Runic candles illuminated a forge room where Rune Metallicum stood. His silver hair made him appear like an old man hunched over a table scattered with stones chiseled with unimbued runes, assorted metals, and this strange new material.
One of these strange substances, which he had previously channeled magic into, causing it to pulse with life, was placed in the center of his table. It was amorphous, yet there was a coil to its movements as if something deep inside was waiting to strike.
A living creature that responded only when it was fed magic.
Rune watched as it bubbled and shifted toward the runic candles far beyond its reach. The movement wasn't random. It swayed and undulated as if it was tasting the air before slowly angling toward the nearest source. It didn't respond to any of the other runes he'd tested.
Tater, earth, strengthening- none of them ignited the attraction it held toward the candles.
Frowning, he grabbed two runic candles and held them at separate distances. The creature's surface rippled in waves before sliding toward the closer one. At an equal distance, it stretched long and narrow, splitting as if it wanted both but couldn't decide.
In a forge full of nothing but metal and stone, curiosity struck him. He set one candle down and slowly moved the other closer on the table. The creature's body flattened low, ripples flowing along its length, before it lunged and coiled around the candle.
Rune jerked his hand away and stepped back as the flame doubled in size, growing to the size of his fist but no larger. It maintained a steady, stronger flame.
"My beard! It amplifies the rune it has an affinity to!"
Grinning, he felt thrilled by the discovery. He reached for the material to pry it off, only to frown when his fingers brushed its surface and found it as hard as stone. No longer soft and gelatinous.
"Goin' to play hard to get, aye?"
He picked up the runic candle and hurled it to the ground. Runic candles were purposely made to be soft and breakable in case of an accident. Instead, it bounced harmlessly and the flame licked the stone floor.
"Eh?" he muttered, picking it up from the scorched stone and studying it.
"Magic is your food, aye? Then let's take that away."
Exactly as he said, he concentrated, drawing the remaining magic from the rune through the creature. Instantly, it slackened and Rune plucked it and dropped it to the floor.
A faint hollow whine escaped it.
"Hm?" Rune tilted his head at the sound. "Are you upset?"
He placed the creature back on the table where it stirred again, waves returning to its "skin" as it stretched toward the other runic candle.
After a moment's thought, he channeled flame magic from his palm toward it. The creature froze, swaying in place before suddenly striking with blinding speed.
"Ah! Fuck!"
It morphed up his hand and arm, making him panic and swing wildly. His unintended strike shattered the iron table clean in half, scattering its contents across the floor. He froze, staring at the creature now covering his arm.
It had stopped spreading, enveloping his arm up to his elbow and shimmering vibrantly in shades of red, but there was no pain.
Breathing heavily from the shock, he slowly calmed himself. His free hand touched the creature. It was warm but did not burn him. His gaze darted to the broken table, noting the scorch marks where it had been struck.
'Magic... Stop channeling magic!'
The moment he cut the flow, the vibrant shades dulled, returning to slow pulsing waves of dull red. The creature loosened, accompanied by that same faint, metallic whine.
Rune flexed his fingers, watching it shift to keep his hand covered. Gently plucking at it, he realized he could easily remove it if he wanted to now.
"I can't grab my tools like this, it's too-"
Before he finished, the creature slid off his hand and up his arm, now covering his wrist up to his mid-upper arm, giving another questioning whine.
"You understand me?"
It whined again, hollow, but confirming.
"You're living… and as hard as any metal when I give you mana. Living metal that moves and shapes itself to magic or purpose…"
With that, he officially named it Metallum Animatum, or Living Metal.
A creature that absorbed mana and strengthened itself accordingly. One that could only enhance the affinity attribute it possessed, turning soft objects into hard metal, or harder still.
He removed the creature despite its protests, stunned at the implications.
"How terrified would they be, the dragons and Primordials, to know you could harm them…"
'The right materials, the right amount of mana… this could harm, or even kill, a dragon or Primordial,' he thought. 'This is far more valuable than that bug shite we were given before. What else lies beyond our world…?'
His mind buzzed with excitement. Their intelligence seemed low, perfect for enhancing tools and machinery. But their combat potential… frightening. Their growth potential… unknown.
Could they grow stronger over time? Would excess mana make them more durable? Would consuming them enhance a dwarf's abilities or would that simply kill a dwarf?
Experimentation was needed.
"Rune!"
The angry voice made Rune's excitement fade and his expression returned to its usual grouchy deadpan look.
"Where are my results?!"
It irked him.
He knew he was better than Glacies but his lineage and ties to the Primordials kept him in check. But now, after the memory of their recent visit where the Queen Celeste openly questioned Glacies's abilities, he smirked.
"Maybe…"
"RUNE!"
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"Interesting." Atlas paused his decision to observe Rune Metallicum's work. "This is a more adaptable version of rune magic. The problem, however, is that they are too sentient to be used like simple runes."
"The mana in that Runic Candle did not fade. Somehow, the creature synergized with it and kept both itself and the flame alive."
"Magical immortality," Atlas tilted his head. "Some of the structures and creatures on the planet we conquered appear to be older than the Weaver's control. I'm intrigued as to how the Weaver controlled them, honestly."
"More than likely like Weaver Xag. Some creatures have the innate compulsion to obey those of their kind that are stronger, or have a trait that marks them as the leader."
Atlas fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough. Hopefully Rune can mimic that."
"For now…" Atlas returned his CDIM view to his newly conquered world. "I think we need diversity. I only have biological creatures."
"Shall we spare this world and its last inhabitants then, Weaver Atlas?"