“Shouldn’t we also leave the city?” the new Zwei asked, arranging the new workshop’s design desk. Its writing surface sat at an angle, making it perfect for hours of detailed spell or product design without craning one’s neck. “This place can’t be safe for us right now. Doesn’t it feel like we’re flaunting ourselves and asking to be attacked if not assassinated? There are just too many eyes on us.”
“It’s precisely why we are flaunting what we have,” Lukas said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to advertise Eins and your creations. Our products are average-at-best, but so were half the smartphones back home. Marketing and promotion, brand recognition are vital for profit. We’ll never match the city’s master artisans. With enough time and practice, we’ll get there. Perhaps a decade. Maybe less. But the regular idiots on the street can’t tell the difference between a masterwork—” He threw up air quotes. “—and a true master’s work. We capitalize on that.
“The council didn’t just give us this estate because we did the Gray a great service,” he continued. “This place allows them to keep an eye on us.”
“It’s not just them,” a Stalker lingering by the window said. “The Union, kingdom, and a bunch of guilds are watching us. And each other.”
“Bingo.” Lukas shot a finger gun at the clone. “They’re watching us and each other. None of them can act without drawing the ire of the other. People might not like the word asset, but that’s what we are to them now. It means eyes, but also comes with protection and privileges.”
“Do they really think we’re all just golems?” Eins asked, carrying the Portable Phoenix Forge. He set it on an empty reinforced space near the forge.
“I don’t know anymore, but they’re buying the new Flukas,” the Stalker answered. “He’s drawn away a good deal of the spies watching us. Things are going to be challenging until we get more clones.”
The Stalker was correct. Lukas now only had room for three ordinary clones. He had one Stalker keeping an eye on the property and another following the new Flukas around. Then there was a Stormtrooper training in the basement. Clones with unique shard abilities took up the rest of the slots.
The Aquila guild was now extra wary of Lukas, but they hadn’t yet caught onto Morph. In fact, the clone had been promoted since the recent incident. Several of their high-ranking and key members had been arrested or were currently being interrogated. They needed more field teams to keep taking jobs and protect their interests in the surrounding region. Because of his brilliant service and skill, Morph, now a provisional tier-four member, was putting together a new team from a pool of low-ranking members and new recruits. Following Ogden’s instructions, Lukas had Morph approach the Aquila council and ensure there were no more people tied to Ephram.
Ace had finally been given the freedom to practise his luck-stealing and burning abilities in the Gray’s gambling dens and was making a tidy profit. He was pleased with his new enchanted snow goggles and wide-brimmed hat. They, apparently, made him feel like a modern cowboy. Ace used Shade’s Mantle to shape himself a beard and long shaggy hair, making himself somewhat unrecognizable. Lukas couldn’t complain.
Not much had changed for Eins. The clone appeared happy to be off the battlefield and setting up his new, much bigger, and better-equipped workspace. He appeared excited to get back to space, but also had started to complain about the lack of helping hands. He wanted a clone assisting him at all times.
Next came the new Zwei. The name was no longer attached to a mage with the Spellweaver ability. Instead, he had a new, unique ability. Shard of the Chronicler’s Mind ability had proven perfect.
Arcane Chronicling: The clone will gain the power to perfectly memorize all text, inscriptions, runescripts, and physical knowledge. He will gain the power to recall and perfectly reproduce them at a moment’s notice or imbue another with the knowledge. The clone will also gain access to all attunements and familiars connected to his soul and may call forth copies of them at any time.
The Body and Heart abilities didn’t compare. The first focused on generic physical improvements and on channeling theoretical knowledge into practical skills. Unfortunately, the ability didn’t function with magic. Meanwhile, the product of the Shard of the Chronicler and the Heart Pillar resulted in powers related to learning, seeking knowledge, a grimoire familiar, and the ability to manipulate its ink and pages.
Arcane Chronicling appeared to do far more than either. Perfect memorization and recall of knowledge, and sharing it with others on its own, felt too weak for a shard that had come from a quest of its caliber. However, the ability to access all attunements and copy familiars made it too potent to ignore. Lukas’s suspicions had proven correct. The clone had no trouble reproducing the life attunement and even the same energy generated by Joybringer’s aura. When Lukas and the new Zwei summoned a pair of Assistant Spindles simultaneously, he knew the decision was the correct one.
It appeared the spies tailing Lukas tied the familiars’ presence to the original him. As a result, Spellweaver and now the Chronicler could pretend to be him. The clone lacked metamagic, but could very well walk the path of wizardry on its own.
Currently, Lukas had the clone functioning as an enchanter and student of wardcraft, but that would eventually change. He suspected the new Zwei would eventually become one of his best assets. But it would take time and more clones.
Finally, there was the new Flukas. He no longer had access to Spellweaver and Assistant Spindle, but Joybringer more than made up for it. The clone was more annoying than Ace, but his aura and eighty years of experience with people had taught him how to command a room, holding attention and charming people. Lukas hoped that eventually he or Zwei would gain the power to grant Assistant Spindle to other clones. It would help sell the lie better.
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Recent events have resulted in countless invitations, ranging from simple dinners to military ceremonies and even balls. Lukas could neither attend them all nor intend to attend them all. He mostly accepted summons from the city’s best and most powerful and sent Flukas to most of them.
Attention from potential amorous partners had also significantly improved. Lukas had no interest in anything so soon after his meeting with Minarv, but he didn’t stand in the way of the clones having fun.
