Nox Brews Stories
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108. Tools For Greatness
🕑 Added 2025-09-18 06:23:12 +0000 UTCLukas couldn’t be more pleased with his growth.
It went without saying that he owed it all to the clones. They were the reason he had covered ground that others had taken years to overcome. Apparently, the true barrier appeared after tier three. Esther had claimed progress slowed to a snail’s pace afterward and demanded significantly greater effort and breakthroughs.
Lukas checked the individual pages. The growth was substantial. He liked the Biomancy page the best.
The option hadn’t appeared to him straight away, or Lukas hadn’t noticed because of the stress of the situation. When he stirred following his ascension, he found options for a conjunction ability between Biomancy and Shadow Clone. Lukas had wondered if anything of the sort was likely to happen. He thought it was too good to be true. Instead, he believed the next rank of Empowered Clone would provide the boost or allow creating clones with two shard abilities.
Morph claimed that he was extra special, since, unlike the others, a shard had gone into him. His belief proved true. Not only did the clone gain the benefits of Shadow Clone’s conjunction abilities, but also those of Biomancy. Now, he needed to determine whether he’d also receive a unique Confluence ability. Lukas still needed to get his Heart Pillar to the next tier, and from what he had heard, it was a long process even after that. Not everyone had the necessary ability for the achievement, but Lukas hoped to figure it out with the clones’ assistance.
Morph’s Body and Soul pillars have ascended beyond the first tier. Conjunction abilities are available and may also be used by the clones. Please pick one of the following:
Ambush Predator: Morph will gain the ability to transform a part of his physiology into a weapon instantly. It consumes magic instead of biomass. However, the transformation will end once the magic runs out unless it's fed biomass. Consecutive uses without adequate rest double the magic cost and come with debilitating mental strain.
Flesh Golem: Morph will gain the power to create flesh golems out of biomass. Planting pieces of magical beasts or essences in them will grant the golems special abilities. They can follow instructions but have minimal intelligence and can’t make decisions for themselves. Golems can repair themselves, but will fall apart if Morph dies or is dispelled.
Shadow Mimic: Morph will gain the power to change the appearance of shadow constructs, mimicking organic matter. The opposite can also be achieved, making biomass resemble shadows. It requires minimal investment, as the changes are only cosmetic. Biomass can be compacted into shadows, increasing storage capabilities.
All the options were excellent. However, Ambush Predator felt redundant. Even though Morph lacked the Spellweaver ability, his shadow-shaping skills were as good as those of any other clone. If necessary, he could just as easily create weapons out of Shadowsteel to ambush someone. It probably wasn’t as fast as the conjunction ability, but enough practice would eventually not just get Morph but all clones there.
Flesh Golem was perhaps the best of all of the options, but Lukas had never liked minions that weren’t clones. The more bodies there were on the battlefield, the more chaotic things became. It wasn’t that the conjunction ability was weak, but a matter of taste. Morph would probably love an army of mini-flesh golems, but Lukas only foresaw madness and more entities to command or account for during a plan. Also, he believed it didn’t fit the clone’s role in parties and strategies.
As a result, he went with Shadow Mimic. It didn’t have direct combat applications. Morph would benefit from compressing and storing biomass in shadows, but it wasn’t what intrigued Lukas. Being able to change the appearance of biomass and shadow constructs had applications outside of combat, limited only by Morph and, therefore, Lukas’s creativity.
The clone already frequently disguised Shadowsteel weapons as bone weapons. Shadow Mimic would help the clone sell the lie better. It would help Morph separate from Lukas even better. Then, there was the synergy with fear infusions and Shadow Illusions.
I need more shards for specialized clones. The quest involving Mira may give me one. The journal confiscated shards, among other things.
A new page had appeared at the back of the journal. It listed all of the upgrades Lukas had purchased with charges thus far.
