Fall Rot
This too shall pass.
A hush descended, unnatural and foreboding. Those with firsthand experience or a larger degree of common sense stayed down, while the unwisely curious were transfixed by the sight of Newkirk stepping out into the road.
Or rather, they watched a wizard step forth onto a battlefield. Not like the faded shadows that were spellcasters in recent years - besieged by the frantic innovation of the industrial age - but as the arcane fortresses of old.
One last-ditch effort to stop the impending spell came in the form of a pair of firebolts. Newkirk batted them aside with a contemptuous wave of his hand and pointed. He spoke a word that left a burning tin-like taste on Beckton's tongue.
A long way distant, someone in a black uniform stumbled out of cover. Newkirk dragged him to his feet with a beckoning finger, gave a grim smile, and clenched a fist in a flash of eerie blue light.
The figure gave a soundless scream, fell, and crumbled into ash.
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Comments (4 so far!)
HSAR
In-universe, several things are happening. Aside from Newkirk's dramatic entrance - there is actually nothing arcane about that, except for the natural effect of magic on human biology - we also have the burning sensation and eerie blue light are characteristic of exposure to intense radiation. The former is caused by radioactivity triggering the nerves of the tongue, thus sending phantom signals to the brain. The latter is caused by a phenomenon known as Cherenkov radiation, distinctively produced when charged particles are transmitted through water - in this case, moisture in the air.
- #3918 Posted 6 years ago
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HSAR
Disintegrate is not a known or documented spell in Newkirk's timeline. It is, essentially, merely a prototype. There were no chants and choruses for him to follow, nothing but his own instinct in the field of the magic of radioactivity. He drew it together with a master phrase, but much of the body of the spell was unstructured.
There are several reasons for this: firstly that such a spell is so dangerous, relying on principles not yet fully developed or understood, that it could not be written down for fear of it being stolen by the enemy. Furthermore, the spell is unfinished. Newkirk is unsure whether a different arrangement of the spell would produce better or more useful effects, and so tailored this cast to the purpose at hand - the near-instant destruction of a single enemy spellcaster.
Fall Rot ("Case Red"), was the German codename for the invasion of France during the Second World War.
- #3919 Posted 6 years ago
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Robert Quick
Well done. One of the best entries to date. All of it is good but the second paragraph stands out as my favorite of the ones written here. The radiation effect and subsequent explanation really add to your world building.
- #3924 Posted 6 years ago
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Inspired by (sequel to):
At the sound of Grouse's shout Beckton turned - pivoting on both feet and dropping to one knee at on…
Donnerkeil- Published 6 years ago.
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HSAR
Newkirk's spell is Shield, a relatively simple first-level spell that increases the defences of his target - in this case himself - for a few seconds. We see again his fluency in magic in that he is able to cast it without interrupting his primary spell which he unleashes seconds later.
The spell is Disintegrate, a sixth-level spell dealing 75 damage (average) to a single target. It is 14 times stronger than Firebolt, and 3 times stronger than Fireball. Furthermore, because Newkirk has no remaining sixth-level spell slots, he uses a seventh-level spell slot to cast this spell, which deals an additional 10.5 damage (average).