Shadow Clone Sorcery 102. Leading A Horse To Water

“What do you an they tried to kill you?” Liesel demanded, frowning. The party had gathered in her and Mira’s suite. The auditor and her apprentice weren’t present, preferring to stay in their wagon. Neither Morph nor El-Pri had seen much of either of them since their arrival in Reistein, or at least didn’t rember interacting with the pair.

“I an, they bonked the back of my head, slit my throat, and threw in the river,” Morph answered, like it was no big deal at all. “I changed my face and shape. So they think it was the town drunk.”

“And how in Skadi’s na are you alive?” Xander asked, sitting cross-legged. “You told you’re not a regenerator.”

“I’m not,” Morph replied. “I’m a shifter.” His ears changed as he spoke, lobes widening. “I don’t heal so much as reform my body using excess biomass I have stored away. It requires being conscious, and my stores are limited by how much I can conceal and carry. If the icy water didn’t shock awake, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Yes. Yes. You’re more skilled than lucky.” Liesel rolled her eyes. “What were you doing sniffing around by the river? Your instructions were to restrict your movents to the tavern, market, and hot springs. You had no reason to go down there, Morph.”

“Funny, you asked about sniffing. I did just that. There I was sitting on the inn’s roof, practising my transformations and trying to mimic snown's sensory organs. My nose caught the scent of decay. Except it wasn’t like normal rotting vegetation or flesh.” The clone leaned against the windowsill, transforming his nose to demonstrate what he ant. “There was sothing unnatural about it. The odour was laced with magic unlike anything that’s supposed to exist on Fracture. I followed my nose, expecting sothing like a monster carcass. It was supposed to be just a way to kill so ti.”

Liesel exchanged concerned looks with Xander. Fake intrigue flashed across El-Pri’s face while the remaining parties appeared confused.

“What do you an, unlike anything that’s supposed to exist on Fracture?” El-Pri asked, leading the conversation. “We’ve encountered people who only exist in legends in this journey alone. I’m sure there is plenty—”

“My last job, before I decided to pursue the easy adventuring life, involved hunting covens, cults, and necromancers pursuing lichhood,” Morph lied. “I don’t like talking about it because people label as a magekiller and keep their distance. However, while pursuing them, I learned the feel of a wide range of magic. It taught how to identify what energies are native to Fracture and those that are not. And what I sensed was of the latter variety.”

“You’re sure?” Mira stepped forward, speaking up for the first ti since the party eting began. Morph imagined she also had experience in interacting with otherworldly energies. Whatever ritual put her in contact with the Great Black Dragon would’ve involved magic that pierced the fabric of reality. El-Pri was sure it wasn’t the only ritual she’d witnessed or been a part of. “Can you describe it?”

“All I know is that when I peeked within, sothing looked back at . The back of my eyes began to itch, and an ugly headache ca with it.”

“Like an ice-cold pick just behind the eyebrows?” Mira asked.

Morph nodded. “It made concentrating impossible. I bet that’s how the bastards snuck up on and knocked out. The only other ti I’ve sensed sothing like this was when my old employer was pursuing a cult. They summoned sothing from beyond, not just Fracture, but all other realms.”

“Sothing from the endless darkness?” Leisel gripped the arms of the chair so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

“I didn’t get the opportunity to learn much about it. My forr master called it the Endless Abyss and the Void. The insects that ca through the rift ate him before he could finish his explanation. It was abrupt and terrifying.” Morph sighed. “I couldn’t place it at first, but I had plenty of ti to think about it after dragging myself out of the river. The sll. The pain. There is sothing from the Void in Reistein. I don’t know if we’re dealing with a cult or sothing ancient that the idiots accidentally awakened. I just know that it's sickening and we need to get as far away from here as possible.”

“You should have said sothing instead of just wandering off on your own,” El-Pri reprimanded, shaking his head. He wandered over from the open window and joined them around the coffee table. “You could’ve jeopardized the entire party, you know? If the cultist or whoever these people are could’ve co after they used it if they realized it was you. I’m surprised they haven’t already.”

“Shut up, Sneak,” Morph said through gritted teeth. “You’re insufferable, you know?” His tone turned mocking. “I expected more from our stealth and reconnaissance expert. Why in Yggdrasil’s na am I doing your job?”

“Lukas is right,” Liesel stated. “However, we can’t complain about getting results. The auditor and her assistant will need to verify your claims, but this will shave days off the mission and might help us resolve this sooner.” Her attention moved to Mira. “How are your psychic defences?”

“Solid.” The dragonblooded mage smiled. “Eph—I an, my master had train ntal defences as a part of my spell-scribing exercises. Mostly for spirit-summoning scrolls. They’re of the tricky sort.”

“Voidlings. Psychic attacks. We’ll need a solid battle plan for dealing with them.” Liesel’s eyes scanned the party. “I’m open to ideas. Anyone besides Morph have experience in this departnt?”

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“You seem knowledgeable on the subject,” Xander comnted, studying the party leader. “How?”

“So like the Aquila to think that only you know everything about everything,” Liesel stated, rolling her eyes. “It’s a topic covered in formal mage training. We touch upon the greater realms while covering summoning and contracting familiars. It’s important to know what worlds and universes to avoid. The Void is considered the worst of all.”

