“This is a pretty blade,” Lukas commented, holding up Magic Elvis’s creation up to the light. It was unbelievably light and sharp despite the lack of any enchantments or alchemical treatments. The almost-black blade intrigued him the most. “I still can’t believe we made this.”

“Right,” Magic Elvis grumbled. “We.”

“I did the handle, guard, and final polish,” Elvis said, throwing up a hand and rocking excitedly. He looked like a giddy schoolboy proud of his stick finger art. “They’re good too, right?”

Lukas nodded. “Good job with the pommel.” He rested the blade on two fingers just past the guard. It stayed perfectly level. He knew of its existence for quite some time but had ignored it until the clones completed the project. “Well balanced. We need to figure out how to get the most out of the magic.”

“Enchanting is whole another ball game,” Magic Elvis said. “They have a completely separate workshop for that, and I’m not allowed in. But the magic in there is attuned to shadow. Perhaps we can use it as a source for a spell? Reduce the strain and drain?”

“That’s not the worst of ideas,” Lukas said, swinging the blade. It was so light it felt like he was playing with a twig. He passed it back to Elvis. “Figure out how to do it. Then, we can pass it on to an agility-empowered clone. It's about time they get something that’s not mundane.”

“Where do you stand on claws and katars, boss?” Elvis asked. “Shadow Seekers’ unarmed training combined with their insane speed could make them terrifying.”

“I’d much rather stick to the reach and speed of short swords and daggers,” Lukas said. “Don’t get me wrong, claws and katars have their uses, but if we’re facing anything big, we need weapons that bite deeper.”

“Perhaps after we figure out how to solidify shadows, then?”

“Perhaps. My question is, what can a claw or dagger do that a dagger or sword can’t do better? It’s all the same once magic and abilities enter the mix. Let’s stick to simple stabbing and slashing weapons for now. I don’t mind if we go more exotic for chopping and bludgeoning. It's about time our high-mass front liner gets a decent force multiplier.”

“A hammer with a claw or pick end is probably best, then,” Magic Elvis said. “It’ll be a decent substitute for when the Three-Stage Spear isn’t as effective. If we’re lucky, I might be able to pour some magic into that, too.”

“What good is shadow-attuned magic in a hammer?” Elvis raised an eyebrow.

Magic Elvis shrugged. “Make it lighter. Another source of magic. I don’t know. Ten hours in the workshop drains the will to live and all creativity. Ideas are your job. And El-Prime’s, of course.”

“The forges are enchanted, right?” It was a rhetorical question. Lukas was more talking to himself. “We won’t get any better waiting for the foreman to put us on something worth our time.”

“Apparently, we’re not the only ones to have joined to figure out their magic drawing techniques,” Magic Elvis said. “It’s not uncommon for people to get poached by a competitor or to leave and start something of their own.”

“I’m pretty sure Kat’s dad did the same a lifetime ago,” Elvis said.

“Answer my question, please.” Lukas already knew the answer. He had seen more than a few glances of both smithies in the clones’ memories. “The forges are enchanted, right?”

Magic Elvis nodded. “I’ve seen the foreman draw magic from the forge into the steel. His billets glow sometimes. He’s used other sources, too.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“I think instead of learning how they draw out magic, we need to also focus on making billets besides those filled with shadow magic,” Lukas said. “Make our force multiplier extra multipliery. Maybe get close to the power hammer they use for the harder and extra stacked steel.”

“But they don’t let me get close—”

“Figure out a way. We need our vanguard to hit hard.”

Lukas got up and started getting dressed. He wore his hooded cloak, an alchemically treated leather breastplate, and steel-reinforced boots. The runic shortsword hung from his waist, and he strapped the diamond-shaped buckler to his left arm.

“Where are you going, boss?” Elvis asked.

“The undercity?”

“What? Why?” Magic Elvis echoed concerns half a second later. “I thought you weren’t—”

“I’m not going to fight or delve. It's time we focus genuine effort into training Altered Mass. Making high and low-mass clones isn’t enough. The ability grows fastest when I move the slider, and pushing myself will hasten things.” Lukas called forth the Shade’s Mantle but kept it tucked under his clothes. “I won’t fight anything. Just find an isolated patch away from prying eyes to push myself.”

“I suppose that’s a good idea.” Elvis sighed. “We need the minor ability as soon as possible.”

“Indeed. It's worth the risk.”

Lukas left the inn through the window, leaving one arcane-specialized clone behind to train and wait for Penelope to call on him. Both artisan clones left for work. He kept one unsummoned to watch his back once in the undercity and wished there were more.

Not enough clones.

It seemed the more his soul pillar ascended, the stronger Lukas’s soul would grow, allowing it to be split into more pieces. In his last life, only the amount of magic he had and focus mattered. Fracture’s system was far more limiting. However, Lukas hoped that with the right essences, he’d enjoy exponential growth, doubling the maximum number of clones with each tier.

The undercity near the Western Port Gate only had half a dozen guards. The line was also short. The crowd looked like a mismatch of experienced delvers who knew exactly where they were going and wanted to, and green individuals hoping to complete simple jobs without standing in long lines.

Lukas’s wait was only ten minutes. Within half an hour, he was deep under Iskander and had branched off from the main caverns, following hand-painted signs. It didn’t matter that he was heading towards nowhere, in particular to areas where nothing, not even the undercity dwellers, lurked. He only stopped after finding a long, isolated cavern devoid of life except for the giant bioluminescent mushrooms.

Before starting his Altered Mass training, Lukas made another attempt at something he hadn’t managed despite training all week. First, he cleared his mind, thinking of nothing but Silencing Shadows. He had activated the spell as soon as the guards were out of sight, but now, he really gave it all of his attention. Shadows tightened around his slender frame, and ambient magic flowed around it, seeming to pass through him. The speed of their currents barely changed, unlike when he first learned the spell.

Once Lukas was sure that his channeling was as perfect as he could get it, he finally split his attention. One part of his mind kept Silencing Shadows going while the other half shaped another clone. His heart skipped a beat as it started to work, almost ruining his concentration. At first, it was only the magic-flow technique that intertwined with the clone’s shell, but then the spell also started to bond.

The clone manifested, draped in shadows, and the journal vibrated.

“Holy shit, boss. I’m brand new!”

You have unlocked a new specialized clone. It specializes in manipulating shadows and erasing their arcane presence.

Shadow Clone has progressed to rank 1!

Magic demands of clone creation are reduced.

Lukas grinned. There was something about the undercity. Its concentration of magic made funneling extra energy into abilities and spells significantly easier. He also focused better in the dark and had it to thank for the success.

“Scout and surveil.”

“And carry you out if you break bones,” the clone said. He flashed a shadowy thumbs-up. “Got it!”

El-Four retreated into the shadows and disappeared without a trace. Lukas couldn’t sense him at all. He also wanted to test unlocking new specializations using Shadow Sight, but he didn’t have the clones to spare and also wanted to conserve magic. His hand clasped the enchanted belt buckle. Its energy stores were full. He hadn’t used it since the delve with Penelope. Now, he hoped it would save him when he screwed up.