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Twenty-Four: Breaking Gears

"To what do I owe the vigilante's pleasure?" the grey wolf inquires, sitting back down in front of his desk.

I explain, "My friend followed a messenger 'ere, tasked by a red-eyed black wolf. White nose and ears. If you know nothing about him, he has no reason ta send gifts or messages to a slum, let alone one that only cubs inhabit." I then ask, "How old are you anyway?"

Shady answers my question first. "I am seventeen, but I have bin a man fer much longer than y-think." That perspective is no surprise to me. He continues, "I know of whom you speak: Vadimir. He never tells anyone his full name." He stands up again, as if he cannot reach a conclusion. "Vadimir will deny a lo' about 'imself. When he got t-know me, he was a gobsmacking asshole." I believe that.

I comment sarcastically, "Whot a pity. He wos arse over elbows when he first laid eyes on me."

Shady chuckles, sensing the tone, and raises a finger. He approaches, asking, "Did he say anything to you?" Before I can answer, he presses, "Somethin' pedantic? Barmy? Duff disguised as philosophy?"

"Nothin' useful about 'imself or whot he does", I inform him. "Vadimir 'as tried and failed ta convince me that he's after me fer money."

Suddenly, the grey wolf's eyes went narrow and his ears bend to the sides. He backs up slightly. After mulling over that statement, he says, "Let's walk." I head out the doorway, following him.

Shady treads along the dirt ground with a pair of ragged-looking boots to add to his faded trousers. He speaks, "This sounds 'ard ta believe, but Vadmir 'as olways 'ad good intentions."

I interrupt, "Because it is."

He continues, watching the same group I just saw fishing, still at the ledge of the canal's opening, "Vadimir made it abundantly clear that he is an atheist. If anything enrages him more than abusers, rapists, or any petty criminal, it is the churches and the cults."

Now, there is a surprise. Cults, I understand, considering them criminals, but churches? The only corruption that I know in that category is if the pastor is a rapist. I point out, "He despises when others coll 'im Devil."

Shady turns to me, adding, "Or Demon, Monster, Hellspawn, or Lucifer. The list is immense." Further escorting me to other houses where a makeshift ring is being dismantled, Shady speaks, "I go by an affectionate name. My father was abusive. My mother admired so much how well I could hide that she would coll me Shady. I embraced that as my name. I wos only six when I killed my father. I split 'is skull with a cleaver. That wos after the one time he punched me. Since then, I wos on my own. After I saved the cub that would become my best friend, I set a crusade to punish abusive parents.

"I wos fourteen when I first met Vadimir. He aided me in punishing a father wanting 'is cub back. Every time I ask a runaway, 'Is this your parent?', every answer is the right one. I set up me own gang of cubs wanting ta fight like men. We would prove the cowardice of the weak, if not the corruption of what wos once good. At the time, I lived in Sputure; me gang would olways travel. After Vadimir killed the wrong man, who I pointed out, he did not listen ta reason.

"Only after losing a fight, he enlisted 'elp fer 'imself and me gang. I trusted the cubs in the care of another clan of diverse wolves. In Tolden, there wos a disgraced aristocratic house plaguing the streets with their madness. Vadimir proved the rumour of them being cannibals, too. This she-wolf to aid me brothers and sisters is as peculiar as Vadimir; I am not certain whether they still stay in touch. She ordered the house ta turn themselves in fer their crimes or her clan would eliminate them. They refused, and it wos a bloody war.

"Vadimir wos the one to kill the patriarch. In the aftermath, Vadimir thought that he owed me. So, he found a place that me family and I could coll our own. Alone, he exterminated the gang that 'ad this place as their territory and claimed the houses' deeds fer me. We've been inhabiting the community fer two-and-a-half years."

When Shady is finished, he and I have wandered the area of his office. I speak, "So, whot sent Vadimir to you?"

This perturbs Shady further as if he has just been talking to himself. "Why matters it to you?" he asks back.

I scowl at him. "Shady, I 'ave bin on a mission of my own to destroy a crime clan, and Vadimir 'as a contract with them. They've a bounty on me 'ead, which will only increase further when I am done 'ere. Vadimir collected once. I expect 'im to swindle Giffard again."

"Giffard?" Shady barks. "As in Giffard Lowell?! That beastly, diddling, sadistic bastard?!"

