Adaline got to bed late the night before, Master Hizanko had run Adaline and the other junior Mages ragged putting together what evidence they had to convince the council to help further their research.

Research seemed to be all that Adaline was good for as of late. She hadn't had she hadn't had a lover in the past four seasons. Objectively Adaline knew she was attractive. She was not only curvy but also had a vibrant outgoing personality that caused boys to think she was interested even when she wasn't. But all of her romantic options dried up when GreatMage Hizanko accepted her as an apprentice. Suddenly all of her ‘would be’ suitors evaporated like so much hot air.

Adaline wondered if they were scared off by her master's reputation or by the prospect that she herself would grow into a GreatMage.

If the male Mages were too intimidated to take a chance, it was their loss. Sadly Adaline seldomly got the opportunity to meet any Champions close to her age, and normal men, even soldiers avoided female Mages like the plague.

So it wasn't a surprise that even with all the hustle going on Adaline still went to bed with the handsome Bagman Tuck on her mind.

Seeing him standing in her bedroom doorway Adaline reached out to him.

"Kiss me handsome." She said groggily. The dream man in the doorway flickered and Adaline felt a real peck on her puckered lips.

“…!”

Her eyes flew open, she was wide awake now and the man smiling like the cat that ate the canary was no dream.

Her scream was followed by a bolt of lightning, which Tuck easily dodged. Adaline’s rush to get up got her caught in her sheets before she tumbled out of her bed in a heap. Tuck maintained a good poker face, knowing he was in the wrong.

"Are you ok, do you need a hand?" He asked.

"Yes please." Came Adaline’s quiet voice. Together they got Adaline free in short order. Cooler heads allowed for civil conversation.

"Can I assume you are not here to attack me?" Adaline asked as she donned her bathrobe, although it was in her head she felt more secure wearing her bathrobe over her light nightgown.

"Yes, that is a safe bet." Tuck replied, again his poker face was firmly in place.

"Why ARE you here?" Adaline asked the most crucial question even if it wasn't the one she wanted the answer to the most.

"I needed to talk to you about something. I was leaving you a note when you asked me to kiss you. I couldn't resist." Tuck's poker face finally cracked under the weight of his shit eating grin. Adaline was tempted to punch him.

"How did you even get past all the magical wards?"

"I have my ways. Can you talk now or…"

"No, I have a busy morning. I'll meet you at Advaar's for lunch."

‘Making him wait will be a good punishment.’ Adaline thought as she headed for her shower.

***

Tuck left, still smiling. He returned to his apartment but Miriam had gone, so after a shower and breakfast he went back to the Library.

Tuck still hadn’t given up on magic, he was thinking that he may be able to be an Enchanter. With his Maw he could do very fine etchings and he did have an understanding of the Rune language of magic.

After a lot of research Tuck was sure his theory could work, he just needed gold to create the circuits and energy crystals to power the enchantments.

Once again the gift of knowledge the Goddesses gave him was proving the most overpowered thing about him. Rune magic had 27 marks that could be layered to make complicated glyphs of infinite possibility. Enchanters were usually old because it took a lifetime to master both the Rune language and the artistry of etching glyphs. Tuck was benefitting from the Goddesses' biases.

'If a human could learn it, it is obviously basic knowledge.' Was obviously how they thought.

Tuck inspected the few enchanted items in his Reservoir including the guns he had purchased. Rather than experiment with a new enchantment he would try copying one that already worked.

Most enchanters were mages, they embedded rune etchings inside an item to make an enchantment. Thanks to his Spatial Awareness Tuck could look through the material and see these runes as clear as day so he had his pick of enchantments to choose from. He decided on the enchantment found in lanterns.

Since Tuck’s Maw bypassed space he was able to duplicate what Mage Enchanters did by biting rune inscriptions inside an object, in this case a steel ring, he then injected the space with gold before hollowing out another space for an energy crystal. The inscription translated to ‘TAKE ENERGY AND GENERATE LIGHT BUT NO HEAT.’

The ring lit up and so did Tuck's face. Descriptions in the library had made it seem as if even the most simple enchantments took a long time, but that had taken Tuck moments and his inscriptions were microscopic but very accurate. He could do this at a master level. Despite his superpowers Tuck had been sad that he couldn't be a Mage but being an enchanter would do.

Removing the enchantment was as simple as separating the gold from the steel.

Tuck had already bought a variety of items both magical and mundane. The price difference was staggering. From now on he would be able to buy mundane and sell magical, while pocketing the difference.

The largest expense for a beginner enchanter was getting Enchanting Manuals. The Merchant Association bought and sold them for high prices. So most young enchanters began with what their masters had taught them and built their library over time. Tuck on the other hand had both Spatial Awareness and Appraisal. He first went through his Reservoir to learn which enchantment had what effect, building a wide repertoire of enchantments he could replicate. He continued to find and add Enchantments from his surroundings and was always on the lookout for new ones.

