The guards gave their captain a wide berth dividing a crowd full of peasants and merchants, all looking to get a glimpse of the fearsome Black Rabbit that dared try to enter their city. With his deformed face, patched eye, and fan of swords strapped to his back, Malady stood just outside the gates of Lost Dawns. He chuckled as one enforcer inspected his weaponry and another five brandished their spear tips inches from his neck. Seven more soldiers kept a sweaty grip on their swords.

Captain Lesahn, a silver furred kanis clad in silver armor and adorned with a her rank, flashed her wolfish teeth in a ferocious snarl.

"What is your game here, Rabbit?" she spat, her neck fur spiking up.

Malady only smiled coyly as a response.

"We should arrest and hang you where you stand. Alanna only knows how many of our soldiers you’ve taken as a free man!"

He shrugged. "Hm, honestly I lost count after the fourteenth."

Lesahn glared with utter contempt but shut her mouth as Wiccer, Elucard, and Lear arrived. She nodded to the Watchers and her major, saluted Wiccer, and stepped back to give them room to speak.

"To what do we owe the displeasure, Malady?" sneered Elucard as he drew his sword and twirled it in a swift circle with a snap of his wrist.

"Elucard, you know this man?" asked Wiccer. He ordered the guards to lower their weapons.

"He was a former member of the Black Rabbits and the rival to my master, Legion. He is a very dangerous man and should not be trusted."

Lear walked around the deadly assassin, taking note of his five swords fastened to a harness on his back. "The Many Blade. He is indeed dangerous—even skilled beyond most swordsmen. The Many Blade is a lost art and any practitioner of the style should be revered," ended Lear as he faced Malady and gave a respectful nod.

Malady smiled graciously. "You know your stuff, cat." Malady turned towards his former kin. "You forget I left exiled and reformed. Your master forgave me and I have not forgotten that. I’ve come here in peace asking only for a truce," pleaded Malady. He unfastened his mounted swords. They dropped with a loud clatter on the dirt road.

Wiccer and Elucard traded a long look, as if having a silent conversation. "So, why exactly did you request to see me?" asked Wiccer.

"I seek to join ARO— " started Malady.

"Absolutely not!" Elucard snapped, cutting the Rabbit short.

"In exchange for information about Inle!" hastily finished Malady before Elucard could shut him down again.

Lear tugged Elucard and Wiccer to the side, out of earshot of the assassin. "If he has any information on Inle or the organization he serves under that would be an opportunity we could use to our advantage."

"We can't trust him. He'll say anything to snake his way into immunity from a hanging," hissed Elucard in a loud whisper.

"I understand where you are coming from, Elucard, but do not forget how you came into ARO," argued Wiccer.

"Excuse me!?" snapped Elucard.

"You were a criminal, just like him. My father and I gave you a chance and you became a valuable ally to Long Whisper." Wiccer glanced at Elucard’s ARO patch. “Don’t make me regret that decision any further.”

"That was different and you know that,” growled Elucard. “You would understand that if you remember just one ounce of our friendship!”

"Friendship!?” blurted out Wiccer, “You used me, Elucard. Just like you used Lear, Essie, and everyone else you’ve come across in life…”

Wiccer jerked his head forward as Elucard averted his eyes. “...Don’t you ever wonder why you couldn’t cut it as a Rabbit? Why did your clan turn on you?”

Elucard ground his teeth. “You know nothing of that night. You have no idea what I went through.” Elucard’s words sliced through his lips.

“Why? Did you use someone in the Black Rabbits too? Betray Inle? Get someone kill—”

Wiccer’s mouth clenched shut in shock as Elucard whipped out his dagger and pushed it underneath Wiccer’s adam’s apple. He glared with pure spite and hatred now.

Malady smirked as the circle of guardsmen moved in closer to stop Elucard from beheading the company commander.

Lear moved his eyes back and forth from the two. "This yikahti thinks you are both acting like cubs.” He chopped his claw between them to get their attention once more focused on the topic at hand. “Malady is the priority here. He has the advantage because we are in the dark. At the mercy of whoever Inle’s new master is. He must have been visited by him. This yikahti suggests we take Malady's deal. We'll keep a watchful eye on him. He can prove more useful as a soldier than an informant."

Wiccer raised his hand, calling off the encroaching guards. “It’s fine.” Elucard allowed him to take a step back. “What do you say, Captain?”

Elucard narrowed his eyes, but sheathed his dagger. “Fine, but he will deal exclusively with Legion until we know he can be trusted. I won’t have him in 2nd Anti-Rogue Ops, Rulan wouldn’t know how to deal with him.”

The three headed back to Malady and gestured for Lesahn to join them.

Wiccer folded his arms. "We agree to your terms. You'll need to sign some papers in order for us to officially enlist you.” He waited for Malady to nod before continuing. “However, we'll be sending you to Elucard's unit, 1st Anti-Rogue Operatives Division. You'll start your training under drill instructor Legion."

"Oh that's cute. Legion, train me?" scoffed Malady.

"If you have a problem with that, we can always just send you to a cell and let Psy-Ops deal with you," Wiccer responded flatly. He grinned when Malady raised an eyebrow. "Good, now that that's settled, tell us what you know."

The new recruit’s smug face vanished as it morphed into sheer concern. “The cat was right, Inle and some yikahti with a dozen swords challenged my leadership as the new Silent Master. I made short work of Inle, but the yikahti conjured some vile substance to heal Inle’s wounds and increase the brat’s speed tenfold.”

“Vile substance?” Elucard asked

“It was some sort of black sludge. The fumes granted Inle powers that I really can’t explain.”

Wiccer exchanged a knowing glance to Elucard. "Continue, Malady. What came afterwards?"

Malady swallowed hard before recounting the events. “My Rabbits attempted to save me. They were loyal to the core, but that shadow man bastard took half of them and released me— “

“Slow down,” asked Elucard, “Shadow man? A third person?”

Malady scrunched up his face. “Inle and the cat weren’t there at the time… and it was at night. I must have lost at least six hours, or days…”

Wiccer tossed up his hands. “This is a waste of time! Will you get your story straight?”

“The yikahti used his magic sword to freeze all of us,” sneered Malady. “I don’t recall what happened between then and when we were released. I blacked out, but when I woke up, a man, some wealthy noble, stood before me. Shadows billowed all around him, I never felt so relaxed. When I think about that night, I want to be back there….”

Malady closed his eyes and took in a large breath through his nostrils. “His aura was so intoxicating. I felt drawn to him. I wanted to be with him, feed off of him. I can't really explain it. He is like a drug—an addiction. Blissroot or Dreampowder, either one can not compare to what I felt that night.”

“Who was he?” Elucard pried for more information. “Malady?”

Malady let out a long sigh. “He was… he was…”

Wiccer snapped his fingers in the Rabbit’s face. “Any time now!”

“I don’t remember… I, h-he told me his name, I could have sworn I memorized his face… but it’s all a haze now.” Malady’s face went blank and then flooded to anger. “Wh-where am I? Elucard!? What are you doing here?”

Wiccer signaled for Malady to be restrained in shackles, then turned to his captain. “Whoever the shadow man is, he can tap into someone’s mind.”

“Or has someone that can in his ranks.” Elucard stared hard at the madness in Malady’s face. “Send him to Psy-Ops. Let him calm down in a prison cell.”

Wiccer nodded. “Once he makes sense again, I’ll send him to your unit.”

Elucard pursed his lips. “Fine. I suppose a deal’s a deal.”