134. Effective Minions

“I thought you hated the idea of clones who can create their own minions?” Mira said over a late lunch.

“More clones aren’t minions,” Lukas said, eagerly slicing his steak. The fabric maid was a far better cook than the clones. “They’re a part of me and are subservient. I can dispel the extra clones or the Super Clone and get rid of all of them at once. What I don’t want is a clone capable of raising its own army. Morph with a horde of flesh golems would’ve been just that.”

“I don’t get the distinction,” Penelope said, shaking her head. “The Super Clone feels too powerful if you ask me. Especially if he can create copies of the shards you can’t access. Don’t you worry about losing control of them ever? A clone weaker than you is easy to manage. But a Super Clone with all of your abilities or one you can’t access plus four of his followers, can be a threat.”

“I thought you were all for minions and were displeased with me not picking the golemancer ability for Morph.” Lukas paused, steak dripping with mushroom sauce halfway to his mouth.

“I stand by what I said. I’m just highlighting a contradiction. You’re allowed to change your mind. I just don’t see a difference between a golemancer and a clone who can make his own clones.”

“I just feel it’s a versatile boon. First, I get four extra clones to train my abilities. Extra numbers mean I don’t have to skimp on anything and can start on alchemy as soon as we return from this Jotun mission. Afterward, I can speed up production with multiple Eins, launch grand infiltration missions with Morphs, or continue focusing all of my effort on developing the confluence ability.”

“You need to invest heavily in soul warding for the super minion, in that case,” Mira commented, having demolished most of her juicy rare steak. She appeared ravenous, and Lukas didn’t blame her. Neither of them had eaten breakfast. “The last thing you want is a pesky witch screwing things up for us.”

None of them highlighted the fact that she had said ‘us’ instead of ‘you’. Lukas used a mouthful of steak and mashed potatoes to conceal his smile.

“What did you think of the book?” Penelope asked. “Do you think you can use it?”

Lukas nodded. “If it weren’t for the mission, I’d start on it straight away. Not that I know where to start. I doubt awakening the soulspace will be a challenge. Flukas and his Spellweavers seem close. I think where we’ll really struggle is establishing the domain and building upon it.”

“You can’t use a creature or spirit as the heart like summoners or beastmasters.” Penelope had already finished her meal. She sat back in her seat, watching the couple. Her familiar was nowhere to be seen. “That’s certainly going to make things challenging.”

“I was planning on using this as the domain’s core,” Lukas replied, summoning Assistant Spindle. “Threads felt on theme for what do. I can also envision weaving the spells and abilities of individual sections and rooms better with this.”

“It's your domain, and it's vital that everything makes sense to you. I don’t have personal experience, but from what I’ve read, being able to clearly envision what you want makes things easier. Domains are all about planning.”

“And planning is where Lukas excels,” Mira said with a mouthful of steak. “I don’t have the faintest idea of what I want from my confluence ability. Initially, I thought Domain would be best for me, too. Fortification magic and whatnot, but it doesn’t feel ideal if we’re going to be traveling together, especially if you eventually also develop a combat domain.”

“I think you should follow Xander’s path,” Lukas said. “Using dragonfire takes far too much out of you. A physique that can help you withstand the strain might go a long way.”

“I agree,” Penelope commented. “You’re far too delicate as you are. Although if you plan on sticking to Lukas and can count on his clones to protect you, a powerful black dragonfire ability, or even creating a summon that can wield dragonfire, might not be too bad.”

“How did it go with the city council?” Lukas asked, changing the topic as he worked on the rest of the steak.

“Not good,” Penelope replied. “We need to leave at dawn. I can trust you to gather supplies. Yes?”

“They won't be a concern. We won't need pack animals. The clones can carry enough food to feed us for weeks.”

“We can't afford to take pack animals. Remaining hidden and undetectable is vital. Not just from the Jotun, but all the eyes watching us, too. Hence, I want to leave at first light and need you to lead the pursuers away. The city council doesn't want me jeopardizing their relationship with the friendly frost giants.”

“Don't you worry,” Lukas stated. “I just have the clone for the job.”

___________

The following morning, Penelope, Lukas, and Mira left the Gray unmolested. The woman kept glancing at him, expecting direction or Shade’s Mantle. Instead, they walked tall, past early morning work crews and exited through a gate near the former Frozen Phoenix guild house. The Aquila guild now used it as one of their training bases. They continued in silence into the bright white that forever carried the mountains, and it wasn’t long before a sea of boulders separated them from the city.

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In the meantime, Morph Prime and his little squad of sub-Morphs led pursuers on a wild goose chase. Two of them adopted Penelope’s appearance, and another pair disguised themselves as Mira. They went around the city and then out through opposite exits, each accompanied by an undisguised clone. The final Morph visited the Aquila guild as himself and took some time off to rest and recover, citing stress from working under the taskmaster that was the Cold Fire Sorcerer. He then retired to one of the city’s premier bathhouses, where he was seen relaxing for hours on end.

Lukas knew straight away when the clones in the Gray dispelled themselves. Only the Super Clone in the bathhouse remained and was to behave as Morph usually would unless needed. The city council and all watching parties needed to believe that Penelope’s usual party and Lukas weren’t heading toward any known Jotun encampments. Ogden and the Shadow Seekers guild had assisted in the deception, generating false quests and assigning them to Lukas, making everything appear legitimate.

