4. Hunters Become The Hunted

The sun was low in the sky by the time Lukas and El-One reached the manor. Lukas suspected the raptors saw better in the dark and wasn’t too keen to find out whether he was right or wrong. He hurried indoors with the clone watching his back. The manor appeared to have suffered fire, artillery strikes, and more. The furnishings and tapestries had suffered damage. However, the bones seemed intact.  None of the walls’ supporting structures appeared to have suffered any damage.

It's solid. Old. Seems like the perfect place to hide a relic.

The sound of claws scraping stone and loose tiles sounded above and below. 

“We need to work quickly, boss,” El-One whispered, scanning their surroundings uncomfortably. “If these things get the jump on us or start hunting us, we’re toast. We need to find this thing and get out of here. A-SAP.”

“The question is where to look,” Lukas stated, scanning his surroundings. “Upstairs? Below? The ground level? This place looks like it was built to have hidden passages, concealed safes, and red herrings. We could be looking forever. Below would be my best bet but that could be what we’re expected to think.”

“Does the journal have any clues?”

The soulbound object had remained silent as Lukas requested. Now, when he called it forth, it floated free of his pocket and flipped open to the center. The sapphire light forced the duo to flee into a more secluded space. He couldn’t afford to have the glow give them away now.

Where is the stupid blade?

It’s not stupid. 

The blade, forged using the Crimson Wyrm’s heart flame, has the power to pierce a Great Silver Dragon’s glacial defense. It could mark the end of Lady Silverspine, damaging the arcane balance across several realms.

Do we look above or below?

It could be anywhere. The blade has touched a Great Silver Dragon's blood. I will stir when it is close.

And you’ve got nothing more?

The Mistress believed it was well hidden and shielded from outside presence. It’s a surprise the cult found it. Hence, you were delivered here and not somewhere less volatile near one of her less contested interests.

“The journal is more than she said,” El-One commented. 

“This thing is alive.” 

“It’s got a consciousness of its own.”

“Do you?” Lukas asked.

The clone shrugged. “I must be an extension of yours. Same soul. Same memories. Same consciousness.”

“You lot seem to have free will and can think for yourself. Right?”

“Right. But we aren’t going to act against you or your interests.”

“Is that an ability-bound guarantee or lip service?”

The clone shrugged again. “As I said, we’re the same soul, have the same memories, and become part of the same consciousness after death or once dispelled. Even if we could act against you, it would be stupid and counterintuitive. Your success and happiness is our success and happiness. Your death is our death. Permadeath, I mean. The only eventuality where I see one of us going out of our way to screw you over is if you really piss him off and he forgets self-preservation and acts purely out of spite. Otherwise, we’re all in the same boat.” He made his voice deep and monotonous. “We are legion.” The clone chuckled before nodding at a spiral staircase. “Split up or stay together?”

“Can you summon a copy of the journal?”

El-One squinted, scrunching up his face like he was struggling to push something out. A good ten seconds passed before he relaxed and opened an eye. “Nothing?”

Lukas shook his head.

“I could try harder, but it might end poorly for my pants or eyes.”

“Let it go,” Lukas said. “Just watch my back and listen for the raptors. If any get in our way, we’re putting them down.”

“Yes, boss.”

The duo decided to work their way up through the building and check the basement first. In Lukas’s expert thieving opinion, secret family treasures often lived in secure vaults below ground in rarely opened safes. Often they weren’t just secrets from the outside world but the family too. Above ground storages were for money and valuables one would trade or sell if needed. 

At first, Lukas thought the architecture and local technology medieval but then they passed a magic-powered water pump that hummed and pulsed, continuing to do its job even after all the residents had passed. The basement also contained a furnace connected to a complex network of pipes and a small forge. The tools and objects scattered around it suggested the space was for maintenance rather than creation. Lukas was sure he had crept through a genuine blacksmith’s workshop while making his way from the storehouse to the manor. The duo also passed through a cellar full of glass bottles and casks, an armory, and elegant passages decorated with tapestries and statues, and also warded rooms that appeared perfect for clandestine meetings.

It wasn’t long before a pair of dagger-seekers got in their way. 

“Over here?” One asked, peeking behind a plinth. Its clawed hand knocked the vase sitting atop it to the ground. Then the sharp beak tapped the rectangular structure’s top and edges. It did the same to the wall behind it. A little cluck followed. “Nothing here.”

