InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
I hope the others reply soon ( 
)
)
-
This section is for roleplays only.
ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.
Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.
Fantasy Crimson Streets
- Thread starter Dragongal
- Start date
Unwavering Knight
Fool's Errant
Oh man, here I leave the Third World for glorious Germany and temperate climate, only to be caught up by lethargy-inducing heat anyway.
Damn you, global warming, was once not enough for youuuu! *shakes fist*
Damn you, global warming, was once not enough for youuuu! *shakes fist*
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
I share your pain fellow wanderer of this once green place, now an arid wasteland of bright, hot light.
But in all seriousness, I now have to drive through the city for 4 hours on a scooter in scorching sun. I'm milky white o-o
I shall return as lobster boy!
(' :| )
But in all seriousness, I now have to drive through the city for 4 hours on a scooter in scorching sun. I'm milky white o-o
I shall return as lobster boy!
(' :| )
Unwavering Knight
Fool's Errant
No worries, if all goes wrong and your body ends up being terminally charred, causing a slow, painful and most certainly extremely humiliating demise, we can just replace you with the hero we don't need, but deserve!
Behold!
[media]
[/media]
Behold!
[media]
[/media]
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
Whaaaat the... O.o
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
I am on my way home now, expect my reply soonish
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
I will most likely be unable to post tomorrow and maybe Sunday as well, as I will be with family celebrating the greatness of America and freedom and shiz! Yeahhh... Also, pyromania is a thing for me. Hopefully I do not blow my hands off. Mhm.
See you guys soon!
See you guys soon!
Unwavering Knight
Fool's Errant
Have fun!ataraxiandream said:
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
Happy 4th of july to the rioting colony peasants!
CallSign
Deus vult!
@ataraxiandream You should try turning a mortar firework upside down if you've got a field (and decent fire extinguishers). Just imagine firing the launcher 30 feet in the air before the flower of flame blooms on the ground.
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
O-oh my gosh... And here I thought that I was the pyro... Unfortunately, I can't do much of that in the suburbs ^^; The closest I've gotten was sending a mortar down the street and launching a bottle rocket at my neighbor's front door!CallSign said:
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
A tradition in my part of europe is to shoot the lid off of those large metal milkdrums. Those things go off like cannons (*U*)
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
The heck is a milkdrum? O.oElvengarda said:
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
something like this, and when you shoot it it goes something like this:
[media]
[/media]
you only really have to watch like the first two seconds of this video, the rest is the same but with some explainations and teenagers being... teenagers
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
ohmygod. I'm going to Europe. Now. Right now.Elvengarda said:
something like this, and when you shoot it it goes something like this:
[media]
[/media]
you only really have to watch like the first two seconds of this video, the rest is the same but with some explainations and teenagers being... teenagers
KnightofShadows
Knight of Shadows ~ Keeper of The Balance
Wow, that's awesome news. Hope you have a real blast! What are you getting to see?ataraxiandream said:
LoL , ok. Reading the context before hand, I realize that your trip to Europe was likely not a literal one! - move along, nothing to see here.KnightofShadows said:
For whatever reason, I just cannot get this thread to send notice of postings. That is rather annoying...
Well hope everyone enjoyed their holiday if applicable.
Just wanted to say that I am really enjoying this game. It is nice to have the chance to game with such a talented group!
Lot's of fun so far, and hope everyone else is enjoying themselves.
Game ON peeps~!
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
Yeah, everyone's characters are balanced really well. It would be very exciting if this turned out to be one of those long, well written RP's.
Let's make this epic (:B)
Let's make this epic (:B)
KnightofShadows
Knight of Shadows ~ Keeper of The Balance
Sounds like a plan to me!Elvengarda said:
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
I'm really really bored (-n-)
I might try and type out a short story about one of Ina's missions with Lion's Irate for funs, I'll report back when it is done.
Just say so if you'd like to read it
I might try and type out a short story about one of Ina's missions with Lion's Irate for funs, I'll report back when it is done.
Just say so if you'd like to read it
Last edited by a moderator:
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
I think we're only waiting on Syrann and Isaac now.~ I hope they post soon, my fingers are itching to type!
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
yeah, let's hope they post soon 
I am also about halfway with my short story ^-^
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done
I am also about halfway with my short story ^-^
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done
Footsteps sounded from below, slowly crawling their way up the stairs towards him in silence and with a stiff composure, and he knew they were coming for him. Slowly he opened his eyes, only to see nothing, the rays of the sun that sometimes shone through the cracks in the wall now gone. A moonless night… tonight would be something big, something important.
A loud knock on the metal door, and a ruthless voice yelling for him to wake up, not caring to check whether or not he was already awake. They didn’t care beyond his purpose, but at least he had one in this cold, hallowed world. Slowly the door started to creak open, the ever changing orange light of flame clashing with his violet eyes, as he stared beyond his room, beyond his personal prison.
“Good morning, little Ina, we have another job for you.” There was no affection, no compassion in the wardens voice, despite the words… only ridicule and sarcasm of a man who was too confident. A little switch was flipped, and a small stroke of spikes that covered the floor around him (besides a small little circular spot where he could stand and lay down) retracted.
“You’re going to do some runs with a new member, so be sure to show you were trained well.” The warden spoke like he was a dog, as if he couldn’t really understand what was going on, and only proud of his own efforts in… training him apparently. Like a man who forgot dogs could bite. Still, Ina followed, and walked towards the door, carefully eyeing the whip tied around the waist of the warden.
