Chapter 11
Sasuke Uchiha
Putrid Grove…
From the name itself, it has to be connected to something or someone. Putrid can be categorized as any of the lowlifes living in the city. From common thieves to street urchins dwelling in poverty the list goes on as he starts to digest the information given to him.
Asking anyone about such a place will only insight trouble for himself, so he decides to do what a trained Shinobi would do.
Observe his surroundings and as his past mentor, Kakashi puts it 'look underneath the underneath' a place that is carefully hidden from the temple guards should have a network of communications somehow, he just needs to find it.
Right now he is in the slums of the city called the Bits as he quietly observes his surroundings, he took note of the people living in the worst part of the city, some are barely scraping by while others are willingly selling their bodies in public just to get a few coins for food and other necessities.
He narrows his eye as an odd-looking man appears in the slums. He begins to take a mental note of what the man is wearing, a green tunic with a green cloth covering his face. He observes the man who seems to be approaching a beggar at the side of the road.
'Could it be?' he thought to himself as he saw the man reveal a small wooden box in his pocket.
Seeing the transaction about to take place he immediately sprang into action as he went through an abandoned alleyway before using Henge(Transformation) to disguise himself as a beggar.
He quietly gets close to the beggar and the unknown man to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"-the package to the King of Beggars. Tis' the payment for the people livin' here." the Unknown Man said as he handed the wooden box to the beggar.
The beggar simply nodded his head as he walks in a different direction from the unknown man.
He silently follows the beggar who cuts through different alleyways before giving the box to another beggar who also does the same. Through following the beggars' trail he could already see how the place itself became this hard to find.
'Interesting,' he thought to himself 'They are using a standard protocol when it comes to managing the transportation of goods. I would also assume that this is similar to how they keep the place well hidden.'
While it is a simple misdirection compared to the steps a Shinobi must take to keep classified information hidden, he can at least appreciate the amount of time it took to build a network like this and keep it a secret for the masses and the guards.
He stopped his inner musing when he notices that the last beggar he was following approached a large wooden gate, the beggar began knocking on the small door right next to the gate.
He edge closer to the beggar who was waiting patiently for someone to answer the door. He watches as a small window at the top of the door opens and what appears to be a gate guard answers the beggar.
"What is it?" the gate guard asks.
"I 'ave the box," the beggar replies while showing the package.
"Good, hand it over I'll give it to the King of Beggars."
He watches as the beggars place the box in the opening below the door, to which the gate guard took the box and closes the opening.
He narrows his eye at the gate deep in thought.
While he could find an alternative way to get inside the compound, it would however be a problem should what lies ahead inside be a tight community, from his observations alone he could already deduce that the only people allowed inside are either high-ranking members of the organization or people with the blessing of the so-called King of Beggars.
This means a single person out of place could easily be spotted.
He needs to think of another way to get inside with permission from the gate guard.
He looks around the area where he is currently standing, he glances at the wall and notices a torn-out poster of the Rosemary and Thyme.
The gears inside his head begin to turn as a plan is starting to form in his head.
Grack the Gate Guard
Being a gate guard is easy compared to what the others had to do for work. It's just a simple routine check for the visitors in the hideout and most of the time it's either the King of Beggars' men also known as Blindeyes or one of the mages who took refuge from the witch hunt that is happening right now.
It wasn't hard, if an unknown individual or a temple guard decides to ask about this place all he had to say was that he was just a guard of the compound.
The King of Beggars himself provided him with the documents to prove it, signed by His Excellency himself. How that man manages to convince His Excellency to sign the paper he doesn't know, nor does he want to know. The most important thing is the note itself would deter most of the stubborn guards from snooping around.
A knock on the door interrupted his thought. He opens the small window on the door, taking a peak outside before speaking.
"What is it?" he asks.
"I 'ave a letter for the King of Beggars," the man replies from the other side of the door.
He narrowed his eyes, no one told him about receiving a letter. As far as he is concerned, important documents like that are handled by the right-hand man of the King of Beggars.
"Very well then, hand over the letter. I'll personally give it to the man himself."
"I can't,"
"Why not?" he demanded as he takes a closer look at the man talking to him.
The man had an unassuming face, an unkempt beard, and a slouched back. He was wearing ragged clothes and his face was covered with mud and dirt.
'A beggar?' he thought to himself as he waits for the beggar's reply.
"Cause' tis' from one of the lords Ser and it's urgent," the beggar replies.
His eyes widen at the information given to him. If it was personally delivered by one of the agents from the street post-haste then it must be important.
"Which lord are you talking about?" he asks with narrowed eyes, checking to see if the beggar is lying or not.
"Tis' from Whoreson Junior Ser,"
Whoreson Junior the new addition to the crime lords of Novigrad, from what he had heard about the man he was equal parts ruthless and unpredictable. He could see the man employing the beggar to do his work, while at the same time tormenting him for the sake of entertainment.
"Hmm…" he trails off as he looks at the beggar, "Very well, you may enter the premises. But I'll keep an eye on you."
"Thank you, Ser!"
"I'm not a Ser," he replies before pointing at the largest building in the compound, "Go, the King of Beggars is staying there."
He watches as the beggar nods his head as he enters the gate.
Sasuke Uchiha
'That… worked better than I thought,' he mussed to himself.
Initially, he thought that he might have to use his Sharingan to put the man in a Genjutsu, but he changed his mind because of the possibility that other guards might notice him acting strange.
Well, that doesn't matter now considering he managed to infiltrate the Putrid Grove.
He looks around the compound and mentally took note of the people inside the area. Some are brewing what appears to be medicine, judging by the line of people who appears to be in pain. Others are practicing their magic, casting spells on their hands while trying to maintain their consistency.