“Here?” The even skinnier specimen chirped, hopping to a tapestry. It ripped the fabric from the wall and pecked the surface behind it. “Nothing here. Sunbringer relic above. No below.” It hopped forward to another patch and pecked it. “Listening time!”

Both raptors stilled, their bodies freezing from the neck down. Then their eyes closed and heads moved in swift jerking motions. It seemed they were pointing their feather-covered ear holes in different directions.  Their movements seemed more reptillian than avian. 

Lukas and his clone moved whenever the raptors moved. When the creatures paused, the duo froze, holding their breaths and advancing only after tapping and pecking continued. Heart rates increased as they closed in on their prey. Lukas was almost upon his target when they stopped prematurely. Heads almost turning full circle, and glowing eyes swiveled back and forth. One set swept over where Lukas ducked, pausing a heartbeat too long.

A clawed, scaly hand moved toward its owner’s sheathed blade. Unlike Lukas, El-One didn’t hesitate. The clones always had a lesser sense of self-preservation, or lacked whatever inhibitions held Lukas back in such situations, caring less about death or injury than him. He didn’t hang back for long and shot after him, blade drawn. 

The clone caught a defensive slash on his left forearm, likely rendering the limb useless. The dagger in his right hand swung upward through the raptor’s abdomen, up into the rib cage. A wet death gurgle burst from the creature’s mouth. Lukas reached his companion a moment too late. The second, skinnier raptor was ready and went on the offensive, swinging at him. The transmigration had robbed him of his training, but he recalled the countless clashes of his past six decades. His body lacked the muscle memory and training, but he knew how to deal with such an enemy.

A hatchet came at him in swift, precise arcs. Lukas stopped just short of the raptor’s reach, but his estimations weren’t quite right. The axehead sliced through his grey servant uniform around the chest. It kissed his skin but failed to get any deeper. Warmth blossomed from the new opening but Lukas ignored it, focusing on his opponent.  The raptor spun, smoothly moving into a second attack. Wary of the blow carrying more speed and power, Lukas backpedaled, avoiding the hatchet. Then, just as the danger passed, he leaped forward. He didn’t trust his ability to land a fatal or crippling blow and prioritized knocking the raptor off balance instead.

The creature displayed the grace of a ballerina, giving an idea of how the cult kind overwhelmed the manor and the settlement’s defenses. It wouldn’t surprise him if they excelled at group tactics. He recalled Earth media suggesting velociraptors were pack hunters and imagined the Fracture inhabitants were no different. 

Unfortunately for the raptor, it was alone, and Lukas wasn’t. El-One attacked from the opposite side, blocking its escape path. The creature opened its beak and its throat contracted, but both attacked before it could release a warning call. Neither attack landed. However, the raptor stumbled and fell onto its bottom. A raised hatchet blocked the clone’s downward slash, but it failed to protect itself from Lukas’s follow-up attack. The blade faced some resistance at first, but the hardened back scales failed to hold up against a second violent stab. 

The knife in the back didn’t kill the raptor, but it lost the strength to block El-One’s following strike. He stabbed the creature in the chest, putting it down. Then both Lukases collapsed, panting.

“I forgot how tiring this used to be,” Lukas commented.

El-One nodded, clutching his side as he struggled to catch his breath. “You need to get one of us on daily workouts and some sort of weapons training once we’re out of this mess. This body is in bad shape. It might have a pretty face but damn is it horrible.”

“What do you expect? We brought the kid back from the dead.”

“No excuse. You’d think having blood that opens important storeroom doors meant he’d get decent exercise or at least some training to do his job better.”

“None of the other bodies look as malnourished as this guy. Let’s give him a break.”

“Do you need to catch your breath, boss?” The clone asked.

Lukas shook his head. “Can’t afford it. Someone will find the archer—” He kicked the corpse lying at his feet. “—or one of these two sooner or later. Then, the entire flock will descend on us. It’s just a matter of time.” He struggled onto his feet and stretched. Satisfying cracks sounded from his shoulder and spine. “Our best bet is to find the dagger as soon as possible and hope it comes with an escape route.”

They didn’t bother hiding the corpses. The manor had seen a fair bit of combat but most of it seemed concentrated on the upper floors. Anyone that saw the blood would know something had happened, and they’d likely follow the trail to the bodies. Instead, they pushed on, speeding through the floor and checking every nook and cranny. The journal didn’t react but that didn’t mean there weren’t secret passageways to lower levels. 

