The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

WM [66] Don’t Look For To Long

Tanisha wasn’t sure what to expect from the Chaos Lands. She had spoken with both Joha and Adelheid about their experiences crossing various Chaos Lands. Adelheid, in particular, had traversed this one less than two months ago and shared stories about it—though most of her tales revolved around monster hunts. As for Joha, he had mentioned that much of the demon continent was saturated with chaotic magic. It seemed that demons thrived in the chaos, finding it to their liking.

Instead of chaos, she found a strangely calm path. The lack of constant assaults was a relief and justified her choice to leave her heavy armor tucked away in her inventory. She wanted to travel light and just so happen to find the perfect set of rugged clothes made for the journey. The ensemble completed with her hooded cloak which was the mana shroud Adelheid told her she would need. By pure chance, her outfit was all black, with deep purple accents stitched along her sleeves and cloak. It lent her an effortlessly powerful look, like a traveling war mage whose aura demanded respect. Not that she’d ever admit to something as vain as dressing to look imposing even if she did feel it.

The path wound through the mountains, worn down by countless travelers. They were far from alone: merchants, seasoned warriors, pilgrims, and eager adventurers dotted the trail, all drawn by the promise—of what lay beyond the Chaos Lands. Now and then, a few monsters emerged in the dense, ambient mana, notably some Crawling Stalkers, who creeped across the rocks with a far more timid demeanor than what she was used to in Yuhia. Here they kept to themselves, weaving their way around the travelers and even seemed fearful of getting too close. 

This must be what they are like when they aren’t starved of corrupted mana.

Tanisha forced her attention back to her group. Fuyumi had been explaining important details of their journey that she definitely didn’t want to miss. 

“We are going to follow the path for a few days,” Fuyumi continued. “This will be the safest part of the journey. After that we will have to cut through the valley going north west around the mountain range. Unfortunately there is no direct path between us and the road to the Force Isles.”

“We should make camp soon,” Aurelius stated as he looked up at the sky. “I think we are going to see a storm.”

Tanisha followed his gaze but didn’t see anything above them in the deep blue sky. The sun shone brightly overhead and there wasn’t any clouds as far as she could see. She was getting ready to disagree when Fuyumi nodded.

“You are right. It is a shame I was hoping to get further today.” Fuyumi said.

Tanisha looked at both of them as if they were crazy. “What are you two talking about? There isn’t a cloud in the sky. We are only a few hours out from the border.”

“Ah, right, this is your first time.” Aurelius said with a knowing look. “It isn’t a rain storm or anything like that. It doesn’t really rain out here too much. It’s a mana storm, I can see mana but you should be able to sense it after a while. I am just used to them and can spot the changes early. Instead of rain we might get a few monster manifestations up ahead. If that happens we want to be somewhere defensible or where we can hide our mana. This is a small one so it shouldn’t be too bad but out here it is better to be safe than sorry.”

“We’ll keep going for another hour or two,” Fuyumi stated. “We can run if you want to make up the lost time. We will go at your pace but if we stop you should stop too.”

“Okay, lets go as far as we can.” Tanisha said as she hopped into a jog. “Can I use Arcane Shift? It is kind of like Blink.”

“That's fine with me.” Aurelius agreed.

“Yes,” Fuyumi mirrored.

With that Tanisha ran as fast as she could, Bjorn at her side even as she used her Arcane Shift. As long as they were close enough to each other he would teleport with her. He was faster than she was so it wasn’t a problem for him to keep pace. Fuyumi and Aurelius were just as swift, their own power propelling them forward just as fast as she could manage. Fuyumi took the lead while Aurelius stuck to her side, matching her stride and even her teleportations with eaze.

She couldn’t help but be a little uneasy around the elf. His magic was unsettling, it had a sinister quality she had only felt in monsters. It wasn’t entirely the same, monster's magic was a corrupted force while his, though odd, was definitely uniform and controlled. He didn’t do anything that would indicate hostility, and the First Princess wouldn’t pay for a body guard that she didn’t believe would be helpful. He was definitely an anomaly but so was she in a way.

