166. Know Thy Enemy (Patreon)

Lukas had given all the clones jobs, but he didn’t expect results from anyone but Oberon and Ace. Their enemy came with far too many variables and unknowns. Gathering intelligence regarding them was as much a part of the mission as meeting with their contacts. It came as no surprise when the first Stalker dispelled himself. He didn’t make it far, but it was perfect. His primary purpose was drawing the enemy’s attention, and he had done just that. Merlin helped sort through memories as they came in. 

Arcane Chronicling required the clone to study the subject on his own or inherit it from Lukas. Things had changed at tier two. It appeared that the shard and Shadow Clone understood what he wanted and needed and granted the ability a silent and minor, but much-needed, upgrade for tier two. It took them a while to realize it, but whenever a clone perished or dispelled himself, Merlin gained the benefits of their experiences, memories, and training included.

Thanks to the Specialized Clones, Lukas didn’t think about the training aspect of Shadow Clone anymore. After multiple Body Ascensions, he had achieved peak human physiology. Weapon training felt redundant since he almost never got in close range. There was no point in endangering himself when he had clones that could do it better. The Stalkers occasionally engaged in weapons training, but that was more for Eins’ sake.

The only training inheritance Lukas cared about came from Merlin and the Spellweavers. Weaving spells and casting magic was as much a practiced skill as much a matter of memorization and natural ability. Since Merlin gained the same benefits without a dispelment and resummoning, Lukas could now leave him to work on large products without micromanagement or much thought.

It was a surprise that the first to appear was Lady Silverspine’s agent. One of the clones’ prime objectives was to learn as much as possible about him. Lukas was curious about what he had to say, but refused to take any risks. Now that he had witnessed the man up close, he was even more hesitant to spend time around him.

“Our friend has some sort of bone growth and manipulation,” Merlin said, taking notes. 

“I bet it comes with some sort of regeneration,” Lukas said, mimicking the finger guns. “He shot multiple projectiles but only used his middle and index fingers.”

“They were his phalanges and were growing back rather swiftly. The question is how far does this recovery go?” Merlin drew a manly shape on the floor before adding arm blades. “Is it just weapons? Or can he make bone constructs and armor as we do with Shadowsteel?” He added a breastplate that looked like it was made of ribs and thick plates around the skull. “They’re just bones and probably have whatever durability comes with his Body Pillar. Explains why they shattered against the walls.”

“Or he’s holding back because he wants to talk,” Mira said, intently watching the in-progress drawings. “If the core ability involves bone growth and manipulation, I wouldn’t be surprised if conjunctions or ascensions came with hardening.” She tapped the armored former with her foot. “But I doubt this is it. I haven’t seen this man or experienced his fighting style, but why would he enter hostile territory without his armor? Unless he had eyes inside, he didn’t know how many of us were in there or what kind of defense to expect.”

“So, excellent regeneration but questionable durability,” Lukas said after taking in what both of them had said. “He might also be causing little explosions within his joints to launch the philanges.” Lukas held up his right hand, shaped like a finger gun. “It might be a cocktail of Life and Reinforcement Magic that strengthens his body to withstand the damage and Life Magic to cause the explosion and propulsion.”

Merlin drew the four points of the Pillars of Self in a square. They liked ot imagine it like a compass with Body in the North, Heart to the East, Mind to the South, and Soul to the West. He added annotations. 

Body/Heart: Bone ZoneBone growth and manipulation. Possible access to bone hardening. Boner probably also has access to Life and Reinforcement magic.

“Do we have to call him Boner?” Lukas sighed.

“We can’t keep referring to him as Silverspine’s agent,” Merlin replied. “Boner feels fitting.”

“It’s juvenile.”

“Juvenile is fun,” Mira said. “It’s a tense situation, and we need some levity. I like Boner.”

“I bet you do.” The Spellweaver’s joke went ignored and unacknowledged. 

“Let’s move on to what else our friend can do.”

Blur?

“I’d usually put a movement ability like it under the Body Pillar, but it overlaps with Bone Zone,” Merlin said, listing the possibilities. “Mind and Soul could also house something of the sort. It seems simple and straightforward. Boner blurs for a moment before gaining a sudden burst of speed and power.”

“What if it's not just a burst and he’s capable of continuous movement?” Mira asked.

“Boner would’ve captured Merlin if that were the case,” Lukas answered, grimacing as he used the agent’s name. “He would’ve moved and reacted faster than any of us can handle if it were continuous. Sudden quick bursts feel far more likely. If it’s a shard ability, then it's possible that the same quick bursts are responsible for how he was firing the bone projectiles. It’s basic but nothing to scoff at.”

