Running up the stairs as the beast lets out another roar… maybe flipping random switches isn’t a good idea… But it was just so darn flappable.

Immediately after I flipped the switch with my foot a side of the wall opened up. At first I was interested in finding out where it went. Then a loud roar echoed from the side chamber and a beast walked out. The thing had the head of a lion and the back half of a chicken lizard? I’m not really sure exactly. Usually, it wouldn’t be much of a fight… but I also have to distract it from not eating the other two and I’m still armless. I’d also prefer to take it alive to study later.

“This way you chimera thing?!” trying to draw its attention again from the others that are stopped still. I can tell it’s started to get annoyed by me since it keeps pouncing towards me instead of Zig or the father… I suppose I could feed it one of the unconcious priests they are less important. Thankfully I had Edward raise my mask before they left. I let off a screech at it. It mewls in pain backing off slightly.

“Ha don’t like that do you?” I let out another higher pitch screech. I don’t have much control over specific frequencies, but I can at least control higher or lower pitch thanks to propagation of the waves. I just keep increasing the frequency until it can’t handle it anymore.

“Rawweow” It starts trying to cover its ears with its paws cutting into its own head as its claws are sharper than it’s own hide can handle. Shredding at its own face to stop the pain. Obviously, the maker of this thing didn’t put that much thought into it. The thing can’t even retract it’s claws. It also seems like it’s mind is a bit wrong, likely mixed like Zig’s rather than only one of them.

With its eyes shut and it’s whimpering I come up and give it a swift kick to the head finally helping it along to unconsciousness.

“There you go. I’ll be sure to study you later. Hopefully I learn something that’ll help Zig.” Looking over at him he seems to be calmed down fully now. A look of deep concentration on his face and frustration while tightly closing his eyes. It also looks like he can’t rehinge his jaw with just his mouth either, it’s just shifting back and forth with his tongue lolling out.

With nothing better to do I check my status

Name: Jiang Du

Titles: Prodigy, Bookworm

Age: 16

Carried over skills: Rebirth, Mindscape, Unseen Eye, Treatment+

Health status 60/100

Afflictions: Sleep deprivation, Disarmed, Eyeless, Slight starvation

Inventory: First Aid kit, Custom Firearm, Chunk of gold

Current skills

Reading lvl 99 (Inborn skill) Chi manipulation lvl 49 Disease resistance lvl 99 Poison Resistance lvl 85 Engineering lvl 74 Metabolism lvl 18 Empty

Attributes: 0 points

Strength: 10

Speed: 10

Endurance: 11

Resilience: 10

Thought speed: 10

Perception: 10

Hmm the only skill that’s leveling much is Unseen Eye, but even then that’s only gotten to lvl 90. Most of my other skills are all stuck at bottle necks, or I can’t use them because I can’t use my hands. I’ll need Edward to show me to that automail mechanic of his after this. Seeing his arm in action I have high hopes. Maybe this part of the country is full of bumpkins and further in is an advanced society beyond what even I’m used to? The way his arm moved, not to mention his brother who was just an empty suit. Maybe they infuse Chi into an object with a spirit or something? I have no idea how this world works. I’ll need to check what I learn here in the next world to make sure it’s all applicable.

While mentally going though different things I notice a missed notification. I idly mentally click on it while thinking of other things.

New Chain Story Quest: Destroy Homunculi 1

Interesting, I apparently received the quest back in the rally after feeling the sickening Chi. I suppose that’s a hint towards what to do with it. I’ll need to figure out specifics later. For now though I should spend my skill fusion. I’ve considered several options… I feel like poison resistance and disease resistance would make a great combination. It would also probably be good for future worlds. Alternatively, reading and engineering sound promising together. That at least sounds like something more immediately useful may come from it. Whereas with the two resistances it would probably just combine the effects into one skill.

Since reading is lvl 99 and engineering is 74 it will also get over the level 75 hurdle right away. Meaning I’d immediately have a lot of abilities unlocked for it.

Worst case scenario I just pick up engineering again, reading is nice but not really necessary.

