TERRORISTS ATTACK SYDNEY, TOWER DOWN
7th July 2003
BBC WORLD SERVICE
Thousands are dead and injured as rogue Mages assault Sydney's Arcanum. The Sydney Tower is brought down, leaving the city in chaos. Lord Magister Kilroy is said to be among the victims. Arrival of Brisbane Tower and Melbourne Tower puts Sydney under Martial Law. Borders are closed. Arcanum vows to 'find those responsible".
Sydney - In the worst Terrorist attack ever made against a standing Frontier City of the British Mageocracy, a group of rogue Mages has struck the coastal Shielding Stations and disabled the Sydney Tower midday Friday, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.
As a horrific city watched itself roll back three decades of civil progress, the city of Sydney became besieged by the Mermen, who took advantage of the failed barrier breach to attack. In all, a total of twenty-one Krakens and a single Leviathan was seen entering the city, with an estimated force of Mermen numbering between twenty to thirty thousand.
When Sydney's Tower failed to respond and indeed did choose not to respond within the allocated timeframe for impeding the Mermen advance; its critic's worst fears were confirmed. The Tower had become a victim of its infighting, no longer seeing the city's protection and its citizens as a top priority. Notably, a "Dark Sun" Strategic Spell emerged during the conflict, ending when a Mythic class Magical being known as the Rainbow Serpent consumed the enervating phenomenon.
When contacted for answers, both the Brisbane and Melbourne Towers declined to comment.
The attack has stirred fears and anxiety across Oceania and evoked comparison to the Pearl Harbour Siege of 1943 and the Coral Sea Conflict, where Mermen had likewise besieged Brisbane in 1987.
Though no one has claimed responsibility, official suspicion quickly fell to the shadow organisation Spectre, also known as the Shadow Council, formerly claiming responsibility for the Red Dragon incident in Britain in 2001. Thus far, the Paladin of the Sydney Tower, Lord Gunther Shultz, has declined to comment on how the Terrorists had penetrated the Tower's defences.
Addressing the Mageocracy on Saturday night, the Britannic Commonwealth's High Chancellor, Magister Fulgor, vowed to "find those responsible and bring them to justice." He said the Towers would retaliate against "those behind these evil acts," including cities that harbour them.
Though tallies are incoming, the loss of Mages' lives is estimated to be between 1000 to 1200, with another 2000 Mages currently injured or in serious condition. The Sydney Tower is being repaired, though its superstructure has been severely damaged by a burst of Negative Energy reportedly emitted from its control spire.
The estimated casualty rate of NoM civilians may rise as high as 12,000.
Three days after the attack, with communications restored, the scope of the damage is becoming apparent: a vast swath of the infrastructure of Sydney's CBD has been destroyed, with 60% of its commercial buildings damaged, while 20% of Magical structures remain inoperable. Presently, the streets stay flooded and dangerous. The Militia advises non-essential personnel to avoid the CBD until the seawater can be drained and potential Mermen spawns purged.
At a Monday conference, Sydney authorities under Gunther Shultz announced that among the dead was the Magister of the Tower and the Master of the Ten presiding over Oceania - Lord Henry Kaine Foster Kilroy.
Lord Kilroy has been the presiding Magister of Sydney Tower for two decades, an incumbent since the Tower's inception. He is publicly known as a master Conjurer with a Dryad companion, gaining the moniker of 'Deathless Henry'. Currently, no official statements exist for the cause of Lord Kilroy's death.
Following the Sydney incident, the Mageocracy has placed all forces in Oceania on high alert. Sydney is the worst incident of terrorism waged against a Frontier since implementing the two-tier city system following the Beast Tide. The attack has paralysed the city and its surrounding regions, crippling the Oceanic Region's economic output. As the city readies to ship out its non-essential Mages, all travel to and from the city are banned. Travellers seeking emergency transit and special circumstance permits should contact the relevant authorities.
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TOWERS to BLAME?
