Episode Four: The Princess of Swirling Cinders

                Episode Four: The Princess of Swirling Cinders

 

               “Good morning, Elena! What’re ya working on? Another hydraulic manifold?” asked a friendly voice from the door to the lab.

               Elena giggled and nodded as she said, “Yes of course, of course of course! I’ve got a pretty long connection here, but it’s strong enough! I mean it’s not perfect. One of the pistons doesn’t fit, so we’re losing lots of power there. But it’s good other than that! One of the pneumatic shafts actually gets really close to being a vacuum, but it got stuck a little while ago. It keeps getting stuck! I just wanna finish this design. I’m tired of this design! How about you? How are you? Adder! You’re supposed to be my partner! Why are you always gone?”

               “Heh, you know I’d be right beside you if it were up to me! Problem is, the astrophysics team keeps needing my calculations. They’re working on some pretty cool stuff! That is, at least, when they’re not ogling each other. I swear they’re obsessed. Ockham and Annabel… absolutely love ‘em, absolutely sick of ‘em,” Adder explained.

               “No fair, no fair! I’m working on cool stuff too! Maybe not like dark energy waves or whatever they’re doing… but they get all the press. It’s not fair! Mechanical engineering’s just not as flashy! I should’ve picked a different major.”

               Elena sighed and lowered her hands from the hydraulic seals. She took a backward step and nearly tripped when her prosthetic leg slid along the ground, but she caught herself before she could collapse. When she turned her head to peer past her curly hair, she saw that Adder stood half a step behind her with his hands extended; he had lunged to catch her just in case she fell. Elena smiled at his generosity as she stabilized her stance.

               “Thank you, Adder. Sorry. I don’t mean to complain; I don’t like to complain. I think… maybe I’m a little jealous of Annabel. It’s stupid. But she’s so pretty and calm and smart and happy. The people from the press are basically stalking her, just so they can get a little detail of her project. Everyone wants to know. Everyone cares! Not like for us. Besides, you’ve seen the way Ockham looks at her! He looks like he could fly when he looks at her! She won’t ever be alone,” Elena explained with a self-deprecating laugh.

               “Hell, I get it! I thought working at a small lab meant our work would matter more, but it’s just like ya said! Everyone cares about their work, never ours! But if it’s all the same, I wouldn’t get too jealous. Ockham’s a little overwhelming. Intense as all hell! I think you could probably do better anyway. Ya know, if that’s something you’re interested in,” Adder laughed.

               “I don’t know what I want! You know that; you know that! It’s weird. Sometimes I feel like I want someone to love, and… other times I feel like I’m not really ready. Probably won’t ever be ready! Like don’t get me wrong. I had guys I liked in high school. Guys who liked me. Same way in college. But everyone else was always hooking up, so it made me feel weird like I’m expected to do the same, when… it’s complicated. Sorry. This is a little overly personal, isn’t it?” Elena asked.

               “No worries! Hell, it’s just us; you can talk about anything you’d like. I guess I just don’t get it. You don’t ever clear your browser history, so, like, it really seems like you’re straight. Just based off that. But then, you make it sound like-”

               “I don’t know how to say it! I don’t know if there is a way to say it. Um. I am straight, and I like… you know, guys and all that. But I can’t imagine sharing myself with someone else. If you know what I mean. I don’t think I ever will. It’s like… is autosexual a word? I think I’m that. As in, like, only by myself. Or maybe I’m just shy. Adder! Why are we talking about this?!” Elena interrupted.

               Adder laughed and answered, “Hey, this isn’t my fault! You did all that on your own.”

               Elena giggled and nodded, but she quickly wandered away from her machine. As she walked toward the desktop computer in the corner of their lab, she listened to the asymmetric patter of her footsteps. The hinge on her leg clacked every time her other knee bent, but she plopped herself down on her computer chair when she arrived. Adder watched with an entertained smile as she opened a browser and cleared her search history.

***

               Elena shook herself awake in her infirmary cot, smiling at the dream of a different life. But when she took a moment to glance around the room, she realized that it looked more unfamiliar than usual. Not only did it look nothing like the laboratory in her dream, but it also seemed different than when she first fell asleep. Other cots had been moved into her room, and she could hear bustling activity in the background. Romulo crouched at the foot of her bed, unaware that she was awake, and he fiddled through spell cards on the sheet beside her foot. Elena smiled when she saw him, but then she realized that he stared upon the cards with an intense gaze. His tired eyes betrayed his exhaustion.

               “Romulo! Why are you awake? It’s so early; it’s too early! Even the sun isn’t awake yet. Did you get any sleep?” Elena asked.

