Shae 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 of the carriage granted to Penelope’s party, which sat somewhere along the center of the caravan, and continued to spot environmental changes long before the others. Only the diviners outclassed him, but their spells seemed focused on looking out for more significant threats.

The Elder Wyrmkin fascinated Lukas. It wasn’t just his physiology, but how he had so suddenly started to worship Penelope. Bass detected no malice or deception in him. Apparently, he was fulfilled and happy to have a ‘female’ to serve who finally treated him well and gave him more than busy work. It seemed Shae was at the bottom of the pecking order among his people and was treated as such. The attachment and dynamic made little sense to Lukas, but he chalked it up to cultural differences.

After much consideration, he sent a clone onto the carriage’s roof. Shae didn’t like Lukas or his ‘others’, as the Elder Wyrmkin called him, choosing not to talk unless compelled by his mistress. However, he seemed more amenable now, seemingly bored by the long journey. Everyone avoided him because of his strange get-up up and most tended to ignore individuals who concealed their faces. One can only keep watch for so long without needing more to keep themselves busy. On the vessel, Shae had materials to cut, stitch, and play with. Now, he had nothing.

It started with Shae stealing glances, his reptilian eyes concealed by the goggles stitched into his mask. Then, the clone and he exchanged occasional words. The experimentations with Steel Weave and storm energy seemed to intrigue him. They served as a window into the world of Wyrmkin, their belief system, and most importantly, Drakan. Shae didn’t seem like a staunch believer. He had joined the cult in the hopes of seeing the world, learning to harness his dragonfire, and gaining social standing by serving the ‘Shamin’. In exchange, he asked questions about Lukas’s abilities and experiments.

The clone didn’t go into great detail, only explaining what Penelope already knew. After much thought, he had decided that creating clones with Alter Metal Mass was in his best interests. Since both it and Shadow Clone were at tier-two with a conjunction ability, they were the most powerful with access to the greatest variety of abilities—Shade’s Mantle, Alter Metal Mass, Shadowsteel—including the passive effects of his heart and mind pillar. Things would change as he pushed the other abilities to tier two and higher. Spellweaver was halfway there, but Thunderstorm’s Eye was still a long way away. So, as Lukas sat in the carriage, he focused all of his efforts on practice and refinement.

“You know it's rare for apprentices to prioritize touch spell,” Penelope said, as Lukas pored over the spellform. “Mages aren’t supposed to get up close and personal with their foes. As a result, they write the likes of Scalding Grasp and Shocking Grasp as the training and fundamental spells, ignoring their value as backup tools. When timed right, they can be devastating. That’s assuming you’re quick with the casting and release, of course.”

“Quick release.” Lukas chuckled. “That’s my middle name?”

“What?”

“Nothing.” He failed to suppress laughter. Lukas rarely made juvenile jokes, and it didn’t amuse him when the clones did so. It seemed their presence and lack of filter were starting to rub off on him. Or, he was just that comfortable around Penelope. “If I can master the instinctual activation of touch spells, it shouldn’t be a challenge if I set the clones to the task, then the Biomancer clones can become truly terrifying. The Shadowsteel mages will also waste significantly less magic.”

Penelope nodded. “Just adjust the power, and you can conduct far more lightning magic through your constructs.”

“Precisely. Shandowsteel wires, tendrils, and tethers will help overcome the limitations of lightning. Then, with some work, I can turn spikes into lightning rods. Plant one on or near my target and ensure ranged lightning spells don’t miss either.”

“What about the thing with lodestones—or what did you call them? Magnets?”

“I need to conduct far more research, and there are also material limitations,” Lukas answered. “The greatest challenge currently is regulating the power of lightning spells. Magnetism demands a constant and regular flow. I’m afraid I’m nowhere near that level of control. Not for longer than a second or two, at least. The most I can do currently is perhaps magnetizing a shield to catch incoming metal projectiles.”

“That’s a decent start,” Penelope said, thoughtfully. “I’m eager to see where this research takes you. Applied lightning magic might have far more uses than the Conclave believes.”

“Esther told me that most people don’t look fondly upon it.”

“For good reason. It's often expensive, almost impossible to control, and other things get the job done better. I know maybe one sorcerer who uses it, and she mostly calls down storms or uses lightning for close-ranged defence or repulsion. Wind is her primary arcane medium.”

“Is she a storm sorcerer?” Lukas asked.

“That she is,” Penelope answered, zoning out for a moment. Her eyes drifted past him at the covered rear window. “She was my master, actually. Individuals like me prefer teaching one another. Only an individual with draconic heritage can teach another how to tame their dragonblood, after all.” She helped herself to a piece of old parchment, checked its contents, and then scribbled a quick spellform on the black side. “This is the foundation of the touch spell she taught me. It's weak and simple, but cheap and quick.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Leaving plenty of room for modification and tweaking.” Lukas eagerly took the yellowed parchment and studied the scribbles. “It’s not too different from what I’ve been doing instinctually. But more…efficient?” He studied one section closely. “This control process looks pretty great. Do you also use this with fire?”

Penelope nodded. “It’s great for channelled spells or slow controlled burns. Temperature fluctuations can have unwanted effects, harming allies, or using too magic.”

