Lukas sat cross-legged in his quarters and attempted to block everything. The sounds of the crew went first, their hollering, footsteps, and grunts as they carried heavy equipment past him. The vessel’s creaking and rocking went next. It wasn’t long before nothing but Lukas’s breathing and the steady beating of his heart remained. After taking a moment to focus, he cast the most basic version of Haste that he knew. Esther had him feel the Runic Shortsword’s magic and drill the spells into his mind’s eye until he no longer needed a focus to cast them.

“You’re a dumbass,” he whispered after taking a moment to feel how the spell flowed through him and functioned.

Haste had never been a body reinforcement spell, but somewhere down the line, he had started thinking of and treating it as such. The piece of magic didn’t play with speed so much as accelerating one’s time. He didn’t know whether it had any long-term effects, like making the user age faster, but that didn’t matter as much as the Pillars of Self, especially the Body Pillar, slowed the process. Apparently, the closer one got to the higher-end—tier nine—the closer they got to immortality.

After taking a moment to feel the spell, he started on the modification process. He isolated the elements that only hastened his body and mind. Then, he added a new thread, replacing a part of the magic supply with one of storm energy, specifically one more lightning attuned. He didn’t bother trying to modify the spell too much and let things fall into place naturally.

The new Haste spell was significantly cheaper. It had the same duration as the original, but he felt faster. Lukas’s body reacted to his thoughts faster, and the world seemed to have significantly slowed. It didn’t feel like a modification of the old version so much as an upgrade. He wanted to bounce off the walls like he had consumed far too much sugar and coffee, and it felt as if there was lightning dancing at his fingertips.

When Lukas tried creating a clone while casting the spell again, a notification appeared, but it wasn’t quite what he was expecting.

You have upgraded the Shock Trooper specialization.

Shadow Clone has progressed to Rank 5!

Magic demands of specialized clones are reduced.

Minor ability upgrade available.

Please choose from the following:

* Repair Clone: Instead of dispelling a clone or letting it die, repair the magic shell that forms its body. Remove all damage or just enough to restore functionality. Clones can also repair themselves using stored magic.

* Altered State: A clone’s physical state need not match your own during summoning. They can be you in the best health you’ve been since gaining the ability, match your current state, or carry copies of your past injuries. You may also subtly alter the clone’s appearance, adjusting complexion, age, and hair.

* Empowered Copy II: On top of specialization, you can also grant a clone access to one shard ability(except Shadow Clone) and connected conjunction. You may also absorb additional shards to gain abilities for your clones. You won’t have access to the shard ability, but the clone may level and train it.

Lukas picked Empowered Copy II without hesitation. It was perfect. He immediately created a Shock Trooper with Altered Metal Mass.

“Can you use Shade’s Mantle and Shadowsteel?” Lukas asked.

“Let’s find out,” El-One replied. Bellowing robes made of shadows manifested around the clone, and a length of it instantly hardened. “That’s an affirmative, boss.”

“Any mental strain?”

“None yet. That might be because Shadowsteel is connected to Alter Metal Mass.” A dense steel weave formed under his skin, altering his complexion. It disappeared a moment later, and then the lighter formed next, which looked like a faint metallic criss-cross tattoo. “Well, that’s excellent. I wonder if we’re going to get conjunction, sub, and mid-tier abilities from the new shard ability as well. Which do you think you’re going to absorb?”

“Both,” Lukas grinned.

The journal offered him a prompt as soon as he pulled a shard out of his storage space.

Would you like to absorb the Shard of Arcane Smithing?

“Hell, yes!” Lukas exclaimed.

Please pick one of the following:

Arcane Smithing(Body): Gain naturally enhanced strength, toughness, and elemental resistance. You can enhance the gifts further by burning magic. Arcane smithing comes naturally to you, magically enhancing your ability to draw out and shape metal and add magic to materials. You tire slowly around forges, metal workshops, and smithing tools.

Arcane Heartforge(Heart): Gain incredible resistance to extreme temperatures, elements, and enchantments. Your heart and lungs embody an arcane forge, and your breath carries one’s fury. Your internal heat keeps frigid temperatures at bay and significantly reduces the potency of diseases and toxins. Flare the Heartforge to burn it all out.

Shaper of Arcane Metals(Mind): Metal might as well be clay to you. Replace magic with fire, gaining the ability to soften, shape, and harden metal without ever heating it up. Adding magic to metals comes easily to you, drawing it out, shaping it into spells, and tweaking the contained enchantments is even easier.

It didn’t surprise Lukas that he didn’t get a Soul ability option. Shade’s Mantle was potent enough already, so it didn’t bother him too much. The other abilities were far more attractive, especially Arcane Smithing. It wasn’t that the others were subpar; they just didn’t compare to Spellweaver or Thunderstorm’s Eye. He made his decision and made another clone, making the broom cupboard extra cramped. El-Two cost him as much as El-One, an improved, specialized clone.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Damn.” The clone smiled. “I’m brand new. What do you want made, boss?”

“Nothing, unfortunately,” Lukas replied. “We need to get off this blighted vessel before we can begin smithing. But I’m glad to add you to the roster. If we ever create a new Elvis—”

“I’m eager to fill the role,” El-Two replied. “Hope you have something for me to work on soon. It’s a shame not to put this ability to use. It feels potent.”

“What is the starting rank?”

“It’s hard to tell without the journal boss.”

Lukas flipped to the page with Shadow Clone after dispelling the clone.

