Pouring Rain (Will & Tsu)

"And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low? Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know..." The boy hummed, his throat crackling like paper upon the wind. He grasped a stone and slung it, and for a moment it seemed as if his bare-bone arm might fly from his shoulder. "Hee. That tickles." A grinned, black orbs glittering in the gloomy, rainy day. Grabbing at his upper arm, he gave it a good push, feeling and hearing the satisfying crack of his arm returning to its joint. So preoccupied with this was he that he never noticed his rock bounce, one, two, three times upon the surface of the lake. With a plop! it sunk down into the murky, dark depths.

Rainy days were his favorite. He liked the coolness, and the moisture certainly helped his complexion. Best of all, it was harder to see, harder to smell. It seemed that whenever he approached anything, be it man or animal, they shied away in fear and revulsion. Looking at his hands, turning them over and over, Soren... Nochtis?... thought upon this. The blackness that seeped from his skin fell away with the rain, swirling in the water like ink. He traces the dark runes from which the putrescence leaked, running a yellowed nail along their patterns. He shuddered at their allure, the power, the promises... Squeak! "Ah..." Nochtis looked around, legs still crossed as he sat upon the flat rock. Resting on the ground nearby, in the muddy sand, was a small squirrel. "I almost forgot about you, little friend. It would be quite the tragedy if you escaped, especially after I spent so much time finding you." The Skull Kid grinned, baring sharp fangs. Pulling tighter the makeshift bonds, made of twined river reeds, he more tightly held the rodent's limbs.

"Well, I suppose I should get to work then, lest I forget. I can't be playing all the time, you know. Then I'd never get anything done." He clicked his tongue, shaking his head from side to side, his horns shaking with it. Pulling several darts from hidden pockets, he hopped down from his perch and placed the squirrel onto the soft soil. "Now, this may hurt a little bit, but do not worry. What is done here is for science, and progress!" He said passionately, pressing a finger down upon the miniature ribcage. Pulling the bonds from the squirrel's forelimbs, he quickly impaled its tiny paws with the darts, spearing them into the ground like tiny wooden stakes. "Now then, shall we begin?"

Drawing his knife, he held it on both palms near eye-level. His eyes peered over the blade as he began to focus and chant strange, evil words. The blade burst into a sickly purple light, that could only remind one of pestilence, rot, and death. "Ah!" It worked, and Nochtis felt the pleasure of success flood his body with warmth - metaphorically, of course. "How admirable. Perhaps your kin will write histories of your bravery." He smiled, glancing cursorily at the rodent's struggles. "Unfortunately for you, though, your tale ends here... Though not quite yet. Perhaps in a few minutes, or hours. Maybe even longer." The knife fell slowly, then met skin. It sliced through the first layer, into tissue, then muscle, then bone. Yet, as he withdrew the knife, not a drop of blood was spilled, not a hair moved. But the pain was very real; the animal's shrieks verified that. But more trials were to be had...

A single eye rotated to inspect that which would interrupt his work. Moving up and down, Nochtis saw that a Gerudo woman had walked up to him, and was inspecting his own work. A shapely woman, in some eyes. he mentally noted, storing the information away for later. Yet, something about her nearly broke his interest in the squirrel, very nearly caused his other eye to turn her way. He sniffed the air. Ah... that's it. There was no fear, no revulsion at the perversion of nature that stood before her... Only a faint curiosity. What a rare specimen. Alas, he still had work to return to. "A dissection? Yes, I suppose you could call it that." He muttered his reply, refocusing his vision upon his victim.

The squirrel had all but fainted now, though, its eyes rolled into the back of its head and foam spewing from its mouth. It would provide no more information, nor entertainment... At least not while it still lived. Once again uttering the eldritch words, his blade vibrated with magical power, and in a swift stroke he opened the squirrel's neck, ending its life in the span of a moment. Now it seemed the blade was capable of cutting, and as the metal left the squirrel's skin, it seemed as if something grasped it. A tiny, green and ephemeral paw clutched at the tip, and as he pulled the dagger away from the body, the squirrel mimic was pulled away from its body. Wispy in nature, a black mist peeling off of it, Nochtis couldn't help but feel elation. This was, of course, his first encounter with the very essence of a creature. "My, what a beautiful soul you have... Tiny, though." He whispered, holding the ghostly squirrel in front of his face. Turning his head upon his neck, he looked up at the Gerudo. "I wonder if yours would be bigger..."