Lukas understood what she was hinting at and put it to the test. He visualized the spellform and channeled storm energy through it. Two branching paths appeared before him. One for lightning and the other for thunder. He picked the first. Electric blue tendrils of energy burst from his fingertips. They flew surprisingly far and caressed the carriage’s ceiling, singing the wood, and leaving cracks in the material.

“That might’ve been a touch too much power,” Lukas said, eyes wide.

“That’ll be the efficiency runes,” Penelope said, chuckling. “Reduce the input further. Stick to a low, consistent supply. You’re treating it the same way as your Shadowsteel spikes. You don’t want a burst of power but a gentle trickle like when you’re using Shadow Sight.”

He nodded, following her instructions. Control and restraint were no easy feat. They came with much greater mental strain than when he was just cutting loose. The tendrils danced around his fingers instead of flying the couple of feet between him and the ceiling, behaving as a touch spell was supposed to.

“That’s more like it.” Penelope smiled. “Use that as a baseline. Touch spells teach restraint and control. Figure this out, and your magnetism research will progress much quicker. Try it with sound next.”

Lukas cut off the storm energy, and the lightning tendrils disappeared. He barely felt a drain, but his temples throbbed. Now that he knew what to do, Lukas set a mage clone to the task. Practice and making the process second nature would help reduce the constant strain.

Next, he attempted the spell again but turned the storm energy into sound magic. The air rippled around his fingers and palm. A gentle hum filled the carriage. It was an almost soothing sound. “This feels fun. I might need to tweak it for the debilitating effects I want, but it's good otherwise.”

“Sounds magic can be terrifying. It’s got incredible versatility. Power. Range. It's good all around.”

The first couple of days of travel went smoothly. Even though it was autumn, hours of visibility around the Gray were short. The mountains cast long shadows, and fogs made traversal extra challenging. Forward teams raced ahead in the evening, finding the best camp sites. The caravan kept going until the last lights of the day disappeared. Then, they set up camp by fire or lamp light, ate, conducted necessary maintenance, and went to bed early.

The merchants’ guards and hired guild parties took turns keeping watch across several shifts during the dark hours. Soups and stews boiled over roaring fires. Since Lukas was with the Ice Fire Sorcerer, he got to eat around the caravan leader’s fire. Besides stew and bread, they also got to enjoy roast meats. Their cook had brought along a few carcasses. The scouts also occasionally caught glacial hares and a snow boar.

Penelope complained about how fatty the local animals were. Each mouthful came with lots of grease. Lukas didn’t mind as much since it moistened the otherwise dry bread. Shae never joined them. He preferred a primarily raw diet and happily claimed the offal, softer bones, and off-cuts before sneaking off into the darkness to feast.

Everyone but the on-shift guards and workers retired afterward. Lukas had a clone join Shae during their party’s turn watch. During the second night of their trip, the Elder Wyrmkin initiated conversation for the first time. It wasn’t friendly. Shae wanted weapons training. He had a naturally superior physiology but strongly believed Lukas and his ‘others’ were significantly better combatants. So, after everyone had retired for the night, they duelled. Altered Metal Mass got plenty of practice. It didn’t get the ranks Lukas desired, but in the morning, Lukas felt more confident in his use of the ability.

The camp stirred well before dawn. A breakfast of leftovers or porridge followed. The staff and guards swiftly broke everything down afterward and packed it all away before first light. Then, as soon as the darkness of night started to fade, the caravan set off.

Occasionally, Lukas heard stories of local beasts sneaking toward the camp. Their superior senses and diviners made ambush attacks near impossible. The snipers took them out. A particularly smart pack of rock burrowers attacked during a guard change. They were giant segmented worms with rotating rows of teeth that seemed to crush and grind stone, consuming and excreting it as they rapidly moved below ground.

Moving mounds of snow gave them away as they approached. Occasionally, they surfaced, likely for air, and it was the only time anyone could attack them. The hired parties had an earth mage and a woman with an ice-shaping shard ability. Their efforts mostly slowed the creatures. The former of the pair got smarter and pulled a pair out of the ground, making it possible for the others to take them out.

Shae proved his value and progress. He looked awkward racing forward in his uneven leather suit. A stolen pickaxe served as a sufficient weapon. He drove it into the ground, driving it in deep into the tightly packed snow. When he pulled the weapon out, a burrower came with it. He kicked the creature off the weapon and turned on another. Shae worked swiftly, taking out three of the beasts.

In the meantime, Lukas only managed to take out one of the creatures. Penelope hadn’t joined the fight, but several people appeared to have fire-related shard abilities or magic. They were unsurprisingly popular among the locals. Large pools dotted the snowfield between the caravan and the rapidly approaching swarm. The worms had no choice but to swim through them and slowed significantly. The clone assisted, firing electrified Shadowsteel spikes into the water.

He didn’t just imbue them with powerful charges, but also used Alter Metal Mass to significantly reduce their weight. It gave him greater control and power when launching them, making up for his lack of skill in arcane projection. The clone only successfully nailed one burrower, killing it in one blow. However, the electrified water stunned the creatures, forcing them to surface and granting others the opportunity to take them out.

Lukas wasn’t surprised to learn afterward that they were the least of the concerns during their journey. Much greater threats waited for them ahead.