The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

WM [71] My Blessing

Tanisha had been talking with Aurelius to find out more about his lightning fast attacks. Chaos magic was indeed rare, so much so that she only remembered her teachers at the academy mentioning it once. Of course since she was stuck in the remedial classes due to her inability to use magic effectively she never knew if there was more to the study. The prevailing theory among her instructors was that her chaotic core might be linked to chaos magic, but after experiencing Aurelius’s aura firsthand, she knew the truth. Their cores were fundamentally different. His was chaos but hers was the core of a sage.

“So chaos magic is essentially the same type of magic most people call monster magic?” Tanisha questioned.

Aurelius thought about it for a while. “I think. There was a wizard I traveled with for a while who tried to explain it. I think he said something like that. People who can sense auras often mistake me for a monster because of it. He claimed that what monsters wield is an imitation, but what I have is the real deal.”

“Yeah, I can sense it.” Tanisha said. “Your magic is controlled in a way I don’t think a monster can replicate. It’s like—it’s tied to something real. It’s hard to explain, but it’s there.”

Fuyumi, who had been leading the group, slowed her pace to join their conversation. “That is exactly what it is, Tanisha. Monsters and the magic they use are the same, there is no flesh or body, only mana condensed to replicate life. What they can’t mimic is the essence of life itself. Think of people like flames—our auras are the heat we radiate. Monsters are just the heat. No matter how intense, you’ll never see a flame.”

“I am surprised you used a fire analogy.” Aurelius said with a smirk.

“It’s so confusingly hot and cold here I have heat on my mind.” Fuyumi said with a grunt of displeasure. “The analogy works though.”

They had only been walking in the new volcanic zone for an hour but it was a confusing sensation to be both really hot and cold at the same time.

“There is something I wanted to ask, Tanisha,” Aurelius said, sounding almost embarrassed. “Are you an elf of some kind? I know you said you were similar to the wendigo but you have a lot of elven qualities too.”

“Oh, the ears and tail?” Tanisha questioned.

She gave her long, black tail a casual wave. The fur absorbed the surrounding light, giving it an almost otherworldly sheen. Since her evolution into a cernunnos, she had grown accustomed to the appendage, even adorning it with silver rings that gleamed against the inky blackness. For a fleeting moment, she considered teasing Aurelius, claiming to be a hybrid of wendigo and elf, but decided against it.

“No, I am not an elf.” Tanisha said her tone was amused. “Although I see what you mean, maybe my True was inspired by goblins though.”

“Inspired by goblins?” Aurelius blinked in confusion. “What do—”

Before he could finish, Bjorn’s large form suddenly collapsed. The dull thud of his body hitting the ground made Tanisha’s heart lurch. Instantly, her focus snapped to him. She felt nothing through their bond. One second, Bjorn had been fine, his presence steady and strong. The next, his connection slipped to a threadbare wisp, almost imperceptible.

Panic surged through her veins as she dropped to his side, her hands trembling. No, no, no—stay with me, Big Man. Pouring her power into the bond, she forced it to stabilize, though it was tenuous at best. Bjorn’s breathing was shallow, his eyes open but vacant, staring through her as if he wasn’t truly there.

“Bjorn? What's wrong, Big Man?” Tanisha screamed. “Bjorn!”

“Tanisha, can you lift him? We need to move somewhere where there will be cover.” Fuyumi said as she knelt down beside her. “If we stop here we will attract attention we don’t want.” 

Tanisha nodded, though her hands shook as she slipped them under Bjorn’s massive frame. With Fuyumi and Aurelius assisting, they hoisted him onto her back. Bjorn’s bulk pressed down on her, the weight staggering. He was the size of a small foal from shoulder to haunch, roughly five feet tall, and from snout to tail tip, a full sixteen feet of scale and muscle. He had to weigh at least three hundred and fifty pounds, a fact she hadn’t fully realized until now.

When was the last time I carried him? Back at the academy, when he was just a hatchling. What surprised her more was how easily she could bear the weight, even without activating her Chain Breaker’s Mantle. She activated it anyway so she wouldn’t tire herself out in case they needed to run from something unexpectedly. She wasn’t taking any chances, not with Bjorn like this.

“I got him, let's go somewhere safe.” Tanisha said as she looked to Fuyumi.

“Follow me.” Fuyumi started running.

They ran for what must have been only minutes, but for Tanisha, it felt like an agonizing eternity. Each second stretched unbearably long as she poured power into the familiar bond, trying desperately to stabilize it. Bjorn’s breathing continued to weaken, each shallow rise and fall of his chest pulling her deeper into a spiral of panic. Should they turn back? What if the chaotic mana in the air was poisoning him? Her heart pounded as doubt clawed at her, but she pushed forward, refusing to stop.

She continued to run faster then started pushing power into her aura. The corrupted mana was pushed away from them as she ran. The moment the corruption cleared, Bjorn convulsed violently. His body thrashed with such force that it knocked her off balance. Blood spilled from his mouths as a guttural, bone-chilling hiss tore through the air. Tanisha screamed as sharp, searing pain exploded across her back—deep, jagged slashes from Bjorn’s claws opened across her form. She hit the ground hard, the impact jarring her, and they tumbled apart.

Bjorn writhed on the ground, his heads snapping wildly. His claws raked over his own body, leaving deep, bloody gashes in his scales. His necks twisted violently, his skulls slamming against the earth in what looked like a seizure.

“Tanisha, are you okay?” Aurelius called, his voice laced with concern as he pulled her up by the arm.

“Let me go.” Tanisha screamed, kicking herself out of his grip. “Stay back, I am immune to his venom.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Without hesitation, she launched herself at Bjorn, tackling him despite the fresh waves of pain that lanced through her. His claws raked her again, cutting deep into her arms, sides, and chest, but she didn’t falter. She fought through the pain, grappling him with every ounce of her strength. After a grueling minute of wrestling, she managed to pin him, using her weight and leverage to stop him from inflicting further harm on himself.