His hands and feet were chained, allowing for him only to move about two meters before it ended, and he couldn’t talk as a piece of cloth was tied around his mouth. It was only for show though, to make sure the new member wouldn’t feel threatened by him, which was a joke in itself as he was a scrawny, unarmed teenager at best. He looked at the man who was a new member of Lion’s Irate, tall, fairly muscular and a similar demeanor as the warden. They never changed.
“Are you sure this slave won’t simply hold me back?” The warden let out a loud laugh, but it was cold and unfriendly, Ina hadn’t actually ever heard him really laugh the way nature had intended.
“Don’t worry about it, the boy is conditioned well enough to do anything you say when you say it.” The warden moved behind him and started to undo his handcuffs, and in a soft yet dangerous voice whispered “I want a full report” Ina knew what it meant, and didn’t need any further explanation, this mission was meant to test the new member to see if he was fully ingrained into Lion’s Irate. He gave a near invisible nod that he understood what was expected of him. He looked at the man, and wondered if he’d survive the night, he looked physically capable at least, but they all did… otherwise they wouldn’t have been given the test to begin with.
“Tonio Scutese, tonight you will assassinate the captain of the watch of Rosfere, this will be your final test to see if you are up to the task. To assess your progress, we will send one of our slaves with you,” The boss spoke against the man, who was now standing with his ceremonial weapons, dressed up in the practical gear of Lion’s Irate assassins. Ina sat near the door, his at least third hand and run down uniform out of place to the clothes of the members and leaders in the room. He only had a small stiletto tied to his belt, and a slave would never own anything better than that. It was functional though, and quick, and that was all he really needed.
“Speak up Inanis, slave and servant of our order, and declare your purpose.” This was standard procedure of the ceremony, and he calmly though quickly stood up, averting his eyes from the leaders. He made a deep, static bow, first to the leader of Lion’s Irate, and then a shorter salute with his right hand on his heart and his left hand a fist on his lower back while clacking his heels once. He did this to the leader and to each side of the room where the other members sat in rows. Lastly he saluted the new member, and loudly spoke.
“I shall serve as your assessor and determine you will be worth of the title of Assassin, I will, not in a single way, correct you or help you with your task from the moment you leave, to the moment you are back within this, or any other assigned building of Lion’s Irate. If you are rendered immobile, are wounded, or in any other such way made incapable of finishing the mission, it will be my task and honor to finish the assignment and return you, or your remains aforementioned buildings. If under any circumstances there is a possibility to save your life over my own, it is my duty to do so as a servant and slave to this house, but you have no right to command me to my demise or decay for your own gain in this mission. Both mine and your life are expendable in the face of serving our house, Lion’s Irate, and will be put second to finishing this mission” Ina again made a salute to the new member and a bow to the leader, then trade back from the foreground and sat by the door again. He knew the procedure at heart, and had repeated it nearly fifty times now in the last five years, to the point where he could dream every detail of it. Countless nights he had been expendable… only to return every time.
“Do you have any other questions about the task that lies before you?” The leader finished after the details had been revealed, and the man seemed to indeed have a question. Even the strongest, fastest and most intelligent men turned shy in these quarters, the heart of one of the three giant gangs ruling the Third Stein, only preceded by the Red Queen herself. A bit shifty he looked back at Ina, and then proceeded to talk.
“Why do I have to take a boy with me whose voice just barely started to break?” The man had a point any other day of the week, but there was a reason he had survived for so long, though of course he couldn’t know that. It still made him doubt himself though, and he knew people would be asking that question for many years to come, just like they had for all those five years in the past. The leader just smiled though, and then softly spoke.
“You will see why, and never again doubt our decisions, or face the repercussions.” Scared, the man just nodded.
“Yes sir, of course sir.” He quickly added, and Ina couldn’t help but slightly smile at the naivety, it was perhaps true he was small and seemed fragile, but none had the right to doubt the decisions put upon them. You did what you were told, or you died, either by your tasks, or by the knife in your back.
Quietly Ina followed in the steps of the man, his shoes making no sound on the sandy road. They barely seemed to leave an impression at all, and it was the result of years of training to be as silent as possible, until he figured out how to distribute his weight in such a manner he moved quietly like a cat. Tonio on the other hand didn’t seem to have quite mastered this feat, though it was perhaps a bit unfair to compare, since he was large and muscular, and it was harder to be silent. The footprints he left were big, and easily traceable, especially on the muddy ground. Ina made a mental note of it all, and the man wasn’t exactly off to a good start. Perhaps he was one of the loudest movers he had ever had the honor of assessing, if not the loudest.
They had gone to the town by horse, and now were walking towards it, with about half a mile left until they reached the stone wall around it. Rosfere had a thriving black market, which meant the protection was high, especially for the Third Stein, stone walls and armored militia where the standard here. Though walls posed no problem for him, he wondered how Tonio would react to them. This should be a good mission for any assassin, not undoable, but still challenging, and if a newbie couldn’t finish, or did it sloppy, they had no place among the real assassins.
The gate was of course already closed, and the wall was covered with guards and torches. Though not everything was left equally protected though, outside the town small huts were built as the town had exceeded its available ground. He could also vaguely spot a forest on the far right side of the wall, all good places to watch and see if there was a gap in the pattern of guards to cross the wall. Silently he watched to see what his associate would choose, and it seemed to be one of the ghettos.
“Do you need any help getting over the wall?” Tonio asked, actually worried, but Ina just smiled at him and though it was actually nice to have someone seem genuine to him it was unfortunate it was over the wrong thing.
“I am not allowed to interfere with the mission at any point, please do as you see fit and I will follow.” He was not allowed to speak at all besides that sentence, or warnings if the situation was about to become so dire it would certainly lead to death or failure. So he watched from the shadows as Tonio did an attempt at crossing the wall unseen, and he hoped it would be better than his skills at walking softly.