I snort, "Giffard is nothing. He only acts when somethin' triggers 'im; I saw rit meself. In my last encounter with Vadimir, I was captured an' taken to Giffard and Lieven. I spoke of his secret, which gutted 'im, enabling my escape."

Shady comments, "Again, we sound like we speak of different people."

I retort, "Giffard is better known for 'is image, and not 'is demeanour, just like Vadimir."

Shady responds, "I dunno. Vadimir 'as beheaded people. He makes a living by killing, but if yeh want to know, he sent me money, blankets, and canned soup."

Now, I am the one perturbed. The man who has tried to kill me three times, a man who has nothing to lose, a man filled with hate, a man who shows no remorse, has a good heart? My raven friend perches on my shoulder, as if he knows what troubles me. He caws lowly, and I turn my eyes on him. I wish I knew what he wants to tell me.

I want to ask Shady why he cares about these young wolves, but it is better that I do not, for it is a story for another day. So, I have nothing to say. Instead, my focus is on Michi. He knows how much I wish he could guide me not just to my destinations, but also in life. That sounds like bollocks and it probably is, but I stand by such a thought.

As I have no way of responding, Shady speaks, "Vadimir will deny everything about which you question him; I would know. But not believing me words leads to trouble."

I scoff, "I seek trouble. Your friend still 'as a contract, and wants to collect the bounty." I add sternly, "If any mercs 'ave followed me here, I put you and yer friends in danger." I turn away from the grey wolf, provoking my friend, leaping off me with wings flapping.

(For a day of personal training, I sparred with both Kashikoi and Tsuyoi, sporting Samurai armour and my mask. This time, Tsuyoi was much harder to beat, as he had Kashikoi to back him up. In contrast to each other, Tsuyoi sported black armour, and Kashikoi white. Instead of the Katana or the Naginata, I had taken to wielding twin Khopeshes. They had always been my favourite cutlass.

(The fight was brutal, but it made sense that to prevail took all my knowledge and all my strength--the two sides of the same coin, just like the two grandmasters. I could only focus on one of them at a time. As Kashikoi knew that I focused much more on Tsuyoi, Kashikoi kept to the opposite side of Tsuyoi's position.

(The two greatest wolves to learn Bushido, proved that they were still the greatest of the generation. I was both strategic and strong. In this spar, my emotions were suppressed; I thought on only logic. As much as we parried each other's strikes, we were still at the same position. Sparks would fly, but no armour would take damage. I was left with evading Tsuyoi's slashes and deflecting Kashikoi's strikes.

(I was pushed to my limit that day, and then beyond it. By tiring each other out, the spar ended in a draw. So, there was never to be a winner. Even though I had not proved myself worthy of being a future grandmaster, I saw only new codes that I would decipher myself.)

(When I exited the bathhouse that night, I saw something peculiar: a raven. Seeing a corvid at night is not what baffled me; it was his image. He had green eyes, seeming to glow in the dark, and three legs. "The two brothers were guided by a peculiar raven. For the next several days of their travels, they had no trouble with nature's hazards or with criminals and the military." This had to be the peculiar raven.

("So, you see him now?" a voice asked. I turned, to find the blue wolf in his indigo kimono. He continued, "That is not the same raven to aid the founders, but he finds the same duty."

(I asked curiously, "Has he been watching me?"

(He answered, "A raven such as himself would find interest in the closest student of the grandmasters."

(I asked, "So, there have been others like him in the past? Seeking someone worthy of him?"

(Instead of just affirming, Kashikoi explained, "For centuries, a corvid with such an image was believed to only exist in myths, but the founders proved others wrong. Like us wolves, ravens are viewed as divine. With each generation of leadership of the Tamashi Kadorikyo, another raven comes here, as if one takes the beginning of said generation as breeding season. The corvids to breed one with green eyes and three legs, bask in the splendour." He looked up, into the corvid's green eyes. "We call each of them, Michibiku."

(I knew what that word meant, but I thought that he would only answer to what he was called here. I look up at him, too, just staring at him. I then darted my head back to Kashikoi, stunned. I asked, "Has he interest in me?" The blue wolf expected that I already knew. So, I turned back to the raven.

