Miriam planned to head down to the lower levels to help organise the evacuation of those willing to move but Tuck stopped her.
"Not yet, we have some business to attend to first." He said.
"Opcide, my family and I require accommodation."
"The guest rooms of the Merchant Association are open for you. I'll have one of my people show the way."
The Bashtuck Clan went to the guest rooms.
"Adaline, seal these doors. We are not to be disturbed." Tuck instructed.
Once they were secured, Tuck disabled most of the lights putting the room into gloom.
"Ladies can you identify your attackers?" He asked. Both women said yes. Tuck took a moment to measure their determination before he spoke again.
"I'm going to commit murder.
This isn't self defence. This isn’t justice. This is a feud, one of theirs is dead and they won't be satisfied with anything but blood. If blood must be spilled it is not going to be ours.
Now let me elaborate, I would not go this far for a bad business deal, but these gangsters think they have a right to hunt us and that cannot stand.
Now that we know they are out there we are the hunters because I do not believe in leaving my attackers to grow and prosper just so they can attack me again.
This gang is a weed and we will dig them out. Opinions?" Tuck asked his ladies.
"My father used to say that showing an enemy mercy was the same as putting a target on your loved ones. I am with you, this is the result of my actions, I will not shirk this battle." Miriam stated.
"This isn't going to be a battle, I'm powered up! Those Tools tried to kill us, let's Merc em!" Adaline exclaimed. Tuck and Miriam exchanged an amused look about their bloodthirsty energetic wife.
"Good, let's do this. Miriam see if you can find them with your shadows." Tuck said.
***
In a smoky bar placed out of the way on the 40th Level members of the Red Dragon Gang gathered.
The news from the council meeting was worrying. Even though the gang operated in 3 City States the majority of its members had never travelled. Most of the talk was having to work their way back up the hierarchy outside of The Warren.
The hunter team that Adaline had lovingly dubbed 'the Tools' sat in one corner quietly scheming.
"Security is going to be tight. Getting out in the morning may be difficult." Said Pipe.
"Not difficult, just more expensive. That greedy fat Mage is going to raise the price on us, you mark my words." Said Hammer. His Champion ability allowed him to mould stone so creating tunnels came naturally to him. The only reason they needed Mage was to bypass the magical shielding that reinforced The Warren’s walls.
"Dougie's Airship will be circling the area for another day. I'm not waiting months for him to come back." Said Hatchets.
At this moment an old ExpertMage joined the group. He looked scared out of his mind as he looked around wildly.
"Are you the idiots that attacked the ArchMage?" He asked in a hiss. Hatchets looked at him like he was mad. The criers had reported about the attack on the Bashtuck Clan yesterday. Of course no one was brave enough to accuse the Red Dragon Gang but Adaline having an ArchMage legacy at the Council meeting had the Mage Assembly talking about retaliation.
"We went after Ms Miriam, for killing OUR people. Anyone else that got hurt was collateral damage."
"Ms Miriam was travelling with her Sister-wife. ArchMage Adaline Bashtuck."
"You mean the short curvy one? She couldn't even light a tunnel."
"She was between Tapestries. Curses. Here take this and give me my money." The Mage handed Hatchets a WardStone.
"You are selling us your WardStone?" Chains asked. He now realised how little the Mage wanted to be around them, WardStones were near impossible to come by.
"It's going to be useless soon. The Assembly is giving up on The Warren. We'll be gone by the end of the week.
If you survive, do not contact me again." The Mage said before grabbing the bill fold that Hatchets had tossed to him and leaving in just as much of a hurry as he arrived.
The Tools exchanged wary looks and got up to leave.
The crowd parted for the hunter team easily. The moment Everything changed The Tools noticed immediately. They all drew their weapons and stood back to back.
"Sound off!" Exclaimed Hatchets.
"2!"
"4!"
"5!" His team responded with their call numbers.
"Number 3? Kathy, answer me!" He called out now looking around for their assailants. There was another subtle shift in the air, the same type that had put them on alert and Knives body fell from the ceiling into their midst.
Her crumpled body looked so much smaller as a perfect hole in her chest pumped the life out of her with each beat of her heart. She tried to gasp but the blood to carry the oxygen was pooling on the floor. Her wild eyes locked onto Hatchets’ begging for help.
Hatchets froze, but chains flew into motion. He snatched a healing potion from his pack and rushed to Knives’ aid but before he could administer the potion he vanished before everyone’s eyes.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
An audible gasp came from the other patrons of the bar as Chain’s dying body joined Knives on the floor. Champions weren’t supposed to die like this, their clothes were not even rumpheled.
A cold feeling settled in the pit of the Hunting party. They weren’t only getting killed. They were being watched. Chains was only killed when he went to try and help knives.
“Split up, usual rendezvous.” Hatchets commanded before he bolted through the bar door. The instant he ran through the exit he ran out of the broom closet.
Hammer made a hole and dived into it only to fall into the bar from the roof. Pipes rushed through an emergency escape and found herself in the bathroom. The crowd looked at the exits like they were vipers. While the hunters continued their attempts at escape, one of the more brave bar patrons jumped out the door. Seeing him safely outside the bar’s population deluged into the tunnels causing an uproar.
Pipe tried to sneak out with the crowd and found herself crawling out from under the Bar.
They were trapped.
Hammer vanished while screaming and swinging his weapon in all directions. Like before he returned with a hole in his chest and a scared look in his eye.
Pipe looked at Hatchets and began to cry.
“I don’t want to die like this! Not like this!” She vanished for a few moments before her dying body flopped on the floor.
Knowing he was next, Hatchets charged up his barrier. Surrounding himself with a nigh impenetrable force field.
“COME ON YOU FUCKERS, DO YOUR WORSE!” he bellowed before his scenery changed. Suddenly he was in a dimly lit room.