               Romulo gazed at her with a gentle smile, but he tiredly answered, “I’m afraid I can’t. We’re losing territory by the hour, and Altair’s the only other person defending this place. Besides, we’re getting more patients than the nurses can handle. It’s a damn shame. Seems like the Adriatic Empire’s raiding the city. If the citizens don’t surrender, then they’re forced to pay the price. Hate to say it, but this really might be the end of Aegea. We could be days away from being their newest conquest. I can’t let that happen.”

               Though she could sense his terror from a distance, Elena did not yet feel the pressing danger. She closed her eyes momentarily and still saw the laboratory in her dream. For a moment, she felt like she kept one foot in that dream and one foot in this infirmary, and that was the reason why she only had one leg in each reality. But since she knew she had to be strong for her friend, Elena dragged herself out from under the white sheet. She found her prosthetic, pulled it onto the stump of her leg, and then dragged herself out of bed. Romulo tiredly watched as she pressed her leg deeper into the prosthetic’s opening.

               “I saw a few families leaving here yesterday. Do you think they were trying to escape? I don’t really know what it’s like outside right now,” Elena admitted.

               Romulo shook his head and explained, “There aren’t many places to go. There’s a long road that leads from here to the nearest city-state, but that’s about it. Nowhere else to go. If people don’t get caught by the raiders, they’re usually headed to the monks in the center of the city. It’s the safest place to be. But at the same time… that’s why me and Altair have to guard this place. A lot of the patients here can’t run away on their own. They’re stuck in place. Neonia’s forces won’t stop just because the people here are hurt.”

               The lights to the infirmary suddenly dimmed, causing many patients to gasp. Elena glanced around with concern, but Romulo jolted upright. In the tense silence which followed, Elena overheard the clashes of battle coming from the nearby street. When Romulo heard this as well, he dashed toward the door, and Elena clumsily bounded after him. He ran agilely through the crowd and quickly exited the front door of the infirmary, but Elena struggled to move as easily. She nearly tripped over object obstacles and sleeping people, and by the time she made it outside the door, she saw Altair locked in battle with an enemy conjuror.

Romulo glared through the smoky darkness at another enemy soldier who slowly approached the infirmary, but he glanced aside when he heard the tap of Elena’s wooden leg on the doorstep. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but then a fiery glow illuminated the nearby alley. Romulo cursed under his breath and dashed toward the alley, but then he jolted backward without wasting a moment. As soon as he pulled back, a stream of fire shot across the street and illuminated the darkness.

“Damn, I can’t deal with a Rampager right now. I’ve gotta fight off this conjuror,” Romulo groaned as he watched the slow-approaching enemy.

But after a short journey over to his side, Elena set her hand on his shoulder and said, “You two shouldn’t have to do all this on your own. Let me help, let me help! I can take on the Rampager. Don’t worry about me!”

Romulo winced as if the idea itself were anathema to his ideals, but he suppressed his pride and decided, “Just be careful. Leave yourself room to run away if you have to. Don’t let her hurt you!”

“I won’t run away. I’m tired of not carrying my weight. You’ve done so much for me—for all the people hiding here. I’m done hiding myself away and dreaming of a different world; I’ve got this.”

Elena bounded across the cobblestone street with asymmetric steps, pushing herself toward the nearest alley. Right before she stepped into the clearing to face the Rampager, she struck her blue monolith upon the brick wall. It reverberated in her hand, and she tossed it onto the ground when she crept into the alleyway. A fiery sorceress stood at a distance, but she swerved to face Elena as soon as she arrived. The sorceress then unleashed a stream of scarlet fire, but Elena lowered herself and hid behind a vortex of azure light. The energy from her monolith deflected the fiery strike, and just a moment later, her Underwater Illusionist materialized in the open space.

And while Elena intended to go on the attack, she had her attention distracted by the sound of a manifestation elsewhere in the adjacent street. She figured that Romulo had entered battle with an enemy soldier, but during that time, the Rampager materialized a spell card in her hand. Sparks and embers danced in the air around the Princess of Swirling Cinders as she then cast a different spell, reserving the one she created. A flash of variegated light danced across the shadowed alley as the fire sorceress enchanted herself with a protective spirit.

               But knowing that she could not survive if she divided her attention, Elena passed a pair of spell cards to her speedy sorcerer. She then sent her Underwater Illusionist to race across the battlefield. It crouched as it ran as if simulating a submarine, and it quickly closed in on the fiery sorceress with its lance steadied in its hand. Elena compelled her sorcerer to strike with all its strength, but the Princess of Swirling Cinders defended itself with the colorful spirit that had earlier enchanted it. While the ambitious spirit shattered from the strike, the Rampager intensified her glare and forced a second familiar to materialize in its place.

