Ever Fake Your Own Death? (Job)

Somewhere along the outskirts of a forest, a pink haired girl in her teens could be seen trudging along a small path towards a small, shabby-looking house. Swatting away a pesky bug, she walked up to the front door and knocked on it gently. She cast a quick glance at the overgrown weeds and wilted flowers in what should've been a garden and her eyes narrowed. Such a shame. It would've been a lovely sight had he bothered to look after them.

The wooden door creaked open moments later to reveal a man, who looked to be a head taller than her. He had a slightly tanned complexion, spiked brown hair, and dark grey eyes. To others, the unfriendly look he had on his face would've intimidated them, but for a well-trained person like her, her expression gave away nothing. "Hello. I'm here for the job." she greeted. The man studied her briefly, letting his eyes linger on her torso for a brief moment, then allowed her to enter his home. Leading her to the living room, she and the man both took their seats.

They first began with introductions. After exchanging their names, Hana learned that this man had previously been a master thief, one that was quite well known a few years back. She'd hear of him every now and then, about the things he'd stolen. She'd also seen him too, at certain meetings and gatherings, jobs as well, and he left quite an impression on her. However, his sudden death a few years back ended his reputation, so he was forgotten by most. Little knew of his survival and the family he had to leave behind. 'Well, at least he didn't drag his family into it.'This was then followed by a short explanation on what she had to do. Afterwards, she was given information on Urlong and the bandit clan. She assumed that the only one she had to keep an eye out for was Urlong. The rest shouldn't be difficult to deal with if they didn't use magic.

"So, how have you been the past few years, Lullaby?" Red eyes narrowed at the sound of her alias. He remembered their brief encounters. An excellent memory he had, since those had occured many years ago, when she was much younger and didn't have much of a reputation. She gave a nonchalant shrug to show that there wasn't anything noticeably interesting that had happened, if she didn't count the joining of guilds. But of course, all that was long ago, and she didn't really want to think about it. Nox Animus' sudden downfall was... Painful, to say the least, and she was still in the process if getting over it. It would probably be a while before she would feel ready to join a guild again, much less form any bonds or friendships. Things like that were fragile, and they fell apart easily.

Hana spent the next few minutes memorizing as much as she could of the information she'd be given on the bandits. There were quite a few of the, but judging from how he described them, they probably weren't very bright. There were a few that she had to keep an eye out for, so she had to stay alert and be careful. Neither exchanged any words for a short while before her employer broke the silence. "I presume you know what you need to do?" he questioned, and she gave a quick nod. Standing up, she made her way over to the door, her feet barely making any noise as she walked. The brunette man cast a quick glance at her feet, noting to himself that she had been trained well. He couldn't help but smirk. Takashi had raised and trained himself a good puppet. The poor girl was now just a living weapon.

As the fair, red eyed maiden stepped out of the shabby house, the ex-criminal called out to her. "Just some friendly advice, kiddo. That man... He's like a snake. You can't trust him." Hana had half a mind to turn around and hit him for insulting Takashi, but she kept her cool. It was not professional for her to hit a client. Asarael, watching all this from within Hana, could only chuckle. His contractor already knew. She was simply too stubborn and foolish to let herself understand that, but she would in due time.

Moments later, the girl could be seen trekking through the woods, currently on her way to the location of Urlong and his bandit clansmen. As much as she hated to admit it, she found some sort of truth in her client's words, though she had no reason not desire to believe that she couldn't trust Takashi. For as long as she could remember, he had been raising her and Mikoto without really asking for much in return, aside from her involvement in the organization, but he'd already done a lot for them. Mikoto was still alive and well because of him, and she was grateful for that. Stopping underneath a large tree to rest under the shade it's large canopy provided, she looked up to the vast cerulean sky. The weather was particularly hot and unpleasant that day, which bothered her. She especially disliked having to work in such conditions. If she spent to much time in the heat, she got headaches, sometimes even fevers. Grumbling to herself, she wondered whether the job was worth the pay, but decided to continue the mission anyway, and see that it was a successful one.