Hatchets tried to dodge to avoid whatever was coming but realised he was immobilised. Ethereal chains held him in place from all directions, it was the legendary spell Spatial Lock. There really was an ArchMage after them.
Hatchets stared at the 3 people in front of him; a large man with a similar build to his own sat relaxed in a position of dominance with a beautiful Mage sitting on his right thigh and another beautiful woman standing behind him with her arms draped around his neck.
In the dark he noticed the glow of all three of their eyes.
Looking into those eyes Hatchets felt a shiver run down his spine. He was afraid. The realisation turned to shame and then to burning anger.
He was the hunter not the prey.
Hatchets redoubled his attempt to get free but the ethereal chains held fast. Since he could not move himself he moved his power, throwing a blade of force at the trio. A black hole snapped open, its ragged edges reminding hatchets of the teeth of some beast, this gaping maw swallowed his attack and then snapped closed. Leaving the trio unruffled. Was this another legendary spell? One he had never heard of?
Instead of attacking again Hatchets looked around the room for damage from his teammates. The room looked pristine, which meant that that devour attack could be used more than once. Hatches decided to save his energy for his forcefield while staring murderous hate at the young ArchMage.
He recognised the spell caster that kept him trapped as one of the women they had chased yesterday and the other woman standing behind the man was obviously Ms Miriam. The man was most probably Altair Bashtuck, the Headman of their clan.
Hatchets cursed his luck for letting him kick this hornets’ nest.
Ms Miriam gestured towards him and the darkness deepened, coalescing into a spike that leapt at his chest only to be deflected by his forcefield.
Hatchets smirked, it was now a matter of endurance. He was confident he could maintain his barrier for days.
How long could any Mage, even an ArchMage, hold a legendary spell by themselves?
He just had to be ready to seize the moment and escape.
The man with the purple eyes made a gesture and a bubble appeared and expanded. Inside of the bubble was a beating heart. It took a moment but Hatchets came to realise what he was seeing which sent the heart racing and made his struggles frantic.
No longer concerned with conserving strength he threw one attack after another in all directions but every slash of force he threw was devoured.
Ms Miriam pointed at the heart and once again that the darkness coalesced into a spike and impaled the organ.
Hatchets bombardment stopped immediately. He felt cold, as if someone put a block of ice on his sternum. His strength left him and he slumped in the chains.
In a blink he was back in the bar lying on the floor with his companions.
He was too numb to take out a healing potion and no one watching was foolish enough to help them.
The onlookers at the door could see that there was no hole in Hatchets' chest but he was dying just the same.
The last thing he heard them say before everything went black was that he died of fear.
***
In their room Altair turned up the lights.
“Do you think we need to kill the entire Red Dragon Gang or will they get the message?” Miriam asked.
“If they send one we will kill one, if they send a hundred then a hundred will die.” Tuck said.
“Don’t worry about them any longer. The immediate threat is gone, what are you planning on doing now?” He asked his wives.
“The Sects will be busy with the move, and I don’t want to be underfoot.” Adaline said. “I can help the local community leaders to organise the mass migration.”
“We can also let the people know that the Merchant Association has a plan of action even if their leaders don’t. The offer you and Ms Opcide discussed is actually very appealing for people seeking employment.” Miriam added.
“Okay, I’ll help Opcide pack up and talk with Ancestor Lumis. We need two of the updated, large Transit-Gates for this exodus, and so far none have been built.” Tuck said.
He reminded them to call him using the telepathic link their three rings provided if they needed him. He had been honestly hurt that Miriam did not think to ask for his aid when she had been ambushed.
He kissed his wives farewell and went to find Director Opcide while his ladies went to help quell fears in the tunnels.
Tuck found Opcide in the Warehouse. Like the Mage Assembly the Merchant Association had their own floor in The Warren but unlike the Mage Assembly which was both a wizard academy and a potion manufacturing facility the majority of The Merchant Association space was used for storage.
Things the population of The Warren needed or loved; imported foods, spices, enchanted items, weapons for the militia, materials for the Society of Crafts, ingredients for the Mage Association, all this and more. As well as imports, the Merchant Association also stored the items The Warren Made to export; there was almost a kilometre of Magic Crystals waiting to be shipped and shelves of potions.
Everything was under enchanted stasis fields since magical wonders like Carry-All bags and Spatial-Rings could only slow decay not stop time nor could they hold living things the way Tuck's Reservoir did.
Opcide’s people let her know Guest Ancestor Altair was there to assist her.
“Opcide I need to use your Communication Crystal.” Tuck said as he joined her overseeing the Warehouse.
“Why don’t you use storage magic instead of all of this space?” Tuck wondered aloud, which caused Opcide to chuckle.
“I think as an Enchanter you may be a little spoiled. You don’t know how exceedingly rare storage magic is. Carry-All bags are hard to find, Spatial-Rings are so rare they are family heirlooms. Even when Enchanters can make them I have never seen any make them with the carrying capacity you imbue. Your promotion to Sacred Enchanter was well deserved.”
Tuck felt a little embarrassed being the cheat he was. He had known his Enchanting speed was ridiculous but it never occurred to him that he mastered the language better than most. At this point, that should not be a surprise, so he just brushed her compliment off.
“Do you want to wait for other Bagmen to arrive or do you want me to clear it out?” He asked.
Opcide looked him up and down before assessing the kilometres of space.
“Take as much as you can carry, we can make a trip to our Floating Crown Warehouse and talk to Ancestor Lumis at the same time.” She said. Tuck nodded and with a wave of his hand his void spread and the room emptied, leaving Opcide and the Merchant Association employees wide eyed and amazed.
“Let’s go.” Tuck said, leading the way to Opcide’s office.
***