"...nine broken ribs...fractures all along left side..."

"...ruptured lungs...lacerated organ tissue...heavy internal bleeding..."

"...the hell is he still alive..."

You open your eyes to a wooden ceiling.

There is a comfortable bed under you with white clean sheets and a soft pillow under your head. Sunlight is filtering in from a window to your right, illuminating the small but cozy room you are in.

You try to remember how you got here but find yourself unable to.

It is as if somebody has pulled all the memories out of your head and replaced them with cotton. Any attempt at recalling the events which led you here only pushes you back towards unconsciousness.

You try to lift your hand but your body is unresponsive to your commands.

Everything feels so distant and numb. It is as if you are imprisoned inside your own body. You can do nothing but lay there and wait for time to pass.

Then, a melodious voice calls out.

"Ah! You are awake!"

You hear the steps of sandal-clad feet on wooden floor and a moment later she comes into your sight and smiles.

"Good morning!"

And that is how you return to the world of the living, welcomed by the smiling face of an angel.

You later learn that her name is Rem and she is just a maid but for Wolf who wakes up on that bed, battered, bruised, broken and, pumped full of painkillers, she can't be anything else but a divine creature of radiant virtue and innocent beauty.

The way Rem kindly takes care of you through the following weeks as you slowly recover from the brutal beating you received at hands of your fellow samurai only reinforces that belief.

She feeds you, cleans you, and keeps you company as you slowly regain the use of your own body.

And when you finally attempt to climb back on your feet after a month spent on bed, she is there at your side, helping you stand.

"Mr. Wolf! You did it!"

You can't help but smile at that. With the way she claps her hands and smiles, she looks happier with your success than you are. Then again, all the pain you are feeling along with the exhausting effort you have to spend to keep your shaking limbs steady kinda prevents you from displaying your own jubilation...

That and the fact that you have to use a crutch like a cripple.

Still beats laying on a bed all day.

Soon after, you get to meet Pato, a wealthy merchant and Rem's uncle.

According to Rem, he is also the one who found your half-dead body and saved you.

"How are you feeling, young man?"

You raise your eyes from the steaming cup of tea Rem has served you and look at the person sitting across from you on a wooden chair mirroring the one you occupy.

Pato is a portly man with a belly that gives away his wealthy status at the first sight despite the modest clothes he is wearing. His skin is a couple of shades darker than his niece's, probably as a result of countless days spent under the desert sun. Coupled with his round face and genial expression, he looks the very image of someone friendly and kind.

"I feel like shit. Probably look like it too."

"You look a lot better than how I found you and if the doctor I hired to put you back together is to be believed, you are expected to make full recovery," Pato kindly tells you before giving you an encouraging smile. "So chin up."

A big weight lifts from your shoulders at that. Living the rest of your life with crutches had been a genuine fear accompanying you these last weeks.

"That is relieving. I'm not sure how well I would handle being a cripple for life," you confess.

Pato gives a solemn nod. "It is very fortunate then you won't have to find that out any time soon."

"Something I've you and your niece to thank for," you tell the man, feeling grateful beyond words and embarassed. "I'm not really sure how can I repay this kindness."

The merchant lets out a jovial laugh. "That's allright, my boy! Put such thoughts out of your mind and just focus on getting back on your own two feet."

You nod. In the following hour, you tell Pato about the events that lead you here. Once your cups are empty, Pato asks Rem to take you back to your room with a promise to talk with you again once you are fully recovered.

It takes a frustrating amount of time and effort to relearn walking on your own two feet.

Rem helps you through it all and whenever you are not busy attempting to put one foot in front of the other, you two talk. It is through such conversations that you learn your caretaker is training to be a doctor and she is working under her uncle to save up enough money to open her own clinic.

You tell her of your own ambition to climb the ranks of the Empire Military only to later realize that it may be very well impossible now since you have been missing in action for, according to Rem, months. Going back would get you labeled as a deserter.

That realization hits harder than all of the blows Kole and his thugs rained on you, leaving you dazed and uncertain about your own future.

But you have never been one to let failure stop you from moving forward.

Once you can stand on your own feet unaided, you immediately set to the task of recovering your lost strength. You begin doing exercises to build up stamina and muscle then start practicing sword katas.

It is hard at first, but you keep at it with a relentless drive, and, bit by bit, it becomes easier until you reach the point where you feel ready to take on Kole and his posse.

This time with a sword in hand.

Rem finds you in the courtyard, where you are resting having just finished your exercise routine.

"Here you go, Mr. Wolf."

Your eyes move from Rem's gentle smile to the steaming clay cup held in her hands. Reaching for it, your fingers brush against hers as you take it from her hands. That brief touch is enough to spark an electric feeling inside your stomach, making you shy away.

And when she sits right next to you on the wooden bench you have been occupying with only a hair's breadth distance between you, your heart skips a beat. Her presence being so close makes you feel light as if you could fly on a whim.

A gentle grasp on your right forearm tears your attention from the cup you are holding. From the corner of your eye, you see delicate fingers taking hold of your bandaged limb and you offer no resistance when Rem tugs your arm onto her lap where she gingerly begins to unwrap the dirty strip of cloth.

With great effort, you force your attention back to the cup you are left holding with one hand and try your best to ignore Rem, not out of any malice but for the simple reason that the sight of her makes your heart beat faster.

"You should stop pushing yourself like this."

The lightly spoken admonishment draws your gaze back towards Rem who is looking at your exposed palm with a frown. She traces where your skin has split and bled as a result of long hours spent swinging a sword over and over. Her soft fingers rub against your callouses, making you feel warm.

"I know you are tough, Mr. Wolf," Rem says, her eyes meeting your own as she turns her head. "But you are also still recovering."

Feeling your face heat up, you turn away from Rem in an attempt to hide your face. There is a confusing mess of emotions swirling inside you. You feel embarrassed yet you don't want Rem to stop or go away. Despite the discomfort, you enjoy her attention and while not once having sought her presence, you look forward to it whenever she is away.

"I'm sorry," you tell her, even though you know that you are not. Yet you are still sincere with your apology because you dislike troubling her like this.

Rem hums in response and then you hear the sound of a cork popping. A moment later, she rubs something wet against the open wounds in your palm immediately followed by a sharp stinging sensation that catches you off-guard, drawing a hiss out of your lips.

