Manifest War: The Weapons Within

Carmen and Rivell made it to the Ability Clinic, eager to see what it was like on the inside. The building was much larger than they anticipated, having a massive gate-like front door, multiple stories, countless windows, and a bluish colored dome on the top with a spire protruding at the center of it. You could definitely tell that this building was of great importance as it stood out among the neighboring establishments.

They stepped inside and saw people from all walks of life going about their business. People from other nations, creature Manifests, Siestians conversing with humans, and individuals testing their skills. The Ability Clinic acted as a central hub for all things related to Vestas and many were taking advantage of all its perks.

The walls of the complex were tall and covered with long windows, allowing for ample light to illuminate the large lion statue sitting in the foyer. Surrounding the base of the statue were a multitude of round tables and different colored pathways leading in various directions. The overall aesthetic of this building was unlike anything they had ever seen.

“Wow, I didn’t know ability clinics were like this! I’ve never been in one before.” Rivell excitedly commented, impressed by what he saw. Carmen agreed and marveled at the sight of everything. The duo approached the front receptionist desk and saw a kind looking lady with glasses standing behind it.

“Hello, welcome to the Cable Village Ability Clinic. How may I be of service today?” She asked with a smile.

Rivell stepped forward and said he was newly awakened, wanting to see his resonance level.

The receptionist explained the process and motioned for them to follow her to the inner core chamber. The trio got into an elevator off to the side and it began to go underground, lowering itself deceptively far below the building. As the elevator descended, Rivell turned his attention over to the receptionist with slight concern on his face.

“Umm miss.. Is there anything I should be worried about during this process? What’s going to happen to me?” He asked with a nervous cadence. She smiled at Rivell and reassured him that his fears were unfounded.

“There is nothing to worry about at all, young Sir. Our state of the art facilities are among the best in Alaira. Cable Village’s core shard is one of the largest pieces in all of Resotera and was retrieved from the Core Depths only thirty years ago. It's still relatively new, therefore providing some of the most accurate results. I assure you that you will be more than satisfied with today’s visit.” She said, laying out all the history and facts of this particular Ability Clinic.

“The Core Depths? What’s that?” Carmen chimed in curiously, having never heard of such a place.

“The Core Depths is the plane of existence where the Core of Alaira resides. At the very heart of Alaira is an entirely different world with its own fauna, flora, and ecosystem. The energy from the Core of Alaira is incredibly abundant down there, more so than here on the surface. Every few years or so, many will go there to gather herbs for medicinal purposes, do research studies, or even excavate shards from the Core of Alaira to build more Ability Clinics.”

Carmen and Rivell were impressed by the information, learning something new.

A few more seconds went by and the elevator door opened to reveal a large circular room with all white walls. At the center of the room was a large floating crystal, fairly opaque in nature. Below it stood a collection of about twenty stone pillars, neatly placed in a perfect circle around it. They walked up to one of the pillars and gazed up at the nearly thirty foot tall crystal shard peering down at them.

The receptionist told Rivell to place his hand on the pillar and force his energy into it. Rivell nodded and followed her instructions, causing the crystal to glow brightly. After a couple seconds, the large crystal slowly started to spin, increasing in speed after each rotation.

It shined brighter and brighter, almost blinding the group until it stopped completely. They opened their eyes with hesitation and saw that the crystal was glowing a fairly dull yellow color. The receptionist walked over to the pillar and touched it as well, gaining confirmation for what just occurred.

“Congratulations sir, you're a lower Topaz Class Vesta with a resonance level of 2,600rlvl.” She said with a kind smile. Rivell, looking not so thrilled, removed his hand.

“Gee… Thanks..” He remarked, annoyed by the resonance reading he received. Carmen lightly chuckled as she patted him on the back.

“It’s okay, Rivell, a lot of people start off at Topaz. It may be an average skill level but you have the potential to push it much higher.”

Before he could respond, the receptionist chimed in with a statement of her own.

“Also, keep in mind, that number only highlights how much of a connection you have with the Core of Alaira. It isn’t an end all, be all measure for your overall skill level. If you hone your abilities enough and stay diligent, the power you possess can become quite potent, despite the low resonance level.”

Rivell sighed at her reply and began to wonder about something.