Though not with grace nor finesse, the wall was scaled fairly easily, and Tonio wasn’t seen. His manner of getting up the wall was… unique though. Ina wouldn’t describe it as sloppy, but it definitely wasn’t the most practical or aesthetically pleasing. He was sure the man had been trained well, everyone was, even the lowest servants were. Lion’s Irate did not allow failures or bad assassins, every single member was giving a thorough training, some didn’t even live to see their final tests. About half of the people who finished this mission successfully died in the first six months, and right now he feared Tonio wouldn’t be any different, even if he did survive the night.
Quickly, and not willing to waste any more time Ina crossed the wall, careful and fast at hoisting himself up the stones. Before he crossed the walkway on top he counted down the seconds in the pattern of the guards, and listened to the sounds of metal clinging in their armor and footsteps and torches moving away. He only had to count to three, before he hoisted himself up on one hand and with one quick, dead silent step jumped from one side to the other, turning around in the middle of his jump and grasping the stones just below the edge of the wall on the other side. He softly scaled down again from there, and the whole ordeal took perhaps seven seconds, from the moment he started to when he landed on the patch of grass on the other side. Of course he could’ve been faster, and just teleported to the other side instantly, but he liked the practice and maintaining his form. He had been locked up in his tiny room for three days now, and needed some good exercise. Aside from that, he wouldn’t get anywhere with showing off his powers for everything, trying to keep his cool and solve things without relying on his powers had helped him more than a few times in the past.
From the corner of his eye he saw Tonio disappear into the shadows of the larger buildings on the inside of town. Most of the windows were dimmed, but the streetlights were always kept on at night, to scare away critters and thieves, and whatever else would be lurking in the shadows. Quickly he followed from above, silently moving over the roofs to avoid the lights from the street. The captain of the watch would reside in his house at this time of the day, from the information they had he knew the whole family would be sleeping. There was an unwritten code amongst the assassins, that only the targets given were to be killed. Not the wives, not the husbands, not the children, none but the person you were told. He liked to tell himself that this world was already too gruesome, and if he could, he would keep his kills clean and swift. There was no need for cruelty, hate or vengeance, and it was that small, to some even meaningless line that kept him sane and somewhat in working order.
It was an exceptionally cool and fresh night, though not frosty, and Ina enjoyed taking deep breaths as he traversed roofs of the city like he was ethereal, following the very much physical Tonio. If everything went alright and they weren’t caught he would soon be back inside, something he dreaded. He hated it, being locked up and used like a weapon, a tool for Lion’s Irate. The only thing in the world he hated more than being used, was being purposeless and a waste of space, a being that could just as well not exist in this world. It was quite ironic that for this purpose, he had to pretend not to exist
And in that short moment of reminiscing he had lost sight of Tonio, like the man had vanished without a trace. Ina had to admit it was quite a feat to suddenly do that, and he could swear he had been on his tail for the whole time, but now he was just… gone. He tried to backtrack to the last point where he was sure he had seen him, and after a short search found familiar footprints in the mud. Cursing in himself for letting his guard down and losing track of his assessee, he cheated a bit by going even faster through teleportation, trying to regain some of the lost ground, but he already was at least a minute behind.
He arrived late at the house, a big stone villa in the center of town. It most likely was bought with blood and bribery, but he wasn’t in any position to be the judge of that, and he didn’t have time for it either. What he heard was panic inducing, the loud scream of a woman, and quickly after children crying, but he was still far away, and even at his fastest, he couldn’t arrive instantly. This had all gone horribly wrong already, just because he had been dreaming again at the wrong moment. Because he had enjoyed the outdoors for a little while.
The screams went loud and clear through the whole town, and some lights already started to go up in the neighboring houses. As fast as he could he ran, not even bothering with being silent anymore. He had to reach that house, try to save what could be saved, even though he knew the mission had already been broken into a thousand tiny shards. Like the window he broke to get into the top floor of the house, lit orange and blue by the light from outside as it was scattered across the room.
Ina never was bothered by it, as there were far louder sounds already, the woman’s screams had stopped and turned into soft crying, drowned out by the sound of Tonio yelling like a madman.
“You damn whore, why won’t you die!” He could hear the loud, sopping noise of a sword being plunged into flesh, and felt his face turn pale at the idea of what he might find behind the door. Still, he had to go on and see. Quietly he moved onto the top beams of the roof, and teleported through the wall.
The hallway was utter chaos, and there was blood everywhere, with Tonio frantically trying to clean of his katana with his shirt.
“Why couldn’t they stay still? They always do this to me.” He muttered angrily as he ferociously wiped a particularly persistent stain away. Ina tried to establish the situation in the room, but could barely look without feeling sick and angry, both at himself for letting this happen, and for Tonio for defying all code of honor. There were three bodies, two children and the woman, their mother, and a third child, a girl, still alive but clearly wounded. Tonio hadn’t noticed yet, as she was unconscious and completely still, but he could see the shallow breath. He had to divert the attention, making sure he wouldn’t look at her.
“What have you done?” Ina asked softly, dropping down from the ceiling, his feet immediately drenched in blood, and he could feel the last remnants of color seeping out of his face. There was no way to justify this bloodshed, as the man in front him clearly didn’t even know how to make a clean kill without having to tear people to shreds. The bloodstains and many cuts and bruises on the bodies told him enough, but he wanted an answer at least, a reason so perhaps he could at least slightly understand. Tonio seemed startled by his entrance from the ceiling, and for a short moment lifted his katana, but Ina wasn’t fazed by it at all, knowing the man in front of him was nothing but a sad excuse for an assassin and a Lion’s Irate member.
