Kirigakure Mission Station

[shirayuri]

The Kirigakure Mission Station is a large gothic building with a surprisingly well lit interior and marble floor. There is a large bulletin board with D-Rank missions available to be taken. If a shinobi would like to take one of these all they must do is post here IC and tell the clerk they plan on taking on the mission. C-Rank and B-Rank missions are kept on file at the building but require an administrator present while viewing them IC upon which they may accept the mission. A and S rank missions are not written down per se but are rather passed along to higher level shinobi via intelligence officers (NPCs) who working in the building. If you would like to take one of these missions approach the clerk and present proof of rank. An intelligence officer will speak with you briefly about the missions available although the details are usually given directly by the Mizukage herself. The area is basic yet beautifully reflects the religious overtones found across the village.

D-Rank Missions

The People Need Hope! 

Rank: D

Description: The Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist wants people to know that there is hope in the world for all those who need it. Walk around the village handing out copies of its main religious manuscript "The Book of Hope" said to have been written by a great Sage that restored his Church in the Land of Waters. Give out at least fifteen copies to passerby on the street, people who are at home, shops, and other centers of civilian activity. 

Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times

Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

The Bloody Mist No More

Rank: D

Description: Civilians still have archaic and poor notions of what the Village Hidden in the Mist truly stands for, They remember the days where children were kidnapped from their homes and forced to participate in bloody Academy exercises that culminated in the worst graduation traditions in the history of the known shinobi world. Distribute pamphlets emphasizing that such barbarianism will no longer be tolerated by the Kirigakure government. These pamphlets will include positive points of information about what the village is trying to do to protect its citizenry, the Water Country's interests, and the peace in the world. Hand out at least fifteen pamphlets!

Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times

Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

Scared Straight!

Rank: D
Description: The orphans and street urchins in the Uradana District are almost always up to no good. Whether its scheming, robbing, or simply hanging out with the criminal elements in the Land of the Water they are heading down a dark path. Reach out to them and warn them of the horrors that await if they continue their despicable behavior. Also try to inspire them to become shinobi if you see any potential. 
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

Church Supplies!
Rank: D
Description: The Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist is always in need for supplies for the large gathering that comes on Sunday. Go around town picking up bulk orders of incense, communion wafers, and fresh water for the weekly rites hosted at the Church of the Great Shepard. Ensure that the priests have everything they need so that this Sunday will be a good celebration.   
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

Lab Supplies!
Rank: D
Description: The Kirigakure Laboratory is always churning out new research for the betterment of mankind. Go around town and help pick up bulk orders of generic lab equipment that they will always need. Grab some beakers, test tubes, scales, basic chemicals, and other miscellaneous items and bring it to the Laboratory. 
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

Poverty Aid
Rank: D
Description: For far too long Uradana has been a cesspool of crime driven by not enough opportunity and desperate low income individuals. Alleviate their poverty through the Church's ambitious community service projects that include job training, soup kitchens, reconstruction projects, and health clinics. You can hop aboard any of these projects and you can be a bit creative with how you choose to make the lives of those living in the slums a little bit better. As long as you aid in a community service project approved by one of the NPCs. (Played by the Mizukage)
Restrictions: This can only be done 50 times after which point the district will have been transformed. 
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo


The Pound
Rank: D
Description: Strays are an occasional problem in Kirigakure but rather than put them down the village has set up a few pounds where strays can hopefully find a new home. Catch ten stray animals roaming around the village and bring them to the Pound so they can be cared for until they find a new home.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.



Clean Up!
Rank: D
Description: The new parks around Kirigakure need to have there litter picked up and the trash taken out. Clear the area of any rodents or park creatures that don't belong. In addition to cleaning up the park(s), you must also place some new literature about the park's history and attractions on benches throughout the area.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.


Auditing 101
Rank: D
Description: Get audited! Kirigakure encourages the mental wellness of all of its shinobi. Seek out an auditor NPC (played by the Mizukage) and have your first auditing session. The first three audits are open to not only Church members but those curious about how to improve their mental acuity and concentration abilities through one of the most powerful forms of therapy available in the world today.
Restrictions: May only be completed three times.
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

Fresh Fish!
Rank: D
Description: There is always a steady stream of fish coming into the village and the fisherman need help unloading their cargo and transporting it to the various markets around Kiri. Help the transporters and their clients with carrying fish from the gates to the marketplace.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 25 EXP and 500 Ryo.

C-Rank Missions

Fight Club!
Rank: C
Description: Kirigakure's Uradana District is known for its seedy underground boxing clubs. They force young children to fight until exhaustion while making money on the subsequent bets. Break up three of these fighting clubs and confiscate the cash. Take any wounded children to the infirmary so that they might feel better.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Wogs Gone Wild!
Rank: C
Description: There are those that have attempted to make their own counter-feit Churches based off of Kiri's one true faith. These false Churches and prophets are known as Wogs by the Church and their dissemination of heresy is not to be tolerated. They have erroneously changed The Book of Hope to suit their own agenda and they insist on vilifying the one true Church established by the Great Shepherd. Break up these religious anarchists and put a end to their smears with violence if necessary. Many of these quasi-Church activists are con-men looking to make a quick buck from those too meek to enter into the Church's loving embrace.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.


No Drugs!
Rank: C
Description: Peddlers of strong substances not approved of by the Church have made their way into the Mist. They partake in substances that are addictive, strong, and create adverse effects on the mind. Find them, arrest them, and destroy their products. Take any addicts you find in their dens to a mental wellness treatment clinic. Convince at least one of the addicts to commit to long term treatment and to attend weekly sessions with either a Guide or Auditor.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.


Sea Critters!
Rank: C
Description: While there are many harmless fish that swim around the Land of Waters, there are some critters that are incredibly dangerous. These sharks, lamprey, giant squid, giant jellyfish, piranha, and barracuda present a nuisance to those who wish to engage in commerce around the Isles of Mist. Travel to five different locations and aid ships in fending off sea critters that are a bit more vicious than normal.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Pirates!
Rank: C
Description: There are many small pirate ships that dock off the coasts of many Mist islands. They lie in wait under the cover of the Mist to rob and attack the passerby. Protect cargo ships from the pirates that frequently try their luck on the most helpless of Water citizens. While the pirates pose a threat to civilians they are fairly weak in comparison to even the most basic of ninja and should either flee or put up minimal resistance after their attempt at capturing or sinking their target ship has failed.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.