You hear Rem giggle. "Perhaps you're not that tough after all."

You remain silent, not because you are angry or mad but because you simply don't know how to respond. Rem is the first person to make you feel like this and it confuses you.

"Don't sulk like that. I'm simply joking."

You peek at her face and see Rem pouting.

"I know."

The next time you meet Pato, you do so standing straight without any aid.

"I see that you have recovered," the merchant states.

You clench first, feeling the muscles in your forearm strain to their limit without any pain.

"I have."

Pato nods before leading you towards two luxurious chairs set by a large window overlooking the street outside. When the two of you take your seats, Rem arrives with a tray in hand, carrying two mugs filled with an amber liquid. Pato grabs one of the mugs and you take the other. Drinks served, Rem leaves with the empty tray and your eyes linger on her retreating backside far longer than what is considered polite, only interrupted by a cough from the merchant sitting across from you.

Realizing that you have been ogling Rem in front of her uncle, you feel utterly mortified. Fortunately, the merchant doesn't seem to be offended by your actions, giving you an understanding look.

"Rem is a nice lass, isn't she?"

Seeing no good way to answer that question, you raise your mug to your lips and take a drink. A richly sweet taste fills your mouth along with the bitter sharpness of the alcohol. You force yourself to swallow it all, even as your eyes water and your tongue and throat burn from drinking too fast.

"Calm down, my boy. I don't mind. Rem is a beautiful young woman who also diligently nursed you back to health. You would have to be a skeleton or a Shek to not be interested."

You consider for a moment pouring the whole mug down your throat and hope that alcohol is strong enough to kill you or knock you unconscious. Pato, as if he is reading your thoughts, smirks before taking a sip from his own mug.

"So," Pato starts after putting his mug down. "Have you given any thought on what you are gonna do now that you are back on your feet?"

"I have," you answer. You stare into your mug as you remember all the restless nights you have spent on the issue. "I can't go back to the police force now. I would be labeled a deserter and executed, or worse, sold into slavery."

Pato gives you a solemn nod at that, "My sympathies."

You take a sip from your mug to buy yourself time to order your own thoughts.

"Being a samurai, climbing the ranks, earning fame and respect, making a change... Such goals are now out of my reach without a way to expose Captain Hanbu and clear my own name."

It is a bitter feeling, having something you worked for so hard being ripped from you due to base greed and cruelty. The fact that you can't do anything about it makes you feel weak and helpless. Beyond that...

"I feel lost... I need to find a new purpose but I don't know what to do or how."

"That is understandable, my boy. You went through a great ordeal and lost a lot. There are many people who would have broken if they had been in your place. The fact that you are still willing to move forward is admirable."

Pato's words resonate with you, bolstering your morale for he is right. You still live, you still stand.

"So take your time to figure things out. You are welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"Thank you. I am grateful for everything."

Pato attempts to wave it off. "It's alright-"

"It's not!" you snap, surprising him. "I owe you a debt, one that I must repay. If there is anything I can do for you..."

Pato silently stares at you with an indecipherable look on his face. As the moment stretches, you begin to fear that you might have offended him. Before you can apologize, the merchant speaks once again.

"What if told you that there is a way?"

You immediately sit up straight, your whole attention focused on the man before you.

"How?"

Pato evenly meets your gaze. "You told me that you investigated the criminal activities of Captain Hanbu's men. Then you must have discovered that Hanbu's thugs extort small businesses into bankruptcy."

You nod.

"Extortion is the norm in United Cities to the point that it is regarded as an unofficial tax," Pato explains then he sneers in disgust. "Except, unlike Hanbu's men, most samurai in the police force know not to butcher the Garru that gives milk. They moderate their greed and take what the shop owners can give without going under. Besides, ruining every small business in a district like Hanbu's men have been doing would sharply reduce the number of taxpayers and thus the amount of taxes collected from the said district. That would, in turn, bring in the wrath of the nobles on top of your head in very short order."

They are still disgracing their uniforms. If you have been a district captain, no such thing would happen under your watch.

"So the question becomes, how is Captain Hanbu able to avoid such a fate and how he has been able to sustain his self-destructive business practices?"

You focus on the clues Pato has given you and try to fit the pieces together but you are still missing something. For all intents and purposes, Hanbu should have been removed from his post long ago as Pato has said. Yet he is still a captain and you can't see how. Noticing your struggle, the merchant provides you with the last piece.

"Well, the answer is that he has been preying on the people of Shun. Shun, as you know, sits on top of the crossroads where many important trade routes meet. As such, it enjoys some special privileges. One such privilege is the support the Guild provides for starting local businesses in Shun which includes loans with significantly reduced interest rates."

And suddenly everything clicks together.

"He has been stealing from the Trader's Guild!" you exclaim in shock.

Pato smiles, "Correct."

You remember the rather big numbers you discovered in your investigation, numbers that local businesses shouldn't have. Hanbu has been able to extort such large amounts from small businesses due to support and loans provided to themby the Trader's Guild.

Essentially, he has been stealing from the Trader's Guild using the small shop owners as intermediaries.

"How is he still alive?" you ask, knowing full well just how vicious Trader's Guild is about their profits.

"Because money is the fastest way of making friends in the Empire and Hanbu has some important friends who have been hiding the evidence of his misdeeds," he answers before letting out a sigh. "As far as the Guild is concerned, Shun simply suffers from a high crime rate, one which Captain Hanbu has been doing his utmost to lower."

This... This is revolting. Hanbu is an utter piece of shit that needs to die yesterday but as things stand, if you manage to kill him now you would only get executed for the unlawful murder of a police officer which brings you to your first question.

"So, how exactly I can expose him?"

"I was coming to that. As you might have already guessed, Hanbu has amassed quite a large amount of wealth, an amount you can't simply keep in a safe. Naturally, he uses Shun bank to store his money, splitting it into various dummy accounts to avoid suspicion."

Pato pauses to give you a mischievous grin, his usual jovial expression twisting into something a bit more malicious.

"And he keeps track of all his accounts in a personal ledger."

The conversation with Pato has been eye-opening in more ways than one.