(Slowly, I stretched my right arm out. He backs up as if he is perturbed that I used my right arm. My hand open. I whispered, "Michibiku." As if I had made sparks, scraping two metal blades together, he leaps from the roof's edge, and drops. The raven lands on my forearm. As slowly, I bent my arm, to line our pairs of eyes.)

The Heart of Highcond becomes the area of bloodbaths. Whilst executing my second phase of my plan to set Hinds up, I have dealt with encounters with mercenaries showing off their arms in public. In processing information on Hinds's clients--even the recently deceased ones--I practise with forgery of documents. To succeed in that, however, I must break into the Bank again.

If Jack thinks that just enraging Giffard makes me mad, he might change his mind, hearing that I broke into the vault at the Bank of Symphon, to steal money, but not keep it for myself. Hell, everyone at the Sanctuary of Mau-Re might think so. When I seem to have almost perfected the forgery of the ledger that follows up on the latest page that I have obtained, I find the moment to strike.

After a day of collecting bounties myself on wanted swindlers and drug dealers, it is in the evening when I am just outside the Bank of Symphon. They already know that records have been stolen. Ironically, the managers misunderstand. The vigilante sought information, but they are now onto Hinds. I need only plant the forgery and haul a bag of money. In everyone's eyes, it will be Giffard's money. I climb in from where the back door is, down a window of the second level.

It is dark inside, not that it is a problem. First, I head to the offices. The printing press is easy to use. As I am able to read in the dark, I can compare my forgery to the actual notes. I have successfully forged Hinds's signature, too. I give the page the stamp of the bank, a horsehead in a ring of leaves. However, the clicks and thud are bound to give me away. I dash to the archives, leaving my forgery in a tray for processing.

I make it out of the archives and head toward the vault. The lock is a three-wheel combination lock. This is my first time encountering such a dilemma. I do what the inexperienced do: guess every possible combination. I turn one wheel one space and then press the button, to no avail. That is the cycle. I know not how many tries it takes, but I get it right. For when I am to exit, I memorise the combination that was on before I began fiddling.

The vault's contents are far beyond my expectations. In the vast stone chamber, I take in the look of the numerous shelves with awe as I walk down the stairs from a grate-like platform. In the skeletal cases are several hundred thousand pounds worth of gold bricks. I know that the Bank has a gold reserve, but not how much gold takes up its space. My first guess is all the bricks to be worth a billion pounds.

I shake my head, reminding myself why I am here. I close my eyes, envisioning the schematics of the reserve. Visualising where to proceed, I tell cannot help but wonder if any of these gold bricks are fake. Then again, I am not here to see if someone deposited fake gold to counter robberies.

I sternly stride through a space between two rows, my eyes only on the other side of the chamber. The Bank's printing presses run every day, printing bills for people to trade for items. No money in this vault can be counterfeit. How thankful I am for this underground space to be cool. It helps me to focus.

On the first try, I go through the correct doorway, to where wads of cash are. I have to pick the lock of the door to gain access, which I do. I instinctively look back, to see if any guards have followed me here. I sniff, only to get the smells of paper, ink, and metal. I manage to depress the lock, opening the cage-like door. I count the bills of a wad. These are all twenty-pound notes. Now that I have counted the worth of each wad in this section, I count each that I take, mentally keeping track of how many pounds I filch from here. All of this is to be Giffard's money. Giffard has made me question who to trust. Now, I will make him do the same.

I go back the way I came. I am hasty to return to the vault's door, hauling a sack over my shoulder. I have long overstayed my welcome. The vault door is still ajar. I shove it open all the way--

Only to find that the guards are suspicious. Still making haste, I shut the door. The clicks of the lock latching give me away. I remember to reset the combination, which I can only hope is correct. I head to the same wing where I have entered, but I have no time for subtlety. I open the wooden door and leap out. I shut it behind me before I break into a sprint.

(I found myself attached to the raven quite quickly. I could sympathise with him for his peculiarity. Another one to assure me that I am not alone, and he does not talk like we do. By my understanding, like any corvid, Michibiku could understand a wolf's speech, for our kinds are connected by nature.

(I was hesitant to leave the country altogether because of him. He could have known all of Seikat like every curve of his foot, but he could not have known Symphon. Furthermore, leaving Seikat meant that I had to part with Sana.