Seven Swordsman Aptitude Test!
Rank: C
Description: The Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist is looking for a new generation of Seven Swordsman committed to the principles of leadership, expert swordsmanship, and peace. Take an test to see if you are what we are looking for! Visit the testing center outside of the Tower of Trials. Take a written test administered by one of the proctors (Done by an NPC played by the Mizukage) if you pass the Exam you will receive a ticket to fight against a Church sponsored swordsman to test your abilities (another NPC played by the Mizukage). If your skills are shown to be worthy. The Church will keep your record on file and consider you to have enough aptitude to join the elite group. From there they will be in further contact.
Restrictions: Only open to those with a Fighting Style directly related to Swordplay. Can only be done once.
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Interrogate!
Rank: C
Description: There are plenty of low level criminal networks operating around the village. When we catch them and put them in jail many refuse to talk or give up the myriad of contacts and higher lever chiefs than run the criminal organizations that can make civilian life hell. Make them talk! You are able to use whatever tools that are at your disposal as a shinobi whether it be physical violence or psychological coercion. The use of enhanced interrogation techniques has been sanctioned by the Church's [REDACTED].
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Note: The Church officially denies the existence of any "Fair Game Doctrine".


Guard the Donations!
Rank: C
Description: A great deal of money is donated to the Church by the faithful so that we can continue to provide the spiritual and social services necessary to maintain the people's mental wellness. Every now and again small shrines or even the Church of the Great Shepherd receive a tip off that someone is looking to break into a holy site and steal the money that has been donated. Show up at any random Church or building operated by the Church and secure the funds when they are transferred, they are usually cat burglars or even dim witted bandits who wish to try their luck against the village's benefactors.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Help the Hopeless!
Rank: C
Description: The Center for Mental Wellness cares not only for those with minor mental blocks but also those with the most severe of disorders including those with low functioning autism, criminally insane individuals, and those traditionally deemed unfit for general societal functioning. You must restrain or otherwise guard auditors and other psychiatric professionals from these seemingly lost causes. You will be responsible for fending off any attacks and keeping the patient conscious yet under control so that an evaluation may be performed and treatment started.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Clearing out the Sewers !
Rank: C
Description: Many gangs have criminal meetings under the sewers of the village. You will assist one Jounin in helping clear out the tunnels of such criminal scum. These lost souls plot actions not only against their fellow man but against the Church whose very existence is a gift by the Great Shepherd to a lost race of people. You will infiltrate the sewers and scout out at least three potential meeting points for criminal elements and report to a Jounin. The Jounin will then be tasked with clearing out the sewers completely.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

B-Rank Missions

Seven Swordsman Interview!
Rank: B
Description: At this point the Church has been keenly interested in your competency in swordplay as well as your knowledge about swordsmanship. If you accept this mission you will have taken the first official step in joining one of the most elite squads in the history of the Mist Village. There are three rounds of interviews each constructed so as to test the psychological profile of the individual attempting to join the Seven Swordsman. We look for absolute loyalty to the Church and her village, an intense focus, a mind resistant to brainwashing, and most importantly stable moral character. Each round will be conducted by an interviewer with a strong psychology background (NPCs played by the Mizukage). The interview ends with a final audit by the Mizukage herself!
Restrictions: Must have successfully completed the Aptitude Test Mission. May only be done once
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5,000 Ryo

Be Aware!
Rank: B
Description: We must know the inner workings of a village for our own safety and security. Gather information about the politics and status of a Hidden Village. Either through espionage or simply lending an ear when a foreigner is venting. Keep your eyes and ears open to get valuable information. Detail what you have learned and hand it to the Mizukage personally for your reward. If the information is deemed useful then you shall be rewarded.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times for each ninja village.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Where Are They!?
Rank: B
Description: Find the locations of the other major Hidden Villages. Scout the surrounding areas as a traveler and bring back intelligence on where their village can be found and what the general defenses surrounding the military installation. Remember knowledge is power!
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times for each ninja village.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Take out a Gang Leader
Rank: B
Description: Urdana is home to many petty criminals that victimize the people in the Land of Water. Most of these are nothing more than nuisances created by decades of failed policy and spiritual starvation. However some of these individuals are so insidious that their actions are said by Church leadership to be guided by the Adversary. Their targeted assassination is sanctioned under the purvey of [REDACTED]. These gang leaders are a dime a dozen and operate outside as well as inside the village. The organizations that sustain them are numerous so as part of the Church's new tough on crime policy you are instructed to work with one other shinobi of Chuunin level or above to get the job done. Your contact in the field will be an informant and intelligence operative that will give you a different target each time (NPC played by the Mizukage)
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Note: The Church officially denies the existence of any "Fair Game Doctrine".

Big Bad Creatures!
Rank: B
Description: The monsters that hide deep under the Land of Waters are not restricted to the occasional shark. Megaldon sized predators with a particularly nasty taste for human flesh have been spotted around the borders of the Country itself. Travel to its outskirts and slay three mega-sized sea monsters. The beasts rarely come up but when they do their attacks are so vicious and quick that they rarely leave time for the village to send help. Thus their eradication or at the very least suppression require proactive effort. Stir up three beasts and slay them or at least badly damage them so that they are of no threat to the citizens of Water Country.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Massive Donation!
Rank: B
Description: The Church is constantly in need of excess funds with which to serve its flock and strengthen the village just as the Mists around us protect us from the Adversary. Secure an surplus fund of 20,000 Ryo from a source outside of Kirigakure from a PC and give it to directly to the Church's coffers so that it may be added to the village. While the Church frowns on robbery under the principles of the [REDACTED] . It recognizes that the Adversary will use poverty as a weapon against the mind's of men. The ends justify the means.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Note: The Church officially denies the existence of any "Fair Game Doctrine".

