Essence of Magic Shaping

It didn’t bother Lukas that Penelope’s essence had come late. He didn’t see it contributing much to upgrading the Essence. Instead, he believed it was a contender for Shadow Clone’s next tier alongside the Essence of Dusk. Alternatively, he wondered whether he could slot it into an arcane focus and make the shaping of shadows easier.

“Shaping goes hand in hand with compression,” Esther had told him not long after her lecture on magic compression. “It’s not just about turning a block of ice into a spear or wall. Vapor to water, water to ice, and back again is all shaping.”

“So I need to master Shaping if I want to solidify shadows?”

“Correct. Most mages get a focus to help them with the task. Shaping can be simple or incredibly complicated. Since it's channeled magic, it gets taxing pretty damn quickly.”

The ascension had more than doubled Lukas’s magic stores. He had ample magic for shaping but lacked the time for training. So he didn’t worry too much about it. His money was better invested in protection than a focus that he wouldn’t get the most out of. He didn’t want to rush into committing the essence to something either since he’d need an expert’s expensive services to extract it again. First, Lukas needed to ascend Altered Mass and unlock his first conjunction ability. Only then would he settle on a decision regarding the Essence of Magic Shaping.

For the time being, he put all his efforts into preparation. Lukas knew it was going to be anything but a simple task since not even Penelope was taking it lightly. Despite the containment field around her room, he could feel arcane threads pulse and twist. She was preparing something big. He didn’t know what or how her magic worked, but he imagined she was powering up Bass and layering defensive spells to ensure success and survivability. It wasn’t a simple trip into the undercity to investigate a strange phenomenon. They were heading into battle against foes of unknown numbers and quantity.

The pair had another talk after Penelope had slept. She relented. Informing others was far too risky, especially when they didn’t know who the Elder Wyrmkins’ topside allies were. If it was the strange hooded woman, as Lukas suspected, and if she was a person of political power or influence, the mission would be in jeopardy. The pair agreed that they’d only turn to the guilds if their initial strike failed. Otherwise, they’d use whatever evidence they found to find the perpetrators.

Even though Lukas lacked tangible evidence, he was almost sure that the Grey Rats and Stefan Santana were indirectly or directly tied to the Elder Wyrmkins. He had studied the other gangs, smugglers, and several other organizations in Iskander as fly-on-the-wall couriers or through the stalkers. He was sure none had the means or network to sneak the draconic people, their equipment, or reagents into the city. If they had come over land or the traditional docks, there would be records, whispers, or at least rumors.

The slavers regularly brought in merchandise. Some got away and almost made it to impartial authorities. Usually, Stefan’s inner circle or the rats recaptured them and put them in chains. None were dragged into a back alley and executed like the woman Lukas had seen. He guessed none of them wanted to waste valuable merchandise.

Lukas intended to set Nightcrawler and Stalker clones on stakeouts after he returned. If his suspicions were correct, the targets were bound to react once news of the Elder Wyrmkin’s fall became common knowledge. He intended to leave the life of spy, assassin, and thief behind. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t put the expertise gained over a lifetime to good use. Even if he didn’t directly do something about the situation, screwing up the lives and plans of slavers, warmongers, and anyone who saw innocents as collateral damage always put him in a good mood.

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The final hours before the delve were spent on last-minute practice and experimentation. When he created shadow spheres, they were now smooth and stable, almost appearing solid. However, when thrown against surfaces, the results were the same except for marginally louder thuds. He attempted to reshape the sphere into a cone or stretch it out into a spike. Unfortunately, the shadow construct failed to maintain stability and broke down.

“Bryna,” Lukas said, hoping to shape and sharpen the ball simultaneously. A spell thread formed, and he wrapped it around the sphere. Much to his disappointment, it didn’t take. The spell fell apart, and the sphere collapsed not long after. Figuring out the potency and limitations of Arcane Thread would require a fair amount of experimentation.

Next, Lukas turned his attention to Shade’s Mantle. He had successfully hardened its edges a handful of times. The mage clones had greater success with the task, but things were different now. It took a moment’s focus, but he managed to grant the edges moderate tangibility. They swished as he moved instead of floating or hanging inert and hardened, picking up a glinting edge when he cast the spell again. Putting it to practical use was still beyond him, but it felt like a decent start. Lukas treated the exercise as a means of practicing fundamental magic techniques.

It may become a tool for capturing or disabling people.

Finally, Lukas developed an old favorite spell. It was a stark contrast to his general themes. Before testing it, he covered his face with a thick veil of shadows, building layers over his eyes. Once satisfied, he cast Blinding Flash. He had attempted creating and casting the spell before, but the necessary focus and modification left him with a nosebleed. It was like a standard Skina—Shine—but with all of the magic focused in a brief second. Instead of a prolonged dim glow, a flash of incredible luminosity filled the room. Despite the layers of protection, Lukas’s eyes tingled.

Best of all, now that they had figured out the spell, it was simple enough for any clone to use, specialization or not. Magic Elvis would need to resist. He had instructions not to use any magic besides the Blinding Flash and Haste spells unless instructed. He’d be fighting with an arm tied behind his back, but that was the cost of maintaining their lie.

When the time for the delve came, Magic Elvis reported just as Elvis, wearing his new armor, carrying his new hammer, and wearing the supposedly fireproof coat. Neither Bass nor Penelope seemed to have yet realized that he was also a product of Lukas’s ability. In fact, the familiar seemed to like him and found him amusing. Penelope still treated him with indifference. Meanwhile, Lukas donned all of his new and best pieces before creating a mage-specialized cone. It reported to Penelope as him, along with a stalker clone acting as a shadow construct.

By the time the group of four descended into the undercity using the guardhouse elevator, Lukas was already present and waiting. He and a nightcrawler clone stood in the farthest corner of the cavern, draped in Silencing Shadows, having descended a couple of hours prior. Then, they cautiously followed, careful not to let the concealment fall and hoping Bass’s keen senses didn’t detect their presence.

They maintained a healthy distance. Thanks to the Nightcrawler clone, Lukas didn’t worry too much when the distance between him and the group got too much. Tracking them through the dark wasn’t much of a challenge. Low-mass and Frar would ensure he covered the distance between them in seconds. In such an eventuality, he would have to reveal Shadow Clone to Penelope, but he believed that in the worst-case scenario, she’d only choose never to work with him again for the continued deception.

The stalker clone played the convincing job of a shadow construct, keeping himself completely covered in shadows and only speaking in husky whispers. He scouted and circled the group, occasionally drifting close to Lukas and the Nightcrawler—El Four. If necessary, he had the mobility to speed to either group and join combat.