However, his train of thought was quickly interrupted by an arrow landing with a Thud! next to his foot. He looked at it momentarily, then up to the Gerudo. "Hm. It seems you've brought me some playthings. A fair trade, then, their lives for your own." He grinned gleefully, standing up straight, turning towards the quickly approaching party. Grabbing the ectoplasmic squirrel in a fist, he formed it into a glowing green ball and shoved it into his mouth. "Tart." Sheathing his dagger, he pulled his blowgun from beneath his cloak, grasping a two darts in the other hand. Slowly he began to walk towards squad of Castle Town guards. An arrow wobbled through the air, landing several feet away from him. A small, green leaf fell to the ground just behind him, flitting to the wet dirt...

The ground seemed to explode beneath him as his feet flew him across the muddy terrain. There was six of them by count, three with bows, two with spears, and another with sword and shield. Of the six, it seemed only the man with sword and shield and anything better than leather to protect himself, and none wore a helmet. Fools... In the darkness of the rain, it seemed only as if this quickly approaching boy had only a stick with which to fight, but that would prove to be a deadly mistake. Closing in quickly Nochtis grabbed the nether end of a dart between his teeth, then swiftly brought the blowgun to his mouth, loading it in a single motion. Breathing out slowly, green mist leaked from between his jagged teeth, the soul lingering in his mouth finding its way into the dart. With an abrupt exhalation, the dart scraped along the sides of the tube and flew out, finding its home in the eye of one of the bowmen. Clutching at his pierced eye, the bowman pawed at his face, yet strangely it seemed that his head hung limp... Not so strange, though, with the soul of a rodent now controlling the muscles in his head and neck.

"Curious." Nochtis cocked his head to the side as he observed the effects of another soul inhabiting a currently living body. The two spearmen, as well as the swordsman, were closing in on him, however. Lunging simultaneously, Nochtis' adversaries were surprised to see that they hit nothing but air -- hopping into the air, Nochtis had spun around for a moment, before disappearing. Reappearing where he'd dropped his leaf, he placed another dart into his mouth and once again sent another small missile flying, this time taking a spearman in the shoulder. Stowing his blowgun, he grabbed his leaf from the ground, while unsheathing his dagger once again with his other hand. "Seems the soldiers are none better since I last saw them..." He muttered to no one in particular.

Nochtis chuckled softly. Kid, huh? Perhaps he'd keep this Gerudo around after all. She amused him, and if it came to it, he could always make her his minion. Undead or otherwise... At least when he learned how to do so, he thought bitterly for a moment. He deftly sidestepped an arrow - since he'd returned to his leaf, it seemed the guards were having trouble readjusting their aim quickly enough. Pushing back from the balls of his feet, narrowly dodging the horizontal slice of the armored guard with a shield, he called out to the Gerudo. "Just fine Miss!" he yelled out over to the tree behind which she stood. He was slightly offended that it seemed as if he needed help, but she'd at least made up for it by showing him something interesting. It wasn't often that Nochtis got to see a man explode. I'll have to try that myself, one day. Filing this into the back of his brain, he stepped back upon his left foot then pivoted upon it. Ducking low as he span around in the slick mud, he slid just beneath the lunge of the Hylian, who was moving to bash the Skull Kid with his shield.

It seemed as if he might succeed for a moment, but suddenly there was a poof of smoke as Nochtis threw the leaf in his right hand forward. Flipping his dagger as the wooden puppet that materialized charged the Hylian, colliding with his shield, Nochtis dodged around the now entangled bodies. The larger wooden marionette covered seemed unable to untangle its limbs from the Hylian, especially with the man's sword lodged in its shoulder. But, all was well as the Skull Kid veered in from an area of vision blocked by the marionette, dagger ready to strike. Jumping into the Hylian from the side, chanting as he did so, his dagger slid easily between the plates of armor just beneath his shoulder and into his armpit. "Ah, I think I found your heart." His dagger impaled the insides of the man's chest as if it was nothing more than butter, severing his life in a moment. Pulling his main gauche out brutally, it was no surprise that Nochtis would quickly implement his new found powers in battle. Yanking the man's soul from the now lifeless body, Nochtis shifted his weight, turning the now collapsing form.

