Shadow Clone Sorcery (Book 1 complete!)

Zwei almost jumped out of his skin when the journal appeared out of thin air, floating an arm's length away from his face. He swiped at it first out of surprise, then again, fuelled by annoyance.

Why the hell are you appearing to me, and why are you blocking my vision?

Your creator thought it prudent to put his quest rewards toward helping you clones. Now, you may summon me and use my functions.

That's good and all. But why the fuck are you appearing right in front of my fucking face?

How else am I supposed to get your attention?

Maybe appear off to the side so I see you and know it's important, but I'm not fucked because something is about to get in my face. I'm surprised El-Prime hasn't ripped out your pages yet for that shit.

He is currently in the process of reprimanding for the same. However, his complaints aren't as emphatic as yours.

The clone sighed, shaking his head as the journal complied. It moved forty-five degrees to the right, clearing up his sight of the distant tunnel opening. The party reached the target cave mouth at the end of their first day of travelling as planned. Since then, all of their travel had been through the mountain's seemingly endless network of caves.

Much to everyone's surprise, including the local veterans, they faced minimal threats during their ascent. It seemed something had drawn or scared everything away. Now, Zwei couldn't help but wonder whether it was El-Prime's quest that was responsible for the local fauna's strange behavior. It alarmed him that he had embarked on a quest with only half the available clones, but it was likely the journal didn't give him much of a choice, locking him out of the Hidden Compartment, and all the valuables kept within.

Clones having the power to summon and use the journal's gifts were invaluable boons. It would've made life in Iskander infinitely easier and safer for El-Prime. The fact that he no longer intended to pursue a career as an identifier didn't make the ability any less valuable.

So what is it? Why are you just appearing to me?

Your El-Prime would like you to take on an urgent quest.

I can't exactly part ways with the party. It will raise—

That won't be necessary. A local beast has developed a passion for raiding caravans and transports and stealing anything that piques its curiosity or has a strong arcane signature. Its most recent activities have brought a fragile, arcane text into its profession, which Lady Silverspine desires. The quest demands its recovery.

That doesn't exactly help with my concerns.

The arcane mineral deposit that the enchanters are pursuing has also attracted the beast. It has moved its nest nearby. Both lie directly ahead of you. I need to be brought within arm's length of the text. Then, my functions will take over. You'll need to move swiftly. The text was already fragile; the theft and elements likely damaged it. The upcoming battle won't help.

Will there be other valuables?

You'll probably also find whatever else the beast has stolen and kept. The Hidden Compartment has plenty of space, and I can help you identify the most valuable pieces.

Relay this to my companion there. Zwei nodded at the stalker pretending to be a shadow golem. The clone was acting as the scout, moving far ahead of the party.

Understood.

Zwei moved away from his position by the pack animals and pushed ahead to the vanguard, nodding for Irma to follow. She complied. The Aquila mage and the other enchanter accompanied them, likely curious about the sudden disruption in the formation.

"What is it?" Chopper asked. "Did the golem detect something ahead?"

"The deposit is near," the second enchanter said. "I can sense it."

"It's attracted something big and frightening. Our ascent might've been smooth, but it won't stay that way for long." Zwei sighed. He pointed at the giant opening ahead. The high-ceilinged tunnel widened abruptly. "The white you see isn't snow."

Irma pulled a cylindrical, thumb-sized device out of his pocket and raised it to his left eye. The several rings running along its length rotated. "They're bones. Far too many bones. This thing must've set up its nest not long after the diviners detected the vein."

All eyes moved to Zwei. Only he noticed the stalker approach and guessed the journal had also appeared to him. "What is it?" The shield bearer asked.

"I don't know. But let me and the golem scout ahead. I can find out."

"Is that a good idea?" The swordsman asked, making the enchanters and the mage jump. It seemed none of them had sensed the man's approach. He moved soundlessly, but the arcane threads connected to his swords stood out to Zwei, making all of his movements stand out. All but the Aquila mage and Irma didn't stand out to his senses. It made him appreciate Silencing Shadows more than ever. "If things go wrong, I'm best suited to survive and buy time until you can catch up." The man looked Zwei up and down. "This task is too dangerous for a tier two. Especially one who is not native to the Gray."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Shade's Mantle manifested, concealing Zwei in darkness. The stalker stepped forward, and the dancing shadows that covered him retreated. "But can you do this? I might lack your fighting ability, but I'm faster, stealthier, and stronger than anyone here."

"I don't know about faster. Let's—"

"He is faster," Irma stated. It took her a moment for her to find her words as her attention moved between the stalker and the now shadow-covered Zwei. "I don't think anyone here can match Zwei's speed and stealthiness. I've been teaching him the enchanting arts, and his arcane skills and abilities are mysterious to say the least."

The clones reversed their positions. Zwei stepped forward, throwing up his hands. "I don't want to step on any toes, but I can scout ahead and then send the golem back to relay the message. Or even throw up some sort of signal."

"Take this." Irma fished a palm-sized robin made of cloth and metal to Zwei. "Fill this with magic, whisper your message, and release it. The bird will return to me and relay whatever you have to say."

The swordsman's eyes scanned the group, looking for backup.

