The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [23] Abomination

The skinwalker was confused, never before had its prey been able to fight back before it was able to subdue them. Hunting was as much a game to it as it was a means to feed itself. Yet now it was hurt more than it had ever been and its food and more importantly new skin was the cause. It was furious, but what little remained of its reason told it this was not a fight it wanted, especially with more people on the way.

Tanisha didn't wait to see what the creature was waiting on and used her Arcane Shift to teleport to the right side of the creature. She swung her bardiche which flashed through the air hitting the skinwalker's arms as it moved to defend itself. Tanisha felt the weapon cleave into flesh but stopped dead at the skinwalker's bones, like hitting iron rods.

Even the bardiche I got from the princess is not strong enough to cut through it. I have to keep my distance then and focus on magic.

Tanisha had to jump back to avoid the wild strikes it did in retaliation as it lunged at her. She directed the water orbs with the bardiche. The blade glowed for a brief moment as the orbs shot its water this time with far more force. The stream of water blasted through the abdomen of the creature. The bardiche was designed as a perfect staff for Tanisha; she had requested from the princess for it to mesh well with hydromancy.

The skinwalker was strong, durable and even with the grievous neck and now stomach wounds it was still a skinwalker. If they could be killed so easily the wendigo wouldn't fear them as much as they do. Tanisha saw why Alfred did not want to fight the one in the woods with just the three of them.

Skinwalkers lost access to most of their magic but not all. One of the magics they retained was the wendigo's natural magic of bodily strengthening called Mana Muscle Saturation. The ability was what Tanisha's own Chain Breaker's Mantle evolved from.

Tanisha assumed that the skinwalker had already been using the Mana Muscle Saturation until she felt it in the aura of the creature. The skin it had been wearing lost color looking like hanging human leather over a horrifying skeletal visage. Whatever magic the skinwalker had been using to keep the skin alive was diverted to its bones, tendons and muscles. The creature wearing the flesh of Herschel was just as surprised as Tanisha at its new found magical strength.

Shit, that is not good!

Tanisha realized quickly she was about to be in well over her head. The creature was already several times stronger than her physically. Now its strength would rival or surpass Thyra's and the only reason Tanisha survived her was Bjorn's poison. She needed to stay out of the skinwalkers grasp at all cost.

There was again a turn in the fight as Tanisha did not want to risk getting closer and instead she pelted the skinwalker with water missiles. She knew if the skinwalker grabbed her now it would kill her no question. The fight devolved into a deadly game of attrition in the street.

Tanisha dodged wild, but deadly strikes, while shooting the creature with water missiles. The effectiveness of her magic diminished now that the creature was strengthening itself and would do little more than shallow gashes. Even the Hard Air Constructs which had been latched on to the creature burning it constantly did nothing. She would have to slowly bleed the monster with a thousand cuts if she wanted to survive.

She was preparing to use Arcane Shift again to avoid a strike when the skinwalker's right arm fell off and hit the ground in a wet squelch. It was the arm Tanisha had bit, her venom caused the arm to rot to the point that the ligaments holding it together snapped. Leaving a blackened decomposed arm to die even while the creature itself fought. Black sickly blood flowed from the torn muscle and veins as the creature recoiled and wailed in pain.

Tanisha did not have time to think about what just happened as an arrow flew past her and stuck into the skinwalker's chest. Prana, chakra, and magic erupted all around her as the town guards finally made it into the battle. Tanisha teleported several times backwards to get out of the way of the guards who overwhelmed the weakened creature. The amount of attacks they threw at it made retaliation nearly impossible and while it was terrifyingly strong it most certainly was not skilled.