Manifest War: The Weapons Within

Carmen, Rivell, Sarah, and Caleb head upstairs to Carmen’s room in silence. The only thing on their minds was the impending war and the potential fall of this great nation. As they made their way inside her room, the group took a seat at a small table with four chairs.

“Man, this year just keeps getting scarier and scarier. I thought we would be done with this kind of stuff once the Boundless were beaten..” Sarah said as she scooted her chair forward.

“Yeah, it’s been one thing after another. Feels like we’re cursed or something.” Rivell replied with a heavy sigh. Carmen sat there deep in thought for a few moments before adding to the conversation.

“I think we should help them fight..” She said with a serious expression. Everyone stared at her with shock and confusion, wondering why she wanted to do that.

“What? Are you crazy?! We literally just got back from that hell hole of a prison and now you want to fight in a war?” Sarah responded in an almost angered manner.

“Yeah that’s insane, Carmen! It’s waaay too soon for that.” Rivell replied, sharing Sarah’s feelings on the matter.

“I know it sounds crazy, but think about it! If it wasn’t for us then my sisters wouldn’t have to deal with this mess. Everything that has transpired so far is because of our stupid actions! I feel terrible about it all…” Carmen said, trying to make them understand where she was coming from. The table was quiet as everyone thought about Carmen’s words.

“I can’t sit back and let things go down like this. If you guys want to stay out of the situation and not get involved, that is fine.. But for me, I have to do something to help! I just have to!” As Carmen gave her determined statement, Sarah leaned back in her chair and let out a loud, annoyed sigh.

“Ughhhhhh! I hate that you’re right.. If only we didn’t get captured! Tsk.” She kicked her feet a little as though she were having a small tantrum. Once she collected herself, Sarah leaned in as she reluctantly spoke.

“Fine.. I’m in. Let’s see if we can help them out. Even if just a little bit, it would be better than doing nothing.” Sarah said with a more determined tone. Rivell’s eyes went wide while he shook his head.

“Nope, nope, nope. Count me out! I don’t want to fight in a war, it’s too dangerous!” He said, wanting no part in any of this. He turned his nose up at the idea until he suddenly felt something on his hand.

He looked and saw Sarah’s hand on top of his, gently caressing it. Rivell averted his gaze towards her and she looked at him with the most pathetic, puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen.

“Come on Rivell, we don’t want to do this without you.. Who else is going to keep us healed and refreshed?” She said with a soft voice, playfully trying to convince him. In that same moment, Rivell had flashbacks of their time in the Boundless prison.

He remembered the sorry state that Sarah ended up in and how badly he wanted to help her feel better. He never wanted to see his friends in that kind of state again and if he could help prevent that, he would do whatever it took. Those memories were forever burned in his mind and as they resurfaced, a fire lit underneath him. He stared back at Sarah and with a sudden change in demeanor, he gave her a hearty nod.

“Okay.. I’ll go! But, only because I want to help keep you guys safe. No other reason..” He replied, showing a rare sense of maturity. Sarah slightly blushed at his words and was caught completely off guard by his sudden show of manliness. She slowly removed her hand from his and before she could reply, Caleb quickly gave a response.

“Hmph, I guess I’m in too.” He added while crossing his arms and giving a slight smirk.

“Huh? But, shouldn’t you be going back to Melspire? I’m sure your father is already worried sick about your absence.” Carmen replied, not wanting to get the crown prince of another nation involved in their mess. Caleb shook his head as he glanced over at Carmen.

“My father would want me to see things through to the end. He would be extremely disappointed in me if I turned tail now and ran back home. So, while I’m here, I will assist you all as much as I can.”

Carmen’s face lit up as she heard his response. She smiled and thanked him for the help, quickly standing up from the table in the process.

“Alright, it’s settled! Let’s go and ask Zalthia how we can help!” She rushed out of the room and the others swiftly followed after her, wondering what trials awaited them in the very near future.

