* Thunderstorm’s Eye: Tier 1| Rank 1

* Spellweaver: Tier 1 | Rank 4

* Shadow Clone: Tier 2 | Rank 4

* Shade’s Mantle

* Shadow Steel

* Steel Weave

* Altered Metal Mass: Tier 2 | Rank 2

Penelope departed with her luggage and a gagged, blindfolded, and tied Shae’heed within the hour. They hadn’t shared the prisoner’s existence with the Kwame. She didn’t consider it an issue since Bass knew to inform whatever vessel would welcome them, and she didn’t consider compensation an issue.

Since Esther had patients to tend to and hated prolonged goodbyes, Lukas got a much-needed moment alone. He used the time to flip through the journal’s pages. The power compass and the adjacent page had changed to reflect the recent changes. He also checked the pages dedicated to the individual pillars.

Shadow Clone: Tier 2 | Rank 4

Mid-Tier Ability: Empowered Clone

Tier 2 Ability: Shade’s Mantle

Body-conjunction ability: Shadow Steel

Altered Metal Mass: Tier 2 | Rank 2

Mid-Tier Ability: Cover Weaknesses

Tier 2 Ability: Steel Weave

Soul-conjunction ability: Shadow Steel

Since the other two pillars hadn’t reached rank five yet, they had nothing to show besides their basic ability. When Lukas asked, the journal shared descriptions of what everything did, too. Even without the quest-reward upgrades, it was a valuable tool. It was still in his best interests to complete the next job, as he couldn’t afford to lose access to the storage space yet.

Lukas was tempted to increase the space within by upgrading the Shard of Growth, but didn’t want to commit any essences to it yet. He wished to hold onto the arcane shaping and dusk essences since they seemed like perfect candidates for Spellweaver and Shadow Clone, respectively. Meanwhile, change, brawn, and vitality could potentially go into Alter Metal Mass. Only the Essence of Currents lacked a purpose, and he doubted it would go well with the Shard of Growth. For the time being, he kept all of it, including the Shard of Arcane Smithing, tucked away where no one could find or steal it from him.

I suppose I’ll just have to accept whatever quest the journal gives me next.

It was late in the evening when Kwame sent a messenger boy. The note contained a dock number and the vessel’s name and said that Penelope had already boarded. Lukas had nothing to carry besides a few sets of clothes. He dressed in his fineries from the auction first and made a low-mass mage clone.

“You’re going out first,” Lukas said. “Head to the gate. Be seen and avoid capture for as long as possible. If and when caught, don’t dispel yourself straight away.”

“I get it, boss. Wait until I’m in a cell, prison wagon, or alone, and then go poof.”

“Hop to it.”

The clone nodded. He straightened his clothes, sorted out his hair, and then marched out of Esther’s home, head held high and back straight. Lukas watched through the crack until El-One disappeared. He saw several figures emerge from alleyways or nearby drinking holes and eateries and follow him.

Next, Lukas changed into his delving outfit and created a bruiser with low mass.

“You’re doing the same thing but taking a different route,” he told the clone. “The authorities are looking for an Elvis. Let's give them one.”

“Is that a good decision?” The new Elvis asked. “Right now, it's suspicions and rumors, but if people see me around…”

“You’re concerned about this getting back to Kat, aren’t you?”

The clone nodded. “She’d be shattered if she thought I faked my death to get away from her. It would break her heart all over again and then some.”

“I’m afraid we can’t worry about that now.” Lukas smiled at the El-One apologetically and placed a hand on his shoulder. It felt weird empathizing with a clone, but he understood. Lukas had the same concerns. “But we can’t worry about that now. Doing good comes with a price. We did the right thing and now have to pay the price.”

“I get it, boss.” El-Two sighed. “Just can’t help feel guilty, that’s all.”

“I do, too. My chest feels heavy, too.”

“Like there is an anvil on it and nothing inside to hold it up?”

Lukas nodded. “It hurts to breathe when I think about it.”

“You’re not as much of a cold-hearted bastard as you want everyone to think, El-Prime,” El-One said.

“Nope. I just excel at bottling it all up and ignoring whatever is bothering me. It surprises me sometimes that you lot don’t share the quality.”

