Chapter 731: POV Magister of the Arcane Soul

The world was buzzing.

Aila had grown used to the prickle of too much magic in the air over the past few months. Growing up, it was nothing that she had ever experienced. When she had first gained her secondary class and had become a mage, she had only noticed the odd sensation when she cast too many spells in quick succession, and even then, it was something that rapidly faded. However, as she grew more familiar with the feeling, she could detect it when other mages were casting, so long as there was enough magic being spent. It wasn’t until she had seen the great arches of Eldingholt and stood near enough for the waves of raw magic to wash over her that she had understood what true power felt like.

Then Alex began to grow, and the faint buzzing of the hidden stream of constantly moving magic never truly went away. Aila’s own growth, and the power that Jadis, Eir, Severina, and even Thea gained, caused that tingle to become a constant companion, a prickle of something existing just barely against her skin. Ignorable yet always present, like the brush of her own hair against her back.

This buzz was something else entirely.

A static charge, one so strong that Aila felt as though she could reach out and grab it with her hands, flowed through the air. A sibilant whisper, wordless and without form or tune, brushed over them all. When she closed her eyes, the power pulled against her, like she was being taken up on a whirlwind, yet the moment she opened her eyes the sensation of being carried away was gone. And yet the prickle against her skin stayed with her.

She could tell that she was not the only one who felt it. All the mages who had assembled under her command showed the signs. A shiver like flies landing on a horse’s flank. The twitch of shoulders when no hand brushed them. Eyes that searched for what could not be seen. Anyone who was familiar with magic had to sense it. Even those who had no skill in magic at all had to feel something. There was so much magic gathered in one place. A little more than fifty elite mages of different styles and capabilities gathered all in one group, including herself, Sorcha, and Ammy. And that was not even speaking of the healers who marched nearby in their own grouping, led by Jocelyn and Eir. Yet, despite all of their combined power, it was not them that Aila felt pulling at her soul. It was the city that loomed before her.

It was Kastoria.

“Dèi, guarda tutto quello…”

Aila’s gaze shifted briefly to the older sorcerer who was walking near her. His name was Vico, and he was one of the highest CLR mages in the Volto military, though that still put him ten levels behind her own CLR of ninety-three. His specialization was in water magic, which was why he was with her rather than Alex and Tiernan.

“Entreating the gods?” Aila asked, guessing at the meaning of the words.

“No,” Vico shook his head. “This battle is ours. The gods help those who help themselves.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t hurt to ask!” Ammy’s high-pitched voice called out in response from behind them.

“Sì, sono d'accordo,” Vico said as he raised his right hand towards the city. “Gods protect us all.”

The main reason Aila had asked Vico to stay near her was because he was a veteran of the last attempt to retake Kastoria by Volto. He knew what defenses the Demons had leveraged against the army back then, and he had experience in siege warfare. Unfortunately, what the man did not have was any inkling as to the power that the impenetrable domes that surrounded the city possessed, nor what other surprises that the Demons might have in store for them.

Built upon a section of rocky shore that jutted out into the Siren Sea, Kastoria’s main approach was from the north, where the largest set of city gates was located. There were side gates on the east and west, and the harbor was almost completely open along the south, but ultimately the walls that prevented any normal approach were not the true barrier to entering the city. The domes that she and the others had encountered previously that were currently protecting Kastoria were the real trouble.

From their current distance, Aila couldn’t see much of a difference between the ones surrounding Kastoria and the ones they had fought previously. Hexagonal stone plates formed a half-shell that was large enough to encompass a three-story building. At the top was a metal hex with a spike, from which lightning could already be seen arching into the air. If nothing had changed, the dome would be impervious to all magic attacks, and at least resistant to most physical ones. The metal hex at the top was the weakest point in the shell as it had no magic resistance, but it was also the most dangerous since it was from that spike that the long-ranging magic lightning attacks originated. Inside would be more Demons, possibly a black slime growth that regenerated at incredible speeds, though anything imaginable and unimaginable could also be hidden within. What absolutely every dome would have, though, would be a sacrificial pillar, suspended by chains in the middle. On it would be five mortals, pinned to the stone and tortured beyond what any sane creature could withstand. That was the dome’s power source. If that pillar could be destroyed, the dome would become nothing more than a rock for Demons to hide in.

Aila had a hope that her newest arcanist spell would be a match for the dome’s defenses. Only in battle would the truth be known.

“We are nearing the range of the charybdis!” Vico warned.

At the same time, more calls went out from those veterans who had sieged Kastoria before who were on the Defense team. The march across barren, crumbling soil slowed as orders were given, before the formation came to a stop near the crest of a hill overlooking the city. Aila had no commands to shout herself. Until enemies came within range, she and her mages could only wait.

“There they go,” Sorcha said from just behind her. “Brave bloody bastards.”

“Get ready for the response,” Ammy added seriously.

“As ready as we can be,” Aila murmured.

