Reaching the estate’s basement level proved more challenging than expected. It seemed the primary access had collapsed. It wasn’t just the stairs that had fallen apart but the ceiling had crumbled, too, completely blocking the way down. Morph had ample strength to take it apart. He had picked up plenty of biomass on the way to it, but it would take too much time and make more noise than they could afford.
The sounds of battle filled the building. Ephram had a small army at his disposal, had invited his Aquila lackeys, and all of his guests also had brought along their personal guards. Their power level seemed about tier two, making them no trouble for Lukas and his allies. However, the numbers were an issue. Spells and attacks that caused mass devastation would bring the building down and also draw the kingdom’s ire. They were in the middle of one of the city’s most affluent districts, after all.
“It was Ace, boss,” Morph stated. “In case you haven’t looked through the memories yet.”
It was curious. Newly created clones seemed more aware of memories than Lukas. Unlike during his previous life, Lukas needed to process his memories to get all the details. The products of training and studies that birthed muscle memories or increased his knowledge banks suffered from no such issues. Repetition and practice covered the issue. Recalling details proved considerably more challenging. The issue was bound to compound as the number of clones increased.
I’ll figure out a solution later. Maybe a future journal will make things easier. An upgrade to the library, perhaps.
The limitation had benefits. He didn’t suffer the physical or mental trauma of his clones as much, voiding the need for a Mind Mage like Minarv. He no longer needed someone to purge his memories like before, periodically.
Morph allowed his clones to search for alternate ways down while using his arcane senses to scan their surroundings. He failed to resist the temptation and checked what abilities the Shard of Glorious would spawn.
Please choose from the following:
Bardic Blood(Body): The clone will develop perfect pitch and can pick up new instruments with greater ease than the average person. Their vocal range and dexterity will also significantly increase. His music will have the natural power to charm beasts and people, capturing their attention and hearts with ease.Joybringer(Heart): The clone will radiate an aura of joy and revelry, repelling Mind Magic or any energies that can negatively affect one’s state of mind or sanity. Pushing and pulling on emotions or reinforcing them will come naturally to him. The clone may modify, concentrate, or amplify all auras using music, storytelling, or bardic arts. Music of the Mind(Mind): The clone will gain the Mind attunement and the ability to implant ideas or commands in the minds of people who listen to him, whether it be stories or music, for extended periods of time. The more intricate the idea or command, the more magic and time it will take. Anything that goes against an individual’s nature or demands will cause an increased drain.Damn, Minarv. You gave me precisely what I wanted.
Joybringer met all of his requirements. The base version would protect him from mind magic and the negative effects of Void presences. His clone would need to experiment with aura modification and concentration, but if it also helped with curses and soulbinding, then Lukas would have a tool to deal with witches and assist with breaking free from Silverspine.
Hold on a moment. It’s not just Joybringer. The bard clone will be able to play with all auras. Does that mean he could bend Morph’s or even enemies’ auras to his will?
Bardic Blood didn’t compare. It seemed great for someone who wanted to pursue music, merchantcraft, or politics genuinely, but none of the fields interested Lukas. An argument could be made for Music of the Mind. However, his hatred of Mind Magic got in the way. Joybringer also delved into the field, but to a significantly lesser extent. The limitations and the primary function convinced him to pick it.
It surprised Lukas that the journal hadn’t yet said anything about the completion of his quest involving Mira. The Void Heart had been dealt with. The Revolution was dead. It could only mean that there was something in the compound that threatened her or was linked to the Greater Black Dragon. He was sure it was in the vault, so when their third option proved unusable, he didn’t give up.
The clones were discussing cutting through the floor when Lukas’s arcane senses detected a curious enchantment in Ephram’s library. A bookcase full of mundane books radiated marginally more magic than the rest of the room. It wasn’t unusual. Someone as powerful and rich as Ephram could afford to use powerful enchantments to preserve and protect his books. It was the surrounding arcane threads that intrigued him. He was familiar with one of the knots. It had the same configuration as the element of Silencing Shadows that concealed arcane presences.