"I think it should be Zwei," Chopper said. The shieldbearer nodded. None of the others spoke up.

"Fine." The swordsman sighed, taking a step back. "Just trying to minimize the chances of death and failure. But I'm not in charge here. So, the decision is yours."

They didn't waste any more time. Zwei and the clone started at a jog, moving ahead of the party. Then, they cast Haste within seconds of each other, accelerating rapidly. It felt good to move freely and not be constrained by the party, finally. He had to leave most of the scouting and exploration to the stalker. Even when they got flanked by burrowers and later by what Zwei could best describe as a swarm of bat-simian hybrids that apparently drank blood, he had to stay with Irma and the pack animals, launching Shadowsteel spikes. The rest of the party's combat prowess was far superior to his, and the confrontations ended swiftly.

Now, he truly felt free and was going to have some fun. The mage specialization made Zwei hungry for arcane knowledge and development, and spending all the time with Irma had proven fruitful. But now, he wanted to cut loose and have fun, accomplishing what the clones were made to do.

The ambient arcane energy intensified as the tunnel widened. The world ahead was also brighter. It wasn't luminous vegetation or minerals illuminating the cavern. Zwei saw sunlight. He slowed, allowing the stalker to stay ahead of him. The clone stuck close to the walls, staying in the shadows. Shade's Mantle tightened around his body, making him look like an El-Prime-shaped hole someone had cut out of reality. He checked the cavern's interior before looking back at Zwei and nodding.

The clones then entered the cavern together, hearts pounding. Zwei didn't know what kind of monster awaited them. Since the creature had a penchant for attacking and robbing travelers, he assumed it was some sort of humanoid or simian beast, perhaps a relative of the snowmen.

No monster awaited them. It was clear that something used the cavern as a home. A shallow pit sat in the middle of the cavern. Fresh scratches and gouges covered the walls. Half-eaten corpses lined the pit's edge, but Zwei saw no obvious traces of what the monster could be. He cautiously approached the nest, and the journal danced violently to his left.

The text lies ahead. Old, faded, yellow pages. They'll be damp. There should be a black and silver logo somewhere on the page.

Hold your horses, we needed to make sure we're alone first.

The stalker remained on the edge of the pit while Zwei carefully descended, sliding down the side. His heart threatened to pound out of his chest, and the sides of his head hurt. There were no corpses in the nest. In fact, except for the untidy pile of loot, the space was immaculate, as if something had carefully removed all debris, gravel, and everything else in between.

Zwei's eyes widened as he got to the bottom of the pit. There were no shards or essences as he had hoped. He only saw random knick-knacks and a severe lack of arcane energies. He only detected a handful of traces, but most were unusually pure and potent, and the magic radiating from the walls threatened to mute them all. If not for Spellweaver's passive abilities, he wouldn't have felt the text and relics below at all.

When Zwei looked up from the bottom of the pit, he saw faint fuchsia lines covering the walls. They pulsed faintly and were almost invisible unless seen from the right angle. He had expected a concentrated node of whatever material everyone was pursuing. Instead, the entire towering cavern was the deposit. He didn't know what value it had to the enchanters, but it was clear there was a lot of money in all the surrounding surfaces.

An ear-piercing screech filled the air, bouncing off the pit and caverns' walls. Sunlight ceased to pour through the hole in the ceiling. Zwei didn't know whether it was bad luck or his descent into the pit had somehow alerted the beast, but it was back. He didn't have much time. First, the clone moved toward where the arcane threads were densest. But then the ground cracked and shook, destabilizing his footing. Tendrils burst from the ground, tangling his feet. Zwei lost balance and fell to his knees.

A deafening sound reminiscent of beating taught cloth followed. The cavern darkened further. Zwei's eyes darted to the hole in the ceiling. He didn't yet see the beast, but pebbles and pieces of gravel rained from the opening. Instead of freeing his foot, Zwei pulled out the mechanical robin.

"The beast is back," he whispered into the bird's head, guiding a stream of energy into it. "The material deposit is here." He hesitated, scanning the pile of loot. Not all of it would fit in the journal's storage compartment, and not mentioning the loot at all was likely to raise questions. "This thing has been hunting travellers and caravans. Lots of valuables in here."

The robin's wings fluttered, and it shook its head, coming to life. It took off and ascended rapidly before disappearing over the edge of the pit.

"Want me to come down and help?" The stalker asked.

Zwei shook his head. "Buy me time. I'm going to get the book."

"Or should I run? Just one of us needs to survive."

"We'll see about that after. Let me get the bloody loot first."

"Got it."

Shadowsteel spikes grew out of Zwei's lower legs, ripping through the tightening tendrils. They appeared arboreal in nature, but he also saw glossy bits. The clone couldn't quite tell whether they were metallic or crystalline. It wasn't the time to find out. He pushed his shadow-shaping to the limit, extending tethers from his shoulders. Hooked metallic spikes grew out of the bottom of each. Zwei spun them around himself like a weed wacker. He spared the ceiling one last glance. A giant golden beak poked through it. Orange feathers followed.

Doesn't matter what it is. We need the text. El-Prime needs the completed quest!