Journal Functions:
Inspector’s Compendium
Secret Library
Hidden Compartment II
Deceptive Facade
Messenger Service
Everything was starting to come together. Lukas wondered whether it was about time he invested in Escape Portal. The value of moving around Fracture swiftly was too valuable a power to give up. It wasn’t just about time saved, but a long journey often came with obstacles or diversions. He didn’t want to put up with them. The cost of an essence per use was still far too high for Lukas.
Haima’s ascension was significantly quicker than his, and the party had also concluded their investigation. He remained in Reistein to assist the guards until reinforcements arrived from the Gray. Leisel planned to petition her guild for mercenaries to protect the town. Lukas doubted the Frozen Phoenix would get around to it. The Shadow Seekers and Union were bound to act soon after he made his report.
The Aquila guild was likely to get its wish; they’d absorb the lesser guild, their remaining assets, and positions. Stewardship of Reistein would likely go to them, and it would be for the best. They had enough members to set up a rotating guard in the region. Things were somber during the journey back. The loss of life in the town was substantial, and everyone was surprised that the party hadn’t suffered any casualties.
“We did suffer casualties,” the shieldbearer insisted, wearing the remnants of his shield on his back. “My shield perished.” His scornful gaze fell on Mira. “You murdered my shield.”
The Stalker clone had pulled Mira away from the black dragonfire, but not Xander. He had no choice but to use the giant shield to protect himself and flee. It ate through the left half. The right also suffered significant damage, but only on the outer layers. The embers died before they could make it all the way through. It was still usable, but only half of the entire set, and therefore not good enough for the proud mountain man. Every couple of hours, he grumbled about the loss. As a result, the journey back to the Gray, though peaceful and somber, wasn’t silent.
The spell manual held Lukas’s attention. He copied its contents into the journal’s library and stashed it in the Hidden Compartment. It was too valuable to share or show anyone. He sat atop the auditor’s wagon—which apparently contained stolen Jotun treasures—flipping through the pages while the clones circled the perimeter looking out for hostiles. As he read the manual, he couldn’t help but wonder whether using the Essence of Dusk would’ve been a better pick for Shadow Clone. Sensitivity to the spectral realm and the accompanying attunement would’ve allowed him to use the manual’s spell in its current form.
“More dead inhabit the world than living. They inhabit all expanses and leave ghostly trails wherever they go. Find them using Sense The Dead. Ghost Walk enables you to utilize the remnants of ghosts and their trails to move between two points instantaneously. The spell’s range is short, and its costs are titanic for most. As a result, Ghost Walk is not ideal for rapid traversal, but perfect for fleeing danger or repositioning oneself for the perfect attack.”
Lukas wished to adapt Ghost Walk the same way he had Earth Lance. Shadow Walk was one of his favorite spells from his old life. Its base form had a range of ten feet but was also expensive and gave him a headache. It was a brilliant mini-teleport spell, making it excellent for an infiltrator. Lukas loved travelling through shadows; it was one of the primary reasons he had sought out the attunement for the clones. Shade’s Mantle wasn’t as potent on the surface as the other options, but the familiar path had called to him. He continued to skim the introductory pages.
“Spectral Swap is the next stage in the spell series and involves swapping places with a willing or allied spectral entity. It has a far greater range but costs significantly more than Ghost Walk. Ghastly Ally ties into the ability, calling forth friendly ghosts and specters to assist the caster in his tasks.”
“Clone Swap?” Lukas grinned. A shiver ran down his spine, and goosebumps appeared on his arms. It too had come after Shadow Walk and made it nearly impossible to kill Lukas or his more powerful clones.
“The greatest limitations of Ghost Walk and Spectral Swap are their range. Haunting Locus aims to create arcane anchors in areas dense with ghostly activity or an allied specter. The connection allows the mobility spells to lock onto and connect to locations much farther than they ordinarily allow. Cost and strain scale with distance, but it shouldn’t be too big an issue for a mage capable of creating loci.