Prolonged exposure to Morph had turned the headache of the sudden ascension into a distant, dull annoyance. Lukas had no trouble slipping a mental hook into the knot, loosening the threads, and then unravelling it.
“Holy shit, boss,” the Stalker gasped. “Did we find an ancient, sealed tome that’s going to make us the most powerful mage ever?”
Lukas shook his head. The magic was dense; it felt as if he were wading through water as he approached the bookcase. “The energy isn’t coming from the display but through it.” He hovered his hand an inch off all the spines, moving it across a shelf at a time. It took him a moment to find what he was looking for. Lukas pushed a book in. Something sizzled. Something clicked. A section of the case retreated before sliding to the left. An arcane-lamp-lit spiral staircase waited on the other side. “What good are the pair of you if I do all the work?”
“We watched your back, boss.” Morph grinned. “We fight for you. Watch your back. You read the threads and play with the journal. That’s called chemistry.”
“That’s one way to put it,” the Stalker grumbled.
The three of them descended the stairs together. Lukas didn’t just pick up traces of Void energy but also the Great Black Dragon’s magic. His suspicions were correct. Ephram hid a lot more than he let on. Lukas couldn’t help but wonder if Irma or the rest of the Revolution knew the details of everything the man was up to. None of it mattered anymore. He intended to put an end to all of it.
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The trio couldn’t be more pleased when they walked straight into the vault. Great defences and wards would’ve slowed their progress if they used the primary access point. The clones that infiltrated the level before had followed servants or guards in, skipping most of the obstacles. Lukas had no such luxuries. He was prepared to deal with them for the mission. Triggering alarms no longer mattered. However, arcane traps left behind by a master spellscribe concerned him.
The library access point surprised Lukas. It was likely a secret from even Ephram’s most trusted. The concealment was so powerful that even Lukas missed it. He imagined it was meant for swift access, skipping protocols everyone else had to follow. It still felt too easy, and he didn’t rush onward. Theif and infiltrator were professions that demanded caution and care.
Better failed and alive than successful and dying.
The mantra had kept Lukas alive thus far, and despite the chaos above, he wasn’t going to forget it now. Morph and Stalker had assisted as he scanned every step and the walls for trap triggers and wards, and they did the same for the final sem-transparent door that separated from the vault.
As expected, a flametrap waited at the frame separating the two rooms. Then there was a spiked deadfall just beyond it. Three separate runes deactivated them. It took Lukas several minutes of analysis to identify them and the correct activation order. The floor beyond was well-travelled. Lukas was confident that no grand defences remained. Their effects were likely to affect the museum-like displays.
Several weapons and relics tempted Lukas, but he ignored them. Instead, he followed his senses deeper into the vault. A fang as long as his forearm gave him pause. Wide crystalline veins covered it, and black flames burned within.
The journal came alive as soon as Lukas was within arm’s reach. It floated free of his pocket, and the open pages turned black. A powerful vacuum followed, sucking in the fang. It then rotated to face the trio, returning to normal. Words appeared on the pages.
The quest is complete.
The Greater Black Dragon’s presence has been eliminated, and Mira is now deemed safe.
“Does that mean she’s free of his fire?” Morph asked.
Negative. What resides in her may not be purged. However, the conduit is no more. She and the dragon are no longer connected. The blackfire may not be controlled or influenced by outsiders. All further changes will need another piece of the Great Black Dragon or Mira’s consent.
You have gained five charges for increasing my function and may also pick two of the following as your reward.
Shard of the ChroniclerBasilisk SlayerDrakan’s HeartscaleShard of NecromancyTome of Summoning CelestialsHoly shit. Are these more bits you confiscated from me?
Only the Heartscale. Neither I nor Lady Silverspine was aware that it resided in the same vault as the dagger. Your clone picking it up and keeping it out of the Wyrmkin clan’s claws was a stroke of luck. It might benefit Morph. Hence, the option was added to the rewards pool.