You have been plagued by lethargy ever since you woke up under Rem's care. The fire and drive that had fueled your actions before had dimmed, and you had been feeling increasingly lost with each passing day. If it hadn't been for Rem, you would have spent your days brooding and sulking.

And now, you feel reinvigorated. Given a chance to actually fight back and reclaim your place as a samurai, you find yourself ready and eager to go for round two. It is like all the missing energy of the past month has all rushed back into your body at once. You find yourself craving for action and it is only your self-discipline that prevents you from acting hastily.

This chance Pato has given you is not something you can waste or throw away. You need to get Hanbu's personal ledgers and his seal of office and do so discretely.

But first, you need to get in contact with Jin and touch base. Your best friend should still have a copy of your investigations and his help would prove crucial to your current mission.

You can only hope that your friend didn't get ambushed by Kole and his thugs like you did. You are not really sure if you can really hold yourself back from going on a rampage if something happened to him.

It takes you a week of skulking around the memorized patrol routes to find Jin.

Getting in contact with him proves to be easier than you expect. The lax discipline Hanbu's men have means that Jin's new patrol mate barely bats an eye when a particularly attractive Scorchlander in rather revealing attire struts up to your friend and after a few whispered words, leads him off to a side alley for some private fun.

You pay the prostitute and send her off before turning to face your friend.

"So, what is the plan?" he asks.

You raise a single eyebrow at that.

"No 'Where have you been' or 'What happened to you'?"

He scoffs, "I don't need you to tell me what happened. You got ambushed by the retard squad and they tried to kill you. Obviously, they failed."

"What gave it away?" you ask with a grin.

"Aside from you standing in front of me?" he meets your grin with his own. "The fact that a single hiver drone with brain damage is more competent than them collectively."

"That sounds about right," you say before letting out a deep sigh. All the cheer you felt escapes with that breath and when you focus back on Jin, you find that his expression has turned serious.

"Kole has been bragging about it whenever I am in earshot," Jin sneers, his eyes turning hateful as he recalls the jabs and taunts. "I knew trash like him couldn't kill you but I feared they might have crippled you or done something else."

"They almost succeeded."

"But they didn't. Now, tell me the plan."

"What makes you think that I even have one?"

Jin rolls his eyes, "Because I know you, Wolf. The fact that you haven't hunted down Kole and his posse and put them down like the dogs they are means you have a plan. Spill."

You bring Jin up to speed. He listens attentively as you explain to him the plan to expose Hanbu.

"We can easily sneak you in with a full set of samurai armor," Jin tells you, scratching his chin. "As long as you wear the helmet, no one would recognize you."

He is right on that point. Samurai helmets have very narrow visors and the officers who wear them usually detach the faceplates. With a faceplate on, you would be just another officer among many.

"Fortunately for you, I am on washing duty this week. So I can just 'lose' one of the spare sets."

You give him a questioning look, "Wouldn't that get you in trouble?"

"It would," he nods then gives you a smirk, "when the quartermaster gets off his ass and takes stock which only happens once every two months and the lazy bastard took inventory last week."

"That still leaves sneaking into Hanbu's office," you remind him.

"Leave that one to me as well. Hanbu assigns senior officers to guard it and senior officers themselves always push their duties onto the juniors so they can go drink and gamble."

For a minute, you stare at Jin in disbelief, questioning if he is really serious. Realizing that he is, you palm your face as you comprehend the magnitude of ill-discipline and incompetence that Hanbu's men possess. That fact that you got your ass kicked by such people only makes you ashamed of yourself.

"Is there even anyone in this department who are properly doing their fucking jobs?"

"No."

"You took your bloody time there, newbie. Was her pussy dat good?"

Jin turns his gaze at his assigned patrol partner. The man in question is one of the senior officers serving under Hanbu, one that got his rank through age and definitely not skill as Jin doubts the guy even knows how to use a sword.

"She actually knew how to use it unlike the girls from Madam Di's house who go limp fish and make you do all the work."

"Lucky son of a bitch!"

And like all other senior officers, the only two things he cares about are drinking alcohol and putting his dick inside a warm hole.

"Did ya at least put in a good word for me?"

"And you plan to pay her how? I know for a fact that Benjie flensed you for every cat you had last week."

"Don't bloody remind me."

Jin looks at the pile of discarded armor pieces in front of him. Many are covered in stains, most of them old enough to be unrecognizable. A good amount of them has rust on the edges, there is dried vomit on more than a couple, and one is completely covered in shit.

"Wolf owes me big time for this," Jin mutters to himself before grabbing a wipe cloth and getting to work.

Jin approaches a man with an unshaven beard, flat nose, and balding hair.

"Roku, right?"

The man turns around at the mention of the name. His beady eyes narrow as they lock on Jin.

"Whaddaya want, newbie?"

Jin puts on his best clueless green recruit act and responds, "I am looking to do some paid overtime. Got some debts to pay. Kole told me to come to you guys."

"Did he?" he mutters in a low voice before exchanging looks with another senior. For a moment, Jin fears that he might have found the only two officers with actual brains in the whole department.

Then Roku turns back to him with a wide smile, displaying his crooked, yellowed teeth, "Well, you in luck, newbie. We've some stuff dat need be taken care of. You free between eight and two two days from now?"

"I am."

"Good. See ya den."

Jin turns around, takes a couple of steps towards the door before coming to halt.

"Wait! I will get paid for this, right?"

"Of course!" Roku answers back.

Satisfied, Jin leaves, pretending not to hear their mocking laughter behind him.

"Idiots."

Everything goes perfectly, without a hitch.

You walk into the police station, clad in full armor head to toe. You are on edge. With each step you take, you expect trouble to erupt and someone to recognize you.

No one does.

Not even fucking Kole does! You and Jin pass him and his posse on your way to Hanbu's office and the fucker doesn't even bat an eye.

"Now, this is cap's place. No one goes in or out except cap himself! Understood?"

You and Jin nod.

"Good. I will relieve you around four in the morning. Don't leave until den."

Two of you nod again. Satisfied, the senior officer whose name, Jin told you is Roku, walks away, leaving you alone with Jin in the hallway with the door to the captain's office right behind you. You wait until midnight arrives and the station staff either goes to sleep or to the nearest bar before breaking into Hanbu's office.

Jin manages to unlock the door with lockpicks and together, you swiftly search every drawer, shelf, nook, and cranny in the following hours.

