The speedster form didn’t look significantly different from Lukas. Its muscles were more toned, joints more flexible, and limbs ever so slightly longer. The differences were almost impossible to detect unless they stripped down to their skivies. So, when Lukas stayed in a high-mass state and presented himself as Elvis, no one seemed to be able to tell the difference.

Lukas approached Kat’s smithy with bated breath, but when she came running and threw herself into his arms, he knew she couldn’t tell the difference either.

“You’re late!” She complained. “Not for work but…” Her eyes drifted up to the floor above the smithy. “What kept you?”

“Things might have become a little complicated. Can we talk?”

“Oh.” Kat pulled back, eyes focused on his. “Why does my gut tell me this is going to be super unpleasant?”

“Lukas and I somehow managed to get entangled with the Grey Rats,” Lukas said. “We had no choice but to say yes to the job. I’m pretty sure they planned on taking us out if we said no. But if things go wrong, our lives and yours might be in trouble. Even if everything turns out just fine, I doubt they’ll just let us move on afterward.”

“No.” Her shoulders fell. “Once the Grey Rats get your hooks in you, they’ll never let you go.”

“We expected as much. Our only choice is to leave Iskander once it's over. Hopefully, they won’t pursue us if we complete the job first, but I’m sure his assassin is already tracking us.”

“What’s the job?” All of Kat’s former enthusiasm had now disappeared.

“It’s best if you don’t know.”

Lukas’s chest ached. It felt like someone had laid him flat and placed a massive weight on his thorax. Even though he refused to admit to the clones, they knew it. He felt something for Kat, too. Elvis was one of his personas, after all. It was just him with fewer inhibitions and a lust for life, desperate to enjoy every bit of it before voluntary death or dispelment. Elvis played the fool because he was supposed to, but it wasn’t all pretend. Elvis was the man Lukas used to be when happy, playing the fool and having fun.

He took full responsibility for everything. Lukas had the power to nip the relationship in the bud far earlier when it was nothing but innocent flirtation, but he enjoyed the memories of their talks and long silences. It came with some degree of fulfillment.

Selfish. That’s what it was.

“I’m sorry, Kat,” Lukas said, taking her hand. “I wish things didn’t turn out this way, but I think it's also for the best if we very publicly part ways. That way, the Grey Rats can’t target you to blackmail or hurt me.”

“Have they made threats?” She asked.

Lukas nodded. “If I leave town without completing the job or let information regarding it leak, they’re going to torture you and your dad, Esther, and everyone we’ve befriended in front of us before they kill us. Me first. Then, Lukas.”

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Kat clenched her jaws. “He got you entangled in all of this?”

“It was both of us,” Lukas answered after some hesitation. “He left too much of himself exposed, and I may be at fault for his abilities becoming known. They just wanted him alone and to hold me as collateral, but we managed to convince them to let both of us work on this together.”

“That way, you can both escape together when it's done?”

“That’s the plan.”

“What if I come with you?” Kat asked, her voice small.

“You’d do that?” Lukas asked, his chest tightening further. He never thought about how deeply she felt about ‘Elvis.’ “What about your dad? The smithy? Can you just leave them behind?”

“No.” She sighed, dropping onto her bottom. She pulled her knees close and rested her back against the wall. “I want to hate your brother, but it isn’t exactly his fault, is it? The Grey Rat are scum. They have their dirty little paws in everything and ears everywhere. And the bastards in the Iskander guard just let them exist and function freely.”

“I have it in good authority that Mister Grey has ties to someone high up. Or dirt on them. It’s Stefan who made the introduction.”

“Blighted bastard. I hope his testicles shrivel and fall off. And sewer rats tear them to bits right before his eyes.” Kat wiped her eyes on her dirty sleeves, leaving sooty stains across her face. “Can we be alone for a bit?” She smiled weakly. “Perhaps a last goodbye?”

“Not right now. I really want to. Believe me, I do. But we also need to prepare for a delve with Penelope. How about I come back tonight or tomorrow before we’re due to leave?”

“Tonight,” Kat insisted. “Come by after the smithy closes. I’ll make you dinner. Alright?”

“It’s a promise. Then, tomorrow morning, before I leave, we need to have a big screaming match. Say ugly words. Any little rats watching us need to believe it.”

