Lukas had put a lot of thought into the essences for the shard upgrading ritual. The Essence of Cumulus was a perfect fit. Meteorology had never interested Lukas. However, he often put himself to bed with random documentaries.

“Cumulonimbus clouds, also known as thunderheads, are vertical clouds that can produce severe weather conditions. They are the final stage of development for growing cumulus clouds, capable of generating heavy rain, strong winds, lightning, hail, and even tornadoes.”

The words had lingered in Lukas’s memories. He didn’t expect the one essence to give him rain or hail. However, he believed the chances of gaining wind or thunder from it were high. His gamble had paid off.

Sound was a powerful tool that, in Lukas's experience, far too many people underestimated. It was excellent at infiltration, silencing footsteps, and providing distractions. Sonic attacks could devastate a foe inside and out. They also excelled at disabling targets. Lukas couldn't be happier with the shard and all it provided. The passive resistance was also an incredible bonus. They proved their value as El-One sped to his defense, tendrils of lightning dancing along his weapon and armor. They didn't faze him, but when Silksong’s date struck, he spasmed, screaming, and retreated unsteadily.

A nearby guard came at them next. He was bigger, curlier, and looked meaner. Most clothes had ripped and fallen apart during the transformations, but his armor had become a part of him. The lightning arcing of El-One's claw hammer didn't seem to do anything, but he activated the weapon's enchantment when striking. It boomed noisily, shaking the loose furnishings and decorations nearby. The hammer ripped through the impact, and the nearby limb, shoulders, and a section of the torso exploded. The monster didn’t move afterward, let alone rise.

The entrance hallway had turned into a bloodbath. Former colleagues attacked each other. Servants fled from their transformed peers, and the handful of other guests who had left the auction early helped fight them off. There were far too many of them, and the numbers seemed to increase with every passing second.

Lukas shaped Shade’s Mantle into spikes, poured lightning magic into them, and then launched them at the closest monster. It looked like a cross between a man, a jackal, and a bat. No two creatures looked the same. Only the human element was consistent. The chimeras all came with qualities of two if not more, other creatures. They wreaked havoc, attacking with their natural weapons or using abilities that could only have come from a shard.

The electrified spikes stunned his targets long enough for someone else to put them down. Unfortunately, Lukas failed to hit his targets as often as he would’ve liked. He had power, but his control and accuracy were significantly lacking. If not for the high volume of foes, he would’ve wasted far too much magic. The combination of Shadowsteel and Thunderstorm’s Eye significantly increased Lukas’s destructive power. Best of all, it was just the beginning. There was a lot more he intended to test out and put into practical use.

While Lukas and El-One dealt with the ever-increasing mass of monsters, Mister Grey and Silksong faced off against one another. Her hands had come alight with violet flames brighter and more condensed than what Lukas had witnessed before. The luminosity and arcane power reminded Lukas of Penelope’s azure projectiles.

Mister Grey dodged them with ease, moving swiftly through the air far faster than someone of his size could’ve on the ground. A claymore-sized cleaver that Lukas recognized from the tavern sat in his right hand. He held the giant weapon like it weighed nothing. Each wing sent crescent energy blades flying through the air. They left gouges in the ground and cut through whatever they touched, destroying shaped projectiles and dispersing Silversong’s flaming projectiles.

The pair seemed at a standstill, failing to land clean hits on one another. But cracks had begun to show. The witch’s perfect beauty had started to falter. Her hair lost its sheen, one eye sagged, and the nose appeared crooked. Little cuts covered her cheeks, lower jaw, and arm. None were deep enough to be threatening.

Meanwhile, Mister Grey’s clothes were singed, and minor burns covered all patches of exposed skin. None of the witch’s flaming projectiles had made direct contact. However, the heat from them seemed to reach far. None had come more than within a dozen feet of Lukas, but he still felt the incredible heat. It felt like reaching into the arcane smithy’s forge without the appropriate protective gear.

Sweat covered the giant man, and his eyes were bloodshot. His dodges slowed, and the projectiles flew by closer. Some of them exploded just after passing him. Fiery violet waves washed Mister Grey and discolored purple veins spiderwebbed outward from his burns. He wasn’t going to survive for long, Lukas was almost sure of it. His opinion on the matter changed when Mister Grey pulled another ancient-looking chunk of metal out of thin air and pressed it to his heart. Golden energy pulsed from it, engulfing his body like honey. The burns and all other injuries faded. However, the discolored veins and patches of skin remained. The witch’s magic was doing more than just leaving burns.

What the hell is that shard ability? Can he call upon the signature abilities and spells of the vestiges?

Lukas stood at a crossroads. He struggled to decide who to target. Given his current power level, Lukas was sure he lacked adequate strength to take down either party. There were no guarantees, but the chances of Silversong being a high-ranking member of the coven, if not its leader, were high. Eliminating her would remove a massive target from his and Penelope’s backs, and likely contribute toward Iskander’s future security, assuming the coven’s objective was to harm Iskander and not something Lukas hadn’t thought of.

Meanwhile, Mister Grey’s death would significantly damage the slavery ring. However, Lukas believed the man was only a cog in a much larger machine. Someone else would rise to take his place. Stopping the trafficking would mean that people would demand a complete overhaul of governance and regulation, as well as the dismantling of all the involved infrastructure.

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After a moment of hesitation, he shaped Shade’s Mantle into several twisted chords. They shot upward at Mister Grey and found his wrists, ankles, and neck. He hardened them into steel before the man could react and poured all the lightning he could muster into them. It wasn’t enough to take the giant out, but it knocked him out of the air and left him on the ground spasming.