(I told her this after the grandmasters assured me that Michibiku would go wherever I go. All she had to say was, "You came here to train; now you get to use that knowledge to slay your enemies." Even she knew that I wanted to eliminate every member of the house that enslaved my mother. "The fights here in Seikat were never yours, just as the fights in Symphon are not for the Tamashi Kadorikyo."

(I objected, "But what about you, Sana? You were the one to make me feel like I belong, you helped me become a woman, and you have been a valuable part of my life."

(She retorted back, "My place is still here, my loyalty still to the grandmasters." How that hurt to hear. I looked down, ears drooping as if I was a cub that just got scolded. Kana added, "I believe in you... Shinigami..."

(Now, that made my eyes widen. She knew of my ideology, but I never expected that Kana would really consider me a symbol of death. I said plainly, "I am no goddess. I only try to be like a goddess."

(Kana smiled. "A deity is whatever an individual believes. Like you do, I consider them characters of a story from whom to learn."

(That pained me even more, for this she-wolf was the one that I could call my love. I placed each hand on her shoulders. I said, "You, Kana, are the best woman I ever had in my life."

(She chuckled, "Do not tell that to the cat of your reverence."

(I retorted, "You know what I mean." I added sadly, "There is another wolf back in Ventine that I miss. I wish I needed not pick between you and him."

(Kana stated, "That is too morbid, even for you. Besides, you can always write to me if you wish. You and I both express well with writing."

(I sighed. We would have argued forever if we could, why I should stay in Seikat, but I had made a promise now that I knew what I must do. I said, "Then, it is time I pack my things and ship back to Symphon.")

(Only on the next day, I was prepared to leave. I was eager to pack my things. As much as I wanted to depart without a word, other wolves would see me off. The leopards and lions would see me off, as well, for they were my classmates, too. Kashikoi was the first to approach me at the port, presenting me two sheathed weapons.

(He spoke, "These are like the soul of the Samurai. As you have learnt our ways, you are no exception to the tradition. Whether you keep them as a reminder of your time here, or utilise them where you go is up to you. Remember to be strong in both body and mind, Namonaki, for this makes a great warrior. We are glad to have allowed you to learn alongside the other disciples. We are glad that you embraced our traditions as your own. We are glad to call you Samurai." I was still convinced that I would be more of a Ninken. I slowly reached out both arms, to lift the Katana and Naginata. I handled them carefully as if a wrong move could break them.

(Tsuyoi was next to bid farewell in his way. Unlike his partner, he had no speech. Instead, he reached out with his left hand and placed it over my heart. He glared at me, but I knew it as no resentful expression. I just nodded. Then, he lowered his arm. He walked away.

(Kana came to me. I really wish she did not; it only made this more painful. She said, "I will remember how you made me happy these past eight years."

(I replied, "Likewise."

(The violet wolf said, "I know you will do right by your friends back home."

(I objected, "The dojos have also been home to me."

(She made a fair statement: "A heartbreak is a necessary evil for your future intentions." That only made me even sadder. She added, "Do not weep for me not being in your life; it would be a waste of good tears." Even still, I wanted to cry. Then, she cupped my chin. She whispered a word that gave me a good nudge: "Ganbare."

(I leaned toward Kana, and kissed her. Our lips locked, and we exchanged kisses as if any one of them could be the last one we give each other. I pulled away, breathless. That was when the three-legged raven flew toward me and alit upon my shoulder. He cawed. We stared at each other, just imagining how he and I would spend our time together.

(Michi instinctively flapped himself off of me when I turned and boarded the ship. We would endure our first adventure together: the transit over the sea. I kept my eyes on Kana as the ship casted off, heading west, and as the ship sailed until Kana and I were out of each other's sights.)

My escapade has not gone unnoticed, though I expected such. The cubs bearing the day's newspaper cry, "Read oll about it! Large withdraw-ral from the Bank! Mister Hinds needing an inquiry!" I buy a copy from the same wolf cub I hear outside the butcher shop where I bought a part of my breakfast. I read the front page of the newspaper.

The security noticed the document that I planted and the missing amount of cash from the vault. There were no witnesses to speak of a shadow-like figure run from outside the Bank. As they have no descriptions, the police and the Bank managers cannot confirm that Lady Death is conspiring with Hinds. I am correct that it is Giffard's money that I stole. Instead of the theory, they are suspicious more than ever of Hinds's activity in handling finances. If I were Hinds, I would be scared shitless.

