Dr. Alistair Finch, armed with his newly augmented intellect, became a whirlwind of focused research. Elias provided him with a generous stipend, access to a private room in one of his quieter buildings to serve as a dedicated office, and connections to a discreet bookseller who could procure even rare or restricted documents. The change in Finch was remarkable. The slightly doddery, perpetually distracted scholar was replaced by a man possessed of a vibrant, almost unsettling intellectual intensity. His eyes, behind their spectacles, seemed to pierce through the veneer of things, seeing the hidden structures beneath.
His "Finch Variant Archer Lv.1" power manifested in ways Elias hadn't fully anticipated. Finch could read pages at a glance, his eyes flicking across text with astonishing speed, retaining information with near-perfect recall. He didn't just read; he absorbed. He could cross-reference vast amounts of data in his mind, spotting discrepancies, identifying recurring names, tracing financial trails through dusty ledgers with an almost intuitive grasp. The "enhanced eyesight" aspect, Elias realized, wasn't just about literal clarity but about perceiving the subtle patterns and connections that would elude a normal mind.
Finch's initial focus was Desmond Fitzpatrick. Within days, he presented Elias with a surprisingly comprehensive dossier.
"Fitzpatrick is a fascinating study, Mr. Thorne," Finch declared, his fingers drumming excitedly on a stack of meticulously organized notes during one of their clandestine meetings. "Not a brute like Scarelli. He's a creature of webs, not fists. His initial rise in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was built on exploiting immigrant labor disputes, particularly among the Irish in Griffintown and the Pointe. He positioned himself as a mediator, a benefactor, while subtly consolidating control over their unions and their illicit economies – gambling, unregulated alcohol, smuggling."
He produced faded newspaper clippings, property deeds, and even deciphered entries from coded ledgers he'd managed to unearth from an old associate's archived estate sale. "He disappeared from public view around 1912, after a rather… violent disagreement with certain Italian elements who were themselves beginning to organize. Rumor was he fled to the States, or even back to Ireland. Clearly, those rumors were exaggerated, or he maintained ties."
"And his current resurgence?" Elias prompted, impressed by the depth of Finch's findings. The fractional cognitive boost he'd received from Finch's empowerment made it easier to follow the complex tapestry the scholar was weaving.
"He's leveraging old family loyalties, debts of honor from decades past," Finch explained. "But he also has new money. Significant new money. The source is unclear, possibly offshore, perhaps connections made during his… hiatus. He's presenting himself as a unifying figure, a statesman of the underworld, promising an end to the chaotic infighting and a more 'business-like' approach to… their enterprises. He's trying to build a coalition, a federation of gangs, with himself at the apex."
Finch tapped a particularly detailed diagram showing interconnected names and businesses. "Scarelli is a problem for him. Scarelli represents the old way – violent, unsophisticated, prone to drawing unwanted police attention. Fitzpatrick sees him as an obstacle to a more profitable, stable criminal empire."
This aligned with Anya's observations of Scarelli's men nervously watching Fitzpatrick. The two were on a collision course.
"What are Fitzpatrick's vulnerabilities?" Elias asked.
Finch stroked his chin, his eyes distant for a moment as he mentally sifted through terabytes of absorbed data. "His strength – his reliance on alliances and brokered deals – is also his weakness. Such coalitions are inherently fragile. Old grudges, competing ambitions… if one key faction sours on him, the entire structure could wobble. And he has a certain… intellectual arrogance. He believes he's smarter than everyone else. He might underestimate an opponent who doesn't play by his rules."
This information was gold. Understanding Fitzpatrick's methodology and potential weaknesses gave Elias options. He wasn't yet strong enough to challenge either Scarelli or Fitzpatrick directly in a full-blown war, but he could subtly influence their conflict, perhaps weaken both in the process.
Meanwhile, his other agents continued their work. Thomas MacIntyre remained the stoic guardian of Elias's properties, his Barbarian presence now a quiet legend in certain circles. Scarelli's thugs gave his territories a wide berth after the Leclerc incident.
Mickey O'Halloran, under careful direction, had become a surprisingly adept little spy. His Goblin-enhanced agility and fear-sharpened senses allowed him to slip into places no ordinary person could, overhearing snippets, observing deliveries, and mapping the lower echelons of both Scarelli's and, increasingly, Fitzpatrick's burgeoning operations. He brought back news of Scarelli fortifying some of his warehouses, hiring more muscle – clearly feeling the pressure from Fitzpatrick's rise. Mickey's reports also highlighted growing tensions within Scarelli's own ranks; some of his capos were rumored to be unhappy with his heavy-handed leadership, especially now that a smoother operator like Fitzpatrick was offering an alternative. The 10% tithe from Mickey's minor pilferings and information sales, converted to System Energy, kept Elias's reserves slowly but steadily replenishing: [Energy: 78.50/100]. His own Host Power was now at [3.49], the cumulative effect of these small gains subtly enhancing his physical and mental baseline.
Anya Petrova was his scalpel. Her Archer-sight was indispensable. Elias had her observing not just key figures, but infrastructure. She mapped out Scarelli's primary distribution routes for illicit alcohol (Prohibition might be over in the States, but high tariffs in Canada still made smuggling lucrative). She identified the preferred meeting spots for Fitzpatrick's lieutenants. Her notebooks were filled with sketches that were practically blueprints of their operations. On one occasion, she even managed to use her slingshot, with a stone wrapped in cloth, to silently knock a strategically placed bottle off a high windowsill, creating a momentary diversion that allowed Mickey to slip unseen past a pair of guards. Her precision was becoming truly remarkable.
Elias was weaving these disparate threads together. Finch provided the historical context and strategic analysis. Anya provided the precise, real-time visual intelligence. Mickey provided the ground-level rumors and clandestine observations. Thomas provided the muscle and immediate security. They were a small but potent ecosystem, each feeding into the others' effectiveness, all orbiting Elias.
His 'Influence (City-Wide)' was now registering at [0.2%] – still tiny, but no longer just 'Localized'. His 'Reputation (Underworld)' had shifted to [Strategic Enigma (Caution Advised by Multiple Factions)]. He was no longer just a minor whisper; Scarelli's investigators were still stumped, and word of his invisible hand was beginning to reach Fitzpatrick's periphery.
The complex dance of power in Montreal was becoming clearer to Elias Thorne. He wasn't just reacting to it; he was beginning to understand its rhythms, its pressure points. And with understanding came the nascent ability to influence, to nudge, to perhaps even redirect those powerful currents to his own advantage. The next step was to decide how best to apply that subtle pressure.