The Priests Need an Escort
Rank: B
Description: It is common that priests travel across the Land of Water to minister to the minds of men who have not yet heard the Great Shepherd's gospel. Unfortunately these areas can contain anti-Church elements and those who backed the Bloody Mist in all its tyranny. Protect a member of the auditor or guide priesthoods (NPCs played by the Mizukage) from minor Blood Mist Loyalists groups who are active in the remote areas of the Mist.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Assassinate!
Rank: B
Description: It is said that the leader of a small Bloody Mist Loyalist organization is still operating on the very fringes of the Land of Water's borders. The leader is said to be fairly powerful and an ex-graduate of the Academy butchering tradition whose ideology is so wicked it is a danger to those who seek peace and tranquility. The leader is considered to be a violent terrorist skilled in Suiton with the intent to destroy the Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist and those who serve it. You must assassinate him and leave no trace that the Church was behind this activity. Threats to the faithful are caused by the Adversary and subject to the penalties listed in relation to the [REDACTED].
Restrictions: May only be completed once.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo

Note: The Church officially denies the existence of any "Fair Game Doctrine".

Miyako's Special Request
Rank: B
Description: The Mizukage's sister Miyako needs your help with something and its probably pretty important.
Restrictions: Can only be completed once.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo. Special treat from Miyako?!

Join the Priesthood!
Rank: B
Description: Do you have what it takes to join the elite priesthood of the world's newest and greatest religious movement? See the Mizukage for details on starting the process of joining either the Auditor Priesthood or Guide Priesthood.
Restrictions: Can only be completed once. Must be a member of the Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist.
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

A-Rank Missions

Samples!
Rank: A
Description: The study and cataloging of the world's various Kekkei Genkai (including Advanced Releases) and Dojutsu is of supreme medical importance. Kirigakure's Laboratory has requested that the Church field this mission despite ethical objections that the Church has. While not covered under [REDACTED] the harvesting of DNA samples from shinobi with KKG is considered to be sanctioned under [REDACTED]. Find a donor or volunteer a shinobi from outside of Kirigakure to donate a sizable transplant worthy KKG sample for the Mist's Laboratory. Any pain inflicted on those unwilling to part with their gifts is minuscule compared to the thousands of lives saved via research and development.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times. Just don't get caught or die!
Rewards: 100 EXP and 10,000 Ryo.

Note: The Church officially denies the existence of any "Fair Game Doctrine" or "Code of Righteous Triage".

Secret Techniques!
Rank: A
Description: Steal a hidden technique from another village and add it to Kirigakure's own knowledge. While theft may seem contrary to the Church's teachings it is important to note that Ninjutsu and all techniques are now "owned" they are merely borrowed instruments of harmony that have been weaponized by the Adversary. These techniques belong to the Great Shepherd who taught humanity how to use them and the Great Shepherd's authority is represented by the restoration of the Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist. In other words, these "village exclusive" jutsu are really just the property of the Church. Their theft is sanctioned on the condition that it is done so without being able to be traced back to the village.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times from multiple villages. Just don't get caught or die!
Rewards: 100 EXP and 10,000 Ryo.

Conversion!
Rank: A
Description: Successfully convert a PC of another village to the faith.
Restrictions: Must be a priest in the Church of Latter-Day Rising Mist with access to select jutsu.
Rewards: 100 EXP and 10,000 Ryo.

Seven Swordsman Final Test!
Rank: A
Description: At this point you are being seriously considered for a position of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. You must battle six of Kiri's finest swordsmen who have opted to train rather than join the organization. Each of the six is a master of a different form of sword play and are considered to be incredibly powerful (NPCs played by the Mizukage). There is a very real risk of death in fighting these masters as the examination process is both grueling and difficult. You must defeat them but may not kill them although they may do the same against you. The Church is looking for swordsman so skilled they could defeat an opponent without necessarily resorting to lethal force although crippling the instructor is allowed.
Restrictions: Must have successfully completed the Aptitude Test and Interviews.
Rewards: 100 EXP and 10,000 Ryo.

Broker A Deal!
Rank: A
Description: If you are interested in this mission you must see the Mizukage in person. Assist the Mizukage in brokering some sort of treaty with another nation. The circumstances will vary and more specific details will be given by the Mizukage when you approach her about it. Whether the deal be a security agreement, a trade pact, or a treaty its successful signage by the Mizukage and counter-party will be considered a mission of historic importance.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times from multiple villages. Just don't get caught or die!
Rewards: 100 EXP and 10,000 Ryo.

S-Rank Missions

Strange Things!
Rank: S
Description: Strange phenomena are being reported. See the Mizukage for permission to investigate. 
Restrictions: Can only be done once. 
Rewards: 250 EXP and 20,000 Ryo.

[Nujabes]

Hanafubuki approached the clerk's desk with a determined stride. She needed a mission that would actually test her skills, something challenging. "Good morning," she said with a cool, even tone. "I would like permission to undertake one of the more difficult missions."

SPOILER: Click to show

{The Mission}
Take out a Gang Leader
Rank: B
Description: Urdana is home to many petty criminals that victimize the people in the Land of Water. Most of these are nothing more than nuisances created by decades of failed policy and spiritual starvation. However some of these individuals are so insidious that their actions are said by Church leadership to be guided by the Adversary. Their targeted assassination is sanctioned under the purvey of [REDACTED]. These gang leaders are a dime a dozen and operate outside as well as inside the village. The organizations that sustain them are numerous so as part of the Church's new tough on crime policy you are instructed to work with one other shinobi of Chuunin level or above to get the job done. Your contact in the field will be an informant and intelligence operative that will give you a different target each time (NPC played by the Mizukage)
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 75 EXP and 5000 Ryo.

Note: The Church officially denies the existence of any "Fair Game Doctrine".