The money both from the storage and from the vault are still in the apartment that I have rented. Better move fast to put my plan into effect. I return to the building for my sojourn. First, while waiting on my breakfast meat, I make a call for a carrier.

The courier appears sooner than I think, accompanied by a merc as I have recommended. I present him a stack of boxes, and a card with where to send them and a short message. The cat asks, "Ventine? All the way south? Why have me fer such an urgent job tha' ull take hours?"

I answer bluntly, "Better now than later. I can cover your bodyguard's fee." I see the brown wolf look at me sternly, blatantly wanting to draw his gun on me. As long as neither of them know what the boxes contain, he will not double-cross the courier.

The cat responds, "I believe you, knowing that you insisted. I will get the job done. I just hope you're not payin' me ta smuggle drugs."

"It is not", I retort. "You kin relax from knowing that. But it is to people important to me."

The cat asks the brown wolf, "Can you 'elp me with these?" He nods and begins loading the carriage. Now, for the difficult part...

I have Hinds's address. At this time, he is in the middle of his inquiry at the Bank about the robbery disguised as a withdrawal. If his bosses are stubborn, they will not believe him when he says that he put nobody up to the heist. However, that leaves Vadimir. If Giffard and Lieven are in the Heart of Highcond, so is Vadimir. This time, he might rely more on himself than on other thugs and mercs. I know Vadimir to have a sense of honour. If not, he would not follow me to finish a fight that we started.

Getting in Hind's apartment is easy, the door's lock having a three-pin tumbler. I expected him to have a five-pin tumbler. Now, that is a challenge. I enter his apartment--

Which already looks deserted. In the brick-wall kitchen, the pan, plate, and utensils are left on the counter next to the stove, not cleaned. The coat tree is on the floor, the coats that it holds, sprawled out. The couch and chair in the living room look so dusty that they seem to have been unused for weeks. Even the oval table in front of the couch has a cloud of dust on its top.

Striding to the wallpapered bedroom, having a window like the living room, I see how panicked Hinds is. He has an open brown trunk at the foot of his bed, his business shirts and pairs of trousers crumpled up, clearly in a hurry. He has a brass telephone on his nightstand, the receiver dangling, the telephone's line disconnected. Even the floral sheets and duvet are in a mess over the mattress. This is it.

I lower the sack from my shoulder, dropping it to the floor. I approach the closet door, which is empty, bar the wire hangers on the floor. I toss the wads into his closet. With that done, I need only see how it goes. One hundred thousand pounds to send to the Oasis. One hundred thousand pounds taken from Giffard's account. There is more that I can do whilst I await the results. I climb out of the window of Hinds's bedroom and to the bronze-tinted roof. I howl, "Michi!"

There my raven friend is in an instant. I hold out my arm to enable him to perch. I say plainly, "Go to the Bank. Find me when Hinds leaves there." He caws and then lifts off with his wings flapping. Bless that corvid. I know not what I would do without him.

(On the voyage home, I remembered how miserable I was from the seasickness. Thankfully, it did not last too long. The raven seemed not to mind being on a sea vessel. All that he needed was to stretch his wings regularly as the air was stiff below deck. So, on the breaks from sailing to refill on supplies, I would let him fly around for two hours.

(Over the days of the sailing, I would get to know this peculiar raven. As the grandmasters had taught me their language, Michi seemed to teach me the meaning of his caws and his patterns as well as his gestures with head tilts. I knew this corvid--I refused to call him a bird as it came off as insulting--to be much smarter than he looked. He wanted me to test him. I granted that request, telling him which items to bring to me. I swore to him that I would show him the complete borough maps of Highcond when I was to return to the Oasis.

(The voyage was much more comfortable as I had someone to spend time with. I got to connect with the raven that would be my friend. He seemed to know me better than I knew myself, and he could not even say it. I could speak philosophies to him, and he would just listen. Of all the things that I knew of Michi, I knew not even how old he was.)

(As if Michi knew just where I planned to go, he was at the front gate of the Sanctuary of Mau-Re before I reached there. That was what surprised me. I checked in, and found right away that nothing had changed in the ways of display.