Using a modification skill, Aila quickly created two small force platforms to use as steps, then a third larger one so that she was standing at least fifteen feet in the air. She was careful not to go higher, as Sorcha’s Guardian Bloom Paddleweed was better at purifying the air surrounding it horizontally, rather than vertically. From her elevated vantage point, she was better able to observe Noll leading the rest of those capable of high overland speeds running towards Kastoria’s northwestern wall.

The three spells cost a total of one hundred and ten magic to cast, taking Aila from her max of eight hundred and ninety magic points to seven hundred and eighty. With her base Will of fifteen, it would take more than seven hours to regenerate that amount of magic reserves. However, with Sorcha and Ammy both boosting her regenerative capabilities with wands and potions, her effective Will score was something closer to one hundred, at least for the moment. It would still take an hour to recoup that amount of her reserves, but with the multiple filled canteens Jadis had contributed to her stores, Aila had approximately two thousand more magic available to her. Then there were the vials of emergency potions that Ammy had crafted that would instantly grant her anywhere from one hundred to five hundred magic, depending on the one used. Those equated to an additional sixteen hundred magic in her pockets.

Aila went through her mental calculations of magic expenditure in only a few seconds of time, an act of cautious habit as much as nerves. In that same time, she watched the Runners speed towards Kastoria, moving within range of not only the colossal charybdis, but soon enough the domes as well. For a few more seconds, nothing happened.

“There!”

Several voices called out at once, hands raised to the sky. It took a moment, but an instant later she spotted the sickly green mass moving at a deceptively slow speed through the air. Up at arched, slowing almost imperceptibly as it reached its peak, before Oros pulled its great bulk back down at an ever-increasing speed. Moments before impact, the Runners scattered, dodging out of the way at a far greater speed than they had been moving before. When the gigantic sack of acid struck the ground, it exploded like a wizard’s fireball, showering the land for dozens of yards around it with a burning rain that would melt through armor and flesh alike. A crater was left in the sack’s wake, twenty feet across at least and who knew how deep, inside of which the Eldritch-enhanced demonic substance pooled, waiting for some unfortunate fool to fall in.

“Northwest block, tower number five,” Aila called down to Sorcha.

“Got it,” the goblin answered, her small fingers no doubt working hard to relay the message through Sabina’s invention.

Another acid sack was soon in the air, followed by another, then more. As each rose into the sky, their source was revealed, and Aila called out the position of the colossal charybdis for Sorcha to relay. Chances were that those in the sky would have already spotted the huge Demons anyway, but they weren’t going to leave clearing the charybdis to chance. Aila had marked down every tower mapped on the city and she called out each target that she saw or was pointed out to her.

The Runners flew along the outer reaches of the city, drawing out the fire of the Demons by straying close, but not too close. As fast as they could move, the acid sacks had no chance of striking their targets. However, as Noll and those who followed him feinted an approach towards the main city gates, the titanic dome that blocked the way forward lashed out with its lightning.

Aila saw the crackling energy catch several of the distant figures. They were too far away for her to see who was struck, but she did see their forms collapse to the ground in a jumbled heap. Aila had seen those same bolts of lightning destroy stone embankments. She did not have much hope that those who had just been hit had survived. However, she saw those who had not been struck race in to grab hold of their fallen companions and carry them away, their direction turned towards the main assault force. As they moved, Aila let out a small sigh of relief. She could see a large spider moving among the running troops, thus confirming that Meli was, if not uninjured, well enough to stay on all eight of her feet.

As the Runners sped away from the city to bring their wounded to the main force be healed, Aila saw the ground around them shift and move. Rising up like wheat growing after a summer rain, Demons burst forth from the rancid earth. Some pursued the Runners, coming from behind and from the sides, others rose up ahead of them to block their way. In effect, they were surrounded.

“Clear the Demons!” Aila shouted in her most commanding voice. “Ranged attacks only! Do not cross into range of the Charybdis!”

Demons lying in ambush underground was exactly what Aila had predicted. A trick once used to success would be used again. However, as the mages responded to Aila’s orders, she knew that their preparations would ensure that the Demons did not find the success that they had before.

The buzz of magic tingled across Aila’s skin as dozens of spells were cast at once. Bolts of fire, globes of water, shards of ice, arrows of lightning, and spears of stone crashed down upon the Demons who tried to swarm the runners. As Aila watched, she saw the more mundane sort of projectiles mixed into the shower of destruction, the proof of Kerr’s Archers at work. Most of the attacks were focused on the flanks of the runners, killing off the Demons who were trying to attack from the sides. With Noll in the lead, the Demons who tried to block their advancement weren’t having much of an impact.

That said, Aila saw how more of the enemy was rising up out of the ground near their main assault force. Already the defenders were taking attacks from Demons who were turning on them rather than the runners. If the Demons clogged up the forward line, it could become a problem getting the injured to the healers.