Portal Through Limbo is the culmination of all spells within the series. It involves creating a gateway at a pair of Haunting Loci, allowing instantaneous traversal between the two points. Unlike Ghost Walk and Spectral Swap, the portal allows the transport of multiple people at no extra cost. The cost doesn’t scale with distance. Only the creation of stable loci.”
Lukas’s heart raced as he read through the introductory chapter a second time. If he managed to adapt the final third of the manual to the shadow-attunement, the mobility spells would turn out significantly more potent than what he used in his old life.
It was like everything else in life. He worked and worked, but didn’t get what was promised or wanted. Instead, Lukas received the building blocks and would need to work toward another goal. He believed it was possible. Lukas had Spellweaver, the journal, and trusted himself to succeed. It was just a matter of time.
“What are you smiling about?” Mira asked, hopping onto the wagon’s roof. She rarely showcased her physical abilities, which were far more advanced than those of someone with ordinary human physiology.
“I’m just revelling at all the new possibilities with my Mind ability’s ascension,” Lukas answered. “There are spells I’ve wanted to develop and master since I first got access to the shadow attunement. It’s starting to feel close. I might be able to pull it off before long.”
“Your shadow spells are already potent and terrifying. I saw your tests with the illusions.” Mira shuddered. “They made falling asleep last night a challenge. What more could you want?”
“Have you heard of shadow walking?” Lukas asked.
“You mean stepping into one shadow and stepping out of another? Who hasn’t heard of that? Every other story has a shadow walker. If it's not the protagonist, it's one of his allies or the antagonist. When there is no shadow walker, you’ll find someone with a Blink spell or ability instead. They belong in stories. Practical magic like that is likely to be incredibly rare or crazy expensive. That’s if either spell even exists, which I don’t think they do.”
“That’s coming from a woman with two different kinds of dragonfire burning in her chest. Not just any dragons, but silver and black. Polar opposites. Archnemesis. You’re the extra special, special chosen one from epic tales that’s a never-before-seen anomaly. But you exist because there is some truth in legends and myths. They all started somewhere.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Mira sighed. “I apologize. Taking the wind out of your sails wasn’t my intention. If anyone can create a Shadow Walking spell, Lukas, it’s you.” She hesitated, glancing at Leisel. She walked with Xander ahead of the wagon and had glanced at Lukas and Mira half a dozen times. “When you have some time, I’d love your assistance in improving my dragonfire spells. And, if you’re still willing, an introduction to Penelope once we’re back in the Gray.”
“Of course,” Lukas replied, manifesting a Stormfire sphere.
He had earned Xander’s respect following Flukas’s performance against the Void Heart. The man no longer cared about Lukas spending time with Mira. Leisel had all but checked out. She often stared but said nothing. The woman had stopped spending nights with Lukas not long after their arrival in Reistein. He predicted a talk once they were back in the Gray.
“Let’s start with using silver dragonfire alone for combat. Black takes too much out of you, still. I think you need to improve your ability with one to better use the other.” The sphere Lukas had created grew brighter and fell silent. Air rippled around it as he separated sound and lightning. “Let’s weaponize silver for regular use and only pull out black when the timing is just right.”
Mira nodded. “Show me how.”
Comments
1N7L68E
Well in he's defense, most if not all his choice on power manifesto have circle around long term Skill growth and eventually High level performance by using he's clone to learn in and out of Skills. Plus he seem to have need being in control or at least at top of things. A secondary summoning abilities, without direct strengthening and control/command ability seems go against that approach.
Ben Bass
TYFTC! It is always fun when we get to see Lukas plotting on how to stretch or break something. Altering the ghostly spells to shadows hopefully shouldn't be to insanely difficult, especially at the lower level spells. Shadows are probably more ubiquitous than ghosts, if not as inherently powerful individually, I could see in aggregate the shadows are just as if not more powerful overall.
Austin Gibbs
As a plot point can we get some expansion on why he hate's minions and only likes clones because the skill that was offered was literally too powerful no mention of limits outside of biomass and they can be empowered literally a insane skill.