And the rest of these are from Lady Silverspine’s collection?
The shards came into her control through the actions of her other agents on Fracture. The rest come from fools who dared to challenge her.
Let’s leave the decision for later.
Lukas and the clones ventured deeper into the vault, following the trail of Void Energy. The signature and presence grew stronger as they descended stairs and ramps. A distant grinding and clicking reached their ears.
The trio’s mouths fell open when they came upon the source. It was a machine of technology far beyond what Lukas had come to expect of Fracture.
“It looks like Ephram touched upon steam-tech, skipped electricity, and went straight to nuclear,” Morph commented, whistling.
“Except this thing uses magic,” Lukas said. “Void Magic.” He pointed at a set of rotating rings near the center. A sphere floated at its center. At first, Lukas thought he was looking at a black hole, but then, as they moved closer, his stomach dropped. It was far worse. “It’s a pinhole portal.”
“Connecting to the Void,” the Stalker completed the thought for him. “This is what Ephram was building. A means to connect to the Abyss Engine.”
“Do you think he knew he was hastening the end of Fracture and the universe?”
“I don’t think he cared,” Lukas answered. “Profit and progress were the only things he worried about. People like him don’t care about what happens after their lifetime or that of their immediate descendants.”
“How do we take this apart?” Morph asked, getting closer. “I got a shit load of biomass, but muscle might not do the job.”
Lukas picked his rewards. Necromancy and Summoning didn’t interest him, making the Shard of the Chronicler an easy pick. He wasn’t sure what it was supposed to do, but it mattered little. He had made up his mind to collect shards and specialized clones even if they didn’t have immediate use. Each new shard ability was an opportunity to add to his collection of attunements.
If chronicling had anything to do with research, spellscribing, or enchanting, Lukas’s needs would be met, and the clone with the ability would become the new Zwei. Currently, it was the second reward that mattered more. He tossed Drakan’s Heartscale to Morph.
“Animancy. Biomancy. Do whatever you need to harness Drakan’s flames of war. We need to destroy this thing.”
Morph’s eyes widened as he studied the lustrous scale. It had a biometallic feel to it and radiated power. The Great Black Dragon’s fang had no presence. It existed as a giant sphere of nothingness before his arcane senses, leaving Lukas with chills. He could see why the entity aligned himself with the Abyss Engine. Both desire the end and erasure of everything.
Meanwhile, Drakan’s Heartscale radiated rage and passion. The amplified draconic characteristics of greed and warmongering resided within him, and the fragment was evidence of it. Morph’s skin turned crimson as he held it, his teeth swelling. He fell to his hands and knees as his back violently cracked and expanded. Spikes broke through his skin along the spine and shoulders, and orange light radiated through his torso.
The Stalker grabbed Lukas before he could react and leapt away. The clone put himself between Morph and Lukas, just as blood-red flames pulsed through the room. It was blindingly bright. When Lukas’s eyes adjusted to the change in lightning, he found Morph standing twice as tall as before and resembling an Elder Wyrmkin more than a human. He laughed maniacally, charging the abyss engine.
Crimson flames poured from his mouth like lava and dripped from his claws as he ripped through the machine, working his way to the center. It was tempting to watch the chaos, but Lukas didn’t stick around. Temperatures were rising at an unsustainable rate, and he suspected an explosion was imminent. He only darted in for a moment to grab the dropped Heartscale and stashed it in the journal’s storage. Skin blistered. Lungs burned. But it was worth it.
Tell the clones to evacuate. Direct all allies out of the building. Best-case scenario, this place is coming down.
And the worst?
A Void incursion.
Lukas’s eyes darted to the stored treasures as he fled. There were tomes that radiated power, weapons, armor, and a lot more. He ignored it all. He worried that everything was traceable or carried traps. The journal wouldn’t help him with them. Getting out of the vault before Morph reached the rotating rings felt more important.