“Good job, child!” The witch cackled before assaulting Mister Grey with a stream of violet flames. He screamed, spasming as his body simultaneously twisted, crunched, and burned. The heat was too much for Lukas; he released the shaped shadows and retreated. He scooped up two of the packages Mister Grey had dropped. One was the Shard of Arcane Smithing and the other the Halo of Invulnerability.

The witch focused all of her efforts on finishing Mister Grey, but he continued to struggle under the attack. His body shrank, healed, and transformed as he used a multitude of different abilities.

When Lukas gave the signal, the stalkers emerged from the cover of nearby pillars. They wrapped the witch in lengths of hardened shadows. The clones also channelled lightning through them. They weren’t as potent as Lukas’s magic, but enough to stun the woman. It only lasted for a moment; she spun on the duo and grabbed the tethers. Violet flames rapidly traveled up them, forcing them to release the shaped shadows and retreat. El-One capitalized on the opening. He moved forward at surprising speed, his entire body illuminated with bright blue lightning. They sang noisily, extending from his body and caressing all nearby surfaces.

The hammer struck the back of the witch’s head with all of El-One’s enhanced strength and the Haste spell behind it. He didn’t shatter the skull despite all the power. Instead, cracks spiderwebbed across the surface almost as if she were made of porcelain. The clone didn’t give up and threw his arms around the witch, trapped her in a bear hug, and squeezed, pouring all of the lightning he could muster into her. She screamed and thrashed but failed to break free. The energy also seemed to disrupt her magic, and violet flames winked out.

The other two clones took advantage of the opening and descended on her, pouring everything they had into stabbing, slashing, piercing, and electrocuting her.

“Frar. Bryna.” Lukas used the new version of the Haste spell that added lightning to the mix. He felt more awake, alert, and significantly faster than before. The shortsword in his right hand, and all of his hardened Shadowsteel bits sharpened. First, he plunged all of them into Mister Grey’s neck, confirming the man’s death.

The witch became his next target. Her cracked outer layer had started to fall away, revealing someone far more wrinkled, scarred, and withered underneath. Lukas stabbed through an opening in the face. The runic shortsword passed through her skull and into the floor below. Violet flames consumed the weapon, forcing him to let go. He didn’t wait around to retrieve it or find out if his attack had killed the woman. Instead, he and the clones fled. More people were starting to pour out of the building’s interior. A projectile struck Lukas’s coat, ripping it. The contents spilled out. Lukas and the clones fled.

El-One passed all of his equipment to the stalkers before dispelling himself. Lukas and the remaining clones took to the roofs as they fled, making their way toward the western cliffs. Nightingale’s Rest came into view as soon as he exited the marble-carved section of Iskander. It was on fire. The flames stood out like a beacon in the late evening. The lack of light in the otherwise brightly colored red light district added to the sight.

Lukas felt a glimmer of pride. He had done it—or at least contributed to the betterment of the city and perhaps the world, and not served the interests of some otherworldly god-like being. Every risk he had taken and every decision he had made was his own.

Iskander’s slavery ring was far from broken. However, Lukas wanted to believe that Mister Grey’s death would cripple it. His second in command was also gone, and the remainder of his command didn’t seem equipped for such a job. The woman who worked as the organization's bookkeeper and Mister Grey’s notetaker would likely keep things afloat for a while, but she seemed to lack the tools for command. Keeping a band of criminals under control was no easy feat, after all.

If Penelope and the Shadow Seekers had done their job, the coven’s days were also numbered. He had killed Silversong, if not damaged her enough, for the authorities to arrest her. It was another threat against the people eliminated. He wouldn’t have to worry about witches coming after him to ensure the truth behind the Elder Wyrmkin plot didn’t get out.

Eliminating both foes was a risky gamble, and Lukas was glad he’d taken it. He wouldn’t have risked it if not for the upgraded clones. They were the key to his success and survival. The Shock Trooper’s lightning had saved his life many times over, and the upgraded Stalkers managed to get close to the witch without being detected.

Lukas only slowed after catching sight of Bass. He stood outside the burning brothel, talking to a long, slender man who looked like Snake. Penelope wasn’t within sight, but if Bass was calm and not causing chaos, it meant she was fine, and it was all over. The raid on the coven was complete and successful.

“Go on without me,” he instructed El-Two before settling down to catch his breath. El-Three stuck around to watch his back.

The stress melted away, and adrenaline went with it. Lukas wanted nothing more than to bathe, eat, and sleep. His work in Iskander was done. The time to leave had come. He checked his intact pocket. The Shard of Arcane Smithing remained. He had lost the Halo of Invulnerability. It was more than enough. He placed it and the Shard of Growth in the journal’s storage space.

I wish I could talk to Minarv.

“You okay, boss?” El-Three asked.

“Burned out,” Lukas answered. “We need to take it slow for a bit. Study. Have some fun. Relax.”

“We'd better be careful and stay away from anything that might turn into a journal quest, then.”

“Right.” Lukas sighed. “That deal is going to bite me in the ass, isn’t it?”

“Your ass is our ass, El-Prime,” the clone said. “We’re all screwed. Let's just hope wherever Penelope leads us comes with some peace and quiet.”

“Unlikely, I think. We’ll just have to sort out the next quest and then take a break. It's best if we don’t move at all and stay still, but after what we did to Hump and everything that happened at the auction house… We can’t stay in Iskander.”

“Will you move on even if Penelope isn’t ready to move on?”

Lukas nodded. “We might not have any other choice. Let's just hope she’s done now that the coven is down and leaves investigating their motives to someone else.”