Murder and Merit | Job | Solo

MY SECRET SIDE I KEEP, HID UNDER LOCK AND KEY

'I KEEP IT CAGED BUT I CAN'T CONTROL IT

Click. Click. Click. The sound of the heel from her boots reverberated around but drowned within the tumult of her surroundings as she strode past, trudging through the disgraceful and ugly town of Magnolia. For the female, namely known as Annora, the town of Magnolia was hideous for it was layered with pests that crawled around with such exhilaration and glee. The disgust was evident in her face as she sauntered past the jovial children while they played with one another and the amicable adults as they conversed with one another, discussing absolutely pathetic matters.

The urge to kill them all was strong but buried within her mind; for now, she could simply satisfy her blood lust by killing a few of these mere imbeciles. Her thick, long, crimson locks fell gracefully over her back, silently rocking side to side while her body moved. Raising her pale left hand, her emerald hues gazed upon the navy insignia of the local guild of Magnolia, the insignia that would avoid any suspicion her way; the insignia that would forget who they had seen.

Maybe, she though, just maybe, this might bring her more amusement than she had anticipated. Her lips let out a soft sigh as she raised her other hand which held the pale sheet of paper; the paper which contained the abhorrent names and faces of those who would soon fall victim to her ruthless and merciless attacks.

MY SECRET SIDE I KEEP, HID UNDER LOCK AND KEY

'I KEEP IT CAGED BUT I CAN'T CONTROL IT

Her blank gaze took in the sight of the glass door over which, written in thick, bold letters was 'Hayne's Grocery Store'. She was at the right place, "Arthur Haynes....", her first victim who was indeed an owner of a grocery shop. Through the clear glass windows, she saw the sight before her, which was rather mediocre and mundane; the small area which held about five to six selves, forming aisles through which these simple-minded fools strolled through. The shelves, containing a variety of products were being scrutinized by the customers.

Hoisting her hand up, she pushed her palm against the cool glass, opening the door. Cling. The small bell that loomed over her head rung as the door was opened but seemed to not have bothered anyone. She stepped forward, letting the door slowly close behind her and when it did, she clasped the small lock that stuck out of the door, underneath the handle, before slamming her hand onto it, breaking it as a result. Yet, no one paid attention.

This was perfect. Her eyes scanned through the area, landing on the middle-aged man; the man she was to kill. A small smile appeared on her face as she walked over to the aisles. The crimson blade that she always carries around suddenly appeared in her hand, the blade known as Setsudan. Swiftly moving her hand, she unsheathed the blade and slashed through the shelf, watching it as the dust of flour and powdery products lingered in the air, along with the delightful screams of those around.

Their screams substituted as music to her ears. He, Haynes, approached her, yelling at her for doing what she did. She looked at him, raising her brow at him. She saw a glimpse of fear adorn his eyes as he visibly gulped. "What are you doing?", he asked in a deteriorated attempt to raise his voice.

She turned her body to gaze upon him. "Me? I'm here to kill you." His eyes widened in terror at the seriousness in her voice which was yet, laced with amusement. He slowly backed away. Bystanders stared at the two in horror, waiting and anticipating what was to happen. Annora smiled at him, causing him to trip and fall back but quickly getting up, he dashed for the door.

Jigoku No Hanabira. A simple sword appeared in her hand, replacing the crimson one. With it's silver hilt clutched in her hand, she raised it facing his retreating figure before slashing it mid-air. A gust of small, black petals flew his way, surrounding him and attacking him from all directions. Moments later, he laid on ground in a pool of blood as his widened eyes remained open. Cuts and blood embroided his body through the tattered clothes.

Screams broke out everywhere. The commotion of misery was absolutely brilliant as people ran, trying to get out through the single door that they could not open. "While I'm here, why not have a bit of fun?". A few more slashed in mid-air sent numerous blade disguised as black flower petals their way which shredded these mundane fools. Red. So much red adorned the ground, over which laid lifeless bodies. A a beautiful and enlightening smile made it's way onto her face as she walked in the midst of blood, inconsiderately stepping over the bodies of the dead.

