Dark Crow Rising

"Batteries twelve to thirty, you are cleared to commence operations." one of my men passes on to the backdrop of earlier groups already going about their orders. Keeping my attention on the magic screens, I watch flowers of smoke and fire blossom while metal birds chirp. Our previously known danger area is safely avoided and many detonations spread across it.

"Understood, Gnomon." the artillery leader replies and for the moment before he shuts his comms off, a gun snaps through the mic.

"Are we seeing any meaningful progress?" I dare to ask, turning my chair slightly towards those I have the clearest view of.

"I'm afraid not, Grandguard Inerish." their section leader answers and he passes over some data to me. A holographic model of the giant and its march but with the added detail of this magic aura. Marks are spreading across the highlighted edge of the magic, some from an upward curve and others from above. I can barely make out the slight annotation telling me of lost communications.

Looking away slightly, I glance over the rest of the room and how many screens are shifting off of static. We had to put a stop to the effort briefly just to implement a program that automatically filtered off failed feeds. Nothing so far has gotten through and there are only so many recon-enabling munitions we have. Jury-rigging is out of the option, we don't have the time to develop anything new.

Typing in some details on my chair, I start to compile some data myself to give me something to do. Minding the model I was given just now, I expand upon it with whatever ideas I can think of. We know at the very least we're looking at some kind of spherical dome with this aura. It could be something more precise, something like an advanced threat predictor working on a system of invisible tendrils or something but...

"Unless it just seeks out any form of magic-holding matter?" I ask no one in particular as many walk by me. The three models present themselves clearly and I double-check them. A bubble, a filled-out ball of some kind and the more precise one. Looking up at the coverage our firepower has, I am tempted to dismiss the latter idea.

There are simply too many guns firing and bombs falling.

I put my finger on the communication button, "Tell those who have the means to switch to timed detonation, multi-impact rounds or bombs. I don't care what kind, just something that spreads the firepower out along as many points of impact as possible."

"Understood, Grandguard Inerish." a series of voices answer and my hands come together. Leaning back with a hefty weight in my chest, I watch the screens with held breath. Someone has the mind to swap my view over to the observation posts we have up. The explosions start to die down and those too deep in the process get it over and done with.

A group of bombers fill the black of my eyes with their reflection. I can feel them widening as the aircraft finish their lengthy turn and they're finally going in for the kill. I squeeze my hands together and lick my lips a little as my throat feels dry. The metal doors open up and dark masses fall.

I can hear their whistles although there is no sound. Ca-chink! Hundreds of little dots are thrown out. They wrap around the curvature of the aura and nothing.

I let go of my hands and they fall to my side as a heavy breath comes out. Slowly, I lean forward and cup my face with a deep breath. A mixture of swear and prayer mutters its way out of my mouth. My head shakes increasingly.

"Grandguard Inerish!" a man calls and my head shoots up. He excitedly rushes over to me and grabs my hand, causing alarm. Going along with this almost childish behaviour, I am thrown onto his seat and he starts to stab at the screen. A still frame.

I get my thoughts in order.

"What am I looking at?" I ask him and his hand moves to somewhere more specific. Something's gotten through the edge of the aura. It vanishes shortly after, but, it's breached the perimeter.

"I'm working on getting the responsible bomber on the line!" he tells me as I get up and out of his seat.

"Do it!" I encourage, rushing back to my chair as some people take the initiative and order a stop to my last order. Static comes through to me and it starts to break up.

"This is Bomber Pilot Richaart, how can I be of service, Grandguard Inerish?" the man in charge answers.

"What bomb did you drop?" I ask him and I can almost hear the embarrassment come through.

"I have a lad who was pressed into service a bit abruptly to fill out our crew. He made a mistake and loaded up a magic-shielded penetrator." he explains.

"OF COURSE!" I scream, snapping up to my feet with frantic gestures. Everyone looks at me with varying measures of bewilderment. Of course! It makes so much sense with how obvious it is.

The aura deprives everything it touches of magic, reducing it to magicless matter. Which is apparently sand, or something to that effect. But, if we create or use an ablative plating made of pure magic stuff, we can get the munitions in closer. We can finally start getting somewhere with damaging this giant and taking it down...

But, if magic shielding is needed, why are mountains breaking down so easily? Their internal-magic is vast and the many guild witches we've lost can't all have been newly minted fools. Unless the aura depends on violating the principles that make internal-magic work? Do we need a weapon of pure magic, then?

I start to nod and my expression firmly sets itself in stone.

"Put out the order to all it may concern. I want high-magic munitions in use now, get war-witches in the air or on-site and have them provide as much spell cover as they can. I want to replicate the result of that bomb and improve upon it!" I tell everyone present before rushing out before I can get a reply. Speeding to my office, a face comes to mind and the power she wields will be quite needed right now.

My office door opens and my secretary looks up.

"Oh, Grandguard Inerish, I wasn't expecting you, has there been some progress?" she asks, getting up slightly and motioning towards the little refreshment table we have.

I wave at her to stop, "No, no, no, no! Call the Clockwork Council, I require them all to be in attendance for what I need to ask for."