Ethral City

[kjaslkdjiehdfba]

Itazuki heard a strange little voice speaking from below. Itazuki looked down and saw a little child, with a happy and peaceful face. Itazuki smiled and took note of the boys comment. "Eh...Bleeding. I like to bleed, gives me a rush. Makes me feel more alive and my thoughts become clearer. Yes I could die if I keep bleeding but so what." Itazuki ripped fragments of cloth and tied it around the bandages to help stop the bleeding. The herbs took more effect and the blood started to clog around the wounds.

"Soulless? Eh. Cool name." Itazuki said as he looked down and saw a bright orange object on the ground. He bent over and picked it up. He tossed it up and down then began to peel the skin off. "I'm Itazuki, what can I do for you?" He said while taking a bite of the orange.  

[FlexibleCottonSwabs]

Once upon a time
XXXOr so the story's told
XXXXXXEveryone lives happily
XXXXXXXXXXAs the end unfolds

F O R E V E RXS W E E TXXN E V E RXE N D I N G

Soulless grinned happily, showing clean white teeth. "I'm looking for a job." He replied contentedly, glancing over the orange with an almost hungry look. He just remembered how he only had his sucker... not that he minded, of course. He loved his sucker! He quickly unwrapped the sucker and it into his sweet mouth, eye rolling to the back of his head in enjoyment of the sweet taste that blossomed on his tongue. A moment later, he was back and staring up at the taller man in front of him. He gave a sheepish smile, innocent and cute despite the fact he was looking for a 'job', a slang term on the streets for those in the know. He was up and ready to hire for an assassination. For those in the business that required such things, he was fairly well known.... even when he traveled. The long arm of the unlaw sometimes stretched farther than the law.

However, he was more curious at the man's reaction. "Feels alive? How?" He asked innocently. He didn't feel more alive when he bled, his thoughts didn't clear... mainly because to bleed was natural and normal to him. Most of the time gashes and cuts didn't hurt him at all, so he wouldn't understand the feeling of a rush when it came to pain. His other half might, bye he was fairly ignorant.  

[kjaslkdjiehdfba]

Itazuki never thought of why bleeding made him feel alive, what he was about to say would sound the exact opposite. He chewed the tangy, watery thing in his mouth for a bit before swallowing then he took another bite while speaking. He spat with each word. "Well, I don't know. It's just when I bleed, I feel light headed, closer to death and I begin to know my self better. I just feel-" He shook his arms and gave a vulgar look. "I feel great and better than any thing. Unlike most poeple when I'm about today I feel better, happier. To die would be a great adventure, of course once your dead. Your dead, but its what every one around you becomes when you die and that's why I'm not afraid to die. Bleeding is just pain, I like pain. ?My name means pain by the way."

Itazuki hopped off the crate and ate the rest of the orange and looked at the menial child. "So kid...your looking for a job. If I didn't know better your looking for a hit. I can spot an assassin out of the blue. Since I once was one, well..." He stopped and looked at Ty, but then diverted his eyes back to the weird kid. "So how old are you?"  

[FlexibleCottonSwabs]

Once upon a time
XXXOr so the story's told
XXXXXXEveryone lives happily
XXXXXXXXXXAs the end unfolds

F O R E V E RXS W E E TXXN E V E RXE N D I N G

Soulless was quite curious now. He had never thought of dying like that. Then again, he never thought of death like that. Having faced death ever since he was a child (hell, he's a child now), it never occurred to him what the loss of life really meant. To him, it was as natural as breathing, something not to be questioned. However, the man mentioned pain. He shook his head in disagreement. "Bleeding doesn't hurt at all." He responded with a smile. "I've had bigger cuts than yours mister, I should know." He gave another innocent grin, one that denied the strangely disturbing words he spoke.

"Oh... so you know what I'm looking for?" The boy asked, his light and cheery tone seemed to defy his words yet again, something that was common to him. "Then, can you help me find a job? If I don't do a job, I get so bored!" He laughed gently at his own joke. Then, the man asked him of his name. His silver eye seemed to sparkle in a too-happy happiness. "I don't know my age. I think I'm 12... I'll have to ask him about it." He murmured, meaning his other half.  

[kjaslkdjiehdfba]

Itazuki now more drawn to this child than before, rose an eyebrow and looked fondly at the child. He was so innocent looking but what he spoke about was dark and demented. "You should know? What do you mean? And bleeding does not hurt? How interesting." Itazuki felt in his pockets in his vest and pulled out a old and worn scroll. He unrolled it and looked at the contents. There were several names, on it. Twenty names, two were roughly crossed out. He looked at the list and then folded the scroll back up and placed it back in his pocket.