She grabbed the handle, and yanked the door back. with her strength, the silver bad that locked the door detached, opening the door in the process. As she was about to head out, she decided to keep this hidden for a while. Turning the 'Open' sign around, she gazed upon the door that displayed the words 'Closed'. With that, she made her way to her next victim. Today was indeed an amusing day for her.

MY SECRET SIDE I KEEP, HID UNDER LOCK AND KEY

'I KEEP IT CAGED BUT I CAN'T CONTROL IT

She strode past the mundane beings that crawled on the streets of Magnolia, eagerly moving from one place to another as if they had some serious business to attend to. Annora couldn't help but scoff at the sight before. She was further away from the grocery where moments ago she had committed what was said to be a horrible crime. Wondering whether someone had found what remained of the people in that place or not, she halted her movement and as foolish as it sounded, spun of the heels of her feet and leisurely sauntered back to the grave of those humans.

Arriving back there, she noticed heaps of knights surrounding the place. "So they did find it." It was much quicker than she had expected. They walked around, investigating people. She saw many people there; some who were sobbing in the loss of those they loved, some who were consoling the ones who cried uncontrollably and some who merely stared at the closed site in horror or sympathy. She could sense fear lingering in the tense atmosphere and that satisfied her sick, twisted mind. A small smile crawled onto her face as she stared at the result of her actions. She couldn't be more happier.

A presence that stood behind her alerted her as she sensed it. The touch on her shoulder caused her to spin around. She knew that her appearance would definitely attract some suspicion towards her. She came face to face with a young man, clad in a uniform. "Miss, may I ask you a few questions?", He asked her with politeness dripping out of his mouth. She disliked people like him, "Well, you already started, so go ahead.", Her statement was simply and blank, much like her facial expression at that very moment. He stared at her with suspicious evident in his gaze,

"Do you have any idea what happened here?"
"A murder.", Her tone was firm, as she was trying to convey that she indeed knew exactly what had happened here.
"Were you here when this incident occurred?", he carried on with his question.
"Yes. I was." Confusion was evident in his face and that annoyed the dark mage so to say simply, she decided to play with him. Raising her hand, she showed him the insignia that was on her hand, "I was nearby when the murder happened. I tried to chase the murderer but it got away so I returned back here."

She wanted to laugh at him for being an imprudent and mundane creature, "Ah, yes. Can you show me where the murderer went?", he sounded...hopeful. Another thing despised by Annora. She was getting annoyed by his mere presence so she decided that she would end him life too. "Yes, of course. Follow me." She stared walking, well aware that the fool followed her mindlessly. Entering the less quiet part of the street, she turned around as confusion once again made it's way back to his face.

Unsheathing the silver blade that she didn't put away, she raised it, making it evident that he was about to die by her hands but the fool, thinking he was strong enough to beat her, unsheathed his own, magic-less blade before charging at her. At least he was smart enough to figure out that she was indeed the one who killed them. A small spar of blades occurred which was merely just Annora playing with the man before her for the man wasn't someone who excels at sword fighting and he wasn't someone who could keep up a spar with her.

Having played enough with the man, she decided to kill him. He charged towards her, with the tip of his blade facing her as she used her own blade to collide it with his, sending his sword sideways before quickly retracting her sword and slashing his face. Movements later, she watching as the blood oozed out of his half separated face, "Your face was annoying." With that she sheathed her sword and took out the paper once again; the paper which held the information about hose she had to kill.

Grazing her eyes over her next victim, she scoffed at the fact that she was doing a job that was child's play but then again, she was doing this for fun and so far, she truly was enjoying it for she had already killed quite a few. She began walking away from the body and towards her next destination; the flower shop for a small visit to the herbalist who works there.

