A Japanese man whose smile resembled a shark's and whose eyes did not hide the fact that he was nothing more than a thug dressed up in a three-piece suit waited patiently in the front area of Silver Marks Brewery. He'd been told at least a dozen times, by half a dozen different people, in the hour and a half that he'd been waiting that Mr DeMuer was a very busy man and without an appointment, he would most likely not be able to see him.

The thug's command of English wasn't the best but he knew when he was getting the brush off, and his mood had slowly soured as he waited. Finally, after waiting for two hours to see the brewery's owner, he stood angrily and thrust the letter written by his oyabun at the first person who happened by. "Give this to DeMuer," he growled in broken English, and stalked off, leaving the brewery behind and returning to the Organisation's headquarters in Dockside.

Should Mr DeMuer ever receive the letter, it would read:

Mr Alain DeMuer, Owner, Silver Mark Brewery:

My name is Mitsugu Ryu and I am the head of a charitable organisation, headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Recently, my associates have learned of a plot to interrupt Silver Mark Brewery's productions, hurt employees, and even hijack shipments. We are prepared to offer our services in order to protect you from this threat. In exchange for a monthly stipend, we will ensure that your employees are safe from harm, your deliveries reach their destinations intact, and your facilities are free from sabotage.

I would like to call on you at your offices soon. Please courteously reply to this letter and inform me of a convenient time for us to meet. I would hate to see such a profitable business such as your brewery fall into ruin because you did not act right away.

Sincerely,
貢龍
Mitsugu Ryu

There were five of them, each armed with a short sword ? a wakizashi ? and a MP7. They might not know much about magic or the creatures they'd run up against in the short time they'd been lurking in the city streets, but setting up an ambush of a single, seemingly unprotected man was as familiar to them as breathing. They waited in an alleyway, approximately halfway between the brewery where the man was an apprentice and his home. They'd followed him through the streets for five days, marking the places he visited, the route he took on his way home and his way into work. Finally, their shateigashira, Akito, had selected this place as the most likely spot for a successful ambush. It was quiet, secluded, and most importantly, didn't have many passersby.

As the apprentice brewer passed by the mouth of their alley, a blade swooped out of the shadows, pressing its sharp edge against his Adam's apple. He went still, eyes wide and panicked like a spooked horse's. A hand reached out of the shadows and wrapped around his upper arm, yanking him into the alley. He noted the hand that kept the blade against his throat was steady. The faces of the men were noted carefully, features memorised as best as he could. They were all dark haired, and their hard, angry eyes had an obvious slant to them.

The hand yanking on his arm shoved him hard against the wall at his back. ?You work for DeMuer?? came a soft question from the thug who managed to look like a lounging lion as he held the sword at full extension. The apprentice nodded, tried to speak but was unable to get anything past the tip of the blade at his throat. ?Good,? the lion-like man said. ?You take message to him then.? The sword darted up to slice down the brewer's cheek and then disappeared, before the four others descended upon him.

They rained down a flurry of vicious though strategically-placed blows, most aimed for the man's face. They wanted to inflict enough damage that their message would be taken seriously, but not enough to cause death or even permanent disfigurement. That would not be good business. His nose was broken, both eyes blackened, and the fingers of his left hand dislocated. They left him curled up on the alley floor, broken and bleeding, and slipped away into the twilight. The second battle in the coming war had been fought and as before, the Kakure-Kai had won.