You find the captain's seal in the drawer of his study. His ledger turns up inside a compartment hidden behind a painting depicting a half-naked courtesan.

You shove the ledger into your chest plate along with the seal before putting everything back into place. Then two of you just wait until Roku comes to relieve you.

He does so five in the morning, three hours later than agreed.

You return to Pato's compound with Jin in tow.

The merchant raises some concern at the presence of Jin but the delivery of Hanbu's ledger and seal of office has him extend his welcome to your friend as well once he gets over his surprise.

"I'm gonna be honest, my boy. I really didn't expect you to deliver so quickly," the merchant confesses with a smile. "You sure are something else."

As much as you would like to take credit, if any merit can be earned from this, Jin deserves all of it.

You had been building up Captain Hanbu in your head ever since you woke up. You had been expecting a difficult foe, someone whose downfall would require effort and skill.

Instead, all it took was a fucking stroll through the police station.

In a way, it makes you feel disappointed, both in Hanbu and in yourself.

"Cheer up, lad!" Pato calls out, slapping your back with his free hand. "Hanbu's days are numbered now. Once I get the evidence into the right hands, he and his cronies will all find themselves on the chopping block."

You guess you can take satisfaction in that if nothing else.

"You have done the people of this city a great service," the merchant tells you, before leaving you and Jin in Rem's care.

You don't know how long it will take Pato to deliver the gathered evidence. The bureaucracy of the Empire is notoriously corrupt and unreliable and runs on bribes and favors more than ink and paper. Yet the merchant assures you that it won't take longer than a month.

So, you and Jin settle in for a wait.

Through the next two weeks, you return to your routine. Jin's addition vastly improves your daily sword practice, the presence of a skilled sparring partner allowing you to push yourself further. Rem comes to watch whenever you two have a practice bout, a habit that began out of a worry for accidental injuries which soon turned into an appreciation for the display of skill.

Outside of training, Pato's niece spends her time in your company when her duties allow. Jin, much to your embarrassment and gratitude, makes an excuse whenever she arrives.

The knowing grin and winks he sends you from behind her make it obvious what exactly he thinks about the two of you.

What little time you have left is spent with introspection.

You find yourself regularly questioning your own worth when you are left alone with your own thoughts. Your confidence has been truly shaken by the realization that yes, you almost died to a bunch of incompetent idiots and you can't help the doubts gnawing at you.

If all it takes is a bunch of thugs to take you down, can you be even called a warrior? Are you even fit to be a samurai? What good is your skill with a blade if you are just going to let yourself be ambushed like an idiot?

"What's with that face?"

You turn away from the night sky you have been staring at and find Rem standing beside you with a curious look. You must have fallen really deep in thought to miss her footsteps.

"It's nothing," you tell her.

She takes a seat beside you, folding her sock-clad legs underneath her, on the wooden porch separating the garden from the rest of the compound. Then she turns to you with a gentle expression on her face.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"Am I that transparent?"

"I would prefer earnest."

You don't respond and instead, let your gaze stray back to the sky. Just as you start to lose yourself in your thoughts once again, you feel Rem's hand on top of yours. Her soft palm brushes your knuckles as her dainty fingers slip between yours.

When you look at her, she gives you a comforting smile.

"Hey, whatever is bothering you, I'm willing to listen."

So you tell her, about how foolish you feel for letting Hanbu and his men get the drop on you, about how inadequate and unworthy you see yourself as a samurai.

Rem listens, her hand never leaving yours, as you spill every single thought that has been plaguing you these past couple of weeks. Only when you finally run out of words and fall silent that she speaks.

"You are strong, Wolf, truly strong. Yet, you are also compassionate and brave."

You are surprised for this is the first time you hear someone speak of compassion as a virtue and not a weakness.

"Anyone can make mistakes. Anyone can be brought low by treachery and deceit," she tells you. You feel the tips of her fingers idly brush against the callouses inside your palm as she continues, "But, not everyone can rise back up. Not everyone can be compassionate and brave still."

Something bubbles inside of your chest. A mix of pride, gratitude, and affection, all coming together and feeding something completely new.

"Whatever failings you possess or shortcomings that you have, you are the one person I know who truly deserves to be called Samurai."

You look at the girl sitting by your side and see an angel smiling at you.

At that moment you fall in love for the first time.

It is the culmination of a bond, having fed on affection, understanding, and care, growing into something more.

And it demands to be expressed, to be shown, and be made real.

Before you know it, you begin to lean towards Rem, your free hand reaching for her. To do what, you don't know. You simply follow instincts you didn't know you had and let them guide you.

Halfway through, you pause, hesitating.

What if she doesn't feel the same? What if you are making a mistake? Are you even truly in love?

You freeze up in indecision, afraid to go forward yet unwilling to go back.

In response, Rem raises her chin. Her beautiful, pink lips are presented to you at just the right angle, and everything clicks into place. You finally understand what you need to do and more importantly, you know that your feelings are returned.

Now, you only need to conquer your inexperience.

Each second bring your and Rem's faces closer. Your own heart beats rapidly inside your chest in anticipation. She closes her eyes as the last of the space separating the two of you disappears.

Your lips meet hers.

She tastes sweet.

"Wolf!"

Startled, you and Rem jerk backward, separating suddenly from each other. Turning towards where the shout has come from, you see Jin standing in the doorway leading into the compound.

You feel a spike of anger at him for interrupting the intimate moment but then you notice the serious expression on his face and the way his hand is on the handle of his katana.

"We got hostiles."

"Who?"

"Captain dumbfuck and his merry band of troglodytes."

You snatch your sword from where it has been laying on the porch and rise up to your feet. Then, turning to Rem, you help her up to her feet before ordering her, "Get to somewhere safe."

Without waiting for her reply, you turn around and run after Jin.

"How did Hanbu find this place?" you question as you and Jin make your way through the compound.

"I have no idea."

You bite back a curse, "Do we have time to armor up?"

"Yes. Gates should hold those idiots off long enough."

Two of you swiftly change routes and sprint towards your own rooms. You break your personal record donning your armor and beat Jin by three whole seconds.

Now armored, two of you rush to the compound gates where you find Pato and Hanbu shouting at each other through the thick gates of the compound.