Tuck spent the rest of his morning working out a maker’s mark, he decided on a Serpent chasing its own tail in a circle, similar to his old world’s Ouroboros. He would need to talk to the Merchant Association leader Director Opcide again to register himself but that would have to wait. It was heading towards midday so Tuck made his way to Advaar's to wait for Adaline’s arrival.

***

Advaar's was a quality place in one of the larger tunnels of level 7. In front of the establishment was a fish pond which pulled double duty of providing fresh fish but also separated the clientele from the foot traffic. The entire side wall of Advaar's was a series of shutters that were opened up to allow patrons to look over the pond and watch passersby.

Tuck got one of those outer wall tables that was far from the entrance and ordered a fruit wine while he waited. Adaline arrived with the lunch hour rush. Tuck waved to her and she joined him, they put in their orders and once the waiter left Adaline got down to business.

She put a small jade talisman on the table.

“This is a ‘SecondLife Talisman’ drip your blood on it and it takes one lethal hit for you before breaking. The masters said they offended you and sent this as compensation. I have no idea what they did but it must have been pretty bad, nobody gives these away.” Tuck accepted the item. After a quick study he realised it wasn’t an enchanted item but solidified magic so unfortunately he couldn’t duplicate it. Tuck stored it away.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Ok Tuck, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Adaline continued.

Tuck took out a SilencePyramid and put it on the table. The noise around them disappeared. He then put his elbows on the table and covered his mouth before he began speaking.

“I want to talk about the cataclysm you Mages foresee coming to The Warren.” He said. Adaline’s eyes opened in shock before she schooled her face and also covered her mouth to reply.

“How do you know about that?” she asked.

“I was approached by the Clans, they wanted help evacuating with their riches.”

“Blast them all to hell, this isn’t the time for selfishness.

Sigh, fine.

Long story short, We did a prophecy that showed nothing, which was disturbing but then warned that nothing comes from the North.” she informed him. Tuck sat back and absorbed the information, that is why the GreatMages attacked him, he came from the North.

“Prophecies are unreliable, the act of looking changes them.” Tuck pointed out.

“Good, we hope to change it.” Adaline said emphatically. “The masters said you told them where they could find hot spots outside of The Warren. We started checking records of the temperature in The Warren and we found that temperatures are rising at an alarming rate. We sit on a Caldera Tuck, we have an elaborate system to keep us cozy but records show we are only using it at half strength. It is the dead of winter, Tuck. Winter in this region is harsh, we should be struggling to keep ourselves warm.

“I see, the Volcano is active but not volatile, so is it about to erupt?”

“That’s what is weird, the lava hasn’t risen, so there is no pressure build up. We get our power from the steam to run The Warren, energy crystals also form in the vents, we study the Volcano and the lake constantly, major changes don’t go unnoticed. Does lava just get hotter?”

At this point the waiter returned with their drinks, Tuck deactivated the device and turned his attention to the people walking by. Surprisingly he saw a familiar face. He used a Maw to whisper.

"Hi Miriam, join me for lunch." Miriam was pushing a cart of school supplies with a little girl happily tagging along. Hearing Tuck's voice from out of nowhere Miriam spun about until she found him waving in the restaurant sitting with a beautiful Mage. Here she was tired and sweaty with her daughter. The last thing she wanted was to be compared to Tuck’s other lover.

"Mommy, who's that?" Her daughter asked.

"That's my friend Tuck."

"Oh! Let's go." Jalissa grabbed Miriam's arm and started to pull her towards the restaurant. Miriam was about to protest about the cart when it disappeared into one of Tuck’s apertures. Now she had to go, even if it was just to get her stuff.

The host of the restaurant had noted the interaction between Tuck and Miriam so he escorted her to the table and pulled her chair. Jalissa had run ahead and claimed the chair beside Tuck.

"Hi Mr Tuck."

"Hello Jalissa."

"You know my name?"

"Your mommy talks about you alot.

"She told me about you too, she called you my benny fracture."

"Benefactor, yes."

"Ben-e-fact-or… mommy says that means you are helping me get to my dreams."

"I helped so your Mom could send you to be a Mage, you like magic right?"

"Yes! Mages are the best!"

"In that case let me introduce you to my friend Adaline, she is a Mage in the Halceon Sect like you want to be." Jalissa's eyes couldn't get any bigger. She turned all of her attention to Adaline.

"I just finished enrolling in the academy. Momma and I did all of our shopping for the first year." At this point Miriam was seated. Tuck once again made introductions.

