Chapter 37: Formation

The time to login comes again sooner than I'd like. Not because I'm not looking forward to playing, but because of its implications—today the rats will attack.

Even though we are in a fortified city, I still have doubts about how we'll hold. If they simply attacked from a distance, be it magically or using arrows, they could whittle us down by their numbers alone. That is if siege engines are not a thing, which honestly, I don't have a clue.

The scene of Isha's house gradually appears as my sight adapts to the change of light. I better get used to it; I'll be spending quite some days here. I sigh as I remember yesterday's events.

"You are just in time. Get ready; we have work to do." Isha, not wasting a second, mentally orders me.

"One day, you'll have to teach me your tricks. You knew I was here from the very moment I touched the floor. And you can somehow communicate with me mentally."

"Soon enough. But not today."

As those words still linger on my mind, Isha comes out from the room on my right. She is dressed in unusual clothes for her. At least not the ones I usually see her in. Instead of a tight dress, she is wearing long and baggy robes; a hood covers her head and hair, going as low as to almost hiding her eyes.

It's also the first time I've seen her holding a staff. And not an ordinary one. On its top, a red and oval gem is mystically floating and rotating. Unlike most precious gems, this one seems to behave the opposite way. The light around it is being sucked, creating tentacles of darkness all around it. Whatever we are set to do, it is not trivial.

"Isha… Maybe I shouldn't ask, but what level are you?" The doubt assaults me as soon as I tie together all the clues. She can't be any lower than a few hundred.

Pensive, she reaches for her hood and pulls it a bit up. Unobstructed by it, she turns and looks at me. "It is better that you do not know. Right now, it would do you no good."

How can something like knowing her level wrong me? Will I be scared by her impossibly high level? Is it so low that I might be shocked? It makes no sense to keep it hidden! She might have taught me several valuable things already, but damn, she keeps too much secrecy.

I follow her outside the house and prepare myself for a long walk. However, contrary to my expectations, we just walk in a straight line until we find ourselves in the middle of the square.

Something's wrong today here, I think as I look around. War is upon us, true, but why is there so much silence? Why is it so deserted? Driven by some kind of restlessness, I raise my sight and scout the place.

"Why is the square sealed off?" All connecting streets are guarded by soldiers. And not one or two. On each of them, two rows wide enough to fill the roads are blocking the way.

"Because of me. Have you ever heard of spell formations?" She nonchalantly says.

"I have not…"

"As you should know, some spells take longer to cast. Some require chants, and others even special verses to be recited. However, that is only the tip of the iceberg." As she says these words, the tip of her staff starts emitting a faint light—nothing too bright, barely noticeable, actually.

"Spell formations are battle-changing spells," she continues. "Their power is usually able to wipe out entire cities. They come at a cost, though. They require an unobstructed and complex ritual to take place. Several symbols must be drawn for them to work. The tiniest of the flaws would render the spell ineffective while leaving it on cooldown."

"Don't tell me you have one of those!?" I excitedly shout.

"I do, but mine is not an offensive spell. Relic Shield. A magic shield that protects against enemy magic from the outside while allowing allied magic to exit."

"You had this all along? We could have saved Draka!" I burst with anger, letting the events in that town get the best of me. It is still too fresh; the images sometimes invade my mind.

"First of all, it only protects against magic. It is vital to have defensive positions to shield against physical attacks. Second, and most importantly, I can only cast it once a week." Which means—I deduce without any difficulty at all—that it would have meant leaving the city exposed. Maybe that's what they were after...

"Fuck… but still… with your power…" I mumble, still lost in my thoughts.

"And what if I had saved that town? The city would have been left defenseless. And, if the city falls, all our previous efforts would count for nothing."

"Yes… I'm sorry… I just tho-" A moment ago, I meant some other power; I'm sure that if she's able to cast formations, she can do some other powerful magic. Yet, I'm not able to finish my explanation, interrupted by her.

"Do not think, even for a moment, that it was a light decision for me to take. Sometimes sacrifices must be made, and it is for me to live up with it."

"I didn't mean to blame you, Isha…"

"I know that. But I felt like you needed a proper explanation," she stares at me, giving a meaningful sight, one that shows how sorrowful she is for what has been lost. "I have to get started with this."

"If I may ask, how long does it take to cast?"

"It takes an hour. Once laid down, however, its effects last for a whole day. Unless they manage to break through it, of course."

"Do you think that's possible?"

"It should not, unless they also have a formation of their own."

Having said that, she focuses on her work. Holding the staff, still shining at the same low intensity, she barely scratches the surface of the ground. Slowly and meticulously, she begins drawing a small circle around the center of the square.

Once that circle is completed, she draws a straight line starting at its middle and reaching well beyond it. A hundred meters further, I would say. And once again, she creates another circle. Much bigger this time, though.

What follows is an intricate design of lines connecting both circles. Triangles created every three lines, some intersected by arcs while others left untouched. Circles get inscribed at seemingly random spots, but surely there is a system behind that I am far from comprehending.

Even though I have no idea of what is going on, I can't take my eyes off it. There is something in those shapes that demand my attention; I'm spellbound to Isha's mastery. Time flies like it's nothing, and before I can't even notice it, Isha is standing in front of me. Both in the middle of the formation.

"Amazing, isn't it?" I hear her say in a more laid back and relaxed way than usual.

"Actually… yes. I didn't understand a thing, but still, I couldn't help but stare at it."

"Yes… I wish I could cast them more often; I rarely have the opportunity. Well, it is about time I activate it."

She takes the staff with both hands and raises it into the air. The timid light grows in intensity, becoming a mini-sun threatening to explode. Blinded by the light, I barely get to see how she rapidly smashes the staff into the ground, accurately aimed at the very core.

That dazzling light, far from going off, spreads through the staff and expands along the lines that form the spell. Faster than my eye can process, all the formation lights up.

The same drawing that was on the ground just a moment is now being projected on the sky. Rapidly enlarging and curving to cover the whole city. Not even half a minute after the light touched the first line, a white and translucent film surrounds everything.

"Indeed, amazing," I say, thinking back on Isha's words just a moment ago. Surely there are better ways to describe it, but right now, I just can't.

"Come, the governor wanted to see me."

Like it or not, I don't have any other option but to follow her. Well, at least I'll get to discuss the Ogres plan. Wait, should I?

"Isha, I have one plan involving my spirit and dominated soul. I got two ogres, one of them a field boss, and want to smash their backline by surprise."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

"I was thinking… should I give a heads up to the governor?"

"Do not. The possibilities of him being a traitor are meager, but one can never be too sure. Plus, he might want to share the intel with the army. At which point, it might be rendered useless."

"Right. I thought as much." I actually thought so at the start but had a moment of doubt. I must trust more in myself and my initial guesses.