Down in the southern plains of Volaire, the once beautiful region was completely war torn. The smell of blood, burning metal, and despair stagnated the thick air. Multitudes of various weapons were clashing throughout the battlefield as Lumen and Arista forces moved through the lands of Volaire.

Vestas from each nation fought tirelessly, trying their best to impose their countries' will onto each other. Despite the soldiers of Volaire’s best efforts, they were being soundly defeated by the voracious invaders.

Volaire was woefully unprepared for an assault of this magnitude. To combat the Boundless threat, Queen Azhane Belouis requested that the military be spread throughout the nation to better protect its citizens. While effective in theory, it did nothing but weaken the nation’s overall security, especially when it came to significant threat response.

With the majority of Volaire’s forces spread across the lands, it would take multiple days for them to come together as a single unit, making it too late to halt Lumen and Arista’s advance.

At the front lines, second General Siegard Volf of the Volairen army stood inside their base of operations with a fearful expression. He was seeing first hand how badly they were being pushed back and beaten. A guard quickly entered the tent and relayed some new information to him.

“Sir! Our left flank has been completely taken out! Von Melrose and his group are proceeding to the next checkpoint!” He said with an out of breath cadence.

“I figured they wouldn’t be able to hold him off… How many men have we lost so far?” General Siegard asked, desperately hoping the answer wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.

“Our estimates are about 6,000 or so, Sir.” He quickly replied. The general’s heart sank as he heard the number and he slammed his fist down onto the table in a regretful rage.

“Gah! This isn’t a war, this is a massacre! Why have we not heard anything from the capital yet? Are they just going to leave us to die out here for nothing!?” He gritted his teeth as he yelled, angered that it had been nothing but radio silence from the royal family. As he wallowed in his despair, another guard suddenly rushed into the tent while looking incredibly distraught.

“Sir! Another one of our bases have fallen! Varric Clover and the Arista Imperial army have devastated the area and are currently on a path towards this location. Should we retreat, Sir?” He questioned with a scared tone. General Siegard grew incredibly anxious from this news and he began to say a short prayer in his mind, hoping against all hope that a miracle would save them from this nightmarish situation.

As the late morning hours trickled in, the commotion at Castle de Belouis continued to increase as another meeting got underway. The four remaining Council members, all members of Six, a handful of high ranking military officers, Priscilla, and the Queen were present in the room. After a brief announcement, Azhane began to speak to the group.

“I know that this morning has been both hectic and terrifying for you all as we face such an unprecedented situation. There were no concrete solutions and everything seemed quite hopeless. But, after some brief deliberation and the help of a new ally, we may have a way to push back our enemies.”

The room became filled with chatter as everyone wondered who or what the Queen was talking about. Azhane quieted everyone down before introducing Priscilla to the group. She fully explained her abilities and what she could potentially bring to the table as far as combat goes. Not everyone was convinced of this and they began to question her plan.

“Pardon me, Your Majesty, but… How can a mere child turn the tides of war? How can we put such a responsibility on someone so young?” Councilwoman Peora asked, finding this idea to be a little odd.

“I know it sounds incredibly reckless, but we don’t have the time to evaluate other options. If this is a chance to shift things back in our favor, then by all means we must utilize this chance to the fullest. If things don't pan out from this decision, I will take full responsibility and resign from my position as Queen.” Azhane replied with the utmost seriousness. The room went into another frenzy once they heard Azhane say she would resign if the plan failed, finding that statement to be rather shocking.

Once the room quieted back down and the majority got on board with Azhane’s suggestion, she went over a simple plan in full detail.

“Alright, this is what I had in mind. First General Reagan, please feel free to correct me if any of my ideas seem off.” He firmly nodded his head as he urged the Queen to continue.

“First, I will deal with Von Melrose and Varric Clover. They will be expecting me to fight them and this will keep those two distracted long enough to allow our men on the front lines a chance to retreat and regroup. Once I defeat them, I will shoot a black hole into the sky to signal the beginning of this operation.” Azhane cleared her throat and took a sip of tea before continuing on.

