Of Wolves and Gentlemen

“

Shigure is chiding himself for overlooking the obvious answer.

— In-game description

Steps

Even if the Wolf Burglar managed to pass through the Ruby Price unnoticed, he will have had to contend with the Confederacy, which has a vested interest in forcing all who traverse their waters to pay the tithe. Sakazuki is the first stop for most travelers who do not wish to risk the ire of the pirates, so it is the ideal place to continue your search.
The burglar's reputation has only grown since last you spoke with the citizenry, and it is plain that he is growing bolder and bolder by the day. Despite this, the Sekiseigumi still has no leads-and neither do you...

A suspicious individual in a skiff was spotted not long ago, it seems, but the pirate who spied him was reluctant to stop him on account of the stranger being bereft of life. Dead, deceased. An ex-man, as it were. Not one to consort with the undead, the pirate took what he deemed was the only reasonable course of action and looked the other way. But you, on the other hand...

Shigure scoffs at the pirate's account, but his disdain soon turns to delight as he concludes that the corpse was in fact The Eoruzean Gentleman, and the skiff was that of the Wolf Burglar. Their destination appeared to be the Isle of Bekko, and so it is now yours.

In a twist that you really ought to have seen coming, the dead man who was sighted aboard the small skiff really was in fact a dead man─A Gentle Dead Man, to be precise. Having heard rumors of a contingent of fellow undead on a certain island in the Sirensong Sea, he embarked on a grand journey... only to find at his destination the various skeletons wholly devoid of unlife, owing to your prior intervention. After gently chiding you for your propensity for violence against the undead, he further explains that he continued on to the Far East after sensing the presence of Master Zombibrand, for whom he is still searching. Oh, and somewhere along the way he acquired some werewolf attire, because life is funny like that.

With the aid of the Gentle Dead Man, you finally catch up to the Wolf Burglar, as he flees across the Isle of Bekko with a still-frozen Inspector Hildibrand on his back. Resolving once more to restore her mentor to the land of the moving, Nashu draws forth a set of her infamous Delights and heaves them into the inspector's waiting arms. The resulting explosion leaves the awakened Hildibrand and the annoyed Wolf Burglar clinging to opposite sides of a rocky bridge, the ground far below promising a swift and painful death. Nashu assures you, however, that the inspector will surely survive the fall, having lived through the rather more harrowing experience of returning to the star from the false moon, Dalamud. And so you all prepare to seize the Wolf Burglar and bring him to justice at last, only to watch helplessly as he escapes astride a giant bird of prey that swoops in at the last moment to catch him, in yet another twist that you really ought to have seen coming. Shortly thereafter Inspector Hildibrand rejoins you atop the cliffs, albeit for only an instant, as his keen inspector's sense alerts him to a petitioner in need not far away.

You find Inspector Hildibrand conversing with a wayward Qiqirn, who claims to be a sailor on a ship belonging to the East Aldenard Trading Company. It would seem that he and his fellow Qiqirn were lured by promises of delicious foodstuffs into a dark alley, where they were set upon by men who bound and gagged his friend. Though he himself managed to escape by jumping into the sea, the current carried him to the island, and he knows not what became of his comrade─but you do. Indeed, in all likelihood he is the Qiqirn you saw at the auction─the selfsame auction where Inspector Hildibrand was nearly sold as a statue. Perhaps the silver-tongued broker who organized the auction is not all that he seems...

The broker is flustered by the sight of the inspector living and breathing, but regains his composure when Shigure attempts to detain him for his many crimes, countering that the samurai has no right to do so. Indeed, he does not, for Shigure is no more than a common ronin with no ties to the Sekiseigumi─a ronin whom the broker hired to guard the auction which was robbed by the Wolf Burglar. Though Inspector Hildibrand reiterates that the broker's crimes are impossible to deny, it seems he will escape justice... until a man of the Sekiseigumi steps forward and asserts his own authority, placing the broker under arrest. The samurai thanks Shigure for his efforts, only to then chastise him for his recklessness, stating that he still cannot in good conscience permit him to join their ranks. After the samurai and the others depart, Shigure confesses how he came to Kugane to pursue his dream of joining the Sekiseigumi, only to fail and struggle to make ends meet. By bringing the Wolf Burglar to justice, he hopes to convince the Sekiseigumi to reconsider their decision. This simple, earnest desire is apparently enough to win over Inspector Hildibrand, who declares then and there his intention to help Shigure capture the Wolf Burglar, before dashing off to kami know where with his characteristic gusto.

Though Shigure is grateful for Inspector Hildibrand's promise of assistance, he suspects he may come to rely more upon you in the future. The Wolf Burglar is no common criminal and is possessed of great cunning and cleverness, and sheer passion and determination will surely not suffice to catch him. But if passion is what it will take to win the day, you can count on The Eoruzean Gentleman to deliver!

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