509 Application of magic Part 1 (1/2)
”Master, what is a taklama fish beast?” As Nailisi observed the bodies of the fish beast in her hands, she did not feel that they were very dangerous. These creatures could grow horrifyingly fast though.
”It is the common name for several types of fish species. Lex, you tell them, I have very little knowledge on this aspect.”
”Give me one.” Lex took one of the dead taklama fish beasts from Nailisi, and inspected it carefully. After a while, she then said, ”Taklama fish beast refers to more than forty species. Their survivability is extremely high. Usually, once a fish leaves the water, it will die very quickly. A taklama fish beast can live for several more days and it can also fly…”
”This one is a coldteeth fish beast, and its inborn spell is chewing. If one got bitten by it, even magic armor will not last long. These creatures come in hordes, they are much scarier than the piranhas.”
Nailisi did not rebut. These coldteeth fish beasts were killed by the demons and Nailisi with a single pinch, but they were just newly hatched creatures. They already had the ability to fly though. It had to be noted that they had broken free from hard ice. If a low grade magic beast was frozen by the two spells cast by Saleen and Lex, it might have possibly died on the spot already.
”The crux lies in the fish eggs. Any fish will produce thousands of eggs every single time, some will hatch tens of thousands of eggs. The eggs from the taklama fish beast can also be preserved on land, turning into microscopic dust particles. The moment water is present, they will hatch immediately. This is a species specific to the desert only. There isn't much edible prey in the desert, so such creatures rarely develop into huge monsters. Once food is exhausted and water is absent, a mature fish beast will choose to die off immediately after producing eggs.”
”If there is a torrential rain…” Saleen did not finish his sentence. Everyone in the chariot, humans and demons alike, felt chills go down their spines. There was only a handful of black sand particles in the beaker, yet there were already dozens of fish beast eggs inside. If there was a heavy downpour, then billions of fish beasts could be hatched.
”Whether or not they hatch depends on the amount of food available. If there is no food, the eggs might continue their deep slumber even in rain.”
Lex's words did not really relieve everyone's worries. To the fish beasts, they were food. If the people from Holy See pursued them, then there would be more food.
”Master, let's return to Metatrin City, this desert is too abominable.” Nailisi tossed aside the taklama fish beast in her hands, as she spoke in disgust. She was not really fearful of this creature, but to a mage, the taklama fish beast was horrifying. They existed in large numbers, while a mage had limited magic chords. A puppet might not possess adequate lethality against this thing, but what about the normal soldiers? The normal soldiers would be a pile of moving food for the fish beasts.
”What weakness does this thing have?” Sika was actually the calmest person. The Caucasus people believed that every creature had a weakness, and all creatures could be tamed.
”Their weakness is having a weak mental strength, the Mental Assault spell will be able to destroy them. Only a young person can use this method though.” Lex's answer still could not allay everyone's fears. A mage's mental assault would have a more pronounced effect by directly using it, but the number of uses was pathetic. By using this spell repeatedly, the mages themselves would crumble.
”The taklama fish beast contain more than forty species, and every species has different attributes. Other than a weak mental strength, another common weakness is that they cannot fly that fast.”
Lex adding this piece of information was akin to not saying anything at all. No matter how slow they flew, they would still be faster than a human running on two legs. Of course, the demons were an exception. If a mage were to fly in an environment like the Purgatory Desert, their speed would be greatly reduced. A lot of magic chords would be consumed to handle the unstable elemental environment. Unlike creatures who used their wings, a mage would only fly as fast as a normal warrior once their magic chords got fully depleted.
”Let's hope it doesn't rain, we will try our best to avoid places which may become sources of water.” After Lex said her piece, even she herself felt weird. In a desert, water was most precious. If there was a downpour, it could even save many lives. She now wished that there would be no rain, she did not even want to run into a waterbody.
Saleen's true worry was not these fish beasts. The taklama fish beast was not a powerful creature. Before adulthood, they only had strong resistance towards water magic. If fire magic was applied, they would also be wiped out. The worst thing was that the fish beasts would appear in colossal numbers after hatching, which meant that they would be a source of food for other magic beasts out there.
Before maturity, most taklama fish beasts would be prey for other magic beasts, many magic beasts had already undergone evolution to possess skills meant for handling a fish beast. This was nature's cycle. Before the powerful fish beasts could develop, they would provide an opportunity for survival for other magic beasts.
”Aye, let's deal with these fish beasts first. Saleen, we will rest for half a day, and concentrate on producing the Fire Ring of Resistance magic scrolls.” Desperate, Lex summoned her own mages, taking out a pile of blank scrolls and handing it to them.
The Fire Ring of Resistance was a level-3 defense spell, its attributes could curb the taklama fish beasts. Lex had no choice but to waste her scrolls for this spell because her swordmasters required protection. Once the taklama fish beasts appeared in hordes, those high grade swordmasters would need magic for protection. The few spells on their armor would not be able to defend against the devastation caused by the coldteeth fish beasts. On the other hand, the two Black Metal Grand Swordmasters would do fine. The moment they donned the Spirit Snake Armor, they would be able use their Sword Aura at will.
The existence of magic armor was for humans to deal with their own kind. Against magic beasts, varying techniques would have to be employed.