1

It was the morning after Rowling and Ivory had lost their product. They never did reach Madamada. Unfortunate, seeing as the buyer was offering a hefty sum of cash for the prize. Now they had to tell their boss they messed up. Neither of them wanted to, but they were eventually going to have to fess up sooner or later. Better sooner rather than later. Without a horse or carriage, they had been stuck walking back to the city of Meromero, the place where their boss resided.

Past a dirt road, lay a huge estate in the distance.

Both bumbling clods were thirsty and hungry. They had gone a whole day without eating or drinking anything. In short they looked like hell and worse. They approached the gates that surrounded the place.

“Oi, the boss isn’t going to be too pleased with this recent caper Rowling.” Blurted Ivory. “Why did we even come back?”

“Shut up Ivory.” Whispered Rowling. “Every slaver has a few cases of runaways here and again. We just apologize and beg for the boss’s forgiveness and it’s water under the bridge. You’ll see. It’ll be easy. Then we’ll be on another job in no time. Now hush up.”

Rowling pressed the intercom button located outside the gate.

A voice answered. “Yes, this is the Katakura estate. What is your business?” It was a butler.

“Yes this is Rowling and Ivory, we’re here about a um…” Suddenly sweating, Rowling stammered. Forgiveness didn’t seem so easily within reach now. “A….um ‘rogue’ product.”

“A ….. ‘rogue’ product…..sir?” The butler sounded confused.

Rowling cringed. If he was having a hard time explaining it to this guy, oh boy was he going to have a hard time with the boss. He continued despite his embarrassment anyway. “Erm….that is to say, we…are here about a certain product of Dice Katakura becoming…..defective? I’m not sure if that’s the right word. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that they have vanished from the market?”

“…………..Sir, what exactly are you trying to say?” The man on the speaker asked.

“Uhhhhhhh.” Rowling took a long pause. Blanking on what to say, he wasn’t saying much of anything. “That is to say that…..well….we…”

“WE LOST A SLAVE!” Barging in Ivory put everything in layman’s terms for the guy.

Hushing him, Rowling placed his hand over Ivory’s mouth. “Dammit Ivory, don’t tell him that.”

Pulling away Rowling’s hand, Ivory spoke. “Well, you saids we could beg for forgiveness and all that! You saids it would be easy.” If anything, he seemed genuine.

Rowling became particularly twitchy. “Look just follow my lead and maybe we’ll make it out alive. Okay?”

Nodding his head, Ivory agreed. “Whatever you say Rowling.”

“So,” Rowling turned his attention towards the intercom once again. “Will you let us in?”

The two gulped as the gates opened. Presumably, that was their cue to head inside. And so they did.

“I’m not going to lie….I’m a little worried about this Rowling.” Ivory whispered.

“Don’t,” said Rowling. “This will be a piece of cake, watch.”

2

“I should have your heads cut off!” Screamed Dice Katakura the master of the estate who was sitting on his throne.

“We’re sorry boss!” Rowling and Ivory bowed in unison on the court floor.

Slamming his hand against his armrest, Dice began to speak with hatred in his voice. “Do you fools understand what that product was worth? That was a 50 thousand moolah woman, you clowns! The buyer was a MADE MAN! An associate of the Godfather of pirates! AND YOU IDIOTS SCREWED IT UP!???” Rage twisted his face as he sneered at the whimpering dogs they were.

Fear overtook Rowling and Ivory as they were kneeling. Soldiers surrounded them on all sides of the room. At any moment Dice could have sicked his minions on them. But they prayed he wouldn’t.

“PLEASE FORGIVE US!” Cried Rowling. “IT WASN’T OUR FAULT!”

“YEAH!” Ivory echoed his sentiments. “IT WAS SOME GUY NAMED CREST EVERMORE, HE CALLED HIMSELF THE ROGUE SHADOW, A BLACK KNIGHT!!! HE STOLE HEEEERRRR!!!”

Begging wouldn’t help, Dice, the tub of lard that he was, was beyond pissed. He had entrusted these buffoons to such a special task and he had been burned. In his mind, it was just better to kill them at this point. It might not have done much good, but at least his anger would subside. “MEN!” He barked. “See to it that these two are taken care of. I want you to kill them.”

Suddenly six guards in armor, holding swords and axes stepped forward. Things looked bad for Rowling and Ivory.

Ivory grabbed onto Rowling, who was equally as terrified as he was. “We’re gonna die Rowling. OOOOH GOOOOOOD!!” He bellyached.

Closing in, the soldiers prepared their weapons. Time had run out.

Just then a voice from across the hall shouted something out. “HOLD IT!”

The soldiers held their spot. Not a finger was laid on Ivory or Rowling. Not yet anyway.

The house master furrowed his brow.

In an alcove across the way stood a man draped in white robes who wore a kitsune mask. Coming out of the shadows he entered the main floor. His appearance could be described as both elegant and spooky.

Seeing who it was, Dice declined his involvement. “Fox, this doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh, but I think it does,” Fox seemed particularly attentive to the conversation. “Anything that sounds like an opportunity to make moolah sounds like a situation I want to be a part of. I don’t think there’s a reason to kill these two idiots. Spare them on my behalf.”

Dice crossed his arms. “You’ll vouch for them?”

Waving his hand from side to side, Fox looked as though he were feeling a tad finicky. “Not really ‘vouch’ rather, I want an opportunity to finish this job in their place so I can cash in on the reward.”

“Didn’t you hear them? They lost the slave. The job was a bust.”

Fox wagged his finger. “Not what I heard. Our little birdies here just sung and they sang a song of Crest Evermore. A man with a title. A couple by the sounds of things. Whoever that is, currently holds our sweet little pup in his possession.”

Dice held his head in his hand. “Are you saying you can find this man Fox?”

“Nothing to it Dice Sama, all we have to do is retrace the bumbling buffoon brothers’ steps, and we’ll find our culprit. We know this guy’s name, his title, all we need is an address. Hey dorks, any other tasty morsels you can feed us?”

Rowling looked confused. “W—what?”

“Information you idiot! And get up off the floor, you’re offending it.”

Rowling and Ivory stood shivering. The soldiers hovered above them like violent watchdogs. Attempting to ignore them Rowling found the courage to speak. If you could call it courage. “Well, we were on a crossroads where Beros and Madamada meet. The guy said something about a Drunken Tankard.”

“I don’t think there’s a Drunken Tankard in Madamada.” Added Dice Katakura.

“So that means that our friend might have been coming from Beros,” Taking out his magic mirror, Fox shot it a command. “Magic mirror, look for Drunken Tankard, Beros.”

The court waited in silence as the magic mirror searched for the information. After a few seconds there was a loud beep. The magic mirror had found something.

"Drunken Tankard is a tavern in Beros, a town on the island of Umos.” The magic mirror had identified the exact place they were looking for. “Here is a map of the location.”

“Well, well, well,” Fox chuckled. “Looks like I’ll be paying the Drunken Tankard a little visit. Well boss?” He turned to his master. “What do you say? Give me a good cut and I’ll take care of this guy for you and get your girl en route to your client.”

“Fox,” Dice smirked demonically. “Get that girl and I’ll share half of the proceeds with you.”

Snapping his fingers, Fox looked overjoyed. “Fox takes the case. Victory is going to taste soooo……delicious.” Pacing out of the room he left the boss to attend to Rowling and Ivory. Whether they lived or died at this point didn’t matter. What was on his mind was making bank, and this job promised the biggest bank he ever had.

Fox entered the courtyard and exited the gate, standing outside the estate. He called a carriage on his magic mirror. “Hello, I need a carriage and on the double, I’ve got a bug to squash.”