"I know it was you, Pato!"

"And I told you that I have no clue what you are talking about."

"Return my property or I will come in and retrieve it myself!"

"You have no right!"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT! I AM THE MOTHERFUCKING LAW! Now either open that god damn door or we will fucking bust it down!"

Pato notices your presence, his shoulders sagging in relief as you walk up to the gates which are manned by the merchant's two guards.

"Wolf, my bo-"

"How many of them are there?" you ask, interrupting the merchant.

Confused and shaken, he answers, "I... I'm not sure. I couldn't get a good look."

"Nineteen including the captain himself," Jin chimes.

You give him a nod then turn to the guards.

"Open the gates," you command them.

Upon hearing that, the merchant looks at you as if you have lost your mind.

"You can't be possibly thinking of taking them on!" he protests. "They outnumber us four to one!"

Ignoring the merchant, you repeat, "Open the gates."

Realizing that you are not going to listen to him, Pato turns to Jin in search of support.

"You heard him," your friend responds.

Seeing that he won't be able to convince either of you and knowing that he can't also stop you, Pato reluctantly gives a nod to his men. The guards then proceed to slide out the wooden bar keeping the gates closed before dragging them open, revealing eleven men clad in mismatched sets of samurai armor led by Hanbu.

The captain's eyes land on you and recognition flashes in them accompanied by a hateful snarl.

"You!"

"Me," you calmly respond, taking a step forward and drawing your sword out from its sheath in one fluid motion.

Hanbu's thugs laugh, entertained by your lack of fear and mistaking it for an attempt at bravado.

The captain is the only one who doesn't. He is too angry at the theft you committed to feel any kind of amusement. What is more, unlike the rest of his minions, Hanbu's instincts and intelligence haven't all rusted away to nothing. He is aware that you possess an actual threat.

So he subtly moves back, putting the bulk of his underlings between you two.

It won't save him.

"Ya know, I thought you smarter than this, rookie," Kole calls out to you. He stands towards the head of the group, flanked by two of his toadies. You recognize the large form of Lu, standing a head taller than the rest of his fellows with a dumb grin. The other one you don't know the name of, but remember him from the beatdown in the locker rooms.

"Anybody with a brain would've jumped town and started fresh," Kole continues, looking at you with a fake expression of pity. "Guess the lesson didn't stick."

A brief silence follows when Kole takes a pause, expecting a response from you.

You give him none, striding towards him with steady steps.

Kole shakes his head in disappointment at you, "It seems we were too gentle with you the first time, rookie. We won't make that same mistake twice."

So confident they are in the false security of their numbers, none of the 'officers' surrounding Kole even react as the distance between you and them gets ever shorter. They see only a victim when it is in fact their own death who approaches them. They grip their weapons with excited grins on their faces in expectation of a one-sided beatdown, one that Kole is all too happy to provide.

"Well, boys. What are you waiting for?"

Five thugs rush forward to meet you.

The first one charges at you, katana held at his side. He miscalculates the range of your sword and the speed with which you can swing it.

Thus, he loses his head the moment he steps inside the reach of your sword, his unprotected neck proving little resistance against sharpened steel. His faltering momentum carries his headless corpse a few more stumbling steps forward before it finally collapses onto his knees before your feet, squirting blood from the stump of its neck. His sword slips from slackened fingers and falls to the ground and a light prod with the point of your metal-clad foot sends the corpse falling on his back.

The remaining four come to a sudden stop, shocked by the sudden death of their fellow. They hesitate and that hesitation costs them as you step forward.

Distance, which they thought kept them safe, disappears in an instant and you swing once again, this time with both hands on the handle. The tip of your katana cuts through the throat of the thug closest to you, severing several arteries and his windpipe.

He falls to the ground, clutching at his ruined throat in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding as his life ebbs. He tries to scream and shout but all that comes from his lips are wet gurgles accompanied by more blood.

His end comes neither quick nor painless.

Third and fourth attack you at the same time, hoping to overwhelm you in a desperate gamble. Facing the one coming at you from your right side, you parry his clumsy overhead swing to the side and slice open his unarmored stomach with your counter.

The man, a greenlander, loudly squeals in pain as his innards spill out onto the dirt below his feet. Your backswing swiftly puts him out of his misery.

You glance to your left to see Jin pulling his sword out from the corpse of the other attacker. He gives you a nod and together two of you turn your attention to the rest of your foes.

The fifth thug having just witnessed four of his fellows killed in a matter of seconds backs away from the two of you only to stumble and fall on his ass.

You reach him in just two steps and stab. The tip of your sword easily punches through the rusted metal of ill-maintained armor and spears him through his chest right where his heart is.

You wrench your sword out from the corpse and flick off the fresh blood coating it with an idle swing.

A deep silence descends on the clearing.

Hanbu's men stare at you in shock, the casual confidence they once possessed shattered to pieces by the death of their comrades. It finally begins to dawn on them that you are far from easy prey and that this is an actual fight, one where they can be killed in the blink of an eye.

And along with that realization comes fear.

"What the fuck?"

Kole exclaims in disbelief, his smug grin having been finally wiped off. You take a step towards him and he immediately takes one back in response.

That gets an actual smile out of you.

Another step from you has Kole turn around and look for support only to find the rest of the mob looking at you with fear.

"What are you fucking idiots staring at?" he shouts, masking his own fear with anger. He raises his katana and points it at you. "For fucks sake! They are outnumbered seven to fucking one! Just group up and kill those two cocksuckers!"

While Kole is definitely not an orator, his words manage to rally the rest of Hanbu's underlings. Emboldened by their numerical superiority, they rush at you once again.

It ends up being a close fight.

If you had been facing better-coordinated opponents, you would have lost.

if you Jin hadn't been there to guard your back, you would have lost

if you hadn't had ample room to maneuver, you would have lost.

In the end, all the ifs add up in your favor but even then, It takes all your skill and strength to prevail. Surrounded by opponents on nearly all sides, you dodge, parry, counter without a moment of respite.

When you stand over the corpse of your eighth kill that night, battered, bruised, and bleeding from many shallow cuts that the Hanbu's men, reduced to a mere five from the seventeen they started with, finally break and run.

