Marvel: Empire of Power-Chapter 11: The Scholar and the Stone

The emergence of Desmond Fitzpatrick as a potential rival power to Lou Scarelli occupied a significant portion of Elias's strategic thinking. While Scarelli was a known brute, predictable in his aggression, Fitzpatrick was an unknown quantity – older, seemingly more sophisticated, and aiming for a level of control that could reshape the entire Montreal underworld. Elias needed to understand him better, not just through street whispers and distant observations, but through a more analytical lens.

He reviewed his assets. Thomas was unwavering loyalty and strength. Mickey, opportunistic cunning and low-level intel. Anya, unparalleled observation and precision. But none of them were truly equipped for deep analysis, for piecing together complex socio-political puzzles, or for navigating the world of archives and records.

Elias himself possessed a keen intellect, but his time was increasingly consumed by managing his empowered agents and his property portfolio, not to mention the constant low hum of the System's potential demanding his attention. He needed someone who lived for information, for patterns, for the dusty scent of forgotten knowledge.

His thoughts turned to a peculiar tenant in one of his quieter buildings in the Latin Quarter, a man named Dr. Alistair Finch. Finch was an English academic, an historian specializing in obscure European folklore and early societal structures, who had, for reasons unknown to Elias, found himself in Montreal with dwindling funds and a tendency to be perpetually late on his modest rent. He was brilliant, eccentric, and often lost in the labyrinth of his own thoughts, surrounded by precarious stacks of books in his small, cluttered apartment. He was also, Elias suspected, quite desperate.

Elias decided on a direct approach. He visited Dr. Finch one crisp afternoon, navigating the book-filled canyons of the scholar's apartment. Finch, a man in his late fifties with wispy grey hair, spectacles perched precariously on his nose, and ink stains on his fingers, looked up from a crumbling medieval manuscript with mild surprise.

"Ah, Mr. Thorne. To what do I owe the... intrusion?" Finch's voice was precise, his English accent unmarred by years abroad.

"Dr. Finch," Elias began, bypassing pleasantries. "I have a proposition for you. One that might alleviate your current... financial constraints, and offer you intellectual stimulation beyond even these esteemed volumes."

Finch raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Indeed? My landlord offering intellectual stimulation? A novel concept. Does it involve deciphering the arcane script of my overdue rent notices?"

Elias allowed a small smile. "Something rather more intricate. I have... an interest in certain historical and contemporary power structures within this city. Obscure connections, forgotten alliances, the subtle mechanics of influence. Your expertise in dissecting complex societal patterns, your ability to unearth buried information... it could be invaluable."

"You wish me to be a... research consultant, Mr. Thorne? On the decidedly un-academic subject of Montreal's underbelly?" Finch looked intrigued despite himself.

"Precisely. With a significant stipend, of course. Enough to ensure your rent is never again a concern, and that your access to necessary resources – archives, libraries, perhaps even discreet inquiries – is unimpeded."

Finch peered at Elias over his spectacles. "This sounds less like historical research and more like... intelligence work."

"The line can be blurry, Doctor," Elias conceded. "Consider it applied history. I need facts, patterns, a deeper understanding of certain individuals and groups. Desmond Fitzpatrick, for example. What can you unearth about him, his past dealings, his known associates, his methods from his previous... period of activity?"

[Subject: Alistair Finch. Loyalty to Host Unit: 15% (Intellectual Curiosity, Financial Desperation – Pre-Empowerment). Potential Candidate: Specialized Intellect-Focused Unit (Tier Unconfirmed) or Non-Empowered Analyst.]

The System's quiet assessment flickered in Elias's vision. Specialized Intellect-Focused Unit (Tier Unconfirmed). That was new and immensely intriguing. Was the System hinting at a future troop type, one beyond the basic Barbarian, Archer, Goblin? Or was it suggesting that one of these existing troops, if granted to someone like Finch, might manifest differently, aligning with his innate scholarly strengths?

The Archer power, for instance: "Confers superhuman accuracy, enhanced eyesight, and instinctive projectile mastery." What if "projectile mastery" could apply to the trajectory of information, and "enhanced eyesight" to seeing patterns others missed?

Elias decided to test a hypothesis. Could an existing power be bent by the recipient's innate nature and the Host's intent?

"Doctor Finch," Elias said, his gaze intent. "Beyond a stipend, I might be able to offer you something more. An... enhancement. Something that could dramatically improve your ability to absorb information, to see connections, to recall details with perfect clarity. Imagine your mind, already formidable, operating with an efficiency you've only dreamed of."

Finch removed his spectacles, polishing them slowly on his threadbare waistcoat. "An enhancement, Mr. Thorne? Are you suggesting some sort of... cognitive elixir? A product of modern science, perhaps?"

"Something more... fundamental. And less chemical." Elias focused. He wouldn't try a full Archer empowerment initially. What if he tried to bestow just a fraction of it, targeting the sensory and analytical aspects, not the projectile skills?