(There was still the feel of the Savannah and the ruins. The cabins and the walkways looked just the way I remembered them. The only changes were that the people I knew were older. The first place I stopped was at the storage houses. My space was the one with the unmarked plaque. I would request a pair of hooks for the Katana as I felt that it did not deserve to be on the floor. I was fine with the Naginata standing in the corner. I looked at the box that my step-father wanted me to take, reminiscing upon the worst day of my life.

(I was brought out of it by Michi cawing. I looked to the side, where he perched. He only reminded that I had people to reconnect to. I gave him a quick stroke on his crown of feathers, which he seemed to like. Then again, he could have known what bothered me at that time. Facing the past was only a matter of time now, but I needed to do more than just announce that I will eliminate the Lowell House.

(Even the Grand Temple looked the way I remembered it. Nostalgia came over me like a blanket over my shoulders. I eagerly jogged toward the entrance and through the gate. There she was--the High Priestess. Even viewing from the gate to the altar, she looked the way I remembered. I jogged along the aisle and to her. I stopped in my tracks, to kneel. Then, I hugged her. How I missed this beautiful cat.

(She said contently, "Welcome home, my child." I pulled away, to look into her lovely emerald eyes. She added as nonchalantly, "You and I have much to catch up on." On that, we could agree.)

I have just collected a bounty on one of Giffard's agents when Michi caws sharply to me, and flaps to hover in front of me as right outside the stationhouse. He caws rapidly, knowing how urgent the matter is. I take the reins on the same carriage I took to get here, and set a course to return to where Hinds lives.

I care not how long the drive is from the Bank to his apartment. I care not how many people I faff with my urgent actions. I need see for myself that Giffard is there. After all, someone has to tip him off about the withdrawal if he had not already known. The false ledger that I planted informs that he makes an unauthorised cash withdrawal from Giffard's account. For all Giffard knows, Hinds intends to pay very well to a mercenary.

I park a block away from the apartment building, in case Giffard is right outside and would see me. I count the windows and festinate my way climbing. In his bedroom, I can hear distraught begging. "...too much stress. They really thought that I took an advance on my dues."

I hear Giffard growl, "An advance fer the next fuckin' year, bloody berk!"

Hinds speaks, "I told you, M-Lord, 'tis oll a misunderstanding. Betrayal on my part is not verisimilar."

Giffard snarls, and I hear a thud. Then, there is a brief scuffle. Giffard reviles, "Tell that to the ledger that the Bank sent me."

Hinds whimpers, probably for the chance of Giffard hitting him again. He pleads, "I never wrote such a thing, and that is not my signature. I assure, it wos not I to destroy the cache either it wos the vigilante, no doubt. She killed the mercenaries and drove away with a carriage outside the factory."

Lieven inquires, "Ver zare any vitnesses to her act?"

Hinds snaps, "I just know, oll right? Who else 'as the bollocks ta piss yer off, M-Lord?" I could swear that Lieven is about to answer that, but Giffard needs not hear it. So, Hinds continues, "Your mercenaries are being killed, too. I would never put someone up to countering them fer the vigilante's safety."

Lieven speaks his observation, "Yet your heart beats rapidly."

Hinds barks, "Goddammit, the inquiry caused that. 'Tis olready bad enough me job is at stake." Pause.

Giffard comments, "I would worry more about leaving 'ere alive. According to my loss in inventory, I lost four hundred guns, nine hundred pounds of nitroglycerine, and two million pounds in cash, now two million one hundred thousand." I hear footsteps approaching. So, I roister to the window and climb out, clinging to its pane. My instinct is correct; Giffard enters the bedroom, Lieven and Hinds following. The white wolf wears a black suit, white shirt, and red tie. His badger friend is clad in a tan tweed suit. The bloodhound has a brown pelt and he is clad in a forest-green suit, white shirt, and blue tie. Giffard continues, "You 'ave bin me accountant fer years, Wilbur. I asked only the simplest favours, but you did more without my authority. You forged other documents and swindled other clients, jus' to keep me on top. Now this--you stab me in the back."

Hinds barks, panting, "Have you not bin listenin'?! I did nothin' ter 'arm you! The fuckin' vigilante wants you to end things between us." Just by peeking, I can make out Giffard's stern expression. He shuffles with the contents of Hinds's trunk, and then kneels to look under the bed. Not paying attention to the window, he heads back. He opens the closet door.