12th July 2003
Sydney Morning Herald
A majority of Oceanian citizens believe that the government and the Tower are concealing information about the Sydney attacks, a new survey suggests.
Following the emergence of lumen-recordings of the Tower failing to respond to a Mermen Incursion on Friday, conspiracy theories regarding the death of Lord Henry Kilroy, Master of the Ten, and Eric Walken, Magister of the Grey Faction, emerged into the spotlight.
"There is evidence that the Sydney Disaster is an internal conflict," Arbiter Christopher Bader, a magical theorist and political commentator at Chapman University in California, USA, said in a statement. "When we see a degree of paranoia in the British Mageocracies' official responses. It is indicative that the government is concealing information about the hows and whys of the disaster."
"If you look at the history between Walken and Kilroy, there is a conflict of interest there." The professor pointed to prior incidents in which Alesia de Botton, apprentice of Lord Kilroy, had publicly humiliated Magister Walken. "It is no surprise that one of them might be using the Tower to bring down the other."
"What I believe," the professor has advised the Oceania Times. "Is that you should look deeper into the inter-factional politics of the Towers themselves."
Conspiracy theories abound
The findings are based on survey answers from 1,511 Mages ages 18 and over who took part in the Sydney Disaster Survey. The questionnaires were weighted to provide demographically representative results based on the participating Mage population as a whole.
Pollster results showed that many responders not only believed in conspiracies involving Magister Kilroy, they also held theories about the mysterious Dark Sun. Other speculations have surfaced involving Lord Kilroy's late wife, a famous Void Mage whose existence was declassified after the sorceress was pronounced KIA in the Commonwealth's Eastern European theatre circa 1971. Some have made connections between the Red Dragon incident and the appearance of a colossal Serpent in 2002 during the Royal National Incident believing that the modus operandi of both incidents point to Spectre.
Critics from around the world
Critics of the Commonwealth Tower System, such as the Mageocracy's Russian counterparts, have suggested that the Tower systems remain "open to exploitation" and "abuse." The Chinese Politburo likewise criticised the lack of centralised power systems in the Commonwealth, inferring that the NoM - Mage class system results in a natural imbalance that breeds conflict between its citizens. When reached for comment, the Ambassador to the U.S, Magister Wesson, made the following statement.
"Our hearts and minds are with those who are suffering this terrible loss in a time of peace and progress. Whoever these culprits may be, the U.S stands behind its Britannic Mageocracy allies. We will work hand-in-glove to assist the Commonwealth in finding those responsible and bringing them to justice."
It is important to note that in the past, Magister Wesson has criticised the Commonwealth's colonial system of government as "archaic" and its reliance on traditional Spellcraft as "not keeping with the times".
A close ally of Oceania, Singapore, has also commented. The current leader of the world's largest Trading Tier 2 City, also known as the Fortress of the South China Sea, Magister Goh Chok Tong, has declared his support for the Commonwealth and Sydney.
"Though many have critiqued the Commonwealth's governance, we must remember that ancient and incumbent it may be, The Britannic Mageocracy remains the best system we have under the circumstances. We do not use our None-Magical citizens as fodder, we give equal opportunity to all who awaken to Magehood, and the state provides food, shelter, and protection to all citizens, regardless of class, birth, or origin."
"I would invite our friends in the Americas, in Russia, and in China, to consider their national policies before critiquing the Commonwealth, as those who live in crystal palaces should not incant Catapult spells at others."
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(Music plays)
TONY JONES
Good evening and Welcome to the Special Edition of Q&A, though I am sorry to say that our audience in Sydney won't be joining us for some time. Live from Melbourne, the topic for today's Q&A is, of course, none other than the fall of the Sydney Tower itself.
I'm Tony Jones. And here to answer your questions – investigative journalist Katie McMont, Professor Steven Burrow of the Sydney University Arcanum, Paladin Jonathan Holtz, from the Brisbane Tower, Ex-Mayor of Sydney Magus Devin Fulcrow. And finally, the man of the hour, the saviour of the city, the de facto leader of the Sydney Tower - Paladin Gunther Shultz!
