Essence of Blood.

Essence of Feathers.

Essence of Repulsion.

Essence of Shadow.

Holding onto all of the essences felt stupid. Lukas didn’t know yet what he intended to use for Arcane Clone’s ascension to the next tier. However, he believed that Essence of Feathers and Essence of Blood wouldn’t take the ability in the direction he desired. Lukas couldn’t begin to imagine what feathers would do besides perhaps make his clones faster or give them the ability to glide. Knowing his luck either was unlikely.

After witnessing the shopkeeper’s blood whip and net, Lukas knew he didn’t want to walk down the same path. Blood wouldn’t always be freely available on the field, and he didn’t want to cut himself every time he wanted a clone. The stench and aesthetics would also terrify people and probably make people less likely to trust or work with him. It didn’t make sense to hold onto the two essences while he waited for Arcane Clone to reach tier-two’’s threshold. Lukas needed funds, and the sooner they came, the better.

Meanwhile, the repulsion, shadow, and change essences seemed more fitting. He didn’t know about Fracture’s magic system to guess the possibilities, but his gut told him they would work well with Arcane Clone, if not with future abilities.

Most of the remaining loot wasn’t nearly as impressive. It mostly consisted of second-hand weapons, a couple of trap-setting and disarming tools, lock-picking sets, and a few books on herbology, minerals, wards, and enchantments—currently useless, but hopefully not for long. Only two pieces stood out to Lukas.

Three-Stage Spear

Is it a spear or a sword? Why not both?

Twist the handle clockwise once to extend the shortsword to short-spear length. Another twist will take the shaft to maximum length. Reversing the motion will shorten the weapon. Alternatively, simultaneously squeeze both rune-marked sections to snap it back to short-sword form from the longest length.

The weapon is enchanted for durability and flexibility around the shaft to protect the extension mechanism and maintain stability at different lengths.

Lukas wouldn’t have known it was a spear if not for the journal. Inspector’s Compendium called the base form a shortsword but he thought it a dagger when bagging it. The blade and handle were both a foot long. The proportions were far from traditional but Lukas thought it was a custom piece or carried a unique enchantment.

“Test it,” he told El-Two, handing him the weapon. If the blade weren’t as sword-like, Lukas would’ve categorized it as an African Ikwa spear.

The clone did as instructed. Much to Lukas’s surprise, it wasn’t just the shaft that grew. The blade widened around the base, looking almost like a foot-long leaf. Another twist made the weapon shoot from five feet to seven with enough force to break bones. It was then Lukas realized that the spearhead wasn’t supposed to represent more a bud than a leaf.

The blade blossomed, dividing into three. The new form reminded him of Japanese spears he had seen on the History Channel. Now, the head consisted of three points. Two six-inch tines extended from the spearhead’s base, almost perpendicular to the shaft. They curved upward ever so slightly, making the form great for hooking and also swinging sideways into enemies when thrusting wasn’t an option.

“Holy shit, that’s amazing!” Lukas exclaimed when El-Two snapped it back to the short-sword form.

“High skill ceiling,” the clone said. “Mastering this is going to be a hell of a lot of work. We’re going to need more clones, boss.”

Lukas nodded. “We need one guy on shortswords, another on short spears, and a third on whatever the final length is. It will be great for catching enemies off guard and keeping them off-balanced.”

“Next thing, you’ll want to add a shield to the mix.”

“Shields keep you fuckers alive longer and save me magic.”

“You’re only saying that now because we’re expensive, and you don’t have much magic to spare,” El-Two grumbled. “I’ll bet our right nut that you’ll change your mind when we’re cheap and numerous. Next thing we know, you’ll pick up the old idea of kamikaze clones again.”

“There is a reason that never came to fruition,” Lukas said, returning his attention to the rest of the loot. “Too wasteful. Too much collateral damage. Clean, precise strikes are better. Innocents don’t get hurt. We don’t make unnecessary enemies.”

“And we don’t get to go out in glorious, flaming death!”

“The spear is yours. Go find tutors. The unarmed lady is good, but not enough. She’s currently only making us better at running away and not getting hurt. We need to be able to stand and fight.”

“Yes, boss.” The clone saluted before going out of the window.