“I was just trying to kill the captain, so I entered their room and went for him. Then all of a sudden that wife of his started screaming, and went for the door, so I tried to stop her by slashing but she just kept going. So I had to cut the man up you know, and she had already went and tried to get her children out, but they were witnesses, so I killed them too. It’s all right now, they’re all dead either way, we can go.” There was this awful undertone in his voice, like he knew he made a mistake, but at all costs tried to justify it and make up an excuse.
“So you brutally murdered them?” There was no way to hide the disbelief and anger in his voice as he had no clue as to why someone would commit such an atrocity and then feign ignorance.
“Don’t talk to me like that you filthy slave! You’re just as expendable as them!” The man in front of him nearly screamed the insults, disregarding the last bit of stealth left. He still waved around his sword, pointing at the bodies and lastly at him. “Why shouldn’t I just kill you too and then just bail for it, you are meant to die for me anyway, you said so earlier.” Ina looked into the man’s eyes, and something seemed completely off, like a thing inside his mind had snapped and every logical and rational thing had just been thrown out of the window.
Outside startled voices started to grow, and the light now shone brightly through the windows. There was loud banging on the door, as people tried to get in. They had been caught, but Tonio didn’t seem to realize it, holding his katana up against Ina’s chin.
“Why did they even send you with me, some teenage brad trying to act all big and mighty just because he can tiptoe a bit. You’re just in my way.” The tip of the katana slowly started digging into his skin, and he held his hands up trying to calm down Tonio.
“We can talk about this later, we should just get out of here now while we still have time.” He tried, but he knew there was no saving this man, there was this empty gaze of madness in those eyes, letting go off all sense just to believe what he wanted to believe. But Ina still tried, knowing it was partly his fault for losing sight, though he still couldn’t have fathomed this would happen because of those few seconds.
“I still have time to get out, a phony kid like you would die anyway. So why not give you mercy, instead of that mod outside.” The tip of the katana now pierced his skin, and he felt blood slowly run down his neck. There really was no saving, no means of getting through to him, and he knew the punishment for this violation of the rules was nothing short of death.
“I am truly sorry you are in such denial of your own actions and skills, but I won’t allow a murderer like you to call yourself an assassin. And I am no phony kid, nor expendable…” He softly whispered, trying not to move his mouth too much as the katana now really dug deep into him. He still hoped Tonio would calm down, but he saw nothing but arrogance and pride, kept together by a terrible cruelty.
The man only closed his eyes once, enough to lose track of his target, the boy in front of him suddenly being there no more. Confused he looked around, too late to see what was behind him, but just in time to see those violet eyes burn with cold merciless intent to kill. There was no trace of hate, anger or arrogance, simply the look of someone who was about to reach the intended goal, which just so happened to be his death. Fear took over him, and he was unable to move, as with a slight smirk the boy moved closely and slowly whispered.
“I killed a hundred men like you.” Before the end of the sentence, a thin blade had moved precisely up his chest, piercing his heart. Before the full realization of what was happening set in, another clean cut slit his throat nicely in half, but he already wasn’t breathing anymore.
Ina let the lifeless body drop down to the floor, already dead before the soft thud of flesh on wood reached his ears. A clean kill, the only flaw being that there was one witness left. As he turned around he saw the eyes of the girl fixated on him in fear and pain, and his initial intend of killing dropped like a veil. She seemed to be slightly younger than him, dressed in a white, nicely decorated nightgown, now stained black with blood. Despite the mob outside trying to get closer and closer, he couldn’t leave her here, she had the right to know who had been the cause of her family’s demise, though he hadn’t been the one committing the act.
Slowly he moved closer to her, trying to appear as unintimidating as he could.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” He softly said, but the fear in her eyes told him she didn’t believe it, and she had all reason not to trust a strange boy covered in blood who had just killed someone. “I know you don’t believe me, but I won’t, I promise…” As he moved closer he kept talking in on her, trying not to scare her or make her injuries worse by her panicking, though the closer he got, the less he still had hope for her. From where he stood he could see a deep wound, apparently going entirely through her frail body, and her face was turning greyer with each word he said. Finally he reached her, and slowly he tried to see if there was anything he could do for her at all besides giving some comfort, but deep inside he knew it was hopeless. She was softly crying now, despite being barely able to breathe.
“It hurts, am I going to die… I don’t want to die. Please stop making it hurt.” He could feel his heart flee at her pleas, this was his fault, he was the reason why this happened, he could have prevented it if only he hadn’t been absent minded.
“I’m so s-sorry… i-I can’t… there is n-nothing I can d-do.” He slowly felt tears coming up as he looked at her struggling to live, and she was innocent, just a child caught in a terrible mistake and the wicked rage of the world. Robbed of all this freedom for no other goal than personal gain.
She looked at him with those pleading blue eyes, and she knew he was lying. He could see it, but he couldn’t do it, there was no way he could… and he grasped the hilt of his blade so tightly his nails dug into his flesh.
“i-I...,” he couldn’t mutter much more than that as his throat blocked simply at the thought, but he had to do it, and the idea of her dying slowly for hours to come only made him cry so much more. “I’m s-sorry.” He whispered as he drove the blade in her chest, a similar way as before. Tears streaming over his face as he felt how easily it went in, and at no point did it ever feel any different from those hundred times before her… while he cried as he saw her eyes turn blind and dark.
Broken he looted the daisho from Tonio’s body, his hands shaking and slowly turning sticky from the blood. But there was no time to clean them, he had to go, the door had already been breached while he was struggling to remove the straps with shaking hands. Once he got them, he already heard angry voices and men coming up the stairs, and as he looked up he saw a bright orange light shine from the staircase.
