The night's air rolled along the cobble stone path ahead of Casey, and Rico. They made their way with silence with only the occasional passing car to break it.
Vehicles clogged the side walks, the quarry lots, and in the front of the mixed apartment and business complexes, opposite the park.
The air moved through his shirt shook the medallion; making it feel cold on his skin. They stopped walking near a little well-known, barbershop.
Casey followed Rico to a white car.
"wait right here Case, I need to change."
Rico walked up to the passenger's side and took out a bag. They were in a spot that had some shading from the court lights. Casey heard flies around a garbage bin further along the building. It was far enough that he knew it must've been hundreds of them.
Moving to where he saw his reflection in the barbershop window. The results of his training were clear.
"Feel's like something is going to happen tonight, Rico." He yelled.
"Case , I'm just about to go in a ring with a bunch of suppressed sorcerers." Rico's voice came from the shadow. "Not really the time to be having premonitions right now."
Casey moved closer.
"I see what you're saying. Well I wasn't really talking about your fight. I'm talking about something in the air. Like a heavy mana." Casey said. "You fought me a lot growing up, there aren't many people in Old Providence that can beat you."
"Yeah, well thanks for the bruises and stuff."
"We both put in a decent effort. I couldn't beat you if you didn't show up."
Rico stepped out of the darkness, shutting the car door with a solid thud. He was dressed for utility: a black tee, basketball shorts, and thin, black cloth shoes that gripped the pavement like a second skin.
"You look ready now"
"I guess I am." Rico smiled. "You know there's something I forgot to tell you."
Casey studied him. His friend smiling was not a good thing.
"Kiana's back."
Casey reeled a little.
"When did you see her though?"
"I'll tell you after the match."
Rico chuckled and walked away.
The flow of traffic was thicker presently. Casey watched as they parked further down the crowded street, finding any openings they could.
He and Rico found a break in traffic and ran. The park was crowded too. It included people who wanted to watch fights, others who wanted to drink, and some who wanted to stream the fights.
There were two huge security guards standing on the side of a low blue stone wall. They wore sunglasses in the night. And the one on the right had a wrist band on. Casey had noticed that his defenses were down; he probably only looked tough is what he thought.
There was a small white tent near a higher section of the wall. The occasional sea breeze made it shudder and flap. The BPC brand danced on it.
Rico made his way over to a few guys in burgundy collared shirts, moving around in the tent's shade.
Casey chewed the inside of his mouth, and shuffled out of the procession's way. He felt slightly nervous. The ID thing was against the law, but he really wanted to look out for his friend.
Casey turned his attention to the court. Its crowd was more than a thousand dense. All a bunch of moving colors to him. Different shades because some had sat in the darker area, behind the court.
The bleachers were all filled. And the organization could've really used more of them.
Casey's eyes moved, noticing a lot of flying insects around the court's lights. They hung in the air and he swore he heard them buzzing over even the crowd's discussion.
They had arrived at a pause in the matches, as the other competitors were being wrapped. Casey then saw familiar faces in the crowd, some he recognized, and a few he missed.
He felt a tightness in his chest. And his stomach felt empty. Like his core had gone missing. He swallowed and bit his lips.
It took everything in him to remove his eyes off of Nadene.
He dropped his head and pretended to be on his phone. His heart felt heavy, and slow. And so he prayed and did his best to draw himself together.
His hand was unstable with the phone so he held it with two.
Casey noticed a dim blue light on his wrist band; that had only grown more intense. He did not have that full feeling that he would get from channeling. It was a feeling of every part of him having enough to enjoy. Like being filled with his favorite food, or a sweet drink
He felt the odd mana growing heavier; the way it moved felt alive. It was a mana the seemed to want to seep into his skin. Like it wanted a home.
Casey looked around to see if anyone was about to use a spell. It was punishable by law for civilians to use spells in crowded spaces. And he was worried that someone crazy had come to old Providence.
The wind pressed down from above. And so he looked up. Casey moved as the blob came down. He jumped back into a parked white SUV, bending the front door inwards.
The sorcerer, who did security, moved too. He carried his coworker on his shoulder. A swarm of flies covered his right arm. They turn red before burning away. His arm glowed orange, but he kept running; apparently unbothered.
The flies came down like a black torrent of water; spreading as they hit the floor.
Many had followed the sorcerer but more had came towards Casey.
The crowd screamed and stampeded towards the other entrance. Casey glanced at Nadene being hugged and carried away by some guy he hadn't seen before.
Many people near the entrance had been covered in flies themselves. The swarm bit pieces of them on their way to the each sorcerers.
In the moment, Casey grounded himself. He absorbed as much mana as he could, before shooting across the street. His boots tore at the seams, and the place he had stood first had cracks in the cement.
The traffic had jammed and many people had closed up their windows to hide in their cars. As Casey moved a thick line of flies followed him.
They began to glow red. He felt the heat building on his back.
As he arrived at the barber shop he turned and drew in cold mana from the nights draft.
He released an ice storm. It spread in a thick mist. Casey had tried to control the spread as best he could, but a some cars had still been caught and covered in white frost.
A line of frozen flies fell; shattering like black jewels.