“My master had a policy of executing any mage that communes or contracts the Void without question,” Morph added. It was a policy El-Pri followed in his old life. “It was the one ti he ignored factors like age, gender, and physical condition. The Void infects from the inside, he used to say. Its corruption is absolute, and there is no cure. Eliminate all entities that escape it and burn them to ash. All individuals who practise magic from it or escape from it must face the sa fate.”

“I thought your master died before he could teach you more,” El-Pri said, crossing his arms.

“Shut up, Sneak,” Morph grumbled. “Let a man exaggerate for dramatic effect.”

Much to Morph’s surprise, it was Haima who spoke up. “I think I’ve encountered these Voidlings you speak of,” he said. “I don’t know what it was, to be honest. But from what you described…” He paused, eyes scanning the party. When no one interrupted, Liesel gestured for Haima to continue. “It was about six months ago. A job took into the mountains north-west of the Gray, across the river, and glaciers, to the volcanic peaks. We found sothing frozen in the ice. It looked like flesh and a cloud of darkness combined. The thing should’ve been dead, but the eyes were moving.

“The party leader made a point of destroying it without thawing the ice. He extracted it as a solid block, dragged it to the volcanoes, and threw it in before we continued with our mission. All of us had horrid headaches for days, and awful cries haunted our dreams. I still wake up in a sweat from ti to ti, the sound echoing in my ears.”

“Why did none of you report this?” Leisel demanded.

“Only I made it back alive,” Haima answered, his voice small. “And I did report to Mathias.” He looked to Morph. “That’s Elena’s predecessor. He disappeared on a job not long after. Mathias told to keep it to myself and he’d send a party to investigate.”

“Sounds like he never got around to it.” El-Pri sighed. “I’m with Morph on this one. Report it to the auditor and retreat. This is far above our pay grade or capabilities. My mage training is far from formal. I have no idea how to deal with sothing of the sort. And my psychic defences are beyond trash.”

“Coward,” Xander said. “I think we should take on this Voidling and destroy it before the infestation can spread beyond the neighborhood. That’s assuming its magic hasn’t infested all of Reistein.”

El-Pri shrugged. “Cowards live far longer than heroes. They write the stories and make the heroes look like pig-headed fools.”

“Lukas is right. There is no honor in taking on a foe beyond us.” Liesel punched the bridge of her nose, falling silent for a mont. When Xander started to talk again, she held up a hand silencing him. “The auditor and her apprentice are Mind Mages. They don’t just extract the truth and erase mories, but also have excellent psychic defences.”

Morph’s stomach dropped. He recalled talking to the pair just outside the inn a couple of hours ago, but struggled to recall the details of their discussion. Worries regarding what he may have divulged flooded him. His eyes darted to El-Pri, but the man’s expression gave away nothing.

“I’ll set them on the investigation first,” Liesel continued. “While we prepare an assault on this building.” She looked at Lukas. “I need shadow golems staking the place out, finding a way in, and looking for wherever this Voidling might be.

“It’s in the basent,” Lukas said. “I set a couple of golems on the task as soon as Morph told us his tale. The first floor seems ordinary except for a ritual room that has seen recent use. anwhile, the ground floor is an ordinary processing and packing setup. It took them a bit to find the hidden entrance to the basent. And—”

“How do you know all of this without leaving the room?” Xander interrupted.

“When a golem dies or dispels itself, I get a glimpse of its mories.”

“Useful.”

“Where was I?” Lukas asked.

“The golems found the basent,” Mira said, smiling sweetly.

“Thank you, Mira.” He nodded. “Very helpful.”

The exchange got an eyebrow raise from Xander.

“Yes. The golems found the basent. It’s full of fleshy things, slls of magical rot, and there are people down there. They dispelled themselves to avoid detection, so I know nothing more.”

“Finally justifying your position in the party, Sneak,” Morph comnted, flashing a toothy grin.

“Unfortunately for you, Lukas, you’re going to be key to this mission,” Leisel said. “Your Stormfire will probably be necessary for burning this infestation out.”

“I can help,” Mira said, hesitantly glancing at Xander. “I can, right?”

The shieldbearer nodded. “You have my permission to use Erasure. I don’t think we have much of a choice. The question is whether you can handle it without knocking yourself out. This is unknown territory for , and I don’t know what to expect. I might not be able to protect you.”

“I refuse to take vanguard duty against Voidlings,” Morph said. “Put on protection duty instead. I’ll ensure nothing gets close to Mira. If things get hairy, I have no qualms about picking her up and fleeing.”

“What is this Erasure?” Leisel asked.

“My most destructive magic.” Mira hesitantly glanced at her guildmate and handler. “I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

“I’ve seen it in action and can vouch for its power,” El-Pri said. “It puts my magic to sha, and I don’t even know how to begin explaining it.” He looked at Mira. “I think I can keep whatever is down there busy until you finish your spell. My lack of psychic defences will be an obstacle.”

“You should be fine as long as you don’t et its gaze.” Morph stood, heading for the door. “This goes for all of you. Don’t et a Voidling’s eyes. If you hear alien chatter, just sing, chant, or make so noise to drown it out. The best way to keep it out of your head is not to let it engage you.”

“Where are you going?” Leisel asked him. “The eting isn’t over.”

“I’ve given you all the information I have, and my role is set. I must restore my biomass stores before the fight. So, I’m going to visit the butcher, tanner, hunters, and anywhere there might be fresh corpses or remains.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “Everyone, prepare however you must. I need to deal with the blighted auditor and make justifications for all the orders you’ve gone against.”