Please welcome our panel.
(APPLAUSE, SOME BOOING)
TONY JONES
Thank you very much. Now, Q&A is live across Oceania on ABC Lumen-cast and NewsRadio at 9:35 Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
The first question tonight comes from Calum Thicke.
CALUM Thicke
My question is for Lord Gunther: How do you respond to the accusation that Lord Henry Kilroy has been negligent in his duties and thus directly resulted in Sydney's crisis?
TONY JONES
I'll start with Lord Gunther.
GUNTHER SHULTZ
Yeah. Look, I've followed the conspiracy that Calum is interested in for some time. I am sorry to say, but there's no credence for it. Now that it has emerged that Spectre and its group of Rogue Mages are involved in the incident, we have released the fact that Lord Kilroy was ambushed by a Void Mage of immense ability while attending a tournament with Lord Ferris in Rosebay. That is the precise and only reason why Lord Kilroy had been unable to respond to the Mermen invasion. Coupled with the Tower's emergency systems' unfortunate mismanagement by Magister Walken, it should be seen as the unpropitious coming together of two coincidences.
TONY JONES
Professor Burrow
STEVEN BURROW
Lord Gunther, I have tremendous respect for you and your actions during the incident, but the Tower has historically been embroiled in connivance for a reason. I think it's self-evident that Elizabeth Sobel, the Void Mage wife of the late Lord Kilroy, is involved. From the Lumen-recordings taken by those at the scene and during the incident, it can be inferred that Elizabeth, or someone like the late Mrs Kilroy, was physically present. Likewise, although the swath of Geas spells that have suddenly sprouted over the Tower's surviving Mages, there remain credible eye-witness reports of a Void Sorceress in her likeness during the Tower's collapse.
TONY JONES
Lord Gunther?
GUNTHER SHULTZ
I am afraid I must contest you on those points, Steven. They're little more than popular theory and hearsay. The Tower has always had at its heart, the protection of the city at its core. I mean, you saw the Leviathan right? That took a lot out of me, but I did it with the full knowledge that the Tower will defend the city if I could only push back that monstrosity. As for your hypothesis, I can only tell you the truth. The Rogue Mages simply took advantage of a misunderstanding within the Tower's Factions, but that has since been resolved. I mean, look at us now, we're more united than ever. Myself, the Middle Faction, the new Grey Faction, even the Militant Faction - we are fully committed to purging and returning Sydney to its original status, mayhap improve its infrastructure with modern techniques. To this end, I would suggest that double-guessing the Tower and the men and women risking their lives, even as we speak, to cleanse the streets for human habitation, is dishonest and self-serving, don't you think?
TONY JONES
Our next question is from Simon Bren, from Sydney itself.
SIMON BREN
My question is for Jonathan Holtz. Sir, why did you not capture or destroy the Mythic Serpent that appeared over the city and swallowed the Dark Sun? Is the creature connected to the incident at all?
TONY JONES
Jonathan Holtz
JONATHAN HOLTZ
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Good question, Simon. As you know, the Brisbane Grey Faction, Magister Lin included, has always believed that the Wildlands are not our enemy. Instead, we believe in the possibility of co-existence and mutual benefit, as many of the creatures are both sentient and possess the capacity for empathy and peace amongst other shared values that we too uphold. As for the Rainbow Serpent itself, all I can tell you is that the creature is ancient, possibly more ancient than Human existence upon this land. As that is the case, let me ask you - what gives us the right to destroy it or chase it from its own home? The creature is benign; its consumption of the Dark Sun proves this. It is a creature of light and life, while the Dark Sun is a source of enervating negative energy. It only goes to show that in the end, if we can tap into the natural flow of the world, it would make our cities safer.
TONY JONES
Magus Fulcrow, would you like to add to this?
