Naturally I started with an elemental symbol and added an extra symbol of one of the unreactive alone sort before watching what happened. I used the water element to start as the gentlest and least destructive option. Mixing symbols told me what the unreactive ones did vaguely as there was some overlap in reactions when fueled. The base water symbol caused water drops to form on the coin but adding three separate symbols all caused the waters volume to increase even if by differing amounts. In five cases the water coin flat out turned into mud though in once again differing ways.-
The experiments cost me a bit in bone to conduct but I managed to roughly isolate the three types of symbol. The first was the base symbols that were, well the base of all the effects. These were the elemental symbols along with the ones I found out were darkness and light. Then there was the effect symbols that changed how the base symbols worked when given energy. Finally was the adjective symbols that further refined the effects that the effect symbols caused. The final result was at the moment simple symbol sentences like "water flow soft" that created a gentle but continuous flow of water.-
A simple sentence but one that had an effect not unlike standard enchantment but more raw. Naturally I created a false "body" like that of the scorpion monsters and put on all the runes in the pattern I had marked down before powering it to see what it did. I almost fucking died when I did. The moment I added the power source the false body immediately locked onto the nearest source of "divine" energy, me, and proceeded to try and assimilate it. -
Considering the "divine" energy in question was the falna literally attached to my soul I was practically having my soul ripped out by the fucking thing. Thank gods I only used a level one cursed stone to fuel the thing or I might not have survived before it took my soul. I cursed the dungeon for at least ten minutes after that for making such a thing as I finally figured out why this thing was so special to it. It was the gods damned prototype for the Antares ancient calamity monster. I'm not sure WHY the dungeon would try and create such a thing but clearly it stopped after the original Antares didn't work out.-
That said even making the fucking thing must have taken it a lot of time and effort so it refused to allow it's "research" to vanish entirely. Still I carefully began to strip away symbols one by one testing how they played a part in the whole until I could faithfully understand the entirety of the "enchantment". Still at least I figured out why my cursed energy was so excited by the symbols if nothing else. The language was a blasphemous attempt at creating a "divine" language counter to the gods by the dungeon.-
If mana was the orthodox path to godhood my cursed energy was the blasphemous one. A perfect fit for the language the dungeon made. An additionally pointless synergy to me however. I had hoped it might be useful for my crafting or even just my own cursed techniques but I could accomplish the same result with far less effort using my technique alone. Also the language was incomplete. It lacked the depth and width that the true divine language held or at least the part I had did. -
In theory I could use the complete language to create an imitation of the falna that ran off cursed energy but my gut told me that would end up VERY badly. I could see how too. Right now Hestia's divinity kept my cursed energy from turning me into a pure cursed spirit and thus I ended up as a Fallen but with a cursed energy powered falna that wouldn't happen. The end path would always be a cursed spirit and NOT a weak one either, definitely special grade. Best to just put that idea away in that case.-
Disappointing discoveries aside the full effect of the scorpion monsters "enchantment" inspired me to create a better version of my last resort break glass in case of emergency cursed item. I won't explain what it does though as I genuinely hoped I'd never need it and if I did then may the gods have mercy on the world. Anyways with my research done I destroyed the "products" of those experiments and locked the written language away in an indestructible box with no seams. The last thing I wanted was for this stuff to get out somehow and someone doing something REALLY stupid with it.-
Soon enough though I got a visitor that gave me something to distract me from all that.
"Alex! My dear friend I feel like I hardly see you these days!" Ptah said dramatically as he embraced me in greeting.
"Ah yeah. I've been busy what with the two ancient calamities and all that. You know how it is." I said sheepishly.
"Indubitably! I could stay away no longer however! You see I awoke just this morning in a pique of feverish inspiration! I need your marvelous prowess to bring my vision to life and thus I am here!" he said excitedly.
I raised and eyebrow at this "I'll admit I'm interested if nothing else. What do you have in mind?" I asked curiously.
"I want you to create an entire manor that's almost alive!" he said eagerly.
My jaw hit the floor and kept going at his answer.