It didn’t take long to find Priya, but the results of their questioning were not as productive as they had hoped.
“Arrays are a form of mostly lost magic. We have tried to adapt thousands of spells into arrays, and only a small handful will work. Theoretically, they’re all functional, but no matter how hard the Witches tried, the Arrays wouldn’t activate.
According to my theory of magic teacher, it’s likely a side effect of the Bloodline Curse, but that doesn’t account for how they were supposed to have used them in the war unless they only used a few of them very creatively or the curse didn’t strongly affect the first Generation.” Priya explained.
Reiko perked up at the topic and offered her suggestion to the Lieutenant. “I have another theory. Perhaps they never used them at all. What if they only joined them? The heroes of the war were supposed to have great mythical creatures as their Familiars, and they had allies who were all lost during the war. Maybe the Witches never initiated the Arrays, only channelled mana into them?”
Cassie nodded. “That’s possible. It’s not common knowledge, but on the lower levels of Morgana Coven’s Fortress City, there are rumours that some Magi and Fae worked with the Witches until near the end of the war when they had to go into hiding. Priya, do you recall any other Arrays from theory class?”
The Lieutenant thought for a moment, then took out a notepad and began to draw. “There are likely some errors, but they’re mostly just seven attack spells with these extra Runes to link them. This should be [Meteor Rain], an upgraded Earth Element-only version of the [Flaming Boulder] Spell used in the catapults. Only, it doesn’t work in reality.”
“Damn, I won’t be able to use that yet. I can’t access Earth Magic, but it gives me an idea to work on for later. Thank you, Priya.”
“Lieutenant, runners from the other units are here.” The perimeter guards called while a single runner came toward either side of their camp.
“Ask them what they needed that couldn’t be said over the radio, and let me know,” Priya called back.
“Lieutenant Priya, we heard you have more Witches than usual. Can we get Arrows? It’s almost our shift, and the Witches are still too exhausted from the battle yesterday to make enough to get through a battle.” The first runner to arrive asked.
“Guard detail, load a wagon with Arrows for the unit and send them over. We will replace what they send.” She agreed.
“Do you have any more to spare? The barrier is amazing, but after last night, everyone is completely exhausted.” The second runner asked.
“Yeah, we have plenty, and we’re about to go off shift. We can make more before our next rotation to the front. I’ll also keep some of our Witches ready in case of an attack to take the strain off of yours.”
The unit sighed as their hard-earned stash of Arrows was taken away but dutifully got to work replacing them and improving on their casting strength.
A few minutes later, three cheers from the other units were heard, and the wagons were quickly unloaded and then brought back. The Witches in the other teams still looked exhausted, so Wolfe made a point of completely filling the barrier before the shift change and then kept it full for the next few hours of sporadic attacks.
That night he picked a spot out where he could see the stars and the barrier, relaxing atop the ruined remains of a transport vehicle. It was relaxing, but it was still a strange feeling to be able to see the stars after a lifetime without ever going outside.
The daylight felt natural now, but he was usually in the bunker at night, so he rarely saw the night sky. Stephanie joined him soon after nightfall, curling up in his lap while Wolfe scanned the horizon for enemies and occasionally threw [Firebolts] at them when he suspected they had escaped the notice of the guards.
Unlike him, the mundane soldiers couldn’t use [Detect Hidden] to see in the dark, and the effort didn’t cost him anything since he was just working on strengthening the sleeping kitten in his lap and his Witches.
He wasn’t sure when he dozed off, but a voice in his head startled him upright and woke him from a pleasant dream about an unlimited supply of deep-fried pickles from a street vendor near his old house.
[Wake up, you lazy Demon. Breakfast is being cooked, and the snow is cold on the paws]
It was followed by a paw thumping his face and purring, so the voice had to be Stephanie.
“Seriously, you wake me up every day because snow is cold?” He asked.
[Of course, it is cold. It’s snow. Wait, you can hear me? Finally, I’ve been trying to do that ever since Jane told me I only needed a strong enough bond. Hey, this makes it even easier to use your mana too.]
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Nobody seemed to mind. The rice balls were filling and easier on the stomach than the preserved meals, which were made for the army by the lowest bidder in the city.
[Meat, meat, meat. I love meat.] Stephanie was singing in Wolfe’s mind, celebrating either her ability to communicate or breakfast in general.
Mary reached over to pet her head, and the cat tilted so she could get to the right spot.
[Oh yeah, right there.]
“Wolfe, Stephanie spoke to me. Did you know she could do that?” Mary gasped.
“She learned how this morning as our bond increased. I think she’s supposed to be able to speak to any of us now if she focuses on it, but I’m not sure if it works with others outside of the Pentacle.”
Stephanie shook her head to let them know she had tried, then returned to happily tossing meat bites in the air and catching them with her mouth.
[You know they’re going to be completely shocked when they find out your back story, right?] Wolfe asked Stephanie through their link.
[No, they’re not. Because you’re never going to tell them, and neither am I. Being a cat is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and you’re not allowed to mess that up.]
[I didn’t realize you liked cuddles and petting that much. But you have my word. I will wait for you to tell them unless some strange emergency requires them to know your true identity.]
[Close enough. We will work on the never part later.]