The letter had been a surprise. Kuro had simply been hunting for food, mostly birds, when he accidentally killed a messenger bird. He couldnt tell whether it was a hawk or a pigeon after he had fried it with lightning and eaten the muscle. Granted, it tasted a little burnt, but cooking with lightning based spells was a risky thing. On one hand, while electricity generated enough heat to cook, it was far less controlled than a fire. In any case, the letter contained VERY interesting information. You have to understand, one of Kuro's favorite past times is psychological warfare, ripping out his opponent's heart with only words, and they may never even notice his intent. Of course he would never do that to his friends, but still. Friends were one thing, total strangers were another. If he had done it to any of his friends, if he had any, he would feel bad. Horrible, really.
Anyway, that was the reason he was now escorting some noble who thought he had been through hell to some banquet. It was risky, getting this close to the magic council, but he did not mind. He was feeling awfully sadistic as of late. This would be a lovely outlet for his depression. Being so bored had caused it, so what better way to deal with it than do things? Hopefully fun things that involved lots of blood, carnage, or kittens. He loved cats. They were awesome. Dogs too... actually literally any animal was fun. Especially snakes, cats, and wolves. But what pet did he want most? A dragon. That was a story for another day. While Kuro had been content to ignore the noble, he also needed to get information on the idiotic brat. Oh well, he supposed. He could deal with listening to an arrogant depressed noble if it meant he got to have his fun.
Naturally, the noble traveled by wagon, and Kuro was able to sit calmly due to his pretty easy job as an escort. Though nobles were often targeted, no one would be stupid enough to try anything so close to the Magical Council... hopefully. If not, he could always just-ooh a fly. Yep, a fly flew right past his eyes, giving him an idea. He had known of his ability to turn into any animal he had seen for a while now, and this would be the perfect time to use it. What better way to fuck with the noble once they reached the Banquet? Well, other than showing him what the inside of his friends' cadavers would look like. He could still do that too though, so no big deal.
"So whats your story?" Kuro asked.
"What?" Jaques, the noble brat asked.
"Ah, everyone has a story to tell, some reason they act the way they do, the reason they wanted to become a mage." Kuro spoke casually, he was a master of speaking as a normal person when he tried.
"Oh... why dont you tell me yours first?" Jaques questioned.
At this point, Kuro had three choices. Remain silent so that he didnt have to answer, tell the truth, or lie. If he remained silent, he wouldnt get any information. If he told the truth, he would have to kill Jaques when he was done. If he lied... nothing bad happened. His choice was made.
"My parents were assholes... They sold me as a slave to some bandits. After they abused me so much, I just snapped. I dont remember most of what happened, but when I woke up, they were all dead, and I, the seven year old child, was left alone... A few years pass, and I decide to join a guild, thats it, really." Kuro, though he was masked and in armor, made sure his voice matched the emotions one would expect from someone talking about their past.
"My mother died recently." And that was it. All Kuro needed. Of course Jaques did not shut up, but Kuro stopped listening. He needed to know no more to abuse this poor soul. Granted, he may feel bad, because his mother had also died, but that was another story. Come to think of it, he had a lot of stories to tell, yet no one to tell them to.
For the rest of the ride, Kuro pretended to listen to Jaques' story, only half heartedly answering any questions Jaques had. Once they reached the Banquet, Kuro sneaked inside, knowing that due to the normal noble arrogance, they would be easy to infiltrate. Well, for him at least. It took some damn good stealth to do half of what he had done in his past. Sneaking in was easy, but then he had to lose the armor and mask, placing them in the bathroom. All he had to do now was locate Jaques and someone who did not know him.
Finding Jaques was no problem, the boy's bright purple clothing gave him away. Finding someone who knew him was another thing entirely. Finally, some new noble walked in, obviously drunk, if only a bit tipsy. Enough not to question Kuro's logic which could normally cause a person to do insane things anyway. The man looked good, to Kuro at least. Dark clothing, smart looks, and nice facial hair. Good enough, he supposed. Perfect to take the blame for starting a giant fight between nobles.
Walking up to the man, Kuro spoke to him as if he knew it. "Hey man, I need a favor"
In a drunken slur which could not be typed, the man replied "What is it?"
"See that kid over there?" Kuro pointed subtly at Jaques. "His parents suddenly divorced, for no reason. The kid needs cheering up. He apparently hates his mother, but you know how divorces affect kids. Why dont you go over there and see if you can convince him that his mother was just a bad person?"