Exhausted, you let them run and instead look for Kole who immediately attempts to run away as well once your gaze falls upon him. Unfortunately for him, you have zero intention of letting him get away.

Forcing one final burst of speed from your body, you run after Kole and, despite the coward being completely fresh, you manage to catch up.

He tries to bargain and beg for his life.

You don't bother with listening.

By the time you wrench your sword out from Kole's lifeless corpse, you, Jin, and Captain Hanbu are the only ones still alive.

You force yourself to take deep controlled breaths, your limbs burning from over-exertion. You are in no condition to give chase if Hanbu himself decides to run.

For some strange reason, he doesn't, not immediately at least.

"You!" Hanbu spits out, torn between fear and anger. "You ruined everything! I will make you pay for this! I will make rue the fucking day that you decided to cross me!"

A snort escapes you. You recognize Hanbu's threats as the barking of a dog with no teeth, completely empty. Using your nodachi as a cane, you stand up straight and look the captain in the eye.

"You are wasting your breath. Once your superiors learn of your crimes, they will send you to the chopping block. Whether it is by my hands or at the hands of an executioner later down the line, your death is certain."

Hanbu doesn't take well to that. His response is a string of curses and insults along with even more empty threats that you just can't bother listening to any longer.

So you lift up your sword once again and take a step towards him which turns to be all the captain needed to turn tail and run. After taking one last look at the captain's retreating back, you relax and take a deep breath, thinking that the night is over.

You are summarily proven wrong when armed men begin to appear from the streets and alleys surrounding the plaza.

They filter into plaza, illuminated by the light posts dotting the area.

You see samurai.

Actual samurai.

Clad in full suits of well-maintained steel armor sets, armed with sharp weapons and moving with discipline, these warriors are a far cry from the rabble Hanbu commands.

You turn to the Captain only to see him back away from the newcomers as well.

That means they are not with him which gives you hope that you might still get out of the upcoming confrontation without bloodshed. Because you know if things come to violence, you won't survive.

"Going somewhere, Hanbu?" someone calls out.

You look for the person speaking and find him at the main entrance of the plaza. A well-groomed man with a neatly trimmed beard and a full head of hair. Much like the rest of the newcomers, he is clad in samurai armor except you spot an insignia that marks him out as a commanding officer.

Flanked by two other samurai, he strides into the plaza with easy confidence and comes to a stop a few steps away from the captain who recoils at the man's approach.

The unknown officer smiles at that. Then speaking with a soft and cultured voice carrying obvious hints of mockery, he asks, "Well, aren't you not going to explain yourself?"

"I-I...I was..." Hanbu stumbles over his own words. He is obviously familiar with the man and looks very afraid. The man in question, for his part, patiently waits for the Captain to gather his words together. Hanbu looks around like a trapped animal looking for a way out and his eyes land on you. Resurging anger gives him enough courage to speak and, pointing a finger at you, he says, "I was dealing with traitors! Enemy spies sent by Okranites!"

The officer raises an eyebrow and, with clear amusement, responds, "Is that so?

"Yes! These two are very dangerous spies!" Hanbu exclaims with the hopeful desperation of a man having just found a way to cheat his imminent death. Grasping at his metaphorical lifeline with two hands, the captain adds, "They've killed thirteen of my men!"

"That is very impressive!" the officer claims, giving you and Jin an appraising look. Then he turns his gaze back to Hanbu and his next words make Hanbu pale in terror.

"But we both know these two aren't Okranite spies."

The officer shakes his head.

"Honestly, I don't know which is sadder," he states, disappointment clear in his voice. "The fact that two rookies fresh from the boot camp managed to get the best of you and your whole division, or that you actually thought I was unaware of what was going on."

Unknown to Hanbu, other samurai begin to form up around him, closing off any escape. The captain himself is too focused on the man in front of him, who is obviously higher up on the command chain, to notice.

"I only tolerated your actions this far because I had matters for more important to deal with but you've gotten too greedy, Hanbu. As such, I can't tolerate your incompetence any longer."

Hanbu takes a step back in terror. Then he takes another and bumps into the samurai standing behind him. Before he can react, two samurai swiftly grab him by his arms and a swift kick to the back of his knees brings him down.

"Y-you can't do this! I am an officer of the law!" he protests.

"Correction," the unknown officer responds, apathetic. Then, in a casual tone, as if he is talking about the weather, he states, "You were an officer of the law. I hereby relieve you of your rank and sentence you to death."

Hanbu begins to struggle against his captors upon that declaration. The samurai holding him down refuse to budge, their grip on the ex-captain remaining firm.

A third samurai approaches the restrained man from the front and draws his sword. The loud whistle of steel escaping its sheath rings loudly through the silence of the night.

The sound triggers in Hanbu the primal fear of death, his struggles becoming desperate and panicked. You watch dispassionately as the executioner takes position to his right, lowering the edge of his blade to the back of the condemned man's neck in preparation for a killing blow.

The ex-captain begs, pleads, and struggles some more. When those fail, he begins to shout then scream, the desperate need for survival overwriting reason and logic.

The executioner raises his sword then brings it down in a single stroke, slicing through flesh and bone.

Hanbu's severed head falls to the ground.

The officer claps his hands, bringing your attention to him.

"Well, that solves one problem," he states in a pleasant tone, giving the corpse a one last look before turning to face you. "Now, what to do with the two of you."

You tense up, your fingers clenching around the handle of your sword. You look around and see potential enemies surrounding you from all sides except behind. If things come to violence, your only chance is to retreat back into the mansion and bar the gates.

Jin comes to a stand next to you and you take heart. Even if the worst comes to pass, you have your friend-no... You have your brother at your side.

Not by blood but by choice.

A bond made that much stronger.

So you cast aside your fear and stare resolutely ahead as the leader of the samurai approaches you with easy steps. His hands remain at his back and his sword stays in its sheath. Overall, nothing in his posture suggests violence.

You remain on edge all the same.

It takes a considerable amount of discipline to not last out as he enters the reach of your blade even with the knowledge that you can't afford to start a fight when the non-violent solution is still possible.

The officer stops just an arms reach away from you and Jin. There is a tense moment of silence as he takes the time to inspect both of you.

Then he nods, a satisfied smile forming on his face.

"Guess some promotions are in order. Good work, both of you."