He canoodled his wounds slowly and said to the boy. "So you want a job? Ok well there is a man some where lurking around that needs to be dealt with." He began to walk towards the winery down the ally way near the inn. He looked back at the boy and muttered. "Do you wanna come or not."  

[Hoarfrost Dirge]

Ty heard a child's voice before he could reply to Itazuki. Watching their conversation for a brief moment he started to think something was up with this kid. Saying he'd had bigger cuts and not telling us how he had fallen out of a tree to get it or something was strange since most kids would brag about that story of pain. Then there was the fact that he said normal humans die from cuts like the one on Itazuki. "I should keep my eye on him for now..." he thought without letting his face show his suspicious nature. "Hey there Soulless. It sounds like your out for the same thing as me, something fun to do. And it seems like Itasuki has something to keep things interesting wherever he is headed so want to come see?" He asked the child as with a big grin on his face at the prospect of having some fun today. Later on he would try to read this child and see if his suspicions were right. If so then today definitely was not going to be boring.  

[FlexibleCottonSwabs]

Reality tells
XXXA different kind of tale
XXXXXXEverybody tries to win
XXXXXXXXXXXXBut everyone fails
N E V E RXS W E E TXXN E V E RXE N D I N G

The eyepatch switched eyes suddenly, the kind and innocent expression gone. In replace was a colder stare, the silver eye frosting over in distrust as he looked over the stranger that had not introduced himself and the man named Itazuki. His other half had gained a liking for the two, but he was here to kill and that was the only reason why. If he had his way he would've long sworn both of these idiots out. Whoever the stranger was was obviously trying to keep tabs on them. He shot a hard glare at the man before hopping after the other assassin.

Saneless was suspicious of the two men. "Where's the man? Let's get this over with." He spoke plainly. "And, where do I get the cash?" He asked. His voice had switched from quiet and joyful. Instead, it had already switched to cold and businesslike, something that completely disregarded the kind words spoken from the same lips. His nose wrinkled in a clear snarl, glaring at the two of them, daring them to pull something.

He unsheathed his knife, waiting until they were in the alleyway before plunging the knife down on his arm. He filled the knife with his blood before pressing his free sleeve down, effectively sealing the wound after forcing platelets from his blood to already clog the injury. The amount of blood in his knife was more than enough needed to kill someone. The knife, strangely, did not drop even though it was freshly plunged into an injury. He quietly followed Itazuki, waiting to see the victim.  

[kjaslkdjiehdfba]

Itazuki chortled a bit from the drastic change in tone and attitude. He almost choked from his own spit from how different soulless just became. He turned and continued to walk but backwards. "Ok ok, hold your horses some one is eager to kill." Itazuki took note of the blood around the blade and how he stopped the bleeding so quickly. Interesting, I like this kid. Itazuki made it to the winery stopped and said to the boy. "Ok wait here, I'll get info about the hit, Gee you make me wanna kill." Itazuki rushed in quickly.

A few minutes Itazuki bolted out of the small house code named the winery. The winery was old and fragile, the would became gnarled over the long and dreadful years, it should have fallen any minute but it didn't. He looked at the killer happy child and said to him. "Ok. I'm gonna call you Sully. Ok. Yeah, that's you name. Now about the hit, we are gonna kill a nobleman. He is a mile that way-" Itazuki stood up and pointed west. "Now the noble man will be heavily guarded in a huge tower. He will be at the top floor." Itazuki ran strait for the ally way wall and scaled it quickly with using the newly formed claws of water. He hopped on to the roof and headed off to the tower that could be seen from a far.  

[Hoarfrost Dirge]

Tysulir saw a strange look in the eye that had been revealed. instantly his eyes went a light shade of blue and could see the emotional intent of this child as he looked, and walked down the alley. Listening with and at the ready he then smelt the scent of fresh blood. Instantly he reacted and forced some water magic into the air, the air temperature was dropped down to around 21 degrees Fahrenheit. The instantly freezing air around the three would probably prove just enough time to see what this kid had planed behind him. He turned and saw the blade coated with blood. "What? Got a sickness you want to share?" He said as his blue eyes saw the killing desire in Soulless's body. As he spoke a white plume of his breath came out in the cold air. He used wind manipulation on the air around Itazuki and forced a large wave to push Soulless back out of range temporarily.

"Itazuki, do me a favor and don't touch that blood, something tells me that its his and he wants it in us." He uttered to Itazuki as he wondered how the child was not bleeding out of wherever he stabbed himself. He wondered what was with this kid, his reactions were like that of another person. Almost as if he had two minds in one.  

