“Exactly! They split the array into different parts to disguise its real structure.” Quylla said.
“It’s more than that.” Said Professor Neshal, the Master Warden from the Earth Griffon.
“The five arrays can work both individually and as one. The Odi found a way to make overlapping arrays more than the sum of their parts. But you are right. The final array is the weak spot because once you discover the truth, it allows you to destroy them all at once.
“It’s unbeatable if you don’t know the trick behind it, but once you do, you can topple them all like a house of cards. It would be revolutionary otherwise.” She sighed. Neshal admired the Odi for their ingenuity and despised them at the same time for their conceit.
They had clearly thought that no member of the ‘lesser races’ would notice the fatal flaw in their creation.
“Excellent work, Quylla.” Professor Phesta from the White Griffon said. “I’ll make sure that you are rewarded properly by the academy. Without your insight, we might have wasted days standing in front of the door.”
“Thanks, Professor!” She was brimming with joy. “Can we open it now?”
“Absolutely not.” All those present said in unison.
“We have no idea what lies beyond the gate and we are all tired. We will work on the sixth array after we are fully recovered and are ready for any surprise the Odi might have left behind.” Professor Gaakhu said.
Quylla was kind of disappointed. After struggling so hard and for so long, she had to continue waiting to see if the fruits of her labor would pay off. Lith didn’t share her anxiety. He didn’t need Life Vision or mana sense to perceive the danger that the array posed to his life.
The next morning, the Professors used earth magic to conjure a table made of stone and worked together to safely open the door. As soon as all the papers were laid on the stone surface, Lith made his proposal.
“I don’t think that opening the array is a good idea. Destroying it will require the same energy and it’s much safer.”
“Are you insane?” More than one Professor said.
“That kind of technique in laying arrays constitutes a relic by itself. Even if it’s a faulty product, we could study it and learn a lot about the ancient Odi magic. We might even find a way to improve their creation!” Professor Syndra said.
“Indeed. But what if we open the door, trigger a trap, and the arrays activate again? What if they shoot us in the back the moment we walk through that door? Is a single relic worth our lives?” He spoke looking in Phloria’s eyes.
She was the commander of the expedition and the only one who was aware of the anomalies that occurred while battling the Teks.
“I agree with Ranger Verhen.” She said. “Take your time to study and copy the array formation if you must, but no one is going inside until that thing is taken down. The first rule for every combat situation is to have a clear retreat path.
“If the Odi’s defense system identifies us as members of the ‘lesser races’ and the gate closes behind us, we’d have no time to open it again. Leaving our back exposed is out of the question. My decision is final.”
What started as a low grumble soon rose in intensity, until outraged yells echoed throughout the entire cave.
“Give it a rest, will you?” Morok’s voice overcame them all like a roar. “We could be attacked by a whole army and I would miss their arrival because of your yapping. If you want to die, leave me out of it.”
The bickering went on until it started to grind on Phloria’s nerves.
“Maybe you’re not familiar with how the army works. The discussion is over.” She said.
“Maybe, and maybe not.” Professor Gaakhu replied. “Over two-thirds of the members of the expedition disagree with you. We demand to speak with your commanding officer.”
“How dare you question my judgment?” Her voice was low, yet it was perfectly audible and scarier than any angry yell or threat.
“I dare because I think that due to your young age you fail to realize how important this discovery might be, Captain Ernas. Ours is not just the temper tantrum of some old fogeys.” Gaakhu replied.
“We are concerned that your hasty decision can harm the development of magic and the Kingdom itself. Not to mention that albeit Ranger Verhen has a point, I believe that your past relationship is affecting your judgment.
“Being careful is good, being paranoid is not. As the head of the expedition, it’s in my right to veto your decision if it damages the Kingdom.”
“Fine.” Phloria knew Gaakhu was right.
Since there was no emergency situation and the army communication amulet still worked, she had to relay the message. Yet it was the first time during her military career that someone had disrespected her orders so blatantly.
She broke the communication silence and called the high command, explaining to them everything that had happened. She mentioned Lith’s insight on the most recent attack and emphasized the risks that keeping the array would imply.
“Interesting.” Commander Berion replied while tapping his mahogany desk with his forefinger.
“Who proposed to preserve the array?” He asked.
Judging from his choice of words and his tone of voice, the Professors understood that he agreed with them so they introduced themselves one by one. With the Mage Association’s bleak looking future, receiving the support of a rising star in the army like Berion could lead to countless benefits.
Even some of those who had previously agreed on destroying the formation switched sides. Only Professor Yondra and Professor Syndra were adamant in putting their safety first and didn’t change their mind.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your honesty. I have to agree with Captain Ernas and Ranger Verhen. They both have a 100% mission success rate, so I’ll trust their judgment since it’s the only reason you are still alive.
“No offense, Professor Gaakhu, but without Ranger Eari the coordinates of the ruins would be lost. On top of that, in case the expedition gets wiped out, the Kingdom would have lost some of their most valuable subjects.
“Captain Ernas is right. Study the formation as much as you want and take it down when you are ready. Over and out.”
Berion’s calm attitude disappeared as soon as the communication ended.
“Damn idiots! I didn’t invest so much to keep Ranger Verhen under my command just to lose him to preserve a crappy array. Even if he wasn’t there, I would think twice before putting one of the Ernas’s daughters at risk on a whim, let alone two of them.
“I like my head where it is.”
Once he managed to calm down, he called his secretary and instructed him to update the status of the expedition.
“I don’t know whether those Professors suffer from dementia or just from hubris or, and I don’t care. Flag their personal files as unfit to command for the next missions.”
Meanwhile, in the cave, Lith was sighing in relief.
‘I’m not willing to risk my life for those morons, worst case scenario I’d have been forced to commit insubordination. Luckily for me, Berion earned his spot by working in the field.’ He thought.
