Miriam awoke feeling something was different.
Ever since she became a Champion and gained the abilities of the Titan Shadow Lynx Miriam felt darkness the way people feel their skin, It was ever present but mostly ignored. Within the range of her power anything moving through the dark felt like the touch of a gentle breeze and anything that cast a shadow touched her, the way the clothes you wore touched you.
Even though she was in her bedroom sleeping she still felt when an unexpected light appeared in her living room. The sensation was similar to closing your eyes and facing a light source but it was enough to awaken her.
As she felt the light in the other room spinning and growing brighter Miriam tossed on an oversized shirt, more to hide the Lynx tattoo on her back than for modesty and went for her gun, whatever was happening was obviously being done by either a Mage or a Champion and while she was growing more confident with her new abilities sometimes a bullet was the true solution to a difference in power.
As Miriam walked through the shadows by passing the wall and entering the room from an angle no one should be guarding she saw an aperture spiral open in a pulse of light before stabilising. Looking at the edges of it hurt her head as two different spaces touched and revolved like a ring of smoke. The portal floated in the middle of her living room parallel to the floor with the only light coming through it from the other side where Miriamheard the crackle of a fire. She was thankful that the hole wasn’t growing any bigger but was worried about any being with the power to open something like this.
"Miriam." A familiar voice called out from the other side and Miriam felt the tension leave her shoulders and relaxed her hold on the shadows. She used the shadows to return her to her bedside and quickly wiped the signs of sleep from her face before walking towards the hole in space. She used her shadows to form a barrier around the edges of the portal, not willing to take the chance of touching something that literally cut through space and time. Leading over the edge she looked down to see Altair in bed with Adaline.
Before finding out that Altair was an immortal she had her doubts about his ability to claim Adaline as a second wife but she doubted he would be showing her off like this if he didn’t succeed.
Miriam’s smile grew while looking at the bashful Adaline who blushed deeper by the moment. Before transforming into a Champion Miriam felt old and haggard from her life. Looking in the mirror she couldn’t help but notice the bags under her eyes, how those eyes had become a dull red; losing their vibrancy, the wrinkles on her face, the premature lightening of her green hair and the scars. So many scars. She was sad to admit that she was jealous of the younger woman, the Mage was devastatingly beautiful. Now that Miriam was a Champion and no longer felt helpless and overwhelmed that jealousy had evaporated.
“Here I was thinking I misplaced that shirt.” Tuck said aloud, drawing Miriam’s attention to him, she looked at what she threw on and realised it was the shirt he had left at her house their contract night. She had washed it and now kept it by her bedside for when she woke up, she liked how it would be snug on him but hung on her, emphasising his size which made her tingle. Miriam appreciated his large arms for a moment before leaning through the portal to kiss Tuck passionately.
"Hello husband. I assume Adaline will be joining our Clan?" Miriam asked as she brushed the hair out of the Adaline's face with a light touch before proceeding to kiss the Mage. Adaline was surprised but reciprocated, Tuck raised an eyebrow as the two really got going. Their makeout session tapered off, ending with them touching foreheads.
"Greetings wife, I will be Clan Bashtuck's Archmage." Adaline announced to Miriam. Tuck cleared his throat and caught their attention, breaking the spell of beautiful women in heat before he could be distracted into a orgy.
“Yes Adaline will be joining us but we can talk about that later, there are things that you need to do as soon as possible Miriam.” Tuck then told Miriam about the trouble headed the Warren’s way. She was just as distraught as Adaline, although they had lived very different lives they still both loved the city equally. Miriam hardened her resolve.
“You said the Council meets tomorrow? That means tomorrow night the city will be in turmoil.” Miriam concluded.
“Exactly,” Tuck confirmed. “Trying to make preparations and get out then will be a monumental task. Fortunately you have the entire day to make your escape. You just have to make sure not to cause a panic.” He pointed out.