You have been expecting thinly veiled threats mixed in with gloating, not what seems to be honest praise. It leaves you at loss on how to respond.

Jin, on the other hand, responds with a salute and a "Sir!"

You give him a confused glance before deciding to follow his lead and salute as well though it is obvious to everyone around that you are unsure.

"At ease," the officer commands, his apparent good mood unbroken by your lapse in respect. "You two did our city a great service today. If Hanbu's crimes had been exposed, it would have been a disaster for the city of Shun."

And the feeling of being lost only increases at those words. You and Jin have been working to expose Hanbu but you are willing to play along with the officer's drivel if it means getting through this night, alive.

"I have two spots ready for you in the Elite Squads, as a reward for your exemplary performance."

Your blood turns to ice in your veins as you realize the officer standing before you is the captain of an Elite Squad. Following that realization, you immediately move your hand off the handle of your sword and straighten your posture.

Elite rank is something only the most loyal and capable samurai hold. It holds great influence and power as the Elite Squads operate with the authority of the ruling nobles and answer only to them. They are often organized under their special captains who in turn take their orders from the chief commander of a ruling noble.

This means the officer before you has the full authority of the Shun's ruler, Lady Tsu, behind him.

"What do you say?"

You and Jin glance at each other. While the helmets you are wearing hide your faces, the triumphant joy is all too easy to see in his eyes. You also feel elated yourself. Promotion to Elite means a very big leap towards your goal.

That said, something still doesn't feel right.

Yet you can't let hesitation stop you from taking advantage of such an opportunity. As such, together with Jin, you salute the officer once again.

"Excellent! Now, we only have to clean up the last of Hanbu's mess," the officer states, his gaze moving on from you to the mansion standing behind you.

Turning around, you witness a squad of imperial shinobi leaving the building. With them are Pato and Rem, hands bound and mouths gagged.

Your hand moves back onto the handle of your sword.

Jin grabs your wrist, arresting your draw with only a finger's length of steel clear of the sheath.

"Wolf," he says, a note of warning in his tone. "Stop."

"Jin," you respond, the demand for an explanation going unspoken but not unheard.

Your brother sighs before letting go of your wrist and reaching inside one of the pouches hanging from his belt. From it, he draws a piece of neatly folded paper and offers it to you. Taking the paper, you open it and read what is written inside.

It is a letter, addressed to the head executive of the Trader's Guild about Hanbu's embezzlement and thievery. At the bottom are your name and rank.

You have written no such letter.

"Pato has framed you," Jin tells you, pre-empting the question you were about to ask.

"This doesn't make any sense!" you protest, shaking your head. You try your best to understand what is going on but the pieces just don't line up. "Why would he frame me?"

It is the captain who answers, "To avoid the consequences of his little attempt at revenge."

You turn to face the man, finding yourself growing very annoyed with his amused expression. It is only the fact he has a whole squad of Elite Samurai at his back along and Rem at his mercy that stops you from doing something about it.

"What revenge?" you ask, your eyes narrowed behind the visor of your helmet.

The officer smiles, "Why, his revenge at Hanbu for cutting him out of their deal of course!"

"It is an amusing little story which starts with two friends. A young, successful, local merchant, and a rather bright guardsman."

No.

"They come together one day and hatch a rather ambitious plan. The merchant bankrolls the guardsman's rise to the district captain, paying all the little bribes and calling in many favors. The guardsman, now a captain, uses his new authority to run aground all of the merchant's competitors thus allowing the merchant to gain a local monopoly. And thanks to a rather ingenious scheme which exploits the privileges granted to this city by the guild, they make a rather substantial profit through the whole thing."

You feel your gut roil in horror as the pieces slowly begin to click, forming a picture of fresh betrayal.

"Except, the guardsman thinks that the deal he has with the merchant is not really equal. After all, the merchant is not only making a good amount of cats through his newly grown businesses, but he also gets to take half of all the earnings they make through the exhortation of the Guild's money. To the guardsman, this looks very unfair, especially since he is the one doing most of the work."

You turn to Pato and look for a sign, anything, that suggests what you are hearing isn't true, that this is some sort of sick attempt by the captain to get his kicks.

"So, the guardsman decides to change the deal and the merchant really doesn't like that. Two have a disagreement, things go sour, and their friendship comes to a rather abrupt end."

Much to your dismay, there is only resigned acceptance on the merchant's face.

"What follows is a deadlock as both men find themselves unable to move against each other. This suits the guardsman just fine and he contents himself with taking all the extortion money for himself. The merchant, on the other hand, can't accept this turn of events. He is the spiteful sort you see and his inability to punish the guardsman's ungratefulness eats at him."

You clench your shaking hands into fists as you begin to comprehend just how big of a naive fool you have been.

"Then one day, he finds an opportunity to strike back through a puppet, a fresh recruit beaten to death by his comrades and left to die in a ditch."

You have been used.

Jin puts a comforting hand on your shoulder. Glancing at your friend, you find him looking at you in sympathy.

"Hanbu getting exposed would have severely damaged the relationship between Lady Tsu and the Trader's Guild," Jin explains, his somber tone a welcome difference from the captain's smug arrogance. "That, in turn, would bring the wrath of Lady of Shun upon the person responsible."

You turn your attention to the piece of paper crumpled inside your clenched fist as the final piece of the puzzle slots into the place and your understanding is made complete.

"He forged that letter so that Tsu would target me instead of him," you mutter aloud, your tone deceptively calm.

Jin nods.

If it hadn't been for him, you would never have realized, blindly trusting Pato until Lady Tsu's men came for you. You should have been more suspicious, expected the merchant to have ulterior motives...

How foolish you have been.

"What happens now?" you ask aloud.

"That depends on our friend, Pato here," the captain answers, gesturing towards the restrained merchant. "Hanbu's bank accounts have all been cleaned out two days ago. Something tells me that Pato knows where might all those cats the late captain made through extortion and embezzlement have gone."

You take a guess, "Torture then?"

"No need for such barbaric actions when there is a gentler solution," he responds before turning to face Pato himself. "Tell us where the money is and I will let you go free."

You, Jin, Pato all look at the man with a mix of confusion and doubt.

"You are lying," the merchant states.

The captain scoffs at that. "Contrary to what you may think, I hold the value of my word high above any gain I might make from your death."