"No!" The second spearman yelled out, lunging at Nochtis as he did so, but by turning the body, Nochtis shielded himself with the armor of his fallen enemy. The speartip bounced away from Nochtis, but before it could be withdrawn, the Skull Kid grasped the shaft of the spear firmly. Reacting out of instinct, the Hylian pulled back on his weapon, yanking Nochtis out from under the body just as it fell. Dagger still trailing the soul of the dead man, Nochtis swiftly slashed as the hand of the spearman, just barely drawing blood. But it was enough, the soul jumping at the opportunity to have life once again; and just like that, the spearman fell to the ground, foam frothing from his mouth. Nochtis figured he'd be like that for a long time-certainly not indefinitely, but long enough for him. But, this was no time to be standing around. The arrows had ceased because he was within the midst of their comrades, but now that they were either dead or incapacitated, the three remaining bowmen, two of which were still capable of firing arrows, let loose. Dashing to the side, he joined the Gerudo behind the tree. "Hello Miss. It seems I've forgotten to introduce myself. The name is Nochtis, but you may call me 'Master'." He grinned, bowing and flourishing with his free hand.

Nochtis frowned. Another master? Who could be greater than himself? Obviously Nochtis must have been gone a long time. He would have to investigate this further, and would have either hunt this other master down and kill him, or make him one of his minions too. Seeing as this Harena seemed rather powerful, Nochtis assumed that this "master" of hers must be moreso. Perfect. He smiled. There was never an end to his need for good minions, and it seemed that this woman, and whoever her master was, would do. Nochtis watched with an appraising eye as the Gerudo systematically destroyed another one of the guards. He was pleased to see her open a long gash in the archer's chest, leaving him naught but a flaming corpse upon the ground. "I'll allow you the honor of the last one if you so desire it."

If there was one thing he had to do, however, it was curb that tongue of hers. He'd have to teach her to address him properly. "Dark Lord", or "Undead Emperor" would do. Either way, she certainly needed more respect for him. Still, Nochtis shrugged. He did enjoy killing--it was his favorite pastime after all. He'd get to her education later.... For now, he had a Hylian to torment. Grinning viciously, he stepped out from behind the tree and set off at a dead sprint, charging straight at the last archer, who was busily fumbling with a rapier, trying to draw it from its sheath while backing away simultaneously. It was clear that he no longer had the spirit to fight, yet also knew that both Nochtis and Harena were capable of chasing him down. Drawing his thin blade, he stepped forward suddenly to try and meet the Skull Kid's charge.

Though not particularly strong, Nochtis still knew his way around a blade, apparent in the ease with which he fended off the Hylian's blow. Parrying with an sharp meeting of his main gauche to the rapier, Nochtis sent each consecutive strike flying wildly to his sides easily. "Hm, not good enough." Nochtis commented dryly, catching the blade inside the tooth of his Main Gauche. Locking the blade with a twist, he maneuvered the blade to cause it to twist in the Hylian's grip, causing the man's entire arm to rotate with his blade. Reversing his grip upon his dagger, he forced the man to a knee, using his reflexive unwillingness to relinquish his only weapon to manipulate the joints of his arm. Stepping forward, sliding his dagger along the rapier, he yanked up hard, dislodging his blade from the thin rapier, and plunged it deep into the nape of the Hylian's neck, fighting, neutralizing, and finally executing him all within several moments.

"Well, that was boring. I suppose we should clean up, though." He motioned to the bodies, two of which were still living--one comatose, the other with a dart in the eye. Both, however, weren't going anywhere. At least not for awhile. "Perhaps we should leave them alive. I could use more fun..." Nochtis mused, putting a hand to his chin pensively.

(Soul Count: 2)

"Indeed." Nochtis replied shortly, not really paying attention while slitting the throat of the comatose guard. What emerged was an abomination of a soul, at least compared to the previous ones, as this one was abnormally large, a fused version of the two souls that had once occupied the body. Not even bothering to wipe his blade, Nochtis sheathed his ceremonial knife, standing up after stopping for his work. Looking at the two floating souls, he grabbed at them and forced them into tiny ball shapes, little blue wisps that seemed to float around his head. "Hee." Nochtis said gleefully, as he walked around, the tiny orbs trailing after him obediently.