DEVIN FULCROW
Tony, did you know that we lose over three hundred Mages, mostly juniors, to Magical Creatures per year alone? Whether its Goblins from the Blue Mountains, the Elementals from the Simpson Desert, or the constant, unceasing menace of the Mermen, we never have been at peace with the Wildlands, nor will we ever be. To those creatures out there, our very existence is a bane. Think about what the Greys tried to accomplish in the 80s, a treaty with the Mermen; how did that turn out? A few whaling expeditions in the South Sea from the Tier 1 cities and we're back to square one. I support the American way that the only 'good' Magical Being is a contracted, leashed or dead. My city is in ruins, and I may no longer be Mayor of Sydney, but I'll never forgive those fish-headed fiends, not after what they've done to our home. Sometimes, blood can only be repaid by blood, and the best way to resolve the crisis is to retaliate with extreme prejudice.
(Audience cheers, whistles)
TONY JONES
Alright, alright, settle down. On a lighter note, let's take a question from the street.
(Scene changes to a young woman, uncommonly pretty with large amber eyes and an impressive cleavage, which the cameraman takes full advantage.)
From Sydney, Ms Harriet Spelling.
HARRIET SPELLING
Lord Gunther, I wish to know who the Pink Salt Mage is. He saved all of us when the Mermen had almost overrun our positions. As Blade Barrier is at least a Tier 6 Spell, what can you tell us about the Senior Magus?
TONY JONES
Gunther Shultz
GUNTHER SHULTZ
I am afraid the identity of the Pink Salt Saviour will remain a secret. All I can tell you is that he is not a part of the Tower, but shares many of our core principles of protecting the weak and helping those in need, even at the cost of his own life.
KATIE MCMONT
You know, there are also reports he left groups of civilians to die.
GUNTHER SHULTZ
I find that difficult to believe.
KATIE MCMONT
That may be, but it was widely reported nonetheless. Many of the Militiamen who survived the attack said that the Mage blew past them without so much as giving them a sideways glance. Some say that he would go out of this way to help an NoM woman while leaving Mages in mortal combat against Mermen.
GUNTHER SHULTZ
It was a chaotic affair, Harriet. I am sure if a young woman such as yourself was in danger, the Pink Salt Saviour would risk life and limb to save you.
(audience laughs)
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"Achoo—!"
Gwen watched her father sneeze for the twelfth time since they'd embarked upon the Cargo Freighter, the 'Queen's Efficient'. Akin to the cargo carriers of Gwen's old world, the ships achieved near-indestructibility through scale. Built around an enchanted and strengthen keel, the freighters were clad with transmuted steel seamlessly merged plate to plate against a lattice framework of Glyph-enhanced supports. Their ship, a medium-sized vessel, measured almost four hundred meters from bow to stern and fifty-nine meters across, a veritable island of steel. As Gwen surveyed the impressive length of the ship from the top deck, she couldn't help but marvel at its miraculous Magi-tech.
Upon their arrival in Darwin, her party had met the Harbour Master and then the Honourable Captain Scott Tully, a veteran seaman with four decades of ocean-faring experience. When Gwen asked how safe he expected the voyage to be, the old seaman burst into laughter.
"Lass, there's nary a Kraken that could take Queenie down!"
Smiling at her expense, Taj explained that open-ocean transit is the safest means of moving between cities. With the invention of American Mana Engines that drew power from stable fuel sources such as LDM and HDM Crystals, it became possible to translocate ships with displacements from 800 tonnes in the 1920s to an absurd 55,000 tonnes in 2000. Their freight-carrier, the Queen's Efficient, was one wonder owned by Maersk Corp of Denmark, a Triple E monstrosity.
"We're almost ten times of the size of a regular Kraken!" the Captain boasted with confidence. "It would take a Leviathan to take down a Triple E, not to mention we have on-board Shield Resonators."
Though Gwen couldn't understand half of the jargon the Captain was delivering, she understood that short of a catastrophe, nothing would impede their progress to Singapore.