They ran for an hour before Fuyumi finally stopped them right as the mountain pass opened up into a wide valley far below them. As it turned out they were quite high and the path would snake down the mountain side. Tanisha’s eyes opened wide at the sight before her. Mana suffused the air so thick it shimmered in a beautiful aurora over the landscape. The air was suddenly cold as a wind blew up from lands down in the valley. 

The landscape below was a breathtaking reshaping of nature by truly unruly magic. From her vantage point, Tanisha could see forests sprawling in irregular patches, the trees twisting upwards in unnatural shapes as though trying to reach the aurora above them. Branches interlocked in bizarre, almost woven patterns, some trees curling inwards like spirals, while others jutted outward at odd angles as if bending to an invisible force. Interspersed between these forests were fields of jagged rocks—large, spire-like formations that seemed almost to breathe and casted unnaturally long shadows despite the daylight above them.

Here and there, patches of land lay barren, almost charred-looking, devoid of any life or color. These areas appeared to devour light itself, their boundaries sharply defined against the surrounding greenery, making them appear as dark stains that refused to brighten under the sun. It was as if these spaces were caught in perpetual twilight, where sunlight couldn’t, or wouldn’t, reach.

An eerie beauty permeated the valley, with rivers flowing in looping paths that seemed to defy natural law, some streams even floating a few feet above the ground, glinting like silver ribbons. As stunning as it was, there was an unmistakable sense of foreboding in the air, a silent warning woven into the landscape. Shadows flickered and shifted, even where nothing appeared to be casting them, and occasional flickers of movement at the edge of her vision suggested the possibility of creatures lurking within the depths of these darkened pockets.

The mana-rich air tingled against her skin, thick with potential but almost choking in its intensity, making it hard to breathe deeply. The feeling only intensified as she looked over the area below. She had to catch her breath and cycle her magic to keep from hyperventilating. Each breath was full of mana which her body seemed to take in greedily. Her core was working to convert the influx of corrupted ambient mana into something she could use.

“Seems like you’re handling it well,” Aurelius observed, nodding approvingly. “Not everyone adjusts so quickly. You didn’t pass out, at least. Come on, Fuyumi’s found us a spot to ride out the storm.”

“Passing out was a possibility?” she asked, blinking up at him as she steadied her breathing.

He shrugged, casting her a quick smile. “Well, demonesses are usually fine, so you shouldn’t have to worry.”

“Oh, I’m not a demoness,” she replied.

Aurelius halted, a bit taken aback. “Oh—uh… sorry. I just… assumed.”

Tanisha smirked slightly. “It’s fine. I doubt you’ve met anyone like me before.”

She took a final deep, mana-rich breath, savoring the powerful, strange tingling in her lungs before they moved toward Fuyumi’s makeshift campsite. She placed down several crystals in a perimeter around a rather precarious looking rock overhang. Scattered along the path, other travelers were setting up similar wards and barriers. It looks like it wasn't just them settling in to weather the storm. 

Once inside the perimeter, Tanisha immediately noticed a shift. The air felt lighter; the thick mana haze dissipated within the crystal circle, creating a small oasis of calm.

“We might be here until morning, but if the storm passes quickly we will try to make more ground before setting up for the night.” Fuyumi said as she sat down on her knees. 

Tanisha joined her on the ground sitting beside the ghostborn. Aurelius on the other hand took point and remained standing looking over the group like a sentinel on post.

“I don’t think it’s going to break before tonight unfortunately,” Aurelius said. “It should be quite the sight for you Tanisha, if you’ve never seen a mana storm it can be quite spectacular. This one shouldn’t be too bad so it will be safe to watch.”

“Are they sometime’s unsafe to watch?” Tanisha asked.

“Oh yeah, they can cause all sorts of problems if they are too powerful.” Aurelius said, watching over the camp. “That much mana is bad for your eyes and also your mental health. I have heard some people have lost their minds trying to observe high level storms.”

“Lost their minds?” Tanisha questioned.

Aurelius nodded grimly. “The Chaos Lands alter things that enter and mana storms are the source of that. Just like how they change the landscape they can do things to the minds of those in it. Of course there are ways to minimize that change by eliminating your exposure or using your own aura to fight back against the corrupted forces. The problem with that is that blasting your aura out like that makes you a beacon for any hungry monsters nearby.”