Pointing her eleria-tipped staff at the space between the shield wall Thea and Ludger had created and the approaching Runners, Aila willed a single spell into existence; Tri-Bolt. With another effort of will, she added a modification to the spell, doubling the cost. Then, almost as an afterthought, she expended a single one of her Lustful Sphere’s, causing the damage to increase by a full quarter. In the next instant, the spell was released, and the three spinning spheres of pure arcane power sped towards the space where Demons and possessed myrmidons were crawling out of the dirt, ready to tear the approaching Runners limb from limb.

The explosion, as always, had no sound. No smoke to obscure, no fire to burn. Just an unfiltered hurricane of destruction. The transparency of the sheer destructive force of her spells was something Aila could never quite move past. There was a certain beauty on display, a fascination with the raw power wreaking havoc on the world, that made her want to stand and watch for hours.

In a single moment, dozens of Demons were ripped apart by the explosive tri-bolt spell. An instant after, the ruination of flesh and blood was splattering across the ground, leaving a space that was largely unobstructed for Noll and those who followed him to run by, unmolested.

“Leave some for us, Blue!”

The corner of Aila’s mouth quirked up at the shouted demand. Really, Kerr was such a ridiculous woman. That moment was hardly the time for a teasing jibe.

Smoothing out her expression, Aila focused her attention on calling out orders to the mages under her command. The spell she had just cast had cost her one hundred points, plus a single Lustful Sphere, of which she had fifty more in reserve. A relatively minor expenditure for the number of Demons slain, but she needed to save as many points as possible for the bigger threats that they were sure to soon encounter. Better to direct the spells of other mages than waste her own.

As the sounds of battle rose up below her, Aila cast her gaze up to the skies, where she saw more of the colossal acid attacks arcing over the great distance between the city and her position. Most looked like they would land fruitlessly in the empty field that led up the slope to the main assault force’s location, but as she watched, she saw the way one sack was flying on a direct course for her. It was possible that the attack would fall short. In fact, it was likely. However, based on the projectile’s speed and the rate at which the Runners were approaching, Aila calculated a high likelihood of the sack landing if not directly on Noll’s force, but near enough that many would be caught in the splash damage.

 Raising her staff, Aila prepared to cast enough explosive bolt. The problem was, the demonic projectile was at a higher angle than she was, and thus her range would not be extended. By the time the sack was within range, her attack would likely cause the acid to explode over the Runners, and the caustic substance would rain down on top of them. Still, it would be better for the acid to spread in the air, minimizing damage done, rather than letting the massive ball of sickness fall on top of her allies. Waiting for the exact moment that the sack would be in range, Aila prepared to fire.

Before she could cast, the responsibility was taken out of her hands. A shining golden light swept in from the side, striking the acid sack with a crack of force that echoed over the hills. The Hero’s sword shone with holy power as he passed overhead on his griffon mount, winging by with almost casual ease. The deflected sphere exploded away from the direction it had been aimed, scattering its foul contents safely in the distance, where no one would be harmed but the Demons who were recklessly giving chase after the Runners.

 She doubted that he would see the gesture, but Aila still inclined her head to the Hero as he passed by, silently thanking him for his assistance. Her gaze followed him for a moment before movement further in the distance caught her eye. A flash of glowing white wings, hard to spot in the morning light, but visible all the same.

Jadis’ distant forms dove from high above, aiming for the city below. With how many charybdis had attacked, it seemed that her bonded lover had decided enough of the stationary targets had been revealed for her to begin her own aerial attack. Aila didn’t know which would be targeted first, but she had no doubts at all as to the fate of the Demon waiting at the end of that lethal dive.

Watching Jadis fly at impossible speed, Aila saw the moment when she released her cargo and pulled up, shooting out over the fields to the north. The explosive burst of dust and stone that erupted from the point of impact came from one of the towers further inside the city, and Aila winced as she saw arches of lighting reach out and claw at Jadis, tearing at her flying figures. Jadis had clearly launched her attack from a higher range than was ideal in order to avoid the majority of the city’s magic defenses, but hopefully her attack still—

A barely visible burst of golden light appeared on Kastoria’s outer wall, a sight only noticed because she had already been looking in that direction thanks to Jadis’ attack. Throwing up her hand without a second for thought, Aila cast her Force Shield five feet in front of her.

Black and gold energy slammed against the shield an instant later, ricochetting off the flat surface at an oblique angle. The orb of malign power shot off to the side, flying for hundreds more yards before it exploded against a half-fallen tree. The sphere of destruction left nothing but a shredded mess of dead wood in its wake.

Stepping down from her perch on her force platforms, Aila took a steadying breath before turning to Sorcha.

“Are you alright?” the other woman asked, concern clear on her green features.

“I’m fine,” Aila answered. “Please notify Maeve that the ‘Skull Blob’ Demon is possibly located on the twenty-second section of the outer wall.”

Nodding, Sorcha began imputing the information into her enchanted communication device, eyes occasionally darting to the code guide that she had made for the goblin woman. As she turned away, Aila paused at a thought, then readdressed her smaller companion.

“Also, would you please cast your translucency spell on me?”

“Right…”