152. Figuring Out The Future (Patreon)

Bowie appeared disappointed by Oberon being sent on a job that was perfect for him. Lukas was sure he’d know for sure after dismissing the clone. In the heat of the moment, he didn’t give it much thought. He only knew that he wanted to escape Zhent. In hindsight, Lukas didn't regret his decision. Bowie had joined the Confluence building efforts. His passive connection to Spellweaver was surprisingly better than that of the average clone. Soft lute strumming also calmed Merlin and the accompanying Spellweaver, helping them focus on the final stages of completing the Forge.

The more Lukas thought about it, the more he realized that Bowie’s abilities were ill-suited for the job. The music dependency lacked subtlety unless he inserted himself as one of the restaurant's entertainers. Bowie would have little trouble focusing his new abilities, ensuring only Zhent could hear the music. However, they’d need another clone dealing with Zhent. There was the chance he’d get suspicious after the music persisted afterward. Lukas dislikes the decisions Oberon had made without getting the green light first.  However, he couldn't deny that the clone’s creativity and efforts paid off.

When Lukas sent the contract the following morning, Zhent signed it without any protest. Nothing had changed as far as services provided were concerned. However, the compensation was twenty percent higher than discussed. Lukas had expected minor pushback and had intended to settle for ten. 

Oberon’s use of Dreamfire trespassed into territory that concerned Lukas. It crossed the border into Mind Magic, but he couldn't argue against it. Decisions he had made regarding Bowie's growth did much of the same. At the end of the day, he had no choice but to trust the clones not to cross the boundaries he had set. All of them had abilities which could be used in ways that went against Lukas’s code. He imagined Penelope would deem it hypocritical since haunting his enemy's mind with nightmares or playing upon his fears didn't bother him. The challenge would be deciding when it was permissible and excusable, and when it was not. 

Dreamfire’s versatility made it too useful and interesting a tool not to nurture. After dealing with Zhent, Oberon had gone on a little adventure of his own. He started small, enamoring and integrating himself among strangers by planting pleasant and positive images of himself in their heads. Then, he moved on to conducting party tricks, using illusions and giving a handful of them material form. The face changing was a bonus.

The clone got what he wanted. Instead of spending all of his time practicing in the basement, he got to do so in the field. Dreamfire Core had grown several ranks in one night out on the field during fluid and adaptive use. The mid-tier ability was close. Lukas hoped tier-two would follow soon after. He could see the clone becoming as invaluable in the field as Morph.

Just over a week had passed since Lukas returned to the Grey, and Morph was still integrating himself amongst the Jotun. He and Astrid were sharing tents, misdirecting the other warchiefs, and preparing for her clan to flee the mountains. The likelihood of war with the Schwarzberg kingdom seemed lower. Lukas looked forward to how effective the clone would be after a resummoning; the ability had reached tier-three, after all. His personal stores of magic would also improve. Thanks to Assistant Spindle, Lukas already had access to larger volumes of Life and Reinforcement magic, but he looked forward to what Morph would do with the energy. 

It took Penelope and Mira ten days to reach the Grey. They arrived accompanied by a retinue of clones draped in Shade’s Mantle. Both were exhausted from the road with only a handful of bruises and scrapes. The clones had kept him updated, but the pair filled him in on minor skirmishes with stray Elder Wyrmkin squads. Most appeared to be scouts, patrols, or new groups heading up the mountain to unite with the army. Whenever possible, the clones manufactured encounters between the scaled folk and the Jotun, leading to bloodshed. In a few circumstances, there was no choice but to put them down. 

The pair retired after dinner without much conversation. They bathed and went to bed in the apartment above his workshop. Shae curled up on the ground in the forge, hanging up his bulky disguise by the door. Lukas was glad to have them back and had freshly summoned clones acquire fresh venison, mushrooms, and vegetables to prepare them a fine homemade meal. He took the lead, preparing things for them, engaging much of the marinating and cooking himself, only using a Stalker to prep the vegetables and clean up after him.

When Penelope and Mira rose from their half days of slumber, fall of the bone slow smoked meat was waiting for them. Potatoes and carrots roast in the venison fat, and cruciferous greens accompany the meal. He had their favorite wines and mead brought over too. It was mostly for Mira, but he also hoped to mend things with Penelope. She seemed far more pleasant than during their last meeting.