After a small cache of HDM crystals exchanged hands, the Captain leased to them a full cargo section, including private cabins, separate showers, and an impressive view of the ship's aft.
"Why cargo space?" Gwen asked when they had finally settled. Their specific bulkhead was artificially lit by Daylight glyphs, utterly spartan except for four steel-walls. At one end was the entrance to the control tower, where the party could access their rooms in the midship, while in front of them was half a football field's worth of enclosed space.
"We have seven days at best to get you ready for the Black Zone, so let's not waste any time." Taj threw off his jacket, revealing a sculpted body rife with scars. "If we're going into the jungle, the first thing you have to learn are CQBs - close combat spells."
"You're participating too," Jonas commanded Morye to join in the training. "If Gunther thinks you're so good, let's see what you can do."
"I'll be right," Morye pushed himself from the floor and made for the Tower.
Paul blocked his path.
"Hazing the new guy?" Her father asked with nonchalance. "A little old-fashioned, don't you think?"
"If we're going to operate as a team, we need to know what you can do."
"I can take care of myself and Gwen. That's all you need to know." Morye tried to push past Paul, but the smiling Translocation Mage wouldn't budge. "Do you mind?"
"Come on, just a peep," Taj urged Morye, his voice echoing through the bulkhead. "Show us your signature spells; you can keep the trump cards up your sleeve if you want to."
Morye sighed. He walked toward a wall and sat on the floor, crossed legged. Then, he began to meditate. The rest of the group, Gwen included, regarded her father with disdain.
"Well, let's see what you can do, Gwen." Jonas motioned to the open space.
"Do we have privacy?" Gwen asked the men before her.
"Yep," Jonas banged a hand against the hull. "No lumen-recorders in here, had Paul do a thorough check-up when we came in. There's also a double barrier access hatch preventing access, so we'll be fine. The thickness of the walls and the cargo likewise interferes with Divination spells."
"Alright, let's start with Lighting." Gwen nodded to her companions, mindful of her father, whose closed eyes either suggested he was watching subtly or that the man had dozed off. If so, Gwen had a real surprise in store for the veteran.
"So, there's this signature spell that Alesia and I came up with, I can conjure it as a crystal, or use it as a spontaneous burst."
Gwen picked a spot not far from her father.
"Flashbang!"
The container ship's enclosed space exceedingly magnified the concussive effect of the spell, so much that Gwen managed to stun herself.
"Christ Almighty!" Jonas watched his mana shield shimmer.
"That's a hell of a spell, Gwen." Paul had been far away enough to manage by covering his eyes and shielding his ears.
"Very nice, a real ripper of an opener. How long did it take you to manifest? Half a second?"
"0.4," Gwen replied. Flashbang was one of her earliest spells and her favourite. Feeling the tinnitus fade from her eardrums, she snuck a peek towards her father. Morye seemed unfazed by it all, sitting still with a Zen-like expression that suggested he was entirely relaxed and at peace.
"Let's continue, anything else… loud?" Jonas inquired carefully.
"Not so much, no," Gwen replied and began to cycle through all her known Evocation spells that she had learned in the last year and a half. First, she had Guiding Bolt, Lightning Blast, Lightning Grasp and Taser, her improved non-lethal Lightning Grasp. Of all her Evocation spells, Lightning Bolt remained Gwen's staple offensive spell, capable of penetrating multiple enemies in a line and causing paralysis as a side-effect.
Then there were her Conjuration based spells. Lightning Blade was a persistent effect Lightning Grasp had trained for CQB but never gained the opportunity to use it. Warding Bolt was another of her staples, a conjured orb that shot bolts of lighting empowered by her Evocation talent, though it only held three charges. Call Lighting served as a secondary battle-turret, indiscriminately targeting enemies. Morden's Faithful Hound was Gwen's guardian spell, creating an invisible dog that attacked enemies as they came close. Dark Tentacle was a spell used to constrain and damaging enemies while paralysing and harming them with multiple strikes. Finally, her signature Dimension Door remained her staple translocation spell— either through Void or Lightning, Gwen could affect a 'halo' of energy at the point of arrival.
