Shadow Clone Sorcery
Chapter 37: Training In The Shadows (2)

Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out.

Lukas slid Altered Mass’s slider to the lowest point before he started running. It was tempting to use the Haste spell, too, but he resisted. Once at terminal velocity, Lukas moved the slider to its highest point and threw himself into a mushroom stalk. Cracks echoed through the cavern. Much to Lukas’s relief, it was the calcified outer layer and not his bones. In fact, he barely felt the impact.

He only ever used the high-mass form when creating clones, and its sheer durability never ceased to amaze him. Lukas threw a punch at the mushroom, putting his shoulder and hips into the attack. His windup was long, but the fist flew fast. The power behind it broke through the stalk’s outer layer. Lukas pulled back, moving the slider to the lowest point.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus. Timing is everything.

“Frar.” Lukas threw another while pushing the slider to the highest point. The sudden change almost pulled him off balance, but he had braced his knees and managed to right himself. His fist didn’t just crack the calcifications but broke through them. Radioactive green bioluminescent fluid sprayed his coat.

“You need to train more with that, boss.” El-Four almost made Lukas jump, speaking from right behind him. He spun around, ready to reprimand, but struggled to spot the clone. “Over here,” he said from Lukas’s right. “I’ve already done a lap. We’re alone. I’ll do one again in a bit.”

“I need you to watch all paths in and out of here,” Lukas said. “I’m being pretty noisy. Someone or something is bound to hear us and come scoting.”

“Yes. Yes. We both know nothing around these parts is a threat to us. Big rats. Maybe fewer troglodytes. You should train at high mass more. Especially the transitions. If you ever need to get in a melee and don’t have us, it's one of your biggest assets.”

“Why do you think I’m here?” Lukas asked before targeting another mushroom and charging it.

This time, he kept going at terminal velocity until he was about six feet from the mushroom. Then, he threw himself and moved the slider while in the air. The stalk almost folded in half. He didn’t bother resting or punching and repeated the process, causing vast ecological damage. Lukas worried that testing himself against the caverns’ walls was more likely to cause accidents and resisted.

Lukas mistimed and tripped a handful of times. In most instances, he was in his high-mass form and suffered no injuries. But then, he twisted his ankle once while running, and another time, he waited too long before moving the slider. The latter instance came with loud crunches along his left side.

“Laeknir!”

The vet’s magic, combined with the blood essence, knit his bones back together. It was a painful process that came with an impossible itch under his skin. He groaned and writhed as the magic put the broken bits back together and ensured unnecessary tissue didn’t get in between them. Apparently, it was a regular issue with standard regeneration magic.

Lukas needed to consult Esther soon. If Penelope failed to come through for him, he hoped she’d guide him toward the essences he needed. Lukas also intended to tell her about Minarv’s ritual. He was growing to trust her and believed she wouldn’t rob him or screw him over. Esther had plenty of opportunities since their first meeting and hadn’t done anything to harm him yet. He still didn’t quite understand her or her purpose. It was likely there was a lot more to her than the friendly vet persona she displayed.

When Lukas ran out of breath, he took a few minutes for breathing exercises and dispelled El-Four. His magic had naturally recovered enough, and absorbing the clone’s shell helped him get the rest of the way. Lukas attempted to create another clone using the Shadow Sight spell. He failed. Only an ordinary arcane-specialized clone materialized. He made a couple of attempts before settling on a magical stealth variant again.

The clone wordlessly returned to its duties, aware of Lukas’s frustration and annoyance with the failure. He knew that poking the bear would only result in a tongue lashing or dispelment. It took a couple of hours of training before the journal vibrated again.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Altered Mass has progressed to rank 5!

Slider limits have expanded.

Minor ability upgrade available.

Please choose from the following:

• Emergency Alteration: Gain the ability to make yourself weightless enough to float at low mass or become a heavy, durable, immovable wall at high mass. Extreme Alteration burns large amounts of magic and comes with equivalent mental strain.