“While I fight Von and Varric, Zalthia I want you and our remaining forces to attack their armies from the rear. Cause as much mayhem as possible so they temporarily halt their advance. Once the signal goes out, I want Priscilla to summon as many soldiers as she can manage and have them split into two groups. One group for the left and One group for the right. I want Asiah of Three and Jordan of Five with the left flank, and I want Ka-leel of Four and Felicity of Six with the right flank. We will overwhelm them from both sides and cause their formations to break.”

General Reagan was impressed by the Queen’s tactics and gave his thoughts on the idea.

“Hmmm, so we’ll essentially be doing a surprise pincer maneuver. Squeezing their forces simultaneously from the east and west until they split from one another. This should cause their coordination to fall apart quite quickly and throw their formation into chaos. It could definitely work, Your Majesty.” Azhane nodded and agreed with his analysis.

“I don’t think this will win us the war, but I do think it will cause enough disarray and discourse to fully stop their advance. If we stalemate long enough, surely they won’t see the point in continuing forward. Their men will get tired and they will expend countless resources trying to fight on, however, Priscilla’s army will have no such weakness. And by then, our military will have fully gathered together and can assist in the war.”

Idle chatter scurried across the room as everyone discussed the idea within their little groups. After a brief deliberation, the room came to a unanimous agreement.

“Alright, Your Majesty. We will follow your plan to the fullest! I will get my men ready and we’ll get this operation underway!” First General Reagan Dowel replied, bowing his head with great adoration. Everyone stood from their chairs after they received their specific instructions and swiftly headed out of the room, eager to put an end to this war.

Left at the table was Azhane, Zalthia, Graymoor, and Priscilla. Graymoor posed a question to her Majesty after noticing he was absent from her plan.

“What will you have me do? Should I accompany Zalthia of One at the backline, Your Majesty?” He wondered, curious as to why he wasn’t given specific tasks in such an important battle. Azhane looked over and smiled warmly before responding.

“No, I need you to retrieve me once I defeat Von and Varric. I don’t think I can beat them without using my Manifest’s final ability charge, and when that happens I will be rendered helpless. I want you to protect me after the fact.”

Graymoor’s eyes lit up with fiery determination as he quickly stood from his chair. He swiftly knelt down on one knee as he bowed his head to Azhane.

“Of course, Your Majesty! I will protect you with my life. This I swear!” Azhane appreciated the gesture and thanked him for his pledge. Zalthia and Priscilla got up as well and walked towards the door, standing next to it as though waiting for everyone else to exit.

Azhane stood and just as she stepped away from her chair, she felt extremely light headed. Graymoor noticed her slight stumble and quickly walked over, making sure that she was alright.

“Your Majesty, are you okay?” He asked, feeling great concern for his Queen.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She softly replied, giving him the same smile she always gave. Before she could continue on, he stopped Azhane while looking her directly in the eyes.

“You’re not fine..” His deep concern caused her to sigh heavily as she looked back at him, her vivid red eyes dull with fatigue.

“I’m exhausted, okay? My fight from last night took a lot out of me and I haven’t had a chance to recharge. But, there are more pressing matters at hand. I can rest later once this is all over.” Graymoor gave her an understanding nod as he let go of her arm.

Azhane steadied herself and walked past Zalthia, going to her room so she could prepare herself for battle. Graymoor approached the door and stared as he saw the Queen walk away.

“Her fight with Briddle must’ve been quite intense. I rarely see her that tired.” He said to Zalthia with a regrettable tone.

“Hmph, she did a whole lot more than just fight Briddle…” Zalthia replied coldly, glaring at Azhane in the distance.

Graymoor was confused by this statement and asked her what she meant. Zalthia gave him no response and simply walked away in silence, not wanting to talk any further about the atrocity that occurred with the Boundless.