Snapping from his reverie, he returned his attention back to Harena, and whatever she was blathering about. "Ah, yes, a cave. It might be wise to take refuge there, as we most certainly don't want to be here, when the City Guard inevitably decides to look for their missing patrol." He scratched at his head, toying with one of the spikes on his head. With that, he started walking towards the opening of the cave, which, because of the rain, was impossible to see into. Not like Nochtis cared if there was anything in there, though. In fact, he would be excited to find a bear, or something of the like.

"Hm, I can't say I really understand the sentiment." Nochtis replied to her comment about the rain. "I actually rather like rainy days. They're dark, and the moisture keeps my skin from peeling... further." He added with mild distaste at the last statement. "But, I suppose I have found the world much changed, since I last walked it. Though it doesn't cause me any particular discomfort, it is still quite strange to wake from the dream, and find that only a memory of all you once knew remains." He continued, rather uncharacteristically thoughtful. Shaking his head, he looked around the cave, and found himself pleasantly surprised.

"Nochtis... You sure this isn't like... Your house or something?" Harena asked, and the place did indeed seem occupied, and was certainly sinister in its origin. "No, I can't say that it is. Though, that gives me an idea. Perhaps, once this place is cleared of any vermin, I will make this cave my own. Every lord need his own lair, and thus far this seems suitable. Plus, who can beat the location? Real estate is all about location, afterall, and in terms of evil lairs, this seems to be a prime spot for terrorizing peasants, being close to Castle Town and what not." Nochtis spoke, more talking to himself than to the Gerudo female.

He looked at her for a moment before speaking again. "Are you sure that you wouldn't rather be my minion? It would be great fun, you know, wreaking havoc on everything in sight. Of course, even if you say no, I'll probably just kill you and make you my minion anyways, but this way is more fun. I'd rather my minions be capable of thinking, after all." The Skull Kid said, his voice squeaking as he grinned wolfishly.

The woman seemed to tense at his words, and Nochtis did not miss it with his keen eyes. Again with this 'other master' business. The Skull Kid turned his eyes ahead, and narrowed them, though his eyes were already perfectly adjusted to the change in lighting. Quite a loyal one, she is. A good trait, but perhaps she is too loyal. It would be a shame to kill her, but it seems it may come to that... he thought to himself, making a showing of looking around the cave, "ooing" and "aaing" while he contemplated murder. His eyes, sparkling with false wonder, looked down to her, and he smiled sweetly, though none would describe it as so. "Well, I'll let you think on it. Who knows, I might end up being a better master!" He said with a shrug, jumping to a pillar in the water.

Squatting low, he ran a hand through the water. "Warm." Strangely so. But that wasn't what drew his attention; the water had no algae, nothing growing on it. Aside from the drips of moisture that fell from the ceiling, Nochtis saw no other movement. It was quite beautiful, really, how lifeless the water was, its black and murky depths barely moving. "Don't get in the water." Nochtis called back to Harena. It would be a different story if there was something big lurking in the water; at least there would be signs of life. Instead, there was nothing, so the water was likely poisonous from whatever minerals existed in the walls of the cavern. It would require further investigation. While Nochtis didn't particularly care, being undead as he was, it would be interesting to see what resources the cave might have.

Eyes moving back and forth for a moment, absorbing as much information as possible, Nochtis judged himself ready. While he did not fear death, considering he was already dead himself, having his body destroyed here would not do at all, not when there was so much work to be done. Without hesitation, he grabbed his leaf in his left hand, and in his right his dagger. Drawing it slowly, so that the metal slid from its sheath without so much as a murmur, the Skull Kid nodded to Harena, signaling that he was ready. Waiting not even a second longer, he jumped out from behind cover, and set off at a brisk pace towards the Lizalfos, though his foot falls were soft, quiet things.

