Lukas didn’t remember the last time he was in such a position.
When the first day on the road came to an end, and they set up camp, he had hoped for some alone time with Liesel. Morph had volunteered to keep watch, and Lukas had also volunteered four ‘shadow golems.’ He claimed it was his new limit following the ascension to tier three. No one questioned him, and they favored ...
2025-09-02 20:52:22 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m confident they don’t serve or are affiliated with the Keeper of Knowledge,” Penelope said after Lukas explained everything he had learned through Zwei’s memories. As expected, the oath had unravelled as soon as the clone was dispelled. “His library contains endless volumes on otherworldly technology or magic. However, he doesn’t believe in using his volumes to help worlds pro...
2025-09-01 22:51:52 +0000 UTC View PostZwei put forward a calm and collected front, but his heart raced as he presented the tomahawk.
“Shaker’s Beard?” One of Irma’s colleagues asked. He appeared to be middle-aged, suggesting he was in his late fifties. Zwei had met too many people and was struggling to keep track, but believed the man was a Spellscribe, specializing in the creation of spell scrolls and manuals. “I...
2025-08-31 10:51:21 +0000 UTC View PostZwei enjoyed studying ritual magic, but El-Prime hadn’t found much use for it outside of upgrading his shards. It was a field he wanted to explore, but the time and resource demands made it difficult. He already had his fingers in too many pies with all of his pursuits. However, more complex enchanting seemed to involve rituals, utilizing essences, materials taken from magical beasts or plant...
2025-08-30 17:29:10 +0000 UTC View Post[Some of you raised valid concerns about the offerings. I added to the text, explaining the decision-making more, and also slightly nerfed Essence of Predation. I have plans for all the essences and realize, I made the choice too powerful by giving it 10 clones.]
Thunderstorm’s Eye: Tier 1 | Rank 5
Spellweaver: Tier 1 | Rank 9
... 2025-08-28 17:19:12 +0000 UTC View PostLukas waited until after he returned home before checking Shadow Clone’s potential with all not-spoken-for essences. He started with the one that excited him the most.
Shadow Dragon Clone
Clones can use breath flames carrying all attunements available to them, but they are significantly more expensive to create.
Zwei was ecstatic when Irma finally let him take on his first solo project. It was a simple repair job, but the runescript required fresh inscribing.
“Can I have a copy of the spellscript?” Zwei asked, looking over the faint outline of the old inscriptions on the metal. They had faded to the point of being barely legible.
“The top has a simple Light spell,” Irma ...
2025-08-27 09:51:35 +0000 UTC View PostPenelope hung around, watching Lukas practise. He didn’t tell her about ‘The Calm Before,’ and his quick uptake surprised and impressed her. Much to Lukas’s surprise, the mental strain and expenditure weren’t as bad as Lukas had assumed. He never used the mid-tier ability for more than a handful of seconds and imagined it would be much worse during prolonged usage. Spellweaver’s pas...
2025-08-26 06:26:27 +0000 UTC View PostThe stalker accompanying Zwei dispelled himself as soon as he was back in the city, sending Lukas a deluge of information. He had already learned about the existence of Erasure through the journal, but memories carried far more weight than the journal’s words. The magic felt familiar. It had draconic elements and was terrifying.
The magic looked like a blackhole on the surfa...
2025-08-25 09:16:08 +0000 UTC View PostLukas didn’t get around to rechecking the journal until he was back in the city. He summoned two clones to aid with his escape. The stalker stayed with him while Morph sought any traces of an Elder Wyrmkin settlement. They needed to find out if the creatures had a camp in the area and what route they used to enter the tunnels. Given the Gray’s strict policing and military, he doubted they h...
2025-08-22 10:57:18 +0000 UTC View PostTendrils more rapidly came for Zwei as he advanced toward where the arcane threads were densest. The Shadowsteel weed whackers shredded them, and they struggled to find traction on his legs. However, the growths slowed his progress toward the loot. He couldn’t help but wonder if the plant monster had some symbiotic relationship with whatever creature was coming from above. It guarded the nest...
2025-08-21 09:24:03 +0000 UTC View PostZwei almost jumped out of his skin when the journal appeared out of thin air, floating an arm’s length away from his face. He swiped at it first out of surprise, then again, fuelled by annoyance.
Why the hell are you appearing to me, and why are you blocking my vision?
Your creator thought it prudent to put his quest rewards toward helping you clones. Now, y...
2025-08-20 13:46:55 +0000 UTC View PostMorph looked more bestial than human as they advanced deeper into the tunnel system. All of his clothing, except for trousers, had fallen apart after failing to contain his bulk. The clone managed to display stealth and grace despite his bulk and the lack of spells, leaving Lukas to question Biomancy’s capabilities.
Spellweaver clearly boosts arcane recovery even though the descript...
2025-08-19 20:57:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe stolen and cloned uniforms allowed Morph and El-Four to speed through the mines without wasting energy on Silencing Shadows and Shade’s Mantle. They only relied on Haste for speed, while Lukas utilized all three. His magic reserves were far deeper than the clones', and only Mages with Spellweaver could match his recovery. The ability’s description didn’t mention any passive improvemen...
2025-08-17 15:44:00 +0000 UTC View PostWhile Eins and Zwei worked on their individual artisanal pursuits, Morph and El-Four had spent their time exploring the many districts. The latter of the pair had spent a good deal of the time in the Gray’s subterranean sections and also the upper levels of the ever-deepening mines. As a result, Lukas had no trouble finding his way into the depths.
All entrances to the cavern districts ...
2025-08-16 11:47:39 +0000 UTC View PostThings weren’t going well for Lukas.
