Before she could embark on her great quest of dragon slaying, Mord did have to rest up and heal. I was firm on this and after some grumbling, she got back into bed reluctantly, complaining all the while she probably would just get bored. A few minutes later and the woman was out cold, snoring loud enough to rattle the walls quite literally.

  You can't resist the allure of a self-warming blanket in the winter!

  Now that I knew she wouldn't do anything silly like crash through a wall and escape, I could leave her be and finally reflect on recent developments. Not just about suddenly becoming a guardian and mentor for a dragon, but about myself. Primarily, about that new skill evolution I'd apparently achieved.

  [Doll Maestro].

  In FLOW, skills could improve and evolve into advanced forms. That wasn't so weird for Virtual Dive MMOs, but it was rare and usually quite significant in the world of Shin. A player character often had to meet several requirements to do so, an almost inane amount. But the payoff was sweet indeed and it could even be the basis of your primary specialization.

  Everybody in Lighthouse did have a few, though none I'm sure has ever heard of this new skill of mine. Not even Kai, I think, they only talked about [Doll Maker]. So then, what did this new and improved version of it do? There wasn't a help screen anymore that could inform me quite directly. I had to figure it out myself.

  Okay, what was I doing when I got it? Trying to use a skill through a doll, and failing. Well, not quite. I did manage to use a skill at the end there to cut off that arm, which-wait, was it really that simple?

  Could [Doll Maestro] give me the ability to use skills through my dolls?!

  I focused on Frie to test. [Holy Ray]? Nothing. [Shadow Rend]. Nothing again. So it wasn't so powerfully indiscriminate, good check to know I haven't just become a divine being that could break the system. But what were the applicable skills then?

  I racked my head, trying to recall that heated moment. So I had been frustrated with the failure to use a light-aspect skill, then I swapped over to a dark-aspect one. Was that the key? Alright Frie, try using [Bulwark], I knew that was a skill used by earth-aspect knights. I never specialized into making one though, it just hadn't appealed to be back then.

  No reaction again.

  Gods, please. A wiki page, I ask of you! I'll even take an obnoxious video guide made by somebody with a peaking mic!

  Argh, I was missing something, but I knew I was on the right track. There had been so many skills in FLOW, which ones were valid to use? And why did it only apply to my dolls in certain cases? I cast my mind back, trying to remember what were my favorite classes, and recalled I did have an earth-aspect one. Let's give that a try, huzzah.

  [Tiger Stance].

  This time, I felt it. A faint stirring, from the crystal core in my doll. It was responding, but not yet enough. Let's try it again. [Tiger Stance]. [Tiger Stance]. [Tiger Stance]-!

  Frie's leg slammed into the ground and they shifted into the posture that matched the memory. The heavy smack against the ground nearly sent me flying out of my chair in surprise and I barely managed to stay put, glancing up. Mord's loud snoring had cut out for a moment, and then resumed after that brief interruption.

  Right. I think I knew the hidden prerequisites now for [Doll Maestro]. And of course, like other evolved skills, it was needlessly convoluted. It also might just be unique to me, the first one to discover it.

  One needed to not just have mastered [Doll Master], but also be a master of multiple classes. Meaning that nobody in FLOW would reasonably do it with how the game unfolded. I'm guessing that maybe it was a cut feature from the game, like a crafter expansion to make them more viable? There actually had been hints of it after Harbinger was over. But then because the development studio got sold off to people who wanted to recoup their purchase, it just never came to be.

  What did that mean for me right now? I had a sneaking feeling that it meant I could recreate some of Mikel's other builds. Something like duplicates that were a pale imitation of the real thing, depending entirely on the materials used for creation. It had taken a long while for either Kuch or Frie to use skills in their current form.

  I think I knew the perfect way to finally break that, and finally achieve the bodies they so deserved. With pots full of fresh dragon blood especially, it was time for me to make puppet porcelain.

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  First, before anything, I laid out how I would design what I wanted. Once I fired my forge to harden that porcelain, that was it- I couldn't make any changes without breaking it thoroughly apart, wasting my limited ingredients. This time, I could not accept anything less than the ideal that I envisioned.

  I filled up many sheets of parchment with my charcoal drawings. Everything was intricately laid and planned out. The anatomy of the arm, how there would be a slight curve in musculature. The connection points, twisting in the right way to mimic real joints.

  The face, I designed to the most endearing thing I've ever seen. The thing that I also would be most comfortable seeing in the mirror everyday.

  Myself.

  Once all the exhaustive diagrams and charts were complete, it was time to start the real work. First, take those rocks of kaolin clay I had dug up and smash them finely into a hammer. Make sure they're as dried as they can be, and don't worry if it's feels too fine. They should moisten up once I added the next ingredient to make the mix truly fantastical and magical.

  Illusion Dragon Blood (Item Quality: 548) (Infuse Level: 611)

  The mixture quickly coagulated back into a malleable clay mix under the influence, and I quickly shaped it all. Outer shell layers that would shield the doll strings lined within. Inner body replicas to mimic organ functions, like vocal chords and a stomach. A bit of extra blood was painted onto the lips and tongue, to make them softer than the rest.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Everything, a near-exact duplicate of my own form.