Scared by the noise and feeling more like he was about to faint than to run he teleported through the back wall and into a bedroom, before teleporting again to the roof outside. He looked around in disbelief as he saw the streets filled with curious peasants, all wanting to see what had happened in that giant stone house. Only he would be able to tell, like he was the only one able to tell the story of a hundred dead men, and as of today… the story of one innocent girl.
He ran, and only by the turning stars he could tell for how long, until he couldn’t run anymore. Never would he be able to run and this day he cursed his memory, wishing he could tear it all out at once, he didn’t want to remember anything of it, not a single day of his life. If only he had never been born, never been alive to see. Yet here he was, quietly crying his eyes out… a slave boy whose only purpose was to end lives, to steal, to plunder… to murder. His hands had seen the blood of so many people, and again they were stained black like the shadows the forest cast on him. Out of breath and broken he just kept staring at them and asking himself why, why did he let this happen… why did he have to be the one this happened to. Deep inside he felt rage boiling, and he wasn’t sure what he was angry with, except everything it seemed, this world, this guild he was in, this rotten purpose of him… but mostly at himself, and if only he wasn’t too much of a coward to turn that wretched blade on himself he would save so much people from death.
A scream broke the unearthly silence in the forest, but it did nothing to help his pain or sadness, it didn’t wash away the blood and most of all it didn’t make him a better person. Instead it just scared away some sleeping birds, who had nothing to do with it all. Softly crying he just buried his face in his hands and laid down on his knees, afraid of the punishment that would awaited him when he’d return in the morning, empty handed and broken.
Yet… the worst of all was that he deserved it, and he knew it.
A loud knock on the metal door, and a ruthless voice yelling for him to wake up, not caring to check whether or not he was already awake. They didn’t care beyond his purpose, but at least he had one in this cold, hallowed world. Slowly the door started to creak open, the ever changing orange light of flame clashing with his violet eyes, as he stared beyond his room, beyond his personal prison.
“Good morning, little Ina, we have another job for you.” There was no affection, no compassion in the wardens voice, despite the words… only ridicule and sarcasm of a man who was too confident. A little switch was flipped, and a small stroke of spikes that covered the floor around him (besides a small little circular spot where he could stand and lay down) retracted.
“You’re going to do some runs with a new member, so be sure to show you were trained well.” The warden spoke like he was a dog, as if he couldn’t really understand what was going on, and only proud of his own efforts in… training him apparently. Like a man who forgot dogs could bite. Still, Ina followed, and walked towards the door, carefully eyeing the whip tied around the waist of the warden.
His hands and feet were chained, allowing for him only to move about two meters before it ended, and he couldn’t talk as a piece of cloth was tied around his mouth. It was only for show though, to make sure the new member wouldn’t feel threatened by him, which was a joke in itself as he was a scrawny, unarmed teenager at best. He looked at the man who was a new member of Lion’s Irate, tall, fairly muscular and a similar demeanor as the warden. They never changed.
“Are you sure this slave won’t simply hold me back?” The warden let out a loud laugh, but it was cold and unfriendly, Ina hadn’t actually ever heard him really laugh the way nature had intended.
“Don’t worry about it, the boy is conditioned well enough to do anything you say when you say it.” The warden moved behind him and started to undo his handcuffs, and in a soft yet dangerous voice whispered “I want a full report” Ina knew what it meant, and didn’t need any further explanation, this mission was meant to test the new member to see if he was fully ingrained into Lion’s Irate. He gave a near invisible nod that he understood what was expected of him. He looked at the man, and wondered if he’d survive the night, he looked physically capable at least, but they all did… otherwise they wouldn’t have been given the test to begin with.
“Tonio Scutese, tonight you will assassinate the captain of the watch of Rosfere, this will be your final test to see if you are up to the task. To assess your progress, we will send one of our slaves with you,” The boss spoke against the man, who was now standing with his ceremonial weapons, dressed up in the practical gear of Lion’s Irate assassins. Ina sat near the door, his at least third hand and run down uniform out of place to the clothes of the members and leaders in the room. He only had a small stiletto tied to his belt, and a slave would never own anything better than that. It was functional though, and quick, and that was all he really needed.
“Speak up Inanis, slave and servant of our order, and declare your purpose.” This was standard procedure of the ceremony, and he calmly though quickly stood up, averting his eyes from the leaders. He made a deep, static bow, first to the leader of Lion’s Irate, and then a shorter salute with his right hand on his heart and his left hand a fist on his lower back while clacking his heels once. He did this to the leader and to each side of the room where the other members sat in rows. Lastly he saluted the new member, and loudly spoke.
“I shall serve as your assessor and determine you will be worth of the title of Assassin, I will, not in a single way, correct you or help you with your task from the moment you leave, to the moment you are back within this, or any other assigned building of Lion’s Irate. If you are rendered immobile, are wounded, or in any other such way made incapable of finishing the mission, it will be my task and honor to finish the assignment and return you, or your remains aforementioned buildings. If under any circumstances there is a possibility to save your life over my own, it is my duty to do so as a servant and slave to this house, but you have no right to command me to my demise or decay for your own gain in this mission. Both mine and your life are expendable in the face of serving our house, Lion’s Irate, and will be put second to finishing this mission” Ina again made a salute to the new member and a bow to the leader, then trade back from the foreground and sat by the door again. He knew the procedure at heart, and had repeated it nearly fifty times now in the last five years, to the point where he could dream every detail of it. Countless nights he had been expendable… only to return every time.
