Chapter 3: Threshold
Dragonspine, Wyrmrest Valley, Durin's Core
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Azoth muttered, tossing a handful of ingredients into a cooking pot he'd found not far from the cave.
Given his current environment, it was hardly surprising he couldn't make full use of his Tinker specialization to construct an automatic, self-regulating cauldron, or a proper potion assembly line.
Truthfully, he could have done better than a cooking pot. He'd found deposits of iron and white iron ore, along with Cor Lapis and Noctilucous Jade. The problem wasn't the material, but comprehension.
Specifically, his lack thereof.
He did not yet understand the inherent structure—the atomic and molecular composition—of the ores he worked with. This limitation was, perhaps, the greatest wall for all FMA alchemists, himself included. Alchemy, after all, operates on understanding: one cannot transmute what one does not comprehend.
The scope, precision, and complexity of a transmutation are each bound to the depth of the alchemist's knowledge.
For example, if Azoth understood the composition and principles of the soul itself, then Deconstruction and Reconstruction of it would be no more impossible than reshaping metal.
"I'll start with resistance, then work my way up to enhancements," he decided.
Equipping Slime Soul: Pyro Slime, he ignited the cauldron. "Start with [Ice Resistance]."
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Name: Azoth Paracelsus Van Hohenheim
Abilities: Tinker - Alchemy (IV) | Sage
Traits: Constant | Immortal Soul | Brand of Tzeenntch | Ice Resistance | Earth Resistance | Fire Resistance | Water Resistance | Winterman | Photosynthesis | Racer | Thermal Balance | Transhuman | Venomous | Thick Skin | Sharp Hearing | Strong Legs | Receptive Body | Natural Scent | Hunger | Iron Fist | Iron Man | Fast Reflexes | Eagle Eyes | Enhanced Agility | Enhanced Strength | Enhanced Endurance | Enhanced Stamina | Enhanced Vitality | Half-Light |
Items: Idiot's Guide to Father's Philosophy | Idiot's Guide to Take Over Magic
Curses: Nightwalker (18) | Brand of Sacrifice (19) | Loner (2)
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Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
Rebis' could barely keep his focus on the screen. Every hair on his body stood on ends, and his breath came out ragged and shallow.
RUN! KNEEL! RUN! KNEEL!
The instant he acquired the [Half-Light] trait, his body had followed instinct automatically, leaping toward the cavern entrance. Logic and reasoning seemed secondary, overwritten by the overwhelming drive to move, to survive, to submit. The rational part of his mind began collapsing beneath the weight of raw, primal instinct.
What complicated matters further was the Geovishap Hatchling's Soul within him recognizing that the heart and power before him belonged to a true dragon. The instinct to kneel and flee created mixed signals, contradictory impulses fighting for dominance. And yet, paradoxically, it was this conflict that allowed him to maintain a shred of coherent thought.
[Sage]….it should help.
Activating the ability, Rebis relied on its reasoning boosting capabilities to override the instinctive surge. The instinct was still there, an ever-present undercurrent, but now he could isolate it, analyze it, and keep it from dominating his actions. The heightened awareness of his primal drive became a tool, not a master. He realized he had allowed himself to get caught up in a Tinker fugue, letting fascination and momentum take control.
His eyes drifted across the cavern.
Empty vials made of ice lined the edges, each containing petals harvested from Cryo and Pyro Whopperflowers, their nectar carefully preserved in separate containers. Other vials held blood, fur, and body parts from animals: Boars, Snow Foxes, Snow Finches, Silkwhite Falcons, Cranes, Weasels. A bisected snake lay with its stripped scales and skin, and a small box of ice contained the cut scales of the Geo Geovishap. Fish he couldn't identify, each with unique features, were preserved alongside plants and herbs: Jueyun Chili, Mist Flower Corolla, a few petals from the Flaming Flower Stamen, Lotus Heads, and even slime condensate.
All of this had fueled his curiosity, carried him away in a flurry of experimentation, guzzling potions with little concern for their effects.
"I suppose that's something else to add to the list," Azoth muttered, walking back to the cauldron, hand on his chin. His instincts were easily ignored now. "A test subject. Perhaps Sucrose?"
He recalled her character page. She had a deep interest in Bio-Alchemy, a field he now excelled in, given the Traits he'd granted himself, alongside his knowledge of human transmutation, chimera creation, and similar experimentation.
More than that—
"She has… peculiar preferences," he remembered. "Even I wouldn't keep a Hilichurl bone on hand…" His gaze swept across the chaotic array of materials strewn about the cavern. On second thought, maybe great minds do think alike.