Moments after her short break to get out of the sun, as the red-clad girl continued with her brief journey towards the given location of the Urlong bandit clan, Hana wondered if she'd end up doing the same thing as her client did, just to protect his loved ones who were innocent. His false death had quite an impact in the underworld. The rumors spread like wildfire, and pretty much almost everyone involved in the underworld had heard the news in less than a week, from all over Fiore. As a master thief, he was sought after for his skills and therefore many organizations were furious. Drug dealers, bandits, organizations - especially hers. As Takashi had been trying to recruit him for a while, his false death left the head of Serpentine furious. It was good to know that his magic wasn't as strong as it once was, otherwise things could've been awful. Especially for the lower ranked members. It was one hell of a week.

She considered knocking him out and bringing him to Takashi. He'd be so pleased, wouldn't he? She imagined that he'd praise her once more, and say that he was proud of her. She loved hearing him speak so pleasantly of her. It made her feel... Loved, perhaps? Or would wanted be a better word? But aside from that, she doubted that he'd let her catch him. Heck, he probably fled after she left or something, aware that her loyalties lay with her father.

'Poor child. If only she knew.'

Hana stopped in her tracks out of the blue, her ears picking up voices nearby. Quickly, and quietly, she took to the trees and took cover behind a branch that was covered in leaves. She stayed still, and was eerily silent. Not long after, a small group of men appeared. Behind them, they dragged a cart full of hay. Or at least, it appeared to carry only hay. Most people would simply think of them as mere transporters. However, Hana could smell the metal beneath the hay. Plus, the tip of a blade - possibly from an axe or sword - was poking out slightly from the hay. It wouldn't be too hard to fine if one looked close enough. "Amateurs. Even I didn't make a mistake like that when I first started." she murmured to herself, unamused.

Finally realizing what the cart was holding, the pink-haired girl's lips formed into what looked like a shadow of a smile.

"Food. A cartload of it too." Asarael let out barely audible groan at his contractor. She always had been a glutton.

Hana's body remained still, her mind calm and slowly forming multiple plans at the same time. The cartload of her element was appetizing to her - especially when she hadn't had lunch yet. However, she had to wait. For all she knew, they could be weapon merchants or men from other clans. It wasn't good to start issues with the other clans or organizations, especially when she belonged to one of the top few that were well known in the underworld.

Her focus returned to the unsuspecting men below, who had begun bickering and shoving each other about. The distance she maintained between them was far, but close enough for her to listen to what they were saying. She confirmed that they belonged to the targeted clan, judging from how the name Urlong had been mentioned many times in the conversations. As they moved along the dirt path, Hana followed, maintaining a gap of about 5 trees or so behind and taking care that she gave away no sign of her presence there. As hungry as she was, the girl knew better than to foolishly attack. She did have a lot of time on her hands anyway. Or so she had thought.

Hours had passed and the stupid men were still moving at a snail's pace, engrossed in their conversations like a group of old ladies chatting over tea. Not that she meant any offense to the real ones. It also did not help at all when they took breaks in between that lasted for about forty minutes or so, and that the wheels on the cart they pulled occasionally got stuck in potholes or mud. The pink-haired mage's impatience got the better of her, and she snapped. She could find her way to the place on her own. After all, the only reason she decided to follow them was to be sure she didn't get lost. Her sense of direction was a little... Untrustworthy, but anything was better than waiting forever to arrive. With a quick, soft mutter of, "Needle Shower" the spell was cast, and dozens of glinting needles rained down on the men, eliciting surprised yelps and pain-filled shouts. Unconsciously, she smirked at her handiwork, and would have giggled at the sight had she not realized her unusual behaviour. Asarael's influence was definitely having its effects on her mentality. Pushing the matter aside, she leaped out from her hiding spot, aiming to land in the cart full of weapons. And possibly food afterwards.

