Elena noticed that the Elder monk showed no signs of discontent. He stood idly by as the Quicksand Carrier fiercely struck and shattered his sorceress, but Elena did not dare to celebrate her success. Even as the enemy sorceress collapsed into embers, the cinders and ashes shimmered radiantly. In just seconds, they reconverged and recreated the Princess of Swirling Cinders.

“I can only imagine this spell is one you’ve seen before. Rekindled from the Ashes is a personal favorite of mine; Altair learned its value from watching me. And I do believe… there is not much else you can do,” supposed the Elder monk.

Elena grimaced and asked, “How is this possible? My Oceanic Adaptation is supposed to stop your fire magic.”

The Elder nodded and answered, “A dead sorcerer cannot cast a curse. And since my curse can only trigger when my sorceress falls… I think you can understand the uniqueness of my spell. She cast the curse long before she died; it merely took effect when she fell.”

Realizing that her enemy could easily corner her sorcerers, Elena compelled her Underwater Illusionist to race back toward the blue monolith. And while it stood safely by her side, it left her Quicksand Carrier stuck between two enemies. Elena then ended her turn, so the Elder drew his card and commanded his Princess of Swirling Cinders to strike. But in the moment before she could complete her attack, Elena smiled and yelled, “Quicksand Carrier! Unleash your Shields of Seismic Strength!”

Elena practically squealed with joy as the Quicksand Carrier unleashed two spires of rock from the ground, deflecting the Princess’ strike. Not only did this prevent the Princess from breaking Elena’s connection with a sorcerer, but it also strengthened the Quicksand Carrier, which armed itself with rocky spires. The Elder grinned as he saw her enthusiasm, but he would not relent. Instead, he compelled his Captain of the Luminous Sky to close in on the Quicksand Carrier from behind.

“That was a nice defense, but I fear you let your tunnel-vision get the best of you. You were so determined to stop Princess from severing another connection… that you have forsaken your Quicksand Carrier in the process,” warned the Elder monk.

Elena’s smile of excitement quickly faded as she watched the Captain of the Luminous Sky race across the battlefield. The Elder compelled it to strike her Quicksand Carrier from behind, and once again, a powerful gust engulfed Elena’s sorcerer. The whirlwind roared so fiercely that Elena narrowed her eyes, but the monk used this time to strike his black monolith. By the time the whirlwind faded and the Quicksand Carrier landed deep in enemy territory, the Elder set his reverberating monolith on the ground. It expelled an upside-down shower of black sparks, heralding the manifestation of a new sorcerer.

“I call upon the Paladin with Wings of Water to strike down your Quicksand Carrier,” declared the Elder monk.

Elena glared as the Paladin struck with a high-speed slash of his sword, and then her Quicksand Carrier shattered entirely. Its spire shields fell to the ground and shattered as well, dematerializing as her green monolith fell silent. The Paladin with Wings of Water then marched forward, receiving a spell card from its commander before it wandered too far. The Princess of Swirling Cinders then stepped aside to shield the Paladin’s monolith.

After drawing a card, Elena sighed and passed the card to her sorcerer. She then compelled her Underwater Illusionist to race across the battlefield. She guided it around her opponent’s two warriors, but she could feel her sorcerer tiring out. Without any other options, Elena compelled it to cast its final spell, praying that it would give her Illusionist enough energy to crush the Princess of Swirling Cinders.

As a mythical serpent materialized and encircled the Underwater Illusionist, it found the strength needed to strike. It raced forward, struck the opponent’s violet monolith, and severed the connection to the Princess of Swirling Cinders. She quickly dissolved in the following moments, and then the Underwater Illusionist raced back toward Elena. By her command, it returned to defend its own monolith. The Elder drew a card and smiled at her success.

“You are an impressive conjuror, miss Elena Estrada! It has been months since an opponent managed to topple two of my sorcerers in a fair fight. That is not to say that your play is perfect; you still have much room for improvement! But you think and act like a strategist. You probe for more information, and most importantly, you value your sorcerers. You don’t treat them like expendable tools, nor do you forsake yourself just to save one. Balance is the key, and that’s a balance you know well,” explained the Elder monk.

“Thank you, thank you! That really means a lot to me. But, um, why do I feel like you’re telling me this right before you tear me down?” Elena asked with a nervous chuckle.

The Elder smiled and confessed, “You are a very smart girl. Both sorcerers – heed my command! It is time to evolve. Both of you – Aetherogo Apotheosis!”

