Eye of the Storm Sovereign

Cassius spread his wings and swept over the crumbling stone bridge. Yet he was not fleeing; he was flying straight toward the storm giant's remains. The gale buffeted him left and right. Flickering arcs of lightning pursued him, bolts striking down in relentless succession right behind him, blasting scorched crater after crater into the ruins. The red dragon dodged as best he could amid the turbulent currents, beating his wings with all his might against the violent tempest as he flew erratically toward the heart of the storm. The closer he drew to the center, the more violently the surrounding elements reacted, until electrical arcs seemed to choke every inch of air. A few breaths passed, and the red dragon was already covered in wounds. Despite the protection of several spells, under such ferocious elemental fury, scorched gashes had already begun to mar his flesh. His gilded scales were pitted with countless tiny craters from the acid rain. Arcs of electricity crackled across his body, sizzling and popping with every beat of his wings. At last, he was only ten meters from the remains. *Boom!* Another bolt of lightning, as thick as a bowl, struck Cassius—so fast that he hadn't even perceived it coming. *Globe of Invulnerability* An invisible barrier materialized. Barely withstanding the bolt, it shattered, saving his life once more and leaving a lingering tremor of dread in his heart. He could waste no more time. *Roar—* The red dragon let out a long cry—still slightly youthful, yet strained to a hoarse, ragged roar. Pumping his wings with everything he had, he relied on his powerful physique to brute-force his way against the escalating tempest, finally managing to close the distance to the storm giant's remains. "I have to get there!" Cassius bellowed. By now, the raging lightning had turned into a purgatory, enclosing him layer upon layer; a single wrong step would reduce him to cinder in an instant. There was nowhere left to retreat. Cassius paid no heed to the surging lightning, fixing his gaze entirely on the storm giant's eye. The storm giant's eye possessed the texture of amber, encircled by dazzling lightning and brimming with an unfathomable, terrifying power. This was no mere giant corpse; it was clearly a dreadful magical relic! It was the most direct manifestation of the storm giant's mastery over natural disasters in life, and the instrument chosen to fulfill his final prophecy—bringing about total annihilation. It was this very eye that had unleashed the terrifying spell. "Come out of there!" Cassius's muscles bulged as he strained with all his might. Right before the lightning converged to swallow him whole, he tore the eye straight out of the storm giant's socket and clamped it tightly in his claws. *Sizzle—Boom!* In an instant, the Eye of the Storm Giant resonated with the surrounding lightning, churning up a horrific vortex of electrical energy within the Weave. The red dragon convulsed violently, his flesh vaporizing. Blinding light spilled from between his claws, shining through his palm until it appeared translucent, illuminating the very skeleton within his frame. Yet he held on relentlessly, knowing that if he let go, he would meet a gruesome end, reduced to ash by the surrounding thunder and lightning. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Several breaths passed. Accompanied by the red dragon's heavy gasps, the light in his grasp began to fade. *Rumble...* In moments, the surging lightning receded like an ebbing tide, and the roiling dark clouds overhead dispersed beneath the wind. The fierce storm slammed against the cavern walls again and again, gradually losing its fury until all fell still. Everything returned to darkness and silence. Only, the once-magnificent tomb had been reduced to a ruin of shattered rock—like any cavern that had suffered a collapse, no longer bearing any trace of the ancient giant empire's lingering glory. "It's over..." Cassius exhaled a deep gust of sulfurous air. Cautiously, he opened his claw. Across his thick palm, much of the flesh was charred black, and his scales had melted into ugly, deformed lumps. Yet the red dragon cared nothing for this, his eyes brimming with anticipation and excitement. The blue amber-like "eye" lay quietly in his palm like a beautiful, translucent gem fit to adorn the gown of any noble lady. Only its faint, flickering blue glow offered any hint of the terrifying lightning from moments before and the awe-inspiring tempest that had battered him. [The storm of antiquity yields to your might.] [You have acquired legendary equipment—Eye of the Storm Sovereign] Eye of the Storm Sovereign Quality: Legendary Creator: Landeta Hurricane Argethas Description: The legendary druid and storm giant elder Landeta once gazed upon the starry expanse and deep oceans from his sky castle, seeking every mark and portent left behind by Annam. Storm giants wield the power to command the weather, altering the fates of countless beings in an instant; yet he knew all too well that intervening in many matters was ultimately in vain. Thus, Landeta buried a lifetime of treasures deep beneath the earth and sealed the cataclysmic power within his eye, quietly waiting for himself and the remnants of the empire to be covered in dust and forgotten. Of course, should any impolite intruder breach his sanctum, Landeta did not mind granting them the most absolute of deaths. "An enraged storm giant will bring about an even more total ruin. This is my final prophecy. —Landeta" Effects: Storm of Vengeance—Charged Cast Control Weather—Once per week Body of Storm Resonance: Contact deals bonus lightning damage. Stacking multiple applications grants a chance to summon lightning. Grants partial lightning immunity. Storm of Vengeance 9th-level Conjuration A churning, roiling cloud of dark vapors spreads outward from a point you can see, filling the area with lightning, thunder, and howling gales. Any creature beneath the cloud risks being deafened for a prolonged duration. Storm of Vengeance produces different effects depending on your direction: acid rain falls from the clouds, lightning strikes down, hailstones pour from above, and violent winds and freezing rain lash the area below, creating heavy obscurity. Strong winds within the area automatically disperse all magical and non-magical fog, smoke, and similar phenomena. Control Weather 8th-level Transmutation You take control of the weather conditions within a specified area for the spell's duration. You may freely alter precipitation, temperature, and wind, and spend time generating extreme conditions such as hail, thick fog, or blizzards. When the spell ends, the weather gradually returns to normal. "This..." "I can only say it's truly worthy of being a legendary druid's relic." The red dragon couldn't help widening his eyes, his pupils dilating so broadly that the deep-orange, flame-like irises within were plainly visible. An artifact. Cassius had only a single word for this item. With just the Eye of the Storm Sovereign, this life-risking gamble had paid for itself. In his past life's black market, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration for it to fetch an astronomical price of hundreds of millions of dollars. Storm of Vengeance was a noble, top-tier 9th-level spell. Without exaggeration, merely casting it could easily decide the outcome of an entire battle. Control Weather was likewise an exceptionally precious 8th-level spell, boasting tremendous versatility. Even the supplementary Body of Storm Resonance was a deadly boon in close-quarters combat. Cassius clutched the eerie blue gem tightly in his claws, terrified of losing it, understanding for the first time how the chimera must have felt when frantically scrambling to haul away its gold coins. *Crash!* Massive boulders plummeted from the vaulted ceiling, narrowly missing the red dragon's head before smashing into the floor and shattering into flying debris. Cassius looked up, only to see that the fractures across the cavern roof had grown deeper and more pronounced, spreading rapidly inward like a spiderweb. *Not good, this underground realm is about to collapse!* *Run!* The red dragon hastily beat his wings to take flight, dodging the falling boulders with difficulty. Fortunately, having enhanced his agility, he was far more nimble than an ordinary red dragon. Torn between the joy of securing the treasure and the misery of plunging into yet another mortal danger, Cassius was both pained and ecstatic.