38. In Need Of Essence

“This place is so much bigger on the inside,” Lukas said, failing to keep the shock and awe out of his voice. “It’s bigger than your clinic, isn’t it?”

“I had to put a lifetime of things somewhere,” Esther replied nonchalantly. “They say you can’t take everything with you when you go. I strongly disagree.”

“Sounds like something a hoarder would say.” He followed her deeper into the house, moving past where the squat building should’ve ended. The bit past the door, probably a staging area, wasn’t huge and now seemed like a disguise, so people who got glimpses of within didn’t realize how much Esther had and owned. “Seriously. This place is amazing.”

Floating furniture and nick-nacks surrounded him. Beasts of all shapes and sizes scurried and frolicked around the giant space, which looked like a cross between a barn and a castle’s main hall. Lukas almost tripped when a two-headed dog, a younger-looking specimen than the one in Kat’s smithy, ran into his path. It yipped at him excitedly before running off again.

“Are they all yours?” Lukas asked, eyes wide.

“I don’t like to think of them as possessions, but yes. They’re all mostly rescues. Traumatized. Crippled. Old. Their masters abandoned them, or they were unfit to survive the wild.”

“And you can afford to feed all of them?”

“If it weren’t so damaging to my coffers, I wouldn’t still be running the clinic.” Esther led him into an ample green open space illuminated by candles and moonlight. The area was larger than the giant converted stables that functioned as her clinic. “So, what do you want?”

“I barely remember,” Lukas said, struggling to put his thoughts back together. “Ah. Yes. I have another shard and a ritual to empower it.”

“Another shard? Who did you rob this time?”

“No one. You could say it's a gift from an old girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Esther raised an eyebrow. “Your dragon mistress allowed you a girlfriend?”

“She didn’t know. I think so, at least. I doubt Silverspine would’ve let me live if she found out I was in bed with one of her rivals.”

Esther broke into a full-bodied laugh. “Of course. Of course, you played Greater Beings against one another and bedded one. You seem like the type. I think the old you and I would’ve been great friends.”

“Is the new me that bad?” Lukas asked.

“I can’t get over that boy face or take you are speaking like an old man seriously enough. So, if I were to make a guess, you’re struggling to find reagents for this ritual?”

Lukas nodded. “The shard she sent me might help me untangle the journal from Silverspine or at least disconnect me from the journal. Either is fine. But the shard is too weak as it is. It came with an upgrading ritual, but I need three magical essences and currently only have one. I’ve asked Penelope to look into the academy and research center’s vendors for me, but I am not particularly hopeful. The Essence of Repulsion might fill the second spot, but—”

“It won’t. Essence of Repulsion might spawn a magical effect, but it's considered more physical than magical.” Esther leaned back in her leather armchair. The furniture looked odd in the green courtyard and bathed in moonlight. “You’re going to struggle. Arcane and magic-related essences aren’t just available to the public because they’re rare but also because everyone is scared of what they might spawn. I have one I was holding… but I can’t just give it to you.”

“I can pay—”

“You can’t afford it,” Esther interrupted. “But. I’d consider a trade.”

Lukas raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?” 

She pointed at his belt. “I want the blood essence. It won’t be equitable, but I need it. The chances of finding one on the market, even with my connections, are challenging, and the methods of obtaining one are tedious. Amazingly, you managed to get one at all. Either the fool you took it from didn’t understand the current rarity and value, or he never intended to part with it.”

“I’m not sure I can give that up,” Lukas said. “Not yet, at least. There is something in the undercity that needs doing. I’m not sure I can leave it up to Penelope and the clones. Or I could, but I still need to be present. The healing spell might prove necessary. Afterward, though—”

“That’s fine.”

“No. You don’t get it. I’ll probably need the shard before we go down.” He hesitated, wondering how much to tell her. Given everything Lukas had learned about Esther, he was sure she’d be alarmed and want to get involved. Even if she did and the Shadow Seekers helped, the chances of the information spreading would be high, and containing it would be impossible. Then, someone else would get curious about the serpent and try to awaken it, putting the quest in jeopardy. “I can’t tell you about the job. But it might involve breaking through some wards and defenses, and the shard’s Mind Pillar ability specializes in that.”

“Ability to unravel magic?” Esther raised an eyebrow. “That’s a rare and potent ability. Dangerous, too.” She held out her hand. “Give me the belt buckle.”

Lukas hesitated.

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I won’t steal it from you, Lukas Zaun. Just give it here.” The light stick she used to write on surfaces materialized in her right hand. “I’m just going to do a little something.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. Just a bit sudden.” He removed his belt and passed it to her. “That’s all.”

Esther took the belt buckle and wrote on the body-facing side with the light stick. “Repeat what I say: I, Lukas Zaun.”

“I, Lukas Zaun.”

“Concede ownership of this object and am only its steward until I complete my planned job.”

“What if I’m also thinking of another job right now?” Lukas asked.

“Just repeat it for Vanheim’s sake.”