• Cover Weaknesses: Your bones and muscles gain minor elasticity at low mass, reducing the risk of breaks, sprains, and strains. Meanwhile, at high-mass, your stamina demands aren’t as high, allowing longer acceleration, and you won’t tire yourself out as fast.

• Instant Reset: For three times the magic cost, instantly set your mass to anywhere on the scale. Repeated usage comes with compounding mental strain.

Lukas instantly picked the second option. He didn’t care for the third, as it seemed like a shortcut around the timing and control issues. Cost for convenience never appealed to him when practice and hard work could solve an issue just as well, if not better. Emergency Alteration almost gave him pause for the low-mass benefit, but the clones wouldn’t enjoy the benefits for quite some time, at least.

Meanwhile, Cover Weaknesses did exactly what he needed. It covered Altered Mass’s greatest weaknesses. Lukas had hoped to fix the fragility issues at low mass, and it did just that. After training for several hours, he also appreciated the extra stamina at high mass. Instead of attacking in bursts, a vanguard clone could hopefully become an unstoppable juggernaut.

Instead of returning to Iskander straight away, Lukas trained a while longer, pushing himself in the hopes of another rank. Now, mistakes in low-mass forms were more tolerable. They still hurt, but he ‘bounced’ back from them a lot faster and didn't need to rely on the final charge of his belt's healing spell. Lukas also went for much longer and harder during his mushroom-punching sessions without tiring out.

Will this be enough?

Penelope had likely already sent Bass down into the depths to investigate. He hoped to use her for the quest, but still worried about her interfering with the laboratories’ destruction.

As a result, when Lukas returned to Iskander in the early evening, he visited stores specializing in magic. It was unlikely that explosion spells would have the intended effect, but that didn't stop him from looking. Lukas didn't just check the usual popular shops but also followed Snake's list.

Most of the more exclusive businesses that served the Shadow Seekers only made themselves open to the guild late in the evening. They entertained Lukas well enough, treating him far better than others did after seeing his clothes and guild badge. Unfortunately, none of them had what he wanted or was within his budget. And even when Lukas received ample opportunity for thievery, he resisted. Ruining relationships with the guild just as he was getting in their good graces was counterintuitive for his long-term plans.

Lukas had joined the Shadow Seekers just because he wanted weapons training, and it didn't require connections or immense wealth. He never intended to tie himself to them in the long term. But now, the organization was starting to grow on him.

He was about to call it an evening, having exhausted all the options of the day, when one address in particular caught his eye. It was close to Esther's clinic. In fact, they shared a wall.

“Arcane Consulting And Procurement Services.”

It didn't cater to the Shadow Seekers for another couple of days and then again on the weekends, but he took a risk anyway.

He took familiar paths, not bothering with sticking to populated streets. El-Four followed along the roofs. Lukas only knew the clone's location because he occasionally hooted, trying his hardest to sound like an angry owl.

It was as expected. The address took him to a squat, wonky building that grew out of the side of Esther's house. It looked and felt perfectly mundane, radiating no extra energy than the ambient norm. The only reason Lukas had registered it before was because of the crooked construction.

He knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

Lukas knocked again.

“We're closed!”

“Esther! It's Lukas.” He banged on the door, striking it with his fist.

Grumbles and stomps followed.

“Why did you come to this door?” Esther demanded, throwing the door open. It was odd seeing her in her non-clinic clothes. She wore a long, flowing dress that barely contained her thick, muscled arms.

Lukas held up Snake's scribbled notes. “I was just following this. I didn't realize it would actually be you. Maybe a neighbor or a secret lover.”

“Blighted dog.” Esther sighed. “I told him to send more guild members here. Especially you. Come in.”

“Why, especially me?” Lukas asked, slipping through the door.

“He believes I have a soft spot for you and can convince me otherwise.”

Lukas raised an eyebrow. “I'm not sure I follow.”

“I technically still am the Iskander chapter head of the Shadow Seekers. Bastards won't accept my retirement.”