There were rocks and dust everywhere, and in the distance, one could hear the war cries of Ibasan soldiers as they charged towards the Opening in our wall. I turned towards Jack, who had already begun to run towards the breach while issuing orders.
“Jack! Wait!”
“What!? I don’t have time, Ruby!?”
“You have to get all the other mages here right now, then we can close the wall again!”
“Are you insane? They would never let this chance slip.”
“Don’t worry, I will hold them off.”
And with that, I turned towards the hole and ran as fast as I could up the mountain of rubble until I reached the summit, where the sound of the battlefield slammed into me like a crashing wall of water. And not a second too late. I could just cast and form my shield around the hole when the first Ibasan soldier slammed against the slightly translucent blue shield headfirst.
Suddenly, I was jerked back as someone grabbed my shoulder.
“Come back, Ruby! What are you even doing here?!”
Jack was trying his best to pull me back behind the wall again. However, I resisted by forming a second shield between him and me.
While we were having our little squabble, several more Ibasan soldiers smashed against my shield, and Jack’s grip around my shoulders lessened more and more until he let go. By now, more than a hundred Ibasan soldiers were pushing against my shield, but it wouldn’t budge, not even one inch.
“I’m Okay, Jack. Like I said, I can hold them off while you get the mages.”
“Sigh. Janus will fucking kill me. You win, but don’t you dare die on me, you hear me!”
He was shaking his head while mumbling something, but I was fine with it as long as he agreed, even if he was cursing me.
“Of course.”
I gave Jack the widest toothiest grin I could manage and thumbs up as a send-off, but only received a strained smile in return.
And while I was holding the ibasan soldiers from storming the fort, they were being pelted by arrows, Bolts, and Stones from our soldiers above. IT was a gruesome sight AS their bodies were pierced and crushed, splattering their blood and Guts across my shield. I held my breath but stayed fast. If I falter, here many of our men may die, maybe even some of my Friends. My shield had to hold.
But honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could hold them off long enough. I wasn’t worried about the rank-and-file soldier, not their battering rams or trebuchets. What scared me most was the cannon. I wasn’t sure if my shield could stop it, but I could already see them reloading the damm thing in the distance. As I reinforced my shield more and more around myself, I could also see a fat, red-faced Ibasan furiously screaming at soldiers manning the cannon while pointing at me.
It seems I’ve made myself a target.
And as the crude iron ball was loaded into the fire-breathing abomination, I had baptized it one sleepless night. I suddenly wished I had allowed Jack to pull me back behind the wall. But now it was too late for that. What was I doing here? Am I not meant to be a coward? Why did I run headfirst into danger?
But the cannons’ fuse didn’t allow for any further thinking. As it burned down, I saw my life flash before me and… Ugh, who am I kidding? I’m freaking the fuck out! Whose stupid Idea was it to play the hero?!
BOOOOOOOOOM
In just a few milliseconds, the cannonball flew over the battlefield. It passed by trenches, soldiers, and ruined siege equipment. And despite the cannon’s usual inaccuracy, it was on point.
It will hit me right in my chest if not for my shield. I had made it strong and elastic, so that all the stored kinetic energy inside the cannonball would have a way to dissipate its kinetic energy, therefore lessening the shield’s burden... theoretically. Come on, my shield, I believe in you, you can do it... I hope.
The Cannonball hit my shield like a hammer would a gong, and the deep ringing of a bell could be heard all around the battlefield.
My shield deformed under the cannonball’s pressure and bent away. Deflecting the cannon to my left. Causing a few pieces of loosened bricks to fall out of the wall, but nothing more. There was silence all around the Battlefield for a few seconds. Everyone was either busy gasping in shock or staring in awe at what had happened. Everyone had believed that this was it, that I would die, but my shield held, and I was still alive.
“That was awesome, Teacher!” Was that Felicia?
I looked behind me only to find my Magic students cheering me on. When did they arrive? Have they just been watching me the whole time? Whatever it seems, Jack has done his job in record time as well. We could begin the reconstruction now that Felicia and the other student were present. Felicia was assigned to the groundwork while the other earth mages filled out the minor details. The rest of my small student body had been tasked with giving their mana to Felicia and the other earth mages.
Slowly but surely, one brick after another was put back into place and refitted to fill the hole. When there were no old bricks, new ones were formed by compressing and reforming the rubble, and some bricks were usually used for repairs.
And a few Cannon shots and screaming tirades from the Ibasan Commander later, we were finished. The poor guy’s face had changed from red to deep crimson. He even passed out at the end when our wall was rebuilt to its former glory. I would even have enough mana for another breach in the wall.