               As an incendiary spirit spiraled around the Princess of Swirling Cinders, Elena realized that the enemy could easily counterattack. For that reason, she compelled her Underwater Illusionist to race back toward its monolith; she hoped that the distance would protect from a counterstrike. But before she could devise an actual defense, she heard a heavy pair of crashes in the street behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Romulo standing a short distance away, desperately defending himself with only a single sorcerer. He was locked in battle against one enemy while two others closed in. Elena worked to hold off a Rampager while Altair fought off another enemy conjuror, but Romulo stood at the heart of the onslaught.

               “The infirmary isn’t the target; it’s him! They know Romulo’s strength. They know Romulo is this city’s only hope! Mm. I can’t let myself fail,” Elena whispered.

               But when she glanced back toward her own fight, Elena saw that the Rampager had rocketed across the battlefield. As soon as she stepped within striking distance, the Princess of Swirling Cinders unleashed a fearsome spell by channeling the magic of its blazing familiar.

               The shadow magic dispelled the cards that Elena had earlier entrusted to her sorcerer. And now that its target had no spells with which to defend itself, the Princess of Swirling Cinders lunged and struck the Underwater Illusionist with a burst of searing sparks. Elena watched with worry as her sorcerer reeled from the strike, but then she compelled him to strike back with a swing of his mighty lance. The Rampager glared at the approaching weapon, but instead of fleeing, she merely allowed her blazing familiar to take the strike instead. The Familiar of Flashing Flames shattered in the strike, and then Elena fortified her defenses by passing her illusionist another spell card.

               “Now no sorcerer can stop you on their own! Go, go, Shell of the Divine Turtle!” yelled Elena.

               Despite the enchanted shell which now protected its enemy, the Princess of Swirling Cinders unleashed a fearsome strike of fire. Dancing flames and scattered sparks descended upon the Underwater Illusionist, but he managed to defend himself with the Shell of the Divine Turtle. But even though its attack had been rebuffed, the fiery sorceress retreated to a short distance and then cast a powerful spell. Elena watched with worry as a scarlet glare illuminated the dusty darkness.

As the Princess of Swirling Cinders danced and swirled, she sent a rain of sparks across the battlefield. With no way to protect herself, Elena compelled her sorcerer to stand in the way. The flames singed its surface and scoured its armor, but in the end, the Underwater Illusionist withstood the damage and prepared to counterattack. By Elena’s command, the spear-wielding sorcerer lunged toward its enemy. But in the moment that the Underwater Illusionist retaliated with a spinning spear strike, the Rampager reacted with a devious spell.

               This flash of magic both stifled the strike and forced another card to materialize in Princess of Swirling Cinders’ left hand. But when Elena realized that her sorcerer only had a single line of defense, she passed it two cards and compelled it to cast one immediately. When the Underwater Illusionist unleashed its spell, it enchanted itself with a glow of healing magic. The protective spirit clung to its skin and repaired a fraction of the damage it had suffered; the white magic slowly replenished its strength by the second.

               But before Elena’s sorceress could restore much of its health, the fiery sorceress retaliated with a fearsome spell of Enchantment Eradication. Elena watched with worry as the magic froze both the Shell of the Divine Turtle and her cloak of white magic; they both became dysfunctional at once. But even though her sorcerer had lost both its defensive spell and its healing cloak, Elena did not lose her courage. She trembled with excitement and nearly lost her balance when the Rampager prepared to strike again, but she had awaited this opportunity; her sorcerer had a single hidden spell with which to defend.

               “Confound your enemy! Unleash your Inescapable Illusion,” Elena declared.

               Before the Princess of Swirling Cinders could strike, Elena’s sorcerer cast a spell which created a powerful illusion. By bending the light of smoldering embers and distant streetlights, the Underwater Illusionist appeared to occupy various places at the same time. The Princess of Swirling Cinders attempted to destroy one, but in realizing the extent of her curse, she quickly retreated into the center of the alley. Her long hair danced in the breeze, and she cast a simple spell to dispel her curse. When the illusion faded, the sorceress glared at Elena and whispered words in an imperceptible language. Elena listened closely to see if the words even resembled a language she had heard, but then another detail caught her attention.

This enemy Rampager had appeared in an alley beside the infirmary and attacked with the power of fire. If the Adriatic soldiers had truly targeted the infirmary, they could have already destroyed it. Elena narrowed her eyes as she realized that the enemy was truly committed to taking down Romulo. He was their top priority.