Skill fusion selected; two skills will be combined of your choice. Select skills now

Now that I have two already fused skills, I first select mindscape. Just like before nothing is highlighted. Hmm so I can’t just combine two already combined skills. There must be some sort of criteria. I wonder if the first selected skill vs second has any effect on the resulting skill?

First selected skill: reading lvl 99

Second selected skill: Engineering lvl 74

….

searching intents… Normal synergy detected.

Combined skill: Analyze level: 86

Description: Process and understand information 4% per level faster.

Lvl 25: You may learn the contents of an object you touch at a rate of your reading ability.

Lvl 50: Automatically add blueprints of touched objects to mental library. Duration of touch required for blueprint copy increases based on complexity and understanding of the subject.

Lvl 75: Learn the molecular composition of objects touched. Duration of touch required for molecular composition copy increases based on complexity and understanding of the chemical makeup of the object.

Interesting… I can definitely see how this will be useful in the future. I need to copy the designs for a lot of rudimentary technology while I can so that I can for future worlds, so I don’t have to go through the dark ages again. It’ll also help with learning other technology in other worlds. This just became my thirds best skill… why is it only a normal synergy rather than special or anything else like the last two?

Now how do I use this… I walk over to the chimera and put my shoe on it. I close my eyes and turn off unseen eye for a moment. Spending all of my concentration on learning about what I’m touching. All I get is the design for my socks and clothes on other parts of my body. Well… looks like I’ll need to touch it directly. I lean over and press my face against its fur.

It takes a while, but it starts with the makeup of the fur… I knew melanin came in different types that were found in different quantities in order to account for the hue of the follicles, but I never learned their chemical structure. It’s interesting to learn but not particularly useful. I might be able to help someone with baldness? Something to consider for the future I guess.

Waiting for a longer amount of time I start feeling the chemical composition of its skin. It’s a little different from what I remember of a human skin. It’s much thicker and there are cancerous growths spread throughout it’s hide. Likely from the failed attempt at making the chimera.

I start getting a headache as I start delving into the structure of the muscular tissue. It’s too much at once. Each fiber and the vein structure. All of its chemical composition forcing it’s way into my heads at once. If it were just books being added to the library it would be okay but it feels like every little bit needs to be actively thought of by my mind before it moves on to the shelf.

The first thing I notice about the lionchicken is that it’s not going to live long. It’s unstable and has cancerous growths everywhere in its body not just its skin. I’ll need to check over Zig later to make sure he’s okay. I pull back not being able to stay much longer.

I turn unseen eye back on. Looking around it looks like some of the priests are starting to stir a bit so I give them little taps again.

Finally after what feels like hours Edward and Al come back in.

“Finally! What took you two so long!” Edward looks a little embarrassed.

“Well uh, we kind of ran into a lot of his followers and they weren’t all that happy about hearing what we had to say. Rose was also pretty upset about everything… she thought we just wanted the stone for ourselves and wouldn’t give back her brother… I told her we couldn’t even with the stone. It took her a while to accept that…”

“So you left me here pretty much alone with all these unconcious people and a lion chicken because you were trying to hit on rose?”

Al speaks up first while Edward seems a bit flustered. “A lion chicken? Also how is um Zig?”

“I was not trying to hit on her! I was just, I was just concerned about her is all. We made sure she was checked out by a doctor too. I guess it was lucky.” He puffs his cheeks out slightly like a kid.

I turn to Al “Yeah lion chicken. I found a switch and got bored so I flipped It and out came this chimera.” I gesture to its prone form over in the corner of the room.

“Man that’s so cool!”

“I mean it’s a cancerous mess but I guess it’s kind of cool until it dies.” Its strange despite being made of armor it almost looks like his glowing eyes are pouting.

“So what are you guys going to do with the priest and such here?” Edward and Al look at each other.

Edward scratches the back of his head. “Well we were just going to have him confess to everything then inform the military. They can handle the rest.”

