The air in the dimly lit room was thick with the smell of herbs and potions, R'hazul's laboratory was a place where only the bravest dared to venture. Or the ignorant. He was hunched over a body, his eyes scanning the corpse with a meticulousness that was almost frightening. Every inch of skin, every bone, every organ was scrutinised with a surgeon's precision. The man was so still, so focused, it was hard to believe he was mortal.

"Another fascinating specimen," R'hazul mused, his voice low. "It's amazing how much you can learn from the dead."

R'hazul was indeed the seeker of truth, or as some called him, the cursed one. He had delved deep into the secrets of anatomy, and had expanded his studies to include the beasts & horrors of the world. The man was a walking library of knowledge, but not without great cost. Hushed whispers in the chambers of the long-lived, claimed he had made deals with demons, that he had sacrificed many innocents in his quest for knowledge. Experimented on them, robbing them of their humanity. Some said he was a demon in human form, that he had no soul to sell and served as a gateway into this plane, an anchor that could serve any [Demon Summoner] for miles. While others claimed he saved them from near-death, in battlefields, or took them from hospitals to his own study, a saint and messenger of Sylviel, the Comforter- Sylveil was an old God, and one of the first to die. Many claims enshrouded him, and yet next to none knew his true nature.

R'hazul's eyes glinted with a strange light as he worked. He had developed a reputation for taking what he wanted among the few that still knew his true nature. He was, in truth, not above committing what some would call ‘heinous acts’ to get it. He had stolen the corpse of a God from a war he hadn't even seen and at times made enemies of entire kingdoms. But to R'hazul, nothing was more important than knowledge. To him, these petty humans, elves, undead, and short-lived had all been repeating cycles they weren't even aware of. There were hundreds before them, and there would be hundreds more after. But knowledge remained constant, ever present, and could only be improved. Nothing was more important than knowledge. Well, except maybe the collection and study of precious metals.

He left the room and turned to Evan, his current subject, and examined him with an intensity that the young man was unaware of. What to do with him? He quite enjoyed Evan's thirst for knowledge; the boy soaked it like a sponge. He paused, thinking of how his last subject of study had called him ‘evil’ and ‘depraved’ before it was consumed by a demon as currency. This one would be different, as antagonistic relationships increased the propensity for damaged data. A study that allowed Evan to live and progress would yield much better results and more varied data. The strangeness of the tentacled phenomenon had made the boy an irreplaceable element. And to be honest, this form of research was quite a novel change; having someone to teach reminded him of his earlier days after his children had just been created and spurred his desire to chase his true project, whose results were deemed both 'good' and 'evil' by others.

R'hazul had, of course, dismissed the concept of good or evil after review. 'Evil' was subjective, as was 'good', and thus unreliable as consistent data points. He had been called 'good' almost as much as he'd been called 'evil'. He had noted that gold and mineral deposits often heavily swayed the opinion on his actions towards 'good'. He was aware that his pursuit of knowledge had at times led him down paths people would describe as 'dark', and yet he would continue to follow it, undeterred.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions. His focus returned to Evan; the young man was unaware of the true nature of R'hazul, and he had no intention of revealing his secrets to the boy. To him, Evan was an interesting case study, a puzzle to be solved. He had no interest in harming or killing him, only studying him. Evan would become better and stronger, strong enough to provide good data. He would live through the process, probably.

He pondered the possibilities of the grotesque mishap that he had witnessed Evan experience. He would teach Evan to use his skills and then uncover the secret of that tentacled horror.

***

Evan examined the latest corpse had been tasked with studying, a Wyvern of flame, taking notes on its scaly skin, razor-sharp teeth, and enormous wings. "This is insane," he muttered to himself.

“Start with the pygidial gland” R'hazul crooned.

Evan nodded slowly, still taking in the enormity of the task. "Okay, I can do this. But can we start with something simple? Like, what's a pygidial gland?"

R'hazul chuckled. "That gland is what this creature uses to produce its fire-breath. Think of it like a little factory that produces highly flammable liquid, which it then ignites with a spark of chemical ignition"

Evan nodded in understanding. So this creature has its own personal inbuilt [Fireball], and some animals have natural abilities that are similar to mana driven Skills…what would happen if I reinforced the organ with mana? Evan’s list for project ‘BetterBody™’ was growing "Whoa. Okay, I think I understand. And the ‘chromatophores’? Are they like camouflage cells or something? Like a [Stealth] skill?"

“They are nothing like [Stealth]” R’hazul huffed, “and would only work on people unable to sense the mana used by skills, the beast uses it to hide its claws and natural weapons from prey, masked by its own generated mana” hmm…interesting, Evan thought as he added that to his growing list of cells to master

“And once I understand these cells, my…[Transformation], will just store the information?”