[Naitome]

Through the doors, a burst! Twirling through the air! He lands in a dramatic flopping that rubs a bit of skin from his knee, clapping with respect at his attempted acrobatics. Naitome tiptoed towards the flustered clerk with a piece of paper, jerking a thumb towards himself, then licking his index finger and prodding the paper, inviting her to take it from him. He smiled wide, mumbling something like 'gimme', then performed the very complicated act of taking off a large imaginary hat. Hopefully, the intelligence officers who'd passed him word of the mission he was requesting would also recognize his strange behavior as proof of his rank. Of course, he could have imagined them. Or this. He never knows.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Mister Mission}
Strange Things!
Rank: S
Description: Strange phenomena are being reported. See the Mizukage for permission to investigate.
Restrictions: Can only be done once.
Rewards: 250 EXP and 20,000 Ryo.

[Chae]

Pulling against the cigarette that hung from his mouth, Hatsu pulled down a slew of mission slips from the bulletin board.

"Bout time I start putting some work in around here."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Fight Club!
Rank: C
Description: Kirigakure's Uradana District is known for its seedy underground boxing clubs. They force young children to fight until exhaustion while making money on the subsequent bets. Break up three of these fighting clubs and confiscate the cash. Take any wounded children to the infirmary so that they might feel better.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Wogs Gone Wild!
Rank: C
Description: There are those that have attempted to make their own counter-feit Churches based off of Kiri's one true faith. These false Churches and prophets are known as Wogs by the Church and their dissemination of heresy is not to be tolerated. They have erroneously changed The Book of Hope to suit their own agenda and they insist on vilifying the one true Church established by the Great Shepherd. Break up these religious anarchists and put a end to their smears with violence if necessary. Many of these quasi-Church activists are con-men looking to make a quick buck from those too meek to enter into the Church's loving embrace.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.


No Drugs!
Rank: C
Description: Peddlers of strong substances not approved of by the Church have made their way into the Mist. They partake in substances that are addictive, strong, and create adverse effects on the mind. Find them, arrest them, and destroy their products. Take any addicts you find in their dens to a mental wellness treatment clinic. Convince at least one of the addicts to commit to long term treatment and to attend weekly sessions with either a Guide or Auditor.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.


Sea Critters!
Rank: C
Description: While there are many harmless fish that swim around the Land of Waters, there are some critters that are incredibly dangerous. These sharks, lamprey, giant squid, giant jellyfish, piranha, and barracuda present a nuisance to those who wish to engage in commerce around the Isles of Mist. Travel to five different locations and aid ships in fending off sea critters that are a bit more vicious than normal.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

Pirates!
Rank: C
Description: There are many small pirate ships that dock off the coasts of many Mist islands. They lie in wait under the cover of the Mist to rob and attack the passerby. Protect cargo ships from the pirates that frequently try their luck on the most helpless of Water citizens. While the pirates pose a threat to civilians they are fairly weak in comparison to even the most basic of ninja and should either flee or put up minimal resistance after their attempt at capturing or sinking their target ship has failed.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

[Naitome]

---

He'd been standing there for some time, though it felt his request was being ignored. There was a great commotion stirring the mission station's residents, frantic groupings of official-looking people at strange tasks. The busy clamor drove Naitome quickly to agitation; rampant frothing ensued, scratching. He fidgeted for what might as well have been hours shifting between seats and leaning against one wall or another. He approached the receptionist for the forty-seventh time.

"I hate to be a bother note-taker-lass but, ha ha, if you don't get someone down here, ha ha, soon, I'm going to, ha ha, eat you."

His tongue like open scissor points split, tasted the air with a slurping.

<<"Sir, threats are unnecessary, as soon as--">>

Her breath was cut short as a small snake slithered its way into her opened mouth. She choked, but silently, and bashing the side of her face with the full weight of his melody arm lifted her off her seat, and through the adjacent wall. She moved, after landing, rubble held. The motions were unnatural and only bulging at the throat, the serpent's exit.

The tower shimmered, it's interior a sudden conundrum of shadow. Several others had appeared. Six bodies surrounded Naitome, tall and masked, wrapped in the fresh layered cloth of the church's disciplinary sect. They held strange staffs, one or two each, bulbous spheres adorned with shepherd's hooks and shine. Naitome turned around and around in a circle, giddy, on tiptoe.

"For me?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?????!?!?!?"

He exclaimed, as the twitching guards pointed their faith-dead trinkets and replied with one voice.

<<"Cease hostilities immediately, apostate. You will be taken into custody. Place your arms--">>

The noise was like a knife, cut into their now. It radiated outwards from the metal affixed to the Kiri Jonin's arm, became nausea and disorientation. Naitome bent the sound away from himself, chakra imbued gauntlet flinging sound to catch the others, who were too close to avoid its reach. They reeled.

A new noise, like kicking a cow's head through a wall of jello. Akuharu swayed in Naitome's palm, an unbalanced stop spinning between each finger, carving empty spaces between each guard's throat and the floor. The blood stank.

"Foul taints sour, godling-brood."

He whispered, stomping up and down on the dead remains, pulverizing spew underfoot, killing the memories of them. He raised his head, taking in the dull architect, checking its support frames and contours. This might be fun.

A terror-scream blended in the background, fear soup. Those stragglers in the cradle of the mission stations front entrance struggled over each other in ragged gouts of dropped appendages. They shoved each other down to escape, a few shinobi also waiting on missions dissolving into blackness. They would flee or take new paths at their whim, Naitome wanted only the battle. The blood.

Four outlines pervaded, eclipsed the obscure frenzy-fog with presence. From thin air, each barely more than ten meters from him, they made slow steps forward, click-squish through pools of muck. Akuharu came to a standstill at his side as he faced them, noting their number and distance, smirk upturned. Each assumed man wore the hypersigil of the fading church. Solemn-brow and squints. Naitome pumped his fists in the air furiously, both hands shaking. Glee.

"Jashin-Chan?"

A lazy drawl, accented with embellished coughing.

What do you want, fool.

The familiar voice said in his head, just as irritated as Naitome.