The white wolf presents several of the wads, Hinds instinctively looking inside his closet. I make out a gasp from him. He says defensively, "That is not my money I swear."

Giffard lowers his arm, replying venomously, "You are right, Wilbur. It is mine." He throws the wads in the bloodhound's face. "I am done with your lies. You ripped me off to pay someone to kill my men. It wos you who aided the vigilante oll this time!"

Hinds backs up and hunches slightly, begging, "You're wrong, M-Lord! I would never do such a thing I showed you only loyalty oll these years!"

Giffard snarls, "Now undone." I watch Giffard pick up the wads, and then come my way. I leap to the next window. I watch as Giffard strides back and forth, tossing the money out the window. He then speaks, "Lieven. Do 'im good." I hear yowling in pain from the bloodhound. Giffard adds, "If you want the money so badly... then take it!" He re-approaches the window one last time, this time to throw the bloodhound out the window. In his back and in his clothes, there are tears, blood seeping. As Giffard probably predicts, Hinds lands where the money is, and lays still, sprawled on the pavement.

There is more to go on. I hear Giffard address his right-hand man again. He speaks, "The only people we can trust now, are our mercenaries. Leave Nadine out of it. We gather as many as we can, immediately. They shall set siege. And this time, we shall make sure they do their job right." Just as I have feared. If I am not at the Sanctuary of Mau-Re, they will settle for leverage.

I roister again, heading back to the inn where I am staying. However, on the road, I hear a bang from near me and the stallion pulling the carriage stumbles, causing it to flip. The impact fails to knock me out. I jump the second I hear the familiar bang. However, jumping from the cart before it lands on its roof has consequence, also. Better I take that than be flipped. I hit against a wheel of another carriage, making the mare whinny in perturbance. I slowly get up, groaning. I still have the reflexes, but I am not invincible.

When I gather myself, there he is--Vadimir. He stands idly when he could have shot me to make sure that I am dead. He walks up to me as the road and sidewalks seem to clear. Good. At least the civilians have their common sense to not get in the middle of a fight that is not theirs.

He still wears his dark-brown overcoat with leather shoulders and carries the cane with the golden dragon-like hilt. I scowl at him. He knows who Giffard is, but he still considers me his enemy. I rasp, "We meet again so soon."

He replies, "I've bin both seeking and awaiting you, Lady Death. You and I have unfinished business."

As I stand up, I respond, "If you intend to rip him off again, he is olready pissed that his accountant supposedly did." I roll my shoulders, groaning.

He states, "It is not about the money."

I spit, "Clearly, you do not believe that. You fool me no more, Vadimir. You chose the wrong side." I inhale sharply before continuing, "You know nothing about Giffard if you failed ter 'ear whot I said. He is a slaver and yeh cannot deny it. He puts cubs to labour; his people make them co-operative and slowly kill their minds. He wants everyone to cower jus' ta cover up the coward that he is. I am not your enemy; Giffard is."

Vadimir barks, "Enough! I came to fight; we fight." He draws the sabre from his cane. Then fighting is the only method to reason with him--even when I sustain an injury. I draw my Khopeshes and stand at the ready.

I make the first move. I dash to my right, toward and past Vadimir, left arm stretched out. I can tell that my blade makes no impact. As swiftly, I turn right around, my coat's tail whipping the air. I swipe my left Khopesh as a feint, and then swipe on an upward angle. As predicted, Vadimir deflects with his cane. I withdraw my arm and step back before he counters. He swipes the claw of his cane upwards. I handspring backwards as he lunges, thrusting his sabre. Upon recovery, I lunge toward him, spinning two full circles. I just snag on his tailcoat upon the completion of the circle.

I yank, not letting go of my right Khopesh, to no avail. I turn around, swiping my left Khopesh straight up and down. The blunt side hits Vadimir's arm. That gives the moment that I need. I pull my Khopesh free of the fabric, leaving a tear. Vadimir, growling, slashes at me with his sabre, which I block. He then swings his cane across. I block it, and then my right Khopesh free. Then, I crouch, to free my left Khopesh from the lock.