“Do you have any other questions about the task that lies before you?” The leader finished after the details had been revealed, and the man seemed to indeed have a question. Even the strongest, fastest and most intelligent men turned shy in these quarters, the heart of one of the three giant gangs ruling the Third Stein, only preceded by the Red Queen herself. A bit shifty he looked back at Ina, and then proceeded to talk.
“Why do I have to take a boy with me whose voice just barely started to break?” The man had a point any other day of the week, but there was a reason he had survived for so long, though of course he couldn’t know that. It still made him doubt himself though, and he knew people would be asking that question for many years to come, just like they had for all those five years in the past. The leader just smiled though, and then softly spoke.
“You will see why, and never again doubt our decisions, or face the repercussions.” Scared, the man just nodded.
“Yes sir, of course sir.” He quickly added, and Ina couldn’t help but slightly smile at the naivety, it was perhaps true he was small and seemed fragile, but none had the right to doubt the decisions put upon them. You did what you were told, or you died, either by your tasks, or by the knife in your back.
Quietly Ina followed in the steps of the man, his shoes making no sound on the sandy road. They barely seemed to leave an impression at all, and it was the result of years of training to be as silent as possible, until he figured out how to distribute his weight in such a manner he moved quietly like a cat. Tonio on the other hand didn’t seem to have quite mastered this feat, though it was perhaps a bit unfair to compare, since he was large and muscular, and it was harder to be silent. The footprints he left were big, and easily traceable, especially on the muddy ground. Ina made a mental note of it all, and the man wasn’t exactly off to a good start. Perhaps he was one of the loudest movers he had ever had the honor of assessing, if not the loudest.
They had gone to the town by horse, and now were walking towards it, with about half a mile left until they reached the stone wall around it. Rosfere had a thriving black market, which meant the protection was high, especially for the Third Stein, stone walls and armored militia where the standard here. Though walls posed no problem for him, he wondered how Tonio would react to them. This should be a good mission for any assassin, not undoable, but still challenging, and if a newbie couldn’t finish, or did it sloppy, they had no place among the real assassins.
The gate was of course already closed, and the wall was covered with guards and torches. Though not everything was left equally protected though, outside the town small huts were built as the town had exceeded its available ground. He could also vaguely spot a forest on the far right side of the wall, all good places to watch and see if there was a gap in the pattern of guards to cross the wall. Silently he watched to see what his associate would choose, and it seemed to be one of the ghettos.
“Do you need any help getting over the wall?” Tonio asked, actually worried, but Ina just smiled at him and though it was actually nice to have someone seem genuine to him it was unfortunate it was over the wrong thing.
“I am not allowed to interfere with the mission at any point, please do as you see fit and I will follow.” He was not allowed to speak at all besides that sentence, or warnings if the situation was about to become so dire it would certainly lead to death or failure. So he watched from the shadows as Tonio did an attempt at crossing the wall unseen, and he hoped it would be better than his skills at walking softly.
Though not with grace nor finesse, the wall was scaled fairly easily, and Tonio wasn’t seen. His manner of getting up the wall was… unique though. Ina wouldn’t describe it as sloppy, but it definitely wasn’t the most practical or aesthetically pleasing. He was sure the man had been trained well, everyone was, even the lowest servants were. Lion’s Irate did not allow failures or bad assassins, every single member was giving a thorough training, some didn’t even live to see their final tests. About half of the people who finished this mission successfully died in the first six months, and right now he feared Tonio wouldn’t be any different, even if he did survive the night.
Quickly, and not willing to waste any more time Ina crossed the wall, careful and fast at hoisting himself up the stones. Before he crossed the walkway on top he counted down the seconds in the pattern of the guards, and listened to the sounds of metal clinging in their armor and footsteps and torches moving away. He only had to count to three, before he hoisted himself up on one hand and with one quick, dead silent step jumped from one side to the other, turning around in the middle of his jump and grasping the stones just below the edge of the wall on the other side. He softly scaled down again from there, and the whole ordeal took perhaps seven seconds, from the moment he started to when he landed on the patch of grass on the other side. Of course he could’ve been faster, and just teleported to the other side instantly, but he liked the practice and maintaining his form. He had been locked up in his tiny room for three days now, and needed some good exercise. Aside from that, he wouldn’t get anywhere with showing off his powers for everything, trying to keep his cool and solve things without relying on his powers had helped him more than a few times in the past.
From the corner of his eye he saw Tonio disappear into the shadows of the larger buildings on the inside of town. Most of the windows were dimmed, but the streetlights were always kept on at night, to scare away critters and thieves, and whatever else would be lurking in the shadows. Quickly he followed from above, silently moving over the roofs to avoid the lights from the street. The captain of the watch would reside in his house at this time of the day, from the information they had he knew the whole family would be sleeping. There was an unwritten code amongst the assassins, that only the targets given were to be killed. Not the wives, not the husbands, not the children, none but the person you were told. He liked to tell himself that this world was already too gruesome, and if he could, he would keep his kills clean and swift. There was no need for cruelty, hate or vengeance, and it was that small, to some even meaningless line that kept him sane and somewhat in working order.
It was an exceptionally cool and fresh night, though not frosty, and Ina enjoyed taking deep breaths as he traversed roofs of the city like he was ethereal, following the very much physical Tonio. If everything went alright and they weren’t caught he would soon be back inside, something he dreaded. He hated it, being locked up and used like a weapon, a tool for Lion’s Irate. The only thing in the world he hated more than being used, was being purposeless and a waste of space, a being that could just as well not exist in this world. It was quite ironic that for this purpose, he had to pretend not to exist
And in that short moment of reminiscing he had lost sight of Tonio, like the man had vanished without a trace. Ina had to admit it was quite a feat to suddenly do that, and he could swear he had been on his tail for the whole time, but now he was just… gone. He tried to backtrack to the last point where he was sure he had seen him, and after a short search found familiar footprints in the mud. Cursing in himself for letting his guard down and losing track of his assessee, he cheated a bit by going even faster through teleportation, trying to regain some of the lost ground, but he already was at least a minute behind.