Cool down:
Needle Shower - 2 posts

The member 'Hana Suzuki' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

"What the-?!"

"Ambush! There, three o' clock!"

Although a little on the tardy side, they'd managed to compose themselves and spotted her the moment she lept out, accompanied by the rustle of leaves that gave away the fact that she was here. It didn't matter much though, she thought, as she landed in the cart of weapons and hay with a loud thump. The cart creaked under the impact, threatening to give out under the sudden load of extra weight. Wasting no time, she grabbed a curved sword and a small dagger from the cart, and immediately went for the nearest man. The curved blade went for his neck, slicing across skin and flesh and drawing blood from the wound. The man gurgled, clutching at the area with fresh blood leaking out. However, he did not fall, rather picking up his own weapon and swinging it wildly at her. She dodged in time and did not recieve a fatal strike, instead getting a small amount of hair sliced off cleanly. She clicked her tongue, the long sword yet again diving towards the man, this time landing another wound at his throat. The gurgling increased, before he fell to the ground in a fit of spasms and choking noises. It didn't take long for his breathing to stop, his eyes wide open and bloodshot.

Hana looked at the remainder of the trio, noticing that they were dressed differently from the man. Both held curved blades - like the one that she currently had in her hands. One had a shield, one didn't. She sighed, wondering which one she would have to deal with first. A shield would be troublesome when she tried to attack, and it gave them an opportunity to counter her. She ran through as many scenarios as possible in her head, the two remaining men staring at her in well-concealed shock and horror. Then the one holding the shield charged forward first, sword in his left hand and shield his right. The two soon engaged in battle, the man's companion waiting and keenly observing by the sidelines, which puzzled the girl slightly, but she reminded herself to keep her guard up in case he tried to be funny. Preferring to reserve her magic for later on, when she'd have to deal with Urlong and perhaps high ranking members of his clan, she tried her best not to use any at all and stick mainly with hand to hand and weapon to weapon, keeping a tight grip on her weapons and balancing herself on steady, agile feet.

Cool downs:
Needle Shower - 1 post

It was sort of a dance, although it was obvious that Hana, as a higher ranked wizard and professionally trained killer, had the upper hand. She did however, have to commend her opponent, for he was holding against her fairly well. His comrade stood by the sidelines, as if respecting his fellow clans member. She sighs. Men and their pride.

A quick glance from the corner of her eye told her that he had his guard up, from how he had his sword in hand, ready to join in if necessary. She grumbles as she dodged yet another combination of low kicks and swings of her opponent's blade, then let out a grunt when he hit her in the abdomen with the child, whilst she was distracted in her thoughts. If he was glad to have finally landed a hit, he didn't show it. Good. At least he knew how to be professional, as did his buddy.

But no enough, she thought, driving her foot into his prized family jewels as hard as she could. She could've sworn she heard something snap, but decided not to think too much to it. The pain was written all over his face, and his partner immediately jumped to rush in, charging in swiftly with his sword pointed directly at her. A look of surprise find its way onto her face as the one before her regained his composure and came swinging his sword down at her. Both their blades found their targets, and lodged themselves firmly in the abdomen and chest. Crimson splashed across her face and clothes. With wide opened eyes, the two Urlong Raiders stared at the girl in disbelief, then at the swords that passed through her. The blood on the blades belonged to them. There was no sign of a stab wound anywhere. She wastes no time, and quickly gets of the the way before any of them can get to her. She picks up the two free weapons that she's dropped, and throws the dagger at the head of one of them. She charged at the other with the curved sword, and slashed at his neck, this time doing a neater work than she'd done with the first person she killed when this fight began.

The silence that falls over is almost suffocating; and yet, she's there, alive and breathing. The girl wonders what has gotten to her over the past months, puzzled by her strange behaviors. She carelessly assumes it to be a side effect of having Demon Slayer magic, a result of Asarael's influence, and satisfies herself with the usual answer. It wasn't her.

