22 Cleverus Snape

     Geralt and Gilly were tending the Lab Wagon. They were parked near an empty alleyway close to the south gate and were trying to draw in some new customers.

      Jorgen had gone to check the notice boards for contracts, leaving Troy to the task of rustling up some underground contacts. This was a task that Troy had thought long and hard about. He needed a method that would hopefully leave his and his comrades identities concealed, while also providing them with the information they needed.

     The best way he had come up with would be to use his illusions to give himself the appearance of a helpless damsel and then just start walking around alone in all the shadiest places. Eventually, some silly little mouse would come nibbling at his bait and then he'd give'em the old mind fuck-a-roo, with an Axii to the face.

     Of course, this was a plan that would be most effective at night and so he had the entire rest of the day to fool around, if he so desired. Making his way out of the local whore house, Troy wore a big satisfied grin as he climbed onto Rage's back and headed for the city gates.

     While Jorgen was working on contracts, he figured he might as well try and rustle up some more Alchemy ingredients. Now that they were running not only a legitimate Apothecary but also an illegitimate Apothecary and were still in need of potions for their contract work, their demand for Alchemy ingredients was essentially insatiable.

     Later that night, Troy had returned with several satchels full of ingredients. Troy had just delivered the ingredients to Geralt and Gilly, before telling them about his plan.

     He was walking through the city streets, when a man came up and offered him the latest energy drink… Wait, no, that's from something else.

     Troy was wrapped in his illusions and had the appearance of a poor but comely peasant girl. He was walking down a dimly lit street and, after noticing that he was being followed, quickly turned down the next deserted alleyway.

     He had been at this for a couple of hours now and was starting to become concerned that perhaps he had overestimated the amount of crime and corruption in this city. This turn of events, however, had brought a small smile to his face. He was finally going to get the information he needed.

     Making a point to slow down a bit, he continued walking, until the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard moving towards him. Looking behind himself, his illusion's face looked terrified as he turned around to run away but intentionally trip and pretended to struggle getting up.

     As his two pursuers drew ever closer, with predatory gleams in their eyes, he slowly controlled the rope hidden underneath his clothes. The rope seemingly snaked itself carefully around Troy's legs and then shot out towards his pursuers the moment they were in range.

     The moment they realized what was happening, the both screamed and one of them even squealed. The two immediately began verbally expressing their fright and confusion, as they then sought to flee that place and never return. Troy, of course, wasn't about to let that happen.

     As the rope began wrapping itself around the assailants' legs, Troy abruptly returned to a steady standing position and then grasped both of them by their throats.

     Using his impressive strength as a witcher, he turned both of them so that their backs were facing each other and forced them together. He continued weaving the rope around their bodies, until they were bound tightly and securely.

     Placing them up against one of the buildings forming the alleyway, Troy then began his Axii assisted investigation.

     Fifteen minutes later, Troy had most of the information he needed. He would still have to find one more person and interrogate them but thanks to those two he knew more less where to find that person.

     Terrance Raleigh, a very successful tycoon, apparently had several merchants working under him, even though he started out as a simple merchant himself. After making several lucrative deals with the less than reputable citizens of Ban Glean, he had built himself a highly profitable business that was highly favored and protected by that very same element of society.

     'As long as I'm careful, I should be able to find out where to meet Terrance by interrogating one of the merchants who works for him.' Troy thought as he approached the door on the corner of a building containing multiple shop fronts.

     This one wasn't too fancy but one could easily discern that it garnered plenty of business. It had a display of dishes, hand tools, bolts of fabric and other various goods in the window. It was also quite clean and organized.

     Troy had waited for a stall in the shop's foot traffic, before entering. After determining that no one was inside nor was anyone looking to go in, he stepped into the shop to greet the shopkeeper.

     A balding middle aged man with a brown goatee was tending the counter and noticed Troy the moment he entered.

     "Good evening, sir! Is there anything particular that brings you to my shop today?"

     Troy continued walking forward while casting his gaze around at the products available. "Yes," As he arrived at the counter, while still looking at everything but the shopkeeper, he pointed his finger at the man and began tracing the Axii sign as he continued speaking in his most feminine voice. "You will tell me everything you know about your employer, Terrance Raleigh. Especially, where and how I can safely contact him."

     After initiating his inquiry, he locked the door so they wouldn't be disturbed and listened to the bewitched shopkeeper spill the beans on his boss.