  It all was looking good. I packed my forge with charcoal and added a bit of alcohol, checking my remaining supply with a frown. It was getting a bit low after using it to treat Mord's injuries and now for this. I should keep an eye on that, and probably also make more come spring. For now, the temperature should be hot enough now to put my works in and seal it up.

  Now to just wait for it to finish-

  "Hey." I blinked and turned, to see an irate looking Mord standing at the entrance of my workshop. "I'm hungry."

  ...Huh. Being interrupted at work was...pleasant. "I have plenty of game jerky. Let me show you where it was."

  Yeah, unfortunately because of entirely neglecting food for the vast majority of time since I awoke, my pantry consisted entirely of smoked meat with no seasoning or even salt. The most I could offer was just boiling some water and putting the jerky in it to rehydrate, giving it some body back at least.

  Simple Jerky Soup (Final Grade: 92)

  I didn't need [Palate] to know it tasted pretty plain and bland. Mord's face told me everything. "You live like this?"

  "I don't eat. I can't taste anything."

  "That explains a lot," she told with a flat face that told me she was thoroughly unimpressed. "Can't you maybe hunt some deer or something?"

  "I'll work on it, just eat as much as you like."

  The dragon woman finished off multiple bowls before returning back to bed to rest. I returned back too to my workshop, the forge was finished firing all my porcelain. I gently lifted each and every part out, making to feel and test every part for a quality check. Firm, with only a slight indent from each press. I took one of the hands I made and pressed it against my cheek, the resulting sensation almost exactly like it were my own fingers doing the act.

  Wonderful.

  Puppet Porcelain (Final Grade: 649)

  This would be suitable quality for player puppet characters. It passed the test and I laid out the form, half-assembling it by making sure the pieces were each at least in the right section. The result actually came out to be something which I think was slightly taller and a bit more muscled than me, though still androgynous enough to be mistaken for any gender. I strongly doubted that anybody but me could actually point out those slight differences, like how only an artist could perceive the mistakes in their masterpiece. Anybody else would likely think we looked perfectly identical.

  I loved it.

  Now came the extras to add detail to that head. I made some glass eyes that went into those sockets, dabbing just a hint of dye at the center. Then hemp thread was inserted through the small holes I made in the skull for hair. It was a bit coarse and rough, but I could swap them out for finer material later once I got them. The color, naturally, matched my own.

  Here came the moment of truth. I took the dark crystal core I had recovered from my doll and set it in the protective cavity inside. This time, one would have to smash the entire thing to rid of my doll. "Kuch, it's time to be reborn anew. [Doll Maestro]!"

  The invisible mana strings extended from the core at my urging and grabbed at each piece. Because the material was now the ideal conduit, they were able to snap on stronger, tighter, fuller. Fingers twitched, then hands twisted to press against the workshop floor and push up, prompting the awakened doll to sit upright. I grabbed their face and leaned in close, studying the way the eyes blinked and darted about.

  "How do I feel?" I asked myself.

  "I feel in the right body, finally," I told myself.

  I laughed and so did my new twin. I'd done it.

  I'd made Kuch into my clone.

  Said doll rotated their arm experimentally without me even prompting. [Doll Maestro] seemed to also give my own crystal core finer subconscious management, because I could actually feel Kuch acting purely based on what thoughts I would have, rather than what thoughts I did have. It was that deeper connection of being able to become one with my doll, now just permanently on and a part of me. And with no mental strain either- their own crystal core was now an extension of mine, like if one were to connect a computer to another but still sharing the same hard drive.

  The same user, even.

  Kuch got to their feet and began to dress themselves. "So, I should test to see if my earlier theory holds water, the one about skills being made available."

  "Not a bad idea," I told, tapping my hand against my cheek in thought while they picked up one of the older wooden greatswords I'd made. "Might I suggest hunting? The main issue I had before was my speed and stealth. In this body, I should be much quieter."

  "My thoughts exactly, and our skills could hit from afar too. So I needn't a bow." Kuch threw on the winter coat and strode out first, giving a little wave. "Wish me luck."

  "Good luck me."

  I couldn't help it and neither could Kuch as we cackled with exact same voice. It apparently was loud enough to rouse Mord, who grumpily entered the great hall just in time to see Kuch forcing the door open. The blizzard was finally over, so at last we could get out there. "Where are you going?" she sharply asked, a little accusatory, and Kuch pointed outside.

  "Hunting some fresh food, like you asked."

  That definitely took her by surprise and she blinked. "O-oh. Are you sure, without your doll? Or me?" Oh, she actually sounded concerned. Best reassure her.

  "Don't worry, this body should be capable now," Kuch reassured and slipped out the front door. Mord stared, a little confused before shaking her head and turning about to see me smiling.

  She froze, like a deer caught in headlights, then her head snapped back to the front door. "What the- I thought you were going hunting!"

  "I am," I smugly told.

  "I just saw you leave!"

  "I did."

  "Then why are you here- oh, forget it!" She threw her hands up, clearly giving up trying to understand, and just marched to the kitchens to grab some more jerky.

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