“Bone Zone and Blur are an excellent combination for a skirmisher or duelist.” Mira sat on the floor next to Merlin’s drawings. “Strike quick and evade. Hit-and-run tactics, with durability not being too much of an issue. It would be foolish of us to just dismiss Life and Reinforcement spells, though.”

“Would it?” Merlin raised an eyebrow. “If this guy came to Fracture around the same time as us or just after, he wouldn’t have the time to master magic as we have. El-Prime only got where he is because of Shadow Clone.”

“That’s true,” Mira said after a moment of thought. “It takes decades to gain the level of knowledge and mastery that you have.” She erased the section regarding Life and Reinforcement magic. “I’m convinced that if this guy was a genuine mage, we’d be far worse off. Bone Zone and Blur coming from shards on adjacent Pillars make the most sense. Their conjunction is what gives him the ability to shoot bone projectiles.”

“I suppose we overcomplicate almost everything by thinking magic,” Lukas said. “Mages aren’t exactly common. Most people rely on shards alone.” He took the chalk from Merlin and wrote Bone Zone next to Heart and Blur next to Body. “This makes the most sense. Both come with physical enhancements. From what we’ve studied, Heart rarely comes with active abilities.”

“But why would you draw that conclusion?” Mira frowned. “Bone Zone and Blur both come with active and passive abilities. Perhaps one more than the other, but that’s not enough to jump to conclusions.”

“Because of ability number three,” Lukas added a word next to Mind.

Hex

“The bone fragments felt like a medium for transmitting his debilitating effects over long distances,” he continued. “I’d assume a conjunction ability allows that. It must be a combination of soul magic and debuffs. It allows oppression of shard abilities and magics.”

“Also pain,” Merlin added, writing down the current hypothesis. “Don’t forget the pain.”

Body: Blur

Body/Heart: Bone Shot

Heart: Bone Zone

Heart/Mind: Enchant Bone

Mind: Hex

“I doubt the Great Dragon would send her servant out without all his pillars awakened,” Mira stated. “What do you think Boner has in his Soul Pillar?”

“It’s either too weak to matter or his trump card,” Lukas stated. “But we need to think of this in terms of how much time he’s had to train them and how Silverspine functions. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bone Zone is his first and favorite shard.” He paused for a moment as old memories stirred. Lukas saw a glimpse of fighting alongside a young woman while on the Realm of Greater Beings. She grew bones out of her skin and shaped them to create weapons and armor. “I’m almost sure of it.”

“How?” Mira raised an eyebrow.

“I think I know; I remember this… person. Memories of my old life are a blur, but I’’m sure I knew someone with a similar bone growth and manipulation ability. Silverspine gave me Arcane Clone to start my life on Fracture.” Lukas wondered if Lady Silverspine regretted giving him Arcane Clone. It was a powerful and unbalanced ability considering everything it provided. Without it, his growth wouldn’t have been so swift, and he wouldn’t be in a position to challenge her. She was the type of master to intentionally limit her servants to ensure they didn’t rise against her. “It is very likely she gave him Bone Zone to get started.

“Blur would logically come next.” He tapped on the Body Pillar. “It would be necessary to make the most of Bone Zone and use it the same way she—I mean, he used to.” Lukas pointed at the Mind Pillar next. “It feels like Hex entered the picture specifically to counter me. What if Lady Silverspine gave him this one about a year ago after I stopped engaging in quests?”

“That would make sense,” Merlin said, stroking his chin. “He took a year training it and rallying the troops before coming for us. The attack on Oberon in Tortuga was a warning; the offer of Silver Dragonfire a chance at redemption. If we’re lucky, whatever is in his Soul Pillar is the most immature of all of his shards. Because this guy and his companions already counter us pretty hard.”

The journal appeared in Merlin’s hands, and he withdrew the stolen shards. “It’s time we discuss Amazon.”

“Amazon?” Mira asked.

“They were giant warrior women,” Lukas explained. “In my home world’s mythology, at least. Beautiful. Ferocious. Terrifying.”

“And that perfectly encapsulates the woman in dracosteel armor,” Merlin continued. “We know for sure now that the antimagic is one of her abilities. I’d bet your right nut it comes from the Heart or Soul Pillar. It feels like an aura she can flex, strengthen, and stretch. Her Body increases strength and speed. That would explain her speed and ability to move around smoothly in the full plate.”