Surprisingly, it worked. The man waltzed over, more like stumbled, and began to insult Jaques' mother, implying that she was a whore, a horrible mother, and had spread her legs more times than a bird spreads its wings. Kuro left with a smile on his face, as the room descended into chaos. See, all the nobles had brought guards, and when the man began to insult Jaques' mother, his guards got pissed. When his guards went to attack the slanderer, his own guards reacted, causing a massive fight to break out, killing two nobles, sixteen guards, and a camel. Even further, when Jaques got home, he wrote a suicide note and killed himself. All in a day's work for Psychosis. Naturally, he took his mask and armor back before he left. He may have looked like a noble without them, but with them it was obvious he was a warrior of some type.
Anyway, that was the reason he was now escorting some noble who thought he had been through hell to some banquet. It was risky, getting this close to the magic council, but he did not mind. He was feeling awfully sadistic as of late. This would be a lovely outlet for his depression. Being so bored had caused it, so what better way to deal with it than do things? Hopefully fun things that involved lots of blood, carnage, or kittens. He loved cats. They were awesome. Dogs too... actually literally any animal was fun. Especially snakes, cats, and wolves. But what pet did he want most? A dragon. That was a story for another day. While Kuro had been content to ignore the noble, he also needed to get information on the idiotic brat. Oh well, he supposed. He could deal with listening to an arrogant depressed noble if it meant he got to have his fun.
Naturally, the noble traveled by wagon, and Kuro was able to sit calmly due to his pretty easy job as an escort. Though nobles were often targeted, no one would be stupid enough to try anything so close to the Magical Council... hopefully. If not, he could always just-ooh a fly. Yep, a fly flew right past his eyes, giving him an idea. He had known of his ability to turn into any animal he had seen for a while now, and this would be the perfect time to use it. What better way to fuck with the noble once they reached the Banquet? Well, other than showing him what the inside of his friends' cadavers would look like. He could still do that too though, so no big deal.
"So whats your story?" Kuro asked.
"What?" Jaques, the noble brat asked.
"Ah, everyone has a story to tell, some reason they act the way they do, the reason they wanted to become a mage." Kuro spoke casually, he was a master of speaking as a normal person when he tried.
"Oh... why dont you tell me yours first?" Jaques questioned.
At this point, Kuro had three choices. Remain silent so that he didnt have to answer, tell the truth, or lie. If he remained silent, he wouldnt get any information. If he told the truth, he would have to kill Jaques when he was done. If he lied... nothing bad happened. His choice was made.
"My parents were assholes... They sold me as a slave to some bandits. After they abused me so much, I just snapped. I dont remember most of what happened, but when I woke up, they were all dead, and I, the seven year old child, was left alone... A few years pass, and I decide to join a guild, thats it, really." Kuro, though he was masked and in armor, made sure his voice matched the emotions one would expect from someone talking about their past.
"My mother died recently." And that was it. All Kuro needed. Of course Jaques did not shut up, but Kuro stopped listening. He needed to know no more to abuse this poor soul. Granted, he may feel bad, because his mother had also died, but that was another story. Come to think of it, he had a lot of stories to tell, yet no one to tell them to.
For the rest of the ride, Kuro pretended to listen to Jaques' story, only half heartedly answering any questions Jaques had. Once they reached the Banquet, Kuro sneaked inside, knowing that due to the normal noble arrogance, they would be easy to infiltrate. Well, for him at least. It took some damn good stealth to do half of what he had done in his past. Sneaking in was easy, but then he had to lose the armor and mask, placing them in the bathroom. All he had to do now was locate Jaques and someone who did not know him.
Finding Jaques was no problem, the boy's bright purple clothing gave him away. Finding someone who knew him was another thing entirely. Finally, some new noble walked in, obviously drunk, if only a bit tipsy. Enough not to question Kuro's logic which could normally cause a person to do insane things anyway. The man looked good, to Kuro at least. Dark clothing, smart looks, and nice facial hair. Good enough, he supposed. Perfect to take the blame for starting a giant fight between nobles.
Walking up to the man, Kuro spoke to him as if he knew it. "Hey man, I need a favor"
In a drunken slur which could not be typed, the man replied "What is it?"
"See that kid over there?" Kuro pointed subtly at Jaques. "His parents suddenly divorced, for no reason. The kid needs cheering up. He apparently hates his mother, but you know how divorces affect kids. Why dont you go over there and see if you can convince him that his mother was just a bad person?"
Surprisingly, it worked. The man waltzed over, more like stumbled, and began to insult Jaques' mother, implying that she was a whore, a horrible mother, and had spread her legs more times than a bird spreads its wings. Kuro left with a smile on his face, as the room descended into chaos. See, all the nobles had brought guards, and when the man began to insult Jaques' mother, his guards got pissed. When his guards went to attack the slanderer, his own guards reacted, causing a massive fight to break out, killing two nobles, sixteen guards, and a camel. Even further, when Jaques got home, he wrote a suicide note and killed himself. All in a day's work for Psychosis. Naturally, he took his mask and armor back before he left. He may have looked like a noble without them, but with them it was obvious he was a warrior of some type.
