Diaries of an Ooze Witch (Entry 3.8) (Patreon)

3.8

With my most pressing concerns about the sale of iron behind me (dubious as it may have been), I elected to do some further investigation on my Brother’s movements throughout the city. After staying in Placedo for so long, I found it unlikely that William would not leave some form of imprint on his surroundings. It was in his nature to be flamboyant and almost effortlessly charismatic. If he did not conduct business above board, then that must mean his dealings would steer him toward less savory company.

Beginning our search on the outskirts of the city, we concentrated our efforts on the seedy pubs and taverns to find anyone who matched the description of my Brother. William’s charisma was something special, the kind of talent that would radiate from his being and leave an impression on folks that he was easy to be around. It was the kind of magnetism that attracted attention easily, and sales even easier. However, upon making our inquiries, we failed to grasp even the silhouette of a lead. For someone so effortlessly charming, William’s presence on the city felt sorely lacking, suspiciously so. I began to formulate theories of a cover up while Jeru talked me down from my conspiratorial beliefs, suggesting that William most likely trafficked within the city, not outside of it. After letting my ire subside, I was forced to agree. William’s habits would suggest he aimed for luxury over companionship, or more appropriately, luxury with his companionship. But no, if William did indeed not manage to break into Placedo’s iron market, what chance was there that he would be invited to the upper echelons of the city’s hierarchy? No, the correct move would be to expand the search to the slums on the east end of Placedo.

I presented my decision to Jeru and met with immediate resistance. Jeru grew anxious as he warned me to be careful as what I was suggesting was far riskier than arranging meetings with criminals. That there was a danger in sticking my nose into places it did not belong. Such arrogance on my part would likely risk getting it cut clean off my face. I did not care. My Brother’s sanity had been lost in this city, consumed by obsession over a mysterious woman of ill repute. If there was even a crumb of evidence to be found on the East Side, I would drag myself through Hell to find it.

That’s when he told me about the Uhl-Kattan. I could feel my heart pause briefly as their name had been brought up. The Uhl-Kattan were a criminal enterprise not unlike thieves’ guilds of Wide. Established during the end of the Ullah Civil War, they were the new theocracy’s covert agents used to advance their agenda. Their activities mostly centered around the business of drugs, prostitution, and the trafficking of humans, setting their sights on the poorer communities and embedding themselves into urban cityscapes. Jeru soon explained that the slums were far more dangerous due to the Uhl-Kattan’s control over them. Such “communities” established by them were extraordinarily suspicious of outsiders. Going as I was now would more than likely result in them slitting my throat. As much as I wanted to protest, I knew that he was correct.

While I could not contest Jeru’s logic on investigating the slums, I had not given up on somehow infiltrating the Eastern Slums. Perhaps a disguise would help obfuscate my bearing…