Good Swords, Good Dogs

Good Swords, Good Dogs is a level 70 side story quest of even further Hildibrand adventures. It is obtained in Kugane by speaking with Hildibrand in ...

Description
Truly, there is no rest for the righteous─or whatever term one might use to describe Hildibrand Helidor Maximilian Manderville.

Objectives

 * Speak with Hildibrand in the Ruby Sea.
 * Question the pirates of Sakazuki. 0/2
 * Speak with Hildibrand.
 * Speak with Hildibrand in Kugane.

Journal
The hunt for the Soboro Sukehiro and its second thief is to continue in the Ruby Sea. Per Shigure's instructions, you and the others are to go on ahead and wait for him to join you at the Ruby Price, the gateway to that watery expanse.

After sparing a moment to take in the garish garments Shigure has opted to wear, Hildibrand bids the Wolf Burglar explain why he first sought to claim the Soboro Sukehiro in the first place, prompting the thief to divulge a surprisingly moving backstory filled with tragedy and pathos, in which he explains that the sword once belonged to his adoptive father, a humble samurai, who was deceived by and became indebted to Akebono. Having no recourse, he pledged his blade as collateral and began slaving day and night to repay the vast sum of money he owed. Alas, having grown weaker over the years, he was in no condition to do so, and so died. Deprived once more of a family, his Lupin charge vowed to revenge himself upon the diabolical merchant, traveling to his native Yanxia for several years to learn the arts of the shinobi before returning to Kugane and becoming a notorious thief...but such stories of past wrongs have little bearing on the here and now. To Sakazuki the party will first go, and there question the resident Confederates in the hopes that one will have seen Yojimbo.

Yojimbo's distinct appearance makes him rather easy to describe to others. Alas, the scout with whom you first speak has no recollection of a traveler matching his description. Onwards and upwards.

The second scout you question has indeed seen a man matching Yojimbo's description─one in the company of a canine, in fact, prompting Hildibrand to summon the others and make haste for the beach where last they were spotted. Sure enough, you are soon reunited with Daigoro, whose initial reluctance to approach is quickly dispelled by the sight of a shiny koban. The good dog soon leads you to his master a short distance away, currently deliberating how best to breach the Red Kojin sanctuary and seize the Ame-no-Murakumo. When confronted by you and your entourage, he grows belligerent and refuses to hand over the Soboro Sukehiro, but before violence erupts, Hildibrand somehow manages to peacefully resolve the conflict by giving Daigoro a furious belly rub. A beaten Yojimbo surrenders the blade to the inspector, who in turn surrenders it to the Wolf Burglar, albeit unintentionally, after stepping on the dog's tail and paying dearly for his carelessness. The chaotic situation further deteriorates when the sudden appearance of the Sekiseigumi drives both Yojimbo and the Wolf Burglar to flee─the latter still clutching the Soboro Sukehiro. His deception laid bare, Shigure struggles to defend his reasons for freeing the thief from his prison, but alas, has no choice but to return to Kugane and answer for his own crimes...

Inspector Hildibrand knows that something must be done to save Shigure from his current predicament. However, he also knows that a beach in the Ruby Sea is no place to deliberate your next course of action, and so he bids you all return to Kugane forthwith.

The inspector's keen inspector's sense tells him plainly that matters are coming to a head. If the Wolf Burglar is to be believed, then the merchant Akebono is the true villain at the heart of these troubles who is most deserving of a comeuppance. Should his crimes be exposed, then Shigure, as well as the Wolf Burglar, are sure to be exonerated. To that end, the inspector charges off into the streets, presumably about a new investigation. Whether or not it will be even remotely successful, only time will tell...