Fuck!
Even though Tris had anticipated from the start that the basilisk might not be all that obedient, he was still furious when it actually lunged down to bite him.
Why the hell?
Why could that noseless bastard control it, but he couldn't? Did his Parseltongue have an accent?
Frustrated though he was, once the fight began, Tris didn't hesitate. The instant the basilisk snapped down, his body became a mass of shadow and melted into the floor, leaving its jaws to close on empty air.
Shadow Form, another branch of Shadow Magic, could turn the body into shadow to evade most physical attacks. Its drawbacks were that it did nothing against magical attacks, and no other magic could be used while in shadow form.
It was practically useless in battles between wizards, and only moderately effective against magical creatures capable of energy attacks. It was mostly good for bullying ordinary people or briefly evading certain attacks.
The basilisk bit down, but didn't feel the expected morsel in its mouth. Lacking intelligence, it had no idea what had happened, though it could at least understand that it hadn't caught its food.
Its yellow-green eyes opened and searched the surroundings for Tris. Its memories from its long life told it that any creature it looked at would become food that no longer moved.
Tris left Shadow Form as soon as he had evaded its jaws. Shadow Form offered no protection against the basilisk's instant-death gaze, and would prevent him from using other magic.
The moment he reappeared, the basilisk looked straight at him.
The shimmering yellow light covering his body trembled violently, but showed no sign of weakening or disappearing.
That was the satisfying effectiveness of a spell designed for a specific purpose.
Tris grinned smugly. With a slide of his