Two hours after leaving the city limits, Lukas and company rendezvoused with a trio of clones and Bass. They had departed the day before, wearing disguises and carrying supplies. Lukas wasn’t yet confident about carrying food in the journal’s storage. Things no longer decomposed or went moldy within, but things tasted off. He didn’t trust it as sustenance.

Lukas had grown used to the prospect of the Shadowsteel Keep over the past few days. It didn’t matter to him that the confluence ability wouldn’t come with immediate combat uses. He adored the idea of somewhere to escape to. He could imagine summoning parts of the structure into the material world to act as his visible home or shopfront. Lukas couldn’t help but imagine an ever-expanding keep.

Railguns, cannons, and hot oil on the outside. Maze of terrors on the inside. Shadow clones and infinite castle.

“What’s so funny?” Mira asked, as they trudged up hill. She snaked an arm around his, sticking close to him. The uneven uphill terrain didn’t bother them. His Body Pillar was now at tier three, and she wasn’t too far behind.

“I was just thinking how jealous the old me would be of everything I have now,” Lukas answered. He wasn’t just talking about the old him from Earth, but also the version who spent six decades on the Realm of Greater Beings.

“You mean because of me, right?” She grinned.

“Of course,” Lukas lied. Mira was only a part of it.

Bass grew to the size of a horse as they walked, acting as Penelope’s mount. They stayed in the front of the party with a Bruiser equipped with Alter Metal Mass. Bowie, having finished his work in the Anglar plains, walked just ahead of Lukas and Mira, quietly playing his lute. Joybringer allowed him to control the music such that only his allies could hear him. A lone Stalker and Ace brought up the rear.

Zwei, the newly titled Arcane Chronicler, stayed in the workshop with Eins, keeping up appearances. They needed to keep up appearances alongside Morph and were only to be summoned if things got chaotic. Lukas didn’t know what to expect, but felt confident in his current setup, especially for a mission where investigation and infiltration were the priority.

________________________________

“This is what I should’ve been doing all along,” Zwei, the Arcane Chronicler, commented, applying finishing touches to his spellscript. He simultaneously pulled reference texts and enchantments from his mental library, double-checking his work and looking for increases to power and efficiency. “Diplomatic missions aren’t my thing.”

“We’re wired differently,” Eins replied, polishing his newest warhammer. “Bowie wants nothing more than to play music and drink—”

“And fuck.”

“Ace feels like he’s at his peak self when stealing luck and gambling.”

“And fucking,” Zwei added again.

“Morph enjoys nothing more than fighting with his transformation or wearing different faces to fool around,” Eins continued.

“And surprisingly not fucking.”

“Maybe he’s closer to us as an artisan of flesh.” An elaborate weapon display made of shadows rose out of the ground as Eins used Shadow Armory. The new weapon found a home in an empty slot next to its old counterpart. El-Prime wished to sell the former Thor Hammer, but Eins had grown emotionally attached to it. Mannequins wearing his different armor sets stood in a line behind him. “If we’re lucky, there will be one more of us soon.”

“I hope not,” Zwei replied. “At least not until we establish the confluence ability or Shadow Clean reaches tier-four. Who knows when that will happen?”

Eins chuckled. “Maybe we should hope for the mission to go wrong. Stress and danger seem to accelerate growth.”

“I have a theory about that. I’ve been dying to share it. Got a moment?”

“Why do you even bother asking?”

Zwei shrugged. “I don’t know. I enjoy the little dance. You say no. I pester. You say no again. I pester some more. Then you roll your eyes and tell me to go ahead.”

“Well, as a fuck you, I’m just going to say go ahead now.”

A shadowfire circle manifested, floating in the air. Four points appeared on the perimeter like the cardinal directions on a compass. “Power compass.” Zwei pointed at the circle. “Pillars of Self.” He pointed at one of the points. “When we use the abilities, increasing our mastery over them, they passively absorb magic and Fracture’s ambient energy. As we get better, the rate of growth increases, but so does the energy required for further development.

“I suspect that the essences act as construction materials, much like with a soulspace and domains. A fair bit of energy goes into processing and bonding them with the pillar and shard.” Zwei clicked his fingers, and one of the points grew, solidifying into a solid sphere. “This is us using the ability.” He clicked his finger again. The sphere swelled, and cracks appeared. “This is us using the ability under stress or accomplishing something great. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

Eins nodded. “The cracks expose the pillar, enabling it to take in more energy, providing a decent burst of growth. I imagine that’s the reason why completing a big project always comes with decent progress.”

“I wouldn’t have put it so simply, but yes.” Zwei waved his hands, and the Shadowfire disappeared. He nodded at the almost complete scepter meant for Flukas. “How about you and I take that on together. It might get you a rank and me closer to tier two. Then we can have extra fun with shit inevitably hits the fan and the boss needs us.”

“Fine.” Eins sighed. “I wanted to start on a new gauntlet, but we can do that instead. But you owe me.” He pointed at Zwei. “For listening to your rants and giving you constant legs up.”

“It's for the sake of all of us.” Zwei grinned.