[FlexibleCottonSwabs]

Reality tells
XXXA different kind of tale
XXXXXXEverybody tries to win
XXXXXXXXXXXXBut everyone fails
N E V E RXS W E E TXXN E V E RXE N D I N G

"What the ********?" Saneless snarled at the stranger as he was pushed out of range for fighting with his blade itself. "I just want to egt this hit over with, alright, you b*****d?" He snarled, before listening to Itazuki. He did not once smile at the thought of killing. It was something that was enjoyable, yes, but he refused to allow himself to have a good time amongst.... assholes like this.

"You, Major a*****e." He pointed at Tysulir with his dagger. "Don't be pulling s**t again, you hear? I just want to get my hit, get my cash, and go." He rolled his one silver eye before looking up at Itazuki run off. Grumbling a few curse words about the man, he looked back at the suspicious one. He was obviously freaking out over nothing. Typical of the normal people. He snarled in disgust at the sight of the man before turning and beginning a very fast sprint towards the tower. Guarded? Nothing was guarded against his blood.  

[kjaslkdjiehdfba]

Itazuki looked down at the yelling from Sully and the trouble caused by Ty. He kind of got angered by Ty and shouted. "Hey Ty, leave the twelve year old alone. He won't hurt me, he is just killer happy or trigger happy. I don't know. What ever, just leave him alone. I'll be fine. You know me." Itazuki then rushed off to the tower by rooftop. He bounded from roof to roof and got to the tower shortly.

Looking at the tower Itazuki thought of a way to get in, before in the winery the old man with the grizzly beard gave him a detailed blueprint of the tower. It was amazing how much info the man had in assassination and such. Water began to snake out from his sleeves and wrap itself around his hands and form claws with long talons. Itazuki jumped over the gap and clung to the surface of the wall. He crawled up the tower skillfully and quickly and reached the cone shaped roof. In the blueprints there was a hatched door up here and he saw it. He broke the lock, he hesitated for a moment to go in. He looked at the beauty of Ethral and then jumped in.

The tower was forty feet in diameter.  

[Doctor Corn]

"Well, look at yourself now Alex. Stuck guarding a stupid trapdoor in a freaking roof. Damn, only a half hour until I can leave." Alex said to himself as he paced around the suprisingly large tower attic. About five minutes were left in his watch when the sound of scracthing was heard on the outside of the walls. "What the heck is going on here?" Yelled Alex as a talon of ice broke through the wall. Two minutes later, the lock was broken and the man called Itazuki jumped through the trap door. "Great. Three more minutes and my shift would be over. Oh well, at least I get some entertainment." Called Alex to Itazuki as he began making his hammer grow.  

[kjaslkdjiehdfba]

Itazuki was annoyed slightly by the guy he met before. He sheathed his weapon and said to Alex. "Hey Gingerback. I like you...ok. Now I'm gonna kill the noble man several floors down. Now I don't really wanna hurt you, so please step aside."  

[Hakora vi Britannia]

[b]After Riki had finished his food he sat there to rest a bit. He thought of what had happen so far and wondered why. He got up and payed his bill then left the inn heading across town. After walking a while he reached a door and knocked three times. After a few moments a man openned the door greeting Riki with a warm smile and welcomed Riki.

"What can I do for you my old friend?"

"My old master gave me some item and a scroll. I figured you could make sense of it, you are the greatest artest I know."

"Let me look.....this is impressive, the mechanics in this are unsurpassed. Come back in a few hours."

Riki thanked him and left to go get some supplies for his next journey.  

[FlexibleCottonSwabs]

Reality tells
XXXA different kind of tale
XXXXXXEverybody tries to win
XXXXXXXXXXXXBut everyone fails
N E V E RXS W E E TXXN E V E RXE N D I N G

The young assassin was already on his way to the castle. Being small and, despite his frightening looks, cute, he could easily pass off as a rather odd servant boy. He cleaned off his blood-holding dagger so it looked perfectly clean. He slipped the dagger back in its sheath, willing the blood within the hollow dagger to remain inside, hidden by all who didn't know better. There he started to scale the walls. He needed no fancy claws. As his hands bled from the sharp stones, his blood helped him stick.

As he continued to climb, he glanced at a window in which Itazuki was speaking with some guard. He rolled his one silver eye. Talking to people was no use. Just kill and move on. He circled the castle, seeking the window that would take him to the lord's chambers. While that idiot of a guard was busy talking, he would perform his assassination his way. He unsheathed his dagger as he finally allowed the held blood to spill out, onto his chest and neck and staying there until he figured out a window. It didn't have to be open, for the cracks in a window was enough for him to commit his fatal deed.