---

[Haru]

----------------------------------------------

The quiet embrace of mist and chilled air left me as I found my way inside. An empty corridor came to house a still form. I was placed against the door’s posterior; patient, listening. The walls of the hall were painted with the colors of the church. One could feel their presence in them, in the laziness of the strokes, the contented and careless attention to detail, even the paltry color itself. They didn’t belong in this world, but fortunately for them, I was benevolent—just filled with compassion. I would shepherd them eagerly back to where they belonged. Back before the womb, the endless void that in its infinity could house all. They would be met with open arms. Arms of bone and void, the skeletal form of Hades himself. I was simply a myrmidon, a faithful servant—a messenger, an emissary. An earthly representative of the thing itself, of the one thing that ended all things, the thing that everything else was forever moving toward. It would embrace this building in a final cataclysmic orgy before long.

I saw and felt it in ecstatic visions. Energy and form altering themselves, altering states, pouring waves of crimson and bone into the abyss. And the shattering of structures, collapsing like a metal hammer against a figure of glass, crumbling like a loaf of bread lost within the clutches of death. The rendering of solids into liquids, of stability into instability, with but a signal it would all come to pass.

I was calmly and continuously there, counting the seconds, my form marking an impasse between the hall and the light of the outer world. It was almost time. I reared and tensed, ready to move beyond the hallway; it smelled like the church, reminding me unremittingly of loathing and disdain. Some kind of foul incense burned everywhere they went; it would be masked with a different smell, as soon as I heard the sound. The dim lighting would blot out too, once the sound was heard. Ticking and tocking, hourglass falling, and then it was. A cacophony of death-wails and fearful scrambling. Colliding with walls, with one another, with steel, with sound. Padding nearby called me; they made their way for the back door, with my accomplice a black hole sucking into the afterlife anything that moved toward the front. Yet I would form another, a death-vacuum, as chakra awoke from within. Running would end with legs severed from their bodies, and faces frozen in shock, similarly detached. More came, then, in a drove of belligerent trembling, their hearts set on that back door. Oh, you unfortunate souls—I am so sorry, but I am closed for the day, is what the door said. Closed for good. They didn’t hear it; they continued forward until needles of chakra closed in on them, and they became at once a lifeless pile. I climbed over the mound, now, issuing death to stragglers who could no longer see the door barricaded by dead bodies.

My sight was two rooms over, surveying what was proceeding in the front of the building, scanning the cloth-ridden bodies that had appeared, sizing them up. They weren’t ordinary, nor much more. Bodies continued to wilt and wither before me as I flew through the building, more piles forming on my way to aid our frontal assault. I was lithe through the door-less opening that led into the antechamber, a gaze of calm resolve falling on the heretic before the soon-dead. Chakra flared as I locked onto what moved beneath the cloth, like a viper searching for the faintest faltering, looking to maim and incapacitate. I was their new shepherd, here to guide them to a new land; an eternity spent beneath a moonless night.

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[Naitome]

---

The four figures spread apart their stance, cloaked but betraying the tell-tale signs of combat veterans with the least of their movements. They placed a two meter distance between each other, the right and left-most taking measured strides to encircle Naitome from the rear. He watched them move in his own stillness, save for the twitching grasp cementing Akuharu in his right hand. He chuckled, nearly doubling over, but freezing in place, bent to touch the ground smoothly.

A brash funneling of chakra, gathered then directed into his hands, allowed him to push his way knuckle deep through the composite earthen floor. The slab he lifted soon after, rock karst and knuckle and platform, covered nearly the entire distance between himself and the two figures in front if him. He threw it; a capsizing. As it was flung forward the shockwave of freed stone rattled out from Naitome's positions, and the entire improvised weapon traveled through the air nearly on top of the same bodies it had tossed. It crashed through the rear column of a former clerk's desk, became torso sized boulders that crushed whatever they fell atop.

The two bodies, however, became only puffs of smoke, and from behind and slightly right a swish of air carried one of the remaining figures near enough to slash it's rapidly drawn Nodachi upwards. The blade sought to bisect Naitome's spine, but a dance-like twirl to his right side allowed him to evade its swing with mere instants to spare. He continued the twirl into a backhand which would have caught the back of his foes head, but the man's vertical slicing became a diagonal attack seeking out Naitome's clavicle in a similarly fluid motion.

Clang-ng-ng-ng-ng-ng.

His melody arm made contact with the blade, steel on steel, deflecting it away from the soft tissue bearing it, right arm stiff at the heavy contact.

Thud.

A foot, his second remaining attacker, kicked Naitome square in the chest as the metal colluded. His body bent, misshapen, absorbing a degree of the blunt impact even as he twisted into its force, landing on one foot a meter back. A snake slithered out of his left nostril, entered the right. He growled, smiling, as his enemies each performed a strange crossing of their hands, birthing identical copies at Naitome's rear once more. Akuharu swerved in hand, balanced on the back if his knuckles.

"Waffles."

Naitome squawked, a hand reaching into his satchel to close around a small object. Can you tell which one is real?

The one that kills you, with any luck.

---

[Yoshi]

♲ is it the pleasure or pain

" Oi, " The commotion, had finally reached Yoshi's ears. After his village was turned into an oasis for religious nuts, foreign invaders, and terrible cream cheese donuts. Yoshi himself, had a fucking nuff, with everything going on. Today was supposed to be his normal day. walk down to the mission center, they said; it'll be fun, they said. this shit isn't fun! Yoshi, would scream internally, after his thoughts.

And now, to make matters that much worse, he just walked into an all out fight. " Come the fuck on! " He would scream. " This is supposed to be my day! " Yoshi would side-step, moving from his original position to the left, as he continued to walk towards the center. A single kunai, whizzed by an passed him, as he had already heard it flying towards him; so it made his evading it all the easier. He would reach, with his sleeved right hand, onto his back to unstrap the belt, that ran across his chest, and was a holster for Grimalkin.

A long, black wrapped handle, made in the same design as a naginata, but modified for the blade and hilt, to be on an angle to complete the scythe. The samurai-esque design, and asthetics, were definitely something of a love for the young snake. As he would whip the blade, back to back, in a sort of playful manner in front of himself. The thrower of the kunai, was Jojuri. He was a religious nut of the old faith.