Kat chuckled. “I think we can manage that.”

Lukas hugged her before walking away. He hadn’t sent a clone for the conversation. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them. He believed that showing up in person and not having the talk through a proxy was the right thing to do. Elvis could come back later to enjoy the final goodbye. It didn’t make a difference if it were him or the clones, they’d enjoy the memories regardless. However, shame and guilt weren’t as big an issue for them. Lukas believed that going up with her then wouldn’t have been right. Elvis would’ve likely jumped at the opportunity.

The ‘you only live once’ attitude, they called it.

It took several minutes of deep breathing to ease the chest discomfort. Breakups never got easier. He’d experienced many in his eighty years, and each came with the same pre-anxieties, heartache, and pain. Over the years, recovering from them had become easier as Lukas developed coping mechanisms. He hoped Kat would recover from the heartbreak swiftly. Her and Elvis’s tryst had lasted less than a handful of months, but it was clear that she cared deeply.

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The woman was still young, just about in her twenties. He was sure she’d meet someone new before long. The smithy would need a new apprentice. Rich, powerful, and talented delvers regularly visited the business for modestly priced equipment, repairs, and trades. Lukas was sure someone more deserving of Kat’s affection would come along before long. He’d never forget her. Lukas never forgot anyone he had to leave behind and rarely let Minarv purge memories related to them. They were all precious and a part of him.

Now, Lukas and the clones focus on more pressing topics. A couple of days had passed since his meeting with Mister Grey, and the delivery hadn’t yet arrived. Bass hadn’t yet returned, but Penelope reported over breakfast that he had found something and was on the way back. They were almost out of time, and he couldn’t wait anymore. It was time to rob a mage college.

Since there was no longer a need for Elvis—Magic Elvis could very well fill the brother role—Lukas had granted three clones the stalker specialization, and they approached the challenge together. The first couple of infiltrations had gone smoothly.

The trio started off by testing multiple points of entry.

The targeted academy catered to students ranging between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one. Investigations proved that many had last names, most of which Lukas recognized from around the city. As a result, the compound had tight security.

They started by trying to hop the walls. A physical barrier stopped them. If it were just wards and enchantments, Silencing Shadows might've allowed them to pass through. Given the nature of such defenses, Lukas doubted intangibility gained through the Phasing Shard's Mind-Pillar ability would've done the job. One of the clones, just for the fun of it, tried throwing himself at the barrier as hard as possible while the others watched from a distance.

He bounced off it like a rubber ball and rag-dolled across the street. The clone dispelled himself mid-air, saving himself the pain of collision in a low-mass state and the slow death afterward. They didn't consider it a waste. Figuring out the barrier's function was vital.

Did it electrocute?

Did it burn?

Did it repel?

Did objects simply slide off it?

Understanding the nature of a barrier was often key to bypassing it. They currently lacked the means to break something as powerful as complex, but the sacrifice helped them test whether it alerted anyone of infiltration attempts. A woman emerged from the trees on the other side, riding a stone slab like it were a surfboard. A couple of younger mages followed, running, riding beasts, or hovering on disks.

“Did someone try to break in, miss?” A blonde little girl with pigtails and silk bows asked.

“I don't think so,” the woman answered after taking a few seconds to scan the area. “No magic. No debris. Probably just townies messing around again.”

“Awww.” Several students echoed their disappointment.

“It's nothing to be sad about. At most, you'd get to watch me encase the perpetrator in stone, and then we'd have a boring wait until the authorities arrived.” They waved in the direction they had come. “Back to class now. None of you will pass your arcane traversal class if we lollygag.”

The two remaining clones tested the waterways. One went through the sewers and was promptly eaten by a giant reptile with glowing green eyes and multiple rows of teeth. It wore a bright pink collar and was likely a pet or domesticated security.

Meanwhile, the final clone had better luck with the entry waterway. It brought fresh water into the academy and, as a result, was kept free of lifeforms. No one wants waste material in their drinking and bathing water, after all. However, it wasn’t devoid of obstacles. The clone had to mostly swim through darkness so potent that Shadow Sight failed to penetrate it. Invisible obstacles and ceilings almost trapped and drowned him.