“No commitments or promises,” Lukas had warned. “If you’re bedding someone as Lukas Zaun, they need to be aware that it's a one-time thing. I don’t want a repeat of what happened in Iskander.”
“You can’t limit me to casual encounters only,” the new Flukas with Joybringer had said, appearing horrified as he spoke. “I can’t help it if I have beautiful specimens lining up for a hit of joy—”
“Down, boy.” A cleaning rag struck the clone in the face. Lukas shook his head. “If you don’t behave, you lose the role of Flukas. I might even shelve you outside of combat. We’re short on clones as it is.”
“Forever short on clones.” All the clones frequently grumbled about the shortage. Lukas was nowhere near the next tier but had gained a rank the previous evening after creating an Illusionist specialization.
Stormdragon’s Eye: Tier 2 | Rank 0Draconic IntelligenceSpellweaver: Tier 2 | Rank 1Assistant SpindleShadow IllusionShadow Clone: Tier 3 | Rank 3Shade’s MantleShadow SteelSteel WeaveAltered Metal Mass: Tier 2 | Rank 8Dracosteel ScalesMiscellaneous:
Arcane Chronicling: Tier 1 | Rank 1Arcane Smithing: Tier 1 | Rank 8Biomancy: Tier 2 | Rank 3Fortune’s Favor: Tier 1 | Rank 3Joybringer: Tier 1 | Rank 2The progress was substantial. He had also spent the journal’s extra charges, increasing and empowering its abilities.
Inspector’s CompendiumSecret LibraryHidden Compartment IVDeceptive FacadeMessenger ServiceEscape PortalMost of the upgrade charges went toward increasing storage space. It had doubled in size twice. The increased space, now at eight by eight feet, was necessary for Eins. There were far too many unique pieces that Lukas didn’t want to sell and let him use while playing Thor. His effectiveness during combat was unquestionable. Despite being primarily an artisan, his ability to draw the most out of enchanted gear and to rapidly recharge them while also using Storm Energy and Shade’s Mantle made him a significant threat.
The increased storage was also vital for storing precious materials and essences. Despite his new property and safe, nothing felt secure than the storage attached to the soulbound relic. Now, no matter what happened, he was unlikely to lose his valuables or money.
Lukas invested the remainder of the charges in Escape Portal. Essences were much easier to come by now, and he had the means to afford lesser ones. He intended to use one to send a clone to Iskander and meet with Esther, perhaps even check in on Kat. The return journey wasn’t an issue, since the clone could just dispel himself once done with his directives.
I just need more clones.
Creating new clone specializations became Lukas’s new focus. He was aware that rank growth slowed down significantly after the third tier, but the next rank of Empowered Copy felt incredibly close. He had no idea what it would offer, but each of the previous offerings was a substantial power-up.
The pursuit of new specializations had also proven brilliant for personal development. Each new or improved specialization came with a significant power boost, and in turn, also increased Shadow Clone’s rank. Towards the end of tier two, it had taken upwards of two new specialisations or upgrades to gain a single rank. Lukas suspected the requirements had doubled, if not more.
The issue was that Lukas was running out of ideas for new specializations. He believed Draconic Intelligence had something to offer, but wasn’t sure where to begin. Upgrading the existing specializations took priority. He intended to burden Zwei with the task. Lukas believed Arcane Chronicling made the clone more than capable of the job. Upgrading the Bruiser and Speedster specialities was an entirely different puzzle that he had no hope of solving.
Maybe the key lies in figuring out Body Reinforcement with lightning, sound, and shadow. I need attunements that all clones can access with ease.
Lukas didn’t know Penelope’s plans yet. The Conclave had taken her resolution of the Revolution conspiracy as another job, even though they didn’t assign it, and it wasn’t related to her usual projects. So, when she asked for some time off, they agreed. Besides, the organization wanted her to observe the case involving people like Mira for a while longer. After all, the majority of sorcerers were individuals with arcane heritage. They wished to prevent the exploitation of such people. Lukas wasn’t too sure about the claim. He believed the Conclave did much of the same.
The sorcerer’s plans didn’t matter. Lukas intended to stay in the Gray, for the time being at least. There was money to be made and skills to be mastered. Initially, he had liked the idea of seeking out an arcane teacher or even a mage’s college, but that meant dealing with someone who would restrict his freedom and reveal more secrets. Lukas was thinking about forging his own path when an unexpected visitor interrupted his train of thought.
“Good evening, Mr Zaun,” the fabric barmaid said, flashing a wide smile. She carried in a basket overflowing with baked goods, preserves, and pate. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all,” Lukas replied, waving her in. He lacked confirmation but was beginning to believe she was a sentient golem rather than a puppet. “Is everything okay at the inn?”
The barmaid nodded. “Things are quieter now with Mistress Penelope and the Wyrmkin gone. But we appreciate the opportunity to repair all the damage they and the familiar had done.” Mention of Bass was tinged with disgust. “I’m aware your calendar is full, but I come bearing an invitation.”
“What kind of invitation?” Zwei paused his work, eyebrow raised.
“Now that the cloud has fallen and the Loom is functioning again, Master Weaver has the freedom to socialize and meet. He has been keen to meet you for quite some time. Will you—”
“Of course!” Lukas exclaimed. His interest in the mysterious individual had increased after learning that Weaver wasn’t a member of the Conclave but a valued ally who occasionally instructed and guided them. “I’m sure I can find time for someone so esteemed.”
“How about now?” the barmaid asked. “Assuming you have the time, of course.”