In that moment, the bright glow emanating from the Elder monk disappeared all at once, and instead it transferred to both of his sorcerers. The Captain of the Luminous Sky and the Paladin with Wings of Water then burned through this glowing aether to fuel their simultaneous spells. An inscription appeared on the ground beneath their feet, and ethereal flames blazed across their bodies. The flames danced between black and blue as the sorcerers grew stronger. Their bodies grew in size, strength, and speed. Immediately thereafter, the Elder monk compelled his sorcerers to race into action.

The Captain of the Luminous Sky raced across the battlefield and prepared to strike, but the Familiar of the Deep Abyss intercepted its cyclonic attack. Elena groaned as her Underwater Illusionist lost its only defense, though the dying serpent materialized a spell in her hand before it disappeared. But in the next moment, the Paladin with Wings of Water ran across the battlefield. The Elder compelled his Captain to step aside so that his Paladin could attack with his luminous sword. With no way to protect her sorcerer, Elena grimaced and watched the enemy unleash a calamitous strike. She feared that her Illusionist could shatter in a single hit, but it narrowly withstood the damage. It weakly clung to life even though it had nowhere left to run.

As Elena drew her next card, she asked, “I’ve seen an Aetherogo spell before. I just don’t understand… what is it? What is any of this aether business?”

The Elder monk took a deep breath and answered, “No one can say for sure. As far as we can tell, our sorcerers and their spells are summoned from other worlds and other realities. These different worlds have magic of their own – spells that we ourselves could never cast. But every reaction has a cost, even if we cannot understand it. My theory is that aether is the fundamental fuel for all the magic we see. Some worlds call it by a different name, some worlds steer it in a different way. The Aetherogo spells are powerful because they let sorcerers from one world cast spells from another – even if the aether fuel behaves differently in their home world. For example, consider Aetherogo Apotheosis. It comes from a world where aether is especially elusive, and just possessing it allows them to transform their bodies to a near-perfect state.”

Elena nodded slowly as she contemplated her next move. She wanted to conserve her sorcerers, but she knew that her superpowered enemies had backed her into a corner. And because she feared her opponent’s ability to wield spells she did not understand, she chose to act quickly. She passed a spell to her Underwater Illusionist.

“You may have lost your shield, but it gave you back your sword. Underwater Illusionist! Recreate your fallen ally. Swift Statue Made of Ice!” Elena yelled.

Icy wind swirled across the battlefield as a white circle illuminated the nearby ground. The Underwater Illusionist glowed brightly as the frigid air grew colder. A sphere of ice solidified in the heart of the frozen vortex, and then a statue of ice materialized from the monolith. It pushed itself forward and swung its icy sickle with all its strength, striking the Captain of the Luminous Sky. The impact was powerful enough to throw the enemy to the ground. Immediately thereafter, the Underwater Illusionist struck the grounded enemy with a thrust of his spear. However, Elena noticed her opponent’s reticence when her sorcerer struck. The Elder monk had considered casting a spell to interrupt the strike, but instead he trusted his sorcerer to withstand the strike.

“I find myself questioning every play I make against you, but… I need to fight this fight the only way I know how. No more second guessing! I won’t hold back anything,” Elena yelled.

“Good! I want to see who you really are – not who you think I want to see,” answered the Elder monk.

Elena nodded and reached for her black monolith in spite of her exhaustion. She awkwardly struck it with her cane, struck it a second time so that it would reverberate, and then winced as the monolith solidified its connection. She nearly collapsed from the toll it took on her energy, but the monolith unleashed a vortex of obsidian light. In just a matter of seconds, the Typhoon Paladin ascended from the glimmering shower. Elena passed it a pair of cards that she had been holding from the start – back when her Summoner of Cyclones first created them.

“Typhoon Paladin! Cast your Birdsong Gale,” Elena yelled, practically panting as she straightened her back.

As electricity surged across Typhoon Paladin’s arms, the sorcerer forced cyclonic winds to sweep across the battlefield and spiral toward the enemy. The fearsome gusts engulfed the Captain of the Luminous Sky and shattered its defenses, stopping the Elder from casting the spell he had chosen to save earlier. Thunder boomed as the Typhoon Paladin raced across the fearsome gale, and with an electric punch, he shattered the Captain of the Luminous Sky in one strike. As the enemy sorcerer faded and the swirling winds diminished, Typhoon Paladin took a backward step to defend its allies with its body.

“Very nicely done! You managed to turn it all around in a single turn. That said… I fear that this is as far as it goes. Paladin with Wings of Water, cast the one spell I’ve entrusted to you! Go, Sealing Spirit of Ice!” commanded the Elder monk.