It took here mere moment to reach the place where she would take more lives. Excitement coiled up inside her as she entered the shop which was, much to her dismay, empty except for the flowers which let out a sweet fragrance into the air. Disgusting. She sense the presence of a human who soon revealed herself as she raised herself up from behind the flower. A large smile adorned her young features as her dirty blonde hair was lifted into a rough bun, "Yes, customer? How may I help you?"

Annora simply stared at the smiling lady, "Gracelyn?" The woman seemed surprised but responded with a nod and a small smile, "Yes, that's me." She seemed to looking at the dark mage with a questioning gaze. Setsudan. The sword appeared within the hand of the mage to which the female's eyes widened. As if she knew what were to happen, she quickly moved out of the way as Annora launched forward, ending up destroying the plants nad having them split into two. The female, being smart, ran through the door, closing it as she passed. Following, the crimson haired mage raised her hand and laid it onto the handle which wouldn't budge due to the door being locked. "Such a nuisance." , she muttered before slashing her sword and destroying the door.

She walked through the door through which her victim had passed moments ago, ending up in a place surrounded by greet plants and herbs. She walked forward, "I don't have time to play with you. Come on out." Silence. "Why are you making this difficult for yourself?" She asked simply as she swung her arm, destroying the place little by little. She sensed her presence and turned around but unfortunate for her, droplets of water entered her slightly opened mouth, catching her off guard for a moment. It was when she opened her eyes once again, she realized that she could not move her body; she was paralyzed

Anger seeped inside her as she stood in the position with the tip of her sword facing the woman. 'You shouldn't have done that.' The woman was a fool to consider Annora as someone who would merely be defeated by a mixture of herbs that cause paralysis. Kakuchō kanōna burēdo. Her crimson sword, namely known as Setusudan, was instantly replaced by a similar katana sword which instead, had a light blue hilt and a silver blade. The woman, thinking that Annora could cause her no harm, slowly retreated back, keeping her eyes on the dark mage.

Blood splattered roughly on the ground as the blade extended and reached the woman within the blink of an eye, piercing through her flesh and bones, right into her chest. She seemed to be in shock as she watched the blade that went through her. With such speed, the blade returned to it's original state, ripping out of her chest so brutally and mercilessly. Grabbing her chest, the female fell onto her knees as the blood oozed out of the wound with such a graceful flow.

Annora's emerald eyes shone brightly as hunger evaded her senses. The glow in her eyes indicated the internal war for control that emerged within her. The war between hunger and blood lust; the war between the inner beast and the outer monster. She wasn't going to lose control. She wasn't against the thought of feeding on her, it was the fact that the thing inside her would gain control that was unacceptable to her. She would never let that happen again. She would not lose her consciousness to the beast inside and she would prove to it that she's in charge. She didn't know how long she would be stuck in that position for but she surely didn't prefer it to be long. Forcing her arm to move, with great difficulty, she managed to overpower the potion as it slowly wore off. Stretching, she gazed upon the barely breathing woman, "You could've died an easy death. Why did you have to do this?"

Moments later, her screams echoed through the shop but soon died down as she was ripped apart and being digested by the dark mage.

MY SECRET SIDE I KEEP, HID UNDER LOCK AND KEY

'I KEEP IT CAGED BUT I CAN'T CONTROL IT

Red. The crimson fluid covered the ground and her body as half eaten pieces of flesh remained scattered around the ground. The liquid adorned her face, grazing the skin around her plump lip that she licked off with her long tongue. She glanced at the mess that she had made and let out a scoff, "Look at the mess caused because of you."

Even the green plants couldn't escape the wild rampage of the woman's blood. Annora looked around and stopped with a satisfying look on her face as she saw a navy hose lying on the ground. Raising her sword, she slashed the tap which immediately broke, letting the water fly into the air, just to return back to the ground. She stood before the water as the blood washed off her naked face and covered figure. She let the liquid drip down her body until there was no sign of the crimson liquid.

