Bolstering The Duke! (1)

The glinting armor Replicus wore receded to form a gap that exposed the majority of the turbulent storms attached to his skeletal frame. These too also gave way, showing the two bright mana cores hanging just before Replicus' spine – one with a radiant blue that pulsed vigorously, and another with a jarring white that almost contended with Replicus' sockets at full flash.

Asides from these though, a small, pale creature with crumpled skin, its head bald and its face eyeless, was squirming irritably, beating at these two cores with as much strength as it could muster.

Perhaps the little thing was just mad about the cramped space, or maybe it was displeased by the band around its neck which Replicus had placed on it just after it was born.

"You're so vicious, huh?" Replicus said exasperatedly.

This latest Apostle was already proving to be a handful.