"Still, Sucrose is impossible to recruit for now, perhaps forever. But there's a lady who gives a quest during the game to collect equipment in Dragonspine… I wonder if the Traveler completed it…" Azoth sat before the cauldron, trying to recall the details of her location before shaking his head.
Forget it. He would find her soon enough. For now, there were more pressing matters.
One last potion remained to be crafted.
Azoth's gaze shifted between the Geovishap's body parts, Durin's crystalline heart, and the principles outlined in his Tinker Alchemy Ability.
Physical Traits.
If asked what constituted Physical Traits, his answer would be straightforward: body-based, biological, and physiological attributes that enhance, modify, or augment the user's physical form or performance. Traits achievable, in principle, through alchemy, chemistry, genetic manipulation, or bio-alchemical transmutation, without requiring direct manipulation of the soul.
The Traits he'd acquired were fundamentally corporeal. They could be gained through potions, elixirs, grafts, nanite infusions, or bio-alchemical transformations, independent of metaphysical intervention.
Tinker Alchemy allowed him to grant Traits, and even Races or Species could count as Physical to an extent. Normal wildlife was simple. He could have become a wolf-Demihuman—adopting their strength, instincts, ears, and tails—but he had deliberately held back. His goal was to become a Dragon.
This, however, was different from assuming a Demihuman form. Mystical or magically aligned beings were more than just physically "Dragons" or "Kitsunes." Their spiritual signature, their soul pattern, was fundamentally different, not just their physical form. A useful comparison is Hollows from Bleach having a Reiryoku pattern distinct from Shinigami and Humans, making them easily distinguishable.
Tinker Alchemy couldn't alter the spiritual pattern. That was precisely why he had chosen Take Over magic. It complemented the limitation, allowing complete alteration of the soul's nature. Take Over—Beast Soul, Animal Soul, Machine Soul, God Soul—each reshaped the soul to match a specific template.
And the Vishap Soul was draconic. Lore held that Vishaps had served the Seven Dragon Sovereigns who ruled the world before the descent of the Heavenly Principles. Over time, they could evolve into True Dragons. Azdaha was a prime example: an Earth Dragon Sovereign, an ancient Geovishap ancestor.
What would happen if he changed the soul's nature with Take Over, then consumed a potion designed to physically transform the race? With both soul and body aligned to draconic nature, what would be the result?
"Is this how Mahito felt during his research on the interaction between soul and body?" Azoth didn't linger on the thought. Action was required.
Vishap Soul: Geovishap Hatchling.
Blonde hair darkened to brown, eyes shifted to amber reminiscent of Cor Lapis. Brown scales spread along his arms, forming sharp, amber claws. A club-like tail sprouted, tipped with amber, and a single small horn jutted from his forehead.
Immediately, the instinct he had been suppressing surged again. The urge to submit clawed at his mind, yet Sage kept him grounded.
Azoth frowned, clicking his tongue in mild irritation. Ignoring instinct, he focused on the final potion.
He reached for the pulsating, crystalline heart. With precision, he cracked it open.
Crack!
Crimson liquid spilled, yet before it could touch the ground, he conjured a bucket from ice, catching the blood and crystalline fragments. Once fully drained, he returned to the cauldron, adding the cut-up carcass of the Geovishap hatchling.
…
…
…
"How ominous," Azoth murmured, holding up the deep purple liquid, twirling the ice vial. Without hesitation, he downed the potion.
++++
A/N: "Always be yourself unless you can be a dragon; then always be a dragon."—Truer words have never been said. Also a definitely not relevant question, if you have to choose between an ability that extends anything—life, healing, potion effects etc—at the cost of using energy to keep the extension, or an ability that no-says violence (a pacifist domain) in a radius and consistency that depends on energy, what ability would you choose?
There's definitely not an ulterior motive for the question.
[Ice Resistance]
|Rare Trait|
You are naturally resistant to ice and ice-based attacks and effects such as being frozen, being in low-temperature environments, or eating a large icicle to the face. This resistance scales with your basic stats.
[Earth Resistance]
|Rare Trait|
You are naturally resistant to Earth and earth-based attacks and effects such as being stuck in quicksand, being buffeted by a sandstorm, or being struck by a meteor. No, metal does not count. This resistance scales with your basic stats.
[Fire Resistance]
|Rare Trait|
You are naturally resistant to fire and fire-based effects and attacks, such as being set on fire, high temperature environments, or being hit by fireballs. This resistance scales with your basic stats.