With that, she exited the flower shop which was now destroyed because of the dark mage. Her damp, fiery hair clung onto the wet black top that she roamed around clad in. Her hand once again searched the pocked of jeans to retract the paper which held the information that she required. Feeling nothing there, she realized that she must have left it at the flower shop before she left. She didn't feel like going back just to get back a mere piece of paper so she continued walking, remembering her next victim to be the armor merchant.

Annoyance swirled inside her yet again as she walked in the midst of the citizens of Magnolia, but what annoyed her more was that after several minutes of searching, she still couldn't find her destination. It took her a while before she sighed in irritation. Walking over to the nearest man she saw, she stood before him, "Do you know where I can find the armor merchant?" The man seemed surprised at her sudden appearance but directed her towards it anyways.

Her emerald gaze searched her surroundings and noticed that there were few to no people around them. "I think it's time for you to die." Without giving him enough time to react, she unsheathed the blade that she had carried from the flower shop, and with a clean slice, had the man's head separated from his body. The head rolled off into the river that passed by before she kicked his lifeless body into the water.

Following the directions given to her, she found herself in front of a rusted old house. Nothing about this place seemed appealing or intriguing, causing her wonder if she had landed in the right place or not. Not remembering the name of her victim, she heaved a sigh, hoping that there weren't too many people in there so she could easily kill this man and move onto her next victim.

Typically, she liked to kill people but her mood had been turned sour due to the forlorn attempt of the woman, her previous victim, to stop the dark mage. The only sounds heard were that of her boots as they came into contact with the untidy, concrete floor, the blazing of the fire and the clanking of metals as they collided with one another. Darkness engulfed her surroundings, with the only source of light being the fire which blazed magnificently over the burning wood inside the fire place, which extended deep into the wall for the purpose of melting metal.

Her emerald hues cause sight of a tall bulky man, who seemed to have noticed her presence but was too preoccupied with the metal in his hand with which he seemed to be making an armor. Brushing his hands against one another, he looked at her as she scrutinized him, who happened to be the only one in the place. His bulky body was covered in a pair of jeans and a sleeveless green shirt with a silver bracelet type band resting on his right wrist. His brunette hair clung to his forehead due to the sweat that layered over him skin, making him glisten under the light of the fire.

"Yes, mam? How may i help you this fine day?" He said with a smile. She simply stared at him before taking a look at the armors that surrounded the two, "Are you perhaps the armor merchant?" His smile turned into a grin at her question, "Yes, that is what they call me." She turned her roaming gaze and settled it upon him once again. Without any hesitance, she unsheathed the blade in her hand; the same blade which she had used to kill the herbalist.

The merchant, seemed to have caught up to her actions and swiftly dodged by moving aside as she launched towards him. His eyes widened momentarily before settling the gaze indicating that he was ready for a fight. He pressed a small button located on the silver wrist band that Annora had failed to notice and within moments, he was covered head to toe, in a silver armor. "I don't have time to play with you, so do me a favor and die quietly." He scoffed at her words, "It's gonna take more than a simple sword and some words to beat me."

She raised her sword, facing the tip towards him. The merchant, not knowing the ability of the sword, watched her movements instead. Kakuchō kanōna burēdo. The blade extended and reached him within a second, attacking his straight in the chest but returned instead of extending to it's full length because it could not go past the armor. The armor took the blow but still stood strong. The merchant looked surprised but started to laugh, "Is that all you got?"

Hakai. Replacing the beautiful blue sword was a simple worn out one with a rough and uneven blade and a hilt wrapped in white, worn out bandage. Moving her left foot behind, she prepared to launch at him as he did the same, preparing to block her attack. As she launched forward with great speed, she noticed that raised his armor covered hand to intake the blow. 'Perfect', she though as putting in all her strength, she slashed at his arm causing the armor covering his hand to immediately crack. The crack slowly spread to his entire armor, crumbling it moments later. The look across his face made the woman laugh at the man for being so foolish and underestimating her abilities. "It's not good to taunt those stronger than you."

