Shadow Clone Sorcery
Chapter 51: The Auction Cometh (1)

• Spellweaver: Tier 1 | Rank 4

• Shadow Clone: Tier 2 | Rank 3

• Shade’s Mantle

• Shadow Steel

• Steel Weave

• Altered Metal Mass: Tier 2 | Rank 2

The days leading up to the auction went into endless training and surveillance. Lukas didn’t expect to gain a rank in Altered Metal Mass. He trained with Kwame, but mostly to get used to altering the mass of objects he was holding. For the time being, he mostly used it to empower downward swings but was sure he’d eventually find other uses. The upgrade that came with it surprised Lukas. Unlike Shadow Clone’s ranks, it wasn’t the core ability that improved, but the tier-two addition. The mass alteration of metal objects would now linger for a few seconds longer after he stopped touching them.

Meanwhile, Spellweaver’s rank was a surprise. He wasn’t intentionally training the ability, but rather attempting to develop a new shadow spell and, therefore, a new type of clone. Lukas failed to achieve what he wanted in time but welcomed the reduced mental strain when using magic.

The new spell in question was a modification of the Fire Whip spell found in Penelope’s texts. Spellweaver and experimentation helped him use the base model to create Shadow Whip. Ideally, Lukas wanted a twisted Shadowsteel chord, but he lacked the necessary finesse. Instead, he shaped Shade’s Mantle into a thick, twisted strip and granted it enough solidity to function as a thick length of rope.

Lukas usually hated whips. He believed they were far too challenging to control, and even in the hands of a master, they had limited use. Arcane Manipulation and Shaping helped overcome most issues that a whip faced. He had the option of sharpening the top foot, turning it into a blade, or adding sharpened spikes along the length. A clone wielding two such creations was bound to be great at watching his back or binding and capturing a target. Tripping a foe or pulling them off balance had the potential to make all the difference in a fight.

It was unlikely they’d hold up against Iskander’s rich and powerful and their minions. It would take considerable raw strength or magical power to deter someone like Mister Grey, the giant reverse mermen, or a mutated phaser. He’d need a precise, well-aimed strike to take them down. However, what Lukas currently needed wasn’t the means to defeat enemies but to slow them down and buy time. He needed the means to escape when everything fell apart, and he had a strong suspicion that it would.

Need to make do with what I have.

The recent thievery had come with a few valuable prizes. Lukas could only hope they would save his skin when push came to shove.

Thunder Strike

Of all the things the clone had stolen, it was Lukas’s favorite new piece. He hadn’t yet tested it in battle, but was sure it would prove invaluable no matter how big or powerful an opponent they took on. Lukas only activated the enchantment once to get a feeling of the ‘singing.’ The vibrations traveled up the arm and shoulder and down his back. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it would just require some effort to get used to.

The knives weren’t anything special. One came with the ability to hemorrhage wounds and prevent clotting. It would help give the minor cuts the chance to turn lethal. The other had a numbing effect; anyone cut by it would gradually lose feeling in their limbs. Subsequent cuts would speed up the effect.

Gauntlet of Guarding

The gauntlet’s enchantment disperses the power of incoming blows, reducing their power and injury to the wielder. The magic within may be flared to erect a circular barrier with a two-foot barrier.

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It was far better than any shield Lukas could find on the market. The fact that the gauntlet was light and didn’t deter wrist and finger mobility made it perfect for his needs. The piece of armor comfortably fit on his left forearm and almost came up to his elbow.

In the end, he kept the gauntlet and the runic shortsword for himself, storing them in the journal’s storage. They just about fit, sitting diagonally across the cuboid space. El-One, a high-mass bruiser clone, received a new shield and the mace. He divided the rest of his weapons among the rest. Two of them had the stalker specialization, and he made the last one a mage. All three of them had low mass.

“It’s fascinating watching you prepare,” Penelope commented. She wore her usual dress alongside several rune-covered trinkets. She wore her hair in a long braid decorated with thimble-sized bands. Azure motes of light shimmered within. “It's hard to decide whether you’re just that good a liar or I thought so little of you that I didn’t care enough to look closely. These clones of yours. Their dedication. Lack of restraint or fear. Drive. The scholars would go mad. They’d want to study that ability of yours, your soul, and mind in the minutest of details.”

“That’s precisely why I don’t want any big organizations or superpowers finding out about what I can do,” Lukas said, looking over the high-mass clone once more. He had granted all of them a Steel Weave. The others looked no different from Lukas, but El-One’s skin had a slight metallic shimmer. “Your people. The council. They turned you into a weapon and a tool, didn’t they? What’s keeping them from doing the same to me?”

The sorcerer didn’t have an answer to the question. It seemed she knew he was correct. If Lukas wasn’t strong enough to protect himself, he’d be at the mercy of more powerful beings. It was the primary reason he had come to Fracture. Many considered it a miracle he had survived as long as he had, functioning as he did. Minarv constantly worried that if not Silverspine, one of her rivals, would track Lukas down and eliminate him for growing too powerful and working mostly unchecked.

“The conclave has its issues, but they’re not as bad as you think they might be,” Penelope finally said. “They might consider you at first. But there is plenty of room for mobility, building trust, and reputation, and working freely. I’m not forced to do these jobs; I take them on because I want to. I have a vested interest in anything involving dragons, draconic magic, Wyrmkin, and other individuals like me.”

“Other people with dragon blood?” Lukas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not all of them are well-adjusted like me. The power and blood, when trapped in a human body, often come with madness and rage. I put them to peace for my sake and to give the others a chance. If not, guilds and nations who hunt us down will have an excuse to return and rise again.”

“How are you so talented at making a man feel bad about himself?” Lukas laughed. “Here I was with a superiority complex over the influence and privilege that comes with being a member of the conclave. Now, I feel bad for not trusting you before.”

Penelope smiled. “I’m full of surprises.” She looked him up and down. “That outfit is fine for the clones, but you need to change. Can’t walk into the auction dressed like that. Everyone will take one look at you, and know you’re there for some sort of service and not as Mister Grey’s mysterious guest.”

“I thought as much. Fortunately, our delve came with excellent loot, and I kept all the proceeds for myself.” Lukas grinned. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“I don’t, as long as you didn’t keep anything vital from me.”

“Believe me, I don’t intend to make that mistake again. It was mostly trinkets and wyrmfire forged equipment. There were also a couple of essence spheres: lightning and change. I sold everything except the essences and reinvested it all in a more occasion-appropriate outfit.”

“The camp didn’t have anything more valuable? No enchanted weapons? No powerful armor?”

“Nothing we could carry out while escaping the horde and the tunnel coming down,” Lukas answered. He pulled a bracelet out of his pocket. The design and runework resembled the now-empty belt buckle he owned. “There’s also this. I need new spells for them.”

“What do you have in mind?” Esther asked, sticking her head through the doorway.

“I don’t know. Ideally, something that will allow me to change my face. Maybe some sort of defense.”

“That’s a difficult ask. Give me the Essence of Change and Essence of Currents. I’ll see what I can do.”

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