“Most travelers wear protective clothing.” Fuyumi added. “Like that cloak you are wearing. Some use totem’s or enchanted gear and talismans. My people travel with the crystals you saw me place around the camp. They keep corruption out while allowing for uncorrupted mana to filter in. It also masks us to monsters to make us less… appetizing. Monsters can be drawn to pure mana but with this all they sense is the build up of the corrupted mana on the outside of the crystals.”

Tanisha couldn’t help but have a hint of worry about Joha. “How does the corrupted mana affect demons?” 

“I don’t think it does.” Aurelius said though he was hesitant. “That is why I thought you would be fine earlier.”

“It doesn’t affect them as long as they use maya and not mana.” Fuyumi said. “Demon’s aren’t the only ones it has no effect on but they are the most consistently unaffected. Even my people have to be careful of storms and we are more resistant than most.”

“I wanted to ask but the Yuki live in the Chaos Land, right,” Tanisha questioned. “Why settle out here if it is so dangerous?”

“Our people seek challenge and adversity. I think we are similar to your people in that way.” Fuyumi said as a cup appeared in her hand presumably from an inventory item. “We are all warriors, but not just warriors in combat but also in every other aspect. My father wants the yuki-onno and yuki-otoko to always strive, to always fight for all we… they have. He saw the Chaos Lands as the best place to find enlightenment.”

“Enlightenment?” Tanisha mirrored the word.

“A place of oneness with ourselves,” Fuyumi clarified, sipping from her cup with practiced calm. “Think of it like how your people aim to connect with the, uh… Divine of the Forests.”

“Wait, you're a wendigo?” Aurelius asked.

Tanisha shook her head. “Not quite. I am a cernunnos, similar to them though.” She addressed Fuyumi. “I actually follow Sonr Orma Eilífra not the Forest Father but I get your meaning.”

“My apologies. The point stands.” Fuyumi took another sip from her cup, her gaze steady.

Tanisha thought the drink was tea as she had been drinking before. However, the unmistakable scent of alcohol rose into the air. She was going to say something about how she didn’t think the guide drinking on the job was a good idea when Aurelius got her attention with a wave.

“It’s starting. You should come watch.”  Aurelius said as he motioned her to stand. “Just… be careful how long you look,” Aurelius cautioned softly. “The mana storm has its own way of getting under your skin, and it’s easy to lose yourself in the spectacle.”

Tanisha rose, leaving Fuyumi’s figure behind as she joined Aurelius. Bjorn eagerly got up to see this mana storm behind her. She didn’t know what to expect, her breath caught in her throat as she watched the mana storm unfold in the valley below. The corrupted mana shimmered in the air, forming swirling, ethereal patterns that pulsed and shifted the now very alive aurora. Brilliant and menacing, the storm's light bathed the landscape in hues of deep purples, searing blues, and sickly greens.

The spectacle moved like a thrashing beast, the storm spiraled into a tempest that threw flickers of raw magic across the landscape. The terrain below rippled and distorted in ways that didn’t make sense to Tanisha’s mind. She saw patterns in the storm, broken formulae and half finished spells break the land in ways that no mage could make sense of. The spire-like rock formations trembled, glistening under the storm’s unnatural glow.

The sight was mesmerizing and horrifying all at once, a scene of surreal beauty marred by a sense of wrongness so deep it made her stomach turn. Tanisha couldn’t look away. Even from this safe distance, the air felt heavy, pressing down on her chest. She could feel the faint hum of magic in her bones, an echo that made her feel uncomfortably hollow. A chill ran down her spine, and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. After a few seconds or minutes she felt a warmth surrounding her and noticed that Bjorn had wrapped himself around her in a bid to comfort her.

“This is… a light storm?” Tanisha’s voice was filled with disbelief. “This could destroy an entire city.”

“Corrupted mana reshapes and twists anything in its path,” Aurelius explained. He gestured towards a patch of forest, where the trees trembled, their forms contorting as mana washed over them. “But it is not all destruction, it also creates, as strange as it seems. Although this is one of the lighter storms. Still, take a closer look there.”

