90 A Study of Spells

With the tyrant of the sands missing life in the port slowly returned to a semblance of normality, the merchants hawked their wares the people lived their lives. The dreadful pall that had hung over the port town was slowly ebbing as each day the floating palace drifted closer and closer to the shore line. As expected of the immense structure, its movements were painfully slow, crawling through the air with all the speed and grace as an over fed sea gull.

In retrospect, Xing Lei was glad they had talked him out if keeping it, unlike some of the treasures he had possessed in his old life, this one moved far too slow. Even with his enriched vitality, had they tried to fly the palace to Tol-Vatal they would have died of old age, one and all, including no less the young elf. With little recourse they had rented an few rooms at an inn and were waiting for a ship that would take them on the lengthy journey across the vast ocean.

While they wait Xing Lei had taken the time to seek Alustriea's knowledge, his completed body tempering had awoken his bloodline greatly and with it further knowledge of arcane arts. While some of them were very self explanatory there were some only the elven mage could guide him on. He found Alustriea meditating on the roof of their inn, bathing in the cool moonlight, they had talked about her her and Osilliaice's suspicion that she was being targeted by a rather angry and petty goddess, so to curb her 'misfortune' he had taught her a simple meditation technique that had seemed to help.

Alustriea smiled when he leapt up to the roof, easily taking a seat beside her. Tucking an errant strand of her wheat colored hair behind one of her long, knife shaped ears her head tilted, "Odd for you to seek me out at this hour Xing Lei, what's up?"

Xing Lei sat beside her and nodded, "With my advancement I've unlocked more spells but I have a couple that require your knowledge to make sense of. Things like Greater healing and lesser illusion I think I understand well enough but what is a familiar?"

Alustriea smiled as her head leaned back eyes closed as she collected her thoughts before speaking, "Summoning a familiar is a fairly basic spell for most mages. Were I to cast the spell right now I'd likely summon something like a snake, scorpion or vulture as a familiar... though if my luck held out that bastard camel I ride would turn into my familiar..."

Xing Lei listened before asking, "So it summons or converts an animal companion from near by?"

Alustriea shook her head, "Yes and no. Familiars are tied to the caster, they are an extension of their summoner. For we elven mages that often means we summon an exemplary animal from the natural habitat around us. Human mages often tend to be more limited, summoning cats or birds. But on top of what we studiers of the mystic arts summon it's another thing for those with true bloodlines in magic."

Alustriea shook her hands muttering a quick spell under her breath, before her and Xing Lei a trio of small creatures flickered into existence, "For bloodline mages, or sorcerers as we call them, you also have some special options." Gesturing to the first image of a rather emancipated creature with a scrawny body, bat like wings and a rather vicious looking barbed tail, "For those whose bloodline is tainted by demonic ancestry often they summon imps much akin to this image. While a familiar is never usually a good or bad entity, most prefer to keep one eye watchful of any spellcaster who carries around an imp, they're rarely good intentioned."

Shifting her attention to the second image, a rather lithe but featureless creature squat. It sort of resembled a human baby but lacked any defining features beyond a pair of simple wings jutting from it's back. Alustriea motioned to it lightly, "While many mages create these to help in labs and enchanting with a ritual similar to golem creation some sorcerers can summon a homunculus as a familiar. They are rather fully neutral as they are exactly what I imply, helpers. They tend to do exactly what you order them to with very little personal expression. Alot of sorcerers prefer this familiar as most familiars tend to have quirky personalities."

Waving her hand to the last image where a slender pink dragon sat fluttering majestic butterfly wings. "Most likely if you cast that spell you'd get either this guy, a fairy dragon. Or a Pseudo Dragon. The former are, as the name suggests, a branch of draconic bloodline that has mixed with fae ancestry. They tend to be very jovial but scatter brained familiars that delight in pranks and mischief. The latter is a dragon... well... to be honest it's usually humans with draconic ancestry that sometimes summon them. They're not true dragons yet at the same time they are, it's hard to explain. For you I could see a pseudo dragon being summoned as they are familiars that are the very embodiment of draconic magic, they are art made living entity. The problem is they are very independent often working against their summoner for their own ends as they are in their own minds a true dragon who should never submit to anyone."

Alustriea shrugged helplessly before looking to the kobold who sat beside her, "Any questions on that?"

Xing Lei nodded lightly glancing over the life like illusions, "You mentioned familiars have quirky personalities?"

Alustriea nodded slowly dismissing the trio, "Familiars are not animals, despite their appearance, they are mystical extensions of your very soul, sometimes they will manifest in local wild life or pets but the vast majority are conjured out of nothing. Since they share their summoners souls, aspects of your personality are imprinted on them. The thing is that its most often your more recessive emotions and personality traits that they bring to the fore."

Alusteria thought a moment before pointing to the inn below, "Take Osilliaice, were she to summon a familiar chances are good hers would be skittish or indecisive. Possibly even borederline lazy. My own familiar would probably be very plucky or a little dumb. Yours...well..."

Xing Lei gave a short laugh as he considered his own personality, his familiar would probably be honest to a fault or outright meek, perhaps even a pacifist. Shaking his head he sat in thought, "What benefit is there to familiars, there must be a trade off for them taking on opposing personalities?"

Alustriea nodded, "First of all is companionship, studying the art involves alot of self study. It helps bouncing ideas off a being that knows you as well as you do. Since they can often have linguistic skills most serve as messengers and sometimes spies. The biggest benefit is that your spells can be channelled through your familiar, while the effective range varies, you could have a familiar with us while you are elsewhere. Through telepathy it could inform you that we needed healing and you could infuse your magic through your familiar without personally coming to us. Like I say though, the effective range is rather short, the range of a small town maybe? Half a capital if you are especially powerful."

