Second Wind

Chapter 25: The Hunt for the Vigilante

Jaguar sought to seek out the vigilante on her own - knowing that having Max involved could put him in serious and unnecessary danger, she chose to leave him behind, despite his constant requests to follow her along. Despite her not knowing where the vigilante might be, she knew that it might be a good idea to start her search from where it all began - Brightmoor. It was hard to tell why she was suddenly looking for her in the first place - perhaps it was to regain Fleurie's trust, or perhaps it was for personal reasons. It was hard to say, but one thing was for certain - she was bent on finding her. By the time she arrived in the neighborhood, she immediately noticed just how much the atmosphere had changed.

Now that the goons have been recalled, the entire neighborhood has its hostile nature neutralized as well, allowing the once terrorized people of the town to finally come out onto the streets without any threat to their lives. She could only watch the people around her walking about on the streets, mostly minding their own business. There were some chatting to one another, but otherwise, the place displayed this feeling of serenity which was usually never felt here before. The sound of chatter was certainly relaxing and a much needed change of pace, especially since this place lacked life back when the Pathfinder still had control over this place.

After she took some time to take a good look at everything around her and to really let herself adjust into this rather foreign atmosphere, she quickly got a move on as she decided to look for some clues. Although she was still wearing her Pathfinder attire, she was not wearing her jaguar mask - she had it stuffed into her motorcycle booth instead. However, despite her attempts to mask her origin, her attire meant that there were some that were unnerved by her presence whenever they spotted her. Despite the rather negative impression that she was providing, she ultimately chose to ignore them as she drove around the streets of Brightmoor, hoping to find a place of interest which would allow her to kickstart her investigation.

In due time, she soon found herself in front of a bar - the place itself looked to be open and relatively busy, judging by the number of customers within the building. Perhaps someone will know something there. Deciding to start her investigation there, she got herself off her bike, powering it down before making her way inside. As soon as she showed up, one of the customers immediately took notice of her as his eyes widened, realizing just who she was. It looks like she was aware of who he was looking at too, because she immediately placed a finger to her lips, essentially gesturing to him to remain quiet instead of alerting her to the others, who looked to be completely oblivious to who she was. Knowing that he should not try his luck here, he merely let out a nod before returning to his drink, though he now possessed a stressful gaze unlike before.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she made her way towards the countertop situated at the front - there, the bartender was busy having a conversation with a few of his customers. They look to be having a jolly time as well, with laughter being shared between the group. As to what they were talking about though, no one really knew for sure. Everyone within the bar was too busy doing their own thing and living within their own space. The music that was being played from the bar's radio looked to be a lot more upbeat and cheerful as well, implying that this building was now seeing better fortunes.

When the bartender noticed Jaguar approaching the countertop, he quickly wrapped up the conversation they had before they clinked their cups together and returned to their own business. Now that he had his attention on Jaguar, he waited for her to take her seat by the countertop, and once she did exactly that, he brought out a glass from underneath the table before placing it in front of the woman as he turned away from her and looked towards the shelves whilst posing a question to her.

"I believe you're looking for something."

"...just get me some root beer."

"Ah, looks like you got yourself a sweet tooth, huh?"

He merely let out a chuckle in response to her request before grabbing her glass off the countertop - once he had gotten her a mug of root beer, he placed the mug back down on the table before taking his seat opposite her on the other end of the table.

"Now...I'm sure you aren't here for just a drink. I can tell."

"Hm...what gave it away?"

"What do you think gave it away?"

"...I'm looking for her. The vigilante."

"Ah...everyone has been looking for her you know. She's elusive, that woman. One minute she's there, one minute she's gone. It's hard for even the most experienced people to track her down."

"All the more reason for me to find her, then. You got any clue on where she might be? I know she definitely isn't here anymore."

"That's for you to find out, my friend."

"I'm nobody's friend, pal."

"Ah, now that's what you think. But in a place like this, I prefer not to make any enemies."

"...right. But where do I even start?"

"Well, surely common sense plays a bit of a role here, no?"

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"Consider what's left of the Pathfinder. The drugs are gone, and now this leaves us with the weapons, the manpower and the extortion acts. Where do you think she'll be in next?"

"How the hell would I know? Something tells me that you already know where she's gone to. You'd best tell me if you know what's good for you, old man."

"Psh, I may be a lot of things, I would even say that I am old myself, but please do not consider me as some pushover. What reason do you have to look for her, anyway? Answer me this, then maybe I will provide you with the information that you're seeking."

"Hmph...that is none of your business."

"Ah, but you see, it is. If you kill off the only person who has the guts to take on such a terrible organization, then I really should not divulge any details about her."

"...so you do know her."

"Of course I do. I have known her for a long time. So what reason do I have to give you what you want?"

"...why are you so desperate to know my motives?"