"Delude yourself all you want, child. Let's see how this plays out in the end, shall we?" She ignores the voice within her mind, and continues her journey towards where the majority of the Urlong population should be.

Cooldown:
Metal Walker - 3 posts

Urlong's village is somewhat easy to identify once you've located it. He sure lacked discrepancy, judging from how he posted men with obvious, unconcealed weapons around the area. One could easily pinpoint where he was hiding by observing the number of men posted in an area. Plus, the torches and lacrimal lighting situated around some areas made it pretty clear that there was some form of civilization around the area. In a creepy place like this, that seemed more inviting than unwelcoming. "Well, they probably wouldn't mind helping a lost, helpless female traveler, I suppose." she murmurs to herself, emerging from her hiding spot. Composing herself, she puts on the best frightened expression her stiff face could make - which was pretty much just a frown and an unguarded posture.

She hears the snap of a twig, and low whispers that would be inaudible to an average human. Certain remarks made about her were... Slightly impolite, but she could care less about it. The current focus, was the mission. Get in, eliminate- convince the target, to leave the client alone permanently (and resort to violence if necessary) then get out and return for payment. Simple. Then she could return to her brother's side. Another snap of the twig, she jolts up, as if frightened by what lay in the surrounding trees. Finally, she sees a shadow of a person in front of her, moving closer and closer. "H-Hello? Is someone there? I'm lost and... I saw the lights, so I was wondering if you could help?" she asks, internally gagging at herself. She was not one who stuttered out of fear - heck, she doubted she even stuttered usually. Now, however, she was not her. She was a lost, young traveled in search of aid from lights she'd seen in the forest. The approaching figure draws nearer and nearer with each footstep, and Hana heaved a sigh of relief. "Th...Thank goodness. Sir, could you be kind enough as to point me in the direction of the nearest Inn?" she says after timing herself, a few moments after the face of a man appears, eyeing her from head to toe. She continues to play innocent and resists the urge to slap him, even when his eyes were so pvviously staring at her assets. "Lost you say? Oh no, how terrible. Don't worry, the nearest Inn is right around here. Come now, me and my friends can take you there." At the mention of friends, more men, burly and some stupid-looking, emerged from the trees, surrounding her. She bows, thanking him for his kindness, and follows the group of men to the 'Inn'.

Cool down:
Metal Walker - 2 posts

The member 'Hana Suzuki' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

"My, what a lovely Inn! It's even in the trees. Do you know the owner? I do hope I'll be able to stay for the night..." she continues with her masquerade as a helpless little lady, admiring the architecture of the 'Inn'. The man smiles, revealing a missing tooth on the left. "Why, of course little miss. He's very kind, I'm sure he'd let a lost traveler like you stay for merely a night." He answers, moving closer to her. He slings his arm around, once again being an irritance, and guided her to a large building in the trees. He explained that the owner of the 'Inn' was here, and that he had to leave to run some errands before walking away. The guards at the entrance, which was three in total, let her in, and she bowed politely at them before entering. All of them had a sword, she noted, and made sure to remember that.

Upon entering, she spotted a man with a fairly big build. Despite his aging appearance and beer-belly, he seemed quite fit, which made her know that he was not to be belittled. His eyes glint with interest as she enters. "H-Hello... I'm lost, so a friend of yours told me that I could stay at your Inn for the night. I'm very sorry to trouble you, but could you please allow me a room for the night? I'm really tired from walking in circles the whole day." she asks pleadingly, ignoring a certain being's gagging during her whole show. The man sat up in his seat, and after a while, spoke. "Very well. I can't let such a pretty girl wander about the forest at night - who knows what could be out there? I'll show you to your room later. For now, how about a nice, warm meal? It's about time for dinner and you must be starving! It's on me, so don't worrying 'bout the cost. Ah, right, almost forgot. My name is Urlong. What might yours be?" she pretends to be surprised and gladly agrees. Me? I'm Nina Atlas, pleasure to meet you!"