He had come from behind -- Yoshi. " Oi, Jojuri-san. What was that for ," he would say while turning around. "The church of GAWD! Was burned down by you filthy heathens! " Jojuri, would pull from his coat, two modified chokuto with their hilts angled a bit. He would place them into an t before an x formation. " You will beg for forgiveness in the name of our god, with your blood!!! " He was five meters away from Yoshi. His jump into action had given, Yoshi enough time to turn around, survey his surroundings.

He was still outside of the center. The commotions within, of course hadn't ceased by then; so no back-up could be afforded, but then again none was needed, at least in Yoshi's mind. He believed himself to be a cut above the rest, only to be constantly reminded that he was still learning. A double downward slash in the attempt to cut down, both of Yoshi's arms was attempted. Yoshi himself, pushing his scythe, into it's handle, allowing the metal of his handle on his weapon to block the metal of the blades.

It ripped the cloth ever so slightly. As pressure was applied by Jojuri. Yoshi would speak while blocking with both of his hands. " You do realize, I just got here? You attack me for no reason, and then blame me for something I had nothing to do! " He would say, while using some of his strength to push the blades back. Jojori would jump back, landing a meter away. " You lie, heathen! Look at what is behind you, do you attest you have nothing to do with this! "

" Ah mou! I just got here! How many times do I need to say it! Fuck! " Yoshi was definitely on the more unmanageable sort of angry side by now. " Whatever, it looks like you're not even listening to reason. It's like you're possessed by some sort of profound stupidity or something. "

[Haru]

----------------------------------------------

Their coordinated maneuvering was studied closely; they procured in my mind memories of a compendium I'd once read on clone combat. They were textbook movements, faithful to the letter; was this a shinobi, or more simply a well-read dilettante? I could feel his end coming, nonetheless.

Whatever it was, thought wasn’t necessarily countenanced by such situations, and I was snapped into the immediacy of the present moment as a sudden showcase of impressive chakra control made itself known in what was ostensibly their prey. The deep moaning of the floor filled the atmosphere as his serpentine frame dug itself into it and pulled. It was an impressive feat, belying his tall, lean figure; the force ripped at the air, rattling my garb and the wall nearby as bundles of dust flew out from beneath in a rectilinear fashion. The cyclopean length of rock levelled whatever thought to impede its hurling before crashing into the other side of the room. The puffs of smoke weren't unanticipated, I had seen it in the features hidden beneath their robes. They would reflect the building before long, as form turned to smoke.

The opportunity afforded by the intense, discordant upheaval wasn’t lost on me. I hungered and thirsted, desired utterly to crunch my teeth on top of theirs, ripping and tearing their gummy flesh. Soon; utilizing the calamitous distraction, a shunshin would place me in shadows to the far right of the calamity-bearer.

The shuddering of the building and the abrasive noises that came with it gave way to silence in the ensuing moments. It would be broken once more by the clanging of metal on metal. They swarmed him in a moment of recovery, and only the composition of his chakra amplifier had saved him. My eyes could see his arm reverberating from the impact, stuck in place momentarily. The other was then on him; I watched the muscles tense, twisting and turning, and a foot pressed against a body. It happened in quick succession, but by then I had already prepared my own assault. I watched chakra wastefully pulsate in them, the site embarrassing in comparison to the masterful channeling the Jōnin had put on display. As their attention directed itself to the execution of their jutsu, I appeared from the shadows in a flash of movement several meters to their side. Silently, until a sudden halt as chakra roared and my palms stabbed the space in front of me, letting free decimation and wrenching. It would collide like a steel train as more clones appeared nearby, its force surrendering them to smoke. It would miss the agitated shinobi, of course, though the wind of it would send his red hair running in the opposite direction.

I was a whisper en route toward the left of the remaining two, chakra conforming within my being once more. I moved before properly appreciating the unexpectedness of what had just occurred. The second two had been as false as the two before. And then I understood, as my sight was bombarded with the movement of latent chakra in the attic above. Someone was forming a jutsu. Doton chakra, sudden and quick: it lurched from above and then beneath the red-haired shinobi.

“Move!” I warned, my face turning so he knew that the words were a directive. I could still see the clone, of course, and my own movements remained, breaching death’s ambit before long.

A single, earthen spire would form only an instant following his movement, shooting up two meters before becoming still. And then there were more forming; I could see the un-kneaded chakra kneading once more. It was a shinobi. There wasn’t time for talking, as I closed in on the twin figures, almost there. Yet, if vigilant, the eyes of the figure above could easily be discerned before a certain hollow in the ceiling’s structure, if one knew to look. If the clone’s disappearance had been noted, he most certainly would. Meanwhile, I was swift and light, death’s courier, harbinger of heaven’s collapse.

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[Naitome]

---

Killed. You'll be killed. They'll kill you. Do you understand. Do you hear me, you wretch.

A rushing of air, wind smashing wind, blood-damp force a reckoning and an arrival. Through shadow moved a small body, each palm an outstretched weapon overturning the doppelgänger gaggle. It's bulging eyes made its identity known; deep thought, the philosopher. The Hyuuga prodigy.

"No."

He replied to the boy's directive, as the earth below and above rose, slamming against him with dense stumps of hard earth. He'd laid completely flat, letting the sheer blunt force of the impact work it's way through his malleable scales and skin from below, while the perfect compression of chakra into his right hand allowed him to ride the ascending pillar into a punch. The punch seemed to rock the foundation of the entire building, beat against the earth that had come from above, appeared to have knocked apart the very chakra of its construction. The blow spread from its impact point and carried the earthen trap, and the remainder of the building above and obstructing it up through the ceiling of the mission station like a ferret head. It rose only a few meters above the height of the building, before falling slightly off-centered back through the hole it's launching had created.

Much like his clan's namesake, Naitome slithered off the temporary perch of the earth raised below him just in time to ignore the fallout of his monstrous strength. He looked at the Hyuuga, followed the boy's gaze upwards, searched for more of the odd cloned shinobi. Akuharu slithered back towards him in the form of a snake, then elongated unnaturally back into its scythe form.

