am-books Book 7: Chapter 66: Another Spell Evolution
Book 7: Chapter 66: Another Spell Evolution
Book 7: Chapter 66: Another Spell Evolution
After leaving the remnants of the army behind, Elijah returned to the group. Seeing them, still set up to defend, left him with mixed feelings. Sadie and Dat were certainly powerful, and he expected that if either of them went all-out, they could have carved away a good portion of the army. However, they would have certainly died in the attempt. Due to his versatility, Elijah was uniquely suited to fight alone. Not only were his forms powerful in their own right, but with his healing spells, he could recover from almost anything.
He wasn’t entirely self-sufficient, and his experiences in the Trial of Primacy had proven the need for help, but he couldn’t help but recognize that he was almost as effective alone as when he participated in a group.
Most of the time, they just held him back.
That left him feeling a mixture of pride and sadness. The first, because he wasn’t immune to self-congratulations. He liked being stronger than most other people, and there was no better proof of that than his ability to fight solo. However, the latter emotion was still present because it promised a life where he was forced to choose between loneliness and being held back by superfluous companions.
But was that all they were? Just pieces of a puzzle meant to solve the problem of Primal Realms and towers? Or were they representative of real relationships that were their own reward? Elijah wanted to believe the latter, but there was definitely a part of him that recognized that things would be easier if he’d come alone.
Those feelings shifted through his mind as he returned to the fortifications he and his companions had built, and when he arrived, he shifted out of the Shape of Venom and announced, “I put a pretty good dent in their numbers, and I killed most of the big ones. The leader’s gone now, too. But I’m going to take a break for a bit.”
The others were too stunned to ask any of the most obvious questions on their minds, and by the time they recovered, Elijah had already begun his climb up the slope. A few minutes later, he reached the cave, where he settled down to inspect his gains. With everything on his mind, opening his status was a bittersweet moment:
Name
Elijah Hart
Level
141
Archetype
Druid
Class
Primal Lord
Specialization
Connection
Alignment
N/A
Strength
395 (248)
Dexterity
393 (234)
Constitution
388 (257)
Ethera
269 (256)
Regeneration
315 (262)
Attunement
Nature
Cultivation Stage: Expert
Body
Core
Shape of the Sky:
Tempest Swarm
Shape of the Master:
Infernal Plague
Human:
Eternal Plague
Each ability requires an expenditure of stamina and Ethera.
As Elijah read the description, he was more than a little excited. So, he didn’t hesitate before looking at the first sub-ability, Lurking Swarm:
Lurking Swarm
Conjure a swarm of phase spiders that will remain unseen until first strike. Attacks will inflict a potent venom upon enemies. Control dependent on Dexterity attribute. Potency based on Core Cultivation.
Only useable in Shape of Venom (or appropriate evolutions).
That description exceeded Elijah’s expectations, and the notion of having a swarm of invisible spiders assisting him definitely left him with a smile on his face. If the other abilities associated with Primal Swarm were as useful, he would be very happy with his choice. With that in mind, he moved on to the second:
Thornbound Legion
Conjure a legion of thorned mites that burrow into the flesh of enemies, exploding into splinters that prevent regeneration, inflict minor afflictions, and lower attributes. Potency based Core Cultivation.
Only useable in Shape of Thorn (or appropriate evolutions).
The spell – based on the description he’d just read – was in line with his perception of the purpose of Shape of the Thorn. The form of the thorned sentry was intended to protect allies and hinder enemies. Certainly, it could also be used to do damage, but it truly excelled as a defender. And it seemed that Thornbound Legion was meant to support that mission. The ability to prevent regeneration would be invaluable, but lowering attributes was almost as powerful.
Never mind the horror a sapient enemy would feel at having mites burrowing into their flesh and explode. Psychological warfare could sometimes be just as powerful as conventional attacks.
After familiarizing himself with Thornbound Legion’s description, Elijah moved on to the next:
Tempest Swarm
Conjure a swarm of tempest flies that serve to increase the caster’s speed and agility while disorienting enemies with hurricane-like winds. Some will carry sparks of lightning, delivering electric shocks when attacked. Potency based on Core Cultivation.
Only useable in Shape of the Sky (or appropriate evolutions).
Elijah hadn’t expected Shape of the Sky to be included, but in retrospect, he wasn’t certain why he’d made that assumption. It was just as valid a part of his toolkit as any of his other forms, so its inclusion should have been inevitable. And the expression of that inclusion was perfectly suited to the form, assisting in its purpose. At least based on the description – he would know more once he got the chance to use it.
In any case, he soon looked to the next, which was tied to Shape of the Master:
Infernal Plague
Conjure a swarm of fire beetles that will detonate on impact with enemies. Detonations do immediate damage and inflict a slowing affliction upon foes. Strength of detonation dependent on Ethera attribute. Potency of affliction based on Core Cultivation.
Only useable in Shape of the Master (or appropriate evolutions).
Infernal Brood seemed interesting. Conjuring a bunch of exploding beetles sounded effective, both in terms of damage and distraction. However, the most potent effect was that those explosions would slow his opponents. When using Shape of the Master, the gap between his effective speed and his enemy’s was already pretty wide, especially with the enhanced reflexes that came with the form. And slowing his foes would only widen it. Elijah was very eager to test it out.
In the meantime, he looked at the description for Eternal Plague:
Eternal Plague
Conjure a swarm of pests that infect your enemies with appropriate afflictions. Channeled spell that grows in area the longer it persists. Escalating cost. Potency of afflictions based on Core Cultivation. Initial size of swarm dependent on Ethera attribute.
Only useable in caster’s natural form.
In a lot of ways, it seemed like a straight upgrade to Swarm. However, there were two key differences in the expression of the spell. First, it would persist so long as he channeled ethera into the spell. And second, the longer he kept it going, the wider the area of effect would be.
In short, every expression of the Swarm’s upgrade would obviously be very valuable. He would know more once he had the chance to test things out, though. Until then, he wanted to rest for at least a few more minutes before he rejoined his companions. So, with that in mind, he leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to center his mind as much as rest his body.