Preparations for battle

The three followed Carlson into another, smaller underground cavern. Many shelves stood inside, displaying old everyday necessities such as bedding and wooden bowls, none of them worth much.

"These are all everyday supplies. The ingredients you want are farther in." Carlson raised a hand as he spoke, signaling for the three to keep following him.

After passing more shelves of everyday supplies, they finally reached the innermost part of the cavern.

Security was clearly much tighter there than outside. An Iron Rat Gang thug guarded the passage. Carlson nodded to him, and the thug stepped aside to let them through.

A row of shelves against the wall held various biological tissues in bottles. Although most members of the Iron Rat Gang knew little, they still knew market prices. Whenever they were lucky enough to hunt down a monster, they made a point of dismembering it and sealing its tissues in separate containers.

Another row of shelves held all kinds of dried herbs. Some could be found everywhere, while others were rare specimens they had found who knew where. In short, there was a wide variety.

Witt scanned the shelves and spotted several familiar things. He felt a trace of surprise; he had not expected a mere Iron Rat Gang in the slums of Ard Carraigh to have collected so many ingredients.

Carlson took a ledger off a cabinet and checked the inventory. "What do you need?"

Witt listed all the ingredients they needed for Insectoid Sword Oil and Pops Potion. "Ranogrin, hornwort, Endrega hearts, snake gall, honeysuckle, and white myrtle petals. Two bottles of spirits, too, preferably dwarven spirits."

Endregas were insectoid creatures somewhat similar to Arachases. They usually lived in swamps and were about the size of ordinary household cats and dogs. They had clearly defined roles and an organizational structure similar to ants, with workers, soldiers, and queens that reproduced and ruled the swarm.

Geralt thought of the complicated underground terrain and the many Drowners and other monsters they might encounter, while the potions they had made earlier had been left in their saddlebags.

So he added, "Berbercane fruit, water essence, and preferably some mandrake root and Arachas venom."

Seeing Carlson's doubtful gaze, Witt explained, "Alcohol is the base for brewing potions. These are all ingredients we need to deal with the giant centipede. If you're worried, we can make them here for you to see."

Carlson considered for a moment, then said, "No need. I imagine you witchers don't have the same despicable character as this Mr. Laud."

"That's enough, all right? You still need our help dealing with the monster," Laud muttered unhappily.

"We need the two master witchers, not you." Carlson maintained his outwardly respectful expression.

Then he turned back to Witt. "The boss said killing the giant centipede will involve considerable risk. You can choose some of the rewards you want in advance. Once you finish the job, I'll give them to you along with the Katakan tongue Mr. Laud pledged here."

Witt had not expected the other man to be so straightforward in his dealings. Naturally, he did not refuse, naming several ingredients he had already spotted on the shelves. "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. I'd like a Foglet brain, bryonia, verbena, and hop umbels as payment."

These were the ingredients he still lacked for brewing the Advanced Trial of the Grasses Decoction. Just moments earlier, Witt had been wondering whether he should find a way to buy them.

Carlson nodded and crossed the ingredients off in the ledger one by one. Then he took down what they needed, went to another cabinet for two bottles of dwarven spirits, and handed everything to Witt and Geralt.

"Anything else?"

"A stove, a cauldron, some other tools, and a quiet room," Geralt said.

"When can you set out?" Carlson asked. Having paid out so much, he hoped the witchers would get moving immediately.

"Tonight. Idr Giant Centipedes generally nest deep underground and only leave their nests to hunt at night. We'll have a better chance of finding them then."

"Understood."

With that, Carlson led the witchers to an unoccupied cave, where someone who looked like an alchemist was still busy working.

Carlson went over and gave him a few instructions. The Iron Rat Gang's alchemist swore and glared at the three before leaving the cave.

The cave contained all the usual alchemical equipment: cauldrons, stoves, reagents, glass bottles, and everything else they needed, along with catalysts to help activate the ingredients' effects.

Before leaving, Carlson told them, "One of our men is outside. If you need anything else, you can tell him. Once you're ready, he'll take you to the place where the giant centipede was last sighted. I'll also arrange for someone to bring you something to eat at dinnertime, but please don't expect a lavish meal."

Watching Carlson leave, Geralt remarked, "These Iron Rat Gang people are no ordinary bunch."

"That's right," Witt replied. "You can tell their boss, that 'Giant Rat,' seems to command enormous respect among the residents around the slums. Even when their own family members go missing, they report it to him rather than the city guard."

Geralt thought of Frank, the fat guard who had stopped them at the city gate, and said in disgust, "With people like that in the city guard, why would anyone ask them for help? Chances are they wouldn't get anything sorted out and would end up being fleeced twice over themselves."

Listening to the witchers' discussion, Laud nodded too. He frequently traveled between Ban Ard and Ard Carraigh and was fairly familiar with local affairs. It was also for this reason that Brody the Big Rat had given him a chance to seek help.

He said, "You don't know this, but Brody the Big Rat is quite a formidable character. I heard he came from that village outside the city that's even more run-down than the slums. Relying on his aggression and fighting prowess, he started as a thug in the gang that used to run the slums and climbed his way up, step by step. Eventually, he killed his former boss and reached the position he holds today."

Witt shook his head. "Getting where he is today wouldn't be so easy with aggression and fighting prowess alone. This man is no ordinary character."

"True, but that has little to do with us. Let's get on with making the potions," Geralt said.

"Then I'll make the Cat Potion and the antidote, Pops Potion. Those are a little simpler. Geralt, you handle the two complicated ones, Insectoid Sword Oil and Tawny Owl."

Geralt nodded. He had been thinking the same thing.

"What about me? What do I need to do?" Laud pointed to himself.

Witt thought that Laud was a mage, after all, and ought to know at least something about alchemy. Besides, witchers were not the only ones who used sword oils; many bounty hunters of common birth knew a few formulas too. So he assigned Laud to assist Geralt.

After a bout of work, thanks to the generous quantity of ingredients Carlson had provided, the witchers produced two bottles each of Tawny Owl, Pops Potion, and Insectoid Sword Oil, as well as three bottles of Cat Potion.

After asking the Iron Rat Gang thug outside for the time and learning that night had not yet fallen, the two sat down to meditate where they were, getting themselves into condition for the fierce battle that night.

Seeing the two witchers busy resting, Laud lay down on a nearby bed in boredom as well.