Shadow Clone Sorcery (Book 1 complete!)

Things weren't going well for Lukas.

First, the journal hummed just after he visited the Frozen Phoenix chapter house with Liesel. Dread instantly filled Lukas. He didn't want to look but knew the consequences far too well. Now that all of his Pillars were awakened, he could survive without Inspector's Compendium. However, he couldn't afford to lose access to the Hidden Compartment. Now that Eins had removed the portable forge and the stolen hammer, it housed all of his money, the damaged ritual leather, and essences. He couldn't afford to lose them, especially given Morph's growth rate.

The base rank tracking functions wouldn't be lost, leaving him with nothing. Lukas wondered for a moment if he was willing to make do with just that. It was still plenty and more than what the others had. He hoped the journal would still tell him what different mid-tier abilities and essences would do when ascending tiers.

For the first couple of days, Lukas considered ignoring it altogether. Zwei and El-Four were out on the escort mission, leaving him short of two clones. He was also due to embark on an escort mission with Liesel not long after Zwei returned. Morph was busy implanting himself among Frozen Phoenix's ranks, completing minor and quick jobs to establish himself. The roster for the job Lukas intended to take on with Liesel still had openings, and the goal was to get Morph on the team.

The last thing Lukas wanted was to get tangled in a quest that became his priority and interfered with all else. He liked the prospect of staying in the Gray a while, allowing Eins and Zwei to hone their individual crafts. It also seemed like a far more stable space for Lukas to thrive. He wouldn't have the opportunity to use local corruption and crime rings to his advantage, but it felt unnecessary. Lukas intended to move away from his old ways, and the Gray seemed like the best place for just that.

But what about Penelope and the Conclave? Say goodbye, or maybe see you later?

In the end, he had no choice but to check the journal's message. It seemed to have anticipated his intentions and denied him access to the storage. He couldn't retrieve everything kept safe within and hadn't yet secured his new home enough to stash it there. Spellweaver couldn't advance fast enough. He hoped a future tier upgrade or a mid-tier ability would provide him with the necessary direction for disentanglement.

Esther had claimed that breaking the soulbinding, although difficult, was possible. There were several accounts of people accidentally attaching themselves to relics or misunderstanding their abilities, demands, and costs. Some had found ways to break the bond, but few methods managed it without soul scars. Advanced magic and brilliant spellwork were necessary; even then, there were no guarantees.

"The real challenge lies in keeping your journal but disconnecting it from the Greater Being it serves," Esther had said. "This Lady Silverspine is a god. Perhaps far stronger than any god living on Fracture. She likely has safeguards protecting her interests and investment. If she finds out what you're planning and attempting, I bet she won't just sit there and take it."

"I'm more than prepared for her to put out a hit on me." Lukas had laughed. "She's quick to order the death of people who wronged her. It doesn't matter if they're friends or vassals. It's the same for most Greater Beings. But, Silverspine failed to successfully track me most of the time in her resident Realm. It must be significantly harder on Fracture."

"Indeed. Otherwise, the journal would be far more precise with local interests and tasks involving them. It's a shame that only you can see and detect the journal. I could've helped point you in the right direction otherwise."

"True. But a good deal of the journal's value lies in the fact that none but I can see or interact with it. Although I'm hoping an eventual upgrade will give the clones access. Passing items through the storage or just using Inspector's Compendium would come with incredible bonuses."

Probably best not to ask for favors again.

Lady Silverspine has multiple interests in and around the Gray. Two are of high priority and time sensitive. I am unable to decide which is more important, and the mistress is currently unreachable. Pick one and pick carefully. Whatever you don't pick will likely be lost.

Will I get any rewards from either, or is this a pro bono quest?

You may boost one of your abilities' ranks and will receive the standard upgrade to my capabilities. Because of the time sensitivity and importance of the interests, there would've been additional rewards. However, accelerating your Heart pillar's ascension consumed far too much energy, and I'll need the resources to recover.

What would've been the rewards? Just so I know for next time.

I can provide quality-of-life improvements or additional tools to make your journal experience better. Some would improve the ties between your Pillars of Self and me. I understand you want the clones to gain the ability to summon and use me. It is an option.

You're just trying to sell me on the idea of completing more quests, aren't you?

Affirmative.

Lukas sighed, shaking his head.

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What if I let these quests timeout and take on the next interest that comes along? Would that—

Not genuinely attempting either of these quests will cut you off from everything but my most basic functions. And you'll need to complete two standard jobs with significantly reduced rewards to restore them. It's not just punishment. I need the energy to recover, and the longer I spend in a depleted state, the harder it is for me to recover.

Fine. Show me these quests.

The closer of the two is in the mountains above us. A slumbering beast that raids caravans stole a valuable ancient text. It's in danger of being destroyed by the elements or the beast and its kin. It needs to be rescued.

The latter is below us, deep within the Gray's mines. Remnants of one of Lady Silverspine's relatives have fuelled the growth of a Draco Lily. Get to the flower before it blooms.

I assume you'll provide guidance, helping me find the way?

Correct.

The closer of the pair, are you taking into account distance as the crow flies, or have you pathed it all out for me?

As the crow flies.

You don't make things easy, do you? I think I'd rather go down the mines. I'll only have to deal with whatever lives down there and not also the elements. The darkness will make it easier for me to hide.

The security in the mines should also allow you to travel deep and unmolested. The Dragon Bloom is likely the safer bet, and the mistress might also find it more valuable. It would be a shame to lose the text, but if it's lost, it's lost for everyone, not just Lady Silverspine.

And nobody can use it against her. I'm free to take anything else or remains I find of Silverspine's relative?

Correct. You'd also be free to take anything else the beast has stolen and stashed in its nest.

Tempting, but now. I prefer the mines if I'm going down alone and with only one or two clones.

It's vital you leave straight away.

Lukas visited Penelope before leaving. He didn't wish to leave the city without telling her. She knew he had jobs coming up, but was supposed to stay until Zwei returned. Things hadn't changed much for her.

"I'm still waiting on word from the conclave," she said when Lukas visited.

Shae nodded at him before resuming the task at hand. He swiftly moved around the room, drawing a detailed ritual circle. His brush strokes were surprisingly accurate. In fact, they appeared better than Lukas's. It wouldn't surprise him if the Elder Wyrmkin had far more experience in the department. He was already an excellent garment maker.

The Shamin had him repair all of the women's clothes and also make new ones. It was one of his jobs as the lowest-ranking male. Lukas wondered if she also had Shae draw ritual circles. He didn't like talking a lot about her old life, leaving them to deduce and guess.

"Our dear weaver rarely leaves the loom. He has far too many responsibilities. I've been taking the time to teach Shae proper speech and how to access his draconic heritage."

"Any magic yet?"

"Just a physical boost that increases my strength and toughness," Shae answered for her. "It makes my scales extra pretty but also deadly."

"The phrase living weapon comes to mind, but he'd have to expose his body to use it to its full potential," Penelope added. She finally put down the journal she'd been poring over. It was the same text she had used to repair the cracked shard that became Alter Mass. He had copied its contents using one of the journal's newer gifts. "To what do we owe the visit?" Her eyes lingered for a moment. "Why do you appear dressed for the road?"

"I took a short job with the Shadow Seekers," Lukas lied. The journal's truth was one of the few things he still refused to share with Penelope. She knew it was soulbound but not the details of its gifts, the source, or that it was tied to an otherworldly god-like dragon. "It requires me to go down into the mines. Shouldn't be a long one. A quick in and out at most."

"Alone?" Penelope asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lukas nodded.

"I don't like that. Take Shae with you."

"I'd rather not," Lukas said. "I'll be faster and less detectable on my own."

"I'm bigger, but I can move quietly," Shae commented, eyes not leaving his work. "You won't even know I'm there. So-so quiet."

"I know you're fast and silent, but you neither have Shade's Mantle nor can you use Silencing Shadows. I'm sorry. This is a two-person job. Morph is likely going to join me, too."

Penelope sighed. "If you were my subordinate or an official apprentice, I'd command you to stay. But I'd rather not force you to do anything you don't want. It'd be one thing if you had all of your clones, but you're two short."

"It's a good thing most of where I'm going is well-trodden and guarded. Making it even worse for Shae." Lukas looked at the Elder Wyrmkin. "I'm sorry, buddy. You're not particularly graceful or stealthy when in the gaudy leather suit."

"It's hard to balance without my tail free and all wrapped up," Shae protested.

"How long will you be?"

Lukas shrugged. "I know the general direction. Most of the ground is explored and regularly travelled. But things might get unpredictable once I'm on the hunt."

"Fine. Go do your thing. If you're not back by the day after tomorrow, I'll send Shae and Bass after you. They won't be subtle."

The fabric barmaid and bouncer watched the conversation silently, artificial eyes taking everything in. Lukas hadn't yet met the mysterious weaver. He couldn't help but wonder whether the conclave member was avoiding him.

One evening, while out on the streets, he and Bass had discussed the topic. The familiar didn't talk much within the building. He didn't like the hovering artificial people and the host listening in on everything.

"You're strange," he had said, walking in his feline form. "Your behavior and personality don't match your body or age. There is also something off about you that I can't quite put a paw on. The weaver is avoiding you because he can't get a read on you. And he doesn't trust anything he can't figure out."

The fabric pair remained expressionless when Lukas departed, unreadable as always. He didn't pay them any mind. Lukas just hoped Morph would dispel himself soon. Biomancy would prove invaluable if things went wrong around the Draco Lily. He imagined it would attract competition just as the pearls had in Iskander's undercity, and his opponents wouldn't just be the local subterranean beasts.