Instead of finding their target, the pair discovered new clothes, tools, weapons, and coins. Lukas couldn’t tell whether the raptors didn’t want any of it or deemed them low priority and left everything within for later as they had with the storehouse. They grabbed a couple of backpacks and filled them with new clothing, money, and whatever other valuables they could find and easily carry.

Another pair of searching raptors got in their path. This time, the duo circled around them to get in their path and launched an ambush. They held their breaths as the creatures approached, ducking behind statues on either side of a long, ominous corridor. The pair seemed less thorough than the last and missed their hiding places without checking and didn’t suffer daggers to the gut or face as a result. Lukas and El-One rose silently once the raptors passed and struck swiftly. Once again, the new weak body, its lack of training, and any sort of strength deterred them. 

El-One already had no use of his left arm. It had hung limp since the last fight. He failed to finish his target in a single strike and ended up taking a short sword to the shoulder. Lukas had no choice but to intervene after eliminating his target. The raptors were stronger, faster, and better trained, but likely overconfident following their victory. After putting down his target with a swift but jerky throat slice, Lukas rushed to the clone’s rescue. 

To El-One’s credit, he kept a tight hold on the enemy’s forearm, keeping it from retrieving its weapon while claws slashed at his chest and face. When Lukas came, the raptor had to go on the defensive. It managed to land a nasty scratch on his right bicep, ripping the shirt further and leaving burning lines across the pale skin below. In exchange, it suffered a kidney stab.

Lukas’s knife faced resistance for a brief moment as if he were trying to push through a rubber sheet. Then it popped and his blade slipped through like it was sinking into jelly. A pained, almost human gasp, escaped the raptor and it released El-One before trying to backpedal only for Lukas to twist and rip out his blade. The brutal attack drew a gasp and widened the victim’s eyes. He saw the certainty of death in them. Then, the pair attacked their target in unison from opposite sides and it went down soon afterward.

“Dispel me,” El-One said, collapsing.

“Or, I could use you for bait and make the bastards think I’m dead.” Lukas took a step back and looked the clone up and down. “You can cling onto life and pretend to be a corpse, right?”

“Spare me the torture, El-Prime,” the clone begged. “Don’t you want to find out? Dispelling might get you some of my magic back. Magic. We like magic, yes?”

“I don’t know,” Lukas said, leaning against the statue he used for cover. “Experimentation is best left for later. Probably when my life is on the line. We—” He paused when something clicked. Lukas turned around just in time to see blood seeping into the polished stone statue. Previously invisible runes glowed. “I don’t think this body belonged to a mere kitchen helper.”

El-One groaned, climbing onto his feet. He studied the runes closely. The statue’s surface rippled when he touched it. “These guys loved blood locks, didn’t they?” He commented. “Maybe we were the manor lord’s valet. Or the virgin blood bag meant for opening locks and fuelling rituals. Would make sure why it's so malnourished.”

The statue parted like a venus fly trap’s mouth, revealing a sloping passage lit by dim crimson crystals. The journal vibrated as soon as Lukas stuck his head inside. 

“I told you we were right to start in the basement,” Lukas whispered. “Powerful, dangerous weapons are almost always in the basement.”

“You make it sound like I said otherwise.” The clone’s knees wobbled as he followed Lukas. He stumbled at the passageway’s threshold, almost falling on his face. “This means we’re almost—”

Lukas dispelled the clone. It was no good to him in its current state. Much to his relief, the magic that contained the soul fragment returned to him. It was approximately four-fifths of the amount he had spent—by Lukas’s best estimates. His new body’s magic senses were far from keen. He guessed the injuries suffered by El-One damaged the arcane shell’s integrity resulting in a loss of energy.

The passageway transitioned from manmade to natural formations the deeper Lukas went. The crimson crystals became less effective as obstacles blocked their light and reflecting surfaces became more distant. Lukas shivered and fought to maintain his focus. The shoulder wound had reopened again and the cumulative injuries slowly added to the bloodloss. 

I don’t know if I’m going to make it.

Lukas tried using Arcane Clone again but failed. He successfully ripped away a third of his soul but failed to gather enough magic to contain it. The passageway was energy rich but he struggled to recall effective absorption and containment exercises. He could feel his stores trickling toward full but it wasn’t enough. Exhaustion worsened his frustration. He remembered everything he used to be able to do but not how he did or learned any of it.

This is what you wanted. Freedom and power have a cost. Suck it up and pay it.