One of my children dangled from the ceiling in front of me. Our kind should not possess such an ability, but yet, it was definitely one of my own brood. At some point, it had evolved (unbeknownst to me) and now emitted a strange, threadlike substance. It amused me for some reason.
Our kind were forged in the flames. We drape ourselves in hellfire like a cloak. Even submerged in magma, our bodies do not burn; indeed, the heat only serves to increase our speed. But we are fast even without our fire, on the ground or among the trees. With our cloaks of flame, we corner our prey before they’re even aware of our presence. That is our way.
Bemused, I beckoned my child lower.
The thread... A “web,” you say. What manner of substance is it? It doesn’t burn... Well, that’s only natural for something produced by our bodies. Have you complete control over it? I see... How fast does it fly—as fast as you run? Fast indeed, then. And you can use it to restrain your prey without them seeing you... It seems quite convenient.
As the days passed, more reports came in.
A trap? Clever... How does it work? You loop a web between two trees and make it sticky? Interesting... The prey can’t free themselves, you say? Excellent. How do you make it sticky? You melt the web with a touch of fire... I thought they were resistant to the flames. Oh, you can change the level of resistance in each web? Just a little? Still impressive, young one. And it works on nearly every creature in the forest... These “webs” appear quite beneficial. I’m pleased.
More time passed, and more of my children began producing the webs. Some had more control over it than others.
Hmm? You managed to get the web to catch fire? Well done, child. I’m impressed.
Master was, once again, spending the day at the river. I watched him from the riverbank. I found it refreshing, though I still preferred the embrace of fire.
The water flowed endlessly, propelled by Master’s magic. Because of him, it was clearer than crystal, and gentle to the touch. I returned my gaze to the water spirit—the one on which Master currently sat. I’d never seen such a clear, vibrant spirit before—yet another of Master’s creations no doubt.
Actually, many of the spirits now dwelled in the river.
Perhaps his mana has lured them in, like moths to a flame? It would appear so—they absorb his mana as it flows past. Spirits are fond of the purer types of magic, after all. Master shares so much of his mana, yet it doesn’t seem to affect him in the slightest. It shouldn’t surprise me by now, but it still does. Master’s power is immeasurable. And not only does he share his magic with the spirits, he also deigns to play with them... His heart is as vast as his powers.
Ah, the hunters have returned. Let’s see... A tortrage and a red deathfrog today. Excellent. That dire wolf has evolved too. It’s much stronger than any of the others... For now, at least. The others seem to be evolving too—as is fitting for us species chosen by Master.
Golems emerged to begin dismantling the day’s spoils. They worked quickly, but as usual, it seemed as though they’d gotten quicker yet again.
Come to think of it, I’ve seen quite a few of their kind roaming the forest lately. I wonder what they’re doing out there... Has Master granted them yet another new power?
The golems were already nearly as fast as us. They possessed myriad magical abilities and had access to Master’s limitless mana. I feared them becoming any stronger.
Ah, Master is getting out of the river. Good. It is high time for dinner.
I’d become quite fond of Master’s cooking, and I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for dinner tonight.
What is it, child? Oh, your web is tangled? I see, I see. The trick is to let your magic flow through the web as you shoot it—that will let you manipulate it at will. Look carefully now.
I let three individual webs shoot from my back, moving each in a different direction. At the same time, I shot another strand from my foreleg, moving it with the same freedom.
See?
The so-called webs were quite a fascinating tool. Figuring out how to produce them had taken some time, but once I’d mastered that, shooting and controlling them had been simple. They were useful for both attacking and defending, and I’d also started to take some pleasure in setting “traps,” a rather novel technique to our kind.
Hmm? Master seems surprised... I wonder why?