Later that evening, she is seated at a table with Urlong, her cloak hung on her chair. He too eyeballed her, although it was less obvious than his men's. Dishes were served by the same men from outside, and they opened a bottle of a well-aged red wine. They spent the evening chatting and laughing (well, he pretty much did all the laughing), whilst she made sure she got him as drunk as possible, even acting so herself by challenging him to a drinking duel and acting more relaxed and carefree than she initially was. She smiles. Eventually, he is red-faced, delusive and wasted. She smirks, getting ready to place her plan into action.

"H-ey~ You know, I'm a good singer... How would you like it if I sang for you?"


Enemies:
Weak: 1/2
Normal: 2/3
Strong: 0/1
Boss: 0/1

Cool down:
Metal Walker - 1 post

Urlong was... Pleasantly surprised, at her sudden change in personality. Switching from awkwardly (and extremely fake) innocent to an alluring seductress, Hana slides out of her seat, gracefully striding across the small room to where he was, hands gently tracing his square shoulders and up his neck, to his chin. She leans in teasingly for a kiss, before taking a step to the side just in time to avoid pursed, saliva-covered lips. Ew. "Ohoho, I knew you weren't a simple woman, my dear. A song sounds wonderful. How about we take it to my room, hm? I'd rather not distract my men from their duties with your angelic voice, m'dear." She represses a shudder, instead forcing a smile at him, bowing gracefully, and making sure to stumble slightly to reinforce her drunk-as-sh*t act. "Of course, sir! Perhaps we could further enjoy the night with other more interesting things as well. I dance quite well too, mister." she adds, winking at him. He grins, immediately getting up from his seat and scooping her arm in her arms, bridal-style. Her eye twitched, but he was too engaged with something else below her face pressing against him to notice. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him tense up slightly as if awaiting an attack, but relaxing a while later, dismissing the idea of her being another threat.

"You're so strong~" she purred, keeping her image as a drunk strong as he carried her out of the building, giving the guards a few orders and some words of 'do-not-disturb' before carrying her to where she supposed his quarters were. Once there, he locks the door and throws her onto a love seat, throwing his jacket off. It was at scenarios like these that she would panic, praying that her job went well and nothing happened. The idea of intercourse disturbed her, even though she appeared to have done things like this multiple times. She has never - not even once, neither has she dreamed or longed to do so. He leaned in towards her, again going for the lips, but she stopped him with a finger, wagging it in front of his face. "Uh-uh. Song first~ I really wasn't lying, mister." and he smiles. "Of course."

They switch positions, with her sitting on his lap with arms around his neck, albeit uncomfortably, and him with one hand wrapped around her small waist, the other rested against the backseat of the love seat. She opened her lips, and the sweet sound of her voice flowed out, tongue smoothly weaving its way around the words of the song. She ends it softly, whispering the final words in a sickeningly sweet voice into his ears - he'd removed his earmuffs by then, after listening to her voice and wanting to have a better hearing of it. Entranced, his glazed eyes were half lidded, fluttering ever so slightly. A shadow cast over her eyes, Hana sticks three newly-formed needles, thin and glistening, straight into his nape, as hard as she could, to the point where she saw th shape of one bulging out from beneath the skin at the front of his neck. He choked, wide-eyed, and kicked her off, immediately struggling to call for help. She grins, Asarael's influence clear in her eyes glowing red and malicious. He was dead for sure - slowly but painfully, his life will begin to fade should the screwed up windpipe and veins not be treated. Defiance was in his eyes however, and he got up, grabbing a nearby vase and throwing it at her. She dodged it easily, just as a group of guards come rushing in. They take in the sight before them, and immediately prepare for battle.

Enemies:
Weak: 1/2
Normal: 2/3
Strong: 0/1
Boss: 0/1