"It's a class of power. It lets alter the properties of things and is extremely versatile. It even does limited healing. And like acquiring shapes, it hurts a lot to use. I was wondering if there is some connection between the processes or if maybe we can use it to speed up the shape acquisition."

"Trying is unlikely to hurt, at least, since I'll be on hand in case of emergencies."

Adam nods. "I have samples of variously infused objects, in case it helps your research."

The samples include vials of water (one looks like gray gelatin), scraps of metal (one floats) and some seeds (one glows softly).

"Interesting," he says. "Have you looked into selling these?" he asks off-handedly while doing a first-pass scan.

"To a degree? Infusing is good at reinforcing mechanisms, and I am still working with those, but most actively magical effects require upkeep, or they fade. And since you managed to give more powers to the crew it has been more profitable using the standard sort of power to heal, create specific artifacts or illusion-assisted storytelling."

"Alright. ...Hm, these appear to have greater quantities of the same microorganism as the source power, but in an altered state. I don't know if it will be directly applicable, but more knowledge of the microorganisms themselves can only help..."

"I am glad that my guess is right. It's weird to think that we have these things just... swimming around insides us."

"Most species with physical, non-magically-formed bodies do. My species doesn't happen to, so it was odd to see in this world, though..."

"You are doing an even more amazing job then."

"Ah. Thank you. There are many strange things, in this realm and by inference in the multiverse, so it is good to be flexible."

"You're welcome. I know it's early, but how are the prospects on your side of things? I mean, of you and others who never had shapes to acquire more? Do you think once we can do it for us it will be easy to do to other flesh beings?"

"I think it'll be easiest with baseline humans with no other innate magic - it's likely through probable some magic will interfere, especially defensive or healing magics, and some will interact strangely, such as innate shapeshifting, or magic that requires someone be in a certain form. My own innate magic resets my body to what it considers a 'pure' state; the workaround for that won't be intuitive."

"Yikes. Well, if actually turning you in a shifter doesn't work maybe a shifter can develop a useful power. None of our shapes are partially suited for biological stuff, but I could see a Petram or Adamastes acquiring some relevant form of preservation."

"Developing more knowledge helps, in general. I also have a while before my power burns out, fortunately."

Adam nods. It's the sort of nod that only someone that grew up with the default of people not dying of old age can give.

His next effort incorporates infusion - the explainable to non-specialists version is that he's 'feeding' the transformative microorganisms with it.

After some variations on this there is a breakthrough! Someone acquires a shape! The crew celebrates. They even throw a party.

He's quite happy to see the outcome of a successful experiment - not that previous iterations haven't been quite illuminating.

They enjoy themselves even if Cohuat declines to show up (Adam is an introvert and can relate).

That all said and done: the crew line up to get as many shapes they can, which is a nice way to refine the process and learn more about it, so they can move on to the next steps.

1) Figure out if they can use the same process to give shapes to non-shifters. Not only this is a human experiment, but another problem is that the shifters can take breaks by changing into functional forms, as it is a non-shifter would need to stay months being changed.

2) Figure out if they can make people into shift-dancers.
2.a.) Figure out if it's possible to copy Adam's and Stephanos' dances into other people.
2.b.) Figure out if it's possible to give people new shift-dances.

For the first, they're most easily able to find volunteers among those with no innate magic and no luck with the transferable magic systems - everyone else is too wary, either of the new process or of potentially losing innate magic - or who are nearing the end of their natural lifespan. Cohuatomahua marks the first group for the first pass trials, on the justification of the process being unproven on the elderly, and restricts it to humans initially.

The second requires more experimentation, obviously. Cohuatomahua is getting more firm and confident in directly modifying organisms, at least, so some sort of breakthrough does seem likely.

The first step is slow going, but not actually more complicated from what they already have been doing. This allows Cohuat to work in parallel with the second thing in parallel.

The organisms that appear to be the cause of shift-dancing are a bit harder to manipulate. They don't really have a physical effect and while they can be grown easily they don't appear to readily "take root" other people's bodies. He can make changes to improve on this, but they don't generalize between different individuals.

He'll continue poking until he can identify any governing rules - and the crew is small enough that, for now, individual modifications can suffice. 

Before he can crack the code on shift-dancers, the first person emerges out of the transformation process. Her hair, eyes and nails are a silvery white, and she appears to be no difference than a typical Adamastes. The test subject expresses a desire to go back and get another form "and be properly immortal", but she wants at least a week off while being able to just do things that aren't laying down in bed and being bored.

Adam makes sure that someone with an appropriate power keeps them company and entertained.

Shift-dancer organisms have several points of fine-tuning, part of it is dependent on the shapes and one thing to keep in mind is the order of the shapes that get the micro-organisms. Annoying complex, but ultimately tractable. In the future they should give people one shape, then give them shift-dance and then give them the second shape. Oh, well.

Interesting.

He'll slowly expand the trials, fine-tuning control over the microorganisms - and check to see if there's signs they'll be passed on properly.

It takes time, and the shift-dance is weak at first, much like the powers used to be, but there is a less efficient version of Adam's shift-dance in a new host. And they can improve upon that. With more fine-tuning!

They manage to give someone a second shape! It's hard to tell if the age reset is in work, but the new shifter can change between forms normally.