"Fancy meeting you here, brainy."

He said, the object he'd removed earlier soon exposed, a smoke grenade. He tossed it up towards the massive gaping he'd just created, waiting only seconds as the thick wafting permeated the nooks and crannies of the remaining upper level.

"You gonna tell me how many actual people there are to snip-snip-snip, or will I have to cry?"

He asked, his hands making the motions for scissors, snapping, poking his own chest. He seemed undisturbed by the bruises tanking such an assault had caused, and traced many of them with his sharp finger-claws, hissing.

You're hurt, acknowledge it damn you. Are you too stupid even for that.

---

[Yoshi]

♲ is it the pleasure or pain

Yoshi, slackened his grip, on the scythe. He pulled it up, while using his left hand, also making sure the handle hit his left shoulder. " You maybe a shinobi priest, but attacking an actual ninja " He would point to his head-band. " That's a most unforgivable sin, your crime must be given the sentence of damnation! " Yoshi would say in a mocking tone to the priest. " Is that how you say it, hehehe. " Jojiru was boiling mad. " You damned hea-! " " Ahh, Mou! Shut up! " Yoshi would scream while walking forward, cutting off the priest's speech.

" You decided all of this -- so stop your wining. I could truly do without that shi- " That was when at the moment he began to walk forward, the priest would drop both of his blades, and combine his hands together into seals. He created three before he lifted his arm. " Die!!!! " He would lower his hand, angrily, with all the force his body could muster. Jojiru was so angry that tears were coming down his face. His wife, mother, and daughters were slaughtered when the church was destroyed. He was devout; but god had tested his faith with all that had happened.

He had hoped to ascend into the sky with his family. To move into the next realm with them all, when the proper time approached. The sadness and despair fueled him. The close distance that they were made getting out of the way damn near impossible. Yoshi was struck with the blunt force of the attack, his malleable body, not able to fully shift the trauma. His body was lifted into the air, his scythe flew from his hands, and his body was dropped five meters from jojiru.

Yoshi had no idea, the rage and pain which was coursing through Jojiru. He had miscalculated, and now the air was knocked out of him. He would gasp, as if trying to suck in all the air he had just lost. He was panicked, by the predicament, that he was now in. " I will show you the depths of the darkness underground, you monsterous heathens do not deserve to rise into the sky!!!! " Yoshi was in trouble as Jojiru picked his blades up, and charged towards now the boy who was now sitting upwards, on a single knee.

[Haru]

----------------------------------------------

Wind sped around me as my pace doubled, disrupting the calculations and denying defense. I was inside him before he could properly hack his blade. It fell in mid-slash, clattering against the floor before reverting to smoke. The other surged forward. He had moved to flank me as I advanced, and I willfully let it happen, eyes still forward as they nonetheless watched him. I turned in a sudden, rapid motion as he neared, releasing uncompromising chakra from my flank as I did so. Kaiten reared, devout and equipped to defend, though I would stop the motion before revolving completely, coming to face the clone that was no longer there. I had observed with amusement him collide stupidly with the unexpected, beating force in my turning, becoming as the one before him—becoming as they would all become.

Anterior to the skirmish, I acknowledged loony’s reply in negative as it sounded over my shoulder. It wasn’t a cause for concern—I assumed it meant that he had a plan of his own. For a moment though, I was admittedly trepidatious, half-expecting him to, for some reason that escaped reason itself, allow the earth to pacify him. I was relieved as a feat reminiscent of the earth-ripping would send finely-tuned chakra through his fist, impacting with the incoming slab in a nuclear collision.

I was nearby once more as the battered earth came down like a falling meteor. A crater formed where it landed, just before its antagonist called to me. I looked at it and then back at him. A faint grin.

“Jaaku-sama,” I nodded.

“Alas, I would be a fool to grant your presence here any degree of surprise.”

A stalagmite of earth formed beneath me as I finished; I stepped to the side flippantly. My finger ran across it, toying with the one I knew was watching. It had moved slower than before, and I sensed a certain desperation. My sight rose to the station’s upper level as I concurred with his sentiment, scanning as smoke filled lungs and blinded eyes. Chakra ceased altogether; I could see a look of confusion on the face of one, his heart pounding as he suddenly became sightless. Faltering in fear, his anonymity was compromised as the others followed suit an instant too late. There were four left, mirroring the number there had been in the beginning. He was running out of chakra; I could see it in him. His core trembled, hands shook, and beads of sweat fell in groups of three and four, soaking the dust-covered floor beneath him. Whatever remained failed and dwindled as seconds passed. Lowering my site, I became aware suddenly of what had been the stalagmite's gradual decrease in height, as they formed a slanted path trailing the one I had taken toward the two clones. It must have been frustrating, attempting to target one whose eyes could watch the targeting before it could mean anything. Yet, albeit not managing so much as a scratch, his death-wish made itself plain. He dug his grave with pathetic faith and clinging.

“Only four," I responded, "and, he'll be the one in the very back.”

I noticed, then, a different procession of chakra. It clashed with another outside, an acolyte making another serpentine figure his victim. This one was smaller, with long hair of an interesting color, and a scythe at his side. I had faith that he would overtake the man, that he would force that scythe into him, forcing hell into his eyes in a moment of flaming recognition; but, either way, I wouldn’t interfere. We were in a new Mist, now. The era of shaky resolve and comforting hands ministering themselves to the weak had ended with the death of the Mizukage. If he couldn’t defend himself against a pedestrian, perhaps he didn’t deserve to live. Certainly not in our Mist. Whatever happened, I directed my attention back to my cohort, thinking to grab onto his robes if he decided to use his power-chakra to leap up. It was getting closer now. Moments, and we would have the station adorned to resemble the church.

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[Naitome]

---

Neck craned, eyes scanning opened ceiling, then blackness. The deep dark. Like pin-pricks, warm and aglow in the pressure haze were they exposed to him, as heat. He'd switched to thermal tracking, a boon amidst the smoke wash that cramped the higher level.

