Soul Merger

Monsterpedia

Magma Drake

Monster Level - IV

Soul Type - Composite

Intelligence - Animalistic

Strength - Massive

Magic - High

Rarity - Rare

Like all drakes, magma drakes appear as slightly smaller dragons without wings and with a longer tail. Most drakes have horns and spines along the back, Drakes have composite souls and considerably less intelligence than any dragon. However their mastery over an element surpasses their intelligent cousins.

Magma drakes specifically have mastery over heat and stone. Their scales are very hard and sharp, while their body radiates searing heat from below the skin. When the beast gets angry the heat will increase, especially in their teeth and claws. That heat allows them to carve through stone and metal with ease. They can also breathe fire and heat on enemies. Delvers will need fire protection to touch the creature, and even then burns are likely. It's recommended to keep up attacks and to target the neck or the weaker scales right under the body.

These creatures only appear in volcanic environments, making them very rare in general. However in those environs they're fairly common. Drakes have many important materials, but the most commonly used ones are everflame scales, an upgrade of ever burning scales, and drake blood. Magma drake blood can be used as fire or earth essence depending on how it's prepared.

Some people avoid full protection against magma drakes heat in order to cauterize the wounds and prevent blood loss. The authors suggest that planning to get hit is a bad strategy. And in general deep burns are not an improvement over bleeding.

Merge

Common Name : Drake person (for any drake)

Benefits : Scales, fire protection, flame strikes

Weaknesses : Heat. Cold blood

Drake merges can be distinguished from dragon merges because instead of horns they nearly universally get tails. Magma drake merges also get a scattering of the smoldering dark scales that drakes possess. These scales might be harder than dragonscale. They also have an incredible resistance to heat, and their fire magic is massively improved. Magma Drake merges find fire spells and techniques come very easily. Some didn't even need special weapons to use flame techniques.

The downside of this power is that magma drake merges can't really control their inner flame. They're always hot to the touch, sometimes painfully so. And they really can't stand the cold, needing to keep warm to avoid fatigue. In hot conditions they're the equal of a dragon merge. In cold climates they need to bundle up and nurse hot liquids.

Despite these downsides magma drake merges are common for upper middle class people who live and work around volcanoes. Capturing a drake for a merge is much cheaper than getting a dragon in, and the composite soul means few people have moral issues with killing the beasts.

Testing has confirmed the changes to a drake gives them something quite like cold blood. While that means it'll be hard to roll out of bed on chilly mornings, it also actually gives them a greater resistance to hypothermia. A strong cup of hot chocolate will clean out any winter chill for a drake merge.