Arcane Smithing: Rank 1 | Tier 1

“Are you going to use the Shard of Growth, too?” El-One asked.

“Of course,” Lukas answered. “Imagine the value of a dedicated healer. I’m going to upgrade the shard first, of course.”

“It might come with a potent Body ability, too.”

Lukas had thought as much and had the essences picked out for it, too. He laid out the ritual leather Minarv had gifted him and placed the Shard of Growth in the center. The essence of brawn, vitality, and change went on the triangle’s three points. He held onto the rest. Essence of Shaping felt perfect for when Spellweaver ascended to the next tier. Essence of Dusk was likely to enhance Shade’s Mantle. Lukas wasn’t sure what the essence of currents referred to. He doubted Fracture and the Pillars of Self understood concepts like electrical current. However, aquatic and aerial currents were also likely to benefit Thunderstorm’s Eye.

The process began as soon as Lukas spilled a droplet of blood on the shard. Energy pulsed through the spellform as it lit up. The essences melted and their contents flowed into the Shard of Growth. Then his heart dropped. It wasn’t that the ritual failed. The essences disappeared, and the shard grew, appearing and feeling far more potent than before. The issue was with the ritual leather.

It discolored, wrinkled, and twisted. The material appeared to be burning despite the lack of fire. The ritual circle’s light refused to stay within the lines. It bled through spreading outwards like a drunk spider’s web. Lukas grabbed the shard, worried about it suffering damage. He also flipped the leather and stamped on it vigorously, eager to extinguish any magical fire that might appear.

Much to his relief, the energy faded as suddenly as it had appeared, and the fumes ceased spreading. The damage didn’t spread to the outer side. Lukas gingerly flipped it, and his chest tightened. The ritual circle was no more. Only cracked leather, faded lines, and warped runes remained. He was sure his days of upgrading shards were now over.

I got too greedy. Thank you, Minarv. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.

Would you like to absorb the Shard of Vivimancy?

Please pick one of the following:

Biomancy(Body): Alter your physiology, developing organic armor, growing natural weapons, or recovering from any wound. All you need is biomass and magic to fuel the changes. You may also alter your appearance, changing the way you look. The cost increases with the degree of change. Do not forget what you look like. Returning to your original form may prove impossible.

Aura of Regeneration(Heart): Your heart generates and radiates potent healing energies. All within the aura’s range washes away tiredness, fatigue, and grants powerful resistance to all illness and toxins. Focus everything on a target, greatly increasing the potency of the regeneration, or you may also weave the healing energies into recovery or empowering spells.

Vivomancer(Mind): Attune all arcane energies to life magic without unnecessary loss or mental strain. Heal, empower yourself or others, grow plants and beasts with nothing but force of will. Alternatively, weave complex spells, achieving more than any ordinary healer, plant mage, or tamer ever could.

The decision proved significantly harder. He didn’t want Vivomancer, believing his attention was best focused on the magic he currently had. However, Aura of Regeneration tempted Lukas. It would significantly improve the clones’, and by extension, his survival. If Lukas were gravely injured, a specialized clone could focus the aura on him, buying him valuable time.

At the same time, Lukas couldn’t just turn his back on the possibility of Biomancy. Theoretically, a high-mass clone with the specialization and a Steel Weave could be an absolute terror on the frontline, protecting him and all other clones, face-tanking terrifying enemy attacks, and leaving a trail of destruction behind. Then there was the value that the appearance alteration would bring. If it allowed face-changing without learning life magic—which Lukas struggled with and Esther claimed was the most surefire way to learn shape shifting—then he’d be set. Infiltration, thievery, and all other illegal activities would cease to be a challenge.

A clone blessed with Biomancy, a set mass, Steal Weave, and any other specialization would be an asset in most situations.

Plus, I can re-live the Prototype and Parasyte fantasies.

Even though Aura of Regeneration was the safer choice, Lukas ended up picking Biomancy. He hoped Penelope’s work would keep them together for a while longer. So if he did need emergency healing, she’d be close to assist. The Gray was supposedly famous for its artisans and enchanters. It, apparently, also had guilds and academies that trained students in arcane artisanry. For the time being, he hoped to find equipment like the belt buckle Esther had made to fulfill all healing needs.

Lukas dispelled the still-waiting clone and created a high-mass, Shock Trooper replacement with Biomancy. “Change your face. Let’s see how that works.”

“Yes, boss,” the clone replied. His cheeks and jaw rippled. It was like looking into a disturbed reflective body of water. “What would you like me to look like?”

“Not me,” Lukas answered.

“Got it.”

The jaw became more rounded, and the nose became stubbier. Cheekbones and brows shifted, and eyes grew darker. Lukas’s neatly combed back hair, kept three inches long on top, receded into the scalp. The process lasted less than a minute, but seemed to go on for far longer. By the time it finished, Lukas no longer recognized the person in front of him.

“Can you return to the original?” Lukas asked.

The clone nodded before grabbing his cheek and pulling. When he released it, his face rippled again and, like elastic, shifted back to match him. “I think it’ll get harder the longer I spend with another face.”

“And can you go back to the exact same face again?”

The clone froze, frowning. He took a minute before nodding. “I think there is an unsaid portion to the shard ability. Pardon the pun, but I can’t think to call it anything but muscle memory. It’ll need training, though.”

“Get on it,” Lukas ordered. “Biomancy is a gift we can’t leave untrained. Day and night. I want a clone, if not multiple clones, on it at all times.”

“On it, El-Prime.” The clone sighed, his face starting to ripple once again.