“We’re wired to have the ‘You Only Live Once’ mindset and try to get through our day without any regrets.”

Lukas once again watched as the clone departed. As expected, twice as many people emerged to follow him. He guessed the Grey Rats and guard intended to figure out what the Zaun brothers were up to before sweeping in to capture them. Alternatively, they knew better than to make a move outside of Esther’s home and wanted a better location for the arrest.

Lukas and El-Three, a stalker, departed together, both covered by Silencing Shadows, and exited through a hidden side entrance. It connected to a dark alley behind Esther’s clinic. It was where vendors delivered animal feed and medicine. Lukas spotted a lookout at one end, but the woman was facing in the wrong direction. She didn’t notice him, and the clone slipped into a neighboring lane, crossed the main street, and then onto the rooftops.

Before starting toward the docks, Lukas created El-Four. The clone sped off with his purpose already in mind: to create distractions and chaos around guard posts and help El-One and El-Two get as far as possible.

It wasn’t the first time Lukas had to flee a city and rely on the clones to create distractions. There were times he had to do so before learning even the most basic face-changing spell. Even though he had come a long way and gained significant strength, he knew well that it wasn’t enough.

Unlawfully taken from NovelBin, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The Pillars of Strength and their growth through items and external stimuli had hastened his progress. It wasn’t like the Realm of Greater Beings, where most progressions came from learning new spells, techniques, and endless practice. Only the favor of entities like Silverspine, Minarv, and others at their power levels came with sudden increases in power. During his previous life, it had taken Lukas half a decade to reach the same power levels. It was not long after he gained the ability to absorb the clones’ memories and knowledge. Growth had come in bursts when he set half a dozen of them to master combat and magic.

Lukas moved faster than he ever had before as he leaped between rooftops. The lightning-infused Haste spell seemed to grant him far more speed than the standard version. The energy didn’t just stimulate his nerves but also seemed to affect his muscles and brain. The world seemed to slow, and everything blurred around him. The stalker clone accompanying him struggled to keep up.

An explosion sounded in the distance. Shouts, screams, and flashing abilities followed. Things weren’t going as well for the other clones. Lukas had hoped they would buy him more time, but barely a handful of minutes had passed since they left Esther’s home. He kept moving, making a beeline for the docks.

___________________________________________

El-Two wasn’t having a good time. Despite having access to Spellweaver, it didn’t take much for him to slow down under the effects of Spellweaver. Prolonged use of the new-and-improved Haste spell proved enough to leave his eyes watering. Now, his ears were starting to hurt, too.

A large variety of pursuers followed El-Two. At first, there were just guardsmen and a handful of people who looked like members of the Grey Rat gang. But then, people he didn’t recognize joined them. They wore finer clothes than the average person, leaving him to wonder if the staff of a noble house were pursuing him too. It would make sense. News of the coven wasn’t yet public knowledge. The Shadow Seekers were investigating the matter more closely, trying to ensure none of the guilds were involved before presenting their findings and work to the council. In the interim, the family of the people who died—namely, the coven mother’s date—needed someone to blame.

Arrows flew past El-Two. Projectiles shaped from energy or ambient materials are occasionally followed. A couple had grazed him, leaving cuts and an acid burn. One also caked most of his left arm in frost after exploding on a window ledge nearby.

Now, El-Two had a headache, was struggling with open injuries, and had to deal with the cold. He hoped El-One was having a better time. As a mage clone, he suffered less strain than most and could easily use a wider variety of magic. It wouldn’t surprise El-Two whether his fellow clone was using the enhanced Haste alongside Silencing Shadows or another spell that made evading and misleading pursuers easier. In fact, he believed that most hostiles were struggling to follow El-One and gravitating toward him instead.

I need a distraction, or Elvis is going to die another death much too soon.

A street leading toward Kat’s smithy went by. It was tempting to turn toward it. El-Two wanted to see her one last time. The other clones claimed that Bruiser was a misnomer. Protector or guardian was a better term for the specialization. It came with a desire to bond and watch over people. They believed it was why he had bonded with Kat so fast and hard. Elvis had been the victim of ridicule, but they all shared his feelings. It annoyed him that El-Prime struggled to get his head around it or refused to. Instead, he was making a list of the personality changes and inclinations that came with the many specialties. It wouldn’t surprise El-Two if he didn’t retire Bruisers altogether. Stalkers and Shock Troopers were bound to become the new favorite.