“But how long would it take for me to increase my resonance level?” He questioned the receptionist, hoping her answer would lift his spirits a little.

“It depends on how quickly you can cross over into the next resonance threshold. Could be weeks, months, years, I can’t say for sure. It’s entirely up to you, young sir.”

“Resonance threshold?” Carmen chimed in, now also growing curious about how a Vesta’s strength was measured.

“Yes. Each class is broken up into numbered ranges known as thresholds. As your resonance level crosses that range, your class will be upgraded. For example, those within the Topaz class will always have a resonance level between 2,500rlvl and 4,700rlvl. However, once that Vesta hits 4,800rlvl, they will be promoted to Emerald class. If you take a look there, you can see how each class is separated.”

The receptionist turned around and pointed to a chart hanging at the back of the room.

“Ahh I see. Welp Rivell, looks like you’ve got a ways to go.” Carmen replied with a slight snicker, examining the resonance chart closely.

Rivell sighed again as the Receptionist lightly chuckled, enjoying the company of these two kids.

“If there are no further questions, shall we go back to the first floor? I’ll be able to finish the registration process.” She said while motioning towards the elevator door. Carmen and Rivell agreed and swiftly entered the elevator.

Once the door opened to the first floor, they followed the receptionist back to the front desk and she took out some empty scrolls from a nearby cabinet. She wrote down some information and then instructed Rivell to place his hand on top of the scroll.

He did so and curiously, it began to glow a dark green color, shrinking down in size to that of a small card. Rivell removed his hand and the receptionist took the card, scanning it between some kind of mechanical device on the other side of the desk. The device twirled and rotated something fierce as Core Energy pulsed through it, causing it to glow brightly. Once the process was complete, she returned and handed it back to Rivell with a smile.

“Here you are Rivell Munis, you are now an officially registered Vesta. You can now accept jobs within the Topaz Class rank if you so desire. The job board for Topaz Class is around the corner and to the left. Thank you for visiting the Cable Village Ability Clinic and please have a splendid rest of your day.” She said with a respectful bow. Rivell’s eyes lit up as he took the card and examined the information etched on it.

“Now it’s official, congrats Rivell!” Carmen remarked, happy that Rivell achieved something he was working hard for.

He thanked her and just as she turned around, Carmen caught Sarah out of the corner of her eye. She got excited and began to rush over, eager to apologize for their prior altercation. Before she reached her, Carmen noticed that Sarah was talking to an older gentleman with tears in his eyes.

“How long must I wait, Sarah? Surely if you haven’t found my grandson by now, he must be dead or sold off in another nation.” The old man sobbed, clearly upset by something.

“I’m doing my best to find him, Sir. I’ll bring him back safely, I told you that I would. You gave me this job and I'll see it through to the end, just give me more time.” Sarah responded, trying to calm him down.

“Yes, but you said that a week ago as well and still nothing. I appreciate your words, but frankly, I’m losing faith.”

The man hobbled away, wiping tears from his face and looking incredibly disappointed. Sarah softly sighed while crossing her arms, wondering what her next move should be. Carmen stepped up next to her and watched as the old man exited the building.

“Is everything okay? Did something happen?” She asked, sticking her nose in Sarah’s business. Sarah gave her a side-eyed glance and recognized the face, immediately feeling annoyed by Carmen’s sudden appearance.

“Oh... It’s you. Yeah, it’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She responded, clearly still in a bad mood about earlier. She began to walk away as Carmen shouted out to get her attention.

“I’m sorry!! I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings earlier. My comments.. Were Inconsiderate to what situation you might’ve been through.”

Carmen bowed her head deeply, causing her long brown hair to tickle the floor as she awaited an answer.

Sarah stopped her departure and was surprised by the apologetic theatrics, not expecting this girl to be so forward. She sighed and approached Carmen, extending her hand out to her. Carmen quickly composed herself and the two firmly shook hands.

“Apology accepted.” Sarah said with a smile.

“Though to be honest, I probably shouldn’t have blown up on you like that. I was just on edge after the incident with that lady at the tavern.”

They shared a short laugh and the mood around them became much more pleasant. Shortly after their reconciliation, they heard a soft voice speak up.

“Um hello, my name is Rivell.” He said with his hand also awkwardly extended.

Carmen, having completely forgotten about her Siestian travel partner, introduced Sarah to him. They shook hands as well and began to have a conversation.