Then everything around her blurred incomprehensibly. The world seemed to meld into itself  like a painter mixing all the paints on her canvas. A sudden pull dragged her consciousness inward. Her core? No, this wasn’t her core. The realization dawned on her as she found herself standing in the center of Bjorn’s essence. 

Instead of a single core like she had, it was made up of two separate spinning orbs. One was pure mana, the other a vibrant aether. They danced in perfect harmony, their power far purer than her own. The corrupted mana she’d seen earlier was forcing its way into his core, like a dark torrent pouring into a pristine well. 

The corrupted magic surged toward the void between the spinning orbs, pooling at the center. From the void between the two cores, something began to emerge—a new presence forming within Bjorn’s cores. It was unstable, trembling with volatile energy. Tanisha’s heart clenched as she realized the truth: if this unstable mass ruptured, it would kill Bjorn.

Tanisha looked around and there was still nothing she could do. Then she saw the familiar bond: it was a tether of power, thrumming with the energy she’d been channeling to keep their connection alive. Beneath that was something deeper, a second, subtler bond. Their soul bond. Carefully she followed the soul bond and guided the tether of power into Bjorn’s cores. She avoided the other spinning orbs as she reached the dark mass emerging in the middle. 

The closer she got, the more she felt it: chaos magic. The energy was wild and unpredictable, and yet it felt strangely familiar. It reminded her of Aurelius’s magic, but darker and more primal. 

Is Bjorn trying to integrate chaos magic? she wondered, awe and fear warring within her as she observed the forming orb.

She could see the power coalescing but it was missing something. The orb trembled at its edges, power leaking from a fragile seam—a gap where mana and aether refused to merge. Now that she was so close to it she could feel the power of a skill she hadn’t used nearly as much as she should have. It activated and things seemed to become clearer. 

Sage Soul Forge
Seiðr cost: Variable
(I) Use seiðr to alter and twist existing spellforms connected to your Ringularity Core. (II) Meditate on your core to deepen connections and meridians to your soul. Study the Marks of Seiðr which etched themselves across your body to gain greater insight.  (III) Unknown. Unknown. Unknown.

With her deepening understanding, Tanisha realized the critical absence in Bjorn’s core. There was no connection to the maya. Without it his body was eating itself trying to contain the new chaos magic within him. Desperation clawed at her as she turned her attention to the thread of power she had drawn into Bjorn’s core. 

Tanisha unraveled her seiðr, breaking it down into its elemental components: mana, aether, and maya. Carefully, she isolated the infernal essence of maya and began feeding it into the malformed core. She moved with precision, trying to guide the energy gently, but the instant the maya touched Bjorn’s core, it pulled with a ferocity beyond her control.

A sudden, forceful yank of power surged through the bond, nearly ripping Tanisha’s essence apart. Her own core lurched violently, struggling to keep up with the desperate draw of maya. The experience was jarring, leaving her breathless as she was forcibly ejected from Bjorn’s core. Reality snapped back into focus. Bjorn still thrashed beneath her, but his movements were weaker now, his desperation slowly ebbing.

“Bjorn, wake up!” She screamed in desperation. “Bjorn! It’s okay, I’m here! Stay with me, Bjorn.”

One of Bjorn’s arms broke free of her grip and claws sliced down her arm. Tanisha gritted her teeth as she pinned Bjorn down again. Pain seared through her, but she shoved it aside. Bjorn’s massive, serpentine body was in a frenzy, and stopping him from hurting himself was all that mattered.

She pressed down harder, willing him to come back to her. Slowly, the wild thrashing began to subside. His limbs stilled, and his breathing evened out. Tanisha felt a wave of calm ripple through her, a silent reassurance sent through their bond. He was aware again. She locked eyes with him. His eight eyes blinked in unison, no longer clouded by chaos but instead wide with horror at the sight of her injuries.

She let out a shaky breath and released her hold, her arms trembling from exertion and blood loss. The moment she pulled back, her body reminded her of the price she’d paid to keep him grounded. Blood streaked her hands and arms, the deep gashes throbbing with every heartbeat. Her vision blurred for a moment, and she pulled a greater health potion from her inventory.  

“Don’t you dare pass out on me now,” she muttered to herself, pulling the stopper from the vial with her teeth. 

Tilting her head back, she downed the potion in one gulp. The liquid burned on the way down, but she could already feel the magic stitching her wounds together, dulling the pain. It would heal the wounds but not replace the blood she lost. Aurelius approached quickly, his sharp eyes taking in the scene. 

“It’s okay Tanisha I got you,” he said softly.

He crouched and carefully lifted her into a princess carry effortlessly. Tanisha didn’t protest; she was too drained to stand, let alone walk. She glanced back at Bjorn. The mighty hydra staggered to his feet, his eyes full of guilt and sorrow. Through their bond, she felt his apologies—a flood of regret and shame that made her heart ache. Tanisha wanted to comfort him, to let him know it wasn’t his fault, but her eyelids were so heavy, her body fighting to shut down and recover.

“Tanisha stay awake for me.” Aurelius’s voice dripped with concern. “Fuyumi, we need to get somewhere safe yesterday. Let's go.”

“Alright, follow me.” Fuyumi’s voice faded.

As the world around her dimmed, Tanisha fought to keep her eyes open. Exhaustion and blood loss claimed her, pulling her into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was the distant sound of Aurelius calling her name, his voice a lifeline in the dark but soon even that faded.

“There you are, thief.” What sounded like a thousand angry voices said in unison. “I am coming for you, but for now, regrettably, you have my blessing.”