     The man revealed that there was a weekly meeting that Terrance held, which was attended by all of his highest ranking cronies, be they merchants or hired muscle. The location of this meeting was usually in a well guarded room inside of the Iron Wheel Inn, which was also part of Terrance's holdings. The next scheduled meeting would be tomorrow night and Garen, the shopkeeper, was slotted for attendance there.

     'This should be exactly the opportunity I need. If I can get a message to Terrance during that meeting tomorrow, he should be able to find someone able and willing to purchase our goods.'

     Troy waited for the Axii's effects to wear off before addressing Garen. "Listen closely, Garen," 

     He began, silencing the shopkeeper before he could get a word out. "During this meeting that you'll be attending tomorrow, I expect you to deliver a message to your employer. Now, fetch me a quill, ink, and paper." Troy ordered him with a menacing look in his eyes.

     The shopkeeper had been completely silenced not just by Troy's authoritative interruption but also a spell that kept his mouth sealed tight. He seemed to just barely understand that this person in front of him was somehow responsible for his newly muted state and refusing him would be a terrible idea.

     Shuffling around behind the counter, the increasingly anxious Garen brought out the requested materials and handed them over to Troy.

     Troy then wrote only two sentences at the bottom of the paper.

     If the only words on this paper are these two sentences, it means your employee has disregarded my instructions by reading this message before handing it to you and may not be long for this world. To ensure your employees safety, go to his shop and remain there until I arrive.

     He then put aside the ink Garen had given him and pulled from his satchel a small box almost twice the size of an engagement ring case. Upon opening this box, it didn't reveal its interior because another mostly flat top was revealed with a circular plug in the center.

     Troy removed the plug from the box and inside a shimmering black ink could be seen. Dipping his quill into this new ink, he moved to the top of the paper and wrote out the message that he wished for Terrance to receive.

     After finishing his note, he then retrieved a small red stick of wax and a small stamp with the letter 'S' in a gothic looking script carved upon its bottom.

     He folded a second piece of paper into an envelope, folded the letter to fit the envelope, and then placed the letter inside the envelope. He then lit a small flame from his index finger to melt the wax stick and pressed the seal firmly into the wax that fell onto the envelope flap.

-----

    Garen witnessed this terrifying intruder concentrating intently on the sealed envelope in her hands, before muttering some strange words and then offering the letter to him.

     After warning him of the consequences of reading the letter instead of giving it to his boss, the intruder finally unmuted him and then left his shop quite abruptly.

     Too many bizarre and unexpected things had happened during the last few minutes for him to even begin to understand what was happening. Although he suspected it might have something to do with sorcerers and the like that type of thing was just not part of the world he understood. Despite having seen a sorcerer from afar who had once visited the Vicar of Ban Glean, he had never actually met one or witnessed them doing magic. He simply wanted this whole thing to end. He wanted to be rid of this damned letter and the best way to do that was to follow the strangers orders. It was, after all, just a simple delivery.

     Garen went and hid the envelope in a safe space in his room and then spent the rest of the day with cold sweat dripping down his back, while repeating his mantra inside his head.

     'Don't forget the letter! Don't forget the letter! Don't forget the letter! Don't forget the letter!'

-----

     "So, how goes the hunt for special clients?" Geralt asked, when he saw Troy sitting atop Rage and trotting towards them.

     Troy addressed his friend, as he pulled Rage to a stop. "So far, so good! If all goes well, he should meet us at a building on the south end. It's directly across the road from one of his own establishments.

     "Of course, that won't be until tomorrow night, so we've got a little free time until then.

     "How about you guys? Have you managed to sell a decent amount of our stocks?"

     "We did, actually! Surprisingly, we almost completely sold out! Pain Relief Tonics, Fever Calming Tonics, Infection Suppression Salves, nearly all gone!" Gilly responded, in a slightly more positive than neutral tone. She couldn't really be described as excited but, considering her previous condition, it was clear that she was slowly becoming more vocal and animated.

     "Master Jorgen finished up the only contract available here yesterday and is currently out searching for more ingredients both Apothecarial and Alchemical."

     "That's excellent news! It's also good to see you enjoying your work here, Gilly. I hope you guys didn't have too many problematic customers or thieves causing you trouble."

     "We had a couple yesterday," Geralt answered. "but I taught them a lesson about who they were dealing with and they've been mostly quiet today."

     "Good, good, the less negative attention we draw the better. 

     "Well, I guess I'll leave you guys to it then. I'll be in my room training, if you need me."

     Troy urged Rage towards the inn where they were staying and arrived there just a couple of minutes later.

     Once inside his room, he sat down and picked up training his Chaos Sensing. He continued his training without eating or sleeping, until a couple of hours after noon the next day.

