The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

WM [75] The Chaos Hydra



WM [75] The Chaos Hydra

WM [75] The Chaos Hydra

Bjorn and Aurelius strolled side by side, their footsteps crunching softly against the rocky terrain of the mountainside as they patrolled for anomalies. The night sky was surprisingly colorful thanks to the forming mana storm aurora. Aurelius, ever the conversationalist, filled the air with animated chatter. Unlike many others who might simplify their words for a beast, he had quickly learned to treat Bjorn as an equal, speaking to him as if he were any other person.

Luckily Failsafe had completed the translation spellform the day prior during the attack they had with monsters that hid underground in volcanic soil. Apparently they were called a magma burrower. They were a tenacious pack hunter monster. He was only able to coordinate properly because Failsafe finished the translation in time so he could understand what Aurelius was telling him.

The mountain air was thick and stifling, an unusual mugginess given their altitude. Bjorn, however, relished the warmth. For once, the chill that often accompanied these high terrains was absent, and his scaled body welcomed the heat. His heads swiveled around the area for any signs of a new threat. So far at least the only living creatures he could pick up with his senses were their group. The unusually high ambient mana in the chaos lands hid the presence of most monsters so sight was the only way to be sure.

Aurelius chuckled to himself as he continued his story.“... and then he went flying. Still I can’t believe Draco, the crazy man, actually tried to ride one of the shellbound behemoths. Ma chewed him out for a week after he broke his arm! If you’d seen it, you’d have sworn he was an aerokinesis mage with how high he got launched!”

Bjorn’s heads tilted slightly, a gesture he’d come to use as an acknowledgment of interest. The shellbound behemoths were some kind of furry insectoid monster that would roll their bodies up and would look like a cow. They were apparently one of the most docile monsters when in the Chaos Lands. Getting one mad was apparently something that took talent. Over the past few weeks, he’d grown accustomed to Aurelius’ storytelling. The chaos elf had a knack for weaving vibrant tales, often centered around his adoptive family. Draco, the older human brother Aurelius spoke of, seemed to be the perennial troublemaker, always at the center of some misadventure.

Since the mana storms had grown more intense and unpredictable, Aurelius’s family had relocated to the Force Isles, a safer haven far removed from the chaos lands. He was the sole member of his family capable of navigating mana storms without issue, thanks to his unique affinity for chaotic mana. Acting as a bodyguard and escort in these treacherous lands had become his way of providing for his family which was a contribution he carried with pride.

Bjorn got the feeling there was more to his desire to come out here though he seemed to genuinely like helping people. He was a good young man with a good head on his shoulders. Bjorn couldn’t help but wonder if his Past life would have been any better starting out if Isin had someone like Aurelius on his team. Bjorn could tell from the visions that he was getting that Isin was on the cusp of something that would take him down a road he would later regret.

Bjorn gave a low, rumbling growl that might have been mistaken for a chuckle. As Aurelius continued his stories going on about another monster he saved his previous charge from a monster called a sanguine traveler. It is a type of monster that could infiltrate groups of people, altering memories and changing its appearance to look human. It will make people think it was always part of the group and lead them astray. Aurelius is immuned to the effects of that monster and Bjorn assumes it is because of his primana core.

“It is because of the sanguine seductress, enchantress and traveler that it is recommended that a party doesn’t let anyone they see out here join them especially if they are alone.” Aurelius continued. “There are some runes and spells that allow people to detect them but unless you're me, or a light mage it's better to steer clear. Unfortunately, that means that some people that get lost out here can’t get help as they are viewed with suspicion.”

Failsafe decided it was a better time than any for him to speak in Bjorn’s head. “He knows you can’t respond, right?”

“Of course he does,” Bjorn said. “But he just wants to talk, no problem in listening.”

Even now Bjorn could split his focus between his heads and listen to both Failsafe and Aurelius at the same time. During the fight with the magma burrower he realized that having multiple trains of thought happening in parallel was becoming second nature. So much so that he told Failsafe about it and he said he would look into it. Maybe having four heads unlocked some special traits for his species that allowed him to multitask better.

He couldn’t help but marvel at how natural it felt. While one head scanned the horizon, another listened intently to Aurelius’ tale. A third was mentally engaged with Failsafe, while the fourth kept a watchful eye on the trail behind them.

“You’re adapting quickly,” Failsafe remarked.

Bjorn’s tails flicked as he considered the words, but he kept his thoughts to himself. It seemed that the chaos lands had a way of forcing evolution—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“Feels like I’ve always been this way,” Bjorn admitted. He then wanted to steer the conversation to something productive. “Have you finished analysing the Tri-core?”

“Oh yeah, I have, and that new primana changes everything.” Failsafe said. “But wait before you look. What do you think the worst part of us being in the chaos lands is? I mean us specifically, not the group.”

“Hmm,” Bjorn thought about it. “The fact that there are mana storms happening?”

Failsafe hesitated. “Ehh... yeah, okay, fair point. But besides that.”

Bjorn took a second before answering. “The fact that aether attracts monsters so heavily. They really like it so we can’t use our breath attacks or things just target us.”

“Exactly!” Failsafe said, the excitement in his voice rising. “The magma burrowers hated us after you blanketed the area in poison. They were like, ‘Hey, free buffet!’ But here’s where primana comes in. It can change all of that. We can convert our attacks from one energy source to another, seamlessly. Instead of using aetheric energy for attacks, we can swap to mana or primana instead.”

“So, what does that mean?” Bjorn questioned.

“Well if we use Poison Cloud but change it from the current aether mana alloy to primana it’ll be weaker but it will also not attract monsters. We can use all of our abilities without being a beacon for everything in a mile radius to come eat us.”