I stumble slightly hearing that. Are they serious? “You’re not going to lock him up or anything? You could probably bring them in as prisoners or something right? How long will the military take to get here? With a religious figure like him, he could just convince his followers to rally against the military while you’re gone. Heck he could just run away and you’d never learn where he even got the stone.” Edwards eyes go wide then sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

“I hadn’t thought of that… well in that case I guess we should probably bring him in. Um what are we going to do with your friend?” He points at Zig who just shifts slightly.

Zig attempts to speak up but his jaw is still unhinged. “o’m fion noa, releassseee” (I’m fine now, release me)

I look over at him a bit surprised too. I hadn’t noticed when he’d transitioned back. “You heard him. I trust that he’s talking in his right mind. The other mind can’t really speak.” After giving a wary glance Edward moves over and claps before removing the stone from around Zigs head and arms. He reattatches his jaw with a loud pop. Before looking over at me. I give him a side head shake towards the inside of the church. He starts moving that way while I talk to Edward and Al.

“I guess we should uh take him in?” Edward almost sounds like he’s asking me rather than doing it himself. Is this one of his first missions?

“How recently did you join the military?” If I had eyes, I’d squint at him. As he chuckles and kicks his feet about and mutters something.

I move closer slightly raising my voice. “What was that?”

He turns and yells out almost upset that he has to admit it out loud. “Two months! Okay? It’s not a big deal. We’ve been training for this kind of work for years. All we’ve wanted to do since we were kids was become alchemists. So it’s not like it was that hard to finish it up.”

“Kid there is a difference between alchemy and being a government official tasked with dealing with stuff like this.”

“We’re not kids! I’m fifteen, I’m practically an adult. Besides, I’m the state alchemist at this age. I get that your some big shot over in Xing but what did you accomplish at my age?” I turn to Al realizing that Edwards a bit too hot headed.

“Can you please calm your little brother down?” Should I even tell them I’m only a year older than them? It might be a fun surprise for later. Edwards face starts going red as he starts quivering in rage.

He yells “I’m the OLDER brother! Hear me? Older!” before he starts storming over to father cornello and lifts him up with his metal arm.

Edward roughly drags him off muttering something about setting up a radio and forcing him to spill for everyone.

Al awkwardly shuffles up next to me. “Sorry about Ed… He’s really nice! Just um, he has a bit of a problem about people… mentioning his height? You mentioned something about being able to help him with that though! So maybe that will be fixed soon. Just uh with all of this stuff going on I think he’s forgotten…” He’s interesting… Is he real? Or some sort of golem.

“I… don’t mean to be rude but are you a golem? Or some sort of spirit tied to that armor? I’ve been thinking about it since I first noticed your suit was empty.” Was that rude? It was probably rude. Al starts sort of awkwardly shifting around like they aren’t sure how to say it.

Seeming to come to a conclusion he stops and pulls off his helmet. “I’m real… my brother… after an accident I lost my body. He sacrificed his arm to bind my soul to this armor.” He points inside at the bloody seal inside him. I hear the mental chime of my quest for learning transmutation circles progressing.

It looks like a mess of circular angles with a small lion on the top. What concerns me though is the bottom right part of the circle seems to be faint. Like the blood it was drawn in smeared there rather than properly adhering.

“Out of curiosity, is that fading in the bottom right intentional?”

“Fading? What fading? I can’t really see the symbol because of the angle and I have to have my helmet off to show it but Ed has shown me drawings. Is there something wrong with it?” He seems to be freaking out and is trying to look inside himself with his helmet. I don’t think that’s how that works…

“Well, if that symbol is what’s anchoring your soul to that armor. You should probably protect it more. Have you ever stayed outside while it rained? Or gone out while it was snowing?” He stills for a moment.

“Maybe… why? It’s not like it matters. I don’t really feel cold or warm anymore.”

“Because the rain might have smeared it. Have you ever attempted to go swimming?”

It’s strange to hear his child like voice sound scared in the hollow ring of his armor. “Am… I am I going to die?” I can’t help but laugh a little.

“Hey this isn’t funny!” He tries to smack me but I back up.

“Relax, I don’t really know how it works. But Using some of Eds blood to trace over the transmutation circle should help fix it up a bit. Really after he does that you should consider protecting that circle a bit more.”