Even though Lukas was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get some sleep, he continued digging through the loot, dividing them into keep and sell piles. He and El-One needed protection for their journey into the undercity, and the pair only had a couple of days until they were due to descend. Since Arcane Clone was unlikely to get to the next tier in the time he had remaining, equipment would need to fill the hole.

Lukas analyzed the final piece that he had initially almost missed at the bottom of the satchel. It was a rectangular belt buckle etched with runes and had an empty socket in the middle. His weak magic detection skills sensed a faint glimmer of energy within.

Apprentice’s Arcane Accumulator

Mages pour significant time and resources into their mages. The death of one isn’t just the loss of an employee or dear one, but also of all investments and results in damage to reputation.

The buckle gathers magic and stores it within the metal and essence socket, giving apprentices an emergency magic source. Masters also store spells within the socket for their students to call upon during emergencies. The latter requires an essence.

Lukas immediately stuffed the buckle, all of his stolen essences, in his coat and strapped on his sword belt before rushing out. He made a beeline for Esther’s clinic. His hood remained lowered, and he walked with a confident gait. The more inconspicuous Lukas tried to act, the more he would stand out. Besides, they were in a city of a few million with several thousand couriers. It would take them considerable time for the shopkeeper and his thugs to find Lukas. And even if they did find the real him, they’d probably think twice before attacking someone wearing a guild badge.

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The Shadow Seekers’s reputation as thieves, murderers, and assassins also had benefits. Lukas didn’t know how much of it was true, but he was counting on their notoriety for security.

“You really have been busy.” Esther laughed once Lukas caught her up on everything that had happened since he left her workshop two weeks prior. She already sort of knew one of his biggest secrets, and he needed an advisor and confidant who wasn’t the clone. Esther seemed like a good enough candidate. Hence, she got most of the truth. “Courier. Working with a sorcerer.” She paused, pouring their tea and pushing a plate piled with dry biscuits towards them. “Grand theft and property destruction. You’ll fit right in with the Shadow Seekers.”

“Are they really that bad?” Lukas asked.

“They’re the worst. Don’t let Snake’s demeanor fool you.” She paused, studying him for a moment. “I kid, of course. They get the job done. People might have problems with how they go about it, but that’s neither here nor there. Just tread carefully. All right?”

Lukas nodded. “I’ve seen more than I want to and should. It makes sense why you’re not a friend of the city guard. They’re clearly entangled in a bunch of horrendous shit. Honestly, I only joined a guild for the license and weapons training.”

“I thought as much. You’ll get what you want out of them for sure. Just be careful with the jobs you accept. It's a slippery slope. Don’t take anything convoluted or beyond the basic kill and collection jobs from the guild job board. The more complicated the quest, the more likely you are to get sucked into something unsavory and dangerous. Interfering with other guilds’ jobs and territories. Beating other guilds and organizations to the prize. Holding valuable resources hostage. You don’t want any of that.”

“I’ll prioritize the listings on the public job boards, then.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Esther nodded. “So. What is it you want from me? It is safe to assume your new employer already filled you in on the pillars, shards, essences, conjunction abilities, confluences, and the rest?”

“She did,” Lukas answered. “Penelope is due to start teaching me magic soon. But it's not soon enough. We’re heading into the undercity in a couple of days.” He placed the buckle and the two unwanted essences on the table between them. “I was wondering if you could help me put a spell in there.”

Esther raised an eyebrow, picking up the blood essence and analyzing it closely. She did the same with the feather essence next. “You undersold your loot. This is quite a haul. Maybe you really belong with the bastards in Shadow Seekers. Are you sure you don’t want to just sell these? It should be enough to fix your cracked shard.”

“Selling either of those and two to three weeks working for Penelope should be enough for it. That’s assuming she doesn’t fix it for me as promised.”

“It’s your money.” Esther shrugged. “If I do this, we’re even. Alright?”

“Right. What spells can these get me? I need something that will help me stay alive.”

Esther put her hand on the Essence of Feather. “Featherfall. It’s a simple spell that can make your body lighter and faster. Alternatively, you could burn through all the magic at once to float down from a cliff and land without injury.” She returned her attention to the Essence of Blood. “If I were a worse person, I’d steal this from you. Essence of Blood is rare. It's powerful. Useful to psychopaths, sadists, and healers.”

“Does that mean you can turn the buckle into a healing device?” Lukas asked, an excited shiver running through his body. His sleeve hid the goosebumps on his arm. He didn’t want a repeat of his experience with the Wyrmkin.