“Oh, oh that is good. We could fight all out then.” Bjorn was now getting as excited as Failsafe. “Okay, I am going to take a look at the new chan—”

Before Bjorn could open his status a pop-up menu filled his perception. Failsafe also stopped meaning this was one he could see as well.

Follower Ascension Panel

Name: Aki’al Hashemi

Title: Sonr Orma Eilífra

Divinity: Demi True Immortal

Divine Realm: Venom

Followers: 1

Follower List:

Name: Tanisha Valkyrja Scalebound

Species: Cernunnos

Level: 44

Status: Alive

Special Status: Soul Bound (Partial)

Evolution Status: Pending

Follower Evolution(s) Status

Name: Tanisha Valkyrja Scalebound

Species: Cernunnos (Greater Wendigo < Normal Cernunnos) - Dagda (Greater Cernunnos)

Evolution Prerequisite 4 / 10

Approve Current Evolution Status Prerequisite Met:

Mana Gate Open, Blood Gate Open, Maya Meridians and Veins, Pledge of Soul

[Yes/No]

Status Not Met for Evolution: Cernunnos - Dagda

Complete Communing (2/5), Bone Gate Open, Spirit Gate Open, Mind Gate Open, Aetheric Tool Bound, Level 100

Error: Eyes of the Queen

The Queen of a Thousand Heads is watching you. Be sure to eat well and don't talk to strangers from Higher Planes!

Venomous Bite

Primana Cost: 0

You have a neurotoxic venom which can be injected through a bite with your fangs. Your venom becomes infectious and will spread to nearby targets within five feet of the injected target. Allies are unaffected by your venom.

Poison Cloud

Primana Cost: 5

With your right head you can mix venom into the air using magic, creating a large area of poisonous gas. This gas will rapidly reduce the health of those inside. Allies within your Poison Cloud are unaffected. Gain control over the spread and density of the Poison Cloud.

Plague Fire Breath

Primana Cost: 8

With your left head you can breathe a plume of superheated toxin, which will ignite enemies and infect them with your neurotoxin. Flames retain toxicity until you release the spell. Plague Fire will spread like normal fire.

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.

Poison Claws

Primana Cost: 2

You can infuse your claws with neurotoxic venom, making even small scratches fatal. Venom has resistance to cleansing effects. Allies are unaffected by your venom.

Delta Familiar Contract

Primana Cost: -150

You are a bonded delta-class familiar. You gain +150 to Primana regeneration. Your bond has grown, allowing you to convey emotions through your bond. Your bond is more resistant to outside influences and can not be forcibly severed by outside parties.

King of the Reptiles

Passive Skill

Dragons, lizards and amphibians all show hesitation and fear around you, going so far as to run away. More study needed.

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.

Hydra Regeneration

Primana Cost: 15

Enhance the natural regeneration of your body giving you an unparalleled healing factor. Increases the body's natural healing rate by 4x regeneration statistic plus 20% constitution statistic. (Head regeneration is still unknown. More information required.)

Shadow Concealment

Primana Cost: Variable

(I) Cloak yourself in shadow magic, blending into dim or dark environments to hide your presence. Movement is undetectable to non-magical senses. (II) Deepen the shadow cloak, concealing even magical traces of your presence and blending with shadows in moderate light. Shadows will also muffle the sound around you making you harder to detect. (III) Unknown.

Air Claws

You have felt the aerokinetic energies of your Follower’s mastery and you have gained insight into the working of magic. Focusing this power into your claws increases the range of slashing attacks. Cause blades of aerokinetic magic to cut your enemies down. As this is a shared natural ability you can not level this ability by any means but through communing with your master. This ability is tied to your Follower, should your Follower die or reject your bond you must reclaim her soul or you will lose this ability.

+ Chaos Scales Armor

+ You have felt the power of your Follower’s aura and mantle and embraced the influence of the chain breaker. The power you experienced now resides within you, reshaped by the chaos of primana. Call forth this chaotic energy to fortify yourself, hardening your scales with its unpredictable touch. Each activation grants a random additional resistance, reflecting the chaotic nature of the energy. As this is a shared natural ability, it cannot be leveled by any means other than communing with your Follower. This ability remains bound to your Follower; should your master die or reject your bond, you must reclaim her soul or this power will be lost.

Hydromancy

Commune with your Follower to unlock.

Water Light

Commune with your Follower to unlock.

Hydro-breath

Commune with your Follower to unlock.

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Twin-Soul Core Analysis

+ Error: Tri-Core

+ You possess a partial soul tether to the Sage of Seiðr, a bond that persists even through death unless deliberately severed by you or the Sage. Without a complete and permanent union of your souls, communion with the Sage of Seiðr is required to fully unlock the core's potential. This advanced core retains all functions of the Twin-Soul Core while granting additional abilities. It now allows you to monitor your followers, gauging their strength and potential. Furthermore, the core enables you to catalyze the evolution of your followers, though this process demands immense power; insufficient energy risks the follower's death.

Permanently fuse your souls and complete bond [No/No] (NOTE from P̵̫̗͗o̸̖͛̂i̴͔͐s̷͍̈o̵̯̗̓ǹ̸̘̌: Don’t you even think about it, Aki’al!)

Chaos Nature Discipline

Specialties:

Venefikinesis - Creation and control of toxins, venoms and poisons.

Chaos Elemental Discipline

Specialties:

Aerokinesis - Control over air currents and atmosphere.

Hydrokinesis - Creation of and control over water.

Pyrokinesis - Creation of and control over heat, fire and thermal temperature.

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