“I won’t cause a panic because I’m not telling anyone. I am going to wake Tisa, Ishram, the kids and pack them all onto Ishram’s Airship before discreetly leaving the Warren. I’ll leave a note for Boreson to get his family out as soon as possible but I will not give him details.” Miriam informed them. She then came to a realisation.
“Ugh, Jalissa is going to be so upset when she finds out she won’t be able to start learning magic.”
"While it is true the Sects may withdraw from the Warren and possibly disband the Academy the Bashtuck Clan is about to gain an Archmage. I’ll gladly take Jalissa as my apprentice." Adaline said.
“Thank you, Adaline.” Miriam said.
“No problem, you should take this time to go to the Clan banks and withdraw whatever funds you have there. Maybe put them into the Merchant Association Bank.” Adaline suggested. Miriam nodded, she didn’t have an account with the Clan bank, she had been living payday to payday before she contracted Tuck but Tisa and Ishram may need to do so. She would help them to traverse the Warren faster with her powers.
"Good, what news do you have from the Warren? What is happening with The Warren's Clans, they haven't called me, have they found a work around to transport their wealth?" Tuck asked Miriam.
"They believe they still have time. Their spy network found out you took Adaline on a reconnaissance mission. They will probably approach you with a business contract when you come back." Miriam told him.
"I do know where they are housing those treasures. They have formations to stop people from entering but the room is kept in darkness giving me full access." Miriam had been using her Shadow skills all over The Warren and despite all the artificial light, or maybe because of it, there wasn't a place her shadows couldn't reach. Miriam's experiments with her abilities led her to find out she could use the Shadows as an extension of her senses and her limbs. There were no more secrets from her within The Warren.
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Miriam hesitated a moment, Tuck watched the emotions play across her face before she told him what was on her mind.
"My husband, I've become a vigilante." She admitted. Tuck was surprised but made no comment, indicating she should continue speaking and explain in detail. Although Miriam was no longer a member of the Militia she had no love for violent criminals, many of whom were found dead in dark corners bled out from well placed stabs with her shadow claws. After telling Tuck everything she had done she waited for his admonishment but Tuck nodded.
"In this lawless world killing shitty people is a kindness to society. Even though I'm hesitant to play Judge, Jury and Executioner, I know evil thrives when good people do nothing. I only have one issue so far. I don't want any blowback on us. You never know who has hidden support nor what talent investigators may have. So make things as random as possible. Use only improvised weapons for your assassinations, no more shadow claws save those for actual fights. Go through the nearby garbage for your tools and use your shadows to manipulate them, never physically touch them, always leave the weapon behind and if you have the time, scatter the victim's valuables around them, that will invite unscrupulous people to mess up the crime scene. Also don't ever keep any souvenirs." Tuck's advice was both shocking and useful, had he done something like this before? She never expected his support, and had to resist the urge to climb through the portal and bask in his warmth, that would lead to other distractions and it was soon time for Jalissa to wake up. Tuck kissed Miriam again then took out a Signet-ring the same as his own. He slipped it onto her pinky and it resized to fit her.
"This is a Spatial-Ring, it is leagues better than a Carry-All bag. Use this to pack up your things." Miriam held the ring with a look of awe on her face. What amazed her wasn’t the Spatial-Ring but the Ouroboros carving which everyone had come to associate as the Bashtuck Clan crest, Tuck was gifting her a Clan seal.
Unlike his maker's mark, which was just the serpent on the crest there were words, because the design was carved mirrored it would act as a seal. Adaline leaned in closer and both women deciphered the words that were written in a circle around the serpent engraving ‘TO BECOME THE DRAGON THE SERPENT FIRST ATE ITSELF!’
“I assume this isn’t literal.” Said Adaline
“I think it is about self improvement.” Miriam said, both women looked to Tuck for answers.
“It is about self improvement, we are to constantly eat away at our flaws, refining ourselves into excellence. As for whether or not it is literal I have no idea. The world of Shaards is bonkers, anything could happen here.” Tuck told them. Both women nodded at that sentiment. Shaards was unpredictable.
Adaline took out one of her calling cards and gave it to Miriam.
