This is an ideal time for me to describe how the inscription of spells beyond class 9 even work. Calling them spells would not be exactly correct. After all, a spell implies that the thing has a spell model. Beyond this class, the inscriptions are closer to a set of runes than any spell model.
For class 9 spells, most spells that are inscribed are based on an established spell model. That means that every such spell can be said to serve only a single purpose in a formation. This is the magic that is cast by the spell model it is based on. An enterprising mage would be able to study and cast all the class 9 spells in a formation if he wished to do so.
For example, I can make use of the inscribed Ironskin to replicate the human version of the spell. I might need to make a few changes in the runes to achieve this, but it is possible with a bit of patience and a lot of experimentation. This is not possible from class 8 onwards. (To be honest, it is pretty unlikely that such an inscription will use a spell as a base in the first place.)
For class 8 spells, the very nature of the runes inscribed tends to change. It would be more accurate to say that a class 8 spell is made up of two parts. The first part would be the spell itself. It is like the brain of the formation, given the ability to make use of every component of the formation (including the ten inscribed class 9 spells.) The formation stick links to this part of the formation only.
The second part is meant to control the remaining spells on the formation core. It creates a network between all the spells in the formation. This is what allows for the first part to make use of all the class 9 inscriptions. If the first part can be considered to be the brain, then these are the nerves of the formation.
The point I wanted to make with this explanation was that a class 8 spell (and onwards) is fundamentally different from a class 9 spell. This is especially true during the process of designing the said spells. As my master likes to say, every man on the continent can make a class 9 formation if he spends enough time on it. From class 8 onwards, though, it is the domain of us formation mages. Only with a self-designed class 8 formation does my master consider anybody to be a formation mage.
If you already memorised the spell to be inscribed, though, there is no real difference between a class 1 spell and a class 9 spell. The inscription process is the exact same for either of them.
That brings me to the class 8 formation I am making here. It is a standard design of the druids. We do not know the name that the Druids would have for it, but we know its purpose. It is a standard nurturing formation of theirs meant to facilitate the growth of their flora. (As half their formations were meant to, if I am honest.)
My master named it the "metalbark core". The reason for the name is that this formation is meant to nurture the metalbark trees. (A few examples of metalbark trees are the iron bark, copper bark or bronze bark.) The metalbark core is meant to create a kind of domain which would allow for the growth of the metalbark tree used as the core.
Such a formation would be found at the center of any druidic forest or village. These acted as the core of their defenses. It would not be wrong to say that these trees would then be the most important tree of that location. These formations are also the equivalent of an environmental formation to those people. Without these formations they would not have survived in half the places that they call their home.
Once I activate it, a domain of water, earth and metal mana is going to form around the fort. This also means that it should, in theory, make the surroundings of the fort free of ice mana. I have never seen the formation work in a region like this, so I have no idea of how effective this ability of it will actually be.
If I could activate the formation, I would be doing that right away. (The gods know I am curious enough to see it in action.) The problem right now is that the formation base doesn't have enough mana to activate it. It has been emptied quite a few times in the last few weeks. (That is why I was so reluctant to activate the formation prematurely.) The process of its recharging has been annoyingly slow in these storms, as well. (Such a violent storm is able to affect the nodes deep in the ground as well.)
Thankfully, that absurd cost will only be there at the activation of the formation. After the creation of the domain, the cost should reduce quite dramatically. At least it will reach an amount that can be supplied by the elemental nodes, even in their present states.
With the formation inscribed, all that is left of my work is the last step. I have been dreading this particular step since the moment I decided that I was going to make this formation. Even then, I find myself standing here with an air of awkwardness. (I did not expect that I would actually ever reach this point.)
As for what that work is, it is going to be digging a pit in the ground in front of me. Anywhere else, there would be an entire team of soldiers to assist me in this. Here, I have no such luck. Even if the soldiers here were willing to help, they are already too overworked. I won't be comfortable giving them this task myself.
That still does not change the fact that I detest the hard labor that I am about to do here. One of the sad realities of being a formation mage is that we are not exactly physically active. Our physiques are some of the weakest that you will find among mages. While I am still better than my fellows, hard labour like this is something I still struggle with.
As for why I need this pit. One of the conditions for activating this formation is that it needs to be placed underground. After all, there would not be much reason for nurturing the plant if it just lay on the floor of this room, now would it? The druids make it a hard requirement to plant the core. They do this by introducing certain runes that do not activate until the core is inside the ground.
If I knew exactly which runes were responsible for this particular effect of the formation, I could still have done something. I could have modified the formation to remove this requirement. The problem is I have memorized the runes without too much of a understanding of the runes themselves. (Hey, understanding a class 8 spell is not easy. Especially a Druidic one.)
I could still try this, if I wanted to. It would be stupid to do it, though. The formation is a nurturing formation at its core. If the tree were to grow, there would be plenty of benefits to the formation as well. For one, it could store more mana in its body. For another, the domain will become stronger the larger the tree is. The core would be able to withstand more strain the more it grows. (With enough time, it could grow into a class 7 nurturing formation and beyond as well.)
That is why I am standing in the cellar with a pick that I have borrowed from Shamon. It is the kind that is used by the construction corps, it seems. It is meant to be used by mages, so it is strong enough to break through the floor. It should also be durable enough not to break due to a particularly strong swing of mine. This will be enough to dig a decently sized pit in the room.
Thinking this, I swing the pick with all of my might into the target location. I feel the pick pass through the floor, but not an inch beyond that. I am not surprised. The earth of this region is supposed to be hard enough to rival iron during winter. Earth Pack certainly must not be helping in that regard. With hindsight, I should have begun digging before I put the last spells in the formation.
This is a bit embarrassing. Granted, I have not used my vital mana in this particular swing. This is not the feat of strength that I would want to show to my soldiers. After all, this entire structure should have been built by the construction corps in a week. My performance in comparision must make me look weak.
I raise the pick with all my strength and make it hit the same location, with the ground giving way a bit more. It is not much, and I can already feel a dull throb in my arms. This is not going to be pleasant. Thinking this, I begin to cycle my mana into my arms. Let's get this done quickly.
(After an hour.)
With quite a significant chunk of my mana used, I have finally managed to dig my pit. I can feel a dull throb in my arms, even after strengthening it with mana. This shows just how much of a challenge this has been. Now I have to wonder what the strength of the construction corps is if they have supposedly built the fort in a week. They must all be mages who completed their second circle at very least.
To get back to the topic, the hole is smaller than I would have liked, but it will have to do for now. Picking up the formation core, I throw it in. As it falls, my control strings enter the formation. I can feel my control strings flow smoothly through the formation without any issue. If I were to try that with the core out of the ground, they would have been destroyed before entering the formation. The entire formation would vibrate, ripping my control strings to shreds.
With that confirmation, I let myself feel the thing hum. I can feel control strings vibrate in this tune that is not a tune. I wonder if I should be feeling a sense of success or relief right now. I have to admit that I am feeling nothing at the moment. Still, it won't take me long before I start wondering what could go wrong with the formation. Then I will start wondering if there are any tweaks that I should be doing.
I know myself. Without anything to do, I am going to be even more exhausted now than during the time I was building the formation. At least with the formation, my mind was not idle. Now, I have no idea which places my head will go to. Regardless, let's try and rest at the very least. (though it is easier said than done.)
I will have to be at my maximum freshness before I go and get this formation active. Using any new formation is not supposed to be easy, especially if it is at class 8 (or beyond). I do not think that I am going to get many opportunities to practice with it. The least I can do is get familiar with the thing before the inevitable fight.