"I'm sure you know my reasons. You either tell me, or I'll ask you to leave before things turn sour around here. And honestly, I really don't want to be an inconvenience to my guests here. So, what will it be?"

Jaguar remained silence in response to the offer posed by the bartender - finding herself at a complete loss at what decision she should make, she let out a groan as she shook her head side to side before speaking up.

"...I'll find the answers for myself."

"Aha...showing a flash of independence now, are you?"

"It's no good to press you for answers..."

"...you know, you seem to be rather different compared to the others."

"In what way, exactly?"

"It is hard to say, but...you do not seem to be the kind that finds joy in torment."

"Psh...really now..."

"It could be my hunch speaking...it is up to you to decide whether I am right or I am wrong. You have been doing this line of work for a long time now. Most would have been desensitized by the terrors of their work, and yet, here you are. Any common goon would shoot this place up and bring terror to everyone here. But you have not done that."

"Would you prefer that I do?"

The bartender let out a laugh in response to her reply before shaking his head in disagreement.

"Of course not, haha...if you really do wish to find her, it is best that you find her in the spot that would deal the most damage should she succeed. I'll leave you to figure out where she will be."

"Right..."

With that, she quickly finished up her root beer in one fell swoop before getting herself off her chair. She placed a few banknotes on the countertop, with the money functioning as her payment for the drink as well as for the information.

"...hope you make the most of this."

Not wanting to stay here any longer, she quickly made her way out of the bar as she hit the streets soon after. While she was out on the road, there was lot going through her mind as she thought over the conversation she had with the bartender.

"For her to go into the Eastern Market alone...that would be suicide. There's already so many people there...she won't even have a second of peace there. And Osborn...that might be a likelihood, but it's not like the gang's extortioning is such a huge problem anyway...that leaves me with one other option."

With her mind made up, she swiftly left Brightmoor as she made her way towards her intended destination.

Warrendale.

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Meanwhile, back in Warrendale, Blake had begun her investigation about the nature of its streets by gradually making her way deeper into the heart of the town itself. The further she ventured, the higher the mobster count. With this discovery, her suspicions were proven true - it seemed as though the overall security within Warrendale intensified the closer she got to the center of the neighborhood. This only meant one thing to her - there was definitely something there worth investigating. Although she now knew where to start looking, she now had to figure out where they actually operated in. And trying to do that was easier said than done due to the sheer number of mobsters that walk the streets within the space between Tireman Avenue and Whitlock Avenue. If she were to mess up in such a heavily guarded area, it would mean certain death for her. Because of this, she needed to think of a solid plan in order for her to get anything out of this risky venture.

At least she got the intel that she needed to progress with her work, and so, without any further action, she quickly turned back and made her way back to the borders of the neighborhood, which essentially functioned as her safe ground at this point. When she returned to the motel, she merely pushed through the glass doors as she took her panda mask off once she felt like she was away from the danger which lingered outside. The motel owners were not in the lobby, but they were probably in their own room up on the second floor. Eh, it is not like she needed their presence at the moment anyway. Knowing that she should think about her next course of action, she made her way back to her room as she climbed the staircase towards the first floor with relative ease. After getting her room door unlocked, she walked through it before closing it behind her with a light kick.

In an instant, she hurled her mask towards the bed before walking up to it and taking her seat by its edge. She rested her elbows against her thighs while her hands were positioned under her chin, and from there, she began pondering about what she should do and how she should go around doing this undeniably dangerous task.

"This is gonna be tough...there were so many goons out there walking on those streets...and those guns don't look like normal pistols to me...there's no way I can outmuscle them if they ever catch me. I need to be more sneaky with my tactics here...trying to rig my targets with bombs doesn't sound like the best choice, either...I'll definitely be caught in the act if I even attempt such a move with my disguise on...what should I do..."

She let out a sigh as she shook her head side to side, unsure on what move she should pull off in order to get herself out of this endeavor with victory on her hands. She needed to be a bit more bold with her approach this time round, which was ironic, considering how she knew that being more brazen would put her in even more danger than she may think. But seeing how being reserved was not going to work here, she knew that she needed to think of a more direct way to get the result that she wanted.

"First, I need to find the place where they're manufacturing all this in the first place...then maybe I can figure out what I can do from there. One thing's for sure though...I can't attack from the outside. Not with everyone surrounding me 24/7. Whatever buildings I can find...I need to attack from within and destroy the buildings from the inside."

It seemed that she had decided on the approach she must take in order to tackle the weapon manufacturing that has been ongoing within this neighborhood. Realizing that she must go back to the center of the town once more, she took a deep breath before letting it all out in one sigh as she got herself back up to her feet, and with great reluctance, she picked her panda mask off her bed before putting it on as she left her room with great haste. It was clear that she resenting her disguise more and more as time went on - she never wanted to be associated with them at all, so to constantly wear their attire was proving to be very distasteful from her point of view. However, she knew that she should not complain about her current circumstances - it was either this or instant death as soon as she was spotted, and frankly, she was not keen on even considering the latter option.

When she made her way back outside, she immediately noticed that she was not alone as she came to a halt just by the edge of the sidewalk as she stared at the person who was within the area. Just opposite the street, where her dirt bike was parked, there was this goon who had parked their motorcycle next to hers. They looked to be waiting for someone here, but Blake could not help but feel that they were looking for her. Although she was considering fleeing from the scene, she knew that if she did that, she would put herself in serious danger, since she would end up making herself into one big target for the thug to exploit. Because of this, she knew she had to bite the bullet here as she approached the gangster, who looked to be mostly minding their business until she had gotten close enough. Once the two were a few meters away from each other, Blake could see the mask that they were wearing as the mobster pushed themselves off their motorcycle before beginning to approach her.

They were wearing a jaguar mask.

Once Jaguar was sufficiently close to the disguised vigilante, she cracked her knuckles before speaking up in a rather calm manner.

"Damn...I've been looking for you for a while now, you know."

"...really? What for?"

"I've been asking around...they said that you and your partner left for the motel to deal with something involving its owners...apparently you guys didn't return. Why's that?"

"Psh...what are they even talking about? I've always been out on the streets, you know."

"Doing what, exactly?"

"You know, the usual."

"Right...the usual...of course. So where you off to, huh?"

"I gotta go back to the center of the city. I've been called there to patrol the place along with a few others. You know how it is...ever since that vigilante destroyed all those drugs back at Brightmoor, things have not been looking too good here. Security keeps getting tighter with each passing second, it's really insane."

"Yeah, it really is..."

Jaguar knew that there was something up with the person she was talking to. She knew that she was hiding something. If anything,, she was almost certain that she was talking to the vigilante herself. Knowing that she needed to stump her, she decided to tell her something that only Blake herself would know. Of course, she knew that she had to weave a little lie to help her expedite the process of getting the vigilante's attention as well.

"Well, I really shouldn't stall you any longer. The last thing you need is Matthew yelling down your ear, ya know?"

"Yeah, hehe...tell me about it..."

"As for me, I gotta get going. Fleurie has sent me out on a mission to interrogate some people."

"Interrogation, huh...who you gonna interrogate."

"Beats me, but I gotta leave for Brightmoor immediately. Apparently we managed to capture an informer who's been working for the vigilante...some bar owner or something like that. Gonna be fun to get the info right out of him."

Upon realizing that she was talking about the bartender, Blake's panic shot up in an instant as she remained silent in response to Jaguar's words, which were, in reality, an attempt to provoke her into acting out of instinct. With that, she got herself back onto her motorcycle as she looked ready to leave.

"Anyways, I shouldn't waste your time any longer. I'll see you later, ya hear?"

As Jaguar attempted to power her bike engine on, she suddenly heard the sound of a gun c*****g as she immediately stopped whatever she was doing before glancing over to the side. There, she noticed the barrel of Blake's machine pistol as the vigilante aimed it right at her head. Although she could not see it, the woman had cracked a smile underneath her mask - she had found the person that she was looking for. She even expressed this as well.

"...I knew it."

"Back away from the bike, wretch."

Surprisingly enough, Jaguar complied with her demand as she got herself off her vehicle before taking a few steps away from it whilst raising her hands up into the air - an indication of surrender. The vigilante still maintained her aim on the woman as she spoke up, her voice sounding a lot more serious this time round.

"I don't know how you came to know him, but don't even try to lay a finger on him."

Now it was time to come clean.

"I have no clue what you're talking about, vigilante. I've already met him, but I assure you that he's not dead or anything like that. We actually had a rather nice conversation, honestly."

Upon hearing Jaguar's words involving the bartender, Blake was met with surprise as she lowered her firearm whilst expressing her current state of confusion.

"...I'm sorry, what?"

"I've been looking for you, pal. Just like everyone else out there who wants you dead on the spot. The only difference is that I'm here for completely different reasons."

"And just what the hell is that, hmm?"

"...I need your help."

Finding herself completely flabbergasted now, the vigilante immediately pulled her mask off her face, revealing her complexion to Jaguar in the process as she maintained a fierce gaze on her. It was obvious that Blake was still not convinced of her request for help.

"...how do I know if this is not a trap?"

"Look, if it helps..."

Before she finished her sentence, Jaguar pulled her mask off as well, revealing her face to the vigilante in the process. Now that the two knew how they looked like, the gangster attempted to provide some reassurance by finishing her words.

"...let me explain my side of the story first before you jump to conclusions. How does that sound, hmm? Besides, you look like you could use some help yourself, you know."

"I don't need your help, chum."

"Hah! That's a good one, slick. One wrong move in where you're going and you're toast. I'm sure you know that."

"...what can you offer me, huh?"

"Ohoho...more than you believe..."