A blue energy enshrouded both the Elder and his Paladin with Wings of Water. The monk shouted aloud as every muscle in his body flexed, pouring energy into his ultimate ritual. Elena remembered that she had seen Altair do the same thing once before, but when the Paladin unleashed this cataclysmic energy, the temperature plummeted by the second. The frigid energy engulfed Typhoon Paladin and locked it beneath a thick layer of ice. Elena desperately compelled her frozen sorcerer to run or cast a spell, but it was already too late. Her Typhoon Paladin could not make a move, and to make matters worse, its frozen body trapped her Underwater Illusionist.

“You have the strength. Tear down the ice statue with a single strike,” said the Elder monk.

The Paladin with Wings of Water raced across the battlefield, struck the Swift Statue Made of Ice, and forced it to shatter beneath the might of its blade. As if that were not enough, the Elder then prepared his blue monolith. He forced it to reverberate with a single hammer smack, and then he set it on the ground. Elena watched with worry as a geyser of blue energy heralded the arrival of her opponent’s fifth sorcerer. A haunting silhouette appeared in the glow and then took a series of forward steps.

Elena could not help but note the familiarity of the Ringmaster, but she had bigger concerns. She drew her spell of Stratospheric Transcendence and lamented her luck, knowing that this spell served primarily to hasten her sorcerers. But with one locked in ice and the other trapped behind it, she had no way to use this spell. She had no choice but to accept that she had lost this battle. But even though her Typhoon Paladin could not move, Elena could practically sense him twitching – almost as if he still wanted to contribute to the battle.

“Have I failed you? Or is there… there is a way out. Oh my god! There’s a way out!” Elena exclaimed as she passed the card to her Underwater Illusionist.

When Elena compelled the Underwater Illusionist to cast Stratospheric Transcendence, she sacrificed another spell in her hand to augment her sorcerer. Even though it barely clung to life with the last of its health, the Underwater Illusionist forced wind to swirl around its feet. It stood tall with this newfound power, and then it reached out with its left hand. It grabbed the card that Elena had entrusted to her Typhoon Paladin, and then the Illusionist cast the card at the center of her strategy.

Elena yelled with excitement, “Tradewinds Deliverance!”

The Underwater Illusionist forced a powerful updraft to ascend from the battleground, and this lifted a spell card back into Elena’s hand. She smiled as she grabbed ahold of it, and then she passed it back to her trusted sorcerer. It invoked the power of Birdsong Gale for a second time – forcing another gale to descend upon the nearby sorcerers. The fearsome wind accelerated continuously, stripping bare everything it struck. The Paladin with Wings of Water lost its last defense to the whirlwind, but more importantly, it sheared off the layer of ice which trapped her Typhoon Paladin. Free from the Sealing Spirit of Ice, she could now freely command her strongest sorcerer.

Shocking Elena with every word, the Typhoon Paladin glanced at her said, “I prayed you would know what to do, but my prayer was wasted. I knew from the first time we met that you have the strength to play it right.”

Elena nearly dropped her cards on the ground. Between the shock and her exhaustion, she almost lost her balance. Her brown eyes widened as she gazed across the battleground, but the Typhoon Paladin merely smirked as it turned its head to face the enemy. Even the Elder monk opened his mouth with an entertained smile.

“You never told me you encountered a Rampager! Much less one that comes from a world which speaks our same language. How fascinating,” said the Elder monk.

“Typhoon Paladin! You can talk? Could you have spoken this whole time?” Elena demanded.

The sorcerer merely chuckled and answered, “Of course! I don’t care much for being social, but I respected you from the moment we met. There I was, driving a superstorm and beating down Romulo, but you were just swimming through the waves I made! Giant-ass waves, the kind that could drown formidable men, and you withstood them on your own. Even while missing a leg. You’re tough as hell, so it’s no accident that we’re on the same team.”

Elena practically squealed and smacked her cane repeatedly on the floor, but the Typhoon Paladin had already turned his attention elsewhere. Without waiting for compulsion or permission, he lunged forward and struck the Paladin with Wings of Water. The Underwater Illusionist emerged from its monolith and thrust its spear into the same enemy, but even this could not bring it down. The Typhoon Paladin jumped away to a short distance, but the Underwater Illusionist returned to its monolith.

“It is rare to encounter a speaking sorcerer – even rarer that it would respect you! You are truly incredible, Elena Estrada. Unfortunately, my own skills are exceptional as well,” said the Elder as he drew his next card.

Typhoon Paladin muttered to Elena, “Stay on your toes; he’s not just talking shit. I can tell he has a plan that we’re not ready for.”