Veering slightly to his left, further away from Harena so that when the Lizalfos finally noticed him, their backs would be to her, Nochtis put his hands around his mouth. "Hey! Listen!" He squeaked loudly, and for a moment, all the lizardmen could do was gawk at him. "Ugh, look at the filthy Skull Kid!" One of them exclaimed, clearly revolted by Nochtis' appearance. "Best kill it before it starts to stink the place up." The other commented, turning its nose up while simultaneously drawing a pair of scimitars from its back. The other, holding a trident and net, stood behind his dual-wielding counterpart warily, clearly expecting tricks from the Skull Kid. Smart. Nochtis thought, as the lizalfos with the scimitar charged at him.

Casting forth his leaf, the lizard was rather promptly halted by a heavy wooden body that appeared from nowhere, its flailing arms grasping to clutch tightly to Nochtis' adversary. And the Skull Kid was nowhere to be seen, with the wooden dummy blocking his sight. Angrily kicking its chest, the Lizalfos easily sent the dummy flying backwards to collapse on the ground, just in time to see Nochtis vaulting over his minion's body to fly towards the Lizalfos. Swinging horizontally with the scimitar in his right hand, the Lizalfos meant to cleave the Skull Kid in two, but he was too late. With unnatural speed, Nochtis took a dart in his left hand and stabbed it deeply into the inside of the right arm of the Lizalfos, the sharp tip penetrating where his the joint to his elbow lay. Driving it forward, Nochtis pushed hard with his left hand, forcing the Lizalfos to drop his scimitar.

Acting on instinct, despite the immense pain, the lizard extended its neck and opened its maw, meaning to take a large bit from the Skull Kid's head, but already Nochtis was there, his knife jamming into the opened mouth of the serpentine being, blade first penetrating soft palate tissue, then muscle and bone, then brain matter... The lizalfos died before its body his the floor, its eyes frozen in complete surprise.

Viciously yanking his blade from the beast's maw, Nochtis couldn't help but spray himself in the blood of his enemy, relishing in the wonderful mess he was making. "Ah, what a wonderful medium to paint with." he mused quietly, turning his blade over and over, watching as the crimson sheen fell away to the floor in tiny drops. Standing up atop the body he'd fallen with, he didn't even bother to wipe off his dagger before stowing it in its sheath, his curiosity too peaked to notice. "Ooh, I wonder what's in that chest. I hope it's something fun!" He exclaimed, running over to the box with child-like glee. He skidded to a halt on the smooth stone, sliding along the cave floor and stopping just before the chest.

He looked at it for a moment, then quickly proceeded to jump atop it bodily, trying to pull away whatever hid its wonderful insides. After several yanks, he frowned, wondering why it was not yet open. He gave a tentative yank. The whole chest rocked as his body pulled on the top cover. "Looooocked?" He whined unhappily, though each time he tried to open it, the chest's opening cracked open ever so slightly. "Hmmmmm..." He thought for a second, climbing down to the front of the chest. "Oh, okay. I can deal with that." He said, thinking for a moment, pondering what to do. Inspiration apparently hit as the skull kid made his way to the lizalfos he killed. Musting all the strength he could, be began to drag the overgrown lizard, slowly, towards the closed chest.

With a puff, he dropped the body to the ground, depositing it next to his as-of-yet undiscovered treasure. "Who needs a key when you have a head?" Grabbing the skull of the lizalfos, he proceeded to bash the dead lizard's head repeatedly against the rusty lock that hung against the chest's front. After several rather sickening cracks, the shattered metal finally fell to the floor, the lizalfos' ruined head slumping down to join it. "A keeey? Laaaaame." Nochtis pouted, crossing his arms and sitting on the ground.

"Neh? Rupees, you say?" Leaping up childishly, to catch the flying gem with the entirety of his body, Nochtis fell back to the ground with a slight Thump! Holding up the small, shiny piece of currency to his face, he eyed it carefully. He then proceeded to stick it in his mouth and suck on it. "Yup, it definitely tastes like a rupee." He said through noisy slurps. Pulling out the saliva covered rupee, he began to flip it end over end on the tops of his fingers. "I guess they are okay. I like how colorful and shiny they are. I can't say I exactly have had a need for them, for the past few hundred years, since it's not like I particularly needed anything." He responded, sitting on the ground and placing the rupee on the floor of the cave. Grabbing a nearby rock, began to bludgeon the small gem repeatedly, but to no avail. "Yup, just as hard to break as ever." He continued his observations.