               After drawing a single card and passing it to her sorcerer, Elena whispered, “We’re running out of time. Let’s take her down!”

               But when the Underwater Illusionist lunged forward and attacked, the Princess of Swirling Cinders reacted with a fearsome counterstrike.

               Elena watched in horror as a scourge of scarlet fire descended upon her spear-wielding sorcerer. The flames engulfed her Underwater Illusionist and appeared to swallow it entirely, revealing nothing but the silhouette of the warrior. She shuddered with fright as the inferno illuminated the droplets of sweat on her arms, but to her surprise, her sorcerer still stood when the firestorm faded. Smoke lifted from his scorched skin and armor, but the Underwater Illusionist had narrowly withstood the strike. And with nothing else holding it back, it lunged its spear and struck the Princess of Swirling Cinders with all its strength. When the fiery sorceress swung to retaliate, Elena compelled her sorcerer to retreat to its monolith.

               Exactly as Elena predicted, the Rampager glared upon her and then advanced. But as soon as the enemy stepped within range, she compelled her sorcerer to unleash its fiercest spell.

               A dense fog suddenly descended upon the battlefield, enshrouding and confounding the enemy sorceress. The sparks which surrounded the Princess of Swirling Cinders illuminated the fog and blinded her; she could not even see the silhouette of her enemy. Because the Rampager could not safely advance, she had no means of defense; the Underwater Illusionist lunged into the fog and struck the enemy with its spear. But in that moment, the Princess defended itself with the spell it materialized partway through their fight.

               Elena watched with shock as the Princess of Swirling Cinders blocked her attack with a flash of powerful magic. The attack stopped the swing of her sorcerer’s spear, but it also pilfered the energy thrust into the strike. Streams of energy flowed through the fog and poured into the fiery sorceress, partially replenishing her power. In realizing the extent of this misstep, Elena compelled her sorcerer to return to its monolith with a jolt; the Illusionist effortlessly dodged the enemy’s attack. Without losing focus, the Princess of Swirling Cinders advanced closer to its enemy, though it could only take a single step.

               Because the Princess could not reach her enemy, she had no way to strike. Elena took advantage of her enemy’s confusion and compelled her Underwater Illusionist to attack again; he struck with his spear and then made a hasty retreat. The enemy then wandered through the fog, working to move closer, but it still could not cross the distance quickly enough. Before long, Elena compelled her sorcerer to strike again. The Underwater Illusionist plunged its spear into its enemy, knocking the Rampager onto her knees in the swirling mist. But before the sorceress could shatter or fade, Elena chose to set her unused red monolith on the ground beside her feet.

               “I watched Romulo do this to another Rampager. When we meet next, it will be as allies; we will fight together,” Elena announced to her fallen enemy.

               The fiery sorceress locked eyes with Elena and whispered words in an unknown language. She finally nodded, bowed her head, and let herself collapse onto the alley ground. Her body started to fade, and then white streams of energy poured into a single spell card instead of a monolith. Elena crawled over to the spell, one titled Heart of the Inferno, and nodded slightly. She then set her hands on her blue monolith and called back her Illusionist.

               Though the adrenaline of battle had finally faded, Elena stepped forward and lost her footing; her prosthetic leg slipped on the sweat which had fallen from her skin. She landed painfully on the cobblestone, but she quickly pulled herself toward the embers and spell cards which scattered the alley. Despite her pain, she gathered every card she found and loosely shoved them into her grimoire of loosely-sorted spells. She sighed with relief because the battle had ended, but then she heard an energetic burst from the adjacent street. She crawled over to the brick wall, carefully placed her hands, and pulled herself upright as quickly as she could. In just a matter of seconds, Elena bounded into the intersection, but when she arrived, she saw that Romulo had narrowly defeated his opponent.

               Despite his victory, Romulo practically panted with exertion; even his Rogue of Broken Justice seemed to have exhausted its power. Romulo said to his enemy, “You put up a hell of a fight, but it’s over. Because I respect you, I won’t try to hurt you. Just think this through. You’re too good a man to waste your life fighting for them.”

               When Elena reached Romulo’s side, the enemy conjuror shook his head and replied, “It doesn’t matter one way or another. It’s too late. I made my choice, and there’s no turning back; all I can do is warn you while I can. Romulo, please! I respect you as both a man and a conjuror, so I must tell you truth. Neonia is on his way as we speak. He knew we couldn’t defeat you. We were only meant to lock you in place, and now it’s too late. He fully intends to kill you himself.”