Bloodfeud (The Scarlet Star Trilogy Book 3) (61 page)

Rushers experience unstoppable savagery, as well as an increased sensitivity to noise.

An incredibly strong hunting instinct. With overuse, this shade can cause antisocial and violent tendencies.

A very hard shade to stomach. Results in armoured skin in most cases, however it can result in thick and unsightly calluses.

Increased awareness of nearby creatures. It can make a rusher skittish and nervous even when not rushing.

Rushers using this shade can carry huge loads with no trouble. Skin can become greyer with use.

Gives the rusher strength, ferocity, toughness and increased stamina. Major disadvantage is fearlessness.

Hearing becomes incredibly sensitive. For weaker rushers, this can cause temporary deafness or tinnitus.

Sense of smell is increased to outstanding levels.

Sense of balance and agility is heightened. Rushers have been reported to experience furballs.

Heightened reactions and sense of danger, verging on the precognitive.

Increased strength and the gift of very strong jaws. Unfortunately, use of this shade can result in a complete loss of libido.

Makes a rusher more sociable, and expands the vocal repertoire. Side-effects may include yellowish brown fur.

Enhanced climbing skills and reactions. This shade will cause excessive body hair with overuse.

Gives a rusher faintly striped skin and therefore a camouflage ability. Savage tendencies have also been recorded.

Rushers using this shade are able to withstand poisoning, and consume almost anything without harm. However, this shade can wear off unpredictably, causing trouble if digestion is not quite complete.

Causes a thin webbing to temporarily form between toes. Also gives better vision and hearing underwater. The side-effect is often permanent whiskers.

Incredible hearing, night vision and saggy patches of skin under the arms that can be used for gliding. Sometimes permanent.

This shade heightens the reactions of a rusher. With prolonged use it can cause the two front teeth to grow larger and protrude from the mouth, hence the nickname.

Heightened agility and reactions.

Gives the rusher sharp claws instead of fingernails. Can cause narcolepsy or extreme tiredness.

Another shade that produces sharp claws in rushers, as well as better night-vision. However, claws can instead manifest in the feet instead of hands, and cataracts from repeated use have also been recorded.

Known as ‘Scalebleeders’ or ‘Coldbloods’

Gifts a rusher with the ability to rattle skin to intimidate enemies. Also makes a rusher’s bite poisonous. The drawback, as with many of the reptile shades, is permanent scales.

Gives a rusher leathery armour along their back and shoulders.

This shade gifts a rusher with increased speed. Overuse can cause muscle strains, atrophy, and even permanent damage.

Rushers have the ability to siphon water out of the air in desert climates. Scales are once again a drawback.

This shade produces multiple, jagged spikes on a rusher’s shoulders, arms and back.

Rushers using this shade have enhanced climbing abilities thanks to sticky fingers.

The Komodo shade gifts a rusher with mildly poisonous saliva which, over a period of time, can debilitate an enemy. Extreme tooth decay has been recorded as a side-effect.

These shades give rushers poisonous fangs, but can cause damage to gums and lips.

Gives a rusher an air of intimidation, but can result in scaly skin and dandruff.

Enhanced strength, and slightly longer arms for reaching around enemies. Arthritis is a common side-effect of this shade.

Rushers grow tough scales instead of skin. Dermatitis has been recorded.

Rushers become incredibly stealthy. Teeth also become sharper and more numerous. This can cause gum disease as well as scales in lesser rushers.

Skin becomes reactive to colour and light, changing to adapt to surroundings. Very difficult shade to master.

Rusher’s eyes take on a very intimidating quality which is only increased by staring.

This shade gives rushers thick leathery skin and stronger teeth than normal.

Increased resistance to fire and flame. Permanent blackening of the skin can occur.

Skin becomes poisonous to the touch. Rushers can develop halitosis with prolonged use.

Rusher can grow sharp and long claws. Side-effects can include blisters, ingrown nails, and arthritis.