System, he thought, shaping his intent carefully, Can I grant a modified, partial Archer empowerment to Alistair Finch, focusing solely on enhanced visual acuity, pattern recognition, and information recall, without the projectile aspects, at a reduced energy cost?

[Partial Empowerment Protocol available. Host may define parameters and attempt selective attribute transfer for existing Tier 1 Units. Success and specific manifestations are not guaranteed and depend on Host willpower, recipient aptitude, and System interpretation. Energy cost will be prorated. Warning: Unstable or incomplete empowerments may have unforeseen side effects.]

Unforeseen side effects. That was a risk. But the potential reward...

"Consider it a sharpening of your already impressive faculties, Doctor," Elias said. "A permanent one." He focused on the idea of clarity, of unearthing hidden knowledge. "Will you consent to such an... experiment? In the name of truly unparalleled research capability?"

Dr. Finch looked from Elias's unnervingly steady gaze to his stacks of dusty books, a lifetime of intellectual pursuit. The prospect of enhanced mental acuity, of truly transcending his current limitations, was a powerful lure for a man like him. The mention of "experiment" should have given him pause, but the intellectual bait was too strong.

"Mr. Thorne," he said slowly, a curious gleam in his eye. "You present a most... unorthodox offer. And yet... the pursuit of knowledge often requires stepping into the unknown." He took a deep breath. "Very well. I consent. For science, and perhaps, for a solution to my rather pressing rent situation."

Elias nodded. System, initiate partial Archer empowerment on Alistair Finch. Focus: Maximize visual acuity, pattern recognition, information processing, and eidetic memory. Minimize or negate projectile instincts. Prorated energy cost.

[Partial Empowerment Initiated: Archer Unit (Cognitive Focus). Channeling... Prorated Energy Cost: 6 Units. Remaining Energy: 71.10/100.]

The drain on Elias was noticeable, sharper than Mickey's empowerment but less than Anya's full Archer one.

Dr. Finch gasped, his hand flying to his spectacles as if they'd suddenly become white-hot. He blinked rapidly. His surroundings – the towering stacks of books, the intricate patterns of dust motes in the thin shafts of sunlight, the very text on the open manuscript before him – seemed to leap into preternatural focus.

"My word..." he whispered, staring at the medieval script. "The glosses... the marginalia... I can discern details I never noticed before! The subtle differences in ink density, the almost microscopic scribe marks..."

He looked up at Elias, his eyes wide behind his spectacles, no longer just curious but filled with genuine astonishment. "The clarity... it's as if a veil has been lifted from my mind! I can almost... see the connections between disparate texts, visualize the flow of historical currents..."

He looked back at his desk, then around the room, his gaze sweeping across titles, authors, publication dates. A soft blue luminescence, far fainter than Anya's but definitely present, flickered around his head for a moment before vanishing.

[Partial Empowerment Successful: Archer Unit (Cognitive Focus – Finch Variant Lv.1) to Alistair Finch.]

[Recipient Manifestation: Significantly enhanced visual processing, near-eidetic memory recall for textual/visual data, advanced pattern recognition. Projectile affinity suppressed as per Host intent. Mental acuity quotient: +150% (relative to baseline for scholarly tasks). Physical alteration: Minimal (pupil dilation, increased neural activity signs under observation).]

[Standard Feedback Protocol Successful. 10% Power Transfer (Cognitive Aspects) to Host Unit.]

[Host Power: 3.35 -> 3.45 (Cognitive Acuity: +0.1%, Information Processing Speed: +0.08% - Relative to gains from Finch Variant profile.) Recalibrating metrics...]

Elias felt the familiar influx, but this time it was different. Not strength, nor agility, nor pure perception. It was a sharpening of his own thoughts, a feeling like his mental gears were suddenly spinning faster, more smoothly. Connections between disparate pieces of information he'd been mulling over regarding Scarelli and Fitzpatrick suddenly clicked into place with greater ease. It was subtle, but undeniable. He had just augmented his own intellect.

Dr. Finch, meanwhile, was muttering to himself, already pulling down different books, comparing passages, his movements infused with a new, almost febrile energy.

"Fitzpatrick... yes, Desmond Fitzpatrick... references in the City Archives, late 1900s, land speculation... linked to the old dockworker unions... echoes of the Fenian Brotherhood affiliations in certain families... the patterns converge!"

Elias watched him, a profound sense of satisfaction settling in. He hadn't just gained an analyst. He had successfully bent a System power to his will, creating a specialized variant. The implications were enormous. The System wasn't just a fixed menu; it was a set of tools that could, with sufficient understanding and willpower, be customized.

The old scholar was no longer just a tenant in arrears. He was a new, uniquely valuable piece on Elias Thorne's expanding chessboard, an eye that could see not just the present, but the intricate echoes of the past, and perhaps, the looming shadows of the future.