The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [98] Island Fever

Bjorn barely had time to prepare before the Spinefang Striders were upon him. Each of his heads gathered energy in quick succession. The rightmost one unleashed a torrent of high-pressure water, slicking the jagged ground beneath him. The island turned into a treacherous battlefield, its rocky surface now coated in a slick, unstable layer of moisture. Some of the creatures faltered, their claws scrabbling against the wet stone as they fought for traction.

His second head exhaled a golden glow that quickly dimmed into a dull, sickly grey.

Aetheric Disruption Breath
Primana Cost: Variable
(I) Low cost, 10 Primana. Release aetheric energies that boost allies and poisons enemy active spellforms. Boosted attack spells gain a poison; weakened spells become unstable and harder to control, spreading instability to future castings. All effects last for five minutes. (II) Medium cost, 15 Primana. Expand the breath's range, affecting multiple spells. Poisoned spells are even harder to control, while boosted spells deal stronger poison damage. All effects last seven minutes. (III) High cost, 20 Primana. Target spells to cause backfire, turning magic against its caster. Boosted spells gain potent venom, and poisoned spells spread instability to future castings. Effects persist for ten minutes.

The moment the Aetheric Disruption Breath took hold, the creatures shrieked. Their bodies convulsed as their own shadow magic betrayed them, twisting against their forms in chaotic backlashes. Some outright collapsed, their limbs locking up as uncontrolled magic ravaged their insides. Others howled in agony before dispelling their failing spells, finally revealing their true forms to Bjorn.

Failsafe had severely understated their hideousness. Their bodies mimicked the sleek frame of a jungle cat, but everything about them was fundamentally wrong. Their flesh seemed to writhe, as though countless worms crawled beneath the surface, shaping the muscles and sinew into something unnatural. Their faces were obscured by writhing black tentacles, the ends of which bristled with jagged, bone-like spikes which were perfect for puncturing and tearing flesh apart. Worst still each was his equal in size meaning this would be a fight determined by whose magic would last longer.

"Trues above," Bjorn muttered, his stomach twisting in revulsion.

"Yeah, I didn't expect them to look that bad," Failsafe admitted.

The creatures didn't give him time to dwell on their grotesque forms. They lunged as blurs of twitching muscle and gnashing tendrils, closing the distance in an instant. Their speed was a problem but Bjorn had a plan for that. He let out a roar.

Intimidation Roar
Primana Cost: 1
Infuse Primana into your roar to paralyze anyone that hears it. Your roar can paralyze humanoid magic constructs as long as they are connected to a magic caster. Paralysis duration depends on distance and level disparity between you and the target. Those bound to you are immune to this effect.

The sheer force of his bellow froze the Spinefang Striders in place, their bodies locking up mid-motion. One of the closest was already airborne, its leap carrying it helplessly past him. Bjorn twisted, narrowly dodging its flailing limbs as it skidded across the slick ground—momentum carrying it straight over the edge of the floating island.

Bjorn was not idle. Knowing the paralysis wouldn't last long, his leftmost head exhaled a thick, roiling Poison Cloud, the mist crackling with condensed Primana. The air turned toxic, filling the lungs of the frozen creatures with searing venom that attacked them from the inside.

Then, he cut the water flow from his rightmost head. Bjorn felt heat rise in his throat, his body channeling raw Plague Fire in its full destructive Aetheric Form. White fire bloomed from him engulfing the creatures in an inferno of pain and poison. Even so, these creatures were tenacious.