He arrived late at the house, a big stone villa in the center of town. It most likely was bought with blood and bribery, but he wasn’t in any position to be the judge of that, and he didn’t have time for it either. What he heard was panic inducing, the loud scream of a woman, and quickly after children crying, but he was still far away, and even at his fastest, he couldn’t arrive instantly. This had all gone horribly wrong already, just because he had been dreaming again at the wrong moment. Because he had enjoyed the outdoors for a little while.
The screams went loud and clear through the whole town, and some lights already started to go up in the neighboring houses. As fast as he could he ran, not even bothering with being silent anymore. He had to reach that house, try to save what could be saved, even though he knew the mission had already been broken into a thousand tiny shards. Like the window he broke to get into the top floor of the house, lit orange and blue by the light from outside as it was scattered across the room.
Ina never was bothered by it, as there were far louder sounds already, the woman’s screams had stopped and turned into soft crying, drowned out by the sound of Tonio yelling like a madman.
“You damn whore, why won’t you die!” He could hear the loud, sopping noise of a sword being plunged into flesh, and felt his face turn pale at the idea of what he might find behind the door. Still, he had to go on and see. Quietly he moved onto the top beams of the roof, and teleported through the wall.
The hallway was utter chaos, and there was blood everywhere, with Tonio frantically trying to clean of his katana with his shirt.
“Why couldn’t they stay still? They always do this to me.” He muttered angrily as he ferociously wiped a particularly persistent stain away. Ina tried to establish the situation in the room, but could barely look without feeling sick and angry, both at himself for letting this happen, and for Tonio for defying all code of honor. There were three bodies, two children and the woman, their mother, and a third child, a girl, still alive but clearly wounded. Tonio hadn’t noticed yet, as she was unconscious and completely still, but he could see the shallow breath. He had to divert the attention, making sure he wouldn’t look at her.
“What have you done?” Ina asked softly, dropping down from the ceiling, his feet immediately drenched in blood, and he could feel the last remnants of color seeping out of his face. There was no way to justify this bloodshed, as the man in front him clearly didn’t even know how to make a clean kill without having to tear people to shreds. The bloodstains and many cuts and bruises on the bodies told him enough, but he wanted an answer at least, a reason so perhaps he could at least slightly understand. Tonio seemed startled by his entrance from the ceiling, and for a short moment lifted his katana, but Ina wasn’t fazed by it at all, knowing the man in front of him was nothing but a sad excuse for an assassin and a Lion’s Irate member.
“I was just trying to kill the captain, so I entered their room and went for him. Then all of a sudden that wife of his started screaming, and went for the door, so I tried to stop her by slashing but she just kept going. So I had to cut the man up you know, and she had already went and tried to get her children out, but they were witnesses, so I killed them too. It’s all right now, they’re all dead either way, we can go.” There was this awful undertone in his voice, like he knew he made a mistake, but at all costs tried to justify it and make up an excuse.
“So you brutally murdered them?” There was no way to hide the disbelief and anger in his voice as he had no clue as to why someone would commit such an atrocity and then feign ignorance.
“Don’t talk to me like that you filthy slave! You’re just as expendable as them!” The man in front of him nearly screamed the insults, disregarding the last bit of stealth left. He still waved around his sword, pointing at the bodies and lastly at him. “Why shouldn’t I just kill you too and then just bail for it, you are meant to die for me anyway, you said so earlier.” Ina looked into the man’s eyes, and something seemed completely off, like a thing inside his mind had snapped and every logical and rational thing had just been thrown out of the window.
Outside startled voices started to grow, and the light now shone brightly through the windows. There was loud banging on the door, as people tried to get in. They had been caught, but Tonio didn’t seem to realize it, holding his katana up against Ina’s chin.
“Why did they even send you with me, some teenage brad trying to act all big and mighty just because he can tiptoe a bit. You’re just in my way.” The tip of the katana slowly started digging into his skin, and he held his hands up trying to calm down Tonio.
“We can talk about this later, we should just get out of here now while we still have time.” He tried, but he knew there was no saving this man, there was this empty gaze of madness in those eyes, letting go off all sense just to believe what he wanted to believe. But Ina still tried, knowing it was partly his fault for losing sight, though he still couldn’t have fathomed this would happen because of those few seconds.
“I still have time to get out, a phony kid like you would die anyway. So why not give you mercy, instead of that mod outside.” The tip of the katana now pierced his skin, and he felt blood slowly run down his neck. There really was no saving, no means of getting through to him, and he knew the punishment for this violation of the rules was nothing short of death.
“I am truly sorry you are in such denial of your own actions and skills, but I won’t allow a murderer like you to call yourself an assassin. And I am no phony kid, nor expendable…” He softly whispered, trying not to move his mouth too much as the katana now really dug deep into him. He still hoped Tonio would calm down, but he saw nothing but arrogance and pride, kept together by a terrible cruelty.
The man only closed his eyes once, enough to lose track of his target, the boy in front of him suddenly being there no more. Confused he looked around, too late to see what was behind him, but just in time to see those violet eyes burn with cold merciless intent to kill. There was no trace of hate, anger or arrogance, simply the look of someone who was about to reach the intended goal, which just so happened to be his death. Fear took over him, and he was unable to move, as with a slight smirk the boy moved closely and slowly whispered.