"And what is stopping me from telling the Guild about Hanbu?" Pato challenges.

"Do give me some credit, will you?" the captain responds, rolling his eyes. "My men have already cleaned all the evidence related to his wrongdoings and yours as well. If you wish to still go ahead tell them, it will be just your word."

The merchant takes a moment to consider his offer, weighing a slim chance of survival against spite.

"And you will let me go free?"

"Yes."

Survival wins out in the end.

"It is all buried inside my mansion's courtyard, under the bench."

A squad is sent inside the mansion. They return shortly later with a small, wooden chest, filled with cats. The captain inspects its contents before nodding to the shinobi holding Pato.

They release the merchant.

"As we agreed, you are free to go," the captain informs him.

It is then you get a sinking feeling in your gut as you realize that shinobi haven't released Rem, something her uncle also notices.

Pato reminds, "You said you will let us go."

"I did say 'you'," the captain confirms. Then, with a hint of sadism creeping into his voice, he explains, "Your niece wasn't included in our deal and such, she will face justice for her part in your plot."

You have been avoiding looking directly at Rem since Pato's betrayal has been revealed. You have been afraid of what you might see.

Now, you discard that fear and you see a girl, a girl whom you love, who is afraid.

"Please! I didn't know about any of this!" she protests. Realizing that the captain doesn't care about her innocence, she turns to Pato and begs, "Uncle! Tell them, please!"

"I am sorry, Rem." Pato responds, sounding tired. He gives her niece a forlorn look, then he turns from her and walks away.

Rem desperately pleads after her uncle, asking for him to not go. In the end, her voice falls on deaf ears and she can only watch with tears falling from her eyes as Pato leaves the plaza. It is only when it becomes apparent that her uncle has abandoned her that the shinobi holding Rem force down onto her knees...

Like Hanbu was.

"Rem, was it?" the captain takes a disinterested look at the restrained girl, seemingly bored. "For the crime of helping a plot against the city of Shun and its ruling lady, you are hereby sentenced to death."

Rem watches with dull eyes as one of the samurai draws their katana and approaches her to execute the sentence. As the sword is raised above her neck, her eyes meet yours...

And with a shaky voice, she mutters, "I'm sorry."

You draw, far faster than you have ever done before despite the tiredness of your arms. The blade of your katana clears its sheath in one fluid motion before moving to intercept, accompanied by a single, leaping step that brings you to Rem's side.

The ringing sound of steel clashing against steel echoes, your sword having caught the executioner's just above Rem's nape.

A moment of silence follows as all the eyes in the plaza turn to you including Rem's light blue ones.

Right then, you get a chance to seek a non-violent resolution, to make a case for Rem, to protest her unjust judgment. Yet you recognize that to do so would be futile and hollow. Rem's innocence does not matter, nor the concepts of just and fair. The captain is simply exerting his authority for his own enjoyment.

Violence is your only option, even though the odds stacked against you are all but insurmountable.

You waste little time parrying aside the executioner's blade before forcing away the shinobi holding Rem with a follow-up swing, gaining yourself breathing room and precious few seconds to act.

Immediately you sever the bindings around Rem's keeping her arms restrained behind her back. She looks at you, her eyes shining with hope and gratitude.

"Stay close to me," you order her before turning your attention to the squad of shinobi standing between you and the mansion. The mansion itself is your only chance for survival. Its narrow halls, stairs, and doorways can all be used as effective bottlenecks where you can face your enemies one or two at a time.

That means getting through the shinobi squad in front of you first, which is a really big 'if' on its own already but with Rem thrown into the mix...

"Wolf! What the hell are you doing?" Jin's voice tears your attention from your escape plans. A swift glance shows your friend stepping away from the line of samurai surrounding the plaza. The captain watches the two of you with amusement from a couple of steps behind.

"I won't let them kill Rem."

Sounding exasperated he asks, "Why?"

"Because she is innocent," you tell him, letting 'And I love her' go unsaid. Though with the way Jin sighs, you are sure that he knows. When your friend draws his own sword, you see your slim chance of survival spike up. With him guarding the rear, you can focus on breaking through the shinobi in front of you without worrying about Rem, and once inside the mansion two of you can hold for an eternity.

Jin grumbles from behind you, "Things I do for your sake."

You are just about to quip back when you hear the unmistakable sound of sharpened steel stabbing through flesh followed by Rem's strangled gasp. Turning around, you see her staring with wide eyes at the steel blade of a katana protruding out from her chest.

Behind her stands Jin, the man who stood by your side when other conscripts tried to first gang up on you, the man who always watched your back, the man who you consider your brother in all but name.

"Jin?" you ask, unable to comprehend what is happening in front of you.

Rem looks to you. She attempts to speak but all that comes out of her mouth is blood. Then, with a wet squelch, Jin pulls his blood-soaked sword out of her and she collapses onto the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Sorry, Wolf," Jin apologizes, sounding genuinely remorseful. "It had to be done."

Before you can respond something hard collides with the back of your neck and you lose consciousness.

"I saved your life, you know."

You pointedly stare down, ignoring the man standing in front of your cage.

"You would have been dead, thee times, if not for me."

You remain silent, your eyes pointed at your own lap. The cage you are locked inside barely has any space to move, and even sitting down it feels too small. The cold iron bars uncomfortably dig into your back but at least sitting down you can prevent the cool night air from sapping the heat from your naked body.

Jin sighs when your refusal to communicate becomes apparent.

"I convinced my new superior to spare you from execution. Instead, you will be sent to the Desert Patrol."

Which is basically the same thing.

"He expects you to die," he confirms as if reading your thoughts. "But then again, he doesn't know you or else he would have executed you."

It may have hurt less that way.

"I won't give him the chance to realize his mistake and I can only hope to you learn from your own ones."

You will.

"You are strong, Wolf. Stronger than anyone I know."

You aren't strong. If you had been, Rem wouldn't have died.

"I know you will survive the Desert Patrol and you will return stronger."

You raise your head and finally look at Jin. Clad in fresh, high-grade samurai armor, your former friend now stands as one of the elite warriors of the Empire. Something that you aspired to be for a long time.

He nods as your eyes meet.

"I will be waiting for you, brother."

Then he walks away, leaving you alone.