“No, not at all. That would be far too simple. You'll need to use your skill to manipulate your own DNA and cellular makeup, to trigger [Transformation] into creating a hybrid of your own body and the skill's creature's biology. It won't be easy, but I have faith in your abilities."

Evan nodded, feeling both excited and concerned at the same time. "Okay, I'm ready to give it a shot. But can I ask you something first?"

R'hazul raised an eyebrow. "Of course. What's on your mind?"

Evan gestured to the two statues in the corner of the room. “Who are those two?”

Evan found his eyes constantly drawn to the two life-like shimmering statues in the room, metals of various colours blended to make it look like they were almost breathing. He had a feeling there was more to them than met the eye. They just seemed so out of place in the laboratory.

R'hazul's expression softened. "Those are my children.

R'hazul' stood in his laboratory, spurred by Evans question, his chest swelling with pride as he gazed upon his greatest creations, his homunculi, his children. These were not ordinary homunculi; they were masterpieces, a masterful combination of metal and magic, imbued with his essence, encased in layers of mostly human tissue & flesh, some his own, and crafted from rare metals, their true metallic skin, bones, and organs hidden beneath the flesh. R'hazul' had poured all his artistry and expertise into their creation, and it showed.

The process of their creation was complex and took many years. He remembered the process of their creation vividly; the excitement, the anticipation, and the disappointment. R'hazul had attempted to give them both five skills, but his first attempts had been a complete failure. However, this failure had created his greatest success, his magnum opus. They had multiple skills within them that had merged on their creation, resulting in less skills than R'hazul had intended. One of them had two skills, while the other only had one. At first, he had been devastated, until he saw what they could do.

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Each one was slightly different, a result of R'hazul's experimentation with his [Imbue Life] skill. They moved with an almost balletic grace, their metallic limbs, joints, and muscles hidden beneath flesh, seamlessly moving in a way that was almost surgical. When they spoke, their voices had an additional ethereal quality to them, a strange mix of metal and magic, much like his.

They were still young, still children, with the appearance of adults he had designed. TTo him, the first homunculus he had created was a being of wondrous complexity, although her skills had led to some... eccentricities.

The first child, whom he named Esmeralda, or Esme for short, had the skills of [Dimensional Travel] and [Summoning], spawned from a mix of the [Celestial Transmutation] skill, and several others. She could travel between different dimensions and summon a single being from the dimension she visited as her sole and only permanent familiar. Having visited so many cultures that it had influenced her personality, each one had left an indelible mark on her. She was a strange combination of brilliance and naivete. He would always find her dressed in strange clothes, sharing strange stories with her familiar, and always using strange phrases. Her skills, and [Skills] were extraordinary, and her exploits were as strange to him as they were impressive. From aiding a foreign dragon in reclaiming its lost horde, to helping a group of barbarians in a different dimension conquer lands, she and her familiar had visited the strangest of worlds. To him Esme was extremely adventurous.

The second child, had named himself, he chose the name Gideon, and possessed the single skill of [Omni-sense], the ability to perceive and process all forms of sensory information. This homunculus was the more powerful of the two, almost unbeatable in his ability to process information from across the world, across timelines, and even across planes of existence; he had no weakness, he would see it coming. He was a mystery, at times, sometimes speaking in riddles and remaining aloof, watching them all with a sense of detached interest, and other times intently keeping an eye on his older sibling, intrigued by her travels and curious about what she might uncover in her adventures. He had been the ultimate spy, gathering information from across the world and beyond. He had seen the rise and fall of empires and had witnessed the births & deaths of celestials. And yet, he was still a child.

He had also developed a penchant for manipulating events to cause misfortune or death to befall individuals with strong fates and destinies. His ability to see and know anything he wanted had given him a longing for disorder, and witnessing madness. At times he could be described as evil. Which would have concerned R'hazul if he had any true understanding of the word.

Still, he was fascinated by their inhuman eccentricities, their ability to perceive the world in ways that he could not even begin to imagine. They had helped R'hazul uncover a few hidden secrets, from the depths of the earth to the further reaches of the cosmos.

Each of his children were more than mere works of artifice, but rather sentient beings, The combination had somehow imbued them with true intelligence, true sapience, so they could think and learn like any mortal. He had felt a sense of awe and wonder. They were living, ‘breathing’ creatures that he had brought into existence. If only he was able to recreate this phenomenon. He knew he was close.

Despite their differences, the homunculi shared a deep bond with their creator, one that was both loving and complicated. R'hazul' saw them as his greatest achievements, his magnum opus. They were a testament to his skill and ingenuity, his ability to create something truly magnificent from the simplest of beginnings. A single step into the capabilities of the gods. He would forever feel a sense of pride in them and himself. They were his children, his legacy, and he knew that they would continue to amaze and astound him for years to come.