Just a step on a rock spike, a reaching to grab the Hyuuga's collar, secure him, and Naitome bound, a full body rocking upwards. Only the densest of chakra to catch him along the fractured faux mezzanine his previous attack created, an accident and a saving grace. He ascended with purpose, head twisted through the obscuring. A bright patch only embers more radiant than the other copies stood out, and was targeted, kept itself behind the bulk for some assumed advantage. The last loyalist.

We recognize him. He's the watcher. The holy apprentice.

Naitome had forgotten the man's name, had only known it in passing, a student of the shinobi lifestyle without a headband to legitimize it; he'd learned their ways but reported to the church directly. Now he was an obstacle. The Jonin spoke to his comrade, three adversaries arranged like Rashomon walls protecting the first.

"I need about, err, four and a half seconds where they can't hit me with hurting stuff."

Nodding at the Hyuuga, then their true opponent.

You'll never pull it off.

Naitome's scythe bore down at an angle, spun into a reversed grip. A small tag was removed from his satchel, nearly crumpled. He watched the three clones flicker in a dull hotness, temperature outlined hands folding into seals.

"Ready..."

He began, heel digging into the ground.

"...Freddy!"

Worthless cur.

---

[Yoshi]

♲ is it the pleasure or pain

Jojirou was like a raging torrent of waves. As he came down to the ground -- a mere meter from Yoshihime. His anger seethed though his words. " You worthless monsters, killing the innocent like them!! " " Like them? " Yoshi tried his best to raise himself up. " Damn it. " The wound that he took directly, seemed to have bruised his ribs slightly. His left hand, rubbed at his ribs through his hooded sweater, in tender circles. " I have no idea, what the hell you're going on about! " His right hand, releasing his chokuto from its sheath.

" You're the bastard attacking me for no reason! " "No reason! Was it not you -- the shinobi of this god forsaken village who killed your own because of the church! Who murdered my family, because you yourselves were too weak, to defend this village from outsiders! Traitors! Traitors to the faith and to this very village you all are!!!! " Jojirou swung his blades, like a wild tiger, trying everything it could to slice through it's prey. His movements were erratic, but too slow to be of any consequence to Yoshihime.

He was stunned earlier that the priest knew ninjutsu. shit, what do I do!? what if... what if he... he's right... I thought the church job was the outsiders, but if it really was kiri-nin, there's no way it was kiri-nin, right!? A sense of sadness began to permeate from Yoshi's body, like an aura of dark blue veiling his body. His chokuto would meet, and exchange a series of fast blows, with both of the priests weapons of kind. His earlier mocking of the priest echoed in his mind. that's a most unforgivable sin, your crime must be given the sentence of damnation!

What had happened to the priest family was an unforgivable sin, and a breach of everything kirigakure no Sato stood for in Yoshi's mind. " Stop! " A stronger block was made, forcing them both, to clash and jump backwards a meter from each other. " Stop!? MY WIFE, DAUGHTER, AND MOTHER SCREAMED STOP BUT DID YOU LISTEN WHEN YOU CLEAVED THEM AND BURNED THEM ALIVE!!!? " Yoshi, would be taken aback, " I-I didn't know about any of that, you have to believe me. " His voice was solemn and stern, but his eyes were now averting the priests gaze.

His gaze was like that of a oni, his anger showing through his lens, a man willing to storm the gates of the underworld for his family was all that stood before him. " Is all that you're doing just because of your lust for revenge? Is this really what you're family wanted!? " The priests eyes began to go in all directions. His anger reaching a level that it had now boiled over. " WHOOOOOOO, DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TELL ME WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE WANTED AFTER KILLING THEM!!!! "

[Haru]

--------------------------------------------

The wind stroked my face like a long, clear paintbrush as I was shuttled through the hole above. My garb was a frenzied dance, flowing restlessly in the dark before falling as my soles found the dusty surface. White hair had spread wings and flown, too. Senbon and kunai lept a jubilant leap, and my sheath nodded calmly. Everything moved. Well, almost everything. Vision remained still; frozen; shut, locked. It attached itself to a heart that pounded in fear, pounding involuntarily on death’s door, beneath a sweat-drenched shirt. One could almost feel the fright surrounding him, the anxiety enveloping him. It played along his neck, tickling with a steel pointiness, travelling down his back and through his legs. It was such a true satisfaction, watching the thing squirm, knowing that soon the same neck would be bent inside a snake’s clenched maw. It was interesting how, invariably, they always attempted to fight it; even knowing struggle would be futile, that death had already arrived, they nonetheless continued. He was a cornered animal, whose life had been spent poisoning minds, claiming the triumph of his religion over fear; who had lived and breathed in service, servicing the mandates lodged deep by father; who cherished the mindless devotee, mental lobotomy, the brain placed beneath the altar; who had found joy and sanctity in the ideology that destroyed our land. He was a cornered animal that had to be put down.

We reached the room of the fear-inducing smoke, and my chakra was alive as my deliverer spoke. Couldn’t end the smoke, had to keep it there; needles flew, then, filling the air. Fourth was beyond, but third and below, would feel them creeping and soon would know. First came one, then the second, piercing air, turning limbs. They ducked and dodged, holding on, fanning flames that would flicker. Sustaining a life that would soon be gone, grinning I watched hope wither. The third and fourth flew silent and solemn, shortening the day with a cutting song, bringing a night of fearful delight, an end to their god and his worthless throng. Time was about and time was abend, as we lovingly fought for nothing beyond, an end to the means of those that were weak, and the furtherance of means that were noble and strong. And so I continued with five and six, who lost themselves in the smoky mix, and finding the one and the two coming toward, sought to bury an invisible sword. A sword in the day and a dagger at night, inside ones chest below in the oak. A choir of ghosts, the church of the mist, sung to the end of their brethren in smoke. Seven and eight, nine and ten, nothing more than a humming sound, would bound before and between and betwixt, below in hell to forever be found. To lose their form and become what surrounded, like water in rain, like a flood in a storm. Before death, would bow and conform, they would finally be set free. With glee and might, as time was bought, and spent by the one beside me.

I nodded.

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