Lukas did as instructed. The runes Esther had drawn on the belt buckle flashed before disappearing. A faint blue pulse of energy washed over the pair of them before dissipating. Esther handed it back to him.

“I’ll know when you’ve completed your job and are out of the undercity. The belt buckle will tell me. Then, regardless of what happens to you, I can summon it to myself.” Esther smiled. “That sounds fair, does it not?”

“It does. Wizardry is certainly interesting.”

“I don’t know why you’d rather pick the sorcerer’s path. Your clones are perfect for the endless study and research that comes with wizardry.” She shrugged. “It’s your life and your path. Do what you want. It's harder.”

“But more flexible, right?”

“Right. With potentially more power as well. Tweaking threads of spells and enchantments is a nice bit of metamagic. It should help you bend existing spells to your needs better.” Esther reached inside of her pocket and pulled out a marble-sized essence sphere. She tossed it, and Lukas snatched it out of the air. “There you go. I  hope Penelope comes through for you on the final piece.”

“You don’t trust me much, do you?” Lukas asked, inspecting the back of the belt for a moment. “I’m just asking. It makes sense for you not to.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you in particular but what you are and the path you’re walking. Otherworlders. The reincarnated. Time-loopers. They—you—are an unreliable, unpredictable bunch. Also, there is no telling how this job will end.” Esther held up a hand when Lukas tried to speak. “I haven’t asked, and you don’t need to tell. You might not survive it, or you might have to flee in a hurry. The people you’re working with and have tied yourself to are also far too unreliable.” She snorted. “That includes Snake and the Shadow Seekers.”

“What is your issue with them? Weren’t you one of them?”

“I was,” Esther replied. It didn’t seem she was going to say anything more on the matter, but she continued of her own accord. “People don’t usually retire in this business. They fall into a more background role of training, teaching, managing, and directing. I’ve just grown disillusioned with the guild’s purpose. There is no fixing a corrupt system while existing as a part of the system. That’s how Ly—my former apprentice, the other otherworlder, ended up dead. Now, I want to cut ties and just live my life doing what I enjoy. But they’re not willing to let me go.”

“Sounds frustrating,” Lukas said. He knew what it was to be not left alone and dragged into things even after he had fulfilled his role and all promises. “So that you know, I haven’t told anybody else the truth about me—only you. You haven’t betrayed me and did right by me even when you didn’t have to. Believe me, I don’t say this often, but I trust you.”

“I do believe that.” Esther laughed. “I mean, you not trusting people often.” A roar from somewhere deep in the nonsensical structure gave her pause. “Now run along. Tonight is my night off, and you interrupted a reunion with some old friends. Don’t bother me again unless the fate of the city or Fracture is at stake.”

Essence of Magic Manipulation

Lukas found it curious that both arcane essences involved an act rather than an object or phenomenon. Blood, repulsion, stealing, change, and shadow were all tangible, naturally occurring, or man-made concepts. The same couldn’t be said for regeneration and manipulation. He didn’t have a big enough sample size to be sure.

It was tempting to pester Penelope about essence procurement, but Lukas resisted. She was clearly busy with all the new samples coming in. He received bonus pay for analyzing them and writing down whatever Inspector’s Compendium had to say. Meanwhile, Bass had disappeared after Lukas showed her the feathers and hadn’t returned since. Penelope didn’t seem worried. She appeared to trust her familiar to safely explore and investigate the undercity.

Lukas was sure that as soon as Bass found something, the sorcerer would want to go down, with or without him. So, he explored other options for the essence. First, he exhausted every business on Snake’s list. Only one of them had something useable, but Lukas couldn’t afford it. He offered to sell the merchant the runic shortsword. The man was interested in the purchase, but it still wasn’t enough to buy the essence.

“Heist,” El-Four whispered.

Lukas kept the stealth-specialized clone around for whenever he went out in the evenings. His confidence in his current abilities had improved significantly since arriving in Iskander. The minor Altered Mass ability gave him the confidence to move at higher speeds without fear of significant injury. However, he appreciated the extra eyes on his back, especially because there was a chance of Mister Grey or one of Penelope’s competitors tailing him.

Whenever Lukas had magic to spare, he dispelled the clone and tried summoning one again while channeling Shadow Sight. A new specialization didn’t form, much to his disappointment. The pages attached to Shadow Clone now listed all of the specializations, seemingly having read his mind when naming them.

Empowered Clones:

• Bruiser (Strength and toughness)

• Speedster (Agility and flexibility)

• Mage (Magic gathering and channeling)

• Stalker (Shadow manipulation and presence suppression)

Lukas wanted more specializations, not just for the variety of clones but also because there was a chance Shadow Clone’s rank would also increase. Every bit of magic reduction, range, and efficiency improved his chances of survival.

Despite the possible fallout, Lukas started sending stalker clones to probe the mage colleges. None of his other minions had yet found assets to help penetrate the buildings. He hoped that Silencing Shadows would do the job. There was something different about the clones, too, that seemed to make them naturally stealthy and challenging to detect. Lukas had them stalk Penelope, Esther, and even Kelpie, but none detected El-Four. He hoped it would be the same with the academies.