Tanisha's gaze settled on a tree that must have been at least a mile away, with a sudden crack, it twisted at an impossible angle, its bark peeling away like paper to reveal an interior shimmering with crystalline veins. Inside, mana glowed so brightly it was visible even from their distant perch. It wasn’t just one tree—there were clusters of them, scattered throughout the forest like beacons. She had only ever heard of one such phenomenon in Yuhia, the Mana Tree of Yggdrasil. It was a tree so valuable that the capital was built around it. Here such a thing would be but one of thousands. 

“How can something so beautiful be so... wrong?” Tanisha asked, unable to pull her gaze away from the unnatural transformation.

“Beauty and terror are close companions,” Aurelius replied, his voice thoughtful. “And corrupted mana holds both in abundance. It tempts, it lures, and it reshapes. That’s why it’s so dangerous. Those trees are almost entirely pure mana and will be consumed by monsters before the storm clears. I have seen people try to get to them before the monsters do. It never ends well.”

Tanisha let out a relieved sigh. “Glad we stopped when we did.”

Fuyumi raised her cup in silent agreement. “To good choices,” she slurred slightly. “And maybe some… companionship? We’ll be here a while.”

Tanisha let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, the tension in her chest loosened just slightly. Yet the storm continued its haunting dance below, a kaleidoscope of corrupted magic and distortion that she could hardly tear her eyes away from. Aurelius gave a resigned chuckle as he continued setting up their camp, and Tanisha joined Bjorn, nestling close as they sat by Fuyumi, who seemed to grow more relaxed with each sip. 

“Sure, just give me and Bjorn a moment.” Tanisha said.

Tanisha still needed to assign her latest contribution points and decided to continue her strategy of getting every statistic to at least one hundred before specializing.

Status Menu

Name: Tanisha Valkyrja Scalebound
Species: Cernunnos
Level: 40 + 4 = 44
Vitality: 100
Restoration: 79 + 21 = 100
Constitution: 100
Willpower: 130
Strength: 55 + 19 = 74
Dexterity:  83
Stamina: 48
Seiðr: =  470
Seiðr Regeneration: 235 (+150 from bond)
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Skills Analysis

Delta Familiar Contract
You are bonded with a Delta-class familiar. You gain +150 to seiðr regeneration. Your bond has grown, allowing you to convey emotions through your bond. Your bond is resilient against outside influences and can not be forcibly severed by outside parties. Your familiar’s life expectancy is extended by five years.

Hard Air Constructs
Seiðr cost: Variable
(I) Low cost, 2 seiðr. Speak the words of power and create seiðr air constructs. Form air constructs into any shape and they will interact with the world, acting out the caster’s will. (II) Medium cost, 6 seiðr. Air constructs with darker aspects of seiðr to burn any that oppose you. (III) High cost, 16 seiðr. Constructs will become invisible and silent.

Ringularity Sage Core
Seiðr cost: Variable
Chaos, mana, maya and aether compose the inner workings of your soul. Their coalescence in one body created seiðr; an energy seeking to uncover the very nature of the world around it. You can control all aspects that make up your core. Exerting your will over seiðr controls mana, maya and aether. You can use tools from any of the energies that make up your core. Your will can dominate mana, maya and aether outside your body for a short distance and use ambient energies for your arcane machinations.

Chain Breaker’s Mantle
Seiðr cost: Variable
(I) Low seiðr cost per minute, seiðr will inundate your muscles and bones with power to temporarily increase your physical attributes. (II) Medium seiðr cost per minute, the Marks of Seiðr greatly enhances unarmed strikes. Unarmed punches and kicks will produce a seiðr shockwave, increasing the range of unarmed strikes a short distance. (III) High seiðr cost per minute, the energies within you grants the ability of arcane shift to teleport up to five yards.

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.

Divination Hydromancy
Seiðr cost: Variable
(I) Create seiðr constructs with liquid attributes, condense water from the atmosphere and/or control water from a water source. Exerting control over water allows you to change its state and temperature with ease. (II) Alter the properties of water to cause it to glow. Only those you choose can see the light produced. (III) Water in any state will condense into a blast of highly pressurized water. You maintain control of water even after it is fired, allowing it to change trajectory and home in on enemies.