[Water Resistance]
|Rare Trait|
You are naturally resistant to water and water-based effects and attacks, such as being struck by water canons, being placed under depth pressure, your lungs being filled with water or getting water spat in your eye. This resistance scales with your basic stats.
[Winterman]
|Uncommon Trait|
You were born in the harsh winter winds, you are more resistant to cold and ice-based abilities, and your ice-based abilities cost less energy to use.
[Photosynthesis]
|Rare Trait|
Who cares about food or breathing? Natural sunlight is all you need in this life. You regenerate energy faster under sunlight and when under the sun you also feel satiated and don't need to breathe as your body can function off sunlight alone. Water is still needed though.
[Racer]
|Rare Trait|
"It was originally going to be -ist". You possess greatly increased agility, allowing you to move considerably faster with your body and increasing your reflexes and coordination to match.
[Thermal Balance]
|Rare Trait|
You are always thermally balanced to be at a comfortable temperature, as long as the temperature isn't hotter than 1000°C or colder than -100°C your body will always keep an optimal body temperature.
[Transhuman]
|Rare Trait|
You are a transhuman... or whatever race you are, genetic and mechanical augments work very well with you. You suffer no penalty for changing your race or installing cybernetic implants. Change your body however you'd like, it was meant to be changed anyway.
[Venomous]
|Uncommon Trait|
You are venomous, and your bite contains paralyzing venom. The power of the paralysis scales with your physical abilities.
[Thick Skin]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your skin is way denser and tougher than the average person's, and it is very smooth and nice to touch. This toughness scales with your physical stats, being able to serve as natural armor at higher levels.
[Tough Skin]
|Uncommon Trait|
YOu have abnormally tough skin, enhancing your durability beyond the norm.
[Sharp Hearing]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your sense of hearing is far beyond the norm. You can distinguish many quieter sounds, you are able to differentiate between sounds much easier, and automatically adjust your hearing depending on the sound of the noise. Ingredients: Deer
[Strong Legs]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your legs are stronger and tougher than average, slightly enhancing your speed and increasing the power behind your kicks substantially.
[Receptive Body]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your body is incredibly receptive and open to change without getting damaged and curbing negative side effects. Healing is more effective on you and you are less likely to suffer from negative effects from changes like super soldier serum or abilities that cause physical instability.
[Natural Scent]
|Uncommon Trait|
Upgrade of Perfumer - You smell really good, even your sweat does, and your natural body odor is like perfume that most people like. You never have to worry about smelling bad ever again.
[Iron Fist]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your fists are like iron, enhancing the power behind your unarmed strikes and fist-type abilities.
[Iron Man]
|Uncommon Trait|
You are unusually tolerant, you can sleep under horrible conditions, endure strain far better, and push through wounds and exhaustion more easily. Overall, you are very hardy and enduring.
[Hunger]
|Uncommon Trait|
You recover energy and health slightly faster by eating food; the more nutritious the food you eat, the better the recovery.
[Fast Reflexes]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your reflexes are beyond the norm, even as a base human you can weave around the average man's punches with ease and you can even aim dodge guns with training. Scales with your stats.
[Eagle Eyes]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your sense of sight and visual acuity are far beyond the norm, you can see a lot farther and a lot more clearly than the average person.
[Enhanced Agility]
|Uncommon Trait|
Enhances the user's existing agility, augmenting their speed and reflexes.
[Enhanced Endurance]
|Uncommon Trait|
Enhances the user's existing endurance, allowing them to function for longer before getting tired and enduring more punishment.
[Enhanced Stamina]
|Uncommon Trait|
You have inordinate amounts of stamina, always relative to your current status, so if you were a human with inordinate stamina and became a dragon you would be a dragon with inordinate stamina.
[Enhanced Strength]
|Uncommon Trait|
Enhances the user's existing strength, increasing the physical force they can exert proportional to their own strength.
[Enhanced Vitality]
|Uncommon Trait|
Enhances the user's existing vitality, allowing them to recover from wounds and afflictions quicker and making them more healthy overall.
[Half Light]
|Uncommon Trait|
Disco Elysium - You are unnaturally attuned to your baser instincts, fight, flight and fuck to the point where you can almost hear your instincts speaking to your ear. Honing this sense can help you in combat, gauge the strength of others, know when to run, etc. but on the other side, if you cannot learn to control this side of yourself you can just as easily become a paranoid savage.