The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

[42] Watched

It was always the same way; the first sensation was warmth, then breath, then darkness as Bjorn’s eyes rolled open. Just like the time before, his vision had again split. Now he could perceive the world through six eyes. 

He remembered all that happened to him while he was under the influence of the maya. He remembered every brutal death he’d inflicted on the gnolls when he couldn’t control himself. At the time all he saw was red.

“Bjorn, are you finally you again?” Failsafe asked in his mind.

“Yeah, what in the, well, Infernal Planes was that? It felt like something  else was controlling me.” He paused for a second. “You know what, tell me about it later, right now I don’t think we’re safe.”

“Agreed. But don’t use your middle head’s breath attack,” Failsafe said flatly. “You can’t handle any more maya in your system for a while. There is a lot we need to go over, but for now look at your stats. I had to speed up your maturation a lot so congratulations: you are now two weeks old going on five years.” 

Bjorn wasted no time in opening his status to see what changes were made to him after that blood frenzy.

Status Menu

Name: Bjorn Isin Scalebound
Species: Unknown
Level: 21
Vitality: 30 / 75
Restoration: 70 / 120
Constitution: 30 / 80
Strength: 20 / 50
Dexterity: 25 / 30
Stamina: 20 / 40
Maya: 50 / 50 (DO NOT USE!)

Magic: 10 / 25
Magic Regeneration:  20 / 50  (+100 from bond)
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He had so much to take in with just the front page of his stats. He jumped from level four to level twenty-one. He was all around a brand new him, with a new head to boot. He wondered how much of it was from the gnolls he’d killed and how much was the new connection to the maya. 

The more he thought about the maya, the more uneasy he felt. The power that made him relive so much of his memory and caused him to kill indiscriminately came from the Infernal Planes.

Skills Analysis

Reincarnation Failsafe
An incomplete reincarnation magic and your best friend who has your back no matter what!

Error: Unknown Pact
You are connected to a progenitor being from the Infernal Planes. They are watching you.

Venomous Bite
Magic Cost: 0
You have a neurotoxic venom which can be injected through a bite with your fangs. (II) Bite of the King of Reptiles, Maya Cost: 10, 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
Magic 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 by the poison. (II) Breath of the Infernal One, Maya Cost: 15, Exhale a breath infused with the decay of the Infernal Planes. Targets within the cloud will rot over time as long as the effect is not cleansed.

Plague Fire Breath
Magic Cost: 6
Stamina Cost: 7
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. (II) Infernal Fire Breath, Maya Cost: 20, fire will spread over non-flammable material at a reduced rate.

Hellmouth
Maya Cost: YOUR SOUL (Seriously if you use this we die!!!)
I really don’t want to tell you what this is because if you use it our heart is going to explode or something, I just know it! However, your middle head can exhale all of the maya stored in your body. This maya can be breathed in by your other heads to use maya infused breath attacks. It can also enhance the durability of your scales and potency of your venom.

Poison Claws
Magic Cost: 3
You can infuse your claws with your neurotoxic venom making even small scratches fatal. Allies are unaffected by your venom. (II) Claw’s of the King of Reptiles, Maya Cost: 5, venom becomes harder to cleanse.

Infernal Scale Armor
Maya Cost: 25
Absorb maya into your scales, making them more durable and resistant to physical and magical damage.

Delta Familiar Contract
Magic Cost: -100
You are a bonded delta class familiar. You gain +100 to magic regeneration. Your bond has grown, allowing you to convey emotions though your bond. Your bond is more resilient 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.

Head Regeneration and Random Growth!?!?!?
Magic Cost: 40-ish 

(or) 

Maya Cost: 150-ish 

(So funny story, we grew another head, I have no idea why…)
So bear with me here, we can convert experience into maturation, or healing major wounds including decapitation, or growing more heads I guess. Honestly I have no idea why we grew a head this time but here we are, three heads in and I am getting worried. Anyway more study is needed, but let's not for a while, please.