"I also know some utility spells from schools I can access but have yet to train in," Gwen explained, going on to demonstrate Jump and Feather Fall from Transmutation, as well as Detect Magic from Divination.
As for Abjuration, when she demonstrated her unique Non-newtonian Shield, the men became immensely impressed.
Taj immediately begged Gwen for the working theory but found the manifestation unmanageable. Gwen wondered if it was because she understood the concept of Non-newtonian fluids, a way of thinking that juxtaposed Taj, who thought of mana as quasi-mystical.
When Gwen finally exhausted her Lightning repertoire, it was time for the main event.
"Let's see the beasties," Taj huffed and straightened from where he'd kelt. Despite his Earth element's good parity in resisting Gwen's Lightning, the Quasi-element still possessed its infamous paralytic effect.
"Ariel!"
A bolt of Lightning struck the galvanised steel, summoning an adorable white marten that landed with a flourish.
"Eee! Eee! Ee!" The marten posed handsomely before running between Gwen's slender ankles to perform a perpetual figure eight. "Combat form!"
With a growl Ariel began to grow, crackling with electrical energy that raced across the steel plating.
To Gwen's surprise, Ariel was much larger than before. Had her Conjuration Sigil grown stronger? She wondered. Had Faceless possessed the Conjuration talent as well as the Transmutation?
"Grrrrr..."
Before the impressed soldiers now stood a wolf-sized mongoose with a blue-white coat, crackling with electrical energy. Ariel glanced at Gwen and urged her to give it another jolt of Lightning charged mana - to which she obliged.
Instantly the creature became clad in white Lightning; its fur stood end-on-end with such violence that it began to resemble a serpentine porcupine.
"EE!" Ariel reached the end of the container platform and back again in the blink of an eye with a push from its powerful hind legs.
"Ho, a self-hasting ability, very nice," Jonas applauded Ariel, who raised its snout snugly. "That bite looks very nasty as well."
"He'll be useful in the jungle for sure," Paul remarked. "Especially as we'll be land-bound when we hit the Black Zone."
"How so?" Gwen asked. Surely it would be easier for them to fly into the grove.
"Remember Gwen; there are three places you can't fly - Dungeons, arboreal regions, and Tier 1 cities."
"Tier 1 cities?" Gwen furrowed her brow.
"Well, not without a permit, and those are virtually impossible to get without deep pockets and deeper connections."
"I see, but why can't we fly into the forest?"
"It would only confuse you," Taj spoke patiently to the untested sorceress. "Orange Zones and beyond are tainted by the unpredictable mana of the Wildlands. Visually, it is virtually impossible from the air to find one's bearings by surveying the canopy. When intelligent magical beings further inhabit the arboreal regions, it becomes doubly difficult as they can reform the forest to confuse unwanted intruders."
"What makes ground cover any safer?"
"Who said it was safer?" Paul joked. "The ground approach gives us room to leave Arcane Marks, Teleportation Beacons, and if all else fails, we can burn ourselves a little clearing to mark the spot."
"That and most Mages are incapable of throwing down while using Flight," Taj pointed out. "You've been spoilt by an austere company, Gwen. In the real world, very few Mages can cast spells in dogfights. The toll on your concentration and your body renders the vast majority of Mages incapable of high-tier spells while in motion."
"Or situational awareness," Paul added. "I'd say that's the kicker. You're concentrating so much on flying and casting that you can't see the forest for the trees, ha!"
"Okay." Gwen nodded, thinking when she'd be able to dogfight with the best of them. "No flying in the Arboreal Zone."
There was a thrum in the air, a slight feeling of inertia. The ship was leaving port.