The man stood on his knees with fear sparkling in his eyes. A look of satisfaction crossed her face as she used the same sword which the embodiment of destruction, to vertically slice the man in half. She watched as he split apart and fell. Having nothing else to do at the place, she turned around as the pool of blood that covered the area extended. Exiting the place, she walked back towards the town searching for the only man remaining that she was to kill. She knew that he was Fairy Tail mage who roamed around the street, attempting to recruit newbies.

It must have been a lucky day for her because as she walked, she felt a magical presence behind her. A hand touched her shoulder causing her to flip around and come face to face with an orange haired man that grinned at her. "Hiya there." Her expression remained blank as it failed to express her obvious disgust towards him. Without waiting for her to utter a word, he continued by raising the the right handed short sleeve of his lilac shirt, revealing the light blue Fairy Tail insignia. She contained a smile at the imbecile who walked right towards his death.

"I'm Zack and I'm a Fairy Tail mage. I sensed some magical energy coming from you and thought that you might be a mage too. You should join Fairy Tail.", he enhanced his words with multiple hand gestures. "We're the best guild out. We're the heroes of Fiore." The second he talked about her joining the guild, she confirmed that he was indeed the target that she had to kill.

It was then that his eyes shifted to her hand and he saw the navy insignia embroided on it that he let out a gasp. "Wait, you're already a member? How come I haven't met you?" He talked too much, she thought. Why not play with him for a while? She looked into his blue eyes that stared back into her emerald ones in anticipation as a smile remained plastered on his face.

She then suddenly raised her sword and slashed what was before her, but as expected from a mage, he moved back and watched the rough blade dig into the ground causing a bit of a crack. This action of hers attracted attention of bystanders and of those who passed by, earning a few gasps. She let go of the hilt of the sword and watched it disappear into thin air as she approached the man who had confusion evident on his face. "How could you do this to your own guild?", she questioned with such fake concern. "Zack, it's not right to do this to the people of magnolia." A flicker of confusion ran across everyone's face as whispers filled the vicinity. "You have now become an Fairy Tail's enemy, Magnolia's enemy and my enemy." She wanted to scoff at the stupidity of the morons who believed her words which were laced with false emotion. His eyes seemed determined. "It seems that you're the enemy, not me." A small smile appeared onto her face which he noticed as his gaze turned into a glare. "Solid script: Fire" He wrote the words fire in the air which appeared in an elegant, fiery font before launching out towards her in a fire attack. She quickly moved to the side, which didn't require much power on her part and watched at the fire hit the ground. 'Interesting', she thought as she had never before seem a mage use solid script magic.

He continued the same spell a few times and she kept avoiding.  Miwaku no Rōzu. The twin blades, known better as the Enchanted Rose appeared in her hands. The grey hilt embroided with a rose shaped guard and a light grey blade engraved with symbols was truly a beautiful sight to see. Zack eyed her carefully, attempting to analyze her next move. The symbols engraved on the swords began to glow as she held them before she launched towards him. He quickly scribbled the words smoke in the air and launched it towards her in an attempt to block her vision, through which she emerged, moments later, holding a completely different pair of swords which she attack Zack with and he dodged. While she was in the smoke, she let go of the rose blades as they moved away from her on their own and replaced them with the arcane twins which were simply duel swords with no special function. He seemed confused but tried attacking her again, this time by using water instead. She rolled over to the side but the water that passed her retreated and hit her back, catching her by surprise as she rolled on the ground. She hauled herself before frowning and concentrating on the attack. As the Fairy Tail mage focused on her, he was slashed in the back, which took him by surprise. Before he had time to recover, the twin rose blade attacked him from the front before both blade returned to Annora's hands. The glow died down as the arcane twins disappear and instead were replaced by the grey blades, "Now, you're dead." With that she launched at him, slashing him with both her swords, not giving him anytime to react. Behind her, he fell onto the ground lifelessly as screams broke out everywhere.

The swords disappeared, and so did she as she moved towards the safe house from where she was told she could easily escape the town and that's what she did. She left Magnolia with a smirk playing on her lips.