“I’m sure she also has a sensory ability,” Lukas said. “There were no clear eye openings in the armor. The way Amazon pursued the Stalker was also pretty inhuman. She was using more than the bangle.”

“They must’ve been in the city for a while, setting things up,” Mira said. “The Iron Rocs might be a small guild, but they’re old. They were one of the more powerful ones until half a few years ago. They pissed off the Revolution and lost a good deal of their regular contacts. Last I heard, they were investing heavily in the Pits and had their hands in several underground entertainment fields.”

“Given the size of the force that came for us, they aren’t the only ones working for the cult,” Merlin said.

“I’d bet my right nut on it.” Lukas sighed. He took the shards from Merlin.

Cracked Shard

Shard of Glaciers

Shard of Summer Flora

It wasn’t the worst of hauls. Lukas loved the idea of having another cracked shard. It was a blank canvas that he could turn into whatever he pleased. He had all of Penelope’s tomes and journals copied into the journal’s library. Lukas was sure that with his improved spellweaving and ritual casting skills, he could make a potent shard out of it. He didn’t know what he wanted, but another specialized clone with dragonfire would be an incredible boon.

Lukas moved onto the Shard of Glaciers.

Please choose one of the following:

Glacial Armor(Body): The clone will gain strength, durability, and incredible resistance to cold. He may also conjure armor of dense ice for increased defense. The armor may be regenerated and regrown using magic. The presence of ice and water will reduce the necessary costs.

Frozen Heart(Heart): A dense core of Frost and Reinforcement Magic will blossom within the clone. He will also gain the ability to emit a freezing aura around himself, adjusting its range and potency as needed.

Ice Animator(Mind): The clone will gain the ability to convert any magic to the ice attunement without any energy loss. He may grant consciousness and will to shaped ice, creating golems out of them.

The Shard of Summer Flora followed.

Please choose one of the following:

Arboreal Physiology (Body): The clone’s body will be made of plantmatter as opposed to flesh. He may grow and assimilate plantmatter increase his mass, create new appendages, or change his appearance. Water and sunlight will hasten growth and reduce energy costs. However, extreme temperature and elements will affect him negatively.

Green Thumb(Heart): An aura of potent Life Magic will radiate from the clone that hastens the body’s natural healing and plant growth. Magic within him will have the Life Attunement, and he’ll develop an affinity for plants, understanding their needs and properties.

Flower Power(Mind): The clone will gain the ability to grow and control vegetation, amplifying their properties or changing them. He may also animate and command them to attack or grapple his enemies. The type of vegetation he can grow and control will be limited by the environment and elements.

“I’m not sure how I feel about any of these,” Lukas said after thinking about the options for a while and listing them for Mira. “Glacial Armor and Ice Animator might be decent for some variety, but even then I’d pick them because there is nothing better. Arboreal Physiology could be great. It feels like a plant-themed Biomancy, and it would be handy to have another Morph on the field without using Super Clone.”

“I know you’re not a fan of minions, but I like the sound of Ice Animator and Flower Power,” Mira told him. “I get why the Shard of Summer Flora was collecting dust. It’s not ideal for this weather. But Shard of Glaciar could be incredible in the right hands.”

“I suppose most people assume that it will give magic or abilities that the local beasts resist,” Merlin replied. “Good for us though. Arboreal Physiology could be great. Are you sure you don’t want to use it?”

“It’s not just the time for these decisions.” Lukas sighed. “I can’t exactly think about it or focus of anything right now. Honestly, I don’t care much about either of these. It’s the attunements that I’m after.”

“In that case, I’d like to run an experiment,” Merlin said, taking the Shard of Glaciers. “It won’t cost a lot of magic, and I can work on it while we wait for the others. Unless you need me here.”

“Now that the Stalkers are down, I can summon a couple more Spellweavers,” Lukas told him. “What were you thinking?”

“I think there might be a way to build a spell structure using the shards. You won’t get a new ability or specialized clone, but maybe we can enhance the Confluence and gain a new attunement. Worst-case scenario, you get another cracked shard.”

“Go for it,” Lukas told him, summoning two new clones. “If the structure allows us to conjure ice and melt it into water for the fortress, I won’t have any complaints.”

“And if I lose the shard?” Merlin asked.

Lukas shrugged. “We’ll figure it out later.” His attention returned to the chalk writing on the floor, and he focused on the memories of who Boner used to be. “I honestly can’t get myself to care right now.”