The mishap around the Eastern City Wall market had taught Lukas his lesson. He knew not to wander too close to the region and only sent clones for deliveries and investigations to the area. It meant Lukas couldn’t freely hunt for shards and essences. It was unlikely he’d find what he wanted in the shops, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try.

Lukas scoured the usual market streets near the ports and then also checked the high-end shops near the town hall. They stocked the best of what the merchants had to offer—to the public, at least. None met his requirements. None contained arcanic or magic-adjacent concepts. He believed the Essence of Repulsion could potentially fill one of the three reagent slots, but Lukas worried it wasn’t enough. He didn’t want to end up with an inferior product because of his impatience.

Now, as he regained clarity, Lukas recalled the times Minarv had spoken about how he always rushed towards what he wanted, forgetting all else. Lukas struggled to think of little else besides his goals and what he wanted and needed to achieve them in his timeline. He was pushy. Often selfish. It was part of the reason their relationship initially struggled, and they had parted ways several times over the years. Lukas had much growing and maturing to do. Things didn’t stabilize until his fourth decade on the Realm of Greater Beings, even then, politics and his personal agenda made things challenging.

Pushy was the word he often used.

Lukas never disagreed. He tried for her. However, he had a tendency to hyperfocus and get carried away. At the end of the day, he was sure that they had no future. So, he prioritized his escape from Fracture and pursuit of godhood. Now, he wondered whether more time with Minarv would’ve helped him find the happiness his clones kept badgering him about.

Patience. There is no need to rush.

The public job boards didn’t have what he wanted. Some high-tier contracts listed essences, but he either had no interest in them or the listings didn’t come with specifics. It didn’t matter. The quests were well beyond his strength levels and capabilities. Eventually, he found himself at the Shadow Seekers’ guildhouse. It wasn’t intentional. Checking familiar and unfamiliar shops while avoiding shady neighborhoods somehow led him to the building. It was a relief Lukas hadn’t sent any of the clones.

Elvis and Magic Elvis were busy with their jobs. While the other two clones were in the undercity, investigating the area where Penelope had taken Lukas during the first delve. He entered the building not to train but because he was lost in thought, and it was familiar.

“He’s here!” The voice was familiar, but her tone wasn’t. It was the receptionist who usually treated Lukas and his clones as trash and didn’t consider him worth his while. “Lukas Zaun is here!”

Several familiar and unfamiliar faces around the hall looked up from their drinks, meals, and paperwork. Some cheered. Others smiled and waved. Snake emerged from the upper floor and fluidly descended the stairs, almost gliding over them like a snake.

“We were wondering when you’d show up!” The chapter’s vice leader exclaimed. He slid an arm around Lukas’s shoulder and pulled him close. When he continued, the man spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “A newbie. A blasted, newly sharded, green mule fetched a pearl before any of the big, snot-nosed bastards. Thanks to Lukas Zaun here, the Shadow Seekers won.”

“And brought a pair of murderers to justice,” Kwame called, emerging from the door leading to the training grounds. Dust and sand covered his boots, but the rest of his outfit was immaculate. “The Union is investigating their guilds. The chapters are likely to fall, but things might escalate even further.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“That’s certainly good to hear,” Lukas said, rubbing his right arm. “I was pretty sure I was going to die.”

“I was pretty sure you did die.” The quartermaster laughed. “But then you showed up intact with the pearl before anyone else.” He looked around the room, speaking louder as he continued. “Including Moon Rabbit’s prodigy!”

More people cheered.

“The next round is for me!” The man behind the man shouted. “For Mister Zaun improving our reputation.”

“Before we ruin it again!” Big Mouth called, and countless voices echoed the sentiment. Some even chanted it.

A fervor washed over the room. Lukas walked into the guildhouse for some quiet and the chance to think. Instead, he found a party, and somehow, he was the center of it. Suddenly, he no longer thought his last trip to the undercity was stupid. He was glad to have taken the risk. People shook his hands. Many congratulated him. Some offered to train him. Others offered to take him on dangerous jobs with incredible rewards. It was starting to get too much for Lukas, but Snake rescued him just then.

“I’ve got something for you,” the man said, pulling him aside. “You look like you need a break.” Snake nodded at a large pair of doors behind reception. “Should we talk somewhere a bit quieter?” A round of cheers went up just then, and the sound of breaking glass followed. “Or private, at least.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Lukas said, accepting the mug of mead pushed into his hands before following Snake. He weaved through a few people, redirected a few others, and then they disappeared into the backroom.

It was significantly smaller than the front hall and the attached cafeteria and was not run down at all. The design was far from grand, and the furnishings were also modest. It was better kept but still modest. However, given everything he had seen of the guild thus far, it was opulent. Lukas tried to push thoughts of the ritual, shard, essences, and Minarv out of his mind and focused on whatever the chapter master had to say.

“In all honesty, I wasn’t happy when Kwame picked you for the job. It's too risky. You’re too green. More importantly, you’re an unknown. We haven’t had the time to vet you well enough for such a job.” Snake sighed. “But he insisted. I didn’t know if he really trusted you, didn’t care about you enough to use you as a sacrificial lamb, or you’re just that good. He might not say it to spare your feelings, but we agree on one thing: what you did was mighty stupid. There was no good reason to go for the pearl. As soon as the run began and someone shot at you, you should've fled.”

“No disagreements there,” Lukas replied. “It was what I planned to do until the unused path appeared. It was calling to me, and I gave in to greed.”

“And almost died. That shadow shroud of yours is mighty potent. It fooled Kwame. He was sure you suffered a previous injury.” Snake smiled. “But you didn't. You proved your prowess and value to the guild. And we reward that here.”

Snake slid a black badge across the table toward Lukas. It looked the same as the one he currently owned, except the patterns carved into it were far more intricate, and it was made of metal instead of wood. “You're no longer a probationary member. Other guilds might want to poach you now, but we're willing to grant full membership and promotion to tier two. Typically, that doesn't happen unless you have two ascended shard abilities and have completed far more quests.”

Lukas wasn't sure what to say. He didn't realize the clone's impulsive and suicidal activities had turned him into a hot commodity. He picked up the badge and studied it closely. His arcane senses detected nothing, but he could tell at a glance the badge would be challenging to replicate unless one used a cloning ability, of course.

“We are not the most popular guild, and I think you now understand why. The badge might draw the ire of the many organizations we watch, limit, and police. But you'll get access to one of the best information networks and black markets on Fracture. The Union of Guilds deems us a necessary existence, and despite public opinion, our reach extends far.”

“Thank you.” Lukas removed the badge he wore and replaced it with the new one. “I don't know what to say.”