First Steps

Having recently secured a base of operation, Kuro was finally able to start properly operating within Fiore. A land that had many opportunities for just about anyone, herself included. And indeed, she had managed to strike a simple deal already. The world truly was filled to the brim with vile men who deserved nothing more than to be eliminated. Yet, she was working for one right now. Why? Well, she required some money to begin with. But the task was also an intriguing one. To assassinate a simple woman who had won some sort of competition. Such a petty reason.

But there was nothing better she could practice her dark arts with than a fresh body. A perfect opportunity indeed. And as the Sun slowly moved beyond the horizon, the feline girl moved. Nearly all of her body was hidden away by a silk-smooth cape surrounding her entire body, the cape over her head going as far as to completely cover her hair and eyes. Only her mouth remained visible. Yes, it was a bit inconvenient for Kuro as well. But she was also not a regular human. While no one would be able to tell, with her feline traits hidden away with the coat.

However, her senses were far sharper, allowing her to navigate the village with ease even if her eyesight was so restricted right now. It did not take long to find Ms. Cooper’s home. A pleasant wooden cottage, it seemed. Well taken care of. If not in the middle of a populated area, it would have made a fine home for the girl and her sister. It was such a relief that she did not have to worry about such matters anymore. Standing in front of the door, she knocked and waited. A bold approach for an assassin, many would surely say.

Yet, the target opened up and looked at the hooded figure without any problems at all. “Hello… who might you be?” Letting a single slender and pale hand slip out of the cloak and pull the cape away to reveal her face, Kuro did not hesitate. She knew exactly what to do as her eyes teared up. “I… I’m so sorry, Miss… could you spare a piece of bread? It has been so long since I’ve last eaten…” While she was an adult, her smaller and fragile frame easily played into the illusion of her being a child, especially with most of her body not currently visible.

Covering her mouth with her hands for a moment, Ms. Cooper appeared to be in disbelief. “Goodness, someone so young and having to beg others for food? Come in, dear! I finished dinner just a moment ago!” So she truly was someone with a kind heart. She didn’t even seem to question that the younger girl had an expensive-looking cloak. Such an easy target… some people were far too naive and trusting of others. Such shame. Yes, shame indeed…

Once seated with a bowl of steaming soup in the dining room, the older woman smiled gently and disappeared into the kitchen so that she could put the main dish on the plate. She didn’t even hear the cat’s light steps following right behind, Kuro pulling out a knife and plunging it directly into her skull from behind. She had to put all of her might into it, as her body was weaker than most would have. The blade was barely able to get through the woman’s skull as a result. But in the end, it was a quick death.

Surely she did not even feel much pain. The body fell forward, bending over the counter on top of the plate, the food she had placed on top of it smeared all over the blouse she wore. With a sigh, the raven-haired girl started pulling the knife out. It was… difficult. Took a lot of energy, but she did not want to leave the weapon in there. And while her job was finished, her personal goal was not. Taking a picture with a strange device called iLac she received from her employer to obtain proof of the killing, she was now free to do as she pleased with the corpse.

It took a few attempts, but she eventually managed to reanimate the corpse. However, the results were rather… underwhelming. The corpse moved around, yes. But it was nothing short of messy. Not to mention that Kuro had to control Ms. Cooper directly. She was a zombie, alright. But that was not what the girl wanted. Concluding the experiment a failure, she released her magic and let the dead woman fall to the ground once more before sneaking out of the house and making sure she was not seen by anyone. Only receiving the payment remained.