Gives rushers the ability to spit acid for short periods of time.

Rushers can screech at a piercing volume. Laryngitis is a very common condition associated with this shade.

This particular shade bestows the ability to swallow great volumes, and stretch mouth to incredible proportions. Can clause slack jaw.

Increases aggression.

This shade thickens the skin, turning it into leather.

This shade bestows the regeneration ability of a a newt on the rusher.

Known as ‘Blackeyes’ or ‘Greenbloods’

Increases a rusher’s overall physical attractiveness. It is recorded that this shade may shorten lifespans.

Rushers of this shade can run across water if they are fast enough.

Provides an enhanced sense of smell. Overuse can cause depression if the rusher is left alone too long.

Gives the rusher a sharp, slightly poisonous sting that protrudes from the base of the palm. Rushers of this shade can develop a nervous disposition.

Enhanced strength, yet can cause blackening of the eyes, like many other shades in this vein.

Gives a rusher the ability to snap hands together at supersonic speeds, crushing enemies. In extreme cases, rushers also develop jagged fingers. The drawbacks include broken limbs.

A rusher of this shade can shed a fine, choking dust from the skin.

This shade makes skin glow a bright yellow or green. Bleaching of the skin to a pure white or pale yellow can occur with overuse.

Sirens can screech at a piercing pitch and volume, momentarily stunning enemies or breaking glass. Snapped vocal chords may occur in lesser rushers.

This shade causes the skin to glow or flash brightly for a limited time.

Hands produce a sticky, tough silk, which can also provide enhanced climbing abilities. One common drawback is an increased hunger for flies and other insects.

Rushers are able to move in incredible, though short-lived, bursts of speed.

Causes the rusher’s fingertips to become poisonous. The drawback, even for strong rushers, is permanence, hence this shade’s nickname.

This shade causes the rusher’s body to grow one and a half times larger, and swell with muscle. It can result in dislocated shoulders and joints.

Gifts a rusher thick, armoured scales along the forearms, back and shoulders. In almost all cases, it causes a blackening of the eyes.

This shade causes thinning of the limbs and enhanced sneaking ability.

Gives a rusher the ability to sap energy from a victim or enemy. This shade should be treated with caution, as it is viciously addictive.

This particular shade can heighten a rusher’s power and ability to rush. The drawback is once again blackened eyes.

This gifts rushers with an incredibly sturdy digestive system.

Invisibility.

Increased strength and endurance.

Enhanced vision.

Immunity to fire, and marginally increased life-span.

Gives a rusher the ability to seduce or coerce people.

Rushers can breathe underwater for short periods of time.

Impenetrable skin.

Rusher becomes extremely light of foot.

This shade grants the ability to bend metal and withstand heat.

Increased strength and size.

Gives a rusher skin as tough as stone.

This shade grants a rusher the ability to see in the dark.

Rushers have the ability to temporarily transfix and stun enemies with a single look.

Rushers of this shade can fade the skin and howl in a mesmerising fashion.

Rushers can change skin and clothing to imitate almost anybody.

This shade electrifies the skin and causes it to crackle.

This shade grants rushers the ability to control and manipulate rain.

Rushers are able to manipulate fog, mist and smoke.

A very special shade that should be treated with absolute caution. Rushers can use other shades for a limited period of time, emulating a leech. Should it wear off whilst rushing a foreign shade, it can have disastrous consequences.

Rushers can shrink to less than half their size at will.

This shade turns the rusher’s skin colour into a hypnotic, ever-changing rainbow.

Rushers can growl with intimidating ferocity and volume.

A curious shade that allows rushers to understand the minds of fish and aquatic beasts.

These shades give a rusher visions of truth and the future.

This shade gives certain rushers the ability to steal and empathise another rusher’s powers, replacing their own until finding another victim.

Turns a rusher into a creature similar to a lupus itself, though decidedly more human.

Control and manipulation of fire.

TONMERION WILL RETURN…