Looking out the window, I can see legions atop of legions atop of legions of shadow maids. Is there no limit to how many shadow clones I can summon? By the way, I'm in the Shadowrealm right now. I was thinking of releasing everyone by summoning, but I kind of forgot who was who. I'm kidding. I just wanted to see them in their jail cells. I assume they are all in a jail cell. That and I wanted to test something. Also, to mock them… maybe. Do I mock people? No, that's Mel's thing. Is it Mel's thing? No, it's my thing now. Everything is mine now. Except for Speedy. I don't take married people.

"Hello there, Madeleine. Here to free the captives?" I turned around to see the shadow elf, the guy who gave me Shadow Cloning. That reminds me, I need his name.

"Yeah, I'm here for that. What's your name?"

"Mad Rox."

"Mad Rocks?"

"Rox, like the elven tribe found in Thawnerry."

"I don't know any elven tribes beside the Ratia."

"You should at least know the Patras tribe."

"What, why?"

"You saw them get slaughtered."

"True! Anyways, I'm off to free some of them. You want to tag along?"

"No thanks. I just came here to check on your objective. I'm going back to the others."

"Have fun!" What a nice guy. I should've given his skeleton an actual burial… I'll do it at some point. I also should've looted that village. Oh, and report about its destruction. Eh, whatever. I've got all the time in the world to do that. Now then, onto the prisoners! I walked over to the first cell to find… Jack! I guess that makes sense. She was the last one thrown in here, although it was by that demon instead of me. 

"Hey Jack!"

"Hi."

"I'm gonna test something out real quick, is that alright?"

"Yes."

"Coolio." So what I wanted to test out is if I can just make shadow clones of other people in the Shadowrealm. Before I got in here, I looked in the mirror again to check my Sacred Powers, and Shadow Cloning's description only says it creates shadow clones. It doesn't specify what the shadows are cloning. Obviously, I can clone myself. That's what I've been doing, and probably what every other Shadow Cloning did, but since I have just a shit ton of Sacred Power holders in my jail right now, I'll see if I can clone them!

I tapped the ground, growing a shadow maid that walked through the jail cell's bars and over to Jack. Before I do the test, I might as well find out about Jack's Sacred Power. The shadow maid grabbed Jack's shoulders and made eye contact with her.

I have no idea what this means. Doesn't matter, though. Shadow Maid, consume her form! The shadow maid lost its human form, becoming a blob of darkness, and covered Jack in her entirety. The shadow blob stood there for a moment, creating the occasional ripple, before eventually, it melted into the ground, leaving Jack standing in her cell. Huh… did it work? I tapped the ground again, creating a shadow, but this time with the intention of it being Jack. A shadow body rose, not in a maid dress, but in whatever Jack was wearing… it's a suit. Kind of reminds me of that weird tentacle person. So it worked. 

Okay, time for another test. I tapped the ground, intending to make a second Shadow Jack, but a shadow maid appeared this time. So only one clone of a trapped Sacred Power clone. Got it. I have two tests left, but I can't do one with Jack. So let's do the last test on Jack, then move on to the others.

"Hey Jack." Both the real Jack and the Shadow Jack turned to face me. That was the test. I just wanted to see if they'd both react. Man, if it weren't for the fact she's a murderer, I'd let her out. "I'm going to go let the others free, so before I go, anything you want me to do to your cell to make it comfy? Unfortunately, you'll be stuck here for a long time, but since you're cute, I'll let you have a better room."

"No changes, please. Feels like home."

"Alright then. I'm off to free the others. Have fun, Jack." I tapped the ground, dissolving the Shadow Jack and going to the next cell. It's… a knocked-out stranger. The one that was next to Myka on the roof. Skip!

The next cell has… Myka! The blindfolded maid who I swear cheats in every single game we play.

"It's not cheating. It's just being better than you."

"You cheat."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Just hurry up and set me free."

Hmm… I could clone Myka… but she's a maid. I have enough shadow maids, although it is weird that she's in one of the Sacred Power holder cells. Maybe it's because the Shadowrealm recognises her as my friend. Yeah, that's it. If she does have a Sacred Power, it's probably bad. Skip! I tapped the ground, spreading my shadow below Myka and making her sink into it, sending her back to the real world. 

Onto the next one, who I can hopefully copy. It's… Mila! She's searching the cell, poking every corner, touching every wall and floor, even licking it all over. She's doing a bunch of things and is also busy muttering stuff to herself. I feel like she's gotten a bit more manic than when I first met her, but then again, everyone I seem to know is a bit manic. Besides Mel and maybe Merry… no wait, I've been in the dungeon. Merry is just as crazy as the rest of us. She's just good at hiding it.

"Mila, I'm here to test something out."

She turned her head to me and then frantically ran to the bars. "Tell me, is this the origin of your shadow clones? Is this more akin to a storage unit or a factory? Since you can store living people here, does that mean the shadow clones are copies of others? No, since they're all copies of you, they're fuel! Tell me, Madeleine, I must know every detail about this realm and its relation to you. You continue to fascinate me."

"Umm… I'll ignore all that since I want to test something."

"Go ahead, test on me. Just more knowledge about you for me."

I tapped the ground and did what I did to Jack again. The shadow clone looked exactly like Mila, and I could only make one just like before. Now, this is where what I wanted to test happens. "I'm going to send you back, Mila."

"To test if you need the person here or if the clone is kept once you make it, right?"

"Always fast on the uptake."

"I am called the Prodigy for a reason. Send me away, and tell me the results of your experiment once you come out with the others."

"Aye aye, general!"

Mila sunk into my shadow, returning her to the physical realm. I looked at Shadow Mila, who started melting. I tapped the ground, hoping to stop her from melting by reinforcing her with more shadow, but she continued to melt, eventually turning into a puddle, returning back to my own shadow. I tapped the ground again, hoping to recreate Shadow Mila, but another shadow maid rose instead. A shame. Guess I'll just go let everyone else out. Man, I really wanted a Mel clone… I mean, what?

Character profile: Jack (Real name: [DATA MISSING])

Sacred power: Jack the Ripper

Number of prostitutes killed: 0

Description: The orphan girl touched by another world's darkness. Jack, whose real name has long been rubbed away by the whims of her otherworld patron, was just another orphan wandering the slums. Her mother was a prostitute who died when she was merely five, and her father was a bandit who was subjugated before she was even born. As if her luck wasn't already bad, she was suddenly chosen as the target for one of the Creator's whim, and she was gifted a Sacred Power, one that attempted to influence her very character. The shadow of Jack the Ripper lurks over her, whispering ideas into her head. "I know a place where no one is likely to pass."

Chapter namesake: Jack The Ripper by Motorhead

pojlk

After finding Jack The Ripper was one of the powers on my list, I went through my entire list to find out it was the only one based on a historical figure. I don't know why it was the only one, but it's the only one.