     After napping for about five hours, cleaning up, eating, and gathering his friends, he pulled Gilly up to sit behind him on Rage's back and they all began riding southbound towards the meeting point.

-----

     Garen was sitting around a large rectangular table accompanied by several other merchants that were here for the same reason as him. They all worked under a man named Terrance Raleigh and today was the weekly meeting at which Raleigh would get a grasp of how well they were running his businesses, issue any new instructions, talk about recent developments, and collect any dues owed to him.

     Garen was usually not to bothered by these meetings and, if anything, he enjoyed the competition amongst his peers to earn favor and thus greater benefits from their employer. Tonight, however, he was quite anxious and it showed. He didn't know how things would play out this evening but he was just hoping that what he had to do wouldn't lead to his ruin.

     "Hey, Garen, are you alright?" The man sitting next to him asked.

     Garen pulled himself out of his state of constant worry and responded as normally as he could. "Ahhh, yes, I'm fine. Just a bit under the weather. Nothing, to worry yourself over."

     "Alright, well, look sharp. Here he comes."

     Garen looked towards the opening door and watched as a tall black haired man in his late thirties, with green eyes and full mustache, walked into the room and took his seat at the head of the table. He wore a blue and white doublet with black trousers and his well groomed hair was combed aside and parted on the left.

     "Good evening, Gentleman! I hope you all are doing well. Are there any anomalies or other important notes you'd like to make before we get started tonight?" Raleigh greeted them with a slight smile. 

     Raleigh was a careful man and knew to expect the worst even if he hoped for the best. Garen knew that he would begin their meeting this way, since it was the way he had begun all of their meetings. Thus, Garen had actually shot his hand up into the air before Raleigh had even asked the question.

     Whenever Raleigh's eyes fell upon Garen with his trembling hand in the air and his anxiety showing plainly on his face, his smile disappeared and he immediately addressed his employee.

     "Garen, what seems to be the problem?"

     Without even thinking, Garen took the letter out of his pocket and practically threw it at Raleigh, before blurting out his response.

     "Please, Boss? Please, forgive me? It was the intruder! She came into my shop! I think she may have been a sorcerer or something! She bewitched me and forced me to tell her about you and our meetings! I had no control over myself, once she cast her spell! I couldn't even open my mouth to protest! She gave me the letter and threatened to kill me if I didn't deliver it! But it's just a letter, right?! I haven't done anything wrong! It's just a letter! The rest she forced me…"

     "ENOUGH! Calm yourself, Garen! Sit still and allow me to read this letter. We'll sort this out one way or another. Your hysterics are not helpful." Raleigh replied, as he picked up the envelope, inspected the 'S' symbol on the seal, and then removed the letter.

Greetings Terrance Raleigh,

     My name and other identifying characteristics will not be conveyed to you nor anyone else, even though you are undoubtedly curious. However, as a businessman, it's your job to cater to your customers and the one thing that I absolutely require as a condition for my patronage is absolute guaranteed anonymity. If you need a name to call me by, then you may call me Snape.

     With this out of the way, allow me to get to the point. I have in my possession a craftable item from a newly discovered field of study. It has such value that not only can only the wealthiest of individuals afford it but just the knowledge of this new field itself could earn me deadly enemies.

     These products from this new field will easily fetch hundreds, if not thousands, of ducats per unit. It is, of course, the task of reaching out to the wealthiest people in Ban Glean to acquire their patronage that I have for you.

     If you can find a suitable buyer for these goods, then half of all the profits made from the first batch will be yours in compensation for making this connection. 

     After the sale of the first batch, you will only receive ten percent of sales instead of fifty. This offer and its pricing are nonnegotiable and last only as long as I am in Ban Glean.

     The identity of these products is so precious that I will not disclose their identity even through this secure means. If you are interested in discovering the identity of these products and wish to assist me in selling them, then come to the abandoned building across the street from the shop of the merchant named Alfos.

     Me and my colleagues will be waiting there at midnight tonight and only tonight. Bring no more than three people with you and prepare to leave them outside and conduct business alone with me and my colleagues inside.

     Follow these directions to the letter and we may very well develop a business relationship overflowing with profits. Fail to follow these directions and you will never see hide nor hair of me, my products, nor the profits that they will bring.

Sincerely,

Cleverus Snape

     If the only words on this paper are these two sentences, it means your employee has disregarded my instructions by reading this message before handing it to you and may not be long for this world. To ensure your employees safety, go to his shop and remain there until I arrive.