The clone almost whooped with joy when the possibility of escape and survival appeared before him. It was a food cart in the process of shutting down for the day. A vat of hot oil bubbled, and skewers sat stacked next to it. The man had extinguished his flame and seemed in a hurry to secure things so his livelihood wouldn’t get caught in the chaos. El-Two felt guilty about doing just that. He ducked into an alley and replaced Haste with Silencing Shadows. Shade’s Mantle bellowed around him as he continued running.

“Where did he go?” Someone yelled.

“He’s not in here!”

“Keep looking. The Zauns are sneaky bastards. They’re around here somewhere!”

“The ugly one plays with shadows,” one said. “Maybe this one can, too.”

Most of the pursuers slowed, giving El-Two the chance to weave through the alleys and create some distance between himself and the others. Thanks to months as a courier, the clones had the city map committed to memory. He came out just next to the cart.

“Sorry,” he whispered, kicking it over and spilling the hot oil over the cobbled streets.

“No!” The cart owner screamed, hopping backward. The top popped open, and red and green leafy vegetables scattered everywhere, landing in the oil and muck. “My cabbages!”

The headache intensified as El-Two called on the storm magic in his heart. He channeled it through his shoulder, down his arm, and out through his fingers. Lightning had proven challenging to control the further it moved from the body. Fortunately, the target was large and the energy didn’t have to travel far. The oil ignited with a blinding flash. More screams and panicked yells followed. The pursuers, drawn by the vendor’s scream, had no choice but to retreat.

______________________

El-Four paused, almost amused by how El-Two almost killed himself. It seemed things were almost over for him, but now he was speeding ahead. Things would get significantly easier once El-Prime learned targetable enhancement spells. A mage clone sitting in the backlines and powering up the others would make their life significantly easier.

Since El-Two didn’t need him for the time being, El-Four returned his attention to the other decoy. El-One had made incredible progress, speeding ahead of his pursuers, but was starting to slow down. His arcane shell didn’t seem in the best of shape. Strain, combined with minor injuries, was starting to add up. Unlike El-Two, he didn’t seem proactive about using the environment to his advantage.

Overconfidence.

There were others moving along the roofs, pursuing him and firing projectiles from weapons or shard abilities. El-One prioritized them. He didn’t bother electrifying Shadowsteel needles before launching them. His objective wasn’t to kill anyone. In fact, they had instructions to minimize death and destruction and prioritize disabling people just long enough to buy time.

One took a needle to the knee. Another fell to a shoulder injury. The clone’s accuracy was significantly better than El-Prime’s, and he took pride in it. Arcane Manipulation came naturally to him, after all. The basic mage clone lacked specialization in attuned magic, but none were better than he at the fundamental arcane techniques. It was why he was confident that, unlike the others, he’d never become obsolete.

When the attacks got too much attention, El-Four invested extra resources in Silencing Shadows and Enhanced Haste to disappear. He fell back for a moment before taking a long, curving route around them to catch up with El-One. He shot a couple more Shadowsteel Needles along the way. The first missed, but the second tripped a woman dancing between rooftops.

By the time he caught up with El-One, he was disappointed to find the clone cornered. He had run into a dead end and seemed to lack the energy to scale the wall. Guards, Grey Rats, and parties El-One didn’t recognize squeezed past each other, trying to make it down the narrow road. They tripped and stumbled over one another. Only a couple managed to get through and raced toward the clone.

El-One tried slowing them with Shadowsteel needles, hoping to buy his fellow clone enough time to catch his breath and recover magic. Unfortunately, the targets were too far and too swift. None of the fired projectiles hit their mark. He had no choice but to give the signal. El-One stuck his hand out of Shade’s Mantle. “Skina!” Blinding white light flashed from his palm. El-Two dispelled himself straight away.

Shade’s Mantle and Silencing Shadow dropped. “You’ll never catch me!” El-One announced, drawing the attention of everyone below. Then, he ran for the gate, hoping El-Prime made it to his vessel unmolested.