“I know things haven't gone precisely how you hoped or wanted, but the results are acceptable, right?” Lukas asked when they were almost done with the meal. The five of them, including Shae and Penelope's familiar, had made an impressive dent in the feast. Only the bowl of local pickled cabbage had gone untouched. “The Schwarzberg kingdom is safe. The Grey won’t be seeing war. Anytime soon, at least.”

Penelope didn't answer straight away, slowly removing the fatty bits from the meat on her plate and moving them to Bass’s bowl. Lukas was starting to think she didn't want to talk about it and was about to pick up another topic with Mira when she finally replied. “The Jotun leadership is weakened, their numbers are diminished, and they have a new foe to focus their rage. I respect how you manipulated events, even though it feels like a whole load of luck was involved and things just lined up favorably for you.”

“I get the feeling there is a but coming,” one of the clones serving them said.

“A super big but unlike—”

“Now is not the time,” Lukas said, cutting the clones off. He dispelled the one not carrying food when it seemed like they were in no mood to stop. The other fell in line and started clearing up the empty dishes on the table.

“Thank you.” Penelope nodded before continuing. “I’ll admit that the lack of control and the risks in the whole situation bothered me. It might be true that the Conclave and I wish to learn the secret of the Jotun’s magic, but our primary objective was to ensure the kingdom continues operating as it is. They help maintain the balance of power in the region, are good to sorcerers like Mira and me, and are vital to the progression of the arcane arts, and safeguarding all from higher powers like Rakan or whoever the Jotun serve.

“No one is perfect. Our goals are for the greater good, but the method of execution isn’t for everyone. But the kingdom’s sovereignty and survival are vital for humankind to succeed on Fracture. You’ve seen what’s out there in the wilds and what the scaled folk want. Factions not looking to bring back a reign of draconic fire and destruction are few and far between. We can't let a small minority jeopardize the good of all. If their weapons, tools, and knowledge can help secure this world against greater threats, we’ll use them no matter the cost.”

Lukas sighed. “I wish you hadn't said that. Maybe my time in the Grey has rubbed off on me, but I like how the locals do things. They understand the importance of coexistence. They don't bother the wildlife more than necessary, and their presence keeps the greater threats away. Eliminating a small isolationist community for their secrets and probable risks? I'm not sure I can get behind that kind of ideology.”

Mira reached across the table and took Lukas’s hand. She remained silent. The soft smile on her lips and hand squeeze told him everything that needed saying. 

“I don't like discussing my past life, Penelope, but you should know that I spent far too much time serving the likes of the Conclave. Except my old master didn't hide behind statements like: the good of the many outweighs the good of the few. It feels disingenuous. However, I'm glad I left that behind. My motives might be selfish too, but I'd like to see this alliance between the Schwarzberg Kingdom and Jotun work out. They're interesting folk, and I'd rather learn about their magic from them than piece it together from remnants of their records or interrogations of prisoners of war. Morph is already gathering valuable intelligence regarding how they tap into Fracture’s primal energies, use druidism and animancy, and their individual life energies. It’s certainly different from Heartflames and the Pillars of Self. If you’re patient, I’ll share what we learn with you.”

“You've given this speech a fair bit of thought,” Penelope stated.

“The past week gave me plenty of time,” Lukas replied. “I don't want to be your enemy, but I can't support you in this endeavor or whatever else the Conclave has you do.”

“We can't trust the Conclave,” Mira added. “And this isn't me blindly supporting Lukas or being an idealistic fool. They scare me.” She paused, releasing Lukas's hand and grabbing both of Penelope's. “I’m scared for you. I'm scared of what they’ve done to you and what they use you for, and what you'll eventually become.”

“Leaving the Conclave or unentangling yourself might be a daunting or impossible task, but if you ever manage, we’ll be there to give you whatever support or help you need,” Lukas said. “Your experience and know-how are invaluable. There is more you have to offer besides your arcane might. I want to create something great,  and it started off as a bid for freedom from the weight and oppression of my former master. Now it's something more. I know what makes me happy, and that involves having people and things I want to protect. Not because it's the right thing to do but because I genuinely care about them.”

Lukas laughed. “This sounds juvenile. It took me meeting Mira and hanging out with the clones to realize that none of this was fun alone. I don’t want to grow powerful to become a god and be free of the Greater Beings. I want it so that I have people to call my own.”