It was at that moment when a man walks out of a building, the same building the guard at the gate pointed at. Judging by how the people seemed to bow their heads out of respect, he could tell that the man is important.
From the outfit alone he already standout, he was wearing a long sleeve green tunic, a brown cloak with a hood, and some gold rings on his fingers as accessories. Overall his outfit alone most likely cost more than the salary of the people living in the area.
'Could this be the so-called King?' he thought to himself as he gazes at the man.
His eyes momentarily widen when he notices the other individual following the King of Beggars. It was the same red-haired, green-eyed woman that Dudu has shapeshift into.
Triss Merigold.
He found her.
Now all he has to do is to let her know about Cirilla and set up a meeting place where the two of them can speak to each other.
He thought about it for a moment as he considers the possible places where the initial meeting could take place.
Rosemary and Thyme? No, as far as he is concerned Triss might not know that the place is now owned by Dandelion, and would assume that the place is still a brothel.
It has to be an open space and a neutral ground somewhere she might feel safe and not threatened.
'Hmm…' he thought to himself, 'There is another place…'
Triss Merigold
She sighs as she looks at the items she manages to save before the Temple Guards raided her home.
Before the Witch Hunt, she was regarded with respect by the people. She was one of the Advisors of King Foltest. She was part of the Temerian Royal Council. She was a member of the Lodge of Sorceresses.
And now here she was, trapped like a caged animal. Beset on all sides by religious extremists who want nothing more than to burn her on the stake, and a mad King who wants to put her head in a pike for being part of the Lodge of Sorceresses.
She sighs as she picks up her things and proceeds to walk out of the room she is currently staying in.
According to Francis Bedlam otherwise known as the King of Beggars, she was being relocated to the slums in order to hide her from the Temple Guards, seeing as she was the most wanted person in the city.
She sighs again as she reflects on her reasons for why she chooses to settle in Novigrad in the first place.
Back then the city was is considered to be an actual Free City, anyone with religious beliefs and culture can visit the city. There was no segregation of races dwarves, elves, and halflings are all welcome to enjoy the metropolis.
That all changed when King Rodovid the Fifth with his deep hatred of all magic created a scapegoat for the people to blame. He convinced the people to ostracize the mages, putting the blame for the war on the non-humans and the Lodge of Sorceresses, the group of sorceresses that she was a member of.
Seeing as this was considered to be the only Free City in the North, most if not all the mages flocked here, including her.
Instead, they jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.
As it turns out Radovid already has eyes and ears in the city, he manipulated the Church of Eternal Fire and collaborated with the commander of the temple guard Caleb Menge who in return persecuted all non-humans and magic users alike regardless of their innocence.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she accidentally bumps into someone, forcing her to drop her books and other items onto the ground.
She looks in front of her to see the person she hits and realizes that it was a beggar from the man's looks and ragged clothes.
"Miss Merigold!" the beggar exclaims, "Forgive me, tis' my mistake! I did not see you!"
She sighs as she got up from the ground.
"It's alright I wasn't paying attention to where I was going myself," she replies waving off the apology as she starts to pick her things up.
"'Ere you go," the beggar replies handing her the book that she was holding.
"Thank you…" she trails off as she notices a folded note attached to the book.
She narrows her eyes as she opens the note and reads its contents.
A certain ashen-haired woman has returned.
She needs your help to remove a curse.
Meet at the Docks at midnight.
She will be waiting there.
Her eyes widen as she finishes reading the note.
Ashen-haired woman, there is only one person she knew that could fit that description, a person that was near and dear to her heart. One that she considers being her little sister in all but blood.
'Ciri…?' she thought to herself.
Only a few people know that Ciri disappeared a few years back, which would mean that whoever wrote the note knew about Ciri's whereabouts and quite possibly what happened to her.
Her eyes widen as she remembers the beggar who gave her that note.
She looks around her surroundings trying to find the beggar. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the man walking towards an alleyway at the end of the street.
"Hey!" she exclaims as she starts running toward the beggar.
"Wait!" she yells again as the beggar turns to the alleyway.
She made it into the alleyway and her eyes widen when she realizes that it was a dead end and the beggar is nowhere in sight.
"Miss Merigold!"
She turns to the person calling her name and realizes that it was the guards employed by the King of Beggars in Putrid Grove.
"Are you alright?" one of the guards asks "We saw you running here while screaming for someone to stop."
She took another glance at the alleyway before responding.
"Sorry, the stress must be getting to me," she replies while sighing, "I thought I saw someone familiar running towards here. You didn't see anyone enter the alleyway did you?"
The guards look at one another before shaking their heads.
She sighs again before replying.
"I figured as much…" she trails off before looking at the guards again, "I apologize for the disturbance that I have cost. It won't happen again."
"Hmm…" the guard replies while narrowing his eyes, "Very well then, try to keep it contained next time. You caused quite the scene."
She nods her head as the guards disperse and return to their original post.
She looks around the area again before crumpling the piece of paper she was holding and putting it in her pocket. She needs to return to her temporary home immediately, she has to prepare for her reunion with her little sister Ciri.
Unbeknownst to her, a certain black-haired individual was sitting on top of a roof near the alleyway. Observing her as she puts the piece of paper in her pocket.
AN: First off shoutout to my 3 patrons: Orion C., Amir K., and Middlemoe2
A bit shorter compared to my past chapters since this is primarily Sasuke searching for Triss.
Also, for any of you who wants to donate and read ahead, you can visit my pat-re-on at pat-re-on / Supbro06. Keep in mind that I will still update this story regardless so don't feel pressured to subscribe.
With that out of the way have a nice day and enjoy reading!