"I'll let you know when I'm back in the Warren. We should keep in contact." Everyone said their farewells and Tuck closed the portal.
***
Miriam bit her finger and dripped blood onto the ring, Tuck had added a blood lock on the enchantment. Now the ring was bound she could feel the space inside and sense the communication function. She would speak to Tuck later to keep him up to date on her progress. In the storage space she found some enchanted camping equipment, assorted weapons, potions, ward stones, an Enchanted Map board and a full set of enchanted leather armour. All useful things but there was a massive amount of room left to be filled so Miriam decided she would leave nothing behind since she did not have to.
Miriam merged with the darkness stepping through the shadowy corridors that existed between the pools of light Shadow-sprinting her way to the Clan’s hidden storeroom. This is not what Tuck gave her the Spatial-Ring for but she saw no reason they shouldn't seize this opportunity.
After emptying the storeroom she embedded several treasures in the wall. Tuck's statement about misdirection came in handy here. She had grown to dislike the Weasel after their last meeting so framing him for the theft was perfect revenge. With his information network Wester would find out that the Clans were hunting for him before they found him and he would run because what else could he do. Of course escaping prematurely would make him seem even more guilty. The thought of his plight made her smile.
Miriam returned to her apartment, had a quick shower and got ready for her day. She dressed for battle wearing the enchanted, form-fitting leather armour, a dark jacket and shoulder holsters for her new guns.
Not having time to make breakfast, she Shadow-walked to the market to purchase a meal for her friends and family. Until this morning Miriam had thought her Shadow-walk covered a massive distance but after seeing Tuck’s portal she realised that 'massive' was relative.
When she touched the Shadows in the room he was in through the portal she realised it would take her months to cover that distance at her full speed, an Airship would take years, and there he was making that hole with no effort at all. After their talk about time manipulation Miriam came to the conclusion that despite telling her to experiment Tuck had barely scratched the surface of what he was capable of. Of course she would help him stay steady as he figured out more.
With breakfast secured in her Carry-All bag, Miriam wouldn't use the Spatial-ring in public, she returned to her bedroom and woke Jalissa with kisses and tickles, sending her into the bath while Miriam began packing up their apartment using the Ouroboros Signet-Ring to collect everything. Jalissa didn’t take long and the two of them then went next door to wake Tisa and her family.
Tisa was now waking up when Miriam came in and laid out an elaborate breakfast on the table. The smell of the delicious meal helped to wake the family, sadly Miriam’s news was not as pleasant as the food, but to their credit Tisa and Ishram believed Miriam immediately which made Miriam feel warm in the centre of her being at the trust they had for her.
Tisa stuffed some necessities she needed close at hand into her own Carry-All bag before letting Miriam pack up the rest of the apartment in her ring.
Ishram went out to collect his employees and their family immediately after they worked out a cover story. Which was that Tisa was planning to open a second store in Pitt-City and Ishram was going with her and operating from there from now on. Those who planned to come with him were told to drop everything and bring their families to look for a new place in the new city.
Ishram’s Airship was a magical treasure, so it didn’t need a crew to fly it but since his ship could carry Cargo and had 30 cabins for passengers he did employ a Team. His employees consisted of a Co-pilot, 3 Chefs, a Barman, 5 maids, a Manager and 8 Guards who also served as General workers. A total of 20 people including himself.
Tisa’s store employed 3 sales girls, 5 labourers and 4 Guards who doubled as general workers. A total of 13 persons if they included her.
Of course some people were unwilling to pack up and move at the drop of the hat but Miriam had impressed on the couple that panic was not good and if the authorities found out a calamity was coming they would spend their head start answering unnecessary questions. A scenario like that would put their families at risk. As such Tisa and Ishram didn’t try to convince anyone.
Ishram’s Manager couldn't convince her contracted mate to take the trip with a similar story for one of his Chefs. 2 of Tisa’s labourers, 1 of her sales girls and all of her Guards were not interested in seeing the 'New Store'.
The couple hardened their hearts and continued to make their preparations to leave that very night.