First, the journal hummed just after he visited the Frozen Phoenix chapter house with Liesel. Dread instantly filled Lukas. He didn’t want to look but knew the consequences far too well. Now that all of his Pillars were awakened, he could survive without Inspector’s Compendium. However, he couldn’t afford to lose access to the Hidden Compartmen...
2025-08-14 21:10:32 +0000 UTC View PostIrma failed to conceal her excitement when she found out someone had accepted her job listing and that her new assistant would be accompanying her. She had charged the Union with the job, not just the Shadow Seekers. The request went out to several guilds, and a few answered.
A pair came from the local chapter of the Aquila guild. One was a burly man carrying nothing but a monstrous shiel...
2025-08-13 22:50:58 +0000 UTC View PostReporting to the Shadow Seeker’s chapter house proved fruitful.
Lukas turned in a handful of knives and daggers that Eins had forged. The resident appraiser and artisans studied them before approving them as job rewards or mission equipment for newer members. The pay wasn’t as high as if Lukas or the clones were to try to sell the pieces themselves or have merchants stock them i...
2025-08-10 16:43:46 +0000 UTC View PostLukas visited the local chapter of the Shadow Seeker guild personally. He expected a run-down building in a shabby neighborhood, just like in Iskander. Instead, he found himself in a small mountain fort. The structure stood on the outskirts of one of the foothill districts, facing the black snow-covered peaks that towered over the Gray. Polished skulls and bone sculptures of local beasts adorne...
2025-08-09 20:32:32 +0000 UTC View PostLukas loved the new accommodation. It was large. It was private. It was his.
Eins hammering away on the floor below made things noisier than he preferred, but it wasn’t the worst of issues. In fact, the ruckus encouraged him to work on silencing spells and study the book on wards that Penelope had gifted him. He didn’t do it himself and had El-Four, a Spellweaver mage, working on it, ...
2025-08-09 14:34:08 +0000 UTC View PostZwei struggled not to fidget. He felt restless. El-Prime had made him with low mass and a light Steel Weave. The clone wanted to run, use magic, and weave grand spells. He wanted to pull the books and relics off the shelves and study their contents. They radiated magic, and something deep inside tugged at him.
“We need someone dedicated and hardworking,” the enchanter said. “The can...
2025-08-08 14:51:44 +0000 UTC View PostMorph loved the new mid-tier ability. He had no trouble recalling and adopting his new appearance—taken from mutilated corpses found among the killed Syllicites. The new face he wore was an amalgamation of two. He took the general shape from one, and the cheekbones and jawline from another, while keeping El-Prime’s eyes and nose. His new appearance didn’t resemble any of the sources, or s...
2025-08-06 16:49:31 +0000 UTC View PostThe caravan arrived in the Gray long before noon. Much to Lukas’s surprise, they didn’t have to wait in line like other travellers and passed the gates without waiting in line. The guards inspected all cargo and questioned all individuals entering the area. Everyone was required to provide some form of identification. The workers, caravan guards, and accompanying merchants had thick rolled ...
2025-08-03 19:40:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe caravan suffered another attack the day before they were supposed to reach the Gray. Some ravines and canyons were too wide for the mages to construct ice or stone bridges across, and the storm had damaged or destroyed pre-existing structures. The navigators had no choice but to take the paths less travelled, and it seemed local monster territories had moved.
The diviners saw the atta...
2025-08-03 13:23:45 +0000 UTC View PostPenelope woke up four days after the battle. She looked almost as good as new, but slightly older, seeming closer to her early thirties than her usual mid-twenties appearance. The magic radiating from her didn’t feel as potent as before. There was still an ancient presence about it that reminded Lukas of Lady Silverspine, but it was much weaker. A sorcerer’s power and potential were truly f...
2025-08-01 17:51:23 +0000 UTC View PostThe caravan didn’t set off again until the following morning. They wanted time to recover, rest, and cremate their dead. Cargo was moved between vehicles, and people feasted in honor of the dead and the passed storm. The crushed giant goat fed them all, leaving enough for the following day’s dinner. Lukas resummoned Morph and had him absorb a yeti’s corpse. The journal had much to say abo...
2025-07-31 12:40:08 +0000 UTC View PostA storm hit the fourth day of the journey, stalling the caravan’s progress. The winds were so powerful, individuals without strength and toughness-enhancing abilities struggled to stand up straight or walk. And the giant woolly horned beasts—mostly some variety of bison, but there were also a couple of goats—refused to move, huddling with their partners or the vehicle they were pulling.&n...
2025-07-30 14:07:25 +0000 UTC View PostShae proved a more reliable companion than Lukas expected. His natural, unenhanced eyesight proved far more potent than that of the hired guards. All of the merchants seemed to have personal guards who had banded together for the journey. They had also hired a few local guild parties. Everyone followed the caravan leader’s instructions, scouting ahead and bringing up the rear. Shae sat on top...
2025-07-28 23:07:53 +0000 UTC View PostPortable Phoenix Forge
The essence of a phoenix has been melded with this portable forge, giving it the ability to create fire without ever using fuel. However, because of the enchanter’s limited ability, the object is incapable of reaching its full potential, limiting maximum temperatures and efficiency.
Penelope whistled when Lukas read the description out to her. ...
2025-07-24 22:34:31 +0000 UTC View PostMorph dashed through the woods, pouring all of his focus into Biomancy as he tried to fix the damage. His lack of practice and knowledge showed. The pain faded, but whatever he did reduced mobility and flexibility in the area by half.
Temperatures dropped the further Morph wandered from the settlement. Thickening foliage blocked out all sunlight, leaving the world darker. It was per...
2025-07-23 21:52:13 +0000 UTC View Post