Apparently, the spoilt rich children of powerful merchants, industrialists, politicians, and noblemen had no trouble acquiring any essence they desired. Their parents paid guilds and organizations handsomely for access to exclusive materials and objects. Lukas was his clones could rob one of their, pick a pocket, or burglarize their rooms. It was too risky to go for the organization’s vaults or shops, but the rest were reasonably vulnerable.

In his old life, Lukas had made a habit of targeting the rich and powerful, especially those tied to corruption or with a history of abuse against their ‘lessers.’ It wasn’t an act of altruism. He and the clones often distributed the stolen wealth amongst the poor, but it wasn’t always out of generosity. Unlike on Earth, carrying and transporting money and valuables was always a concern. Spatial storages were often limited, and the goodwill of common folk went a long way. Greased palms usually ensured entire villages and towns had no memories of seeing Lukas or having knowledge of him at all.

“Heist,” El-Four whispered again. It came as no surprise that the stalker clone wanted to go on a heist. “We need teams. Codenames. Disguises. Break into the fucking college and take them for everything they have.”

“I spent too much time rewatching movies, didn’t I?” Lukas sighed. “You’re right, though. I didn’t want to return to thievery, but we might not have a choice. For now, just infiltrate and scout. Don’t take anything without discussing it first. Ideally, we don’t want to steal from someone inside the properties. Wards or spells along the border might not pick up Silencing Shadows, but they’re bound to detect the energy signature. We need to prepare for the actual theft. Maybe—”

“It's just the one essence,” El-Four interrupted. “If you just trust me with the ritual leather, the shortsword, or just the sheathe, I should be able to sneak whatever it is out without issue.”

“I’m not giving you anything valuable until you have infiltrated and escaped the academies undetected at least a dozen times. Prove yourself to me by stealing mundane objects first. Trophies, if you will. Once I’m confident that we can get away with it, only then will we proceed with the job.”

“So little trust, boss.” The clone sighed. “But fine. I understand the apprehension. Just know that the longer we delay, the more likely it is we won’t be ready by the time Bass returns. Then, we’ll have to go down unprepared or leave it all in Penelope’s hands.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Lukas said. “I’ve got a couple of other ideas. Whichever pans out first is what we’ll go with.”

“You’re the boss, boss.”

Lukas didn’t send the clone out alone. He dispelled El-Three, who was arcane and specialized and practicing magical techniques, and resummoned him as a stalker. The pair went out together, discussing a game of tag to see which of them could run faster and conceal themselves better.

Meanwhile, Lukas gave some real thought to whether to let the persona of Elvis continue for much longer. The clone had already learned all he could at the smithy. Now, it was just a matter of refining his skills. Lukas couldn’t help but wonder whether the clone was better spent on another purpose. Lukas could feel that the time to leave Iskander was near. He didn’t want to stick around for long after resolving the quest and completing Mister Grey’s job.

It was unlikely he’d ever get to start an identifier business. Lukas also believed that Mister Grey would let him just do the one job and move on. Men like him always wanted more. Once he sunk his hooks in, Lukas would never get away. People like him kept useful tools weak, making them easier to control. He needed to move on with or without Isabella’s guidance.

Lukas personally visited the distillery and attached pub for the first time. It was perhaps foolish, but he believed that Mister Grey needed his service enough not to cause him any harm. Yet, at least.

“Mister Zaun!” The man exclaimed when Lukas entered. He sat in the same seat as when during their previous meeting. The same entourage accompanied him, plus a couple of others. Kelpie shot Lukas a smile. The rest barely spared him a glance. “Is everything okay? I wasn’t expecting to see you anytime soon.”

“I came by to check on your progress with the lightning essence,” Lukas said. “Have you had any luck?”

“You would know if we did,” Mystery Grey replied. “They’re rare, and the one that entered the city was claimed by someone too powerful for my humble organization to anger. I ask for patience. If you don’t have it by the event—”

“I’ll settle for any arcane or magical essence,” Lukas interrupted. “I still want the lightning shard, but I’m willing to be more flexible with the essence.”

Mister Grey glanced at the notetaker who had threatened to capture and imprison Lukas. She only nodded.

“Consider it done. I don’t keep such things at the distillery, but I can have it delivered. Soon.”

“Thank you,” Lukas said, maintaining a friendly but professional tone. “I knew I could rely on you.”

“Always,” Mister Grey said, raising his mug. “It’s in my best interests to ensure you can do your job to the best of your ability. Just don’t get killed during your undercity trips before the auction. Alright?”

“The essence will ensure that doesn’t happen.”

“Care to join us for a drink?” Mister Grey waved at a free seat. Unlike last time, it wasn’t next to him.

“I appreciate the offer, but no thank you.” Lukas failed to hide his relief. He didn’t intend to stop the stalker clones’ mission. He’d need more arcane essences soon. They’d likely prove invaluable for ascending the shard or Shadow Clone. “My magic tutor awaits.”