“You could be one of our people,” Mira added.

“Idealistic nonsense,” Bass grumbled, crunching venison bones. He had grown to the size of a mastiff for the strength necessary to gnaw on a large knuckle. “We live in a dangerous world. It's up to the likes of Penny and the Conclave to make hard decisions that soft folks like you can not and will not.”

“I didn’t mean to sound preachy,” Lukas said. “We’ve grown close since our meeting, and your knowledge helped me get where I am today.” He skipped that she was providing fair compensation as his employer. “I’d like to think we like and respect each other. So, I need you, and you as well, Bass, to know that just because we don’t agree with your ways or motives doesn’t mean that we dislike you or are against you. We’ll be parting ways soon, but the figurative door is always open.”

Shae remained silent through the discussion. Lukas couldn’t help but wonder if he was dealing with any inner turmoil over his people being the enemy in the context and the hundreds who had fallen at the hands of the Jotun. They didn’t interact often. Shae primarily spoke to Penelope and occasionally to Mira. Now, he refused to make eye contact and focused all of his attention on the food before him.

“Have you made any progress with your Confluence ability?” Penelope asked, changing the topic. Her continued presence at the table felt like a positive sign. 

“Unfortunately, not,” Lukas lied. “However, I had to push my shadow spells beyond their limits. There was a powerful Shamin that saw through our ruse and came at me with six evolved warriors like Shae.”

“And you didn’t run?” Mira demanded, clutching his wrist. “That could’ve been dangerous!”

“Fortunately, most of her magic relied on illusion. It was dangerous, and she did trick me a few times, but it was a lot like fighting a more draconic version of myself.” Lukas’s hand drifted to his injured side. It had mostly healed thanks to a mixture of alchemical brews and expensive healing from a Shadow Seekers mage. “But we managed to take her down.

“Anyway. The fight forced me to push Shadow Step to its limits, almost to the point of arcane exhaustion. I felt something while slipping through the darkness. Since then, my connection to shadows has improved. I don’t know if it can serve as the foundation of the Confluence, but it's given me hope for growth beyond what the Pillars of Self can provide.”

“If it helps you figure out the Shadow Gate spell, that could match the power of a Confluence or replace one all on its own,” Penelope stated. “If you two are in it for the long haul, you could even work together, exchanging arcane resources to help each other with the development.”

“That’s possible?” Mira asked, her eyes lighting up. “I haven’t given mine much thought outside of trying to develop a grand ultimate spell or ability, or perhaps just a summon. But using both dragonfires together is a daunting prospect. Containing and controlling the black flames comes with too much strain.”

“Silver Dragonfire revolves around transmutation and creation. Black is destruction.” Penelope conjured wisps matching the two colors. The silver transformed into a solid cube, and the black floated as a dense marble within. “They contradict each other. Meanwhile, shadows are a versatile medium and draconic storm energy is perhaps one of the most potent sources of wild energy.” Two more wisps followed. One matched the dark smokiness of Lukas’s shadows. The other crackled like a lightning ball. “Brilliant minds like yours should have little trouble exchanging energy and playing with your gifts to figure out how to build a soulspace and tame Erazure.”

“If Silver Dragonfire can help produce or mimic glass and materials I’m unable to produce or mimic, it will fix one of my major limitations,” Lukas said thoughtfully. “The clones and I have been working on designs. Shadowsteel and Quicksilver, though effective, have limitations.”

“Erazure only grows out of control if it goes out of control,” Mira stated, frowning. Her eyes drifted to her plate, and she moved food around on it. The shapes matched Penelope’s silver cage around Erazure. “What if we use Quicksilver and lightning to create an isolation chamber of sorts? So we can suspend the Erazure and remove the stress of holding it? Building more around it should be possible then?”

“Do you have an idea of what you’d build with that?” Lukas asked. “A deliverable bomb of black dragonfire?”

Mira shook her head. “If we can really exchange energies, internalize and reproduce them for the creation of a Confluence, I think I want a summon.” She smiled at Bass. “A trustworthy companion who can watch my back and remove my reliance on anyone. I don’t want to live as a burden or a dependent. Erazure’s power should make that possible, right?”

“You want to emulate me for your Confluence?” Bass asked, failing to conceal his surprise.

“Of course.” Mira smiled. “You’re wonderful.”