Alustriea looked to her lover and shrugged, "That's pretty much it for familiars except a warning. Familiars, while a mystical construct, are still extensions of you. If they are slain you will suffer a painful back lash, thus while many familiars aren't shy about combat, most mages keep them well away from such if they can. Despite any bravado most of them can get on with, they are very fragile creatures. For all their mystic nature and ability to use your spells, other than the demonic, draconic and fae examples they are still just animals."

Xing Lei sat in thought before nodding, "Alright, now what is Polymorph?"

Alustriea blinked looking sharply at Xing Lei, "You got that spell?"

He nodded slowly watching the elf with a critical eye, "Mn. Indeed, is the second spell I gained, I know it's an illusion spell but..."

Alustriea frowned and shook her head, "It's not an illusion Xing Lei. It's a transformation spell turning ones shape into something else. Most mages use it for close combat, polymorphing say an arm into a claw or their mouth into jaws. But it can also be used for subterfuge changing ones whole body into another form. It's a very powerful tool in a versatile mages arsenal. The time limit on it is very dependent on the caster. Most early access to it has the form lasting upwards of an hour. With other spells the change can last almost indefinitely."

Alustriea frowned looking to the moon, "But there's a risk. Through studies we've seen the assumed form take over in such long lasting periods. For example, a mage using the spell to take the shape of say a dog would over the course of weeks maybe months, becoming more akin to a dog, before all memories of their mage self extinguished. Is why it's better to restrict transformation to sentient species and for short periods."

Xing Lei looked to the moon high above in thought, "I could become human again?"

Alustriea looked to Xing Lei and whispered softly her cheeks turning hot, "Yes, or maybe an elf or even a Lizardfolk. The spell let's you become literally anything, but as I say it has some..." She was about to continue to expunge on the drawbacks of such transformation when Xing Lei's body began to shimmer, his body shifted as he gained considerable bulk, the roof cracking and protesting under his weight as Xing Lei, the small black dragon sat on the roof nearly knocking the elf over. She thought for sure he'd take on the form he mentioned first, but yet he took the form of Destorianaxe...

Staring wide eyed as Xing Lei studied his form, his maw opening to speak but stopping briefly, would his skills still work in this form? Turning his head slowly on his now long serpentine neck he focused on his status...

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Name: Xing Lei (Dull Scale, Kobolicus)

Gender: Male

Race: Black Dragon Wyrmling, [Sealed]

Level: 3

Job: Soul Cultivator Rank: Copper

Titles: Slayer of the Forest Lord, Elven Outcast, Fleet Spear's Mate, Dwarf Friend, Executioner of Infernals, Ally of House Luen, Arena Master, Dragonmarked, Xing Kah's Father, Tyrix's Bane, Quellia's Bane

Strength: 30 Dexterity: 30

Constitution: 30 Intelligence: 15 (Unstable)

Wisdom: 18 (Unstable) Charisma: 30

Charm: 30 Luck: 0

Mana: 5000/8000 (decreasing 500 per 30 seconds)

Condition: Healthy (Unstable transformation)

Innate Abilities: Varied Voice (Supreme) Rank: Demon Steel, [Sealed], Inspection (Intermediate) Rank: Iron, Draconic Breath (Heavens) Rank: Demon Steel

Skills: [Sealed], [*Sealed*], [Dragon Scales], [Dragon Fertility], [Dragons Vitality], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], [Sealed], Elven Spellcasting (Basic) Rank: Copper, Draconic Spellcasting (Heavens) Rank: Demon Steel, [Sealed], [Sealed], Draconic Unarmed Combat (Basic) Rank: Copper, Draconic Flight (Novice) Rank: Copper

Elven Spells: Ignite

Draconic Spells: Supreme Heal, Greater Curse, Greater Bless, Supreme Harm, Dragon's Feast, Polymorph, Greater Illusion, Summon Familiar, Missile Storm, Titan's Might, Geas, Summon Greater Servant, Commune, Sanctify/Defile, Supreme Ritual Summoning

Unused Points: -

*Seal* - Unstable sealed ability, with correct stimulus can unseal.

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Xing Lei blinked at his absurd status, as a wyrmling version of Destorianaxe he had strength exceeding his kobold form even with body tempering, but with a bit of work his sealed tempering could be unlocked. Sadly the majority of his trained skill, as was one of his former innate abilities were sealed permanently. All stood to reason due to his new form being completely incompatible with how those skills normally worked.

The biggest boost and draw back was his mana. Maintaining this dragon form was literally sucking the mana from his body, he could at best maintain it a few minutes before his mana was sucked dry by the polymorph spell. Still, a few minutes of dragonization could mean another trump card for him, especially considering the forms available spells. Exhaling a puff of flame that made the nearby elf yelp, he uncast the spell letting his kobold form return.

Alustriea blinked crawling back over as Xing Lei confirmed that his sealed abilities had all unlocked when he returned to his normal form. "Quite the spell, thank you for your teaching Alustriea."

Alustriea smiled and shook her head, "Thought for sure you'd change when you learned what it was capable of, just didn't expect you to go full dragon right away."

Xing Lei glanced aside, "Were we hoping I'd choose a more specific form?"

Hearing Xing Lei's teasing voice Alustriea blushed hotly and turned away...

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