"You want to check out the harbour?" Jonas turned to Gwen. "There's quite the view. Let's get this over and done with, and we can head up to the deck. Let's see your Void familiar."
Gwen inclined her head and took a deep breath. She felt more hale and awakened than ever before. Somewhere in her Astral Soul, her body remains imbued with the emerald vitality of the Serpent.
She commanded Ariel to return to its marten form, smiling when her creature harassed Morye by turning onto its belly and rubbing its back against the galvanised bulkhead with delight. Annoyed, her father ceased his meditation and was now standing to attention, his eyes trained toward the space in front of her.
"Caliban is a little scary," Gwen explained. "He's very much an alien creature, so prepare yourselves."
"We've seen things you wouldn't believe," Taj quipped with a grin. "Let's see what you got."
"Alright, here goes." Gwen collected herself and drew upon the Void, feeling the necrotic energy flood her mana channels. For now, at least, they no longer permeated into her physical body, being kept in check by Almudj's blessing.
There was a slash in the air, a gash in time-space, then out came Caliban.
At least, Gwen thought it was Caliban.
Rather than the expectant slither and a soundless plop, what came out instead was a pair of long, spindly legs in transparent obsidian, multi-segmented in a way that resembled disjointed, anorexic fingers. There was another pair, and another and another - until Caliban was out in its full horrific glory. Four teams of legs skittered across the floor, raking and rasping against the metallic hull in the uncertain manner of a new-born foal. Caliban's body, which had previously been serpentine and sinuous, was now a bulbous, fleshy mass in purple and tentacle pink, resembling that of a spider or a scorpion turned inside out. Its back carapace remained the hard-shelled, semi-translucent plates that interlocked, but its underside was wet with sucking noises that slurped and gurgled. Where its spine ended, there distended a long tail, a remnant from its old morphic shape that whipped the air like a steel cable.
Gwen recognised the shape at once.
"Wanka?" Gwen said to Caliban. "Cali! You took on Wanka's form!"
She immediately thought of Faceless and its morphic talent. Unlike the shapeshifter, Gwen wasn't the one to consumed her victims, and so the polymorphic ability must have been inherited by her familiar! Gwen closed her eyes and retracted her mind within her astral soul, searching for the Transmutation Sigil. She found the constellation not far from her radiant Evocation, dark and brooding, radiating a malevolent mauve light.
Meanwhile, Taj was shouting incoherently as his testicles fled up their canals to whimper in helpless terror.
"Shaa!" Caliban turned to face the screaming Abjurer, forming a duet of hysteria. "SHAA! Shaa! SHAAAA—!"
It's five tongues, each barbed with spikes dripping with grey goo, flayed excitedly at their new companion.
"Fuck me!" Paul dropped to both knees and hurled out his guts, feeling the acidic tang entering his nasal canals and burning a hole in his oesophagus as the Void aura struck.
"Caliban, HEEL!" Gwen commanded the skittering thing, now the size of a pony. Caliban found purchase on its legs and sidled up to her, whipping its tail happily. It raised a spindly spider leg and wrapped it lovingly around her waist. That was the best it could manage without hugging her face and choking its master. Gwen reached out a dainty hand and patted Caliban's carapace, causing it to flay its tail wildly, leaving white scratch marks across the galvanised iron and dribble profusely.
"Alright, let's see your combat form." Gwen took another deep breath.
"STOP!" Morye's voice cried out. "If you keep going, there's not going to be a team left to take onto the Island."
Gwen looked up to see her father, handkerchief in hand, wiping away a snail trail of vomit from his chin.
Gwen turned to Caliban, who wagged its tail.
"Good boy, Cali!" She glanced at her father. "Caliban! Go play with Daddy!"
Caliban turned to Morye and reared itself upwards. Two fangs burst from its face as Void mana coursed through its body. As a black blur, it launched itself toward 'Daddy', its multiple tongues wagged excitedly for a good licking.
"OH FUCK NO." Morye felt every hair standing on this back. "Salt Skin!"