From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: [MI] Queriche[Around Town]: Busted and Billed
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 03:41:23 GMT

ADMIN: [MI] is the Moriarty Investigations thread, with Alfvaen, Moriarty and
Queriche involved currently...

"Go out and put up more of these notices around town, Q.  Inns, taverns, places
where adventurers hang out.  And the town hall and places like that, in case
any of the hoi polloi can afford us.  And Glorshanned Keep, if you can manage
it."

So Queriche was going, with some trepidation, to parts of town he would never
have thought of frequenting before joining this commercial enterprise...and
really didn't want to now.

Nesters Inn and the Spitting Cobra were good enough--he was known there.  The
Dragon's Inn was already taken care of.  He went to a Etarus'ian restaurant
whose name he could never pronounce, and was politely but firmly ejected along
with his handbills.

The Chundering Chimera he also faced with some trepidation, but managed to
escape safely, mission accomplished.  But it was when he was in the supposedly
safer area of the Town Hall that he met up with trouble.

After he posted his notice, he was moving on to another noticeboard to post
another when he received a tap on the shoulder.  He turned to face a grey-
bearded man in a blue cloak.  "Excuse me," the greybeard said, "but are you
involved with this Moriarty Investigations firm?"

Queriche nodded, and the greybeard smiled wanly.  "In that case, would you be
so good as to escort me to their offices?  I confess little familiarity with
Cor Caroli Lane."  His eyes were like ice, and Queriche's protests that he had
still more handbills to post died in his throat, so that he only nodded.

The greybeard didn't see fit to converse with him on the way back to the
office, so Queriche was left to wonder on his business.  He saw the arrival of
Cor Caroli Lane with some relief.  He lead the greybeard into the somewhat
obscure office entrance, and up to the stairs.

Moriarty sat with his feet on the desk.  He put them back on the floor when
he saw Queriche return.  "What the hell--" he began as he saw the sheaf of
handbills still clutched in Queriche's hand, but he broke off when he saw the
greybeard enter, and his face fell.

"Moriarty, I presume?" the greybeard said.  "My name is Nijorik, and I am a
representative of the Mage Guild of Generica.  It has come to my attention that
you are attempting to run a business which purports to provide magical aid.  I
am here to investigate this claim."

Moriarty gulped and nodded.  Nijorik continued, "Now--is it true that you will
provide magical aid if your customers require it?"  Moriarty nodded again.
"So I presume you are a licensed practitioner of magic."  Moriarty hesitated,
then shook his head feebly.  "I see."  His mouth stretched into a thin line.
"You realize, of course, what kind of pressure the Mage Guild can put on you in
this case, by the laws of this city."

"I can guess," Moriarty said, speaking for the first time since Nijorik's
entrance.  "Alright, you got me.  So what options do I have?"  It was >never<
like this in Ydoine, he thought.

Nijorik smiled toothily.  "Well, you can get a license from us, for a small
fee.  You don't have a certificate of ranking, do you?  Well, for a license
you need a certified ranking.  We can provide testing for a small extra fee
as well, at our Guildhall.  What kind of magic do you specialize in?
Summoning?  Hmmm...I'm not sure, but I think we can schedule you in for a test
session with our Summoning Mage within the week.  Another week for processing,
and I think you can get your license sometime in the next two weeks.  Now--do
you have any other magic-using personnel here?"

Moriarty was shaking his head as Queriche said, "Actually, we have a new
employee who claims to use some magic."

Nijorik turned to Moriarty.  "Is this true?"

Moriarty looked daggers at Queriche, then said, "Yes, it's true.  A guy named
Alfvaen came in a few days ago and offered himself for employment.  We've taken
him on provisionally."

"Can you call him up here?"

Moriarty turned to a small tube on the wall.  "Alfvaen, can you come to the
office, please?"  Turning back to Nijorik, he said, "A little non-magical
gimmick I came up with a while ago.  Impresses the hell out of the proles."

Alfvaen came up the stairs from the outside--although in actuality he entered
the stairs through a secret door on the first landing, as Queriche remembered.
"You called, Moriarty?" he said, sparing barely a glance for Nijorik.

"Your employer here claims that you are a user of magic.  Is this true?  If so,
are you registered at the Mage Guild?"

Alfvaen shrugged.  "Yeah, I use a little magic here and there.  As for a Mage
Guild--no, not in this dimension."

"Which dimension, then?" Nijorik asked, hardly fazed.

"Uh--Roth.  Specifically, the Delta City branch."

Nijorik smiled.  "Ah, yes.  Have you met Martyl Bane?  No, he was Roth-Caradoc.
Who was it at Delta City?"

"Uh--Tornagin, as I recall."

"Ah, yes, Tornagin.  Well, there shouldn't be any difficulties involved in
transferring your license--it's completely routine, and the charge involved is
minimal."

"Can you keep it confidential?  I have some people I'd rather not know I was
here."

Nijorik made a tick on his notepad.  "No problem, althought that is extra."

"I can pay it," Alfvaen said, forestalling Moriarty's objection.

"Well, that would seem to be all," Nijorik said, looking around the room.
"You will be contacted when your testing is scheduled.  Since this is only for
a commercial license, the use of paraphernalia is accepted, although the
appropriate note will be made on the license."  Moriarty's face filled with
relief, and Queriche recalled the brazier Moriarty always had on hand when he
did his summonings...  "In fact, courses are available on a regular basis if
you wish to brush up..."

"Maybe at a later time," Moriarty said, getting up and ushering Nijorik to the
door.  "I will await your message.  Oh--one thing--will we be able to accept
nonmagical contracts in the interim?"

Nijorik reflected.  "I don't see why not, although I will insist on being
contacted, and I may have to send an observer to make sure that no violation
takes place.  Under those restrictions, fine."  He turned to survey the room.
"Nice meeting all of you."  Then he went down the stairs and exited to the
street.

Moriarty turned to Queriche.  "What the hell'd you have to bring him here for?"

Alfvaen sighed.  "C'mon, Moriarty.  You knew they'd have to find out about us
sooner or later.  I'd assumed you were licensed--obviously I underestimated
your business savvy yet again.  This way we get it done with up front.  We'd
probably have to pay more in fines for a violation down the road otherwise."

"What's this about coming from another dimension?" Moriarty asked, changing the
subject.

Alfvaen shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable.  "I'd rather not talk about it just
now.  Let's keep things on a strictly business level right now, okay?  I don't
think I want friends yet."  He slapped a palm on the wall behind the desk, and
stepped through the panel that opened.

Moriarty fumed.  "Now we have to cool our heels for two weeks, or take a non-
magical commission.  Damn, I hate these Guilds.  I really should go back to
Ydoine."

"Why don't you?" asked Queriche.

"Because I want to keep my head attached to my shoulders, that's why."  He
waved a hand at Queriche.  "C'mon, put up the rest of those handbills.  No
sense letting our time go to waste."

--
---Alfvaen(a.k.a. Aaron V. Humphrey)
"There's too many clues in this room."  Gordon Lightfoot
Current Album--Def Leppard:Hysteria
Current Read--Henry David Thoreau:Walden and Other Writings
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn