Chapter 1: To Lay Down One's Life for a Cat's Nine

The first chapter the Saint for Rent webcomic. Posted August 8, 2012 though February 12, 2013.

## Quote

*My father left me an inn for time travelers.* -Saint Halliday

## Synopsis

Opening in the Cloverhouse Inn, year 2030, Saint is having an uneventful night when a young woman burst in through the time-travel closet, panicked. As she pins him to the couch, Saint is confronted by the frightening monster that is chasing her. With his father's cane that hides a sword, Saint drives the monster back, though has no clue where it's run off to within his inn. Even more puzzling, the young woman has disappeared and all that remains is a mysterious cat.

The next morning, Saint contacts two other innkeepers to ask about this mysterious intruder. Neither takes him seriously, assuming he dreamt the entire event, though Kanon jokingly offers to introduce him to a few young women like the one he claims to have manhandled him. Saint is certain that his odd new cat is that young lady but the cat suddenly scratches him and, knocking over the tablet which then cuts off the call, runs away from him.

Armand, Saint's friend and currently a guest of the inn, makes jokes about Saint's failure to catch the cat, which gets him put in charge of catching her.

Reluctantly, Armand climbs up to the second-floor balcony and approaches an agitated Kitty, being mocked by the other guests who advise he lure her out with Spanish. Just as he's caught her, Kitty flies into a fit and escapes his hold, fleeing in terror. He's caught off guard as the monster from last night stands before him.

Elsewhere, Saint is still looking around the inn for the monster, though having no luck. He's found by Kitty who pounces on him and returns to her human form. She explains to the frightened man that she wishes for him to slay this monster for her, having been told that he is not as "flimsy" as he appears. Confused and frightened, Saint agrees to the task.

Led by Cat-Kitty, Saint enters onto the scene where a wounded Armand is struggling against the monster which has him pinned against the railing overlooking the living room. Armand rejects Saint's offer to help, insisting he can handle it, but is soon pushed through the broken railing and sent falling to his doom.

At that moment, from the magic closet, two new guests arrive and manage to catch Armand who realizes they are infact two older versions of himself, one Bearded, the other Shaved-Headed.

Saint is left alone to face the monster with his father's sword, quickly becoming tangled in its prehensile body. He's saved with a well-thrown object from Wounded-Armand and though he wants to continue by throwing the couch, Beard-Armand advises against this plan as "Santo" values that couch a great deal. Still, the rest of the guests join in throwing various furnishings at the monster, though this further angers it until it nearly attacks them instead.

Kitty leaps in at the moment and catches the head which allows Saint to fully sever it from the neck, leaving Kitty to fall right into Beard-Armand's arms. As the head bounces to the floor below, the body begins disintegrating and Saint drops too, with Wounded-Armand and Shaved-Armand prepping to catch him with the coat. However, Shaved-Armand flinches away from the sword blade and Saint lands unceremoniously on Wounded-Armand's head, knocking him out. Kitty draws attention back to the monster's head and, seeing it is still alive, Saint drives the sword into it, pinning it to the carpet. Beard-Armand informs him that he cannot actually kill it as it is "one of those lawyers" to Saint's outraged.

The two contemplate what to do with the head now. Beard-Armand recommends throwing it back out into the time stream but Saint, hearing the "monster" is actually lost and confused, can't bring himself to throw it out like that. Meanwhile, Shaved-Armand checks on Wounded-Armand, realizing that he has a concussion which is why Shaved-Armand (who is older and thus lived through this already) couldn't remember any of these events.

Saint finally takes notice of the damage to his house and Shaved-Armand quickly heads for the closet, leaving Beard-Armand to take the fall. The other guests are likewise fleeing to the timestream and though Saint desperately calls for them to stay, none but Kitty and Beard-Armand (and the unconscious Wounded-Armand) remain. Untroubled, Beard-Armand heads off to take a shower while an exhausted Saint hopes that the frightened guests won't give him a bad review, hoping to finally reach two-star status this year.

Left alone in the wreckage of the fight, Kitty approaches Saint with an object that he quickly recognizes as his father's special monocle. She snippily inform s him the monocle was attached to the "monster's" face the entire time and calls him a fool, teasingly wondering how he survives day-to-day. Saint confidently invites her to try his brunch which is, as he puts hit, "his element".