“It’s easy enough,” she answered, tapping the buckle. “Whoever made this did all the hard work. I just need to cast the spell. Do you want a continuous heal over time or an emergency heal?”

“The latter. We’ll be square afterward.”

Esther studied the buckle closely. “Hold on a moment. This is meant for apprentice mages. They can link their magic to that of enchanted devices. It’s how—”

“I can do that,” Lukas said. “Somewhat.” He unsheathed his sword and placed it on the table. “The sword has spoken enchantments. I linked with it. Is that enough for an apprentice mage?”

“No. But it's a good starting point.”

When Esther cast her spell, a warming pulse reverberated through Lukas. She placed the Essence of Blood and belt buckle next to one another. The metal blossomed like a flower around the socket, and the glass sphere lost solidity. It rippled and melted. The gelatinous blood flowed into the buckle’s opening, and the glass followed a moment later. Filling in the runes and blank spaces. The metal reformed around the essence, and the new buckle now resembled a metallic eye with a crimson pupil.

The vet cast her healing spell once again. This time, the pulse was weaker. Lukas felt the energy flow out of her and into the belt buckle. It vibrated for a moment before floating off the table.

“Speak the word: laeknir. Embrace the feeling. Memorize it. Master it.” Esther’s words were soft and monotonous, sounding almost like a chant. “You don’t want to have to speak the words when push comes to shove. Learn to do it like a true mage. Connect with the spell. Make it your own.”

“Laeknir,” Lukas whispered. Energy pulsed from the belt buckle, washing over him. He felt his magic intertwine with the buckle in the same way it had with the sword. The connection wasn’t as deep, but still potent.

Something changed.

Something clicked.

The connection lasted only for a moment, unlike with the sword, but he continued to feel the magic within afterward as a tendril of his energy remained out like a feeler. It was faint, almost like a glimmer caught out of the corner of one’s eye. Next, Lukas felt something more potent at his waist. It was considerably stronger, more a candlelight than a flicker. Finally, Lukas sensed Esther. She was a roaring fire among embers. Her presence winked out a moment later.

“You’re suppressing yourself,” Lukas commented.

“It’s one of the first things my master taught me,” Esther said. “A healer who stands out dies first.” She stared at Lukas for a moment, peering into his eyes. “You have more secrets than your shard ability and who you were. The way you react to magic. How quickly you figured out detection and connection. It doesn’t feel like you’re learning something new.” Esther paused. “It’s almost like you’re recovering lost memories and skills.”

“Or, I’m just a prodigy, and my ‘brother’s’ research is finally paying off.”

“I’m not sure I’m buying that,” Esther said.

“Honestly, this is all new to me. I’ve just been experimenting with the sword’s swiftness enchantment. Maybe that had something to do with it.” Lukas wasn’t sure if he was particularly convincing, but it didn’t matter. Esther clearly had an agenda hence she was helping him. He hadn’t figured it out yet, but his instincts told him that she was a decent person. “Do you have time for an apprentice? I need someone to teach me the fundamentals. I can pay.”

“I am a horrid teacher and don’t have any interest in taking on an apprentice,” Esther said. “However, maybe you can send your ‘brother’ to me once in a while during the evenings when it's slow in the clinic. He can help with the animals. I can demonstrate the fundamentals. Memories or not, it's clear the pair of you need a lot of practice.”

“Out of the goodness of your heart?” Lukas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“When I say help, I mean heavy lifting.” The vet chuckled. “By sunset, I’ve run myself ragged, and my hips want to quit. Besides, I get the feeling you’re going to shake things up in Iskander. You already are, by the sounds of it. Old ladies like front-row seats.”

“Thank you,” Lukas said, standing up.

“We’re not done here, Lukas Zaun,” Esther said, her tone more commanding than friendly. “Sit down. I’m not done guiding you.”

“I need to—”

“You can hawk the rest later. First, we need to ensure you know enough magic to survive the undercity. Given your current power levels, I don’t like your chances of survival. The sword and buckle might not be enough.” Esther leaned back in her chair, sipping tea. “Sit. You need to understand and know about the basics. I have time for once and you will do as told.”

“Fine.” Lukas sighed, following instructions. It was a decent opportunity and shopping would have to wait.