"Adaline this is Miriam, my friend and Jalissa's mother. Miriam this is Adaline, she is also my friend." The ladies greeted each other, Adaline gave Tuck a knowing look before ignoring him to engage in conversation with Jalissa.

The waiter took the new orders and left them but the conversation stayed light, Tuck learned that the magical Academy was a boarding school and Miriam and Jalissa wouldn't see each other for a year. He also found out that parents had to pay for the first 4 years of the Academy and then the children would be tested to see if one of the 3 Sects would take them. If accepted they would get their first Rune in their body tapestry. The waiter finally delivered the food.

Tuck reactivated the silencer and picked up the heavier topic.

“So Adaline, the heat is rising but the Volcano is not about to erupt?” Adaline was taken aback by Tuck’s trust in Miriam. She wasn't expecting that. She looked at the other woman before she continued.

“It doesn’t seem so but things are getting steadily hotter if it stays that way when winter ends The Warren will turn into an oven. The path you followed gives us some clues, we need to follow it as far as we can to find out what is causing the problem. But we need help."

"What do you need to do your research?"

"Truly we only need recording equipment but outside is so dangerous we need an expedition to get us there. That is why we called for the council to meet. We need the Clans, the Merchants and the Militia to aid us. The sooner we can find the cause, the sooner we can take action." Miriam listened closely while Jalissa ignored them for her food. Tuck mulled things over for a bit before speaking again.

"I can get you where you need to go safely and quickly, but only you. Your masters did not make a good first impression. How long will it take before you can move?" Again Adaline was on the back foot, things were progressing quickly. She had seen how Tuck had left her room, he was probably a speed type of Champion, he may even be a legendary Spatial type. Jalissa had been staying out of the conversation. She was a very well mannered little girl, the ice cream was helping too but now she heard bad news she spoke up.

"Aww, Mr. Tuck you're leaving? I start the academy in a few days. I won't be seeing mommy for a while. I was hoping we could become friends."

"Oh Jalissa, we are fast friends. In fact, no more calling me 'Mr. Tuck'. ‘Tuck’ is part of my Clan name of Bashtuck. The name my mother gave me was Altair. You can call me Altair, nobody else in The Warren can do that." At first Jalissa was very happy but a quick glance at her mother changed her mind.

"If mommy can't call you Altair then I won't either." Miriam was aghast at Jalissa’s willfulness.

"Jalissa! I raised you better than that, you are being rude." Both Miriam and Adaline had been listening intensely to the exchange. Tuck was a mystery to them, both women were stunned that he had a Clan name.

"No Miriam, that's fair. Ok your mommy can use my name too." Tuck countered.

"Don't think you can leave me out Altair of Clan Bashtuck." Said Adaline. Tuck was about to counter her but she carried on. "I need to talk to my master to get permission to leave with you, I’ll contact you and we can meet tomorrow, is that Ok?" Adaline asked as she rose to leave.

"Perfectly, I have a few things that need finishing up." Tuck replied.

Adaline left. Her master would take some convincing. Once she was gone Tuck handed Miriam a satchel.

"All of your things are in there including the cart." Tuck said. Miriam took the bag looking at it with awe. A Carry-All bag, she hadn't seen one since she left in the Militia.

"Drip your blood on the emblem to lock it to you. There's a second bag in there for Jalissa to take to school as well as a two-way mirror so you two can stay in contact while she studies."

"Tuck, this is too much." Miriam said, her debt to Tuck was already high. She had sold her body to him to earn 20 Kilo, but he had given her 70 Kilo after that. A Carry-All bag started at 100 Kilo for the cheapest and he had just given her 2 with owner locks, definitely not the cheap ones.

"You are supposed to call me Altair. Don't you want them?" Tuck corrected Miriam before he questioned her innocently.

"Of course I do."Miriam replied, more than a little flustered.

"Are you afraid of what I'll want in return?" Tuck asked. Miriam studied Tuck's face. It was obvious he wanted her, although she couldn't figure out why. Since Heric passed more than few men offered her a contract but none wanted to include benefits for her daughter. Boreson took her aside and explained that men didn’t want to pay for a child not their own but Miriam wasn’t having it. In the short time Miriam knew him Tuck seemed different, he had willingly given to her child even before he knew Jalissa’s name, Miriam made up her mind.

"If you plan to contract me Altair, I’ll accept under the condition you'll keep supporting my daughter until she is accepted by a Sect or, should she fail that, until she reaches her 20th season."

"Deal." Tuck said. He had no idea what her version of contract meant but a trip to the library would clear it up.

"Can we wait to enforce the contract after Jalissa starts school. I'd like to spend the next few days with her."

"That will be fine as you heard Adaline and I need to make a trip for a few days. We'll be back next week."

Miriam and Jalissa left, Tuck paid the bill and left.

He had another busy evening ahead of him.