“Rivell here got awakened a few days ago and I'm still waiting for mine to kick in. Though, it might be a while for me if I'm being honest.” Carmen said to Sarah with slight disappointment.

“Nice, it's been about a month or so since I became awakened. Started my journey five months ago, so I’m still fairly new to this whole Vesta thing as well.”

“Oh wow! You must have some crazy stories then. That’s a long time!”

Rivell's eyes went wide with excitement. Sarah chuckled before proceeding to tell them of all the close calls and fights she’s had during her travels.

“There was a widowed woman and her two young children far out in the Olun country-side that I met. They had run out of food and were unable to hunt for anything because she couldn’t leave her sick kids alone. The nearest town was many, many miles away making it even more impossible for her. Those kids were so emaciated and pretty much on the verge of death, I just had to do something about it. I decided to go out and get them some food and medicine, despite not having adequate hunting supplies of my own.” Sarah said while playing with a strap on her bag.

“As I set out, I felt a searing hot burn in my chest and at that moment, I received my Manifest. I guess my desire to hunt for food and provide for this family triggered my awakening. It was totally unexpected.”

Carmen and Rivell were enthralled by her story and were eager to learn more.

“So what did your Manifest end up becoming? I don’t see a weapon or trinket with you.”

Carmen looked around the table and over at Sarah’s travel bag, trying to locate a weapon of sorts. Sarah held out her arm and a warm breeze began to flow around the group.

A light teal colored aura appeared near her forearm and out popped a metallic black and teal bow, embellished with ancient markings. The bow was much larger than a traditional, handcrafted bow and you could tell there was a sizeable amount of Core Energy coursing through it. Needless to say, the weapon looked incredibly impressive.

“This is my Manifest, a bow named Marabel.” She replied, brushing the runic symbols etched on the side of it.

“You see, I’m a middle Topaz Class Vesta with a Wind Affinity. As a kid, I was always handy with a bow and that was the weapon my father taught me to use whenever we went out hunting. So I guess it makes sense that my Manifest would become one.” Sarah added with a proud smile.

Rivell, looking in awe, also called forth his Manifest.

“All I’ve got is this book as mine. I’m still not entirely sure of what all it can do. But, I know that it can heal people’s wounds.” He remarked, flipping through the pages aimlessly.

“Cool, what’s its name?” Sarah asked with curiosity.

“Name? Umm, I’m not sure. How do you check?”

Rivell looked down at his book with slight confusion.

“Place your hand on it and imagine that you’re having a conversation with your Manifest, then simply ask its name.”

Rivell did what Sarah said with slight hesitation, closing his eyes. The book glowed green and Rivell suddenly opened his eyes, pulling his hand away from the Manifest as though startled by something.

“It spoke??? R-Rose’s Testament is what it said. Freaky.”

Sarah snickered at his clear inexperience and continued with her storytelling. After a few more conversations, Carmen started to sigh and wished she could have a Manifest already. Sarah reassured her that it would come sooner or later, she just needed to be patient and enjoy the journey. Sarah then stood up after gathering her belongings.

“Well guys, as much as I'd love to keep chatting, I’ve got to get going. I need to scout some more and see about finding this man’s grandson like I promised. There probably isn’t much time left.” She said with a tired look on her face.

“Ah, can we tag along? Would love to help out if we can.” Carmen asked, raring to get in on the action.

“Yeahhhhh, no thanks. It’s too dangerous out there. I don’t need an unawakened and her healing buddy slowing me down. You’ll only get in my way.”

Sarah let out a cheeky chuckle, having no belief in them at all. She grabbed her bag and walked out the door alone. Carmen was extremely annoyed by Sarah’s statements, stomping her foot on the ground.

“Ugh!! She gets on my nerves!! I can still handle my own without having fully awakened powers. Who does she think she is?!”

Rivell awkwardly laughed and tried to calm down Carmen’s justified pouting.

“I’m sure she means well, just let her be.” He replied nervously.

Carmen slung her bag over her shoulder and stormed out of the Ability Clinic, followed closely by Rivell. Upon exiting the building, they noticed that it was now nighttime. The group had unknowingly been talking for hours and wasted away the afternoon. They decided to call it a day and headed back to the inn, resting up for the night.