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Bjorn did a double take at his skills. Most of them had changed and required more mana to utilize. He also had maya, which looked to amplify his skills even more. Everything he saw greatly improved his likelihood for survival, but he was unsettled by how quickly he came into this much power. 

Maya seemed to be the natural source of power for his body but not his magic core, which was trying to recreate aether from his previous life. Memories of his family from his old life flashed through his head at the thought. He knew his old name now, his mother and father’s names. He had seventeen years of memories as Isin the son of Bazaath and Eliska. In his past life he was a greater human, a nephilim, but what did that mean?

His mind was off track. He refocused and looked at the most concerning addition to his skills. The Unknown Pact; something was watching him from the Higher Planes. A progenitor being? He assumed that meant a True of some kind, but why would Failsafe word it like that? Failsafe also added several warnings about using maya and how it was a bad idea right now. Given what he had just gone through he had no intentions of using the enigmatic power any time soon.

“What is the deal with the Error: Unknown Pact,” Bjorn questioned mentally.

Failsafe responded promptly, “What are you talking about?”

“The Unknown Pact, you know, the one about being connected to a progenitor and being watched,” Bjorn said. “It is the second one on the list of skills.”

“Are you okay? The second one on the list is Venomous Bite,” Failsafe responded. “Is this a joke? Are you trying to tell a joke?”

Bjorn was quiet for a long while as he looked at the list. “Can you see my memories? Look at the list through my memories.”

“Huh? Okay, I will give it a shot.” Failsafe was quiet for a second. “Looks the same. First thing on the list is yours truly, and the second thing is Venomous Bi…”

“Are you sure? Even in my memories?” Bjorn asked while he stared at the error. “You can’t see it? That doesn’t seem good because it means you didn’t write it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have called anything from the Higher Planes a progenitor. Maybe it’s your dad, wouldn't that be something,” Failsafe laughed. 

“That wouldn’t be the greatest thing in the world,” Bjorn said.

Failsafe was quiet for a moment. “I will see if I can detect whatever it is, honestly your body changed so much it might take a little while.” 

Bjorn lifted one of his heads, which was resting in Tanisha’s lap. He had grown so much that she could only have one in her lap at a time. She was covered in the blood he had all over him.

“Bjorn,” Tanisha cried. “Are you alright baby?”  

Bjorn squawked, his voice now notably deeper and more guttural. Tanisha smiled tiredly as she grabbed his head and nuzzled him. Getting even more blood on herself.

“Good to have you back, baby. Well I guess I can’t call you baby anymore, you are bigger than me,” Tanisha said.

Bjorn looked around with his other heads. Tyr and Owen were gone, it was just him and Tanisha left in the merchant camp. He flicked his tongues and could taste blood in the air, along with magic and maya. The fights in the refugee camp were still going on. The clash of battle echoed in the night.

“I can’t move,” Tanisha stated. “I used too much maya, I think anyway. My legs are so weak right now I can’t even stand. Tyr left to fight in the other camp. Owen should be back in a second.”

Joha's carriage door opened, and the goblin man stepped out with the last lesser health potion. He ran over to the pair, slightly apprehensive of the now much larger Bjorn.

“He’s awake I see,” Owen said.

“He’s not going to bite you,” Tanisha promised. 

“Given how big he is, he would just swallow me whole.” Owen looked down at the potion. “Are you sure you don’t want to just take this yourself?”

“It isn’t a stamina potion so it won’t do me any good,” Tanisha said. “Take it to the other camp; if it can save even one person I will feel good.”

Owen nodded. “Okay then, let's get you to my wagon. Helena is protecting the kids from inside; she will keep you safe if any more of those damn gnolls show up.” He looked to the gory pile that was the remains of the sickle-wielding gnoll. “Well, if Bjorn doesn’t get to the intruders first.”

Bjorn stood up, and one of his mouths picked Tanisha up by her martial arts robes. The girl squealed as she was lifted into the air. He placed her on his back, his webbed spine flattening so she could sit comfortably as if riding a horse. After the initial shock of the situation, her eyes opened wide at the fact that this was possible. 

“Well, that makes things easier,” Owen said.

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