The clone also bumped into a construct of metal and stone that stirred to life. Its luminous eyes and the runes covering its body added illumination to the endless back. Fortunately, the creature failed to find anything. Its eyes swept over where the clone swam, draped in Silencing Shadows, failing to spot him. It appeared the construct’s senses were purely magical, and it failed to penetrate the stalker’s concealment. When Lukas analyzed the cones’ memories, he was sure the construct would’ve caught him. The specialized clones were far better than him with the spell and general concealment techniques.

In fact, the construct’s light helped the clone swim through the waterway and escape drowning. He followed the tunnels and channels, picking whatever path was wide enough for him to traverse. First, a couple of wells passed. They appeared meant for drawing, drinking, cooking, and bathing water. Lukas kept low, unwilling to rise anywhere in the open where throngs of servants and staff worked or loitered.

Eventually, the chosen channels took the clone indoors, and it was one such dark space where he emerged. It was a classroom. Luminous writing covered several chalkboards. A dim chandelier hung overhead. There was plenty to steal, but the clone resisted. He needed to find a way out and a more sustainable path in. Only then could they steal something safely.

The clone snuck out of the classroom and through the connected corridors and massive hallways. He stuck to the shadows and avoided anyone who looked like a teacher like the plague. After several heart-pounding moments, the clone found what he needed—servant quarters. He swapped the dripping grey clothes for a uniform, combed his hair, and grabbed a badge. Lukas had sent them in with nothing, unwilling to lose anything of value or let them be sighted in anything recognizable.

Moving through the academy was much easier as a servant. The clone walked swiftly, carrying a large bundle of dampened sheets and pretending to be embarrassed. No one bothered him. One similarly dressed, older man approached him and froze, looking between his eyes and the bundled cloth.

“Young miss soil her sheets?”

“Young master,” the clone corrected. “I need to get these to the laundry, but it's not easy being discrete at this time of the day, is it?”

“No. It is not.” The man sighed. He pulled a metal badge out of his pocket and pressed it into the bundle. “Use the butler passages.”

“Thank you.” The clone offered a half bow. “The young master will be relieved. How do I get this back you?”

“Just drop it off at the butler’s desk before the next count. They’ll understand.”

The butler passages were easy to find. The clone only needed to match the doors to the badge’s design. He followed the carts to the laundry and dropped off the bundle in one of them. He then slipped into the area with clean clothes and grabbed a stack of fresh service staff uniforms, sheets, and a couple of towels. He walked with determination and focus afterward like he had somewhere to be urgent.

Once again, no one stopped him. The clone received no odd glances when turning away from the residences and into the dining hall, and again when entering the kitchens. A cook shouted at him to get out of the way but that was it. He followed other staff members to the delivery carts, walked past them, and out of the academy.

The following day, Lukas sent three clones to the academy in three different uniforms. They rubbed grease on their brows, cheeks, and powdered their hair, ever so slightly altering color and texture. The stalkers entered separately every time carrying crates of food alongside foodcarts. The first of them had the stolen ordinary badge and the next proudly wore the butler’s badge. Only the clone with none was stopped at the gate, but was allowed in after having a breakdown over how his master was going to beat him for not serving the fresh pastries while they were still hot.

The second infiltration went much smoother and the clones used it as an opportunity to explore the academy. They checked the shops and classrooms. Explored every unlocked and unwatched storeroom. They also scoured the dormitories and unmanned private quarters. Even when they saw things worth stealing and temptation struck, they moved on. If anyone saw them, the tro busied themselves with straightening rooms, dusting, making beds, or fussing over the mess their master had left.

It was as Lukas had expected. The best places to rob were the private quarters of middle-of-the-pack rich kids who had inserted themselves in someone more popular’s entourage. Their sparse staff was often out, serving their master or master’s focus of interest. The quarters were often left unguarded and valuables poorly hidden. The butler’s badge got them through initial locks and then they walked through arcane defences using Silencing Shadows.

On day three, Lukas gave them the all clear. Bass was on his way back. One clone got caught trying to pick a lock and dispelled himself. Another causted chaos in the alchemy lab by spilling a trolley of noxious waste potions. Meanwhile, the clone with the butler badge cleaned house. They walked with three separate essences: Essence of Cumulus, Essence of Dusk, Essence of Arcane Compression.