***

Evan's eyes widened as R'hazul slapped the charred corpse of the hulking creature onto the desk in front of him. He leaned forward, looking over the beast's smoldering scales, and took a deep breath. The scent of burnt flesh and singed hair hung thick in the air. Evan coughed and waved his hand in front of his face, trying to clear the smoke.

“Wha…what is it?” Evan stammered.

R'hazul’s eyes gleamed as he looked down at the creature, studying it intently. “Close to a dragon, but not quite. let's call it a charred Wyrm… Wyvern.”

Evan nodded, trying to keep up. Although that pause was odd. “A Wyrm-Wyvern… so it’s like a… giant serpent?”

R'hazul’s lips twitched in a small smile. “You could say that. It’s a distant cousin of the dragon, but with some… interesting differences.”

Evan leaned in closer, his eyes alight with curiosity. “Like what?”

R'hazul’s smile widened. “Ah, that’s what I want you to discover. I expect you to be able to understand its biology by the end of the day, and transform yourself to be able to use at least one of its abilities by the end of the week.”

Evan’s jaw dropped. “The end of the week? That’s… that’s impossible.”

"Surely not," R'hazul replied, his voice dry and almost amused. "Greater things have been done in shorter time"

By the end of the week? …But it's Friday!? He groaned internally.

"You're a talented young man," R'hazul said simply. "I have faith in you."

Evan deadpanned. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered under his breath.

R'hazul raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Evan shook his head. "No, it's just...I'm not sure where to start. This thing is like nothing you've shown me so far, like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like trying to study a chimera and a kraken at the same time."

R'hazul nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes, it's a complex creature. But I have faith in your abilities. Remember, you have until the end of the week."

Sighing, Evan straightened, taking a good look at the smoking cadaver. "Alright, I'll get to work. But can you help me out a bit? Maybe give me a starting point?"

R'hazul smirked. "I could give you a starting point, but where's the fun in that? Besides, part of your training is learning to figure things out for yourself. I'll be around for a couple of hours, if you need me, then I'm heading off for a few days on a task. But for now, the creature is all yours."

Evan scowled. "Thanks for nothing," he muttered as R'hazul walked away, leaving him alone with the massive corpse.

He examined the creature closely, noting its bone density, the arrangement of its organs, and the structure of its scales. Placing his hands on the corpse, wincing at the heat, he delved into his heart, the endlessly burning core of violence that made [Flesh Smith] possible. As his mana flared, dark flames of mana spread, and the skin of his scarred chest changed colour. His consciousness delved into the creature.

This corpse had… insanely tough bones, almost as strong as combined metals, unbelievable muscle density & cells and all manner of natural advancements that would put most warriors to shame. He sensed the age of cell repetition, and they were older than any wyrm had a right to be. Natural flight, and the ability to… naturally create several different elements, had large wings and ...spit fire. Evan paused.

"Hold up. Is this a dragon corpse? An actual dragon?"

Evan got to work.

***

As R'hazul prepared to leave he paused, glanced at the boy’s progress, observed him attempting to shift into a draconian hybrid, and smiled. He believed any secrets Evan naively thought he held from him were beneath him, save for the sight he saw when they first met. A draconian type transformation skill was unheard of. He looked forward to discovering the species Evan’s skill was aligned to. Finally done with he preparations, he left, thinking of his one true goal, centred on skills.

Personally, he had still not yet discovered a work-around to having an endless amount of skills, or even more than just two; like the rest of the world.

He knew he had found something much better.

By combining his [Imbue life] skill with his study of rare minerals, anatomy, and mana, anything he imbued with life, he found he could grant a single skill of any preserved corpse he had in his possession. And he had many corpses. This only seemed to work if the object he imbued with life managed to gain true sentience.

No new races had been made since the end of the gods, and true sentience was deemed an impossible task, save for the undead, who were still limited to the skills they had in life. And Although his weapons and armour were alive, they were less than animals, and could not hold skills.

His children though, were a completely different story.

His children were proof of his superiority, miracles, each imbued with skills and abilities that far exceeded those of any mortal.

And one day, he would make many more.

He had absolutely no interest in [Teleportation], he could already fly, and a [Transformation] skill that turned you into a dragon was useless, because he already was one.

***

R'hazul took a step forward, his pointed ears twitching as he studied Evan. He wondered what kind of person would willingly subject themselves to magical experimentation. Evan was different; that was certain.

"Oh, I see you've made quite some progress," R'hazul said, nodding approvingly. "What have you discovered?"