The shift was a quiet one, with no attackers in sight, but the moment that Karl and his team left the line, things began to get chaotic.
Every teacher wanted to know if there were more spell books that Karl could write for them to copy, or if he could teach the skills that Rae had learned directly to other students, the way that the teachers at the Academy did for the basics.
Karl checked the [Skill Book] description for [Earth Shield] and frowned.
[Book of Earth Shield] Usable by (Monster) (Giant) (Earth Element) recipients. Requires 1 Earth Element Gem at Commander Rank or higher, ground to dust, mixed with powdered gold and Commander Rank or higher Hill Giant Blood.
That was far more detail than he had ever gotten from the ability before, but the book looked like it was far more restrictive as well. Or perhaps it wasn’t as he didn’t know the restrictions on the book of [Refreshing Lightning]. But needing all three of those keywords essentially narrowed it down to Rae, who was a giant monster, and had gained the Earth Element when she advanced to Royal Rank using Hill Giant blood.
“I can make it, if we have a powdered Commander Rank Earth Element Gem, and powdered gold to mix with Commander Rank Hill Giant blood, which I have in reserve. But it can exclusively be used by those who are giant monsters with the Earth Element.” Karl explained.
Someone behind Tank began to curse, and Karl distinctly heard the words “I’m not going through that again” before the man stomped away.
“Well, that gives us the answer we need. You can wait on the book until you really don’t have anything better to do. But if there are other members of your group who can use it, we can get you the supplies.” The big Berserker suggested.
“The closest would be Ophelia, but I don’t know if she would count as a Giant, or if she has any Earth Element skills, much less an Earth Element aspect.” Karl sighed.
Ophelia shook her head. “I’m average sized for a Werebear, and that’s a Nature Element transformation, not Earth Element. The number of people who can use that book will be really limited.
I would guess that not even Thor could use it, and he’s considered a Giant Monster, by reptile standards. He’s more Lightning and Holy Element than Earth.”
It was a shame that they wouldn’t be able to share more skills right now, but in the future, Karl would certainly have to donate a copy to the Inscriptionists. If someone else got his class, it would be wonderful for them to start with something, even a few skills that were tailored to beasts, so they could get started on the right track.
The students from the line sat down to dinner, and the teachers began to filter over to talk to Karl.
The same thought was on everyone’s mind. “How long would it be before the Academy had a Royal Rank student?”
The government had only ordered the students and faculty from Ascended and Commander Ranks to come here to the Hill Giant border, so there was a chance that someone might try to steal him away the moment that word spread, but there was also the factor of actually getting to have a Royal Rank defender on their lines for some time.
It would give everyone so much more peace of mind that they might actually start sleeping properly between shifts.
Far too many of the students were overtired and strung out from lack of sleep, but too nervous to allow themselves to fall into a deep slumber when there could be an attack at any minute.
Even if they were off-duty.
The Royal Rank aura seemed to make many of the Ascended Rank students nervous, so Karl didn’t hang around the dining hall for long. Instead, he led the teachers to one of the classroom tents, where they could ask questions to their heart’s content.
“Let’s start with the important topics. How is Rae’s role in combat going to change with her new abilities?” One of the Professors, whose voice Karl recognized as the zone Commander on the radio, asked.
“It won’t change much. We will have some extra defensive power, and Rae will have more ranged attacks, but her primary duty is usually the defence of the casters, while her Golems go forward to fight. Now, if she’s not pressed to defend, she will be able to offer more fire support to the team, but her essential role hasn’t changed.” Karl explained.
“Will your team need to change tactics to properly work with the new Earth Shields?”
“Most of the time, no. We can have Rae create barriers with gaps for them to attack out of, while still being shielded from hostiles. Or, she can grant it to an actual shield, if we’re going to do a shield wall formation for them in a larger battle.”
The zone Commander made a quick note and nodded. “So, you’re thinking of having her create either portable shields or a simple structure with a roof to block attacks from above? That should work, and it would keep the mages safe enough while they fought.”
Lotus giggled. “It would also cut down on sunburn.”
Bob nodded. “She’s got a point. They could fight in the shade. Maybe we could get Rae to make them some benches as well, so they could sit and relax as they fired off their spells.”
A few of the mages laughed, while others just rolled their eyes.
“Is that how you think of the casters in the back, just lounging around in the shade, firing off spells in support?” Morgana asked.
“Of course not. Right now, you have neither chairs nor shade. But if you did… no, that wouldn’t work, would it? You need to make gestures and movements while you cast. It wouldn’t be as effective from one of those comfy swinging chairs.” Bob realized.
Doug shrugged. “The swinging chairs would be great for other activities, though. I will have to get Rae to let me have one of them before we change stations.”
“So, we can expect similar tactics from your group, but with some additional defensive capability, and more attack power? That is wonderful. Is there any hint as to when the others might advance?” The zone Commander asked, bringing them back on topic.
“It should be soon, likely within a month. It might even be within the next few days, but I don’t have the experience to say for certain.” Karl shrugged.
“That should be good enough for the evening. We will be in contact tomorrow before your shift, in case we need to balance the forces along the line.” The zone Commander informed them, then got up and left the room.
“Forget about that. What’s more important is that you can make Royal Rank defences for the front line. How many shields do you think that you can do at once? Is there a time limit on the spell?” One of the warriors asked.
“I honestly don’t know yet. I haven’t had an opportunity to do any experimentation at all, since we got all distracted and just watched Rae show off for our entire shift. It doesn’t look like it expires, as Rae’s dome of stone is still standing out there in front of the line. But it might be gone by morning, and I don’t know how many separate spells I can keep active.” Karl explained.
“Well, we will have to test that tomorrow. The sooner, the better. Preferably before the Hill Giants show up again.”