“Thank you! Stand strong; I’ll try to protect you,” Elena replied.

Although her Underwater Illusionist was defenseless and exhausted, the Elder monk instead compelled his sorcerer to chase Typhoon Paladin. Still enchanted by the power of aether, the Paladin with Wings of Water swung its mighty sword and struck Elena’s sorcerer with a calamitous impact. The monstrous warrior fell onto his knees, but the Ringmaster of the Silent Act slightly retreated; it did not have the speed to reach either enemy.

“Oh! I think he’s going to pass it a spell,” Elena said to her sorcerer.

“Close, but… I’m afraid it’s time you see the true extent of my power,” warned the Elder monk.

To Elena’s surprise, the Elder monk held the card in his hand high and forced it to glow. A radiant light shone upon the spell card as its color changed, and then the monk passed the card to his Ringmaster. A moment later, the Paladin with Wings of Water retrieved the card from its ally in the middle of the battlefield. Elena stared at the glowing card with shock, having only heard about a conjuror accessing a card in this way.

“This sure as hell can’t be good. What kind of card could be worth all of this?” grumbled the Typhoon Paladin.

The Elder monk answered, “The most important tool that a conjuror can have – the mighty Scroll of Transformation!”

Typhoon Paladin muttered, “Well… shit.”

When the Paladin with Wings of Water cast the Scroll of Transformation, black sparks ignited from the ground beneath its feet. They spiraled as they ascended his body, but the Elder monk gasped for breath in the background. Elena realized that he still had to pay the price for this manifestation, and his muscles flexed as his monolith illuminated. When the shower of sparks finally faded, a new sorceress emerged onto the battlefield. Elena widened her eyes as she recognized the newest fighter.

“It’s her again! The one with really big breasts,” Elena muttered.

“It’s worse than you think. You remember that Apotheosis powerup from earlier? The Dancer just took his place, but she’s got the same powerup as him. I’m screwed! What a shame. I really wanted to win this for you, but hell. Maybe we’ll get another try,” said the Typhoon Paladin as the enemy approached.

As the Elder compelled his new sorceress to strike, Elena yelled out, “I’m sorry! This is my fault!”

With a burst of ice, the Dancer in the Northern Lights overwhelmed the Typhoon Paladin. Elena watched as her sorcerer shattered into glowing shards, leaving her with only her Underwater Illusionist. Knowing that her sorcerer was still clinging to the last of its life, Elena drew a card and hoped for the best. After drawing Dance of the Fiery Gust, Elena passed it to her Illusionist and compelled him to cast it. As the Underwater Illusionist cast the spell and danced on his agile feet, the wind which encircled him adopted a fiery glow. The light of dancing fire illuminated the battlefield. A spiral of fire flashed along the sorcerer’s spear.

“You are resilient indeed, Elena Estrada! Even after losing your strongest sorcerer, you create a new sorcerer with the very same powers! Your Illusionist can now cast Water, Air, and Fire – isn’t that right? You are brave to blend strategies in that way,” said the Elder monk.

“Thank you, thank you! I may be low on options, but at least I can do this!” Elena yelled.

Elena compelled her Underwater Illusionist to attack, and it plunged its fiery spear into the Dancer in the Northern Lights. Shortly thereafter, he struck the Ringmaster of the Silent Act in the same way, but it made no difference in the end. Both sorcerers withstood the strike, and when Elena ended her turn, the Elder made short work of her. His Dancer in the Northern Lights approached the unguarded monolith and attacked, fracturing the connection which upheld the Illusionist. Its body shattered, effectively ending their showdown. Elena sighed as she returned her cards to her deck, but when she glanced to face her opponent, she did not see disappointment.

“They were right to send you here. I haven’t fought a better battle in ages,” said the Elder monk with a wide smile.

“Really…? But I lost. Altair said he believed in me only because I had potential. Because my limits weren’t known. But if I can’t even win in practice, then how can I protect anyone?” asked Elena.

The Elder shook his head and assured her, “You are overthinking it. You strategize like an expert, and you wield your spells wisely. You’re unpredictable, and trust me when I say that that is a strength. You could be a truly masterful conjuror, but you are missing only two things – resources and experience. Do you think you can save the city if you use the same sorcerers every time?”

“Probably not. But what choice do I have?” asked Elena.

The Elder chuckled and answered, “Come back here when you replenish your monoliths. Perhaps I cannot communicate with my sorcerers, but I can set some loose. What do you say? If you’re willing to put in the hard work, you can get the practice you so desperately need! And if you win… you may have some brand-new sorcerers at your disposal.”