“I killed a hundred men like you.” Before the end of the sentence, a thin blade had moved precisely up his chest, piercing his heart. Before the full realization of what was happening set in, another clean cut slit his throat nicely in half, but he already wasn’t breathing anymore.
Ina let the lifeless body drop down to the floor, already dead before the soft thud of flesh on wood reached his ears. A clean kill, the only flaw being that there was one witness left. As he turned around he saw the eyes of the girl fixated on him in fear and pain, and his initial intend of killing dropped like a veil. She seemed to be slightly younger than him, dressed in a white, nicely decorated nightgown, now stained black with blood. Despite the mob outside trying to get closer and closer, he couldn’t leave her here, she had the right to know who had been the cause of her family’s demise, though he hadn’t been the one committing the act.
Slowly he moved closer to her, trying to appear as unintimidating as he could.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” He softly said, but the fear in her eyes told him she didn’t believe it, and she had all reason not to trust a strange boy covered in blood who had just killed someone. “I know you don’t believe me, but I won’t, I promise…” As he moved closer he kept talking in on her, trying not to scare her or make her injuries worse by her panicking, though the closer he got, the less he still had hope for her. From where he stood he could see a deep wound, apparently going entirely through her frail body, and her face was turning greyer with each word he said. Finally he reached her, and slowly he tried to see if there was anything he could do for her at all besides giving some comfort, but deep inside he knew it was hopeless. She was softly crying now, despite being barely able to breathe.
“It hurts, am I going to die… I don’t want to die. Please stop making it hurt.” He could feel his heart flee at her pleas, this was his fault, he was the reason why this happened, he could have prevented it if only he hadn’t been absent minded.
“I’m so s-sorry… i-I can’t… there is n-nothing I can d-do.” He slowly felt tears coming up as he looked at her struggling to live, and she was innocent, just a child caught in a terrible mistake and the wicked rage of the world. Robbed of all this freedom for no other goal than personal gain.
She looked at him with those pleading blue eyes, and she knew he was lying. He could see it, but he couldn’t do it, there was no way he could… and he grasped the hilt of his blade so tightly his nails dug into his flesh.
“i-I...,” he couldn’t mutter much more than that as his throat blocked simply at the thought, but he had to do it, and the idea of her dying slowly for hours to come only made him cry so much more. “I’m s-sorry.” He whispered as he drove the blade in her chest, a similar way as before. Tears streaming over his face as he felt how easily it went in, and at no point did it ever feel any different from those hundred times before her… while he cried as he saw her eyes turn blind and dark.
Broken he looted the daisho from Tonio’s body, his hands shaking and slowly turning sticky from the blood. But there was no time to clean them, he had to go, the door had already been breached while he was struggling to remove the straps with shaking hands. Once he got them, he already heard angry voices and men coming up the stairs, and as he looked up he saw a bright orange light shine from the staircase.
Scared by the noise and feeling more like he was about to faint than to run he teleported through the back wall and into a bedroom, before teleporting again to the roof outside. He looked around in disbelief as he saw the streets filled with curious peasants, all wanting to see what had happened in that giant stone house. Only he would be able to tell, like he was the only one able to tell the story of a hundred dead men, and as of today… the story of one innocent girl.
He ran, and only by the turning stars he could tell for how long, until he couldn’t run anymore. Never would he be able to run and this day he cursed his memory, wishing he could tear it all out at once, he didn’t want to remember anything of it, not a single day of his life. If only he had never been born, never been alive to see. Yet here he was, quietly crying his eyes out… a slave boy whose only purpose was to end lives, to steal, to plunder… to murder. His hands had seen the blood of so many people, and again they were stained black like the shadows the forest cast on him. Out of breath and broken he just kept staring at them and asking himself why, why did he let this happen… why did he have to be the one this happened to. Deep inside he felt rage boiling, and he wasn’t sure what he was angry with, except everything it seemed, this world, this guild he was in, this rotten purpose of him… but mostly at himself, and if only he wasn’t too much of a coward to turn that wretched blade on himself he would save so much people from death.
A scream broke the unearthly silence in the forest, but it did nothing to help his pain or sadness, it didn’t wash away the blood and most of all it didn’t make him a better person. Instead it just scared away some sleeping birds, who had nothing to do with it all. Softly crying he just buried his face in his hands and laid down on his knees, afraid of the punishment that would awaited him when he’d return in the morning, empty handed and broken.
Yet… the worst of all was that he deserved it, and he knew it.
Last edited by a moderator:
noticemeknot
Ms Believer
... °o°
That just intensified my RP desire. Holy cow.
That just intensified my RP desire. Holy cow.
InsanEleven
King Allyn the Autistic
If only they'd hurry (x_x)
I also wanted to clear up Ina's past, as I didn't think that the backstory/what we have up until now entirely justify his personality and how he got there in the first place.
He isn't "weak" in any sense of the word really, but he thinks that about himself because of mistakes he made and what he was told all his life. Deep inside he does know that he is actually one of the best assassins/thief still alive, but he also knows that he isn't perfect, and that isn't something to be particularly proud of. So I hope this makes clear what his motives are.
I also wanted to clear up Ina's past, as I didn't think that the backstory/what we have up until now entirely justify his personality and how he got there in the first place.
He isn't "weak" in any sense of the word really, but he thinks that about himself because of mistakes he made and what he was told all his life. Deep inside he does know that he is actually one of the best assassins/thief still alive, but he also knows that he isn't perfect, and that isn't something to be particularly proud of. So I hope this makes clear what his motives are.
Last edited by a moderator:
Dragongal
Miss Medic
Unwavering Knight
Fool's Errant
@Dragongal - on it!