More impatient, the mercenary thrusts his sabre, and then swipes upwards. I dodge both motions. He lunges to toward me, swinging his cane down. Not this time. The claw scratches my shoulder guard. I counter, swiping both my Khopeshes upwards, and then down. Those do not draw blood, but they tear openings in his tailcoat. Soon, Vadimir.

Vadimir lunges, this time with a kick, which I dodge. I am about to slash his leg, but he catches my Khopesh with his sabre. The mercenary draws it back, and thrusts it to my midsection. I deflect it, but then he swings his cane as hard as he can--where my armour does not protect me. I am too late to parry. I get a shallow wound, but Vadimir is the one to give the first hit.

The pain is nothing. Vadimir raises his cane and swings again, but I duck. Then, I spring myself up, my knee colliding with his groin. He backs up, groaning, which quickly turns into growling. He snarls, swinging his sabre and cane. I let him perform his barrage before I catch both with my Khopeshes. Now, this is a part of my strategy. Let him think that he can disarm me.

Despite the gloves on my paw pads, I feel the burning sensation of trying to maintain my grip on the hilts. I pull as hard as I can--and then I let go. My Khopeshes clatter on the ground. Now, whilst he is surprised. I leap straight up, kneeing his midsection. I extend my leg, my boot hitting him upon reaching the ground. That has to do something to him. I clench my fists. My first punch is in the centre of his chest. My second jab is in his nose. Still, he can hold his sabre and cane. I spin-kick, my boot colliding with his muzzle and the second collision being with his cheek. Now, he loses grips of his weapons.

I await his recovery, fists raised, panting. His nose bleeds, which he checks. Then, he jumps to me, grab me, but I leap aside. I sweep his leg and he stumbles. Vadimir rolls away before I can stamp his back. Vadimir gets back up, pulling out his gun. I dash to him. He manages to shoot me in the chest. That fails to penetrate an organ, but the bullet still stings. I grab his arm, pulling it down. I turn, to be side-by-side with him. I elbow him in the face. Then, his grip lessens enough for me to yank the pistol out of his hand and toss it over my shoulder. I leap up and have both legs extended as I am about to land. I only stamp the ground. I punch with both fists in his midsection. I uppercut him--

But he grabs my arm. Then, he starts to choke me with one hand, lifting me slightly above the pavement. I lift my legs, to kick him. His grip lessens on me, enough for me to wrench his fingers open. I dash to where my Khopeshes are and pick them up. As swiftly, I turn around to face the red-eyed black wolf. I re-approach him rapidly, getting the blades through the openings in his tailcoat. I slash downwards, making him howl in pain. As I have enraged him, the blows only drive him to punch me in the nose. I am not losing grip of my weapons from that, as much as my body tells me. Panting, I take my stance again, Khopeshes behind my back.

Not caring, Vadimir goes to pick up his sabre and cane. Rage must render him blind by now. I get in his range, performing a scissor motion, followed by a reverse-scissor motion. He blocks both strikes as I have anticipated. I scrape the blades down, sending sparks as I do so. Then, I back up. I thrust only the hilts toward him, making him flinch in reflex. I got him again. I swipe sideways, and then on an angle, deliberately missing. Then, I slash my Khopeshes in the same direction, separated by a fraction of a second. This time, I leave two slits in his midsection, not that he can feel the stings.

Instantly, Vadimir thrusts his sabre to my midsection, which I block, and then the claw of his cane to my neck. I back up, wrenching my Khopeshes from the lock. Side-to-side with Vadimir again, I swing my left Khopesh toward his throat, and he manages to lock it with both his sabre and cane. I turn, scraping my Khopesh against his weapons. He withdraws, to deflect a thrust to his midsection. This time, I utilise his cane as a platform. Kneeing his jaw. As he is disoriented, I twirl my Khopeshes, managing to leave another pair of slits. I thrust the hilts where the slits are, the stings to which he reacts. I kick straight out, to his midsection, stinging him further. I body slam him, making him fall backwards. I then stamp over the slits in his chest.

As he lays sprawled on the pavement, I find myself in a predicament. I wish I could believe what Shady told me about him. Michi is never wrong about where to go and he never forgets where we have been. Shady, for his name, has good intentions. I sigh, sheathing my Khopeshes. I must see for myself if Vadimir has a good heart, even though we will meet again. Next time, his pride might be at stake. This will discommode me later. Currently, I have urgent matters.