Appeasement of the Cernunnos
Seiðr cost: None
(I) Drink the blood of a recently defeated foe and gain +3 to your stats based off of their highest physical statistic. Their level must be higher than yours. Their highest statistic must be higher than yours. You or those bound to you through a soul bond must have delivered the killing blow. (II) Consume the flesh of a recently defeated foe and gain an additional +1 to a physical statistic of your choice upon level up. Stackable up until +20. (III) Unknown.

Venomous Fang

• You have felt the venom of  Sonr Orma Eilífra; it now courses through your veins. Your saliva carries a necrotic venom. As this is a shared natural ability you can not level this ability by any means but through communing with your True. This ability is tied to your True, should your True die or reject your bond you will lose this ability.

+ Poison Breath

+ You have breathed the toxin that claims the world and become one with the breath of Sonr Orma Eilífra. Your breath now carries the power of the Poisoner. Call upon the power of your True’s breath which in you carries a necrotic toxin. As this is a shared natural ability you can not level this ability by any means but through communing with your True. This ability is tied to your True, should your True die or reject your bond you will lose this ability.

Hydra Fire

• You have felt the residual heat of your True’s fire and instead of flinching away you embraced it. The heat that burned you now resides within your core. Call upon the power of your True’s fire it now carries a necrotic embrace. As this is a shared natural ability you can not level this ability by any means but through communing with your True. This ability is tied to your True, should your True die or reject your bond you will lose this ability.

Poison Infusion

Commune with your familiar to unlock.

Queen of Reptiles

Commune with your familiar to unlock.

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Tanisha felt pleased with the changes and was getting ready to close the menus when she realized she hadn’t looked at the third page of her menus in at least a month. There hadn’t been any reason too; she knew the disciplines she could control and the specialties she had. Although it wouldn’t hurt to take a look so she scrolled down mentally. Her mouth hung open as the information filled her vision.

Ringularity Sage Core Analysis

Sage of Seiðr
Your soul is permanently bonded to another in life and in death. The core of the Sage of Seiðr has been crafted to utilize the powers of other worlds. Seiðr is the power of divining one’s own path. Free from the constraints of one's fate, you weave your own destiny.

Nature Discipline

Specialties:
Venefikinesis - Creation and control of toxins, venoms and poisons.
+ Vitakinesis -  Heal injuries and restore vitality by manipulating life force
+ Unknown

Elemental Discipline

Specialties:

Ionikinesis - Creation and manipulation of ionized gas, wielding intense heat and electrical energy.
Aerokinesis - Control over air currents and atmosphere.
Electrokinesis - Creation of and control over electricity and lightning.
Hydrokinesis - Creation of and control over water.
Pyrokinesis - Creation of and control over heat, fire and thermal temperature.
Geokinesis - Control over the ground beneath your feet.
Ferrokinesis - Control over metals; the purer the metal the greater your control.

+ Darkness Discipline

+ Specialties:
+ Unknown

Page 3 of  3

She’d somehow gained a new discipline: Vitakinesis, the healer’s magic. It was a practice she’d seen countless times at the academy, especially watching healers and alchemists work in tandem. This magic could amplify the effects of Vital Elixirs, enhancing the strength of any potion that restored health or vitality. But she hadn’t practiced it, hadn’t even studied the spells. How had she gained such an affinity? She’d only watched, not learned.

Her eyes slid down to an even more astonishing discovery. Somehow, she’d also gained an affinity for Darkness magic. Her mind whirled, racing through memories in search of an answer. Her gaze fell on the familiar coiled around her like a warm, protective blanket. Bjorn unlocked shadow manipulation not long ago—a darkness-based ability. Before that, he’d wielded fire breath, rooted in elemental magic, and before that, his venom came from nature magic. When he gained maya so did she, and when he gained aether she soon followed. Each new head he gained, each new magic he acquired, it seemed to resonate in her, like puzzle pieces clicking together.

It hit her like a wave—Bjorn had been healing her chaotic core, by infusing his own magic into her. With every new power he discovered, her abilities responded in kind. She could feel warmth filling her chest. She didn’t know how she didn’t realize it. Bjorn had always been protecting her from the beginning in more ways than she ever realized. Without a word, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his scales. She hugged him tightly, and Bjorn let out an unexpected squeak, caught off guard, which made her laugh through her tears.

“Bjorn, Big Man. I love you!” Tanisha said as she nuzzled him.