“Protect it like how? I’m already made of armor.” He thumps his chest letting out a hollow ring.

“Well maybe put some metal around the circle so it doesn’t get exposed to water and mists. Probably a grating on the top so someone can’t stick something inside you easily. You're pretty much just a giant grenade pocket at the moment. Maybe adjust the joints so you can move them around outside a normal person’s joint structure.”

With each new suggestion he seems to fiddle with his hands and look over his armor and cringe slightly. “But won’t I look less human?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I mean joints aren’t that noticeable especially on a suit of armor. Adjusting those won’t look weird. It would just be an advantage in your combat ability. Your main priority should be protecting that circle of yours. If that’s broken you're dead. Right now I could kill you with a spray bottle. Or an especially rainy day.” He cringes hard again.

“Can we… let’s just go catch up with Ed. I need to think about these… changes.” Looking over at Zig he’s finished looting the place of all of its valuables while I distracted them.

“Yeah, I guess we can go. Are we taking the train? Or do you guys have a car or something that goes to wherever it is we are going?”

Al looks back and if he noticed that Zigs pack is larger now, he doesn’t mention it. “Oh we were just planning on taking a train back to east city. But I suppose we should add a trip back home for your auto mail after that.” I nod and we start heading out. I pass by dozens of unconcious bodies in the hallways and what looks like a full-blown war zone. With fists made of stone coming out of the walls and random walls. How do they proform such large alchemy like that? I can hardly imagine that many particles moving at once. Again, something buzzes at the back of my mind thinking of that but it’s not quite clicking.

Once outside a full mob is starting to form. I guess Edward had father Cornello confess to everything he did over the radio.

“Bring him out here!”

“Yeah! Let us have him!”

“Down with the false prophet!”

I turn to Al “Do you have an escape plan?” He lets out a long sigh then shrugs. “Not really… brother will figure out something.” I just keep walking. Some people try to stop me but Zig shrugs them off. We are both obviously not priests, and Zig is suitably intimidating for most people to back off. A clear circle moves around Al for the same reason.

We both make it back to the train station. It’s fairly deserted with no sign of Edward anywhere.

“Where do you think your brother is anyways?”

Al Shrugs. “Probably still dragging the father guy somewhere.”

Eventually he shows up with father Cornello in tow. They both look a lot more roughed up than I remember.

Al runs up with concern in his voice. “What happened?”

Edward spits some blood on the side of the tracks. “I’ll tell you what happened. That angry mob wanted to kill him. I had to force my way through without hurting them. At least I got this guy here in one piece. Hopefully my superiors enjoy getting him directly rather than having to come all the way down and get him.”

Looking over at the father he has an old black sock stuffed in his mouth with what looks like a metal band keeping it in that has Edwards’s face on it… odd. He probably transmuted it but still weird.

We wait there for a while. Mostly in silence since neither of us really wants to mention any secrets of alchemy or Alkahestry in front of Cornello or in a completely public area. Eventually the train arrives, and Edward has to explain to the conductor why we are bringing a beaten man on board against his will. A flash of his state alchemists’ badge was enough for the guy to ignore us. I should really make a copy of it later.

We have a long trip to East city. In relative silence thanks to our prisoner sharing the cabin. The first night Edward kept asking me repeatedly to show him how to become taller but I keep telling him I can't share secrets in a place that is not secure. I can tell that Edward is slowly growing more and more annoyed that he can’t ask any more questions from me and the priest can’t because he’s gagged and the last time we undid it he kept trying to convince the people outside that we were kidnapping him.

Eventually we finally pull up to East city. It’s much larger than that last town the buildings are more modern. Cars drive move along the road more frequently but they are still mostly military drivers. Interesting, so the military is important in every city. How do they maintain this sort of force? Do they conduct raids on other countries? Wait... Is Xing at war with them? I feel like I should know if our countries were at war.

“Alright follow me. Mustang will probably want to speak with you too.” I’m led to large government building with herds of people wearing blue moving in and out of it. Let’s see if all state alchemists are as childish as these two.