El-One didn’t get the job. More specifically, he didn’t get the job Lukas wanted for him.

“What does your shard ability do?” Kat’s Pa had asked, looking over the ‘letter of recommendation’ Stefan had written, signed, and stamped with the Iskandar Guard’s seal.

“Above average endurance and pain tolerance, and heals my wounds faster than the average Joe’s.” El-One’s fib had some truth to it. Lacking inhibitors, the clones could push themselves through exhaustion and pain. It wasn’t that they didn’t feel either. They just had an easier time ignoring it since there were no long-term consequences. Dispelling and resummoning clones also rid them of most injuries since they matched Lukas’s state at the time of creation. “It’s not a lot, but I don’t need to worry about pushing myself or injuries on the job.” He grinned. “An employee who doesn’t need time off for injury or sickness sounds like an ideal hire, doesn’t it?”

“Sounds like a recipe for disaster,” the old man grumbled, looking Lukas up and down. He glanced at his daughter before shaking his head. “I need someone we can delegate our simpler jobs and day-to-day chores to, and I can tell you're going to need far too much training for just that.”

“I'm a fast learner and can—”

“If yer desperate and my brother-in-law here is going to make my life difficult…” He trailed off, staring at Stefan.

“I’d never make your life difficult!” The guard captain protested.

“But you’re going to natter to your wife, and she’s going to natter to mine, and then I’m going to be hearing about it for longer than I care.”

“That was last time, and he was a close, dear friend’s kid.”

“And a lazy, good-for-nothing thief.” The blacksmith returned his attention to Lukas and El-One.”I need someone to come in early three days a week. It's not exactly smithing but heating up the forge, bringing in materials, cleaning, and dealing with all the scrap and workshop waste. Do that. Observe. Maybe if I have an opening or need more help down the line, I might take you on. That’s assuming you’re receptive and picked up something, of course.”

“I was really hoping for more hands-on learning and guidance.” El-One sighed. “But okay.”

“We’re going to look around for other opportunities,” Lukas said. “If we find nothing, he’ll be here bright and early.”

“Sure.” The blacksmith grumbled, shaking his head as he walked off. “Hold my breath, why don’t I? I’ll pay two shells and fifty chips a day, and you’ll be thankful for it.”

“He probably just needs some time to warm up to you.” Kat shot El-One a little smile before following her father. “Come back tomorrow at the fourth-morning bell, and I’ll get you started.”She paused. “That’s assuming you don’t find anything better.”

Lukas and El-One didn’t find anything better. Stefan took them to three other smithies with help-wanted signs. Things didn’t go much better. The first two looked at the pair with hostility and suspicion. The third laughed at their gaunt faces and skinny limbs. She had El-One lift a hammer and swing it five times. He succeeded. Then, she ordered him to do another five repetitions while striking the anvil. By the second strike, his aim was off. He struggled to lift it during the fourth and almost lost his grip on the fifth. She offered him a similar deal to Kat’s father but with less than half the pay.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Stefan suggested another idea.

“Why not try out a courier job?” The guard captain suggested, passing a narrow but long building with a painted sign over the door. It showed a man running with a twine-tied parcel under his left arm and looking over his shoulder as if for pursuers. “My son worked for them before the sea called to him. He used to get a shell a day, plus twenty chips per package delivered. Timely delivery also came with tips from the client.”

“Do the jobs involve leaving Iskander’s walls?” Lukas asked.

Stefan shook his head. “That requires special licenses, and it's mostly members of the Hunter and Adventurer Guilds who take on those jobs. Merchant caravans occasionally take on the jobs too, but they, of course, leave on their schedule and have set routes, so it takes a bit longer.” Stefan paused, pointing out a young woman with a handcart, briskly walking away from the building. “See her silver badge. It lets her pass through toll gates and access roads privatized by the merchant communities, politicians, and nobles. My son never got that far, especially after he used Bronze Access to try to woo the Minister of Sanitation’s daughter.

“It’s a good job,” he continued, chuckling. “Base pay seems shitty, but the more jobs you do, the more you get paid. Service hours are flexible, but if you’re fast, honest, and build a decent reputation, the tips can get significant.”

“Might be a good place to start,” El-One commented, looking at Lukas. “Don’t you think so, brother? It’ll be good exercise and will give me a chance to explore the city.”

Lukas nodded. “Perfect for your days off from Kat’s or until you find something better. You might just end up finding a blacksmith or tinker who’ll take you on through clients or during deliveries. I’ll probably take on a few shifts, too. We need the money.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it given everything you’ve been through, but—” Stefan paused. “No offense intended, but it's clear that your survival and escape through whatever you experienced had more to do with luck than skill, experience, or technique. Your health isn’t the best either, so it's not the best route. However, if you are truly desperate for money, there is also the undercity.”

“Undercity?” Lukas and his clone asked in unison. He didn’t recall the journal mentioning anything of the sort when showing them Iskander.

“The old city sank following a flood,” Stefan answered. “That’s what they say at least. Or it might’ve been a great wave. Whatever it was, it brought untold horrors from the depths. Old mages, sorcerers, and wizards banded together to pull stones up from the ocean floor and bury them. The Iskander we see and know was carved from the same stone.

“This was long before I or my grandfather was born. Now, the undercity is teeming with creepies, crawlies, and things from our worst nightmares. Fortunately, the truly scary and dangerous things stay far from the surface. We use the weaker ones to train our troops and a fair bit of effort goes into preventing breaches. The Iskander guard outsources a fair bit of the work to the mercenary, adventure, and hunter guilds. There is good money to be made through them down there. Far too many eager glory and fortune seekers never come back, though. Tread carefully.”

El-One’s shoulders drooped while Lukas’s face lit up. It was the perfect environment to train body, skill, and mind. Lukas was unlikely to venture into the depths often, but he intended to send the clones down. Eventually.

The journal’s pages had several messages for Luke. Some seemed from before he completed Lady Silverspine’s quest.

Arcane Clone has progressed to rank 3!

Magic demands are reduced.

You have ensured a weapon capable of harming Lady Silverspine hasn’t fallen into enemy hands. The efforts are deserving of a bonus. Arcane Clone’s growth toward the next tier has been hastened.

Arcane Clone has progressed to rank 4!

The maximum range has been doubled.

Arcane Clone has progressed to rank 5!

Magic efficiency is improved. More energy will be regained when dispelling clones.

Minor ability upgrade available.

Arcane Clone has progressed to rank 6!

Magic demands are reduced.

“What ability upgrade? Don’t those just happen when it goes up a tier?”

Shard abilities occasionally develop additional abilities or simple improvements at rank 5 of most tiers. Most have to visit a guild or a diviner or scryer to figure out the paths available to them, but you have me.